Chapter 32: A Simple Request

Psst, hey, it's me, The Draigg. I've stashed the latest chapter in the fake rock under the tree. Now, before you pick up the drop, you should know that Monty Oum owns RWBY. Plus, I don't own anything else I mention. Now, get out of here before you get us spotted.

Tuesday wasn't looking up compared to the morning. Especially after lunch. While Team RWBY decided to have their meal at the snack bar, most of the students and staff ate in the cafeteria. Unfortunately, the cafeteria staff was rather undermanned. Most of their budget for food went towards paying all of those nutritionists Beacon hired. So, the cooks cut corners where they could.

Unfortunately for two-thirds of Beacon, the staff that day decided that the frozen portions of last week's eggplant casserole were still edible. It didn't LOOK rotten. Settling on that for the lunch menu, it was served that day to a lot of students and teachers.

As a result of the collective food poisoning, most of the afternoon classes were cancelled. A lot of the students had to be cooped up in their rooms to get better. Many of the teachers also got bowel incontinence from the cafeteria staff's incompetence. Well, that actually made Team RWBY's day look up. That meant their classes were completely cancelled for today. It was like a weekend in the middle of the week!

Lounging around in their room afternoon, everyone was minding their own business. Blake was working on a one-shot story, Yang was shadowboxing, Ruby was reading a comic book, and Weiss was checking her email on her scroll.

So far, it seemed like her regular mail. Ads, friend requests, and news updates. But as she scrolled down, she saw a message that made her stomach drop. It was a message from her sister, Winter.

With a nervous finger, she tapped the email to read it. It read:

Sister:

As you may be aware, your education is of the utmost importance to the Schnee family. Looking over your reports, we have noticed that your grades have slightly slipped. We are concerned about your marks. As a result of your failure to meet standards, we are sending over a representative of ours to inspect your learning environment. Expect our agent to arrive at Beacon Academy's air dock on Saturday at nine in the morning. Don't disappoint us. We expect only the best.

Regards,

Winter Schnee

Acting Representative/Executor of the Schnee Estate

Weiss' eyes glazed over after reading the message. After all the trouble she went through to escape her family, she was pulled right back in. They wouldn't understand what she's done here. They COULDN'T understand. Her family might take away everything she worked so hard for here: the play, her friends, Ruby.

They might take away Ruby.

No, she couldn't let them! She had made a promise never to leave her! She couldn't break her oath! If she did… she didn't know how Ruby could possibly forgive her. Weiss didn't know how she could possibly forgive herself.

"Haha! Weiss, look! It's so funny!", Ruby chuckled. She sat next to Weiss, holding her comic book over to her.

However, when she saw her girlfriend's frozen face, she immediately grew concerned. "Wh-what's wrong?", Ruby asked. She didn't like seeing Weiss like this.

Wordlessly, Weiss handed over her scroll to Ruby. Dropping her comics, Ruby took the scroll and read the email. She scanned her eyes over the message.

"But… but… why now? We're so close to actually accomplishing something!", cried Ruby in disbelief. Why did this have to happen when they were so close to making a dream come true!

"What's the deal, now?", Yang asked, stopping her practicing. Blake also looked up from her laptop.

"Weiss' family is sending someone over to inspect us.", explained Ruby. Weiss nodded in silence. She was still in too much shock to say anything.

"What? That sounds like a massive invasion of privacy. And decency.", Blake said.

"Yeah, I don't like the fact that some corporate suit can come in here and judge us. We are who we are!", Yang agreed.

"We should do something, right?", Ruby asked her team. They needed to help Weiss. That's what having friends was for!

Weiss hung her head down low. "I should leave.", she mumbled to herself. She couldn't let her family life ruin her friends. If she just ran away, she could spare the people she loved.

"What?! No, we'll do our best! We can help! I swear!", Ruby exclaimed, trying to comfort Weiss.

"You don't understand. None of you do!", Weiss exclaimed, her voice rising. The others were stunned by her outburst.

"You don't get it! Everything I do, they ruin! Everything I touch, they take away! Everything I love… they make disappear!", Weiss cried out, "Do you know what it's like, to have your family rule your life?! DO YOU?! NO! YOU DON'T!".

Weiss threw her hands up in the air in frustration. Her family was like a force of destruction. All it did was roll over her and strip away everything that made Weiss who she was. She felt completely bare against their might. She slumped down in her seat.

"But… if I run away… maybe I can save all of you.", she whispered lowly. Tears fell down on her lap. Her fists curled into tight balls.

Ruby felt the need to say something. It was her job as leader to get her team through tough times. It her true calling in life.

She pulled up Weiss' head to meet her gaze. Ruby's eyes hardened over, her will strengthened. She wouldn't let anybody hurt her girlfriend!

"Weiss, do you know who we are? We're Team RWBY! We aren't some… helpless damsels who need rescuing! We all took an oath as Huntresses to help the helpless! In the face of fear, we laugh! To pain, we smile! So, don't think for a MINUTE that we can't help you!", Ruby called out. Everyone was enraptured by her attitude.

"Even if it comes down to our bare will, even if we fail, we KNOW we did our best to help you! So, don't discount us! Don't turn or shy away from your team! Be strong! For me, for all of us! We believe in you! LET'S SHOW THEM THAT WE CAN STAND UP TO THEIR LEVEL, AND THAT WE CAN SAY 'NO'! WHO'S WITH ME!?", thundered Ruby.

"YEAH!", Blake and Yang cried. It was amazing what Ruby could do when she took the reins as team leader.

"Y-ou-u r-really mean i-it?", Weiss asked through her tears. Was it true? Her friends wouldn't abandon her, even in the face of total defeat? But… why? Did they really love her that much?

Ruby smiled gently at Weiss, fire still glinting in her eyes. "Of course! I wouldn't think otherwise.", she said, cupping Weiss' cheek in her hand.

"It'll be hard…", said Weiss. She still had some doubts lingering in her head.

"All we need to do is make sure that everything is presentable, right? Then, they can't take you away.", Ruby said full of confidence.

Weiss nodded at Ruby's sentiment. If the inspector didn't see anything wrong, then Weiss would be left alone for a while.

"I know just the people who can help us…", thought Ruby aloud, scratching her chin. She got up and walked out of the dorm room.

It was time to call in the cavalry.

Team JNPR was currently suffering a horrible fate. Well, except of Jaune. To his good fortune, he didn't eat the tainted lunch. He didn't care too much for eggplant. His teammates, however, were having their intestines ripped apart from the food poisoning.

"Nora feels bad…", groaned Nora as she clutched at her stomach. She was the first of the team to get sick. Sitting next to her on the bed was Ren. Holding her hand, he was trying to force his way through the pain. All of the meditation in the world couldn't prepare him for this.

"You can do it, Nora. Just hold on.", he tried to reassure. He knew his words didn't have much weight behind them, since he was also in absolute agony. But, damn it, he had to look out for her, in one way or another.

What the hell was taking Pyrrha so long?! She's been in the bathroom for about twenty minutes by now! They needed to use it, too! Hell, Ren would settle for using the bath tub at this rate. Sweat poured down his face. He was being taxed to his limits.

Jaune was doing his best to take care of his teammates. Currently, he was tearing the room apart, hoping to find some medicine to help. He would have checked in the bathroom again, but Pyrrha was still using it, apparently.

Just as he was pulling drawers out of their work desk, a knock came to the door. This really wasn't the time to have visitors. But wait, who was even at the door? Most of the student body was ill!

Opening the door, he was greeted by Ruby. His brow furrowed a little.

"Ruby, this really isn't the time for a social call. Can this wait?", he asked. Jaune looked rather haggard.

Ruby was about to ask how everyone was feeling, when a horrible stench wafted out of the room. She had to pinch her nose to avoid vomiting.

"Can I talk to you real quick? It'll only be a minute.", pleaded Ruby.

Jaune sighed and said, 'Alright, but please be quick.".

Stepping out of the doorway, Jaune closed the door behind him. He prayed that this wouldn't take too long.

"We need your help. Weiss has some family issues, so we need you guys to help fix up our room and stuff. On Friday evening, please.", explained Ruby, abridging her planned explanation. Clearly, Jaune was in no state to hear the whole situation.

"That's all?", Jaune asked, gesturing for Ruby to be quick.

"Yeah. Think you can help out, like, Friday?", she requested.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Say, you wouldn't happen to have anything to help stomach aches, would you?", Jaune asked, turning back to the door.

"Can't say that I do.", Ruby said with a sigh. It was a sad fact that she couldn't help all of her friends. She didn't like to leave him hanging like that.

"Oh well.", Jaune said with defeat. Walking back into the room, he re-entered the breach.

As he closed the door behind him, he heard moans of pain coming from the bathroom.

"Jaune…?", came a pained voice.

"What is it, Pyrrha?", he asked. Jaune knew this couldn't be good if Pyrrha was relying on him, of all people.

"Think you can hold my hand? I don't feel good at all.", was Pyrrha's reply from behind the door. It sounded like her voice had been drained of life.

Jaune sighed. He certainly did a lot in the name of love. Opening the door, an even worse stench than before came out of the bathroom. He saw Pyrrha slumped over on the toilet, her head hanging low.

Pulling his shirt over his nose, Jaune walked into the bathroom. What else could he really do? He sat next to Pyrrha on the edge of the bath tub/shower.

Looking at Pyrrha's face, Jaune could see that she had seen better days. Her face color matched her hair. Sweat dripped off of her face. Her breath was also strained, as it came in shallow gulps.

Pyrrha grabbed his hand in a vice grip. It hurt, but Jaune knew it was nothing like what Pyrrha was going through. Then, her face scrunched up in pain. Her body told her to evacuate her bowels, but Pyrrha had nothing left in her except liquid.

As Pyrrha struggled on the porcelain throne, Jaune couldn't help but feel pity for his partner. He was pretty sure he could smell blood, too. "It's going to be okay.", he tried reassuring her.

Pyrrha threw her head back in pained laughter. What a fate, crapping out your insides next to your boyfriend. It felt like she could die at any moment.

"Thanks for being here...", Pyrrha choked out after she finished laughing. At least seeing Jaune made her feel a little better, even through all this pain.

Jaune gave her a reassuring smile. "Sure thing.", he said back.

Sure, the world can be full of pain and cruelty, but it could be beautiful, too. As long as you had people who were willing to be with you, life was worth living.

Ruby moved through the hallway with purpose. Although she didn't fully understand why Weiss got so upset when her family was brought up, she knew enough to feel her girlfriend's pain. And nobody, NOBODY messed with the people Ruby loved.

When Ruby arrived to the Theater Club office, she honestly didn't expect Velvet to be in there. But, to her surprise, Velvet answered the door when she knocked.

"Ruby? You aren't sick?", asked Velvet, a little surprised as well.

Velvet thought that nearly everybody ate that eggplant casserole. Luckily for Velvet, she spent her lunch break watching a Let's Play on her favorite visual novel. When she heard the announcement over the speakers that classes were cancelled due to food poisoning, she was glad she didn't eat lunch today.

"Yeah, me and my whole team are fine. Hey, can I ask a favor of you?", Ruby asked, cutting to the chase.

"Sure…?", Velvet said, wondering where Ruby was going with her request.

"To make a long story short, my team is being inspected by Weiss' company. Think you can help us clean up our act a bit? And our room, too?", Ruby asked.

Now, Velvet had no reason to deny Ruby help. Heck, if anything, she owed Ruby her thanks. Because of her, she could act out one of her greatest passions: a music show.

"Sure, I can help, Ruby!", Velvet pledged. She wouldn't let down her friends!

"Great! Be sure to show up at our room Friday evening, alright?", Ruby requested, then walked away.

Velvet looked confused as Ruby disappeared around the corner. That whole visit lasted about three minutes at best. Well, if she could make any difference, Velvet didn't mind. Walking back into her office, Velvet closed the door. She went back to watching that Let's Play. It was killing her to see which girl Shigeru-sempai would choose!

Ruby kicked her dorm room door open. Her mission was a success. Walking in, she made her way over to where Weiss was sitting. Although she had calmed down in the meantime, an aura of depression hung over her. Her head was hung low, starting at her lap.

Sitting next to her, Ruby draped her arm over Weiss' shoulder. "Don't be that way, Weiss. I've gotten help. You know, a lot of people actually care about you. So please, just believe in us. You aren't alone.", she reassured.

"I really do… but to be honest, I'm afraid. Afraid of what might happen to you.", Weiss admitted

"Hey, we volunteered to help you out, Ice Princess. Helping out a friend is the least we can do.", Yang said, trying to reassure her sister's girlfriend.

"I agree.", also said Blake. Friends always stuck together, no matter what.

Weiss took a a deep breath and looked up.

"Okay then. Let's show them what we can do!", Weiss declared, her hopes rising.

"Yeah!", all of her friends—no, her FAMILY cried in triumph.

Weiss felt ready to take the first step. If she managed to trick the inspector, she knew then she would be able to begin to build her own life away from her family back home. And, hopefully then she could be her own person at Beacon, not the doll her family wanted.

Psst, did you find that chapter good? I hope you did, since there's more coming your way. All I ask is that you leave me a review in the usual drop spot. Now, this is The Draigg, signing off before we get caught.