Vengeance Is My Name
Chapter Six
Blake had never carried a sword before. A dagger, sure. It was almost a necessity in the streets of Nova where the half demons and homeless mingled, but a sword? She'd never been able to afford one, and had only seldom seen guards use them.
Blake shifted once more, not at all comfortable with the weight of the sword on her left hip. She was right handed, so it made sense to secure the damned thing to her left hip, but it left her feeling oddly more vulnerable than it did protected.
It was an encumbrance. It hindered her movement, and she didn't like it.
Yang had assured her that she would grow so accustomed to the weight that she would eventually automatically account for the swing and bump of the sword sheath against her leg with oddly matched steps, and even begin to feel naked without it strapped to her hip.
When asked how Yang knew this, Yang had bashfully admitted that she herself had never carried a sword before; she had just heard it from her uncle, who had carried a sword for years.
Blake had asked Yang if she was going to aquire a weapon. Yang had declined, saying that she wasn't much for swinging a sword. All of her fights had been with her fists, and she insisted that that was good enough. Blake, for her part, wasn't sure exactly what good fists were going to do against swords, but had held her tongue. It wasn't her place to press the issue, and this wasn't Yang's fight anyway.
It had brought up the topic of how long Yang planned to travel with her, however. Yang had said that she wasn't really sure. She was along for an adventure, and if it stopped being adventurous, then they would probably part ways.
Now, as they trod through the dirt on a path that was quite familiar to Yang, having traveled the opposite way toward Nova only seven days prior, Blake was beginning to question whether the companionship was worth the trade for the weapon.
Because Yang liked to talk.
A lot.
"It's gonna get hot out soon." Yang commented, raising a hand to her forehead to block out the glare of the shining sun as she stared off into the distance down the path they were travelling along.
Blake said nothing, wondering how long she could be completely silent before Yang would follow suit.
"Did we pack enough water? I feel like we didn't pack enough water." Yang twisted around, reaching awkwardly behind herself to grasp at her pack. Her hand found one of the water canteens strapped to her pack, and after a moment of fidgeting, she unclipped it and brought it to her front.
"These things don't hold a lot, do they?" Yang shook the canteen, listening to the muted sloshing sound emanating from inside.
"Not a lot at all." Yang easily answered her own question.
Blake released a barely audible sigh. Apparently, a conversational partner was optional.
"Water is good though." Yang untwisted the cap and raised the canteen to her lips, taking a sip.
"Want some?" Yang held the canteen out to Blake as she wiped her mouth off with the back of her other hand.
Blake took her time turning slowly to glance at the canteen, before raising her eyes to meet Yang.
"No."
Turning back to face her direction of travel, she ignored whatever reaction Yang had.
"Eh, suit yourself." The blonde took another gulp before returning the canteen to her pack, albeit with a bit of difficulty.
"So, I have a question for you, Blake."
Blake had to harshly bite her tongue to choke back a snarky response.
"Of course you do. What is it?"
Yang either didn't pick up on her unwillingness to talk, or had, but decided to ignore it.
"You were pretty tight lipped when it came to talking about Weiss, so I didn't know much about her, and I think I got the wrong impression. I thought she was your friend, but overhearing you and monkey boy back there, it seems she's a lot more than that. What's the full story between you two?"
Blake was torn, internally. Yang had finally touched upon a topic that interested her, yet was one she was unwilling to talk about.
Blake stared out at the shimmering horizon, contemplating her response. Reaching up, she pulled her thin black hood tighter around her face, using the edge to block out the sun's glare.
"Weiss... " Blake spoke softly, trying out the name upon her tongue as if she hadn't spoken it in a thousand years.
"Weiss was always a little trouble-maker. She didn't like adhering to the norms, and didn't like being put into a carefully crafted box where she dressed, spoke, and acted a certain way. It just wasn't her."
Blake took a deep breath, unsure if she wanted to continue revealing these memories.
Yang noticed, and immediately her tone shifted to one of comfort.
"Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Blake had such a mixed jumble of feelings coursing through her that she couldn't tell what she wanted. Talking about Weiss seemed to bring her closer to the girl, made her more real, eased the aching in her heart by the slightest margins, so she cautiously moved forward.
"One day Weiss snuck out of her palace, and went for a walk down in the city of Nova. Around six years ago. She found me, in less than ideal conditions let's say, and befriended me. At the time, I had no idea who or what she was, all I knew was that she was a pretty girl who often brought me tasty pastries."
Yang chuckled at that, clearly entertaining herself with a humorous mental image.
"One day she told me to meet her in her room, late at night. I thought I'd misheard her when she directed me to climb the castle's second tallest tower, but she insisted. I ended up not going that night, fear and hesitation causing me to stall."
Blake bowed her head and focused on her boots as she scuffed them along the ground.
"Eventually, I went. And I had a wonderful time. She showed me books I'd never read before, and we talked. About anything and everything. She was incredibly refined and intelligent, in every sense of the word."
Blake smiled at a particular memory that rose to the surface of her mind.
"Eventually it melded into something more, and I began staying the night in her bed, only to leave shortly before first morning's light."
"You guys were... ?" Yang left the question open ended, unsure of how to ask such a private thing.
Blake shook her head. "Not at first, no. It was a companionship thing. She liked me because I gave her a taste of something outside the usual, and it was a way to rebel against the path that had seemingly been laid out for her. Her older sister more than likely had something to do with it, I suppose. Her older sister was the first one to run off to do her own thing, against the wishes of her father. Weiss wanted to be just like big sister Winter."
Blake chuckled softly, kicking at a small rock with the toe of her boot. It skittered down the path for quite a ways before veering off and tumbling into the grass.
"I liked her because she paid attention to me. Made me feel loved, needed, even though... "
Yang raised an eyebrow curiously. "Even though what?"
Blake looked up at Yang, studying her intently for a moment.
"Even though I was different." Blake said simply.
Yang nodded slowly. "I see."
"What about you?"
Yang looked up, mild surprise lifting her blonde brows.
"Me? What about me?"
Blake glanced to her right, where Yang was casually swinging her arms back and forth.
"Did you leave anyone special back home?"
Yang shrugged, looking down at her boots.
"Not really, no."
Blake hummed softly. "That doesn't sound very convincing."
Yang raised her head to look out at the horizon.
"Well, I was dating someone for a year or so, but... things happened and I had to end it. It's ultimately what lead to this little journey."
Blake smirked. "Wow, don't inundate me with too many details." She said dryly.
Yang shrugged. "Bit of a private topic, that's all."
Blake nodded. "I get that."
Yang hummed quietly.
Blake considered changing the topic, but as the silence stretched out between them, she wondered if she would be better off enjoying the respite and seeing how long it would last.
An irritation that Blake hadn't accounted for when agreeing to let Yang travel with her was the constant pain associated with hiding her ears. They wanted to stand proud atop her head, keeping her alert of anything and everything that moved, but she had to consciously keep them pressed flat against her head. It had started out as mildly annoying, but had grown to be quite painful over the last day or so.
The pain had gotten severe enough that Blake had toyed with the idea of simply coming out to Yang about being a half demon, but the potential for conflict had her wondering if it was worth it.
Not that she wasn't confident that she could overpower the blonde in any sort of fight. Plus, she reminded herself, she was the one with the sword.
But deep down, Blake knew she couldn't be that person. She had spent so much of her life avoiding conflict and fleeing from confrontation that the idea of willingly outing herself and exposing herself to potential backlash made her skin crawl.
No, it was best to keep herself to herself, as she had always done. No problems that way.
"So, where exactly are we heading, anyway?" Yang asked, reaching up to push her hair back out of her face. "Like, I know we're headed to Epica, where the Winchesters live, but there's a lot of space between here and there. Where's our first stop?"
Blake raised a hand and pointed off into the distance.
"We're headed for a large town called Solis Occasus." She said. "I'm following the most direct path I know of to get to Epica, and it's the path that I think Weiss' captor would have taken. Wherever possible, I'd like to sleep within the protection of a town, because out here, you never know who or what is wandering around."
Yang nodded.
"What kind of town is Solis Occasus?" She asked interestedly. "Back at the last junction, I came from the western path. Turned south at the crossroads to get to Nova, so I came nowhere near any other town."
"I've never been there myself, but I've heard stories. Supposedly as you get further north toward Epica, the towns all get slightly more modern and technologically advanced. Epica, and the Winchesters especially, are heavily driven by innovation in weapon and material design. Occasus is supposed to be fairly nice, but with that comes an increase in the price of things like food and supplies, so we'll have to really shop around to see where we can get some deals."
"Speaking of food, " Yang raised a hand to pat her flat stomach comfortingly, "I'm literally dying of hunger. Can we stop and have a snack?"
Blake raised an eyebrow as she glanced sideways at her travelling partner.
"I'm fairly certain you're not literally dying of hunger."
Yang shrugged. "You've been known to be wrong before."
Blake scoffed as she looked around, finding a relatively flat spot off the side of the path not too far ahead. Setting her sights on it, she made a beeline for it.
"How would you know that?" Blake asked.
Yang grinned deviously. "Statistical fact." She said proudly. "No one has ever been one hundred percent correct on everything they've said or done."
Blake paused, unsure of how to respond.
"Er... well, yeah, technically, I guess... "
"Great! Now, before I perish, let's grab a bite."
Blake nodded slowly as she reached down to her waist to unstrap her sword. Coming to a stop, she gently placed it on the ground before falling to her knees.
Yang sat down beside her, crossing her legs and pulling her pack into her lap. The pack was a bit oversized, as she had forcibly relieved Blake of her own pack and strapped it to her own. Blake had protested, saying she was fit enough to carry her own gear, but Yang wanted to take zero chances with the stitches holding her gut together.
"Jerky?"
Blake was tugged from her thoughts by Yang's voice, and she carefully adjusted her sitting position to one that was slightly more comfortable and put less pressure on her stomach. Looking up at the blonde, she saw the girl holding out a small bag of dried meat toward her.
It was heavily spiced, that much she could tell just from the scent. Instantly it made her mouth water, and she nodded slowly.
"I'll try some." She allowed. Yang grinned as Blake reached out and dug a few strips out from the bag.
"You're gonna love it. The vendor allowed me to try some before I bought it, and it's fantastic."
Blake tore off a piece, sharp fangs shredding the meat with ease. Letting it sit on her tongue for a moment, she gently sucked on it for a moment as the taste flooded her mouth.
"It's very good." Blake agreed after a moment, chewing slowly so as to savour the taste.
"Right!?"
Blake popped the rest of the strip into her mouth, her eyes finding Yang's face.
"I'm sorry, I have to ask once more, are you sure you want to travel with me?" Blake asked.
"So far you've lost your original gear, spent a bunch of downtime in the city, bought food for the both of us, bought me a damn sword, and now we're travelling headlong into danger to rescue my girlfriend."
Yang laughed, fingers raking through her blonde hair as she scratched the back of her head.
"Well, when you say it like that, it makes me sound stupid. Or crazy."
Blake licked her bottom lip slowly, traces of meat invigorating her taste buds.
"So far I'm not seeing any evidence to the contrary."
Yang raised her hands up helplessly. "Okay, so you know when you're gambling, and you're on a losing streak, but you've spent so much that you just can't walk away? You go all in and hope it eventually pays dividends, or at least, allows you to break even."
Blake fixed her with a blank stare.
"This relates... how?"
Yang grinned. "You're my losing streak. And I'm hoping you start paying out dividends sooner rather than later."
Blake faltered for a moment, unsure of what to say or how to respond.
"I... I'm your losing streak?" She asked.
Yang shrugged. "It started off with losing my pack trying to help you, and it's been all downhill ever since. I can't cut my losses now, I'm all in."
Blake's eyes fell to the ground, unsure of how to process that response.
"I... I don't even know how to respond to that." Blake said quietly. "You're joking, right? You have to be kidding."
Yang shrugged again, a mischievous light dancing in her eyes.
"I guess we'll never know, will we?" She asked, teasingly.
It slowly dawned on Blake that Yang was pulling her leg, but she decided to ride the joke just a bit further.
"What exactly are you hoping to regain?" Blake asked. "The only thing I have any hope of winning is Weiss, and I hate to tell you, but I don't share."
Caught off guard, Yang hesitated. "Uhh... no, that's... that's not what I-"
Blake knew she had the advantage now, and kept pressing it. She slowly looked Yang up and down, making it very obvious that she was scrutinizing Yang's body.
"Besides, you don't really think that the refined, elegant Weiss Schnee would be interested in... well... " Blake gestured toward Yang, "You."
"Hey!" Yang protested, her voice higher than normal. "That's a little mean, don't you think?"
Blake looked away as she took another bite of jerky, savouring the flavor on her tongue.
"I guess we'll never know, will we?" She mocked airily, glancing over at Yang from the corner of her eye.
"Jerk." Yang muttered.
"You started it." Blake said quietly, staring at Yang. She held Yang's gaze for a moment before looking away, her eyes falling to the bag in Yang's hand.
Wordlessly, Yang held the bag out to her.
After a second of hesitation, Blake gratefully accepted.
It was well past sunset when they staggered into town, dirty and exhausted. The moon shone brightly in the sky, providing illumination for travel, and they decided against stopping on the trail for the night.
As they approached the town, the first thing they saw was a massive arch spanning the width of the path. The arch was constructed of a dark, hard wood and stood three times as tall as either girl could reach. Upon it, carefully cut out block letters spelt the name of the town: Solis Occasus. Directly beneath the sign, the path turned from hard packed dirt to colorful red, brown, and black brick, the beginning of what could be called 'main street'.
The town's main thoroughfare was well lit with torches, casting light on the near immaculate wide brick pathway. It was a straight shot from the south end of town through to the north, interrupted only by a large water fountain feature in the middle of town. Branching off from the main path were many other side streets that lead to inns, pubs, vendors and the like. A giant billboard at the southern edge of town advertised all the town's services like blacksmithing, protection-for-hire, as well as a handful of guilds looking for members.
Despite being near middle of the night, the town's streets weren't completely vacant. The city had a large military presence, and one couldn't look in any direction without seeing a pair of armed soldiers keeping to a strict patrol route as they circled the interior of the city.
Blake had heard stories of the city's military force. Largely approachable, they functioned as a source of information for tourists and visitors, and were seen as protective of the city and it's people.
Still, authority produced a type of anxiety in Blake that was hard to quell, and even being within their sight made her nervous in a way she couldn't quite describe. Their supposed comforting presence made her more nervous than anything.
"Let's find an inn and get a few hours of sleep." Blake muttered to Yang, baleful golden eyes watching a pair of approaching soldiers with open distrust.
"Suppose we could ask these two fine gentlemen?" Yang asked, jabbing her thumb toward the pair.
Blake scoffed. "I'd rather not, but your little gesture seems to have piqued their interest."
"Something we can aid you with?" One of the two soldiers asked, approaching the girls. The distance between them could be measured in meters, but was closing rapidly.
Yang came to a halt, an easy grin on her face as two armed soldiers stopped in front of her.
"Yeah, we came in from Nova, and were wondering where we could find an inn with a vacancy."
One soldier, sporting short blonde hair, hooked his shield on a clip on his belt. Now that Blake had the opportunity to inspect them closely, she realized they were very lightly armed.
Black leather bracers with red lace protected their forearms, and their heads were devoid of any sort of protective gear. Leather chest protectors adorned their torsos, with lightweight loose leather shorts protecting their lower half. Metal greaves protected their shins, and their footwear was equally lightweight. Both soldiers carried long metal swords at their hips, and both were equipped with the same sort of shield. Both had ornate red roses carved into the faces of their shields, no doubt an allegiance symbol of some sort.
The leader of the two, the blonde one, had a red sash tied around his waist. Whether it was a personal item, or a symbol of rank, Blake couldn't tell.
He raised his hand, now devoid of shield, and pointed to his right.
"If you take this side road west, you'll see an inn on your left hand side. The lights will be on, impossible to miss, but if you have any trouble, the guards will be happy to help."
"Hey, thanks!" Yang lifted her hand in thanks, waving at him. He nodded in return, glancing back and forth between Blake and Yang.
Deciding now would be a good time to take their leave, Blake grabbed Yang's hand and dragged her away.
"Thanks for your help." Blake called over her shoulder. "It's best that we get going, though. Bye!"
"Oi, what's the rush?" Yang asked, stumbling to catch up with Blake. Blake glanced irritably at Yang.
"I'm tired and sore as hell, and it's the middle of the goddamn night. If you wanna make doe eyes at the soldiers, do it on your own damn time."
Yang blinked, caught completely off guard.
"Uhh, I dunno what's gotten into you, but I was curious about the emblem on their shields. I remember seeing it somewhere before, and I wanted to gather more information. Who said I was flirting with the guards? And why do you care, if I was? Don't you have a girlfriend?" Yang asked, giving her hand a firm tug.
Blake released Yang's hand, angrily pulling her hand back and folding her arms across her chest.
"I recognize the symbol. It's the Rose Army, and they're affiliated with the Winchester clan. It would be best if we kept contact with them to a minimum. I don't think they'd respond favourably to two miscreants who were planning on crashing a royal wedding."
Yang's eyes widened slightly. "O-oh."
"Authority is the enemy now, Yang." Blake spared a look at Yang as they approached a lit up building. "You'd do well to remember that."
"Man, you're a catty bitch when you're tired, huh?"
Blake nearly tripped at that, but swiftly regained her composure as irritation darkened her features.
"God! You're so annoying!" Blake growled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Yang mumbled. Gesturing to the double doors of the inn, she waved her hand dramatically.
"After you."
Blake prowled up the stairs, hips swaying with each aggravated step.
Smirking to herself at how easy it was to rile Blake up, Yang swiftly scaled the steps, trailing Blake.
Blake pushed open the double doors, stepping inside. Instantly she was greeted by an older woman at the front desk, and Blake nodded to her, approaching with Yang trailing behind her.
"Can we get a single room, two beds?" Blake asked, in no mood for pleasantries.
The older woman examined Blake, then Yang, then slowly turned her back on Blake, consulting a massive pegboard hanging on the wall filled with keys. Slowly her finger ran down a column of pegs, and each one was devoid of keys.
Turning back to Blake, she shook her head apologetically.
"Sorry, we're all out of single doubles." She said. "Would you care for two separate rooms?"
Blake glanced at Yang, who shrugged non-committedly.
Turning back to the woman, Blake shook her head.
"We can't justify the cost. A single room, single bed will have to suffice."
"Alright dear. How long will you be staying with us?"
"Just the night. We'll be gone by morning's light."
The woman nodded slowly, turning back to the board behind her. Selecting a ring of keys with a small tag on it, she handed it to Blake.
"Your room is on the first floor, down that hallway, third door on the left."
Blake looked around confusedly, glancing at Yang and earning a puzzled glance from the blonde before she turned back to the woman.
"Er... don't we have to pay?"
The woman chuckled quietly.
"All bills will be settled upon checkout."
Blake glanced down at the key, then back at the woman.
"Alright, I need to ask, don't you have people skip out on paying?"
The woman shrugged. "Some people try. Most don't get very far before being detained by the Rose Army. They've gained somewhat of a reputation around here. Those that don't know it, swiftly become painfully acquainted with it."
Blake nodded slowly. "I see. Well, thank you."
The woman nodded, waving her off.
Turning to Yang, Blake fixed her with a hard stare.
"Let's get a few hours of sleep before we hit the road."
Yang nodded, following Blake as she lead the way down the narrow hall.
"You should take first crack at the shower, Blake." Yang gestured toward the bathroom door.
"You stink just as much as I do." Blake retorted, embarrassment warring with exhaustion as her current primary emotion.
Yang laughed, dropping their packs on the floor and sitting down on the bed.
"I probably do." She agreed. "But that's not why I suggested it. Your bandages didn't get changed last night, and they should have. No doubt with all the moving around today, they're probably stuck pretty tightly to your skin. The water will soften them up. When you're done, I'll help you change them."
Blake eyed Yang for a moment, wanting to be angry at her for a reason she couldn't quite figure out through the haze of exhaustion and weariness, but unable to when she was being so damnably kind.
Resigning herself to saying nothing at all, Blake turned and disappeared into the bathroom.
Yang watched her until the door clicked shut, then sighed as she flopped down onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, she wondered just what exactly she had gotten herself into. Closing her eyes, she let her mind rest for a moment as the muted sound of running water reached her ears. Such a peaceful, soothing sound...
"I'm done."
The voice jolted Yang out of her light dozing, the blonde jerking upright and rubbing at her face.
"I wasn't asleep." Yang said, fighting back a yawn. She failed, and tilted her head back as she yawned, jaw cracking painfully.
Blake smirked. "I didn't say you were."
"Right." Yang agreed. "But I wasn't."
Blake sighed, and moved over to the bed, sidling up close to Yang.
Yang glanced at her, lilac eyes widening as she immediately woke up.
Blake was completely naked, save for a towel around her chest. The length of the towel barely covered her backside, revealing damp, creamy skin. Her skin was flushed from the hot water, but it was clear that she was naturally lightly tanned.
"Uhh... "
Yang glanced up at Blake's face, who was standing taller than herself, still seated on the bed.
Blake's hair was wrapped up in a neat high ponytail, a red bandana that Yang didn't know she had wrapped around her forehead and covering the top of her head.
"You said you'd help me with my bandages?" Blake raised an eyebrow, staring down at Yang.
"Right!" Yang agreed a bit too loudly. Licking her bottom lip, she tried out her voice again. "Right... Uhhh... " Yang glanced around, then looked down at the bed.
"Honestly, it'd probably be easier if you laid down on the bed. I'll remove what I can, then get you to sit up so I can get to what I can't."
Blake nodded in silent agreement. Approaching the bed, she climbed on top of it, mindful of her towel, before laying down and rolling onto her back. Adjusting herself so she was comfortable, she grabbed the bottom of the towel and hiked it up over her hips.
Yang instantly turned away, a dark blush rising into her cheeks and setting the back of her neck alight.
"What're you-"
"Yang." Blake's voice was soft, yet commanding.
Yang slowly turned back toward Blake, and when she looked at her, she breathed a silent sigh of relief when she saw that Blake had adorned dark red panties underneath the towel.
The towel had been hiked up to just beneath her breasts, revealing the wrapping that covered her abdomen in it's entirety.
It was wet, waterlogged and sat loosely upon her skin. Yang couldn't stop herself from wincing in sympathy, however when she laid eyes on the dark red splotch of blood that stained the bandages.
Glancing up at Blake, uncertain lilac locked with hesitant, molten gold.
"You sure?" Yang asked.
"You offered." Blake replied.
"Fair enough." Yang reached into one of the pockets of her leather jacket, her fingers closing around a familiar old switchblade. Pulling it out, she released the blade with a sharp, audible 'click!', causing Blake to wince at the sound.
"Don't worry." Yang smirked, a bit of her familiar cheekiness returning. "I'll be nicer to you than the last person to bring a blade near your stomach."
Blake opened her mouth to reply, but Yang had already slid a finger under the bandages. Deciding not to distract the blonde, she settled for watching Yang's face as Yang lifted the bandages clear of her skin before sliding the blade, edge facing up, underneath the ribbons.
The sharp blade sliced effortlessly through the wet ribbon, and Yang made short work of cutting through the wrapping. Snapping the blade closed, she returned it to her pocket before peeling aside the unstuck bandages from Blake's damp, soft skin.
"Might pull a bit here." Yang advised, setting her sights on the bandages criss crossing her stomach just beneath her sternum. Gently peeling the bandages back, Yang was relieved to discover that the hot shower had worked as intended, mostly loosening the dried blood from her skin.
Only one spot offered resistance, but with a deft flick of her thumbnail, Yang severed the connection between bandage and torn flesh. Pulling off the wet bandage and laying it aside, Yang exposed the ugly knife wound to the air.
"How is it?" Blake asked, noting the grimace on Yang's face. Yang glanced at her, tilting her head to flick blonde curls out of her face.
"It's... healing. Slowly."
Yang tore her gaze away from Blake's worried face, looking back down at the wound.
"Whoever attacked you had amazing accuracy." Yang said lightly. "That's about dead center of your stomach, merely an inch below your sternum. How that wasn't fatal, I'll never understand."
Blake shrugged. "Everyone gets lucky sometimes."
Yang examined the patch of torn flesh, noting the puckered, rippled edges where the stitches pulled the flesh together. The stitches themselves were of a dark blue color, a thin fabric strand with incredible tensile strength. The strands themselves criss-crossed the wound, pulling the flesh together across the gap created by the knife blade, and Yang noted with mild concern that some of the stitches were disappearing beneath new flesh.
They'd have to be cut out of her. Not right away, the wound was still too fresh. In another few days, however, before they were completely ensconced by the healing skin.
"How does it feel?" Yang asked.
Blake thought about it for a moment. "The pain is mostly all gone. It's there, but it's a distant, background ache that I don't notice unless something rubs up against it or I move in a way that pulls at the skin."
Yang nodded. Reaching into her bag at the foot of the bed, she pulled out a small clear bottle wrapped in a clean white rag. Unwinding the rag from the bottle, she twisted off the lid.
Splashing some of the liquid onto the rag, she pressed the rag to Blake's wound, careful not to press too hard or drag it across her skin.
Blake fixed Yang with a glare, earning a chuckle from Yang.
"Yeah, it hurts a bit, but it hurts less than an infection. All your gross sweat and dirt collecting in the wound-"
"I just got out of the shower!" Blake growled, cheeks darkening in embarrassment.
"Yeah?" Yang asked. "How hard did you scrub at your wound? Did you use soap?"
Blake fell silent at that, turning away from Yang as she crossed her arms under her chest.
"You're such an ass." Blake cursed.
Yang hummed her agreement as she pulled the rag away, flipping it to the dry side and gently patting at her skin until it was dry.
"Turn over." Yang instructed. Blake began to comply, pushing herself up on her elbows, then she paused, fixing Yang with a stern look.
"Please."
Yang tilted her head to the side, confused for a second before realizing what Blake was asking. Her lips curled into a sly smirk.
"Blake, turn over please."
Blake gracefully rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head on her forearms as Yang's hands swiftly pulled the remainder of the bandages off her back. Taking the same cloth she used to sanitize her wound, Yang gently wiped her back clean, getting rid of any excess moisture or dirt remaining from the bandages.
"Alright, turn back over. Please." Yang added.
Turning over onto her back, Blake stared up at Yang and idly examined her features.
"So I don't think you need the whole wrap around your midsection anymore." Yang spoke quietly, leaning down to rummage through her pack. "It seems a bit overkill at this point, so I'm gonna try a single square patch. If it seems like it's bleeding through too quickly, we'll go back to the wrapping, but your injury looks pretty good so nothing short of a direct impact to your wound should cause it to bleed."
Blake exhaled softly. "That's good news, at least."
Yang gently laid a fist sized square of cotton over the injury, using a few strips of adhesive to secure it on all four sides. Gently pressing her thumbs into Blake's skin to ensure the tape sealed well, her fingers sunk into Blake's soft stomach before the girl automatically responded to the touch by tightening her core. Instantly Yang's fingers were rebuked by a solid wall of muscle, defined abs rising and falling with each breath as her creamy, flawless skin stretched tightly over impeccable curves of muscle.
"Wow... " Yang breathed quietly.
"Hmm?" Blake focused her gaze on Yang.
"Uh. Nothing. All done."
Hurriedly, Yang stuffed the unused portions of her supplies back into her bag, grabbing swiftly at the used bandages and practically flying off the bed in her haste to deposit the garbage in the waste bin near the door.
"Yang? You okay?" Blake asked, concerned at the rapid change in Yang's behaviour.
"Y-yeah. Let me know if the bandage comes loose or anything." Yang had her back to Blake, one hand on her hip as the other ran though her blonde curls.
"Okay. Um. Thanks. For your help, I mean."
"Yeah." Yang replied. To Blake's ears, she sounded distracted.
"Uh, what's the sleeping situation like?" Yang asked, slowly pulling off her leather jacket. Blake looked around the small room, then turned to address Yang's back.
"Nary a couch or foldout in sight, so unless you wanna sleep on the floor, I suppose you're bunking with me."
"Right. Well, I'm gonna take a shower. Don't bother waiting up for me." Yang said.
"... Alright." Blake said slowly. She was curious as to Yang's sudden change in attitude, but not curious enough to waste time asking about it that could be spent sleeping. Relegating Yang's strange behaviour to the back of her mind, she began shifting on the bed. Moving gingerly so as to avoid straining her stomach, she sat up fully and pulled back the blankets covering the bed. Sliding underneath as Yang disappeared into the bathroom, Blake rolled onto her side and stared at the opposite wall.
As her breathing slowed and her eyelids began to droop, she silently lamented how few hours of sleep she would get before having to set out and do it all over again.
As her eyes drifted closed and images of Weiss popped into her mind, the challenges of tomorrow suddenly didn't seem so arduous.
"I love you Weiss, so just... wait for me."
It was nearly an hour later when the hot water began to run out, replaced with an icy cold. Yang had swiftly toweled off and thrown on the baggiest, softest, most comfortable clothes in her pack, taking care to rifle through her pack as quietly as possible to avoid waking Blake.
Yang had never felt a level of exhaustion quite like this before, and a bed had never seemed so welcoming. Strange that she, used to sleeping on the ground underneath a blanket of stars, would crave the soft, warm clutches of a bed.
Peeling back the covers, she slid into bed beside her raven haired companion, taking care not to disturb her as she got comfortable on her back. Sighing in relief as her muscles began to relax, almost painfully so, she closed her eyes as Blake shifted in her sleep.
The idea of waking in a few short hours was almost painful, she thought, but at least-
Yang's eyes shot open as an arm slid across her stomach, finding her hip and clutching her tightly. A second later and Blake slid up close to her, tucking into her side and nuzzling against her shoulder.
"B-Blake?" Yang whispered. "The hell are you doing?"
Blake didn't answer, instead choosing to tighten her grip on Yang.
"Are you on drugs?" Yang whispered furiously, attempting to roll over to confront Blake. As she twisted around to face Blake, her ears caught the sounds of a muted whimper and a mumbled name.
Yang paused, and her indignation and discomfort faded at once as she realized that Blake was still asleep and not putting the moves on her. Settling back down, she got herself comfortable on her side before tentatively putting her arm around Blake's shoulders and hugging her close.
Blake sniffled softly in her sleep, and Yang felt her heart aching for the girl as she realized she could feel a dampness soaking through her shirt.
Blake was crying in her sleep, Weiss' name on her lips.
Yang sighed softly as she pulled the sleeping girl tighter to her chest, pain slashing through heart as Blake began shaking in her arms, tortured sobs escaping her as she cried Weiss' name over and over.
A panic of the sort Yang had never experienced before swiftly overcame her as Blake trembled in her arms like a leaf in a hurricane. Unsure of what to do, Yang froze up, resigning herself to holding the girl until she had cried herself out.
Blake showed no sign of calming down however as her breath caught in her throat, broken sobs and whispers of her girlfriend's name ringing painfully in Yang's ears. Yang tried to quell the panic rising in her chest, gently tightening her grip on Blake's seemingly small, fragile body.
Yang held the girl for a few more minutes before Blake's heart wrenching sobs got the better of her, and Yang buried her nose in Blake's hair, kissing the top of her head and humming softly in an attempt to calm her down as she ignored her own tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Instantly the soft humming had an effect, and Blake's harsh sobs lessened in intensity. Her fists, tightly clenching Yang's shirt, slowly relaxed, and Yang felt the stiff girl begin to relax in her arms.
Her heart aching painfully for Blake and the sorrow she had to endure, Yang gently wrapped her leg around Blake's, pressing their bodies as tightly together as she could manage, desperate to give Blake every shred of comfort she could muster. She continued humming every soft lullaby she could think of, trying to calm herself down as she inhaled the clean scent of Blake.
Blake pressed her forehead against Yang's chest, nuzzling against her softly as her body gently trembled and shook with the occasional sob.
It was nearly an hour later when Yang felt comfortable enough to allow herself to fall asleep, confident that Blake wouldn't have any more bad dreams. With her fingers greedily clutching Blake to her, their bare skin pressing together in a meeting of too hot and freezing cold, Yang felt herself drifting off to sleep, lulled into unconsciousness by the feeling of her travelling partner pressed tightly against her.