Cataclysm
"But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten; things that require a smaller, more honest soul."
Ruby Rose was in heaven. Before her, stretching as far as the eye could see -and quite possibly even further- was cookies. Gooey chocolate chip, sticky peanut butter crunch, sugar cookies covered in sweet, delicious sprinkles and every other cookie flavor imaginable lay before her in one giant, beautiful cookie-scape.
Silver eyes became saucers as she took in the view. It was early sunrise with a gold glow bathing the perfect landscape, and not a soul in sight. Ruby Rose let out a loud and very unladylike laugh which was followed by a series of gasping, hiccupping snorts, ones that if Weiss had heard she would have been appalled.
No one was here! The whole cookie filled landscape was hers! Hers! Suck it Yang! She thought her head dizzy with laughter and happiness. I never have to share any of these cookies with you! Not a single one!
Wiping away tears of joy, Ruby's petite hands reached down and firmly grasped a large chocolate chip cookie the size of a dinner plate and tugged upwards. It came away in her hands, and she held it up to her nose. The button nose that sat shyly in the middle of her face twitched in utter delight at the rich scent. The sweet smell of melty chocolate with a hint of cinnamon made her stomach growl. Basking in the utter bliss of the smell for a solid three seconds, until she couldn't take it any longer, the red caped girl took a huge bite.
As the sun began to rise and the golden glow began to get brighter, Ruby was practically rolling on the ground of baked goods with the delight of the flavors in her mouth. The faint scent of cinnamon she had detected before perfectly complimented the oozing chocolate chips that her pearly teeth were sinking into.
Her hands and face were covered in melted chocolate when the cookie at last reached its downfall, but the young huntress didn't care. She was in Heaven! Though Heaven was getting awfully bright! She thought wincing as the golden glow of the sun got brighter and brighter with each passing second. Shielding her eyes with her arm and squinting, silver eyes traveled the nearby horizon where the twin titanium pools widened and became silver saucers of joy at what they saw.
Seeing is a wonderful, if not a rather complicated thing. The focused electromagnetic rays pass between the ring called the iris -which was a solid silver in this case- and into the pupils -dilated in exhilaration- which causes the light to enter. The iris contracts, sharpening, lengthening and adjusting the image and as the light hits the cones and rods of the eye. It all happens in a split second, and what those silver eyes saw in that second would stay burned into Ruby Rose's mind forever.
A huge, perfectly cooked golden brown chocolate chip cookie that was bursting with chocolate chips the size of a large man's fist was rising before her, giving off the golden glow. In the beautiful cookie-land, the sun was rising and all Ruby could do was drool. It shined rays of golden light and as the last bottom edge came into view Ruby could contain herself no more. She ran, crushing other cookies underfoot, but that was of no concern. The rising cookie was steadily growing bigger before her very eyes and it was warm and magnificent!
Suddenly, as she ran a loud baying sounded from behind her. Ruby Rose turned her head without breaking stride and was shocked to see a pack of Beowolves growing closer by the second! Hundreds of the foul Grimm were running towards her, shoulders hunched, the sun-cookies light glinting off their white armor and spines. The hoard was steadily drawing closer and closer, their low growls now easily heard in Ruby's petite ears.
Ruby ran faster and faster, desperate to put some distance between herself and the creatures of darkness. Her breathing began to grow shorter and more ragged, and her legs burnt with the effort of running over the soft cookie landscape. Why! She wanted to cry out, but with her hitching breath she settled for screaming it in her thoughts. Why can't anyone just let me eat cookies in peace!
Sneaking another look behind her, her heart sank. The huge hoard of Beowolves was practically on her heels! Ruby's button nose could almost smell them. No! Her resolve hardened. I will not let them get that cookie!
So Ruby ran. She ran fast as the wind, her semblance carrying her faster and further away from the Grimm and closer to the cookie than she could imagine. Ruby's semblance allows her to run so fast, all that the human eye can perceive is a red blur. When Ruby runs all that remains is a shower of red rose petals. The world seems to show down around her, and nothing gets in her way...unless of course she happens to be distracted.
Then Ruby Rose trips at full speed. Which is exactly what happened. Her fall sent her sprawling over a lone, rebellious cookie that seemed to have jumped up in front of her. It suck out if the ground at an angle just in a way that Ruby's boot hooked it. A somewhat squishy flooring of cookies caught her, and Ruby took no time in scrambling forward in a crawl. Her clothes were covered in melted chocolate, and huge cookie crumbs began to drag her down, but the young teenager scrambled on. Her cloak tangled around her legs, and further slowed her progress, but the thought if the Grimm behind her devouring the cookie spurred her on.
Rrrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhgggghhhhlllll! A war cry sounded in her head, and the red caped girl struggled to her feet one more and did something she had never done before. Ruby Rose unpinned the silver crosses on her shoulders, and her cape dropped to the ground. The red cape and hood would be lost and ruined n the hoards of Grimm but to Ruby it was a necessary sacrifice in the battle for the cookie. After a seconds grieving, the young team leader continued to run.
As she grew closer, the cookie grew bigger and warmer. It practically was radiating heat. Fresh out of the oven! Ruby leapt off all fours like a cat, unable to contain her craving anymore as the cookie took up her full field of vision. She was sailing through the air, arms wide as if to embrace the gigantic cookie. Her eyes closed with this leap of faith. So close! Almost there!
Ruby hit the floor with a loud thump! Pain blossomed in her hands, knees and stomach where she hit the hard floor and she let out a groan. Cookies aren't supposed to hurt! She lamented to herself.
"Wake up you dolt, you're going to be late to class!" A voice said from above her head. Ruby groaned and blinked her eyes open. The golden light was still shining as the young huntress's eyes struggled to adjust to the light. She looked toward the voice and amidst the blinding light she saw a circular object. Her mind, still fuzzy from the dream, went into overdrive. The cookie! It was still there! She could still get it from the Grimm!
All pain seemed to vanish from her body as the cookie called out her name and began to talk again, taking in a body tone. All reasonable sense left her as she pushed herself upward and leapt at the yammering cookie and wrapped her arms around it in a sort of embrace. Without even thinking about how the cookie was sort of shaped more like a person than the round saucer, she pressed her mouth to the cookies face, meeting what felt like soft lips which pressed against her own. Odd, that feels nice, though cookies shouldn't have lips...
A pair of shocked ice-blue eyes stared back at her as she heard a loud gasping followed by a shriek of laughter that sounded a lot like Yang. That's weird, cookies don't have eyes, especially not eyes that look like Weiss's...
Ruby let go of Weiss like the Heiress was a sack of rotting potatoes. "Gah! Weiss!" She shrieked.
"I...Uh...I'msosorryWeiss!" She gasped out, her cheeks turning a shade of deep pink. Her head began to clear and where she had hit the floor began to throb as a burning red replaced the pink flush that had began to consume her cheeks.
The Heiress just looked shocked. She was standing there, her mouth hanging slightly open in an O shape. Usually one to be quick to regain her composure, Weiss Schnee seemed to be having trouble with it today. In fact, the Heiress seemed to be having trouble with breathing. Her normally snow white complexion was also rapidly turning a bright shade of pink.
Ruby's heart raced as her mind, fully cleared of sleep, dashed into overdrive once again. Every single apology and explanation in her arsenal burst out at once. All her thoughts poured out in one jumble. "I'm so sorry Weiss! I really didn't mean to, I was just thinking about cookies because I was having this dream about cookies and it was really great..."
"Ruby." The Heiress said softly trying to get the younger girls attention after she had regained some of her composure. Her snowy cheeks were fading back to white as the constant walls that she kept around her emotions began to snap tightly back into place. Sadly for her, a pebble had just been dropped down a mountain and an avalanche had started. Ruby had become a raving madwoman who was intent on delivering apologies until she was blue in the face -something which seemed to be coming up very soon- and didn't seem to hear a word that her partner had just uttered.
"...And then there was this huge cookie sun I was trying to catch and eat and I thought it was you because it looked so nice and warm and there was this light which was probably from the window note that I think of it and did I mention I was sorry? I really am sorry..." Ruby Rose continued to babble.
"Ruby!" Weiss stated louder this time. The girl before seemed to be about two seconds short of shouting her darkest hopes and desires to Weiss. She must be stopped...wait did she just say I reminded her of a cookie because it was warm and sweet...awe that's so nice, no one thinks I'm sweet - CRAM IT SCHNEE! You are going to be late to class if you don't get Ruby to SNAP OUT OF IT! She thought to herself.
"...And then I kissed you which I'm really super sorry about! I didn't mean to and it wasn't a good thing, I don't mean that the kiss was bad, I just mean that it wasn't supposed to happen and I'm sorry please don'tbemadatme!" The younger girl finished and sucked in a huge lungful of air. She looked visibly tense. The Heiresses partner opened her mouth to start again and was stopped by a pale finger shoved up to her lips.
"Ruby!" Weiss gasped, exasperated. "I'm not mad!"
A small voice answered. "You're not?"
"No! Not at all! It was an accident you dunce!"
"Oh!" A small high pitched voice exclaimed. Then suddenly silver eyes lit up brightly. "We have a field trip today!" The young leader exclaimed, the entire shenanigans of the past few minutes seemingly forgotten in the energetic teens mind. The leader did a small victory dance but was unceremoniously cut off by Weiss.
"Ruby!" The shorter girl snapped and Ruby stopped, frozen, a baby dear caught in the headlights of an expensive car. The pale girl continued. "Ruby if you do not hurry up we're going to be late, and then I well be mad!"
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Weiss!" Ruby looked at the floor and unconsciously her knees knocked together, and her shoulder slumped. Weiss sighed, her obvious efforts at getting the younger girl to hurry wasted.
"Oh yeah, you're real sorry!" The voice of Yang Xiao Long gasped in between more fits of silent giggles. The blonde was sitting on her bed pulling on her chunky combat boots. Her shoulders were shaking from not so silent laughter as she pulled on her boots.
Ruby let out a small growl and suddenly Yang was knocked back on her bed, Ruby's corgi pillow covering her face. The blonde brawler pulled it off her face and sat back up, sputtering, while Ruby disappeared in a shower of rose petals. A minute later the young team leader sat on her bed, tugging on her boots. The red corset around her middle wasn't tied properly and her skirt was rumpled. Well at least she's up...
While Ruby was lacing her boots, Weiss turned to face Yang, unconsciously lapsing into thought. The Blonde bombshell usually was last to be up, but today promises of combat and adventure had dragged her out of bed before even Weiss had been up. That made Weiss third up, not that she would ever tell Ruby. Blake had been gone before either of them had woken up.
Ruby jumped down from her bed finally, the ropes holding it in place creaking uneasily. She looked around the room and snatched her scroll off the table. "Hey, where's Blake?" She asked brightly, as if it was no big deal, but Weiss could hear her voice was edged with worry.
Yang exchanged a glance with Weiss. Weiss shook her head a fraction of an inch. With the events of the breach last week, they were all recovering. It had gone surprisingly easily for what it could've been, but Ruby had taken it exceptionally hard and had only just begun to lift out of her dim and gloom yesterday. Needless to say, team RWBY's young leader did not need the added scare of their friend running away again. Ever since the breach Blake had been scarce, but at least they had been able to see her the past mornings.
Weiss's mind had gone into overdrive thinking she had done something to make her want to leave again. Yang hadn't known where she had gone either, but the brawler had assured her that it wasn't her fault and that Blake was probably just being Blake. Weiss wasn't sure, but something about the way the brawler had seemed to know it wasn't her fault told her Yang was holding something back. Yang had helped with some of her fears, but that hadn't stopped Weiss from panicking inwardly all morning, the whole ordeal of waking Ruby just having being an added distraction. But Ruby always seemed to be a distraction.
Of course their teammate running away was another small demon that still ate away at her, even if it had been over a month ago. The Heiress apologized to the Faunas and had promised her later that night that she would make it up to her. Weiss had tried to in every way she knew how, and even though Blake herself had said it was okay, Weiss still couldn't forgive herself. She had said horrible things about the Faunas race, and every day when she woke up, it weighed on her that words like that had come from her mouth and every morning she promised she would try her hardest to change.
"She just uh...went on ahead to talk to professor Goodwitch about something!" Yang said cheerily. The blonde cracked an unenthusiastic half-smile.
"Oh!" Ruby said and looked thoughtful for several seconds. Weiss held her breath. The younger girl shrugged and bounced on the balls of her feet slightly, seeming satisfied with the answer. Her worried tinged voice was gone, replaced with her usual cheer. "Well we should get going too then!" She chirped cheerfully and without further ado bounded out the door.
"Will you stand still you dolt!" Weiss huffed at Ruby as she tried to straighten the girls skirt. The girl was fidgeting around like a netted trout. Ruby was bouncing along on her tip-toes and her silver eyes were scanning the hallway crowd everywhere for Blake. Weiss, having to walk twice as fast as normal to keep up, whereas Yang, with her long legs and extra inches on Weiss, was walking calmly along next to them with ease. The blonde had on a look of utter amusement as she watched Weiss fuss over Ruby. "Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed again.
"Sorry Weiss!" Ruby stopped fidgeting for all of three seconds and went right back to fluttering about like a sporadic butterfly. Weiss took advantage of the few seconds and was able to finally straighten her partners' skirt.
"Where is she?" The younger girls voice was once again laced with worry.
"I told you Ruby she's-." Yang started, but was cut off by a tap to the shoulder as a certain quiet, dark haired Faunas girl interrupted her. Yang did a double take and relief shone on her face, evidence of just how worried she had been. "Right here..." She deadpanned and then broke into a trademark grin.
"Blake!" Ruby's silver eyes widened and her face changed from one of worry to one of absolute relief in a split second. Weiss took in the Faunas girl, and the dark bags under the girls eyes didn't go unnoticed by the Heiress's keen appraising eyes. Nor did the way her hair was out of place or how her clothes were wrinkled and the straps around her arms messily tied, as if she had been putting them on in the dark.
Weiss let out a sigh she hadn't known was there. Blake was back, but had evidently been gone almost all night. They would need to talk about if later, but for now she gave Blake a formal nod, her strict upbringing holding her back from rushing forward and hugging the girl in relief. Yang on the other hand had not suffered through hours of cotillion and formal dinner parties and had no such worries about turning around and enveloping Blake in one of her bone crushing hugs, causing the Faunus's toes to clear the floor.
"Oh we were so worried!" She gushed out, slowly squeezing the life from Blake. Blake just hung limit from the Blondes arms, accepting her fate as her oxygen was squeezed from her body. It would be a small and peaceful ceremony, just the Faunus's closest friends. It hadn't been how she had been expecting to go, but it was still valiant none the less. Yang's oxygen cutting hugs had killed many over the years. She wasn't the first and she wouldn't be the last victim to the wrath of the Blondes ironic tenderness. People would understand.
"Worried?" Ruby asked looking confused.
"Worried?" Blake choked out an echo of Ruby's concern quietly as Yang put her down.
"We thought you had-." Yang started, but was cut off as Weiss slapped a pale hand over her mouth and stared pointedly at Blake. She let out muffled cries of protest but then stopped as Weiss made a small jerking motion with her head towards Ruby. Yang's eyes widened in understanding as she stopped mid garbled sentence. Sometimes the blonde couldn't keep a lie straight.
"We were only worried that you had some trouble with professor Goodwitch after you went to see her this morning. We weren't expecting to see you until we got to class!" Weiss stated cheerfully.
"Professor Goodwitch?" This time the confusion flickered across amber eyes. "But I didn't go see-." She too was cut off by Weiss's pale hand slapping across her mouth, cutting off all sound. Luckily for her, the realization dawned quickly and she stopped talking. Weiss let out a breath of relief as the two girls both relaxed and stopped trying to talk. Luckily for them, in her relief Ruby hadn't seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Yet.
"Weiss, are you okay?" A concerned face met hers which quickly then changed to confused as Ruby Rose's brows bunched together and eyelids crinkled as if she wasn't sure what she was looking at. "Weiss, wha..." Was all she said as though words couldn't describe what she was feeling, or in this case seeing.
It was at that precise moment when Weiss realized that she still had both of her hands clamped firmly -and quite comically- over both Yang's and Blake's mouths.
"Oh." Was all she said, and blushing slightly she lowered her hands. An awkward sort of silence flittered between the four of them until Blake tentatively piped in while tapping on her wrist.
"Um guys, shouldn't we be getting to class?"
As the four girls began walking again, Yang tugged on Blakes arm and the two girls fell a little behind the rest of their team. Ahead of them, Weiss was once again fussing over Ruby and Ruby was doing her best to make it difficult for her. Yang watched amused, as her younger half sister jumped and skipped around as the heiress desperately tried to tie the younger girls corset.
"So Blake, where did you go this morning?" Yang asked in a hushed voice.
The Faunas did her best to avoid the blonde's eyes, something that Yang did not miss. "Out." Was all she said.
"Oh really?" Yang challenged, giving the girl beside her another chance to answer. Her tone was not light or playful, but the Faunas still gave her a one word answer, her modestly cheerful demeanor she'd had less than a minute ago having changed to sullen and thoughtful.
"Really."
"So you don't have anything you want to tell us about?" Yang added in a tight voice. Every day since the breach, Yang had been up late at night to train. Weiss always had to drag her ass out of bed each morning, but she always made sure she came back at a reasonable hour -and that she told her team what she was doing. Which was quite a bit more than what Blake had been doing and it was pissing the brawler off.
"No." The one word answer made Yang grind her teeth together and let out a loud groan of annoyance. Blake looked at her, and Yang's lavender eyes bore back into the dark haired girls amber ones. Amber looked away first and lavender narrowed in annoyance. It had only been a short conversation but Yang couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Blake's arm in a vice like grip and stopped right in the middle of the crowded hallway. The blond's eyes turned red. Ruby and Weiss walked on ahead of them, seemingly oblivious to the other two girls.
"No? That's all you have to say to me?" She said in a tense, raised voice. Blake just looked down at the hallway floor. "Look at me!" She said through clenched teeth, and amber eyes met burning crimson. Amber widened in shock at the change of color and Blake held a surprised look.
"Yang? Are you alright?"
"Alright?" The blonde's asked incredulously, voice raising to almost a shout. "Alright? No Blake I am not alright! I am incredibly pissed off and tired of this shit!" A few people turned to look at the fighting pair in the hallway, but one glance at Yang's burning red eyes and they turned and went on their way. Most had learned the brawler was not one to mess with.
"What are you talking about?" This time it was Blake's turn to raise her voice, and a note of sass came into play with her normally calm attitude.
"I'm talking about you Blake! You made us a promise that you would come to us when something big came up! You made me a promise that you wouldn't tear yourself apart and that you would ask for help!"
"And I've kept that promise!" Blake shouted back. "I haven't-." The dark haired panther was cut off by and angry dragon. Heat began to radiate off of Yang as she yelled at the girl in front of her. The dragon knew it would hurt to say later, but she was hurt and angry at Blake and in her anger she didn't seem to care. Or maybe she cared too much. This is for your own good Blake.
"Have you Blake?" She shouted, clenching and unclenching her fists, oblivious to the crowd of people that had begun to form around them. Their own safety had been forgotten as the Blonde radiated heat and the promise of a brawl seemed so close. In her anger she seemed to tower over the other girl, and with clenched fists she brought her fury down in a torrent of words. "Where have you been going at night Blake? I've seen get up and leave! Don't think I didn't notice the bags under your eyes or how you've gotten thinner! What have you been doing? Why have you been lying to all of us?" She asked as Blake just stared at her with an expression close to shock and anger. Her mouth opened slightly to refute the brawler but Yang didn't let her get any words out.
"We've been worried Blake! When you weren't in bed this morning, I was sick with worry! Weiss woke up and was panicking that she had inadvertently done something to make you run away again and I spent half an hour convincing her that it wasn't her fault!" Yang stopped to draw in a breath and her tone softened slightly. "We had to lie to Ruby. Being leader puts a strain on her more than she would ever admit and if she thought we'd lost you again she'd be making herself sick with worry over finding you! We all would!" She added and looked at the face of the dark haired faunas. Conflicting emotions of anger and defiance flashed over her eyes while shock and confusion shone on her face. She didn't even try to talk anymore, instead just standing before the blonde, jaw set.
Yang, having unconsciously thrown Blake's arm from her hand's vicelike grip stood face to face with her partner. Her breathing came heavily and rushed and her eyes were still a glowing red. She felt once again the same height as Blake now that her firestorm of anger had mostly passed. The beginning feelings of regret brushed at her mind but she ignored them. Blake needed to hear this. "Think about your team Blake, we're getting real tired of this shit." She said evenly as she could and with a final search of her teammates face, the dragon turned heel and pushed her way through the slowly dispersing crowd.
Blake watched Yang leave, and just stood alone in the middle of the hallway. Her mind felt numb. Last time when she had been destroying herself to catch Roman, Yang had been understanding. When she had run away, Yang had been the most supportive out of her team and they had talked for hours after Ruby and Weiss had gone to bed. Less than five minutes ago Yang had given her a bone crushing hug and had smiled when she'd seen her. But now... Blake's thoughts rushed around her head like a tornado, the wind blocking out all other senses.
You fucked up Blake! Your partner hates you! Well done! Her thoughts pressed around her as she stood there with a look of dumbstruck shock.
"What was that about?"
"Some lovers spat I bet."
"Damn what'd that girl do then? If she's with that slut Yang it must've been something really bad."
She faintly heard the voices behind her, but she didn't have the heart to care. If Blake had been in another position she would've told them to fuck off and shut their mouths, but Blake was in no position to get in a fight. She just felt an overwhelming need to leave. Yang was right, she was hurting her team.
"Yeah, but I bet Xaio Long hasn't got the most brains with the rocking size of those tits of hers!"
"I wouldn't mind fighting with the the two of them. It'd be one hell of an argument!" A malicious snicker followed, along with a collective scattering of giggles.
Blake's head began to clear with each comment and the following laughter. Being a first year team with their amount of stature and skill had earned them a reputation, which meant the rumors flew like arrows and burned like wildfire. Even with their accomplishments, them and team JNPR were very hot topics in the gossip pool. She would have to ask team CFVY what they did to minimize the gossip about them.
As the strongest team in school, CFVY was only in their second year. They had accomplished more than most fourth year teams. Knowing them, they had probably scared all the other students into shutting up around them. As the laughter continued her cat ears twitched beneath her bow. With her enhanced feline hearing, the whispered and low spoken comments may as well have been being spoken right next to her ears.
"I bet they all have their own private spars all the time. I bet the blonde chick with the big ones likes to be loud! Wonder how many complaints their neighbors give them!" More piggish laughter.
"I almost feel bad for team JNPR, but I bet that's the most action they get!"
The last comments were the straws that broke the camels -or in this case, the felines- back. Blake turned around in a haze and zoned in on the offender with Amber eyes and enhanced hearing. Her fingers clenched by her sides. Calmly her low heels clicked on the floor as she walked towards the guy spewing the lewd offenses. A small crowd had formed around the offender, and she as shoved her way through they all fell silent aside from the main bully.
Her hand reached up to tap him on the shoulder. The face of Cardin Winchester looked down at her with a sneer which quickly changed to surprise and then to terror as the Faunas girl shoved him backwards and up against the wall. He let out a grunt and his back cracked slightly. She held him by his collar, bunching the material in her first. Blake let out a hiss of anger and narrowed her eyes. His cocky demeanor fully faded under her dangerous stare as she pushed him up against the wall. Blake wished she could wrap her fingers around his neck and squeeze the air out of his miserable body. In the White Fang she had learned of ways to make sure someone wouldn't ever talk again. She was half tempted to crush his vocal chords and use Gambol Shroud to cut out his tongue. Or she could take a page from Nora's book and break his legs. Lucky for him she was trying to become a better person.
"If you want to say something Cardin, say it to my face!" She hissed out, her voice low and dangerous. He stared at her wide eyed, his circle of fans now jeering at him instead of the cracks on her team. She shook him by the collar of his shirt. "Anything?"
He shook his head vigorously from side to side. "Coward!" She hissed and taking a page from Yang's book brought her knee up straight up into his balls. The sorry excuse for a human being crumpled to the ground clutching his groin. He let out a pathetic wine like a beaten puppy.
Blake crouched down next to him. "That 'blonde chick with the big ones' happens to be my best friend. She is smart, strong and way out of you're league. That his for the rest of my team. If you ever speak like that about her or any of them ever again I will personally make sure you will pay for your words in double. Got it?" Cardin nodded frantically. "Good."
Yang finally caught up to Ruby and Weiss in the courtyard where Professor Goodwitch was briefing them on what to expect. Beacon Academy's headmaster, Professor Ozpin was standing next to her, a distracted look in his eyes and his ever present cup of coffee and cane clutched in his hands. The two girls were standing next to team JNPR, and all six of them seemingly quivering in tense excitement.
Yang strained to hear Glynda as she spoke, the normally even spoken woman's voice shifting on the breeze. "...test your survival abilities, you will be released and expected to survive in the Emerald forest for three days." The Good Witch stopped talking as the headmaster continued, his calm voice smoothly flowing over the crowd.
"You are to work with your team to survive, and will be using your landing strategies to enter the forest. You will not be given any equipment to aid in your survival and you will only be allowed to bring your weapons and materials at hand into the forest." There was a small chorus of complaints.
"Hey you never told us about any of this, how were we supposed to know what to bring!" Someone voiced up from the small crowd.
"You weren't." Ozpin stated simply and Glynda continued after he didn't make any further motion to talk.
"You will be monitored at all times to evaluate your performance. If at any time you wish to pull out, simply send up a signal to let us know if your distress, but do not think that you will be pulled out unless we believe it to be a dire situation. Any who do not have their weapons now, it would be wise to summon then with your locker code. Once you are in the forest, you will not be allowed." The professor paused, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of hey nose. Yang listened on and off as she went over the general overview of how they would be using their landing strategies to land in the forest, what to expect and how they would be graded.
Yang stretched her muscles and blinked in the bright sun as she contemplated her landing strategy, but the blonde couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to Blake. Yang couldn't help but wonder if she had been to harsh on her. After all, Blake only wanted to help, her guilt said. But she's tearing herself apart by doing so.
But you never gave her a chance to defend herself, said Yangs guilt. But she hurts the team by hurting herself' Said her anger.
The argument was ringing through Yang's head. It cut off the outside world and the brawler barely noticed the faunas creep up beside her. She felt guilty and angry at the same time. Her guilt was angry at her for snapping at the faunas and her anger was arguing with it for defending the faunas when Blake had clearly been wrong. Her guilt told her to reach out and apologize to her partner and say how wrong she was. Her anger wanted her to step aside and let the Dark haired girl come to her, sniveling and apologizing and worshiping Yang for finding and fixing her mistake. Yang herself wanted neither.
The argument in her head almost drowned out everything around her until she couldn't think. Yang's breath became fast and shallow. Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides, and her eyes twitched as she tried to keep them from going red. She could feel the heat begin to rise off her body until she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't like when people told her what to do and unpredictable as they may be, she was going to be the boss of her emotions.
Shut up! She screamed to the warring emotions in her head. Shut up, shut up, shut up! And the emotions in her head went silent. Nailed it!