Weiss let out a sigh of content as she continued running her brush through her unbound hair. Her efforts at tugging through the snow-white locks brought about an echoing sound of heavy friction throughout the living room. Without warning, her brush snagged on a painful tangle, and she scrunched her face as she worked through the knot in a rocking motion.
"Keep that up, and you'll rip your hair out," Ilia warned as she walked into the living room in a set of deep purple pajamas with the Atlas Academy logo upon the right breast. "Want me to get it?"
"Please," Weiss answered as she passed the brush over her shoulder to Ilia, who climbed onto the couch behind her. "My hair has gotten… a bit out of control, in length."
"Want me to cut it?" Ilia asked as she took Weiss' locks in hand and began to brush them out properly. "There's a pair of scissors in the bathroom."
"What? No," Weiss replied emphatically as she turned her head slightly to catch Ilia in her peripheral vision. "I just… I need to find a new way to wear it. I actually like the length- I'm just not used to it."
"Could braid it," Ilia suggested with a shrug as she continued working out the knots. "I can handle that after we get you untangled, if you want to see how it looks."
Weiss mulled over the proposition for a moment while rolling the cuff of her own pair of silken Atlas Academy pajamas between her fingers.
"…I don't see why not. Thank you, Ilia. I'm glad that you and I have been on… better terms, for a while now. Things seemed tense when we started out on this journey together."
"You've got that right," Ilia grumbled as she went about straightening Weiss' hair, the silvery curtain finally devoid of tangles. "You can thank Sun for that. If he's cool with you, then I'm cool with you."
"That doesn't seem to be true for General Ironwood," Weiss pointed out. She received a ragged sigh in response, and Ilia shook her head as she gathered Weiss' hair in sections to begin braiding.
"He's in a position of power, making grandiose plans he doesn't have the means to execute efficiently on his own, and silently endorses your family by letting your dad run for office. Of course I don't trust him."
"Well, he can't just outright silence my father," Weiss offered. "It's not like he's done anything illegal… at least, not publicly. The people of Mantle will see through his lies and make the right call. People won't follow such a transparently malicious individual."
"I did," Ilia replied simply. "Two of them. I got burned both times, and I'm done putting my faith in people who think they're above others… especially when 'others' means an entire species. That goes both ways."
Weiss fell silent as she stared ahead at the large windowed wall that led out to the balcony. The rich purple curtains were drawn to hide the glass from view, and she studied their wrinkles intently as she tried to think of what to say.
"I… don't blame you, but we do need people in positions of power, Ilia. Society crumbles, otherwise."
"Limited power. Sun is fine as a leader of a small group, and I'll back Ironwood because Sun trusts him… but I don't. The second that man shows his true colors, I'm out," Ilia warned.
"I think you're being unfair," Weiss said quickly, only to bring about another uncomfortable silence as Ilia suddenly stopped braiding her hair. The two sat totally still until Weiss finally spoke again, her tone a bit colder. "Unfair, and honestly… a bit narrow-minded and childish. Not everyone here in Atlas is trying to get one over on others, regardless of their affiliations and the things happening around them. I think my sister did a decent job of proving that."
Weiss tensed as she awaited Ilia's response, half expecting for the other girl to strike her from behind. Instead, she received a long, drawn-out sigh as Ilia finally went back to braiding her hair.
"…yeah. Yeah, I know. I'm just… I'm frustrated, Weiss, by so, so many things right now, and I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels and going in circles. I feel like a lot of my life was totally wasted up until this point, and I also don't know how I'm going to take being here, of all places," Ilia confessed.
"…I feel all of those things as well," Weiss replied softly. "Every last one of them… but I'm holding on to hope that we're doing the right thing now, and that it will make up for those wasted years. I'm trusting in my sister's judgment that General Ironwood is worth serving, and that she knows what she's doing by continuing to be his right hand. Even if that's not good enough for you to trust in him, then can you do it for me? For Sun?"
"I can try, I guess. I'm… glad you'll call me out on my bullshit, at least," Ilia mumbled as she finished the braid. "There. C'mon, let's head to the bathroom so you can see what you look like."
Weiss slipped off the couch and led the way to the other room, before flicking on the lights and leaning over the counter to look at herself in the mirror. In place of her free-hanging side ponytail was instead a large, tightly-knit braid rising from the back of her skull and hanging down to her waist. Weiss turned from side to side to take in the view, letting the long braid swish around herself in the process.
"My hair has gotten that long?" she questioned, looking to Ilia's reflection within the glass.
"Yeah," the chameleon girl replied with a shrug, her arms folded across her chest. "When you straighten it, anyway. If you like it, I can do it pretty quickly in the morning."
"I love it," Weiss confirmed as she turned and gave the other girl a nod. Slowly, she raised her arms and offered a hug, which the other girl accepted. "Thank you, Ilia."
"Sure. Favor for a favor?"
Weiss broke the hug and folded her hands before herself, standing at the ready.
"Of course. What can I do for you?" she asked, while tilting her head to one side.
"…cut mine?" Ilia asked as she reached behind herself and gathered her loose hair into its usual ponytail. "I can't stand it anymore, especially after fighting all day today and getting it bogged down with seawater and blood."
Weiss' eyes widened slightly as she searched the other girl's face.
"You're certain? Your hair looks adorable…"
"Yeah, that's another reason," Ilia replied with a scowl as she let her hair drop back down to hang against her back. "I'm tired of looking adorable. I want to look hot. Fierce. The 'princess' look suits you, but I'm done being cute. C'mon, I just showered, so it'll be easy."
"If you're sure," Weiss replied hesitantly. "I've never cut hair before, but I'll do the best I can. What sort of thing are you looking for? Just… chop it off, and work around that?"
"Pretty much," Ilia answered as she briefly disappeared from the room. A moment later, she reappeared in the doorway, carrying one of the stools that normally rested in front of the kitchen island. "Just… short. Choppy. Something easy to manage that doesn't take twenty minutes to wash."
"Stop making it sound so tempting," Weiss joked as she retrieved a pair of scissors from the medicine cabinet and gestured to the stool. Ilia hopped up onto it and cracked her neck, before letting out a sigh. "Do you think this will help with some of your tension?"
"Maybe. I hope so," Ilia mused as Weiss began to get to work. She watched in the mirror as Weiss gathered up her hair into a ponytail and held it, looking unsure as she leveled the scissors at the base of the collection. "Do it."
Weiss grimaced as she severed the entire ponytail from Ilia's head, just below the base. She placed the bundle of hair upon the counter with a nervous smile, before running her hands through Ilia's remaining hair and beginning to straighten it out with a comb.
"Well… no coming back from that. May I ask what else is weighing you down, lately? You seem miserable, ever since the boat..."
"A lot," Ilia said with a shrug as Weiss went about snipping and trimming her hair. "There's the obvious with Cinnamon, but it's mostly just being here. My parents died in a dust mine collapse, Weiss. It gives the entire place a heavy air that's putting me on edge. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't know it would make me feel this bad, this quickly."
"I… honestly don't know how to help you with that," Weiss admitted as she kept her eyes on Ilia's hairline. "And I feel like apologizing would almost be patronizing and come off as insincere."
"Just listening helps, as cliché as it sounds," Ilia replied. "I mean, I guess it does. With the possibility of us going into dust mines to gather gravity dust for Ironwood, I… I don't know if I can do it. I think that's another reason I'm resisting him."
"At least you recognize that," Weiss said cautiously. "I'm sure he wouldn't force you to join us in there, if he knew. You should talk to him."
"Yeah. Maybe…" Ilia trailed off as she looked down at her lap. "I'm also… I'm also starting to feel really lonely."
Weiss raised a brow, all too aware of the crestfallen tone that Ilia's voice had suddenly adopted.
"…lonely? Even with all of us here?" she asked, knowing that the question was a pointless one.
"…not like that. This stays between you and me, alright?" Ilia insisted as she locked eyes with Weiss through the mirror.
"…of course," Weiss reassured. "Any time you want to talk, I'll make myself available, and keep it between us. It's the least I can do for a friend."
"Then… yeah. Seeing Sun so miserable, stressed out, and faking a smile all the time makes me not want to bother him as much, even if he insists otherwise. I know his mind's on Blake and how badly he wants to see her again, as well as our new mission. He doesn't need me clinging to his arm and looking up to him while I spout off about my problems," Ilia deadpanned.
"I'm sure he'd still let you do so, regardless," Weiss offered in an unsure voice. "I'm sure he wants you to go to him for help…"
"Yeah, but I'm also jealous. Jealous of him for having Blake, and… weirdly, jealous of Blake for having him. I'm as gay as Atlas is corrupt, but even I'll admit that Sun is something else. I want something like what they have. I've wanted it for a long time, but seeing those two so deeply in love is starting to grate on my nerves, especially now, and I hate that, because I know it's totally unfair and shitty of me."
The constant snipping sounds of Weiss' scissors stopped abruptly as she tried to process the information, her face turning scarlet as she kept her eyes on Ilia's hair.
"O-oh. I… I see," Weiss fumbled before clearing her throat and getting back to work. "While I'll gladly listen and offer advice, I… I think you'll find that I'm likely your worst option for discussing anything… like that. I have no experience in the field."
"That was a hell of a lot of words for 'I've never had a boyfriend'," Ilia said as she rolled her eyes. "And that's fine. I'm not judging, and I'm not looking for a mystical solution, or for you to hook me up. You asked what's bothering me, and I answered. I feel like an asshole for starting to almost resent Sun sometimes. He's my big bro, and I think… part of it is that I almost feel mad at him for taking on so much and insisting he's fine, when he's clearly not?"
"That's understandable," Weiss considered. "But… I think you're being too hard on yourself. There are many forms of love, Ilia. Even I know that."
"Gross," Ilia sassed. "And yeah, I know. Then again, I'm too much of a mess right now for a relationship. I'd probably be better off just having someone to fuck every so often."
Weiss' hand slipped as she sliced away a bit more hair than intended, though she quickly correctly the misaligned cut as she offered Ilia a sheepish smile.
"I… ah, well, I'm… even less experienced in that area, so I really do apologize, but I hope venting is helping…?"
"It is," Ilia confirmed. "Honestly, seeing you squirm or get all huffy at any mention of sex has always lifted my mood. Speaking of- is Yang single?"
Weiss breathed out through her nose harshly as she began working on the final detailing of Ilia's hair while ducking down to avoid the girl's line of sight.
"Now, you're just taunting me. Yes, Yang is single, so far as I know, and also the type to… explore, as it were. All I ask is that if the two of you do become 'friends with benefits', you keep that knowledge from me," Weiss finished.
Ilia snorted lightly with laughter.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I'm kinda surprised you know what 'friends with benefits' even means. I also never thought to ask until just now, but are you single? Not asking for myself, asking out of curiosity." Weiss' shoulders slumped almost immediately, and for a moment, Ilia felt rather terrible as she watched the other girl's posture change. "...sore subject?"
"No, I…" Weiss began, only to shake her head. "Never mind. It's… yes, I'm alone. Can we please just leave it at that?"
"Hey, whoa," Ilia protested, her tone serious. "You've listened to all of my shit, it's only fair that I listen to yours. What's wrong?"
Weiss paused as she lowered the scissors from Ilia's hair and sighed.
"I just haven't found that 'spark' with anyone yet, and I feel…" Weiss trailed off, before shaking her head. "…that's all. How does it look?"
Ilia opened her mouth to continue the conversation before thinking better of it and clamming up. She stood from the stool and turned while looking at herself in the mirror, only to find her hair had been shorn into a straight, cheekbone-length pixie cut not far removed from Ruby's style. Ilia smiled softly as she ruffled her hand through her hair, messing it up a bit. Weiss bit her lip and sighed, shifting a bit as she stepped in place.
"I know, it's… not really gr-"
"It's perfect," Ilia praised. "Just the kind of shakeup I needed."
"Really?" Weiss asked before letting out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. I was afraid I'd made a mess o-"
"Yo, where you guys at!?" came a call from out in the living room. "I got supplies!"
Ilia nearly launched out of the bathroom, and Weiss followed along at a much slower and more reasonable pace. Yang stood in the living room with a collection of shopping bags propped up beside herself on the kitchen counter, wearing her usual outfit of brown leathers.
"…oh. Oh damn," the blonde commented with a filthy grin. "You look cute."
Ilia initially bristled at the choice of words, but offered a smile of her own all the same.
"Thanks! Weiss did it. I was just feeling a change, you know?"
"Nope," Yang said with a shrug. "Haven't had my hair cut in years. Still, it looks great. Help me get all of this shit put away, and then we'll wind down for the night?"
"Of course," Weiss offered as she stepped forward and began unpacking the shopping bags. "Tomorrow is… a new beginning, for everyone. I've got to visit the infirmary and get my wounds checked out, before anything else."
"Uh, any reason you didn't do that tonight?" Yang questioned as she lifted a box of macaroni and cheese from a shopping bag. "It seems pretty damned important.
"…it's been days already, and I feel mostly functional," Weiss protested as Ilia shook her head.
"Still. Get on that, tomorrow. I've got no real plans, outside of whatever the higher ups might have planned for us."
"I've got a thing or two I want to take care of before Ironwood starts sending us into the field," Yang said cryptically. "But first, we all need rest. Am I on the couch tonight?"
"About that- the beds are queens, and you said you're not a prude. I'm down to share and give Weiss, who is a prude, her own bed," Ilia offered nonchalantly as she went about taking out packages of deli meat.
"Hey!" Weiss protested as she narrowed her eyes at Ilia.
"Is she wrong? Weiss, we could sleep together if you want," Yang taunted. "Wanna be my little spoon?"
Weiss went crimson once again as she kept her eyes on the groceries and merely mumbled to herself. Yang simply laughed, before offering Ilia a shrug.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds like a plan to me."
"Cool," Ilia replied as she transferred a carton of milk to the refrigerator. "Then I guess that's that. I'm gonna run my head under the sink and maybe make a few more cuts to my hair once I see it soaked, and then I'll meet you in the bedroom?"
"I'll be there," Yang offered as she rolled the collection of empty plastic bags into a ball and tossed them into the trash. She watched Ilia disappear into the bathroom before raising a brow at Weiss, who stood leaning against the counter with her arms folded across her chest and a conflicted look upon her face. "Hey, you alright?"
"Hm?" Weiss asked as her expression returned to neutral and her eyes snapped to Yang's. "Oh, I'm alright, yes. Thank you for asking."
"If you say so," Yang replied with her suspicion clear in her voice. "You know I'm always around if you want to talk. We are still Team RWBY."
"Yes, of course," Weiss replied before clearing her throat. "That being said, I… am rather exhausted. I think I should turn in."
"You do that," Yang agreed with a nod. "Get some sleep, Weiss. This hasn't been easy on any of us."
"No, it hasn't. Have fun with Ilia, I suppose?" Weiss offered.
"Oh. I will," Yang replied with a devious smile as she shot Weiss a wink.
Weiss merely smiled nervously before turning on her heel and making her way for her bedroom. Despite all of her efforts, she couldn't shake the crushing feeling of loneliness that had been in her chest ever since her conversation with Ilia.
Author's Note:
This scene ended up being a lot longer than I intended, but here we are. More frequent updates will start happening soon- after all, we've got a lot of ground to cover… and some characters that haven't been seen in a long time to hit up soon.
-RD