Wrote this a week ago but I wanted to save it as a little something to hold us over for the long wait until the release of vol2 episode 3. I know it won't be what happens in canon but imagine if...

A/N: It starts off as a drawn-back recap of what happened, then goes into the present.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Lending An Ear

Blake couldn't help but overhear.

Right after Sun's match had ended and the fights for the day had been officially concluded, she'd heard everything.

She'd heard the roar of the huge ship overhead, its streamers flapping in the wind.

She'd heard the surprised little sound from Ruby as she'd bumped into Weiss.

And most of all, she'd heard Weiss, heard the way she'd spoken with such affection, such adoration, such heartfelt joy that it had brought real tears into her eyes.

Blake had turned around in time to see the heiress' beaming smile, an expression Blake might've felt was uncharacteristic or even impossible of her teammate after all these weeks of the stern scoldings and tart, uninterested comments. She'd briefly needed to wonder if Weiss had felt sick.

But she'd quickly realized it was just the opposite.

Weiss had never felt this lively, that much was for sure.

She'd heard Yang's question of, "Who's here?" and Weiss' subsequent explanation, her voice filled to the brim with elation and glee.

"Winter," she'd said. "My... my sister."

"SISTER?!" the sisters of their own team had cried out. Blake herself had even flicked an ear beneath her bow.

Weiss had explained things briefly in that instance.

How she'd always looked up to Winter.

How she was such a magnificent fighter.

How she was such an exceptional singer.

How she was so well-dressed and sophisticated.

How she was so professional and learned.

How she was essentially nothing short of perfect.

Blake had heard a lot of things in those few minutes as she and her teammates had followed behind the heiress who'd gotten a spring in her step.

But overall, Blake had heard one thing that hadn't explicitly been stated.

She'd heard just how much Weiss loved her sister, how deeply and genuinely she respected and admired her.

Blake had never known Weiss to look up to anyone before.

Until now, Weiss had always held herself with pride barely a shred short of conceit, and always presented herself with poise, grace, and quick wit. Blake never would have guessed a girl such as Weiss would ever hope to need a role model.

But in seeing and hearing Weiss talking about her sister at the time, it made a lot of sense to Blake.

After she and her teammates had excitedly gathered at the spot where the ship had landed, she'd stayed cautiously in the back of the group as the doors had come down.

Before anything else, a line of guards had exited, all wielding guns and armed to the teeth. The power and presence personified in just the ship and security alone spoke volumes as to exactly who Winter Schnee was.

At last, the woman herself had stepped out, wearing an air of authority and dominance, not a wrinkle in her clothes or a hair out of place.

And Weiss had done her best to contain her mirth. She really had.

But Blake had seen her politely slip through the guards with quick reminders of who she herself was, and then scurry over to meet her sister.

And she'd hugged her.

Blake had seen it in Winter's expression that she hadn't been expecting the contact, but that perhaps she didn't particularly mind it. She'd even gone so far as to wrap an arm around Weiss' back for a second, though Blake couldn't tell if it was reluctant or not.

After that, with an air of excitement mixed into the more professional act she'd tried to put on, Weiss had introduced her teammates to her sister, and Winter to her team.

Winter had held a stern, calculating gaze first to Ruby – the leader and her sister's partner. It'd been as though she'd assessed or graded Ruby and her skills in that split second.

Blake failed to discern if Winter had been impressed by the young girl's status on the team, or bitter that Ruby had earned the position Winter had clearly wanted her own sister to take.

She'd then looked over Yang with little interest, but when Blake's turn came, she'd found herself forgetting how to breathe.

She didn't know much about Winter, other than the fact that she was a Schnee, one of the people rather high up on the list of those who seemed to love oppressing and judging her people.

Just because Weiss had started to open up her mind in terms of the Faunus, that didn't mean her sister would, and Blake was all-too aware of that.

She hadn't so much as blinked until Winter's gaze had left her, distracted by Weiss' eager and reserved tone.

It'd been clear Weiss hadn't spoken to her sister in quite some time, as she was obviously trying to keep to just one question at a time as not to irk Winter.

And while Ruby and Yang had whispered about how exciting it was that Weiss had a sister as well, Blake couldn't help but feel wary of her.

The way Winter spoke to Weiss, the way she only touched her when absolutely necessary, the way she looked at her...

Something told Blake it wasn't the same kind of relationship Yang had with Ruby.

In this case, the sibling affection seemed to be entirely one-sided on Weiss' part.

But she didn't want to judge so quickly, or else she'd be no better than the humans who judged her people.

With the matches for the day over, Winter hadn't seemed to be in a terrible hurry. She'd sent out a few guards to ensure her lodging arrangements were in order, and then ordered another pair to fetch her luggage.

Before Blake knew it, Winter had dismissed all of her guards, giving them all one bit of work or another to accomplish within a timely manner.

Presently, Ruby tapped Blake's shoulder and announced that Yang and herself were going to order food for the team.

"Wanna come?" Ruby asked her cheerily.

But Blake's eyes were fixated on Weiss as she and Winter mingled into the crowds.

"No thanks. I think I'll just walk around the fairgrounds a bit."

"Suit yourself," Yang said. "I'll message you when supper's ready."

Blake nodded, then headed off at a sauntering pace.

She just felt... a bit odd in seeing Weiss with her sister. Blake didn't want to appear rude to her teammates if she suddenly seemed dazed or unfocused on conversation.

So she walked aimlessly around the many food stands and chatting crowds, just trying to clear her thoughts. She didn't want to think poorly of Winter, not when Weiss had been so happy to see her...

She liked to believe it had only been a coincidence when she ended up catching the sounds of their voices again.

She hadn't meant to track them – at least not consciously – but some part of herself told Blake that her ears and body had done so without her consent.

Perhaps for a good reason.

She found herself in a much quieter area now, away from the largest of crowds, near an empty food stand that had already closed down for the day.

Too late, Blake realized she was now in such a position that if she rounded the corner, she'd likely be spotted by the pair. Judging by the volume and closeness of their voices, they'd stopped walking.

Blake tapped into her best abilities now, the ones that would be sure to keep herself out of sight in the shadows. She perked up her ears and pushed down the disgusted feeling that came along with the knowledge that she was eavesdropping.

But something told her she'd need to listen to whatever was about to be said.

Weiss' voice was still as happy as it had been since the second she'd seen her sister's ship arrive.

"So, Winter," she said, casually making a circle in the dirt with the tip of her boot. "How are things back at home?"

The older of the two gave a small grunt as she cleared her throat, and when she spoke next, it was surprisingly vehement.

"How could you ask me that?" she snapped. "Hasn't Father told you? Or have you been ignoring his calls again?"

Clearly, Weiss was taken aback by her sister's anger, and she recoiled.

"I didn't answer him," she confessed. "I didn't feel like hearing what he had to say at the time."

Something told Blake that Winter likely knew her sister wasn't a fan of their father's work, and perhaps she wasn't either. But in her line of work, she needed to acknowledge his.

"Well, you should have," Winter growled. "He'd have told you-" With a sigh, she stopped herself and turned away.

Blake was surprised by Weiss' timidness as she put herself once more into her sister's line of sight.

"Winter...? He'd have told me what...?" Her voice was a gentle prompt, and it seemed to quell Winter's annoyance for a moment. She turned back to glare into Weiss' eyes and spat out a single word of disgust.

"Faunus."

Blake felt her heart slam to a halt. Her ears flattened instantly beneath her bow and she took a step back to ensure she was completely hidden.

So she hates us, too...

Blake wanted to leave.

Right now.

She didn't want to be reminded of the awful things the White Fang had done to Weiss' family, and the worse things the Schnees had done to her people.

She was about to run, even at the risk of being discovered. She called upon her semblance and was ready to slip away when-

"Winter..."

Weiss' voice was soft now, and there was no smile in it. Blake halted her plans of escape for the moment and instead flicked an ear back to her teammate's voice.

Weiss was hesitant, clearly upset that she'd have to address her sister like this.

But it also told Blake that Weiss wasn't going to let what she'd just heard go unchallenged.

Winter held her sister's gaze with a challenge in her own, a dare to defy her.

Weiss obviously didn't want to.

But she had to.

"Do you mean... the White Fang?" she asked carefully.

Winter scoffed, clearly unhappy that her sister had decided to question her.

"White Fang, Faunus, who cares? They're all the same. Half-breed mutants that destroy our business without regard for anything else, that's what they are."

The slurs struck Blake like a hammer. She hadn't heard such harsh terms in a long time, so to have them be so blatantly resurfaced now made her chest ache.

Old memories came back to her – of her time in the White Fang, of the stories she'd heard, of the crimes her people had committed, of the lives they'd stolen...

And of the lives they'd lost.

A wave of nausea crashed over her, and she pressed a palm to her mouth to swallow a whimper.

Once again, she was helpless. She couldn't defend herself.

But.. But someone else did...

And this time, it wasn't another Faunus.

"No." Weiss' voice had become stern now, almost defiant. It was evident that she was still doing her best to be respectful to her sister, but Weiss had something on her mind she needed to be heard no matter the cost.

Winter wasn't happy.

"Excuse me?" She was offended that Weiss had spoken out against her.

Blake feared what might happen, but for her own sake, she kept hidden.

Just like always... Coward...

Things were silent for a moment, and she imagined Weiss was at war with herself, hating that she needed to upset her beloved sister, but hating how Winter was referring to the Faunus even more.

"No," she said again. "Winter... that's not it. Not all Faunus belong to the White Fang. And actually, not all members of the White Fang are Faunus, either. There are humans among their ranks, as well." She stopped a little short, worried she'd said too much.

But Winter hadn't missed it.

"Come again?" she prompted venomously. "And how exactly would you know such intimate details about the White Fang? What's gotten into you, speaking up for Faunus of all things? You'd best remember your place."

Blake heard a step, hard and threatening.

But Weiss held her ground and didn't budge.

"I know my place very well," she said quietly. "But... I need you to understand that the 'White Fang' and 'Faunus' aren't interchangeable terms. Not every Faunus gathered here in the stadiums to watch the tournament is affiliated with terrorists. There are a lot of Faunus... training beside me in Beacon as well."

She made sure to stop short of revealing that there was one as close to her as her own team, though, probably for Blake's safety.

Blake couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Weiss Schnee – the girl who'd been so dismissive, so discriminatory against the Faunus herself just a few months prior – was now standing up for them.

In a way, Weiss was trying to atone for her past misgivings, trying to right her wrongs in even the smallest way possible. And if that meant risking the loss of her beloved sister's affection, so be it.

Blake could tell that Winter very well might've been the only person in Weiss' life she'd ever received comfort from. And now she was willing to throw seventeen years of that away in a split second.

For Blake and her people.

She almost stopped her, almost rushed around that corner to shout out and tell Weiss it was fine, to just let this incident go and to maintain her relationship with Winter.

But Blake was frozen, rooted to the spot aside from her swiveling ears that caught every nuance of what was going on behind her.

She couldn't hear or see them, but Blake knew Winter was furious. To be challenged and put in her place by the young prodigy of a sister, by the person who had bested her well enough to take the title of heiress...

Winter scoffed bitterly, then leaned in over her sister, her tone low and meaning to do nothing more but intimidate.

"You'd best watch yourself, Weiss," she uttered. "Keep sticking your neck out for them and they'll soon put a knife to it."

And that was it.

With a rush of air from her clothes, Winter turned and stalked off, leaving silence behind her.

Blake held her breath as the woman passed her by, but if she noticed Blake's presence, she showed no visible sign of it.

Blake remained rigidly still for a long moment afterward, her heart still pounding in fear, her mind still swirling with all the awful memories...

It was a soft, pained sound that brought her back.

Her ears picked up on it instantly. It wasn't a sound she was unfamiliar to, though the voice of it was one she'd never heard in this way before.

Weiss was crying.

Soft whimpers tumbled out, and Blake could easily tell the girl was trying to stifle herself, but to no avail.

She knew Weiss wouldn't have let herself break down like this if she'd known there were other people around, and she definitely refused to let her sister see. She'd probably been holding it back for a while now.

But Blake couldn't just leave her like that.

The Faunus girl herself was high-strung with emotions as well, her legs trembling and stomach fluttering oddly. She didn't know what to do or say.

But she couldn't leave Weiss there.

So she did all she could.

With wobbly, slow steps, Blake turned the corner of the empty food stand.

Weiss was there, a lone figure like a white flower in a wasteland, abandoned and forgotten. Her face was dipped, both hands taking turns as they wiped each of her eyes. She tried to keep her lips pursed, but little sobs kept slipping out, louder than she'd wanted them to.

Blake approached her slowly, ears drooping beneath her bow and her own eyes shimmering with water, though her tears didn't fall – not yet.

She made her presence known with a soft grunt and waited to be recognized.

Weiss looked up sharply, embarrassed by too many things all at once. With furious palms, she smeared tears across her cheeks in an effort to destroy their trails, but fresh ones only jumped up to take their place.

She dipped her face into her sleeve and wiped it, shaking her head in an effort to get a hold of herself. When she spoke, her voice was meek, a pitiful attempt.

"Blake... What are you...?" But she didn't need to bother putting up the act. She could see it in Blake's eyes, and Blake could see that Weiss knew. With another sigh, the heiress blinked more tears away. "You... did you hear...?"

Blake advanced another step and nodded her head, biting hard on her lip to keep it from quivering while clenching her fists at her sides. Weiss turned to face her fully, trying to straighten her back a bit.

"Blake, I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't..."

Blake stopped her with a quiet firmness, but she wasn't upset. Not with Weiss.

Her fists loosened and fingers unfurled as she lifted her arms, and her hands reached out. She gathered Weiss into her arms and pulled her in, first one small step, then another, until Weiss was pressed close. Blake hid her face in her teammate's shoulder and sighed.

"Don't apologize. Please."

Weiss sniffled and swallowed past a thick lump.

"Then what...? I don't know what else to say..." Her hands hesitated to return the embrace, despite how much she needed it.

Blake merely shook her head.

"Saying nothing is fine," she whispered. "Thank you, Weiss. For all of that. You didn't have to..." She trailed off as she felt the small hands finally press against her back, clinging softly.

Weiss inhaled slowly as she tried to stop the tears.

"Yes, I did," she mumbled. "I couldn't let her keep saying those things. Not anymore. In the past... I probably wouldn't have seen the problem with it, especially not from her, but now..."

Another swell of tears surged up, and Weiss buried her face in Blake's clothes.

The Faunus girl pulled her in a little closer. She could feel Weiss shaking as the sobs traveled through her. She hadn't fully realized it, but somewhere along the lines, Blake herself had started to cry as well. Her tears fell silently, sliding down her cheeks to land in Weiss' hair.

The heiress remained silent for a moment, until the sobs tapered off and she resumed her previous thought.

"Now... I can't allow it," she said. She moved back a few inches and looked up, boring her sky-blue gaze into Blake's sunset-colored one. "You're my teammate now, Blake. I won't neglect to remember the things you've taught me, the things you've shared with me. I won't allow my sister to belittle your people anymore. Not if I can help it."

It was Blake's turn to sob a little, but it was more out of gratitude than anything else. She pulled Weiss in again, a bit more tightly.

"Sorry..." Sniffing, she felt Weiss hold tighter to her clothes. "Sorry that you had to do that. I know you really love your sister. It must've hurt you... Do you think... this can be mended?"

Another sigh on Weiss' part, and Blake felt her shrug.

"She'll probably be curt with me for a while now. But I don't think she'll bring it up again. She's upset, but... she wouldn't deliberately try to make an issue of it again after I've spoken to her." Weiss looked up again and offered a smile. "We'll be alright."

For some reason, Blake wasn't sure if Weiss had meant her relationship with Winter or with Blake herself.

But either way, she hoped it was true.

"Okay. And... thank you again, Weiss. What you did... that... that really meant a lot to me..."

Weiss hugged her once more.

"It meant a lot to me, too. I'm glad I could take a step towards changing the error of my ways. We're teammates now, Blake. Don't ever forget that. I won't, either."

Blake nodded, and her lips curved upward.

"Neither will I."

For a moment, they kept their embrace, steadying themselves as the tears came to a stop.

They'd had their differences. Their clashing pasts and family lives would always be hanging in the backs of their minds to haunt them.

But with this, they each felt they'd taken strides towards making amends, just a bit.

A small sound caught Blake's ear just as Weiss pulled herself back and wiped her eyes one last time. Blake reached into her shorts pocket for her buzzing scroll and cleaned her face a bit as well.

She tapped the screen to open her most recent notification and read over a message from Yang:

Hey, partner! Ruby and I got the food! Try to find Weiss and come get some grub! :D

Blake couldn't help but smile as she finished reading.

Having composed herself again, Weiss peered curiously up at her.

"What is it?"

Blake put her scroll away, bow bouncing with another flick of her ears.

"Dinner," she replied, flashing a soft glance at the heiress. "Care to join me?"

Their eyes met, and they'd already come to the silent agreement to keep this incident between the two of them.

Weiss lifted her chin and smiled kindly.

"I'd love to."

Turning their backs on the area where the soil was damp, they headed off, keeping near to one another.

A/N: Reminder to later readers that this piece was written and posted before we knew anything about Winter, how she feels about Faunus in canon, or her relationship with Weiss (other than the fact that Weiss admires her a great deal). If the writing seems OOC, just remember I was winging it with this one ahaha.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed! At this point in time, before the canon has proven otherwise, I think Winter might be reluctant about Weiss, that Weiss was the prodigy who would always unintentionally outshine her, enough to become the heiress over Winter. But Winter still tries to maintain a good relationship with her, but whether it's genuine or just for appearances, we're not too sure.

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