Weiss stood in her living room, one cup of coffee in hand, a marker in the other. She took a sip, staring at the blank white board she'd wheeled from her office.
Behind her, Ruby sat in a spinny chair, also from Weiss' office. Neptune sat on the couch. Sun stood in the corner.
Ruby raised her hand.
"Yes Red?" Weiss asked, taking another sip.
"Can I hit this?" Ruby asked, holding a vape pen up.
Weiss glanced back. She sighed. She put down her coffee and held out her hand.
"Give it." Weiss said.
Ruby sheepishly set it into Weiss' palm. Weiss held it, tapping the tip against her lip. She took it into her mouth and sucked. A massive cloud of vapor bloomed from her lips, cascading over the white board.
"Here's the plan." Weiss said, uncapping the marker. She doodled the plan as she spoke. "We need to wait until payday so we have a decent chunk of change for the move. If we're gonna keep Father off our tracks, we need to be out of here ASAP. And we need funds that are untraceable. So-" Weiss whirled. "You two are going to help with that."
"We are?" Neptune asked.
"What do you need?" Sun said, shrugging.
"Can I pleaaaase hit that?" Ruby begged.
Weiss flicked the vape at Ruby's forehead, smacking her dead between the eyes. Ruby spun in the chair, trying to catch the vape.
"Got it!" Ruby said triumphantly.
"You're gonna give us your checks." Weiss said, drawing big dollar signs on the board.
Neptune barked out a laugh.
"And I'll live on what? My savings?" Neptune asked.
"No, you'll live on my credit cards." Weiss answered.
"Nice." Sun grinned, folding his hands behind his head. "I'm down."
"But, won't we get caught?" Neptune asked.
"Nope!" Ruby answered, exhaling vapor. "So long as you follow the rules."
"What rules?" Neptune asked, reaching for the vape. Ruby went to give it to him, but Weiss intervened, snatching the vape from Ruby's fingers. Neptune's heart broke.
"It's simple." Weiss said, taking a hit. "You shop at the same places I shop. You buy ingredients as expensive as I buy, and you stock up on a few necessities I've been needing while you're living it up."
Ruby snaked the vape from Weiss and passed it to Neptune. He received it like a blessing from god.
"In return, you give us the cash equivalent of your checks. Keep what you need for rent and stuff, but food and groceries are covered and then some." Ruby said.
"Which is why we'll let this run a month." Weiss said. "So we don't take all your money. Just enough to get a moving truck, movers, ferry ticket, and a little bit on the other side so I can pay for a room."
"I told you my family would let you stay with us." Ruby whined.
"And I told you I will do everything I can to not be a burden." Weiss said matter-of-fact.
"Why not just use the cards?" Neptune asked.
"Because I don't want my Father to know where I've gone." Weiss said. "He doesn't pay attention to me. But he does pay attention to this restaurant. To how I use my finances. If something crosses the credit card he doesn't like, my buying power is frozen and I am penniless."
Sun, Neptune, and Ruby looked at each other, brows raised.
"He can do that?" Ruby asked.
"He's done it six times." Weiss said.
"That's insane." Sun said, flabbergasted.
"When?" Neptune asked.
"Twice in the year before this. Twice again four years ago. And twice again six years ago." Weiss answered, counting them off on her fingers.
"Okay, weird." Sun said, scratching his head.
"Super weird." Neptune agreed. "But I meant 'when does he do this?'"
"When I push him." Weiss said simply. She let her breath fill her lungs, then exhaled. "Seven years ago I performed my last concert. That night, I went to the hospital."
"I heard about that." Neptune said. "Someone put acid in your cup or something?"
"Actually, no." Weiss said, fingers digging into her arms. "That was the cover story. I actually stabbed a battery, and swallowed it."
"What?" Ruby whispered.
"It was a nine-volt." Weiss said, her throat choking the words out. She brushed her eyes. "I was tired. I was done. And after the hospital, the paparazzi hounded me. And I lashed out."
Ruby stood up from her chair, embracing Weiss. She squeezed her tight.
"It's fine Ruby." Weiss reassured her, patting Ruby's hair. "Really."
Ruby hugged harder.
"Ruby." Weiss sighed.
"You can talk and get hugs at the same time." Ruby mumbled.
Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat. She let her hands come to rest at the small of Ruby's back, pressing her nose against Ruby's shoulder.
"After the hospital, I was bedridden for months. None of my funds from singing were in my name. Since my Father sponsored me, there was some legal bullshit concerning the profits. I could use the money I made, but only a certain amount, and only from a few cards. That basically continued after. But after the hospital, he could shut them off."
"How?" Sun asked.
"I don't know." Weiss said, pulling away from Ruby to face him. "But he can. And he did. When I tried to take a vacation, he denied me. When I found a woman who liked me, he shut off my funds and threatened her."
"Fuck." Sun said, pulling the vape from his mouth.
"Yeah. So, I need your money." Weiss said plainly.
"Well, you've got it." Neptune answered. He held his fingers between the two. "I speak for both of us."
Weiss swallowed a lump in her throat. Quietly, she peeled away from Ruby and went to Neptune, wrapping her arms around him.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"You're good." Neptune answered, returning the hug. He motioned Sun over, and they sandwiched Weiss between them in a hamburger hug.
Weiss sighed, sniffling.
"Can I join in?" Ruby asked quietly.
Neptune and Sun released their arms. Ruby rushed in, shoving her arms between the boys and Weiss, pulling her girlfriend into her embrace. Neptune and Sun closed the door, wrapping their arms around the couple like a shield.
They stood like that, quiet. A silent and potent display of kinship.
"You smell like a fryer." Weiss said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah." Neptune pulled back. "Didn't have a chance to wash it."
"Groooosss." Ruby said into Weiss' hair.
Sun started laughing. Neptune and Ruby followed suit, their laughter rumbling all around Weiss.
Weiss, for her part, simply beamed.
~0~
When Weiss was a little girl, she learned about sinew and gristle. How she could chew and chew and chew and there could be no meat left and she'd still be chewing. Until she tried to swallow, and half the gristle choked her. The other half sat on the back of her tongue, below her sinus, threatening to sink further. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't talk. Her head got fuzzy and clouded. Adrenaline stretched her nerves and stretched time with them.
Then Father had shoved his fingers into her mouth and pulled the sinew out. And Weiss had breathed. And she'd looked at him and he'd slapped her.
The two weeks waiting for Sun and Neptune's money was like swallowing gristle.
Open the kitchen. Do the prep. Serve the food. She drew the days out like strings on a violin, and with each passing day one of them snapped. And she grew sloppy.
Missing a temperature on steak. A streak of grease on a plate. A forgotten order.
"I need a lamb please!" Weiss called out. "Dillon, table forty."
"I fired table thirty Chef!" Dillon said, running past. "Forty is halfway." He disappeared from the kitchen.
"Shit!" Weiss snapped. She looked at the board. "That's a mid-rare. I need a mid-rare on the fly Dusk! Chef, slow down the 'Capone and soup for thirty!"
"Heard Chef, slowing Al!" Ruby called out. "I've got a salmon with BBK in two for 65!"
"That isn't fired yet Chef!" Weiss said. She looked over her shoulder. "Sabrina, how's 65?"
"Oh, I can take it." Sabrina said, brushing past. "It's a couple sharing it."
"They shared the app too." Ruby called out. "Figured they'd flirt a bit, so they'd take longer."
"Oh they were doting." Sabrina confirmed. "Be right back for that!"
"Good timing Chef, don't get cocky." Weiss smirked.
"Don't have the equipment Chef!" Ruby beamed, eliciting a laugh from her station-mate.
Weiss beamed back, and she could breathe again.
When Weiss could leave the kitchen and park her car at Ruby's apartments and walk through Ruby's front door and collapse on Ruby's bed. Then she'd feel Ruby's arms embrace her and—- Time thawed. Her nerves stitched back together. Her heart hummed.
Everything in its place.
So it went for two weeks. One Sunday morning, Weiss found herself sitting on Ruby's couch, gently petting a sleeping Ruby's hair, her other hand holding a book.
There were two sharp knocks at the door.
Weiss jolted, waking Ruby.
"Whassup?" Ruby yawned, pushing herself up from Weiss' lap.
"Sorry Ruby." Weiss apologized, missing Ruby's warmth from her lap.
Another knock at the door.
Weiss slipped a bookmark between the pages and left the book on the side table. She hurried to the door and opened it.
"Hey!" Neptune greeted Weiss with a smile.
"Hey yourself." Weiss smiled back. She looked behind him. "Where's Sun?"
"The light of my life?" Neptune said, grinning. "He's outside with the moving van."
"Why does he have a moving van?" Weiss asked.
"Because we're coming with!" Neptune declared.
"Really?!" Ruby said, bouncing from the couch.
"What?" Weiss deadpanned.
"Aw, cheer up Weiss." Neptune said. "You'll get to see me way more."
"Why the hell are you coming with us?" Weiss asked, pinching her nose. "You have jobs here. Leases. Friends."
"We can cook anywhere." Neptune shrugged. "Our other friends aren't as cool as you. And I found some of those friends to take over our lease." Neptune wagged two finger guns at Weiss. "So we're in the clear."
"We're taking a boat to Patch." Weiss growled.
"And I won't think about it at all until we've crossed!" Neptune crossed his heart.
"Are you afraid of boats?" Ruby asked.
"He's a thalassophobe." Weiss sighed.
"Can't stand the mystery of the ocean." Neptune grinned. "It's terrifying."
Weiss opened her mouth to argue further, but Sun held up his hand.
"We're coming with you." Sun said. "Might be for a few weeks, maybe a few months, maybe longer." Sun glanced at Neptune. "It's not a big deal."
"It's not worth the trouble." Weiss said. "I'll be fine. Ruby will be fine."
"You're saying it's not worth the trouble. But you are worth the trouble." Sun said simply. "So we're going."
"But-"
"You protected me as a faunus and never judged me. Not once." Sun snapped. "You're kind, smart, and have one hell of a temper. But you give a shit. You gave a shit about me. You gave a shit about Neptune, the perpetual fuck-up."
"Hey!" Neptune protested. Then shrugged. "I mean, it's true, but hey."
"We're both better having you in our lives." Sun said, arms folded, biceps bulging in radiant determination. "What's a few months to make sure you're settled?"
Tears welled up in Weiss' eyes. She wiped them away, but they still came.
"You've got to stop this." Weiss said, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Nah." Neptune grinned.
"Group hug?" Sun asked.
"We did that last week." Weiss protested.
"Doggy pile!" Ruby exclaimed, barreling towards Weiss.
"No, waaai-" Weiss tried to dodge, but Ruby grabbed her by the waist, pulling her down to the floor. "Noooo!" Weiss giggled.
Sun and Neptune looked at each other, then shrugged.
"Cannonball!" Sun yelled.
"Jack knife!" Neptune joined in. The boys piled on top of Ruby and Weiss.
"Ooooooof!" Weiss grunted. "You're all so fucking heavy!" She complained.
"It's the weight of the world Weiss!" Neptune laughed. "Don't let the bastards get you down!"
"These bastards are going to crush me!" Weiss exclaimed.
The four of them laughed, and Ruby planted a gentle kiss on Weiss' cheek.
"You're not alone." She whispered.
Weiss knew. She knew.
Ruby 'called in sick', staying with the boys to pack up her place. After they were done, the plan was to go to Weiss' and grab the few things she needed. Weiss would meet them at her place at the end of the night.
The last shift was nothing special. In fact, it was so ordinary it set Weiss on edge. No last minute cancellations, no last minute walk-ins. No strange substitutions or complaints about the temperature of the meats. No problems with prep, no angry chefs or quiet whispers behind her back.
As the day came to a close, Weiss took a look around the kitchen. She saw the pastry box kept in the corner, filled with the cookies she'd baked just yesterday. Her fingertips touched the glass, smudging it.
"Everyone!" Weiss clapped her hands together, getting the attention of the kitchen. "There's a problem."
The kitchen, relaxed from the easy day, tensed up. The front of house peeked through the pass, expecting an angry outburst.
"These cookies," Weiss gestured to the pastry box. "Are no good. They don't deserve to be sold to our customers. So, before everyone leaves tonight, I need you to empty this box." Weiss grabbed a small to-go box and filled it with five of the small pastries. "How you do that is up to you, but I need this box spotless before everyone heads out. Is that clear?"
The kitchen, gobsmacked, looked at each other. Not quite understanding what the hell was going on.
"Is that clear?" Weiss asked again.
"Yes Chef!" The kitchen answered.
"Good." Weiss let her hair down. "See you tomorrow. Make sure everything is shut off." She grabbed her bag and walked out the back door, leaving an excited staff to devour the sweets she'd left behind.
Weiss unlocked her car and tossed her bag in. She pulled out her smokes and lit one, leaning against the trunk. She took in the Gele Gloxinia. Her first restaurant. Her only restaurant.
But it was never hers. Just an illusion. A scratched reflection of a life she could've lived. Where the Gele wasn't the Gele and her Father wasn't her Father and all the work she put into this kitchen was fucking worth it.
Weiss sucked down her cigarette, then dropped it on the pavement, crushing it beneath her shoe. She picked it back up, and slipped it inside her pack. She got into her car, and drove off.
Ruby was waiting for her. Her friends were waiting for her. A new kitchen, a new life, and more work that could be worth it. It was all waiting for her.
Off she went.
~0~
"Wow! I'm beat!" Ruby said, collapsing on the motel bed, yawning hard.
Weiss yawned in agreement. Ten hours of driving really took it out of a person. She sat on the bed next to Ruby, her hand embracing that of her girlfriend's.
Girlfriend.
"We're girlfriends now, right?" Weiss asked.
"That's a fucking silly question." Neptune said, walking through the door to the room, Sun in tow.
Weiss stuck her tongue out at Neptune, who's brow shot up in amusement.
"Yes." Ruby answered, pushing herself up from the bed. "We're girlfriends." She gently nuzzled Weiss' cheek with her nose, then planted a kiss. "And right now, this girlfriend could use a shower."
"Me too." Sun said.
"Me three." Weiss chimed in.
"Well, that settles it." Neptune clapped his hands together. "We're all sharing the shower."
"Perv." Weiss said, rolling her eyes.
"It's true." Neptune admitted, hand to his heart. "I have excellent taste in all bodies."
Ruby got up, punching Neptune's arm on the way.
"I'll go first." Ruby said. "Keep an eye on this fucker."
"I hardly know her." Neptune grinned.
Ruby grabbed a towel, then paused.
"If you're afraid of water, how do you keep clean?" Ruby asked.
"Milk mostly." Sun said.
"Ha ha." Neptune sat on the second bed, kicking off his shoes. "I'm not afraid of water until I can't see the bottom. Never know what's down there."
"Got it." Ruby clicked her tongue. "I'll be quick."
"Your reputation precedes you." Sun jibed.
"Blegh!" Ruby stuck her tongue out at Sun. She turned and blew a kiss at Weiss. "Find a movie or something would ya? Something to fall asleep to."
"Yes dear. Now shoo, you smell like a truck cab." Weiss waved her fingers at the bathroom door.
Ruby grinned. She shut the door behind her. A moment later, the water switched on, and Ruby's soft singing leaked through the door.
Weiss grabbed the remote, set on completing her task.
"You know Nep," Sun started. "If you just imagine my ass at the bottom of every body of water, you'd probably be less afraid of the unknown."
"Just your ass?" Neptune said.
"Sure. Two perfect loaves of bread shining a light in the dark." Sun chuckled, sitting next to Neptune.
"Sounds like you got hit by the mob." Neptune sighed, laying back on the bed. "The rest of you at the bottom, but your ass floats."
"'Cause it's so fat." Sun looked at his butt, tail flicking with amusement.
"Gross." Neptune sighed.
"If you wanna share the shower, I don't mind. I know what I got." Sun teased.
"We're already sharing a bed. The shower is my one moment away from you." Neptune groaned.
"Can you believe this guy?" Sun said to Weiss, jabbing his thumb at Neptune. "Suddenly he wants to get away from me."
"I spent the whole day in the car with you!" Neptune said, sitting up. "And you played your music the whole time!"
"No taste whatsoever." Sun said, shaking his head.
"You can't play a mash-up of Low-Rider and KING OF THE FUCKING HILL!" Neptune cried out in exasperation.
"Hey, you loved that mash-up." Sun pointed out.
"After the first time!" Neptune said, tearing at his hair. "Not the seventh!"
"It gets better after the thirteenth play. You really start to understand the marriage." Sun said sagely.
"Weeeeeiiissss!" Neptune whined.
"I'm sorry, I can't hear either of you." Weiss said, exhausted. "Do you think she'd like this one?" She asked.
"Groundhog Day?" Sun shrugged. "Sure, who doesn't like Groundhog Day?"
"Weren't some people pissed the groundhog was played by a rat faunus?" Neptune asked.
"Only bigots and idiots." Sun shrugged. "The prosthetics were good enough."
"But what about the representation?" Neptune asked.
"What representation?" Sun asked. "There are no groundhog faunus."
"They're aren't?" Neptune asked.
"No." Sun pinched his nose. "We don't cover every species on the planet. There's no axolotl faunus either."
"Shame. Bet they'd be chill." Neptune sighed.
"They might have translucent skin." Sun mused.
"Easy doctor's visit." Weiss said, picking the movie. She paused it, turning to her friends. "Broken bone? No x-ray required. Just look at it."
The shower shut off. A few moments later, a damp Ruby in pajamas opened the door.
"Hey!" Ruby greeted the trio. "We got a movie?"
"Groundhog Day." Weiss answered.
"Great!" Ruby finished toweling off her hair. "Who's next?"
"I'll go." Sun said, standing up. "Keep this perv from peeping on me."
"You're sharing a bed with that perv." Ruby said. "He's got plenty of opportunity."
"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it." Sun grinned.
The door to the motel room rattled as a key was fitted into it.
Everyone went silent as the lower lock undid itself. Then more rattling as the key fit into the deadbolt. The bolt slid back. A moment passed as adrenaline shot through the four in the room.
The door gently opened to three large men in black suits and glasses.
"Good evening." The leader greeted, stepping inside, his massive form filling the space.
"Hey buddy," Neptune said in a low voice. "I think you've got the wrong room."
"Oh, I know exactly where I am." The man said, looking around the room. "Ah, Groundhog Day. Big fan. It's got that vibe of doing the same thing over, and over, and over again. Only hoping for change." The man smirked, his gaze settling on Weiss.
Every nerve in Weiss' body was screaming.
"What do you want?" Weiss asked.
"Mr. Schnee wants to talk with you." The man said. "Privately."
"She's not going anywhere with you." Ruby growled.
"Unfortunately, it's my job." The man said.
"Well consider it fucking unnecessary." Ruby said, marching up to the man.
"Ruby, do-"
The second Ruby came in range, the man threw a backhand. His massive arm sent Ruby spinning to the ground.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, leaping from the bed. She pressed her hand against Ruby's cheek. It came away bloody. "Ruby!? Are you okay?!" Weiss asked desperately.
Ruby looked at her. Dazed, but not out. She offered a weak nod.
"Big mistake fucker." Neptune cracked his knuckles, Sun behind him.
"STOP!" Weiss said, holding her hand up.
"Weiss, he just-" Sun said.
"I know." Weiss said. "Just-" She looked straight at the man. "What does my Father want?"
"He said, and I quote, 'I'll give you everything you want if you give me exactly what I want.'" The man said, hands folded behind his back. "Otherwise, I'm on need to know."
Weiss looked at Ruby. Looked at the three men blocking the door. Looked at her friends.
Of course it wouldn't be this easy.
"I'll go." Weiss said.
"Weiss, don't-"
"Sun." Weiss cut through him. "There should be a clinic in town. Make sure Ruby is cared for." Weiss gave Ruby a kiss on her forehead.
"Weiss." Ruby said weakly. "Don't go."
"I have to." Weiss said softly. "But I'll be right back."
Ruby's lip quivered. Her hand played with the locks of Weiss' hair. Her jaw set.
"Don't give him anything. Don't let him have any more of you." Ruby said.
"I won't." Weiss lied. "I promise."
Weiss helped Ruby onto the bed. Sun grabbed ice from the mini-fridge to fashion an ice pack. Weiss faced the men.
"I'll go." She said.
"Good. Helicopter's outside." The man tossed some keys in the air. "Gotta return these before we head out. It's only polite."