Nora stalked out of the entrance of the movie theater, scroll in hand, and bundled up in different shades of pink and white to fend off the cold. Her scarf was pulled up over her nose, and her hat was pulled down just over her eyebrows. Ruby was further behind her, decked in red and black but simultaneously bundled up just as much as Nora, buying more chocolate just before they left.
She flipped through the pages of her scroll, moving from panel to panel just to get to the messaging app. Because it was a movie theater, they were required to turn their scrolls off during the movie. Nora had gone through a slight fit of withdrawal at the start, but she eventually got over it, what with how good the actual movie was. By the time it'd ended, she'd almost forgotten her angst completely. Almost, anyway.
The second the movie had ended, Ruby whipped out her phone and called up Weiss. Instantly upon seeing it, all of Nora's negative emotions flooded right back into her head. Ruby took notice, asking her if she was alright. Nora, putting on the same false smile she wore for weeks now, ensured her she was fine and said she'd be alright walking home. Ruby was clearly uneasy.
"You don't have to walk through the cold, Nora. I'm sure Weiss wouldn't mind dropping you off at home." Ruby countered as the two stood outside. Nora shook her head.
"No, it's cool. Ren isn't supposed to know we all know each other, remember?" Nora replied, crossing her arms. Her scroll buzzed in her pocket, but through the thick layers she was wearing, she didn't feel it.
Ruby twiddled her fingers, looking down at her feet. The huge white scarf wrapped around her neck hid most of her face, so Nora couldn't see much of her.
"Well, maybe we could drop you off further down the street? So that Ren doesn't see us, but so that you don't have to walk as much." Ruby ventured. Nora raised an eyebrow, but she knew Ruby couldn't see it.
'Don't worry about it, Ruby. I walked here on my own, I'll be fine to walk back," Nora said. To reassure her, she grabbed her scarf and pulled it down, showing her usual large grin. "I'll be fiiine, this cold can't beat me. I'll make sure to call you when I get there just to make sure, alright?"
Ruby smiled back at her and nodded, a bit of mirth finding it's way back to her.
"Okay! I'll be waiting for the call then." Ruby responded. Just then, a white car pulled up to the curb. It was simple, low with snow treads and covered in snow like every other car. The back door opened to reveal Weiss, dressed in black jeans and a white coat, issuing to Ruby very quickly. Ruby mouthed out 'oh' and then jumped over to Nora to hug her before running off. Weiss waved at the orange-haired girl, and Nora waved back. The door shut, and the car drove off.
Nora was left standing in front of the theater for a moment or so, just festering in her thoughts, before she finally decided to walk off. The light from the theater soon faded behind her, and she was left walking in darkness, with nothing but the cold around her to remind her that she was indeed alive. Her scroll buzzed again, but the layers nullified both the feeling and the noise. All she heard was the snow crunching beneath her boots and the wind whipping past her face.
'Wonder what Menta is doing right now,' She thought, stopping at a corner to watch for cars before rushing across the street. Nora came to a halt across the street as a taxi barreled down the street behind her. She watched it as it drove off down the road, cutting a corner and disappearing down another street. She sighed. Menta didn't own a car, so he usually took a taxi in and out of town when he needed to.
Suddenly curious with her own thoughts, Nora began to follow the taxi. What were the chances that Menta would be in that one? They were low, sure, but Nora didn't really have much to lose. Plus, if it did happen to be him, that was a huge plus.
Nora got to the corner where the taxi had turned and she reared the corner quickly. It took her a moment to read the street sign, mainly because it was dark, but also because it was difficult to see with both her hair and her hat in the way of her eyes. Once she did read it, though, she realized that she was now on Menta's street. Her heart began to pound ferociously in her chest, her hopes skyrocketing. Maybe a bit of the color came back to her hair, maybe the light in her eyes got a bit brighter.
Spotting the dark yellow and brown taxi down the street, she quickly crossed to the other side and followed it. If it wasn't Menta, she could pretend to just be some person walking down the other side of the street. If it was, she'd run back over.
Once she got closer, she slowed down, walking as she took notice of the people in the taxi. There was the driver, of course, and only one passenger in the back. Nora couldn't see through the window, but he looked tall. A promising sign. The streetlights on her side of the street were shining onto the sidewalk, so every few feet Nora would walk through the shining beam of light before falling back into darkness.
She was crossing into darkness again as the passenger stepped out of the taxi. He was cloaked in darkness, so Nora couldn't see. All she could make out was a long black coat. Menta liked wearing dark colors; long coats too. Maybe?
He walked back behind the car and popped open the trunk. A small light clicked on and Nora saw that he was wearing a black bowler hat and shades. Under that, strands of long black hair fell down to where his Adam's Apple was easily seen. Nora slowed to a halt, only realizing that she was standing in the light exactly when the man looked up at her. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't need to. It wasn't Menta. Menta didn't have black hair.
Tears flooded the corners of her eyes before she could stop it. The man stepped into the street and said something, but Nora couldn't hear him. Pulling her hat down over her eyes, she turned around and walked away. Her walking turned into a jog, and then slowly into a run. She could hear the snow crunching under her feet, and the cold around her, hovering in the air and whipping past her at every angle, seemed to pull at her from every side.
Rounding the corner at the end of the street, Nora kept running. Looking up as she ran, she found herself in the middle of the park in the center of Oniyuri. As she slowed to a stop, she realized how tired she was. Despite how energetic she usually was, all that energy had left her nearly a full month ago. Her legs ached, her lungs were screaming and burning, and her face was still streaming with tears. Running an arm across her face, which actually did nothing to clean the tears from her face, Nora walked along down the winding path of the park, stopping periodically to look around.
That tree? No, too much snow. The bench, then? No, too open. What about...behind that tree, the big one?
Nora looked up at the tree. It was huge, clearly the biggest tree in the park. It's leaves and branches were so numerous and thick that they completely stopped any snow from falling through them. The ground underneath the tree was completely dry, still lush with green grass. Sniffling, Nora rubbed her arms through her thick sweater and walked toward it. The leaves and branches nearly touched the ground, so Nora had to push her way through them just to see the trunk completely. Once she did, she rounded the trunk, large and full of life, and fell to her knees behind it.
She backed up against the base of the tree, sat down on the roots, and pulled her knees up to her chest. Here, hidden underneath the largest tree behind several layers of wood and leaves where she was sure no one could see her, Nora let the tears flow freely.
Whereas Nora had decided to go to the movies, Ren decided to take a walk. Nora was completely right when she said he wasn't fond of the cold. The snow itself was nothing to worry about, but the cold was annoying in every sense of the word. The way it whipped at him, back and forth, and the way it crawled underneath his clothes and found it's way to his core; it was hell, in the simplest way to put it.
He didn't have a destination, he usually didn't when he took his walks. He was simply allowing fate to carry him to where it wanted him.
Ren had thrown on one of his usual black coats, knee-length and with a high collar. He'd neglected to wear a hat, as always because it tangled his hair, but had put on earmuffs. Cold ears were the worse, second only to cold hands.
Under his breath, Ren laughed. He remembered something Menta had told him a few months ago, before he'd left, about cold hands. After laughing, he felt bad. Menta had left like this before, they were all used to it. But Nora...it was bad, is all, and Ren felt bad that he couldn't do much to aid her.
With the snow crunching under his boots, Ren walked on, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. He watched the slow traffic of Oniyuri as he walked down the street, his gaze jumping from the cars going past him to the dead trees that were lined down the road, their branches covered in crisp white snow.
Before long, Ren found himself standing just at the edge of the Oniyuri Atheneum. He gazed up at the building, though it wasn't really that tall, just barely over a story, and felt a comforting sense of relaxation fall over him. He patted down his pockets and sure enough, he had his key with him. Ren smiled and rounded the building, finding the entrance, and he let himself in.
The entire library was dark, as it should be since it was closed. The streetlamp outside, just in front of the entrance, shined just a bit of light into the main entrance where Ren stood. He could see the main desk just to his right, and in front of him, he saw the numerous bookshelves looming ahead. He sighed, taking in the smell of all the books on each and every shelf.
A bit of snow fell in behind him, piling onto the library's floor. Ren cursed and hurried to shut the door before any more could topple in. Only after, when the door slammed shut, did Ren realize that he should have turned the light on beforehand. Now, with the door closed, darkness fell onto Ren, and he found that he couldn't see.
Once again, Ren swore under his breath. Thankfully, after working there for a year, he'd just about memorized the inside of the library.
Putting his hands up against the right wall, Ren slowly moved off to the side and quickly found the switch. He flicked it, and then turned around, shaking the excess snow off of his boots onto the welcome mat. The lights slowly warmed up and after a moment, clicked on, blinding Ren for a moment. Shaking his head, he looked up and smiled.
On a regular day, it'd be six in the morning. Ren would've just opened up the library, and ten minutes later, Menta would walk in, a smile on his face. They'd talk for a few minutes, and then Menta would go to the back desk, and Ren would round the front desk and take up post.
Ren sighed again, sadness not dotting his features, if only a tad.
His scroll buzzed in his pocket, and Ren, always observing, felt it on it's last buzz. He dug it out of his pocket and held it up, looking it over. He'd gotten a text, but he didn't recognize the number. With an eyebrow raised in question and caution, he opened the text. It was short and simple, and all it said was:
"Thanks for watering the plants. The roses are looking better than ever, -M."
Ren's eyes widened in surprise. Immediately, he rushed to the library door, though he didn't know why. Was he planning to up and run to Menta's apartment? It was late, almost 12 when he looked, that'd be ridiculous. He took a moment to compose himself and instead gathered himself up and began to leave the library. He shut the light off and slipped out of the door, making sure to lock it behind him.
As he began walking back home, a smile found it's way to his face. Surely, this meant Menta was back. There was a low chance of it just being someone messing with him, but Ren was much too optimistic to think that far ahead, or that deep into it. Instead, he picked up the pace. Surely Nora would be home by now, he wanted to tell her the good news. No doubt, she'd be ecstatic.
Nora wasn't home. Ren had assumed she'd get there before him, but as he stepped into the apartment, it was clear that she wasn't there. The movie was just under two hours long and, Ren checking the time, it had been over for thirty minutes already. He got worried, but he was sure it was nothing. Maybe she'd decided to hang out for a bit?
He had waited another fifteen minutes before he couldn't take it anymore. Using his scroll, he called her, but she didn't answer. He called again. Nothing. Making a split decision, he called Blake. It took a bit for her to answer, but she came to.
"Ren...? I don't...it's, it's almost twelve in the morning..," She said, a yawn interrupting her. "Is something wrong..?"
Ren took a moment to compose himself so that he didn't overreact any more than he already was.
"It's Nora. She left the apartment a couple hours ago and she hasn't come back," He told her. Through the phone, he could hear her getting up from bed. He continued. "I called a few times and she hasn't answered. I...honestly, I'm worried."
Blake didn't speak for a minute or so. Just as Ren was about to ask if she was still there, she came back.
"Give me a few minutes. I'll see if I can't get over to your apartment," She said. Ren sighed in relief. "Have you called anyone else yet?"
Ren shook his head, though he wasn't sure why. "No, not yet. I'd planned on calling Pyrrha and Jaune as well."
Unbeknownst to Ren, Blake had just nodded as well. Currently, she was throwing on her clothes, gloves, boots and scarf and was getting ready to head out.
"Good. Call them after we hang up. If we all meet at your apartment, we can split up and look for her." Blake was getting to the door, beginning to open it, when she heard a cough behind her. She turned around to see Weiss and Ruby, sitting together on the couch. Ruby was half-asleep, and Weiss was wide awake, a mug of coffee in her hand.
"I'll see you soon, bye Ren." She quickly said before hanging up. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her.
"Blake? It's eleven in the morning, where are you going?" She asked. Blake pulled her coat from the rack next to the door and began pulling it on.
"To Ren's apartment," She replied, deathly monotone. Weiss raised her eyebrow again, but in a more suggestive tone, if that was possible. A tinge of red ran to Blake's face before she waved her hand dismissively. "It's not like that, his roommate's gone missing. He doesn't know where she is."
Weiss rose up, making Ruby stir. She managed to cautiously put her mug down before looking back up at Blake.
"Nora's missing?" She asked in a quiet voice. Ruby awoke, though still drowsy, and looked at both of them, a confused expressing dotting her face.
"Whats...what's this about..Nora?" She asked, yawning as she spoke. "I was just at the movies with her a few hours ago, she..she seemed fine..,"
Blake raised an eyebrow at both of them, but she didn't question how they knew Nora, or why she and Ruby had been hanging out. Maybe there was a secret society underneath her and Ren's nose. Despite that, she shook her head and nodded.
"Ren said she left a couple hours ago and hasn't come back. He sounds worried." Blake told them both. Weiss got up, slinging away the cover that was covering both her and Ruby, and held a hand to her chest.
"Of course he is! What are you all planning to do?" She asked. Blake opened her mouth to respond, but shut it just as fast. She realized they didn't necessarily have a plan yet. She went for the truth factor.
"We don't know yet. We're meeting at his place with two of his other friends to talk." Blake responded. Weiss nodded and shook Ruby awake.
"Then we're coming too. The more people, the easier it'll be, right?" Weiss said. Blake began to argue, but Ruby jumped up as well, though she was still very much drowsy.
"That's right. She..she's my friend too, so of course we're helping." Ruby stated, her eyes half-lidded. A smile found it's way to Blake's face and she nodded.
"Okay, good. Get ready and we can all drive over in Weiss' car. The snow is annoying outside." Blake told them both.
Weiss smiled and nodded, and she began to pull Ruby away so that the both of them had the time to at least put on a clean change of clothes. Once they were all done, they took Weiss's car, Blake driving because Weiss couldn't handle the snow, and they were off to Ren's place.
"Where was she last?" Pyrrha asked, yawning afterward. It was known that both she and Jaune were both very heavy sleepers, but the fact that they'd gotten up and gotten to Ren's apartment so fast was a homage to friendship. The both of them were standing with their backs to the front door, facing the room.
Ruby perked up, raising her hand like an excited kid in school.
"Oh! oh! I know!" She called out, smiling as always. "We went to see Return of the Zom-Shredder 2 at 9:30. Afterwards, it was like 11:40 something when Weiss picked me up and Nora said she was walking home."
Ren nodded and Ruby smiled again, kicking her legs back and forth. She was sitting on the kitchen counter, overlooking the living room, with both Ren and Weiss's permission. Her feet couldn't reach the floor, and she looked like a kid. Weiss was standing next to her with her arms crossed. She turned to face Ruby and raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you said you weren't going to see the violent one?" She asked, leaning forward. "Did you lie to me, Ruby?" Ruby's face turned as red as her sweater, and she began to nervously stutter over her next few words. Thankfully, Ren shushed them and kept going.
"How come you didn't give her a ride?" Ren asked them, pulling the girls out of their stupor. Ruby jumped off of the counter and crossed her arms.
"I wanted to! She wouldn't let me ask Weiss," She complained, pouting and leaning back against the counter. "She kept telling me the cold couldn't beat her and that'd she'd be fine. Then she said she'd call me when she got home, but she never did!"
Jaune shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously.
"Where do you think she'd go?" He asked, calculating eyes washing over the whole group. "It's almost one in the morning now, I don't think there are many places for her to go."
Pyrrha shook her head and Ren looked down at the floor. Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other and frowned. Only Blake, sitting on the couch by herself, looked as if she was still thinking, rubbing her chin with her eyes focused on the wall. After a minute or so of silence, she looked up at Ren.
"Would she go to Menta's place?" She asked, an eyebrow raised. Ren looked up at her and returned the questioning glance. "You said she's been out of it since he left, right? What if she went to his apartment?"
Ren though for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "She hasn't wanted to go there since he left. That and, if she were there, I'm sure we'd know." When everyone looked at him questioningly, he looked back up and smiled. "I got a text from an unknown number just before I got back to the apartment, talking about the roses in Menta's apartment. It was signed with an M, and I think it's Menta."
Jaune did a double take. "For real? Is he back, then?" he asked. Ren shrugged.
"I'm not sure yet, but I believe it is. It's why I came back so fast," Ren replied. He stood up from where he was leaning against the side of the bookshelf. "I wanted to head over tomorrow to check and see."
Pyrrha politely held a hand up, interrupting conversation. "How come it was from an unknown number? All of us have Menta's number saved in our scrolls, save for Blake maybe," The girl in question nodded her agreement and Pyrrha continued. "If it was him, he would've texted from his own number, right?"
Weiss shrugged. "Maybe something happened to his scroll. Chances are he'd rather buy a new one if the last was broken or lost," She said, tilting her head to the side. Her ponytail managed to smack Ruby's arm before she leaned away in the other direction. "It makes sense, somewhat."
Blake crossed one leg over the other. "Maybe we should just split into groups and go look for her. It's the safest bet, what with Oniyuri being so small."
Everyone nodded and began to get up and ready.
"That sounds good," Ren said, smoothing his hair over with one hand. "So we set off, then. Weiss and Ruby can go back to the movie theater to check around that area since they have a car. Jaune and Pyrrha can do the same, but around Oum's and that area since it's close. Blake and I can go to Menta's place and check around there as well."
Each group paired up and pulled their coats back on, ready to get back outside. Ren, pulling his gloves on, stopped them at the door.
"If anyone finds her or sees her at all, text or call the rest of us and we'll be there."
Weiss and Ruby were the first to go, sharing good luck with the others before they ran outside and drove off in Weiss's car. Jaune and Pyrrha went next, sprinting off toward Oum's using their scroll's as flashlights in the dark. After locking up the apartment, Ren and Blake were off as well. They went off in the same direction as Jaune and Pyrrha, but split off as they came to the library, heading down toward the main street where they'd find Menta's apartment.
Throughout their journey there, both were silent. Ren was worried but focused, and he refused to let his focus sway or find itself elsewhere. Blake was the same, though she was much more cautious about how early it was.
They hit the corner of Menta's street and slowed their pace, walking briskly instead of the jog they'd been utilizing on the way there. Blake checked her scroll. it was just under one twenty. They weren't on a schedule, but they definitely wanted to find her as fast as possible.
In the dark, it was hard to tell which building was which. As they walked down the street, Blake had to squint to even see the outlines of the buildings properly. Finally, she caved and turned to Ren.
"Which apartment is his? I can't see at all," She complained, looking up at the sky. Ren looked around, running a hand through his hair. His eyes were no better, but thankfully he'd walked this street so many times it felt like his own.
"That one there," He pointed toward a shorter building that looked to be made of brick. "The third one after this yellow house here. I've been here so many times, it's practically scarred into my memory."
Blake smiled, but the smile quickly fell away. They got to the stairs of the building and then they stopped, Blake grabbing Ren's arm. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I have an idea. You can go up to his apartment, and I'll look around further in the neighborhood," She told him. He opened his mouth to respond, but Blake shushed him. "Divide and conquer. It's a good strategy, Ren."
Ren looked like he wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue. Instead, he leaned down and pecked her on the lips once before turning and going up the stairs. Upon reaching the door, he turned around a nodded, a flash of pink crossing his face.
"Good luck then, Blake." He said, and she nodded her agreement. Her own face had taken on a red-ish tone, but she could argue it was from the cold. Ren disappeared into Menta's apartment building, and Blake ran down the stairs and down the other end of the street.
Admittedly, she didn't know where she was going. She wasn't familiar with much of Oniyuri, but especially not this side. She'd never been so far into the main part, so she was pretty much lost.
Once she broke out into the main streets again, she merely looked around the open square of the town. It was just about one thirty in the morning, so of course she didn't see anyone. Looking around, her amber gaze casting itself over the entire square with as much analytical precision as she could muster. Unfortunately, it wasn't that much. She caught the glimpses of trees in the center park, mostly small ones but one huge one closer to the middle, and the taller buildings behind it.
Blake didn't think Nora would be in the park; too much snow. But, unfortunately, she didn't really have any other ideas of where to look. She sprinted across the intersection, just barely dodging a taxi as it barreled past it front of her, and slowed to a leisurely walk when she stepped through the gateway onto the paved path of the Oniyuri Public Garden.
The cold wind whipped through her, making Blake shiver and wish that she'd bought a better coat. She'd neglected to grab her scarf, in the rush that she was in, and now she regretted it. At least she had her hat on. That way, her ears would stay warm.
She'd made it through a decent section of the park before she got fed up and began to softly call out Nora's name. Every time she saw a tree that she couldn't see behind or a hedge that seemed big enough to hide the smaller girl, she'd call out again. There was never an answer, though it didn't stop Blake from continuing.
Eventually, she got to the giant tree in the middle. Since the branches and leaves of it hung completely to the ground, Blake couldn't see through to the trunk at all. She inched closer until she could touch the branches and she called out Nora's name once more.
"Nora!" She called out, cupping her hands around her mouth. It was quiet for a moment before she heard something; a whimper, a sniffle, and then a hoarse, strained voice from inside the shell of the tree.
"G-go away," Nora said, balled up behind the tree, hugging her knees to her chest. "I j-just wanna be alone right now,"
Blake sighed and edged her way around the tree so that she could see Nora. Whenever she caught a glimpse of her, though, the orange-haired girl shuffled away until Blake couldn't see her once again. After a while, she gave up and merely crouched outside of the tree's protective shield of branches and leaves.
"Why are you all the way out here?" Blake asked, tilting her head. "You had Ren and the rest of us worried sick."
She heard Nora's breathing hitch up before she responded.
"T-tell him I'm sorry," She said. Her voice was rough, as if she hadn't used it in a while. "A-and go back home while you're at it. I'll come back...e-eventually."
Blake frowned, pulling her coat closer to her as the wind blew past once more. She wasn't the bests of friends with Nora. Honestly, they'd barely spoken to each other the few months they'd know one another. Suddenly, Blake felt bad about not getting to know her better.
"'Eventually' isn't good enough, Nora," Blake replied, folding her arms across her chest. "You can talk to me, you know? What's been going on with you lately?"
Nora made a strange sound, somewhere between a snort and a nervous laugh.
"What hasn't been going on?" She asked, though it was clearly a statement more than a question. "N-nothing good has happened in the past month. I-I lost my job at the pet store because I had to take too many s-sick days due to the cold. Ren was always off with you, so I n-never even had the help around the apartment."
Blake wanted to interrupt, but Nora kept going. "J-Jaune and Pyrrha are always so busy, so they never have the time to hang out with me anymore, and Weiss and R-Ruby were just the same! The only one I could count on was Menta, and h-he's been..g-gone this entire month!" Nora sounded ready to start crying, and Bake definitely didn't want that. She didn't want her to suffer so much anymore.
Steeling herself, Blake pushed through the branches and the leaves. She saw Nora, just a glimpse of her, with her knees pulled to her chest and her face buried into her own legs. Tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't make a noise.
"I-I just..," she tried to say, but broke into a cough. Blake moved a fraction of an inch closer, but didn't dare keep going. Finally, Nora stopped and looked up at her, her usually bright teal eyes gone dark and pale. "I-I just want my friends back, Blake. Th-the past month, I've had no-one, a-and it hurts. I-it's painful, y'know?" She sniffled and looked away, hiding her face from Blake.
The amber-eyed girl was shocked, to say the least. She walked closer and knelt beside Nora, who didn't even make an effort to look at her.
"Nora I've...I had no idea you'd been going through so much," She started, and immediately chastised herself for it. Nora turned to glare at her and looked away again. "O-of course I haven't, I've barely talked to you, and I feel bad about it. I-I guess I was just...," She couldn't find the words.
"Distracted?' Nora ventured, still refusing to look at her. Blake frowned and hung her head. She wasn't good at this type of thing.
"Y-yes, er, no, not distracted...," Blake muttered before groaning. "What I'm trying to say is, none of us knew, Nora. I-I'm sorry for neglecting you, I know I should have at least tried to be a friend to you, but since Menta left, I've barely seen you."
Nora looked back at her, her brow furrowed, and Blake continued. "I-I've no doubt that you have your reasons, b-but if you were out and about a bit more, maybe we would've realized it."
The Valkyrie scoffed and Blake held her hands up in defense. "I-I know it sounds like I'm blaming you, but I'm not, promise. I-I just don't see enough of you. Ren has been worried sick about you, even before tonight. He's told all of us, but he keeps assuring us that if you needed to tell him something, you'd tell him. He seems adamant that you guys never keep secrets."
Nora threw her hands up in the air, slamming her back against the tree trunk.
"We don't! Not usually, anyway. I can trust Ren with any and everything, I trust him with my life!" She exclaimed. Her sudden burst of energy depleted, she dropped back down with her chin against her knees. "B-But I didn't want him thinking down on me just because I got sick a lot. I-I know he has a life outside of me, a-and I'd hate to force him away from it. I just thought that...m-maybe if I handled it all on my own, he'd be impressed."
Blake fell and sat on her knees, venturing so far as to put a hand on Nora's shoulder. The girl did nothing about it and simply let her head fall back into her knees.
"Ren would never look down on you, Nora. You're his best friend, you don't need to impress him," She told her, leaning down so that she could try and see Nora's face. it proved not to work, and she simply sat back up. "He wouldn't think you're a bother or anything, and I'm sure he'd love to help you through any and everything you need help with. That's what best friends do."
Nora sniffled but kept her head down. Blake sighed, letting her hands fall into her own lap. "And who says Ren is the only one who has to help you? We could all come over and have a little get-together, just to make sure you're alright. Maybe bring some food and movies, and sit down together and just relax for as long as you need us." A smile graced her face at the thought. It seemed like fun.
"If you ever need anything, you can tell literally any of us." Blake said, putting her hand on Nora's shoulder again. Though this time, she was much more comfortable about...comforting her. When Nora looked up at her, tear marks running down her face and with red eyes, Blake smiled. Nora almost smiled back, but then she dropped her head into her legs again.
"Th-thanks, Blake...I-I appreciate what you're doing and all, but I don't want to take all of you away from your social lives just to come and hang out with me," She said, sniffling and looking up, outward through the branches of the tree they sat under. "I-I just want Menta back. H-he's never too busy for me, and h-he always makes me feel better."
"There's n-never anything that keeps him from coming to my a-aid when I need him and...," She hesitated, a tinge of red rushing to her face. "I-I want that back. I thought I could handle the few months he'd probably be gone, b-but he never answered his scroll. I-I started to get really worried, hoping that he'd call back eventually, but he never did."
Nora's eyes began to tear up again, and Blake scooted closer to pull her into a lopsided hug. It was awkward, sure, but at least it stopped Nora from crying for the time being.
"Hey, I'm certain he would have if he could've. Maybe something happened to his scroll." Blake ventured. Nora glanced at her and shrugged.
"I've considered a lot of things," Nora said, sweet and simple. She sighed depressingly, though. "I-I don't like thinking about it, honestly."
The both of them sat in silence for a bit before Nora sniffled and wiped her face with her sleeve.
"Th-thanks, Blake. I...appreciate you talking to me." She eventually said. Brushing her hair back with one hand, she smiled. It wasn't full and huge like regular, but it was bright and genuine. Blake returned the smile, wholeheartedly, and stood up. Just then, she remembered the plan, and pulled her scroll from her pocket to send a group-wide text to the others.
"I've got her. You guys can all stop looking now,"
"Of course, Nora," Blake replied, extending a hand downward to help the girl up. She took it, and Blake pulled her to her feet. Nora wobbled a bit, her legs weak from sitting so long, and leaned up against the tree for support. "If you ever need to talk again, about anything really, I'm always open."
Nora waved her off. "Thanks, but..I don't want to take time away from you and Ren," She muttered, dusting off her pants as she stretched and kicked her legs out a bit, just to get the blood pumping. "I'll make sure at least someone knows, though."
Blake nodded. It was a start, but she was sure it wouldn't be enough in the long run. Her scroll buzzed in her hand, and she pulled it up to check it. It was a message from Ren, to the group chat.
"R: Bring her to Menta's apartment, it's the closest to where you are."
She nodded and stepped up to pull the branches away so she could peak outside. Checking the time, it was just over two in the morning, though it was still nice and dark outside. Nora stepped up next to her, a look of sheer embarrassment on her face.
"I-I've been out for a while, haven't I?" She asked, looking up at Blake with the trace of a nervous smile on her lips. Blake giggled and stepped back out into the snow with Nora following, her arms folded across her chest.
"It's been a few hours," Blake deadpanned, kicking snow out of their way as she led Nora back to the path. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, so it was a bit easier to see now. "Come on, we'll head to Menta's place. Ren is there waiting."
Nora got to the path and slowed to a halt. When Blake looked back, her head was hung and she was looking at the ground.
"C-can we not go to Menta's?" She asked, looking up slightly as she took a few steps forward. "I-I didn't wanna go with Ren over there because I knew it'd make me feel bad. I-I don't know if I can take it,"
Blake raised an eyebrow, curiously, but extended her hand. Something about Nora, as she was now, reminded her of someone...
"It's okay, Nora. It's the closest place to us right now, and we need to get you out of the cold." Blake reminded her. Nora looked down again, her face flushed red. She was muttering to herself, too quiet for Blake to hear, but after a moment she perked up and nodded.
"Okay, okay," She took a deep breath and started walking again, passing Blake. "I'm good, let's go."
Blake tilted her had in question, but she started walking without saying anything. Nora's head bobbed up and down as she walked, taking large steps to get through the snow, despite the fact that there wasn't as much as before. Blake kept her hands in her pockets, as she'd forgotten to wear gloves too, and followed Nora. She seemed to know where she was going, so there was no argument there.
They walked in silence for a minute before Blake spoke up.
"How long have you and Ren known each other?" She asked, amber eyes landing softly on the back of Nora's head. The girl in question sighed, tilting her head.
"I met Ren in middle school, I think," She said, tapping her chin. "We were both in the same grade and we got put together on a school project. Ren didn't really have that many friends, because he was so quiet and kept away, and I didn't have many because I was loud and obnoxious."
"We did fail that project, because Renny wouldn't talk to me and so I refused to help him, but after that we kinda gravitated to each other," Nora kicked snow from the edge of the sidewalk as she walked, and talked. "So he always sat near me during class or during lunch, but it took a while for him to actually talk to me. Until he said something back, I just sorta talked his ear off." She chuckled beneath her breath.
Blake smiled, giggling alongside her. "Middle school? That was so long ago...," Her voice faltered as she thought about it. "No wonder you guys have such a strong bond," A bit more walking, then Blake tilted her head. "What about Menta?"
Nora slowed, her head bobbing a bit more as she looked from side to side, seemingly trying to remember the way to Menta's. When she spoke, she stuttered.
"O-oh, I've only known M-Menta for about a year and a half now," She said, her voice low. "R-Ren introduced us when I saw him at the library for the first time. H-He was a lot more active about...t-talking to me and all, and we started hanging out a lot." Nora brought a hand up, running it through the hair hanging over her shoulders. Blake raised an eyebrow. Just at the mention of Menta, Nora got nervous. She swore there was someone she knew that was just like that...
"Oh my gods," Blake exclaimed, suddenly stopping. Nora stopped and turned around to face her, eyebrows raised in question. The girl's face was still flushed, slightly red at the cheeks and her mouth was quirked weirdly. "You have a crush on Menta."
Blake expected her to flush and deny it, sorta how like what she did when Weiss said the same to her. Instead, Nora sighed and turned around to keep walking forward. Taken aback, Blake rushed to catch up and follow her.
"Is...is it that obvious?" She asked, her voice quiet and low. Blake frowned, but Nora couldn't see it. "I p-personally think I did a pretty good job not showing it for a while. U-until he left, I mean." She slowed down, folding her arms across her chest.
The other girl furrowed her brows, concern filling her expression. "I wouldn't say it was obvious at all. It took me a bit to even think about it," Blake admitted. Then, quieter, she asked; "Does Ren know?"
Nora tensed up and whipped her head around. "Of course not! I-I can trust Ren with pretty much everything, but I can barely trust myself with this! Why on Earth would I tell him?"
Blake shrugged. "To have someone to confide in?" She ventured. "Does anyone even know?"
The other girl turned around and kept walking. "Pyrrha and Jaune do. I told them, a-after Ren went to 'rescue' me, as Jaune put it," She sighed. "Th-they gave me good advice, b-but it just...wasn't up my alley."
There was a moment of silence between them, where all they could hear was the sound of the snow crunching beneath their feet.
"Are you going to tell him?" Blake asked, out of the blue.
"Wh-what?" Nora asked, choking on seemingly nothing. She cleared her throat. "N-no...I mean, I-I've thought about it, b-but...I wasn't planning on it, n-not anytime soon anyway, 'cause he's still gone, y'know."
Blake began to respond, but shut her mouth. She wasn't sure if Menta was back at all, as she hadn't spoken with Ren about it at all. "Well, what if he likes you back?"
Nora sputtered, a laugh poking at her lips. "Pff, what? No, no of course he doesn't..," She looked away, and then quickly looked back. "Shut up."
Blake smiled, a small laugh slipping through her teeth, as they finally got to the stairs of Menta's apartment. Nora didn't seem to notice, so Blake reached forward to grab her scarf and stop her from walking on ahead. Looking up at the building, all the energy that Nora had seemingly built up seemed to dissipate and leave her immediately.
"Y-y'know, maybe we should just keep walking to my apartment," She offered, taking a step back. "M-maybe even the library. I-It's close."
The dark-haired girl shook her head. "This is the closest place we can go, and we need to get you out of the cold, Nora." Then walked into the building, the lobby, and eventually the elevator, dragging Nora along with her. The Valkyrie dragged her feet, but she didn't necessarily object at all. Once they were in the elevator, she seemed to get antsy again. She was muttering under her breath, talking to herself, and since they were so close now, Blake could actually hear her this time.
"Ooookay, okay. This'll be fine. No matter how sad it makes you, this'll be fine. It'll alll be fine." Nora didn't seem to believe herself that much.
A low ding sounded off inside the elevator, and the doors slowly slid open. Blake stepped out first, turning around to make sure Nora was following. The orange-haired girl took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway, nodding at Blake.
The walk to Menta's apartment wasn't very long, though for the entire walk, Nora was muttering and hyping herself up. Once they actually got to his door, she was sweating a bit.
"I-It's not too late to go to the library?" Nora ventured. Smiling, Blake shook her head and knocked on the door. Hanging her head, Nora sighed and undid her scarf. She took a step in the opposite direction, but Blake reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Seeing no way out, Nora simply sighed once again and put her arm up on the taller girl's shoulder.
They heard the lock on the inside of the door click aloud, and Blake physically felt Nora begin to tremble.
"Hey, it'll be alright. Ren is the only one here." She said, though she wasn't so sure of it. There was no way of her knowing or not whether Ren confirmed if Menta had come back. She decided not to tell Nora that, though. There was no reason to get the girl's hopes up.
The door began to open slowly, and Nora gripped onto Blake's arm so hard that it forced the taller girl to bend down a bit.
"Ouch," Blake deadpanned, turning to look at Nora. " Why are you so strong?"
Nora turned to her and mouthed out the words, 'I'm sorry'. She opened her mouth to actually talk, but then the door hit the wall in Menta's apartment and they both looked up.
"Hey now, I was wondering when you'd get here," A man said.
He was tall, maybe a bit taller than Ren. He had long black hair that hung down to his Adam's apple in straight strands, though there were streaks of some other lighter color in his hair, a color that Blake couldn't decipher. His skin was pale, making the small scar he had on his chin, just to the right of his mouth, that much easier to see. He wore dark shades, even inside, so they couldn't see his eyes. Despite that, they could clearly see the heavy bags under his eyes.
Over his chest was a dark green sweater, though it gradually got lighter as it got further up, so that his collar was a light mint green. Slung over one arm, he held a long black coat that was close to touching the floor. Around his neck was a simple silver necklace, with the Egyptian Ankh charm hanging from the chain.
Paired with a simple pair of blue jeans, splattered with various colors of paint, and a pair of high black boots, the guy nodded at them.
"Miss Belladonna," He did a half-bow in front of her, which Blake slowly reciprocated with a semi-formal curtsy. "And the lovely Lady Valkyrie." He did a much more over-exaggerated bow in front of Nora. As he was leaning back up, his shades fell down his nose, revealing a pair of pale mint green eyes.
Blake gasped as her brain finally put two-and-two together.
"Wait, so you're-" She was interrupted by Nora, whose voice was quiet, low, and shaky.
"Menta?" She asked, uncertain even with herself and with tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Menta smiled and pulled his shades off, sticking them in the front pocket of his jeans. He cracked a smile, the same grin that Blake had chastised him for when they'd first officially met. One of his eyebrows had a slash through it, and there was a small band-aid on his forehead,
"At your service, Lady Valkyrie," He slung his coat over his shoulder and shoved both hands into his pockets. "I've missed you."
Wow, this came out so much longer than I thought it would. A lot of things happen in this chapter, and the ending is a bit rushed because I was forced to write it twice, and it made me really goddamn upset.
If it's going a bit too fast, or you get confused at some parts, I apologize. Splitting this into two parts didn't feel right to me, so I just decided to let it chill out with it's dick out as an 8k+ chapter.
Also, I wanted to keep Menta out a bit longer, but with the way I'd been pushing things, I wouldn't have been able to keep him away for much longer after the last chapter. Don't worry, though! Since the snow is still around, I've got some fluff plans for future chapters.
Regardless of all that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know these updates are sporadic, but it's only because I have to balance work on top of writing. I'm extremely excited for the next few chapters, so hopefully they come out a bit faster.
As always. Stay tuned, Dantikat out.
