Chapter 61
Water continued to drip from the recently used shower-head. The droplets were tapping gently against the tiled floor as condensation covered the otherwise cold walls. It was a relief to finally be rid of the gritty dirt that had been accumulated from the marsh. Yang was sat upon a wooden bench, wrapped in a towel. Blake was drying and brushing her long golden hair and similar to her; she was also wrapped in a towel. Besides them was Weiss, and further along was Neo who sat at the end of the bench.
Weiss glanced over to Yang with a less than enthusiastic expression, "So we're going to be... Building houses...?"
Yang remained still as Blake tended to her golden mane of hair, "What's wrong? Manual labour isn't beneath you, is it Miss Schnee?" The blonde grinned as she peered through the corner of her eye towards Weiss.
Weiss opened her mouth to speak but paused as she considered her words. She crossed her arms and sat up straight while tilting her chin up, "I've never built a house before, Yang. How can they expect us to build something that won't fall apart?" Her head turned to Blake as she heard her voice reply to her words.
"I don't think they actually want us to build one from scratch, or by ourselves. We're probably just going to be helping them as much as we can," her gaze remained focused on the task in front of her as she spoke.
"And what does that involve exactly?" Weiss seemed more unsure of the job ahead of them with each word that was said.
Blake's golden eyes glanced towards Weiss briefly as she smiled, "Likely moving stuff around for the others. So heavy lifting maybe?"
"Think about it Weiss, your soft hands might actually see some work tomorrow!" Yang chuckled before Blake slapped her lightly upon the head.
"Hey, I work all the time!" Weiss pouted as she crossed her arms. Her attention was caught from elsewhere as she felt a finger tap upon her shoulder. She turned to see Neo smiling. The smaller woman pointed towards the exit of the room as Weiss followed her gesture before returning her gaze towards her. "Oh, are you heading back now?" Neo nodded in response to Weiss as she stood up from the bench. Weiss smiled back at her, "I'll be back in a minute or two okay?" Once again Neo nodded before leaning down to plant a gentle kiss against her cheek. Weiss blushed softly as she watched her partner turn and leave the room.
After Neo had left Yang's voice caught Weiss' attention. "She's a lot more quiet now. I forget she's around sometimes, and I don't mean quiet as in... You know?"
"That's because all of her attention is focused on Weiss now," Blake might not have been happy about Weiss and Neo's relationship at the start, but now she found it to be a welcome respite in comparison to before.
Weiss' smile dipped slightly, "You two never seem to talk to her. Do you dislike her that much?"
"What? Nah, Neo's fine now. Just... Don't you find it difficult? To speak to her?" Yang noticed Weiss' expression and so put on her own friendly smile. Blake remained silent.
"Difficult?" Weiss paused as her ice blue eyes looked to the exit of the room, "Sometimes when she's trying to explain something I suppose. But I like that she's quiet. It... Suits me I guess. I've also become quite adept at understanding her body language."
"I bet," Yang snorted which once more earned her a slap on the head from her partner. "Ah- Blake you're meant to be brushing my hair not beating it!" The Faunus continued to remain silent as she finally finished her task.
"All done."
Weiss' expression softened towards the two, "I understand what you mean though, but I would appreciate it if you included her more often. I know you have some... History. But it really would mean a lot to me and probably her too." With that the silver-haired woman stood up to her feet, turning her back as to leave the room.
"Sure thing Weiss, it can't hurt," Yang grinned as she pushed herself up from the bench as well. She picked up a towel in her hand as she started to swirl it around while Blake watched her for a second in confusion, before realizing what she was doing and sighing as a result. "Not like this will!" Yang brought back the towel and whipped it towards Weiss' rear. She gave out a startled yelp in response as she turned to face the blonde.
"Ouch! Yang that stings!" Weiss complained as she backed away from the advancing woman.
"Come on Weiss, it's only fun if they run!" There was another whip of the towel as Weiss leapt away from it.
"Yang!" Weiss turned to shuffle away from her pursuer as fast as she could while trying to hold her towel around herself. Of course, being in a small room this only meant she could run around the single bench in the centre. Blake looked unamused as she watched the two run circles around her. "Don't make me run! I'm going to drop my towel! Blake make her stop!"
"I must see if the legends are true!" Yang continued in a deep and stereotypical voice as she whipped her towel towards Weiss' rear once again as she chased her.
Weiss yelped from the sting once more, "What legends!?"
"That Weiss has a Weiss butt!"
"Ice!? That doesn't even make sense!"
"No, nice!" Yang was halted in her tracks as a towel whipped at the space between her and Weiss. The tip of it smacked against the tiled wall. Yang wasn't sure, but it looked although it may have even cracked it. Her expression dropped to some form of fear as she watched the whip, which was formed of at least seven separate towels, being dragged back towards its wielder: Blake. "H- Hey now Blake, you've got like... A plus ten proficiency in whips... Let's not get out of hand here okay?" Yang pleaded as she dropped her improvised weapon to the ground, much to the relief of Weiss.
The next day and the group were busy at work. Yang had ran off before they started to attend to some business, as she referred to it, at the local blacksmith before returning. One of the buildings upon the outskirts of the village had a large hole blown into the side of it from a recent bandit attack. While the village were able to fight off the attackers, the damage they sustained was great. With constant attacks from Grimm and bandits alike the damages were a constant repair job, so help was greatly appreciated when it came. It wasn't work fit for everyone however, as they soon found out.
"My arms are hurting..." Weiss sighed as she lowered a wheelbarrow full of wet cement to the ground. Yang passed by her, she was carrying two bags of dry cement over her shoulders.
"Don't tell me this is your first day of actual real work?" Yang smirked as she continued on by.
Weiss turned to snap at Yang in the fashion she so often did, but Blake caught her attention as she heard her approach. "You know she only keeps picking on you because of the way you react, right?"
"It's not like I can change that," Weiss pouted as she looked to Blake, who didn't seem to be doing anything. "Are you actually doing anything or-"
Weiss stopped herself as she saw Neo approach, she was struggling with her arms containing a large roll of some sort of material. She held it out to Blake who took the roll into her own arms while Neo walked back to likely get more. The Faunus turned her attention towards Weiss with a confused look, "What did you say?"
"Uh... Nothing..."
Blake squinted her eyes suspiciously at Weiss, "Well, okay. I'm inside if you need me."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay," Weiss smiled politely and nodded as she watched Blake leave. She sighed to herself and brought her hand up to scratch her cheek, only to silently curse to herself when she realised that she got dirt on her face. Who knew the labours of the common folk were so tough? A sound caught her attention as she turned to see the point of disturbance. A pallet had been knocked over and behind it she saw children peeking at her from where it used to be. They seemed shocked that she had noticed them but at the same time seemed to be in awe. The response surprised Weiss, but she knew exactly what to do. She stood up straight and waved at them with a smile on her face.
The children gasped, they were clearly inspired by the presence of a huntress before they started to wave back eagerly. A passing adult took note before quickly shooing them away as to not distract the hard working protectors of the people. The adult nodded in apology to Weiss but clearly had a smile on their own face before leaving. Weiss paused as some sense of pride welled up in her. She expected being a huntress to be nothing more than slaying Grimm and beating up bandits, but she understood that there was more to it now. Being a huntress wasn't just about fighting; it was about helping people in any way they could, and they seemed grateful for it. Even if it was just repairing a house.
Her arms didn't feel as tired now as she lifted the wheelbarrow back up and pressed on with renewed vigour.
The sun bathed the small and quaint village in an orange glow as it started to set. Yang had just finished the last of the heavy lifting as she made her way around the building. She looked to it and noticed just how much progress had been made through their, and the villagers, combined efforts. Another day and it would likely be finished. Blake and Neo were both carrying more building supplies; hauling them towards the building together. Weiss was covered in dirt, cement, and had been working relentlessly since she complained about her arms. The sight brought a smile to Yang's lips as she watched her friends working together.
"Your team is quite competent. I can only imagine what you would have been like after completing your training at your academy in Vale." Yang was surprised as she turned to see the village elder stood behind her, as usual he was smiling politely.
"What? We are-"
The old man chuckled, "There is no need for deception my child. I am only happy that you remained to help. That counts you as more of a hunter than any graduation ceremony ever could."
Yang paused, "How did you know...?"
The elder sighed as he looked out to her team, "You will soon come to learn of this as fact while you travel the lands outside of your kingdom... Regrettably it is an often occurrence that a graduating team of hunters soon split. Wherever by choice or chance is not always clear... But teams do not remain as such for long." The man's dull eyes looked although they were losing focus on anything before him, as if he was becoming distracted. "Not to mention that you are all so very young and hopeful..."
"What do you mean hopeful?" Yang turned her attention to also view her team. She saw that they were all smiling, even Weiss who was tired and spent.
"I do not wish to dampen your spirits... But while the life of a hunter, or huntress, is filled with romance, chivalry, and comradery. There is also pain, loss, and defeat. There may come a time where your feet ache and your stomach groans. A time where you will say goodbye to friends and family. A time where the last flicker of light is extinguished before your eyes..." The old man's gaze shifted to the floor in memory. "The life you've chosen, young huntress, is to take on the suffering of those around you so that they might live comfortably at your expense. This is why hunters and huntress' alike are regarded with such renown. They spare nothing; everything is given to Remnant and its people and eventually you will be left with two paths. To use your talents for your own interests: Harming and stealing from the people you once swore to protect or simply abandoning them to hide yourself away and wasting your years of training... Or keep going until you die for them or are simply unable to continue; crippled for the rest of your life." Again the old man sighed a weary sigh as he looked to the sky. "You give everything... Or you take it all back."
Yang's lilac gaze sharpened at the man, "What did you choose?"
The elder paused and let out a single breath of a laugh through his nose as he turned to regard the blonde, "You are keener than you let on. That may serve you in the future." The old man reached down to adjust his long oriental skirt. He revealed what would be a leg, but in its place was a simple wooden stump. "I chose to give as much as I could, and I continue to do so as their leader. What better role-model than an old retired hunter?"
The blonde's eyes looked down to the stump before it was covered up once more. She turned her gaze to meet the man's own, "How'd it happen?"
"I came to this village long ago from Haven Academy; Mistral. Myself and my team sought to..." The old man breathed in deeply. "Sought to change the kingdom for the better... To rid Anima of the bandits and Grimm that plagued it. The foolish graduates that we were... The Sire had dominated the western side of this continent for years and so we came looking to put the beast down. We were reckless and ignored the pleading cries of the villagers, warning us not to pursue it, telling us there was much else we could do to help. We were stubborn and told them everything would be fine. We had never known defeat, but then we had never faced an enemy so... Cunningly terrible... We fell into every trap that was set for us. The first of us fell and we were shaken as loss had been something we had little experience with. Group cohesion fell apart and we lost another... When it was but myself and the last remaining member of our team, the creature appeared. We had only seen glimpses of it before, but there it was standing proudly before us. It knew it had won. I moved to engage the Sire, fuelled by hatred and rage. Its tail was hidden beneath the dirt and the leaves and with one sure whip it severed my leg. It did not even move, it simply watched as I cried in pain. My comrade came to my rescue and drew in close... A dozen Strigoi swarmed down upon her and forced her to the ground; gnawing with their teeth and scratching with their claws. I watched in horror as the frenzy tore her apart, and beyond it... The Sire... Watching with its burning red eye. Ever still and motionless. It saw that I was suffering and it fed off of those emotions, as Grimm so often do. It kept me alive just to relish in the atmosphere I was creating..."
Yang listened intently to the elder's story. "How did you survive...?"
The man looked to Yang, his eyes were with a lack of emotion as he spoke, "What makes you think that I did?" A silence passed over the two. "But... Enough of tales and the hardships of your profession. Know that you live upon an honourable and selfless path and that is something you should always be proud of." The elder smiled, but now that Yang had noticed it she couldn't help but see the sorrow in his gaze, it was a permanent fixture upon him. "Your work here is done, you may spend another night and eat your share. When the morning comes and you seek to leave, head north-east. There you will find the ruins of Shion. That is last where your sister and her team were travelling."
"Ruins?" Yang raised a brow curiously.
"Villages come and go out here, but Shion was destroyed recently by bandits and Grimm. I am unsure wherever you will find answers or questions there, but it is your best and only course to take. I only ask that you be cautious..." The voice of the elder grew serious in tone as he drew to the end of his sentence.
"I will be," Yang nodded with sure confidence.
The hour was late and the group had retired to their rooms. As per the night before, Yang and Blake shared a room while Weiss and Neo shared another. Yang sat upon the edge of her bed as her eyes stared out of the window. There was nothing but darkness outside. Blake was behind her; laying upon the bed with her eyes locked upon a book. Her golden gaze shifted from the pages and to Yang, "I forgot to ask." Yang turned to regard her with a questioning look. "Weren't you going to fit Celica back onto your wrist when we got to Patch?" The Faunus smirked at the forgotten task.
The blonde grinned as she turned her body in order to crawl towards her partner, "Well I was gonna... But I got distracted you see..."
Blake chuckled softly as she brought her hand up to brush against her girlfriend's cheek, "You're clumsy..."
"Yeah well, would a clumsy person have asked the local blacksmith to do it for her in exchange for her hard work today?" Yang crawled closer to Blake until she was practically on top of her.
"No, just a lazy one. You're picking it up in the morning I guess?" Blake's cheeks blushed as Yang brought her lips closer to hers.
"Yeah, should be ready-" A loud cry came from the room next door as Yang's eyes sharpened. The words of the elder rang in her head as she sat up. "Was that Weiss!?" She pushed herself off of Blake and stumbled to her feet as she ran for the door.
"Yang wait!" Blake called after her partner, but it was too late for she had already sprinted out the door.
Weiss and Neo's room was only the next one down and so Yang was quick to the scene as she burst in through the door. "Weiss!"
The woman in question let out a startled shriek as she pulled her quilt up to cover herself. She was sat in the middle of her bed, her body facing the headrest as she looked to Yang. She was frozen in place, as if out of fear.
"Weiss are you okay!? I heard you scream! Where's Neo!? Your face is red and you're sweating-...!" Yang paused as her thoughts began to piece the puzzle together. Weiss was looking at her with shock, her skin was slick with sweat, she was breathing heavily... And Neo...? Her lilac eyes noticed there was something beneath the quilts, a form...? Yang froze.
After several awkward seconds of silence Weiss picked up a pillow and hurled it at Yang with great force, "Get out! Get out right now!" The pillow struck the blonde in the face as she stumbled from the room; she didn't need to be told twice as she slammed the door shut. She stared at the door in silence. After a few more seconds she heard Weiss' voice from inside, "Why didn't you stop!?"
With wide lilac eyes she turned as she made her way back to her own room. In the doorway stood Blake with her usual expression of disinterest. "I tried to tell you," Blake sighed as Yang silently walked by her and back into their room.
"Weiss is really adventurous..." Yang muttered as she climbed back into her bed. Blake rolled her eyes before closing the door behind her.