RWBY Listens to The Soundtrack

Vol. 3, It's My Turn

"'It's My Turn deserves more recognition, I think.'" The note offered. "'It's a rather good one. Oh, it's from the perspective of Weiss Schnee about her biological sperm donor." THAT was a crass way to put it. Not wrong, though. "And apparently some people skipped it because it took a whole other Volume for them to get the damn point! Or they're just apologists. One or the other. Anyways, I don't know if Weiss actually wrote this thing "in-universe", as it were, but she has to have thought about it. Anyways, enjoy"

[Song Start]

[When....
I was young]

Weiss accepted the glomp from Ruby immediately. "I know I keep saying this, but...let's just get it over with. This...won't be pleasant."

Blake & Yang had grabbed on to Weiss's hands, & Blake spoke up. "Maybe not, but it...might not be what you're expecting." She theorized.

"How so?" Weiss asked.

"I think...the title." Blake explained. "It's very...declarative."

[If I just closed my eyes
Then I could go anywhere]

"And...the lyrics, are they...?" Blake continued.

"...Yes, it's...accurate." Weiss confirmed. "I know I shouldn't complain, but..."

"Nope, none of that!" Ruby ordered.

[Dream...
Of any place]

"It was...lonely, especially after Winter left, after..." Weiss began. Did she want to talk about...? Oh what the hell... "After my mother started drowning herself in alcohol, after my brother..."

Everyone was already concerned, but these were new details. "...Oh." Yang replied, thinking back to her reaction to Qrow's alcoholism.

[Imagination set the pace
And my heart was happy there]

"And sure, it SOUNDS vaguely nice, but I know where this is leading." Weiss declared.

"Are you certain?" Ozpin asked.

"Well..." Weiss began.

[What a shame that you
Came round and told me]

"...Yes. Yes I am." she finished.

"...This is about your dad, huh?" Nora asked with a serious look.

"...Yeah." Weiss muttered.

[Said my dreams
Can't come true]

"...He said what?" Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Yang demanded.

"Do you want the full explanation or just the summary?" Blake asked.

"I mean, yeah he sucks, but..." Jaune trailed off. "Even to..."

["Don't be foolish
Give up your wish
Big things aren't for you"]

"...Yup." Weiss confirmed. "Not always in those exact words of course, but..."

"...Why?" Ruby demanded.

"Because it wasn't conductive to my...role as a member of the Schnee Family." Weiss muttered.

"More specifically, because he COULD." Blake added. "That's ultimately what it's about."

"...I need to punch someone." Yang declared. All of Team RWBY were already livid on their teammate's behalf, and the others weren't far behind

[And how you'd scold
And chide me
Forever criticize me]

"This...explains a lot, actually." Yang admitted. "Um, sorry, but..."

"Yes I was...not a good person when we met, I know." Weiss agreed. "I just hope that-"

"You did." Ruby assured her as Blake nodded.

[But now I think
I know the truth]

"Oh? What is it?" Nora asked.

"I...I assume it's that he's wrong." Weiss offered. "Which, yes, I KNOW, but..."

"He spent your whole life telling you otherwise." Blake finished. "Even for a few years it's...hard to shake."

"...Not my WHOLE life, but..." Weiss muttered.

[You
Were the one]

"I thought Emerald and Mercury were The One." Nora pointed out. Everyone knew what she was trying to do and just accepted it. Still...

"This is...different." Weiss muttered.

"I told you, I think..." Blake began.

[Who held me down and told
Me I was heading nowhere]

"...it's something else." she finished.

"More...defiant, I suppose." Pyrrha agreed.

"It's a good look on you." Yang said sincerely.

[You
Said "know your place"]

"I...suppose, yes." Weis acquiesced. This seemed to be going...differently.

"What a prick." Nora scowled.

["Accept your fate
And show good face
And be thankful that you're there"]

"...I'm gonna punch him SO hard." Ruby declared after a moment.

"Yeah, get in line." Yang muttered.

"I really didn't think I could hate him more than I already did." Nora declared. "Hey Ren, does he need his kneecaps to live?"

"I suppose not, no." Ren answered.

Huh, this was...interesting, Weiss thought.

[That was so long ago
When you owned me]

"Doesn't...feel that long ago." Weiss admitted.

"Takes a while to shake." Blake agreed.

"And, um, sorry if that metaphor-" Weiss muttered.

"If it fits, it fits." Blake assured her. "Thanks for asking, though."

[I believed it was
Truuuuuueeeee...]

"But I suppose I...also recognize that he was wrong at the same time?" Weiss continued. "It's...I don't know."

"It can often be rather confusing, yes." Ozpin assured her. "As Ms. Belladonna said, on the one hand, you KNOW the truth, but on the other...it's hard to forget what you were taught."

"That's...a decent way to sum it up, yes." Weiss
replied. Yes, Blake HAD said that before, but...nice to hear it again.

[Bend me, shape me
Build me, break me]

"Weiss, I...would like to apologize again for-" Pyrrha began, thinking of Dream Come True.

"You've already apologized enough, Pyrrha." Weiss assured her.

"Yeah, you really need to work on that." Yang added.

"They tell you it's one thing but really it's another." Nora muttered.

[Why was I your
Foooooooooool?]

"And...I don't mean to sound like I had it the worst, I just-" Weiss began.

"It's still terrible. Regardless of anything." Blake cut her off. "And to answer the question: Ultimately, it's about control."

"Always was..." Weiss muttered, thinking of her 10th birthday.

[And now I'm so much stronger
I'm not yours any longer]

"Hell yeah you're not." Yang assured her.

"I'm...not so..." Weiss trailed off.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"...I'll hold off on that until I've better composed my thoughts." Weiss answered.

"...K then." Ruby responded.

[I've got a message
Here for yooooooouuuu]

"Hehehe, this is gonna be good!" Nora declared.

"I thought I was the "Ice Queen" to you." Weiss mumbled without thinking. "I-I mean..."

"...Well, yeah, but you're still our friend." Nora sheepishly responded. "Um, sorry if..."

"...Yeah. Right." Weiss responded. "It can just be a little...hard at times."

"...Heh, yeah, tell me about it." Nora replied.

[Time for you to learn
It's My Turn]

"Aaaaand the title drop!" Yang declared.

"Maybe...defiant is a better word." Blake added.

"...I suppose it is." Weiss admitted. So why did she feel...?

[I won't be held
Down any longer]

"Fuckin' tell the prick!" Nora shouted in excitement.

"Nora, language." Ren chastised.

"Ren, we're seventeen." Nora deadpanned.

"And it's not like he doesn't deserve it." Weiss added, almost as an aside.

[I've waited all my life
And finally it's here]

"Is...is it?" Weiss whispered.

"Yeah, the song said so." Ruby firmly declared. "And you got this."

[It all begins
A chance to win]

"Why do you...?" Jaune began.

"It's...complicated." Weiss hurried out. "Let's just...focus on the song." She wasn't ready yet, not really.

"...if you say so, Ms. Schnee." Glynda muttered.

[A dream that's been a lifetime
An endless vast uphill climb]

"I know it can feel...insurmountable at times, for whatever reason, but it IS possible." Pyrrha assured Weoss

"Well, not in terms of skill..." Weiss skiled slightly. "...Thank you."

[The day I've waited for
Is drawing neeeeeeaar]

"Well, if Volume 3's in a few weeks, then yeah." Ruby agreed. "Oh wait, it's in a few weeks..."

"It COULD just be referring to the further future again." Weiss countered.

"...Yeah, why are you...?" Yang aaked.

"Give her time." Blake gently responded.

[Hey! Wait! Turn
And show your face]

"Ah, we're not going anywhere!" Nora shouted.

"If he was actually listening, d'you think he'd have actually turned away by now?" Yang asked.

"And then he heard that..." Ren continued.

"Sounds fun." Blake added.

"Why are we discussing THIS in particular?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"Idunno." Ruby answered. To be fair, she didn't.

[I've got a lot to say and
You're not going anywhere]

"I already said that!" Nora repeated.

"Well, he's not actually here, but...also, can we show HIM this?" Ruby asked.

"I'm...not certain that would be a good idea." Weiss admitted. "At least not now. I'd probably just get disinherited."

"He can just DO that?" Jaune asked in slight disbelief. "Wouldn't people notice?"

"Well, he'd need a good excuse, but..." Weiss began.

"...He's very good at coming up with excuses." Ozpin finshed.

[You lose; the time
You ruled me's through]

"Hell yeah it is," Yang declared. Everyone else nodded along.

"That's...nice." Weiss responded, not entirely sure how to respond to all thos positive reinforcement. "...I'm beginning to see the point of us just repeating stuff, though."

"Takes a while to stick sometimes." Nora assured her. "You got this."

"...You're surprisingly insightful about this specifically." Weiss noted.

"Long story." Nora replied, Ren nodding on.

[I'm in control
I own my soul
And I'll never go back there]

"No, I won't." Weiss declared. THIS, she could cleanly articulate right now. "Even if he tries..."

"He'll fail. They always do." Blake spoke up for the first time in a while.

[Wasted years that I
Spent never knowing]

"...Ah, yes, this part." Weiss's resolve faltered slightly.

"What about this part?" Ren asked. "It seems rather clear."

"I just feel like an idiot, because..."

[I was kept
I was used]

"...Even after getting away from him, I..." Weiss trailed off, looking to her team. "It took me SO long to notice..."

"You know now." Blake told her. "And you're actually trying to do something about it."

"...You've said that already, more or less." Weiss said with a smirk.

"The repetition will continue until morale improves!" Nora shouted, to a light chuckle.

[Never-ending
Condescending]

"Always and always..." Weiss muttered. "Over EVERYTHING."

"Some people are not fit to be parents." Ozpin added.

"Yeah, you know, I was starting to think maybe mine are kinda dumb, but..." Jaune began.

"It's not a competition, Jaune." Pyrrha assured him.

[Now I just
Refuuuuuse]

"There has GOT to be a way to shove this in front of him, though." Yang stated.

"Well, if Atlas ever decides to start holding rich people accountable..." Blake offered.

"I don't see that happening soon." Weiss admitted.

"Urgh, now I get why Uncle Qrow's always so grumpy about the whole place..." Ruby muttered.

[I don't care what it costs me
I know I almost lost me]

"You "almost". You didn't. Remember that." Ozpin offered. Was he thinking of his second time or his previous time? Or ALL of them? Who could say.

"It can be hard to pull yourself back, or figure out what you NEED to be, but..." Blake agreed.

"I...I think I'm starting to get that." Weiss admitted.

[Won't spend another day
Confuuuuuuuuuuuuused!]

"So, do you think you can tell us what the thing is now?" Nora asked at the lyrics.

"I...hm." Weiss paused. "I suppose I'm...this is going to sound stupid, but...a little jealous."

[*It's Intermission Time!*]

"Of what?" Ozpin asked, once the intermission became clear. She needed to get this off her chest.

"I guess...because I don't know if I'm THERE yet." Weiss explained. "I don't know if I can say that. And if my "original" self can, I just...I don't know."

"Like I said, these things take time." Blake assured her. "I...might be feeling the same in a Volume or two."

"But like we keep saying, you totally got this." Ruby smiled. "We know you, Weiss."

"Like Blake said, I think "defiant" is a good way to describe it." Pyrrha added.

"You may be closer than you think." Ren offered.

"Either way, if OG You can do it, then you totally can." Nora reasoned.

"Huh, we're being less...kinda mean right now, huh?" Jaune asked, thinking back to

"Eh, that's just how we roll." Yang replied. "They're all right, by the way."

"I won't pretend to understand how your group dynamic works." Glynda deadpanned. "But clearly it does. You have good freinds, Ms. Schnee. Listen to them."

Weiss just took just all in. And then she began chuckling. It wasn't out and out laughter...but it was HAPPY, everyone could tell. Ruby glomped her harder as Blake & Yang leaned on her sides while JNPR, Oz, & Glynda watched on. This was nice.

Still, it stopped eventually, & they spent the rest of the intermission quiet. The song wasn't over yet, after all...

[You rose
(You rose)
I fell (I fell)]

"Oh hey Jeff, how you been?" Nora asked, to try & lighten things up.

"Wasn't he in the last one?" Jaune asked as of that wasn't a few minutes ago.

"Well, clearly he needs to be here to keep repeating it." Weiss mumbled. "Still, I suppose..."

[Made my life hell]

"...It DOES help with the emphasis." Weiss finished. "And I'd like to say that it's exaggerating, but..."

"It's clear and evocative." Blake agreed. "I don't know how anyone could miss that unless..."

"They're an idiot?" Yang offered.

"Something like that." Blake agreed.

[Anything to
Crush my soul]

"Speaking of evocative imagery..." Weiss mumbled.

"Yeah wow, I can kind of picture it." Yang admitted.

"...You can?" Jaune asked. That wasn't his strong suit, admittedly.

"Kind of." Nora admitted.

[Anything to
Feel control]

"And that's what it was about. ALL it was about." Blake said, thinking back to her own experiences.

"Okay, I don't...GET people like that." Ruby admitted. "How does that help them?"

"On the inside, I suppose they're just...empty, and taking it out on whomever they please." Ren offered. His Semblance was kinda related to emotion, right?

"It's futile, in the end." Pyrrha added. "You can't...truly predict these things. The broad scope, perhaps, but...." Not something she'd have thought about before all of this, maybe, but...

[Finally free
I've come so far
(I've come so far)]

"Yeah, you have. And if you can't trust us, trust Jeff." Ruby joked.

"He wouldn't have added to that if he didn't mean it." Blake half-joked.

"Okay, that's...okay." Weiss stopped them, though smiled a bit.

[Finally see how
Sick you aaaarrree]

"I'm...sorry that it took so long, but...yes. That he is." Weiss agreed. "Anyone who has to spend direct proximity to that man would have to eventually, I suppose."

"The important thing is that you get us now." Nora declared.

"Not something I'd have thought possible," Blake admitted, "but here we are."

"Can't argue with that." Yang agreed.

"Okay, this is getting a little embarrassing." Weiss declared.

"But sincere." Ozpin added.

[I spent my life degraded
But I won't leave here jaded]

"If you say so." Weiss told the song. "I didn't think I could, even if I WANTED to, but..."

"But what?" Nora asked. "Have you noticed that we trailed off a LOT today?"

"...Now that you mention it..." Pyrrha muttered.

"We can worry about that later, song time!" Ruby declared.

[I'll start again and finally
Prooooooooovvvvveeeee]

"I DID overdo it at first, I'll admit." Weiss added to that one.

"Yeah it was kinda funny." Nora admitted. "Y'know, before THIS."

"...I'll allow it." Weiss stated. Nora & Yang broke out into grins

"I think you've proved yourself rather well, Ms. Schnee." Glynda changed the subject.

"I suppose I can only hope." Weiss admitted. If she wasn't in the emotions, she may have noticed that she'd gotten rather...casual with her teachers there. Eh, save it for later.

[Time for you to learn
It's My Turn]

Weiss was the first to begin humming, letting the others know that it was okay to sing along. GODS, she DID kind of wonder what her father's reaction to this would be.

Assuming he paid attention to the lyrics for once. He wouldn't be able to miss the heavy rock, though.

[I won't be held
Down any longer]

Admittedly, Weiss couldn't really shake the feeling of jealousy. This was her future. Near future, but she still couldn't help but feel like she wasn't there yet.

[I've waited all my life
And finally it's here]

Ah well, she'd find what she was missing soon enough. Looking at her team, she thought that she finally found what she was missing.

[It all begins
A chance to win]

And as the song said, it was a chance. Maybe it wouldn't work...but that's what HE wanted. And as Yang or Nora would no doubt say, "fuck him."

[A dream that's been a lifetime
An endless vast uphill climb]

And oh yes, it would be hard, no doubt. Even the song acknowledged that the more she looked at it. But seeing her friends sing along (& Headmaster hum along), in this...defiance of that monster, maybe she could.

[The day I've waited for is
Is drawing neeeeeeaaaaar!]

And with that, "Fuck Jacques Schnee" The Song (Part 1, unbeknownst to anyone) came to a close. Still, even with how triumphant that ended up being, it was still a lot personally, so it took a bit for Ruby to speak up.

"So, uh, Weiss, are you good?" she asked.

"I...I think so." Weiss replied.

"Isn't this the part where you ask what we've learned?" Nora pointed out.

"Ehhh, I mean..." at Weiss's nod, Ruby changed her tune (heh), "...okay, so what did we?"

"We learned that when Jacques Schnee says that he treats his employees as family, he isn't exaggerating. At all." Ozpin spoke up.

"...Hot damn, Oz." Yang had to admit.

"Though I probably could have told that from what Operative Schnee, as well as what James has to say about him." Ozpin admitted.

"...What Ironwood has to say?" Blake asked.

"He often has to...deal with my father with regards to Dust distribution." Weiss explained. "I've met him in passing a...couple times."

"Believe me, Ms. Belladonna, he's not fond of the man. Only does it because his job demands it." Ozpin clarified.

"Given all the things he can screw up with his bravado, I suppose it's good that "he likes Jacques Schnee" isn't on his list of...blind spots." Glynda added. "Showing trust, on the other hand..."

"I suppose." Blake granteed. Still, didn't he hold TWO seats on the Council? Did he REALLY have to, or is that what he told himself? Ah well, not really important at the moment.

"I think I...AM happy about that, actually." Weiss eventually granted. "Not always going to be so simple, of course..."

"But we'll deal with it." Ruby finished. "Are you good to...?"

"...Yes, I am." Weiss answered.

"Alrightly then, up next iiiiiiiisssss...." Ruby had a routine and she liked it. "...Not Fall In Love With You. Okay, whose turn is it THIS time?"