Author's Note
Forgive me Ruby for I have sinned and written a Blake/Weiss. I blame both tumblr and DeviantArt for this. It's taken forever to write, but maybe now the Blake/Weiss can stop distracting me from Ruby/Weiss. It's not the fluffiest thing ever obviously, given the title, but it's probably fluffier than a lot of the other Blake/Weiss love/hate sort of relationship stuff I've seen around though.
I would just like to state for the record, that this certainly isn't any conventional relationship, nor is it a healthy relationship. Fairly obvious, but just saying, if you're ever kidnapped and held against your will, try not to fall for your captor. Weiss isn't exactly thinking rationally, Stockholm Syndrome, hence the title. This kind of stuff works well in fiction, but not the greatest in real life. Incidentally, this is rated M, but there is no lemon, just some dark themes.
If Weiss's behaviour seems odd or really OOC to you, it is either because of the Stockholm, or because of the rather atypical situation she finds herself in. Can't exactly mouth off to the people who have you totally helpless without bad things happening, especially when you're chained to a bed by people of a dubious nature. Plus all the backstory stuff that is explained that helps contribute to her reaction later.
For the purposes of this fic, Adam is a fauna and Blake is half-fauna. At this point we still barely know what fauna are, and are only guessing at Adam and Blake's connection to them, if they have any at all. But meh, it works for this fic, so that's what I'm doing.
Special thanks to Xekstrin as one of her stories on tumblr inspired a scene here. The idea was used with permission.
EDIT (31/08/13): Touched up the fic in parts here and there throughout the story. I hope it flows a little better now.
From Wikipedia:
Stockholm syndrome, or capture–bonding,
is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them.
These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.
It was all Adam's idea. While Blake did not entirely agree with the plan, she chose not to voice her dissenting opinion. Not that it would have mattered as the rest of their organization was also in support of the operation. In a surprise strike they had managed to render the girl unconscious and abduct her with nobody the wiser. The girl in question, was Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. A very powerful company, but no company gets that big without some dirty dealings and unsavoury practices. It was inevitable that they would make enemies, and now the heiress would be the one to suffer for it unless their demands were met.
At the moment the girl in question was lying unconscious in the "cell" they had prepared for her. The conditions were not terrible as far as cells went. It had basic amenities, a bed, a toilet, and a sink. The most important thing however were the chains and cuffs. She was an aspiring huntress, it would be best not to give her even the possibility of escape. There was little in the the room other those few things, it wouldn't do to give her any possible weapons or hiding places. The heiress's own personal weapon was left behind at the scene with a message attached informing them of what happened to the girl and what their demands were.
Another small and darkened intermediary room between the cell and the rest of the building also existed. A two-way mirror was installed between this room and the cell as an extra precaution to ensure that they could see her before they stepped foot inside.(1)
Obviously many precautions were already in place, but nevertheless it was deemed best for someone to keep watch over the prisoner personally. Blake had been selected for the duty and starting tomorrow she would have to be watching over the prisoner. For now though, she still had other business to finish with. The Schnee heiress was still unconscious, so she could still be left alone for now.
Blake gave one last look at the sleeping girl. So pristine and perfect, she was probably born with a silver soon in her mouth. It was regrettable that when she woke up she will have found out that she was ripped away from her cushy life and put into this situation. If everything went well though, it shouldn't be too long before she got back to it, so in the end it mattered little. Just a small taste of what life had to offer outside her undoubtedly sheltered lifestyle.
Weiss awoke, and was instantly hit with the feeling that something was wrong. Her last memories were of a sharp stab of pain in the neck before everything went black. Her eyes were still closed, but there seemed to be a dim light visible through her eyelids wherever she was. She seemed to be lying on a particularly uncomfortable bed, and she could feel something cold and heavy on each of her limbs. She attempted to raise one of her hands to her neck, but froze when she heard the jangling of metal chains and a tug on her other hand.
Slowly she opened her eyes, fearing the worst. Weiss looked down upon herself, and her stomach dropped as a number of her fears were confirmed. A pair of manacles were around her wrists, a short chain linking the two together allowing for only limited movement. A similar arrangement was also present around her ankles, albeit with the chain between those slightly longer. Each of the pairs of manacles also had a separate chain which appeared to connect to the metal posts of the bed, keeping her here in this room. A small relief however was that at least she was still clothed in her dress, but her boots and accessories such as her hair ornament and jewelry were gone. As was Myrtenaster obviously.
Suppressing the initial feelings of panic Weiss looked around the room to try and get her bearings, to find anything that could help in her situation. Unfortunately, there was nothing of use. Basic things for hygiene such as a toilet and sink were next to her bed, and there appeared to be a mirror on the far wall next to the door as well as a light switch. Eyeing the lengths of chain connecting her to the bed, while she may be able to reach the first two given their close proximity, she probably would not be able to reach the third of the room the door was on, and the room was not very large to begin with. Her movements were quite limited. The sink and toilet appeared to be quite sturdy as well, metal rather than porcelain, nothing she could have broken, perhaps to use a piece of porcelain as an improvised weapon or tool of some sort. The rest of the room itself was rather barren and spartan, concrete floors and walls.
Gingerly she eased herself out of the bed with the sound of jangling chains following her. She could feel the weight of the manacles and the chains, they were rather cumbersome, presumably to prevent any sudden movements on her part. Weiss winced as she felt the cold concrete floor beneath her bare feet. Her body felt a little stuff, but overall her movements seemed unimpeded other than for the chains. She took some time inspecting her surroundings a bit more closely, but there was nothing that she did not find anything that she hadn't already seen in her initial visual inspection.
She would not be able to escape given what resources she had available to her. There was no course of action other than to wait until her captors made themselves known. Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, Weiss made her way back to the bed. Sitting on top of it she pulled her legs close and lowered her head. With her arms wrapped around her legs and her face resting on her head, she waited.
Without any sort of reference to time in the room, Weiss couldn't be sure how long she had been waiting for. It felt like a couple of hours at least, where she was left to her own thoughts about what might happen to her. She tried to keep a hold on her emotions, to try and stay calm, but it was hard. Knocked unconscious, abducted, and awoken chained to a bed without any weapons available to her, Weiss's thoughts turned towards the worst about what might happen to her. She really had to hand it to them, being left to stew in the fears conjured up by her own imagination was a smart first move.
Eventually though, she heard the sound of the door opening as a man's voice spoke up. "I see that you are awake."
Weiss's head whipped up at the first sign of anything different from the monotony of the silent room. The door was opened a crack revealing only the darkened outline of a shaded figure behind it. "You," she hissed straining her eyes in an attempt to make out his features. Her expression was practically murderous. "Who are you, do you have any idea who I am?" Weiss demanded angrily.
"Of course I know who you are Miss Schnee. Would we have gone to this much trouble if we did not?" the darkened figure answered condescendingly. "Your family and it's company has made many enemies over the years. Is it really so surprising that they would eventually strike back?" As he spoke, the man entered the room, stepping out of the shadows of the observation room behind him. He was dressed rather cleanly in an obviously custom tailored crisp black suit with stylized red designs on it. The most curious thing about his attire was a strange red and white mask covering his eyes. However, despite how eye-catching his manner of dress was, none of these things were what had caught Weiss's focus.
Her eyes flickered upward and narrowed at two darker coloured objects nestled amongst his stylized red hair.(2) Her mind rapidly came to a conclusion as she whispered to herself. "You are..."
"Yes," he smirked sardonically cutting her off. "Yes I am. You do not seem surprised. Of course, you should have been expecting some form of retaliation from our kind one day given your company's practices."
Weiss's pressed her lips together into a narrow line. "I am merely the heiress. I have no influence over company policies." She looked down once more at her chains before returning her eyes to the man before her. She would not be able to reach him at that distance. She was still angry, but being fully aware of her current position, she knew that was in no state to be lashing out. She would have to keep control over her emotions.
"Responsible or not, you do not seem to deny these company practices either," the man pointed out pointed out. "No matter," he waved dismissively. "It matters not whether you are at fault or not, only that you hold some importance to the company."
"There is to be no reasoning with you then is there?" Weiss asked rhetorically. She could see where this was going. A pair of blue eyes cast another quick glance around the room. "Judging then by my accommodations as well as your words, I am to be some kind of hostage?"
A mocking clap answered her as well as a short chuckle. "You catch on quick. Good." He turned around once more, stepping into the darkness of the other room. "I hope you enjoy your stay heiress Schnee. Have a good night." Moving his arm to the side he turned off most of the lights in the room leaving only one dull bulb near the exit on.(1) With that, he closed the door behind him, retreating into the shadows. Weiss was left alone once more.
Alone she waited, without any company but herself and her own thoughts. There was nothing for her to do, nothing to interrupt the quiet interrupted only by her own mind and movements. She stood a few times, pacing the short distances in her cell the chains allowed her. After removing her boots she also spent time sitting or laying on the bed constantly shifting from position to position. In the hours spent, nothing changed in that time.
She wasn't quite sure what she was waiting for, rescue, or for her captor to show himself again. Either way, she didn't get it. As more and more hours passed, the reality of her situation began to sink in. Eventually she fell asleep, wondering what was to become of her.
It was the next day when Blake found herself watching over their prisoner. After Adam had left following his short chat with the heiress, she had evidently fallen asleep some time in the night. Granted that was likely to be a given since there was not much else she could have done in there. She was still asleep by the time that Blake had arrived in the morning to take position as guard since Adam had was no longer in the hideout, having went out to take care of business.
Blake was now seated in a chair by the door, out of reach from the prisoner. She had brought a book to help pass the time, as her captive certainly wasn't going to be going anywhere any time soon. This arrangement wasn't too bad she supposed. With the heiress restrained, it wouldn't take much concentration to keep an eye on her. Now she finally had the time to catch up on her reading.
Eventually though, she noticed that Weiss had awoken and was now staring at her. Seeing though that Weiss made no motion to get out of bed, she chose not to take any action either other than a slight inclination of her head in acknowledgement of the other girl's presence. The two continued in silence for some time, the only noise in the room being the soft flutter of pages in Blake's book each time she turned a page.
In that time Blake watched the prisoner from the corner of her eye. Although she had yet to see her actually do anything, a number of subtle expressions played out both in Weiss's expressions as well as through her body language. It was quite clear that she was obviously displeased with her current situation. Both anger and perhaps a tad bit of fear featured prominently on her face. Eventually though, she seemingly managed to reign herself in and calm down.
About a half hour passed before the silence was broken, possibly less as the reading girl was not particularly paying attention to the time. "So what's your story?" Weiss asked. "You do not appear to be one of them."
Blake paused for a moment in the middle of reading her book. Looking up, her amber eyes locked onto Weiss's own cool blue gaze as the white haired girl's eyes narrowed in scrutiny at the odd colour. "And what is it to you what 'my story' is?" Blake replied coolly.
Still in the midst of scanning Blake's features for something Weiss answered drily. "I'm being held here captive against my will. Humour me."
Blinking slowly Blake continued staring steadily at her for another minute of silence "...Half," was her eventual monosyllabic response. Feeling that the conversation was finished, Blake turned back to her book.
The captured heiress however did not seem so satisfied with that response, nor did she share Blake's sentiment about the end of the conversation. "Half? What do you mean by half?" she questioned somewhat annoyed at the vague answer. As a prisoner she did not exactly have anything else to occupy her time with, so Blake supposed that she was unlikely to just let this conversation end so unsatisfactorily for her.
"Half fauna," came Blake's clarification, her soft voice managing to carry across the room easily enough. "That's what I am. Half." She did not look up from her book.
Weiss was a little surprised at this information. "I couldn't tell at all. You do not have any distinguishing features that would indicate as such other than perhaps your eyes." Cocking her head to the side inquisitively the captive girl apparently felt the need to question her further. "You could pass for human easily enough. Something such as this shouldn't be necessary for you."
Pursing her lips in annoyance Blake's response came faster this time with a bit of a bite to it. "It shouldn't be necessary to have to hide my nature."
"What things 'should' be like is not the same as what things are," Weiss said seemingly rather annoyed herself. She was apparently displeased at the half fauna's previous statement. "It would be easier to just live your life as a regular human, why go to such extremes such as this?"
It was at this point that Blake's expression hardened with her voice growing cold. "I don't know you nearly well enough to tell you my reasons behind my actions. Prisoner." Returning her attention to her book, the conversation was quite definitively ended this time.
Said prisoner was not particularly happy with this end to the conversation if the frown on her face was anything to go by. Still though, she did not say anything, sensing that she likely would not getting anything more with the other girl in this agitated state. The two lapsed into silence.
Awaking the next Weiss found herself alone for the moment, her guard from yesterday not present for the moment. While having a guard watching over her made any attempts at escape impossible, the possibility was already close enough to impossible anyway with the resources available to her so it really made very little difference in the end. So at least having some company was better than none provided that the guard was at least tolerable. When she had first seen that her guard was also female, although she had tried not to let it show, she was actually quite relieved. Being chained to a bed after being kidnapped and held captive did not lend itself toward comforting thoughts.
It was extremely tempting for her to snark and sass at her captors, making as much of a nuisance of herself as possible. However, she was also not stupid enough to mouth off and unnecessarily antagonize the people who had her chained down and at their mercies. Yesterday's guard also seemed calm enough, there was no reason to give her a reason to be replaced with somebody worse. There was not much of a chance for her to escape by herself, she had best wait until her father negotiated her release and someone came for her.
She knew that she should hate the other girl for being part of whatever group responsible for her capture, and indeed she harboured quite a bit of resentment. However, having her here was better than not having her here, so she tried to restrain any petty or spiteful impulses to act out against her. The main reason why she did not particularly mind having a guard was that quite frankly, it was boring being alone in her cell. Although they had not spoken much outside that short initial conversation, having somebody else around was at least slightly more interesting than the stillness of an empty room, even if the other girl had not looked up much from her book. Hmm, she just now realized that she had never actually gotten her name.
A half fauna, that was what she said she was. Weiss simply did not understand the other girl. She showed no signs of her inhuman heritage in her appearance, yet she still seemed to embrace that part of her which must make life so difficult for her. Fauna were not treated well in their society, not with the stories, stigma, and superstition surrounding them. They were second class citizens at best, and the Schnee Dust Company took advantage of that.
Closing her eyes Weiss let out a sigh. She had not been lying when she said that as heiress she had no real power over the company's workings. She was not a fan of the treatment of the fauna, but there was nothing she could do to change it. And now the company's policies were coming back to bite her.
Her thoughts drifted once more to the dark haired girl of yesterday. She could hide the fact that she was a fauna easily enough and just live her life as a human. It would certainly go a long way in making life easier for her. There was no reason why she should have to associate herself with groups such as these apparent fauna extremists. She simply did not make any sense to her.
Any further interactions they had after the short conversation were mostly limited to when the raven haired girl brought her meals in. Just two meals, presumably lunch and dinner from the food. A third meal was hardly necessary since she wasn't expending much energy just sitting here. The food was actually surprisingly good given that she was a prisoner, but it seemed that the other girl ate the same meals as her as well, so perhaps that was to be expected.
Her eyes slowly scanned the room. The only thing different was the presence of the chair the other girl sat on. It was a simple wooden chair, if she could get to it perhaps she would be able to break it, use the wood for something. But really, it was out of her reach, and what could she do with broken pieces of a wooden chair anyway? Certainly nothing useful, these were just idle thoughts of a mind with nothing better to do.
A few frustratingly quiet hours passed before she arrived. Sweeping in through the now opened door she came carrying two trays of food. One was swiftly set aside atop the lone chair, and stepping forward Weiss was silently offered the other. She took it and the soft plastic utensils with a muttered thanks, followed shortly by the other girl retreating slowly towards her seat.
Simple enough food, a ham and cheese omelette with a side of sausages, fresh enough that it meant there was probably a kitchen nearby where it was homemade rather than ordered out from somewhere. It was cooked and tasted quite well though once again. Weiss wondered if the amber eyed girl had made it herself. Still, she wasn't about to start complimenting the cooking skills of her captors.
"So," Weiss started, being again the first to break the silence. "You have me at a bit of a disadvantage. Obviously you know who I am, but I do not even have a name by which I can refer to you."
Once again the other girl gave her that slow considering gaze of hers before answering. "Blake. My name is Blake."
She made a hum of acknowledgement as she considered the other girl...Blake's name. Not a terribly common given name, especially not for a girl, but not unheard of either. Looking at her appearance, she supposed that the name fit. Pale skin and black hair, not to mention her manner of dress, Blake was a fairly apt name for her, about as fitting as Weiss was for herself.
Hearing the flutter of pages once again, cool blue eyes flickered back to the only book in the room. "That's the same book from yesterday isn't it? You seem to read fast, shouldn't you be further in than that?" Weiss felt odd that she was now attempting to make small talk with her cell guard. But again, she had nothing better to do with her time, and it didn't seem like Blake would speak up of her own volition.
Another pause before amber eyes raised themselves once more from the pages of the book. "I have already read this book several times before actually. It's a favourite of mine."
"What's it about?" she asked as she adjusted her sitting position on the bed.
Blake blinked at her, probably as surprised as she was at the attempts at conversation. Still though, it seemed that either the inquiry about the book aligned with her interests, or she was deciding to humour her as she continued speaking. "It is a story of a man and a monster. Although the book is about the man, the monster is the more iconic of the two." Blake paused, looking at Weiss for a moment as if waiting to see if she wished for her to continue.
That one sentence was probably the most she had heard from the quiet girl so Weiss quickly gestured with her hand for the other girl to continue, causing the ringing of chains. It seemed Blake really was fond of speaking on this topic as she continued talking with no more prompting than the simple gesture. "Although he is called a monster, it was originally only in appearance. In soul and nature he was created innocent, but continuously spurned by the cruelty of humanity, and of his creator, the man, his actions grew darker as he became the monster he was labelled." A short break in the explanation as Blake seemingly lost herself in her mind to the story she was recounting. "In the end though, despite giving into his rage, despite the atrocities he committed, he still despaired at his life, and found solace only in death." The quiet tone of her voice gave a rather solemn nature to her summary of the story.(3)
This time it was Weiss's turn to blink in surprise. Blake had been a rather quiet person thus far, and it was strange for her to say so much in one go. "I take it you enjoy reading?" she asked with an encouraging smile. Perhaps the quiet girl would talk more if the conversation was steered more towards her interests, it would certainly liven up the stifling atmosphere. It probably wouldn't hurt to perhaps get on the good side of her guard either.
"Yes...I do," the darker haired girl answered again in that slow methodical voice of hers. "They are a quiet pastime. And reading...is a good escape. From reality."
"Literature is certainly a commendable hobby," Weiss said complimentingly. "I admit to enjoying a good book every now and then myself." A wry grin adorned her face. "One of the fine arts," she whispered. "Something worthy enough for the Schnee heiress to spend her time on." A sigh was let out before she recomposed herself with a bit of a happier smile. "Luckily as far as the fine arts go, I am rather fond of music as well as dance. How about you?"
The two girls continued on like that into the night. They spoke of small inconsequential things, their soft smiles and words temporarily masking the true nature of their situation. If not for the chains, they could have been mistaken for two regular friends. As it was over the course of the next couple of days, it was rather surprising how quickly and easily captor and captive developed a seemingly amicable relationship.
It was a couple of days later that Blake came in a tad more somber than usual. Weiss seemed to note this, but declined to comment on it. The heiress was a lot calmer and less belligerent than she would have expected given her personality profile from the files she had received. Perhaps she just knew that acting out wouldn't get her anywhere here. Although Blake had not overstepped any boundaries, it was still clear that the suggestiveness of the two of them being alone in a room where she was chained to a bed made her quite uncomfortable and wary. As time passed while she still remained captive without being released, the girl seemed to become more and more subdued and disheartened.
Despite the situation, it was a strange sort of semi-friendship they had struck up. They chatted a little every day, there wasn't a whole lot else to do in that room. On occasion Blake would read aloud for her from her book. She wasn't allowed to give her any books, a security precaution. Nothing other than food was to be given to the prisoner. It was nice actually having someone to talk to for once, strange as the situation may be. Adam wasn't particularly talkative, and she interacted little with others of the organization. Blake wondered what it said about the two of them that they found companionship between prisoner and prison guard.
It was several hours later, in the afternoon when Blake finally approached the topic. "The negotiations have not been going well as I have been informed." She paused to look at Weiss, seeing that she had the snow haired girl's full attention. "Your father has not been very cooperative in working towards your release. I was told to ask you why this is."
"I...I see..." Weiss said after a moment with a crestfallen expression. "I can't even say that I'm terribly surprised," she admitted in a whisper after a moment. Blake noted that she actually did not sound surprised at all. She didn't even sound sad exactly, or at least it was not the dominating element of her voice. Perhaps more resigned, than anything else, disappointed, or even crushed. As if she were expecting this, but hoping against it.
Blake was befuddled. "But why?" she questioned her. "He is your father is he not? And you are his heir. Your safety should be paramount, yet that doesn't seem to be the case."
"His heir..." the other girl whispered bitterly with her face downcast. "I am indeed his heir, and I suppose that is all I am to him. He stopped being my father a long time ago..." As she trailed off the sadness leaked more and more into her voice. There was something brittle in her stance and expression, as if she might shatter at the slightest prompting.
Seeing the other girl upset hurt Blake more than she thought it would. However, while they got along well enough, in the end she had still helped kidnap Weiss, and was now her guard keeping her captive. Doing this was her job, and she shouldn't be getting attached to the prisoner. Hardening herself she pressed on.
"What do you mean by that? Even if your personal relationship is strained, you are still the heir as you say," Blake began to infer. "As the heiress to the company, should he not be trying to get you back? Why doesn't he seem to care?"
"Hah," a bitter laugh. "That man cares for nothing other than himself and his work. While you would think that to mean that he would care for the company, he really doesn't. After he dies, what does he care what becomes of what is left behind? What use is an heir? I am but an afterthought at best." As Weiss explains the reasons for her father's actions, her expression slowly becomes more downcast.
"Why...why is that?" Blake's question was presented hesitantly at best. Weiss was being surprisingly forthcoming with her answers despite how obviously painful this was for her.
A tremble ran through Weiss's body causing the chains to let out soft clinks. "Mother," came the soft whisper as the heiress's voice hitched slightly at the end. "After she died, he changed. He stopped really living. It's a wonder that he finds the will to get up in the mornings." A sniffle came as Blake realized that the other girl now had a trail of tears running down her face. She had evidently hit a sore topic. "He stopped being a father then. All he does is work, and even that is cold and empty." She turned to Blake, a heartbroken expression on her face. "Once upon a time, I used to be daddy's little girl you know? Even after he changed...I had held onto some hope. But I see now, I've been cast away. Useless. Worthless. Unwanted."
Slowly Blake stood from her chair near the exit. Moving from her position she slowly approached the bed with Weiss on it for the first time outside of delivering or picking up trays of food. Seating herself lightly on the bed next to the chained girl she placed on arm across the crying girl's back. She wasn't supposed to be within reach of the prisoner just as a safety precaution, but looking at her now, Blake didn't think she had anything to worry about. Unfortunately, she was unused to having to comfort someone, and her uncomfortableness with the situation showed on her face. Still, Weiss seemed to take some measure of comfort in her presence as her posture relaxed a little.
"I had...I had hoped that he would come for me," a teary-eyes Weiss confessed. "Everything I've done, was to try and show my worth," she whispered miserably. "That his daughter was worth something." A bitter chuckle. "I've been a fool."
Blake had no idea what she could say to any of that. Silently she wrapped her arms around Weiss in an awkward hug hoping that she could at least provide some physical comfort even if she wasn't very good with words. Stroking Weiss's back she could feel the tremors in the other girl's body each time she sniffled or hiccuped.
Weiss's voice came softly, a quiet breath next to Blake's ear. "You know...it's funny. I've never had anybody I've been close to growing up. You're the closest thing I have to a friend." It wasn't something that Blake could see from her position, but a sad little smile was upon Weiss's face. "How sad is it that...that someone I've known for less than a week, that kidnapped me, that has me in chains...is probably my best friend?"
Each word Weiss spoke struck deeply at Blake. Biting her lip, she was glad that her face wasn't visible to the other girl. It seemed that she had greatly misjudged her initially, even those who had the fortune to be born to a high class family didn't necessarily lead a charmed life. Because of her, what little stability Weiss had in her life was now crashing down around her. And yet, she considered her her best friend, how ironic. The worst thing was that Blake wasn't totally sure that feeling was not reciprocated.
Clutching her friend closer to her Blake found that it was she herself who was now founding comfort from the other girl. She had never been a fan of this plan from the beginning, but now it was so much worse. She wondered what would become of the heiress now. Adam would never just let her go as simply as that, and her father was completely unwilling to negotiate.
Blake had gone along with Adam's scheme initially to strike a blow at the Schnee Dust Company. They were a major contributor towards the oppression of fauna, and she had justified their actions by telling herself that they had it a long time coming. But now, holding Weiss she had to wonder. After so long, had she finally become the monster of the story?
Weiss had not even realized she had fallen asleep until she woke up. Shifting slightly the jangling of her chains accompanied her movements. She must have only just nodded off for a short while as Blake was still here with her.
The warmth of her body was both comforting as well as rather disquieting. She had been entirely honest when she had said that Blake was her best, and really, only friend. She had never shown so much emotion to anyone else before, and to be honest, she felt it rather shameful to have broken down like that. With her father now having abandoned her to her fate by all appearances, Blake really was the only thing she really had. How pitiful must she be, where her only friend is also her guard and captor. It was perhaps because she felt so close to Blake for some indeterminate reason that she had said as much as she had.
She was feeling very miserable right now to put it blandly, and she was perhaps also in a bit of shock. Her life had more or less been entirely pulled out from underneath her feet. Taken from her home, she was now shackled and under guard. All in less than a week. Her hopes of her father negotiating her release were shattered, and with them any illusion that he still cared for her.
Blake gently pulling away from her brought Weiss out of her thoughts. "You asked me before...why it is that I do what I do. Why I choose not to hide what I am," Blake whispered quietly. Bringing her hands to her chest she unbuttoned her vest and shrugged it off.
As Blake reached next for the hem of her white undershirt Weiss reacted. Backpedalling as fast as she could she pushed herself away from the undressing girl with a strangled cry, almost leaping backwards off the bed. With her mental and emotional state as shaken as they were, she had moved off sheer instinct and immediate panic. The rattle of the chains sounded loudly until she reached their limit, pulling them taught which also elicited a whimper from her. "W-what are you doing?" Weiss demanded shakily with her eyes wild.
The other girl had paused in her undressing upon Weiss's sudden movement, and a pair of amber eyes was now looking at her in surprise. A flicker of understanding passed through them as Blake's expression changed to vaguely horrified recognition. "I-I wasn't-I wouldn't," Blake started off stammering. Swallowing and recomposing herself she continued. "I mean, you don't have to worry. I wouldn't...I wouldn't do something like that."
Weiss's face flushed slightly as she immediately felt bad for thinking such a thing of Blake. When she had first seen the dark haired girl, one of the things she had felt was relief, as having a female guard as opposed to a male one would hopefully mean that certain unsavoury and reprehensible actions would not occur. But when Blake had started undressing, her mind had immediately assumed the worst. Still, she supposed that she could give her the benefit of the doubt. Warily, Weiss returned closer to the bed the chains going slack with a jangle, but she maintained a bit of distance still.
Seeing that the white haired captive had calmed down a bit, Blake pulled off her shirt. leaving her top clad only in a bra. With a shaky breath of her own, she turned around and bared her back to Weiss.
A soft gasp sounded as Weiss's eyes went wide once more. "...What?" she breathed out softly, struck speechless. Frozen blue eyes were stuck on Blake's back, or rather, what was on her back.
The sight which had Weiss so transfixed was the multitude of terrible scars that adorned the pale flesh of the other girl. They were varied in type, appearance, and size, no two looking the same. Some were thick and ropy, raised ridges of skin crisscrossing their way through each other. Others existed just as liens of discoloured skin, some darker, some white. Angry looking patches rather than lines existed as well, looking like the remnants of burns. The only thing in common between them was that they were all faded, simply reminders of the past rather than a recent occurrence.(4)
"Even if I can hide what I am from everyone else, I can't hide from myself," Blake explained in that calm voice of hers. Still with her back to Weiss she continued talking. "It is not something I can just forget, these are part of what I am. What made me who I am today."
The soft jingling of the chains sounded through the small room as Weiss walked back towards Blake and the bed. Seating herself at it's edge she reached out hesitantly. Long alabaster fingers brushed across a particularly bad scar, drawing a slight shiver through Blake's body. "What...what happened? How did you get all of these?" The emotion in her voice was not quite pity, she didn't think Blake would want that. Just sadness, and empathy.
"Because no matter how human I look, it doesn't matter if somebody already knows." Blake closed her eyes, bowing her head. "After my parents were gone, there was nobody left to protect me. The people of the town knew what I was, what I am. They barely tolerated my presence as it was. Nobody cared if I got a little banged up." A little banged up was understating it Weiss privately thought to herself. She didn't understand how the Blake was able to talk about this so calmly when she felt like she was about to cry.
"I do what I do because I never want anybody else to have to go through that. To feel like a monster. Whether it be the monster they were labelled, or..." a sardonic expression crossed the half-fauna's face as she finished her sentence. "...the monster that I have become."
It took but the shortest of moments before Weiss made up her mind as to her next action. Wrapping her arms around Blake as best she could with the chains restricting her movements she embraced the melancholic from behind, trying to comfort her now as Blake did for her earlier. Laying her head on a pale unmarred shoulder she buried her face into the mane of black hair from the side. Speaking softly she murmured her next words, just loud enough for Blake to hear. "...That's a nice dream." The implied forgiveness went unspoken but understood.
With Blake's face not being visible to her from her current position, what happened next went unknown to her. A single tear trailed down from a golden eye as an expression of utmost self loathing twisted across her features. Weiss wouldn't know it, but her forgiveness only caused Blake's self hatred to increase, and her guilt to grow.
Blake sighed as she trudged back towards the cell. Another few days had passed while Adam was looking into alternatives for what to do with Weiss. Apparently a group was now expressing interest in purchasing the heiress for some use or another. She was never in great support of the kidnapping to being with, but now, selling her off to some shady looking guys? It did not sit well with her at all.
Ever since that night, Weiss had generally been in even more of a depressed state than even before. Blake felt bad for her, really. It could not have been easy to realize that the only family you had did not care for you in the slightest. Furthermore, Blake's own impulsive decision to show Weiss her scars and tell her a bit about her past seemed to depress the other girl even more. But Adam was the one who had saved her so long ago, she owed him everything. When it comes down to it, she had only known Weiss for a week at best. And so, however grudgingly, she continued to follow Adam's directives.
At the moment a representative from the organization was in their hideout to help hash out details and inspect the prisoner. Blake had been sent to run an errand earlier while Adam spoke with them. Now that she had returned Adam was going out instead. With nothing else to do she figured that she may as well go and see Weiss one last time.
Stepping into the darkened intermediary room she turned around to close the door behind her. In the darkened room the only light was that coming from the window into the room beyond. As she passed by the window she glanced in expecting to see Weiss waiting on her bed as usual. That was not what she saw.
That brute they had sent over to talk with Adam was in the room with her. Worse than that, he was in fact on top of her, pinning her to the bed. Though no sound made it out of the room, it was obvious what was happening from Weiss's struggling.
Practically tearing the door off it's hinges Blake raced into the room. Grabbing the large man by the shoulder the snarling half-fauna threw him off the chained and struggling girl with inhuman strength. Ripping the blade of Gambol Shroud free from the sheath she pointed the tip right in the thug's face. "What do you think you are doing?" she hissed with obvious fury in her voice.
"Whoa girly relax," he replied as he raised his hands in the air. "I was just checkin' out the merchandise. That's all." Standing back up he made sure to keep his hands raised as he eyed the blade pointed at him warily. As he was backing away slowly towards the exit, Blake made sure to keep the tip of her blade pointed at his neck as she glared at him with narrowed golden eyes. "Get out."
As he continued his retreat to the door in compliance with Blake's demand the nameless thug continued speaking. "The exchange is happening tomorrow. Make sure the girl is ready."
She noted his words internally, but on the outside she simply repeated her order with a hiss. "Get out. Now." The man having finally reached the door wasted no time in beating a hasty retreat out of it.
Once he was gone Blake immediately banished him from her mind as she sheathed Gambol Shroud and turned back towards Weiss. "Weiss! Are you okay?" she called out worriedly as she rushed to her side. Grasping her lightly by the shoulders she tried to look into Weiss's eyes, but the other girl kept her face downturned. "He didn't...he didn't touch you did he?" Blake had to make sure, but was hesitant in the wording. A silent shake of the head was her answer. Pulling back slightly she looked downward to examine the shaken girl. both her clothing and hair were dishevelled, but Weiss had remained fully clothed. She had probably arrived just in time.
Pulling Weiss into another embrace she had the brief thought that this becoming something of a regular thing for them. Even as Weiss remained silent she was able to feel the trembles that ran through the girl's body as well as the tears that leaked onto her shoulder. Although Blake had intervened before they had gotten too far, it must have been a terrible and frightening experience for Weiss. As the Schnee heiress, it would have been rare for anybody other than her father to hold power over her, and he barely acknowledged her existence as it was. Here chained to the bed she had become more subdued, frightened at the prospect of her own helplessness. But Blake had never taken advantage of her state, not like that scum who had just tried.
Blake continued holding Weiss for hours, well into the night. The two went without dinner as neither welcomed the prospect of leaving Weiss alone in the room. As Weiss fell asleep, Blake finally came to a decision. She couldn't do this anymore, it no longer mattered what Adam wanted. Not if something like that was what Weiss had to look forward to.
When darkness fell and Weiss was asleep, Blake made her move. She made a quick sweep of the hideout to make sure it was empty. Adam was still out, and as a smaller base very few other members of their organization ever came here. At this time of night, nobody was here but her and Weiss.
She didn't really need to take anything with her, she knew the locations of a few supply dead drops she could reach later. The only thing that she had to take care of was Weiss. Having grabbed the keys to her chains she brought them back to the room and quietly unlocked the manacles attached to each of the heiress's limbs. Blake didn't bother waking her up as she wasn't quite sure how effective Weiss would be at moving fast after such a long period of inactivity. It was fine if she were asleep, the half-fauna was more than strong enough to carry the petite girl. Even after all this, she didn't think the heiress's pride would allow her to be carried to safety once the opportunity for escape presented itself. Still, better to be safe than sorry. Grabbing Weiss's boots from next to the bed she carefully slipped them on to the sleeping girl's feet.
As she took one more quick look around the base Blake bit her lip as she did one final thing. A single message was left behind, addressed to Adam. Goodbye.
Slipping out of the door Blake paused to readjust the position of Weiss on her back. Once she was satisfied, with a quick scan of her surroundings she dashed forward. Winding her way through the narrow streets Blake moved with great familiarity, taking care to use the back alleys to lessen the possibility of someone spotting them. The inky black of her hair and clothing meshed in well with the darkness making it extremely hard for anyone to notice her.
Despite all this however, it was only a couple of minutes later that Blake felt the presence of someone tailing her. Each time she turned she would catch the flicker of somebody ducking around a corner, or a shadow that stuck too far out. She couldn't believe that she had been found out already. It wasn't Adam, if he had seen her message he would not be beating around the bush like this. Whoever it was, it couldn't be good news.
Compounding the problem, she felt Weiss stirring into wakefulness on her back. Dashing around a corner she carefully lowered Weiss to the ground and turned around to face her. "Shh," shushed Blake as she raised a finger to her lips. Weiss was alarmed at the sudden change in scenery upon awaking as well as her now freed limbs but she seemed willing to hear Blake out for the moment which she was thankful for. "There isn't much time to explain," she whispered urgently. "But you have to go. Now. Get somewhere safe, run and don't come back. Go! Now!" Her voice rose to a near shout towards the end as she ushered Weiss away towards the other end of the alley.
Not stopping to question her Weiss accepted her commands in her groggy half woken state as she began running. As Blake saw her pause for a moment to look back she felt the first drop of rain fall upon her face. Once Weiss had exited the mouth of the alley and disappeared from her sight she turned back around the corner, the rain now falling freely. Blake called out as she brought Gambol Shroud off her back. "I know you're there. You may as well show yourself."
A moment of silence passed by before a figure stepped out and called out in a familiar voice. "Well well. It's a good thing we were keeping watch, or the Schnee girl may have slipped away with nobody the wiser."
"You..." Blake hissed venomously in recognition. It was the same bastard who had tried to force himself onto Weiss. "The exchange was set for tomorrow. What are you doing here now?"
"Oh, we never intended to go through with the deal that was set out," he said with his voice smug now that there wasn't a blade to his throat unlike earlier. "And it seems neither were you as well. Oh well, this just works out so much the better for us. You've done us the favour of moving her out of that base of yours and saved us the trouble of having to break in."
"And what makes you think I would just allow you to get passed me to get to her?" Blake threatened as she levelled Gambol Shroud at him. Although she was quite good at it, she typically abhorred fighting unless necessary. In this case though, against this man, Blake thinks that she will quite enjoy this fight indeed. The look on her face attested as well to that promise of great violence.
"Simple." He raised his hand with his thumb resting on his middle finger. "Them." Snap. Before Blake had a moment to question what he meant, two more shapes appeared and rushed towards her.
Bracing the flat of the sword with her left hand Blake blocked the first strike of her new opponent before jumping back. Taking a ready stance she took quick stock of the two new combatants. Amber eyes narrowed at the sight. AK-130 Androids, heavily modified. It seemed they were opting for blades rather than their guns. Probably to keep the noise down and avoid drawing attention. That was fine with her, but it also meant that she couldn't shoot either. She didn't know how people like them managed to get their hands on the droids but it was no matter. The narrowness of the alley may restrict her movements with the ribbon on Gambol Shroud, but it worked against them as well with their greater numbers.
Throwing Gambol Shroud forward at the first robot by the ribbon she forced it to deflect the shot. As this was happening though Blake dashed forward grabbing the handle of her weapon out of the air for a quick second blow, knocking aside it's guard and sending it reeling back. She was quickly forced however to take off the sheath into her other hand, using it deflect the attack of the second droid before she was able to finish off the first.
The first opponent having turned it's forward to regain it's balance was now surging forward at her in an attempt to shoulder check her down. Leaping off the ground Blake placed a hand on it's shoulder as it neared her, wheeling over it she kicked off the back of it's head pushing it into the ground as she charged at the thug who was now brandishing a short sword of his own.
The punk went down much easier than she expected. He managed to block the first blade but he failed to reorient his guard before the sheath swung in after. The second blow knocked the sword out of his grasp, and whirling around in a spin the back of the blade came in at his head, contacting with a satisfying crack. This took perhaps two seconds altogether to take him down. As he slumped to the ground unconscious Blake had to quickly dodge to the side away from the bladed edge swung by one of the androids which were now at her back.
Having over extended too far it was far too late in reacting to Blake's counter attack. A quick strike to knock aside it's arm followed by a spin back to the side put her in front of it once more. An upswing from the sheath scored a line up it's torso as it's head was forced back from the force of the blow. Having readied the blade once more Blake rammed it through it's chest causing a shower of sparks as the lights went out throughout it's body.
The other AK-130 had since brought itself back to it's feet and was now heading in her direction. It never had a chance to attack though as the body of it's comrade was thrown into it, knocking them both back to the floor. This was followed up quickly by the blade of Gambol Shroud being forcefully rammed back through the both of them. A swipe of the sharpened edge of the sheath quickly took off it's head as well.
Standing up slowly Blake took a shuddering breath as the tension left her body. Sparing a glance to ensure that the brute was still slumped over on the ground she turned her eyes skyward. The rain was really starting to come down now, she could feel it soaking into her clothes and skin. She wondered where she would go from here. Freeing Weiss had been a split second decision, but because of there was no way she could return to her old life now. It's not like she could follow after her either, not since she helped kidnap her in the first place.
Putting aside her thoughts for the moment Blake turned to depart the alley in the direction opposite to where they had all come in. She had barely made it more than a dozen steps before it happened. A surge ran through the half fauna's body as the muscles in her body seized up. Golden eyes widened as her mouth opened in a silent scream before she fell forward on to the ground.
"Well well," came the mocking tone as he repeated his earlier words. "It looks like the tables have turned." A rough hand grabbed her by the shoulder as she was thrown up against a wall into a slumped sitting position. She heard the crackle first, before she managed to bring her eyes to see the shine of the taser in the darkness of the alley. It certainly wasn't any kind of standard taser, the power it packed would be potentially lethal to most people. The fact that she was soaked from the rain likely had not helped matters either.
Feeling a hand on her chin Blake's face was roughly turned to face him as she glared balefully. "You know, you're quite the looker yourself girl," the thug mused aloud as he inspected her face. "Maybe I'll have a little fun with you before I go and hunt down that other pretty little thing." Although she had yet to get the control over herself necessary to do much else, Blake managed to spit in his eye. This was quickly proved to be a poor decision as the backhand she received caused her to spit blood as the inside of her cheek was split.
Hearing the sound of something being picked up off the ground Blake managed to force her head back into position to look at the man. She was faced with the blade of her own Gambol Shroud being pointed right at her face. "You will pay for that. And after I'm done with you, I will go find that Schnee girl and show her your corpse," he said coldly.
Blake struggled to move, but the effects of the overpowered taser were still apparent. Her fingers twitched, her legs slowly slid across the ground and her neck twisted from side to side. But she could do nothing useful to get her out of this situation. Staring back at her own blade she decided to look her end face on.
Blood splattered the ground and stained Blake's clothes.
Weiss had no idea what was happening when she came to. She had not seen outside her cell since she had first been taken and placed into it, nor were her chains ever removed. The first thing she had seen when she had awoken was Blake. With the shocked state she found herself in and the urgency in Blake's voice, she hadn't thought to question her instructions.
Now that she had a moment to think though, she thought that she could probably guess as to what the current situation was. She was outside now, and nobody was watching or following her as she ran. Provided she wasn't caught again, she essentially free and in the clear. Blake however was with her when she had awoken, and she hadn't bothered to restrain her. In fact, she was the one who told Weiss to run. The urgency in her voice and the movements she made towards the weapon on her back also suggested that somebody else was after them, perhaps herself in particular since Blake had sent her away while she stayed behind. The conclusion was that Blake had freed her for some reason and now either her associates or the group that man from yesterday was with was after them now.
She wanted to run, to get somewhere safe and get back in contact with the Schnee estate, she really did. Freedom was within her grasp, and she felt a lot more in control of her situation than she had in what seemed like a long time. There was no reason for her to go back. Even if Blake had freed her, she was also one of the ones who kidnapped her originally, and held her under lock and key. But Weiss had barely made it a block away before she stopped, barely noting that the rain coming down had now begun to soak into her dress. The truth was, everything she had said to the raven haired girl was true. Blake really was her closest friend as sad as that may be, and what did she really have to return to?
"Tch." With a muttered curse Weiss turned around and sprinted back to where she had left Blake. Circling around the buildings she made to enter the alley from behind. Hopefully she would arrive to see nothing but an empty alley, or perhaps Blake after having won a fight. As long as Blake was fine, then she hoped that she would be able to leave with a clean conscience.
Her footsteps as she stepped into the alley were masked by the sound of the rain hitting pavement. The scene she came across made her blood run cold. Blake was slumped along the wall, almost unmoving but for her head and the twitching of her extremities. That cretin from earlier was there as well, pointing her own weapon at her.
Weiss's next few actions were a blur as she moved without thinking. Running forward she snatched a fallen blade off the ground. Another short dash later the sound of flesh tearing sounded as the blade ran through the back of the thug, erupting out of his chest in a spray of crimson.
Blood splattered the ground and stained Blake's clothes.
Blake's weapon was lowered to the side as the man was now staring at his own blade coming out of his torso, stained in blood. He choked and gurgled as his lungs began to fill with blood. Another jerk of the short sword from Weiss pushed it in deeper causing his grip to slacken as Gambol Shroud fell to the ground.
As she let go of the weapon and stepped back the dying man sank to his knees. Mind numb, Weiss still managed to reach forward in time and push him to the side so he wouldn't fall forward with the blade into Blake. Bringing her hands into her sight she noted that they were shaking. She couldn't feel anything at all.
A sound from Blake snapped her out of her shock as the heiress pushed everything else to the back of her mind. Stepping over the body she kneeled down next to Blake who was now showing signs of movement. "Are you okay?" She hated the tremor in her voice, but something about seeing Blake like this shook her.
"Y...Y-you...c-came back," Blake managed to stutter out with some difficulty as she regained control of her body. Taking a shaky breath she took a moment to clear her throat and shake loose the static in her mind as a mane of black hair swished through the air. "Why?"
"Because...because as I have already told you, you are my friend. My best friend." Weiss whispered softly in return. "Because I have nothing else. My father never even cared that I was gone. I have no other friends. No other family. All I have is you." Saying it out loud, admitting everything, she thought it would be painful. If anything, it was in fact somewhat the opposite, cathartic, and freeing.
Blake watched her for a moment, once more giving that careful considering look of hers. "Thank you." Grimacing, Blake placed her hand on the ground and attempted to force herself into a standing position. Seeing her struggles Weiss went to her side and slung an arm over her shoulders, trying to help her stand. "We should get going, soon, fast. Somebody will come looking soon," Blake said urgently.
Weakened as Weiss's own body was from her short time in imprisonment, she managed to help Blake hobble out of the alley as they made some distance. As the minutes passed Blake began to regain her strength, and eventually it was her who was supporting Weiss as they moved. Their escape from the scene of the crime helped keep her mind off of what she had done.
Eventually though, they came to a stop. The two had moved onto the roofs as soon as Blake felt she was capable of it, feeling that it was better than staying in the streets. When Weiss had almost collapsed though, Blake had forced her to stop for a break. Once more she was left to her thoughts, and the reality of what he had just done began to sink in as she trembled in Blake's arms.
Weiss trembled as the rain washed over them. Pressed tight to the body of the taller girl she continued shaking. She felt Blake stroking her back as she whispered into her ear, trying to calm her down. Weiss barely heard her words though, her mind stuck on what she had just done. She had just killed a man. The blade had ripped right through his chest, and there was so much blood. Even if he had gotten immediate medical attention his chances of survival would not have been great. But left alone and bleeding out in the alley, he had no chance at all.
She had fought before of course, Myrtenaster was not just for show. She had killed, what person wanting to be a huntress had not killed a monster at some point? But sparring with someone or killing monsters was not the same thing. Not the same as killing a human being. Not the same as killing another person.
She felt Blake's hands move to grasp her shoulders, pulling her back slightly. "Weiss, look at me," Blake said firmly. Shakily she turned her head upwards from Blake's chest to do as she said. "It wasn't your fault," she murmured softly. "It was him or us, and while I'm no saint, he certainly wasn't a good person at all either. Not with who he associates with. Not with what he was planning to do. To you, and to me."
Weiss knew that on some level, intellectually at least. If it had to be him or one of them that went down, she'd rather it be him. But still, knowing and feeling were two entirely separate things. At this point her tears were mixed in with the rain washing down her cheeks. As her shaking intensified and panic began to set in she felt Blake's hand upon her chin turn her face forward.
Her eyes widened as she saw the other girl's face right in front of her eyes as a pair of lips came to cover her own. If she had been thinking rationally, Weiss would have been surprised at how quickly she kissed back. Closing her eyes she brought her arms over Blake's shoulder as the other girl pulled their bodies together with an impressive strength.
Their kiss was desperate, needy. Their lips crashed together repeatedly with barely a moment paused for air in between. When Blake's tongue pressed into her mouth she could taste the other girl's blood, but she didn't care. She didn't care about the consequences right now, what this meant. She just knew that she needed this.
The thought hadn't crossed her mind before, but when she was holding the petite girl something clicked in her mind. Weiss was hurting right now, and she wanted to make it better. As her hand knotted itself into Weiss's snowy hair she continued pressing her lips against the softer pair they found themselves on. As her tongue pushed forward relentlessly she was delighted to find that Weiss's own silky tongue was wrestling her back. But even as the passion overtook her, Blake's mind continued working.
This was wrong, Blake knew that. Firstly, they were both girls, and while their society may not judge it as harshly as some others she had heard of, it was still typically considered a taboo, especially for someone of Weiss's position. Second, the cold hard truth was that Weiss had been her prisoner. She was abducted and held against her will with Blake acting as her guard. At some point, Blake had fallen for Weiss in the time they spent together. Time in which Weiss was bound and unable to move. Weiss as well may have developed some sort of feelings for her in return, but what were they really? Some form of twisted Stockholm Syndrome? Third, their stations in life were entirely different. Weiss, the heiress to one of the most influential companies in the world, and she, what essentially amounted to a common terrorist, and a dirty half breed.
Here the two of them were now, desperately clinging to each other soaked in the rain. Splatters of blood still clung to her, some of it having rubbed on to Weiss. The rain failed to do anything more than cause it to run and smear more. Weiss was shaking, and not all of it from the cold. Blake's body meanwhile felt frozen stiff, as if she were as solid as ice. This was hardly the most romantic of scenes.
Everything Blake knew said that this was wrong. And yet, holding Weiss's frail frame in her arms, finding warmth in her form, something about it just felt so right. Another thing Blake knew was that she could be selfish. She didn't have many things, and what little she did have she clung to jealously. Right or wrong, at some point this Weiss had taken her heart, and the very same girl was hers now as well. She knew that the best thing to do for her was to return her home and leave, never to see her again. Because really, would someone like her be able to make Weiss happy? And yet, this was something that she knew she would not let go of for anything.
Pulling back from the kiss she rested her forehead against Weiss's. Against that of the girl she loved. She would make this work. Somehow. Some way. Whatever it took. She finally had something worth living for, something worth fighting for. And she would not let go of it.
1: It's how two way mirrors work. Partially reflective, partially see through. One room is kept brighter so that those inside it see mostly reflections as very little light passes through from the dimly lit area on the other side, and vice-versa. Make sure that the side you don't want to be able to see through the mirror is better lit, and keep the other side dark.
2: One theory is that those things in Adam's hair are horns and that he is a fauna. They supposedly actually move in the wind so it's probably just stylized hair, but whatever. His mask also supposedly may be concealing some other identifying trait. He is a fauna in this story, and that is what matters.
3: Guess the book. In episode 3, Blake was actually reading the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is also an actual book, and should be classic enough to be easily guessed. I thought the story of it held some pretty good parallels with Blake's past in this fic so I included it. I have never actually read the book myself though, so take the summary with a grain of salt.
4: Blake having a scarred back is the idea I used from Xekstrin. The story is called "Oh Star, Fall Down On Me" and is located on her tumblr but not here on FFN. The origins of the scars here are different from her headcanon though.
Author's Note
In hindsight, this may have worked better as a short chaptered series. I probably could've fit in more scenes of them getting to know each other that way. Oh well, too lazy to write them anyway. I felt that the one-shot worked pretty well as well, because the ending scenes were some of the main points that I felt really made the whole story. Either way, I'm not continuing this past the ending.
Stockholm Syndrome. So while Weiss growing so close to Blake may not seem logical from the perspective of a rational person, stuff like that does happen. Weiss here is rather lonely, and given that she didn't really have any choice but to spend time with Blake, she grew rather attached. It helps that Blake actually had similar circumstances, albeit she was technically the one in power.
EDIT (31/08/13): Some people have expressed concerns about the ending, so I figured I'd explain why I ended it the way I did.
In this story, both Blake and Weiss are two very broken people, and their resulting relationship is a result or reflection of that. The kiss may have been a bit sudden and seemingly out of place, but even their "friendship" is kind of like that. Emotions were running high at the time, and they really only did have each other. Blake made a snap decision and Weiss reciprocated.
There were a few reasons for ending it there. A primary reason would be because it was one of the original scenes I had planned out in my head, and it was always intended as the ending, I had no further ideas passed that. The immediate situation was resolved, and I wanted to leave a somewhat open ending. What happens next is up to your imagination. Maybe they find their happy ending together, maybe the tragedies only deepen. Who knows? I certainly don't.
This is the longest single chapter for anything I have ever written. It would be very nice if you would leave a review on your way out to let me know what you thought.