28

Chapter 28: Information Gathering, Part 2

The Streets of Vale

Sun, I hate you so much right now.

Neptune clung for dear life to the blonde in front of him as the world passed by in a blur. In any other situation, holding a girl this close would be a dream come true. Blasting down the highway at twice the legal limit, however, kind of stole away any enjoyment he might have had.

Not helped that Yang drove like a complete psycho! Ever since they hit the road, Yang hadn't stayed in the same lane any longer than a few seconds, weaving through traffic like everyone else was standing still. Why the cops hadn't stopped them yet would forever be a mystery.

A sudden jerk of the handlebars sent Yang's motorcycle hurtling to the right, and Neptune could have sworn he felt the bike leave the ground for a second. He clenched his eyes shut as he heard a horn blare for just a second before it faded into the distance.

This girl is trying to kill me.

To Neptune, there was no question about it: for some reason, Yang hated him. It was the only explanation for why she was putting him through the bike ride from hell. She didn't even give him a helmet!

Seriously, what did I DO?!

Tires screeched as the bike made a sharp turn. More horns. Neptune would have lost his lunch if he hadn't left his stomach about five miles behind.

Will this ever end?!

Screech!

Suddenly, Neptune felt all his weight get thrown forward.

Thud!

Neptune saw stars as his head collided with the back of Yang's helmet. Between the impact and the sudden stop, he lost all sense of balance, falling sideways off the bike. Completely dazed, he stared up at the spinning blue sky, the occasional cloud drifting by.

Oh, look! He thought as his frazzled mind tried to reboot. That one looks like a dolphin!

A shadow then fell over him. Lavender eyes stared down at him, curved brows arched above them. "Uh… you okay?"

Neptune blinked several times. "Um…" he droned, trying his hardest to focus on the girl above him. "Depends… are there supposed to be three of you?"

He heard a scoff, and the lavender eyes rolled. "Jeez… okay, dude, up we go." The world spun anew as Neptune felt himself get lifted straight off the ground by his armpits. He was set down moments later in a sitting position, his back pressed against something solid.

As the world slowly stopped spinning, he heard Yang chuckle slightly. "Yeesh. C'mon, man, it wasn't that bad."

Neptune lifted his head, looking up at the girl (girls? Still seemed like there was more than one of her). "I've never been on a motorcycle before. And now…" He groaned as he felt his stomach catch up to him. "...I don't think I ever will again."

At that, Yang's smirk faltered ever-so-slightly. "Okay, maybe I overdid it a little."

"Ya think?" Neptune groaned as the world finally came to a stop. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. Yang had leaned him up against the side of a building, and a neon glow shined above his head. Looking around, he saw that all the surrounding buildings seemed to be in bad shape, not quite falling in on themselves, but a far cry from the gleaming Vale towers he'd gotten used to seeing.

"Where… are we?" he asked as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Yang gave him that terrifying smirk again. Why, oh why, had the Goddesses paired him with a girl that was somehow crazier than his best friend? "This," Yang started, turning towards the closest building's entrance, "is Junior's Nightclub. Best place in Vale to find a good time… so long as you can put up with the locals."

Neptune followed her gaze, watching as a drunken man twice his size was thrown out the front door by an even larger man in a black shirt and sunglasses. Charming, he thought to himself. Then, when the apparent bouncer caught sight of him and Yang standing just outside the door, he took a step back, shock and dread clear on his face, then bolted back inside. Frantic yelling could be heard as the door closed behind him.

"And, um…" Neptune asked, confused by the man's reaction… and perturbed by the widening smirk on Yang's lips. "Why, exactly, are we here?"

Yang glanced at him as she started towards the door, Neptune reluctantly following. "Well, the place tends to attract a certain kind of crowd. Some of them a little more…" She thought for the right word. "Independent than you'd find in other places around the city. I'm hoping someone might know where we could find this Torchwick guy, or at least point us in the right direction."

"Oh… great." Neptune slumped his shoulders as he followed Yang into the building, down a long hallway. When Yang fell silent, Neptune took it as an opportunity to ask the real question that was bugging him. "So… you gonna tell me what I did to piss you off, or should I just start begging for mercy in general?"

Yang glanced at him, a little surprised by his question. Then she looked away, a slight snort sounding as her lips twitched upwards. "You royally screwed up."

Neptune rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I got that. How, exactly?"

Yang's grin widened. "Well, let's see. You openly flirt with Weiss, then I take you here the long way. What do you think?"

Neptune just barely kept from shouting "The long way?!", and instead considered her words. Okay, she's ticked I hit on Weiss. Why? They're teammates, yeah, but I don't get why Yang would get that pissed at me. Yang shouldn't dictate who Weiss can and can't date. It's not like she's Weiss'-

Neptune froze mid-step, his eyes widening as his irises shrank.

Oh.

He slowly turned his gaze to Yang, who had paused beside him, eyebrow raised expectantly.

"...I hit on your girlfriend, didn't I?" It wasn't so much a question as a resigned statement.

Yang's smirk was all the confirmation he needed.

Neptune held in a groan as he realized that, yes, he had royally screwed up. Awkward silence filled the hallway, broken only by the hushed whispers and sound of movement coming from the door at the end, muffled club music playing in the background. Accepting the, likely painful, experience he was about to go through, Neptune met Yang's eyes with a blank look. "I'm guessing a 'sorry' isn't going to cut it?"

Yang just looked at him for a few moments, eyebrow raised, smirk still in place. To Neptune's utter shock, all she did was slap him on the back (just hard enough that maybe he wouldn't bruise), and started back down the hall. "Don't sweat it, man. You didn't know, so I won't hold it against you… that much."

Neptune stared after her in shock, before following after her. Huh. Guess I'm lucky she's nice. I honestly thought she was gonna break my nose or something.

"'Course," Yang went on, not missing a beat. "Now that you know, you do it again, I'll break your legs."

Neptune swallowed. Oh. So, not out of trouble, just on parole. Great. "Understood," he said meekly, following behind Yang quietly. The muffled sounds were getting louder, but Yang didn't seem bothered by them in the slightest. Just as they reached the door, however, Neptune had a thought. "Wait. I get why you were mad at me, but how'd I tick off Blake?"

Yang didn't turn around as she grasped the door handles. "Oh, that's easy. Weiss is her girlfriend, too."

It took a full second for Neptune to really process what she'd said. He did right when she pulled open the doors, his head snapping towards her. "Wait, what do you mean-"

"Guess who's back?" Yang yelled out as she stepped into the club, smiling widely.

-and Neptune suddenly found himself staring down the barrels of eight high-powered machine guns.

Sun, I take it back. Now, I hate you.

A Different Part of Vale, A Few Miles Away

Well, it's official. This is the most awkward ride of my life.

Sun glanced out the taxi's window, watching as the bright buildings of Vale were slowly turning older and darker the further into the city they went. Despite Blake telling him where the rally was, he still had no clue where they were going. But Blake seemed confident about the location, so he trusted her judgment.

Speaking of which… Sun turned his eyes to the girl beside him, ignoring the now familiar pressure in his shoulders.

Blake was staring out her window, just like he had been, except with her, Sun could almost see the nervousness pouring off of her. Her hands twitched in her lap, curling and uncurling in agitation. Her cat ears (which he still thought were weird to see, after the whole spiel she'd given him about wanting to fit in a month ago) were pointed straight up on her head, the left one flicking at random intervals. She was biting her lip.

She sure has a lot on her mind, Sun thought to himself. Since flagging down the cab shortly after landing in the city, Blake had barely said two words to him the entire time. Not that he really blamed her. After hearing her story, plus the things he'd heard about the White Fang on his own, Sun couldn't even imagine what she must be thinking about going back, however briefly.

Still, that didn't mean he was just going to let her stay wrapped up in her own head. Overthinking anything never ended well, so Sun felt Blake needed a distraction. Plus, maybe he could get some of the questions rattling around in his brain answered.

Time to break the ice.

With a sledgehammer.

"So, how's Mated life treating you?"

In an instant, Sun got the expected result. Blake's head snapped towards him with wide eyes, her cheeks tinting quickly. Her mouth opened partially as she floundered to respond, forcing Sun to withhold a laugh.

Eventually, Blake's mouth snapped shut, her eyes going back to the buildings passing by. "It's… going okay," she answered lamely, trying to will away her blush.

Sun couldn't help the brief chuckle that passed through his lips as he rested his elbows on his knees, grinning at her. "Blake, relax. It's a big deal, but it ain't that big a deal, y'know?"

Blake eyed him out of the corner of her eye, before releasing a sigh. "Sorry. It's just… you're the first person to actually say something about it since we finalized everything."

Sun blinked, surprised. "Oh… really? That's… odd."

Blake shook her head. "Not really. The humans in Beacon don't know a lot about Faunus culture, at least as far as I've seen. And the other Faunus, well… Beacon has a bit of a bullying problem."

At that, Sun snorted. "No kidding. Especially that one big guy. What's his name? Carrion? Cordin?"

"Cardin," Blake answered, some bite to her words.

"Yeah, that jackass. Moron tried to pull my tail in the hall last week."

Blake sent him a sympathetic look, her ears twitching slightly. "Unfortunately, Cardin's not the only student like that. Because of that, the Faunus at Beacon don't talk about our culture a lot. We've mostly just gotten smiles and nods. No one's said anything to us specifically."

Sun let out a hum, mulling over Blake's words. Then an honest smile spread over his lips. "Well then, allow me to be the first. Congratulations on finding your Mates, Blake."

Blake seemed taken aback for a moment. Then, she gave a small smile. "Thanks, Sun. That means a lot." A moment later, though, her smile fell as she met Sun's eyes. "Sun?" she asked hesitantly. "Back at Beacon, when you first saw us, were you… I mean, did you…"

"Have a huge crush on you?" Sun supplied helpfully, grinning knowingly.

Blake swallowed, unable to meet his eyes as she gave a small nod.

Sun chuckled lightly, leaning back in his seat. "Yeah, Blake, I did. Still do, a little bit." He waved off her distressed look. "It's cool Blake, I'll get over it."

Blake's ears drooped nonetheless. "Sun, I'm sorry-"

"For what?" Sun cut her off. He shook his head, mostly at himself. "Blake, you didn't do anything wrong. Heck, you made it pretty clear last month that you weren't interested in me like that. It's my own fault for getting my hopes up anyways. I'll live." he shifted a little in his seat, an indecisive look playing across his face for a moment. "I have to ask, though," he started again, making his decision. "How'd this happen? 'Cause, I'm thinking pretty hard, but I can't remember any time you hinted you were in a relationship over the last month."

Now it was Blake's turn to look uncomfortable. "That's… a long story."

Sun glanced out the window of the cab. The buildings they were passing, while needing a little work, didn't look anything like the near ruins Blake had described they were heading towards. "We've got time," he said, meeting Blake's eyes.

Blake hesitated. She bit her lip. "It's… kind of embarrassing."

Sun raised an eyebrow. "Okay, if you were trying to make me less curious, that was not the thing to say."

Blake let out a huff, her ears pinning back as she stared back out the window.

Sun groaned internally, mostly at himself. "Okay, no jokes, I get it." When she still wouldn't meet his eyes, Sun sighed. "Look, Blake, I don't need all the details or whatever. I'm just curious on how you four went from teammates to, y'know, Mates. Heck, if it weren't for the Marks on your necks, I probably wouldn't have believed it."

Blake turned back to him, her eyes narrowing warningly. "Why not?"

Sun met her glare with a raised eyebrow, counting off on his fingers. "Okay, Mating a human; pretty common, see it a lot back home." Blake blinked at that, but Sun went on before she could comment. "Taking multiple Mates; not very common, but I know it happens. Multiple human Mates? Never heard of it personally, but I can see it happening. But the real kicker?" He leaned back in his seat, resting his arms on his lap. "Weiss."

Blake's ears perked up a bit, before folding back down. "What about her?" Blake asked, a challenge in her voice.

Sun just stared back, an expression on his face that conveyed a clear 'really?'. "You got to admit, Blake: A Schnee hooking up with a Faunus? Tell me if you had heard that a year ago, you wouldn't have called bullcrap."

Sun could tell he'd hit the nail on the head, if the way her twitching ear and uncomfortable expression was anything to go by. Blake let out a small breath, then said quietly, "Weiss is different. She's not her father."

Sun's eyebrows raised at that. Then a grin made its way onto his lips. "Sounds like a glowing endorsement to me." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Look, Blake, if you don't want to tell me, that's cool. I'm just… curious. I want to know the story."

Blake watched him for a moment, then looked down. Should I? She thought to herself. It's personal… but he said he doesn't want all of the details. And I trusted him with my past… even before my Mates…

She felt a small nudge against her head, seemingly from nowhere. A familiar warm sensation, followed shortly by a frosty and tingling feeling.

Curiosity. Worry. Calm.

Blake smiled. Even from different places across the city, her Mates had picked up on her worries and were trying to help, asking what's wrong. Focusing slightly, she sent back a feeling of reassurance and thankfulness.

I love this connection… Ruby and Yang said they didn't care if our relationship was public or not. And… Sun's trustworthy.

Blake nodded to herself, then turned towards Sun. "This never leaves this cab, okay?"

Sun, who had been watching as Blake's face suddenly went from troubled to relaxed, an idea as to why already forming, gave his signature grin. "Scout's honor."

Blake rolled her eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Last week, after the four of us went to an arcade…"

Beacon Academy

The center of Beacon Academy was bustling with activity. Between the visiting schools making their rounds and the regular student carrying on with their day-to-day, nothing seemed to stand still.

To Weiss, being at the center of such activity used to bring her no shortage of anxiety. Used to the emptiness of her family 'home', or having a wall of bodyguards between her and the populace the few times she'd made a public appearance with her father, the idea of being so close to so many strangers was frightening to her.

Not that she'd let anyone know that. No, Weiss had learned early on how to keep others from seeing such 'weakness', as her father called it. Head held high, eyes narrowed, face blank; Look down on everyone for the sole reason that they are not you. The perfect facade to make people give her space.

The past few months, however, had been both a rude awakening and an absolute dream. Between Yang, whose warm manner of confidence was the polar opposite of her own, and Ruby, who insisted on dragging Weiss anywhere and everywhere she wanted them to go, Weiss had been forced to see that her way of hiding 'weakness' only served to limit herself. Without either of the sisters knowing, they had slowly helped Weiss reach a point where the large crowds didn't bother her as much. Not as long as she had one of them by her side.

On this day, however, Weiss was feeling all that anxiety bubbling back up to the surface, only now for an entirely different reason.

Crystal blue eyes scanned the crowded paths for the umpteenth time, looking for… something. Once again, Weiss felt frustrated with herself for being so anxious, despite not even knowing what she was waiting for. Some paparazzi with a camera? An SDC representative who would stop her in the street? Her father himself to step out from around the corner?

She snorted at herself. Okay, that's a bit much. She resisted the urge to sigh. I wish I could just relax. It'd make this so much easier.

A sudden pressure as her hand was gently squeezed. Weiss turned her attention to the girl at her side, holding her hand. Grey eyes stared back at her, full of concern.

"Weiss? What's wrong?"

Weiss cursed herself inwardly. Of course Ruby knew something was wrong. How could she not when my emotions are just hanging out there for her to see?

She didn't want that. Not the emotion-sensing in and of itself. That was… wonderful. Knowing how Ruby or Blake or Yang were feeling at just a glance, to know that they were happy or troubled without having to resort to her stunted social skills; it was beautiful.

The part she wasn't so keen on was the reverse. That at any given moment, the three of them knew exactly how she was feeling. Especially Ruby, who seemed to have a vendetta against negative emotions, having to stomp them out the moment she felt them within one of them.

That didn't sit well with Weiss. They were her emotions, her problems. She didn't want to drag down the others whenever she was feeling worried or depressed. Especially when it was over something so trivial. It wasn't Ruby's fault that Weiss was so antsy. It was the heiress' own paranoia playing with her again. There was nothing she was doing wrong.

She was just walking down the street.

Next to her girlfriend.

Holding her hand.

Around all. These. People.

All it would take is just one scroll, just one photo that makes its way to Atlas…

Weiss forced down the thought, banishing it to the dark recesses of her mind. She tried to smile back at Ruby. "It's nothing, Ruby. I'm just… new at this."

It was a weak excuse, one that Ruby obviously didn't fully believe. Still, Weiss had to give her leader credit: poor reason or not, Ruby ran with it. She smiled at Weiss, saying, "So am I. I think we're doing it right, though. Do… you like holding hands?" Her voice was tinted with uncertainty, a small frown on her face.

Weiss felt a stab of guilt at the same moment Ruby's worry hit her. She gave Ruby's hand a small squeeze as they continued down the sidewalk. "I do, Ruby. It's actually… really nice." A hesitant smile formed on her face when she saw Ruby's expression brighten. Weiss let out a sigh as she went on. "I'm sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind."

Ruby's face fell at that. "Can I help with any of it?"

Weiss smiled ruefully. "It's sweet of you to ask, Ruby, but, I don't think there's much you can do to help me right now."

Ruby's frown deepened. She thought for a moment, before slowly meeting Weiss' eyes, speaking softly.

"I can listen."

Weiss paused, staring back at Ruby. She tried to be strong, but… Dust damn those big, sad eyes...

"I'm just…" she started hesitantly. She let out a tired sigh. "I just can't stop worrying about… my father seeing us."

Ruby came to an abrupt stop, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. "Is he here in Vale? You didn't say anything earlier."

Weiss was quick to shake her head. "No, no, he's still in Atlas. But… " Weiss took a deep breath, steeling herself again. "He's always on the lookout for bad press, anything that might make the company, or him, look bad. I'm just worried that… I don't know… everyone knows I'm the Schnee heiress. If the wrong person sees us together, and word gets back to him…"

Ruby was stunned as Weiss trailed off. Seeing the look on Weiss' face was heartbreaking. It wasn't even just one of fear. It was more like… resignation. Like her father finding out about their relationship was less of a possibility and more an inevitable event.

Ruby's heart clenched as the realization hit her. "You're… scared of him, aren't you?"

A quick stab of surprise and panic came across the Link as Weiss' eyes widened. Her mouth opened, an automatic response on her lips, but the words died in her throat the moment she met Ruby's wide grey eyes. Her mouth closed quickly. She gulped nervously. She tried to hold Ruby's gaze, but gave up after a few seconds. She sighed tiredly as her eyes slid closed.

"He has so much control over me, Ruby." Her voice lowered so that no one around them could hear, just the girl in front of her. "The company, my status as an heiress… being at Beacon." She heard Ruby's breath hitch, felt the dread bleeding over from her, but kept her eyes shut. "I had to fight tooth and nail for him to let me learn to be a Huntress, and even harder for me to be able to go to Beacon rather than the school he wanted me to enroll in. He made it clear that if I didn't match his expectations… he'd pull me out."

Ruby's eyes widened even further, a cold feeling forming in her stomach. "Can… can he do that?"

Weiss could only give a helpless shrug, her eyes opening just enough for her to stare down at the concrete below her. "Probably. He paid my tuition, and technically, it's his money I use to buy my books and supplies. Even if he couldn't pull me out himself, he'd just have to cut off the money until I couldn't afford to stay anymore."

"Why would he do that?"

Weiss' eyes hardened, and she made a point to stare at the ground so Ruby wouldn't think her cold look was aimed at her. "Because, he has to control everything. If he wants something to happen, it will. If-" She cut herself off before she could start another rant. "I just… I finally have some control over my own life, Ruby. Where I am, what I do… who I love." She squeezed Ruby's hand, receiving a small smile in return. "I feel like I've finally started living… but if I just make one mistake, if he finds just one fault in what I'm doing… he'll rip it all away from me."

Ruby stared at Weiss. The sadness, the helplessness Weiss was feeling was starting to make her stomach queasy. She turned her gaze to the pavement as they trudged through the crowd, Ruby struggling to come up with anything to say. Much to her own disappointment, she couldn't think of a single thing that could help Weiss. Instead, she just said the first thing that came to mind.

"Weiss?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss's response was just as quiet.

"...I don't think I like your dad."

Weiss was silent for a moment. Then, to Ruby's surprise, she snorted, followed by a peal of light giggles. "Yes, well…" She fought through her laughter, trying to respond. "I'm not overly fond of him myself."

Ruby felt another stab in her heart at Weiss' words, but ignored it to instead enjoy Weiss' brief lift in mood. Her mind couldn't leave the situation alone, though, so she tried a different route. "What about the rest of your family? Do you think any of them would be okay with… us?"

Weiss sobered up quickly at her question, but did seem to consider it. "I… don't know, Ruby." Her face twisted up into what could only be described as a sad scowl. "I doubt my brother would be okay with it."

Ruby felt her eyebrows disappear again, her eyes widening. "Your brother?"

Weiss glanced at her, confused by her reaction. Then she recalled Yang's words from the previous day. Right. She and Ruby don't know anything about my family…

"Yes, my brother Whitley," Weiss explained with a nod. She felt a small bit of satisfaction when she saw Ruby quickly grow engrossed with the new information. "He's a few years younger than you. I… don't know what to make of him, to be honest. Sometimes he can be kind of nice, but most of the time, he's a complete clone of my father. And everything my father says or thinks, he matches it."

Ruby felt her shoulders slump. For a moment there she'd had a brief, hopeful thought that she'd get along with someone in Weiss' family, someone she might even get to play the big sister act on. But if Whitley was really like how Weiss said he was... "Anyone else?" she asked hopefully.

Ruby was sure that if her heart sank any lower it was going to fall into her stomach. A tyrant for a father, a brother just as bad, a distant mother; the way Weiss acted when they first met was starting to make a lot more sense. Then, thankfully, almost desperately, Ruby remembered something. "What about your sister?"

Weiss blinked, a little surprised Ruby remembered she had a sister. "Winter... " She thought for a moment. Her head dipped up a little at the thought. "If any of them would be okay with our relationship, it might be her. She and father never saw eye to eye on anything. She eventually just up and left home without telling anyone. Though, if you asked Father, he'd say he kicked her out. I don't really know what her views on Faunus are, so… I don't know how she'd react to our relationship."

Ruby suddenly brightened, taking that one little spark of hope and ready to turn it into a mighty blaze. "Well, why don't you ask her? In fact-" Ruby gasped as she had a great idea. "Call her!"

Weiss nearly stumbled as Ruby practically yelled in her ear. "Wha- what?"

Ruby was nearly vibrating in place as her idea took form. "At the CCT! After we get the info, you can call her and let her know about us."

Weiss had never felt true dread. She thought she had. Between her father's teachings and her time at Beacon, she thought she understood what if felt like to have wave upon wave of terror and uncertainty crash down on her.

Then Ruby happened.

"C-call her?" Weiss stuttered out her irises shrinking as her stomach dropped. "T-today?! And tell her about… us? No! Nonononono, that is a bad idea! That is a very bad idea, Ruby!"

Ruby visibly deflated. "Aww… why? I thought you said she'd be okay with it."

Weiss felt a rather loud retort about to pass her lips, but she bit her tongue to stop it. She took a few quick, calming breaths.

Easy, Weiss. This is Ruby, impulse incarnate... Just speak calmly and clearly, and make her understand why you are not doing this today.

"I didn't say that Ruby." She said once her nerves had lessened. She gave Ruby's arm a small tug, and the two started walking again. "I will admit, out of the rest of my family, Winter is the one who might possibly approve of our relationship. But... " She shifted uncomfortably, memories washing over her. "She's a very critical person… She's better than my father, but if she finds some flaw with what we're doing... " She sighed. "I'm not going to just drop something like this on her out of the blue. If I tell her, I want to… I don't know, make a plan or something. Try to make her more receptive to the idea."

Ruby hummed at that. After a few seconds of walking, she said, "Well… what if you don't tell her it all today? Start small. Tell her about what Beacon's like, what it's like being on a team with us."

Weiss walked on silently, Ruby's words rolling around in her head. "It… could work. And… it would be nice to talk with her again."

Ruby frowned at that. "Are you two mad at each other or something?"

Weiss shook her head, taking the time to send a wave of reassurance at Ruby. "No, nothing like that. Winter's just very busy most of the time, working with the military. And… I didn't get many chances to call her when I was at home."

A pang of sympathy went through Ruby again. She tried to think of what it would be like to almost never see or hear Yang. It made her feel… cold. She smiled despite it. "So… are you going to call her?"

Weiss bit her lip nervously. Her eyes darted around the street, not really focusing on anything, before meeting Ruby's silver eyes again. She swallowed. "Let me… let me think about it… okay?"

It wasn't quite the answer Ruby wanted, but it was better than an outright 'no'. Plus…

Worry. Longing. Hesitation. Dread. Hope.

…it was the last one that made Ruby smile. She could feel it. Weiss did want to call her sister. She was just worried about what would happen when she did. But there was that spark of hope that, if she called, Winter would be okay with their relationship.

And if Weiss thought that they had a chance with Winter, Ruby would back her up, one hundred percent.

Ruby squeezed Weiss' hand, hoping that Weiss could feel the determination and approval she was sending across the Link. Judging from the soft smile that formed on Weiss' lips, she did.

They walked further down the street, just enjoying each others company. Now that Weiss had brought it up, Ruby found herself looking over the crowds of people around them, trying to see if she could spot anyone paying them too much attention. No one really stood out, save for one or two people who seemed to recognize Weiss, but those people went on their merry way seconds later, like nothing happened.

I don't see anything… but if Weiss thinks it might be a problem, I'll help her keep an eye out, just in case.

The crowds started to thin out as they left the busy main streets, turning to walk down a smaller side street. A small burst of curiosity danced at the back of Ruby's mind, tinged with hesitation. She was about to question Weiss about it when the heiress turned to her, an odd look on her face.

"Ruby," she started, her voice a low whisper. "Can I ask you something… personal?"

Ruby tilted her head a little at Weiss' sudden change in tone, but nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

Weiss seemed to fidget a little, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. Her cheeks tinted a little as she met Ruby's eyes. "I, um… well, I've just been wondering about something. Last week, when Blake went into heat… what… we did…"

Heat rushed to Ruby's face as she realized what Weiss was talking about. "Y-yeah?" She couldn't help the slight stutter in her voice as a few wayward memories flashed past her mind. "W-what about it?"

Weiss' face pinked even more, a look on her face that Ruby could only describe as awkwardly adorable. "I-it was your first time too, right?"

Ruby gave a small nod, feeling a little embarrassed, not helped by the fact that she could feel Weiss' embarrassment at the same time, which just seemed to compound her own emotions. "Uh-huh."

Weiss bit her lip, her contemplation palpable. "Did, um… w-what did you think of it? Did you… like it?"

Ruby swallowed. Part of her couldn't help but wonder just where in the heck this conversation had come from, but at the same time…

The memories slowly trickled in. Feather-light touches, lips against her skin. Low moans and stifled squeals. Warm amber eyes looking up at her, hesitant crystal blue staring down from above. Hearing Weiss say her name breathlessly as she-

"Ruby!"

With a jolt, Ruby snapped back to reality. Weiss was standing right in front of her, her face blazing as she clasped her hands over Ruby's shoulders. She looked mortified. Ruby quickly became aware of the heat in her own cheeks.

"Um… what just…"

Weiss pursed her lips, clearing her throat as she removed her hands. "You were… feeling… rather strongly."

Ruby's face reddened further, if that was possible. "O-oh. Sorry."

Weiss nodded, trying to will away her blush. "It's… fine." After a moment, the most awkward smile formed on Weiss' lips. "So… I guess that was a 'yes', then?"

Ruby could only smile back sheepishly. "Y-yeah. It was… really something." They walked a little further before Ruby asked, "Why are you asking me this, Weiss?"

Blue eyes darted towards Ruby, before focusing on the path ahead. "I've just been… thinking. With all of this Mates business we've been going through the last week, we never really… talked about it. And now that we are Mates now, I've just been wondering…"

Ruby let out a soft "Ohh…" as she caught on to what Weiss was saying. "If we were going to do it again?"

Weiss gulped. "Y-yes," she replied, trying and failing to keep the stutter out of her voice.

Ruby watched Weiss carefully, noting how the calm exterior the heiress was trying to pull off did not match with the awkwardness and embarrassment pouring over the Link. She reached out, gently recapturing Weiss' hand in her own. "Do you want to?"

In an instant, Weiss' blush was back in full force. Again, her knee-jerk reaction was to deny anything that came remotely close to what she was really feeling, but…

Weiss held in a groan as she met Ruby's eyes. Again with the big, sad eyes…

"I… wouldn't be against it…" she admitted slowly, now just ignoring the way her face burned. "It's just kind of… awkward to think about." Weiss bit her lip, then gave Ruby her full attention. "What do you think, Ruby?"

Ruby's automatic response ("Last time was great! I'd love to do it again!") died on her lips once she took in Weiss' expression. Weiss' face may have looked calm and collected, but thanks to the time she'd spent around the heiress (and with the Link helping to take out a lot of the guesswork), Ruby could tell Weiss was completely lost.

Ruby stared down at the ground as she mulled everything over in her head. "I think," she eventually said, "that, after we get done with the info gathering today, we go back to the dorm and talk everything over with Blake and Yang. They might have their own thoughts about… doing it again."

Weiss pressed her lips into a thin line, nodding. "Y-yes, that would probably be best."

The conversation seemed to die after that, as Weiss kept her eyes forward, not looking at Ruby. This made Ruby frown, thinking that maybe she'd said something wrong and gave Weiss the wrong impression. She suddenly stopped walking, giving Weiss' arm a gentle hug.

Feeling the sudden stop, Weiss turned around, looking at the leader in confusion. "Ruby, what…"

She was silenced when Ruby took a quick step towards her, tilting her head up as she captured Weiss' lips in a kiss. Weiss' eyes widened in surprise, but quickly slid closed as she leaned into the kiss, enjoying the sensation.

The kiss didn't last long, only a few seconds, but Ruby felt she'd gotten her point across as she slowly pulled away. She smiled at the soft look on Weiss' face.

"I'd love to be with you again, Weiss," she said softly, enjoying herself as Weiss' face pinked again. "But we really do need to talk this over with Blake and Yang." Her smile turned into a bit of a smirk, one on par with her sister's. "Aside from us all being Mates, we do share a room, after all."

Aside from blushing deeper, Weiss had no response. Ruby smiled wider, pulling on Weiss' arm as she lead the older girl down the street.

"...Ruby?"

Said girl looked to the heiress. "Yeah?"

Weiss looked ten different kinds of awkward, but still managed a shy smile. "Thank you."

In response, Ruby gave Weiss' hand a squeeze, her smile blinding.

The two turned around a corner, the grounds opening up into a humongous courtyard. At the center stood Beacon Tower, reaching up into the heavens, a slight green glow coming from the uppermost floors. Dozens of students milled about the entrance, either hanging out with friends and enjoying the nice day, or waiting their turn to enter the CCT center at the base of the tower.

Ruby looked up at the gleaming spire, stars in her eyes. "Wow! I forgot how big the Transmit Tower looks up close!"

Weiss followed her gaze, smiling both at Ruby's response and the massive building in front of them. "You should see the one in Atlas. It's even bigger."

"That was the first one, right?" Ruby asked as they made their way towards the Tower entrance.

"Correct," Weiss said, feeling a small bit of pride in Ruby for remembering. She knew Ruby struggled with certain subjects, so seeing that the younger girl retained some knowledge from their after-class study sessions put a warm feeling in her chest. "Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes, an amused grin on her lips. "Weiss, you're slipping into 'teacher mode' again."

Weiss shot her a half-hearted scowl, which made Ruby giggle. "Oh, don't be a pest. We only came here because you wanted to. We could have easily made the call from the library."

Ruby at least had the decency to look abashed at Weiss' very true statement. 'I know, but… we never get to this part of the grounds! This is the first time I've been this close to it since the semester started. Also…"

Weiss frowned in concern when she felt Ruby's sudden uncertainty across the Link. "Ruby?" she questioned, wondering what was wrong.

Ruby's eyes darted away from Weiss, looking back towards the Tower. "Well… I was wondering something about the CCT Tower."

Weiss' frown deepened, feeling a little indignant. "You could have just asked me, Ruby. I know just as much about the CCT as any of the people who work on it."

Ruby, apparently not having realized this, felt her shoulders slump a little. "Sorry, I just…"

Weiss waited for Ruby to answer, ignoring the few students that were looking their way. She could worry about her father's reputation later. Ruby was more important.

Ruby bit her lip, before slowly looking up at the Tower.

"...do you think the Tower could reach Menagerie?"

Weiss' head jerked back in surprise, having not expected the seemingly random question. After a moment, she realized what Ruby was getting at. She crossed her arms, her expression somewhere between annoyed and disapproving. "Ruby, you're not calling Blake's parents."

Ruby was quick to throw up her hands. "I wasn't going to! I was just wondering if, y'know, it was possible, for… later."

Weiss tapped her foot, getting irritated. "Ruby…"

Ruby gave a little whine, looking down. "I know, okay! I just…" She let out a sad sigh. "I don't like her not talking to them… she's just making herself sad."

Weiss' expression softened, sympathy tempering back her frustrations. "Ruby, that's Blake's choice. She doesn't want to face them until after this whole White Fang business is over with. That's why we're out here in the first place, remember? To help her get to that point?"

Ruby let out a small groan. "I know. I was just… wondering, that's all."

Weiss studied Ruby for a moment, before relenting with a huff. "Honestly, Ruby… I don't know." Ruby looked back up at Weiss, shock on her face. Weiss went on. "I...never really paid Menagerie much mind before," she admitted, with no small amount of shame. The fact that she now knew Menagerie was Blake's home made her feel all the worse. "They don't have a CCT like the kingdoms do, so they probably have to rely on smaller communication towers. Blake said she was able to reach her mom once before, so it might be possible, but… I don't know how stable the signal would be." Weiss felt her heart twinge when she saw Ruby's face fall. She let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'll look up on it later, okay?"

Ruby perked up in an instant, beaming widely as she wrapped Weiss in a hug. "Thanks, Weiss!"

Weiss blushed a bit at the sudden contact, but still smiled, returning the hug. "Okay, okay. Can we go in now? People are starting to stare."

Ruby pulled back in an instant, surprise and worry on her face. "Oh, sorry! Yeah, we can- oh! Wait! I wanted to get a picture of the Tower first."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but decided to let Ruby indulge herself for the moment. She sighed in exasperation when, in her zeal to get out her scroll, Ruby fumbled with the thing, sending it skittering across the pavement.

"Oh, darn," Ruby muttered. She reached down to grab it…

But someone beat her to it.

"Oh!" A slender arm suddenly shoved the scroll in Ruby's face. "You dropped this… uhh…"

Ruby's eyes followed the arm to the girl it belonged to, her eyes widening as she took in her features. Striking green eyes. Pink bow on top of bright orange hair. Her skin was pale as she stared back at Ruby in surprise.

"Penny?!"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: RWBY Timeline: A Minor Hiccup

Finally! My favorite little robot is in the story! ...and now I have another character to juggle with the rest of them. Fun...

Yep, it's a three-parter! Trust me, I don't like it anymore then you do, but well…

I'll level with you guys; Real life is kicking my ass. Home life is getting stressful and my boss decided on a whim to move me to a different shift, throwing my whole routine right out the window. I'm gonna keep working on this in my free time, but don't panic if the next few chapters take a bit longer. I'm sorry, but what can I do? Life just sucks sometimes.

Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it…)