Wow! 50 followers! Thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, and favorites! We haven't seen anything too crazy happen yet, but I'll just say that I am very excited for where this story is going.
May woke up feeling better and more well-rested than she had in months. Whether or not the comfortable bed was the reason for her lack of nightmares she didn't know, but she wasn't one to question good fortune. She stretched contentedly, accidentally stirring Blake's arm which had been near her head. Freezing in place for a couple seconds, she let herself breathe when Blake didn't move.
She sat up slowly, recoiling when her feet touched the cold floor. Standing, she stretched again as her sleeping bag pooled around her ankles. Leaving the fabric behind, for the cold tiles of the bathroom, May made use of Blake's shower, turning the water to its hottest setting. Steam billowed through the open window, the nip of the cold air against her skin creating a pleasurable feeling in contrast with the hot water. She found herself more awake than she had been in a long time, for once satisfied with her length and quality of sleep.
Once she had toweled herself off and replaced the beanie over her left eye, she returned to the main room to change clothes and was greeted by a now awake Blake, who rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. May was glad she had awoken first, not because she didn't trust Blake, but to save herself the added embarrassment of being seen sleeping fitfully on a borrowed bed in a borrowed house. "Good morning," Blake greeted.
"Morning!" May responded. Blake got up and made her way to the bathroom. "I slept really well. Thanks again for letting me share your bed." That sounded weird, oops. Blake gave her a strange look that caused her to look away. Damn, I made it weird. However, Blake's look wasn't for the reason she had expected.
"Glad you liked it. Also, I'm going to jump in the shower, but I'll need that towel eventually." She gestured at the towel wrapped around May. "It's the only one."
She barely stopped herself from removing it completely before catching herself in time. "Oh! Yeah, I'll put it back in once I change, sorry." If Blake had noticed her movement she made no comment, instead entering the bathroom. The sound of running water once again filled the small space. May changed, opting to wear a jacket that was greyer and much less flashy than her usual red and white one.
While Blake showered, May organized her things on one edge of the room so they would be mostly out of the way. She put her rifle cartridges into two distinct piles, one for high-powered ammo and one for less lethal. She laid out her clothing, folding each article into a small, neat square, piling them on top of one another. Lilac was retrieved from one wall and leant against the new one, empty and full magazines lined up meticulously beside it. May was not an organized person at heart, but preferred to keep up at least a somewhat clean appearance when she was around others. Her team had gotten used to it, and since she was a guest in Blake's room, she felt the need to keep her belongings neatly collected and out of the way.
Shortly after May had replaced the towel in the bathroom and changed, Blake emerged surrounded by a curtain of steam. Quickly checking the ceiling, May breathed a sigh of relief to see that there were no smoke detectors in the room. Blake dressed herself on the other side of the room with her back turned, apparently not caring that she was in full view of May. The sniper made to turn her back to Blake when the latter shed her towel. As she turned away, she glimpsed a scar on Blake's lower back to the left, thin and about two inches long. It was as if she had been run through with a sword. Although healed, the scar was still relatively pink, having healed somewhat recently. Jagged and unprofessional stitch markings dotted the sides. Maybe she got it during the attack on Beacon. . . May shook her head, reminding herself that it was rude to invade Blake's privacy both by staring at her now half-clothed form, and trying to get a longer glimpse of the injury.
A now dressed Blake cleared her throat to get May's attention. "We should get breakfast first, and then we can think about checking out the club. How does that sound?"
"Good," May hurriedly agreed. Her stomach had growled in protest at Blake's mention of food. Gathering their supplies the two left for the day, Blake carefully locking the door behind them. They caught the first train to the Commercial District that arrived, managing to find a compartment that wasn't too crowded with citizens heading to work. May and Blake were not spared any glances by the busy folk whose minds were undoubtedly on other, more important matters.
The pair stopped by a bagel stand once they disembarked, each ordering the relatively cheap toasted slices. Blake's was covered in cream and anchovies, a fact that did not escape Mays attention. May gave Blake's bagel and then the girl a sly look, which then turned into a look of disgust when she realized how gross cream and anchovies must taste together. Blake merely rolled her eyes at May's look of horror. She held out what was left of her bagel, having eaten it incredibly fast. "Want a bite?" May merely gagged in response, taking a large bite from her chocolate covered bagel instead.
"No way," she said, her voice muffled by the chocolate treat. "I'll just stick to my stuff, thank you." After eating, the two began walking in the direction of Carmine's. Unfortunately, the map May had grabbed was a very general map, containing all of Vale and all the areas in its immediate surrounding. Barring important locations like Beacon, the town hall, and Schnee Spire, the map didn't even have the names of many of the smaller roads, much less individual buildings. The best they could do was approximate the location based on the border of Forever Fall and the two districts.
Although they had an idea of the general area, the club proved somewhat difficult to find. They kept their eyes open for large neon lettering or other telltale signs, but their search turned up empty. Blake strained her carefully concealed ears in an attempt to hear any loud music, but likewise the search proved to be futile. After walking up and down the nearby streets, the two decided to start asking around.
"I suppose it was a strange idea to look for a nightclub during the day," May eventually commented. "It's not like people would go to it during the day. Hell, it's probably not even open." Blake could only sigh dejectedly in response. May began asking passersby about Carmine's, making sure those she asked were younger and therefore more inclined to be the type of clientele to visit clubs. She was met with polite apologies until she asked a Faunus couple walking down the street.
"Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, but could the two of you perhaps help me find a location?" The couple looked surprised, but seemed to relax after a moment. The man answered, his whiskers twitching with each movement of his face.
"Yeah, sure. What'cha lookin' for?"
"Heard of a place called Carmine's? I want to visit it this weekend." She smiled at the immediate interest the couple showed.
"Oh yeah, that jazzy dance club? We go there once a month. You're actually really close. See that street there?" he pointed to a street that crossed their road two blocks away. "Take that street left, and it'll be on the left side. It's hard to find unless you know what you're looking for. It doesn't stand out, but nearly that whole block is Carmine's. Big place."
"Ah, thank you so much. That's incredibly helpful." A small silence enveloped the group as the Faunus couple looked her over. The man leaned in, speaking in a more hushed tone.
"Look miss, I don't want to assume anything, but I figured you should know. The usual people that go to Carmine's are good people, but they're almost all Faunus. I can't tell if you're one of us, but I thought I'd let you know. If Humans go there, they're usually in the company of their friends."
Blake stepped in, twitching her cat ears deliberately as she put a hand on May's shoulder in support. "No worries there, then." The man leaned back, catching the movement with a smile.
"Gotcha, I meant no offense."
"None taken," Blake smiled. "And thanks for letting us know. We appreciate it." They parted with a nod, May leading the way in the direction of Carmine's.
"That was lucky," May said. "Can Faunus really not tell each other from Humans?"
"Well, not necessarily," Blake replied. "Besides the obvious Faunus traits, we really aren't that different from Humans. There are some that have very strong senses of smell, but that's a more rare trait than things such as good hearing. We all have perfect night vision too. Depending on how our animal traits manifest, some of us can hide much better than others." Her tone took on a dark quality. "If we need to, that is." May quickly moved to her next question, sensing Blake's anger.
"And what about me? Could you tell I'm not a Faunus?" Blake carefully looked her up and down.
"If I didn't already know you weren't, you could've fooled me. Your trait could be something like scales on your upper-body, or something else equally unseeable. However, it would've probably become clear in your speech patterns. Compared to Humans, Faunus often make the careful distinction between race when speaking, while Humans tend to be less inclusive or simply less aware. If what that person said was true, you'll want to be careful while we're in Carmine's. I don't think there would be any problems if they knew you were a Human, but it's easiest for everyone if we just keep that. . . hidden."
"It would just draw attention," May concluded. "Okay, so. . . what kind of Faunus should I pretend to be? Oh, sorry, was that rude?" I have no idea what I can and can't ask. . . Blake merely chuckled.
"I'll tell you if you say something rude, don't worry. As for your cover story, I suppose that depends. We're visiting a dance club, so what kind of clothing will you be wearing? It'll be harder to pull off a deception if you're scantily clad."
Now it was May's turn to laugh. "No worries there. I'm more the modest type myself, and I don't have the money for more clothing even if I wanted it. And I'm definitely not going in just my sports bra."
"Yeah, although just the bra would match well with your beanie." May froze.
"Wait, when did you? Oh right, you changed my shirt. Perv."
"It was covered in blood and needed to be changed. You should thank me," Blake quickly shot back, a little too defensively. May smirked.
"I dunno, you sound pretty guilty," she teased. Blake opened her mouth but then promptly closed it, apparently losing track of what she was going to say.
"Let's just go," she muttered under her breath. They moved on, but the slight smile on Blake's face did not go unnoticed.
Carmine's was indeed hard to find, located neatly in one of the buildings May and Blake had passed at least once. The windows had been blacked out, and the exterior of the building looked like any ordinary large commercial structure. Carmine's was not a club that made money with flashy advertising, it seemed. Even knowing where it was, it took the two of them another couple minutes to locate the entrance. Because the club took up multiple shops that had formerly been individual areas, there were many doors that were permanently closed and neatly boarded up. A nondescript doorway near the edge of the block seemed to be the correct one, the name imprinted upon it with faded red letters. From the outside, it looked more like the entrance to a seedy bar.
They ran into a problem when they realized that Carmine's only opened after seven in the evening. It made sense, but that gave the two of them a couple hours to burn. Blake suggested they walk around the exterior to see what kind of potential escape routes could be available if escaping from the club became necessary. Unfortunately, due to the few amount of windows and not knowing which entrances were operational, they weren't able to come to any conclusions.
May scanned the buildings around them as they walked, wondering if she could find a suitable sniping position. Since they were on the outskirts of the Commercial District, each building was relatively short and wouldn't provide any amazing sniping spots. Just as well too, because even is she found one she wouldn't be able to see into the club. Although she didn't like it, she had earlier prepared herself to enter the club and look around from inside, already assuming sniping wouldn't be an option. It's too bad I was right though. Unable to glean any useful information from outside, the two decided to take a break and get some dinner.
They found a small diner nestled against the bottom of the cliffs. The roof of the diner was covered in scarlet leaves that had blown from fallen all the way from Forever Fall, high above. Thanks to its Westward facing windows, the diner only became more well-lit as the time progressed and the sun got ever closer to the horizon. May and Blake ate without hurry, both of them enjoying the mutual silence and food. While Blake had first scoffed at the absence of fish on the menu, she was placated with her order of hot chocolate with extra cream.
An hour or so later, when the alarm Blake had set went off, she moved to stand up. May grabbed her wrist and shook her head. "We shouldn't go right when it opens, that would make us much more noticeable. Nobody goes to clubs before sunset anyway." She indicated the window, through which the sun could still be seen. "We've got a little bit of time, let's wait for a crowd to gather in there." Blake sat down, but looked anxious. "Blake, relax," May chided. "It's better if we wait."
"I know, I just don't like waiting."
"Tell ya what. I'll buy you another hot chocolate, and we can go once you finish it." She added a stipulation once she saw Blake's eager expression. "But you have to drink it slowly. Really savor it. Does that work?" Blake smiled, a little guiltily.
"Okay, but I can pay for it. You don't have any money as it is."
"Good point." When the waitress came by, Blake ordered two cups of hot chocolate, handing May the second when they were brought by shortly after. The Valeian sunset cast long shadows on the cliffs, a sunbeam occasionally striking the falling leaves from Forever Fall to create a dazzling flash of red. Blake finished the last sip of her drink, tipping the cup upward as the sun vanished behind the horizon. Looking to May for confirmation this time, the two stood and left, leaving the bare minimum as a tip.
May's line of thought had been right, there were many more people now that the sun had set and they had waited longer than Blake wanted. The two stood in line, waiting for their turn to enter the club. Once they entered, a large bouncer with huge bull horns gave them each a quick once-over, making sure they didn't have any backpacks that could carry weapons. He checked their jackets as well, letting them pass when he didn't find anything. Although she the feeling of being unprotected, Blake was thankful she had left Gambol Shroud behind. She'd need to bring it later when it was time to find the meeting place, but had to find out what kind of security Carmine's had before walking in. As it were, she didn't think it would be too difficult to sneak the pistol portion in, as long as she revealed her cat ears. Faunus were immediately placed under lower suspicion than Humans when the bouncers were Faunus themselves.
The interior of the club was loud and noisy, but thankfully hadn't yet started to smell like sweat. Blake flattened her ears at the nearly painful strength of the music, pulling a pair of complementary earbuds out of a bowl situated on a table. The dancers crowded around the center of the dance hall, a large mirror tile floor that refracted the rainbow strobe lights. Heavy bass echoed, shaking the walls, the DJ responsible for the crazy tones stood on a raised platform wearing a cat mask that had been stylized with colors that reminded Blake of clowns.
A tug on her sleeve drew Blake's attention to May, who had apparently shouted something at her. She leaned over to catch May's voice with her ear. "Crazy place!" she shouted above the noise. "We should probably check the place out, keep your scroll handy so I can text you!"
"What?!" Blake shouted back, having lost May's voice amidst the onslaught of noise. May pulled out her scroll and pointed to it. Understanding, Blake nodded, giving a thumbs up. "Ill text you if I find anything," she mouthed. May flashed a smile before disappearing into the crowd of dancers. I suppose I should start looking around too, Blake told herself.
Being a large club, Carmine's took more than twenty minutes to fully explore. It featured a large amount of dark nooks and crannies; Blake danced awkwardly from area to area trying to look around as much as possible without looking too strange. The venue even had a balcony floor, which wrapped around the entire upper section in a large square. Four of the hallways she visited lead to restrooms, but one in particular caught her eye. On the first floor, it was guarded by two security guards dressed in suits with bored expressions on their faces. She didn't dare approach without a good reason though, deciding to wait for May.
She met May a few minutes later, the latter having sent a text with a location on it. The two walked to one of the bathrooms near the back of the club, counting on its secluded location to keep it empty. In front of the large mirror, they nursed their pained and ringing ears, finally able to talk below a shout. May was the first to speak. "I looked around a bit, I don't think there are too many ways out, probably because they don't want people to sneak in. Most of the doors we saw outside aren't even there on this side, either because the walls were cemented shut or boarded up. However, I did manage to find out something interesting.
"This club encompasses the whole block, but not all of it is dedicated to the dance floor and bar." Blake nodded, she too had noticed the disproportionate size of the venue. "Apparently, there was hotel section on one side of the block, and I guess it's still there and in use."
"Actually, I found a hallway that led to that part of the building, but it was guarded by security. Do you think that's where the White Fang would go? I'd think that using hotel rooms as meeting spaces wouldn't be too hard. And, it's probably quiet enough that they wouldn't be disturbed by the loud music. Also, if any of the rooms are still actual hotel rooms, I could imagine the club renting them out as necessary." May scratched her chin thoughtfully.
"If that's the case, we need to get in there. You said it was guarded?"
"Yep, two guys at the entrance. I don't think we'll be able to sneak in."
"We might not need to. . ." May stared into the mirror.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll let you know if I'm right, let's go check it out."
The two walked back onto the dance floor as the thudding beats subsided, the DJ apparently taking a break. The strobe lights stopped flashing, replacing the lighting with a quiet rosy glow. "Alrighty everyone," whispered a woman close into the microphone on the DJ stand. "We're gonna slow things down for a spell, so enjoy a little peace and quiet before we kick things up another notch!" The crowd cheered and clapped for the woman, whose hair shimmered an unnatural yet beautiful red under the lights. Slower music began playing from the speakers, a jazzy ballad echoing in the dance hall.
"Blake! C'mere." May's voice carried much better now that the music was quiet, Blake had little trouble hearing her.
"Uhh, what?" She reacted instinctively when May grabbed her sleeve, trying to pull away. May held on tightly, following the direction of the pull to close the gap between them, snaking an arm around her shoulder. She let go of Blake's sleeve and grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers to prevent an escape.
"Blake! It's a slow song, we need to dance so we don't look strange!" She noticed Blake's uncomfortable expression. "Don't make it weird, it's just a dance. Put your hand on my waist." Blake hesitated a little too long, trying to find an excuse to get out of the situation. May grabbed her hand in exasperation, placing it above her hip. "See? I don't bite."
"That's not what I was worried- never mind. What do I do now?"
"Now we sway back and forth to the music. It's supposed to be a romantic coupley thing."
"I know what it's supposed to be, but I haven't really. . . led before. And never in a slow dance."
"That's okay, there's nothing to it. Think of this as like. . . footwork practice. But, most importantly, just have fun, Blake. Let's enjoy this. It's hard enough to find time to relax and let loose a little. We have all night to check out the building."
Blake did her best to take her advice to heart, leading the two of them into slow swaying motions as a saxophone added its mellow tunes to the piano. Unsure of where to look, she nervously glanced around for a moment, before allowing her gaze settle on the locks of May's hair that swayed in front of her beanie-covered eye. May didn't seem to share any of Blake's nervousness; she had her eye closed, lost in the moment.
Blake found herself slowly relaxing in the mood and notes of the ballad, the hard lines of her face slackening. The tenseness with which she normally moved was draining away, pushed farther and farther to the back of her mind as she swayed from side to side. She began leading with more confidence, adding light steps back and forth to their movement. May followed along with her easily, their close proximity allowing the synchronous movements to flow effortlessly from one another.
After a slight lull between phrases, the jazz picked up again, the piano playing a serene melody accompanied by an acoustic bass guitar. May disentangled their intertwined fingers, moving her hands so they were together, her arms resting comfortably around Blake's neck. Blake placed her now free hand on May's other hip, this time with less hesitation. More and more, she felt May had been right. This was something she had needed.
The song continued on, the piano entering a series of airy cadences. Around them, lovestruck couples embraced each other, their foreheads touching, lips close but never quite closing the final few inches. The minimal movement each displayed made the figures look more as if they were hugging, attempting to remove as much distance between them as they could.
May looked up slightly and at Blake's cheekbone, as if she wanted to look into her eyes but somehow lacked the courage. Riveted to the spot, Blake was unable to look away, transfixed by the sanguine look in May's single blue eye. Perhaps it was incorrect to think it was completely calm; how could a singly eye display such a wide range of delicate emotions with such little effort? Her expression wavered, changing like the surface of stirred water, one emotion to the next. Calm, anxious, perhaps there was even a question in her eye, heretofore unanswered. Blake couldn't tell if the redness of May's cheeks was due to the rosy lights, or something else.
She suddenly became very aware of the girl in her arms. How was it that after meeting only days ago, the two could share an intimate dance such as this? Neither of them were the type to revel in proximity; what quality of the slow romantic jazz ballad had changed that about them?
As the song reached its climax, Blake felt the faintest rosy blush tint her cheeks. Her heart beat faster than normal, too frequently to make sense in the low-intensity movements. Her face felt flushed; she tried to calm herself with deep breaths, closing her eyes, hoping May couldn't hear her beating heart. However, that just brought the feeling of holding the girl in her arms to the forefront of her mind. This music is getting to my head.
The song faded to silence, the hall becoming quiet for what was the first and probably the last time that night. The two separated gently, slightly out of breath despite the slow tempo to which they had shared the dance. Blake shook her head to clear the haze from her mind, drying her sweaty palms on her pants. Although they each wanted to say something, silence reigned as neither of them could find the words that needed to be said. They formally ended the dance with mutual smiles.
May laughed nervously as the more rough and intense music began fading back in. "We should really get into the hotel section, and I think I have an idea."
"What is it?" Blake asked, eager to both change the subject and move forward with their plans.
"In many clubs, clients can pay a little extra to use the rooms for. . . . personal things, if you know what I mean," she said, waggling her eyebrow. Her flushed cheeks combined with the suggestive eyebrow raise distracted Blake from whatever she was getting at, replacing it with slightly more risque thoughts.
"What does-oh! Oh, I see. But how is that going to help us get in?"
May attached a sly grin to her response. "Well, let's use one." Blake, still feeling the rush from the dance, was wholly unsure of how to react. She wasn't sure how she should react either, but she knew that her mind was jumping to conclusions that she didn't want clouding her head. "We can pose as a couple and rent one of the rooms. If we do that, we'll probably have somewhat free reign to walk around and explore the hotel."
"Are you sure that will work?"
"There's only one way to find out, come on!" May hugged Blake's arm to her chest, practically hanging on her as led the way to a reception desk that was situated next to the bar. Much to Blake's relief, May took the lead in explaining the situation to the woman behind it.
"Hey! Me and my sweetie here-" Blake yelped a little as May pinched her side, "- were hoping to find someplace where we could. . . well," she giggled girlishly, "you know." Blake's bashful expression was genuine, but also served the two of them well, as the receptionist immediately understood.
"We rent out hotel rooms for the night, if that's what you're looking for?" May nodded vigorously. "Excellent, that'll be one-hundred Lien. Checkout times and such are posted inside the room." The transaction concluded swiftly and they were handed their receipt. Pointed in the direction of the hallway with the security guards, May reattached herself to Blake's arm.
Luckily, the entered without a hitch. The security guards gestured them through stoically when Blake held up their receipt. They evidently dealt with drunk couples often, as they didn't spare May a second glance. Walking into the hallway, the music faded drastically behind them. The lighting grew and became more normal as they walked, until they arrived in a quite regular hotel lounge featuring a reception desk in the center.
"Welcome, do you have a reservation?" asked the woman behind the desk. Blake once again presented the paper, the woman then pointed them to a staircase on their right. "You'll be in room 224, you'll find it upstairs and on the right. Please enjoy your stay." After being handed the corresponding key, they thanked her and followed the staircase up, May still clinging to Blake until they were out of eyesight from the receptionist. Finding the room, Blake unlocked it and let them in. May immediately collapsed on the single large bed in the center.
"Oooh man, I'm already exhausted. I can feel my ears ringing." Blake sat on the edge of the bed, removing her bow to stretch her cat ears with her fingers.
"My head hurts. Ouch." Thanks to what Blake assumed was soundproof walling, the beats from the dance hall didn't reach them. They enjoyed the quiet for a couple moments before May got up and poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher on the end table.
"Okay, so this is a legitimate hotel," May said in between sips. "We should be able to check out the rest of the place pretty easily; I guess once you've paid and proven you don't have weapons, they don't really feel the need for security."
"Yeah, but I could use a couple more minutes of relaxation before we look around. My head is pounding." While the earphones had helped, the loud music had taken its toll, Blake was feeling the beginnings of a headache. May handed her the cup of water which she gratefully drank. The ringing in her ears subsided over the next few minutes, replaced by a fuzzy feeling that would last for multiple hours, giving sounds a slightly muffled quality.
They began searching the hotel but didn't end up finding anything out of the ordinary. Much like a normal building of its type, the rooms were arranged in rows down hallways, the most expensive ones on the third floor. Judging by the distance between doors, the third floor rooms were suites. Unfortunately, the doors were tightly locked, preventing them from confirming their suspicions. At the end of their exploration, they were merely able to assume that if the White Fang were indeed using the rooms as a meeting place, they would likely take a suite so they could comfortably fit their group within.
"Perhaps we should reserve a room both for Thursday and Friday night," May mused. "It would make sneaking in our weapons easier, especially if we can enter through the front door of the hotel, not through the club entrance."
"There's a front door?" Ah, it makes sense that she saw it. Hanging from my arm must've given her a good excuse to look around.
"Yeah, I saw it while we were talking to the receptionist. I bet customers can come in through that door and then pay for access to the club."
"That would make it easy to sneak in weapons, if they're small. . . So we'll reserve the room for Thursday and Friday? We can set up Thursday, and then have a convenient location for Friday."
"That sounds good to me. I'm sorry I can't help pay," May looked at the floor guiltily. Blake waved off the apology.
"Don't worry about it."
When they left, the receptionist greeted them professionally, obviously used to seeing couples from the club rent out rooms and use them for only short amounts of time. "I hope you had a good stay."
"Oh we did," purred May, laying the salacious tone on thickly. "And we were hoping to rent a room for Thursday and Friday night as well, is that possible?" The receptionist confirmed their stay, accepting payment from Blake while May talked to her. "Are there any penthouse suites available here?" The receptionist perked up at the question.
"Yes, there certainly are! There are two small luxury rooms, and also a large luxury suite. But, I'm afraid they are all reserved for Friday night, I'm sorry," she said with her face falling.
"Wow, what kind of rich person do you have to be to pay for the luxury suite?" To Blake it was an obvious question, but May made it sound like an innocuous remark, a comment on the implied wealth of those who used the suites. The receptionist must've assumed it was a slightly intoxicated and open-ended ramble, because she replied happily.
"Oh yes, they are quite expensive. But, when hosting. . . certain groups of people, the luxury suite is a choice that they never regret." Blake kept her face stoic, refusing to let it move at the potentially valuable information. The receptionist had paused, and Blake was fairly certain she had been about to say 'the White Fang.'
The two wrapped up their reservation plans and checked out for the current night. Using the door directly from the hotel, they stepped outside into the cold twilight; May pumped her fist once the door closed behind them. "'Certain groups' probably means the White Fang, don't you think?"
"It certainly sounded that way," Blake said, a smile rising on her face. So far, their planning had seemed to have paid off. They knew a potential spot for the White Fang meeting, all the way down to a possible room. "I'd say today has been quite successful, if it weren't for this headache that's coming on. It's only getting worse."
"You're telling me," May groaned. "Although, I can imagine you have it even worse thanks to your cat ears."
"It's not great," she sighed exhaustively. "What do you say we call it a night? I'm about ready to pass out."
"I could definitely use the sleep. Lilac might be too big to sneak in, but I'm sure we can sneak in your weapon when we return."
Back in Blake's room, the two prepared for sleep tiredly, Carmine's having taken all their energy and leaving barely enough to spare. May stood in front of the bed, an unspoken question on her lips. Blake answered it by lying down on what was now her side of the bed, patting the opposite side. May smiled gratefully, crawling into her sleeping bag while making sure to leave plenty of room.
Blake stirred for a moment before becoming comfortable. "Sleep well."
"You too, goodnight." A minute or so passed when May uttered a final sentence before sleep took them. "Thanks for the dance, Blake."
Blake only managed to think her response before falling asleep. Thank you.