Chapter IV

"I mean, how am I really going to make a difference in this girl's life?" Weiss griped to Blake over lunch the next day. The two sat in their usual 'secret' spot on the roof of the school. Sometimes it was best to escape the chaos that was a high school cafeteria. "Just because she looked at me, that means something substantial?"

Blake had to force herself to keep from rolling her eyes. She and Weiss had been best friends since they were children, so she knew what Weiss was doing right now. While she appeared irritated on the outside, Blake knew it was only to hide how nervous she truly was. No doubt she was actually flattered the Schnee Home held her in such high esteem for this girl's wellbeing.

"I think you know how big of a deal this is, Weiss," she finally voiced her thoughts. "You know you can drop that whole 'high and mighty' façade with me. I've been able to see through it since we were seven."

Blake suppressed a grin at Weiss's look of defeat then as the heiress let the tension in her body go, her shoulders slumping.

"Then you should know this is actually causing me to freak out, Blake," Weiss mumbled then. "Ruby hasn't spoken for ten years; she hasn't even looked at anyone aside from me and one other mysterious person. Yet, she was the one who approached me. Granted, she ran off the first two times, but during our first real meeting, she meets my eyes? I just don't get it."

"Maybe she feels there's something different about you," Blake suggested with a shrug.

Weiss scoffed. "That's not typically a good thing."

"Because you have walls built up around you," Blake told her. "I know that better than anyone. Even when we met as five year-olds they were there. You only lower them for me and Winter. Maybe Ruby sees that you want to let those walls down, and maybe she feels confident she can get you to do so."

When Weiss didn't say anything or meet Blake's gaze, instead choosing to focus on flicking the crumbs of her sandwich off the edge of the roof, Blake continued.

"I know how daunting this must be for you, Weiss. Honestly, I think it's completely unfair they asked this of you. Just answer me this: if you hadn't been told any of this, if this hadn't been requested of you, do you think you would still have pursued Ruby?"

"I mean," Weiss paused to sigh, "I guess. I can't lie that she didn't lure me in from the first time she came over to me. Now I just feel obligated to befriend her, rather than wanting to do so from the goodness of my heart."

"Again, I think it's unfair they just unloaded this on you like this, but they wouldn't have done so if they didn't think something would come of it."

Weiss huffed. "You're right, of course."

"You should know by now I always am," Blake quipped with smirk.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Don't get cocky on me now."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment. Weiss continued to eat her lunch absentmindedly, not really tasting anything, her mind of course occupied with this task she had been given. Glancing to her friend from her peripherals, Weiss bit her lip momentarily before speaking back up.

"Blake?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will you come with me when I go to see Ruby again?"

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

Weiss knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't want to overwhelm her," Blake explained. "It sounds like she's made great progress here recently from interacting with you; I feel suddenly throwing me into the mix might erase all that success and send her ten steps back."

Weiss's stomach tightened with more nerves. Blake was right again.

Seeing her friend's distress, Blake came up with a different suggestion.

"I'm sure I could meet her eventually, just perhaps not so soon."

"Yeah," Weiss mumbled. "Okay."

Blake shook Weiss lightly, trying to instill some life back into the girl.

"Everything will be fine, Weiss; you'll see."

Everything was so not fine. Now instead of hoping to see the girl in red, Weiss was almost fearful of the chance she would spot Ruby any time she entered the Home. She knew she had no reason to fear the girl, and this whole scenario had only escalated out of control in her mind because she just couldn't stop thinking about it, damn it, but she still found herself scurrying past the common room the next Friday should Ruby be in there and notice Weiss's presence.

What was she even supposed to say to her?

Weiss had never been good at making friends, and still wondered to this day why Blake had stuck around this long, let alone why she had befriended her in the first place. Weiss dreaded the thought of small talk; asking about likes and dislikes, hobbies, and the like simply because it was customary to do so.

She wanted to actually be interested in the answers.

Somewhere deep inside her, she knew she still would be interested because she would be learning about Ruby in the process, but the fact that her getting to know Ruby had been asked of her was still on the forefront of her mind.

Not to mention the fact that Ruby hadn't spoken for the past decade. How do you hold a conversation with someone who doesn't talk?

"Why me?" Weiss groaned to herself in the privacy of her father's office. It was another Friday, which meant another day of mundane work. Perhaps if she spread the work throughout the week like her father actually wanted, there wouldn't ever be this much to do at once. Still, Weiss refused to follow her father's advice completely; after all, she was her own person.

The sound of small footsteps coming down the hall distracted Weiss from the silent cursing of her existence. Looking out the open door, she anxiously awaited whoever it was to pass by. Could it be Roland? Or was it just an orderly or random patient heading to the common room?

Her stomach lurched as another option filtered through her mind.

What if it was Ruby?

Sure enough, those damned curious silver eyes soon peered around the door frame, and Weiss cursed her luck.

Almost.

Apparently, Ruby hadn't been expecting Weiss to be looking up at her, for as soon as she met eyes with her, her head whipped out of view. Weiss couldn't suppress her chuckle.

"You can come in, Ruby," she called. "Your cover is totally blown."

Sheepishly, Ruby filed halfway into the room before stopping, rocking on the balls of her feet as she looked at Weiss, shy smile present on her face once more.

"Yes?" Weiss couldn't help but ask.

A quick wave was her answer. A smile broke upon Weiss's face in turn.

"Hello to you too," she replied. "Tell me, are you going to make it a habit of following me whenever I'm here?"

Blushing, Ruby frantically shook her head back and forth, her eyes squeezing shut once again as her shoulders shot back up to her ears. Weiss's heart cracked from the girl's terrified reaction. Quickly making her way over to the now-shuddering girl, Weiss carefully placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders, gently easing them back below her head.

"I'm sorry," Weiss whispered. "I only meant it as a joke. I'm not mad at you, okay?"

Ruby hesitantly looked up, her eyes shining with uncertainty. Weiss strengthened her smile.

"I promise," she uttered.

She could literally feel the tension leave Ruby at that. Removing her hands from her shoulders, Weiss watched as Ruby went to fiddle with the strings of her hoodie again; what must be a nervous tick of hers, along with pulling on her sleeves.

"Was there any reason you came by here?" the heiress asked.

Ruby shook her head.

"Would you like to stay and keep me company?"

An ecstatic smile and nod of the head.

Chuckling, Weiss pulled out a chair for Ruby as she went back behind the desk. "I won't be here too much longer, but maybe having you around will make this work more interesting than it is."

Her heart fluttered as she watched Ruby's shoulders shake in a fit of silent laughter and marveled at how expressive this girl was without any verbal communication.

"You can…play with my scroll, if you'd like," Weiss offered, taking the device from her pocket and offering it to Ruby. "I don't have many games on it, but you're welcome to download some."

Ruby took the scroll with a grateful smile before reclining back in the chair, seeming completely at ease in Weiss's presence.

Again, Weiss found herself wondering what it was about her that had Ruby so enamored almost.

After all, she had earned the title 'Ice Queen' at school for a reason.

Weiss returned to her work, finding it magically easier to do while continuously glancing over the computer screen to see Ruby playing with her scroll without a care in the world.

"What are you playing?" she asked once the silence finally became too stifling for her. Even if Ruby couldn't respond with words, Weiss had the upmost faith Ruby would find some way to answer her.

And maybe just continuously asking her questions would finally lead her to talk.

Ruby flipped the scroll around so Weiss could see the screen, the heiress chuckling when she recognized the game Flappy Nevermore. Ruby must have downloaded it again because Weiss had deleted that cursed game years ago after getting frustrated with it too many times. The damn bird just wouldn't obey her controls…

"That game was a hazard to my health," she quipped as Ruby went back to playing, though taking careful note of Ruby's amused grin with pride. "Please delete it when you're finished, otherwise you'll be receiving my next medical bill in the mail."

Nodding with silent giggles once more, silver eyes never left the illuminated screen before her. Weiss just rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

In no time, her mundane work was finished, her scroll back in her pocket withoutthat dreaded game, and she and Ruby were waiting for Pyrrha or some other nurse to lead Ruby back to her room.

Though surely Ruby didn't really need an escort after ten years.

That thought sent a wave of sadness through Weiss though, so she decided she was grateful the staff here continued to treat Ruby like any other patient.

It turned out that it was indeed Pyrrha who came to retrieve Ruby, and the girl left her with another jovial wave, adorable smile stretched across her face. Weiss returned both the action and the sentiment, adding in a quick, "see you around," waiting until Ruby was out of sight before heading over to the front desk where she had noticed Dr Ozpin chatting with Glynda.

"Doctor Ozpin?"

"Yes, Miss Schnee?" Ozpin answered politely, his tone calm, yet never failing to make Weiss become slightly uncomfortable. There was just something about him…

"Weiss," she prompted for most likely the thousandth time since they had known each other. "I was just wondering why you didn't tell me you knew who Ruby was when I first asked about her two weeks ago." Glancing to Glynda she added, "Glynda said you've met with her consistently, she's probably the only resident who always wears red, and you had the audacity to tell me you didn't know her?"

She heard Glynda stifle a laugh, looking at Ozpin to see how he would manage to turn the tables on this one. Weiss had to fight to keep from becoming even more irritated when the older man simply smirked in turn.

"Patient confidentiality," he answered coyly. "Besides, while Miss Rose is indeed known for that sweatshirt she dons constantly, she isn't, in fact, my only patient I've seen wear red. You weren't very detailed with your description of her either, if I recall, so I was truly uncertain if she was whom you were referring to…Weiss." His smirk widened.

This ignorant…! Weiss was internally fuming.

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't suppose you have anything to add now about how either of you possibly think I'll be able to help her speak?"

"We're not just asking that of you, Weiss," Glynda added then, immediately acting in attempt to diffuse the rising tension between heiress and doctor—it had always been a sort of game to those two… "More than that, we're asking you to be this girl's friend. Never before have we seen this kind of life with Ruby; we're not too keen on letting it disappear before it can even be fully harnessed."

"Don't fret over it today though, Weiss," Ozpin told her. "You did just fine just now, if Ruby's happiness was enough to go on. Hopefully you'll come to see this as simply hanging out with a friend, not a responsibility placed upon you. None of us are expecting anything from you; only wishing."

Still, Weiss wished she could tell them that anythingasked of her she immediately took on as a serious responsibility. It was how she had been raised; drilled into her since the day she was born. Because of this, she was beginning to look at Ruby as her responsibility now. And by habit, she couldn't fail

Watching Dr Ozpin take his leave, Weiss let out a huff. Still, she knew he was right, and while that irked her, she would work to see Ruby as a friend and nothing more.

She would be the best friend Ruby ever had.

Spinning to face Glynda, her resolve cemented itself in place.

"How can I help you, Weiss?" the blonde woman asked, looking at Weiss with a smile.

"I want to start coming to visit Ruby every Tuesday when I get off from school," Weiss said. "I have to reserve Fridays for work, but I'm always free Tuesdays. Do you think she would be up for it?"

Glynda's smile only warmed at Weiss's words. "I think she would very much be up for it."

A smile flickered across Weiss's face. "Great," she exclaimed softly. "Do you happen to know any activities she likes to do? I want to make her as comfortable as possible."

"Well, she loves to hang out by the pond," Glynda started. "It's finally getting nice enough now for her to start heading out there again. There's also…" She paused briefly, her smile turning to a small smirk. "Well, I'll let that be a surprise. I will suggest you bring some paper with you Tuesday; maybe some of different colors. There is one hobby of Miss Rose's I think you'll be quite impressed with."

Curiosity now peaked, Weiss could only nod, affirming she'd remember to bring paper. Glynda sent her on her way then, and the entire weekend and days at school that Monday and Tuesday, Weiss's thoughts were solely on Ruby and this mysterious hobby of hers.

Perhaps that was why she flew from her car the instant the motor was off in the lot of the Home, and why she entered the building at a near-run. Weiss didn't know of any other reason for her obvious haste. Just simple interest.

That also had to be the reason why her heart started to beat just a tad bit faster when she saw Ruby already in the common room waiting for her, her small form hunched over the table in the middle of the room, her attention solely on the sleeves of her hoodie that covered her hands.

Trying to play it cool, Weiss strode over to her.

"I told you you'd see me around."

She had said the comment offhandedly, yet she couldn't suppress the small smirk and flip of her stomach once Ruby excitedly looked up at the sound of her voice. Her vibrant silver eyes took on a shining gleam reserved only for Weiss as a smile split her face. However, she still said nothing. No cry of her name in glee, no chirp hello; just eyes filled with mirth blinking back at her.

Weiss stood in silence for another brief moment, hoping to prompt something—anything—from Ruby in response, but wasn't surprised when Ruby just continued to blink at her, smile slowly fading as the moment became a tad awkward.

"So," Weiss coughed in order to save face, "Glynda—Ms Goodwitch—tells me you like spending time down by the pond?"

Again, Ruby eagerly shook her head up and down. Weiss couldn't fight the smile that graced her own features at the girl's exuberant nature.

"Would you…care to show me why that spot is so special to you?"

Weiss had been hoping her request wouldn't be asking too much. She didn't want Ruby to feel like she was intruding in her life, she just wanted to take the girl somewhere she may open up more. Surely staying within the walls of the Home didn't do much to raise the girl's confidence.

So, Weiss was pleasantly surprised when Ruby nodded again.

She was also surprised—albeit still pleasantly—when Ruby took her hand and began pulling her out a side door that lead to a courtyard outside. Letting out a surprised squeak at the sudden motion, Weiss wanted to hit herself when the noise led to Ruby dropping her hand suddenly and looking at the ground as if ashamed at herself. She quickly brought the hand that had just been holding Weiss's to cradle it against her chest, her teeth moving to gnaw on her bottom lip. Weiss nearly felt her heart break in two upon seeing Ruby's eyes clench shut again, as if she were anticipating a blow to follow.

"Ruby," Weiss spoke gently, carefully, hesitating before placing one hand on the girl's shoulder. Ruby flinched at the touch, but didn't act anymore to shrug off the gesture. "It's okay, alright? Will you…open your eyes? Please?"

Slowly, Ruby did as asked, and Weiss smiled as those eyes hesitantly sought her own once more.

"There we go," Weiss soothed. "I'm not mad at you, Ruby, I promise."

Ruby glanced down at Weiss's hand before looking back up, her eyes wavering with question.

"You just caught me off guard when you grabbed my hand like that," Weiss began to explain, able to read what Ruby so desperately wanted to ask. "If you want to hold my hand, that's fine. I'm sorry I surprised you." This time, Weiss moved to take Ruby's hand, grasping it firmly in reassurance. "I'll let you know if you do anything to make me uncomfortable, alright? As long as you do the same for me. Deal?"

A brilliant shade of red lit Ruby's cheeks as she nodded exuberantly in response. Weiss's smile only grew when she felt Ruby squeeze her hand back.

"Now," she said, voice acquiring an airy tone, "I believe we were headed somewhere?"

Ruby's shoulders shook with laughter once more before leading Weiss from the building at a much more leisurely pace this time.

The two of them traveled from the courtyard in comfortable silence, hands still interlocked. Weiss tried to hide her smile when she felt Ruby begin to swing their arms back and forth in merriment. Casting a glance at the girl out of her peripherals, she again began to wonder about her predicament. What was her story? Why had she been wandering all alone that day? Where were her parents?

And, of course, the most pressing:

Why wouldn't she speak?

One day, Weiss hoped Ruby would be able to tell her all of these things. Yet, she didn't want Ruby to do so only because Weiss asked; she wanted Ruby to reveal these things from her own desires. She wanted Ruby to feel comfortable enough with Weiss to reveal even her darkest secrets to her. She wanted nothing to be done out of obligation on the girl's part.

Only a small tug from Ruby had Weiss flitting back to the present to find they had made it to the pond. Looking over her shoulder, Weiss saw the spot was actually a fair distance away from the Home, certainly further than the nurses would allow their patients to wander without supervision. She figured because she was with Ruby, no one had stopped them.

Deeper down, Weiss's gut clenched as she dwelled on the fact that Ruby didn't need any supervision because the Home was just that to her: her home. For all Weiss knew, that's how Ruby saw this place. After all, how else would you see the place you spent the last decade of your life in? The place you grew up in?

So perhaps Ruby did receive special treatment in some areas.

When Weiss felt her throat begin to burn, no doubt warning her she was thinking dangerous thoughts unless she wanted to very possibly begin crying in front of Ruby, she shook her head, forced a smile, and looked to the girl next to her.

"You know, I didn't even know this pond was on the building's property," she said. "How did you find it?"

Ruby dropped her hand to place both of hers behind her as she swayed back and forth, cheeks tinting pink again as she refused to meet Weiss's eyes.

"Surely you didn't give one of the nurses the slip and stumble across this when you shouldn't have?" Weiss asked with a sly grin, already knowing the answer if Ruby's body language was anything to go by.

When Ruby just covered her face with the sleeves of her hoodie, the first thing that blared in Weiss's head was how absolutely adorable whatever she was doing was.

The second thing was that her guess was right.

"I suppose I have to keep my eye on you then," she spoke, causing Ruby to peer out at her, nearly making Weiss go into cardiac arrest from how cute this girl was being. "Can't have you running off on me."

Ruby immediately brought her arms back to her side and shook her head. Gone was the embarrassment, and in its stead was a most serious look.

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "You won't run off?"

Again, Ruby shook her head. Slowly, Weiss allowed another smile.

"Good," she quipped. "Otherwise all this equipment I brought would have gone to waste."

It seemed only then did Ruby notice the backpack Weiss had been shouldering the entire time. Curiosity sparked in her silver eyes as she watched Weiss set the bag on the ground before taking a seat upon the lush grass. Blue eyes stared up at her in waiting until Ruby hastily plopped down beside her with a small blush.

"Now, I actually don't quite know what you have in store for me, but Glynda mentioned if I brought you the right supplies, you'd do something I'd find impressive."

Spreading out said supplies between them, Weiss took stock. Admittedly, the "supplies" weren't much; just an assortment of colored paper and a pair of scissors. Still, with the way Ruby was eyeing them, she had obviously hit the nail on the head. Looking back to Ruby, Weiss found her staring at her, an impatient, eager look swimming in silver pools.

"Well?" Weiss prompted. "You don't need my permission! Do…whatever it is!"

Not needing to be told twice, Ruby swiped a sheet of red paper, immediately reaching for the scissors to cut the sheet in half. Weiss watched her work for a minute to see if she could predict what Ruby was trying to do, but when Ruby only continued to fold the paper over and over again, she rolled her eyes and pulled out her scroll.

She had promised she'd try and text Blake how this was going anyway.

She hadn't even finished her first message when Ruby tapped her to get her attention.

"What-?"

The rest of her question tapered off as she caught sight of what Ruby was holding out to her in the palms of her hands. What had simply been paper seconds ago was now a brilliant, red rose. If Weiss hadn't known any better, she would have thought Ruby had gone out and picked it from a field, not…made it.

"How did you…?" Again, Weiss found herself unable to speak.

Ruby inched her hands forward a bit more and Weiss got the message. Holding her own palm out, Ruby gently discarded it to her own hand. Weiss ran her fingers over its "petals." It was definitely paper, but… Somehow it looked so real.

"Glynda was right," Weiss mumbled. "I'm impressed."

Weiss tried to hand the rose back to Ruby, but the girl only shook her head, instead pointing between the rose and Weiss.

"You want me to keep it?" she asked.

Ruby nodded, and Weiss beamed.

"Thank you, Ruby; it's beautiful. I'll cherish it."

Carefully sliding it into an outside pocket of her backpack, she looked back to Ruby just as the girl grabbed another sheet of paper, this one white.

As Weiss watched the girl work her craft, her half-typed message to Blake remained unfinished, her scroll laying forgotten in the patch of grass beside her.