Chapter 16

Weiss wasn't terribly surprised that no one else from JNPR or RWBY was in the dining hall; fights between Yang and Ren tended to go on for a while, after all. But the timing still seemed off to her given how long it took them to shower and stroll over. Gnawing on her apple, Weiss was tapping on her scroll.

*- Hey, Yang. Is everything okay? No one from RWBY or JNPR is in the dining hall – still sparring?"

*- Nah… Just hanging out. Blakey, Pyrrha, and I are all chatting with Rubes… She's still a bit hurt, but she'll come around ~ she's just happy to see you happy.

*- Thanks, Yang. You know it wouldn't have gone well if she wanted to talk to me. I'm still not sure about everything that's happening.

*- You're not completely off the hook, Ice Queen. She's still going to want to talk…

Weiss's lips pressed into a small frown. Why would Ruby want to talk to me about this? It's not like she ever made a move or indication that she liked me – she has no right to be upset that Neo and I are, well, whatever.

Neo looked inquisitively at Weiss when she noticed the girl's seeming discomfort with whatever she was seeing on her scroll.

"Ruby…"

Neo cocked her head to the side as she pressed for more information.

"You, haven't noticed?"

Now thoroughly confused, she shook her head 'no'.

Weiss sighed and began, "Before I came out, I had a bit of a crush on Ruby that, I've come to find out, wasn't as well concealed as I thought it was. Ruby was afraid that she was misinterpreting things, so she never brought it up, but she apparently reciprocated those feelings." She paused to look at Neo; her icy eyes accentuated the sadness she felt. "And then you came along and we both fell so hard and so fast for each other. Now Ruby's pretty hurt. She probably feels like I rejected her because of everything that's happening with us."

Neo took Weiss's hands and nodded sympathetically. Poor kid. Both of them, actually. I can't even imagine how difficult this is going to be between the two of them. Or me! I mean, I'm kind of an integral part of the team now.

Weiss appreciated the concern Neo showed over this. She took one of the woman's hands in her own and held it for a few moments before she spoke again. "We should wrap up here and head over to the tailor. Once we drop off your new uniforms back in our room, we can finish our list."

Unsure if Weiss really wanted to finish the whole list or if she just forgot what the last item was, Neo excitedly nodded and wolfed down the rest of her food, eager for the opportunity to get to the "make out / sexytimes ;-)" agenda item.

Upon returning to their dorm with Neo's uniforms, Weiss pointed to the unused lower bar in her closet and told Neo it was hers for all of her uniforms. Even though the bar was fairly low, her small garments didn't touch the floor thanks to Neo's compact size. Weiss noticed this and smirked at the woman's dainty proportions. But she noticed something else even more striking. There was happiness in Neo's stance as she motionlessly looked into the closet as she took in all of the uniforms, the dress, and pajamas that Weiss bought for her the other day. A small tear was forming in Neo's eye.

Weiss slid her arms around the woman and pulled her close. Whispering in her ear, "Beacon's your home now. To be a Huntress is to live a life of service to others. Those that serve deserve to have what they need."

Thinking about what the girl said, Neo was caught in a strange thought. I always served. I served Cinder, and Roman, as best as I could. I served, as necessary, to survive before that. And now, I'm settling into this life with surprising ease. Eager to please and serve Weiss and the rest of her team. Now, being a Huntress and serving Remnant. Just slipping into serving; it's what I do. Just like Cinder was fond of saying: 'Don't think. Obey.'

Neo broke Weiss's hold and turned to face the girl. Though blurry through her tears, the girl's piercing icy blue eyes met hers. I'm not just obeying any more. I'm thinking for myself. Thinking that I care for this girl. She could have easily killed me. Or condemned me to a life in prison. Weiss's kindness must be repaid. Not only to Weiss, but also to all those I hurt, directly or indirectly, in my past life. Now, I choose to serve others.

Neo nodded her head. More to herself as she steeled her resolve to embrace this opportunity.

Weiss, on the other hand, unaware of Neo's internal monologue, thought that Neo was agreeing with her statement about Beacon as a new home.

Neo leapt at Weiss and threw her arms around the girl. Around her friend. A friend that she would never give up on. That she would never let regret giving her this chance to redeem herself.

Neo ended the hug as abruptly as she initiated it. She grabbed their 'to-do' list and pointed to the "schedule?" item. Weiss nodded and said that they should enjoy the weather while they work and head into the gardens. They could hang out beneath one of the massive trees while they worked outside. Neo nodded her agreement as she grabbed her calendar, a notebook, her Grimm Ecology text, and some writing implements and followed Weiss's lead.

A/N: And we're back on the normal schedule! (For now, at least...) For the few of you all that have added this story to your favorite list but don't have the messaging function activated on your profile ~ thank you! I normally send a quick message to everyone that adds it as a favorite, so here's yours. Followers ~ thanks to all of you as well!

It's been a spot over a month since posting the first chapter and, apparently, there's a few of you that like it! 37 took the time to favorite it, 67 followers, and 16 reviews. I have no idea if that's "good" based on the metrics of the site, but it's amazing to me! I know Neo/Weiss isn't exactly a common ship, but the fact that there's readers and you all are sticking along with it... It makes me really happy that my work is entertaining others.

So, yeah... Feel free to message me, review, or whatever strikes your fancy ~ I'd be happy to hear from you and reply.

(PS ~ I'm still behind on NaNoWriMo for this year, but I'm making progress! Hope to be caught up to par by the 15th.)