#(like rock hard crack a window winter ice chunk)

[tobitenkit]

just in case you guys didnt know. i work for the actual sweetest woman in the world

[a-kind-of-truth]

The White Stag

“The White Stag,” her grandfather started, settled amongst the midst of his grandchildren. Most of them were eagerly listening, their eyes wide and mouths gaping. His grizzled face looked at each in turn, showing the mauled and mangled visage they knew so well. “Or as the hunters knew it, the Winter Storm.”

That had a few scooting closer to each other as the storm outside rattled the window shutters.

“It is a creature more myth than truth, as very few have seen and lived to tell of it. Even less have even thought to hunt the beast. But alas, there are always people willing to face impossible odds. For all sorts of reasons.”

He gestured with his hands, “Be it need, or greed.”

--------------------------

Anna stalked through the bushes, her heart beating quickly like a punch to the chest. She’d seen it. It. The White Stag with capital letters and all.

“I know you’re there.” The voice was harsh and as cold like when she had been warned by the Huntsman. Anna trembled. Was it just her or had it turned freezing all of a sudden? A woman turned around the tree and Anna almost felt her heart clench. Oh no, that was even worse. The woman glared down at her, her tugging downwards into a scowl.

“You’re…” The woman yelped when Anna grabbed her and pulled her down next to the tree. With a deftness born of urgency, she tossed a part of her cloak over the woman. Good thing too, the woman was wearing a dark blue that would have popped out against the snow. That and she was about as cold as the air outside of her little makeshift hiding spot.

The woman struggled, but Anna quickly looped arms around her, keeping her from escaping the confines of the cloak. “Shhh! The White Stag is about.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, now quiet.” The woman settled more comfortably by Anna. Anna for her part tried to ignore the woman despite the look she was giving her. She was being more sensible and trying to keep an ear out for the damn demon deer.

There was no movement, and even the wind had settled down. It almost hurt to wait, she really, really wanted to bolt into the snow and finish her errand as fast as possible. Time limit or not however, it was better to make sure the danger was away. Still, soon enough even caution couldn’t keep her still and she pulled away from the woman and stood up.

“I think we’re safe. Now hurry, if you go now you can make it to the village before night falls.”

“Oh?” The woman stood up, looking at Anna as she dug into her pack. “And where do you go?”

Anna held up her pick in explanation, “I have ice to get.”

“Pardon?”

“Ice. This late in summer the mountain is the only place you can find any. Now, the village is that way.” Anna didn’t bother to see if the woman took her advice. More determined to get as high and away from the deer’s stomping grounds as possible.

Anna needed to find a thoroughly frozen lake to get a chunk of ice the size she needed. It would have to be huge. Big enough to survive the travel back to the village. She had a small sled, and a fur to keep the sun off the chunk once she had it. Really though, that was only half of the challenge. Getting it down in time was the real issue.

“Why?” Anna choked, turning around. The woman was right behind her.

“I need it. Why else would I bother?” Anna pointed back towards the village, “Now shoo, it’s dangerous out here.”

That got her a frown.

“Why do you need it?” Anna turned away. Eventually the woman would get cold, give up and head down to the village. If not she could just… oh she didn’t know, strap her to the sled. That wouldn’t work, better to try and outpace her. The woman was following her easily, which was weird considering the snow and the branches and the fact the crazy woman was wearing a dress of all things in this altitude.

“You never told me your name.” If the woman was going to bother her then she better serve as entertainment.

“What?”

“Your name, mine is Anna Hunter and yours is?” The woman froze, then blinked. She was quiet long enough that Anna looked back, realizing that the woman was holding her sides. Then the woman started laughing, hard and long with the sort of laughter that Anna would have better described as insane.

“Ah, once I am free I am going to freeze that rock until it cracks into splinters and be done with it. In the end a ‘Hunter’ shall claim you indeed.”

Something butted against her back, pushing her forward. Flinching she noticed the woman was gone and in her place was an extraordinarily large white doe, looking about as disgruntled as a shapeshifting demon deer could.

“Come on, better to be done with all of this at last. We’ve an adventure to be on, redemption and a curse to lift.” It spoke in the woman's voice and she couldn’t do anything but obey. Not with the fear that suddenly rushed her veins. Then Anna thought of the village below and the fever. That had her squaring her shoulders and marching forward on hed own two feet.

[abiteofnat]

SPRINKLES & SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE...

But also for sure naughty. This post is not for the faint of heart, stomach, or soul. 

It turns out when I get the flu (and a sinus infection, and an antibiotic cocktail) I can’t work out at ALL, which somehow in my mind gives me a free pass to eat all the treats. It should be the other way around, right? Nope. If I know I’m not getting up at the ass-crack of dawn to do crunches and heavy lifting, I am eating heavy... like anything fried, crunchy, salty, sweet, you name it. Plus I don’t feel well, so I have to comfort myself with delicious foods to make life not freaking terrible! Add in grad school finals, the first freezing week of the year, and the fact Trump is running our country and it’s amazing every single meal hasn’t been churros. 

Which brings us to the theme of this post: 2 wintery day plans that mix savory and sweet and promise to be delicious. When it’s gray outside and you’re sick of shuffling to the nearest burrito house to get something warm and filling to eat, it’s hard to figure out where to go that’s worth entering shitty weather. You want to explore with friends... but to where? I’VE COMPILED SOME IDEAS (while swaddled in sweaters and a little delirious from the fever). 

WINTER DAY PLAN 1: 

Late lunch at 3 Arts Club Cafe and churros from La Bodega de Barrio! 

One of my must-have meals in Chicago is the Truffled Grilled Cheese from 3 Arts, and every time I go it’s a no-brainer that fries are the side comin’ along with it. This sandwich is thick slabs of sourdough dripping with cheddar, truffle oil, sea salt, and a healthy amount of butter that will stay on your fingers for hours. Don’t try cutting it with a fork and knife- your efforts will be futile, and you just gotta ruin that lipstick and dive right in. The french fries... are... unreal. Crispy, golden, coated in sea salt and herbs, reeking of garlic, and they come with a garlic aioli to dip in. All this and you’re sitting in the most gorgeous casual lunching venue Chi-town has to offer??? Crystal chandeliers and cozy as heck chairs? That’s as good as it can get... OH WAIT. They’ve completely decorated the place for Christmas, and it’s a winter wonderland (but in a very classy way). NOW it can’t get better.  

Then, after you grab a coffee from their sleek, mirrored cafe to wash it all down, you should grab a cab or walk the mile to La Bodega de Barrio for a dessert that won’t let you down. Attached to Barrio, the delicious and kooky Hispanic restaurant in River North, there’s a little bodega that sells chocolate, hot sauces, cooking kits + supplies, and best of all: FRESH CHURROS. You wander up to the case packed with churro options and then pick two, wait 5-10 minutes for them to fry you up some fresh dough sticks and decorate them with icing and toppings of your choice, and then sit at the adorable window bar to enjoy. These churros are the perfect warm, sweet, cinnamon-spiced treat for a cold afternoon and the red velvet one with chocolate topping could not be better. Simple cinnamon-sugar you can’t go wrong with, but when Fruity Pebbles are an option... you HAVE to try it. And they offer tacos a la carte should you still need a bite after lunch! 

(Window views at Bodega!)

WINTER DAY PLAN 2: 

Heavy Southern eats at Wishbone West Loop followed by a Military Latte at Sawada Coffee!

Wishbone is such a fucking incredible restaurant for vegetarians, seafood lovers, simple food eaters, and those looking for cornbread muffins that don’t taste like dust. Focused on Southern staples such as po’boys, gumbo, shrimp & grits, black bean cakes, and a million savory sides, it’s ideal late afternoon lazy-meal eating. With humble and cozy locations across Chicago you don’t have to go far to find their okra, however the West Loop one became my favorite the second we walked in. It’s old-time diner meets New Orleans and Nashville, and I can’t wait to return for the Vegetarian Platter!!! As a veghead it’s typical for me to create a meal out of meatless sides, however they actually offer a platter of 3 of their vegetarian-friendly sides AND a corn muffin AND coleslaw for under $12. Finally, a whole plate of real food that they WANT to pile together for me! I go for the mac & cheese, home fries, and a fruit salad. The mac & cheese is baked in a pan and tastes homemade in the best way, with dark, gooey cheese on top, and the home fries are big ole chunks of tater with rock salt and onions mixed in. With the moist lil corn muffin and a bite of crisp coleslaw on the side, it’s quite literally the perfect meal. Crazy combo of flavors and you will be full for a hot minute. 

My mom engrained in my brain that a warm, comforting meal should always be followed by coffee. Whether it be a French Press, black coffee, or a caramel macchiato- there’s no excuse to skip a caffeinated nightcap(puccino). (Ha). So through West Loop we explored and went to Sawada Coffee right across from SoHo House, which you could almost miss if you didn’t know what door to look for! Find the metal door coated in band flyers and Vans stickers and you’ll enter a prime example of West Loop MAGIC: a big brick warehouse turned coffee shop and BBQ heaven, not even kidding. Lights strung all over the ceiling, donuts and croissants offered along with a simple coffee menu, and big picnic benches for communal work + play. 

Sawada is known for latte art out the wazoo and most importantly, their Military Latte! Matcha (a green tea powder blended with milk that tastes very grassy but is very good for you) is a big deal to them and while I ~H A T E~ matcha , I’m a sucker for trying new things... so I got the Military Latte. It’s matcha and cocoa powder blended together and then poured insanely elegantly and far beyond my shaky-kinda-lopsided-heart latte art skills, and wow. It was delicious. I think the chocolate offset how much matcha can taste like licking rocks, and the vibes were so good that I would have drank anything they gave me just to sit their longer. New favorite nook? Oh hell yeah. 

If you haven’t seen my last post on the in’s and out’s of the West Loop, keep scrolling down!!! It’s the best part of the city right now. So much to try...I’m fatigued by choices. 

While eating all of this has been FANTASTIC and indulgent, and even though I am such a big “eat what you want when you want it gurrlll” pusher, I could not be more excited to get back into the gym and not feel like a beignet in skinny jeans. There’s something great about not giving a fuck and just enjoying some fun money & fun times with friends finding new favorite treats while you’re on an antibiotic time-out, but I also need that balance in the gym or running outside to connect with my body that’s now hidden under cornbread. Remember during finals and the stress of the holidays to take some time for yourself and snack to your heart’s delight- but also go for a walk with your family/dog, find a dope neighborhood to explore on foot, and don’t be afraid to sweat out what your mind is spiraling on! You’ll feel good about your choices, your body won’t be sluggish, and the holidays won’t catch up with you by New Year’s “Resolution” workout time. Balance is key entering the winter season, and you’ll probably also avoid the flu if you don’t eat like this. For at least one day of the week ;) 

Until next time, Happy Eating!

-Natalie

[ruffsficstuffplace]

The Keeper of the Grove (Part 85)

After Winter and Weiss smothered their sadness in delicious frozen dairy product, Taiyang left to go cook dinner ready for everyone, while Winter laid down in her nest, cuddling Eluna while Penny pulled out and placed as many of her plushies as she could around and top of her.

“Are you going to be alright, Winter?” Weiss asked as she sat next to her.

“No, not for a long, long time...” Winter replied as she stared up at the ceiling, eyes still red. “I just need to lie down for a while. Feel free to join me! … Actually, please do...”

Weiss frowned. “Sorry, sis, I think I need to get rid of my excess magic first...” she muttered as she looked at her gloved hand. “It’s starting to hurt.”

“Then can we have a sleepover later like we did last time?”

Weiss smiled. “I was already planning to.”

Winter smiled back. “I’ll see you later, Weiss.”

“See you later, Winter.”

“Would you like me to join you in case another incident occurs with your powers?” Penny asked as she opened a new crate of plushies.

Weiss shook her head. “I’ll just take a few soul stones and anti-magic grenades, thanks...”

Penny opened a compartment in her chest and handed them to Weiss, then back to her and Ruby’s room she went to collect Myrtenaster and the rest of her weaver’s armour.

It was strange how it could the room was almost exactly as she’d left it—warmly lit from the sun pouring in through the windows, her and Ruby’s piles of belongings scattered about everywhere in semi-organized chaos, that familiar smell of earth, mud, animals, and chocolate chip cookies—yet feel so different even if she was only gone for a day-and-a-half.

(Though be fair, it was a very long, eventful day-and-a-half.)

It used to be that just coming in through the door made Weiss relaxed and happy, as it was usually the end of another day of learning, training, and working; getting some much needed sleep and respite from whatever was going wrong in her life at the time; and time alone with Ruby, be they their more intimate moments, or just hanging out and relaxing.

But now it just made her feel… afraid? Sad? Angry? Regretful? Confused? She didn’t know what exactly, but she it caused than same aching feeling in her chest back in Abner’s holding cell.

As she left the room, she saw the Summer plushie sitting in Ruby’s nest.

Her words echoed in her head: “… Can I borrow her when I’m sad?”

How did Ruby react, after she left Weiss’ cell and went out of Abner’s lab, back to Keeper’s Hollow? Weiss knew from experience how good you could get at maintaining a facade, never letting other people know what it was you were feeling, holding them back and acting like nothing was wrong until you could let go in private, if the emotions hadn’t faded in the meanwhile.

She was interrupted by her hand aching—the feeling was starting to go from “muzzled snout” to “choke-chain being pulled far too hard.”

Weiss closed the door behind her, massaged her hand as she headed to the training grounds.

Weiss stood in front of the Punching Rock, its surface scarred by fresh blade marks and new, fist-sized dents since the last time she had trained there.

She flicked her gauntlet’s safety switch off, cried out and clutched her wrist as thick clouds of frost burst out from her hand. It didn’t freeze her skin thanks to her equipment, but her whole arm still ached and throbbed, like she had been sleeping on it wrong the whole night.

She thrust her gloved hand out to the Rock, a tiny blizzard erupting from her fingers and forming a several feet-thick sheet of ice over it. Once the magical pins and needles sensation started to fade, Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster, and set to work hacking and tearing it apart with barrages of icicles, beams of high pressure water, or slashes with her sword, magic flying out of the blade and lashing and slicing the ice like whips.

It started to cracked and break apart, in clouds of frost, rains of sharp shards, or giant chunks falling off and landing to the ground with heavy thuds. And when she could almost see the bedrock underneath once more, she summoned a new blizzard, and did it all over again.

The estimated cost of her spells hadn’t changed in the slightest, but her mana bar had doubled in size, and every spell was exponentially more powerful than it ever was before—as if all this time, something had been holding her back, and it only chose to break now.

Weiss wasn’t too bothered—it wasn’t as if the problems in her life had ever decided to be courteous and come one-at-a-time, waiting for one issue to be solved before the next arrived. “When it rains, it pours...” she muttered as she raised Myrtenaster up, magic spiraling out of the tip and turning into a giant, localized storm.

Boom!

It began to rain all over the training grounds, drops crashing on the frozen face of the Rock, the dirt turning into mud, and Weiss feet sinking into the ever growing muck. She stood there for a while, watching the ice rapidly crack and melt, feeling the rain pelt her body, drops pouring over her mask’s optics and the mist rising up from the ground clouding her vision.

Then she raised Myrtenaster up, and whirled it around in the air once more.

The clouds swirled around as they should have, but none of them broke apart, or rushed back into her sword.

Weiss scowled. “Okay, that’s enough! You can stop now!”

It kept on raining.

Weiss cast a dispel “bubble” at the clouds. It exploded, and the storm weakened for a moment, before it resumed pouring.

Weiss groaned. “I’m your weaver! I made you! You can’t just turn on me like this!”

Splash!

A concentrated burst of water hit Weiss in the face, she growled as she wiped it off with her gloved hand. She grabbed one of the anti-magic grenades on her belt, pulled the pin, and tossed it straight into the heart of the storm.

Whoom.

A wave of purple energy erupted from the grenade, the clouds shriveling up and rapidly dissipating back into the air as pure magic. The sky over the training grounds was still foggy and grim, and it had done nothing for the mud or the mist, but at least it wasn’t raining any more.

Weiss flicked the safety of her gauntlet back on, slogged through the mud and to the fountain on the side. She washed off the worst of the muck, before she pulled her mask and hood off, and sat down to meditate.

“Attune yourself to how you feel at that very moment,” Glynda had said, and right now, she was pretty sure she was feeling pissed, angry, and frustrated. But the longer she spent sitting under the waterfall, she felt those feelings drain away, new ones pouring in and making her feel depressed, lonely, and hurt.

Weiss sighed, feeling her eyes sting as her body tried to shed tears she didn’t have, not after earlier.

“Excuse me, Weiss?”

Weiss opened her eyes and mouth, flailed and sputtered as water poured right into them. She leaned out of the waterfall, blinked her vision clear and spat until her mouth was empty. She looked up, and saw Pyrrha standing a polite distance in front of her, wearing a simple red dress that had the sleeves cut off, her skirt and ankles covered in mud.

“Yes…?” Weiss asked.

“Your form is off,” Pyrrha said. “Your shoulders are tensed, and you should really be trying to keep them relaxed.”

Weiss blinked. “How do you know how water weaver’s meditate?”

“It’s almost exactly like Misogi, from the Old World,” Pyrrha explained. “And before you ask: I learned that on a trip to Solaris, where I lived in a Shinto monastery in the mountains for a few months.”

“I, uh… thank you.”

Pyrrha smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Weiss paused for a moment. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing here?”

“I was planning on doing some training then meditation myself,” Pyrrha replied. “It’s how I relax, seeing as praying, reading Piper’s Logs, or seeking guidance from a custodian or a steward never really did it for me.”

Weiss blinked. “That’s, ah...”

“Surprising?” Pyrrha offered. “Ironic? Not at all what you expected from the direct descendant of the original Holy Shepherd, and one of the highest leaders of the Church itself?”

Weiss paused. “… Yes, that.”

“I can hold it off if you need me to help make sure your form is correct,” Pyrrha said. “Or if you need my help for anything else—it’s also what I’m doing here.”

Weiss smiled. “As the Holy Shepherd, swooping in to protect and comfort those in need?”

Pyrrha frowned. “As just Pyrrha, who would like to be your friend, if you don’t mind...” she smiled. “I can still offer counseling and advice, though.”

Weiss offered her bare hand. “Then I’ll take the second.”

Pyrrha took it, and effortlessly pulled Weiss up in spite of the deep mud she was standing in. Weiss paused as she found herself standing right in front of Pyrrha, feeling the strength and firmness of her grip, seeing how defined the muscles were all over her arms, the hints at much the same for the rest of her body.

She wasn’t exactly on Ruby’s level, but it was like the difference between 3rd and 1st placers at the Summit Games—a difference of just a few seconds, repetitions, or pounds.

Pyrrha smiled. “Like I said: training and meditation,” she said as she let go of her hand.

Weiss blushed and nodded as she turned around and picked her mask up from the side of the fountain, and clipped it to her belt. “Right...”

For all the mud, the two of them ended up perching on one of the giant roots of a tree deeper in the swamp.

Pyrrha climbed on first, then helped pull Weiss up; they stopped and enjoyed the scenery for a while, watching and listen to all the wildlife rushing back to their homes, or fitting in as much activity as they could before the day ended and night began.

“Would you like to tell me what’s eating at you?” Pyrrha asked. “Or would you like to just chat for a while?”

“The first,” Weiss replied.

Pyrrha placed her hands in her lap and smiled. “Then I’m ready to listen.”

“Have you learned about the big secret of the Keepers and their mates already?”

Pyrrha nodded. “Qrow explained it to the rest of us, after he got out of Winter’s cell.”

Weiss looked out to the water. “Then you know what’s my problem right now...”

“How do you feel about it?”

“That it’s fucked up, and it’s even more fucked up that no one ever bothered to tell me earlier—not even Ruby…” Weiss frowned, her voice began trembling. “I thought after all we’d been through, how much she knows I hate the Council keeping all their secrets, her commitment to being honest, she’d tell me something like this before we got together, before everything that just happened, before circumstances were forcing her to spill it...”

“I mean, isn’t this the most messed up thing you’ve ever heard?! Who would willingly start a family with someone knowing full well that their children are going to have the fate of the realm thrust on their shoulders from birth, and they wouldn’t have a choice in the matter?!”

Pyrrha smiled. “It’s not, actually considering it’s almost exactly the same as what happened with me and my parents—though I suppose ‘Head of State of Avalon’s Oldest and Largest Religion/Government,’ isn’t as impressive as ‘Slayer of Soul Eaters and Other Realm-Threatening Horrors.’

Weiss blinked. “Oh… right.” She paused. “… Sorry...”

Pyrrha chuckled. “It’s fine.”

It was quiet for a while, just the sounds of birds singing, frogs croaking, and the rustling of bushes and branches.

“… How do you deal with it…?” Weiss asked. “Having all this responsibility thrust on you just because of who your parents were, what you are because of them?”

“The only thing I could do: figure out what I can and want to do about it.

“I could have chosen to go along with the Stewards’ plan, played along with their grooming me from day one to be the perfect spokesperson and figurehead, do everything they asked me to do:

“Endorse candidates I know will stop being ‘for the people’ as soon as they get the position and start being ‘for themselves’; using my pardoning powers to save a very generous tither from going to jail for corruption, preferably before the investigators discover how many Church officials were in on it; smile and tell right to the faces of people who don’t know any better that everything the Stewards do is for the greater good, that the funding for their food bank is getting cut for some much more pressing need that has even more dire consequences for all of us.

“… Or I could go with what my conscience was saying, follow the standards my mother, her father, and our ancestor Piorina Nikos stood by:

“Refuse to give my blessing to any candidate, tell people to vote for who they think should lead them, not who their Church official of choice says; not sign the pardon, let the Peacekeepers find out just where those misled funds were going and who were getting cuts to keep it undercover; smile, and tell those same people that no, your funding will not be cut, and I will fight for your right to eat proper food—especially if the money that would have gone to them would put more in the pockets of people who’ve already lined the inside of their clothes with 1,000 Uroch bills with pure etherite thread for the stitching.

Pyrrha looked at Weiss and smiled. “Destiny isn’t inherently a bad thing.

“It’s good to have something to live up to, motivation to aim high and fly higher, something that can help give you direction, as Piper knows a LOT of us would really like someone to tell us exactly what we should be doing with our lives!

“But you should always remember that it isn’t inevitable, that you don’t have to follow it, and that you can always break away and forge your own path.”

She looked out to the water, got a far-off look in her eyes. “Especially when that legacy turns from something to keep a ragtag fleet of outcasts, refugees, and ex-convicts from killing each other, improve everyone’s lives, and become their guide for a better life in the New World, into something that drives them apart all over again, that ruins entire generations of their descendants for the benefit of a select few, that becomes the very thing they fled the Old World for in the first place...”

All was silent for a while once more as Pyrrha hung her head, eyes turned to the water.

“Are the problems in the Church really that bad…?” Weiss aksed.

Pyrrha sighed as she looked up. “Worse. As it was from the time when Valentino was its head, the Sacred Stewards are VERY good at keeping awful secrets secrets, and putting a positive spin on anything that leaks out, no matter how terrible.

“The Holy Shepherd had its time, but it is long past. It’s why I’m not planning on going back to the Nexus any time soon—preferably, forever.”

Weiss frowned. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Your defection’s already causing a LOT of chaos all over Avalon.”

Pyrrha shrugged. “Only time will tell! But what I do know is that I may still be supporting something I don’t fully agree with, but at least here, I can be just Pyrrha Nikos—no forced appearances at public events and major holidays, no PR teams drilling me on exactly how to act and talk, no one forcing me to keep a giant charade alive, even if it kills me inside to gives so many people so much false hope.

“Sure, the Council is still a manipulative and secretive government who’s morally questionable at best, but at least they’re honest about it, and try to be constructive about how they shape the world around them to their benefit—after all, where would we all be, if it weren’t for the ‘groundbreaking innovations’ of ‘our’ great scientists during the Neo-Renaissance…?” she said, pulling out her Fae-made comm-crystal before idly turning it in her hands..

“The Fae still aren’t the company I’d keep if I had the choice, but it wasn’t as if Piper didn’t do great things in spite of who she had for her crew, the people she had to rely on when it was all hands on deck.

“But at the very least, the Council is offering me an out, and unlike the Stewards, I feel I can trust their word on that.”  She paused and blushed. “… That I can be with Penny without people judging me is also nice.”

“Do you really think you two could work out?” Weiss asked. “I’m asking honestly here, to be clear.”

Pyrrha shrugged again. “I don’t know, but I’m willing to find out!” She smiled at Weiss. “You know, I’ve always had a problem with people saying they ‘we just knew we were perfect for each other’ as if they could see in the future, like there’s someone out there for whom you will magically, effortlessly click with just you, like those model-specific cables they had for computers in the Old World, before everything went completely wireless.

“But to quote your grandfather: ‘What we should really be saying is “I knew I was willing to take a risk, and make it work.”’”

She looked at Weiss. “I suppose that’s what you should be asking yourself, with you and Ruby: are you willing to take the risk, see if you can make it work? If you can be with her in spite of you and your children being roped into the thick of a millennium-old institution? If, like my parents and all my ancestors before me, being in a relationship and starting a family with that specific person would all be worth it?”

Weiss looked down. “I don’t know...”

Pyrrha patted her on the shoulder. “You’ll figure it out eventually—your meditation should help greatly, as it did with mine.”

“Could you help me do it right, then?” Weiss asked.

Pyrrha smiled. “Of course.”

Pyrrha jumped down, caught Weiss, and the two headed back to the training grounds and to the fountain.

Weiss’ form was still off and she was clearly a long, long way from being able to sit perfectly still like the senior weavers, but it was a lot less unpleasant with Pyrrha helping her out.