Here's chapter 8 everyone.
"So Vel, what's on the agenda for today?" Coco asked while sitting at a lunch table.
"There aren't any classes, so maybe a trip to Vale would be nice." Velvet suggested.
"You know I won't be going around Vale like you would if we go. The shopping spree will happen and nothing you say will pull me away from it." Coco smirked.
Velvet chuckled. "At this point I'm not surprised. So what do you plan on buying today if we go?"
"It depends on…Oh, heads up, looks like Weiss is walking this way." Coco pointed out.
Velvet turned to see the heiress walking over while looking down a little. "Weiss…are you okay?"
"Velvet." Weiss said as she got to the two. "Um, do you think we can talk for a few minutes…alone?"
"I get it. I'll back off for now, but don't forget that we're heading to Vale today, Vel." Coco said as she got up walked away from the two.
Weiss took a breath. "So…can we talk?"
Velvet nodded. "Would you like to talk in your room?" Velvet instantly felt like an idiot when she offered. "I-I mean, um, never mind. How about we go outside instead?"
"I suppose outside would be better, unless you would rather talk after your trip to Vale. I honestly think this may take up some time." Weiss stated.
"It's no trouble, Weiss. I'd rather we talk than go to Vale anyways." Velvet smiled and got up.
"Y-Yeah, okay then." Weiss followed Velvet outside and felt her heart beating a little faster.
This is a mistake…I…I shouldn't be doing this…No, mother was right. I should at least try to take things slow and try not to think about…
Weiss shook her head when she began to think about him. "V-Velvet?"
Velvet stopped and turned to the heiress. "D-Do you want to stop here?"
"No…I just…About the other day…Thank you for trusting me with that information." Weiss said.
"Oh, well it's no big deal, Weiss. It's like I said that day, when I first got here, I slowly realized how supportive my friends can be…So yes, I would trust you." Velvet admitted.
"Y-You think of me as a friend? B-But how? Look at everything I've done ever since we met." Weiss reminded.
Velvet brought her camera out from its box and gave it to Weiss. "I think that no matter what, I can trust you even with this…Don't ask why again, because…I don't know. I just…I see more to you than what I've been told and what I've seen. Yes, you did run from me that day and you did get upset when we talked, but even now, you approached me. I know this can't be easy to do, so I admire that about you."
Weiss blushed a bit and took the camera. "I still don't see how that could help you trust me this much." She examined the camera a bit and couldn't understand the technology behind it. "Um, so exactly what is this exactly? I mean the technology."
"My dad paid a visit to Atlas in his younger years, so while he was there, he asked an old friend if he could have something made that could duplicate other weapons." Velvet looked at the camera and smiled. "After a few months, his friend managed to get it done and sent it over. The problem was that dad wasn't all that great with it. He couldn't memorize a lot of the fighting styles, so instead he decided to use the crossbow in that picture."
"Oh…Well I guess you must be very good at remembering all those fighting styles." Weiss remarked.
"Thank you, Weiss. I had a lot of practice and I promised my dad I would always stay focused when watching people fight with their weapons…Honestly, I'd like to see more of your fighting style." Velvet admitted.
"Y-You do...I suppose I can give you a demonstration at one point…to help you learn more about my fighting style of course. Um, so can we get back to what we were doing by the way?" Weiss requested.
"Right, I forgot." Weiss handed Velvet her camera and the rabbit Faunus placed it back in its box.
The two made their way outside and found a good spot to talk to each other. It was close to the CTT and Velvet sat down on the soft grass.
Weiss looked down at the rabbit Faunus and raised an eyebrow. "Velvet, I'm not really sure I feel like dirtying my combat skirt."
"Combat skirt? Oh, you mean your dress." Velvet chuckled.
Weiss blushed. "H-Hey! This is a combat skirt, not a dress!"
Velvet chuckled again. "Okay, I can see that now, but anyways, I don't think it would be all that bad if you sat down. Standing up in this kind of weather seems a little wasteful, don't you think?"
Weiss felt the slightly cold breeze hit her face and she sat down, though she looked a little worried as soon as she got to the ground. "I really hope I won't need to clean this again today."
"You cleaned it this morning?" Velvet inquired.
"I did, but only because Ruby decided to throw all of our clothes out of the closet when she couldn't find her pillow. I don't even understand why that dolt would keep her corgi pillow in a closet! It's so dumb." Weiss noted and crossed her arms in annoyance.
"That sounds like something Coco would do whenever she couldn't find an outfit she wanted to wear…So…What did you want to talk about?" Velvet asked.
Weiss sighed and took her scroll out and placed it close to the rabbit Faunus. "I…I want you to see this."
Velvet looked down at the scroll and saw a picture of a long white haired woman with blue eyes sitting on what looked to be a wheelchair. "This woman…Is she your mother?"
Weiss nodded. "Yes. My mother called me the other day and we spoke about…well the things you and I have talked about for the past few weeks."
"Oh." Velvet responded and couldn't think of what else to say.
"It's okay…I suppose. I mean you, that is that you're okay…with me…ugh, sorry, I just…this isn't something I normally do." Weiss couldn't explain properly.
Velvet picked up the scroll and looked closer at the picture of Weiss' mother. "Wow, she's very beautiful, especially the white hair and blue eyes, just like yours."
"W-Well white hair and blue eyes run in the family. My sister and even my father all have white hair and blue eyes." Weiss explained.
"Um, so about this picture…is she in a-?" Velvet was cut off.
"A wheelchair…yes, she is. My mother is paralyzed from the waist down." Weiss answered.
Velvet's eyes widened when she got the answer. "Weiss…I'm-."
"Don't say it…It's okay. The reason I wanted you to see this is because I realized that while it hurts…I can learn to talk about my family with people I can trust…" Weiss trailed off.
"You trust me too?" Velvet asked.
"I'm trying to…This is the first step, but I just want you to know…that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being able speak with you before…I'm sorry for what I said about how the reason I didn't want to talk to you was because you're a Faunus…I'm just sorry." Weiss said and put her hand on the grass and dug her nails into the ground.
Velvet frowned and took one last glance at the picture of Weiss' mother. "I don't want you to apologize…I want to listen. Please tell me what it was that made you feel this way about Faunus in the first place."
Weiss took a breath and nodded. "Besides the White Fang itself, I've had other times where Faunus hurt my family in some way."
"The White Fang…It isn't a group any Faunus outside their group cares for. They give Faunus a bad name." Velvet stated.
"Yes…They do." Weiss sighed and looked over at her scroll in Velvet's hand. "My mother…Her condition was caused by a Faunus. A few actually, but they weren't White Fang."
"Oh, but why would they attack-?" Velvet was interrupted.
"Think about it. My family name isn't exactly liked by a lot of Faunus. Even the ones outside of the White Fang despise my family." Weiss lowered her head. "Yet my mother never had anything bad to say about Faunus…They hurt her…for name alone." Weiss clenched her fist.
Velvet placed Weiss' scroll down and put her hand on Weiss'. "Would you be able to say more on it, or do you want to stop? I know this might be a little much."
Weiss tensed up a bit when she felt Velvet's hand touch her own. "Y-You told me about your father. I can do this too…I promise."
"Are you forcing this?" Velvet asked.
"No…No I just need to take it slow…when my mother was hurt, I was young and didn't know the real reason why she was hurt until I was eight years old. The truth was kept from me because my mother didn't want me to know what really happened to her." Weiss explained.
Velvet frowned. "It sounds like she was trying to protect you from the truth."
"It didn't work." Weiss muttered.
"No, but that doesn't mean you can't start seeing the Faunus differently. Just look at the students here. There are so many Faunus who only want to do what everyone else does here. Learn to become hunters and protect people. It's a noble cause." Velvet noted.
"I…I already see that, Velvet. There are just times where I'm scared." Weiss admitted.
Velvet moved her hand away and then under Weiss'. "There isn't anyone here who would ever try to hurt you, Weiss. And even if they did try, you're an amazing fighter, so I know you'd be able to protect yourself."
Weiss tensed up again when she felt Velvet lift her hand up a bit. "I asked my father about that when he first told me what really happened to my mom."
"What did you ask him?" Velvet asked.
"I asked him if he'd protect me from any Faunus that would try to hurt me. That was the day I was told I had to train to become strong enough to defend myself." Weiss explained.
Velvet was shocked by that. "What?! But you said you were eight at that point!"
Weiss nodded. "It didn't matter how old I was. My father felt it necessary that I learn to fight. My mother wasn't even home during that time, so she couldn't even argue it until I was already training…The thing is, I accepted it…only because I was angry at how my mother was hurt by a Faunus…It drove me to fight."
"That isn't fair. You didn't deserve to go through something like that, especially at a young age." Velvet squeezed Weiss' hand.
"Life isn't always fair, Velvet. That's something else my father explained to me…And he isn't wrong. Just look at my mother. She's the kindest Schnee, yet she's the one that gets put in a wheelchair." Weiss accidentally squeezed Velvet's hand tightly.
Velvet winced from that, but didn't let go. "Weiss, with how you've dealt with all this, is getting stronger to keep yourself protected your drive?"
"My drive…No…I have a different drive. It's the one that makes me such a dolt." Weiss stated while feeling herself shake.
"You're not a dolt." Velvet said.
"A girl who wants to prove to her father that she can be strong without him is a dolt…Especially when I worry so damn much about whether he notices me." Weiss felt like getting up, but she continued. "Damn it! Why can't he just notice me for once?!" Weiss felt a tear fall.
I couldn't do it…I couldn't keep myself from crying…I'm just a disappointment.
Velvet leaned in and hugged the heiress, surprising her immediately. "V-Velvet?"
"It's okay…Let it out, Weiss. It's what you need and I promise I won't leave." Velvet assured.
Weiss sniffled. "I-I'm a disappointment, Velvet…That's all there is to it. My father never notices me because of that and I failed to be stronger by coming here." Weiss cried a little into the rabbit Faunus' shoulder.
Velvet shook her head. "You aren't a failure, Weiss. And you are definitely not a disappointment. Don't you see the kind of accomplishments you already achieved?"
"There's nothing I've done here that could be considered an accomplishment." Weiss said and looked around to see if anyone was looking, though it seemed people were just minding their own business.
"That's not true." Velvet pulled away and got her camera from its box. "I have your weapon photographed, Weiss. I can use it anytime and use it because I watched you fight with the power you have. And not only that, but I know about your fight with the Nevermore. Ruby told me."
"That was a team effort and-." Weiss was cut off.
"A team effort means that you were involved. Do you understand how amazing it is to be able to take down a Nevermore on your first day at Beacon?" Velvet asked, but then immediately answered. "Don't answer that. It is amazing."
"I suppose, b-but even then, my father wouldn't care one bit about that, since he'd only pay attention to the negatives." Weiss stated.
"Then he's the dolt." Velvet said.
"A man who's managed to continue a dust company for years without fail isn't-." Weiss was cut off.
"Yes, he is a dolt. When his own daughter has to try to get him to notice her, then he's an idiot. A father shouldn't ignore his daughter." Velvet started thinking about her own father.
"He doesn't…I mean…Mother says he still loves me. He…still does…right?" Weiss asked herself more than Velvet at that point.
"I don't know your father all that much, but even with how much of a dolt he is, I do think he still loves you. He just can't do this to you anymore. It isn't right." Velvet helped Weiss up. "We're by the CCT, so do you think you can call your father?"
Weiss' eyes widened. "Velvet, I am not doing that!"
"But he needs to know how much he's hurting you with this!" Velvet shot back.
"That isn't what I want!" Weiss shouted and a few people started to look over at them, so she took a breath. "Please…Let's just go back to Beacon."
Velvet noticed the people looking at them and whispered. "Isn't there any way you can talk to him about this?"
"I can't, Velvet. Just…Speaking to him about this from the CCT would do nothing but annoy him." Weiss answered.
Velvet's ears drooped. "Do you really want to go back to Beacon? I know you're upset, but maybe we can sit down and try to talk about something else instead. You know, to keep your mind off of it."
Weiss sighed and sat back down. "Fine, but what else is there to talk about?"
Velvet sat down as well. "Well we could just sit and enjoy the breeze, or maybe we can talk about your rapier. I would like to know more about a weapon I can use in the future…Oh, um, are you still okay with me using your weapon by the way?"
"Yes, I still don't see a problem with it. Anyways," Weiss pulled her rapier from her hip. "It's called Myrtenaster. My mother passed it onto me when I got old enough, even though she wasn't happy with how father made me jump into training at a young age. She still felt it was something she wanted me to have." Weiss smiled and placed it on the grass.
Velvet reached out and felt the material of the blade. "Wow, so did your mom have it made or was this something she had for a long time?"
"Myrtenaster was based on the training swords I would use. Almost every single sword I was given just wasn't right for me. It was my mother who showed me the rapier design that made me really begin my training. After a couple of years, my mother had it made from a special material." Weiss explained.
"When were you given Myrtenaster?" Velvet asked.
"It was my thirteenth birthday. My mom was actually hesitant at first, but Winter supported me that day by telling her I was ready. She's my older sister by the way if I didn't mention her before. Honestly, Winter was always worried about my choice to train, but after seeing what I could do for a few years, I guess she just learned to accept it." Weiss said.
"It sounds like you have a lot of love and support from your mother and sister." Velvet smiled. "So you've had your rapier for four years now."
Weiss nodded. "I've never really had to think about using a shield, since I have my glyphs. And if I ever need range, I can just use dust."
"It sounds like a very versatile weapon. I can't wait to try using it in a battle." Velvet said with joy in her voice.
Weiss smiled and thought about how she was feeling.
Wow…I…I actually feel happy right now.
"Um, so you take pictures and can use the weapons. How about you try to use Myrtenaster in a spar?" Weiss suggested.
Velvet was surprised by that. "You really want to spar with me?"
"I-I suppose it wouldn't hurt, though we can't tell anyone. I don't need Yang or Ruby trying to jump in the training room with us." Weiss said.
Velvet chuckled and stood up, reaching out to the heiress to help her up. Weiss took Velvet's hand and got up. "Weiss, I'm really glad we got to talk like this. I am sorry about…you know, calling your father. I still think we should, but I won't pressure you."
Weiss took a breath. "Maybe one day…Just…I'd rather attempt to focus on what I'm doing here."
"Well, then let's go." Velvet happily said and the two headed back to Beacon.
Coco smirked and walked away from the tree she was hiding behind. "Good job, Vel."
They finally talk like friends. Now to see how long that lasts. Oh and I mentioned this before, but if you want to check out the Legion205 podcast, the second episode is up on PodBean and ITunes. Just search up Legion205.
To WOWierdness- I'm guessing this is you since you marked it as a guest in the review itself. Anyways, I don't really like to say what I think is best, since I don't have a favorite. It's all video games to me.
To JJ- I hope the anxiety isn't a problem, but if it is, I can assure you that things are going to be a little on the happy side for the two in upcoming chapters. I like to think that Weiss' mom can be supporting, but even then, Weiss craves for that same support from her father.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 8. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 9.
