The Champion And The Singer (ch5)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER MONTH OF SUPPORT!

It's time for our two girls to start getting used to being in love with each other! How will both of their being famous affect them, good and bad?

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 5. The Final Song

It was easy to be nervous about their newfound relationship.

Neither of them had ever been in one before, at least not a serious one.

A lot of foreign things came along with it, such as constant jitters.

Sometimes, it was a good feeling, one of excitement whenever they spoke or called one another, or were physically together.

Sometimes, it was a bit of an apprehensive feeling, whenever they'd been apart for a while, or when they saw or heard news about their being together.

Just as they'd anticipated, the media caught on quickly to their situation, and after they'd gone on only their fourth date or so, people had figured out the truth.

Weiss would never forget the day she first heard her name being spoken alongside Pyrrha Nikos' on the news as reporters playfully wondered why they were being seen together so frequently in recent weeks.

At the very least, Winter didn't need an explanation – she was the only person who already officially knew of the relationship.

But their father was a different story.

The day after hers and Pyrrha's fifth date together, Weiss was roused from bed by one of her maids.

"Miss Schnee, your father would like to see you immediately."

Weiss' stomach always flipped whenever she heard something like that, and it was always twice as uncomfortable if Winter wasn't visiting home and couldn't be there with Weiss.

Nonetheless, the heiress pushed herself out of bed and quickly made herself as decent as possible before scurrying to her father's office. Upon her entry, she was sure to inhale deeply and lift her chin high.

Her father stood behind his desk expectantly, but other than that and a bit of intrigue, his expression was unreadable as always. He motioned his youngest daughter inside, and Weiss obeyed, bracing herself for anything. She shoved the rasp out of her voice and addressed him politely.

"Good morning, Father. You wanted to see me?"

He glanced her over, his gaze seeming to drag over every inch of her before he replied in that deliberately undisclosed tone of his.

"Indeed. I'd wanted to inquire about Miss Nikos. You two are causing quite the stir in the media these days."

Weiss held his gaze and didn't blink.

"Is that causing a problem, Father?"

This was a bit of advice she'd gotten from Winter. Weiss already knew the answer, but she was going to make her father verbally admit that her relationship with Pyrrha was a good thing.

Weiss tried to push down the feeling of triumph as he replied.

"I wouldn't say it's a problem. Perhaps an uproar? Or simply a lot of attention is being drawn to you, and to the Schnee family as a whole. Despite a recent increase in White Fang activity, we've been getting more business with our Dust."

He both looked and sounded rather pleased, which encouraged Weiss to speak up.

"It's just as the people are assuming, Father. Pyrrha Nikos and I are romantically involved."

She watched his eyebrows raise slightly at her bold declaration. For a moment, he needed to process what she'd just said – clearly she'd beaten him to the punch.

When he finally did reply, he seemed rather pleased. And Weiss had known him her entire life, so she recognized that as a very, very rare thing for him to be.

"So it's true," he observed. "I'd had an inkling. How long has it been like this? How long have you been keeping it secret from me?"

Weiss didn't waver under his subtly accusatory tone.

"Since the first date. We've been growing closer ever since. But only recently has the news emerged to those around us."

Again, the man looked her over, as though he wasn't sure what to make of her.

Still, Weiss didn't flinch. She maintained eye contact with her father, waiting for him to speak or to ask more of her.

But she'd never expected to see him smile.

His lips twitched so slightly it was just about unnoticeable, and he quickly covered it with his palm a second later. Weiss needed to refrain from smiling as well as he spoke once again.

"You were smart to keep it secret for as long as you did. This way, the world sees it as a gradual thing. It's believable. It's interesting. Now that it's official, you don't have to be ambiguous about it.

"I'll be speaking to Miss Nikos' agents and parents at once, and we shall arrange for you to be specially accommodated at her next match in one week. Two days after that, we shall entertain Miss Nikos at your concert here in Atlas."

Weiss was trying her best not to jump for joy where she stood. She clutched her hands together behind her back in her excitement, then dipped her head to him.

"Thank you, Father."

He nodded and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. Weiss turned and headed for the doors.

But just before she could exit, his voice reached her ears once again.

"And Weiss? Make this work."

It wasn't a request.

Weiss swallowed, and replied without facing him.

"Of course, Father."

At last, she left him.

Her chest was a tangle of emotions now as she hurried back to her room. She'd actually gotten her father's approval on all of this. He'd even praised her.

But the final order he'd given had her heart beating harder.

/No. Even if he orders me, that's not going to be the reason I keep seeing Pyrrha. I'm not going to keep dating her solely because he's demanded it of me. My feelings are immensely more genuine than that./

She knew that much was true.

Her confidence in herself, and in her feelings for Pyrrha allowed her to calm down a bit and push all the negative bubbles of worry away until they'd popped and dissipated altogether.

Weiss returned to her room and found her scroll, then texted the recent news to both Pyrrha and to Winter. Her sister replied first.

/I'm so proud of you, Weiss. Excellent work. You deserve this so much./

And as she was relishing her older sister's praise, Pyrrha responded a few seconds later.

/That's wonderful news, Weiss! I've told my parents as well and they're thrilled for us! Not only is this beneficial to both our businesses, but it's perfect for the two of us as well!/

Weiss couldn't stop smiling as she read over the message.

//I agree. Our feelings for each other were real from the very beginning, and the fact that we come from the backgrounds we do is an added bonus! Our relationship can also benefit our families and our work now as well!//

To which Pyrrha replied:

/Exactly! I'm just so glad we both know how we feel about each other. Our feelings come first and everything else comes second. Now then, I assume you already know about my match next week? You'll have a front row seat this time!/

Weiss smiled to herself as she continued texting her girlfriend, already imagining how this development would change their relationship for the better.

They decided not to go on any more dates for the next week, so that Pyrrha could focus on training for her next match and Weiss could focus on her concert a few days after that.

Even so, they texted and called one another daily to share news, no matter how small.

Every morning, there were pleasant text messages to wake up to, every lunch hour there were quick calls made, and every evening there were goodnight wishes exchanged between them.

As the days passed, they began to hear more and more about themselves on the news, and especially online.

But as they'd anticipated, the prospect of their romantic relationship now only drew more attention to the girls than ever before. Tickets for their respective performances sold out hours earlier than they ever had before.

Remnant was smitten with them.

Almost as smitten as they were with each other.

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Before they knew, it the morning of Pyrrha's match was upon them.

Weiss had attended several more since the first one Winter had gotten her into, but today's would be the first time she'd be attending as Pyrrha's official girlfriend.

She dressed in a comfortable blue dress and pulled a white bolero on over her shoulders. She left her hair down in a casual fashion, stepped into a pair of flats, and was boarding her air ship within the hour.

Due to work elsewhere, Winter wouldn't be attending Pyrrha's match today as security as she had in the past, so Weiss was on her own. But she wasn't nervous about it at all.

Unlike the first few times when she'd been nearly overwhelmed by the noise and motion of the audience, now she was far too excited to pay those things any mind.

Once her ship landed, people began to swarm around her, asking about Pyrrha and herself. Weiss thanked the guards Winter had sent for her as they kept the people at bay and eventually managed to lead Weiss to her front-row seat.

She'd never been this close to one of the arenas before, and she was eager to be able to watch Pyrrha fight from such a distance.

The second the announcement was made, Pyrrha entered, dressed in all her pristine armor, and the audience exploded in cheers as always. There were also a few small flowers tucked into her golden headpiece, which only added to her beauty.

She presented them with a smile as bright as ever, waving her javelin high above her head as she faced all directions.

She came to a pause, however, the second she spotted Weiss.

The heiress had stood from her seat in her excitement and was now leaning slightly over the edge of the arena's walls, waving with an exuberant expression on her face.

Pyrrha faced her girlfriend for a moment longer than she faced anyone else, and with a wink, blew Weiss a kiss.

The people around her cooed and squealed as Weiss blushed lightly.

A moment later, the announcement was made that the match would begin, and everyone took their seats.

Pyrrha began her performance by demonstrating her swift, precise skills on air, without an opponent to face just yet. Just seeing how she moved, be it running, jumping, twirling, or any other motion, was simply breathtaking.

After a few minutes of showing off her technique, her opponents were brought out.

She fought against a few well-trained people first, some armed with swords and spears and others armed with guns. But no matter the weapon or its calibre, Pyrrha always managed to evade attacks of any kind with ease and grace.

Once more, Weiss was overcome with the feeling that she was watching a dance rather than a match.

The autumn-like colors of Pyrrha's appearance were beautiful enough already, but the tiny, added splash of sunset reds and oranges from the flowers in her hair only made her even more stunning.

Once she'd successfully triumphed over her human opponents, Weiss clapped as loudly as she could.

After that, it was the Grimm.

Since the first match she'd seen, Pyrrha had advanced her technique incredibly. She was now capable of fighting an entire flock of small Nevermores, then a pack of Beowolves, and finished with three Ursa at a time.

It was an admirable feat, to say the very least.

Nearly two hours of almost nonstop fighting for such a young girl who wasn't even professionally trained at one of the academies was unheard of.

As soon as the announcement was made that today's matches had concluded, every person in the audience was out of their seats and cheering.

Pyrrha bowed in all directions, but ultimately paused facing one person in particular.

When her eyes met Weiss', the singer half-expected Pyrrha to be swaying on her feet after the rigorous battle. But though her brow was dappled with sweat and her chest was heaving slightly, Pyrrha's smile never faltered for a second.

She walked to the edge of the arena, as close to Weiss as she could get, and placed her javelin and shield aside for the moment. Reaching up both of her arms, she invited Weiss to her.

The announcer and the crowds instantly realized what was going on, and they eagerly awaited Weiss' response.

It certainly wasn't even close to anything she'd ever done before, but Weiss knew what she wanted to do.

A bit awkwardly, she clambered over the side wall of the arena and let her legs dangle over the opposite side. Her girlfriend grinned up at her.

"Come on, Weiss! Jump!"

By then, the crowds were chanting the very same thing.

So Weiss slid herself off the edge, down about ten feet, and landed safely in Pyrrha's arms. She was caught with such firm precision that her shoes didn't even touch the dusty ground before Pyrrha was twirling her around, showing her off to the audience and the cameras that brought in the rest of the world.

"Sorry," she murmured so only Weiss could hear. "For having you do this when I'm all sweaty."

Weiss looped her arms around the girl's shoulders and shook her head.

"Don't be. Can you think of one person on Remnant right now who isn't enjoying this?"

If such a person existed, they certainly weren't within a hundred miles of the arena.

Pyrrha chuckled.

"You're right!"

Slowly, she supported Weiss' back and let her down for a moment, reaching up a hand to the flowers in her hair. Pyrrha extracted an orange one and transferred it over to Weiss' hair, tucking it in beneath the white locks behind her ear.

Then, Pyrrha scooped her up once more and kissed her for all the world to see.

She was certain she'd never heard one of her audiences cheer quite as loud as they did in that moment.

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Only a few days later, it was time for Pyrrha to attend her first of Weiss' concerts as her official girlfriend.

She dressed a bit more nicely than she might have in previous weeks, fully intent to be the first person to rush to Weiss' side as soon as the singing came to an end.

That morning, after she'd showered and prepared her outfit, Pyrrha sat on her bed with her damp hair in a towel, still wearing her sleep clothes as she called the singer on her scroll.

It took Weiss a few rings to answer, and Pyrrha assumed it was because she was making preparations for the concert tonight, or speaking to her father. But as soon as she answered and her image appeared on-screen, Pyrrha burst into an excited smile.

"Weiss! How are you today? Are you ready for tonight? Oh, what am I saying, of course you are! Oh, and please excuse my appearance. I'd wanted to call you as soon as possible so I didn't miss you."

Weiss' image looked back at her with a smile.

"You're fine, Pyrrha. Don't worry." Suddenly, she looked over her shoulder briefly, as though someone had called her name.

Pyrrha waited in silence for a moment until Weiss turned back to her, the smile faded.

"Sorry..." Weiss' eyes flicked away for a second, then she plastered the smile back on. "So... are you excited to come tonight?"

But Pyrrha was no fool. She'd known Weiss long enough to be able to read her and know that the smile was fake. She put her wet towel aside, straightened her back, and narrowed her eyes a bit.

"Weiss, what's wrong? Did something happen? You can tell me."

Weiss paused, but only managed to flick her gaze up for a second to meet Pyrrha's.

"Well... I guess you could say that... Both Father and Winter have been telling me lately that there's been a bit of... discontent stirring within the White Fang recently. Winter just told me we were going to increase security at tonight's concert, but they're not saying anything to the public. They don't want to cause panic or uncertainty. Not tonight."

Pyrrha listened quietly.

Weiss had told her that the concert she'd be holding tonight was meant to promote and support a certain organization. Most of the proceeds would go to that organization, and in return, they would make a financial deal with Schnee Dust. So they couldn't afford to jeopardize this performance and risk losing money on guests that felt it was too dangerous to attend.

Pyrrha's shoulders slumped a little. She knew this ordeal was putting a great deal of pressure on Weiss, and she didn't want it to affect her badly – both for the sake of her concert, and for the sake of her personal wellbeing.

Pyrrha decided she'd leave a bit earlier than usual today so she could see Weiss a little sooner in person. But for now, she reassured her with words and smiles.

"Don't fret, Weiss. A bit of added security won't jeopardize anything. It certainly won't put off the guests; they'll just feel safer than usual! Don't let any of that worry you. You'll give an incredible performance tonight just as you always do! I know you will!"

She hoped she was sounding supportive and not like she was trying to pressure the girl.

But thankfully, Weiss seemed to be cheered up by Pyrrha's encouraging words. Her posture relaxed a bit, and the tiny smile reappeared.

"Thank you, Pyrrha. I feel better now. I've got to start getting ready, but I'll see you soon."

"Right! See you soon, Weiss!"

Once they'd hung up, Pyrrha made quick work of getting ready, adorning herself in a lovely formal red dress. She left her hair down and only tied a small portion of it into a ponytail over the rest.

She freshened up a bit more, and before long was on an air ship that would take her to Weiss.

Tonight's concert would be in Atlas, so she needed to leave earlier in order to get there at the desired time. At the very least, this meant Weiss didn't have to rush and stress about traveling far from home.

The flight was a little over and hour long, and as soon as the ship landed, Pyrrha was hailing a car to take her to the stadium where she knew Weiss was already preparing herself backstage.

Other patrons had already started a line outdoors in the fine springtime air and seemed happy to wait until they were let inside to take their seats.

But Pyrrha did instantly notice the increase in security. There seemed to be almost twice as many guards as there typically were, though rather than the armed, militant persons at her own arena, these guards were dressed in suits and occasionally mumbled into hidden ear pieces.

Keeping her poise proper and polite, Pyrrha slipped to the front of the line and extracted her VIP ticket from her purse. The special pass had been given to her by Weiss herself multiple times now for the past few concerts.

Previously, Pyrrha had received a few envious looks from other people, but now that the public knew of their relationship, most people around her murmured in admiration.

"Isn't that Miss Nikos?"

"Miss Schnee's girlfriend?"

"She's going to see her. How pleasant."

Pyrrha maintained her smile as the guards let her through into the building. She scurried in down the aisle past the rows and rows of empty seats that would soon be filled until she reached the stage.

There, Pyrrha presented her pass and identification once again before that set of guards allowed her to go backstage.

She'd been to this particular stage before, so she knew exactly where to look for Weiss.

She saw all the usual things she typically witnessed backstage before one of Weiss' concerts, people hurrying about to make last-minute preparations. She spotted one man carrying Myrtenaster, so Pyrrha assumed it would be used during tonight's performance.

It didn't take long to spot Winter, and naturally, Weiss was right beside her.

"Weiss!" With a soft call of her name, Pyrrha got her attention.

The heiress, who was dressed in a white gown for the evening, instantly perked up at the sound of her voice.

"Pyrrha!"

They hurried toward one another and met in an embrace halfway. Weiss sighed, releasing a bit of unease along with it.

"You're early."

Pyrrha kissed the girl's temple.

"I'd wanted to make sure I could see you before everything began. I hope that's alright."

"Of course it is. Thank you. I needed this tonight." Weiss tugged her down slightly so she may kiss her lips with gentle affection. "When the performance is over, you should come onstage with me, if you'd like. I want to boast to the world about my wonderful girlfriend just as you did for me a few days ago."

Pyrrha hummed happily.

"I would love to! You can count on it, Weiss."

Now that she had a little something to look forward to after the concert, Weiss was motivated to make it through the evening. She stayed in Pyrrha's arms for a moment until her sister's voice kindly interjected.

"Weiss? I hate to interrupt, but you've got to get ready."

"Oh!" Pyrrha quickly stepped away. "Sorry! I don't want to keep you. Go on, Weiss." She let her go, but not without one last kiss. "You'll be incredible as always. I know it."

The singer smiled and returned the kiss.

"I'll be sure to make it worth your while."

With that, she retreated to Winter's side, the flow of her dress following behind her. Pyrrha watched her go for a moment, until a guard politely instructed her to head back out to her seat. She obeyed, and by the time she'd found her seat in the front row as indicated by her ticket, half the seats around her were already being filled up as well as other people were allowed inside.

Pyrrha still remembered her first concert of Weiss', how sitting alone in this sea of prestigious people had been fairly intimidating.

But now, they all seemed to be admiring her from a distance, murmuring about how she was Weiss' girlfriend.

Sometimes, she needed to hide her smile. She was proud to be Weiss' girlfriend, of course, but she didn't want to appear as smug about it as she felt.

They waited for about ten more minutes before the lights were dimmed and the spotlights were directed onto the center of the stage. A familiar voice came over the intercom to announce the singer's title, and the white curtains were gingerly drawn aside to reveal her.

She was even more dazzling than she'd been just ten minutes ago.

The lights made her dress and skin glow under the cool, alluring beams. Her hair had been folded into a bun to one side of her head, but her hair purposefully spilled out for the most part, covering the front and back of her right shoulder.

Particles of Dust were already swirling down from the rafters, giving off the appearance of snowflakes. Her hands were folded neatly at her stomach, the echoes of her footsteps coming to a pause as she lifted her head to her audience.

With the first note of an unseen piano, she began to sing.

This was a new number, one Pyrrha hadn't heard before. She knew Weiss wrote her own lyrics, and entertained the thought that Weiss had been writing these words at night before or after calling Pyrrha.

She did her best not to get emotional just from the first song alone, but with the way Weiss' voice carried over the words so naturally, and with the connotations of the words themselves, Pyrrha found that by the end of the piece, there was hardly a dry eye in the place.

As soon as the final note was sung, there was a brief pause so everyone may absorb it. And then the first bout of applause started up.

After that, the songs were a bit livelier and just as gorgeous.

Weiss took up Myrtenaster rather early on this time around, whereas she typically used it more towards the ends of her concerts. But now, she was wielding it as early as the third song.

There was something about seeing Weiss holding that weapon, dressed in her shorter, more flexible dresses. But this was the first time Pyrrha had ever seen her wield it while wearing a long, flowing ball gown.

It was just as awe-inspiring, if not more so.

The length of the rapier complimented the length of her dress and her hair tonight, giving her an almost doll-like impression. But though she may have looked and sounded like some ethereal princess when standing still, the second she lifted her weapon, a formidable, majestic knight was drawn forth.

The ankle-length materials of her dress never hindered her for a second as she began to move as though she were on a battlefield, forming glyphs of all colors and leaping effortlessly onto each of them. But every motion was deliberate and smooth, never for a second affecting the perfection that was her voice.

Pyrrha still failed to comprehend how Weiss could move around so much, twisting her body and spinning around as though she were dancing, but not letting it interfere with her singing or breath at all.

It was just one of the many mysteries that made the heiress such a wonder to behold.

The audience gasped in wonder many times that night.

At one point, Weiss cast a bit of ice over their heads. Then, with precise aim, fired a shot from her rapier to hit it. The ice exploded silently, never for a second interrupting her song, and the resulting flakes flurried down on her audience.

But perhaps the most impressive performance was of her finale song.

After a minute-long applause during which Weiss had accepted a bottle of water to refresh herself with, she began on her final piece. It was a bit of a more intense song, accompanied by various instruments and calling for many visual effects to go along with her words.

She cast multiple glyphs in order of their colors, spreading them out behind herself without once turning her back on the audience.

As she continued singing, she gradually merged the glyphs together directly beneath the main spotlight. The swirling circles reflected a kaleidoscope of colors, sparkling rainbows painting the walls and ceiling all around. Another snowfall was created, and the flakes all took on multiple colors as they drifted through the air.

Pyrrha was mesmerized. She felt everyone around her was holding their breath in much the same way she was.

Everyone was simply too astounded to budge, as though doing so might risk ruining the magic they'd found themselves enchanted by. Blinking was a tragedy, because not a soul wanted to miss so much as a second of this wondrous, fleeting spectacle.

None of Weiss' concerts were recorded or filmed, so the only way anyone could witness this was to experience it firsthand. They tried to savor it all as best they could, for as long as possible.

Pyrrha engraved all of it into her heart – the colors, the music, the sensation.

But most of all, she engraved Weiss there.

Surrounded by rainbow snowflakes with glyphs like small fireworks dancing behind her, reflecting off her white dress and alabaster hair...

She'd never looked quite so beautiful.

No one else on Remnant could captivate an audience quite as effortlessly as Weiss Schnee could.

The final stunning display was upon them, the spiraling snowflakes and twirling glyphs filling the room with light and color.

Weiss held out the last note of her song, the apex of her final piece.

And with exact timing, she cut off with the music, the glyphs vanished, and the lights faded.

Pyrrha's heart was pounding, even though she'd done nothing but sit and watch all this time. She was simply astounded.

The baffled silence of the people around her told her they'd been blown away as well.

This was undoubtedly one of Weiss' best performances yet, and everyone knew it.

A few beats of silence passed to ensure it was over.

Then, the first pair of hands started to clap. Then the second pair, and the third.

Within seconds, the entire room had erupted in applause.

Usually, Weiss' audiences refrained from cheering vocally, as they were composed of more refined people.

But tonight, no one seemed to care.

People stood up from their seats, clapped, cheered, whistled, cried, and everything in between.

Pyrrha was among the first people standing, clapping so hard her hands stung, tears welling up in her eyes. Her smile made her cheeks ache, but she couldn't help it, gazing at Weiss.

The heiress was still surrounded by a dusting of powdery snow. She straightened her back, panting slightly from the exertion she'd just gone through for the sake of her final song.

But although her chest was heaving, not a hair on her head was out of place, nor was there a single ruffle in her dress.

She even made exhaustion look refined.

As she caught her breath, she gazed around at her audience, reflecting their smiles as best she could. There was a shimmer in her blue eyes Pyrrha knew they could see even in the farthest row back.

Never before had there been such a reaction to one of her performances.

Weiss bowed and curtseyed many times, sweeping her gaze around to all of the people gathered here.

But ultimately, it rested on Pyrrha.

With a small wave, Weiss invited her up onstage.

Pyrrha's heart soared anew. She paused in her clapping to gather her dress in preparation to hurry forward and climb the stairs.

But before she could move, something happened.

It was so fast.

One moment, the room was filled with excitement and shouts of joy.

And the next, it was filled with horror and cries of fear.

Pyrrha didn't know what happened right away.

She'd been about to go to Weiss when she'd heard a loud shout from one of the guards lining the room.

There was a rush of thundering footsteps, then more shouting heading for one of the audience aisles.

Pyrrha lifted her head out of curiosity, wondering what the sudden commotion was about. She felt her heart come screeching to a halt.

Amongst the cheering crowd, there was a man dressed in black, the only person who wasn't applauding in any way. She could tell by the pointed ears on his head that he was a Faunus, but the mask over his eyes wasn't a festive one.

It had three red claw marks running down it.

This man alone was still and stoic as he clutched something in his hand and raised his arm.

Pyrrha didn't understand what was happening until it was already too late.

There was a deafening blast, much louder than the delight of the crowd.

It was vicious, ruthless, and unmistakable.

That sound produced the scene that triggered the screams of terror.

Pyrrha's throat went dry, and all of her senses suddenly felt jammed.

She managed to turn her head and look back to the stage.

She wished she hadn't.

Weiss swayed, a pale hand clutching her chest where a horrifying stain of crimson was seeping rapidly through her dress. The shock on her face and the pain in her eyes were enough to twist every stomach in the room.

She stumbled, and more red spilled onto the stage.

She fell.

Everyone was screaming now.

But no one as loudly as Pyrrha.

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A/N: In light of the most recent episode with the notion of a Weiss concert now in the future of the series, I find the timing of this chapter's posting to be horribly ironic.