Longest chapter yet! Woot woot! This took us sooo much longer to finish because we came up with so much extra stuff for it. So much extra glorious stuff :P And we may also have maybe kinda procrastinated a bit because Cinder is freaking hard to write...
TSO A/N: 3-13-15: Okay, chapter six shouldn't take us any time at all. All we really have to do is assemble existing components and then fabricate a little bit of stuff.
TSO A/N: 3-22-15: Okay, so this chapter took far longer than we anticipated, but only because we ended up with a lot in the wedding, and then we wrote an incredible amount in the month before the wedding, simply because we were avoiding the Cinder part at the end. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORDS upon words were written in procrastination, but this also gave birth to one our absolute favorite scenes we have ever written: Winter teaching Blake to dance. I kid you not, we actually chose to learn how to dance instead of writing the Cinder section, but the resulting scene is undeniably beautiful. Fun fact: Winter was only ever supposed to have two lines in our whole story merely so we could acknowledge her existence. Both were in the wedding, and neither made it into the story.
Why is Cinder so hard to write?
Again, shout out to fatmanfalling's youtube reviews of RWBY. If you haven't watched them, you're missing out on the best part of RWBY.
For most of this chapter, you will want to have waltz playing in the background. It will maximize the effect. Especially during the dance lesson part and maybe the newlywed's first dance too.
Look out for the Velvet cameo at the wedding reception!
—TSO
Remember how I said that TSO and I should stop getting attached to characters who have no screen time because that never ends well? Too late! Winter is our new favorite character now. Everyone get on board!
If you don't review, TSO will murder your first-born child. But no pressure.
...
~DarkShaquille: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! And prepare to dislike the father even more. Also, there's another Frozen reference in there. Pretty hard to miss :P
6.
The unfamiliar sound of church bells awoke the sleeping Faunus, who looked up to see that Winter girl hiding in the corner, the shy girl tried her best to look the Faunus in the eye "My father sent me to tell you that he needs your invitation list for the wedding."
The Faunus clenched her hand into a fist, and jumped out of the bed, "Were you watching me sleep? Get out of my room!"
The younger girl cowered in fear, her eyes wide as she retreated further into the corner, stammering her response, "N-No Blake, I-I wasn't watching y-you at all." Winter tried her best to look away from the nude form before her, failing miserably. The Faunus was covered in bruises and cuts, only serving to remind Winter of the previous day.
The curvaceous girl became aware of her nudity and grabbed the bedsheets, using them to cover her body as best she could, as she continued to yell at Winter, "Can't I get a little privacy around here? Does your entire family think that I'm just some domesticated animal for your own pleasure?"
The girl looked up, her eyes watering as her lips trembled, "Blake, where is this coming from? All I've been so far is nice to you."
Blake gave pause, her amber eyes settling on the young girl. Icy blue orbs looked back, wide with terror. "Why should I believe you aren't like the rest of your wicked family? Why would you even want to be near me other than for personal gain?"
Winter calmed down now that the Faunus wasn't yelling. Looking down, she tried to remember anything from the con lessons her father taught Weiss long ago. She was going to need to play her cards well to get out of this, "Blake, my whole life, I've been living in this home, hidden from the world by my father. In this sheltered household, I lived with no one but my family, spending my life learning to be a leader in case Weiss is incapable of acting as heiress," she slowly lifted her eyes back to meet the Faunus's, "and that whole time, all I've ever wanted was a friend. And then… Then I saw you, Blake."
Blake hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say. Winter looked deeply into the Faunus's eyes, "Please, Blake. I'm begging you. Please just let me have one friend in the world. That's all I'm asking of you."
A tear slid down the young girl's face as Blake realised that she was probably being a bit catty. Winter was the only person that had approached her of their own volition the entire time she had been in the mansion, and she was pushing the young girl away. Blake's expression softened as the sheet slipped from her grasp, "I… Winter, I'm sorry, I…" Blake scolded herself for being so discriminatory as she moved down to hug the younger girl sympathetically.
Winter smirked once Blake couldn't see her face, I knew the tear would do it. Blake realized she was still nude a moment later and reached to reclaim her sheet, "I'm sorry I didn't trust you Winter, it's just that I thought you all considered me some kind of filthy animal. God, I'm just as terrible as your father." Winter placed her hand on the girl's head and lightly stroked her ears, "I can give you some time to compose yourself, if you'd like." The Faunus hesitated, then nodded. Winter stood and turned to leave the room, "If you need anything, Blake, just ask me for it, okay?" The door opened and closed as the girl made her silent exit, leaving Blake to her own thoughts.
Orich Schnee threw his scroll down on the table, an angry look on his face. "Winter, how did the news get these pictures?" On the device were images of the girl caressing a very nude Blake, a bedsheet cast to her side. The headline read, "People's Heiress Caught Bedding Her Sister's Future Wife."
Winter hesitated, partly because she was mildly impressed that those people at Humans magazine could get footage that quickly, but also because she was thinking of what her father would want to hear, "Well, I didn't bed her." She quickly dodged the very disapproving hand, having more experience with it than her sister, before resuming, "We had a heartfelt conversation is all. I want her to think that she belongs here, father." The hand paused, mid-swing, "It will make things easier…" her eyes turned to face his, "for all of us."
Orich let his arm fall back to his side, she wasn't wrong, but he couldn't admit that to her. He had to think of something. "Winter, why did you not discuss this with me before enacting your plan?" The girl blinked, he was supposed to like that idea. He even seemed to agree with it. How could that have gone wrong?
She didn't see the hand coming this time, for she was too lost in her own confused thoughts. The familiar feeling of soothing pleasure coursed through his body as his hand connected with the younger girl's face. The heir presumptive looked back at the man, her eyes darkening, as she lost her composure, "And I suppose Weiss would have spoken to you about this?"
"Weiss?" He scoffed, "Weiss doesn't have to. You of all people should know that, Winter."
She shifted slightly, resisting all the urges in her to fight back. "Of course, because Weiss is perfection itself," she spat.
There was a long silence as they stared each other down, his silence only reaffirming her statement. Winter was strong, but she couldn't match his practiced stare, and was forced to break first.
The girl scowled at him before turning to the door. "Don't you turn your back to me, young lady! You excuse yourself from my presence!"
Winter looked back and glared at him again, "May I be excused, 'O great and powerful Supreme One?" She left before he could answer.
"No, that's not where this is supposed to go. Did you people not check the planner?" Blake would recognize that voice anywhere; Weiss was ordering gardeners around again. "The lilies are supposed to go over there. The lilacs go here." She heard the heiress saying as she made her way down the stairs, and she couldn't stop a small smile from playing across her lips when she realized that someone, be it Weiss or someone else, had arranged for there to be lilacs; her favorite flowers. She didn't know how or why anyone there would know that, but it still made her a little happy to see that someone might have actually realized that this was her wedding too.
"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Weiss stated when she saw Blake approaching. "Since you're here," she continued, holding up the swatches in her hands, "which one of these do you prefer?"
The Faunus looked at the cloth samples, and blinked in slight confusion, "aren't they the same?" Her question caused the heiress to roll her eyes dramatically and groan in frustration.
"You have been hanging around Ruby for too long," she said. "She's rubbing off on you," and with that she turned around in search of someone who would be of more help.
"Nice to see you're out of your room," came a voice from behind Blake that made her gasp slightly in surprise.
She turned to see Winter walking towards her, looking significantly more relaxed than when they had talked earlier. "Yeah," she muttered, not really knowing what to say next.
"I uh... I was just about to come upstairs to see if you have the list ready. My father is not a very patient man..." said the younger girl before adding a barely audible "sorry."
Blake looked at the paper in her hands, and then back up at Winter, "that's what I came down for. It's not much of a list really, but here." She handed the piece of paper to the girl, who couldn't resist the urge to unfold it and take a peek at the names. She frowned when she saw that there were only two written on it: Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao-Long. 'Well, at least she cares deeply for her team.'
"That's it?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What about your family?"
"I'm sure they'll be here," replied the Faunus, adding, "Not that I would really mind if they weren't."
As Winter looked away, Blake caught a glimpse of the right side of her face. "Winter…" The Faunus hesitated for a moment, proceeding with caution "what happened to you?"
Winter's hand went straight to covering her cheek, "I-It's nothing, Blake. I just…" the girl tried to think of anything, "fell? Yeah. I fell down the stairs."
The older girl looked at Winter, Does she take me for a fool? The mark was obviously a handprint, but she had only just met the girl, so she was forced to let it slide.
"I… I'm just going to give this to my father before he asks for it again," Winter stated, waving the piece of paper in her hand gently.
Blake could only nod as the girl hurried up the two flights of stairs to her room before anyone else noticed her darkening cheek. Behind the safety of the door, she let her hand finally fall from her burning cheek.
Winter opened a drawer at her desk, pulling out a small jar of foundation, quickly brushing the fine powder onto her damaged skin. Another jar and a dab of blush to make herself look human again, and she was good to go. The brunette sighed as she walked back out of the room, prepared to give the list to her father.
Blake stood in the ballroom opposite Winter. Mr. Schnee had ordered her to take dance lessons for her wedding; the younger girl had all but volunteered to be the Faunus's partner once she heard about this. Their instructor was trying to explain the left box to the Faunus, who was lost in a confusing diagram of the steps they needed to take. "Ms. Belladonna, this is a simple dance, you move your feet in this six count box." Blake continued to stare at the drawing, completely at a loss for where to even start.
The instructor sighed and took Winter's hand, turning to look at Blake, "Observe. You will be leading this dance at your wedding, so watch my feet, not hers." The two women then proceeded to dance a waltz, the woman's feet moved in a triangular pattern to the time of the music, "See? One two three, two two three, it's simple." She said before muttering under her breath, "Stupid animal."
'You racist prick,' Blake's ears went flat as she yanked Winter from the other woman's grasp, preparing to copy the steps she witnessed, "I think I can try now." Blake grabbed the girl's arm, ready to show that woman off.
Blake nearly crushed Winter's dainty hand in her own, and the young girl let out a small yelp when she felt the Faunus clamp down on her well-formed rear. The instructor stopped the angered girl before she took her first step, "What do you think you are you doing?" Blake was about to start anyway before she felt a pointer slap against her right hand.
"Get your hand off there, you filthy Faunus!" The woman moved Blake's right hand to Winter's back, "This goes here! I never want to see you grab her like that again! Have you no shame?"
Blake was about to respond when she felt a hand gently stroking her ear. "Blake, please try to be civil, even if she isn't," Winter whispered to her. For some odd reason, the older girl found the contact incredibly soothing, and she nodded faintly in response. Winter smiled softly at her partner, "Blake, loosen your grip and place your right hand on my upper back," the Faunus did what Winter told her as the instructor watched, not certain if she should allow the girl to do this for her or scold her for taking over. "A little lower… Cup my shoulder blade, Blake… More like this," Winter slowly ran her hand over Blake's back to where the hand was supposed to go. The other girl followed and pretty soon they were both in the proper stance.
Winter looked deeply into Blake's amber eyes, "Now do you still remember those steps?" The older girl nodded and stepped off with her right foot, landing it on Winter's. "OOW!" The Faunus retreated hastily, a little perturbed by the snickering instructor. "Okay, Blake, let's start again. Look at my feet. You need to start with your left, bringing it forward to here." She indicated the place with her right foot, which Blake followed her to. "Then you take your right foot diagonally to here," she did the same, but with her left foot, "Then you bring your feet back together." Blake brought her feet together, and smiled slightly at Winter who nodded in approval. "Okay, now you do the same thing, only you move backwards, starting with your right foot this time," she moved her left foot forward, making Blake step back. "Bring your left foot right where you started… Good. And now you bring your feet together again."
They danced shakily for a few more minutes as Blake tried to get the hang of things before Winter spoke again. "Okay, Blake, you are doing well, but right now you're stiff as the general's iron wood. I want you to sway a little to the beat of the music, okay? This is pretty easy, just let your body loosen up and let your momentum carry you... Perfect." Winter's enthusiasm helped the older girl to get more comfortable, her movements becoming more fluid as time went by.
They danced and swayed to the music for a couple songs, and Blake was starting to get pretty good at the steps, only occasionally stepping on Winter's feet.
The Schnee went on to teach Blake various flourishes, such as turns, hesitations, even changing steps and different types of lead in. By this time, the instructor had left, their session having ended hours ago, but the two girls were still dancing, deeply entwined in each other's arms, neither wanting to break away.
Winter looked up at the Faunus, "Okay, Blake, there is one last very important move you will need to know."
Blake looked back to Winter, "What is that?"
"You will need to know how to dip Weiss down and then recover."
Blake looked at Winter skeptically, "Okay… Why is that important?"
"You'll see, just trust me. Now, when you do this, you need to take her head in your right hand on the first count... right there," Blake did so the next time the step came around, "good, then drop the arm on her back as you take the second step, the diagonal one with the turn. You will lower your arm with her, supporting her all the way down." Again, Blake performed the move as Winter described it, noticing that their faces drew incredibly close in the process. "At the third step, you will pull her back up and then return your hands on the fourth," Winter spoke again, and the Faunus felt her cool breath against her face. Nodding, Blake did exactly as she was told, when the count came back, "Okay," the younger girl smiled, "now let's do that all at once." The first count came and Blake followed the girl's instructions to a tee. Winter was amazed at how well the Faunus could dip; she had so much confidence in her, but never seemed forceful or aggressive.
"Blake, this is where the dip becomes important. Almost all Waltz music has a form called 'minuet and trio', and there are three basic parts to it. A minuet exposition, where the main theme is played twice, a trio where the second theme is played with a variation of the main theme all of which is repeated, and a recapitulation where the main theme is played one last time. I want you to listen for that in the next dance and tell me where the sections are, okay?" Blake nodded, she actually noticed this pattern earlier, but had thought nothing of it.
The next dance started, but Winter stood still, telling Blake to do the same. The younger girl wanted Blake paying attention to the music and not their steps. As the song went by, Blake accurately identified the sections she was hearing, even anticipating them, much to Winter's surprize.
"Excellent, Blake! Now this is why this all matters. You will have to do a first dance with Weiss at your wedding, right?" The Faunus nodded, "Okay, and you were wondering why I said the dip was so important?" Another nod, "I want you to perform a dip in the first measure of the recapitulation, but instead of pulling up immediately, I want you to hold it for a multiple of six counts, until that third step comes back around." Blake thought for a second, it seemed to make sense.
The next dance started and Blake did as she was told, dipping her partner when the time came, Winter looked deeply into the older girls amber eyes as their faces drew near, mere centimeters separating the two. "The importance of everything is that this is where you will kiss her," Winter whispered, gently closing the gap between them. Winter's lips slowly parted to allow Blake entrance into her mouth, which she took without hesitation.
Blake deepened the kiss, wanting more of the intoxicating contact, and felt Winter entwine her fingers in her hair and pull her closer. Their eyes fluttered shut, the two girls getting lost in their own personal universe as the music became a background accompaniment to the whole of their world.
The sweet ecstasy of the moment was too short lived, though. Twelve counts later, Blake reluctantly withdrew the kiss, finishing the dive exactly as Winter had described, and drew the latter back up to the proper stance. She heard a soft, disappointed whimper emanate from her partner as the kiss broke and their moment was gone.
"Good… Good... That was amazing…" whispered the younger girl, still in somewhat of a trance. "You're a natural." Blake could only smile.
The two girls met in the ballroom often from then on to practice their dancing. Blake said it was because she had nothing else to do; Winter claimed she wanted Blake to keep learning. The two would dance for hours in that room; sometimes with audience, sometimes without. People said they were some of the most natural seeming dancers they had the pleasure to witness, their movements soft, flowing effortlessly as one complemented the other in a most divine way. When they were alone, though, that's when they were able to truly be themselves, and the two would often "practice" the kiss at the end of the dance.
The day had come at last. The guests had started arriving early, and there were quite a few more than two on Blake's side. Weiss was having a rather heated conversation with her father, expressing her displeasure as she wasn't expecting there to be so many. "But, Dad, look at all those filthy Faunus!" she extended her arm toward a group waiting patiently in the pews, "They weren't supposed to be here. Make them leave! She only invited two!"
The man placed his hand on Weiss's shoulder. "Weiss, as much as it pains me to tell you this, we have to let them stay. The news would have a field day with you if they found out you kicked all the Faunus out of your wedding." Weiss crossed her arms in defeat before returning to the dressing room to finish getting ready.
As she moved down the hallway, she almost crashed into Ruby, who was leaning awkwardly on a closet door, "Weiss!" the girl nearly jumped out of her own skin. "Uhhhhhh… Hi, Weiss," she greeted, trying her best to smile calmly at the other girl.
The heiress blinked, "Ruby, what is going on? What are you doing here?"
The younger girl looked down the hall, "Umm… if you could just keep going where you were going, that would be cool."
Now Weiss was interested, "Ruby, what are you doing here?"
"Nothing. Just… Standing here." She lurched forward momentarily, the door moving with her, "Leaning against this closet door. It's uh… it's a nice closet… where did you get it, Weiss?"
The Schnee's face turned to a frown, "It was given to me by my grandfather when I was seven."
Ruby's eyes widened, "Wow… Really?"
"No, you dolt, it came with the house! Now, I am not going to ask you again. What are you hiding?" The older girl reached for the door handle, she didn't have time for games.
Ruby pushed the approaching hand away, panic apparent on her face, "No Weiss, you can't see her!"
Weiss was about to respond, when a muffled voice was heard from inside the closet, "Ruby, you better let me out of here this instant!" The door almost forced itself open; the young huntress was losing this battle.
Weiss stopped, her eyes narrowing, "Wait... Is that Blake?" She actually had some complaints she was meaning to discuss at length with her fiancé, regarding her uninvited family.
The girl pressed harder against the closet door and swallowed hard, "...No?"
"Ruby, you let Blake out of the closet immediately!"
"But Weiss, you can't see her; it's your wedding day!" The bride hesitated, she hadn't even thought of that.
The heiress nodded and quickly conveyed herself back to her dressing room without another word as Ruby stepped away from the closet. The door burst open, a very upset Faunus spilling out onto the floor.
Blake turned to look up at Ruby, "Shove me in a closet again, and you won't live to see the sunrise."
"But Blake, you can't see the bride on your wedding day!"
Blake glared at the girl as she got off the floor, "I already told you, I don't care about this nonsense."
Ruby sighed, "Blake, it's bad luck to see your fiancé on your wedding day." Blake glared at her for a moment before Ruby continued, holding out her hand for the Faunus, "Now, let's get you dressed for your wedding." Blake groaned and made her way back to her room, her feet dragging all the way there.
The doors to the church opened, the people gathered in the naive, sitting down at their assigned places in the pews, it was time. Blake and her father were gathered at the pulpit, along with Winter, Ruby, and the priest. The bells struck noon as the music started, signaling the arrival of the bride, and making everyone turn around to face the portals. Weiss rounded the corner, her left arm looped in her father's right. The room gasped, the bride was wearing a gleaming white dress, the light from outside making it seem to glow with an almost angelic beauty. Everyone's head followed the young woman as she strode gracefully down the aisle, slowly making her way to where Blake was standing. Weiss climbed the stairs and turned to face her fiancé, the Myrtenaster gleaming in the light, casting a glare onto Blake's black suit.
The Faunus stood wearing an outfit that Orich had picked out for her. Blake's hair cascaded across her shoulders, a black waterfall gracefully flowing over her upper body. Pearl necklaces around her neck only served to draw attention to the black coat and white shirt's low cut, letting a fair amount of skin show. The coat opened up at Blake's stomach, allowing for the tight corset to reveal her thin waist, flowing into black slacks accenting every curve of Blake's toned legs.
The heiress's hands were taken in the Faunus's as the priest began to speak. Weiss looked around at all the faces in her side of the crowd. She saw her father... her aunts, her uncles, distant relatives, several of her cousins, three people she had never seen before... wait, what? She blinked once, and squinted her eyes slightly, trying to make out their faces. Far in the back were seated two women in red, and one in a pale green. 'Who are you?' She made a mental note to ask her father about the three at the reception.
The priest's voice snapped her attention back to him, just as he was finishing his speech. "I now pronounce you animal and wife, you may kiss the bride." Weiss could feel Blake's nails dig into her hands as the other young woman inhaled sharply and stiffened.
Blake, luckily, took the time to think about what would happen if she reached for her boot knife and stabbed the man. It was only natural for everyone at the wedding to be armed to the teeth; it wasn't that often that humans married Faunus, especially in the way the girls' marriage had been decided. Hell, a couple of the hicks on her side had more guns on them than teeth in their mouths. She was more than aware that if she made even the slightest move, her brothers in the White Fang would certainly rise and open fire on the Schnee side of the church. An action that would probably lead to them doing the same thing to her side of the church. All it would take for a full-blown massacre to take place in the House of God was a simple move.
In the audience, 500 hands stroked 500 weapons in anticipation. Cinder's eyes started to glow as the twins affixed their blades to their bodies. Blake looked at her wife, only to see that Weiss' hand was already gripping her sword, ready to kill. Ruby and Winter were standing stock-still, staring at the Faunus. It then occurred to the black-haired girl that no one in the audience had done anything yet, which of course meant that they were all waiting for her next move.
She turned to the priest, "Do you mind repeating that, father? I don't think I quite heard you right the first time." She tried to remain calm, but her tone was by no means kind or gentle. It did manage to get her point across however.
"Yes, of course, ma'am," the man cleared his throat, "I now pronounce you," he glanced up. Blake was staring him down, "umm... wife and wife? You may kiss the bride." Blake turned to Weiss and gave her best attempt at a loving kiss. When they parted, Weiss was the first to speak.
"Hopefully this will work out," Blake blinked, 'When did Weiss come to accept her fate?'
The reception, after that whole fiasco, was uneasy at best. Weiss looked at her new wife; she had to admit that Blake did look beautiful. "Blake, I want you to kiss me when we go in there."
The two were standing outside the gates of the Schnee Estate, holding hands, prepared for the moment the drum major sounded off the band for their arrival. Marching band courtesy of the Atlesian Marine Corps, naturally. The brunette looked at her wife, "Why would you want me to do that?"
"They will expect us to. We should at least give them a show." Weiss said, squeezing Blake's hand reassuringly before giving the bellabooty a firm a slap.
Before Blake could protest, there was a roll off. The drum major turned to the audience and spoke, "Rise for the entrance of the honorable Weiss and Blake Schnee." The two walked in as the band played Supporting the World, the Atlesian national anthem. The two were greeted with applause from all parts of the room when Blake leaned Weiss back and kissed her passionately, her tongue sliding between Weiss's soft lips with ease.
The two moved to the dance floor for their first dance as Blake looked into Weiss's eyes, "May I have this dance, my love?"
Blake cringed as she said that line, but she knew she had to. It was a tradition she simply could not get away with ignoring. The Brunette took Weiss' right hand and placed her own right hand on her wife's back. The orchestra played a Tchaikovsky waltz for their first dance, and Blake begrudgingly thanked Orich for forcing those dance lessons upon her.
"You're quite the dancer," Weiss commented quietly as Blake twirled her around.
"You can thank your father for that. He made me take those dance lessons with Winter the entire time I was here…" muttered the Faunus, casting her eyes downward, afraid that she wasn't taking the right steps for her dance.
Weiss sighed silently, "Stop looking down. You're supposed to only have eyes for your partner."
Blake looked into her wife's eyes, "I'm just making sure I'm doing this right," she said. "You wouldn't want me to embarrass you, would you?"
"You're doing fine," came the heiress' voice after a long moment. Blake nodded and the couple continued their dance in silence as the audience looked on.
Blake listened intently to the music as she danced, waiting for the final climax of their dance. When the moment came, Blake did exactly as she was supposed to, diving the girl down and planting her mouth into Weiss's for a kiss. She felt the girl growing stiff in her arms, almost as if she wasn't expecting it. A moment later, however, Weiss returned the kiss, but Blake couldn't help but think how much better it felt during her practise sessions with Winter. The spark she felt wasn't present in the arms of this much stiffer woman, the beauty and finesse of the moment lost on her. Just like every other forced kiss she had shared with Weiss throughout the day.
Once the waltz was over, the couple walked off the floor, which was now open for other partners, and began to mingle with their guests.
After a few hours of socializing, the people prepared for the large banquet, which was conducted in the standard style for an event of this size. Eventually, it came time to cut the cake.
Weiss leaned close to Blake who was sitting on her left, conversing with Ruby about something the young heiress probably didn't care about, "It's almost time to cut the cake," she said as the music changed and all discussions died down, eyes turning towards the table that held the six-layer wedding cake. "You think you two can finish your conversation later?" Blake nodded, excusing herself, and smiled as she heard Ruby telling her to save her a nice big piece.
"You know what you're doing, right?" came Weiss's voice as the couple stood behind the table. Blake simply glared at her. "I'll take that as a yes." The shorter girl grabbed the knife, and felt the Faunus's hand over hers. "If you even think of smearing cake all over my face, I will not hesitate to kill you with this," she muttered, receiving yet another glare from the brunette, that let her know that smearing cake was not something she was intending to do. "Good."
Blake squinted at the sudden flash that came from a camera near them as she and Weiss prepared to make the first cut. She was ready to get this over with when something on her left caught her eye, making her ears twitch in uneasiness. She eyed Weiss quickly to make sure she had no idea what was going on, and, finding out that the other girl was too preoccupied smiling for the photographer and making sure her good profile could be seen on all the photos, she sighed and pushed her hand down, the knife cutting the chocolaty dessert with ease.
As more pictures of the presumably happy couple were taken, Weiss turned to face Blake, a fork with a piece of the cake in hand. "What are you doing?" came the Faunus's quiet question as she saw the fork approaching her mouth.
Weiss rolled her eyes, "I'm supposed to feed you the first piece of the cake. The bride feeds the groom first. What? It's tradition." Blake's cat ears twitched slightly when she was referred to as "the groom", but made no comment on it as the cake-laden fork slid into her mouth. "Now you," said the shorter girl before adding hastily: "Make sure it's a small piece. And don't take it anywhere near the rest of my face." The brunette faked a smile as she fed Weiss a small piece of the cake, some of the people watching them awing in response. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Blake rolled her eyes in response.
After it was over, and the photographers were content with the amount of pictures they had of the couple, Blake gave Mr. Schnee a piece of the cake, receiving an incomprehensible growl as a response, while Weiss offered the Belladonnas one piece each, smiling politely as the Faunus couple congratulated her.
Blake made her way back to the table where Ruby was sitting, and handed her a pink rose made of fondant.
"Oooh thank you! I've been eyeing those things all day!" exclaimed the girl with a wide smile, bringing the flower closer to her face to smell it.
The Faunus chuckled, "You do know it's not real, right?"
"Sugar smells so nice…" came Ruby's response as she inhaled deeply and sighed in content.
"Hey, Ruby?" Blake hesitated for a moment, recalling the scene she had witnessed a few minutes ago. "Why are those people taking body shots off your sister?" she whispered the questions so only the girl next to her would hear.
Ruby lifted her eyes from the edible rose in her hands, turned her head to where Blake was looking, and sighed, 'Well, that didn't take very long.' "Yang has a way with people…" she mumbled before biting into the sugary sculpture.
After everyone had been served the cake, and the dance floor was once again populated, Blake walked away to talk with her parents, Weiss moved to search the room for her father. The strange women she had seen earlier were certainly not from the in-law's side of the family, and the man knew absolutely everyone on his side on the guest list.
As her eyes scanned the grounds one more time, she saw them again. They were standing next to the cake of all things. The least inconspicuous location possible for someone planning any nefarious act. Taking a deep breath, Weiss decided that she didn't need her father to tell her who these people were, and she started walking towards them, intending to introduce herself.
Meanwhile, Ruby was looking around for the bride, she needed to talk to Weiss about the possibility of any team get-togethers over the summer. She had figured that if Weiss was going to be anywhere, she would most probably be by the cake, examining her figurine on top of it for any unflattering features. She neared the dessert, looking around for the older girl, only to stop when she saw someone else standing there. The woman she instead met at the cake table was not Weiss, but rather, someone entirely different. She reminded Ruby quite a bit of Winter, come to think of it. 'I wonder who she is...'
"Hey, you!" she called out. "In the red!"
The woman turned to her, "I have a name, you know?" she said in an indifferent voice, and Ruby paused. "Cinder, Cinder Fall."
Cinder eyed the young girl before her from head to toe, "Aren't you that girl that I helped into Beacon Academy? The one at the dust shop robbery?"
Ruby's jaw fell ever so slightly, and she blinked. This Cinder woman, whoever she was, made it sound like she had done her a favor; although, there was a slight problem with the statement.
"That Torchwick guy did that," replied Ruby matter-of-factly.
Cinder smiled, placing her hand on Ruby's chin, stroking it gently, "I guess that's one way to see that."
It was that moment that Weiss arrived, ready to start asking questions. She was obviously in no mood to have these women give long introductions, so she made her query rather brief.
"Excuse me ladies," she started after clearing her throat quietly, "I was just wondering who you are and how you're related to me." The question had sounded better in her head, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Not that she was willing to try anyway.
Ruby opened her mouth to speak to Weiss. She was cut off, however, by that Cinder lady.
"I am Cinder Fall," said the woman, and added, "your father's older sister."
Weiss' eyes widened, and her entire world halted as she tried to comprehend that line. She blinked once... twice... her jaw moving up and down, but no voice coming out. After a third blink, and a deep breath, she was able to collect herself and her thoughts, and speak.
"You… You're what?"
"I am your father's older sister, Cinder Fall." The woman said again 'Did my brother raise an idiot?'
Weiss looked the woman over another time, suddenly surprised that she didn't notice her resemblance to Winter before. "I… I don't… Why have I never heard of you before?"
Cinder was about to speak when something she intended on avoiding caught her eye. Orich approached the women, a look of near fury on his face, "How did you get in here, Cinder?"
Winter, who was following her father, walked closer with a look of recognition and hope. The excitement fell from her face when Orich spoke, however. She instead remained quiet, standing beside the man with a well-practiced expression of proper indifference.
Cinder flipped her hair and rolled her eyes into her brother's hard gaze with ease, it actually unsettled the man a bit that she could do such a thing. "Oh, this adorable little Faunus girl invited me," a smile grew on her face as she said that, only serving to unsettle her brother even more.
Orich tried to maintain his composure; he needed to fix this problem before it got out of hand, "Get out of my house, Cinder! You aren't wanted here." Her eyes narrowed, a soft glow emanating from deep within them.
Orich could feel a searing finger nearing his face, "I have every right to be here, Orich. This is as important to me as it is to you. Weiss is my family as well."
She was about to touch him when he backed away in fear, "I... I guess I can make an exception for this one day. Just… behave yourself."
Cinder smirked as she let her hand fall back down, "I'm sure you can. I promise I won't be too… disruptive." She blinked before turning her attention to Winter, a much more inquisitive expression on her face, "So, when did I get a second niece?"
Winter's eyes widened when Cinder said this. Not from awe, but from crushing disappointment, "Wait, you're not my mother?"
Orich's head snapped to his younger daughter and he would have slapped her if they weren't in public. "Winter! What is the matter with you?" The young girl instinctively moved to dodge the hand that never came.
Ruby and Weiss could only look on in silent confusion at the events transpiring before them.
"N-No." Cinder wasn't quite expecting that from the younger Schnee, but quickly took note of it, "I-I'm not your mother at all." She then proceeded to speak freely before she could even catch herself, "Bedding my brother would be an atrocity even I couldn't commit." The twins eyed each other nervously.
Cinder bent down and caressed the girl's cheek, everything about the way she acted made her seem unwanted, separate from the rest of the family. Of course, this was as good an opportunity as any to play with her brother's household life, "You know, Winter, you have your great-grandmother's hair..." Her warm hand gently ran its way over the girl's sharp jawline, "your grandfather's eyes..." Cinder found the contact surprisingly soothing, though she didn't know why, "and my mother's face. I see my whole family in you…" she hesitated for a moment, testing the waters, "my favorite niece." Weiss barely managed to stifle her protests.
At this point, Winter was beginning to soften her expression again, this alluring woman had a way of making her feel wanted, like part of a family, it was almost intoxicating to her. Cinder gave the girl a soft smile in return and Winter almost completely caved under her aunt's manipulative words.
Orich prevented Winter from falling into Cinder's trap, though, pushing the woman's hand away from his daughter and rapidly changing the subject. "So, what's with the entourage?" he asked, indicating the twins standing behind her. He didn't really care, he just needed his sister to stop what she was doing.
Cinder's face grew harsher as her eyes coldly rested upon his, "Orich, have you already forgotten?"
His eyes widened in realization as he looked from the girls and to his sister again, before his expression hardened, "I don't want to ever see them on my property, either." At that, he turned to leave. "Come on Winter. I want you staying far from that woman, you understand?"
Winter looked back at Cinder, longing in her eyes, the disappointment heavy in her voice, "Yes, father."
Yang approached the group, a smile on her face, "What's the party over here..." the blonde stopped when she noticed how tense everyone seemed to be, "Ummm… guys? Ease up, this is a wedding."
The twin in red took a short breath, "Melanie, is that..."
Her sister cut her off, "I think so, Miltia."
Weiss was still stunned silent. Ruby looked between the girls in confusion. She knew Yang had an active life outside of school, but she didn't think it was that active. Cinder turned her head toward the girl in green, "Melanie," then to the girl in red, "Miltia? You know this girl?"
Melanie responded first, "She's a… mutual acquaintance..." Yang was surprised when Melanie finished off with a wink her way. Something wasn't right.
Miltia then picked up explaining their acquaintance to Cinder, "We met her at work"
Yang backed away from the two girls, she wasn't really interested in a fight on this day, "Hey sis, you... probably want to avoid associating with these two."
Miltia approached the blonde, taking Yang's face in her hand, "Relax, honey..." came the girl's voice.
"We're off the clock now," Melanie spoke as she stepped forward to pass her fingers through Yang's golden hair. The temptress dwelled there for a moment, taking in the young woman before her. Her golden hair reminded her of the sun, and her eyes were an unusual shade of lavender. The lithe figure standing there was undeniably beautiful. Melanie wanted her; she was going to get what she wanted. She always did.
The blonde took another step back from the predatory girls as Ruby leaned over to whisper into her ear, "Yang, this is the woman from that dust shop robbery!" indicating Cinder, "And she's Weiss's aunt too."
Weiss finally managed to regain her fine motor functions, "Can someone explain what is going on? Yang? Ruby? How do you know these people?"
Cinder chuckled as she led the twins away from the scene, "Your sister is right, little Red. You should probably keep clear of us."
Tereus Schnee looked at the great campus of Beacon academy. He had come to Beacon with his son to visit the girl for her eighteenth birthday, but also because he had nothing else to do. Orich, who had never really liked his sister, certainly not enough to surprise her for her birthday, had only come because his father had demanded his presence. They had already checked with the boarding manager and entered the dorm room for her team; the door to which was strangely open, revealing Cinder on the inside. She was laying on her bed, reading a book.
As he approached her, the man cast his judgmental gaze over his teenage daughter, only to see a small bulge in her stomach. His jaw hardened immediately and his hands formed tight fists, but he tried to conceal his fury long enough to at least get a question out, "So, tell me. What's the father's name?" Her head whipped to the source of the voice, accidentally letting forth a soft gasp.
Cinder eyed the man, the look on his face did not match with the light tone of his voice. "...How did you know?" she asked cautiously.
He chuckled softly, "I'm a businessman, Cinder, I notice things. Also, you've gotten fatter."
Cinder immediately shot up and protested to the comment, "That was uncalled for!"
His tone became darker with such rapidity that the very switch caused the girl incredible unease, "Cinder, I come to see you on your birthday, and what do I get in return? I find that you have betrayed your innocence, and by extension, my trust in you. You did the one thing I told you not to. You think my comment was uncalled for? Your immature actions bring shame to our family, Cinder. You are the one who has done something uncalled for!"
Orich walked up to Cinder, examining her slightly heavier figure. As he looked at the clearly pregnant girl, something came to mind he had never considered before. The perfect opportunity for a better life, the life he had always wanted. He rested his eyes on his sister's stomach and snickered, "A skank like that isn't deserving of the Schnee name, father."
The older man considered his son's statement, nodding after a moment, "A good point." Her heart stopped, "We can't afford to have her tainting our prestigious family." He looked at his daughter, businesslike hardness apparent on every part of his face, "Cinder, do you still remember your mother's maiden name?"
The girl's breath shortened as she began to realize the weight of her situation, "Please father, don't do this! Orich, stop with your jokes! I beg you, please! I-I didn't mean to..."
The boy chuckled as he ran his hand over her warm cheek, grinning wickedly, "Oh, Cinder. If only there was someone who loved you…" Her fiery eyes widened as his words hit her, the pain of betrayal searing within her chest.
Tereus looked around the room, thinking of how much it cost to get his waste of a daughter into this prestigious academy, and how much money he could save, "One other thing, Cinder: I don't really need to pay for a Fall to get any form of education; now do I?"
The girl's jaw dropped. He didn't say that, he couldn't say that. It wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair to her team, "No, Father! You can't do this!" She screamed as he turned to the exit.
He smirked softly, tousling Orich's hair, as he made his way to the door, "Good thinking, son." The man raised his voice slightly to ensure Cinder heard him, "Orich, for your great sense of honor and respect for the Schnee name, I declare you heir to the Schnee Estate. I expect you to convey yourself with the grace and dignity of such an entitled individual." The stress on the word 'dignity' only served to worsen the pain Cinder felt growing within her.
The boy looked up at Tereus, "Thank you, father," he said, also trying to make sure Cinder could clearly hear him, "I will try my utmost to bring our great name pride. Hopefully, actions performed by former members of our family won't leave a permanent stain on our name." The two walked out of the room side by side.
Cinder Schnee had never once cried in her life, but Cinder Fall started hers doing just that.
TSO A/N: So guys, this time around, there wasn't really any really big thing deleted that we can show you, nor were the parts substantial enough to warrant their own story, seeing as they mainly consisted of party jokes about Yang and the twins. Worry not, though, there is one thing that I've been saving for you guys: Winter's two original lines. These old gems are a very clear demonstration of how we originally wanted the girl to be.
"I admire your sense of tradition, Weiss. I don't think I could possibly stand sleeping with such inhuman filth, no matter how much you payed me."
[Blake says something in response]
"I'm not discriminatory, I simply prefer for my lovers to have entirely human parts."
I can't even imagine how this story would have played out if Winter took after her father.
—TSO
Also, shout out to TSO for coming up with the name for Cinder and Orich's father. Go look Tereus up, guys. His story is... interesting.
Thanks for reading, please review! :D