Brand Neo Day

It was a brilliant day outside. Bright sun, light clouds, and it was much, much, much warmer than the night before. Neo felt as if the breeze were carrying her along as she ran, like nothing could ruin how happy she was. She arrived at their dorm panting slightly, but still full of energy. She burst through the doors with a massive smile. "Hey guys, guess what? Ironwood changed his—" she stopped when she saw Weiss sitting on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably, with Yang and Weiss on either side trying to calm her down. Ruby sat beside Yang, and gave Neo a sad look. "What's going on?"

Yang shook her head and handed Neo Weiss' scroll, "Just read this."

She took the device and read the message it had been opened to in her head, Weiss, I was informed by a client of mine, who attended the same restaurant as you yesterday evening, that you are in an apparent relationship with another girl at the academy. I am incredibly disappointed, and I want to speak with both of you immediately. I will be awaiting your call. Father. 

Neo's eyes widened, "No... You don't think he...?"

Weiss nodded, still crying, "I-I can't th-think of w-why else he'd want us to c-call." She suddenly jumped up from the bed and pulled Neo in a tight embrace. "I-I don't want to lose you..."

"Shh, shh, it'll be okay," Neo tried to say reassuringly, but her voice cracked from trying not to cry herself. Ruby quickly ran over to join in and add her support, and soon the whole team was wrapped in a group hug.

Blake was the first to step back, "Do you think you should call him?"

"It's not like we have much of a choice" the heiress replied, wiping her eyes. "He's my father, I can't just ignore him."

"We'd better not keep him waiting then," Neo said, taking Weiss by the hand. "Should we go to the library and make a call?" Weiss nodded weakly, and the two left the room, being sure to take their time as they walked. Neither girl spoke until they exited the dorms, because frankly neither one knew what to say.

Weiss broke the silence as they started on the path toward the library, "This can't be happening... It just can't..."

"I wish it weren't," Neo replied solemnly. "I mean, he can't really keep us from seeing each other, can he?"

"Honesty, he'd probably transfer me to another academy if that's what it would take."

Neo smiled faintly, "I don't know about you, but it'll take a lot more than that to keep me from seeing you."

"I know," Weiss replied, giving Neo a peck on the lips. "That's why I love you, and always will, no matter what he says."

They arrived after a short detour through the gardens to collect their thoughts and enjoy the weather. Normally the library was like a second home to Weiss, but now it carried a much more foreboding atmosphere. They asked the librarians at the front desk for a private room to make a call, and were directed to a section in the back right of the building with several such rooms. The couple sat slab in front of the monitor, already wanting to leave. Neo closed the door, and the two took a deep breath together as Weiss plugged in her scroll to make the call.

"Hello, Schnee World Headquarters, how may I help you?" a cheerful woman asked on the screen. "Oh, Miss Schnee! How may I be of assistance?"

"Can you patch me through to my father, please?" the heiress shakily replied.

"Of course, just one moment."

The picture turned to a hold screen, and the couple shared a nervous glance. Neo sighed, "Here we go."

The screen went to static for a moment before a white-haired man appeared, bearing a strong resemblance to Weiss. "Hello, Father," she greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Weiss," he replied flatly. "I believe you have some explaining to do."

She shook her head, "There's really not much to explain. This is Neo, she's my girlfriend. I love her. That's all there is to it."

Her father's expression remained blank, "I see. How long has this been going on for?"

"Just over three weeks," Weiss said, her voice sounding incredibly small. Neo could see another wave of tears forming behind her eyes, but didn't want to interrupt, fearing what could happen if she did.

"And why," he continued, "Did I come to hear of this the way I did, and not from you?"

Weiss couldn't hold it together any longer, "Because I knew you'd forbid me from seeing her if I did." She began to sob again, and Neo pulled her in close so she could cry into her shoulder. She patted the heiress' back and stroked her hair, trying her best to calm her down, while also trying not to break down as well.

"Weiss," her father sternly interrupted. The heiress snapped back to attention, a few stray tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want to speak to you now, Neo."

She gulped, "Y-Yes sir?"

"Tell me," he said, folding his hands on top of his desk. "What kind of family do you come from?"

"I..." Neo started, looking down at the floor. "I don't know anything about my family. Not my real family at least."

"I see. Which combat school did you attend before enrolling at Beacon?"

"I didn't..." she answered, sinking down into her chair. "It's a long story. I don't have a very clean past, but I'm working to make a better future for myself. Ozpin let me enroll so I would have the chance to redeem myself."

His expression didn't waver, "Yes, I'm quite aware of your past. We have you on the company record here from your... previous affiliation. All of our warehouses and train cars are equipped with surveillance cameras. You've caused us a considerable amount of trouble."

"Oh..." Neo said quietly. At that moment, she wanted a trapdoor to open beneath her chair, and she didn't care where it would take her. "I'm sorry sir, I swear I've changed." The room was silent for a few moments, neither girl knowing what to say.

Weiss' father sighed and turned back to his daughter, "Weiss, princess, this isn't easy for me to say, believe me, but I can't allow this relationship to continue."

"No! You can't do that!" she shrieked. "I don't care if you don't like that I'm a lesbian! I am, and nothing will change that!"

Her father's expression was still the same as when the call started; very neutral, not showing any emotion. He looked at Weiss for a moment before turning to Neo, then back to Weiss. "That's not my concern here," he said calmly. Weiss cocked her head at the statement, unsure of what he meant. "I've had a lot of time to think about this after you came out to me. You're my daughter, and I'll always support you, no matter what."

The heiress' tears now turned to ones of joy, overwhelmed by her father's words, "R-Really? Thank you, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that! But wait, why are you saying we can't be together then?"

Now his face fell somewhat, for the first time showing any emotion towards the conversation. He shook his head, "My objection comes from her past, specifically because of how much it involves our company. The two of you being together would seriously damage our credibility once word gets out of who she is. I'm sorry, but it's too much of a risk."

Weiss looked heartbroken, and rightly so, but Neo wasn't giving up so easily, "Sir, please at least give me a chance to show you who I am now. As much as I don't want it to, my past will always follow me, and there's nothing I can do to change that. But that's not who I am anymore. I'm not a criminal, I'm training to be a Huntress like everyone else here, because I want to right the wrongs I've done. I can't hide my past, but there has to be something I can do to show how far I've come."

"I wish it were that simple," he replied. "The media is quick to use anything they can find against you, and you would need something very significant to overshadow your history. Short of national recognition for something truly outstanding, I don't see what could be done to redeem you in the public eye enough for this to continue."

Neo's eyes widened, "The tournament... Ironwood changed his mind earlier and said he'll enter me. It's the Vytal Festival Tournament, would earning a high standing be enough?"

"Wait, he changed his mind?" Weiss asked in disbelief before hugging Neo. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" She turned back to her father, looking very hopeful. "Would that be enough? It has to be, it just has to!"

"I suppose it could work..." her father said, getting lost in his thoughts. "That is the most prestigious combat tournament in all of Remnant. Placing in the tournament would surely give me the ability to defend you to the public, should your past come into question... Very well. Should you place in the tournament, the two of you will have my approval. Until then, I want you to keep your relationship quiet. Should you not place, I suppose we can look into other options, but I wouldn't have high hopes for that."

Neo wore a confident smile, "Then the tournament it is. Thank you sir, I promise I'll earn your approval."

"We won't let you down," Weiss added, finally able to smile again.

Her father smiled back, "I know you won't. Now then, I have business to return to, and I believe you should get to training. I wish the both of you good luck in the tournament. Goodbye."

He hung up the call, leaving Neo and Weiss smiling from ear to ear at each other. They were both at a loss for words, and so they came together for long, passionate kiss to convey their emotions instead. Neo's body felt numb. Having gone from the crippling fear of knowing she could lose Weiss to now knowing that she could actually earn the approval of the heiress' father, her mind was working overtime to process everything she was feeling. The embrace ended nearly a minute later, and Neo couldn't stop smiling.

She ran her hands through her hair, "I can't believe it... He's not making us break up. Not yet at least. Of everything he could've said, I never thought that would happen."

"Believe it, it really happened," Weiss replied, spinning in her chair out of sheer happiness. "Do you think you can do it? Place in the tournament I mean?" She looked at Neo hopefully, but was met with an uneasy stare. While she looked confident during the call, inside her head, Neo was just shy of panicking.

"I really don't know. I'm a pretty good fighter, but have you seen some of these kids? I don't stand a chance against more than half of them. How well do I have to do to place?"

Weiss' expression now matched her girlfriend's, "You have to take first, second or third place to receive a medal."

"Oh... Shit..." Neo said, feeling the same hopelessness now as when the two arrived to make the call. "I thought it was based on scores from matches like training class is. I didn't know I had to practically win the tournament! There's no way!"

"Don't say that! Come on, let's head to the practice fields and have a few sparring matches. We'll keep doing a few a day until the tournament starts so we can have you in as best shape as possible."

Neo smiled, "Sounds like a plan. We should probably go back to the room first and tell everyone what happened, they'll be eager to know after the way we left." Weiss nodded and they got up to leave. Neo chuckled to herself as they walked out the door, and Weiss shot her a confused look. "It looks like Harley is finally gonna get her wish. The two of you will be spending a lot of quality time together over the next few days."

Weiss rolled her eyes, and the pair rushed back to their dorm to deliver the good and bad news to the rest of the team.