Chapter 36
And of course sleep never came easily to her. A pair of mismatched eyes stared aimlessly up at the ceiling of the room, it was still dark but at least the rain had stopped completely now. Her body still felt weak and it became especially noticeable when she tried to sit up or move. A few members of staff had come in to check on her progress as well as that of Winter and Yang but they never stayed too long, so Neo had been left to her thoughts. The moonlight shined in through the window and lit the room in a dim and pale light. Outside were also the usual light-show that came with being in the city of Atlas. There was so much activity and life through that pane of glass that clashed with the dour atmosphere of the room she found herself in, one of struggle, desperation and recovery. Her gaze lowered briefly before trying her best to sit herself up. It wasn't that she was in pain but simply the fact that her muscles didn't seem to want to put in much effort, but in the end she managed as she leaned her back against the headrest.
Firstly she looked over to Winter, watching her sleep soundly in her bed. Obviously Winter was the person she could consider her closest friend amidst the group she found herself in. Often times when she was rejected by the others Winter would be the one to approach her, to talk to her about her concerns. At first the interaction had bewildered Neo but she had learned to appreciate her caring nature. In fact she had learned to appreciate Winter to the point she was wanting to sleep with her. There was no intimate feeling of love on her own part but she had felt a desire to be wanted, and at the time Winter seemed like a good choice. She was attractive, refined, polite and an all around nice person.
The rejection came as some small surprise to her and where as usually she would have become upset or annoyed, instead she was... indifferent. Sure there was the pang of depression that spiked the heart but it quickly passed with Winter's words. It seemed almost like she had an answer for every problem and while Neo would still desire her she would not pursue that urge out of respect alone. Her eyes steadily shifted to the smaller woman next to Winter, her sister Weiss. Neo's experience with the girl so far had been brief, going from only protecting her at the mansion to waking up to see her this very night. At first she only cared slightly for her as a result of being Winter's sibling and being ordered to protect her.
But waking up like she did to see her there... It set something off in her that she couldn't explain, it was a familiar sensation normally brought on by Yang but this was far less powerful a feeling in comparison to that, but there it still was, faint yet present. Looking upon her now as she slept in her chair her eyes blinked, both switching colour to magenta. She was similar to Winter of course, though she seemed more innocent, vulnerable. She had shown Neo compassion after having barely known who she was, for that she was thankful and would find a way to repay her kindness. One thing had become clear to her though, Neo wanted her. Unlike with Winter she felt she would be able to show some love and care to Weiss but her end-goal would always be the same person. Maybe that was how she could repay her? Her eyes examined the sleeping form of Weiss from her legs to her head. Neo's cheeks reddened softly as her hands gripped at her sheets tightly, a soft grin appearing on her lips at the thought. Yes, she definitely wanted her.
She breathed out a silent sigh as she calmed herself, it was easy enough to do, especially when looking to the next person in the room. Her eyes blinked back to their usual mismatched pair as she looked upon the Faunus, Blake Belladonna. Her smile faded as she stared into the back of her, she was still sleeping with her head resting upon Yang's bed. Neo despised her for what she had. Why should Blake get to have Yang? And why did she get to accomplish that with so little effort? Neo had tried relentlessly to catch the blonde's attention yet all her attempts were for naught as she was brushed aside. But Blake? She merely had to say a few sweet words and suddenly the two were together. She hated the Faunus. She had no right to the happiness she was denied. She became frustrated with her thoughts as she narrowed her eyes at her. It would be easy to fix this entire situation, she would simply need to pick up an object sharp enough to stab her in the throat with. She was asleep and now was the perfect time to do it, after that no one would stand in her way of Yang, she would finally belong to her.
Her expression softened as she frowned. That wasn't the way she could behave any more she realised. The people she was with, they had morals, a belief that they understood right from wrong. With such people her actions would be condemned, especially by Yang. If anything it would damage her chances with her and so for that sake alone she would stay her hand. Winter had asked of her to help Blake should she need it, and as all orders from Winter she would follow it but that didn't mean she had to like the Faunus. She found no redeeming qualities that she could understand in the girl and further more could not fathom what Yang saw in her, they weren't even the same species. Yang was a beautiful golden angel descended from the bright sunny sky and Blake was a deceitful animal that crept in from the shadows in order to steal her light away. The two did not belong together in her mind.
Her gaze set upon the target of her greatest desires, Yang Xiao Long. Immediately she felt her heart skip a beat as her eyes lingered on her brilliant image. Her golden flowing hair that resembled the heat and the light of the sun. Her impeccable features, her soft lips. And when they'd open, her glistening lilac eyes that were sometimes replaced by the cute and violent shade of red. From her position she could not view the blonde's form, much to her annoyance, but she recalled it from every encounter the two had. To her Yang was all that it meant to be perfect. Whenever she thought about her, her mind would go wild with scenarios both loving and lewd. Her cheeks blushed once again. She believed the two would make an ideal couple. Neo would show her love and loyalty upon a level she never before experienced, more than anything Blake could ever offer her.
She frowned again however, for she wasn't sure how much time left she had to make it work with Yang. At that point she would have to leave the others behind too, everyone in fact. They wouldn't accept her afterwards. She was of course referring herself to her ulterior motive for following the group, there was in fact a reason other than Yang. With how they were now it could take weeks to reach that point however, Atlas didn't suit her objective. If she couldn't be with Yang before then, she likely never will. That thought alone stung at her heart as she glanced away from the blonde. Wherever she succeeded or failed in her mission she would have to leave. Perhaps when it reaches that point she ought to just revert back to her usual self, the others will suddenly be at odds with her after all. At least that way she could have Yang, willing or not.
She shook her head to herself as she shut her eyes, she couldn't think like that any more. The things Roman taught her were how to survive, she had that firmly down. But the things the others here were teaching her was how to be a good person, a normal person. She appreciated the help, her own upbringing had been difficult enough for her to the extent she had learnt next to no people-skills. She opened her eyes once more as she looked over to the window, shifting herself in her bed as she made to stand up and out of it. Her bare feet touched down upon the cold floor, at first she stumbled as she held onto her bed for support, keeping her hand on it as she tried to manoeuvre closer towards the window.
The things she was learning here... Maybe they could open up new paths for her to take? She winced as she struggled to reach for the support of Winter's bed. She pushed herself from her own as she stumbled, dropping to her knees harshly as she fell to the floor. Perhaps the way she had been living could be erased and forgotten? She reached her hand up to Winter's bed and used it to pull herself up, knees red and likely to bruise now as she struggled to her feet. With staggering steps she made her way around the bed and closer towards the window, her eyes locked onto the lights from outside. Could it be possible that she could simply drop her ulterior motive and embrace what she was being given a chance at? Pushing herself away from Winter's bed she fell once more to the ground, falling flat this time upon the floor as her chin hit the ground. Her eyes shut tight in pain before opening once again and darting back up to the window. The lights of the city shining through it as she crawled her way closer. If she could really forget about the past and start over, start fresh... Her fingers grasped the shelf of the window as she pulled herself up with effort, her face came into view of the bright lights as they lit up her eyes in their varying hues. She looked out at the city, the moon shining upon it and blending with the multitude of colours. Her eyes were overwhelmed with the sight once more as she thought to herself. Maybe with what she knew now there'd be a chance at a normal life for her...
She could maybe join an academy officially this time without ill intent. She could become a genuine huntress, help those in need, make new friends, live a life where she wasn't forced to steal and hide. This way she could maybe even stay by Yang's side, by Winter's. Maybe Yang could eventually at least look at her like she would her team-mates. Not with disgust or hate, but with a smile. Did all of these thoughts outweigh the importance of her objective? She lowered her eyes as she thought upon it. She felt her legs start to shake from the weight of her own body, she was still too weak to even be out of bed.
"Neo...!" whispered a voice as she heard someone quickly approaching her. She turned with a confused expression to see Weiss, "What are you doing? You shouldn't be out of bed!" continued the woman, doing her best to keep her voice quiet but with some urgency.
Neo pointed a finger at the window as she looked to Weiss and not a second after did her lack of support cause her legs to give in as she fell backwards. With a gasp Weiss caught her before she hit the floor, her arms wrapped around her in support. Neo's eyes widened as she looked up to her, once again this girl was displaying such concern for her. Her first instinct was to wrap her own arms around her in return, holding onto her as tight as her diminished strength would allow her. To this Weiss seemed confused by the sudden embrace as she looked down to her.
"Are you... okay?" asked Weiss, worried that loosening her grasp around the woman would cause her to fall again.
Neo nodded against her, she had to make every move count as she loosened her arms and looked up to her, offering a smile and a soft blush in response. Weiss paused and smiled back at her.
"I'll help you back to your bed" spoke Weiss as she turned herself, keeping one arm holding onto Neo in order to support her as she slowly made her way back to her bed.
Neo kept her eyes on Weiss as they moved, she had to find more subtle ways to hint towards what she wanted but she had learned not to be too forward. She had to be... smooth. An idea sprung to her mind as they neared her bed. Stepping forward she placed one foot in front of her other, intentionally tripping herself forward. Once more Weiss was quick to react, reaching her free hand around to catch Neo. She succeeded but froze in place as she realised that her hand had landed firmly upon the girl's chest. Just as planned Neo thought to herself as her blush deepened.
"I- I'm so sorry!" blushed Weiss as she straightened Neo up again, quickly retracting her hand away from her chest. Now it was time to play the shy damsel part as Neo lowered her head slightly, looking to Weiss through the corner of her eye before, in an embarrassed fashion, glancing away and holding her arms over her own chest. Weiss was at a loss and flustered as she looked back to Neo's bed, further leading her towards it. "I- Uh-" she began as they made it to their destination. Weiss let go of Neo after she had gotten back into bed, she received another shy glance from the girl though she saw there was something else in expression. The heiress gulped and her blush only grew deeper as she hastily replied, "G- Good night!" she said before turning and sitting back down in her chair, back facing Neo.
Neo, now laying once more in her bed, stared at the ceiling with her trademark smirk. This approach seemed far more effective than what she was used to, maybe she was actually going to be able to pull this one off? If only she had started out like this with Yang she thought to herself. Her gaze turned to linger on the back of Weiss, no doubt too embarrassed now to sleep. At least she would be thinking about her, hopefully considering her options too. Would it really happen that fast though? Her eyes moved past her and towards the distant window again. The more she thought about her own options the more she found herself thinking about that fresh start. Perhaps she could confide in Winter about the possible futures ahead of her? It may be difficult to get that conversation across...
Her eyes were finally starting to feel heavy again and the prospect of sleep came to her. She was quite sure she was going to have more than a few vivid dreams about a certain heiress, which would be an interesting change... They were normally about Yang. Maybe if she recovered faster than the others she could explore the city with Weiss, maybe even try and go on a date with her. She couldn't remember the last time she simply... had fun. And not just her own definition of fun, but actually just walking and talking with someone, to shop with them, go see a movie maybe. Normal things. Her smirk grew larger as she excited herself about such ideas. She had to at least try, right?