Fine

Blake watched wide-eyed as Weiss stalked out of the room. The heiress' anger had been palpable, and yet she didn't stoop to slamming the door like Blake expected. It only added to the suffocating guilt.

She'd… She'd slapped her. Lashed out. Like him.

"I-I didn't-" Panic clamping itself on her throat, the words instantly dying as Ruby and Yang both turned towards her. The deep concern in Yang's eyes hit hard, but not nearly as hard as the concerned frown that Ruby wore.

"Blake…" Ruby's voice wavered as she glanced at the offending hand and frowned even more. "Your claws…"

Blake could feel the blood drain from her face as she glanced down at the offending hand, seeing her claws on full display for the room. A small flex of her fingers and the claws retrenched instantly.

She brought the hand to her chest, gripping the offending appendage as if it would try to lash out again. Her knuckles turned white from her grip as she shook. Words spilling out of her as she tried to make some semblance of sense of what had just happened.

"I swear I didn't- It just- happened- I never meant to- I don't-"

What was wrong with her? One second, she had everything under control. The next, something in her snapped and the world went red. Then her hand was stinging, Weiss' aura was flaring and all she wanted was to tear that pretentious heiress apart.

Just like she had been taught.

It was so familiar. That hatred. That pain. That desire - no, need - to lash out. To strike back.

She was an idiot. A few short months wasn't enough to erase his influence.

Now Weiss had made it very clear she wasn't going to tolerate her presence anymore. That she was every bit of a Schnee the media made her out to be, and wouldn't stop until Blake was gone.

Blake's eye jerked toward where she knew her small, innocuous duffle bag was stashed under her bed. Always packed with the essentials, always ready to go at a moment's notice. Clothing, medical, ammo, Lien. Everything she needed to survive.

She could just grab it and go. Save everyone the trouble. Gambol Shroud had been cleaned and checked by Ruby yesterday, she could easily grab it on the way-

"Did you really want to hurt her?" Blake's gaze snapped away from where her bag was hidden and onto Yang. She stood tall, eyes still violet. Ruby wasn't far behind her, though she was conveniently right in front of the door. "It's one thing if you'd just slapped her, but… I mean, if it wasn't for Weiss' aura, she could have been really hurt. Is that what you wanted?"

Blake felt her bow flatten even more, wanting so badly to curl in even more as she bit her lip, glancing back towards her bag. There was no promise of violence from Yang, no reason to be afraid, but the situation was all too familiar. A hard question on one side, a rock on the other. The urge to run was steadily growing more and more intrusive, gnawing at the back of her mind.

"... No."

"No?" Yang's tone was neutral, but firm. Not a hint of her leaning one way or the other, as she waited for Blake to respond.

"No." Blake nodded firmly, hoping she sounded at least a little more decisive, before releasing a shaky breath and tucking her hands into her chest. "I- She was saying all those things and I just got so angry- and it just-"

"It just happened. I get it." Yang nodded. A deep sigh escaped her before she glanced back with a tired smile. "She broke your trust. I'm not going to say she deserved it, but I get it."

"I just- I don't understand why she would do this! She knows I can't go to the police!" Blake almost stamped her foot as frustration began to build.

"Who knows." Yang shrugged, glancing at Ruby as she did. "It's Weiss. She's been partnered with Ruby for three whole months, and not once have I seen her cave to the puppy dog eyes. Anything is possible with her."

Blake almost snorted at the joke, the small reprieve enough for a couple breaths before Ruby stepped away from the door.

"I mean she also said similar things back in the first week soooo…" Ruby shrugged, letting out a tired sigh. "I don't know Blake. But we have class so we are going to have to talk this out later."

Blake shook her head. "But what if she goes to-"

Yang's eyes flashed red as she clasped a hand on her shoulder, the warmth of her hand palpable even beneath a few layers of clothing.

"If Weiss tires anything, she will never be able to earn my forgiveness Blake."

"Yang," Blake shook her head again. "It's not that simple-."

"Yes. It is. Sometimes you don't get to run away Blake. Sometimes you have to stand your ground and fight. If this," Yang said as she gestured around the room, "isn't worth fighting for, then fine. Go. We won't stop you. But if it is, then we've got your back."

Blake stood still for a moment, glancing between the sisters. With a shaky nod, she took a deep breath and said, "Ok. Tonight then."

"Yup." Ruby said, nodding and smiling. "But first, we've got classes. After that we can all sit down, and figure out what the heck is going on with Weiss."

Weiss had lost much when she left the manor. Excellent food, unfailingly loyal servants, and on-call tutors just to name a few. However the privacy the manor afforded her was one privilege she had come to miss more and more as the day progressed.

The help never intruded where they were not welcome, nor did they try to talk to her when it was clear she did not wish to be disturbed.

However, despite her best efforts to disregard her classmates, there was simply no ignoring the fact that most of them knew something was up. There were the looks sent in her direction, her name whispered in the hallways, team SLVR's nosy attempt to sit with her at lunch. All of it cemented the irksome issue before the day was even done.

The fact that she'd managed to get through the day without anybody of import nosing their way into her personal business felt like a small miracle. Honestly, gossip was more prevalent here than at the galas she'd been forced to attend back in Atlas. Perhaps her father was right once again. Perhaps Beacon wasn't the bastion of greatness it claimed to be.

Weiss rolled her eyes as a pair of students scurried down the hall, muttering about some inane rumor or pointless fact about some celebrity. Honestly, it was as if they had nothing better to-

"Hey there. Weiss Schnee, right?"

Weiss came to a halt and snapped her gaze ahead, locking on a pair brown eyes peeking at her over a pair of dark sunglasses. Ah. "Miss Adel. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Coco Adel just placed her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose once again and gave her a confident smirk. "I can see where the nickname comes from. We need to talk, Ice Queen."

Again with that damn nickname. It was vexing to hear it again, but in the face of someone like Coco, Weiss knew better than to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. "Very well. I'm listening."

Coco chuckled through her smirk as she glanced around the hallway. "Frosty. I like that. As much as I'd like to talk right now though, I think it'd be better if we talked somewhere else. Second years have a reputation to maintain."

The comment barely even incited a twitch of Weiss' brow as she glanced at the students meandering the hall around them. Honestly, could those evesdroppers be any more obvious? She shot a scathing glare at a particularly conspicuous student until they got the message and fled before turning back to Coco.

"I am inclined to agree."

Coco quickly pivoted on her heel, motioning with her finger for Weiss to follow as she strolled down the hall, leaving Weiss little time to catch up as they cut through the swath of students.

This was surely about what she'd said to Velvet this morning. There was no other reason for a second-year like Coco to seek her out like this. Perhaps she-

The familiar chime of her scroll cut through the din of conversation in the hall. A quick glance at the device as it chimed once again was more than enough for her to quickly silence the device. She had better things to do right now than deal with her team.

Thankfully, she and Coco didn't run into her team in the dorms before stepping off on the third floor either. Moments later they abruptly stopped in front of a dormitory door that looked identical to her own. The only personalization on the door was the small golden bullet logo.

When the door slid open, Weiss was almost disappointed by how similar the room was to her own. There was a prevailing notion amongst her classmates that the second year dorms would be nicer, or at least more spacious, but the layout only differed slightly from her own room. The only real changes were the furniture and lack of decorations. Instead of posters, the walls were bare. Where they had four desks and a TV, CFVY had a couch, a small coffee table, and a much larger entertainment suite that dominated most of the room. Even the kitchenette was more or less the same, barring the two large coffee makers on the counter.

Coco chuckled as she unslung her handbag and placed it carefully by the doorway with a heavy thud. "You tend to spend a lot more time out of the dorms than in them during second year."

"I see." Weiss nodded, standing awkwardly in the doorway as she waited.

"Make yourself at home." Coco gestured, walking into the small kitchenette and popping open the coolbox. "You want something to drink? Dust water? Coffee?"

"No. Thank you." Weiss tentatively stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind her. "Where are your other teammates?"

"I told them to let us have the room for a bit." Coco chuckled, pulling out a small can before closing the box and making her way over to the couch. "Don't worry. I just want to talk."

"So you've said," Weiss said as she sunk into the surprisingly plush seat. Keeping her back straight and wings from being crushed before smoothing her skirt out. "Care to elaborate?"

"Straight to the point. A woman after my own heart." Coco's smirk managed to grow even larger as she lifted her sunglasses to rest atop her head. She opened her drink with a small hiss and sipped at it for a moment before turning to look Weiss in the eye. "I know something went down between you and Velvet, but she's refusing to tell me what's up. All I got out of her was that it's your problem, not hers."

Weiss furrowed her brow. "And that answer didn't suffice?"

"Given what I have heard about you and your family? No. It didn't."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You think I'm another Corsaca or Winchester?"

"Anything is possible." Coco shrugged, sipping her beverage. "Though I'm hoping you prove me wrong."

"Would I be getting this treatment if I wasn't a Schnee?"

"Probably not."

"Would you care this much if one of your other teammates was involved?"

"Absolutely." Coco set her drink on the table and leaned back into the couch before turning to Weiss. "I've got their backs no matter what. All of them. I'm just particularly interested in making sure Velvet's okay. She's been going through some shit lately, and she doesn't need anybody else giving her even more problems. You have no idea how hard it was for her to get the confidence she needed to get rid of that hat."

"You think it's a good idea for her to paint a target on her back?" Weiss furrowed her brow, shaking her head at the idea.

Coco fetched her beverage from the table and took another sip before twisting in her seat to look at Weiss head-on. "Spoken like a true Atlesean Noble. She made the choice. We just had her back. You're going to have to learn to do the same if you want to be a Huntress."

Weiss was beginning to regret turning down that drink. "Right…"

"You probably don't realize how hard it was for her either. She used to wear a hat all the time in first year. Cramped her ears up really badly. Made class and training so much harder for her too. I lost count of how many times that damn thing was nearly knocked off in the first week."

She didn't realize how hard it was? Weiss bit her tongue to keep the indignation from spilling out of her and restrained the urge to flare her wings. The damn things had been screaming in agony often enough that she was beginning to feel like it was the default.

"Isn't it in bad taste that you wear that beret all the time then?" Weiss asked with a scowl.

Coco chuckled again as she pulled off the hat and shook her hair loose. In a single smooth motion, she flipped the hat and held it out for Weiss to look inside. Contrary to what she'd expected, there were a pair of soft velvet cutouts roughly the same size and shape as a pair of rabbit ears hidden in the accessory.

"My mother always told me that we don't design clothes, we design dreams. So I made this in case she ever gets overwhelmed. It's way more comfortable than the hat she used to hide with, doesn't cramp her ears nearly as much, and still hides them fully. Plus it totally matches her outfit."

Weiss wasn't entirely sure what to make of the hat. Seeing the care put into it was like having a bucket of cold water dumped on her, and the sudden chill was enough to make her stomach drop. However, there also was a small ball of warmth and want that crept in and amidst the roiling ocean of frustration.

"How thoughtful," she ground out, biting her lip as Coco tossed the hat onto the coffee table.

Coco simply smirked as Weiss continued to glare at the hat. "I told you. We have her back.."

"Clearly," Weiss sighed, tearing her gaze from the hat and back to Coco. "Well I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that my issue with Velvet has nothing to do with her heritage. Quite frankly, it's none of your business."

"If my team has a problem, then it is my business."

"Well then it's a good thing this is not a problem."

Coco chuckled again as she crossed her legs and leaned into the couch corner. "You clearly didn't notice that Velvet's been keeping an eye on you all day, so I beg to differ."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Delightful. It still doesn't concern you."

"Are you always this pleasant to be around or am I just special?"

"You are sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Miss Adel."

"You're not helping your case. So why don't you drop the Ice Queen act and just tell me what's up."

Weiss tensed up at Coco's words. Her eyes narrowed as she felt the familiar cold rush through her. "Act?"

"I know I teased you in the hallway, but I've seen you round your teammates, Weiss," Coco said, taking a sip from her beverage as she lounged. "You're not even close to as nice as that little red ball of energy, but you have your moments."

Weiss almost growled as the reminder of how she had once been slammed into her. Damn her sister. Damn he teammates. Damn everything. Even the other students had noticed the change in her behavior? Just how pathetic had she become in such a short period of time?

It was a miracle her father had called her out before she was too far gone, rather than after it was too late.

"Tell Velvet I appreciate her silence on the matter. However, she should spend her time worrying about the people who actually care about her."

Coco's eyes snapped back to her, any semblance of her carefree attitude lost as she sat straight back up in her seat. "Weiss, that's not…"

"Thank you for the talk Miss Adel. It was most enlightening."

Weiss stood and left the room, even as Coco continued to call after her.

It was time for her to stop running.

No more distractions. No more talking. No more questions.

She had a job to do, and it was high time she did it.

The silence in the CCT Tower was almost suffocating. Not even the stiff, mechanical pattern of Weiss' typing breaking up the silence was able to help her feel more at ease as she methodically laid out the information her father had demanded. Each word needed to be carefully chosen, each turn of phrase structured in such a way that her father would find no fault in it, and every possible detail she could recall needed to be included. Every aspect of the deal she'd made with Goodwitch, everything she'd observed about Ozpin and Goodwitch, every scrap of information she could feasibly recall about Penny.

She could have typed this up in the library, but being at the CCT tower normally helped with her nerves. Heights always did. She was drawn to it, like a moth to the flames, destined to be burned.

Perhaps a bit melodramatic of a comparison, but then-

The ringing of her scroll cut through the silence for a fourth time in the last half an hour, only for it to be cut off nearly immediately as Weiss declined the call. At some point, Ruby would need to take a hint, but clearly that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Everyone else had long since finished their calls, talking to their parents or friends late into the evening. Each and everyone of them, completely unaware of the damage she was about to potentially foster upon Beacon.

Weiss paused in her typing, winging out her hands and glancing out the window at the dim reds and oranges of the rapidly setting sun. She took a moment to breathe in the cool air of the tower, and prepare herself to continue the task set before her. She had gone over the wording of those sections several times now. It was time to move on.

She knew she needed to do this if she wanted to maintain her right to stay at Beacon, but that didn't make it any easier. Breathing deeply to still her own nerves, Weiss began to list all of the exceptions she had seen made for the other students.

Three names soon sat on the display: Ragora Cinarum, Jim Evans, and Vermilia Singh. Three of her fellow first year students who were about as unexceptional as they came, and whose reasons for even being on the list were entirely unnoteworthy, at least as far as her father would be concerned. He would in all likelihood write them all off as pointless wastes of words, but Weiss would never make that assumption for him, and not include them.

That left the four names for Weiss to add. Four names that would not just keep her at Beacon, but likely earn her some measure of forgiveness.

Cardin Winchester, Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose,

Taking a deep breath, Weiss began to type.

Cardins name was the easiest to add to the list. He had been the cause of some strife early on in the year, and despite seeing a marked decrease in public outbursts and displays, it was a widely held belief that behind closed doors he was still very much the same unpleasant individual. If her father did go after him and his family, maybe this would be the wake up call he needed. Either way the loss was minimal.

Weiss scowled as she thought back on the idiot blonde leading Team JNPR. Despite his quite established family name, if word got out that he was lacking proper credentials to enter Beacon, let alone be accepted, it would ruin his career. Not to mention how it would tarnish Beacon's reputation, raise questions of malpractice and a host of other accusations. It was a PR disaster waiting to happen, regardless of how one looked at it.

Not nearly as much of a disaster as accepting Blake Belladonna though. Former White Fang member. Thief. Murderer. Weiss bit her lip as she recounted their interactions. Barely a week into the school year, and she had laid her life out in front of Weiss. She had hoped that she would be allowed to start anew. To be someone better. The only thing she'd asked for in return was that Weiss not betray her trust and give her a chance. Then Weiss had taken that trust and broken the one boundary Blake had placed. Used it against her… So much for the Schnee family honor…

Weiss felt her hands tremble as she began to type her partner's name. Ruby Rose… This was her dream. Everything she had worked towards. She likely had no idea just how bad it would look if Beacon was caught back dating her transcripts by a year. Bumping a student one year forwards was normal for someone of talent, but two? It was unprecedented. And yet, she was proving more and more each day that she was skilled enough to have earned it. Some might even call her a prodigy. Furthermore, she genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, wanted nothing more than to become a huntress. To help people. She'd just taken the opportunity granted to her.

What right did Weiss have to take any of that away from her?

The trembling of her hands only got worse as she detailed Ruby's situation. Her vision slowly blurred as emotions she barely understood flooded her, forcing her to retype line after line as she made more and more errors.

Why was this so difficult? She had thrown people away more times than she cared to count. This should mean nothing to her. She had nothing to lose.

Except… No. That wasn't true, was it.

If she sent this she would be losing her team.

Her father would allow her to stay, but Ruby and Blake would almost certainly be questioned and, at worst, removed from Beacon entirely. Yang would never forgive her. No one would ever trust her again.

RWBY would be no more.

Ruby would be no more.

Weiss dug her nails into her palm, willing the shaking to stop.

She could do this. She had survived this far by being as cold as ice. Uncaring of those around her. She could hardly risk throwing everything she had worked for away. Not for three girls she had only known for a few months. No matter how good their intentions were.

No matter how genuine they were.

She could do this.

Weiss felt a tear roll down her cheek. Her hands were shaking so hard typing felt impossible. The mass of words in front of her were blurring into a mess of black and white.

She could-

Weiss pushed the delete key. Two names disappeared from the screen, leaving only five on the list.

A breath she didn't even know she had been holding, released as her hands slowed in their shaking.

There was no guarantee that this would be enough information. Nothing that promised she could stay, but… maybe it was for the best. She didn't deserve to be a huntress. She didn't deserve to be here. But Ruby and Blake? Two genuinely good people? They did.

She could practically hear her fathers voice. The words he would use to describe her. Pathetic. Useless. Weak.

He wasn't wrong. Risking her place here because they had been kind to her. She really was getting weak…

Weiss hit the send button a second and closed her eyes, allowing the world to go black as the pent up emotion and exhaustion finally caught up to her.

She might be gone before the week's end, but that was ok.

Ruby and Blake would never know what she sacrificed for their dreams, but that was ok.

It was ok.

She was fine.

"Weiss? Where were you last night?"

"I told you. I will not stay in the same room as her.

Not until I have proof I am safe."

-
…keep pushing…
-

"We just want to know what is wrong Weiss."

"Nothing is wrong Ruby.
I am trying to study."

-
…leave me alone…
-

"You can't just avoid us forever Weiss."

"If Blake is that upset,
then she can talk to me herself, not hide behind you two."

-
…coward…
-

"I trusted you, Weiss…
Does that mean nothing to you?!"

"He's my father Blake!
What pray tell should I have done?
Lied to him?"

-
…Liar…
-

"Oh? And what incident are you referring to Weiss?
Because I cannot for the life of me recall anything happening recently."

"... Thank you, Father."

-
…Keep going...
-

"No, I haven't told anyone about what happened…
Weiss your acting really strange, are you sure your-

"I'm fine, Velvet.
Put that worry into something worthwhile.
Like keeping your ears to yourself."

-
…I'm fine… I'm… fine…
-

"Yes, however while it was a verbal deal, and they were never made mandatory,
I would very much like to continue our monthly meetings, Miss Schnee."

"I appreciate your offer, Professor, but our deal is null and void.
You do not need to pretend to care anymore."

-
...Why bother…
-

"Please Weiss I just want to talk-"

"You are wasting my time Ruby.
There is nothing to discuss."

-
…I'm not worth it…
-

"It's just… Jaune has mentioned seeing you sleeping

in the library a few times now-"

"Take it up with Blake if you have a problem.
Until then, stop bothering me."

-
…you're better off without me…
-

"I don't know… maybe we should just let her be for now Rubes..."

"But… we had to have done something Yang! She's sleeping in the library!
And she wouldn't just go all ice queen for no reason! Right?"

-
…Better off...
-

"Hey, have you seen Weiss?"

…Better…
-

"Weiss?"

I'm sorry…

….

Author Notes: Reposted from Archive (See archive for proper chapter end formatting)

ShinraSorceress: "So I heard you wanted us to hurt you more. Well, we aim to deliver. :D"

Alucard45: "Sorry, I tried to make Trackhawk work faster but he's just so lazy."

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyo X) Welcome back, we missed you all, hope you had a great Holiday/Christmas/New year and all that jazz.

Ok so first off, Thank you all SO much for the continued comments and Kudo's and everything. We have passed so many milestones, and honestly your support means so SO much to all of us working on this fic. Motivation is easy to find in the face of the over 300 people who have sub's and bookmarks on this fic, and even easier with how many comments we have been getting. Seriously, we appreciate and reply to every comment for a reason. You all are amazing and NEVER forget that, you all are what drives this fic forwards. Comments are king no matter how long its been. Again. Huge Thank you.

Oh on a small side note, the update thing on this fic has been broken for 2 updates now, and I have had messages from a few people also telling me they are not getting notifications. We have submitted a ticket for this issue, but ultimately there is nothing more we can do, so until it's fixed, plox just check the story every month or so? Pretty please? Thank you X)

I would also like to assure you all that this fic is not abandoned. If that ever came to pass we would let you know, but THAT AINT GONNA HAPPEN FOR A LONG TIME! So rest easy in knowing that we have several chapters in the tube, ready to edit and finalize. NOW, editing and finalizing does take some real time, so expect similar turn around to the previous 13 chapters. We aim for 1 a month (Except for December because fuuuuuuuuuuck that), and will try to keep to that. Also for the record, I am not lazy XD I just have these annoying things called BILLS AND RENT to pay. #modernproblems or something. Honestly it would be great to have every day free to edit and write but that just ain't gonna happen sooooo yah, chapters will come as they are finished.

Now... Onto the chapter. This one was probably the most technically challenging chapter we have ever written. It's riding on this tight rope of "to much" "to little' that made me rewrite a couple sections at least 3 times. Honestly at this point I may start a Fic dedicated to the original versions of these chapters with how many times I rewrite or completely change a chapter XD

Coco. Man was she fun to write. Not the biggest impact maybe, but I really do like who she kind of mirrors Weiss in a way. Showing us what a well adjusted and more mature Weiss could look like, and how different an actual team can look compared to the, so far, more individualistic RWBY.

A huge thank you to SirDarkvid, cowriter of One last Patch before the War, for their help with the formatting and design of the last bit of this chapter. They really helped me take all the small situations I had written and make the most of it. Make sure to let us know what you thought of it! I honestly am a huge fan of this new stylized writing, and I am hoping to find more opportunities to use it.

Right that's it for me for now. I look forwards to seeing what you all thought of this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it!

As always, a huge shout out to my TWO beta readers. That's right TWO. Shikotan (ShinraSorceress on AO3) who helps with all the technical edits, and Alucard45 who will be making sure I don't write myself into a corner and have to abandon or rewrite this fiction with a cry of anguish and shame that is heard across the site. Also also Alucard is helping with the German, cause German is hard. So yes both are amazing, and talented and just all around awesome. Please check out their shit, like comment, subscribe, wrong platform, but you get the idea.

This fiction is inspired by a lot of other works, my original story included. If you want better writing than mine but same kind of stuff, hit these up. They be great.

Inspired by Concrete Angel by IShipYouNot, No_Count.

Inspired by Burried Truth by DEM3TER.

Inspired by Craving the Sky by najio.

Inspired by The Weight Around Her Neck by Apathetic_Abstract_Apotheosis.

Fly high and fly far,

Quinn signing off.