Weiss arrives to the orphanage. Blake gets to know more about the orphanage and the people that live there.


Walking towards the orphanage, Weiss can't stop herself from giving her friend a sorrowful look. She knew that her distant and aloof behavior was confusing Ruby. But then again, after realizing how much the prospect of her being seen as a partner had hurt Ruby, Weiss had decided to not push the subject again.

And the only way the white-haired woman knew this could happen was by creating some necessary distance between the two of them.

Unfortunately for them, Ruby was here because of her duty to protect her. And Weiss was not going to act like a child and try to rebel or push her protector away from her. Hence, the only answer the younger Schnee could come up with was to act like she usually did when the two of them were in the presence of others: Cordial but not warm.

Surprisingly, and a little annoyingly, it seemed that Ruby didn't want this to happen.

And that was something that bothered Weiss a lot. That Ruby tried to push her away but then ran to bring her back to her side. As if she wanted Weiss to be away but couldn't actually let her get away. The behavior, though it made her realize how much Ruby cared about her, was not healthy for them.

Specially when the rejections and secrets Ruby had tended to hurt the trust they had for one another.

Don't get her wrong, Weiss trusted Ruby with her life. She knew that the raven-haired huntress would do anything in her power to protect her from anyone that tried to harm her. But, with each new fight that they had, Weiss found it harder for her to trust Ruby with her feelings. Because it was possible for Ruby to abruptly reject or accept them without any kind of warning or preparation. And Weiss was quickly realizing that there was a point in which any sane, non-masochistic person knew when to stop.

To stop trying to push her feelings to someone that may not want them.

Nevertheless, the moment she woke up, she also had other thoughts in her mind. Ones that made the fight Ruby and her had the previous night feel less depressing.

To explain it simply; Weiss was too happy to feel upset.

Happy that she would get to see Blake again.

The mere knowledge that the cat faunus was going to be working with her excited her. It made her realize that the promise Blake had given her was true and that finally there was someone (apart from Winter) who wanted to stay with her. Who wanted her close and who wanted to be with her.

Someone who wanted her because of who she truly was.

Entering the lobby, Weiss notices Barbara sitting on her desk and stops to say hi to her. It had become a routine for her to talk with her employees and to create strong bonds with them. Not only were they risking a lot by working here, but they were also kind and warm with the children and Weiss knew she had been lucky to find them.

"Barbara." she says loud enough for the woman to notice her and smiles politely to her.

"Miss Schnee!" Barbara exclaims happily before standing up and grabbing her hands. "How have you been? You look happy." she then notices Ruby behind her. "Ruby darling, hello."

"Hi." Ruby simply says and gives them some space to talk.

"As talkative as usual." the older woman jokes and this makes Weiss chuckle.

"Well, that's Ruby alright." she agrees. "And I am feeling very well Barbara. "As always, it seems you're as observant as ever."

"Well dear, when you're my age, you start realizing that the most interesting thing to do at work is to gossip about the lives of your coworkers." the older woman jokes with her and this makes Weiss laugh.

"And are you sure you should tell your boss about that?" Weiss continues the joke.

"I think that today of most days she won't mind in engaging in some light gossip." Barbara winks at her while starting to walk away from the desk, the two women immediately being followed by Ruby.

"You know that telephone won't answer itself." Ruby admonishes her.

"Oh hush you." Barbara teases her. "You don't speak most of the times, and when you do it is to try to ruin the fun."

Again Weiss laughs.

"Now Barbara, don't you start bullying Ruby. Just because she looks like a child that doesn't mean she's one."

"Weiss!" the red-hooded woman complains while sporting a soft blush and this makes the heiress chuckle warmly. "Don't embarrass me."

Seriously, how could she stay mad at Ruby when she acted that way?

"Ok, ok." she appeases her friend and turns her attention back to Barbara. "Now tell me why today you happen to walk with me to the playground. Does it have to do with the news you wanted to share with me?"

"Perhaps…" Barbara smirks. "You know Weiss dear, you should have let your employees know that the new hire was arriving today."

New hire.

Blake.

"I completely forgot." Weiss apologizes. "With the interview and then some late meetings I had I forgot to send the staff a reminder. I'm sorry."

"Oh no worries!" she smiles. "The woman was very polite and pretty. Specially pretty. Well convinced about her ideals and what she wants to do here."

"She was?" she asks curiously because she didn't know how well Blake would adapt to living and acting as a human.

"She was really excited about meeting the kids." Barbara tells her confidently. "So I decided to take her to the playground."

"The playground? During recess?" Weiss looks knowingly at the secretary. "Is this one of your secret tests? To see how well she will do with the kids?"

Barbara merely smiles.

"You incorrigible old woman." Weiss says with a warm smile and grabs her hand tenderly. "But, as your boss, since you already took the initiative, I suppose we just have to see how that encounter is going."

Chuckling, Weiss and Barbara arrive to the same door Blake had used earlier to enter the playground. The moment the three women go outside, they see that all the children are in a circle, seemingly talking with each other and with a person that seemed to be in the center. Noticing that Sun was apologetically making his way out of the circle, Weiss gives him a knowing look that has him flinching and acting as if he didn't know what was going on.

Yet it didn't take long for Weiss to notice familiar black hair from the center of the circle, nor the way a black hair-bow was also set in place, hiding what Weiss knew were a beautiful pair of black cat ears.

Did I just say beautiful cat ears? Weiss thinks to herself while continuing to stare at Blake, noticing that she didn't regret her words at all.

How could I? Blake is beautiful.

To further prove her point, Blake was wearing an ensemble similar to the one she had when they met at the base. Apparently, it seemed that the cat faunus favored monochrome colors and had no problem in combining the two of them. But what was most endearing about the cat faunus was the way she was trying to not get overwhelmed by all the questions coming her way.

Smiling warmly at the sight in front of her, and the very cute way in which Blake seemed to be incapable of answering the many questions the kids were throwing at her, Weiss knew she had to intervene. Taking advantage of her position, she stared at Blake for a little longer before deciding that her… well, her Blake, needed some saving.

My Blake...

"Now children…" she says teasingly and immediately all the people in the yard are focused on her. ""Is that the way to welcome the new teacher?" she adds while staring at familiar amber eyes that have not moved away from her since she made her presence known.

"Weiss is here!" the kids scream and move away from Blake towards her, which makes her chuckle and kneel to get close enough to them.

"Violet, didn't we discuss the other day about trying our best to not create chaos?"

This makes the little girl look down in embarrassment.

"We may have." she murmurs and this makes Weiss laugh.

"Well, it seems like you're still doing it."

"I'm sorry." Violet apologizes and looks at her with her trademark pout.

"Oh, alright. You can hug me!" she smiles and opens her arms to the girl and squeezes her. "You're lucky your pout is powerful."

"You hear that, it's all about the pout!" one of the boys screams and in a moment Weiss sees all the kids staring at her with pouts.

Closing her eyes, Weiss lets Violet move to the group before she starts acting.

"Oh no! Those pouts, they're too powerful. No, I must resist!" she continues joking before groaning and opening her arms slowly. "No, resist arms. Resist!"

"Make your pouts stronger!" a girl says and now the kids have gotten closer to her.

"I can't… I can't take it anymore." she fake-surrenders and opens her arms. "It's too powerful. Their pouts. Makes me want to hug them all!" she laughs and grabs the kids in a hug.

"Hug attack!" the others that didn't fit in Weiss' arms immediately surround her and hug her from all the places, the white-haired woman herself getting hidden by all the kids.

To Weiss, who was in the middle of the hug, the fact that human and faunus kids were holding each other close was the proof that what she hoped to achieve with Winter, Ruby and Yang was possible.

And looking up to amber eyes, Weiss could see in them the same hope she knew she felt.

WBWBWBWBWB

Staring at the kids in front of her, Blake can't stop herself from shaking. The way Weiss interacted with them, the way they all acted towards one another, as friends and equals. It was all shocking to see. Blake, who had been used to either see humans abuse faunus or for faunus to react in fear and hatred. There had never been an instance in which she had seen a normal, friendly and warm interaction between the two species.

And yet here she was being witness to one. One that probably occurred every day at this orphanage in the middle of Atlas. Blake knew that if the White Fang were to see this, most of their members would feel just like she was feeling: Confused and disappointed at themselves.

Disappointed for not being capable of doing this themselves.

For realizing that they were the ones furthest away from achieving this.

Taking a deep breath, Blake notices how there was a boy who didn't get close. He seemed older and was the same cat faunus that had been involved in the incident with Violet. Not that she blamed him for being hesitant about exposing himself like that, specially if he was more aware of the tense situation faunus and humans lived outside this building.

Getting close to Barbara, who had been staring at the scene with a warm smile on her face, she manages to also see Ruby a couple of meters away from Weiss, not interrupting the hug but also keeping her eyes on their surroundings.

"That little boy." she whispers to Barbara who immediately knows who she's talking about. "Why is he hesitant about getting close?"

"Ian." Barbara says softly. "He is still a little scared of us. Not that we blame him since he didn't come from a kind place. But he has made progress." she chuckles. "Ironically, the person he feels most comfortable with is Weiss." she points to the cat faunus who is slowly and unsurely approaching the heiress.

"Faunus kids are in a way different to human kids." Sun explains to her simply. "They act more on instinct than logic. Hence, they will only approach people that 'feel' good. Although he lets us help him and doesn't flinch when we get close, the only person he actually allows to touch him is Weiss."

"Touch him?" Blake asks confused.

"We encourage kids at the orphanage to not be afraid or embarrassed about their faunus appendages. Hence, if they're curious about them and have permission, we let them touch it."

"To build trust between them." she simply says. "Since faunus appendages are their most vulnerable."

This makes Sun and Barbara stare curiously at her.

"I had faunus friends." she simply says. "Who were always very open and willing to share with me their customs and way of being."

"Interesting." Sun chuckles. "Makes sense then that Weiss hired you." he focuses on Ian again. "Anyway, Ian has never let the other kids touch him. Not even the faunus ones."

"We were expecting him to open up to them once he got used to their presence or created bonds with them. But ironically he got attached to Weiss very quickly." Barbara smiles tenderly. "Like all the kids here, he was incapable of escaping her charm."

I totally understand what you're talking about… Blake thinks about herself and how she felt with just watching Weiss.

"We knew they were close…" Sun adds. "But we never expected him to let her touch his ears."

"He let her touch them?" Blake asks surprised because that was huge but stops her line of questioning when she smells a particular smell.

Unconsciously following the familiar smell, she matches it to Ian, who was now sitting in front of Weiss and was letting her pet his ears. The tenderness, the kindness and the love with which Weiss was doing this was making Ian release his scent on her, marking her for other faunus to smell. And, because Sun was a half-faunus, he couldn't notice the smell that was now invading the air. It was primal and it was a way for Ian to claim Weiss.

To claim her as his mother.

And Blake was confident that no one knew this was happening.

Deciding to tell Weiss about this the moment they could talk, she decided to not focus on the scent but instead on the way Weiss was doing her best to make Ian feel welcomed. How she was trying her hardest to make him feel accepted in the orphanage and how this was being acknowledged and appreciated by the younger cat faunus.

Yet the sight, which should have made her smile and feel tenderness, was instead making her feel something else. Blake knew that it was because the boy was a cat faunus like her, and that the sight of her mate caressing ears similar to hers called to her primal instincts. Still, she felt ridiculous about the sudden desire to have Weiss do the same to her.

The desperation of feeling those fingers surrounding her own hidden ears.

Come on Blake, you're a grown-up independent cat faunus that is beyond getting jealous of a kid… she tells herself while her eyes continue to focus on Weiss' hands and her ears can clearly hear the satisfied purrs of Ian.

I am not jealous…

I don't want her to touch my ears…

"Who am I kidding. I am jealous." she murmurs to herself and when she does notices Ruby glaring at her.

Feeling that the huntress' gaze was specifically meant for her, Blake decides to act the part of 'naïve new employee' to further her position with the group.

"This question may seem random." she whispers to both Barbara and Sun. "But I was wondering who that woman with the red hood is."

"That's Ruby Rose, famous Atlas huntress." Barbara says with a smile. "She's a quiet one, but at the same time a really good and kind woman."

"Though most of the times she stares at you like that." Sun chuckles. "The only people that can get a smile out of Ruby's face are Weiss and the kids."

"I didn't know that Miss Schnee needed a huntress to keep her safe." Blake adds calmly to gauge their reactions.

"Well, this place, helping faunus kids, is not something that many people like." the half-faunus explains somberly. "Weiss would be a fool to not get herself some extra protection."

"Diana is new to Atlas." Barbara explains to Sun and then stares at her. "What Sun is trying to say is that Miss Schnee's kindness is something that a lot of people here in Atlas don't see positively. Extremists from both, faunus and human sides, are against the orphanage and what it represents."

"I see." Blake says simply. "I knew that things weren't good at Atlas. But I didn't know that they would escalate to the fact that an orphanage could bring such danger to the people that work in it."

"Indeed." the older woman whispers. "I'm afraid that Atlas has changed, and not for the betterment."

"Still, I know that Weiss here will make a difference!" Sun says positively. "That she will make things better for both faunus and humans."

"You say that confidently." Blake tells him.

"Because I've known her for a while. Because I know she has a good heart and can see the good in people."

"He's saying that because Miss Schnee forgave him when he tried to steal food from the orphanage."

"You did what?!"

"I was hungry!" Sun defends himself. "And I had seen this place many times and assumed that they must have food in it. I bypassed security and was caught by the red-hood cookie monster there." he points at Ruby. "When I realized the owner of this place was a Schnee I thought that was it for me. But instead, Weiss congratulated me about bypassing the security and offered me a job here to teach faunus kids about their culture." he looks at her. "I know it seems hard to believe…"

"I believe you." Blake says honestly because Weiss had basically done the same thing for her.

"I couldn't believe it myself at first. Thought that it was all a trap to relax me and then take me to jail. But the police never came and here I still am." Sun smiles brightly. "Which is why I know Weiss can make things better." he moves around and with his tail hits one of the flower vases surrounding them, it rapidly shattering.

The move immediately makes Blake jump and it takes all of her self-control to not take Gambol Shroud out. Instead, she notices Ruby getting to where Weiss is in a defensive position. The move, which included taking her gun out, made the kids stop playing and stare at their surroundings fearfully.

"I'M SORRY!" Sun screams from behind Blake. "It was an accident!"

This makes Ruby put her gun away and for Weiss to do some damage control.

Meanwhile, Blake turned around to give Sun a very disapproving look; one that she knew Barbara was using as well.

"How careless can you be?!" Blake admonishes him immediately. "Here we are talking about the dangers of Atlas and you break a vase and wait to tell us about it."

"It was an accident." he pouts and this makes the cat faunus groan.

"That pout only works when children use it." she says to him. "Seriously, how irresponsible can you be?! First leaving me alone with the kids and now this."

"Well, that does sound like something Sun would do." they hear a familiar voice and notice Weiss standing behind them with a smile on her face.

"Weiss… I mean Miss Schnee!" Blake stutters and knows she's blushing. "I, I didn't mean to be rude."

"You were not." she says warmly and this makes Blake smile dashingly at her. "In fact, perhaps we should thank Sun for his rude interruption since I do wish to speak with you."

"You do?" she asks because she was not expecting to speak to Weiss so soon.

"Of course, it is imperative that I know every employee I hire and that I personally welcome them to the Schnee Orphanage." Weiss gives her a knowing smile. "Unless you wouldn't feel comfortable with it?"

"Me, not comfortable? Of course not, I would love to talk… I mean, it will be my pleasure to talk with you." the cat-faunus is beyond embarrassed about the whole situation and can see Sun trying his best to not laugh at her.

"Now Weiss, don't tease the new teacher." Barbara admonishes the heiress. "And you mister…" she says to Sun. "You better start cleaning the mess you made. We need to return to our duties and make sure to lock the playground door."

This makes Blake notice that all the kids were being led inside and that some teachers were waving at them from afar.

Why didn't I notice this?

I didn't notice it because of Weiss…

I should be mad because she's making me feel like this, but I'm not.

Because I could never be upset at her.

"My apologies." Weiss says happily. "You just have this adorable blush when you're embarrassed."

"Me blush? I'm not blushing." Blake knows she's blushing.

"You are dear." the older woman says simply. "But don't you worry, Weiss will take care of you."

Weiss… Will take care of me…

"Barbara is right." Weiss gets closer to her and grabs her hands tenderly. "I always want to make sure my employees feel comfortable. That's why I want to talk alone with you and get to know you better."

"Oh, I see." Blake whispers.

This woman is going to be the death of me.

"With that being said…" Weiss lets her hands go and Blake immediately feels the loss of them. "I will also talk with Mr. Wukong about his hospitality practices and responsibilities."

"You will?" Sun pouts again and this makes Weiss laugh.

"That only works when the kids do it." she turns around and grabs Blake's hand again. "Now come on Miss Parker, let's go!" she pulls her away.

Blake, who had waved goodbye to her new coworkers, was now doing her best to not stop Weiss and hug her. Yet she can't prevent herself from squeezing Weiss' hand tightly, almost as a sign of recognition and excitement. And lucky for her, she feels her mate do the same thing while offering her a bright smile.

Yet though Blake was happy to know that Weiss was excited about having her here, she had not been oblivious to the glares Ruby had been sending her ever since the younger Schnee and her made eye contact.

A sign that meant that her presence at the orphanage was not welcomed at all by the red-hooded huntress.