Chapter Text
“Oscar! You need to keep moving your feet. You don’t want to fall backwards again do you? Emerald, you’re dropping your shoulder again. Get it raised.” Weiss observed the two white clad figures going back and forth in front of her. The clash of steel against steel quickly became the only other sound aside from the quick footsteps of the fighters and their labored breaths. Both wielders heeded the words spoken to them but eventually the taller of the two gained the upper hand and, with a quick flick of the wrist, bounced the tip of their sword against the other before whipping it at the wide-open target, hitting it with a solid thwip . When Oscar dropped his sword and stepped back, his opponent pressed forward and swung her arm. Instead of hitting the boy again, the foil met with a clang that rang throughout the room. Weiss could see Emerald’s mask as her eyes moved from the tip of the sword up to the white protective sleeve and then finally to the ice blue glare aimed her direction.
“Stand down Emerald. You knew the match was over so drop your arm and go stand off to the side.” Taking the command literally, Emerald threw her blade on the mats and stalked off to where her friends were watching. Catching the glare thrown back their way, Weiss just sighed before turning to check on Oscar. Thankfully, the boy was focused more on her than the nasty looks he was getting. “Thanks Ms. Schnee. That would have hurt if it actually hit.”
Compared to the three teens in the corner, Oscar’s eyes only showed gratitude and a desire to be here learning. He was one of the reasons why she hadn’t quit this fencing instructor job. It was hard for Weiss to believe that she had been teaching for four months already and that she had survived living on her own in the little town of Patch. he first few months were quite difficult; earning money, learning life skills, and adjusting to a town with a population of less than 5,000 where challenging on their own. Also having to deal with the strain of such individuals as Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder was something she hadn't accounted for. All those difficulties began piling up one on-top of the other until she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Every time she came across something new and unfamiliar, her chest grew tighter and tighter until she thought she would explode. Her father’s words always coming back to her: ‘ You wouldn’t last two weeks out there’, ‘Do you think you’re anything without this family's influence? My influence?’, ‘Your mother and I will see you soon”.
It was only because of people like Oscar, people who had hearts of gold, that she managed to draw herself out of her panic and moods. With the help of the people around her she had made it through the worst of such cultural and emotional shock. Now here she was, finally settling into her life in this little town, with a teaching job, and friends that didn’t own their own private islands.
Hearing the soft chime that signaled the front door, Weiss saw out of the corner of her eye a splash of red moving to stand off to the side, waiting for her notice. One of those people responsible for her success was Pyrrha Nikos. A local police detective who was the most tender-hearted person to her friends but had no mercy for criminals. Since they didn’t have a get together scheduled for this evening, Weiss could only assume Pyrrha was not here for a casual, friendly chat. She quickly dismissed Oscar, telling him that he should start cleaning up, before walking over to the redhead.
“So, I’m guessing you’re not suddenly here to recruit for junior detective work?” Weiss asked with just a touch of a sigh in her voice.
Pyrrha, having made this same trip before many times, only shook her head slightly before motioning to the three malcontents huddled together. “I wish. I need to talk to Emerald and Mercury. It seems Mr. Wells has lost his notebook and the only ones around were those two. At least it’s only a journal this time,” Pyrrha added. “I’m sure we’ll find the book tossed in a dumpster or something. Last time it was breaking and entering and before that it was ‘borrowing’ Torchwick’s new sports car for a joyride. One day those three will do something that Salem can’t get them out of.” She trailed off after that before seeming to shake herself of those thoughts. “Well, they'll be the death of me, but I should go talk to them. I’ll see you around.”
Weiss watched her walk away and approach the group who were clearly not happy with the arrival of the detective. Having seen this very same scene multiple times before, she turned to see that the rest of her students were gathering their belongings and heading for the door. The salle, or fencing hall, was rather small compared to other fencing schools she had seen. There were only two playing areas marked off; however, there was plenty of clear space on the edges of the room. Full length mirrors took up most of the walls on three sides while large windows faced the street.
Unlike the others, Oscar moved toward the wall of chairs used for any parent or potential student who wanted to sit in on the class. It wasn’t unusual for the boy’s unofficial uncle to watch with his hands on his signature white cane and Weiss had grown so used to the man’s presence that she often forgot he was there. Except, when her eyes reached that side of the room, they were met with gingham clothes, brown hair, and green eyes.
Dorothy Baum, Oscar’s adopted aunt, was sitting in Ozpin’s usual seat, and smiled as Oscar made his way over to her. Dorothy rarely made an appearance at the school, but when she did, it usually meant trouble. She was adamantly against the fencing lessons and many other things Ozpin did for her nephew, but allowed it for reasons known only to her; that meant that every time she and the older gentleman were face to face, an argument usually broke out. However, they weren’t loud or even physical arguments, the two of them were known for their verbal back-and-forth through veiled insults and implications. A more naive individual might not even notice the undercurrent between the two, such as Oscar himself which is a blessing in disguise, but to someone raised in a society based solely in this manner, it was more than apparent. Weiss briefly wondered where Ozpin had gone off to but quickly cut off that thought. She would be thankful that only one of them were present and that no confrontations would occur.
This was the last class of the day and Weiss finished clearing up after everyone. She hung her sword, Mytenaster, on a rack on the wall before heading to the locker room to store her protective gear. She stopped by the office to bid goodbye to Glynda, part-time teacher, full-time manager, then walked out of the air-conditioned building straight into the high heat of a summer evening. She enjoyed teaching in the summer because when she leaves work the sun is still high in the sky. In the latter parts of winter, when the sun set early in the evening, she rarely saw daylight that wasn’t filtered through the front windows. Most of her students were still young enough to be in school and since school was still in session during that time, most of her tutoring sessions and classes were held in the evenings. But now that her students had free time throughout the day, her lessons were held during the day.
Because of the great weather Patch had been having recently, Weiss had been walking to work; it was a decision she regretted. Her small townhouse wasn’t that far away, per se , but after having to deal with Salem’s three kids, talking about the situation with Pyrrha, and anticipating a fight between two very strong-willed individuals, she was ready to crash at home with a cool drink in her minuscule backyard.
The next morning saw Weiss waking up earlier than normal due to the sun shining straight onto her face. She had forgotten to close her curtains last night after opening the window to allow the cool summer breeze to blow through the room. She hadn’t made it outside yesterday evening after a small rainstorm suddenly blew into town and because of it, the breeze that she so enjoyed yesterday was the cause of her ire this morning.
Even stumbling around and taking her time to get ready, she was still about 30 minutes ahead of her routine. Mentally going through her day ahead, she concluded that today should be simple and stress free unlike yesterday, so she once again decided to walk to work. Fifteen minutes later and she was walking past the door of the school. Five more minutes and she was pulling open the doors of the town's small cafe.
Unlike in Atlas and the neighboring city of Vale, the small town of Patch moved at a slower pace. Belaying the supposed moseying pace of the town, however, the wait in line wasn’t too long as the baristas moved quickly. It still left Weiss with enough time to look around at the tables and who was sitting at them. Most customers were like her, stopping by for a quick coffee on their way to work, but there were enough people sitting at tables to make the cafe seem lively. One man sat at a table sipping from a mug and watching the street outside through the window. Another table had two women chatting to each other with hands wrapped around tall to-go cups. The table by the entrance had a middle-aged man huddled in front of his laptop but who kept flickering his eyes around the shop and at everyone in it. Weiss quickly faced forward to avoid those roving eyes.
When she had first come to Patch and visited this cafe she had naively believed that a short, dismissive smile would be enough to dissuade the man who kept look-out at that very same table. Instead, he grabbed her focus and began talking nonstop about himself and how he was a big name mystery writer and he had lots of people who read his works and admired him. He blathered on about the writing industry and how it had lost its way from what it once was. All things Weiss had absolutely no interest in. She eventually learned his name was Herb Wells and he was a self-proclaimed writer that occasionally published an article here or there and could almost always be seen with his thick notebook by his side; his idea journal he claimed.
Unfortunately, Weiss had seen him writing on his computer one day and noticed the website wasn’t The Vale Chronicles or Patch Works but a fanfiction website that Pyrrha’s not-boyfriend often tried to get her to read. It was difficult for Weiss to see him as the serious suspense writer he tried to portray after that. Fanfic aside, she remembered Pyrrha mentioning that his journal was missing yesterday and knew that Mr. Wells would not be fine with it going missing. And he proved it this morning by whining about it, but surprised her by quickly changing direction by saying he's onto something big and is super excited about what it could mean for him.
She finally managed to extricate herself and made her way back to the fencing academy, albeit several minutes later than when she usually arrived. The encounter at the cafe somehow managed to make her later than when she left her house on an ordinary day. When she did arrive, she found the door unlocked but the lights still off. No sense in wasting electricity when it’s only yourself , she supposed. However, she liked having them on, they made the space more welcoming.
She took her coffee and made her way through the darkened room to the back of the building where the offices, restrooms, locker rooms, and storage areas were. Originally used as a secondary storage room, the room Weiss entered had been converted into a small break room. There were lockers and cubby holes for personal belongings, a kitchenette with a microwave, sink, and full-sized refrigerator, and a small table and chair set. The school, with the unoriginal name of Elite Fencing Academy, was actually owned by the same person who owned the Stark Martial Arts dojo next door, and the breakroom was actually shared by both studios.
Weiss paused at the entrance to the room, heart stuttering when she saw the unmoving body slumped over the table with red spread out around it. She crept closer and closer, one hesitant step at a time until she was close enough to reach out and touch the shoulder of-
“AH!”
“Hya?!”
Weiss jumped back at the same time the person whipped up into a sitting position, both women scaring the other.
“Oh, hello Weiss.” The woman, who had raised her hands into a defensive position at the shock, lowered her arms on top of the table. “You’re running late this morning. I don’t think anyone has beaten you here since you started working here. Everything alright sweetie?”
Weiss let out a shaky breath and tried to force her heart back into its normal rhythm. She wasn’t expecting the woman to react so dramatically from a simple wakeup touch. “I’m fine Summer. I simply got caught up at the cafe.” She held up the cup of coffee for emphasis.
Moving over to the lockers, Weiss set the duffle bag she carried with her into the one on the end. While there were locker rooms for the students to change into and store their stuff, she preferred to keep her change of clothes in the employee only area until she would need them. There was less risk of someone messing with her things that way.
“What about you?” Weiss asked. “I don’t normally see you staying still for two seconds let alone folded over a table sleeping.”
“Ehh, just some trouble sleeping recently.” Summer waved her off and stood up from her chair stretching. She let out an uncharacteristic sigh. “I think my age is finally catching up to me. Don’t let yourself get old young lady. Two kids, well four if you count those two fools, too many years in the service, then ‘retiring’ to this place. My body just doesn’t want to cooperate anymore. Next thing you know I’ll have gray hair and be bent over a walker trying to show someone how to do a proper chokehold.”
Summer continued stretching and twisting in place and Weiss couldn’t help but look on from the other side of the small room. Despite what the other woman said, she didn’t look a day over 30 years of age. And, with all the martial arts classes she taught next door, she was fit and toned well beyond her years. So much so that Weiss felt her cheeks heat up at the sight before her.
Trying to stay collected, she replied, “You? I don’t think that walker would be able to keep up with you.”
Summer laughed softly. “If you think I’m a handful, wait until you meet Ruby, my youngest. She makes me feel like I’m swimming through jello most days. I still can’t believe two’ve never met.”
She walked over to where Weiss was and dug into her own bag. Trying to sound nonchalant, she added, “We’re having a family dinner on Friday. You should come. You can finally meet Ruby, put some food on those bones, maybe help me prevent a hospital trip.”
Summer Rose was the Glynda of the fighting school. She took care of the paperwork, managed the studio, and taught classes whenever she could. What was not in her job description was adopted mother, but that didn’t stop her from behaving that way anyways. Over the few months Weiss had been working there, Summer had taken her under her wing and provided as much motherly affection to her as Weiss felt comfortable with. It was amazing how the other woman was able to tread that line of comfort and pushy. She kept peeking above that fence to see how much she could get Weiss to accept. Some days, Weiss was brave enough to accept Summer’s reaching hand. Sometimes she was grateful for the extra support behind her. But other times, she hesitated long enough to think about what the woman was offering, such as now. A family dinner was supposed to be for family , not a stray that didn’t belong with everyone else. No, she wouldn’t be able to accept this offer this time just like the other times Summer extended similar offers.
“Thank you Summer, but I’ll have to decline.” Thankfully, she had a legitimate reason for doing so this time; it might make turning it down a bit easier. “I have to attend a party that night.”
While Summer didn’t look crestfallen, she didn’t look happy either. She’s had enough of these invitations turned down that she knew what to expect. That didn’t keep her from trying though.
“One of those shmooze soirees ? I’m glad that martial arts isn’t such a high-class sport that we have to go to those things and network. I don’t know how you handle it. But we do what we have to for the things and people we love, don't we?” She looked over at Weiss and gave a small smile.
“Well, I guess I’ll get to work. If only those account books could be balanced with some strength training like everyone else.” Summer had almost walked out the door before she stopped to add, “If you want to stop by after your party you are always more than welcome.”
Weiss let out a sigh. She knew Summer understood a bit of how she acted and didn’t push, but she still felt like she disappointed the older woman every time she turned down her offers. She shook her head to clear the thought. She had a legitimate reason for not attending this time and she would not beat herself up for it.
Standing up, she went to grab her gear. She hoped this day didn’t continue like it started.
The rest of the day went by smoothly. She didn’t have any trouble students, each of her classes started and ended on time, no one jumped out at her to scare her. The air rang with the chime from the front door opening every few minutes. A motorcycle or sports car occasionally thundered past and a siren was even heard around midday. Thankfully it raced on by and it wasn’t another visit from Pyrrha; one police visit is enough for the week.
Still, by the time she made it home she was ready to sit outside and relax in the fading summer sun. She kicked off her shoes and tossed her duffle bag toward the laundry before beelining it to the kitchen. Her lunch is always filling but after being so active throughout the day, her energy levels were low by the time she walked through the door to her townhouse.
The house was a two-story brick building sandwiched between two other identical houses. The kitchen, living room, and a bathroom took up the first floor while another bathroom and two bedrooms were on the second floor. The space was small enough she felt comfortable there by herself but large enough that she could host others, either people like Summer and Pyrrha for a quick chat or her sister for a few days stay. She hadn’t had either of them in the months she lived there but she liked having the option.
The best part of her townhouse, and the reason she chose it when moving, was the backyard. Each residence had a small strip of grass fenced off from the other’s, but at the end of that strip was a thin patch of forest. She loved sitting out on the tiny patio and closing her eyes, simply listening to the rustle of leaves as the wind blew through them. The trees helped block off the noise of the rest of the city, a sound Weiss had lived with her entire life.
Making it to the refrigerator, she opened it and saw empty shelves, droopy vegetables, and a random selection of condiments. She let the door swing shut before turning to the cabinets, finding just as much nothing as the fridge. Sighing at the lack of food in her home, she made a mental note to stop by the grocery store tomorrow for some much needed shopping.
She decided an omelette would have to do for tonight and set about fixing it with loading it up with the mentioned wilting veggies. After devouring the simple meal, she took her glass of water with her outside to the small patio table then relaxed back in one of the chairs.
It was quite some time that she stayed out there. The light was mostly gone from the sky and shadows moved on every surface. So, it wasn’t a surprise that when Jaune and Pyrrha stepped outside in the neighboring yard they didn’t see her.
Weiss should have heard what they were saying, the yards were in no way far apart, but they must have been talking very quietly. She was about to call out to them when Pyrrha leaned forward, grabbed Jaune’s face, and planted a kiss right on his lips for everyone, notably Weiss, to see. Weiss felt her jaw drop at the action and could only stare as Pyrrha reeled back from her ‘just a friend’.
Every time Weiss brought the blonde up to the redhead she steadfastly maintained that they were simply friends. But after a few drinks and some alone girl time, Weiss finally got the taller woman to admit that she wanted to be more. That Jaune was all she thought about when she pictured the life mate with whom she would grow old with. It was a secret that Pyrrha threatened to throw Weiss in jail for if she ever told anyone and despite her not-so-hidden emotions, Weiss wasn’t sure she wanted to test how far Pyrrha’s ever present niceness stretched.
When the redhead quickly slipped back into Jaune’s place alone, Weiss tried her best to do the same, racing through her house to the front door. She managed to open it a second before Pyrrha came rushing out with keys and jacket in hand.
“Pyrrha!” Weiss whisper-shouted to her friend, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside. “What was that !?”
Pyrrha looked everywhere except at Weiss. “What was what? Jaune simply asked me to stop by for something but I was just leaving. Busy day tomorrow! And you know that the early bird gets the worm!” She let out an awkward little laugh at the end, obviously forcing herself to pretend everything was normal.
Weiss however was not convinced. She knew what she saw and she would not let her closest friend off that easily; they were far closer than any friends she had had before.
“Don’t you give me that Detective Pyrrha Nikos! You’re not the only one who can put the pieces together. And with the way I just saw you kissing Jaune, I don’t even have to work it out. It’s an open and shut case.” Pyrrha winced, either at the full title, terrible police metaphor, or because Weiss stated what happened so plainly.
“Okay!” Pyrrha conceded. “Okay. I...k-kissed Jaune!”
“HA! I knew it! Spill. What happened? When did you guys get together? Why didn’t you tell me?” The constant stream of questions weakened the taller woman, slumping further and further until she was left to fall onto the nearby couch face first.
“Pyrrha! Why aren’t you excited? You’ve been mooning over that boy for forever and now you’re finally past the friends stage.”
“Because-...thawasthefirstime”
Weiss sighed. “You know I can't hear you with your face buried in the cushions.”
Pyrrha groaned but turned her head. “I said, that was the first time. I just kissed him and ran.”
If the shorter woman had a drink in her hand she would have done a spit take. Sure, she didn’t think the oblivious guy next door would ever make a move on the goddess in front of her, but she never thought said goddess would jump straight into kissing without first talking about it or asking for a date. Weiss knew something else had to have happened beforehand and she wanted the full story from her friend.
“I’ll go get the wine. You stay here and get ready to tell me everything, from the beginning.” The only response was another groan muffled by the couch.
Apparently, Pyrrha simply had a moment of weakness after her and Jaune had visited his oldest sister, her wife, and their baby boy. Holding the newborn and watching how the two mothers had adored each other, the redhead had love on the brain. Then later when Jaune wanted to show her something back at his place, her willpower had been drained by baby powder and affectionate hugs and she went for it, catching the blonde by surprise and escaping before he realized what had happened.
Weiss found extreme pleasure in hearing all the details and seeing the red flushed cheeks that matched the red hair. Most of the times they had done something similar to this, it was Weiss spilling her guts about something or other, so having the tables flipped was something she savored.
Unfortunately, Pyrrha’s phone rang before they got too deep in their spur-of-the-moment girls night shenanigans and she had to leave for special detective duties. She pulled on her jacket before leaving with a cheerful “Duty calls!” and a promise to finish their chat another time.
Weiss grabbed their empty glasses and took them to the kitchen, turning on the tv as she walked by to cover the sudden quiet. A quick wash and dry and she was done, but she remembered her duffel bag from earlier and changed directions from her trek upstairs.
The news was on and a featured animal shelter dog was on the desk getting lots of pets from the news anchors. Weiss cooed at the screen shortly before moving on, as much as she would love a cuddly pup, she wasn’t ready for it yet. As she was emptying her dirty clothes from the day into her laundry basket, she heard from the next room over, “-local man missing after his home was broken into and shouts were heard. Police responded to the call and so far have been unable to locate the suspected victim. They fear foul play was involved. If you have any information-”
Sometime during the report, she had walked into the living room. What she did not expect to see was a picture of Herb Wells taking up the width of the screen. She had seen him this morning in the cafe and in less than a day, the man was missing and possibly dead.
Suddenly her house felt too empty and cold. She turned the tv and the lights off, raced up the stairs to her bedroom and shut the door. The quiet was unusually deafening so she turned on some soft music to drown it out. She knew she had nothing to worry about but the little chill she felt was still there. It was a little earlier than when she normally went to bed but decided more rest couldn’t hurt.
In fact, she woke up at her normal time the next morning and felt more refreshed than most days. Her alarm was shut off on the first alert, her normal coffee was perfectly made, and she was walking out her front door right on time. She was the first person there as usual, the doors locked and the lights off. She flipped the switches by the door to illuminate the space and was about to continue forward when she spotted red.
There was a big pool of red in the middle of the room surrounding a body laying face down on the floor. It took her a few more seconds to realize that her very own rapier, Myrtenaster, was sticking up from the body’s back like a flag to mark the person’s presence in the otherwise empty fencing hall.
Weiss stumbled back and went back outside to call the police. But all she could see when trying to dial was the distinct white cane laying feet away from the pool of blood.