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Assistant: Title: What Defines Us
        Author: Mikotyzini Mikotyzini 
        Chapter: 35/49 
        Summary: In life, we're presented with moments where we can grow - opportunities where we can succeed - paths we can take which will lead us to love, glory, and happiness. But what happens when our hopes and dreams don't match up with what the world demands of us? What happens when we're forced to take a different path...one we never imagined for ourselves to begin with?
        Contents: Chapter 35
    

    


  

  
  
    
    
  The moment Weiss woke up, she sensed that something was...not quite right.  And by not quite right, she meant that everything felt undoubtedly familiar.  The smell of roses hung heavily in the air, as fragrant as a fresh bouquet might be.  The covers were soft, but in a way that suggested they were well worn instead of needlessly expensive.  And the general feeling of warmth was far greater than any empty bed could ever offer.

  The second Weiss opened her eyes and found herself looking at the plain white ceiling of an unfamiliar bedroom, sleep jolted away from her.  Her heart began to race on instinct - fearing the combination of familiarity and unfamiliarity, and what it might mean for her psyche.

  Was this a new version of a nightmare?  Was her subconscious luring her into believing Ruby was nearby, only to tear them apart at the last second?

  As the seconds ticked past and nothing changed, she slowly accepted that this wasn’t a nightmare - because she wasn’t dreaming.  She was awake and enjoying the scent of roses, but with none of the heartache she’d come to believe was mandatory when scratching the surface of the past.  

  Recognizing that she was awake, she focused on the rest of her being - mainly, trying to move.  A heavy weight held her in place, however, so she turned her head to see what it was.

  And suddenly found herself face-to-face with a still-sleeping Ruby Rose.

  If Weiss hadn’t been awake before, she certainly was now.  Her senses shot to high alert, and her breathing escalated while her eyes rapidly took in the situation and determined that Ruby was...wrapped around her.  One arm weighed down her chest, while Ruby’s right leg lay over both of Weiss’.

  She fell asleep in Ruby’s bed.  

  They were talking and she fell asleep.  In Ruby’s bed. This was Ruby’s room. That was Ruby’s plain white ceiling up above.  These were Ruby’s comfortable covers tucked around her. That was Ruby’s warmth sharing the bed with her.

  What...happened?

  Racking her brain, which refused to function as it normally did, Weiss remembered how exhausting yesterday had been, both physically and emotionally.  Between going back to Beacon, telling Ruby the truth, and fighting in The Invite, it was reasonable to expect her to fall asleep at the soonest opportunity.

  But it was unexpected for Ruby to cuddle Weiss in her sleep.

  Staring at the sleeping girl beside her, Weiss felt her heart rate climb and climb - only stopping when it hammered in her ears.  
  
    Stay calm
  
  , she reminded herself while trying to take a steady breath and failing.  She needed to calm down. They’d slept in the same bed thousands of times before - every night for years.  This was 
  
    not 
  
  a huge deal.

  But it 
  
    was
  
  .  This wasn’t Ruby
  
    .
  
    This was 
  
    Ruby
  
  .  The new one.  The one Weiss hadn’t even kissed yet.

  Turning back to the ceiling, Weiss focused on breathing as quietly as possible so as not to wake Ruby up.  In the meantime, she struggled to pull together the last memory she had before waking up moments ago.

  They’d been talking...Ruby had been talking, and then she fell silent for a long time.  It was at that moment that Weiss felt a massive wave of exhaustion wash over her - the result of a day that had wreaked havoc on her mental resolve.  During the silence, she’d allowed her eyes to close for only a second...or so she’d thought. Seeing as how the late morning sun was already peeking through the curtains covering Ruby’s windows, it had apparently been much longer than a few seconds.

  Ruby must have noticed that Weiss fell asleep, right?  And she was comfortable enough to fall asleep by Weiss’ side?  

  It wouldn't have been inappropriate to wake Weiss up.  She could have moved to the sofa or dragged herself into a taxi to go home.  Or, since Ruby was probably too polite to do that, 
  
    she
  
   could have slipped out to the living room by herself.

  Instead, she was here.  With Weiss.

  Did this mean that things were alright between them?  Last night they’d gone through several painful memories, yet Ruby hadn’t seemed angry or upset at the role Weiss had played in them.  In her worst nightmares, Ruby froze her out completely - too angry at what she’d done to even allow her to explain or apologize. But last night, Ruby talked, listened, and encouraged Weiss to share more.  She’d never dared dream that Ruby would be so...receptive...

  As her heart crawled down from its ledge in her throat, Weiss slowly twisted so she could stare at Ruby - and felt a small smile appear.  All too often, she blinked and missed out on these opportunities - these little instances that were to be appreciated, not overlooked. It was only Ruby’s absence that highlighted how much Weiss had missed out on - how many of these fleeting moments she’d lost the chance to treasure.  At the time, it felt like they had eternity together. It was only when that future was taken away that Weiss realized her mistake.

  There were a thousand items on her to-do list for work.  There were a million questions and concerns flying through her head from the events of yesterday.  But, instead of giving any of those worries credence, she focused instead on the girl lying in front of her.  Ruby’s eyelashes, her lips, her ears, her adorable mess of disheveled brunette hair...Weiss wanted to soak in every microscopic detail and commit them all to memory.

  Ruby had grown up to be quite beautiful, although she had no idea that was the case.  Most of the time, it might be more appropriate to label her as ‘cute,’ but these moments of beauty appeared more and more often.  It was almost as if her true character was starting to shine through - blinding them all with effortless benevolence.

  Unaware of her actions, Weiss was steadily leaning forward - closer to Ruby’s lips - but when Ruby suddenly stirred, Weiss realized how close she was and quickly moved away.  Laying her head down on the pillow with her heart renewing its pounding, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep while Ruby continued to awaken.

  A soft sigh preceded a warm breath blowing across Weiss’ cheek, sending tingles down her spine.  The next instant, Ruby jolted away in surprise - drawing her arm and leg back to herself as if she’d just been shocked.  The sudden motion was the perfect opportunity for Weiss to slowly blink her eyes open - finding Ruby staring at her in both bewilderment and embarrassment.

  “Uhh...good morning,” Ruby stammered while a blush reddened her cheeks.

  “Good morning,” Weiss answered softly, smiling at the way some of Ruby’s hair now stuck straight up in the back.

  “Did...uh, did you sleep ok?”

  Spending the night in a strange room usually meant that the answer was ‘no,’ but as Weiss took stock of her fatigue, she was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case.

  “Yes, actually.  I was exhausted.”

  “Me too!”  

  There were few instances when one of Ruby’s grins wouldn’t make Weiss feel a hundred times better - and this time was no exception.  As long as Ruby was smiling - as long as she was still happy about 
  
    something
  
   - then their relationship couldn’t be as horrible as Weiss feared.

  The discomfort from yesterday still lingered, however, and when Ruby glanced away, she fiddled with her hands as if she didn’t know what to do with them.

  “Guess we should get up though,” Ruby said, turning back to Weiss with inquiring silver eyes.

  “I suppose so...”

  If only they could lie here forever.  So much needed to be said - so many questions needed answered - but life beckoned them away once again.

  Ruby seemed to be equally hesitant to leave, but eventually she rolled out of bed and Weiss reluctantly followed.  It was only when Ruby stretched her hands high above her head that Weiss realized they’d fallen asleep in the same outfits they’d been wearing yesterday.  Noticing at the same moment, Ruby tugged at the hem of her skirt and looked over her shoulder with a sheepish grin.

  “You wanna borrow some clothes?”

  “Oh, no, I’ll be fine -” Weiss tried to deflect, but Ruby was hearing none of it.  In fact, she was already digging through her closet and drawers in search of clean clothing.

  “Don’t worry about it!  Plus, I wanna change too.  You can bring them back whenever or keep ‘em; I don’t mind.”  

  After pulling out a shirt and pair of sweatpants, Ruby pressed them into Weiss’ hands with a smile.  Weiss, however, looked down at them and felt her brow furrow.

  “I know they’re not your style,” Ruby quickly added.  “But I’m sure you’ll look great anyway!”

  The casual compliment made them both blush in unison while Weiss accepted the clothes with a soft “Thank you…”  

  Changing into clean clothes would be much more comfortable than wearing her combat gear, so she might as well…

  “You can use the bathroom first.  Oh! And I have an extra toothbrush you can use!”  Dashing into the bathroom, Ruby reappeared seconds later with a brand new toothbrush in hand.  “And you can use any of my stuff - what’s mine is yours!”

  The phrase made Weiss’ heart jump in surprise.

  “That’s -” she began to reply, wishing to explain that that wasn’t 
  
    exactly 
  
  how the phrase was supposed to work.  But Ruby looked so pleased about being able to offer something to Weiss that she thought better of it.  

  “That’s very kind of you,” she said instead.

  Accepting the toothbrush, she walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and let out a long sigh before going about pulling herself together.  After using Ruby’s soap and splashing water on her face to freshen up, she opened the toothbrush to brush her teeth. It was generous of Ruby to offer a brand new toothbrush, especially considering how strangely attached to them she could get...

  Allowing Weiss to borrow a change of clothes was also quite thoughtful.  And the outfit Ruby selected was remarkably comfortable, which was to be expected.  The pants were a bit long and the shirt a bit loose, but they smelled like Ruby - and that alone was worth the lack of a well-coordinated and perfectly-sized outfit.

  Walking out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Weiss found Ruby staring off into space while a clump of clothes sat on her lap.  Quickly noticing Weiss, she jumped up and smiled. 

  “I’ll be back in a sec!” she quipped before flying past, the door to the bathroom closing behind her.

  Was it Weiss’ imagination or was something different?  

  Well, clearly a great deal had changed since yesterday morning, but it felt like 
  
    something
  
   lingered in the air between them.  Was it the effect of words left unsaid?  Or something else entirely?

  If only they could go back to the day before yesterday…

  That day was gone though.  There was no point grasping onto how it had once been; they needed to move forward and forge a new relationship together...whatever that might look like.  For better or worse, radical change had been thrust upon their lives, and now they needed to find a way through it. 

  From Ruby’s questions and reactions last night, she was far more open-minded and understanding than Weiss had expected.  Under similar circumstances, she imagined she would be a stubborn mess and nearly impossible to deal with.

  But that wasn’t the case with Ruby.  She wasn’t stubborn at all. And, for someone who’d been through a tremendous amount of trials over the past year, she wasn’t a mess.  Instead, she was incredibly open-minded...and if she was willing to be open-minded, then Weiss was willing to explain herself. Or, at least, make her best attempt at explaining herself.

  A few minutes later, Ruby bounced back into the room in her own set of what Weiss could only consider to be ‘loungewear.’  Of course with Ruby’s long legs and arms, the outfit just made her look athletic and attractive.

  “Ready!  Are you ready?”  

  Again, the cheerful attitude didn’t feel quite right.  It could be Weiss overanalyzing the situation and projecting her unease onto Ruby, but…

  “Ruby…” she began to ask, but when silver eyes landed upon her, the question flitted away.  

  Did she want to pull at that thread right now?  Ruby knew the truth, at least a part of it, and she was happy.  Not only was she still happy, but she wasn’t mad at Weiss. Wasn’t that more than enough?  Wasn’t this actually the best case scenario? She’d been prepared for Ruby to demand a legitimate reason for her absence - or for Ruby to tell her to leave - or for Ruby to say a whole slew of things that Weiss rightfully deserved to hear.

  Couldn’t she be happy with this new normal...at least for a little while?

  “Lead the way,” she finished with a smile of her own.

  Following Ruby out of the room, the sound of voices immediately met Weiss’ ears.  Blake and Yang must already be awake and in the kitchen talking - wonderful. There was no turning back now though...Weiss would have to go through the kitchen if she was ever going to leave...

  “Hey Ruby!” Yang called out before her eyes landed upon Weiss.  The instant Weiss’ borrowed outfit registered, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open.  

  “Weiss?  You’re still here?  And you - did you two -?”

  Weiss vehemently shook her head behind Ruby’s back, but stopped and smiled innocently when Ruby turned and looked at her.  Thankfully, Yang stopped talking. 
  
    Sometimes
  
   she could take a hint.

  “Did you two what?” Ruby asked curiously.

  “Did you two want pancakes?” Yang asked with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, rocketing out of her seat like it had suddenly caught fire.

  “Oh no -” Weiss began to decline, but Yang was already shaking her head at the reply.

  “Don’t say you have to leave, Weiss, because I 
  
    know
  
   you have time for some pancakes.”

  With her graceful exit dashed, Weiss smiled politely, nodded her head, and braced herself for the inevitable - Yang was going to make this as mortally embarrassing as possible.

  “Would you like any help?” Weiss offered, but Yang shook her head while pulling out ingredients and bowls from the cupboards.  Resigned to her fate, Weiss took a seat at the table and prepared herself for the incoming questions.

  “So...what did you two do last night?” Blake asked, not seeming 
  
    too
  
   interested in the answer while casually stirring a spoon around her steaming cup of tea.  

  Maybe Blake didn’t seem very interested in the question she’d just asked, but Weiss didn’t miss the grin on Yang’s lips while the blonde whizzed around the kitchen.  After years of practice, the two girls were well rehearsed in obtaining the information they wanted to know. Without drawing any suspicion, Blake would pry the details from Ruby while Yang pretended she was too busy to listen.  

  Ruby fell for it every time.

  “We talked,” Ruby replied while plopping into the seat beside Weiss.  “She told me about...uh, well, my ‘accident.’”

  The lighthearted mood in the kitchen evaporated as Yang and Blake glanced at Weiss in shock before pushing their full attention to Ruby.

  “How do you feel about that?” Blake asked while Yang waited intently for an answer, no longer pretending not to be listening.  From their responses, this was a huge deal - but Ruby merely shrugged, not seeming at all impacted by the information in one way or another.

  “Now I know not to get myself caught by a Death Stalker and flung into a rock!”

  When Ruby beamed, Blake and Yang visibly relaxed.  Yang even chuckled from the stove while turning her attention back to breakfast.  

  “It worries me that you 
  
    didn’t
  
   know that before,” she joked while preparing the pan for batter.

  The entire interaction had been nothing more than a few seconds, but Weiss had just witnessed how careful they’d been in making sure Ruby was ready to absorb new information without causing undue stress.  They’d looked out for her wellbeing this entire time...physical 
  
    and
  
   mental wellbeing.  

  If that was the case, and Yang had been the one to suggest it was time to tell Ruby the truth, then Ruby must have been ready to hear it.  Maybe not prepared, but at least emotionally ready to handle and process the information. 

  The realization was a tiny bit of relief in a sea of uncertainty.

  Unknowingly staring while lost in thought, Weiss felt her heart flutter in surprise when Ruby caught her eyes and grinned.  Something had definitely changed between them, but she couldn’t tell what it was just yet...

  “So you guys just talked?” Blake asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of her tea before smiling at Ruby.  “And then went to sleep, I’m guessing.”

  “Yup!  Weiss passed out and then I did too!”

  It wasn’t exactly the juicy story Yang must’ve been hoping for, but, from the size of the grin on her face, she wasn’t at all disappointed.

  “Order up!” she suddenly called out before flipping a fully cooked pancake indiscriminately over her head.  Before Weiss even had the chance to track to object, Ruby used her semblance to catch the flying saucer on the other side of the table before it hit the ground.  The next three quickly followed and landed in a haphazard stack on Ruby’s plate. 

  Pleased with her success in pancake catching, Ruby beamed at Weiss before heading back to the table.

  “Want some?” she offered while slipping back into her seat.

  “You go ahead and eat first.  You’re probably hungrier than I am.”

  Making a noise of content, Ruby set about preparing her food for consumption - first cutting them into bite-size pieces with quick but straight lines, then pulling the syrup bottle over to her.  It was with a mixture of both amusement and horror that Weiss watched Ruby drench the pancakes in an unhealthy amount of syrup.

  “Do you need a straw for that?” Weiss teased, nodding towards pancakes that were practically floating in a moat of sticky sugar.

  “I’m not allowed to drink syrup anymore!” Ruby remarked - a little too proudly - before stuffing an entire stack of pancake pieces into her mouth.

  “House rules,” Yang commented, taking an empty plate from beside Blake and sneaking a kiss on her cheek before heading back to the stove.  “We’re also not allowed to use our weapons to cut up produce -”

  “Or our semblances in games of tag!” Ruby piped in.

  “Or other people’s clothes to ‘blackout’ a room,” Blake added dryly, sending Yang a knowing look.

  “Heh, uh yeah.  Lots of rules around here.  Incoming!”

  When Blake calmly nudged her plate forward, the stray pancake landed directly in the center.

  “So how do you feel?” Blake directed to Ruby, undisturbed by the flying breakfast food.  “I’d say after yesterday, you’ve officially made it back.”

  “‘Back?’” Yang repeated from the stove.  “She’s more than back! She kicked so much b@tt yesterday the Grimm are already surrendering themselves at the wall!  Just walkin’ themselves in so they’re spared a painful visit.”

  “Nuh uh!”

  “Yes 
  
    huh
  
  ,” Yang refuted before sticking her tongue out at her sister.  “I saw ‘em! Plus, Ozpin was practically begging you to get back out there.  ‘We need you. Vale needs you. 
  
    Remnant
  
   needs you.’”  

  It was a pretty poor Professor Ozpin impression, but Yang chuckled anyway.

  “He only asked if I’d be going on more hunts!” Ruby whined.

  “Yeah, but he normally doesn’t ask for things,” Yang pointed out before going back to her task.  “You’re special!”

  “Are you ready to go on another hunt?” Blake asked, seamlessly ending the sisters’ playful bickering.  

  The prospect of Ruby going on another hunt paused Weiss’ heartbeat, but Ruby nodded regardless.

  “I guess so!  Whenever though.  Not really in a hurry.”

  The response - which even Weiss would admit was uncharacteristic - made Blake raise her brow in surprise.

  “‘Not in a hurry?’” she repeated, her eyes sliding from Ruby to Weiss and back again.  “So what did you think of Beacon? Did you like it?”

  “It’s super cool!  The buildings are awesome and the arena is like, woah, amazing.  I could probably live in there! If they’d let me - think they’d let me?  I could totally live off those corn dogs -”

  Ruby hadn’t noticed, but Blake’s unexpected change in subject caught Weiss’ interest immediately.  What had Blake just uncovered? It was true that Ruby was in a hurry for pretty much everything, so the sudden patience was unusual, but not rushing out on another hunt made logical sense -

  For Weiss.

  Not rushing out on another hunt made logical sense - for Weiss.

  Glancing at Ruby while she swooned over the technology that created the arena battles, Weiss couldn’t help but wonder if it was the story from last night that caused Ruby hesitation.  Was it for her own sake? Was she nervous about going into the forest after learning what happened to her? Or was it concern for Weiss that was suddenly slowing progress?

  As much as she’d like to believe it wasn’t her own failings that were now holding Ruby back, Weiss knew that Ruby was still fearless.  Hearing about the battle with the Death Stalkers wouldn’t be enough to sway her from going into the forest again. If anything, it would encourage her to find some Death Stalkers and test her new skills against them.

  So Ruby was concerned...for Weiss’ well being.  If this was a side effect of their conversation last night, Weiss would gladly accept it.  She’d been so worried that Ruby would push her away that even the implication behind this concern was a welcome development.

  “Weiss, are ya still eating like a little bird?”

  Turning away from Ruby, Weiss pursed her lips.  

  “If you’re asking whether I still follow appropriate diet and portion control, then yes.”

  Laughing, Yang turned away from the stove holding a plate piled with 
  
    way 
  
  too many pancakes.  

  “Then this should be enough, yeah?”

  “It would take me about a month to eat all those,” Weiss commented while Ruby grabbed a stack of five pancakes off the top and added them to her syrup pool.  She then grabbed another pile of five and carefully set them on Weiss’ plate in a nice, even stack.

  “Uh, thank you…” Weiss said, watching Ruby pick up her utensils to start eating again.

  That had been an unexpectedly...nurturing...gesture.  Even Ruby seemed to be surprised by it, blushing and focusing her full attention down on her plate while cutting up her new pancakes.

  After watching Ruby a moment longer, Weiss picked up her fork and knife to cut her food into appropriately-sized pieces.

  “Thank you for breakfast, Yang,” she added before pouring a miniscule amount of syrup to her plate.

  “No problem!”  After arranging her own stack of pancakes, Yang winced when she reached across the table for the butter.  “Man, do the rest of you feel like your muscles are rebelling?”

  “I feel fine!” Ruby quipped before shoving another big bite in her mouth.

  “Of course you do.  You’re basically a rubber band - doesn’t take you long to snap back.”  

  Giggling at the play on words, Ruby raised a fist and bumped it into Yang’s.

  “I feel fine too,” Blake added before pointing her fork at Yang.  “I think you strained yourself on that King Taijitu though.”

  “Oh, you’re right!  I remember tweaking something when that d@mn white head snapped me around so quick.  Think I could score a massage later?”

  When Yang fluttered her eyelashes, Blake rolled her eyes and turned away.

  “If you’re lucky.”

  “I’m 
  
    always
  
   -”

  “If you 
  
    behave
  
  ,” Blake corrected, catching Yang mid-sentence and making her snap her mouth shut while a grin appeared.  After wiggling her eyebrows, Yang went back to eating without a single word of complaint.

  If only Blake could teach other people how to silence Yang so effectively...the rest of the world surely needed that skill.

  Covertly testing her own muscles, Weiss found that she was aching a bit this morning, but not in a horrible way.  Besides the vague soreness and abundant mental turmoil, she felt...wonderful, actually. For the first time in forever, it felt like she was well-rested and her mind seemed...lighter.  Telling Ruby about the past, even only one small piece of it, had removed a huge weight from her chest. The fact that Ruby hadn’t drawn away or been upset made everything seem much more manageable.

  Sure, differences in their behaviors were already announcing themselves, but Weiss was now confident that they could maintain a relationship in 
  
    some
  
   form.  Whether that be merely friends or...well, she was no longer convinced that Ruby would hate her.

  As she lifted another bite of food to her mouth, a tremble ran through her hands - a wave of overstimulated nerves that wouldn’t die away.  She wasn’t scared or nervous, but very, very much alive. 

  “I can’t believe CFVY beat us by like three seconds,” Yang lamented after Blake’s spell wore off.  “D@mn Velvet and her box of tricks.”

  “But we’ll be better next year!” Ruby replied, making Weiss’ heart thump in surprise while Ruby turned towards Yang.  Grinning, Yang nodded in return. 

  “For sure!  We’ll be way faster next time!”

  Next time?  Next year? They wanted to go back and compete again?

  Staring at her plate, a surge of emotion swelled in Weiss’ chest when she understood that her presence yesterday hadn’t ruined anyone’s experience.  Even with her...difficulties...they’d enjoyed themselves - enough that they wanted to do it again.

  Curling her right hand into a loose fist, she felt pinpricks of tears behind her eyes.  

  What had she ever done to deserve such accepting teammates?  And Ruby...what had Weiss ever done to deserve a partner like Ruby?

  “Weiss!”  

  Reaching over, Ruby grabbed Weiss’ hand to gain her attention.  It worked - Weiss’ eyes snapped up in a heartbeat - but the action also drew Yang’s eyes, dashing back and forth between them.  And Blake now looked particularly smug, taking another sip of tea to hide a hint of a smile.

  Dropping Weiss’ hand like it was on fire, Ruby blushed and used her fork to draw swirls in the syrup on her plate.

  “I was just wondering how you like them?” she asked before pointing her fork towards Weiss’ mostly full plate.

  “Oh.”  Looking down at the pancakes she’d hardly touched, she put on a small smile that would hopefully satisfy Ruby’s question.  “They’re wonderful. The best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

  “I can show you something else that’ll be the best you’ve ever had,” Yang drawled before cringing at the unamused look Blake shot her.  “I mean, glad you still like ‘em! Or like them. Dammit.”

  While Yang covered her eyes and shook her head, Ruby looked between her and Weiss several times.

  “Yang’s made them for you before, hasn’t she?” Ruby finally asked after solving the invisible puzzle.

  “Uh, yeah, kinda…”

  “Yes, once or twice…”

  Nodding at their answers, Ruby didn’t say anything else while setting her fork across her empty plate.  The subject left a weird silence at the table - which Yang quickly solved by clapping her hands together and pushing herself to her feet.

  “Ok!  Blake and Ruby on dishes!  Weiss and I on putting stuff away.”

  Willingly abandoning her partially-eaten breakfast and standing to help, Weiss had hardly taken one step away from the table before Yang wrapped both arms around her and lifted her feet off the ground in a tight hug.  

  “You move fast, don’t ya tiger?” Yang whispered into Weiss’ ear before releasing her and rustling her hair.  Bristling, Weiss straightened her hair while her cheeks flushed.

  “Nothing...like 
  
    that
  
  ...happened,” she hissed at Yang, who only winked in return.  The wink made Weiss huff with indignation. “We aren’t all animals.”

  “I heard that,” Blake piped up from across the room - the response causing Ruby to look Weiss’ way in curiosity.  As soon as they locked eyes, she gave a goofy smile and adorable little wave that only deepened Weiss’ blush.

  A soft gasp drew her attention back to Yang.

  “You’re in that phase again!” Yang whispered, taking the syrup container and butter when Weiss handed the items over.  “That ‘will they, won’t they’ part!”

  Weiss looked back at Ruby, who was laughing at something Blake had just said while washing the dishes.

  “Do you really think so?”

  It was foolish to get her hopes up so soon, but Weiss wanted to believe that Yang was an impartial third party observer.  Or not at all impartial, but at least a third party observer.

  “Totally!  Oh! Please tell me you’re gonna ask my permission to ask her out again.”

  “What?” Weiss whispered back, giving Yang a look.  “I never asked for your permission the first time. Ruby asked 
  
    me
  
   out, remember?”

  Briefly miffed, realization quickly dawned in Yang’s eyes.  “Oh, right, right. You asked if you could marry her. Same deal!  Are ya?”

  “Yang, there’s still 
  
    so
  
   much to go through.  I don’t even know how she feels about me as her partner yet, let alone...anything else.”

  Yang waved her hand as if those were merely trivial matters that needed to be dealt with.  

  “You know she’ll be fine with it eventually.  I can’t wait though. ‘Pleaseee Yang. Pleaseee let me marry her.  I’ll do anything!’”

  “I did 
  
    not
  
   ask like that,” Weiss scoffed at Yang’s praying hands and begging eyes.

  “Close enough.”

  Turning back to Ruby, Weiss sighed.  If only it were that simple. But first, they needed to find a way through this...whatever this was.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it.  I can talk to her and see where she’s at,” Yang offered more seriously, patting Weiss’ shoulder reassuringly.  

  This was the other side of Yang - the one that wanted to take care of everyone.  It was always there, but most of the time it was buried under her desire to crack jokes and tease.

  “Thank you…” Weiss muttered before turning towards Ruby, who walked over to them while wiping her wet hands on the front of her sweats.

  “Hey!” she said with a grin.

  “Hey.”  

  There wasn't a follow up to the greeting.  Instead, the two of them stood there looking at each other and waiting for the other to speak.  Weiss could feel Yang looking between them while waiting for whatever was coming next, but there seemed to be nothing else they had to say at the moment.

  “Oh!” Yang exclaimed, making both of them jump in surprise.  “Blake needs me, I’m sure. Gotta go.”  

  As Yang ducked out of their space to find Blake, Weiss turned back to Ruby.

  “So…”  Letting the word trail off to nothing, Ruby made a tiny gesture with her hands as if asking for something to talk about.  Ruby was ordinarily a person of many, 
  
    many
  
   words, so for her to have nothing to say…

  Hopefully, Ruby only needed time to digest everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours.  That was time Weiss was willing to give - and not solely because some time apart would allow her to sort through her scattered brain as well.

  “So...I should probably get going,” Weiss decided, pulling her scroll from the bag she’d left in the entryway and pressing the button that would summon a cab to her location.  

  “Oh…” for an instant Ruby looked disappointed by the words.  “Are you sure? I mean, you could always hang around.”

  “I should probably head home and shower.  Plus, I have a mountain of work to catch up on.”  The last reason - which was legitimate - eased the worry from Ruby’s expression.  “I’ll just grab my things first?” Weiss asked, pointing towards Ruby’s room.

  “I’ll get those for you!”  

  Before Weiss could protest, Ruby disappeared and reappeared with Weiss’ discarded combat attire in hand.

  “Thank you,” Weiss replied, taking her carefully-folded clothes from Ruby’s hands.  Picking up Myrtenaster from the front hall, she then stepped through the front door Ruby had already opened for her.  

  The weather was pleasant today - sunny and warm, but not overly hot.  Pausing in the sunshine, Weiss turned to say goodbye, only to watch Ruby shift nervously on the stoop instead.

  “Is everything alright?” Weiss asked, worried about the underlying cause of Ruby’s emotion but needing to know anyway.

  “Uh, yeah, but…”  Closing her mouth, Ruby wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

  “But…?” Weiss pressed, even though she had no business seeking out new questions at the moment.

  “But...like, you know how you said we were friends at Beacon?” Ruby managed to ask.

  Nodding at the innocuous question, Weiss gave Ruby a small smile.

  “Yes.  Yes, we were.”

  “Really good friends, you said.”

  “Best friends,” Weiss corrected gently as her heart began to beat quickly.  What had initially sounded like a harmless question was heading 
  
    somewhere
  
   - made all the more evident by the thoughtful expression on Ruby’s face.  After nodding several times, there was obviously something Ruby wanted to ask.

  “Is there something else you’d like to know?” Weiss finally pushed, even though part of her wanted to run from the conversation and hide in the cab that had just arrived for her.  But another part wanted to stay and circle this drain of memories with Ruby forever.

  Sucking in a deep breath, Ruby finally asked, “Nothing more than that?”

  Momentarily freezing, Weiss felt her jaw fall slightly open and stay that way while she internally panicked.  

  Was Ruby asking what Weiss thought she was asking?  But how could she even know to ask that? More importantly, could Weiss answer that question right now?  

  Had they been more than friends?  Yes. Absolutely. 

  “I’m not sure what you’re referring to?” she hedged before clearing her throat and averting her gaze.  The words weren’t truthful. She knew precisely what Ruby was asking, but how could this question have even popped into Ruby’s mind?

  “Oh, uh, it’s nothing.  Just a weird feeling,” Ruby sputtered before shaking her head and throwing on a hopeful smile.  “I’ll see you later?”

  “Of course - if you’d like to.”  

  “Course I do!  Uh, but thanks for...hanging out.”

  With a parting grin, Ruby stepped back into the house and shut the door - wiping the small smile off of Weiss’ lips in the process.  

  How could she be such an idiot?  Why was she still trying to hide from the past?  

  While Weiss raced down the walkway, Yang’s words from last night lingered in her mind - ‘Thanks for being there for Ruby.  I’m so glad you’re back.’ 

  Yes, she’d been there for Ruby for all of a hot second before making a complete mess of everything again.

  
    Coward, coward, coward
  
  , she berated herself while flying into the waiting cab and pulling the door shut behind her.  Why couldn’t she tell Ruby the truth? Why had she lied? They were best friends, but so much more.  Why couldn’t she be honest about their history? 

  She hoped Ruby hadn’t caught the clear avoidance of the question.  If she had...then Weiss had explaining to do...again.

  “Heading home, Miss?” the driver asked, directing the vehicle towards the main roads that led to Winter’s home.

  “Yes.  It’s been quite the day already,” she replied, quickly checking the address on his screen to make sure they were heading the right way.  

  Satisfied that the address was correct, she sunk into her seat and stared out the window - giving the man as many clear hints as possible that she wasn’t in the mood for friendly banter at the moment.  She didn’t need to talk about the weather or what sports team just won some silly game - she needed to straighten out her thoughts.

  Based on her recent actions, a part of her must still cling to the hope that nothing would change - that she and Ruby could hold onto what they’d just had.  That, even after learning that they’d been partners, Ruby would treat Weiss the same. 

  It was a foolish hope.  What was it about her feelings for Ruby that made her lose sight of reality?  Things could never be the same - although whether this was for better or for worse was really up to Ruby.

  And Weiss.  It was up to her to be honest and find the courage to acknowledge and embrace the past - even though it was gone.  Didn’t Ruby deserve that honesty? From Weiss’ most recent actions, evidently she didn’t believe so.

  One step at a time.  First, she would go home and decompress from the events of the past twenty-four hours.  Then she would figure out what to do next. 

  But where would their relationship go from here?  It seemed like the figurative ‘ball’ was in Ruby’s court, which meant there was nothing Weiss could do at the moment.  A great deal of information had come to light in the past day - now it was up to Ruby to sort through it and figure out what she wanted to know next.  

  But ‘weird’ feelings?  What did that mean? Had Weiss given something away?  Yesterday was a mess of words and emotions - it was entirely possible some aspect of buried feelings had resurfaced.  And then there was the way they’d woken up this morning...

  Leaning her head back on the headrest, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her brain.  

  It had taken every bit of willpower she possessed to cement herself to the bleachers in Beacon’s arena after their battle ended.  There were several moments when she almost gave up and ran out of there, but she managed to stay. Somehow in the past year, she’d learned that - as unsettled as it felt to sit next to Ruby and have no idea if she would be accepted - temporary uncertainty was far better than never knowing at all.

  Sitting through rocky waters was difficult.  The idea of jumping out of the boat and swimming back to land seemed so much easier.

  A quiet cab ride later, the security gates of her temporary home slid into view.  As they approached the gate, Weiss rolled down her window and waved one hand to the guard.  Waving back, he opened the gate so the cab could pull through and drop her off at the front door.  After paying the driver, she headed inside and locked the door behind her.

  The house was still too large to ever be truly comfortable, but its starkness had ebbed some while she’d been here.  A multitude of things had grown more tolerable since she’d been here...

  The sound of her scroll echoing loudly through the sparse foyer snapped her out of her thoughts.  Pulling the device from her bag and seeing the familiar face on the screen, she quickly answered.

  “Hello, Winter.”

  “Hello, Weiss.  I hope I haven’t caught you at a poor time?”

  Weiss rolled her eyes at her sister’s incessant formalities.

  “Now is as good a time as any.  To what do I owe the pleasure?” The question was mocking in tone, but Winter allowed the minor transgression to slide - this time.

  “This morning, I was fortunate enough to be informed that your former team competed in The Beacon Invite - and that someone who looked suspiciously like you was with them.”

  Well, word had certainly traveled fast.

  “Yes, that was me,” Weiss replied to the unspoken question.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’d be competing?  I would have rearranged my schedule to watch.”

  “It was a last minute decision,” Weiss answered while dropping her bag on the entryway table and resting Myrtenaster by the door - to be stowed away later.  “I wasn't even sure that I’d be participating until the day of.”

  “Ah…” Winter replied, the silence implying that she found nothing to disbelieve in the honest response.  “Well, I was able to watch the replay. Those two still know how to put on a show. And Ruby looked incredible.”

  “She really did…” Weiss commented longingly as her mind drifted back to The Invite.

  Yang had showmanship and an abundant amount of skill, but Ruby was a bundle of pure talent.  Without trying to show off, Ruby was impressive. She didn’t need the flashy moves or plumes of flame - she simply dealt massive amounts of damage in impossibly short seconds.  Any congratulations for their success yesterday should go to Ruby alone - the rest of them had only played supporting roles. The real star was Ruby, as it was supposed to be.

  “And you didn’t look too bad yourself.  Your form is a little rusty and your stamina lower than I would expect, but you were quite successful regardless.”

  “Thank you, Winter,” Weiss replied with another roll of her eyes.  

  Her sister was prone to providing unsolicited critiques of her fighting capabilities.  It wasn’t unwelcome criticism though - Winter had no intention to belittle, but was trying to help.  In this case, however, she provided assessments Weiss was already keenly aware of.

  “Will she be taking hunts again?”

  Another sigh slipped past Weiss’ lips.  That was the question of the day, wasn’t it?

  “Eventually.”

  “Will you be alright with that?”  

  Weiss heard the concern growing in Winter’s tone as the question was posed.  Her sister must be imagining an inevitable relapse into trauma when Ruby ventured back out into the forest, but...it felt like those moments of instability had been a long time ago.

  “I’ll have to be,” Weiss answered calmly.  And, as she said the words, tranquility budded in her heart.  A small part of her had already accepted that Ruby would be a huntress again - she was too good not to be.

  “And you’ll join her?”

  As expected, Winter’s concern seamlessly rotated from Weiss’ mental to physical well being.  

  “If she wants me.  And don’t worry yourself, I’ll train full time if that’s going to be the case.  I won’t commit to anything I’m not fully prepared for.”

  “Good,” Winter said succinctly - the worried tone gone.  “If I visit Vale soon, will I be able to see you?”

  “Yes.  Of course.”

  “‘Of course?’  Where are the complaints about how I'm ‘overbearing’ or my presence is ‘unnecessary?’  What happened to my surly younger sister who never wants me around?”

  Unfortunately, Weiss knew precisely what Winter was referring to.  The past year, she hadn’t exactly been the most...welcoming...of her sister’s presence.  Winter had only been trying to help, but Weiss did everything possible to avoid the past - and that meant refusing to acknowledge that she was hurt too.  

  Now was as good enough time as any to start making amends for her negligent behavior.

  “I’m sorry for my...surliness.  I enjoy your company, Winter. I really do.”

  “If you could sign a statement to that effect, I’ll frame it and hang it in my office,” Winter teased, succeeding in making Weiss smile.  “But it’s settled then - I’m coming to see you. First, allow me a couple days to clear my schedule. And please make sure Ruby’s around. I’d like to spend some time with her now that she’s back on her feet.”

  The last comment made Weiss’ smile grow as the tranquility in her chest morphed into something resembling happiness.  

  Winter and Ruby had initially taken to each other like two peas from different species of plants, but it took no time at all for Ruby’s zealousness to overrun Winter’s desire for calm, collected behavior.  Ruby was the only person Weiss had ever seen crack Winter’s ceaselessly formal aura. And their relationship solidified into ‘the most unlikely of friends’ the instant Ruby’s eyes had fallen upon Winter’s weapon. 

  “I’ll try to make sure she’s free.”

  “Lovely.  Then I’ll see you soon.  Please take care of yourself.”

  “You too, Winter.”

  Hanging up the call, Weiss looked at the screen while her sister’s picture faded away.

  There was 
  
    something
  
   about Ruby and Yang that weaseled into a Schnee’s heart in one way or the other.  How else could it be explained that both Weiss and Winter - who’d established an unenviable ability to freeze people out - completely thawed when it came to the two girls?

  Noticing that there were no new messages on her scroll, Weiss dropped her hand to her side and sighed. Usually Ruby would have texted 
  
    something
  
   by now, even if it was nothing more than a silly joke or musing on some random topic.  Things felt relatively normal at breakfast, but now…

  They hadn’t even made concrete plans to see each other again - everything was left up in the air.  If she didn’t hear from Ruby soon, Weiss would have to show up unannounced armed with some excuse...just like she’d done when she’d first returned to Vale.  Funny how life had come full circle in such a short time...

  Regardless of what happened next, Weiss was in dire need of a shower.  Although she had half a mind to change back into Ruby’s clothes afterward so that she could carry the scent of roses with her for as much of the day as possible.

  Walking upstairs to her temporary bedroom with her silent scroll clutched in one hand, she used the thumb of her free hand to feel the cool metal band around her finger.

  ‘Believe,’ it said.  Believe in herself. Believe that she was strong and capable of anything - because that’s what Ruby had always believed.

  Pausing in the middle of the hall, Weiss lifted her hand and looked at the silver band with intricate lines of thorns curling across the surface.  As her eyes followed the pattern endlessly around the ring, she made a promise to herself. 

  From here on out, she would be honest with Ruby about everything.  There was no going back. She needed to embrace the fact that their past was gone, but that didn’t mean she had to forget about it entirely.  She could still miss the way things had once been and she could still mourn what they’d lost, but not at the expense of the present. She needed to move forward with what was here and now.

  Whatever that may be, she was feeling more confident that she could handle it.  If not for her own sake, then for Ruby’s.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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