Whatever Team RWBY had been expecting from Shields of Vytal's headquarters gymnasium, it certainly wasn't this.

Shields' HQ was a massive structure located at the outskirts of Vale, built on flat grounds between a river and an imposing cliff. The area was naturally beautiful thanks to the nearby water – large, tall trees grew around the terrace, the canopy of leaves seemingly glittering as the wind blew through the branches. Despite the vastness of it all, the cliff dwarfed the building and hid most of it from the rays of the sun. Statues of huntsmen and huntresses became visible as one approached the premises from the bridge crossing the river – Shields' HQ was the only construction on this side, but it was impressive with its white marble and gleaming windows.

When Team RWBY had first come here for their pre-screening, they had visited a section of the establishment that hadn't been too far away from the entrance. The reason for this was because they hadn't yet been members at the time and had obviously not possessed the required security passes to move further inside. This time, now that RWBY was a part of Shields, they were directed to the training area that members used to prepare for upcoming missions – and it quickly became evident that the headquarters extended into the cliff, itself.

The gymnasium was composed of several large sections and chambers – so much so that it was difficult to truly tell in person how big it really was and how many kinds of training were available. Fortunately, Blake had read the documents Shields had provided for them and so she knew the variety vastly outnumbered what Beacon had been able to offer. To put it mildly, Blake was impressed.

Team RWBY stopped at the gym's reception desk to notify the personnel that they had arrived for their mission training. If they had been coming in only to work out on their own time, there would have been no need for this, but being that this specific session was scheduled and obligatory, Team RWBY had to make their presence known.

What they found instead of a regular reception desk, though, was a woman dressed professionally just standing in front of a gleaming wall, corridors to the right and left, smiling at them, the perfect picture of pleasantry and poise. "Welcome," she said. "My name is Ivy. Do you have an appointment?"

The four girls stopped by Ivy, and Ruby stepped closer. "Hi! Yeah, we're here to train for a mission."

Ivy nodded twice, still grinning, and replied, "Great! Please show me your identification one at a time."

Blake and Yang shared a look – there was something about this woman that seemed…uncanny. Not enough to be truly disconcerting, but just enough to raise suspicions.

Weiss must have seen the couple glance at each other because she said, "The SDC uses virtual intelligence, too. I'm not surprised Shields' has this."

As Blake showed her huntress license to Ivy last, she couldn't help trying to inspect the woman further, not sure she quite understood what Weiss was saying. Ivy stared back enthusiastically.

Yang's thoughts must have been following a similar path because she asked, "Virtual intelligence? What?"

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, but the woman spoke instead. "Thank you, Team RWBY. You are right on time. Please see your instructions and each take an earcomm. Do not lose them. Enjoy!" And then, after a final beam, Ivy suddenly flickered and altogether disappeared. In her place, a glowing set of words became clear against the wall, giving Team RWBY directions to where they had to go in the gymnasium.

"Oh," Ruby let out, mirroring everyone's reaction. "She wasn't real. Cool!"

"What I'm wondering is what she meant about the ear –" Weiss interrupted herself when four small, square sections of the wall below the text slid open and little trays came out. The girls peered at the trays, seeing black electronic devices placed on them that seemed to be shaped to fit around the ear. "I spoke too soon."

"Oooohhh," Ruby cooed, immediately grabbing one to give it a closer look. "Think we're using them right away?"

"I think we should go to wherever we're being expected first," Blake finally spoke, taking one of the earcomms at the same time as Weiss and Yang. The trays retracted back into the wall once the weight was lifted from them, and the square panels closed.

"That sounds like a good idea!" Ruby agreed. "Let's go! I can't wait to see what we'll be doing."

This cued Team RWBY into motion. Following the directions they had been given, they made their way through various sections of the gym – most training areas were hidden behind doors, but there were other open spaces with equipment for working out where the girls sometimes saw other hunters training on their own time. Team RWBY eventually arrived at their designated room, where a digital screen beside the door had their team name showing. Beneath the screen was an automated lock where the girls swiped their scrolls in front of, unlocking the door and letting them enter.

There were a couple things that Blake noticed right away, eyes widening alongside her friends as she closed the door behind her.

She wasn't the first to express her surprise, though. Ruby gasped and Yang exclaimed, "Oh, heck, yeah!"

Before Team RWBY were four shiny, sleek, chromed black, and armored machines set side by side, some distance apart from each other. They stood out dramatically against the glossy white walls and somewhat called to mind the general idea of a motorcycle – but these had no visible wheels or handles to speak of, sitting flat on the floor, and engine turbines on the sides added some bulkiness to their fronts.

Yang and Ruby immediately rushed over to admire them with their hands instead of with just their eyes. "Are we really going to be using these?" Yang gushed, eyes wide with excitement.

Whether the question was rhetorical or not, no one was given the chance to try and answer. Someone else spoke instead.

"Welcome, Team RWBY." The voice was genderless and it caused the girls to stop and search for its source. It seemed to come from all around the room, and it continued before it could be interrupted, "My name is Soul. I am your assigned artificial intelligence. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Team RWBY paused and stared at each other. There were a good three seconds that passed in silence as wordless questions were exchanged between the four. An assigned artificial intelligence? Blake furrowed her eyebrows. Of course, she remembered Penny Polendina, a true AI in a robotic body meant to resemble and act like any other girl, so she knew the technology existed, but she had also assumed it originated in Atlas and its usage restricted to the military – therefore meaning that when Penny was destroyed in RWBY's first year at Beacon, that was the last Blake would see of it in her lifetime, probably.

And yet, here they were.

As soon as this reality settled on her, Ruby squealed and jumped at least four feet off the floor. "This is so cooool!" She looked around the blank room with curious wonder. "Do you have a body, Soul? Can we see you? Are you gonna be with us during the mission? Is it you who is training us? Are we using these things? What are they? I like you already!"

Undeterred by this tsunami of questions, Soul replied with the inevitable flooding of information, "No. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. They are called Superterra Electro-Polardynamic Aura Acceleracers…or hoverbikes. I like you, too. In order for me to be with you on your missions, you will need to activate your earcomms and keep them in your ears. Please, do so now."

Suspecting the next few hours would consist of Ruby excitedly asking Soul all kinds of things and Yang being energetically gung-ho about this turn of events, Blake decided she would have to filter out the non-essential details in order to keep up and ask for clarifications later. For the moment, this seemed to be the important information: Soul did not have a body and the machines were hoverbikes. Blake fit the earcomm into her human ear. It was snug but comfortable – already much better than anything the White Fang had ever used.

"How do we activate them?" Weiss wondered, not exactly frowning but also absolutely frowning.

"Press them."

"…Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Weiss was definitely frowning.

When Soul spoke next, Blake heard it calmly in her earcomm and not resonating around the room. "Perfect. I can communicate with you as individuals and as a group this way. I will by no means be replacing your leader – my role is as an information resource and technical aid only."

Blake crossed her arms. This was indeed all very interesting, but she found the practical side of her taking precedence over her intrigue. "Can we talk to each other with the earcomms, Soul, or just with you?"

"You may speak with each other by saying individual names first, and with everyone on your team by saying 'Team.' I will manage comm links. If you wish to end any connection, say 'Out.'"

"Well, I'm certainly feeling like a super top-secret agent all of a sudden," Yang announced with a huge grin. "Killing Grimm just got a whole lot more wild."

"...Wilder," Weiss corrected under her breath, and Blake arched her eyebrows at her in amusement while Yang stuck out her tongue.

Ruby giggled. "Weiss just doesn't like the bikes."

"Ugh, I do –"

"Team RWBY," Soul intervened, getting their attentions and completely interrupting Weiss. "As you've been made aware, your upcoming mission will require you to guard a resource convoy heading out to a settlement in the wilderness of Vytal. These machines in front of you will be your rides. Your training today consists of familiarizing yourself with how to drive them – and safely jump them from a flying shuttle."

"Yessssss," Ruby and Yang expressed in unison, and Ruby ran over to her sister to high-five her. "This is going to be awesome!" the younger girl exclaimed. "How do they work?"

"The hoverbikes will turn on when you insert your scrolls in the console on the dash. Get on and try it now."

Blake walked over to the closest death trap and sighed as she appraised it. It had taken her a while to get used to Yang's motorcycle, Bumblebee. She wasn't afraid anymore, even driving it on her own now, but that was because it had become familiar terrain. This machine was not Bumblebee – not even close – and aside from the rectangular indent where she supposed her scroll was to be placed in, Blake had no visible indication for how this thing steered. She wasn't at all thrilled with having to learn to use it.

Fortunately, it seemed Blake wasn't the only one who had reservations. Weiss still hadn't gotten on hers, instead staring at it with a scowl.

Both of their attentions were then diverted ahead when a deep, rumbling whir started up – not nearly as loud as a motorcycle, and not quite the same kind of aggressive sound, either. Blake's cat ears leaned out of their initial unease.

"Oh, my God," Yang suddenly said from where she was naturally sitting on the ignited hoverbike. Blake looked at her, then at what she was looking at, and amber eyes widened. An entirely holographic interface had appeared on the dash. Furthermore, the underside was now glowing burning yellow – Yang's color. "I don't know if I should call this a travesty or total genius. It kind of feels like an insult to the spirit of motorcycles around the world."

"I think that any machine designed to be so attractively useful should be called total genius," Soul provided, and Yang blinked while Ruby laughed.

"Hear that, guys? Soul speaks my language!"

"And you speak mine, Team Leader Ruby."

For whatever reason, this interaction made Yang let out a longsuffering, resigned exhale as she pinched the bridge of her nose and slowly shook her head. "Here we go... The beginning of true love between woman and AI." She then frowned, as if her own statement disturbed her. "Soul, if you hurt my baby sister, I will find your core instance and destroy you."

"Duly noted, Big Sister Yang. I will speak Team Leader Ruby's language only to her from now on."

"That's not even close to what I said!" Yang roared in disbelief, but Ruby was still laughing and Yang finally just let it go by rubbing her face like nothing made sense in life anymore.

Soul either didn't care about social cues or was an expert at reading them because it immediately ignored Yang and addressed Blake and Weiss instead. "Miss Belladonna and Miss Schnee, is there a reason you have not tried the technological beauties?"

"Blake, do you need me to sit in front of you…or behind you?"

Blake didn't even need to look at Yang to see the suggestive eyebrow waggle. She imagined it just fine. "I'm great," she mumbled, deciding she may as well get this done and over with. And when Blake started swinging her leg over the leather seat, this seemed to prompt Weiss to get over herself, too. They both sat on their death traps. Blake took out her scroll and placed it on the console. The machine whirred to life, and apprehension immediately arose in Blake. The holographic interface appeared, three buttons in the middle beneath the speed, power, and armor integrity gauges, and there were other panels on the sides that she could only guess at the functions of. It was all so daunting.

But the longer Blake sat there, the more she realized she was actually beginning to calm down. The machine under her was slimmer than Bumblebee, sleeker, and something about it almost felt more predatory – maybe it was its quieter idle, something that reminded Blake of a jaguar's purr, ready to pounce – coiled energy instead of raw power. And thanks to her scroll identification, the color glowing at the bottom was a deep, dark violet, and it made Blake feel like this machine was actually, maybe, an extension of her.

"Hey, AI buddy," Yang called out – as if Soul couldn't hear her if she spoke in a normal tone, "why do we even need these electronic things, anyway? Why not use, you know, real motorcycles?"

"Big Sister Yang, fuel explosions are more devastating if your machine is compromised."

"Yeah, but –"

"And there are no gas stations on the way to your destination."

Next to Yang, on the hoverbike with a glowing rose red underside, Ruby giggled. "Quit giving Soul a hard time, Yang. Let's just learn how to use these and kick butt!"

Yang let out a loud groan, but Blake knew the blonde was amused. "Fine, fine. Alright, Soul, tell us how to drive these."

Over the course of the next half hour or so, Soul explained the hoverbikes' controls to Team RWBY. These machines were meant to hover above the ground, and they steered thanks to pressure-sensitive modules in the chassis, mostly freeing their riders' hands for them to use their weapons whenever needed. The engine turbines on the sides provided thrust while a holographic bar on the side determined speed. Soul explained a few more things to the girls, and, finally, Team RWBY was then ready to get the bikes off the floor.

Soul activated electromagnet shields to separate each girl into their own area within the room, and thus commenced the true test of their learning abilities.

Blake braced herself and pressed the middle holobutton. Immediately, the hoverbike rose off the floor by about a foot. For now, they were to get used to the steering only, and Blake felt this weird sensation like she was simultaneously floating and, well, not. She realized the difference between Bumblebee and this was that she did not have to keep her balance so that the machine remained stable – it did this automatically.

She took a calming breath in, trying to tune out the rest of her team so that she could focus on her own body and the feel of the machine beneath her. Tentatively, she started applying pressure with her left foot. The bike began sliding directly leftwards. Nervousness made her press down with her right foot instead to stop the movement, and the machine suddenly hovered to the right, faster than expected, and Blake ended up bumping into the magnetic shield.

She frowned, loosening her legs, and the bike idled. Her eyes sought out her friends to see how they were fairing. Unsurprisingly, she found that Yang and Ruby were already being much more daring, expressions of concentration and glee on their faces as they hovered in every which direction and generally reminded Blake of yellow and red bumper cars in action. Weiss, on the other hand, had not moved an inch yet.

Blake nudged her left foot, getting away from the shield. She found that the more pressure she applied, the quicker the bike moved to the side over a greater distance – and was capable of coming to a stop again to the same abruptness that pressure was removed.

"Check out what I learned to do!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, and Blake looked towards her. It appeared Ruby had figured out how to make her ride drift in circles – and was currently doing so, pivoting around and around the center of gravity, as there was no thrust involved. "Weeeeee!"

Blake's eyes darted over how Ruby was exercising pressure on the machine, noticing a combination of knee and foot coordination. She creased her eyebrows as a thought occurred to her, and then murmured, "Soul, can you remotely access these and drive them, yourself?"

"Of course, Miss Belladonna."

Blake assessed this information for a second, quiet, and, finally, she said, "Just Blake is fine."

"As you wish."

"Thank you." Blake returned her attention to her hoverbike. She pressed her right knee into the side of the chassis, and the machine tilted diagonally to the right, staying in place. Blake switched, and the glider moved with her smoothly, doing the same to the diagonal left.

And then it clicked in Blake's head – and in her body, too, in a way. Without needing any thruster power, Blake hovered her ride in several wide arcs, then in tighter turns, and having the machine respond to her so perfectly almost made her smile. With the purr of the motor, it really did feel like she was riding some kind of large cat. For whatever reason, this had quickly become like second-nature.

"Impressive, Blake," Soul commented in her earcomm.

Blake didn't reply, but a certain feeling of satisfaction swelled in her. She veered over towards Weiss, stopping before she hit the shield, and paused.

Weiss was inching her bike from side to side anxiously, somehow both scowling and looking incredibly uncertain.

"Need help?" Blake offered kindly.

Weiss looked up, momentarily startled. She appeared as if she wanted to adamantly refuse at first, but then her expression became more dejected. "I've never used anything like this," she admitted with a frown. "I don't feel comfortable."

Blake observed her teammate for a second. Weiss wasn't demonstrating any fear – that was a good start. She truly was only dealing with inexperience, and probably a perfectionist streak – and some amount of pride – that demanded she succeed right away despite said inexperience. And now that Blake was giving it some thought, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company – prim and proper Weiss Schnee – sitting on a technological monster was a strange image indeed.

"Don't rush yourself," Blake finally provided. "This is why we're here today anyway – to learn to use these. Try things. It's okay to fail at first."

Weiss gave Blake a critical glance. "Easy for you to say. You seem to already know what you're doing."

"This is a fluke," the Faunus assured. "I was expecting to struggle…but I guess it came to me naturally."

The two girls suddenly heard Ruby call out from the edge of her quadrant, "Hey, what's going on over there? You two need help?"

With a bit of a smile, Blake pretended to tap the side of her human ear and said in a normal tone, "Ruby, you don't have to shout."

Ruby looked like she was about to reply loudly again, but then she grinned sheepishly and Blake heard her voice in her ear say, "Ha, right. Soul, can you disable the shields? Weiss needs help."

"Shields disabled, Team Leader Ruby."

Enthusiastic as ever, Ruby hopped off her glider and jogged over to Weiss and Blake. Blake's eyes looked past the young leader and saw Yang waggle her eyebrows before she swiveled around and drifted her ride in a wide arc, bringing the brawler all the way across the room and coming to a stop next to Blake.

It seemed Yang had gotten a hang of the steering very quickly, too – probably thanks to her experience with Bumblebee. Blake admired the way her girlfriend looked on the machine for a moment, and Yang winked at her. "Looking hot, partner. Also, is it weird for an AI to call me its big sister?"

"It's only weird if you make it weird, Big Sister Yang."

Yang narrowed her eyes. "I wish you had a body so that I could glare at you. Just call me Yang."

"Very well."

"Guysssss. We gotta help Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed with a smile. She approached Weiss. "You know which pressure module does what, right?"

"Of course I do!" Weiss growled, but then she took a calming breath in. "Yes. I know."

"Then go left a couple feet and stop. Then come back."

Weiss exhaled slowly, collected herself, and then did as Ruby instructed. Her movement was wobbly and interrupted, but she eventually completed the short sequence.

"Yay!" Ruby whooped.

"Now do it again," Yang challenged with a grin. "Faster."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

This was how Ruby, Yang, and Blake helped Weiss for the next little while, though, giving her short lists of actions to practice until she could do each one with relative smoothness. Ruby returned to her own hoverbike sometime after that, and Team RWBY trained as a group by positioning themselves in front of each other, a good distance apart, and taking turns to mimic each other's motions as fast as they could in order to gain a semblance of [cohesiveness] as a unit and get a sense of how each girl reacted on the machines.

When they were all maneuvering with more ease, Soul had them return to their initial quadrants. They had to practice using their thrusters now, but they would not be moving around the room for this.

"Preparing quadrants for individual simulation environments. Please, standby."

Blake glanced to her left and right, exchanging looks with an apprehensive Weiss and an excited Yang respectively. It was rather amazing that they were able to do so much in this one room – this one room out of so many others that undoubtedly had other kinds of gadgets, vehicles, and who-knew-what-else for training purposes in them. Shields' technology rivaled the SDC's and the Atlas military's – maybe even surpassed them in regards to hunter-specific needs.

"Quadrants ready for simulation," Soul announced, and suddenly the glossy white of Blake's surroundings blurred, transformed, and solidified until she found herself staring at a dirt path winding through a flat, grassy terrain.

Blake blinked and looked around, realizing she couldn't see her teammates anymore – she was isolated within the simulation.

"Team RWBY," came Ruby's voice in Blake's earcomm, "do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, Red Eagle," Yang replied with clear amusement in her voice. "The weather is splendid for a cruise."

"You two watch too many movies," Weiss grumbled.

Blake smiled a bit. "Reporting for duty, Team Leader." It was actually a bit strange to both be outside and not be outside. There was no wind, no nature sounds – just an expanse of green interrupted by that dirt path to look at.

"Awesome! Then let's do this!"

Soul's voice spoke next, explaining how the thrusters worked and the controls to use them. Their machines would physically stay in place during the simulation – while still tilting and shifting through turns – so they didn't have to worry about physically crashing into anything.

"Your goal is to follow along the path as precisely as you can," Soul added. "Pretend you're playing a game. This is level one. Too low of a score will force you to restart the level." It paused. "Have fun."

It must have disconnected any comm links for the moment, as Blake only heard her teammates' various responses as if through a thick haze, far away and muffled. This cued her into returning her focus to the trail ahead. She was mostly alone for this. Blake didn't consider herself a gamer by any means, but Yang and Ruby had occasionally convinced her to play with them back at Beacon, so she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the concept. Despite this, Blake's mind insisted on seeing this simulation under a more serious light – it was training, and she had to learn how to do this well.

So, Blake steadied herself and then brushed her thumb over the holographic speed bar. Just a little. The hoverbike immediately started gliding forward, and Blake fixed her eyes on the path ahead. She wasn't going very fast, and the path was a straightaway for the moment, although there was a subtle, wide curve on the horizon going to the right.

Now Blake would have to use her newly acquired muscle memory. She just needed to tilt the machine a bit – no sharp or extreme turns. That meant not using her feet – at least, barely. She focused on the path, letting the machine move her forward, and tension formed in her shoulders the closer she got to the curve. It was a little ridiculous that she was getting so worked up over this seemingly simple task – but, then again, she had also been reluctant to get on and try the hoverbike in the first place. Maybe this would be easier than she thought, too.

As Blake came upon the beginning of the curve in the path, she applied a bit of pressure to the machine's chassis with her right knee, and it tilted right slightly. With its forward momentum, Blake was pleased to see that she was sticking to the path like this. She completed the first turn without incident and decided to increase her speed. With a brief motion of her thumb, the bike smoothly accelerated.

She had to turn left this time. Sharper. Blake applied pressure with her left knee, a little more than previously, but it wasn't quite enough. Even if she pushed harder, all Blake managed to do was keep grazing along the line of the grass, barely staying on track, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and confusion. Had that turn been any sharper, she would have hovered right off of it. How was that supposed to work?

Blake opened her mouth, about to ask Soul for advice, but then the image of Ruby spinning in tight circles came back to her mind, and she remembered the combination of knee and foot coordination. Right. With forward momentum and the correct amount of pressure in the correct places, sharper turns would be easy.

In the short time it had taken Blake to figure this out, the Faunus had already managed to drive her ride off the path, and it now seemed she was intent on exploring the wasteland of grass. It was still a wasteland. Blake frowned and decelerated first, then went through the motions to get herself turned around and head back towards the path. This would definitely still require some getting used to.

"Team, how are we doing?" came Ruby's chipper voice in the earcomm.

"So great!" Yang replied with enthusiasm. "This is easy and so cool and I love it!"

"Speak for yourself," Weiss grumbled next.

Ruby laughed a bit. "Aww, Weiss! Do you need more help from your adored teammates?"

"I'm fine," came the frustrated response. And then, with less annoyance, "I'll figure this out."

"Soul, you're helping her, right?"

There was a short pause. "...Now I am."

This caused Yang to start snickering, and Blake almost smirked. While these different interactions took place, the Faunus had slowed her bike again so that she could focus on the conversation and on what she was doing at the same time. But instead of antagonizing the heiress, Blake suggested, "Maybe Soul can put itself on a sort of 'training wheels' mode on Weiss' hoverbike until she's more comfortable with the motions."

"Like riding a bicycle!" Ruby exclaimed. "Good thinking, Blake! Soul, can you do that?"

"Yes. I will assist Miss Schnee in steering. Miss Schnee, do I have your permission?"

It was a moment before Weiss answered, but she finally said with a resigned huff, "Go ahead."

Communications were then cut as the group resumed their training. They spent a good four hours perfecting their hoverbike-driving abilities, and just as Soul had told them, they also learned to land them by jumping from high places. The training room had literally reconfigured itself to give them platforms to ride off of. If any of the girls had doubts about being well-prepared enough to take on missions from the guild, that afternoon erased them from their minds. Shields would help them specialize their abilities and prepare them for an even wider range of situations – and with Soul acting as a resource guide and technical help, Team RWBY would have almost nothing to fear.

In Ruby's words, the Grimm better watch out.

"Hey...before you two leave, I wanted to ask you something," Weiss suddenly said just as Blake and Yang were beginning to get out of the small limo.

The young couple shared a look and then lowered themselves back into the vehicle, shutting the door. "What's up?" Yang wondered, getting comfortable again. Ruby had been dropped off at her place already, so it was just the three of them in the car.

Blake did much the same as Yang, since Weiss sounded pretty serious when she asked, "I wanted to know how you're doing? Together?" She set a leveled ice blue gaze on them, searching.

Searching for what, Blake didn't know, but she looked at Yang again, trying to determine in how much detail they could answer. Weiss seemed earnest in her concern, at the very least, but that caused the Faunus to be concerned, too. After Yang shrugged, Blake turned back to Weiss and replied, "We're doing fine. Why? Does it look like we're not?" Or do you know something we don't? She wondered if it said something about her insecurities that she was already so paranoid. Probably – unfortunately.

The heiress shook her head. "No, you look great together. I just wanted to make sure we were going into this first mission for Shields with no distractions." She hesitated, and added, "And you're my friends, and I'm just hoping you two are happy."

At this, Blake smiled a little, feeling somewhat relieved that there didn't seem to be anything bad that needed to be addressed. "We're happy, Weiss. Not everything is perfect, obviously, but you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, what she said," Yang agreed with a wink.

Strangely, Weiss didn't accept this answer, though. Instead, she creased her pale eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh. Well, um..." Yang glanced at Blake in surprise, and the raven-haired girl wavered, uncertain if she should be straightforward. Was Weiss really the ideal person to be talking about this with?

Finally, turning away from Yang, she said, "It's nothing, really. We're working on it." Are we so obvious? That's not good.

Still, Weiss insisted. "Let me see if I can help somehow, even if it's just to offer some advice or support."

"Yeah...I'm not entirely sure you can help us with this, Weiss...no offense." Yang fiddled with her hands, looking down.

Blake creased her eyebrows. "Well..." She believed Weiss' intentions were honest. And the two girls had gotten a little closer over the past two years, especially after how evident it was that Weiss very much cared about her teammates. She often went out of her way to make sure everyone had what they needed – one clear example being providing anyone who needed it a vehicle with chauffeur – and fully supported Blake's leadership the few times Ruby had been indisposed. For all intents and purposes, even if Weiss was sometimes busy or distant, she had become a trustworthy confidante.

However, could Blake and Yang really talk about this particular problem with her? Yang didn't quite look like she thought so. But the worst that could happen would be that Weiss just wouldn't have any idea how to help – which would be a bit awkward, but, ultimately, the risk didn't seem to outweigh the other, more positive outcome. So, Blake took a breath, took a chance, and after glancing at Yang again, who was gazing at her curiously, she said, "You know Yang is straight. But we're together, and Yang says she sees her future with me, and I see mine with her, but we're currently just experiencing some...issues, I guess, with intimacy...and we don't really know what to do."

"...Is that all?"

Blake opened her mouth as if to retort immediately, but then she closed it again and gave the girl in white a confused look.

It was Yang who voiced both of their thoughts with, "What do you mean, is that all? It's been stressing us out."

"So, stop focusing on it so much and take smaller steps."

Blake stared at Weiss. There was a good chunk of the introvert that felt almost offended by this blunt suggestion that seemed to assume all kinds of things about her relationship with Yang without taking into account the full story, and she wanted to express this in no uncertain terms, but then the more Blake deliberated over it, the more she began to realize that Weiss wasn't...exactly wrong.

"Easy for you to say," Yang mumbled, "You're not even in arelationship."

The heiress sighed. "I don't need to be in one to know things." She looked from Blake to Yang and back again, and added, "It's just sex, isn't it? And I get it can be a big deal, but what do you value more? Taking each other's clothes off or giving yourselves a setting where intimacy doesn't feel like pressure?"

There was definitely something about the dismissive tone that was grating on the nerves and made Blake want to defend her perspective, but receiving an opinion from someone who wasn't in the middle of the problem made the raven-haired girl reevaluate her reaction and stance.

I take it back. This is more awkward.

She thought she had been doing her best to be patient with Yang and doing everything that she could to make her girlfriend comfortable, and she thought she'd been making an honest effort at not focusing on wanting to make love to the blonde. But looking at the situation under this new, very basic light told a different story. Or, rather…it revealed the flaws in how Blake had been behaving.

She let out a bit of a sigh. "You're right, Weiss. I don't know how you managed to be so spot on...but you're right."

Weiss scoffed, smirked. "I know you, both of you, and that's enough."

Blake suddenly felt Yang gently take her hand. The two girls shared a small smile, and Yang said, "Thanks, Weiss. I think you've given us both something to think about."

"Good. I'm glad. Now I'll let you go."

Yang laughed and opened the car door again. "Gee, thanks. C'mon, Blake, we're no longer being held hostage."

Blake grinned now and shook her head, beginning to follow her girlfriend out of the car. She paused on the way out, though, to look back at her teammate and say, "Have a nice evening, Weiss. And thank you as well."

"Take care, Blake, it was my pleasure."

When the young couple arrived inside their home, Yang immediately kicked off her boots and headed towards the kitchen with evident purpose in mind, completely forgetting to be tidy.

Amused and curious, Blake neatly arranged their shoes in the entrance closet, and then went to investigate what her partner was up to. Probably, they would talk about the conversation they had with Weiss later, but for now it seemed that Yang had other ideas. In fact, Blake found her already setting up her little speaker on the table, and soon after, pop music started blaring from it.

Yang grinned and winked at her before breaking into a few silly dance moves in rhythm to the beat, first swinging her arms around in wild circles and then crouching up and down, legs spread wide, all the while with a goofy look on her face.

Blake couldn't stop from laughing. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, isn't it obvious? I'm making fish tacos!"

And yet, Blake continued to witness the funniest dancing she had ever seen – if it could even be called that. She leaned herself on the table, still smirking, and asked, "Do you want some help with those award-winning fish tacos happening over there?"

If it were possible, Yang's gaze brightened. "Show me what you got, Belladonna."

Blake laughed again and shimmied her hips a little – much to Yang's great pleasure, it seemed, by the pure twinkling joy in her irises – but shyness had the Faunus stop soon after and she instead moved to get a cutting board out of one of the cupboards. "I'm afraid my fish tacos are floppy and tasteless. They must not be allowed to see the light of day."

Yang giggled and came over to give Blake a quick kiss on the cheek. "One day, Blakey, one day I'll get you to unleash your dance skills with me." She grabbed the tilapia out of the fridge, as well as getting a cooking sheet out to set on the stovetop. She turned the oven on.

Blake arched her eyebrows. "Is that a threat, Xiao Long? Also, pass me an onion, please."

"Did I say it was a threat? I don't remember saying that. Also, catch!"

Yang turned and chucked an onion at her partner, who was almost caught by surprise, but Blake's reflexes kicked in and she got the onion out of the air before it sailed past her head. "Wow, not even checking if I was ready for that, and gaslighting me. Whatever have I done to deserve such love?"

A look entered Yang's gaze, and, deliberately, standing near the fridge, she...shimmied her hips a tiny bit.

Blake's eyes widened in mock offense while Yang burst out laughing. "I did that just for you, and this is what I get for playing along? I cannot believe the audacity." Blake shook her head.

But Yang came back over near the Faunus to spread parchment paper on the cooking sheet, and took advantage of their proximity to nuzzle her face into Blake's shoulder. "You wouldn't have me any other way. Also, my fish tacos rock."

The raven-haired girl's cheeks were becoming sore from smiling so much. She laid a quick kiss on the blonde's head, murmuring, "You're right, I wouldn't."

Yang moved away, but not without giving her girlfriend an affectionate wink, and started laying the pieces of tilapia on the cooking sheet. Meanwhile, Blake set about peeling the onion out of its dried, cracking skin. It was funny, settling into making dishes with Yang so naturally. The goofball was better than Blake at this – she had experience under her belt from making meals for Ruby as a kid, and her taste buds were sensitive enough that she could easily pinpoint various ingredients and practically recreate dishes based on taste alone. Blake, on the other hand, could follow a recipe – but since Yang rarely even used those, her role had mostly become the slicer-dicer, leaving the actual spices and mixing to her partner. They'd prepared a few dinners together like this already, and just like on the battlefield, they worked well together in the kitchen, too.

Blake was crying. And she kind of wanted to sneeze as well.

"You surviving over there, kitty?" Yang asked in a half amused, half concerned tone as she started generously sprinkling spices over the fish.

The Faunus sniffled and wiped her eyes. Purposely making her voice more affected than it needed to be, she said, "I'm just...so touched, Yang. I'm cutting an onion, and you're making fish, and we have a sectional, and everything is right in the world and I just can't keep myself from letting all these tears out because of how full my heart is."

"That onion is really doing a number on you, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Fortunately, Blake was done with it. She put the slices into a bowl and pushed it away from her on the counter. And then she wiped her eyes again and turned to meet Yang's entertained stare. "I'm not crying, you're crying."

Yang nodded sagely. "It's okay, brave soldier. Let it all out. Thank you for your service. Your sacrifice will be remembered."

Blake returned this gratitude with a solemn expression. She even bowed deeply, and Yang snickered. She couldn't keep the act, though, and, smiling at Yang, went to the fridge to grab a tomato. In passing, Blake asked, "Do I get a medal? I think I deserve a medal. I lost my eyesight in that war."

"That does sound pretty traumatic," Yang agreed, dramatically devastated. It didn't sell very well though because she was putting bits of butter on top of the tilapia now as if nothing serious was happening. Which nothing was. "I can't give you a medal cuz I don't have any. But!"

Blake paused from chopping the tomato. She turned towards her partner, wondering why this enthusiastic 'but' required so much silence, and Yang immediately swooped forward to lay her lips on Blake's. She barely had time to close her eyes and melt – Yang was already gone, finishing up with the fish in order to put it into the oven. The Faunus shook her head and returned her attention to her task, smiling despite herself. Yang was incorrigible. But it really was true that Blake wouldn't have her any other way.

Blake waited for Yang to join her in the bedroom. She massaged her neck for a moment, remembering their conversation with Weiss back in the car earlier that day. It was worth a shot, wasn't it? She would see what Yang thought, first, though.

Yang came into the bedroom about two minutes later, but she stopped when she saw that Blake wasn't already under the blankets. "You okay?" she wondered, glancing around for anything that could have been the cause of her partner just standing there. When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she fixed her stare on Blake. "Because if it's a spider, I'm useless to you, and we should set the house on fire just to be safe."

Blake cracked a smile and faced her girlfriend. "It's not a spider. I actually have a question for you. And you can say no worry-free if you're not comfortable."

Yang took this in stride and nodded. "Okay, try me."

The Faunus hesitated, having last second doubts on if this was such a great idea after all, but she finally forced herself to get it out in the open after a short exhale. "Would you like to try sleeping – or, well, maybe even just laying for a bit – next to me with less clothes on? No expectations, just something we can try to help you –"

"Yes. I'm totally down to try." And to prove she wasn't the slightest bit bothered, Yang even immediately took her short shorts off and went over to the dresser to grab one of her exercise bras.

Meanwhile, Blake had to do everything in her power to not ogle Yang's rear. The panties left very little to the imagination. Get ahold of yourself, Blake. She was definitely happy her girlfriend was making it less awkward by being so gung-ho, but Blake had to turn away from the sight. She proceeded to slide her pajama pants off, too, and went to her own dresser to put them back in the drawer. It wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in a bra – if the two girls even did go to sleep like that – but that was a very small, insignificant price to pay compared to the goal they were trying to achieve if the effort worked, in the end.

Blake quickly removed her tank top, the somewhat cool air making goosebumps raise on her skin, and she changed into a black bra, took a deep breath in, and pivoted towards the bed. Yang had already gotten under the blankets – I'll take the small mercy, intentional or not – so the raven-haired girl turned the light off and then joined her partner. She was careful not to get too close to Yang, trying not to force anything onto her. They may not have been touching, but Yang's auric warmth was already a more than welcome feeling.

In the dark, Blake saw Yang roll over on her side to look at her. They didn't say anything for a moment, letting the quiet settle on them like another layer of covers, but eventually the blonde asked, "You don't wanna cuddle?"

"I do," Blake replied lowly, "but you hold the reins right now." She shifted a bit, keeping her voice soft. "Do whatever you'd like to do. I'm fine with…well, everything." She knew Yang wasn't going to try anything explicit, anyway – if she even did try anything at all. Blake was fine with just seeing if they could lay side by side like this for a while.

"Everything," Yang repeated with a small laugh, but her tone suggested she caught the subtle meaning. "Okay." There was another silence, and Blake's heart was beating just a bit nervously, but then Yang scooted closer. "Well, lemme spoon you, then."

Blake smiled somewhat and took the cue, turning on her other side with her back facing Yang. Soon after, and kind of surprisingly, she felt the heat of Yang's torso connect with her skin, tentative, fitting the shape of her back like they were meant to be that way. Blake's heartbeat accelerated a little more, and she closed her eyes, both wanting and not wanting to focus on just how nice it was to feel so much of her girlfriend's skin all at once. She had told Yang there were no expectations, no pressure for anything, and she had meant it. Whatever Yang was comfortable with, Blake would appreciate. And when Yang's arm came around Blake's abdomen, resting on her hip, the raven-haired girl did her best not to move, and she murmured, "If it's too weird for you, we can put our pajamas back on."

Yang was silent for a while, so much so that Blake got ready to turn and check on her, but before she did Yang broke the quiet and susurrated, "I think I get in my head a lot when we start getting more intimate...like, always asking myself if what I'm doing is gonna make you feel good, or if I'm supposed to be feeling good, or what am I even supposed to do next, or how long should this thing that is happening last before moving on to the next part..." Her mouth was near one of Blake's cat ears, and the Faunus took comfort in hearing the gentle vibrations of Yang's voice as she continued with her thoughts. "Like I suddenly run out of imagination because you're another girl – which is dumb because I'm also a girl and I'm not a prude, so I know that I know what would probably feel nice for you, but then..."

Yang's voice trailed off, and Blake waited, attentive, cherishing the moment of open honesty while still being physically close like this – Yang had not yet moved away, after all. The blonde let out a short sigh and found her words again. "But then, by the time I'm done overthinking, the mood's ruined, and that whole time, I could've just been...you know..." There was a pause, and Yang did move then; her hand ghosted over Blake's ribcage, leaving soft caresses down her side, and Blake's eyes widened, insides tensing, and Yang finished with, "Experimenting instead of thinking about experimenting. And trusting you to guide me about what you like."

Blake screwed her eyes shut, attention momentarily zeroing in on warm fingers tracing the edge of her underwear, and it was only when she remembered that she needed to breathe that she managed to form a coherent thought. Did I say I was fine with everything? Where was my brain when I said that? Because, clearly, it hadn't been inside her skull. Blake exhaled the breath she had been holding, a part of her mind highly aware of Yang's caresses, and admitted, "I've been in my head a lot, too... Thinking everything had to be romantic, that I wanted you to feel how much I love you and that if we weren't able to go all the way...then it meant we – no, I was failing." Blake stopped, again distracted by a finger going achingly slow down the middle of her abdomen, igniting a flame in the depths of it. It was becoming difficult not to squirm. "My expectations were too high – this doesn't have to be perfect and we shouldn't go beyond your comfort levels." I would love to turn around and hold you in my arms, though.

Yang didn't say anything, but she seemed to press herself closer, and she laid a kiss on her girlfriend's shoulder. Her fingers dipped under the hem of Blake's underwear, traveling back up towards her hip, where she spread her hand over olive skin and started gliding down Blake's thigh. "Do you like that?" she whispered, the heat of her breath tickling the Faunus' human ear.

Blake couldn't stop her body from shuddering once when Yang's exploring hand wandered close to the inside of her thighs, fingers just beginning to curve inwards. What she really wanted to do was turn onto her back and open her legs, but that was obviously out of the question. "…Yes," she finally breathed, affected. She struggled with herself, and added, "What about you, though?"

"I'm…fine, actually." Yang suddenly laughed a little, and Blake felt it in her own body. "Maybe just a bit…nervous. But I think I feel less pressure with you not being able to touch me back right now." But then Yang did curve her hand inwards, and Blake tensed in surprise when her leg was lifted and her partner's knee came up between her thighs.

She didn't quite connect with her crotch, but, Oh, gods, do not grind, Blake, do not grind. And as Yang's arm secured around Blake's hips and pressed the girls together, Blake forced down a moan and husked, "So, keep my hands off you to get intimate – understood." She was trying so hard to keep her thoughts at least somewhat divided, and making conversation seemed to be the only way she could do that presently. If she only focused on what Yang was doing and how it made her feel, Blake was going to lose it and turn around to embrace and touch Yang with every ounce of passion steadily building inside of her.

Yang laughed again. "That's not what I said. I'm happy this is working for you, though." She laid a kiss on the Faunus' nape and another in the crook of her neck, and now Yang's hand was holding Blake right under her breasts.

Debatable. Blake's heart was pounding now, and molten lava had pooled in her lower belly, sending waves of heat up her torso. Yet, despite the constant battle of her own will against her desire, it was incredibly freeing to not be racked with guilt about possibly doing something wrong, or deal with the sadness of inevitable rejection. In fact, there was pleasure in being put on edge, warm and tingling sensations spreading through her body and heightening her sensitivity in particular areas.

"Oh… Debatable?" Yang wondered, and started to pull her knee away.

Blake's brain caught up in time to realize she had said her thought out loud, and her first instinct was to scramble to stop Yang from putting space between them. The rational side of Blake managed to rise above the want, though, and she allowed Yang to retreat without protest. She already missed the pressure of her girlfriend's knee. "Sorry, that wasn't supposed to come out." Blake swallowed hard, trying to calm down and get a grip. As much as she wanted to prolong this moment, this chance at experiencing Yang in a more intimate manner, she had been reaching a point where getting herself off seemed like a fantastic idea, and Blake was pretty sure that would be too awkward. "Can I face you?" she finally asked.

"Go for it."

Blake took another calming breath in, and as she rolled over, Yang released her altogether. The Faunus watched the blonde's expression for a moment, seeing uncertainty looking back at her, and Blake snapped out of it when she realized she hadn't properly reassured Yang. "Sorry, I'm not even sure why I said that. I think my brain was short-circuiting." She laughed a little, adding, "That was…really hot."

Yang's expression started to change, becoming much more optimistic. "You liked all of that?"

"More than liked. And yes, all of it. Thank you for trying." Blake very much wanted to hold Yang close and kiss her, feel her body against hers again, but she kept her hands to herself and instead satisfied herself with drinking in Yang's beauty in the dark. The raven-haired girl's heartbeat was slowing, the heat and slight tension gradually fading from her muscles. She desired Yang, of course, but she was more than happy with what had just happened.

"You know…" Yang drawled, amused, "one day we're going to actually have sex, and you're gonna thank me like you just did, and I'm gonna tease you for the service I've apparently provided."

"Yang!" Blake immediately reddened, and mumbled, "I was just trying to express –"

The goofball laughed, and suddenly pulled her partner closer by the hips and waist. "And I'm teasing you now about it, too. I love you, and you're welcome. But also…" Yang's lips found Blake's briefly, but she stayed near and finished in a whisper, "Thank you as well. For being so patient with me, and respecting my boundaries."

"That's…the bare minimum," Blake murmured, her thoughts once again scattering as they tried to focus on different things. She paused, trying to form a proper sentence, and finally managed, "Is there more I can do for you?"

Yang bumped their noses together. "You already do so much for me, Blake. I think that for this particular thing, we'll just have to keep at the little steps, see what works and what doesn't work, and not get discouraged if it takes time and multiple attempts." She paused for a moment, and she seemed thoughtful. Her hands came up and cupped Blake's face, thumbs rubbing her cheeks affectionately, and Blake leaned into the caress. "I just want to make sure you know I love you, and that I want to be with you, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything."

Blake let out a slow sigh. She met Yang's gaze, seeing the sincerity twinkling back at her, and a sense of calm washed over the Faunus. This, right here, was what mattered, in the end. She didn't need to make love to Yang to show her how much she loved her. She just had to keep being there every day, being supportive and affectionate and patient, and giving Yang the space to feel comfortable. And Blake could do this with the full knowledge that Yang wasn't going anywhere, either, and that she was happy, too, and that she wanted to reciprocate and would keep doing her best to do so.

Blake's fingers intertwined with Yang's softly on her cheek. "Don't worry, I know," she whispered, a smile growing on her lips. She pressed herself a little closer and kissed Yang lightly. "I love you, too, Yang. With all my heart."

Yang grinned and kissed Blake back. "Don't worry, I know, too."

A/N: Hey, everyone! It has been…*checks notes*…over three years since my last update on this story! Uhh time flies?

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to finish Contrecoeur. My motivation to write is too sporadic, and it took way too many things and too much time for me to even get this chapter finished, finally. I'd rather give you guys the rest of the outline I had planned out with some extra stuff instead of making y'all wait God-knows-how-long between chapters again.

Also, I wanted to thank ButtonMasherFTW, who inspired me to write and add in the last scene in this chapter. Yup, it initially wasn't gonna exist! Honestly, thank them because I never said I was smart. Hahaha I think having this last scene was absolutely necessary, and I hadn't even thought of it.

This is why I love your reviews, guys! You help me improve, and I'm not gonna take credit for ideas I didn't have.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this new instalment, and the next chapter will be all the information I had planned out for the story so y'all can have at least a bit of closure if you want it. Take care, everyone!

P.S: Part of my growth as an author includes never again using "nether regions." Thanks. lol