AN: So, I'm back. Rather or not that's a good thing remains to be seen. The first chapter of this had nearly 180 people read it...to say I'm flattered would be an understatement. That's not even mentioning those who reviewed, followed, and added this to their favorites. To those of you who did that I thank you from the bottom of my heart, it honestly means a lot that somebody found my crappy writing enjoyable. With that said I'll leave you this new chapter, hopefully you enjoy!
Blake stirred as light hit her eyes. Groaning she tried to turn away from the offending rays, determined to return to the blissful dream she was having. The dark-haired girl frowned as something around her waist held her in place with an iron-grip.
Annoyed she opened her eyes; wincing as the harsh light assaulted her now unprotected irises. Once her eyes adjusted she turned back to the task at hand, ready to do harm to whatever it was that had robbed her of the most peaceful sleep she had known in years. What she saw gave her pause, however. She wasn't in her bed in her team's dorm, no, she was on the auditorium's roof.
Blake blinked, I'm on the roof? Her eyes widened. If I'm here then that means…She stopped the thought short unwilling to get her hopes up. She closed her eyes as her hand drifted towards her waist; towards whatever it was that had held her in place just a moment ago.
Her hand stopped as it came into contact with an arm. Blake scrunched her eyes tighter, please. She flexed her fingers around the arm, moving them down toward where the wrist would be, feeling for something. She held her breath as her fingers neared the end of their journey.
Finally they came into contact with something. Blake let out the breath she had been holding as her hand wrapped around the condensed form of Ember Celica.
Yang…so it wasn't a dream. Blake smiled as she became aware of the comfortable warmth that radiated from behind her. She snuggled back against Yang, her ears twitching against the underside of the blonde's chin.
"Mn…that tickles." Blake froze as she felt Yang stir, a small blush spread across her face as she felt the other girl pull her closer. "Mornin, Blake."
The greeting pulled Blake from her stupor. "Good morning," she replied as she moved to sit up, Yang didn't stop her this time.
She missed the warmth all too quickly.
Blake took a moment to stretch, her body stiff from sleeping on the hard roof. She finished as she heard a pop come from behind her. She turned in time to see that Yang had sat up as well and was currently cracking her neck. No doubt in an attempt to relieve some stiffness.
"Man, sleeping on a roof can really getcha." Yang looked at her, "You alright?"
"A little stiff and sore, nothing some stretching and herbal tea can't fix."
Yang smirked, "You and your tea I swear you treat it like a cure-all!"
"Better than you and your energy drinks." Blake fired back not missing a beat.
"Touché."
Silence fell over them, the only sound coming from the wind and the birds as they chirped away the morning.
For once Blake wasn't quite simply because she wanted to be, it was quite the contrary. She had plenty she wanted to say and ask, she just didn't know how to. To say she had enjoyed last night would be an understatement. They hadn't talked about anything though. All it had been was an impromptu make-out and cuddle session. While certainly enjoyable…Blake flushed as she looked away from Yang.
She took a deep breath as she pushed the memories of the night before away. She'd have time to look back on them and reminisce she was sure, but now wasn't that time. Now, as ironic as it was, Blake wanted to talk. She wanted, no, needed to know exactly what it was she had with Yang. Was last night just a fun romp for the blonde or did it mean more to her?
"Yan…" She was interrupted as her scroll started beeping. Blake cursed her bad luck as she fished the device from her pocket.
She glared into the screen as she accepted the call. A second later Weiss's face filled the screen. She did not look happy. "Where have you been? Is Yang with you?" The heiress wasted no time in assaulting the Faunus with questions; her shrill-voice matched her anger ridden expression perfectly. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
Blake heard Yang wince from behind her; the rogue glanced over her shoulder towards her partner. "Well, the Princess seems touchy this morning."
"So Yang is there!" Weiss started again pulling Blake's attention back to her scroll. No doubt having heard Yang's statement. "Do you know just how many times I've tried calling you this morning Yang Xiao Long? Do you!"
Blake adjusted her scroll so Yang could see the screen as the blonde came to look over her shoulder. "Uh-oh, she's using full na…"
Blake silenced her partner by putting her hand over her mouth. Normally she was fine with Yang pushing Weiss's buttons, something she would sometimes even help with, but at the moment Blake was annoyed. Not with Yang, but with Weiss for the interruption.
"To answer your questions Weiss; yes Yang is here with me and we're on campus as for the others the answer is no." Blake somehow managed to keep her annoyance out of her voice. If there was one thing she had learned about dealing with Weiss. It was to always be calm and collected. Something the young heiress currently wasn't.
"Well I hope you're close to the dorm because we're almost out of time!"
Blake furrowed her brow, out of time? Out of time for what? She glanced at Yang hoping her partner might shed some light, but the blonde brawler just shrugged.
Blake sighed as she looked back to the image of Weiss on her scroll. "What do you mean out of time?"
Blake watched as Weiss's expression changed from anger to bewilderment and finally back to anger. She pointed up at Blake, "I'd expect the brute to forget about the importance of this morning, but, I never expected it out of you!"
The Alabaster-haired girl looked away from Blake as something that sounded very much like a crash came through the speaker. "You dunce, I told you to be careful with that!" Blake could swear she heard a faint, 'sorry,' come from somewhere behind Weiss. Ruby had undoubtedly broken another of Weiss's very expensive commodities, again.
"Ugh, never mind. Just leave it there and I'll deal with it." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear you three will be the death of me."
Yang chose this moment to remove Blake's hand from her mouth, "Uh, Weiss. Not that it's not cute listening to you rant and rave, but what's so important about this morning?" The brawler voiced the question that Blake sorely wanted to know the answer to.
And it had better be a good one or I may just break Gambol Shroud over your head. The Faunus smirked at the thought.
Weiss just sighed. "Its move out day, we have less than thirty-minutes before we're supposed to be at the airship!"
Move out day. It was move out day. Now Blake wanted to break Gambol Shroud across her own head. How could I have forgotten!
Yang laughed, "Oh, you're right, that is today!"
"You're laughing!" Weiss screeched through the scroll. "This is the second most import…"
Blake ended the call. She loved Weiss like a sister, but she could only handle so much of her at once. She had no idea how Ruby could stand to be around the heiress as much as she was. She looked over at Yang, who was staring off in the direction of their dorm. I guess people could say the same about me though…
"Huh…no mushroom cloud yet." Blake laughed in spite of herself, while she normally went along with everyone else and just groaned at most of Yang's jokes; she had to admit that the blonde did have a knack for making her laugh. That was one of the things that had attracted her to Yang in the first place. Yang turned back to her partner, a sincere look in her eyes. "I love your laugh."
Blake blushed as she turned her face down in a vain attempt to hide the reddening of her cheeks. Yang complimenting her was nothing unusual; as a matter of fact it was something that the Faunus had gotten used to over the course of their four-year partnership. Now though.
Now it seemed to carry an added weight. Then again-she imagined many of their normal interactions would now carry an additional meaning. They'll have to…won't they?
She was just about to voice this thought as Yang bounced up to her feet. "Well, I guess we had better get to the dorm." She offered Blake her hand, a big goofy-smile spread across her face.
Blake closed her eyes as she shook her head. She should have known that any and all of her attempts at having a meaningful conversation would be thwarted before they even began. She opened her golden eyes back up as she took the offered hand, Yang pulled her up with ease.
"I suppose you're rig…" Blake was interrupted again, albeit happily this time, as Yang gave her a quick kiss.
"I left my coat downstairs at the party last night; I'll meet you back at the dorm." Yang said as she pulled away. She winked at the Faunus as she turned and took off towards the door.
Blake was motionless as she watched Yang leave; the closing of the metal door what finally snapped her back to reality. She licked her lips as her hand rose to her mouth. She could still feel Yang's lips on her own. She sighed; this was going to be a very long day.
The fourth-year dormitory was a-buzz with activity. All of the freshly minted hunters and huntresses ran around in every direction in a desperate attempt to pack up the last of their belongings. Checking and re-checking that they hadn't forgotten anything, lest it be lost forever. All of this in an attempt to pass one final test, a test that required them to leave Beacon, the place that they had called home for the last four years.
It was a lot like what birds did to their young, Blake mused, when the hatchlings were old enough it's parents would kick it out of the nest leaving it to fend for itself. That's what the professors are doing to us; it's our turn to fly.
Blake carefully made her way up the stairs towards the third-floor where Team RWBY's dorm was located. Along the way she dodged several falling suitcases and their owners who screamed past her in a vain attempt to catch their luggage. She shook her head; maybe it's an exercise to see who can get out of here alive…
Reaching her desired floor Blake quickly got off the stairs and stepped into the reasonably safer hall. Well, reasonably, might be pushing it. The entire hall was packed with young hunters and huntresses as they carried their luggage out of their rooms. Some would set a bag outside only to go back in to grab another – sometimes larger bag. It was chaos.
Blake looked toward the end of the hall where her dorm was located; she could see some of Weiss's pristine-white suitcases already waiting outside the door. Looking back at the mass of bodies before her she sighed, why can nothing ever be easy?
Straightening up she looked back toward the door. She took a deep breath and moved. Despite the closer than tight quarters Blake was able to weave her way through the throng of bodies and personal belongings with ease; her inclination for stealth and speed paying off in dividends.
Blake smirked as she reached her destination coming to a standstill in front of her dorm's door. Didn't hit a thing. While Blake would never boast about her abilities like her yellow haired partner, she did take a lot of pride in being the stealthiest member of the team capable of sneaking up and past anything that she desired.
Pulling her scroll out she unlocked the door and quickly stepped inside. As she closed the door she turned her attention to the room. It was standard for what she had come to expect from a Beacon dorm. Four beds, a bathroom, closet, and one large window in the center of the far wall. There was one feature that made it superior to their old dorms though. It was larger.
While it wasn't much roomier than the dorm the four girls had shared during their first year; it did have enough space to allow them to not have to resort to gravity-defying bunk beds. Something Blake was secretly grateful for, having lost many hours of precious sleep watching and waiting for Yang's bunk to come crashing down on top of her.
Now when Blake had left the dorm yesterday to attend graduation it had been immaculate; which was a far-cry from what it was now. While it certainly wasn't in as much disarray as the hall and stairs were. Their normally tidy room looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. A hurricane made up of blood red-rose petals.
Clothes and belongings that belonged to all four girls littered the floor, covering it in a patchwork of; red, white, black, and yellow. On top of all that though were hundreds of rose petals, a dead giveaway that one Ruby Rose was near.
Blake watched in astonishment as Ruby darted back and forth from the closet to her red and black duffel bag that lay on the floor. Her cloak and trademark rose petals billowed in her wake. She was just about to reach out to the young girl when Weiss walked out of the bathroom carrying a bag, which Blake assumed, was full of her personal toiletries.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The heiress said as she stowed the bag into a larger white duffel. "You just might lose your hand."
Blake retracted her hand letting it hang safely by her side. She motioned towards their young leader with her head.
"Why is she flying around like that?" Blake asked as Ruby disappeared back into the closet, a loud thump echoed from within.
Weiss sighed, "I may have promised her a box of the finest cookies in all of Vale if she got her packing done first."
Blake just shook her head. Despite growing into one of the most fearsome huntresses to ever attend Beacon, Ruby had maintained many of her childlike qualities; including a borderline unhealthy obsession with cookies.
A gust of wind mussed Blake's onyx hair as Ruby darted back to her duffel bag.
"At this point I just hope she doesn't hurt herself." Weiss said the concern evident in her voice as Ruby ran back to the closet.
Blake smirked.
"Concerned for your girlfriend's wellbeing are you, Weiss?" Blake teased the white-haired girl, extracting some revenge for the earlier interruption on the roof.
Weiss blushed and crossed her arms over her chest in a fluster. "Wha-…no!"
Blake chuckled at her teammates attempt at hiding her embarrassment. Despite being in a relationship with the red-tinged girl for the better part of two and a half years, Weiss still refused to show just how much she cared about the girl to anyone, except, Ruby herself. Which was something that Blake and Yang, mostly Yang, took advantage of by constantly teasing Weiss about it.
"Relax Weiss," Blake started as she moved to her bed and pulled out her suitcase from underneath. "I was just teasing."
Weiss huffed, "I swear your becoming more like the brute everyday…" She paused. "Speaking of which where is Yang?"
Blake having already started packing didn't even look at the heiress as she answered the question. "She left her jacket at the party last night, so she went to go get it, she should be here soon."
As if on cue Yang busted through the door startling the black and white themed girls with her presence. Blake regained her composure in time to see Yang slam the door behind her. She watched as the blonde rested her back against the door, her coat clutched in a death grip.
"It's a nightmare out there!" Yang said as she slid down the door coming to rest at its base.
"Yes, well had you two returned to the dorm last night you wouldn't have had to experience that madness." Weiss mocked before a thoughtful look came over her face. "Speaking of which," She looked between the two girls, a smirk evident on her lips. "Where exactly wher…"
Weiss was interrupted as Ruby, with a final burst of rose petals finally finished packing. "Weiss, I'm done!" Ruby exclaimed as she zipped her overstuffed duffel, the fabric stretching at the seams, she turned to face the heiress. "I was the first one right?"
Blake thanked her lucky stars as Weiss looked away from her and to Ruby; her previous question seemingly forgotten. While being happy with whatever it was she had with Yang. She was certainly nowhere near ready to share about it with anyone; at least not until she actually knew what it was.
Selfish? Maybe, but she had always been one to hold her cards close to her chest. This would be no different.
"What…?" Weiss faltered.
"You said you'd buy me a box of cookies if I finished packing first! Remember?" Ruby whined, putting on her best puppy-dog face for her girlfriend. It should be a crime to be that adorable.
Weiss sighed again, "Your right, I did. As soon as we get to Vale I'll order them."
"Yay!" Ruby pounced on her girlfriend wrapping her in a hug.
That's a bullet dodged. Blake looked to where Yang still sat on the floor. Amber connected with lilac as their eyes met. While Blake was relieved that the question about how she and her partner had spent their night had been forgotten, Yang seemed almost…deflated about it. Which could mean only one thing; something was deeply and truly bothering the blonde.
Maybe she's as confused about last night as I am. Her heart grew heavy at the thought; she hated the idea of Yang being in any type of turmoil, especially emotional.
Blake wanted to do nothing more than to walk over to the sulking blonde and offer her comfort. Just like Yang had done for her the night before, but it would have to wait. Yang would have to wait just as Blake had to. Once we're alone, Yang, I promise.
Blake tore her eyes away from Yang as she set back to packing. A more determined kick to her step. For a few moments the only sounds that filled the room was one of clothes being ruffled, latched being locked, and zippers being zipped.
Blake had just finished packing the last of her books when Weiss's scroll started beeping.
"Oh, dust it's here!" Blake turned to look at her teammate. Weiss had come to a complete stop in front of the case that would store Myrtenaster on their trip. The rapier protruded from the case, half its length still to be sheathed. Weiss read out loud the message she had received.
"We only have ten minutes to get to the docks!" She looked up her eyes frantic, "We have to get there now! Ruby help your sister finish packing, I'm going to go grab a luggage cart!"
Blake watched as Weiss bolted out the door. The heiress displayed an impressive amount of speed that would rival even Ruby; who, for her part had jumped to helping her sister pack.
Having finished her packing, Blake walked over to where Myrtenaster now lay discarded on the floor. She gingerly picked up the weapon, careful not to disturb the dust chambers. She was almost certain that Weiss had unloaded them, but where dust was involved it never paid to be careless.
She finished putting the weapon in its case, setting it alongside Weiss's other luggage. Blake looked to where the two sisters stood over Yang's bed. Yang was trying to close the latch on her suitcase while Ruby sat atop it in an attempt to force it closed. Blake sighed. A long day indeed.
After Weiss had returned with the luggage cart, the girls had quickly loaded it down with all twenty-two of their overstuffed bags. The additional weight made it so that Yang was the only one of them capable of moving the cart fast enough. At least if they planned to make it to the airship on time.
Getting out of the dormitory had – thus far – proven to be the largest problem. It had required; Weiss, Ruby, and Blake to form a protective barrier around the cart as Yang pushed it from behind. Blake was certain they had broken a few belongings and perhaps some toes as they had gotten out. Once they were outside however, it had been smooth sailing. Well, as smooth as running at a dead sprint with a five-hundred pound luggage cart trailing right behind you could be.
Blake panted for breath as they rounded another corner, the docks finally coming into view. Almost there! The thought flew through her head as she pushed herself to go faster. If the countdown she had in her head was right they had less than two-minutes to cover the last half-mile. It would have been easy, had Weiss not yelled out from the back of their small group.
"Wait, stop!"
Blake's shoes skidded across the ground as she slowed to a halt; the action left a long streak in her wake. She took the small reprieve as a chance to catch her breath, her delicate hands coming to rest on her knees as she leaned over. Ruby stopped next to her. Blake looked up at her young leader; the near two-mile sprint seemed to have no effect on the younger girl as she stood straight up not a single sign of fatigue on her face. She wasn't even panting.
Blake was about to comment on the unfairness of that when another loud call rang through the air. "Look out!"
She managed to look up in time to see the luggage-cart barreling straight towards her. She had just enough time to sidestep the cart as it went hurtling past, followed by Yang who was trying desperately to put on the breaks. She finally managed to stop it a few feet away.
Blake watched as Yang turned around as Weiss caught up with the group, her normally purple eyes had just the slightest amount of red to them. She glared at the other girl.
"What, in the heck was that!" Yang exploded at Weiss, small flames danced around her hair. "I almost ran Blake over!"
Weiss having finally caught up to the group looked between Blake and Yang. "I'm sorry, but you were about to pass our turn." She motioned to the left. "If we had gone past it we never would have made it."
Blake looked in the direction Weiss had indicated; the road to their left led to only one place the airship-charter dock. Why there?
She never got the chance to ask that question as Ruby spoke up from behind her. "Come on guys we have less than a minute to get there!"
Blake watched as their young leader grabbed Weiss by the hand and proceeded to drag her girlfriend down towards the dock. Yang huffed as she turned the cart around and followed after them. She was overcome by an intense feeling of déjà vu. The scene before her reminiscent of the team's first day of classes.
A marathon of unpacking followed by another as they had desperately tried to get to class on time. Blake smiled fondly at the memory.
Her reminiscing was cut short as Ruby called back to her. "Blake, what are you doing? Come on!"
Snapping back to reality Blake took off at a dead sprint, closing the distance in a matter of seconds. "I'm right here, but why are we going to the charter-dock?" She breathlessly asked the question as they continued to run.
Ruby turned her head and winked at the Faunus. "You'll see!"
Blake huffed in exasperation. She should have known better than to ask.
After what felt like an eternity of running they had finally arrived at the dock entrance. Once Yang wrangled the cart to a more manageable speed the four girls entered the massive hanger.
Unlike the public airship docks the charter dock was just that, a single lonesome dock. It was normally reserved for the docking of airships that came to take students out on Beacon sanctioned trips. Be it field trips, hunts, or the unpleasant trip of taking washed out student's home.
Blake looked around as they entered the luggage check-in; she was surprised to see several other teams there filling up the small room. All of them in a rush to get their bags checked in and prepared for the long eight-hour flight to the City of Vale. I thought everyone just took the public airships out.
Out.
The word weighed on Blake like a ton of bricks. She didn't know how much longer it would be, but soon she would be leaving Beacon. The place that had become the first true home she had ever known. In an instant all of her worries from the night before came roaring back like an angry Ursa.
"Blake, over here!" The rogue was pulled from her thoughts as Weiss called out to her from a door on the far side of the room. "Quick we got to go!"
Doing her best to quell her fears she slowly made her way over to Weiss, just to have the heiress usher her through the door closing it behind her. They were now in a long hallway illuminated by a single strip of fluorescent lights that ran all the way down to its end. Where it opened up to what Blake assumed was the actual dock.
Weiss started walking down the hall leaving Blake alone by the door.
"Where are Ruby and Yang?" Blake did her best to keep her worry clear of her voice. If Weiss noticed anything off about the Faunus she didn't acknowledge it as she replied.
"Hopefully they're already on board and waiting for us." Weiss looked back over her shoulder. "What made you zone out anyway? I can't remember the last time I saw you that out of it."
"I was just taking a second to catch my breath." It was a weak answer and Blake knew it. She just hoped Weiss wouldn't push the matter. The further out of her mind she could push her concerns about the future at the moment the better.
The heiress narrowed her icy-blue eyes at the Faunus before she shrugged her slender shoulders and returned her attention forward.
Blake let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, relieved that Weiss had let it drop. The teammates continued the walk down the hallway in silence.
Entering the dock Blake quickly realized why they had come here. Anchored in the birth was a luxury airship with the Schnee family crest painted on its side. She followed as Weiss lead the way up the ramp and into the ship.
Never thought I'd be in one of these. She thought to herself as Weiss led her deeper into the ship and into a larger foyer where Ruby and Yang sat chatting quietly a small table between them.
So this is how the Schnee's live, Blake thought to herself as she looked around the room. It was obvious that no expense had been spared in the airship's construction. While it looked like a normal airship from the outside, save for the white Schnee insignia on its side, the inside was an entirely different story. White-gold inlaid the walls which were painted in the purest sky-blue the young huntress had ever seen.
Ruby must have seen the black and white girls standing there as she yelled out to them; her hand waved frantically as if a distance of several yards separated them instead of the mere few feet that actually did. "Weiss! Blake! Come sit down!"
Blake smiled at her leader's exuberance, aside from the time that Weiss got critically injured during a training exercise; which incidentally, is what lead Ruby to confess her feelings to Weiss. Blake couldn't think of a time that she had ever seen Ruby being truly sad or upset.
Weiss scoffed, clearly not amused by Ruby's antics. "We're right here you dunce we can hear you without you screaming!"
Ruby cowered back a little at the reprimand, as she muttered a much quieter, "Sorry."
"Ah, let her have her fun Weiss," Said Blake as she placed her hand on the girls shoulder.
"You give her an inch and she'll take a mile, but, if you want to do it. She's your problem." The heiress shrugged her hand off as she turned away heading back the way they had come. She called back over her shoulder, "I'm going to tell the captain we're ready to go. Make yourself comfortable."
Blake watched Weiss until she vanished around a corner before she decided to take her up on her offer. She walked over to where Ruby and Yang were, taking the seat next to her partner she got comfortable.
Even the chairs are lavish. Blake thought as she sunk into the supple leather of the seat. Despite having things squared away with Weiss, she still had to wonder just how many Faunus had suffered poor work conditions to make the airship she currently sat in a reality.
Her musings were cut short as the airship started to back out of the dock. The muted whirring of the ships propellers filled the once silent air. The motion caused Ruby to squeal once more. "Oh my god, we're moving!" She exclaimed as she fist pumped in the air. "I can't wait to get to the house!"
Blake winced as her cat ears flattened on her head. While she loved Ruby's enthusiasm, even she had to admit that sometimes the red girl was a little too loud.
I guess Weiss was Righ…wait…what house?
Blake didn't know anything about any house. She looked to Yang, hoping that her partner could perhaps shed some light on the situation.
Yang didn't return the look though. She was too busy looking at Ruby, a questioning look in her eyes. "What do you mean, 'get to the house?'" Apparently Yang didn't know anything either.
Blake glanced back to Ruby, who was now doing her best 'deer in headlights' routine. She shook her head refusing to answer her sister's question. So she's hiding something from us. What though?
"Ruby Rose."
It took everything Blake had to not laugh as she watched their normally fearless leader cower at the sound of her older-sister using her full name.
"I…uh…" Ruby's silver eyes darted from Yang to Blake and then back again. "Weiss!"
Blake shook her head, Should have known Weiss was involved. She's the only person Ruby would keep something from Yang for.
"Really Ruby, must you always scream my name? It gets old after a while you kno…" the word died on her lips as the three other girls looked to where Weiss now stood at the other end of the foyer a tray of refreshments in hand. Weiss narrowed her eyes as she zeroed in on Ruby. She hissed at her, "You told them didn't you?"
Ruby whimpered in her seat, drawing Blake's attention back to her. "No…"
A second later the tray Weiss had been carrying appeared on the table that sat between the girls. "I swear Ruby I can never tell you anything." Weiss said as she occupied the seat opposite Blake. She waved at the drink tray, "Help yourselves."
Blake looked over the tray; on it was a mug full of steaming hot tea two tall glasses one filled with milk and the other water. Off to the side stood one lone can of Yang's preferred energy drink. All of our favorites.
She grabbed the mug of tea as she nodded to Weiss in thanks. She watched as Ruby took the glass full of milk and leaned over to give Weiss a quick peck on the cheek. The latter's face turning pink at the action. She glanced at Yang from the corner of her eye as the blonde opened her drink and proceeded to chug its contents.
I wonder if we'll ever be like that… Blake could feel her cheeks redden from the thought alone. She looked back to the mug in her hands its hot contents warmed her palms, as a small string of steam wafted up to her nose. She inhaled the tea's bitter-sweet scent as she took a sip of the warm liquid. She sighed as she felt the tea travel to her core a nice warmth spreading through her.
Blake closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. The only sounds coming from the airships engines and the girls soft breathing. She let go of all of her fears and focused on the joy of being alone with her teammates. She let herself get lost in it.
The moment was shattered as Yang belched from beside her. Blake opened her amber eyes in time to see the blonde smash the can in her fists before she set its remains back on the tray.
"So, about this house," Yang prompted the red and white girls.
Weiss sighed as she took a sip of her water. She looked to Yang and then Blake.
"Well it was supposed to be a surprise, but seeing as the cats out of the bag." She punctuated her words by looking at Ruby who just grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. My sister can't keep a secret to save her life." Yang said as she tried to get the conversation back on track. "Now spill."
Blake's ears stood to attention as Weiss started talking.
"Well you see, a few months ago Ruby and I were…indisposed." Blake smirked as Weiss's face turned crimson at the admission. Yang snickered from beside her. "Anyway, we started talking about graduation and what we were going to do after. And well, we discovered that neither of us really had any plans for what to do."
She took another drink as she continued. "So, we came up with an idea."
"And this idea is a house?" Yang asked.
"The house is my contribution to the idea." Weiss looked over at Ruby. "I'll let Ruby explain the rest."
Blake looked at Ruby as the girl swallowed thickly. "So, like Weiss was saying. We came up with an idea. What if we didn't split up and pursue our own careers, what if we stayed together as a team?"
Ruby locked eyes with Blake before turning her gaze to her sister, a glimmer of hope in her silver eyes.
"So what your saying is, is that you want to keep team RWBY together; and instead of us having individual careers as huntresses. We have one career as a team?" Blake asked wanting to be sure she was on the same page.
Ruby nodded. "Obviously we wouldn't all always go out on hunts, depending on the scale and the type of Grimm we'd send whoever was best suited to handle it."
Blake had to resist the urge to pinch herself. She was certain she was trapped in a cruel dream and would wake up any second. Ruby and Weiss had just presented her with an option that single handedly quashed all of fears involving their recent graduation. Save one.
She turned her head towards Yang. The blonde was staring down at the table, her strong arms crossed over her chest. Blake knew this look. This is what Yang would do when she was stuck in deep thought.
"What about your obligations to the empire?" Yang asked as she continued to stare off.
Oh, that's right. Blake deflated as she remembered Weiss's importance to the continuation of the Schnee Dust Company. There was no way her father would ever allow her to do something like this.
"That won't be an issue." Weiss answered the question with a high level of smugness, almost as if she had been expecting it.
"What do you mean?"
Weiss smirked, "While it hasn't hit the media yet. But, there will soon be a new addition to the Schnee family. A baby, that just so happens to be a boy."
Blake's eyes widened.
"You mean?"
"I am no longer the heir apparent." Weiss continued, "I still have some obligations to the company, and more importantly to my soon to be baby brother. As far as my father is concerned though, I'm free to do whatever I choose."
Blake could hear the hitch in Weiss's voice as she finished. Apparently so did Ruby as she grabbed her girlfriend's hand offering her silent-support. It had been no secret to the girls that Weiss had wanted out from under her father's thumb for years now. Now that she finally was, she had a chance to be truly happy.
Maybe we all do.
Weiss quickly regained her composure. "Anyway, when we arrive in Vale they'll be a limo and a trailer ready to take us and our luggage to the house. Anyone who doesn't want to stay can use the airship to go where ever they want, as per my orders to the captain."
"Obviously they'll be a lot more to discuss, but we figured we could do that after we get there and get settled in." Ruby added the thought to the end of Weiss's statement. "Weiss and I are going either way, so it's really up to you two if you come with us."
Blake looked to her partner, who seemed to have fallen into an even deeper trance of thought. She felt a jolt of panic shoot through her. What if Yang didn't want to stay with the team? What if she didn't want to stay with her? What then?
Her mind wasn't allowed to stray any further into negativity as Yang looked at her. Amber met lilac as Yang matched her gaze. An unspoken question resided in Yang's eyes.
Blake had to fight back the tears that prickled at the back of her eyes. She's waiting to see what I do.
It took all of Blake's willpower not to tackle the blonde and smother her in a hug right then and there. They'll be time for that later... She turned back to Ruby and Weiss who sat watching and waiting for their decision. Blake smiled as she answered.
"We're in!"
AN: So, I'm going to be honest. Despite being longer I personally feel I did the first chapter way better, which isn't saying much. Something about this one just seems off to me and no matter how many times I reread it I could never figure out what it is. Hopefully it's passable though. I've got a rough outline for the next couple of chapters formed out in my head so hopefully I can have those out faster than this one. Then again if they grow in length like this one did it may be a while.
Like last time, I ask for any and all criticism. As I do hope to improve my writing skills from this, but I'll need your all's help in order to do that. Until next time, have a good evening!