Chapter Text
The click of her heels as they echoed off the concrete walls were the only sound that could be heard. Or, perhaps, they were the only sound she could focus on as she found herself deep in thought as she took stride after graceful stride down the corridor. If she weren’t so absorbed in herself at this moment then maybe she may have heard the frantic pounding of feet rounding the corner in front of her.
Suddenly she’s met with a body slamming into her from the front, she’s knocked off balance by a girl in a red hood who is sent to the floor from the crash. Brought back to reality by the sudden impact she readies a scathing tirade of insults.
“ You. You absolute dolt! Would it kill you to watch where you're going? Seriously you could ha-”
She was met with wide silver eyes and a look that was all too familiar.
"Please! Don't hurt us! You'll get your money, but please don't hurt us! Please…"
Weiss was just a child when it happened. She was out with her aunt, her uncle and her cousins. She can't for the life of her remember their names, she was far too young, and her father made sure she never saw them again after that day.
"Weiss, sweetie, it'll be alright. I know it hurts but, it'll be alright I promise okay?"
"Weiss! Don't-" *BANG*
At the time, Weiss didn't understand the emotion in her aunt's eyes that day. Now, however, she understood that it was fear, the same emotion coursing behind the silver eyes she was face to face with now.
“I-I’m sorry. Please do-." She paused. "Sorry. You dropped this.”
Weiss shook herself from the memory, accepting the folder that was handed to her. She looked up from the arms that had presented it to her back to that pair of silver eyes, still wide.
Still wide with fear.
“I’m sorry again, it won’t happen again.” The girl squeaked out before scurrying away.
Weiss spun around and reached a hand out. “Wait.” But the girl was already gone. She hadn’t gotten a good look but that girl looked pretty young. She herself was only a freshman and the feeder middle school wasn’t attached to the high school so she found herself wondering why a girl as young as her was doing here. Wondering what she was doing here, and what she had been through that had her so… afraid .
Weiss recognized that look all too well. Nerves, anxiety, and an almost overwhelming sense of fear were communicated through her eyes alone. It was as if the girl had granted herself a death wish, all by running into her. She was relatively angry and about to explode at the girl and perhaps that’s why she had such an expression.
Weiss decided that if she ever ran into the younger girl she would offer some sort of apology. Normally she wouldn’t go out of her way to say hello to someone much less an apology but something about the fear that radiated off the girl stuck with her. When she made it to the school’s parking lot she was bemused to see a stark white SUV with the Schnee Dust Company logo waiting in the lot. Scanning the lot and seeing that her normal ride home was missing she walked up to the SUV. The window rolled down revealing another head of white hair, causing Weiss’ eyes to go wide before she broke out in a grin.
“Winter! You came to pick me up today, what a surprise!” She called out to her sister before walking around to the other side of the car to take her seat. “You have the day off?”
Her sister shook her head but smiled at her regardless. “It’s good to see you Weiss. I got out of the office early and knew you would be finishing school soon so I decided to come and get you."
The sisters caught up on the drive back talking about a myriad of things. From Winter's latest project to Weiss' studies. Weiss was telling Winter all about her school life so far when she spotted a red hood outside. She looked out of the window and saw the girl from earlier walking with another girl with blonde hair.
"She's got a smile on now, maybe I did scare her a bit. Perhaps I should apologize, I wasn't paying attention either."
"Is everything alright, Weiss?"
Weiss flushed when her sister brought her mind back to the present. She had been in the middle of recalling how professor Port was still prone to rambling just like when Winter had him. "Yes, my apologies. I was just a bit distracted, that's all, I bumped into a girl earlier and I saw her walking just now."
Winter pursed her lips. "I see.". She goaded Weiss to elaborate.
"I- she ran off because I started yelling at her, and she looked so, so, scared, Winter. She looked young too, barely a middle schooler if I had to guess."
"Whatever the case, Weiss, I'm sure that girl would appreciate a friend. And I'm certain that you could use some friends as well. We've only been in Vale for a few months and I know you spent the entire summer at the SDC."
"I don't agree with what father believes in, but I still plan on inheriting the company. The Schnee Dust Company will not continue its current legacy.". Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just wish there was some way I could change the way he sees things sometimes."
"I know dear sister, but for now, that's neither here nor there. Go make friends, Weiss. For starters, that girl you talked about earlier seems to have struck a chord in you. Go apologize to her and see where it takes you.". Winter said, taking a moment to glance at her sister from the corner of her eye. Weiss was staring out the rear window and when Winter looked she caught just the faintest flash of red.
///
"Yaaaannng." Whined Ruby. "It was so scary! I-I thought she was gonna yell at me! But then she just, like, stopped all of a sudden.". Ruby threw her arms up as the punctuation of her sentence. She walked straight into a mane of golden hair as she didn't notice Yang's sudden stop.
"Well she should consider herself lucky, because big sister Yang would have had words if she yelled at you.". Yang said, cracking her knuckles for dramatic effect.
Ruby giggled at this, "I just hope she isn't too mad."
"Oh relax Ruby, it'll be fine. You don't even know if you'll be seeing more of her and if you do, just maybe apologize again and this time don't run away as soon as you do it."
Ruby rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and gave her sister a little nod before gesturing toward a car in the garage. The two sisters shared a look before turning down the walkway to their home and bounding up to the door.
“Dad?” Ruby called out to the house.
Taiyang’s face popped out of the kitchen with a smile. “There’s my beautiful girls. I was wondering when you two would be home.”
“Are you making cookies!?” Ruby asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“You’re home early today, dad. What gives?” Yang asked, taking her shoes off and dropping her bag down on the couch. She walked past Ruby and pulled down her hood, ruffling her hair in the process.”
"There she is! Let your ears breathe Ruby.". Tai said, laughing as he also ruffled Ruby's hair as she walked by.
Ruby flexed the two red tipped wolf ears that sat atop her head, glad she was finally home so she could take her hood off. Her ears pricked forward in anticipation of cookies, gosh did it feel good to stretch the appendages after a day of being pinned to her head.
"How was your first day of school girls? You two are freshmen now, and I couldn't be prouder.". Tai said with a sincere smile.
"It was okay, just the usual first day of school stuff.". Offered Yang with a shrug. "Ruby's day was more eventful than mine.". She said with a sly smile.
Ruby shot her sister a dirty look as her dad turned around to his youngest daughter. "Oh? Something good happened?"
Yang snickered and this time Ruby playfully slugged her in the arm. "Ermmm, not really, I bumped into this girl today,"
"Try totally crashed into her.". Yang teased.
Ruby laughed nervously before continuing, "I totally thought she was gonna yell at me! Well she did start yelling at me a little but then she stopped and I kinda ran away after apologizing but I mean can you blame me! I was scared she was gonna yell at me!"
Taiyang ruffled his daughter's hair again to cut off her rambling. "Relax Ruby, I'm sure she was just surprised. You did say she stopped after all, maybe you'll get a chance to properly apologize, and who knows? Maybe from there you can become friends."
Ruby grumbled under her breath as she pulled away from her father. "We'll see about that one, dad."