"Ugh, I forgot how big this place was," complained Yang. "We've been here for at least four hours already, and we're not even done with the first quadrant."
"It'll start getting dark before too long," Blake nodded. "Let's try to at least finish this area; it'll be too dangerous to continue searching at night. We've been lucky not to run into any Grimm yet, but there's no reason to put ourselves in danger when you can't see ten feet ahead of yourself, anyway."
"Oh, right," Yang said, remembering. "The dark doesn't even bother you, does it? Damn, I hate being a burden."
Blake waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it; I'd rather not fight this thing alone. Let's just get as much ground covered as possible before heading back."
The pair continued their uneventful search of the forest, finding no signs at all of the monsters that were normally prolific.
"I was expecting more excitement out of our first mission," Ruby sighed. "This is boring."
"Don't let your guard down," snapped Weiss. "We know they're somewhere in these woods, and if the Beowolf sees you before you see it, well… I don't want to be the one to have to carry you back to Beacon."
They maintained their search in silence for several minutes, but eventually Ruby let out a long, exasperated groan. "Weiss. Tell me a joke."
The heiress rolled her eyes. "No."
"Pleeeeease?"
"No, Ruby."
Weiss heard the footsteps behind her stop, so she turned around. She instantly made eye contact with her partner, who was putting full effort into the puppy-dog routine. Under the pressure, Weiss finally cracked.
"Ugh, fine," she yielded. The heiress closed her eyes for a moment while she thought. "Okay. You and I are stuck on a boat. Who rows?"
"Hmmmm. I dunno," responded her partner, stumped.
"You do," said Weiss.
Ruby blinked.
"Ruby rows?" Weiss tentatively explained.
Slowly but surely, Ruby's lips turned up into a grin. "I knew you had it in you!" She slapped the other girl on the back and skipped off, seeming very pleased.
"I can't believe I just did that," muttered Weiss to herself. Puns were not something she would normally make - they are, after all, one of the lowest forms of humor, unbefitting of a Schnee - but she couldn't help but feel a bit proud, despite herself, of how quickly she'd turned her partner's mood around.
"I swear, there's nothing in these woods!" yelled a frustrated Yang. "I'm starting to think that they brought in Grimm for us to fight for initiation."
"It does seem conspicuously empty," Blake agreed. "Maybe you're right - or maybe the monsters have vacated the area. Do Grimm hibernate?"
"Hell if I know."
Yang felt a droplet of water land on her head. She looked up to see gray skies, with angry looking thunderheads throughout. "Looks like rain. It'll be pouring in minutes, I bet."
Blake shivered. "Can we look for some shelter? I hate rain."
Her partner rolled her eyes playfully. "Only for you, dearest."
"Let's just head toward the cliffs and look for a cave or overhang," Blake sighed. "You should send a message to Ruby to let them know we're done for the day; by the time the rain stops, it'll be too dark to search."
"Weiss, wait."
"What is it?"
The storm had arrived suddenly a few minutes earlier, significantly slowing the girls' progress. Ruby and Weiss stopped close to a large tree, avoiding the majority of the rainfall.
Ruby held up her scroll. "Yang sent me a message saying that they found a cave to rest in along the side of the cliff, and suggested we do the same. They haven't run into any Grimm, either."
"Strange," pondered Weiss. "Still, it would be dangerous to assume they're not present, and sleep outside, so-"
Thunder boomed overhead.
"And, I suppose, lightning would be as much of a threat as any, if we were to take shelter under a tree."
"Let's go, then," Ruby suggested.
The pair made their way back to the cliffs, trying their best to move quickly and stay under tree cover, but by the time they found a suitable cave, they were thoroughly soaked.
"This one better not have a Deathstalker in it," Ruby muttered darkly as they made their way deeper, into the darkness. As they felt their way along the walls, the girls realized that they'd come to the end of the small cavern, their current vicinity roughly circular. Moderately pleased with the relative safety and comfort of the cave, Weiss settled down on the floor. It wasn't exactly cozy, but she was too tired to care.
"I'm going to sleep," she announced. "Good night, Ruby."
"Already?" her partner inquired. "I bet it's not even nine o'clock."
Weiss grunted. "What else would we do? It's too dark to see, and, honestly, I feel I've talked to you enough today."
"...Okay, I guess. Good night, Weiss," Ruby replied, a bit miffed.
Weiss fell asleep in minutes, and, though it took her longer, Ruby soon followed.
Blake and Yang laid in a cave much like the other girls', though neither was ready to sleep.
"I'm not looking forward to slogging through the mud tomorrow, finishing out our search," began Yang. "That kind of footing isn't exactly good for fights, either."
Blake shrugged, though Yang couldn't see her. "We'll just have to deal with it. Ozpin said it was urgent."
They rested quietly for a minute, before Yang broke the silence. "Hey, Blake. You can see in here, right?"
"Mhm."
"What does the cave look like?"
"It's nothing special," Blake said as she looked around the cavern. "The ceiling is about ten feet up, and it's all the same kind of rock. There are some carvings on the wall, but it doesn't look like writing."
"Huh. Guess I'm not missing out on much."
"Couldn't you just do that thing where you... burn? You could see the cave yourself, if there was light."
Yang laughed. "I can't just do it whenever I want, you know. There needs to be some incentive: I've gotta be mad, or there has to be a need to lay down a beating on someone. When I need the boost, it's there. It's not much use as a flashlight."
Blake frowned. She'd phrased it as a suggestion, but really all she wanted was to see Yang use her Semblance. She'd only gotten a glimpse of it when they'd met during initiation, and had been curious ever since. Despite how open and friendly her partner was, Blake still knew hardly anything about her. So, she devised a plan to learn more.
"Hey Yang. You suck."
"What?" Yang immediately realized what her partner was up to. "Sorry, it's not going to be that easy to get me angry."
Silence.
Yang huffed in annoyance. "Blake, where are you? Dammit, Blake - wait, no. Not falling for this. I'm going to sleep."
Once she was settled and as comfortable as she was going to get, Yang heard Blake whisper, from the same spot she had been the entire time, "Good night, Yang."
The blonde-haired girl smiled warmly. "G'night, kitty."
While the girls slept quietly in their caves, glowing glyphs began to appear on the cavern walls. One by one they emerged, slowly brightening the caves, until they were filled with a mystic luminescence. Then, suddenly, every glyph disappeared, leaving no trace. Team RWBY slept on, peacefully ignorant of the breathtaking display - and its implications.