Chapter VI: Formalities, part one

Warmth of the morning sunlight caressed Weiss' cheek, summoning her sleeping mind back to the world of the living. She tried to resist the calling, wanting not to wake up just yet; she turned her head a little, burying her face in the pillow and hiding from the cruel daylight. As she did so, however, something soft brushed against her temple and the tip of her nose, tickling and stirring her awake, prompting her to open her eyes a bit.

Weiss was greeted by the sight of smooth strands of crimson hair spilling onto the pillow right next to her. She tensed up for a while, needing a moment to process what she was seeing, then gradually relaxed as memories of the previous night's events resurfaced in her drowsy mind.

Curious whether or not Ruby was already awake, Weiss propped herself up on her elbow and looked at her bedmate, only to notice two pretty eyes of silver looking right back at her.

"Morning," Ruby chirped, flashing her a warm smile. Weiss, in the meanwhile, began rubbing the sleep from her eyes, not even bothering to fight the invisible forces that tugged gently at the corners of her mouth.

"Hi, Ruby. How was your night?"

"Well, I've slept better in my life, but it sure was the most restful night in recent memory." After Ruby had said that, her cheerful expression lost a bit of its intensity and a small wrinkle marred her forehead. "And yours? I didn't wake you up again, did I?"

Weiss shook her head, letting her gaze fall onto the quilt. "No, you didn't. In fact, you might not be the only one who benefited from our arrangement, after all. I slept better than I expected to, as well."

"And there I was, thinking that you offered to let me sleep beside you out of the goodness of your heart," Ruby lamented theatrically, her words earning her a half-hearted glare and a playful poke between the ribs, which in turn caused her to burst into giggles. "I kid, I kid," she let out, then offered Weiss a smile full of gratitude. "Thanks. And I mean it. I know that sharing a bed with somebody is... well, not exactly in your comfort zone."

Weiss frowned. "That's why you were so reluctant when I offered?"

"Mhm."

'Partially, anyway,' Ruby added in her thoughts.

Although Weiss rolled her eyes, she most certainly did appreciate the sentiment. "It wouldn't kill you to be a bit more selfish from time to time, you know?" Before Ruby managed to chime in and say that, in her own opinion, she had been plenty selfish the day prior, Weiss continued. "You're not wrong, though. But..." She cast her gaze downwards.

Now it was Ruby's turn to knit her brows. "But?"

"It was… less awkward than I thought it would. Excluding the initial embarrassment of both parties involved, that is," Weiss said, unwittingly tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Anyway, were you awake for long?"

"Not really. A few minutes, maybe. For a moment I considered getting up and going for a walk, but you were... well, kinda pinning me down back then." Ruby said that with an innocent face, but the tone of her voice had a certain teasing quality to it, not to mention the amused look she was giving Weiss.

For a while, Weiss just stared at her blankly, clueless as to what Ruby was getting at. Then, a realization hit her as she vaguely remembered that she, indeed, might've had her right arm sprawled right across Ruby's stomach back when she'd woken up.

Feeling her cheeks light up, Weiss started rubbing her forehead, her hand ever so conveniently hiding her eyes so that she didn't have to look at Ruby. 'I take it back. I so take it back. Sleeping with Ruby was awkward.'

"Speaking of time... what hour is it?" she asked, changing the topic in a desperate attempt to save the sorry remains of her pride. Right after she had said that, however, something occurred to her, filling her with dread — according to what Ruby had told the team yesterday after calling professor Goodwitch, they were supposed to meet with the headmaster at 11:30 AM.

Ruby froze as she heard the question, the beginnings of a cheeky grin gone from her face. "That's... a very good question. Lemme check." She quickly sat up on the bed and reached towards the bed table, then grabbed Weiss' Scroll and promptly opened it. Seeing the digits on the screen, she relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "Phew. Seems it's still don't-wake-Yang-up o'clock. We're in the clear, then."

In meanwhile, Weiss peeked over Ruby's shoulder. Content with what she saw, she lowered herself back onto the pillow. "Good. For a moment I was afraid that we've overslept."

"Yeah, same here." A loud, long yawn that Ruby tried to stifle with her hand pushed its way past her lips. "Well, are you sleepy? I guess we have enough time to take a nap."

"No, I think I've slept long enough. I wanted to wake up a bit earlier to call Mother, anyway; might as well do that now," Weiss replied. She kept her voice calm and tried to seem composed, but the nervous manner in which she bit the inside of cheek told Ruby a different story.

"The two of you haven't talked at all since your father's funeral, huh?" Ruby questioned gently.

"Yes. Ever since she has reinstated me as the heiress to the company," Weiss admitted, then averted her eyes and fell silent for a while.

"Do you think she'll have any problems with you staying at my place till Beacon starts again?"

Pale blue eyes snapped back to look at Ruby, dangerously narrowed. "I couldn't care less if she did. I said I was going to inform her, not ask for permission." After a moment had passed, Weiss' scowl slowly dissipated and she exhaled deeply, seemingly a bit ashamed of her harsh reaction. "That being said, I see no reason why would she have anything against it."

'After all, she has been largely avoiding me for the past decade,' she thought bitterly.

"Well, for what it's worth, good luck." A small, comforting smile flickered on Ruby's lips as she brushed her fingers against Weiss' forearm. Breaking off the all too brief contact, she pulled the blanket off herself and slid out of the bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and change. Will be back in a few." With that, she grabbed a bundle of neatly folded clothes from the nearby chair and walked deeper into the room, quickly disappearing behind the privacy screen.

Personally, Ruby didn't really mind being seen by her teammates while changing — she and most of her team simply grew accustomed to it, having seen each other in various stages of undress on many occasions over the past few years. Weiss was a bit of an exception; while she did her best not to show it, there was some lingering unease whenever she saw any of the girls — or, even worse, was the one being seen — in nothing but their underwear. As such, while Ruby probably hadn't needed to step out, she'd still decided to get out of Weiss' sight, not wanting to psych her out right before the call with miss Schnee.

As she was putting on her clothes, however, Ruby couldn't help but wonder. Was nudity bothering Weiss because of her cold and strict upbringing, or was it related to something else entirely? Was she feeling self-conscious, perhaps? If it was the latter, then Ruby was at a complete loss. As she saw it, Weiss was plain gorgeous — body included. What was there to be ashamed of?

As Ruby silently mulled over those thoughts, Weiss called the Schnee household. "Good day. Yes, I would like to have a word with my mother; I shall not take much of her time." A pause. "She is... not at the manor? Business trip? To where? No, no, I suppose it is not important at this moment; I was merely curious. Yes, I would be grateful if you informed her. Thank you. Goodbye, Charlotte." After she had ended the call, Weiss let out a sigh that was part-relieved, part-exasperated, then threw herself onto the mattress.

"No luck, huh?"

She turned towards the source of the voice. The moment Ruby walked into her field of view, Weiss froze in place and briefly forgot how to breathe, suddenly captivated by the way light played in the girl's loose hair, causing the crimson mane to shine in daylight like a halo made of rubies.

The spell had passed and Weiss blinked rapidly a few times, her mind getting back from wherever it had tried to wander off to just a moment ago. She nodded. "Yeah... it seems that her plane took off about an hour ago. Hopefully, she'll call me in a few minutes," she said, but if anyone were to ask Ruby, Weiss didn't sound 'hopeful' in the slightest. "So, what are we going to do now? Do you have any plans?"

Much to Weiss' disappointment, her partner tied her hair up into a ponytail in a few quick motions, letting it flow down her left shoulder. "Not really. I guess we could go and eat breakfast, then wait for the lovebirds to show up." She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, popping her spine in several places and letting out a quiet moan. "But, first, I'll go talk with doctors and get us both a release. Wait here," she ordered, gesturing for Weiss to stay put.

And so Ruby walked towards the exit, silently followed by the eyes of blue.

Ruby returned after ten or so minutes, a thin file of documents held in her hand. While she'd been away, Weiss had already dressed and had since moved to sit on her bed's footboard; deep in thought, she did nothing to acknowledge Ruby's approach.

With her arrival seemingly having gone unnoticed, Ruby waved the stack of papers around to grab Weiss' attention. "The doctor should be here in a—" she began, only to pause suddenly, just then taking notice of Weiss's stunned expression. "She called?" Ruby asked softly.

"...Yes," Weiss mumbled after a short moment of silence, not looking at Ruby.

"And? Did she have any issues with your plans?"

"No, she agreed without a problem," Weiss replied flatly, slowly shaking her head. Then, finally, she lifted her eyes and met Ruby's concerned gaze. "And asked me to meet with her. Today."

"...Excuse me?" As she closed the distance between the two of them, Ruby threw the papers she was carrying onto Weiss' bed and sat next to the girl, both worried and confused.

"That plane she boarded? It's heading towards Vale. Apparently she has some business meetings to attend to, but she'll be free in the evening. And wants to speak with me, in person." She let out a short, slightly hysterical laugh. "Can't say I saw this one coming."

"Well... Do you have to go?"

Weiss didn't respond right away, taking a moment to consider her answer. "I... don't think so, for some reason," she spoke eventually, sounding genuinely baffled. "Father just loved to dress up his orders in pretty and polite words, but they were just that — orders. He never truly asked for anything, he demanded. Mother, in the meanwhile... she seemed to be actually asking to meet with me. Authentically giving me a choice, and not expecting much at that." She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, part of the tension leaving her body as if she had made up her mind. "And I think I'll go. If nothing else, it will give us peace of mind."

"Should I come along?"

Weiss shook her head slightly. "No, I think I'll manage on my own... she's not my Father, after all." Nonetheless, a small, thankful smile crept onto her lips. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Why are you so stressed, then?"

"Because I don't know who she is," Weiss spoke in a small voice, briefly looking Ruby in the eye before letting her gaze fall to the floor. "What else can I say. I don't know my own mother anymore."

Weiss jolted a bit when a gentle hand rested on her shoulder, startling her and taking her away from the grim thoughts that began brewing in her head. As she turned to look at Ruby, she realized that it wasn't comfort the girl was offering her — instead, she offered to be her anchor, come hell, come high water.

And Weiss couldn't ask for more.

Author's Note:

Sigh. I'm sorry that it took me so long to post an update, and such a bit-sized one at that. I guess that between the Easter, a convention, squeezing in as many D&D sessions as possible before June and general writer's block I didn't really have that much time nor energy to write, but... yeah, I'm still angry at myself. It's not even the whole chapter — just a half of it. Truth be told, I had mixed feelings about posting it before the rest of the chapter is finished, but... well, I figured I left you all hanging for too long already. I'll try to post the other half as soon as I can.

Anyway, yeah, I hope you enjoyed. And sorry again.

2017-06-03