Weightless.
It felt like she was drifting in an abyss.
She was indifferent to this feeling. Until a screwdriver repeatedly jammed her skull. On instinct, her body tried to groan. But no pained sound escaped. That was probably too much effort.
For some reason, her body was hot and surrounded by a soft material. Maybe a blanket. She couldn't tell as she willed her fingers to flinch to no avail.
There was a creeping cold sensation washing through her head. It could be ice. This gave her relief through the relentless throbbing. Maybe the ice was placed there by someone thoughtful. If she could sigh in relief, she would.
A gentle touch soothed over her head. It was so gentle that it tickled. Whoever was brushing her was taking great care to treat her like glass. It did little to ease the horrible poundings, but the person was trying their best.
This dark and quiet space was nice. She could stay here forever, but the headache was frustrating. She had to leave. She tried to will her eyes to open, but it was no use. It was still dark. When she tried to, the gentle ministrations eased.
They felt nice, so she groaned to express her displeasure of having that taken away from her.
"-lake?"
A noise? That was odd. Although, it sounded better than the ramming of her head. Whoever it was, they sounded overly concerned.
"Blake?" a friendly voice called. "Wake up, love. Don't you want some of that delish catfish?"
After taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Blake tried to open her eyes again. Her face flinched a few times before she finally accomplished the feat. Only to have the brightness blind her. She squinted until blonde locks blocked her view.
"There you are," Yang greeted sweetly. "How do you feel?"
"Like I was hit by a horse," Blake groaned.
To make her feel better, Yang leaned down and pressed her lips to her own. While this was unexpected, Blake was on cloud nine. That happened whenever they kissed. They held the kiss for a breathtaking moment. When Yang pulled away, the sweet taste lingered.
"That did the trick," Blake smiled.
"Darn right it did," Yang replied and presented a glass of water. "Here."
From the sight, Blake was reminded how parched she felt. Her throat was too dry. After Yang coaxed her to sit up, the faunus grabbed the cold glass. Greedily, she downed the drink and finished with a satisfied sigh.
"That a little better?" Yang asked, hopeful.
"Much," Blake breathed and grimaced from a sudden round of poundings.
Knowing she could ease her pain more, Yang called. "Someone get her that catfish, will ya?"
There was a rush of footsteps. Probably her crew. Maybe they were trying to be quiet due to her hangover. How thoughtful.
It was then that Blake noticed she was in the common area of their ship. She must've crashed on the couch for the night so her crew could look after her.
"Catfish…" the faunus mumbled, recalling they bought one a few days before.
"You didn't get a taste yet," Yang reminded. "You deserve it after last night. You do remember last night, right?"
Again, Blake groaned and set a hand on her forehead. Only for it to meet ice. That must be why she was cold. The ice pack did little to lessen the pain, but still provided some semblance of relief.
Weiss appeared by her side along with her girlfriend. "Please tell us you remember. Otherwise, we're at a dead-end."
Her mind swarmed with thoughts from last night. Before she could remember, the smell of fish lingered into her nostrils. Soon after, Qrow rounded the corner with the delectable food in hand.
"You can have this after you tell us," Qrow said with a smirk.
"Fine. I talked to a faunus named Laana," Blake revealed, recalling the hyena faunus. "After she saw my Khan tattoo, she pretty much told me everything I asked."
With anticipation, Ruby leaned in. "Where's Sienna?"
"She should be in the jungles of Vacuo. The one crawling with grimm," the faunus clarified. "Laana said Sienna moves around a lot, but there are rumors she should be there because of an upcoming meeting."
Qrow couldn't help himself. When he really thought about it, the answer should have been obvious. "A tiger faunus in the jungle. We should've thought of that."
"Damn," Yang muttered.
From the information, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.
"She's twenty-five miles east into the jungle," Blake informed. "Laana said we'll run into some cabins, and that's where she'll be. If we hit the river, we've gone too far. Since the meeting is soon, we should go as soon as possible."
"We can smoke twenty-five miles in a day easily," Ruby said confidently. "We'll go when you've recovered and after we think of a plan."
"I'll be good to go in a few hours," Blake insisted, trying not to show she was nauseous.
"Blake," Weiss called, catching her bluff. "It's almost dinner time. We can't go today if we wanted. We could leave tomorrow if you're feeling better."
"Tomorrow it is," Blake said and then stared at the golden catfish like it was taunting her. "Can I have my catfish now?"
That made Qrow chuckle a bit. "Here you go, kiddo," he said, rubbing her head between her cat ears. "You did good, but next time try to lighten up."
"Hopefully there's no next time," Blake said before she took a bite.
From tasting the delectable goodness, she melted into the cushions. It burst with flavor. She had a dazed expression as the warm fish slid down her throat and settled below.
Qrow looked concerned. "I think it broke her."
Jokingly, Ruby waved her hands in front of her face. Only to receive no response. "Blaaaake? Remnant to Blake?"
After she asked that, Blake devoured another bite. "More…"
"Don't distract her, guys," Yang said teasingly. "She's in the zone."
As a joke, Blake put her hands together. "Thank you for this miracle."
Laughter.
"Do you think Blake will be okay?"
After all, the faunus had been knocked out for most of the day. Weiss couldn't remember if she ever had a hangover that put her down for that long.
For Ruby, she'd witnessed her crewmates drink until they couldn't anymore. To the point they'd be debilitated for days. They always recovered.
From her girlfriend's concern, Ruby was touched. "She's fine, she has Yang. She's been hungover like that before and was good to go in a few hours."
From hearing that, Weiss was jealous. Even though she didn't drink anymore. She wished she had that superpower back when she did drink. "That's enviable."
"I guess so," Ruby shrugged, but couldn't relate since she didn't drink. "It's been so long since I've been up here."
After dinner, the white rose couple decided to go to the watchtower for the sunset. They'd witnessed several sunsets all around the world, so this was another great check off the list. Vacuo.
"We've been a little busy," Weiss said fondly.
Ruby nodded. "You can say that again."
For a few moments, the couple cuddled while they watched the sun dip. Under the dim light, Vacuo beamed proudly. The waves beneath them rocked like a lullaby. Fondly, Weiss snuggled into her girlfriend. From the contact, Ruby wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nuzzled into her neck.
"Someone's a cuddle bug tonight," Ruby said happily.
Fondly, Weiss tilted her head and leaned in. Gradually, they closed their eyes as their soft lips pressed together. The sunset seeped into the glass and warmed them. As they tasted each other, they realized that they didn't want this moment to end.
Ruby tasted sweet. Like cookies.
Loving the thought, Weiss wrapped a hand behind her girlfriend's head and deepened the kiss. From the contact, Ruby held her tighter. Kissed her more firmly. This was a love so pure, so innocent, and so powerful.
The waves had brought them here for this moment. More specifically, Ruby's hand that shined in the darkness brought them here for this blessed moment. When the captain asked Weiss to join her crew, a night like this was destiny.
Gingerly, Weiss entangled her hands with her dolt's soft hair as she melted into her. Ruby's an ocean of waves.
The kiss was weaving a dream. While they entwined, their thoughts became a river stream.
After what felt like an eternity, they gently separated and the sound of love echoed.
"Wow," Ruby breathed as she gazed at her fondly.
Weiss snuggled into her neck. "You know how to take my breath away."
A light chuckle. "I could say the same about you."
For several moments, they were happy to simply cuddle and watch the sky. Ruby caressed her girlfriend's hair, and Weiss didn't release her.
"Hey, dunce?" Weiss called, worry in her voice.
"What is it, my dear girlfriend?"
"Promise me you'll be careful on this mission," Weiss said, enjoying her gentle touch. "You have a habit of putting others before yourself, so I need you to promise me."
"Says you," Ruby immediately replied, which earned a frown. "I promise I'll be more careful, but I can't promise that I won't watch out for all of you. If I see an opportunity to help my crew, I'm going to take it. I know you'll do the same. You have before with the… you know..."
Slowly, Weiss slid her hand over the scar on her torso. "I hardly notice it anymore."
"I don't know what lies ahead, but we'll be fine," Ruby said confidently as she stared at the forestry in the distance.
Weiss didn't know how her captain was so optimistic, but it was better than dwelling on 'what if' scenarios. She met Ruby's line of sight, which was the dense forestation several miles away.
"She's in there… somewhere."
Rather than worry about what was to come, Ruby pulled her girlfriend in closer if that was possible. "We'll be fine as long as we have each other."
"You sound rather cheesy," Weiss smirked.
"It may be cheesy, but it's how I feel."
Unable to help herself, Ruby leaned down when she met her gaze. Tenderly, their lips met once more. All they wanted to do was savor this moment.
Savor each other.
Lyrics from Lost In Thoughts, All Alone: "'You are an ocean of waves.' Weaving a dream, like thoughts become a river stream. Yet, may the tide ever change. Flowing like time to the path yours to climb." The tide is calm… for now…
P.S. catfish and ketchup is nothing short of orgasmic.
Stay dandy,
~Toto
