"Wow, the toast sure is tasty this morning!" Ruby's forced cheerfulness was like nails on a chalkboard. No one acknowledged her, choosing instead to eat their breakfast in silence.
The aftermath of yesterday's big fight lingered in the house like a heavy fog. Yang treated Weiss like she didn't exist. She turned away whenever Weiss got in her line of vision, and occasionally shoved past her to avoid being in the same room. Jaune was taking the news from yesterday much harder than Ren and Nora. While the other two still awkwardly greeted Weiss, Jaune was adamant about ignoring her existence like Yang.
Blake's situation with the team wasn't any better. Jaune and Yang refused to acknowledge her, with Yang's silent treatment hitting her the hardest. Weiss lost track of how many times she noticed Blake staring at Yang. Whenever Yang caught Blake staring, she shot her a glare before stalking off somewhere else. It never failed to leave Blake slouched like a withered flower.
While Ren and Nora made the effort to still speak with her, their conversations were forcefully polite, like they forgot how to act around her.
Knowing how awful it was to be ignored, Weiss had tried to make small talk with Blake. Her efforts were met with quiet one-word answers before Blake excused herself.
Ruby was the only one who tried to treat them both normally. Had she not insisted on including everyone during meal times, Weiss suspected Blake would be eating in their team's shared bedroom alone.
"Your sister's toaster sure is uh…powerful!" Ruby said to Jaune. "I haven't had toast this good in so long!"
Jaune hardly glanced her way.
"Y-yeah. Sure is good toast," Oscar chimed in weakly. That at least earned an amused snort from Maria.
"I bet we can convince Atlas Military to get us over! I have a good feeling about today!" Ruby's strained smile no longer reached her eyes.
"I sure hope you're right, kiddo," Qrow murmured. He stunk of alcohol despite not leaving his room once the previous day. His response did manage to cheer Ruby up a bit.
The silence didn't get any better when they left to visit the Military Base. Ren and Nora followed them while Jaune made a weak excuse about having a headache to stay behind.
Weiss kept to herself at the back of the group, following shortly behind Blake.
When they arrived at their destination, they met Cordovin, a comedically short woman with an ego that could rival the tallest skyscrapers. It was this impossibly large ego that clashed with Maria like oil and water.
Weiss tuned out the verbal lashing until she heard Cordovin address her.
"If Miss Schnee wants to return to her family, Atlas Military would be happy to take her back," Cordovin offered.
"What about the others?" Weiss asked.
"I can't let random civilians into Atlas Military ships. Especially not with a Faunus."
Cordovin directed her last remark directly at Blake. Anger flared from the way Cordovin spat out the word Faunus. Weiss expected better behaviour from someone representing Atlas Military. Did General Ironwood or Winter know about this?
"Blake's my teammate," Weiss said tightly.
"She is still a safety hazard." Cordovin looked Blake up and down, her expression curling into disgust. "I won't be delivering an animal into the sanctity of Atlas. We have enough safety concerns as is."
Blake meekly shrunk away from the woman.
Weiss couldn't believe Cordovin was a respected officer in the military. How could she speak like this?
If Winter heard this kind of language, she'd kick her out of the force. People like Cordovin weren't real Huntresses or soldiers. People like her were frauds who only liked the benefits that came with the job.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss narrowed her eyes.
"You should know better than to befriend…individuals like them, Miss Schnee," Cordovin said matter-of-factly. "It's dangerous to get close to those barbaric brutes. Your father would be so disappointed to see–"
"I don't give a damn about what my father thinks!" Her outburst caught the commander off guard, leaving her gawking like a fish out of water.
"And don't talk to Blake like that ever again! I don't care what rank you hold. I won't tolerate that kind of language!" Weiss went on. She caught Blake staring out of the corner of her eyes.
"Your father has requested Atlas Military to look out for you, young lady!" Cordovin shrieked. "You should be grateful for everything he's doing to find you!"
Her scar pricked like needles, and the morning chill left her frozen to the bone.
Weiss laughed humourlessly. "Grateful? The only thing I'm grateful for is being far away from him!"
"There are kids who would kill to have a family like yours! You have no idea how lucky you are–!"
"I'd rather die than go back!" It would be safer for her to rot in the wilderness than to step foot into the Manor again.
Ruby moved closer to Weiss' side.
"It's a shame Mr Schnee is wasting precious resources on a brat like you." Cordovin sneered. "Until you decide to act like a respectable young lady again, we're done here."
The iron doors to the military base slammed in their faces. Weiss hadn't realized her hands were trembling until she felt Ruby's hand grab onto hers.
"Weiss…" Ruby addressed her carefully as if expecting her composure to shatter at a moment's notice.
"I don't want to talk about it." She pulled away from Ruby, scratching the scarred half of her face.
Yang shot Ruby a questioning look, but Ruby pretended not to notice.
"Let's regroup at the house. We need to think of another way to get to Atlas," Ruby said.
Ruby didn't need to tell her twice. Weiss stormed away from the Military Base without waiting for the others to catch up.
Damn that old hag. She knew it was selfish not to take up Cordovin's offer to deliver her to Atlas. Getting in contact with Winter from the inside would save them time, but she wouldn't be caught dead in the Schnee Manor again. Ruby would understand her decision, but the others might hold it against her. She could only hope they'll forgive her with time. Going back alone was something she simply could not do.
Weiss ignored the guilt prickling at her conscious. Her scar burned like a fresh wound.
"Can I come in?"
Weiss perked her head up when she heard Blake's voice from the other side of the closed door.
She locked herself in their team's bedroom since returning to the house, using that time to try and forget what Cordovin had said to her. She should be downstairs helping her team plan their next move, but she couldn't stand the thought of trapping herself in a meeting with them. Not after everything that's happened.
"I-I can come back later if you want," Blake said when Weiss didn't respond.
"It's fine."
The door opened with a loud creak. Blake crept in like a thief, taking careful steps not to make a sound as she walked to Weiss' bed. She took a seat at the very end of the mattress. Silence wedged in between them.
How long had it been since she's been alone with Blake like this? It felt like an eternity since they shared a room in Beacon. Would they ever return to the days of sharing a good book?
"Are you okay? You seemed…ill when we got back." Blake addressed her gently.
"I'm better now," Weiss replied. "I don't want to talk about it."
There was shouting downstairs. Weiss pretended not to notice the noise, and Blake followed her lead.
"I appreciate what you said at the Military Base. You…you didn't have to," Blake said awkwardly.
"I don't care what's happened between us, it doesn't change the fact that you deserve to be treated like a person."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me..."
Weiss glanced over at Blake who was staring dejectedly at the ground. This was the most she'd heard her speak since their fallout yesterday.
"How are you?" Weiss asked. "Is everything okay with you and Yang?"
"She's stopped talking to me…" Blake hugged herself. "She hates me now, and I can't blame her. I feel the same way."
Weiss scooted closer to Blake's side.
"I'm sorry about how I handled everything yesterday," Weiss said. "We should've talked about this in private."
"It's fine." Blake wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I had it coming. I shouldn't have invaded your privacy like that."
"It still doesn't excuse my actions."
They sat in another stretch of silence as the angry voices downstairs grew louder. A part of her wanted to go down and see what all the commotion was about, but she didn't want to end this conversation with Blake. It felt more important than whatever spat the others were having.
"I ended it with a single gunshot," Blake suddenly said. "That night with your aunt."
She'd already known that much from Adam. Still, she couldn't quite find the words to respond.
"Sienna asked me to deal with her. I don't know how the others got to their targets, but I snuck into the bedroom from her balcony. She was reading and didn't notice me until I'd entered her room."
"She didn't fight back, did she?"
"No. She tried to call for help but I…I threatened the life of her daughter." Blake dipped her head, her ears curling down. The cruel irony wasn't lost on Weiss either. "She begged for her life and tried to offer me money."
"What did you do?"
"I told her to get out of bed and kneel."
"And then you shot her?"
"I-I told her exactly what Adam and Sienna were doing to her husband and daughter." Her answer sent ice down Weiss' back. " I-I shot her in the head when she tried to beg for her daughter's life."
Weiss couldn't begin to imagine what her aunt's final moments were like. It was surreal to hear in detail how Blake had acted in the past. Even with the full story, Weiss still had difficulty picturing Blake as her aunt's executioner. It was like hearing about a completely different person.
"I'm sorry." Blake buried her face in her hands, shoulders trembling. "I-I don't have any excuses for what I did to her and so many others. I'm so sorry."
Weiss wrapped her arms around Blake. She kept holding her even when Blake's breathing finally evened out.
"I don't know if I can forgive you for killing my aunt, but I'm not going to hate you for things you've done in the past. You were misguided back then, and it's understandable why," Weiss breathed. "Thank you for telling me how it happened."
"I-I don't understand how you're still so nice to me…"
"I can see you're trying to make things right," Weiss explained. "We both did stupid things in our past, but we're better than that now. I trust the person you are today."
"Weiss..."
"And I owe you an apology too. I wasn't sincere when I apologised at Beacon, but I know better now. I'm sorry I lied to you.
"Everything I believed about the Faunus back then was wrong. I should've known better, but I was too stubborn to change my mind. I was too prideful to listen to what you were trying to tell me. I can't tell you how much I regret lying to your face."
Blake finally hugged her back.
"Thank you," Blake whimpered.
Nora's voice added to the noise downstairs. She screamed so loud Weiss heard the words trust and betrayed as clear as day. They held each other until the shouting simmered into muffled background noise.
"Do you mind if I ask something?" Blake asked as she pulled away.
"It's about Adam, isn't it?"
"He's Sienna's best agent. She's trained him to kill since he was a kid! I don't know why he's letting you live, but it can't be for any good reason. If anything, he's playing with you to break you down later! You can't trust him, Weiss."
Weiss could see the genuine concern reflected in Blake's face. She smiled and placed her hand on top of Blake's cold ones.
"Blake–"
"I've been on many missions with him! You don't know how fast he acts to kill Humans. It doesn't matter how petty their crimes are, his one and the only solution is to–"
"Listen to me." She squeezed Blake's trembling hands. "Did I ever tell you about the first Faunus I'd ever met?"
Blake stared at her with furrowed brows. Weiss took her moment of speechlessness to delve into her history with Adam and their recent journey together. She skimmed over more personal details of their time together – some stories weren't her's to tell.
"That's why I trust him," she finished softly. "He's trying to change his ways. He's proven that over and over to me."
Blake kept opening her mouth to respond, but she couldn't quite find the right words. Weiss remained silent to let Blake sort out her thoughts.
"I-I don't know what to say," Blake whispered. "I thought that side of him died a long time ago."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, intrigued.
"I met him when he was still...I don't know…innocent?" She shrugged. "He always kept to himself, but he was nice, like really nice compared to some other kids. I uh…I-I liked spending time with him."
Weiss held back the urge to tease her when she noticed Blake's cheeks burn with pink.
"A-anyway, the way you described him reminds me of when we were little. He wasn't as affectionate as he is to you, but he was selfless and thoughtful. Then…something changed when my parents stepped down as leaders. Sienna kept encouraging everyone to dispose of Humans who disrespected our people. Over time it was like a switch flipped, and every little thing set him off.
"That's what made me want to leave. Seeing him change into someone who could take an innocent life without blinking an eye…it was scary how similar he was to the Humans who hurt us. I didn't want to end up like him – like them. I had to find another way."
"Were you two close?" Weiss felt compelled to ask. She already knew the answer from Adam, but she was curious about what Blake had to say.
"I wouldn't say we were best friends, but we weren't strangers either. He offered to teach me how to fight when I struggled with training, and we worked together on a lot of missions, but that was it. He was always guarded about his personal life, so I could never get close."
Once again, a pink tint coloured Blake's cheeks. Adam talked about Blake as nothing more than a close colleague, but hearing Blake's side opened a new perspective. Did Blake like him more than a simple colleague?
"You seem really upset despite not being close to him..."
"Just because we weren't best friends doesn't mean it didn't hurt to see him turn into a monster."
That makes sense. He did teach her, and they had spent a lot of time together. It was only natural she cared about him.
"He's the not same person you once knew, Blake."
"I-I don't know about this, Weiss. After everything I've seen him do…"
"You still found a way to turn your life around," Weiss reminded her. "Is it so hard to believe he can do it too?"
Blake considered her comment in silence. The arguing downstairs had somehow gotten worse again. From what she could hear, it seemed Jaune was doing most of the yelling.
"I wouldn't have believed you if you hadn't described his past self so perfectly," Blake said with a small smile. "It still sounds too good to be true, but I'll trust you. You seem to know him a lot better than I do."
"Thank you." Weiss beamed. "I'm sorry I was so cryptic about my past with him."
"I'm not exactly in the position to scold you about keeping secrets." Blake grinned sheepishly.
"Let's call it even?"
"Yeah. That sounds good." Blake's hands rested on top of hers. "Honestly, I'd like to see him again after everything you've told me. I want to see what he's like for myself."
"I tried to get him to join us, but he didn't want to get involved with us yet."
"That's not surprising. It's terrifying to surround yourself with Humans when you've spent your whole life learning how evil they are."
"I wish he'd give our team a chance." Weiss looked out their window, wondering if he was somewhere nearby. "I know he's strong, but I'm scared he'll get reckless and face something that he can't come back from."
"He's the last person you need to worry about."
"You're right, but there's always a chance something could go wrong. What if Sienna ambushes him when he's alone? I've seen her break his Aura, Blake, and I'm scared she'll do it again when he's by himself."
"Adam's not stupid. He won't make that mistake again if he can help it."
"Accidents can still happen. I should've tried harder to convince him to travel with us. At least then he'd have people around him if someone tries to catch him off guard."
"You seem awfully concerned about him."
"Of course I am. It took so much work to get to where we are today. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him."
"And where exactly are you two today?" Blake questioned with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
The house went deafeningly quiet. The shouting downstairs was completely mute now.
"Oh, you know." Blake tilted her head curiously. "Are you and Adam–"
A loud bang from down the hall made them both jump. Weiss and Blake unsheathed their swords and hurried out of the room. Jaune's door was the only one shut in the hall. When they knocked on it, they got no reply.
"Maybe something happened downstairs," Blake suggested.
They hurried down to the main floor. Ruby was the only one left in the house, pacing anxiously by the front door. There were no signs of a struggle. Everything else in the house remained untouched.
"What's going on?" Weiss asked, sheathing her sword again.
"We told them about Ozpin and Salem," Ruby replied, chewing on her nails. "Jaune's team isn't taking the news very well."
"Where's Yang?" Blake asked, searching the house for her.
"She went to go after Oscar," Ruby replied with a heavy sigh. "Jaune uh…got a bit carried away with him."
Big shout out to RokenDarkly because their review reminded me that Hazel and Lionheart are different characters. For some reason, I thought Hazel was the name of Haven's headmaster lmao. I think because Hazel and Haven both start with H it got me confused.
Thanks to a Guest reader, Kaze, CMDR Quillon, LiteralWhiteTrash, Gleaming Onyx, Able and Table, and Unsung Senpai for the reviews!
Also, thanks for the 200 follows on this story! Pretty wild that there are 200 people who actively want updates to this :0