Disclaimer: All character belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Co-Authored with ToxicExotic

Obsessions

There were only a few things that would cause Ruby to remove her cloak. Sleeping, though not all the time. Exams, but only because she was forced to. Showering, because it was a pain to dry. And lastly, because it was too hot. As much as she loved her cloak, it was definitely not the most comfortable thing in the world to have a pseudo-scarf wrapped around your neck on a warm day, or in the forge. And since that was where she would be spending a vast majority of the afternoon, the bright red fabric had been hung up on a hook by the door.

The fires of Beacon's forge were so much hotter than the old one back at Signal. At signal, it would have taken a few hours for the forge to start up since it wasn't as well funded, but Beacon had so much more money, and so much more Dust, that the forge was always ready in less than ten minutes. Unfortunately, since it was powered by Dust, she would have to be very careful with her materials so as to not cause a chain reaction. Even with the safety measures in place, an explosion would hurt like hell. She knew that from experience.

So letting out a breath and wiping her already slightly sweaty forehead, she sat down on the bench and began to check that everything was properly arranged. Normally an explosion would be fine, as painful as it was, since the materials she was working with were either relatively inexpensive or easily obtained from the school's supply. But that wasn't the case this time. No, this time, she was working with material that had cost her half of the reward money she had received from the Hellk bounty.

She'd never worked with Dustal before. The material was extremely finicky due to its specialised property of being able to absorb and mimic the properties of Dust, and mishandling it and getting Dust from the forge onto the metal would mean a single strike of the hammer would cause it to explode. It also couldn't be melted down, so the only way to really make anything from it was by striking it into shape. But that really didn't bother her since she would never use a mold for Crescent Rose's blades anyway. For the smaller parts and casings, definitely. But never for the blades.

So, making doubly sure that everything was set up, Ruby shrugged her shoulders to loosen them up and prepared to get to work. However, just as she was about to place the Dustal near the heat, the door opened and someone walked in. Stood in the entryway wearing his usual fedora and tailcoat was Flynt Coal.

"Sorry, didn't know this was being used. Sign wasn't flipped."

"Dammit. I knew I forgot something."

"S'all goo…" Though there was a smile on his face, his eyes were looking directly at the block of Dustal she was about to put into the heat. "Ya probably shouldn't do that."

"Huh?" Ruby asked confused, looking back at the block of metal. "But the book says it's fine so long as you keep it far enough away from the Dust."

"Maybe if ya got a personal forge that's made for Dustal. Not that one where Dust can pop and spray randomly."

At that, a little worry set in and she immediately pulled it back. Flynt was right that Dust was very unpredictable sometimes, and since the boy seemed to have more experience with both Dust and the metal, she trusted his words and set it back down.

"Soooo, what do I do?"

"Hmm."

The brightly coloured boy moved over to a nearby wall and pressed a few buttons on a panel. Three drawers popped out, and after a minute of searching within them, he pulled out a block of clay, followed by a small crystal of water Dust.

"Thin layer of that around it should do the trick."

"Thanks." She smiled, taking the materials from him and getting to work on what he'd suggested. "You can stay if you want? There's plenty of room; and as Weiss says, it's better to learn from someone who knows what they're doing."

"Don't think she'd be too happy 'bout you learning from me." He laughed, moving toward a seat on the other side of the furnace anyway.

"Well… I would ask her, since she is the only person I know that uses Dustal in her weapon, but she's busy studying."

"Still freaking out that I beat her score, huh?" Ruby shot the boy a look, and his chuckle died out the second it began. "So, Weiss' Rapier has Dustal?"

"Mhm." She hummed, ignoring his earlier bragging. "Dustal core and engravings. It's how the Dust travels through it."

"Huh. Should've figured she'd have the best out there."

Ruby could hardly deny that Myrtensater was a gorgeous weapon. Though it was certainly nowhere near as beautiful as Crescent Rose, nor would anything ever be in Ruby's mind, its elegant simplicity and craftsmanship was a marvel to behold. From the expertly forged blade that was able to withstand a lot of damage and cut through Grimm like butter, to the revolver cylinder that gave Weiss control over the elements. It's design was as close to perfection as any weapon she'd ever seen. Not that she was allowed to see it from very close.

While many of Weiss' do not touch rules were rather flexible, the one regarding her precious rapier was not. Touching it for anything other than an emergency ran a very high risk of being thrown across the room by a glyph, or being on the receiving end of the weapon itself. Of all the things the heiress owned, Weiss seemed to love none of them as much as her weapon. And Ruby knew why that was. Not only had the girl modeled after her sister's weapon, but Winter had helped both forge and design it as well; and with just how much Weiss revered her older sister, it was easy to see just why she loved Myrtenaster so much.

"Well, she may have the best materials, but she definitely doesn't have the best weapon."

"True that. Symphony here is way more elegant."

He pulled the silver trumpet from behind his back and gave it a small spin. As someone who used what many considered to be an odd weapon, she definitely appreciated the choice to use an instrument as a weapon. However…

"Pffft." She scoffed playfully and stuck out her tongue. "Crescent Rose is better than both."

"Sure it is" He chuckled as he started to dismantle the weapon.

Though she would normally always be happy to discuss how her scythe was better than other weapons, those discussions were usually very passionate and took a while. And since she was supposed to be focusing on an upgrade for said weapon, it certainly wouldn't be a good idea to get involved in one at that time. So letting it slide, just that once, she finished lathering the clay over the metal and held it up to Flynt.

"Is this good?" She turned it over slowly so that he could see all sides.

"That'll work."

Giving the boy a nod, she secured her tongs around the ingot and gently lowered it into the forge. At the same time, Flynt placed a small crucible with some steel inside underneath. Closing the shield so that she could finally deactivate her aura, she sat back down on her stool and let out a breath. It would take a good nine minutes to be heated to a point where she could start to work it.

"Sooo…" She hummed awkwardly. "How're you enjoying Vale? Better than Atlas?"

"Depends which part of Atlas you mean." The boy shrugged. "Atlas itself, way better. Mantle though, not sure."

"Really what's so different about them?"

Flynt looked up from his mould with a raised eyebrow, clearly thinking she was joking.

"You serious?"

She pressed the tips of her fingers together nervously. "I… don't really know much about Atlas."

"Ya partner's from there?"

"She doesn't really talk about home much." Ruby admitted. "Think she chose Beacon for a reason."

"Huh." He seemed a little taken aback by that answer, but quickly recovered. "Well, the differences are like night and day. Atlas is where all the fatcats are, the white collars and stuck up elites. The ones who make all the decisions and live carefree. Mantle is where anyone who ain't that lives. The poor, the faunus, the workers who keep Atlas going. The ones that're actually affected by the decisions people in Atlas make. One lives in luxury yet has no style, the other in squalor but lives every day like it's their last. Real simple."

"O-Oh…" Ruby felt a little put off by that answer. She knew there was some imbalance between the two cities, but had never thought it was that big. "Is the difference really that big?"

"Let's just say when the council chose to make Atlas float, they took the farms with them. Mantle relies on Atlas for most of its food, Atlas relies on Mantle for its Dust. Difference is, you can survive longer without one than you can without the other."

"That isn't right." Ruby mumbled. "I mean, people are supposed to be working together and stuff, but you make it sound like they don't give you food?"

"Well, technically no; but it ain't too far off. There's a reason Atlas is at the top and Mantle at the bottom. Atlas comes first. They get more of the materials and food, we get the leftovers. That's how they keep us in line."

"That's awful." Ruby grumbled, struggling to believe that things could really be that bad. But then again, she remembered how Ivori had treated Weiss at the start of the semester, and how Weiss could be a little snooty towards Flynt. "Is that why you and Ivori don't like Weiss?" She asked.

The boy let out a slow sigh and lifted the shield to remove the crucible from the forge with a set of tongs, but quickly lowered it back down. Very gently, he poured the molten steel into the sand cast and watched it for a second. Before the silence could go on for too long, he sat back down and shook his head.

"Ivori has his own reasons to hate Atlas." Flynt said, some heaviness to his voice. "I don't share 'em, but he ain't exactly wrong about 'em either. But me? I don't dislike Weiss. I used to. Used to think she was just as stuck up as everyone else up there, typical rich kid; but after that fight in the tournament, after that move she pulled, ain't nobody in Atlas who'd take that kind of risk for a simple fight. Aura or not, that was still a fire spout."

"Weiss is kinda a rich girl." Ruby smiled, knowing just how prissy her partner could be at times. "But she just seems like someone who wants to be a normal girl to me. If you don't hate her, why do you try to annoy her so much?"

"Honestly?" Ruby gave a nod. "I don't know. Maybe it's fun to see her drop the rich girl attitude. Maybe I just like knowing I'm better with Dust. But I know she's got a musician's heart, I saw the fire in her at the party. So maybe I just like stoking the coals a little, and seeing who she really is under all the lace and harsh walls she puts up."

"Well I think you should lay off a bit." Ruby said honestly, trying her best to not sound mean. "It might not look like it, but Weiss is under a lot of pressure from her dad. She doesn't want to be studying all the time because I know she likes to have fun, but she doesn't really have a choice. And I don't like that she makes herself ill by studying all night because you show off and taunt her."

After looking at her with studious eyes for a few seconds, Flynt dropped his gaze to the cast and placed four ice crystals around it. Holding out a hand, he let a small amount of aura pulse out along them. A small mist arose from all of them and Ruby knew the metal inside would be cooling a lot quicker. With the gentle decrease in temperature, the cast would harden much quicker.

"Ya probably right." He said, not breaking his focus from the Dust. "Like my dad used to say. Creativity is like Dust. You need to be gentle with it, encourage its change, but never try to force it. If you do…"

He gave a flick of his finger, and one of the crystals split down the middle, a trail of snow spilling out across the table.

"You'll just end up making a mess. Guess I forgot that. My bad."

Giving the jazz player a small smile, since she knew he didn't really mean to be causing harm, Ruby stood up and activated her aura. "It's fine," she said kindly, picking up her tongs. "Are you still willing to help me with this?"

Receiving a smile in return, she lifted the shield and gently pulled the metal out of the forge. She knew she wouldn't have too long to get some of it done before it went back in, so quickly transferred it over to the anvil and reached out for her hammer. She knew her arm was going to be sore by the end of the day, but it would definitely be worth it.

"Why are you making me come here?" Coco let out a small grumble, dragging her feet along the floor as Velvet pulled on her hand. "It stinks."

"It smells nice." Velvet replied with a chuckle. "It smells like books."

"Exactly. I've had enough of books." She growled. "I swear, if Professor Greene gives us one more book assignment, I'm gonna have Fox do whatever he likes as a prank."

Watching her gorgeous girlfriend shake her head at the obviously empty threat, Coco let out another groan. Second year had been gruelling so far, and had only become more so since the new semester. It felt like every class had a new piece of assigned reading, and the coursework had to be at least double that which they'd been given before. It had been so much that outside of training, she'd barely been able to leave the room on most days. And since her nose had been buried in a book for most of the time, she was really beginning to hate the smell.

"You would never do that." The adorable little faunus chuckled. "You respect the teachers too much."

It was true. If there was one thing Coco could respect over all others, it was a good leader; and though Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were leaders of the school, the other teachers were equally impressive. Doctor Oobleck had been a leader of his own team back when he was a student, leading his team to the top of their year with an intelligent approach to almost any situation. Professor Greene was a leading expert of Grimm evasion, Professor Peach was the same but in plant studies and had helped uncover new medicines. Even Professor Port.

While many considered his stories to be exaggerated, Coco knew they weren't. She remembered when he had arrived to extract them from their failed mission. The man had gone toe-to-toe with a Goliath and shown absolutely no fear. Even in the face of such overwhelming danger, the man that many looked down on as an old fool had remained calm and decisive. As a leader herself, Coco admired that. Admired all of them. Especially Professor Goodwitch, who apart from being drop dead gorgeous, was like a force of nature. She'd only ever seen the older woman fight once, but the way she handled combat and guided everybody around to safety at the same time was something she would never forget.

"That's true." She sighed, deciding to fall in line with her girlfriend before she was giving to completely unfair puppy dog eyes. "Still tempted though."

"I'm sure Yang will be more than willing to reward you when we are done." Velvet giggled, reaching out to push open the door to the library.

Feeling a little mischievous, Coco reached out and grasped the handle, keeping the door firmly shut. Since they were alone in the hallways, not that she'd have cared if a hundred people were around, she placed a hand on her girlfriend's hip and spun her around. The girl fell back against the door with a wide smile on her face.

"And maybe something from you too?"

"Maybe."

Not satisfied with that answer, Coco pressed in and captured the thin lips of her girlfriend, reveling in the heat that rushed through her. As shy and innocent as Velvet was around other people, Coco knew that definitely was not the case. Though the girl liked to tease, her desires were just the same as hers and Yang's, probably even a little stronger. So it didn't surprise Coco at all that a hand landed on her stomach, the fingers gripping the fabric and pulling her closer. Felling a grin pull at her lips, she broke the kiss and looked down at the incredibly sexy faunus she considered herself lucky to be dating.

"Maybe only gets me through half a book." She grinned.

"Hmm." The hand dropped from her stomach and reached behind her to pry her finder from the handle. "Then maybe you'll get the other maybe when you start the second half of it." She said teasingly, pushing her away and opening the door to slip inside.

She let out a little laugh, enjoying the little game that the faunus liked to play, and quickly pulled the door open to slip inside too. The smell of old paper and wood immediately hit her, one sending her back to the dorm where she was constantly studying, the other to a small cupboard in her parents' house. Thankfully, the library wasn't a tiny space like that was, so she easily shrugged off the memory of that day.

Quickly finding Velvet near the stealth section, she was happy to feel the girl's hand slide into hers, the fingers weaving between her own. It was always nice that Velvet and Yang could easily tell when her mind was on that day, and that their first action was to always let her know she wasn't alone. It was a small thing that really meant a lot to her.

"Here." The faunus handed over a large book and Coco looked at the cover.

"Cute." She chuckled, passing Stealth for Dummies back to her girlfriend as reaching up for the distinctly purple they'd been told to look for. "I'm gonna go find us a table."

"Okay. I'll be over in a minute."

She let go of the hand as Velvet scanned the shelf for other books, and moved to find a spare table. Unfortunately, a majority of them were filled with third and fourth years, whose workload was undoubtedly enormous. While first and second years did have end of year assessments, they were simply to see how the students were progressing. The real tests started in the third year, and Coco knew they were super strenuous.

She remembered during her final month of her first year when a fourth year girl had practically broken down and shouted at everyone for an hour about how none of it mattered. She hadn't been the only one either, a handful of students had broken down and become super depressed, but they'd all recovered and passed from what she understood. If she was honest with herself, it was definitely not a time she was looking forward to experiencing.

Thankfully, there was one table available with only one person sitting at it. With who it was, it certainly didn't surprise her. Very few people dared bother Weiss while she was studying, since the Schnee would shout them down without hesitation, but what Coco was staring at was likely making most of the people a lot more frightened. Instead of studying like she normally was, Weiss' head was resting against her arm on top of the open book, her eyes closed and the soft rhythm of her breathing showing that she was fast asleep. From what Yang had been saying, the heiress had been studying even more then she herself had, and it seemed to have finally caught up with her.

Coco had never been too sure what to make of Weiss. The girl seemed a lot like Yatsu in that she was actually a good person, just subjected to a lot of bad practises. However, as opposed to Yatsu, Weiss tended to have a mean streak to her that often overflowed. By no means did Coco dislike Weiss, but there were definitely moments that caused her own aggression to trigger; such as when she made a remark that was particularly unsavory. Fortunately, just like Yatsu, those slips were always accidental and the girl tried her best to make things right.

The biggest thing about the girl though was that Coco knew Yang loved her. The blonde was just as protective of Weiss as she was Ruby or Blake, and while she knew Yang wouldn't end things for not getting along with the heiress, she knew how much it would mean to the boxer if they did. So, with a small sigh, she walked over to the table and silently sat down on the opposite side and opened her book, careful not to wake her up.

Five minutes later, Velvet quietly slipped into the chair next to her, two more books in her hands. With a glance at the sleeping girl, a small smile pulled at her lips.

"Hard to believe she's a warrior." Velvet whispered.

"Mhm," Coco hummed, her eyes glancing up from her page. The sleeping beauty certainly did seem to be on the dainty side, but so did Velvet when she slept. "Looks can be deceiving. She beat you, remember."

"I remember. I just meant…"

"That she looks less angry."

"Worried." Velvet corrected her. "She always looks like she's carrying this huge weight on her shoulders. It's nice to see her relaxed."

"I guess." Coco could definitely agree there. "Shame it goes away when she's awake. Girl really needs to tell her dad to shove it."

"We both know why she can't." Velvet let out a sad sigh. "Just wish she didn't feel like she has to be perfect all the time, you know."

"She knows she doesn't." Coco reasoned, taking her girlfriend's hand. "Yang and the others show her that. She just forgets sometimes."

"I kn…"

BANG!

The loud sound of a heavy book slamming into the floor echoed around the quiet room. Almost immediately, as the librarian descended upon the girl who dropped it, Coco saw Weiss sit up straight in the corner of her eyes. Turning back to face her, she saw worry in the heiress' eyes while she took in her surroundings, but as soon as she got her bearings, the standard annoyance seeped its way in more with each blink.

"Welcome back." Coco smiled, returning to her book and blocking out the sound of the student getting scolded.

"Why didn't you wake me?" The girl asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"What? No thanks for watching over you?" Coco replied, earning a scowl from the cranky girl. Giving a sigh, she shrugged and placed her book down. "From what I've heard, you needed the nap."

"Well whatever Yang told you is wrong!" Weiss snapped and stood up to gather her things.

"Watch your tone, Schnee." Coco growled, her voice low. The girl may have gotten away with talking down to other people, but it was something Coco definitely wouldn't put up with.

"She's just worried about you, Weiss."

"I don't need people worrying about me. I need to get my grades up."

"Weiss, yo…"

Velvet stopped talking as the sound of wood scraping on tile echoed around them. Tired of the attitude, Coco had slammed her foot into the seat of the chair Weiss has just tucked under. It flew back by a good few feet, stopping in the perfect position for what she wanted. She wasn't going to let Weiss dismiss Yang's kindness without a few words of her own.

"Sit down!" Weiss looked like she was about to defy her, so she pulled off her sunglasses and leaned forward. "Before I sit you down."

Though the girl still looked like she was about to ignore the request, a second later she reconsidered. Weiss clearly remembered that she had yet to win a sparring match between them, and likely knew she wouldn't be winning while tired, so let out a small sigh and sat down. Coco saw Velvet's ear droop a little next to her, but she couldn't be concerned about that. The girl always liked to try and do things as non-confrontational as possible, but that just wasn't going to work this time.

"Now you listen here, Schnee!" She said firmly. "I've met people like you. My first year here, there was a fourth year just like you. Smartest kid in his classes because he'd spend every day studying, barely leaving the library and always putting his team second, even when they tried to bond with him. But when his finals came around, he'd pushed everyone away and had no-one to turn to. And then he cracked. Lost his cool and dropped out."

"Now I get that your life is tough at the minute. That your dad is a colossal asshat and putting a lot of pressure on you, but if you keep on pushing yourself like this, you're gonna end up just like that fourth year. However, unlike him, you do have people who care for you, who would do anything to help you. And what do you think is gonna happen if you go out into the field exhausted like this and fuck up? Do you think it's going to be you who gets hurt? Or the people who try to protect you?"

Weiss didn't answer, but her eyes softened and she looked down at her lap.

"Exactly." Coco breathed, leaning back in her seat again. "Now I suggest you start thinking about what you're going to be. Are you going to be the girl who burns herself out and gets her friends hurt because her father demands the unreasonable? Or the one who shows some actual intelligence and does what she wants to do with her life?"

Yet again, Weiss didn't answer; but Coco could see that she was definitely thinking. Allowing her to think, she pushed her sunglasses back over her eyes and lifted her book to show that the conversation had finished. Under the table, Velvet's hand slipped into her own, and she gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry." Weiss groaned a minute later. "For snapping."

"It's fine. Like I said, I know you're under a lot of stress, but you should really fix that."

"It really isn't good to be studying all the time, Weiss." Velvet added kindly. "Spend some time with your team, with your friends."

Letting out a low sigh, the girl gave an understanding nod and slowly rose from her chair. Watching Weiss gather her books in silence, Coco hoped she had gotten through to the heiress because, in truth, she'd become a little tired of the rare free time she had with Yang always starting with her worries about Weiss. While she was more than willing to listen, it had become a little grating that Weiss seemed to always be throwing away her team's attempts to socialise. Thankfully, as the girl finished packing her bag, she gave them a weak smile before she walked away.

"That was nice of you." Velvet said and leaned onto her shoulder.

"Was it?" Coco was genuinely unsure. As much as the girl needed a talking to, she hoped she hadn't taken it too far.

"Mhm. Though I know that every fourth year student passed their exams last year."

"Yeah, well." Coco wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's shoulder and gave her a small grin. "She doesn't need to know that, does she?"

"I guess not."

A small chuckle filled the air as the bunny laughed at the little white lie, and Coco felt a smug smirk pull at her lips. The only thing that could have made the moment better was if Yang was on her other side throwing puns left and right; but nevertheless, by her standards, Velvet was still more than most people deserved anyway, so it was more than enough for her.

Weiss walked slowly down the empty hallway, the sounds of laughter drifting through open doors as teams mingled with each other. To many, it was a happy sound, bringing a smile to their faces and brightening their days; but to her, it was painful. Painful because it was something she struggled so much with, something that had never come naturally to her. And no matter how good things started to feel, she would always slip back into her old habits.

It had happened again, as it always did. Despite her father not even contacting her, the fact that Flynt had beaten her test score had made her worried. Worried that she would be taken away from her friends. Her family. After all, there were still three more months until she turned eighteen, until she was able to stay at Beacon without her father's permission. But even then, he would still have power over her.

Nobody seemed to understand though. They all talked like she was only aiming to take over the company because it's what her father wants of her, but that had never been the case. She wanted the company, she always had. It had never been something forced on her, she'd never been an unwilling heiress. And as much as she loved Yang and Blake, and much as she knew they were trying to help, she wished they would accept the fact that she could never be free of him. The only person who seemed to understand was Ruby.

But Coco was right. Once again her nature had taken over, and she delved a little too deeply into studying. While it definitely wasn't the hardest she'd ever crammed, the fact she'd fallen asleep in the library was a clear clue that she needed to slow it down a little. But there was still so much to do. The test had been more difficult than she'd expected, and the fact that Flynt got a question right that had completely stumped her showed just how much more she had left to learn.

However, even as she thought those words, a stifled yawn escaped her and she rubbed her hands over her eyes. She was so tired, and Coco's words were still ringing in her ears. It was hard not to admit that the second year had been right. If she were even half as tired as she currently was while on a mission, she would be putting the entire team at risk, and she didn't want that. She didn't want to get the people she loved hurt. So, as she suppressed another yawn, she settled on having a proper nap when she arrived back at her room. Thankfully it was just down the hall, so wouldn't she have to wait long.

When she pushed the door open though, she was met with a small surprise. Nothing was in the same place as when she'd left. Instead of the beds being on either side of the window on the far wall, they were now laid flat against the right wall on either side of the bathroom door. Just as usual, they were set up as precariously hung bunk beds and the chest of drawers for their clothes stood at the feet of the bottom bunk. The couch that had been in the room for nearly two weeks rested against the wall the beds used to. Next to the entrance itself were the desks, all pushed together and covered in a small mound of books and loose papers.

It confused her at first, but then she remembered she'd instructed Yang to move the room around if she wanted to keep the couch. She hadn't actually expected the girl to do it. As she looked around the room's new layout though, a mess of blonde hair poked out from Ruby's top bunk, which was covered in a few blankets that blocked the occupiers from sight.

"Heeey, Dust Angel." Yang grinned down at her.

"No." Weiss replied at Yang's ever frustrating attempt at finding a nickname for her.

"Aww, thought you'd like that one."

"Hey partner." Ruby's head appeared from behind the curtain. "How was the library?"

"Fine."

"Awesome. Wanna join us in the blanket fort?"

"You do know how childish that sounds, right?"

"Yup." The silver eyes warrior beamed down at her, completely unashamed. "It's nice and cozy though."

From how many times the reaper had dragged her into a blanket fort before, she knew that was absolutely the case.

"I think this little guy here wants to join us too. Isn't that right, Allie?"

Looking down as Yang reached out, she saw the girl run her hand through the shining white fur of a small summoned beowolf that was looking up at the bunk. She was so tired that she hadn't even realised she'd summoned it, but it had practically become instinct to summon something when in the dorm as it was the perfect time to practise her aura regeneration.

"Please stop naming my summons." Weiss sighed, shrinking the beast's size a little so that it was less draining.

"If you join us in the fort, I promise to not name any others."

Normally Weiss would have resisted a little more, especially since she knew Yang was lying, but she was so tired and just wanted to rest. And try as she might, she could hardly think of a better place to relax than a warm bed that was likely to be filled with not only blankets, but a girl who was practically a walking furnace. So giving a low sigh, she shook her head and made her way over, kicking off her shoes and arranging them by the desks. When she finally climbed into the childish fort, she saw Blake sat in the corner reading a book, an intrigued look on her face that showed she didn't want to be disturbed.

"Nora would be so jealous right now." Ruby chuckled proudly as she threw the blankets closed again.

The second they were closed, Weiss reformed the beowolf pup between the four of them and laid back next to her partner, tucking herself into the bed.

"You look like you're about to crash for a week." Blake said bluntly, barely looking up from her book.

"I feel like it too." Weiss admitted.

"Great thing about blanket forts is you can sleep in them." Ruby grinned.

"You sure?"

"We'll wake you up for dinner." Yang said, reaching out again to pet the wolf. "Just rest, you've earned it."

Had it been anybody else, any other team, Weiss would have refused. Even a year ago, she would never have believed that he could feel so comfortable around a group of people, but she did with her team. So giving them a small nod of her head, she turned to her normal sleeping side and closed her eyes. It was quick to come, but still, even before she finally succumbed to it, she felt a hand comfortingly stroke through her hair, just as Winter had done when they were younger.

Raalm's Note

Hello all, just a short note from me today.

Another semi-serious chapter for you this time. We mainly wanted to sort out some of the issues that have been going on with Weiss in the background, and show how she still easily falls into those deeply ingrained habits. We had Ruby be a little more stern since she felt Flynt was hurting her friend. Was just a little bit to show how much she cares, so I hope you enjoyed stern Ruby. We also decided to show a little more of Coco and Velvet outside of Yang to give them a little more personality, so I hope you liked that too. Anyways, that it from me. Thank you for reading.

Also, just another small thing I wanted to add. We actually write a lot of this in advance. Right now, I am currently working on chapter 41, and I know a few people have been holding back on criticism. I just want to say if you have any issues with the story, or the characters, then please don't hesitate to tell us. We are very receptive to criticism, and are willing to do things to address it, but we can't do that if we don't know what needs addressing.