I WOULD HAVE HAD THIS UP WEEKS AGO IF THIS WEBSITE HAD ACTUALLY BEEN WORKING FOR ME AELRHFKGDKSKDGH I'm so mad about that. It literally wouldn't let me upload any documents. At least its fixed now. Anyways enjoy this whiterose chapter :D

Weiss shifts in her dress, the once familiar feeling of fabric cascading over her body an unwelcome one after her months at Beacon. At least by now the concert was done with, so all she would have to do is smile and stand by her father to be shown off at his pleasure.

As she looked at the crowd though, a streak of red catches her eye, and she whipped around so fast she even surprised herself. She searched the crowd for any sign of the red she had seen, eyes flitting from person to person almost frantically.

Her gaze finally landed on the source, a woman in a long red dress who is chatting with a group of other women.

Weiss swallowed down the disappointment that builds in her chest. It was pointless to think that any one of her teammates had somehow managed to make it to Atlas, let alone inside here. She needed to focus on what was happening in front of her.

Her father laughed at a passing comment, moving away to start up a conversation with its owner. Weiss trailed behind him, giving Whitely a passing glance. He looked like he was actually enjoying this. Figured.

Weiss let her eyes wander over the crowd again, nearly pausing when another red garment enters her line of sight. She shook her head, trying to get her mind away from red and the person she most associated it with.

Her efforts were in vain though, and she was starting to get annoyed with herself. She thought she was able to handle the forced distance between her and her teammates. But apparently her mind had other ideas.

At one point she ended up by one of the small tables lining the edges of the banquet hall. As she looked at the vase of flowers decorating it, something catches in her throat.

It would be her luck that they used roses.

She stared at them for a solid minute or two before reaching out to pick one up. She twisted it in her fingers, watching how the petals reflect the light. Something pricked her, and she hissed quietly.

Weiss unfurled her hand, seeing a pinpoint of blood on her fingertip, one of the rose's thorns stained with its color. Weiss didn't do anything though, she simply stared at the flower and the blood, and remembered.

She remembered a pest, the annoying girl that wouldn't leave her alone in the beginning. The erratic, scatterbrained girl who always seemed to be doing 3 things at once, all without saying a word. The girl that would rush into something blind and only making an actual plan once they all were on the verge of losing. The naivety and child-like hope that never seemed to suit the kind of work they were preparing for.

But Weiss also remembered the peace that came from being around her. The simplicity of their interactions once they came to know one another. The partner, while unchosen in the beginning, had pushed Weiss to better herself in subtle ways. The few late night moments they had shared. The way she would always be so expressive and open, and see the hope in every situation. The girl that had a speed and a grace to her when fighting, and a clumsiness in any other situation. A smile that brightened up any room, with eyes to match. The way the sunlight always seemed to enshroud her in a-

Weiss stopped herself, realizing just how warm her face was. She put the rose back and hastily wiped off her finger on one of the innermost folds of her dress.

She couldn't let herself go down that far. Because- because- because-

This is exactly what her crush on Neptune had felt like, except unlike that, which had faded quickly, this was deeper than Weiss ever wanted to know.

Her thoughts took every opportunity to bring up Ruby, so much so it was suffocating at times.

She couldn't have a crush on Ruby though- she couldn't- she couldn't- she couldn't. She just couldn't.

But that fact couldn't stop her from pausing still, second checking every person or thing that even remotely reminded Weiss of Ruby.

Maybe one day she would grow smart enough to move on.