Blake woke up first thing in the morning. The first thing that she realized was that Weiss was still there, sleeping curled into Blake's side without a care in the world. Her white hair had splayed out everywhere around her. It looked silky and soft, and Weiss...

She looked at peace, despite everything. Even knowing that things were wrong and that they possibly were in danger, Weiss managed to be calm and impossibly relaxed.

Blake closed her eyes and let herself relax back into the bed at Weiss' side a little bit more. She didn't end up falling asleep, but for some time Blake just laid there and listened to the gentle rhythm of Weiss' quiet breathing.

In that hotel room and in that moment, Blake felt safe. Adam was far from her and didn't know where she was. That in itself was comforting to a degree, and Blake intended to indulge in it for as long as she could.

Blake knew that she was going to need to talk to Weiss about Adam more directly at some point. There were a lot of things that Blake had been trying hard to dance around for the sake of her own privacy. Weiss had wanted things to be more even between them and Blake had tried to give Weiss that much. The problem was that Adam was too sore a topic to explain easily.

But now, with things as they were, Blake knew that she needed to tell Weiss about Adam and just what she was afraid of. All that she hoped was that Weiss wouldn't end up looking at her differently once the messy history was out there for scrutiny. That was probably the one thing that Blake was the most afraid of above all else.

There were too many ways for things to go wrong, and Blake could not forget that. It was impossible.

It occured to Blake for just a moment that if she wanted to she could just crawl out of bed, Weiss be damned. After all, this was a hotel and it was sure to have some sort of continental breakfast. Naturally, there was the possibility that Weiss would prefer to order something to the room, but Blake really wanted at least a mug of tea to start her morning off.

And that left Blake with a dilemma once more. It was just yet another cruel reminder that when it came to Weiss' world and her way doing things, Blake was absolutely clueless.

For that reason, Blake laid there in bed beside Weiss for another hour. She only got up once she'd reached a point where she couldn't just lie in bed any longer. Blake wriggled her way out of the bed as carefully as she could possibly manage. She was surprised by just how much she was afraid to wake Weiss up, and Blake wished that she had a better way of knowing why.

She slipped off to the bathroom, and when Blake came back into the room she saw that Weiss had woken up and was checking the messages on her phone. Weiss looked exhausted, staring down at the little screen with something unreadable on her face.

Blake let herself linger by the door for a few moments too long, just watching Weiss exist in the quiet of the hotel room. Weiss didn't seem to even notice that she was there, too engrossed with her own morning routine.

Weiss set her phone down at her side. Only then did Blake make hr approach, and it was only when the board creaked under her foot than Weiss noticed that she was there. Weiss looked up at Blake with sleepy, wide eyes.

"Good morning." Weiss greeted Blake.

Blake just crossed the room and seated herself on the bed at Weiss' side. "Good morning." She paused for a moment, not quite sure of how she wanted to deal with the awkwardness of the morning so far. It wasn't as though the two of them knew each other particularly well, interviews and impromptu meetings aside. Blake just wished that she had even the slightest clue as to how to navigate the situation. "Did I wake you up?"

"You didn't." Weiss said, picking up the phone and waving it in a bored fashion. "Klein was just checking in."

"Oh." Blake blinked. Klein? If he was checking in, then did that mean that there was something wrong?

Weiss looked at Blake and she seemed to realize just what Blake was thinking. Her expression sank into a soft smile before she decided to explain. "He wanted to let me know that he's gotten information on the benefit, what dinner would be at the mansion, and that there wasn't any sign that anyone had come back the night before. He also wanted to tell me what the weather would be like and that my schedule was clear."

"Oh." Blake said. It was all good to know, comforting through and through. At the very least, she knew for a fact that Adam hadn't gone after the Schnee manor the night before. It wasn't a great comfort, but Blake was going to take it for what it was.

She tried not to think about the possibility that Adam had figured out where the two of them were staying. She didn't want to think about the chance that the two of them had been tracked down for no reason other than Adam's fury.

Weiss cocked her head to the side a little bit, and Blake felt herself flush slightly. She knew that she was acting a little bit paranoid, and didn't really know what to do with herself. So Blake kept herself seated on the bed and placed her hands in her lap.

For just a moment too long Weiss' gaze lingered on her before Weiss decided that she wanted to explain herself.

"It's something that Klein has been doing since I was little." Weiss began, reaching for her phone and opening up her messages once more, almost like it was a nervous tic of hers. "He was the one that looked after me and my siblings when we were kids. So he'd always make sure we knew what we'd have for dinner and what breakfast would be. When we got older that stretched into just about everything else."

Blake blinked, because somehow despite everything that she did know it was hard for her to imagine Klein as having such an intimate relationship with the Schnee family. She'd always been under the impression that he was just a servant, not someone that had such a direct hand in the upbringing of their children. Perhaps that was simply because of the way in which Klein chose to present himself when he passed on information. It was just odd how closely Klein's professional and personal lives seemed to be entwined.

The way that Weiss talked about him was purely fond, though.

"That's... very kind of him." Blake said, feeling at a bit of a loss for words. She couldn't think of even her own parents having that close of a hand in her life. Even back when she'd been a kid or living with them, they'd always chosen to stay fairly hands off with her.

Blake had always liked that about her parents. If she wanted space, they would always give her as much space as she needed. If they were truly worried, only then did they choose to intervene.

"It is." Weiss admitted, letting herself lean back against the headboard of the bed. "He doesn't have to anymore really, but the routine is nice. And I think it's nice that he cares so much."

Blake nodded. She let herself climb into bed a little bit more properly before leaning back against the headboard herself. She sat there on the bed, shoulder to shoulder with Weiss.

Eventually the two of them were going to have to do something to get up. Blake knew that she wanted to get something to eat at the very least. After all of that, Blake didn't know what she was going to do.

Blake blinked. "I was thinking that we should see about getting something for breakfast." She said, keeping her voice down. "I'm sure that you're going to want to check in with your friends."

"I can do that anytime." Weiss said, blinking and reaching for the menu that Neptune had left on the side table the night before. She picked it up and Blake watched as she turned it over in search of the breakfast menu. "Food does sound nice, though."

"Will you be paying?" Blake asked, and she couldn't help exactly how quickly she began to feel wrong about it. There was a certain sort of undeniable guilt that came with her asking Weiss to pay for food, but Blake couldn't exactly afford it herself.

"I can." Weiss said, blinking. "You know that you don't have to worry about that, don't you?"

"I don't know." Blake admitted, leaning back and letting her head tilt back against the headboard a little bit more. "I feel bad."

Weiss hesitated, her eyes flicking down like she was trying to figure out what she wanted to do. "You shouldn't." Weiss said, keeping her voice down. Blake was shocked by the feeling of Weiss' hand resting on top of her own. Somehow, despite the night before, that was one of those things that she hadn't been thinking of or preparing for. "I like having you here."

Blake nodded and allowed herself to turn her hand and lace their fingers together. "I like being here." She paused. "You know, I have friends that want to meet you sometime too."

"Really?" Weiss asked, her expression sinking all at once as she slumped back a little more. She ended up lying the menu back down in her lap. "Is there a particular reason for that?"

Blake paused, because she got the definite feeling that there was something that Weiss wanted to say. "They want to know who I'm seeing mostly." Blake explained. "They care a lot about me, and..."

"So this isn't about meeting me because of my name or my family's wealth." Weiss said, and there was definite bitterness in her tone. It left Blake wondering how many times Weiss had been brought into situations with the intent of people making friends with her for the sake of getting gifts, or money, or publicity for themselves alone.

That, more than anything, helped to explain why she felt so bad about having Weiss pay for things. Blake didn't want to be the same as everyone else that had probably come into Weiss' life.

"No." Blake said, deciding that it was for the best if she was upfront about what they were doing. "Yang and Ruby just... like knowing people." She paused. "They're sisters, not really attached to anything like what we do. And Yang is my roommate, so she's invested in who I date in her own way."

"Really?" Weiss asked. "You're sure that they would just want to meet me?"

"I am." Blake sighed, smiling slightly as she thought back to her last conversation that she'd shared with the sisters. "Yang was talking to me about how she wanted to go clubbing with me. I think that she wanted to meet you in that sort of setting."

Weiss laughed a little bit, but it was a choked back sort of laugh. The kind that was barely allowed to escape her mouth as she sat there. "I don't really like going to nightclubs." Weiss said, blinking and looking up at the ceiling herself. "But if that's how they want to meet me..."

"You're okay with it?" Blake asked, because it was probably a good idea to try and clarify that ahead of time. "Because if that's what you want to do-"

"I'd be fine with it." Weiss said quietly. "If it's really that important to your friends that they get to meet me sometime-"

"it is." Blake sighed. "I can tell them that you'd be willing to meet, but I can't really tell you much about how it'll go. Ruby and Yang are kind of... different."

"Could you define different?"

"You'll understand when you meet them." Blake shrugged. "I can promise you that. Ruby and Yang are good people. They'll be good to you. They're just kind of… eccentric."

Weiss nodded slowly, and seemed to relax a little bit. She picked up the menu once more and just pointed at something on it. Blake glanced over and nodded, since it seemed like a good enough choice for what their breakfast could be.

Instead of anything else being said on the matter, Weiss just picked up the hotel phone and called to ensure that they could have something to eat.

Once the call was done, Weiss relaxed in beside Blake. Blake felt a strange urge to wrap her arm around Weiss' shoulder, but decided that it perhaps was better to leave the heiress some space.

Weiss decided to speak up on her own volition. "I think that I might be okay with it." She paused. "Seeing your friends, I mean. If you're sure that they are genuine."

"They are." Blake gave her final reassurance and reached over for her phone so that she could send a message off to Yang. Blake wasn't really expecting to hear back from her roommate anytime soon, but when she knew what was going to happen for a fact, she was going to be sure to tell Weiss.

She just turned and rested her head against Weiss'. The girl at her side let out a quiet, pleased sound, and cuddled in just a little bit closer.

For now, the two of them could enjoy their breakfasts.

Everything else could come after.


The day had ended up being rather long and even exhausting for Weiss. After their breakfast, Weiss had decided that it was for the best if she went home to the manor to make sure that she had things in order there. She and Klein had talked for a little bit about what was going on, but only long enough for a briefing of sorts on the matter.

Klein had done his best to get in contact with the people in charge of planning the benefit. The information that he'd passed on to Weiss had been more than enough. It would be in a week or two, and once that happened, she was going to have plenty to work on. Whitley was the one at the helm of the planning, so it wasn't completely out of her reach for her to get involved.

The good thing was that it wasn't a lot like some of the fundraisers that Weiss had attended in the past. This one wasn't put together by her father, and so Weiss would have a little bit more freedom there as a result.

She was mostly glad for it, but the fact that there was so much that she didn't know about made her nervous.

Weiss stopped by the hospital to briefly check in on her father. It was almost more out of formality than anything else, but Weiss felt like it was still the right thing to do. Once matters at the hospital had been properly attended to, Weiss called Coco and Neptune to offer an invitation to the nightclub that Blake had mentioned that night. At least if she had the two of them there, things had the potential to be less awkward.

The rest of the day went by in a bit of a blur. Weiss got ready for the night ahead of her, did her best to dodge her brother and mother before finally going to the nightclub herself, joining with Coco and Neptune along the way.

The club that Blake had invited her out to was nothing like what she'd been to before. It was large, and probably dirty inside. Blake and her friends were waiting outside, Blake leaning against the wall next to a blonde woman and a shorter girl standing with them, talking excitedly and gesturing wildly through whatever she was saying.

"Looks like a party." Coco joked at Weiss' side. "You ready?"

"I am." Weiss said, blinking and beginning towards the club with her friends.

The club was loud, and it felt like there was a smog of perfume that was permanently changing the way that the interior was. It was enough to make Weiss' nostrils burn, and the way that her hair lit up under the blacklights was interesting, if nothing else. Neptune was getting a similar effect, but Weiss knew for a fact that he was only getting it because of whatever dye he liked to use.

As for Weiss, it made her feel like a beacon.

They found Blake and her friends at a table in the back, and Weiss approached her calmly enough. Blake and Yang were seemingly bickering over something. Yang picked her head up and spotted Weiss, planting an elbow firmly in Blake's ribs.

Weiss saw Blake wince, and then Blake pulled away from the table to approach Weiss. She wrapped an arm over Weiss' shoulder, and Weiss was glad to sink into it. Blake had come wearing that jacket of hers, and Weiss really liked that, but not for reasons that she wanted to name. They approached the table and Weiss watched Blake pick up a bottle of whatever she'd been drinking before pointing towards a small door at the back.

Yang nodded and turned, picking up her own drink while Ruby bounced after her. Weiss and Blake walked out together, with Neptune not far behind them. Weiss had absolutely no idea where Coco had gotten off to in the few moments since they'd come inside, and Weiss wasn't really sure that she even wanted to know. Regardless, she was sure that Coco would be able to find them easily enough.

They stepped outside, and there was a slight chill to the air that Weiss had barely noticed before moving through the hot nightclub. The door closed behind Neptune, and that was when Blake decided to give some introductions.

"Weiss," Blake said, sliding her arm away from Weiss' shoulders for the sake of giving Weiss a little bit more space to move around in. Weiss couldn't exactly act like she wasn't glad for it, because it meant that she was going to be able to go through this whole thing properly. "You should meet Ruby and Yang." Blake gestured to the two sisters respectively.

Weiss just bowed her head slightly. "It's nice to meet you." She said, smiling before straightening back up. She didn't want to get into it too much, but she did glance over her shoulder to see Neptune, who was smiling widely.

"I'm Neptune." Neptune took a step forward, offering his hand towards Yang. Yang gave him a look and rolled her eyes before reaching out and shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, we're glad to have you." Yang said, pulling away from Neptune and leaning back against the back wall. "Mostly, we're glad to meet Blake's new friends."

"Yang-"

"It is true." Ruby piped up, smiling widely. "We've been wanting to meet you for a while, Weiss." Ruby cocked her head to the side in a way that was almost curious, and while there were things that Weiss wanted to say, she couldn't think of any of them. Mostly, she was glad that they were somewhere where being able to hear each other was something actually possible.

Because really, trying to shout over the thumping club music wasn't something that Weiss wanted to get caught up doing, and she was sure that Blake felt the same way about the matter.

And really, Weiss didn't actually know what she wanted to think about that. Really, there was a part of her that almost wanted to be able to go ahead and shy away from Blake's friends entirely.

"Well, I'm glad to meet you." Weiss said, knowing that she was forcing her smile a little bit more than she strictly needed to. However, without knowing what she was really supposed to be saying or doing, Weiss was going to have to do whatever she could to make this less awkward.

"Aww, you stop it." Ruby said, waving an arm in Weiss' direction playfully. "We're just glad Blake is finally letting us meet you!"

"Well, you know that there's a lot that goes into that sort of thing." Weiss said, feeling her cheeks beginning to heat up and redden. "Especially since Blake and I met through work."

"Weiss is right." Blake said, speaking up and stepping in closer to Weiss by just a little bit. "It wasn't exactly like we could just introduce you."

"Yeah, I know." Ruby said, pouting just slightly.

Weiss looked over at Neptune, who was leaning in towards Yang and seemingly trying to say something. She just cocked her head to the side, feeling a little bit like there was something that she wanted to say to the people there. She blinked and looked up at Yang.

"Uh, Yang, right?" Weiss asked. "You're Blake's roommate, aren't you?"

Almost immediately Yang's attention snapped straight away from Neptune and back onto the others. "Yeah!" Yang said, and she smiled in a way that Weiss could only really consider to be mischievous. "Why are you asking?" There was something to her tone and the way that Yang arched her eyebrows that just made Weiss blush more and more. "Because if you need me to be gone for a night or two, I can do that."

Blake's eyes widened, and she leaned in towards Yang, reaching out to point a finger in Yang's direction. "Don't-"

Yang smirked though. "Nah, I'm just kidding." She said, looking at Weiss directly now. "I guess it's kind of weird that you and I are only meeting now though?"

"It is." Weiss admitted. "Not that I've been over to yours and Blake's apartments that many times."

Yang shrugged. "Blake keeps work to herself." She admitted, and Weiss just looked over at Blake. Blake didn't say anything, but she did answer with a shrug of her own. "So It's not really that surprising."

Weiss looked from Neptune to Blake, unsure of whether or not there was something else that she should have said. Maybe there was a way to make these things feel less one sided.

However, the club itself would allow her a little bit more space than Weiss had been anticipating. The music from inside clearly changed songs, and Weiss could practically feel the thump of the bass from where she was standing. She glanced up at Blake.

"Maybe we should all go in and dance?"

"If you want to." Yang said, stretching her arms out at her sides. "I know that I'll be turning heads in there."

"Yeah, you will." Neptune laughed, grinning widely.

"Dancing sounds fun." Blake said, gesturing towards the door. Weiss just followed along before the two of them slipped back into the busy nightclub.

As Weiss had been expecting, the floor of the club was busy. There were clusters of people dancing, and Weiss was sure that Coco was somewhere in there, but she didn't quite know where exactly. Coco liked parties, so she could have been anywhere. She and Blake made their way out into the middle of the dance floor and soon enough they found themselves dancing close together.

Weiss almost found herself a little too aware of everything that was going on. She couldn't help but feel like she was managing to make herself into a distraction, even though there wasn't anyone looking at her. She was sure that it had to do with the blacklights.

Blake didn't say anything about it though. Instead she just reached out for Weiss and Weiss was glad to take Blake's hand and slip in close. Their fingers were clasped together for only so long before Blake's hands slipped away from Weiss. Instead, Weiss found herself pressed in close against the black haired woman.

There was something about the closeness and the environment that was setting her on fire. It was almost romantic and sexy even, and Weiss was glad to sink further into Blake's touch. By the time the music managed to slow down, Weiss was pressed into Blake with her arms wrapped around the woman's neck.

A part of her, a distant part of Weiss, told Blake that she probably needed to take the chance to go and get a drink. At least that way she was going to make the craving for touch make more sense.

The two of them danced though, and then when Weiss and Blake were both tired they went to the bar to get drinks before slipping back outside with them and then taking their time sipping them.

This was a pattern that would repeat several times over.

By the time that the bar was closing, Weiss had sent a message off to her friends letting know that she wasn't going back to the hotel with them. The two messages that she got in response were playful, just telling her to have fun, and be safe, depending on who Weiss heard from.

Really, it wasn't a surprise when Weiss and Blake found themselves in the hotel that they'd shared the night before in again.

They laid there in bed together, pressing kisses to each other's mouths for some time before Weiss finally got tired and went to sleep. She could deal with everything else in the morning.

It was just a matter of time.

That night when she slept, Weiss didn't notice the feeling of Blake being there at her side besides the heat. Blake was kicking off heat like a furnace, and between the scents of the night before and the comfort, she made it more than easy for Weiss to be able to just rest.

Morning would come easily enough.