Ch 30: Leadership Quarrel (2)

Weiss stormed out of the room as soon as Professor Port released them, without waiting for her teammates or collecting her books.

"Weiss." Worried, Ruby called after her. When Weiss didn't respond, Ruby left her bag and chased after her.

"Sheesh, what's with her!" Jaune asked.

"She's not used to playing second fiddle to anyone. Add on to that Ruby's childish behavior just now, and she just snapped." Ray answered as he collected his twin's things.

"I'll take Ruby. You handle Weiss. She's more likely to listen to you than any of us." Yang walked over and handed Ray Weiss's things while taking Ruby's out of his hands.

Ray nodded, "Then I'll leave her to you then, Big Sis." and left to track down the wayward heiress.

When Ray and Yang caught up with them, they found Professor Ozpin eavesdropping on the girls from around a corner. They joined him just in time to hear Weiss tell Ruby, "Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better. I'll admit that you may be a better fighter than me, but a good fighter does not make a good leader. And you are still a childish dolt!" before turning around and walking off again but not before leaving behind her true assessment of the situation. "Ozpin made a mistake."

"Hmm… Now that didn't seem to go very well." Ozpin stepped out first and commented.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" Ruby asked him, on the verge of tears.

Ozpin chuckled in response, "That remains to be seen."

"He's right, Ruby. It has only been one day. You'll figure this out." Yang said as she and Ray walked around the corner.

"No one knows how hard you have worked to get here better than we do. Now chin up, I'm going to go talk to Weiss and see if we can't get this mess sorted out before it becomes a wedge between you two." Ray patted Ruby on the shoulder in encouragement. Then, with a nod at Yang and Professor Ozpin, he left them to follow Weiss.

It didn't take long for him to catch up with her, "Weiss!"

Weiss turned around to glare at him, "What do you want?"

"To talk, come on, let's find a quiet place where we won't be disturbed."

*Hmph* "I have nothing to say to you, Rajeev Rose."

"Weiss." the request was gone from Ray's voice, "You're being more childish than Ruby now."

"How dare you!" Weiss stomped her foot at him in anger.

"Oh, I dare. I dare you to stop acting like a spoiled princess who always has to have everything her way. I dare you to start acting like a mature adult who knows how to talk through her problems."

*Ugh* "Fine." Weiss relented and followed him to a balcony overlooking a courtyard.

Ray leaned back against the railing to face Weiss, "So, exactly what is your problem with my sister leading Team RWBY?"

"She's childish, immature, and she doesn't take being a Huntress seriously. She is nothing but a nuisance. I, on the other hand, have studied and trained for years to be a Huntress. I have worked harder than anyone. I deserve to be the leader." Weiss started venting all her grievances at Ray, not just about Ruby but also about her family. "My father is an egotistical, self-centered, amoral, moneygrubber and is ruining our family name. I hate him, but I'm the heiress of the Schnee family. I have to become the best Huntress so that people will see me for me and not for my father's shadow when it comes my time to lead my family. Otherwise, my family is doomed. My older sister has run off, abandoning everything to join the military. My younger brother might as well be a younger version of my father. And my mother spends all her time drunk. I'm the last hope my family has of living up to the legacy my grandfather left us. I have to succeed! I have to be the best!"

Ray just stood there and listened to her rant until she had gotten everything off her chest. Eventually, Weiss ran out of things to say and stood there, her face a little red and panting slightly.

Seeing she was done, Ray started to speak, "Ok, first of all…" and walked over to envelop Weiss in a hug. Weiss froze, too surprised to move as she felt his strong arms wrap around her. One arm tight around her shoulders and the other hand gently stroking her hair.

"It is going to be alright." Ray whispered soothingly into her ear, "You are already an amazing Huntress and a good person, and we all know that you are only going to get even better. Other people may see your name first before they see you. That is, unfortunately, the burden you must bear for having a famous name. However, anyone who is lucky enough to get to know you will see that you are not just a Schnee. You are Weiss Schnee, a dedicated, thoughtful, and skilled huntress, a confident, caring, and independent young woman, and my friend. You don't have to bear your burdens alone. That's what your team is here for, that's what I'm here for, we want to help you. We want to be your strength in strife and the place you come home to in peace."

Weiss hugged him back as she rested her head on his shoulder and started to silently cry. Nobody had ever told her it was all going to be ok. No one had ever told her it was ok to lean on them. Everyone had just thrown their expectation at her and expected her to carry them. Alone.

Ray walked them over to a nearby bench and sat them both down, still holding the vulnerable 'ice queen' in his arms, silently stroking her hair. When Weiss regained her control and sat up, he reluctantly let her go, leaving one arm resting on the back of the bench behind her.

"As for Ruby, you are right. She can be childish and immature at times, and she was acting even more childish than usual today because of how uncomfortable she is with the whole situation. Yang is talking to her about that right now. However, what I want you to remember is this. It has only been one day. Give Ruby a chance, a real chance to be a leader. She has been living in Yang and mine's overprotective shadows for so long that she has never had a chance to be a leader before. Give her a chance to figure it out. You will be amazed at what she can accomplish. And if you still don't think she is living up to your expectation, help her. As her teammate, instead of disparaging her, support her. You said you have studied and trained to be a great leader, so guide her towards what you believe a leader should be. She may not always agree with you, but she will work harder than anyone else to meet your expectations. All you ever have to do is try to be not the best leader but the best person you can be. Everything else will fall into place on its own."

*Sigh* "Fine. I'll try." Weiss sighed, "Sorry for just dumping all of that on you so suddenly. I don't know what came over me. Once I started, I just couldn't stop."

Ray chuckled quietly. He may or may not have helped her along a bit with that. "Yeah, I seem to have that effect on people. Sometimes people just need someone dependable to talk to who is willing to listen."

Weiss turned her face away from him, "*hmph* Who would ever depend on a child like you? …Though, I suppose you may be a little bit more dependable than your twin. How did you two ever end up so different?" Weiss asked as she turned back to face him with a curious face.

"We aren't so different at the core. We just developed different ways of dealing with the darkness we saw in the world. I faced it head-on, determined to crush it. Ruby, got optimistic, determined to find the faintest glimmer of light in even the darkest of places."

"Hmmm." Weiss thought about that for a bit, then stood up. "Come on. We'll be late for Professor Oobleck's class if we don't hurry.

"Alright, let's go." Ray rose to his feet and followed after her.

######

That night Weiss would return to her dorm room to find Blake and Yang already fast asleep in their beds, while light could be seen shining from within the tent Ruby had made around her own. That morning, the girls had decided to make their four beds into bunk beds with Ruby above Weiss and Yang above Blake to make room for all of their stuff. Standing up on her bed to reach Ruby's tent, Weiss lifted the blanket and was amazed to see Ruby hard at work studying with papers strewn around her on the bed. Seeing the movement of her canopy, Ruby turned and saw Weiss.

"Weiss! Sorry, is the light too bright? I can turn it off if you-" Weiss covered Ruby's mouth with her hand cutting her off, and placed a finger to her lips to signal Ruby to keep her voice down.

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asked as she lowered her hand.

"Um uh… cream and five sugars?" Ruby answered, uncertain of why she was asking.

"Don't move." Weiss commanded before dropping back down. She quickly returns with a fresh cup of coffee. "Here."

"Um… Thanks, Weiss."

Weiss smiles apologetically at Ruby, "Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have!" They share a brief smile, "Good luck studying." Weiss ducks down briefly before popping back up and pointing at something on one of Ruby's papers, "That's wrong, by the way." she says before hopping back down again.

Walking over to the door, Weiss decides that maybe she can afford to open up a bit more too.

"Hey, Ruby?" She calls back softly with her hand on the doorknob.

"Uh-huh." Ruby answers absently, her focus back on her work.

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." Weiss admits before closing the door.

Ruby turns to look over her shoulder at the now closed door and smiles at the progress they have made as friends and teammates.