"You've really gotten yourself into a world of shit, Blake." Ilia said the words over the phone, sounding very annoyed. The fact that the two of them were up at three of the morning on the phone had a lot to do with it. The fact that Ilia was suddenly juggling the story and the fallout of Adam's arrest had more to do with it.

Blake was sitting by the river where she and Weiss had gone a few times in the past, still in the clothes that she'd gone to the Schnee Fundraiser in. She wished that she had a chance to change into something which was more suited to sitting outdoors, but she hadn't felt like going straight home. She still felt like there was adrenaline in her veins.

"I know." Blake sighed. "I did what I needed to do."

"They're firing you." Ilia bit the words out, very angry. "I'd be expecting a call from Sienna any moment, but— " She let out a noise of annoyance. "You know that she's going to have to pay Adam's bail, right? And that she knows you left? And that Adam's definitely going to tell her what happened?"

"Adam committed an assault." Blake said calmly. She looked back over her shoulder, almost afraid that someone was going to show up and try to bother her. "That doesn't have anything to do with me. He can tell her what happened. I'm not worried about what will happen." The wind blew her hair out of the bun it had been pinned up into. It'd been falling loose for hours. "Not really."

Ilia went silent, clearly unhappy with the way that things were going. At the end of the day, Blake knew that she had probably only managed to cause a massive headache for Ilia. Asking for the story that she'd written to be put out when it was, putting herself into a position to be fired, actively sabotaging Adam—

Whatever she ended up getting was probably going to end up being something that she deserved. Blake understood that, and she was willing to pay for what she did.

That didn't mean that she had to like it, or that she wasn't going to be making plans on the side to make sure that she was going to have a way out of trouble.

"Blake, that isn't what this is about. You chose to go on that story with him, and it seems like you were intending for it to be trouble." Ilia grumbled. "What was your endgame in all of this?"

"That doesn't matter." Blake mumbled back to Ilia. "Look, if Sienna calls... tell her that I'm gone."

"You're quitting?"

"I'm going to be fired anyways." Blake explained calmly. "Nothing that I do will be enough to change that, and you and I both know it."

Ilia was silent. Blake closed her eyes and waited for her to say anything else that could do something to spur things along.

"I can't tell you how angry I am at you, Blake." Ilia hissed through the phone. "But I'll pass the message along. Don't think that I'm happy about it. If she comes calling for you, I'm not going to keep her from getting through to you."

"I understand."

"Good." Ilia snapped. In the few seconds after, Ilia hanged up, and Blake listened to the tone that came after for a moment too long. She couldn't pretend like everything was okay for her. She couldn't act like she was going to be alright for sure, since she still had so much that she was going to need to look into. Blake knew for a fact that she could go home, but there was too much else going on.

She didn't even know if Weiss was okay. That alone was likely to keep her in Atlas, at least until she had a more clear picture of what was going to happen to her. If she was truly going to leave, then she was going to need to talk to Yang about that before she left. The two of them were going to need a plan for what was to come after everything. Yang was still going to need for her to help out with the rent, and how long that would take Blake didn't know. She could pay bills from afar if she needed to. Online payments were always a thing.

Blake dropped her phone into the space beside her on the bench and stared out across the river. Without Weiss there to join her, it was a much less beautiful sight. Too quiet and too cold.

In the end, she didn't go back to her apartment until dawn was just beginning to break over the city.


After nearly a full day of time in the hospital, Weiss was released back to the world. She hadn't had many chances to change out of what she wore to the fundraiser. The main difference was that she now had a jacket that Klein had brought her. She could hide her face behind the hood and hide her injuries along with it.

Even still, Klein made a point to stay close by her side where nobody could harm her. He was protective in a way that Weiss wasn't always used to seeing.

Surprisingly, Weiss didn't really feel like she wasn't in any danger. Not anymore, at least.

The mansion was empty come time for her arrival in the morning. Weiss slipped inside as quietly as she could and made her way up towards her bedroom. When she opened the door, Weiss cast a quick glance around to double check that nothing had changed there since she'd left.

Her things were undisturbed, presumably aside from the package of clothing that Klein had decided to bring her.

For now, she didn't have to worry. Weiss crawled into bed and reached for her phone. She sent a quick text to Blake just to ensure that she knew that Weiss was alright, and pulled the warm blankets up over her. Over breakfast, Weiss knew that she was going to have to face her father. The option to not attend was there, of course, but that wasn't what Weiss really wanted to do. She just needed some space.

What she needed was time to process what had happened, like Klein would say.

Her father wasn't going to be happy with her at all. He wasn't going to be happy about anything that she'd done, or that she'd gotten involved in. He was going to look at the injury on her face and only feel concerned for how he thought his reputation had been hurt overnight when news would inevitably get out that one of The Fang's writers had been arrested for an assault at a Schnee party.

Weiss was definitely prepared for what was going to happen, she just didn't know where she would go after. Calling Neptune or Coco was of course an option, but Weiss wasn't sure how good of an option it really was. She could just ask them and make sure that she had a way out when she needed it.

She could talk to Blake as well, but Blake was probably worrying about the same things herself. Probably much more, since Weiss had serious doubts Blake would be able to keep her job.

For two or three hours, Weiss laid awake, staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom and feeling completely lost in her own head.

Eventually the time would come where she needed to get up and join everyone else in her family's home. That didn't mean that she was going to enjoy it or that she would relish in the opportunity. Weiss nearly had to force herself to get dressed before leaving her bedroom and walking down the empty halls and too-large staircases.

Her father sat at the table, alone. In his hands there was a copy of a magazine that he'd been brought, along with a tablet sitting on the table like it too held some article that he'd been reading.

Like Blake's article, Weiss thought.

The sound of her heel clicking against the tile floor aleterted her father to her presence though. He looked up at her with as severe of an expression as always and carefully folded the magazine he'd been reading shut.

"Weiss." He greeted her, perpetually frowning. "I see that you're home."

"I am, father." Weiss replied, falling into place at the end of the room like she'd been trained, holding her head up high, and folding her hands together behind her back. "I'm sorry that I didn't let you know."

"But of course you are." He muttered, not sounding convinced at all. "Though I suppose that you have other reasons for staying away. Not just whatever ugly scar you have there."

Weiss swallowed. Her brother had definitely told him at this point, she was sure of it. Her father knew what she had been up to, and this was it. She was going to be run out of her family's home and left to fend for herself. It was time for everything that she had been preparing for to finally fall into place.

"I'm sorry." Weiss said, swallowing hard and continuing to stand up tall. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

"That would run contrary to everything that I have uncovered with regards to your... assault last night." Jacques explained. "Your brother was happy to share the story with me."

Just like that, Weiss felt her stomach sink because she knew where this was going to end. All she could hope was that he'd kept the one thing that she'd needed kept secret quiet.

"Oh." Weiss' eyes flicked down to her feet rather than her father. She wasn't going to be able to actually look him in the eye anymore. "I'm sorry, father"

Jacques grunted. "I'm sure that you understand that I can't have another family embarrassment on my hands. Your mother and Winter are bad enough, but you Weiss?"

Her face began to burn as it flushed red in shame.

"I thought that you would have been better than this. I thought that as my eldest legitimate child, you would understand that you need to keep appearances." Jacques stood up and walked over towards her. "And since you have disappointed and embarrassed me, I must take action."

No chance for her to explain herself. No chance for her to defend her position or offer another explanation.

This was what she needed to be ready for.

"Of course, father." Weiss' voice came out too meek and quiet. She felt terrible enough as things were. "I understand."

"I must recommend that you leave the manor immediately. In the future you are not to show your face around our family events. You are not to contact myself, your brother, or your mother. You are not to contact any of the members of my staff. Are I clear?"

"Yes, sir." Weiss whispered. This was better than what she could have faced. "Is that all?"

Jacques rolled his eyes and walked to the table again, picking up the tablet and turning it on. He looked down at the information that was on it. Weiss couldn't crane her neck enough to see what it was.

"I should do more." Jacques muttered, his anger obvious. "Seeing as you have chosen to air our family's dirty laundry to the world." He looked back at her out of the corner of his eye, anger written clearly across his face. "I would recommend leaving before my mood worsens."

And that was something that Weiss could understand, something that she could read into easily enough.

She gave a tiny bow and left the room as quickly as she could before hurrying up to her bedroom. Weiss gave herself four minutes to pack everything that she'd brought with her to Atlas into a bag before adding other things that were in the room to it. Once she was sure that she had everything that she could have needed, Weiss reached for her phone and made a phone call.

"Blake?" Weiss asked, as soon as the other end picked up.

"Weiss." Blake greeted her, sounding both groggy and relieved. "Are you okay?"

"I am." Weiss confirmed, taking a deep breath. "But I need a place to stay until I figure out where I'm going to go after this. I can explain when I see you."

"Yeah," Blake sighed. "Sure. Just come over and we can figure this out."

"Thank you." Weiss whispered. "I'll be over shortly."

"Right. I'll see you." Blake hanged up like that, and Weiss took a breath before doing the same. That was as good as it was going to get.

Weiss allowed herself to make one more call for a cab since getting Klein's help probably wouldn't work, but before it could go through, there was a knock on the door. Weiss hung up.

"Who is it?"

"Klein, miss Schnee. I believe that there are some things that you and I must discuss."

"Come in."

The door opened. Weiss felt a terrible, terrible weight in her chest. This was going to be her last time seeing Klein in person most likely. "You know," Weiss started. "I was told not to talk to you anymore."

"I believe that is an order which will likely start once you leave the premises." Klein said, holding his head up high, closing the door behind him. "I was going to extend the offer to drive you away."

Weiss let out a breath. "Thank you." She turned to face him now, tears already beading in her eyes. "I'm going to be going to Blake's now that I... can't be here anymore."

"You did the right thing, Weiss." Klein told her. "I am sorry that this is how it'll end up. Are you feeling quite all right?"

"No." Weiss whispered. "Not at all. I'm hurt, and being run off. I know what I'm supposed to feel."

"Of course." Klein stood tall and opened his arms, the invitation more than obvious. Weiss rushed at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head to cry into Klein's shoulder. "I understand, Weiss."

"I don't want to lose you." Weiss whispered into Klein's shoulder. "But I have to."

"This won't be the end, Weiss." Klein tried to comfort her, gently rubbing her back. "I promise you that. He can't control everything."

Weiss wanted to feel convinced, she really did, but it wasn't that easy. She took a deep breath and nodded before following Klein out to the car. He helped her to carry her luggage on the way out, and when Weiss climbed in, Klein treated her the exact same way that he would have in any other circumstance.

Her having just been disowned wasn't what mattered.

Klein took his spot behind the wheel and adjusted the mirror. Weiss caught a glimpse of herself in it, and while she wanted to think that she looked wrong, she couldn't make herself feel that way. It was just a scar.

"Are you ready?"

"I am." Weiss confirmed.

Klein began the drive across the city, and the two of them stayed mostly silent. If the two of them weren't going to be able to be in contact for some time, then Weiss had an idea as to what she could do. It wouldn't have been that hard for her to get a new number to call Klein with it. He wasn't going to just cut her off like her father wanted. Klein cared about her.

"I do hope that you'll be well, Weiss." Klein said, pulling up in front of Blake's apartment. He parked there and turned, looking back to face Weiss head on. "Is there anything else that you think you need?"

"No." Weiss sighed, rallying herself. She turned and reached for the door. Klein saw and got out just the same though, walking around the side of the car and pulling it open for Weiss. She stepped out and looked up at the building. It was just as unassuming as always. Blake's bike was probably parked in her spot in the back. "I think that I'll be well."

Klein stepped in and hugged Weiss. "If you ever think that you may need me, just call."

"Of course." Weiss whispered back to Klein.

He pulled back and Weiss nodded, going to let herself in because Blake was going to be waiting for her anyways. She pushed the button on the buzzer and was let in immediately. Weiss smiled slightly, adjusting her bags and followed the same path inside that she always would have.

When she got to the apartment, Blake was the only one there, and the door was unlocked. Weiss let herself in and slipped out of her shoes by the door.

"Hey." Weiss greeted Blake.

Blake looked over at her, and the immediate look of relief that crossed over her face was enough to help Weiss relax slightly. She set down the knife that she'd been chopping something with and walked over to the door, probably expecting to help Weiss with her bags.

But instead of reaching for the bags, Blake went for Weiss' face. Her hands cupped Weiss' cheeks gently, and they were warm and soft, just like Weiss had thought they would be. "Hello." Weiss whispered back to Blake. "I'm okay."

"Yeah." Blake sighed, squeezing her eyes shut in a pained way for just a moment. She rushed in and wrapped her arms around Weiss. It was done slowly enough that Weiss had plenty of time to brace herself for it. "I'm so sorry about what happened."

"You did fine." Weiss whispered into Blake's ear, tilting her head and letting it rest on Blake's shoulder. "I'm glad you were there."

"Good." Blake pulled away and gestured to the living room. "You can just... find a place to put your things. It'll be fine."

Weiss picked up her bags and walked over to a corner, setting her things back down in a neat pile. "Thank you for letting me come over."

"I don't mind it." Blake replied, sighing. "The last day's been pretty... hectic."

"It has." Weiss replied. "I was disowned this morning."

"I'm sorry." Blake mumbled, and Weiss wanted to feel comforted but that wasn't what happened. Instead, it was just exactly what she'd been expecting and exactly what she'd prepared for. "I got fired this morning. For what it's worth."

"I'm sorry."

It was quiet for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say. Weiss took a breath and walked over to join Blake in the kitchen. Now that she could see it, Blake was chopping an eggplant into slices.

"I think that I was preparing for it." Blake mumbled. "The good thing is that Adam hasn't been bailed out yet, as far as I know. But once he gets out I'm probably going to skip town."

Weiss nodded. "And then what?"

"My family are going to be happy to have me home." Blake shrugged, looking away from Weiss. "I figured that I would be able to go back and figure out where to go from there. Were you planning to go back to Vale?"

Weiss shook her head, looking down at her hand where it rested on the counter. "I haven't gotten a chance to figure it out with Neptune or Coco just yet. I'll leave when I know, but right now I don't know."

Blake nodded. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"I will." Weiss sighed. "I'm going to miss you, though."

That was the truth of it all, in far too many ways and Weiss knew it. She was going to miss Blake. Now that she's done her part with Blake, and Blake has gotten her story, Weiss doesn't actually know what she has left that she can offer the other woman.

Blake losing her job gave her a little bit more security in her situation, but it still wasn't enough.

Across the counter, Blake picked up the cutting board and pushed the chopped vegetables on it off and into a pot of something. Whatever she was making, Weiss didn't know. "It doesn't have to be that way."

"What?" Weiss paused, completely lost suddenly. There wasn't a way that she was going to be able to get that much out of Blake, was there? How was she going to be able to keep contact with Blake beyond phones. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we have options." Blake said nonchalantly. "We can try to do a long distance relationship."

"I like you a lot, Blake, but I don't know that's something that I want to do." Weiss sighed. "It'd be a lot of work."

"Yeah." Blake mumbled. "It would be."

Weiss took a deep breath. She had to figure out what she was going to do in Vale once this was over with. Without knowing whether she was going to be able to continue her life there, Weiss couldn't feel secure making any choices. Blake was going to be a part of her life stuck in limbo, it seemed.

Blake smiled at her though, and it almost made her feel more confident. "We can make this all work." Blake reassured Weiss. "I'm going to go back to Kuo Kuana, but I don't know how long that will last."

"You'll be with your family, though?"

"I will be." Blake shrugged. "But I don't think that's going to be a permanent arrangement."

She paused and her eyes went wide. Weiss watched silently as Blake lunged for her phone and picked it up. She locked eyes with Weiss. "Watch the pot so it doesn't boil over. I'll be right back."

"What are you doing?" Weiss got up and walked around the other side of the counter.

Whatever Blake was doing, Weiss couldn't be sure and Blake didn't give an answer to the question.

That was far from encouraging, and Weiss really didn't know how she was supposed to feel.

She watched the pot, but from the kitchen she could hear Blake on the phone in another room, obviously talking to someone hurriedly and almost excitedly.

Weiss watched the pot, trying too hard not to think about it. It probably wasn't going to be anything important, not for her.

Fifteen minutes later, Blake came into the room and smiled at Weiss. She crossed the room and stepped in close to Weiss before pressing her lips to Weiss'.

Weiss smiled into the touch, and when she began to open her mouth to ask what exactly was going on, Blake only cut her off.

The news made Weiss' heart jump in her chest and it felt like she couldn't really breathe.

She loved Blake. So so much.