Chapter 4 Communication Part 2

Weiss Schnee the Heiress

Lonely silence was not always unpleasant, something Weiss had discovered sometime in her childhood. Despite her longing for others she found a certain comfort in the null noises of a place devoid of humans. Perhaps the word was not comfort, but safety. Her hideaway was the park alcove between Beacon's buildings, rich with crimson trees and blooming blossoms. She had found this place to be alone but over time, time spent with Ruby, her place became their place.

Weiss came here to be to be found, but having a moment where this sanctum was hers alone again felt akin to a warm blanket enveloping her on a cold night. Alone she took her seat in one of the solitary benches, the wind knocking some of the blossoms and forever red leaves around her. The wind was cooling, a feeling that stabilized her. Eyes closed she focused on her breath enjoying the momentary peace. When Weiss opened her eyes again she would have work to do, a thousand worries and fears, a thousand imperfections to be mended, but for that brief respite she was able to relax.

The moment ended as all did, and soon her eyes opening to see the silent park with its red trees surrounding it, their newly falling blossoms dancing about. The coolness would normally irritate her scar, but it felt nice on her pale snowy skin. Soon Ruby would come after her; soon she would have to say something. An apology for one, though she disdained doing so. Explanation as well, as if apologizing wasn't difficult enough. The other problem was easier, a book in hand already working on it. Weapons theory, a more basic manual, perhaps a good reference point into engineering. This was easy, knowledge over emotions. She could handle knowledge, a realm of facts either black and white, of definitives and absolutes. What was true and untrue could be mastered with studious work. Her emotions seemed impossible to chain, anger always leaking from the ice prison as well as spite and envy's little poison. It was the thing that held her back from being perfect, making the right decisions. Emotions blurred sense, made irrational things rational.

She wanted to be cold and calculated just like her father, because in life what is,is the only thing of relevance. Did she though? Ruby made her doubt that, made her doubt a lot of decisions. Made less than perfect seem perfect, and any attempt beyond seem like an exercise in vanity. Results matter, but they didn't make Weiss happy. Ruby made her happy, yet lessened her results. Idiotic philosophizing wouldn't do any good, Ruby would be taken away if she didn't perform. Again the results were what mattered. A big loop. It was almost funny, the fact that Weiss had just read the same three sentences of her book over again was not however. Furthermore that Weiss was so distracted in thought that if asked what the repeated sentence even was, she would have no answer made her irate.

Pushing away her world Weiss allowed for no more distractions. The wind, the leaves, the blossoms, the bench itself, everyone and everything was removed from her mind, and Weiss began to work. Soon the ideas written into the page were all that was real, even the paper of the page was beyond her thoughts, automatic and cold. The Heiress carved the basic contents into her mind, learning the basic designs of all common weapons.

"Hey Weiss…hi." From the blackness something called her softly, though Weiss did not listen. Instead she scowled, eyes still ripping its way through the contents of the book. The voice was not disrupted though. "Sorry I'm probably bothering you, but I think we should talk about stuff. I'm real sorry about earlier. I wasn't thinking I promise!" The blankness around Weiss began to evaporate making her grimace a bit more, still in the moment clinging to her perfect concentration. She was vaguely aware the voice was Ruby.

"Weiss...I'm sorry please don't be mad." Ruby asked not handling the silence well. Weiss noticed the abyss of focus draining from her, the outside world becoming real again. Reds and whites flooding back into her vision, whatever was left of the Heiress hyper-focus was destroyed by a push. Ruby had sat down next to on the bend, the poor girl pushing against Weiss' shoulder for attention. The fencer went from scowling to a frown, her concentration ruined, but more importantly that annoying guilt showing up again.

She didn't say anything at first, but when Weiss shot her gaze towards Ruby, the crimson partner broke her facade just a bit. Her girlfriend had the saddest look, desperately pulling and pushing on Weiss. That made her frown even harder. She never wanted Ruby to feel bad, that was her least desired end. That needy idiot was her dearest one.

"Stop it you dolt." Weiss growled with her head tilted up refusing to look at Ruby. Part of it was a little embittered desire to be a left alone just a moment longer, but bigger was Weiss' own distaste for hearing that apology. Ruby had nothing to apologize for. The Heiress had acted in anger, lashed out frustrated and hearing Ruby apologize just made her feel worse. Of course that made her angry and so the circle built on itself. Still actions were a choice. If she could control weakness like cowardice and sadness then she could control anger. Weiss did not lower her head, but her eyes refocused on Ruby's sad curled up form. The little red huntress balled herself up pressing up against Weiss' shoulder to get her attention. Sweet little thing that she was just looked up to her nervous.

"Ruby...you did really well. I'm sor-...I'm proud of you." The Heiress whispered unable to apologize as intended, her own fear of weakness prompting it to become a complement. No less true, but Weiss felt it inadequate. She hoped Ruby understood that she was not at fault. That despite the fencer's inability to say so properly, she was the real problem today.

"Thank you." Ruby muttered, though Weiss could not see her expression behind the red tipped bangs in front of her face. That little ball of huntress erupted, her pale arms clutching onto Weiss' body, her partners face nuzzled into the nape of the girl's neck. Ruby's breath hot on her skin eliciting a sudden mixed reaction.

"Ruby let go!" Weiss tensed up immediately, wanting to fight her way out of the embrace. Sudden things made her uncomfortable, something she had yet to fully work out, but she resisted the more violent urge.

"No." Ruby mumbled into Weiss' neck the hot breath causing her to shiver. Idiot had no idea how sensitive her neck was. The Heiress did her best not to blush, wanting to stand firm against her affectionate partner's infantile methods of persuasion. 'Ruby can be such a child sometimes.' Weiss thought, subconsciously reaching out and rubbing Ruby's shoulder to comfort her. 'I really need to stop being her mother too.' That thought struck Weiss as even sadder, the last talk with Yang about her mother still being absorbed.

"Ruby…" Weiss said lowly, feeling too tired to be so strong and stern. Ruby pulled her head up, the messy straight weave of red tinted black hair. She always had such sweet eyes, made even more pitifully beautiful when she seemed sad. Silver, never so crude as to be called grey. She made for quite the cute puppy at times, though to tell her would just encourage her infantile behavior.

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice I was keeping you from studying. I'm so sorry, Weiss I didn't mean to put you behind. I know I keep causing you trouble, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault you're stressed and I was so excited about making you proud I didn't even think. I'm so dumb I just-" Ruby just started spilling it all out into this verbal cacophony of admission and guilt and whatever negative emotion the little huntress seemed to have. Weiss didn't like that, she hated it. Ruby did not need to make her proud, she had tarnished her perfect grade due to her own choices, and most irritable was that Ruby called herself dumb. A small part of the Heiress thought herself responsible for the seed of doubt that found its way in Ruby, making her feel like some sort of idiot. She was a dolt, a dunce, a deliberate pain even from time to time, but she was gifted and brilliant.

"Ruby. Shut up." Weiss said, fairly flatly, her teeth clenched in frustration. "It's okay. This was never your fault. You just lived up to your potential. I call you an idiot precisely because you are not an idiot...I just needed a minute to myself. I am better than that, it was pathetic and I'm not going to let that happen again. " Weiss had always found it difficult to speak ill of herself. Not because she was somehow perfect, but it was a sign of weakness, a crack in her authority. Her upbringing taught her that meekness in such things was damning, but time at Beacon had reinforced the deeper truth she had always known. Lying about weakness to save face would not save her from said weakness. Fact and fiction was monochrome, a rare true right and wrong.

"And I'm going to help you." Ruby said, still not letting Weiss go. Her usually unsure expression was not there. Instead she had a bit of fire in her eyes, despite still having the easy going smile. Ruby seemed sure of herself.

"What?" Weiss replied, inherently uncomfortable with charity.

"Weiss, you help me with so much...Weapons Engineering is just me, I love building stuff. I can teach you way more than the books can." Ruby rarely seemed so stern. She was strong in a fight, but not in conversation. Yet here she was still innocent looking, but staring at the Heiress directly, solidly. "Weiss…. I can do this. I can be helpful too, trust me." To this Weiss meant to say thank you, instead something else crossed her lips.

"I don't need your help Ruby…" The tone was irritable, yet Weiss felt embarrassed by her own hyperactive pride. She didn't need help, she could handle anything. The Heiress was the boss and tutored Ruby, not the other way around. She wanted to chastise herself for that self-centered thinking, but pride always won out in her.

"I know you're perfect." Ruby said with a loose sort of grin cute and innocent, making Weiss blush. She had not expected that. The younger huntress finally pulled out of the embrace sliding her soft hands into Weiss' swaying back and forth as she did so. "But together we will be faster… It's more uhh" She added laying a trap for Weiss to gently fall in.

"Efficient?" Weiss replied finishing the crimson girl's sentence. The silver fencer was letting herself be tricked; fully aware it was nothing but flattery. It was always so dreadfully effective on her, having her girlfriend aware of this was very worrying.

"Yeah exactly. We're a team, let's work like it." Ruby voiced cheery, the look in her eyes made it clear she knew that the conversation was going her way. "I can't let you just take care of me." She added sweetly and softly resting her head on Weiss' shoulders, her hand tightening on her partner's.

"I can handle it th-thank you." Weiss shouted a little, stuttering nervously at the affection. She tried as she could to hold a stern persona, but having her girlfriend snuggle up to her and say sweet things. This sort of atmosphere was getting easier. Before she would have felt trapped completely, like it was some sort of emotional prison, but now even as it made her a little stiff and nervous, the touch was not undesired. Only for her rose, no one else.

"I don't understand it all, but I know a lot of things are on you...let's carry it together." Ruby said while smiling brightly, tossing up their interlocked arms into the air ready for a big cheer. "Team Combat Skirts!" She added with a shout to the park, something Weiss opted out of for the sake of pride. The red trees replied with a gust of wind picking up the perpetually falling leaves. They always spun around the park, the enclosed area trapping the wind. A wonderful little place.

"They are very fashionable." Weiss said, trying not to smile.

"On you, definitely." Ruby replied with a giggle, pressing up against Weiss's shoulder.

"You're dumb" Weiss countered flatly, but despite the harshness of her words the ice princess pressed a light kiss on top of Ruby's forehead. An acceptable award for the compliment. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me." Weiss added with a self-satisfied grin, chin up.

"Liar!" Ruby shouted back tackling Weiss onto the brown bench, tossing the crimson leaves into the air and the books to the floor. Weiss immediately tried pushing her off, but that smiling bright eyed little dolt wouldn't let go. Giggling all the while that adorably insufferable dolt.

"I am not!" Weiss shouted back trying even harder to remove the red hooded leech off her. "Ruby, don't make me hurt you!" She added for good measure, considering exactly how much dust her blade would need to teach Ruby a lesson in personal space. Despite the threats, Ruby just giggled more, clutching the silver fencers form tighter.

"You won't." Ruby let out with a laugh loosening up her grip a bit as Weiss stop struggling quite as hard. Weiss would need to re-iron her clothes after this; Ruby's as well, though her partner would easily wear her clothes shabby and wrinkled. The Heiress could add that to the list of chores, though for now Weiss made no effort to move. 'Might as well, it's not like it can get even more wrinkled.' She accepted her defeat and let Ruby stay tight to her, resting her head on Weiss' chest.

"Hey Weiss?" Ruby sounded, slightly hushed and mousy.

"Yes Ruby?" Weiss replied staring up into the canopy of red and pink tinted trees, the mild beams of light cutting into the park area broken light strains. Laying on that bench she knew a thousand things she needed to do, wanted to do, but didn't move. Ruby said nothing for a moment, then as the wind died down for a moment she aired her final fears.

"You're not going to break up with me right?"

"Who suggested that dunce?!" Weiss shouted, trying to move but Ruby was still holding her down. The pale huntress, with hair like the leaves, looked up at her with blushed with a embarrassed expression, though she had a bright grin filled with relief. The nerve of her to suggest breaking up over a test grade. One does not toss out everything on the first sign of trouble, Weiss would need to restructure things, true, but the point was to balance the elements of her life, not cut one out.

"Blake and I were talking and uhh." Ruby admitted with a chuckle pulling away enough to scratch her head, a nervous habit of hers.

"Blake?!" Weiss almost felt her teeth crack from how tight she clenched her jaw in anger. She knew that meddling cat was somehow behind all this, it explained Yang's concern and appearance, this whole thing was one of her little people puppet shows. Weiss knew she meant well, but to scare Ruby like that. This was too far.

"Hey, Blake didn't do anything!" A familiar voice shouted behind a bush, followed by a shush from another. That little Faunus and her coconspirator.

"Yang! Blake! Out!" Weiss shouted pulling herself off the bench nearly knocking Ruby off in the process. She could apologize later, but really, she could not deal with this sort of childishness. Yang stepped out of a bush, brushing the thin needles and leaves from her fine clothes. The golden girl a bit vain as always. The other one made no motion to move, but was hiding in plain sight, resting in a tree branch, the trouble maker herself.

"Told you that she would catch you." Blake said to Yang in her usual monotone, a smile on her face, though weak and weary as all her smiles were. She seemed perfectly content to just sit in that tree a few feet away from the others, how Weiss had missed her was something to fear. Blake was talented for sure.

"Everything's better! Let's go celebrate! I'm buying lunch-dinner, it's a Friday afternoon, no more classes!" Yang shouted rising her fists in celebration. If Weiss had any inclination to guess, Yang intended for fun Ruby clearly could not be a party to. Well not one she would allow Ruby to join again, though that club was a pleasant memory.

"Totally didn't tell her that by the way." Blake added sliding down from the tree in a saunter, the minx always taking it slower than the rest, never in the same hurry outside of battle. Sometimes Weiss thought Blake did it just to annoy her and the smile she had whenever Weiss got mad encouraged that line of thinking.

"Have you no sense of privacy?!" Weiss started taking a step towards the duo, thinking of exactly how to phrase her next lecture. A pale hand stopped her, grasping the cloth of her jacket. It was Ruby giving a sad look, attempting to ease things over with her sweet yet sad stare. It was so annoying that it always worked. "Ugh...Fine let's go" Weiss allowed, feeling too tired for more yelling.

Ruby smiled giving Weiss a quick embrace before speeding after her sister. The two of them always were like that, bolting ahead of the rest of them. Unless they were out to do real work. In that case Weiss would have to drag them, but for a night out? Not so much. Somehow it always ended up with the silent duo, Blake and Weiss. The tension had cooled some, though the Faunus' self-satisfied smile irritated Weiss. Perhaps the meddling was a bit much, but Blake had done more good than harm, despite how uncomfortable the spying made her.

"So I heard some rumors that Ruby is dating Jaune. And others that she is dating a certain black cat." Weiss opened with making some amount of small talk. The rumors were false to anyone who knows those involved. Pyhrra and Jaune were obviously involved with each other, and Blake was never interested in anything, but her novels and schemes. Weiss felt no sense of fear or doubt in Ruby, but if anyone one knew where these rumors were coming from, it was Blake.

"Scandalous. I wouldn't know anything about it." Blake answered in a monotone sarcastic voice. Weiss returned her comment with a look of complete and total disbelief. After a moment Blake rolled her eyes and gave another weak sort of smile "Just clever misdirection, nothing you need to worry about." Again with the meddling, though if rumors as unbelievable as these were around… It would tarnish the credibility of all rumors involving Ruby.

"Thank you." Weiss replied begrudgingly. She did not like that sort of underhanded tactic, but Blake had helped cover their trail once again. She was a good… perhaps friend. If Weiss could have this kind of friend. By now they had entered the dorms and their voices became hush whispers. Blake looked around for a moment. Choosing only when the dorm hall was empty to speak.

"Anything for our Princess and her rose." She finally replied in vague terms thinking herself clever. Weiss hated the Princess name, but for once, she didn't argue with Blake about it. Honestly it seemed that name was going to stick no matter how hard she tried.

"Welcome home Ladies. Time to get ready for a night out." Yang shouted to the entire dorm hall, thankfully empty. She took her scroll out and the dorm room lock, set only to their scrolls. The lock was undone, and the door came open, free for the four of them to get ready for whatever nonsense Yang was planning.

Except there already people inside.

Weiss felt her heart freeze, the blood in her body turn to ice, though her expression turned glacier hard. Inside stood the thing she most feared right now, but it was impossible. There was no way, it was still too early. Not enough time for word to get out about today.

"Friends!" One of their guests shouted a familiar...friend… to all of team RWBY, Penny. She was just another weird piece of the entire puzzle. The major question of why and how she got in her was irrelevant to the form in the room's center. Sitting on a stool, one not from the original room, dressed in an all-white suit, trimmed in black and red accents mirroring his order, was a man she recognized from all her days. A thin man, attractive though getting on in age. Constantly with a just slight bit of a beard, like a day after shaving. His close-cropped hair and only slight bangs never obscured his deceptively friendly expression. In his hands was Ruby's Journal, one of fine red paper and personal secrets.

"Zawisza!" Weiss shouted in horrified disbelief. Her father right hand man just smiled brightly his dim brown eyes appearing just as friendly as his smile and he scratched his head like a boy who had just got caught in his sister's room.

"Hello everyone! It's good to meet you all. I've been waiting for you Weiss!"

***Sorry still in a bit of Funk so excuse my lateness. . Looks like things are starting to get a little dangerous :D The updates for this one are a bit minimal. Wanted to thank A-rav again for his Beta work, and for mentioning me in his own fic Icy Rose, check it out as well as 'Best of RWBY fan fiction" Community group for adding Melting Vale to their list. Next I wanted to say remember the competition is still on, don't be timid I know more of you can create something cool! :D Remember it's only open till the 1st.

Well thank you all for sticking with me and remember to leave a review, every little one helps me in so many ways, trust me.

Also for those interested, the song Credens Justitiam, specifically the classical cover by Qonell was the primary music used to help me with this.

Edit: Ziiroh problems fixed