The night air around the campsite was beautiful as the stars shone between the few clouds that littered the sky. The fire that Yang had set up was blazing in the fire pit and the eight residents of room 205 sat around it. The campsite itself, site 205 as Yang dubbed it, was a rather small encampment, but had many other sites strewn around, still far enough away that you could feel isolated. There was a small trail that led from the parking lot, and another trail that lead towards a small lake, the central hub of the hiking trails in the area.
"So, how many s'mores am I making?" Yang asked, collecting the ingredients from a nearby bag she brought along. The group gave several responses, varying from simple nods to gleeful squeals of acceptance. "Welp, looks like I'll need a helper. Anyone wanna... " Yang opened her bag, digging around for something in particular.
Pyrrha looked over, "Everything alright?"
Yang looked back at the group around them until she revealed her stife. "I accidentally forgot the skewers in the car. Anyone want to come with to get them?"
Blake raised her hand after a few seconds, "I'll go with you."
"Yeah, team B going on an adventure!" Yang jumped up, throwing her fist in the air before grabbing Blake by the hand and pulling her towards the parking lot.
The last six attempted to make conversation, before the white haired one rose, drawing the other's attention. "Well, while they're out, I need to deal with some business. Is there anyone else that needs to go?" After a few moments, no one responded, causing Weiss to sit back down. "Nevermind then, I guess."
Ren suddenly jumped up, dusting himself off before responding, "I can go with you, I need to use it as well." Weiss stood back up and nodded to the black haired man, keeping the look of concern from her face.
"That would be nice, thank you."
Ren grabbed a flashlight nearby and tested it out, seeing that it worked well enough, and met up with Weiss. The two made their way down the trail towards the parking lot, diverting down a separate path. This had brought them to an indoor bathroom with lights and plumbing. Even with a call to the wild, it seems that some people didn't want to be far from the luxuries of civilization. Even if it is as terrible as a public restroom.
"Well, I guess this will have to do." Weiss walked to one side, attempting not to quicken her step as she made her way from the safety of the flashlight to the fluorescent lights. She stepped inside, doing her business, and quickly moving to leave again. She pushed open the door, looking around for Ren, but couldn't see him. Leaning out the door as far as she could, looking to the men's room, she heard something moving towards her. The sound came from behind her.
Weiss froze, hearing something coming from around the corner. Her memories raced back to a night so long ago. A strange person, a horrible night, and the rescue of circumstance were all flooding back to her. The sound came closer, the heiress' heart was beating wildly as her breathing quickened.
Weiss slowly backed up, leaving the door open enough to see outside, waiting for whatever was approaching. She stared out the crack of the door, the sound coming closer to the corner that kept them separate. She saw a dark foot cross into her eyesight, and was startled, closing the door and leaning against the wall, panting as she waited for the inevitable.
She stood there, her head clouded with what could happen when they came for her. She looked across the room at the mirror that was on the wall. The reflection she saw was a child, afraid of the unknown. A dark room and a small, white haired child, sleeping peacefully.
Weiss looked away, not wanting to think of that night. She steeled herself and went back to the door. She opened it, and was surprised by the pair of pink eyes before her. "Aah!" The door slammed shut, her thoughts rushing to her sister, who had been on her way to see her that night.
A knock came from the door, causing Weiss to jump, her focus returning to the present as a familiar and friendly voice came from outside the room.
"Weiss, are you ok? I didn't mean to scare you." Ren knocked on the door again, hoping to gain the heiress' attention.
The door slowly opened, a ghostly pale face met the boy, before a soft whisper came from within. "Sorry, I'll be just a moment."
Weiss closed the door, recomposing herself 'Alright, Weiss, it's just Ren. He was kind enough to come with you. He won't hurt you.' After a few moments of breathing exercises she learned from fencing, she opened the door and stepped out.
Ren looked back and saw his white haired roommate, and gave a gentle smile. "Hey, Weiss, I'm sorry, I was just checking on-"
"I understand, and apologize myself. It's getting late, we'd better move."
Ren nodded his understanding before switching the flashlight on again, moving back to the trail they originally came from.
Weiss stuck close to Ren, keeping her eyes on the light before her. After a couple of steps down the trail, Ren turned his attention to her. "Soo… What was that back there?" Silence was the only answer he received. "I understand, I won't bring it up again."
"Thank you."
'It may not be an answer, but it was a step forward' Ren thought, continuing down the trail.
The heiress turned her attention to the black haired boy next to her, "Hey, Ren, I-" Weiss' vision suddenly became black, the world around her morphing together.
Ren knocked the flashlight against his hand. "Well this is just great, we're almost back to camp too." Ren looked back to the girl before her, his eyes adjusting slightly to see that she was stuck still in place. He reached out a hand, gently placing it on Weiss' shoulder. "Weiss, are you ok?"
There was no response, just the sounds of nature around them. A twig snapped in the distance, and Weiss' eyes shot straight in the direction it came from, attempting to find the cause.
Ren shook the heiress, but she just slapped away the hand, a face of absolute terror striking her face. He could hear her breath quickening, her body shaking, and her head twitching at every sound and movement.
Ren cursed under his breath and gripped the flashlight tightly. He moved his other hand to the bottom, twisting open the battery compartment. After the batteries were released, he took both of them out, switching their placement, and closed it up again.
As soon as it was secure, a light jumped forth, illuminating the forest around them. Ren directed the light around Weiss, careful not to shine it in her eyes, and approached her. He grabbed Weiss' shoulder again, wide blue eyes directed towards him as the heiress' face faded to relief.
"Hey, it's ok now." The soft words comforting the heiress as she leaned into the boy's shoulder. Ren shifted his hand to wrap around her shoulders. He could feel Weiss' breath coming more regularly as he gently rubbed her shoulders, keeping silent as she recomposed herself again.
After a minute, Ren removed his arm, allowing Weiss to stand up straight, as he gave her a gentle smile. She looked back the the brunette before her, then down at the ground, embarrassment and shame littering her face. "I'm afraid of the dark because of a childhood experience, and I'm sorry for freaking out." Weiss spat out quickly, a feeling of defeat in her words.
Ren continued smiling, not a cruel one, but a genuine, caring smile. The heiress looked back at the pink eyes, noticing the wellbeing behind them, and smiled back. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I promise not to spread that around if you'd like."
"That would be appreciated," came the reply. They both turned and continued down the trail. "Thank you for helping me." A simple nod was all she received, but it was exactly what she needed.
As Ren and Weiss came closer to the campsite, they could smell marshmallows and hear conversations between their roommates. Entering the campsite, they saw everyone sitting by the fire, Yang and Pyrrha, each with what looked like a skewer in their hands, had two marshmallows sitting over the fire.
Noticing the new arrivals, Yang perked up, smiling at them. "About time, you guys almost missed the best part! Wanna join the fun?"
Weiss shrugged, "Well, it can't be that hard, can it?" She walked forward as Yang turned around, grabbing from a very familiar bag, and handed something to the heiress. She took it and looked horrified, the familiar fencing foil in her hand. Looking back to the fire, she noticed two of her other foils in use, a marshmallow bursting into flames as Yang expertly put it out.
"Ah, perfect, just like that Pyrrha. Who wants the first one?" She offered to the group. Ruby bounced up and down excitedly, her hand waving frantically as she called 'dibs' on it. Weiss watched in terror as Yang leaned the foil against herself, and brought a piece of chocolate in between two graham crackers up to the marshmallow.
"YANG XIAO LONG YOU PUT THAT FOIL DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
"Yeah, team B going on an adventure!" Yang jumped up, throwing her fist in the air before grabbing Blake by the hand and pulling her towards the parking lot.
Blake followed along as best as she could, but being dragged quickly on an uneven trail wasn't something she was skilled at. "Hang on Yang, slow down."
The golden mane before her whipped around, looking into the amber eyes with a look of concern. "What's wrong, what happened?"
Blake took a moment to regain her footing before addressing the blonde. "Nothing, yet, but you dragging me would have caused me to trip sooner or later."
Yang let go of Blake's hand, now feeling cold from the loss, and scratched the back of her head, a goofy smile spread across her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm just excited about the s'mores."
Blake couldn't help but return the grin, a small giggle escaping her lips, "It's alright, just don't make a habit of it."
Yang stood up straight, bringing her hand up to her forehead, saluting her roommate. "Sir, yes sir!"
Blake's smile vanished, a glare replacing it, "Alright, that's too far." Blake strode ahead of the blonde, making her way to the parking lot.
Yang relaxed the posture, moving to keep up with her faunus companion, "Blake, wait up, I was just kidding!"
Blake kept moving, attempting to hide the blush in her cheeks as she strode into the darkness. 'That blonde really knows how to get to me. I swear, she'll be the death of me if I don't keep on my toes.'
Yang caught up to Blake, stepping lightly as the darkness was setting in. "Man, I can barely see the trail. I should have brought a flashlight."
The faunus sighed, "You didn't think of that before we left?"
Her roommate turned to her, "Hey, I'm sorry I was too excited about hanging out with you to, Woah-"
Blake swung around, throwing an arm around Yang's chest, catching her as she tripped on the trail, falling forward. After a moment, they looked at each other, eyes locking as they understood what happened.
Yang wiggled her eyebrows, giving a flirtatious smile, "My hero."
Blake blushed, quickly righting the blonde before continuing down the trail, "Don't mention it… Ever."
Yang kept a grin as she followed along, finally making it to the parking lot. "Alright, where's my baby?"
Blake turned back to her, "Your what now?"
"My baby!" The blonde repeated, "My camaro, named Bumblebee."
Blake just accepted the answer, not wanting to get into a complex backstory. "Alright, I guess that's the best answer I'll get." She continued looking for the vehicle in question. She spotted Jaune's car, a baby blue Toyota Prius. Looking next to it, she also spotted Ren's dark green Mini Cooper.
"Here you are!" Blake heard the call in the distance. Moving towards the unmistakable voice of Yang, she took a moment to appreciate the car. The metallic orange paint was easily seen in the night, some racing stripes complementing the car.
"So this is your baby?" Blake nodded to the car.
Yang whipped out her keys and unlocked the doors, a smile plastered on her face. "The one and only! I don't know what I'd do without it." Yang opened the front passenger door, looking around and finding nothing. Blake, wanting to help, strated searching through the back, careful not to put one stitch out of place.
With neither of them being successful, Yang had one last option. Opening up the trunk, she saw a bag left in there. "Aha, here you are!" She grabbed the bag and opened it up, revealing Weiss' fencing gear from her tournament. "Aah, damn it! I must've forgotten them, Shit. Well, we can't have s'mores without toasting marshmallows, right? This is the best we got"
Blake shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, I guess, but are you sure we should use these without permission? They seem expensive."
Yang waved it off, closing the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "What's the worst that happens. Weiss should be there, so we can ask her. Besides, it's not like we have anything else we can use."
Blake sighed, knowing that this was a bad idea, but accepting the blonde's logic. "Alright, let's take them, it won't hurt to have them out there anyway."
Yang threw her fist in the air, "Woohoo, team B back on track! Or should I say, team Bumblebee?" She wiggled her eyebrows again as she shut the trunk of her camaro.
Blake looked at the girl before her, one eyebrow raised. "Team Bumblebee? But that's the name of your car, you can't use it for this too."
Yang became calm suddenly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as she stared into the amber eyes before her. A serious atmosphere grew, making Blake uncomfortable. "Don't worry Blake, I've already figured this out. My color is yellow, your color is black. combining that, what does that make?"
Blake thought for a second, still unsettled by the sudden seriousness around them "Uhh, quite a few things."
Yang slumped her head in defeat, removing her hand and walking past her roommate. "Alright, I get it," Yang whined, dragging her feel lazily through the parking lot.
Blake watched this, almost feeling bad for ruining the joke, but knowing that she was still acting. She decided to play along, catching up to the blonde as they met up with the trail back to camp. The faunus fell in stride, reaching an arm around and hooking onto her hip, gently bringing them closer.
Yang looked to her side in shock, then concerned when she saw Blake's sad, almost comical pouty face looking up at her. "I'm cold," was the only thing that was said. Yang regained her usual smile, wrapping an arm around the other girl's shoulder as they walked back to camp together.
As they arrived, they saw Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora all discussing something about mermaids. Looking around, they saw that Weiss and Ren were missing. "Hey, where's Ice Queen and Ren?"
The four looked over, noticing the new arrivals. Ruby piped up first, "Oh, hey, they went to the bathroom. They should be back soon."
Jaune scratched the back of his head, "They should have returned by now, actually."
Yang shrugged, detangling herself from her roommate as she made her way to the campfire. Nora noticed this, and wanted to tease the blonde, "You and Blake seemed comfortable in each other's arms. Anything happen out there?"
Yang froze, turning a bright red as she looked to Blake, a similar color brightening her face. She had to admit, she looked great while getting teased.
'By the fireside, you can really see how beautiful she-' Yang shook her head, clearing the thoughts before addressing the group. "She was cold, I was cold, we figured it would be nice," the blonde glanced off the remark before grabbing the bag from her shoulder. "On a better note, I have just the thing for roasting marshmallows."
With a giant smile, she sat down by the fire and opened the bag, grabbing one of Weiss' fencing foils, and presenting it for the group. A few 'ahs' could be heard as the fire danced off the metal blade.
Ruby shifted towards Yang as Blake sat on the other side of the blonde, looking at the object on display. "Wait a minute, isn't that Weiss'?"
The blonde nodded, "Yeah, I accidentally forgot the skewers, so this is the best we got. Who wants to help, she has, like, four in here."
The young sister looked at the older one, concerned, "Are you sure we can use them?"
Blake peered past to look at Ruby, "That's what I said."
Yang waved them both off, "Like I said, this is what we have. I was going to ask Weiss, but it should be fine. These are made of metal, they'll hold up. " After a few seconds of silence, Yang grabbed the bag and set it behind her. "Alright, someone hand me a marshmallow." Jaune passed the bag of supplies to Yang, who pulled out a giant bag of jumbo marshmallows.
Pyrrha's eyes went wide at the size of both the bag, and the marshmallows within. "Oh my god, those are huge! How are we supposed to eat those?"
the blonde's eye caught the athlete's as she reached behind her and grabbed a foil. Passing it around the circle, from Blake, to Nora, and reaching its destination, she tossed a marshmallow. "Let me show you."
Once both marshmallows were set, they brought the foils to the fire. "Now, the trick is to get the marshmallow low enough to catch fire, but high enough to not burn or melt."
Just then, Weiss and Ren made their way back to the campsite. Yang perked up, smiling at them, "About time, you guys almost missed the best part! Wanna join the fun?"
Weiss shrugged, "Well, it can't be that hard, can it?" She walked forward as Yang turned around, grabbing a foil from the bag, and handed it to the heiress.
Turning back to focus on her marshmallow, she watched as it suddenly burst into flames. Yang immediately brought it closer, blowing it out. "Ah, perfect, just like that, Pyrrha. Who wants the first one?" She offered to the group. Ruby bounced up and down excitedly, her hand waving frantically as she called 'dibs' on it. Yang carefully balance the foil against herself as she grabbed two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate from the bag, slowly bringing it up to the marshmallow
"YANG XIAO LONG YOU PUT THAT FOIL DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
Yang immediately stopped, nearly dropping everything by how ferocious the scream was. She looked back at the heiress, whose eyes were full of hate as the rest of her body was seething with the same emotion.
Weiss flew forward, grabbing the foil away from Yang, followed by Pyrrha. She turned from the fire, carefully trying to remove the marshmallow that was stuck to the blade.
"Hey, you're wasting perfectly good marshmallows." Yang cried, standing up and starting to move towards the white haired girl before Blake stood and stopped her.
Weiss whipped around, the fire still burning through her. "'Perfectly Good Marshmallows?'" Weiss spit every word in disgust. "Do you Know how expensive and delicate these foils are? They could probably run your pathetic little family bankrupt! Definitely worth more than your beat up hunk of scrap metal you call a car!"
Yang's eyes grew wide, the lilac reflecting the fire inside, turning them an eerie red. "Hey, how dare you talk about my family like that! They may not be rich, but they're a hell of a lot better than yours!" At that, Weiss took a step back, a tear threatening to fall. "And at least I have a car, I don't need a servant to drive me wherever I go like a child!"
The eight members silently looked at each other, the only sounds being the fire still crackling. Even nature around them was silent as the eyes of Yang and Weiss were locked, neither wanting to back down. Finally, a sniffle could be heard as Weiss turned away and made a quick exit towards her tent.
The campsite remained still, no one wanting to break the silence. Yang slowly sat down, her anger still remained as she stared into the fire. Ruby shifted and stood, looking towards her tent, "I should probably go calm her down."
Blake rose, keeping her eyes away from Yang, "I'll help you."
Ruby nodded at her, "Thanks, I could use some." The two walked over to the tent that Weiss disappeared into. They could hear soft sounds of crying as they saw a silhouette in the tarp meticulously cleaning.
Not wanting to scare her, Ruby gently called out, "Hey, Weiss, it's Ruby and Blake. Can we come in?"
"No," came the short reply.
Blake knelt down by the entrance of the tent, "Then can we talk to you?"
"I've been through enough today, I don't want to talk to anyone else."
Ruby's face turned to concern as she looked at the silhouette of her roommate, "What happened, Weiss?"
They saw the silhouette stop moving, "I said I don't want to talk to anyone."
Ruby knelt next to the faunus beside her, "Weiss, please, you've done so much to help me, I want to be able to help you too."
A deep sigh came from inside, "Ruby, come in. I only wish to speak with you. Sorry Blake."
Blake smiled as she took a step back, "It's ok, Weiss. I understand."
Ruby quickly but carefully made her way into the tent, finding Weiss picking the food from her foils. She sat opposite her, not wanting to get in her way.
After a few moments, Weiss looked up from her work towards Ruby, not appearing the best having been crying just moments before. The younger girl reached past the cooler next to her, grabbing a spare box of tissues before offering one to the other.
Weiss looked at the box in confusion, "Where did that come from?"
Ruby smiled, "It doesn't matter, you need it." the heiress grabbed one and quickly started cleaning herself up. Once she was done, she looked back at her roommate.
"So, um, there's something that happened out in the woods while Ren and I were returning from the bathroom." The young girl looked confused, but allowed her to continue. "Well, the flashlight went out in the middle of the trail back, and… umm…"
Ruby's eyes widened in horror, "He didn't, did he? I never would have thought Ren was capable of That!"
It was Weiss' turn to be confused, before the pieces all clicked together. "Oh my god, No! No no, he did Not try to take advantage of me! What the hell Ruby, why would you think that?"
Ruby raised her hands in defence, "I'm sorry, you weren't saying anything, and I jumped to worse case scenario. Now, what actually happened?"
Weiss sighed, "Well, you see Ruby, I'm actually afraid of the dark, so when the flashlight went out, I panicked."
Ruby slowly nodded her head, "So that's why you have the night light in our room! Well, at least it's brighter than the one I brought. More mature looking too."
"Wait, you brought a night light as well?"
"Heh, yeah, I brought the one that I've been using since I was a child. I never got rid of it, and it was just always there, so it was more of a comfort thing." The young girl blushed and looked away, scratching the back of her head. "I guess I'm still just a kid."
Weiss shook her head, meeting silver eyes again, "You aren't a kid, you appreciate your past. You've said it yourself, college is a big step, especially from someone that skipped their senior year of highschool. Plus, what does that say about me?" This made them both laugh, the tension dying down.
Ruby looked at the entrance of the tent, knowing what they needed to do. "You should probably go talk to Yang."
Weiss sighed, following her roommate's gaze, "I know. I just hope we don't say anything else we both will regret."
The young girl shifted and moved out of the tent, extending a hand out to the heiress. "Come on, if I know my sis, you both will be fine." Ruby gave a bright smile to the heiress who reciprocated, before grabbing the hand and exiting the tent, leaving the foils behind.
Yang watched Ruby and Blake leave to console Weiss. She knew they were also mad at her, but she didn't want to care. What the heiress said hurt, and the blonde made sure that the pain was sent back. Staring into the fire, however, she could only think of one thing. 'Blake hates me now. She tried to stop me, but I couldn't hold myself back.'
She heard footsteps approach her, gently taking a seat next to her. "Hey, Yang, can we talk?" Ren asked, trying to keep his voice low.
Yang understood what he meant and nodded, wanting to know what he had to say. They both stood and took a few paces away from the campsite. The blonde turned, waiting for the Ren to make the first move.
"Yang, I know what she said to you was harsh, but what you said was uncalled for as well."
Yang sighed, "I know, I'm just used to hitting back with whatever's thrown at me."
Ren smiled, "Such a hot head. I'm sure that works well being an older sister, right?
Memories came rushing back to Yang, always defending Ruby from anything, even if it meant getting into a fight. She remembered their uncle Qrow teaching her how to fight when she came home barely able to walk. The blonde copied the smile given, "Yeah, I was always there to save her when she needed it."
Ren nodded, "Well, she needs you now. You need to apologize to Weiss to help Ruby have a better roommate. Can you do that?"
"Yeah. Quick question though, what took you so long to return from your trip with Weiss?"
The boy tensed up, not expecting the question. "Um, uhh, well, let's just say that everything didn't go according to plan."
Yang's eyes widened in horror, "What? What do you mean? What plan? What the hell did you do to her!?"
Ren quickly raised his hands in defence, "Woah, nothing, I didn't do anything! The flashlight went off, and it took me a few minutes to get working again. We couldn't see the path, so we couldn't continue!"
The fist was lowered as the explanation made sense, "Then why the hell would you describe it like that?" Before Ren could answer, they both noticed Weiss and Ruby making their way back to the campfire.
Yang and Weiss both met in the middle, everyone looking around at the other.
Pyrrha piped up before anyone else, "Welp, I'm ready for bed. Jaune, do you mind helping me?
Jaune was snapped out of his trance, looking at the athlete for a moment before understanding. "Oh, yeah, sure."
Ren walked past the blonde and grabbed Nora, "Come on, Nora, it's time for us to get to sleep as well."
Nora pouted but followed along, "Aww, but Ren, I wanna see the epic showdown."
Both Weiss and Yang smiled at that, before Ruby moved forward and placed a reassuring hand on her roommate. She moved around and gave her sister a quick hug, turning back and making her way to her own tent.
The last two stood, looking around, until they both regained their courage, talking at the same time.
"Oh, no, you first, Yang"
"No, I spoke last, you go first."
Weiss sighed, "Alright. I'm sorry for snapping at you and ruining your s'mores. I wasn't having a very good day, and seeing that sent me over the edge. I shouldn't have said what I did about you family, especially since I share a room with one of them. Also, I actually really like your car, even if it's not quite my style.
Yang smiled, "I honestly shouldn't have used your fencing foils as skewers to roast marshmallows, it was uncool of me to do that without permission. I also shouldn't have said what I did about your family. I know nothing about them, personally, and you never talk about them. And I would honestly appreciate someone who would drive me around when needed.
They both stood there in silence, letting the words sink in. Finally, Yang stepped forward, extending her hand. Weiss smiled back at the blonde, stepping forward and accepting the forgiveness.
The handshake was broken, but the bond between them was stronger. Weiss turned around to walk back to her tent, stopping for a moment. "Yang?"
"Yes, Weiss?"
"Please don't touch my stuff unless I give you specific permission to, understand?"
Yang peered at the girl before her, the white hair turning to reveal the same smile she had on her face. "Yeah, no problem Ice Queen."
AN:
Noble: So...that took a lot longer than I thought it would.
Martuna: Eh, it wasn't That bad…
Noble: Wasn't that bad? You wrote out so much that we now need to create a third part to this shit!
Martuna: I didn't write too much. I just took the bullet points and added some adjectives.
Noble: Ok, for context! This was supposed to be part of the last chapter, and that first part was written out so long that we decided to split it up. So, now what was supposed to be one chapter, was split up to three!
Seriously though, great job Martuna for writing this out so well!
Martuna: I'm surprised this turned out as well as it did, since this is my first published fanfiction to date.
Noble: Yeah, you're a natural at this!
Martuna: Just wait for my own stuff to come out!
Noble: Anyway, thanks for tuning in this week. We hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to see what you thought of this!
This is the Legion, signing off!
(tumbleweed)