I'm a little sad at how many people want Weiss to keep her hair either pure white or white with black tips. Maybe I'm just obsessed with symbolism and think the idea of her hair slowly changing from white with black tips to black with white tips to show her becoming a new person is neat because of that, I'm not sure. For people concerned about Weiss losing her iconic color if her hair ends up with the usual Rose thing of being black with the tips the color of their cloak, remember that I've already said in that case that Weiss' hair would have white tips. If/when she becomes a Rose, she's going to be a White Rose.
If you feel like I need to take a step back on this topic, feel free to let me know.
An apology to the guest reviewer that keeps posting reviews with deviantart URLs, but it's a bit difficult to find what you're trying to share a link to...
Cadeliam- The plan is that Weiss would still have her Glyphs, both because (from a narrative perspective) the semblance synergizes well with the Rose family's Dust magic and to show that there's things Jacques can never take from her, even if she doesn't feel that way right now. Besides her bond with Winter, the Schnee family Glyphs are probably the only thing that would carry over from her old life before Beacon.
For literally everyone who suggested Weiss end up a fox, Bookah beat you to it by about half a month or so. That's been the plan since the idea of Weiss becoming a faunus first popped up, long before the idea of Weiss becoming a Rose.
Anyways, it's time to get back to the story.
Chapter 44: Picking Up the Pieces
Xiao Long Residence, Ruby's Room, with Weiss
Weiss let out a sigh as she lay in Ruby's bed, staring out the window. "He took everything. My reputation, my name, my singing, my inheritance… All I have left is Ruby and he had to go and make me doubt that too…" Weiss looked up as the door opened, her girlfriend stepping into the room quietly.
"Weiss? You've been up here since the party. Could we do something? Please?" the girl asked meekly, causing the former heiress to sigh sadly.
"Ruby… I just want to be left alone right now…" Weiss said, laying back down. She heard the door close and closed her eyes, trying to avoid bursting into tears. She let out a squeak on she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby! I said I wanted to be left alone!"
Ruby gently lifted Weiss into a sitting position before sitting next to her. "I know, but I'm worried about you. Can you at least tell me what's wrong, Weiss?"
Weiss let out a sigh, looking at her hands. "It's just… I grew up hearing my fa… hearing Jacques tell me everything he said when he was here. I believed it for so long that by the time I became a singer, I'd almost given up hope of being anything else. Just applying to Beacon took more courage than I knew I had and that was before the Goliath, now…" Weiss looked down. "He's taken everything away from me and I can't help but wonder if he was right? I'm terrified that, someday, you'll leave me too and I'll be completely alone…" Weiss let out a squeak as Ruby pulled her into a hug.
"No. Don't talk like that!" Ruby said, looking Weiss in the eye. "I told you before, I won't leave you! Never, do you understand that?" Ruby's tail twitched as several thoughts passed through her mind. "I could show her how serious I am about that, just a few minutes and- no! This isn't the time for that!"
Weiss looked down for a moment. "I know, i-it's just… When he said everyone was only friends with me because of my position as heiress and my singing, I just… I just couldn't help but remember how we met and how much you gushed about my music and it terrifies me because I'm afraid the only reason you became my friend in the first place was because of my singing. Now that it's gone…"
Ruby put a finger to Weiss' lips. "That's not why we became friends. Sure, I was a huge fan of your music and I still am, but we became friends after we were partnered together in the Initiation. You decided to give me a chance to prove I wasn't like what the rest of the world thought the Rose family was like and you treated me as a person, not a dangerous animal that could snap at any time. That's why we ended up becoming friends and why I fell in love with you in the first place. Not because you were Weiss Schnee, the heiress, or Weiss Schnee, the singer, but because you were Weiss." Weiss teared up slightly as Ruby continued. "It wouldn't matter if you were a Schnee or some random girl from a poor family here in Vale just trying to make a better life for herself. As long as you were Weiss, as long as you were as kind and caring as you are, I would still fall in love with you…"
Ruby stopped to give Weiss a quick peck on the nose. "And that's something Jacques can never take away from you. Okay?"
Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby, smiling weakly as she buried her head in the girl's shoulder. "Thank you…"
Ruby smiled sadly. "I'm just telling you the truth. There isn't a reason to thank me, Weiss."
Weiss pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Still… I feel like I've been a poor friend lately and a worse girlfriend…"
Ruby shook her head. "Weiss, if you didn't get at least a little upset about what Jacques did to you, I'd be worried. You lost most of your world, you just needed time to come to terms with it…" Ruby looked down sadly. "It's just… I'm getting worried about you now."
Weiss looked at the wolf faunus with an apologetic smile. "How about you let me get changed and I'll go for a walk with you, okay?"
Ruby smiled as her ears perked up. "Sure! I'll just give you some privacy then," Ruby said before giving Weiss a quick peck on the lips.
Once the door closed Weiss let out a sigh. "I swear I'll find a way to make this up to you Ruby… Just because I'm worried about if I deserve you now doesn't mean I should just ignore you like this." She got up and went to change.
Ruby paced anxiously in the living room, tail twitching in frustration while Blake watched in amusement and Yang looked on in confusion. "Is something wrong, Ruby?" Blake asked. None of them heard Weiss stop at the top of the stairs.
Ruby let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face the cat faunus. "Blake, have you ever had… issues with controlling your instincts?" Yang blinked in confusion before Blake let out a sigh.
"Every faunus has difficulty with it from time to time, Ruby. You're going to have to be more specific," Blake said before Yang spoke up.
"Wait, what are you two talking about?" she asked, causing the two faunus to look at each other nervously before Blake spoke up.
"While it's obvious that every faunus has at least one, and sometimes two, animal traits, many humans don't know that the differences are more than just physical. Every faunus also has a collection of animal instincts that range from increasing sensitivity to smells and sounds to certain… urges," Blake said with a blush. "This animal half of every faunus usually starts out with roughly the same instincts, but it can vary and change based off parts of the faunus' personality and subconscious. Every faunus has one part of it that's harder to control. So, I have to ask, which part are you having problems with, Ruby?"
Ruby glanced at Yang meekly before answering. "Could we talk about this somewhere else please?"
Yang hopped up. "Nope, uh-uh, you two aren't leaving me out of this. I want to know exactly what's going on."
The wolf faunus looked down meekly, pressing the tips of her fingers together. "W-well… Weiss is kinda scared that she's going to lose me at some point like everything else, so… Part of me, kinda, sorta… wanted to make her my mate so she wouldn't have to worry about that…"
Yang blinked in confusion before Blake spoke up. "Ruby! You can't be serious! You can't do that after what happened!"
Weiss frowned from her hiding spot. "Her mate? What does that even mean with this?"
"Okay, I'm confused. Is one of you going to tell me what you're talking about?" Yang asked, causing Blake to sigh.
"Like I said, a faunus' animal side has instincts related to everything… Even sex," Blake said, causing Yang and Weiss to blush. "For most faunus, letting go of control of our animal side makes the act more… enjoyable. The issue is, if a faunus willingly sleeps with someone while in that state, they become the faunus' mate."
Weiss turned a deep red as she processed this. "Ruby wants to sleep with me to show that she'll never abandon me? How would that help?" Weiss shook her head as her imagination started to wander to less appropriate images. "Oh god, I don't need to be thinking about what kind of underwear she wears right now either!"
"So kinda like getting married, but more fun?" Yang asked with a blush. "I wonder if Blake's ever thought of doing that with me…"
"Not… quite…" Ruby said meekly, causing Yang to look at her. "Taking a mate isn't as formal or officially recognized as marriage, but for almost every faunus, mates are for life." The four girls were blushing bright red at this point. "Once a faunus takes a mate while letting their animal nature free, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, for them to have any attraction to anyone else unless their mate dies or certain conditions are met."
Weiss looked down, biting her lip. "She's willing to do that for me? I mean, I'm not really too thrilled with the idea of our first time being just to help me get over this, but the fact she's willing to do that is… sweet" Weiss took a deep breath before walking down the stairs, trying to keep the blush off her face. "Thank you for waiting, Ruby. I'm ready to go now."
Ruby spun around and smiled at Weiss meekly before nodding. "Alright, want to go to the park?" Weiss gave her a small smile that made the wolf's heart flutter.
"Sure, we can do that," Weiss said as she grabbed her girlfriend's hand, walking toward the door with her.
Yang watched the couple leave before turning to Blake. "So… I've gotta ask now, have you ever wanted to take me as your mate?"
Blake blushed and looked away. "I'd rather wait until I know we're both ready before taking that step."
Yang held up her hand. "Okay, sorry kitten," she said meekly. "Although, you never said you haven't thought about it…"
At the Park, with Ruby and Weiss
"Hey Ruby?" Weiss asked, causing the wolf to turn to face her. "I know I haven't done anything with you lately and I'm really sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"
Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss. "You can let me help. You said it yourself, Jacques destroyed most of your world and who you are. Let me help you pick up the pieces and help rebuild them, okay?"
Weiss meekly returned the hug. "I would, but… How can I pull myself back together when I don't even know who I am anymore?"
Ruby smiled. "By working to become who you want to be." Weiss went to respond when her Scroll rang. She looked down at her pocket in annoyance before Ruby smiled. "Go ahead, Weiss, answer it. I'll wait, okay?"
Weiss nodded, giving Ruby an apologetic glance as she pulled her Scroll out of her jeans pocket. She glanced at the strange number in confusion before answering it. "Hello?"
"Hello!" a cheerful female voice chirped from the other side of the call. "I'm calling on behalf of Tri Peaks Records. Is this Weiss… um…"
Weiss frowned slightly. "I'm Weiss. Can I help you?"
"Oh! Well, first off, I'd like to give my condolences for what happened to you. From what I've heard, you're a very talented person and I find it hard to believe any of what Jacques Schnee said about you is true," the woman said.
"I apologize if this sounds rude, but I was trying to spend time with my girlfriend…" Weiss said meekly.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I'll make this quick, okay? The president of Tri Peaks Records is a big fan of yours and when he heard that your previous record agency dropped you, he insisted that we try to contact you."
Weiss blinked in surprise. "What? Why would he do that?" "Am I really worth that effort now? I didn't think anyone would want anything to do with me after that."
"Like I said, he's a huge fan and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with you. He wanted me to offer you a record deal if you're still willing to continue your singing," the woman said cheerfully.
Weiss smiled slightly. "Really?"
"Yep! He only has one requirement and an optional request. In order to start, he'd like you to write a new song for our exclusive distribution. As a request, he'd like you to perform the song at an event in Bastion meant to boost the spirits of the people of Vale after the recent battle. You don't need to do this, but he thinks it'd help everyone involved."
Weiss nodded slowly. "I'll see if I can write anything and come in when I have time, alright?"
"That's perfect! I'll let him know. I hope you have a wonderful day!" The woman disconnected shortly after.
Weiss smiled at her Scroll, eyes watering slightly. "They're still willing to take a risk on me after what's happened…"
"So, what's this about writing?" Ruby said with a smile, hands behind her back as her head tilted to the side with one ear drooping slightly. Weiss made the mistake of looking at the girl and had to resist the urge to squeal.
"Oh god, it should be illegal to be that cute!" Weiss thought before closing her Scroll. "That was Tri Peaks Records. It seems they're willing to sign a recording contract with me despite what Jacques has done to my reputation. They want me to write a song for them first, though…"
Ruby's smile brightened. "That's great, Weiss! I know you can do it!"
Weiss smiled back. "Yeah…" "If you think I can do this Ruby, I'll do it for you…"
Bastion, Citadel Tower, Aurelius' Office
"So, you honestly expect me to pretend to be unaware that you contacted Tri Peaks Records and told them to offer Wiess a contract?" Winter asked in surprise.
Aurelius hummed as he glanced up. "No, I expect you to pretend that nobody contacted Tri Peaks and offered them an Animus Dust crystal to power their record studio in exchange for offering your sister a contract. If Weiss tells you that she got a record deal, I expect you to act surprised and pretend you knew nothing about it."
Winter blinked. "And why do you expect me to do that?"
"For the same reason I'm against the donation to being public knowledge. I did this to help Weiss gain some confidence and self-worth. She needs to believe that it was only her talent and the president's interest in her music that dove the decision. If Weiss knows either of us had anything to do with Tri Peaks' decision, it defeats the entire purpose." Aurelius glanced back down at the papers on his desk, not noticing Winter's warm smile.
"I get the impression that you've had a great deal of experience being a father," she said suddenly, causing him to blink in surprise.
"I… suppose so. I did help raise many members of the Rose family before the Fall of Sanctuary. Is there any reason you mention this?" he asked, causing Winter to blink in surprise.
"No… Just an… observation," the woman said, a slight hint of confusion in her voice. Aurelius looked at her strangely, ear twitching before going back to his work, leaving Winter to her thoughts. "Why does that matter to me exactly?"
This chapter's done. Basically, what's happening is Weiss is dealing with the aftermath of last chapter's events and Aurelius is showing just how different his approach to things is from Jacques.
Also, Ruby's conversation with Blake will come back later. As stated a few chapters back, this story will soon be containing lemons, probably within the next 3-7 chapters.
Lastly, it seems a few people are interested in coming up with a ship name for Aurelius and Winter. The ones that have been suggested so far are: Permafrost, Ice Age, Snow Storm, and Blizzard. If you feel the ship actually needs a name, you can either recommend one of those or suggest another one. The debate started last chapter is still ongoing by the way, so feel free to continue posting your opinion in reviews, either to just comment on it or try to convince me to lean one way or the other.
