Blake woke to the sound of Weiss's alarm going off from across the room, its piercing tones tormenting both sets of ears. She grumbled and stuffed the pillow back over her head as best she could, trying to drown out the annoying sound.

'Maybe I should have asked her to turn it down…' Blake thought in mild annoyance at herself, '...but then what would she have done next?' The Atlesian could be quite nice at times, albeit in her own abrasive sort of way. Blake hadn't been lying when she'd told Weiss that all she wanted was to be treated like everyone else.

Why she'd been hiding her heritage, though…

Blake had spent the better part of half an hour convincing herself that telling Weiss the truth about her involvement with the White Fang was a bad idea. No matter how much Olivia had managed to sweeten her up, no matter what harsh truths the heiress's eyes had been opened to… It was all well and good for someone else to be a part of it, but one of her own teammates… let alone two?

'There's no way that could have ended in anything other than disaster…'

Blake was more than willing to let Olivia be the first to give away that secret to their other two teammates, if at all. 'At least she hasn't been in the White Fang for years. Me on the other hand… What would Weiss say if she found out I was responsible for the train car that was robbed less than two months ago?'

Weiss began to groggily wake, stirring from her place in bed to slap her hand down on the nearby table that held her scroll. After the fourth attempt, her hand finally came down on it, shutting the alarm off. Blake relaxed once it had quieted, pulling her pillow back off to the side and feeling her ears perk back up along with her bow.

"Oh, I'm sorry Blake! Did I wake you, too?"

Blake turned her head to see Weiss giving her a very worried and apologetic look. Blake shook her head as well as she could and sighed, throwing her blanket off herself, "It's fine… Did you want some company? I'm awake now anyway."

Weiss seemed to struggle with herself for a moment, looking as if she wanted to tell Blake that she was fine to go back to bed, but once the agile cat faunus's feet hit the floor, Weiss relaxed, "I would be grateful if you would accompany me. I didn't know how I was going to pass the time if she didn't wake up soon."

Blake gestured openly to the array of books she had acquired, both on the shelf and propping up her bunk, "You're welcome to any of my collection whenever you feel like it."

'Aside from the ones I've hidden, but she'd never find those…'

Weiss smiled thankfully and nodded, getting up to change into the clothes she'd left nearby. Blake grabbed her own and headed into the bathroom, secretly glad that Olivia wasn't there to potentially 'observe' despite the closed off door. She wasn't totally sure what had driven the other faunus to finally admit so much about her sixth sense, but judging by the fact that she had told Weiss of all people first, Blake could only guess that the heiress had been pushing the boundaries of what might have otherwise been tolerable.

Blake wasn't in anyway creeped out by it. She knew Olivia wasn't the type to snoop on people in their private moments, otherwise why would she have opened up at all? The thought of becoming romantically involved with the ex-murderess still gave her shivers, though. Blake had already been dealt that hand with Adam, and finally folded when she realized it was too much to bear. As much as Olivia might change for the better, Blake would always have the fear that she would return to her old ways sooner or later.

'But as a friend?' Blake had learned to trust Olivia with that much.

"Blake? Are you ready?" Weiss knocked on the door lightly, and Blake realized she was still standing with one foot in a pant leg and one out, staring at the ground in thought.

"Y-yeah, one minute!" Blake called out, quickly buttoning her pants and double checking her ribbon before exiting the bathroom.

Weiss stood in her school uniform once more, and flashed the faunus a friendly smile, hefting a book she held in her hand, "I found this one behind the bookcase. It must have fallen."

Blake's eyes widened as she looked down to read the title, struggling for only an instant because it was upside down. The black cover with red text was unmistakable, though.

"Oh, huh," she muttered, trying to hide her own worry, "That uh, doesn't look like one of mine."

"Really?" Weiss frowned and raised it once more, eyes passing over the title, "But you're kind of like a ninja, right?"

"Yeah, no. Never heard of it. Maybe it's Olivia's?"

'I'm sorry Olivia!' Weiss wouldn't hit a sick person, would she?

"It was on both your side of the room…" Weiss turned it over in her hands for a few seconds longer, then shrugged, eyes going back up to Blake's who immediately tried to appear relaxed, "Shall we go?"

Blake cleared her throat to speak more clearly, trying and failing to think of a reason for Weiss to leave the book behind and choose another, "L-lead the way."

The two of them stepped out into the hall, Blake on Weiss's heels for a few seconds before the heiress slowed down to allow her to walk alongside. Blake had to force herself not to stare at 'Ninjas of Love', currently held in Weiss's delicate fingers. Her own twitched, the desire to snatch the book from the heiress then run and hide it a very real impulse.

"Thanks again for coming with me," Weiss said, pulling Blake's focus from the book she held, "You didn't have to, really."

"Don't mention it," Blake shrugged, looking back up to meet Weiss's eyes, "I probably shouldn't wait too long before I get treated as well, anyway. I wouldn't want to…" she trailed off, mind replaying the horrific display of Olivia both coughing and vomiting up blood the day before.

Weiss grimaced as well, "I don't blame you. I wonder where she got it from in the first place… I haven't heard of any other students getting sick."

Blake pondered on it for a moment, not taking long to connect the dots, "Olivia said that Melanie's sister was sick. I'd bet she got it from her."

"Melanie?" Weiss raised an eyebrow, "I don't recognize the name," she then paled slightly, "Is that her, um… girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? No," Blake shook her head for good measure, "Olivia's made it pretty clear that Melanie is just a fling."

"A 'fling'?" Weiss frowned, "So they're not even really together?"

"I think Olivia called it 'mutual stress relief', if I remember correctly," Blake confirmed.

"That's…" Weiss trailed off, seeming unwilling to speak further.

"More casual than you'd ever feel comfortable with?" Blake finished for her, giving a nod of agreement, "I don't ever see myself doing the same."

"And two girls… how do they even…?" Weiss's face was growing more and more red by the second, at the same time clear with confusion.

'Well, that book will certainly teach you…' Blake thought idly, then feigned ignorance herself, "I have no clue."

Weiss spent a few moments in thought before squeaking, "A-anyway." She was clearly unwilling to continue that train of thought any further, "Miss Goodwitch said she'd likely be better by the end of the weekend, but do you think she was judging that off the other faunus that were treated sooner? I wouldn't want to put anything past Olivia, but… it did appear to be a rather severe case."

"I've never seen anything like it," Blake agreed.

"You haven't?" Weiss glanced up at her bow, then darted her eyes around the quiet halls around them, "I-I mean, out of anyone I know…"

"I'm from Menagerie," Blake stated easily, already having cased their surroundings as they walked, "From what I remember, they're very strict about not allowing most humans there, let alone anyone that might be sick. It doesn't sound like it's very common in the first place either if Miss Goodwitch only had a few other students get it in the past."

"Oh," Weiss put a finger to her lips in thought, "I thought you were from Vale…"

Blake laughed lightly, "Well I wasn't about to tell you otherwise. How obvious would that have been?"

Weiss laughed as well, "I suppose you're right. Anything else that I should know now that I, well… know?"

'Yeah, I used to be in the White Fang,' Blake thought glumly, then paused to actually think on what she could tell Weiss.

They were just then approaching the front doors to the infirmary, and Blake used those extra few seconds to gather her thoughts. Once the doors had swung shut and they were walking down the hall towards Olivia's room, she spoke once more, "Both of my parents are feline faunus, like me. I've been living in Vale for, oh… three years now?"

"Do your parents live in Vale, too?"

"N-no. They live in Menagerie."

Weiss gave her a troubled frown, "So you haven't seen them for three years? How have you been getting by this whole time?"

"I've been… living with some other faunus in the city," Blake lied easily enough.

Weiss smiled sympathetically, "I can understand not wanting to see your family, Blake. Still, three years…? That's a long-"

Weiss cut off as Blake held her hand up, eyes narrowing during their approach to Olivia's room. Even from a few dozen feet away, she could hear how quickly the heart rate monitor was beeping from within the room. Blake nodded her head toward the room and quickened her pace, Weiss following on her heels.

Blake twisted the knob and burst the door open, eyes gleaming brightly as she scanned the darkened room. Olivia lay in bed, still unconscious but shivering in her sleep. Ruby half sat, half lay by her side, head and upper body propped up on the edge of Olivia's bed. Her eyes blurrily blinked open at the sound of the door, and she picked herself up slightly.

"Blake? Everything okay…?"

Aside from those two, Blake didn't spot anything else that might be amiss in the room and breathed a sigh of relief.

Slowly becoming more and more coherent with each passing moment, Ruby noticed the increased pulse emanating from the monitor, and resumed holding Olivia's hand. Fingers now intertwined, it took a minute longer than it had the day before for her pulse to lessen. However, the tremors eventually subsided, and Olivia breathed out heavily one final time.

Weiss pressed past Blake gently and walked over to Ruby's place at the bed, "Alright. Time for you to go to sleep."

Ruby pouted, turning with narrowed eyes to look up at Weiss, "I can stay a bit longer…"

"You were already asleep when we got here," Weiss made a shooing motion before bodily forcing Ruby up and out of the chair she was in. Ruby could hardly struggle, and gave up in moments while letting out a tired yawn.

"Okay, fine," she rubbed a hand across her eyes, holding back yet another yawn, "Message me when she wakes up, though."

"We will," Weiss agreed readily enough.

Blake held the door open for Ruby and whispered a quiet, "Good night," before the small reaper shuffled past. She slowly closed the door and turned back to the room, seeing that Weiss had already begun getting herself comfortable. The heiress took over the chair that Ruby had been in before, and shuffled it a bit closer to the bed so that she was sitting more parallel to it.

Blake walked to the opposite side and looked down on Olivia, glad to see that she had resumed a more peaceful rest even without the physical contact that Ruby had provided before. Aside from her brow creasing every now and then, and a few blips on the heart rate monitor, she seemed to be doing fine.

"Odd, isn't it?"

Blake looked over to Weiss and raised an eyebrow, seeing the other girl wistfully staring at Olivia while she slept, "What's odd?"

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, then closed it once more, apparently thinking over what she wanted to say before continuing, "It's just… I don't doubt at all that Olivia is one of the strongest in our year, and yet… even she can fall ill to sickness, even she has fears… I would have thought that someone like her would be able to overcome anything. I… certainly wish I was able to."

Blake's mind instinctually went to Adam, the one person she herself had never been able to overcome either, no matter how hard she trained. She sat down in one of the chairs on her side and looked across Olivia's sleeping form to Weiss, "Nobody can do everything themselves. Needing others… it's just part of being a person."

"Who do you think Olivia had before this…? Before us?"

'Widow…' Blake's mind automatically filled in the blank, knowing from her talks with Olivia exactly who had 'raised' her, in a sense. It would be a betrayal of trust for Blake to tell Weiss about that, though, so instead she gave a small shrug, "I've talked more candidly with her than either you or Ruby likely have. She did have someone before coming to Beacon."

"Who?" Weiss raised an eyebrow of her own.

Blake shook her head in response, "You'd have to ask her."

The two were quiet for a time. Weiss played with the front cover of the book, opening and closing it idly without actually reading any of the print held within, "She was talking about… with her brother on the flight back."

"Sounded like it," Blake agreed carefully. Most anything from Olivia's past was a touchy subject. As far as she was aware, Olivia had only given Weiss blanket statements about her family members dying, aside from the few memories she'd brought up about her adoptive sibling.

"I can't imagine losing either of mine..."

Blake shared a comforting smile with her, "Your older sister works with the military, doesn't she? She must be strong."

"Winter is…"

Blake frowned, "And the other? I don't think you've mentioned another sibling to me before."

Weiss made a small scoffing noise with her throat, "Whitley. He's a little brat, honestly, but…" she stared down at the book in her hands, "What if the White Fang pulls off the unthinkable? What if they managed to get into Schnee Manor, and get revenge on the wrong people?" her eyes jumped up to Blake's, worry creasing her brow, "Now that Olivia's shown me just how downtrodden the faunus really are… I can't help but fear for my family. Even my mother…"

'Sienna would never hurt a child…' Blake had met the aspiring leader long ago, before she'd taken over the White Fang in Ghira's stead and many more times over the past few years. Sienna wasn't bloodthirsty… 'But how am I supposed to tell Weiss that…?'

"I… I don't think you have to worry about that, Weiss," Blake confessed lightly, trying to think of some reason to back up her claim, "The uh… White Fang doesn't make a habit out of killing innocents, as far as I'm aware."

"But would they see them as innocent?" Weiss's voice raised in pitch. The monitor suddenly spiked a moment after, and she quieted back down to a worried whisper, "Olivia was quick enough to blame me. Why would the White Fang be any different?"

"Still, Weiss… Killing a kid…? They wouldn't go that far…"

'Adam would…but he's in Vale, not Atlas.'

"You… you really think so…?" Weiss's eyes brimmed with the hint of tears, though she was quick to blink them away.

"Faunus have the same morals as you, Weiss," Blake stated firmly, hoping to pass along even the smallest bit of comfort to her teammate, "An extra set of ears or a tail doesn't make murder any less abhorrent."

Weiss's eyes widened, "I-I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't," Blake cut her off, shaking her head emphatically, "I'm only trying to make a point. You shouldn't worry yourself too much over it. Most faunus know that it isn't the entire family that's to blame for how the SDC operates."

"Olivia didn't seem to…"

"I did," Blake stated matter of factly, then turned her eyes to their unconscious teammate and shrugged warily, "Olivia is Olivia. She's… had it harder than most, I think. But even she wouldn't go that far."

'I hope…'

Weiss thought on what Blake had said for a time, and eventually nodded hesitantly, "I don't think she would ever do something like that, either," she rubbed a hand across her arm, as if feeling a long since healed wound, "Beating me up, though? Yeah, she doesn't seem to have any issues with that."

Blake smiled lightly, "How was your training session? I only really got to ask her before."

Weiss's eyes brightened, and a small smile tugged on her lips despite the way she still rubbed her forearm, "She's amazing… No matter what I tried, Olivia had an answer for everything. By the time it was over, I thought she would just laugh at me, even say I wasn't worth teaching…" Weiss shook her head, "She certainly proved me wrong. I look forward to the next time we're able to train again."

Blake nodded sincerely, "I'm happy to hear that," then laughed, "Our team seemed pretty doomed right from the start."

Weiss chuckled along with her, "That we did..."

They both sighed contentedly, and Weiss shared another smile before leaning back in her chair and opening up the book she'd brought. Blake's smile faded, though Weiss had turned away by then. She sent the heiress a worried glance and drummed on her thighs. She couldn't think of any plans to separate Weiss from 'Ninjas of Love', though. Not without the heiress growing suspicious about who the real owner of the book might be.

'Sorry, Olivia. At least Weiss isn't going to really think less of you for having a book like that. It is sort of right up your alley anyway.'

In those few silent minutes, Blake realized that she'd been so caught up in what Weiss was bringing, that she'd forgotten to bring a book of her own to read, 'I'm nearly done with 'The Man With Two Souls', too… Ah, well…' Blake remembered the box of comics that she'd brought along with her teammates' uniforms the day prior, and ducked beneath the bed for a moment to pull it across to herself.

'Let's see, let's see…' Blake was glad to find that either Ruby or Olivia was tidy enough to have left the comics in order, starting from Issue #1 on the far left, all the way down to Issue #152 on the far right. She decided to just begin with the first in the series. Blake was an avid reader, and while she normally viewed comic books as beneath her, she was willing to give them a read if two of her teammates enjoyed them.

The room once more descended into a peaceful quiet as both girls wiled away their time in a companionable silence, interrupted only by the steady beeping of the monitor.

Intense battles, emotional subplots, details that bordered the line between being too gory and just right… Weiss was enraptured by the words on the pages before her. She bent closer to read more easily in the room's low light, using the monitor behind her to illuminate the pages more easily.

Silence prevailed across the small forest they had escaped to. Hana knew of a small cabin in which they could find refuge, and half carried Ako, the other girl's arm draped over her shoulders roughly.

"Just a bit further, Ako," Hana assured soothingly, doing her best to ease the girl's pains. Her aura was recovering, if slowly. Hana could already see the small wounds decorating her flesh beginning to heal, though it would have an overall effect on her energy. They'd be lucky if Ako would recover before the day was out.

'I could always use my family's secret technique…'

Weiss frowned, 'Secret technique? How could you possibly regenerate aura faster without enhancers?' She continued to read.

The door to the cabin wasn't locked, a godsend considering the fact that Hana didn't believe she currently had the energy necessary to brute force her way in. She had been assisting Ako for miles now. With the promise of rest just out of her reach though, she struggled all the harder in getting the door open and crossing the threshold.

Compared to the windswept forest, the calm stillness of the cabin's interior allowed both girls to relax somewhat. Already knowing her way around the place, Hana helped Ako through another doorway and into the living room. A fireplace dominated one wall, surrounded on all sides by a couch and two arm chairs.

It was to the couch that Hana walked, and she gently lowered Ako down on to it. Her partner shivered, aura weakly responding to the ice cold shards of dust that still lingered in Ako's clothes, practically frozen to her body. She'd been hit with a very powerful ice dust attack, and was still dealing with the after effects.

Hana started off by getting the fireplace prepared with a few logs and some kindling. A spark of fire dust was all it required to ignite the pile, the flames steadily building and heating the space around them. Hana turned back to her partner, seeing the way her body trembled atop the couch.

"We'll need to get you out of those clothes, Ako. Your aura is struggling enough as it is."

Ako mumbled agreement, hands lowering to ineffectually tug at her clothing. Her muscles were still too weak to do it herself. Hana realized this quickly enough, and sighed while flashing her partner a small smile, "Let me help you."

Hana waited for Ako's movements to subside, then directed her hands above her head. With some small effort of her own, Hana managed to pull Ako's top free, exposing lightly tanned skin to the light of the fire. Hana's breath caught, finally seeing the true extent of the damage the ice dust had caused. Much of Ako's body was tinged blue from the cold, the remnants clinging unnaturally.

Hana knew that she would need to perform her family's technique if she wanted her partner to survive the night. Hana sat down next to Ako, her hands gently caressing the other girl's to calm both their nerves.

"Ako…? You know my family's technique, right…?"

Ako could only nod, gripped in the throes of pain as she was.

"Do you… want me to use it? It may be your only chance…"

Ako's breath came out ragged, and her hand tightened against Hana's own, "P-please, Hana. I'm ready… Help me..."

Trying to still her beating heart, Hana looked down on the face of her partner. Her breath quickened, and she leaned down closer to the other girl. Hana's hands left Ako's, instead moving to the smooth skin of her cheeks. Hana brushed one of Ako's bangs from across her face, and stared into the brilliant blue eyes that opened to plead for her to hurry.

Hana bent closer, eyes closing and lips parting slightly to-

Weiss blushed, eyes darting over the text while she felt her cheeks heating. She glanced over to Olivia with an accusing stare, 'H-How dare she… t-this is…'

Weiss's eyes tore away from Olivia to fall back on the page, curiosity thoroughly piqued to find out how the scene continued, 'I-I just want to know if Ako lives, t-that's all…'

Lips joined in fiery passion, and Hana delved deep within herself to try and draw forth the inner strength that would allow her to heal her partner's wounds. The treatment began to take effect, and Ako answered in kind. The heat expanded between them, blooming from where their lips met, down into their chests and beyond.

And yet… Hana felt resistance. Some essence of the dark magics had affected Ako more deeply than she could reach through normal means. Though lips parted and hands caressed, it was not enough to stave off her wounds.

"Ako, it… it isn't enough. I'm going to have to go deeper."

"Whatever you need to do, Hana," Ako moaned, the pain still too much to bear.

Hana nodded acceptance, and lightly began to trail her lips down Ako's body, searching for the source of the malevolent magic. Past her neck, down between her breasts, across her lightly tanned stomach. Hana could feel herself growing closer to her true goal. She paused as it continued yet lower, the cloth of Ako's skirt now obstructing her.

Feeling the burning desire to help her partner, Hana gripped the hem of Ako's skirt tightly and tore it open. There, revealed before her, was the source of Ako's need. Hana slowly lowered her head once more, lips and tongue finding their way to-

Blake flinched, ears twitching and eyes darting up to Weiss as the book was slapped closed. The heiress sat with wide eyes and burning cheeks, staring into space with both ends of the book firmly clasped shut between her hands. She breathed heavily for a few moments, seemingly trying to calm herself from whatever ordeal she had just put herself through.

"Is um… everything alright, Weiss…?" Blake hadn't been able to ignore the other girl's quickened breathing over the last few minutes, nor the glance she had stole towards Olivia. Judging from how far she was into the book before closing it, Blake had her suspicions on what particular scene the heiress had reached.

"N-... Y-yeah, yeah! Everything's f-fine," Weiss stammered distractedly. She brought the book down to her lap, pages still firmly closed, and struggled to give Blake a reassuring smile, "I um…" she pulled her scroll out, "Look at the time! The breakfast hall should be open. Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Oh, um… some eggs and toast, maybe?" Blake was having trouble hiding the cheshire grin that threatened to pull at her lips, seeing how the heiress had responded to the book. Was it just wishful thinking, or did Weiss seem to be flustered for an entirely different reason than prudish sensibilities?

Weiss hopped up quickly, still clutching the book in one hand, and left with a muttered, "B-be right back!"

Blake let out the laughter she'd been containing as soon as she was sure Weiss would be too far away to hear it. She had to forcibly muffle herself with her hand once she'd begun, and hoped that was enough to not wake Olivia.

With a delighted sigh, Blake's eyes fell back on the comic in front of her. She'd found herself rather enjoying the plot, though some of the characters themselves were decidedly plain, merely a caricature of evil without any of the depth that went into real villainy. Blake had blazed through the first few story arcs, a neat stack of already read comics sitting in a chair off to her side.

The most recent arc was coming to its completion, the action winding down after Ozborne had defeated his current arch nemesis with both skill and panache. By the time Blake had finished with it and was reading the small excerpt at the end, 'Next, to the City of Mistral!' Weiss had returned, hefting two separate trays of food. The delicious aroma of fresh eggs and toast wafted through the door along with it, and Blake set the comic aside to accept the tray proffered to her.

Blake noticed with a small grin that 'Ninjas of Love' was nowhere to be seen, and turned an amused eye to Weiss as she sat down across from her once more, "Did you not enjoy the book?"

Weiss sputtered, coughing on the peas that she had been eating and face turning a bright red. She recovered quickly enough, then raised a napkin to her lips to try and hide her fiery cheeks, "I-It was alright. I realized that um… I should have asked Olivia first!" Weiss rushed the end of her sentence after a moment's hesitation, likely thinking of the excuse on the spot.

Blake hid her smirk by taking a bite of toast, "That's very considerate of you. What did you like most about it?"

Weiss's eyes flickered over to Blake briefly, then returned to her plate while she thought about her answer. Blake could see her cheeks still glowing slightly, though the shade had lessened greatly after her initial shock.

"The… companionship… shown between the two main characters was very endearing. I can only hope that I grow as close to someone someday…" she frowned, voice turning to a whisper that Blake could still hear thanks to her second set of ears, "Though certain aspects could be left out for a time…"

It was Blake's turn to choke on her food as the weight of Weiss's words were truly realized. She coughed, holding a hand up to wave off her teammate who looked ready to cross the room in concern. Blake got herself under control, feeling her own cheeks reddening and attempted to play it off, "Sorry. Just went down the wrong pipe!"

Weiss slowly returned to her seat while Blake's mind reeled, 'Was I not imagining things!? Does Weiss really have a soft spot for, well… that!?'

Doing her best to compose herself, Blake cleared her throat, "So, are you going to keep reading then?"

Weiss paled, though for her that meant turning only the smallest tone lighter, and stared at the wall in thought. She idly tapped her spoon against her chin, not noticing the tiny bits of food falling free, "I… think I will," her expression grew guarded, eyes searching Blake for any hint that the faunus might have actually read the book before appearing satisfied, "It was… exciting enough…"

"Well, I'm sure Olivia wouldn't mind then," Blake spoke carefully, thinking over how to keep her secret, "At least, she wouldn't if it was me that asked. Do you want me to do that for you? You know how she can be sometimes."

"When I'm involved?" Weiss gave an exasperated eye roll as if she knew exactly what Blake meant, but the small smile that tugged at her lips indicated she was happy to not have to be the one that asked permission to read a 'deplorable' work of literature, "I would appreciate that very much. Thank you, Blake."

Blake grinned, "No problem."

Continuing with that satisfied smile, the two of them went about finishing up their breakfast. Blake was the first to finish, and walked over to set her tray on the counter before washing her hands as well. The comics appeared to have been well taken care of in the time that Ruby and Olivia both had them. Blake would hate to be the one that ended that streak.

She had just sat back down to pull out the next issue when her scroll buzzed in her pocket. Weiss's did as well at the same time, drawing a raised eyebrow from each of them. Blake pulled out hers and checked it to see a message widely displayed across the screen.

"All Faunus are to report to the Infirmary for a routine shot. An explanation will be given before the procedure. This is mandatory."

Blake read it out loud so that Weiss wouldn't have to dig into her own pocket, and the two of them shared a disgruntled frown.

"You'd better go quickly. I assume you're hiding from other faunus as well?" at a nod from Blake, Weiss continued, "Maybe they'll let you get in and out before anyone else has a chance to arrive."

Blake only had to think it over for a moment before coming to the same conclusion, "Good point," her feet were already set, heading towards the door and looking back over her shoulder to bid her teammate farewell, "I'll be back when I'm done."

"See you then!" Weiss called out to her as the door closed.

Blake rushed down the hall, all thoughts of Weiss and books forgotten for the time being.

"Hey girls! Come get lunch while it's hot!" the voice of Tai called out, ushering Olivia to jump up from her place on the floor.

"What!? Hold on! You can't leave now, I was just about to beat you!" Ruby protested, glaring up at Olivia while both of their characters stood motionless on screen.

Olivia pocketed her scroll with a shrug, "Guess it's a tie, Rubes," then broke out in a mocking grin, "Maybe you'll win one of these days. Uncle Tai wants us now, though."

Her little cousin grumbled and stood with a huff, crossing her arms to pout as they both proceeded into the kitchen, "I would have beat you that time!"

Olivia smirked, ruffling her hair with her free hand while moving to lean against the doorframe and let her past, "Wishful thinking. You never have and you never will!"

Her uncle gave them both an amused chuckle, setting down a bowl for each of them at the dining table before returning with two more. He set them down as well and gestured for the two of them to sit before peeking his head out of the kitchen and calling up the stairs, "Yang! I know you heard me the first time!"

"Coming!" Yang yelled in reply. A few seconds later, the sound of her feet thumping down the steps preceded her jetting into the kitchen and taking her place at the table. Her hair was freshly washed, gleaming golden in the morning light that streamed through the windows, "What've you got for us this time, old man?"

"I'm not old," Tai grumbled, then waved his hand nonchalantly overtop the bowls, "It's a new recipe for stew I've been wanting to try."

The four of them sat and began to dig in. Olivia grinned, thoroughly enjoying the meal. It reminded her of her mother's… 'Who…?' The memory was fleeting and passed as soon as it had appeared, interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and another man entering.

"I'm home!"

"Dad!" Olivia cheered, hopping up from her place at the table to cross the distance into her… father's… chest. Qrow smiled and returned the hug she gave in kind, spinning in a circle and eliciting a delighted giggle from Olivia.

"How've you been, kiddo?" Qrow set her down after completing a few more spins, blinking quickly as if he'd made himself dizzy in the process.

"Great! Me and Rubes have been playing that game you bought!" Olivia smirked, "She hasn't stood a chance~"

Qrow gave her a playful shove back towards the dining room, "Yeah, yeah. I'll kick both your butts if you aren't careful~"

The two rejoined those still at the table. Her uncle got up to serve another bowl and set it down next to where Olivia sat, her father now joining them as well. Olivia watched him detach the collapsed greatsword from his back and set it off to the side, its edges already coated in a thick black liquid.

"Been busy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Qrow laughed once, shaking his head, "The Grimm have been a bit more active, lately. Not too much to worry about."

"I can't wait until I become a huntress!" Olivia fawned, staring at the greatsword with wide eyes, "Fighting must be so cool!"

Qrow's face darkened, and he shook his head, "It's… not all it's cracked up to be, kiddo."

"What do you-" Olivia was cut off as she felt the presence of three figures outside the front door. Her heart raced, memories flashing unbidden through her mind's eye of a different family, and a different meal that had been interrupted.

Four massive appendages appeared from Olivia's back, their blackened forms visible for all to see. The others in the room screamed, backing away from her as she ignored them to stride out of the living room and towards the front door.

Olivia stopped before it and snarled, raising her voice to be heard through the wood, "Leave, and we can avoid any trouble!"

A man's voice rose from the other side of the door, tone mocking, "Ah, but what if we want trouble?"

Olivia laughed, even as the door was broken open and the first few rounds of gunfire flashed across her aura, "Then 'trouble' is what you'll find!"

With a furious cry, Olivia burst from the house and out into the open air. Her appendages flickered through the air like spears, stabbing into the men as they backed up in surprise. That surprise quickly turned to pain, gaping holes appearing wherever black appendages struck, only to pull back and lunge forward once more.

Olivia spared none. Mercy was for the weak, and the Black Lotus was anything but weak. In only a few seconds, she stood over the bodies, blood pooling out and soaking into the ground around them while she breathed heavily, energy expended.

"What… what have you done?"

Those few simple words ripped Olivia from her rage, her eyes widening in shock as she spun around to find her family standing there, staring at the carnage that she had unleashed. Qrow, Tai, Ruby, and Yang. Each showed various signs of being sick at the sight, while Qrow himself remained the most resilient. He stared only into Olivia's eyes, begging for her to make sense of what she'd done.

"I… I had to. They would have killed all of you!" Olivia pleaded, eyes caught just as readily by Qrow's. She wanted, no, needed him to understand, "I did this for you!"

"And them?" Qrow swept his hand wide, and Olivia turned back around to see the forest had now become a barren tundra. The places where trees once stood had been replaced by mountains of corpses, all being feasted on by carrion and Grimm alike. Here and there, Olivia spotted a face that she recognized. Beryl, Vasilias, Cardin… they numbered among hundreds that all stared at her with cold, dead eyes.

"I… I can explain," Olivia stammered, turning back around. When she did though, it was to find the cabin had disappeared as well. In its stead lay another pile of corpses. These ones, however… Tears fell unabated as Olivia collapsed to her knees, staring at what little remained of her long lost families.

"I told you they would leave."

Olivia whipped her head around to see Widow standing off to the side, eyes leveled in sorrow at the heap of bodies as well. Her eyes turned to Olivia slowly, and her arms raised to try and welcome her for a hug, "Come to me, Little Spider. I promise I'll never leave you like they have. I'll never turn my back on you…"

"N-no!" Olivia scrambled back to her feet and backed away, feeling her body beginning to shake as the emotions overwhelmed her, "You betrayed them! You'll betray me, too!"

A warmth spread through Olivia's hand, and she instinctively grasped at this last remaining shred of… something, that was neither dead nor Widow. The woman's face contorted in frustration for an instant before she evaporated, the entire wasteland suddenly becoming blanketed in a flurry of snowfall.

Olivia's view of the corpses was all but obscured, and soon enough they were completely covered, lost to sight beneath the white that encompassed everything. That warmth spread from Olivia's hand, and she turned to finally get a look at what could be causing it.

Weiss stood next to her, hand entwined with her own and face in a somber smile, "What are you doing out here all alone?"

"I… I was…" Olivia could still feel the bodies buried beneath the surface. No matter what she did to cover them up, they would still be there, waiting to be revealed along with her past.

Weiss raised a finger to her lips, silencing Olivia's stammering, and instead pulled her in for a hug. Lithe, soft arms wrapped around Olivia's back, and she couldn't help but return the gesture. It felt just like the first, both of them needing the contact for their own reasons. Though this time around… Olivia couldn't help but feel like she was getting the better part of the deal.

Olivia closed her eyes, and the white light that surrounded her dimmed. As sight faded, she could hear a soothing hum pick up, its tones reminiscent of a song she'd once enjoyed.

Olivia opened her eyes, and could still feel the warmth of a hand holding hers.

Could still hear the soft song being hummed.

The ship continues to sail! Many of you would have likely surmised that Olivia's nightmares had returned along with the sickness. Those that held her hand helped to break her free from them for a time, and it appears this most recent nightmare was the last before Olivia woke fully.

Glad to be back to writing this, and as always, thanks for reading!

- Sybaen