The rest of the week went by, and Neo felt more and more at home at Beacon with every passing day. Blake had taken her shopping earlier in the week for new clothes and school supplies, with Weiss having been nice enough to pay. Neo was surprised at how much she enjoyed being in school. She wasn't sure if it was an actual yearning to learn or just the newness of it, but either way she felt couldn't be happier. She was still somewhat on edge after her agreement with Mercury and Emerald, but tried her best to keep it in the back of her mind.
Neo laid on her new bed, which sat where Ruby's had been before converting it to a bunk bed. It was a little past noon and Ruby, Blake and Yang were out at lunch with team CFVY. Weiss had stayed behind to catch up on staying before her date tonight, and Neo had feigned a stomach ache to stay behind as well. Alright, time to win her over, Neo thought, glancing up at the heiress. I just hope she'll agree to hang out. Weiss had been buried in her books all morning and, if left alone, would likely have stayed there until Neptune came to pick her up. Neo took a deep breath and stood up. "Hey Weiss?" she asked.
"What?" Weiss replied, not taking her eyes off her notes.
"I uh, was wondering if you'd want to go get lunch?"
"Just the two of us?"
"Y-yeah, I thought we could just hang out, get to know each other."
Weiss stopped and turned to Neo, who by now had turned a light shade of red. She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"Well, we haven't really talked much since I came here. I want us to be friends, and I figured spending an afternoon together could be a good way to start."
"I..." Weiss started, looking sceptically at Neo. "I can't, I need to finish studying before I go out tonight."
She turned back to her desk, and Neo's heart sank. She hung her head and walked to the door. Well... you tried, she thought sadly. No point trying to convince her I guess, she's about as stubborn as rock. Guess I can try again tomorrow. She turned the handle and started to leave, but Weiss stopped her. "Where're you going?" the heiress asked, looking up from her books.
Neo shrugged, "I'll see if I can catch up with the rest of the team, if they haven't found somewhere to eat yet."
"I thought you were feeling sick?" Weiss asked, remembering why Neo hadn't gone with them in the first place.
"Yeah, well, I lied. I wanted the two of us to have time to ourselves. I should've known better... I'll get out of your hair now," Neo replied, hurrying out the door.
She knew she wouldn't be able to catch her teammates no matter how quickly she went, she just wanted to avoid the conversation getting more awkward. She sighed and started walking down the hall. "Neo, wait!" a voice called out behind her as she reached the stairs, and she turned with surprise to see Weiss running down the hall after her.
"Weiss? What're you doing?" Neo asked.
"I suppose you're right that we haven't spoken much, and it's my fault," Weiss began. Neo went to interrupt, but Weiss put a hand up to stop her. "I didn't trust you, and frankly, I still don't. But, I said I would give you a chance, and I won't go back on my word. If you want us to spend the afternoon together, then we will."
Neo smiled, "Alright, then let's go!"
The duo left Beacon and headed into Vale, Neo being somewhat happy to get out of the school and back outside. It was a warm, sunny day, with a light breeze and only a few clouds in the sky. In stark contrast to the weather, Weiss was being her usual, cold self. She was quiet for the duration of the walk, making it awkward for both girls. "So, where did you have in mind for lunch?" Weiss asked, finally breaking the silence.
"There's a new diner I saw a few blocks from 'From Dust Till Dawn.' I was thinking we could go there, it looked pretty good."
Weiss shrugged, "Sounds alright to me." They walked up to the diner, and Neo was happy to see they wouldn't have to wait for a table. A waitress greeted them as they entered and took them to a booth along the window at Neo's request. She took their drink orders, Neo getting 'People Like Grapes' and Weiss with a glass of water.
"Excellent, I'll be back in a moment," the waitress said and departed, leaving the girls alone.
"This is nice," Neo said. Weiss nodded, but didn't look up from her menu. "Know what you're gonna get?"
"Probably just a salad."
"Oh come on, don't be so bland!"
Weiss glared across the table, "Unlike you, I actually have to watch what I eat to maintain my figure."
Neo rolled her eyes, "One nice lunch won't kill you. Maybe I should pick for you."
"Whatever. What're you getting?"
Neo shrugged and picked up her own menu. Everything looked good to her, but she found herself constantly turning back to the breakfast section.
"It's never too late for pancakes," she replied happily, and Weiss rolled her eyes.
"I swear, you can be as childish as Ruby sometimes."
Neo frowned, "What's childish about pancakes?"
"It's one o'clock in the afternoon!"
"Like I said, it's never too late."
Weiss sighed in frustration, but couldn't find a reason to object. "Just don't order a side of cookies. I don't know if I could handle two Rubys."
"Don't worry, I'm not that crazy about sweets," Neo laughed. "I'll probably either get bananas or blueberries on top."
"Ew, bananas on pancakes?" Weiss asked in disgust.
"Yeah, you've never tried it?"
"No! That sounds awful!"
Neo grinned, "Well then you will now. Trust me, you'll love it!" Weiss raised an eyebrow at the word "trust," and Neo quickly looked back down at her menu.
"Well..." the heiress said hesitantly. "Alright, I'll give it a try."
Neo's eyes lit up, "Sweet!" Their waitress returned only moments later to take their orders, Neo getting her banana pancakes and Weiss taking Neo's suggestion and ordering the diner's lunch special. The waitress returned to the kitchen, leaving the girls on their own again.
Okay, this is going way better than expected, Neo thought happily. She's talking to me, agreed to try something new, and listened to my lunch suggestion. Maybe this will work out after all. She wasn't aware of how much she was smiling at her own thoughts, and Weiss quickly picked up on it.
"What's got you so happy?" she asked.
"What?" Neo said as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, I um, was just thinking of something."
Weiss didn't look like she believed her, but didn't ask any further. "Alright. So Neo... what should I know about you?"
Is she trying to start a conversation? Neo thought incredulously. She smiled, "Well, you kinda already know all the big stuff. Anything more specific you'd like to know?"
"Yes, there is," the heiress said plainly. "You said Cinder Falls raised you. I'd like to know more about that."
"Well, as long as I can remember she took care of me," Neo started. "She's not my mother though, I don't know anything about my real parents. I was brought up as a fighter, along with... a few other kids." She caught herself from mentioning Mercury and Emerald, which Weiss noticed.
"Who were the other kids?"
"I don't really remember," Neo lied. "I haven't seen them since I was really young."
I don't like this. She'll find out I lied eventually, I know she will. I hope she'll understand...
"Anyway, once I got old enough she used me as a bodyguard," Neo continued. "I wasn't assigned to Roman until after Blake and the monkey Faunus fought him at the docks. What's that kid's name?"
"Sun. You'll probably meet him soon," Weiss said. "He and Neptune are best friends."
"I'd love to meet him, I've heard some cool things about his weapons and how he fights."
"Just don't try pulling any moves on him," Weiss laughed. "Blake would shred you like a mouse."
Neo chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind. So what about you, Weiss? What should I know about you?"
The heiress thought for a moment, "I assume you know about my family and the Schnee Dust Company."
Neo nodded, "That must've been awesome as a kid. All that money, getting anything you wanted, being treated like a princess—" She stopped as she saw Weiss' expression darken, and feared she hit a sore topic. "Sorry, I didn't know that was a sensitive subject."
Weiss sighed, "No, it's fine. Everyone thinks that's what it would be like, but it's really quite the opposite. My parents were hardly ever around, so our servants became more of a family to me than they were. You're right about one thing though, I did get most everything I wanted, but it came at the cost of friends, and everything a child should have. I was always expected to be the perfect daughter, to uphold the family honour. It was a tough way to grow up."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Neo said sympathetically.
A small smile crept onto Weiss' lips at the comment, "I shouldn't complain, especially to you. I'm sure you had it much worse." Neo smiled back, happy to see they were finally starting to connect. "So, I hope you don't mind me asking, but I'd like to know more about your split personality."
"Alright, ask away!" Before Weiss could say anything, their waitress arrived with their lunches. The girls thanked her as she set the food on the table, and Neo turned to Weiss with a big grin.
"What's that look?" the heiress asked with a hint of worry.
Neo responded by pushing the pancakes toward her. "You said you'd give it a try," she answered, and Weiss looked down at the plate.
"Yeah... I did..." She picked up her knife and fork and cut a small piece. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, put the bite her mouth and cautiously chewed.
"So what do ya think?" Neo asked eagerly. Weiss' tense expression melted into optimism, and Neo smiled, knowing she had been right.
"It's... alright I guess," the heiress said flatly.
Neo laughed and pulled the plate back to herself, "Oh don't give me that, you love it and you know it." Weiss crossed her arms, but didn't argue. The two went silent again, but this time it was from neither one wanting to look up from their food. Eventually they both slowed down and Neo decided to resume their conversation. "So what'd you want to know about my other personality?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, right. I guess the biggest thing I want to know is just what it's like to be the other you. What'd you name her again?"
"Harley," Neo said with a small laugh. "It's kind of a weird feeling when I make the transition, I can't really describe it."
"But what's it like just becoming another person?"
"It's... strange. It's always weird right after switching, just having a completely different way of thinking. Imagine if you suddenly thought the same way Ruby did."
Weiss' eyes flew open, "That would be... interesting. So... what does Harley think about? You said she's a psychopath, what do you mean?"
Neo sighed and looked down, "It's just a lot of violent, crazy images. It can be frightening sometimes once I come out of it and realise who they were about... Can I tell you something that scares me?"
Weiss nodded, "Of course."
"I think... I think if Professor Goodwitch hadn't stopped the match when she did on Monday, I would've pulled my sword on Cardin. Everything I remember thinking about during the match was of me just stabbing him, over and over. It's the same thing I remember after fighting Yang on the train..."
Neo turned back to Weiss, who gazed back at her with a look of pure compassion. "It's alright," she said, putting her hand on Neo's. "You can't help it. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."
Neo wiped a tear from her eye and smiled, "Thanks, Weiss. I guarantee I'll take you up on that eventually."
"I believe you," Weiss said, and looked down at the table. "Neo, I'm sorry for the way I've acted toward you. I shouldn't have let your past affect my judgment as much as it did. What matters is who you are now, and who you're striving to be. You're a great person, and I'm happy to call you my friend."
Neo felt tears welling in her eyes again, but this time they were tears of joy. "Weiss, I can't even tell you how much that means to me. I promise, I'll be the best friend to you I can be."
The moment was cut short as their waitress returned to the table, carrying the check and setting it between them. "Hi girls! Sorry to interrupt, I'll just leave this here and you can take care of it when you're ready."
"Thank you," Weiss said somewhat annoyed. Neo reached for her purse, but Weiss' hand quickly stopped her. "And just what do you think you're doing?"
"Paying the bill?"
"I don't think so," Weiss said, reaching for her own purse.
"Yes, I am! I took you out to lunch, it's only fitting that I pay. But, I'll let you leave the tip if you'd like."
Weiss simply laughed, "You forget, I'm a Schnee, money is anything but an issue. Besides, I can't imagine you have much extra cash on you."
"You'd be surprised, robbing your family's trains and warehouses landed me a decent pay," Neo said smugly, making Weiss glare at her.
"Well then, I guess I'm the one paying no matter what, if you think about it," the heiress replied, her angry stare turning to a grin.
Neo smiled back, "Yeah, I guess so."
Weiss set the Lien on the table and the two left the diner. Neo started back in the direction of Beacon, but Weiss had other plans. "So where're we going next?"
Neo looked back at the heiress in surprise, "Next?"
"Well yeah, you said we were spending the afternoon together, I assumed you had more than just lunch in mind."
"Oh yeah..." Neo said shyly. "Well, the thing is, I didn't actually think this would go as well as it did."
Weiss crossed her arms, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"I dunno, I figured you and I wouldn't get along after the way you reacted to me coming here. Besides, I figured you'd want to get back to studying."
Weiss' expression softened, "I guess I can't blame you for thinking that. But, if you're still up for it, I wouldn't mind doing something else. I think I've studied enough for today."
"I'd love to," Neo said, perking up at the suggestion. "I don't really know the city that well yet, is there anywhere you'd recommend?"
"Hmm... I wouldn't say no to just going shopping," Weiss replied after a moment of thought.
"Sounds like a plan."