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Chapter 29: Information Gathering, Part 3

Front of Beacon Tower

Ruby couldn't believe it. She'd spent all month wondering where Penny had disappeared to after that fight against the White Fang. She'd worried for weeks whether or not her new friend was alright, if she'd been kidnapped by the White Fang or what.

And now, here she was, completely out of the blue, looking none the worse for wear.

Ruby stared at the formerly-missing girl for a moment, completely dumbstruck. Penny seemed just as stunned to see Ruby, freezing in place with wide eyes. Then, once the initial shock wore off, Ruby smiled widely. In an instant, she leapt forward, wrapping Penny in a tight hug.

"Penny!" Ruby squealed, squeezing the girl with all she had. "You're okay!"

The surprise bear hug startled Penny, causing the green-eyed girl to drop Ruby's scroll, which the young leader had completely ignored. Weiss took a quick step forward, snatching the scroll out of the air before it tumbled onto the pavement.

A frown formed on Weiss' face as she looked at Ruby hugging Penny very tightly. She couldn't help the shot of jealousy that shot through her at the sight, a sense of wrongness as Ruby showered someone other than her or Blake with affection. The feeling lessened, however, when Weiss unconsciously scanned Ruby's emotions.

Shock. Happiness. Relief.

And… that was it. Ruby was just happy that her friend was safe and sound. Nothing deeper than friendly affection.

Inwardly, Weiss berated herself. She knew Ruby, knew the girl's amazing openheartedness, the kindness she adored so much. Ruby wouldn't do anything to hurt her or Blake, least of all involve herself with someone else. How could she ever think, however briefly, that Ruby would be capable of such a thing?

Weiss made a mental note to ask Blake about it later. Perhaps there was some element of Mating that was affecting her thoughts. The only other alternative was that she was just being irrationally jealous.

...I'm not sure which of those is worse, to be honest.

"Uuuhh…" Penny droned, her eyes darting between Ruby and Weiss. Weiss, having been on the receiving end of Ruby's surprise hugs, had to sympathize with the clear 'I-am-so-out-of-my-depth' look on Penny's face. Before she could give a coherent response, Ruby pulled back, holding the girl at an arm's length

"Where have you been?" Ruby asked, her voice thick with worry. "We haven't seen you since that night at the docks!"

"U-um…" Penny stuttered out, staring at Ruby dumbly. Weiss frowned at that. Something seemed… off about Penny. Well, more than usual. From the limited interaction she'd had with Penny before, Weiss had gathered that Penny was a rather odd girl (though, as she was quickly learning, there really was no such thing as 'normal' when Hunters were concerned. Being strange and quirky seemed to be a requirement). But this was different. Before, Penny acted rather out-there, but was energetic, excitable.

Now, though, the green-eyed girl seemed rather stiff, staring at her and Ruby with an expression of worry and… fear?

Penny suddenly took a quick step back, pulling out of Ruby's grasp. Surprised, Ruby pulled her arms back against her chest, hurt flashing in her eyes. Penny seemed to notice this, averting her gaze from the sniper. "I-I'm sorry. I think you're confused. Hic!" Penny's body jolted as she suddenly hiccuped. Her eyes widened, her cheeks tinting… green?

Wait, what? Weiss thought, baffled.

Penny fidgeted in place for a moment, then turned on her heel. "Uh… I've got to go!" Before Ruby or Weiss could say anything, she took off, quickly getting lost in the crowd.

Ruby stared after her, her confusion and hurt so obvious that Weiss didn't even need the Link to feel it. Concerned, Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Do you know what that was about?" she asked. Ruby had spent more time around the strange girl before, so hopefully, she knew what might be going on.

Unfortunately, Ruby just shook her head, her confusion obvious. "I don't know." Then, Ruby's silver eyes narrowed, filling with determination. "But I'm going to find out." With that, she started walking after Penny, just able to make out her orange hair bobbing in the distance.

Weiss' eyes widened. She grasped her girlfriend's shoulder before she got out of reach. "Wait, Ruby!" Ruby spun around, a little surprised by Weiss' sudden action. Weiss fixed her with a stare that was both confused and more than a little exasperated. "What about the CCT?"

Ruby blinked, as if just remembering why they were at Beacon Tower in the first place. She looked up at the gleaming spire. A small whimper passed through her lips as she bounced from foot to foot with pent up energy. When she turned back to Weiss, Ruby's expression was contrite. "You don't really need me to get the info, do you?"

Weiss felt an odd mix of frustration and dread at Ruby's words. She was just about to yell that, yes, she did need Ruby's help, but…

Worry. Dread. Guilt. Protectiveness.

Weiss sighed. Her heart's too big for her own good… but that's what I like about her. "I suppose not," Weiss admitted grudgingly, letting her hand slip from Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby flashed a guilty smile, then surprised Weiss by leaning in close and giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered into Weiss' ear, before spinning around and taking off down the path, eyes locking on the orange dot far off across the campus.

Weiss stood there, stunned as her face pinked a little at Ruby's very public display of affection. She managed to shake herself back to reality just before Ruby had run out of earshot. "Call me when you're done talking with Penny!" she yelled out, hoping Ruby would hear her.

Ruby paused mid-step, looking over her shoulder with a grin. "I will!" she shouted back. "You just make your call!" Then, right as she started running again, she looked back over her shoulder with a cheeky smile. "Say 'hi' to your sister for me!"

It took all of a second for Weiss to process what Ruby said. Her eyes widened in panic. "Ru-!"

Whoossh!

"-by." Weiss just stared as rose petals gently danced in the air in front of her, their creator zipping away in a flash of red. Several students in the courtyard started to pick themselves back up, grumbling about getting knocked over by the sudden blast of wind.

Weiss blinked as she watched a dot of red streak into the distance, disappearing around a far off corner. As the rose petals settled around her, Weiss brought a hand to her face, gently massaging her temples.

I swear, sometimes she's worse than Yang. Taking a calming breath, Weiss looked up at the massive structure before her, its size suddenly seeming rather intimidating to her. She let out a huff. Okay, she thought to herself. Let's get this over with. Straightening her posture, Weiss started towards the tower's entrance, her head held high, ignoring the curious stares she received from the students around her.

Junior's Nightclub

Huh. Wonder what that was about?

Yang frowned into her glass, trying to make sense of what was going on in her head.

Junior's had been a total bust. After getting his goon squad to stand down (and maybe giving one or two of them a concussion), Yang was lucky to find the man himself behind the bar. Unfortunately, Junior had next to nothing to give her. All he knew about Torchwick were two things. One, he was working with the White Fang (already knew that). Two, Torchwick had come to Junior's once before, looking for "hired help". Junior had given him a small army of his best guys… and he hadn't heard from any of them since.

All Yang got out of that was that Junior couldn't tell them anything that they didn't already know.

So, here she sat at the bar, slowly sipping at her drink as she waited for her team to show up. Hopefully, they were having better luck than she did.

Though, with all the weird emotions bouncing between the three of them, she was pretty sure that whatever they were finding didn't qualify as 'good'.

"Hey." A sudden voice pulled Yang from her thoughts. "You okay?"

Yang looked up from her drink, meeting Neptune's eyes. Yang had to admit, she was kind of impressed that the guy was still there. After their warm welcome, Junior's oh-so-friendly demeanor, and getting turned down cold by the Malachite Twins, Yang wouldn't have been surprised if Neptune had just up and left as soon as he realized that her lead was a total waste.

And she wouldn't really have blamed him if he did. She doubted that Neptune had been expecting to take a trip to Vale's criminal underbelly when he and Sun volunteered to help. Plus… maybe she overdid it a bit with the motorcycle ride.

But, Neptune stuck around after all of it, sitting next to her at the bar, sipping a cola, nervously eyeing the armed bouncers that kept glaring their way.

Yang glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, before sighing. "Yeah, I'm good. Just trying to make sense of what's going on with my team."

Neptune frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yang laughed a little at his confusion. "They're all feeling a little… off, I guess." She tapped the side of her head to make the meaning clear.

It took a second, but Neptune's eyes soon widened, his lips parting slightly in realization. "Oh! Like… their emotions?"

Yang nodded, smiling slightly at the slight skepticism in his voice. Once they'd settled at the bar, Neptune had wasted little time in asking her what she'd meant when she'd said that Blake was also Weiss' girlfriend. So, Yang gave him a basic idea of her team all being Mates with each other, and what that entailed.

Neptune was… less than impressed at first. He'd given Yang a look that clearly said he thought she was full of it. Yang was a little annoyed at that, but at the same time, she kind of got where he was coming from. Faunus Mating was crazy enough when she was part of it. To someone completely uninformed, all the talk about emotion sensing, 'seeing' aura, soul-sharing; it must have sounded ludicrous, even by Hunter standards.

Still, even if that was what Neptune thought, the guy hadn't called her on any of it. He was at least entertaining the possibility, and Yang counted that as a win.

Yang nodded in confirmation. "Yep."

Neptune eyed her as she downed the last of her drink. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What are they… feeling?"

Yang turned to look at him, her brows lifting in surprise. She looked him up and down, checking whether or not he was being serious. When she only saw honest curiosity in his eyes, she shrugged. Eh, what's the harm?

She turned back to the bar, waving Junior down for him to make her another drink. As she waited for her drink, she closed her eyes, focusing.

Inky blackness, endless in all directions. Three pinpricks of light, two far off in the distance, one slowly drawing closer. Too far to make out shapes, but close enough to feel them clearly. Yang focused on the closest one, an odd mix of vivid violet shrouding wispy black.

"Blake is… nervous," Yang said softly, keeping her eyes closed. Neptune raised an eyebrow, still not sure whether or not Yang was screwing with him. He was about to ask for more details, when he noticed something odd.

Yang's tattoo… or, Mark, as she called it… part of it was glowing. Not very brightly, but just enough that the purple flower in the middle of it stood out against her skin.

Neptune felt his other eyebrow meet his first as Yang went on. "She's nervous… and worried. But… she's also relieved… happy even." Then Yang smiled, chuckling. "And more than a little annoyed." She opened her eyes, and Neptune watched as the glow of her Mark quickly faded, going back to looking like a tattoo. "I think she's talking with Sun."

Neptune shook off his bafflement, meeting Yang's eyes. He managed a grin, laughing lightly at her words. "Happy, but annoyed? Yeah, that sounds like how talking to Sun feels."

Yang smirked back at him. She looked up as Junior set a new glass in front of her. Yang just gave the man a nod, sliding a few Lien across the bar to him. She took a sip as Junior walked off (if nothing else, the man made a great Strawberry Sunrise), before setting the glass back down, closing her eyes again.

Yang focused. Neptune watched her closely, his eyes trained on her Mark. Sure enough, the red rose on her neck gained a dim glow. After a few seconds, she let out a concerned huff. "Ruby, what are you doing?" Her voice was so low, Neptune could barely hear it. As if remembering he was there, Yang spoke a little louder, her lips curving into a small frown. "Earlier, Ruby got really excited. She was happy and relieved, but now… she's worried about something. She feels… guilty? And determined." Yang huffed, her lips pulling up into an exasperated smile. "Rubes has her mind set on something. She's moving away from where Weiss is. I'll probably get an annoyed phone call soon."

Neptune nodded, not that Yang could see it. "Okay.. and Weiss?"

Yang didn't say anything, but Neptune could see the red glow of the rose fade, replaced by the light blue of the snowflake. After a few seconds, Yang's eyes opened, her brow furrowing in thought. "Weiss is frustrated, annoyed, worried…" She took a deep breath, letting it out in a tired huff. '...and lonely. Dammit, Ruby," Yang suddenly hissed under her breath, "What the hell is so important for you to bail on Weiss?"

Neptune stared at the blonde as she scowled into her drink, the glow of her Mark fading down to nothing. "Ruby left Weiss alone?"

Yang let out a soft grunt, taking a swig of her Sunrise. "Yeah. At least I can guess why she feels guilty right now."

Neptune just stared. "Wow."

Yang raised an eyebrow at the awe in his voice. Her lips turned up into a smirk. "So, you believe me now?"

Neptune nodded with a smile. "Yeah. It was the light show that cinched it, though."

Yang blinked. "Wait, what?"

Beacon Academy

To say Weiss was stressed was an understatement. Between Yang going to a criminal nightclub in the seediest part of Vale, and Blake walking right into the bloody maw of the White Fang, her nerves were already stretched to the breaking point. And now, Ruby, in all her great juvenile wisdom, had run off to who-knows-where to find out what was wrong with her formerly-missing friend, leaving Weiss to tackle the SDC all by herself.

Stressed did not even begin to cover it.

Weiss rubbed at her temples, trying to will away her growing headache. With a huff she looked up above the elevator door, dimly taking note of the four Kingdom symbols adorning it.

With a sigh, Weiss folded her arms, waiting for her floor.

I don't get it, though, she thought to herself. Why am I taking so much issue with this?

Logically, her worries made little sense. She knew Yang was a monster in a fight, one of, if not the strongest person in Beacon. She knew Blake was a near master of deception and stealth, and knew more about the White Fang than she could comprehend. She knew Ruby, for all her faults, was an accomplished warrior, quick thinking, skilled in the art of combat.

She knew they could handle themselves. She knew that, if the worst were to come, they each had someone with them for backup, Ruby included now that she was with Penny. Yes, there were risks, but her team was smart, resourceful. They would be fine.

So why am I freaking out like this?

It felt like her insides, her very soul was being pulled in three directions. Like, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to run off, forget what she was doing, and see with her own eyes that her girlfriends were safe.

Why?

The ding of the elevator broke Weiss from her thoughts. Arms still crossed, she marched out of the elevator, eyes lowered to the ground. She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice the other people in the communications room until she ran into one.

Literally.

"Oof!" Weis grunted as she walked right into someone, wobbling as she tried not to fall over. She heard a squeak of surprise, and the rapid click-clack of shoes on marble as whoever she ran into took a step backward.

"Hey, watch it!"

Weiss' head snapped up at the accusatory voice, only to find her own look of surprise reflected in the sunglasses of Coco Adel. The fashionista had a frown on her face, and though Weiss couldn't see her eyes, the way the older girl's brows knitted together gave her the feeling she was being glared at.

"Oh!" Weiss exclaimed, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

To Weiss' dismay, Coco's frown deepened, her hidden glare intensifying. "I'm not the one you should apologize to."

Weiss blinked at her, confused. Then her gaze was drawn to someone moving behind Coco. Weiss' eyes widened slightly in recognition.

Velvet Scarlatina met her stare nervously, her long brown rabbit ears dipping slightly. The rabbit Faunus held a hand over her chest, a small handbag clutched tightly in her grip.

Weiss was about to apologize to her, but paused when she noticed Velvet's brown eyes dart to Coco briefly. Weiss glanced that way as well, fully aware of the stern look on Coco's face. Something seemed a bit odd, but Weiss couldn't put her finger on what… at least, until she saw Coco subtly shift her weight forward, as if to take a step.

That's when Weiss saw it. Coco had put herself between Weiss and Velvet, as if she thought Weiss was a threat. The older girl's hand was grasped around her handbag handle, her pointer finger very obviously placed just a few centimeters from the hidden weapon's transformation switch. One little twitch and the bag would unfold into a massive minigun, ready to spew lead and death.

And, judging from Coco's challenging stance, she had no qualms about unleashing said destruction upon Weiss if she so deemed.

For the briefest moment, Weiss wondered why Coco was having such an exaggerated reaction to what, at least to Weiss, was a rather common accident (the number of times she'd seen Ruby bowl someone over because she wasn't paying attention was nearing triple digits). But then, Weiss' sharp mind clicked the pieces into place.

Velvet was well known throughout the school as something of an easy target. She was shy and polite, avoiding conflict whenever possible. Which, combined with her rather large ears, made her the perfect target for bullies like Cardin. Hardly a day went by that Cardin, or someone like him, tormented poor Velvet in some way, usually by pulling on her ears. And, being the gentle soul that she was, she never fought back. The fact that a good chunk of her classes were at different times than that of her teammates meant that she had to face the torment alone.

By extension, this had also earned the other members of Team CVFY a rather intimidating reputation for their responses to any bullies unfortunate enough to be caught picking on the shy Faunus. Coco Adel was well known as being particularly protective.

A familiar cold feeling formed in Weiss' stomach as it all came together. She had never had much interaction with Team CFVY. She knew that Ruby and Yang were on friendly terms with them, and she'd seen Blake speaking to Velvet on more than one occasion. But Weiss herself had always kept her distance. By her own choice, the members of Team CFVY didn't know her as a person. They just knew her by name.

To Coco, Weiss hadn't accidentally bumped into Velvet.

A Schnee had tried to knock Velvet over.

Not for the first time, Weiss cursed her family's reputation. Even with a continent and an ocean between them, her father still managed to affect her life.

Weiss took a calming breath through her nose. Her feelings towards her father wouldn't help anything right now.

I am not him, she thought to herself. And I'll prove it right now.

Weiss met Velvet's brown eyes, an apologetic smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, Velvet. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Are you alright?'

Velvet blinked back at her, her ears perking up to their full height. The Faunus smiled back. "I'm alright, Weiss." Then she shot a look towards Coco, a spark of annoyance in her eyes. "It was an accident."

Coco met her stare evenly. Then, with a sigh, she took a small step back, coming to Velvet's side. From the small way her head bobbed, Weiss guessed she'd rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. Still, Weiss was relieved to see the fashionista's hand leave the handle of her bag.

Deciding to take her small victory while she could, Weiss gave the two a polite nod. "Well, if you'll both please excuse me…" She stepped past them, moving towards the help desk at the front of the room.

She only made it a few steps when she heard Velvet call out to her.

"Weiss!"

Weiss paused, turning back around. Velvet took the few steps forward, her hands folded politely in front of her. Confused, Weiss glanced over her shoulders towards Coco. The older girl stared back, looking confused herself at her partner's actions.

"Umm…" Velvet started nervously. Her eyes darted away from Weiss' briefly, her cheeks tinting a little. She bit her lip, then met Weiss' eyes. "I-I just wanted to say… congratulations."

Weiss frowned, not understanding. Then, she saw Velvet's eyes shift slightly, towards her neck. Weiss' eyes widened. Right. Other Faunus can tell when…

Weiss' brain suddenly kicked into high gear. She'd binge-read as much about Faunus customs as she could over the last week, and her mind was quick to pull some of that information back to the surface. For a Faunus, finding their Mate was a source of pride, something to be celebrated. In Faunus circles, common courtesy was to congratulate a newly Mated couple for their good fortune.

And apparently, Velvet felt that, despite not being a Faunus herself, Weiss was worthy of that same praise.

"Um..." Weiss stuttered back, feeling her face heat up slightly. A shy smile formed on her lips, a warm feeling forming in her chest. "Thank you, Velvet. That means a lot."

Velvet nodded, smiling back. She bit her lip nervously, then asked, "Also… could you tell Blake that I'd like to talk to her later? I have a… personal question I was hoping she could help me with."

Weiss tilted her head slightly at the odd request, but nodded all the same. "Of course. I'll pass along the message."

Velvet's smile widened, showing off her teeth. "Thank you."

Weiss watched as Velvet turned around, rejoining Coco by the elevator. She just heard Coco question Velvet ("What was that about?") when the doors opened and the two stepped inside. Velvet flashed Weiss another smile, just before the doors closed.

Weiss just stood there for a moment, staring at where the pair had last been. Replaying what just happened in her mind, a bright smile formed on her face. She felt strangely… lighter. As if a great weight she'd never noticed before had been lifted.

A weight that came crashing back down once she turned around, facing the vast communications room.

Weiss sucked in a deep breath. Okay… here we go. She plastered her best smile onto her face, stepping up to the empty front desk.

There was a slight buzzing sound as the motion sensors in the desk triggered. With a brief flash of light, a translucent woman appeared behind the desk. Her form shook for a moment, a blank look on her face. When the hologram stabilized, the AI smiled, bringing her blank eyes to meet Weiss'. "Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center." The woman greeted, a small echo in her voice. "How may I help you?"

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas," Weiss said, keeping her tone polite.

"Absolutely." The desk made a few beeping sounds as the projection's fingers skimmed across an invisible keyboard. "If you could head over to Terminal 3, I'll patch you through."

Weiss smiled at the AI. "Thank you!"

The AI blinked at her, before smiling back, a little wider than before. As Weiss stepped around the desk towards the computers, the AI's form shuddered, then blinked out of existence.

Weiss walked across the room, past various students sitting at the terminals read out around the area. She heard snippets of conversations, some speaking with family, some with friends. She had a brief, fleeting thought, wondering what it was like to call a family member for the simple purpose of just… talking.

"Say hi to your sister for me!"

Weiss shook her head. Ruby… sometimes I wish I could see the world as simply as that girl. Though, Weiss had to admit, the more she thought about it, the more tempting the idea got… despite the fact that the rest of her brain was screaming "BAD IDEA", every worst-case scenario running through her mind.

Weiss sat down at the terminal the AI had sent her to. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, pushing down her growing anxiety. She couldn't just be Weiss when talking to the SDC. She had to be "Miss Schnee." She took a deep breath, forcing a fake smile onto her face as the screen lit up. A young woman appeared on screen, looking down at what was likely another computer screen. The Schnee logo spun lazily behind her.

"Thank you for calling the Atlas- Oh!" The woman looked up, realizing who she was talking to. The operator's eyes lit up, a smile spreading onto her face. "Miss Schnee! Good afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."

Weiss' stomach froze at her words. Father and Winter are both there? If they find out I called the company… Weiss refused to let her mind go down that path. Instead, she focused on the woman on the other end of the call. To her slight surprise, the woman seemed to be acting genuinely friendly, rather than the nervous fear that most SDC employees had when talking to the Schnee family. It was rather refreshing to have someone not be intimidated by her family's reputation.

Weiss' smile grew a bit more genuine as she shook her head. "No, thank you! I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list." She plugged her scroll into the terminal's keyboard, the information transferring automatically.

The operator looked down at a different screen, likely scanning the list Weiss had sent. Weiss suppressed a groan when she saw the woman's eyes narrow ever so slightly. "I see. If you don't mind… what may I ask is this for?"

"School project," Weiss lied smoothly.

The woman hesitated, frowning slightly. "Um… There are some sensitive documents on this list, ma'am."

At the nervous tone in the woman's voice, Weiss felt worry bubble up in the pit of her stomach. She knew that 'school project' line was weak, but it was the best she could come up with given the circumstances. There were few, if any, legitimate reasons for an academy student to want detailed reports of any White Fang movements against the company. And while hers was about as genuine as it could be, she couldn't exactly say: "I need these files to help my Faunus ex-White Fang girlfriend take down a terrorist organization."

…

...dear Dust, when did my life get so ludicrous?

"Well, then, I'll be sure to treat them with care," she said lamely, fake-smile in full force. She cringed inwardly when her voice sounded just a little more happy than she'd intended.

The operator stared at her for a moment, before dropping her eyes to a different screen. "Right…" The woman took a short breath, apprehension clear in her eyes. "Very well. The data is being transferred to your scroll now."

As the sound of the woman's typing came across the call, Weiss suppressed a frown. That was it, that nervousness all her father's employees had whenever she spoke to them. Except this time, Weiss had been the one to put that fear into this woman. If someone found out she was the one to send Weiss this information…

Well… Weiss thought to herself, stomping down her fledgling insecurities. I'll just have to make certain that doesn't happen.

"Wonderful! That will be all, then." Weiss removed her scroll, moving to get up from the terminal, when the woman spoke again.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?"

Weiss felt her fake smile slip from her face, but she forced it back. "Yes, I'm…"

"After we get the info, you can call her and let her know about us."

Weiss froze. She felt pressure build in her chest, the phantom feeling of anxiety taking form.

I… I could do it… right now. I have the time… and Winter is there at the company. Like Ruby said, I wouldn't have to tell her everything that's happened. I could just… start small. Just… talk.

"Miss Schnee?"

The operator's voice pulled Weiss out of her musings. She blinked, finding the woman looking at her in concern. Her mouth parted, ready to tell the woman that there was nothing wrong-

"Could you call my sister Winter?"

As soon as the words slipped past Weiss' lips, it was all she could do to not slap her hand over her mouth. As it was, she couldn't stop her eyes widening, or her heart's sudden pounding against her ribs. Why did I say that? WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?!

The operator took no notice of this, merely blinking at her, before smiling kindly. "Of course! One moment, please."

Weiss was only dimly aware of the woman's words, instead trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Weiss' words were always well thought out and calm If she didn't think she could manage that, she usually opted for staying silent, or changing the subject. She had never just… blurted out something like that. She wasn't even sure if calling Winter was what she really wanted to do. Why would she do something so impulsive?

…

...wait… impulsive…

Being impulsive wasn't something Weiss would do. That was something…

Weiss' eyes widened in horror.

Dust dammit, Ruby must be rubbing off on me!

"Hmm…" Again, Weiss' attention was drawn back to the operator. The woman was frowning at a different screen, before she turned back to Weiss, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, Miss Schnee. It seems your sister is currently in a meeting with your father. She's not receiving any calls at the moment."

Weiss stared back at her. "Oh…" The sound slipped out without her meaning to. A sudden weight seemed to push down on Weiss, at the same time her heart dropped. To her surprise, despite her brain telling her that she should be relieved at having dodged such a wayward bullet, instead she felt… disappointed.

The operator could apparently see this on her face, because she quickly added, "But, I could take a message for you… if you want."

Weiss hesitated. Did she want that? She tried to form a coherent answer, but with her brain waging an apparent war against the rest of her body, she came up with nothing.

"...Just… tell her I'll try to contact her again," Weiss finally said, her voice a little faint. Biting her lip, she added, "Soon."

The operator smiled at her, typing at her keyboard. "Can do. Will that be all, Miss Schnee?"

"Yes. Thank you."

The woman's smile widened. "You're welcome, Miss Schnee. Have a good day!" With one final smile, the screen went blank, leaving Weiss to just stare at her own shell shocked expression.

I just told Winter I'd try to contact her, Weiss thought dumbly. She'll be expecting a call from me now… what am I going to say to her? What can I say to her? Do… do I tell her about my relationship? Do I tell her my teammates are my girlfriends? That they're my… Mates? What do I…?

Curiosity. Concern. Worry. Calm.

Weiss' eyes widened in surprise, before she let them slide closed, taking a deep breath. She let the emotions wash over her, each one either tinged with a feeling of warm heat or that of cool shade. Yang and Blake, asking what was wrong, telling her to calm down.

Weiss held onto those feelings, taking a few deep, calming breaths. Once she felt her heartbeat slow, she tried to communicate back.

I'm… fine, she thought, hoping her emotions would reflect her thoughts. Then she frowned, frustrated with herself. Okay, I'm not fine. I'm… confused and worried and scared and… lost.

Weiss opened her eyes, her cheeks burning from embarrassment. Great, now Yang, Blake, and probably Ruby know how much of a mess I am. Fantastic. They're never going to let me hear the end of…

Bzzz.

Weiss jolted in surprise when her scroll vibrated in her hand. Frowning at it, she opened it up, seeing she'd received a new text.

Y- I'm free 2 talk if U need 2. U OK Snowflake?

At the same time she read the text, she felt a familiar sense of warm concern brush against her. Her mouth fell open slightly. Then her scroll buzzed again.

Y- And Y'd Rubes ditch U? :(

Again, Weiss felt emotions that were not her own, this time annoyance, tinged with a tiny bit of anger. A giggle slipped past Weiss' lips at the feeling, as she could just picture Yang's face when she asked the question. Taking a moment to collect herself, Weiss texted back.

W- I'll tell you later, back at the dorm.

She paused for a second, then added:

W- Thank you.

A few seconds later, she got a response.

Y- I'll hold ya 2 that. And no problem! ^_^

Weiss smiled. She looked back up at the blank terminal screen, seeing her reflection. She nearly laughed at the dopey look on her own face. Most unbecoming for a Schnee… oh well.

Getting up from the terminal, Weiss started walking back towards the elevator, past the students still involved with their own calls. She tapped a few times on her scroll, pulling up the new information she'd been sent. Her eyebrows raised a bit as she scrolled through all the files.

So many altercations… most of these haven't been made public. There must be something in here that can help Blake. We'll just have to pour through it all together. Weiss sighed as she found more and more files. Even with her team's help, there was enough information to last them weeks. Not helped by the fact that, as much as she cared for them, Weiss couldn't deny that Yang and Ruby weren't exactly the best when it came to studying.

Speaking of which… Weiss pulled up her call log, and huffed in annoyance when she found it empty.

Ruby must still be with Penny. I suppose I'll have to track her down my-

Weiss jolted mid-step, nearly stumbling as what felt like a bolt of lightning shot from her neck down to the base of her spine.

Panic. Worry. Protectiveness. Anxiety. Fear.

Weiss stopped breathing, her head snapping towards the array of large windows that made up the room's walls. That… that was Ruby. Something's wrong.

Weiss closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus. She tried to zero in on the emotions, on the tingling feeling buzzing beneath her skin. Through the blackness, much further away than she'd expected, a spot of red light shined in the distance. And from what she could tell, it was moving. Fast.

Weiss' eyes snapped open. Ruby's running from something. I-I need to get to her. Her head turned towards the elevator, then to the stairwell door beside it. I'm ten stories up, by the time I reach the ground floor…

An idea struck her. A stupid one, but at the moment, Weiss didn't care. It would work. She'd proven that once already this week.

Weiss ran to the windows, ignoring the baffled looks of the students in the nearby terminals. Scanning quickly, she found the window's latches, and pulled. The window shuddered, and Weiss wasted no time in pushing it open. As the massive pane of glass lifted upwards, Weiss climbed on top of the terminals. She ignored the shouts of surprise and panic around her as she extended her arm out the open window. She twitched her fingers into a familiar pattern, pausing just long enough to make sure she'd succeeded in her attempt.

And jumped.

A shriek of horror sounded behind her as she leapt from the window. Weiss ignored it, bending her knees to soften her landing. Seconds later, her feet touched the cool surface of a glyph, the large snowflake hanging high above the school grounds. Wasting no time, Weiss took off in a run, summoning another glyph a few feet in front and below the first. Weiss leapt from the glyph, landing on the second.

As the first glyph phased out of existence, Weiss was already forming the third. Run, glyph, jump. Run, glyph, jump. Over and over, Weiss kept up a rhythm, leaping from glyph to glyph, all the while trying to pinpoint where exactly Ruby was.

How did she get so far away so fast? Weiss thought as she tried to jump against a sudden gust of wind. She's practically downtown!

Weiss winced as another high wind buffed her from the side mid-jump. Her landing was a little wobbly, but she pushed on. She formed the next glyph, when Ruby's emotions suddenly spiked.

Panic. Fear. Panic.

Weiss' heart hammered against her chest as she sucked in a harsh breath. She pushed herself to move faster, her hands flying through the motions to summon glyph after glyph. Buildings passed below her as she crossed the border from Beacon into Vale, but Ruby still felt so far away.

Come on, Weiss thought desperately. Ruby is in trouble.

Weiss braced herself as she landed on another glyph. She could feel her legs starting to tire, tingling with each jump.

She needs my help.

She felt another jolt of panic from Ruby. Her body complained but she kept moving. The tingling moved up her legs, creeping into her lower body.

I have to get to her. I have to be quicker.

The tingling moved to her chest. Her lungs were burning.

I have to move…

She took another leap, the tingling reaching her neck as her feet landed, ready to run.

Faster.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, everything went white. To Weiss' alarm, she couldn't feel her glyph beneath her feet, and she could feel herself falling. In a panic, Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, throwing her arms out to form a hasty glyph under her. She landed on her stomach hard, knocking the wind out of her.

Pushing herself shakily to her knees, Weiss opened her eyes, looking down through her glyph. She was hanging just a few stories above a city street. A few cars waited at a stop light, some people. Walking down the sidewalks window shopping.

Weiss took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the blood rushing in her ears. She looked back up at the sky, her eyes squinting in confusion. What… what just…?

Panic. PANIC!

Weiss' eyes shot wide, her head snapping down to the street. To her abject horror, Ruby came tumbling through the air out of an alleyway. The sniper skidded across the pavement, into the street…

Right in the path of a speeding truck.

"Ruby!" Weiss' scream tore from her throat at the same moment the truck's horn blew.

She watched in terror as Ruby leapt to her feet, spinning around to face the truck rushing towards her. Suddenly, someone ran out of the alley, pushing Ruby out of the way.

CRASH!

Weiss stared with wide eyes, not quite sure what she was seeing. Where Ruby had been just a few seconds ago, Penny now stood, a crater carved in the pavement around her. Her hands were on the crumpled hood of the truck, the old man behind the wheel staring at Penny in fear. On the sidewalk, Ruby had the same look on her face, her silver eyes wide.

Penny looked between the two, then at the onlookers gathering on the sidewalk. She looked down at her hands, flinching, before balling them into fists. She immediately bolted, pushing past Ruby and running into a different alleyway. Ruby ran after her seconds later.

Weiss blinked at the street below, trying to make sense of what just happened. Then, she saw two people run out of the alley Ruby and Penny had come from. Atlas soldiers. This made her frown. Why were Ruby and Penny running from Atlas soldiers? Weiss summoned a few glyphs, wanting to get down to the street as fast as possible.

Hurrying to reach the ground, Weiss didn't notice the red glow fading from her Mark, nor the white rose petals dancing in the wind behind her.

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: … I regret nothing other than how long this chapter took to come out.

For the record, the time frame for "A Minor Hiccup" and "Painting the Town..." is complete bulls***. Given how short Weiss' talk with the SDC Operator is, the only way Ruby and Weiss' portion of the info gathering fits in with Blake and Yang's is if they just meandered around Beacon for two hours before going to the CCT. So, I'm taking some liberties with how much time passes between events here.

Also, Ruby and Weiss were at Beacon Academy. How did Ruby chase Penny all the way into the city so quick? Ugh. I love this show, but stuff like this makes adapting it for a fanfiction a real headache.

I don't care how long it takes, I don't care if I got to have a 10k word chapter to do it, but I swear this: Next chapter, Bot Fight! It's been almost a year since I started planning for it, it's time to make it happen. See ya then!