Day 10: Morning
Sure enough, Jaune, Nora, and Ren showed up to Weiss' room around mid morning. One look at their faces told her that they knew what had happened to Ruby and what she had done.
She flinched at the looks of sympathy on their faces, but she managed to put a mostly genuine smile on her face anyway.
"Can we come in?" Jaune asked from the doorway.
Weiss nodded her assent and they all filed in. As they approached, Weiss saw a deep frown form on Ren's face, his eyes studying her, apparently seeing something that neither she nor the others could.
He came towards her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry." he said softly, "For what happened out there, and also for what's about to happen."
Weiss frowned, but before she could ask what he meant by that last part, Ren was shoved aside as Nora lunged forward, her usual enthusiastic grin conspicuously absent from her face. She scooped Weiss up in a massive hug, hauling her all the way out of the bed. Weiss could tell that she was trying to be gentle, but this was Nora and she wasn't particularly good at the concept of 'gentle'.
"I'm so glad you're safe." Nora said, a slight tremor in her voice, "We were so worried." Weiss wrapped her arms around Nora, weakly returning the hug she felt she didn't deserve.
Over Nora's shoulder, Jaune gave her a nod, "We were…devastated when we got the notice yesterday. We ran right over to see Yang and Blake…I'm-I'm so sorry." He gave a tiny, humorless laugh, "You must be so sick of hearing that."
Weiss blinked, the tone in his voice was knowing…as if he…
Oh.
How could she have forgotten? Pyrrha. Weiss looked into his eyes. There was a connection between them now. A kinship. An understanding between two people who knew the same pain. People who had heard the same sympathetic words repeated ad nauseam. The words came from a good place, but they didn't stop the pain. It didn't bring them back.
"Yeah." she agreed after a moment, "But I appreciate the thought." she nodded at him, knowing that if she ever wanted to talk about it, he would be there to listen and sympathize.
After a few more slightly painful moments, Nora gently laid her back down in the bed and Ren covered her back up with the blanket. The three of them pulled up chairs and sat next to her bed.
"So…" Jaune started, "How are-?"
Weiss sighed loudly, "Guys, no offense, but I'm sick of talking about me. Tell me about you three. Tell me about what happened while I was gone."
Jaune let out a long breath, rubbing the back of his head. "Where do I even start? Um…Well Nora and Ren went to Robyn's rally the night you guys left."
"It was awful," Nora said, "Mostly." a slight blush crept into her cheeks at that last part. "Tyrian killed some people and tried to blame it on Penny…"
Weiss frowned, "I remember that night. Ruby and I were camped out on a hill; she woke me up during her watch. Grimm were streaming towards Mantle and we were pretty sure we saw weapons fire."
Ren nodded, "Grimm breached the wall after the massacre. We fought them off, but it was bad. There were casualties."
"Thankfully we had some downtime after that, but a couple days later, Watts turned off the power in Mantle." Jaune said after a moment, "The Grimm poured in again and we all rushed down there to defend and evacuate." He looked down and shook his head, "They weren't able to finish the evacuation before Salem..."
Weiss' eyebrows shot up. It explained an awful lot. Why the Grimm still hovered over Mantle after Atlas had left, why the massive whale had returned to menace the city.
"Then the damn Witch arrived and everything went even more to shit." Jaune said with a sigh. "Neo somehow managed to steal the Lamp from Oscar. Luckily Yang and Blake helped us kick her ass and get it back."
"Then Ironwood got really freaking paranoid." Nora said, her brows knitting together, "He had us arrested and then released as soon as Salem started her attack and we were useful to him again." Nora's hand rubbed an unseen injury on her elbow, clearly reliving some kind of trauma.
"Wow." Weiss said, having a hard time digesting all of that. With all her own anguish and pain she hadn't realized how hard life in Atlas and Mantle had been for them.
"Did you see the giant Whale out on the Tundra?" Ren asked.
Weiss nodded, "It was difficult to miss, honestly. From what little I could make out from far away, it looked like it beached itself on the outskirts of the city."
Jaune nodded in confirmation, "It dropped an army of Grimm into the city and we all had to get out there and fight them…again. There are still cleanup operations going on in a few districts." He sighed deeply, "It's been a rough month."
"It's been ten days, Jaune…" Ren said.
"I'm aware." Jaune said with another sigh, "But my aching body says otherwise."
Weiss was silent for a time as she processed all that they had told her. It had been horrible here in the city as well.
"I'm gonna ask her." Nora said after a moment, breaking the silence.
"Nora," Ren said, a slight note of exasperation in his voice, "There's no possible way-"
"I know, but maybe she-"
"Ask me what?" Weiss asked.
"Did you see Oscar while you were down there?" the redhead blurted quickly.
Weiss blinked, she had not been expecting that question, "N-no." she said, frowning, "It was just the two of us and the occasional Grimm right up until I was rescued. Why in the world would I have seen Oscar?"
Nora shrugged, "Well, we've looked everywhere else for him, I figured I'd-"
"Wait." Weiss said, cutting Nora off, "You're telling me that Oscar is missing?"
Jaune nodded, "He said he was going to talk to Ironwood, try and talk him down a bit. But we got arrested shortly after that and we haven't seen him since."
"Ironwood told us that he never saw Oscar that day," Ren added, "But he hasn't exactly been the most forthcoming lately. He told us he's got soldiers combing the school and as much of the city as they can."
Weiss sagged. Ruby was gone and now Oscar and Ozpin were missing. Things were going to hell so fast. What possible chance did they have against Salem now? She managed to straighten up and put on a straight face for them. "That's awful. I really hope he's found soon." she said.
Just then, Jaune's scroll chimed. He glanced at it and sighed dramatically. "They want us down in the city again. The protests are getting bigger."
"Protests?" Weiss asked, her brows knitting together.
Jaune shook his head, "Some people are very upset that Atlas abandoned Mantle. They've got us helping the soldiers keep the peace since the people see us as friendly faces."
Nora shook her head, grumbling something under her breath about how she'd like to be in the protest instead of dispersing it. She sighed, stretched, and stood from her chair. She leaned over and gave Weiss a much gentler hug. "If you need to talk…" she said, her voice uncharacteristically soft, "I'll be there for you in a heartbeat. All of us will. But especially me." she finished with a sad grin.
"I know." Weiss said, returning the hug, "Thank you."
"You two go on ahead." Ren said to Jaune and Nora, "I'll catch up in a moment."
Jaune frowned slightly, but nodded and left the room with Nora.
"I-" Ren started, but he closed his mouth, thinking for several moments, "My semblance evolved." he finally said, bluntly. "I can see people's emotions now, and I-" he swallowed thickly, "You're filled with grief, not that I blame you, but I can also see a deep hatred."
"Of course there's hatred," She said, "My partner died because of them…Salem's minions…of course -"
"You hate yourself." He stated simply.
Weiss stiffened.
"Weiss, you have to know that it's not your f-"
"Shut up." she growled.
"Weiss-"
"Shut up!" she yelled, "Everyone keeps telling me 'It's not your fault!'" she mocked, "But none of you were there. None of you saw what happened to us." she took a deep breath, calming herself, "I know you're just trying to help. But I…it's just not what I need…It's not something I can handle right now. If you want to help, you can use your semblance on me so I can't feel anything. So I don't have to feel this pain; just for a few minutes."
Ren shook his head, he was saddened but didn't seem surprised by her request. "No." he said softly, "I could take away your grief for a time, but I don't have to be a psychologist to tell you that wouldn't be healthy. I'm sorry, but no."
Weiss sighed, it had been worth a shot, but Ren wasn't wrong. "Sorry for yelling." she said, "You should catch up with Jaune and Nora."
Ren nodded, "We'll all be back soon, I promise."
She gave him a small smile, "Please send in Winter on your way out."
Ren gave her a sad smile before stepping out the door.
"You could have come in with them, you know." Weiss said as Winter came into the room and stood next to her bed.
"I wanted to give you some time with your friends." she said softly. After a quick moment of contemplation, she tentatively opened her arms, "C-can I?"
Weiss was taken aback, Winter never gave hugs much less asked for them. She nodded her consent. Winter darted forward, tightly hugging her for a long time.
"I'm sorry…" Winter whispered, her voice shaking with emotion, "I'm so sorry…What happened to you was awful…what happened to her was awful. I-I'm sorry…" Winter sniffed loudly.
Weiss said nothing, she just tightened her grip on her sister, desperately trying to hold in her own tears.
After a few minutes, Winter pulled away, taking a deep breath and wiping away a few tears on her cheeks.
"No, I'm sorry…" Weiss said softly, "I'm sorry for ruining your career, You didn't have to do that, not for me…"
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Winter said, shaking her head, "I need to be there for you and this is the only way to do it."
Weiss noticed her sister's jaw clench. There was clearly more to her decision than she was telling her. Yet another odd tidbit of information that Weiss filed away. She fiddled with Ruby's cloak as she processed that information. She remembered something that Penny had told her when she came to visit the other day.
"Oh, thank you for saving this by the way." Weiss said, gesturing at the cloak, "Penny told you prevented it from being destroyed."
"It was nothing." Winter said with a small smile, "You were in so much anguish, even when you were unconscious…I knew you'd need it."
"Thank you." Weiss repeated, "You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Think nothing of it. I know if I was in your position, I would want the same thing. I…I know she meant a lot to you."
Weiss swallowed thickly. "Speaking of Penny, she told me that she was the Winter Maiden. What's that all about?"
Winter sighed, "Penny and I were the ones who fought Cinder Fall when she tried to steal the Lamp."
Weiss' eyebrows shot up; that did explain a few of Cinder's taunts when Winter came to rescue her from the tundra.
"Cinder broke my aura and I nearly plummeted to the ground. Penny managed to save me but Cinder got into the chamber of the Winter Mai-" Winter paused, "Fria, her name was Fria. Fria was able to hold her off long enough for us to get to her." Winter gave another long sigh. "To make it short, Penny was the only one able to get inside. Fria died, the effort of holding Cinder off was just too much. Penny got her powers instead of me.
"Gods…" Weiss whispered, "Are you ok?" She looked her sister up and down, finally registering the metal armor that adorned her arms and legs.
"Still hurting." Winter said after a moment, "But I'm getting better. This exoskeleton helps with the pain, keeps me moving while my body heals."
Weiss shook her head, the past week had been awful for everyone.
Her sister finally sat down in the chair next to her bed, her back straight, her posture ridgid. "Unfortunately," Winter said, regret in her voice, "While I am here as your sister, I am also here on behalf of the military to debrief you."
Weiss sagged. Hadn't she relived the agony of her time on the tundra enough? Why must they keep making her relive the worst days of her entire life. She did enough of that on her own.
"I know…" Winter murmured apologetically, "If there was any other way to do this, I would but…you're the only one who can tell us what happened out there. This…this could make sure that the responsible parties pay for what happened to you."
Weiss sighed. She understood the need, but she really didn't want to relive it again. But she pushed forward anyway. She recounted everything to Winter. Their mission to the tundra, the attack and battle with Salem's minions, Ruby's injury and their trek across the snow. Ruby's final hours and death. She almost broke down sobbing but managed to hold it together and finish the story.
"I killed the last Grimm on the top of that hill. I collapsed and cried myself to sleep. You know the rest of the story after that."
Winter nodded and tapped a button on her scroll, ending the recording. "That…confirms a lot of what we suspected and clarified some things we weren't sure about." she said quietly, "We had already figured out what had happened to Ruby, and it was decided that there wouldn't be any charges levied against you given the circumstances."
Weiss' eyebrows shot up, "That was considered?"
"For a short time." Winter answered, "But the autopsy on Ruby showed that even if you had been rescued on the day that you…well…it would have been too late."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that by the day she died, the poison had done too much damage, there was nothing they could have done for her other than make her comfortable. She would have died no matter what, it was just a matter of when at that point. You released her before the worst of the pain set in."
"Oh." A small weight lifted off Weiss' shoulders, but not as much as she would have liked, given the news. Ultimately it didn't matter that much in the end, Ruby had died because she was a failure. Ruby had come to her rescue and paid the price for it.
"They're hailing her as a hero, you know." Winter said, seemingly having picked up on her downcast expression. "General Ironwood praised the both of you for bravery and for saving Atlas."
Weiss snorted a little. She wasn't brave, she didn't deserve his recognition.
"She was more loved in the city than any of us thought." Winter said, "The people of Atlas are really latching onto her story."
"Good." Weiss said, fighting back tears, "She at least deserves their praise." Winter looked at her for a long time. So long that Weiss had to look away from her sister's probing gaze.
"You loved her, didn't you?"
Weiss flinched, her head snapping back to her sister. How was she supposed to respond to that? She fell back to the old standard, to deny and hope Winter would drop it.
"She was my best friend," Weiss said quickly, "of course I loved-"
"That isn't what I meant." Winter interrupted, "And you know it."
Weiss sighed, she supposed there wasn't a point in hiding it anymore.
"Yes." she said softly, "I loved her…still love her."
Winter's face grew somber. She placed a hand on Weiss'. "I'm so sorry Weiss. I met her as your partner a while back, I would have loved to have met her as your…" she searched for the right word for a moment, "Well, partner I suppose, in the other sense of the word."
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you." Weiss said, sensing Winter's hurt. "It wasn't meant to be a personal slight, we weren't telling anyone that didn't already know from our time in Haven. I wanted to tell you, I really did."
"She seemed like an amazing person. I noticed how much you had changed when I came to visit you at Beacon. You were happier, definitely less arrogant than when you left for Beacon. She was good for you."
"She was."
Weiss was quiet for a time, trying to muster up the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing her for a while now.
"Winter…you saw the glyph I summoned out there on the tundra, right?"
"...I did." Winter said slowly.
"What…What was that?" Weiss asked, honestly not really wanting an answer.
"I-I…" Winter started, tripping over her words, "I don't know for sure…but I think…I think you summoned her, or at least an aspect of her."
Weiss felt all the blood drain from her face, "It can't be." she said, her voice trembling, "It can't have been her."
Winter frowned, "Weiss, as far as I know, that's how our semblance works."
"It's not her!" Weiss insisted.
"You can't be sure of that." Winter countered, "I thought you would be happy because it meant that some part of her would still be alive-"
"She's dead!" Weiss snapped, "She's dead because any other option is-" she growled in frustration, "Look, I'd like to change the subject if that's alright."
"Alright." Winter said, the concerned frown never leaving her face, "I'll still look through Grandfather's notes, see if I can't find some more information in the meantime."
Winter fidgeted with her hands for a moment before seeming to come to a decision and pulled her scroll out of her pocket. "Mother…she gave me something to show you…something she no longer trusts Ironwood with."
Weiss sighed, "And why would she show it to me? What am I supposed to do about it? I'm crippled. I just don't want to…" She trailed off, sagging into the pillows at her back. "I'm tired." she whispered, "I'm just tired. So save it. Save whatever it is for someone who can actually make a difference." she shook her head, shame overcoming her. "Please just go Winter. I don't want to talk anymore."
The look Winter gave her was pained but understanding. She slowly placed her scroll back in her pocket, "I'll let you be then, for now." she said quietly, "I'll be back soon to visit." She stopped at the door, "I hope things get better for you soon…I really do." The door closed behind her and Weiss was alone.
She felt a little bad for blowing Winter off so rudely, but she had been honest with her. Whatever Winter was going to show her would mean she had to fight, either metaphorically or physically. Before, she would have been up to the task, but now…well now she just didn't want to fight. What was the point when Ruby wasn't there to fight at her side? The Huntress in her was gone.
She rolled over in the hospital bed, laying her head on Ruby's cloak. She thought back to Ruby's last few hours on the tundra, Ruby had said that she was strong, that there was a fire inside her.
"I'm sorry." she whispered to the cloak, tears beginning to leak down her cheeks, "I'm sorry I can't be the person you saw in me. She's gone and she's not coming back."
Sorry for the long wait but the angst is finally back! The next few chapters will still be light on action and heavy on angst and character development, so get ready for that.
I really liked how the "you loved her didn't you?" Scene turned out, I've had that one in my head for literal years at this point.
I mentioned last chapter that my writing time is going to get sparse and I can finally tell you why. My wife and I are having a baby girl in may! We already have a name picked out but I think you all will appreciate that our backup name is Nora in case the first one doesn't fit. I'm going to keep this story going but chapters are going to be scarce in the middle of the year. Luckily the next couple chapters are fairly short so those shouldn't take too long to get posted.
You know, the thing I realized, since I have a tendency to overshare in the author's notes, you can actually trace from when I met my wife in "back to back side by side" to our marriage and child in this fic and I think that's just kinda neat.
Well, if you liked the chapter, kudos and comments are always appreciated! As always, thanks to my wonderful wife, V, for being my beta reader and the best friend a guy could ask for, and thanks to YOU for reading!
