Chapter 10: Send Your Lovers One and All
Weiss's hand trembled as she held her dagger out in front of her in a hopeless attempt to defend herself. She stood alone in the cold, and her feet crunched in the snow as she slowly backed away from an unseen threat. Harsh, unforgiving mountains surrounded her, and a gray and dreary sky smothered out the light from the sun overhead.
A spear came thrusting toward Weiss. She desperately tried to parry it with her dagger and somehow managed to deflect the blow away from her vulnerable body. However, it was a hollow victory. The High Leader of the White Fang suddenly appeared in front of her, radiating pure hatred and spite. And while she might have been wearing a full-face grimm mask, Weiss would recognize Sienna's ears and stripes anywhere.
Weiss continued to back away, but she knew it was pointless. There was nowhere for her to run, and there was nowhere for her to hide. Suddenly, her ankle collided with a rock, tripping her. She went tumbling to the ground, and the impact knocked her dagger out of her hand. She started scrambling backward, desperate to flee from Sienna any way she could, but the point of Sienna's spear came rushing toward her.
Weiss froze. She was dead, and she knew it. But amazingly, Sienna's spear stopped just short. Weiss trembled with fear as she focused on the spear's razor-sharp tip that was hovering a millimeter from her heart. But then, Weiss's eyes drifted up to Sienna's masked face. The wind suddenly picked up and blew Sienna's mask away. Weiss gasped. The person threatening her life wasn't Sienna at all. It was Blake. A sadistic smile spread across Blake's lips. Then she thrust her spear into Weiss's chest.
Weiss's whole body shook as she was startled awake, and her eyes flew open. All she could see at first was the dim glow of the alarm clock she kept on her nightstand. But gradually, the details of her penthouse's darkened bedroom came into focus. After a few panicked moments, Weiss realized she'd been having a nightmare. She wasn't being hunted by Sienna or Blake. She was safe in bed.
The clock's display indicated that it was still very early in the morning. Weiss let out an exasperated sigh. She'd hoped she'd finally been done with nightmares about Sienna Khan, but it seemed her stupid brain wasn't done tormenting her yet. It had even found a way to put a fresh twist on things by bringing Blake into the picture. It was all very annoying.
Weiss was lying on her side, facing out toward the edge of the bed. She could feel Ruby spooning against her from behind. She tried to relax herself by focusing on the sensation of Ruby's body pressing into hers, but that was when she noticed something else.
Weiss lifted up the covers, slowly so as not to disturb Ruby. Ruby was using Weiss's shoulder as a pillow instead of resting her head on the actual pillows like a normal person. And while Weiss did find it adorable, unfortunately, Ruby was drooling.
Weiss gently rolled onto her back. Then she reached out and guided Ruby's head off of her shoulder. Fortunately, Ruby remained fast asleep. Weiss looked in dismay at the wetted fabric of her nightgown, but she resolved not to worry about it. Had the drool belonged to anyone other than Ruby, Weiss's nightgown would have been in the incinerator, and she would have been in the shower, scouring herself with scalding hot water. Fortunately, Ruby was the exception to how Weiss felt about other people invading her personal space.
Stillness settled over the bedroom once more. Weiss tried to get back to sleep, but she was finding it difficult to quiet her mind. She would be meeting with Blake and Yang today, and she was hopeful that she'd finally receive a proper explanation as to what bizarre convergence of events had made Blake the High Leader of the White Fang. Now that the shock had worn off, Weiss was anxious to learn about what had happened. She was worried about what it might mean for the future. Blake may have been her friend, but the White Fang was still the White Fang.
Ruby suddenly stirred and let out a cute little whimpering noise. She was still lost in a deep slumber, but she started trying to snuggle in closer to Weiss again. After a few seconds of fidgeting, her head ended up right back on Weiss's shoulder.
Weiss huffed, but she also smiled. She quietly surrendered to Ruby's demands. How could she not? She'd come to understand recently that despite how much she treasured Ruby, she'd also been taking her for granted. Neither of them had mentioned it again, but Ruby's declaration of wanting to be married had shaken Weiss to her core. It had especially hurt because it was something she wanted too. And if that wasn't bad enough, Ruby's painfully obvious attraction to Jaune had dealt another serious blow to Weiss's confidence. She'd realized that there were other people out there for Ruby beside herself. Ruby was very much her own person, and if Weiss couldn't be who Ruby needed her to be, why should she expect Ruby to stay?
Ruby cuddled in a little closer to Weiss, as if she could sense Weiss's insecurities and was trying to reassure her. Weiss smiled a bittersweet smile. At the very least, Ruby was here now. Weiss tried to focus on that and did her best to get back to sleep. After all, she had a feeling that today was going to be a very big day.
Yang reclined on the padded bench she was sitting on as she looked about the space she was in. She and Blake were waiting in a private room at a karaoke bar right in the middle of downtown Atlas. The room's lights were dim so the screen of the karaoke machine mounted on the far wall was easy to read. There were a pair of padded benches built into two of the room's other walls, one facing the other, and there were three tables. Two of the tables were next to the benches and were meant for food and drinks, and the third, smaller table was over by the karaoke machine with a microphone resting on it.
The bar itself was called Karaokekan, and it seemed like a popular place. It wasn't even lunchtime yet, but Yang and Blake had walked through a small crowd of people to get to their private room. Yang imagined the place would be packed come the evening once Atlas's legion of office workers had left their jobs for the day.
Yang tried to amuse herself while she waited for Ruby and Weiss to show up by watching the karaoke machine's screen as it ran through its demo mode, but she quickly got bored. She glanced over at Blake who was sitting next to her. Blake was not wearing her White Fang robes for obvious reasons, and Yang couldn't help but steal a few glances at Blake's exposed navel peeking out from under her crop top.
Unfortunately, Blake looked like she was barely there. She was sitting up straight with a blank expression on her face and her hands neatly folded in her lap. Yang frowned. She'd really hoped that getting Blake away from the warehouse would be enough to reinvigorate her a little. Clearly, that hadn't been the case.
Yang grabbed the end of her braided hair. She lifted her braid up and tickled Blake's cheek with it.
"Hey!" Blake said, suddenly coming to life. She playfully batted Yang's hand away.
"So you are awake," Yang said.
"Sorry," Blake said. "I'm just…worried."
"About Weiss? Why?" Yang asked.
"No. Not about Weiss," Blake said.
Yang would've asked for more clarification, but she didn't need to. Blake had clearly been struggling with her newfound responsibility as High Leader. Yang was even starting to fear that Blake might feel responsible for faunus-kind as a whole. There was no way anyone could bear that kind of burden for long.
Yang leaned her shoulder into Blake's. She said, "You know what places like this are perfect for? Making out with your girlfriend."
"Yang…" Blake said.
"It'll help take your mind off things," Yang said.
"Weiss and Ruby will be here any moment," Blake said.
"So?" Yang asked. Her lips were already starting to drift closer to Blake's, and much to her relief, Blake wasn't pulling away.
Truth be told, Yang was positively aching to share any kind of physical intimacy with Blake that she could. It hadn't even been a full week since Blake's accession, but Yang had barely had a chance to so much as kiss her since then. Living in the cabin with Blake had gotten Yang accustomed to indulging herself frequently, and even before Blake, she'd had a steady stream of one-night stands, courtesy of the local bars in whatever town the Branwen camp had happened to be closest to at the time. She was already starting to suffer from withdrawals.
It disappointed Yang how much she'd been obsessing over physical gratification lately. But despite her growing concerns, she flatly refused to believe her love for Blake was only skin-deep. She loved Blake in every way that mattered, and she wanted to be able to show Blake she loved her in every way that she could.
Yang leaned in, and her lips drifted even closer to Blake's. However, just as they were about to reach their goal, the door to the room opened, and Yang heard Weiss say, "There you two are."
Yang reluctantly pulled away from Blake, trying not to get too frustrated. She looked over toward the room's entrance. Weiss was standing in the doorway, holding it open.
"Hello Weiss," Yang exasperatedly said.
Ruby suddenly pushed past Weiss and burst into the room. She cheerfully said, "Yang!"
"Rubes!" Yang called out, her mood lifting. She jumped up and ran for her sister. They both collided into a hug.
"Oh, Ruby!" It's so good to see you!" Yang said, still hugging her sister. "Are you doing alright? Eating well? Staying out of trouble?"
"Staying out of trouble?" Ruby echoed with a laugh. "I'm Weiss's bodyguard. Of course I'm not!"
Yang pushed Ruby back to arm's length so she could look her over, although she kept her hands on Ruby's shoulders. She asked, "Is Weiss treating you right? You don't need me to beat her up, do you?"
"Yaaang…" Ruby said. "We're doing great. We live together now. You know that."
Yang turned to Weiss. Her eyes narrowed, and she asked, "You're not doing anything inappropriate with my sister, are you?"
Weiss scoffed. She walked the rest of the way into the room, letting the door close behind her. She sat down on the bench opposite of the one Blake was still sitting on and crossed her legs like the proper lady she was. She said, "I'd be more worried about your impropriety than mine."
"Come on you two," Ruby said. "Play nice. Or else!"
Yang grinned at Ruby. She asked, "Or else what?"
"Or else I'll tell Blake on you," Ruby threatened.
"You wouldn't dare," Yang said.
Ruby and Yang stared each other down for a moment. Then they both broke out into a fit of giggles. Yang was still so happy she'd found Ruby. It was amazing to have family that she could actually treat like family.
"Blake!" Ruby said, gesturing at her. "Get up here! Don't be a stranger!"
Blake reluctantly stood. As soon as she did, Ruby reached out and pulled her into a group hug with Yang.
Yang glanced at Weiss. She asked, "Aren't you going to join us?"
"I'm good, thank you," Weiss said.
"Yang," Ruby hissed. "It's fine."
"If you say so," Yang said with a shrug.
Eventually, the group hug broke up. Yang and Blake returned to their seats, and Ruby sat down next to Weiss.
"Ah yeah!" Ruby said, pumping her fist. "Team RWBY is back together!"
Weiss asked, "Whose idea was it to meet in a karaoke bar anyway?"
Blake said, "Don't look at me."
"I wasn't," Weiss said. "I recognize the machinations of the Rose-Branwen sisters when I see them."
"You mean the genius!" Yang said. She winked at Ruby. She honestly couldn't remember if she or Ruby had come up with the idea of meeting at a karaoke bar first, but they'd both agreed it was brilliant.
Blake said, "At least we didn't have to hike for hours through the woods this time."
Weiss said, "No argument there."
Ruby said, "Oh come on, Weiss. This place is perfect. It's got food, privacy. And who'd expect the White Fang's leader to be hanging out here?"
"Speaking of that…" Weiss said.
All eyes turned to Blake. She took a moment to gather herself. Then she said, "I suppose I should start at the beginning."
Nearly an hour later, a heavy silence hung over the private karaoke room. Blake was a bit alarmed that she wasn't the only one with shocking news to share. After she'd finished telling Weiss and Ruby about how she'd become High Leader and of her current need for some big, sweeping act, Weiss and Ruby had revealed that Weiss's father was attempting to have his own daughter assassinated. Quite frankly, it was unbelievable.
Blake felt guilt gnawing at her. She'd known that Weiss would have complicated feelings about her replacing Sienna, but it happening while Weiss was simultaneously dealing with her own personal crisis seemed like particularly bad timing. Fate had a sick sense of humor sometimes.
"So, uh…" Ruby finally said. "I guess we don't need to worry about the White Fang anymore."
Unfortunately for Ruby, her statement was only met by more awkward silence. Blake really wished she'd had Ruby's optimism.
Ruby said, "Well…at least things are going to be better with Blake in charge, right Weiss?"
Weiss didn't respond.
"Right…? Weiss…?" Ruby tried again.
Weiss sighed. She said, "I'm afraid I don't know if they will be, Ruby."
"Why not?" Ruby asked.
Weiss looked directly at Blake. She said, "Make no mistake. I understand what your reasoning and motives were. But it wasn't that long ago that you were holding a sword to my throat."
"Believe me, I haven't forgotten," Blake said. She really didn't need Weiss to heap more guilt on top of her right now, although she couldn't deny that she deserved it. She continued, "But this is an opportunity. We, you and I, can work on the problem of faunus rights from both sides!"
"In principle I agree with you," Weiss said. "But…."
Ruby asked, "Why does there have to be a but? Can't you two, like, have a press conference or something? Tell everyone you're working together now?"
"No," both Weiss and Blake said simultaneously.
"Wuh…? Why not?" Ruby asked.
Weiss said, "I don't think there's a single person of significance in the Schnee Dust Company or the White Fang who would welcome such a thing."
"But wouldn't it be better for everyone?" Ruby asked.
"Amazingly, no," Blake said. "Never underestimate how much those in power, whatever form that power takes, benefit from maintaining the status quo."
Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but she didn't contradict Blake. And to her credit, she had already done more to upset the status quo than Blake ever would've expected.
"That's dumb," Ruby said.
"On that we can all agree," Blake said.
Weiss's lips pressed together, and she stared very intently at Blake.
Blake asked, "What is it, Weiss?"
"Can I give you some advice?" Weiss responded.
"Can you?" Blake asked, sounding surprised. She doubted Weiss had any relevant experience to share with her, although she was pleased Weiss had at least thought to ask before sharing her opinion.
"Take it from someone who knows," Weiss said. "Good intentions in no way by themselves lead to good results."
Blake hung her head. She said, "I am very aware of that. That's why I'm trying to figure out how to guide the White Fang down a better path."
"I know," Weiss said. "But you can understand why I'm nervous when I hear the High Leader talking about the need to make 'big things' happen."
Weiss might as well have thrown a bucket of cold water in Blake's face. Not until this very moment, when Weiss had repeated Blake's own words back at her, did she realize how much she sounded like Sienna. Her fists clenched together, and her stomach tied itself in knots.
Yang suddenly spoke up. "Hey! Go easy on her, Weiss."
"I don't have that luxury," Weiss said. "No more than I have the luxury of going easy on myself."
Yang frowned, but whatever she said next, Blake didn't really hear. Blake couldn't believe it, but until Yang had come to her defense, she'd literally forgotten Yang was there. It was emblematic of her short tenure as High Leader. How many days had it been? She couldn't remember. It already seemed like a lifetime. And each day she felt like she was leaving Yang further and further behind. She could only pray Yang didn't feel the same way. She desperately needed Yang's love and emotional support like a drowning person needed oxygen.
Blake had no idea what she was going to do with Yang. The worst part was that Yang thought she understood the White Fang, the faunus plight, and the role of the High Leader. She didn't. She truly didn't. It wasn't Yang's fault. She was a human. It was true she'd grown up outside the fringe of "acceptable" society, but that still wasn't the same thing. She could walk down the street without her own body marking her as a pariah to some. She could put on and take off a guise of respectability whenever she wished. It wasn't like being a faunus at all.
Blake was terribly afraid that one day she'd have to choose between Yang and the White Fang. She'd sooner cut off her own arm than leave Yang, but she couldn't abandon the White Fang either. It wasn't even about the White Fang's mission for her anymore. She was simply trying to prevent the people, her brothers and sisters, from destroying themselves. How could she even begin to weigh saving the lives of those who had once been like a family to her against Yang's love? It was impossible.
Blake looked up. Yang and Weiss were trading increasingly pointed barbs, and Ruby's expression was growing ever more concerned. Ruby had her hand clasped to her wrist, squeezing the charm she wore as a bracelet. It was something Blake had noted Ruby did when she was feeling anxious.
"Stop it!" Blake shouted. Yang and Weiss quieted down. Everyone looked at Blake again.
Blake said, "We're not going to solve the world's problems today. So let's not argue about it!"
Weiss looked away for a second. Then she looked back and said, "Once there's no longer a price on my head. And once you have actual control of the White Fang, Blake. Maybe then we can find a way to subtly foster more cooperation between our respective people. In the meantime, I'll keep my company on the slow and steady path to treating the faunus with the dignity they deserve."
Blake said, "And I'll keep the White Fang from doing anything rash."
"Good," Weiss said.
"Good," Blake said.
Weiss then seemed to loosen up a bit, and in a more lighthearted tone she said, "High Leader? You? Really?"
"I know…" Blake said exasperatedly. It felt nice to finally acknowledge how ridiculous the situation was.
Yang said, "Now that that's settled…. Let's order lunch! And then it's time for karaoke!"
Weiss rolled her eyes. She said, "You've got to be kidding me."
Ruby smiled impishly. She said, "You didn't think we were going to come here and not do karaoke, did you?"
"I'd hoped," Weiss said.
"So…" Yang said. "Should we have the three-martini business lunch?"
"No alcohol!" Weiss snapped. "Ruby and I are going back to work after this."
Yang said, "Alright, but only if you're first on karaoke."
"I'm not going to participate, thank you," Weiss said.
Ruby whined, "Weiiiss! You have to! You're a really good singer!"
Yang started chanting, "Weiss! Weiss! Weiss! Weiss!"
Soon Ruby joined in chanting Weiss's name.
Blake just sat there, taking in the scene. The mirth felt alien to her, like she'd been trapped in a cave and was staring bleary-eyed at the sunlight again for the first time in months. She hadn't realized it, but she'd needed this. Thank goodness Yang had convinced her to come.
Another hour later, a nonalcoholic lunch had been shared by Team RWBY, and everyone had taken several turns on the karaoke machine. Weiss was currently singing what she'd made everyone agree was the last song. It was by an artist named Jeff Williams. Ruby had heard of him before, but his name had always confused her. She had no idea what color it was intended to invoke. But maybe it was just a stage name that was meant to sound unusual. Artists were weird like that. In any case, Williams' music was very pop rock, something that Weiss couldn't admit to liking since she held herself out to be culturally sophisticated. But Ruby knew that Weiss secretly liked Williams' songs anyway.
Weiss was actually slowly introducing Ruby to the world of high art. Ruby had been to operas and fancy museums now. And she'd of course seen all the various works of art that Weiss had personally commissioned for her penthouse. It had taken a while, but Ruby was starting to "get" fine art and why rich people liked it. But that hadn't stopped her from reading her comic books each and every week.
Weiss sang the final notes of her song, and Ruby started clapping wildly. She said, "Nice job, Weiss!"
"Thank you," Weiss said. She did a proper curtsy, only looking a little embarrassed.
Yang said, "I guess that's it. Unless anyone has anything else Remnant-shattering they forgot to share."
"Oh! Oh!" Ruby said, suddenly remembering. "Me and Weiss got to meet the Arc Knights!"
Blake looked surprised. She asked, "Really?"
Weiss set the microphone she was holding down on its table. She asked Blake, "You've heard of them too?"
"Hasn't everybody?" Blake said. "Although I don't know much about them. They've never commented on faunus rights or the White Fang."
Ruby said, "Oh, they're just the coolest!"
Weiss scowled for some reason.
Yang said, "Not bad, Sis. But did you see them in a fight?"
"Not yet," Ruby said.
"Well I have," Yang boasted.
Ruby's eyes got wide. She asked, "Really?!"
"Yup," Yang said. "I ran across them in the middle-of-nowhere Mistral. They were fighting a geist."
"Whoa!" Ruby said. "Those are really hard to kill! Did you help them out?"
"Uh…no. I was scouting ahead for my tribe. We'd just hit the jackpot and made off with a huge haul of Dust from…" Yang trailed off. Her eyes drifted over to Weiss. "Some random company's convoy."
Weiss crossed her arms. She said, "I can't imagine which company that might have been."
"I guess I can see why you didn't stop to help them then," Ruby said. She'd still never fully reconciled the fact that Yang was, or at least had been, a criminal. She loved her sister, and she knew her sister was a good person. It was hard to fit banditry into that.
Blake asked, "How did you end up meeting the Arc Knights, Ruby?"
"Their leader, Jaune, told us he wants to help protect Weiss from her dad," Ruby said.
Weiss frostily said, "I'm considering his application."
Ruby smiled to herself as she recalled her encounter with Jaune. She knew there was an old saying about never meeting your heroes. But Jaune had lived up to all of her expectations and more. The only thing she'd been surprised about was that he'd seemed so sad. But his sorrow had triggered some kind of primal urge inside of her. She wanted so badly to nurture and comfort him and to tell him everything was going to be alright.
Ruby had been a bit of a late bloomer, but she'd liked looking at guys for just as long as she'd liked looking at girls. She'd even thought it'd be fun to have a boyfriend, although she'd never tried dating a boy before. She'd been worried about the possibility of things getting physical, which was something she wasn't sure she wanted with a boy. However, she would have absolutely gone on a date with Jaune, assuming he was willing of course. And further assuming she wasn't still with Weiss for some unthinkable reason.
Ruby had heard of people who had both a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time. The idea intrigued her a lot, but it didn't intrigue her enough to try to convince Weiss to accept such an arrangement. And if Ruby was honest with herself, she didn't think she would've gone for it even if she'd had Weiss's blessing. She wanted too badly to be the best employee and the best girlfriend she could be for Weiss. And those were both full-time jobs.
Blake said, "This has been…wonderful. But I need to get back."
Ruby snapped out of her Jaune-induced daydream. She said, "Yeah. Weiss has another meeting soon. So we need to go too. Right, Wei—?"
Ruby cut herself off when she turned to Weiss. Weiss was staring at her so intensely that Ruby was surprised Weiss's eyes hadn't drilled a hole right through her. But the moment Weiss saw Ruby look at her, her gaze relaxed, and her expression became completely neutral.
Weiss said, "Yes, Ruby. We should be going."
It was clear to Ruby that something was upsetting Weiss terribly, but she had no idea what it could be. She supposed Weiss had plenty to be upset about with her dad literally trying to kill her, but for some reason Ruby didn't think that was it. She desperately wanted to get to the bottom of this, but she wasn't sure how she could drag the information out of Weiss. She resolved to pay closer attention to her. Maybe she could figure things out on her own.
Yang stood and stretched her arms. She said, "Let's not wait for the next disaster before we hang out again."
"Yes," Weiss said in an even tone. "Let's not."
Author's Note: Just so I don't set any wrong expectations, there's not going to be any Jaune/Ruby/Weiss in this story. I think Weiss would find a way to become real so she could murder me if I tried. Honestly, Ruby kind of surprised me in this chapter by turning out to be at least poly-curious. It's funny, because I usually write her as ace, which is how I personally view her in canon. But then again, I can't see ace Ruby saying no to something like a cuddle pile….
Okay everyone! New headcanon!
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