Heart to Heart

Chapter 35: Duets

After Ruby returned to the room everyone went back to their positions. Yang decided to focus back onto their robotic friend. "So Penny, any closer to figuring out your sexuality?"

Penny tilted her head as she thought about it but then frowned. "I am sorry but no, I still don't seem to know if I prefer boys or girls. Perhaps I need more data to compare?"

"Well don't look at me," Weiss stated. "I also think Ruby is out as well."

Ruby blushed as she averted her eyes at Penny for a moment as she scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry Penny."

"Oh it's no issue," Penny shook her head with a smile. "You are not interested in sexual relations with women is all."

"Why does it have to be sexual? Can't you just say romantic?" Weiss huffed crossing her arms.

"Is there a difference?" Penny tilted her head. "Isn't the point of romance to establish a partner for the purposes of reproduction?"

"There's more to it than that." Blake commented.

"Oh?" Penny looked at Blake.

"It's…hard to describe," Blake closed her eyes as she thought of Sun and how he made her feel. "Sometimes it's like this warmth wrapping around you, a light you can always go to when things seem dark."

"It can also be just having someone that takes away the loneliness," Nora said in a soft tone. "Someone that's special to you that you never want them to leave your life."

"Someone that can pick you up and hold you together when you feel like breaking," Yang stated remembering that night together in the hotel when Jaune had just held her after that nightmare. "The point is, it means something different for different people. But the point is, when you find that special someone in your life, it will mean a lot to you."

Penny considered that. "Well then I hope to one day find such a person as it sounds wonderful."

"It can be, but it can also be difficult," Blake sighed at both being away from Sun but also how Sun's antics could annoy her at times. On the other side, it was his antics she also sometimes needed to lighten her day.

"Eh, everything has ups and downs," Yang still remembered that argument she had with Jaune when he had been so angry after hearing the whole story about Ozma and Salem from them. She was glad that Jaune was doing much better now, after Argus it felt like Jaune had put his demons away for the most part. Maybe she had too she hadn't had any shakes lately so that was an improvement but it was still too early to tell for herself.

"Still," Penny said after hearing all that. "I do wish I could understand what I liked if only to help me understand myself more."

"Well maybe you're just bisexual?" Yang offered. "If you don't have a preference that is."

"You could also be asexual," Blake had been thinking about it and if Penny had no attraction when she had kissed Oscar or Ruby it was either they weren't her type or she didn't feel sexual feelings.

"Wait that first one I know but not the second," Ruby said confused.

Penny tilted her head as she accessed the Atlas data net. "Oh I see, a person who has no sexual feelings or desires or who is not sexually attracted to anyone. That could be a possibility, I do feel for others but I have never felt sexual excitement even after experiences my first two kisses."

"Maybe Ruby and Oscar just don't do it for you," Nora waved it off.

"Are we seriously back to the sex talk?" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"What's the matter Weiss," Yang grinned at the white haired girl. "Feeling a little out in the cold?"

Weiss gave the blonde a hard look for that.

Penny thought back to Beacon, "I thought you and Neptune were seeing each other?"

The robot girl then noticed a few of the others behind Weiss making a cutting motion to their throats to stop her from bringing it up as Weiss got a darker look on her face. Penny wasn't an expert in humanity but she could at the very least tell something was wrong.

Weiss took a deep breath before letting it out. "I'm not seeing him anymore."

"Yeah the guy couldn't stop flirting," Yang explained to Penny before turning back to Weiss. "But cheer up, we're in a whole new city filled with possibilities for Weiss-cream to land herself someone or at the very least maybe some nice eye candy boy toy?"

"Yang if I want a relationship I want it to mean something," Weiss already saw from the marriage of her parents how a loveless relationship could ruin people. Her mother was drinking herself to drawn her pain and sorrows and her father, her father she realized never really cared about anything other than himself.

No, she wanted a relationship that would be meaningful and fulfilling.

"Just throwing ideas out there," Yang held up her hands.

"I don't know, maybe I should just focus on the job at hand," Weiss sighed as she lay down on her bed.

"So what is the job at hand?" Nora asked.

"Well first keep this safe," Ruby padded the relic that was sitting on a table.

"It sucks we can't just have the Winter Maiden, whoever that is, open up the vault and just dump it inside," Nora groaned. "It would at least give us a safe place to put it."

"Penny do you know anything about the Winter Maiden?" Ruby asked her friend.

"Sadly not much," Penny shook her head. "I only know she's here in a secure area, I never even met the woman."

Blake thought that was strange but then maybe it was just her being slightly paranoid. The Maidens were powerful after all and if she was frail like Ironwood suggested then maybe keeping her safe was for the best.

"Okay so until a new Maiden or we get the Spring one to open the vault back in Haven." Ruby was cut off by a snort by Yang as her sister had a scowl on her face. "We'll have to keep it safe until we can safely do one of those."

"Next I think helping the General with his plan in any way is the next big step." Ruby said.

"I agree," Weiss nodded her head thinking about it. "Restoring the world's communications would be invaluable."

"Okay so then, what's after that?" Nora asked as everyone gave her blank looks. "I mean there's still Salem out there and she'll be after the Relics and the whole, you know, taking over the world. Wait was it taking over the world or destroying it?"

"I'm…not sure?" Yang thought about it even after everything they had learned what was Salem's end goal?

"I mean in the past she wanted to rule to world with Ozma and maybe be seen as some kind of goddess?" Blake thought back to what Jinn had shown them.

"Yeah but does it seem like that now?" Blake asked.

"It's been a long time, her plans could have changed," Weiss rubbed her head. "Honestly maybe we shouldn't assume we know exactly what she plans, only what she wants."

"So Relics and possibly the world in chaos," Yang sighed. "I guess after this we'll most likely head to Shade Academy if they aren't already next on the hit list."

"Let's hope that it isn't for now," Ruby told them. "At any rate I think we got our plan of action. Keep the relic safe, help Ironwood, get to Shade and see if anything is going on there."

"Sounds like we're going to be busy," Yang flopped onto the floor. "I was really hoping for some nice dates with Jaune and all of us having some fun while here."

"Can't play all the time Yang," Blake told her partner.

"Yeah yeah, still I better get in some quality time with my man or I'm going to get cranky." Yang muttered.

"You make it sound like you're not getting a morning coffee." Nora grinned.

"Or you and pancakes?" Yang fired back good-naturedly.

"Hey I love my pancakes." Nora told her.

"Which do you love more, Ren or pancakes?" Yang grinned.

"Don't make me choose!" Nora said in horror as everyone had a good laugh at that.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful for them as they passed the time until it was getting late and they decided eventually to turn in. All in all it had been a fun night for them to unwind and just be themselves for the night. Penny had enjoyed her first slumber party. Actually, it had also been Weiss' first as well since she hadn't been allowed to have children over growing up. Not that she had many she could even consider friends as a child she could have invited.

The next morning Weiss woke up first as she stretched out and looked around the room. Nora was on the ground in a sleeping bag snoring as Penny was sitting down against the wall a cable was connected to the 'bow' in the back of her hair as it was plugged into the wall. She was thankful the girl at least 'slept' with her eyes closed because if she just sat there with her eyes open Weiss wasn't sure if she could have slept through that.

Weiss slipped out of her bunk and decided to get to the bathroom first. She had to quietly step around the mess left in their room. She mentally sighed at what they would have to do to clean up later. She noticed that Blake and Ruby were still fast asleep Yang was holding her pillow like it was someone while muttering something.

She had a feeling she didn't want to know what Yang was dreaming about as she claimed the bathroom as her for the morning.

Breakfast was the usual for them as they spent the morning after that with Penny's father. They were going over what progress had been made. It was surprisingly quick how fast he was working Penny had gone off to Mantel for her daily patrols.

The girl took her job as Protector of Mantel very seriously, which to Weiss was a good thing.

Since all of their equipment was, still being worked on they had the full day off. Not sure, of what to do they decided on exploring the place for a bit. They got a brief look at the place when they first showed up but they hadn't really had the chance to get a good look at the facilities. The training room turned out to be more advanced than in Beacon. It was a chamber with squares patterns on all the walls, floor and ceiling.

All the squares could be adjusted to make different platforms, walls and many other artificial environments. Currently the students were using it as they stayed in the observation area to watch. It was interesting to see everyone's fighting styles, semblances it all reminded them of being back in Beacon before everything went crazy.

They found a gym facility, as Nora and Yang were eager to get in some workout time. Yang of course told Jaune he needed to keep himself in top shape, as he gave no argument as they made plans to visit the gym later.

They found the library, which seemed larger than the one at Beacon as they looked around.

"Wow they must have everything here." Jaune stated looking around the huge room.

"We could use this to read up on some Grimm we will find here," Weiss said remembering the Apathy and how unprepared they had been facing such a creature. She didn't want to be caught off guard like that again.

"I wonder if they have any comics here?" Ruby asked looking around as Weiss rolled her eyes.

They spent a little time looking through the books Blake found one she wanted to check out apparently, after that they moved on.

There was even a large indoor pool by the gym area as they walked in and the smell of chlorine pool water hit them as they entered the heated room.

"Wow that's big," Nora stated seeing the length of the pool. "Oh! We never did get to get any beach time in Argus."

"We would have frozen in the water if we had," Ren told her.

"Oh I can't wait to try out my arm now in that," Yang smiled. "It's supposed to be water proof now and I can go swimming with it."

They could see a few people wearing uniform swimsuits, the men in trunks and the women in one piece suits.

"So do we have to wear those or our own?" Ruby asked seeing a few people in the pool.

"Oh rules over here," Nora said seeing the board secured to the wall with a list of rules. "Ah it says here you can wear your own but has to be appropriate, well what's appropriate?"

"I can think of a few things," Yang teased as she pressed up against Jaune. "So Lover Boy which would you prefer me in? The one piece like that or see if I can get a bikini?"

"B-bikini?" Jaune asked as his mind went back to when he saw her in her underwear that night in the hotel room and how she had said to just imagine her in a swimsuit. Back then, he tried not to think about it but now that they were together, it was something he secretly did enjoy thinking about now.

"Oh yeah I'm thinking a yellow one that covers just enough," Yang teased him further.

"Yang," Jaune groaned.

Yang was amused by his reaction but it did feel nice to know he appreciated her looks she did put a lot of work into looking as good as she did after all. She trailed a finger over his chest looking up at him with a slightly lustful look. "Oh don't worry I plan on getting an eyeful of my man in a swimsuit when we can as well."

"O-oh," Jaune blushed at the look she was giving him, as he was very tempted to see her in a swimsuit now.

"Alright I think we should go before we have to throw you two into the pool to cool off," Weiss stated flatly.

They continued to explore the facilities as eventually they found one of the recreation rooms, there were multiple as with the number of people in the building was huge, several were needed to keep from overcrowding. Some apparently were for only student use, other for members of the military and such. They decided to crash in one of the student ones. It seemed with the students in classes and everyone else on a work shift they had the place to themselves for the time.

Weiss noticed that Yang and Jaune sat on a couch together as they were playing around with each other smiling and laughing. Weiss was glad that both of them seemed to be doing much better although seeing them was also making Weiss think on things. Seeing how happy Yang was with Jaune it made Weiss question if he would have made her that happy back at school if she had given him a chance.

Looking around she noticed that Nora was napping with her head on Ren's lap as he was reading a book silently. One hand was slowly stroking the orange hair. Blake was nearby also reading one of her books. Weiss did notice the slight blush on the Faunus girl's face while reading.

Weiss fought back a sigh as she decided to head back to the room only to see Ruby and Oscar together in the room playing video games.

"You're getting better at this," Ruby said as she quickly thumbed in the commands for her character.

"Thanks, it's kind of fun." Oscar stated.

Weiss left them to it as she found herself alone again. She didn't mind it but after last night, her mind kept going to the fact that she was single and seeing mostly everyone else happy in their relationships was starting to get to her. Yang and Jaune were going strong with Ren and Nora not far behind, she was thankful that Ren was a bit more reserved. Blake was with Sun although they were currently separated by miles now.

Still, Blake at least had someone out there.

Then there was whatever was going on between Ruby and Oscar, it was painfully obvious something was going on between the two of them but they were either oblivious to it or were avoiding the issue. Still, even Ruby was ahead of her with actually having kissed a boy. Well also, a girl since last night but Weiss didn't think that really counted as Ruby hadn't been looking for that.

In a huff she just started to wonder the building, it was a large building and she just wanted to explore and learn about the place and maybe take her mind off things. She certainly did have a lot on her mind, other than her lack of any kind of love life, there was also the fact just being in Atlas made her dread what was coming. As soon as her father found out she was here he would try to contact her and Weiss did not want to do that. After how he treated her last time, she was in no hurry to be in the same room as him.

She didn't even want to be on the same continent.

Then there was Salem and everything they had learned. She had no idea how they could win, maybe they couldn't. Maybe the only thing they could do is what Ozpin had been doing and making a stalemate for eternity. That choice felt like trying to keep a mountain on your back but given the other option it was the only one they had. Had Ozpin really been forced to bear this kind of weight for centuries if not longer?

To think, the entire world was unaware that everything had been on the knife's edge for so long that it most likely predated recorded history. She had grown up like everyone else, not even aware of the true state of the world, how it could all come crashing down at any moment.

She sighed pushing those thoughts aside, she couldn't control how the world was, she had learned that the only control she had was with herself and her own actions. She could do what she could and nothing more and nothing less and in a way she found peace with that.

As she explored the building, she found that certain areas had security doors or warnings about being off limits. It made sense as the academy and military in Atlas were practically the same thing for the most part.

She was just wondering until her ears picked up faint sounds of music. She paused as she slowly followed it, it sounded like a band was playing. The area she was in wasn't in use as she was the only person walking the hallway. She found a door not too far away and opened it.

The music spilled out as she looked in to see what looked like some kind of storage room. There were some creates and what looked like extra furniture. Her musically trained ear could tell that the acoustics in the room were very good it might have been the curving design to the room.

In the center of the room was none other than Flynt Coal playing on his trumpet. She looked to a wooden box to the side of him that had a scroll on it. This she noticed was where the rest of the music was playing coming from as a song was being played on it. She decided to stand there and listen to the music taking it in. She had been trained more in classical music and singing but this held a very gentle and flowing tone that she found relaxing.

She could hear flutes, some string instruments and light drums being played with the drummer using the symbol constantly but in a very light fashion. Flynt was adding his own flair to the music with his trumpet playing. As the music wound down, he then seemed to take a break hitting the pause function.

"That was very nice." Weiss stated.

"Whoa!" Flynt jumped turning around surprised to see Weiss there. "Give a guy a heart attack why don't you."

"Oh! I'm sorry," Weiss' hands went to her mouth. "I didn't mean to scare you I just heard some music and followed it here."

Flynt shook his head, "No harm no foul." He paused seeing her. "New look I see."

"Yes we all felt we needed a bit of a change," Weiss explained.

Flynt nodded his head and gestured to the room. "Well it seems you found my little sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" Weiss asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's a place I found where I can practice my music in peace and quiet without bothering anyone." He explained. "Took me two months to find this place, when I did I found that no one really used this anymore. I think this room is pretty much forgotten about as it was a bit dusty when I found it."

Given the size of the building, some of the students always heard rumors of hidden rooms or rooms long forgotten about. Sometimes there were stories of people found long since dead in such a room as no one had found the body until years after the fact. There was no proof of that last one but it would make for a poor ghost story if people knew it was all fake.

"So you just come here to get away from it all?"

"In a way," Flynt nodded. "Don't get me wrong I love my team but sometimes you just need some 'me' time, you dig?"

"Yes." Weiss knew all too well that sometimes she needed some time alone from her friends and teammates. They were as close as family but sometimes she needed a breather.

"So what brings you down to this area?" He asked taking a water bottle from a small duffle bag on a couch that had a small rip in the corner.

"Looking for some 'me' time," Weiss simply stated she decided to change the subject. "What kind of music is that?"

"Never heard of jazz?" Flynt asked her raising an eyebrow.

"No," Weiss shook her head. "My father 'insisted' that I only learn from the classics as befitting of a Schnee."

Flynt could hear the venom in her voice, when he first met her he thought all Schnee's were cut from the same cloth. Their battle in the tournament proved otherwise when she had used herself to try and take him out of the fight and had sacrificed herself, taking herself out of the fight for it.

"Well then if you would like an education in one of the finest musical styles ever, I will be happy to show you."

Weiss smiled a bit at that as she smoothed out hers skirt as she took a seat on the old beat up couch. "I think I would like that, if that song was any indication I might just like it."

"Well then let's get to something you might enjoy," Flynt looked through his scroll and found a song as he hit the play button and got ready bringing his trumpet up to his lips.

A piano and drums started as Flynt soon joined in after a few seconds. The song started slow but then slowly picked up a bit more. It become a bit livelier but still had this flow to the song that made Weiss sway slightly to the music. For the moment all, her worries were pushed away as she just focused on the music in front of her.

It wasn't like any music she had heard before and she found herself enjoying it. She listened in as Flynt went into more songs after this one and they all had this 'flow' to the music. By the time he needed a break Weiss found she had listened to several songs.

"So what do you think?" Flynt asked taking another drink of the now nearly drained water bottle.

"I enjoyed it," Weiss smiled with a nod. "You really played the music very well too."

"Well thank you," He tipped his hat to her. "Nice to see someone else finally taking a shine to my music."

"I take it the rest of your team doesn't like jazz music?" Weiss asked knowing the kind of different taste people can have after living with her team for so long.

"Well they can take it or leave it but we all have various tastes." Flynt explained to her. "Neon likes club music and dubstep."

"What's dubstep?" Weiss tilted her head.

"You're…better off not knowing," Flynt never could get into that style of music himself. It was just so random and chaotic for him, maybe that's why it fit so well with Neon.

"Kobolt is ironically into blues music," Flynt actually liked blues but he preferred jazz.

"Another music type I don't know," Weiss muttered just how much had her father kept her from learning?

"It's not bad, I can give you some choice songs if you want."

"Thank you I would very much appreciate it. What about the last one, Ivory I think his name was?" Weiss had a good memory but she only met the boy once.

"Good memory, yeah he's more into classic rock."

"Wait I heard of Rock or at least Rock and Roll," Rooming with Yang who love to listen to music without headphones sometimes at least got Weiss exposed to some different types of music. Although Yang had once tried to explain the difference between Rock, Metal, Electronic and club music but sadly she had only paid a little attention to Yang's explanation at the time.

"So there's a classical Rock?" Weiss' mind went to trying to think of the classical period she had to learn growing up and though it was more like that.

"It was from an older time, like twenty years or more ago," He explained. "It's changed a bit with every decade but Ivory preferred the older period styles. But getting back to my music, you really liked it huh?"

Weiss smiled, "Yes I did. There was this, it's hard to explain. Like a flow and yet seemed to be so free without being chaotic."

Flynt nodded his head understanding the meaning behind her words. "Oh I think I know what you mean, first time I heard it I felt like I was flying."

"I think I see what you mean," She nodded her head thinking about how a few of the songs did seem to have this sense of 'flight' to it.

"You know there are a few jazz clubs I know," Flynt started up. "If you are interesting there are a few you might enjoy."

Weiss thought about it, it would be nice to have something to do when they had down time. Also she was interested in this music and Flynt did seem to know what he was talking about. It could be fun and she was looking forward to listening to a live performance of this.

"I would like that very much, thank you." She told him.

"Any time Schnee." Flynt tipped his hat to her.

"One more thing," She told him. "It's Weiss, please."

"Sure thing, Weiss, maybe you'll do me a favor now?"

"Oh? What's that?"

"I heard you used to sing back before you left for Beacon." Flynt had heard and remembered seeing the advertisements for Weiss Schnee singing on stage but back then, he hated everything about the Schnee family and ignored it. Now that he had gotten to get to know Weiss, he was curious. Was it pure talent or if her father had paid to get her to sing on stage.

"Oh well let me see," Weiss checked her scroll. She did love to sing it was one of the few things she enjoyed that her father had forced her to do it also helped that she had talent for it. She found a song she had sung before thankfully it was just the musical version of it with no lyrics.

She cleared her throat as the song started up, she closed her eyes listening to it and waiting for her queue. Then she opened her eyes as the song flew out of her lips and filled the room.

Flynt was surprised by her voice, it had such a power and scale to it that seemed bigger than he was expecting. He listened as Weiss's emotions were intertwined with the song. She didn't just stand there singing, her body movements went to enhance the performance. Her voice carried by the acoustics in the room as her voice filled the room to the brim with her song.

It was a more classical style of singing, almost operatic he would think but she used it. Her voice was amazing and he could see that it was pure talent that got her to sing in front of whole theaters in the past.

He noticed something with the song though, it was sorrowful as she sang about being trapped in a gilded cage, unable to fly free and dreaming of the sky. At first, he put it off to just being the song but it was her emotions she put into it. As a musical Flynt knew that putting your emotions into the song only made it more powerful, especially if you could put in true emotions. Thoughts and feelings you actually had and put them into the song allowed the song to touch people on a deeper level.

He had seen it himself when he played as his music could sometimes resonate with others.

Hearing her now though, he could feel her emotions mixed in with the song. He heard the expression that eyes were windows to the soul but to him it was music that was the doorway to the soul, as to him music came from the heart.

Weiss finished her song with a bit of a smile it always made her feel better to sing. It was cathartic at times for her. "So what did you think?"

"You really know how to sing I'll tell you that," Flynt nodded his head. "Maybe if you learn a few jazz songs we can perform together."

Weiss thought about it, she had enjoyed this jazz music and maybe she could find something to sing. "I think that sounds fun, I'll start looking through some songs unless you have some recommendations."

Flynt smiled and nodded, "I got a few. Here let's get you started."

He got his scroll to start transferring songs to her as she grabbed hers to sink with his eager to hear more about his new music she was being exposed to.

TBC…

For those wondering I was listening to Miles Davis' Summertime and Thad Jones Whisper Not when writing the music parts for Flynt so you can take a listen and get an idea of what Weiss was hearing.