Recovery - Shippingk8 - RWBY [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1: Struggles

Chapter Text

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The punch came straight for her face.

It was easy enough to block with her left forearm, but she had to dodge backwards to avoid the other fist that followed it.

Yang ground her teeth in frustration at being forced to retreat. But he didn't give her time to wallow; in less than a second he was on her by sending a left kick at her head. Yang ducked under his boot and tried to sweep for his vulnerable leg, but he was too fast and slid back and out of her range of attack.

There was barely a pause as he quickly pressed forward with another combo of punches and elbows at her face and midsection. The barrage of attacks easily overwhelmed her and the blondwas again forced to retreat.

The hits Yang took were just several of many she had received that day, and they made her patience for taking her time falter. The blond instinctively threw her own punch, but her dad easily blocked it. She aimed a kick at his side in reply and was summarily thrown to the ground when he caught her leg.

Laying on her back starting straight up at the cloudless blue sky and she hit the ground with her fist.

Yang didn't want to get back up. She laid on the ground with her tied back golden hair rested beside her as she watching a noisy black bird fly overhead. Her pants and jacket were covered in dust from the prolonged sparing with her father, which was mostly due to the fact that this was hardly the first time she ended up laying in the dirt.

But soon enough her view was taken up by her father and an offered hand.Yang obstinately ignored his gesture for help and instead stood on her own.

Taiyang awkwardly drew back his hand and took a step back to give her some space, “You need to keep training your footwork and evasion. I know your old style was to take the hit and never retreat, but if you want to improve you need to adapt to the--” he paused, looking for the right words, “change in your body.”

She hated that. It was bad enough that she had lost her dominant arm, but having to deal with everyone's pity and verbal tiptoeing was infuriating. It was just one more reminder on top of the hundreds that she dealt with everyday that she was incomplete. It had taken Yang over two months to be able to complete simple daily tasks again, and for a long time she had held out hope that when she no longer had to struggle with everyday things like opening a door, taking a call, or even dressing herself that maybe she would be able to stop the constant nagging feeling of being broken and inadequate.

Much to her dismay it really hadn’t helped. She still woke up every morning hoping that everything from that night had been a dream, but as soon as the fog of sleep lifted the sight and lingering pain of her missing limb quickly brought back her anger and feelings of abandonment.

No, the pity certainly didn’t help. She had no idea how she was ever supposed to 'improve' or 'move on' if other people kept treating her like she was going to shatter if they said the wrong thing?

“Don’t do that,” she growled at her dad.

Taiyang looked surprised, but then sighed heavily when he caught her meaning. He walked away from their practice area to sit down on the worn wooden stairs that lead to the front of their house.

Yang saw his shoulder's slump in resignation, “I’m sorry kiddo. I just worry sometimes that if I say the wrong thing it will set you back.” He motioned for her to sit on the porch with him.

She sauntered over to take her own seat, and promptly started brooded at the setting sun so she didn’t have have to make eye contact with her father.

“You’ve been a lot more… sensitive since it happened, which is totally understandable,” he rushed to say. He waited for her reaction and when she didn’t give one he continued, “I know you feel pretty lost right now, but I think that if you just keep moving forward a little bit at a time soon you won’t be so angry and depressed all the time.”

She knew that her father meant well. He loved her and wanted her to be happy, but her whole life had been ruined and all anybody seemed to care about was her getting ‘back to normal.’ As if getting back to her normal life was even possible. She had all but given up on being a huntress. Despite her father’s insistence that she continue to train Yang just didn’t see the point.

Her eyes flashed with anger, “I don’t care if I improve! Nothing I do is going to make my arm grow back, and nothing I do is going to change the fact that my team is gone. I’m useless to them anyhow. I’ll never be as strong as I used to be.”

“Yang, your recovery isn’t about them. It needs to be about you,” Taiyang sighed and didn’t continue. They both looked at anything but each other as the chirping insects signaled the close of the day. Her refusal to speakforced her father to break the heavy silence that had grown between them, “Sometimes I regret that you are so much like me.”

She looked at him quizzically, a little of her anger seeping away, “What are you talking about?”

He signed into his words, “I mean, I’ve been through the same thing you are going through right now and I was consumed by the same feelings.”

She looked at him in disbelief, then looked at her missing arm, then back at him, then back at her missing arm again. Her wide eyes and angry scowl reading, Really?!

“Okay,” he raised his hands in apology, “so obviously not exactly the same thing. Jeez it was supposed to be a metaphor. Or is it an analogy?… anyhow, the point is I know what it’s like to lose something… and what it’s like to be left behind.”

Yang glared out into the forest that surrounded their house. He wasn’t wrong about that, she had seen her dad fall apart more than once over being left. But despite the truth of his words they didn’t help to dissolve the agitation that made up the real cause of her frustrations.

“Left behind or not, this,” She gestured sharply to her missing limb, “is still my biggest problem. I can’t do anything till I figure out how to deal with it. I’m not useful, to anyone!”

Her dad placed his hand on her knee and looked at her with a half smile of encouragement, “Kiddo, I’m your dad. I know you better than anyone. Nothing holds you back if you want something bad enough. That arm isn’t the problem.”

Yang looked at him with her, as of late, normal stare of disbelieving annoyance. Her jaw clenched in frustration at not being able to show her father the appreciation such kind words deserved.

“I can understand why you’re frustrated. You’ve been working for six months and you still don’t feel like it’s enough,” He paused as he seemed to ready himself. “And you’re right, your recovery so far has been going at a pretty sh*tty pace.”

Yang looked over at him not in anger but surprise. This was the first time since she came home that he had talked to her so honestly.

Her dad seemed to relax a little after he realized that she wasn’t going to try to pummel him and continued, “Right now the real thing that is holding you back is that you are still upset about being left.” He took a minute to let his words sink in and then looked at her knowingly, “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it is because someone in particular left.”

Yang looked away not wanting to confirm or deny his accusation.

“Look I know you don’t want to talk about what happened between you two, and I promised I’d stop asking. But I’m your dad, so I have to say this.” He rubbed the back of his head and grinned, “Even though I know you’re not going to listen and will inevitably have to figure it out the hard way.”

He looked her straight in the eye and plainly stated, “Learn from my mistakes. You shouldn’t chase after someone who is always running away. If you do, you’ll just keep getting hurt and miss out on meeting someone who you can really rely on.” He paused with a long sigh, “I know you’re too much like me to just stop having feelings because someone tells you to, but at least try to stop fixating long enough to get back to where you want to be. Fixation is… really unhealthy,” he ended in a way that made it crystal clear he was talking about his own past.

Yang glared at the ground.

This isn’t like him and my mother, it’s different.

... Blake, is different.

The blond let her stubbornness ease; it was possible that some of what her dad said was right. In six months she had failed to make the progress eitherof them had been hoping for, and Yang knew her company was abysmal. Even Zwei walked on eggshells around her.

“So what do ya say?” He stood and offered her his hand with his best smile, “There are people who want to you help you. You just need to let them give you a hand.”

She pretended to scowl at him, “Nope, way to soon. That joke was too disarming.” She smirked and grabbed his extended hand.

He smiled and pulled her up into a rib crushing hug, “I love you kiddo.”

She nuzzled her face into his strong warm shoulder and sighed, “Me too dad, me too.”

Just one more meeting left.

Closing her scroll the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company leaned back into her office chair with a sigh. A weary smile crept at the corners of Weiss's mouth when she closed her eyes. She had finalized three contracts for the company so far today; in total they would end up netting the company five million lein. It was the most profitable day she had had in the five months since she started working for her family's company, but the best part was that she had been able to do it all above board and without lowering the company’s integrity like her father would have. She felt proud of her ability to difference, even if there were still far larger problems that she lacked the power to rectify.

Hopefully in time.

When she opened her wearyblue eyes they came to rest on the framed picture of her team, and Weiss felt her tiny glimmer of joy sink out of existence.

For the thousandth time in the past six months she thought about how much she missed them. Being trapped in Atlas was crushingly lonely. Her only reprieve came twice a month when she was able to have coffee with her sister. Other than Winter, and the occasional meeting with her father about her inadequacy, Weiss was utterly alone. Again.

At times her loneliness felt so familiar that it was like she hadn’t even gone to Beacon and found something better, but on other days she missed her friends so badly that she wished she had never even met them. She was convinced that her isolation would would hurt less if she didn’t have to deal with the knowledge that she might not ever be allowed to see them again. An ache in her chest only continued to deepen at an inversely proportional rate to her dwindling hope that they would one day be together again.

As a result the heiress had thrown herself into work. The less time she had to think, the longer she was able to hold her feelings at bay. Whatever time wasn’t spent working she hadspent at her private gym. She continued to train in order to stay busy, but also because a small part of her couldn’t let go of the hope that one day she might find a way to be with her team again. All despite the impossibility of her current situation and their virtually nonexistent contact with her.

Ruby was the only one who had ever contacted her. Their fearless leader would calm her around once a month to give her an update on things, but recently that had become more sporadic due to Ruby's unreliable access to the the temporary relay system that had been established after the tower at Beacon fell. The younger woman was “slaying monsters and saving the day” just like she had always said she would. Ever the optimist, Ruby would say how well she, Nora, Ren, and even Jaune were doing, often telling Weiss long winded stories about her latest new move or grimm count. Occasionally her partner would slip up and tell Weiss how bad things were in the small villages they had traveled to, but with Weiss’s resources at the Schnee Dust Company she already knew. Nevertheless Weiss would always find herself smiling at the excited countenances of Ruby’s adventures and frown a little when the end of the message drew near.

For Weiss knew what always came at the end of every message. Without fail each of them would always ask and answer the same questions. "Any clues to Blake's location?" and "Have you heard fromYang?"

But their answers were always the same. Neither of them had directly heard anything about Blake, just vague rumors that Ruby was hearing in the field and tiny bits of intel that Weiss could glean from company reports. They both suspected that Blake might have been working to take down small cells of the White Fang. However, rumors and speculation did not leave Weiss confident that either of them knew even a fraction of the truth, let alone what continent Blake might be on.

The sadness she felt for her missing teammate was always short lived though. It never failed to be replaced with a twinge of anger when remembering that Blake had chose to leave them, again.

Weiss's fist tightened as she thought of how Blake had selfishly vanished with absolutely no explanation. With a deep breath in Weiss forcibly cooled her anger, then let out a long weary sigh. Even if they found their missing teammate, Weiss feared Blake would never truly change.

Poor Yang.

The heiress's loneliness always tripled when she thought of their once vivacious brawler. She still left Yang messages once a week. Letting Yang know that she missed her and hoped she was doing well. Yang had only ever sent a message back once. It was about a month after the fall of the academy when the relay network had first been established, and it had been a short voice message.

The once annoyingly boisterous blond, really didn't say much. Over half of the one minute and twenty second message had been long silent pauses. She had mentioned that Ruby was finally awake and that they were safe in Patch while the town was being rebuilt.

Two things about that message had always stuck out and worried Weiss beyond reckoning. Yang never talked about how she was doing or how her recovery was progressing, and she only asked one question in the message.

‘Where’s Blake?’

When Weiss had first listened to the message the question made bite her tongue till it nearly bled. The sorrow and despair that was in Yang's one simple question was what made Weiss afraid she would never be able to forgive their missing teammate. Weiss could only imagine how badly Yang continued to hurt from her abandonment, not that the stubborn blond would ever willingly admit it.

The day that she and Yang had searched for Blake, the first time she ran off, Weiss had asked the Yang why she of all people could be so calm about the whole ordeal. Yang initially brushed her off, but after eight hours of searching and Weiss’s "constant whining," the heiress finally got her answer. And truthfully she never could have predicted what Yang shared with her.

Yang told her how she had been abandon by her mother, lost her step-mother Summer and, for a time, lost her father to depression. Even her drunkard of an uncle was gone far more than he was present in her life. Yang confessed that she couldn’t let anyone on their team be taken away, because she needed them more than she wanted to admit.

It was the first time that Yang had ever been so open and vulnerable in front of Weiss. From that point on she discovered that there was much more to the blond than she outwardly showed, and that the two of them had far more in common than either would have imagined.

Despite the short year they had spent at Beacon Weiss had grown close enough to the Yang to know that, in a way, Blake leaving had damaged Yang more than her missing limb ever would. Even their dimwitted and often naïve leader knew why, but neither her nor Ruby would never voiced it out loud. Most likely, because her partner it would just send Weiss into an unproductive rant.

She sighed. Every time Ruby managed to send a message, Weiss was surprised at how grownup their young leader sounded and how much she was changing.

We’ve all probably changed in our time apart.

The heiress's thoughts drifted back to Yang, as they inevitably did, and she felt an all too familiar ache in her chest. There were so many times that Weiss would have jumped on a ship to go see her, but her father had made sure that such a thing was impossible. The first action he took after bringing her back to Atlas was to have Ironwood revoke all of her travel privileges outside of the city.

Weiss ground her teeth as she was once again reminded that she was kept in a gilded cage by her father. She knew she never should have gone with him when he came for her at Beacon, it was a choice she regretted every single day.

As she stewed in her own misfortune a little voice in the back of her head laughed at Weiss for thinking she had any power or choice when it came to her father’s wishes. It reminded her that their was little use lamenting a team she would never see again. The errant thoughts made her feel sad, exhausted, and defeated, which were an all too frequent and familiar combination of emotions since she had come home.

A brief reprieve from her melancholy arrived as her scroll interrupted her thoughts. The device was sending her a reminder her that her last meeting of the day was less than an hour away. Weiss gladly pushed her feelings aside as she forcibly moved her mind back towards work.

She straightened in her chair before tapping the intercom button on her holo screen's control dock, “Glenn, please tell Fredric to bring the car around, I would like to get to the next meeting early. Simon and Tolley always try to use their early arrival as a power play and I’ve had just about enough of it. Then call Bunchworth and tell him to have my gym set for scenario twenty-three by eighteen hundred hours.”

Weiss had no doubt that she would need to vent her frustration after dealing with her next meeting's participants.

“Of course, Ms. Schnee,” her administrative assistant answered. “Will there be anything else? Perhaps dinner arrangements?”

“No, thank you Glenn. I’ll mange on my on my own tonight.”

The heiress stood and smoothed the lines of her dress. She opened her scroll to check her makeup and her hair, then scrolled and swiped on the screen to make sure that she had all the documents she would need to counter each of the ridiculous demands that the coming negotiation would bring. After a week of meetings she still had not made any real progress against the two 'business' men. With everything in order she shut her scroll and took a deep breath before reminding herself of one irrefutable fact.

You’re a Schnee, weakness is not an option.

Chapter 2: Next Steps

Chapter Text

Yang winced as she fell into bed. She ached from the consequences that increasing her training had on her whole body. Her dad could really hit during their sparring matches and her weakened aura control didn’t help matters. Losing her arm had seriously damaged her ability to channel her aura. And even after their talk the week before, training with her father was still only producing small gains. As positive as she was trying to be, it was hard. And the longer she was stuck at home the more perpetually restless she became.

She was essentially trapped on Patch. If the information that Yang had learned from her father and Qrow about the outside world was correct then she was in no shape to go out into it, let alone secure travel rights. With the number of Grimm sightings and attacks at an all time high travel between cities was being heavily restricted. The Huntress and Huntsman were simply spread too thin to be of any real help and trips between kingdoms werenearly impossible. Unless you were transporting essential supplies, were on a sanctioned mission, or had serious connections you just weren’t getting out. Qrow had pulled strings for Ruby and the remainder of team JNPR since they technically weren’t licensed huntsman yet, but she knew he wouldn’t do the same for her, not in her current state.

Being stuck at home left Yang wound tight and she had no tangible way to vent her frustrations. She desperately wanted to leave and adventure again, but knew that that wasn’t possible until she was strong enough. She knew that to get strong again she had to be more positive and focused, but she couldn’t be positive or focused because she was stuck in one spot. It was a damned catch twenty-two.

Yang sat up and angrily stripped off her clothes and threw them into the corner with more force than necessary. She stalked to her dresser and yanked opened the drawer that heldher pajamas. Her shoulders slumped as she thought about how much effort it would take to put them on. With an annoyed but determined sigh she set the clothes on the bed. It didn’t take her as long to get dressed as it used to, but it was still a process.

You are improving, even if it’s slow. Dad believes in you.

She sat on her bed and looked over at her one remaining gauntlet. Her father thought time and adaptation were all she needed to become a capable fighter again, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept that. She had loved the way she fought, using her semblence to take the enemy’s hit only to grow stronger and dominate them with her with fiery aggression. It was the best. It left her exhilarated and confident, like a burning sun that knew no end.

Everything she now wasn’t.

It wasn’t that the new fighting style her dad proposed was bad. It was actually very practical and taught her a ton of great skills. She was learning to predict the movements of her opponent, how to use her footwork to block and evade, and how to compensate for the imbalance of her missing arm. The skill she struggled the most withwas learning to wait and time her attacks. But having to change just constantly reminded her of one horribly depressing thing. That one brief year at Beacon would be the best part of her life. Everything from after that point on would just be a shadow in comparison.

Yang continuouslyfound herself thinking about her time at Beacon. She had gained so much in that one year; she had an amazing team and great friends, they went on crazy and dangerous adventures, Yang had even started to find some meaning in her future.

At school she was a bad ass and by the start of the tournament she was even starting to hold her own against Pyrrha. But all that was gone now. Her team, the adventure, even her previous strength it was all like a faded dream, and Pyrrha… Pyrrha was gone.

Yang sank into the covers of her bed and pulled them around her for comfort. She was so tired of this endless cycle. Every day she had the same depressing thoughts. Every day she wondered if she would ever be a huntress again and if she would ever be strong again or if her destiny was now to endlessly struggle for what she useto have.

She knew that it did more harm than good, but she just couldn’t stop herself from thinking of all the things she missed and might never get back; her power, her freedom, her friends… Blake.

Yang squeezed her eyes closed and tried for the umpteenth time to push out the negative thoughts.

You don’t know that, you're future isn't over.You have to try, do it for…

She knew that her father was right and that she needed to focus on her recovery for her own sake. But through everything, the only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to see Blake again and she will want to join Ruby. She understood why Ruby had to leave her behind, but she was furious at Blake for leaving them. For leaving her. But she still longed for answers and deep down she still yearned to know that Blake was alright.

Despite everything, she still cared about her. Some days the only thing that could get her out of bed to train was the worry that Blake would get hurt because Yang wasn’t there to protect her. She knew it didn’t make sense. She didn’t even know where Blake was and even if she did Blake was far more capable of protecting herself than Yang currently was. She just… missed her. She missed her so much.

Yang could feel her eyes start to water.

She had thought that she had been more to Blake than just a partner. Her eyes strung and it made her feel angry and alone. She was tired. Tired of training, tired of longing for the things she used to have, tired of having the same arguments with herself every day. And just once she wanted to fall asleep without crying.

Which was how she had fallen asleep every night since the fall of Beacon.

Yang was walking through the forest near their house at dusk. The trees were thick and the twilight left the path a foggy blue-gray.

A bird cawed in the distance and Yang suddenly found herself wondered why she was on this path and where she was going. Feeling that something was off, she frantically started to look around. As if by magic, there she was.

Her mother.

“Wha…?” Yang growled angrily upon realizing what was happening. This was another dream. But the one million lein question remained. Was this a dream that her own mind created, or was this something else?

The dark and menacing woman removed her Grimm mask and Yang saw her mother’s face; blank but for a slightly lowered brow.

“What?!” Yang snapped as she threw up her arm, “What do you want? Why are you even here?!”

A statement of fact, Raven’s words came without emotion, “I want you to stop wasting your time. You have spent long enough wallowing; it’s time to move forward.”

“Move forward!? Really? No one has ever suggested that before!” she yelled with venomous sarcasm, “Funny how no one ever bothers to tell me how!”

Her mother remained cool and detached as she continued, “You are incomplete. You need to make yourself whole or you will never survive the coming darkness.”

Yang was tired of the riddles from Qrow and her mother. Neither of them seem to ever be willing to give her anything but shreds of information or “sage” wisdom that had to be interpreted and pieced together. Yang couldn’t tell if Raven was talking about her missing arm, her emotional state, or both. Either way her mother was the last person she wanted lecturing her right now. As much as Yang wanted answers, she didn’t know if she could forgive her mother long enough to get them.

She sighed in frustration, trying her best to cool down so that she might pry something of use out of her mother, “Do you really think I want to stay this way?” She pointed to what was left of her right arm. “It’s not like I can grow it back, and Atlas tech is pretty muchimpossible for anyone to get giventhe current state of the world. Not even Qrow can get access. Plus, never mind finding a doctor to perform the operations that would be necessary to attach it.”

Her mother stared her down, unhappy with what she likelyviewed as excuses, “Don’t be so reliant on others to fix your problems. The solution is simple. You need technology from Atlas so go to Atlas. You know you can get what you need from Ironwood.”

Yang looked away conflicted. She knew that was the clearest path, but after what had happened at Beacon and the constant warnings she had received from her father and Qrow, she just didn’t know if that was the right choice. And with how restricted travel was it would be difficult to find a way to Atlas, “I don’t think I can trust him,” Yang answered quietly.

“You’re right. You can’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that you need what only he has.” Her mother’s eyes narrowed, “Ironwood will want something from you in return. Be cautious. His intentions will seem noble, but his judgment is often suspect.”

“All of you make it sound like I’d be making a deal with the devil. Why should I go through with it? Why not just stay here and live out my life.”

Her mother narrowed her eyes, “You are my daughter. You will never be happy living your life in your current state. You need to take action; it is who you are. Being trapped here is eating at your soul and your father is too soft to help you.”

Yang glared at her for the comment about Taiyang. But Raven continued unfazed, “As far as Ironwood is concerned, he is not a devil, but he is a fool blinded by fear with far too much power. He is simply a means to an end.”

“So you want me to use him to get what I need?” She couldn’t deny her mother’s logic, but it made her feel dirty.

“Call it what you want but you asked what you need to do. This is it. There is a darkness coming that few will survive. Even I might not be able to protect you. If you want to live through what is coming you need to become stronger than you were before you lost your arm and start looking out for yourself" her mother looked at her missing arm, "instead of others.”

Raven’s words both rang true and enraged her. She also believed that becoming whole was her only real way forward. The thought that she could have full function again, that she could truly fight again resonated inside her like a soul searing fire. It was the type of feeling she had feared would never return. She liked it. She liked the sensation of having hope and drive again. But the more her mother talked, the more Yang wanted her gone. Use people? Only look out for herself? Raven spoke as though she knew who Yang was and what she needed, but she didn’t.

Yang tightly balled her fist and ground her teeth as she cast her eyes downward. “Why?” she growled, as she looked into those familiar yet foreign red eyes.

Utterly unaffected, her mother let the silence sit on the night air. Yang snarled in outrage, “I’m not doing sh*t ‘til you tell me why! Why you left me, why you even pretend like you give a damn, why it took you six months to contact me, and why you don’t have the nerve to say any of this to my face!”

There was the smallest lightening in Raven’s expression when she answered, “I know you want answers, but I can’t give them to you now. My time is almost up and the answers to those questions would only confuse you and put you in danger.”

Yang made a step forward towards her to argue, but stopped when her mother replaced her mask. “I will find you when you are strong enough to handle what you want to know. Keep that fire inside of you burning,” Raven’s eyes flashed to emphasize, “it will carry you through the harder times to come.”

With that Yang jerked awake. She looked around her room to find that it was still dark. Long shadows splayed across her bed from the tree outside her window as it was hit by the light of the broken moon. She clenched her jaw at the small bit of information that she had been given and the choice she knew she had to make.

She had thought about going to Ironwood for a new arm many times, but her father and Qrow had forbid her from doing so and were being secretive about why. They tried to explain away their reluctance by insisting that nothing was ever given freely and that Ironwood and Atlas were dangerous. But her mother was right, she needed what only the general had. Her father had done his best to help her adapt her fight style to compensate for her missing arm, but she didn’t have faith that she could progress to the level that she needed. The question now was how much was she willing to give away to get what she required? And would her father forgive her for the choice she knew she had to make?

Chapter 3: Deal with a Devil

Chapter Text

It wasn’t going to be pretty, but Yang was packed and ready to tell her dad that she was leaving Patch.

She could have left in the middle of the night and avoided a fight with her father, but he was too important to her. She knew what it felt like to be left behind and had seen too many others do the same to him. She couldn’t be another, even if it meant dealing with the fallout.

She walked into the living room with her bags. Taiyang was on the couch reading the paper. “Morning sunshine, breakfast is in the kitchen,” he called out to her without looking away from his paper.

“Dad,” she set down her bags, “We need to talk.”

“Sure, kiddo what’s-,” his eyes darted to the bags then back to her, his voice was worried. “Yang, what’s going on?”

Yang took a deep breath.

You can do this. This is the way forward.

“I’m going to Atlas.”

Taiyang’s eyes widened at her words and he stiffened straight as a board, “Yang we’ve talked about this; you can’t go. Ironwood can’t be trusted.”

Yang walked away from her bags and took a seat in the chair across from him.

“I know,” she paused, struggling to find words that wouldn’t crush her dad’s heart. She let out a heavy sigh before looking him straight in the eye, “but you told me to focus on my recovery for me and not for anyone else. And I’m sorry, but I can’t keep doing this your way anymore. I know what I want now, I want to fight again and I want to see my team, but I can’t do that the way I am now. And I don’t want to wait anymore.”

Her father appeared physically pained, “Look, I know that your improvement has been slow, but we can work harder. I’ll take some time off work and we can-”

“Dad, you’re not listening .” She interrupted, “I don’t want to wait anymore, I can’t wait anymore. My friends are out there. Ruby is out there without me and I can’t stand constantly feeling incomplete.” She paused, hoping her words would sink in and that he would actually listen.

“If it is about getting a prosthetic then let me make some calls,” Yang internally groaned, he wasn’t hearing her, “we can try-”

She cut her dad off with a wave of her hand, “Stop. I know you and Uncle Qrow have been trying to get me a prosthetic for months.”

Her dad looked at her surprised.

“You should really turn down your scroll’s volume if you don’t want the whole house to hear your conversations,” she explained. “I know that with the tension in the kingdoms as high as it is, it’s crazy unlikely that Atlas will ship any of their tech to Vale or any other kingdom . Plus, even if you could get your hands on a prosthetic I still need the operation for the neural attachment link. All the doctors who can perform it work in Atlas and there are only two of them who don’t work for the military. And even if we could convince them to leave the safety of their powerful kingdom to potentially face Grimm attacks and the White Fang, the military probably wouldn’t let them come because there is a virtual lock down in Atlas. The only thing coming out of Atlas right now is dust, and the only people coming out are soldiers to secure the dust mining sites held by the Schnee Dust company. Going to Atlas is the only way”

Taiyang raised his eyebrows and tried to say something but his mouth just hung open instead.

“Don’t look so surprised,” she rolled her eyes, “Blake and Weiss taught me a few things about research that doesn’t involve punching a guy in the face until he talks. Although, I did that too.”

Her father gave her a look for the last comment, but he quickly got serious again, “Look kiddo. I get it; a prosthetic would be great. But I’ve always said ‘no’ because I knew that if I didn’t you would run straight to Ironwood to get one.” He rubbed the back of his head looking for the right words. “I can’t give you all the details, but you have to believe me, you can’t trust Ironwood and Atlas is dangerous.”

“Why?!” She voiced with anger, “I’m not a child anymore. You, Uncle Qrow…” she stopped herself from naming her mother, “you never tell me the full story. You can’t just forbid me from doing something without at least explaining why .”

“It’s complicated,” her father responded with a miserable look. “Look, I know it’s not fair but you have to trust us.”

“Dad, I’m going to Atlas. I’m going to ask Ironwood for an arm and I’m not going to leave Atlas till I get one.” She stood from her chair and started to pick up her bags. She was only able to get two steps before her father finally broke.

“It’s his fault Yang!” her father angrily answered. She turned to look at him. He stood looking at her desperately “He didn’t intend for it, but Beacon fell because of Ironwood.”

“What are you talking about? Sure maybe the robots messed things up a bit, but come on,” Yang replied skeptically.

“Yang, you should sit down for this,” he motioned for her to return to her previous seat in their living room. He sat on the couch and waited for her to do the same. When she didn’t budge he sighed heavily before saying, “Fine, if you sit and listen to the whole story, then I won’t try to stop you from leaving.”

That didn’t bode well. She knew her father would do just about anything to keep her from leaving. There must have been a lot more to Cinder’s attack than even the people who fought at the fall knew.

Yang’s eyebrow rose to show that she wasn’t buying it.

Taiyang rolled his eyes and raised his hand, “I promise.”

She carefully took a seat and kept her eyes focused on her father.

“I know you and your sister didn’t talk a lot before she left, but I’m sure she must have told you what she knew about Cinder.” Her father stopped to wait for her response.

“Yeah,” she looked away. Yang regretted that she had shut Ruby out those couple of months that her sister had been home before leaving with their friends. It wasn’t that she had been mad at Ruby; she was just mad, about everything. She had been in such a bad place that it took a lot just to get out of bed most days.

“She told me that Cinder had some sort of weird power and that she,” her voice broke and it took her a second to recover, “she told me what Cinder did to Pyrrha.”

“This is going to sound crazy,” her dad started to explain, “but that power Cinder had…it was magic.”

Yang snapped her head back to look at him with great suspicion.

Magic, that’s ridiculous.

“I know you won’t want to believe it, but that power Cinder had was the same power that has been passed down from huntress to huntress for hundreds of years. Qrow told me that Pyrrha was chosen to be the next to receive the power of the Fall Maiden. That’s why Cinder killed her.”

“Wait, what?!” Yang ran all the information through her head. Where should she even start asking questions? This was insane, “I know you want me to stay, but magic, really?”

Taiyang looked at her with a stone set face.

He’s not messing with me.

“Think about it Yang, your sister froze a giant grimm dragon without touching it, think about our ability to have semblances. Our powers don't just come from no where. It is just that some power is simply more. Unlike a semblance it can be used and manipulated in multiple ways. ”

Yang looked at him wide eyed and then away. “Okay, fine. Maybe there is magic, but how does this have anything to do with Ironwood and Atlas?”

“Ozpin, Ironwood, Qrow, and a few others were supposed to be the guardians of the maidens’ power. Even I have helped them out at certain points. It was their job to keep that power out of the hands of people like Cinder. They failed, in large part because of Ironwood.”

“How?” was all she could think to ask as she scrambled to process all this information.

“It all started with Ironwood bringing his army to Beacon. Ozpin and many others asked him not to, but James can be… stubborn when he’s convinced he’s doing the right thing. The unknown reason for the military’s presence was alarming to the citizens, and you know that unrest and negative feelings are like catnip to Grimm. From what we can tell that alone wouldn’t have been that bad, but then Ironwood refused to follow up on your claim of innocence in the fight with Mercury and your friend Coco’s insistence that something strange had gone on during her fight with Emerald. He was in charge of security, and he knew that someone was there to cause trouble and steal the power of the Fall Maiden. Yet he never looked into either of your claims; he just let Cinder’s team leave without even questioning them. Instead of doing his job, he let everyone think you were some berserker while Mercury and Ember were free to trick Pyrrha into…deactivating your friend Penny. His arrogance ended up bringing every Grimm within a hundred miles crashing down on Vale.”

He let the information settle in before continuing. “That’s not even all of it,” his voice dropped in disappointment. “When your team captured Torchwick, he should have been held by the Vale Police. But Ironwood convinced the council that Ozpin was at fault for allowing the train attack to even happen in the first place. In doing so he was given custody of Torchwick, whom he kept on his airship, and full sanction over tournament security. Then when the Grimm started to attack, Torchwick and his little friend hijacked the ship he was on and gained access Ironwood’s entire robot army. Thankfully your sister managed to take that ship down, but the huntsmen and students wouldn’t have been spread so thin if the robots weren’t there dividing their attention. Ironwood knew that some unknown person had been in the tower messing around and he still kept his precious technology close at hand and now the kingdoms don’t trust each other because the whole world saw Atlas tech attacking the citizens of Vale. He was so sure that he held all the power that at every warning sign he looked away. He let the enemy use him at every turn to do more damage than they ever would have been able to on their own. The entire invasion might not have been possible without him playing their puppet. Just,” his fists were clenched in anger, “Just think about how many people’s lives could have been saved if he had erred on the side of caution just one of those times.”

Her father stopped to let her process everything. She could definitely to see why her father and Qrow hated Ironwood so much. She had even held resentment towards him when he hadn’t believed her about Mercury. Yet, in a small way, she felt bad for the guy. It was obvious that Ironwood had totally been played. Sure he was a jackass for being so arrogant, but Yang couldn’t say that she would have done things that much differently had she been in his position of power. If she thought about it on a smaller scale she had done the same thing, Cinder’s team knew that she had always been the type to act first and ask questions later and they used that against her to get her disqualified from the tournament and bring Grimm to the city.

After all that her father had told her, she was no longer confused about why everyone feared or hated Ironwood. It was simple really. It boiled down to one thing: power. The general simply had too much of it. If someone like her made brash or arrogant decisions then the worst that usually happened was that it affected that one idiot who jumped into a situation without thinking. But when you had as much power and as many resources as Ironwood it meant that countless others would be pulled into any mistakes you made. Add to that the blind faith that the general seemed to put into technology and the Schnee Dust Company and it was really easy to see why this guy didn’t have a lot of fans. It wasn’t that he was evil, but that he had been arrogant, short-sighted, and placed his faith in the wrong people.

He was power without the wisdom to use it correctly.

And that she could grasp with ease. Yang clenched her jaw and grabbed the stump of her right arm as she glared down at the floor. If losing her arm had taught her anything, it was the mistake of not thinking through her actions, and she had had six long and painful months to reflect on that lesson. Yang wasn’t the same person she had been when she went to Beacon. Losing her arm, being left behind, Pyrrha and Penny... it had all forced her to mature. It wasn’t like she was a zen master with the patience of a saint now, but she was determined to not let her emotions lead her into another life-altering mistake. It was why she wasn’t as worried about dealing with the general as her father would have liked.

“I understand,” she finally answered. Her father leaned back into the couch and let out a sigh of relief, “But I still have to go.”

“What?!” he shot back upright, “After everything I told you, you have to see that you can’t trust him!?”

“You’re one hundred percent right; I can’t trust him. But I understand him. I get why he acted the way he did. It is the same reason that I lost my arm. Being full of arrogance and emotion doesn’t let you think about the consequences of your actions until after you mess everything up. It’s not a lesson I intend to learn twice.” She paused and looked him in the eye, hoping that maybe this time he would finally hear her. “I love you dad and I know you are worried about me, but I’m not that person anymore. I know to think first and to not blindly trust or take the first deal that is offered to me. I promise that if what he wants from me in return is too much or too dangerous I won’t do it. But I have to go and I have to try. This is the first time since I got back home that I have wanted to do something. I need you to let me do this.”

He father looked back at her with the most anguished look she had ever seen, and she could feel her heart slowly break till he said in an emotion strained voice, “Okay.”

Her father had convinced her to stay one more night while he helped her make travel arrangements. To her surprise it had only taken him a couple of calls to get her passage to Atlas and a meeting with the general. TaiYang had heeded her advice and turned down the volume on his scroll so she wasn’t sure who he had talked to or how exactly he had pulled it off. When she had questioned him about it he simply replied, “Your uncle isn’t the only one who knows people. I’ve got pull of my own kiddo.” She had smiled and rolled her eyes at his comment, but was unbelievably relieved that she wouldn’t have to use her less savory contacts to try and get into Atlas.

The rest of the day had been bittersweet. Planning with her dad had been great, but as positive as they both tried to be, the fact that they had no idea the next time they would be able to see each other lingered in both their minds. Her father was sure to get in all the dad warnings. He told her no fewer than fifteen times to be careful in her dealings with Ironwood, he reminded her eight times to not to accept any field missions until she felt like she was at least back to her fighting capabilities at Beacon, and he told her about five times to make good friends while she was there so that she had someone to watch her back. He even offered to mail her Zwei should she get lonely.

One of the last things TaiYang told her before she left was that the true nature of what happened at Beacon needed to stay a secret from the public and that he had only told her because he wanted her to be prepared. He also had faith that she would eventually find a way to meet up with her sister and Ruby didn’t know everything she needed to. Her sister hadn’t exactly told him in advance that she was leaving, after all.

Once all the hugging was over, the very last thing that her father told her was that he was proud of her and to make sure she would find her way home again.

Yang hadn’t figured out yet how she would make her way home, but the way to Atlas had been eerily uneventful. It left her wondering just how many strings her father had pulled to get her there. But now, Yang sat in the pristinely white waiting area outside of the general’s office. She gripped her knee nervously as she mentally prepared herself for her impending meeting with the general.

Don’t show weakness, keep your emotions in check, and remember you can always walk away.

For the whole trip over and for her entire time in Atlas, that had been her mantra whenever she got nervous. It sounded great when she said it, but the real trick was doing it. She ran over the plan and negotiation points that her and her father had managed to hash out before she left.

She was running through it for the fifth time when her thoughts were interrupted by a polite, “Ms. Xiao Long, the general will see you now.”

This is it.

Yang walked over to the two tall white doors with a bold Atlesian crest that led to Ironwood’s office. She paused slightly to take a deep breath before pulling open the door on her left.

As Yang walked in the room she tried to take in everything she could about the general and his office without letting her eyes give her away. The office was white, of course , and had accents of silver and blue placed here and there. It was a rather bare office but for a large glass and metal desk near the wide bank of windows at the far end of the room. She noticed that there was a break in the floor that looked like retractabledoors. If she had to guess it was probably a hidden holo projector, no doubt used to discuss missions and plan out troop deployment. The general himself looked… different .

He still wore the same uniform that she had always seen him in, but his eyes somehow looked tired and his face was unshaven. He didn’t look as clean and sharp as she remembered him. Maybe he had taken the fall of Beacon harder than anyone wanted to give him credit for.

And then there was the other person in the room she had been hoping like hell wouldn’t be there.

Winter .

The woman looked like an aged up replica of Weiss, except way more scary and angry looking--yet somehow, she still managed to look hot in a completely terrifying sort of way. Winter stood off to the side behind the general’s chair and glared at Yang like she was an unwelcome guest.

Yikes, and I thought Weiss was cold. Uncle Qrow was not kidding.

“Ms. Xiao Long, I hear you need something from me,” the general spoke when she stopped in front of his desk.

Yang calmly cleared her throat, “That’s right. I’m sure you already know what.”

He smiled over his tented fingers, but it didn’t reach his eyes, “Yes, I am aware. I hope that you are aware that Atlesian prosthetics such as the one you are after are only available to military personnel.”

Yang had been expecting that so she was hardly phased, “I am. And I am willing to enlist, given that the terms of enlistment are negotiable.”

Ironwood’s eyes narrowed; he did not seem to expect or like that response, “And why exactly should I negotiate? I have what you want and what you can only get from me .”

Yang did her best to sound cordial; now was not the time to get smart, not yet anyway, “I couldn’t argue that point if I tried, but I do have something to bargain with.” The general looked at her with clear interest on his face, “Me.” she finished.

The general looked at her with polite amusem*nt and waved for her to continue her case.

“Before the fall of Beacon I was a promising and, as the tournament showed, very skilled huntress in training. I accept that I will need to serve under you to get what I need and surpass my previous capabilities, but you will be positioned to gain greatly from the arrangement as well. You would have a soldier in your command who was able to defeat two of your academy’s best cadets.”

“You’re not modest are you ?” Ironwood asked after she had finished.

“No, modesty isn’t a good position to take in a negotiation,” Yang answered, “And besides, we both know that my true potential is far greater than I have been able to reach so far.”

That play had been her father’s idea. Taiyang hadn’t told her the specifics, but Ironwood knew of Yang’s lineage and her dad said that that alone was enough for the general to want her under his command.

And his intuition had been right on the mark because Ironwood answered with, “I’m glad to see that you have matured Xiao Long. A standard Atlesian enlistment is four years, what do you propose instead?”

“I will serve one year, after which I will serve as a huntress in a peacekeeping capacity only , I will give priority to missions from Atlas, and will swear to remain neutral in any future confrontations that other nations or organizations might have against the kingdom of Atlas.” Yang knew that it was offering the general virtually nothing in his eyes, but she knew, just as he did, that you never accept the opening offer.

“That’s quite a modest offer,” the general growled in reply. “The exit stipulations that you mentioned were amenable, but I would only be willing to lower your contract to three years.”

Okay, that is a little bit of progress. But you can do better.

Her dad was going to be furious with her, but she knew this bargaining chip would get her closer to where she needed to be. “If you lower it to two years of enlistment, I will serve in your personal specialist platoon.”

The general’s eyes lit up at that. Her father had told her that in Atlas this was a highly coveted position, but that the specialists under Ironwood also went on the most dangerous missions and had the highest mortality rate in the entire military. Taiyang had warned her that under no circ*mstances was she to accept a position if it meant serving directly under the general.

Sorry dad, but I’ve got a plan.

The general mulled over the offer and suddenly Yang was uncomfortably aware of how quiet Winter had been through all of this. She simply stood and watched Yang with a nearly unblinking stare.

It made Yang’s skin crawl. It felt like she was looking into Yang’s mind and could see the true game Yang was playing with the general. Winter’s icy glare made it seem as if she knew that Yang didn’t intend to serve under Ironwood once she got her arm and knew how to use it. Yang shook off the feeling, she just needed to make it seem like she wanted the best possible deal so that the general would believe that she intended to serve out her full time.

She didn’t like that she was following her mother’s advice, but it was the best and most sound option. Ruby was out in the middle of Sanus somewhere taking on Grimm; she’d like to see the general try and track her down for desertion in the middle of nowhere on another kingdom’s continent. Heck it was going to take the best of Yang’s skills to track down her sister. Not to mention that Vale had nullified its extradition policies with Atlas after their involvement at the fall of Beacon. As long as she could make it back to her side of the continent, she would be out of reach.

The general looked at her for a long time before answering, “Agreed. You will report to my command and be ready for deployment one week from your surgery.”

“What?!” Yang choked out before she could stop herself. She cleared her throat, “Sorry general, but that doesn’t give me enough time to learn how to control the cybernetics.”

The general let a smirk touch his eyes, “Nothing will teach you control of your new arm faster than being in the field and having to defend yourself. Trust me.”

“Yeah and nothing will get me killed faster either,” Yang countered. Now it was time to play hardball and push him a little, “If you are willing to spend the resources to give me a prosthetic then why gamble it away? You know the type of fighter I am. You’ve seen and know what I’m capable of. It would show real foresight to let me train first. Then I could take on harder assignments and have a much higher chance of fulfilling my full two years. Or are Atlesian troops spread so thin that you can’t afford to give me a few months to train?”

Ironwood steepled his hands, clearly ruffled by her words but also deep in thought. She knew that the foresight comment and questioning the military might were a risky dig, but she needed to push his ego a little and show that she wouldn’t just take any deal he threw her way.

Winter, on the other hand, somehow increased her glower from behind Ironwood’s shoulder. She had Weiss’s same scowl, but turned up to ten. Yang did not want to deal with Winter.

So naturally Winter took the opportunity to insert herself into the conversation, “Even if the general were to be so generous as to grant your bold demands, what could you possibly offer the military in the time it will take you to train? No military, no matter how great, should idly waste resources on a member who isn’t yet contributing.”

Ironwood raised an eyebrow at that, interested to see how she would respond to Winter’s argument.

Yang had not thought of that and frantically scrambled to come up with something. She had only ever had to go to school or train; she’d never had a real job before. She ran through her list of skills in her mind, and besides various ways of punching people in the face, it was not a long list.

“Well,” she tentatively started but then straightened her composure upon remembering who she was now arguing against, “I’m a pretty good mechanic and excellent at weapon maintenance and repair. Surely there are plenty of opportunities to put those skills to use on a military base as technically advanced as your own.”

Yang could have sworn that she saw a quick glimmer of approval in Winter’s eyes before her menacing glower returned. “If I may sir, the southeastern base has been in need of new maintenance personnel since their last platoon deployed. And her enlistment term could be made retroactive to her full deployment under your command.”

Ironwood turned his chair to look out of his office windows. It looked as if he had grown tired of the discussion or maybe he simply gotten what he wanted and was done discussing terms. Whichever it was, he waved a hand at Winter, “I think we have hammered out the more important details. I’ll leave the rest of the specifics to you Winter.”

“Yes sir,” She quickly saluted and turned her ever-present glare to Yang, “Come along Xiao Long. You have papers to sign .”

It’s been five f*cking hours! How can she still have the stamina to keep arguing details with me, is she some sort of robot? My eyes are about to bleed!

Yang was barely keeping herself under control. She wanted to simultaneously smash things and cry. Her willpower had never been tested like this. Ironwood wasn’t the devil she had to worry about, it was Winter . The woman knew no mercy; she was like some sort of demon of bureaucracy. This needed to end. Yang rubbed her face with her hand trying to rally her resolve one last time.

“We’re done,” Winter nonchalantly informed her.

Yang sat up straight not knowing if she could trust her ears.

“All that’s left is for you to sign the papers,” Winter emphasized. Apparently she didn’t think Yang was going to go through with it.

Who in their right mind would willingly sit here for five hours with this woman. Of course she was signing the damn papers.

Yang grabbed the pen and signed page after page of the enlistment document. As soon as she had signed the last page Winter quickly straightened the thick stack of papers before slipping them into Yang’s dossier.

“We are finished. Oh, and don’t get any clever ideas about running off to rejoin your sister after you get your arm.” Winter gave her a cool and self-satisfied smirk, “All Atlesian military cybernetics have a tracking device and remote deactivation receivers.”

Yang tried her best to keep her face cool and unaffected by the terrible f*cking news that Winter had just smacked her with. Yang cursed profusely in her head. Winter had intentionally waited until after she had Yang signed the papers to reveal that information. It hadn’t been her imagination, Winter had known the whole time what Yang was planning and used it to secure what Ironwood truly wanted: a capable huntress in his military and under his direct control.

She cooled her emotions. It was pretty bad, but it wasn’t like their negotiations were a complete failure. She had managed to get it into her contract that if she returned the prosthetic she would no longer be required to serve under the military. If things started going south with the general she could always bail and, at worst, she would be back where she started. But she couldn’t help but think that things would have gone better for her had she been able to deal with the general alone. He had seemed more pensive and reserved than she remembered and she felt like negotiations with him would have been far easier. No doubt that was exactly why Winter had been there. Yang had a feeling that nothing ever escaped that woman. Alive or otherwise.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Yang did a fairly good job of hiding the annoyance from her voice, “I guess that just leaves showing me to my new bunk and setting up a time to schedule the surgery?”

“No need. Your surgery is scheduled for tomorrow,” Winter casually remarked without looking up from her computer screen. “I sent the details to your scroll already as well as arranged for a shuttle to take you to your new base. All the necessary arrangements, as per the details in your enlistment papers, have already been made.”

Yang looked at Winter like she had grown a second head.

“How, when- what?” she stammered simply too to tire and too confused to put together anything better.

Winter looked up at her, completely unphased by Yang’s befuddlement, “I made all the required preparations while you read over the drafts of the agreement. Tomorrow won’t be a problem, will it ?” Winter smirked.

“Of course not,” Yang growled.

“Good,” Winter snapped, “this is the Atlesian Military, you will do well to get used to efficiency.”

“Right,” Yang said shortly.

Winter pointedly cleared her throat and tapped on the dossier that now contained Yang’s enlistment papers.

Yang’s eyes narrowed and she managed to choke out with as little disdain as she could hold back, “Yes ma’am ,” and a quick salute.

“Good, that will be all then Private Xiao Long .” Winter narrowed her eyes slightly in what almost looked like a smirk, “You’re dismissed.”

Chapter 4: New Developments

Chapter Text

Weiss was arguably excited as she sipped her espresso. It was the third Wednesday of the month, which meant she got to sit and have coffee with her sister Winter. The younger heiress had arrived early to organize her thoughts and ensure that she could provide her sister with the most interesting and impressive countenances since their last meeting. She knew that her sister usually cared more about her well being than her achievements, but their whole lives Winter had always been so strong and accomplished. Weiss couldn't help it that she wanted to show her older sister that she was capable and competent, she just wanted Winter to be proud of her. And as she wasn’t allowed to be a huntress anymore the only way she could show that was to relay her successes at her new position.

When their father had brought Weiss back to Atlas and told her that she would be working for the company Weiss had always expected that he would be choose her position in the company. She had secretly feared that Winter’s teasing would become a reality and he would assign her a receptionist position. Weiss was relieved when her father said that he would allow her to pick the department she would worked for. This was of course under the condition that he deemed her efforts satisfactory, which was no small feat. Despite how uninterested her father thought she was in the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss had spent most of her life studying every facet of the company and strategically plotting the monumental task of reforming it.

Weiss let a grin touch her face when she remembered the shocked look on her father’s face when Weiss answered, without pause, that she wanted to work for the resource acquisition department. She knew that her father hadn’t figured out the true reason that she had picked the department and she hoped to keep it that way, lest she swiftly be removed from the position.

Naturally the department head had started her off with small accounts that were entirely insignificant, but Weiss quickly proved herself. It only took her a couple months, but now she was allowed to work independently on larger account. She had been told by several people at the company that her negotiation skills were actually quite impressive.

Weiss wouldn’t deny that there was a certain level of skill needed for negotiation, but she credited her success to hard work and research. She found that negotiations were much like how she approached a battle.

The first step was always to analyze the other party, their desires, previous and current business records, and most importantly their level of need. Then she would compose a list of every argument and counterargument that they would potentially use while bartering with her. After that all that was left was the elementary task of prepared multiple ways to devalue her opponents assertions until the only option left was a compromised surrender. It was really quite simple as long as you put the work in.

She couldn’t deny that comportment was a valuable skill to use when trying to gain the upper hand in such dealings, but honestly that came second nature to her. Years of dealing with her family and other member of high society had left her more than knowledgeable in how to convey superiority and an utter lack of interest. She typically didn’t like that she had to act in such a cold way to others, but most of the clients she dealt with were men. And sadly even with her name backing her being young and a female was seen as a weakness that most tried to exploit during their meetings. Showing them kindness would be seen as an opening to renegotiate terms in their favor.

Weiss sighed and took a long sip of her coffee, “Ice Queen” was probably the nicest name that she had been called behind her back after a particularly hard round of negotiation. If she were a man she would be called cunning, instead of-

Weiss looked out from the patio of the coffee shop. White and black buildings stretched into the sky as people of import walked by and occasionally entered the shop with depressingly similar clothing. Weiss glared at her lackluster view; it didn’t matter what these people thought of her as long as she was able to make positive changes to the company. She was just frustrated that her efforts so far were so small in the grand scheme of things.

She reprimanded herself.

You know it all can’t be done at once.

So far with the companies and areas of the business that she had access to she had made some positive moves forward. She had insisted that any deal she brokered followed environmental and worker’s rights ordinances and on more than several occasions she had ensuring that the smaller companies she bought wouldn’t have their workers and management laid off in lieu of cheaper labor. Weiss desperately wanted to do more to bring back honor to the Schnee name, but she grudgingly knew there was only so much she could safely do with the accounts she had been given to handle.

Weiss clenched her jaw in frustration. With things in the world as bad as they were it made her efforts feel that much more insignificant. She hated that she wasn’t out there with the rest of the hunters helping fight off the increased Grimm and White Fang attacks. As much as she knew it was her legacy to someday run and right the wrongs of their family's company she found it hard to look away from the field of battle.

Perhaps thisis how Winter felt.

Weiss scowled down at her coffee cup as she ruminated on all of the things she wanted to do and change but was currently restrained from.

“You know if you’re that upset about your coffee getting cold you can simply ask them to make you a new cup,” Winter said to her younger sister before taking the seat.

“Winter!” Weiss cried in surprise from her sister’s sudden presence. She quickly stood to acknowledge her sister and show correct formal etiquette to her elder sibling, “Apologies sister. I found myself lost in thought; I didn’t mean to be rude.” Winter quickly waved for Weiss to return to her seat.

“It's alright. I know that you typically get here much earlier than me; it is understandable for you to occasionally get tied up in reflection. But remember, situational awareness is key to survival.” her sister reminded her.

Weiss fought away a frown. A coffee shop in the middle of Atlas was hardly a place for an attack, but then again when you were a Schnee you constantly had a target on your back, whether from the White Fang or from the social and political groups of Atlas.

The constant need for proper comportment was one of the things Weiss hated the most about being back. At Beacon she had started to become herself and was able to let go of her etiquette, she had learned to speak and act how she truly felt. Since her return returned Winter had insisted that they follow proper social form while in public. It was taxing and put a damper on their meetings, but at least she got to see Winter.

“Of course,” Weiss replied with a polite smile. “How have you been since our last meeting sister?”

“Things have been adequate, as of late, so I have no notable contributions to make,” Winter answered, “And yourself?”

“Oh things have been going well at my position.” she answered trying not to sound too excited, else she get a disapproving look. “This week alone I’ve closed five contracts and net the company ten million lein.”

Winter gave a nod of approval. “And you haven’t been having any trouble with your colleagues,” Winter asked. Her eyes studying Weiss for her reaction more than her words.

“No, everyone at the company is wonderful. Truthfully I’m usually so busy that I hardly see them.” Weiss answered hoping that Winter wouldn’t pick up on her slip.

“Hmm, so then there are some potential clients that have been giving you difficulty I take it.” Winter gave Weiss a subtle look that meant Weiss was now required to share the information Winter was asking for.

Weiss winced, of course Winter had caught her slip. Weiss did not want to talk about a perceptible failure to Winter, but she had no choice, “There is a land and dust acquisition firm that I am currently dealing with; their two negotiators are currently pushing back against the terms of purchase I set for some small dust deposits on the fringes of Vacuo.”

“Are they unhappy with the amount of money that they will make off of brokering the deal?” Winter asked.

“I suppose you could put it that way,” Weiss tried to evade.

Her sister arched a brow indicating there was still more that Weiss needed to share.

Weiss sighed but caught herself from rolling her eyes, “The land on top of the dust deposits is currently owned by a very small community on the outskirts of Vacuo. The firm I'm dealing with wished to forcibly relocate the community with little to no compensation.”

“And why has their kingdom not stepped in to protect its citizens?” Winter asked, likely already knowing the answer.

Weiss looked down at her coffee and simply answered, “It’s complicated.”

She could feel her sister’s glare even before she raised her eyes to meet it. “Weiss, how many times do I have to warn you? Father has strong feelings about certain members of the population. If he finds out that you are trying to push for their rights and that it may end up costing the company more money in the long run…”

Her sister didn’t have to finish the sentence. Both of them were familiar with the type of consequences their father usually doled out.

“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing. I’ve dealt with Simon and Tolley often enough to know that although they are ruffians they have too much pride to go running to father.”

“You had better hope so dear sister. I can only do so much to protect you from father’s wrath now. It is far better to avoid it all together,” her sister showed rare worry on her face, but it was quickly replaced by her normal stern composure, “How have things been with father lately?”

Winter herself avoided meeting with their father whenever possible, so Weiss knew she wasn’t asking about his well being. She was really asking how he had been treating Weiss. “As well as can be expected. He only asks to meet with me when he wishes to evaluate my work for the company.” She paused, “So far he has deemed my work adequate.”

It was one of the few times that she was glad that they were following formal mores. She didn’t feel like spelling out the details of the verbal lashings she regularly received for only being adequate at her position. In truth she was quite good at her job, but Jacques Schnee demanded perfection, and anything short of that might as well be considered failure.

Weiss noticed that Winter’s grip on her coffee was a bit too tight and there was the smallest tremor of the liquid inside as her sister lifted it from the saucer. While Weiss’s scars from their father could be seen on the outside; Winter’s were tightly locked away inside.

Neither woman wanted to continue the path the conversation had taken and so they sat in silence for several minutes before Winter decided to re-engage, “You never did answer my original question dear sister. How are you doing?”

Weiss looked away before replying, “I’m fine.”

“You have always been a terrible liar, you should work on that if you wish to continue in business.” The specialist smirked. It was a rare jest from her sister.

Weiss almost smiled, but didn’t get the chance as her sister insisted on asking, “What’s wrong?”

Weiss thought of several excuses, but the previous topics had left her feeling fatigued and Winter was the only person in all of Atlas that she could truly talk to. “It doesn’t sit well with me that I am restricted from leaving the city.” Weiss paused, “It often leaves one feeling lonely.”

Her sister’s lip twitched at Weiss’s answer, which Weiss found interesting. It probably meant that Winter knew something that she didn’t want or was restricted from sharing.

“You know that I am not happy with how things turned out for you Weiss.” Her sister gave her a rare look of sympathy, “I truly wish that you would have been able to fulfill your time at Beacon, but the current unrest between the kingdoms and the actions of certain organizations have made any Schnee a target,” Winter ended before narrowing her brow in thought.

There is something she doesn’t want to tell me.

“I’m surprised to hear that you are lonely.” Winter continued, studying Weiss intently, “Is my company that hollow, or do you have no other social engagements to keep you occupied?”

Weiss couldn’t hide the blush from her face, “Of course your company is appreciated. I… it is more to do with the latter.”

Winter openly frowned, “How disappointing, I had small hope that she was more reliable than her degenerate of an uncle.”

Weiss’s curiosity could not have been more peaked, “And to whom exactly are you referring, dear sister?”

“Why your former teammate, Ms. Xiao Long; I handled her enlistment last month. I would have told you at our last meeting, but I assumed that she would contact you once she had recovered from her surgery.”

Weiss’s eyes widened as she frantically processed the information her sister had shared.

Yang is in Atlas?! She’s enlisted and she has had surgery. Oh that idiot, she didn’t!

“I take it she came to procure a cybernetic then,” Weiss asked unable to hide the nervousness from her voice. “How did her signing go?”

Winter smiled down at her coffee and then returned her gaze to Weiss, “I have to admit Xiao Long came prepared to negotiate.”

Weiss frowned slightly, that didn’t sound like quite like the Yang she knew. Of course the blond was smart in her own way, but negotiating took a good deal of tact and foresight. Neither of which had been a skill the brawler ever displayed around Weiss while they were at Beacon. Not to mentionit was a rare thing indeed for anyone to warrant praise, no matter how small, from Winter.

Winter continued in a formal tone, “While she did well in her pleading her case and setting her terms I think that in the end it hardly went as well for her as she would have hoped.”

Winter paused to observe Weiss’s reaction to this news. Weiss hated playing this sort of game with her sister; she just wanted to know what was going on with her teammate. But Winter would never miss out on an opportunity to test Weiss’s social acumen. Winter regularly reminded her that it would be a necessity if were to succeed in someday assumed the company.

Weiss choked down her emotion and decided to play it safe with a simple and noncommittal, “Oh?”

The corner of Winter’s mouth twitched upward in a show of approval, “Yes, while she did manage to set some smart restrictions to her contract Xiao Long obviously lacked experience in applying the skills of foresight and circ*mspection. She will be enlisted for a minimum of two years to secure the cybernetic that she desired and will be under the direct supervision of Ironwood once she is deemed ready for field missions.”

Weiss’s sympathetic nervous system went into overdrive. She tried to hide the stress from her face but she could tell from Winter’s lowered brow that she had failed to do so.

Ironwood was known for his lack of concern for his soldiers. Naturally he claimed to build more advanced robots in the hopes of removing humans from the battlefield, but in truth they were simply easier to replace. It didn’t help matters that in Atlas it was commonly accepted that if you died in the line of duty it was due to your own weakness and never to be attributed to the orders of your superiors. Weakness was not to be excused under any circ*mstances, it simply wasn’t the Atlesian way.

Weiss pulled her composure back into place even though her heart was racing and her stomach was in knots, “That’s quite the position for someone so new to the Atlesian military. I hope she does well.”

And doesn’t get herself killed on her first mission!

Weiss struggled and failed to keep the negative thoughts from swarming into her brain. Ironwood would see Yang just like any others under his command, simply a piece on a battle map. And as long as his noble objective was achieved the human consequences could be excused.

Weiss cursed to herself. Ironwood pretended to care about doing the right thing and to be remorseful, but Weiss had her doubts. He continuously lacked the clarity to truly see the weight of his actions or learn from them.

Weiss loved her sister and was glad that she had managed to escape their father, but in her eyes Winter had simply traded an openly corrupt father figure for a morally ambiguous one.

Weiss mentally sighed and fought back the negative emotions. Her whole body now felt heavy; she simply didn’t have the emotional fortitude needed to glean any more information about Yang from her sister.

Instead she quietly sipped her coffee and after a minute absently checked her scroll. “Oh apologies Winter; I have lost track of the time in your excellent company. I’ll have to take my leave for now.”

Her sister’s eyes narrowed. They both knew that Weiss didn’t have anywhere to rush off to, but Weiss had presented a socially acceptable placation and it would be considered rude for Winter to refuse it.

Weiss was disappointed; this wasn’t how she had wanted their time together to go. But their time together rarely went the way she wished. She longed to simply be allowed to be herself and unguarded around her sister, but that was a dream that would likely never come to pass as long as they both held their current status. Instead she settled for looking into Winter’s eyes and saying as genuinely as she could,without appearing weak, “I look forward to our next meeting sister.”

A smile touched Winter’s eyes but not the rest of her face as she granted her sister farewell, “I as well Weiss.”

Weiss left her sister and quickly messaged her driver as she exited the coffee shop. Her head was a flurry of thoughts and actions that needed to be taken as she waited for her car to arrive. The crowd of monochrome pedestrians made it easy to lose herself to thought.

She quickly organized and prioritized what needed to be done. First things first, information. She needed to assess Yang’s situation, and the quickest way to do that was to spend some quality time with her scroll on the Schnee Dust Company servers.

A month! I can’t believe that that brute hasn’t contacted me! Why is she trying to handle all of this on her own?

Weiss angrily huffed. Whether the obnoxious blond wanted Weiss’s help or not sheneeded it. And nothing was going to stop Weiss from seeing Yang now that they were in the same city.

Weiss quickly accessed the files that she needed as soon as she was in the car. The enlistment document was quite lengthy and thorough; it was unmistakably Winter’s handy work. Weiss quickly read through the first twenty pages. Yang was on a military base not to far from the city’s center. She had a mandatory two year contract of service just as Winter had shared, but it was retroactive to her full service under Ironwood. That had Winter’s name written all over it. In the meantime Yang was receiving training for a standard issue cybernetic prosthetic and was currently assigned to the base’s mechanic unit and any other maintenance units as needed.

Weiss quickly finished reading the remaining pages of the document. She had to admit that despite Yang agreeing to be enlisted in the most dangerous sector of the military the blond had done quite well for herself in the negotiation. The contract became void should she give back the prosthetic. Weiss had underestimated her normally carefree teammate.

It wasn't the first time she had been surprised or impressed by Yang, and she dearly hoped it wouldn't be the last.

How am I going to get that dolt out of the mess she’s in?

She closed her scroll filled with frustration and worry. There had only been a few other documents of negligible importance in Yang’s dossier. At least that meant she was staying out of trouble, so far.

As mad as Weiss was about the foolish actions of her teammate, she couldn't help but picture the ridiculous self confident grin that Yang always wore or the boundless joy that seemed to radiate off of the blond just like her semblance. Weiss felt embers of warmth grow in her chest at the thought of getting to see Yang again.

I’ve missed you you dumb dragon.

Her happy memories of Yang soon turned to anxiety: worry about what meeting Yang again would be like, how Yang might have changed, or how happy or unhappy the brawler would be to see her again. None of the documents that Weiss had access to could tell her how Yang was getting on with her new prosthetic, and most importantly, she didn't know how long Yang had before her first mission.

Weiss quieted her mind, panic never solved any situation.

I will find a solution.

Weiss looked out the window of the car into the icy white landscape; the picture on her desk of her team coalesced in her mind.

I won’t lose a member of my team again, especially not Yang.

Chapter 5: Things Change

Chapter Text

“Private Xiao Long, when are you going to be done with that Batusk?” Sergeant Aims growled at her for the third time in an hour.

“Well that depends on whether or not you want the suspension to go out again if the driver goes over anything larger than a speed bump,” Yang irritably answered, as she finally broke loose the last nut holding the right steering knuckle to the strut. Moving the piece out of the way she ground her teeth at still not being able to get a clear view of the shock absorber.

If I ever find the Atlesian engineer that decided that the coolant reservoir just had to be this close to the right shock absorber I’m going to-

Yang took a deep breath and let it out.

Getting mad wasn’t going to help her fix the vehicle any faster and it certainly wasn’t going to improve her chances of getting Sergeant Asshat off her back. She adjusted her tone, “Hopefully in a few hours, Sergeant, I’m still trying to find the point of failure.”

“You’d better hope you’re wrong about that” the silver haired man responded. She could hear him flip through the pages on his stupid clipboard. “You have two APCs to look at and twenty-five assault rifles that the munitions unit needs stripped and serviced before you are relieved for the day. Unless you want to be here until twenty-two hundred hours I suggest you work more efficiently.”

Yang was glad that she was hidden under the front end of the vehicle. Otherwise the head of the mechanic’s unit would have seen her death glare and assigned her even more work.

With a clenched jaw she answered, “I’ll keep that in mind, Sergeant.”

“See that you do private,” Aims snarled before finally leaving her alone.

It’s not even noon yet and he’s already riding my ass.

She let out a loud sigh. Aims was a jerk, but he sadly wasn’t completely unjustified in hassling her. She truthfully should have been able to get her work done faster, but her control over her cybernetic limb was still abysmal. Even after three weeks of “training” she still struggled to accurately use her new appendage.

She had regained full range of motion and the cybernetic was workable, but her movements were still jerky and rough. While her gross motor control was fine for most tasks her fine motor control was terrible.

Simple tasks like lacing her boots took almost ten minutes in the morning. The military cybernetic hadn't been designed for day to day tasks, but she knew she shouldn't be struggling as much as she was. Her progress in gaining proper control of the limb was just not coming as fast it should have. And despite what her physical therapist said it was all too easy to tell that he thought so too.

As became more lost in her thoughts her right hand slowly tightened on the sway bar. It wasn't until she heard the groan of metal that she realized what she had done.

Yang let out a deep sigh and eased both of her arms to the ground. She took in a deep breath as she laid on her creeper and tried to make herself relax. If she couldn't calm down her control over her prosthetic would get worse and it would take even longer to fix the suspension. Her physical therapist was probably right, her emotions were her worst enemy. Well, herself and Ironwood.

It's not like I have any time to practice with this new arm. Not when I'm working for the mechanic andmunitions unit. If my workload stays the same I’ll be stuck on this base “training” to use this prostheticlonger than my actual contract time.

Yang frowned so deeply that it made her chest hurt with the weight of her disappointment. She still hadn’t figured out how she was going to get out of her enlistment or how she was going to find Ruby and Blake.

In the short term she could deal with being in the military. So far it hadn't been that bad, even if Aims was a jerk. But she couldn’t imagine Ironwood would wait forever for her to get her act together, and his comment at the negotiation left her certain that he didn’t actually care if she mastered her prosthetic before being deployed for combat. Eventually, she would be deemed as ready, and Yang honestly wasn’t sure what she was going to do when that time came.

She really only had two choices. Give the arm back and walk away, or risk her neck for Ironwood.

Both options sucked. But she was growing more concerned everyday that she wouldn't be willing to give up the prosthetic if she had to.

That's your one sure way out you idiot.

Yang scrubbed her face with her hands out of frustration. Unwilling to keep thinking about her unsolvable problems, she started working on the suspension again.

It took her a good thirty seconds to line up her socket wrench, but when she finally succeeded she furiously worked to unbolt the strut so she could finally get a good look at the rest of the suspension. Unfortunately, work didn't succeed in stop her thoughts.

I can’t believe I’ve been here for a month and I haven’t been able to come up with even one half decent solution.

Her hand stopped moving.

A whole month... and I still haven’t let Weiss know that I’m here.

Yang scowled as she covered her face with the crook of her arm. She felt like such a jerk. She knew she was doing the same thing that she was mad at Blake for doing, but it felt like contacting Weiss would be a selfish action.

She was positive that if she let Weiss know that she was here, the heiress would figure out the trouble Yang had gotten herself into. And after that, Yang knew that Weiss would try and help her, even if the personal cost was high. She'd seen the princess do it before.

Weiss isnothing if not loyal.

But even if Weiss tried to help her out of her situation, Yang couldn’t think of any way the heiress would be able to help.

Which would just infuriate Weiss, which in turn would make Yang more irritated with her situation than she already was. Because it would mean that the she would inevitably have to listen to Weiss's endless complaining about the lack of a solution, in addition to the constant chastising she would have to endure for agreeing to a deal with Ironwood in the first place.

Besides, it wasn’t like she had time to talk or hang out with Weiss anyhow. Whatever personal time that wasn’t taken up by her duties was spent on training her prosthetic. Most days she was lucky to get an hour of practice in before collapsing into bed.

Yang let out a growl. Despite all those reasons, she still felt unbearably guilty.

It’s because they’re all sh*tty excuses, and you know it. She’s your former teammate, and she’s back in the place she hates the most. She would want to see you.

Yang stared up at the underside of the vehicle in worn out misery. She had been having this same argument with herself since she arrived in Atlas. And it always ended the same way.

I will call her. I just need to figure things out first.

Guilt securely stuffed back into place, Yang went back to work on the Batusk. She knew Sergeant Aims would be back in another ten minutes for an update, and she genuinely didn’t have any desire to be here past eighteen hundred hours again.

After a little more work Yang was finally being able to get a good look at the strut. When she did it became blindingly clear why the suspension had failed. Nearly the entire shaft had been corroded through. She didn’t know what the unit must have driven over to dissolve the coil and most of the shock so badly, but her best guess was taijitu venom. It was a wonder they managed to get the vehicle back to base with how bad the suspension had collapsed.

Yang smiled after her full assessment of the Batusk.

I might be done in an hour. Replace the strut, bolt everything back into place, throw the tires back on, and this boar will be ready to roll out.

Yang grinned at her own pun. She was about to get started when her attention was caught by the sound of high heels on concrete.

Curiousas to who would wear those kind of shoes on a military base she craned her neck to the side to try and get a look. Unfortunately, herposition under the jeep didn’t afford her a full viewof the woman, but the half she could see was quite the picture.

Smooth long legs peaked out from the side slit of a light blue gown that flowed with the the woman as she walked. Thedresshugging the wearer'sslenderhips in a way that left Yang's imagination to delightful inappropriate places.

Not that her mind wouldn't have gotten there on its own from staring at the toned and sculpted muscles of the woman’s legs and ass. Honestly she didn't know how anyone could get work done around legs like those. Yang couldn’t help but grin as her eyes lingered on the pale toned calf muscles that were put on full display by the dark blue stilettos that the stranger wore. Each time the woman moved herlegs showed off theirelegant power.

But all too soon a the tempting legs stopped as they were meet by a set of military boots.

Yang only managed to half listened as Sergeant Aims intercepted the woman, “I’m sorry ma'am this is a restricted military base. I need to know what you are doing here?”

The blond couldn't have cared less about what he was saying. It had 'been a while,' so Yang was more than happy to let her thoughts wander from the safety of her vantage point.

Yang’s eyebrow arched slightly as she let her eyes travel up past the woman’s knee to the very top of the dress’s slit. It wasn’t like the dress was showy, but it did let Yang’s mind roam to lovely places. Like how those legs would feel wrapped around-

“I’m looking for Yang Xiao Long.”

"WEISS?!?!" Yang sat up abruptly and her head slammed into the suspension she had just been working on.

“Dammit,” Yang swore as she felt pain radiate through her skull, "that hurt."

Still holding her head she heard her former teammate respond, “And it looks like I’ve found her.”

“I see,” Aims grumbled. “Private Xiao Long has leave coming up this weekend," he emphasized, "I’ll have to ask you to come back then, Miss.”

Yang’s head throbbed. She didn’t want to get yelled at by either of the people that were talking about her, but curiosity coaxed her out from under the vehicle just far enough to see what was going on.

Finally having a full view, Yang immediately saw how different the heiress looked. Weiss was positively regal. Not to say that the princess didn’t always look nice when they went to Beacon, but there was more to it now. She still wore her trademark bordello, but it was now made of fine blue gray fabric and had a silver accent lining, and her combat dress had been replaced with a light blue gown that faded into white and shimmered when it caught the light. The dress was perfectly tailored so that it fit every subtle curve of the smaller woman’s frame. Weiss also now wore expensive blue and silver jewelry that accented her ears and slender neck. The only thing that was remotely the same was the princess's hair, pulled back in an elegant ponytail that flowed down the her back like a sheet of white silk.

Yang shook herself out of her own stare when she heard her former teammate respond.

“How unfortunate,” Weiss repliedwith a small frown, “Thank you for letting me know Sergeant…”

“Aims,” the older man answered in a slightly less surly tone.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Sergeant Aims,” Weiss sweetly responded. “I am Weiss Schnee,” the heiress let her name rest on the air briefly. “The reason I’m here to see Private Xiao Long is because she and I went to Beacon together. I understand that it is inconvenient and against protocol, but I would love the chance to talk with her for just a few minutes.”

The sergeant opened his mouth to object, but Weiss didn’t give him the chance, “I know that she must be on a strict schedule give how pristinely run this base is, but I would be ever so grateful if you could oblige me in this.”

Weiss’s tone dropped slightly making the weight of her words heavy, “You see, I haven’t seen her since we parted ways after The Fall at Beacon.”

The sergeant’s eyes seemed to tighten at the mention of the battle; he glanced back in Yang’s direction and Yang decided it was time to come out from under the vehicle. The officer's eyes focused on her prosthetic, and she saw his brow furrow. Then after a second he turned back to address Weiss, “I understand ma’am, take all the time you need.”

Yang couldn’t believe her ears.

That worked!?

She felt like she was watching some bizarre mirror version of her life. Weiss had been respectful and polite, and Aims had just been understanding. Sure the heiress had still subtly demanded special treatment, but this was not her usual way of doing things.

Apparently Weiss became a diplomat while I was away.

“Thank you Sergeant Aims,” the heiress answered with a shockingly sweet smile

Weiss waited patiently for Aims to walk away before making her way across the garage towards Yang. Those same long pale legs from before peeking out of the side of her light blue gown as she walked, but now the sharp click of her heels seemed to emphasized the power that she held. Yang couldn't help but notice the unfathomable grace that Weiss carried herself with.

To the point that she couldn’t stop staring. It was like Weiss simultaneously floated over the floor, while proclaiming to all that looked on that she owned everything around her.

Yang suddenly realized that her heart was beating faster than normal and that she was uncomfortably warm.

That’s weird. I must have hit my head harder than I thought; my semblance is practically ready to activate.

Her thoughts were short lived, because Weiss standing right in front of her, impatiently waiting for Yang to say something.

The brawlertook a deep breath upon remembered that breathing was a thing and forced a half smile, “Hey Snow Queen… looks like you found me.”

As she waited, for what seemed like an awkward eternity, for Weiss to reply, Yang became uncomfortably aware of how dry the air in the room was and cleared her throat.

Weiss predictably scowled, then narrowed her eyes further, “You’ve been in the same city as me for a month and that’s the first thing you say to me?!” her voice becoming higher pitched towards the end.

Yang looked away and rubbed the back of her neck as she searched for what she could say in defense of her actions.

But before she could answer the blond heard Weiss huff loudly and then felt the smaller woman's fist hit her in the shoulder.

“Ow,” Yang replied, more for effect than pain.

“Such behavior is atrocious you brute. Did you really have no intention of contacting me,” the heiress complained looking a little hurt, but more angry than anything.

Yang’s eyes went wide in surprise, and she felt a genuine smile find its way to her lips. Maybe Weiss hadn’t changed all that much after all.

Finally her brain settled on a plausible, but false excuse, “No, I just figured that you would be too busy to see a former teammate,” Yang's face dropped slightly, “and to be honest I’ve been told I’m not the greatest company lately.”

She knew she couldn’t tell Weiss the real reason that she hadn’t contacted her; she could only hope that the princess would buy it.

Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed, “I may be busy at my position in the company, but I will always have time for you. Or anyone from our team,” she quickly added. “Truthfully I’ve been quite bored of late; your presence would be most welcome.”

Yang noticeda slight blush grow on the heiress’s checks, and shealmost laughed. That was princess code for, ‘I’ve really missed you and I’m actually really happy to see you.’ It made the old part of her want to grab Weiss up into a bear hug and tease her, but instead she let that part of her slip back under and focused on keeping Weiss from finding out the details of her new position.

“Truthfully, I don’t know that I’ll be able to hang out with you Weiss. I have a lot of work assigned to me, and I still have a ton of rehab to finish to get used to this thing,” she motioned to her clunky and barely useable appendage.

“Unacceptable,” Weiss curtly answered. Weiss was staring Yang down, which was impressive given how much shorter the princess was. “How long do you plan on trying to evade me?”

“Come on Weiss, you know I would spend time with you if-”

“That’s not what I was referring too,” Weiss interrupted her. The heiress looked around for other people in the garage then quietly asked, “Do you understand how much trouble you’ve put yourself in?”

Yang audibly gulped.

Weiss couldn’t know; how could she?

Yang put on her best smile and asked, “What are you talking about Weiss...”

The heiress glared at her and the rest of the Yang's words died in her mouth.

Yang felt like she was in the presence of Winter again as the Weiss elaborated, “I work in the Resource Acquisition Department of the Schnee Dust Company. I have access to every file that the military ever uploads onto its servers, not to mention I see my sister twice a month. Did you really think you could hide your situation from me? I probably know the details of your enlistment better than you do.”

The blond looked into the icy pools of Weiss’s eyes; disappointment was unmistakably etched across the smaller woman’s face.

“I’m sorry Weiss.” Yang paused not sure what she could say after how badly she had just been busted, “Look I know I should have called you, but things got complicated. I didn’t want to drag my former teammate into it; I knew that you were probably already having a hard time being back in Atlas and didn’t need me adding to it.”

Yang looked down at her tools and scowled. This wasn’t how she had wanted this to go, “I was going to contact you, I swear. But I wanted to find a way out of my en-”

Pale hands instantly shot out and grabbed her left forearm in a tight grip, “I believe you,” Weiss interjected. The look Weiss gave her didn’t match the tone of her words. The heiress looked Yang straight in the eye and then pointed moved her eyes from side to side.

It took Yang a minute, but she finally caught on. Weiss didn’t want her talking about trying to getting out of her enlistment on the military base.

Yeah that probably wasn’t the best idea.

Yang nodded to signal that she understood and the grip on her arm loosened.

She looked into pale blue eyes as Weiss’s expression softened and looked a little hurt, “You know, I’m not your former teammate Yang. I’m your teammate.” Weiss slid her hands down to hold Yang’s hand in both of hers, “I want to help you.”

Yang wasn’t sure what to say in response to Weiss’s gesture. She had spent months being mad about being left behind and here Weiss was standing in front of her saying that she wasn’t going anywhere and that she wanted to be there with her.

She looked down at her hand that Weiss still held onto, and in response the heiress abruptly let go and turned beet red. Yang wasn’t surprised; she knew how hard it was for Weiss to show affection. The fact that she actually had meant a lot to Yang.

Weiss quickly looked at the Yang's other arm to changed the subject, “Well, if I’m going to help you the first thing I need to know is how you are progressing with that prosthetic.”

Yang frowned, that was not a segway she had been hoping for. She was embarrassed at how badly her training was going.

Weiss narrowed her eyes in concentration as she inspected the Yang's new metal appendage. After getting Yang’s begrudgingly given permission the smaller woman turned the gun metal grey arm over to inspect the cybernetic. Weiss studied every screw, plate, and hinge twice before letting go of Yang’s arm.

“Show me your range of motion, please.”

Yang looked at her with a sigh, “Weiss I’ve-” Yang got an arched white eyebrow that told her excuses weren’t going to fly. “Fine,” Yang furrowed her brow in concentration as she struggled to move the different joints in her new arm. She knew the jerky movements were pathetic, but it was the best she could do.

“And you’ve had this for close to a month now?” Weiss asked with no discernible emotion. Eyes continuing to study the prosthetic with great scrutiny.

“Yeah,” Yang answered.

“How about your fine motor control?” Weiss asked, a little edge of concern creeping into her voice.

Yang looked off to the side agitated, “About the same?”

“As I feared,” Weiss sighed. “Well that settles it. I’ll be taking over your cybernetics training. Clearly if you’ve only gotten this far your physical therapist is incompetent at best.”

Yang frowned down at Weiss, the princess needed to be a bit more rational and a little less harsh, “Weiss that’s not fair, it isn’t my therapist's fault that my control is so poor. I’m the one that has to put the work in to gain control.” Hoping to appease her Yang continued, “Look, I promise I’ll try to find time to spend with you, but you can’t train me. You don’t know the first thing about cybernetic physical therapy.”

Weiss straightened and looked at Yang with a determined glare that would have made anyone else take a step back. It sent a shiver down her spine. It seemed like spending time with Winter was really helping Weiss live up to the name Ice Queen.

“Three days,” the white haired woman answered in a cool crisp voice. “I will make all the arrangements. And in three days you will report to me for your training. By then I will be sufficiently versed to take over your therapy.”

Yang really didn’t want to make Weiss any angrier than she already had. She still remembered the wrath she had endured after accidentally spilling an entire energy drink on Weiss’s computer while the heiress was finishing Oobleck’s end of year paper.

But Weiss wasn’t being reasonable.

“Weiss I know you want to help me, but we both know that this is something that we should leave in the hands of the professionals.”

“Xiao Long.”

Uh oh.

Weiss only broke out her last name when she was super pissed.

“Are you telling me that you think the top student in our class is incapable of learning enough about cybernetics to help you?”

Yang sigh internally. There was no getting out of it now; Weiss had accepted her training as a personal challenge. Which meant that not even a nest of Death Stalkers could make her back down now.

“No?” Yang answered tentatively. Hoping not to rile the princess any more than she already had, “but I really think my lack of control is my own fault.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Weiss spat, “I’ve put up with you for long enough to know that if you want something you put everything into getting it. If you’re not improving then there is some other variable at play. Or am I wrong, and you don't wish to improve?”

Yang let out a quiet laugh as she shook her her head. That was Weiss for you, stubborn and loyal to a fault, “Alright Weiss, you win, but I don’t know where I’ll find the time, this assignment that Ironwood gave me has me running all over the base, I barely have time to train as it is.”

Weiss’s eyes glinted with anger at the mention of the general’s name. “Ironwood,” she growled through her teeth. “Oh I’ll be more than happy to deal with him,” she answered in a frightening tone that even Yang had never misbehaved enough to hear. “He has already crossed me once, he won't be stupid enough to try for a second time.”

Yang looked at her suspiciously before cautiously asking, “What do you mean?”

Weiss was brought out of her lethal glare to answer with an exasperated, “I’ll tell you later.”

When Weiss looked up at her, her expression lighted, “Well I’m glad we have that settled. I shall look forward to seeing you again in three days time. We’ll obviously have more to discuss by then.”

There was a slight hesitation and then Weiss picked up Yang’s left hand again. There was a small but honest smile on Weiss’s face, “I’m so glad I was able to see you again Yang. I’ve really missed you.”

The gesture conjured an odd mix of emotion that fought at the back of Yang’s mind. It was a simple gesture, but it made her feel… good? That wasn’t quite right. It felt more complicated than that. Yang wasn’t really sure what was going on with her feelings, but she was sure of her next words, “I missed you too Princess.”

With the use of her pet name invoked Weiss scowled and rolled her eyes, but Yang knew her well enough to know it was just for show, “Well,” Weiss straightened as she let go of her hand, “Unfortunately I have to be off. I have an appointment to keep. Expect a message with the details of your new training schedule by tomorrow evening at the latest.”

Weiss looked up at Yang one last time. Yang thought the heiress was about to add something but instead she turned and started out of the garage.

Yang stood and watched as the elegant business woman, who used to be her childish and spoiled teammate, strode off scroll to her ear, “Glenn, I will be sending you a list of books and documents to have on my desk by my return. Expect me back in three hours. I’ll also need you to clear my schedule after my meeting with Simon and Tolley. Then call -”

She shook her head in disbelief as she heard the last lingering sound of Weiss’s voice fade away. She turned back to face her work, but found it difficult to concentrate.

Weiss had changed in their time apart. The girl that Yang loved to tease appeared to be gone and replaced with a woman who exuded confidence and sophistication, without her trademark snark or entitlement. Yang thought about how Weiss had simply walked on base and managed to convince Sergeant Aims, of all people, to let her talk to Yang. Her memories of the often times bratty princess of the group, whose personality switched from annoyingly serious to as childish as Ruby. at the drop of a hat, now seemed extremely outdated.

She really seems to have grown up.

Yang smiled when she thought about how Weiss had held her hand; Weiss had really missed her. It made her feel good that the heiress cared so much. Yang wasn’t sure if Weiss would be able to convince Ironwood to let her take over her training, but the thought of being able to spend time with Weiss made the Yang feel happy. It let her feel hopeful that maybe she wasn’t doomed to be a grease monkey or Ironwood’s newest tin soldier.

She grinned as she picked up her socket wrench and crawled back under the Batusk. She got less than five minutes of work done before her thoughts drifted back to first seeing Weiss walk in in that dress. Yang bit her lip, she couldn't believe how good Weiss had looked. Then she quickly pushed back the thoughts, knowing it was entirely inappropriate to think of her teammate that way.

But there was one question that Yang couldn’t quite manage to force out.

Has Weiss always been that attractive?

Chapter 6: Taking Charge

Chapter Text

Weiss pulled out her phone to contact her assistant as she left the military base’s garage. Her own bravado had left her with much to do in a short amount of time.

“Glenn, I will be sending you a list of books and documents to have on my desk by my return. Expect me back in three hours. I’ll also need you to clear my schedule after my meeting with Simon and Tolley.” She was not looking forward to meeting with those two but cancelling on them would be catastrophic and she needed to finally close the deal. “Then call General Ironwood’s office. I’ll need an appointment with him before night’s end. You may tell his secretary that it is in regards to Private Xiao Long’s training.”

There was hesitation at the other end of the call, “And if I can’t manage to get you a meeting today?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes. Glenn was right, Ironwood was the type to evade given short notice. She might not like the man, but he was smart enough to know the importance of being prepared for a meeting with her.

“If that’s the case then I shall handle the arrangement myself,” she responded. Weiss didn’t want to call in a favor from her sister, but she was confident that Winter would oblige her if she asked in the right way.

She neared the entrance of the base, “Afterwards please call Bunchworth to cancel my appointment at the gym tonight, but tell him I will have a list of new equipment for him to prepare and bring in. He should expect the details by tomorrow morning. Oh and do tell Klein that I won’t be home till late tonight, I don’t want to worry him.”

“Not a problem Miss Schnee. Would you like me to stay to assist you this evening?”

Weiss thought for a moment. While it would be nice to have Glenn’s aid she didn’t want to put the man out. He was an excellent administrativeassistant and as far as she could tell loyal. “Only if you don’t have any other engagements for the evening. Please don’t feel obligated, it will be a rather long night.”

“Understood Miss Schnee, everything will be taken care of by your arrival.”

Weiss closed her scroll and was relieved to see her driver and car waiting for her. Meeting with Yang had left her with a lot to think about, so knowing that she would now have have privacy to collect herself was a relief.

As she settled into the car Weiss gave Fredric instructions on their next destination. It was a pointless gesture. Fredric and Glenn coordinated with each other to perfectly accommodate her schedule, but it helped her feel in control. Something she craved after her meeting with Yang.

She rolled up the privacy window and sank into the plush leather of the backseat with a long sigh, thankful that her next meeting would take some time to get to. She had so much to do and coordinate, but there were too many thoughts and feelings warring in her head.

Seeing Yang again had affected her mood much more than she had desired or anticipated, which troubled her. She had worked hard to push aside her unrequited feelings for Yang since the moment she realized that anything more than friendship with the blond was an impossibility.

But then you clung to her hand like some dim witted school girl.

Weiss closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

I can’t believe that I let my composure slip so many times in front of her! It is a miracle she is so thick sometimes.

The heiress looked out at the passing buildings and frowned.

Being around Yang had always beendifficult. Weiss both hated and loved the effect that the other woman had on her. It was irritating to know that someone was capable of breaking her tightly monitored self control, but in another way it was sort of wonderful.

Her whole life she had been forced to put on a mask of perfection. Acceptance from her family and others was conditionally given upon fulfilling proper social protocol or appearing faultless. To slip and let one’s emotions or true self be known was considered weak and shameful. Being composed and what others wanted her to be washer only option, which was exhausting. She had always hated they world she was from. It was such an unbearably cold and lonely way to live.

Yang on the other hand had never cared about any of that. With the brawler it was simple, if she liked you that was literally the end of the story. It didn’t matter if you were odd, temperamental, or even competent, Yang accepted you as you were. Weiss wasn’t overly fond of beingteased by her, but had always known that Yang wasn'tever really judging or looking down on her.

Weiss smiled. The big dumb dragon had always been such an unrelenting ball of joy that simply being around Yang had made her feel the polar opposite of being with her family. When she had been at Beacon, she had slowly started to push away her darker self doubt and fears. Being withher team and Yang had let Weiss feel like maybe there wasn’t something wrong with her and that appearances weren’t the only thing that mattered.

Even if Yangalways manages to look ridiculously-

She felt her temperature rise, and took a deep breath upon recalling Yang’s appearance in the garage.

The blond had sweat on her skin and grease stains on her orange tank top and dark cargo pants. Weiss bit the edge of her lip, Yang had looked really good.

It hadn’t helped that her normally wild blond locks being held back in a ponytail showed off her muscular shoulders and biceps, or that being mussed up from working on the underside of a vehicle made the woman look distractingly rugged.

She thought that Yang’s new clothes were an oddly masculine look for her teammate. Most because it might have been the most clothes that Weiss had ever seen the other woman wear at one time. Not that she had ever cared about that; no matter what Yang wore a simple grin from the blond had always been enough to leave her flustered.

However, this afternoon Weiss had been particularly interested in the way Yang had looked at her. She grinned as she thought about how openly her teammate had stared at her. It felt like a small victory to finally catch the Yangs gaze.

Their entire time at Beacon Weiss had been painfully aware of the fact that she had never caught Yang’s attention in that way.

Unlike a certain faunus who did so effortlessly.

She frowned at her own pointless jealousy and impetuousness.

She is your friend and your teammate, that’s all. You know it can never be more than that, so focus on being a good friend and help her. Being able to see her again should be more thanenough.

It has to be.

Weiss’s brow furrowed and she sighed in frustration at the stubborn and relentless feelings that refused to be banished. Her expression only deepened when she reflected on how much Yang’s demeanor had changed in their time apart. Weiss knew that it made sense given all that Yang had been through since the fall; it would be far stranger had it not affected her.

But still, Yang had seemed muted. She was still the same in a lot of ways, she was sincere, irrationally caring, and slow to pick up on certain social cues.

Thankfully.

But normally Yang would have made puns, picked her up in a bone crushing hug, or relentlessly teased her; the fact that she hadn’t done any of that seemed to reinforce the assumption that Yang had been deeply changed by all that had happened. Being more mature and restrained could very well turn out to be a good thing, but seeing the normally exuberant blond be so comparatively subdued was distressing. Weiss worried that with all that had happened, Yang might have lost that part of her that was so beautifully joyful.

One more thing to add to my list then.

Thinking of tasks, Weiss turned her attention to the one that her arrogance and desire to help had saddled her with. Weiss pulled out her scroll and quickly started pulling up books and the latest research articles on cybernetics. Upon finding a legitimate summary or abstract she sent the citation to Glenn. It felt good to be of use to Yang in this matter, but Weiss was deeply concerned that she lacked the ability to solve the overarching problem of the other woman's enlistment.

Weiss had spent hours reading and rereading the contract her sister wrote. She had been disappointed to find that her initial fears were correct; Winter had left no clause of the contract weak or even malleable. There was but one way for Yang to get out of her enlistment, and that was to give back the prosthetic. Winter had known that the Schnee Dust Company was the only business that made the type of cybernetic that Yang required for combat, and that due to the current state of world affairs Schnee Research and Development was solely contracted to the Atlas military. Every cybernetic the company made was considered a military prosthetic.

As infuriating as it was the only way Weiss currently had of protecting Yang was to make sure that she was strong enough to survive her enlistment. She knew her teammate well enough to be certain that giving back the prosthetic was not an option, nor would she want to force Yang to give up a piece of normalcy that she might have regained. Weiss could only imagine how hard it must have been to adapt.

She shook her head and refocused on the task at hand, spending another twenty minutes sendingGlenneverything relevant she could find about cybernetics, physical therapy, and recovering from trauma before she was interrupted.

The privacy window slid down and Fredric announced, “Ms. Schnee we will be at your next appointment soon.”

“Thank you,” She answered without looking up, “Please drop me at the entrance. I’ll message you when I’m ready to leave.”

“Of course Ms. Schnee,” Fredric responded.

Weiss took the remaining time to prep herself on the particulars of her upcoming negotiation before meeting with Simon and Tolley, not that she needed it. She had spent far more hours trying to close this deal then she had on any other acquisition since starting with the department. By the time her driver pulled up to the office building she felt ready.

Make this the last meeting. Close the deal.

Weiss stepped out of the car and let out a long calming breath. She didn’t want to go to this meeting for so many reasons. One being that she now had more important things on her plate, but the purchase negotiations for these Vacuan dust deposits would only serve as a distraction if she didn’t deal with them now. It was time to conclude her dealings Simon and Tolley.

Weiss hated the two with a fiery passion. She couldn’t decide what was worse about meeting with them, their blatant misogyny or their long history of discriminatory practices towards faunus populations. The only reason she dealt with them was because she knew that if she didn’t someone else in the company would encourage the unethical and illegal behavior of the two in favor of the bottom line.

Setting her resolve and posture Weiss walked into the lackluster office building. The structure was rather depressing. It was drearily basic and had no personality, save for the persistent smell of stale coffee. All the rooms of the building were an off-white that was probably still the original paint that had been put on as soon as the drywall had green screwed into place. The rooms were sectioned off in a predictable grid pattern that was primarily illuminated by cheerless fluorescent light, and all the furnishings throughout the building were made of the same subpar “wood” that had been fused together with ample amounts of hazardous chemicals and then laminated to look like something far nicer than it actually was.

In a way the furniture of the building was a perfect metaphor for its inhabitants: cheap, toxic, and pretending to be something they weren’t.

She had invited Simon and Tolley to the Schnee offices multiple times, but the two would always lie and say that company policy forbade meetings outside of their Atlas based offices. She knew they were trying to force a show of power by refusing to meet at her office, but such petty psychological tactics didn’t have a chance of working on her. Instead, she used their insistence on a meeting place to gain the right to set the times of their meetings.

She had, on more than one occasion, had Glenn 'acquire'a copy of the two’s schedule in order to force them to cancel meetings with other clients to accommodate her. It might have been childish, but she loathed Simon and Tolley, and the opportunity to slight them without consequence was too sweet to pass up.

Weiss walked up to their receptionist’s desk and cleared her throat, “Weiss Schnee here to see Simon and Tolley.”

The receptionist looked as overworked and unenthusiastic to see her as she normally did, “Right,” the woman sighed. She clicked the intercom button on her phone. “Mr. Tolley there is a Ms. Schnee here to see you.”

After about a minute the door to the office opened and Tolley leaned against the frame as he “greeted” Weiss, his bald head gleaming in the overhead light.Tolley was a middle aged, pot-bellied man. He had a round oily face that somehow looked uglier when he smiled. The older man liked to wear cheap business suits with wide statement ties that often clashed with the rest of his apparel, and he had the ever present and noxious odor of cheap cigars.

“So nice of you to finally join us sweetheart,” Tolley smiled.

Weiss summarily ignored him as she waited for the inevitable saving line from his partner Simon.

“Now now Tolley, you know Ms. Schnee is perfectly on time,” Simon predictably responded from inside the office. Simon sat on the edge of his desk and peered out of the doorway at Weiss. He was considerably younger a than Tolley, twenty-five according to her research, and he was what some people might have considered attractive. He certainly tried hard enough.

The younger man had a square clean shaven face and light amber eyes. His hair was always parted down the left side and kept in place with an abundance of hair product. Simon was in many ways Tolley’s counterpart. The younger man wore suits that had a slick almost shiny appearance that Weiss assumed was to give the illusion being expensive. Simon was tall and fit looking, but clearly hadn’t done an ounce of physical labor in his life. While the younger man didn’t have the odor of cigars like Tolley he did regularly overuse his cologne; just one of many reasons to keep her distance from both men.

"Remember,” Simon continued as he stood and walked to join his partner, “She told you last meeting that she is too smart to fall for your,” he leered at Weiss with a lecherous smile that made her skin crawl, “how did you put it,‘juvenile attempts to undermine her?’”

Weiss patiently stood in her spot near the door showing no expression or reaction, engaging only encouraged them. Thankfully it didn’t take long for them to get tired of waiting for a response.

“Aw come on Weiss, such a pretty girl like you shouldsmile more,” Simon quipped.

Weiss couldn’t help but frown deeply in response.

Tolley smirked as he growled out, “Looks like you're wasting your time Simon, the princess doesn’t want to play today," the portly man pushed himself upright on the doorframe. "All business then, eh sweetheart?”

Weiss simply responded, “Getting started would be lovely.”

Simon plastered a saccharinely sweet smile on his face, “Of course.”

The younger man took to the lead on the way to the conference room down the hall. While Weiss was forced to deal with Tolley hovering just a little too close behind her. It was a repugnant show of dominance that made her skin crawl and long for the presence of Myrtenaster. She shrugged off her discomfort and silently made her way to the room. She painted her face with cold indifference as she let the two men take their usual seats at the conference table.

As she took her own seat at the opposite side of the table Weiss immediately cut to the chase, “The latest draft of the purchase agreement that I sent you revised the initial water and mineral rights for the land. This is essential if the land is to meet rezoning requirements for mining. ”

Tolley predictably scowled at her forwardness and sighed as he shot a look at Simon. Presumably expecting the younger man to charm her into relenting.

Simon smiled at her with a patronizing look, “It was really nice that you wanted to help out by sending us a proposal, but I think you should let us draft them from now on. I mean you will need someone to file the paperwork for you to correctly zone the area. We still need to submit the paperwork for mineral and water rights, those alone are a forty-six page document,” Simon lied, “Then all of the forms will need to be filed and submitted in both Atlas and Vacuo. Not to mention the land ownership is still being disputed. That’s an awful lot of paperwork for you to handle by yourself. Tolley and I do this for a living, you just need to let us take care of these things for you.”

Weiss couldn’t muster the desire to keep the scowl from her face. “I’m perfectly aware of the process and paperwork required to transfer and rezone a land title Mr. Simon. As you should be aware of by now, this is not my first time doing so.” Weiss snapped at having her own words ignored and then regurgitated back to her like she was simple.

Simon sighed and shook his head. The younger man turned to his partner for assistance.

Tolley’s face scrunched up in an ugly smile as he addressed the heiress, “See I don’t think you do understand how things work doll, because all the zoning and property rights aren’t the problem. The real issue is that you keep trying to get us to pay the squatters on the land. That would mean we would both lose money on this deal,” Tolley continued with a snarl, “and even an entitled little girl should understand that companies are supposed to make money, not give it away."

Weiss knew starting an argument would only result in another wasted meeting, so she swallowed her considerable ire and tried to use reason to make some headway, “On the contrary Mr. Tolley I am most assuredly looking out for the bottom line of my company,” she glared at the older businessman. “You on the other hand seem to have forgotten current global issues and international regulation. The squatters that you are referring to have been on the land for over a year, which by law requires that they be fairly compensated should they be forced to relocate. Additionally,” She growled, “the current residents are a faunus population. Given the tenuous history that the Schnee Dust Company has with the faunus and the increasing harassment that our mining and transportation operations face from the White Fang this is not an instance when being cheap is advisable. If the Schnee Dust Company were to acquire a dust deposit illicitly from an unwilling faunus population then the site would immediately become a target. Which I’m sure you can understand, is bad for business.”

“Look sweetheart, don’t worry about things like that. Just stick some of your tin soldiers there and they can shoot any trespassers or rabble rousing vagrants. Stop making such a big deal about the damn local wildlife,” Tolley chided her. The older man sneered at her, “Or should we call up daddy and see how he thinks we should solve our little faunus problem?”

She knew that he was baiting her, but it still took every ounce of restraint that Weiss had not to use a glyph to defenestrate the pile of refuse sitting in front of her.

Her last conversation with Winter about keeping off of their father’s radar echoed loudly in the back of her mind. Weiss had thought that Tolley had enough pride to deal with her personally and not go running to her father but apparently that was not the case when enough money was involved. So far she had taken great pains not to let her father know that she was subverting his business 'ideals', but she couldn’t let these two get away with exploiting these faunus.

It shamed her to think that a little over a year ago this conversation would have gone much differently. But after all that Weiss had been through at Beacon she couldn’t turn a blind eye. She had to learn to effectively fight for what was right if she ever hoped to make change.

All the muscles in her body tightened at realizing the unwinnable conundrum that she face. Doing the right thing here would directly jeopardize her future in the company, and if she let her career end because of this fight far worse would happen to many more faunus and people down the line. But letting these awful men persecute others made her sick, and she didn’t know if she would be able to face herself in the mirror if she didn’t do something.

There has to be a way to do the right thing.

“What’s the matter sweetheart, faunus got your tongue?” Tolley taunted her as Simon failed to hold back a grin.

The insult peaked her anger and inspire Weiss take a huge gamble to get what she wanted.

She started laughing. Quietly at first but then a little louder and with a self satisfied smirk upon seeing the look of confusion and dismay on Simon and Tolley’s faces.

Tolley looked at Simon and all the younger man could do was shrug at her odd behavior.

Knowing that the effect would be lost if she overplayed it Weiss stopped laughing and smiled at them with glaring eyes, “After the day I’ve had your ludicrous bluff was particularly amusing and refreshinglysimple. Thank you,” she taunted.

Tolley was dependably quick to respond, “Look if you think-”

She didn’t let him, “First of all Mr. Tolley if you think my father’s staff is so incompetent as to let two low level brokers like yourself bother him with such petty matters then you are deluded. The Schnee Dust Company currently owns one hundred and eighty-two mining sites. Of those, one hundred and fifty-six are larger than the comparatively insignificant deposits you are currently trying to sell me. Second, stop pretending like you have leverage. We both know you have no other buyers. Your company almost exclusively deals with the Schnee Dust Company, because we are the largest developers of dust in the world and one of the only companies currently capable of extracting the crystals from the remote locations you represent.” She looked at him with cold uncaring eyes,” You will take my offer.”

Tolley’s face grew beet red with rage; even Simon’s normally smarmy grin was suddenly missing.

The older manpractically shook with anger as he spoke, “You think because you have the same last name as your father that you get to come in here and make demands? You don’t know the first thing about business little girl. One call from me and I could have all of our current contracts with Schnee Dust pulled. I think that would get daddy’s attention. You don’t want to push me girl.”

Weiss didn’t blink, she simply pulled out her scroll and called her assistant. She placed the device on speaker and then laid it on the table.

Glenn picked up after the first ring, “Ms. Schnee how may I assist you?”

“Glenn, could you please tell me the current market price for a controlling share of Outer Reach Reality’s stock.”

“Of course, Ms. Schnee,” There was less than a five second delay as her administrative assistant accessed the information, “that would be five point seven million lien. It is down two hundred thousand lien since the last time you had me check.”

“And would it be feasible for me to purchase those shares should I wish?” Weiss asked keeping her tone seeming uninterested.

“Easily, considering the current size of your trust. I could have the transaction completed by the end of the day if you wish.”

Simon jumped up from his seat and quickly closed her scroll, “Look, Ms. Schnee, obviously things got a little out of hand. You know how heated business dealings can be.”

No proper business meeting are handled with far more acumen and respect.

The younger man continued even as she held out her hand for her scroll to be returned, “I’m sure that we can come to an agreement about fair compensation for the current residents.” He gingerly handed her device back to her.

“How gracious of you,” Weiss spat, “but you have wasted enough of my time. I will have the terms of purchase sent over within the hour. You," she glared at the weasel of a man, "will have a signed and notarized copy on my desk by tomorrow morning,” she turned to Tolley and smiled sweetly, “or you will find yourself in need of new employment. “

Tolley glared at her with unbridled fury, the ham-fisted man looked like he wanted to strangle her. She’d have liked to see him try.Weiss looked Tolley right in the eye as she spoke, “Good day gentlemen.”

With that she left the office. She could hear Tolley start shouting at Simon almost as soon as the door shut behind her.

Weiss walked away with a satisfied smirk on her face; her ploy had worked and she finally got to stick it to those misogynistic growths that called themselves human beings. She opened her scroll and tapped a few buttons, “Fredric, bring the car around please; my business here is done.”

To his credit Glenn had managed to secure her a meeting with Ironwood. Frederic had informed her that she had a couple of hours before the meeting when he had picked her up, so she decided to take a late working lunch. As she sent her final round of research to Glenn she reflected on how difficult her life would be without him.

He really is invaluable. I need to see when he is up for a raise. Getting me a meeting with Ironwood on such short notice was impressive,even for Glenn.

She finished her coffee and then readied herself for the coming meeting. She was thankful for the break before having to talk to the general. Dealing with Simon and Tolley had riled her emotions, she needed to refocus and reset before speaking with Ironwood. Her meeting with him would need a much more nuanced and practical approach.

As well as she had prepared herself for her coming negotiation she simply could not stop stressing about it. The entire ride over she was lost in thought, hypothesizing the different ways that general would react to her proposal. Everything depended on a positive outcome, she wouldn’t be able to help Yang if she didn’t get the general’s approval.

Weisshad been so distracted that she didn’t even notice Ironwood waiting at the front of Atlas Academy for her until the car pulled to a stop.

That’s odd.

The general studiously opened her door and held his hand out to her, “Weiss, always a pleasure to see you.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes in thought before taking his hand.

“You as well General Ironwood.” she returned his greeting with proper courtesy.

“It’s such a lovely evening that I thought we might take a walk as we discussed matters,” the general smiled.

Something’s off, he’s never taken a meeting with me outside of his office.

“Why of course.” she answered with a returned smile.

ironwood set a meandering pace as they silently walked the grounds of the campus. The air was a bit cold, but it was always cold in Atlas. It made Weiss think of how well the weather matched the feel of the school. As they traversed the campus Weiss kept noticing how different things were at this academy compared to Beacon. It was oddly quiet on the grounds. Passing students seemed to be a rarity, and when she did see one they were in a hurry to get to their destination. It was nothing like her memories of Beacon; there she could hardly find a moment to herself and things had always felt so warm and lively.

She supposed that was a natural consequence of the school being a part of the military. Weiss glanced at Ironwood; his demeanor seemed stern and pensive even though they had yet to really speak to one another. It left her to wonder if each school’s headmaster was the cause of the campuses being so dramatically different.

As they continued their walk the silence between them continued to grow. Weiss snuck a look in the older man’s direction to try and get a read on him. She was in turmoil over how to breach their silence. Talking first had its advantages and certain disadvantages. She would be able to set the topic of discussion if she spoke first, but it could also convey urgency and weaken her position if she came right out with what she wanted.

So she tried for a neutral topic, “How has enrollment been?”

Ironwood smiled without looking at her. “You know your sister is quite something.” The general looked down at Weiss, “She told me just yesterday that you would be coming to see me today. She knew exactly what you would want to talk to me about and even how you would try and start the conversation.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes. She knew she shouldn’t expect less from her sister, but still it irked her that Winter’s loyalties seemed to lay with the general over her.

“Really?” Weiss responded absently trying to hide her irritation. “I have to admit it is a bit odd to see you without her by your side.”

Ironwood stopped walking to lean up against a railing. He looked out at the mountains in the distance, “She advised me that meeting with you was the best course of action, but she had other duties to attend to. Your sister actually warned me to be cautious in my discussion with you.” The older man looked her right in the eye, “The fact that your sister would feel the need to warn me speaks highly of your ability to arbitrate. So I won’t insult you by playing games. I know that you wish to help Ms. Xiao Long out of her current situation.”

The general paused to let his words sink in.

Weiss knew he was hoping for a reaction, but he wouldn’t get one from her. She had been on guard for this conversation since the moment the appointment had been confirmed.

Ironwood looked down at her with a less severe gaze when she didn't respond, “I understand and respect that you have such loyalties to your friend, but I can not allow you to interfere in this matter.”

Of all the situations that Weiss had planned for this was among the worst. It wouldn’t be impossible to get what she wanted, but she had hoped for a better starting position.

She took a deep breath and moved the conversation forward, “You are absolutely right. I don’t wish for you to keep Yang in the Atlesian military, and I certainly don’t want her in your specialist division.” Weiss looked up at the general with a determined stare, “But I know the value of choosing your battles, and extracting Yang from her contract is clearly not a possibility. Keeping her safe, on the other hand, is a fight I intend to win.”

The general looked at her with wary amusem*nt, “And how exactly do you plan on doing that, if I may ask?”

“You are going to let me take over her training,” Weiss bluntly answered.

The general frowned and Weiss could see a hint of sadness in his expression, “I’m afraid I can’t authorize that Weiss.”

The heiress wasn’t fazed. She had expected such a response, but she was surprised by his feelings.

That I can work with.

“Since we are being so open,” she probed, “Might I ask why?”

The general turned back to look at the distant mountains. “Things have changed since the fall of Beacon. Our inability to contain the issues that arose there has left the council watchful of the military. Now is not the time for me to be bending rules,” he answered. “I’m not as free to act as I was when Ozpin was around. With him gone things are different and alliances have been strained.”

So it’s not that he doesn’t wish to let me help it is that he can’t. He knows the council isn’t pleased with him. Father no doubt had a hand in that.

She remembered doing everything in her power to stay clear of her father after Ironwood had convinced the council to stop the sale of dust to other kingdoms. It had taken him a few weeks, but her father had eventually bribed and/or coerced enough of the council to repeal the embargo. Since then the two men had been on tenuous terms. But it sounded like her father wasn’t the only one that the general had lost favor with.

“I know you only want to help,” the general continued, “but following protocol is the only option right now. And I mean no disrespect, but training someone in the use of cybernetics requires a great deal of knowledge and experience that you simply do not possess.”

Weiss evaluated her options before responding, “So if you fear the watchful eye of the council and feel the need to follow protocol; then I propose circumventing the matter.”

Ironwood turned to face her, clearly curious.

“As I was recently informed,” Weiss started, “I am able to visit with my teammate when she has scheduled leave from the base.” Ironwood listened intently as she laid out her argument, “I suggest that you simply adjust her schedule. If she is free to meet with me regularly outside of the military you could hardly be held accountable for what we decide to do with our time.”

“But that still doesn’t address the issue of your qualification to help her,” he responded in a serious tone.

“I might not currently be ready to take over her cybernetics training, but I intend to educate myself on the matter thoroughly. Furthermore, I have seen Yang’s progress under the military therapist and frankly it’s terrible. I know her better than anyone, which means I have insights that can help her advance. You must have noticed how she has changed since Beacon. Something is wrong, she won’t ever be able to work through that with someone that she doesn’t know or trust.”

Weiss saw the man’s right hand twitch and he reflexively grabbed the offending arm in response. He took a minute to think over her words, “Let’s say for the sake of discussion that I agreed with you. What would stop you from prolonging her training so that she never saw combat?”

The heiress had hoped to keep her concession to a minimum, but it was unreasonable to think that she could get away with none and to be honest losing this negotiation wasn’t an option.

“An understandable concern,” Weiss answered, “but an unnecessary one. Yang’s contract states that she will be assigned to active duty under your command three months after recovery or upon being qualified as combat ready, whichever comes first.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. This would get her what she wanted, but it made her margin for error uncomfortably tight. “I submit that Yang will be evaluated bi-monthly to establish that progress is being made and that my qualifications are satisfactory. If I can’t help her you have my word that I will drop the matter and she can resume training with her previous therapist.”

The general focused his gaze on her as he contemplated her words. He had little to lose in the scenario that she had proposed, but she knew he might perceive accepting her offer as a small form of defeat. Weiss’s posture tightened and her heart started to beat harder as she waited for his response.

He’s taking too long to answer.

Weiss knew she had to play the last card she had left, “I will admit that I don’t usually agree with the way you go about things. Point and case, our argument over your decision to have me stay in Atlas. But I will concede that you always try to do the right thing; I trust my sister would never follow you otherwise." She looked up into his eyes, "This is the right thing to do James.”

Weiss’s last words hung on the air as the general studied her. Time was impossibly slow and all too fast as she waited for his next words. Weiss knew that if he said no here then she wouldn’t be able to change his mind. Not that she would ever stop trying, but she knew Ironwood and she knew that her standing in the matter would never be as strong as it was at this moment.

Ironwood turned away from her and Weiss felt her heart sink with fear as he spoke. “I have come to the conclusion that Private Xiao Long’s current workload is the root of her progression issues.”

Weiss balled her fists and her vision threatened to blur with tears of anger at her defeat. She had truly thought that there was some decent part of the man, but she had been wrong. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a way to change his mind.

“Therefore,” he interrupted her thoughts, “I will be adjusting her schedule to allow for more down time.”

Weiss blinked as she processed what he had just said. She straightened her composure and struggle to think of how she should respond.

Ironwood saved her the trouble. He looked her in the eye as he asked, “I trust you know your way around the Schnee servers well enough to know when Private Xiao Long might be free to visit you off base?”

“Of course,” Weiss stated as she felt every muscle in her body release the tension that she had been holding in.

The general smiled and held out his hand to her, “Well then, it’s getting late. I shouldn’t keep you out in this cold any longer. It sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you.”

Chapter 7: Consequences

Chapter Text

The ride back from Atlas Academy to her office at Schnee Corporate Headquarters had been blissfully uneventful, and Weiss had relished the small bit of down time the drive afforded her before she having to take on yet another task.

But that brief respite seemed far away as she looked at the mounds of research that filled her grandfather’s large onyx desk. She took a moment to appreciate the many neat stacks of books and papers that Glenn had found and organized in such a short amount of time. And not for the first time, was she grateful for the desk’s substantial surface area and sturdy frame.The stone and metal claw foot tablewas ridiculously heavy, and had undoubtedly been difficult to move into her office, but to Weiss it was an important reminder of her family’s more noble past. It was one of the few physical possessions that shehad an actual attachment to. It had always helped her remember what she was fighting so hard for, but most importantly it often gave her the courage to even try to restore her family’s honor.

As much as it pleased her to gaze upon the her assistant's efficient and capable work,she was even more gratified to find Glenn dutifully waiting next to said desk with very large cup of coffee. If she hadn't prefered women she would have swooned for the man’s ability to always know when she needed caffeine alone. She smiled up at her tall assistant as she thankfully took the beverage and savored her first sip.

He was good.

Glenn knew coffee and this brew was one of her favorites, a medium bodied Mistral blend that wasn’t too acidic or bitter and had notes of lemon and cherry. It danced smoothly over her tongue while its warmth helped her forget her considerable time her had spent outside with Ironwood.

Not one to forget her manners she nodded to him in gratitude, “Thank you Glenn, this is absolutely wonderful.”

The man gave a short bow and a smile as she walked behind her desk.

“I have taken the liberty to organize the research you had me gather into five stacks.” Glenn pointed to each as he explained, “There is research on physical therapy techniques, schematics and performance reports on the standard cybernetic arm that the military uses, current andearliertexts on cybernetic limbs, proposed research and advancements in the field, and finally, trauma and recovery research. And as I do not have any other engagements I will be at your disposal for the rest of the night, so please let me know when you will be needing dinner, more coffee, or anything else.”

Not for the first time, Weiss wondered what she could have done to deserve such a perfect assistant. It was hard to hide her gratitude, so she didn’t try. The heiress smiled as she said, “Thank you Glenn, this is exceptional work. Please go take a break while I settle into this. I promise I will message you when I need your assistance.”

She detected the slightest show of relief in his posture at her words. Then she once again looked down at the stacks of pristinely aligned research. He really had out done himself, but before she could dive into any of the amassed materials she needed to know where she was starting from.

The heiresspulled up the Schnee servers and after a few clicks was not at all surprised to find that the company's file had been updated to now contain all of her current medical records, physical therapy briefings, the blond's schedule and duty detail since her enlistment, as well as Yang's new and revised schedule. She still thought Ironwood was a bit of a wretch, but he was Atlesian military through and through. She would never be caught disparaging the man’s efficiency.

Weiss widened the holo projection of Yang’s files so that she could read them with easy while she leaned back into her chair and sipped her coffee.

It looks like there weren’t any complications with the surgery, that’s a relief. Her range of motion in the limb is at ninety-eight percent, but her gross motor fluency is only at sixty percent.

Weiss winced at reading the next line in the physical therapy report.

Her fine motor control is only at thirty percent. That dolt lied to me. It’s a wonder she can fix anything at those numbers. Also, her strength levels are really off. With a cybernetic she should be able to lift considerably more than her natural limb, but these reports say that her strength is even. Interesting.

Weiss finished reading the older therapy reports and fullyreclined in her chair with a deep sigh. At least she hadn’t been completely unjustified in her accusations against the physical therapist. The 'qualified' professional had only been able to up Yang’s numbers by an overall average of five percent since the blond had recovered from surgery. Such low numbers were negligible when considering how far Yang still had to go to get back to full fighting strength.

The heiress tightened her jaw as she picked up the first tomb of many that she would have to get through in the next two days.

I definitely have my work cut out for me.

Four hours later Weiss had only managed to make an insignificant dent in the mountain of research. It was becoming all too apparent how ridiculously hard she would have to work if she was going to become successfully versed in cybernetic therapy in the time she had allotted herself.

Me and my bravado. This would have been so much simpler had I not found it so important to show off in front of her. And now I don't even have the luxury of learning as I go after the concessions I made to Ironwood.

Weiss pushed the remains of her meal to the side. Her nervousness about her ability to complete her objective had completely ruined her appetite. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she lamented the choices that had gotten her here. The white haired woman only allowed herself a few moments of self pity before she forced herself back to work.

You don’t have time for regret. If you don’t absorb this information you will never be able to effectively help Yang, and she only has two more months before her full enlistment takes effect. Not to mention you can’t give Ironwood a valid reason to exclude you from all of this.

The heiress turned her chair to look out the expansive bank of windows behind her desk. Despite her words to Ironwood, Weiss hadn’t given up on trying to find a way to get Yang out of her enlistment. She still didn't have a clue as to how, but failing to be an effective trainer and getting cut out would make finding a solution even more impossible than it already was.

Focus on the immediate task. You only have two days till you start training Yang.

Weiss's eyes slowly widened in panic upon realizing exactly what that would entail. After that, she couldn't for the life of her figure out why it had taken her brain so long to finally put together that training the blond would mean that she would have to be around a hot, sweaty, barely clothed Yang. Which would make keeping herself under control frustratingly difficult.

The heiress swallowed down the lump in her throat as she remembered how she was forced to avoided being in the gym at the same time as the amazon when they were at Beacon together. The first time she had seen all of the blond’s muscle definition while she worked out in short shorts and a tanktop had left her practically drooling in the middle of the gym. It had been the only time she was thankful thatJuane had decided to take it upon himself to hit on her. It was after that incident that Weiss had made sure to schedule her workouts at different times and even in different buildings when she could.

Sheshook herself mentally and let out a pained sigh.

What did you get yourself into?

Weiss rubbed her eyes and looked at the immense pile of literature that she still had to get through. She had managed to improve her learning curve, and had sift through about a fifth of the resources that she had requested Glenn pull for her. But there werestill about six more feet of papers and textbooks left. Thankfully the more she learned about cybernetics theory, prosthetics, and physical rehabilitation the quicker she was able to find the parts that were relevant and could gloss information that had already been assimilated.

With great reluctance Weiss went back to reading. But halfway through the book she was deciphering, Cybernetic Theory and Practical Mechanics, she was forced to put it down. It was an extraordinarily dry read, even for her. She decided to switch gears and picked up a physical therapy book, Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System. Part way into the text she was quite interested to find that muscle atrophy was actually very common after limb loss.

That would explain why Yang’s strength numbers were so odd.

A quick cross reference with The Physical Therapist’s Clinical Companion,and she was able to add some notes and exercises to the document she had already started for managing and planning Yang’s physical therapy.

Weiss rubbed her eyes once again upon finishing her latest notes. Looking at the clock on her desk, she let out a heavy sigh. It had been over eight hours since she had started her research. Weiss tried to rally her resolve, but she could feel her focus wavering the later it got.

Remember, this is for Yang.

Unfortunately she quickly found that using the blond as a motivator when she was so exhausted was not the best idea she had ever had.

Her thoughts ambled back to her latest interaction with Yang, and how she had so badly wanted to wipe a smudge of grease off of the taller woman’s jaw line before she had left.

Had her thoughts ended there she might have been able to get back to work, but they didn't. Instead, her mind naturallydrifted to how ridiculously attractive beingmussed up from working on the underside of the vehicle had made Yang look. Which naturally made her mind recall the many times she had snuck admiring glances over the top of a book when the blond had come back from the gym.

Always sweaty, barely clothed, and still somehow full of raw intensity.

Blake had caught Weiss staring at Yang in all her post workout glory more than once, but it wasn't like she hadn't seen the faunus do the same just as often, so she had hardly ever seen the need to feel bad. At the time.

Uh, who wouldn't stare at those abs or those arms, hmm or her legs… Ugh, who am I kidding every inch of her is so unbelievably exquisite.

The heiress’s mind was exhausted enough that it let her wonder how it would feel to run her hands over the ridged muscles of the blond’s stomach, and how the juxtaposition of hard muscle to soft feminine curves must be a particularly delicious treat.

Mmm, treat. Like how sweet it would be to taste her lips. Or feeling her calloused hand run down my own skin.

Upon feeling her temperature rise Weiss realized just how far she had let her weariness take her, and was positively scandalized by her own thoughts.

Pull yourself together you dolt! Objectifying Yang is certainly notthe way to help Yang! She is a person and onlyfriend, I can' not allow myself to think of her that way.

“Miss Schnee,” Glenn spoke, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts, “are you alright?” There was uncomfortable concern clearly worn on his face. “You keep signing out loud and uh... licking your lips,” he awkwardly continued. “Would you like me to get you some water?”

The heiress straitened and with considerable effort fought off the urge to turn positively crimson, “Yes Glenn, I think that is exactly what I need. After you get that for me you can leave for the night. I think I’ve reached my limit for the day.”

Her assistant left and Weiss let her head rest against the back of her office chair.

How disgraceful. If you truly cared about Yang you would focus on helping her and stop daydreaming about the impossible.

Shame had brushed off her more untowardly thoughts, and Weissbolstered her will one final time as she straightened the stacks of research and started compiling an email to her personal gym coordinator, Bunchworth.

Glenn returned with a bottle of water and she praised him after her first lengthy swallow, “Thank you Glenn. Your assistance tonight has been invaluable, but please go home and get some rest.”

“It was no trouble Ms. Schnee,” he answered as he put on his coat and openedher door to leave, “assisting you is always worthwhile. I wish I could say all my previous employers were asconscientiousas yourself." With a nod goodbye he shutthe door behind him.

A soft smile touched her lips afterthe door had closed, but it didn't take her exhaustion long to remind her that she too should retire. She finished her message to Bunchworth and started gathering her things onceshe had called for the company’s after hours car service.

As she pulled on the door of her office she took one more rueful look back at all she still needed to do.

It will all be there in the morning. It's not like it's going anywhere.

Yang looked around at the haze and ruin that surrounded her; she was in the courtyard at Beacon. She could hear people screaming in panic and the roar of Grimm seemed like it was everywhere; the sound was so loud that it seemed to vibrate all the surfaces around her.

It was pure chaos and fear, and Yang felt every ounce of it inside of her.

Suddenly the sound of Blake screaming in pain cut through the noise, and then a different type of fear cut into Yang.

The brawler was instantly back in that room. Blake was on the ground and Adam stood above her. Yang’s eyes went wide with fear upon seeing the man that had taken her arm and the woman so dear to her lying injured on the floor.

Adam turned from Blake and started walking straight towards Yang. As much as she tried Yangcouldn’t move; both fear and some unknown force were holding her still. The bastard wasright next to her and her heart was beating so hard it hurt her chest. She couldn't do anything as he slowlybent down to whisper in her ear. “I don’t have to kill you Yang, because you will never be strong enough to defeat me. Instead I will just take a piece of you every time we meet, and you’ll never get them back. Just like you’ll never get her back.”

With that Adam vanished and Yang was able to breath again. She looked to find Blake still lying motionless on the floor. Yang started to run towards her, but no matter how hard the blond ran Adam was right. She couldn’t get any closer to Blake.

Fear slowed her movements as she heard his familiar words echo over and over in her head.

Never get her back. She will never come back.

Take another piece of you. Never get it back.

Never.

Yang shot upright in her bed. Cold sweat covered her body as she gulped in large breaths of air. Her heart was thundering in her chest and it took her a while to regain control. She knew that dream. Yang had had that same dream countless times since the fall of Beacon, but this was the first time it had happened since she left Patch.

“f*ck,"she whispered in defeat to the darkness, "not again.”

Weiss had slept in a little longer than normal the following morning. It was one of the few days that she hadn’t been up early enough to see the sunrise over the mountains. The previous day had been exhausting, and she knew that if she tried to push on without enough sleep the day’s progress would be slow and entirely unproductive. Plus it wasn’t like she had any meetings to go to, so she didn’t feel the need to rush.

The only thing that would be waiting for her at work were the signed Vacuo papers from Simon and Tolley. That thought, in particular, had made her smirk as she took her morning coffee on the veranda, and once again as her car approached the corporate offices.

But such pleasant thoughts were swept away when she remembered the virtual mountain of research she still had to sift through. Weiss could practically feel her eyes become sore at the thought and cringed a little as the car came to a full stop.

When she exited the car she looked up at the monolithic building that was Schnee Corporate Headquarters. At fifty stories tall the building was the largest in the world. It was a sharply angled building that quite literally looked as if it could cut through the skyline of the lesser buildings around it. The obelisk shaped structure had been dubbed the Schnee Blade, and its blue white gleam from the morning sun did nothing to dissuade from its look of power and dominance. Weiss had often found inspiration in the building as a child, but since she had returned from Beacon it simply seemed cold and uncaring to her.

When the heiress neared the entrance of the building she felt the sun warm her skin despite the considerable chill in the air. The sensation made a small smile touched her lips; it reminded her of Yang and the others, and how in such a short time since seeing the blond Atlas had started to feel less terrible than it always had. Even though she had an ocean of research to get through in the next two days the notation at she wouldn't be alone anymore made the task seem far less awful. So much so that Weiss found her reflecting on the fact that this was the happiest she could ever remember being on her way into work, as the elevator climbed to her floor.

But when the doors of the lift opened all of those feelings drifted away. She immediately became aware of how quiet the office was. Normally the entryway to the acquisition department was busy with assistants and coworkers that were running errands, making copies, or heading to meetings. But today she was hard pressed to find anyone outside of their own office space. After a few moments she saw an aid that she knew. Upon seeing her the man fixed his gaze on the ground and scuttled off like she was plague ridden. Weiss was bothered, but decided it was better not to let little notions of paranoia ruin her mood. She did her best to brush off her unease as she made her way towards her side of the department.

As Weiss rounded the corner to her office she was surprised to find Glenn’s desk empty. If her nerves had been set off by the lack of foot traffic, then they were positively peaked by her missing assistant. The heiress couldn’t remember a single morning that the man hadn’t been waiting for her arrival, coffee in hand. Weiss again calmed herself and reestablish reason, he could have stepped out to get himself a coffee. It wasn’t like she required him to live at the desk. Still, his absence paired with the odd behavior of the staff was hard to dismiss.

The extent of her lingering worry made itself evident when she hesitated before grabbing the handle to her office door.

Stopbeing ridiculous, you have far too much work to get done to waste time on childish over concern.

Weiss took a deep breath and straightened her posture before she pushing open her door.

Upon entering her workspace every muscle in her body went rigid and her breath simply stopped. Her office had been completely and utterly emptied, save for the tall, white haired man standing at her windows with his back to her.

Weiss could barely put together what was going on upon seeing her father’s profile, there was simply too much fear racing through her brain for her to process anything. But after a second she was able to struggle against her panic and made her brain start to evaluate her situation.

Her father didn’t allow her to make much progress before acknowledging her prescience. Jacques Schnee turned around, the white buttons of his double breasted long coat catching the sun as he moved, his posture as firm and unyielding as his temperament. When he looked upon her his glare shot cold fear through her body erasingall the thoughts she had managed to scrape together.

“Shut the door Weiss,” her father’s voice came out friged, demanding, and absolute.

She knew what those words meant. Experience and fear had etched them into her brain in a positively Pavlovian way. Everything in Weiss's body told Weiss to run. Her heart was racing, but fear gripped her mind. She knew that there was no escaping her father. There never had been.

And there never will be.

She slowly turned and closed the door, her hands were already shaking after she had let go of the handle so she clasped them together to hide the tremor. Try as she might to utilize her own strength and resolve her body just wouldn’t move after that; it knew what was coming and had locked up.

“Face me,” Jacque spat.

His command moved her like her own will could not, and she turned to where her father stood eyes at his feet in an unconscious show of submission.

“I trust you are smart enough to know why I am here,” he seethed. Weiss couldn’t answer with her words; she couldn’t even raise her gaze from the floor. Instead she just nodded her head.

You are so stupid. Why did you ever think you could change anything and hide it from him. Why did you even try, Winter warned you that this would happen.

Her father's continued words snapped her out of her own self deprecation, “Remember your manners Weiss; look at me when I am speaking.”

Her eyes were wide with fear as she was forced to met her father’s visage. He was furious with her, more so than she had seen in quite some time.

“Do you understand how much money it costs the company when I am forced to stop what I am doing so that I can come down here and deal with your mistakes?” He asked barely holding back his rage.

Weiss was too afraid to respond in case it was a rhetorical questions. She knew precisely how tight her father packed his schedule, and how mad he became upon having to make time to handle his offspring. She averted her eyes in shame, but managed to keep her posture to his liking.

“This is the Vytal Festival all over again.” he growled, “You fail, just like you always have, because you let your priorities become compromised. Before you gave away your own victory to ‘save’ a teammate,” he spat in disgust, “and now you betray this family, this company, by deciding to stand up for a degenerate subspecies.”

Weiss cringed at his words.

You deserve this. He’s right, he’s always right. Why did your try to change things when you knew this would be the outcome?

“Not only have you subverted my wishes in the matter, but you also forced me to play your accomplice,” he voiced with ire.

Curiosity barely trumped her fear, and it let her met his eyes in a questioning gaze.

He read her confusion and continued, “A Schnee, no matter how misguided, must never be seen as weak or anything less than their word. Tolley and the contract have been handled as per your demands.”

A momentary breath of relief washed through her when she learned that the contract would go through, but it proved to be short lived as her father continued, “It is unacceptable for our associates to think that coming to me over disputes with my children would get them their way. An example had to be made, even if it wasn’t to my liking. I can’t let others think your brother will fall prey to similar petty threats. When he runs the company he must be perceived as having no weaknesses to exploit.”

Fear and anger surged through Weiss’s brain.

No! Repairing the company and our family name is my legacy. Whitley is just a cruel child; at best he will simply mimic father’s wishes. I can’t let that happen!

Mustering what strength she could, she tried to fight back against her father’s verbal assault, but the words would not come. Her mouth hung open like a fool and naught but silence escaped.

Her father of course did not miss her failed attempt, “If your are going to say something then do it. You might be a failure, but you are a Schnee damn it. Have the grace to actwith dignity.”

“I didn’t fail,” she forced out. Her father looked at her with menacing eyes. Being contradicted by one of his daughters was a rarity for Jacques Schnee, and not something he was found of in any sense.

It made her next words all the harder, “Choosing to pay the faunus was a business decision,” she partially lied. “We lose millions to the White Fang’s attacks every quarter. I thought it would be foolish to knowingly invite more profit loss.”

Her father bore down on her, “You dare lecture me on how much money those animals have cost the company. The Schnee name was built on one thing daughter. Power. To ever let our policies be dictated by an outsider would spur others to take similar action upon deeming us weak. A Schnee never backs down and never shows weakness.” Her father’s glare turned mercilessly cold as he continued, “That is why you are not fit to inherit the company, and why you no longer have a place in it. Your sister at least had the courage to leave and join the military, but it looks like you will be as big a disappointment as your mother. Only good for bearing heirs and hosting social affairs.”

Despair washed over Weiss like a tide of impenetrable darkness. Her thoughts and actions were all muted by the harsh words from her father. She hated the things he said, but she loathed even more that his words could still wound her so deeply. She had worked so hard to prove to herself and her father that she was of value, but it never mattered.

She didn’t matter.

Weiss wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and hide, but her father wasn’t done with her, “Worse yet, when I came down here to fix your mistake I was not expecting to find that your focus had been diverted to matters outside of your current boundaries. And when I asked your assistant why you were so engrossed in cybernetics he responded that you were ‘looking into another company for a merger.’ But we both know that Schnee Dust is the only cybernetics company,” his tone was harsh and unforgiving, and left no room for argument. “Your lack of dedication was the deciding factor in your removal.”

Something inside of Weiss snapped.

It might have been anger at her father for trying to forced her out of the company. It could have been her fear that he would find out that she was helping Yang. It even could have been the small act of loyalty Glenn had reportedly shown before being dismissed. Whatever it had been her father had forced her to the very bottom of despair and had refused to stop.

And Weiss couldn’t take it anymore, she couldn’t let her very world be taken away without a fight. So as hard as it was she meet her father’s eyes as she spoke, “Dismissing me would be a mistake.”

Her father ground his teeth in anger ready to lay into her again, but this time she didn’t give him the chance. She knew that if she did she wouldn’t be able to sustain her cobbled together will.

“Since returning to Atlas, I have net the company over two hundred million lien. That is more than any other person in this department. I don’t see that as a failure,” Weiss spoke in the most confident voice she could muster, “I’m sorry that if in the many acquisitions that I have negotiated, one of them was not to your liking.”

Her father studied her for a moment before he replied, “That may be the case, but imagine how much more you could have accomplished had you not wasted your time on irrelevant distractions.”

Weiss abruptly quelled her panic as she thought of a way to keep her father from the truth about her research. If he found out he would be sure to bar her from seeing Yang.

The heiress was grateful that her intellect proved itself quick as she spoke her next words, “The research you encountered was to help me look into the future of this company. I wish to run the company one day, and I can’t possibly do that if I only focus my energy in one department. You and I both know that war could very well be on the horizon. With war comes profit from the government. I was looking into the different avenues that we might collect said money if an engagement comes to pass. Cybernetics was just the first area that found my interest." Her father looked at her with suspicion, so she finished off the lingering thread she had yet to account for, "And as formy assistant's words to the contrary, I believe it was you that told me never to give full confidence to the help.”

Jacques Schnee moved to stand directly over his daughter; his eyes tearing into her very soul as he studied her. It took every ounce of energy and will that she had not to cower or cringe in his presence.

“Your input has left me with much to think about,” her father continued to watch for a reaction, but as Winter had taught her she let nothing show on her face. His search for weakness finally ended as he let out his parting words, “I will make a decision on where your future with this company stands. But make no mistake your actions will have consequences. Till then consider yourself onforced leave; it won’t take me long to finalize my decision.”

Her father walked past her, and all but slammed the door behind him. As soon as the door shut Weiss felt her whole body desire to collapse onto the floor, but Weiss knew better. She was painfully aware that if she were to allow anyone to see her weakness it would be reported back to her father.

Instead Weiss quietly walked to her door, turned the lock, and then made her way back to where her beloved desk used to sit. She sat on the floor with her knees folded under her, and as she looked out the windows of her empty office she let herself cry silent tears.

For that was all she could safely afford.

Chapter 8: Beneath the Surface (Part 1)

Chapter Text

Yang sat on one of the barely padded chairs in the small waiting room of the base’s medical building. The blond had quite suddenly been informed that morning that she would have most of the day off. When she had asked Sergeant Aims why she had been given a partial day’s leave he had simply answered that she had recently been given a duty adjustment and that it was above his pay grade to know why. Strangely he didn’t seem that bothered about losing the ability to boss her around for as many hours of the day as he could fit on his clipboard. Instead he assigned her a few simple tasks before informing her that she was not to be late to her physical therapy appointment at fourteen hundred hours.

Now, for once, she found herself wishing she hadn’t gotten done so early. Yang impatiently tapped her hand on the forearm of her prosthetic. She looked up at the clock willing it to move faster. Deciding to give up on trying to gain a new semblance of time manipulation she glanced down at the out dated magazines in the waiting room to see if there was anything to relieve her boredom. There was a two-month-old subscription of “The Forge,” a weapon magazine that Ruby had subscribed to, a three-month-old copy of “Rider” that she had already thumbed through on her last two visits, and an assortment of Atlesian fashion and tabloid magazines that she really had no interest in. Yang was about to go back to the tried and true practice of fidgeting and clock staring when a corner headline from one of the tabloids grabbed her eye, “Ice Queens or Frosty Foxes? The ‘Unattainable’ Schnee Sisters.”

Yang eyed the magazine for a minute trying to decide if it was worth her time or even appropriate for her to sate her less that pure interest. In the end curiosity got the better of her. Yang not so subtly swiped the magazine and quickly flipped to the appropriate page. There were several pages worth of pictures of the two Schnee women all captioned with over exaggerated taglines. There was a dated photo of Weiss signing that was tagged, “Frozen out, tales of the younger Schnee quitting her singing career are rampant after a heated argument with The Atlesian Performance Hall.” There was a picture of Winter standing behind Ironwood that was captioned, “Frosty demeanor or lascivious lieutenant, rumors of a torrid romance with her superior officer.” After it was a photo of Weiss with a tall, thin brown-haired man in his twenties. The man was trailing behind the heiress taking notes on his scroll as Weiss talked, “Cracking the whip on a new beau?” A snapshot of Weiss and Winter sitting at a cafe was titled, “Sisterly latte lunch or planning a hostile takeover?” All of the captioned pictures seemed to be ridiculously overblown and taken completely out of context, the last one was no exception. It was just a photo of Winter next to the outline of a man with a question mark over the image. It was tagged, “Reports of a steamy Winter romance with a tawdry stranger.”

Do people really believe any of this stuff?

Yang looked over the first two pages of gossip article again.

Whoever wrote this could use some pointers on their taglines.

Yang could only imagine how annoying Weiss found this type of journalism.The blond let out a quiet laugh as she let her imagination play out the smaller woman’s reaction.

“Private Xiao Long,” Winter snapped.

Yang shot up out of the chair and into a salute, and the magazine tumbled to the ground open to the pages she had just been reading.

Yang eyes went wide as she looked at Winter then back at the magazine on the floor. She quickly used her boot to slide the offending tabloid under her chair. The blond found the moment to be uncomfortably similar to the time that Blake had caught her looking through a book from the faunus’s secret library.

Pulling on that experience she decided that maybe using the same tactic to get out of trouble might work. Yang smiled brightly hoping that a sunny demeanor might help distract Winter’s from yelling at her.

“If you’re quite done,” Winter narrowed her eyes. There was a slight pause that felt like an eternity to the blond as she waited for her superior officer to continue.

Well it worked on Blake.

“You have an exam to complete.” The white haired woman’s next words were biting, “Follow me.”

Confused, but not wanting to piss off the elder Schnee Yang silently trailed behind Winter as she was lead to the physical therapy gym.

For the next twenty minutes Winter ran Yang through all her normal range of motion, strength, and mobility tests that her physical therapist typically started her off with. Every time the blond tried to open her mouth to ask a question she would receive a positively lethal glare from the white haired officer that would quickly make Yang rethink just how badly she needed answers.

Soon enough Winter was done with her and lead her back to one of the examination rooms. Yang was still uneasy enough being in the older woman’s presence that she was only able to come up with two jokes about being lead to an exam room by the attractive older woman. Neither of which she was stupid enough to utter in Winter’s presence. As Yang sat on the exam table Winter flipped through the notes she had taken on her scroll. Yang absently swung her feet as she waited.

So this is great. I wonder when her royal frostiness will dain me with an explanation?

Like the creepy mind reader that she was Winter answered her unasked question, “From this point on you will be given more leave time. Officially what you do with your time outside of the base is none of the military’s business.”

Winter stepped close and dropped her voice, “Unofficially there will be a car waiting for you at the gate to take you to another location.”

Yang leaned away and looked at her with a raised brow, “Look, about the magazine, I was just curious. There is no need to… uh, dispose of my body.”

The specialist scowled at the blond’s joke, “This is hardly the time for levity Private Xiao Long. Your training has been prearranged with another. I suggest you think hard about the gratitude you should show someone that would pull so many strings and spend such a considerable amount of effort,” her eyes narrowed sharply, “for someone like you.”

Yang knew that Winter was talking about Weiss, all the cloak and dagger seemed unnecessary. But what was far more irritating was the hateful vibe that was pouring off of Winter, “Look I know it must have been difficult, but I didn’t ask your s-”

Before Yang could finish her sentence Winter flicked the blond in the forehead hard enough to leave a mark.

“What the hell!” Yang angrily responded as she rubbed her head. She wanted to say more, but truthfully Winter scared the crap out of her and the icy look on her face spoke volumes about how well talking back would go.

“Certain comments and questions can be answered later. A military base is hardly the place to discuss, personal matters.” the older woman emphasized, “Your latest bit of reading material should speak volumes about the necessity of discretion.”

Yang finished rubbing her head and was about to let out a snarky comment but then thought better of it.

Winter tapped on her scroll a few times, “Your request for your father to send you new gauntlets was approved recently. They will be waiting for you at your destination.”

The specialist closed her scroll and stood with her hands behind her back. Yang hesitantly meet Winter’s gaze and was rewarded with some inspirational words, “I want you you to keep in mind where your loyalties should lie. I’d hate to see you turn out like some other members of your family.”

Winter left after saying, “I’ll see you in two weeks Private, don’t disappoint me.”

True to the elder Schnee’s word there was a car waiting on Yang as soon as she stepped foot off the base. A man wearing a cap in a crisp white suit with blue accents stood next to an open car door. He offered to take Yang’s gym bag but she declined. As she climbed into the car she found it to be so nice that she felt like she should take her boots off before entering. Yang uncomfortably settled into the car and fidgeted with her prosthetic as she was driven to the mysterious location. Not being in the loop or in control was not her favorite.

Yang smirked.

Too bad I couldn’t get dad to send me Bumblebee.

She could practically see the scowl turning in that request form would put on Winter’s face. Yang wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but Winter was somehow even less fun and more stuck up than Weiss.

The brawler sighed as she turned her head to try and pay attention to the turns that the car took to get to its mysterious destination. Thankfully it wasn’t a long drive and she was moderately confident that if they took the same way back she would be able to find her way to and from this new training facility. Yang reached out for the handle of the car door, but before she could even touch it the door was annoyingly swung open by the driver.

“Thank you.” Yang clenched her jaw a little as she stepped out of the car, “Can you tell me where I am, or is that a secret too?”

“Of course Ms. Xiao Long,” the driver answered. “We are at Ms. Schnee’s private gym. She has recently had it outfitted for your training.”

Yang looked up at the building. Then up a little more, it must have been at least two and a half stories and nearly one hundred meters wide. The structure didn’t have any windows that she could see and was instead covered in large white panels that were starkly separated by an underlying black grid. There was only one entrance on the front of the building, and save for its pristine condition and white exterior the structure was unidentifiable as being owned by a Schnee.

“Right,” she turned to the driver and jokingly asked, “So do I just walk in, or do I need to know the password?”

The driver looked at her with a slight frown, “The door has a retinal and biometric palm scanner, both of which have already been coded to allow you entry.”

Yang let her mouth hang open a little as she tried to work out something to say, but then decided against it.

I wonder if they make their staff act like that or if they just come pre-ordered that way?

The man tipped his cap at her, “If you don’t have any other questions Ms. Xiao Long then I will suggest you not keep Ms. Schnee waiting. I will return when you are ready to leave.”

Yang watched as the man returned to the car.

Right. No sense in putting this off I guess.

She turned to start walking toward the building’s only door.

Dealing with Weiss has to be less awkward than her staff or her sister.

Just as the driver had said the scanners worked to let her in and even greeted her once she had followed the automated instructions. Upon opening the front door Yang saw only a long narrow, white hallway that was lit by light blue fluorescents that ran down the length of both sides of the hall. The blond took a deep breath as she entered the building.

Not creepy at all.

Weiss paced the gym as she waited for her teammate to arrive; her platformed heels clicking loudly on the metal plated floor of the room and echoing off the similarly alloy plated walls.

She had read Winter’s updated report on Yang’s status as soon as it had been uploaded, so she knew that Yang’ entrance should be emanate. According to the report none of Yang’s stats had really changed, it was good and bad news really. It gave Weiss low bar to reach, but it also meant that Yang had a lot of progress to make before Weiss would feel comfortable letting her anywhere near a real conflict.

Weiss stopped pacing long enough to read the time on her scroll. She checked her messages while she was at it on the off chance that the device hadn’t alerted her to a new text or email. The heiress grimaced at seeing that there were indeed no new messages. It had been two days since the conversation with her father and there was still no indication of what he would decide to do with her. Nervousness and regret riled her insides as she once again pushed aside her considerable anxiety to focus on the task at hand.

While being kicked out of her office had made the last couple of days difficult, she had managed to track down where her research and things had been moved. After a considerable amount of cajoling she was able to convince the security guard on the floor to let her at least take the research with her. Not for the first time the heiress was thankful that she had chosen such a large gym. It was big enough that turning one of the smaller rooms into a makeshift office had been no trouble at all. The location and secureness of the building had also allowed her nearly two full days of uninterrupted time to absorb and digest the rest of the materials that she had had Glenn pull.

Weiss sighed loudly as she started pacing once again; she still didn’t know what she was going to do about her assistant. She knew that she would have to reach out to Glenn eventually, but until she knew her own fate she didn’t feel comfortable contacting him.

The heiress’s thoughts and pacing were interrupted when she heard the gym’s front door close. Soon enough she heard the even footsteps of Yang’s booted gate.

The heiress straightened her posture and smoothed her combat skirt as she apprehensively waited for Yang to enter.

To her surprise she heard a hesitant knock on the door to the main gym.

Really, she knocked? Who does she think is in here?

She pinched the bridge of her nose, “Yang just come in, you don’t need to knock.”

After a couple of seconds the brawler opened the door and poked her head in, “Hey Weiss.” It didn’t take long before Yang looked past the heiress to take in the immense gym, “Wow… this place is… wow.”

When Weiss had secured the facility she had made sure that it had any and everything she could ever need. The main combat area had side rooms that could be easily closed off for more serious encounters. There was a full complement of exercise machines, free weights, and all manner of mats, pads, and gym bobbles. Bunchworth had cleared one of the rooms out to so that the new machines and devices for Yang’s physical therapy had their own space. At the far end of the gym was the shower and changing area; Weiss had even allocated a space for weapon maintenance. Ruby no doubt would have approved.

Getting a little tired of Yang’s wide eyed stare Weiss cleared her throat. “So I take it you find this space acceptable to train in?”

Yang took one last look around before grinning, “You don’t do anything small do you princess?”

Weiss scowled at the use of the pet name. She rolled her eyes to push aside her irritation, “Are you complaining?”

Yang laugh, “No, just trying to get used to all this Schnee stuff.”

“Well, if you are quite finished gawking then we should really get started,” Weiss’s words seemed to snap Yang’s focus back to the heiress. She motioned for the brawler to follow her across the gym, “I’ve already read all your physical therapy reports,” the heiress informed her teammate, “but none of them have evaluated your current combat abilities.”

Weiss didn’t miss the increased tension in Yang’s gate as she finished the last part of her sentence. She carefully made a mental note to watch for any other instances of hesitation or change in demeanor.

Even in such a large gym reaching their destination didn't take long; upon reaching the small side room the heiress gestured towards a medium sized crate that sat on a table in the weapon maintenance room, “Ember Celica are on the workbench.”

Yang walked over and pulled off the top to look down at her newly forged gauntlets.

Hopefully a good fight will reignite her old self.

Weiss waited for a moment before commenting, “Now that you have your weapons and a new arm, it’s time to show me what you’ve got dragon.”

The heiress had decided to give Yang space and a far bit of time to inspect and test out her new gauntlets. Weiss kept an appropriate distance, but was still close enough so that she could read and mentally catalog all the movements and expressions that the blond went through as she got ready. Yang had opted to keep her jacket on, and Weiss noted the time differential of Yang rolling up the left versus the right sleeve of her jacket as she pretended to inspect one of the newer machines in the gym.

Once Yang was finished equipping her weapons the blond took a long breath before finally walking out of the small room and back to where Weiss stood. The tension in the brawler’s shoulders was palpable, and it made Weiss doubt if her course of action in initiating combat so soon was the right choice.

Don’t. Yang doesn’t need pity; she needs you to help her be strong again.

Weiss moved to take up her stance in the middle of the gym, “Fair warning,” she said as she unsheathed Myrtenaster, “I’ve learned a few things since we last sparred.” She let a smirk touch her lips, “Let’s see if you can keep up.” Weiss was hoping the jape would inciteher teammate’s desire to spar.

Yang looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry,” the heiress continued to quip, “were you expecting me to go easy on you?” Weiss’s eyes focused intently on Yang, “I’ve been your teammate long enough to know that underestimating you is always the wrong move.”

The blond grinned, but Weiss could have sworn there was also gratitude in the taller woman’s eyes. Yang threw back her arms to load her gauntlets. Her face became serious when she brought her hands up to a fighting position, “Let’s dance princess.”

Weiss nodded and took up a defensive stance as she waited for Yang’s first attack.

But after several moments the ivory haired woman was surprised that the brawler had not made a single move to come after her.

Hmm.

Though it really wasn’t her style Weiss decided to take the initiative. She sent a wall of ice after her teammate to see if she could get the match moving. Yang’s eyes narrowed as she saw the ice come at her, but the blond simply sidestepped the attack and kept her guard up, utterly unfazed and still not taking to the offensive.

After all the planning and forethought Weiss had put into their first encounter Yang’s lack of action was making Weiss grow impatient.

The whole point of this is to test and collect data. I can’t do that if she won’t attack.

Weiss grumbled but decided that she would just have to make Yang react. The white haired woman activated nine glyphs around the brawler and lept to the nearest one as she set up her standard glyph attack. After she had made a few jumps between the siglils she was ready to attack, but instead felt herself hesitate.

Every time Weiss was about to attack she found Yang’s eyes had already predicted her location. Noting this Weiss changed her pattern and quickly went in for a lunging attack before Yang could decipher the new sequence.

Not entirely surprised, the heiress found her first attack deflected by the gauntlet on the brawler's left arm. In return Yang sent a retaliatory kick to the smaller woman’s side followed by a shot from her right gauntlet. Weiss easily parried the kick by moving her sword to first position, but as the heiress jumped back up to her glyphs she realized that Yang’s aim at her had been quite off and that dodging the shell from the gauntlet hadn’t actually been necessary.

Interesting.

Weiss bounded from glyph to glyph and again noticed that Yang was able to predict her movements.

That’s definitely new.

She decided to up the anty and went in for a series of quick attacks this time. Weiss found the results to be much the same. She was able to land a few shallow hits, but almost exclusively on Yang’s right side. Each time Yang would counter or use her footwork to evade, but Weiss only found it crucial to block if Yang fired rounds from her left arm.

Apparently response time and precision are a considerable issue for her new prosthetic. Although, her left guard is impeccable now, and she’s clearly positioning herself to favoring that side. She’s using more kicks that usual as well. But it became obvious that her right handed attacks are less of a threat far too quickly. That will get her killed in battle.

Satisfied with the data she was able to collect from their first skirmish Weiss left her glyphs and made sure there was some distance between them. She looked the brawler in the eye and smirked.

Time to see something new dragon.

The heiress activated her summons. A white and blue emblazoned Boarbatusk emerged and Weiss could easily read the look of surprise on her teammate’s face.

Weiss didn’t give Yang time to contemplate, instead she sent the grimm straight after Yang. As the beast charged the blond Weiss observed something interesting. Yang was almost artfully sidestepping most of the beast’s attacks and shockingly she had yet to attack or even touch the grimm. It was so different from her normal fighting style. Weiss narrowing her eyes as she analyzed Yang’s movements, taking in every step, every block, and every hesitation.

The Boarbatusk only got in a four charges before Yang finally reacted. On its fifth charge Yang planted her stance and used her metal hand to slow the grimm to a halt. She then pummel the summoned creature into the ground with her left arm. The grimm dissipated and Weiss let a small smile touch the corner of her lip.

Good, but let’s see how you handle this.

Weiss summoned two Alpha Beowolves to send at her teammate. Yang just ground her teeth as she stared the two grimm down. The creatures attacked in unison and Weiss noted that this time Yang had a harder time keeping up. Weiss watched as Yang started to take hits; with attacks coming from both directions Yang couldn’t compensate for her weaker defense on her cybernetic side.

The Alphas kept up their slashing assault, which forced Yang to stay on the defensive. Even as the brawler countered with shots at the two grimm it wasn't enough to break their attack; the beowolves were just too fast and easily evaded the shells.

It soon became evident thatYang wasn’t happy being on the defensive against the grimm, and the heiress was pleased when she saw her teammate adapted to their attacks. Yang used a shot from Ember Celica to distance herself from the two Alphas. She then fired off several shells to keep the two grimm focus as she carefully herded the beowolves so that they were forced to stay in front of her. Once they were close enough Yang let the lead Alpha take a swing at her before dodging under its claw and then planted her left fist in the creature’s gut before sending a shell right through its midsection. The second beowulf was on her in split second, but she kicked the charging beast high into the air. As the grimm was sent towards the ceiling Yang looked straight at Weiss with a glare as she used her left gauntlet to shoot and dissipate the free-falling beowulf.

“Are you done yet, or did you have some more minions to send at me?” Yang growled. “I thought we were sparring.”

Careful what you wish for dragon.

Weiss nodded to Yang. She spun Myrtenaster’s dust chamber and simultaneously activated thirty-six glyphs in a ten meter radius around Yang. The brawler’s eyes widened upon seeing that she was completely surrounded by glyphs in every direction. There was virtually no space that Yang could stand that wasn’t glowing with white sigils.

“Prepare yourself,” Weiss warned as she entered the glowing enclosure.

Yang took a defensive stance and waited for Weiss to initiate her opening attack. Weiss glared at the brawler’s persistence in not making the first move. It wasn’t that doing so was a bad choice tactically, but this was drastically different from Yang’s normal fighting style. While Weiss had never been particularly found of the blond’s punch first and ask questions later technique, she could rarely complain about its effectiveness or suitability to the brawler’s abilities. Yang’s new hesitation to go on the offensive was troubling to the heiress, and she worried that it was indicative of a larger underlying issue.

Fine, I can attack first. She needs to know my full capabilities anyhow if she is to eventually match and hopefully overcome them.

Weiss lunged straight at Yang, but at the last moment dipped Myrtenaster to tag the floor beneath the blond. Before Yang could react ice enclosed her legs and froze her to the floor. Yang twisted her body to look for Weiss.

When she saw the heiress standing a good distance to her right the blond ground her teeth, “Are you going to fight me or just stand there?”

“Hmm, how coincidental.” Weiss arched an eyebrow, “that’s precisely what I was just thinking.”

Anger flashed in Yang’s eyes, but they stayed their natural lilac color. The blond used her cybernetic arm to effortlessly shatter the ice around her legs. Weiss narrowed her eyes in irritation.

Still not activating your semblance? I’ll just have to make you then.

She watched Yang saunter towards her and spun Myrtenaster’s chamber once again. Yang shot a few shells at her, but she was gone long before they ever had a chance to explode. Yang had a split second to looked down and glimpse yellow, before the glyph that Weiss had activated under her feet electrocuted her and brought her to her hands and knees.

Little streaks of residual electricity jumped along Yang’s body even as the blond found her way back to her feet. It was when her teammate turned that Weiss knew she would finally see what she was waiting for. Red eyes glared back at her as Yang raised her head.

“Come on already!” Yang shouted as her semblance bursted into flames around her.

Well at least that bit is still the same.

When Weiss didn’t move Yang used her gauntlets to shoot herself straight at Weiss, but being in an area surrounded by glyphs meant it would be nearly impossible to catch the smaller woman. The heiress simply disappeared and reappeared a few meters behind the raging brawler. Yang ground her teeth and started to run at her once more, but as soon as the blond’s foot touched the edge of the glyph that Weiss had just leapt off of electricity again shot threw the brawler’s body. Weiss used a gravity glyph to watch Yang recover from a distance. It didn’t take long and soon enough her raging teammate spotted her.

The brawler unleashed a torrent of shots up at her, and had they been in quicker succession or a little more well aimed then Weiss might have been in trouble.

Accuracy is definitely getting added to the list. Now, time to test your real speed.

Weiss sped at Yang and the blond barely blocked in time with her left arm, but Weiss had no intention of going easy on Yang. She sent a flurry of gabs and slashes at her teammate. Careful to note any change in reaction time now that Yang’s semblance had activated. Yang blocked most of her blows, but still wasn’t fast enough to keep up on her right side. She aimed a slash at the blond’s right side and the blow made her teammate crumble.

But then suddenly Weiss felt her feet slip from under her.

Twisting into a back handspring Weiss was able to recover, but it took her a second to piece together that Yang had let Weiss get in that blow so that it masked the true intent of her lowering to the ground.

Clever.

The heiress narrowed her brow as the blond was soon on her and forcing her to go on the defensive. Yang had always been superior when it came to close quarters combat so Weiss was at a disadvantage in that aspect. Still, Weiss managed to block all of the blows sent her way and was holding her own, but upon seeing Yang’s semblance flare the heiress jumped away from the raging brawler giving up her position. Weiss’s eyes widened at seeing the dent in the floor that Yang’s cybernetic arm had made in the spot she had occupied just milliseconds before. The ivory haired woman spun Myrtenaster one last time as she watched Yang stand up from the small crater she had made in the metal of the gym’s floor.

I don’t think I want to know what it feels like to get hit with that new arm. Nor would I like Bunchworth to have to repair too muchdamage in the gym. Time to end this.

Weiss vanished from her position only to reappear standing back to back with Yang. “Sorry,” Weiss apologized, “but this is going to hurt.”

Myrtenaster tip activated the glyph under the blond’s feet. Yang was too slow to catch Weiss and before the brawler had finished her wild swing Weiss had jumped to six different glyphs and exited her own glowingperimeter. Seeing that the sigil below her had been activated Yang defensively brought up her guard. But when nothing happened the blond lowered her arms and took a step towards Weiss. It was that instant that the first of the fire glyphs under Yang exploded sending her flying upwards towards another red sigil. Yang didn’t have time to react, the explosions simply sent her in an inelegant and flailing pattern till she had ricocheted off all six of the glyphs that Weiss had activated.

Yang laid on the floor her body unmoving and her firey aura dissipated. Weiss assumed it was safe to approach, but still waited a good five seconds before deactivating the rest of her glyphs. The heiress bit her lip and gripped her sword as she looked at the face down brawler.

I hope she isn’t too mad when she wakes up from that.

Chapter 9: Beneath the Surface (Part 2)

Chapter Text

Yang laid face down on the floor as her aura slowly eased some of the aches that Weiss’s ass kicking had inflicted on her. Before the brawler even opened her eyes she could numbly sense the princess standing next to her. Willing herself to be more conscious the blond opened her eyes and rolled onto her side, and for her trouble she was rewarded with a reminiscent view of the heiress’s legs. A grin made its way onto the blond’s lips.

There is definitely something wrong with me. I should not get this turned on when a girl kicks my ass.

The brawler was a little surprised when her view was ruined by an extended hand. Weiss helped her up from the cold metal floor, and for once Yang was grateful for the assistance. The blond wobbled to her feet, but was able to maintain enough balance to stay upright.

I haven’t gotten beat that badly since my first time sparing with Pyrrha. Weiss wasn’t just sitting behind a desk after the team broke up.

Blinking her eyes a few times to focus her vision Yang decided she should complement the heiress out loud, “Wow Princess, you learned to hit hard while I was out of commission,” Yang shook her head in an attempt to dispel any lingering dizziness. Finally looking at Weiss she could see that something was wrong. It was subtle, there was guilt on the smaller woman’s face.

Crap I didn’t want to make her feel bad. Quick, say a thing to fix it.

The blond flashed one of her patented smirks that she knew would make the heiress blush, “and you’re the sister that likes me," Yang laughed. When Weiss reacted as she had predicted the blond felt her shoulders lose their tension.

Whew that was close, don’t want her treating me with kid gloves like everyone else.

Yang brushed herself off with a laugh, “Remind me to keep my mouth shut around Winter.”

Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster, a worried but curious scowl on her face, “What are you talking about?”

When will I learn not to talk until after I’ve fully recovered from being knocked out? Know your audience!

Yang raised a questioning eyebrow, “Do you honestly want to know?”

Weiss wouldn’t like what she had to say, but Yang also knew that there was no way she could keep her smaller teammate from an answer if she really wanted it.

Weiss studied her suspiciously, but curtly nodded for Yang to proceed in her explanation.

“Okay,” Yang let out with a loud, reluctant sigh. “I can’t figure out what’s up with your sister, every time I see her she’s…”

I’m so getting yelled at for this.

“Kind of a bitch to me,” Yang finished bracing herself.

“Hey!” Weiss snapped at her in anger then folded her arms with an impressive frown.

Yep.

Yang tried not to roll her eyes, but failed. “Look I’m sorry, but she’s cold, terrifying in about five different ways,” Yang held up her left hand, “and seems to be somehow meaner to me every time I see her!” Yang threw up both arms in frustration. “I don’t know what else to call that.”

Weiss glared at Yang with her hands on her canted hips. The blond knew what that look meant.

Here comes the ice storm.

“Or maybe,” Weiss started in an irritated and stern tone that Yang was all too familiar with, “in another person’s opinion she chooses not to show emotion as it is often perceived as a weakness, she is impressive and competent at job, or the fact that she’s not stupid and knows that you don’t truly want to be a part of military and will try to get out of your contract if given the opportunity.” Weiss let her words sink in a little before continuing, “And because of that you deem her to be…,” Weiss looked to the side disgusted before settled on a word that tasted better in her mouth, “Disagreeable.”

“Okay,” Yang conceded feeling a little bad, “I can get what you are saying. Being a woman and a Schnee in the military definitely does not seem like the easiest job, but generally most people like me.” Yang contended, “All that other stuff aside I can’t shake this feeling that I’ve somehow wronged her. Which doesn’t exactly make sense, because I barely know her.”

Weiss looked down nervously, “It’s not exactly you that she doesn’t like.” the heiress paused for a moment and bit her lip. It looked like she was trying to decide if she should share with the rest of the class, “It’s your uncle that she finds to be unacceptable,” Weiss finally answered, “she didn’t give me the details, but they have some sort of past and it didn’t end well.”

Yang was simultaneously pissed and impressed by her uncle if he had done what she thought he had.

Arg, that leech.

Although she was mad at her uncle Yang couldn’t deny that the Schnee’s weren’t a bad looking bunch.

If you can get past the scowling, near constant yelling, and superiority complexes.

“Great,” Yang let out a heavy sigh and a knowing grin to try and break the tension. “Thanks Uncle Qrow for pissing off Winter. I mean who wants to tick off Winter in Atlas of all places,” Yang joked.

Weiss stared at her with a blank look and a single raised brow.

Yang dropped her hands down to her sides in temporary defeat. “Aw come on!” the blond rolled her eyes, “Winter, as in the season. And Atlas, it's like all snow here all the time,” Yang gestured with her arms to make her point. “Really, nothing?!”

Weiss asked with mock concern, “Did I give you a concussion?”

Yang just glared at her irritated, “Haha,” she overemphasized, “which, by the way, is how you respond to a hilarious joke.”

Weiss started walking away from her, “I’ll be sure to remember that if you ever make one. Take a break, we will start your strength and mobility training next. Water is near the showers.”

I take it all back. Anyone without an appreciation for my sense of humor is definitely not hot.

Yang sourly made her way over to the water cooler at the other end of the gym. When she saw Weiss start to set up gym equipment she stripping off her gauntlets and jacket to get ready for whatever the heiress had in store for her next. Despite her thoughts Yang couldn’t quite make herself look away though as Weiss bent down to adjust the angle of an incline bench. Yang sighed as she leaned up against the water dispenser.

Even if they do have great legs and can kick my ass.

Weiss started setting free weights next to benches and adjusted the weight settings on the machines Yang would soon be using. Knowing the blond it would not take her that long to recover from their match, and sparing first had been quite intentional. The heiress didn’t want Yang accidentally or otherwise using her aura during her strength training. She genuinely wanted Yang to build muscle.

Looking over to check on her teammate Weiss soon found that doing so was a mistake.

Yang had taken off her jacket and was stretching her arms out over her head. The muscles in her shoulders and biceps were drawn taunt and stood out all too well. But that was not nearly as distracting as the blond’s abs.

Dammit, why does she have to be so attractive?!

The heiress turned around suddenly very glad for the distance between them. Weiss tried to scrub the tantalizing image of Yang’s pose out of her mind as she continued to set up.

This is going to be considerably more difficult than I thought. If only she weren’t so averse to clothing!

Sighing the heiress felt her shoulders slump a little.

Pull it together. It’s not like she is the first or only attractive female you’ve ever seen. There is work to be done.

After wrangling her libido and composure back under her control Weiss called out over her shoulder to her teammate, “Whenever you’re ready join me over here please.”

Studiously Yang approached without comment, looking primed to go and waiting for instruction. Weiss waited a beat for the awful joke she was sure was coming, but was met only with silence.

Hmm, I’ll take the small miracles where I can get them.

“Today let’s just focus on upper body,” Weiss stated. “I know you can train legs and core on your own.”

Yang simply nodded in reply and patiently waited for Weiss to finish talking.

“Let’s start with bicep curls,” Weiss pointed to the free weights she had already set aside for Yang as she tried to keep the slight unease out of her voice. She could make it through watching her ridiculously attractive teammate show off her muscles.

Sure. And Ruby can control herself around cookies.

Yang walked over and picked up a sizable dumbbell in each hand. Turning to Weiss she casually asked, “How many sets and reps?”

Weiss barely managed to hide the shock of her teammate’s seriousness from her face, “Uh, three sets of ten please, but be sure to tell me if that level of weight is too easy.”

Yang nodded in response before starting. Weiss narrowed her eyes in concern and somewhat in disbelief.

I know that she has been in the military for over a month now, but still this is notably out of character for Yang. She hasn’t let out one joke since I told her to take a break. In fact our fight wasn’t what I was expecting either. She usually is either smiling or a red eyed destroyer when in combat, but she was serious and even hesitant nearly the entire time. Something is off with her, and I need to find out what exactly is causing it.

Refocusing the heiress closely watched Yang complete the exercise. Weiss pulled out her scroll and recorded the lag difference she could detect in her teammate’s right arm and also noted the slight tremor she could see towards the end of a set. The heiress wasn’t surprised by what she saw. Given where Yang’s prosthetic was attached it would make training of all the upper arm muscle’s difficult. The cybernetic would naturally enhance her strength, but as with anything it all came down to proper leverage. Yang had lost a good portion of her upper arm and even though her remaining muscle groups had been reattached to the connection point the transition of organic to cybernetic parts would never be as smooth or functional as a singular system. Especially when that junction happened in the middle of her humerus.

Yang had finished her last set of curls, so Weiss had her start tricep exercises on a machine. Just as the smaller woman had predicted the pattern of struggle repeated itself as Yang worked on her overhead tricep extensions.

While catching the pattern was easy, keeping her focus where it needed to be was not. Weiss had to stop herself from lasciviously gawking whenever Yang’s shirt would rise from relaxing the cables of the machine back behind her head. It was extraordinarily hard to keep her eyes from wandering south to look at those chiseled abs and even harder to keep her face composed when all she could think about was how great all of Yang’s muscle’s looked. How the light from above hit the thin sheen of sweat covering them did not make looking away any easier, nor did it help stop her from imagining how it might feel to trace her finger around the groves of those muscles.

Realizing how far her mind had wandered Weiss quickly turned to check the clips on the barbell of the smith machine.

Okay she might not be the only attractive female I’ve ever seen, but she is definitely the most enticing with those muscles. I can’t lose focus like this; even with Yang’s considerable obliviousness she will catch eventually on.

Weiss ground her teeth in frustration.

I can’t believe that I’m complaining about this, but if she made jokes that would be enough of an irritant to keep my mind focused. But for once she is silent and doing exactly as she is told. Who would have thought that Yang being quiet could somehow be more distracting than her opening her mouth?!

The heiress sighed silently as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

I have got to find a way to keep myself under control.

Yang hesitated slightly when she saw Weiss walk away to check on the smith machine. It wasn’t like she needed an audience, but something about Weiss was off. She kept spacing out and had a near constant look of either irritation or pain on her face.

She knew that Weiss could get that way sometimes, but it was usually because she was mad about something.

She’s not mad at me is she? I mean I know that she beat me pretty bad in our match, but she initially looked more guilty than mad. Did I disappoint her? Or maybe she isn’t happy with my current strength level? Does she think I should be able to lift more? But she is the one setting all the weights for me and so far she has been spot on.

Yang knitted her eyebrows as she focused on finishing her last few reps. Shaking out her arms she saw the heiress pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh.

I’m being too self-involved. If this was about me then I think Weiss wouldn’t hesitate to let me have it, but if it’s a personal problems she would most likely keep it to herself.

The taller woman tapped her chin absently as she thought.

Yeah I don’t think it’s about me. It probably has to do with work; training me and keeping up with her business responsibilities can’t be easy.

Taking a deep breath Yang shook her arms out one last time before starting on her next set.

I can’t be more of a burden to her; she’s already been so helpful and nice to me, by Weiss standards. I should try not to be a pain. Even if it is fun to get the little tsundere all wound up.

Hearing soft footsteps behind her Weiss turned to see Yang patiently waiting on her.

“I finished all the sets. Do you want me to bench press next?” her teammate asked in an almost timid tone.

Weiss simply nodded and got out of the blond’s way.

“Same number of sets and reps as the other exercises?” Yang questioned as she adjusted her grip on the bar.

“Correct,” the heiress answered. “Let me know if you need spotter assistance.”

Yang twisted the barbell and took the weight as she slowly lowered it with determined concentration.

She is so different right now. I noticed it at the base before, but now it is unmistakable. Something is definitely wrong. She’s just not as… bright as she used to be.

Weiss bit her lip as she thought.

Maybe I should try talking to her. She seemed happier when we were talking.

Wracking her brain for a topic Weiss saw that Yang had locked the barbell back in place. “How is the weight,” the heiress asked.

Yang sat up on the flat bench and stretched a little, “It’s good actually, I haven’t been lifting during physical therapy, so I’m a little surprised that you picked my weights so accurately. I can’t imagine that they list my personal workout routines in those reports,” Yang smirked a little.

Weiss opened her scroll and tapped a few buttons, then showed Yang the spreadsheet she had constructed, “I used your latest strength report to calculate what amount you should be able to handle on each exercise. The math really isn’t that complicated.”

Yang’s eyes scanned the numbers on her scroll as she explained. When Weiss was done talking Yang looked up at her with a grin, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, you have always been the smartest person I know.”

Weiss fought the urge to blush as she felt her heart beat harder

Stupid dragon, don’t be nice to me right now!

Yang scratched the back of her head; it was a nervous tell that Weiss had picked up on quickly after becoming roommates with the brawler. “If you don’t mind me asking,” the blond started, “Why have me strength train on my right side? I mean this arm is mostly metal now,” she held up her prosthetic arm. “And my physical therapist never made me do any strength training during our sessions. Not that I mind or think you are wrong,” Yang quickly added, “I was just curious.”

Weiss raised her eyebrows.

That was surprisingly diplomatic for her.

“Well multiple reasons actually,” Weiss answered. “First off given that you have a cybernetic limb now you should be stronger on that side,” the heiress frowned a little bit, “but according to your reports your strength is equivalent on both sides. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but in a combat situation you need to be your best not just adequate.

“But don’t get down on yourself about that.” Weiss reassured her teammate when she saw Yang frown, “I think your physical therapist is used to training people who have received a prosthetic soon after being injured. So they didn’t account for the fact that your muscles have atrophied considerably after six months. Building that muscle back up should allow you to access that extra strength potential, and I’m hoping also give you better gross motor control.” The smaller woman looked at Yang’s cybernetic, “there are a couple more reasons that have to do with neurological pairing of the two sides of your body, but I won’t bore you with the more technical details.”

Yang swung herself back under the barbell. With a smile she unlocked the weight, “Don’t worry, you’re hardly ever boring. Maybe you can finish telling me about it when we’re all done.”

Weiss simply nodded in response. Talking to Yang had definitely helped cool her down, even if the woman being so nice to her made her want to blush.

But as soon as her teammate had started working out again that changed. Watching where the bar raised and lowered from made it hard not to appreciate the blond’s considerable assets. Weiss could feel her pulse start to race again and she very aware that she was openly staring this time.

I need a break from watching her, or I’m going to lose it.

Weiss swallowed before opening her mouth, “It looks like you’ve got everything under control here. I’m going to go get you some water if you think you’ll be okay to finish this set on your own.”

“Sure,” Yang grunted out as she continued to work.

Relieved Weiss quickly strode off to the other side of the gym. The same sentence replayed relentlessly in her head the whole way to the water cooler.

Why does she have to be so attractive?

Weiss got herself a drink before she filled a cup for Yang. Glancing back over to check on her teammate the heiress let a small groan escape. From this angle she could see Yang’s full profile as she lifted the ridiculous amount of weight. With only a tank top on and her hair tied back it was easy to see the smooth tight skin of Yang’s neck and shoulders as they worked. And all too easy to see how tight and flat that stomach was laid out on the bench. Her back arching slightly with each full extension. Weiss licked her lips, it was such an inviting position for so many-

Get a grip on yourself! She’s your friend not a piece of meat. Not to mention it is pointless to indulge such impossible fantasies.

Making herself feel guilty about leering at Yang seemed to help quell her more lecherous thoughts.

Remember if you really care about her then you will put all of your focus into helping her and set your own feelings aside.

Feeling in considerably better control of herself she grabbed the cup of water she had filled for Yang and made her way back.

As Yang finished her last set on the smith machine she ducked out from under the bar and stretched a little as she sat up. Lifting always made her feel good. It was such a tangible thing. You could easily tell how well you did, and it was easy to set and work towards new goals. Lifting was simple in a way, but it was a thing that depended on effort and consistency. It was oddly comforting to Yang.

It’s not like the endorphin rush sucks either.

Yang grinned and shook her head. She looked up at Weiss with a smile when a paper cup filled with water was handed to her, “Thanks.” Savoring how the first swallow felt on her dry throat she closed her eyes and let the liquid slowly rehydrate the back of her throat. “I needed that,” she finally said after her second drink.

Looking off to the side Weiss responded, “Your welcome. You seem to be doing well,” the heiress returned her gaze to look Yang in the eyes, “Do you think you have a few more lifts in you before we move on to cybernetic therapy?”

“Sure princess,” Yang smiled, “I can go all day and all night if you want.”

Weiss’s eyes went wide and she started fiddling with her scroll, “W-well then. Let’s move on to weighted dips.” The heiress quickly turned and started walking away.

Internally Yang was cracking up at her words unintended consequences.

Oh man, I didn’t mean it to come out that way, but I also can’t believe I forgot how fun it is to set off Weiss’s prude-o-meter.

The blond followed Weiss and finished the rest of the exercises that Weiss requested of her. Yang couldn’t help but notice that teasing Weiss had somehow made her seem less agitated. Granted she was looking at her scroll a whole lot more than she had previously been zoning out, but overall she seemed more focused and less tense.

Yang figured that slipping into old familiar patterns probably made Weiss feel more at easy. They were teammates, but a lot of time had passed since they were last together. Both of them had definitely changed since the fall, it was bound to make things feel a little weird.

Bantering and talking had made Yang feel better as well. It was nice to get out of her own head and just have a fun conversation with her friend. And while Weiss might be a bit too serious most of the time and a severe prude, she had a wit that was as sharp as her tongue. Yang hadn’t been lying when she said that Weiss was hardly ever boring. Not that she would ever admit it out loud, but the little tsundere was one of Yang’s favorite people.

What was not her favorite though were the cybernetic therapy exercises that Weiss was torturing her with. Nearly all of them involved her hand’s fine motor control. Yang was familiar with a couple of the exercises, but the other drills were clearly created to specifically frustrate and demoralize her.

Yang hadn’t found the forearm and wrist routines to be so bad, but the claw to fist drill was surprisingly hard to get right. Her cybernetic had no trouble making a fist, but curling just the tips of her new fingers was a whole other story. Then there was the individual finger actions that she had to do, like finger drumming. Which she had frequently and notoriously done whenever she was bored in Professor Port’s class. But now it was like pulling out her own teeth with tweezers to get the stupid digits to move. After that Weiss had given her a ball to pinch. Thankfully it had been a lot easier movement than the other drills and Yang had stupidly told Weiss so.

After opening her big-fat-troubling-causing mouth Weiss dumped a pile of different sized tokens on the work bench and told her to pick them up one at a time and place them back in the box. Yang’s eye twitched upon seeing that there were at least twenty-five metal disks on the table.

This is going to take me a f*cking hour with this stupid hand. I take back every nice thing I ever said about the ice queen. She clearly has the soul of a grimm, if she is driven to torment me like this.

Yang took a deep breath and started to grab for the first of the large tokens. She started by sliding it to the edge of the table so she could get her thumb under it.

“No,” Weiss reprimanded her, “Only resort to pushing it to the edge of the table after you have tried for at least thirty full seconds to pick it up straight off the table. Otherwise you are not getting the full extent of the drill’s intent.”

Yang struggled not to snap back. Her intent was to blast the disks with her gauntlets till they were indistinguishable shards of nothingness. “Right.” She gritted out from between her clenched jaw.

Weiss watched her teammate and entered data into her scroll upon the completion of every task. This latest one though seemed as if it was really riling Yang. It had been nearly ten minutes and Yang had only managed to pick up five tokens. The frustration was painted all over the blond’s face.

“Why don’t you go take a break and get a drink of water?” Weiss offered.

Yang did not have to be told twice, she shot up from her chair and practically ran out of the smaller side room.

Fine motor control is definitely going to be the area that she struggles with the most. Yang was never known for her patience, and gaining this type of fine motor control requires perseverance and a cool focused temperament. Unfortunately very few of those words apply to Yang.

Upon realizing this she was beginning rethink if these were the best types of drills to run Yang through to improve her fine motor control.

It’s only the first day. Plus if she can see herself improve then she might feel differently.

After spending a fair amount of time checking over her data Weiss realized that Yang was still not back. Looking up she saw that the blond was still hanging around the water cooler.

Pursing her lips at Yang’s avoidance behavior Weiss began tapping her foot with her arms crossed. She loudly cleared her throat and her teammate looked over. Even at the distance the heiress could see the brawler’s face tighten in irritation. It was all but impossible to miss the blond crumpling her paper cup and throw it a little too hard into the trash.

That’s promising.

Weiss let out a frustrated sigh, being the taskmaster would never win her any points in the likability category, but it was necessary if Yang was going to improve. Fine motor control wasn’t just important for daily life, it was essential if Yang was going to be a fully capable huntress. You couldn’t be fumbling around with a reload in the middle of battle. Not to mention equipment maintenance or emergency field medicine.

Yang sat down with an angry sounding thud.

“You only have to work on this exercise for another ten minutes or till you pick up five more tokens, whichever comes first,” She attempted to compromise.

If her words had any positive effect on Yang’s mood Weiss couldn’t see it. Her teammate still looked like she did after getting beat at video games.

Fantastic.

Regardless of her mood Yang complied and continued her attempts at picking up the disks.

After three minutes on the same token Yang finally managed to pick it up and was about to place it in the box when she dropped it.

Yang’s eyes flared red and Weiss wisely took a step back.

“This is pointless!” Yang shouted in frustration with tightly clenched fists. “This is no different from everything else people have made me try! It’s not the exercises that are the problem,” Yang growled, “It’s me, I’m not good enough! I’m never going to get this!”

No you don’t. Not on my watch.

“Shut up.” Weiss coldly responded.

“What did you say to me?!” Yang turned in surprise eyes still red.

“I thought you were missing an arm not an ear,” Weiss quipped in an icy tone, “I said shut up, because you’re being ridiculous.”

Weiss positively hated seeing Yang doubt herself like this.

“You- You-” Yang eyes were wide as she sputtered in disbelief, but slowly her flared aura lessened.

“Yang you’re being stupid.” Weiss stared the blond down, “You don’t think I know what you’re going through. I know what it is like not to believe in yourself. But more than anything I know that you are far too strong to let stupid voices of self-doubt control you.”

The brawler looked positively dumbfounded that anyone would talk to her like that, and the shock managed to calm her down enough that her eyes turned back to their natural lilac color.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose while she shook her head, white tresses swaying behind her. As irritating as it was she knew she was going to have to spell it out more clearly for Yang, “You probably never noticed, but… I always looked up to you at Beacon.”

The blond looked at her with a suspicious raised eyebrow. Weiss felt her cheeks heat. It made her angry that she had to explain such embarrassing feelings, but she continued anyway.

“You were always so confident,” the heiress scoffed, “in everything that you did.” Weiss scowled as she looked up at Yang, “and while it might have been annoying to be around sometimes it also really inspired me to always try to be my best… no matter how little I believed in myself.”

Weiss could see Yang process the information. The brawler’s lip twitched ever so slightly before she returned comment. “Hmm, I don’t know,” Yang teased, “I seem to recall you never passing up the opportunity to tell everyone how perfect you were at everything, all the time.” A full smirk eventually formed on the brawler’s smug face.

“So maybe,” Weiss rolled her eyes, “I sometimes portrayed more confidence than I actually had.”

Yang laughed, “Sure, just once or twice.”

Weiss took a few steps away and stood with her arms crossed as she contemplated how much she wanted to share.

“It’s difficult for other people to understand,” she started, “but when you come from a family like mine it’s nearly impossible to escape having considerable self-doubt.” Weiss looked at Yang and bit her lip out of nervousness. She had never shared this with anyone and she didn’t know if she wanted to.

Yang could apparently see the stress on her face. As the blond stood up her expression changed from one of playful joking to gentle acceptance, which only made the smaller woman scowl.

That idiot, why does she have to make me feel so safe around her?

Weiss ground her teeth in frustration.

Well I suppose if I ever want her to open up about what is going on with her, then it only makes sense that I share first.

Weiss let out a long pained sigh before starting, “You don’t exactly get to be your true self when you are a Schnee. You are expected to be the highest and most perfect specimen that also fits unquestioningly into societal standards.” The look on Weiss’s face turned resentful, “Meanwhile any individuality that you have must be forced down and you instead play the proper part. You are constantly hounded and watched for any flaw or chink in your armor.” Weiss let a spiteful smirk touch her lips, “Even after all that, people will still make up unsubstantiated garbage about you that you are expected to address, no matter how ludicrous it might be.”

Yang suddenly looked ashamed and deep in thought.

Weiss waited till Yang looked up and to make sure she was really listening, “Don’t you dare repeat this to anyone, but when you see Winter or I act overly cold and confident we are trying to cover our fear. It might be concern due to not thinking we’re good enough, it might be worry of letting others see the feelings we are trying to hide, or it might be that we are trying to distract from a perceived failure. But it’s all just the armor that you learn to build around yourself as a Schnee… without it we never would have survived.”

Yang stood in stone silence as Weiss poured out her deepest insecurities. Slowly bricks tumbled into place in her mind. The way that Weiss had always acted at school; the way that the heiress always shied away from affection. Yang winced. Or the way Winter seemed to constantly be pissed at her. It all was starting to make sense.

Which would explain why Winter was so mad after catching me with that trashy tabloid. She was being a protective older sister, just like I would have been.

Weiss continuing brought Yang’s thoughts back into focus, “Everyone has self-doubt and has to face obstacles that seem insurmountable, but you can’t let any of that control you. Because if your do then you will already have failed.”

Yang looked down at Weiss, and for the first time she felt like she could really see her teammate. It made her feel weird that after knowing the heiress for so long she was just now able to see past all the layers that the smaller woman put up. She had always known that Weiss was a loyal friend and part of her always known that a lot of her actions were just for show. But now… now she was starting to understand how hard things had always been for Weiss, and just how difficult it would have been for Weiss to open up the way she just did.

For Weiss being guarded is the way she stays safe. She is such a tsundere princess.

Yang grinned and Weiss looked away with a slight blush. Suddenly finding the need to inspect her shoes. Yang suppressed a laugh.

She really does have an unbelievably kind heart, even if she pretends like her favorite pastime is to act like an ice queen. I’ll just have to wear down that icy exterior and let her see that it is okay to be herself around me.

Yang scooped Weiss up into an epic bear hug, “Thank you Princess.”

Weiss froze in her arms, but after a few seconds started to squirm, “Put me down you bruit, you are… you’re covered in sweat!”

Yang laughed and seriously had to weigh the pros and cons of holding onto the smaller woman before deciding that she should put her down before Weiss actually got angry.

She set Weiss down and the heiress immediately started to straighten her clothes with a weak frown. The blond guessed that her teammate would be feeling uneasy after the hug and would most likely feel the need to put her cold front back up, but Yang wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Sorry if I got you all sweaty.” Yang apologized as she scratched the back of her head. A devilish smirk slowly made its way across her face as she continued, “When I was getting water earlier I noticed that the showers here are pretty big. You could always join me.” Yang added with a wink.

Weiss went stick straight and turned the brightest shade of red Yang had ever managed to tease her into, which only made the blond grin wider.

Just a little more and she will completely forget the need to hide her emotions.

“It will be a great… team building activity.” Yang continued with a barely suppressed laugh even as she saw Weiss’s right eye twitch and her fists clench into angry little knots, “Just like that one time at Beacon,” Yang couldn’t hold back her laughter as she finished, “but this time I won’t be the only one naked.”

In response Weiss’s head had dropped so that Yang couldn’t see her face, and was literally shaking with anger from all the teasing. Yang had a feeling she knew what was coming next so she started to slowly back away to give herself a head start.

“Xiao Long!” The heiress exploded in anger. If Yang hadn’t known better she would have sworn she saw Weiss’s eyes turn red for a second.

The blond had about half a second to react before a wall of ice chased across the floor towards her. She rolled to the side, but then was forced to use her cybernetic arm to block an incoming attack from Myrtenaster and a very pissed off princess.

Yang grinned and winked at Weiss before she used Ember Celica to force their bodies apart.

The blond spent the next five minutes teasing and dodging the irate princess before she was out of breath and decided to escape to the sanctuary of the showers. She taunted one last time that the offer still stood, but was answered only with a very loud harrumph and slamming of the gym door.

Yang laughed as she stripped off her clothes, and she smiled when she realized that this was the first time, in a long time, that she had felt so happy or alive.

Chapter 10: Dreams of Destiny

Chapter Text

Yang was full of emotion as she paced in front of their bunkbeds. Frustration, guilt, disappointment, and anger had been festering and growing inside of her for weeks, and the worst part was she couldn’t find a way to let it out. She desperately wanted to just punch something to make the feelings go away.

But I can’t, it won’t actually fix anything. It’s my fault things ended this way. Blake's going to be disappointed. She’d never come out and say it, but she knows it’s my fault.

Grinding her teeth Yang fought the urge to hit something just as much as she struggled to hold back her semblance’s release.

I’ve trained so hard. How did I lose that badly, to that- that little umbrella wielding- argh!

Just as she had finished another turn of angry pacing the door to their dorm room opened.

Blake stood in the doorway peering in at Yang with cautious eyes, “Is it okay if I come in, or do you need the room?”

The question made Yang’s guilt grow worse as she struggled to put a brimming smile on her face that was exactly the opposite of how she felt. More than anything Yang wished that she could sink through the floor to escape the mere possibility of the conversation she had been avoiding having with Blake.

“Of course you can come in; it’s your room too. ” Yang scratched behind her head nervously, “I mean I can leave though, if you don’t want me here.” She hastily walked over to her desk and pocketed her scroll.

Giving Blake the room was for the best. Yang knew how she liked to have peace and quiet when she read, and Yang still hadn’t figured out how she was going to talk to her partner about everything she was feeling. As Yang turned to stalk out she was met by a pair of perfect golden eyes blocking her exit.

Ahh sneaky ninja cat!

Blake looked up at Yang with a critical gaze that made her nervous.

“What’s wrong?” Blake asked. Her partner’s voice wasn’t at all demanding or forceful but it managed to cut into her just the same.

The blond leaned backed a little, feeling anxious from the faunus’s proximity. “What are you talking about?” Yang forced a laugh, “I’m fine. A-okay. Right as r-” the last word got stuck in her mouth on the way out when she saw Blake narrow her eyes, indicating that she wasn’t buying it.

Blake’s disapproving stare didn’t let up, “Yang I heard you pacing before I even made it halfway up the stairs and you’ve been uncharacteristically quiet for days. You only act this way when you are trying to hide something.”

The blond gulped before turning away, but her partner was persistent. Blake grabbed her wrist.

“Yang,” there was an undercurrent of pain in Blake’s voice that made the blond’s shoulders slump. “Tell me what is going on,” Blake’s voice was firmer. “And don’t say it’s nothing, you’ve been avoiding me for over a week now. We’re partners you need to talk to me when something is bothering you.”

Blake released her and for a moment Yang thought about coming up with an excuse or making a promise to talk to someone else on the team about it. But as soon as she turned and saw the worry on Blake’s face her resolve disappeared faster than a slain grimm.

Her head turned to the side unable to look her partner in those piercing golden eyes. “I let you down… I’m… sorry,” was all she could muster.

Silence annoyingly filled every corner of their small room making the inadequacy of her words frustratingly clear. She knew that Blake would want her to say more, but it was hard. And she really didn’t want to, so instead Yang stared down angrily at the intricate curving leaf pattern of their rug.

“Yang I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. ”There was a pause before Blake finally asked, “Can you tell me more? Please.”

Ughhh, like I can say no if you ask me like that.

Yang retreated to stand by the window, knowing that if she had to look into those flawless soul-penetrating eyes every bit of resolve or restraint that she possessed would melt away.

This whole thing made her feel so stupid. She was training to be a huntress. She could shatter mechs, pulverize grimm, and own nearly anyone that stood in the same ring as her, but she couldn’t get her words out or overcome her fear of talking to her own partner. Her hands gripped the bookshelf in front of the window hard enough that she heard a soft creak escape the strained wood.

Just spit it out! You know keeping it locked up is worse.

She looked down as she tried to figure out what to say.

Sighing Yang finally answered, “I wasn’t good enough to take down that girl on the train. If I had, then we would know more about why all of it happened.” Yang stared out at the shattered moon, “After everything was said and done we all just assumed that capturing that jerk would be the end. But Ironwood has had Torchwick for weeks now, and that creep still hasn’t said anything about who was really behind the attack or why the White Fang would work with him. You still have so many unanswered questions, and...” Yang paused to take a deep breath before pushing on, “I don’t want those questions to tear you apart and make you slip away from-” Yang caught herself, “the team, like you did before.” Her fists had balled so tight that they hurt, “So I’m sorry. I’m your partner and I wasn’t good enough. I let you down.”

Yang stained to take a deep breath as silence quickly enveloped the room. She gritted her teeth in frustration at how difficult it was to talk to Blake about this. Despite being different they had always been close as partners, but now that Yang had gotten too close all she could feel was the distance between them.

Don’t be a coward, just say it!

“And you’re the one person that I don’t want to disappoint more than anyone,” Yang choked out.

Unable to take the quiet anymore Yang turned. Blake had apparently deciding that giving her space to talk was the best option, and hadn’t moved from her spot on the rug. The faunus’s face was as relatively impassive as it always was, but Yang could see that Blake’s eyebrows looked drawn down and her bow dipped a little more than normal. Yang clenched her jaw when she realized that Blake wasn’t going to say anything.

Yang looked away to make the last of what she was willing to say easier, “You’re my partner Blake, so what you think of me means a lot. I know what other people think when they look at me,” she gestured towards her outfit, “for the most part I’ve never really cared, but sometimes…” Yang finally looked at her stoic partner to try and find some way to get her to understand all of the emotions that were welled up inside of her and had been bottled away for too long.

“Sometimes I can tell that when people see us together as partners they think you got stuck with the dumb blond whose only skill is to punch really hard,” Yang’s shoulder’s slumped but she pushed on, “But you’ve never made me feel like that. I haven’t ever felt like you judged me or that you regret having me as a partner. So I want you to know that I mean it when I say I’m sorry.”

Yang was heartbroken when she finally looked up to see her partner’s reaction. Blake’s face was full of disappointment and anger as she looked off to the side, brow narrowed deeply in thought.

“You’re wrong,” the faunus finally responded.

Yang felt her throat tighten at the words. Head racing to think of what Blake meant and if there was anything she could do or say to fix the anger in her partner’s voice.

Blake looked up at her with a small frown, “You haven’t let me down... ever. And… it wasn’t chance that we got partnered together.” Blake looked her right in the eye and for a second Yang felt like she couldn’t breathe the gaze was so intense, “I chose you.”

Yang’s brain suddenly didn’t work, like not even a little bit. Instead it just played the words back to her as she struggled to gain any meaning from them at all.

I chose you. I... chose... you.

Blake sighed and her frown deepened, “That first day when we were in the forest I secretly watched everyone I could in our class. But after meeting you and seeing you fight those Ursa I decided that I wanted you to be my partner.”

Somehow the Blake’s words made Yang’s brain start back up. As the blond remembered those first two days a million questions suddenly bombarded her. Even though her mind felt like it would burst from all the new thoughts and questions she decided to keep her mouth shut and let her usually quiet partner talk.

The smallest smile changed Blake’s tone as it touched her lips, “Even before I really knew you I could tell that you were brave, passionate, honest, and fun. I wanted- I needed someone like that after everything I’d been through before coming to Beacon.” Blake looked at Yang and bit her lip.

The words from her partner made Yang’s heart race. But the look that Blake was giving her made her feel something she had been trying to hold back for months now.

Fire.

Emotion welled inside of Yang and left her trapped in thought about all that Blake meant to her and how much more she wanted them to be. When she came back to her senses Blake was standing directly in front of her.

Slowly the faunus’s hand reached up to her bow, “Even before you knew,” the ribbon fell away to reveal soft black ears, “you believed in the faunus being treated fairly. You were the first person that I have felt like I could really trust since leaving the White Fang... since leaving him .”

Golden eyes looked up at her with an intensity that Yang had never seen before, “You mean a lot to me Yang. You haven’t done anything to disappoint me.”

Every cell in Yang’s body was screaming for her to grab Blake and kiss her, to tell her how much she cared for her, to tell her that she thought she was beautiful and smart and amazing in too many ways to count. To hold her and let the warmth of that embrace wash over them till there was no question in Blake’s mind how much she meant to her.

But deep down Yang knew that after everything Blake had been through throwing her emotions out like that would only chase her away.

So as much as it killed her, Yang restrained herself, “Blake, you mean a lot to me too. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now , but I-“

Blake’s finger touched her lips to stop her words, and Yang froze. For an instant her partner looked at the lips she was touching with the same type of fire that Yang was trying to keep inside and it made Yang positively ache.Even though it only lasted a second, Yang knew she would never be able to forget the way Blake had looked at her.

The raven haired woman of Yang’s literal dreams drew her hand back with a face full of regret, “I know how you feel about me. I-I feel... similarly...” The words offered Yang a second of unrestrained hope, but sadly it wasn’t meant to last.

“But I’m not ready for more than what we have right now. I can’t…,” Blake’s eyes looked panicked and she started to back away, “not yet.”

Yang knew what happened next; she didn’t want Blake to go. She didn’t want to see the woman that she loved turn away from her again.

I know this is a f*cking dream, but just once let me change it. I can’t let her run away, I can’t lose her again!

With regret and fear on her face Blake jetted for the door. Yang went to run after her, but her right arm was tightly held back by someone.

Yang turned towards the source full of rage that quickly turned to surprise.

Weiss?!

Her teammate’s presence was new and confusing, and it made the blond furious.The heiress didn’t say anything ; she just seized Yang’s arm tightly with both hands and shook her head. Her small cold fingers and pained expression instinctively made Yang feel the same fear that was etched across Weiss’s face.

Anger soon made its way back in, and Yang yelled at the smaller woman, “Let go, I have to get her! I can’t let her leave!”

Jerking her arm free she ran for the door.

Don’t leave me, not again!

As she threw back the door to their room everything fell away and she was back there; the ruined cafeteria during the fall surrounded her.

No, no, no.

Spinning in panic Yang saw Blake. Her partner’s back was turned from her.

“Blake!” Yang reached out as she called her partner’s name.

Searing pain dropped her to her knees.

Her left hand gripped what was left of her right arm, and Adam stood in front of her blocking her path from reaching Blake. Rage and pain ran through her unchecked and unending.

“I hate you,” she screamed at him with every fiber of her being. “I hate you!”

The man just sneered down at her, “You can hate me all you want, but it won’t change anything.It will always be the same. You will always lose to me,” he pointed back to Blake, “and you will never see her again.” As if by command Blake disappeared just like one of her shadow clones.

“It’s destiny,” Adam smirked as he raised his sword.

Icy fear ran down Yang’s body in an instant, “Just like it is your destiny to fall by my hand!”

The sword moved and Yang jerked awake.

Panting the blond grabbed her right arm. It felt like fire and electricity were running through her whole limb, even the parts that weren’t really there anymore. She rolled onto her side.

“f*ck,” She groaned into her pillow as she fought back tears.

It took her a few minutes to get the pain under control. Her right arm still hurt like hell, but she was able to stabilize herself enough to sit up. She flexed her cybernetic into a fist and then opened it again. She didn’t really understand why, but it always seemed to help her with the phantom pain.

Yang rubbed her face with her left hand. Her heart rate was still pretty erratic, but she knew that would eventually pass. She was mad. She thought she was past this, but the nightmares were coming back.

The blond frowned as she thought. This time Weiss had been there, which was really weird. Yang frantically searched for an explanation, and after a bit she vaguely remembered that someone had once told her that dreams were your mind trying to connect new information to old information. If that was true then what happened would make more sense. That time she had talked with Blake in their dorm had been full of self-doubt and frustration, and Weiss had just lectured her about not letting self-doubt control her less than…

Yang looked over at her clock and groaned.

Nine hours ago.

“Great,” she growled, knowing full well getting back to sleep was not happening. “Getting up then. At least the sun should be sun up.”

Pissed and contemplating the merits of taking a long mind-clearing run the blond decided that she had to get dressed either way. After getting clothed she pulled on her shoes; even though it took most of her concentration to lace them she couldn’t stop seeing the look that had been on Weiss’s face. The blond clenched her jaw. As much as she hated the nightmares it bothered her more that one of them had changed. And for some reason every time she remember that anguished look on Weiss’s face she felt guilty and angry.

Shaking her head she focused on tying off her laces.

Dreams are such a stupid pain in the ass, it doesn’t mean anything.

Weiss had decided to take her morning coffee on the balcony outside of her room. She wasn’t in the mood to run into her mother or Whitley. It wasn’t that she resented her brother, but it was hard to suppress negative feelings toward him when their father clearly favored him no matter what Weiss did.

That’s father’s doing, and you know how irresponsible and unfair it would be to take that out on Whitley.

Regardless, it still made conversations with her youngest sibling… difficult . Not that any conversation with her family was ever easy or what it seemed. Her family had never been what anyone would deign to call close.

Trying to once again to force her morning to a more peaceful place Weiss pushed the thoughts away as she sipped her coffee and looked out at the spacious grounds. But her efforts were for naught, the heiress let out a long frustrated sigh. It was entirely contradictory, but the view of the family’s vast estate left her feeling confined and restless.

What’s wrong with me? Most people would love spending their days with absolutely nothing to do while basking in the lap of luxury, but to me it’s a nightmare. I want to do something. I have to do something, otherwise what purpose do I serve?

Setting down her cup she pulled out her scroll. At least she had Yang’s training to distract her even if it would be another day before she saw the shameless blond. Weiss frowned upon reviewing the data she had collected about Yang’s fine motor skill. It was just the first data point in what would be a long road of analysis and hopefully growth. Nevertheless, Weiss couldn’t manage to dismiss the feeling that something was off. The heiress knew with absolute certainty that there was more going on emotionally with Yang than her teammate was willing to share, but Weiss had also known Yang long enough to know that that alone shouldn’t be enough to hold her back from her goals. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else in the mix.

Weiss reviewed Yang’s training itinerary once again. It was technically perfect. Every drill and exercise had been researched, references, and could be backed up by no fewer than three peer-reviewed sources.

Tapping her index finger on the table impatiently she scolded herself.

It doesn’t matter if it feels off; you can’t justify changing the routine till you have data to back up your intuition. Give it more time before you decide to rewrite the world of cybernetic therapy.

Unable to heed her own advice she went back to reviewing the data on her private server. She obsessively scrolled threw file after file, but it wasn’t long before her mind grew weary and wandered back to the thoughts she had been struggling to keep at bay all morning. Looking over Yang’s training routine had let her memories remind her of what her mind had done with the gorgeous blond’s teasing offer while Weiss slept.

Certain parts of the dream flitted back to Weiss, and she immediately felt a familiar ache below her waist.

Drat!

Failing to fight back her thoughts anymore Weiss quickly found herself so worked up that she feared she would have to take care of the issue herself. That was until her traitorous wandering mind was thankfully interrupted by her scroll alerting her to a new email.

Weiss felt a sigh of relief fill her at the break from her own debauched thoughts, but when she switched screens to check who was messaging her Weiss’s blood froze .

Father.

Stealing her resolve she opened the message.

|| Weiss,

I have reviewed your performance and will be moving you to the Technology Division of the Schnee Dust Company’s Research and Development Department. Your new appointment is to be Supervisor of Operations. The details of this position will be given to you today by Sergeant Reeves. I’ll be keeping an eye on the results you produce.

Jacques Schnee ||

Weiss held her breath as she read the email over again three more times. Its contents were not entirely surprising. Her father would never openly chastise or threaten her on a medium that could potentially be leaked to the wrong eyes. But the subtext of the message was quite clear to her.

What he really meant was, ‘Since you decided to deviate your focus and challenge me you will be sent to Research and Development as a punishment. I will have your every move watched, and if you disappoint me again your status as heir will be the least of your worries.’

She had no doubt that the decision to send her to the Technology Division was a multifaceted slight. The first was obviously to rub her face in her mistake of not staying focused on her duties at the Acquisition Department, and the second was to deny her any further influence in the company’s outward business practices. The final slight was no doubt also a test. It was no mistake that he had given her zero advanced notice of the new position. Her father wanted to see how she would cope with the sudden shift and increase in responsibilities and how quickly she would be able to adapt. Or more likely, how miserably the sudden change would cause her to fail.

Weiss swallowed back her anger so she could start researching and make preparations for her new appointment. After a bit she opened her scroll’s settings she accessed her private hotspot so she could send out a secure message. It really was too bad that she would only be able to use Glenn’s assistance privately from now on, but the more she learned about her new position the more work she found for the man.

Weiss continued to scoured the Schnee servers. She would know every available detail about her new division before she arrived, but knew she could only afford herself approximately two hours to do so. Weiss was glad that her knowledge of the company was anything but cursory, but she still had a lot of work to do. She quickly started to speed read everything she could find about the current Research and Development team, though she took her time when researching her father’s spy, Sergeant Reeves.

In between opening new files Weiss sent out a few more messages and called down to Klein to ensure that her car would be ready when she needed it; she couldn’t afford for her arrival at the research and development branch to be delayed. Her timeliness would be judged just as much as preparation. She needed to appear flawless.

Weiss walked into the bright metallic lobby of the Research and Development building, and of course found Sergeant Reeves waiting for her.

He was a tall man who she knew from his file to be in his mid-thirties. His hair was mostly brown but peppered with flecks of grey, it was cut in a traditional military flat top style. His uniform was standard officer fair, boots, white slacks and high necked jacket with silver buckles. The only splash of color to adorn his garb were the bars and ribbons signifying his rank and accomplishments.

It was hard to judge the true character of a person based on paperwork and records, but what she had read about him was not heartening. He was a career military man, enlisting when he was eighteen. Although he had never had any formal reprimands brought against him, there were several reports of reckless behavior in the field and along with a number of harassment allegations from female and faunus subordinates. Despite all the damning reports none of the charges ever managed to make it to formal hearings; any investigation seemed to be thrown out before it ever really started. Which to Weiss meant one of two things: Reeves had friends in high places or he was not afraid to use intimidation to get what he wanted. Given his age and leisure appointment at the Schnee Research and Development Branch she was betting on the former.

Weiss knew she would have to be extremely careful around the man. He would report back every step she took to her father, and after the smirk that she caught on the the man’s face upon entering the building she had no doubt that he would enjoy the chance to throw her to the beowolves.

As she approached the sergeant she noticed how his eyes narrowed in disapproval as they scrutinized her. Weiss was all too familiar with that look. Reeves had already decided, on first glance, that she was an entitled heiress that would be demanding and of little use to him. While she was certainly not planning on resting on her laurels while she was here, she could use his preconceived notions to her benefit.

“Sergeant Reeves, how nice to meet you,” Weiss addressed the man by holding out her hand to him palm down.

Whether you know it or not you are about to tell me quite a bit about yourself.

How he took her hand would tell her of his upbringing and social standing. In addition, whether or not he took her hand would tell her how willing or unwilling he was to submit to her whims and would give her a good idea of how their interactions in the future would progress.

Reeves looked at her extended hand with disdain.

Oh he does not want to submit to formalities for me, and he is terrible at hiding his expressions. Sometimes I wonder what it must be like to bask in the opulence of male privilege.

Reluctantly Reeves grabbed the tips of her fingers and gave the barest nod of his head. He quickly released her fingers and got to business, “If you don’t mind there is quite a bit that I have to show and explain to you today.” Without waiting for a reply he turned and started walking towards the elevators.

When the doors to the lift opened the older man stepped in ahead of her. Upon entering the elevator she let him see her raise an eyebrow before she turned to face the doors, “Hmm, we will have to do something about your manners.”

Weiss could see the glare that the sergeant wore on his face in the polished metal of the doors. Nothing she had done so far could be reported back to her father as unacceptable behavior, but they were just the first of many such slights that Weiss planned to deploy. She was going to systematically push at Reeves till the man wanted nothing more than to be several rooms away from her at all times, preferring to spy on her paper trail rather than to tail her. It wouldn’t be the first time she had used her etiquette skills to drive off unwanted attention, nor would it likely be the last .

If only such efforts had worked on Juane.

As the lift indicated that they had reached their level Reeves spoke, “If you don’t mind," he emphasized,"I will take the lead to show you around the labs.”

Weiss smiled sweetly, “How kind of you to offer.”

When the doors opened Weiss quickly took in her surroundings mapping and relating everything she could see with what she had read just hours before. Most of the labs were completely blocked off with glass paneled walls and were positioned around the perimeter of the floor. To her left there was a large and relatively empty office that was similarly walled off.

Good thing decorating has never been high on my list of priorities. Sigh, glass walls. They make for fantastic privacy.

The center of the department was an open space that housed banks of computers that were currently being used for data analysis and holo-projected design schematics. Everything on the floor was pristine and top of the line. There were ten labs in total for this department, which according to the Schnee servers housed twenty-eight scientists and employed a rotation of thirty-four lab assistants, twenty of which were currently enlisted in the military.

Reeves stepped out of the elevator with a curt, “This way.”

The sergeant lead her to the first lab on their right. Upon entering Weiss saw that there were several people at work, all of which were naturally wearing long white lab coats. Two people stood out though. The first was a woman in her forties with a shock of blue-green hair tied back into a ponytail hunched over a microscope. And the second was a man in his fifties with silver hair and a green bowtie that was giving instructions to two assistants near a whiteboard that was full of derivatives that looked to be physics based.

Upon seeing them enter both of the scientists made their way over to the pair.

Reeves gestured to the male scientist, “This is-“

“Doctor Kelly,” Weiss interrupted the sergeant. “How nice to meet you,” she shook the older man’s hand, “I was absolutely fascinated by your paper on heat detecting dust projectiles.” Her greeting brought a pleased smile to Doctor Kelly’s face, while simultaneously planting a frown on Reeves’s.

Weiss then turned to address the female scientist, “And you must be Doctor Viridian, I’m quite interested to see the latest stable dust combinations that you have designed. I’m a personal fan of your time delayed air and fire mix, it’s proven quite effective for me recently.”

Doctor Viridian smiled, “Really, I’d love to talk about how exactly you utilize it if you have time?”

“I’ll see if I have time to stop by tomorrow.” Weiss smiled, “My grandfather instilled a love of dust utilization in me at a young age. I have no doubt the conversation will be most satisfying.” Weiss made a tiny frown reach her face, “Is Doctor Forest not feeling well today?”

The older scientist answered her question with a kind smile, “No, no she’s out at the southern military base testing her latest prototype. She should be back tomorrow.”

“Oh wonderful, she must have found a suitable material for long range containment then. I’ll look forward to her briefing.” Weiss smiled at the older man. She intentionally waited for silence to set in before looking at Reeves and clearing her throat.

The sergeant didn’t let it show on his face this time, but his eyes burned with irritation, “This is Miss Schnee. She is the new Supervisor of Operations for the department.”

Weiss smiled as she addressed both scientists, “Well I dropped in quite unexpectedly on you today; I’ll let you two get back to work. It will be my pleasure to work with you.”

Before she had even finished her farewell the sergeant was already making his way to the next lab. He had pulled out his scroll and was angrily tapping away as he waited to take her to their next location.

Much to Weiss’s amusem*nt and Reeve’s vexation things progressed in a similar pattern; that was until they reached the seventh lab. It was the darkest and least occupied of all the labs in the department and much of the larger equipment was covered in white sheets. Several holo screens sat around a desk in the middle of the room, and a balding white haired man with untamed locks and an equally bushy beard sat with his back to them.

She didn’t need to see his face to know who he was. Quietly she walked up and politely addressed the older man, “Doctor Polendina.”

The man turned upon hearing his name, so Weiss continued her introduction, “I’m Weiss Schnee, I’m glad to be able to meet you.”

The older scientist glanced at her then at Reeves. Polendina simply nodded, but kept Reeves in his line of sight.

Knowing exactly how he felt the heiress chose her next words carefully, “I wish to offer my condolences for the loss of Penny at the tournament,” Weiss made sure Reeves wasn’t looking when she let her face convey the true meaning of her next words, “She was truly remarkable.” Quickly reforming her composure she closed with, “I look forward to what other marvels you will produce for us Doctor.”

The older scientist quickly looked at Reeves and then back to Weiss. “Of course,” Doctor Polendina answered with a nod. It was simple, but Weiss knew that he had caught her meaning.

Internally Weiss let out a sigh of relief. Having Reeves watch over her was undoubtedly a nuisance; she genuinely hoped that she would be able to find the opportunity to have a more authentically talk with Doctor Polendina. After all that Ruby had shared with her after The Fall she knew that the doctor most likely had few others that understood how truly special Penny had been. Not only that, but Weiss felt she had a duty to her teammate to let him know how much Penny had meant to Ruby as a friend.

He looks so lonely.

Weiss was thankful that touring the rest of the labs had gone quickly. As much as she enjoyed irritating Reeves, his insentient tapping as he documented her every move was starting to become a bit vexing.

Sorry sergeant, but it will take more than angry tapping to provoke me.

Upon entering her new office she looked at the moderately large glass and metal desk with disdain. If she was going to spend any extended amount of time in this office then her desk needed to make its way here. The current bureau had several piles of documents stacked on it.

Eyeing the papers Reeves smirked, “Your predecessor left some work for you upon learning of his departure.”

If he thinks that this measly pile of paperwork is going to intimidate me then he is sorely mistaken, this is no worse than the required readings for one of Doctor Oobleck’s mid-terms.

“I’d better get to work then,” Weiss smiled at Reeves just to see him scowl.

Sitting down she noticed that an origami crane with a note had been slipped in between two of the larger stacks of paperwork.

Picking up the small letter Weiss read the message that had been left for her.

|| Miss Schnee,

Congratulations on your new position. Cranes represent longevity and good luck. A piece of advice, when dealing with a division like the Research and Development Department it is always important to look beyond the easiest interpretation of a thing.

Good luck,

Dr. Polendina ||

Weiss looked at the paper crane. She carefully picked it up and studied its form as she thought about what message he really wanted her to see. She quickly found the maker’s signature, a tiny set of initials, on the foot of the crane. The heiress had a feeling she understood what the note meant.

Knowing that Reeves was watching her every move even though he appeared absorbed in the file on his scroll; she crumpled up the crane and its note into a ball and threw it into her trash can before activating her holo screen on her desk. It was best to portray the vapid persona that he would expect of her. If he wanted to see an uncaring entitled heiress that he was forced to babysit, then she was by no means going to correct his underestimation.

People will always believe a lie if it is something they want or already believe to be true.

Weiss worked for a few minutes sifting through the files on the desk while using her computer to cross reference things as purchase orders and funding proposals. Absently she addressed her babysitter, “Reeves, get me a cup of coffee please.”

The sergeant looked at her with an irate look that quite pleased her, “I’m the department’s military liaison, not your secretary. I don’t fetch coffee,” he growled.

Weiss simply looked up at him and with a straight face and replied, “Well then I guess my father shouldn’t have fired my last assistant. Take it up with him if you’re displeased, but it won’t change the fact that I have work to do while you are simply standing there.” She returned to her holo screen, “Black half a sugar, and do make sure it’s fresh please .”

From her position she didn’t miss the man’s the eye twitch at her words. Reeves closed his scroll angrily, “This is the only time that I will be doing this. You’ll have an aid assigned to you tomorrow.”

Weiss simply waved her hand at him in acknowledgment. She had to fight back the urge to smile when the sergeant shut her office door a little harder than was necessary. She waited till he was out of sight to activate the blackout function of her office windows. The heiress quickly retrieved the crane and unfolded it completely. The inside of the paper, just as she had hoped, was a message.

|| Miss Schnee,

Creation always hides the best secrets. Should you wish to speak in private know that we are both closely watched.

I wanted to thank you for your kind words. I’m sure a intelligent girl such as yourself will have many interesting things to share.

Happy folding,

Polendina ||

The heiress quickly folded both the papers into a small square and then slipped it in between the layers of her sash. She would have to destroy it later, and apparently pick up a new hobby while she was at it.

She then played around with the tint settings to make it look like she was trying to figure out the remote before settling on a much lighter the tint would appeared as if she wanted privacy, not secrecy. Getting back to work she quickly read the stack of memos that had been left for the previous Supervisor of Operations, purposefully crumpling and discarding the majority of the useless notes in her trash.

“I’ve made arrangements for your new assistant to start tomorrow,” Reeves answered as set down her coffee.

“Excellent,” She grabbed the cup and took a sip; she quickly frowned at the taste, “I’ll look forward to having someone of use around.”

The sergeant predictably scowled at her words, but then looked down at her trash can. Weiss worked for a few more minutes as she pretended to sip on her coffee and then nonchalantly threw the mostly full cup in her trash so that it spilled all over the papers in the receptacle.

Let’s see if you go looking through my trash for that note now . You have no idea who you’re playing against Reeves. Far more competent than you have tried to stand in the way of my destiny.

Feeling refreshed after a truly grueling run and lengthy cold shower, Yang sauntered back to her room to get ready for her afternoon shift that would be full of fixing all the things that Aims had listed on his precious clip board.

Even if the nightmare still had her feeling a little weird, Yang felt like she was going to miss getting to hang out with her favorite princess today. A smile touched her lips as she remembered the fun she had had training with Weiss the previous day. Despite her cool and often displeased demeanor Yang knew that Weiss cared about her just as much as the rest of their team. In a way team RWBY had become sort of like a family for all of them.

Even if we are all in different places now.

Yang threw her towel over her shoulder before reaching for her door’s handle. When she walked into her room though she was meet with a strange and unwanted surprise.

Winter stood in the center of her small room, hands behind her back and posture so straight that it made Yang uncomfortable just to look at her.

More than a little agitated at the invasion of privacy Yang stood with her hand still on the door, “Can I help you?”

“Close the door,” was all that Winter said.

No brain. I know how perfect that setup was, but I’m too pissed off for jokes right now.

Yang glared at Winter and shut her door. “I’m pretty sure meeting with a subordinate in their personal quarters is against protocol,” Yang spat the dig at the older woman.

Winter returned Yang’s scowl easily, “This is more of a personal matter.”

Okay, are all Schnee women oblivious to how easy it is to take their words the wrong way? It’s like they want me to make fun of them.

While Yang was able to hold back the obvious innuendos, she was not able to keep herself from ribbing her commanding officer, “You said not to discuss personal matters on base, and as homey as my little shoe-box it still qualifies as on base.”

Winter brought her right hand out from behind her back to show Yang a small cylindrical device, “I was careful not to be seen entering your room and this will prevent anyone from eavesdropping on our conversation.” Winter returned her hand to its previous position. “I’ve come to talk about Weiss.”

A sudden flash of panic mixed with her already pissed off attitude, “What’s wrong? I know you wouldn’t be here otherwise, so spare me the cloak and dagger routine already.”

A small smirk momentarily tugged at the corner of Winter’s mouth to acknowledge the blond’s words. “Sometimes I can just barely see why she likes you. Fine I’ll get right to it. You are my sister’s teammate and due to your current arrangement you will be able to spend far more time with her then I will.” Winter paused before making soul piercing eye contact with Yang, “I’ve just been informed that certain things have happened; due to these event and the eventual backlash that they will cause Weiss will be in need your support.”

Yang’s mouth almost dropped open upon piecing together what the woman was saying. Winter was asking her for help.

Thinking for a moment Yang decided on what she would say next, “Weiss is my friend, of course I will be there to help her, but…” Yang hardened her expression, “I’m not going to play any of the ridiculous games that either of you do. I want to know everything. No subtleties or half-truths, if you truly want me to help you need to tell me what is really going on.”

Winter looked at her with a frown, “Take a seat. This won’t be short,” then the elder Schnee pulled out her scroll.

To Yang’s irritation the older woman was apparently sending messages as the blond was forced to sit on her bed and wait for Winter to finish whatever it was she was doing on her scroll. After a couple of minutes Winter stopped typing and pulled the chair from Yang’s desk out to face her.

Taking a seat Winter asked, “How much do you know about our father?”

The blond looked at Winter a bit surprised, “Honestly your sister never talked about your family that much. Everyone on our team has their own family issues, so the subject was never pushed by anyone.” Yang took a breath. “But from what I could piece together he sounds like a massive jerk that has never treated Weiss kindly.”

Yang caught Winter’s eyes flash, “That’s putting it far more politely than I would.”

Winter openly and angrily scowled, “Jacques Schnee is a monster,and he has spent every ounce of his time subjugating the women of our family to further his own personal wealth and stature.”

That is far more honest then I have ever heard either of them speak, she must really hate him.

“Truthfully I’d rather not go into the details of my own dealing with our father, but suffice it to say that there is a reason that I joined the military and gave up my position as heir.” The older woman frowned, “It shames me to admit, but except for the occasional day with Weiss I avoid our family at all costs.”

It was subtle as hell, but Yang was able to make out the pain underneath the anger in Winter’s face. Whatever had happened to Winter had been bad, and it made Yang furious to think that Weiss still had to deal with it.

“Sadly our lives weren’t always so adverse,” Winter looked to the side briefly. “Weiss was likely too young to remember, but before our brother was born father was less horrible. I have a feeling that our grandfather still being in good health and alive played a part in that.” Winter waited a beat before continuing, “As the founder of the Schnee Dust Company grandfather was a very influential man, even as his health dwindled he seemed unstoppable and wise. And if anyone in our family had reverence for him it was Weiss. She would sit for hours and listen to his stories of fighting of off grimm while searching for new dust mines. Even though she was young and probably does not remember him as well as she would like, they were as close as any two members our family have ever been.

“I believe that is why Weiss has always so relentlessly sought to inherit the company. She remembers fondly what our name once meant under our grandfather, and wishes to right what our father has turned our his legacy into.” Winter looked sad as she continued, “She has chosen to fight for a place that I believe our father never intended for either of us to take. I do my best to support her in her goals, but truthfully I couldn’t have been happier to see her attend Beacon. I had hoped that becoming a huntress would make her set aside her presumed destiny of taking over the company, but after the fall of Beacon father brought her home. And even though she hates it here this is the safest place. Which is why I didn’t push back when father had Ironwood revoked her travel rights. Weiss’s honor and desire to do the right thing would only get her killed in the world’s current state, and as her sister I couldn’t willingly let that happen.”

That made Yang feel conflicted, while she understood what it was like to be a protective older sister anyone who knew Weiss could see how miserable being in Atlas made her. And for Winter to let their father and the general trap Weiss here…

And here I thought my family was complicated and messed up.

Winter continued, “The only reason I am willing to share any of this is because I have seen a change in my sister since her time at school and since learning of your arrival. She has become a more enlightened individual since returning home; I attribute that to the bonds that she made with your team. Unfortunately those new enlightened views directly oppose how our father currently runs the company, and despite her considerable effort to hide her positive influence he recently found out some of what she had been doing behind his back.”

Yang looked at Winter pointedly, “I said everything. What happened?”

Winter pinched the bridge of her nose in a way that reminded Yang all too much of Weiss, “We don’t have time for the whole story. Suffice it to say that during one of her acquisition dealings Weiss forced some very shady businessmen to not take advantage of a group of faunus and our father found out. As punishment he has thrown her into a position where she will have less influence, and has set her up with a cumbersome new position in hopes that she will fail.”

Yang could feel her semblance flare for a second. While she was proud of Weiss for doing the right thing; she was enraged that she should be punished for it. It wasn’t right.

Winter narrowed her eyes as she looked at Yang, and she realized that her eyes must have changed. Taking a deep breath she pushed down her fury, “So, what can I do to help her?”

The smallest smile touched Winter’s eyes, “Truthfully, when it comes to matters in the company there is virtually nothing of value that either of us can do to help her. You see our father doesn’t want Weiss to inherit the company and so she is destined to fail so that our brother can succeed.”

“What!? That doesn’t make any sense,” Yang was struggling to keep her cool, “Look I don’t know your brother, but Weiss is amazing. She is talented in literally everything that she does, how could your father not want someone like that running the company? So what if she doesn’t agree with his terrible business practices. He has to know that Weiss would never let the company fail.”

“Upon coming of age,” Winter calmly replied, “it became clear to me that competence played little importance in his eyes. He only cares that a man, whom he can control, will inherit the Schnee Dust Company.” Winter’s eyes narrowed “He is simply using Weiss’s skills to his benefit until he can find a legitimate reason to revoke her claim as heir.”

Yang knew her eyes had turned and she didn’t care. The more Winter talked the worse it got. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore, “This is bullsh*t, hasn’t your mother done anything to try and stop this?!”

Winter’s expression turned absolutely venomous at the mention of her mother, “While our mother still holds certain influence, she has long since resigned herself to our father’s will. She idly sat by as I was dealt with, I don’t believe that their is anything that could awaken whatever might be left of her.”

“Ugh, you Schnee’s!” Yang growled. “So then what you’re telling me is that Weiss’s whole goal in life is pointless and without hope.”

Winter didn’t answer, but clenched her jaw in resignation.

Yang couldn’t believe the load of crap this was, “So then explain to me why you let her keep trying? You’re her older sister, you’re supposed to protect her.”

Winter glared at her with an anger that Yang had yet to see, “My deepest desire has always been for Weiss to walk away from the company and our father, but you should know Weiss well enough by now to know how well that conversation would go. I’ve tried my best to push her to pursue her own happiness, but as I’m not exactly an expert in that area my words hold very little weight. Realizing that I failed to get her to pursue a different path I instead decided to do what I could to help her achieve her chosen goal.”

What is wrong with this family?! It’s almost like they actively choose to suffer.

Yang was tired of attempting to be composed, “Why, what’s the point in helping her if you are certain that she is destined to fail? It just seems cruel.”

“What would you have me do then?” Winter spat. “Until you arrived I was the only person in all of Atlas that Weiss had an attachment to. Are you saying that it would have been somehow less painful to turn her against me, by forcing her to give up the one thing that continues to keep her going while she is trapped in the city against her will?”

The futility of it all finally hit Yang like a train; she didn’t even know how this all made her feel anymore. Empty maybe. She wanted there to be a glimmer of light for Weiss, but there just wasn’t.

“Why does everything with you Schnee women always have to be so ridiculously complicated and depressing?” Yang sighed as her shoulders sagged, “Look I’m sorry I took it out on you, obviously you have been doing your best with this completely messed up situation. This is all just… bullsh*t. I can’t believe that one horrible man has somehow ruined so many people’s lives. I mean you and Weiss are both amazing, I’m sure either one of you would do a great job running the company. It just pisses me off that Weiss gets treated badly simply because she a woman and chooses to do the right thing. It’s just not fair. Weiss is... she’s a really good person.”

“And so you have begun to understand the way of Atlas.” Winter frowned, “Good or bad do not matter, for it is only the strong who survive to make the rules, while the weak are destined to follow or perish. Such has always been the Atlesian way.”

“So,” Yang felt completely drained by the hopelessness of it all, “what can I possibly do to help her? I’m just her teammate. I mean she’s the one that dropped everything to help me.”

“You are… ” Winter narrowed her eyes as she studied the blond, “an important person to Weiss and she has always been at her most vulnerable when she is alone. If you are anything like your father then I trust that you will know what to do when thing get hard. There is a light in you both that always seems to help those that are around it.”

Winter looked at her scroll, “I have stayed longer than I should.” She stood up and smoothed her clothes, “Just please do your best to look after my sister in the times that I cannot.”

Winter hesitated at the door and Yang knew there was one last thing that the ivory haired woman wanted to say, “I know that what I ask of you is a heavy burden and that you are working through your own issues right now... but I ask that you do your best not to hurt her. She has had more than her share of hardship already.”

Before Yang could ask what exactly she meant, Winter was gone.

Yang stared at her door and clenched her jaw.

Schnees! They can never just say what they actually mean. It’s like they are genetically incapable of going an entire conversation without being cryptic. Why the hell does she think I would hurt Weiss? Has my new sparkling personality earned itself a reputation already?

She looked at her clock and sighed.

f*ck it. I’d have just as much luck trying to figure it out as I would my dream. If she wants me to know something she should just say it.

Chapter 11: Moving Forward

Chapter Text

Weiss paced her room absently as she viewed the day’s schedule on her scroll. Occasionally chewing on her thumb nail and letting out a huff while thinking about how to navigate her various obligations. It would be another packed day at the office, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

The heiress had been so engrossed in her mental mapping that she was startled when her scroll alerted her to a new text message. Seeing who the sender was she couldn’t help but grin a little.

Yang:

| You ready to kick my ass again tonight? |

Weiss rolled her eyes as she typed back.

Weiss:

| Say what you will, but you are improving. We’ve only been training for a little over a week and you’ve had an overall increase of five percent. |

Yang:

| ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Still doesn’t feel that much different on my end. |

The heiress sighed at the brawler’s indifference to the growth she had made. Yang’s disillusion with her achievement did however solidify Weiss’s resolve to implement the newly developed dexterity and mobility exercises. Weiss had planned on going over the details of her new training regime with Yang first, but the idea of surprising the blond had become too good to pass up. The heiress smirked with joy as she typed.

Weiss:

| If you’re up for it, then I have some new exercises planned that I think will have a larger impact. |

Yang:

| You’re the boss princess. Whatever you say goes. |

Weiss:

| I’ll remember that the next time you are gripping at me. |

Yang:

| Eh, the complaining is mainly for show. Training with you has actually been a lot of fun.|

The heiress felt her cheeks flush a little as she read the message. She knew that she shouldn’t let herself get so worked up by simple words, but it had become increasingly difficult the more time they spent together. Composing herself she decided how she would respond.

Weiss:

|I’m going to hold you to those words later you know. |

Yang:

| Yeah, yeah. Go kick butt at the office already. I don’t want you to have to stay late again. Gotta get to the garage, I’ll see you tonight princess. |

Weiss rolled her eyes at the final message, but she couldn’t help smiling.

Thinking of the additional task she had assigned to herself she started assessing which still needed to be addressed. She would have to contact Glenn and Bunchworth to get things purchased and moved, but she had a good feeling about the new regimen. Weiss couldn’t wait to see the expression on Yang’s face when she saw the fine motor fluidity exercises. She sighed happily, the more she was able to help Yang the better it made her feel. She knew she was letting herself feel too much for her teammate, but sometimes it was hard to remember why it was such a problem.

As she imagined Yang’s reaction she let herself hope that the blond’s excitement would earn her a hug. It was silly, and of course she would have to pretend not to like it, but she felt warmed by the prospect. So much so that she didn’t even realize that she had been smiling.

“My, don’t you look positively smitten, dear sister?”

Weiss immediately frowned upon seeing the condescending visage of her younger brother standing in her doorway.

“What you are talking about? I simply received a message from a friend,” she answered in a guarded tone. Looking at him she asked in a less than friendly tone, “Why are you loitering outside of my room? Have you forgotten your manners, such behavior is unsightly."

The youngest Schnee leaned forward as he addressed her, “On the contrary dear sister I was simply passing by when I saw you day dreaming.” Whitley sneered, “and couldn’t help but stop. I’ve never seen you smile like that before. I highly doubt a mere friend could elicit such a response from a Schnee woman.”

Weiss glared at her brother, but she couldn’t ignore the sick pit of fear growing in her stomach, “Idle conjecture form a child is hardly worth my time. If a stray happy look is all you have to your argument then I’d ask that you vacate my presence and get friends of your own so that you might better understand the benefits of companionship.”

Her brother rolled his eyes at her response, “You can’t hide him forever Weiss. Eventually father will find out.” Whitley inspected his fingernails as he continued, “I wonder what he’ll make of your new beau? Especially given that you turned away the last four suitors that he went to the trouble of picking for you.”

Does he really think I am so simple as to be baited? He doesn’t even realize that he’s looking in the wrong direction.

Weiss calmed herself, “I don’t have time for this. I have actual work to do. Unlike you I don’t have all day to spend on tabloidesque speculation.” Weiss glared at her younger sibling as she pointed to the hall, “Leave.”

Whitley narrowed his eyes at her retort, “You know father doesn’t want you, he never has. It’s just a matter of time till he finds enough fault in you, then he’ll be able to give the company to the true heir.” Turning away he strode down the hall with parting words, “Perfection is unattainable dear sister, it will be fun to watch your fall.”

Weiss clenched her fists in anger, as badly as she wanted to leave him glyphed to the ceiling for a day she knew better. While taking physical action towards him would have been remarkably satisfying, she would be the only one hurt by such a retaliation.

Weiss shut and locked her door; her hands stayed on the frame as she steadied herself.

How could I have been so stupid. This house has never been a place to let true emotions show.

Looking up there was guilt and sadness in her eyes.

I have been gone less than two years and already father has turned him into this. Is it my fault? Should I have stayed to try and make sure that he wasn’t corrupted?

Weiss touched the scar on her left eye.

No. Staying wouldn’t have changed anything. Deep down Whitley has always hated Winter and me… I just didn’t want it to be true.

Walking away from her door she pulled out her scroll and stared at its closed white casing.

What was I thinking? Letting myself indulge in such a ridiculous and impossible set of emotions. Pining after someone who only has eyes for another is so shameful. Just because I’ve caught her leering at me a couple of times doesn’t mean she has an emotional investment. Only an imbecile would think that the way she lends an idle eye to me compares to how she used to look at Blake.

She gripped the device in her hand a little too tightly.

I will not try to steal someone’s heart for my own. I still have my pride; I won’t be so gauche as to beg for another’s affection.

Weiss opened her scroll and called for her car to be brought around.

There are much more important things to deal with this day than my duplicitous heart. I must stay focused on what really matters, and banish distracting flights of fancy. I might not attain perfection, but that doesn’t mean that I have to stop trying.

Yang’s muscles burned as she eked out one last pull up. Letting herself drop to the ground was a relief to her sore back and arms, but caused an empty echo to sound in the enormous metal gym. And the noise felt all the heavier on her ears from Weiss’s absence.

Trying to shake the feeling of solitude Yang stretched her shoulders before walking over to the bench where she had left her towel and scroll. When she pulled open the device she saw that there were still no new messages.

The blond let out a long breath through her teeth as she shut her scroll. She had been keeping herself busy by working out for over an hour, and Weiss still hadn’t shown. Yang looked around at the array of exercise equipment to decide if there were any muscle groups left in her body that had yet to be tortured by her impatience. After a bit of wavering she decided that overdoing it would just lead to her hating herself over the next few days.

Wrapping her towel around the back of her neck she pulled on the ends as she tried to choose something else to do. She was coming up blank, and making a decision definitely wasn’t helped by the ball of nervous energy inside of her that she had failed to burn off with her workout.

This is the fourth time that she has worked late this week, and it’s only Thursday.

She had thought about texting Weiss plenty of times in the last hour, but she didn’t want to hassle the heiress if she was still at work. Weiss had a real job to attend to; their training together was secondary. Still, the more Weiss had to work late the edgier Yang felt. After everything that Winter had told her she couldn’t seem to stop worrying about the little tsundere, and all the extra time she was spending at work just seemed to confirm her fears.

Yang still didn’t know what it was that she was supposed to do to help Weiss. Since they had reconnected their entire exchange had been one sided. Weiss had gone way out of her way to help her, while all Yang had to offer was her company and friendship. It left her feeling unquestionably irritable. There was no way she would be of any use when it came to the complicated world of corporate inheritance.

She threw her towel at the bench out of frustration and stormed off to the heavy bag that was located in the second side room from the far end of the gym. She quickly wrapped her left hand before sizing up the large punching bag.

Sorry, but this is going to hurt you a lot more than it will me.

Yang started out with a few light jabs and simple combos, but her desire to bleed off her nervous energy quickly had her laying into the bag with heavier punches. The top and bottom chains that secured the bag strained with each volley. The harder she hit the more she was able to let her thoughts and anxiety slip under. Soon she felt the rush of adrenaline take over and she was simply a body in motion. Relying on her subconscious to decide her actions as her energy and frustration drained in equal measure. The more her arms and shoulders burned the better she felt.

She didn’t have any idea how long she had been letting loose on the unfortunate heavy bag, but her hearing snapped her consciousness back into place at the sound of a closing metal door. When Yang reached out to steady the bag she realized how hard she was breathing, and took a few deep breaths before walking out of the room.

Yang was quickly met by the timid gaze of her teammate, and the blond could feel the tension in her shoulders melt. She put on a brimming smile to greet the smaller woman, “Hey, you’re here.”

Weiss tried to smile back, but looked guilty, “Sorry, I ended up having more to deal with today than I thought.”

Yang waved her off, “Don’t worry about it, I know you have a lot on your plate. I’m just happy you could make it. Seeing you is always the best part of my day.”

The heiress looked at her with a shocked face, and it swiftly dawned on Yang what she had just said.

Holding up both of her hands she tried to backtrack, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that working on a military base in Atlas is definitely not my idea of a good time.”

Weiss’s face eased back to normal, but she couldn’t quite hide the small frown of hurt from her face.

Dammit, why are you so bad at this?

Yang waved her hands even more, “That’s not what I meant either.” She covered her face with her left hand in shame. “I’m an idiot,” She let out in a heavy sigh “I was just trying to say that you are a lot of fun to be around, so I’m glad you’re here.”

Much to the blond’s relief Weiss was now trying to hide a grin, “You certainly have a way with words don’t you?” Weiss let her eyes look Yang up and down, “With how sweaty you are I take it you completed your strength training while you were waiting on me.”

Deciding that her mouth had gotten her in enough trouble already she simply answered, “Yeah.”

Weiss looked over at one of the closed off side rooms then back to her, “Well I have a few things I will need to check on before I show you the new training. Do you mind showering off while I get things set up?”

Yang opened her mouth to answer, but before she could Weiss interrupted her, “And before you ask, no, I don’t want to join you.”

The blond closed her mouth as the heiress walked past her with purpose.

I wasn’t going to ask that… this time.

Yang watched Weiss for a second before turning and heading to the shower.

It feels like she is more edgy than normal today. I need to figure out something soon.

Weiss grinned as she adjusted the last of the new equipment. Glenn and Bunchworth had done an impressive job by getting all of the components here and set up in less than a day, and all of it looked like it was functioning correctly. Well to her anyhow, she trusted that Yang would know how to make any adjustments that were necessary.

Tapping a few keys on the wall the metal door slid shut to completely hide the room’s contents from view.

I have to admit this was one of my more ingenious ideas.

Weiss didn’t have to wait long for Yang to finish her shower, and soon the blond was walking towards her with miraculously dry hair and fresh clothes. Her teammate was wearing an expressly serious face as she approached, and for some reason her eyes studied Weiss intensely as if she were trying to read something from her. It made her feel nervous to be looked at that way.

When Yang reached her Weiss cleared her throat and put on a strict no nonsense face, “So, are you ready for the new training?” She placed her hand on her hip as she continued, “Because if I’m honest, it’s not going to be easy. Some of it I doubt even I could master and each level will be harder than the last.”

Yang looked at her with raised eyebrows, but quickly set her expression, “I can handle it, and if I can’t I’ll just have to keep trying till I do.”

Weiss had to bite her tongue to keep from grinning at the adorably serious remark.

The heiress touched the keypad and Yang’s eyes went wide with surpriseand disbelief. The smaller woman genuinely didn’t think that she had ever seen her teammate look so stupefied. Yang looked back at her with a questioning look then back at the room as her mouth hung open.

The smaller woman bit both her lips as she watched the speechless brawler eye twitch.

“Well,” Weiss finally asked barely containing a laugh.

Yang looked back at her with a suspicious glare, “This is a joke right? Some sort of Schnee humor that I have yet to be tormented with?”

Weiss scoffed, “Unlike you I don’t have time for senseless pranks.”

Yang grabbed Weiss by both arms, pinning her limbs to her side, “Weiss this may be the most important question I will ever ask you…”

The heiress rolled her eyes at the blond’s melodrama.

Yang took a deep breath and asked in a completely straight face that lost its composure toward the end, “Are you honestly telling me that my new training is video games!”

Weiss grinned mischievously, “No, I just filled this room with them for my own amusem*nt.”

Almost as soon as she had finished Yang scooped her into a bear hug, and Weiss immediately regretted her earlier wishes for an embrace.

“Yang,” she choked, “My ribs… are going… to break.”

Thankfully Yang heard her painful pleas to be released and set her down. Weiss took in several painful breaths to recover as she straighten her clothes.

Yang nervously gripped her metal forearm, “Sorry, I just can’t believe this… or really understand to be honest.”

Finally able to breath without distress the heiress walked into the room. “You have been struggling with fine motor control and fluidity, so I did some more research and found new studies that suggests the old neural pathways can be reactivated and used to increase function and easy of movement. But the research stated that the movement needed to reactivate them has to be second nature to the subject.”

Weiss smirked as she looked at the blond, “I can’t count the number of times I yelled at you, during our time at Beacon, to turn off your video games and go to bed. So I figured if any activity was second nature to you it was this.”

With the way Yang was staring at the various consoles she knew she wouldn’t have long before Yang was unable to pay attention and would be begging to play.

First the smaller woman pointed to a large holo screen, “This system has been uploaded with all of the current Ninja Warrior games plus the beta release of number seven. The plethora of combos that you use in the games should help with opposable thumb movement.”

As she moved away Weiss added, “All the games and systems have been specifically selected for their various operation styles,”

Reaching a large boxy machine with several joy sticks and buttons that were segregated by color she explained the next game, “Sword and Gun is an arcade game that has a right handed joystick. Which is ideal for practicing your wrists movement. I’m told that it was one of the first ‘dungeon crawlers’ that was made multi player.”Yang looked at the arcade game like it was a lost relic.

Weiss didn’t have a clue what dungeon crawler meant, but Glenn had informed her that the game was a classic. Her assistant had picked out all of the games. She had simply informed him of the various motor movements that would be necessary and he had come up with an impressively detailed and ranked list of options. She wouldn’t have guessed that Glenn was the type to play video games, but then again you never could tell what hidden passions a person held.

“Vital Tournament Two has a six button combat system which should be good for multiple digit use,” she pointed to the second arcade game that featured fictional huntsmen and women glaring at each other, “I also got you a hand held gaming system that you can take back with you to the base. If there are any other games that you think might be of use I can acquire them as well. You will of course have other training besides this, and every few days you’ll have to complete the previous mobility exercises so that I have a baseline test to measure improvement.”

Yang looked at her like she was desperately trying to maintain a cool visage. Weiss rolled her eyes, “Would you like to play them now?”

The blond’s eyes went wide with excitement and her fists were clenched like she was about to leap in the air for joy, but then she reeled herself back in and addressed Weiss with far more calm than the heiress had expected possible.

“All of these games are multiplayer.” Yang smiled, “It would be nice to have someone to play with.”

For a second Weiss was so amused by her teammate’s happy visage that she almost said yes, but then she quickly remembered her error that morning and chastised herself for being so easily swayed by the blond’s plea.

“No, I’m afraid that I still have a few more training exercises that I need to set up,” Weiss lied.

Yang suddenly looked quite sad as she looked back at the holo screen, “Well if you need help I can wait to play these. Then we can hang out together.”

The gesture made Weiss’s heart melt, which sadly confirmed the needed to distance herself from Yang. “No, as strange as it sounds playing these games is part of your new training. I’ll be back to show you more in a little while. I missed dinner today, so take your time while I go inspect what’s in the gym’s pantry.”

Her teammate looked at her suspiciously, “Next time then.”

“Sure,” Weiss responded with a fake smile and turned away. After a few steps she let out a silent sigh of relief. The heiress could not express how much she needed time to be alone.

Yang watched as the heiress left the main area. She felt the weight of disappointment drag her shoulders down.

It’s like for every step forward with her there is another step back. I wish Ruby were here. She somehow always knew how to melt the ice queen.

Reluctantly she turned back to the game room, all her previous excitement about the new training was now drastically dimmed without Weiss here. She walked over to the holo screen and turned on the console. Classic Ninja Warrior had always been able to cheer her up.

As she skipped through the opening credits and intros she started to get a little more excited. Scrolling through the character select screen she of course chose the yellow ninja. When the screen loaded she could feel herself getting amped up. Then the words ‘fight’ flashed on the screen.

She rushed the blue computer character ready to open up with her favorite combo, but she was surprised when it failed to activate. Shrugging off the missed move she brought up her guard for the computer’s counter attack. Blocking most of the level one computer attack she decided to unleash an aerial assault, but again the move fell flat after the first strike.

Yang glared down at the malfunctioning controller only to become frustratingly aware of the real cause when she saw her metal hand. She tossed the controller to the side irritated.

Like I haven’t lost enough. Now I’m downgraded to noob level?!

Yang gritted her teeth.

Why do I have to fight and struggle to gain back even the simplest things that I used to enjoy?

Turning away from the game’s defeat screen she thought of the punching bag that she had been pummeling earlier. For a few seconds she entertained the idea of letting loose again, but then turned back and picked up the controller.

I have to keep trying. Otherwise I’ll never get back the things I’ve lost.

It turned out that persistence paid off. While it took a lot longer than she would have liked, after twenty minutes on the training level she was able to get her prosthetic to start listening to her. It took way more concentration than she wanted, and she still sucked at combos, but it was enough improvement that she was able to get past level two. Level three was a different story.

Yang heard the gym door close and for the first time in her life she was glad that Weiss’s presence meant she would have to stop playing video games. She saved her less than mediocre progress and then practically sprinted out into the main gym to meet her teammate.

Weiss looked a little surprised when Yang ran up to her. The blond made sure to have a smile on her face so that maybe the ice queen would let her frosty demeanor slip a little.

The smaller woman raised her eyebrow in response, “I take it you enjoyed your new training?”

Yang laughed, “Well duh.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but she didn’t want Weiss to be disappointed just because she was having difficulty. “So what’s next?”

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Weiss asked skeptically.

“Bring it on Princess,” Yang grinned. “You’ve literally blown me up during our sparring, I can handle whatever else you’ve got to throw at me.”

“Alright then,” Weiss smirked. She held out her hand palm up and displayed a tiny origami crane, “this is your new fine motor training.”

Yang was seriously confused.

She looked at the paper crane skeptically then poked it with her finger half expecting it to jump up and attack her. When it didn’t she asked, “Uh… cool… so what is this exactly?”

Weiss rolled her eyes in irritation, “It’s origami you dunce.”

Yang had seen origami before, but that didn’t explain what it had to do with her training.

When Yang didn’t respond the heiress sighed heavily, “It is the art of folding paper to make three dimensional shapes and figures. It requires precision and patience. Two skills that you are in desperate need of developing.”

Ouch.

“Okay…” Yang voiced slowly. “So then I take it you are going to teach me how?”

Weiss closed her hand around the paper bird, “Of course. I have a room set up over here.” The heiress lead the way to a side room just two down from the new game room. When the door opened it showed a very plain set up. There was a table with two chairs and a work bench that held several books and multiple stacks of square paper that were organized by size but each held a variety of colors.

I thought that she said she had stuff to set up? There’s no way she snuck back in while I was playing video games and this room would have taken no time at all to put together. It’s not like her to lie.

Yang hesitantly stood behind her teammate waiting for directions. It didn’t take long for the heiress to tell her what to do.

As Yang took her seat Weiss brought over a stack of paper. “I want you to watch me complete one first,” the smaller woman explained. “Then I will go slower as you mirror my actions on your own sheet of paper.”

Yang simply nodded that she understood. The heiress frowned slightly, but quickly looked down at her sheet of paper as she began to fold the paper in half diagonally. While Weiss continued to fold and crease the paper Yang couldn’t help but notice that her teammate seemed to lose some of the tension in her shoulders.

Go figure that a control freak like her finds relaxation in a hobby that involves so much tedious precision.

In no way did Yang think this was going to be easy. Even with Weiss’s fully functional limbs she took a good amount of time to line every edge up exactly before making a fold. Yang had no idea how she was going to pull off anything that didn’t look like a completely mangled mess.

Finally Weiss pulled on the wings of the bird and Yang watched as the center of the crane magically flattened itself out. The heiress placed it off to the side of the table and then grabbed two more sheets of paper from the stack sliding one in front of each of them.

Seeking to escape the task that lie in front of her Yang decided to stall, “So this is a really interesting twist compared to my old training, where did you come up with all these new ideas? I can’t imagine where you find the time, between work and training with me.”

The heiress looked up, then quickly turned her gaze away from Yang, “I recently transferred departments.” Weiss quietly placed her hands in her lap, “I oversee the technology division of the company’s research and development department now.”

“Oh,” Yang responded. She thought for a second, “So being around all those creative science types must have helped you come up with all these ideas I take it.”

Weiss looked a little surprised, “Yes.” She then let her gaze fall to the crane at the end of the table, “I can’t take all the credit though. I got this idea from Doctor Polendina.”

Yang’s eyes widened in shock, “Wait, Polendina, as in…”

“Penny’s father,” Weiss finished. “These are actually how we have been communicating. Certain things at work keep us from openly talking with each other so we send messages that are hidden on the inside of origami.”

The blond frowned openly, “That doesn’t make sense, if you are the head of the department then why would you need to pass secret messages to each other?” Yang narrowed her eyes as she looked at her teammate, “Weiss what’s going on?”

She didn’t know if pushing her friend for answers was the right move, but honestly Yang didn’t know if she could take sitting idly by anymore.

Weiss looked down at the table for a minute before answering, “My father put me in charge of the department, but Sergeant Reeves, the military liaison, reports all of my actions back to father.” There was a pause, “Reeves isn’t exactly a pleasant or reasonable man. He has blocked many of my suggested lines of research and has been even worse to Doctor Polendina.”

Yang fisted her hand, but managed to kept her face calm, “But you’re the head of the department how can he go over you? Not to mention why, it’s not like you would propose anything impractical.”

Weiss let out a heavy sigh and still refused to meet Yang’s gaze; the smaller woman’s distress made the blond angry and sad.

“Because the technology division is mainly funded by the military; its liaison has final say on what gets financed and what doesn’t.” Weiss openly scowled, “He is quite frankly a horrible person, who is obviously in my father’s pocket. Reeves has blocked proposals to improve soldier’s armor, refused to implement environmental regulation of dust use and disposal, and has denied Doctor Polendina the funds and technology to retrieve Penny’s memories from her recovered core processor.” Weiss finally looked up at Yang with visible anger on her face, “He even temporarily pulled funding from one of the researchers that develops dust combinations because she had expressed an interest in letting me test various samples for her. And he dares to justify his actions by saying that the proposals are not necessary, not cost effective, or that they don’t align with military goals.” Weiss threw out her hands in frustration, “Can you imagine what it is like to have someone argue with a straight face that armor improvement is not in line with military interests?!”

Yang did her best to keep a calm expression, but it was difficult.

Weiss was breathing hard from her outburst. Yang could count on one hand how many times she had seen the heiress get so mad. It was obvious that she had been holding this in for a while.

Calming down Weiss continued, “Don’t get me wrong, I have my own ways of dealing with him and still getting my job done, but the fact that he is openly opposing me while lying to my face is… frustrating to say the least.”

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between them, so Yang decided it was time to say something even if it wasn’t very helpful, “I’m sorry. That really sucks.” She paused wishing that there was something better she could say to comfort her friend, “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

Weiss meet her eyes and just for a moment Yang thought she saw a spark of something like longing. But soon the smaller woman looked away and started talking again, “It’s fine, I can handle Reeves and I’ve started to look into doctor Polendina’s contract to see if there is any way I can help him. Such things are just obstacles, and I will find a way past them.”

But you shouldn’t have to.

The only sound in the room was the light mechanical hum of the air vents. Yang scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously, “Sorry I brought it up, but not if talking about it helped. You can talk to me about anything you want if it will make you feel better.”

Weiss looked very nervous as soon as Yang had stopped talking.

Are you physically incapable of saying the right thing!

“Or we can go back to teaching me origami,” Yang rushed to say.

Weiss let out a small laugh, “If the queen of procrastinating is saying that we should get back on task then we really must have gotten off track.”

“Funny,” Yang answered sarcastically, “So are you going to teach me or does the crown need to be passed to the actual royalty in the room?”

For what felt like the fifth time that day Yang regretted her words.

Origami was hard, like stupidly hard.

Weiss of course made it look effortless, and except for yelling at Yang any time she tried to use her left hand instead of her right, the heiress was quite patient. Yang on the other hand was failing, hard. She was on her ninth sheet of paper and was pretty sure that she wasn’t even halfway through making a very sh*tty crane.

Why is this a thing that people do?! I would rather get punched in the face repeatedly or blown up again. This is the stupidest thing I have ever had to do. And why won’t the paper... just fold... the way I want it to!

As she was trying to complete something Weiss kept calling the bird base, the paper tore.

In response Yang felt her semblance activate and the paper caught fire.

Weiss let out an irritated huff, “Yang calm down.”

The blond looked at her teammate with irrational anger, “Calm down, calm down! I’ve been working on this for over an hour. This is stupid. How the hell is this supposed to make me better at fighting? I doubt that handing a grimm an origami bird is somehow going to make it reconsider its actions. I’m not doing this anymore, there’s no point!”

Yang stood up in a huff and was about to storm out when Weiss glyphed the doorway. “Yang Xiao Long,” she said in firm but even voice, “Sit down and kindly deactivate your semblance.”

Hearing Weiss’s voice snapped Yang back to reality, and made her realize how much of an ass she had just been. She took a deep breath and let go of her rage. That was the easy part. Looking Weiss in the eye after she had thrown such an obvious temper tantrum wouldn’t be.

“Yang, it’s okay,” Weiss called out to her, “just come sit down.”

Reluctantly the blond returned to her chair and did her best not to make eye contact. Thankfully Weiss had decided to let her sit in silence to cool down.

After a while the heiress decided that it was time to talk, “I know that this exercise is difficult and can be quite frustrating, in fact it’s supposed to be. But I can’t help feeling like there is more to what you’re feeling than that. I have tried not to push, but as you showed me earlier sometimes it feels good to let out the things that are bothering you.”

Yang looked down at her hands blankly, a glare forming on her face when her eyes focused on her metal appendage.

I hate you. I want it back. I want it all back.

She didn’t notice that Weiss had moved to kneel next to her till the smaller woman lightly placed her hand on Yang’s knee. “I promise I won’t judge you. You can tell me as much or as little as you want, but I know that I can’t help you if you keep what’s bothering you locked up.”

Yang looked down into the heiress’s eyes expecting to see pity. Instead she saw icy resolve and patience. The blond looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath.

Dammit, she’s probably the one person that I can talk to.

“I hate what I am now,” Yang finally said, “I hate that I have to fight like crazy every day just to attempt to get back to what I used to be.” She looked down at her cybernetic hand and made a fist, “I know how grateful I should be to everyone that has helped me get this far, but I just can’t stop thinking about everything that I lost. And just to get to this point I had to sell myself to the Atlesian military.”

Sadness washed over her as Yang looked into quiet blue eyes. “They’re gone Weiss. I don’t know where Ruby or Blake are.” Yang let out a pained breath as her head dropped, “and even if I did I’d barely be of any use to them. I’ll never be as good as I used to be, and because of that I will always let all of you down.”

The difficulty of saying her feelings out loud weighed on her and Yang could feel tears well in her eyes, but before they could fall delicate, gentle fingers wiped them away.

Yang glanced up, startled by the action, and was met with a calm but sad smile from her teammate.

Weiss spoke in a voice that Yang found strangely quiet for the heiress, “You really are a dolt. Your heart is so big that you can’t see.”

Weiss stood and took a deep breath before addressed Yang in firm tone, “You’re right. You won’t ever be what you used to be, because you have changed and been changed.” Steel rang in the heiress’s voice as she continued, “But that doesn’t mean that you won’t become something even greater.”

The smaller woman looked her straight in the eye, “You need to let go of the past, otherwise you will never be able to truly move forward.”

Yang looked at her friend and a million objections rang in her ears, but deep down she knew that what Weiss said was true.

She could fight all she wanted, but she would never grow her arm back. She would never get back the time or the friends that she had lost. She could have laughed at how simple and obvious it now seemed. Her father and Weiss had been there pushing her to see that she could become better than a seventeen year old hot head. Her desire to have back her old life had left her trapped in a state of continual frustration and anger. Which in turn had shredded her focus and sapped her hope.

As much as it sucked to admit, they were right. Instead of fighting for something that was impossible and would only ever leave her unhappy, she needed to let go and find a new healthier goal.

Like a slap to the face Yang realized how similar she was being to Weiss. Which in a strange way left her feeling elated, because it meant she finally she knew how she could help her friend.

Yang stood up and straightened her posture so that she could make herself look as serious as possible, “I promise that I will let go of my impossible dream to reclaim the past and look for a different way if you promise to do the same.”

Weiss looked at her with a confused and tentative face, “What are you talking about?”

Yang felt anxious as she thought of how to say what she needed to without completely messing it up.

I could start with a compliment, who doesn’t like to be complemented?

“Weiss, you’re amazing,” Yang started. The smaller woman simply rolled her eyes at the comment in a familiar way that Yang knew meant that Weiss wasn't taking her seriously.

“No this isn't a joke,” the blond insisted, “I’m being serious. You are probably the most talented and intelligent person that I know. You are able to learn anything you want, you have a stubborn drive that you put to ridiculously good use, you really care about people and try to do the right thing even if it is hard, you never stop trying to improve yourself," Yang smiled, "and on top of all that you are a kickass huntress.”

In response the princess simply stared back at her with a look of utter disbelief.

Well that’s better than yelling I guess. Fingers crossed for the next part.

“Which is why when your sister told me about your standing in the company,” Yang’s body tensed with anger, “and your father, I was so mad. It was infuriating to know that someone as talented and dedicated as you would be passed over and even punished for such unfair and self serving reasons.” Yang paused and felt sadness pull at her face, “I know you want to do the right thing and restore your family name, but you’re trying to win a rigged game.”

Weiss openly frowned and her tone turned bitter, “You think I don't know that? There aren’t any other options.”

The heiress’s belief that there was no other way solidified Yang’s will, “I don't believe that. I know how impossible fixing your family’s company looks, but I have been your teammate long enough to know that you always manage to find a way.”

“I’ve tried,” Weiss growled, “but I only have two options. Go against my father by trying to do things the right way, which will only lead to me being denounced. Or do things his way and become a corrupt puppet like my brother.”

“I will lose no matter what I do.” The heiress sounded angry and on the edge of tears, “but if I don't try then what is the point of me. If I can't fix what my father has broken then how will I ever show my worth?!”

Yang’s eyes went wide with shock at the meaning of Weiss’s words. She knew that her teammate’s childhood had been awful, but she couldn't fathom just how damaging it must have been if Weiss valued her worth to others over her own happiness. It hurt to even think about such a thing.

Weiss had turned away and looked as if she were a breath away from crying. It was heart wrenching for Yang to see the princess so distraught.

Yang didn't know if her next action would be right or make anything better, but she felt like she had to do something.

She quietly approached the heiress’s turned back and as gently as she could wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. Weiss flinched at first, but then surprisingly, for the first time ever, relaxed into the embrace. Her teammate’s frame was small and slight, but held surprising warmth and power. The feeling made Yang unable to stop herself from pulling the princess closer.

Yang took a deep breath, “I’m not telling you to give up, I’m just asking you to do the same thing you want me to do. Neither of us will get anywhere if we both don’t try something different than what we've been doing.” she rested her face against the shorter woman's head, “I believe in you Weiss, and I promise that I will help you in any way that I can. Just like you've been doing everything you can to help me.”

Pleasantly out of character Weiss let Yang comfort her past her words, but not much. Soon the heiress shifted and Yang let go.

Taking a shaky breath the smaller woman straightened and turned, “I promise that I will try if you promise the same.”

“Deal,” Yang responded with a soft smile.

Weiss still looked distressed as she pulled out her scroll, “I’m sorry.” she frowned, “It's later than I want it to be, I have to go.”

Yang was almost certain that the comment was an excuse to leave, but she knew pushing the princess further would be a mistake.

“No problem,” the blond smiled, despite wishing her teammate would stay, “I'll clean up, go ahead and get outta here. See you tomorrow?” She asked.

“Of course.” Weiss answered. She held Yang in a quick but lingering look before making her way for the exit.

As the door shut Yang let out a long breath.

That was certainly a thing.

Surveying the gym she started working to straighten things up, but her mind was definitely elsewhere. It dug at her that while they had both made progress in recognizing what was keeping them from move forward, it still didn’t answer the question of how they should bypass their obstacles.

Picking up the paper bird that lay on the table she let an amused grin reach her face.

Well at least we have each other.

Chapter 12: Tipping Point

Chapter Text

Weiss took long controlled breaths as she focused on the sound of her heels against the metal floor of the gym. She swiftly made her way to the gym’s exit and kept her eyes fixed on the door that lead to the main corridor.

Whatever you do, don’t look back at her.

The heiress’s breathing caught as her emotions continued to pierce her, and they relentlessly metastasize the further she moved from where her traitorous heart wanted to be. It irritated her to no end that her feeling could cause her such deep physical pain. And as badly as she wanted to give in to that weaker part of herself, to stay with Yang and finally tell her how she felt, she knew naught but madness waited that way.

Her heart burned in response to her pushing it aside and tried to get her to acknowledge the implications of what had just happened.

No! This is not the time nor the place.

It took her several more strides to make it across the expansive gym and into the temporary reprieve she would find in the hallway. She paused and leaned against the door soon after it shut. Closing her eyes she let out a long pained breath before setting about the task of wrangling her untamed sentiment. She felt absolutely furious with herself.

How could I be so stupid and weak? Letting her… letting myself…

Weiss swallowed and bit her lip as she remembered the feeling of the taller woman wrapped around her; the warmth and the softness of Yang’s body pressed against her in such a kind and protective way. It made her chest ache all over again to remember how blissful it had been in those arms. The heiress’s throat tightened when she started to remember the supportive words that had been whispered against the top of her head.

Abruptly opening her eyes Weiss realized what her meddlesome mind was trying to make her acknowledge and she wasn’t having it. She forcing herself back under control.

I need to stop acting so disgracefully. This is hardly the place to sort out one’s feelings. Especially ill advised and fickle ones.

Stubbornly she forced herself to move again so that she could continue to block out what she didn’t want to face.

Weiss knew if she could just reach the relative safety of her car and get away from the source of her emotions she would be okay, but her mind swam as she battled to contain and compartmentalize all of her inner discord. The effort made her feel strangely disconnected from her own body as she moved down the entryway.

Just don’t think. And don’t process. It isn’t worth the pain it will cause.

Pressing on the cold metal of handle of the outer door she was meet with icy night air. The frosty temperature of Atlas had never felt so welcoming; it managed to bring her temporary respite from her inner strife. Closing her eyes she was able to find solace and internal quiet with each long frigid breath. She stayed like that for a time, letting the comfortable aloneness of the night and the cold wrap around her.

But like all the times in her life tranquility was frustratingly short lived. Soon her perfidious mind started asking questions and recalled images that she had no desire to deal with, and her eyes snapped open in agitation.

So when Weiss saw her car arrive she was unspeakably relieved. Balling her fists she walked forward and quickly entered its sanctuary.

As she failed to find a comfortable position in her plush seat Fredric rolled down the privacy window, “Back home Miss Schnee?”

Weiss stopped moving and let a glare convey her thoughts to the man.

Her driverturned to look for her response and a clear frown reached his face. He paused before responding, “Understood Miss.”

When the tinted window had closed she clenched her jaw.

How could I be so weak? Nothing good will ever come from this. Why did I let her do that?

The sensation of Yang’s arms wrapping around her fought its way back into her mind. She had known as soon as she gave into the embrace that it had been a mistake. It was one thing to yearn for another’s affection, it was another thing altogether to taste how sweet your desires were only to know that you would never truly attain them.

Finally the futility of it all made Weiss’s will collapse; she just didn’t have enough strength left to keep up her tightly maintained control. So instead, knowing that this was the safest place she would ever find, she closed her eyes and gave in to her duplicitous heart.

It took literally no effort for her mind to whisk her back to the security she had felt while being pulled tight against Yang’s powerful yet nurturing form, and how the feeling of Yang nuzzling her face against her head had made Weiss's heart simultaneously soar and sink.

Weiss’s throat tightened and she gripped the leather armrest of the car as she recalled all the kind words that the blond had said to and about her. Tears that she knew she would not be able to stop welled in her eyes as she reflected on just how well Yang knew her and how highly the other woman thought of her.

Why did she have to be so damnably kind?

The heiress choked back a sob.

And why couldn’t she just see me like everyone else does... instead of the person I want to be?

The realization that Yang knew and acknowledged Weiss's true self, yet not the feelings that the heiress harbored for the other woman was Weiss's undoing. Tears streamed down the woman's face as the pain of it all overwhelmed her. She slowly curled in on herself while one questions relentlessly tormented her.

How could I let myself fall in love with her?

There was no telling how long Weiss had let herself wallow in her own failure, but eventually she felt the pleasant, comfortable numbness that came after such a regrettable outpouring.

The heiress righted herself as she cleaned away the evidence of her emotions. Weiss knew what needed to be done; the process was positively instinctive to her by now. She would rely on rational thought to usher her back to the world of control and sanity just like she had her whole life. Taking a cleansing deep breath she started to run through her list of all the reasons why emotions were a waste of time and needed to be pushed away.

One: Yang is my teammate, having feelings for someone on the battlefield is dangerous and unproductive. Two: She is my partner’s sister, which would fundamentally complicate things and disrupt the team dynamic. Three: She is immature and a distraction to my goals; I need to focus on my destiny. I can't afford to get sidetracked by anything that is unnecessary. Four: She is in love with someone else, and I have no intention of being a consolation prize. Five: It doesn’t matter how much affection she shows me, it has and always will be just an act of friendship. She doesn’t see me that way.

Six: There is no future with her, because I can’t be with her.

The last reason caused something to happen to Weiss. It was an old and well used justification, but after everything that she had been feeling the words didn't bring her comfort or control. Instead they filled the heiress with soul consuming rage and sadness, and her body went rigid with with cold fury.

That’s right, there is no future with Yang or any woman that I might love. I will always be forced to hide my feelings, just like I always have. I’m not allowed to have happiness or joy that might bring question upon the family. Father would never allow it.

Just like he’ll never allow me to inherit the company.

Weiss let out a bitter and sardonic laugh.

I have always foolishly let myself believe that if I just sacrificed enough and played his game that I would have the chance to attain my objectives. But that was such a childish delusion. Even if by some miracle I was to inherit the company with his consent it would cost me my soul.

Weiss felt spitefulness build insider her like she had never known.

My whole life I have done everything that was expected of me. I’ve never sought happiness for myself if I thought it might upset those that mattered. And for what?!

I’ve been kept from anything that brings me joy.

Father forcibly stopped me from being a huntress, he has blocked me from making positive changes to the company at every turn, and he will never allow me to choose a my own suitor, let alone someone even remotely like her.

The reality of her life up to that point hit Weiss with resounding clarity. Her entire existence she had been told how she was to live, purely for the comfort and benefit of others. And anytime she hadn't complied, in order to seek her own happiness or do the right thing, she had been punished. It made Weiss virtually shake with anger.

I deserve to be happy. I deserve to be my true self. I deserve the right to make a difference.

The heiress pulled out her phone and looked upon it with righteous indignation.

Regaining a measure of focus she centered herself and pushed most of her ire into a more orderly place. She needed a cool and calculating mind for what came next.

Weiss opened the phone and waited as it rang. There was a quiet click to indicate that the call had been taken, but she didn’t wait for the typical exchange of niceties, “Glenn, it’s time we meet.”

There was a beat of hesitation before the man responded, “Are you sure? You said you wanted to avoid personal contact till things had smoothed over and become more favorable.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “I’m done waiting,” she answered sharply. “It was foolish to play another’s game and think that we could effectively change things from the inside. It’s time we start taking more serious actions. If I am to inherit this company it will be on my terms.”

There was a pause on the other end, but when he replied there was what sounded like pride tipping Glenn's words, “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

By the time Yang had cleaned up the gym and made it back to the base it was past her normal pass out time.

The blond let out a long yawn as she unzipped her bag. She absently threw her dirty gym clothes at her laundry duffle in the corner of the small room. They could wait till morning to be taken care of. Then she carefully took out the box containing her new handheld gaming system and pondered whether or not she had the energy to play something. Feeling another yawn coming on she soundly decided against it and put the system in her nightstand drawer before cramming her bag under her bed. Finally she pulled the tiny origami bird out of her side pocket and placed it next to the clock near her bed.

After a loud and exaggerated stretch she was out of her clothes and under the covers.

Her eyes felt heavy the second her head hit the pillow, but before she decided to surrender to sleep her vision focused on the paper crane. Yang smirked at the elegant yet impossible to make figure.

I hope she teaches me to make something cooler than a bird.

Yang was focused on kicking some grey ninja ass when out of the corner of her eye she caught Weiss peaking over the top her book. Averting her focus from the screen for a split second Yang turned towards the princess's bunk and shot the heiress a co*cky grin.

Even after shifting back to the battle on the holoscreen Yang managed to catch Weiss roll her eyes at the bravado. Yang couldn’t help but smirk in response even as she bit the corner of her lip to focus. She furiously tapped the buttons of the controller in her hands.

Come on, come on.

“Yes,” the blond shouted in victory as she pulled off a double combo with her favorite character; the gold ninja that could only be unlocked after beating the game three times on the hard setting. She whooped in celebration as the grey ninja’s life bar drained to zero.

Yang stuck out her tongue out at her uncle, “Looks like you’ll be eating crow after that old man.”

Qrow growled at his defeat,”I wanna rematch.”

“Whatever, I’ll still beat you,” she smugly replied. “It’s not your fault.” she taunted, “You’re reflexes just aren’t what they used to be.”

Her uncle narrowed his eyes in agitation from the jab about his age, but after a beat he grinned evilly and looked toward Weiss who was on her bed still pretending to read. “Maybe so, but you only ever play this good when you have someone to show off for.” His eyes wagged to emphasize his meaning.

Yang’s eyes widened at his remark and he laughed at see his comment get to her. This of course allowed Yang to feel completely justified in hurling a pillow at his head with enough force to flatten a normal person. She scowled at feeling the embarrassment his words had caused. “You’re just a sore loser. Stop making up lame excuses,” she sourly answered.

Ruby snickered at them from her bunk, “He’s right though. You always show off when there is a girl around. Well,” her sister sister co*cked her head, “one that isn’t me at least.”

Yang threatened her traitor of a sibling, “I can find more pillows you know.”

The comment only made Ruby laugh harder, “Uncle Qrow just imagine how badly you would’ve gotten beat if Blake were here.”

Hearing her partner’s name made the blond’s eyes dart to the faunus’s vacant bunk.

Yang stood and nervously surveyed her side of the room, “Ruby, where is Blake?”

When her sister didn’t respond Yang turned to find out why, only to find the room suddenly empty of its previous occupants. A sick pit of fear rumbled in Yang’s stomach and she defensively started backing away.

I’m alone. They left me. Again.

Her heart rate and breathing increased.

After taking a few more steps her back hit the door to their room and she instinctively spun away. She had to find them. She didn’t want to be alone again. But…

Her eyes widened with fear as she looked at the door. She wanted to get back to her team, but she knew what would happen if she went through that door. The outcome was always the same, just as that place waited for her every night.

Her legs felt weak, and it only added to her desire to curl into a ball and just stay there till it all went away. But doing nothing wasn’t going to bring them back. Fighting against her fear she gritted her teeth and tentatively reached for the door’s handle. When she finally managed to make herself touch it the room melted away and she was back there.

Instantly flames and screams surround and overwhelmed her senses, and as hard as she tried Yang couldn’t keep her fear in check. Her breathing became erratic as her eyes searched for Blake.

I have to find her. I have to find all of them.

She wanted to leave and search somewhere other than where she was, but her feet were cemented to the ground.

Augh, why does it always have to be this hard?! Just move your stupid body.

She desperately tried to force herself into action, but her fear was literally paralyzing. She was once again trapped against her will in the ruins of her once vibrant school.

Mocking laughter rang out and echoed all around the room. “You really are just a stupid blond,” Adam called out. “You think I will let you find her, or any of them?”

The tall fanus smiled wickedly as he stepped out of the shadows, “After I take care of you, I’m going after the rest of them.”

Fear painfully tightened every muscle in her body to the point that she couldn’t even breath and her heart beated so hard that it felt like she was dying.

No! I have to... I can’t…

She was so overcome with fear that she couldn’t cope.

I can’t let them be hurt because of me. I need to… I need to...

Adam approached her and she instinctively started to cower. When she saw the flash of his crimson sword Yang closed her eyes and braced herself for what came next. She waited for the searing agony in her right arm to hit her, but when it didn’t she realized that something was wrong.

Instead she heard the whirring hum of glyphs. Yang opened her eyes to find long white hair and immaculate blue grey fabric filling most of her view. Her mind frantically scramble to put together what she was seeing.

Weiss had somehow managed to glyph both Adam’s sword and feet to pulsing black sigels. The White Fang leader’s face was contorted in anger as he tried to wrench his sword free.

“Schnee,” he growled with murderous rage.

With clear strain on her face Weiss turned to look at Yang. She yelled at the blond; worry mixing with her physical burden, “Get up you stupid dragon! I can’t hold him like this forever!”

The heiress’s words managed to switch Yang’s senses back on, and she immediately realized that she was on her knees. But thankfully Weiss’s presence had eased some of her panic, and she was able to get to her feet. At least until she saw the fury on Adam’s face and the burning glow of his sword.

She froze.

“Yang, snap out of it,” Weiss shouted, “He’s breaking my hold.”

Adam looked past the small figure that was holding him and a positively evil smile grew on his face, “I’m going to make you watch her die.”

Yang’s eyes shot wide, and she reached out to pull Weiss away.

But she wasn’t fast enough. His sword broke free, and Yang saw the heiress’s aura fail. In slow motion the smaller woman fell backwards.

Yang caught her teammate and protectively wrapped her arms around the princess. Her lilac eyes instantly locked onto the long red gash across Weiss’s body.

Without thinking Yang eased the heiress to the ground. Crimson had already spread everywhere, and Yang didn’t know what to do.

“Weiss,” she cried out in panic, “Weiss say something.”

What have I done?! It’s my job to protect her. How could I let this happen?

The normally pristine woman’s body rested lifelessly in Yang’s arm covered in her own blood. Weiss wasn’t moving and she wasn’t breathing.

Agony and panic overtook Yang’s mind.

“They’ll all die,” Adam spat, “Your weakness will mean the death of everyone you love.”

Yang held the smaller woman’s body close to her. “Weiss,” she sobbed, “Weiss, please!” Tears streamed down her face as she clung to the heiress’s slack form, “I’m sorry. Please don’t go, I’m so sorry.”

“Weiss!” Yang shot up in her bed.

Heart thundering in her chest and gasping for breath she desperately fumbled around till she managed to turn on the lamp next to her bed.

She defensively scrambled her way into the corner of her bed till her back was pressed against the wall. Sucking in mouthfuls of air as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes darted around the room till her mind finally accepted that she was no longer in danger. It took a while, but after she had calmed down a bit she was able to look down at her hands.

Letting out a short pained noise of relief she saw that they were clean. There wasn’t any blood. She griped her knees to her chest as she worked to bring herself back under control.

It wasn’t till she finally managed to regain normal breathing that she realized she was still crying.

What the f*ck is wrong with me?! Why… just why?

Yang had no answers, and it made her cry even harder at the hopelessness of her situation.

The second she closed her eyes the image of Weiss’s body flashed in her mind and she audibly sobbed. Shame filled her at thinking of how she had failed to help the princess. Failed to save the person that had done more to help her than anyone. Yang felt worse than she could ever remember waking up from one of her nightmares, and the weight of it all left her unable to stop crying.

Rationally she knew it was just another in a long line of terrible dreams, but the thought of such a thing actually happening cut her in a way she couldn’t fully understand.

It took time, but eventually she was able to get herself reasonable centered. After assaulting a tissue box Yang crossed her small room to get a bottle of water and downed the whole thing in one go. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath at finally brushing off her panic and emotions.

That was even more f*cked up than normal.

Looking back at her bed Yang grimaced; she had absolutely no intention of laying back down. So instead she sat in the chair next to her desk after grabbing another bottle of water. Clenching her jaw she reluctantly started trying to make sense of the dream.

Weiss had been in her dream again.

It made sense in a way, she had spent more time with Weiss than anyone else in the past few weeks. The video games made sense too; they had been one of the last things that she had thought about before she fell asleep. And people disappearing and having to deal with Adam was pretty much an industry standard for her by now.

What had been different was Blake not showing up in the dream. And for the first time ever someone had stood up Adam. He was always an unstoppable force of carnage, but Weiss had stopped him.

Yang’s shoulder tightened and her right hand reflexively dug into the table.

Until I let her die.

The blond felt shame run through her whole body.

How could I ever let something like that happen to her? Even if it was just a dream, what if I freeze up like that in a fight? It’s not like she can’t take care of herself, but my job is to protect her, to protect all of them.

Yang rubbed her face in frustration.

I know I’ve gotta get this under control, but I don’t know how.

She knew that she could always talk to Weiss about it; the princess would probably even come up with several research based solutions in less than a day. But Yang didn’t want to bother her teammate with yet another problem. Weiss had done too much for her already, and the thought of talking about this with the heiress made Yang feel strangely self-conscious.

That feeling of awkwardness made her mind recall what Qrow and Ruby had said in her dream. They had been making fun of her for showing off in front of Weiss and it had made Yang feel... embarrassed.

The blond raised a skeptical eyebrow at her own emotions.

That doesn’t make any sense, I’m not into Weiss like that.

Yang suddenly felt a knot of uneasiness grow in her torso.

Am I?

Nervously she thought back on all of the days she had recently spent with the princess.

Sure Weiss was attractive, that was a no brainer. Someone would have to be blind not to notice those legs or the sophisticated and alluring way that the heiress carried herself, but appreciating someone’s physical appearance was perfectly normal. It didn’t necessarily mean she was interested in her teammate.

Yang let out a sigh of relief. She needed far more than a good looking physique to be into someone. They needed to be interesting, fun to be around, and most importantly a good person.

Weiss is all of those things, you idiot. In fact you just told her so last night.

Yang slowly opened and shut her mouth. She swallowed and felt sick to her stomach.

I can not be interested in her. I already have feelings for someone else. I’m not that type of person.

She absently rubbed the palm of her hand on a corner of her metal prosthetic as she thought. Yang looked down at the cybernetic and frowned.

You didn’t come all the way to Atlas to find a girlfriend. Stay focused on what matters.

Shaking herself mentally the blond frowned. It wasn’t like how she felt it even mattered; Weiss definitely wasn’t into her. Yang had seen what had happened the last time the ice queen was attracted to someone; it wasn’t like the princess had been subtle. Yang rolled her eyes as she remembered how things had ended between the height challenged couple.

Neptune, what an idiot. Plus she has only ever been into fancy impressive looking guys. I never saw her show the slightest interesting in any of the girls that we went to school with, well other than Pyrrha.

Yang laughed before taking a drink of water.

But I’m pretty sure that was more of a world domination fantasy based on mutual perfection rather than actual attraction.

The blond felt herself relax. She smirked as she capped the water.

Yeah, Weiss is straighter than her perfect posture. There is no chance she would be interested in someone like me.

Chapter 13: Holding Back

Chapter Text

Weiss normally would have been ecstatic to receive an impromptu lunch invitation from her sister, but given the events of last night, the timing could not have been worse. She literally had hundreds of things to do if her plans were to come to fruition, and many of them would need to be done under the watchful eye of Sergeant Reeves. Going out for lunch on a Friday afternoon with her sister was not remotely close to being on Weiss’s the list things to do. Not to mention there was prodigious amount of planning that she and Glenn still needed to work out.

The heiress chastised herself for letting her own desires and stress sully what ordinarily would have been a good thing. She loved spending time with Winter; she just wished that meeting with her didn’t also carry with it the need for annoying and repugnant social niceties. Weiss really could not be made to care about the need to maintain appearances for all the “important” onlookers who wanted her to look perfect right now. Which was why she openly scowled at anyone who looked her way as she walked into the restaurant. Truthfully her mood would not have been quite so abysmal were in not for the fact that she was exhausted from how late she and her assistant had been up discussing and strategizingmatters.

It took a few moments, but Weiss was finally able to spot her sister in the crowded restaurant. What little willpower she had left to care about formalities was bolstered when she found Winter’s scrutinizing gaze upon her.

As she approached the table Weiss obediently waited for the attendant pull out her chair. The man quickly filled her water and then bowed to Winter before he left.

Her sister templed her hands as she addressed Weiss, “I hope you don’t mind; I took the liberty of ordering for us.”

While Winter’s words were framed in the form of a question, her tone made it clear that it was not. Weiss’s eyes narrowed a little at the fact that choices were again being made for her. As small and trivial as the action was she found it to be nerve gratingly irritating, even from her sister.

“Of course not,” Weiss lied. “I’m just happy that I could make time to meeting you.” Winter observed her carefully as she spoke, and for some reason it stoked Weiss’s ire more than it had a right to.

“I am glad you could make it on such short notice.” Her sister paused to take a sip of water before adding, “How are you finding your new position?”

The heiress used the last of her will to hold back the smoldering fire of indignation that had been simmering inside of her since last night. Of course Winter she already knew that she had a new position, which also meant that she was perfectly aware as to whomWeiss was now forced to working with. Her sister must have had a very good idea ofhow well her new position at the research and development branch was going, and was only asking because she wanted to see how Weiss would react to the question.

The irony of Winter asking how she was feeling while wanting her to respond as if nothing was the matter was what finally broke Weiss’s paper thin desire to care about how she was supposed to act.

The younger woman pointedly looked her sister in the eye, “Quite frankly it is terrible.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed sharply in response.

Weiss continued with a small satisfied smirk, “Reeves is a deplorable specimen of the military, and continues to stymie my decisions at every turn. Which is supported by father, even though it obfuscates one’s imagination as to how impeding forward progress won’t invariably damage both the company and the military.”

Winter’s eyes flared, and she quickly scanned the surrounding tables to see if anyone had heard the comment.

Even though she knew how dangerous such rembarkswould be if overheard by the wrong ears Weiss just didn’t care any more. She was so sick and tired of conforming to what the high society of Atlas and her family wanted her to be. Weiss leered at her sister as she scowled with her eyes. She dared Winter to say something to her about making a scene.

Surprisingly the older Schnee did quite the opposite; she quietly appraised Weiss with what looked like sadness in her eyes. After a second she reformed her composure and waved over their attendant; she whispered into his ear and he nodded in reply.

Placing her napkin on the table Winter stood from her seat, “It is time to leave Weiss.”

The smaller woman looked at her sister incredulously, “I am not a child. You do not get to reprimand me like one simply because you do not like what I have to say.”

Winter briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “That is not what I am attempting to do. I wishto talk to you, and I do not wantto do so here.” Her sister moved her eyes to different areas of the room to make her point. Weiss let her gaze peer past Winter and saw that there were several men and women at the surrounding tables that were now looking in their direction.

Weiss openly frowned in irritation as she got up from the table and followed her sister out of the restaurant. The valet already had Winter’s car waiting for her.

The elder Schnee simply called over her shoulder, “Get in.”

This of course only provoked Weiss further. “I don’t have time for games Winter. I have to be back to work in a little more than half an hour. Reeves will be thrilled to no end if I do not return on time and I am not about to give him such pleasure,” she ended with a near snarl.

Winter simply started the car and rolled down the passenger window. She then firmly address Weiss’s concerns, “I will be more than happy to deal with Reeves for you. Now please get in the car before I glyph you in here myself.” The accompanying look that Winter gave her younger sister let Weiss know that she was being quite literal and that her patience had reached an end.

The smaller woman let out an angry huff, but entered the car as she was bidden. As soon as she had secured her seat belt Winter swiftly pulled the car into traffic.

After several turns Weiss began to wonder just where her sister was taking her, and when she was going to start talking. Quickly losing her taste for silence Weiss began to sigh audibly.

Winter glared the road, “Stop acting like such a child. We will be at my apartment soon. Then you can tell me as loudly as you like what has happened to make you come so unhinged.”

Weiss’s eyes shot open in surprise. Her sister had never mentioned that she had an apartment, let alone invited Weiss to come see it. She had always just assumed that Winter stayed in officer’s quarters on whichever base she happened to be at at the time.

Curiosity made the heiress scout her surroundings to try and get her bearings, but true to her sister’s words they quickly arrived at and entered a parking garage. A short elevator ride later the two women found themselves on the top floor of the building.

Trying not to look like a tourist Weiss subtly peered at the empty hallway from the elevator. There were only two doors on the floor; each was at opposite sides of a single hall that was nicely furnished by a few small topiaries and scenic paintings of places around Remnant.

Winter didn’t give her an opportunity to linger and stare, as soon as the elevator fully opened her sister exited to the left. She paused only for a second to take off her glove and have her palm be scanned by the pad that was mounted on the right side of the door frame.Weiss timidly followed her sister into the rather large apartment. There were large floor to ceiling tinted windows that outlined most of the open floor plan of her sister’s residence. Nearly all of the furnishings were either dark blue or white, but truthfully the apartment was spartanly equipped. Not that unlike how Weiss tended to keep her own spaces.

Her sister set down her keys, took off her other glove, and then hung her coat on a hook by the door. Winter pointed to the large L shaped couch, “Have a seat, it takes a minute to get these boots off.”

The mystery and wonder of being in her sister’s living quarters soon abated and was quickly overtaken by her earlier agitation. Her sister had presumably whisked her off to another location because she didn’t like how Weiss had acted in public.

How refreshing.

The younger woman crossed her arms and stewed as she waited for her sister. In reality it didn’t take that long for Winter to finally join her, but to Weiss it felt like an eternity. The taller woman opted to recline in the corner of the large piece of furniture while Weiss kept herself stick straight at the opposite end.

“So, whatexactly happened last night?” Winter asked matter-of-factly and without preamble.

Weiss suddenly felt every muscle in her body tense at the pointed and oddly specific question.

Calm down, she couldn’t possibly know about that. I probably just look tired; I barely got any sleep last night. But how am I supposed to answer such a complicatedquestion? I can not tell her everything.

Winter’s expression turned more dissatisfied the longer Weiss remained silent, “You don’t have to worry about what you say here. I have a personalized security system, and I sweep this space for bugs everyday myself.”

Nevertheless, Weiss remained quiet as her brain scrambled for to how to deal with what her sister was asking her to recount.

The older Schnee narrowed her eyes, “How strange, you were full of things to say at lunch. This is your chance to do so without fear of consequence.” Winter smirked, “Or stay quiet, I can always just guess what is bothering you.”

The heiress’s eyes widened. Winter had always been an expert at teasing her; she somehow always knew exactly what scandalous things to say to get Weiss to break.

Weiss quickly re-weighed her various options and decided that a selective telling of the truth was her best recourse, “I have decided that I am going to take over the company.”

Her sister did not look impressed by the answer and simply waited with her arms stretched over the rim of the sofa for Weiss to continue.

“I have resolved that I will no longer be playing father’s game. I am looking into ways of taking the company, should I have to do so, without his consent.” Weiss openly scowled, “I have grown tired of conforming to everyone’s wishes but my own, and I refuse to let my life be controlled anymore by father’s selfish demands,” she finally answered. “I want to walk a path that I choose.”

Winter looked at her with a wide smirk, “A bold move, but I fail to see how acting like an insolent child in public is going to help you achieve those goals. Did it even occur to you that you might need some of the very people that were dinning in that restaurant to help you secure leverage over father?”

Weiss blushed in response.

“Do you think that peopleseeing you in such a state would inspire them to put their trust in you over an established business man,” the older Schnee scolded. “You need to learn from your missteps Weiss. You brazenly used your power and influence when you dealt with Simon and Tolley, and you know how that turned out. This time you need to be more clever and cunning so that you will not have to deal with such harsh repercussions.”

The smaller woman winced at the mention of her previous failure. Winter wasn’t wrong; she had over stepped before for a lack of any better options. But the truth of her sister's words did little to temper the fact that Weiss utterly detested the thought of looking for help from the very society that restrained and judged her every action.

Weiss broke eye contact and looked to the side asWinter continued, “And while I’m happy that you have decided to make a way for yourself of your own choosing, you still have not answered my question.” The elder Schnee pried once again, “What exactly happened last night?”

The heiress looked at her sister with confusion. She had told Winterthe important part. What else could Winter want her to say?

“The hard way it is then.” Winter brought her hand to her chin in thought, “What could have riled you so much that you decided to finally buck father’s authority and revolt against your normally obsequious public demeanor?”

Weiss felt a cold nervousness start to spread through her body.

“I doubt it was father or even Whitley, because Klien called me last night asking if I knew where you were.” Winter stared down her tense sibling, “So that only leaves one other person that I can think of who could nettle you in such way.”

The smaller woman swallowed hard in response.

“Did Xiao Long reject you?” Winter candidly asked.

A quick wave of relief washed over Weiss as her sister missed the mark. “Of course not,” Weiss answered, quickly adjusting the narrative to her own liking, “As if she would ever find me lacking as her training partner. You have seen her progress so far, and I would place money on those numbers soon doubling.”

Winter’s eyes softened and looked a touch sad, she spoke her next words with a sigh, “So then you still haven’t told her.”

“Told her what,” Weiss snapped losing her patienceforthe game they were playing.

“That you love her of course.”

The smaller woman’s blood stopped and her entire world felt like she had been put into time stasis.

She knows… but no one knows. I’ve never told anyone. Even the few girls that I “courted” never knew my name. How could she know about how I feel. How could she know about… about...

Time started to slipped back into place as the heiress vaguely noticed her sister crouching in front of her gently gripping her shoulders.

“Weiss.”

The smaller woman’s eyes came back into focus and she looked down at her sister’s worried face.

“Weiss calm down. It’s okay,” Winter called to her, with concern tipping her words.

She is worried about me. She isn’t mad?

Weiss mentally realigned herself and regained a measure of calm, “Sorry, I must be more sleep deprived than I thought.” She scrambled badly for a way to recover. With a laugh she replied, “I could have sworn you just said I had feelings for that brute.”

Winter looked up at her with a kind, but still concerned face, “Weiss, it’s okay. I have known that you were only interested in women for ages. You don’t have to hide it from me.”

Something inside of the heiress happened in that moment. There was utter disbelief at her sister’s words, but also it felt like a weight that she didn’t even know she had been carrying was suddenly pulled off of her chest. She couldn’t stop staring at the woman crouched in front of her as she tried to piece everything that was happening together.

Winter knew. She had always known… and she doesn’t hate me? She isn’t force me away. So it is… okay?

Her sister finally smirked and looked a little less troubled, “I hope I didn’t actually break you, because I really do not want to deal with an irritating and furious blond. Branwen’s are the worst to deal with when they are upset.”

Weiss physically shook her head, “Wait how do you know all of this? And no. She doesn’t like me like that; she doesn’t even know that I like women. But you do?” Weiss felt like her mind was trudging through mud just to make simple connections. “How...”

“Somehow I imagined this going better,” Winter sighed, “but you always were a bit more drama queen than ice queen.” Her sister stood to her full impressive height, “Take a second and breath, I’m going to get you some water.”

After a few deep breaths the heiress managed to reassert her higher order brain functions and realized that she was not in danger nor did it appear she had the need to lie anymore. So by the time her sister got back she was ready with what was now really bothering her.

She took the glass of water that was offered to her and took a conciliatory sip before asking, “I never told anyone, and I only ever openly dated men. How did you know?” Weiss felt nervous again as she asked the next question, “Do other people know?”

Winter sat next to her and leaned back into the cushion, “If other people knew it would have been all over the tabloids ages ago,” her sister let out a sad sigh. “No, you have always been good at putting up the front that others want to see.”

“I know because I am your sister,” Winter quite simply answered. “To me there were countless little things that made it obvious. You dated boys, but you were never truly interested in them,” the older Schnee smiled. “When I would try to get you to talk about them you would only ever want to talk about their faults and only ever complimented them on their etiquette skills. Whereas when we were growing up you would occasionally get a certain look in your eye when you talked about a few of the girls that you attended school with.” Winter smirked, “The same look you had the first time you told me about a certain blond. It is subtle, but your eyes always soften when you talk about her.” Her sister laughed, “Even when you are mad at something that she does.”

Weiss felt like she must have been beet red as Winter talked.

“You sacrificed yourself for her at the Vital Tournament,” Winter raised a knowing eyebrow, “and ever since she has been in Atlas you have gone out of your way to help her. Truly I wish you would have fallen for someone from a more reputable background, but I know that it is nearly impossible to control who anyone ends up having feelings for.”

Weiss could tell from her tone that Winter’s last statement was one her sister knew from experience.

Their eyes met and her sister reassured her, “You don’t have to worry. The only reason that I knew was because I have always carefully watched for anything that makes you happy.”

Winter paused and a great sadness came over her face. “I’m sorry that I left you alone with the rest of the family when I joined the military. I have always tried to look out for you in my own way.” A guilt that Weiss knew all too well clung to her older sister’s down turned mouth. “Which is why I have always tried to help you in your bid for the family business, even though I have always wished you would pick a different path that would allow you be happy instead.”

Her sister’s face tightened into its normal serious appearance, “But I will offer my assistance with this new endeavor that you intend to make for control of the company, and any other moves that you might make.” Winter emphasized with a small smirk.

“Your help in business matters will be most welcome, unfortunately I won’t be able to keep you as apprised of matters as you would probably like. Meeting with you like this, even this one time, will raise flags. So even though it pains me to say, we shouldn’t make a habit of meeting.” Weiss answered in a solemn tone.

Winter acknowledged to the truth of her statement with a small and displeased nod.

Weiss looked off to the side upon continuing, “As for anything else…” The heiress paused, “There won’t be any non-business related moves on my part. I will have far too many other things to deal with, and I try not to pursue things that are destined to fail.” Weiss openly frowned, “Even if I could somehow manage a favorable outcome it would be short lived, and I would be forcing another to hide in the shadows just as I must.” She let out a small pained sigh, “I couldn’t bring myself to be so selfish.”

A loud and somewhat exacerbated exhale made the heiress turn to look at her gently smiling sister, “You always have been excellent at quelling your own chances at happiness. I don’t disagree that if you were to pursue her you would have some difficulties to overcome, but what if it didn’t turn out as horribly as you imagine. It would be nice to see you get something for yourself that makes you happy, even if I think you can do better than the hot headed niece of Qrow Branwen.” Winter grinned, “Have you always had a thing for blonds?”

Weiss couldn’t keep from blushing and had a deep set frown on her face from Winter’s closing comment.

Winter laughed, “I’m just teasing. It is you decision whether to pursue her or not; I just hope you will keep thinking about what makes you happy. And I suppose,” the older schnee rolled her eyes, “if Xiao Long had anything to do with your recent shift in goals and desire to seek your own way then she must not be as bad as I assumed her to be.” Winter closed her eyes and turned up her nose, “Therefore you have my permission to date her should you wish.”

Weiss simply scowled till her sister peeked one eye open to check for the smaller woman’s reaction.

“You know the two of you both love to tease me,” Weiss responded with a raised eyebrow, “you would get along better than you think if you could both could just get over yourselves first.”

As much as she pretended to let Winter’s razzing get to her, it made her soul sing to finally be able to talk to her sister without having to hide her feelings. Weiss felt her eyes well up and she had to bite her cheek to keep them in place. “Thank you,” she quietly said, “for being okay with all of this.” The heiress looked away and rubbed the corner of her eye, pretending that there was something in it.

Before she turned back Winter pulled her into a tight embrace. “You are my sister, and I love you,” the taller woman gently replied.

Weiss gripped Winter’s towering form and nuzzled her head into her shoulder, “Me too,” she cried.

Winter patiently waited as Weiss let out all the emotions that she had been holding in for so long. The anger, the sadness, the regret, and even the joy that came with finally having someone in her life who loved and accepted her for all of who she was came rushing out of her as she was held tight by her sister’s strong arms. It was cathartic but also utterly draining experience, so Weiss was glad when her outpouring ceased and she was able to pull herself back together.

Before they broke apart Winter whispered into the smaller woman’s hair, “I will always watch out for you Weiss, but you need to remember that happiness will be hard won if you keep yourself closed to the possibility of having what you truly desire.”

Yang paced the gym for what felt like the fifth time that night.

Weiss had at least texted to let her know that she was going to be late again tonight, but it still hadn’t helped the blond’s nerves. Yang's nightmare was still disturbingly fresh in her mind even though she had had a full day of activities to keep her busy. She had of course found it impossible to get back to sleep after waking from the carnage ridden dream. Even with her stamina, a little over four hours of sleep was not enough to keep her alert though a day as long as this.

She had been half out of it all day, and every time she had gotten tired and rested her eyes she saw the gory scene of Weiss lying lifelessly in her arms. Yang knew that she would feel better as soon as she got to see Weiss whole and unharmed, but unfortunately seeing Weiss had now become a double edged gun-sword.

Seeing the princesssafe would help Yang put the dream behind her, but it would also undoubtedly bring up feelings that she really didn’t want to have for her teammate.

Yang knew it was stupid, but she felt like she was somehow cheating on Blake by having feelings for Weiss. The blond audibly growled.

I can’t cheat on someone that I’m not actually dating.

She balled her left fist so tightly that her knuckles popped.

Then why can’t I stop feeling so guilty.

Deciding that the only way she was going to get any piece was if she kept herself busy Yang made her way to the new game room in the gym. Her save file from the night before had just loaded when she heard the faint sound of heels on the gym floor. Yang’s first instinct was to run out and greet her teammate, but now she doubted if that was the right thing to do. If she too excited to see Weiss then the princess might get the wrong idea.

Is it really the wrong idea if it’s technically accurate.

Shut up brain, nobody asked you!

Yang left out a tired sigh.

Okay, if I stay here playing the game then she will think that everything is normal and that I'm just practicing. Even though I would rather be talking to her to see that she is okay.

Yang quickly started level three of the game, and after a few seconds really got into the fight on the screen. She was doing a good job of holding her own against the computer this time. Their life gauges were staying even through the round, and Yang knew that she could pull off a win if she could just get a clean combo to land without taking any counter attack damage. So she decided to try for a chi blast.

It was a really simple move combo-wise so it didn’t do that much damage, but she was so close to clearing the level that she didn’t want to chance failing by tying to do something else that was more flashy and did more damage.

Alright you sh*tty gray ninja I just need you to give me an opening.

Right at that moment the computer let down its guard after an obvious faint attack. Yang quickly tapped in the three button combo.

“Ha,” she shouted, “Eat that you stupid computer.”

After two more simple hits Yang was elated to see the grey ninja fall to the ground in slo-mo signalling that she had beat the level. Her celebration was short lived however, as she remembered that she was only supposed to be playing long enough to make it seem like she hadn’t been eagerly waiting to see her teammate. She was not supposed to play for so long that she forgot that Weiss was even in the building and probably standing behind her waiting right now.

She really didn’t want to, but Yang turned around to find pretty much what she had predicted. The princess was standing with her hips slightly canted as she rested her weight on her right leg. She had her scroll open and was tapping and swiping at the screen at a pretty impressive rate. Surprisingly though, Weiss didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Yang had kept her waiting. On the contrary the heiress didn’t even seem to notice that Yang had stopped playing.

The blond opened her mouth to say something and then decided against it. Instead she quickly saved her game and then turned back to wait on Weiss to be finished.

Without looking up Weiss spoke to her teammate in a completely nonplussed tone, “If you are finished with your game then you should go get Ember Celica. I have a couple more messages to look through, then I will be ready to show you the last new addition to your training. ”

The taller woman raised her eyebrow at the business like way that Weiss had just spoken to her, but decided to brush it off.

Yang was only halfway through loading and equipping her gauntlets when, just as she had promised, Weiss was done on her scroll and standing next to her in the weapons room. The heiress quietly took Myrtenaster out of its case and checked each of the dust chambers on the weapon, then without even acknowledging Yang’s presence walked back out to the main gym to stretch.

Normally Yang would have been a little distracted at the sight, but the relative silence of her teammate made the blond feel downright edgy. Something did not feel right. It was like there was a cold tension filling the space between them, and she didn't like it. Yang had thought that they made a real connection last night, but it was like something happened today to erase all of that.

She quickly finished equipping Ember Celica and walked out to meet Weiss at the center of the large metal floor.

The heiress stopped stretching when she noticed Yang waiting for her, and wasted no time in getting straight to the point, “The accuracy of your right gauntlet is awful; its a third of your left side. We will start working on target practice three times a week to improve your numbers.” Weiss drew her sword, “A moving target is the most realistic for combat training, so I will be your target.”

Yang immediately stiffened at her teammate’s words.

This is the last thing I need. I've been a wreck all day because of that nightmare and now she wants me to shoot at her!

It’d be one thing to spar, but to let herself be a target is entirely different.Even the best fighter can’t block one hundred percent of the time, eventually everyone takes a hit.

The blond took a silent deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves, “No offense Weiss, but I don’t think this is the best idea.”

The heiress looked at her with an emotionless and distant face, “I disagree. You need practice to improve your accuracy, and I need to work on my glyph summoning speed for defense. This is the most efficient route to attaining both.”

Yang clenched her jaw before speaking, “Okay, that may be true, but you are going to take a lot of hits in the process.”

Weiss simply co*cked an eyebrow at Yang’s response, “You are overestimating your current abilities and underestimating mine. Besides, what do you think aura is for?”

The brawler anxiously flexed her left hand in frustration. She knew that if she just came clean with Weiss this wouldn't be an issue, but that just wasn't an option. Frustration crept into her voice as she tried to reason with the princess once again, “Look, I just don’t think this is a good idea. What if you just put up glyphs for me to shoot at instead? Then I don’t have to worry about hitting you.”

The heiress rolled her eyes at the comment, “If I did that then the targets would not be moving and I would lose all benefit from the training,” Weiss stubbornly answered. “Stop worrying about me taking a hit. I have and will deal with worse in the future. My way is best.”

Yang could feel her ire rise.

She is so impossible to deal with when she is like this.

Despite all her efforts to keep a level head Yang was get pissed. This was the last thing sheneeded right now. What Weiss was asking her to do literally wasn't possible. And Yang had no idea howshe was going to explain that to her teammate, who she knew was two breaths away from a tirade, without also explaining everythingshe had been through last night. She was still coping with the after effectsof what the dream meant, and was nowhere near ready to field the million questions Weiss would inevitably ask her when she found out.

Yang did what she could to stay calm and tried to reason with Weiss one last time, “I understand that you want to train too. But if you want me to do my best and get the most out of this training, then I shouldn't split my focus by being worried about hurting you. It won't as efficient as you think and neither of us will get much out of it.”

Weiss scanned the blond with narrowed eyes. “What is wrong with you,” the heiress snapped. “Normally you would make some joke about me being a small target while spouting out a few lines of bravado.” Her teammate narrowed her eyes further, “You aren’t telling me something.” Weiss’s tone sharpened, “And that’s not acceptable Yang. I’m supposed to be training you; I can’t do that if you hide things from me.”

Yang looked away in distress as she gripped her right arm, "Look I’m sorry, but I just don't feel comfortable explaining right now." She frowned deeply after a long pause, “It’s personal.”

Almost immediately Weiss’s expression and tone changed. Her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes while she pinched the bridge of her nose. There was a long pause before she finally replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you and be so... forceful. That was not at all right of me to do.” The heiress let out a pained sigh, “It is not a good excuse, but I am quite tired. I did not get a lot of sleep last night and today was a…" her shoulders slumped further, "trying day.”

The blond looked at the troubled princess with genuine worry, “It’s okay, I get how hard it is to keep your cool after a bad day. Not having enough sleep only ever makes it worse.” She felt a strong urge to go to Weiss, but pushed the unwanted feeling down. She instead decided to try and bridge whatever gap had formed between them since the night before.

“Yeah I didn’t sleep well either,” Yang laughed, “must be something in the water.”

The blond immediately noticed her teammate’s eyes narrow in suspicion at the mention ofalso not sleep well. In turn Yang quickly come up with something to avoid unwanted questions, “It doesn’t seem like either of us is in a very good place for live target practice. How about we talk about it later once we are both in a more agreeable mood.” Yang failed to hold back a devious grinned, “Then we can Schnee how we feel about it.”

Weiss raised an irritated eyebrow at the pun, “If this is your attempt at breaking the tension you are going to need to do better than that.”

Yang’s smirk widened, “Is that a challenge, because you should know better than to en-Weiss me like that?” the princess rolled her eyes, but the blond wasn’t even close to being done yet, “If you keep rolling your eyes that hard at my puns then you’re going to Schnee-d a Weiss pack for your head.”

Weiss closed her eyes and rubbed her right temple, obviously because the hermind simply couldn’t handle how epic Yang's puns were. But as soon as the heiress had recovered she smiled sharply before her reply, “And just how Long will I have to Yang on before one of your jokes actually make better than crash landing?”

Yang’s jaw literally hung open as she had to replay for her stunned brain what had just happened.

Did Weiss just pun me, make a joke, and burn me at the same time?

Going over it a few more times there was only one possible answer. Yes, the ice queen had just done a thing.

The heiressrolled her eyes again and placed her hands on her hips, “Pull it together Xiao Long. It was a simple joke, I’m allowed to make them too you know.” The princessglared at something off to the side, “Even if you never admit that mine are any good.”

When Yang didn’t respond Weiss moved the glare to her teammate; there was a faint blush on the heiress’s checks as she spoke, “We don’t have all night you know.”

Yang couldn’t help but smile at how utterly adorable the princess was being. She knew she had no right to be as fond of her teammate as she was in that moment, but she didn’t feel like beating down her feelings this time. Instead she let her smile grow and replied, “That was a pretty Weiss joke actually, I can Schnee you’ve been practicing.” Weiss reddened even more at the compliment.

“But let’s be clear,” Yang continued with a sneer. She proudly pointed a thumb at her chest, “I’m still the master.”

Before Weiss could respond, the blond bounced back and forth on her feet a few times and then threw back her arms to co*ck her gauntlets, “So now that that’s settled put up some glyphs. We can talk about you becoming my apprentice later,” Yang ended in a wink as she set her footing for target practice.

Weiss sighed deeply in response, but Yang was pleased to see that the princess’s face and shoulders had lost much of the tension she seemed to have been carrying from earlier.

The heiress moved slightly to Yang’s left and turned away to face the open gym. From her angle Yang couldn’t see Weiss’s face all that well, but she could have swore that she saw a small smile on the her teammate’s face as she moved her hands to active several glyphs.

It made the blond feel light and happy to see the princess smile, but at the same time a pit of guilt once again pooled in her stomach. Instead of dwelling on either of the emotions she focused on lining up her gauntlet with her first targetand fired off her opening shot. She let the noise of her weapon cover a heavy sigh.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the need to focus and the loud noise of multiple rounds helped Yang blot out her less fun thoughts from earlier. And Yang was please to find that she was doing better than anticipated.

Unfortunately the feeling didn’t get to last long. Soon Weiss made the targets noticeably and abruptly smaller, which made the blond shoot her teammate a questioning look. In response the heiress simply madea perturbed face at the pause in “data collection,” which was soon followed by the princess tapping her foot as she pointed to the still active glyphs.

Yang knew it was pointless to argue so she took a deep breath, readjusted her stance, and gave Weiss a nod to signal that she was ready to continue.

And she genuinely was trying to focus and resume the training, but it wasn't that easy when she noticed that Weiss had moved to be more in her line of sight. Aview that proved to be more of a distraction than Yangwas capable of ignoring.

How exactly is it possible for any mere human not to admire how good those legs look in ridiculous high heels with that stupid perfectly, straight and composed posture?

Yang snapped her eyes back to the small glowing sigils before she could be caught by her equally straight teammate.

Great. Looks like I've developed a type. Women who I can't actually be with that are on my team.

Yang gritted her teeth as she let loose a salvo of rounds.

I blame dad for this.

Chapter 14: Taking Risks

Chapter Text

Weiss carefully watched her teammate as the blond picked up small metal tokens off of the table. The heiress meanwhile tapped the lap button of her scroll’s stopwatch app each time one of the disks successfully made it back into the container.

It was hard for Weiss not to be pleased by the marked improvement Yang had made in the week since they had instituted the new training. The blond was now able to pick up the tokens with an average of about seven seconds per disk, with a variance of about one point five seconds based on disk size.

The smaller woman was ecstatic with the level of progress that her teammate had made in such a short amount of time; Yang on the other hand had been in a strangely distant and irritable mood for the past couple of day and it was starting to trouble the heiress.

When Yang had placing the last token in the box Weiss uploaded the data to the training spreadsheet she kept on their sessions. A bit of a smile touched the heiress’s face as she looked over the newly imported stats, “Quite impressive, you have made a ninety-four percent decrease in your time for that activity since we first started training 3 weeks ago.”

Yang simply looked at her with a wooden expression and divulged absolutely nothing.

Weiss frowned in annoyance. “What is going on with you?” the heiress asked, as irritated at her teammate’s mood slipped into her voice.

The blond looked at her with a hard set expression of malcontent; answering only with, “What’s next?”

The heiress let out an irritated breath and started tapping her foot, while Yang simply staring at a wall lost in thought as she sat partially slumped in her chair.

“Alright you stubborn dragon,” Weiss chided, “enough is enough. You have been moping about for two days now. You need to start talking, because this disaffected mood of yours is even starting to rival Blake’s.”

Yang’s eyes briefly flared at the mention of the faunus’s name before frowning more deeply than Weiss had ever seen.

Oh, of course this is about Blake. Why wouldn’t it be about the one thing I have absolutely no desire to talk about?

Weiss pushed down her ire and decided to try for a more gentle approach. She walked over the disheartened dragon and gently placed her hand on the blond’s shoulder, “I would really rather you tell me exactly what is going on, but could you at least explain why you aren’t more excited about the growth you have been making? Your gross motor fluency is up to ninety percent and your fine motor control is up to an average of seventy percent. Even I am impressed with the improvements you have made.” Weiss removed her hand and folded it with her other across her chest. “So why can’t you be even a little bit happy about all the hard work that we have put into your training finally paying off?”

The blond’s eyes closed and she let her head slowly dip. The depressed nature of the woman before her made Weiss’s chest ache, and she felt all the more worse at not knowing how to help the miserable dragon.

“I’m sorry,” Yang finally spoke, “Thank you for helping me, and for putting up with me. You’ve been beyond great.”

The blond opened her eyes to look down at her metal appendage. She sighed before she spoke, “I don’t really know how to explain, but since I got this prosthetic I’ve been struggling to ‘connect’ with it,” Yang answered.

Weiss quickly started to reach for Yang’s arm to check the neural circuits, but Yang pulled back.

“No not like that. I mean, it’s not real. The arm isn’t...” Yang rubbed the palm of her left hand across the lip of the table as she struggled to find the words to explain.

Violet eyes grew wider as they stumbled upon a thought. “Here,” the blond motioned to Weiss, “Hold up Myrtenaster.“

The heiress looked at her a little funny, but drew her weapon as she was bidden. Yang took the index finger of her left hand and pushed it into the tip of the sword.

Weiss instantly jerked the blade away, but was too late. A small drop of blood pooled on the end of Yang’s finger.

“You see,” Yang held out her hand for her teammate to view clearly, “I can feel that. But this” she held up her metal arm, “I could beat this with a hammer till it was flat and I would barely feel a thing.” Yang sighed and flexed her mechanical hand. “It doesn’t feel at all like a part of me. If I want to do something I have to actually think about every motion that I want to complete before I do it.” The blond looked away in frustration, “I don’t know, did any of that make sense?”

The heiress could have kicked herself; it made perfect sense. Weiss didn’t know why she hadn’t realized it before. Yang’s arm was artificial. It wasn’t like she was trying to retrain a damaged limb. It was like more like training your brain to move something that it didn’t think was there.

If a human had to actively think about every movement they made in a day they would hardly get a thing done. It would be like planning every step you took, or deliberately willing every movement of your fingers as you typed out a simple message on your scroll. People don’t usually think, if they want to do something their body just generally complies.

Weiss narrowed her eyes as she sheathed Myrtenaster, “Yes, it does.”

The heiress reached out to grab Yang’s injured hand, but the willful dragon leaned away from her.

“I’ll be fine,” Yang quickly responded to the gesture. “My aura’s already healing it.”

The smaller woman rolled her eyes at her reticent teammate, and resigned herself to the fact that arguing the matter would go nowhere.

Yang scowled at the ground as she spoke, “I've had a weird feeling about using thisarm since I got it. I thought eventually it would get less over time, but a couple of days ago I realized that it wouldn’t ever go away. Which means I'll never have truly full function back, because there will always be lag time in my actions.” the gloomy blond looked into Weiss’s eyes with determination as she spoke, “That doesn’t mean that I will stop training as hard as I can. I wouldn’t ever be so thoughtless about the time and effort that you put into helping me.” Yang looked down at her metal appendage, “But it is hard to stay positive when you realize that what you’ve been working towards won’t ever happen.”

The words hit Weiss on a level that Yang could never have anticipated.

Righting her thoughts back to the task at hand Weiss scolded her teammate, “I wish you would have told me about this sooner,” The heiress took a long moment to fully analyze the problem before speaking, “I actually think I have a few ideas that might help, but I will need time to look into them.”

Practically grumbling to herself Yang got up from her chair and stormed out into the main practice area of the gym.

What is wrong with her now?!

Exasperated with the fuming dragon’s behavior, Weiss strode off after her teammate.

The heiress had hit her threshold with Yang. It had been just over three weeks since she found and started training Yang, and the whole time Weiss had patiently waited for the blond to talk to her about the issues that were affecting her from that night at Beacon. But now that they were influencing Yang this badly Weiss felt like it wasn’t just her satisfying her own need to know. Something was eating away at Yang in a way that Weiss hadn’t ever seen, and it was simply too hard for the heiress to watch someone that she loved tear themselves apart inside without doing something about it.

Weiss stopped a few feet from the taller woman’s back, “Yang this has to stop.” Her voice raised a little when Yang didn’t turn around, “You can’t keep pushing me away like this. Tell me what is going on so that I can help you.”

Yang’s shoulders slumped and she fisted both of her hands, “I don’t want you to help me anymore.”

Immediately the smaller woman felt pain radiate through her at the rejection.

“You’ve done too much for me already,” Yang continued, “and I can’t just keep relying on you to fix all of my problems.” Anger crept into the dragon’s voice, “It’s not right that you do so much for me. I can’t even help you in return.”

“Yang,” the heiress tried to reassure her, “you don’t need to-”

“It’s not just that,” the blond’s short temper cut her off. “I get that all of this is helping, but it takes so much time. And I don’t have time to waste. I spent over six months in Patch just licking my wounds while the rest of you were out in the world fighting, traveling, and living your lives without me. Meanwhile all I have managed to do is sign myself into servitude under the Atlas military, thinking that I’d be clever enough to find a way out of it,” Even with her back turned Weiss could see Yang’s whole body shake with anger, “But I haven’t. I don’t have the slightest clue of how to get out of my contract without giving up the one thing I came here for.”

Weiss wanted to say something, she wanted to do something to comfort the woman standing in front of her, but now that Yang was finally talking she didn’t want to do anything that might make her stop.

The dragon straightened to her full impressive height as she continued, “I get fully deployed under Ironwood in a little more than month, and when that happens I know what I have to do.”

The heiress took a cautious step towards the expanse of golden locks that covered the taller woman’s back. Her chest tightened as she waited for her teammate to continue.

Yang spoke with clarity and defiance, “I’m going to tell him that my first assignment needs to be hunting down Adam Taurus.”

Weiss’s eyes shot open with shock and soul crushing fear; without thinking she grabbed Yang’s left arm tightly with both hands.

Yang felt two slender and dexterous hands firmly attach themselves to her forearm. She was angry, but the sensation managed to conjure up a faded memory that dulled her ire slightly and kept her from pulling away.

“You moronic dragon, you can’t do that,” Weiss yelled in panic, “if you go after him you’ll die!”

The fear in the princess’s voice finally made Yang turn around. When she looked down on the smaller woman she found herself surprised at the level of terror that showed on the heiress’s normally controlled face. Weiss was not being melodramatic, she was really and truly worried.

Yang’s hard expression faltered slightly, and she didn’t have the heart to makethe princess let go. “Weiss," she sighed, "he’s still out there, and we both know that it is only a matter of time before he finds Blake again. If I want to find her I just need to find him first.”

Weiss’s face turned to a disappointed and aggravated frown as she looked away. She eased her grip and then let her hands fall away, “You are such a fool Xiao Long.” There was a long pause before the heiress spoke again and when she did there was vexation in her voice, “That is your plan. You think you can just walk up to Ironwood, the general of the whole Atlas military, and insist that he send you on a suicide mission so that you can search for Blake.”

The princess looked up at her in anger, “Did you really think that I would let you run off on a mission that will most certainly get you killed? Do you actually think Blake wants you to do this? And what about Ruby, what do you think it would do to her if she lost you? You are being so selfish,” tears touched the corners of Weiss’s eyes as she continued, “you are acting just like Blake. There are so many people that care about you and you-you-”

The heiress stared daggers into the floor as she cut herself off.

Yang stood very still; she was not really sure how to deal with what was happening. She had expected Weiss to be mad, but angry sad was freaking her out. “Look Weiss it‘s the only plan I’ve come up with that will let me do what I need to. I didn’t say that I was going to fight him; I just need to find him. Finding him will help me find Blake.”

Weiss’s eyes narrowed sharply in agitation at the blond’s words and she had the same look on her face that she got after having to turn Jaune down more than twice in one day, “So you think that you, a human, is just somehow going to sneak up on a group of highly trained faunus.” Condensation marked the heiresses words as she railed on, “Then upon finding Taurus he will simply lead you straight to Blake, whereupon the two of you will slip away from a literal killer without having to fight.”

The heiress’s words were stern and without hesitation, “You are nowhere near ready to fight him, on multiple levels, and you know it.”

The truth of her teammate’s words stung, but they also made Yang mad past the point of rational thought, “I can deal with Adam if I need to.”

“No,” Weiss’s voice lightened, “you can’t. And the fact that you do not see that is beyond troubling. What he did to you was nothing short of traumatizing, and if you think that your anger and semblance will protect you then you are deluding yourself. People don’t just get over the type of loss you have had, it takes years to deal with and talking to about it with people that are trained to help. You have shown all the signs of post traumatic stress disorder since you arrived in Atlas. I tried to let you come to me to talk about it, but you have kept it all locked inside and refuse to talk about it whenever I even hint at bringing it up. It would even be fine if you didn’t open up to me about it as long as you talked to someone, but you haven’t gone to see anyone on base about what happened either. You have to work through what happened. This is not the type of thing you can do on your own.”

Yang felt like she had been slapped in the face, “You think I’m broken don’t you?! Or do you just think I am too weak and stupid to handle my own problems. How could you think I have some sort of disorder? I’m here in Atlas trying to get my life back, I’m not crazy. I don’t need to go see a shrink to talk about my feelings. I’m dealing with it on my own.”

The heiress looked up at her with sad pleading eyes. Yang couldn’t handle seeing Weiss when she looked that miserable and disappointed, so she turned her head away.

There was a long pause before Weiss started talking again, “Yang, I would never think little of you, I am just worried about you. You haven’t been the same since the fall, and rightly so, you lost an arm and were nearly killed. If the same had happened anyone else that we know you would be the first person to listen and offer them help. I know you would never want someone to shoulder so much pain on their own, but you have insisted on setting a standard for yourself that is unreasonable and goes against what you would normally offer others. And I’m afraid that if you don’t get help dealing with everything you are going through thing are only going to get worse.”

Yang glared at the wall refusing to meet Weiss’s gaze, “You couldn’t possibly know what I’m dealing with, so why do you get to tell me what I’m doing is wrong?”

The princess’s words were soft, but thankfully without pity, “You are right, it isn’t right right for me to presume what you are going through. But I am also not able to sit here silently anymore and watch you suffer. The moment we met in Atlas I could tell that something was wrong. You were not your normal vibrant self, and I have never seen you be so negative or down on yourself as I have these past few weeks. I wasn’t going to push you, but you have slowly become more irritable and quicker to anger than ever.” Weiss knitted her eyebrows and paused before finishing, “And I know a lot of that has been caused by the nightmares you have about him.”

Yang’s eyes went wide with shock and her head snapped back to look at the heiress.

How could she know about that?

Weiss let out a sad sigh as she frowned, “I knew it, you are having nightmares.” The smaller woman’s gaze became intense as she locked her eyes on Yang, reading how the blond reacted to each word, “You get forced to relive that night in your dreams, and every time he attacks you no matter what you do. Then when you wake up you are in a panic that takes you nearly an hour or more to shake.”

Concerned blue eyes pierced into her soul as Yang stared back at the princess in disbelief. She knew, she knew almost everything, but how?

The princess’s hard expression broke and she took a step closer looking off to the side, “I know it doesn’t make it any easier, but what you are going through is actually relatively normal. I started researching the effects of trauma after the first time I managed to get a message to you in Patch.”

Weiss paused and gently reached out to grab Yang’s left hand in each of her own. The action forced the blond to meet troubled azure eyes, “You aren’t broken Yang, but you also should not have to go through all of this by yourself. This isn’t the type of thing anyone can do alone.”

The blond looked down sadly at crystal clear eyes, then lower at the pale white fingers that held on to her. Painfully she pulled from the grasp and put a few steps of distance between them. Yang had to turned away because she couldn’t handle looking at those worried eyes anymore and she didn’t know how much longer she could control the emotions that were still running rampant inside of her.

It was all just too much. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a long deep breath.

With great care she unpacked all of her emotions. The anger that she had directed at Weiss, but was really about her own inability to fix things. The fear of someone else knowing her weakness and having to acknowledging that something was wrong. The hopelessness of not knowing how to deal with the nightmares and all the pain that that night had continued to bring. The persistent desire to seek comfort from her teammate, only to know that she wouldn’t ever let herself have it. And the guilt at always taking and never giving enough back in return.

Yang didn’t know how long she had stood there working through her inner turmoil. But eventually her thoughts were broken by slender arms tentatively slipping past her sides to grip the fabric of her shirt. Yang froze as she felt the princess’s forehead gently rest against her back.

Confusion marked Yang’s face as she looked down at the pale hands that clenched the front of her shirt.

Is Weiss... hugging me?

As if on command the princess responded, “Don’t take this the wrong way you dumb dragon, but you did this for me once… so I’m just returning the favor,” Weiss’s voice sounded shaky and unsure, but still full of her trademark pride.

Part of Yang wanted so badly to turn around and embrace the princess properly, but the other part felt painfully guilty for enjoying the feel of the smaller woman gently clinging to her from behind. So as conflicted as it made her feel she stayed where she was, because she knew how unbelievably cruel it would have been to turn the heiress away after she had worked up the nerve to complete such a 'personal' action.

She also figured that staying put was the safest bet and would raise the least amount of questions.

Closing her eyes Yang stood there with a teammate, who the blond was still working out how she felt about, at her back that was trying to comfort her in an adorable and completely unskilled way.

Yang desperately wished that her emotions would stop fight long enough for her to sort through the chaos.

Maybe Weiss is right, maybe I do need to-

Before she could finish her thought the heiress spoke quietly into her back, “Please promise me that you won’t go after Taurus unless I fail to come up with a better plan. I will do everything I can to help you, so just please promise me this one thing.”

Yang couldn’t remember a time in her life when she had felt like more of an asshole. Her own problems were now spreading to others because she had refused to try and fix what was going on inside of her, and now she was hurting the one person who had helped her the most. It left Yang with an aching guilt that only grew the longer the princess held on to her.

She took a long deep breath and held it in before answering through her regret, “I promise Weiss.”

The heiress elegantly disentangled herself from Yang so swiftly that it was like she hadn’t ever been there.

She didn’t want to, but Yang turned to look at the princess. The smaller woman’s eyes were a little red in the corners, and she had a stern look on her face that Yang had started to recognize as Weiss trying to hold back her emotions.

Clenching her jaw Yang fought back her feelings of shame and guilt long enough so that she could speak, “I’m sorry that I always cause you so much trouble.” The blond looked away, “I won’t go looking for Adam, but if I search for Blake I might not be able to avoid him.”

Out of the corner of her eye Yang could see the princess frown deeply with worry, and it made the blond cringe.

Quietly Weiss replied, “I understand.”

Yang rubbed her head in frustration at how poorly things had gone, “Tonight’s sorta been a lot, if it’s okay with you I’m going to skip the rest of our training tonight.”

The heiress’s brow knitted together with concern, but she nodded, “I’ll go get my scroll and call you a car.”

“Thank you Weiss,” Yang looked down on the princess as she held her emotions in check, “for everything. You truly are an amazing friend.”

The heiress glared at the gym door, lost in worried thought. Things had worsened for Yang in a way that sincerely scared Weiss. She knew to her core that if she didn’t do something soon enough the prideful dragon was going to run off and get herself killed.

The events of the previous hour had grown a type of fear inside of Weiss that she had never felt before, and she didn’t like it.

Resolve made the heiress clench her jaw as she pulled out her scroll. She tapped a few buttons to make sure the line was secure and waited for the man on the other end to pick up.

“Ms. Schnee,” Glenn answered promptly, “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you till tomorrow. Has something changed with the decisions we made on the-”

Weiss cut the man off, “I want you to put everything we were working on on hold. You are going to meet with Doctor Polendina tomorrow. I need you to be completely available to him to ensure that he gets anything he might need to undertake the Yellow Dragon Project. It has recently become apparent to me that he is the only person that will be capable of working on the project given the new parameters that I want met. I’ll be in contact with him early tomorrow morning to get him on board.”

Her assistant hesitated before answering, “Ms. Schnee what happened? We had agreed that that Project would only be feasible after you had secured enough support and resources for the new LLC. We are still about a month off from being ready for this.”

“I am acutely aware of how disruptive the timing is, but it needs to be done now. I will be working on new schematics for the prosthetic all tonight. So I will need you to start lining up suppliers for the materials as soon as I send you the new blueprint. Doctor Polendina will no doubt make changes to the cybernetic design, but hopefully it won’t be too substantially different. This project is to be completed as soon as possible, so if Doctor Polendina says he needs something get it for him. I do not want to be bothered with purchase requests, whatever he requires is approved.”

“Ms. Schnee,” his voice hardened, “I think you need to take a minute to evaluate. If we pursue this now it will set our main goal back weeks and severely drain your personal accounts to the point that we may not be able to move forward. Not to mention the risk involved once you give it to her.”

“Glenn I know how badly this is going to affect us,” Weiss fought the urge to let her frustration out on the man, “We will just have deal with our timeline being pushed back, and I will just have to look at other options for securing us new funds. I know how much of a gamble pulling this project together right now is, and I will do everything in my power not to let it set us back any further than it has to. But if I don’t act now she is going to get herself killed, and I would rather lose the company a hundred times over than let that happen.”

There was distinct hesitation on the other end of the call, “If this goes wrong it will cost you quite literally everything.” Her assistant let out a regretful sigh, “I hope this woman is worth it.”

Weiss replied with ardent conviction, “She is.”

Chapter 15: Accepting

Chapter Text

Yang paced the floor of her small three by four meter dorm completely lost to her thoughts. It had been several days since her argument with Weiss, and the two hadn’t seen or really spoken to each other since. The only communication Yang had gotten from her teammate were a couple of texts saying that she couldn’t make their training the last two days because she had to work late.

Given everything Weiss had already done for her she had known right away that it was a bullsh*t excuse, and she was painfully aware that she had no one to blame for the distance between them but herself. Every time she thought of the princess she saw those sad and angry blue eyes and it shamed her in a way that she didn’t know how to handle.

It feels like I can’t do anything right.

Yang closed her eyes and clenched her fists as she finally stopped her pacing.

And it’s my fault that everything just keeps getting worse.

In resignation she looked back to the holo screen on her desk. The base’s clinical practice page stared back at her with what felt like judgement. Yang knew Weiss had been right and that she needed to talk to someone, but it just wasn’t that easy.

Going to talk to someone was the same as admitting that there was something wrong and broken inside of her; it meant that she was weak and too pathetic to handle her own problems. But if she didn’t go she could keep pretending like things weren’t falling apart and that she had control.

Yang glared venomous hate at the floor. It was obvious that continuing to deny that there was a problem was no longer an option, but that had been the sole thing that had allowed her to hold her world together until now. The thought of abandoning her only way of coping with things to try the complete opposite was terrifying.

Not to mention she would rather do just about anything than sit in a room talking about the most awful night of her life with some stranger that didn’t know her and probably didn’t have a clue as to what it was like to be a huntress. Add to that her fear of being judged, that her visit would be documented in her military file, and it being completely new and unknown, and Yang saw way more compelling reasons not to go than to go.

What could they even say to help her with her issues. They would probably tell her to just pick up the pieces and move on like everyone else had. Or worse, what if they thought she was just being dramatic and lying to try and get out of her duty to the military. Sure she was missing an arm, but when you compare that to Ironwood it was a scratch. In a way Yang feared that there wasn’t something wrong almost as much as she worried that there was; that somehow this was just what her life was meant to be now and she had simply failed to adapt.

She sat on her bed with her head in her hands, and bitterly clenched her jaw.

Why does this have to be so hard? I just want it all to go away. I don’t want to have to deal with any of this!

She scrunched her eyes closed so hard that it made her see spots.

But then she let out a long breath, opened her eyes, and stared down blankly at the floor. She was painfully aware that this was her limit and that waiting would only make things worse. It stung even more that she really didn’t even like and barely recognized the person she had become.

What she needed to do was clear; she just didn’t like it.

With a long deep breath Yang slowly stood and grabbed her scroll.

No more putting this off. I have to do this, today.

Despite her earlier resolve Yang’s nerves were a mess. The whole walk over to the clinic she had done her best to look inconspicuous; the last thing she needed was someone stopping her and asking if she was okay or where she was headed. As her determination had slowly weaken the closer she got to her destination.

Now as she stood in an empty hallway of the base’s medical building she was annoyingly aware of how strongly her heart was pounding. She stared at the smooth white door of clinical offices at the end of the hall. Almost every part of her wanted to turn around and walk the other way. To just come back another day instead, when it would be somehow easier to enter those doors.

She would have laughed at her own messed up logic if she if not for her own nervousness. She could lie to herself all day, but it didn’t change the fact that if she turned back now she ran the risk of never following through.

Taking in a deep breath, Yang took the first heavy step forward. Her nervousness didn't disappear, but eventually she made it to the entrance of the clinical offices. Looking down at the handle of the door she hesitated again, but only for a second.

When she entered with found a man with short black hair and tan skin smile at her arrival. “Hello,” the man greeted her warmly, “would you mind signing in for me please?”

Yang looked at the touch screen that the front desk receptionist pointed to. With a curt nod she entered her name and ID number.

Upon finishing the man began asking her questions in a smooth and steady tone, “I need to start by asking if this is an emergency visit.”

It took Yang a second to process what that meant, but then she shook her head. “No,” she took a moment to think of what she should say, “I just need to talk to someone, I guess.”

The man smiled in an understanding way, “Is this your first time coming to the counseling center?”

Yang simply nodded in response.

“Okay,” the receptionist responded as he picked up a tablet and tapped on it a few times, “I’m going to have you fill out these forms first, then after they are uploaded into the system someone will be out to talk to you in just a few minutes. If you have any questions about how to respond just ask me.”

Reaching out Yang took the tablet and realized that she had calmed down a little since talking to the man at the desk. The receptionist’s quiet zen-like demeanor and small yet kind smile sort of reminded her of Ren.

Knowing that she had a tangible task to complete didn’t hurt either; just about anything was better than being alone with her own thoughts.

After about ten minutes she had filled out all the questions and identification paperwork, but was waiting for her information to be downloaded into the system. To keep herself busy she read the front of all the pamphlets and posters that were on display. But as far as distractions went it was not a very good one, after a while Yang noticed that she had been rubbing her left hand against the metal of her prosthetic. Frowning a little she stopped her nervous tell and went back to scanning the room for things to read.

She had read nearly every word in the small waiting area three time before a tall woman with long tied back blue hair and dark skin finally walked in from the door that was next to the receptionists desk.

“Yang?” the woman asked.

Hearing her name called made Yang’s heart falter, but after a second she nodded and slowly walked forward.

The blue haired woman casually extended her hand, “Hello, I’m Doctor Estenberg. It’s nice to meet you.”

Yang nervously extended her cybernetic and put a considerable amount of focus into gripping the woman’s hand as gently as she could. She didn’t think crushing the doctor’s hand was the type of first impression that she wanted to make.

Estenberg wore a genuine smile on her softly but angular face, and after a second she released Yang’s prosthetic, “Well, if you are ready then you can follow me back to my office.”

Happy that she had succeeded in not pulverized the woman’s hand Yang simply nodded and let the taller woman lead the way.

The short walk to the doctor’s office was eerily quiet, to the point that Yang couldn’t help but notice. It was odd to find any place on the large base that was ever noiseless. So to Yang it felt like a welcome reprieve.

As Yang entered the small office at the end of the corridor she instinctively appraised her surroundings. It was a sort of muted space. There was a desk and computer set up against the far wall of the room, but most of the space had been used to set up an area for two comfortable looking chairs and a coffee table. One of the chairs had a leather bound notebook on it, so Yang took the other seat in the not too bright, windowless office.

Estenberg quietly closed the door before walked over to her own chair. The woman placed her notebook on her lap and wore a gentle smile as she started talking, “So I understand you are new to our clinic. Can I ask if you have participated in any kind of therapy or counseling before today?”

Yang tentatively shook her head. She was pretty sure that beating the literal stuffing out of heavy bags at the gym didn’t count as therapy, even if it was her preferred way of working things out.

“Well I’m sure you must be pretty nervous then,” the older woman replied, “Why don’t I start by telling you how this first session works and a little bit about what you can expect after today.”

Yang was in fact still very tense, and the idea of knowing how things would go definitely sounded nice. So she was quick to nod her approval to the plan.

Smiling a little at her fast response Estenberg started to explain, “This first meeting is called your intake interview. We will talk and I’ll ask you some questions, but you only need to tell me as much as you feel comfortable sharing. Then if I can gathered enough information I will give you an initial assessment. It is just a quick analysis of what brought you here today to help you decide how to move forward after today. This is important, because all of the doctors and counselors in the office have their own specialty and we also offer group sessions for certain issues as well. I’ll also give you a description of each of practitioners’ style and personality; we do this because it is crucial that you feel like you can talk openly with whomever you decide to work with. Then after we are done with today’s meeting you will schedule an appointment to meet with the person you choose for next time.”

The doctor paused to let Yang take in all the things she had just heard before showing off a good natured grin, “I know that’s a lot of information to process all at once, so do you have any questions before we start?”

Yang felt the knot in her stomach grow a bit, but shook her head to indicate that she did not.

“Okay,” the doctor replied. Gracefully the older woman opened the leather cover of her writing pad and clicked her pen, “So tell me a little about what brought you in today Yang?”

Weiss sat at her large onyx desk as Reeves droned on about the latest unfounded reasons for blocking her newest expansion project.

After the first minute she grew so vexingly tired of his prattle that she grabbed a yellow square of paper from her desk to started to fold it. Reeves was so absorbed in his own speech that it took him several minutes to notice that she was no longer offering him her undivided attention.

“Miss Schnee,” The older man glared down at her from the other side of her desk, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t drift off during our meetings. It’s quite unprofessional.”

Without stopping the movement of her fingers she looked up at him with her coldest blue stare, “Unlike most I am capable of dividing my thoughts, especially when the tasks are of minimal importance and only require the barest level of scrutiny.” The heiress looked back down to the nearly finished product in her hand, “I listened to everyone of your reasons for turning down my recent proposal. Now let me share with you what I find to be unforgivably unprofessional. I find it particularly egregious when people say in twelve hundred words what could be said in twenty.” Weiss sat down the completed piece of origami and pointedly looked up at the sergeant, “I have found that people who actively choose to waste my time are by nature very egocentric and needlessly self-aggrandizing individuals.” Weiss was careful not to smile when she saw the graying man’s eye twitch in anger.

“Therefore,” she continued, “I know that a man of your respected station will not take offense to my drawing this meeting to an early close so that I might attend the many other administrative duties that do require my full attention.”

Reeves clenched his jaw and shot her a particularly nasty scowl at being out played. He paused only for a moment before unceremoniously leaving her office. Apparently having his fill of the day he just as quickly made his way to the floor’s elevator.

It wasn’t till the metal doors finally closed off her view of the man’s despicable face that Weiss was able to let out the breath she had been holding in.

I wonder how much that is going to cost me later?

Weiss tapped the surface of her desk with her index finger as she contemplated the self imposed question. She honestly wasn’t sure how much more vindictive the sergeant’s behavior was capable of becoming, but she had learned early in life never to underestimate the wrath of a man’s wounded pride.

Normally she wouldn’t have gone so far, or at the very least offered more of a placation to soften the brunt of her words. But her more pressing personal matters of the week had left her with a shortened temperament, and she had reason to get Reeves out of her office in a timely matter.

With the loathsome man finally gone Weiss grabbed her scroll and activated its secure settings. She quickly swiped through the many meetings that Glenn had added to her personal calendar. At learning that she would need to sit through two more meetings before week’s end with people she really couldn’t stand but regrettably needed, she pinched the bridge of her nose and held her breath.

After unclenching her jaw she looked down at the origami dragon on her desk and let out a sigh of remorse.

Weiss had no love of how frustratingly full of her week had and would become, but she would still scrape together as much time as she could afford to work with Doctor Polendina. The man was a marvel to be sure. The adaptations that he had made to her initial schematics were genius. Equally amazing was the speed in which he was completing the project; according to his projections the new model would be done and ready for field testing sometime by week’s end.

That had been phenomenally good news for the heiress for a number of reasons, least of which was she would no longer have to put in such long hours everyday. Weiss was no stranger to hard work, but consecutive eighteen hour days were starting to push the limits of even her stubborn will and mental endurance.

Weiss gazed down to the yellow paper figure once more and picked it up. After a brief moment she set it back down and picked up her scroll and begrudgingly typed a message. Her jaw clenched tightly as her finger hesitated to hit send, but after she did she closed her scroll and got back to work.

Yang stepped out into the late afternoon sun and shielded her eyes with her prosthetic.

Not long after she started her walk back to her dorm she noticed how much lighter she felt; almost like all the emotions that she had been carrying around had been poured out of her. Talking about everything had not been easy or fun. Truthfully, it had been really hard. And while she felt emotionally lighter, the whole thing had left her feeling wrung out and surprisingly exhausted.

The whole experience hadn’t been what Yang had feared or expected. Doctor Estenberg was really nice the entire time, and not at all judgmental like she had feared. In fact, the doctor reassured her several times that her feelings were valid and that what Yang was dealing with was pretty common for many of the soldiers that came to see her. Which even though Yang found that hard to believe, it had made her feel a little better.

Finally reaching her small room she quickly entered and flopped onto the bed. As tired as the whole thing had made her she still wasn’t exactly sleepy. So Yang laid on her back while she looked up at the ceiling lost in thought.

After a little while she let out a long sigh and turned on her side. Talking with someone had made her feel better for now, but Yang knew she was still a long way from where she needed and wanted to be. Her eyes fell on the little paper crane that Weiss had made for her over a week ago and then to the shoddy but complete origami bird that she had made herself a couple of days ago.

I guess it is the same way with everything in life, nothing worthwhile comes without a sh*t ton of work first.

Looking at the origami Yang couldn’t help but think of Weiss. The blond instinctively pulled out her scroll to check her undoubtedly empty inbox.

Finding just what she had expected Yang blew out a short frustrated puff of air. Irritably she closed her scroll and laid on her back again.

I hate how much I miss her.

The blond fidgeted to get comfortable as she gripped the scroll in her left hand.

How much longer she is going to stay mad at me? It’s not like I can’t train on my own, but…

Yang clenched her jaw. It pissed her off that she was acting like such a demanding and selfish teammate. It was bad enough that she had feelings for people on her team, but to be so needy and dependent made Yang feel like garbage.

The blond’s index finger tapped the case of her scroll absently as she tried to think of any message she might be able to send Weiss that might make things better between them, but everything she thought of sounded awkward and stupid.

Giving up on her ability to come up with anything worthwhile she turned to place her scroll on her nightstand. The second she set it down the device let out a ding.

Quickly she opened the device to check the new message, and a frown immediately spread across the blond’s face as she read.

Weiss:

| Work has become quite demanding yet again;there is a new deadline that I must meet before the end of the work week. This regrettably means that I will not be able to train with you till Saturday at the earliest. I know I can trust you to train your hardest even without me there to pester you. I am sorry, I promise I will make my absence up to you when I see you next. |

Looking over the message a few more times Yang resisted the urge to get angry.; it helped that she was so tired. She started to type a reply, but kept deleting everything she wrote. After two full minutes of contemplation and scrapped responses she finally settled on something that she was reasonably sure didn’t make her sound desperate or like an idiot.

Yang:

| Good luck on your project. See you this weekend. |

The blond waited for a reply even though she knew there was unlikely to be one. After a while she closed her scroll with an annoyedgrowl, turned toward the wall next to her bed, and sulked. She knew how inexcusably childish she was acting, but she just didn’t have the energy to stop herself.

After a while she tried to reason with herself. It would only be a few more days till she could train with Weiss again, and on the upside the princess didn’t sound mad at her in the message. Which was good news.

Yang scowled at her own rational and pulled her pillow over her head in anger. It still didn’t change the fact that she missed her teammate, or how much she hated the fact that she had feelings for the princess in the first place. The blond groaned into her pillow.

Emotions are such a pain!

The heiress nervously looked down at the nondescript metal case that housed a new state-of-the-art, custom cybernetic. Ticking off boxes in her head she ran through the connection procedures for the eighth time since she had arrived at the gym. Weiss placed her hands on the worktop bench in front of the case and took a deep breath.

She hated that she was going to have to lie about the arm’s origins, but if she didn’t there was little to no chance Yang would accept it. Even with the story she had fabricated Weiss was still worried. The fiction was definitely believable but was not without a few potential holes. It wasn’t like she had had an overabundance of time in the last week to craft the perfect deception, but the heiress knew better than to change a plan this late in the game.

Weiss scowled in sadness.

Deception is such a perfect word for how I’ve come to be around her. I have to lie about this cybernetic, I have to hide my feelings, I can’t even let her know how proud I am that she finally went to get help with her PTS, because I shouldn’t know.

But like any good Schnee Weiss did know, and had access to nearly anything she put the effort into finding. With Yang it had been simple; Ironwood had already given her a ridiculous level of clearance to access the blond’s military files. The heiress knew that Yang had gone to the clinic on base twice since they had last talked face to face, and that she had even scheduled future visits. It was certainly promising. Weiss could have pried further to find out more details about the blond’s visits but that wasn’t a line the heiress was willing to cross.

The fact that Weiss had so many secret that she was forced to keep from the person she cared about the most about weighed on the heiress as much as her destiny did. She knew that none of what she was doing was malicious, but it still felt wrong. Pinching the bridge of her nose Weiss struggled to refocused her resolve.

I need to remember that this is not about me. If I can make this work Yang might start to feel whole again.

That thought alone was enough to set many of the heiress’s reservations at ease. This prosthetic had the potential to solve many of Yang problems, and the trial data that Polendina had run on the cybernetic the night before had only proven to bolster that belief. Weiss had high hopes that in time Yang would be able to reach the full potential of the cybernetic aura technology she and Polendina had developed.

The small woman took a deep breath and let it out; she knew better than to get ahead of herself. Tonight would only be the first test, and Yang was much more complicated than and unpredictable than a series of theoretical inputs to be analyzed by a computer.

Weiss focused on her eyes on the plain surface of the the prosthetic once again before checking her tool placement on the bench. She had barely even reached out to touch the instruments when she heard the gym door close.

Weiss very nearly jumped at the sound, and her mind immediately began to race.

How is she here already; she wasn’t supposed to get here for another forty minutes! And since when is Yang ever early for anything?

Quickly the heiress shut the case and rushed out of the weapons room and into the main gym to greet her annoyingly early teammate.

Yang’s premature arrive and seeing the flawless blond again after over a week set the heiress on edge and made her stomach fill with a torrent of unbidden and unwelcome feelings, but despite this the heiress slid her neutral visage into place with relatively little effort. It was one of the few times in her life that she was glad she could rely on the skills imparted to her by her bitterly cold upbringing.

As they neared each other the smaller woman couldn’t help but notice how Yang, on the other hand, wore a hesitant and even tense looking grin. The vibe she got from her teammate piqued Weiss’s curiosity, but she was fairly certain she knew why Yang looked so vulnerable.

Before they met at the center of the gym Yang called out with a nervous smile, “Hey princess, what’s on today’s agenda?”

Weiss glared mildly at the nickname and stopped short of her intended path to forcing Yang to make up the distance left between them. It never failed to irk her that thedragon might never stop using the annoyingly pejorative title.

Quick to let the irritation pass Weiss instead focused on opening the conversation in the direction she had intended. She smirked slightly as she redirected the conversation, “We have not seen each other in over a week. I thought that before we started it would be nice to catch up. Maybe even discuss how your training went while I was indisposed.”

Yang scratched the back of her head and looked at the heiress a little surprised, “Oh, okay. I guess it has been a while.” And for the first time in what felt like far too long Weiss saw the blond genuinely smile, “Well, training was honestly pretty boring without you, but it went fine. How was your week?”

In the interest of moving the conversation forward the heiress had to stop herself from getting lost in the dragon’s smiling lilac eyes. Covering for the pause with a quick eye roll she answered, “It was a truly arduous week, but I hope not to spend so much time at work in the future. Putting together a budget proposal for my department may be the most taxing and fruitless endeavor that I’ve undertaken since starting at the research and development division.”

The blond looked at her with a confused face, “I know I don’t know a lot about business, but I always thought budgets were a pretty important thing. Why was it so ‘fruitless’?”

The heiress wanted to smile, but stuck to her script, “Normally you would be absolutely correct, but Reeves just fights with or outright denies any proposal I make.” Weiss let out a chuffing laugh, “And from the records it looks like the previous department head didn’t have it that much easier. Any project that doesn’t look like it will be markedly profitable get defunded, but his particular dislike of me is so inspired that he is willing to throw out that rule of thumb just to spite me,” Weiss glared at the frustrating truth of her last statement. “Which means, in effect, that I spent a week’s time putting together a document that he will object to solely on the fact that it has my name on it.”

A deep frown quickly spread over Yang’s face at Weiss’s words, and the blond looked like she wanted to say something. But that wasn’t the conversation that the heiress wanted to focus on, so the smaller woman let a light smile touch her face, “But enough about my troublesome week. How was yours?”

Weiss didn’t miss how Yang’s eyes widened at the question.

The blond quickly looked away uncomfortably as she answered, “Oh you know, same as normal I guess. Like I said it was actually pretty boring.” The blond added in an afterthought, “I’m sorry to hear that yours was so bad.”

The smaller woman fought back her frustration at the blond’s unhonest response, but let it go. If Yang wasn’t ready to share with Weiss then that was her decision.

“Well,” Weiss finally responded, “I wouldn’t say it was a total loss. I did happen to find something quite interesting while working on the budget, you wouldn’t believe some of the things we have in the back logs of the research and development inventory from all the decommissioned projects.”

Yang looked down on the heiress with obvious curiosity, “Really? Does that have anything to do with why I saw you coming out of the weapons room?”

“Why don’t you come and see,” Weiss smiled mischievously before turning away. She made sure to stay ahead of the blond’s long stride so that she would be the first one in the room.

The smaller woman put herself between the new metal case and Yang. She playfully smiled, “I promised that I would make my absence up to you, and oddly enough I have Reeves’s idiocy to thank.” Weiss turned and opened the case. “He defunded this cybernetic project over two years ago because it was too expensive to mass produce.”

Yang’s brow furrowed with confusion as she looked down at the cybernetic.

“Despite being an older piece I could see the potential of its specific design, so I had Polendina make a few modification to it to bring it up to date,” Weiss bit the inside of her cheek as she continued to sell the lie.

The blond looked at Weiss with a hard, concerned stare, “Weiss even if this was in the inventory backlog won’t someone know it’s missing?”

The heiress simply smiled, “The project’s tag said it was due for destruction, so I paid to have it ‘liberated.’ Honestly, even if I hadn’t I really don’t think anyone would have noticed. The only reason I even found it was because I went through the department’s inventory line by line for the past three years.”

Her teammate continued to scan Weiss in a way that was immensely uncomfortable, but she knew that as long as she stuck to the plan she could sell the lie.

Yang’s mouth opened to say something then closed. Weiss rolled her eyes in mock irritation, “Oh don’t act so surprised, it is hardly the first time either of us has broken the rules.” The heiress smugly mused, “Or have you already forgotten all the rule our team broke the first six months at Beacon?”

The blond looked like she was about to counter the statement, but then smiled and said, “Yeah I think if Ozpin hadn’t liked us so much Goodwitch would have given us the boot after the second time we blew up part of town.” But the smile soon turned to a frown, “Look Wiess, it’s not that I don’t think this is super nice, but I just don’t want to keep taking things from you. And there are a ton of problems with me suddenly just having a new prosthetic. I wish you would have talked to me first about it.”

Weiss was a little shocked that her normally all-in teammate was so reluctant, but the heiress wasn’t ready to give up on the sale yet, “I hear your concerns, but will you at least do me the favor of sating my curiosity just this one time. I went to a bit of trouble to find this thing and get it here. Don’t tell me you have no desire to try it out, or find out if it is better than what you have now?”

Her teammate took a minute to consider as she looked down at the case, but Weiss knew she had successfully planted the seeds of temptation in the blond’s mind. Finally prying her eyes away from the shiny new cybernetic Yang answered, “I’ll try it, but we still need to have a long talk about logistics for this thing.”

The heiress smiled, “Whatever you want.” Then pointed to the metal chair that she had set next to the workshop bench, “But after,” she grinned.

Weiss rechecked the new arm’s alignment and ran through the connection protocols again before she was satisfied enough to get final confirmation from Yang, “Okay, everything is set. But I need to emphasize again that this connection is going to hurt a lot more than a normal one. This tech has many times the neural connections of your old prosthetic.” Weiss explained as she struggled to keep the slight tension she was feeling out of her voice.

Knowing that she would have to cause the person she cared the most about physical pain, even if it was to help, did not sit well with the heiress.

Yang laughed, “Weiss, you’ve met me right?” The blond reassured her with her co*cky grin, “I’ve been punched through a concrete pillar by a mech suit. I got this.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. While that was true, not even the dragon’s bravado could shake the smaller woman’s unease. She scowled at the brawler and roughly moved the taller woman’s left arm to rest over her narrow shoulder, “At least hold onto my shoulder so you have something to stabilize yourself.”

The close contact made Weiss edgy, but she knew Yang would need help to get through the connection process. As much pain as Yang thought she could handle Doctor Polendina had assured the heiress that this sync would quadruple Yang’s level of neural connectivity to the cybernetic and would be extremely taxing even for a resilient huntress like Yang.

“Okay,” Weiss said as she rechecked the circuits for the fourth time and placed the hex key in the neural activation slot. She looked one last time into lilac eyes, waiting for Yang to signal that she was ready.

The blond nodded. Weiss bit her lip and turned the wrench till she felt the switch click into place.

“Ahhhh!” Yang yelled. Her violet eyes opened wide with pain and her pupils constricted nearlyto pin pricks. Weiss braced herself for the crushing grip she expected to feel on her own shoulder from Yang’s left hand, but only felt a squeeze that was no harder than a firm handshake.

The connection itself only took a fraction of a second, but coming down from the shock and pain of having every single synthetic neuron activate and then sent to your brain at the exact sametime lasted much longer. After a few seconds Yang let her head lean back against the metal wall of the workroom and she closed her eyes from the relief of it being over. The taller woman’s body slumped a little and it caused her left hand slide off the heiress’s shoulder.

Weiss looked down at the down at the ridiculously stubborn dragon with concern. It would take a little time for the neurotransmitters from the pain of sudden activation to fully wash out, but knowing how annoyingly resilient Yang was she would be up and about in mere minutes.

That did not however stop the heiress from chastising her teammate, “You dolt! You were supposed to squeeze my shoulder to take the edge off the pain.” Weiss scowled in frustration, “I won’t break you know.”

Violet eyes remained closed as she waited for the residual pain of the connection to dissipate, Yang let out a choked laugh, “After everything you’ve done for me, how could I ever let myself hurt you Weiss? Besides, what type of hero hurts the princess?” Yang let a small grin touch her lips.

Weiss was glad that Yang’s eyes were still closed because her face felt like it must be practically crimson with embarrassment. She gave a huff and started to busy herself with the tools on the bench to calm herself, “I’ll remember that the next time you leave a crater in the floor during one of our sparring matches.”

Yang managed to laugh and the shorter woman stole a glance to the side to check on her recovering teammate. Slowly the blond opened her eyes. Weiss’s prediction had been correct, Yang was already testing out her new arm. Little twitches in the metal fingers let Weiss see that Yang was successfully feeling out the new neural connections.

Weiss bit her lip. “Do you want to see its full capability?” the heiress asked tentatively.

Yang fully rotated her fist and looked up at Weiss with a raised eyebrow.

“Try sending your aura into it,” the smaller woman replied.

Shrugging Yang held up the cybernetic and concentrated. After a few seconds the blond glanced up at the heiress with a look of ‘now what’.

Weiss smirked and answered, “Hold open your hand.” The heiress gently moved her hand forward to touch the metal palm of her teammate’s prosthetic.

Yang’s eyes shot open wide at the contact, and then she stared at the cybernetic in wonder. Emboldened by the blond’s response the heiress shifted to holding Yang’s hand and squeezed it, but the reaction that Weiss got was not what she had expected.

The blond looked up at her in awe and blushed.

The gaze captured Weiss so completely that that she blinked upon realizing just how long she had been held in place by her teammate’s stare. The smaller woman feigned a cough and pulled her hand away in an attempt to gloss over the awkward moment.

Yang meanwhile looked down at the cybernetic in shock before finally saying something, “Weiss, I can feel with this prosthetic?” She pause for a second, “No, wait that’s the wrong word. It’s not really feeling, but I can sense with it. I could tell that you were touching me and I could tell the difference between the pressure of you touching my palm and squeezing my hand.” Blond eyebrows shot up, “Weiss, this is amazing.” Then her eyes came to focus on the new arm with great scrutiny, “This is…”

Yang moved the hand of her prosthetic to eye level and slowly made her hand into a fist. She smiled at the movement.

Weiss didn’t really want to but she interrupted her teammate’s thoughts with a question, “So do you want to test it out?”

After a second Yang sat up with both her hands on her knees and a purely devious look on her face, “What do you have in mind?”

Letting out an exasperated huff the heiress quickly turned and walked towards the center of the large training room. She was relieved that doing so gave her the opportunity to hide her face and time to wipe away the troublesome thoughts that ran through her mind from the dragon’s last words and the look that they had earlier shared.

By the time she reached her destination she had regained her composure. In one fluid movement she sharply turned, unsheathed Myrtenaster, and set her stance. “I say we see if you can finally best me,” the heiress quipped as a glyph started to hum and swirl at her feet.

Yang let lose a positively Cheshire grin as she walked across the metal floor and finished fitted Ember Celica into place. The blond threw back her arms and closed her eyes at the sound, “Oh I hope you’re ready princess,” when the dragon opened her eyes Weiss saw a fire in them that she had once feared lost, “because your winning streak is about to come to an end.”

The origami dragon Weiss made.

Sorry, I don't own an onyx desk, so granite will have to do. :P

Chapter 16: Truth

Chapter Text

Yang sat on a metal chair in the workshop and stared at the open hand of the new prosthetic in utter wonder. Slowly she closed the appendage into a fist, and smiled as she relishing the sensation of actually being able to have a real type of sensation back.

Squeezing the fist tighter Yang grew excited at ‘feeling’ the force of her new grip. The new sensation that the cybernetic provided wasn’t perfect, but it was a marvel compared to the detached near nothingness of before. Even with the short time that it had been connected Yang could tell that the prosthetic was going to be far more responsive than what she was used to.

The blond was so entranced by the new arm that she almost didn’t hear the princess’s next words, “So do you want to test it out?”

Yang felt energy rumbled inside of her at those words. The possibility that she might be able to really fight again, almost like she use to, kindled a fire in her.

She smirked up at Weiss and with a teasing tone asked, “What do you have in mind?”

Not outside of Yang’s expectations the princess stormed off in a huff to the main sparing area, which only made the blond grin wider at her ability to set off the adorable tsundere. The brawler quickly jumped up from her chair to grab her gauntlets that sat on the far side of other work bench.

Walking out to the open gym and she had just about set Ember Celica where she liked them when she spotted tall, gracefully gorgeous legs turn to reveal the princess’s blade. Weiss had caught Yang’s attention, but not at all in the way shehad intended.

“I say we see if you can finally best me,” Weiss called back to her as she activated a glyph to emphasize her point.

Yang let lose a devilish grin as she absently finished setting her gauntlets into place.

I love it when she’s feisty.

The blond co*cked Ember Celica and closed her eyes in delight as she heard the first rounds slide into place. It made the fire that had been lit inside of her roar, “Oh I hope you’re ready princess,” Opening her eyes she had to fight to hold back her already smoldering semblance, “because your winning streak is about to come to an end.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow in challenge and it was all the answer Yang needed. She broke into a run to rush her smaller teammate, but just as she anticipated the princess blinked out of sight just as several glyphs formed a halo above her.

The heiress was jumped from glyph to glyph at a pace that seemed inhuman. And while Weiss had steadily gotten faster in the time they had been training, Yang had been sparring with the princess nearly nonstop. To the point that Yang could read the heiress’s patterns in her sleep, even if she couldn't see them.

She’s going to show up behind me on my right side to test out the arm’s new reaction time for her first attack.

Yang saw Weiss jump to the sigil behind her, and immediately the blondshifted her weight to the balls of her feet while she used her hips to put power into her right forearm block. The moment her feet were planted sparks flew from Myrtenaster’s blade slidingpast Ember Celica.

Yang marveled at her ability to sense the gauntlet being pressed against her prosthetic. But not even the awesomeness of the new cybernetic was enough to make her pass up a chance to taunt the ice queen.

Right as the princess sailed past her she winked, to let the heiressknow that she had seen her coming and was hardly phased.

The dig had itsdesired effect. Weiss nearly doubled her speed and came in for a slew of lunge attacks from her glyphs that would have left any other fighter on the ground grasping for aura.

But today Yang felt amazing.

She let the princess come at her as she tested out her new reaction time with the cybernetic. Blow after blow she was able to evade and fended off each of Weiss’s attacks. Yangknew better than to get co*cky though. The arm was fantastic, but it wasn’t perfect. A few times Weiss managed to bring Myrtenaster within millimeters of a hit.

After the sixth attack though Yang had grown bored of just blocking. She pretty much knew where Weiss would be at any given moment, so she decided to use the information to take the offensive. She started by sending out a single well timed shot at the glyph she predicted the princess would jump to next.

And to the princess’s dismay the round nearly clipped her. Yang smirked in satisfaction when she saw the shocked look on her teammate’s face.

"I can read you from a mile away Weiss,” the brawler warned. “If you think I'm going to give you time to collect data while you use the same tired moves, then you've got another thing coming."

Her teammate glared and started moving again before Yang had even finished talking. So to emphasize her point Yang let loose a trio of rounds directly at the princess's next location, but true to the heiress’s skill she had already adapted to the attack by summoning group of small glyphs to precisely intercept each of the incoming shells.

Yang couldn’t help but grin at the princess showing off back, but that expression quickly turned to a frown when the glyphs that encircled her disappeared and a new line stretching to the far end of the gym appeared in their place.

She’s not giving up already is she?

Smirking the blond yelled out after her retreating teammate, “What’s the matter princess, are you going to take your glyphs and go home just because I might beat you?”

Even from that the other end of the enormous room Yang could see Weiss’s glaring eyes shine through the slight smile on her face. The smaller woman called back with a huff, “Hardly, in fact I thought I’d invite a few friends to play.” With that the heiress sunk the tip of her sword into the floor, and larger than normal glyph immediately appeared.

The blond raised an eyebrow and her guard as she waited for what would come out of it, and itdidn't take long for her to find out.

Three enormous white alpha beowolves emerged and looked to the heiress. Weiss slashed her sword out in Yang’s direction and the grimm immediately charge at the blond.

Oh sh*t.

Yang initially tried to use shells to herd the alpha’s, but there were three of them and only two gauntlets. Within seconds the grimm were on her, and she was put on the defensive as she had to block their coordinated attacks.

But while beowolves had the advantage of numbers and speed, Yang was far more clever. She shot herself up and out of the fray of claws and teeth, then rained down shells on them.

Two of the grimm managed to evade her hits, but the third took a shell straight to the head that left it stunned. The pair that were uninjured came at her as soon as she landed, but now that she had leveled the playing field Yang was able to attack and respond with easy.

She used a faint and a carefully timed follow up to wing one of the charging alphas with a shell. Which bought her enough time to face off with the final oncoming grimm.

Yang grinned as she took the creature apart with a salvo of brutal close range hits, but before the first alpha could fall to the ground and dissipate the one she had just clipped was on her.

It sent a wide horizontal slash at her head, and Yang used her smaller size to duck under its claws and inside of its guard. She hammered the alpha with a quick one-two combo to its midsection. Then sensing that she had stunned the creature and taken it off balance she used a sweep kick to take out the grimm’s legs.

Without looking Yang fired a shell straight into the fallen creature's face. There was still one alpha to deal with, and she wasn’t about to let her guard down.

Her eyes locked onto the last beowulf. It was a short five meters from her, and the creature was already coming for her. The distance however gave Yang time to set a firm stance and prepare for its oncoming claws.

With a challenging smile she raised her cybernetic to meet the grimm’s overhead attack. The kinetic force of the grimm’s blow meeting her metal prosthetic made a resounding impact that reverberated off the walls and tall ceiling of the gym.

Had she not prepared for it such a blow would have forced her to her knees, but because she had the creature was at her mercy. The beowulf tried to jerk it’s arm away, but the vice like strength of Yang’s mechanical grip trapped it in place. She jerked down on the alpha so that its face was nearly level with her own. The beast snarled down at her in anger, and Yang responded with a shot from her left gauntlet to the underside of its jaw.

While the last of the three grimm melted away at her feet the blond stretched out her muscles in preparation for the next thing the princess planned to throw at her. But after not immediately hearing a scolding remark for letting her guard down Yang look in the heiress’s direction.

When she did she was met by intense blue eyes. The way that Weiss stared at her made Yang’s pulse race and swelled her desire to show off.

The blond popped the shells casings from Ember Celica and then caught the new rounds she thrown in the air for a flashy double reload. Smirking wickedly the blond flexed her arm as she pretended to check her ammo, “What’s the matter princess,” the brawler taunted, “don’t you like what you see?”

The heiress turned pink and let out a huff, “Of course your loathsome bravado is back.” Raising an eyebrow the princess challenged the blond, “Perhaps it is time I make you earn the right to be so smug.”

Weiss closed her eyes in deep set concentration and glyphs surrounded Yang in every direction before she could react.

Yang gritted her teeth as she looked around.

Crap, this is the part where I always explode.

Weiss wasted no time slipping into the glowing dome, and with icy confidence she warned the taller woman, “I hope you’re ready for me dragon.”

The comment and tone that the princess used left Yang feeling hot under the collar, but she knew better than to let her guard down in such a precarious situation. If she had any hope of coming out of this conscious she needed to be ready to respond instantly.

Yang swallowed hard before setting her stance and nodding.

The second Yang responded Weiss charged at her, and the brawler watched in slowed time as Myrtenaster lowered to tag the glyph she was occupying. Sweeping her foot forward the blond kicked the blade aside just before it was able to touch the floor.

Weiss sped past her to landed in a vertical crouch on the far side of the dome, and boy did she did not look happy. The princess’s eyes moved back and forth as she studied Yang and planned out her next move. Finally deciding she spun Myrtenaster’s chamber and narrowed her eyes.

Before Yang had a chance to blink Weiss was gone and a white streak flashed around the dome leaving glowing red glyphs in its path.

Anxiety prickled the hairs at the back of her neck, but Yang kept her cool as Weiss finally came to a stop a couple of meters in front of her. She knew that if she let Weiss make the first she would be at the greatest risk of falling into the trap the heiress had just set, so to better her odds Yang fired off a shot followed by a rushing side step to engage the princess in close quarter’s combat.

Weiss deftly parried her blows and kicks, but Yang was applying enough force that it was pushing the heiress back. Sensing that she was about to gain the upper hand Yang pressed her attack even harder. She used a shell to blast Myrtenaster aside and slid in close to the princess to land a solid blow, but out of nowhere Weiss used her right palm to strike at Yang’s core. The blow was strong enough that Yang felt herself take a step back.

Right onto a glowing red glyph.

Before she could respond she felt herself blown upwards, and her vision started to darken from the force of the explosion. Yang knew that she had to change her trajectory or she would soon be out for the count. She blindly fired from her right arm to alter her trajectory.

And the flailing shot worked as she had intended.

But just before the blond landed she heard a yelp of pain. Yang looked in the direction of the sound just in time to see Weiss stumble backwards and hit her back on one of her own crimson glyphs.

At hearing the explosion Yang’s body reacted. She didn’t think, she simply rushed forward to intercept the heiress’s violently flung body. Yang didn’t even notice that all the sigils around her disappeared as she wrapped her own body around the princess's, but she definitely took note of how hard the metal wall behind her felt when it helped her come to a sudden, nasty stop.

Falling to a knee Yang took care not to drop the woman in her arms.

Gritting through the ache that her aura worked to dull Yang looked down at her teammate, “Hey, are you okay?”

Weiss looked up still a little shaken from her own exploding glyph, but upon realizing that she was being held turned bright red, “You stupid dragon, put me down!”

The princess squirmed violently, and as much as Yang wanted to hold onto the princess and tease her, Weiss did still have a sword in her hand. So she released her angry teammate.

The heiress stormed off a good distance before turning to chastise her, “We’re in a fight you dolt. You don’t save your opponent.”

The blond rolled her sore shoulder before showing off a grin, “Hey, I told you, it’s the hero’s job to look out for the princess.”

Weiss’s eyes flared with anger, “I am not some weakling that needs protecting!”

Surprised by her teammate’s outburst Yang looked at the heiress trying to think of what to say, but Weiss didn’t give her the chance to respond. With a little less harshness the smaller woman asked, “Are you still able to fight?”

Yang nodded.

Letting out a short huff Weiss answered back, “Good, because I’m not done collecting data.” Looking Yang straight in the eyes the princess sunk her sword into the floor, “Prepare yourself dragon, you’ve yet to see this.”

Suddenly the biggest glyph Yang had ever seen appeared. There was a flash of white light, and when Yang opened her eyes she saw an enormous suit of armor twice her height standing between her and Weiss. Blinking her eyes in shock the brawler swallowed hard at the massive summon that looked down at her.

Never one to let her nerves show the Yang grinned, “I didn’t know you had something like this in you princess, let’s hope it isn’t all for show.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes and that was the only warning that Yang received. The knight’s giant blade swung down at her, and despite the considerable distance between Yang and the summon she was forced to jump into a back handspring to avoid being struck.

That thing’s sword has crazy range!

When the giant lifted its blade she saw the deep gash that had been left in the floor and raised an eyebrow.

But it's okay when she messes up the gym.

Setting her humor aside, Yang could tell that the princess was done messing around. co*cking Ember Celica the blond took a deep breath before muttering, “I guess it’s time to see what this thing can really do then.”

She fired off a few shots to see the effect that her ammo had on the knight. And even though they landed solidly on the giant it didn’t even flinch, instead it swung its sword at her again. Yang used a quick forward moving side step to evade the sword, and it got her in close enough to fire at the armor’s joints.

It was a solid strategy that let her land a few hits, but Yang hadn’t counted on the summon being so quick. Out of nowhere the glowing knight’s left hand flew forward towards her, and Yang barely had enough time to block before being thrown back a quarter of the gym.

The blond had managed to stay on her feet, but the suit had doled out a pretty solid hit.

That did not feel great.

The blond rolled her shoulder and shook out her arm.

Firing on this thing isn’t working, it’s just too big. If I’m going to make any impact on it I have to use my semblance.

Yang was about to go after the big hunk of metal again when she spotted Weiss standing behind it.

Anyone who hadn’t trained with the heiress as much as Yang wouldn’t have noticed, but there was the slightest mark of strain on the princess’s face. Yang knew it could have been from the damage Weiss had taken from the exploding glyph, but she had a gut feeling that the knight fed off of Weiss’s aura to keep up its near invulnerability.

Weiss has been training hard, but even she should be feeling drained from using so many glyphs and summons. If I just use my head and I can take this thing down and finally beat her.

The brawler calmly walked up to the suit of armor and waited for it to attack. She stepped to the side and deflected most of the blow with her right arm, but gritted her teeth at the pain of the impact.

Seeing the knight’s left fist come at her again she raised both arms to block the hammer blow that came down on her. It hurt like hell to stop the blow, and left a huge dent in the floor, but it also stunned the armor long enough to give Yang an opening. She fired a shell at the giant’s arm followed by a solid combo to the summon’s legs.

Yang jumped back and out of the way to reevaluate. The heiress was showing a lot more clearly just how tired she was. Her shoulders were slumped and she was breathing heavier than normal. The knight still looked the same, but with as worn out as Weiss looked she had a feeling that wasn’t going to last much longer.

Unfortunately Yang couldn’t say she was doing that much better. Her head still hurt from the earlier explosions and despite her aura working on it her shoulder was still not in a very good mood from saving Weiss or taking on the impact of the giant’s blows. Yang estimated that it would take one more solid hit from the summon to max out her semblance, but after she activated it all the damage she took would be for real. She glanced back at Weiss and saw the princess’s eyes narrow.

She’s probably already figured me out. Looks like it’s now or never.

Yang started to run at the knight and predictably it swung it’s sword down at her. Planting her footing she braced for the incoming blow and clenched her jaw.

Timing has to be just right.

Even though Yang took most of the blow on her prosthetic, both her shoulder’s screamed in agony at the force of the hit. Just as she was about to be driven to a knee she released her semblance and pushed back. The shockwave of aura that she released mixed with her upward push sent the knight’s sword flying and the giant reeled back till it caught it's balance in a one legged kneel.

Filled with fire and brimming with energy, Yang wasted no time in attacking the stunned summon. Using his bent leg she tic tac-ed up the armor’s body and grabbed onto its helmet. Using her right arm she pummeled the knight mercilessly.

The power of her unrestrained rage was addictive, and the mix of adrenaline and endorphins left Yang smiling wickedly as she rained down hits on the glowing head below her.

She got so lost in the sensation of letting loose that she nearly ended up getting swatted like a fly by the knight’s hand. Yang jumping away just in time and struggled to get her temper under control. She wanted to just hit the glowing hunk of metal till it shattered, but Weiss wasn’t the type of opponent that could be defeated with brute force alone.

While Yang worked to regain a measure of reason the summon got to its feet and picked up its sword. Watching it Yang could tell that it was slower than before, and that meant now was the time to take a gamble and finish it off.

As she started to run at the knight it swung the great sword in a powerful horizontal arc that whistled through the air, but Yang slid on the floor to get under the blade. She had built enough momentum that when she stopped she was well inside of the summon’s guard. Using her arm she pushed herself up and focused her rage on the giant’s knee.

Within four strikes the knight fell prone on the ground with a tremendous force that shook every surface in the gym. Yang’s crimson eyes flashed.

Now.

Using Ember Celica she leaped high into the air and put all of her energy into her right arm for one final strike from above.

It’s over!

All of Yang’s focus had been on crushing the head of the white giant below her, which meant she didn’t see the base of the knight’s sword coming at her till a millisecond before the impact. It all happened so fast that Yang could barely registered the difference between the pain of the blade and the pain from hitting the wall. Both hurt like hell and they pretty much equaled each other on the levels of agony scale, about two steps below losing an arm from what she could tell.

She heard the knight noisily clambering to its feet, and suddenly felt very tired. She knew her body was spent, but her semblance still blazed and begged to be used up. Using the stability of her right arm she managed to get to her feet. Her head positively throbbed, but she was going to finish this.

As Yang looked up she was about to make one final run at the glowing knight, but then she saw it place its sword point down into the floor and rest its hands on the crossguard. A second later the suit of armor was simply gone.

Immediately Yang scanned the gym for Weiss, angry that her teammate had ended the fight. But as soon as she spotted the princess Yang deactivated her semblance.

Weiss was on one knee and was using Myrtenaster to keep herself up. The heiress let out a weary breath before addressing Yang, “I think that’s enough for tonight. If it’s okay with you, why don’t we call it a draw.”

Looking at the battle weary princess Yang couldn’t help but feel deep admiration for the much smaller woman. Weiss’s ability to fight on her level with such skill and tenacity was breathtaking. Having such a worthy opponent was one of the things that madeYang love combat so much. Truthfully, she felt more than just respect for the heiress at that moment, but she decided to let her exhaustion sweep the unwanted emotions aside.

With absolutely no grace the brawler sat on the floor, and then let gravity take her the rest of the way down. Lying on her back Yang relished the cool relief of the metal floor on her sore body before answering with a sigh, “I think I can live with that.”

Weiss was beyond exhausted. The toll of working nearly a hundred hours in a single week and the brutal sparring match with Yang had hit her like a two ton Ursa. Not even the hypothetically lethal amounts of caffeine that she had consumed prior to their fight were enough to pull any measure of energy from her body.

But unfortunately she couldn’t let any of that show. As much as she wanted to find a side room to curl up and sleep in, she needed to run diagnostics on Yang’s new prosthetic first. Looking up from the open circuit panel of Yang’s forearm she found vibrant lilac eyes looking back down at her. Weiss frowned slightly in annoyance.

I truly despise how much energy she has left right now.

Weiss rubbed both her eyes with one hand before returning her gaze to the prosthetic.

But I am relieved she adapted to it so quickly, and the command she has over it after just one fight is impressive. My projections had estimated that it would take herat least two weeks to obtain the type of precision she showed during our match.

Having checked everything twice the heiress was finally satisfied with her inspection of the arm. So she shut the access panel and locked it back into place.

It just makes me appreciate even more what a true marvel Penny was.

The heiress let out a small sigh of sadness at the thought of the fallen huntress, before straightening from her positions over the cybernetic. She looked up at Yang with a weary and forced smile, “All finished.”

The blond looked back at her with hesitation and concern as she pulled her gauntlet back on, “Is everything okay?”

The heiress grinned softly and shook her head, “No, it is wonderful actually. Our sparring match didn’t even scratch this new prosthetic. It is, quite literally, as good as new.”

Not able to believe her words Yang turned the cybernetic over to inspect it, “Really?! My old arm would have needed serious maintenance after what I just put this thing through.”

Satisfaction and excitement pulled at the corner of the blond’s mouth as she rotated and flexed the cybernetic. It made all the worry that Weiss had been carrying on her shoulders start to evaporate at seeing just how much Yang liked the new arm. It also let her find the energy to smirk at the gleeful dragon while sardonically asking, “So does that mean you want to keep it?”

“Are you kidding me,” Yang exclaimed with a positively beaming visage, “this thing is amazing!”

Hearing those words and seeing how ecstatic Yang was allowed Weiss to finally sit down in a chair across from the blond. The smaller woman briefly closed her eyes as she let out a sizable sigh of relief.

Opening her eyes Weiss found it impossible not to smile as she watched her teammate enthusiastically play around with the fine motor control of the cybernetic. Seeing the dragon look so happy brought her a level of contentment that made all her weariness seem far less than it was.

But after about a minute Weiss found herself chewing on her lip as she contemplated whether or not to show Yang the arm’s final feature. In the end her desire to feed Yang’s elation overpowered her reticence.

Tentatively the heiress spoke up, “There is one more thing that arm can do.”

Yang looked at her will a raised eyebrow, “If you tell me it is also a gun I might just have to marry you.”

Weiss’s eyes shot open at the dragon’s thoughtless statement.

“Relax princess,” Yang laughed at her teammate’s overreaction, “it was a joke.”

The smaller woman folded her arms and glared, “I’d appreciate it if you stuck to terrible puns. Now, did you want to see the last feature or not?”

The insufferable blond shook her head and grinned, “Sure, lay it on me princess.”

Leaning forward in her chair Weiss pulled Yang's new arm up to shoulder height and turned it palm down. The heiress held the prosthetic there for a second before letting go so that the blond knew to keep it in that exact position.

Yang looked at her dubiously, but Weiss just rolled her eyes. Sitting up straight the smaller woman held her own arm in a mirrored position.

“It is a little tricky, but try doing this,” the heiress instructed as she rotated only her middle finger in a clockwise motion.

Yang looked confused as to the purpose, but shrugged before putting what appeared to be her full concentration into completing the motion.

Suddenly the brawler’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she watched Ember Celica hide itself within her new cybernetic arm. Yang quickly rotated her forearm back and forth several times to check for traces of the gauntlet and was astonished to find that there were none.

“No way,” the blond stated in excited disbelief, “you can’t be serious?!”

Weiss beamed with pride as she explained, “I had Polendina add that feature, and I drew up the schematics for it myself. Truthfully, you have your sister’s non-stop rambling to thank. I learned far more than I even ever wanted to know about collapsing weapon design from her.” The heiress smirked, “But in this particular instance I’m glad I never surmised how to tune her out.”

Yang briefly narrowed her eyes as she looked at the arm, but then looked up with a broad smile and answered in awe, “Weiss this is beyond amazing.” She rotated her finger twice more to pop the gauntlet out and then back in again.

“Well obviously,” the heiress boasted, “I am the head of the Research and Development after all.”

Pausing Weiss readied herself to deliver next bit, “And the best part is that now you have a weapon wherever you go…” Weiss barely contained her delight as she unleashed the pun she had been waiting to say since she drew up the design, “so that means you will never have to worry about being ‘unarmed’ again.”

The room went dead quiet for several seconds before Yang broke it with a firm, “Nope.”

Weiss let out an indignant cry, “What?”

Yang peered down at Weiss, her face heavy with disappointment, “Too soon Weiss, too soon.”

The heiress looked up at the blond with a begrudging and disappointed frown. She snidely retorted, “Don’t be so sensitive. That was quite funny.”

The taller woman kept staring at her with a serious face, so Weiss folded her arms and looked away as she continued to pout.

Yang shook her head with a somber tone and replied, “I’m sorry Weiss, your joke just wasn’t any good.”

But as soon as the dragon finished the statement Weiss caught a smirk forming at the corner of the blond’s lips, and before the heiress could counter she felt herself abruptly lifted off the ground as she was pulled into a hug that only partially crushing her spine.

The jubilant dragon burrowed her cheek into Weiss’s shoulder and the smaller woman felt soft blond hair brush against her face as Yang happily stated, “Your pun might have been terrible, but this new arm is perfect.”

The feel of those silky strands combined with her exhaustion left Weiss unable to fight her desire to melt into the taller woman’s embrace. Resting in Yang’s arms felt ridiculously warm and comforting, but after a second the heiress realized that she had been holding her breath.

Carefully, so as not as to draw attention to herself, the heiress inhaled. And when she did she found herself breathing in the heady scent of citrus, sweat, and battle. Weiss internally sighed at how perfect the embrace was, and let herself gently nuzzled into the dragon’s strong arms.

It was the most euphoric moment Weiss had ever experienced. She wished that she could preserve the serenity she felt from such a faultless instance in time, but like all truly wonderful things it was over nearly as soon as it began.

Yang finally sat her back down, though the taller woman’s hands stayed on the side of Weiss’s shoulders. The blond looked down at Weiss with intense violet eyes, and her radiance made the heiress’s breath catch.

With unmistakably heartfelt gratitude Yang stated, “Thank you Weiss. You are amazing.”

The heiress blushed profusely, and her miserable heart hammered in her chest so hard that she could feel it in her mouth. Instantly she knew all the risks she had taken had been worth it to see Yang this happy again, to see her finally feeling whole again.

She could have stared up into those stunning lilac eyes for an eternity, but eventually Weiss realized that she was supposed to say something back. Especially since not doing so would be rather incriminating.

The heiress looked away and forced a scowl as she spoke, “Well I was getting quite tired of you moping around.”

Trying to keep calm and ignore the fact that Yang was still holding on to her Weiss nervously brushed a lock of white hair behind her ear.

Desperate to fill the awkward silence that was growing between them the heiress spat out, “You're welcome. I am happy that all the time I spent working with Polendina this week paid off.”

As soon as the words left her mouth Weiss’s body went rigid, which only served to bring her error to the blond’s attention more quickly.

Weiss watched in terror as Yang’s brow knitted with suspicion. The heiress felt her heart stop when she realized that she had just pulled at the corner of her own delicately constructed web of lies. She frantically searched her tired mind for how to recover, but Yang didn’t give her time to fix her mistake.

Sharply questioning eyes made the blond’s words feel all the harder, “Weiss, you told me that Reeves is always watching you and Polendina, it’s why you learned to make origami. The only way you could have worked with him was if it was outside of the Schnee Dust Company.” Yang frowned deeply in disappointment, “But if that’s the case,” Pain briefly flashed in the dragon’s eyes, “then that means you lied to me about why you couldn’t train this week.”

The blond’s grip on her tightened slightly and it made Weiss’s mind flash to all the times that her father had held her in a similar manner. Accusing eyes looked down on the smaller woman, “The only reason for you to lie about something like that would be if you were trying to keep something bad from me. What are you hiding Weiss?”

The words cut deep into the heiress’s soul, for there were so many answers to that one single question. And she had no desire to share any of them.

Feeling frightened and trapped Weiss jerked to get away from her teammate, “Please, let go of me.”

Yang quickly removed her hands, and immediately Weiss could see that the blond looked upset by her own actions. But that disappointment shifted when Yang saw her trying to back away.

“Weiss,” the blond called out in a firm tone, “what’s going on? We’re teammates, you have to be honest with me. What don’t you want me to know about this cybernetic?”

The heiress stood trapped between the workbench and Yang’s incriminating eyes. She didn’t say anything, mostly because there was nothing for her to say that wouldn’t just make things worse. None of it helped by the fact that as hard as she tried she was failing to come up with a plausible lie.

Yang’s tone started to grow irritated, “Look Weiss this isn’t funny anymore. You’ve never lied to me before.”

Had the situation been different the sad fallacy of Yang’s last statement would have made her laugh, but instead Weiss cringed at the tone of her teammate’s words.

The taller woman looked at Weiss, and the heiress could see her face changed from anger to doubt.

Yang clenched her jaw and looked away in thought. After a moment she sighed and took a short step back.

“Alright,” the blond started in a more measured, “something is definitely going on. You obviously did something that you don’t want me to know about. And since this is the longest I’ve ever seen you go without talking in conversation that makes me think it must be pretty bad.”

Yang waited for Weiss to respond, but when she didn’t the blond let out a frustrated growl, “You must realize that this has gotten to the point where I can’t let it go. Just tell me what is going on.”

The heiress looked away, and cringed at Yang's words. She knew she was only making things worse, but she had no idea what to do. Anything she might say would just make things unravel further.

The silence made Yang grow impatient, “Look, I’m pretty sure you didn’t murder anyone, so I promise whatever it is I won’t get mad.”

Weiss knew that the dragon’s promise of calm didn’t have the slightest chance of staying true, but she also knew that Yang had not been exaggerating when she said she wouldn’t let the matter go. Weiss wished that she could come up with a neat little lie to resolve the mess she was in, but unfortunately the only course left available to her was a carefully framed measure of truth. And it was the only thing that might save her from confessing everything.

Gathering her thoughts and her will the smaller woman finally spoke, “The prosthetic isn’t from a project that got shut down.” Weiss braced herself against the table as she continued, “I used my own money to have Doctor Polendina make that cybernetic using the synthetic aura technology that he developed to create Penny. That’s why you have sensation and such improved control with it over your old prosthetic, but as far as the military and the Schnee Dust Company know that arm doesn’t exist. I lied, because I knew from our last argument that if you found out that I had spent my own money to make it you would never have accepted it.”

Yang looked down at the new cybernetic for a long moment then finally up again. Fierce violet eyes locked onto her own as her teammate asked, “How much?”

Weiss considered the merits of lying, but with the way that Yang was staring at her and how badly she was taking being lied to the heiress knew it would be a costly mistake. Besides, any believable amount she gave Yang was still bound to set her off reguardless.

The smaller woman let out a deep sigh as she answered, “Roughly two hundred and seventy thousand lien.”

The dragon’s eyes bulged, “What?! Weiss, you can’t just spend that kind of money without your father knowing. Everything you’ve worked for is going to be destroyed when he finds out.” Yang gawked at her in shock and disbelief, “What were you thinking?! “

The blond brought her left hand to her forehead as she processed the new information, “This isn’t like you; you always think things out ten moves in advance and you never act unless you are certain it is the best solution. So why would you do this?”

The heiress glared at Yang’s inability to keep her promise, but she was hardly surprised. Nevertheless, she attempted to keep the agitation out of her voice, “He won’t find out. I’ve secretly siphoned money from my trust fund since I was forced to return to Atlas, and placed the money in different private accounts. Besides, it’s not like I had a choice,” Weiss looked away, “you are my teammate; it is my responsibility to help you in any way that I can.”

She kept her gaze averted, but she could still feel the blond staring at her. Yang’s voice was full of confusion and anger when she spoke, “Weiss, I don’t care what you say. If I keep this your father and Ironwood will find out.”

When she didn’t respond Yang let out a livid huff and turned around grab for the tools on the workbench.

Without thinking Weiss put a glyph between her teammate and the tools to shop her from removing the arm, “Yang, don’t! I did this so that you could be free of your contract!”

The blond turned and her eyes were filled with fury, “Weiss, I can’t stand by and let you destroy your future for me. You should have asked me! You should have…” Yang looked positively irate, “This is more than anyone should do for a teammate!”

The words made Weiss’s will to hold everything in falter.

Just mere minutes ago she had been happier than she could ever remember. She had been able to see Yang start to feel whole again, saw her smile the way she used to, and Weiss had learned what it felt like to truly embrace the person that she loved.

But one foolish slip had ruined everything, and because Yang had pushed her for the truth Weiss was forced to see how her whole world was painted dark with lies and endless restrictions. It made her paper thin resolve finally snap.

Looking the ignorant blond in the eye Weiss yelled, “That’s because you’re more to me than a teammate, you dolt!”

Caught off guard, Yang leaned back from the the smaller woman’s sudden outburst.

Weiss couldn’t handle the embarrassment of her words; in desperation she turned to the table behind her and forcefully gripped the shiny metal surface.

Why did I say that?! She will never reciprocate; all I just did was make things worse than they already were!

The silence between them grew so intensely deafening that it made Weiss’s whole body ache. Hundreds of thoughts ran through her head as to how terrible what happened next would be, so she scrambled to think of a way out of the situation she had put herself in.

If I take back what I said or at least downplay my words then maybe this can be salvaged. She has been pretty oblivious so far, so it is not really that far out of the realm of possibility.

Though true to the heiress’s luck Yang sorted out what was going on before she could respond.

A quiet and steady voice asked her, “Weiss, are you saying that you have feelings for me?”

Hearing the words out loud forced tears of shame to well in the heiress’s eyes, and she just couldn’t bare having to lie anymore. Her shoulders tensed as she tried not to think about the coming humiliation she would have to endure once she fully confessed.

With great strain Weiss found the courage she needed and ripped the words from her throat like a bandage, “Yes.”

More silence enveloped them, and the heiress knew it was because Yang was trying to find how to break it to her that she couldn’t reciprocate such feelings due to her blind love for Blake.

Weiss gritted her teeth at realizing that, once again, she would be required to have a stiff upper lip so that others wouldn’t be put out. That for the ‘greater good’ and to be a noble person she needed to let her own feelings be pushed aside, so that Yang could go on loving someone that had only ever managed to hurt her. And that regardless of how much Weiss cared for Yang, and would never abandoned her like their faunus teammate, she would be forced to suffer the humiliating indignation of living in the shadow of another.

It made her realize that none of it had mattered. It didn’t matter if she played by all of the rules or tried to be a good person. She had never been allowed to have what she wanted or made her happy. It was just how thing always were for her.

Which made Weiss feel tired and angry and just…sad.

Those emotions practically define my being. After all, they’ve been with me my entire life.

The thought made a cold calm washed over her body as she realized just what that meant. She had spent her whole life feeling despair and loneliness, but had always managed to find a way through. She was not powerless, she was a Schnee. And no Schnee was going to cry like a helpless child in hopes of getting what they wanted.

Weiss raised her head as she recognized what she needed to do next. Having made an irrevocable mess of things it only made sense to see it to completion. If that meant that her relationship with Yang would suffer as horribly as she feared then she would just have to bear that pain too. It wouldn’t be the first time she had needed to endure suffering, and it surely wouldn’t be the last.

“Weiss I-” Yang finally spoke.

The white haired woman turned and straightened herself to cut off what would have been a stumbled explanation of Yang’s unreciprocated feelings.

“It’s fine,” Weiss curtly answered with as little emotion as she could muster, “I know you are still in love with Blake.”

Yang looked surprised for a second, “How…” she paused eyes rushing to put things together in her mind, “How do you know that?”

The heiress glowered at Yang, not bothering to hide her annoyance any longer, “Do you have any idea how obvious you are when you brood?”

Weiss was resolute that she would not to hold back anymore, “I’ve known since our second semester.” Taking a deep breath she let out, “Because it was the exact same time that I started to have feelings for you.”

Weiss could practically see the cogs in Yang’s brain try to move as the blond desperately tried to cobbleit all together.

Yang’s tone was confused when she spoke, but also held an air of accusation, “I don’t understand Weiss, if you knew I had feelings for Blake... if you know I still want to be with her then why?”

Weiss positively glared at the taller woman for failing to see the hurtful hypocrisy of her words, “Because you of all people should know that when you fall in love with someone you don’t get to chose to just stop.”

Yang looked at her with wide eyes, the realization of Weiss’s words hitting her full force.

Cool relief washed over the smaller woman at finally being allowed to speak those words. She knew that she was coming off like the harsh ice queen everyone accused her of being, but now that she had voiced her feelings out loud she couldn’t stand holding back anymore. She had stayed her tongue and tried to play the proper role for so long, but now she had the chance to say all of the things that had been forced to go unspoken for so long.

Yang’s eyes were distant and unfocused as she tried to map out what was happening. Weiss knew she was undoubtedly trying to find all the tiny clues that she had missed in their time together, but the blond’s lack of focus only further feed Weiss’s ire.

She didn’t have the patience for waiting or sitting by quietly anymore, which stoked her anger to the point that she finally voiced what had always bothered her more than anything, “Which is all the more awful to bare when you know that the person you are in love with is in love with someone else that is completely wrong for them.”

As soon as the words left her mouth she knew they had been a mistake, and a part of her wanted to take the words back. Saying such a thing only made her sound selfish and petty, and she had always known that calling out Blake was the surest way to make Yang hate her.

But finally saying it had felt freeing. And as harsh as the words might have been Weiss believed them, and she hated more than anything the thought of Yang continuing to let herself be hurt by her unhealthy obsession with Blake.

And unfortunately she knew that if she didn’t show Yang the truth then no one else would. So she forced herself to spit out the rest. Each word she spoke honestly, though they still tasted vile on her tongue, “You fell in love with Blake because you thought she needed you. You wanted to protect her and help her. Which is admirable in a certain light, but also ridiculously dangerous when someone fears abandonment as much as you do. Your heart told you that as long as Blake needed you, she wouldn’t leave you. But it was wrong, she left. And the worst part is that despite her promises she has and always will run away. Because she told us herself, that’s who she is.

“Ruby told me how angry you were when she left you behind, and honestly you had every right to be. But it is so appallingly sad to know that you would forgive her in a secondshould she ask you to. Your heart is so big and full of warm that it dwarfs the sun, and because it so desperately yearns to be loved back it leaves you blind to reality.

“Blake can’t give you what you need. She is so wrapped up in her own trust issues and problems that she might never let you in or ever stop running away. I’ve watched so many times how thoughtless she has been with your emotions. To the point that I can hardly hear you say her name without thinking of how cruel she has been to you.” Weiss shook her head bitterly, “Yet you are still selflessly seek to protect her, even if it might cost you your life.”

Yang blankly looked back at her in disbelief and shock, and the shame that those eyes made her feel left Weiss feeling angry and bitter.

The fact that no matter what she did or said could change the way Yang faithfully thought of Blake made envious bile welled in the heiress’s throat. “I’ve seen you fight, fail, and struggle to overcome all that has befallen you, but your asinine love for a person that only ever breaks your heart is the only time I have ever felt pity for you.”

The words were so cutting that Weiss felt sick as she said them. She instantly knew she had crossed a line, but she had been unable to stop the scorn and frustration she felt from exacting its toll.

Weiss was incalculably ashamed of her failure to control herself, but mortified at what was sure would follow in her spite's wake. She clenched her hands so hard that she could feel her depleted aura try to repair the wounds she was inflicting in her own skin. She stood perfectly still as a mix of fear, anger, and regret ran through her body.

The smaller woman watch Yang’s confusion and dismay slowly ebb into fury, and when Yang finally spoke her words came out low and cold low enough to make Weiss shiver, “I always knew you could be awful Weiss, but I never thought you were capable of being so hateful and selfish.”

The disappointment in Yang’s voice raked at Weiss’s heart, but the heiress knew that she deserved it.

Yang’s voice suddenly raised as her eyes went red, she threw out her arms in anger, “What was all this?! Did you have all of this planned from the beginning? Was the reason that you helped train me and got me this arm because you thought that if you did I would somehow accept your self-centered feelings. Did you honestly think that talking badly about Blake and putting down my feelings for her would come off as anything other than awful and cruel?”

Flames flickered over the edges of blond hair as Yang continued, “Do you even know how selfish you sound or how hurtful you’re being? You might judge me for loving someone for the wrong reasons,” the furious woman gestured to her arm as she spat the last words, “but at least I know that you can’t buy someone’s love Schnee.”

Weiss cringed at the rage of the woman in front of her. Pain like she didn’t know possible slashed at her chest so deeply that it felt like she was dying.

“Yang,” she choked as tears formed in her eyes and made everything that much harder to say, “I never wanted to hurt you, but it has been so hard to keep seeing you let yourself get hurt. I care about you so much. I just-”

Weiss paused to try and stop her emotions from taking over completely, but she failed. So tears streamed down her face as she pushed on like the masoch*st she was, “I know Blake must have some sort of feelings for you too, and I don’t believe that she ever wanted to hurt you. But the fact is that she did. She left you when you needed her most and that was wrong no matter what you say.”

Yang’s rage made her seem to grow in size. Weiss had always feared things would go this way; it was precisely why she had always bit her tongue.

“You’ve been waiting a long time to say all this haven’t you?” Yang seethed, “But of course you are too much of a coward to say it to her face, only having the courage to say such hurtful things when Blake isn’t actually here.”

Weiss couldn’t let the statement slide, “When has she ever been here Yang! Where does she always go when you need her? I’ve watched it happen time and again. She choose Sun over you, she didn’t believe you about Mercury, and she left you after you risked your life for her at Beacon. Do you honestly think so little of me that you believe I would stand in the way if you two were actually good for each other?” She paused as a sob caught in her throat, “You might not believe me when I say how I feel about you, but how on Remnant could I let someone I love keep getting hurt and say nothing. I know that you can’t buy someone's love Yang, just as much as I know that loving someone who keeps wounding you isn’t healthy.”

Yang looked at her with a face that was contorted with strife and sadness. She clearly wanted to say something or yell at Weiss, but she was apparently too overwhelmed to do either.

As Weiss looked into conflicted red eyes she knew she didn’t have long till Yang chose anger. In that instant she realized that right then might be the last opportunity she would ever get to speak to Yang again. That thought brought her the courage she needed to wipe the tears from her face and say the words that she never would have uttered otherwise.

“I am aware of how hypocritical it must be to hear a Schnee to talk of love, but being around you,” the heiress’s voice broke but she pushed on, “I was able to learn about love. So there are a few things I now believe to be true.”

Taking a strained breath she spoke, “I learned that you should love someone because they push you to be better while helping you to never give up. I know you should love someone, because when you see them smile it makes your heart melt. That even when they are not able to help you, them just being near makes you feel better. And somehow when you are with them you feel like a better and happier version of yourself than you even knew possible.”

With all the courage she could muster Weiss locked eyes with Yang, “I know I should love someone because they are kind and warm, and as beautiful as the morning sun. A person that always knows when I am upset, and tries to make me smile with their awful puns. I fell in love with an amazing person that somehow made me feel like I could do anything even when there was a whole world that was holding me back.”

Weiss paused to to wipe her eyes that were again full of tears and fought past the painful hole in her chest to say, “I do love you Yang, and I’m sorry,” Weiss couldn't look Yang in the eyes anymore for fear of the rejection she was sure to see. Before turning away she softly said, “for everything.”

Having completed the painful baring of her soul the heiress started to leave. But she stopped with her hand on the corner of the small room’s exit to take one final look at the woman behind her. Yang looked angry and pained in a way that Weiss had never seen, and it broke the heiress’s heart to know that it was entirely her fault.

Regret stabbed into Weiss’s heart, and she could think of only one way to make up for the hurtful actions she had committed against the woman she loved.

So despite what she knew it would cost her she said, “I know you hate me right now, but please don’t get rid of your new arm. I was telling the truth when I said that it has no connection to the Schnee Dust Company or the Atlas Military.” She paused before forcing out the last words, “It means you are free to leave Atlas whenever you choose.”

Weiss pulled up every scrap of courage she had left and looked into crimson eyes as she said, “Goodbye Yang.”

Final words spoken she made her way across the dented and damaged floor of the gym to reach the exit. Each step felt harder than the last as she resigned herself to the fact that she would likely never again see the golden haired goddess that had stolen her heart.

As she reached the outermost door of the building Weiss heard the deafening crunch of metal in the distance behind her. It was then that her worst fears were confirmed. She closed her eyes as she felt the true crushing sorrow of what she had brought to bare with her own hands.

Now that I have tarnished what I love the most, I can truly call myself a Schnee.

Chapter 17: Choices

Chapter Text

Yang stood in the small workshop clenching her fists as she looked out into the enormous gym at the exit.

Her insides were twisted with fury and confusion, and the longer she stared at the door that Weiss had left through, the hotter her semblance burned around her.

What the hell just happened? What was Weiss even thinking?!

She sharply turned away from the gym’s exit in a desperate attempt to get away from all that she was feeling. But when she did she found herself looking down at the tools Weiss had left on workbench to connect her arm. It made her furious to think of how Weiss had tied to buy her affection, but those thoughts were quickly overtaken by the image of the crying heiress telling Yang that she loved her.

Inner chaos overtook her as she was made to face all that had just happened.

Why did she have to say those things about Blake?! Why did she have to tell me how she felt? Why did it make me feel so utterly miserable to see her crying like that after what she did?

I DON’T WANT ANY OF THIS!

Yang slammed both of her fists into the metal worktop.

Her rage still swirled around her as she took in deep fuming breaths. But soon her vision cleared and she was faced with the needless destruction her ire had caused. A heavy sigh of regret escaped her lips, and with considerable effort she forced her temper to lessen and her semblance to dissipate.

Letting her unchecked emotions run wild had caused more harm than good in the past, and it certainly wasn’t going to help her now. Yang knew she needed to cool down, literally and figuratively.

The blond focused her energy on controlling her breathing as she stalked towards the shower room of the private gym. As she gotcloser to her destination, she started striping off her clothes and threwthem down as she went to vent her frustration; she paused only to pull off her boots and angrilythrew them into a corner of the changing room.

Finally stripped down,she took a step forward and felt a twinge of relief asher foot hit the cool tile of the floor. She padded her way across the large shower area she reached down for the faucet’s handle and was met with a view of her new arm.

As she ground her teeth,Yang yanked the lever to its coldest setting to help flush out her thoughts.

Blessedly, the frigid water worked as she had intended. Her body and mind became singularly focused on coping with the cold and she was able to banish her earlier turmoil.

She put all of her concentration into feeling the sensation of freezing water seep through her thick hair till it reached and spread over her scalp. As the water flowed and cascaded across the rest of her body, she was able to regain a type of peace. she sighed deeply asshe let the icy water wash all but her most basic thoughts down the drain.

Yang enjoyed the physical and emotional numbness that the shower brought her, but before long she grewaccustomed to the temperature. As that happened, her ability to keep her head clear of thoughts and images waned and both started to creep back in. Strongest among them was the tear-streaked face of her teammate.

Blond brows knitted together in conflict as she remembered the awful sadness that Weiss’s face had shown. As hard as she tried Yang couldn’t force that image out of her mind, and the longer she pictured the princess’s anguish-filled eyes the more undeniable the truth became.

She leaned her arms againstthe tiled wall andlet out a resigned breath as she rested her head against the shower’s hard surface. It didn’t matter how much she hated it, telling herself that she didn’t have real feelings for Weiss was now impossible.

Icy water continued to wash down her back as she was forced to let go of her previous excuses and denials. Weiss had told Yang that she was… in love with her. Not just had feelings for, but loved her.

Yang gently banged her head against the wall.

How is that even possible? And why?!

She realizedthat the shower was no longer working and shut it off. There was no use freezing if it wasn’t doing her any good. As she steppedout of the shower, Yang briefly flared her semblance to save herself the need for a towel.

Back in the changing area Yang swiped one of the extra changes of clothes the princess had insisted she leave.She absent-mindedly tossed them down on the end of a bench as she zoned out to her own thoughts.

The brawler closed her eyes at how stupid she must have been not to realize that the princess was in ‘love’ with her. Yang angrily grabbed at the top garment as she started to think through all the things she must have missed.

She first thought back to their early days together at Beacon; Weiss had always acted like such a spoiled ice queen that Yang had rarely ever taken any of her actions that seriously. Not to mention that the heiress’s stuck up nature and short-lived infatuation with Neptune had convinced Yang that girls weren’t even on princess’s radar.

Yang chuffed remembering how frazzled and irate Weiss had gotten when the smaller woman had accidentally walked in on her stepping out of the shower. The heiress’s eyes had looked like they were about to pop out of her head when she got a full unhindered look at all of Yang. The princess had gone beet red and just stared at Yang mouth agape.

Of course Yang had been unable to let such an opportunity pass her by, so she told Weiss that taking a picture would last longer.

In response, the smaller woman went off on her for five solid minutes about common decency and the need for modesty before Yang could even mentionthat it had been Weisswhohad walked in on her without knocking.

The blond growled in frustration at her own stupidity as she threw her shirt over her head. It was ridiculously obvious now why the princess’s gaze had lingered for such a long time and why the heiress went red anytime Yang teasingly flirted with her. Before their fight Yang had always just thought the heiress was a prude.

Suddenly, Yang felt a pit of guilt in her stomach as her mind was filled with all the times she had caught the little tsundere staring off into space at her or how every once in awhile she would catch Weiss stealing a glance at her cleavage. The blond had always reasoned that Weiss was lost in thought or had found herself at the mercy of their height difference. She never would’ve been so relentless with her taunting had she known that Weiss had actual feelings for her.

The brawler’s regret grew as she realized that the loyalty Weiss had always shown her during their time at school had more than likely been something else. The blond’s mind fell to their time together during the tournament, and two moments in particular stood out with stinging detail. Weiss had sacrificed herself to save Yang during their doubles match, and when Ironwood had disqualified her the princess had been the first and most outspoken in Yang’s defense. At the time she had just thought Weiss was being a quality teammate, but now she felt like an absolute ass for not even having considered that it could have meant something else.

Yang sighed as she dropped her head. When her eyes focused, she found herself looking down at her boots whenher lilac eyes went wide in surprise. The blond had been so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice that she had dressed herself and laced her boots without effort.

She looked at the palm of her cybernetic hand in wonder. What normally would have taken her taken her ten minutes of intense focus had just passed by in a moment without notice. The prosthetic was far beyond anything the brawler ever could have hoped for.

But amazement was soon replaced by the sick feeling of being used and manipulated. She didn’t know how she should really feel about the arm because it was positively saturated with lies and hidden truths. The blond looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

The most complicated my life used to be was managing not to be late to class and trying to convince Pyrrha to spar with me. Now I’m an arm down and have more problems than I have fingers.

When Yang looked at the metal arm she couldn’t see it as anything but a tainted object that was infused with deception in order to try and buy her affection. Her ire grew the longer she looked at it and it made her remember how mad she was at Weiss for all the other things the entitled heiress had dared to say.

How could Weiss even think of coming after Blake like that after all the lies she feed me?

The brawler’s eye flashed as she recalled all of the terrible things the heiress had said about Blake. It made her furious to think of how ruthlessly Weiss had attacked Blake’s character.

But that anger proved just how vulnerable it was when the content of what Weiss said was brought back to her. The blond felt her shoulders slump as she was forced to admit that very little of what the heiress had said about Blake had been untrue.

Pain marked the blond’s face as all the times she had been hurt by her partner flooded back to her. And the one that had cut her the deepest was waking up after the fall to find her arm and the woman that she loved gone. In that moment, Yang had felt like her entire world had been ripped away all at once.

For a while she had managed to hold out hope that Blake was just scared and would return when she thought things were safe. But when Ruby finally woke up Yang was forced to explain to her sister where their missing teammates had gone, it was then that the full force of Blake leaving truly set in.

Yang still carried much of that pain with her, but she still had hope that her partner could change and learn to stop running away. It was one of the reasons that drove her to find Blake.

The blond frowned with disappointment and regret, because it that wasn’t her only reason. She ruefully looked to the side as she reluctantly admitted that thing that pushed her the most to find her partner was finding out why the faunus had left. She knew Blake cared about her, but that didn’t change the fact that her partner had abandoned her.

The huntress swallowed back her sadness only to have the emotion replaced by insecurity. As much as she hated Weiss for her cruel words a part of her had always feared the same thing; that maybe Blake couldn’t change the part of herself that always ran away from her problems and the people that cared about her.

It scorched Yang’s pride to admit, but Weiss had been right about her as well. Yang had always felt the need to earn and prove her feeling to Blake and other people she cared about.

It genuinely pissed Yang off that Weiss hadn’t been wrong about why she had fallen for the faunus. But Weiss also didn’t know Blake like she did, and over time Yang had grown to love her partner for many reasons. Like the faunus’s mischievously dry wit, or how adorable she looked when she would try to hide how much she liked Yang’s pun behind the cover of a book. How being around Blake somehow helped make her calmer, and how she had come to long for the subtle kindness her partner could show. The more she got to know Blake, the more she was able to admire and appreciate the raven haired woman’s determination and her desire for justice.

So despite all the pain that Blake leaving had caused her and the extended amount of time they had been apart Yang knew she would always hold love in her heart for the faunus and find a way to forgive her. But it would have been a lie to say that her love going unanswered for so long didn’t give Yang pause.

It made the blond mad that the harshness of the heiress’s words had forced her to admit that her feelings for Blake weren’t as pure or untainted as she wanted them to be. That had likely been Weiss’s intent. The complicated mix of emotions that railed inside of her made Yang feel so keyed up that she couldn’t stay still.

The blond stood and stormed out of the changing room and into the main gym. When she did she was face to face with the full scope of the damage she and Weiss had caused with their fight. Yang’s eyes narrowed and her body slumped at how well the cut, cratered, and scorched metal of the arena depicted what she felt inside.

Her shoulders sagged and caused the blond’s back to ache. It drew her focus to the giant dent her body had left when she hit the wall next to the closed doors of the main weight room. It mildly surprised her that even with so many of the side rooms closed off for their fight, she could still picture what lay behind each of their heavy metal doors with ease.

There were the two weight rooms with every machine and piece of equipment known to man, the room used for testing her fine motor movement where the infuriating metal disks were kept, the video game room that held an ever growing number of systems and ridiculously comfy furniture, and by contrast the simple and nearly empty origami room. Yang’s face tightened with guilt as her eyes stopped on the open doorway of the weapon’s room and the destruction she had caused there.

Wearing a deep frown, she realized that virtually everything in the gym could be attributed to Weiss making sure Yang had anything and everything she could need. The evidence of the heiress’s feelings were literally tangible.

But that was the problem, instead of Weiss just telling her how she felt, the heiress had bought Yang things . There was stuff that the blond had required to train, but there was even more that Yang hadn’t even known she wanted or needed.

Yang grimaced at how epically awful things had gone between them. While she was past the point of pretending that she didn’t have feelings for the princess, her acceptance of those feelings was still brand new. She couldn’t put words to what she felt for Weiss yet, and everything felt so mixed up by the lies and the action the heiress had taken to try and get close to her that Yang wasn’t sure she would ever be able to sort it all out.

She couldn’t help but wonder how things would have turned out had Weiss just been upfront with her. Untiltheir fight, the princess had been nothing short of amazing to her. She knew that, in time, her feelings for Weiss would have grown to be significant.

But that wasn’t how things had gone.

Heaviness weighed on Yang as she remembered the cruelness of the heiress’s tone and words. Regardless of how true many of her points had been, the way that Weiss had chosen to say everything was unnerving. It was so unlike what Weiss had recently shown her that at first Yang had trouble even accepting the heiress’s words as reality.

The blond rubbed her eyes in dismay, and when she opened them again they found their way to door to the gym’s exit. It made Yang recall how mad and miserable it had made her to see the heiress leave; upon seeing the the emblem on Weiss’s back in her mind, Yang’s jaw clenched.

Schnee.

To Yang, that icy snowflake had come to represent all the coldness and hardship that Weiss had been forced to endure in her life. After all the things Winter and Weiss had told the blond about their family, and especially their father, Yang realized that she shouldn’t be surprised that such cruelness had found a way to take root in the princess. Compared to Winter she was surprised that her teammate wasn’t far worse than she had just proven herself capable of being. And Yang had no doubt as to why the heiress chose to show her affection by buying things for her.

The brawler’s eyes narrowed in frustration at how at odds Weiss’s recent behavior had been with who she had shown herself to be in the past. It had shaken Yang. Even if Weiss couldn’t be entirely blamed for her actions, the fact that something so malevolent laydeep inside of the princess and could come out again was more than unsettling.

Yang hated how complicated her world had become. She had feelings for two of the women on her team, and while each were unquestionably amazing and meant something to her in their own way, both had also hurt her.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips at how convoluted and messy the situation was; the irony of her predicament hadn’t escaped her. She was fully aware that given everything she was working through, this was the last thing she should be agonizing over, and that the smart thing would be to focus on herself instead of trying to work out the motives of two infuriatingly complicated women.

Right, because turning off or ignoring emotions has always been my strong suit.

Yang was physically and emotionally exhausted. She rubbed her face with both her hands to try and drum up some energy, but the sensory feedback of touching her face with the cybernetic made her stop and look at the arm.

I’m not going to figure out what to do about my feelings before I leave, but I do need to figure out what to do about this arm before I get back to base.

Part of her hated what the arm might represent, but Yang couldn’t ignore what Weiss had said about it before she left. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the prosthetic. If what the princess had said could be trusted, the cybernetic was her ticket out of Atlas, but also the final nail in the coffin of Weiss’s destiny.

It took her a painfullylong moment to decide that she would keep the arm, but she would hide the fact that it wasn’t standard issueuntil she could sort everything out. I couldn’t be that hard to conceal the prosthetic. After all, Ironwood had managed to do convincing job of not looking half-made of metal; all Yang had to do was hide one arm.

She lookedthrough the weapon and training rooms’ entire inventory but only managed to find gloves that were white or blue and none of them looked to be her size. Upon exhausting every option and place to look, Yang’s eyes fell on the case her new arm had come in.

Yang knew it was a long shot, but as she pulled the foam her prosthetic had laid on out of the case, she immediately found exactly what she had been looking for.

With a heavy sigh, Yang slid on plain but sturdy black gloves before throwing her jacket back on. The blond looked at her newly covered arm and sadly shook her head.

It’s just like her to think of everything except how to tell the truth about her own feelings.

With considerably more effort than it should have taken, Yang trudged over to the small bed in her dorm. As she started to remove her jacket, she winced and stopped moving. The beating she had taken from the match with Weiss a few hours prior was still fresh, and while the cold shower had initially helped, she was not pleased that her aura was taking so long to do its job.

After about a minute, and with some very careful movements, the blond managed to work her jacket and tank top off without swearing. She let out a relieved sighand looked at her bed with longing. Yang searched her side pockets for her scroll and set it down on her nightstand before she beganto free herself from her boots and the rest of her clothes.

Having finally escaped her miserably confining clothing, Yang slid under the covers. She tried to relax, but as she stared up at her ceiling her head swam with all the problems she now had and the people they rooted from.

The blond growled and was about to take her frustration out on her pillow when she heard her scroll chirp twice. She would have ignored it, as she expected that it was from Weiss, but the double ding meant that it was a voice message and Weiss hadn’t sent her anything but texts since she had found Yang in Atlas.

Curious as to who might have sent her a message and eager for a distraction the blond grabbed and opened the device. Her eyes shot wide at seeing her sister’s picture pop up. Yang quickly scanned the file and saw that it had been recorded the two nights before but had just made it through the communication array a second ago.

She enthusiastically tapped the message and listened carefully for her sister’s voice.

“Hey Yang! It’s me, your sister.” the younger girl chimed. “Sorry if this message ends up being short. There aren’t many towers out here to send from, and with the main one in Vale still being down, getting messages through at all is pretty hard. I know it’s been awhile since we last talked, but I hope you’re doing well.” A pause told of her little sister’s trademark insecurity, “I miss you. I don’t want you to worry about me though.” she was quick to add. “Jaune, Nora, Ren, and I have been doing really well, and we’ve helped a lot of the settlements that we have passed through, so that’s cool.”

Dead air filled Yang’s ear and the blond smiled sadly at how comforting it was to listen to her little sister’s voice even if she was a continent away.

“There hasn’t been any sign of ‘her’ yet,” Ruby finally continued. “Ren thinks that we might not find any solid clues about what is going on 'til we reach our destination. We have been seeing a lot more different types of grimm showing up than normal, though. Jaune thinks there might be some connection to what happened at Beacon, but Nora and Ren say that this far from a major city there's no shortage of strange things.”

“I know that I’ve been gone for a while now, but tell dad not to worry too much.” Ruby’s voice was excited, but her tone was gloomy, “I’m sure I’ll be home before you know it! So give Zwei lots of pets for me. And Yang… I love you. Get better soon, okay?”

Yang held the scroll to her ear until she heard the the double beep that indicated that the message was over. She closed her eyes for a second before listening to the message again. Hearing Ruby’s voice made her agonizingly aware of just how far apart they were now. It was by far the longest they had ever gone without seeing each other, and for the first time since she had initially arrived in Atlas, Yang felt homesick.

The concern she had felt since the moment Ruby left Patch added to her already vast array of emotions. Yang knew that her sister’s group was on their way to Mistril, but where exactly they were on that path was anyone's guess.

As an older sister, Yang felt like she was doing a really sh*tty job. She wasn’t with Ruby because of her inability to get over and solve her own problems; it made her feel terrible. Her sister was definitely strong, but it was Yang’s job to make sure Ruby stayed safe. And it made the blond feel awful that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

The audio came to an end once again, so Yang tapped her scroll to saved the message. When she did, the main screen for all of her voicemails popped up. The blond’s jaw clenched at seeing the ever present slew of unchecked audio messages from Weiss, all of them sent while she had still been in Patch. Weiss had tried to contact her pretty regularly as soon as the patchwork of receivers and communication arrays had managed to reconnected the continents, but Yang had always felt too tired and depressed to listen to any of Weiss's messages.

Then after a while it just seemed like too much of a burden to listen to them all. But it also seemed really rude to delete them.

Though seeing them now made her angry. Yang selected the twenty some messages Weiss had sent her and hit the delete icon. Her scroll asked if she was sure, and as her finger hovered over the screen she realized that she really wasn’t.

Yang canceled the action and looked at the messages again. Why had Weiss kept sending her messages even though she had never responded? As she inspected them she saw that nearly every message was left on the same day of the week and around the same time of day. It was bizarre to her that the heiress had tried to call her once a week, like clockwork, for over five months.

Curiosity slowly ate away at her.

Hesitantly, she tapped the first file and she put the phone up to her ear, “Hello, this is your teammate calling.” Weiss grumbled under her breath and Yang just barely heard her say, “She knows that you dolt, stop acting like Ruby and say something reassuring.”

Despite her foul mood, hearing thoughts that Weiss didn’t know would be heard made her emotions lighten slightly.

The heiress cleared her throat on the recording before continuing, “I know that things must be very hard right now,” there was a long pause, “and I’m sorry that I can’t be there to help you. I wish that I could be.”

Yang heard the heiress take a deep breath before using her authoritative voice, “Just know that I expect to see you fighting again soon. You are a part of my team and it would be just atrocious if our best fighter wasn’t up to task.” She heard Weiss sigh and then mutter to herself, “That was terrible.”

The princess’s unintentional adorableness made a smile tug at the corner of Yang’s lips.

“Well, I won’t keep you. I have a meeting tomorrow to prepare for anyways. But know that you can message me back whenever you like, I will always make time for you should you need me.” There was a slight pause before she finished with, “After all that is what teammates are for.”

Her scroll beeped to signal the end of the message and the blond looked down at her scroll and blinked in wonder. Yang’s curiosity made her wonder if all the messages were as awkwardly amusing; she listened to a few more and found that they were, in fact, pretty similar, but disappointingly contained less muttering over time.

By the seventh message, though, Yang found something different, and as she listened she felt her throat catch.

“I feel like you must be dreadfully bored of listening to me say the same things over and over,” Weiss started, “and the fact that you haven't sent a message back yet makes me think that you are probably not doing the best right now.” Weiss’s next words came out clear and confident, “I want you to know that that is okay. You are allowed to need time, and you are allowed to feel things about what happened.”

Weiss took a deep breath, “You have always been so strong, so it must be immensely hard to have your world changed so…” The princess paused, and Yang found herself eagerly waiting for what she might hear her teammate say next.

The heiress eventually continued with a sigh, “I’m sorry, it is rude of me to presuming to know what you are going through. It’s just so grievously lonely here, and I miss you. I miss all of you,” Weiss quickly added, but Yang now knew the additional words were a cover.

After finishing the rest of the message, the blond scanned up through the rest of the files and wonderedjust what else she would find. When she got towards the top she noticed one that had been sent after midnight, and with a raised eyebrow she opened it.

As she waited for the message to start Yang was first met by the sound of a long yawn and found herself grinning.

“Apologies, that was quite ill-mannered of me,” Yang recognized the elongation and slight mumble of Weiss’s words as trademark heiress exhaustion. “I’m sorry that I didn’t call at the regular time, but there was a minor crisis at the company and I just got out of the last meeting a little while ago. I’m sure that father will be furious with me for not somehow foreseeing the issue, but right now I’m too tired to care.”

There was a long sad sigh before the heiress continued, “I wish I could see you right now. I could really use one of your terrible jokes right about now.”

After a slight pause the heiress continued, and Yang could hear a slight catch the princess’s throat, “I really miss you.” More silence marked the end of the heiress’s words and it made the absence of the normal ‘all of you’ that much more unmistakable.

Yang’s brow furrowed at how pained the smaller woman’s words sounded, and her expression only deepened at how much sadder the princess seemed next, “I’m sorry that you are alone now that Ruby has left. It must feel so horrible to be left behind. I know that you probably don’t care that I’m not there, but I regret everyday that I am trapped here instead of with you. For whatever small measure of comfort it might offer you, I want you to know that I believe in you. I know what amazing strength lies within you, and I am confident that when you are ready it will be there waiting for you to reclaim it.”

“You… you are so special Yang, no matter what just please remember that.” So much silence followed after that Yang checked to see if the message was over.

A melancholy little laugh marked the start of new words, “I know by now that you don’t listen to any of these messages, but unfortunately they are all I can offer you right now, so I’m sorry. Even still, I won’t stop leaving them, if for no other reason than I want you to know that I will always be there for you in whatever way I can be.”

The heiress took a long deep breath before finishing with, “I truly hope you are well and finding a way to work through things you worrisome dragon… I miss you.”

When the message came to a close Yang felt tears well in her eyes. The weight of how epically wrong she had been about Weiss’s intentions tore at her.

The princess had been trapped and miserable in Atlas, but she had never once failed to leave Yang kind sincere words to remind her that she was not forgotten. And unlike everyone else, Weiss hadn’t ever shown Yang the awkward pity that everyone else did, but instead tried to consider what she had been feeling and struggling with.

Yang let her scroll fall onto the bed next to her as she covered her eyes with the crook of her arm. Her earlier feelings of conflict were back, but now they were infused with shame and regret. The blond’s chest ached as she was forced to admit that Weiss hadn’t been trying to buy her affection, but was instead was trying to make up for all the time that she wasn’t able to be there.

The blond felt so terrible and tired inside that she rolled on her side to hide in her blankets. When she opened her eyes again they fell on the origami bird she kept on her nightstand. The folded bit of paper made Yang wince at just how impossibly intertwined her life had become with the princess and just how far Weiss had gone to try and help her.

The blond clenched her cybernetic hand in sad acknowledgement, and as she did her own words from earlier that night rang so loudly in her ears that if felt as if she might never escape them, ‘After everything you’ve done for me, how could I ever let myself hurt you Weiss?’

Yang's chest burned knowing that was exactly what she had managed to do to the one person who had tried harder than anyone to be there for her.

She wasn’t sure when or how, but eventually she found sleep.

Though much to her displeasure, sleep was not a release from her earlier troubles; her thoughts warred just as furiously with each other in her unconscious mind as they did when she had been awake.

After some point in the night everything went pitch black and quiet. Yang found herself strangely comforted by the nothingness she stood in, and she didn’t have the energy or desire to question it. Unfortunately that peacefulness was short lived as it was soon broken by an approaching figure.

Yang let out a deep sigh as the person she had chased most of her whole life neared. When the woman finally reached her she pulled off her fearsome white mask and gently shook out her dark locks.

Even though her mother’s sudden presence caused choice words to come to mind Yang clenched her jaw so that she could better hold her tongue. Truthfully the younger woman had had her fill of yelling and knew that the quickest way to see exactly what Raven wanted was to make her do the talking.

A small knowing smile perched on her mother’s lips, “I see you have been practicing restraint, that is good,” Red eyes narrowed as she looked down at Yang’s new arm, “but that piece of technology that you are wearing is even better. I’m glad to see all the time you’ve been spending with the Schnee girl wasn’t the waste of time I feared it would be.”

Yang glared at her mother, but didn’t take the bait.

Raven continued in an annoyingly all-knowing tone, “I promised you answers once you were strong enough, and you have come a long way since we last spoke. But truthfully you will never be able to obtain the type of power you require as quickly as you will need it without my aid.”

The comment pushed Yang’s patience over the edge. She scowled at her mother, “How convenient, and what do you get out of helping me?”

The dark haired woman smiled, “While you are finally learning to ask the right questions, you still need to prove that you are worthy to hear their answers.”

Yang didn’t have patience for her mother’s usual routine, “You know what, my training has been going just fine, and I have manage to get through life pretty well without you this far. So I think I’ll pass. I’m full up on withholding and secretive people in my life right now.”

Raven simply narrowed her brow, “Only a fool confuses emotional need with actual need. The techniques I can teach you are the only things that will help you survive the conflict they are about to bring.

Yang stared back at her mother in defiance, “I’m dealing with my own things right now, I’m not interested in looking for a fight.”

Her mother scoffed at her statement and then let loose ire laced her words, “If you think you have the luxury of waiting till you are ready to fight then you are as thick as your father. They have already set massive events into motion. And no one, not Ironwood and not even your uncle, knows just how dangerous things are about to become. But...” the woman paused as she lightened her tone “I will teach you how to survive, should you be willing to accept the risk that comes with such power.”

The blond looked away in anger as she realized fighting with her mother wouldn’t stop the woman from saying what she wanted.

The black and scarlet clad warrior hefted her helmet, “You have a choice to make before I come to you next. Accept my help and the risks that come with it to grow stronger and earn the answers you seek. Or don’t, and watch the world crumble and the ones you care for perish before it is your turn to join them.”

Grimm mask in place her mother blinked crimson eyes once before ending with, “Choose wisely. They will come whether you are ready or not, and he will be with them”

Lilac eyes opened to a dimly lit room and Yang angrily threw the covers off of herself as she sat up. The conversation with her mother was still fresh in her mind.

Yang’s immediate instinct was to reject the offer, but the fear of not being strong enough to protect the people that were important to her was strong and nearly as paralyzing as the thought of having to stand up to him.

Yang ground her teeth at how perfectly her mother had played her.

In the short time that Raven had interacted with her, Yang had learned that the woman was secretive, cynical, and didn’t trust anyone. She didn’t know how her father had held onto his feelings for someone like her as tightly as he had for as long as he had.

As the blond brooded, an earlier conversation with her father started to dust itself off and she felt her shoulders uncomfortably tense. Taiyang’s words came together in her mind.

Even though I know you you’re not going to listen and will inevitably have to figure it out the hard way...Learn from my mistakes. You shouldn’t chase after someone who is always running away. If you do, you’ll just keep getting hurt and miss out on meeting someone who you can really rely on.

A knot closed off Yang’s throat and she felt sick at understanding just how true his warning had been.

Yang sunk her head into her hands as she realizedjust how badly she had messed things up and how impossible the choices she now faced were going to be. Because whatever she decided, it wouldn’t only affect her.

Chapter 18: Answers

Chapter Text

Weiss absently stared out of the glass walls of her office and into the surrounding labs for what felt like the tenth time that day. Her ability to focus had been abysmal for days, and regardless of the numerous objectives she had to complete she just couldn’t find the energy to truly care about any of them.

Thirteen new quarterly reports from Sergeant Reeves sat on the corner of her desk. The repugnant officer had smirked when he dumped them on her desk and then promptly left for the day. Glenn had also been sending her files to review. She had already received updated versions of their time table, logistical needs, and finances that morning that were nearly as dismal as her mood.

Everything seemed dreary and awful to her, but unfortunately she didn’t have the luxury of being able to feel sorry for herself. So after a deep sigh the heiress forced herself to get back to work. She opened her scroll and to type a message to her worried assistant.

Weiss:

| The finances are definitely a

concern, but I have a plan

to secure more funds. It

just won’t be easy or

particularly pleasant for me.

I have recently received

word back from several

firms that are willing to do

pro bono work for us in

exchange for consideration

of future contracts, so

that will help us in the

short term. |

Glenn:

| You have so much on your plate

already. Is the plan to attain new

funds something I can execute

for you? |

She frowned. Nothing would please her more than to leave the onerous task to her assistant, but unfortunately her to participation was essential.

Weiss:

| I will need you to play a large

role, but disentangle myself

from the matter completely

is not feasible. It will be a

long play, so we will need to

start setting things into

motion after our next face

to face. |

Glenn:

| Of course Miss Schnee.

Have you, by chance, been

able to ascertain any

information about the

status of the yellow

dragon project?|

Weiss clenched her jaw and glared at the screen.

Weiss:

| No word yet. I’ll let you know

when I find anything out. I have

to get back to work now. |

Weiss shut her scroll with more force than was necessary. She wasn’t particularly mad at Glenn; he couldn’t know how hard it had been on her to not hear from Yang for a week. Nor could he know how crushed her soul felt at knowing that her actions were the reason Yang was staying away and that those same actions might also lead to the destruction of her current goals.

Her chest felt tight with anxiety as she sunk her head into her open hands. As soon as she did her throat closed and her miserable eyes threatened to betray her, but she stubbornly fought off the urge to give in to despair.

Sitting up straight Weiss took a deep breath and reminded herself that this was hardly the time or place to lament her terrible decisions. But regardless of that resolve, she found her eyes wandered back to the closed scroll on her desk, as she recalled the only message she could think about. The one and only message she had received from Yang since their fight.

“I need time to think about things.”

Weiss clenched her fist as she tried not to get frustrated by the vagueness of the text, or that ‘time to think’ had already stretched into six torturously long days. She accepted that it was her own fault that she was in such a mess, but she couldn’t help but think how long a person really needed to come to a conclusion.

What could she possibly still have left to contemplate besides how hard to turn the proverbial knife?

The heiress knew she was being unfair. Yang was probably trying to decide exactly what to do with her new arm.

Despite how Weiss had hurt her she knew that Yang wasn’t the type to disregard the consequences of her actions, especially if they would affect someone else. Weiss's frustration stemmed from knowing exactly what was coming, but not being able to control any of it. Everything was in Yang’s hands now, she would either decided to leave and never talk to her again, which would leave the heiress’s life in ruins. Or Yang would stay, out of duty, only for their friendship to be irrevocably damaged.

Not knowing when her own self imposed doom would fall was what had left Weiss an anxious mess.

She shook her head and let her empty gaze linger on the busy floor of the research department. She couldn’t believe that she had let the cruel tongue of her parentage lash out at the person she cared about the most. The shame of that alone stung nearly as bad as knowing that she would probably never see Yang smile at her again. Let alone that she would only ever know the lingering memory of the dragon's embrace from that point on.

A pained sigh escaped her as she remembered the last pleasant moments that they had shared with each other. Each had been so sweet that Weiss had nearly let herself believe that there was a chance that they could actually be something more than companions.

Clenching her jaw she chastised herself for being so foolishly hopeful. The only bit of hope that she deserved to hold onto was that by giving Yang the new arm and telling her of just how reckless her pursuit of Blake was she might have somehow stopped the dragon from running off to get herself killed.

The heiress leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed as she internally lamented what her life had become.

Maybe my new destiny is to destroy the things that I love in order to save them.

Weiss stayed in that self loathing and brooding position for some time. Just as she was about to get back to work her holo screen rang and flashed a message that she had a call from the lobby. She looked at the screen with narrowed eyes. As dismal as she felt her curiosity overrode her desire to ignore the call.

When she tapped the link to answer the round and troubled face of the front receptionist popped up on the screen, “Miss Schnee, so sorry to interrupt you, but there is someone here to see you. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she insists that you want to see her.”

The heiress felt her throat catch as she waited for the person on the other end to finish talking.

“Would you be willing to see a Miss Yang Xiao Long?”

Weiss sat rigidly at her desk as she nervously stared at the elevator. When the doors finally opened she saw what she had both longed for and dreaded.

A tall sculpted blond stepped out of the elevator and looked around. Using a considerable amount of willpower the heiress stood so that Yang could easily spot her. But upon catching the dragon’s gaze Weissfelt her hands tremble, so she gripped the edge of her desk to steady them.

Whatever happens I will find a way to deal with it.

As she watched Yang walk across the department Weiss could tell that something seemed off about the blond. Her teammate's gate seemed more reserved and guarded than normal and Yang wore an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face. All of which made the heiress feel extremely pessimistic about their impending conversation.

Weiss felt her heartbeat in her throat as Yang came to stand in front of the glass doors of her office. As lilac eyes met her own the heiress broke their gaze, but she looked back after she heard the door close.

Yang Xiao Long, the woman Weiss had fallen in love with and then scorned, stood in front of the her desk.

“I’m here to talk,” Yang started. Her teammate looked around at the glass walls of Weiss’s office with uncertainty, “I would have waited for you at the gym, but I wasn’t sure if you would be there since I haven’t been going.”

The smaller woman swallowed and nodded in response. She reached down and touched her control dock to black out the windows and lock the office doors.

Yang raised a brow, but quickly took a deep breath and set her face back to the serious look it had from before. “Weiss,” she started. But then a frown spread across her face and the taller woman started to fidgeting with her new arm.

The heiress’s eyes narrowed in on the movement.

Is there something wrong with the prosthetic, or is she just trying to tell me what she plans on doing with it?

Yang just stood in front of her and said nothing. It made Weiss even more on edge; she didn’t know if she could take waiting any longer. The silence practically drove her mad, so she put on her bravest face and held tight to her desk before saying, “Yes, Yang.”

“Weiss I-” Yang restarted with a determined look, but once again faltered. “I wanted to tell you-” Yang looked away and started fidgeting with her arm again, but finally managed to get out a complete sentence, “Will you just come here, please?” She motioned for Weiss to come forward, “It’s really hard to talk to you from behind that massive desk.”

The smaller woman raised an eyebrow at the unexpected statement. As much as she liked the security her grandfather’s desk provided it wasn’t exactly fair to hide behind it, and staying put didn’t seem like it would expedite their conversation. So despite how much she feared what happened next Weiss walked around to the front of her desk. She leaned back against it slightly not willing to completely let go of the support it offered.

As she placed her hands on the cool onyx surface she brace herself for what she knew came next, but fear made it hard to keep her breathing steady. She just wanted the bandage to be ripped off so she could start to move on.

Yang walked up to her and Weiss found violet eyes lock onto her in a fierce stare. The gaze was so intense that she forgot to breath.

But soon Yang spoke, “Weiss...you-” Yang’s face looked pained with how hard it was to finish the sentence. The dragon’s eyes searched the heiress’s face in desperation, and while Weiss wanted to help the taller woman, the anxiety of impending rejection was slowly killing her.

Yang took a deep breath and finally spoke clearly, “The things you said the last time we talked, did you really mean everything you said?”

Weiss immediately looked away and closed her eyes in shame. She knew she could lie, take it all back in hopes that it might salvage any part of their relationships. But she respected Yang too much to run away from the truth. “I’m sorry," she started, "I never should have spoken to you the way that I did. I let my emotion bring out a part of me that was disgraceful and cruel.” She swallowed before continuing, “I never wanted you to see that side of me.” The heiress paused and let out a silent sigh, “But while the way I said things was unacceptable, the content of my words was what I believed to be true.”

There was a long silence as Yang took in and thought about her words. When her teammate spoke again her voice came out hard, “And what you said about me being able to leave if I wanted?”

Pain stabbed at Weiss’s chest, but she fought against it. Holding back the tears that welled in her eyes she looked up at Yang while mustering every scrap of will to force out her reply, “If you wish to leave I won’t stop you, and neither will the military. That arm is yours. You don’t owe me anything.”

Having sealed her fate Weiss looked down and wished with everything that she was that their conversation was finally over, because she didn’t know how much longer she could hold herself together.

Then without warning the heiress felt strong fingers lift her chin.

And Yang kissed her.

Any thoughts Weiss had about what had happened or what it could mean were instantly overridden by the sensation of the most impossibly soft lips she had ever felt pressed against her own. The dissonance of what she had been expecting and what had actually occurred caused her to seized up in shock, but almost instantly strong arms gently wrapped around Weiss as if to reassured her that everything was okay.

The gesture effortlessly persuaded Weiss to abandon all rational thought, as she felt herself melt into the woman that she had pined after for so long. Her eyes slid closed all she could manage to process was the feeling of velvety lips slowly moving against her own. The sensation was so profound that all the pent up desire she had always kept inside finally escaped. And she kissed Yang back.

In that moment of allowing herself what she had so desperately wanted the heiress found out just how much more such an embrace could be. Her body flooded with a tingling sensation that made her knees go weak and her head feel light. It was utterly overwhelming, but in the best possible way. And she never wanted it to stop. The heiress pulled herself closer to the golden haired beauty, and gave into her need to feel the other woman’s strong muscles and soft curves. When she did it caused a soft moan escape from her throat at how perfect Yang's body felt pressed against her own. She was so powerful yet divinely feminine that it took Weiss's breath away.

The heiress felt like she could have relished the benefits of their closeness for an eternity, but a short moment later Weiss felt Yang’s hand press into the small of her back right before the blond’s tongue parted her mouth. The heiress was surprised, but then felt her head go blissfully blank as Yang’s tongue ventured forth to lightly touch her own. Yang continued her ministration of gently teasing grazes and it made Weiss’s desire for more swell to new heights. She felt electricity run through her body at Yang’s touch. It was amazingly irresistible, and all she could think about was how much she wanted more.

Weiss’s hands dug into the fabric of the blond’s jacket as warmth pooled in her abdomen. After a languidly euphoric minute the heiress managed to regained just enough brain function to work her tongue against Yang’s in reply, and was soon rewarded by the dragon's fingers firmly pressing against her body as Yang let out a needy moan of her own.

The shock of making her teammate and the woman that filled her desires make such a sound pulled Weiss's mind back to reality. Her eyes shot open and she froze. Light purple eyes quickly met her own, and as sudden as it had started the kiss was over.

Weiss instantly and vehemently cursed herself for ruining such a singularly blissful moment, but intense lilac eyes quickly stole away her focus and made her forget the error. Those captivating eyes never left her own as the blond loosened the closeness their embrace enough so that they had room to speak.

Weiss blinked, her brain was such a mess of endorphins that she couldn’t really piece together exactly why Yang had kissed her or what it had meant. Quite frankly, she was having trouble even accepting that what had happened wasn’t some sort of delusional dream.

But Yang's timid and almost sad smile captured Weiss's fragmented attention, “I’m sorry Weiss.”

The three simple words felt beautifully warm and heartfelt as they left the taller woman’s mouth.

Unfortunately the heiress was still so dazed that all her brain could do was vaguely worry about what the apology could mean. Feeling at a loss she simply responded with a bewildered, “What?”

Yang smiled warmly in acknowledgment before answering, “Sorry, I’m not always the best with words. I’ve always been more of an actions type of person.”

Weiss did her best not to react to the understatement of the century but failed. When her eyes widened at the remark she saw her teammate look away as if she was embarrassed.

“I didn’t- Um, what I meant to say was-,” Yang stumbled before letting out a long sigh that ended with slumped shoulders.

While seeing the normally boastful dragon so flustered was amusing, Weiss couldn’t help but empathize with her troubled teammate. Weiss knew how hard it was to talk about feelings, so she quickly scanned her brain as to how she might be able to help the woman that still nervously held onto her. Unsure if it was the right thing to do, she timidly raised her hand to gently cup Yang’s face before softly saying, “It’s okay.”

Yang softly nuzzled into the offered hand, and Weiss felt her heart skip a beat. The gesture apparently helped though, and Weiss let her hand fall away as Yang found the words to continue.

“I like you Weiss,” Yang let out a sigh. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner that I had feelings for you. I just…” She laughed nervously, “Well, honestly everything got really complicated.”

Weiss fought against her racing heart as she tried to make sense of Yang's words. Even after all that Yang had just said and done Weiss still didn’t know if she dared to believe what it meant.

Lavender eyes moved back and forth in thought before Yang let out a frustrated grumble, “Uhh, where do I even start?” Yang took a deep breath before setting out to explain, “Things were, and got really... messy. To begin with I didn’t even know you thought of me ‘that way’ until we fought about it. That and I still hadn’t resolved the all the other feelings that I had about a lot of things. So when I had to handle all of it at once, it didn’t exactly go well.” The dragon paused, and then winced as she spoke, “I’m sorry about how I reacted and how long I made you wait. There was just a lot of stuff to work though,” Yang let out a shy grin, “and I really wanted to be sure before I talked to you.”

Weiss’s pulse was so fast that it felt like she needed to catch her breath. She just wanted Yang to say something concrete that she could hold onto, but she knew that she needed to wait and let Yang get everything out.

Pained yellow brows knitted together as Yang continued, “I know that I can’t tell you that I love you back, because that isn't something I would ever say without really knowing for sure. But I do know that I feel very strongly about you. I mean, I’d be an absolute idiot not to.” Yang smiled at her radiantly, “You are so wonderful and smart and beautiful …” the taller woman brushed the tips of her left hand against the heiress’s cheek, “and secretly kind. You somehow found a way to help me when no one else could.”

Yang's eyes lightened, “Before I came to Atlas I still thought of you as this perfect plastic model of high society, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. What makes you so uniquely beautiful is that despite how you have been forced to act, deep down you are probably the most caring person I know.”

Her words left Weiss feeling overwhelmed with both happiness and fear. Sensing the blond pause, Weiss hesitantly forced herself to finally asked the questions she needed answered, “So what does this all that mean?” She paused to steady herself, “What do you want this to be?”

The blond pulled her left arm away from the heiress’s waist to rub the back of her neck, “Well,” she started, “I really care about you Weiss. I want to give this a try. I know it sounds really dumb, but will you… be my girlfriend?” Yang awkwardly asked.

Surprise and joy filled the heiress. She could hardly believe what Yang had just asked her. Weiss also couldn’t believe how clumsily and adorable the normally full of bravado dragon sounded in front of her. All of it, everything, seemed too amazingly good to be true.

And then Weiss realized that it was too good to be true. There were reasons that she had never pursued Yang, and while she now knew that her teammate felt something for her it didn’t resolve the other issues that had always stopped her.

So with a heavy heart and a somber frown Weiss responded, “I want more than anything to say yes, but I can’t until I understand what changed. Why do you want to be with me now?” Weiss paused and her her chest ached as she spoke, “I need to know that you aren’t just deciding to be with me out of obligation.” She nodded towards Yang’s cybernetic. Weiss looked away, but then made herself meet Yang’s eyes. Her stare was intense as she forced out pridefully, “And I won’t submit to being anyone’s consolation prize.”

Yang was a little surprised at first, but then smirked, “Oh I am aware of that.” The blond leaned back slightly and let out a long sigh as she thought of how to respond. She looked back at Weiss with a serious face before she answered, “I won’t lie to you, a part of me will always have feelings for Blake.”

Fear instantly washed over the heiress’s face, and Yang pulled her closer to reassure her. “But,” Yang continued, “after I really thought about everything I realized something important. That part of me that still had feeling for her was the same fragment that was still trying to regain the past instead of looking to the future. I won’t ever be ashamed of how I felt for Blake, but honestly I don’t think that the person that fell in love with her exists anymore.” Yang looked down at the heiress with a somber smile, “I don’t think any of us are the same as we were that first year of school.”

Lavender eyes raised in remembrance and she shook her head with a small grin as she spoke, “That, and I realized that a couple of people in my life were right.” Yang let an earnest and unwavering gaze meet the heiress’s own before saying, “I was chasing after a fleeing possibility while there was someone amazing standing right next to me.”

Weiss was so entranced by Yang’s words that it took her a minute to realize how tightly she had griped the lapels of Yang’s jacket. She immediately let them go and fought to not turned red.

Yang simply smirked before continuing, “I hope you can believe how I feel about you. I really want to give this a try with you. But...” She paused and it made a beat of worry fill Weiss's chest.

Yang sighed as she spoke, “I also know that there is a lot of stuff I still need to work through.” Yang raised her gloved prostheticto emphasize her point. “I genuinely want to see if we can be a real thing. So if you say yes, then I think we should take things slow.”

The heiress was surprised by the level of seriousness and maturity that Yang had expressed. It took her a long moment to decide how best to respond. There was a part of her that darkly insisted that accepting would be foolish and only lead to terrible and unforeseen problems. But Weiss had learned that that voice only ever kept her from happiness. Being with Yang was something that she had longed for over everything else, she knew that she couldn’t let herself be afraid to pursue the possibility in front of her anymore.

So with determination Weiss raised her gaze and said, “I would really like that.”

A smile as big as she could ever remember seeing spread across Yang’s face, and the heiress found it to be infectious. The blond picked her up into an excited hug, and for the first time Weiss didn’t have to make herself relax. She simply let herself embrace the wonderfully warm figure that held her.

A few short seconds later Yang lowered her back to the ground, still wearing the same broad smile from before. As she looked down into Weiss’s eyes the heiress had the strong sense that the taller woman was about to lean down and kiss her, but then something changed in Yang's eyes. She looked away from Weiss and frowned slightly.

“There is one last thing we need to talk about if we are going to do this,” Yang said in a more serious tone. “I really believe that someday we’ll all be back together as a team.” She paused as she considered her next words. When she continued there was reassuring levity in her voice, “I’m not mad that you seem to be the jealous type, but you really do need to work on not being so mad at Blake.”

Weiss’s eyes shot open in embarrassed anger at Yang’s words, “I am not the jealous type!”

Yang tried and failed to hide a smirk, which only served to enrage Weiss further, “You infuriating dragon, how could you even suggest that-”

Yang rolled her eyes before she bent down to interrupted her tirade with a kiss.

Instantly Weiss felt herself sink into Yang, but after a second she pulled away. Recognizing the dragon’s ploy. “Yang Xiao Long,” she angrily scolded, “If you think you can get out of trouble just by kissing me from now on then-”

With a smirk of challenge Yang picked her up and sat Weiss on her own desk. Before Weiss could express her discontent she was silenced the with searing kiss that left her quite literally speechless.

Yang pressed her body against Weiss. The dragon's lips moved to touch her own like hungry fire. The gentle patience of their first kiss was all but gone as Yang locked Weiss in a torrent of passionately moving lips and domineering tongue strokes. It left the smaller woman clinging to the dragon’s neck as she tried to keep up with the Yang’s overwhelming zeal.

The insatiable need that Yang kissed her with was unfathomably addictive, and it cause soft eager sounds of pleasure to escape her. And even though Weiss could occasionally feel Yang grin against her lips, Weiss couldn’t be bothered to care. Instead she pulled Yang closer so that she could enjoy the warmth and feel of the other woman’s form. Being kissed by Yang like that made her feel like she was being consumed by an unquenchable flame, and it filled Weiss to the brim with a want.

After an unknowable amount of time Weiss was forced to finally break away for need of air.

Yang pulled back and grinned with an arched eyebrow, “I’m sorry, what were you were saying?”

Weiss had to put considerable effort into regaining any semblance of composure. Her mind felt foggy as she tried to recovered from the effect that Yang’s kiss had had on her.

If that is taking things slow, then I’m going to need to up my research.

Still reeling from the kiss, Weiss refused to meet Yang’s gaze. Her eye twitched before she answered, “You win this round dragon.”

Yang had a wide grin on her face as she laughed, “I'm sorry, you’re just so ridiculously cute when you’re angry.”

Weiss felt her face go scarlet. But for once she found that she didn’t really mind, because it felt wonderful to see Yang look so happy. She knew she could easily watch the gorgeous woman before her smile all day.

That realization made a small smile touch Weiss’s lips, for she finally knew what unrestricted happiness felt like. Her eyes softened as she let the warm and secure feeling of contentment wash over her.

The moment was cut a bit short, however, by a loud chirp from the heiress’s scroll. Weiss had fully intended to ignore the device, but Yang reached past her with a smile to pick it up and placed it in her hand.

Weiss glanced down at the device with a frown and sighed. She was about to open it until she realized the position that they were both still in. Weiss awkwardly looked at Yang and then the desk that she was still sitting on. Yang thankfully took the hint and stepped back as she bashfully rubbed her neck.

As tactfully as she could, Weiss avoided looking at Yang as she slid from her desk and straightened her clothes. She softly cleared her throat before opening her troublesome scroll.

Glenn:

| I just received word from

Patricia Thistle’s assistant

that she can only meet with

you tonight. I think I can

pull some strings to get you

a table at the Broadwind,

but it means we will need to

tap into the remaining funds.

What would you like to do? |

Weiss let out a resigned sigh as she typed back.

Weiss:

| Set it up. If I do not see her

tonight I likely won’t be able

to get an audience with her

again for months, and we

will definitely need her

support moving forward. |

Weiss closed her scroll and set it down with a scowl. She didn’t think twice about her actions, but Yang apparently did.

Yang looked intently at her and waited a second before asking, “What was that about?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Weiss rolled her eyes, “It’s…” she looked back at her scroll briefly, “complicated.”

Yang took a step closer and frowned. She raised an eyebrow and stared at Weiss with a knowingly look, “So call me paranoid, but isn’t keeping secrets what caused our last fight?”

Weiss looked away shamefully, but then answered, “Yes, it was. But I don’t want you to get tied up in what I’m doing. I want you to focus on training and therapy, not… this.”

Violet eyes looked down at her until Weiss was forced to met them.

Yang simply said, “No more secrets Weiss.”

She could feel her resolve break the longer she looked into those eyes. Weiss knew that she was right. After a deep breath in she let it out, “I’ve got a lot to tell you then.”

Chapter 19: Giving Back (Part 1)

Chapter Text

Yang let out a huff as she dropped onto the couch in the gym’s game room. She had spent most of her day off trying to keep busy at the facility, but despite her best efforts she was only able to mildly distract herself from missing Weiss.

She let her head hang off the back of the couch as she stared out at the open gym. Her eyes lazily scanned the upside down facility to see if there was anything left to do. She had, quite literally, hit both weight rooms pretty hard. After maxing out a few machines in the first room she had worked over the heavy bag in the second room until it had hole in it. She considered folding more origami, but had already folded twenty cranes. After that many she was pretty much over it.

Letting out a long frustrated sigh Yang sat up and turned on the halo screen in front of her. As she thumbed through the options on her scroll she thought about which "Ninja Warrior" game to replay; in the last week she had beat all six and the beta release while waiting for Weiss to get off work. Yang clenched her jaw when she saw the time on her scroll.

Weiss had worked late every day for the last week, and she still brought work back with her to the gym. There were even a few of times that Weiss was only able to stop by and spend a few minutes with Yang before she had to head out to a business meeting.

Yang knew it was stupid, because they had only been seeing each other for a little over a week, but she really missed Weiss. She knew the princess had important things that she had to do, but it killed Yang that she wasn’t able to do anything to help Weiss. All she had done the past week was work at the garage, go to therapy, and spend a ridiculous amount of time training.

When all she really wanted was to spend time with Weiss. Or at the very least be useful to her teammate, instead of being a dead weight that just crashed at her teammate's place.

After a minute of agitated mulling Yang settled on the fourth "Ninja Warrior" game. It had the most unlockable content and the best cut scenes, which made it feel like less of a chore to replay than the others. Yang let out an irritable grumble as she started to play through on the second hardest setting; fortunately, it ended up only taking three levels for her to get sucked into the game and lose track of time. She was only one fight away from the final boss round when she heard heels approaching from behind.

Trying not to look stupidly excited at finally getting to see the person she had been waiting all day to see, Yang resisted the urge to immediately jump up and great Weiss. Instead, she waited for Weiss to enter the room before pausing the game and turning to greet her. But her mouth hung wordlessly ajar when she saw that the princess was glued to her scroll's screen, as she was still working.

Yang's shoulders slumped and she let out a resigned exhale before she turned back to her game and resumed kicking sub boss ass. As much as much as she missed Weiss, she knew the last thing she should do was be a distraction if Weiss had work to do.

She was just starting the boss level when she heard a little huff come from where Weiss was standing off to the side. Yang looked out of the corner of her eye to see if she could figure out what might be bothering the heiress, but Weiss was still glued to her scroll and frowning like she had been when she came in. Yang moved her attention back to the game, and as soon as she did she swore she could feel Weiss looking at her. Yang paused her game and turned to see if the Weiss was done working, but the princess was still looking down at her own device and tapping the screen in that angry little way that she always did.

With a raised eyebrow Yang went back to her fight once again. A few seconds later though, she heard Weiss let out a louder sigh and Yang shot her a quick glance. Yang saw Weiss quickly look back down at her scroll and the slightest blush touched her cheeks.

After that she had a feeling she knew what was going on. Yang went back to playing her game, but kept a subtle eye on the heiress as she went through the motions of playing the game. What Yang saw when she did was so adorable that it made it hard not to grin and give herself away.

Weiss would look up at Yang every thirty seconds or so only to frown deeply and let out a little sigh or grumble before looking back at her screen. It took the blond less than a minute to confirm what the princess was doing. Or rather what Weiss was too afraid to ask her for.

Yang let the heiress stew for a couple of minutes as she drew out the fight on her screen, while she did she sized up the distance between them patiently. Weiss was a little too far away, but a few seconds later the princess took a shifting step closer to the couch and let out a much more intentional exhale.

Powerless to resist Weiss’s pouting any longer, Yang threw her controller aside before she reached out and pulled the princess down onto her lap.

Weiss's eyes went wide and she let out a yelp of surprise when she landed on Yang's lap.

Very please with herself, Yang wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and asked with a broad grin, “Did you need something?”

Weiss went absolutely red in the face at the comment and looked away. “No!” she stubbornly commented.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Yang laughed, “I thought you wanted attention.” She started to move like she was going to let the princess up, “I’ll let you get back to work then.”

Weiss looked at her with sad eyes and a frown. The expression was so adorable and honest that it made Yang decided to stop teasing Weiss and instead make it up to the princess by leaning in to give her a kiss.

When she broke away Yang commented with a smirk, “You know if you want attention all you ever have to do is ask. I really can’t think of any reason why I would ever say no.” She laughed, “You don’t have to stand in the corner and brood.”

Weiss turned away with a guilty frustrated look and let out a little sigh, “I was afraid to ask, because I didn’t want to come off,” The princess paused, before meeting Yang’s eyes, “clingy. I have been so busy lately, and I… really missed you.” Weiss ended in a quiet voice.

Yang had to take a beat to keep her heart from melting into a puddle on the floor. There was no way Weiss could have known how impossibly cute she was being, or how happy it made Yang to know that the princess missed her too. Yang wore a dumb happy grin on her face as she tightened her grip on the smaller woman. She was about to respond, but Weiss beat her to it.

With a little hesitation in her voice Weiss continued, “Also, I don’t see how it is possible to not want to kiss you, you’re so...” The heiress bit the edge of her lip as she glanced down at Yang’s lips and then back up.

When their eyes met, Yang saw a look of longing and want in Weiss's eyes that excited her and made her yearn for the woman on her lap.

Yang was only able to hold their stare for a brief second before her restraint completely dissolved. Yang let her lips crash into the Weiss's, and when she did she was met by eager lips that moved back against her own. Yang's left hand settled on the small of Weiss’s back and she pulled her in closer to deepen their kiss.

A soft groan escaped Yang as she relished how soft and needy Weiss's mouth felt against her own. And the way that Weiss clung to her lit a fire in Yang's chest. Knowing that Weiss wanted her so badly made it impossible to hold back. Yang slipped her tongue into the heiress’s mouth and was rewarded by the most enticing sounds of approval.

But the fun of hearing Weiss was short lived. Within a minute Weiss had recovered and bit down gently on the Yang's lower lip only to lick it right after. Yang had to swallow to keep her wits about her; she had no idea that Weiss had such a playful side in her.

Her heart rate sky rocket from Weiss's actions and she kissed the heiress again but with more force. She desperately wanted to find out what other things Weiss might have hidden away behind that prudish facade.

As their tongues danced and played against one another the intensity of the kiss grew to the point that Yang could sense her semblance growing. She positively itched to feel more of the woman on her lap.

Without thinking Yang’sleft hand found its way down to Weiss’s right thigh, and the only thing that was better than feeling impossibly soft skin against her fingers was the deep hum that emanated into her mouth from the heiress. It made a devilish craving for more move her fingers along Weiss’s leg in playful, teasing patterns.

The beautifully tempting sounds that Weiss responded with only made Yang’s thoughts and desires escalate. She couldn’t stop her hand from working higher up the gorgeously toned legs that she had eyed more times than she could count.

For the life of her Yang couldn't think of why continuing wasn't the best idea ever.

Time seemed to lose meaning as Yang let herself be intoxicated by how amazing it felt to touch Weiss’s body, to the point that she only mildly registered it when Weiss shifted on her lap. It wasn’t until Yang felt a hand work its way along her side and across her abs that she realized why Weiss had moved. A pleased groan escaped Yang at feeling the princess touch her back, but that only seemed to encourage the heiress to do more.

Yang felt her breath catch as nimble fingers slipped under the hem of her tank top and ran their way up her torso.

She tried to cope with how utterly amazing the heiress’s fingers felt as they gracefully slid along the skin of her stomach. Yang's fingers dug into Weiss’s thigh from how good it felt to be touched, and Weiss let out a lust inducing whine of pleasure.

Yang feeling her heartbeat in her throat. It was a full second later before she sorted out why Weiss had made such a tantalizing sound; the intensity of the moment had let her hand wander quite far up Weiss's skirt.

Realizing just how carried away she had become, and how far she wanted to take things, made Yang understand that she needed to stop. So, as much as it pained her, Yang pulled back and removed her hand from what was essentially Weiss’s ass.

With a heavy sigh Yangclosed her eyes and let her head rest on the back of the couch as she forcibly cooled her libido.After a couple of seconds she lifted her head and let out an apologetic, “Sorry, that was definitely a thing.”

But when she saw that the heiress was sitting with her hands in her lap and had a guilty look on her face she immediately stopped and raised a questioning eyebrow.

Yang racked her brain as to what could be the matter, but decided that it was better to just ask, “Weiss, what’s wrong?”

The princess got red and looked away, she quickly and quietly answered, “I’m sorry.”

Yang's mouth was open as she tried to decide what words to make come out it. She finally settled on, “Why are you apologizing?”

Weiss awkwardly slid off ofherlap and onto the couch, “I um… took things too far.” The heiressnervously rushed her next words, “You said you wanted to take things slow and I didn’t listen. So we had to stop,” Weisspicked at the corner of her thumb as she continued, “I’m sorry that I didn’t control myself better, I just… the way that you-”

Along breath escaped Yang before she tried to reassure her girlfriend, “Weiss, stop. It’s not your fault that I stopped.” Yang turned and moved the princess to face her. “I was the one that started things,” she emphasized with a grin, “you were just following my lead. I pulled away, because I realized that I let things get way more intense than I should have.”

Weiss looked back at her with a small frown, which Yang knew by now meant that Weiss still felt like she was sole responsible and had done something wrong.

Yang let out a deep sigh as she spoke, “How do I explain this?” She scratched the back of her neck as she thought of what she could possibly say to get Weiss to understand.

“Okay, normally when I am with someone I just sort of let things ‘progress’ as they will. I’ve never really put any effort into taking my time with someone, but this time I know I need to. For one, I really care about you, and I don’t want to mess this up by running into things full force like I normally would. And two,” she lifted her cybernetic hand, “a major thing I have been working on with Doctor Estenburg is practicing restraint and being more aware of my actions. One of the things that gets stressed a lot in group is being cognizant of your state of being and your thoughts.” Yang paused and nervously looked at Weiss, but Weiss was simply listening to her with patient, focused eyes.

Weiss's attentiveness made Yang feel a little more secure and hopeful that she wasn’t doing a terrible job of explaining herself, so she continued, “The way they explain it in therapy is that by learning to identify how things are affecting you and what you are thinking about them you eventually learn to stop yourself from getting triggered. So if you practice self monitoring enough then you can learn to cope with or know when to remove yourself from a situation before things get too intense.”

A worried look formed on Weiss's face at her last statement.

Yang realized what she had unintentionally implied. She raised both of her hands and waved them to stop Weiss from blaming herself again, “But that’s not really what happened here.” The blond lowered her hands when she saw Weiss’s face relax a little.

“It was more that I did a really terrible job of noticing how far I let myself take things.” Yang looked at the princess with a smirk, “Kissing you is fun, but touching you,” she let out an exasperated breath, “was a lot more intoxicating than I thought it would be.”

Weiss's eyes widened and second later she turned away, “I’m sorry. We don’t have to do that anymore. I just-”

“Weiss stop,” She grabbed the heiress’s hands and pulled her closer, “this isn’t your fault. You are my girlfriend,” Yang smiled at the her, “of course I want to do things like that with you. I just don’t want to let myself get too carried away. Like I said, the last thing I want to do is rush things and mess this up.”

The heiress held Yang’s gaze for a long moment before she replied, “I,” she bit her lip, “like those things too. But I was worried, because,” she blushed and looked away, “when you touch me like that it is hard to control myself.”

Yang smirked, “I’ve been told I have that effect on people.”

Weiss’s head snapped back in a flash and a perturbed look marked her face, “You really are horrible at sensing the mood.”

Yang laughed, “But luckily for me I am equally as good at fixing it.” She grabbed Weiss around the waist and pulled the smaller woman onto herself as she reclined into the corner of the couch. Yang hugged Weiss tightly and within a couple seconds could tell that the heiress had given up on being mad, because she felt Weiss’s body relax on top of hers as the princess nuzzled her face into Yang's shoulder.

Happy that her choice of cuddle tactics had worked, Yang squeezed Weiss briefly before craning her neck downward to kiss the top of the her girlfriend’s head. Yang relished snuggling with Weiss and smiled each time she heard Weiss let out a soft, contented sigh.

She was able to soak up their peaceful time together for a solid five minutes before they were interrupted by the heiress’s scroll going off. The alert tone from the device made Weiss growl in a way that made Yang very glad that she was not the one that had caused her to be so angry.

Weiss off of her and sat up with a scowl as she slid open the screen of her scroll. A few seconds later Yang saw her girlfriend quite literally turn red with rage.

“I am going to kill him!” Weiss yelled.

Yang cringed at just how mad Weiss sounded. She satup and watched tentatively as Weiss scanned the message on her scroll again.

“That insufferable, egomaniacal prick,” Weiss raged.

Yang’s eyes shot open wide in shock, she’d never heard Weiss swear before, like ever. And she had seen her teammate get mad a lot in the past, something bad had been in that email.

Hesitantly she repositioned herself as she prepared to find out what was going on, “Hey, talk to me princess. What’s going on?”

Weiss looked up from her scroll with an absolutely livid look on her face. Yang held up her hands in surrender, “Or you can just fume about it, that’s fine too.”

At seeing her reaction Weiss’s face eased into a regretful frown, she let out a remorseful sigh, “I’m sorry, I am just so frustrated. I have been dealing with Reeves for well over a month now, but each week he just somehow manages to gets worse.”

Yang looked at her girlfriend with a tight frown and knitted brows. She wasn’t sure what the jerk had done this time, but she was getting sick and tired of seeing Weiss get tormented. Weiss was important to her, and the fact that she couldn’t do anything to help or protect her made the Yang's chest ache with frustration.

Her girlfriend's shoulders sunk as she spoke, “I’m not going to be able to spend this weekend with you like I had planned.”

Yang's eyes widen in distress. She wanted to respond, but knew that there had to be more to the story, so as mad and disappointed as she was she kept her mouth shut.

“I have to get a presentation ready for Reeves to give to the council on Monday,” Weiss looked away in anger before continuing, “I mistakenly though he would do it himself, since it is his responsibility to give the presentation. But he just messaged me to say that we will be meeting this Saturday so that I can put things together for him to present.”

“Tell him no!” Yang blurted out. “It’s his job, he can’t make you do his job for him!”

Sad eyes looked at her and Yang’s anger melted into a dismal frown.

Weiss sat up straighter, but Yang could still sense the forlorn look in her eyes, “I can’t say no. If I do then he will intentionally give a poor presentation so that he can blame me for not ‘adequately sharing information’ as the head of the department. That’s why he is doing this; Reeves is hoping that I will say no so he can throw me under the bus. He has been piling extra work on me for weeks now to try and make me break. He has even frozen forty percent of the current projects for the department so that he can try and claim that production has slowed under my leadership.” Weiss scowled, “Any person with half a brain would be able to see that his signature is the one that authorized the hold orders, but it is just one more underhanded thing he has done to try and discredit me. I’m starting to think that he is taking my refusing to step down from the position personally. He has even been staying longer every day this week just to keep an eye on me,” Weiss’s eyes narrowed, “and he hates putting in a full day’s work.”

Her girlfriend took a deep breath as she visibly calmed, “Normally I would be able to deal with all of his bureaucratic undercutting, but not when I am also trying to gain influence and set up logistics to take control of the company. I’ve barely made any progress this last week, and it is made all the more terrible by the fact that it keeps influencing our time together.” Weiss frowned, “He doesn’t even know it, but he has been effectively keeping me from the two things that I care the most about right now.”

While hearing that she was one of the things that Weiss cared the most about made Yang feel great, it couldn't completely make up for the aggravation that she felt.

“Please tell me there is something I can do to help you,” Yang begged. Weiss simply frowned, but Yang raised a hopeful eyebrow, “You could always let me break his legs.”

Weiss looked at her sternly, “No Yang, I told you that I don’t want you getting involved in any of this. First off, it is not your fight. Secondly, if father found out you were helping me he would start digging into things, and that would be disastrous. Third, if pummeling that degenerate could solve my problems I would have done so myself after reading his file.” Her girlfriend glared hatefully as she spoke, “Reeves has six formal complaint reports on his record and those are just the ones in his file. Winter told me that she knows of seven more that were scrubbed from his dossier. The female soldiers that filed them were either coerced into dropping their cases or suddenly decided to ‘change their stories.’”

Yang held up her hand, in concern, to stop Weiss from continuing, “Wait, why are so many of the people who file complaints against him female?” But she was afraid she already knew the answer.

The heiress clenched her jaw in anger before she spoke, “It’s because he has a ‘thing’ for his subordinates, a couple of faunus reported him for discrimination, but given that it is the Atlas military I’m sure that there are plenty more that the conduct board refused to even hear.”

“What!” Yang exploded, “Your father and Ironwood endorsed a sleazy creep like that to be the military liaison in charge of the R&D department?! I mean your dad I can at least half understand, but I can’t believe Ironwood let this happen.”

“Oh trust me,” Weiss glowered, “the general was not happy about his appointment. Winter told me that Ironwood has been trying to get rid of Reeves for years, but because of the political clout that he has inside and outside of the military the general hasn’t been able to touch him. It’s also why none of the charges ever stick.”

The smaller woman’s tone turned venomously sarcastic, “Reeves is an upstanding military man who is constantly under fire from his supporting staff so that they can ride his name to higher standing. It is because he is influential that these allegations appear in such staggering numbers.” The heiress ground her teeth, “It is always his word against another’s so he always gets away with deplorable acts, even though the sheer number of complaints alone should be enough reason to sack him.”

Wishing there was more she could do, but knowing that there wasn’t, Yang reached out to hold Weiss’s hand.

Her girlfriend looked up at her with a small but grateful smile, “As bad as he is making things I was still able to make some progress this week. Doctor Stiller, Carmine, and Viridian have all confirmed that they are very interested in my proposal, and Councilwoman Thistle was surprisingly easy to sway.”

Yang smirked, “My charm must be rubbing off on you princess.”

Weiss pretended to frown. “Charm?” she tapped her chin in thought, “Oh wait, are you referring to your relentless bravado and swagger?” The princess grinned at her in challenge.

Yang raised a brow in reply, “That swagger sure seemed to work on you.”

Weiss frowned and crossed her arms in a huff at being called out. Yang couldn’t help but laugh at her girlfriend's predictable reaction.

“Hey, if makes you feel any better, since I got to Atlas I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off your legs,” Yang grinned.

With pretend disinterest Weiss answered, “It is amusing that you think I didn’t notice you looking.”

Yang rolled her eyes. If she wasn’t going to get to spend the weekend with her girlfriend then she wasn’t going to waste another minute of the time she did have. She scooched closer to Weiss and pulled the heiress into a tender kiss.

“If it’s okay with you,” Yang looked into Weiss's light blue eyes, “I can think of better and more comfortable ways to spend our time.”

Weiss gazed back at her with hesitant smile. Yang took the smile as affirmation; she sprawled out on the couch before moving to make space for Weiss to lay next to her. The heiress looked a little surprised, but then slowly eased herself down beside Yang.

As soon as she did Yang quickly pulled Weiss into her so that she could spoon her girlfriend. At first she felt the Weiss tense up, but after a second Weiss relaxed and uncertainty asked, “So, what do we do now?”

Yang nuzzled her face against the silky white hair of the woman in her arms before answering, “Now,” she grabbed for her scroll, “we pick a pointless movie to watch while we snuggle.”

Weiss pressed her back into Yang, “That sounds rather perfect after the week I’ve had.”

As they settled into a movie that neither of them really cared about Weiss whispered, “Thank you.”

Yang moved her left arm so that she could hold Weiss’s hand and drew her girlfriend closer, “Any time princess.”

But as much as Yang wanted to savor how satisfying it felt to hold Weiss in her arms, a voice deep in the corner of her mind wouldn’t let her forget one thing.

She couldn’t do anything to help the wonderful person, that was quickly becoming such a important part of her life, with the problems that she faced.

Yang found herself walking the length of the open gym; her footsteps echoing more strongly off the metal floor and walls than she remembered. Strangely, she couldn’t remember why she was there. Her instincts told her that she was looking for Weiss, but she had a sense that the princess wasn’t around.

Am I supposed to be training?

With that thought the door to one of the side rooms slid up and a dark smirking figure appeared.

“Quite the setup you’ve landed yourself,” Raven called out in a mocking tone, “No wonder you don’t seem to be in hurry to leave anymore. Though this wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said you should learn to use people,” her mother pointed looked at her cybernetic arm, "it is hard to argue with the results."

The backhanded compliments Yang could have dealt with, but suggesting that she was using Weiss made Yang absolutely livid. Barely holding back her anger she replied, “Where I go and what I do is my own business, but for your information I’m not using anyone.”

Her mother’s smirk quickly turned to a frown, “Call it what you want, you have let other’s do for you to get where you are. And while the Schnee girl is not nearly as enabling as your father, I can tell that she has softened your resolve." Raven met her gaze, "That’s very dangerous for someone who used to have ambitions of being a fighter and protecting people.”

Yang ground her teeth at Raven’s words. She knew that her mother was just trying to goad her into making a choice. Yang already knew that she was going to accept her mother's help, The fact that she didn’t know why Raven was helping her was the only reason she hadn't said yes. She knew that her mother wanted something from her, but she wasn’t sure what.

Her eyes narrowed, “I’m tired of playing games. You came here for an answer, didn’t you?”

Raven smiled at her words as if she already knew what Yang was going to say, “Well then, have you decided to accept my help?”

Yang looked fiercely at her mother and studied the woman’s smug face. She couldn’t just blindly leap in like she always had. She needed to get something out of Raven now, because after she said yes her mother would have all the power again.

“You love to call me a fool and say that I rely on others too much,” Yang narrowed her eyes, “but asking me to blindly say yes to you, when you won’t even tell me what you are going to teach me or why seems to fit all the things you love to scold me for.”

Her mother glared at her, but said nothing.

“The way I see it, you will obviously get something out of showing me how to be stronger. So if I say no,” Yang paused for effect, “you potentially lose something.” She looked her mother squarely in the eyes, “I don’t care that you are using me, but I want to know the risks before I say yes. What exactly is it that you are going to teach me?”

They held each other’s gaze for a long time before Raven finally broke their stare and let a smirk touched her lips, “Whether you believe me or not, I am pleased that you have learned to think and act more skillfully. For that, I will share with you as much as you need to know.”

“There is so much more to controlling aura than even the most skilled warrior knows or is capable of. I can teach to to harness your aura in ways that only a handful of people have mastered. The characteristics of your semblance are why you have the potential to learn this technique.” Her mother smiled, “It will give you the type of offensive and defensive power that people only dream of.

Yang frowned, “Thanks for the hard sale, but I’ve yet to hear the downside.”

Raven’s face tightened at her words, “The drawback of this technique,” she emphasized, “is that if you don’t use it wisely and with skill you will lose more than an arm.”

Great, so she want’s to teach me something that will get me killed if I don’t use it right. Of course she does.

“Sorry, but that last part seems a little concerning. Besides being powerful, why exactly would I want to learn something that puts me at so much risk. Everyone keeps telling me to be less brash, this sounds like the exact opposite.”

Her mother simply smiled, “Like any technique it is all about how and when you chose to use it. It is important to observe and know your opponent. People are creatures of habit, if they see something they think they know or understand then you can use that false perception against them, lure them into a trap, and thereby minimize your risk."

Yang’s face contracted with resentment, “Why do you always push me to act so low?”

Raven looked at her with an uncharacteristically serious face, “Because, you can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty if you want to win. There is no place for honor in a conflict, there is only survival or defeat.” Her mother let those words sink in before finally asking, “So, what is your answer?”

The blond took a heavy breath and met the other woman’s gaze, “You already know.”

With a self satisfied smile her mother said, “Then we start tonight.”

The alarm on Yang’s scroll rang noisily and she growled in anger, after a night full of talking with her mother she was not in the mood to be told to do anything else. She swatted at her night stand forcefully till she managed to make the alarm on the device shut off.

It wasn’t like she even had a reason to get up early anymore. Weiss would be stuck at the the R&D department all day and then spend the rest of the night strategizing with her assistant. She bitterly rolled over in her bed and cocooned herself in her sheets. She laid there for a few minutes before she realized that her frustration wasn’t going to let her get back to sleep.

Yang rolled back over and looked at her night stand to see where her scroll had ended up after their disagreement on wakefulness. Her face turned down though when she saw what she had inadvertently done to the origami crane that she kept on her night stand. The little figure was absolutely pummeled.

She sat upright and held it in her hands to see if she could fix it. After about a minute of trying to repair the damaged bird she accepted that it was a lost cause. Yang sat the beat up figure back down and her shoulders slumped.

Weiss had made it for her, and now it was crushed. It wasn’t like the piece of origami was complicated or special, but to her it kind of was. Every time she had seen the origami crane she was reminded of Weiss, and now it was… battered and stressed completely out of shape.

With a heavy sigh Yang folded her legs under herself. She had an entire weekend to herself and not only was she spending it alone, but she knew that all she would be thinking of the whole time was how she wasn’t able to help the person that she wanted to spend all her time with.

Yang frowned, well that wasn’t exactly true, she was going to be spending her nights with her mother now. She clenched her jaw without thinking. Raven might be strong but her views were awful, it seemed like she only ever wanted Yang to see the worst in people. Yang hated thinking like that. She knew that people weren’t perfect, but to think of the world that way just seemed awful.

She looked back at the misshapen crane; her eyes narrowed when she thought of the person that was keeping her from Weiss. Her fist clenched as she remembered all the things Weiss had told her about the military liaison. Yang really might have broken his legs if Weiss hadn’t reassured her that Reeves would never be stupid enough to make a pass at a Schnee. He only went after subordinates and people that were deemed of little importance.

It had helped Yang cool down a little, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling concern for any other woman that might be forced to cross paths with the disgusting bastard. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t do it again; he had no reason to. A scowl spread over her face as she realized that Reeves was exactly the type of person that fit her mother’s viewpoint on humanity.

At that the her eyebrows knitted together in frenzied thought. After a minute of working things out a satisfied smile spread across her face.

She knew exactly how she was going to nail that scumbag and finally help Weiss.

Yang picked up her scroll and quickly typed a message to Winter.

| We need to meet.

A person we both care

about needs our help. |

Chapter 20: Giving Back (Part 2)

Chapter Text

“Really?” Yang growled at Winter.

The specialist showed now change in her expression, which only feed the brawler’s irritation,“Okay, it’s bad enough you had me dye my hair, but you want me to wear this too?”

The two women stared each other down for a few seconds, but after Yang made it clear that she wasn’t backing down the older Schnee’s face turned to an icy, exasperated scowl, “You and I both agreed that Weiss can’t be held culpable in any way for what we are doing. And unfortunately you are simply too recognizable after the Vital Festival to approach Sergeant Reeves. Even if he didn’t watch any of your matches your face was plastered all over the news feeds for a weeks after the incident. And as your unkempt hair-”

“Watch it,” Yang warned.

Winter rolled her eyes before she continued, “is your most identifiable feature. The only logical decision was to change it. Now,” the specialist emphasized, “stop acting like such a callow child and finish getting ready. It is temporary dye and you only have to wear the clothes for the duration of the mission so stop sniveling.” The specialist held up her scroll, “We have a timetable to keep.”

The former blond scowled at her heartless superior before remorsefully looking at the outfit Winter had handed her. The high waisted pencil skirt and pleated dress shirt were the complete opposite of her own aesthetic, but she couldn’t argue that that was what made it a good disguise.

With a resigned sigh Yang started to unclip the skirt from the hanger, but couldn’t help but noticed that the older Schnee was still looking in her direction. Which made the brawler, for once in her life, feel bashful, “Uh, do you mind?” she pointed looked at Winter.

The specialist raised a challenging eyebrow, “From the way you usually dress I didn’t think you would be so reserved.” the older woman shot her a teasing smirk, “Looks like my sister will have her hands full trying to deal with that.”

The brawler fought off the eye twitch she felt coming on by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself.

She’s just testing you. You know you would do the same to anyone Ruby was dating.

Deciding it was best to call the specialist’s bluff Yang threw off her jacket and quickly removed her tanktop. Winter gave the agitated brawler a quick grin and downward glance before opening her scroll to check something.

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to strip down to the rest of her underwear in front of her girlfriend’s sister Yang quickly removed her pants and started to pull on the skirt and dress shirt.

The clothes were her size, but they hugged her form tightly enough that they were a little uncomfortable. The brawler frowned in reflection. The whole mission was about the farthest thing from comfortable that she could imagine, but if it meant that she could finally help Weiss in a tangible way she wasn’t about to back down. After letting out a silent breath the former blond turned to look for shoes.

When she did she found Winter holding out a pair of black stiletto calf high boots. The brawler’s eyes narrowed, but then she reminded herself that this wasn’t exactly a standard type of mission and fighting wouldn’t be called for. She grabbed the boots and quickly pulled on the impractical footwear. Fully dressed Yang looked to the other woman to see what annoying thing she would be asked to do next.

“The hair,” Winter pointed, “Put it in a bun so it’s not so ostentatious.”

Yang glared, “I’ll need a mirror.”

Winter held up her scroll so that the now lavender haired woman could use it to see herself. After a few minutes and several tirades of colorful language later Yang had her hair up and pinned into place.

Her ‘superior officer’ grinned before letting out a snarky quip, “You clean up well considering, but I suppose anyone can be made to look presentable given enough effort.”

The brawler scowled at Winter, “You know it feels a bit tactless to go and bust Reeves for the same thing you are doing right now.”

The older Schnee just rolled her eyes, “The two are hardly comparable.” Winter held out a pair of glasses and a wireless scroll earpiece, “Here put these on, they are the last thing you will need.”

Yang put the device on over her ear, but raised a curious brow at the glasses. After fitting the frames on her face she opened her own scroll she looked at the final product. Almost instantly she started laughing.

Winter glared at her outburst, “What inane comment are you going to torment me with now?”

The younger woman smiled broadly, “Well I was just wondering if this outfits come with a riding crop?”

The specialist just looked at her with unamused confusion.

Which only made Yang laugh harder; the former blond swept her hand downward at her clothing, “You really must have a thing for Goodwitch.” She pushed the glasses up on the bridge of her nose and smirked, “You made me look just like her.”

The specialist’s eyes went wide with shock but quickly narrowed in anger, “What is it with Branwen’s and not being able to shut up for more than two seconds at a time?”

It truly could have been her imagination, but the former blond swore she saw Winter’s face redden slightly at the accusation. But even that small possibility of finally getting the older Schnee on her heels fueled Yang’s desire to keep pushing.

With a devious grin she tapped her chin as she taunted the other woman again, “Strange how I didn’t hear a denial like I was expecting. Or maybe all Schnees just have a thing for tall blonds?”

“You insufferable urchin,” Winter growled and her fists balled at her side, “I swear if you don’t learn to hold your tongue I will make you wish you had never been born.”

After all the crap Winter had put her through since she had come to Atlas Yang just couldn’t find the will to stop, “Take a chill pill Schnee. You’ve made it very clear that you don’t specialize in patience.”

At that the taller woman's face contort into unbridled fury, and Yang decided that she had reached the limit of her fun. She held her gloved hands up in surrender, “Right, sorry! That was the last joke. I’m stopping now.”

Wow, I didn’t know it was possible to be more uptight than Weiss.

“If you truly are done, then we still have specifics to go over,” Winter spat out with a frown.

Yang did her best to put on a serious face and reminded herself that pissing off Weiss’s sister too much was probably not the best idea for a variety of reasons.

“You are well aware of the mission objective, but getting you into R&D will require precise timing,” Winter emphasized. She held up her scroll, “I will call Weiss and tell her that I want to meet with her, after two days of prepping Reeves for his presentation she will jump at a valid excuse to leave. After she leaves the building I will have the department servers shut down. With Weiss gone following protocol will fall to Reeves. He will have to call in the issue immediately. At that point my man at technical support will intercept the call and text you when it is appropriate to enter the building.”

The specialist handed her a name badge on a clip, “This will get you into the building and be your cover. I entered your credentials and background in the military data base myself so no one will spot it as a false identity.”

The brawler looked at the name on the badge, Samantha Stillwater.

Yang stifled a laugh. Belinda Strictwitch would have been more accurate cover name, but she knew rekindling that fire would only get her in trouble yet again. So as much as it pained her she silently clipped the badge to the top of her skirt as she listened to Winter continue with the mission briefing.

“It is important that we get this right today. For starters, Weiss will catch on if we have to try this more than once, and the general was serious when he said that you were under orders not to tell her what we are doing. Secondly, Sundays are the only day of the week that R&D isn’t full of people, and the more you are in the department the higher the chance that someone will recognize you and connect you back to Weiss. And finally, the labs being virtually empty plays to our objective and will embolden the target,” Winter pointedly looked at Yang as she finished the sentence.

The last comment made the former blond chest tighten slightly with anxiety, but she shook it off and nodded to show her understanding.

“The research and development servers are only accessible to senior staff; Sergeant Reeves will have to accompany you while you fix the problem in the server room. We will be monitoring you the whole time and providing support through the standard issue tablet and earpiece if needed,” The specialist tapped at her own ear to indicate the wireless device that Yang wore on her left ear, “but otherwise we will be maintaining strict radio silence.”

Winter paused and something that looked like the Schnee version of concern touched her icy blue eyes, “Are you sure you can do this? Reeves is... not a good man.”

Yang didn’t want to show the the other woman that her nerves were feeling a little frayed, and also needed to psych herself up. So she answered confidently, “Don’t worry Ice Queen, I’ve got this.”

Yang watched the numbers in the elevator go down, and as she did her anxiety grew. But a floor before her destination she reminded herself of the ‘why’ instead of the ‘what’ of her mission, and that got her head back in the game.

When the doors finally opened, her eyes gravitated to the glass-walled office she had visited last time. It somehow calmed her to think of Weiss, and she had to suppress a grin when she saw the heiress's desk. But unfortunately Yang didn’t have time for her thoughts to linger on the much more pleasant memory because a tall man with graying hair in a military uniform walked up to her before she could even exit the elevator.

“They sent a woman,” he sighed to to himself like she wasn’t even there, “No wonder it took so long for you to get here.”

Yang clenched her jaw and smiled despite his dickhe*d remark and donned the sweetest, most stereotypically feminine tone that she could muster, “There was a report of issues with the department servers? If you could show me to the room sir, I would be more than happy to assist you.”

Reeves ‘acknowledged’ her by giving her a slow look from bottom to top. He wasn’t quite as obvious as some people, but his leering gaze lingered when it reached her and made her feel gross. It took some effort, but she managed to keep her fake smile plastered on her face until he turned and started walking away with a wave for her to follow.

Giving her face a break, the brawler dropped the fake persona and looked around. Winter had been right, she couldn’t spot anyone else in the department, there were lights on in a few of the labs, but if there were people in them she couldn’t see them from her vantage point. It was a sharp contrast to the many people she had seen working and moving around the labs during her last visit.

Sadly, the walk to the server room was a short one and Yang soon found herself in front of the sergeant as he stood next to a door with a hand scanner. He looked at her expectantly, and Yang froze as she tried to figure out what he was waiting for. After a second he cleared his throat and looked down at her waist with a raised brow.

The former blond would have smacked herself if it wouldn’t have been out of character. Yang reached down and unclipped her badge from her skirt and handed it to him. He quickly inspected it, tapped her identification number into his scroll, and then handed it back with a nod.

“Thank you,” Yang responded as she took back her ID badge.

Reeves rolled his eyes and turned to place his hand on the scanner, “Did you just recently enlist? You seem new at this.” His tone unmistakably conveyed his annoyance.

Yang thought for a second about what he would want to hear before answering, “Uh no. I’ve actually been with the technical branch for a couple of years now. This is just my first time being sent off base to take care of an issue. But don’t worry,” she rushed to say, “I’m very familiar with the type of servers that you use.”

Her words made the sergeant look at her in a certain opportunistic way that made her sure that she had sparked his interest.

“Enlisted for two years and still working tech calls,” Reeves looked her up and down again and then smirked, “that’s a shame. This way,” he extended his arm to let her enter before him.

The former blond quickly looked around the room and then spotted where she could plug her tablet into a server. The space was filled with stacks and stacks of computer components that to her looked far beyond anything she could ever truly comprehend, but thankfully she didn’t really have to do anything. She only had to pretend to fix the issue.

She tapped on her pad and opened up the document that had a list of things Winter’s tech person had suggested that she could say or do if Reeves start asking questions.

Yang could see the man staring at her out of the corner of her eye. She wanted him to initiate the conversation, if possible. He didn’t seem to be the type that would go for a woman that was ‘outspoken.’

But after pretending to evaluate the system for a little while, she figured she should give him an ‘update’ of the issue. Still looking at her tablet so she didn’t mess up the wording she said, “It looks like there was a random line error that caused the servers to go offline from the rest of the network. It is rare, but not uncommon. I should hopefully be able to track it down and patch it in less than a half hour if I am lucky.”

The sergeant simply nodded at her with appraising eyes that caused Yang to wonder if she had made a misstep.

With her nerves pricked, she bent down to pretend to check a component on the lower levels to help her look busy. It was after she stood back up that Reeves finally decided to speak.

“So, you’ve already been with the military for two years?” the older man asked with a creepy smile from his position propped up against the wall opposite her. “What made a pretty young girl like you decide to work in the technology branch?”

Yang took a relieved breath and smiled. This part would be easy; Winter had drilled her on the backstory she had created and the brawler was confident that Reeves would eat it up.

“Oh, how nice of you to ask,” she answered as she looked up at him. “I actually wanted to go to school for software engineering, but my family didn’t have the money to send me. So I joined the military instead. It has given me a lot of valuable experience,” she smiled sweetly. She then deliberately paused and let her face dim a little, “though I had hoped that I would have moved on to the programming sector by now.”

A devious smile spread across the sergeant’s face and he pushed himself away from the wall, “my, that does sound disappointing.”

The former blond couldn’t help but feel a twinge of stress at the tone of his comment, but she pushed on.

“I won’t lie; it is a little disappointing,” she frowned, “but there isn’t really anything I can do about it if there aren’t any spots available.” Yang then looked at him with a smile and shrug, “I’ll just have to wait like everyone else.”

The older man walked over to stand in front of her, and as soon as he started moving towards her Yang felt her heart rate increase. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what he was going to try and do next, it was the whole reason she was even there. But knowing that she wouldn’t be able to pound him into the ground for trying was… unnerving.

Reeves leered at her before looking her in the eyes, “You know, no one ever got anywhere by simply waiting. If you really want something you should take any opportunity to get it.”

Yang clenched her jaw and reflexively took a step back. When she did, her back hit the wall. She had looked backward instinctively, but as soon as her gaze moved forward again she found Reeves had closed the small gap that she had tried to keep between them .

A sneer made its way across his face as he leaned uncomfortably close to her. “I just happen to be a very influential man. I can,” her looked down at her chest, “make things happen if I am properly motivated.”

It took an enormous amount of will not to punch the scumbag through a wall. Instead, Yang took a second to calm herself and remember her mission parameters.

You are still in control. Stay calm and get what you need.

The stress she was feeling from being cornered made it all too easy for her to act convincingly.

“That’s really… nice of you to offer,” she responded uncomfortably, “but I think I’ll be fine. I should really get back to work now.” She waited a second and then said, “So if you could please move I’ll do that.”

Reeves of course didn’t budge. Instead, he got an irritated smile on his face as he spoke, “I think it is about time we stop playing games. You came in here dressed like that and said that you needed something, something that I can obviously help you with. So if I get what I want,” he emphasized, “I will make sure you get what you want.”

Swallowing, she answered back, “Sir, what you are suggesting is highly inappropriate and is making me very uncomfortable. I-”

The older man put his hand on her waist and dug his thumb into her hip as he talked, “Honestly, I’ve never been one for the hard-to-get act so you should drop it.” He narrowed his eyes at her, “you know what I want and I know you want it too.”

“Sergeant Reeves,” she replied more strongly, “I did not give you permission to touch me. You need to let go of me immediately. If you don’t I will have to report you for misconduct.”

The gray-haired man laughed at her in amusem*nt and then moved his hand up to grab her chest, “Oh, I really don’t think you will because if you even try, I can guarantee that you will be stuck in tech support for a very long time.”

Yang used her right hand and pulled his disgusting fingers off of her with ease. It took everything she had not to shatter his wrist in her cybernetic grip.

But not beating him to a pulp was the extent of her restraint. She glared at him and let the demure female act ease closer to her own feelings, “You just propositioned me as a superior officer and grabbed my chest. That is both sexual harassment and sexual assault, and your threats won’t stop me from reporting you.”

The lecherous man tried to pull away from her grip, but looked at her gloved hand in shock when he found that he couldn’t. Reeves scowled at her with fury in his eyes, “you think you can stop me or that you are the first to try. I’ve lost count of how many complaints I have made disappear! You are just one more ‘empowered’ female that I will have to put in your place, because you are too stupid to take advantage of an opportunity. When I’m through with you, you will wish that you had given me what I wanted. I will-”

“That’s quite enough Reeves!” Ironwood’s authoritative voice boomed from behind Yang.

The officer’s eyes went wide and then narrowed in confusion. With her left hand the brawler reached for the scroll she had tucked into the back of her skirt’s waistline and flipped open the screen. As Ironwood’s stern face appeared, she made sure to keep a secure hold on the dirtbag with her prosthetic.

“You are a disgrace to the Atlas military,” the general said in an angry tone, “and I am only sorry that it took me so long to finally rid you of my ranks. Sergeant Reeves, you are hereby dishonorably discharged, effective immediately.”

Reeves looked from the scroll to Yang and then back to Ironwood’s image again. The sergeant's face contorted into seething rage as he pieced together that he had been played.

“You really think you are going to get away with this little charade. This is entrapment, Ironwood,” the sergeant bellowed. “It will be my word against yours and I assure you I will get the best lawyers influence can buy. I will ruin you! I will use every connection I have; I don’t care if you are the head of the military. I won’t stop till-”

The general laughed at the cornered rat, “you are far from the only one with influence, Reeves. It is shocking how quickly you forget your place.” Ironwood’s voice turned more harsh, “you are delusional if you think there will be a trial; your actions and literal confession have been recorded and can be verified by the head of the military. When the military’s judicial tribunal is informed of this and your many previous actions, they will not allow for a formal hearing. You see, with all the people that are connected to helping you cover up your transgressions, the tribunal will deem your plea for a trial too damaging and destructive to military’s image to be granted. I’m afraid this matter will be swept under the rug and you along with it.” Ironwood growled, “But I’m sure you are familiar with how easily the justice system can be corrupted when people of influence want to keep their hands clean."

Yang watched the doomed man’s facial expression change with great satisfaction as the reality and irony of the general’s words sunk into his thick skull. He had used powerful people to help him cover up his disgusting actions, but now that he had openly admitted to them no one, not even Jacques Schnee, could afford to help him without also being caught up in the backlash of his transgression.

“It’s over Reeves,” Ironwood said with absolution. “The only choice you have left is whether you voluntarily surrender yourself, or if I have to send security in to carry you out.”

Defeat and anger marked the sergeant’s face, but after as second he yanked his arm from Yang grasp. And she was more than happy at the prospect of not having to be around him any more. With one last glaring look at Ironwood’s image he stormed out of the room.

As soon as the door shut Yang felt the tension in her shoulders lessen. After a second she turned the scroll to address the general, “Sir, would you like me to make sure he is taken into custody?”

Ironwood’s face eased as he spoke, “No need. I have a man waiting in the elevator for him, Private Stillwater.”

Yang could have laughed at the fact that the general was still using her alias even though the mission was complete, but frankly her nerves were shot and she had a feeling that things weren’t quite over yet since the general still hadn’t ended their call.

The general continued with a lighter tone, “I was quite impressed with your composure, private. You showed far more restraint than I would have expected from even some of my best trained operatives. I would also like to commend you on the initiative you took in proposing this mission. This was excellent work, and gives me high hopes for your future.” The man’s demeanor then tightened as he continued, “now, your handler will be waiting for you at the same ready area from before to debrief you. But I must remind you of the highly classified nature of this operation.” Ironwood looked her straight in the eye, “you are still under orders that prevent you from sharing any of details of this mission with anyone outside of this task force.”

Yang felt frustration and anger at his final words, but knew that it was a battle not worth fighting as it would undo all the good will she had just gained.

So despite her feelings she calmly answered, “Understood, sir.”

Yang paced the gym floor so hard that she was half afraid her boots were going to have holes in them before Weiss arrived. It had been nearly three days since she had seen the princess, and the blond had been wrestling with what to do when she finally got to see her girlfriend since the mission ended. But more than anything, it bothered her that doing the right thing, by being truthful, had become far more difficult and stressful than it had a should have been.

Part of the problem was that Winter and Ironwood had made certain that there was no evidence that would tie Weiss to Reeves’s discharge. Even Yang’s substantial involvement would be extremely hard to connect to the operation, given how things were handled and the way the evidence would be presented to the tribunal. Which meant that there was nothing hanging over the brawler’s head to make her tell the truth, other than Yang’s own desire not to keep things from the person she was in a relationship with.

Sure Ironwood had commanded her not to tell anyone, but truthfully she didn’t give a damn about his orders. The real thing that made her question whether or not to tell Weiss... was Weiss.

The blond’s shoulders tensed as she contemplated how her girlfriend would take finding out what she had done.

She’s going to leave me frozen in an ice cube for a week if she finds out. Or blow me up again. Or have that armor hit me repeatedly with its sword.

The images of her own cartoonish peril made the brawler cringe. Needless to say, Yang did not want to deal with how mad Weiss was going to be if she told her the truth. It made the blond mad that there really wasn’t good way of telling her girlfriend everything. There wasn’t a way for her to do the right thing that wouldn’t also end in her getting into trouble for it.

Yang visibly slumped as she let out resigned sigh.

We just started dating and I have already managed to make a mess.

Her self pity party didn’t stall her pacing or inner conflict for long though. She only managed to get in a few more minutes of beating herself up before the door to the main gym open, and her head snapped around to find Weiss angrily yelling into her phone.

“I don’t care if no one seems to know where he is, he has to be somewhere!” the heiress barked. “Which means that he is up to something, and I do not intend to wait to find out how he is going to sabotage me next. Find him Glenn.”

With that the heiress slammed her scroll shut and looked up at Yang with a scowl.

In return the blond nervously smiled and uttered out with zero confidence, “Hey princess, how was your day?”

Weiss looked away with an angry glare that made Yang want to hide. “It was… unexpected,” the heiress growled.

Pretty sure that nothing she might say was not going to make her girlfriend calm down, and that now was definitely not the right time to be adding fuel to the fire by telling the truth; Yang instead attempted to wait for the ice storm to pass.

The smaller woman looked down at her scroll with a frown and let out a sigh. When she finally looked back up at the brawler there was far less anger on her face than she had when she came in.

“Reeves didn’t show up for work today,” the heiress said with contemplative narrowed eyes. She paused and shook her head, “Which I normally would never complain about, but he also didn’t go to the council meeting. I got a called three hours ago and was informed that I needed to leave immediately to give the presentation in his place.”

“I of course did fine,” the princess turned up her nose up, “even on such short notice.”

Yang couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. She had known the princess long enough to know when she was fishing for a complement. The blond rolled her eyes as she placated her girlfriend, “So in other words you knocked it out of the park, and everyone was very impressed with how well you did.”

Weiss looked out of the corner of her eye, “I didn’t say that,” the smallest smirk touched the heiress’s lips, “but I definitely managed to score a good deal of competency points with the council.”

The smaller woman’s face quickly turned down after she finished gloating. “Which is exactly why I can not figure out what Reeves is playing at.” The princess’s frown deepened and with it Yang’s guilt. “He had to know that I would be prepared for the meeting since he watched me put it together for him.” With a heavy sigh the heiress continued, “I am just worried that there is something important that I am missing. He has to be up to something, but I can not figure out what.”

The more her girlfriend talked the worse the pit in her stomach hurt. Then Weiss bit her lip and looked down at her scroll with worry; it was the final act that broke the blond. Deep down she had known that she wouldn’t be able to keep her actions secrets from Weiss, and definitely not if it was going to stress the princess out like it was.

So Yang did everything she could to brace herself as she blurted out, “Reeves isn’t coming back.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Weiss turned and looked up at Yang with a raised eyebrow and an face full of suspicion. In that instant her girlfriend somehow managed to look much taller than she was, “And how could you possibly know that? Let alone know it before me?”

Yang frantically wracked her brain for how to explain what they had done in a way that wouldn’t end with her getting yelled at or blown up, but she knew that both were much more likely to happen.

Weiss started to tap her foot as she grew impatient wait for a response, ”You have five seconds to start talking dragon.”

The blond let out a nervous laugh and fought the very real urge to run away, instead she took a deep breath and paused before finally answering, “I wanted to help you, so when I got any idea of how I could finally do that I contacted Winter. Then with some support from Ironwood we were able to get rid of Reeves.”

The heiress’s eyes narrowed, “That was a short and inadequate explanation that only raised more questions.”

Icy blue eyes appraised Yang with a look that made it crystal clear that should she try to downplay or sugar coat anything she would immediately be found out. The blond rubbed her face with her left hand.

This is not going to end well for me.

“After what you told me about Reeves and his ‘habits’ I realized that,” Yang swept her hand down at herself, “I would be the perfect bait to use in order to finally catch him. So I contacted Winter and we ran a mission together to get the type of evidence that couldn’t possibly be refuted.”

The heiress’s eyes grew wide at her statement, and a fearful look washed over the princess’s pale face, “Yang, what… did you do?”

Realizing how her words must have sounded without the full story the blond raised her hands, “No, not like that! We just recorded him trying to use his position to get me to sleep with him. I also got him to admit that he had covered up all the other incidents,” Yang smirked a little proud of herself.

“I mean he did get a little handsy,” she cringed upon remembering, “but thankfully I was able to get what I needed out of him quickly.”

Weiss’s eyes flashed with an anger that Yang had only ever seen twice. Both of the woman’s fists tightened and the heiress started to storm away from her. It took Yang a full second before she realized that her girlfriend was heading for the weapon’s room.

Yang turned and grabbed the smaller woman’s wrist to stop her, “Weiss, calm down. There-”

“I will not calm down,” Weiss yelled. “For so many reasons!” She jerked Yang's hand away from her and then turned to face Yang with a terrifying scowl. “I asked you not to get mixed up with what I was doing. I told you that it was dangerous not only for you, but for me. And then you went behind my back and did it anyway. We just talked about how you need to be careful about putting yourself into intense situations and then you…”

Weiss looked away clearly furious, but there was something else mixed into her expression that was hard to read. It looked almost like guilt.

“You are not a thing to be used,” Weiss finally answered through gritted teeth. “No one should ever get to treat you like an object, and the fact that I can’t make him pay for daring to touch you shames me.”

Yang wanted to comfort her girlfriend and tell her that it wasn’t a big deal, but when Weiss turned back with angry hurt in her eyes and it made Yang halt her action.

“I told you to let me handle things, why couldn’t you trust me to deal with my own problems?” Weiss locked eyes with her and it made Yang feel like she had been stabbed in the chest. “You never should have put yourself in that situation; why didn’t you just listen to me and stay out of it?”

The words stung the brawler’s pride, but more than that they made her angry. “I don’t know what you think a relationship is, but you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.” Yang looked down on Weiss woman sternly, “And you certainly don’t get to take on all of your problems by yourself. I seem to remember someone scolding me about the exact same thing. You can’t expect me to care about you and not act when I see a way to help you. I know it was wrong not to tell you what I was going to do, but things happened quickly, I was under orders not to tell you, and I told you what I did almost as soon as I got a chance.” Yang straightened with a frown, “Technically I’m still under orders not to tell you, but I don’t care because I don’t want to keep secrets from you Weiss.”

Her shoulders sunk as she continued, “I know that the way things happened was sh*tty, but I did it to help you and keep your hands clean.” Yang looked into her girlfriend’s eyes and felt an ache in her chest, “I have been depending on people ever since that night at beacon, and this was the first time that I was able to really do something to make a difference. You have no idea how hard it has been to have to sit around and watch you struggle while not being able to do anything.” she let out a tired and frustrated sigh, “Relationships are a two way street Weiss, what is the point of this,” she gestured between them with her hand, “if you shut me out.”

Weiss’s eyes softened at her words, but she still wore a frown.

Yang easily recognized her girlfriend's expression . Weiss knew what Yang said was true, but her pride wouldn’t let her admit that out loud.

She waited a second but then held out her left hand. She showed her girlfriend a small smile, “So, unless you have anything else you would like to yell at me about… do you think you can forgive me for keeping this secret?”

Weiss had started to move and Yang couldn’t help but add, “And you know, pretty much solving one of your biggest problems,” she dramatized, “ while simultaneously gaining the trust of the guy that has control over your travel restriction?”

Her girlfriend folded her arms as she rolled her eyes, “You are utterly impossible.” She narrowed her eyes, “and the worst part is that you know it you bothersome dragon.”

Yang just smiled at her, and after a second the princess finally placed her hand in Yang's.

With a smirk and a jerk of her hand Yang pulled her girlfriend into her, “Yeah, yeah.” She wrapped her arms tightly around Weiss's waist and grinned down at her, “I’m still marking that down as a yes, my little tsundere princess.”

Yang watched as her girlfriend’s face turned red with empty anger, and laughed.

Weiss let out a huff and complained with a frown, “One would think that if you liked me you wouldn’t insist on teasing me so much.” Though her girlfriend's fake irritation ended when she rested her hands on Yang’s shoulders.

After a short moment Weiss looked away with a serious face, “I won’t pretend like I’m happy with how things happened this time, but I do acknowledge that you are right about sharing in each other’s burdens.” Her girlfriend looked back up at her and had an absolutely stone etched expression on her face, “That being said, I refuse take back what I said about allowing people objectify you. So long as I am around I will not stand for anyone laying their hands on you like that.”

Yang looked down at Weiss with a warm smile. As protective and noble as her girlfriend was trying to be in that moment Yang knew that this was the one time that she really shouldn’t ruin the moment with the obvious joke that came to mind. Instead she kissed the smaller woman’s head and said, “Thank you princess.”

Weiss flushed at the gesture, so Yang pulled her into another hug. It was a very short embrace though, because the heiress quickly pushed back on her and asked, “What is that noise that I keep hearing every time you hug me?”

It took her a second, but then Yang realized what it was. She laughed and rubbed the back of her head, but then pulled away so that she could reached into her pocket to reveal the noisy culprit.

With a little embarrassment she held out the smashed crane that she used to keep on her night stand. Weiss looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Yang tried to ignore how sappy her words were probably going her sound as she started to explain, “I was hoping that you would make me a new one. I sort of crushed this one on accident.”

Weiss again looked up at her with confusion, “You can make these almost flawlessly now, why do you need me to make you one?”

Relenting to the fact that she wasn’t going to be able to get off the hook that easy Yang let out a sigh, “Yeah, I know, but this was the first crane you ever made for me... so I was hoping that you could make me another one to replace it.” She then smiled brightly to cover for her embarrassment.

Weiss just looked at her with narrowed eyes, but then a small grinned touched her lips as she shook her head, “Come along you useless dragon.”

A few minutes later Yang stood in the origami practice room. She waited patiently as she watched Weiss flipped through a stack of paper to find the color she wanted. Yang grinned when her girlfriend predictably picked out a pale blue that was almost identical to the color of the smaller woman’s eyes.

Weiss started folding the sheet, but after about a minute Yang noticed that the figure wasn’t looking like it was supposed to. The paper kept getting narrower and more intricate as the heiress’s nimble fingers moved.

As curiosity finally got the better of her she asked, “I thought you were going to make me a crane?”

Her girlfriend looked up at her with a raised brow and then turned so that her back was to the blond.

Yang frowned, but tried to look around Weiss’s shoulders to no avail. After about a minute Weiss turned back around and had her hands clasped. “I made you something better this time,” her girlfriend ended her words with a bit of snark, “so you better not smash this one.”

With that said Weiss opened her hands to reveal an origami dragon.

Yang looked down at the small figure and carefully picked it up. She had to admit it looked a heck of a lot cooler than a crane, but she struggled to keep a straight face as she said, “I mean I really like it, but did it have to be blue?”

Weiss’s face contorted into extreme irritation, but before she could go off Yang set the dragon on the table and lifted her girlfriend off the ground into a crushing hug. “I’m just kidding, I love it.”

The smaller woman let out a frustrated growl, “It’s just my luck that I fell for someone that is so insufferably juvenile.”

Yang snorted, because the comment reminded her of the conversation she had had with Winter the previous day.

With a resigned sigh Weiss pulled away to look at her, “What is it now? You might as well spit it out, because we both know you won’t be able to stop yourself.”

Yang grinned as she looked at the woman that was quickly growing so very fond of, “Oh, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

She really wasn’t going to say anything, but when Weiss raised a questioning eyebrow she couldn’t hold back her snickering laughter anymore, “I just thought that you might like to know that your sister apparently has a thing for Goodwitch.”

Her girlfriend's eyes grew wide, “What?!”

Chapter 21: Chapter 19 - A Family Affair (Part 1)

Chapter Text

Weiss lowered her sword with a frown.

“Do I really need to keep going? You have taken so many of hits already,” after a week of brutal trial and error the heiress was tired of trying to hide the worry in her voice. Yang had spent nearly all of her time trying to figure out Raven’s new technique with Weiss, and it had hardly been going well. To be truthful she was afraid that the Yang was pushing herself well past her current limits.

Yang answered back with a slight hint of pain in her words, “Taking hits first is kind of the point of this move. If I can’t activate my semblance then I won’t have enough strength to channel and condense my aura.”

Knowing that the blond was hurt, and that she was partly to blame, made Weiss’s jaw clench. If learning this technique wasn’t so frustratingly important to the dragon she would have tried to stop it before they ever started.

With a long breath the stubborn blond straightened her posture and readied her stance. “But I think that’s enough to get me fired up. Get ready princess, I’m ready to try again,“ Yang called out before throwing her arms back.

When she did golden flames tipped with scarlet erupted around her. Weiss watched on mesmerized as the blond seemed to embody the awe inspiring power of her name. It didn’t seem to matter how many times the heiress saw it, the raw force of the blond’s semblance always gave her chills.

A second later the dragon opened her eyes and the heiress saw great focus in her crimson stare.

“Attack me from a distance, just like last time,” the brawler called out.

Weiss took a deep frustrated breath, but swung Myrtenaster towards her girlfriend. As the point of her sword came to fall in the direction of the dragon she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. Though the gesture was only momentary; she couldn’t help but peek from beneath her lids as four blue streams of dust shot out in an twisting and arcing path towards their target.

Yang tuned to the side to let the leading projectile land to her left, and an instant later her flames and glow were gone. The blond raised her right arm to block the second stream of dust, and it was then that Weiss’s eyes shot open wide with panic.

She doesn’t see the other one trailing behind it!

The smaller woman was forced to watch on in dilated time as Yang managed to ward off the second stream of dust, but then almost immediately took a hit to her left shoulder by the third projectile. The dragon staggered, her stance and focus shattered. Before she could recover, or Weiss could reach her, Yang took the final trailing attack to her stomach.

The last hit caused a deep groan of pain to leave the blond’s lips, and she instantly sunk to her knees and started to fall forward. Thankfully Weiss was already moving and able to catch the injured dragon.

The heiress gently held the woman upright in her arms and felt her chest tighten with fear as Yang limply rested against her.

“Ow,” the blond finally proclaimed as she pulled her left shoulder away from the smaller woman.

Weiss quickly peeled back the blond’s jacket to look at her shoulder, and cringed at the sight. Yang’s shoulder had a massive red welt on it and broken, spidered capillaries were already starting to darken the area. The heiress clenched her jaw with regret; had she put anymore power into the attack it would have broken her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Hurry up and redisperse your aura you miserable dragon,” Weiss said a little too loudly.

Yang squinted in pain, “I can’t yet. I lost control of my aura while I had it concentrated in my arm, so now I have virtually nothing left.” There was a pause as the blond tried to stabilize herself, “Yet another downside to this technique, besides, you know,” the blond winced as she tried to stand, “taking direct hits with absolutely no aura defense if I misread the attack.”

With a frown the smaller woman got under Yang’s arm and helped her get to her feet. She silently walked the hurt dragon to the couch in one of the side rooms as she thought of what, if anything, she could do to alleviate the injures her girlfriend had just incurred.

After easing her down Weiss crouched and pulled up Yang’s shirt to check the other place she had been hit.

Yang grinned through her pain to make a joke, “I mean, usually someone has to buy me dinner to get my shirt off, but for you princess... I think I can make an exception.”

Weiss flatly ignored the tasteless comment and instead focused on inspecting the reddened area on the blond’s abdomen. She was thankful she hadn’t used explosive dust like Yang had so foolishly suggested, but the wound looked considerably worse than the last few times they had tried this. As gently as she could the heiress touched her girlfriend’s stomach to judge its severity. Yang instantly sucked in a deep breath between her teeth and clamped shut her eyes.

The reaction confirmed exactly what the heiress had feared. Weiss looked up into unfocused lavender eyes, unable to hide her worry, “Why are you hurt so much more than before?”

After a second the blond answered with a nervous and strained smile, “Well, Raven told me that the reason that I was probably failing was because I wasn’t fully committing to the technique. So this time I channeled all of my aura into a defensive point.”

The heiress threw down the blond’s shirt in anger, then immediately felt bad as she saw the dragon’s eyes bulge in pain.

The heiress stood and pinched the bridge of her nose, “The last time you were able to keep most of your aura in tact. But now your injuries are worse and because you lost control of the technique you have virtually no aura left to heal them. Explain to me again why any of this is a good idea?”

Yang readjusted her shirt and sank further into the couch with a sullen frown.

The silence that followed spoke even louder than the scowl that the blond wore. Weissknewthat look, it was the same one that she would always see when the dragon had failed at one of her physical therapy exercises and was thinking about giving up.

With a heavy sigh the smaller woman left the room, “I’ll be right back, so don’t try to go anywhere you dolt.”

As quickly as she could the heiress grabbed the med kit out of the weapon’s room and returned. With Yang around she had wisely insisted that Bunchworth upgraded the gym with a larger than normal first aid supply.

Upon returning, Weiss dropped the small duffle bag down near the blond’s feet and started to rummage through it. She found an instant cold pack and shook it after braking the interior bag. When she placed it on the blond’s shoulder Yang first flinched from the cold, but then sagged in relief.

The heiress grabbed an elastic bandage and then with some grumbling and wincing from her patient secured the pack enough that it would hold. After successfully pinning the bandage around Yang's shoulder Weiss set about to do the same to the already yellowing bruise on her girlfriend’s torso.

With only a minor argument she managed to get the obstinate blond to swallow some painkillers that would also help with inflammation. After that Weiss felt marginally less stressed. She looked down at the still brooding dragon, let out a sigh, and rolled her eyes.

The heiress lifted Yang’s right arm and gently eased in next to the woman’s uninjured side. She waited a moment before letting out a dramatic sigh, “I suppose this just means I will have to soak up my time with you this way while you heal.” Weiss looked up at the dragon with a resigned smirk of encouragement, “Though I don’t expect that I will be able to for that long. I know you are far too stubborn to not figure out this absurd skill eventually, despite my numerous reservations.”

Yang hugged Weiss closer and rested her cheek against the heiress’s head. She let out a quiet laugh, “Seems like I can always count on my princess to know when to cheer me up.”

The smaller woman took in a deep breath and held it as she tried to let her agitation at the pet name escape her for the umptinth time.

Unfortunately the movement didn’t go unnoticed, and Yang lifted her head to inquire, “What’s the matter?”

At least five different things ran through Weiss’s head as she tried to figure out how to respond. The strongest of which was to simply make up an excuse to get out of the conversation, but then the smaller woman realized just how long she had let Yang use the irritating nickname without telling her the truth. And though it was silly, the fact that Yang had called her ‘my princess’ instead of just ‘princess,’ made Weiss feel more confident that she could truthfully answer without negative consequence.

The heiress let the tension in her shoulders go as she worked up the courage to answer, “I know you use it as a term of affection, but I really hate that name.”

Pulling back a little Yang looked down at Weiss and asked with genuine confusion, “Why?”

“Well,” the smaller woman answered with a frown as she separated from the blond further, “people always use it as a way to delegitimize me or put me down. My whole life the name ‘princess’ has been utilized as a way to refer to me as impetuous or weak.” The heiress paused and looked up at Yang, “and honestly you are the absolute last person I want to see me that way.”

Her words were met with a surprised look from the blond, “Wow, that is not at all what I think when I use it.” A small grin reached Yang’s lips, “I mean sure, I used to say it sometimes because I knew it got under your skin, but that’s totally the opposite of why I call you princess now.”

The smaller woman looked up at Yang with a silent and suspicious gaze.

Yang rolled her eyes before she continued, “The reason I call you princess... is because I see you as leader. I’ve always thought of a princess as someone who is strong, wise, and tries to appear noble and perfect so that she can inspire all those around to follow her.” The dragon smiled down at her, “I think that fits you perfectly.”

Weiss just stared at her girlfriend, completely at a lose for to how to respond. She couldn’t believe that Yang really saw or even thought of her that way.

Yang grimaced as she readjusted the ice pack on her torso, “I know other people might use that name as an insult, but it’s because they are being misogynistic idiots. As ridiculous as it is some people are simply incapable of seeing a woman as anything but weak,” the dragon scowled. “But people who think that also cling to pointless gender norms too.” Yang let out a scoffing laugh, “Do you know how many guys have asked me where my boyfriend bought his bike or tried to educate me on what type of ammo to buy for Ember Celica?”

Her girlfriend shrugged, but her eyes quickly widened as she felt the consequences of the gesture. Speaking through her pain Yang continued, “There will never be a shortage of jerks who try to mark you as less because of how you look or who they 'think'you are, but that doesn’t mean you should ever believe them. Don’t let someone else define what that word, or anything else, means to you. Instead, make it stand for what you want.” Yang looked into her eyes with a smile, “But if you don’t want me to call you princess any more I won’t.”

But soon a mischievous look tinted the dragon’s lilac eyes as she continued, “I can easily come up with another pet name. What about Snow Queen, or Your Royal Weissness, or…” her girlfriend drew out the last word.

Weiss sighed with a smile and shook her head, “I like what you said, so let’s just stick with princess.”

“Good,” Yang looked deep into her eyes, “because I meant what I said. Which is why I’ll be just be the first person that decides to follow you.”

She felt her chest tighten at the Yang words. Every time Weiss thought she couldn’t fall more in love with her, Yang somehow managed to find a way. Heart pounding Weiss leaned her head up as she gently pulled the Yang down towards her.

Their lips met for a long second.

But then her scroll went off. Ruefully, she pulled away. That particular ring tone was specifically designated to Glenn; he knew her schedule better than she did. He wouldn’t interrupt her during training unless it was unquestionably urgent.

As she pulled out her device she gave Yang an apologetic look.

The dragon simply smiled, “Go take care of business, princess.”

Weiss let a small smirk touch her lips before she stood. She took a moment to straighten herself and took in a frustrated breath as she answered the call, “I take it this is rather important?”

Glenn responded, “Quite.” He paused for a moment, but then continued in a serious tone, “The target is finally lucid and the estate is clear.”

The pit of Weiss’s stomach fell out, but she managed to reply, “Understood.”

With that she shut her scroll and nervously looked back at Yang.

Her girlfriend raised a worried eyebrow, “What’s going on?”

Weiss struggled to pull herself back together and responded, “It’s time… I have to go speak with my mother.”

No matter how many times she entered the family mansion it always made Weiss feel the same.

The pristine marble lined walls and icy blue accents always reminded her of how cold and perfect she was expected to be, the statues of grimm warned her that this was not a place to let one’s guard down, and the long empty stretching corridors and rooms mirrored the loneliness that she had always known.

Traversing the lengthy hallways that led to the garden left the heiress with ample time to reflect on how much she had grown to avoided coming back every night. After living at Beacon and reconnecting with Yang the estate felt like anything but a place to call home. If it wouldn’t have cast obvious suspicion Weiss would have prefered to resided at her personal facility. Despite how spartan the gym was it was substantially more welcoming than their mansion.

Guilt weighed on the heiress for having such thoughts. Those types of feelings always made her think about how terrible a person she must be to hold so little love for her family. Though she could recall times that were happy, such memories were far outnumbered and overshadowed by the harsh and lonely countenances that filled her mind and heart. It shamed her that it had been so easy and freeing to leave the estate and her family behind, because what kind of person could so easily abandon those that are supposed to be important to them. A deep frown marred her face to matched the weariness in her heart.

“Ah Miss Schnee,” Klein warmly called out from behind her, “how nice to see you!”

His greeting quickly broke the trance she had been in and she turned to look at their butler and take in her surroundings. Klein smiled warmly at her as he held a tray with a single rocks glass upon it. Weiss eyed the large spherical cube of ice and clear liquid that surrounded it. She then looked the short distance that remained to study the ornate doors that lead to the estate’s garden.

“How many has she had this morning,” Weiss asked in a low quiet tone.

The family caretaker’s expression tightened, “It has been a slow morning for her, this will only be her third of the day, Miss.”

The heiress let out a deep sigh as she thought of the threshold she would soon have to pass through. She refocused as she address the man that had raised her, “Would you be so kind as to bring us coffee instead Klein?” She paused before adding with emphasis, “I need to speak to mother alone.”

Klein’s brow raised, but then his eyes changed to red and he nodded, “Understood miss, I'll make sure that the rest of the staff is kept… out of the way.”

With that he turned and strode back down the long hall, and Weiss was left to approach the garden alone. Upon reaching the entryway her hand froze as she reached for the handle, and she actively had to forced herself to proceed.

Bright light and warm air washed over her as she moved the heavy door that sealed the mansion’s only enclosed garden. When her eyes adjusted she took in the well managed greenery that filled the enormous greenhouse and lined its winding paths. A good distance down one of those walkways was a pavilion that overlooked a small pond, and within sat what should have been the matriarch of her family.

Weiss watched her mother with sad, regretful understanding. The woman blankly gazed at the water and was facing such that she didn’t see her daughter enter, not that Weiss thought that would have made much of a difference.

The heiress closed her eyes and took a deep breath, so much rode on what she could manage next. She quite literally could not afford to fail.

Just as she had been taught all her life Weiss put on the visage of a Schnee and walked confidently towards her mother, hoping against all odds that this wouldn’t go as badly as all the times she had scripted their conversation in her head.

Even as Weiss approached the heiress’s presence did not disturb the clouded stare that the her mother wore. Though it was still far more lucid than she remembered the woman being the day her father had brought her back from Beacon.

As the younger Schnee stepped onto the pavilion she waited before speaking, “Good morning mother. If it doesn’t trouble you, I was wondering if I might sit with you?”

All the heiress received in response was a slight narrowing of her mother’s eyes. Whether that was acknowledgment or not Weiss took it as such and sat at the seat across from the distant woman.

Painfully awkward silence passed as the younger woman tried to study her mother and ascertain the best way to broach conversation.

“The garden seems to be doing quite well this year,” Weiss stated. The heiress waited for a response, but her mother did not look in her direction or even acknowledge that she heard her daughter’s words.

Weiss let out a soundless breath and racked her brain as to what to she might try next; it wasn’t like Weiss had ever been good at talking to her mother. In fact, the few memories she had of her mother being happy had all been before her grandfather passed. Which similarly, were some of the only pleasant times the heiress could recall for herself.

The thought of her grandfather had given her an idea though. “I know we have not spoken in a while,” Weiss started again, “but I have been heading up the research and development branch of the company in recent months. One of the scientist has proposed some exciting dust combinations that have proven stable in laboratory settings.” Weiss paused as she observed her mother, “I think grandfather would have loved talking with her about her findings.”

At his mention the heiress saw the smallest light ignite behind her mother’s eyes.

Betting on that spark she continued, “When I read her reports it often reminds me of when grandfather would come home from an expedition and teach Winter and me about dust.”

The heiress waited hopefully for her mother to respond, but clenched her jaw when the comment failed to grab her mother’s attention. Instead the the woman turned her head further away from Weiss and continued to gaze out at the water.

But the heiress wasn’t ready to give up on the line of conversation quite yet, “Though, if my memory serves me Winter was always far more interested in seeing his latest summon or glyph technique.”

She watched as her mother slowly turned and their eyes met. The older Schnee woman, even in her current state, had keenly piercing eyes. Weiss knew better than to flinch or foretell her intention on her face, instead she capitalized on her momentum.

“He was so excited the first time he saw her activate a glyph,” the heiress let the smallest smile touch her lips. “I am just sorry that he couldn’t also see me grow to master the family semblance.” Weiss straightened her visage, “I had always hoped to see that same pride in his eyes one day,” the heiress paused, “but it seems that now the only way I can honor him is through the company.”

Just as was expected her mother’s expression stayed in its normal pensive frown, but Weiss could detect dread from her mother as it wrinkle the woman’s brow. Mentioning taking a hand in the company had troubled her mother, and fear was not the feeling Weiss wanted to invoke. She needed to bring pride and courage back to the woman, not remind her of the the placid and complicit state her husband constantly tried to force upon her.

Before she could decide on how to navigate their ‘exchange’ further Klein quietly walked up the path to their position with a tray full of coffee and little things to eat.

As their butler set up the cups and started to pour Weiss caught her mother eying him suspiciously as she silently tapped her finger on her lap.

“I thought that we might have coffee like we used to,” the heiress tried to aleigh the woman’s concerns, “You know, Winter and I still occasionally make time to do so now that I am back in Atlas.”

The mention of her sister’s name lit a complicated mix of emotions in her mother’s eyes, and gave Weiss confidence that she had happened upon the way forward. Her mother crossed her legs and looked away as Klein finished setting out the rest of the assorted accompaniments, and the heiress took that opportunity to make a final request of him.

Before he could turn and leave Weiss pulled on the cuff of his jacket and leaned in to utter in a barely audible whisper, “I need you to please bring me the document that is in my room. It is within the fourth book from the left on the bottom of my favorite bookshelf.”

Klein looked at her for a moment, but then after checking that the elder Schnee was still paying them no mind winked at Weiss.

Absolute silence passed between them as Weiss patiently waited for the sound of the garden door closing, as soon as it did the heiress turned her attention back to their strained discussion. Weiss evaluated the ignored cup of coffee in front of her mother and used it as a conversation starter, “Please don’t be cross with Klein for not bringing you what you told him to, I asked him to serve us coffee instead.”

Her mother regretfully did not respond.

Taking a deep rueful breath Weiss prepared herself for the uncouth words she was about to let loose to finally get the woman’s attention, “My apologies, I didn’t realize that stopping you from sinking your emotions in the bottom of glass, due to the sorry state of our family and what has become of grandfather’s company, would leave you in such an unsociable mood.”

Scandalized blue eyes whipped around to finally meet Weiss.

“So you are lucid enough to understand me,” the heiress continued to prod. “Well then, let me be direct. I know you hate what father has turned the company into. I want to start to fix it.”

Pity shone in her mother’s eyes and the woman shook her head, “I learned long ago that going against your father is always a mistake that carries consequences.” Her tone dropped and she looked away, her fists clenched, “You would do well to learn that lesson quickly.”

Weiss felt a little disheartened at her mother’s words, but then quickly realized something of importance.

“I might almost be tempted to do so, but the fact that father still occasionally summons you to his office to rebuke you seems to indicate that you have not, in fact, taken your own advice,” the heiress countered.

She knew that deep down the icy resolve and honor of a Schnee still laid within her mother’s heart, she just needed to wake it up.

“When I was brought back to Atlas I was not in a very positive place," Weiss looked out at the pond as she remembered, "but one day while we were having coffee Winter told me something that changed that.” Looking into her mother’s eyes she continued, “She relayed to me what grandfather had told her after she first learned to summon. He said that it is was not a semblance or money that made our family what it was, instead it was strength of character and a willingness to fight for the future that made one a Schnee. Since the day she recounted his words I have worked tirelessly to find a way to honor what our family once stood for, just as Winter once did.”

A great sadness mixed with fear swept across her mother’s face, and Weiss reached out to grab the woman’s hand. The gesture was against social etiquette, but frankly the heiress didn’t care, “I know that you are afraid that if I go against father you will lose another daughter, but I won’t make the same mistakes.”

Her mother looked away with sorrowful tear laden eyes, and Weiss squeezed the woman’s hand.

“I know that I can succeed, because I’m not doing this on my own like she tried to. I am smart enough to know that confronting father directly and without access to all the resources thatcouldbe at my disposal is foolish.” Weiss let go of her mother’s hand and turned to see that Kline silently waited near the entrance of the garden. She nodded and he started to approach them.

“Father has always used his influence, intimidation, and his hold on the family fortune over our heads, but…” Weiss took the offered document from Klein and unfolded it, “unbeknownst to him the latter is the only tool he still hold against me. And you have the power to change that.” Taking a breath the heiress continued, “He does not hold sole power over our fortune, because you, as a true Schnee, still hold signatory power in all matters involving the family estate.”

Weiss looked down at the bank document that would give her full control of her inheritance now instead of when she was to marry or turn thirty, and hardened her heart to continue, “I know that grandfather was not perfect, and that a grave mistake was made by entrusting the company and our family to father. But that doesn’t mean that we have to live forever with those mistakes or that we can only fight in futilely against him.” The heiress pointed to the document that lay on the table, “This is how you can do something that will have a real impact. Help me, just like Winter helps me now, to restore honor back to our name.”

Her mother looked Weiss in the eye with a fiercely appraising gaze, and the heiress knew if she were to show any weakness or hesitation at that moment then she would fail her mother’s test. Weiss put all the confidence and power that she had worked to gain into her visage as she met her mother’s hard blue stare.

Then with a heavy sigh the matriarch of their family broke eye contact and picked up the pen that Klein had left on the table for her. Despite the relief that she should have felt at ascertaining such a victory, Weiss felt guilt surpass her happiness. She knew just as her mother must, that Jacques would find out eventually that her mother had went against him.

But when the woman looked up from signing and initialling the document she wore a proud, but sad visage, “You always did havehiseyes.”

Weiss went to pick up the document and her mother laid a hand over top of her own, “Be careful Weiss, I do not wish to lose another daughter.”

A plethora of emotions swept over the heiress as she left her mother and the garden behind. She held tight to the document in her hand, it was a key piece that she had desperately needed to move forward. But the toll to gain it had cost her. Weiss clenched her jaw, she feared what both success and failure would mean, and worried that her mother might not be able to survive or forgive her for either.

A part of her felt as if she had just told her mother that her love needed to be bought, and it shamed her. The feeling was only compounded by the regretted she could not keep at bay for what she would, and most worryingly,mightbe forced to do to move the family name forward. But sitting by and doing nothing was no longer an option and would have far worse of an impact.

Weiss pulled out her scroll and started to message her driver as she carefully descended the staircase of the main foyer. She wanted to leave as soon as possible, but had instructed Fredric to wait away from the mansion’s entrance, in an attempt to not draw attention to her presence. The moment she hit send a smarmy voice broke her out of her thoughts.

“Could that be my dear elusive sister?” Whitley called out from the large double doors that lead outside.

Irritation immediately pulled at Weiss’s face upon hearing her brother’s voice. “Don’t worry yourself Whitley, I was just leaving,” she answered curtly.

As her foot hit the last stair she couldn’t help but notice how her brother eyed the folded document in her hand. Weiss calmed her nerves like she had been trained; she knew that there was no way for him to ascertain its contents. So long as she stayed cool and collected he would know nothing of the nature of her visit.

“How unusual to see you during the day,” he attempted to goad her, “I was starting to think that you had become a figment of my imagination or a creature of the night.”

The heiress kept her face composed and proceeded to walk past him, which made his visage quickly turn to undisciplined annoyance at being ignored.

“How very like the other women of this family you are,” he chided, “so uncaring and abandoning.”

The comment caused Weiss to stop in her tracks. He had finally managed to hit her in the one place that she was the weakest. Taking a moment to push down her guilt and most of her anger she turned to face him with narrowed eyes, “If you are feeling so neglected then perhaps you shouldn’t have left father’s side. Just think of what father will have to endure without you there to tag along and smile at his jokes.” Her tone dropped as she felt the envious venom pass her lips, “However will the company survive? Your contributions and hard work are an inspiration.”

Whitley’s face flushed with anger, but before he spoke he grounded himself, “It seems that ‘whatever’ has been keeping you from home has also loosened your tongue.” His eyes narrowed as he looked for her to respond to his probing suspicion.

If it wouldn’t have sent the wrong signal she would have laughed at his juvenile attempts to read her. With a blank face she replied, “Coming home late is simply the result of fulfilling my responsibilities to the company. I know such a thing is foreign to you, but businesses are not run on conversation alone.” Weiss raised a condescending brow, “One must occasionally work to get things done.”

Her brother openly frowned, “I would have taken that excuse just a couple of weeks ago, but now that you’ve rid yourself of that incompetent fool and had Ironwood install a compliant lackey you should have plenty of time on your hands.”

Weiss quickly calculated an appropriate counter that would deprive him of information and force his hand further, “I’m afraid you will have to be more specific; running an entire department,” she emphasized, “means that I must deal with that sort of situation nearly daily.”

The youngest Schnee rolled his eyes, “Don’t play coy dear sister, it hardly suits you.” Whitley straightened and folded his arms behind his back with a small smirk. Weiss knew that tell, he thought he finally had something that would make her talk, “I know that you somehow managed to force Reeves out, and we both knowwhyhe was there.”

Instead of giving him what he wanted Weiss responded with a modicum of the truth, “If I had anything to do with the Sergeant’s sudden and unexplained resignation then why would I hide it?” She looked at him with an icy glare, “Especially since you seem to be implying that father wanted him at the department specifically to depose me.” Weiss paused to let her brother process what she had just said, “If both were truly the case, then wouldn’t I want father to see my competence in removing an obstacle? I would think that it would further emphasise my experience and ability to run the company.”

Whitley glared at her, “You and I both know that you had a hand in it, even if father didn’t believe me when I told him you were behind Reeves’s dismissal. He claimed that even if you were capable of taking out someone so well connected, that you would have done so quickly instead of suffering his presence for so long.” Her brother seethed at her, “Whether father believes it or not, I know you are up to something just like our traitorous sister was. But you will fail just like she did, and then I will get what is rightly owed to me.”

His words burned her in a way that he never would have guessed, and wiped the anger from her mind.

Weiss looked at her brother with pity and sadness in her eyes, “I’m sorry that I left you here alone, and that I wasn’t strong enough to stop you from becoming like this. Despite your jealousy or anger towards me, I do hope that one day you can find your own path instead of the one that was written for you.”

With that she turned and walked for the exit. As her hand pulled the heavy door open she heard her brother whisper to himself, “If you won’t concede to fall like you should, then maybe you need a push.”

Weiss paused and for an instant thought about reacting, but guilt and experience made her think better of it. A reaction was what Whitley wanted; it was his only recourse. He had no real power or influence of his own and he didn’t have the gall to try and physically intimidate her like father.

As she walked down the front steps, to her car and the driver that waited for her, she felt a heaviness in her heart. She had assuredly failed him as an older sister, but even still his petty cruelty and immaturity disappointed her. He was so different from a true Schnee.

The heiress looked back and up at the cold and pristine architecture of their family ‘home,’ and let out a long sigh before finally entering the vehicle.

Perhaps it is vain to think that there was anything I could have done to prevent his true nature from shining through.

Chapter 22: Chapter 19 - A Family Affair (Part 2)

Chapter Text

Weiss looked around her facility and hardly recognize it with all the crates and boxes that cluttered the open floor space and practically spilled out of most of the side rooms. Having Yang around to help the past week had been unquestionably useful. Bunchworth was wonderful, but he was only one normal person. Whereas Yang was the human version of a forklift. With her assistance they had been able to move in an enormous amount of goods that otherwise would have taken a literal crew of people to accomplish.

Refocusing on the task at hand the heiress used her gravity glyphs to carefully pry the top and side off of a crate that was taller than she was. She then let out a weary and relieved sigh upon seeing that the components inside were intact. Stepping back she opened her scroll anddouble checked where the box’s contents were to be moved.

She noddedonce she was certain of the electronics’ location and turned to address her jacketless girlfriend, who despite all the lifting hadn't even broken a sweat. Holding up her device Weisspointed to the screen and stated, “This goes here, in to the side room that is in the northwest corner.”

Weiss nervously eyed the large server stack, “I know you will be, but please be extra careful. These computers are the latest tech, and this component alone cost me nearly one hundred thousand lein.”

Her girlfriend looked at the tall stack with a raised brow and then looked at her prosthetic, “Still half as expensive as this, but that’s a lot of money.” Yang turned her head and grinned at her in a reassuring way, “Don’t worry princess, I'll be careful.”

With that said Yang bent down to pick up the giant server, and as she lifted it Weiss couldn't help but admire how the muscles in her girlfriend's arms and shoulders flexed to show off their indescribable strength. Yang then strolled off effortlessly as she carried something more than three times her own weight.

Weiss bit her lip as she stared a little too long at certain parts of Yang's body with longing, then shook her head and internally rebuked herself for being so crass. She quickly refocused her gaze to study the checklist on her scroll again. They still had to unpack the exhaust hoods and move them into place by the end of the day so that Bunchworth could connect them to the ventilation system. Not to mention the thirty some crates of equipment and seventy-six boxes of supplies that still needed unpacked. And after that all of the articles needed to be put into place, hooked up, or stocked on shelves and work spaces.

The sheer amount of work to be done made the Weiss's shoulders tighten. With a frown she looked back up to see that Yang was nearly at the designated spot for the electronics she was carrying. So Weiss quickened her pace to catch up to Yang. She needed to direct the proper placement of the giant server, and give aid on the off chance that her girlfriend would ask for help.

But as Yang didn’t need aid, Weiss instead found herself unintentionally holding her breath as she watched Yang crouch down so that she could set the heavy equipment where it belonged. Approximately forty percent of her thoughts were consumed by worried over how gently the dragon would be able to put down the costly equipment. Ten percent of her continued to agonize about how they were going to ever get everything done on time. And if she was being completely honest, fifty percent of her couldn’t stop staring at her girlfriends rear and thinking about how she was going to possibly manage to keep her hands off of her girlfriend for the rest of the day.

She knew there were so many other things she should have been focusing on, but seeing the dragon show off her muscles and strength left Weiss with a dry mouth, a sore forearm from gripping her scroll so hard, and an absolutely burning desire to feel her girlfriend’s exquisite body against her own.

Weiss shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to redirect her thoughts.

Yang is not a piece of meat, and there is work to do! I promised that I would take things slow with her and I will… even if it does feel impossible when her hands are on me.

A knot lodged in her throat as the stray thought encouraged her mind to wander, despite her efforts.

Or how good it feels to run my fingers over her stomach. Or how torturously difficult it is not to writhe against her when she kisses my neck and touches my-

“Hey princess,” Yang asked with concern “are you okay?”

Weiss jerked her hand away from her face more than a little flustered. She knew that she needed to remain calm after being caught amidst such salacious thoughts, or Yang would never let her hear the end of it. She woman cleared her throat and silently cursed as she felt her face heat.

“Sorry,” Weiss evaded, “I was just thinking about how much we still have to do.”

Yang looked at her for a moment and then her mouth turned up into a knowing grin. Weiss promptly turned away in the slim hope that it might prevent Yang from teasing her if she could somehow manage to direct the course of the conversation.

She rushed to continue, “Having funds again has helped speed the process greatly, but there is so much left to accomplish.” She let out a breath and scowled into the truth of her words, “If I am being honest, I’m very worried about our time table.”

Silence hung on the air for a moment before Yang slid up behind her. Weiss felt strong arms gently wrap around; she tensed for the briefest second, but then gratefully relaxed against her girlfriend.

It was still a bit foreign to her to be hugged, but somehow the dragon had slowly and steadily chipped away at her discomfort. To the point that, more times than not, she was able to let herself accept an embrace without thinking. When Weiss had first seen Yang two months ago, considering such a thing would have been so far out of the realm of possibility that it was laughable. But now...

Yang nuzzled into her from behind, then playfully whispered into the heiress’s ear, “Is that really what you were thinking about?”

The breath against her ear and the teasing tone made Weiss’s heart accelerate and a not entirely unpleasant warmth to pool in her abdomen. She had already been on edge. The dragon’s words and closeness only made the struggle to not turn around and show her girlfriend exactly what she had been thinking about, that much harder.

Weiss closed her eyes and let out a silent breath as she wiped away the lewd desires that threatened her barely contained self control.

“Yes,” she answered a little too curtly.

Her troublesome girl friend stifled a laugh and Weiss was about to chastise her until she was stopped by the feeling of Yang’s hand sliding lower to rest on the inside of her hip.

“You know,” Yang laughed softly, “you shouldn’t worry so much.” The dragon then let her nose brush the back of Weiss’s ear as she growled, “Especially when we both know that wasn’t what you were really thinking about.”

Weiss swallowed and tried to come up with anything to say in response, but her mind was far more tantalized by what her girlfriend’s actions implied.

Though Yang didn’t let her thought wander for long, because without warning Weiss felt her legs go out from under her as Yang bent down and scooped her up into the strong arms Weiss had been admiring just moments earlier.

Uncharacteristically absent of words, the dragon started carrying Weiss away from the work they were supposed to be doing.

“Yang, what do you think you are doing?!” Weiss demanded.

For a few seconds all the blond did was smirk, but then she finally answered, “I avoided clearing out the game room as long as I could, but it is next on the list.” Yang let her words sit on the air, and then mischievously raised her eyebrow, “Since it’s your favorite makeout spot I figured we should use it one last time before it’s gone.”

Scandalized by Yang’s words the she tried to object, “That’s not even remotely-” Weiss blushed as she rethought her own validity, “I wouldn’t say that is-”

Then after an angry huff of acceptance she finally got out a complete sentence, “I blame any preconceptions that you have on your own actions.”

At that Yang stopped and arched a disbelieving brow at her; she then unceremoniously dropped Weiss on the couch.

The heiress immediately started to sit up, well past the point of levity, but before she could Yang bent down stymying her actions and practically pinning her against the cushions, “Did you honestly think I missed how you’ve been staring at me all day?”

Weiss opened her mouth, but precisely nothing came out.

Yang leaned in far closer, and Weiss had to stifle a whimper when she felt her girlfriend's lips just barely graze her neck, “Or maybe you don’t know how hard it was for me not to pin you against a wall and kiss you every time I caught you looking?”

Her girlfriend's words made Weiss forget how to breath. Instead she stared up, frozen, as lilac eyes met hers. Desire was too weak a word for how Yang looked at her. Weiss was so enraptured by the her girlfriend's forwardness that she didn’t know what to do, though she unquestionably yearned to know how the dragon would act next.

But Yang, surprisingly, didn’t move. Instead, there was the barest hint of hesitation to be found in her eyes.

She instantly put the pieces together; Yang wouldn’t act unless she was sure that Weiss wanted the same thing. Though it was beyond apparent what Yang wanted. She wanted Weiss.

After a steadying breath in Weiss forcefully pulled Yang down to meet her.

When their lips met it was like fire coursed through her veins and down her limbs. She felt every ounce of hunger that had been in her girlfriend's eyes as they kissed, and it left her to wonder why she ever let herself hesitate or hold back when she was with Yang. Weiss pulled down on Yang again and relished the weight and feel of the blond on top of her as she deepened their kiss.

Yang moved her tongue into Weiss’s mouth and the heiress let out an unabashed groan of approval. She wanted more, but knew better than to act first. Thankfully, Yang was just as impatient as she was. Weiss felt her girlfriend's hand slide up her leg before it firmly grasped her hip.

Following Yang's lead Weiss slid her hand under Yang’s shirt and inched her fingers over a solidly sculpted torso. Yang responded by moving into her touch as she let a quiet growl escape from throat. A second later their kiss broke, and Weiss was left to wonder why until she felt Yang's lips on her neck instead.

Hereyes shot open and she gasped as she unintentionally ground her hips into Yang. If her heart hadn’t already been racing, it would have at the lewdness of her own actions. Despite the considerable distraction of her girlfriend’s mouth and hands Weiss couldn’t help but notice the tightening of Yang’s lips against her skin. She could tell that the incorrigible dragon was grinning as she kissed up her neck and along her jaw line.

She cursed at how torturous and smug Yang was being, but also secretly loved how it felt to be teased by her girlfriend. Weiss then bit her lip and sucked in a sharp breath as Yang latched her mouthonto the skin below her ear and ground her tongue against the top of her jaw.

Overwhelming warmth pooled in Weiss's lower abdomen and made her absolutely ache; it took all her restraint not to shamelessly writhe against Yang again.

The dragon stopped just long enough to slide her hand around so she could grope Weiss’s rear. She softly whispered against Weiss's neck, “You know it’s better when you don’t hold back.”

Weiss shuddered at the words. Then a salacious moan escape her as Yang gripped her backside more firmly. Her hips rose without her bidding to meet the body above her, and any thoughts she might have had about the civility of her actions was swept away when Yang’s tongue and lips returned to her neck. She felt her ability to form any cohesive thoughts evaporate after that.

All she was able to focus on was how Yang touched her; she only absently registered how desperately her fingers clung onto the muscles of her girlfriend's back. But more than anything Weiss was aware of how each time Yang's tongue touched her neck or her hand squeezed her rear she couldn’t help but grind into Yang's body. She both loved and hated what her girlfriend was able to do to her.

But after a few minutes she worked up the ability to cope with Yang's ministrations and go on the offensive. Having regrouped most of her wits, Weiss managed to reposition herself enough so that she could turn her head to intercept Yang’s mouth. Her girlfriend obliged her attempts, and Weiss set about utilizing all the things she had learned about the dragon to her advantage. She alternated between light teasing grazes against the other woman’s tongue and demanding pressure from her lips and hands, and she was quickly rewarded by needy, growling moans from the woman above her.

The sounds made Weiss’s pulse race, but she knew she could do better. She took Yang’s lower lip into her mouth and sucked on it. Then as she slipped her hand back into Yang's shirt, she playfully bit down.

A delicious sound escaped Yang as she bucked into Weiss with want, and it made the Weiss’s effort to fight off her own aching desire that much harder.

But she managed to stay on task. She happily let her fingers play on the divots and ridges of Yang's stomach; switching between light touches and firm rough pressure as she matched the movement of her lips and tongue to the actions of her hands.

Weiss relished how pleasing it was to know that she could count on feeling Yang move against her whenever she changed from being gentle to more aggressive with her actions. Though as the her fingers roamed the soft skin and hard muscle of the woman above her, but couldn’t ignore how quick her own breath became. Or how badly her hand yearn to move further up Yang’s body. She knew she should wait to follow the her girlfriend's lead, but Weiss practically itched to feel more of her.

Then Yang moved against her again, and Weiss’s fingers unintentionally grazed the edge of her girlfriend’s bra. She quickly pulled her hand away but before she could retreat completely Yang grabbed her wrist and placed her hand higher than it was before.

Weiss’s eyes went wide as she felt Yang’s chest. Her pulse thrummed in her head as she anxiously looked up to meet her dragon's eyes.

Yang just smirked at her and kissed her nose, “Don’t be so nervous, I’ve touched you like this before.”

Weiss knew her face must have been beet red, but she had no idea how to respond to Yang's words.

Naturally Yang taunted her with a grin before adding, “I was starting to think you didn’t know what to do with them.”

Whether it was her intention or not, the teasing was just the fuel that Weiss needed to continue. She tightened her face in defiance and assertively kissed Yang as her hand squeezed the part of Yang's body that she had been invited to touch.

Despite her annoyance, Weiss couldn’t help but savor how soft Yang's chest felt compared to the rest of her body; it was alluringly different. So despite her earlier reticence, she pressed on.

As she worked her hand against Yang she absently kissed her, careful to take note of what her girlfriend seemed to like.

Though her observations were interrupted when Yang shifted her weight onto her right side and mirrored the way that Weiss was touching her. The new distraction made Weiss struggled to keep her focus as Yang'sfingers moved and played against her chestin the dragon’s own unique style.

A short moment later Weiss caught a glimpse of Yang smirking out of the corner of her eye. Immediately after Yang movedto kiss Weiss's neck again as she let her palm rub against Weiss's nipple, and it made the heiress involuntarily arched into Yang's touch.

Even though she wanted to reciprocate; Yang didn’t give her a chance. Soft breath against her neck sent a whimpering shiver up Weiss’s spine. Then gentle kisses made their way along her collarbone and neck as Yang's fingers played with her chest. But it was when Yang lightly pulled and teased at her through her shirt that she felt like she was lost to the blissful torture Yang was putting her through.

Weiss bit her lip and groaned as she fended off the desire to be as loud as her body wanted her to. Her head was so enveloped by sensation that she completely lost track of the concept of time.

She practically loathed how easily Yang had been able to turn her into a useless, unreciprocating mess. Though she couldn’t deny how easy it would have been to bask in her girlfriend’s lavish touch, she instead exerted considerable will into regaining enough wherewithal to touch Yang back.

But after the way Yang had worked her up, Weiss wasn't content to just match her anymore. She needed to up the ante.

She worked her hand under Yang’s bra and taunted her girlfriend's chest the same way exact way she had just had to been forced to endure. Yang broke away from kissing her neck and moaned through gritted teeth before softly cursing.

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Weiss pressed her initiative. She loved how it felt to have Yang arch into her and shamelessly groan each time she pulled or twisted the nipple in her hand. It was utterly intoxicating to know she could make Yang feel that way, but the sounds and knowledge of her own actions left Weiss aching to be touched in a way that they had not yet reached.

However, the ever restless dragon didn’t give Weiss’s thoughts a chance to take root. Yang reached down and slid her hand under the heiress’s skirt to cup her rear. Weiss had wanted her girlfriend's touch so badly that she didn’t stop herself from moving against Yang in approval. She arched her neck up to hungrily kiss Yang as she continued to tease the blond’s chest, and Weiss groaned with unrestrained need as Yang's hand slipped inside of her underwear to firmly squeeze her backside.

Desire, like she hadn’t known possible, built in Weiss as they continued.

That was until Yang’s finger slowly worked its way around the bottom edge of her undergarment, each moment moving closer and closer to where Weiss so desperately wanted her to be.

The action made the heiress’s breath catch, because it also scared her a little. It wasn’t like she didn’t want Yang to continue, but she also knew how big a step it would be and worried what going forward would mean for them.

Yang must have sensed her reservation and she broke away to look down at Weiss. What the heiress saw in Yang’s eyes surprised her.

Magenta irises stared down at her with a need and longing that made her ache all over again; she knew Yang wouldn’t move another inch without her approval. But the look that her girlfriend gave her wiped away any lingering reservations she might have had.

Weiss leaned up and kissed Yang; she made sure that her lips left no doubt as to what she wanted the her to do next.

Yang growled her approval into Weiss’s mouth, and then the heiress felt her girlfriend's finger hook around the top of her underwear. Weiss’s jaw clenched in anticipation as Yang started to pull down...

Andthat was the exact moment that her scroll let out a resounding ring.

A few choice expletives passed through the Weiss's mind, but Yang of course had no such restraint.

“Who in the actual hell is calling you, right f*cking now?!” the dragon let out in an angry growl. She then released a strained sigh as she regained her grip on her semblance and disappointment, “Whatever, let’s just-”

Weiss ruefullypushed Yang off of her and pulled out her device. Yang looked understandably hurt, but Weiss knew whose ringtone it was. She reached out and touched the blond’s shoulderbefore explaining, “It’s Ironwood.”

Yang’s eyes shot open with surprise for a moment before turning serious. She nodded at Weiss in grim understanding.

Taking a deep cleansing breath the smaller woman opened her scroll and answered, “Hello General.”

“Hello Weiss,” he answered curtly. “I take it you know why I'm calling?”

Weiss’s eyes narrowed as she scowled, “I assume so, but I would rather not leave such an important matter to speculation.”

Ironwood let out a suggestion of a laugh before continuing, “No, I suppose you’re right. Fine then, I'm calling because Private Xiao Long’s training period is up.”

The heiress glared and not so politely answered, “I still have three more days.”

“Which is why I’m calling now,” the general replied. “I thought you would like to use that time to prepare her for her final evaluation.”

Tension crept up Weiss’s spine at his words. She could sense that there was something important hidden in his tone, so she responded with brevity in an effort to get him to reveal more, “Oh?”

“As you said Private Xiao Long has three days left. At which time, she needs to be ready for a combat test so that I can evaluate which type of mission I will be sending her on first,” Ironwood responded with no emotion.

Ire bubbled in Weiss's chest as she thought of how easily he spoke about sending the woman she loved into peril, “Is there anything else you would care to share so that I might do a better job of readying her?”

Coldness slipped into the general’s voice, “This is the Atlas Military, not Beacon Academy, Miss Schnee. You don’t get to ask for a study guide before combat. She should be ready for anything.”

With that the line went dead and Weiss pulled her scroll away so that she could stare daggers at it. Had she no need for the general, Weiss would have called him back and told him exactly what she thought of him and his actions. Instead she shut the device and tossed it at the corner of the couch so that she could cross her arms and pinch the bridge of her nose.

Yang waited a moment,then crouched in front of her and rubbed the heiress’s upper arms, “Hey princess, whatever he said, it’s okay. We knew my evaluation day was coming up, that’s why we’ve been rushing.”

Weiss looked down at the woman she loved, unable and unwilling to hide her worry any longer, “You need to be ready for a combat evaluation in three days.”

The blond pulled back and smiled, “That’s all? What are you so worried about then?”

“You, you stupid dragon,” Weiss exclaimed with great frustration. “We don’t know what he is going to throw at you, it could be anything from an obstacle course, to combat with other specialists, to him attacking you with Atlesian Paladins and a platoon of Atlesian Knights. And after that he is going to deploy you to who knows where for who knows what, and for who knows how long,” she cried out in worry. “What if you are sent halfway around Remnant?! Or worse, what if something happens to you.”

Yang grabbed Weiss’s hand and sat on the couch with her. She looked at the heiress with calm certainty in her eyes, “Weiss, you need to bring it down a notch. We knew this was going to happen. I know you have been trying to rush things to be ready before my eval date, but deep down you had to know that wasn’t possible.”

Weiss averted her gaze and sulked, “You should just leave now. I don’t want you going on a mission for that half witted fool.”

Her girlfriend laughed and Weiss looked up at her with a frown to let Yang know that she hadn’t been kidding. At that Yang's face turned dour, “Weiss, there is no way that I am ruining everything you’ve worked for by going AWOL, and I refuse to leave you behind. I really want to find Ruby and eventually help Blake, but I won’t go without you.”

Despite her words Weiss continued to pout, so Yang lifted her chin and flashed her a cavalier grin, “Besides, what kind of hero abandons their princess?”

Weiss rolled her eyes, “I thought princesses were supposed to empowered and didn’t need rescuing.”

Yang laughed, but then grew more serious, “Everyone needs to be rescued eventually.” Yang pulled her closer and Weiss found herself gazing into steadfast lilac eyes, “You already rescued me, so that means now it’s my turn.” A smirk touched Yang’s lips, “And skipping town without you makes that kinda hard.”

Weiss heart melted at Yang's words, but she growled in disapproval as she clenched her jaw. Regardless of the sincere affection that Yang had shown her none of it would solve their problems. Weiss was going to fail to get things done in time. There was a chance that the general would hold off on sending Yang out right away, but not for as long as it was going to take Weiss to get things set in place.

She loved Yang and admired the loyalty that she was trying to show, but if anything ever happened to her Weiss wouldn’t be able to live with herself. And she didn’t trust that Ironwood wouldn’t send her girlfriend somewhere extremely dangerous for her first mission.

To him Yang was a tool with a timer attached. The general only had a year long contract on her, which meant he would be sure to utilize her while he could and wherever he could.

Weiss felt sick with worry, if she just had more time she could solve all their problems. She hated what she asked Yang next, but it was the only thing left she could think of to keep Yang from certain harm, “You should try and fail the evaluation.”

Yang looked down at her with an agitated raised brow.

“I am serious,” Weiss defended, “If you pretend to be weaker than you are then it is likely that he will send you on a less dangerous first mission, or he might even send you to another base for more training.”

The blond rubbed her face, “Weiss, you know I can’t do that. That's a terrible plan for so many reasons.” Yang sighed, “We need Ironwood on our side for what you have planned, and I can’t make that happen if I throw the eval. He would know if I tried that, and I’m not going to ruin the good will I managed to buy with him.”

Weiss frowned deeply at her inability to find a solution. Yang just shook her head and lifted the heiress onto her lap so that she could wrap herself around the smaller woman, “I can handle a couple of missions until things are ready; I'm not going without you princess.”

Despite of the dragon’s reassurances, or how right Yang might have been, Weiss was not happy. She nuzzled into the blond as she sulked, “Fine, but I still say we try to get things done in time, even if it is impossible.”

“That’s my tsundere princess,” the dragon laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I have to admit though, I’m excited to show off what I can do now after all of our training.”

Weiss quickly pulled away, “Promise me you won’t use that technique yet.” Yang looked a little disappointed, but the heiress wasn’t going to back down on this point, “Yang it is not ready yet, and against a fully trained hunter you could get yourself killed. They won't know that you’ve left yourself unprotected by aura.” She clenched her jaw with determination, “Promise me.”

Yang rolled her eyes, but answered, “I promise I won’t use it.”

A frown marred the heiress’s face and she buried herself against the dragon. She knew it was foolishly irrational, but Weiss would have given up everything if it would have keptYang safe. Her family, her honor, her responsibility, they all seemed so shallow now that she was with Yang.

No, it’s not just Yang...

Weiss still wanted to make a difference and change things for the better, but now that she knew what it felt like to be happy, to have people who actually cared about her, she selfishly questioned how much she was willing to risk if there was even the slightest chance that that happiness might be endangered.

Other than Winter, the people and her goals in Atlas had never brought her joy, only cruel criticism and insurmountable hardship. She knew how important taking control from her father was, not just for her family’s name but for all those he oppressed and used. Though Weiss still found herself questioning her destiny, because what she yearned for was not grand power but to be with Yang and their friends.

The heiress shamelessly clung to Yang’s form, and the dragon protectively wrapped her arms around Weiss as she held her. Cold steely resolve welled inside of the smaller woman.

I have to try harder. I will be with her and keep her safe.

Yang let a frustrated sigh escape her as she opened her eyes to find the Vytal Festival combat arena. After a quick look around she started to walk across the tiles of the hexagonal fighting stage, a bit of anxiety building in her shoulders as did. In a way it had made a twisted kind of sense that this was where they would meet before her final evaluation with Ironwood. Truthfully, Yang had always wondered if it was her own mind that subconsciously picked their location or if her mother’s doing.

Yang let out a low growl at the thought. She honestly didn’t know which would have been worse. But as frustrating as meeting with her mother so many nights out of the week was, there was one very concrete upside. It lessened the number of times that she had nightmares about him. Those dreams had subsided a little after she started going to therapy, but her mother’s prickly and secretive company had managed to keep most of them away. And Raven’s presence, no matter how frustrating, was far more preferable than the alternative.

The blond reflected on her family’s secretive and often thorny relationship; she couldn’t help but wonder why she had spent so much of her time trying to track down a mother who seemed to be so much her opposite. With folded arms and her weight on her back foot, she contemplated just how convoluted things were with family in general. It was of course at that moment that a gust of wind brushed against her from behind.

Turning Yang found the tall, imposing figure of her mother. Raven removed her mask and set it near the edge of the hexagon before confidently striding towards the her daughter. Yang couldn’t help but notice how the woman’s red eyes narrowed at her as if she was trying to read her mind.

“So,” her mother started with in edge in her voice, “I take it you think you are you ready for your combat match tomorrow?”

Yang glared at the woman, “I know you won’t tell me how you knew that I’m being evaluated tomorrow, so let’s just get started already.”

Raven smirked, “You aren’t slow to catch on,” then her mother’s grin fell into a frown as she continued, “but let’s see if that applies to your training as well.”

Her mother took several steps back before nodding fo Yang to proceed.

I know this is ‘meditative’ dream state training, but she really wants me to just start cold?

The blond rolled her shoulders and let out a heavy sigh. She knew she needed to get her semblance fired up, so she drew on her more complicated emotions towards her mother for fuel. Yang felt the turmoil and rage inside of her gradually build, and when she felt it come to its peak she let her control over it go. Power washed over upon its release, and as quickly as she had unleashed her semblance she then reined it back in. Yang used the raw energy to start to pull at and shape her own aura, drawing it out of every corner of her body and sending it to accumulate in her prosthetic.

The strain of doing so made Yang’s body shake as she tried to further condense the gathered aura. She knew that it wouldn’t be that much stronger than blocking with an actual shield if she just collected it, so she pushed harder on the aura trying to visualize it compacting down into an area the size of her scroll. The aura fought and surged back against her, making her sweat from the strain of keeping it under control.

Then the thought of sweating, in a dream, crept into her mind. It was mildly amusing, and that was all it took for her to lose control of the aura. The energy slipped from her hold like water and slammed back into the other extremities of her body with such speed that it actually hurt.

Yang winced at the pain as much as her failure. She bent slightly and placed her hands on her legs to catch her breath, but before she could straighten herself Raven called out, “Again, that was terrible. Stop half assing it and use all of your focus. Let go of any pointless distractions like the Schnee girl.” Her mother narrowed her scarlet eyes, “Because if you fail in the real world you won’t have the luxury of worrying about anything ever again.”

With gritted teeth the blond stood upright. She absolutely hated it when her mother brought up Weiss. Seething Yang let that anger charge her semblance in record time, and met Raven’s red gaze with her own as she tried the technique again.

The blond didn’t know how long they continued on like that. It was a dream, so she really couldn’t say. But after her eighth attempt Yang had succeeded just as many times as she had failed.

Utterly exhausted and beyond caring, the blond laid on the cold tiles of the former stadium. Raven could have said whatever she wanted, Yang was just too tired to give a sh*t.

Sharp, smooth footsteps moved towards her and Yang looked up into scrutinizing red eyes. “Don’t try to use this technique tomorrow,” Raven spoke down at her with certainty, “you aren’t ready.”

Yang laughed scornfully. She had already promised Wiess that she wouldn’t, but she’d be damned if she would tell her mother that. Instead she spoke with a twinge of spite in her voice, “Why would you even care?”

The blond managed to catch the slightest twitch of her mother’s left eye before she straightened her frown into a glare and stated, “You need to be strong enough to survive on your own, or you will never be of use to anyone. I already saved you, I won’t again.”

Raven looked away as Yang sat up, but continued to talk, “Trying to use a technique that you can only activate half the time, in ideal circ*mstances, is not just foolish it’s unquestionably reckless.” There was a pause before her mother finished, “Besides, even if you had mastered the technique it should only be used when absolutely necessary, due to the risk it carries.”

Ire managed to take root in Yang’s weary body, “Oh so you finally decided that you wanted to act like a parent. Is it because you actually care, or is it because I won’t be any good to you dead?”

Raven didn’t respond, and instead started to walk towards the edge of the arena.

Gritting her teeth the blond stood and spat out her words with resentment, “Why did you leave me behind? Why are you helping me now? What even am I to-” the words caught in her throat, “What are you really playing at?”

Her mother picked up her mask, her back to her daughter. Raven looked at the white and red grimm helm for a long time before putting it back on. She turned to finally address Yang, “My time is up, I have to go now.”

Yang took an irate step towards the woman, “That’s bullsh*t! You just don’t want to answer me.”

Even behind the encompassing mask Yang could see her mother’s eyes flare with emotion, “If you really want to know, then you need to convince your father to tell you how to find me.” With that she turned and started to walk even further away, “Good luck in your match. You will need to give it everything you have.” Raven paused at the edge of the platform before adding, “Don’t disappoint us.”

With that she jumped off the edge of the arena, and a second later a large black bird flew away.

Yang stood at the center of the ring as the bird quickly flapped its way towards the setting sun and out of sight. She looked in the direction the raven had traveled for a long time, and honestly wondered what she would do if she left Atlas and knew where to find her mother.

Finally giving up on the answerless questions Yang let out a long sigh and turned away. She let the thought of what to do upon leaving Atlas drift to the back of her mind, and instead decided to get some real rest before having to wake up for her final evaluation. But then a stray, seemingly innocuous question wormed it’s way into her head.

Who is ‘us’?

Chapter 23: Forces of Nature

Chapter Text

Yang woke up with a slight kink in her back. The couch at the former gym was comfortable, but it was hardly built for two people to sleep on. She tried to stretch without disturbing Weiss who was still asleep, spooned against her. But the princess had used Yang’s balled up jacket and right arm as a pillow, so the blond was effectively pinned.

As she looked at her trapped arm she softly laughed.

Well I guess that solves the ‘what to do with your arm when cuddling’ problem.

It was strange but made sense that she could feel Weiss laying on her, but didn't have the side effect of pins and needles running through her arm from the princess sleeping on it all night. And while she could deal with the literal pain in her back, having to pee after waking up was another story. The blond let out a long silent breath and contemplated how to escape.

But after glancing down at the heiress pressed tightly against her, she couldn’t bear the thought of waking her. Partly because Yang knew that after today there was no telling when she would be able to hold Weiss like this again. That reality made her miserable, even if she was confident that her first deployment wasn’t likely to be that long.

A worried frown made its way to the blond’s face; despite trying to taking things slow she couldn’t deny any longer that she had fallen for the princess. So the idea of having to leave her, after everything they had been through, felt torturous.

Yang’s eyes traced the gentle, and for once, relaxed lines of Weiss’s face, and she mused at just how pretty the heiress was. Her girlfriend’s white bangs had fallen to the side and Yang could easily see the offset scar over the princess’s left eye. The mark didn’t make Weiss any less beautiful, in a way it made them sort of match.

But the mark still occasionally made Yang’s heart sink.Weiss was strong, courageous, and fierce; Yang probably still had a few bruises from their last sparring match that would prove that. But she hated how much pain the princess had been forced to endure. It seemed irrational that someone with such a horrible upbringing could turn out to be so kind. In retrospect, Yang never would have teased her so much when they first met had she known what she now knew about Weiss.

A soft grin touched her lips when the heiress frowned in her sleep and pulled at Yang’s right arm to readjust it.

Well… maybe I wouldn’t have teased her quite as much.

She stayed there and watched her princess sleep for a while, lost in thought about just how much her life had changed in the past two years. Eventually though, the alarm on Weiss’s scroll sounded.

With a high pitched whine the heiress numbly reached for her scroll and shut it off. She then sat up with a groggy frown and her hair cascaded down her shoulders in silky tangle free sheets.

Yang just smiled as she looked at her sleepy girlfriend, “Morning princess.”

Weiss turned towards her and let out a tiny yawn. The blond moved up to kiss her, but the heiress’s eyes shot wide and she pushed Yang away.

Not sure why she had been shoved back, Yang raised a curious brow.

The princess rolled her eyes, but then covered her mouth before mumbling, “You can’t kiss me when I have morning breath.”

A snort escaped Yang, “You’re not serious are you?”

The heiress looked at her like the question was somehow scandalous. Which made a wide smirk spread across the blond’s face, “Are you really going to send me off into battle, against who knows what, without a kiss from my princess?”

“You are horrible,” blue eyes narrowed at her as another mumble came from behind Weiss’s hand, “just be civil and let me brush my teeth first.”

“Nope,” Yang grinned and grabbed for her girlfriend. But in an instant the heiress was suddenly gone, and Yang was left on the floor tangled in their blanket. The impact making her remember with a pained groan that she still really had to use the bathroom.

That... was a mistake.

Yang pulled on her gloves and checked that the sleeve of her jacket fit over her cybernet properly. Ember Celica helped hold her sleeves in place, but she was still a little nervous about wearing the prosthetic into combat. Weiss and her had argued about it on and off for the past three days, and in the end the princess had been unwilling to budge. She said that she wouldn’t allow Yang to fight an unknown battle without having every tool that Weiss could give her.

In the end Yang had reluctantly agreed to take the risk, because she honestly wasn’t sure she would be able to do much with her old prosthetic. And today she needed to be impressive.

After a deep breath Yang looked at Weiss and said, “It’s time.” The princess quickly inspected Myrtenaster then slipped it into her sash, and the brawler frowned at her girlfriend’s action, “Why are you taking your sword?”

Weiss let out a short laugh, “If you think I’m going onto that military base without a weapon you are daft.” Then the princess scowled, “Plus, I have a bad feeling about what Ironwood has planned. I want to be prepared for anything.”

As they finally left the facility the blond wished there was anything that she could do to ease her girlfriend’s nerves, but to be honest she was on edge herself. What happened after this fight was anyone’s guess, and for once she didn’t like that.

Though the princess’s behavior on the car ride over proved to be a decent distraction.

Weiss alternated between tapping on her scroll, to checking Myrtenaster’s dust chambers, to looking at Yang’s prosthetic calibrations, all the while reminding Yang to be careful of about twenty different possible scenarios that the heiress thought had some level of probability of occurring during the blond’s evaluation. In the end the heiress managed to complete each of her nervous actions at least twice before they arrived.

As the car came to a stop Yang grabbed Weiss’s hands and said, “It’s going to be okay. It’s just an evaluation.” Then she quickly kissed her girlfriend before she adding with a grin, “For luck, now that you don’t have morning breath.”

Yang jumped out of the car before the driver could open the door for her and Weiss could respond back to her teasing. Fredric had taken them to the base’s side entrances just as Ironwood’s email had instructed, and before long Yang saw the general and Winter approaching the gate. Both of them looking as stern and sour as ever.

Do they just enjoy looking that pissed off all the time?

As she got close to the gate she handed the guard her military ID. The man then looked at Weiss and gestured for her to show him identification. The heiress gave him a condemning scowl that made Yang feel bad for the guy.

Weiss stared him down for a second then pointed her eyes towards Winter and Ironwood, before bringing her glared back to the uniformed man. Yang tried not to smirk but failed when the man swallowed and buzzed them in with a nervous look.

That’s my princess.

The blond entered the perimeter of the tall chain link fence that surrounded the base and quickly looked past the general and Winter to see an expansive stretch of completely empty concrete. Ironwood could no doubt have mechs or androids there within minutes, but Yang had a weird feeling about meeting the pair here on a base that was so far outside of the city.

“Private Xiao Long,” the general addressed her as they came together, “this will be your final assessment before deployment.” His eyes narrowed, and he continued to speak to her even though he was looking at Weiss, “I hope you understand how important your performance today is.”

Weiss stood just next to Yang, and the blond knew it must have taken nearly all of her girlfriend’s effort not to snap at the general. Even if he was partially right to suspect that Weiss would want Yang to throw the match.

The brawler stood up straight and responded with a straight forward, “Yes sir, I do.”

“Good, follow me then,” Ironwood stated before turning and walking towards the center of the empty field.

They all walked a good distance from the gate, Weiss and her trading nervous glances on the way.

After about two minutes the general and Winter finally stopped and faced them, and it was then that Ironwood finally revealed how she would be tested.

“For your assessment, I want to see if you are combat ready," the general said, "so you will be fighting against Specialist Schnee in single combat.”

Yang’s eyes went wide and she just stared at him in complete disbelief. Winter on the other hand had a wide smirk on her face that lead the blond to suspect that this had actually been her idea and not his.

Weiss must have come to the same conclusion, because she let out in a low seething growl, “Winter.” The princess had balled her fists and was glaring at her sister in a way that made Yang feel really uncomfortable.

It took all of two milliseconds for the brawlerto see that this was going to end in a screaming match between the two if she didn’t do something. So the blond thought for a moment before addressing the general. “I’ll fight Winter,” Yang said as she ignored what she knew would be an angry look from Weiss. She made sure to maintain eye contact with Ironwood as she finished, “but I have one condition.”

The general’s face tightened, “This is an evaluation Private Xiao Long, not a negotiation.”

“Yeah, I know,” Yang responded, “but you also said that my performance today was important. So I am assuming that you want to see me fight for more than a few seconds. Because if we are being honest a world class huntress like Winter could have me on the ground within a few moves.” The blond shrugged, “So if you really want to see what I am capable of, and not just watch her pound me into the pavement then you should let me fight with my partner.”

Out of the corner of her eye Yang saw Weiss’s head snap up to look at her. She knew that the princess was probably wondering what she was up to, but she couldn’t afford to break the general’s gaze if she wanted this to play out in her favor.

Ironwood studied her for a long moment, but then turned slightly to address Winter, “Specialist Schnee?”

The older Schnee looked from Weiss to Yang and then smirked, “I agree to the terms, it has been quite some time since I last saw what my sister is capable of.”

After a lot of scowling and quite a few angrily muttered words Weiss was slightly less irate than she had been at learning of her sister’s plan to fight Yang. The blond was almost more worried about Weiss’s temper than she was about their match.

She needed to get her girlfriend’s head back in the game. The general had moved a good distance away, but Winter still stood about six meters away and was observing them intently.

Yang took a deep breath and looked at the heiress with all the seriousness and intensity that she could muster. This could still work to their favor, but she needed Weiss to be with her and not distracted. Blue eyes met hers and she saw her princess’s gaze narrow in understanding.

Her back turned to her sister Weiss mouthed, ‘Hidden Winter.'

And that was all the signal that Yang needed. She shot forward immediately in a frontal attack, prepared to hit Winter with the full force of her cybernetic.

The older Schnee however saw her coming from a mile away, which was why at the last second Yang twisted to the side to get out of the way. As Yang slid past Winter, she crouched on the balls of her feet and her left hand for stability, and saw the specialists's eyes widen in surprise.

Winter just barely managed to block Weiss's trailing attack; having used Yang as a distraction to hide her smaller form.

But that wasn't the only advantage of their opening move. The brawler quickly pushed herself up off the ground and went for the older Schnee’s exposed back. Unfortunately,Winter was not phased by the two sided attack. Tightening her grip onto her sword's trigger, a second blade cut through the air to intercept Yang’s blow.

A devilish smirk spread across the brawler’s face as she set herself to see just how fast and agile the elder Schnee could be with those swords. But out of the corner of her eye she saw Weiss struggling against her sister’s raw strength. The heiress shook her head at Yang, and the blond jumped back putting a good amount of distance between her and Winter.

By the time she landed she found her girlfriend already pressed to her side. With a soft growl, that made Yang forget that they were in a fight, Weiss uttered, “Freezerburn.”

Yang shot a torrent of shells at Winter that were easily blocked with a glyph shield, but the attack had given Weiss more than enough time to freeze the ground below her sister. As soon as Yang stopped shooting Weiss used Myrtenaster to send streams of condensed dust at her sister. And the brawler used the cover fire to to strike the ground with her cybernetic fist.

The ice shattered under the brutal force of her prosthetic, and a heavy mist covered the field. Yang watched as Weiss wasted no time, speeding in to attack her sister. But even with Weiss’s incredible speed Winter parried each of the heiress’s blows without effort.

So the brawler ran in as silently as she could to assault the specialist’s unguarded side, but before she could reach her the elder Schnee jumped high into the air. Yang had to dig her foot into the concrete to stop herself from crashing into her girlfriend. Both women looked up to find Winter grinning down at them right before she used a glyph to propel herself out and away from the melting cloud of fog.

When the older Schnee landed she swished her swords and used her left index finger to beckon them to join her. Yang looked down at Weiss and said, “Ice Dragon?”

The heiress nodded with a scowl before adding, “Be careful, she is faster than me.”

The blond grinned in excitement, “Don’t worry, I know you’ve got my back Princess.”

With that they broke apart, and Yang started shooting at Winter as she rushed forward. The elder Schnee used her swords to deflect each shell effortlessly, but her eyes looked away briefly to notice that her younger sister had formed a halo of glyphs above them.

Yang, however, wasn’t going to give Winter a chance to go after the princess. She threw a flurry of punches and kicks at the specialist knowing that none of them would land. Each hit was dodged or parried by a sword After the fifth blocked attack Winter went on the offensive, and Yang was forced to duck under the specialist’s two swords as they nearly took her head off.

The brawler watched from her position on the ground as Weiss flew in from above and attacked her sister at top speed. Winter was able to keep up with the plethora of glyph attacks from her younger sister, but that didn’t mean that she was ready for the leg sweep that Yang tagged her with.

The elder Schnee flipped backwards to a hand spring to regain her balance. But Weiss was on her in an instant, and managed to land a clean enough blow to push her sister back.

Winter scowled, at being hit, so fiercely that Yang paused for a fraction of a second before trying to resuming her bombardment against the huntress. Which turned out to be all the time someone like Winter needed recover.

A black glyph formed under Yang’s feet locking her to the ground, and before she could blink Winter formed over two dozen more white sigils in a circular pattern above and below Weiss’s own glyphs. Then she just disappeared.

The blond felt her muscles tighten as she saw what she feared quickly transpire.

Winter was using her own glyphs to chase after Weiss, worse yet Yang couldn’t actually keep up with or even turn all the way around to see the frenzied blur of white and dark blue that zipped around her. The blond gritted her teeth when she realized that Winter was attempting to take them out one at a time instead of letting them tag team her.

Yang took a deep breath and focused as hard as she could. After a second she shot a shell straight up to get Weiss’s attention. Then, using all of her senses and memories, the brawler predicted where her girlfriend would end up next. As quickly as she could the blond shot at an empty glyph and managed to nail Winter right in the back.

The specialist’s eyes locked on Yang’s with fury and the blond shot the look back with equal measure.

Seeing Winter go after Weiss had lit a dangerous fire inside of her, and now she wanted a piece of the elder Schnee. The blond knew that her girlfriend was going to be furious at her for daring to challenge Winter directly, but Yang knew that she needed to show Ironwood and Winter that she could hold her own. Despite what she had said earlier.

The brawler braced herself as Winter slammed into her with both swords. She took the brunt of the attack on her cybernetic but was still pushed back far enough that they both ended up well outside of Weiss’s glyphs.

The heiress looked on in fear and anger as she saw her sister go after Yang. Weiss quickly chased after them. But as soon as she did Winter had disappeared from pushing Yang away, and reappeared in front of her. The smaller woman instinctively threw up her sword and right arm as she prepared to take her sister’s strike, but that had been a mistake.

When Weiss didn’t feel a blow land she lowered her guard to see overlapping blue glyphs surrounded her like a cage. The heiress’s eyes quickly darted around the enclosure, but there was no gap between the glyphs that was even remotely large enough for her to slip out of.

Trying to hold down her panic the heiress looked between the glowing lines of her sister’s sigils to see what was transpiring on the battlefield. She immediately made eye contact with Yang and the dragon started to carefully edge her way towards Weiss. But Winter was no fool and cut off Yang’s path, effectively blocking most of Weiss’s view.

The heiress felt ire burn inside of her as her sister addressed Yang, “I’ve seen what you can do with Weiss’s assistance, but what are you really capable of?” With clear challenge and condescension Winter taunted the dragon, “Show me that you are worthy , private.”

“Winter,” Weiss yelled in a livid growl, “Don’t you dare!”

But her sister patiently ignored her and shot straight at Yang. Weiss shreaked in frustration and pounded her fist against the glyph. She had no choice but to look on hopelessly as Winter went after her girlfriend.

The heiress felt her heartbeat in her throat as she watched Yang take on her sister utterly alone. The dragon’s exceptional hand to hand combat skills served her well, but Winter was unquestionably faster. Weiss cringed a few times when she saw her sister’s blade make contact with the Yang’s body. But after a moment she realized that Yang was choosing to let the shallower attacks hit her, so that she could deflect the heavier attacks and make openings to strike back.

Their scrimmage only lasted for a few seconds, but to Weiss if felt like an hour of agony. Yang was doing well and even managed to land two blows, but eventually Winter caught Yang off balance and kicked her squarely in the stomach.

Weiss cried out with worry as she watched Yang fly back nearly thirty meters from the blow.

Having put considerable distance put between herself and Yang, Winter wasted no time in readying her next attack. With a flourish of her sword, Weiss watched her sister stab the ground.

The heiress’s eyes went wide as a huge summoning glyph appeared and five alphas emerge from the glowing sigil that shrank back down once they left its surface. Weiss desperately looked around her to see if there was any means of escape, but the glyphs had blocked her in tightly enough that she could barely stand, let alone swing her sword.

The sound of shotgun rounds pulled her attention back to the fight and the heiress swallowed as she watched Yang take on a pack of alphas by herself. As worried as she was, Weiss felt a small glimmer of hope as her girlfriend out maneuver and landed blow after blow on the glowing white grimm.

That was until Winter turned back and smirked at Weiss.

Her sister then pierced the concrete with her off handed sword, and Weiss looked on in disbelief as Winter produced a second summoning glyph. The new sigil overshadowed the first as it grew to an immense size. Weiss’s eyes shot wide as she saw a huge king taijitu appear around her sister.

The snake slithered in a loose coil around Winter for a brief second before rushing out to attack Yang, who had somehow managed to work herself down to two beowolves.

Terror gripped Weiss and she banged her fists against her prison and yelled, “Yang look out!”

The blond turned to see what was happening. But when she took a her focus off of the remaining alphas one of them hit her with a backhand, and it sent Yang flying straight towards the taijitu. Before the brawler could recover the snake had wrapped around her legs and waist.

Weiss was absolutely frantic as she watched her girlfriend struggle to break the giant summon’s crushing grip.

Think! There has to be something you can do!

The heiress looked from one summoning circle to the other and then to her own prison. She knew her sister was amazing, but it didn’t seem possible that Winter could maintain so many glyphs at once.

Then Weiss heard Yang yell in pain and something snapped inside of her.

Without thinking a glyph appeared behind her and her knight stepped out of the glowing white sigil. The heiress crouched as the giant armor’s sword shattered her prison with a single blow.

With an angry growl Weiss willed the summon to attack. Winter’s eyes went wide with shock when she saw the armor’s great sword fly at her position. Her sister of course jumped up and out of the way, but the knight’s sword sunk into the ground where Winter had been standing and dispelled both of her sister’s summons.

Weiss didn’t even take the time relish the fact that she had bested her sister. Instead, she dismissed her knight and started running towards her downed girlfriend.

Yang shook her throbbing head and slowly started to stand. The fight with Winter had taken a bit out of her, but getting crushed by the king taijitu had left her flat out reeling and gasping for breath. She was nearly on her feet again and trying to shake the fog from her head when she heard Weiss cry out in shock.

The blond’s head snapping up, and she saw that her girlfriend was out of Winter’s glyphs and now only about five meters away. But there was a black sigil beneath the princess, and Weiss was down on one knee gripping her ankle in pain. Panic and anger shot through the blond as her vision finally cleared, only for everything to be tinted red.

Yang turned in fury to find Winter far away from them. The specialist returned the blond’s look with a cold apathetic glare and then made a speed glyph appeared and started to pulse behind her. It wasn’t until the older Schnee’s gaze returned to her downed sister that Yang realized just what Winter was up to.

Icy fear and spiteful understanding ran through the blond’s veins as things fell into place in slowed time.

Winter knew that she would rush in to try and protect Weiss, it was obviously a trap. Yang’s body felt heavy as she looked from Weiss kneeling on the ground thenback to Winter readying her sword.

It was the same.

Yang moved, she didn’t think, she just acted. Her semblance flared hotter and and brighter with each footstep; all the while she used that rage to collect her aura in her arm. Packing it smaller and tighter than she had ever dared.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Winter’s glyph let out a final pulse, but she had managed to reach Weiss in time. At the last second Yang crouched in front of Weiss and met the tip of Winter’s sword with an angry roar.

Wind from their collision tore around them. Yang felt immense pressure push back on her, but then as soon as it had come it was gone.

She watched through squinted eyes as the broken shards of Winter’s sword flew around her shredding her sleeve and nicking her right shoulder and torso.

Red rage fueled eyes looked back up at the shocked specialist. But Winter recovered and raised her second sword. Yang vision flashed to show her Adam and his glowing red sword. Untold furry flared her semblance as the dragon readied her left arm to attack.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Ironwood’s voice boomed so loud that all other sounds seemed to run away.

Winter immediately halted and straightened her posture.

Breathing hard Yang felt her semblance, fear, and anger burn inside of her. It wasn’t until Weiss’s hand touched her shoulder that Yang was finally able to deactivate her aura and feel her racing, exhausted heart beat again.

Weiss looked from Yang to her sister’s unhappy glare to Ironwood’s narrowed eyes. She followed his gaze down to Yang’s shredded and mostly missing sleeve. Despite the fading pain in her ankle she jumped up and stood in front of the dragon’s hanging right arm.

Yang’s eyes slowly turned from magenta to violet as she looked down at Weiss with concern. Unfortunately with people around she couldn’t tell her girlfriend what she was really worried about or reassure her that she was okay.

Especially since Ironwood wasted no time in addressing them, “That was quite an impressive match.”

He slowly observed the destruction they had left on the field and then scrutinized the shattered remains of Winter’s primary sword. His face tightened in though as he looked through Weiss to where Yang’s prosthetic was hidden. After a brief second he lifted his gaze and spoke in his normal stern and uncaring tone, “I’ll give you a week to get some rest and make repairs, but then you need to be ready to be deployed on your first mission, Specialist Yang.”

The heiress felt her girlfriend shift behind her and then out of the corner of her eye she saw Yang give the general a left handed salute, “Understood, yes sir.”

Ironwood’s brow raised, but his visage softened briefly before he turned to walk away.

Winter however looked from the hilt of her broken sword to Yang with with a perturbed look. But eventually she managed to straighten her face into a less irate glare. Winter looked down her nose at Yang and stated, “You are… acceptable, but I’ll be watching. She will always be my younger sister,” Winter arched a brow and ended with, “I’m sure you understand.”

With that the elder Schnee turned and briskly walked to catch up to the general.

Once Winter was out of earshot Weiss turned and looked down at Yang’s exposed prosthetic, she then looked up at the dragon with wide, worried eyes.

Yang rolled her eyes to emphasize her words, “Right?” Then she looked past Weiss before adding, “I think he thought my arm was damaged and not that it was, you know, a super secret new prototype. That was why I saluted with my left so that he would hopefully think I had busted it.”

Weiss sighed heavily, “We can hope, but it is still best to prepare for the worst. We’ve made a lot of progress the last three days, I just hope that we can keep up the same pace.” The heiress frowned, “Now, let me get a look at the rest of you.”

The dragon rolled her eyes again as Weiss looked at the cuts in her girlfriend’s clothing. It appeared that Yang’s aura had already done its job and had healed the shallow gashes from her sister’s broken sword and the other damage she had sustained. Which meant that her girlfriend had finally managed to pull off the technique fully. Weiss wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but at least Yang was okay.

“Alright already, I’m fine,” the dragon blurted out. “What about you?” the blond’s eyes shone with concern, “It looked like you got a pretty nasty sprain from getting caught in your sister’s gravity glyph.”

The heiress looked at the worry in her girlfriend’s eyes, and for a second had to remind herself of where they were.

“It is sore, but my aura should have it completely healed by the time we reach the car,” she finally answered. Then with a smirk she continued, “I still can not believe you shattered Winter’s sword. I know Raven said that the technique was powerful, but Winter's sword was so strong that it was practically one of a kind.” Weiss shook her head, “She is never going to forgive you for having to get a replacementforged,” Yang’s eyes widened in panic before Weiss could add, “but in her own Schnee way you definitely impressed her.”

Yang looked towards the sky and sighed, “It’s never simple with you Schnee women is it?” dropping her gaze she stared at Weiss’s ankle, “So do you need me to carry you?”

Weiss laughed, “Hardly, I will be able to walk just fine.” A grin reached her face as she teased, “Besides, I remember what happened the last time you carried me, and this is hardly the time or the place.”

The blond leered at her after the comment in a way that made what was on her mind all too clear. So the heiress promptly started walking back to the side entrance that she had left her driver waiting at. She wanted to avoid the verbal onslaught of teasing that she knew her girlfriend would happily unleash if Weiss gave her half a chance.

Her girlfriend caught up to her easily and they walked back over the damaged field, towards the exit, in relative silence.

After a while though Weiss couldn’t stop thinking about what Yang had said before the match. She certainly didn’t want to seem needy or read too much into it, but she wondered if Yang had really meant it when she called Weiss her partner.

She truly wasn’t going to ask, but then the stupidly kind dragon looked down at her with a bright smile and Weiss couldn’t hold onto the question any longer, “Did you mean what you said earlier?”

Yang just looked at her with a raised brow that demanded clarification.

The heiress sighed and took a few more steps before working up the nerve to finish what she had so foolishly started, “Did you mean it when you said that I was your partner,” she hesitated before getting out the last of it, “or was that just a show for Ironwood and my sister?”

The taller woman stopped a good distance short of the gate and the car waiting for them, and looked around before letting her fingers move to lightly brush Weiss’s hand.

Violet eyes looked down at her with an unfathomably kind smile, “Of course I meant it.” Then her smile faded slightly, “Blake will always be my partner, but you and I have been through so much together now. I can’t imagine calling you anything less.”

Weiss felt like her heart was going to explode, she couldn’t believe what Yang had just said, or the way she was looking at her. Her gaze was intense, but different from the normal passion or want that Weiss usually saw. It was just… more.

A knot stuck in her throat at what such a look could mean. It was almost too much to entertain, but even the prospect of Yang feeling for her like Weiss did for her felt overwhelming.

Suddenly Weiss couldn’t contain how she felt anymore. She knew where she was and she knew what she should have done. What was proper and what was expected of the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

But for the life of her none of that mattered when the dragon, her dragon, looked at her like that.

She licked her lips and then forcefully pulled Yang’s collar to bring the blond down to her meet her. Weiss could tell that she had taken Yang off guard because it was a full second before her girlfriend kissed her back. And she couldn’t deny that the act of surprising Yang and being more forward with her feelings excited her.

Truly, she could have stood there and kissed Yang till the broken moon rose, but after a minute she let her girlfriend pull away.

There was a remorseful look in her dragon’s eyes, but she still spoke with a grin, “Not that I ever like to stop kissing you, but you were the one that said no PDA and then listed off like twenty different reasons as to why.”

The heiress sighed and looked up in frustration, “I know, you are absolutely correct, but sometimes you make me so happy that it is hard to care about any of those repugnant reasons.”

Yang rubbed the back of her head and smiled.

“And with the current state of our now former gym,” Weiss continued, “all our time has been spent rushing around to get things completed.” Feeling her face flush slightly she defensively ended with a haughty tone, “Not to mention it is resoundingly difficult not to kiss you when you say things like that. I know I shouldn’t have, but I’m just sick of having to hide how much I feel for you.” The heiress looked up into lilac eyes and let herself speak how her heart wanted her to, “And I love you too much not to show you that sometimes.”

At her final words Yang’s eyes widened and she went quite pink. But most notably her dragon didn't seem to know how to respond and was absolutely silent for once. Though Weiss found all of it endlessly amusing.

So this is what that’s like. I think I see why she likes to tease me so much now.

Finally getting over her awkwardness Yang responded with a laugh, “You know I’m supposed to be the reckless and emotional one, you know ‘consequences be damned’ and all that.”

Weiss answered with a grin, “You must be rubbing off on me then.”

Whitley looked out of his study windows, at another dreary gray Atlesian sky. Klein had been by to bring him breakfast, but with father out of town on business there was hardly a thing to do. Weiss was constantly gone, in fact he couldn’t even be sure she had come home the past three nights.

He of course had interrogated the staff. But they could not say one way or the other, except that it appeared her bed was slept in despite not seeing her come or go. And mother, well she had become an utter waste nearly before he had memories. Always locking herself in the garden and drinking all day. But he supposed that was better than her being an obstinate female like his sisters.

Naturally he didn’t miss Winter in the slightest. She had always looked down on him and had never been anything even remotely akin to warm. Weiss on the other hand…

Well, if she had not been the last obstacle in his bid for the company he would have liked his other sister. She was far too persistent in her desire to lead the family, but he did enjoy their verbal sparring. It proved to be quite entertaining whenever father was away or busy. And despite their bickering Weiss was easily the warmest member of their family.

It was obviously a personality flaw that would come back to bite her, but Whitley had to admit that being occasionally treated kindly by someone that wasn’t on staff was refreshing. He almost felt bad that he had to depose her, but as father had repeatedly stated, ‘the world of business has no place for women or kindness.’

Whitley had grown tired of the book in front of him that he was no longer actively reading, so he stood and started to wander towards the music room. There was a mild chance that it might ease his boredom to play something.

As he sat at the piano and started to flip through the music sheet that he had left from before, he was interrupted by an alert from his scroll.

Opening the device he saw that it was from one of the private detectives he had hired to follow his sister. He narrowed his eyes at the message’s title, “Important development.”

He found that to be dubious at best, all of the men he had hired sent him a weekly update, but none of them had ever come remotely close to being of substance. Tapping on the large attached file he started to scroll through the photos the detective had sent.

They were certainly interesting, but father would hardly be impressed by Weiss sparing with her former teammate against Winter. He supposed that he could try and spin it as his sisters and Ironwood trying to collude against them, but it was thin. Whitley thought of how much of a thorn Ironwood had recently been in father’s side. At the very least he might be able to chip away at Weiss though association with the general.

He was about to shut his scroll when he got to a photo of the blond’s hand barely touching his sisters. He mused, “Now wouldn’t that be a sordid tale. I bet I could leak this to the local tabloids to do some damage.”

But then as he kept flipping through looking for the best shot to send he came across something far more damning. Whitley couldn’t believe his eyes.

His sister was kissing her teammate! Whitley had assumed that Weiss was in a relationship with someone, but he had obviously thought it was with a man. He never would have imagined that his sister was a deviant.

No wonder it took them so long to find something. She must have been hiding this for years.

Looking through the rest of the photos a truly satisfied smile spread across Whitley’s face, “Oh dear sister, I’ve got you now. Father is going to be absolutely livid with you when he returns.”

Chapter 24: Shove It

Chapter Text

Yang leaned against the corner of a glass top desk absently playing with the touch sensation at the end of her prosthetic fingers. Weiss had moved things into overdrive in the last three days. Which was great, but since all of the literal heavy lifting was done there was nothing left that she could help with. To make matters worse the former gym was no longer even remotely recognizable, all the workout equipment had been moved into storage before their match with Winter. Which meant that Yang couldn’t even burn off her excess energy by lifting or hitting things.

A long discontent sigh escaped her as Weiss continue her conversation with her assistant Glenn. They had been discussing schematics and timeline details for what felt like over an hour. Meanwhile Yang was doing everything she could not to make it obvious that she was mind numbingly bored. It reminded her of sitting through a lecture from Professor Oobleck.

Though one of his lessons would have been preferable. At least then she wouldn’t have to watch her girlfriend praise her handsome assistant for being so good at all the things that she couldn’t do for the princess.

The blond did tried not to pout as she looked on from a distance. But it was a futile effort when Glenn smiled brightly every single time Weiss complimented him. Which was a lot.

It wasn’t like Yang was really worried, but she also didn’t know why he had to be so tall, good looking, and ‘proper’ either. The twenty something year old assistant wore pristinely pressed clothes, had a perfect posture, and annoyingly precise way of speaking. None of which was even remotely appealing to her, but she could see how it would be for someone else.

Someone that liked those same sort of things.

Yang growled under her breath. She hated how hard it was to ignore the number of times Weiss smiled at him. Or the way Glenn looked at her girlfriend when he spoke. She knew it was most likely admiration or respect, but that did nothing to help her snuff out the tiny flame of jealousy burning in her chest.

A deep frown made its way to her face as she realized how much of an insecure jerk she was being. Weiss would never cheat on her; that didn’t even register as a possibility. What she felt was more about being disappointed at all the things she wasn’t able to give Weiss. And if she was being completely honest, the fact that she wasn’t the only person the princess smiled at that way did bother her.

The blond clenched her fist and turned away. She mentally yelled at herself for not being ecstatic that Weiss had someone so loyal and competent working for her. It was ridiculously selfish and unrealistic to think that she could do everything for Weiss or that her girlfriend would only ever spend time or affection on her.

Her sulking went on for a while as the two sophisticate's continued their long discussion. But Yang’s inability to let go of her feeling was also enough of a distraction that she didn’t notice when the princess walked up behind her, and asked in an amused voice, “Are you trying to look like the most bored human being in all of Remnant? Because if so, you are succeeding.”

“Sorry,” Yang answered with a sigh. She turned a little to face the princess, but avoided her gaze. She had no desire to let her girlfriend know what she had really been thinking, but she also couldn't completely hide her feelings.

Weiss moved to look at her more directly, “You know, you don’t have to be here you ridiculously miserable dragon. You could be relaxing at the base instead of watching me work.”

Yang’s shoulders dropped at Weiss’s words and she stared hard at the metal floor. A second later she felt the heiress’s hand reassuringly touch her left forearm and couldn’t help but look up.

Clear blue eyes peered at her with a small warm smile, “But I‘m happy that you are here.”

“Really?” the blond asked with more emotion in her voice than she wanted. “I was worried I was being dead weight that was just uselessly hanging around,”

The princess rolled her eyes and smiled. Then she slid her arms around Yang’s waist, which surprised the taller woman just a bit.

“It might be possible that I miss you whenever you are not around,” Weiss looked away as she spoke. She turned a little pink when she finished, “and I always feel more at ease when you are here.”

A wide smile found its way to Yang’s face, and it felt like the weight of her earlier insecurity had been lifted.

As stressful as things had been to get to where they were now, she wouldn’t have changed any of it. Over time Weiss had slowly become more open and honest with her feelings, but since the evaluation with Ironwood it was like the wall of hesitation that Weiss had always had in place was virtually gone. And Yang couldn't have been happier about it.

Her girlfriend’s touch made the lingering envy from earlier feel like a far away thought, and she wrapped her arms tightly around the smaller woman.

“So,” Yang asked with renewed interest, “what’s the latest news?”

“Well actually,” Weiss’s brow rose as she spoke, “our plans are going better than projected. We should be fully operational within days. The number of pieces left to be attained or put into place is rapidly dwindling.” The princess clung to her waist more tightly, “which means, that you shouldn’t have go on the mission Ironwood has planned for you.”

Yang looked down at her girlfriend with a slight frown, “Weiss, you know that’s not true. We still haven’t secured his support, and without it you probably won’t have enough council support. Not to mention all the other things we will need from him. I can’t break my contract yet, you know that.”

The heiress scowled at her words and looked away, which made the blond laugh. Yang pulled the princess into a tight hug, but eased the embrace as she continued, “Look, I know we’ve managed to buy points with him and have things that he wants, but I don’t want to move too soon or blow our one shot.”

“Since when have you been the cautious one,” Weiss growled into the brawler’s chest.

Yang rolled her eyes and sighed, “Probably since I realized that if I mess up it will cost you a future that you’re apparently willing to throw away if it might keep me from harm.”

Weiss pulled back and looked up at her with wide eyed embarrassment. Yang felt a little bad that she had put her girlfriend’s extremely sensitive ego on the spot, so she smiled and changed the subject.

“I wasn’t going to tell you until after, because I didn’t want you to worry, but I have a meeting with Ironwood in about an hour.” She hurried to add, “I’ll feel him out to see how close we are to getting his support,” to keep Weiss from going off from concern.

It of course did not work. Suspicious, worried eyes peered up at her, “Why does he want to meet with you today, when your deployment is still days away?”

The blond shrugged before answering, “He sent me a message this morning saying that he wanted to go over the mission details early.”

“He could just email you a briefing of the mission details, or wait until you report for duty” The princess's eyes narrowed in thought, “Something about the timing doesn’t feel right.”

The blond didn’t entirely disagree, but she also didn’t want to be paranoid, “It is a little weird, but the details of the mission might be too sensitive to send.”

She looked down at her worried girlfriend’s scowl and smiled before pulling them as close together as she could without their faces touching, “Don’t worry princess, I’ll be careful. It’s probably nothing.”

Yang sat on the couch outside of Ironwood’s office and looked at the huge black Atlesian crest that was plastered all the way up the tall white doors. She had more than once found herself lost in thought as she waited and planned on what to say in their meeting.

One recurring thought was how odd it was that she had actually become accustom to the amount of white that was everywhere you looked in Atlas. But getting used to it hadn't helped how much she still missed color. Everything, whether it was the base or the city, was always so monochromatic and strangely drab.

As her eyes once again scanned the giant cog like crest and the long metal handles of the door that ran parallel to the single black spear that ran from floor to ceiling, she was hit with just how long and short an amount of time it had been since she was last in this exact same spot nervously looking at the exact same thing. It strangely felt like a lifetime and, at the same time, an instant ago. Life at Beacon hadn’t been that much different, both had been anything but slow or uneventful.

The memory made Yang grab her right bicep, and she reflected on how different each path left her.

The last time she had been here she was asking Ironwood for a new arm, thinking it was her last best option. She never would have guessed that coming to Atlas would lead her to where, or who, she was now.

A small part of her would always miss what she had lost at the fall, and without a doubt who they had lost. But at the same time Yang felt like she was now so much more than she had been before, or even the months after that day.

She looked down at her gloved right hand for a long time before she heard the receptionist called out, “The general will see you now.”

Yang closed her hand into a fist and felt the sensation of pressure as well as the faint strain of the fabric against her prosthetic.

Time to see what I can squeeze out of old Ironside this time around.

The blond stood and walk to the general’s office doors, and pulled open the right door without hesitation.

Upon walking in Yang noticed that not a single thing had changed in the four months since she had last visited the general’s office. It was still as bare and white as it had been the last time, but now Ironwood sat at his desk with steepled hands and a frown as he watched her walk the long distance to his desk. A pit grew in her stomach, and instantly she knew that Weiss had been right to worry.

She came to a stop when she reached his desk and straightened before saluting and calling out, “Sir.”

Ironwood looked at her right arm for an awkwardly long moment before answering, “At ease Specialist Xiao Long.”

The general then flipped open a folder on his desk, but only glanced at it for a second, “I wanted to check in to see if there was anything you might need to disclose to me about your combat readiness before your first deployment. There is a chance, as with any mission, that you may see combat.”

Yang made her face stay composed as she carefully chose her words, “You saw my abilities during my evaluations, sir. Nothing has changed since then.”

A deep frown spread across Ironwood’s face. He obviously had serious suspicions or knew that she had a new prosthetic, and it was apparent that he was not happy that she wouldn’t admit it to him.

She thought for a second about that. She wasn't going to lie to him, she needed his trust too much to do that, but she wasn’t going to hand him anything without getting anything in return either. Whether he knew it or not, this was a negotiation.

“So then,” he continued in a pointed tone, “maintenance and repair to your cybernetic has been completed since your skirmish with Specialist Winter?”

“Yes sir,” she answered.

The general locked eyes with her, “I found it odd that you didn’t check in with the base technicians to get it fixed. What motivated such a choice?”

Yang met his gaze, and found it strange how this time around she had no real fear of the general. Instead she simply needed something from him.

Raven would be so proud.

She kept her tone level as she answered, “That’s because ever since I learned how, I have done my own maintenance. If I am in the field I won’t have technicians their to help me if things go wrong, so I do my own repairs.”

Ironwood scowled as he stood. His hands were on his desk as he leaned forward, “My specialist unit is full of the best and most trustworthy people in all of Atlas. I need to know that you are one of those people.”

Yang had already growing tired of their dance, but she knew that the general’s patience wouldn’t hold out much longer. So she pushing back her considerable irritation as she responded, “I know that I only worked with you on one unofficial mission and had a single evaluation, but was there something wrong with my performances?”

His eyes narrowed, and his tone sharpened, “Despite all the time I’ve spent with the Schnee family, I don’t actually like playing games. To that end, I want to know where your prosthetic came from Yang. Because when I talked to Jacques this morning, before his flight, and asked him about a new cybernetic prototype that was strong enough to shatter something as stable as Winter’s sword… he didn’t have a clue as to what I was talking about”

Rage at the absolutely sh*t show that Ironwood had just unleashed on Weiss made Yang’s eyes turn.

“You idiot,” the blond yelled, “Everyone told me not to trust you, but I really thought you had learned from your f*ck up at the fall of Beacon! Do you have any idea what you have just done to Weiss?!”

“Specialist Xiao Long,” he yelled, “You are speaking to your commanding officer, you will watch how you address me, or you will feel the consequences.”

Red eyes stared him down, “Consequences, oh you have already screwed things up more than you could imagine. And as far as my commission goes,” Yang threw off her jacket so that Ironwood could see her non-standard issue cybernetic, “you can shove it. Because if anyone’s loyalty should be questioned it is yours.”

Yang wanted to sprint out the door to warn Weiss about what was coming her way, but when she saw how the general’s eyes narrowed with unchecked interest at her revealed prosthetic, so she held herself back.

Way to give yourself away Ironside. Well, if anyone deserves to get used it’s this dickhe*d.

The brawler took a deep internal breath and managed to find a sliver of calm. “Normally, I would storm out of here and blow your door down on my way, but I’m going to give you one last chance to fix this instead,” she growled.

Ironwood looked back at her with a cold glare, “Despite your accusations, I wasn’t the one hiding things, and I didn’t mention either of you when I spoke to Jacques. So I fail to see how I am the one who needs to fix anything.”

Yang gripped her fists, “You really are as dense as Uncle Qrow said you were.” The general gritted his teeth at the mention of her uncle, but she wasn’t interested in letting Ironwood speak. “Weiss is the head of R&D and you asked him about new experimental technology, where do you think he is going to go looking first. This is why you were closed out of the inner circle, because you demanded others trust you but give none in return!”

She stepped up to Ironwood’s desk, put her hands on the surface and laid out with cold unmistakable resolve, “You just burned Winter’s sister for a second time, betrayed the person who has the sole patent on the tech you so obviously want, and seriously pissed off the one person that can get you access to the information you locked yourself out of.” Yang gripped the edge of his desk till she heard the metal groan, “So despite how badly I want to show you just what this new cybernetic can do, I am going to give you one last shot to make things right. Because like it or not, we need each other.”

Yang let the door shut behind her and rubbed her face with both hands. Ironwood was definitely an untrustworthy dick, but thankfully he wasn't a complete moron. It had only taken three more screaming matches to get him to agree to her proposal, but in the end he actually truly seemed to see their side of things.

She let out a long breath and started to pull out her scroll so that she could call Weiss. Despite having to relay the bad news of Jacques now having enough information to figure things out, Yang could at least buffer it with the fact that she had managed to secure the last major thing on the princess’s list.

She had her scroll open and was about to hit send when she saw a seriously pissed off Winter stride towards her with blood chilling purpose.

This looks really bad for me. I hope this isn’t about her sword.

Winter didn’t stop when she reached Yang, instead she just grabbed her arm and kept walking.

Meanwhile, the brawler had to twist around so that she wouldn’t have to be literally dragged towards the exit.

“What, are you doing?” Yang stammered, a little afraid of the answer.

The elder Schnee didn’t slow down, she resolutely looked straight ahead when she spoke, “We have to get to the R&D building as soon as possible.”

Yang looked up at Winter’s face and saw her blue eyes narrow with worry and hate as she finished talking, “Father is home.”

Weiss rode the elevator down to her department in uneasy silence. She knew that Yang would be able to handle Ironwood, but it didn’t help her agonize any less about her girlfriend’s need to go on a mission for him. The heiress hated that she hadn’t been able to secure a contract on her own, or gained enough influence over the general to make her dragon’s sacrifice unnecessary.

She had just gotten Yang back, the last thing she wanted was to see her go off into danger alone. And if she was being completely honest with herself, she still doubted how ready Yang was for combat. Sure the dragon was more than a match for nearly anyone or anything, but Weiss hadn’t been able to get her girlfriend to talk much about her progress with the military councilor. She of course knew it wasn’t her place to pry until Yang was ready to talk about it. But the lack of information, and how the blond had acted in the moments before the end of her evaluation did nothing to assuage her concern. As much as Yang might say she was fine, deep down Weiss knew that wasn’t really true.

The ding of the elevator snapped her thoughts back to the present, and as the doors started to open she resolved that it was better to work towards her goal than waste her time on unproductive worrying. There was still a chance that there was some avenue she had yet to exploit.

When she entered the lab she felt her aura bristle in warning. Something felt off as she looked around. She had not been to the lab in a few days, but it still seemed unusually quiet and sparsely populated. That feeling only intensified as she approached her office and saw that her tall leather back chair was turned away.

Instantly she knew that her instincts hadn’t been wrong. The heiress always left her chair tucked into her grandfather’s desk. As she reached the doors to her office she was able to see that a set of white dress pants and polished shoes accompanied the chair. Weiss was about to walk in and find out who had the audacity to wait in her office at her desk, but her scroll vibrated violently.

Erring on the side of caution she checked the device, but kept an eye on the mystery person in her office.

Glenn:

| Your father is home, and I just got word that he is on his way to the R&D department. |

A particular and familiar feeling of panic washed over her and took root in her stomach. She stared at the chair for a long moment, and then noticed that her desk was empty except for a single manila folder. Trying to keep the tremor out of her hands she typed back.

Weiss:

| He’s already here, and I have a very bad feeling as to why. |

She tapped a button on her scroll before slipping the device back into her sash. Then as if on cue the chair turned and her father’s icy stare bore down on her. A lump grew in her throat as she met and kept his gaze. The heiress took a deep breath before reaching out to pull open her office door, she steeled her resolve as she entered her own office.

There was a chance that this visit was simply an attempt to intimidate her into giving up information. After all, her father’s spy and saboteur was gone, perhaps his frustration at not deposing her had peaked and he was finally willing to do his own dirty work.

Doubtful .

As she approached her grandfather’s desk she decided that whatever his presence meant, she could weather his temper or questions as long as she managed to keep her emotions in check. She just needed to keep him in the dark for a little longer. Soon it wouldn’t matter what he knew.

She let a small fake smile touch her lips, “Father, what a rare surprise. Is there something I can help you with?”

Her father stood and picked up the single folder on her desk. Jacques glared at her before dumping the contents of the folder onto the onyx surface, “Oh, I think you have done quite enough already.”

Weiss cautiously glanced down and saw all of her worst fears splayed out across the shiny black desktop.

There, in high resolution color photography, was picture after picture of her kissing Yang after their match with Winter. Mixed in between the photos of them were slightly blurry cropped images of the dragon’s prosthetic, a few shots of their fight with her sister, and the two of them speaking with Ironwood and Winter.

Panic flooded all of Weiss’s senses, to the point that she felt like reality might literally melt away if she dared blink. Almost everything she had tried to keep hidden had just been cast out in front of her.

She had just been unquestionably outed to the one person she dreaded most, and that she knew he would never ever approve. To top it all off it looked like her father had also caught her abusing her new position and conspiring with others.

Anger, disappointment, shame at her failure, but most of all fear, put a strangle hold on her heart and throat. She had been so close that she almost couldn’t believe that she had been cut down mere steps from the finish.

But alarm from what came next made time lose all concept. Each heartbeat hit her like a dagger forged of pure panic.

Weiss couldn’t imagine any way back from this; he had more than enough to depose her. In fact, he had enough to flat out disown her.

Sharp words eventually hit her ears with paralyzing clarity, “I always knew you were a disappointment and that you would prove yourself unworthy to run the company given enough time. But this,” he paused to pick up a picture of her kissing Yang before tossing it to land in front of her, “is far more repugnant and disgraceful than I ever could have imagined.”

She looked down at the photo, but she didn’t feel shame as her father would have liked. Weiss reached out to touch her dragon’s strong yet gentle image, and a small, barely detectable, fire lit in her chest.

Yang sat in tortuously nervous silence as Winter passed cars on the highway at a rate the blond was rather familiar with. Yang really had no desire to talk to Weiss’s sister, but she also desperately wanted to know what the hell was going on.

All Winter had said was that they needed to get to R&D, because their father was home. The rest of the time the specialist had been completely wordless, and had not taken her eyes off of the road for even a second. It was pretty clear she didn’t want to talk.

She knew that if she just waited long enough they would reach Weiss, and then Winter would finally reveal what was happening. But Yang couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that came with the specialist’s presence. She couldn’t make sense of how Winter always seemed to know everything all the time.

Her thoughts lingered on that particular mystery for a few minutes, but then Winter’s scroll went off with a loud angry vibration.

The specialist quickly opened her device and glanced down at the message. Winter’s eyes went wide and she dropped the device before hitting the accelerator. Yang felt herself thrown back into her seat from their sudden increase in speed, and found herself flinching each time Winter passed a car with what Yang considered reckless speed.

What in the hell was in that text?

Yang looked down at Winter’s still open, sideways scroll and read the message.

Sigrund:

| He is at R&D already. Weiss is with him. |

Oh no… Wait, who the hell is Sigrund?

She looked up only to instantly regret her choices.

Ahhh, truck, truck truck!!!!!

Winter made a hard turn that slammed her against the window, and Yang suddenly felt a bad for anyone she had ever given a ride to.

But before she could work up the nerve to comment on the utter terrifying recklessness of Winter’s driving, the elder Schnee pulled the car’s emergency brake and Yang had to brace herself as they slid to a halt.

“Get out,” Winter barked, even as she was exiting the car herself, “and hurry.”

They rushed into the building, both of them flatly ignoring security. Yang followed closely behind as the specialist rushed down five flights of stairs to Weiss’s department.

Before she reached out to push open the door Winter paused and took in a deep breath, “Did you get Ironwood to agree to the terms that Weiss needed met?”

Yang looked at her a little surprised, but then decided there were more important things to worry about, “Yes, but I’m willing to bet he is also the reason that Jacques is here.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed in thought, “I take it he saw your arm and asked father about it?”

The brawler didn’t even feel the need to confirm.

“I’ll deal with that later,” the older woman answered. “Right now we need to see what we can do to support Weiss. Everything we do matters, so don’t make a move unless I do.”

Yang narrowed her eyes in irritation, but nodded.

With that Winter finally pushed open the door and they quickly made their way towards Weiss’s glassed off office space.

As soon as they got close Yang could see Jacques in all his rage filled glory while he verbally tore into Weiss. The brawler felt her eyes change in an instant, but Winter grabbed her upper arm, “Don’t worry, once he sees us he won’t dare try anything physical, he isn’t a true Schnee in any sense of the word. But,” her grip tightened, “we have to let Weiss handle him on her own, otherwise she will never be able to overcome him.”

Yang clenched her jaw and suppressed an angry growl. Unfortunately, Winter’s words did nothing to help her hold back the pain and anger she felt at having to watch the person she loved be attacked in such a heartless way.

As they came to a stop outside of the princess’s office doors she saw Jacques’s eyes close on them. Yang stared at him, feeling the ferocity inside of her burn to go after the monster in front of her who had the audacity to call himself a father.

Their eyes met for just an instant, but Yang saw the tell of a flinch in the way his eyes dilated and then quickly darted to assess Winter.

That’s at least something.

The blond clenched her fists as she was forced to wait outside. She was close enough that she could hear what Jacques was saying and he sounded even more vile than Weiss and Winter had described.

He pointed at Yang as he continued to rant, “And you have the blatant audacity to parade your harlot around the company! Have you no tact or shame left!”

She couldn’t have cared less what the asshole called her, but those words made her princess’s posture go rigid and Yang knew what that meant.

Weiss couldn’t muster the courage to look her father in the eye. She wanted to, but the depth of her failure and the systematically instilled fear of him kept her locked down in paralyzing panic. Instead she was forced to stare at the floor and listen as he railed against her with no sign of stopping. Her nails dug into her palms as she struggled to fight against her own deep seated dread.

“The fact that you thought you, a woman, and a deviant no less,” he growled in disgust, “had a chance of running my company is such a pitiful delusion that I can no longer even find the humor in your pathetic attempts. I was right to set you up for failure. Had I known that you would turn out to be this kind of… contamination to the family name I would have left you to rot in Beacon.”

Outrage filled her soul at his comments, the fact that someone like him was lecturing her on what it meant to be a Schnee. Or that he had the audacity to call her a contamination when he was the outsider that had sullied her grandfather’s legacy.

Her father shook his head, “The only thing I can even take from this mess you’ve made is that you proved beyond a shadow of a doubt your incompetence and untrustworthiness. To think,” he laughed, “that you actually thought you could hide your misuse of company resources and funds from me.”

Weiss wanted to yell back at how wrong and misinformed he was, but the best she could do was use her rage to overcome her apprehension of raising her gaze from the floor.

Though when she did her anger didn’t protect her from utter disdain and disgust on her father’s face. She couldn’t help but mournfully wonder if that was how he had always felt about her, or if her latest actions had finally driven him to this final state.

He pointed down at the pictures on the table with anger as he spoke, “Do you know what it would have done to the family’s image had I not stopped Whitley from leaking these pictures to the press? Do you have any idea what it could have done to our stock values?”

The indignation of his words nettled her to try and finally say something in her own defense, but the grip that his fury had on her heart made it hard to breath let alone speak. Nevertheless she opened her mouth to try, only to have nothing come out.

It wasn’t till she saw her father look past her that she was able to ease the crippling hold of his gaze. She saw something in his eyes change for a brief second, but then his verbal assault was renewed with vigor.

His hand shot up and pointed behind her, “And you have the blatant audacity to parade your harlot around the company, have you no tact or shame left Weiss?!”

Those words stoked the tiny flame inside of her till it roared. Her eyes rose and her spine straightened as she finally and truly met his faded blue eyes. She met his disdain with that fire.

Somehow knowing that this wasn’t just about her anymore gave her the strength and will to meet the monster in front of her. He glanced behind her again and Weiss turned to see that he had indeed been pointing at the woman she loved.

The vise like grip around her heart turned to ash and crumbled away when she saw her dragon’s fierce red eyes lighten back towards lavender.

Winter nudged Yang with an elbow, and her girlfriend placed her hand on the glass before mouthing the words, ‘I got thirty percent.’

The heiress’s eyes widened, then narrowed in laser focused thought.

That means-

“Have you lost all sense,” her father bellowed. “I’m not done talking to you.”

Weiss turned and glared derisively at him before uttering, “Let us be honest father, you never had any intention of talking to me.”

Seeing Yang, and knowing that there was still a sliver of a chance that she could pull off her plans, renewed her hope. Remembering that she was fighting for more than herself gave Weiss the brazen courage to stand against her father once and for all.

“I may have used my position as the head of the research and development department to get the cybernetic made, but,” she paused for emphasis as much to steady herself, “I was simply utilizing a resource that Reeves had effectively dejected. And for your information I used my personal funds to produce that cybernetic.”

“You stupid girl, I can’t believe you just openly admitted to using a Schnee Dust Company Scientist to make something for personal use. That alone is grounds for your dismissal.”

Weiss looked at him with a raised brow. How little he knew of all she had done somehow made him seem less terrifying, “That is hardly accurate, though it might have been true had you not fired the last head of the department so abruptly to try and punish me. You see, when the former lead left, no one seemed to catch that the terms of Doctor Polendina’s contract were not being met. Reeves refusing to fund the doctor’s research only ensured that the Polendina was free to break his contract and work for me privately. In fact, he was so grateful for my discovery of the loophole that he let me have the sole patent rights to the cybernetic technology that I commissioned him to produce.”

Her father’s face flared with anger at learning that his top scientist could leave the Schnee Dust Company whenever he wanted. But then he straightened his tie and glanced down at the photos that were spread across her desk, “Patent or not, these won’t be so handily ignored. An heir of the company would never be accepted if they were found to be so clearly deviating from social acceptability.”

His words were so archaically close minded that she didn’t even want to acknowledge them. Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly an option, given the circ*mstances.

She walked up to the desk and placed her hands on the surface, patently ignoring the photos, “These are as shallow a threat as the child who commissioned them. You stated so yourself. If they ever get out it would damage the company and your reputation.” Weiss met his pale scrutinizing eyes to call his bluff, “And we both know that you would rather see them destroyed than lose a single point in the stocks. Even if it meant getting rid of me.”

Weiss picked up a photo and looked at it with pride, “But if you depose me, then what would I really have to lose from releasing these images myself? Honestly, I would be relieved if they got out, it is such a burden hiding one’s true self.”

Jacques stiffened and leaned back a little in surprise, “I knew that you would inevitably bring shame on me with your incompetence, but I had no idea I had failed so miserably as to at least teach you to be ashamed of your depravity.” He shook his head in disgust, “Sadly I knew a male heir was the only logical choice, but entertaining you and your sister’s bid for the company has turned out to be more of a embarrassment than I ever could have imagined.”

A spiteful vein of emotions surged through the her body, “Whitley is the disgrace. You have coddled and cajoled him so much that all he was able to do was get his hand on some pictures that you can’t even use.” She clenched her fists in anger, “And instead of taking them directly to the press to secure his place, he immediately turned them over to you like the little lapdog that you trained him to be.” Her eye’s narrowed, “How long do you think a puppet like that will be able to flounder when you are gone? Without you to tell him what to do, he will be eaten alive.”

Her father laughed, “Like an imputent girl like you has room to speak. I’ve seen your methods; they are far too soft and idealistic to lead this company. You don’t have the cold will that is needed to guide the company, and you clearly,” he flicked several photos with his hand, “are not willing to make the sacrifices needed to run the company.” Her father looked up and with a cold tone uttered, “Whitley can still be taught and made into what he needs to be; you are a lost cause that I should have disowned the moment you left for Beacon. Thank goodness it’s not too late to rectify that mistake.”

“Your misogyny truly knows no limit,” she shook her head. “You would rather a simple minded sycophant run this company than the top earner in acquisitions, than the person who was able to keep the research department afloat while you let Reeves try to tank it? But more importantly, if my capabilities were so lacking, then why did it take others informing you to know that something was going on in your own company? I have proven my worth more times than you can count, but you are too blind to even notice.”

“You wretched little,” he balled his fists and for an instant her fright of being hit nearly made her cringe. But she managed to stand her ground; she was the one in control this time.

“I don’t care what little stunts you think you have pulled,” he raged on, “I will never let an underhanded and weak woman run this company!”

She took in her father and all his ill informed notions, and couldn’t help but throw his own words back in his face, “Be careful what you way say father. After all, ‘a Schnee, no matter how misguided, must never be seen as anything less than their word.’ Given just how little you know,” she smirked, “I wouldn’t make such bold assertions,” she warned, “or you might regret them,”

That stoked Jacques’s amusem*nt. He scoffed at her, “You have no power to threaten me.”

Weiss didn’t let a single shred of emotion touch her face as she spoke with absolute resolve, “I will burn this company to the ground with it’s own misdeeds if you try to unjustly oust me as heir.”

Her father looked at her for a moment before laughing so hard that he had to wipe the corner of his eyes, “Do you think I am daft,” he asked with a chuckle. “I know that you love this company and the family name even more than I do. You would never let your legacy crumble,” he taunted her with a sly smile.

The heiress met his mockery with a cold unfeeling gaze, “That would have been true once, but when I realized that you never intended to let me inherit the company, I had to make some hard choices and let go of that empty dream. Which is why I am willing to release all of the Schnee dust company files and memos to the team of lawyers that I have assembled. All of whom are practically drooling to get their hands on such career making information.”

Jacques looked at her with stern disapproval, “You would sabotage your own family out of spite?”

Weiss let the smallest smile touch her face, “Why not at all father. I will simply burn the Schnee Dust Company to the ground so that I can rebuild my own company from its ashes.”

“What are you talking about,” he snarled.

“Oh, didn’t you manage to figure it out father, or perhaps I have been too clever for you and Whitley to keep track of,” her words dripped with derision. “Despite all that you set against me I have been working to build something of my own. I started my own technology and dust research company.“

“Your own company ,” he sneered, “are you honestly joking? The Schnee Dust Company has a monopoly on the market. No self respecting scientist would work for a start up. Not to mention that we exclusively fulfill all of the militaries contracts. Who exactly do you expect to run or back your company? No one will take the risk of investing in a spoiled little princess.”

She had almost grown tired of how basic and ignorant his statements about their company were. Weiss turned and walked to the window of her office. She gestured to her staff, “As it turns out, no self respecting scientist will now put up with working for the Schnee Dust Company.”

Her father walked out from the desk and appraised the people that were working with suspicion.

Weiss continued as he watched them, “Reeves managed to alienate so many of them that every single person I approached signed a new contract with me without so much as a second thought.” She looked at him with irritated malous, “And as far as your monopoly with the military, well, let’s just say that the declining productivity that the council saw under Reeves paired with the cybernetic design that Ironwood saw me produce with Polonina was just what was needed for my company to attain thirty percent of the military’s upcoming contracts.”

“You’re lying,” he stated when he finally looked back at her, “The council would never turn against me. I have enough dirt on them to guarantee that any one of them would never be elected again.”

“Oh your preference for blackmail has always been clear, but I am not as fond of lying as you are father,” Weiss asserted. “And it turns out that much of the council has grown quite tired of your threats. Thanks to Reeves’s sudden departure before his annual debrief they now view me as extremely competent, and considerably more amenable to work with than you.”

She faced him with confidence, “Whereas you viewed my business policy in acquisitions as weak, many on the council found it to be just the kind of practice that voters care about. That, paired with my networking efforts with key council members proved to them that I care about more than my own bottom line.” She looked directly at him in defiance, “Apparently, loyalty through fear only works so long as there aren't better options.”

The direct opposition and defiance in her tone was too much for her father swallow. He raised his hand to hit her, but Weiss was ready for such a predictable action. She activated a glyph behind her in warning. Jacques halted, probably from the sheer strangeness of one of his children actually daring to defend themselves. Then looked up and behind her.

There was clear distress in his eyes as he took a step back to distance himself from her. Weiss didn’t need to look back to find out why. She could feel the heat from Yang’s aura even through the thick glass.

With her hand at her side she opened her fingers wide to signal that she was okay. After a second she felt the heat subside, but her father’s unease was still present and she wasn’t about to let go of the footing Yang had just afforded her.

“The way I see it,” she asserted, “you have two choices father. Depose me and I burn the company so that I can make even more room for my own business. Or let me keep my title and when I inherit the company I will merge my assets with the the Schnee Dust Company.

“If what you say is true,” he looked at her with suspicion, “and you are willing to sacrifice the company’s well being, then why are you even giving me the option. A real businessman would strike while his enemy is weak. I don’t think you have the nerve or capability to do what you claim.”

“Well perhaps that is because I am a business woman,” she emphasized, “in addition to not being simple minded or destructive. But you are right about one thing, it is not as simple as I first stated. I also want you to start making revisions to company policy. Nothing so drastic as to negligibly affect profits, but I will not have my family name associated with persecution and underhandedness anymore.”

Jacques looked at her for a long time then calmly stated, “No, I think not.” He walked behind her desk and sat down. “You didn’t know I was coming today. I don’t think you have everything you say. In fact, I think most of this is a bluff. After all, even if you did get those pions on the council and that incompetent tin soldier Ironwood to grant you contracts, you still don’t have the money needed to start and run a company. When I disavow you for this act of insubordination, you will be as poor as those plebeians that you wish to protect.”

Weiss looked at him dead in the eyes, letting her anger fuel her will and overcome her fear and uncertainty about what came next. As she spoke she hoped, with everything she had left, that her assistant was as good as she believed, “Glenn, would you care to educate my father?”

“Of course Ms. Schnee,” Glenn’s voice came from the open scroll in her sash. “The transfer of your trust to the new LLC was completed as soon as you stepped into the office. I finished downloading the last petabyte of data from the SCD to our private servers this morning. And the current conversation with your father proved to be so enlightening to the council that they just convened an emergency session.”

“In fact,” her assistant added, “I found your discussion so personally riveting that I saved multiple copies of it. I can’t even begin to imagine the damage it would cause if someone were to leak it to the media.”

Jacques Schnee’s face went absolutely pale for a moment, then his mustache bristled with anger.

But Weiss wasn’t interested in prolonging their argument. “Ultimately the choice yours to make, but I feels like I have made a solid case as to who is the most suitable heir.”

Her father simply glared at her.

“I know that you will of course try to undermine me and my efforts,” she continued, “but be assured, I have taken precautions. Which is why I am telling you that I will be leaving Atlas soon. Don’t mistaken this action for weakness. There are people in place that will be overseeing all of my holdings, and I will be keeping a watchful eye on both companies should you choose to make any hasty decisions.”

Before moving to leave she couldn’t help but land one last lick, “Oh and father, do try to remember you have two daughters.”

When she turned away she saw Winter glare at their father in a way that made most sane people want to crawl into a hole. And for the first time ever she walked away from a conversation with her father believing in herself.

Yang swallowed hard as she watched her girlfriend stride out of the office. She followed closely behind the two sisters, and tried to pay attention as they spoke of logistics on their way towards the elevator. When they reached their destination, they all looked back just in time to see Jacques sweep the pictures off of Weiss’s desk in anger.

Winter frowned before declaring, “I will stay here and keep an eye on father. While he is here at the department,” she narrowed her eyes, “and otherwise.”

The specialist turned to her sister and placed her hand on Weiss’s shoulder. “Now,” she stated with a smirk, “I think it is about time you get back to the rest of your team.”

The princess nodded with a genuine smile, “Thank you sister, for everything.”

As they stepped into the elevator Yang couldn’t keep her admiration for her girlfriend inside any longer, “That was amazing Weiss. I mean, you are always pretty impressive, but I’ve never seen you look so commanding or,” she waited for the elevator doors to shut before finishing with a grin, “so crazy hot. I mean that was-”

Weiss turned to look at her with hungry eyes before she pushed Yang up against the wall of the elevator and kissed her. The blond felt herself simultaneously pulled down and pressed tightly against the cold metal of the elevator. Her girlfriend’s lips were demanding in the best, breath stealing way. And for once Yang felt herself struggling to keep up with the princess and the intensity that radiated from the other woman’s touch.

As their tongues mingled and Weiss’s hands wandered Yang felt her semblance rumble from just how amazingly confident and sexy her girlfriend acted.

Yang felt a needy growl escape her throat, and the princess pulled away just long enough to grin before grabbing her ass and pulling her back down into another demanding kiss. She reached out to return the heiress’s touch in kind.

But at the next ding of the elevator Weiss pulled away, quickly straightened her clothes, and stepped out of the elevator as if nothing had just happened.

The blond had to pick her jaw up off the floor, and felt her eye twitch as she tried to regain her balance. Her brain stalled as it tried to process the fact that Weiss had just made out with her in the hottest way possible in a practically public space. Yang just stared ahead as she failed to come to terms with how unbelievably sexy Weiss was when she was demanding.

A voice called out to her, interrupting her thoughts, “Are you coming?”

Weiss looked at her with a stern, but suggestive gaze, “We still have many things to get ready before we are can leave.”

Yang shook her head and reached out to stop the doors from closing on her. Just before the heiress spun and walked towards the building exit Yang saw the faintest of grins on the princess's lips.

It took several strides to catch up with her girlfriend, and it probably would less taken less had her focus not lingered so long on the legs she was following. But in that short time Weiss had pulled out her scroll and was tapping and swiping through screen after screen. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that Yang was worried that Weiss would have run into the door to the building or the car had her driver not attentively opened both of them for her.

As soon as they were in the car with the door shut Weiss asked, “And what about the documents?”

Glenn’s voice came from the heiress’s scroll, “Couriers have already given the general and the council members the contracts, they are standing by and will contact me as soon as they verify that they’ve been signed. But after the show you put on for them, I doubt very much that we will have any further obstacles.”

Weiss smiled brightly before stating, “Exceptional work as always Glenn. Which is why I know that my holding will be more than safe in your hands. Though you will have to get used to people calling you Mr. Sigrund from now on.”

Yang’s eyes shot open at that.

Glenn is Sigrund! Also, did she leave that audio link on, even after she left her office?!

“I think I shall manage,” he laughed, “I just hope that I can live up to how well you would handle things.”

“Oh I know you will. After all,” the princess smirked at the device, “you and Winter have made quite the capable team so far. It is the only reason why I can feel confident leaving Atlas.”

Her assistant answered with a hint of a smile in his voice, “Nothing ever seems to get past a Schnee woman, though Winter will probably be a bit irritated that you found us out.”

Weiss smiled, “It is far more likely that she will chastise me for not sorting it out sooner.” The heiress waited a beat before adding, “If I don’t get the chance, or I forget to say so later, you are the one part of Atlas that I know I will miss the most.”

There was a pause on the other end before Glenn finally answered, “It is, and will continue to be, a pleasure to work for you Miss Schnee.”

After that Weiss snapped her scroll shut and leaned back into the plush cushions of the car with a sigh. Yang on the other hand sat there with a severely arched brow, as she tried her best not to react to final comment.

“So,” she asked, “Glenn was working with your sister this whole time?”

A sincere laugh came from the princess before she replied, “It took me quite some time to figure it out, but from what I can tell Winter asked Glenn to be my assistant so that she could keep an eye on me. I eventually realized that the only way my sister could know absolutely everything that I was doing, as quickly as she always has, was if she had an informant. So, I dropped a few specific details to different people and saw which one eventually got back to me through Winter.”

Weiss shook her head with a small smile, “I always knew he was too amazing to be a mere assistant.” Her face then turned contemplative, “I just wish I could have also figured out how they met each other, I checked his background from top to bottom and never managed to turn up anything.”

As she watched her girlfriend stew about the minor mystery Yang couldn’t help but point out the obvious, “You could always just ask one of them.”

The princess opened her mouth and then closed it again without actually saying anything.

A soft chuckle escaped Yang, “Just a guess, but I think all the sneaking around your family does makes things a lot more complicated than they need to be.”

The unamused look on the heiress’s face spoke volumes, so Yang decided to change the subject to something she had been wondering since the second Weiss delivered her ultimatum to Jacques, “So I know that everything you planned has finally fallen into place,” she paused, “but do you really think that your dad will go along with it?”

Weiss frowned and let out a little sigh, “If I am being completely honest, not really. I know he will fight Glenn and me tooth and nail on every inch we try to gain, and I have no doubt that he will start trying to sink my company the second he walks out of that building.” A fierce determined look glinted in the heiress’s eyes, “But this is just the first of many steps that I plan to take. The most important battle I won today was getting him to recognize me as a threat. Despite every vile thing that he represents and thinks of me, asserting my power is the one thing that he will be able to respect.”

A sad far away look washed over her princess’s whole body as she finished speaking, and Yang realized once again how very different their families were. It broke her heart that Weiss would never get the type of love and affection that she had found from her own small, but close family.

She wanted to do something to make it better, but wasn’t really sure what to say. So instead she just reached out and laced her hand into the slender pale fingers next to her.

The heiress’s narrowed eyes relaxed and then came back into focus. A small thankful smile touched her lips before she asked, “So how did you manage to get Ironwood to agree to giving the new company thirty percent of the new military contracts?”

Yang rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh, “Oh it was a thing. There was a lot of yelling to be honest, but I essentially told him that I would stay on in the military-”

“What!” Weiss shreeked.

“To make sure that he wasn’t cut out of the loop on what Uncle Qrow and the others were up to,” the blond continued.

The princess appraised her with a suspicious and rather perturbed raised brow. Yang just shook her head, “I won’t actually be under his command, but I will stay in the military so that he can use me as a contact. It was actually the only way that I could get him to agree to lift your travel ban.” The brawler narrowed her eyes, “He knew that I wouldn’t leave without you, so I had to give him something. Everything else though, with your company, he was surprisingly on board with.” Yang smirked, “I got the impression that he isn't a huge fan of working with your dad.”

“No,” Weiss answered with a sigh, “he isn't. I can honestly say that I do not remember a single discussion between those two that ended well.”

Silence lingered for a second before the heiress resumed their conversation. She started by squeezing Yang’s hand and looking her in the eyes, “Are you excited to be leaving Atlas?”

“Of course,” Yang smiled. “I can’t wait actually.”

”I am too.” Weiss looked away, “but I’m also worried about what will be waiting for us when we leave.” The princess meet her gaze again, “Are you sure you are ready to leave?”

The blond took a deep breath and held it in, she knew what Weiss was really trying to ask, “Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

She gave her girlfriend a weak grin, but from the way Weiss looked at her she knew that her comment had been far less convincing than she had hoped it would be.

“Okay,” Yang tried again, “I’m not completely fine, but I’m getting there. I don’t want you to spending all your time worry about me,” she squeezed Weiss’s hand in reassurance.

Feeling the need to lighten the mood, Yang changed the subject, “You know tracking down Ruby means we are going to be on the road and hiking a lot of trails. Are you sure you’re going to be able to keep up in those shoes of yours?” The heiress rolled her eyes, but Yang continued, “It’s too bad my bike is back in Patch. I mean I miss riding, but having it for this trip would make the journey take a fraction of the time. Heels or not.”

The princess grinned in a knowing way that made Yang suspicious.

“Well,” her girlfriend drew out the word, “if you feel that strongly about your motorcycle, then I suppose it is a good thing that I managed to contact your father last week.

Yang’s eyes shot open in excitement.

Weiss smiled before adding, “You really should call him before we leave. But if I know Glenn, he will have already coordinated every detail with your father, and it will be waiting in the northernmost port of Sanus for us before our boat even makes landfall.”

The blond watched in annoyance as her girlfriend continued to lavish praise on her assistant, “That man is truly a logistics god.” A smirk touched the princess’s lips, “but while we are on the road I will probably miss his coffee skills the most.”

A groan escaped Yang’s mouth and she instantly cursed herself.

Weiss gave her a curious look, “What’s the matter, I thought you would be happy about getting your motorcycle back?”

“Oh yeah, I am,” the blond scrambled to cover for her earlier slip. She rubbed the back of her head and grinned nervously, “I’m just worried about dents and dings from the shipping process.”

The heiress looked at Yang with the same appraising gaze that she usually reserved for their team when she asked if everyone had completed their homework assignments. Then she followed up by adding, “Oh I you shouldn’t worry, Glenn really is the best. I would trust him with absolutely anything.”

Yang couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling.

“So that’s what it was,” the princess responded slyly. “You don’t like Glenn, do you?”

The blond felt her cheeks flush, so she folded her arms and looked out of the window to try to escape the conversation. For a second she thought that it had somehow managed to work, but when she turned back to check she was met by the heiress’s knowing grin.

She let out a grumble before finally answering, “I don’t hate Glenn, he is fine. He’s great. He’s very-” Yang finally gave up and asked what she should have from the the beginning, “Okay, it’s just,” she let out a long sigh, “Should I be jealous?”

Weiss raised an eyebrow and then laughed, “You know that yellow is your color, not green.”

The blond rolled her eyes in irritation, and then looked away frustrated with her girlfriend’s response.

She was only able stew for a few seconds though, because the sudden weight of Weiss straddling her lap instantly brought her focus back to crystal clear focus.

“I would say that you have absolutely no reason to be jealous, you ridiculous dragon. For one, Glenn is gay,” the princess then grinned at her in a very suggestive way, “and so am I for that matter.”

“But,” she looks down at Yang’s lips with a positively wanton stare, “if you still need convincing, then it will be at least fifteen minutes till we reach the facility. Hopefully that will be enough time to alleviate any lingering worries you have about my... intentions.”

Yang could have made a witty comment; she could have even taken the initiative in the kiss that followed. But truthfully, she was far too turned on by the new confident and forward side of her girlfriend to do anything other than bask in the heat and passion of the way Weiss’s lips pressed and moved against her own.

As she pulled her girlfriend closer Yang couldn’t help but think about what was the root of her princess's new forwardness.

I really hope this isn’t just a side effect from hostile takeovers, because I could get veeery used to this.

She moved her left hand up her girlfriend’s back as her right arm wrapped around Weiss’s backside to keep her in place. Yang felt her heartbeat increase each time the princess touched her, but despite the brilliant fire that Weiss had managed to ignite in her chest Yang felt the tension in her body slowly ease.

It had been one crazy day, and it didn’t seem like things would be slowing down anytime soon. But somehow being there in that moment with Weiss made her calm, and she could help but realize just how much things had changed, how much they both had changed.

She had left for Atlas to try and reclaim something and someone from her past, thinking that she had to do everything alone. Instead, she had gained a new path forward because of an amazing ‘new’ someone. Yang smiled as she kissed Weiss.

I guess dad was right.

Chapter 25: Epilogue (Part 1)

Chapter Text

As Weiss made her way above deck the rhythmic lapping of water and the call of gulls reached her ears even before she could catch a glimpse of fresh air. When she came to the top of the stairs the morning sun was so bright that she had to shield her eyes to give them time to adjust. But as they did, she was treated to the sight of her own favorite sunny view.

Yang leaned against railing of the port side of the ship; calm but deep in thought as she looked out at the ocean. The heiress admired her girlfriend’s striking profile, and perhaps let her gaze linger a little longer than was necessary.

The dragon’s new outfit was not quite as practical as her jacket and cargo pants, but it certainly made Weiss feel a particular way. Especially when she considered how snugly the new pants fit her girlfriend’s rear. Or how the leather jacket managed to cover just enough, yet left Weiss’s imagination to want a bit more.

If she was being honest with herself that was part of what had always drawn her to Yang. The dragon was unabashedly feminine, while at the same time exuding a kind of strength and confidence that was nothing short of mesmerizing.

But that appreciative stare was cut short when Yang finally turned and noticed her presence; the blond flicked her hair back and let out a grin as she address the heiress. “I know you are enjoying the view,” her sly smirk enhanced by the aviators she wore, “but the ocean isn’t half bad to look at either. If you want to join me.”

Weiss looked away and blushed, “You are the worst.”

She was grateful, when she turned back, to find that the smug dragon had the courtesy to return her gaze to the ocean.

As the heiress closed the distance between them she noticed that the shoreline was still miles off, but it was still close enough that she could faintly make out the port that they would be docking at.

The silence between them was comfortable enough, but after a few minutes the heiress felt an urge to break the quiet. Her eyes narrowed and she picked at the corner of her thumb as she settled on what she wanted to say.

“I am still a little nervous about leaving Atlas,” she admitted. “I know that father will try something to sabotage the company. And with the borders now closed to Atlas, and the spotty tower reception, I fear that I won’t be able to have any mitigating impact should things go wrong.” The heiress frowned deeply, “I am afraid that I am being irresponsible by starting a company and then leaving it in the hands of others.”

Yang took off her glasses and looked down at her with kind lilac eyes, “I won’t pretend to know about the corporate world,” a warm partially gloved hand covered her own, “but I do know that you get to have a life outside of your business and restoring your family’s name.”

The dragon removed her hand as she looked away and put her glasses back on, “And as much as I hate to admit it, Glenn is really good at what he does.”

As had become more frequent since she found Yang in Atlas, Weiss felt her heart lighten and a small smile reach her lips. Since they had been together she had found a sort of secure contentment in the fact that Yang was always there to lean against when things seemed to darken.

That warmth gave her the courage to check the deck and then reach out to hold Yang’s hand.

“You know I never really liked Atlas that much,” she looked up at her dragon before saying, “and I have recently grown very found of warmer places.”

A grin touched the blond’s lips as she squeezed the heiress’s fingers.

But when she looked back out at the ocean a small frown marred the taller woman’s face, “I’m worried about finding Ruby. We know she left for Mistral with Jaune, Nora, and Ren and that they were most likely headed for Haven, but depending on what type of transport they were able to find they could be nearly anywhere.

“In the few messages she was able to send she never gave out any locations, but I’m confident that if we trek the towns on the way from Patch to Mistral that I will pick up on where they are.” Yang’s frown deepened, “But that will take time. Finding Blake will be even harder. She could be literally anywhere in Remnant.” Her lips tightened into a thin line, “There isn’t even a place to start looking.”

Weiss held her expression as emotionless as she could. She missed her team and her partner, but her feelings towards finding Blake were complicated, to say the least.

She had a deep respect for Blake; they had managed to build a calm intellectual familiarity that Weiss appreciated and missed. But she also knew that when their team finally came together there would be a lot of things that they all needed to talk about, and she didn’t foresee any of the conversations going well.

If she was being completely truthful with herself, there was a small part of her that feared finding Blake. She had lived in the faunus’s shadow for so long, and even though she knew Yang had chosen her, she couldn’t let go of the dread that Yang might change her mind if Blake were to ask. She knew it was irrational and improbable, but she couldn’t excise her foreboding no matter how hard she tried.

Pulled from her thoughts, Weiss realized that it had been a while since either of them had spoke. She cleared her throat and redirected the conversation, “Have you decided what you want to do with the information your father gave you?”

A tightness emanated from Yang as she spoke, “It wasn’t enough to actually track her down. He was only able to tell me that she is the leader of a bandit tribe and that it might be somewhere in southwestern Mistral.” The dragon’s hand clenched into a fist, “If I knew exactly where to look it would be a different story, but we have enough people to track down without adding to the list.”

Weiss felt a deep worry start to grow inside of her.

She was about to ask Yang more, but then the captain of the ship approached them and the heiress instinctively put a measure of distance between herself and her partner.

“Greetings ladies,” the older man opened, “We will be reaching shore soon, so it might be a good idea to start collecting your things.” His eyes narrowed slightly, “Might I ask where you two plan to go after you get to port?”

Yang’s eyebrow raised and she pushed up her glasses in a way that made Weiss realize that she should be the one to handle the conversation, “We will eventually be heading towards Haven. We are hoping to visit our friends from the academy there.”

The man stroked his beard and looked from Yang to her before he replied, “You both look like capable young women, but might I suggest that you try to find air passage into Mistral?”

The heiress saw Yang’s stance shift before the blond asked, “And why is that?”

“Well, as I’m sure you are aware, the number of grimm have increased since the fall of Beacon,” his tone darkened slightly, “and word has started to spread that older and far more dangerous grimm have awoken and been spotted over the past few months.”

Weiss sensed Yang shift next to her, and the captain’s eyes followed her, but then a moment later he smiled and added, “Though whatever you decide, I have a feeling that you two will look out for each other.” He tipped his cap to them, “Safe travels ladies.”

Weiss’s eyes narrowed as she watched the man walk away to address another group of people on the other side of the deck, “That was strange.” She turned and looked at Yang who was adjusting the leather cuffs on her forearm, “Why would he say that he knew we would look out for each other? We’ve barely talked to him this whole voyage.”

A knowing smirk crossed the dragon’s lips, and she placed her hand on Weiss’s shoulder as she leaned down to whisper in her ear, “It’s because he knows we’re together princess.”

Then as she nonchalantly walked away, Yang called out, “I’m gonna go grab our gear.”

Heat rushed to the heiress’s face as she had to cope with the reality that if the captain had figured out that they were together, then other’s might also pick up on the fact. Part of her relished the idea that others would know that they she was with Yang, but the other part feared repercussion and judgement.

Weiss placed her hands on the railing. As she looked out at the approaching shoreline she tried to rid herself of the unplaceable worry that had been pooling in her stomach since they left Atlas.

Whatever comes our way, we can handle it. Together.

The heiress let out an agitated huff as she looked from the numbers on the surrounding shipping containers to the information on her scroll.

Whoever had ordered the large metal containers certainly didn’t seem to have any system in place, and despite it being Yang's motorcycle that they were looking for, she didn’t seem to be bothered by the delay. Instead the dragon sauntered behind Weiss with her hands clasped on top of her head, looking completely unfazed by the fact that they might never find her prized metal death trap.

Weiss was about to comment that she could help look, but then she sensed aura movement. There were too many to count and they were rather low level, but she could tell that the unknown group was quickly working to surrounding them. She shot a quick glance back at Yang. The dragon’s posture hadn’t changed, but Weiss could detect subtle movement around the edge of the blond’s sunglasses that told her that Yang was already tracking the people in the shadows around them.

Following her partner’s lead she pretended to look back at her scroll and spoke in a measured tone, “This port’s organization system is abhorrent, but the security seems even worse.”

Yang simply grunted in response.

Not two seconds later a tall skinny man in worn sea garb stepped out from a container with more than a little swagger. “Well now,” he laughed, “two little girls like you should really be more careful about where you wander off to.” He spoke through a smarmy smile, “You never know who you might run into.”

At that comment no less than ten other men of varying sizes and cleanliness levels appeared around them. Most had scars and one even had an eye patch and blue striped shirt. Weiss rolled her eyes.

How dreadfully cliché, even for pirates.

All of the men were holding improvised weapons of some type, from pipes and chains to docking hooks and cudgels.

The supposed leader of the group spoke again once his crew was in place, “As you two just came from Atlas, we know that you have plenty of lien on you. So why don’t you do yourselves a favor and hand it over. You don’t wanna get hurt,” he then pointed his thumb to one of the grimier men next to him who licked his lips in a disturbingly toothless manner, “or worse.”

Weiss clenched her jaw in irritation before drawing her sword and setting her stance. She was about to dispose of the rats in front of her, but Yang walked up beside her and popped open her gauntlets, “Oh, I’ve got this one princess.”

Impatience marked the heiress’s reply, “That will take forever. You know I can dispose of this riffraff faster.”

Yang took off her glasses then looked at her with a sly grin. “But faster isn’t always better,” she commented with a wink. “Plus,” the dragon continued as she stretched her left arm with her right forearm, “after that long boat ride I could really use a stretch.”

“Fine,” Weiss rolled her eyes at the crude insulation, and then sheathed her sword, “But try not to break too much around here. We still have not found which unit contains your motorcycle, and it would be rude to-”

“Hey,” the main goon yelled, “if you didn’t notice, we’re robbing you you stupid bitch.”

The brawler’s eyes locked on the man, and Weiss couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of her nose.

She is going to break so many bones for that comment.

Without warning the dragon disappeared in a yellow streak, and Weiss took that as her cue to move away from the quickly ensuing fray. Before she could even reach a safe distance though, she had to step around one of the downed men.

Letting out a little huff she turned and crossed her arms as she waited for her girlfriend to be done playing with the grubby pirates. Shells had already started to litter the ground and the once tranquil sound of gulls and crashing waves was replaced by shotgun rounds, terrified screams of pain, and the dragon’s laughter.

After a few minutes of watching bodies fly Weiss had grown impatient and tapped her foot as she waited.

I could have handled this in under a minute. But instead-

She rolled her eyes and activated a series of stacked gravity glyphs behind her. Less than a second later the person that had been trying to sneak up behind her on top of a shipping container crashed to the ground and let out a choked groan of pain.

The heiress didn’t even bother to look back at the no doubt filthy, toothless miscreant, “You are lucky that she didn’t just see you, or she would have left you in a body cast.”

That said, she pulled the trigger of Myrtenaster, still sheathed in her sash, and froze the ruffian to the ground.

When she turned her full focus back to the fight, she saw Yang finally finish up her fun by punching the leader into the steel doors of a shipping container so hard that the metal crumpled inward. The unconscious man slid down the damaged doors before collapsing to the right.

As a result the left door of the container slowly creaked open to reveal Yang’s motorcycle, and an exuberant, “Found it,” followed as Yang jogged forward to reclaim her possession.

The heiress let out a weary sigh, “Well at least they were good for something.”

But then when Yang reached out to pull the steel door the rest of the way open her left hand shook. Weiss’s eyes narrowed with concern and a great uneasiness washed over her. Before she could say anything Yang made a fist and the shaking stopped.

Unfortunately, the heiress’s worry wasn’t so easily erased.

She observed closely as the dragon unstrapped the machine, checked it over, and stuffed their things into the side saddle bags, but the tremor did not reappear. Weiss forced her nerves to calm as Yang walked the motorcycle out towards her.

“So,” Yang commented with a grin and a suggestive undertone, “You ready to get outa here?”

Weiss looked around at the battered crowd of men, most of whom were lying crumpled on the ground or hanging off of metal shipping containers and answered, “The sooner the better.”

A smile reached Yang’s lips as she mounted her bike, “Then hop on then princess.” She pulled out her aviators and placed them on her face with a smirk, “And I won’t mind at all if you have to hold on tight.”

As Yang put down the kickstand on bumblebee, she let out a tired heavy sigh. She would have loved it if they could have found a town to stay at, but northern Sanus was sparsely populated and according to their map it would be several days till they reached a town if the roads stayed drivable. Which definitely hadn’t been the case throughout their first day on the road.

As she stretched the soreness out of her muscles, Yang noticed that it was getting dark faster than she had anticipated. So instead of unpacking her things she gathered up wood to make a fire. The weather was warm enough that they probably didn’t need one, but she knew from experience that it wasn’t any fun to set up camp in the dark.

When she finally finished she started to take out her things.

With a grimace she grabbed a rations bar, and looked at it with disdain. It wasn’t like she hadn’t had to eat them before, but after having three hot meals a day provided for her in Atlas the dry questionable tasting ‘food’ was far from a welcome adjustment.

She held back a frown and a yawn as she started to open the wrapper, but then she stopped when she realized that she should ask Weiss if she wanted to eat something.

When she looked up though she saw that the princess had already laid out all of her things on the other side of the fire. Weiss’s sleeping bag was perfectly smoothed out, she had her canteen and own food out on a flat rock next to her, and a rather large area around her looked suspiciously clean for an impromptu camp site off the side of a back road.

Weiss’s excessive tidiness made her smile as she ate and finished unpacking her own bag. Though in comparison to her partner, Yang’s side of the fire was set up with far less care.

Adequately fed and ridiculously tired, Yang plopped down on the ground and leaned back against a log as she started to peel off her gear. After about a minute, a not so small pile of leather laid next to her.

She let out a yawn as she stretched her aching muscles one last time before getting ready to crawl into her bedroll. However, she paused when she saw Weiss quietly looking at her.

Yang had been so exhausted that she had forgotten to check in with her partner, “Hey princess, I’m a little beat so I’m going to turn in early tonight. But you can wake me up if you need anything.”

A small nod came from the other side of the fire, but there was a subtle look of dejection on her girlfriend's face.

Concerned that she might have done something wrong Yang took more time than was necessary to finish getting ready for bed as she tried to figure out what was going on with Weiss.

After a while she saw Weiss look from one sleeping bag to the next before she picked at the corner of her thumb. A small frown marked the princess’s face and she let out a sigh before she centered her bedroll in the sizable space she had cleared for herself.

It took about two seconds for Yang to realize what was the matter, and when she did she felt like an ass.

Weiss had cleaned up such a big area because the she wanted to sleep next to her, but Yang had been so tired and focused on setting up camp that she hadn’t realized what her girlfriend wanted.

It made perfect sense when Yang took the time to think about it. The entire journey over on the ship they had slept in the same bed, so it shouldn’t have been at all surprising that Weiss would want to sleep next to her now. In fact it was almost painfully adorable, but at the same time Yang felt awful that she had missed her princess’s small but sweet gesture.

After taking a beat to think, Yang figured out how to reciprocate Weiss’s sentiment. She picked up her own bedroll, and walked to the other side of the fire. Then without asking she picked up Weiss’s sleeping bag and started to unzip it.

The princess observed her with a confused look, “Yang, what are you-”

She interrupted her girlfriend with a quick kiss on the nose, then calmly stated, “Just give me a minute.”

In exactly that much time Yang had managed to zip their two sleeping bags together to make one very large sleeping bag. Then, with more care than she normally would have taken, she laid out the bedrolls and unzipped one side. After which, she took off her boots and climbed into the new spacious sleeping bag.

But instead of getting in next to her, the princess just looked at her with a raised brow.

Yang rolled her eyes, then flipped opened the flap of the bedroll, “Well, I’m not going to make you, but I think sleeping next to me is better than sleeping on the dirt alone.”

Weiss hesitated, but then slid in next to her with an adorable amount of awkwardness. The heiress left about a foot of space between them when she finally settled in, and Yang found that to be completely unacceptable. So she reached out and put her arm around the princess’s waist so that she could pull the smaller woman into the curve of her body. Weiss went rigid for a second, but then relaxed and nuzzled backwards into her.

Yang let out a soft content sigh, and gripped the heiress a little tighter as she was reminded yet again how perfectly Weiss’s tiny frame fit against her own.

She kissed the top of her partner’s head before saying, “Goodnight, princess.”

In response, delicate fingers entwined with her own as Weiss replied, “Goodnight, my dragon.”

The words shouldn’t have felt any different than any other time that the heiress called her dragon… except they did.

A tightness grew in her chest, one that she couldn’t quite put words to. She held Weiss close to her for quite sometime, before she was able to work up the nerve to say what she had wanted to since the day of her final evaluation.

Yang felt her heartbeat quicken as she opened her mouth. But the instant she was about to speak she noticed the slow, steady breathing of the woman next to her, and her emotions sank.

Just my luck, she’s already asleep.

With a disheartened, silent laugh she swallowed the lump she hadn’t realized was in her throat.

I’ll find right moment, eventually.

Yang let out a long breath as she tried to let go of her disappointment and truly unwind. Even though she was tired, she knew it would take a while for sleep to come to her.

So instead she let herself enjoy the feel of Weiss resting in her arms, and as she did a comfortable calm slowly washed over her. Shortly after, the length of their day finally hit her in an unsustainable way, and a soft yawn escaped her. She nuzzled her cheek against the top of Weiss’s head as she relished the surprising warmth of the other woman. Before her eyelids finally drifted shut she squeezed the heiress one last time.

I love you Weiss.

Yang's consciousness slowly widened to the darkness that surrounded her.

Realizing that there was nothing, she started to slowly wander until she found a small white light glowing in the distance. As she walked towards it she was surprised at how fast she was able to approach it, and how large it grew to be.

When she saw what the light held, it brought hope into her heart.

It was her team.

On the left wearing a small but confident smile was her sister. She looked the same as Yang remembered, but somehow more grown up. Her clothes were torn and tattered, yet she held herself with more assuredness than she normally did.

Though, there was a tinge of darkness that had been added to Ruby’s normally bright grey eyes. It made Yang feel sad that she had missed being there. Missed the moments that had made her sister grow and change.

Then the light that emanated from the center drew her eye. Weiss, in all her regalness, stood prominently to the far right of her sister. The light that surrounded Yang’s divided teammates was coming from the summoning glyph at her princess’s feet. Seeing Weiss lifted Yang’s heart, and she could barely stop herself from going to the small, but imposing figure before her.

The heiress wore a mask of authority that Yang felt had been rightly earned, but even as their eyes met she could sense a sadness inside of the princess. Yang felt her heart ache at not knowing how to fix the unhappiness that touched her girlfriend's face, and she worried that she might have been the cause of it.

Light blue eyes broke from her own and a small concerned frown marked Weiss’s lips as she looked to the right. Yang’s eyes naturally followed till she spotted their final teammate.

Blake stood at the very edge of the light, seeming to be more comfortable in the shadows. Her partner’s ears laid flat as she looked at Yang, and there was a shameful loneliness that was so plain to see that it made Yang's jaw clench.

Yang knew that Blake didn’t want to be there hiding in the dark. But she also felt furious that no matter what any of them did Blake always chose to be alone. The misery on Blake's face mixed with Yang’s own stinging wounds of abandonment.

She missed her partner, but at the same time she didn’t know how to reconcile the pain and hurt that they both held onto.

But before she had a chance to try and rejoin her team a familiar, mocking laughter reached her ears. Yang immediately clenched her fist and ground her teeth.

A pool of black appeared between her and her team, and tainted the light from Weiss’s glyph. Like the malevolent creature of darkness that he was, Adam rose up out of it separating them from each other.

There was a smirk on his face as he looked at Yang through the slits of his grimm mask. “You are right to worry that you have failed them,” he taunted. “Because I will destroy everything that you love, and it will all happen because you arenot strong enough to save them.”

Yang felt her semblance rage and boil over her fear of him. She raised her hands to fight, but then the light around them brightened whenWeiss drew her sword.

In response Adam sneered in delight before turning and grabbing the hilt of his sword, “Getting to take the head of a Schnee will make all of it that much better.”

Her eyes widened and timeslowed when shesaw Adam released his sword from the catch of its sheath. The sliver of red that appeared made icy cold fear flood her body. But despite that panic, she tried to move to place herself in between him and her princess.

Except when she did her body moved like it was stuck in tar, even as she activated her semblance she could tell that she wouldn’t be fast enough to get there in time.

The crimson blade grew in length as he drew it to strike down the onrushing heiress.

Tears streamed down Yang’s face as she reached out in vain to try and stop him. Soul crushing ache spread to every muscle in her body as his sword arched ever closer towards the woman she loved.

Quite suddenly muddy darkness surrounded her, and Yang sensed that someone was shaking her.

Heart racing she opened her eyes and frantically searched their campsite for danger.

“Yang, it’s okay,” Weiss called out to her.

Her heartbeat sounded in her skull like a drum.

But when she finally registered the princess, who held her, a weary wave of relief washed over her. Yang immediately wrapped as much of her body around Weiss as she could, too panicked to think of how better to protect her.

Tears continued to pour down her face as she tried to recover from the nightmare.

She’s okay, he’s not here. She’s safe.

Yang choked back a sob.

She’s safe.

Regardless of her effort to calm down she couldn’t lessen of the fear that gripped her chest or stop herself from hyperventilating.

Weiss hugged her back and did thebest she could to console Yang, despite being constricted by the brawler’sgrip.

Eventually the smaller woman managed to get an arm free and stroked the back of Yang’s head, “It’s okay. You are okay. Nothing is going to hurt you, I’m here.”

The princess’s words only made herfeel shame, and she squeezed her girlfriend tighter as the tension in her body grew.

The heiress let out a worried and frustrated sigh, “Oh you miserable dragon.” Weiss kissed the side of her head and let out with unmistakable concern, “This is the second time since we left Atlas. I knew it was too soon to leave.”

Yang loosened her grip on Weiss and strained to get control of her breath as she remembered what she had learned in therapy.

It’s not real, that time has passed. You are stronger now. Weiss is okay, this isn’t Beacon. It wasn’t real.

Long minutes passed, but eventually Yang was able to recover.

She subtly wiped the tears out of the corners of her eyes and sat up. Though she remained hunched as Weiss moved to sit in front of her. The princess grabbed her left hand and squeezed it with both of her own. The warmth of her girlfriend’s touch reinforced Yang’s weakly constructed calm.

“I wish there was something more that I could do for you,” Weiss said with great concern and distress in her voice, “that there was some way I could stop them from coming.”

Yang looked up at her, and was going to tell her not to worry. Instead, she stopped when she saw the stern frown on the her girlfriend’s lips.

As she looked higher, sharp caring blue eyes gleamed in the light of the night fire, and Yang felt her breath stop as she looked at her princess. Seeing Weiss look at her like that made her heart feel like it might grow too large to fit in her chest. She knew that Weiss would do anything for her, and had done so much for her already. Through everything the princess had always been there by her side, in whatever way she could be.

To start Weiss had simply been her friend, and Yang had mainly just been attracted to those gorgeous legs. But now, now she didn't want to go anywhere without her. Things were just better when she was around. Even when things were hard, Yangfelt at ease simply because Weiss was with her.

Sitting up Yang took a deep breath and worked up the nerve to finally say what she had so foolishly been waiting for the right moment to say.

Swallowing down her fear she tried to smile as she grabbed Weiss’s hand and looked into the heiress’s confused blue eyes, “I hope you know that you don’t have to, but I kind of love that I have someone who worries about me so much.” Yang paused and took a breath, “But more than that, I want you to know that… I love you Weiss.”

The princess’s eyes went about as wide as Yang ever remembered, and she froze in place like a statue. It was amusing at first, but then after a while she started to worry.

I think I broke her.

Yang frowned and raised an eyebrow in concern.

I mean I know she loves me back; she has said so more than once. Unless something changed.

Yangs’s brow knitted together with fear, and the desire to end the silence made her blurt out, “So this is the part where you normally say I love you back.” Anxiety continued to build as she spoke, and it made her words come out rushed. She dropped Weiss’s hand and looked away as she rubbed the back of her neck, “I mean you don’t have to of course; I just thought that you might want to?”

Soft fingers reached up and brushed the side of her face, bringing her focus back to a now softly grinning Schnee, “Of course I love you, you ridiculous dragon.” The princess rolled her eyes and a light blush could be seen on her face even in the dim fire light, “You just surprised me.”

Weiss held her eyes on Yang for a moment then looked away, “I love you so much that it scares me sometimes.”

A frown made it’s way to Yang's face, and she thought for a second before asking, “Why would loving someone scare you?”

The princess bit her lip, and it was a few seconds before she spoke again, “Well honestly, a lot of reasons, but one is that I’ve never loved anyone before. Not like this,” she finally turned back to meet Yang’s gaze, “and I am afraid of what happens after this.” Weiss looked down as she continued, “I’m afraid that I will mess things up, or that I will do the wrong thing, or that I won’t be good enough. I… I’m afraid I might fail you.”

Sadness tinted the love that still swelled in Yang’s chest. She pulled the heiress into her and held her with the hope that her feelings would flow into the woman in her arms, “You don’t need to be perfect Weiss. I love you the way you are.” She let out a gentle laugh, “In fact, if anyone should be worried about not being good enough it should be me. I mean you are an heiress of a global company that has already started her own business. While I’m just-”

The princess pushed her away and looked up at Yang with stern eyes, “You are and never will be ‘just’ anything. You are Yang Xiao Long. The stupidly bold dragon that stole my heart in ways I couldn’t even imagine. You helped me find the courage to do things I never would have dreamed possible.” Weiss looked at her with the steely resolve that only a Schnee seemed to be capable of holding, “You are everything and more than I ever could have imagined that I deserve. So don’t you dare ever think little of yourself.”

Yang didn’t have a clue as to what to say to something like that, so instead she gently lifted Weiss’s jaw and smiled before pulling her girlfriend into a soft kiss.

When she finally broke away, she was able to settle on, “Thank you princess, I love you too.”

Weiss blushed and nervously looked away before she spoke, “Well, if that is settled then come and keep me warm, you troublesome dragon. I need more sleep if we are going to travel all day again.”

With a weary laugh Yang straightened their sleeping bag and worked her way back into it before holding it open for Weiss to join her. Weiss slid in and wrapped her arms around Yang’s middle as she nuzzled into her chest with a yawn.

She felt an immense happiness and light fill her as held Weiss, and as she felt the princess’s breath against her skin it helped repair the damage that had been inflicted on her frayed nerves.

After a blissfully long moment of embracing the woman that rested against her, Yang opened her eyes to look past Weiss’s silky white hair and gaze into the gently crackling fire.

I will become strong enough to protect you.

Chapter 26: Epilogue (Part 2)

Chapter Text

Yang waited patiently for Weiss to climb down from Bumblebee as she scoped out the perimeter of the newest town in their travels. It looked to be larger than the last two that they had visited, so she was optimistic that they might find information this time. The lack of progress the past few weeks had eaten away at her patience, and it was making her question whether or not to change to tactics that the princess would find far less desirable.

She was pulled from her thought though when she heard rustling behind her.

Weiss grabbed some lien from her bag and slipped it into her sash before stating, “I am going to see if I can gather any information while I get us new supplies,” the heiress appraised the town quickly before turning back and smiling at her, “I might even be able find a place for us to eat a real meal this time.”

A smirk pulled at Yang’s lips, she was actually quite impressed that the heiress hadn’t once complained about having to camp out every night and eat far less than desirable food. Even Yang was getting sick of sleeping on the ground after so many weeks, but she didn’t want to slow down when they had accomplished so little.

“Sounds like a plan,” Yang kept grinning as she got off her bike. She bent a little and kissed Weiss’s cheek, “Good luck princess.”

The heiress smiled and rolled her eyes in a way that let Yang know that she had actually enjoyed the familiar gesture more than she wanted to let on.

“You too.” Weiss started to walk away, but after a second turned and added with a half teasing tone, “Try to stay out of trouble this time you bothersome dragon.”

With a wave of acknowledgement she sighed at how easy it had become to just be with Weiss.

Though as she watched her princess walk away her eyes lingered with less than innocent interest. It had been quite some time since they had spent any ‘quality’ time together, and it was getting harder to hold those feelings at bay.

Typically they were both so tired from riding all day and taking down the stray grimm that crossed their path, that they usually just ate and went straight to bed as soon as they found a safe spot for the night. There had been some rare occasions where they weren’t both longing for sleep and the two of them had sat by the fire together and talked. However, if she was being completely honest, she desperately missed certain aspects of their relationship that had been easier to attend to in Atlas.

Realizing that longing for her girlfriend wasn’t actually getting her anywhere, she shook her head to focus on finding a place to put her bike.

It’s not like the point of this search is to get ‘alone time’ with Weiss.

It took her a few minutes, but Yang eventually found a safe place to lock down her bike. She then wandered the rest of the way into town, and headed straight for the part that Weiss would typically refuse to step foot in.

They both had their roles and own ways of gathering information; a point she had actually used when she had argued with Ironwood about lifting Weiss’s travel ban. Together they could collect intel from just about any source. Weiss from the wealthy and more civilized crowd, and Yang from the seedier sides of society.

Though the town, despite its size, didn’t seem to have that many questionable establishments. It wasn’t until she found the town’s third, and final, bar that she stumbled upon anything even remotely like what she was looking for. Plus, with a name like ‘What Ales You,’ she figured it might at least have an owner with personality.

The place looked run down from the outside, and when she entered the open doorway she found that the single large windowless room sported the same worn out theme. It was a basic bar set up, tables and chairs were haphazardly placed in a loose pattern around the actual bar where the bartender stood. The walls were bare except for some dusty animal trophies and the occasional lamp. But the gas lights did very little to actually brighten the place, making the inside feel closer to sundown despite the fact that it was just a few hours past noon.

This however didn’t seem to bother the single group of rather drunk patrons that were huddled around a table to the right of the bar keep. Other than them, the place looked empty. Survey complete, Yang wandered towards the man behind the bar that she had a feeling was also the owner.

As Yang made her way towards the bartender she didn’t fail to notice the leering looks she received from the sloshed men as she passed by. She did her best to ignore them, because without a doubt, she knew they would be far more trouble than they were worth. Which is why she let their crude whispers go, and instead focused her attention on the skinny man at the bar cleaning a cup with a not so spotless towel.

“What can I get you?” the barkeep asked with a raised brow.

Yang pulled out several lien and placed it on the table before removing her aviators to say, “Information.”

His brown eyes widened and his attention narrowed in on the money, “Hmmm,” he looked from her lien then back to her, “Well I hope I know what you want to hear then.”

She knew exactly what that meant. Yang took a minute to think of how she wanted to word her questions. She had no interest in false intel that he might try to feed her, because he thought it was what she wanted to hear.

“I’m looking for a girl with a red hood,” she put her glasses away and looked the scrawny older man straight in the eye, “black hair, and a little on the short side. She might have passed through here some time in the last four months.”

The owner threw the towel in his hand over his shoulder and scrunched up his face in thought, “Was she a huntress?”

A glimmer of hope lit inside of Yang’s heart, but she didn’t let it touch her face, “You could call her that, what else can you tell me?”

“Well, I’m not sure if it was the person you are looking for,” he let out a little laugh, “I didn’t see them for myself, but word around town was that she and three other kids took care of the grimm that had been harassing a farm in the area. Apparently they didn’t stay long. They just wiped out the grimm, grabbed some supplies, and moved on.”

Yang gripped her left hand to hide her excitement, “How long ago, and did anyone happen to ask or hear where they were headed?”

The man looked up and away as he thought, “I want to say I heard that they were making their way to Mistral, but I can’t remember exactly how long ago they were in town. Probably more than two months ago is my best guess, but if you want to know more you should honestly ask the town elder. She was probably the one who hired them.”

A small grin slipped onto her face as he spoke. It was the first solid lead either of them had gotten since leaving Atlas, and it seemed viable. She was about to pay the man and ask for the name and location of their elder when the largest and scruffiest man of the group saddled up to the bar next to her.

“Hey good looking,” he waved to the owner, “let me buy you a drink.”

Yang looked at the guy and realized from smell alone that he had already had about four too many.

“Maybe next time buddy,” she deflected, “I’ve actually got some place to be.” She slid the lien forward to the man behind the bar and turned to walk out.

She didn’t even get three steps before the drunk shouted in anger as he grabbed her arm, “Hey, who said you could leave yet blondie?!”

Ire bubbled inside of her. Normally she would have pounded the guy into the floor, and would have been thrilled to take on his stupid buddies that were still leering at her from their table. But she didn’t want to have to explain to Weiss that she had gotten into a fight, or mess up the owner’s bar, not when he had just given her the only good lead she had.

So instead of breaking every bone in the jerks arm like she wanted, she simply yanked her wrist away and said, “I don’t want any trouble. It’s really better if you let this go.”

“Heh,” the drunk scoffed at her as he eyed her chest, his sour breath assaulting her senses.

She turned to leave again, but he boastfully asked, “And what the hell are you gonna do if I don’t,” right before he grabbed her ass.

An instant later the ring of activated glyphs echoed in Yang’s ears, and was immediately followed by a furious wind that lead to a pained cry behind her.

When Yang turned she saw the drunk pinned to the bar with the tip of Myrtenaster pressed against his Adam’s apple. The drunk man’s cronies stood to help, but after a quick flick of the princess’s right hand they all found their feet glued to the floor by black glyphs.

Dangerously narrowed eyes and a frigidly unwavering tone came from her princess, “If you ever touch my girlfriend again, there won’t be any pieces of you big enough for a nevermore to scavenge.”

The heiress’s warning left the whole room silent.

It took Yang a beat to clear her shocked, and very turned on brain, enough to say, “Alright Princess, I think it’s time to leave.”

Weiss gave the clearly terrified man one more glare before taking a step back to slash her sword in a wide sweeping arc. She then turned her nose up disdainfully and strode past Yang to exit the bar. The whole time looking like she was mad at even having to step within eye shot of such a dirty establishment.

Yang grinned as she watched her partner leave. She then looked back at the five men her extremely sexy girlfriend had left frozen to the floor in huge gagged blocks of ice, and waved goodbye to the bartender.

A second later she chased after her little tsundere. Despite her effort she couldn’t hide the wide smirk that spread across her face. When she finally caught up she proclaimed, with a little more weight in her voice than was necessary, “I had no idea you were so possessive Weiss. I gotta say, it was kind of a turn on.”

The comment caused the smaller woman to blush and walked a little faster.

Yang knew that she had embarrassed her girlfriend, but the princess tried to cover it by barking out over her shoulder, “I told you that I would not stand for anyone touching you like that ever again.” She slowed a little, but kept walking as she added, “Now hurry up, I managed to find us suitable lodging for the night at the other end of town.”

The brawler lengthened her stride to catch up, “But I got the info we were looking for. We should really jump on it.”

Weiss stopped and turned to stare at the blond, “We have been on the road for weeks now; I am in desperate need of a hot bath and a soft bed.”

Yang opened her mouth to protest, then the princess grabbed her by the lapel of her jacket and pulled her down so the blond was trapped by piercing blue eyes, “I know you always ask me to shower with you, but I really do prefer baths.” Weiss quickly glanced down at Yang’s lips before adding, “And frankly I was rather looking forward to finally sharing a bed you.”

With that said Weiss let go and continued her march down the street.

Meanwhile, Yang was left to stand with her jaw open as she tried to cope with the words that still rang in her ears. She felt her heart beat radiate through her whole body as she struggled swallow the lump in her throat.

Wow. That was so unbelievably hot.

For a town out in the middle of nowhere, Weiss had found it to be quite reasonably equipped to meet the needs of travelers. There had been a number of shops to visit and investigate, but the people had been surprisingly friendly and forthcoming. It had taken her no time at all to procure new supplies and find the information that they had been looking for.

Which was exactly why she had grown bored, and decided to go looking for her trouble magnet girlfriend. Truthfully, it didn’t bother her that Yang got into scuffles; she knew that her dragon was more than capable of taking care of herself. It was the fact that there were such deplorable people who dared to think they had a right to objectify Yang or take advantage of her that made the heiress’s blood boil.

Had the dragon not said anything she would have happily left the drunk miscreant with a permanent reminder of the encounter. But doing so would have caused considerable trouble and forced them to leave far sooner than she would have liked, and after finding an inn with a bathtub and several acceptable places to eat she had no intention of missing out on anything even resembling ‘modern’ amenities.

As they ate their blissfully hot meal, Weiss was thrilled to finally enjoy food that was served at a table and that it was considerably more palatable than survival rations. Such a simple thing ended up having a significant and positive effect on her mood and stress level. It end up making their exchange of information and planning that much more gratifying. It had been just the win they both needed after such a long and unsuccessful search.

Despite the restaurant’s noisey atmosphere and their discussion, Weiss found herself relaxed enough for her mind to wander and reflect. She looked at Yang’s stunning violet eyes as the blond talked with her hands. Sometimes it felt like just yesterday that she had found the boisterous dragon to be an obnoxious pain.

Yang stopped talking, raised an eyebrow, and waved her hand in front of Weiss’s face, “Remnant to Weiss, did you hear what I just said?”

The heiress shook her head and smiled, “Sorry, it has been such a long day. My mind went somewhere else.”

A smirk appeared on her girlfriend’s face, “Oh really, what were you thinking about so hard while staring at me princess?”

Weiss grinned, “I was thinking about how two years ago I thought you were an annoying brute that I would have to suffer through living with for four years.”

The dragon feigned a hurt and surprised look, but before Yang had the chance to retaliate she finished her initial thought, “But now, I can’t imagine anyone else that I would rather spend my time with.”

There was a moment of silence before Yang finally replied with a soft understanding smile, “Things really have changed a lot since then.”

The tiniest bit of shadow touched her dragon’s eyes when she spoke, so Weiss decided to alter the topic. She looked out at the setting sun to use it as an excuse for changing the subject, “It is starting to get a little late, are you ready to go check into the inn yet?”

Blond eyebrows raised before a suggestive tone answered back, “Oh, I am more than ready.”

Weiss rolled her eyes before getting up from the table and heading towards the exit. It would have been a flagrant lie to say that her thoughts didn’t wander to the very thing Yang had been insinuating more than once on the way towards their lodging.

When the heiress reached the front desk the clerk that she had spoken with earlier greeted her with a bright smile, “Hello Miss Schnee, I believe that all your packages have arrived. Would you like me to carry them up to your room?”

But before she could answer Yang stepped forward with a little swagger, “Nah, I think I can handle a few boxes.”

Weiss rolled her eyes and suppressed the warning on her tongue. She posited that it didn’t matter what she said, the dragon would try to show off her ability to carry things regardless.

The brown-haired clerk simply nodded, “As you wish,” then pointed to the large stack of parcels in the front corner of the entry way behind them.

Yang looked from Weiss to the clerk then back to Weiss again with a worried expression, “Are all of those... ours?”

The heiress simply smirked at her girlfriend’s considerably reduced bravado, “Yes,” she reached to take the room key from the person at the front desk and then made her way for the stairs. She paused just long enough to add, “but I’m sure you can handle it.”

Two package laden trips later Weiss watched Yang carefully squeezed through the door one final time, before the overburdened blond managed to kick the door shut with the side of her foot.

Finally being truly alone the heiress didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse as she admired her girlfriend’s backside. Yang had set down the last of the packages and was starting to sort them so they would stop toppling over. Instead of offering to help Weiss leaned back further on the edge of the bed, and enjoyed the view.

After stabilizing the small mountain of boxes the dragon stood and walked over so that she could look down at Weiss, “You know, you could have helped.”

The heiress smiled and let out a small laugh, “And deprive you of a chance to show off?”

Yang rolled her eyes and then flopped down on the bed next to her. Then after letting out a long tired sigh she asked, “You do know that our bags and the bike will only fit so much, right?”

Weiss rolled onto her elbow and teased the woman next to her, “I didn’t think I would hear such reticence from a person whose father managed to send a dog and a month's worth of food in a mailing tube.” Yang rolled her eyes at the comment but didn’t respond.

Finally having her fill of teasing the dragon Weiss reached out and reassuringly touched Yang’s shoulder, “I actually only bought most of those things to get information on Ruby from the shop keepers. I don’t expect us to take all or even most of it with us.”

Eyes closed Yang stretched then eased back into the bed. “I know,” the blond let out with a sigh.

When her girlfriend’s eyes opened again they met her own and a smile touched the dragon’s lips, “You did really well gathering information, so I won’t give you a hard time.” She grinned, “Not this time at least.”

“How chivalrous,” Weiss retorted with a smile.

She leaned over to kiss Yang on the cheek, but the dragon turned her head so that she could meet her lips instead.

The sudden contact of Yang’s mouth on her own was surprising, but more than welcome. She relished the kiss, and would have let it last much longer, but the saltiness of the dragon’s lips reminded Weiss of what she had said to Yang when they had left the filthy, rundown bar from earlier. And while she was a little nervous to share a bath with Yang, she was more than excited at the prospect of being clean and intimately close with her.

Weiss broke away to stand up, but Yang held her hand so that she couldn’t exactly leave, “Where are you going?”

Taking a breath Weiss did her best to summon all of her confidence, “Well, I did say that I wanted to bathe with you,” she saw the dragon’s eyes widen and her grip loosened. A smirk marked the heiress’s lips as she walked away, “that is if you still want to.”

Yang bolted out of the bed, and was behind her before Weiss even had a chance to reach out and grab the handle to the bathroom door. The heiress just smiled as sherolled her eyes, “I will take that as a yes.”

Her girlfriend’s eagerness helped her swallow down the last of her nervousness as she turned the knob that lead to the washroom.

Unfortunately, that was also when all of her plans were shattered into a million pieces.

Blue eyes scanned the small room to find the bathtub that the clerk had assured her would be present, but found nothing of the sort. It took a moment, but she eventually realized that the ‘tub’ that had been the deciding factor for this particular establishment was in fact a knee high barrel with iron bands that was no more than meter in diameter.

Weiss’s shoulders slumped and her eye twitched, “That… is not… a tub.”

A quiet laugh left the woman behind her, “Well I guess it is technically big enough for Zwie.” Yang hugged her from behind and kissed the side of her head, which only made her feel minutely better, “I know you were looking forward to this, but maybe we’ll have better luck at the next town.”

Weiss grumbled in reply, “I will be having a word with the desk clerk in the morning about the validity of their sales pitch.”

Yang chuckled, “We’re in the middle of nowhere, so maybe don’t be too mad about it.” Then she broke away, “I’m betting that if that is a bathtub, then hot water is a limited commodity in this place. You can go first princess; I’ve never really minded a little cold water.”

Weiss turned to say that she didn’t need to do that, but Yang was already standing in front of all the supplies that she had bought, “Besides it looks like I will have my work cut out for me if I’m going to figure out how to pack up the mountain of things that you bought.”

The heiress let out a light sigh of regret, butnevertheless replied, “Thank you. I’ll make sure to find a way to make it up to you later.”

The smirk that she saw on Yang’s lips as she closed the door made her realize exactly how the dragon had chosen to take her comment. She would have let out an irritated groan at her dragon’s behavior, if it weren’t for the fact that she had secretly meant for thewords to be interpreted exactly as they had been.

While the ‘tub’ was small, the hot water and soap were gloriously welcome. Weiss spent just slightly longer in the steamed up bathroom than she needed to knowing that it might be awhile until she could enjoy such a luxury again.

As she got out of the water and finished drying herself off, she looked down at her dust laden clothes with contempt. There was no way she would be putting them back on after finally getting clean.

After a quick search the heiress was pleased to find a large bucket in the corner filled with what looked to be supplies for cleaning clothes. She had never washed clothes before, but the principle of soap and water were far from foreign, so she was reasonably sure that she could figure out the rest.

Wrapped up in towels, she had her dirty clothes and the wash bucket in one hand and reached to open the door with the other.

Once she entered the much cooler room she saw Yang sitting at the table near the single window in their room tinkering with her cybernetic.

“The bathroom is all yours if you are ready,” she called out. Feeling far more relaxed than she had in weeks.

Yang looked up at her then down at the bucket in her hand with an amused and skeptical face, “You’re going to do laundry?”

“Yes,” the heiress rolled her eyes, then set the bucket down and her clothes outside of the door, “and I will do yours too if you leave them for me.”

The dragon looked from her pants to Weiss then back again, “You know we’ve only got the one set of clothes, right?”

Weiss simply glared at her. The antagonistic dragon laughed as she stood to walk to the bathroom, “Either way,” she paused and looked at her with a mischievous grin, “if you wanted to get me out of my clothes so badly, all you had to do was ask.”

With that she took off her orange crop top and threw it to join Weiss’s clothes near the door.

The heiress got a spectacularly distracting view of the blond’s cleavage and toned stomach that left her too enamored to come up with a single thing to say in response.

“But,” Yang stopped as her hand reached the door frame, “you will have to ask if you want me out of everything.” A suggestive wink marked the end of her words.

It was quite some time after the door shut that Weiss felt herself finally cool down from the dragon’s teasing. Normally the proposition Yang had suggested wouldn’t have bothered her so badly, but doing what Yang had insinuated, and quite a bit more, had been something the heiress had thought about for much longer than she liked to admit.

Thankfully the worry of figuring out how to wash clothes was a significant and welcome distraction. It turned out that cleaning uniforms by hand was far more taxing than she had anticipated. But after about an hour and a couple of questions to an annoyingly smug dragon she was quite proud to hang the last of the rung out items on the makeshift clothesline.

She was in the middle of pinning up Yang's pants when she heard the door to the bathroom swing open behind her. A second later her ears picked up the dragon’s latest tease, “No one is ever going to believe that I saw a Schnee doing laundry, let alone that it was my clothes that were being washed.”

Frustrated that her abilities were yet again in question Weiss shot back, “It is just soap and water Yang, why must you persist in-”

Weiss stopped mid sentence, because when she turned from her completed task she got a full view of her girlfriend leaning against the door frame in nothing but a towel.

Her mouth went dry as she stared at what she was sure must have been physical perfection. Yang stood with relaxed confidence as the fabric wrapped around her chest did a very poor job of containing her curvaceous form.

It left Weiss so stunned that she completely forgot to care that the dragon had been taunting her. Instead, her eyes moved from long toned legs up to a tantalizing exposed left hip. Then, after much longer than was acceptable, her gaze made its way up the rest of the dragon’s torso to the small corner of the tucked in towel that somehow had defied physics to keep the scrap of cloth around Yang’s chest.

With a grin Yang pushed off of the door frame and started to move towards her, but more than just mischief was in those lavender eyes, “You really must want to keep me out of my clothes.”

The heiress swallowed as Yang sauntered up to her with an unabashed and sultry stare. When she finally came to a stop the dragon stood so close to her that Weiss could feel the warmth of her freshly washed skin.

Then without a hint of modesty or apology, Yang reached past her to touch the pants she had just finished hanging, “These won’t dry till morning.”

Whether it was intended or not, the smaller woman got an up close and personal view of Yang’s chest as the dragon observed the clothing behind her for a few seconds longer than Weiss thought was entirely necessary.

Their proximity and the length of time it had been since they had enjoyed each other made the heiress’s heart race in agonizing anticipation.

It was precisely because of that, that Weiss was able to say something when Yang finally pulled away. She looked up into her dragon’s eyes and quietly asked, “And what if I lied, and said that keeping you out of your clothes was exactly what I had intended from the start?”

A surprised look flashed across the blond’s face, but then her expression shifted into something far more intense, “Then I would say,” a wanton smirk touched her lips, “come and get me.”

The words ignited the heiress’s will; the smallest moment of hesitation later she pulled down on Yang’s neck with crystal clear intent.

The instant their lips met it felt like cold fire ran through her. It was refreshing and exhilarating at the same time, and because of how forcefully she had initiated the kiss, it didn’t take long for Yang to reciprocate and deepen it.

Weiss relished the warmth that pooled inside of her, and the rush that she felt from Yang’s lips touching her own once again. But it had the side effect of making her want so much more. She slid her left hand inside of the towel, and hummed with joy as her fingers glided against the warm, soft skin of her girlfriend’s hip till it reached the base of her back.

The sensation of feeling Yang, while simultaneously being unrestricted in her efforts by clothing, left Weiss craving even more. Her hand wandered up and along the strong muscles of her girlfriend’s back, and she was elated to find that it made Yang kiss her that much harder. As her fingers played and pressed onto the other woman they inevitably came to a halt upon reaching the top of the towel that was still wrapped around the blond’s chest.

She was frustrated at the fabric’s very existence, but still a little reticent to remove it. Because if she did it was obvious what would happen after.

That hesitation faded though when she felt Yang’s fingers press into the hair at the base of her neck with need. It only took inching her hand a little higher for the gravity defying towel to finally lose the battle and fall to the floor. And when it did, Weiss sensed the smile on Yang’s lips as she was pulled closer.

Hands finally free to touch every inch of the woman before her, Weiss struggled to keep her wits about her. She let her fingers wander, but tried to keep their movement intentional and purposed as they grazed and massages the muscles of Yang’s back. Eventually she let her left hand wander south far enough to land on Yang’s hip.

It was when her fingers pressed and played there that the dragon lost her ability to hold back.

A hungry growl rumbled in the blond’s throat before her left hand found the top of Weiss’s towel and pulled it away. The heiress took a sharp breath in at the sensation of Yang’s bare skin pressed against her own. Her girlfriend’s actions had been a little unexpected, but unquestionably welcome.

And it didn’t take long for that new contact to fuel her dragon’s want just as much as it did her own. Weiss felt the fingers of Yang’s left hand meander their way down her side, and it sent goosebumps all along her body.

A needy groan for more slipped from her throat, and Yang apparently received the plea loud and clear. Because after that she felt Yang use her thumb to massage the front of her hip and it made Weiss’s knees weaken.

Yang started to pull her backwards towards the bed and Weiss felt her breath catch and her heart rate increase. She wanted this, but a portion of her was still worried.

Apparently just enough to make her lips stop moving, because she felt Yang pull away, “Hey, are you okay?”

Hesitant lavender eyes looked down at her, and the heiress chastised herself.

“Yes,” she answered with a small smile, “Just a little cold.”

It wasn’t actually a lie. She was chilly, but she also didn’t want to ruin the mood.

A gentle grin reached the dragon’s lips and she kissed Weiss’s forehead, “I think I can help with that.”

Yang let go of her, climbed under the covers of the bed, and then held them open so that Weiss could easily join her.

The gesture also, however, afforded the heiress an unrestricted view of the woman before her. She took in a small breath, after finally remembering that she should breath, then asked in a quiet voice, “How is it possible for someone to be so unrelentingly beautiful?”

She could have stared at her girlfriend’s bare form for hours. But Yang rolled her eyes, and it was then that Weiss detected that her girlfriend's cheeks had turned ever so slightly red.

“This coming from the woman that half of Atlas must pine after?” Yang raised an eyebrow, “Now, I could easily lay here and appreciate how perfect your body is till the sun comes up, but I feel like someone mentioned that they were cold?”

It was Weiss’s turn to roll her eyes, but after that she climbed onto the bed. Almost instantly Yang wrapped her arm and the blankets around her, and in that same motion the smaller woman felt herself pulled into the the dragon’s body.

The renewed sensation of Yang’s skin against her own made an ache radiate through the her body. She bit her lip to hide just how much she enjoyed the feel of the other woman, but of course the obnoxious dragon saw and didn’t pass up the opportunity to antagonize her further.

Yang arched and pressed her body further into her, and abreathy whimper escaped Weiss's lips. She swallowed hard as she tried to regain a measure of composure, but instead found her mouth taken by Yang in another heated kiss.

Unable to cope any longer,Weiss kissed the insufferable dragon back with abandon, and felt herself melt into the woman next to her. She savored and wanted to memorize the feeling of Yang’s skin sliding against her own like silk. But instead found herself lost to what she could only imagine was the most luxurious sensation the world had to offer.

Her girlfriend’s body felt warm, and the way Yang's fingers ran along her skin left Weiss clinging to the dragon’s back as she struggled to find a way to reciprocate.

She had a plan.But she wouldn’t be able enact it if Yang kept her in such a state.

Suddenly blond hair filled her vision and Weiss felt searing lips lock onto her neck. At that point she would have let Yang do whatever she wanted to her, because her brain was so flooded with sensation that she, quite literally, couldn’t think straight. All she knew was that she wanted what Yang seemed eager to give her more than anything. She wanted to be left exhausted and spent from being worshiped by the woman that meant so much to her.

Time seemed to lose meaning as she lost herself to those lips, but when Yang shifted to be over top of her and slid her hand down further Weiss realized just howmuch the dragon’s touch had drawn her away from her own intentions.

I’ll forget everything I studied if I let her have her way with me like this.

In a panic she hooked her leg under Yang’s and flipped them back over. But much to the heiress’s dismay Yang seemed to misinterpret her gesture as playful, so after letting Weiss have a moment of control Yang tried to take it back again.

Indescribably frustrated at how hard it was to ignore her girlfriend’s hands on her body Weiss gritted her teeth and let out a growl. Though an instant later she realized that the troublesome touch was entirely gone.

Weiss opened her eyes and looked up in shock upon seeing what she had done.

Yang’s hands were held to the bed, above her head, with a gravity glyph. The blond looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Uhhhh,” Yang voiced with a little worry in her voice, “Safeword?”

Mortified, Weiss released the glyph and backed away. “I am- I didn’t mean to-,” she sunk her head into her hands, “I’m so sorry.”

A light chuckle made her raise her head again. Yang was sitting up and trying not to laugh, “I’m not actually opposed to that, but it didn’t really feel quite right for our first time.”

The heiress pinched the bridge of her nose, and let out a growl of frustration at her inability to do things right. “I- ” she started then let out a sigh, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that, I just wanted to go first. But you didn’t seem to get that.”

Yang smirked and crawled the rest of the way back under the covers, “That’s totally fine, but for future reference you just need to say something if I’m being thick.” She lifted the sheet again for Weiss, “So…”

Weiss rolled her eyes, but was secretly and eternally grateful to find that she hadn’t utterly ruined the moment.

“Sorry,” she apologized again as she slid in next to her girlfriend.

Strong arms immediately reached out to pull her close, and the heiress felt her heart rate spike at being pressed into Yang’s body again.

“I just-” Lips pressed against her own and didn’t stop kissing her until Weissfinally felt her muscles relax.

It was at that point that Yang broke away and smiled, “Stop worrying. It’s a lot harder to get rid of me than that.” A devilish smirk marked her lips, “Besides, it was actually pretty hot.”

Yang didn’t wait for a response, and instead kissed her again. The heiress rolled her eyes at the remark, then privately filed the information away for later.

A small smile bent Weiss’s lips as she kissed Yang back. She was happy that she had a second chance to get things right, but she was also elated at being fortunate enough to be with someone so understanding.

As she laid on her side she moved her hand up between them to cup the side of her girlfriend’s face. Yang broke away briefly to smile back at her, and it was then that Weiss finally let herself really relax and enjoy the moment that she was in.

She took her time and let her fingers play and massage their way down Yang’s back as their lips stayed glued to each other.

Eventually, her hand slipped far enough south to play at the top of Yang’s rear. It was then that she felt a rumble start in dragon’s throat, and it let Weiss feel confident that it was time to move forward with her plan of attack.

She let her fingers skate their way back up, then lingered a bit longer than she needed to on the curve above Yang’s hips. There was a particular place there that she had found one day, and had exploited ever since. Yang kissed her harder and let out a moan of approval.

Weiss was confident with the next part, though she needed to make sure not to get Yang too riled up or she knew her girlfriend would end up reestablishing control, despite their earlier agreement. She placed her hand on the dragon’s jaw as she pushed the kiss to be deeper.

Feeling Yang’s tongue on her own was a wonderful distraction normally, but she knew that focus was key. She used her left index finger to draw a light curving, meandering patterns down the dragon’s neck and across her broad shoulders. The hum of approval and shiver that she felt from the woman next to her let Weiss know that she had chosen correctly.

From experience she knew Yang preferred a harder, more aggressive touch, but as she had predicted lighter touches wound her up just as well.

She let her fingers glide down and along all the lines of muscle in the dragon’s arm till she felt Yang’s kiss get bolder and more demanding. Then as she had foreseen Yang tried to shift to retake the initiative. But Weiss was ready for this, she pushed on Yang’s shoulder and rolled so that she could lay atop the dragon, effectively straddling her girlfriend’s leg.

Yang looked up at her a little surprised, but Weiss just raised an eyebrow in questioning challenge before dipping down so that she could kiss her way along Yang’s neck. The response she received was favorable. Yang arched into her, and it was such a turn on that it forced Weiss to take a beat to remember what she was doing.

Feeling Yang grind into her normally made her struggle for control, but that had always been with clothes on. Now Weiss was forced to cope with the sensation of Yang’s skinpressing against her own, and it was unimaginably difficult.

Thankfully holding back was no longer a factor, instead she just needed to maintain enough wherewithal to reach her goal without any further mishaps or distractions.

She used her tongue to lavished Yang’s collar bone with attention as she let her left hand slide up to play along the sculpted abs below her.

A needy moan came from the dragon, and Weiss took that as her cue to move on. She let her mouth kiss downward as her hands moved up to grasp Yang’s chest. But holding onto that much at once proved to be a bit of a challenge for Weiss. Weiss struggled a little, but then managed to find a position that worked for her.

“Sorry,” a smirking retort came from above, “Am I a bit of a han- unnnhh”

Weiss lightly pinched and twisted at one of Yang’s nipples to cut off the unwanted input, “I’m sorry,” she started to tease the dragon by pulling at her in a way that left Yang arching into the heiress’s hands, “you were saying?”

“A-absolutely - f*ck,” Yang’s jaw and head snapped backwards in pleasure as Weiss toyed with her. “Nothing,” she breathily finished.

The heiress grinned in satisfaction.

If she thinks that is good, then she is going to love what comes next.

Shifting just a bit she continued to kiss her way down between Yang’s breasts. She paid close attention to whenever she heard Yang take a sharp breath in so that she could stop to let her tongue play with each newly discovered area.

And because of that she managed to find the dragon’s favorite spot. It seemed to be just inside of the junction of where her breast met her chest. Though Weiss was unable to hold herself back from determining just how preferred the spot was. She sucked and teased at the area until Yang desperatelyground into the heiress’s leg, and called out with a winning moan, "Weiss."

To say that Yang’s wanton behavior was distracting would have been an understatement of epic proportions.

The heiress swallowed as she fought to clear and restrain her own desire. She had Yang right where she wanted her, but that could all go awry if she let herself lose focus. She moved her mouth to Yang’s nipple, which freed her hand to move down and foreshadow what was coming next. As she flicked at the bud in her mouth the blond cried out again, but even louder this time.

Too loud in fact.

“Yang,” Weiss broke away, “You can’t be that loud. We aren’t in Atlas anymore.”

Exasperated magenta eyes looked back up at her, “I’m gonna- are you serious right now?!?!”

“Yes,” the heiress responded with a hiss, “people will hear.”

The dragon’s eye twitched, but then her head dropped back onto the bed.

Frustrated at the interruption, but also feeling bad, Weiss decided to offer up a placation, “If you are quieter, I promise I will do my best to make sure all your effort is worthwhile.” She emphasized by kissing the now red spot she had discovered from before.

When she saw Yang bite her lip in response the heiress felt the tension inside of her ease. She smiled at her dragon before going back to what she had been doing previously. And while she had lost most of the momentum that she had built, it turned out to be quite easy to work Yang back up again.

In less than a minute she felt Yang arching into her, but with notably quieter vocalizations.

Truthfully, Weiss missed hearing her girlfriend cry out, but feeling her dragon grind up against her leg was an irresistible diversion that she just barely managed to cope with.

It also turned out that playing with the blond’s chest was a much more intoxicating and rewarding activity than she had predicted. She almost mercilessly lavished attention on the nipple in her mouth as she worked her left hand down the grooves and lines of Yang’s stomach.

Eventually satisfied with her work Weiss nipped at the bud in her mouth, pausing only briefly to enjoy the low groan her action had elicited. But then she relented to inch her own body further downward so that her lips and tongue could explore the paths her hand had previously trekked along the dragon’s torso.

She could have played in those tantalizing lines for hours, but when she noticed that Yang was gripping the sheets next to her, Weiss realized that she had worked her girlfriend up enough. So she repositioned herself one last time between Yang’s legs as she placed light kisses along the hips below her.

For just a second Weiss paused and took in a deep breath to reassure herself.

Just remember everything you read.

Confidence reaffirmed she trailed kisses down the crease of Yang’s leg, as she did she became acutely aware of just how ragged and rushed her girlfriend’s breathing became.

As she worked her mouth to the edge of where she was obviously wanted Weiss breathed out lightly against Yang before using a broad tongue to press up against the other woman.

A loud, but relieved groan of pleasure tore from the dragon.

Weiss would have chastised her, but she was far too turned on at that point to care. She could feel her own heartbeat hammering in her chest, and it urged her to take even more from the woman below her.

With a light almost tentative movement she licked Yang again, and it elicited a sharp intake of air along with an expletive. Understanding that she was obviously in the right spot she used her tongue to stroke against the sides of where the dragon wanted her.

In response Weiss received a whining needy groan as the hips below her sought out more direct contact. Hardly one to deny Yang what they both so clearly desired, the heiress used her right hand to hold down the dragon’s hips so that she could give the her girlfriend what she craved.

She lavished attention at her cl*t, but never for too long. Always just enough to work Yang two steps forward before moving away to edge her one step back.

That pattern continued until she felt Yang arch so strongly against her that she wasn’t sure if she would be able to hold the dragon down any longer. And truthfully, Weiss had lost herself so deeply in the satisfaction of her own actions that she didn’t know how long she had been at it.

So shaking off a little of her own heated excitement she worked to reclaim her focus so that she could let Yang get the rest of the way. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she pulled away, then moved the fingers of her left hand into position.

When her fingers ran through the wetness of the woman below her she was shocked at how it made the warmth in her own abdomen grow and burn.

Biting her lip she worked her first finger into Yang.

“Uggh, f*ck,” Yang cried out so desperately that it almost seemed like she was in pain. But then the heiress felt the muscles around her finger tighten and contract as the dragon breathily moaned out in relief.

Remaining focused seemed like an utter pipe dream after that. Weiss struggled to remember how to breath as she battled to clear the lust that clouded even her most basic faculties. All she knew was that she wanted- no, needed to give Yang more.

She moved back down and took her girlfriend’s cl*t into her mouth. Weiss knew her technique was not as controlled as it was before, but when a groan escaped her own lips it seemed to drive Yang even closer to the edge.

As she continued to give Yang everything she wanted, Weiss fought to maintain her composure.

And failed spectacularly.

The ragged sporadic breaths and groans from the woman above her were simply too much to cope with. So despite her own wishes she moaned back, no longer able to deny how unbelievably turned on hearing Yang made her.

It was unmistakable how close her girlfriend was, and it took every bit of focus left in her body for Weiss to remember what she wanted and needed to do next. She gently removed her finger from Yang and immediately received a growl of disapproval. But when Weiss slid two fingers back into her that disapproval quickly turned into a sharp breath sucked through a clenched jaw.

For the briefest of seconds she was afraid that she had hurt Yang, but then she felt the muscle around her fingers quiver before they tightened so strongly that they literally pulled at her for more.

She moved her fingers in deeper, then curled them upwards and Yang bucked hard against her and cried out her name.

The heiress failed to hold back a growling groan, then took in a deep breath as she felt her heart hammer in her chest so hard that it hurt. She knew she needed to finish this soon, if not for Yang’s sanity, then for her own. So she increased the pressure of her tongue and curled her fingers even more.

Yang let out a deep groanof approval as she approached the edge, and her back arched off the bed. Weiss possessively grabbed the dragon’s hip and pinned her downagainst the bed, which only seemed push Yang to moan and plead louder.

In response heiress sped up the movement of her actions and a plethora of unrepeatable moaning words left her girlfriend.

Seconds later a long high pitched groan escaped Yang, and she clenched tightly around Weiss’s fingers as she came.

The heiress swallowed hard and felt her core throb;hearing Yang had been so intense and indescribably sexy that it made herfeel like she could have come right along with her.

Against all reason Weisssomehow managed to stay focused enough to slow down her movements to allowYang a smooth transition fromher climax. She could still feel how tightly her girlfriend’s body gripped her, so she was careful not to make any sudden movements or pull away. But the smallwhinesand the occasional spasm made that difficult.

After about a minute she felt Yang finally relax back onto the bed. Slowly and gently Weiss disengaged herself so that she could lay next to the other woman. As quickly and discreetlyas possible she cleaned herself off on the sheets, then eased down next to Yang topatiently wait for the dragon to open her eyes again.

Yang was still breathing pretty heavily, but she eventually took in a long deep breath before letting it back out, “Wow,” her eyes were looking up at the ceiling, “that was… a thing.”

Her girlfriend closed her eyes again, and it was a while before she seemed ready to do anything other than breath heavy, but eventually she looked over at Weiss with an worn out and exasperated look, “That was really really good. Like,” Yang smiled at her with a dopey grin, “really good.”

Weiss was relieved, but also a bit concerned about the dragon’s sudden lack of vocabulary skills.

Yang shook her head in a what looked like an attempt to re-establish her faculties. But obviously failed to do so, because her next words were unbearably crude, “Just how many partners did you have before me to get that good?”

The heiress looked at her in utter disbelief, “What is wrong with you?! That isn’t the sort of thing you just ask someone!”

The dragon obviously disagreed, because she raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Why not?”

“Because,” the heiress let out in an exasperated huff, “talking about how many people I have or have not been with isn’t really a mood setting conversation.”

Yang looked at her for an uncomfortably long moment and it made her afraid that she might have given away too much information with her last statement.

“Hmmmm,” the dragon shifted onto her side to look at Weiss more fully, “So if you haven’t been with many, or any people other than me, how is it that you are so good at sex? Because you have some seriously good moves.”

Weiss could feel herself turn bright red, “You are the absolute worst, you- how are you this terrible?!”

“What,” Yang exclaimed in her defense, “I don’t get why you are so embarrassed to talk about it, you were fantastic. Like a lot better than I had expected.” The blond raised an eyebrow, “Plus after everything you just did to me, how are you not okay talking about things?”

The heiress was mortified by what had to be the most humiliating conversation she would ever have to endure. Though, another part of her was incredibly proud and relieved to know that she had managed to impress Yang.

Realizing that the uncouth dragon was not going to let things go Weiss relented to give a quick explanation. She rolled over on her back so that she didn’t have to make eye contact with her frustrating partner, “It is because I did what I always do when I want to be good at something, I read and researched techniques and practical theory.”

When Yang didn’t respond she tentatively looked over to see a barely contained grin on her girlfriend’s lips, and it was more than Weiss could bare. She grabbed the pillow behind her and started to hit Yang with it, “You are the worst!”

Yang threw up her arms and laughed as Weiss continued to pummeled her, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she cried out until Weiss finally stopped. “You are just so cute that I can’t help it.”

A stern glare marked Weiss's face, because she wanted Yang to know that the conversation needed to come to a close.

Holding up her hands Yang apologized one more time, “It is just surprising that studying books could make someone so outstanding in bed. I’m sorry,” the remorseful dragon inched a little closer till she could reach out and touch Weiss again, “I promise will never doubt your abilities again.”

The heiress rolled her eyes at the impossible promise, but decided to let go of her ire, “I thought cuddling after was standard protocol.” She raised her eyebrow in jest, “Or are you an anomaly that wasn’t covered in my research?”

With a big grin Yang laughed before she grabbed the sheets to wrap them both up again. Thenher girlfriendscooched towards the center of the bed and gently pulled at Weiss to let her know that she was ready to snuggle.

Weiss sighed, but slid into Yang’s warm embrace. She nuzzled her head into her dragon’s shoulder and finally let herself relax again.

Lips pressed against the side of her head, and Yang spoke in a gentle voice, “I really am sorry Weiss, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me.”

“I don’t,” Weiss admitted, “I was just… truthfully I was worried that we wouldn’t be compatible.”

She felt Yang pull away from her and looked up to see confused lavender eyes, “Uhh… What?”

Weiss shifted uncomfortably before answering, “Well, if we didn’t work together in this sort of respect, then it only would have been a matter of time before we would have had to end things.”

Surprised blond eyebrows met her comment. Then Yang opened her mouth, shut it, then opened it again, “So I agree that being sexually compatible is important, but when you love someone you communicate with them so that you can learn what they like and get better at it.”

Then it was Weiss’s turn to be surprised, “That is a really… mature and rational viewpoint.”

Yang grinned, “Well I can’t claim all the credit. There is a reason why my dad has always been so popular with the ladies.”

The heiress’s eye twitched, “Are you utterly incapable of not obliterating the mood?”

Strong arms pulled her in close, and Weiss found herself looking into vibrant lilac eyes, “Oh come on princess,” she smiled, “you know you love me.”

Weiss paused feeling the profound truth of those words down to the very core of her being, “I really do, you foolish dragon.” She looked deep into Yang’s eyes before admitting, “And that is why I worry so much, I am afraid that all this will end just as quickly as it started.”

Yang protectively curled around her, “Why?”

There wasn’t judgement in her girlfriend’s tone, simply concern and a desire to understand. Weiss closed her eyes and knitted her eyebrows together as she worked up the courage to answer the dragon’s question.

She took a deep breath and looked down at the crumpled sheets between them before answering, “Because it isn’t rational. None of it is really. I can't wrap my head around how quickly and deeply I let myself fall in love with you. I of all people know better than to rush into things. And I am aware that when relationships burn quickly, they burn out just as fast. Solid, lasting relationships take hard work and time.

“But,” Weiss finally met her girlfriend’s patient lilac gaze, “when I am with you things just feel so easy and comfortable that I don’t know how to hold back. No matter how hard I try I can’t seem to keep my heart in check or my guard up when you’re near. And that scares me, because-” the heiress clenched her jaw before she could find the will to finish what she had started. “I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted.”

A long sigh put silence into the air and she averted her gaze before she was ready to talk again, “I know that you are not mine to possess,” she admitted. “Just as easily as you asked me to be with you, you could take those words back. I wouldn’t be able to stop you from doing so either, because you get to choose if you want to be with me. Which is wonderful,” the heiress’s eyes lighted as she looked back up, “... but terrifying at the same time.” A frown set upon her face, “Because of all the different types of pain that I have experienced in Atlas… I know deep down that losing you would be the worst thing I would ever have to bare.”

Yang looked at her with a sad smile, “Oh princess,” she kissed her forehead then finished with a smirk, “you know I’m the one that is supposed to ruin the mood, not you.”

The heiress felt herself pulled into a firm reassuring embrace before she could respond. It was warm and enveloping in a way that made much of her anxiety dissipate. Yang held her there like that for a long moment before she finally spoke, “For being so unbelievably smart you were only right about one thing.”

Weiss pulled away in irritation to look up at the grinning dragon. Yang let her face turn more serious though as she spoke, “I could leave you if I wanted to, but the thing is, I don’t want to,” she emphasized. Yang reached out to touch the heiress’s face, “and I really don’t think I ever will. Weiss, you are amazing in so many ways, but most importantly you make me happy.” Yang smiled, “Like crazy happy. I don’t really ever find myself worried about being enough for you, because I know just how much you love me. That a person like you loves me, makes me feel so good about myself, that most days I forget about the judgmental things other people might think or say about me. Because I’m too busy being happy that I am with you to be troubled about anything else.”

The blond shrugged, “I won’t pretend like I’m not still working through things or that every second of every day is perfect, but it is shockingly easy to be with you. I feel content just because you are standing next to me or even in the same room. And I know that people say relationships are supposed to be hard and that they are supposed to take time and lot of work to get right, but honestly,” Yang laughed, and it brought a lightness back to Weiss’s heart, “since when have either of us been the type to do what other people tell us to do?”

Yang’s hand ran through the heiress’s hair and the gesture helped set Weiss's troubled mind at ease.

“I know things have been stressful, rushed, and sometimes just flat out terrible since we met, but I wouldn’t go back and change our problems if I thought it would mean that we might not end up together.” Her dragon looked deep into her eyes and stated with calm steady conviction, “I love you Weiss. You are smart, sexy, strong, brave, and genuinely kind. And I want to be with you,” she paused and just a touch of sadness was in her eyes when she said, “for as long as you want to be with me.”

A knot was lodged in Weiss’s throat from all that she had just heard, and it was so large that she finally realized it was why she had been holding her breath. Yang’s words left her clueless as to how to respond, for what could she say in return that would match such heartfelt and profound feelings.

All she could do was look up in wonder at her miraculously sunny dragon and marvel at how unbelievably lucky she was. She loved Yang so much, and in that moment she wanted more than anything to kiss her.

So she was eternally grateful to find out that the feeling was mutual. When Yang leaned in to kiss her the heiress was surprised at the gentleness of the blond’s lips. It wasn’t her normal demanding or exuberant pace. Instead it was slow, controlled, and deliberate, and Weiss felt each movement and gesture all the more because of it.

As the kiss was drawn out they shifted next to each other and their bodies eased together so perfectly that it felt like they were supposed to be connected. Yang must have had a similar notion, because she pulled on the sheet that was crumpled between them, and then suddenly Weiss was blissfully aware of their bare skin touching once again. She literally hummed upon feeling so much of Yang pressed up against her. Because despite how rough and strong her dragon was, her skin was impossibly soft.

Even though Yang’s body brushed against her own like silk, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting more. Being so close to Yang, hearing her words of adoration, and practically hearing the sounds of pleasure that sillran through her mind from earlier, made Weiss lose the ability and desire to hold herself back.

Her pulse quickened, and she couldn’t help but increase the intensity of their kiss as she gripped the muscles of her dragon’s back.

All of it had pushed Weiss past the point of no return. She didn’t just want Yang to take her, she needed her to.

She broke away briefly to let out a pleading moan for more, “Yang.”

And this time, Weiss didn’t want to leave any question in her girlfriend's mind as to what she desired. The heiress slipped her tongue into the Yang's mouth and audibly groaned as their tongues pressed and slid against one another. Her need for more made her body arch into Yang’s each time their tongues played against one another. So when she felt Yang’s hand trail down her side and along her back Weiss let out a long, pleased sigh of relief.

But simple touch quickly didn’t feel like enough. Any other time she would have been embarrassed by her utterly wanton nature, but she had held herself back for so long that her hunger was no longer satiable.

Though as desperate as she was, Yang seemed frustratingly the opposite. Her girlfriend was as calm and patient as Weisshad ever experienced.Yang took her time to lavish attention to each part of Weiss’s body that her mouth or hand touched. Alternating between sweet soft touches and slow firm pressure.

It was infuriating, but also wonderfully decadent. So as much as it pained her the heiress cooled her want, so that she wouldn’t miss the care Yang was putting into each of her actions.

Which turned out to be a very wise decision.

The dragon’s hands wandered up her back with just the right amount of pressure, and Weiss could feel all the tension from their long days on the road ease away. The skill that Yang used made her feel like clay that was gently being worked into a sinuous sculpture. To the point that all she could do was softly groan as her body melted into the other woman.

But Yang's hand was not satisfied with staying confined to one area. Slowly it worked its way to her side, playing along the divots of her rib cage and the curve of her waist.

Then the heiress felt Yang hand softly press against her hip so that she would lay on her back. Her girlfriend then shifted and it broke their kiss. For a second Weiss felt heart broken at the loss of contact, but then sucked in a deep breath as lips lightly touched her neck.

While Yang began to lay tortuously soft kisses upward towards the apex of her jaw, her hand made ever steady progress up Weiss's side till it just barely grazed her chest. Weiss let out a quiet pleading moans, in hopes that Yang would give her more, and she was gloriously thankful when the message was received.

Yang’s hand worked around the muscles in her chest, which wound her up more than she would ever want to admit, but then eventually her girlfriend’s fingers found purchase over her breast. Weiss let out a satisfied sigh as Yang artfully massaged her. The sensation was familiar but it had been quite some time since she had been able to feel her girlfriend touch her like that, so it felt all the more wonderful and appreciated.

Though never one to settle for adequate, Yang’s mouth attached to the spot under Weiss’s ear that was always the most sensitive and lust inducing.

A soft cry escaped her as Yang’s tongue played against the skin of her jaw. But even her lascivious sounds of approval didn’t increase her girlfriend'space. Weiss felt torn between wanting to beg for more and letting Yang spoil her with indulgent attention. It made her core ache in an almost painful way, but Weiss also never wanted it to stop.

Fortunately Yang’s ever steady intentions found a compromise, and fingers made their way to the Weiss's nipple. She bit her lip to stop herself from calling out, but as Yang rolled and toyed with the skin between her fingers that became exponentially more difficult. The only thing that kept her from moaning, as loudly as Yang had earlier, was the embarrassment of just how wet she had become from their earlier activities and Yang’s new ministrations.

But the whimpering moans that did escaped her didn’t seem to be enough to satisfy Yang. The dragon’s mouth wandered down her neck with breathy, teasingkisses that left little for the imagination to solve as to where they intended to finally land.

Weiss felt her hips arch as those wonderfully terrible lips worked their way towards her chest. She felt her jaw clench and her heart race as she waited.

A perceived eternity later Yang’s mouth closed around her other nipple and the heiress let out a crying sigh of relief. Her heart beat still pounded in her chest, but the muscles in her back finally relaxed back to a state that left her body to rest back against the bed.

At first the sensation of double stimulation was manageable, but then Yang started doing a thing with her tongue that made Weiss shamelessly groan from just how unbelievably good it felt. And despite how gentle and loving her dragon was being it felt impossible to stay relaxed. She just wanted Yang to touch her. She was beyond being nervous, because she didn’t have room in her brain for anything but the desire of finally being with the person she wanted most.

Though with more than a little effort, the heiress was able to calm herself once more, at least to the point that she could fully enjoy everything that Yang was doing. She could not however stop her hips from grinding into the dragon that was now mostly above her.

A low barely audible growl of desire emanated from the dragon and resonated against the heiress’s chest. It turned Weiss on even more to hear her girlfriend’s want, but it eventually hit her just how much Yang was restraining herself to get this far so calmly.

Weiss opened her eyes and looked down at the mass of blond hair and muscle that was above her. She hesitantly reached out and cupped Yang’s jaw. The dragon looked up at her with pink irises that quickly turned back to lavender, and Weiss smiled at her as she bit the corner of her lip.

Yang smiled back at her, then shifted back up to lay beside her. When she had settled she pulled Weiss into her side and kissed her again. It was a sweet kiss, but the undercurrent of tension in it was accented when the dragon’s hand made its way back to her chest. Weiss reached out and gripped Yang’s back.

She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out. But apparently either the heat of their kiss or the desperate way in which she clung to Yang conveyed the message, because the heiress felt her dragon’s hand slowly work it’s way down.

It stopped occasionally to play at spots that made Weiss squirm or moan, but eventually it found a resting place on the front of her hip. Weiss felt Yang’s thumb grind into thetop her hip and broke away as low groan of want from escaped her.

Consumed with worry that the dragon might stop or keep up her maddeningly slow pace Weiss looked at Yang and worked up the courage to ask, “Please?”

Her dragon’s eyes softened in understanding and she kissed Weiss again as she moved her hand downward.

The anticipation made her forget to breath as Weiss waited for the touch she wanted more than anything in that moment. A single finger brushed against her folds and she moaned into the dragon’s mouth nails biting softly into the flesh above her as she struggled to cope with the new sensation.

Then after she remembered to breath she felt that finger move in and upwards. Her jaw clenched as she braced herself, but it still didn’t prepare her for that first grazing touch against her cl*t.

A loud desperatemoan escaped her, but was covered by Yang’s lips on her own. It felt like every neuron in her brain was trying to fire all at once, and yet it was so blissfully addictive that she wanted more. Slow gentle touches followed, and she felt her already rapid heartbeat increase. Her own hand moved down to grip the dragon’s lower back; needing something, anything, to brace herself.

The heiress found a measure of composure as Yang switched to more firm circular movements, but that composure turned out to be an illusion. Because as soon as the dragon slowed her speed she felt needy lascivious whimpers shamelessly beg Yang for more.

But those pleas went seeminglyunheard, as the torturous woman next to her kissed her neck and kept the same maddening pace. Weiss felt the tension in her chest and shoulder build to what she knew was an unsustainable rate. Her hand trembled as she held onto Yang and she bit her lower lip as she continued to sound her pleas for more.

Her breath became ragged, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold out, when the dragon finally sped up and pressed just a little harder.

A shameful groan of relief escaped her only to have her mouth once again met by Yang’s lips. Weiss tried to kiss her back through strained breath and wanton moans, butknew her technique was abysmal. And in that moment she couldn't have really given a damn, because a warm tension pooled and grew in her core to let her know how dangerously close she was.

Yang had built her up so much though that she was almost afraid of what came next, because it had never felt this intense for her before.

Suddenly the pressure on her cl*t increased one last time and the heiress took in a shuddered breath as her nails bit into Yang’s back without restraint. She reflexively eased her grip, but there was no longer a question. She was at the end of her tether.

The tension inside of her was maddening. It felt like every muscle was drawn tight and like her heart might explode. She knew she was about to come, but the intensity was so strong that it made her too scared to let it happen.

Then she heard Yang call out to her in a measured tone, “Weiss.”

The heiress strained to open her eyes and as soon as she meet the lilac eyes that looked down on her she heard her dragon say, “I love you.”

That was all it took.

A nearly silent cry escaped her as all the tension within her was finally released. It felt like every shard of dust on Remnant exploded inside of her. And every thought she had ever had was wiped from her mind as she simply existed in that single pure moment.

Her body arched unconsciously to respond to her girlfriend's movements, which hadn't subsided. All Weiss was able to do was bask in the rush of euphoric chemical that washed over and enveloped her brain. It feltunbelievably wonderfulto simply exist and not think. Instants seemed to stretch on like blissfully overwhelming eternities...

But sadly those eternities were not meant to last, because some unknowable amount of time later she became aware that her body had relaxed back onto the bed. Eventually she also became aware of thesoft whimpering moans that camefrom her mouth. It wasn’t until she felt Yang’s touch slow and ease off of her that she was able to start registering reality again.

The wash of sensationstill running around in her brain and the intensity of her climax were still too strong for her to cope withthough. She needed something stable to hold onto. So she reached out, with her last scrapof strength, and pulled herself into the curve of Yang’s body.

She had no idea how long she laid there like that clinging to her girlfriend’s body, but being there, held in her dragon’s arms, was the single most relaxing and at ease memory of her entire existence. To the point that it almost physically pained her to break away and utter, “That was unbelievable.”

The arms around her gave her a gentle squeeze, and somehow it felt like warmth flowed into her from Yang’s embrace.

The heiress felt a gentle kiss against the top of her head, before Yang finally responded with barely restrained enthusiasm, “Yeah, I know. You’ve always been sexy princess, but that was crazy hot.” There was a pause before she finished with, “I hope you always make sounds like that.”

Weiss could feel herself go completely red with embarrassment and she buried her face against the blond’s chest, “Are you ever going to just let me enjoy the moment?”

Yang’s chest shook under her, as the mood killing dragon laughed, “I meant that as a complement. I thought you would be happy to hear me say that since you were so worried about compatibility.”

An irritated growl came from Weiss as she refused to look at her infuriating girlfriend, “There is a time and a place to discuss such things. This is not that time,” the heiress emphasized.

Unfortunately her discomfort was lost on Yang. The blond pulled away and asked with an incredulous voice, “Then when exactly is the right time to talk about ‘such things?’ We had sex Weiss, and it was great. Why are you still so embarrassed about that?”

The heiress closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, part of her agreed with her uncouth girlfriend, but another part of her was mortified and consumed with self-conscious dread at knowing she had made such... noises.

Weiss’s refusal to answer back apparently spurred Yang to continue the topic without her, “Do you not like hearing or making noises during sex?” The dragon’s words carried skepticism marked with a little worry, “Is that why you told me to be quiet earlier, you didn’t like hearing me?”

When she realized that it was not a conversation she could escape Weiss broke away and looked up. As extremely unpleasant as it was to discuss such matters, she didn’t want Yang to think that she didn’t enjoy listening to her. So she managed to let out a short but clear, “No.”

Yang narrowed her brow, “No, you do like noises, or no that isn’t why you told me to be quite?”

“Both,” the heiress rolled her eyes. “And for the record I only told you to be quiet because I didn’t want the whole inn to know what we were doing.”

A vexing grin spread across her dragon’s face. She could tell that Yang had something to say, but was trying to hold it back. Knowing it was better to let her say what she wanted than have to deal with it at some unknown time later Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and asked with a sigh, “What?”

The blond looked to the side, “Weeeeeell...I am pretty sure everyone knows after all the noise you made.”

The heiress’s ire rose, “I did no such thing, I made sure to stay as quiet as possible!”

Yang bit her lip and averted her eyes before responding, “I don’t think you were as quiet as you thought you were.” A smug grin marked her face, “It was one of the reasons that I kept kissing you, I was trying to help you stay quiet.”

Weiss’s eyes widened in shock. Yang had been amazing, but she was sure that she had been able to constrain herself from being too loud. She couldn’t believe that it was possible for to have lost her faculties to such extent to have no recollection of calling out loudly.

As she scanned her brain to determine if her girlfriend was telling the truth, out of the corner of her eye she could see that Yang was still smirking.

She’s lying… I knew it!

Eyes narrowed Weiss turned and studied the mischievous dragon, “I don’t believe you.”

Lavender eyes locked onto her, “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not,” those same eyes swept down to look at her body and then back up, “I’m just excited to know that next time I will get to make you be even louder.”

Weiss felt her desire return and her cheeks flush, but then her pride got the better of her and she obstinately responded, “You can not.”

Yang turned onto her side and looked at her with positively lust filled pink eyes, “Oh I plan to do things to you that will make you forget your own name.”

Warmth pool in her abdomen at her girlfriend’s wanton tone and lascivious stare.

After a second she managed to swallowed down her surprise and summoned icy confidence. Bravado or not she was intrigued and undeniably turned on by her dragon’s words.

“That,” Weiss pushed on Yang’s shoulder, then climbed atop her girlfriend, “sounds like a challenge.” She slid her leg between Yang’s and pushed forward till she saw the eyes below her turn to an even darker shade of pink, “And you know how I feel about losing.”

A long quiet yawn escaped Weiss at the top of the stairs to the lobby. She adjusted the straps of her pack before descending to check out. She was just a little more tired and sore than she wanted to be, but surprisingly relaxed.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she looked back up with a smile when she saw the dragon slowly make her way down with her arms full of newly boxed supplies and an overstuffed backpack.

She waited to Yang to set the boxes down, but then had to look at her expectantly.

“What,” the dragon looked around, “that’s everything, I swear.”

Weiss rolled her eyes then sighed, “We have to return the key.”

Yang rubbed the back of her head while she reached her other hand into her pocket. “Right,” she let out a quiet laugh.

The heiress just grinned and shook her head, “I guess after last night you really are the one forgetful one.”

Narrowed eyes meet her own as Yang passed her the key but didn’t let go, “That’s not how I remember it going last night.”

With a quick glance behind her Weiss saw that the clerk was still busy looking over the log book on the desk. She turned her gaze back to her girlfriend and responded with a lowered voice, “Well then I guess I will just have to refresh your memory when we reach the next town.” She then pulled the key from Yang’s grip and walked towards the front desk.

“Hello again Ms. Schnee,” the clerk greeted her with a smile, “Checking out?”

“Yes,” Weiss returned the gesture when she placed the room key on the desk.

“Well I hope you enjoyed your stay with us,” there was a slight pause as the woman behind the desk smirked slightly, “even though it didn’t sound like you got that much sleep.”

Weiss’s eyes widened in shock, and she felt all the blood rush to her face as she was consumed with untold embarrassment. She wanted to sink into the floor or crawl away in shame, but her body was frozen in place.

It wasn’t till she heard Yang laughing that she found the ability to move again. Her girlfriend was almost bent over she was laughing so hard.

The heiress pinched the bridge of her nose and proceeded to walk out the door.

This is my life now.

Chapter 27: Epilogue (Part 3)

Chapter Text

“That,” Weiss pushed on Yang’s shoulder, then climbed atop her letting her skin glide across Yang’s own until their eyes came level with each other, “sounds like a challenge.”

Yang had already been incredibly turned on from hearing the desperate sounds that Weiss had made for her just minutes before. The fact that she had held herself back from going all out on the heiress had only fueled her desire to do exactly that and so much more.

She knew that her control had been worn thin. Weiss on top of her, using such a dominant tone just made her grip that much harder to hold.

“And,” Weiss continues, “you know how I feel about losing .” She accented by grinding her leg up between Yang’s.

Need, fiery and unrestrained erupted inside of Yang.

Weiss had never been so forward with her, and it nearly broke Yang’s mind at how badly it made her crave Weiss.

She reached up and pulled Weiss down into a hard, wanton kiss as she pushed as much of her body up to meet the skin above her as she could. She knew that Weiss wanted to be in control, and she liked the idea of that prospect far more than she cared to admit outloud, but holding back seemed nearly impossible. The last straw was when she felt her girlfriend’s smirking lips through their kiss.

Yang primed her muscles, then then used her body weight and leverage to effortlessly switch their positions. She paused just long enough to look into surprised blue eyes before bending down to leave messy kisses up the side of her girlfriend’s neck. She let her left hand roam the whole of Weiss’s body in all the ways she had been craving. No longer tender or slow, but openly displaying just how much she wanted and needed to touch Weiss.

Her girlfriend groaned and pressed back against her touch, but it didn’t take long for Weiss fight back.

A growl of needy pleasure left her throat when she felt Weiss squeeze her ass, then she had to pause and cope when she felt her girlfriend’s nails scrape along the skin of her back.

f*ck, she is too sexy.

That short laps in activity, was all the time Weiss needed to reassert herself. Obstinate and accusing words hit Yang’s ears as she shook off her lust, “And why exactly do you think that I am going to let you go first?”

A devious smirk spread across Yang’s lips, “First off, you got to start things off last time.” She openly put all of her desire into her expression, “And secondly the bet is about how loud I can get you to be. So,” Yang flashed her a wicked smile, “just lay back and enjoy letting me win.”

Icy blue eyes met her with a tenacious glare, “I think you are underestimating my willpower, and overestimating your skill.”

Yang raised an eyebrow at Weiss’s antagonistic words.

“I don’t doubt that you know what you are doing,” Weiss continued with a little playfulness in her voice, “but you are not going to succeed, especially if you stick to the same tactics.”

“I do love it when you are fiesty,” Yang responded from over top of her, “but if you think I only have one ‘playlist’ then it is going to be quite a long night.” Yang ran her fingers along the groves of Weiss’s ribs, then let the tips of her fingers just barely graze the underside of her girlfriend’s chest. Her smirk widened when she saw Weiss struggle to keep her expression from cracking. “I only repeat performances upon request princess,” she taunted her girlfriend with a mischievous grin, “and you will end up tapping out long before that has a chance of happening.”

Weiss’s eyes narrowed at her last remark, and it made Yang re-evaluate and pull back a little. They hadn’t exactly set boundaries yet, and she had no intention of pushing Weiss into anything she didn’t actually want or wasn’t ready for.

She softened her tone, but left just a bit of teasing in her words, “But if you aren’t ready for all of that, I can always let you put off your defeat for another day.”

A raised white eyebrow marked Weiss’s brow as she studied Yang for a long moment, “I think it is high time that your obnoxious bravado is put to an end. I don’t like repeating myself either, so all I will say is…,” Weiss looked at Yang’s lips before meeting her eyes again with that classic Schnee resolve, “show me what you’ve got dragon.”

Yang’s heart rate rose and her eyes widened with excitement as she heard Weiss’s taunting consent. She knew without a doubt that she could make Weiss call out, but her girlfriend’s haughtiness had spurred a terribly devious streak inside of her.

At finally having the green light, Yang practically dove for her favorite spot on Weiss’s neck. She left wet lingering kisses from Weiss’s collarbone to just short of her girlfriend’s jaw. Then she let her lips hovered just above where they had started as she let out a breath against Weiss’s neck.

A satisfied grin grew tight across Yang’s face as she saw her princess’s head tilt back and Weiss bit the edge of her lip to hold on to her control.

This is going to be easier than I thought.

With a quick shift of her weight Yang slid her leg higher up between Weiss’s own till she heard a low quiet groan escape her girlfriend.

It was clear that Weiss was still turned on from before, and to be honest it had an effect on Yang as well. She let her thigh grind up into Weiss again, and bent down to whisper in her ear, “It is such a turn on to feel how wet you are.”

“You insufferable-” Weiss started.

Yang bit back a laugh as she latched her lips onto her girlfriend’s jaw just below her ear to cut off her protest. In return she heard a soft high pitched whine escaped Weiss’s lips. Yang worked her tongue against that same spot and smiled as she felt Weiss’s breathing speed up and her volume increase. She could tell that Weiss was trying her best to hold back, but she had clearly caught her girlfriend off guard with the taunt.

Hmm, as fun as this is I don’t want to win in round one.

A breathy deep moan escaped Weiss and it confirmed that Yang needed to slow down if she was going to get what she really wanted out of this. She pulled away just enough to whisper, “Be careful Weiss, I don’t want to win straight out of the gate. Not when there is so much more that I plan to show you.”

Weiss took in a deep measured breath then let it out, “If you plan on talking me into calling out, then I like my odds.”

Yang ran her tongue over her teeth, she knew she would never grow tired of the challenge and determination that she could illicite from her princess. It was one of the things that made Weiss so incredibly attractive.

“Then I better put my mouth to better use,” Yang responded before she crashed her lips into Weiss’s.

Her left hand wandered up the heiress’s side so that she could enjoy the feel of her girlfriends ivory soft skin. Then she slipped her tongue into Weiss’s mouth, and hummed with pleasure when she felt Weiss mirror her own lust fueled technique.

She enjoyed the kiss for a moment, but had no intention of letting Weiss get her feet completely under her. So she inched her fingers higher until they played at the soft underside of the heiress’s chest. When she felt Weiss pause in the middle of their kiss she knew that she had successfully rocked her girlfriend back on her heels again.

As much as she loved toying with Weiss it also made her own desire grow and rumble. Touching Weiss had always been intoxicating. The heiress was so responsive that it was nearly impossible to hold back after receiving such positive praise and obvious longing.

Thankfully Yang had the advantage of not having to stay quiet, so when she moved her hand to touch Weiss’s chest more fully she let out a needy growl against the heiress’s lips to express just how much she wanted Weiss.

Her action was rewarded by Weiss arching into her touch and letting out a short hum of satisfaction. Yang decided that given such accolades she should stick around for a while. She took her time teasing the edges and curves of Weiss’s chest, finding it hard to stop when she got so many tempting whimpers and stifled groans in return.

Eventually she felt Weiss’s nails bite lightly into her back as Weiss ground against her leg, and Yang had to shake off her own want.

As perfect as it felt to toy with and enjoy Weiss’s responses, Yang knew that she needed to move on if she wanted to tackle even half of her to do list.

Resolved to move on she slid further down Weiss’s body, effectively taking away her girlfriend’s ability to grind against her.

She tugged on her girlfriends nipple with her left hand before taking the other into her mouth. She started out soft, but gradually got more rough. The tactic paid off, and Yang looked up in time to see Weiss squint her eyes shut as her mouth hung wordlessly open before she managed to clamp it shut again.

Yang was a little surprised that Weiss had managed to stay quiet, but then she heard a needy frustrated growl escape the heiress when she tried to grind against Yang, to no avail. A smirk marked Yang’s lips as she continued to torture Weiss’s chest.

She took particular delight in seeing how tightly Weiss gripped the sheets, but when her girlfriend’s quiet moans turned more pained with frustration at how turned on she was Yang decided it was time to kiss her way back to her previous position.

No sooner had she returned to her starting location, then she felt the princess dig her nails into her back as she pressed and ground her body up against Yang. It was quite an unrestrained action for Weiss.

Which intrigued Yang.

I was just going to tease her into being loud as I slowly got her there, but now… What will she do if I refuse to touch her down there. Can I make her beg, or will she order me to touch her?

A devious smirk marked Yang’s lips before she went back to her favorite spot on Weiss’s neck, but she sucked and flicked her tongue againgst her girlfriend’s skin harder than she usually would. And much to her delight Weiss immediately cried out with desperation, then ground into her leg with need.

It was so sexy that Yang had to take a breath to cool her own desire and need to reciprocate. She went back to the same spot and lavished it with rough attention, stopping just short of marking her girlfriend.

Though the thought of marking Weiss was utterly tantalizing, Yang knew better than to do so without asking first.

Weiss’s nails bit into Yang’s lower back before she drug them upward, and it made her growl with want. Weiss was close, but she wasn’t about to give the princess what she wanted without satisfying her curiosity.

It was agonizingly hard, but Yang held fast to her actions. She let Weiss continue to struggle with need as she ground against her. She knew she could tease the heiress into breaking down and asking for more, she just needed to wait...

When Weiss’s moans suddenly grew more sharp Yang’s resolve faltered and she considered giving up on the bet so that they both might get what they wanted. The thought was never given full consideration though, because Yang felt Weiss shudder against her as the princess’s moan turned into a long, restrained, high pitched whine.

Before Yang could figure out what had happened her girlfriend collapsed back onto the bed.

Did she really just...?

Yang looked down at Weiss in curious disbelief. Her girlfriend’s body laid limply against the mattress as she took in deep, exasperated breaths. Weiss’s eyes were clamped shut as she struggled to regain her composure.

Her mouth hung open as she came to the realization that Weiss had taken option three, and gotten herself off.

Though she was admittedly a little pissed that she had been out maneuvered, Yang was also kinda turned on. She would never have guessed that the heiress would do something that was considered so ‘unseemly.’

“Well,” Yang started but waited till Weiss opened her eyes to finish, “it seems like someone was impatient to get what they wanted.”

Weiss turned red, but then narrowed her eyes, “I could tell that your incessant teasing wasn’t going anywhere, so I took matters into my own hands.”

Yang grinned at her princess’s rational before firing back, “I can’t really argue with that last part, but are you sure that you weren't about to cave... and decided to take the easy way out instead? Because it looked and felt,” Yang bent down and just barely let her lips brush against the red spot on Weiss’s neck. She smiled when the gesture made her girlfriend shiver, “like you had to try awfully hard to stay quiet.”

After taking a breath to recover Weiss simply responded with, “I still think you are still overestimating your technique.”

“Oh really…” Yang worked her finger down Weiss’s chest and stomach until the tips of her fingers reached the princess’s curls. The whole time she could sense that Weiss had held her breath in needy anticipation, “Because I’ve still got a lot more to show you.”

She let her fingers wander down the heiress’s leg, then back up again until she reached the outermost edge of Weiss’s wetness.

Yang watched with great interest as her girlfriend squinted her eyes shut and took in a deep breath. It was clear that Weiss still ached for the touch she had refused to give her earlier

How she proceeded next depended on entirely on Weiss.

She calmly slid her finger up and down the slick edge of where Weiss wanted her, and offered one final out, “You can still end the bet if you want.”

Weiss bit her lip and struggled to keep her tone measured, “What are you talking about? I already won, you had your shot and failed. Just like you will keep failing.”

Stubborn as always; I was hoping so.

A mischievous sneer marked Yang’s lips, “Oh princess, if you thought getting yourself there would let you off the hook,” Yang let her finger move inward till it reached the very edge of her girlfriend’s entrance and watched as Weiss struggled to maintain control, “then you are very mistaken. I’m not done, in fact…” With an agonizingly slow pace Yang inched her finger into Weiss, “I’ve barely even started.”

She ran her tongue over her teeth as she tried to cope with just how hot it was to watch Weiss react. Her girlfriend’s head was pressed back into the bed and Yang could feel how tightly all the muscles in Weiss’s body had become.

The deeper Yang moved the easier it was for her to hear the low repressed groans that came from Weiss. It wasn’t till Yang was all the way inside of her that the heiress let her tense body ease back onto the bed, but she could still feel how tightly Weiss was clenched around her finger.

Yang swallowed hard as she fended off her own desire at just how amazing it was to be inside of Weiss. She could sense her semblance burn and build inside of her.

A considerable amount of effort was needed to bite back her own desire so that she could focus on continuing. She braced her body with her right arm so that she could slowly and effectively start to move in and out of Weiss.

Her focus was quickly challenged again when she felt Weiss’s inner muscles squeezing her while her girlfriend tried to grind into the backside of her thumb. It was indescribably hot, but despite how sexy it was to feel Weiss’s unrestrained want Yang kept her thumb tucked in close enough that Weiss couldn’t get direct contact.

Which paid off, because the longer she worked Weiss over the more desperate and loud the princess became.

The fact that she had been able to work her girlfriend up to such a dire state, in such a short amount of time, fueled her semblance to the point that she was afraid that she might not be able to hold it or her own desires back.

She took in a shallow breath and remembered to keep her focus on Weiss. She arched her back as she bent down and kissed her way up the center of Weiss’s chest and around her neck till she reached the heiress’s ear. All the while she kept up the maddeningly slow pace inside of Weiss and it was driving her girlfriend crazy.

“Careful,” Yang’s whispering growl hit her girlfriend's ear, “I know how much you hate to lose.”

Then she taunted Weiss by curling the finger that was still inside of her girlfriend.

“Uhhnnnn,” Weiss’s nails bit sharply into Yang’s back as she let out a much louder groan than she previously had.

While Weiss had been noisy and the sound had been lust inducing for sure, it was not nearly as loud as Yang wanted to make her be. She wanted Weiss to truly let go, and Yang wouldn’t be satisfied until knew her girlfriend had let all of her walls fall.

So she increased her pace, letting her finger curl and drag against Weiss each time she drew it back out. Yang let her breath wash over Weiss’s neck, occasionally adding a kiss to her pulse point. She was pleased to find that her patience lead to an escalation in Weiss’s volume and desperation.

But it still didn’t feel like enough.

Yang removed her finger, and with great care slid two fingers into Weiss.

Her girlfriend took in a ragged, strained breath, and Yang lets Weiss get adjusted to the addition for a second before she whispered the thought that had been running through her head since they started, “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to take you like this?”

The words made Weiss clench around her fingers so tightly that it almost hurt, and Yang clenched her jaw to keep calm and not let her semblance or desire override her senses completely.

In her own way Yang was riding the edge just as badly as Weiss. She lifted her head till she could look down at Weiss, and waited for the heiress to get control of her breathing and open her eyes. Yang knew that her eyes must have been red from the intense desire that she felt, so she forcibly cooled herself when she saw Weiss’s sky blue eyes finally meet her own.

She worked to steady her own breathing as she bent down to kiss Weiss in a tender reassuring way before she pulled away again, “I don’t care about the bet anymore, I just want to hear you Weiss.”

Yang moved her thumb up so that she could make slow soft circles around her girlfriend’s cl*t.

Weiss clenched around Yang even harder than before, and her head pressed back into the bed as her body arched up against Yang’s hand, “Uhhhnnnnnnngggggg!”

At the sight and intoxicating sound of her girlfriend letting go Yang swallowed hard. It took her a long second to remember what to even do next.

Shaking off her desire Yang resumed her slow, but targeted movements from before. Careful to add just a little bit more pressure to Weiss’s cl*t whenever she felt the heiress’s body relax. The effect was that Weiss steadily got much louder, and Yang knew she had to be close because her body felt like a constant ball of tension.

Her own core absolutely throbed from how hot it was to experience Weiss like that. Seeing her, hearing her, feeling her, and smelling her every time she bent down to kiss the her girlfriend’s neck. It was one of the most intense moments Yang had ever experienced.

But she still felt like a little piece of Weiss was holding back, and she wanted Weiss to show her everything. So she let the hungry growl of desire that had been building inside of her out near Weiss’s ear, then lightly scraped her teeth over Weiss’s jaw line.

She felt Weiss tremble beneath her, and she made her desires known, “I want to hear the real you come Weiss. Stop holding back.” Yang rolled her own body into the next thrust and the extra contact had a wonderful consequence.

“Yang,” Weiss cried out in desperation.

After that her girlfriend was completely unrestrained in her vocalizations, and upon hearing Weiss call out her name Yang found her ability to cope completely compromised.

Her breath was ragged as she strained to keep the flames of her semblance from appearing. Weiss was so close, she just needed to hold focus a little longer.

She fought through the clouded lust in her brain, and then she felt one of Weiss’s hands dig into her back as the other gripped the sheets below them, “Oh gods, Yang.”

Heavy panting and a loud moan made Yang’s heart hammer in her chest so hard that she was afraid she might lose consciousness.

Dammit she is so hot that I can barely stand it. She is so close.

Yang steadied her hand and pressed her thumb down just a little more as she moved it in steady circles. She added just a bit more curl to the fingers inside of Weiss and that was all it took.

Weiss’s fingers pressed hard into Yang’s back as her girlfriend's whole body clenched and tensed, “Yes, Yang, yes yes yes, uhhhnnnnnn, Yaaaaang!”

After that her Weiss was silent and her body gradually started to relax. Yang kept light pressure on Weiss in all the same spots as her girlfriend came down.

It took a while, but eventually Yang remembered that breathing was a thing.

She had just enough presence of mind to take in her girlfriend's gloriously spent form. She knew that she had worn Weiss out considerably, but somehow it still wasn’t enough.

Since that first time in the heiress’s gym there had been one thing that she had desperately wanted to do with Weiss.

Yang scanned Weiss’s body with wanton eyes and was excited to find that her girlfriend had nearly recovered. She carefully removed her fingers and cleaned them off so that she could run her hand back up soft pale skin that begged to be touched.

She shifted downwards to lay soft slow kisses down her girlfriend’s stomach, as she let her fingers play along the inside of Weiss’s leg. She took her time, but paused when she came to the sensitive spot between Weiss’s hip and thigh. There she let the kiss linger and intensify.

Weiss moaned out tiredly before working up enough energy to proclaim, “You really are insatiable aren’t you?”

“Insatiable?” Yang thought about that. “Maybe,” she laughed, “it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been called that.”

Then her demeanor turned a little more serious and focused, as she used her thumb to massage Weiss’s hip. Yang licked her lips with want at seeing her princess shudder in response, “But you are honestly the only person that I’ve ever craved this much.”

With that her mouth found the crease of Weiss’s leg again, and she worked her mouth down further so her tongue could taunt and tease the tendon that lay there. A tired but needy moan escaped Weiss and it was all Yang could to not dive straight for her goal.

Instead she left soft kisses against Weiss’s body as she edged closer to her target. She paused just long enough to let the anticipation build before laying a long slow lick against her girlfriend’s core.

“Oh gods yes,” Weiss weakly panted.

Yang savored the heiress’s weakened and uninhibited state, but didn’t waste any time in searching out Weiss’s preferred pattern. She felt delight every time Weiss’s hand clenched the muscles in her shoulder in response to a favorable movement of her tongue.

But after Yang had satisfied her curiosity she settled on a slow back and forth movement with the back side of her tongue, and within a few seconds Weiss started to arch up into her.Yang was just about to settle into a more comfortable position when she felt Weiss’s hand leave her.

“Are you ever going to let me have a turn?” Weiss asked with panting breath as she pushed herself up on her elbows.

Yang reluctantly stopped what she was doing.

It was hard to deny that she had taken more than her fair share of the time, but it was hard not to when Weiss made such wonderful and enticing noises.

She at least wanted to finish, so she attempted to goad Weiss into letting her get back to things, “It sounds like you’re afraid that your fortitude won’t hold out Princess.” Yang grinned, “I know that besides me, it is one of your biggest weaknesses.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes, and a second later Yang found herself glyphed up off the bed by her hands.

“You were saying about my fortitude?” Weiss asked as she sat up and composed herself.

To say that Yang was unammused would have been an understatement, “Hey, what gives?! Don’t tell me you are a sore loser? Or are you actually going to try and tell me my skills in that area weren’t up to snuff?”

Weiss stayed completely straight faced as she answered, “Neither, I simply grew impatient at having to wait so long for my own go of things. Therefore,” the heiress moved to the side and glyphed Yang to the bed next to her, “I will be taking twice as long as I originally planned.”

Yang tested the strength of gravity glyphs and was impressed to feel how strong they were. But when she saw Weiss study her after she pulled against the bonds Yang grew worried that Weiss’s much coveted dominate side might disappear if she lost her her confidence or thought that Yang wasn’t extremely interested at what the heiress had planned.

So she laid back against the bed and tried to look as unphased as she could, “Hmmm, yeah I don’t actually buy that. I think you are angry about just how badly you lost.” She rolled her eyes to rub it in, “Don’t be so sensitive princess, it was super hot to hear you scream my name so loud.” Yang showed off her best mischievous grin, “I’ve been waiting to see you let go of your uptighness since we first met. Turns out I just needed to show you my ‘special’ skill set.”

Her girlfriend looked down at her with the most unamused look, “You are quite literally not in the position to keep boasting you know?”

Yang smirked deviously before asking, “And what exactly are you going to do about it if I don’t stop, Weissy ?”

Weiss’s eye twitched at the pet name, but then her icy composure returned. Yang watched with eager anticipation as ivory legs straddled her waist.

Her eyes greedily wandered Weiss’s form as her girlfriend let down her slightly mussed up hair. Weiss shook out her long white locks then slowly took her hair back up again till it was perfectly secured.

It was a tantalizingly simple but utterly sexy display given their positions. Yang knew there was no way that Weiss didn’t know exactly what she was doing. She desperately wanted to touch Weiss and finish what she had started, but the fact that she couldn’t sent a sharp spike of yearning through her.

When she finally came back to her senses she found focused blue eyes watching her every move. Yang felt her cheeks flush slightly at being caught and studied so intently.

That, however, only seemed to embolden her unusually dominate girlfriend. Weiss had a devious smirk on her lips that made Yang’s heart rate increase.

Her thoughts were quickly refocused though when she felt soft dexterous fingers start low on her stomach and slowly meander their way up along every groove and divort of her stomach. It wasn’t until Weiss stopped just short of where Yang wanted her to get that she recognized that she had been holding her breath.

She is way better at this than I would have guessed, I just might be in trouble.

Weiss looked down at her with complete calm before she leaned down and whispered into Yang’s ear, “If you think you are the only one who can be torturously slow, then you are going to be sorely mistaken my dragon. I plan to read every inch of your body till I am satisfied that that tongue of yours has learned its lesson.”

Yang bit her lip and clenched her bound fists at the thoughts that Weiss had just put in her head.

Oh I am definitely in trouble.

One very deep breath later she collected herself enough to admit that she was undeniably okay with that.

Despite her clear disadvantage she couldn’t stop herself from pushing Weiss one last time. She rolled her hips against Weiss before asking, “So are you going to just stare at me all night like when you walked in on me in the shower, or do you need to go check a reference a book first?”

The question was met with a vexed expression, “For breaking your promise of not teasing me about that, I am going to make you beg me to finish you off.”

Yang’s breathing turned heavy and it made her muscles tensed in excited anticipation, “Bring it on Princess.”

Her girlfriend wore a pleased smirk, then leaned down to kiss Yang. It was a light kiss that ended with Weiss ghosting her tongue over Yang’s lips. Yang arched up to kiss Weiss back, but instead the heiress pulled away leaving Yang wanting more.

Despite knowing that she could break her bonds if she really wanted to, Yang reluctantly laid back on the bed.

When she did Weiss bent down and kissed her long enough to let their tongues meet. Again she tried to stretch up to meet Weiss’s kiss more firmly, but her girlfriend quickly moved away only to come back and nip at Yang’s lower lip.

It was frustrating, but Yang finally understood that Weiss wanted her to relinquish control. Which didn’t turn out to be that bad. She actually found it pretty hot to just lay back and enjoy how forward and forcefully Weiss wanted to kiss her. Her movements were controlled but passionate, and there was no denying the skill in which Weiss kissed her.

But every so often raw desire would slip through, and Yang would get a glimpse of just how much Weiss was holding herself back.

It was the desire to see just how unrestrained Weiss might get that drove Yang crazy.

After a bit Weiss’s kisses turned more tame, and it didn’t take long to figure out why. Soft fingers ran their way up her side as Weiss carefully surveyed her reaction to their presence.

Every time she let out a shudder or a quiet hum of approval Weiss’s lips would curve into a smile against her own. Yang was definitely turned on, but Weiss’s smugness and the tame gentle nature of her girlfriend’s movements made her feel more than confident that she would be able to defy Weiss’s efforts to break her.

Several minutes of being mapped out and having to squirm away from ticklish spots left Yang’s patience worn thin. Her disappointment grew the longer Weiss’s dominance remained absent.

So with little else to do, in her limited range of movement, she rolled her hips and pushed for their kiss to be deeper. Weiss immediately pulled back.

She mockingly grinned at Yang, “So impatient already? I can’t say I’m surprised.” Weiss massaged her thumb into a spot on Yang’s waist and it made the blond let out an unintentional groan.

“But I wasn’t kidding when I said I would be setting the pace.” Weiss leaned back down to kiss Yang, but made an annoying point of avoiding Yang’s lips, and instead went for her neck.

After that her girlfriend’s kisses were far rougher than normal. Weiss even scraped her teeth over the Yang’s neck which made the blond grind into her girlfriend and let out a breathy sigh full of want.

She was still confident in her ability to resist Weiss’s actions, but she couldn’t deny that they had an effect.

Weiss shifted to lay against, which wouldn’t have been that bad, but the way her girlfriend’s hand teased it’s way downwards was impossible to ignore.

“Though I will admit,” Weiss paused her movement, “I have always had trouble saying no to you.” She aggressively squeezed Yang’s ass, and the blond clenched her teeth to stay quiet. “So,” Cool breath whispered against her neck, “it should be quite interesting to see what happens.”

“f*ck,” Yang breathily expressed, as goosebumps ran down her skin.

The curse seemed to please Weiss as she continued to tease and kiss her way along Yang’s neck and shoulders.

Despite how turned on she was by her girlfriend’s words Yang managed to defiantly hold her own against Weiss’s actions.

Which she was happy to find out paid off surprisingly well. Whenever she managed to stay quiet Weiss would switch from being soft to aggressive and hard like Yang prefered.

Ever the curious one she wanted to know just how rough she could get Weiss to be. So when her girlfriend made her way back up to her neck Yang kept her movements as still as she could.

Weiss pulled back for a moment at the utter lack of response and studied her.

After a long moment Weiss returned her lips onto the side of Yang’s neck. Yang didn’t realize that anything was different till she felt teeth and a small but pleasurable amount of pain get added to Weiss’s kiss.

She let out a groan of satisfaction, and it pushed Weiss even further. Yang rolled her body into Weiss’s and let out needy unrestrained moan as Weiss continued to mark her.

Yang’s head was clouded with lust at how good she felt. But the part of her brain that still functioned couldn’t believe that Weiss would give her a hickey.

“Dammit Weiss,” she let out in frustration at how turned on she was.

Weiss quickly move away.

Worry was written all over her girlfriend’s face, so Yang tried to correct herself, “No no, not like that. I just didn’t think that marking was on the table.” She let her eyes redden slightly to get her point across, “But that was hot, you can do that to me any time princess.”

Weiss rolled her eyes, but tentatively moved downward to focus on Yang’s chest. Her touch was light and her kisses grazing, which was the opposite of what Yang wanted so a frustrated growl escaped Yang’s throat.

She was about to tell Weiss that she liked it better when she was rough, but then she felt the heiress tongue against her skin and her interest was quickly renewed.

Her girlfriend’s grazing touches and light kisses were gradually replaced by pinching, sucking, and soft bites. In no time at all Yang was straining against the gravity glyphs and reevaluating whether she could or should break through them.

The rougher Weiss got the harder it was for Yang to control herself. Weiss was no longer holding back and it drove Yang to the edge of restraint.

When Weiss started to suck on the spot that had drove Yang crazy their first go around, she pulled against the glyphs so hard that the bed groaned from the strain of keeping her held down.

“So stubborn,” Weiss chided as she added another layer of glyphs to further bind Yang’s hands. “I hope that you aren’t afraid to use your rather clever safeword if you need to. And please do refrain from breaking the bed,” her eyes narrowed, “because I’m not even close to being done with you yet.”

Yang looked up at the heiress with her mouth open, and failed to make words. She knew that she liked it when Weiss was possessive and aggressive, but she had no idea that she would be so incredibly into it.

When she didn’t respond Weiss looked down at her with a stern disappointed look. After an awkwardly long second Yang realized that her girlfriend wasn’t going to continue till she responded.

Her eyes widened as she tried to figure out how she should answer, but all she managed to come up with was, “Uh, got it. Don’t break the bed.”

“Mmmm,” Weiss looked over Yang’s bare form with a sly smirk, “close enough.”

Go figure that a Schnee has a thing for power trips.

Keen eyes continued to survey her, and it made Yang want to blush. Finally the heiress’s steely gaze landed on her torso and was soon followed by fingers that worked their way downward.

Weiss gave her one last look before sinking down to let her mouth join her hands.

She did her best not to squirm as Weiss managed to find every ticklish and sensitive spot on her stomach and hips. But essentially failed, her girlfriend’s touch no matter how torcherous felt amazing. Which made not pulling against her restraints all that much harder. She could feel her heart rate rise and her breathing come out in ragged uneven drags.

When Weiss started to suck on the inside divot of her hip Yang lost her control and literally growled in want. She was so turned on that she actually started to contemplate begging to get what she wanted.

It wasn’t until she noticed that Weiss was between her legs that Yang let her head fall back against the bed so that she could try and get a grip on herself.

She almost succeeded, but then Weiss ran her fingers through Yang’s curls and it made her control evaporate. Weiss was so close to where she wanted her to be. It felt like her body was vibrating with need.

Suddenly Weiss stopped, and Yang opened her eyes to see what is going.

Weiss looked into her eyes and cooley stated, “Be careful my dragon, or else you will set the sheets on fire.”

After a quick self check Yang realized that Weiss was right, her self control had loosened so much that her semblance was seeping out.

Not wanting any more interruptions Yang swallowed, despite how dry her throat was, and answered, “Don’t worry, you won’t break me.”

A raised eyebrow and a devious smirk met her comment, and Yang immediately realized that her mouth had just gotten her into real trouble.

Weiss went back to kissing along Yang’s hip and along the edge of her leg, but she never got low or close enough for Yang to get anything close to relief. She was ready to growl out in frustration again when she finally felt Weiss touch her.

A deep sigh of relief washed over her at feeling Weiss’s fingers on her.

But that break in tension was an illusion, because Yang quickly realized that Weiss was purposely avoiding her cl*t. Instead her girlfriend was letting her fingers slowly play and explore every part of her expect for the one place that Yang needed her to be.

Yang’s desire was built back up and surpassed where it had been before. She felt like she was going to lose it. It wasn’t till she heard the bed creek again from the strain of keeping her hands held down that she managed to regain even a fraction of control.

Her girlfriend was relentless, she touched Yang in ways that made her feel like she was going to lose her mind. Yang had finally started to get used to Weiss’s calculated torture, but then a finger shallowly dipped into her core.

“Uhhhhhgggnnnn,” Yang called out as her will broke and she collapsed back onto the bed in defeat.

Weiss slowly moved back out of her to play with her like before. It was more than Yang could take and she cried out with submissive need.

Her desperation seemed to get Weiss’s attention, because Yang felt her girlfriend make her way back to her entrance. Yang’s entire body tensed with anticipation.

But she soon realized that Weiss was not going to move an inch further.

Yang cursed at her defeat. Her need was beyond control, if she didn’t submit she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself, let alone contain her semblance.

She took in a deep regret filled breath and managed to choke out, “Weiss, please.”

The heiress shallowly and slowly entered her, but then stopped to ask, “Please what?”

Yang was shaking from want. She tried to buck into Weiss to find relief, but Weiss was ready for that. So Yang instead collapsed back onto the bed and growled, “You win.” She opened her eyes and craned her neck to looked down at her girlfriend. She answered in a painting submissive tone, “I need you Weiss.”

Her girlfriend’s eyes seem to darken in satisfaction, but before Yang could process what that meant Weiss slid two fingers inside of her.

“Oh gods, yes!” Yang called out with relief.

She thought she would be able to recover after finally getting what she wanted, but before she could even complete the thought Weiss was between her legs and was sucking on her cl*t.

Yang shamelessly called out and felt her arms strain against the glyphs as she failed to cope. She was embarrassing close from the build up, and knew she would never hear the end of it down if she came right away.

Warmth pooled inside of her and she knew she was dangerously close.

She tried to focus on the tension of her restraints to regain focus, but when Weiss started to torture her with light strategic licks, and it made her lose her grip for a final time.

“Unnnn, Weiss,” she pleaded.

Her girlfriend groaned into her in response, and then Yang felt Weiss’s tongue grind into her.

Yang’s mind went blank as she writhed into Weiss with unchecked want. Her throat was dry and horse, but she still managed to cry out in relief. She was so close.

Weiss curled her fingers inside of Yang, as she drug her nails down Yang’s abs.

And that was all it took.

“Uhhhhh f*ck, Weiss, Weiss, unnnn yes, Weisssss,” she let out in a final breathless wimper.

Everything seemed to disappear as she lived in the moment. Shock waves ran through her as Weiss refused to let her org*sm be over quickly. Yang felt her whole body shudder from Weiss’s touch and before she knew what was happening the build up grew inside of her again.

Oh god really? Again?!?!

“Ahhgggghhh, mmmhhh,” she painted so hard that she thought her semblance would burn down the room.

She bit down on her lip as she clung to the last of her will, but then Weiss pressed into her hard as her tongue roughly slid against her cl*t.

Pleasure quickly built inside of her, then unrelentingly crashed over her, “Oh god Weiss, uhhhhhh, yesssssssss!”

After that the entire concept of existence ceased to have meaning. And she was numbly thankful that all her senses had turned off, because she truthfully couldn’t have taken anymore.

That... was… wow...

Slowly, and much to her displeasure, Yang’s senses started to come back one by one. Though her ability to function was still severely limited. She had finally started come down a bit when she felt the glyphs release and Weiss snuggle up next to her.

She was unconditionally grateful that Weiss just nuzzled into her as she continued to cope with what she had just been put through.

Plus, feeling Weiss lay against her was really f*cking nice. She knew she could find better words to explain just how relaxed and amazing she felt, but she just couldn’t give a sh*t to find them yet. Instead she just tiredly smiled as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

Weiss let her bask in the afterglow a little longer before she sat up and pointedly asked, “You obviously still know my name, but what was yours again?”

Yang looked over at her girlfriend, mouth wordlessly handing open in shock. Only to find that she couldn’t respond, because of surprise and a lack of full brain function.

Her eye twitched before she groaned in frustration and let her head fall back on the bed in defeat.

The sun had been up for a little while, but Yang couldn’t have cared less.

She had groggily woken up to find Weiss still in her arms. The princess was nuzzled so tightly into her shoulder that she was nearly on top of Yang. Weiss’s long white hair was down for once, and it flowed over her girlfriend’s bare pale shoulders and onto the bed behind them.

A lazy content smile spread across Yang’s lips for a long time as she gazed down at her tranquilly sleeping princess. It felt unsurpassably perfect be able to just hold Weiss like that, as she basked in her own happiness the she got to be the one to be with her.

Weiss was so beautiful and smart, but also strong, fierce, and endlessly stubborn. All while hiding a deep hopeful kindness inside.

Yang soaked up every second of warmth and serenity that the sleeping woman had to offer, before letting out a deep regretful sigh. The sad reality was that such moments would be few and far between in the near future.

If it were up to her, they would stay in bed all day just snuggling and letting things go where they may, as they simply enjoyed being in each other’s company. But the fact was, they had to find Ruby and Blake as soon as possible.

Yang frowned as she berated herself. It had already taken far too long to get herself in order. When she thought about all that could have happened in that wasted time, it filled her with anxiety.

Those thoughts were broken when Weiss mumbled and shifted in her sleep. Yang glanced down, but Weiss still hadn’t opened her eyes. Though there was a slight frown on the princess’s face that made Yang worry.

As much as she wanted to find her sister and Blake, Yang knew that the news of her and Weiss being together was going to... complicate things.

A deep sigh broke the silence of the morning before she finally bent down and kissed Weiss’s forehead.

There was a long breathy yawn that came from the heiress as she rubbed her eyes and started to wake. It was ridiculously cute in Yang’s opinion. But when blue eyes looked up to meet her gaze, and the pure unrestrained smile that marked her princess’s lips was nothing short of perfection.

That smile gained a mischievous curve though as Weiss spoke, “Good morning, dragon.”

Yang smiled back, “Good morning, princess,” then she strained her neck to reach down for a kiss.

She was grateful when Weiss shifted up to prolong and make their kiss easier, but a bit surprised at just how long the kiss was going on for. She felt Weiss move her body closer as the heiress entangled their legs. Then a second later the heiress’s tongue was in her mouth and she felt Weiss hum against her lips.

As much as she really didn’t want to, Yang pushed back on Weiss a little to break their kiss, “So someone woke up in a good mood.”

Playful and hungry blue eyes looked back at Yang, as soft dexterous fingers ran across her stomach, “Good, is a rather weak and poor word for how I currently feel, but I could easily,” the digits suddenly made their trek southward, “show you how I feel instead.”

Yang quickly grabbed Weiss’s hand to stop things before they got started, “As much as I can’t believe I’m the one to say this...” She let out a regretful sigh, “We have to get out of bed soon.”

Weiss sat up and looked at her with a challenging stare, “I thought you would want to finish what I stopped you from doing last night?” her girlfriend rested her chin against her hand and quizzically taunted, “Or are you all done after just one night together?”

She knew, without a doubt, that Weiss was trying to bait her. Which was probably the only reason that she was able to resist her girlfriend’s extremely tempting offer. Yang shook her head and let out a quiet laugh, “Not even close,” she grinned at her surprisingly enthusiastic girlfriend, “but I also plan on sticking around for nights ten, eleven, and twelve, so I think I will leave something for next time.”

The heiress met the comment with a frown followed by a displeased eye roll. But then she smirked and continued in a nonplussed tone, “I suppose if you are willing to stick around then I can learn to be patient. That should also give you enough time to remember your name. Otherwise I fear you might forget it for good.”

“I did not-” Yang shut her mouth then narrowed her eyes, “Nice try, we still have to leave soon.” She reached over for her scroll and looked at the time.

Weiss frowned, then obstinately laid back down to snuggle into Yang’s shoulder, “Do we really have to get up already? You are so wonderfully soft and comfortable.” She nuzzled into Yang harder and wrapped their legs together as she softly uttered, “I love getting to lay here next to you so much.”

It felt like Yang’s heart would have broken if she had managed to say no. So instead she nuzzled her cheek into the top of her girlfriend’s head and opted for compromise, “I guess we can spare ten more minutes.” Yang wrapped herself around Weiss then kissed her girlfriend’s silky white hair before returning to her previous position, “I love you too, princess.”

Yang was still in the bathroom getting ready when she heard Weiss call out, “I’m heading down now.”

At hearing the door click Yang knew she was finally in the clear. She pulled her hair to the side and checked out the mark that Weiss had left below her ear.

A smirk grew on her lips as she studied it. She could have easily healed it with her aura, but there wasn’t a chance of that happening. She liked having secret proof of just how sexy and unrestrained her girlfriend could be. It was hot to know that out of all the people in Remnant she was the only person that got to see all the sides of Weiss Schnee.

Curiosity satisfied, she hurried to pick up her pack and the slightly smaller mountain of boxes so that she could follow after Weiss.

A low grumble escaped her lips though when she reached the edge of the stairs.

I can’t see anything past all these boxes.

Finally she took a tentative step downward and was relieved to find firm footing. After that she was able to make it the rest of the way down.

She took few steps to the side of the stairs, and was more than happy to be able to put down the stack of supplies. But that relief was short lived when she stood back up only to be met by her girlfriend’s impatient face.

“What,” Yang quickly looked around nervously. She had her pack, all the boxes were now set aside for the clerk to deliver to the places that Weiss had marked on them, she had all her gear on, her arm was even covered. “That’s everything, I swear,” she let out with a touch of frustration.

Weiss rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, “We have to return the key.”

Yang anxiously rubbed the back of her head as she dug their room key out of her pocket with a smile, “Right.”

A smirk marked her girlfriend’s lips as she spoke, “I guess after last night you really are the forgetful one.”

Irritation and a touch of embarrassment marked Yang’s word as she held out the key, but stubbornly refused to let go, “That’s not how I remember it going last night.”

After a look over her shoulder to see if anyone was paying attention to them Weiss whispered in an enticing tone, “Well then I guess I will just have to refresh your memory when we reach the next town.”

Yang had to swallow the lump that was in her throat, because Weiss had caused more than a few choice moments from the night before to flash through her memory. It took her a minute to convince herself that it was worth shaking such tantalizing memories from her head.

It wasn’t until she heard the clerk talking that her attention was fully present again.

“Well I hope you enjoyed your stay with us, even though it didn’t sound like you got that much sleep,” the clerk gently laughed.

Yang tried to suppress the wide grin that wanted to form on her mouth, and utterly failed. She held her breath as she waited and watched for Weiss’s reaction. But eventually the sheer hilarity of it all was too much for Yang to hold in any longer and she bursted out with laughter.

When she finally managed to regain control of herself she caught a glimpse of Weiss walking out of the hotel’s front door with her head held high, but with a distinct shade of pink on her cheeks.

She is going to be so mad at me now. But that was too good.

After taking a deep breath in Yang nodded to the apologetic looking clerk, and went after her angry girlfriend. If she didn’t fix this now, it would take her sensitive girlfriend forever to let her walls down again.

After a few seconds Yang had caught up to her, but that brief time had not been helpful in figuring out what she should say to soothe her princess’s delicate feelings, “Weiss, come on, slow down a little. I just want to talk.”

The heiress spun around and she already wore her trademark Schnee scowl, “I swear if you-”

Yang held up her hands, “Hey, calm down princess, I wasn’t going to make fun of you.” She reached out and took Weiss’s hands in her own, “I’m sorry I laughed. It was just so unexpected, and sort of perfect given the circ*mstances. I couldn’t have delivered the line better myse-”

Weiss scowled deeper and tried to pull away.

“Sorry, that was obviously not the right thing to say,” Yang rushed to say as she tightened her grip on Weiss’s hands. “What I should have started with is,” she looked straight into her princess’s steely blue eyes, “I was utterly blown away by how amazing it was to be with you last night, and I hope that one embarrassing moment won’t stop you from being with me the way you want to be.” She grinned confidently, “Because I really do love that I get to experience the real Weiss Schnee.”

A quiet grumble escaped the princess as she looked away, “I don’t want to change how I am with you either, but that was mortifying.”

Yang reached out and touched Weiss’s cheek. She softened her tone to respond, “Really, because all I can remember from the last twenty four hours is how mind blowingly sexy you were. Anything else is just really hard to recall,” she shrugged with a smile.

There was a moment of silence, but then Weiss finally looked back up at her with determination, “I promise that I will not allow my embarrassment change how I act, if you will finally admit what we both know.”

Yang looked down at her quizzically, but then the smirk that touched her girlfriend’s lips made her realize what Weiss wanted. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

This is for the greater good.

She swallowed as much of her vanity as she could and looked away to say, “You made me forget my own name last night, not the other way around.” Yang frowned at her own stinging pride, “Are we even?”

The blond felt her head turned back by Weiss, then the heiress arched up onto her toes to kiss her, “Thank you for helping me get over my embarrassment by admitting a little of your own.” She squeezed Yang’s hand and let go with a sigh, “Meet me at the town’s tower receiver once you get Bumblebee packed?”

A small smile marked Yang’s lips at her girlfriends gesture, “Of course princess.”

It only took her a few minutes to get back to her bike, but twice as long as that to get all of their things back into the saddle bags.

By the time she found Weiss, it seemed like Yang was at the tail end of Glenn’s messages to the heiress.

She leaned against her bike as she waited for Weiss to finish listening to what sounded like a mixed bag of a report. With any luck they would reach the ferry, and thereby Mistral in less than a week. Then Weiss wouldn’t have to play message tag with Glenn.

Yang watched Weiss listened to the report, but the more time that passed the deeper her girlfriend’s frown became.

“In addition to all the legal and political push back, that I already outlined,” Glenn continued, “Your father is also refusing the make the three percent living wage increase for the mining labor force. And while he has had surprising little support in his endeavor to undermine your company, I am pessimistic that he will change his mind about Schnee Dust Company wage policies.”

There was a long pause, but then he continued, “I’m sorry I couldn’t report back with better news, but I need to know how you wish to proceed given the conditions you set for your father are not being met. May your search be quick and your journey safe Ms. Schnee, your presence is sorely missed.”

Yang silently observed Weiss and from what she could see her girlfriend was furious. It took a few long seconds, but then she saw Weiss take in a deep breath before touching the screen of the receiver.

The princess smoothed her skirt as she waited for the screen to alert her that it was ready to record, “Good day Glenn. Your latest report, while not entirely positive, is hardly surprising. As such I believe it is time to remind my father that my threats were not idly made.”

Weiss raised her head high as she continued, “You are hereby authorized to release a portion of the information to the council, the interested legal entities, and then the media. I believe that they will find great interest in the conversation father had with Smyth last winter where they carry on about how clever they were in falsifying about the company’s quarterly earning, so that they might hedge the council’s pressure to increase base salary levels.” Her fist tightened as she continued, “That will of course not be enough to styme father’s lawyers from tying it up the validity of the communications in court. But it will hopefully be enough egg on my father’s face that he will fold and increase the wages to evade public backlash.” She frowned, “He will of course say that the increased worker compensation was planned all along, but that he was forced to announce it early amid fraudulent accusations from unreputable sources.”

The heiress took in a breath before she went on, “I expect that it should take a week’s time to find out how he will respond for sure, but I am fairly confident that using the media to pressure both my father and the council there will create movement. Now, as for Doctor Viridian’s request,” Weiss turned away and Yang could no longer really make out everything that the princess was recording in her message back to Glenn.

I don’t know what is worse; an abusive corporate slimeball father or a cryptic abandoning mother.

As her attention wavered, Yang noticed that a raven on the branches of a nearby tree was watching them. But the closer she looked the more sure she was that it was singularly focused on Weiss.

A few seconds later the bird looked back at Yang for a long second before it flew away. As much as she might try Yang couldn’t shake the bizarre feeling she got from the bird, or the feeling that she had seen that exact bird before. In Patch…

“What’s caught your attention my distractible dragon,” Weiss teased as she glanced at the empty tree that Yang was still staring at, “because it obviously wasn’t my business communications.” She looked back at Yang with a grin, “Not still jealous of Glenn are you?”

Yang looked down at her girlfriend with a smirk, “Hardly after what you put me through last night. No I just thought I saw something weird, but it was just my imagination.”

“Are we all set to go then?” Weiss asked.

“You bet princess,” Yang smiled before grabbing Bumblebee’s handlebars. She threw her leg over the bike and waited for Weiss to join her, “If we hit the main road we might even be able to reach the ship to Mistral by days end. So hold on tight.”

With that she started the bike and hit the gas a little harder than necessary. She felt Weiss grab her waist and it made her smile, but then she returned her focus to eating up the road ahead.

I’m coming for you sis.

An Author’s Gratitude:

I wanted to take the time to express my genuine and heartfelt thanks to all the people who read this story. It started out as a fun fan theory after Volume 3, but grew into my very first novel length piece. This might just be a fan fiction story, but in a year and a half I learned and improved beyond even my own very high expectations as a writer.

So much of that growth is attributed to all the readers who were kind enough to leave comments and often have dialogues with me. I was truly inspired, encouraged, and pushed to reflect, persist, and do my best with every chapter because you all left such amazing feedback.

This story was sincerely made better because of your support. And while this may be the end of “Recovery,” I hope you will keep reading the stories to follow. Thank you!

PS: Don’t ever think your comments are too long. I always respond to every comment that is left, and the long ones are always my favorite.

Thanks to my AO3 commenters:

jojo, Beth Cyra, KernelButtMilk, D, Joire, Bluslvrwolf, angle 1844, Dreamer3life, Antonio+Beltran, Ragnarok, Emeral Delta, Arlnoff, Bri333865, Mark, Tali, OrderlyAnarchist, Twin 3, qtrlbsceci, Toddzufox, mugennozero, Anon,, Dragostark, sleepswithshadows, Korrtana, Lyvi, Nwd, PersonalPages, Joire, ims, termhn, understudy, Zipstrick, dF, BunnyBethAsylum, vinpap, Jasmine8a409, littleSnowdragon, Vriserket, skylar,Attropus, kamooi, madokaswagica, JaceVI, Iris_Stillwater, RealTerminal, Yes, LassOO, alphacactus, kura, Artemis, Helihi, confidententree, ash, Sumo Snipe, J, Winter112, MC NightshadeIceheart, Nova, GlareTLock, Sayalovesdiva, Aikumo, Slytherin620, Shakespeare22, Grumpy_TeddyBear, HellWyrm, KaiserKold, heart1e55m00mba, Pandacorn25, Klaus, Eienias20, Daruma

** (If I missed anyone I genuinely apologize, I was lucky to have so many of you that the list was quite long!)

A specially thanks to my editor: Thank you for all the long hours of editing, putting up with my often hyperbolic reactions and self doubt, managing to endure my ridiculously long outlines, and for keeping my frequent snark and bravado in check. You are an amazing friend and I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather be my editor. You always push and challenge me to be better, even while encouraging me, and for that I thank you. You are absolutely the best thing I gained from this story.

PS: Sorry I didn’t let you edit the thank you letter I wanted it to be a surprise.

Chapter 28: News & Sequel

Chapter Text

Sorry this isn't an official chapter, but a way to get out news to people (since I have been away for so long).

I'm currently posting on two stories, "Dissonance" and "The Bet."

I will come back here to try and periodically update this "News Chapter" (see below). But if you want timely and detailed news on progress for all of my stories you can:

• Follow me on tumblr @shippingk8
• Subscribe to me as an author on this site
• Suggest in the comments below other platforms. (If I get enough suggestions for one place I can start up a new social media account on that platform)

Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the readers who have left and continue to leave comments on my stories. Without your kind words, I don't know if I would have made the time to come back to write these great characters.