Chapter 23
Lonely is the Night
Although the sun was beginning to set on The City of Vale it and its citizens refused to succumb to the unrelenting darkness. Lights illuminated every street of a city that never slept, and at night the winding yellow brick roads shined throughout the city like luminescent gold drawing all eyes to the cliffs of Beacon where the Emerald Tower stood brighter than ever as reassurance to the citizens of Vale that they could safely go about their business without fear.
Since the city's breaching earlier that month all air taxis had been grounded at night meaning the only bullheads flying through the air at the moment were military grade and mostly belonging to the northern kingdom of Atlas. For the students of Beacon Academy this meant a particularly arduous journey to and from the city at night, and expensive if taking a conventional taxi, but for Yang Xiao Long it was just as thrilling an adventure as the first time she stumbled back to the dorm inebriated, only this time she wasn't alone.
Even impaired it was without any real effort that she carried her unconscious baby sister on her back just as she'd done since they were kids, but finding the correct door to their room was another matter, as was using her key card to open it. On her sixth door and fourth attempt the correct door finally opened and a little ball of black and white fur leaped off Weiss' bed barking in excitement as the pack returned from yet another successful hunt.
"Stay," commanded the pack leader, who held up his fellow up by the scruff of her neck so that her back paws dangled off the ground occasionally twitching.
Zwei obeyed and sat when gestured to do so, and his head followed Ruby's every movement as she was jerked around like a squeaky toy before being thrown.
"Good boy," Yang said in fluent puppy talk. "You want your Ruby!? Do you want your Ruby!?"
He gave an affirmative bark and licked his chops in anticipation watching Ruby swing side to side from her hood.
"Alright then..." She raised Ruby over her head and aimed her toward the top bunk as though she were a lawn dart. "FETCH!"
The caped-girl sailed through the air as quickly as if she had been running, and along the way a corgi leaped up and latched itself onto her skirt. Yang flinched as her sister's right knee violently struck the foot board causing the bed to nearly collapse, but when she didn't hear any agonized moans or sounds of tiny bones being crushed she sighed with relief at yet another job well done.
A few moments later Zwei's head poked out from underneath his fellow pup, and with the help of the pack leader freed himself and began the ritualistic task of cleaning the younger's face, starting with her ears and nostrils.
Giggling to herself Yang took off her sister's boots, socks, bandages, and ammo belt, and undid her cross pendants so that her cape would make for a better blanket. Not completely satisfied with the job Zwei was doing she licked her thumb and cleaned a spot on her chin, and realizing his negligence the corgi shifted down to take over. Yang then began loosening the back of Ruby's corset and fussing over her pillow making sure she was comfortable and everything was just right, only to change her mind and do it all over again afterward.
Once she was finally satisfied and acknowledge that even her sober self couldn't have done any better she ruffled her sister's hair. "Thanks for making this the best birthday ever, Rubes," she whispered, kissing her atop the head.
For a brief moment Yang seriously contemplated helping her sister into pajamas or a SDC bathrobe so that she'd be even more comfortable and wouldn't wake up feeling grimy in day old clothes, but that was just the excuse she told herself. In reality she was more concerned about her sister's injuries and how they were healing, or not in this case. Seeing a rare opportunity however she couldn't resist playing with her toes and saying the little piggy nursery rhyme, but even barely touching them caused Ruby to flinch in her sleep, and it was with great disappointment that Yang stopped.
As she gazed at Ruby's tattered, admittedly disgusting feet she began wondering what she might've been hiding underneath her many layers of loose fitting clothing. Both she and her sister had helped each other get dressed and undressed countless times both conscious and unconscious, but due to the extreme measures Ruby had taken to conceal the full extent of her injuries Yang knew it would be a violation of trust not easily forgiven.
For huntsmen and especially huntsmen in-training, trust between yourself and the people you shared your soul with was to be respected above anything else, but Yang was first and foremost a big sister and had never much respected privacy, especially where her sister and friends' safety was concerned. However, with the very real possibility of Blake, Weiss, and possibly even herself needing their hair held back while they vomited in the toilet later that night and tomorrow morning, she thought it best to stay on her sister's good side, at least for now.
"Finally!" cried a pair of anguished voices entering the room. Yang turned just as dozens of department store bags were dropped onto the floor with many of their contents spilling out, and saw Blake and Weiss doubled over struggling to breathe.
"Something the matter?" she asked not-so-innocently, slurring her words slightly. "You two look like you could use a drink."
Blake snarled, and muttering something to herself made her way over toward the fridge. "Next time," she rasped, "how about the girl with super strength helps carry the bags?"
"Somebody had to carry Ruby back up here, and don't the both of you technically have super strength?" Yang smiled and glanced at the wiry heiress whose body was trembling with exhaustion.
"As a matter of fact yes," she wheezed, "but that doesn't mean we can carry four girls' worth of shopping from the front gate all the way back to the room!"
"Apparently it does because you're both standing here. Well, sorta..."
Weiss opened her mouth to argue but must've thought better of it when she nearly toppled over. After she had righted herself she gave Yang one last disgusted glare before navigating her way over toward Blake who handed her a bottle of water.
"Alright, so here's the plan!" Yang clapped her hands together and began bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. "Step one has been an unmitigated success. I present Exhibit-A!" She waved dramatically toward her sister whose open mouth was currently occupied by Zwei's snout. "On to phase two!"
Only after draining her entire bottle did Blake glance at Ruby and the faunus-eating hellhound then back at the smug blonde. "What plan?" she asked, sounding not the least bit enthused. "And can we not have another argument about the differences between steps and phases? I came this close to strangling all three of you last time."
"For the record I won that argument, and I'm talking about the plan where I let my baby sister have a strawberry sunrise all to herself, and while she sleeps it off we go celebrate the once in a lifetime occasion of my eighteenth birthday."
Weiss rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips unamused, the remnants of her bottle dripping from her chin. "Well you two have a grand time. I'll be staying here making sure your sister doesn't choke on her own vomit later."
"Rubes will be fine. She's just tuckered out after a big day and a relaxing drink is all. Isn't that right?" She grabbed her sister's head and made it nod affirmatively.
Sneaking past Weiss' 'Go to hell' stare in case it finally sent her there, Blake grabbed several armfuls of bags containing her belongings and stacked them out of the way beside her bed. Weiss followed suit soon after, even taking the time to put a few of her new belongings in their proper places, something the other girls likely wouldn't do for at least another week.
"Hey, listen," Yang said, suddenly serious and no longer slurring or leaning awkwardly. "I may be a cool enough big sis to let Ruby sip from my drink, but I'd never let her come clubbing where we're going, unless she really wanted to of course. She barely survived walking from one store to another in the mall today, and this way she'll get a good night sleep and won't even know we're gone."
"Nobility, thy name is Yang," Blake deadpanned, though from her partner's abrupt change in attitude and demeanor she knew Yang was being serious and had actually planned this out.
Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Even if I wanted to go, which I don't, I'm not eighteen yet which means I can't legally drink. And neither can Blake for that matter."
"Actually..." she drawled, retrieving her wallet and pulling out two IDs. "I've got a fake ID that says my eighteenth birthday was back in September, and another that I used to get into clubs back when I first got to the city. B-but only because I was pickpocketing the pickpockets!"
Yang gave her playful wink and nod before glancing at the cards. "Kali Amitola," she read aloud. "Friend of yours?"
Blake quickly stuffed the IDs back into her wallet blushing. "N-no, well not exactly..." She paused expecting Weiss to continue the previous conversation but something must've peaked her interest, and Yang was staring at her as though she were ready for a bedtime story. "Kali's a uh, um popular girl's name back home! Yes, and Ilia Amitola was um, a friend, just a friend, back when I was with the White Fang. I-I, uh, sorta recruited her actually..."
Both girls fell silent with Yang staring at her sympathetically but also curiously while Weiss became noticeably rigid and uncomfortable, and Blake shook her head as if shaking the entire conversation off. "And for the record," she said in her most patronizing manner possible, "I'm pretty sure I'm actually eighteen, if not nineteen already."
Her words and condescending tone seemed to have the desired effect as they both huffed indignantly wanting nothing more to do with the conversation.
"Okay," Weiss said, tapping her foot, "that's fine for you, but what about me?"
"Oh, I got it! Why don't you just use one of Blake's fake IDs? We'll dress you up like her and you'll be good to go!"
Weiss blinked unimpressed. "Except I'm almost half a foot shorter than her..."
"Almost?" Blake chuckled to herself as Weiss shot her a dirty look, which she made a great show of having to glance down to even see.
"Our eyes, hair, and even skins tones are also completely different."
"Maybe they won't look," Yang the ever optimist suggested. "All we got to do is get you contact lenses, a wig, platform shoes, and a lot spray tan and you'll look like sisters that actually look like each other!"
Weiss let out a frustrated groan and began massaging the side of her head.
"Ruby got into 'The Crow Bar' just fine, didn't she?"
"Only because your uncle owns the place and apparently put the bartender's kids through college, and because you practically smuggled her in."
"Did Ruby buy any drinks? No, which means nobody broke any laws."
"She's still technically a minor," Blake pointed out, " which means it actually was illegal for her to be there."
"You also seduced multiple men into buying the drinks for you..."
Yang batted her eyelashes innocently. "All I did was take my jacket off and say that I was thirsty. It's not my fault that I turn horny guys into gentlemen."
"Yeah, sure, that's what happened..."
"Can we please stay on the topic at hand!?" Weiss snapped. "I'm heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and it would be irresponsible of me to be seen at some morally depraved night club. And as much as I'd love for Father to hear the details of how I'm enjoying my time in Vale, I'd rather not see myself on the cover of one of your trashy gossip magazines. There's also the matter of us going into a part of the city where a considerable amount of faunus want me dead, and just because I'm a destitute, fly by night millionaire I highly doubt that would deter some degenerate from trying to rob me."
"She makes a good point actually," Blake said. "A few months ago I would've robbed her in a heartbeat, and a year or so ago might've even tried to kill her."
"Thanks..."
She grinned at the heiress to show that she was just teasing, but uncertainty twinkled in both their eyes which caused them to quickly glance away. "They also just showed all of our faces on the news earlier today. It might not be safe for any of us to go to the rougher parts of the city tonight."
Yang covered her heart feigning hurt. "Do you two really think I would put the well-being of my two best friends at risk just for the sake of going out and having fun?"
They shrugged and nodded earnestly. "As a matter of fact..."
"Aright, listen." She walked toward her teammates and held out her hands for them to take, and after a moment of hesitation they grabbed hold. "I believe in living every day as though it could be your last, and that goes double for birthdays. Huntsmen even those still in-training die all the time, and we've already had too many close calls. If something happened to me tomorrow I don't want to die with any regrets, and I also don't want to live the rest of my life with any either."
"Y-Yang," Blake choked, squeezing her hand. The sad resignation in her partner's voice wasn't something she wasn't accustomed to, but it was an unfortunate truth that Blake understood all too well. Despite having once lived with the same philosophy she already had too many regrets to count.
"Don't say such things," Weiss admonished, squeezing the other hand. "Especially not on your birthday."
She smiled at the pair, flaring her aura which was quickly reciprocated. "I know I make a lot of jokes and may tease you from time to time."
"Relentlessly," they agreed, big smiles on their faces.
"Which you're welcome for." Sunlight filled the room as she smiled back at them. "Life's too short not to tell the people you care about how much you love them, and keeping everybody on their toes is just one of my many ways of showing it."
"Would it be alright if you just told me instead of showed all the time?" Weiss asked, her grin only widening.
Yang shook her head, her own grin beginning to falter. "I'm the type of person who's willing to try just about anything, and like trying to show Rubes that there's other food groups besides cookies and strawberries, I also want other people to get out of their comfort zone and try something new for themselves. Tonight the three of us are going club-hopping. We're gonna dance, drink, flirt, play hard to get, watch some not so family friendly entertainment and maybe even participate in some, and before the night is over Weiss is even gonna sing karaoke."
"P-pardon?"
"We don't have to stay long if somebody doesn't want to, but I want you to at least try to have fun. If you're not careful you might actually have some."
"What about White Fang sympathizers?" Blake asked, glancing at the nervous girl nearly half her size. "Or anybody in general who might try to kill or kidnap a Schnee if given the chance?"
"Y-yeah? What about them?"
"Glad you mention it!" Yang said cheerfully, which might've only made Weiss more anxious. "All the clubs I'm taking you to are either huntsmen friendly or owned by someone who owes me a favor. That means we'll get to keep our weapons and we'll have security watching our backs. Also, the last time we got in a fight Weiss and I could barely get dressed by ourselves and I didn't have Ember Celica. If anybody pulled that kind of crap now we wouldn't even break a sweat mopping the floor with them."
Blake and Weiss glanced at one another hoping the other would object, but all they did was chuckle nervously trying not to smile.
"And don't forget-" Yang winked devilishly- "you two promised me a cake where somebody pops out and wishes me happy birthday. And I believe 'Every Body Needs Some Bawdy' may have also been mentioned."
Both girls' faces turned pink and they gave a sizable gulps.
"Don't worry, it caters toward huntsmen and those of us still in-training as a place to blow off steam and live like there's no tomorrow, except you know, literally. And it's probably the safest place in the city besides maybe Beacon."
"That's not exactly what I'm afraid of..." Weiss squeaked.
"Hey, don't sweat it. Everybody there is really friendly. Remember what I told you about getting a lap dance? Well, for one thing everyone there is a willing participant, and the girls there sit on your lap and, well..." Stealing a glance at Ruby and Zwei, Yang bent down and whispered something into Weiss' ear that caused her face to turn crimson and she covered her mouth before she could yelp.
"Let's just say everyone there appreciates the huntsmen for our services, and this is their way of saying 'Thank you'."
Weiss glanced at Blake whose face was just as red and she rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.
"Think of them as groupies," she explained. "Even the entertainers that work there only do it because they have a thing for huntsmen and huntresses. People see us as superheroes and celebrities, especially around festival time, and you know what sharing your aura with someone feels like. Well, when you get, um, physical with someone who's excited and has their aura unlocked, that person shares everything that they're feeling with you. Pretty much everyone there have their auras unlocked, which means you can feel someone else's uh, pleasure, for yourself as though it were you own. A-and let's just say it's a pretty incredible feeling to share with somebody. S-so I've been told..."
"It's without a doubt the best and classiest nightclub in Vale," Yang reassured, looking at her blushing partner with a sly grin.
"There's an oxymoron for you..." Weiss whimpered.
"It has one of the best dance floors I've been on and has plenty of secluded tables for people to sit and get to know each other, along with great food and even better service. You can even get up, close, and personal with a show if you like what you see. There's also VIP rooms up above if you wanna go somewhere private or just wanna watch, which means we can just chill out there, have dinner, and enjoy the shows if we want. Trust me, there's something there to wet everybody's whistle. If you're not into that though at least give the dance floor a shot. Trust me, it's worth it."
"I-I don't know if I'm exactly comfortable with any of that. Specifically the part involving other people..."
Yang's wicked grin faded for a moment becoming something more tender. "If you wanna leave after I get my birthday cake we won't hesitate to come with you, Weiss. I may want you to try new things, but I'll never force you to."
"Didn't you teach Ruby how to swim by throwing her in the deep end of a pool?" Blake asked incredulously.
"That was a life skill, and those are different. And for the record her toes could reach the bottom. I just want people to try new things is all. If you don't wanna do something that's fine, but I don't want my best friends waking up someday with regrets all because they were too nervous or too scared to try something new."
She leaned down looking the heiress straight in the eyes, lingering over her scar for a moment. "Go light on the makeup tonight," she suggested softly. "You look better without it. Trust me."
Yang ruffled her silky hair, and chuckled when Weiss puffed out her cheeks and attempted a feeble assault to get her to stop.
"Come on, let's get ready." She took their hands again and flared her aura so that they could feel all of her emotions for themselves. "Tonight is either gonna be a night none of us forget, or never quite remember. Either way this is gonna be the best night ever, and it's all because of you."
With a squeal all three girls ran over to the closet mindful of the shopping bags and birthday presents laying on the floor, as well as the death trap that awaited them inside. Over the course of the next several hours Ruby hardly stirred as the girls fought over shower privileges and a pair of bathroom sinks. Discarded outfits lay all about the room having been thrown there in disgust with the words 'I have nothing to wear!' being echoed multiple times before going on another excursion into the closet or shopping bags that they had just purchased earlier that day.
"Alright, the birthday girl's getting dressed!" Yang hollered, with Blake and Weiss running out the bathroom seconds later wearing bathrobes. Yang was dangerous and without inhibitions at the best of times, but with the alcohol still affecting her it meant her few boundaries were nonexistent and neither girl felt safe to be alone in a room with her while she was naked.
"I'm decent!" she yelled a minute later.
The pair glanced at one another knowing Yang's definition of 'decent' was very different from their own, but also knowing that whoever got through the door first would have majority rights to the second sink. Naturally they found the risk worth the reward, and so after lots of pushing, shoving, clawing, and tugging Blake got loose and shadow jumped across the room to the sink with Weiss standing in the doorway holding onto her bathrobe.
"I'll trade you half the sink for this back," she said mildly, averting her gaze while approaching.
"Or I can stay like this and have the sink all to myself," Blake replied with pink cheeks. Weiss glared up at her as she attempted to cover herself, and took a step toward the sink which forced Blake to do the same so that they were mere inches apart. "You don't want to play chicken with me, Weiss. Look who my partner is."
Without averting her eyes Weiss pointed toward the other sink and Blake turned to see Yang looking at her with an amused crooked grin and wandering eyes.
*wink*
"Alright fine, give me the robe..."
Yang was naturally the first one ready seeing how she was the birthday girl which in her mind excused her of having to share or be considerate to her teammates, not that she needed an excuse of course. Now fully dressed with makeup on and her hair expertly done she stood in front of the closet door's full length mirror admiring herself and needlessly practicing her seductive charms that nobody would be able to resist tonight.
"Yeah, I'd do me," she said matter-of-factly, giving herself the very same eyes and feeling her own willpower fading. She was wearing a black low cut top and a matching mini-skirt with garters attached to thigh high stockings. A gold chain was wrapped around her waist tied off with a lilac colored sash, and was also wearing all of her favorite jewelry. Her pride and joy however was a gold necklace with a large amethyst nestled in her bosom, a gift her mother had received back when she and her father were still dating, and was supposed to symbolize tranquility and emotional peace. Something Yang hoped she didn't experience that night, at least never for very long.
No piece of jewelry however could compare to her gold bracelets, which matched the radiant locks of hair that covered her otherwise bare shoulders. In a single motion Ember Celica could become the most devastating weapons Remnant had ever seen, but for the moment they were its most stunning.
Even her bronze skin seemed to glow, of which there was a considerable amount to see, and looking closely in the mirror Yang saw a tuft of red hair roll over causing her to go over to her sister's bunk with an important question in her mind.
"Unibrow or facial hair?" she asked herself, the black marker already hidden away in case she needed to write her phone number later.
"We're ready," Blake announced, walking out of the bathroom followed by a somewhat reluctant-looking Weiss. When the pair saw Yang and the halo of sunlight around her they stopped in their tracks and their mouths fell open stunned despite having already seen her beforehand, and began shaking their heads as if trying to break some sort of trance.
"Dang girls! Looking good..." Yang looked them up and down nodding in approval, noting how they had listened to her advice and not gone overboard with their attire.
Blake was wearing tight dark jeans with thigh high boots and a silky purple tube top that gave ample view of her midriff. Her mascara was a light shade of lavender which emphasized her bright amber eyes, and her cheeks were a shade of pink making it look as though she was perpetually blushing, which she probably was. The only thing in Yang's mind that didn't belong was the bow atop her head, but she kept her objections silent.
And although Yang prided herself for her considerable amount of imagination, no matter how hard she looked she couldn't figure out where Blake had concealed Gambol Shroud. Settling on an answer that was as creative as it was humorous she turned her attention to Weiss who was wearing a stunning red and black cocktail dress that hugged her body's every curve, and gave a view of the heiress the other girls had rarely seen. What stood out the most to Yang however was the minimal layers of makeup and the black wig with red tips that fell in her eyes, as well as the girl's suggestive smile when she raised her dress revealing a thigh holster containing a small arsenal of dust.
Gone were the shy, reclusive bookworm and the prudish, reserved heiress, and gone was the lack of self-confidence and self-esteem that had haunted them for too long. They'd been replaced by beautiful, fearless young women Yang hardly recognized but had always known them to be.
"If you like what you see why don't you take a picture," Blake said with a sultry smile, like Weiss still looking the blonde up and down in awe.
"Huh? Oh, right. We're gonna need these for later. We might not remember what we looked like tomorrow morning." Yang retrieved her scroll out from of her boot and began taking pictures, which for perhaps the first time Blake and Weiss welcomed and even posed provocatively for, giggling nonstop.
While taking pictures however Yang couldn't help glancing anxiously out the corner of her eye at the heiress, and finally noticing Weiss twirled dramatically so she could get a full view.
"This will keep anybody from recognizing me as Weiss Schnee. Clever, huh?"
"Her plan is to impersonate your underage sister," Blake said smiling. "I'm starting to think she just likes dressing up like her."
Weiss huffed and blew the red tips out of her eyes but obvious pride swelled on her face. "Ruby once told me you got her a fake ID for her birthday, which was a waste of time because nobody in their right mind would believe she's eighteen. I can hardly believe she's fifteen. However, I already had the wig and while we were shopping earlier today I picked out something tasteful that went along with it. Luckily your sister and I are almost the exact same size so she can have this after tonight. Not that she'll ever wear it..."
"You've had this planned," Blake realized. "Ruby was right. You have been wanting to come with us."
Weiss smiled sheepishly and couldn't help giggling out of pure giddiness. Her smile faded however when she noticed Yang was still staring at her.
"S-something the matter?" she asked worriedly, shifting her weight uncomfortably.
"What? Oh! Nothing's wrong! Everything's great! Fantastic!"
Blake and Weiss glanced at one another suspiciously, unable to tell if her reaction was a side effect of dipping into the back of the fridge or not.
Yang took a deep breath letting herself appreciate for a moment the true beauty of her friends that too often they were either ashamed of or lacked confidence in. Their faces were absolutely stunning, with Blake having an almost exotic look to her while Weiss' usual sternness had softened and became more lighthearted. Being huntresses in-training they were both physically fit, with Blake being particularly curvy, but it was rare they showed enough skin to let anyone appreciate their bodies. They had both received some much needed filling out since the beginning of the school year, and Yang couldn't help wiping a tear from her eye remember their almost gaunt appearances. Not to mention how they had dressed...
"Not wanting to be killed or robbed is just a convenient excuse isn't it," Yang said, stooping down to look Weiss face to face. "You want everybody fawning over you because you're sexy as hell and as sweet as can be, not just because you're rich or a Schnee."
Weiss' face lit up but just as she was about to speak her left eye twitched unnaturally, and after a sudden realization of horror she turned and hid her face. Carefully she began rubbing her eye as though something were in it, but when she realized they were both staring at her Weiss tightened her jaw and took a quick glance in the mirror. Displeasure and contempt briefly flashed across her face before being restrained and expertly hidden. Both Yang and Blake had seen it however, as well as the girl's rising fury.
"I'm not going," she said suddenly, tears filling her eyes but only gathering around the right. "I'M NOT-"
Yang stooped down once again interrupting her, and tried touching her arm which Weiss jerked away from. "Tell me what's wrong," she said softly.
Weiss' temper flared as did Yang's aura, and just as she was about to run toward the bathroom either screaming or crying Yang grabbed ahold of her and pulled her into an embrace.
"I-I'm f-fine," she stuttered, swallowing something awful tasting.
Yang smiled weakly and brushed away the red tips of her hair. "Listen, I didn't want to say anything, but I've noticed you rubbing your eye a lot lately, and it twitching like it did just now. Weiss, if something's the matter please tell us. Not just because we're your team, but because we love you and want to help."
Standing behind her partner Blake quietly slunk into a nearby shadow and pretended she didn't exist.
Weiss was silent for what felt like several minutes, and just as Yang began to wonder if she might've heard the very last of the heiress she spoke up. "I-I skipped my regularly scheduled surgery earlier this month..." she barely whispered.
Yang shook her head. "Why would you do that?"
Weiss bit her lip. "Because I'm sick of them," she said bitterly. "And because it'll put me out of commission for nearly a month. We would've missed the tournament if I hadn't postponed it..." Her eyes wandered to the occupied bunk above her own where her fury softened.
"Weiss..." Yang said gently, looking for the words to say. She raised her hand and touched the girl's left cheek causing her to flinch slightly. She examined the scar closely, which was much more prominent than usual, then the eye itself which didn't twitch this time, and looking this closely Yang saw how it wasn't quite as bright or responsive as the other.
"I've never asked, but how well can you see out of it?" she asked quietly.
Weiss remained silent for a moment but seeing no other option she let out a deep breath. "Fine enough I-I suppose. It's always been blurry, but it's been getting worse recently, a-and sometime it has trouble with color. However-" her voice rose and she glanced back up to her sleeping partner with pride- "it's better than the alternative which I have the SDC to thank for, and I've grown accustomed to extra migraines and sub-par vision."
Yang smiled and kissed her on the brow, and studied her for a few moments smiling. "You look beautiful, Weiss. You really do, and you're gonna have guys drooling all over you. Well, more than usual anyway."
Weiss shook her head suddenly amused. "Nobody has ever drooled looking at me," she stated matter-of-factly, though with a smile tugging on her lip. "And that has never been my intention."
"Oh really? If you don't want guys looking then why do you wear heels that make your long legs and butt look so good?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she huffed, turning away before peeking down below and over her shoulder. "Do you really think so?"
"Ten out of ten would slap again."
*slap*
"Which reminds me. You two owe me birthday spankings..."
While Weiss rubbed her backside she began feeling giddy again as though a weight had been lifted, but glanced up at her partner again then at the tall blonde who still had an arm around her.
"C-could you please not tell Ruby about any of this? It's my choice not hers, and it's not like my eye can get any worse."
"Only if you promise to get the surgery after the stupid tournament," she said sternly, before softening once more. As much as Yang had dreamed of fighting in the Vytal Festival and winning just like her parents team had she couldn't help resenting it more and more every passing day.
Weiss nodded obediently, but sensing Yang still watching her with concern she shifted her weight uneasily. "S-something else the matter?" She glanced down disappointed, looking for anything that might've been wrong.
Before she could come to the inevitable but wrong conclusion that it was the girl wearing the dress that was the problem, Yang quickly shook her head. "I-I just wasn't expecting you to come out looking like my sister is all, a-and I've never seen either of you look so beautiful."
She gave an award winning smile but Weiss despite blushing still seemed uneasy. "D-do you want me to change?"
Yang opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it, unsure what to even say or how she should say it. The news report from earlier that day of three teenage girls going missing flashed in her mind, as well as how they had gone straight from the mall in the city's safest district to a huntsmen bar then straight back to Beacon while it was still daylight.
"I, uh-"
*twitch*
Blake had been standing off to the side letting herself evaporate into the shadows while the two talked, and when she rematerialized her body was shaking but her attention had turned to the open window. Curious she walked over and peered out, catching Yang's attention who was looking for any kind of distraction.
"See something?" she asked, swallowing nervously.
"Maybe. I heard flapping and thought I saw a Nevermore land in the tree just now. Something about it seemed odd..."
"A Nevermore?" Weiss said incredulously, stalking over beside her. "Here at Beacon? It's been four months and I haven't seen a single Nevermore on campus yet."
Yang activated her gauntlets and shoved her way in front of them. "Even juveniles are smart enough not to fly into the school's perimeter. We've got automated censors and turrets that shoot them out of the sky if any fly too close, and with all the powerful auras that have been here over the centuries Grimm have trouble sensing individuals." She swallowed and made sure her highest grade of ammunition was loaded. "Are you sure it's a Nevermore?"
"What else could it be?" Blake asked, giving her partner a questioning look which she ignored.
"Where is it?" Weiss asked, climbing over bodies and craning her neck to see.
Blake pointed. "Up there near the top of the tree. Not sure if you can see it though. I mean, I'm not sure if human eyes can see it, but I'm positive it's a Nevermore. You don't ever forget having one get tangled in your hair trying to peck your brains out."
"D-do you think it's safe for us to leave Ruby here alone?"
"If it's just a tiny Nevermore it can't hurt anybody," Yang said, deactivating her gauntlets and letting out a deep breath. "It probably can't even sense us. Shoot it or kill it with a glyph. Just don't wake Rubes up."
As she walked away both Weiss and Blake reached for their concealed weapons when the sound of fluttering wings caused them to look up.
"F-false alarm," Blake called, a touch of embarrassment to her voice. "It's just a raven. It must've made a nest up there recently."
"Do ravens normally have red eyes," Weiss asked.
"Uh, I don't think so but to be honest I'm not-"
Immediately Yang ran back toward the window activating her gauntlets again and knocking the pair out of the way. "WHERE!" she demanded fearfully.
"What's your problem! Did you have too much to drink or something?"
"Right there," Blake said tersely, rubbing her shoulder and pointing.
Yang followed her finger squinting into the darkness and finally saw a black bird hop to the nearest branch so that it was just barely out of arm's reach. She chuckled to herself and quickly wiped something from her eye.
"It's not a raven," she said half-laughing, half-sobbing. "It's just a dusty old crow..."
She blew it a kiss and the bird cawed back at her, and with an extra bounce to her step Yang deactivated her gauntlets again and turned her attention to the occupied bunk. Weiss and Blake meanwhile just looked at each other and the unusual bird perplexed.
"Are ravens a sign of bad luck and crows a sign of good luck on Patch or something?" Weiss asked.
Blake shrugged just as confused. "On Menagerie it was the other way around."
Willing to chalk her peculiar behavior up to Yang being Yang and possibly having more to drink when they weren't looking, they turned their attention back to the top bunk as she fussed over Ruby's blanket and studied her angelic sleeping face.
"Don't stay up too late," she teased. "I don't want to come back and find you and Zwei having any wild parties without me."
She gave her sister a peck on the lips leaving a faint lipstick mark. "Get a good night sleep, Rubes. Nobody deserves it more than you..."
After giving her faithful watchdog a kiss between the ears she looked at her teammates expectantly. "Ready?"
"Wait, we're going?" Weiss asked. "What happened to you wanting me to change?"
"Oh that? Forget about it. I drank a little too much and couldn't figure out when you dyed your hair." She stole a glance out the window which Blake shut so it was just partially cracked, and nodded at the black bird. 'We'll be safe now.'
Weiss rolled her eyes and bent down to retrieve Ruby's fake ID from her ammo belt, scowling at how it was somehow even worse than her student ID. "So how much do alcoholic beverages at a nightclub normally cost anyway? I'd just like to know so that I don't surprise any accountants at Schi-nee."
Yang giggled as though she'd said something cute. "Silly naive, Weiss. We will not be buying our drinks tonight. The hot guys and/or girls across the bar without a snowball's chance of taking us home will be doing that for us." She laughed again before crossing her arms and looking suddenly serious. "Alright, remember the rules, young ladies. Never take a drink offered by a stranger. Always watch it be poured by the bartender and never leave it where anybody can touch it. If in doubt either just leave it or ask our professional drug sniffing cat to check it."
"Definitely, but please don't call me that..."
"If you're not looking for someone at that specific moment or don't want to be bothered by anybody just keep a drink in your hand. Nobody can buy you another this way, and you can turn them down without having to be pushy. Also, always let your teammates know where you are or where you're going, and remember to occasionally flare your aura. It'll be like attracting moths to a flame, and you'll burn off some of the alcohol. It'll also keep you from getting compelled too badly."
"Compelled?" Weiss asked.
Both girls nodded and looked at her as though she might've been kidding, and Blake coughed awkwardly. "When we share our auras it's usually so that we're on the same page or to comfort each other, but someone with a strong enough aura like us can suggest something er, sensual to someone who normally might not do it but deep down part of them wants to. You still might be tempted, but with an aura shield up it's harder to compel someone like that."
"Not if you're partners and already know each other's deepest, darkest desires," Yang teased. "Here, Weiss, we'll demonstrate."
She moved toward a startled Blake and touching her hands guided them around her waist and stared into her eyes. They both began to glow with Blake's having a slight lilac tent, and suddenly they had a lusty gaze about them and glazed over looking into the blonde. Weiss took a step back as she could feel all that Yang was privately suggesting to her partner.
"Blake," she said in a seductive voice that gave them both goosebumps, "the only thing keeping this from being the best birthday ever is you. I want you to kiss me and make love to me on your bed, and then I want you to laugh at one of my cat puns."
Weiss held her breath as Blake moved closer so that their bodies were pressed together and their lips were almost touching, and began moving them toward the bed. Just as it looked like they were about to fall atop of it however Blake playfully pushed Yang away. "Sorry. You had me til the very end though."
"Darn, knew I went too far. What about you, Weiss? You wanna try? Could be good practice."
"Nope!" She backed away shaking her head. "I-I'm good."
"Don't think you could resist, do ya? Or you afraid you might enjoy it?"
Weiss shuddered and flared her aura shield instinctively, and glancing over at Blake saw that her face was bright red and she was breathing heavily and sweating, and noticing she was being watched Blake gave an embarrassed, almost ashamed grin. "With all of our aura training you'll also always know when your being compelled like that, but it can be hard to resist when it's someone you um, care about." She turned toward Yang and glared. "And you know as well as I do that being partners it's different! Just because there's an attraction doesn't mean it's that kind of attraction..."
Yang shrugged and laughed. "Same difference. Every emotion is stronger when your aura's unlocked, and that can lead to a lot of harmless fun if you let it, especially with the person you share a body, mind, and soul with..." She gave her blushing partner another playful wink before getting serious again, and Blake had to restrain herself from either strangling her partner or hiding back in the shadows, or doing something she'd briefly wanted to do while compelled. "Don't forget our little bet. The girl who can get the most drinks bought for them is the undisputed winner of my birthday."
"We never agreed to that bet..."
"And it's not exactly in our favor," Weiss added, looking the blonde up and down frowning.
Yang grabbed both girls from behind and started ushering them toward the door. "Trust me, it's fair, and I've never had so much competition in my life."
She flared her auras and they did the same, and after a moment they kissed her on each side of the cheek, with Weiss having to stand on her tiptoes to reach.
"Happy birthday," they said, followed by a pair of slaps from behind.
Yang beamed at them, and arching her neck she turned back toward the sleeping caped-girl once more. "Zwei," she called, causing the dog's ears to perk up. "Ruby needs adult supervision while we're gone so you're in charge as usual. Don't wait up for us, and don't judge us when we get back."
"Every body," she began to sing, "needs some bawdy."
"Every body," they sang along, with Weiss carrying the chorus, "needs some bawdy."
Turning the light out Yang winked toward the window and walked out the door holding onto her two closest friends, and shut the door behind them.
Once their singing and laughter could no longer be heard over Ruby's steady breathing the black bird landed atop the window's ledge and peered inside with crimson eyes. It gave the window a couple of curious pecks and miraculously it raised. The bird then hopped onto the floor fluttering its wings, causing feathers to fly all through the air and engulf the middle of the room, and as the feathers began to dissipate they revealed a tall man with dark hair speckled with silver, with a tattered red dueling cape that unfurled behind him.
Zwei instinctively growled and took a defensive position in front of his fellow pup, but just as he was about to bark and rip the intruder's throat out he sniffed the air and rolled over onto his belly yipping excitedly.
The man took his time taking in his new but familiar surroundings, paying particular attention to the pair of makeshift bunk beds, as well as the cluttered floor. "Co-ed rooms are bigger," a gravelly voice noted, looking around the room as if seeing ghosts. "And I see you two still take after your moms. Your sister especially..."
With an approving chuckle he stepped over clothes and half-empty bags toward the occupied bed, and greeted the corgi by rubbing his oversized belly and scratching his ears.
"Hey old timer. You enjoying your swim through the estrogen ocean? I see somebody's been painting your toenails."
Zwei's eyes rolled in the back of his head as the belly rub expert had returned and hadn't lost his touch.
"I did a pretty good job picking you out from the litter, you know that? Or did you pick me? It's been so long sometimes I forget. All I know is there was a little girl who needed you, and she still does by the looks of it."
The corgi's eyes closed and his breathing slowed, and the man turned his attention to the sleeping caped-girl and brushed the hair out of her face, savoring the moment.
"Hey, squeakers," he said softly. "It's your favorite Uncle Qrow. Thought I'd come wish your sister a happy birthday and make sure she doesn't do anything too stupid tonight, but I couldn't resist tucking you in just like the good old days."
His hand stopped and he adjusted her blanket slightly, his fingers lost in the fabric. "Tai say hi too, and you'll be happy to know that I didn't even shoot him this time. Not for lack of trying mind you. He's pretty spry for an old man."
Qrow watched the girl's steady breathing for several moments as if entranced before motioning toward the door. "Your emo friend has a pretty good ear. In all these months of tracking faunus she's the first one to sense me flying around. Heh, your sister tells me it took you and the Schnee girl over a month to figure out she was a faunus, and she basically had to come out and tell you. I would make tease you but I guess it runs in the family, huh?"
He laughed softly to himself as if reminded of an old joke and wiped the drool off Ruby chin with his sleeve. "You're even more of a lightweight than your mother, but I guess you're also about a year younger than when I first met her." Almost reflexively Qrow reached for his ammo belt where two pistols were located and retrieved a silver flask that twinkled in the moonlight. Holding it up he admired the craftsmanship for a moment before finding a slightly faded engraving.
"'Liquid courage for my good luck charm'," he read aloud, with the words '- Summer Rose' engraved underneath. "The only problem with being partners is that you think too much alike and know each other too well, and so when you're opening up each other's Christmas presents you find out you both made silver flasks for each other and engraved the exact same thing on them. The only difference is that except on missions hers was filled with chocolate milk or strawberry juice, and mine's, well..."
He raised the flask as a toast and took a quick swig, his glowing red eyes fading, then said what was either some sort of prayer or curse under his breath. Afterward he attached the flask back onto his belt and began running his fingers through Ruby's hair once more.
"I know you probably get tired of hearing it, but you look and act so much like your mother..." He paused for a moment just to watch her breathe, a part of him wanting nothing more in the world than to wake her, if that was possible. "The day you were born was the happiest I ever saw her. Growing up was like a never ending nightmare for her that haunted her even after we graduated, but the day you were born she was finally able to put all that behind her. You are the best thing to ever happen to her, sweetie, and she's not the only one who feels that way..."
He bent down and kissed her forehead, his crooked cross necklace nearly hitting her in the face, and afterward cleared his throat. "I'm sorry you didn't get to tell me about Ozpin accepting you into Beacon in person. It sounded like you were doing the laps around the city when you called, and I can hardly blame you. We all did the same thing, and I'm sorry I wasn't there to see you off. You have no idea how much I'd been looking forward to that. And as much as I don't like you being at this school two years early I can't tell you how proud of you I am. You and your mother are everything the huntsman are supposed to be, but not what most of us actually are."
Qrow brushed his fingers against the silver chain around her neck and finding the heavy cross took it in his hand smiling smugly to himself. "I'm glad to see you're still wearing your early graduation present, and you'll be happy to know I'm wearing my going away present, which I'll return soon." He tapped a large silver cross hooked to his belt, but soon his crooked grin faded and his tone became morose. "Sorry I couldn't afford something better. It's not fair that Tai and I get your sister a motorcycle and you get a cheap necklace and tools stolen from Signal's machine shop. Maybe we did alright with the roses, cookies, and strawberries, but I promise I'll make it up to you one of these days..."
He took one of the girl's hands and gave it a squeeze before wrapping it around her necklace. "Always keep this close to you," he instructed, his aura flowing into her. "As long as you wear this necklace I'll always be able to find you. And stay close to your sister. Sometimes I wish you girls didn't have Tai wrapped so tightly around your fingers, but he made the right decision for once. You two need to stick together, now more than ever. I'm sorry I couldn't come when you were awake, but I know how well you keep a secret. Right now everyone thinks I'm on some wild goose-chase searching for Sienna Khan and any leads on who's really running the show here in Vale, and you girls are safer if everybody keeps thinking that."
Almost absently he began playing with the girl's toes, counting them off one by one to himself. Ruby didn't react to his soft touch, and while his red eyes darkened as he studied the many bruises and lacerations of her feet, when he glanced back at her passive face a smile tugged on her lip and his eyes softened. He then reached for his ammo belt passing by the flask and instead retrieved a silver badge resembling a coin.
"Your sister's been keeping me updated. She told me about Ozpin giving you a badge like this, but I told her not to worry. He and I have a lot to discuss, but you and your sister are what he should be most afraid of. There are Grimm both on the ground and in the sky bigger than bullheads circling this city, an army of self-righteous faunus willing to sacrifice themselves just to see the world burn, and a would-be queen of Vale who's way in over her head. But they're nothing compared to what'll happen if either of you get hurt because of Oz's games."
A dark glow surrounded him and the moment he touched Ruby her aura naturally flared. He smiled as they began to dance together and intertwine but quickly frowned. "Wait, that's not right..."
Qrow paused, and resting his head atop hers let Ruby's aura wrap around himself and after a few moments stood back up. "Ruby..." He shook his head tiredly. "Just like your mother you're too sweet for your own good, and if you're not careful it'll get you killed someday."
He closed his eyes for a moment and laid his hand atop her stomach concentrating. "Little trick your mother taught me. A partner's aura never truly leaves you, and I can still replicate some of hers. It isn't much and it probably won't do much good, but it might help." He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. "You need to get aboard that airship, Rubes. You need to get your mother's blessing back before it's too late..."
The dark aura surrounded the girl, but before it or the feathers could dissipate Qrow turned toward the other top bunk. Reaching into his ammo belt he found a small box and an envelope reading 'Happy Birthday, Firecracker' and hid them underneath her pillow, along with a feather that he plucked from the air that didn't disappear.
"You won't see me for at least a couple more weeks, but I'll be seeing you." He went back to Ruby looking concerned and touched her cheek. "I don't want you going into the city any more, Rubes. Once a Grimm has your scent it's for life, and right now there's a living, breathing nightmare in the city hunting you and it'll never stop until it has you in its jaws. I don't know why it didn't kill you when it had the chance, the only thing I can think of is it somehow knew you'd lead it into the city, but for now you're safe here at Beacon. Your sister knows the situation, and so does Oz, but for right now we're keeping this between ourselves. This thing is a scary SOB, and if you knew what this thing was capable of you wouldn't sleep again for the rest of your life, but I swear I won't let it touch you."
He removed his hand and watched her for a few moments before glancing at the window ruefully. "I gotta go now and keep an eye on your teammates, specifically the Schnee girl, but I promise the worst thing that happen to them tonight is your sister. Be good to Yang, but also don't take any lip from her either. I love you, sweetie, and I'll be seeing you."
Qrow kissed her forehead one last time and scratched Zwei's ears before walking toward the window feathers slowly engulfing him and his pupils disappearing in crimson as he watched her sleep. "I promise I'll kill the woman who attacked you and Amber, and I'll also send that Mimic back to hell..."
In an instant the man was gone and a red eyed crow was flying out of the window following three girls down below who were headed toward the city...
(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I've been looking forward to the introduction of Qrow for a very long time and I hope my interpretation was able to do him justice. It'll still be awhile until he's formally introduced into the story, but I wanted to give him a "shadowy introduction" beforehand and give you an idea of what his motivations are in this narrative. And the popular theory of whether or not Qrow is Ruby's father will be entirely up to you in this narrative. Also, I hope you enjoyed getting another look into Yang's psyche as her believing she has a short time to live is a major part of her character, and I hope I've been able to convey that here. Yes, she likes to tease and is over the top by her own admission, but at the end of the day living/dying with regrets is one of her biggest fears. I hope that was conveyed here. I also want to say that there will not be a chapter covering whatever trouble Yang, Weiss, and Blake are getting into. In my opinion it's more fun leaving it to the imagination, and to be honest it's probably not all PG-13. We'll definitely hear about it in the next chapter though, and I hope you enjoy. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)
