In the Weeks since becoming an official Huntress team, Blake Belladonna felt that she had learned a great deal about her new team-mates, some of which she didn't really want to know, some which she was content to remain quiet about, and some that made her face red just thinking about it.
The girl was a generally introverted person, she didn't much like confrontations, she kept her thoughts to herself (with exception to her brief meeting with Ruby and Yang prior to their initiation, where the younger Black-haired girl had managed, in one fell swoop, to break through her cold exterior, and throw her off balance.), and the less people that kept their attention on her, the better.
But there were many things about the Black-haired Fauna girl that few people would ever learn about her, as getting close to the girl was a challenge in patience that many would never consider worth it.
Ruby Rose though, despite expressing herself as an excitable child in public, had proven to be so much more than her little persona revealed, which piqued Blake's interests, and made her want to learn more about what was hidden under that cheer.
Now if only that didn't mean having to listen to the girl's mood at full blast for long periods of time.
But it did ultimately seem to work out as, at the end of the day, she occasionally got the chance to see the awkward and innocent girl beneath, and those were moments she was sure to treasure for years.
She could do without Yang and her overly peppy and boisterous mood though, the girl was always so happy that Blake was convinced it was forced for the sake of her little sister and saving face.
Weiss Schnee by all accounts, had gotten off on the wrong foot with her (if you were to ask said girl, it would be the other way). Neither would likely ever see eye-to-eye, especially after the first day there and their small confrontation, and Blake was convinced that the girl still held a grudge against her for her snide remarks.
But Blake hadn't done it for the sake of forging a friendship with Weiss, she had done it for Ruby's sake, as the girl seemed to be all but floundering in defending herself, and there was nothing Blake hated more than a bully.
Her small monologue finished, Blake tucked back into her book with gusto, her bright yellow eyes skimming the pages with practiced ease, waiting for something to happen around the empty house.
Yang had gone out with friends to some kind of "event" in the main ballroom earlier that evening, announcing to them to not "wait up for her," whatever that might mean.
Weiss had muttered some kind of excuse, Blake hadn't honestly cared enough to pay attention, and stormed out of the house, leaving just Ruby and herself.
Shortly after, Ruby had told the older girl very carefully that she was just stepping out to see what Jaune might be doing, and that she would return shortly, which received the smallest hint of a nod from the otherwise distracted older girl.
Curled up on the lovely couch that Yang had found for them from places unknown (She wouldn't tell the girl this, for fear of encouraging her into more of her "friendly bonding" sessions that Both Blake and Weiss disliked with a passion) in only her pyjamas, the older girl was lost to the world of stories, only the briefest hint of attention in the real world, just to make sure no one could sneak up on her.
Her trained ears picked up on the door opening, closing, and the harder to pick up distinctive noises of Ruby and Crescent Rose, but the girl seemed unwilling to talk to her, and instead went straight upstairs, not that it bothered Blake much.
She was more than slightly startled though when Ruby was back downstairs in a heartbeat, in her pyjamas as well, and uncomfortably close to her, from the look of it, trying to read over the older girl's shoulder.
"R-Ruby, you are a bit close," Blake managed to whisper out, her cheeks gaining a dusting of light red at how little space there was between them.
"What'cha reading?" Ruby asked childishly, obviously unaware of things like personal space, and how uncomfortable Blake was at the moment.
"A story of a girl with a dark monster within her, trying to come to terms with it and live her life," Blake replied, her confidence returned as their conversation turned back towards books, allowing her a brief respite from the uncomfortable situation.
"Ooh, read it to me?" The younger girl asked, the bright hope in her eyes nearly scarring Blake's own in their pure innocence.
"Well...I suppose," The elder said, and noticed with wide eyes that Ruby got even closer to her, unaware that was even possible, but quickly brushed it off, thanking the gods instead for a chance to spend time with one of her favourite members of the team when she wasn't putting up a facade.
"And the monster growled deeply in her soul, willing her to attack," Blake began, having already been mid-chapter, but doubting Ruby would care about that fact.
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
Blake had continued to read to the younger girl for a while, noticing with a small smile how she fought hard to keep her eyes open as the night dragged on, and Blake's voice spun the tale to her.
The older girl had actually lost herself into the story once again, and didn't even realize that she was also narrating what she read to Ruby alongside reading it by herself.
It wasn't until almost past midnight, that she was snapped away from her reading by the arrival home of Yang, who brutishly shoved the door open, and came stumbling in.
In short order, Blake could assume that Yang was somehow drunk, despite the "no alcohol" rules, and had spent the last twenty-odd minutes trying to stumble her way back to the house, no doubt impeded by the trash cans and cats that threatened to get in her way.
A small voice in the back of her mind also claimed she was thankful the girl hadn't gotten into trouble, but she ignored that to instead listen in on the girl.
Yang didn't seem to notice at first that she had any spectators, as she unceremoniously fell into the comfy armchair across from the couch, and sighed in relief. blinking twice brought some of the girl's sense back to her, and she did notice them this time.
"Oh Blakey, I told you that you didn't have to wait up for me," Yang chirped in a teasing tone that for some reason made The black-haired girl Bristle, but she reined in her temper quickly, knowing it was just the girl's inebriated mind doing it.
"I didn't stay up for your sake, your little sister asked me to spend time together," Blake huffed out, turning away from the drunk blonde.
Yang's replying grin sent warning signals up in her mind, but she wasn't quite fast enough to stop her before the older girl spoke up, "and I see you spent very good time with her indeed," She said in a teasing and almost flirty tone.
looking down, Blake's face lit up in another blush, as she realized just what the blonde was on about.
Laying there, head in the older girl's lap, was a sleeping Ruby Rose, curled up against Blake's body, with a small smile upon her face, though whether it might be from a good dream, or other reasons, was beyond the older black-haired girl.
Huffing and closing her book only after marking the page, Blake set her book aside and slid her arms underneath her sleeping junior, cradling the small girl as she lifted them both off of the couch.
Blake ignored Yang's coos and catcalls, and instead began the adventure upstairs, carefully holding onto Ruby to prevent her hitting her head on a wall, or worse, dropping the lithe girl.
in short order, Blake managed to get the younger girl into her room, and quickly had her in bed and tucked in, a small smile playing at the older girl's lips as she saw the younger one curl up into a ball under the warm covers, and a larger smile appear on her face.
turning, she was startled to see Yang standing in the doorway, apparently having snuck up behind them while she was focused on preventing any more head injuries to the younger girl, and watched their little exchange.
Thankfully the older girl had the courtesy to wait for Blake to close their youngest team-mate's door before she began to lay into her with teasing.
"Aww, little Blakey's so much like a mom to my baby sister! it's so cute!" The blonde chirped and squealed, the beginning of a migraine forming for Blake as she listened to her.
"If you and your drunken self will excuse me, I should also retreat to bed, we have training in the morning," Blake pointed out, receiving the intended cry from Yang, who had apparently forgotten all about professor Goodwitch's mention of all-day training for Monday.
Slipping into her room and closing the door to cut off any further noises from the loudest member of the team, a small smile began to play at Blake's lips as she thought back to that small girl, curled up under the covers, and their interaction (read: her telling a story to Ruby) earlier that evening.
slipping into bed that night, Blake Belladonna was not haunted by any nightmares, a bright light cutting through her shadows by the name of Ruby Rose.