Chapter 15: Some Serious Discussion

Hello there, fans of mine! It's your friendly neighborhood author, The Draigg here, with yet another chapter for all of you! What else would you expect from me? Trust me, I would make up for any late upload dates. Anyway, to let you in on a small secret, I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum does. Now let's start this thing!

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Mr. Brass and Ms. Han sat some of the large, plush seats surrounding the conference table. But, even the comfort of the chairs couldn't make up for the tense atmosphere radiating from the images the projector was showing. The man with the bushy moustache began to speak slowly.

"Ms. Han… would you care to enlighten me on what exactly happened, and why I shouldn't fire you?" the man said, trying to contain his anger.

"Look, Mr. Raines, I know that in hindsight, I shouldn't have used some certain… terms. But, how could you really expect to know that some people don't know what niggardly means?" Ms. Han said in her defense.

Mr. Raines pinched the bridge of his greying brow in annoyance. Then, he said, "That's not even the only complaint I heard from those school people! According to them, you also wrote several derogatory comments against the Faunus!". He voice was firmly set into a raspy growl.

"I think it's just a matter of context," Ms. Han replied. Mr. Brass face-palmed. How did this woman not get that her script sounded incredibly racist? It was mind boggling!

Before Mr. Raines could yell at Ms. Han some more, Mr. Schnee stepped in. "Context or not, there must be some consideration to your performances. If this hadn't been brought to our attention recently, then your writing would have caused a worse incident," Mr. Schnee said in an even voice.

"That's right! And another thing, how did nobody protest that… garbage when they first read the script?!" Mr. Raines demanded to know.

Sheepishly, Mr. Brass said, "I can explain that one, sir,". The image of Mr. Raines leaned closer, and Mr. Brass got the feeling that Mr. Schnee was expectant for an answer.

"…I felt that our performers would have made a better critic than I, and I wanted them to form an opinion on it," explained Mr. Brass.

"Hmmm…" came Mr. Schnee's voice from the still image. "Mr. Brass, even if I entrusted you to watch over my daughter and her associates, I must say that you allowing them the choice of opinion was a severe lapse of judgment," he droned on further.

"I sincerely believe that your daughter is more than capable of making the right call," Mr. Brass said in the absent Weiss' defense.

"You're failing to see the issue at hand. My Weiss is certainly capable and intelligent, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the guardian's duty to make the larger decisions for them. You're the one handling her right now, and I can't allow the Schnee name to be further tarnished by accusations of racism," Mr. Schnee's voice countered.

"And the Azul Concern as well!" chimed in Mr. Raines.

"That as well," Mr. Schnee said. "Our organizations simply cannot to afford to be associated with bigotry. The Schnee Dust Company has already been accused many times of racism against the Faunus, and racism would only inhibit the Azul Concern's message,".

Ms. Han sat straighter in her chair. "Maybe I can work form a different angle! Like, maybe—" she tried to suggest before being cut off by Mr. Raines

"We've had you in three different departments! You've had your chance!" the man roared as he slammed his fist on his desk.

"If you would just be willing to listen, I can work something out," Ms. Han said, incredulous at what was being thrown at her.

"You said that after the pamphlet incident! You were a mess up then, and you're still one now!" fumed Mr. Raines.

"I can make this work! Just give me another chance!" Ms. Han argued.

"No! You're a walking disaster! As of now, you're on prohibitive suspension! I want you back at the main office by the end of the week! We'll decide what to do with you there," Mr. Raines decided before shutting off his camera feed. That was the end of that argument.

As Ms. Han slumped back into her chair in shock, Mr. Schnee began to talk to Mr. Brass. "As for you, Mr. Brass, I'm concerned with the quality of your work. Although I'm not going to remove you from your current position, remember that this will be your only warning. Or, would you rather me make a visit to you personally?" he threatened.

Mr. Brass swallowed hard and replied, "No, sir. I'll take care of everything,".

"Very well. And be sure to give my regards to Weiss," Mr. Schnee said before his placeholder image faded away. Both of the corporate lords were gone now.

With the projected images gone, Mr. Brass dug into his coat pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. Lighting one up, he hesitated putting it in his mouth. Instead, he decided to hand it to Ms. Han, who gladly took it. However, when she inhaled, she coughed up a fit. Clearly, she didn't smoke often.

Mr. Brass lit a cigarette up for himself and took a few drags. He sat in his chair, wondering how everything could go so wrong in the first week of this trip. Maybe it was fate, or the universe, or something like that. Regardless, he knew he didn't like the position he was in in the slightest. How the hell could he just manage both his responsibilities and those of Ms. Han at the same time? At least she was good at keeping her work in order. Now, he had to pull a double shift.

So, he crushed his smoke in a nearby ashtray and walked over to where Ms. Han was sitting still. He held out his hand to help her up. "I need something to drink. And, I'm guessing you need one too. Come on, my treat," Mr. Brass offered. Without a word, Ms. Han pulled herself up out of her chair, and walked out of the door. All Mr. Brass could do was sigh and follow after her.

This was going to be a long night. He could tell.

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Meanwhile, Ruby had found where Weiss had walked off to. She was in the upstairs work space, sitting on the couch. As Ruby carefully approached her, she noticed that Weiss was staring at a picture of what she guessed was her family on her scroll.

"H-hey…" Ruby said gently as she crept over to the couch. Weiss didn't look up from her scroll. "Mind if I sit here?" she softly asked. Again, no response. Ruby decided to sit next to Weiss anyway.

"What are you looking at?" Ruby then asked, although she already knew the answer.

"My family," Weiss said, her inflection giving away how tired she must have felt.

"Is that you there?" Ruby asked, pointing to a small, pouting child in Mr. Schnee's arms.

"Yeah. I barely remember having this photo taken. It was such a long time ago…" Weiss reminisced.

Ruby examined the picture closer. The man holding the young Weiss had a proud grin on his face, as if he was saying, 'This is what I needed,'. Ruby concluded that the man in the picture was Weiss' father. Alongside him sat a rather proper looking woman, with another small girl standing next to her. Overall, this family looked almost… normal. Sure, they were all dressed nicely, but their smiles seemed genuine.

Weiss continued to remember. "All I can recall is that my father's grasp felt really soft and warm when they took this photo. I... I really wish that my papa was still like he was in this picture…" Weiss said as her voice grew to a whisper.

"Wh-what happened?" questioned Ruby. Her voice wavered a she realized that Weiss was trying to share her pain with her.

"Stress. Death threats. Or maybe he was always cold, deep down inside. It doesn't matter now. All I know is that he isn't the man I knew when I was little," Weiss sadly admitted. Even when her father was being strict when she was growing up, Weiss knew it was out of concern and love, not whatever was in his heart nowadays. That thought killed her slowly inside nearly every time she thought about her father.

"I… I know what you mean. It's hard not knowing somebody that you're supposed to love," Ruby sympathized.

"And what do you know about that?" Weiss bitterly asked, "How can you know the feeling of someone you love slowly fading away?".

Ruby lowered her head. She was about to admit something to Weiss that she had a hard time admitting to herself. "…You know how I said my mom… disappeared when I was little?" she asked.

Weiss nodded, as if saying that she could continue. "I… I h-have a real hard time remembering how her face looked. Every time I try to catch that image in my mind, it only gets pushed further and further back. All I can remember about my mom is her smile. Everything else… even the pictures left of her don't help. I want to remember how she really looked," Ruby said. Feeling something tracing across her cheek, Ruby raised her hand to her face. She realized that she had begun to cry while talking to Weiss.

Weiss was stunned. She had no idea Ruby had such a hard time remembering what her mom was like. Weiss was lucky enough to at least have a reminder of who her parents were, since they were still around, but all Ruby had was fading memories of times gone by. Weiss would never wish that fate onto anybody, even her worst enemies.

"I-I had n-no idea…" Weiss stuttered in apology. It never occurred to her how much Ruby had suffered because of her mother's disappearance.

Ruby made herself smile. "It's okay. I had Yang to take care of me and… I really try not to let it get me down, you know? But sometimes… sometimes… it gets really hard and… I can't take it anymore…" Ruby admitted, trying to sound chipper about it. But, her silent tears betrayed her real emotions.

"Ruby…" began Weiss. It was only fair to reveal what she had felt earlier. "In there… when I ran… I saw something in you. That look in your eyes… it reminded me of my father, the day I announced that I wanted to go to Beacon. I knew at that moment, my old father wasn't there. It's like he's someone else now… and I don't want you to be that way,". Weiss slid her hand on Ruby's knee. "I don't want you to be that way…" she repeated.

In response, Ruby took the hand on her knee and interlocked her fingers between Weiss'. Looking at Weiss directly, Ruby made a pledge. "Weiss, I know things can get bad. Really, really bad, and you just don't know how much you can take. But, I swear, I'm a part of your family now. I would never, ever let you down like that. I just want you to do the same for me,".

Weiss couldn't find the right words to say. Time and time again, this girl had managed to amaze her in ways she never knew possible. Now was her chance to repay Ruby in kind. Not only did she depend in it, but Ruby did too. "I swear, Ruby. I swear I'll devote my feelings to you, even if I can't do that with the rest of my family," Weiss stated, steel resolve in her voice. Her thoughts were unwavering. Ruby was going to be there, no matter what.

At those words, Ruby and Weiss simultaneously went in for a hug. But, they clumsily bumped into each other by accident. "Oof!" grunted Ruby. As Weiss reeled from the collision, she noticed a dumb grin spread across Ruby' face.

"Hehehehehe!" Ruby began to giggle. Her laughter was contagious, and before long Weiss began to chuckle as well.

"Ohohohohohohoho!" Weiss laughed.

Team White Rose laughed harder and harder at their goof. They didn't know why, but it just seemed so silly. But, maybe this laughter is what they needed right now. After all, it's been said before that laughter heals all wounds.

Maybe it could heal emotional scars, too.

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The feelings are all real here, folks. To be honest, it would be weird if this story didn't go to a place like this. Anyway, tell me how many heart string were tugged in the reviews section below! I always feel honored to read your guy's comments. So, this is The Draigg, signing off on all these emotions.