Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.
Author's Notes: I don't really have an update schedule for this story. Right now I'm just putting a chapter out when it's done. If you have preferences for releases, you can leave it in a review or private message me.
"Must we?" Weiss groaned, leveling her disapproving gaze onto the blonde.
"Absolutely! It's camping tradition!" Yang's face grew falsely serious before a grin broke through. "Isn't that right, Nora?"
"You bet! Camping is for talking about boys, telling ghost stories, and roasting marshmallows!"
"Why don't you start us off, Nora?"
"With pleasure!" The bouncy girl swallowed a last mouthful of hotdog, drawing in a long breath. "Okay, so, my crush's name is Ren. Well, his full name is Lie Ren, but everyone calls him 'Ren', especially me." Her hands held each other, waving from side to side as she gazed up at the stars. "He's got black hair, and these eyes that just make you wanna squeeze him! They're ma-gent-a, and I could probably look at them all day." Nora put her elbows on her knees, resting her head in her hands and staring into the fire. "He's super nice, and really quiet and shy, but he's also super smart. And he's my neighbor and my best friend and we're gonna be together forever and if any girl other than me tries to take him I'm gonna break her legs."
Weiss' head snapped to Nora, her brows furrowed in surprise. She hadn't taken the bubbly, smiles-only, up-in-your-face girl to be... violent. While she stared with new respect for the short ginger, Yang sighed and poked at the fire with her skewer. "Nora, all you ever talk about is Ren. Aren't there any other boys you want to talk about?"
"Nope!"
"Alright... Ruby, you're next!"
Ruby looked up from her cooking hotdog, first at Yang's cheerful eyes and then Weiss' sullen expression. "Oh... um, I don't really want to talk about it..."
A wide smile sprang onto Yang's face, and she leaned forward. "Oh? Does my little sister have a crush?" She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Did someone ask you out? Did you ask someone out? Spill!"
Ruby shook her head slowly. "No, no! Nothing like that... I just..." She looked at the ground, her voice growing quieter and her arms pulling inward. "I just really don't want to talk about that stuff." she said, rubbing at her forearm.
"Huh... well, okay." Yang's excitement waned and she seemed to deflate, her lips thinning in disappointment. She turned to look at Weiss, and the white-haired girl groaned when she saw the blonde's eyes suddenly light up again, a mischievous grin creasing her face. "Your turn, Weiss!" she sang, winking.
"I pass." Weiss said, staring glumly at her hotdog, sizzling and dripping with grease as it was bathed in flame.
"You can't." Yang shook her head, wagging her finger. "That's against the rules!"
Weiss shrugged, her face completely neutral. "Ruby passed. So I pass."
"Mmm... nope." Yang emphasized the 'P'. "Ruby is my sister, so the rules don't apply to her. You, however," She pointed at Weiss' nose, "are bound by the codes of camping conduct." She leaned forward again, resting her head on her hand. "So start talking!"
"I refuse."
Yang blew out in a long sigh, shaking her head in disappointment. "If you insist. I guess I'll just have to upload those pictures..."
Weiss sat up, turning her head and narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "What pictures..."
"Wouldn't you like to know..." Yang said through a devious smirk.
"Xiao Long..!" Weiss started to stand, forgetting about her dinner and dropping the skewer as her hands balled into fists. "You. Will. Tell. Me. What-"
A hand thrust in front of her nose, the outward facing palm halting her in her tracks. "All you have to do is just... tell us a little about some boys. Maybe just one... I don't know. And then you won't have to worry about the pictures." Yang met Weiss' glare, her purple eyes stubborn and mocking.
Weiss thought for a moment, her fists still clenched by her hips and her eyes searching Yang's for any hint of trickery or deceit. "Just. One." She said, gambling that her 'boy' was not as embarrassing as Yang's pictures. She really needed to stop giving the blonde ammunition to blackmail her with. She returned to her seat with a huff, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. Yang settled back on her log, unable to stop herself from wiggling. "There's this one guy who keeps trying to flirt with me. I think he said his name was... John? I don't really remember. Anyway, he's blond with blue eyes, kinda tall, a little athletic looking. And I don't like him!" She growled, pointing a warning finger at Yang. "He keeps trying to do stupid stuff to get me to go out with him. He brought a guitar to our history class, and decided to 'serenade' me into going to prom with him." She harrumphed, swung her hair over her shoulder, and leaned down to grab her skewer from the dirt, inspecting her hot dog for grime. "As if." She turned back to Yang, a frosty sneer coating her face. "Does that satisfy you, Xiao Long?" Her eyes narrowed as she saw the blonde shaking with laughter, Yang's eyes wide and watering as she tried to quiet herself. "What?"
"Ugh." Pyrrha groaned, leaning forward to frown at Weiss around the giggling Yang. "So, firstly, his name is Jaune, and he's very nice, and very smart, and handsome." She picked up a stick and started aggressively poking the embers. "And he'd be pretty good at track, if he ever bothered to learn some technique..."
Yang's laughter barked into the darkness, and she clutched her stomach while rocking on the log. "Oh... oh my god. Holy shit, this is great." She wiped her eyes, her unsteady breath occasionally interrupted by latent chuckles. "Don't mind her, Ice Queen. Pyrrha's just pissed 'cause... ha ha... 'cause her crush is after you!" She waved her face dry, finally recovering herself. "Anyone... else?" she asked Weiss, waggling her brows.
"No." Weiss said, quickly and stern. She looked back at the fire, pushing sparks into the air by jabbing her stick against a burning log. "Boys aren't really my... interest, at the moment." She'd been trying to focus on her studies and adjusting to the new school and area, and her parents kept bringing up 'employment' over dinner.
She missed the excited glimmer in Yang's eyes as the blonde turned to Pyrrha, the redhead rolling her eyes and giving the blonde a brusque thumbs-up. "Well," Yang said, slapping her hands on her knees, "since we all know who Pyrrha's crush is, I guess I'll go!"
"By all means, please enlighten us..." Weiss grumbled, just loud enough for the blonde to hear, stabbing harder into the fire.
"My crush is really smart, like really smart, and they have great hair, and they're super hot." Yang said, her eyes stuck on Weiss. "When they talk to me it feels like the world gets brighter, and looking into their eyes is the highlight of my day. The best part is they're so cute and they don't even know it."
"Sounds like quite a catch." Weiss commented, slouching over and putting her chin on her hand.
"Well, there are two major problems..." Yang sighed and leaned back, putting her hands by her sides. "They kind of have an attitude problem, and they also don't know I'm interested."
"Whart err you gonna do?" Nora asked over the fire, her mouth crammed with marshmallows.
"Nora! Those are for later!" Yang feigned a glare at her friend. "And I don't know yet... Any suggestions, Ice Queen?"
Weiss cackled. "You're asking me for relationship advice?" Her grin fell when she saw that Yang was serious, the blonde's neutral expression staring at her, waiting for an answer. "Well, the logical thing to do first would be to make him aware that you're interested, right?" she said with a shrug, looking to the others for confirmation, but none of the other girls were paying attention. Nora was stuffing her face with marshmallows; Pyrrha seemed upset, jabbing her stick into the heart of the embers, the corners of her mouth turned downward; Ruby could have been asleep, she was so still, but her eyes were wide open, staring at the fire.
"So I should start with that?"
"Ye-" Weiss turned back to the blonde, and jerked away when she found Yang had moved closer to her, leaning in so their faces were inches apart. "Yeah. I would." she finished, recovering her composure.
Yang smiled brightly and straightened herself. "Okay. Thanks Weiss!" Yang flashed another grin, winking at the white-haired girl. "Hey Pyrrha, could you get the marshmallows away from Nora before she eats them all?" Yang stood, once again placing her hands on her hips as a symbol of her authority. "Okay! Time for s'mores and ghost stories!"
...
Weiss yawned, exhaling a long and noisy breath, her head propped up on her elbow. After finishing with the s'mores, and she had to admit that the way Yang made them was excellent, the girls had set up their sleeping bags in a circle around the campfire, snuggling deep into the thick, warm sacks. The trash and remaining food had been gathered up and stored in the car, out of concern for nocturnal residents of the forest. She still didn't like sleeping out in the open, without even a foam pad to reduce the lumpiness of the forest floor, but resigned herself to the discomfort. It was just for one night, after all.
The crackling flames had died down to dim embers, a weak red glow lighting the faces of the five campers as they slowly edged closer to slumber. "And they were never seen... AGAIN!" Nora said, waving her hands in the air as she finished her story. "So what did you think, guys? Scared?"
Nora's retelling of 'The Headless Horseman', edited for a modern audience with additional explosions and action-packed gunfights, had nearly put Weiss to sleep rather than frighten, or even entertain her. "I think my favorite part was the end..." Weiss said, glowering at the orange-haired girl through heavy eyelids.
"The part where his head gets shot out of a cannon? I like that part too!"
"No, the part where you finally shut up."
"Oh..."
Yang shuffled around in her bag, raising herself with her arms. "Damn, Ice Queen. That was cold, even for you."
Weiss thought for a moment, her mouth thinning. "I suppose so. Sorry, Nora." Not really. Well, maybe a little. "I get temperamental when I'm tired."
Nora beamed, twisting onto her back. "Don't sweat it, Weiss!" Her smile looked odd upside-down.
"Hmm." Weiss hummed tiredly, rolling onto her stomach and closing her eyes. "Well, as much... fun... as this has been, I think I'm done for the night..."
She heard a yawn from Yang's bag. "Yeah, me too. Goodnight everyone!"
Weiss listened as both Pyrrha and Nora said their 'goodnight's, the scratching sound of zippers being pulled shut following close behind. She twisted to reach for her own, but stopped when she saw Ruby sitting upright, taking off her red sweatshirt. Surely it was the twilight, and the still-flickering shadows, that made those dark marks on Ruby's arms? "Ruby?"
Ruby's eyes widened in surprise; she clutched her sweatshirt to her chest and hid her arms behind the red fabric. "Eep!" she squealed, her head whipping to look at Weiss. "Oh, Weiss. I... I thought you were asleep..."
Weiss yawned again, halfheartedly covering her mouth with a hand. "I'm getting there. Why are you taking off your sweatshirt?" she asked, pointing. "Won't you be cold?" Although it was April, it still often dropped below fifty degrees at night, and they were also in the mountains.
"Um... no, I don't think so." Ruby's shoulders relaxed a little, and she tossed the sweatshirt onto the edge of her sleeping bag. "My bag is really warm, I was worried about being too hot..." A small grin poked at the edges of her mouth as she lay down, pulling her pillow under her head. "Thanks though."
"Yeah, sure." Weiss breathed, rolling over and closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Ruby."
"Goodnight Weiss. Don't let the bedbugs bite!"
"Or the monster!" Yang's voice whispered from behind her, the last thing Weiss heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.
The forest was quiet tonight. The tiny animals that normally skittered and chirped in the chilly evenings were silent, hiding in burrows and nests as she stalked through the trees, the golden disks of her eyes flashing bright in the unobscured moonlight. Her pale, supple skin stretched and flexed like smooth water as she prowled, her ears, tufted with soft black fur, swiveling to and fro as they listened for any small disturbance in the hushed darkness. The creatures had grown to be wary of her presence, quickly learning to remain unseen during her waking hours. And that made hunting very difficult. She lifted her nose to the sky, breathing in quick snuffs as she searched the darkness for any trace of food.
Nothing, just the first traces of rain. It would get here soon, likely in the next day or two. She didn't like rain.
Her stomach growled, drawing her attention away from the far-off storm and back to her search for food. She pressed a hand with long nails blackened by dirt to her belly, rubbing it in slow, small circles to dry and assuage her discomfort. She was hungry, very hungry. When was the last time she ate? She was thinking too much, not hunting enough. She sniffed the air again, closing her eyes and breathing deep, trying to focus past the dampness of the rain and into the sweet, vibrant and earthy smells of nearby food. There were wild berries not too far away.
Black hair met sticky black juice and clung to her chin, tickling her lips as she chewed. The berries were lush and tasty, but meager; food for birds and squirrels, her normal prey. Her bare feet, calloused and rough from years of walking through the forest's wilds, crunched across the dead, bone-dry leaves from last Autumn, their budding cousins rustling on the boughs above. April was nice. It was warmer, and the flowers smelled pretty, but it rained a lot. And she didn't like rain.
She wiped her hands on the front of her ragged and torn black shirt that was ages old, scooping her hair away from her mouth while her eyes hunted for more food. Seeing nothing, even with her exceptional eyesight that could pick out a squirrel hiding in the tallest oak tree, she resorted to using her nose once again, breathing deep. A luscious, succulent smell filled her nostrils, her head turning involuntarily to follow the scent. Her feet moved, her eyes searched for the source of this heavenly smell, and her tongue wet her lips. She was still hungry.
It was meat. It was cooked meat. It was thin, cylindrical, red, and didn't look a lot like food, but it smelled like cooked meat. It tasted delicious. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she took another bite and savored the smoky taste, a quiet moan of satisfaction leaking out of her mouth. She wolfed down the rest, chewing loudly as she crouched on the ground, the fraying hem of her black shorts brushing her calves. Her eyes scanned the area, hoping for more small cylinders of meat. A dull red glimmer at the top of a small hill captured her gaze, and she tilted her head in curiosity. Light?
Campers!
Her cautious approach had revealed five slumbering humans, wrapped in thick, cozy bags. She sat by the dying remains of their fire, warming her hands and feet while keeping a nervous watch on the sleeping campers. She had been warned about campers, about people, by Him, but in her experience campers had nice things. Maybe these campers had more food? Or books? She liked books. But she could already tell that these campers were not the usual campers. They had no tents. She smirked to herself, carefully containing her giggles. What silly campers, not bringing tents! They had better get some before that rain arrived.
A loud snort from behind her made her leap to her feet, her eyes wide and her ears flat against her head. Her head whipped around, staring frightfully at one of the sleeping people. The girl had white hair, and it lay chaotic and messy, strewn around her head like a ripped veil. She could see the girl's eyes moving beneath their lids, and relaxed slightly. She inspected the rest of the campers, roaming around the campsite counter-clockwise at the edge of the fire's light, now wary of waking any of the sleeping people. The blonde was grinning in her sleep, drool leaking between her teeth. The redhead looked serene, breathing slowly and smoothly with the edge of her bag pulled up to her ear. The orange-haired girl was snoring boisterously, and she wondered how the others slept with such noise.
The final girl was noticeably younger, the last vestiges of childish chubbiness visible in her cheeks. She had short reddish hair and thin white fingers that clutched at the edge of her pillow, quiet hums of deep slumber sounding with every breath. Crouching beside the girl, she watched her sleep, curiously enraptured by the fluttering eyelids. Looking down the girl's body, her eyebrows rose happily when she spotted a red sweatshirt resting on top of the sleeping bag.
New clothes...
A sweatshirt with a hood would keep her warmer and drier from the rain. A sweatshirt was even better than books! She leaned forward, placing one hand on the ground to steady herself while the other grabbed one of the sleeves, the fabric feeling soft and protective. "Mine!" she whispered, her mouth opening as she concentrated on not losing her balance.
A quiet gasp made her freeze, her eyes going wide and her ears flicking forward and listening for danger. She slowly tilted her head downwards, her stare tracing along the ground until it rested on the girl's head. The human's eyes were wide open, staring back at her. They were silver. They were scared. She watched as the girl looked at her eyes, then at the top of her head, then back to her eyes. She didn't dare to breathe, sitting completely still, half-leaning over the girl's abdomen. She closed her mouth and gulped. "Umm..." she murmured, her eyes locked to those silver orbs of fear.
The girl screamed. The screeching sound pierced into her ears, which flattened against the noise, a pained grimace twisting her face. The girl was still screaming, pushing herself away and trying to remove herself from the constricting sleeping bag. The noise hurt, and she was scared. She had been seen by a human. He had said that humans were scared of her, He had said to be careful of humans. He had been right. She leapt to her feet, grabbed the sweatshirt from where it fell onto the ground, and ran, her heels kicking up gravel and grass as she bolted into the forest.
The forest wasn't quiet anymore. The sound of her panting breath bounced off tree trunks, her footsteps loud and crunchy as she raced between the trees and over twisted roots, the sweatshirt held tightly in her hands. The screaming chased her, still audible to her heightened hearing as she increased her distance. Other voices joined the screaming, more shouts and angry words and still the screaming followed her into the dark forest, haunting her thoughts.
She had been seen by a human.
"WHAT are you trying to pull, Xiao Long?" Weiss screeched, levering herself upright and glaring at the blonde's sleeping bag, her face contorted in an ugly grimace of rage. Her ire settled when she noticed the bag was empty after blinking away the tendrils of sleep that clouded her vision. She crossed her arms, searching around the campsite for the tricky, immature, and disruptive girl. Her gaze found Yang crouching beside her sister, confused concern swirling in her lilac eyes. "What is going on?"
Yang turned her head at the question, her lips thinning. "I don't know. I think Ruby had a nightmare?" she shrugged.
"No!" the younger sister gasped, swatting at the arms that wrapped around her shoulders. "It... it was... it was the monster!" She fell onto her back, one arm covering her eyes as she took deep breaths. "It was... it was right over me! Reaching for me!"
"I knew it!" Nora's voice cheered from across the smoldering campfire.
Rolling her eyes at her energetic friend, Yang turned back to her terrified sister. "Ruby... the monster isn't real. Everyone knows that. It's a joke, an urban legend!"
"No, it was real!"
Nora appeared by her side, turquoise eyes glittering excitedly. "Ooh, ooh! What did it look like?" She sat down cross-legged, hovering over Ruby. "Ren and I have a bet going. I think it looks like a yeti, but he says a werewolf!"
Yang pushed at her friend, giving her an annoyed frown. "Nora... come on..."
Ruby, hiccuping and sniffling, pushed herself up, hugging her arms to her chest. The dark marks Weiss had noticed earlier now appeared to be smears of dirt or soot, the young girl having scrambled on the ground in fear. "It... it had fangs. And claws. And long, pointed ears on top of its head, like a cat. I... I really didn't get a good look at it, it was too dark. But its eyes..." She shivered. "Its eyes were cold yellow, and... hungry."
"Huh..." Nora said, pursing her lips. "Kinda sounds like Ms. Fall, minus the ears..."
Yang leaned her head back, a single sharp laugh erupting into the night. "Ha! It does!" She gave her sister a skeptical look. "Ruby, I know Ms. Fall hates you and is mean and everything, but she's not a monster. You just had a nightmare!"
"But..!"
Yang kissed the top of Ruby's head. "Go back to sleep, Ruby." She stood and walked carefully back to her sleeping bag, giving Weiss a shrug. "Sorry about that, Ice Queen." She wriggled underneath the cover, winking a smirking purple eye at Weiss' scowl. "See ya in the morning!"
Weiss harrumphed, turning her head away from the blonde. Her gaze fell on Ruby, and she watched as the wide silver eyes flicked back and forth, searching the darkness. At every squawk or snap, Ruby would flinch and cower towards the fire, like a frightened animal. "Hey, Ruby?" The girl's head whipped to her. "It's okay to be scared, but it was just a nightmare. It's not real."
Ruby stared at her for a long moment, finally nodding gently. "Mmm."
"Okay? Good." She yawned and rolled over, pulling up the edge of her sleeping bag. "I'm going back to sleep."
"Hey Weiss?"
"What?" she groaned. She was tired and wanted to go back to sleep.
"You're kind of nice, sometimes."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "No I'm not, I'm just too tired to be angry right now."
"Oh..." A couple seconds of silence. "Can... can I tell you something?"
"No." She thought for a moment, then added, "Save it for the morning, I'm sleeping right now."
Author's Notes: Still not sure if the story reads as well as it used to. Writing multiple characters at once is weird.
I'd enjoy your impressions of Blake; whether you liked her introduction or not, how she feels as a character, etc.
Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story.
Thank you for reading.
Keep moving forward.
