It got out of hand so fast.
One minute they were tracking down a stowaway as a team, and the next thing she knew Blake revealed she was a Faunus. Weiss couldn't believe she let herself get close to another one.
Father would kill her if he found out.
That evening, in the privacy of their dorm, a familiar rage consumed her when Blake disclosed her past affiliation with the White Fang. Weiss couldn't control herself. She let all her thoughts about the Faunus out an explosive display of fury.
A crushing weight pressed against her chest each time she insulted the Faunus. The more it hurt her heart, the more she wanted to lash out.
It didn't matter if Ruby and Yang watched as the two of them threw insults and accusations at each other like darts. Once she got started she couldn't stop. Blake shared the same sentiment.
"This is why so many of us believe it's impossible to live in peace!" Blake stepped dangerously into Weiss' personal space. "It's because people like you don't give us a chance! You assume we're all criminals and expect us to slip up!"
"News flash, good people don't go around murdering innocent Humans!" Weiss pushed back.
"Those innocent Humans shouldn't go around hurting us! There wouldn't be a problem if they treated us like regular people!"
"It's absurd to expect people to stop treating criminals like criminals! It's common sense to not let a wild animal run wild!"
"You spoiled, ignorant little brat!" Blake shrieked. "I should've known better than to expect anything different from a slave owner!"
Blake's words immediately made her think of him. Weiss couldn't stop herself from remembering the quiet nights she spent with him in that Mine, alone with no one to tell them who they are and what they should do.
The weight crushing her chest now hurt.
She shoved Blake into the precariously balanced bunk beds and wound her fist back.
"Enough!" Yang grabbed hold of Weiss, pulling her away from punching range. "Will you two stop acting like children and calm down?!"
"Calm down?! How can I calm down when she's spewing bigoted shit?!" Blake unsheathed her sword.
Ruby stepped in front of her.
"Let's all take a breath first. I'm sure once we all relax, we can talk this through," Ruby said. Her ignorance and innocence toward the world only infuriated Weiss more.
"I have nothing more to say to her!" Blake snapped.
"Come on, guys, we're all friends here. There's nothing we can't solve together–"
"You mean we were friends with the lie she constructed!" Weiss corrected her sharply. "Is that why you were so nice to me?! So you can lure me in and kill me?!"
"Don't flatter yourself. The world doesn't revolve around you," Blake scoffed. "And can you blame me for keeping it a secret? Look at how you're treating me now that you know the truth! I wish I never met you!"
Her words cut deeper than Weiss expected. She clenched her teeth, cursing at the tears burning her eyes. She shouldn't feel this way about a filthy Faunus. She couldn't believe she let her guard down again.
"You're delusional if you think I want to spend time with a feral beast!"
Weiss pushed Yang off and stormed out of the dorm, ignoring Ruby's pleas to stay.
Weiss ended up secluding herself in the courtyard. Now that she was away from Blake, her anger sizzled into frustrated tears.
She cursed out loud and wiped her face dry. Weiss wasn't even sure why she was crying in the first place. She wasn't particularly sad about yelling at Blake, everything she brought up in that fight was valid. But now that her anger had left her, all that remained was an awful ache in her heart.
She hadn't felt this pain since she last saw Adam.
And just like that, all the memories she'd so desperately tried to ignore came flooding back to her.
He's no different from the rest of them. He was an animal. Feral. Violent. Kind. Vulnerable to the cold. Hungry.
She kicked the stone statue overlooking the courtyard, cursing at no one in particular. Weiss snapped her head up when footsteps approached her.
For a moment, she thought it was him, standing out from the darkness like a flaming red rose.
"The poor statue didn't do anything wrong." Ruby laughed nervously.
Weiss scowled and turned her back to Ruby. The last thing she needed was for a child to lecture her about vandalising school property. Weiss made a beeline for the school gates, but Ruby ran in front of her.
"Weiss, we need to talk."
"I have nothing to say."
"No, listen to me! What you did back there wasn't fair to Blake. I don't care what your family history with the Faunus is. Blake has nothing to do with it."
"She was part of the terrorist group that hurt my family!"
"Blake wasn't the one who hurt them. And she's changed her ways. People change, Weiss, but they can't turn their life around when everyone around them keeps expecting them to play the bad guy."
"You can lecture me about forgiveness after you lose someone to those terrorists!"
"Fine! I can't ask you to forgive the White Fang for hurting your family. But as your team leader, I have the right to confront you about Blake!
"You can be mad at her for lying, but that isn't an excuse to throw racist slurs at her. If you think it's okay to attack her for being a Faunus, you're no better than the White Fang terrorists targeting Humans!"
"Why you little—!" Weiss stepped into Ruby's space, but Ruby made no move to back down.
Ruby tilted her head back to meet her in the eyes. She reminded Weiss of when she was younger – when she was still ignorant of the realities of the world. It made her want to grab Ruby by the shoulders and shake some sense into that empty head of hers.
"You're nothing but a child. You don't know anything," Weiss accused.
"So what if I'm just a kid? I can still call you out for doing something wrong! Would you still treat her like this if she was Human?"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Weiss turned her back on Ruby, but she was having none of it. Within a split second, Ruby was in front of her again.
"You can't answer me because you know what you're doing is racist! This isn't just about Blake being part of the White Fang. This is about Blake being a Faunus!"
"SHUT UP!"
Weiss' throat hurt from her outburst, but she didn't care when it got Ruby to finally stop preaching to her.
"The world isn't as simple as love and hate! The Faunus killed my relatives! Those animals have been terrorising my family for years! Even if I want to give her a chance, I can't!"
She cursed when tears overwhelmed her vision once more. How could she let herself break down like this? She was so much stronger than this – wasn't she?
"What's wrong, Weiss?"
The weight in her chest was suffocating. Weiss wished her Semblance was like Ruby's to escape from the conversation.
"Leave me alone, Ruby," she pleaded.
"No, I can't leave you alone like this!" she insisted stubbornly. "There's something wrong, and I can't sit back and do nothing!"
"Are you always this obnoxious?"
"Insulting me won't get me to back down. You're better than that, and we both know it."
"Little kids need to learn when to stop snooping into other people's business!"
"Says the teenager throwing a temper tantrum for no good reason!"
"How dare you! What do you want me to say?! Do you want me to pour my heart out about my mother's alcohol abuse?! Or do you want me to confess all my darkest secrets?!
"Oh, I have a better suggestion. Maybe you want to know what happened when I did the 'right thing' since you seem so fond of the idea. I'll never forget it because Father permanently made it a part of my fucking face!"
Burning anger sizzled into ice-cold fear, sinking deep into her stomach like a rock. She couldn't believe what she just said. It was all over now. Even if she tried to pay Ruby off, it could never take back what she revealed about herself – that she was nothing more than a weak coward.
"Weiss…" Ruby studied the scar on her face. "What did he do to you?"
"I-I have to go."
Ruby enveloped her in a hug before she had the chance to run. Once again, she found herself in that icy cave, lost in the warmth of his embrace and his kindness.
"Weiss, I don't know what your life is like at home, but I know that everyone in our team cares about you. Nothing will ever change that."
Weiss instinctively covered the left side of her face; the phantom pain from her scar was searing. Why was Ruby being so nice? Didn't she think it was pathetic that she let Father carve her face like a pumpkin?
"We might not know each other very well yet, but that doesn't mean we don't care about you," Ruby continued.
"You don't have to pretend to care."
"I'm not pretending. I know the others feel the same way – including Blake. She was your friend before, and I know she'll still be your friend now. Blake's not the same person as she was in the past – I just know it!"
Ruby broke the hug and studied the damaged half of Weiss' face. "I get it if you're hurt about her past with the White Fang, but you shouldn't attack her for being a Faunus.
"Can you at least try to change how you see the Faunus? It's not fair for Blake to hear those hurtful things from a friend."
"Ruby—"
"And if anyone wants to give you crap for changing your mind, they'll have to deal with us!" Ruby held her trembling hand. "You're not alone, Weiss. I promise we won't let anyone hurt you like that again."
Weiss focused on the touch of Ruby's warm hands. It kept her anchored in the present as the memories burned into her mind faded into a whisper.
She wasn't alone anymore. Father had no control over who she spent time with. Blake was still the first person to reaffirm that fact.
Weiss will never accept the savage beasts terrorising Human families all over Remnant, but she could at least accept Blake was different from the rest of them. After all, not every Faunus gave in to their animalistic tendencies. Some of them could turn away from it.
"I-I'll…try to stay open-minded," Weiss said. It wasn't the complete truth, but the grin on Ruby's face assured her it was enough to placate her.
"I'll be right there supporting you every step of the way," Ruby promised.
"T-thank you." She gave Ruby's hand a tight squeeze before letting go. "Ruby, can this stay between us? I don't want the others to know about…"
"Don't worry. I won't speak a word," Ruby assured her. "We should go back. It's getting late."
"Y-yeah. Let's go."
"You know, we never had many Faunus neighbours back at home," Ruby said during their walk back. "I think it's cool Blake got to be everyone's very first Faunus friend!"
"Not everyone," Weiss murmured.
"Hmm?"
Weiss didn't elaborate, losing herself in the fragmented memories of Adam without fear. Without Father there to control her, she allowed her heart to finally mourn for what was lost.
Adam occupied her thoughts again after their field trip with Doctor Oobleck.
Weiss couldn't forget how Blake had described her fearsome mentor that night around the campfire. At first, Weiss brushed the brute off as another violent beast, but when Blake told them his name, the world came crashing down on her.
From then on, Weiss paid extra attention whenever Blake brought him up.
Blake was irritatingly vague with her recollection of him. All Weiss knew was that his Semblance could cut through Aura, and he lacked any sympathy for the Human victims that crossed his path. He sounded nothing like the Adam she knew, but it got her thinking.
What happened to him after they got separated?
Weiss never entertained those thoughts before, but now she found the tiniest bit of courage to explore those questions.
Did Adam join the White Fang like Blake? Or was he still working in one of their Dust Mines alone and underdressed for the weather?
Did he still remember her and their nights together?
So far, Blake was the only person with the answers. It was why Weiss found herself sitting on the rooftop after dinner, feet dangling over the edge of the Academy. After mulling over the issue alone for weeks, she was getting her answers one way or another.
"Hey." Blake sat down on the precarious edge beside her. "Any reason why you wanted to see me alone up here?"
"To push you off obviously," Weiss joked. "I wanted to talk to you. About the White Fang and the Faunus in general."
Blake tensed but nodded. It was the first time they were speaking alone after that infamous fight. Though neither of them brought up the topic of Faunus or the SDC again, an impenetrable wall now stood between them.
Weiss had told Blake the same half-lie about staying open-minded, but Blake didn't completely buy her story. She saw it in the painfully polite way Blake spoke to her whenever they were alone. They hardly spent time together anymore, with only the odd invitation from Blake to try out a new book. Yang had somehow grown closer to Blake during this period, completely replacing Weiss during their free time from class. She didn't think Yang enjoyed reading until Blake offloaded a mountain of books on her bed, some titles Weiss recognised from their late-night discussions.
It surprised her how much she missed Blake's company.
"First, I still owe you an apology." Weiss started, proud at the calmness in her voice. She spent hours memorising and reciting the lines she wrote for this meeting. It was easier than coming up with a lie on the spot.
"You were my friend before I learned about your background, and it was wrong of me to hate you for something out of your control. I'm sorry for being so closed-minded about the Faunus."
Weiss looked into her eyes. If she wanted Blake to talk openly again, Blake needed to believe her apology. She hoped Blake wasn't sharp enough to sense the deceit beneath her carefully practised performance.
"It's fine. I know you were just uh…ignorant back then." Blake assured her awkwardly.
Weiss bit back the sharp remark on the tip of her tongue. This was not the time to get into another yelling match.
"I'm not completely okay with the Faunus. I still think it's telling that they're statistically more likely to commit violent crimes." That, at least, wasn't a lie. She figured her speech would come across as more authentic if she sprinkled in a grain of truth.
"Oh." Blake looked down at the courtyard beneath their feet.
"I want to try and change my mind, though. You're one of my closest friends, and I'm tired of this keeping us apart."
"D-do you really mean that?"
"Of course." She forced herself to smile at Blake. "You bring up a good point; we're all just people. Who cares if some of us have animal traits or not?"
Blake beamed at her. Weiss' smile almost crumbled under the guilt crushing her shoulders. She didn't like lying to her friend's face like this, but she had no choice.
"Thank you. I know this can't be easy for you, so I'll be happy to help however I can."
"I'm glad you're willing to give me a second chance after everything I said."
"Aww, are you finally growing soft on me?" Blake playfully hit her shoulder.
"In your dreams." She laughed. "I'm still surprised you had a past with the White Fang, though. You don't seem like the type of person who'd join a group like that."
"O-oh, I'm flattered you think that way."
Good, Blake wasn't upset. Weiss worried it would be too soon to bring up the topic. This made her job a lot easier.
"Why did you join them anyway?"
"I was…a different person back then," Blake kept her head down as she answered. "The White Fang also wasn't so extreme at the beginning."
Blake gave her a crash course about the organisation. Weiss found it difficult to believe a violent terrorist group started with good intentions. She wanted to poke holes through Blake's story, to point out her personal bias obscuring the facts about the group and the supposed discrimination the Faunus faced, but Weiss held her tongue.
"Sienna Kahn is the current leader," Blake explained. "She's known for her ruthlessness, but her extreme tactics are appealing because she gets results fast. It doesn't matter who gets hurt along the way.
"Older members of the White Fang can usually see the damage it's doing, but for younger members…it sounds like the perfect solution. An eye for an eye…"
"You mentioned your mentor was the reason you left?" she asked.
"It's one of the reasons. He got so used to killing I couldn't recognise him anymore. It didn't matter how small or trivial his victims' crimes were. If there was an excuse to kill, then he'd take it. It was like the lives of other people meant nothing to him."
Weiss shivered at the prospect of her Adam acting so cruel. It was hard for her to see him being violent, but she wasn't so sure with everything she learned from Blake and her studies on Faunus temperaments.
"What was he like before?" Weiss blurted.
"Why do you want to know?"
"I'm just a bit curious." She shrugged. "You did say the White Fang started out good, right?"
"Yeah…" Blake sighed, staring out into the campus courtyard. "He was so…different back then. You wouldn't believe how kind he was despite everything he's been through. If someone like him could lose his way…I-I didn't want to see what would happen to me."
Weiss waited for her to elaborate, but Blake didn't have anything else to add. She bit back any more questions about this mysterious mentor. It would be too suspicious to keep grilling Blake on the topic.
While she didn't learn anything new about Blake's mentor, at least they could talk about the White Fang without getting into a big fight now. With time, she could try and persuade Blake to reveal more about him.
There was a very likely chance that he only happened to be named Adam, but Weiss wouldn't be able to rest until she knew for certain.
She hadn't forgotten the dozens of books she'd read about the Faunus' savage tendencies. As nice as Adam was, he still carried genes that made his kind prone to violence.
"We should head inside." Weiss shot up to her feet. A familiar rage suddenly sparked to life deep in her chest. She wasn't sure what made her so agitated.
Maybe it was too soon for her to be having this conversation.
After helping Blake to her feet, they went to their dorm, where they found Yang and Ruby screaming at each other over some flashy video game. Blake rolled her eyes and invited Weiss to read with her for the night. Weiss accepted her offer, wanting to forget about the White Fang and Adam for a moment.
She didn't try to corner Blake about the White Fang again. Weiss figured there was still plenty of time left to approach this topic and pushed it to the back of her mind for weeks to come.
But sometimes, when she woke up late at night with her heart racing, she couldn't help by wonder if they would ever get to see each other again.
What was he like now? What would they talk about after so much time apart? Would they be able to return to how things were before their big argument?
It was a silly daydream. Weiss knew better than to wish for things that'll never happen.
She never would've imagined how wrong she was.
What I liked about IQ was that Weiss wasn't suddenly a good person after her fight with Blake. I took a page out of IQ and did something similar in this story.
Hopefully, you won't mind putting this version of her for a little bit longer.
Also, you have no idea how badly I wanted to bulk-upload to the chapter that reintroduces Adam into the narrative but alas I can't. Two upcoming chapters need to be paired together for the tone to work :')
Big thanks to Table and Able for the review that made me cackle lmao.
Also thanks to one of my Guest Readers for leaving such a long review in the last chapter! I'm happy to hear you enjoy the character interactions so much!
Lemme know what you guys think of this week's stuff! I'll see you again next week for the last part of Act 1!