The night air whipped at her skin, her chosen retreat of the rooftop providing no cover from the elements at all, but Weiss didn't care. She stood close to the edge, overlooking the Emerald Forest that was illuminated by the moonlight as clouds passed over its surface. It was, coincidentally, the very same spot she had been with Blake a few days earlier. It was dark then too, and while they were up there for a reason that time, Weiss wasn't quite sure why she had decided to vent her frustrations all the way up here. The training floor would have been empty, so would the courtyard. In fact, any open area was likely to be deserted at this time of night, giving her ample opportunites to take her feelings out on the air, so why did she choose the rooftop?
A part of her believed that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and through sheer chance she had wound up where she was, another was adamant that she had come here to get away from everyone, friend and stranger alike. But there was one other, small and insignificant but tenacious, tugging at her attention and refusing to go away. She found that the more she listened, the more sense it made and the bigger it became, pushing the other possibilities out from her mind as it took over.
She had come here because she knew it was the last place she should be, and therefore the last place anyone would look. Nobody would think that she - the stuck up, arrogant heiress who looked down on everybody else would go to the rooftop in anger.
Why would she?
She despised the assumptions everyone asserted to her, fully enjoying the disapproving glares she earned when she did something that was considered 'improper' or 'unladylike'. At this she began to think about how things had changed for her throughout her life. She had never given thought to it before, or if she was being honest she had never allowed herself to think about it. At the moment however, Weiss did not care if she had a moment of weakness. She knew that she should, but she felt like it wouldn't be worth her time and as such she let her mind retrace back to her childhood.
Weiss cared little for her parents company, and even less for her parents themselves. She had been practically alone as soon as she was able to speak, her mother only taking care of her for the bare minimum of time before her attention turned back to her husband; Weiss's father.
A prideful, stuck up, horrible man who only cared about his business and his money. A daughter was useless to him, viewing ownership of anything larger than a calculator too complicated for a female to understand. He had desired a son, someone he could teach about the ins and outs of running a successful company and more importantly, someone who would continue making the family name money long after he had passed away.
But instead he had Weiss, a small, frail girl with no interest whatsoever in anything that he tried to get her interested in, bar one thing.
From the first mention of swordfighting in one of the many books Weiss was dumped with as a child - anything to keep her quiet and out of the way, she had always been fascinated with the idea of doing it herself, going so far as to pick up a stick on one the few times she was allowed outside and spending hours on end flailing it around haphazardly.
She smiled at the memory, remembering how clueless and blind she had been. As a child everything was new, everything was interesting and everything was exciting, reminding her of someone else she knew...
She didn't hear the door close gently behind her, too caught up in her thoughts to notice.
After her newfound obsession with swords blossomed once she was old enough to comprehend things such as tactics and strategy, her father did one of the two good things he had ever done for her. She was allowed to be tutored in the ways of combat, and after attempting several different styles to no avail Weiss had moved on to fencing, per her instructors suggestion.
She took to it immediately, displaying a raw and unrefined but undeniably natural talent in the way she moved and the enthusiasm with which she fought. They started training slowly at first, with the instructor gradually amping up the difficulty the older and more skilled Weiss became, until at 15 she was on even footing with him.
Fencing and combat practice were the only highlights of her days at that point in her life, her childish curiosity long having burned out after years of being ignored, rejected and even shunned for pursuing the things she had chosen. She was told growing up that only men were supposed to fight because women were too weak. They were only good for tending to the mens needs when they required it, and perhaps forced support.
Her father tinted Weiss's view of men as she aged, she no longer saw them as the valiant heroes to protect the people who couldn't defend themselves. Instead she saw them as nothing more than selfish, arrogant fools too blind to their beliefs to accept or even consider that females could be just as talented, if not more so than themselves.
When Weiss turned 16, she did not care about any of the many presents she had been given. She knew by then that they were only there because her parents felt that they had an obligation to do so. No, the first thing Weiss did that day was meet with her combat instructor, who informed her that he had one final thing to teach her before he was no longer of use. His words saddened her, as unlike everyone else he had encouraged her to keep trying, to get back up when she was beaten. He actually cared for her wellbeing, and though their relationship was strictly that of teacher and student per her fathers orders, she felt as though she finally had a friend.
Weiss did not know what else he could possibly teach her but she obeyed his instructions nonetheless, meeting him on the sparring floor for a no-holds-barred one on one battle. At first Weiss treated it like any other, perhaps not taking advantage of a gap if she saw it or allowing him a free move as she pretended not to notice. But as soon as she realized how viciously his attacks were, how violent his movements were she had no choice but to defend herself fully, doing everything in her power to prevent him from hitting her.
She weaved, ducked, dodged and parried every single one of his blows, but after every successful evasion she found it harder and harder to keep the actions up. His rapier inched ever closer to her skin, her movements became more and more erratic and panicked until she reached her limit, no longer able to hold him off any longer. His face was a shade of red she had only ever seen once, when her father had been informed of...
Weiss paused, unsure if she wanted to continue.
She had never been told what happened to her mother, but now that she knew what those words meant there was no doubt about it. Her father wasn't furious about another robbery as he had told her...as he had lied to her. Her mother had been captured and executed without warning, with the only explanation given to Weiss being that 'Mother had to leave to look after someone else'.
No-one had told her who had killed the woman but there was no doubt in her mind now, when she was old and mature enough to understand that things happen beyond her control despite how much it pains her. The Schnee family made many enemies during its time, but Weiss had always been relatively sheltered from them, locked away in her room with nothing but meaningless toys and books to keep her company.
She remembered the first time she had heard of those people, her father almost exploding at reports of a whole train shipment of dust being stolen. At the time Weiss had no idea about anything besides what she had learned in her room and from her precious little time outside, so the name was entirely new to her.
'The White Fang.'
She felt her hands clenching into fists at that name, her whole body shaking with long-buried anger. She wanted to let all of her rage out, to take it out perhaps on the trees below. But she knew in her heart that no matter how much she destroyed things it wouldn't give her anything back.
It wouldn't give her a normal childhood, it wouldn't give her parents who actually loved her, and nor would it give her any reprieve.
It would only serve to make things worse. She couldn't change the past, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to. If the White Fang had never attacked she may never have known about fencing, and consequently never found her path in life. She didn't know why she was so upset by this, her mother was a cruel woman much like the man she married. But she was still family, and despite everything Weiss still felt a twinge of remorse.
Mercifully, her thoughts began to wander back to her instructor, the intensity of their duel reaching its peak when Weiss was completely backed into a corner and unable to fend off his attacks any more. She saw the fierce glint in his eyes as he thrust his rapier towards her neck, and though she closed her eyes to accept defeat she never felt the cold tip touch her skin. Nor did she hear the words of victory come from his mouth. She opened them again to find herself standing beside where she had been, the instructor still frozen mid-lunge. He relaxed his posture and gave Weiss a moment to recover, allowing her as much time as she needed to make sense of things.
"What happened?" She had asked, thoroughly confused. His wide smile only served to confuse her even further, as his eyes filled not with respect but with a happiness she had never seen before. It didn't come from the brain, it came from the heart. This wasn't a false smile meant to lull her into a false belief, this was full and genuine.
"That was my final gift, from me to you." He beamed, sheathing his rapier and taking her hand in both of his, bowing his head in respect at the girl.
"But...what was it?" Weiss didn't flinch at his touch, but questioned his methods of showing gratitude. Wasn't she supposed to be thanking him?
"That, Weiss, was the only thing you were missing. I apologise if I scared you, I knew that I had to fight with the intent to kill if I were to unlock your Aura." He spoke seriously, but with a tinge of joy that surprised Weiss even more.
"My aura?" She repeated, recalling the stories she had read about Huntsmen and Huntresses. "I thought that was a work of fiction, created for the books?"
The instructor shook his head, standing back up to look Weiss in the eyes.
"No, aura is very real. I apologise if you were planning on unlocking it yourself, but I could not think of anything else I could give you for your birthday." His face hardened slightly to match his tone, which now carried a hint of sadness. "The final gift from me to you, as there is nothing left for me to teach you. My usefulness has ran its course, so I must leave."
"Leave?" Weiss asked, trying not to let her emotions overrun her. He nodded once, expression solemn.
"Yes. There will be other people who require my tutelage, but I can say with certainty that none of them will ever be as gifted as you are. It has been a pleasure and an honour training you, Miss Schnee." He turned and left before Weiss could say anything else, leaving her standing alone next to the wall with a stray tear trickling down her face.
He had been the only friend she had ever had, and now he had gone. Gone because of her father. Not content with isolating her from the outside world, he now believed he had the right to choose who she could be with. She didn't care nor like any of the potential suitors he had lined up for her on her 17th birthday, they were all as stuck-up and cocky as he was arrogant and selfish. The only person she wanted to see was her instructor. Not as a teacher, but as a person. Even if it were just in passing, she would rather give a greeting and a friendly smile to him than spend one second with any of these slimy pompous boys that called themselves men.
Weiss fully accepted that she had had a difficult childhood, but she was adamant that she would not let it cloud her views.
And yet, what had she just done? Yes, her teammates were careless and very stupid, but did she have the right to tell them what they could and couldn't do? If Ruby believed it to be the right thing, who was Weiss to tell her otherwise? Who was she to pass judgement on other people when she was the one who needed to be judged?
A small but distinct voice brought her back to reality gently, and while she turned her head to look she already knew who was with her.
"Blake?" She asked, her fringe blowing in front of her eyes. She felt the presence there and cursed herself for not noticing it sooner. Had that been a Grimm or any other danger she would most likely be dead by now.
"It's me." Blake confirmed, slowly walking up to be beside her teammate. She looked Weiss in the eyes, reading as much as she could into the cold the heiress was returning to.
"How did you find me?" Weiss asked, sure that she would have been alone.
"I went to the first place I thought you wouldn't be." Came the reply, raising up numerous questions to the meaning behind the other girls words. Weiss gave a small noise of amusement, though Blake could tell she was by no means laughing at it.
"You know that Ruby will forgive you, don't you?"
Weiss sighed, turning back to look at the vast expanse of trees before her. Her voice was low, only just audible over the whine of the wind. Blake could swear she could hear the faint tinge of regret in her words, but she couldn't be sure.
"I know. But I shouldn't have said anything in the first place. It wasn't my place to say." Ice blue eyes shone in the darkness as Weiss turned her head to look at Blake, somewhat glad that she was here.
"Maybe it wasn't, but what else is there to do? You've already said it. I can tell that you regret your decisions." Blakes voice was soft, a reassuring blanket to Weiss's agitated mind. "And I know that neither of them will hold this against you. What's done is done, you can't change that."
'You can't change that.'
Those four words rung over and over again in Weiss's head, reverberating across her mental walls as though a bell had been rung. Blake was right, more than she knew. Weiss lowered her head, turning her gaze to the edge of the rooftop as she spoke.
"You're right."
Blake allowed a small smile to play across her face, somewhat glad that her teammate wasn't taking things to heart. "But even so, how am I supposed to face her?"
Blakes voice took an edge that caught Weiss off-guard, prompting her to look back at her teammate, somewhat awed by the way she spoke.
"By facing her. You can spend all the time in the world worrying about how you're going to do it, but all that is for nothing if you don't go and do it. If you can't stand up to her and admit that you were wrong, what will you do when something terrible happens and you're the one who has to face her? Not me, not Yang, you. We won't apologise for you, and Ruby certainly won't accept anything from anyone other than yourself. She cares about you, Weiss. It might not seem like it to you but she does." Blake gestured with her hands, adding even more weight to the way she talked.
Weiss said nothing, mesmerized by the beautiful amber eyes that held a deceptive amount of experience.
"So I propose you come down off this rooftop, we'll spend a little time in the dining hall and then we can head back to the dorm." Weiss folded her arms, more to reassure herself than anything else.
"Why do we need to go to the dining hall?" She questioned, finding the proposition a little odd.
"Because Jaune is with Yang and Ruby right now, and I don't think any of them will appreciate you coming back. I feel like I should warn you that Yang isn't happy, she is going to get you alone sooner or later. I'd be ready for that. Plus, I'm feeling a little peckish." Blake would have winked, but the severity of the situation coupled with her current standings with Weiss told her it probably wouldn't be a good idea. Weiss nodded once, rotated a half circle and began to walk towards the door. Blake followed suit, unaware of how much her words had touched the heiresses heart.
Jaune closed the door behind him, wearing the unmistakable grin of a boy who had just spent the past hour and a half with one of his closest friends and her hyperactive sister. At first the talk was genuine, with Ruby explaining her injury and the various symptoms that occurred because of it, making Jaune slightly sick when she began to describe the multitude of pains she had experienced. Giggling with glee at his nauseous expression as Yang rolled around on the bed in fits of laughter, as the evening wore on they changed to more comfortable topics.
Well, comfortable for the sisters at least. Jaune really didn't appreciate being teased twice in one night, especially not from two directions at once but he persevered, ignoring their suggestions that he should make a move for Pyrrha, stating that relationships within teams were a really bad idea.
Once he had somehow managed to move the topic away from his team the three seemed to relax, and as he reached for his scroll to unlock his dormroom door he somewhat regretted not spending as much time with Ruby as much as he would like to. After their first meeting and subsequent interactions, Jaune felt as though she was the first person he could go to if he ever had any problems. Besides Pyrrha, of course.
His cheerfulness faded rather quickly as he dug his hands into his pockets for his scroll, eyes widening in panic and then regret as he realized that he must have left it in the RWBY dorm. He couldn't go back in now, but what other choice did he have? Pyrrha was still out training and Nora and Ren were most likely asleep if their yawns before he left were anything to go by. He didn't have much time to think, as he turned between doors deciding what to do he was interrupted by a stern yet soft voice coming from one end of the hallway.
"Y-yes, Professor Ozpin? Sir?"
Ozpin made his way over to the blonde boy in several easy strides, his cane in one hand but without a mug in the other. He looked as authoritative as ever, though the last time Jaune had seen him without his drink he was distinctly more drained than usual.
"Did you lock yourself out again?" Jaune swallowed, deciding against admitting to his embarrassing failure to the headmaster of the Academy.
"Oh, no, I was just making sure I had everything, that's all! I-is there something I can help you with? Sir?"
"Hmmm..." Ozpin replied, taking a leisurely minute to consider the boys question. "Yes, I believe there is. Come with me." He turned on his heel and began walking back the way he had came, leaving Jaune no choice but to follow the headmaster. Gaining access to his dorm would have to wait until later, as Jaune was quietly dreading what Ozpin could possibly want with him. His grades hadn't been too bad, had they? He wasn't failing in his classes too much, was he?
"U-uh, sir?" Jaune asked, walking slightly behind and to the side of his headmaster. Ozpin turned his head slightly to look at the scraggly boy beside him and nodded.
"Mhm?"
"I-is this about my schoolwork?"
Professor Ozpin turned his head forward, a small smile on his face.
"No, this is something far more important."
Jaune swallowed hard again, fighting the urge to panic. It would be fine, nothing could possibly go wrong.
Right?