Confrontation was not her strong suit.

In fact, it was the opposite of her strong suit.

And yet here she was.

"Why are you avoiding us?"

She didn't mean to start with that, but the words slipped out before she was prepared to start speaking. Blue eyes trained on her, and one of her ears twitched within the confines of her bow.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Yes you are."

Weiss just stares, caught somewhere between her natural glare and blank apathy.

"Yang has been the only person to see you in days."

"Hrmph. Yes, well, I've been busy."

Blake quirks an eyebrow.

Weiss huffs. "I'm heir to one of the largest companies on Remnant, it is perfectly normal to be busy."

"And yet you only seem to be busy when it's convenient."

"Why do you care, Blake?"

And Blake doesn't really know how to answer. They may not have always gotten along, but they were close now. At least, she thinks they are. Something twists in her gut at the thought that those feelings are one-sided.

"...You did the same for me."

Weiss flinches.

Blake steps closer. "Are you okay? Do you- do you need help?"

"No, no, I..." she trails off, rubbing at her temples.

"Well, I'm offering. Even if you just need to talk for a minute."

There's something burning in those blue eyes, for just a moment. A moment, and Weiss has turned away from her.

"I suppose...I may need it."

Blake smiles.

"But you tell no one."

"Not even Ruby?"

"Ruby would race through the halls screaming it, and even without her semblance I'm not sure we could catch her."

"Should I make popcorn?"

Weiss giggled, leaning back on the railing of the quiet courtyard they found themselves in.

"This is supposed to be serious."

Blake smirked. "Sorry I'm not dramatic enough for you."

That got a laugh.

"Truly you are the comedian of the team." Weiss' smile fell. "But I suppose that brings us to the issue."

A sigh.

"I'm not sure what part of the team I am anymore."

Blake's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You remind us of the big picture. Of the enemy we need to prepare for. Yang keeps us from being crushed under the pressure of it. My job was to keep Ruby focused- and even if she still needed that, you are perfectly capable."

"That is...shockingly moronic."

Weiss blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I'm saying you're normally smarter than this. Am I really just a reminder of our burdens?"

"No, of course not-"

"Then why are you just Ruby's handler?"

"I..."

Blake moved in close, placing a hand on her frend's shoulder. "Weiss, we care about you. You will always be a part of this team, no matter what."

"You don't need-"

"As much as it pains me to say it, Ruby may not be able to continue her career as a huntress. Does that make her any less a part or RWBY?"

"No!"

"Then what in the world is making you think that of yourself?"

"Because I'm not allowed to have what I want!"

Blake didn't recoil from her shouting, but Weiss turned away nonetheless.

"I'm happy, Blake. Even if things aren't the best right now. That doesn't- it never lasts."

"I don't understand."

"My father is coming here."

And it suddenly made a lot more sense. The elder Schnee's cruel beliefs were far from secret, and from the few times Weiss had opened up about her home life...

"When he does, he will most likely remove me from the academy."

"He can't do that."

"You're free to try telling him that."

"You're an adult, Weiss, he can't remove you from anything."

"As if he's ever cared about the legality of what he wants. Bad enough I want to be a huntress, but when he finds out about Yang..."

"Yang?"

Weiss turns red. "She and I are...we're..." She gestures vaguely, as if that would make it clear.

"You're...?"

"Partners. Together. Dating!"

...Blake really hoped she would stop getting blindsided by things. She knew Yang was open about her attraction to just about anything with a pulse, but she was suprisingly prudish about dating. Weiss was... Weiss. Not to mention the fact that whether or not they got along seem to depend entirely spending minimal time together.

Though...it did mean she was totally right to think of setting them up.

And she was a sucker for romance.

"Wow. How long?"

"The night you and Ruby left."

Weeks, and Blake hadn't noticed a thing. Had she been rendered blind? Was that a side effect of second-hand sugar overdose? She need to stop letting her rose have midnight snacks.

"And I'm assuming your father will be less than tolerant of it."

Weiss barked out a laugh, wrapping her arms around herself. "Please. When he finds out I'm not only dating a woman, but a crass one from a family that isn't bleeding wealth..." she shook her head. "He'll pop a blood vessel, then attempt to marry me off to the first single heir he can find."

"Atlas hasn't practiced arranged marriage in a hundred years."

"High society thinks differently than people do, Blake. Atlas is theirs to play in, and they don't like when their toys start thinking for themselves."

"...This isn't Atlas."

Blue eyes on her own, but no reply.

"This isn't Atlas. Weiss, Vale recognizes kidnapping no matter the perpatrator- we would be fully authorized to protect you by any means we are capable of."

"Are you offering to fight my father?"

"Yes." Blake pulled out her scroll, navigating to one of the many guides Beacon students were given. Hunters had a fair amount of sway in Vale, far more than Atlas, which meant a certain amount of allowed force. Given that Weiss was now inedependent, anybody trying to take her against her will would face a kidnapping charge at best. Not only were they fully permitted to forcefully respond to such an attempt, it was encouraged.

Passing her scroll over, she let her teammate read in silence.

"...I would lose the company."

"You're more important than the company."

Weiss scoffed. "Not to Remnant. If I were in charge, I could finally start fixing things. The SDC has proper political weight, and could be used to push anything from faunas rights to fruit prices. How, exactly, am I supposed to let that go?"

"You're right. I wont pretend that I don't want to see the things you'd achieve in that position. However, you're my friend first. In fact, I would say the team is..." Blake sighed softly, fidgeting. "Maybe I've got the wrong idea, but I think of you like family. You can't ask me to let someone I care that much about to throw away their lives and happiness, no matter how much she tries to distance herself from us."

Eyes wide, Weiss just sort of stared at her. Then, they started watering. She tried to blink them away, but to no avail.

So instead, she brought Blake into an unexpected, though welcome, hug.

"Thank you."