Chapter 25: The Truth

As uninterested as Weiss could be at this very moment, she had to admit that the Grand Hall at Atlas Academy was certainly a marvel to behold. The floors were covered in a reflective white marble, and the two long walls arced and met along a large marble beam running the length of the ceiling, several massive chandeliers hanging from said beam. Tapestries along the walls depicted events from Atlesian history, and at the very end of the foyer was the entrance to the Atlas CCT Tower, and grand pair of stone doors flanked by several glass revolving doors.

The entire Schnee mansion could fit inside this one room. And to think her (former) family was rich; Atlas spared no expense to let every visitor know that they were no strangers to spending massive amounts of Lien just to look impressive. Winter told her she'd be impressed when she first brought up her offer of bringing Weiss to Atlas for a tour. Weiss hadn't been interested, but Winter telling her that she felt becoming a member of the military, or perhaps a Huntress, would be a good direction to go in convinced Weiss to at least think about it while getting a look at the school.

Of course, Weiss would probably enjoy this view of the Hall more if her tour guide would stop being so...enthusiastic.

"The Grand Hall was constructed just under fifty years ago," her guide, Argern, recited as professionally as he could. He was an intern at Atlas, apparently a third year student who hoped to become a professor. He was barely taller than Weiss and had blonde hair that was excessively gelled and slicked back. He wore a student uniform and his eyes were hidden behind black-framed glasses. He was like if Whitley suddenly became ten times more awkward and one hundred times more nervous around Weiss. When she and Winter had arrived and met Argern, he had to have stuttered his name at least five times as he shook Weiss' hand with his own cold, clammy hand. Weiss suspected he was infatuated with her, and she felt inclined to maintain at least eight feet of space between him and herself. "It took hundreds of workers twenty days to complete. Work continued non-stop, twenty-four hours a day, until it was completed. Isn't that remarkable, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss sighed and nodded. "Quite," she agreed, tucking her hands into the pockets of her dark blue coat. The phrase "hundreds of workers" rang in her ears. They were probably all Faunus. Very underpaid, overworked Faunus, perhaps indentured servants, like the ones who constructed Schnee Manor.

"I was rather amazed when I first laid eyes on it," Argern declared, his voice far too formal sounding. "I can understand if you need time to marvel for yourself."

She did marvel at it, but she did not feel the need for Argern to allot time for her to do so. "We can move on." She did not mean to sound disinterested, even though she was.

The guy struggled to speak as he pushed his glasses onto his nose and straightened his jacket. "Well, um...if you follow me this was, I can show you to the Academy's hall of fame, the pinnacle of achievement for a graduate of Atlas Academy. There have been thirty-seven inductees, including our very own Headmaster, General James Ironwood. Oh!" He turned to face her, and Weiss stepped back a bit to create some space between them. "If the General is available, I am certain he would love to meet with you about you perhaps attending Atlas."

"That isn't necessary," Weiss shook her head. "I have met the General many times."

"I see." Argern adjusted his glasses yet again. "Well, anyway, the Hall of Fame was chartered by William H. B. Molte following the end of the first school year and..." he continued on his sickeningly informative speech as Weiss followed him to a door toward the side of the hall.

Weiss had already seen one of the dormitories, a training building, the cafeteria, and the garden. Everything was flawless, well tended to and clean. She figured she would not mind living there, but actually attending Atlas was not something that interested her in the slightest, especially after getting a run through of what a student's day-to-day routine was like. All students woke at seven in the morning, met in the cafeteria at 7:30 to eat, attended set classes from eight until one, followed by lunch, followed by physical training and missions until five or even later. Argern had called it "The grand tradition of dedication and endurance that the people of Atlas are known for." Weiss did not know the people of Atlas to be people of endurance, well, perhaps besides teenage heiresses to massive companies. The schedule Atlas students had to follow were far too...familiar to Weiss. After all of this, Weiss figured her desire to attend this academy was somehow less than zero percent, but she continued on the tour since Winter had some sort of important business to meet Ironwood about.

They entered the hall of fame, which was a large room that was like a weird pseudo-hexagon with some walls broader than others. There were painted portraits of every inductee along the white walls and several benches arranged around the room. Argern went over to a portrait of an old woman and began talking about how she was once a great Huntress who then became the Academy's longest-serving librarian, yet somehow he managed to stretch his speech out for ten minutes. At least that gave Weiss time to think.

The one part of her tour she actually enjoyed was seeing the training center and the dormitory. As exhausting as the daily routine seemed at Atlas, the idea of staying in a dorm with a team and training in a facility like the one she had seen felt intriguing. She could picture herself with her own team of four students rooming together, helping one another with assignments and hanging out. She could meet new people, make new friends, or at the very least, get the opportunity to meet new people, which was something she never got the chance to do before. It was an exciting prospect. Again, Weiss would not mind living here, but attending was a completely different story. Training would be enjoyable, what with actually getting to train and spar with others rather than getting private sessions alone like she had for years. Maybe she could go further with that, perhaps train to be a Huntress and make a career out of it. At the very least, it was as clear of an idea for what her future could hold she had encountered in a while.

Then she made a realization. What about another academy? Haven in Mistral, Shade in Vacuo, Beacon in Vale...

What if she went to Beacon?

"Rumors state that she defeated three Ursi in a single encounter, though those rumors are unproven and even Evelyn herself never confirmed them," Argern continued talking about the killer librarian.

"Do you know anything about the other academies?" Weiss asked.

Argern looked at her, perhaps noticing the fact that she sounded interested for the first time. He cleared his throat. "Well, I've done research on the histories of the Academies, but I'm afraid I do not have much in the way of specifics for each of them. After all, I am an Atlas expert."

Weiss sighed, looking to the side. Just like every one else at this academy, he did not seem to care much about what the world outside Atlas was like. No one in the kingdom did, for that matter. "Yeah, you mentioned that."

Argern sighed in return before moving on to the next portrait, as if he needed to keep talking about something. Meanwhile, Weiss continued to ponder the idea of going to Beacon. She did not know much about the school. She knew the headmaster was named Ozpin, she knew it was the first academy to hire a Faunus professor, but besides that, anything else she thought of was pure imagination on her part. Still, she could imagine the school grounds were beautiful and the education was of high quality, as all academies tended to be. Of course, the main reason she had for entertaining the idea of going to Beacon was because Blake and Ilia would be in Vale. She could actually see them, maybe spend time with them. Perhaps they could go to Beacon as well.

Weiss realized how wishful all of this was, but it was possible. In fact, going to Beacon would be a golden opportunity for her to see a part of the world that she had never been exposed to. An entirely new culture and climate awaiting her. Weiss just had to figure out how the admissions process worked at Beacon for someone from another kingdom. Maybe she really could make it in.

But...did she really want to become a Huntress...?

Weiss gasped and immediately turned toward the door. She had an epiphany and had to call Blake and Ilia as soon as possible. That's it. This is what I need. "Pardon me," she said to Argern as she made her way to the door through which they had entered the hall of fame. Argern tried calling after her, but Weiss was through the door and on her way to the CCT Tower before he could do anything to stop her. She walked briskly towards the entrance to the Tower, reaching into her pocket to confirm that the note from Blake and Ilia was where she had put it. She brought it with her in case she got a chance and reason to call them, and now was as good of an opportunity as any.

That's the answer, Weiss thought to herself. My purpose is to become a Huntress, to protect people. That's what I can do. She had spent all day stressing herself to pieces about no longer having a direction in life, but now, she happened upon the best idea she had thought of. She could attend Beacon Academy in Vale, reunite with Blake and Ilia, become a Huntress, prove to the world and herself that she never needed the SDC or the Schnee name to succeed. She could defend people, save lives...just like she had wished she could have on the Mistral Police airship. She had managed to keep the thoughts from her mind for a while, but now the memory of Neela, the Faunus officer from the police ship killed by the Fang attack right in front of Weiss...

That's precisely what Weiss would do. She would become a Huntress, and protect people so they would not have to protect themselves, so they would not have to live in fear, so they wouldn't have to sacrifice themselves, just as Neela had...and as Blake had.

And she could do all of it with Blake and Ilia along for the journey. Well, if they were interested in becoming Huntresses themselves.

Just before she reached one of the revolving doors to the CCT, Weiss heard a voice. "Weiss," Winter called to her.

Weiss stopped with her hand against a door as she turned to see her sister emerge from a door along the side of the hall. She was dressed in her military uniform, very regal in appearance and stature. "Why aren't you with your tour guide?" She asked as she approached Weiss with her hands behind her back. Her voice was laced with a barely noticeable accusatory tone.

Weiss was a little surprised to see Specialist Schnee in place of Big Sister Winter, but Weiss realized that this was always how Winter acted in public. "I...I have an idea," Weiss explained. "A big idea, about what to do about my future." Weiss nodded for emphasis, feeling herself smile.

Winter cocked an eyebrow. "What might that be? Have you come around and decided to enroll at Atlas?"

Weiss winced a bit at the reminder that Winter was very much in favor of her joining Atlas Academy and, by association, the military. "Actually...I want to go to Beacon in Vale. I want to become a Huntress."

Winter blinked, the only sign of her surprise being her raised eyebrows. "Beacon?" She glanced to the side for a moment. "Where...did this come from?"

"I..." Weiss was just about to admit that she wanted to go to Beacon so she could see Blake and Ilia again, but that was far from a reasonable case to make. "I want to see more of the world, to learn to be on my own. I was just heading to the CCT to call Blake and Ilia, just to get their advice."

A look of understanding crossed Winter's face when she heard the names of Weiss' friends. "I see," she nodded, though she looked disconcerted. "Don't you think you may need to learn more about Beacon before deciding to apply there?"

"I will," Weiss nodded, her hand still on the door to the CCT. "I just...I'm sorry that Atlas doesn't interest me. It's too...well, militaristic." Weiss did feel bad for not being interested. Winter was a proud Atlesian, and Weiss couldn't blame her for wanting her to take a similar path now that Weiss was no longer heiress.

Winter sighed, her head tilting forward. "I understand that, but..." Winter's face lit up, as if she made a realization. She made eye contact with Weiss. "Are your Faunus friends in Vale?"

Weiss felt her body tense, but she nodded. "They're heading to Vale. They plan to live and work there."

Winter closed her eyes a nodded, then looked directly at Weiss once again. "Weiss, you should not make decisions like this based on...friends."

Weiss felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, both because Winter had correctly assumed she wanted to be with Blake and Ilia, and for the fact that it was a poor reason to want to go to Vale. Yes, it did sound like too insufficient of a reason to choose Beacon over Atlas or any other academy, but to Weiss, personally, it felt like a great reason to do so. "Winter, I...well, I want to become a Huntress. That's what you hoped for me, right?"

Winter nodded. "Yes, I have always seen that potential in you."

A bit of pride swelled in Weiss' chest at the praise from her sister, but she did not lose focus. "And you've said that all the academies are great," Weiss pointed out. "That you know all of the headmasters and have faith in their institutions."

"Yes," Winter agreed. "But that should not mean you should..." She paused, then sighed, allowing her shoulders to relax. She stepped forward and extended a hand to Weiss' shoulder. Their eyes met. "Weiss...I would be remiss to say that I am not still concerned about your friends. I don't know if they are trustworthy."

"I know." Weiss pursed her lips, feeling the familiarity returning to her sister's demeanor. Winter becoming less of a soldier and more of a sister in public like this was rare. Weiss felt she could talk to her more now. "I haven't known them for long, but...Winter, they mean a lot to me. If I could be with them, it would make me happy."

"I know that," Winter nodded. "But my concern is with the future. Do you think you will be friends with them for years? What if, after knowing them for long enough, they become different? What if they get involved in dangerous activities? Vale has a significant crime problem, after all."

Weiss gritted her teeth in discomfort. As understanding as Winter always seemed, there was still a bit of lingering bias within her. Weiss knew that Winter's worry of Blake and Ilia getting involved in "dangerous activities" was derived from them being Faunus. Weiss chose not to call her out on it. Blake and Ilia were former members of the White Fang, so she wasn't wrong to feel suspicious. "I get it. I know that they could change, but...that's just...that's how friendships work, right?"

Winter stared at her for a few moments. "I understand that, but that simply means basing your decision on being with your friends might not work out."

"I miss them," Weiss stated firmly, her eyebrows knitting as she looked up at her sister. Winter appeared to be surprised by the tone Weiss had taken on, which was exactly how Weiss wanted to seem. "And if I go to Beacon, I would be very happy."

"Weiss, I know it would make you happy, but—"

"It's my decision, after all," Weiss added, asserting the fact that she had agency over her own direction. Even if Winter wanted her to stay and go to Atlas, Weiss felt confident in her ability to convince Winter that she could do what she pleased.

Winter opened her mouth to respond, but then looked down, thinking about something. She then sighed. "Yes. It is your decision. I just want to make sure you don't make the wrong one."

Weiss chuckled. "If anything bad happens because I decided to go to Beacon, then you can say 'I told you so.'"

"I don't want to have to say that," Winter murmured. "Weiss, I trust you. It's Blake and Ilia that I need more reassurance on before I am completely comfortable with this idea."

Winter's words struck a cord in the back of Weiss' mind. "Well, I'm comfortable with it, so I'm going through with it. If you need more reassurance, that's up to you."

Winter seemed a bit perturbed at hearing such backtalk from Weiss, but sighed, knowing this defiance was from a good place. "Alright." She let her hand fall from Weiss shoulder. "If you want to go to Beacon, I trust your reasoning."

Weiss nodded. "Thank you." She looked back toward the door to the CCT. "Now...I was going to go call Blake and Ilia to tell them about this."

"Actually," Winter held a hand up before extending it to Weiss. "I would like to call them first."

Weiss stared at Winter's outstretched hand for a moment before narrowing her eyes at her sister. "Why?"

"I simply want to know more about them," Winter explained, though her expression indicated that she already had several questions for the Faunus girls lined up in her head.

Weiss crossed her arms, feeling a need to not allow Winter to give her orders. "You know, I don't have to let you."

Winter sighed. "Alright, Weiss. Just because you're no longer part of the SDC does not mean you can just disrespect me like you did with Father."

Weiss laughed and shook her head. "I'm not disrespecting you like I did with Jacques Schnee. I'm just reminding you that I don't have to do whatever you say. You don't get to shoot me down for exercising some personal independence just because its at your expense."

Winter's lips parted slightly, taking notice of Weiss' statement, and how Weiss was exactly right. Winter closed her eyes and sighed, letting her arm fall to her side. "Alright. I apologize."

"Don't," Weiss shook her head. "Just next time you want me to do something, ask instead of command"

Weiss knew just as well as Winter did of how unusual this situation was for them both. For Weiss' entire life, she was subject to the wishes of her sister, who was almost like a parent in raising her. She had to follow Winter's orders just like with her father's, but now Weiss was demanding respect from her elder sibling. If past patterns held, Winter would have doubled down on shooting her down for trying to defy her, but Winter seemed to be accepting that Weiss was growing up because of the situation she had been put in, and there was nothing Winter could do to stop that. Winter smirked, a feeling of pride swelling in her chest. "You've never stood up to me like this before."

Weiss looked to the side and uncrossed her arms, folding her hands in front of herself. "Well, I feel I need to, if I'm going to become my own person."

Winter nodded and extended a hand toward her once again. "Weiss, may I call your friends, to ask them a few questions?"

Weiss bowed her head and smiled. She nodded and pulled out the note from Blake and Ilia. "Okay. But only if I'm there to listen."

Winter sighed and chuckled. "Very well."

They entered the CCT. Weiss had never been inside a CCT Tower, since there was never a case when she couldn't access the Cross-Continental Transmit System from the Schnee Manor, so seeing the interior of the structure was a sight to marvel at. The lobby was a massive circular room with a large column of elevators in the center, which was surrounded by reception desks. They approached a desk and requested a communications terminal, and they were directed to one of the top floors of the tower.

They entered the communications room, which was filled with CCT stations and monitors. They found their way to their designated station, sat down, and Weiss allowed Winter to dial the number.

On the screen appeared a series of messages:

ATTEMPTING TO CONNECT...

ESTABLISHING CONNECTION...

CONNECTION SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED

CONTACTING DEVICE...

"At least they're within range of a relay tower, wherever they are," Winter said as they both stared at the screen, which seemed to linger on the "CONTACTING DEVICE" for a long while, until...

UNABLE TO PLACE CALL. CONNECTION WAS SUCCESSFUL, BUT CALL WAS NOT ANSWERED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE A VOICE MESSAGE, OR RETRY?

A shower in a moving train is far from the ideal place for a first time, but someway, somehow, Blake managed just fine. In fact, judging by how Ilia had been reduced to a shivering ball of rapid breathing and sporadic giggles, Blake had done a pretty good job.

Ilia sat on the shower floor, her knees pulled to her chest, shaking in the afterglow of what she could only think to describe as "fucking amazing," a phrase she repeated a few dozen times. The water continued to fall onto her, but she felt no desire to get up or avoid it. She had just spent a lot of energy at one time, after all.

Blake stood over her and could not help but laugh. As flippant as Ilia tended to be, Blake was very amused by the sight of her giggling like she was being tickled. As awkward of a start they got off to just a few minutes prior, Blake was happy to see Ilia had enjoyed it in the end. "You doing okay down there?" Blake joked, her hands resting on her hips.

Ilia looked up at her, flashing a wide smile, closing her eyes as the water fell upon her face. "Yeah," she mumbled.

Blake giggled and extended a hand to her. "You want some help up?"

Ilia grabbed Blake's hand and allowed her to pull her to her feet. Ilia stood before her girlfriend, smirking at her. She then sighed before hugging her. "You're so fucking hot, oh my gods," she said, her voice muffled against Blake's chest.

Blake laughed, resting her chin on the top of Ilia's head as they embraced, the wonderful feeling of Ilia's body against her still new and invigorating. "Then you probably have a good idea of what I think of you."

Ilia hummed with glee as she tightened her grip around Blake's back, affording herself the chance to hold onto Blake's butt. "Can we, like, do it again?" Ilia asked, almost sounding drunk.

Blake giggled and kissed her head. "I don't know, the water isn't very warm anymore. We could freeze," she teased.

Ilia whined, nuzzling her face a little closer to Blake's bosom. "So?"

Blake laughed again and reached over to turn the water off, flipping the lever and plunging the room into silence. "It's getting late."

Ilia whined with a little more passion, looking up at her. "But...don't you want a turn? You haven't—"

Blake cut her off with a kiss, her lips pressed firmly against Ilia's, effectively silencing her and putting her in a daze that prevented her from recovering her train of thought. Blake backed off and smiled at her before reached back and pushing the shower curtain aside. "Ilia, I think we learned something very valuable."

Ilia let go of Blake as the taller girl stepped out of the shower. "What's that?" She asked.

Blake snickered as she turned to grab a towel from the shelf. "I figured it was obvious," she mused as she turned back to Ilia and unfurled the towel, shooting her partner a smile. "You're the bottom."

Ilia stared at Blake blankly until her statement connected in her mind, and she recoiled in alarm. "No...really?"

Blake laughed and gently wrapped the towel around Ilia, softly hugging her in the process. "What, did you expect otherwise?"

Ilia was silent for a moment, but then smiled and shook her head. "In hindsight, no. You were the top in pretty much every hot dream I ever had about you."

Blake burst into laughter. "I figured," Blake said, kind of taken off guard by Ilia just casually admitted to having sexy dreams about her, but at this point, that was neither a shock nor too much information.

"I just..." Ilia shrugged, closing her eyes in comfort as Blake casually began to dry her off with the towel. "You know, I think it's too early to say I'm the bottom. I haven't even gotten to try it the other way."

Blake placed a hand under Ilia's chin, inviting her eyes to meet hers. "Don't worry, you will," Blake hummed lowly, alluding to later in the night. Simply put, Blake had plenty of reasons to want this to continue, one being the fact that she was still very worked up.

Ilia turned completely pink, which was the pigment she had lingered at throughout most of their escapade in the shower. She pressed her lips together in subdued excitement, but then her eyes flicked upwards, and her mouth dropped open with concern as her skin returned to its normal tone. "Blake, your ear."

Blake blinked a couple times before realizing what Ilia meant. Blake had completely forgotten about her bandages, and she just allowed water to soak them for several minutes. Not even the slight stinging along her arm from the water running over her closing wounds brought her left cat ear to mind. She felt like smacking herself in the forehead. "Is it bad?" Blake asked.

"Actually," Ilia reached a hand up, and Blake felt the faintest touch along the base of her ear. "The bandage has kind of come off, and...it looks okay, I think."

Blake wanted to find a mirror, and she remembered the one over the sink just beyond the door to the shower room, but there was no guarantee she'd have privacy if she left this room. "Okay, as in healed?" Blake asked hopefully.

Ilia's eyes were still fixed above Blake's head, and she put her hand behind Blake's neck, tugging gently. "Here, lean forward."

Blake did as Ilia requested, leaning forward so the shorter girl could get a better view of her recovering ear. In the mean time, Blake took the opportunity to admire Ilia's body for a moment, realizing for the hundredth time in the past ten minutes how gorgeous Ilia was. Every inch of her had the faintest lines of muscle definition or bone, her abdomen being a particularly attractive aspect of her appearance with a remote outline of her abdominal muscles, inviting her eyes to follow her stomach downwards to her hips and pelvis, and of course Ilia's most private area that Blake was quite familiar with now. The memory of just a few minutes before sent a warm wave of satisfaction and reinvigoration through Blake, but that was interrupted by an uncomfortable sensation atop her head. "Ah," Blake flinched.

"Sorry," Ilia murmured. "I peeled some bandages off." Blake noticed Ilia rise onto her toes for a moment before gasping quietly. "Blake, I think it's healed."

Blake almost impulsively stood up straight in surprise, but managed to restrain herself before doing so. "Really?" Now Blake wanted to get a look in the mirror even more.

"Yeah," Ilia nodded with confidence. "I'm gonna take all the bandages off, so...brace for it," Ilia advised Blake.

Blake nodded, wary of the impending discomfort and pain, but excited to be rid of the rest of her bandages. She felt Ilia begin to peel the bandaging away, and Blake winced at what felt like bits of her hair along her ear getting pulled up with it, or at least being pulled to the brink of getting pulled out. Blake made vocal noises of discomfort and surprise every few seconds, but soon enough, Ilia lowered down from her tiptoes and presented a bunched up wad of bandages. Ilia was smiling. "Blake, it's healed completely."

Blake raised a hand over her head, excited to get to finally feel her own ear, but when her finger tips found their way to the jagged edge, feeling along the line where a part of her Faunus trait was now gone, her excitement faded, and an almost instant rush of grief overtook her.

Vivid visions of the fire returned to her mind, the pain and fear she had felt, it all came back, instantly, violently. A part of her was gone, lost to the flames...

"Blake!" Ilia's voice called to her, breaking her out of her flashback. "Blake, please! Talk to me!"

Blake shook her head and looked down at Ilia, and her blurry image alerted Blake to the tears in her own eyes. Her legs were shaking, her lungs burning from painful gasps. She hadn't even realized she had reacted so suddenly. It had felt like her mind was drifting away from her body... "Ilia?" She mumbled.

Ilia grasped her shoulders, an intense look of concern in her eyes. Her teeth were gritted, her eyebrows trembling. "Blake...are you okay?"

Blake stared at her for a moment. She realized she was struggling to stand; her knees could give out any moment. Her immediate instinct was to say she was fine, to reassure Ilia so she wouldn't worry, but in a split second, she felt the scene creeping up on her again...fire, the explosion... She snapped herself out of it, and her legs finally gave way. She fell forward, forcing Ilia to catch her. Blake pressed her face against ilia's chest. Her head hurt, from the back of her neck to her watering eyes, and she allowed herself to cry. She shook her head. "No...no, I'm not."

Ilia kept a strong grip around her to prevent her from falling, and she put all of her strength behind lifting Blake and carrying her to the bench just beyond the shower. She sat her down and placed her hands against Blake's cheeks, staring at her as she witnessed her cry freely for the first time. "Blake..." She murmured.

Blake sniffed, turning her head down and burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders trembled. "Ilia...I was so scared..."

Ilia hugged her, putting a hand behind Blake's head and pressing her cheek against Blake's. "I'm here. Everything is okay now. You're safe."

Blake sniffed again and sobbed, wrapping her arms around Ilia's back and squeezing her tight. "Why is this happening?" Blake asked helplessly.

Ilia shook her head, not knowing what to say. "I don't know."

The small room echoed the cat Faunus' sobs back to her, and a surreal feeling overtook her at hearing herself cry. She wanted to stop, but it felt good to release. She buried her nose in the crook of Ilia's neck, absorbing every ounce of comfort she could from the embrace of her lover.

She needed Ilia. More than ever before, Blake needed her.

Blake inhaled sharply to try to speak. "I—"

"I love you."

Blake's eyes opened in shock. Her shivering halted along with her crying. Her ears rang with what she was only partially certain were the words of her girlfriend. She tried to lean back, wanting to look Ilia in the face, but Ilia refused to let her go, refused to release their embrace. Ilia maintained their tight bond, and the only sign Blake could gather of Ilia's emotions were the sounds of quiet weeping. "I-Ilia?" Blake stammered, gently running a hand over her back.

"I love you," Ilia repeated, tightening her grip a little more. "I've wanted to say this for so long. I love you, I love you, Blake, I love you."

Blake felt a lump form in her throat that only seemed to grow in size with each time Ilia repeated the phrase. Blake was on the verge of breaking down into tears again, so she took advantage of her calm state while she still could. Blake placed a hand on the back of Ilia's head, pressed her cheek a little closer to Ilia's, and did her best not to stutter, but she failed. "I lo...I love you, too."