I'm really glad people liked the last chapter. I was intending to have the date scene take place in this chapter, but I decided to add another scene near the beginning and wanted to address something in this chapter, as you'll see by the chapter's title. As a result, I'm going to have the date hopefully be a chapter all on its own with a small unrelated scene near the beginning. I'd like to apologize for this change in plans when I'm sure many people were looking forward to it, but I felt the date would be overshadowed if I didn't do this.
There's going to be a bit of a callback to Aurelius' remark near the beginning of the Battle of Beacon in this chapter. Also, a minor character from way back is making a reappearance.
Lastly, before I start I'd like to apologize for this chapter not being posted yesterday, but between headaches and something messing up my sleep lately I've been having a bit of trouble focusing on writing the last few days. Most likely what's going to end up happening is I might just spend the day after this chapter comes out resting a bit before I try to adjust my routine to start writing earlier in the day. This means that, most likely, the next few chapters won't be coming out daily until I can figure out a routine that lets me write without being completely exhausted for no real reason.
Chapter 39: Scars, Discontent
Bastion, Citadel Council Chamber
"You can't be serious, Councilor Colvin!" Greene shouted, glaring at the head of the Valian Council. The man sat in front of the Valian banner on the right-hand side of the large room, glaring down at the fox faunus. "We're just as much citizens of Atlas as any human is! Just because the White Fang attacked doesn't make us all monsters!"
Winter glanced at the man in disappointment. After Ironwood returned to Atlas, she found herself in representing Atlesian interests in regards to the attack on Vale. "I must admit that your reaction to this incident is excessive and will make things far more difficult than they need to be, Councilor."
Colvin leaned back in his chair. "Is it? The majority of the White Fang members involved in the attack were citizens of Vale. We should have the right to ensure there's no threats of a future attack such as this happening."
Aurelius let out a sigh, tapping his staff against the ground while Adrienne crossed her arms. He glanced over at Colvin in annoyance. "By putting restrictions on every faunus' ability to travel and own weapons? Many of the faunus in Vale were injured in the fighting as well, and more than a few like Ms. Greene here even risked their lives to defend the city. Your solution is to cast as wide a net as possible and place oppressive restrictions on anyone within. Have you forgotten what led up to the Faunus Rights Revolution?" Aurelius asked.
Colvin stood up, glaring at the Blue Rose. "Are you serious? What about everything that's happened since? Near-constant protests, disruption of commerce, riots, assassinations, and now this! Jacques Schnee was right, the faunus-" The Councilor went quiet as a gale erupted in the room, causing Adrienne to shrink back.
"I don't care what you think, Colvin, but if you ever say Jacques Schnee is right about anything, especially this, ever again, being barred from these meetings will be the least of your concerns," Aurelius growled. Colvin nodded nervously before the storm died down a bit. "Now, get out before I drag you out." Colvin quickly got out of his seat and ran to the door. Aurelius let out a sigh when it closed, the winds stopping.
Winter glanced at the man, frowning slightly. "I wasn't aware you felt so strongly about my father."
Aurelius let out a sigh. "Back before I regained my memory I had a few… encounters with your father. As I'm sure you can imagine, we didn't agree on much back then, and we would agree on even less now. This is mostly centered around his insistence that faunus are vastly inferior to humans… However, that isn't relevant for the current situation." Aurelius glanced down at Greene, causing her to swallow nervously. "I have promised to welcome all refuges of Vale onto the Bastion. If Colvin does enact these requirements, I am willing to make allow anyone currently living here to become citizens in order to escape this madness." Greene let out a relieved sigh before she spoke up.
"There's still the dilemma of what to do with the captured White Fang members… Many of them are completely irredeemable, but a small number such as a rabbit that's identified herself solely as Rouge have shown to be less supportive of the group's overall goals. Rouge, for instance, claims that she is a doctor and was a member since before it turned violent and had little choice but to remain in the organization if she didn't want her practice destroyed."
Aurelius let out a sigh. "Try to find out if any of them are willing to turn their backs on the White Fang. At this point, we need any medical professionals we can get." Greene nodded before leaving the room.
Once the door closed, Winter looked at Aurelius with a frown. "Are you sure that's wise? Even if they aren't willing to work with the White Fang, it's still entirely possible they will be coerced into continuing to help them."
"The White Fang exists solely because the faunus weren't given the equal rights and respect they deserved. People like Jacques and Colvin insist that the only solution to this is to put pressure on the faunus to make their lives harder," Aurelius stated before he glanced at Winter. "By doing so, they will inevitably cause more people to join the White Fang. The simplest way to destroy the White Fang is to take away any moral high ground they can claim to have. Remove any pressure against the faunus and they won't feel pressured into joining the White Fang. Remove all traces of inequality and all sympathy for them will evaporate. Enough lives are ruined by madmen on both sides and the world has seen enough misery and death from this."
Winter raised an eyebrow, smiling subtly. "Perhaps there really is more to him than I thought." "So, I see the Blue Rose actually has a heart."
Aurelius glanced at her for a moment before smiling. "Ah, I didn't expect you to attempt to taunt me, Schnee. It's an almost, dare I say it, carefree reaction that I wouldn't consider you capable of." She blinked in surprise before looking away, frowning with a slight blush on her face. "However, I will admit that the fact Jacques' viewpoint on the matter is contagious is more than a little concerning. This belief that faunus are nothing more than savages or mindless animals needs to be dealt with immediately." Winter glanced at the Blue Rose uneasily for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"We should return to the search and rescue operations," Winter said as she stood up, heading toward the door. Aurelius hummed before moving to follow, Adrienne in tow.
Patch, Xiao Long Residence, Ruby's Bedroom
Ruby let out a quiet yawn as the sun's rays slipped into the window, moving to get up when she felt a weight on her chest. Looking down, she smiled at the peaceful expression of her teammate, partner, and… Ruby paused for a moment, smile wavering. "I know she said she was fine with the idea of us being in a relationship, but she did say she wanted to go on a date to make it official… Is it too early to call her my girlfriend?" Ruby sighed and ran her hand through Weiss' hair, smiling to herself. "At least I can hold her like this for a while…"
Weiss let out a yawn, inhaling the scent of strawberries before lifting herself off Ruby slightly to rub her eyes. As soon as she realized where she was, she looked down at the girl under her and smiled. "Good morning, Ruby."
"Hey Weiss, did you sleep well?" Ruby asked, a caring smile on her face.
Weiss smiled. "I did actually…" She leaned up and gave Ruby a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you for that."
Ruby grinned. "You don't have to thank me, Weiss, I'm just trying to be a good gir-um…" Ruby looked down meekly before Weiss giggled.
"It's okay Ruby, I think you're being an excellent girlfriend so far," Weiss said, humming to herself at the sound of that. Ruby smiled brightly before hugging Weiss.
After a moment Ruby pulled away. "Come on, we should get breakfast and get ready for today," the wolf said excitedly, causing Weiss to smile.
"Alright, I'm sure you've waiting long enough for this date," the heiress said as she climbed up, stretching slightly. Ruby tried desperately to ignore the thin strip of skin the was exposed as the top rose slightly. Weiss looked at her before speaking up. "I'll put your pajamas in the washing machine and give them back when they're done, alright?"
Ruby blushed and looked away. "Y-you can keep them, Weiss. You look really cute wearing that." Weiss blushed and started meekly playing with the hem of the shirt.
"Okay, thank you, Ruby," she muttered with a smile. Ruby went to stand up before staggering forward. Weiss quickly moved forward, grabbing her. "Ruby, are you okay?"
Ruby scratched the back of her head shyly. "Yeah, just a little dizzy…"
"Blake said you might have an issue with balance for a while. Just be careful, okay?" Weiss asked, getting a nod from Ruby. As the two made it to the staircase, Weiss helped the wolf faunus down the stairs. Ruby took a deep breath and let out a content sigh before the smell of bacon and eggs hit Weiss. She grinned at Ruby, gently pulling her along. "Come on, I'm sure you must be pretty hungry."
Ruby whined slightly. "Y-yeah… I haven't had a chance to eat anything since before Pyrrha's match." The two walked into the kitchen to see Blake making breakfast with Yang trying to help her.
"Yang, just relax. I'll take care of this, okay?" Blake said with a gentle smile, causing Yang to let out a sigh.
"Alright, I'll try, but you know I'm worried about-"
"Hey Yang," Ruby said with a smile, causing the blonde and the cat faunus to turn around in surprise. "Hey Blake."
"Ruby! You're awake!" Yang said with a smile and walked over, carefully wrapping her arm around the wolf. "How are you feeling?"
Ruby opened her mouth to answer when her stomach groaned. She blushed and put a hand on her stomach, looking at the blonde sheepishly. "I'm starving. How long was I out?"
Yang stepped away with a frown, grabbing a glass of orange juice. "Well, if you just woke up this morning, I think a day and a half."
Ruby scratched the back of her head as she sat down at the table. "Um, I kinda woke up last night, but okay… That's still almost two days without eating anything."
Yang winced before a thought crossed her mind. "You woke up last night?" Ruby nodded. "So… Did the two of you manage to talk?" The blonde glanced between Ruby and Weiss as the two looked at each other with a smile.
"Yeah, we were able to finally sort through things," Weiss said, causing Yang to grin.
"Awesome, so how'd it go?" the blonde asked.
Ruby blushed slightly. "W-well, Weiss agreed to go on a date with me, so I figure I'll show her around Patch and get dinner."
Yang let out a groan. "Aw, why didn't I think of that?" She glanced at Blake meekly. "Actually, there's a small library in town, maybe we could take a look?"
Blake smiled. "Sure, maybe I'll find something interesting to read."
Yang grinned before putting a plate in front of Ruby. "C'mon, eat up!" Ruby smiled gratefully before she started eating. Yang sat down with her own plate as Weiss and Blake joined them. "So, other than not eating in two days, how do you feel?"
Ruby hummed. "Well, I felt pretty dizzy when I got up, but other than that, I'm fine. How are you handling…" Ruby gestured to Yang's missing arm, causing the blonde to frown.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm still kinda upset about it, but Blake's helping me adjust. I'd probably have fallen apart if it wasn't for her," Yang said, glancing at the cat faunus with a smile. Blake looked down, blushing slightly.
"It's nothing, really Yang. You've helped me when I was at my weakest and I'm happy to help you," Blake said before Yang gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Still, it means a lot to me…" Yang said.
Ruby smiled. "I'm glad the two of you finally got together." She put her fork down with a sigh before taking her plate to the sink. "Thanks for making breakfast. I'll clean up if you want."
Blake rolled her eyes. "Ruby… Let Yang and me worry about that. You and Weiss should focus on your date." Yang nodded cheerfully as she hopped up.
Ruby smiled and gave the duo a quick hug. "Thanks guys, I hope the two of you enjoy your day…" The two nodded at her before she turned to Weiss. "I'll let you use the shower first, okay?" Weiss nodded before helping Ruby upstairs.
Weiss was pleased to find her dress and underwear had already been washed, choosing not to comment on it for fear of bringing the previous night's incident to mind. She collected her clothes and quickly made her way into the bathroom. Ruby walked to her closet and started searching through it, letting out a sigh. "I guess I shouldn't wear anything that's too much like my normal outfit, but all that'd leave me with is a few dresses…" She let out a frustrated sigh as she continued looking, not noticing Weiss walk in.
"You still haven't picked anything?" Ruby jumped and turned around sheepishly as she looked at her girlfriend. Much to her surprise, Weiss had chosen to leave her hair down and left her bolero off, exposing her shoulders and arms. Ruby blushed slightly.
"Wow Weiss, you look nice without the jacket… thing," Ruby said, trying to figure out what to say.
Weiss blushed slightly. "Dolt, it's just the same thing I always wear. And the "jacket thing" is called a bolero. I felt that it was too… formal for today." She glanced into the closet, frowning slightly. "So, what's wrong?"
Ruby looked down meekly. "I… didn't want to wear what I normally wear and all I have besides that are tank tops or dresses that expose my shoulders."
Weiss looked at Ruby quizzically. "Is that all? I don't see what-" Ruby let out a sigh and quickly unbuttoned the top button on her shirt, blushing slightly. Before Weiss could scold her girlfriend, Ruby pulled the fabric away from her right shoulder, exposing a small, circular scar. "Oh…" Weiss said as she processed what she was looking at.
Ruby quickly buttoned her shirt back up, looking down. "I didn't… I didn't want to have to sit there with everyone looking at a reminder of my failure to defend myself. Not only that, but I figured you wouldn't want to be reminded of it considering…" Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, her other hand gently tracing the scar along her eye.
"Ruby… I never told you where I got this, did I?" she asked, causing Ruby to shake her head. The young wolf would be lying if she said she hadn't looked through pictures of Weiss to find out when she got the scar after meeting her. "As I've told you, my father, if you could even call him that, is a very controlling man. For him, the slightest sign of rebellion was inexcusable and after Winter decided to join the Atlesian military, he decided that he couldn't allow me the opportunity to slip out from under his control like she did. When I told Winter that I was planning to attend Beacon instead of Atlas Academy, my father found out somehow and demanded that I go to Atlas so I could remain closer to home. When I refused, demands became threats."
Weiss let out a sigh. "At first, it was small things such as cutting me off from the family fortune. When he realized I was making enough money as a singer that I could simply reduce my spending and still survive without using family funds, he tried barring me from doing concerts. When a number of my real fans realized this and started causing issues for the SDC, he decided to give me a… test." She took a breath as Ruby started rubbing her back. The heiress gave the young Rose a weak smile before continuing. "My father told me that if I managed to defeat a foe of his choice, he would let me attend Beacon, but if I failed I would have to abandon the thought of it. When I accepted… I-I'd never seen a Goliath up close before." Ruby whimpered slightly, wrapping her arms around Weiss. "I thought I was doing well against it and wouldn't need to use Dust to power Myrtenaster's abilities to defeat it at first… Then when I used a Glyph to jump over one of its sword swings, it punched me in the face and sent me flying… I guess I should be lucky that it didn't simply crush my skull instead of giving me this scar. In the end… I beat it."
Ruby's grip on her girlfriend tightened. "Who would force someone to do that? Who would make their daughter fight something that could destroy a small army?"
Weiss let out a bitter laugh. "Jacques Schnee, apparently. After the fight, everyone at my father's parties that claimed they were fans of my singing said it was such a tragedy that my "perfect face" had to be tarnished by a scar. They didn't care that I'd risked my life to do something I cared about, only that my looks were ruined by it in their eyes. I hated having this scar because it was a reminder that so many of my fans were vain and shallow, that they only cared about my looks instead of me, and that I would always have to struggle every step of the way to get out of my father's shadow and become my own person…" Weiss looked at Ruby with a soft smile. "And then I met you and you didn't care that I had this scar, or that I was Weiss Schnee the heiress. You only cared that I was Weiss the singer and Huntress-in-training. As time went on, I realized that if I didn't fight the Goliath, if I didn't get this scar, I wouldn't have met you or learned what being a Huntress really means. For me, my scar isn't a reminder that chasing my hopes is a waste of time any more. It's a reminder that, when my back was against the wall, I pushed forward instead of giving up and that if I keep fighting for it, everything will be worth it in the end."
Ruby smiled. "I always liked your scar, Weiss. It made you look wiser, braver, and even more beautiful to me."
Weiss blushed at this before she hugged the Red Rose. "And that's why you're an amazing girlfriend, Ruby." She pulled away and put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, looking the girl in the eye. "Your scar tells a similar story, Ruby. When I look at it, I don't see a reminder of your near-failure or my nightmares. I see a reminder that, even when you're being hunted, even when your life is on the line, you still choose to push forward and persevere instead of hiding. Don't be ashamed of it or think you have to hide it for my sake, okay?"
Ruby nodded, a few tears in her eyes. "Thanks Weiss, I needed that…" She quickly got up and went over to her closet, glancing over her shoulder. "I'm going to pick something out and get a shower. Do you mind waiting downstairs?"
Weiss nodded, standing up. "Just be careful on the way down, okay?"
"I promise I'll be careful," Ruby said before Weiss walked over, giving her a quick peck before walking out of the room. Ruby let out a content sigh. "I can tell today's going to be amazing…"
I'm mostly satisfied with the chapter at the present. There might be things I could do to improve it, but I can't see any right now. I thought the scene at the end would be a nice way to show how much Weiss has changed from both the start of this story and canon. While Volume 4 Weiss still had an interest in becoming head of the SDC, Weiss in this story cares very little about the SDC as a whole and more about restoring her family name by living up to her grandfather's legacy, helping others, and being with Ruby than anything else.
Also, I hope people can see now why I felt their date had to be in the next chapter. I personally felt this scene would have overshadowed their date and needed to be separate from that.
As usual, leave a review if you liked the story, have questions, or want to provide some input.
