After a rather rough morning, the rest of team RWBY's day managed to go without much bigger problems. Classes proceeded smoothly and the four girls managed to get a good amount of studying done. There was still the bad aftertaste of what had happened earlier that still bothered the three older girls of the team, but the trio still managed to keep themselves composed through the day.
However, after classes were over, Weiss felt like it was time for her to show how her skills as a leader to the rest of her team. And the heiress had a plan on how to do it.
"Hey, you three. I want us all to gather in the library later," Weiss said to her teammates. "I think it's time we had ourselves a good study session."
Blake and Yang looked at each other in confusion, while Ruby remained perfectly neutral. The two older girls wondered why they suddenly needed a study session.
"Is that necessary?" Blake asked. "We don't have any exams coming up or anything, so do we really need to go to the library for any extra studies?"
"Yeah! Besides, we had a rough day!" Yang said, agreeing with her partner. "Wouldn't it be enough for us to simply do our homework for the day and then relax for the rest of the remaining time we have?"
"Studying is always good for you, which is why I want us to do it as much as possible and improve ourselves!" Weiss declared proudly. "I intend to make our team one of the best ones in the whole school, which requires me to get you three working as well!"
"We understand that studying is helpful and everything, but we need to do more than studying as well!" the cat faunus argued.
"Exactly! Life's about much more than test scores and grades!" the blonde added. "Not to mention, when Rubes was team leader, we only had study sessions every now and then! Not at the end of every day!"
"Well, I am the leader of the team now, so I have decided to change things!" the heiress declared. "And I don't see why any of you should be so worried. With my guidance, I'm certain that you all will not only improve greatly, but that it will go without any trouble!"
Seeing as how their new team leader wasn't going to listen to them, Blake and Yang turned their attention towards Ruby, hoping that their former leader could help persuade Weiss.
"Don't look at me. I'm more surprised that she didn't make this declaration sooner," Ruby said in a completely neutral tone. "I've been her partner all this time, so I was pretty much convinced this would happen sooner or later. It isn't even all that different from how things used to be between me and her, as she often dragged me off to a study session at the end of a day."
"Rubes, are you serious?" Yang asked with wide eyes. "Are you telling me that after every day of school, Weiss would drag you along to the library for a study session?"
"Pretty much, yeah," the scythe-wielder answered. "Why are you guys so surprised? Didn't you ever notice it?"
Both Yang and Blake shared a concerned look with each other, worried over what was going to happen, before turning their attention back to Weiss, who had a smug smile on her face.
"And now that I am the new team leader, I think it's appropriate to extend this little tradition between Ruby and I to the rest of our team," the heiress said happily. "In fact, it's a direct order from your team leader, so I hope you ALL will be following it."
Yang and Blake couldn't help but frown a bit. It started to feel like things had been better when Ruby was the team leader.
Some time later, most of team RWBY was sitting at a large table in the library. The one person who was missing was Weiss, who had gone to collect the necessary material for their study session, while the other three members waited.
As they were waiting, Yang and Blake couldn't help but be nervous over what their new leader had planned for them. While they had taken part in study sessions as a team, this was the first time the session was completely led and directed by Weiss. They knew that the heiress was somewhat obsessed with getting good grades and that she took her studies very seriously, but they had never had her fully take over the whole team's studies. The two girls only knew that Ruby hated the study sessions she had with her partner, but always put that on the younger girl not liking to study. However, now they couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen.
"So, Ruby, what do you think we should expect from this session?" Blake asked the younger girl, hoping to get some sort of an idea on what they were in for. "Anything we should be specifically prepared for?"
"Just be prepared to do a lot of work," Ruby answered. "Also, I would advise you to simply keep your eyes on your book at all times. Even if you're not actually working, it should be enough to get through this to just pretend that you are."
Before the cat faunus could ask what her former team leader meant, Weiss came back while carrying a big stack of books that almost made her fall over. The heiress then proceeded to dump a part of the stack in front of each of her teammates with a smile on her face.
"Alright, I got at least most of the material that I wanted, so we should be able to get at least some amount of work done," Weiss said as she took a seat at the table. "Now, I specifically chose the books for each of you based on your recent performance in school. This way you will be able to better yourself in the subjects you're having the most trouble with."
Both Blake and Yang were staring at the books that they were given with wide eyes. They had expected their teammate to bring them maybe two books each, instead of the five they were given. And to make things worse, they weren't small ones either, but the very large ones that you could practically use as weapons.
While the two girls were still in shock over what their new team leader had given them, Ruby had actually opened up the first of her books and had begun studying. It was as if this was completely normal to her.
"Weiss, you can't be serious!" Yang pleaded to her teammate. "You aren't going to have us go through all of these today, are you!?"
"Oh, of course not! How delusional do you think I am!?" Weiss said with a slight huff, bringing some relief to two of her teammates. "I expect you to go through a third of each of them."
Blake's face turned pale while Yang let her head fall on the table. They couldn't believe how much their new leader was demanding from them.
"Weiss, don't you think that you're going a bit too far!?" Blake asked in a slight panic. "You can't seriously expect us to go through that much studying in one go!"
"Why couldn't I?" the heiress asked with a raised eyebrow. "I used to go through similar amounts of studying back home on an almost daily basis. I can't see why you guys couldn't do the same now."
Seeing as Weiss' mind wouldn't be changed, the two girls turned their attention to Ruby once again, hoping that the younger girl could possibly help them.
"Rubes, can't you say something to her!?" Yang pleaded. "The things she's asking us to do are insane!"
"Why should I bother, when I know that it wouldn't work?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow. "Ever since she became my partner, she has had me go through this almost every day. If I couldn't change her mind during that time even once, why should this be any different? Especially now that she is the team leader."
"And yet you still aren't achieving the results that I was hoping you would," Weiss said with a slight glare directed at her partner. "Sometimes I wonder if you're taking your studies seriously at all."
Both Yang and Blake's faces fell in despair, thinking about the mess they were currently stuck in. Ruby's grades were among some of the best in the whole school, yet the heiress didn't think that they were good enough. Now that she had the position of team leader, the two girls could only fear what their lives would be like with the perfectionist most likely breathing down their necks all the time. They also couldn't help but feel sorry for Ruby. All this time they had thought that the reason the younger girl didn't want to go to her partner's study sessions was out of dislike towards studying. Now that they knew what it was really like, they could understand why their former leader tried her best to avoid them.
"Now, what are you all waiting for!?" Weiss asked sternly. "I brought you all here to study, so I'm expecting you all to make at least some progress! The library won't stay open forever!"
Resigning to their fate, Yang and Blake simply opened their books and began to study. At this point, they just hoped that their whole session wouldn't go too badly.
It had been a bit over four hours since team RWBY's study session had started, and the only member of the team that was still in high spirits was Weiss. Ruby herself had started to show signs of exhaustion some time ago, but she was still doing much better than her other two teammates. Both Yang and Blake looked like they were completely drained of life, as they struggled to even pretend that they were still studying. The raven-haired girl had actually begun to hate books thanks this session, which was something she would have never thought to even be possible. The blonde was even worse, as she felt like tearing her precious hair out of her head. It was clear that they wouldn't last long.
The two exhausted girls had been asking for breaks from their new team leader, but other than just one or two five minute breaks, they were forced to keep studying the whole time. Unfortunately, the only one who was used to this was Weiss. While Ruby may have gotten somewhat used to her partner's hellish studying, the other two girls were completely new to this type of study sessions. You also had to keep in mind that they had just finished classes before they started their session, meaning that a lot of stress and exhaustion had already piled on top of them.
"GAH! No more! NO MORE!" Yang suddenly yelled and fell over the table. "I can't take this anymore! We've been at this for hours already! Haven't we done enough for one day!?"
"Oh, would you stop complaining!? This is for your own good, Yang!" Weiss said sternly at her teammate. "Besides, you will thank me later, when you see how good your grades are!"
"We do understand the importance of studying, but you are clearly going too far!" Blake said while glaring at the heiress. "There is a limit to how much work one can take in one go like this! And I'm sure our limits have already been met!"
"My God... This is like dealing with children," the white-haired girl mumbled to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose out of annoyance. "Look, you two, the work we do here today is going to help us reach new heights that others might never even be able to dream of! Are you not willing to take your skills as Huntresses to the next level?"
"I am more than willing to take my skills to a higher level, but I need something else in my life too!" Yang said angrily. "Did you honestly think that we would be happy to waste away in the library like this!? Think again!"
"You're not wasting away, you're studying for the sake of a better future! Now stop whining and get back to work! Just look at Ruby!" Weiss said, getting causing everyone to look at their youngest teammate. "She hasn't complained at all and has made a lot more progress than both of you combined! Although, she still isn't making anywhere near the progress I would like her to make..."
"Thanks a lot for your show of appreciation, Weiss," Ruby muttered and rolled her eyes.
Both Yang and Blake looked at the amount of notes the redhead had taken so far and their eyes went wide. Their former team leader had actually done a great amount of work and had a small stack of notes to show it.
"Ruby, is this what your study sessions with Weiss are normally like?" Blake asked. "This amount of work is just insane!"
"This is pretty much normal for me," Ruby answered as she kept studying. "I've just been lucky enough that she hasn't been able to make this a daily thing, despite how much she has tried to do that. I doubt I would be able to survive it for long."
Upon hearing the younger girl's answer, Yang and Blake felt bad for how they always thought that Ruby was just being childish by doing her best to avoid Weiss' study sessions. Now they completely understood why the redhead did it, as they felt like running away as well. This was just their first session and they never wanted to have a repeat of it ever again.
The members of team RWBY kept studying for some time, when Blake suddenly noticed a small paper ball make it's way to her. She looked up and saw Yang wink at her, telling her just who had sent it. The cat faunus picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it underneath the table, so Weiss wasn't able to see it. It was a message from her partner, and once she had read it, Blake looked at Yang and gave a small nod.
The brawler smirked upon getting the nod from the raven-haired girl. It was time to start her plan.
"Weiss, can I take a break?" Yang asked in an innocent voice. "I've been sitting for so long that my legs are starting to feel numb. Mind if I take a small walk?"
"Fine, but make sure that you get back here soon," Weiss replied with a sigh. "The library won't be open forever."
'Oh, I'm counting on that,' the blonde thought to herself with a smirk, as she got up from her seat. It didn't take long for Blake to do the same.
"I think I'll also take a break," the cat faunus said. "I feel like I need to move my legs a bit."
"For the love of- Am I the only one who takes her studies seriously?" Weiss asked in a frustrated tone. She then turned her attention to Ruby. "YOU better not be thinking about doing the same, understood?"
The redhead looked up from her book and saw Yang motioning towards her, telling the younger girl to come along. However, despite wanting to go with her two teammates, Ruby knew it was better for at least someone to stay with Weiss. Otherwise, her partner would go out of control with her anger.
"I'll be staying here, Weiss," the former team leader said in a slightly defeated tone. "No need to worry about me."
Yang and Blake were saddened by the younger girl's decision to stay behind, but they knew she did it for the best of them all. While Weiss was focusing on her studies, the two girls walked away from the rest of their team and out of sight.
"Man, I feel so bad for Rubes," Yang whispered to her partner. "She has to go through torture like this with ice queen all the time."
"Not only that, but do you remember how condescending Weiss was?" Blake asked. "Even after Ruby had been working for a long time without any complaints, she still hadn't done enough in Weiss' opinion. How awful must it be to go through that as many times as she has?"
"Well, at least we won't be repeating this anytime soon," the blonde said. "Hopefully, we can get Ruby to join us on that."
After Yang and Blake had left, Weiss and Ruby continued their study session on their own. However, when the two missing girls didn't seem to return, the heiress started to get frustrated. She had told her two teammates to get back soon, yet they were nowhere to be seen. It was almost like they had disappeared.
"Just what is taking so long with those two?" Weiss asked and got up from her seat. "Wait here, Ruby. I'll go look for our missing teammates."
"Sure, Weiss," Ruby answered without looking up from her book. 'I doubt you'll find them, though.'
The white-haired girl walked around the library for a bit, before she noticed a window that had been left open. Since it was letting cold air in, Weiss decided to go and close it. Upon walking up to the window, she noticed a folded piece of paper had been left stuck on the corner of the window. Not only that, but the paper also had Weiss' name written on it.
"Huh? What's this supposed to be?" the heiress wondered, as she took the paper and opened it up. Upon reading what was written inside, her eyes went wide.
In bold red letters, there was a simple message:
SCREW YOU!
From Yang and Blake
As soon as she had read the message, Weiss' body began to tremble, her face turned red and she began to grit her teeth. Before she knew it, the heiress had torn the message into tiny pieces in a second out of pure rage. She had even let out a loud scream, which seemed to have been heard by her partner, who quickly walked up to her.
"Let me guess. They left without saying anything?" Ruby asked in complete calmness with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I wouldn't say that they left without saying SOMETHING, but yes! Those two spineless cowards left!" Weiss answered while growling. "How could they just do that!? What sort of students would run away from studying like this!? Not to mention, their team leader!"
"Weiss, you might be their team leader, but you can't expect them to follow every order you decide to give them," the redhead explained. "Even if they have to follow your orders during missions or school activities, they are not obligated to do so during their free time. If they decide they don't want to spend their time with your study session, all they have to do is walk away and not come here."
"But I was still held responsible for them being late for classes! I have to carry the responsibility of seeing that they do their schoolwork properly!" the white-haired girl complained. "How is this fair!? I have to look after them almost all the time, yet I can't even order them around!"
"Because you are their team leader and you have the responsibilities and duties of a leader to go along with that," Ruby answered. "As the leader of our team, you have to look after the well-being of your teammates and the overall effectiveness of your team. Even if you get to give orders sometimes, it doesn't mean you have full authority over their whole lives."
"B-But... then... what good is it to be a team leader at all!?" Weiss asked with wide eyes. "What's the point of being a leader, if you don't even really get to lead!?"
"There is a point, but I'm not telling it to you. You need to figure that out for yourself," the former team leader answered, before she began to walk away. "By the way, I'll give you one piece of advice. Treat your teammates like human beings, not like they're your servants back home. It will help you out a lot."
With her advice left for her partner, Ruby went to gather her supplies and leave the library, leaving the heiress behind. It didn't take long for Weiss to give up on further studying, as her anger was most likely going to prevent her from continuing. She just hoped that her second day as a leader would be better.