WEISS SCHNEE

As I finish making breakfast I hang up my apron and take a seat at the kitchen table. I actually woke up early enough to cook a proper breakfast today rather than just running straight out the door like yesterday.

Right as I go to take my first bite of eggs I get a text alert on my phone. When I open up the message app I see that it's from Ruby asking me if I want her to grab me anything from Oobleck's Coffee. Now that I think about it that was where she got the iced coffee she spilled on me yesterday, I guess she goes there frequently.

I thought about saying no thank you but it was nice of her to think of me, so I just responded with a 'surprise me' before returning to my breakfast.

"Oh, good morning Sister, I see you made breakfast." Winter walks in the kitchen, fully dressed for work. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen her wearing anything else since I got here. Then again it has only been a week or so.

"I figured cooking breakfast now and then is the least I could do to show my appreciation."

She sits down at the table and takes a bite. I'm worried at first that she'll hate it, after all I'm no expert chef or anything. I just picked up a few things here and there from Klein. To my relief she doesn't seem displeased.

"Impressive, of course it doesn't hold a candle to Klein's cooking." she says with soul crushing honesty. "Is cooking something you'd like to pursue?"

"I mean…maybe, I'm not really sure." I guess I've never really thought about it before. I just do it for fun now and then. "I do enjoy cooking but I also enjoy singing…I also have fun with Kendo."

"Well you have plenty of time to think about that I suppose, besides some things can just be for leisure, it's not like picking one means you have to give up the rest." She keeps eating. "Do make sure you focus on your grades though and stay out of trouble, you know how Father will react if you don't."

"Of course, I won't disappoint you after you stuck up for me." I bow my head slightly.

"I only did what any elder sister would, you don't have to worry about disappointing me, I just want you to do what's best for you." She says it in a rather stern voice but I can't help but smile. She may be a bit strict sometimes and she may not always show it the best but…I know she cares and she does show it in her own way.

"Oh by the way" I finish up what's left of my breakfast and put my dishes in the sink before grabbing my bag. "A girl I met from school yesterday offered to spend time with me after school, is that alright?"

"Of course, just make sure you finish any school work you may get." She finishes up her own food. "Though I'll admit, I thought it would take you a bit longer to make a friend."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…here you won't have the benefit of everyone knowing who you are and I know that is what you wanted but like me you can be a bit…difficult at times."

"Difficult?" I put my hand on my hip.

"Don't worry about it Weiss, you'd better hurry along or you'll be late for school." She waves me out the door.

"Yeah I know." I puff out my cheeks and walk out the front door.

Is it really that surprising that I would make a friend so soon? On top of that, what does she mean I'm difficult? As I keep walking, I find my thoughts drifting to Ruby and what hanging out with her would even be like. Honestly I do feel a tad anxious, I'm not entirely sure why.

Winter's words do make some sense I suppose now that I think about it. Maybe that's why I am so worried, because I know that I can't fall back on anything except..being myself. What if myself isn't enough? As much as the thought bothers me I just hope that she doesn't find out who I really am. The only thing that bothers me just as much as being alone, is being used.

I am nearly at school when I hear what sounds like a girl crying out, on the verge of tears and a group of boys all laughing. My mind was telling me to just not listen, to keep walking. After all, it doesn't concern me and I'll be late if I get involved. Something in me though..I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I walk over to the source of the sound and down a steep grassy hill, in front of a convenience store I see a faunus girl, specifically a bunny faunus, being harassed by a group of boys.

They were taunting her, calling her an animal and occasionally pushing her. Part of me wants to run over and help her but another part of me doesn't want to get into a fight when I have barely been going to this school for a month.

'After all, what have the faunus ever done for you?' I think to myself, almost drifting into some dark memories before shoving them out of my head. I stand there and debate my options for a few minutes, almost convincing myself to just walk away but as soon as one of the boys begins yanking on her ears hard enough to almost pull her over, I snap back to reality.

I book it towards them and shove the main boy away, standing between the faunus girl and them. At first they seem surprised but that is quickly replaced by a look of sheer amusement. What a bunch of jerks.

"Well well, looks like we have an animal lover here boys." the biggest boy says, the others starting to laugh as he walks closer to me. "What exactly do you think a skinny thing like you is going to do girly?"

"Just back off you jerks, what did she do to you?!" I shout, only getting more angry.

"She bumped into me." he replies with a snicker.

"You think that gives you a right to torment her!?"

"As her superiors, yes."

"Please, I hardly think you are superior to anyone." This seems to annoy him slightly.

"Look princess, you are clearly new here so I'll cut you some slack, the name is Cardin Winchester and nobody messes with me so you best just step off." he takes another step closer. "Or else."

The bunny girl behind me just gently tugs on my shirt. I turn back to see her shaking gently, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry about me, you should leave before you really get hurt." she says in a quiet and timid voice. I look at the girl before me, shaking and on the verge of full on tears. She looks so sweet and gentle I doubt she would even hurt a fly.

"Sorry that's not something I can bring myself to do...not again." I turn back to face the boys, as they start moving even closer.

"Last chance, beat it or you'll get everything she gets." he says menacingly.

If I had my kendo sword I might be able to hold my own for a bit but without it…let's be real, these guys are all quite a bit bigger than me. I don't stand a chance. Regardless, I can't abandon someone who needs my help again, so I stand my ground.

"All right, you asked for it." He reels back, ready to swing his fist at me. I clench my teeth and prepare for the worst but then, out of nowhere, he is suddenly struck in the head by a rock that causes him to stumble and nearly fall.

I look toward the direction the rock was thrown from and see Ruby running toward us along with Yang.

"You leave my friend alone!" Ruby shouts, her and Yang standing on either side of me. I'm too stunned to say or do anything except stare at Ruby with a blank expression on my face.

Eventually I am snapped out of it by the sound of Ruby's voice, accompanied by a worried look on her face.

"Are you okay Weiss?" she asks, glancing over me.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine, no need to fret." I say, blushing and looking away.

"You little shit!" Cardin shouts, the side of his head bleeding slightly from where the rock made impact.

"Cardin, are you really gonna talk to my little sister that way with me standing right here, AFTER threatening her friend?" Yang cracks her knuckles. "Do I really have to teach you another lesson?"

"Don't think because you beat me once Xiao Long that means you can just scare me off!" he squares up slightly, but his attempt at intimidation is slightly let down by his trembling.

"Oh I think I can, now unless you want a repeat of what happened last time I suggest you and your little buddies scurry out of here with your tails between your legs."

He scowls at her, refusing to back down for a moment, it almost seemed like he was going to come at her but then he just turns and walks off, signaling for his goons to follow him. Under his breath I swear I hear him murmur something along the lines of 'this isn't over.'

After they are far away enough Ruby grabs my hands and looks worriedly over me again. Making sure I didn't have any noticeable marks on me I assume.

"Are you sure you're okay Weiss, that jerk didn't hurt you did he?" I just look away slightly as the heat rises to my cheeks.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine Ruby, you don't need to freak out okay!?"

"Thank goodness, I was really worried." she lets out a sigh of relief. Then I remember the reason I confronted those jerks in the first place and turn to check on the faunus girl.

"What about you, are you okay?" I ask.

"Y-Yes I'm fine now….thanks for jumping in like that, you must be very brave.."

"Not really...I just had to jump in, almost every part of me wanted to run but some part of me just couldn't."

"I mean that sounds pretty brave to me Weiss." Ruby points out. I think about it for a second but I just can't bring myself to use that label, not when I genuinely don't feel I deserve it. I decided to not argue though.

"I guess….anyway what's your name?" I ask.

"Oh um, I'm Velvet, it's a pleasure to meet you." She bows slightly.

"The pleasure is mine, Velvet." I offer her a smile which she returns.

"Just stick with us Velvet, that creep Cardin won't give you any more trouble, not if he knows it'll earn him a Yang style beatdown." Yang chimes in.

"T-That would be great but you really don't have to trouble yourself on my account."

"Please, Yang will take any excuse to beat down that idiot so it's no trouble." Ruby says, letting out a small chuckle.

"I...I appreciate that, I really really do." she seems almost choked up, I don't really blame her...poor girl.

"Anywho kiddies, I hate to break up the touchy feely moment but I feel I should point out that we are dangerously close to being late for school." Yang says very nonchalantly.

"Oh no, I totally forgot about school!" I say, immediately starting to freak out. I was already late to class once, this is so not good!

"Don't worry your pretty little head princess, everyone just hop on Bumblebee." She starts walking toward her bike.

"First I kindly ask you not to call me that and second how are we all supposed to fit onto your bike?"

"First, request denied and second very dangerously." She responds very honestly. "Hey if you're too scared and would rather be late then be my guest."

"Don't worry Weiss, this isn't the first time we've done this, just hold onto me super tight and you'll be okay." Ruby grabs me by the hand and starts pulling me over to the bike.

"W-Wait what about Velvet?" I ask.

"Oh don't worry about me, I actually don't have any classes until the afternoon." She waves goodbye with a look that says she is worried for me but glad she doesn't have to participate.

Ruby drags me over to the bike and she hops on behind Yang, grabbing onto her and motioning for me to hop on behind her. With many…many reservations, I do just that, wrapping my arms very tightly around her waist and closing my eyes tight.

Yang loudly revs her engine and peels off down the road at such a high speed I feel myself lift slightly off the seat. I let out a scream that was thankfully mostly drowned out by the sound of the bike's engine. My arms tighten even more around Ruby's waist and I guess she could tell because I guess in an attempt to comfort me, she removes one arm from Yang's waist so she could place her hand on top of mine.

I don't know why exactly but it helped a little, I was still terrified though, but I could slightly bear it. Eventually we finally stopped in front of the school, thankfully while other students were still walking in. We actually made it, I was so relieved I almost didn't mind how easily I could have died, and how messed up my hair got in the wind.

That said "I will NEVER do that again."

"Aw come on." Yang teases as we walk to class. "I bet you'd make a great biker girlfriend at least."

"I most certainly would not!" I blush and puff out my cheeks slightly. Yang just laughs and even Ruby tries to stifle her giggling. After a moment I relent and nearly let out a small giggle myself. Yang can be obnoxious that's for sure but she's not so bad. I'm just glad she doesn't seem to be mad at me for yelling at Ruby anymore.

—-

Our morning lessons come and go without much incident. Luckily we had made it to our first class just barely on time, not sure how well it would go over if I was late to class on both my first AND second day.

I did notice in several of our lessons that Ruby isn't exactly what I'd call a…great student. She spent most of our first class doodling. One doodle being a not so flattering interpretation of our teacher. She slept through one of the lessons and spent a good portion of another playing some game on her phone, only stopping because she nearly got caught.

"Ruby, you really should pay better attention in class." I say on the way to the lunch room.

"Oh don't worry about it, I still manage to get passing marks, no biggie." she says so nonchalantly it actually kind of annoys me. I want to reprimand her for that kind of careless thinking, after all if those are the kinds of grades she gets when she barely even tries, imagine what she could do if she applied herself. Instead I just let out an annoyed huff.

"Is everything okay Weiss?"

"Yeah don't worry about it, it's not my place." I say what I think I should say and not what I really want to say.

"What isn't-?" she starts to ask as we enter the lunchline but is cut off by some kid casually throwing his arm around her neck and ruffling her hair.

"Hey Squirt!" He says. I get a better look at him and see that he is probably in the same grade as us. He has red eyes and shaggy black hair and I guess some would describe him as handsome.

"Alan, could you not!" Ruby shouts and playfully shoves him away.

"Sorry you know I have a daily 'mess with Ruby' quota and I am way behind." he says with a cheeky laugh.

"Yeah yeah, well mock my height all you want, I'm gonna whip you in the tournament this year!" she flashes a cocky smirk which he returns. I guess they are good friends, at least it seems that way. "Oh by the way, I almost forgot, this is my new friend Weiss."

"Nice to meet you, names Alan." he says.

"Charmed…" I respond, not sure what to make of him yet. He seems friendly enough but gives off a weird vibe. "Anyway, what is this tournament you were talking about?"

"Oh Alan and I are huge Amity Arena players, it's a video game."

"Yeah and every year there is a tournament at the convention center in …, Ruby and I always compete, she's only ever won once though." he smirks.

"Yeah well this year will be two wins!"

"I see…"

"You curious to give it a try Weiss?" she asks as we finally take our seats with our food.

"Oh I uh..don't really play video games." Not that I was ever given much choice.

"Oh…well if you ever change your mind just let me know, I can show you the ropes."

"Yeah if you wanna learn how to lose."

"Shut up!" she shouts and starts hitting his arm, he just laughs in response.

"Are you teasing her again Alan?" asks a girl with short pink hair, yellow eyes and probably most eye-catchingly a pair of dog ears. She and Yang sit down directly across from us.

"You know I can't help myself Inu, she makes it so easy." Inu, I guess that is her name.

"Still you should probably take it easy on her now and then." A girl with bright red hair tied up into a ponytail sits down next to Inu. She is quite tall, even taller than Yang and if I'm honest she is quite beautiful. I find myself staring a bit longer than I should and quickly look back down at my food.

"Don't worry about it Pyrrha, he doesn't get to me, I know it's just because he knows I'll kick his butt."

"That's the spirit Rubes!" A young blonde boy sits beside me. He is about as tall as Alan and with a similar build but slightly lankier. "By the way, who might the new girl be?"

"Oh that's Weiss, she just started here." Ruby happily explains yesterday's events.

"Yeah that sounds like Ruby, making a new friend by spilling iced coffee all over them." Alan chuckles.

"H-Hey that was an accident!" she shouts and lightly shoves him.

"Aaaaanyway, it's nice to meet you Weiss, my name is Inu and I am in charge of the school's computer club!"

"My name is Jaune, I have no special attributes whatsoever." he chuckles. I can tell he meant it as a joke but it's still kind of sad to hear someone describe themselves that way.

"That isn't remotely true Jaune, he's actually the class president." Pyrrha chimes in.

"Yeah but only because I ran unopposed." Jaune says under his breathe.

"My name is Pyrrha, I'm more or less Jaune's Vice President and I'm also captain of the Track and Field team."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you all." I bow my head lightly.

"Just know that any friend of Ruby's is a friend of ours so if you need anything just let us know!" Inu cheerfully proclaims, everyone nodding to show their agreement. Honestly I'm a little overwhelmed. Only yesterday I didn't have any friends…then again this still has every opportunity to go wrong so I shouldn't get my hopes up.

"I'll uh..I'll keep that in mind, thank you." I smile, not wanting to let my fear and doubt show.

We sit there and just talk about various high school related topics. Class, the so-so lunch, clubs, ext. It was so strange, I had times like this back at … but it wasn't the same. There it always felt so superficial, so fake. I can tell just by listening to them that they genuinely care for eachother, that they have a strong bond. The kind of bond I want to have…if only.

Before long the bell rang and we were forced to split up and return to class. I actually didn't realize how many of them were in our class until now. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Inu were in the same class as us. Alan apparently is in the same year but a different class.

We only had a couple lessons left before closing out the day. Ruby and I wave goodbye to everyone as we walk down the road toward her house, including Yang who apparently is going to spend some time with some other friends of hers who don't go to our school. She offered to give us a ride first which Ruby almost accepted for my sake but I assure her that I can walk just fine.

"So Weiss…how did you like meeting everyone?" Ruby asks, her hands behind her back and fidgeting slightly. "I hope it wasn't too much all at once."

"It was a little yeah but they seem very…nice." Ruby giggles slightly.

"I know they are a bit of an odd bunch, especially that dork Alan but…I'm sure they will really grow on you. Before you know it, you'll be one of the gang."

I smile a little at the thought. How would it feel to be a part of such a genuine group of friends. To have people I can really rely on outside of Winter or Klein...it almost seems entirely out of reach, like a fantasy. That said, I came here for a fresh start away from my old self. I came here so I could figure out who I really am and to make really connections…now I really have a shot at achieving that.

"Yeah…I'd really like that Ruby."