I'm alive! But without the dramatics, me and my family were lucky enough to be missed by the strongest parts of Irma. We only got tropical storm conditions here. The west coast isn't doing so well though, and the Keys and most other islands that were hit are basically destroyed. If you can, I would definite donate to any rescue groups that you can, as long as you know the money will actually go towards the cause of course.

The inspiration for this chapter is rather obvious, but I figured I might as well write about something I was experiencing. I'm not afraid of thunder, but my dog is, and I feel sad when he gets freaked out.

The rain slammed against the roof, echoing throughout their rooms. Outside, the wind roared, and Blake swore she could even feel the building shake with some of the stronger gusts.

That wasn't what she minded though, not really. The wind and the rain were almost calming to her. She could close her eyes and imagine her thoughts sliding away with the downpour.

Then light flashed outside the window, and Blake can't help but jump and the earth-shattering sound that follows it.

She hated thunder.

It was loud, it was sudden, and with her cat features, the sound of it was only made harsher. If she was being honest, it was a pretty stupid fear to keep with her, especially for someone nearing adulthood. She had never been able to shake it though, no matter what she tried. Instead, she had tried to find ways to deal with its aftereffects.

One of her methods was to flatten the strands of hair that decide to stick up rebelliously whenever she was spooked. Another was to fiddle around with the fabric of her pajama sleeve to try and distract her frazzled mind.

As of now, she didn't know what time it was, but the pitch black of the world outside gave her a small clue. She wasn't going to head back to sleep anytime soon though, not with the off chance of thunder ringing through her ears at any moment.

"Blake?" Blake had to stop herself from groaning when Weiss' quiet, but still cold, voice called out.

With only a sigh, a feat that Blake was oddly proud of, Blake said back, "Yes?"

"Why are you even up?" Weiss already sounded accusatory, and it they hadn't even gotten further than a few seconds of conversation.

"Thunder." Blake muttered in lieu of and actual explanation. She hoped Weiss would just scoff and go back to sleep, because she'd rather not tell a Schnee one of her most idiotic and yet strongest fears.

"Then why aren't you under your blanket?" Weiss asked, surprising Blake enough to look at the heiress from across the room. "Everyone knows that it helps with thunder, idiot. It's not even that hard."

Blake was silent as she listened to the shuffle of Weiss drawing her blanket up and shifting slightly.

"How-"

"Experience." Weiss snapped before Blake could finish, and some of the gratitude for the advice drains away, although Blake did have to give Weiss credit for being an accurate guesser. Blake didn't bother to push Weiss for more, the girl's tone clearly suggesting it wasn't something that she wanted to be asked about.

Blake grabbed a fistful of her blanket to tug it over herself, not stopping until she was essentially cocooned inside the thick fabric. Then she waited, with bated breath, to see if Weiss had been honest.

It came, eventually, but Blake is pleasantly surprised when the sound doesn't cause her to jump like it had before. The blanket was warm, it felt safe, and it muffled noises slightly.

This was so much better than before, Blake decided as she brought her pillow into her cocoon. She just might be able to sleep now. She would have to thank Weiss- well, she wouldn't go that far, but she could definitely afford to be a little less snappy for the next few days in return, even if Weiss brought it on herself most the time.