Everyone knows what's coming this chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it.

I saw the Volume 5 trailer today and I have to admit, things are going to be veering off based on what Salem says during it. A few parts sound like they're going to be compatible, but other than that I doubt I'd be able to both adjust my plans for this branch of the story to be in line with Volume 5. As a result, don't be surprised if I choose to disregard many of the events of Volume 5 completely. Once I'm done with the main story, I might come back and do an offshoot like a handful of people responded to the poll in support of.

Chapter 40: First Date, a Bold Statement

Patch, Xiao Long Residence, with Weiss, Yang, and Blake

Weiss quietly paced the room, glancing up the stairs occasionally. "Wow Weiss, I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous," Yang said with a grin, causing the heiress to turn to her meekly.

"Normally I'd probably scold you for that, but…" Weiss started before looking down, playing with her hands. "I've never been on a date before."

"Not an official one you mean? You've had lunch with Ruby before as her friend, right?" Yang asked, getting a nod from the white-haired girl. Yang grinned. "Treat it like that to start then and see where things go. There's no reason to stress about it. Knowing Ruby, she'll care more about the fact the two of you enjoy yourselves than she will about where you go or what you do. Just have fun, enjoy yourselves, and everything else will work out, okay?"

Weiss let out a sigh and looked at the blonde gratefully. "Thank you for that advice, Yang. Perhaps I was wrong about you."

"Wrong about her how?" Ruby's voice called out from the staircase, causing Weiss to turn. The heiress blushed as she took a moment to look over her girlfriend. The simple red sundress fit the wolf faunus and, Weiss had to admit, looked great on her. Ruby's normal combat boots were replaced with a pair of sandals and Weiss was surprised to see a small red rose entwined in the girl's hair. While it was a simple outfit, Weiss couldn't help but admire the girl. After a moment, Ruby blushed. "U-um, Weiss?"

The heiress blinked in surprise before looking away with a light blush. "Sorry, you look… beautiful, Ruby."

Ruby smiled meekly and started playing with her hands. "Thanks… Should we get going?"

Weiss smiled. "Right, of course. Where are we going first?"

Ruby started walking towards the door, a smile on her face as her tail wagged happily behind her. "Well, there's a nice park that we could go to. After that I was thinking maybe we could look around at some stores. It's not Vale, but Patch has enough to get by."

Weiss nodded with a smile as they left the house. "That sounds good, I need to replace my wardrobe and get some… things," Weiss said with a blush, the previous night's incident coming to mind.

Ruby blushed slightly. "Y-yeah… That might be a good idea…" Ruby paused for a moment, a thought coming to mind. "Hey Weiss, you wouldn't happen to have any Lien on you, would you?"

Weiss looked at the Red Rose in confusion. "No, but I should be able to use my…" Weiss paled as realization set in. "I can't use my bank card with the CCT Tower destroyed, it's through a bank in Atlas…" The heiress' shoulders slumped sadly. "Great, that means I only have one outfit, the pajamas Ruby let me keep, and one set of underwear…"

Ruby quickly put a hand on Weiss' shoulder, giving her a soft smile. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it today, alright?" Weiss went to protest when Ruby put a finger against her lips. "I can handle it, really. You've helped me so much since we met, let me do this, okay?"

Weiss let out a sigh. "Ruby… I'm not sure how much you Lien you even have. I can't do that to you."

"Weiss, don't worry about it. I can cover it today. I mean, it's not much, but…" Ruby looked away for a moment. "I do have a bit of an inheritance after all…"

Weiss quickly wrapped her girlfriend in a hug. "Ruby… You don't have to do that…" Ruby returned the hug with a sigh.

"I know, but I want to… And I know my mom would want me to do this too." Ruby heard a quiet sniffle from Weiss, causing her to frown. "Weiss, are you crying?"

Weiss' shoulders trembled slightly as she stepped back, wiping her eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just not used to people doing things for me because they want to. The only person that's ever been this nice to me without having to is Klein, my family's butler."

Ruby frowned. "That doesn't seem right…"

Weiss laughed weakly. "That's how Atlesian high society is. Nox, my family's horrible, aren't they?" Ruby giggled, causing Weiss to glare at her. "What's so funny about that?"

Ruby held her hands up apologetically. "Not your family… You didn't notice what you said, did you?" Weiss blinked for a minute before going wide-eyed and smiling a bit. "Gods, I'm rubbing off on you, aren't I?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Honestly I don't see anything wrong with… that…" Weiss' voice trailed off as she glanced around at the clearing they walked into. A small stone wall marked the perimeter of the park with a few towering oak trees scattered around, covered in bright red and orange leaves. A small pond sat in the middle of the area, with benches under a few trees, by small dirt paths, and the pond. A number of bushes and clusters of flowers were planted along the paths. "This is the park?"

Ruby smiled. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"I don't think nice is the right word, Ruby. We don't have anything like this in Atlas," Weiss said, causing Ruby to frown.

"You don't have parks in Atlas?" the girl asked, walking over to a bench.

Weiss let out a sigh as they sat down. "We do have parks and gardens, they're just… artificial. Every tree needs to be perfectly trimmed and be precisely the same height, no bush can grow beyond a certain shape or area, every path needs to be paved, and there's fountains or manmade pools instead of a natural pond. Even the few that you would find outside. We just… don't have real parks like this," Weiss said, gesturing around, causing Ruby to frown. "Everything needs to be perfect and nobody seems willing to acknowledge or realize how people elsewhere might be suffering because they're not nearly as well off, even the citizens in Mantle get mocked for their poverty."

Ruby quickly wrapped her girlfriend in a hug. "They're ignorant and shallow, I understand that, but that's not important." Weiss looked at the wolf faunus in confusion. "What's important is the here and the now, right? You're not like the rest of Atlas' rich citizens, you're Weiss. You're one of the kindest, most considerate people I know and you shouldn't have to compare yourself to them." Ruby smiled at Weiss. "Don't let the way other people from Atlas act discourage you, okay?"

Weiss smiled and gave Ruby a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks for that, Ruby," Weiss said, causing the wolf to grin. "You don't really talk about your family all that much. Other than being teamed up with Yang and a few brief encounters with your father, I don't know much about them."

Ruby let out a sigh before she started. "Well, my mom's name was Summer. Like I told you, she died when I was three, so I didn't have much time with her… Just about everything I know about her and knew about the Rose family before Beacon was from recordings she left. I do remember that she was an amazing Huntress and an incredible mom. She used to tell me bedtime stories even if she was exhausted after a mission and always made time for Yang or me when we were sad or sick." Ruby smiled fondly for a moment. "What I remember most is her cookies. She had this love of chocolate and made sure to have medicine on her at all times because of that. One day she got me a prescription too and baked some chocolate chip cookies. I fell in love with them and it seemed like she always had a fresh batch every week."

Weiss took Ruby's hand. "Is that why you always seem to get chocolate chip cookies?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, they've always been my favorite cookies and I just… I'm reminded of her whenever I have some. It's been years, but I still remember the taste and none of them come close to hers. Maybe it's just that knowing I'd never be able to see her again ruins it a bit, or maybe her cookies were just so much better because of how much care she put into it."

Weiss smiled as Ruby looked up at the sky. After a moment, Ruby continued. "When she died, my dad, Qrow, he just… fell apart. Before that he was always caring and friendly, if a bit reserved. I don't remember him drinking before that and Tai says it didn't start until after mom died. I didn't find out until earlier this year, but Qrow's always blamed himself for mom dying and I guess he was afraid his Semblance would put everyone else he cared about at risk, so he started drinking to keep his mind off it."

Weiss frowned. "What is his Semblance, exactly?"

Ruby glanced at the heiress before sighing. "It's an aura that partially disrupts the senses of everyone around him. Sounds seem to become quieter, smells aren't as strong, colors are muted, it becomes difficult to notice small details, and subtle movements on the edge of your vision go unnoticed. The worst part is, he has no control over it and his only hope of it not hurting anyone is to spend enough time around them that they build up an immunity to it, but even then, it doesn't always stick."

Ruby glanced down for a moment. "One day he visited while I was playing in mom's old garden. Between his Semblance and my own excitement to see him, I missed a poisonous snake, one of the few dangerous animals on the island besides the Grimm, and it bit me. After that, Qrow just kind of vanished, only rarely showing up and he always had his flask in his hand after that. I don't think he could look at me without feeling guilty that I'd almost died. After we talked about it and he admitted that he was my dad, he's been drinking a bit less and he's a bit friendlier with people now."

Weiss nodded. "And Tai?"

Ruby hummed. "When I was growing up, I thought Tai was my dad. When Summer was pregnant, she was helping Tai take care of Yang and everyone decided to tell her she was getting a little sister. Summer was like a sister to him and he took it pretty hard when she died. He doesn't like to admit it, but… He made it hard on me too. Not the way Jacques made things hard for you, he just… Didn't want me to be in any danger. After the snake incident, he had the garden dug up and replanted here before making sure I couldn't leave the house until he got rid of the snake. After that, he freaked out when I first applied at Signal and Qrow had to talk him into letting me actually go there, but he was always worried I'd get hurt."

The wolf let out a sigh. "When he heard about what happened at Mountain Glenn, he… He tried to talk me into giving up on being a Huntress. I know he meant well, but hearing him say that when everyone was questioning my sanity and ability to lead… I-it hurt. Then after what happened in the tournament…" Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, smiling at her.

"He cares about you Ruby. Even if he isn't as outwardly supportive of you as your father is, he still wants you to be safe and happy," Weiss said, causing Ruby to smile slightly. "You said your mother's garden was replanted here. Is it still here by any chance?"

Ruby's ears perked up. "Yeah, do you want to see it?" Weiss nodded before Ruby hopped up, grabbing her girlfriend's hand and leading her to an isolated corner of the park where a number of rose bushes were growing. Weiss looked around at the various colors while Ruby knelt down, checking a few. "They might be part of the park, but they're still my mom's and mine." She glanced up at Weiss subtly. "Are there any you like?"

Weiss looked at Ruby quizzically before answering. "I never put any thought into that. Why are you asking anyways?"

Ruby hummed. "Love, purity, humility, reverence, and a desire for a new beginning…" Before Weiss could question the wolf, she quickly cut a white rose off a bush and held it out with a slight blush. "A white rose symbolizes all those things, and I think it suits you." Weiss blushed as she took the flower looking down at it with a small smile.

"Thank you, Ruby…" she said meekly before looking at the girl. "How about we get something to eat now?"

Ruby tapped her chin before speaking up. "How about pizza?"

Weiss scratched the back of her head meekly. "I've… never actually had pizza before…"

Ruby went wide-eyed. "You're kidding, right?" Weiss shook her head, causing Ruby to grab her hand and pull her out of the park. "Come on, you need to try it! It's great!" Weiss rolled her eyes before smiling slightly, following along behind the energetic girl.

Patch Public Library, with Yang and Blake

Blake wandered the shelves, glancing at different covers with a smile. "For a small island, Patch seems to have a large collection of books," she commented, causing Yang to let out a quiet chuckle.

"Yeah, there might not be many people on Patch, but that also means there's a lot less to do here than there is in Vale. On top of that, the fact that the Beowolves come out at night means once the sun goes down, most people choose to stay inside. Back before Ruby and I started training, we used to get a few books from the library every week to keep us occupied during the night."

Blake smiled slightly. "I didn't think you'd be the type to read that much, Yang."

Yang pouted, going to cross her arms before letting out a frustrated sigh at her reflex. "I read sometimes. I still do from time to time. I've probably read a quarter of the fiction books here."

Blake smiled. "Alright then, how about we put that to the test? What kind of… romance novels do they have?"

Yang gave Blake a playful grin. "Nothing like Ninja of Love, but there's a few…" Blake blushed as her ears twitched, causing Yang to giggle. "What? You left it out one day and I got curious. I'm sorry."

Blake looked away meekly. "It's fine… What do they have here then?"

Yang smiled before grabbing Blake's hand, pulling her towards another area of the library. "They're over here, I'll help you look. Maybe we can both find something to read if we're lucky." Blake smiled and followed behind, looking at the shelves when they stopped.

With Ruby and Weiss

Weiss looked around as they entered the pizzeria. Paintings of forests, cliffs, and beaches hung from the walls. "The landscapes are beautiful… They wouldn't happen to be from Patch, would they?" Weiss asked as the two of them sat at a table.

"Yeah, just about all of them are locations somewhere in Patch and I can show you where most of them are if you want," Ruby said cheerfully.

Weiss glanced around, before pointing at a painting from atop a cliff, gazing down at a lush forest. "What about that one? It looks like it would be an amazing place to visit."

Ruby looked at the painting, a sad smile forming on her face. "It is… I guess I was going to show you that spot eventually anyways. Tomorrow would probably be the best time for it."

Weiss went to question Ruby's response when a man walked up with a notepad. "Hello, ladies. Is there anything I can get you?" he said with a smile, nodding at Ruby.

Weiss glanced down at the menu before looking at Ruby meekly. Ruby smiled at her before looking at the waiter. "We'll have a small pepperoni pizza and some mozzarella sticks. I'll have grape soda and…" Ruby looked at Weiss, causing the heiress to look at the menu.

"Um, I'll have water I suppose," Weiss said, causing the wolf to let out a groan.

"C'mon Weiss, we're here so you can try new things," Ruby said, giving Weiss her best puppy eyes as her ears flattened out.

Weiss blushed as she resisted the urge to jump over the table and hug her girlfriend before she spoke up. "Okay… I suppose I'll have the cherry soda." The man nodded and left with the menus, leaving the two girls in silence.

Ruby spoke up after a moment. "So, do you have any other family besides your parents and Winter?"

Weiss let out a sigh. "Yes, unfortunately. I have a younger brother named Whitley and he's almost as untrustworthy as my father. I've never seen him disagree with anything father said, nor does he hold the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the world in high regard. I don't think he's even had his Aura unlocked yet."

Ruby paused for a moment and waited for the drinks and mozzarella sticks to be placed on the table before pulling one of the sticks from the rest and dipping it into the sauce, holding it out to Weiss with a smile. "Here, try it!" Weiss looked at it for a second before taking a bite out of it, letting out a quiet moan while Ruby grinned, placing it on the girl's plate and grabbing a stick of her own, dipping it into the sauce. "It's good, right?"

Weiss nodded before she swallowed. "That's amazing. We don't have things like this in Atlas. Everything has to be elegant and refined. Everything I've tried since we came to Patch is more enjoyable honestly. Now I'm curious about what else I've been missing." Weiss picked up her cup and took a sip, enjoying the taste of the carbonated beverage.

Ruby grinned. "We'll have to see what else you enjoy some time…" The wolf's smile dropped as she spoke up. "Don't you find it odd that your dad wouldn't at least have Whitley's Aura unlocked in case he was attacked? I mean, I can understand maybe skipping basic self-defense, but how could anyone in your family not have their Aura unlocked?"

Weiss frowned. "What are you suggesting, Ruby? If his Aura was unlocked, his Semblance would have revealed itself by now."

The Red Rose let out a sigh. "I'm just saying… What if Whitley's Aura was unlocked? What if he did awaken a Semblance… and it wasn't the Schnee family's Glyphs?" Weiss looked at the girl in shock as she continued. "You mentioned that your parents were in a loveless marriage when the White Fang attacked and that Jacques only married Willow to take control of the SDC…"

Weiss clenched her fists. "Are you suggesting that my father had an affair with someone and forced everyone involved to keep quiet about it?"

Ruby held her hands up meekly. "S-sorry! It's just that… Can you honestly say he wouldn't do something like that?"

Weiss let out a sigh. "I'm not mad at you, Ruby. It's just… I can actually see him doing that and it scares me. He's already tarnished the Schnee family name so much and now…" Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything…" Ruby said before Weiss gave her a weak smile.

"It's fine. You were only asking a question. Besides, I'm very much enjoying this date as it is," Weiss said, causing Ruby to smile.

"Really?" the wolf asked, causing Weiss to roll her eyes, still smiling.

"Dolt, why would I say that if I didn't mean it? I'm having a wonderful time." Before Ruby could respond, the man came back with the pizza, setting it down between them. "It looks greasy…"

"It's delicious, trust me Weiss," Ruby said with a grin.

"Alright, so… how do we eat this exactly? Do we use utensils or…" Weiss started, causing Ruby to giggle.

"You could, but most people use their hands." Ruby quickly grabbed a piece and took a bite from it, looking at Weiss.

Weiss looked down and grabbed a piece, looking at it before taking a bite. She let out a quiet sigh at the simple mix of tastes, taking her time to enjoy it, causing Ruby to grin. "This is amazing. I'm actually sad we don't have anything like this in Atlas." Ruby grinned before the two ate in relative silence.

When the pizza was finished, Ruby hummed. "How about we eat some dessert and then go shopping?"

Weiss shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Sure, how about you decide what we get?" Ruby nodded and waved over the waiter.

"Could we have a slice of cheesecake and a slice of pumpkin pie please?" Ruby asked, getting a nod from the man before he left.

Weiss looked at her in surprise. "No chocolate today?" Ruby simply shook her head, grinning slightly.

"Nope. I always get something with chocolate in it when I go to a restaurant." The two talked for a while before the waiter returned with the desserts, placing the cheesecake in front of Weiss and the pumpkin pie in front of Ruby. The wolf grinned before taking a bite, letting out a content sigh. She looked over to see Weiss take a bite of the cheesecake, grinning at the satisfied expression on her face before holding her fork in front of the white-haired girl, a shy smile on her face. "Here, try it," Ruby said, causing her girlfriend to blink.

"Ruby, do you know how cliché that is?" Weiss said with a sigh.

The Red Rose shrugged. "Yeah, but it doesn't matter. You know you wanna try it…" Weiss let out a sigh and took a bite, humming happily.

"It's good," she said with a slight blush before offering Ruby a bit of her own dessert, causing the girl to grin as she took a bite. The two continued talking happily and sharing their desserts until they were finished. Ruby flagged down the waiter and quickly paid before they got up, heading to a nearby clothing store.

Bastion, Citadel Command Center, with Winter

Winter let out a frustrated sigh as she walked into the large room, glancing around with a frown before turning to Janus. "I need to speak with Aurelius about a matter in Atlas. Do you know where he is?"

Janus shrugged. "I haven't seen him since the incident involving Councilor Colvin this morning…" The Prefect paused before glancing over his shoulder. "…Which is something I haven't had the misfortune of saying since the day he locked himself away and built Loki. I'll help you find him."

Janus went to leave the room when Odin spoke up. "He's in his office with Adrienne. They've been there most of the day and I've been keeping an eye on him in case he starts doing something that might accidentally destroy the Tower or Spire Crystal."

Janus let out a sigh before heading to the lift, stepping on it. Winter walked on, hands behind her back as she turned around, waiting as the lift hovered into the opening and dropped two levels. When the lift came to a stop in the landing point, Winter quickly walked off, knocking on the door. "Come in!" she heard from the other side, causing her to push the door open.

"Aurelius, I have a message… from…" Winter stopped as she tried desperately to process what she was looking at. The twitch of a pair of wolf ears on top of Aurelius' head drew her attention while Janus let out a sigh.

"Aurelius… Why did you do this?" Janus asked, hand covering the eye slots of his helm.

The newly-minted faunus stood up, walking around the room slowly as he spoke. "As I said this morning, the easiest way to weaken the White Fang is to take away their moral high ground. Humanity has forgotten that the faunus are thinking, feeling, intelligent beings with souls, just like them. What better way to remind them than for me to become a faunus myself? Would they call me a mindless savage as well? Would they continue belittling the faunus when such a powerful voice of reason backs the faunus?" Aurelius stopped in front of his desk, hands behind his back as his tail twitched. "People like Colvin and Jacques Schnee need to understand that I will not tolerate their beliefs on this matter and if becoming a faunus is what's required, so be it."

Janus hummed before glancing at Adrienne, causing the girl to look down sheepishly, her own wolf ears twitching slightly. "I thought it would be a good way to show support for Ruby and remind Remnant that the Rose family stands united."

Janus sighed. "Very well… I only came down here because Specialist Schnee was looking for you." The trio glanced at the white-haired woman, a bemused expression on Aurelius face as he realized she was still staring at the ears on top of his head with a faint blush.

"Schnee!" he shouted, causing the woman to jump, blushing a bit more. Aurelius smiled subtly before continuing with a quieter tone. "Did you have a reason to come here or are you here simply to stare?"

Winter growled slightly, cheeks a light pink. Between her strange emotions and her frustration at being unable to explain them, the Specialist wasn't in the mood to deal with the Blue Rose's antics. "I don't know what you're doing to me, but I swear I'll make you pay for it…" "General Ironwood sent a message via dropship. The design of the prototype prosthetic arm has been approved and Ironwood will have it sent as soon as his side of production is complete." Aurelius nodded before going to sit down. Winter let out a frustrated sigh before she spoke up. "Why have you been asking me these peculiar questions every time we speak?"

Aurelius glanced at her before humming. "Perhaps they are strange to you, but each one has the same answer and that answer is one that I feel you know even if you don't realize it. I can't give you the answer either or it would lose its impact. I apologize, but you need to find the answer on your own." Winter let out a growl before she turned around and moved toward the door. "Winter…" The woman paused and spun around in surprise, having never heard the sage refer to her by name before. "You've been working hard the last few days. I know you don't have to listen to me, but please… Take a break tomorrow." The woman nodded in confusion before stepping out the door.

This chapter ended up being twice as long as I expected it to be, but I'm happy with it. I hope everyone enjoyed it.

And yes, Aurelius and Adrienne have become faunus. I felt it'd be a bit meaningful and help pushing Jacques that much closer to insanity when things happen later.

Ruby's comment about Whitley isn't just something random. The fact that Whitley has claimed that his Aura was never unlocked, let alone he hasn't awakened his semblance, always seemed to be a red flag that he might not be a Schnee by birth. Considering Jacques' manipulative nature, it never seemed like too much of a stretch.

Weiss not having any money on her is more of an observation about the fact she didn't use anything other than her credit card when attempting to pay for the noodles in Volume 3. It gave me the impression that she doesn't carry money on her and I felt it'd be an opportunity to have a sweet little moment between Ruby and Weiss if Ruby offered to cover the date.

Let me know what you think of this chapter.