"Listen," Weiss nearly growled as she sat at the kitchen table and tapped her fingers against the wood – having abruptly cut off the annoying man on the phone. "If I wanted second rate flowers for this wedding, I would have ordered second rate flowers for this wedding."

After the barbecue fiasco with Ruby a day earlier, Weiss had decided to bury herself in wedding preparation to gently remove herself from any romantic drama that didn't even really exist anymore. One reason being that she was actually here for Blake and to make Blake's wedding the best it could be.

The second reason being that Ruby had made it very clear the "romantic" drama was all very one sided and Weiss needed to tune out all of her feelings and focus.

"Ma'am, the order you've placed – we simply can't accommodate that in the time you've asked."

His trembling voice only irritated her more – Weiss didn't want to be rude to this man from the flower shop, but he was pushing her last button. One of the claims on his business card was how great he was for weddings and yet she'd come to him with an order for a wedding and suddenly he couldn't do his job?

"That's unacceptable. I have paid you a very large sum of money – enough that you could probably hire more men to make this happen. Now are you going to or am I going to have to get my money back and go somewhere else? Because I can guarantee you that you will never have as valuable of a customer as Weiss Schnee and my name and my word carries weight." She hated using her name to get things, but it worked so well.

It was just this once, and the only person around was Yang who was currently buried in a video game, in her underwear, on the couch.

There was a silence on the other end and Weiss was ready to keep threatening. She'd pay to have her name carved into the side of his flower shop if she had to.

"W—we'll make it work, Ma'am."

Weiss smiled. "Excellent, thank you. I'll expect to hear from you within the week for an update."

"Of…of course."

With that, Weiss hung up and put her scroll down before jotting information into her notebook. This was the first of many tasks she had to start today.

"You think if you called and ordered me a pizza and threw that name of yours around I might be able to get free breadsticks?" Yang asked from the couch without looking away from her game.

Weiss glared at her to no avail and put her pen down. "I didn't throw my name around."

Yang scoffed. "Oh please, you were one step away from sending him a picture of that death stare you're giving me."

"He was failing at his job."

"He owns a tiny flower shop on the coast of a small island town and you've asked him to supply hundreds of flowers for our wedding."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "It says on his business card that he services weddings! If he can't handle this one, then he should change his qualifications."

"I'm sure he will after this." Yang said before sticking her tongue out and hammering on her controller. "Are the flowers good to go or not because Blake wants nice ones. She would never say it but this wedding is pretty important to her."

Pushing up from the seat at the kitchen counter, Weiss sauntered into the living room and watched Yang scoot ever-so-slightly to the side on the couch to make room for her.

Weiss plopped down gently and smoothed out her skirt. "The flowers are coming, yes. Next on my list is the dresses for the bridesmaids and I hope your…best man has his suit situation planned out."

"I'll handle Sun," Yang chuckled. "If I want him to make it to the wedding in one piece I know better than to send him with you."

"A good plan."

Yang's game made a very distraught sound and she sighed before setting the controller in her lap with defeat. She ruffled her hair a bit and pushed it off her shoulders before looking to Weiss. "You're taking Ruby to get her dress altered?"

Weiss' stomach twisted with regret at agreeing to do that before she ran away from Ruby's truck like it was on fire. "Yes, as her friend I agreed to go with her. You know how she hates fancy places like dress shops," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Or five star restaurants."

"What?"

Weiss sighed. "Never mind."

They were quiet for a moment and Yang started her game back up. Weiss watched – or tried to, but it moved so quickly she started to wonder whether she might throw up or get a headache first.

Thankfully (or not) her attention was diverted by Yang finally breaking the silence. "So…as her friend?"

Oh here we go…

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, Yang – as her friend."

"So you're cool with that?"

Aggravated by both the question and constantly watching Yang fall into the same pit over and over again on this game Weiss had once seen Ruby beat in record time, she took the controller away and restarted the level.

Yang reached to take it back but Weiss swatted her away. "Yes," she started to play and Yang glared at her for a moment before watching. "I'm…cool with it – of course I am. I can be friends with Ruby. It's all she's asking for in our relationship."

"What about you?"

Weiss shrugged. "What about me? I'm happy to have a bridge mended."

"Even if it's not the same bridge it used to be?"

Yang earned herself a sideways glance. "Can we drop the bridge metaphor?"

"You started it." Yang again reached for the controller and Weiss kicked at her. "Hey! This is my game!"

"Yes, and you were failing miserably at it. Frankly, I was tired of hearing that same, sad game over song." Weiss refused to give the controller back as she tried to remember the moves Ruby made at this part. "To answer your question – I'm fine with Ruby and I being friends. Honestly, it's a weight off my chest."

There was a small silence that followed, Weiss merely listening to the annoying soundtrack of the game and waiting for another sarcastic comment.

It didn't come. "That's not what Winter told me."

Weiss' character on screen died as she whipped her head at Yang. "Winter spoke to you about…"

"Your sad, depressing life? Yeah." Yang finally took the controller back.

"My life is not depressing!" Weiss barked and thought about storming out to call and yell at her sister immediately.

Though it seemed unnecessary where there was another big sister here for her to scream at. "I'm just telling you what I heard – Winter told me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you had fun."

It would be easy to scream and yell and assure that she as just fine with how her life was.

It would be easy to lie – she'd done it her whole life.

Yet, one of the best things about Yang was how understanding she was. Yes, Yang could be intolerable and loud and obnoxious – but she took everyone as they were and Weiss felt safety in that.

Lowering her defenses, she spoke the truth. "I'm not depressed…I'm just…very lonely."

The air was quiet for a moment and Weiss wondered if perhaps Yang wasn't paying attention. When she looked up as the sounds from the game stopped, she watched Yang put the controller down and look at her. "You did kind of…take yourself away from all of us once you and Ruby broke up. I know it was probably easier because you two had such a tough end but…Blake and I can only do so much from Vale."

"I just…I was never good at making friends – as you know!" She cut Yang off right before a sarcastic comment. "I just thought that I might be a little better at it after the war. People seemed to care about me and I for them and it just…wasn't as easy in the real world. Eventually I stopped trying and the only real friend I have is a woman I pay to be at my side constantly."

Yang sighed and shifted so that her feet were suddenly in Weiss' lap. Weiss scoffed and was about to push her feet off but Yang held them steady. "Relax, I'm your therapist today – the least you can do is be my footrest."

"I am a Schnee," Weiss threatened, knowing it would only make this worse.

"Weiss, I've heard you fart in your sleep."

Weiss' face felt like it was on fire. "I do not!"

"You do, and it ain't dainty." To prove her point, Yang crossed her feet on Weiss' lap and stared her down. Defeated, Weiss laid her hand across Yang's ankle and was given a smile. "Alright, talk to me. What can I do to help?"

She sighed heavily. "Build me a time machine so I can go back to that day on the mountain and stay with Ruby so I could know what happened."

"Okay," Yang rolled her eyes. "You have to fund it though." Weiss didn't answer and this pushed Yang to poke her with a toe. "Weiss, real talk – do you still love my little sister?"

Again, it was pointless to lie. "I do – I maybe had convinced myself it was just the loneliness but being around her again is just…" no end to that sentence would properly convey how she felt.

"Have you told her this?"

Weiss smacked the bottom of Yang's foot. "Of course not! It's been years – I can't just tell her I'm still in love with her! Besides, we talked about whether or not either of us had lingering feelings and she said she didn't, she just wanted to be friends."

Yang was quiet again and Weiss studied her. She seemed perplexed, though that was Yang's expression more often than not, but she shook her head and eventually sighed. "That's odd," she said. "I'll talk to her."

"You most certainly will not!" Weiss squeezed Yang's ankle. "Just…let us have this. It's simpler and won't cause any sort of unnecessary drama. We can get through the wedding and then I can deal with it."

Weiss felt like she was being reasonable. She spoke in a very calm and comfortable tone. Yet, Yang was suddenly wearing that nightmare fueled smirk that meant she was about to do something annoying.

"You know, Weiss – my dad's gonna be coming home tomorrow night and…I think he's gonna want his room back, which means I—I'm not sure we'll have enough room for everyone."

"Yang," Weiss was ready to fight if she had to.

"I'm just saying – my dad will be tired from his trip and will want the comfort of his bed while his oldest daughter is getting married."

She knew where this was going, she knew exactly where it was going and a part of her wondered if Yang had this planned all along. "Please don't say it."

Yang lifted her foot and touched her big toe to Weiss' nose. "Ruby has a very comfortable couch."

"You are the worst person in all of Remnant."

A boisterous laugh filled the room. "I mean; I suppose Sun could crash at Ruby's until your hotel is ready."

"Like hell Sun Wukong is going to stay with her!" She burst out and immediately felt her face go red. "I uh…I mean—why do you hate me?"

Suddenly, Yang sat up and planted a big kiss on Weiss' cheek. "I'm doing this because I love you, Weiss. Both of you, and I am still really scared of your sister."

Winter Schnee had hell coming her way.

Weiss sat angrily on the swing in the backyard and and let her foot tap against the concrete below.

She refused to swing, she was too angry to swing this stupid swing and take any sort of joy in it. No, she had no time for joy right now – not when Winter Schnee was about to be verbally eviscerated.

The line rang twice, and then a third time – each ring poking at Weiss' frustration.

When it finally clicked, she was ready to burst, but Winter beat her to it.

"Calling to thank me, Weiss?"

Oh it was on now.

"Thank you?! Is that what you really think? That I want to thank you for ruining my vacation by scaring that coward Yang Xiao Long into throwing me out of this place so I can stay with my ex-girlfriend who just told me not a few days earlier that she had absolutely no interest in a romantic relationship with me or that she had any lingering feelings for me at all?! Am I supposed to thank you for that? Am I supposed to thank you for putting me in the most uncomfortable situation of my life?!"

She nearly lost her breath by the time she finished. Inhaling sharply, she knew her face was probably as red as Ruby's cape but she didn't care – she was furious.

Waiting for Winter to respond felt like it took forever and Weiss though (hoped) that perhaps she'd actually scared Winter with her reaction.

"Oh I'm sorry, Weiss – I was drying my hair and didn't catch that." Weiss nearly threw her phone over the wooden fence in front of her. "Regardless, you are welcome."

"Winter!" Weiss screamed and swore her scroll started to crack under her grip.

"Oh will you stop being so dramatic. Yang has kept me up to speed on all your romantic endeavors and I know all well that Ruby has told you that she has no feelings for you. I'm merely suggesting that you don't throw in the towel because of it."

The anger subsided a little – at least Winter knew the circumstances, even if she was being a pain in the butt about it. "Winter, she told me that she didn't have feelings for me and I've accepted it. I won't force my presence on her in hopes of her changing her mind. I don't want to make her care about me."

"I would never suggest this if not for Yang convincing me that Ruby is, in fact, hiding behind her false admission."

Weiss growled. "Will you and Yang stop plotting! This is not a battlefield strategy, it's my personal life."

"I will not stop plotting, Weiss. I am tired of worrying about you and how lonely you are in that mansion. You have not yet gotten over Ruby, you love her and I know it's true. You are near her for the first time in years – I will not let this opportunity go to waste."

Winter could be so irritating. Even when she meant well, everything was still about her. Even this, it wasn't so much about Weiss' happiness as it was about Winter not wanting to worry anymore.

"I don't want to scare her away. There's already a lot of distance between us." She spoke softly and hoped that Winter would understand that she meant it. Weiss was terrified of ruining what fragile truce she and Ruby currently had.

"Yang has told me," Weiss rolled her eyes. "That the two of you are working to become friends. Even if there is nothing romantic there – would it really be so bad to spend time with your friend?"

Weiss glared out into the nothingness in front of her. The trees and the clouds in the sky – just hoping Winter could feel it. "I know what you're doing."

"I'm not exactly hiding it, Sister." Weiss had nothing left to say. "Listen, Weiss…just keep an open mind for me, all right? If you go through with this and it's terrible, I will pay for your therapy myself." Weiss was prepared to decline. Prepared to tell Winter that it was never going to happen. She was prepared to do a lot of things before the guilt came. "I want you to be happy. I want you to find something that makes you smile the way you used to when the two of you were together. No person or thing has come close since her."

Weiss shook her head, frustrated and sad and knowing full well that this was going to end badly.

Yet, there was no getting out of it now. "I'll…make the most of it."

After a few empty goodbyes, Weiss closed her scroll and was about to put it away when it buzzed in her hand.

A message from a number she didn't recognize.

Our siblings are trying to play matchmaker! If it's uncomfortable for you, I'll tell Yang you can't stay.

Oh...

Weiss hadn't expected Ruby to pick up on it. She hadn't expected Ruby to contact her directly about it either. Ruby was so upfront about all of this.

Because, unlike you, she's truly over it.

Throwing her head back in agony, Weiss typed out her response.

I'm okay with it if you are, your father's house is already crowded.

She hated how even these message back and forth with Ruby made her heart race a little.

Sounds like a plan! I'll get your bed ready!

Weiss responded with a quick thank you before laying down completely on the hard, wooden bench and hoping a bolt of lightening might end her suffering completely.

"Miss Schnee?" Violet broke through the serenity and Weiss opened one eye to see her assistant standing over her with her hands behind her back. "We closed a deal with that pesky shipping company in Vacuo today – your staff was able to get 80% of what was requested and they'll be supplying their own ships."

The information processed and Weiss was suddenly drawn back into her job – which felt surreal as she had almost forgotten it with all this nonsense. "Very well – I wish we had pushed for at least eighty-five but I'm sure Hardwick and his lawyers were too meek to challenge Vacuo's bullies."

"Hardwick is more concerned with keeping face then turning the best profit."

Weiss nodded – Hardwick was an idiot. "It's too late to do anything about it now and them supplying their own ships will save us on the return. Have Hardwick message me a copy of the documents and I'll review them, then we can start prepping the delivery and hope all goes well."

Violet was already tapping on her scroll. "Should we up security? Vacuo shipments have always been notorious for trouble."

"Wouldn't hurt, especially if it's their ships – I'd like more people under the Schnee lien than anyone else through this. If it goes well then we'll have quality supply lines to Vacuo and can start helping them clear out their infestation."

"Of course," Violet finished on her scroll and nodded. "Hardwick has been notified and I'll find a good security force to hire for the journey."

Weiss closed her eye again and actually found a strange bit of comfort in the familiarity of her work. "Might as well put in a call to Flynt and Neon, I'm certain they could use the work. We'll let them head up the security team."

"You know armed guards don't like having hunters telling them what to do."

She knew, all too well. "They may not like it, but if you pay them well enough then they will listen, regardless."

"Very well," Weiss waited for Violet to leave…and waited…and waited – yet the shadow she cast over Weiss stayed and eventually she had to open her eyes again.

"Is that all?"

Violet shrugged. "You tell me? Miss Xiao Long informed me that you would be staying at your – at Ms. Rose's home for the remainder of the week. Until the hotel we reserved is ready."

Oh right…she'd forgotten about Violet in all the craziness.

"Um…it is…a situation that I am currently trying to—"

"Miss Schnee," Violet gently cut her off. "Miss Xiao Long said I was welcome to continue sleeping in the den. In fact, she was quite insistent that I not accompany you at all."

It was official, Weiss was going to kill Yang. "I'm sorry you're being put through all of this – I didn't expect Yang to plot so much with Ruby and I."

"She's cute," Violet said more personally than professionally and Weiss opened her other eye. "I've never seen you act the way you do around her."

Weiss now had to sit up a little. "How do I act?"

Violet grinned. "Like a smitten teenager." She set in a very deep glare at her assistant. "It's not a bad thing, Miss Schnee."

With a heavy sigh, Weiss laid back down and covered her face. "It might be – if you're fine staying here then it's probably for the better – Ruby and I might kill one another."

"Or perhaps you might—"

"Violet, please do not finish that sentence."

She could almost hear the smirk in her voice. "Well at least you're considering it."

"I'm not, why do you all keep thinking that Ruby and I are going to jump into bed – you and Yang and my sister, you all think it's so easy. You don't know the first thing about…" when she finally sat up, Violet was gone. Weiss glared at no one and clenched her fists. "I hate this fucking place."