Ruby wilted visibly after she and Blake had finished their ice cream and started back to the shuttle to Beacon. They'd found the perfect scroll and had fixed it up just for Weiss, but the young team leader still felt like she needed something to give her partner herself. The scroll really was from Blake, after all. Flowers had seemed too... well, she'd liked that idea, but just buying them seemed too easy. Too cheap, almost (even if flowers were decidedly not cheap).

Something like Dust refills or maintenance equipment seemed too impersonal, and Weiss already had all that stuff anyway. She just needed a way to tell her partner that she was sorry- really really sorry for all the bad things that had happened. Something Weiss would take seriously.

Well... she might just have to settle for words. Ruby sighed and picked up her pace to walk alongside Blake, who held the bag from the electronics store in one hand. They exchanged half-smiles, passing the rest of the trip in companionable silence.

Dripping water echoed in the communal shower while Weiss stood in front of one of the mirrors, doing up the buttons of her school uniform. She still felt tense. All the stress of the past hour- of the past week- collected in her shoulders and neck till they were one big knot. Usually she had a chance to practice with Myrtenaster, forget some of her anxiety for a while and work out the kinks, but that time had been difficult to find lately while looking after her teammates. The shower had helped, she decided, tentatively rolling her shoulders. Maybe not much, but a little.

Weiss had put her hair up to keep it from getting wet; she let it back down now, combing the high side-tail out with her fingers.

There were a lot of things she would really rather not think about at the moment, but her mind had a tendency to run in high gear. So she tried thinking about classes, her team's upcoming missions, her responsibilities to her family's company... anything besides what Yang had been saying about Ruby.

She scowled, working out a tangle in her hair. Her team leader was most certainly not 'smitten' with her. They were just partners. They strove to help each other improve, at least most of the time. They saved each other's lives. That was what partners did, wasn't it?

Those thoughts of course brought her much too close to the nightmare that had taken place in Ruby's dreamscape. Weiss slipped her school jacket on, ruthlessly straightening the sleeves and collar. It didn't help: shadows of that raw fear assailed her, that helplessness she'd felt when Ruby in her Grimm form had pinned her to the ground. By all rights, Weiss should have died then. She'd been weak. Defenseless. Strokes of luck and last-ditch, suicidal tactics didn't count. She had failed herself, and she had failed Ruby.

Her hands shook as she did up the bottom few buttons of her jacket, schooling her features into passivity as a couple of laughing upperclassmen in various states of dress entered the locker room, headed for the showers.

Maybe... maybe she should have stuck it out with Yang.

Then again, maybe she could ask Pyrrha for tips instead. Sometime. Not today. Weiss combed her hand through her hair one last time and exited the gym. She drew the scroll- Ruby's scroll- from her pocket to check the time, and set off towards the dorms. This whole ordeal with Yang had left her tired and irate. She would tidy up her corner of the room to help her unwind, and maybe do some studying.

"Do you think the cafeteria is open yet?"

"No. Just like the last time you asked. And the time before that."

A long sigh of suffering escaped Yang at Blake's curt response, given without once looking up from the pages of the book she was currently lost in. It hadn't been all that long since Ruby and Blake's return, but minutes felt like hours when gnawing hunger was part of the equation.

The leftover adrenaline from dealing with Weiss currently running laps around Yang's system probably didn't help matters either. Yang tightened the arm wrapped around her little sister, who was currently squished between herself and Blake.

In an explosion of affection, the brawler had all but crushed Ruby in the strongest, warmest, cuddliest bearhug of a lifetime upon their return, picking her little sister clear up off the floor and spinning her around before promptly depositing the dizzied girl onto Blake's bed, where Blake had come to sit with them in silent support.

Yang still didn't know what had her sister so down - Ruby hadn't said much of anything, she'd just pulled her knees to her chest and sat quietly - but it would be all right. She knew her little sister would talk when she was ready. For now, she simply let Ruby lean on her, absentmindedly running her gloved fingers through soft black and red tresses.

Yang's stomach growled.

"So... How about now?"

Blake's bow twitched. "How about, you let me read in peace?"

"Each time I ask, I get closer to a 'yes'."

"Each time you ask, I get closer to throwing this book at your head."

Yang smirked at the deadpan reply. "Have I mentioned I love it when you're feis-" a projectile book smacked her in the face, "ow, son of a- that actually hurt!"

"Sorry," the hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Blake's lips as Yang rubbed her forehead where Ninjas of Love had struck true, "But I did warn you." Amber eyes glanced down at Ruby, then back up at the brawler. "Is... Weiss ever coming back?"

Yang squinted playfully at her partner, following along with the change of subject without complaint. "Well, since she's taking a shower... probably not for another three years."

Her guess was immediately proven false as the familiar beep and click of the dormitory door's locking mechanism sounded from across the room.

Ruby perked up at once, hopping over Blake to her feet, "Hey Weiss, welcome back!"

The white-haired fencer stepped into the room, darting a glance at her partner and Blake.

"Hi," she said, pointedly ignoring Yang. So much for her plan to clean in peace. She turned to deposit her gym clothes in the laundry basket in the corner and collect a couple of her textbooks from her desk.

"... did you, uh," Ruby's gaze slid to Blake momentarily for help before she tried again, "Have you had a good day?"

Weiss stopped, scowling, book bag in hand. "No."

She shouldered the bag and headed for the door.

"Weiss wait, come here for a second," Blake slid off the bed and reached down into the bag from the electronics store resting by her feet. She pulled out a pristine white box. "We have something for you."

Weiss paused, hand on the doorknob. She lifted her chin, inspecting the box from afar before, "This had better not be an exploding cupcake."

"It's not edible or explosive," Blake held the box out with a small smile.

Weiss crossed to Blake, giving Yang as wide a berth as possible. She darted a look at Ruby, who stood fidgeting by the bookshelf, and accepted the box from her teammate's hands.

"Open it up," Ruby urged.

"I am," Weiss huffed, turning the sleek package over for some clue about what it contained. The box was light, unmarked. Still suspicious, she lifted the lid.

It was a scroll.

To replace the one Blake had snapped in half.

Weiss had all but forgotten about their fight earlier in the week. She glanced up at Blake, conflicted, "... you really didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Blake shot a quick glance at Ruby before reaching over to gently tap the device in Weiss's hands. "You should look at the back of it."

Weiss did so and found her team's insignia emblazoned in a stately silver down the back left edge of the white device: Ruby's rose, her own family crest, Blake's stylized flower, Yang's burning heart.

She ran her thumb lightly over the design- it was handsome work. Expensive work. Actual metal inserts embedded so they were flush with the plastic. There was no chance of them chipping or wearing away.

"You..." Weiss lowered the box and scroll, feeling suddenly, miserably confused. She took a couple steps backwards to sit on her bed covers, just... unsure of what to say. The last two weeks or so she had been a less than stellar teammate. At times, anyway. She'd fought with just about everyone. Argued. Threatened. Maybe gave Yang a black eye (though she completely deserved that.) "Why did you...?"

"Well..." Blake paused, sitting back down on her own bed to think for a moment, legs and arms crossed. "You've seemed a bit... stressed recently, so think of it as a way to remind you that we're here for you. Just like you were here for us while we recovered." Blake leaned back, resting a hand on her partner's leg. "Customizing the scroll was Yang's idea," the brawler winked as Blake continued, motioning to Ruby with her other hand, "Ruby came up with the design."

The young team leader rubbed the back of her neck, abashed, "We're really glad you're on our team, Weiss."

The heiress looked from one teammate to another. Ruby, Blake, even Yang, who she was still somewhat upset at.

"... thank you," she set the box aside and turned the scroll over in her hands, "Thank you for... for being patient with me. I know I can be a bit..." she searched for the word.

"Prickly?" Ruby suggested.

"That's just what I was going to say," Blake added with a small smile. "We weren't exactly star patients though, so..."

"That's for sure. I know I deserved most of my prickles, so don't worry about it, Weiss!" Yang chimed in, showing her teeth in a wide grin.

"... yes, well, you weren't much more terrible than usual," the heiress cleared her throat a bit as she tried to recover her dignity, "In any case, thank you for the scroll. Let's endeavor to never have you all injured at the same time ever again."

Ruby perched on the bookcase and laughed because, well, that was Weiss for you. Her cheerfulness faded a little as she tried to figure out if this was a good time to talk to her partner about... stuff. Blake had said she should do it as soon as they got back, but the scroll thing was a pretty big deal and Weiss hadn't looked happy in a while so maybe she should just wait till later. After dinner would be good. Or maybe tomorrow.

"I was going to do some studying in the library before dinner," Weiss was saying, hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she would regret giving the invitation, but, well... she traced her fingertips over her teammate's insignias on the underside of the scroll in her hands. "Do you want to come?"

"We'd love to," Blake squeezed Yang's leg to get her attention, "but I already promised Yang we would spar before we ate."

Yang blinked. She remembered making no such promise. Confused amethyst met amber, sparking a silent conversation of glances. The brawler suddenly perked up. "That's right, I've still got all this extra energy from sitting around so much - gotta get it out of my system you know!"

Blake turned back to Weiss. "You and Ruby go ahead," she said with an apologetic smile as she and Yang stood. "There are some great study rooms hidden near the back of the library," she added as they reached the door, throwing a pointed look at Ruby, "No one should bother you there."

"Wait, what?" Weiss stood as the door shut behind the two on their way out. She inhaled sharply, stealing a glance back at Ruby. Dust, was this some kind of set up?

"Um," Ruby looked everywhere but at Weiss, still trying to figure out how to start. "Weiss, I-"

"Not now," Weiss cut her off, striding to pick up her book bag and books from the edge of the desk, "We're studying. Let's go."

She was not spending any more time alone in a room with Ruby than was absolutely necessary.

Weiss chose one of the most central, visible tables in the entire library. It was half a dozen steps from the circulation desk and surrounded by other Beacon students using the computers, or simply hitting the books just as she intended to do. In silence. For the entire hour and a half until dinner.

Being seen with Ruby was fine- in fact, given the state of the rumors, it was infinitely preferable to the two of them being not seen- and it would serve to show that there was zero credence in anything Yang or Blake or Ren or anyone said.

Weiss measured the distance between their chairs and judged it to be suitably platonic before depositing her stack of books, breaking out her notebooks, and proceeding to ignore Ruby.

They were teammates studying.

Period.

End of story.

Ruby took the seat next to her, cringing as Weiss scooted her chair another inch away.

The young team leader cracked open the book she'd picked out- some thick, dusty Grimm psychology thing from the edge of the first shelf- and let it lie on the table untouched. She clasped her hands super hard in her lap. "Hey, Weiss?"

There was no answer but the scratch of her partner's pen.

Ruby swallowed and tried again, "Weiss?"

"What?" The heiress remained focused on her notes.

"I need to talk to you about something."

Now Weiss gave her a sideways glance, something akin to panic in her eyes. Ruby's mouth went dry as her partner pushed back her chair and rose, "Actually, I have to go."

"No wait," Ruby caught Weiss's jacket sleeve, "Just for a second," her voice went high in a whisper, "I feel so bad, and I want to make it up to you somehow even if I can't really so please-"

"No- Ruby- Make what up to me? Stop babbling and let go of me," Weiss hissed, trying to remove her partner's hand from her jacket without attracting the attention of every student in Beacon's massive library.

"That time in the special cases ward," Ruby said. Weiss paused, and Ruby released her grip on her sleeve, gaze wavering, "I... I just..."

"Hold on. That's what you're so worked up about?"

"Um. Yes?" Ruby bit her lip. She raised an eyebrow, "Wait, what did you-?"

"Nevermind," Weiss gave a couple of dismissive waves of her hand. She took note of the other library patrons' gazes, "Let's... find someplace a little more private."

Amber eyes watched the pair from afar, carefully hidden behind one of the library's many towering bookshelves.

"You know, I'm kind of disappointed that we're not actually sparring."

"Hush," without looking away from her targets, Blake reached back to put a finger over her partner's lips, smiling internally at the muffled squeak of surprise garnered by the action. "I want to make sure neither of them runs..." she chanced a quick glance back at Yang, "You know how difficult Weiss can be."

The brawler rolled her eyes, pulling Blake's hand away and smirking as she leaned against some of the larger books. "Oh she's not that difficult, all you have to do is pin her to the floor and-"

"They're leaving..." Blake smiled as she watched Ruby and Weiss rise from the desk they had initially chosen, noting the direction they were now headed - straight for the private study rooms.

"Oh great!" Yang moved to peer over Blake's shoulder. "Heh, looks like they took your advice."

"Yes. I think they'll probably be all right..."

A beat passed as they watch the pair leave their combined lines of sight.

"... pin her to the floor?"

Yang stepped back as Blake suddenly rounded on her, smile wavering slightly under the Faunus's intensely scrutinizing stare. "Uh, yes?"

Blake squinted, grabbed her partner's hand, and began to drag her away, her half-smirk hidden from Yang as she strode forward. "Well, you wanted to spar, right? Let's see if you can pin me."

The brawler lit up visibly, thanking the stars for her good fortune. She cast one final glance over her shoulder as they left the library. "Good luck, little sis..."

In the end, Ruby and Weiss took Blake up on her study room suggestion. The rooms were small, furnished with two chairs and desks built straight into the stone of the walls. There wasn't much room for anything else.

Weiss shut the door behind them and turned, arms crossed, "Alright. Tell me what this is about."

Ruby hunched over the desk, clearly miserable. "I want to do something so you know I'm not... you know."

"What? A Grimm?" Weiss scoffed, "You were sick. It. Wasn't. You."

"No, I know, but I... I've always wanted to be able to protect people, and you guys are my teammates," Ruby choked, gripping the hem of her uniform's plaid skirt.

Weiss took the other chair, sitting so she faced her partner. "Ruby-"

"I just need you to listen, okay? Just listen," Ruby scrubbed her eyes. Her breath hitched a little.

"Fine. Alright," Weiss huffed. She didn't do other people's tears well, and hadn't Yang just finished threatening her about making Ruby cry? "I'm listening."

So Ruby spilled. She told Weiss what it was like being controlled by the Grimm toxin, about about how awful she'd felt since then and how she wanted to fix things but nothing she tried was working. Weiss didn't want her to do anything nice for her; talking to Blake was alright, but it didn't help a lot. Yang was always ready to talk, but Ruby hadn't hurt Yang.

The heiress wasn't sure what to do other than sit and offer a handkerchief when her partner's nose started running.

She was aware that Ruby put a lot of stock in fairy tales, good vs. evil, all of that. Being turned into a monster... Weiss could only imagine how that would feel.

"I'm sorry," Ruby mumbled, lifting her head from her folded arms a bit. Her dark bangs framed her face, "I've just been thinking about it a lot, you know? How you almost got killed and I couldn't do anything. And I don't want that to happen again," she shifted in her seat, shrinking into herself a little, "I also don't want you to hate me."

Weiss frowned, straightening a bit, "Why would I hate you?"

"Well, I... kind of tried to strangle you," Ruby's voice was small, "And you've seemed mad lately."

"I'm not. I mean, not really," Weiss scooted her chair a little closer, "Look, I don't hate you, and I'm not afraid of you, or worried you'll turn into some kind of monster or anything. You're my partner."

"Yeah…" Ruby mumbled, running her fingertips over the laminate on the desk.

The situation obviously required something more than a statement of partnership. Weiss took a deep breath, trying to catch the girl's eyes, "You're my partner, which means that I trust you."

She looked up at that, "Yeah?"

"Did you think I would go along with your non-plan to kill the giant Grimm poison… whatever that was—if I didn't? Honestly," Weiss crossed her arms, imitating Ruby's cheerful manner. "'Weiss, try using your glyphs on my scythe. I'm sure it'll be fine'. Such a sub-par plan. Even for you."

"I probably should have thought that out a little more," Ruby wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "It worked though! And it was awesome."

"I'll take your word for it," Weiss sat back primly, straightening her jacket only to find something rectangular in her pocket, "Oh, I almost forgot," Weiss handed back Ruby's scroll.

"So that's where it went," Ruby spun it on the desk, just for fun. "Did I get any messages?"

"Your dad says Zwei ate Yang's marigolds?" Weiss had tried to picture the brawler caring for plants without burning them to a crisp but had failed.

"Hey, that reminds me too," Ruby righted her chair and hopped up, motioning for Weiss to stay seated, "I was going to get you something in town. As a thank you, you know?"

"Did this not count?" Weiss held up her new scroll, which had been living comfortably in her other pocket.

Ruby waved her hand, dismissing the notion, "That was Blake's. I couldn't find anything, but I just had an idea, so hold out your hands."

"What? No," Weiss pocketed her scroll and crossed her arms, "You've already thanked me. It's fine."

"Pleeeeease?" Ruby clasped her hands and put her chin down on the desk, grinning sideways up at her partner.

"It's fine," Weiss cursed that edge of her mouth that insisted on quirking upwards, "Besides, what do you even have? A pen? I don't need any more pens."

"C'mon, I'm the team leader, right? I promise it's not a pen."

Weiss held her hands palm-up in front of her with an exasperated sigh.

Ruby bit her lip for a second, fidgeting with the edge of her cloak. "Um, could you also close your eyes?"

The heiress's glare turned icy, "If this is a prank..."

"It's not!" Ruby assured her, "It's not a prank."

Weiss shut her eyes as directed, continuing her threat all the while, "... because if it is, I will not hesitate to retaliate in... in..." her hands were filled with something feathery and cool to the touch, "What..."

She looked down.

Rose petals. Her hands were both full of rose petals.

Ruby sat on the edge of her seat, grinning like an imp.

"You dunce," Weiss chided, cupping the pieces of her partner's semblance, "Do you know what people would think if they saw this?"

Ruby dropped the grin, her eyes an earnest silver, "Oh. Right. Rumors. Well, I guess it's a good thing we're in the super-secret back-of-the-library study rooms?"

The corner of Weiss's mouth twitched. "Idiot."

"Princess," Ruby smirked, tipping back in her chair so it stood on two legs.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Weiss tossed her hair over her shoulder, laughter sneaking up on her, "Insufferable dolt."

"Uh. Ice queen?" Ruby broke out in a laugh as well, "Hey, don't throw those at me. I worked hard on them!"

She overbalanced and fell against the window that made up one wall of the study space.

"You're such a dork," Weiss helped her up. The faint 'whoosh' of a mild pressure seal breaking froze them both. Someone had just entered or departed from the room next to theirs. "We should probably go."

"Yeah, good idea. Is it dinnertime yet?" Ruby asked, picking rose petals out of her hair.

"I still need to set my scroll up. Check yours," Weiss cracked the door open to peek out into the deserted reference shelves.

"Oh right," Ruby plucked the device off the desk, "We've got half an hour."

"Hm. That's not a lot of time for a study session, but I did leave all those books on the table up front..."

"Hey Weiss?" Ruby leaned on the door frame next to her, brushing some of her dark hair behind her ear, "Thanks again."

"Just don't go re-injuring yourself anytime soon," Weiss snapped, not very convincingly. A blush dusted her face as they left the study room.

A/N: FIRST CHAPTER OF THE NEW YEAR! Woah, and just two more after this... that's... that's crazy. Wow.

You guys keep being fabulous.

Also Fiercesomest is going to kill me with Weiss and Ruby one day. I'm going to DIE.

Hugs,
Defenestrator