#trr writes

Darkness and pain. That's what she awoke to, despite the sensation of the sun on her skin. A strangled groan of agony wrenched from her lips as she tried to move, the weight of something bearing down on her, but she could neither dislodge it nor even open her eyes to see what it was.

How long had she been out? Was it that very morning that she'd stepped into her chariot, prepared to lead the charge against the enemy, or was it a week past? More?

She couldn't be sure. Couldn't feel anything aside from the pressure and pain, the heat of the sun and the cool kissing breeze of early evening, and Winter Schnee understood very well the traditions of her people. To die on the battlefield- the ultimate honor, not sullied by being removed from the field, left to stand vigil over the sites of bloodshed, and without the sounds of the war drums pounding, she'd been counted among the fallen and left behind.

Of course, given her present situation, she would likely die anyway, but it chaffed at her that she hadn't fallen in combat outright, left instead to succumb to her wounds after the fact.

"Gods, grant me mercy." She coughed, choking on the words and only then becoming aware that she ached for water, for food, on top of everything else.

"Is someone alive out here?" A voice she'd never heard before- curious, surprised, but speaking a language she knew- called out and drew closer. "Or was I just hearing things?"

As a child, she felt a certain amount of kinship with her mark. Weiss spent the hours not occupied by schooling, formal events, or performances sitting in her room, staring out the window at the world beyond, desperate for a chance to explore it. Likewise, the black canary that flitted around on her skin, traveling the lengths of her arms and legs before, inevitably, settling on her shoulder displayed the same amount of restlessness. The living tattoo represented her soulmate, someone she’d yet to meet but who seemed to share her drive for something new, something different. Yet, where she at least had the prospect of one day earning her freedom, the canary would be bound to her skin- at least, until the day she met her soulmate, and she would briefly be returned the piece of her soul that had broken off long ago to become the mark adorning someone else’s flesh. He canary would return, though, eventually- or, so she hoped.

As a young teen, she’d read accounts from throughout Remnant’s history about the peculiar habits of some marks. If the soulmate died, the corresponding mark disappeared, and one would either have their own mark return as an unmoving tattoo that would fade with time or- sometimes- the mark would find someone else, a new soulmate. She’d even read accounts of how, upon meeting, soulmates opted to not pursue the relationship for one reason or another, and the familiar mark abandoned them. Some even claimed to have met people with multiple marks- trophies of jilted lovers who still pinned for the heartless person who’d left them.

Weiss resolved to not become any of those stories. While she felt a fierce pride and loyalty to her grandfather, her family name had become stained by her father. Who would want to bear the Schnee name now? No one she would want to be associated with, of that she was certain.

I’ll do the Bee’s Schnee in a subsequent post.

---

The burning in Winter’s lungs and legs begged for a reprieve but one didn’t exist for them, not now. The hallways were awash in glaring red light from the myriad of alarms, the thundering of tromping boots and metal echoing from behind them as they pushed deeper into the facility, and it all bled together, congealing into an oppressive fog that she had to fight through even as they neared their ultimate goal: yet another fight. But that battle didn’t belong to her; it wasn’t her place to join it. She’d accepted that long before the breach.

However, she still had something to fight for, and had found exactly where she’d make her last stand.

Ahead of her, her sister and her friends ran full tilt towards their destiny and ready to tear apart the last vestiges of a bygone world that had long overstayed its welcome.

When they took the last corner and found themselves opposite their goal, Winter finally stopped running and turned, drawing her saber and dagger. Here, she would stand and fight.

The battle beyond, she could offer no help, but she could keep the odds in their favor by preventing any reinforcements.

“Winter!”

She looked over her shoulder, seeing the whole lot of those fools screeching to a halt as Weiss called out, pain twisting her sister’s expression. “Go!”

“But-”

“This isn’t goodbye.” Winter’s voice held an edge as she turned back towards where they’d just come, the same sharpness she often used when speaking to Weiss coming out now. “You have your destiny, to save the world. I have mine, and it’s to help you. It always has been.”

No further argument came. In not so many words, they’d said all they needed, come what may. It soothed her, somewhat, when she heard the footsteps stepping away, returning to their previous hurried pace as the group continued to run headlong towards the battle ahead.

But one set of footsteps came closer, and she looked back, surprised to find Yang striding towards her. For so long, she’d known the woman by reputation only, meeting properly somewhat recently, and she found herself with the single regret that they hadn’t had the chance to know each other better, longer, more deeply- of all her sister’s friends, only Yang had slipped past her own defenses and forged a bond. Winter could admit she was fond of the woman- more than that, if she was brave enough- but had put that aside, considering the stakes.

The encroaching reinforcements were still a ways off and, in the blink of an eye, Winter made the decision- a myopic one, perhaps, but she lived her life without regrets, and would remedy what she could before the chance slipped past entirely- to pivot around, taking one long stride as she flipped both of her weapons around in her hands. She wrapped her left arm around Yang’s shoulders, using the pommel of her dagger to pull the woman close enough that she could dip her head and steal a single kiss, Yang didn’t seem to expect it, halfway to saying something, and Winter didn’t push too far, pulling back a bit quicker than she would’ve liked.

Now, it was her turn to say something- a bid to stay safe, a warrior’s promise to continue fighting, a soldier’s vow of loyalty, she hadn’t decided on the words yet- only to be cut off as Yang reached up, grabbing her by collar of her shirt and pulling her down. Whatever she might’ve said was lost as the woman crashed their lips together and pushed her back until Winter fetched up against the wall of the hallway.

Once, she might’ve made the claim that she had an abundance of self control. In the heat of the moment, though, she conceded, meeting the passion she suddenly found herself receiving with equal heat, nearly dropping both of her weapons in the process. Winter’s knees went weak as her lungs burned for a whole new reason, though she found herself just as reluctant to heed the warning.

Yang pulled back, lilac eyes with red swirling in them boring into her. “You... had better be alive... when I get back... or I’ll drag you back from the dead myself.”

Haltingly, she nodded, trying to catch her breath and find her words. She accomplished neither before the other woman turned and started to catch up with the others. Winter watched her go, chest growing tight as all the words she wanted to say got caught in her throat. Weiss had learned how to open up, to be true to herself, but her elder sister hadn’t, and, now more than ever, she regretted that.

With new resolve, she resumed her position awaiting the reinforcements.

---

Yang paused, looking over the spices in their rack while mentally assessing what the stew happily boiling on the stove needed to complete the taste. Something was missing, something to give it that oomph, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, reaching for the onion powder before reconsidering and reaching instead for the cumin.

Then, she felt it.

A shift in the air, a sensation that called out to her on a deep and spiritual level, something that she couldn’t deny even without any physical proof right in front of her.

Abandoning the stew for the moment, Yang went searching throughout the house until she came to her wife’s study, cautiously entering.

“Weiss? You doing alright, Snowfall?”

“Hmmm?” The woman turned away from the window, her expression smoothing out from the hard glare that hadn’t seemed directed at anything in particular. “Oh, sorry, were you looking for me?”

“Nah. My ‘someone-special-is-pissed” sense was tingling.” She stepped inside, moving towards her wife and pulling the shorter woman into a loose embrace. “You wanna talk about it?”

“You’ve got to be joking.” Although her word choice indicated annoyance, she leaned into Yang and wrapped her arms around her waist. “You can’t sense when I’m angry.”

“Were you not really angry before I came in here?” Lilac eyes flicked over to the crib tucked beside the desk. “Is it the munchkin?”

“No!” Weiss jolted back, eyes wide, before composing herself. “I mean- yes, I was upset, but it has nothing to do with our baby. She’s an angel.”

“Then… what was it?” Ducking her head, she pressed a kiss to Weiss’ temple, not above using physical affections to achieve a desired outcome. “I’m all ears.”

“Father sent a missive.” Barely concealed venom infected her voice, blue eyes staring off at a crumpled letter lying on the floor. “It’s an official denunciation of any child of mine, barring them from using the Schnee name.”

A frown tugged at her lips. “But… you left your family name behind years ago.”

“That’s not the point.” Gently pulling away, Weiss went over to the crib and picked up their child, her voice turning soft as she carefully brought the little girl back over. “It’s that he’s trying, even now, to exert his power over her. He has no right but he’s always been good with paperwork. I broke away, but the idea that he might get even one figurative finger close to her…”

“We’ll never let that happen.” With a knuckle, she lightly tilted her wife’s chin up, pulling her into a sweet, reassuring kiss. “He’s gonna keep trying to ruffle your feathers, which means…”

“I… should… duck?”

A surprised laugh bubbled up from her chest, genuinely surprised by the, well, attempt at a pun. “Eh, close enough.”

At that, their daughter began squirming, apparently roused by the sound of her momma’s laughter. Weiss quickly set about calming her back down, having taken to motherhood like… well, a duck to water. The thought made Yang smile softly and lean over, pressing a kiss to both of their faces.

“Is lunch almost ready?”

“Yeah. I’ll go get back to it.” She started for the door. “Oh, and, remember…”

Without saying the words, she looked at her wife and thought ‘fuck that guy’ with enough force that the woman appeared to understand it easily, gasping.

“Language!”

“I didn’t say it!”

“You have loud thoughts, Yang Xiao Long!”

Ruby looked up at the imposing building with wide eyes, anxiety mounting. When it came to schematics or complex mechanical contraptions, she could tackle any problem, no matter how daunting. But presenting her ideas to a person posed a totally different problem, one she had far less experience dealing with alone. Usually, Yang would be close by to help with any awkward social interactions. Her gregarious nature smoothed over everything, even that time Ruby accidentally caused unstable chemicals to explode, nearly starting a war with the woman who would become her best friend. Weiss still teased her about the incident, of course, but in a friendly way.

In her hand, she clutched the briefcase- a gift from Weiss to celebrate her ‘official’ entry into the adult world. Apparently, founding her own business was the real milestone, not being twenty or graduating two years ahead of her peers. Then again, considering Weiss’ background, she could understand the sentiment.

It didn’t help her in the moment, though. Her pressed suit with a modest skirt didn’t imbue her with the confidence to walk into the building in front of her, present her idea, then ask for investors, despite how much work Weiss and her elder sister put into networking and setting up the whole meeting. In fact, she should probably just call Weiss now, apologize, and go back home. Just- call it a mulligan.

“Ruby?”

She turned her head, noting Penny’s pinched, worried expression. “Y-yeah?”

“You know it’s gonna be okay, right?” Green eyes shone brightly, the light breeze ruffling her ginger hair. “It’s just talking. You’re really good at talking.”

“Not to, like... business people, though.” She reached up, running a hand through her bangs. “I don’t like talking money and investments and interest... that’s not who I am.”

“I thought Weiss helped you with all that.” Reaching over, she slipped a hand into Ruby’s, squeezing reassuringly. “You’re prepared for this. You’ve been practicing all week.”

“But that’s not this!” With a whine, she shifted her weight, leaning her head on Penny’s shoulder. “I don’t want to do this part. I just want to build things!”

“Well, why don’t you ask Weiss to be your business partner?”

“Because...” She mumbled, a bit of a blush coming to her cheeks. “Weiss said running a business with someone is like a marriage. You have to have something connecting you, or the tough times are going to be hell.”

“Oh.” Penny tilted her head, resting it against Ruby’s. “ That sounds like a pretty serious commitment.”

“Yeah.” A small sigh. “There’s not a lot of people I wanna be, like, ‘work married’ to, ya know?”

“... but there are some people, right?”

Her blush increased in intensity. “I mean... one person springs to mind... but I don’t think she’d like meetings and being formal and all that.”

“Maybe you should ask her.”

For a moment, she closed her eyes while summoning her courage. “Okay. Penny, will you be my work wife?”

“Absolutely.”

“Really?” She pulled away, noting the bright smile on the woman’s face as she nodded.

“Of course!” A short giggle. “I’ve already done all the necessary calculations. I have a knack for numbers, remember?”

“Well, yeah, but, why didn’t you say anything before?”

At that, Penny smirked that looked a bit too much like the expression worn by both Schnee sisters. “Because I wanted you to be the one to ask.” Then, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Ruby’s lips, giggling as she pulled away. “Try not to wait too long before asking me to be your wife wife, okay?”

Blinking, she watched as the woman start towards the building, a bit dumbfounded until she managed to process everything that had just happened. Then, she smiled, hurrying to catch up after Penny and grabbing her hand. “So, does that mean we’re dating now?”

“I’d like to think so!”

“Great!” And just like that, all her anxiety seemed to evaporate. “I mean, yeah, this is perfect! Really!”

“Let’s try to get this meeting over with quickly; I have a feeling someone’s about to go into an inventing frenzy.”

“I’m just excited!”

“I know! I love it when you’re excited.” Penny laughed. “Just, try to wait until after we make the pitch, okay?”

She heard the glass hitting the ground. It didn’t shatter, didn’t break, by some unknown miracle but that didn’t seem to be the most important detail in the moment. No, the pinch to her pregnant wife’s features held a higher priority, lilac eyes flashing red as she glared down at the glass jar slowly rolling away from her. Yang tried to bend down and snatch it up but, already nine months pregnant, she had difficulty reaching down due to her swollen belly, and the anger quickly morphed into something else entirely.

“Yang?” Winter got to her feet, leaving behind her scroll on the dining room table. She was just checking up on the local news while waiting for Yang to fix their tea- something the woman simply wouldn’t let her do herself for whatever reason. They used to joke it was because a Schnee couldn’t be expected to boil water without something terrible going wrong but, after many carefully observed trials, Winter had managed to make tea without setting anything on fire a number of times. “Let me get that.”

“I can do it,” Yang said with a wavering voice but her simple protest was ignored for the moment as her wife bent down and collected the jar filled with tea leaves. “I could’ve done it.”

“Don’t pout, Sundrop.” She offered a small, soft smile as she tried to reassure her wife. “It’s okay-”

“I know!” At that, Yang burst into tears, and Winter briefly panicked as she struggled to react appropriately. 

Ultimately, she had to settle for her instant reaction, which was to pull her wife into a loose embrace and try to offer comfort. “Hush, now, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“It’s- it’s just…” She sniffled. “Stupid fucking hormones!”

“I believe the proper response is ‘wow, what a mood’,” Winter replied, rubbing her hands up and down the woman’s back, listening to how her crying turned to laughter.

“Don’t meme at me when I’m being serious.” Although a bit difficult at first- on account of her belly- the two shifted until Yang could tuck her head under Winter’s chin and soak up the contact. “I’m just… so done with being pregnant.”

One of her hands drifted down to the swell of her wife’s stomach, feeling the light thumps from within. “You say that now but this was our little miracle a few months ago.”

“And that’ll be true again when I’m not the size of a house.” A soft whine. “Just… not right now.”

As the teapot began to whistle, the water within boiling, Winter pressed a kiss to the top of Yang’s head. “That’s perfectly fine. I’ll love you then just as much as I do now, as much as I always have. Angry, sad, anxious, glad- I’ll be right here.”