Reclaiming in Black
Chapter 13: Camping sucks
"I hate you."
"Shame, that."
"I'm being – ugh – serious."
"Is that so?"
"It is so."
"Then I guess nothing much will change if I make you carry my gear as well?
"Wait – no! Don't you da- oh Dust, my spine!"
Rose sighed in relief, popping her back for good measure. Her shirt was sticky with sweat, and clinging to her a tad uncomfortable. Her nose curled at the acrid smell of her perspiration. Team RWBY and Rose had been making their way into the center of the twelfth forest training grounds for about an hour now. Rose was by no means unfit, but walking through a darkening forest fit to bursting with undergrowth was pretty decent exercise, all told. Blake, Ruby, and Yang all seemed completely unfazed. They were easily walking through the forest with serene expressions, obviously enjoying the beauty of nature. Obsidian looked grumpy, there really wasn't another word for it.
It probably helped that Weiss was carrying about ninety percent of the supplies. She was panting heavily, and her traveling clothes – consisting of sturdy pants, boots, t-shirt, and trademark bolero jacket, all white and blue – were drenched with sweat. She seemed exhausted, groaning as she struggled under the increased weight of Rose's own small pack, now added to the inhumane amount of gear she was already toting.
"They will never find your body." Weiss muttered, sending a potent glare toward Rose.
"Hey guys!" Rose called, getting the attention of the younger women that had walked ahead. "Weiss said she was pretty hungry, so we're going to be moving at double pace until we make camp for dinner, 'kay?"
Blake snorted, looking between Weiss – who, in all her sweaty glory, looked about ready to commit magistricide – and Rose, who held an air of smug victory. She wasn't going to say a word, she might be teammates and more recent friends with Weiss but she didn't feel the need to begin her own 'training' under Rose just yet.
Ruby didn't consider the situation with near as much thought, beyond wondering just what they would be eating for dinner.
Yang was going to reply, really she was, but when Weiss grabbed the bottom of her top and lifted it up to wipe the sweat from her face all the coherent thought in her brain was replaced by images of a flawlessly pale, well-toned stomach dripping with beads of sweat. She felt a spike of warmth in her stomach, a warmth that traveled straight to her cheeks.
"Unf." Yang managed, her voice catching in the odd mix between a groan and an exhalation. When Rose turned to her with a knowing quirk to her lips, eye alight with amusement Yang's blush darkened even more deeply. "Yeahsoundsgood." She said in a rush, turning on her heel to escape her sister and her tormentor.
Her sexy, sexy tormentor.
"This'll do." Rose declared, and Weiss promptly fell over, panting and groaning as she divulged herself of the mountain of packs she was carrying. Ruby looked on worriedly, moving toward the pile of sweaty heiress and all her equipment. She quickly rummaged through her bag whilst Weiss recuperated.
"Here." Ruby offered, shaking Weiss shoulder lightly with one hand, a flask of water in the other.
Weiss cracked a single eye open, as well as opening her mouth in the beginnings of a snarl. Then she saw the water. Her almost-snarl stopped, before turning into something altogether softer
"Thank you, Ruby." She said, a hint of smile audible in her tone.
"You're welcome, partner." Her younger friend beamed.
"Okie dokes!" Rose announced loudly. "First things first, we are going to set up a duty roster."
A series of groans came from the sister duo, a grunt from Blake and a barely audible promise of painful dismemberment from Weiss.
"Do we have to?" Yang pouted. "We haven't even had dinner."
"Exactly, and it's getting dark so the sooner we get this done the better."
"I'll take first watch." Obsidian stated, growing wings, and prepping to set up in a tree.
"Actually, that won't be necessary." Rose denied politely.
Ruby blinked slowly in confusion. "Uhh, what about Grimm? I know the training grounds are usually really clear but shouldn't we still be careful?"
"I've got a teensy reward for Weiss that pretty much solves that problem."
"Reward?" Weiss croaked dubiously, glaring at Rose from down below, where she was still sprawled in the dirt.
"For doing so well, and not complaining." Rose smiled happily.
"Didn't she threaten to first freeze you solid during your next shower and then throw you off the highest tower at Beacon?" Yang asked. "Because I didn't know I could dream up threats that fun."
Rose waved her off. "Casual death threats are the name of the game with Weisscicle,"
"Call me Weisscicle again and I swear I'll bury you alive." Weiss growled at Rose.
"See?" Rose asked blithely, grinning at her sister. "Nothing new. But like I said, I've got a reward for you."
"Which would be…?" Weiss prompted with an air of resignation.
"A new runic spell scheme." Rose smirked.
Weiss blinked slowly before excitement lit behind her eyes at Rose's declaration. "You know some of the spells I used in the future!" She whispered giddily.
"A couple of the easier ones, and your magnum opus." Rose nodded.
"Magnum opus?" Weiss repeated slowly. "You mean to tell me you know what could possibly be my life's greatest spellwork?"
"Localised time dilation." Rose provided.
Weiss gaped at her. "What? Are you sure it is dilation, not personal acceleration?"
"Completely sure."
"But that- how? The power requirements alone would be utterly inhuman, and the number of paradox prevention matrixes you'd need in order to stabilize it are preposterous!" Weiss shot off several remarks in quick succession.
Obsidian continued, "And to keep the nature of time stable while simultaneously accelerating the flow, and not accelerating the movements required for a moving area of effect."
"An explanation for those of us who aren't familiar with magic?" Blake cut in calmly, her features curious as to what had gotten Weiss into such a tizzy.
"Weiss made a spell that slows down time."
Yang whistled. "That sounds super impressive,"
"And impossible!" Weiss and Obsidian remarked.
"But I still don't think I really understand the big deal, I've seen people make themselves faster in a couple of tourneys." Yang finished.
"What you saw is acceleration," Rose told Yang. "The mage makes their body faster, but thought processes and reflexes don't increase. Weiss' time dilation doesn't increase the user's speed; it actually slows the flow of time for everyone except the caster in a set area. Everyone else looks like they're moving through jelly, and thinking just as slow too, or that's how it has been described to me."
"You haven't used it yourself?" Ruby asked curiously.
"I couldn't if I tried, only Weiss can, and that's because of her semblance." Rose explained.
Obsidian made a small sound like a kicked dog.
"I've been meaning to ask about that." Blake admitted. "I've seen you cast several minor spells, and every time a small system of runes is called into effect. It looks a lot like Weiss' glyphs and I was wondering what makes Weiss' semblance unique in comparison to regular spell runes." She gave her white-haired teammate a look that made it obvious that her question hadn't been made in the spirit of disparaging her skills.
"I'll let Weiss field that one."
Weiss nodded slowly. "You don't need a glyph semblance in order to do magic, it is completely possible to use standard runes to cast some of the most powerful spells known on Remnant. But glyph semblances, for lack of a better term, are like secret signatures. Glyphs carry certain traits that impossible to duplicate using standard runic. They provide a unique flair, if you would, to our spellwork. They cannot be copied and any glyph-specific spell is impossible to wield for anyone except the one it was created for."
"That's a good summary." Rose granted. "You know Glynda, of course?"
"Not as well as you do." Yang chimed in with a smirk.
"Probably for the best." Rose laughed lightly. "Well, her circular glyphs, in the most basic of terms, provide her with immense control and manipulative ability. That's why her grasp of telekinesis is both so incredible and unique, no one else could ever hope to achieve the same level she has without a similar semblance."
"So you're saying that every glyph user has a special, beneficial trait unique only to them and their magical ability?"
"One or more, yeah." Rose confirmed.
"What's yours, Weiss?" Yang asked curiously.
"Durability, complexity and…" She trailed off and her eyes widened immensely.
"Stability." Rose finished for her with knowing smile. "The fractal nature of our ice-queen's glyphs lets her absolutely cram it with parameters and stabilization patterns. She can make the spell as complex and stable as she wants, basically. And the durable nature of her spell anchors the effects instead of allowing the spell to dissipate. No one else but her could ever hope to cast it."
"So why did you memorize it?" Ruby asked.
"Because she asked me to." Rose shrugged. "That isn't the whole reason, but it's the one that matters the most."
"Thank you for that." Weiss said with a small smile, which soon morphed into a hungry grin. "So about this spell-"
"Ah pup pup pup!" Rose raised a hand and shook her head. "No way am I going to even begin teaching you the magnum opus before you get a better grip on your semblance."
Weiss looked ready to argue before she frowned. "I probably wouldn't be able to cast something that complex anyway." She conceded, and Rose swore she was almost pouting.
"Whilst the others set up the tents, I'm going to teach you how to cast runic sentry wards."
Dinner consisted of a packet of fresh noodles, some vegetables Rose had nicked from the Beacon kitchens, and a sizeable amount of chicken stock. It was a simple, lightly spiced noodle soup but it was well received. Beacon's meals had a tendency to be on the heavier side on account of the trainees requiring an exorbitant amount of calories in order to perform at peak efficiency. So a light soup of veg and rice noodles sat extremely well with Rose and the young team.
They sat around a fire in the middle of their camp clearing, with two (and only two, Yang noticed) tents to the left of the fire. A small stream bubbled joyfully by about twenty meters to their right. In a circle with a radius of at least one hundred meters was an array of sensory runes. These runes would warn the caster of any negative presence that passed near them - Faunus, human or Grimm - and would wake them from even the deepest sleep.
Suffice to say that Weiss' teammates were practically worshipping her new ability to nullify the requirement of a night watch - at least in low-risk areas. It suited her well, just as Rose knew it would. Despite her distaste for acting the part of the pampered heiress, she was incredibly unenthusiastic when it came to chores. But with her new role as permanent sentry, her teammates were completely willing to leave her the lightest allotment of tasks.
It was a neat system that benefited everyone; Weiss didn't have to undertake the tedious labor she so detested, her teammates could enjoy a full nights sleep and conflict was greatly mitigated.
"I can't believe I forgot the smores." Ruby wailed mournfully, having gone searching for her package of smore supplies and discovered them to be absent.
"It's okay sis." Yang comforted, patting her little sister on the shoulder in a show of support.
"Maybe next time." Blake told her.
"Ugh, and I totally promised Weiss some smores." Ruby turned around from her seat on her log. "I'm so sorry, Weiss- ah... Weiss?"
Rose chucked lightly at Weiss who was slumbering softly, slumped over on a log she previously had her back propped against. "She's probably pretty pooped from all that training earlier."
Blake winced in sympathy. "That didn't look like fun."
Rose gave her a wide smile that did little to inspire confidence in Blake's heart. "Just because you got off easy today doesn't mean I'm not going to work you into the floor tomorrow."
"That's what I was afraid of." Blake muttered.
"Chin up, Blakey." Rose said. "I've got rewards for you lot if you impress me as well."
"Hmmm?" Obsidian asked.
"Well, I'm going to teach Yang how to throw massive fireballs."
"What in Oum's name gave you the idea that would be a good thing?" Ruby questioned, horrified.
"I trust Yang not to throw gigantic, explosive fireballs willy-nilly." Rose waved Ruby off. "And anyway, if I ever caught her doing so... well, we can cross that bridge when we get to it, right sis?"
Yang nodded fervently at the predatory, demanding glint in Rose's eye, which disappeared as soon as she agreed. Then it hit her.
"That is going to be badass." Yang fist pumped.
"Oh, oh! What about me?!" Ruby stuck her hand straight in the air.
"Want to work on those plans to upgrade Crescent Rose?"
Ruby suppressed a squeal in order to avoid waking Weiss, managing to curtail the noise of her glee by squeaking aloud into her cape. She practically bounced in her seat. "Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!"
Rose laughed, leaning over to ruffle Ruby's hair. The younger girl grumbled at Rose before stifling a wide-mouthed yawn.
"What about me?" Blake questioned.
"I was going to teach you about makeup."
"...Makeup?" Blake uttered slowly, the word tumbling out of her mouth heavy with incredulity.
"It's a start on teaching you about professional disguises." Rose told her.
"Ohh, you're turning my partner into a spy!" Yang grinned. "I'm totally cool with this."
"Me," Ruby yawned loudly again. "Too."
"I'd like that." Blake agreed with a small smirk.
"And Obsidian, well you were known for quite a few things, but one of them was alternate aura manipulation, and updating his codex for Ancient Grimm."
Obsidian paused, eyes wide, recognizing that from the notes, and wondering at the possibilities. His pondering was interrupted by Blakes, comment, "We should think about heading to bed."
"Sounds good." Rose stood up in a stretch. "Blake, do you mind bunking with me and little Rose?" The cat Faunus shook her head in the negative, and Rose promptly got the sleepy Ruby on her feet.
"Come on, lets hit the hay." Rose said.
"Operation 'climbing-into-my-sleeping-bag-sounds-amazing' is a go." Ruby mumbled, stumbling across the clearing and practically falling into the largest of three tents. "Night." She called, voice muffled from within the tent.
Blake chuckled as she followed Ruby's lead, albeit more gracefully, slipping into the tent with nary a sound. Rose, who had been making her own way to the tent was stopped by Yang.
"I see how it is, leave it to me to wake up Weiss!" Yang grumbled.
"Who said anything about waking her? You're sharing a tent, just carry her." Rose advised with a cheerful wink. "Good luck, sis!" She said before Yang could get a word in, slipping into the same tent as Blake and Ruby.
"I knew she was up to something." Yang muttered, slipping the glove off her right hand. The fire was small, but Yang quickly snuffed it out using her bare hand, patting out the flames unflinchingly as her semblance provided her with immunity to the flames. With a sigh she stood, dusting her ashy hand off on her pants before turning to look at Weiss.
The heiress was curled up, sleeping peacefully. Her white hair was let loose, cascading around her shoulders instead of being held in its customary side-ponytail. Her face, which was usually either completely impassive or intimidating and expressive, was serene. It was such a peaceful cast on her features that it left Yang slightly entranced. She was beautiful, even more so than usual, almost as if she were truly glowing, softly pale in the moonlight.
Carefully, slowly, Yang picked her up from her relaxed position. Weiss mumbled a little in her sleep but thankfully didn't wake. Lifting her bridal style Yang smiled softly at how cute her crush looked right now. Until she took a deep breath and caught her scent.
Yang, despite her best efforts to not give into her pervy side, couldn't quite dismiss how good Weiss smelt. She knew that it was sweat and dirt and who knows what else from her jaunt through the forest earlier that day. She knew it was unhygienic, and should not be at all attractive. She also knew that it was completely innocent.
But Weiss still kinda-sorta smelt like sex, and that was totally a turn on.
Yang mercilessly battered her libido in submission. She was acting like a creepy old man, sniffing around an unconscious teenager girl. She walked slowly, doing her utmost not to jostle Weiss too much as she moved toward the tent. It was a good thing Weiss was so petite, or this would be a much more difficult endeavor.
Especially when she had to figure out how to put the warm, cuddly bundle in her arms down. Weiss was at this point practically snuggling into her blonde teammate, clinging to her warmth. Yang couldn't quite find it in herself to complain. Maneuvering herself carefully, she lowered herself and her cargo down slowly, laying down on the unzipped, heavy duty sleeping bags on the ground. It was almost perfect.
"Rose you maniac, Weiss is going to kill me." Yang whispered as she found herself lying on her back with Weiss cuddled firmly into her side, apparently unwilling to let go. Eventually, as some time passed Yang found herself relaxing. It was nice, Weiss was soft and warm, and her hair was smooth, laying -
Yang stiffened, eyes going wide as she felt a light pressure on her collarbone. Craning her head downward she peeked at Weiss sleeping next to her. And she was nuzzling Yang. She wasn't quite sure what that pressure had be-
"Mmm-ph!" Yang stifled a moan, her eyes fluttering shut as Weiss pressed a lingering kiss to the pulse point on her neck in her goddamn sleep. This was ridiculous! She fully admitted to having some inappropriate thoughts earlier, but this was too much. Weiss was kissing her sleep! It was totally unfair an- oh my Oum she's doing it again. And again. And again. And again.
Weiss was practically laying siege to Yang's neck, trailing kisses up and down its length unconsciously. Yang was wide awake, feeling flushed, breathless, totally turned on and a little guilty. Only a little guilty, seeing as none of this was really her fault. And Weiss really was trying to kill her. She was so warm and she smelt so fucking good and she was kissing her and Yang thought she was just about ready to melt into a big, horny puddle. Her crush had some serious sleep-game because one of her hands had found its way underneath Yang's shirt and was trailing lazily over her taut stomach. Yang had to repress a variety of sounds at the fire Weiss' touch elicited on her body, at the gorgeous feeling of her sweet lips on her neck. And as Weiss suddenly shuffled and moved a leg, slipping it between Yang's and moving it upward...
Yang stuffed her fist into her mouth to stifle what would have been a downright pornographic moan. This was absolute insanity. Weiss was all over her, kissing and rubbing and touching and fuuuuuuuuuuuuck. She turned her heavily blushing face toward the sky, facing the roof of her tent.
"So this is how I die?" Yang mumbled, her accusation traveling upward toward the heavens.
Ruby hissed as she stretched out her aching muscles. She unceremoniously plopped herself down on the forest floor, inhaling deep lungfuls of the earthy, calming scent that permeated everything around her. She had been running through some basic defensive martial maneuvers for hours now, committing them not just to her basic memory but an entirely different level, all the way down to into her subconscious - her muscle memory. It was a habit that had been drilled into her by her uncle. When it came to fighting she wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection, it was the difference between the best and the dead in the world of Hunters. It was part of the reason she was considered a prodigy. Every skill Ruby learned, she drove herself to master.
She glanced over to the other side of the clearing, watching as Blake struggled with yet another set of weights. Aura was a wonderful thing and its ability to heal was astounding. The damage one endured when building muscle could often be healed almost as fast it occurred. This meant that Hunters had the ability to workout far longer and more strenuously than normal soldiers. It allowed them to boost their physical attributes to the superhuman levels that every successful Hunter or Huntress boasted.
Rose was not going easy on Blake. Ruby knew that it could be far worse; she'd seen the mind-boggling strength training her father put himself through every few days. Blake was undergoing a professional Huntress' training regime, albeit scaled to her level, and according to Rose it had been made specifically for Blake by Yang. The cat Faunus hadn't been impressed by that particular fact until her trainer had pointed out that Yang was the most well versed in human and Faunus physiology out of the entire team. Blake had been extremely surprised by that, but then Yang did seem to do extraordinarily well when questioned on any topic about the human body.
She'd been even more surprised when Rose had shared that Yang had once considered going into medicine, having been inspired by veterinarians and eventually doctors from a young age. It seemed she had been underestimating her partner's intelligence.
Ruby could empathize. She was incredibly grateful to have been extended an offer to attend Beacon. She was ecstatic that she had actually passed initiation. She was overjoyed (and a little nervous) that she was selected to be the leader of her team. She was also tired of being treated like a child.
She understood that she was young, the youngest student at Beacon in all fact. And she would be until she turned seventeen, and even then she would still always be the youngest amongst her peers by a not so insignificant margin, especially at their relatively young age. She could also admit to herself that she was - in some aspects - a little immature. She had her flaws; a small attention span, less than stellar study habits, poor dieting ability, she had trouble in social situations and she wasn't the most intellectual leader. No, she couldn't claim to be perfect.
But she was underestimated. It had been far worse when she'd first begun; she'd practically been treated like a toddler that had walked into a Beowulf den wrapped in steak. Fragile, out of place, useless.
She'd dissuaded every one of those assumptions fast. Often quite literally, beating almost every sparring opponent she went up against into the ground with overwhelming barrages of strikes before they could even hope to defend or retaliate. She also proved her worth outside of the ring, doing her best to excel in her studies. She wasn't the most lauded on that end of things, sitting above average – good even – but far from the most accomplished. She worked hard at it, often asking Weiss on tips and for help with her studies, which her secretly super nice and friendly partner never hesitated to provide. She didn't have the best marks, by that were a far cry from bad, especially for a student that had skipped two entire years of preparatory schooling.
And she was improving every day.
Suffice to say she was more than the kid she was so often seen as. She was much more discerning than any child, for one.
And as she watched Blake and Rose, she would be hard-pressed to miss that there was something between them.
Blake cursed viciously as she squatted once more, Rose sitting on her shoulders and counting out for her.
"Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, so close now, and one hundred! Well done Blakey!" She congratulated, hopping off the exhausted Faunus' shoulders.
"Ah huh, wahh, phew, okay – hah - I'm so – hah – done." Blake said in between harsh pants. Her body felt like jelly. If jelly was composed solely of magma transported directly from the center of the sun, of course. She hurt in places she didn't know she had. Gathering the last of her energy, and her pride, Blake attempted to come back to a natural stance.
Keyword there being attempted. As soon as she moved again, she regretted it. Her legs, still weak from the intense workout they had just received, buckled under her. She braced herself for a painful(ly embarrassing) fall.
Except suddenly there was a warm, solid waist around her stomach. The scent of roses and gunpowder with hints of charred birch and various mechanical oils hit her nose. She collided with something soft yet unyielding, sinking into the warm, comforting embrace.
Rose. It was Rose holding her.
With a flush of warmth on her cheeks, Blake craned her head upward to meet Rose's eye. She felt a thrill of triumph rush through her veins when she saw the older woman's eye dilate, the trill becoming a roar when she licked her delicate pink lips unconsciously.
"Careful there, kitty-cat." Rose said low drawl, and Blake was almost certain there was more to her words than was apparent at first glance.
"I will be, Rose, thank you." Blake replied softly, purposefully moving further into their impromptu embrace. Both were caught up in the moment, completely unaware of a pair of silver eyes watching them from across the clearing.
Ruby was pretty sure holding someone like that wasn't standard training procedure.
Ruby was sort of disappointed with Rose at the moment. She, just like the others, often underestimated her. It was even more chafing coming from her, for obvious reasons.
It was understandable, however. Rose had a fairly large cynical, self-deprecating streak and obviously thought that in her younger years she had been hopelessly naïve. Ruby just so happened to be a younger her. On the other hand, Rose encouraged her to be simply better more than anyone bar Yang. She wasn't exactly humble and Ruby could admit to herself that it was for good reason, Rose was a remarkably capable Huntress, and she obviously saw similar potential in Ruby. In fact, she often encouraged her by saying that she would Ruby surpass her in due time.
It was hard for Ruby to express how much she appreciated that. But she knew even Rose had her moments, times when she didn't give enough credit to Ruby when she dismissed her for her inexperience. Or perhaps she just didn't care, but that didn't fit with the image of the Rose she knew. But Ruby was nothing if not observant, a learned habit that Qrow lauded as essential for an accomplished sniper, and there was an air between Rose and Blake that was far from simple friendship.
No, there was something happening between those two. As leader of team RWBY, and as a sister and friend, she was determined to find out exactly what.
Weiss had been called many things in her seventeen years of living. Sometimes it was pleasant; compliments paying tribute to her beauty, her skill, her intelligence, her cunning and so on. Other times it was far less civil, and she was quite sure she'd been cursed with every word under the sun at some point in her life. Ranging from prodigy and princess to whore and bitch, she was fairly sure she'd heard almost everything.
Almost everything.
"No need to be shy, Weiss! It isn't so bad, is it~?" Yang sang at her cheerily, a slight, knowing smirk on her face.
And there it is. That preposterous, embarrassing, damnable little word.
Shy.
Weiss had never been called shy. She had at most, perhaps been called quiet or reserved when she was much younger, before she'd been coached into confidence and firmness, before she'd been taught to stand out, stand tall, as a Schnee. If you were to ask anyone that knew Weiss, the word shy was most certainly not the first thing that would come to mind, that much she was complete, unassailable sure of.
And the worst part? The worst part was that Yang was oh so right. Weiss, much to her complete and utter mortification, was being downright skittish. She was so embarrassed and off-kilter that shy was, in fact, a rather mild description of her current behavior. Her heart was pounding, she was pretty sure she hadn't stopped blushing in the last twenty-four hours and she could hardly look Yang in the eye.
How was she supposed to react? She had fallen asleep, totally spent from a day of endurance training courtesy of Rose, and woken up cuddling into Yang's side like some overgrown stuffed toy.
Cuddling. She, Weiss Schnee, Hunter in training, music star in the making, and heiress to the most powerful – admittedly corrupt and awful – corporation in the world, was a cuddler. It was, perhaps, the most embarrassing thing she'd ever done. (Her brain had already summarily buried the image of what looked suspiciously like smudges of her lip gloss on Yang's neck.)
And the worst part was that of everyone she could have cuddled, it had to be Yang! The same Yang who was annoying, brash, lewd, blunt, crass and loud, but also completely kind, caring, gorgeous, empathetic and oh so very warm. If it was anyone else, she'd already have dealt with her embarrassment by denying that it was at all pleasurable and they would not be doing it again, thank you very much! But… but the problem was that she couldn't say that to Yang.
It had been slow going, and Weiss (once she had noticed) had been astounded by her patience, but Yang had been getting her accustomed to physical affection. Part and parcel of her youth had been a distinct lack of loving, caring gestures like holding hands, hair ruffles or even hugs. As much as she would like to deny it, it was touching that Yang had taken her time in getting Weiss used to receive small gestures of support. She wished to deny that there was something about Yang, about her light touches that would leave her feeling warm for hours afterward. It was a soft, persistent comfort that had squirmed away beneath her stoic façade and Weiss was unsure whether to be outright infuriated or joyful.
Weiss really, really wished she could tell Yang that the cuddling, the affection, didn't mean anything to her… but she didn't want her to stop. More than anything, Weiss didn't want Yang to stop, because with everything in her world shifting so rapidly, those soft, warm hugs made her feel grounded and human. Flesh and blood warmth that brought up a feeling of 'We can do this together, I'm right here, let's take this one step at a time, calm'. She didn't want to discourage Yang, to rebuff her in a way that made her think that Weiss didn't want to be touched anymore. If she wasn't so aware that craving touch was very much a sane, ordinary human need, she might have lambasted Yang for unearthing this desire in her.
As it was Weiss couldn't deny that she did need these things, trite as they may seem. Yang's warmth and support seemed to take an edge off the world, making everything softer, easier. It might be selfish, but Weiss couldn't deny that she functioned better because of Yang. She was calmer, her thoughts came more easily, she felt lighter, more perceptive, less angry and a host of other things. In the face of genuine affection, her tension seemed to melt away like snow beneath a summer sun, and it made her realize just how crippling her stress really was, just how much it affected her and her actions in everyday life.
So she wouldn't - couldn't, really - tell Yang to stop. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't so much willing to admit this to Yang yet, and this left her feeling rather vulnerable. It also seemed that when Weiss felt vulnerable, so exposed and transparent, she became shy. She was stuck in an awkward limbo, unable to tell Yang 'it's fine, actually, I enjoyed it, and I'd be really happy if you continued' but unwilling to lie to her and tell the blonde that she was actually averse to it.
"Dear Oum, girl, you're going to combust if you don't calm down. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that can pull that look off." Yang warned with a light-hearted smile, cocking her hip, arms akimbo as she stood across from Weiss.
Weiss took a slow, deep breath - ignoring her aching muscles and, in some places, lightly burned skin - and looked up. Instantly, she was assaulted by the image of Yang, blonde hair and bronze skin, vibrant lilac eyes, a toothy smile and an aura of confidence. Not long after the image was replaced by the image of that luscious blonde hair turned a darkened gold, still damp with water, so much more of that bronze skin showing, trails of water curving down her naked body, her eyes staring at her with equal parts surprise and what she couldn't help but hope was anticipation... And for the umpteenth time since her embarrassing wake up yesterday, Weiss wondered what would have happened if Blake hadn't walked in on them after she had stolen her towel back from Yang and ended up being straddled on the floor. What would she have done with a flustered, dripping wet, naked Yang...
She instantly felt her cheeks warming again, and she cursed her teenage hormones under her breath. Her stomach wrenched and her mouth dried. She could feel her brain knotting all her clever responses together in fits of excitement and anxiety. She hated this! She hated being shy!
And even more than that, she hated having to admit to herself that she had a crush on Yang Xiao Long.
"Why me?" Weiss mumbled forlornly, slapping a palm to her forehead in a futile effort to punish her traitorous brain.
"Oh god I'm so glad that's over." Ruby moaned as she collapsed onto the grass in their base camp. Her entire body ached like she'd been strung up and used as Yang's personal punching bag. She was also pretty sure she smelt so bad she would class as a low-grade chemical weapon. She stared up at the sky and working by the position of the sun guessed it was about mid-afternoon.
Obsidian groaned as he lay on the floor. Curled into something like the fetal position.
"You'll be fine." Rose placated her, walking past and putting down her pack with a sigh before plopping down atop a log with an even louder, more satisfied sigh. "Nothing like a training trip to work out the kinks." She said happily.
"You say that like you were the one training." Yang snarked, then falling next to Ruby in the grass with a moan. "Hey sis, how you feeling?" She asked, turning to the battered looking form of her little sister.
"Could be better." Ruby said blandly, turning her head to look at Yang. "Learning ninja-fu isn't nearly as fun as it sounds."
"Course' not, little Rose or everyone would do it." Rose told her with good cheer, completely unapologetic. Blake stumbled in next, wobbling and cursing every other step, before falling onto a soft patch of grass with a moan that sounded so satisfied it made Ruby and Rose's cheeks flame and Yang chortle merrily.
"Are you sure you don't hate the Faunus?" Blake muttered in part from her position, slumped pitifully over a log, gazing at Rose with baleful amber eyes. "Because I'm pretty sure what I just endured was less 'training' and more 'hate crime'."
"Oh suck it up, you pussy."
Yang snorted with laughter, before stifling it when she could feel Blake glaring at her and Rose. "Good one." She snickered at Rose.
"That one gets old really fast." Rose shrugged.
"I most certainly agree." Blake replied in an angry hiss.
"Oh stop moping, Belladonna." Weiss' voice cut in as she strode into the group, her tone perfectly level and controlled. A large white plastic box was tucked underneath her arm. If anyone noticed how badly her legs were shaking, and how quickly she sat down next to Rose, no one mentioned it.
"Ah, good, pass it over." Rose motioned to Weiss with her hands. The white-haired girl complied quickly, passing it over to Rose, revealing a large red cross on its face. Rose promptly cracked the field medical kit open, revealing rolls of bandages, compress, stitching thread, medical salve, disinfectant, Aura enhancing Dust compounds and some basic, essential surgery tools. "Now, show me the worst ones first." Rose instructed Weiss.
With a stiff nod, Weiss complied. "Here, here," She pointed out a spot on her left arm, shoulder and then finished by pointing at her right calf, "and here." She finished. Rose made a quick inspection of her wounds, noting that none of them seemed dangerous, just painful.
"I'm impressed." Rose admitted, pulling out a small pot of potent, Dust infused burn salve. With a quick shot of her Aura, the light blue paste began glowing and the smell of mint and fresh snow filled the air. She dipped her fingers inside the mix, wincing slightly at the intense cold and gelatine-like texture before she lifted her hand and rubbed small circles on Weiss' hurt arm. Her patient sucked a breath in through her teeth, but before long some tension dropped out of her frame and Rose knew that the mixture was relieving some of the pain.
"Impressed?" Weiss asked thoughtfully, and then after a few seconds, her expression grew thunderous. "You were expecting me to be even more injured?" She shot at the older woman hotly.
"Oh yeah." Rose nodded carelessly. "I was expecting some broken ribs or something, at least."
"Hey!" Yang cut in, voice laced with offence. "I wouldn't hurt a teammate like that!"
Weiss shot her a small, grateful smile that caused Yang to blush, which in turn lead to Weiss blushing, which lead to Rose smirking in knowing amusement. "So you learned some restraint, then?"
"Surprisingly, she has shown marked improvement since we began." Weiss commented. "I just wish that I didn't have to experience her lessons firsthand."
"Firsthand? Actually, how did she train you guys?" Ruby asked in curiosity, moaning piteously as she sat up straight so she could look at her teammates.
"If I see another dumbbell before I die, it'll be too soon." Blake said in lieu of an answer. Ruby winced at that.
"Yeah that looked... not fun." She commiserated. "Learning ninja-fu was a lot of stretching, sprints and katas." Ruby shrugged slightly. "I feel like a half cooked noodle, but it was mostly just boring, so nothing too hard. What bout you, big sis?"
"I had to try and beat up Weiss."
Ruby blinked slowly. "Come again?" She asked politely.
"I had to try and beat up Weiss." Yang repeated, albeit more slowly.
"...Why?" Ruby asked incredulously.
"Because Weiss is a slippery little minx." Yang replied in utter seriousness.
"...Come again?"
"Because. Weiss. Is. A. Sli-"
"We get it, Yang." Blake interrupted with a chuckle, looking over at Weiss who was blushing furiously and sending a deep, burning scowl at her lap. "What we don't get is how this helped, I think."
"I did sprints until I was out of breath, then I would have to dodge - and dodge only - until Yang managed to clip me. Once she did, I would do as many sprints as I could until I was breathless again. Rinse and repeat. I increase my endurance and Yang learned how to keep the aggression on high-agility targets." Weiss told them. Blake turned to look at Rose with genuine horror on her face.
Obsidian groaned from the floor.
"What did you do to him?" Yang asked.
"I had him grow different weapons for me to use, and then beat him senseless with them." Rose explained, to four shocked faces, and a groan.
"Why?" Weiss asked.
"He needed to learn to adapt to different weapons and fighting styles. I couldn't do much, but I have had to improvise in the past. And if you hit someone with any weapon fast enough, it requires entirely different fighting styles."
"Sadist." She accused.
"Mmm, I think that's more Glynda's thing, deary." Rose told her nonchalantly. "I mean, it's not like she hides it. Her weapon of choice a leather riding crop, so makes of that what you will."
"I want to hear more, but at the same time I really, really don't." Yang confessed with a frown.
"Gross." Ruby shuddered. "I do not need to think about that."
Rose rolled her eyes playfully. "You're too young now, but maybe in a few years, you can find out. I'm sure Glynda can appreciate a little blast from the past."
"Do we really have to talk about your sexual escapades, Rose, Ruby?" Weiss cut in with a bright blush and a scowl. "Some of us might appreciate a little decorum."
"I haven't even done anything yet!" Ruby replied indignantly. "I don't know anything about this, it's all Rose, all the time! I'm innocent!" She declared hotly, her voice brimming with frustrated exasperation.
Rose paused at her outburst, having finished rubbing the salve into Weiss' shoulder, leaving the younger woman to attend to her own leg. She stood up and looked at Ruby, who had also jumped to her feet in her short tirade. "You know what, you're right." Rose said slowly.
"I know!" Ruby said in turn, unaware of the strange look that passed over her older self's face. Yang did notice, however, picking up on the strange quality of tension now filling in the air.
"You are completely innocent." Rose told her.
"I had my first kiss like a year ago." Ruby confirmed, nodding vigorously.
"You really don't know about these things." She continued, walking slowly toward her.
"Uh yeah, well, except for the class they taught at Signal, and that was all just theory." Ruby exclaimed, before pausing and shuddering slightly. "I mean it would be super gross and awful and weird if they taught us prac-"
"You have no idea what you are doing, no idea what you want." Rose uttered smoothly, ignoring Ruby's tirade. Blake, watching the interaction, felt her eyes go wide as saucers. No way, she thought in uneasy fascination. On the sidelines, Yang was frozen and paling rapidly.
"I uh, well, I guess not?" Ruby replied unsurely, looking at the approaching woman warily.
"You have a lot to learn." Rose purred as she closed the last of the distance, slipping one arm around Ruby and pulling the younger girl close with a soft yelp. The other came up, and Rose tilted Ruby's face up by the chin, her long, calloused fingers trailing almost imperceptibly along Ruby's lower lip.
Ruby looked up at her with completely startled, shocked silver eyes. "I- uh- yo- me- we I d- uh-" She stuttered in a squeaky, weak voice.
"I am going to teach you exactly what you love." Rose said huskily, leaning down, nose to nose with Ruby. Yang squeezed a half-full tub of salve tumbled out of Weiss' limp fingers.
"What the fuck?" Weiss questioned in numb stupefaction.
Ruby's eyes were blown completely wide in shock, staring up at Rose with statuesque stillness. A few seconds of complete and utter silence followed, before Rose's lip quirked and her shoulders began trembling. Hardly a moment later she looked over at the other silent onlookers and she fell back to the ground. Her laughter echoed around the camp, long and loud.
"Oh- oh m-my Oum! Yo-your faces! Pfffffft!" Rose said in between barking laughs, kicking her legs out as she rolled around with tears trailing from her eye, completely overcome by her mirth.
"I think I just died a little inside." Ruby mumbled, holding a hand over her heart.
Yang - currently sporting a rather impressive shade of green - nodded slowly. "No. Just... no." She shuddered violently. "That's weird and wrong on so many levels, I don't even... just no."
"I vote we never speak of this again." A very pale Weiss motioned with a raised hand. Ruby and Yang instantly followed suit.
"Yep." Yang agreed.
"Yes." Ruby nodded. An expectant pause passed as they ignored the still laughing Rose, and they turned to look at their remaining teammates. Blake was sitting down with a glazed, unfocused expression in her eyes. Her face was cherry red, and her hands were fisted with white-knuckled intensity in her lap, just between her tightly squeezed thighs. Obsidian was laying on the floor, as Weiss looked down at him, and say his face, all but glowing red, as his persistent groaning stopped completely, gasped slightly.
"Oh my god, you freaky little perverts." Yang frowned heavily, but her voice and eyes with alight with laughter.
"Guys!" Ruby shouted, mortified to be included in any sort of lewd daydream. Blake and Obsidian started at the loud noise, looking up at each of their teammates, all of whom were alternating between the two. Ruby looked totally embarrassed, Yang looked like she sort of wanted to choke her, and sort of like she wanted to laugh at her and Weiss was pinching the bridge of her nose, taking deep, steady breaths.
"Scoundrels and perverts, each and every one of you." Weiss muttered, gesturing to the people around her. "How will I ever escape unscathed?"
Blake took a moment at that, doing her best to shrug off her embarrassment at being caught in some sort of pseudo-incestuous daydream. She coughed into her fist and gave them all her best sheepish look. "If you can't beat them, join them?" She offered weakly.
Rose started laughing even harder. "Kinky!" She commented.
Obsidian visibly shook, and then a questioning "Hmmm?" ring out.
"Something to add?" Rose asked, amused.
"Would that be narcissism, masturbation, or incest?"
All 5 women stopped cold. A resounding pause, and for almost a full minute no one spoke.
"How can you possibly ask something like that?" Yang demanded.
"I can suppress emotional response, say arousal, in order to objectively observe the situation." Obsidian responded.
Yang kicks him in the head, "How did you think that it was appropriate to ask?"
After a moment of groaning, he responds softly, "Well one, suppressing emotional response also suppresses thinks like guilt, morality and in my case, mental filter. Secondly, I never really had a chance or reason to learn things like subtlety or tact. Beacon has been a serious crash course for me in social skills."
Blake askes, also quietly, "Why did that specific train of thought cross your unfiltered mind."
"Are you saying it didn't cross your's?" Rose asked, and Blake froze again growing red.
"I hate you all." Weiss mumbled into her hands.
"Why yes, Weiss, you can carry all the gear back today as the last of your training, how kind of you to offer!" Rose sang cheerily, still chuckling heartily.
"One day, people will look back at my history and say 'this is the day it all began, the day she took the first step on the path of vengeance'. When they look up pain in the dictionary, you and I will picture in them prominently. When people huddle around campfires and tell ghost stories, the tale of your agonizing, prolonged death will send shivers down their spine. I will peel the flesh off your bones, before I freeze your miserable carcass and hang it above my bed, a trophy that will become synonymous with regret. Your pain will be legendary." Weiss hissed darkly.
Rose blinked slowly, walked up to Weiss, and then ruffled her hair. "Aren't you just a bundle of sunshine?"
"I will stab you."
"Not with your level of endurance, you won't."
Weiss' once again muffled frustrated scream into her hands.
Tai-Yang met his eldest daughter, and the younger's full team at the entrance hall early that evening. He couldn't help a small snort escaping at their appearance. The Schnee, Weiss, looked like she was two steps away from an aneurysm. Yang looked a tad ill, but couldn't stop sending small, furtive glances at her white-haired companion. It also seemed like she was just noticing her small glances were being returned in kind. Ruby was pale as a ghost and looked like she could use a long, long nap. The last teammate, Blake, had a very noticeable tint to her cheeks. And of course, having no doubt served as the instigator for all the odd states of her students, Rose looked amused and stunningly smug.
"What did you do?" Tai-Yang asked curiously, looking between Rose and the others.
Rose gave him a small, crooked grin. "I seduced your daughter." She told him simply.
Tai-Yang froze. He looked between Yang and Ruby. Yang, older, more experienced and far less innocent. Ruby, sweet, kind and naive but technically the same person. He couldn't decide which one made him feel less horrified.
Nope.
Nope, he thought.
"Nope." He said, turning on his heel and leaving promptly. "Nope, nope, nopity, nope, nope, nope..." His voice trailed off as he walked down the corridor.
"That's going to be fun to explain to Glynda." Rose mused.
"What's going to be fun to explain to Glynda? And what's up with Tai?" Qrow questioned, walking out of a nearby hallway and staring at the retreating form his friend, a series of 'nopes' following behind him.
"I seduced his daughter."
Qrow twitches violently. His gaze slowly turned between Yang and Ruby. He nodded firmly. "Nope!" He agreed, turning and fleeing down the hallway he had just left. "Nope, nope, nope, nope..."
"If I wasn't so disturbed, I'd probably be impressed at how easy you just psyched out dad and uncle Qrow. Especially uncle Qrow." Yang said slowly.
"It's all in the wrist." Rose said absentmindedly, obviously not paying attention.
"Nope." Team RWBYO decided in unison, walking away and leaving their obviously unhinged mentor and friend behind, heading to their dorm for the new day tomorrow, their first with Rose as the school's combat instructor.
The last few days hand been peaceful, but not one of them could deny the feeling they had.
It was, they felt, the calm before the storm.