A/N: Nice long chapter for you guys! Well, long anyway. Good luck!

- Fiercesomest

The skies behaved beautifully. The wind finally died down, leaving the weather crisp and still, and while it was still a bit too cold overall for Blake's liking, warm rays of sunlight poured down on to the rooftops, offering a slight bit of reprieve from the chill in the air. It also turned the shingles buried beneath their feet into slippery slushpiles.

It also didn't actually help cast all that much light into the shredded center of the neighbor's roofing, which is why Blake silently dropped in first to make a quick scan of the area. The hole landed her in a living room of sorts, shredded, as was the usual at this point, but with a disconcerting amount of broken glass and snow scattering the floor. This house hadn't had shutters.

"Ruby, there's-" Blake's black velvet ears swiveled at the low growl that sounded from right behind her. She whirled around, Gambol Shroud ready to sever a Grimm into pieces. "...There's a dog." The huge canine was snarling, ears flat, and though one of its eyes had been gouged out, its fur was matted with far too much blood to have just been its own. Blakes own ears flattened when she realized it was guarding a pile of snow with a hand sticking out of it.

Ruby's boots hit the rug with a solid thump next to Blake, and she stood up ready for action. Her silver eyes adjusted to the dimness and she spotted the dog.

"Okay, whoa," she put an arm out in front of Blake, backing up slowly. Then she saw the hand. Her throat closed up for a second. She crouched a little lower and held out her open palm as if offering the dog a treat, "Hey there, poor guy... hey... we're not going to hurt you."

The younger girl's words were soft and soothing, but the dog's disposition seemed unchanged, head low, hackles raised, its lone eye flashing dangerously, as if daring either huntress to make one single move.

Blake frowned at the reddish tint to the dog's remaining eye, finding it far too close in hue to the crimson staining its formerly white coat. Captivated by that eye, surrounded by nothing but the sound of growling, there was no way for Blake to stop the buried fragments of her past from clawing their way back to the surface.

A protest thrown into chaos. The voices of the Faunus drowned out by ear-splitting barking and howling. Bloodthirsty eyes tracking her every desperate twist and turn through the streets. Ravenous growls relentlessly chasing her down the back alleys until she could run no further.

Blake tore her gaze from the dog. She didn't want to remember any more.

Forcing her focus back to the present, she cast a furtive glance at her young team leader, taking note of Ruby's relaxed posture and trying her best to emulate it, even against all of her natural instincts telling her to flee. Just as she managed to loosen herself up a bit, every ounce of tension snapped back into her limbs tenfold at the sound of the dog's growl hitching suddenly, the harsh sound chopping into ruthless dry heaving.

Eye wide and bulging, the dog's entire body shuddered, lurching with each sluggish breath it managed to drag in between hideously wet, hacking coughs. Dark sludge dripped from its empty eye socket and its jaws, pooling on the ground between its front paws.

Ruby crouched on the rug. Her chest felt tight, but she just watched, waiting for the dog to finish.

Blake however, grabbed the edge of Ruby's hood and gently pulled her back, amber eyes hard as she stepped in front of her leader, throwing an arm out to both shield and hold her back. She had seen a dark oily substance like this only once before, and that experience had ended with both Yang and herself nearly becoming Grimm. No living thing deserved such a horrible fate, and while she wasn't completely certain if this was the same, it felt too similar to be taking any chances.

With a great hacking cough, the dog choked up something solid, broken chunks of stark-white bone laced with clear telltale patterns of red clattering to the hard wood floor, earning an incredulous look from Blake. Had this thing eaten a Grimm? What would ingesting darkness incarnate even do to an animal? Cold determination steadying her aim, Blake pointed Gambol Shroud's pistol squarely at the dog's contorted face, watching its lone eye flicker between blood red and chocolate brown, her Faunus ears standing on high alert when it tried to take a shaking step forward.

Her finger tightened around the trigger. "Ruby," she whispered, just loud enough to be heard over the dog's hiccuped whimpers echoing through the gutted house, "Don't look."

"No, wait," Ruby was pale. The oily junk and the flickering red in the dog's eyes reminded her of that time too. The dream where she wore a mask of bone. She kept a hand on Blake's arm, "Let me try something."

Blake's scowl remained, but she forced herself to keep from firing when the dog lurched forward another step, lowering its head so far its nose practically dragged across the floor. "...Is that an order?"

"Just wait," Ruby unclasped her cloak, folding it a couple of times so she had a thick sheet the size of a bath towel. She faced the advancing dog. It looked like it was in so much pain. Pain caused by whatever the Grimm had done to it. Maybe if she could clear the darkness out... it was a long shot, but Ruby set her jaw, snow crunching under the soles of her boots as she braced, waiting for the dog's next move.

Stifling a growl of her own, Blake stepped aside, moving her arm from Ruby's path to double up her grip on Gambol Shroud. She kept her sights trained on the dog, but shifted her aim to its chest as it shuffled right up to Ruby and pressed its head into the younger girl's legs, teeth gnashing wildly, but never actually going for an outright attack. At least not yet. "Ruby," Blake hissed in alarm, forced to simply watch as the dog's movements became more erratic.

"Shh, shh, shhh..." Ruby wrapped her cloaked hands around the dog's sticky leather collar, maneuvering so the fabric was between her legs and the animal's teeth. She gave it a soft nervous laugh, "Not really sure if this is going to suck for you..."

Her aura flickered to life. Of course, Ruby had no idea if you could aura-heal a dog. But it was a dog, and it was hurting. She had to try, right? So she held on tight and focused, trying to chase out whatever poisons had gotten into it.

Blake watched, wide-eyed and wary as the reddish outline of Ruby's aura flared, trailing down to encompass the dog in her arms. Her ears flattened at the instant onslaught of frantic yips and cries tearing from the thrashing animal the second that reaching aura touched its nose.

The dog writhed and flailed, pulling back as hard as it could against Ruby's grip, but sizable as it was, it probably only weighed about half as much as Crescent Rose, and no amount of scrabbling against the slippery hardwood flooring could help it escape. Darkness poured from its mouth at an alarming rate, like a faucet being turned full blast, matched only by the sheer amount streaming from its eye socket, but rather than pooling on the ground, the sludge began to dry mid-fall, sifting away into a fine ash.

With one last shuddering heave, the dog hacked up something solid that hit the ground with a heavy thunk, but before Blake could get a good look at it, that too sifted away into ash. Finally, with only the tiniest wisps of sludge remaining in its teeth, the dog's writhing slowed and ultimately ceased, its paws sliding bonelessly against the snowy hardwood as it slumped to the floor at Ruby's feet, panting too heavily to even bother whining.

Wordlessly, Blake withdrew Gambol Shroud.

Ruby kept her hold on the dog's collar for another few seconds. The light of her aura faded, but her eyes were sharp, watching for anything crazy. She sank down to her knees, as the wave of fatigue caught up to her. Purging gunk out of one-eyed dogs really took it out of you.

But her aura was nothing if not resilient. She pulled back one side of her cloak to check on her field patient.

Blake came closer to look as well, ears half-flattened as she placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder and peered over her at the dog she'd nearly shot.

The dog blinked, exhaustion clear in its deep brown eye as it glanced between the two huntresses hovering over it, finally focusing on Ruby. It took in a deep breath, let out a huge snorting sigh, and made a sluggish attempt to lick Ruby's arm.

Its tail thumped weakly against the snow.

A low growl echoed through team RWBY's newest home base.

"Shut up," Yang whispered to herself, placing a hand over her own stomach to stifle the sound, "you'll wake the princess."

The brawler cast a hasty glance down at Weiss, who was, thankfully, still asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yang leaned back against the couch, stared up at the ceiling, and sighed again, listening intently for any sounds over the crackle of the roaring fire she'd built. Ruby and Blake needed to come back soon, not only because she was hungry and wanted to see them safe, but because she wanted eye witnesses. Reliable corroboration that Weiss had indeed inched closer and closer until she had reached her current position, practically using her lap as a pillow.

For being so standoffish when she was awake, Weiss certainly seemed drawn to warmth when she was asleep... Still, just to be on the safe side Yang kept her hands to herself, resting her arms along the back of the couch, lest she wake the (admittedly adorable) slumbering beast and suffer a bombardment of slanderous accusations.

The resounding clunk of shoes hitting the floor brought Yang's attention right back to the opposite wall.

Of all the things Yang expected to see, Blake holding a giant dog was not exactly high on the list. She couldn't even manage a 'welcome back!' for the initial shock.

"We brought food."

Yang stared. "Uhhhh, Blake? That's a dog."

Blake set the dog down, and they both watched it wobble on its legs for a moment before sitting on its haunches.

"We also... brought a dog..." Blake's attempt at a witty comeback petered out as she finally seemed to register the sight of Weiss laying with her head in Yang's lap. She arched an eyebrow at her partner, Yang immediately responding by throwing up both hands in a gesture that screamed 'wasn't me!'.

Ruby slipped in through the opening next, struggling with the salvaged pack on her shoulder.

"Mission success!" she announced, totally oblivious to her sleeping partner as she spilled the whole bag full of canned goods onto a broken down couch missing its cushions. "And did you meet Drei?" she hopped over to the dog and scratched his ears. "Isn't he great?"

Weiss groaned, shifting in Yang's lap.

"Could you not talk at the top of your-" her eyes met Yang's and she bolted up, sputtering and clutching her coat about her shoulders, "Honestly, what is it with you and personal space?!"

"I could ask you the same, sleeping beauty," Yang shook her head, getting to her feet and brushing off her legs, "I mean what am I supposed to do when you keep throwing yourself at me, huh?" She winked at the heiress, turning and jogging away to investigate their new four-legged friend before she could get yelled at again.

"Look at this big guy~!" Yang exclaimed, finding herself about eye-level with the canine when she knelt down to get a better look. "Awww, aw he's so cute and... wow kind of roughed up," the brawler's voice dipped in concern. She slowly reached out and ran a thumb over the dog's brow, noting with a smile how patiently he endured her careful examination of his wound.

"Yeah, he kind of ate some Grimm, so..." Ruby buried her hands in the dog's thick fur, "Oh! I brought food for him too, and there's more next door if we need it."

"Ohhh, so he's a guard dog huh? That's a plus," Yang ran her hands across the dog's back and sides, taking note of the places he winced when she touched. Her hands came away black and red. "Yeah we should probably give this guy a bath," she called to Blake.

Blake's ear swiveled to face Yang, followed closely by her whole head, which tilted in confusion as she paused in her self-appointed task of sorting out the cans of food Ruby had dumped into the cushionless couch. "We?"

"I mean, you can do it yourself if you really want to-"

"I am not washing a dog."

"Aw, you're no fun, Blakey," Yang shrugged, taking the dog's collar in hand and getting back to her feet. "Well, come on then Drei, looks like it's just you and me."

Drei yawned as he stood and allowed himself to be led away.

Weiss humphed, arms crossed on her couch by the fire, while her icy blue eyes darted around, taking in the surroundings now that she was better rested, "Does this place even have a bathroom? There's no way the pipes aren't frozen."

"Ahaha..." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, remembering the time back home when Yang had tried to thaw out pipes halfway to town so she could take a shower. That... wouldn't be as easy with everything under twenty feet of snow. "We'll figure it out. In the meantime, let's eat. Unless you like your corn and baked beans warm, in which case..."

She set the cans up on the stone hearth one at a time so they could get warmed up.

Blake disappeared into the kitchen, reemerging a few minutes later with spoons, a bowl, a can opener, and a can. She settled down next to Ruby, right in front of the hearth, to soak up as much warmth as she could. The bowl she set aside for the dog, the spoons she handed to Ruby, and the can opener she immediately put to work, opening up the prized can of tuna she'd found.

A thousand thoughts and questions circled in her mind as the can circled in her hands. The clinic. The miners. The Liliac. The fleet of hostile Atlesian androids on a Beacon airship. The black sludge. Blake's Faunus ears drooped under the weight of trying to process it all. She looked to her teammates for reprieve, finding Ruby staring into the fire, and Weiss glaring about the room. Amber eyes flicked from the heiress, to the can of tuna, then back again. Fish ranked incredibly high on the scale of good things to eat after suffering blood loss... "Weiss," Blake held the can up, "would you like some?"

Weiss didn't like tuna that much, but given the monotonous theme of the rest of the canned supply and the enormity of Blake's kindness in offering to share, she couldn't exactly pass it up, "That's very generous of you, Blake."

Ruby used the can opener to punch holes in the tops of the couple of cans near the fire so they wouldn't explode when they heated up. Now that the rest of her adrenalin had burned off, she was tired. Not too tired to think over what had happened back at the cabin, though.

At first she tried to convince herself that it was possible that all the Knights and the Paladin had malfunctioned in the same way, at the same time, but that seemed crazy. If it wasn't a malfunction, though... well, she didn't know what to make of it. Maybe Beacon had figured they'd gotten overrun and had sent the Knights in as a cleanup crew, to wipe out whatever Grimm were left? Maybe it was some kind of training deal? Did every second-year away mission team get a ship full of angry bots to fight off? Maybe it was a group of rogue, pirate robots, and they'd hijacked Chuck's ship and come here to set up their super secret pirate base? Ooh, maybe there'd been a robot takeover, and they'd homed in on their non-working scrolls and were trying to wipe out all of humanity! Or what if they'd joined forces with the Grimm? One little glitch in the programming (well, maybe a big glitch) and they'd joined the enemy.

"Guys," Ruby set the can opener down and scooted to sit cross-legged so she could see both Blake and Weiss in the firelight, "if this is the start of a robot-Grimm apocalypse, I just want you to know that you're the best team ever."

"Seconded." Blake nodded, not really understanding where Ruby had come up with her wild ideas, but agreeing with the sentiment nonetheless. Brows furrowed, she caught Weiss's eye as she handed over her tuna. "But... none of this makes any sense. Since when did Beacon start calling in the Atlesian military to run cleanup for a wayward field mission? Especially ones that go berserk when you even mention Beacon in the first place."

Weiss paused, a spoon tipped with a tiny bit of tuna halfway to her mouth, "Wait, what?"

"Weren't they flipping out the whole time?" Ruby braced her hands on her ankles, brow furrowed.

"Not at first..." Blake's ears flattened a bit as she crossed her arms. "The pilot - it was a Knight - asked me to identify myself. It didnt start shooting until I mentioned Beacon..." She bit her lip, glancing between her teammates. "It was really damaged though," she offered quietly, not incredibly fond of the potential implications of the sudden attack being anything other than a malfunction.

Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance. Ruby leaned forward a little, "We have to get back to Beacon."

"And leave James Point unprotected?" Weiss lowered the can and spoon to her lap, blue eyes hard in the firelight, "Not that we've done a spectacular job of defending it."

"That's the point," Blake retorted. "We're not equipped to handle what's here, and they don't want us around anyway, so I'm with Ruby on this one, we should go back."

"Woah, what's this about going places?"

Blake looked back to see Yang and a much cleaner version of Drei round the corner from the hall, the latter of which trotted over to sit beside Ruby. The Faunus stared in awe at the relative lack of blood and soot that had once marred the dog's coat.

"How did you..."

"Eh, there was a window, so I grabbed some snow and - but no really, 'go back'? Like to the clinic?"

"To Beacon. We'll let the townsfolk know we're going for help," Ruby drooped, hating the idea of leaving the villagers and the kids without much in the way of defenses. The miners were around, and they probably had some kind of defensive strategy. Hopefully it would be enough. "Blake… you're right. If half of everyone is going to fight us instead of letting us help, well…" she rubbed the back of her neck. "Maybe we can talk to the miners and see if we can do anything to fix up their defenses before we go."

"So, going for help sounds great and all," Yang strode over to join the rest of the team near the fire, the couch creaking beneath her as she slouched down beside Weiss, "but how are we planning on getting back? By foot? Over a mountain range? That could take days, weeks even, and the way those miners flail around, there'd be no one left to rescue by the time we got back. Not to mention Weiss doesn't exactly seem travel-worthy just yet. No offense," she smiled and nudged the heiress's knee with her own.

"Which is why you and Weiss should stay behind."

"Blake." Yang's smile vanished. "Please tell me you're joking," the brawler straightened up, finding nothing but hard resolve in her partner's eyes. She looked to Ruby for support just as Blake did the same.

"Ruby, you and I are built for speed, and I'm well-versed in survival outside the kingdoms," Blake uncrossed her arms, resting her hands on her knees as she addressed her team leader, "With just the two of us, we could make the trip in half the time. And... Yang has a point too, the townspeople are going to need some kind of fallback plan when the miners eventually fail against the next swarm." Blake's ears flattened at the thought of untrained fighters trying to take on any kind of Grimm, let alone a swarm so great in number it had blackened the sky.

"Yang and Weiss could be that fallback," the Faunus chanced a glance at her partner, only the tiniest flick of an ear telling of her internal flinch at the fierce scowl the brawler wore at having her points hijacked to counter her own argument, "a way to ensure that... that we'll find more than just corpses when we return."

"Hold on a second," Weiss said from her perch at the far end of the couch where she'd moved to put as much space between herself and Yang as possible. "Yang told everyone that she single-handedly caused the attack. They hated me before I even came. While I'm not entirely against splitting up, I propose we don't leave only those most likely to be dragged out and burned at the stake by the local riffraff."

"No. No splitting up," Ruby picked bits of bark from the stack of firewood out of the carpet and tossed them into the fire. "We're a team."

A tense silence fell over the team at Ruby's statement, broken only when Blake eventually stood, head held high but ears half flattened.

"I could go alone. The town isn't incredibly fond of me either, but they're all fans of Ruby, so if I-"

"Blake."

The Faunus in question's ears perked in surprise when Yang grabbed her arm and yanked her down to sit on the couch in the space Weiss had opened up between them. The brawler threw an arm around her partner, pulling her close. "Don't even think for one second we'd let you go it alone. Ruby's right, we're a team."

Blake resisted for all of a few seconds before eventually relaxing into the ironclad hold. "But, none of these options sound good," she protested, frustration flattening her ears flush against her hair.

"Please," Weiss huffed at Blake, grudgingly accepting that she would never have personal space until she fully recovered, "I'd expect you of all people to realize life can't be all sun and snowflakes. There are no good options. Sometimes you simply have to choose the least terrible course of action."

Before Weiss could inform the team of her opinion on what the least terrible course was, Ruby perked up and broke in, "Or we could make up a new one."

Blake was too busy scowling at Weiss to comment, but Yang perked up in kind. "Yeah, new sounds great," the brawler pulled a bit of her hair over her shoulder and fidgeted with the tangled strands of gold, "You got something in mind?"

"Taking them with us?" Ruby grimaced.

"What?" Weiss screwed up her face in disgust.

"Okay, but wait," Ruby held up her hand, counting off reasons, "The Grimm won't leave this place alone. I mean, I was just thinking about Mountain Glenn. Grimm are attracted to bad feelings, and well, this has been... pretty close to Mountain Glenn badness. And if they're with us, we can protect them, right? Maybe if we just get them to the next town over they'd be okay for a while?"

"That's... uh..." Yang looked to Blake, conflicted.

"That's a terrible idea."

"Blake!"

The Faunus raised her hand as well, listing rapid-fire counterpoints "A large group will slow us immensely, not to mention the sick an elderly, and mountainous terrain will put us out in the open, no cover, sitting ducks for any packs of Grimm that track the despair trailing an entire population forced to abandon its town, not to mention the-"

"Blake," Yang reached out to take her partner's hand, amethyst eyes silently begging for a cease fire. "So, we should probably sleep on this." She addressed the team as a whole, "You know, get some rest and come at this fresh tomorrow. No sense making a decision this big when we're all frazzled from that robo-Grimm surprise attack, right?"

Ruby looked at Blake, and then down at her combat boots, her face hot with shame. She just wanted to help people, and yeah, packing up the whole town... well… She stuck the log she'd been picking at in the fire. It really was a stupid idea. Still, her hands braced on her boots. They couldn't just leave all those people.

"Anyone else think that we might want to seal up that hole before nightfall?" Weiss nodded up to the round hole in the wall as she handed Blake the can of tuna. She crossed her arms and snuggled down between her teammate and the arm of the couch. "Not that this place would be particularly safe in the event of another 'bat storm', but still."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm on it," Yang's arms slipped from around Blake as she stood to search the house for anything that could board up the gaping hole that was now letting in an unpleasant draft.

Blake stared down at her can of tuna, not even paying attention as the dog stole Yang's position on the couch and curled up beside her. She gripped the edges of the can, frowning. She'd lost her appetite.

Low crackling firelight cast a warm glow over the darkened interior of team RWBY's newest stopgap residence, bright enough to be a comfort in the dead of night, but still dim enough to be easy on the narrowed amber eyes watching every twist, turn, rise, and fall of the flickering flames. Even laying right in front of the hearth, blanketed by the fire's relaxing warmth, Blake couldn't fall back asleep, her physical exhaustion no match for the tight coil of anxiety winding through her chest, keeping her thoughts running a mile a minute.

Dinner and the rest of the evening had been awkward and stiff. Everything since their brief team discussion had been awkward and stiff, and even though Blake knew the tension weighing everyone down was her doing, she had no idea how to fix it.

At least Yang and Ruby had fixed up the gaping opening near the ceiling. The younger of the two ended up crafting an ingenious actual working door with a latch, made out of some repurposed hinges and parts from the house's interior doors using the power tools Yang had found in the basement.

No one asked when the brawler had come up from the basement ashen faced, quietly locking the door behind her. The fresh coating of dull brownish red her boots were tracking through the kitchen was all the explanation anyone needed.

Blake shook the image from her head, casting an envious glance at Ruby and Weiss sleeping peacefully curled up on the couch with Drei nestled between them. That dog had been following Ruby around like a familiar since she'd rescued it. It had even sat outside with her while she kept first watch. Yang was keeping watch now. Blake's turn would be soon.

Resigned to at least make some use of her wakeful state, Blake rolled over and got to her feet, picking up Gambol Shroud on her way to the "front door." She slipped outside without a sound.

Yang was easy to spot, reclining near the middle of the roof, practically silhouetted against the moon. Blake frowned a bit at the whiskey bottle sitting beside her.

Though the Faunus kept her footsteps soft, a master of stealth in action, Yang didn't seem startled when she appeared beside her.

"Hey partner," the brawler spoke first, breaking the brief silence. She shifted a bit to look up at Blake. "What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing drinking?" Blake retorted, moving to the side of Yang that was not occupied by hard liquor and sitting so close she was practically on top of the brawler.

"Keeps me relaxed," came the easy reply. In truth, she'd had little more than a couple of sips. She knew better than to stray down the path of her uncle Qrow, who had first introduced her to the stuff. Moonlight caught in the scratches and scuffs littering Ember Celica's fully extended form as the brawler held her shot glass out to Blake. "You want some? It'll warm you up," she winked.

Blake's ears flattened, but she otherwise ignored the jab at her weakness to the cold. "No. That stuff tastes like jet fuel."

"Uh, have you tasted jet fuel?"

"Yes."

"... Huh." Yang filed that little tidbit away in her ever-growing list of things to ask Blake about when not in mortal peril as she stared at the half-filled glass in her hands. She took another sip, cringing to withstand the acrid flavor, but thoroughly enjoying the burn that traveled down her throat. "Well, good to know I could drink jet fuel in a pinch."

"Pretty sure that would still kill you. How many of those have you had?"

Yang shrugged, matching the smirk gracing Blake's features with one of her own as she refilled her shot glass, took an even smaller sip, and slipped her free arm around her partner's shoulders. Blake finally felt herself start to relax into the familiar hold, relishing in the fiery blonde's natural warmth, content to slowly sweep her gaze across their surroundings. The snow had melted and refrozen enough to form an almost icy surface atop the snowdrifts, perfect for reflecting the muted lights shining down from the night sky. The town was just barely beginning to thaw.

While Blake surveyed the horizon, Yang's attention had strayed skyward.

"Do you ever wonder if the moon is in pain?"

The sudden question drew Blake's attention to the shattered moon as well, and after a moment of contemplation she glanced sideways at Yang. "Are you drunk?"

Yang feigned hurt. "Hey, I could be thinking really deep existential thoughts over here!"

Blake arched a brow.

Before long Yang cracked a sad smile. "No, I'm not... but I almost wish I was." Stretching her legs out in front of her, she flared her semblance just enough to combat the icy breeze that had picked up around them. She squeezed Blake's shoulders, "Are you okay? You're normally halfway to dreamland by now."

A sigh slipped from Blake as she pulled her knees to her chest. "I'm..." fine would be a lie. Any descriptor she used would be a lie, because she had no idea how to describe how she felt. The unfinished sentence hung in the air, uniting the partnership in their shared desire to avoid its completion. They sat together in silence, giving Blake ample time to sort herself out.

There were a few times when Blake thought the other girl was about to leave, but each time Yang was either stretching, twisting her glass in the slush, fiddling with her golden curls, or shifting so she could better run idle fingertips up and down Blake's arm. Even when the stars began to give way to the sun's rays climbing up the backs of the mountains, signaling they were already well into Blake's watch, Yang stayed.

Blake almost wished she hadn't, as it was going to make what she had decided to do that much harder.

"Yang." She spoke low and softly, earning a small hum of acknowledgement in return. "I'm leaving."

She could have meant she was going back downstairs. She could have meant she was going to find more supplies. She could have meant any number of things with such a vague sentence, but the understanding that flickered in her partner's eyes was clear.

Blake braced herself, expecting anger, shouting, a flash of crimson irises, honestly any kind of resistance, but the look Yang eventually gave her was one of calculated resignation - as if she'd been expecting this. It shocked her long enough for Yang to interrupt and completely derail the detailed speech she'd planned out.

"Nothing I say is going to stop you, is it?"

Blake shook her head.

Yang frowned, setting down her empty glass and pulling away from their customary side-hug to properly face her partner. "Will you at least tell me why?"

Blake regarded the other girl for a long while, wondering at how easy it would be to just make a break for it right then and there. She couldn't bring herself to do it, though. Yang deserved more than that.

It took a little longer than she would have liked to compose her thoughts, but Yang was patient, leaning forward a bit when Blake finally spoke. "After the White Fang began to turn, there were never any good choices left." The Faunus glared daggers at the horizon. Despite the greater good their actions were supposed to be bringing about, it seemed like every option fate afforded them resulted in innocent lives being harmed or lost entirely. How many had she been responsible for?

"I thought being a huntress would be different," she continued, crossing her arms. "I thought it would be... straightforward. That there would always be an obvious right choice to make." Blake sighed, pushing herself to her feet and brushing off her legs. "But it's not. If I leave on my own terms, whatever happens, Ruby won't have to take the fall. She won't be forced into choosing between nothing but terrible decisions and won't have to see... what the world's really like."

Yang stood as well, hints of fatigue telling in the heavy swing of her arm as she placed a gentle hand on Blake's shoulder. "You can't protect her forever."

Blake's brows lifted, but she held her ground. "Says the pot to the kettle."

They shared a quiet stare down, the Faunus refusing to budge an inch even though the battle felt impossibly one-sided as the brawler seemed to look straight through her despite remaining utterly unreadable herself.

When Yang finally drew back with a sigh, Blake let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Well, we should get going then." Yang placed her hands on her hips, twisting a bit to stretch out her back.

Blake did a double take. "Excuse me?"

"What," she stretched her arms next, "Did you seriously think I'd let you go it alone?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Don't be stupid, Blake," Yang grabbed Blake's hands in both of her own, an edge of desperation in the strength of her grip, "Each one of us was assigned a partner for a reason. Someone's gotta watch your back."

Blake pulled back, pleasantly surprised at the offer for company, but wary of the fact that despite the smile her partner wore, she still wasn't able to read Yang's expression. "What about Ruby?"

"She'll be fine. She has Weiss."

Blake wondered at the sadness tinging Yang's voice. "But what if-"

"Blake," it was only for a split second, but Yang's smile faltered, eyes dropping to their joined hands. "...I'm tired of being left behind."

It was spoken barely above a whisper, but to Blake's Faunus ears the words were clear as day. Her questions ended right then and there, and she pulled the brawler in for a fierce hug. As soon as Yang stopped shaking, they would leave.

She only hoped Ruby and Weiss would forgive them.