The yellow and white fluff hissed on the pan, simmering through the dimly lit apartment. With a spatula, Blake scrambled the deliciousness until the fluff wasn't soggy and cooked through.
An enjoyable smell wafted throughout the apartment. With it, followed a blanket of darkness. An unsettled aura drifted around Blake, and she swayed her body to shake it off that feeling.
This should make their day a little better, Blake thought and glanced at the digital clock on the microwave. I have time.
Since today weighed heavy on hearts, Blake resolved to make her roommates' day a little better. Even if it meant by a tiny bit with some measly eggs. After flicking off the stove, Blake grabbed a mug of steaming green tea. With it, she slipped inside Yang's room.
As expected, it was dim due to the closed windows, and her friend hadn't crawled out of bed yet. Under the blankets, blonde wisps poked out and fanned around the pillow. Since she might be asleep, Blake quietly placed the cup of tea on her nightstand.
"Hey, Blake?"
Her unexpected voice stopped Blake from leaving the room. She turned around to see Yang's groggy eyes.
"Yeah, Yang?"
"Thanks," the blonde said, gazing at the mug next to her bedside.
A light smile formed and Blake said. "I made you eggs, too."
Blearily, Yang wiped her eyes. "I thought I heard somethin'."
From her tone, Blake gathered she was only fatigued. It appeared the blanket of darkness hadn't engulfed and swallowed her whole… yet. Which was entirely possible today. If Yang stayed in her room all day, she would be devoured and her heart would never heal.
"Hey, Yang?" Blake called as she stood by the door. Yang pulled down the blankets to see her. "Try to distract yourself today. Do something with Ruby. I don't think laying in bed with only your thoughts will do any good."
"Yeah, okay."
The reply sounded distracted. Like she'd already thought about that. Blake could only think to give her a smile before shutting the door. After taking a deep breath, she slipped into Ruby's room with another mug in hand.
To her surprise, Ruby was awake. Not only that, she aimed at her dartboard with a slingshot in hand. She stared at the board as if it made fun of her.
"Hey, Ruby."
I thought I heard thumps earlier, Blake thought. At least she's distracting herself.
"Blake," Ruby greeted and lowered the slingshot to focus on her. "Aren't you going to be late?"
"I have time," the faunus replied and handed her the steaming mug. "There are eggs in the kitchen if you want some."
Ruby sipped the tea, liking how it soothed her dry throat. "I'll have some later," she grasped her hand and squeezed lightly. "Thank you for uh- helping us in your own way. I know it can't be easy," she finished with a light blush and looked down at the white carpet.
From her warmth, Blake blushed and smiled at her. "Text me if you need anything on my way back from school. I'll bring home any homework you and Yang get. I hope you'll spend the day with her instead of alone in your room?"
Ruby nodded and released her hold, missing the warmth she provided. "We'll do something. Try not to worry about us, okay?"
"No promises," Blake said and walked to the door. "I'll see you after school."
From hearing that, Ruby gave her a small smile. "Have fun."
After that, Blake left the apartment and locked the door.
How can they focus today when exactly one year ago was the darkest day of their lives?
Since Blake was early to class, she sat in her seat and waited for school to begin like any other normal day. She heaved a sigh as she stared out the window, watching a steady flow of students walk through the entrance.
A hand landed on her shoulder, which caused Blake to glance back. The other early bird was Weiss, who sat next to her.
"You guys didn't stop by my door this morning- where are they?"
The last part of her sentence dropped like she sensed something was wrong.
I completely forgot to drop by her apartment! Blake thought. We could've walked together. Oops.
"I'm sorry about that. I forgot to drop by," Blake apologized. "Ruby and Yang aren't coming today, so class'll be quieter than usual."
After she said that, Jaune sat behind the two and used a sad tone. "Oh, is it today?"
"Yeah…" Blake confirmed and dipped her head.
Jaune heaved a sigh and sank into his seat.
Confused by the lack of explanation, Weiss asked. "Is what today?"
From the question, Blake swallowed the bile in her throat. By this point, practically the whole school was aware of the situation. A few other students were present, but it's not like it was a secret.
Blake took a deep breath. "One year ago today, Yang and Ruby's parents died in a car accident."
Shocked, azure eyes widened the size of dinner plates. Weiss put a hand over her mouth when it started to tremble. "Oh my god…"
It felt like her heart stopped as dread filled her. Tears stung her eyes from such an unexpected explanation. Weiss never would have guessed such an energetic pair of sisters had faced such tragedy. They seemed to make it a point to enjoy the little things in life most of the time.
They were experts at hiding the cloud of darkness that constantly loomed over them.
Weiss thought about how much Yang and Ruby smiled just the other day. Those sparkling grins were almost contagious. How many were forced? How many did they feel like they had to show?
A little while ago, Yang and Weiss went on a date. And Yang explained that she lost her biological mom at birth. And then her other parents perished? Her fate seemed cruel. Like she wasn't allowed to have even one parent.
Then Weiss thought about how Ruby wanted to build a drone. One that was like the one she and her father made before she broke it. With this new information, Weiss gathered that Ruby probably regretted breaking it since it could have been a valuable possession left by her father. And it was gone.
Blake noted her distraught expression and sighed. "Yeah… it's a lot. I think they're going to visit their graves later. I was thinking about going after school. Do you want to come, too?"
"We should," Weiss said with finality. "We need to pay our respects."
"That's what I was thinking," Blake agreed and frowned. "I haven't lived with them for long, so it's hard for me to figure out what to do. How to cheer them up. If what I'm doing is right. If we should go to their grave or not…"
From her opening up, Weiss put a hand on her back. "Don't doubt that you're not good enough. I see the way you care about them and how they care about you. In fact, when I first met all of you, I thought you were all sisters. Adopted, at the very least."
Cat ears flickered on Blake's head. "That means a lot."
"And you're not alone," Weiss reminded. "The support needs support, so if you need to vent, come to me, okay?"
Blake smiled when she felt her rubbing her back. "It seems the ice princess isn't so icy after all."
From the comment, Weiss stopped circling her back and lightly slapped it. "You ruined the moment. Remember that."
A tiny chuckle.
During their conversation, most students poured in and Ms. Goodwitch eventually walked to the front. The bell rang, and the teacher noted the two absent sisters. She looked to Blake, which caused her cat ears to fold.
She definitely knows, Blake thought. She was the one who made them some dinners last year.
"We will begin with role call…"
When that was done, the teacher cleared her throat.
"You will use this time to complete your literature projects. Don't talk loudly since I imagine some of you want to read your assigned book."
While she spoke, Blake and Weiss couldn't focus. Eventually, they scooted to sit next to each other and agreed to read their assigned section of the book. However, neither could focus and ended up staring blankly at the pages.
"I don't know if I can do this today," Blake admitted. "I think tomorrow will be better."
"I completely agree," Weiss said and pulled out some papers with intricate designs on them.
"Uh, what is that?" Blake asked.
"The drone parts I have to learn," Weiss informed. "If Ruby and I are going to build the best drone, I need to know the parts."
Blake rolled her eyes. "You can't even focus on the book. What makes you think you can focus on building a drone?"
Weiss heaved a sigh. "Why must you be right?"
Calmly, Ms. Goodwitch approached them. She noted they weren't being productive, but she didn't mind as long as they finished the project on time. The teacher handed Blake three papers, while Weiss received one. Ms. Goodwitch then looked down at Blake and murmured.
"Please give Ruby and Yang my condolences. Such a tragedy is difficult to heal from."
"I will," Blake said. "Thank you."
She acts uptight, but she deeply cares for her students, Blake thought. I'm glad we got her as a teacher.
When she walked away, Blake's golden eyes wandered to the paper on her friend's desk. A giant 'C' grade was marked in the top corner.
She got a 'C' on a math quiz? Blake thought. I thought she was good at math?
To express her confusion, Blake said. "You're working on a drone and you barely passed a little math quiz?"
"It's been a long few weeks," was all Weiss said.
"Absolutely, it has."
Stay dandy,
~Toto