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“Aw, come on Weiss. You'll have fun – I promise,” Ruby whines, tugging beseechingly at Weiss's arm but Weiss remains rigid at her desk, glaring at her notes and pretending to ignore Ruby and the rest of her team. Ruby isn't deterred and shakes the box titled Remnant: The Game before dropping on top of Weiss's notes. Weiss doesn't move the box, but she doesn't look up either – won't give Ruby the satisfaction. “You'll do great on the finals, you've been studying forever and the finals week isn't for another month. You've got plenty of time! Come on, team bonding time with board games and cards, team leader's orders. Plus, its like studying strategy, you'll see!”
Weiss scowls over at Yang and Blake waiting at the door. Yang's bouncing on her heels, ready to go and impatient, and Blake gives Weiss a 'well what can you do' shrug before smiling fondly at Ruby and Yang. Weiss cannot ever believe she'd ever thought Blake would help her control the two very separate whirlwinds of destruction that were their partners.
“Not everyone has time to play silly little games all of the time Ruby,” Weiss replies testily, still not looking her team leader in the face. “Just because you three want to waste your time playing games and playing house doesn't mean I am going to indulge you. In fact, all of you,” and Weiss pauses to narrow her eyes at Yang specifically, “could benefit from following my example and getting in some much-needed studying for once. I won't stand for our team under-performing because one of us drags down my good marks.”
Yang blinks, nudging Blake and stage-whispering, “Just making sure I got this right, did Weiss just call me stupid?”
Blake chuckles lightly, “Most likely, but it's Weiss so I wouldn't be too offended.”
“Wow, that's rude,” Yang laughs, unconcerned and tousling her hair with an idle hand. Weiss flushes and feels her temper rise.
“None of you are taking this seriously! This isn't a game,” Weiss shoves the board game off her notes from Professor Port's class and it falls to floor and game pieces scatter as the lid comes off. “I'll admit all of you are exceptional in what you do on the field, but each of you are lacking in technique and finesse and you are going to get us all killed if you keep playing games. I'm the only one putting in the adequate effort for our studies. Especially you, Yang. All you do is play around all day – you skip exam days and I never see you do your homework, much less study.”
“Weiss,” Ruby hisses, flapping her hands and her eyes flickering between her sister and her partner.
The corner's of Yang's mouth slowly drag away her easy smile. “You're serious?” Yang demands incredulously.
“I'm not you – of course I'm serious and it is time for all of you to stop playing children's games,” Weiss sniffs huffily.
“Um, Weiss,” Ruby whispers – loudly.
“No, Ruby. Enough. I've accepted you as my team leader, but you need to step up and keep your team in line and studying, including yourself. I've worked hard to get here and I'm not letting your sister spoil it all with her failures.”
Yang's eyes blaze, not with the red of her semblance, but with fury – and perhaps, upon further reflection, hurt as well. Ruby opens her mouth, most likely to say Weiss's name again, but its Blake who speaks.
“You worked hard? Compared to all the rest of us? Weiss, you are an heiress - to a corrupt company might I add. The rest of us have to work twice as hard to have the opportunities that you were handed from birth. And the Faunus -,”
“Oh, here we go again!” Weiss shrills. “Another of Belladonna's self-righteous Faunus speeches, just like we've all heard a million times before. Well, you don't even know what you are talking about and you have no idea what I've done and sacrificed for the Faunus, despite what the White Fang did to my family. Get off your soapbox, Blake, and educate yourself before you talk about things you don't understand.”
Blake snarls in indignation; Yang puts a steadying hand on her partner's shoulders though her eyes still blaze at Weiss and her hand shakes on Blake's shoulder.
“Guys,” Ruby pleads. Ruby blinks in surprise when they all look to her, waiting for her direction. “Oh, um. Wow. Uh. Thanks for listening this time. Um,” she halts. Before Weiss can snap at her, though, Ruby collects herself – inhales deeply and Ruby's spine straightens as she asserts herself. “Game night's canceled for the time being. Everyone needs to leave the dorm though and cool off – we'll regroup later and talk this out. Calmly. Blake and Yang, you guys can stay together if you want – just regroup.”
Still hanging by the door, the other two leave before Ruby can finish. Ruby sighs, going to the door. “Weiss, I know studying is important. But getting along as a team is just as important – more important, in some respects. Not that that studying is more important in some respects as well, just. um. Anyway, we need to be able to trust each other, because we are going to be relying on each other with our lives.” Ruby stops at the door, holding the door open and waiting.
Weiss goes to her desk to take her notes along with her, but Ruby stops her.
“No. Weiss. No studying for any exams right now. You need to think about your place on this team – to reflect.”
Ruby's words sting. Weiss snaps her tongue, slams her binder shut but otherwise leaves it at her desk, and shoves past Ruby.
“Guess you don't want any company then,” Ruby sighs again. “I'll catch up to you later Weiss. Just –,”
Weiss leaves before Ruby can say anything more, angrily swiping at her eyes and stomping her heels to get as far away as possible, not really paying attention to where that is. She isn't even sure which way Yang and Blake disappeared off to.
Weiss knows she was out of line, knows her team is working hard, even Yang – even if Weiss doesn't understand her at all.
She's just projecting her own insecurities on them, Weiss knows that. It just doesn't make it any easier for her to stop herself from being waspish.
Weiss knows she has been given enormous opportunities that few people at Beacon Academy have been afforded. Its why she tries to work four times as hard as anyone else, to deserve the things she receives as a Schnee.
Being at Beacon, seeing all of the talent and skill in her classmates – especially within her own team, though, Weiss can see a gulf between them. She is so far behind, despite her many advantages that Weiss might as not have had them. They'd have done better in the hands of anyone else on her team.
When Ruby had been named team leader of Team RWBY, it had been an absolute insult to everything Weiss had been striving for. Yet Weiss understands it now, in some part. Ruby might be awkward and blundering about anything that wasn't combat related, but she had more experience than Weiss with working with people. More natural charisma than Weiss could ever hope to have. Weiss never had to work on a team or with anyone she could call her equal, she ought to be glad she wasn't made the leader.
Otherwise she'd be failing at it miserably.
Then there is Blake, who is so good with her words even if she spoke less than anyone else – she made her words count and a few words from Blake could stung more than they did from anyone else. Blake is the advocate that Weiss had thought she'd become. A mirror for Weiss to see all her ugly, awful pieces that Weiss couldn't quite stamp out of herself.
No one quite knew where Blake had come from before Beacon, but where ever she'd come from had given her more field experience than anyone else on the team. While everyone else had gone to smaller combat schools to learn what they needed to get into Beacon, Blake hadn't and yet she'd passed the test to enroll into Beacon. Weiss might have been given the best education possible, but nothing out beat hands-on experience and Blake's experience shows.
Weiss only has to look at Blake to see how much further she has to go to be the person she wants to become.
As for, Yang – she is strong to be sure. She has brute force that Weiss will never have. And while Weiss had complained about Yang's grades, her marks really weren't anything Weiss could complain about – even her lowest are still much higher than Jaune Arcs and her highest beat out Weiss's for the class.
What really rankles Weiss about Yang, though, is her confidence. Yang has such easy confidence, the honest kind of confidence that didn't infringe upon everyone else's. Rather, she bolstered everyone with just a quick word and laugh. Ruby's frantic energy calms with a laugh from her sister, while Blake was an entirely different person from when Weiss first met her and she is certain Yang is to thank almost entirely. Even Weiss struggles not to fall under her spell, to feel like everything Weiss does is already enough.
Yang possesses the traits Weiss can never hope to have and she envies her for it.
Her team is so great and Weiss, for all that she was given that they had not been, is failing them.
She can't even summon her past enemies, something no Schnee has failed at before.
It didn't matter how much harder Weiss works, she is a disappointment to her family – her sister, her team. She is a disappointment to herself.
By the time Weiss looks and finally payes attention to where she is, her cheeks are flushed and tear streaked and she's walked right into Blake and Yang.
“Oh,” Yang says. She doesn't seem angry upset anymore, just surprised. Weiss furiously scrubs at her eyes and cheeks, glaring at the pair, just daring them to comment – Yang does. “You okay?”
Weiss huffs, crossing her arms. “Sorry,” she mutters instead. Weiss doesn't say if it was for bumping into them or for what she'd said back in the dorm.
Yang lets it slide with a soft and uncomfortable, “Its okay,” and a shrug but Blake mirrors Weiss – snorts and crosses her arms, waiting.
Weiss breaths deeply, reigning herself before she can snap and say things she doesn't mean or make excuses.
“I work hard.”
“Excuse me?” Blake says sharply, waiting expectantly for Weiss to go on.
“I know being a Schnee has given me more opportunities than I can name, but I've worked hard to earn those opportunities. Even if I didn't have to – I want to earn what I have. But I want to work even harder.” Weiss says tensely, swallowing thickly as she went on. “Nothing I said earlier really has anything to do with any of you. I was… projecting.” Weiss stops there and hopes its enough.
Blake remains wordless, but she looks searchingly at Weiss.
Yang laughs, breaking the tense silence, “We know you work hard Weiss – its why we love you so much.” Weiss flusters at that stepping back and looking away, shifting her arms. “Sometimes I just think you are too hard on yourself. You're enough the way you are.”
“You don't understand. I'm not like you. I'm not funny or confident or supportive or anything like that. I'm, I'm barely even good at what I do, at what I should be able to do. I have to work this hard, harder even – to get better.”
Yang blinks and Blake looks about as uncomfortable as Weiss feels at her admittance. Sometimes its a relief to have Blake, who seems as unfamiliar with the sincere caring and affection that these sisters have forced upon them.
“I'm not saying I have anything against self-improvement,” Yang says decisively. “But you aren't gonna build yourself up if you keep tearing yourself down. You're enough, the way you are. Keep being you, the best you possible or whatever even, but don't hurt yourself over it.”
Weiss's arm crossed over her chest have become more of a self-hug at some point as she looks in a direction that isn't Yang or Blake, spotting Ruby dashing over to them and leaving petals in her wake.
“There you guys are!” Ruby shouts as she reaches them. “Great you're all here, so – um, lets talk this out then. I've been thinking about it and –,”
Yang stops her sister with a ruffle to her head and a chuckle, “Too late, Rubes. We've worked it out, haven't we?” Neither Blake or Weiss disagree, mutually agreeing to allow the sisters to diffuse the situation, and Ruby pouts, just a tad childishly. “We couldn't have done it if you hadn't intervened earlier, so thanks Sis.” Ruby smiles, pleased.
Yang throws one arm around Blake's shoulders, but Weiss ducks away when Yang tries to draw Weiss in under her other arm. With a sigh, though, Weiss lets both sisters link their elbows with hers as they attempt to maneuver the nearly too narrow halls back to the dorm, all of them still linked together.
No matter what her teammates say, Weiss knows she had to do and be better to deserve her place with them.