What Defines Us - Chapter 45 (Patreon)

Today was a very special day.  Well, it was the day before a very special day, so maybe it was only special by proxy.

No, today was special.  Years from now, when Weiss looked back on this moment, she would remember today and tomorrow as two of the defining moments in her and Ruby’s burgeoning relationship.

Today marked the last full day that she and Ruby would live separately.  Tomorrow, they were moving into their home together - back in their home together.  Movers would arrive at Winter’s house in the morning to remove Weiss’ sparse possessions.  Another moving company had been hired to pick up the few items she’d left in Atlas - those would be flown to Vale and should arrive within the week.

Weiss had offered to coordinate movers for Ruby too, but was rebuffed at every turn.  For whatever reason, Ruby wanted to pack and move everything herself. With Yang and Blake’s help, of course.  

Plausible reasons for this decision was that Ruby wanted to make sure everything was handled carefully, or she didn’t want Weiss to pay for the expense.  So, against her better judgment, Weiss caved to Ruby’s wishes. Again.

But Weiss had several other matters to see to in the morning, like the delivery of an entire shipment of food to fully stock their kitchen.  Once that arrived, they wouldn’t need to trek to the grocery store for...several days, at the pace Ruby ate. Besides filling the shelves with all sorts of Ruby-approved delicacies, addresses needed to be updated, landscapers and cleaners needed to be rescheduled for future maintenance, and - to top it all off - Winter was in town.  

This was the type of frenetic activity that would have overwhelmed Weiss not too long ago, but now she reveled in it.  These were all good - no, great - matters to attend to. And besides the relatively big unknown of whether or not Ruby would be packed in time, everything was on schedule.  Everything was moving smoothly. Everything was...perfect.

Had she ever thought that Ruby would ask to move back in together?  No, absolutely not. That was one of the most unexpected yet incredible questions to ever pop out of Ruby’s mouth - and that was quite the accomplishment considering some of the random topics Ruby’s mind swung to at any given moment.

Even though it was random and even though it sprang out of the blue, was Weiss going to question Ruby’s decision?  No, absolutely not.

Although...that wasn’t an entirely honest answer.  She’d internally questioned the decision for several days, until she finally concluded that she should trust that Ruby was mature enough to make her own choices.  It just felt so impossible that she chose Weiss...after all the mistakes she made...

“What’re you staring off into space for?”

The question brought Weiss out of her thoughts while Yang bounded over and held up what looked like a piece of paper.

“I made you something!”  

From Yang’s smile, Weiss already knew this was going to be some sort of joke.  Regardless, she accepted the item when Yang pressed into her hands and turned it around to look at it.

It was a party hat made out of a piece of plain, white paper - with ‘I’m not fun’ scrawled across the front.

“It’s your party hat!” Yang explained.  “Now everyone will know how much you enjoy being here!”

“Ha ha,” Weiss replied, giving Yang an unamused look and putting on the hat regardless of what it said.  

After laughing and tapping Weiss softly on the shoulder, Yang grabbed another box of lights and headed down the hall towards the backyard.  She was hardly out of sight when Ruby appeared, flouncing into the living room and stopping in her tracks the moment she saw Weiss.

“Aww, that’s not true!”  

Hurrying over, Ruby gently plucked the hat from Weiss’ head and looked at it with a frown.  The next second, Weiss stood alone while several rose petals drifted towards her feet - and then Ruby reappeared just as quickly to put the hat back on her head.

“There.  Much better,” Ruby said with a grin, her trail of petals still floating towards the floor.  

Being in Ruby’s presence filled Weiss with contentment that nothing else in the world could offer.  It was like being lifted to an entirely new realm of consciousness, where everything was brighter, crisper, clearer...where the world could still be harsh or unfair, but a beacon of light provided all the hope she could ever wish for.

“How’s packing?” Weiss asked, motioning towards Ruby’s bedroom.  

“It’s going!  But...you probably shouldn’t go in there anytime soon…”  When Ruby gave a sheepish smile, Weiss shook her head in disbelief.  

They already ran into this issue with the garage - just yesterday.  When Weiss saw its state of complete disarray, she canceled their evening plans and they spent the entire night neatly organizing, packing, and labeling boxes instead.  Fortunately, Ruby thought it was cute, if not a little strange, how much Weiss’ hyper-organized side took over.  Although why having a tried-and-true method for packing a box in the most efficient way possible was ‘cute’ was beyond her...

However, seeing as how that side of her personality had already slipped out, it was probably best that Weiss didn’t see the inside of Ruby’s room right now.  At least, not if they wanted to take part in the party at hand.  But she could imagine the current state of chaos...clothes strewn about, partially-packed boxes with little rhyme or reason...

“Are you excited to meet Team JNPR?” she asked instead of letting her mind to wander down that path.

“Yeah, I am!  According to Nora, we’re team BFFs - so they’ve gotta be cool!  Plus, I could use some more friends!”

While Ruby beamed at the thought of making new friends, Weiss smiled and shook her head. It continued to amaze her how receptive Ruby was to everything going on around her - nothing seemed too big for her to handle.

It made Weiss wonder what might’ve happened if she was honest from the very beginning - if they spent the past year together instead of apart.  What would their relationship look like?  Would they have made it back to this point?

That didn’t seem to matter very much anymore.  What they had now was blossoming into something incredible.  The ‘what ifs’ and ‘what could have beens’ played no role in Weiss’ life today.  There was only...this. The two of them spending time together and building a foundation that would grow for the rest of their lives.

“What about you though?” Ruby asked, reaching out and gently touching Weiss’ hand.  “Are you going to be ok?”

Weiss paused at the question, which was somehow the perfect one to ask at this moment.

Besides briefly bumping into Nora and Ren at The Beacon Invite, she hadn’t seen Team JNPR since Ruby was in the hospital.  And, as with her own teammates, she’d made no effort to communicate with them while she was away even though they sent her several messages of support.  How would they receive her presence today? 

Unable to hide her budding anxiety from Ruby, Weiss had already explained what was making her uncharacteristically nervous.  Always an exceptional listener, Ruby accepted Weiss’ nerves and then put everything into terms Weiss couldn’t refute - ‘It’s like ignoring a Grimm in the forest.  The longer you ignore it, the bigger it gets. Before you know it, it’s so big you need an army to take it out!’

More succinctly - don’t put off something that needed to be done.

“I’m ready to see them again,” Weiss finally answered, and the words were true.  Mentally, she was prepared to earn Team JNPR’s friendship again, no matter what it took.  If that meant she had to start at the beginning...well...starting over wasn’t always such a bad thing.

“Good!  I bet they’ll be happy to see you.  Plus, your sister’s coming!” Ruby hopped with excitement at the words, but then her grin fell into a very thoughtful, almost calculating expression.  “I’ve gotta make a super good impression this time...I’m not just some random friend anymore!  I’ve gotta be, ya know, awesome.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Weiss replied reassuringly.  “Winter will love you.”

Winter already loved Ruby, but at some point Weiss had started speaking to Ruby in her frame of mind.  Ruby only met Winter once before - at the dust factory under the auspices of friendship. Ruby met Winter many, many times.  There was a difference.

“As long as she doesn’t hate me, that’s good!  Can’t have my girlfriend’s sister not liking me!”

Intentional or not, Ruby made Weiss’ heart flutter with the term.

Maybe it wasn’t what they once were, but it was leaps and bounds better than ‘just friends.’  Add in the fact that Ruby continued to wear the ring, knowing what it meant, and Weiss had hope that that path still lay before them.  All they had to do was take it.

“Ruby!  Can you help me with these lights?”

“Coming!” Ruby yelled towards the backyard.  “Be right back!” she said, giving Weiss a quick kiss before racing down the hallway and disappearing from the house.  

When Ruby requested her ‘moving out-moving in’ party to take place at night, no one questioned why.  Yang simply looked up what time the moon would rise and set the starting time then. To combat the lack of sun, they bought strings of lights to hang along the fences and in the woods.  It was supposed to be an intimate gathering anyway - a reintroduction of sorts to their friends from long ago.

With Ruby working on the set-up, Weiss removed the party hat from her head and turned it around to look at the front.  Ruby had crossed out the word ‘not’ and written ‘tons of’ right above it. 

The small gesture made Weiss smile. Before Ruby, before Beacon, before everything, no one thought she was ‘fun’ to spend time with...

“How are you doing?” 

Looking over when Blake walked into the room carrying some empty boxes, Weiss sighed.

“Just waiting for the day I wake up from this dream.”

The response made Blake chuckle while leaving the boxes on the counter; she then walked over to Weiss with a patient smile.

“There’s nothing wrong with living in a dream.  As long as you’re happy.”

Was Weiss happy?  The answer was a resounding ‘yes.’  It wasn’t simply having Ruby back in her life, either, but also her teammates, her sense of accomplishment and belonging.  Bit-by-bit her confidence was being restored, but it would be foolish of her to believe that she accomplished any of this on her own.

“Thank you, Blake,” she said, the words feeling comfortable and easy to express.  “For everything.”

There was no way to quantify Blake’s help in terms that could be easily explained, but Weiss knew - without a single shred of doubt - that her indebtedness to her teammate had grown exponentially in a very short period of time.  Who would’ve guessed when they first met that this was the type of friendship they would have?  One of utmost caring, respect, and love…

Of course, from Blake’s simple smile, Weiss’ gratitude could have remained unspoken.

“You know…” Blake replied softly, one of her ears flitting ever-so-slightly.  “A long time ago someone pretty smart told me that if we ever have a problem, we go to our teammates first for help.  No one else understands what we have and what we’ve been through together. I’ve never forgotten that. And I hope that the next time the road gets rocky, because it always does, you remember that too.  We’re here for you - no matter what.”

With her heart filling with gratefulness, Weiss reached out and pulled Blake into a hug.

“I’ll remember,” Weiss said while Blake returned the embrace.  “I promise I will.”

As usual, Blake was right.  Their lives were filled with endless uncertainty and unspeakable danger - who else could understand what they went through other than their teammates?  Even if Weiss was incapable of discussing the pain of losing Ruby, she should’ve known that Yang and Blake would never expect her to talk until she was ready. She should have gone to them for help…and next time, if there ever was a next time, she would.

Releasing Blake and stepping away, Weiss wiped at one eye when she felt it growing misty with emotion.  Then a small laugh bubbled through her chest.

“Look at you,” she said in amusement.  “Blake Belladonna, the one with all the emotional advice.  When did this happen?”

Breaking into a smile, Blake playfully rolled her eyes.

“You won’t believe how many therapy books I read after Ruby got hurt.”

“Blakeeeee!”  

The whine ended their moment, as they both turned to find Yang walking into the room with a pout on her face.

“I just realized I won’t have anyone to fix Ember anymore!”

Walking over without a pause, Yang buried her face in the crook of Blake’s neck.  Not at all taken aback by the quasi-tantrum, Blake soothingly patted Yang’s back. 

“Tonight’s a celebration, not a funeral,” she commented.

“If I knew this would happen, I never would’ve suggested Weiss tell!” Yang wailed.

“How could you not see this coming?  Ruby’s been smitten with her for quite some time now.”

“Because I can’t see the future like you can!”

“Then you can’t see what we’ll be doing when we have the house to ourselves?”

When Blake’s words had their intended effect, Weiss rolled her eyes.

Instantly cutting the sob story and straightening up, Yang looked at Blake with wide eyes.  They were doing that thing again - holding a conversation without actually speaking. After a few seconds though, Yang cleared her throat and turned to Weiss with a big grin.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad if you look after Ruby for a bit,” she added.  “But if Ember needs fixing, I’m coming over to get her.”

“That sounds fair,” Weiss agreed with a nod.  Although Yang broke her gauntlets fairly often…

Pursing her lips for a moment, Yang then nodded and smiled.

“Then that’s settled!  But now it’s time to give you my big sister speech.”

Rolling her eyes again, Weiss obediently followed Yang down the hall and into her bedroom.  The instant they stepped inside, Weiss realized that she’d never actually been in the room before.

It was a cozy space.  The closet was a Yang-certified mess exploding with clothes, but the rest of the room was definitely snuggle worthy.  There were stacks of books on top of a desk that looked otherwise unused, and another stack on one of the nightstands.  The light in the room wasn’t exceptionally bright, which made sense with Blake’s eyes, and the colors of the walls, curtains, and bedspread were muted pastels that blended well together.

“You let Blake decorate?” 

“Didn’t have a choice,” Yang answered before putting on a serious face.  “But this is important, Weiss.”

It looked serious from Yang’s expression, but Weiss found it impossible to fight off a smile.  

“You’ve given me this speech before,” she pointed out.  “Do we really need to do it again?”

“Yes!  Because this time I’m cranking up the heat.”

“Last time you threatened to disembowel me.  How can you make it worse than that?”

“You’re about to find out.”

Shaking her head, Weiss motioned for Yang to continue.  This ought to be interesting.

“Ok,” Yang began, cracking the knuckles on her hand in what was a thoughtless-yet-still-unnerving action.  “Ruby is one of the most important people in my life – she’s so important that I put her happiness above my own. I’m trusting her with you - I’m trusting that you’ll take care of her and make her happy.  But if you don’t - if you screw up - this is the only warning you’re gonna get, so I suggest you listen.” Standing tall, Yang pointed one finger at Weiss’s chest. “If you ever make her cry or hurt her in any way, I swear on everything I’m capable of – it will be the last thing you ever do.”

Yang was a little frightening when Ruby was involved, but there was a layer of love just underneath the surface that assured Weiss of how close they were.

“Because you’ll disembowel me?” Weiss offered when there didn’t seem to be a more specific threat forthcoming.

“Smartass,” Yang said, breaking character with a grin.  “But yes! It’ll be very painful for you, and I won’t like it either because it’ll be messy, so just don't do it.”

Joking aside, Weiss maintained a straight face and nodded resolutely.  She knew how important Ruby was to Yang - that was one of the reasons she’d prided herself on being the right one for Ruby.  Because not only was she able to make Ruby happy - she was also able to keep Ruby’s ultra-protective sister at bay. 

“Yang…” Weiss began.  “Ruby is the most important person in my life.  I’ll do anything for her. I know I’ve made mistakes, but I am capable of learning from them.  I won’t leave her again. I won’t leave any of you.”

It was the truest sentiment Weiss could express to Yang, who smiled and reached out to squeeze her shoulder in acceptance.

“Good.  And, as your friend, I just want to say how happy I am for you two.  Honestly, I never thought this would happen again. Blake seemed to know it all along, but I had serious doubts.  I’ve never been happier that she’s always right.”

“Thank you, Yang, for doubting me,” Weiss joked, smiling when Yang burst out laughing.  “But seriously, thank you.” 

Grinning, Yang pulled Weiss in for a hug and lifted her feet right off the ground - something she’d noticed Ruby enjoyed doing as well.  Why did both of them enjoy picking her up so much?

“And this is great cuz when you’re all set up to get married again, I still have my best sister speech planned!”

“Do you honestly remember it?”  Taking a step away, Weiss gave Yang a dubious look.

“Of course!  How could I forget??”  Yang opened her mouth like she was about to launch right into it, but no words appeared.  “Uh...something about Pyrrha and Jaune.”

“For a speech about Ruby and me, you’re going to talk about Pyrrha and Jaune?  I hope you’re not comparing our fighting abilities...”

Looking confused while trying to remember the speech, Yang finally gave up and shook her head.

“Well, whatever.  I’ll come up with something else - something even better!”

“I can’t wait,” Weiss said, patting Yang’s elbow as they headed towards the bedroom door.  

Ruby and her were still a long way from that point, but it was nice to know that they would have Yang’s support whenever they got there.  Weiss didn’t want to be presumptuous, but…she felt fairly confident in saying ‘when’ not ‘if.’

As Yang reached for the doorknob, the door opened on its own and Blake poked her head inside.

“JNPR’s here - if you want to get ready,” she said, sending a meaningful glance to Weiss before walking back into the living room.  Even with the warning, there wasn’t much time for Weiss to mentally prepare herself. Especially not when Yang motioned her out of the room and Blake went directly to the front door to open it for their friends.

“Blake!” Nora’s excited voice immediately said, followed by several much more mellow greetings.  As soon as Blake stepped out of the doorway, Weiss’ feet stuck themselves to the floor of the living room and refused to move - uncertain of what would happen next.  

Pyrrha saw Weiss first, and she smiled - that same smile of acceptance she’d always had.  Squealing in delight, Nora raced over and squeezed Weiss in a hug that was way too tight - like it had always been.  

“Weisssss!  We’ve missed you!!” Nora exclaimed before setting her down and hopping towards the back door.  “Come on, Ren! We’ve gotta find Ruby!” Nora added, waving Ren after her and disappearing down the hall with a stampede of heavy footsteps.  As Ren passed Weiss, he gave her a nod of acknowledgment and a tiny smile.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said before following his partner outside.

“I’m gonna go get Ruby,” Yang added before leaving Weiss’ side to head after Ren and Nora.  “I’ll be right back!” she called out with a wave as Pyrrha and Jaune walked over to Weiss, neither of them seeming to notice Blake slip right behind them to follow Yang.

“Long time no see,” Jaune said before giving Weiss a quick hug.

“It’s great to see you,” Pyrrha added immediately after, giving Weiss a longer hug before holding onto her shoulders and smiling warmly.  “Finally back where you belong.”

One of the promises Weiss made to herself this morning was that she wouldn’t get too emotional, yet her eyes already stung with unshed tears.  After all this time...after all she’d done...she’d expected there to be something that signified her absence.  Instead…they only seemed happy to see her.  

“It’s wonderful to see you too,” she replied, clearing her throat in an attempt to push away some of the growing emotion.  “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

“Careful!” Weiss heard Yang yell before Ruby and Nora tumbled through the hallway with Ren and Yang on their heels.  Weiss didn’t know exactly what they’d been doing, but from the cookie crumbs Ruby wiped from the corner of her mouth, it wasn’t party preparation.

“Oh.”  Upon seeing their other guests, Ruby immediately straightened up and gave a little wave.  “Hi!”

“Ruby!” Nora yelled, careening to a stop in front of her teammates.  “These are the two I told you about! Uh...shoot. What were their names again?”

“Pyrhana and Jasper?” Ruby offered.

“Pyrhana and Jasper!” Nora repeated gleefully.  “This is Pyrhana and Jasper. Pyrrha, show her your teeth!”

“Nora,” Pyrrha replied in a scolding tone while Ruby grinned.

“I’m guessing those aren’t your real names.”

Pyrrha shook her head at Nora before turning to Ruby with a genuine smile.

“Pyrrha Nikos.  It’s so good to see you, Ruby.”  

Taking a step forward as if she was going to hug Ruby, Pyrrha suddenly stopped and looked hesitant about that decision.  Fortunately, Ruby had no problem giving hugs to anyone, and she threw her arms around Pyrrha’s neck for a greeting that Pyrrha gladly returned. 

“Oh!” Ruby suddenly exclaimed after letting go, her eyes widening in recognition.  “From the cereal box!!”

Looking slightly embarrassed, Pyrrha nodded.  “Yes, that was a part of my past...”

After beaming at Pyrrha for another second, Ruby then turned her attention to Jaune - as did everyone else, expecting him to introduce himself properly.  Noticing their glances, he shuffled his feet and ran a hand through his hair.

“I kinda like Jasper,” he joked with an easy grin.  “Jasper Arc - sounds more heroic, right?” When Pyrrha laughed and leaned into his side, he added, “Or Jaune, if you want to go with the original version.”

“Pyrrha and Jaune.  Nora and Ren,” Ruby said out loud, as if trying the names out for familiarity.  “It’s nice to meet you! Or it’s nice to meet you again.” 

Ruby’s words were so genuine that all of JNPR smiled happily.  And, just like that, any reticence they had over Ruby’s injury disappeared.  Just like Weiss had learned over the course of their time together, Ruby was still the same - she was different, yet still the same.  

“So you don’t remember like, anything, right?” Jaune asked curiously.

“Nope!”

“Oh thank god,” he said with a relieved grin.  “Then you don't remember how helpless I was when we first met.”

“I’m sure she can imagine,” Yang teased, walking by with what looked suspiciously like a beach towel thrown over a giant piñata.  The playful jab made Jaune grin sheepishly while Pyrrha laughed.

“I was pretty bad myself not too long ago!” Ruby said, the reality of those words not dampening her mood one bit.

“You were still probably better than me.”  

Sensing that this could quickly become another one of their competitions to see who was the most modest, Pyrrha laid one hand on Jaune’s arm and interrupted. 

“Nora told us about The Invite.”

“And showed us the video about a thousand times,” Jaune piped in.

“It looks like you’re back to full strength,” Pyrrha finished seamlessly.  “Will you be heading out on more hunts now?”

“I think so!  Life’s been pretty crazy, but we’ll ease into it.”  When Ruby glanced over, Weiss nodded. 

The idea of being a full-time huntress again made her hesitant, but Ruby seemed willing to move as slowly as Weiss needed.  Seeing as how Ruby spent the last year completely and nearly single-mindedly dedicated to becoming a huntress again, it was an incredible display of self-sacrifice on her part.  It was hardly surprising though - that’s just the type of person Ruby was. Of course, with the type of person Weiss was, she was going to train obsessively so that Ruby wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

“We’ll need to have some team practices first,” Weiss added, with Ruby beaming at the mere phrase. She’d been buzzing at the idea of having team practices in the combat room.  ‘We’re gonna fight everything!’ she gleefully claimed more than once. Yang and Blake had yet to come over, but Weiss had a sneaky suspicion Ruby would fall in love with some of their team formations and executions.  

After some time working together as a team, they would be prepared to head back into the forest.  Considering how quickly Ruby had progressed in just the last few weeks, their teamwork would probably grow by leaps and bounds.  In no time, they’d be back.

“Come on - party’s out back,” Yang called out once she reappeared, waving for everyone to follow her.  “Pretty sure we’re holding all of Vale’s sugar hostage.”

Making their way through the small hallway, Weiss was genuinely surprised when she saw how the yard had transformed in the past couple of hours.  Under the fading sunlight, the strings of lights sparkled along the fences, the first row of trees in the woods, and the roof of the house - basking the yard in a warm glow.  Her suspicions about the piñata were correct - shaped like a Boarbatusk, it was now strung to a nearby tree. Stretched above it was a colorful banner that read ‘Congrats Ruby!’ with hand-drawn hearts everywhere.

Weiss had spent her childhood attending some of the most pompous and luxurious gatherings around Remnant, but this...this was perfect.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the sugar,” Jaune commented when he saw the table that was practically buckling under the weight of desserts.  Tapping Ren’s shoulder, the two of them walked over to help themselves.

“What have you two been up to?” Pyrrha asked after her gaze drifted from Jaune back to Ruby and Weiss.

“Training a lot!” Ruby answered with a grin before nudging Weiss.  “Weiss and I are tryin’ to kill a thousand Beowolves in one go!”

Weiss’ cheeks flushed at the response, although doing so was probably more of a giveaway than Ruby’s words were.  

“A thousand?” Pyrrha repeated with a nod of respect.  “That’s quite a goal - how close have you gotten?”

“Eight hundred and fifty!” Ruby replied proudly.  “I know we can get further, but we had a bit of a...miscommunication…”

“That will happen a lot in the beginning.  Stick with it, and eventually everything will flow without those hiccups.”

Weiss nodded at Pyrrha’s words of encouragement.  Currently, she and Ruby weren’t on the same page. She often found herself falling back on training they’d perfected at Beacon, only to remember too late that Ruby wouldn’t know the intricacies of those strategies.  And then Thorn was thrown into the mix...and Thorn made an incredible change to Ruby’s fighting style, as did her greater propensity to engage in close quarter combat thanks to Yang’s influence.

It was a challenge, but Weiss was confident they would emerge from this better than before - and with some new moves added to their repertoire.  It would take time, patience, and plenty of hard work, but both of them were ready and willing to put in the necessary effort.

Before Weiss could respond to Pyrrha, however, her attention was drawn to the side - where Nora was hopping in excitement, already bored with the conversation.

“Let’s race!  Ruby, race me!  Will you? Please??”

“Really?  You want to race??  Sure!” 

As expected, Ruby’s response was nearly as excited as Nora’s was.  

“Thank grimm someone else wants to race her...” Weiss heard Blake mutter from beside her as the two girls took off for the woods.

“Be careful - it’s dark!” Pyrrha called out after them.  

It was hard to tell if they heard the warning because they were already gone.  Shaking her head in amusement, Blake went to check on Yang while Jaune and Ren returned.  Both of Jaune’s hands were filled with cookies and he offered one to Pyrrha, but she shook her head.  

“Yang said you’re moving back in together,” he said before taking a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie.  “That’s cool.”

“We are.  Tomorrow actually.”

Pyrrha gave Weiss a knowing smile.  “That’s great for you. Both of you.”

“Nora’s really looking forward to joint hunts,” Jaune added.  “Whenever you’re ready. No rush or anything.”

Weiss nodded in acknowledgment of the gentle invitation. They weren’t ready now, but were preparing for that future.  Surprisingly, she was looking forward to that day. Ruby would likely lose her mind at the thought of a two-team hunt...

“We’ll be ready soon,” she elaborated.  “Just need a little more time.”

When a loud crash sounded from the woods, the four of them flinched in unison.  Looking that direction, Weiss could barely make out the tops of the trees swaying unnaturally under the moonlight while a loud groaning noise filled their ears.  It was only after a resounding thump shook the ground under their feet that Ren shook his head.

“I’ll get her,” he muttered, walking into the woods to find his partner.

“I don’t know why she thinks she can see in the dark…” Pyrrha commented while Jaune also shook his head.  Weiss couldn’t help but chuckle at their continued plight dealing with Nora’s antics. 

It was good to see that some things never changed. 

“Weiss,” Blake said, stepping off the back porch with a pitcher of water in her hands.  “Your sister’s here.” 

“Thank you,” Weiss replied before turning back to Pyrrha and Jaune.  “Could you ask Ruby to come find me when she gets back?”

“Of course.”

Nodding, Weiss headed into the house and found her sister waiting patiently in the living room.  If there was anyone who could manage to look ill-suited for a relaxed, welcoming environment, it was Winter Schnee.  But, for as out of place as Winter might look, Weiss was tremendously happy to see her.

“Winter.”

Blue eyes locked onto Weiss when she stepped into the living room, and a smile grew on Winter’s lips.

“Weiss,” Winter replied, quickly walking over.  After a brief hesitation, Winter reached out and pulled Weiss into an unexpected hug - one that she quickly returned.  It was short, but when Winter pulled away she rested both of her hands on Weiss’ shoulders and looked her up and down.

“Look at you.  How long has it been since I’ve seen you this...happy?”

The answer to that question might be the same amount of time as it had been since they’d last hugged.

“I could say the same to you,” Weiss responded with a smile, noting the cheerful gleam in her sister’s eyes.  “I’m glad you could make it tonight.”

“There’s no way I would miss it.”  Standing tall, Winter placed both hands behind her back in a display of excellent posture.  “Now where’s that bucket of petals I get to call my sister-in-law?”

“Winter,” Weiss replied, her tone slightly scolding.  “We’re nowhere near that stage yet.”

“Oh, I know,” Winter said, casually waving a hand through the air.  “You’ll get there though. I have faith you can win her over again.”

The nonchalant comment made Weiss blush.

“Weiss!” Ruby shouted into the house before appearing at Weiss’ side, rose petals blowing past her and gently knocking into Winter.  Ruby’s eyes immediately widened in surprise - clearing not expecting Winter to be standing right here. “Oh, hello! It’s, uh, nice to see you again.  Thanks for coming!”

Weiss grinned at the stammered words. Polite Ruby was so adorable… 

Unfortunately, it was very difficult to out-polite a Schnee.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Ruby,” Winter replied with a slight bow of her head.  “I appreciate the invitation to share in this celebration with you.”

“Err...uh, well, you’re welcome!  Do you - or could I offer you...uh...a beverage?”  The glance Ruby shot Weiss pleaded for help, so she reached over and took Ruby’s hand.

“She’s a somewhat normal person,” Weiss whispered.  “Just be yourself.”

“I’m alright, Ruby.  Thank you for asking,” Winter answered, appearing rather amused by Ruby’s unusual stiffness.  “How are you though? May I take a look at this?” Reaching one hand towards Ruby’s arm as a request, Ruby obediently lifted it so Winter could see the scar.  “It healed nicely,” Winter mused to herself. “Do you have any lingering effects?”

“Uh...just lack of hand strength.”  

That reply made Winter hold Ruby’s hand like they were going to shake hands.

“Squeeze as hard as you can,” Winter ordered firmly.  Confused, Ruby looked at Weiss, who nodded. So Ruby did as requested.

“Not bad,” Winter remarked with a smile after Ruby squeezed her hand and let go.  “That’s better than we initially feared.”

“Really?  Did you think I’d need a robot hand like Yang?”

“Oh, yes,” Winter answered with a teasing grin.  “We already had engineers trying to fit a rocket launcher into it, but then the doctors were able to work some magic.”

“Rockets??” Ruby said, her words coming out as a slight whine.  “Aw man...that would’ve been cool.” 

The banter had helped Ruby return to her usual self, while Winter became someone entirely different.  Whether it was Ruby’s younger age, her unflinchingly-cheerful disposition, or something in her genetic code, Ruby brought out a less rigid side of Weiss’ sister.  From an outside perspective, it was remarkable to see Winter Schnee lower those walls and break that ironclad posture. Then again…the same could potentially be said of Weiss whenever Ruby was around.

“I brought a present for you, little rose,” Winter said then, using her own nickname for Ruby while holding out a small wrapped box that fit in the palm of her hand.

“A present?  For me??” 

“Unless you can find another Ruby Rose around here?”

Giggling, Ruby took the gift and tore off the silver wrapping paper to reveal...well, Weiss wasn’t exactly sure what the small black box was, but from Ruby’s enthusiastic gasp it was something incredible.

“Holy grimm!  Is this what I think it is??  But these haven’t even been released yet!”

Winter stood tall and tried not to grin, but clearly she was overly pleased with the success of her gift.

“Weiss!  Do you know what this is?” Ruby asked, holding it up so Weiss could see.  “Do you know what I can do with this?”

“It doesn’t explode, does it?” she replied, shooting Winter a pointed look.

“No!  I mean, it could, but that’d suck.  It’s a Dust stabilizer!  This’ll make it so much easier to put new Dust ports in weapons - not to mention safer.”  Rolling the box around in her hands, Ruby chuckled to herself. “Right now I just kinda use some tape and plastic piping to...uh…”  Noticing the growing amount of alarm in Weiss’ expression, Ruby trailed off.

“But this is awesome!” she concluded before racing over and throwing her arms around Winter for an unanticipated hug.  “Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome,” Winter replied, lightly patting Ruby’s back before she pulled away.  “I’m sure you’ll put it to good use.”

“You bet I will!  Oh, I gotta show Yang!  Are you coming out back?”

“Right behind you,” Weiss answered for the two of them.  A second later, Ruby disappeared in a cloud of petals while Weiss and Winter followed at a more leisurely pace.

“You spoil her,” Weiss commented while they walked down the hallway.

“Like you don’t?” Winter replied in disbelief.  “And I’m guessing that’s her engagement ring hanging around her neck.  So much for ‘not being there yet.’”

Flushing at Winter’s astute observation, Weiss stepped onto the back porch and immediately found Ruby across the yard showing Yang the little box.  Yang was nodding along, but Weiss had to wonder how much of Ruby’s rapid explanation was actually being understood.

“Winter!” Yang exclaimed upon seeing them, the look of relief on her face telling Weiss that they knew the same amount about Winter’s gift.  “It’s good to see you!”

While Yang strode over to give Winter a big hug, Nora captured Ruby’s attention by tapping on her shoulder.

“Tell us about the Nevermores!!  I wanted that hunt, but you guys snatched it up before slowpoke Jaune could make a decision.”

“I was standing right outside!  You could’ve gotten me!”

“Shh!  Jaune, Ruby’s talking!”

Giggling, Ruby stood by the table of desserts and prepared to launch into the story. 

“It all started at sunrise…” she began in a theatrical voice, slowly waving one hand in front of her.  “Location - Vale.  Destination - just outside of Vale.” 

“This’ll be good,” Blake commented before walking over to sit on the grass next to Nora.  Yang beamed before bouncing over to sit beside Blake, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and tugging her close. 

In just three sentences, Ruby had captured everyone’s attention and stolen the show.  Just as it was supposed to be - this was her party, after all. It was easy to see how excited she was by her wide, sweeping hand gestures and ever-present grin.  She was enjoying herself, and that knowledge caused happiness to spread through Weiss’ chest.

Everyone else seemed to be having a good time too, but who wasn’t having a good time when there was a story involved?  Yang and Ruby happened to be fantastic storytellers - Yang more prone to spinning wild tales while Ruby dramatized real-life events.  Regardless, watching Ruby tell the grand story of their Nevermore adventure was entertaining, especially with her acting out the actions in slow motion.

“And there it was!  The nest!” Ruby exclaimed, pointing over everyone’s heads into the fictional distance.  Nora actually turned around to see what Ruby was pointing at. Ren did too, but Weiss wouldn’t hold that against him.  

“The Nevermores flew in slow circles like -”  Spreading her arms like wings, Ruby began slowly looping around her enraptured and chuckling viewers.  Flapping her wings, Ruby let out a caw that was more absolutely adorable than anything else.

Standing off to the side and watching the scene unfold from a distance, Weiss didn’t need to look over to know that her sister was right beside her.  

“They look happy, don’t they?” she whispered, smiling when Ruby pretended to hop into the nest and poke her head out.  The story had quickly devolved into Ruby pretending to be a Nevermore, but that was just fine with Weiss and everyone else in attendance.

“You all do.”

After what they went through, it seemed impossible that they could be this happy...but maybe they were more resilient than they ever knew.  No one was exempt from the trials of life, but together they overcame. They learned, they healed, they grew. They lived.

"Have you ever wondered what would’ve happened if you'd never become a huntress?" Weiss asked, her eyes trained Ruby while she acted like she was stumped by a difficult question.  "What if you never learned how to fight, never felt the pain of injury, or the heartbreak of seeing your friends fall to enemies?"

When Winter remained silent, Weiss continued.

"After everything we've gone through...do you ever look back and wonder...what if you never chose this path?  Think of all the pain you would have saved yourself..."

Weiss’ voice trailed off when Ruby turned towards them, smiled, and waved before continuing her story.  Their story.

"But then you realize…that even if you knew in advance how painful it would be, you’d go back and make the same decision in a heartbeat."

When Winter’s hand landed softly on her shoulder, Weiss finally looked up at her sister.

“Isn’t that what love is?” Winter asked, smiling down at her.

Love.  Is that what this all boiled down to?  Not only loving one another, but loving life in all its complexity.  Taken in context of the last year, a single year amongst many, it was easy to feel just how small and...fragile...they were.  But the closer they grew to one another, the stronger their bonds became. Even if they were broken, they would not break - because of the love they shared.  It made them stronger than they would ever be on their own...an invisible source of power connecting each and every one of them.

“I think we should be more open with each other,” Weiss suddenly said, having just re-learned the value of openness and honesty herself.  “Like you should tell me about your life. Not just work, but your goals and...have you been seeing anyone?”

Winter’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.

“What?” she asked with a nervous laugh.  “What makes you ask something like that?”

Shrugging, Weiss turned back to Ruby and smiled.  “Just curious…”

After several seconds, Winter squeezed Weiss’ shoulder and said, “Sometime we can sit down and talk.”

Left unsaid was how uncomfortable it would be for them both, but that was part of the process.  Honesty and openness...neither were synonymous with being a Schnee.

“I’d like that,” Weiss replied.  After growing closer to her teammates, she wanted to remove this polite distance that had always separated her from her sister.  There was strength to be found in a support system...and she wanted to make sure that, should the situation ever call for it, she could be there for Winter to lean on too.

“She’s changed you again, hasn’t she,” Winter commented with a soft laugh.

“For the better, I hope?”

“She’s always been good for you.  They’ve all been.”

For once, Weiss knew exactly what Winter was referring to - comradery, unconditional love, friendship.  She was never a Schnee to her teammates. She was just...Weiss. And she liked being Weiss, even if that meant she was prone to mistakes, weaknesses, and failings like any other person.

As Ruby’s story continued, she pulled Blake and Yang to their feet and positioned them exactly how they’d stood at the edge of the woods.  Yang smacked her hands together again, and Blake pretended to draw her imaginary weapon.

Weiss owed her life to those three girls...in more ways than one.  But if she was expressing gratitude today, there was one more person who deserved to hear it.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely, looking back to Winter - who was confused by the words.

“For what?”

“For being there for me.  Even when I didn’t want you to be.”

For a moment, Winter looked like she didn’t know how to respond to that sentiment.  It wasn’t often they expressed such pure gratefulness, after all. But eventually, she smiled.

“That’s what family is for, Weiss.”

After smiling up at her sister, Weiss turned back to her teammates and friends - watching Ruby kneel on the ground while lining up her fake sniper rifle with the Nevermore nest.  And then she said something she once thought she’d never be able to say.

“I’m lucky to have a great one.”

The crack of a rifle broke through the air - a surprisingly-realistic sound that Ruby just mimicked herself.  Next, she jumped to her feet and waved both hands eagerly.

“Weiss!  Weiss! Come here!  The Nevermores are on their way!  I need you to glyph us up!”

Smiling and stepping away from Winter’s side, Weiss joined Ruby and her teammates near the table of desserts.

“I’m telling them about the Nevermore hunt!  Yang first, remember? Just send her up in the air - she’ll figure it out.”

Nodding at the instructions, Weiss felt a small amount of adrenaline appear when Ruby pointed towards the sky.

“Ok, they just crossed the far trees,” Ruby narrated for their audience.  “Man, look at ‘em - there’s so many. They swoop in low, putting their giant claws out.  They’re halfway - then Weiss explodes a block of ice in their path!”

Looking at Weiss, Ruby nodded towards the sky.  Knowing that she didn’t actually want Weiss to recreate that moment, she instead waved her hand like she was casting some sort of spell.  It made her feel utterly ridiculous, but Ruby beamed and continued the story.

“They scatter in all directions!  Grimm everywhere! They swoop around for another attack, but we had a surprise package ready to greet them.”

Grinning, Yang nodded to Weiss before jumping onto a glyph rotating on the grass in between them and Team JNPR.  The second Yang disappeared into the night sky, Nora jumped to her feet and rushed over.

“Me too!  I wanna fly too!” 

Nora’s eyes were pleading - so pleading that Weiss turned to Ruby for direction.  Unperturbed by the interruption, Ruby grinned and nodded.

“And the first Nevermore arrives!” Ruby exclaimed as Weiss sent Nora springing into the air to greet Yang on the way down.

“Oh you’ve done it now.”  Shaking her head, Blake took a step out of the way right before the combined ball of Yang and Nora landed where she’d just been.  The two had their hands locked around the other’s wrists and were wrestling for control.

“The Nevermores - lose - Nora!” Yang said with considerable effort.

“I’m a new - kinda Nevermore!” Nora replied, letting out an “oomph” when Yang managed to get a heel in place and shoved Nora off of her.  The instant Nora hit the ground, she sprang back to her feet and leapt towards Yang while making a screeching sound that was probably supposed to be some type of bird.

“Looks like this Nevermore is giving Yang a run for her money,” Weiss commented, watching the wrestling match in amusement.

“Hey!  Blake, don’t just stand there - come help me!”

“You’re on your own,” Blake answered with a shake of her head.  Not that there was much she could do to separate two vice grips from each other.

After a few more moments of useless wrestling, Yang jerked her arms back and Nora unexpectedly let go.  Suddenly free of any resistance, Yang stumbled backward, lost her footing, and crashed into the table of desserts.  Unsteady as it had already been, the additional weight caused the table to collapse inward and sent a pile of baked goods toppling on top of Yang.

For a split second, everything froze. And then Yang sat up in a daze, wiping a giant glob of whipped cream from her cheek.  Chocolate and ice cream and whipped cream and pie filling was everywhere.  And Yang looked so shocked by the sheer amount of it that Weiss struggled to suppress a laugh.

“Yang, you’re so sweet,” she joked instead, which made Blake burst into uncontrollable giggles. 

Raising her hands above her head, Nora feigned innocence while saying a little, “oops” as an apology.

“You’re so dead,” Yang said while pushing herself to her feet.  The threat might’ve been easier to take seriously if she wasn’t covered in a combination of Ruby-approved desserts.

“Hey,” Nora responded while taking a cautious step away from the slowly-approaching Yang.  “Maybe if you use your flames, you can make a...whatcha call it...a flambé!”

When Blake laughed even harder, Yang grinned and sent her partner an overjoyed look.  Ruby was laughing now too, and Weiss finally joined in.

“I’m about to flambé your head!” Yang threatened playfully.  Squealing, Nora dodged out of Yang’s reach and raced towards the woods - with Yang in hot pursuit.

After regaining control of her laughter, Blake caught Weiss’ eye - her own amber eyes still sparkling merrily.

“I don’t remember that being the end of the story, do you?” 

“Not at all, but maybe our memories are as bad as Ruby’s,” Weiss replied, earning another soft laugh from her teammate.

“Maybe they are,” Blake said before looking at the mess of desserts littering the ground.  “I’ll help clean up,” she added, leaving Weiss’ side to help the rest of JNPR collect the spilled contents of the table.

While Weiss watched Yang and Nora chase each other around the edge of the woods, a cold breeze swept across the yard and raised goosebumps along her arms.  It had grown rather chilly as the night progressed…but then she caught a breath of rose-scented wind right before a jacket was draped around her shoulders.

“You looked cold,” Ruby whispered.  Briefly closing her eyes and hugging the jacket around her, Weiss sighed in content.

“Thank you…”

“No problem - I like taking care of you!”

The person Weiss had been a long time ago would have insisted that she could take care of herself, thank you very much.  She didn’t need help. She didn’t need assistance. She didn’t need anybody.  Fortunately, that wasn’t the person she was today.  Accepting help wasn’t the same thing as weakness – accepting help was a part of living.

“Are you having a good time?” Weiss asked in lieu of launching into how much she loved taking care of Ruby too.  The question made Ruby grin.

“Yeah!  It’s really fun.  I kinda feel like...like my family just got really big.  Does that make sense?”

Turning back to their friends - their family - Weiss nodded.  

“It makes complete sense.”  

“The night’s almost over though.”  Tilting her head up, Ruby looked at the brightly-shining moon before turning silver eyes back to Weiss.  “Are you ready for tomorrow?” 

Was she ready?  Yes. A thousand times yes.  Even if she wasn’t completely ready...if something felt like too much, if anything made her resolve waver…she knew just who to go to for support.  

Instead of using the more serious answer, she arched one eyebrow in incredulity.

“I should be asking you that, Miss Haven’t-Packed-A-Single-Box.”

“Hey!  I’ve partially packed several boxes!”

“Uh huh…” Weiss replied with a teasing smirk.  

“Don’t worry!  I’ll totally be ready tomorrow morning.  There’s no way I miss this.”

“Good.”

Before Weiss could hug Ruby, their attention was drawn to the edge of the yard - where Yang was returning with Nora wrapped tightly in her arms.  Nora wasn’t squirming, although Weiss would guess she tried her hardest before realizing there was no escape. Having accepted her fate, Nora looked like she was walking around normally instead of being paraded around sideways by Yang Xiao Long.

“Hey guys!” Nora called out to them, unable to wave due to her arms being pinned to her side.  “So...I’m supposed to tell y’all that I’m a big dingbat or something like that.”

Sighing, Yang dropped Nora - who stuck her arms out to keep herself from hitting the ground face first.  Popping to her feet with a grin, she rushed to Ren’s side and poked him in the cheek before giggling. Without a sound, Blake appeared at Yang’s shoulder and swiped one finger across a patch of remaining whipped cream before sticking it in her mouth.

“Mm...you need a shower.”

“You think?” Yang asked before laughing.  “I smell like a freaking bakery.”

“Which means you smell awesome!” Ruby piped in before her sister shook her head and trotted inside with Blake in tow.  

“Oh my god!  A piñata!”

While Ren tried to restrain Nora from going over and blasting the piñata to pieces, Winter walked past and caught Weiss’ attention.

“Sorry, I should be going now.  I have an early meeting tomorrow,” Winter explained, although her quick departure needed no explanation.  Weiss understood how busy Winter was - and how her workload had only grown after Weiss’ departure from the family business.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Yeah, thanks for coming!” Ruby added.  “And for the gift - I’m excited to try it out!”

“Thank you for inviting me.  It was great to see that you’re doing better.”  Nodding to Ruby, Winter then smiled at Weiss. “Both of you.  And if you’re ever searching for a worthier opponent in your training...”

“You would do that?” Weiss asked, her eyes widening in surprise that such an offer would even be made.  

“Of course.  I’d love the opportunity to take on Ruby Rose again.”  As Winter spoke, Ruby’s jaw nearly fell to the grass in shock.

“You’re a huntress too??  You’ll fight against us? What’s your weapon?  Can I see it??”

The flood of questions made Winter smile in rapidly-growing amusement.

“All in good time, little rose.  All in good time.”

The unbridled excitement in Ruby’s eyes made Weiss feel practically giddy with happiness.  If Ruby was this enthusiastic about sparring with different huntsmen, then maybe it was time for Weiss to dust off her scroll and reestablish contact with the teams they’d trained with at Beacon.  She was positive that many, if not all, of them would be more than willing to stop by Vale to take on Ruby Rose once more. 

“That would be great,” Weiss answered with a nod and smile.  Winter hated losing just as much as Weiss did, but apparently Ruby was an exception for them both - not that anyone should be discouraged by losing to someone as talented as Ruby.

“We’ll plan on it then,” Winter said, bowing her head in farewell.  “Until then, I hope you both have a wonderful night. And Weiss, do try to pick up your scroll and call me sometime.”

“I’ll remind her to do that!” Ruby exclaimed, so thrilled at the prospect of helping that she hopped in the air before dashing to Winter’s side.  “And I’ll walk you out!”

“Thank you, Ruby,” Winter replied with a warm smile.  “I’m guessing I can trust that you’ll take care of her?”

With that question hanging in the air, both of them turned back to Weiss - Winter with lightly sparkling eyes and Ruby with a big grin to accompany her fervent nods.

“You bet I will!”

The answer made Weiss’ heart swell with delight while Winter failed to hide a smile.

“Good,” she replied, sending one last glance Weiss’ way before heading into the house.  Ruby scrambled to follow, already talking a mile a minute about weapon mechanisms while the two disappeared inside - leaving Weiss temporarily outside on her own.

Looking up at the moon, she tried to memorize this moment and all the feelings that came with it. When she looked back on this day, she wanted to remember exactly how it felt to be here – with her friends and family – after everything that happened.

Was she better?  Not entirely. Some days she wasn’t fine.  Some days she missed the past in a heart-wrenching way.  But her friends were there to support her, if she was willing to let them.  It didn’t matter that she felt like she had nothing to offer them in return.  It didn’t matter that she felt like she took more from them than she gave. If she accepted their help, they would give it endlessly - their generosity of heart and spirit overflowing time and time again.

It might be impossible for her to fully repay their kindness, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying.  She would be there for them too, if they ever needed her. She would make sure of it.

Closing her eyes before the incoming trail of petals appeared, she drew in a deep inhale of flowers and rejoiced in the warmth of her partner.

“I love you,” Ruby whispered in Weiss’ ear, placing a quick peck on her cheek before whizzing away.  Weiss immediately spun to follow - catching the smile Ruby sent over her shoulder while racing to join Team JNPR near the imminently-doomed piñata.  

If Ruby hadn’t just said it, that smile did.

Love.  Ruby loved her.  

As flawed as Weiss was, there was something in her worth loving.  Maybe she would never figure out exactly what it was, but it was important that she acknowledge its existence.  Because Ruby had found it - not once, but twice - so maybe one day Weiss would uncover it too.

This emotional discovery was an inescapable condition of life.  Even though she and Ruby wished and claimed for their time together to be eternal, it was actually quite short and finite.  Making a mistake, even the considerable ones Weiss had made, wouldn’t and couldn’t end the world. Instead, her mistakes gave her the opportunity to grow stronger and become a better person, both to herself and to those around her.

After all, it’s not the mistakes that define you...