En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Chapter 68: Full Circle

"Wait a minute. Rose... wasn't that Summer's last name?"

Looking at Ruby, Jacques Schnee slowly brought his hands to the sides of his head. "That's why you looked so familiar. You must be her daughter; you are her spitting image! To think that she had a spouse, on top of everything else..."

Ruby did a double-take. "You knew my mom?"

Jacques sighed. "Summer was... an important contributor to company security. I owe her my life, several times over."

Ruby frowned. "Not anymore, I guess. She's been gone a long time."

Jacques grimaced. "I know. Her job was a dangerous one... How old are you, little Rose?"

"F-fifteen," she stammered.

"So young, and yet I'm not surprised," he chuckled. "Summer was the only one who dared defy me the way you did moments ago."

Ruby shuffled her feet. "I meant no disrespect... sir. Weiss is—

Weiss waved a hand in front of Ruby before she could give them away. Out of habit, she immediately shut up.

"So, what?" the heiress cut in. "Does she deserve to be treated like a child, considering what she's been through?"

"Well, yes, she's still a child," Mr. Schnee responded, "but she clearly has her mother's heart."

Weiss' face scrunched up as if to say, "Clearly?"

"You refrained from causing any damage to my property," Jacques observed. "Surely, you understand that I must be in charge of Weiss' future. She—no, both of you—are too young to know any better."

Ruby shrugged. "Weiss might be more mature than you think. It was her idea to come back, even though she was scared that you'd be angry and... do something bad."

Weiss glared daggers at Ruby for suggesting her father's abusive parenting methods, but Mr. Schnee seemed to ignore it. "She was right to fear my wrath, but apparently her attachment to a Faunus was stronger than that fear." He sighed. "I have failed as a parent."

"No way!" Ruby argued. "Faunus aren't bad people. Actually, the only thing that makes them different from us is their animal powers, which is kinda cool... But I've met a few Faunus, and they act just like humans do! I mean, you had no idea Blake was a Faunus until her bow came off."

Again, Weiss frantically motioned to Ruby from behind her father's back to stop talking, but the brave young girl kept going.

"I know you don't like Faunus very much because of the White Fang, but not all Faunus are like that. Blake told me they're usually peaceful, and they only fight because they have no other choice. It's because of the people who call them names and hurt them for no reason that they're so violent. Wouldn't you react that way, too?"

The whole while Ruby was talking, Jacques held a cold gaze on her but remained silent. Weiss saw him listen to an opposing view for the first time.

"Your mother repeated the same words many times, little Rose. They won't change my stance, yet an argument with Summer was one I would never win. While I don't believe in fate, it seems that things have come full circle. My daughter is impossibly lucky."

The brunette's eyes lit up at the compliment, but Weiss knew he was thinking only of Summer. She must have earned a lot of his respect—more than any other human being Weiss knew. Knowing that made her smile.

"Very well," Mr. Schnee concluded. "Weiss is safe, and that is my primary concern. I trust her to remain in your custody and out of my way until I finish repairs."