Weiss sat at the single most amazing spot she'd ever found at Beacon Academy. She stared out over the land that was slowly turning whiter and whiter as the light slowly dimmed. The large snow flakes falling gently just past the inch of insulated glass that separated her from the outside. She gently pressed her hand on the window, feeling the cold bite from the chilled air on the other side.
She'd been sitting in this spot for no less than four hours and thirty seven minutes. In that time, she'd finished her allotted studies for the day and successfully ignored eighty two… scratch that, eighty three messages and calls made to her scroll. She had thought ahead and left a note on her pillow that morning saying not to wait up if it started to snow.
She looked down at the list on her phone that she'd gotten simply because the scroll's communication system was quite a bit less than reliable. The long list told her the messages had all been sent from her team. For every message or call she'd gotten from her leader, there had been one from one of the other members of her team. Logically, she knew they'd be worried about her and that it was Ruby's job to make sure her team is okay, but deeper than even she'd allow herself to look, there was a grain of indescribable satisfaction in looking at how the messages from that rambunctious red haired girl made up more than half the list.
The darkness outside was slowly growing deeper, making the flourescent lights behind her start to make the glass mirror her face in the reflection that was before now almost invisible.
The long scar running from above her left eye to the cheek below was clearly visible even in the dim reflection. For a second, she frowned before she forced herself to look past it at the snow.
Her thoughts went by slowly, not stopping, but not rushing as they normally did. She was alone, and was confident nobody would find her in her hiding spot. The spot was above a doorway that was a main hallway during the day. The spot she sat on was only accessible from the second floor through an old classroom that had long since been designated as a storage room and filled. Now the room stood as a dusty reminder of how styles of woodworking had changed over the past two hundred years. In the very back of that room was a small hatch that opened to the windows. The only unfortunate part of the spot was that the flourescent light from the very top of the four story pillar of space were constantly lit.
Yet another call made her phone dance across the floor as the counter for Ruby's calls incremented.
Why is that girl so insistent? Weiss wondered, remembering how determined Ruby'd been to befriend her at the beginning of the semester. It's not like I didn't inform them that I'd be unreachable today.
She switched her phone off, not wanting to hear the steady hum of it sliding across the slightly inclined floor. Her scroll buzzed, in her pocket making the heiress sigh. She'd had it set up so she'd still be able to get messages even when away from the city's cellular service.
Weiss looked away from the snow at the device, not wanting to ignore the snow but finding it ever so difficult to concentrate. The device loaded the messages slowly, it's low bandwidth evident when compared to the smaller more high tech phone. Once they were done, she opened the conversation with Ruby and scrolled down the list, reading the messages.
Where are you?
We'll be going to Vale, need anything?
I found a cute shirt for you, should I get it? Here's a pic.
Helllllooooooooooooo? Are you there?
Sorry, I guess you're busy.
You do know it only takes ten seconds to respond, right?
We're back, you didn't say if we should pick up dinner for you or if you'll be eating alone. If you don't reply, I won't get anything for you.
The list went on almost indefinitely after Ruby'd gotten back to the dorm, being bored as she normally was in the evenings. Weiss sighed, skipping over the repetitive messages that sounded at times like Ruby would have been whining if she were to speak them. As she neared the end, Ruby's messages turned from friendly and clueless to concerned and worrying.
Seriously, Weiss. Where are you? I don't even know if you're alive! At least let me know that your thumbs haven't fallen off!
Scratch that, I don't really care about your thumbs. Just let us know you're still alive. Please!
This is ridiculous, you could have been kidnapped for all I know! How will I explain that to Ozpin? 'Hey Ozzy, just letting you know that Weiss ran off and got herself stolen. We have no idea where she might be so if you can help us on top of running a school and half a city, then we'd really appreciate it.' I don't think so!
Please Weiss, please just answer me back once! I promise I'll let you have the shower first for a week! I'm really worried about you!
Weiss finally came to the end and the keyboard popped up for her to enter a response. She hesitated, wondering if her choice was the right one. On one hand, she'd told them in her note that she'd be gone for the day and that she'd be back late if it snowed. She also stated that she wouldn't respond to messages or answer her phone for any reason since she'd decided to take the day off. On the other hand, it seemed Ruby was even more worried than normal and some part of Weiss didn't want to worry her more than was necessary. Even that thought confused her since she couldn't care less about worrying her parents and they shared DNA.
Slowly, she brought her fingers down on the touch screen to type a message to her leader. When she finished, she re-read the whole thing to make sure she didn't come across rudely since it was all too easy to be misunderstood when conversing in text.
Ruby, I am fine and I appreciate the concern, but it is unnecessary. I am currently at one of my favourite study spots and you need not worry since I am still at Beacon. I will return in the next couple hours, I only wish to enjoy watching the snow fall in silence. Please do not respond to this message.
She nodded to herself. She had written everything necessary within the character limit, though it lacked the grammar she was used to using in her shorter messages. It'll have to do. She thought as she pressed send on the top of the screen. A slight buzz and a whoosh sound told her the message had been sent.
She turned off her scroll and leaned back to the wall as she stared out the window at the falling snow as it lulled her into her meditative state once again. She thought about her life in the past month and a half since she started Beacon. The friends she'd made, ones that had suddenly appeared, and ones that were rejected and still came back. There were the countless hopefulls that she had to shoot down when they asked her out. She remembered the lone condition she'd been allowed to attend the academy on. She remembered the threat behind it. But of all these things, she kept circling back between them, organizing them until her thoughts were sorted like a professional business's files.
Of all the thoughts though, one stood alone in a category that had no place among the others. Ruby Rose, the daughter of the late Summer Thomson and Darwin Rose. Half sisters with Yang Xiao Long, daughter of Natsuko Long. Leader of my team, and my first friend. She listed off, thinking of Ruby when her own mind betrayed her. Thoughts she'd discouraged and even forced into oblivion at times flew at her at the speed of light, disturbing her ordered mind with the chaos they acheived.
Weiss clutched her head as she forced the thoughts out again. Her temple throbbed painfully and water fell on her cheeks as she shed the tears that were inexplicably attached to the thoughts she destroyed.
Once she was finished forcing all thought from her mind and simply watching the snow through the mirror-like glass, she wiped her face with her jacket sleeve, soaking it with the salty liquid on her face.
Violent sun, vigilant moon, joyful rain, unchanging ice. She recited the calming ancient nursery rhyme as she watched the snow land in the fountain in the courtyard she overlooked, a thin layer of ice already formed on the cold water's surface.