88

Chapter 88: Frozen

"Ruby, I'm not sure that's the best look for you."

"What? But… it's so pretty!"

"The dress is nice, Sis, but I don't think green is your color. Here, try this one."

"Ugh! Why is this so hard!?"

Weiss let out a sigh as she leaned against the backrest of her chair. That she found the chaos around herself endearing rather than rage-inducing, she took as a sign of personal growth.

She should have known that going to Luminescent Boutique was a mistake before she even suggested it. The high-end boutique was a familiar space, the chain being based and founded in Atlas, her usual go-to when she needed a new attire for her father's latest function. But what was the norm for her on her own was thoroughly trounced once nine other girls were added to the mix, each with their own styles and decorum.

"Gods, how are you supposed to breathe in this frilly nightmare!?"

...Or lack thereof.

Amazingly, she'd found two allies amongst the group who knew proper etiquette and how to color coordinate. Blake, she found out, had a few years of thorough-albeit-rusty experience in dress buying with her mother for functions regarding the Chief's duties. And as a Champion of Mistral, Pyrrha had several chances - wanted or otherwise - to learn the requirements of a formal function.

But for the remaining seven? Ruby and Yang were self-admitted small-town girls, their greatest experience with dress buying being what they viewed on TV (Ruby) and clubbing (Yang), leaving them with just enough knowledge to think they knew what they were doing. Nora's apparent "method" for finding the right dress was just to throw on whatever random dress she happened to pass, with no rhyme or reason for style or color, until she found one that "felt right".

The most infuriating were Penny and Ceil. Penny had no clue what constituted the "perfect dress", her attempted search of the subject online returning in so many conflicting results that she nearly errored out. And upon hearing the dress code for the dance (there wasn't one, outside of no neckline lower than this and no skirts higher than that), Ceil looked nearly paralyzed as she stared wide-eyed at the rows and rows of dresses.

So far the only two with any luck were, surprisingly, Ilia and Neo. After Ilia tried just three dresses, ranging from plain-jane to princess level of frills, and looking more and more uncomfortable in each one, Neo had let out an audible huff and stormed into Ilia's dressing room with a fed-up look on her face, dragging a still shirtless Ilia to the other side of the store, much to the Faunus' pink-skinned embarrassment. When they returned, Neo was smiling smugly while Ilia clutched a purchase bag to her chest, cheeks red as she kept giving the heterochromatic girl a meek thankful smile. Neo herself had been laughably quick with her shopping, marching into the store like she owned it and finding a flowing pink and cream number that seemed to fade from her hair straight down to the floor, spending the rest of her time thumbing up and down the other girls' choices, or prowling the rows for who knows what (Weiss made a note to check the girl's bags before they left. They seemed suspiciously fuller than they should be).

Frankly, to Weiss, the whole experience felt like herding cats (and didn't that phrase remind her of an awkward conversation she and Blake had had about Faunus and the offensiveness- or lack thereof- of animal-themed idioms. Yang was still teasing her about that one). She felt envious of Ren and Neptune, as they only had to keep track of one potential chaos-bringer each at whatever haberdashery they'd found themselves at.

And the longer they were in the store, the more her lack of stamina was making itself apparent. The neverending ache in her chest just grew worse and worse the more she tried to flit between helping each girl until her Mates took notice. Her cheeks were still warm from Yang suddenly grabbing her by the shoulders and lifting her with little effort, gently but firmly planting her in a nearby chair, telling her to take it easy. It was embarrassing and she wanted to argue, but the overwhelming Concern and lingering Guilt coming from the three of them held her tongue. She resigned herself to letting Blake and Pyrrha take over, watching the chaos as she contemplated her own dress.

At least things were going well.

Pyrrha smiled at the burgundy dress as she held it in front of her in the mirror. It was hard to find a dress that was both suitable for her height and a color she would look good in. It made functions back home in Mantle a nightmare, having to sacrifice a good portion of her gladiatorial winnings to have something custom-made. Fate seemed to be smiling on her for once as she leaned side-to-side, seeing how it looked at different angles.

Approving, she turned towards the dressing rooms, letting her eyes rove over the girls nearest her. Nora and Ruby were giggling together over some ludicrously frilly number Nora had thrown on, oblivious to her find. Pyrrha smiled at their antics but stopped short when her eyes fell on something surprising: Penny, standing all by herself a few rows over and just staring at a mannequin clad in a mint-green dress.

A frown crossed Pyrrha's face as she took in the troubled look on the android's face. She looked to see if anyone else had noticed, but they all seemed absorbed in their dress hunting. Biting her lip softly, Pyrrha made a decision.

Draping the dress over her arm, Pyrrha slowly approached the robot girl. Penny took no notice, even when Pyrrha stood just a step away from her. "Penny?" Pyrrha finally said, lightly tapping the girl on her shoulder

Penny blinked rapidly, her body unfreezing with a full-body shudder. She turned away from the mannequin sharply, tilting her head up in surprise at the gladiator. "O-oh! My apologies, Pyrrha. Do you need help with something?"

Pyrrha frowned at Penny's sudden bright tone, how quickly her expression flipped from troubled to cheery. "I was about to ask you that. I saw you standing off by yourself. I just want to make sure everything was okay."

Penny's smile dimmed, her shoulders dipping. "Oh. Oh, it's… it's nothing. I was just…" She looked back at the mannequin's eyeless face. "...lost in thought."

"...may I ask why?" Pyrrha questioned with mounting concern. Penny's eyes were too intense for her to pass off as just a passing thought.

Penny was quiet for a moment. "May I ask you something… personal?" she questioned in turn, her voice soft.

An encouraging smile worked its way onto Pyrrha's lips. "Well, I can give you the most honest answer I can."

"...do I seem real to you?"

A moment passed as Pyrrha processed the question. Her head reared back in surprise, eyes blinking rapidly. "E-excuse me?" she asked haltingly, because what!?

Penny kept staring straight ahead, her eyes glowing faintly. "I'm as close to human as is technologically possible, but… I'm just that. Close. I've been reassured by others in the past - Ruby and Weiss most recently - but even with their kind words… I have doubts. Everyone I've asked before has had prior interactions with me before learning my true nature, and I fear this… colors their true analysis of me." She turned back to Pyrrha, either ignoring or not noticing the girl's gobsmacked expression. "You have just met me, and my mechanical nature was the first thing you learned about me. This makes you an effective neutral party. So, I ask you… d-do you think I'm real?"

Pyrrha's mind was a jumbled mess at the sudden philosophical onslaught Penny had just launched at her. She only just latched onto the one detail in Penny's pseudo-speech she could form a thought around: how Penny's voice had broken on her last question.

Her jaw snapped shut as she looked at Penny, really looked at her.

At first glance, Penny looked like a normal teenage girl. But the longer she stared… there were a few things that seemed off. Her skin was abnormally clear, not even the slightest blemish or trace of tan. Her eyes had a glossiness to them that seemed slightly… off the longer she looked. When the girl shifted her weight from foot to foot, the motion was a little too smooth, finding her cycling through the same three or so positions while her arms and shoulders remained still. And most shocking of all, once Pyrrha noticed it… Penny wasn't breathing.

Each was easily missed on their own. They were faint enough Pyrrha doubted anyone would notice unless they were looking for them. But now that Pyrrha had noticed… she couldn't not.

Pyrrha felt a chill run down her spine, one she tried frantically to shove down. Penny had been nothing but kind and polite since they'd met and completely forward with her nature. She had done nothing to cause Pyrrha any sort of distress. Yet there was some instinctual part of her brain that saw all of Penny's inconsistency and was screaming wrong!

"...what brought this on?" Pyrrha eventually asked, partly buying time for her to mentally find that traitorous part of her mind and stomp it out.

Penny seemed to slump at the question, her eyes darting to the floor as she bit her lip nervously (Very normal human reactions! she internally screamed at whatever part of her mind was shrinking back). "Our… encounter this morning."

Pyrrha felt her face warm at the reminder. "Again, I am so, so sorry that I did that to you. I only intended to-"

"I understand," Penny cut her off, a gentle smile creeping onto her face. It dimmed quickly. "But that's where my line of thinking came from. Your only intention was to disarm us all, yet your Semblance grasped me just as easily as the other's blades. It was a rather jarring reminder that despite what I look like on the outside…" Her eyes drifted back to the mannequin. "Inside, I'm just a machine."

A sharp twinge shot through Pyrrha's chest. It wasn't just Penny's words but the sheer certainty with which she said them. Her face went slack for a moment, then tightened with determination. She forced herself to ignore the slight offness ofPenny's looks and focus on the girl's expression, taking in the despondent look on her face, the small dip at the corners of her mouth. After a moment, Pyrrha nodded to herself.

"I think…" she said slowly, stepping closer to Penny. "If you were just a machine… you wouldn't be asking these questions."

Penny blinked, her head snapping towards Pyrrha as her eyes widened in surprise. "Could you… elaborate?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath, rubbing the back of her head in thought. "I mean… I don't know much about robotics but… even if your body is mechanical…you think." She gave a small shrug, unable to come up with anything more eloquent. When Penny tilted her head curiously, Pyrrha plowed ahead, letting her heart take charge of the mouth. "You think, you feel, you worry about others… I guess it depends on what you mean by real. From a spiritual point of view, I suppose the only uncertainty would be if-" Pyrhha abruptly cut herself off, realizing that her next words could be taken horribly.

"If what?" Penny asked, stepping forward and… oh, that was a very Ruby-like look on her hopeful face. "If you're worried about offending me, please don't be. Any information you give me is helpful, and you don't seem the type to say things with the intent to harm."

Pyrrha's lips pulled back in a small grimace. She was asking… "The only thing I can think people could question about you is… if you have a soul."

To Pyrrha's shock and somewhat-fright, Penny's eyes somehow grew wider as she leaned into Pyrrha's personal space. "I have a soul!"

The gladiator blinked at her blunt certainty. "You… you do?" she asked dumbly, the words tumbling from her mouth without thought.

Penny took no offense, just giving a sharp nod, a smile starting to light up her face. "Yes! Ruby and Weiss helped me discover that. I have an aura, and therefore, a soul!"

Pyrrha stared at the quickly brightening android. That seemed… deceptively simplistic. "How… if you don't mind me asking, where did your aura come from?"

"My father," Penny answered instantly. "When I was built, he split a portion of his aura off and placed it within my chassis. Over time, as I gained more knowledge and experience, my aura developed into something completely and uniquely mine."

You should have led with that, that instinctual part of Pyrrha's mind growled in annoyance. She again stomped it down, taking this new information in and adding it to what she'd learned in the sudden crash course she'd been subjected to. The picture it was painting was coming into focus, and Pyrrha found the tenseness she'd gained throughout the conversation starting to slip away. "Well, then…" she started, a smile returning to her face. "You have a mind of your own, you have emotions, you have a soul…" She let out a small laugh, suddenly feeling both a bit silly and ashamed of herself. "Honestly, Penny, I'm not sure how much more 'real' you could be."

Penny suddenly went very still, her face going slack as she stared, wide-eyed. Then Pyrrha found herself crushed in a hug that put Nora's to shame. As the air was forced from her lungs, she became aware of the warmth Penny's skin gave off, and the faint smell of ozone and flowers that clung to her hair.

"Thank you," Penny murmured, her voice thick. A second later she loosened her hold on Pyrrha but held the hug for a moment. "I… needed to hear that."

Getting her breath back, Pyrrha gently wrapped her free arm around the girl with a smile. "You're very welcome. And I'll gladly remind you if you ever need so."

Penny hummed softly before pulling back. Her brow pinched as she glanced quickly back at the rest of the group. "If you don't mind though… could you not tell Ruby and Weiss about my… doubts? They were so kind, enforcing my… sense of self… I don't want them to think they failed."

Pyrrha frowned at her. "That's your business, Penny, not mine. But, if I could suggest?" She waited for Penny's nod. "Part of the point of having friends is being able to confide in them. If you start feeling like this again… Ruby and Weiss are good people. You can talk to them without worrying about reactions." She then smiled down at the android. "That goes for me, too. Anytime you need to talk, I'm right here. Okay?"

Penny's smile practically shown. "Okay… okay! I will commit that to my memory!" Her eyes suddenly darted down, and she let out a shocked gasp. "Oh no!" Before Pyrrha could worry about some new problem, Penny reached out and ran a hand along the dress the redhead still cradled to her chest. "I'm sorry, Friend-Pyrrha. I rumpled your dress."

Pyrrha looked down at the dress in question, and had to stifle a snort. "It's just a few wrinkles, Penny. Easily fixable." She fixed the girl with an expectant look. "Now, is there any dress that's caught your eye? This one maybe?" Her eyes slid to the green number on the mannequin in front of them.

Penny followed her gaze, blinking as if just remembering where they were. "O-oh! Yes, um, actually," she admitted with a stutter. "It's simple design and color caught my eye. It's my favorite color."

Pyrrha's brow rose in surprise. "Really?"

Penny beamed up at her. "Yep! It's the same color as my lasers!"

…Pyrrha blinked slowly. "...okay, then. Let's find an attendant so you can try it on."

"Hey, Nora?"

Nora paused in making a wild twirl, The fluffy ends of her dress nearly slapping Ruby in the face. The group had splintered a bit, scattering throughout the store for various reasons and leaving Ruby and Nora on their own. "Yyyyeeessss?"

Nora's grin widened when she saw Ruby's eyes dart quickly towards Pyrrha and Penny looking over the mannequins. "There was something I saw last night… before the whole Nevermore… kidnapping… thing." Ruby leaned in close, lowering her voice. "I saw Jaune and Pyrrha coming down from the roof, and I was wondering… are they together?"

Nora's eyes went round, her face slack. Her head snapped violently towards Pyrrha, then back to Ruby as she lunged. Before the speedster had realized, Nora had grabbed her by the arms and nearly blurred her into a dressing room. She caught a quick glance of Neo flinching out of their way with an annoyed/bemused look before Nora nearly ripped the curtain closed. Ruby blinked rapidly in surprise, nearly getting her bearings back when Nora's hands suddenly clamped on either side of her head, the older girl bringing them nose to nose.

"They were together last night?" she hissed in an overly loud whisper. "You're sure? What did they say? Were they close? Far apart? Doing anything…" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Funny?"

"Um…" Ruby was struck dumb by Nora's rapid-fire questioning and intensely shiny eyes. "I was too far away to hear them, but… they walked side by side? Their hands brushed once, but they just both looked kind of awkward." She thought hard, wondering if she was missing anything that might make Nora let go. Her head was starting to feel squished. "I think Pyrrha might have blushed a bit?"

Somehow Nora's eyes went even wider. She finally released Ruby's head, letting out a muffled squeal and pumping her arms up and down in a little dance, making Ruby lean out of flailing range. "Yes, yes, yes! Someone else sees it! I knew it!" She grabbed Ruby by the shoulders, leaning in close. "Tell me everything!"

Ruby let out a bemused chuckle, eyeing Nora warily. "Um… That's kind of it. Sorry?"

Nora leaned back, her face falling rapidly. "Oh. Bummer." She perked up again almost instantly. "Still, it's more than I had before!"

"Then… they're not together?" Ruby guessed.

Nora let out a sigh, giving a playful pout. "No, and it's driving me crazy! She's head over heels for him, and he's crushing hard on her, and neither of them can freaking notice the other!"

Ruby blinked in surprise, her mind finally clearing from the whirlwind Nora had subjected her to. "Really? Why?" She tilted her head slightly. "How?"

Nora put her hands on her hips, pacing around the narrow space. "Because they're both too wrapped up in their own heads. Pyrrha's too hesitant and cautious to make a move, and Jaune… " Nora hesitated, biting her lip as she looked to Ruby. She seemed to contemplate something, before letting out a deep breath, her enthusiasm curbed. "I don't entirely know what his deal is, but he's always second-guessing himself. And some of the jokes he makes about himself…" A hint of concern flashed across her face. "I think he has some self-worth issues. I doubt he even thinks asking her out is an option."

"Oh…" Ruby wilted in kind, having to stomp down a few dark thoughts of her own before she could project them to the others. "I didn't realize it was that complicated."

Nora snorted. "Yeah. They'd be so perfect for each other, too. They just need some kind of push. I've been trying to suggest Pyrrha ask Jaune to the dance, but she clams up as soon as she realizes what I'm talking about." She grumbled under her breath. "Ren keeps saying that we need to let them 'find their own path.'" She put a mocking tilt to her voice in a poor approximation of Ren's monotone, startlingly a giggle from Ruby. Nora smiled at her, rolling her eyes. "But I'm pretty sure we're all going to be old and gray before that ever happens."

Ruby hummed to herself. "Then it sounds like you'd have to get Jaune to ask her out."

Nora outright laughed. "Fat chance of that! I managed to convince Ren to talk to Jaune one time about asking Pyrrha to the dance. You know what Ren told me?" Ruby shook her head. "Jaune thinks Pyyrha already has a date to the dance!"

Ruby's mouth dropped open. "What!? How- who does he think she's taking?"

"Heck if I know!" Nora threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't know what goes through that boy's head, but somehow he thinks it's game over before even trying. And frankly… I don't know how to fix that." She sat down on the dressing room bench, holding her chin upon her hands as she pouted.

Ruby grimaced. This was not how she'd expected this conversation to go, but she already felt committed. Unfortunately, she was coming up just as blank. One half-formed idea sprung to mind. "Maybe… we could trick him into asking her?"

Nora rose a brow. "How would we pull that off?"

"Um…" Ruby crossed her arms, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Well… he's convinced Pyyrha already has a date, right? What if… what if he finds out that she's still available?"

Nora let out a light scoff. "Well, yeah, that'd be a great step forward, Ruby. But how the heck would we do that?"

"Fweet!"

Ruby and Nora jumped at the sharp whistle, Nora nearly falling off her bench. They found Neo leaning against the wall of the dressing booth… the one opposite the privacy curtain.

Ruby's head snapped side to side, pointing to Neo, then the curtain in bafflement. "You… when did… how long…?"

Nora, while equally bemused, looked at the ex-thief with sparkling eyes. "Oh, you have to teach me how you did that!"

Neo just smirked at the both of them, waggling her eyebrows in amusement. Then she held her scroll up for them both to read.

If you need help tricking some morons, I have a few ideas.

Ruby and Nora blinked at the message. They turned to each other, brows high in surprise. Then they grinned fiercely, turning to find Neo mirroring them.

Nora let out a deep cackle. "This is going to be a Be-A-Utiful friendship."

Well, it had been two hours, and nothing had yet been broken and/or set on fire, so Weiss was tempted to call this trip a success.

She could tell that the employees were growing more and more irked with her group as time wore on, but the recognition of having a Schnee at their shop held their tongues. Though given the thinly veiled looks of derision they kept giving Blake (and Ilia after Yang had walked out in a rather purposefully revealing dress) Weiss was tempted to move their group elsewhere in search of proper dress wear.

Unfortunately, she hadn't voiced this suggestion before Yang found a dress she truly liked, a knee-length white dress with yellow highlights. Weiss didn't even think twice about handing over her credit card to pay for the thing. Yang tried to argue, saying she didn't need to spend Weiss's money, only for Weiss to remind her it wasn't her money they were spending today - it was her father's.

Weiss couldn't help but share Yang's sudden dark grin, letting the blonde's Mischievousness and Humor wash over her as she walked to the register.

Which made it all the more jarring when Yang's good mood suddenly turned to Shock, to Realization to simmering Anger.

Blake paused in tying the lacy back of Ruby's current selection, the two looking to Weiss as one, before the three of them looked towards the front of the store, drawing the others' attention. Yang marched tensely back, dress draped over her arm, a sales associate in tow. Everyone took immediate note of Yang's crimson eyes.

"Weiss." Yang's voice was low and taut, an obvious attempt at reining in her temper. "We have a problem."

Weiss shot to her feet, keeping the wince off her face as her chest twinged painfully. "What seems to be the trouble, ma'am?"

The woman's cherry lips curved into a plasticy smile, a sharpness in her eyes. "Well, Miss Schnee, there's a problem with your credit card." She held the card up in one hand, a scroll in the other. She weighed the scroll across the card and its screen blinked red, letting out an unpleasant bleat. "I'm afraid it keeps coming up as canceled."

Weiss's eyes widened, her mouth going dry. She could Feel Ruby and Blake's Shock and Confusion behind her, slowly fading to Concern and Anger as they each realized what had happened. Weiss swallowed down her immediate response, reining in the outrage and denial she wanted to voice. She knew this was a possibility, after all.

So why did it still hurt so much?

"I see," she finally said, her voice tight and controlled.

Worryingly, the woman's smile grew, condescension starting to roll off her in waves. "There's also been an alert placed on this card if certain people try to use it." She held the scroll up for them all to see. They watched as Yang, Ruby, and Blake's school ID photos flashed across the screen.

... how dare he.

"I… see."

The sales lady took a sudden step back, a look of fright on her face. At first Weiss thought it was because of how coldly furious her voice had gotten, but then she felt the build-up of aura behind her eyes and the faint chill across her skin. She'd accidentally triggered Yang's Semblance, and her blood red eyes must have given the woman quite a fright.

Weiss was surprisingly okay with this.

"Y-yes, well…" the woman cleared her throat, visibly trying to rally her previous confidence. It was a useless effort as she looked around and noted the angry looks from the students surrounding her. The only ones not outwardly furious were Ciel, who seemed completely shell-shocked by the situation, and Neo, who merely gave the employee an appraising look, her fingers playing across the handle of her umbrella. "G-given the state of the card and the notice placed on it, I'm afraid I'll have to call-"

She was cut off by the ringing of a scroll, echoing throughout the suddenly silent storm. They all turned towards the source of the sound, surprised to have their eyes land on Weiss. None more so than Weiss herself as she pulled out her scroll… the one she knew she always had set to vibrate.

Weiss's eyes widened at the name flashing across the scroll. She put it to her ear, ignoring the look of outrage from the sales associate at being ignored. "Winter?" If she hadn't been so confused, she'd have enjoyed the way the woman's face suddenly paled. "Why-?"

"Hand her the scroll."

Weiss blinked at her sister's curt order. Any questions she wanted to voice were silenced by the icy strain in her sister's voice. Despite never hearing it before, Weiss was very glad to have never been on the receiving end of such a tone.

She almost felt sorry for the sales associate.

She held the scroll out to the woman. "It's for you," she said, her expression blank.

The woman stared at the scroll like it was a live snake, visibly out of her depth. The group of girls watched curiously as she cautiously took the scroll. "Hello-" before she could even attempt an introduction she was cut off. Flummoxed, the woman tried to respond. "Well, I… yes, but… the card… ma'am, I…"

Something Winter said made the woman go red, outrage on her face. "Now see here! I-" another cut-off, and the woman's face went sheet white, growing paler by the moment. "Yes… yes… yes, ma'am. Right away. I apolo-... yes." She held the phone back to Weiss, a flustered smile painted on her lips. "Terribly, terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Schnee. Have a, um… have a nice rest of your day."

They all watched in amusement as the woman practically ran back to the front of the store, leaving a group of gobsmacked girls in her wake. As they slowly look to her for answers, her Mate's Bafflement washing over her, Weiss brought the scroll back to her ear. "Winter… what just happened?"

"Yang's dress has been paid for, as well as whatever else your group has or plans to purchase from this store. Though I recommend you don't linger for much longer."

Weiss's eyes bugged out. "You bought her- wait, wait." Weiss took a mental step back, setting her sister's frankly frightful generosity to the side for the moment. "I meant, how did you call me so fast? How did you even know what was going on?"

"Penny texted me the situation." Wiess gave the Android a startled look, receiving a bashful smile in return (right, Faunus level hearing). "I asked her to keep an eye out in case father tried anything."

Weiss wilted where she stood. "You knew he'd do something like this." It was a statement. Not accusatory, just resigned.

"He pulled something similar on me when I started 'rebelling'. I'll look into it, but I'm afraid he's likely cut off your every access to the family fortune." Her voice gained a sad, concerned tone. "Did you set up any kind of account of your own, separate from the family?"

Weiss suddenly felt very tired, her legs wobbling. She felt Yang and Blake gently take her arms, leading her back to the chair before she collapsed. "A small one," she finally answered, her voice weary. "I opened it right after we got together, but I couldn't move much into it without risking Father noticing. A few thousand at most."

Surprisingly, Winter made a small hum that almost sounded approving. "Good. That's more than I had when I was cut off." There was a long pause, then Winter let out a sigh that sounded as tired as Weiss felt. "I'm so sorry, Wiess."

"It's okay," Weiss said numbly. "I knew it was going to happen eventually. Just…"

"Not so soon?"

"...yeah."

"Please try not to let it get to you." Weiss's heart twitched painfully at the almost desperate tone bleeding into Winter's voice. "He thinks money equals power, and taking yours away will cow you. Don't let him. He… what?"

To Weiss's surprise, what appeared to be a small scuffle sounded on the other end of the line, the Winter sounded more annoyed than anything at the male… no, two male voices in the background.

"What are you… no, you may not see the-... what? No, I will not say… I… ugh, fine!" Winter's voice ground out with the most annoyance Weiss had ever heard. "Weiss, I have been obligated to tell you, under duress!" Her voice rose, and Weiss could faintly hear someone snickering on the other end. "To, and I quote, 'not take anything our Father does seriously, because it's just further proof he's just…" she paused, letting out a beleaguered sigh as Weiss could practically feel her roll her eyes. "A petty little jackass'."

Weiss's mouth fell open, and she heard Blake let out a violent snort as she struggled not to laugh. "Winter!"

"...unquote," Winter finished, her tone abashed. "Not my words, I promise you."

"Who in the world told you to say that!?" Weiss then flinched as her scroll gave a shrill chime, acknowledging that she'd received a text message. When she looked to read it, a second had joined it.

Roman- your two new favorite uncles!

Qrow -That's us.

"... Winter, why are you with them?"

"... Let's call it a joint mission for the General and the Headmaster. I have to be here to represent Atlas."

"... I'm choosing to ignore how their numbers got in my scroll."

"That's probably for the best." Winter took a deep breath, her voice sounding more level when she spoke again. "Crass as they are, although I loath to admit it-" she sighed heavily. "They do have a point. This is just Father's attempt to make you feel helpless. Yet you have garnered a rather extensive support system. Use it."

Weiss fell silent for a moment, letting Winter's words sink in. Something felt off about them, but it took her a moment to place it. "We."

"Pardon?" Winter questioned in confusion.

"We," Weiss repeated more firmly. "We have an extensive support system."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "I… suppose so." Winter haltingly agreed, voice unsure.

Weiss smiled at Winter's awkwardness. "Good luck on your mission, Winter. And… thank you."

"You're welcome," Winter said tensely. For some reason, Weiss imagined her sister was blushing slightly. The muffled snickering in the background may have reinforced that. Winter cleared her throat. "If you have some free time later today or tomorrow, let me know. I have a few questions for Ruby regarding her… skills, last night."

Weiss's eyes darted to the girl in question, Weiss watching her wilt as she felt the Curiosity, Amazement, and Annoyance the (former?) heiress was sending her way. "Believe me, I'll let you know at the first opportunity."

"Good." Winter's voice then softened, sounding abnormally gentle. "Stay safe, Wiess."

"I'll try." There was a soft click as the call ended, and Weiss lifted her eyes to meet the others. She was met with the concerned eyes of her Mates and friends, gathered around her in a loose protective circle. "Well," she said, attempting for a jovial tone and knowing she was falling flat. "So much for a nice simple shopping trip."

"Your father?" Ruby asked softly, drawing up to Weiss's side.

Weiss gave a jerky nod, swallowing thickly before speaking. "I am… officially cut off." She barked out a humorless, watery laugh. "I'm broke."

Strong arms wrapped gently around her, and she found herself being pulled into Yang's chest. Trying to ignore the many eyes on her, Weiss buried her face in the blonde's neck as Yang murmured. "I'm sorry, Snowflake."

Weiss let out a shuddering breath. "I knew it was coming," she admitted weakly.

She felt Yang shrug. "Still sucks, though."

Another rough laugh escaped her, this one slightly more genuine. "Thank you for that gross understatement." She let herself sink into Yang's warmth for a moment "Winter paid for your dress."

She could Feel Yang scowl down at the garment like it offended her. "Not sure I want it after all this mess."

Weiss scoffed, finally pulling away from Yang. "Don't be ridiculous. You'll look beautiful in it." She reveled in the surprised dusting that flared in Yang's cheeks, before letting out a tired breath. "But we probably shouldn't linger much longer. Winter said she covered everyone's bills, so if any of you found something, I suggest you grab it before we leave."

There were morose nods all around, and Ruby took a quick headcount. She rose a brow as Neo shoved a bag in Ciel's arms, giving the bewildered girl a smarmy grin and holding her scroll up for the prodigy to read. Whatever was on it made Ciel blush, but still hold the bag protectively to her chest. Ruby moved onto the others, taking note of who held what. A pit formed in her stomach when she finished. "I think everyone found something… except Blake."

Weiss grimaced, turning to their girlfriend with an apology already on her lips. Surprisingly, Blake just held up a hand and smiled warmly. "It's okay, Weiss. I already have an idea of what I want to wear to the dance, and I wasn't going to find it here."

That drew curious looks from her Mates. "You keeping secrets, Blake?" Yang asked with a smirk.

Blake responded with a playful grin. "A surprise," she admitted. "I just need to discuss a few things with my mother."

Their curiosity piqued, the other RWBY's only held their tongues due to the Excitement, Love, and Mischievousness rolling off their Faunus fourth, along with something deeper that started to draw a blush from Weiss and Ruby.

"Okay!" Ilia suddenly interjected, stepping through the quartet with a dusting of red on her face. "How's about you four save whatever you're thinking about for later instead of in the increasingly hostile boutique."

"What she said!" Nora piped in, albeit shooting each of them a sly smile. "I say we find out if the boys managed to burn their store down, and then hit lunch! Any suggestions?"

A conversation triggered between her, Yang, and Pyrrha about the best place to feed a group as large as theirs as they made their exodus towards the exit. As they left, most of the girls glared daggers at the woman behind the counter who had accosted Weiss. The woman met their looks with a thinly veiled sneer… save for Neo who merely gave the woman a serene smile as she cleaned her nails with a butterfly knife (where that had come from no one knew, and no one asked).

"Oh, and Ruby?" Weiss asked as they stepped out onto the street.

"Yeah?"

"Unless there's something I'm forgetting, we're not doing anything tomorrow night, right?"

Ruby put a hand to her chin, thinking. "I don't think so."

"Good." Weiss gave her a sharp smile. "Then we can go meet with Winter tomorrow and discuss how you started your adventure with… Speedymore, was it?"

Ruby's smile vanished, replaced with a sheepish grimace. "Oh," she laughed weakly. "Sounds… fun…"

"Indeed."

A/n: Screw this chapter. Screw this chapter with every sharp, rusty implement you can think of, then throw in a few extras just for good measure.

I have rewritten this damn thing no less than five times over the last six months, and I'm still not happy with it. There was a whole section I was going to do for Ilia and Ciel, only for me to realize after rewrite number three that it just didn't fit for this chapter and I need to find a better place for it in the near future. It's not that I'm unhappy with the final result, not really. It's that the writing process was not fun in the slightest, and I want to move on to another chapter so I can get my creative juices flowing properly.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure why I decided to throw Penny's doubts in here. The idea wouldn't leave me alone and that bit was really engaging for me to write. I just find something fascinating about the Uncanny Valley, and I haven't seen many times where it's really addressed in a piece of fiction.

Hopefully, someone out there likes this one. If you do, I'm glad, truly.

(Note from Covert Weapon: I did!)

See you all at the next one, hopefully in the not-so-distant future!