Lady Weiss smelled faintly of mint.
Blake carried Lady Weiss in her arms, curling the angel's head into the front of her shoulder, and made her way back to Lady Weiss' room. The Faunus felt slightly uncomfortable with her actions. She hadn't been ordered to escort the lady back to her room, nor had she been given permission to touch the lady in any way. That being said, it was getting late. Blake had finished three entire books and Lady Weiss still hadn't awoken.
Plus, Blake was finally making herself useful to Lady Weiss.
The sound of heels clanging against the marble floor bounced off the walls of the corridor.
Blake never made a sound when she moved. She padded place to place without making a single squeak. That was one of the reasons she had survived for this long. She was a shadow. That way, people payed her no more attention than white noise deserved.
That meant that someone else was here.
"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," the voice snaked out from behind the darkness.
The figure stepped deliberately out of the shadows. Every motion was fluid but calculated. She wore a red-fitted dress and glowed along the rims. Her heels were higher than anything Blake would have felt comfortable wearing and sharp enough, it seemed, to break skin. The figure's brown hair was gathered to one side — the unevenness balanced out by the lopsided smirk in the other direction.
This must be the ice queen.
"Did Weiss pick up another stray?" The voice sent shivers up Blake's spine.
Wait, another?
"Name?"
Blake blinked, not sure whether or not to answer.
"Are you disobeying a direct order from a member of the household, slave?" the woman's teasing tone didn't match the threat of her words. "Tell me your name."
"Blake."
"Blake, huh?" The woman repeated, as though testing the name on her woman cocked her head languidly. "Do you know who I am?"
"No."
The woman sighed, "This one has no manners. How are you supposed to address your superior?"
"No, my lady." Blake cringed inwardly at the title. Blake could feel the poison spreading with every word she uttered. Never again could she call Lady Weiss' name without feeling disgusted with the address. What was once sacred, was now tainted.
"Cinder Falls," the woman finally continued. Cinder lazily reached out a hand. "My daughter always had such an unnatural fascination with your kind. She must have gotten that from my late husband." The hand slithered its way to stroke Blake's cheek.
It took everything Blake had not to move. Not to jump back, kick, claw at the hand.
"Don't misunderstand me though. I have nothing against your kind. It's just that you are another bottomless mouth to feed. Normally I would never stand to allow Weiss to keep you in this house. But, I am feeling generous today," Cinder cupped the base of Blake's chin with her hand, using it to maneuver Blake around, inspecting her features. "Weiss-dearest always had good taste. You're very pretty for a Faunus. If it weren't for the ears..."
Weiss stirred in Blake's arms, focusing Blake's attention.
"If I may," Blake side-stepped the woman.
"Of course," Cinder stepped aside, gesturing for Blake to pass. "I have an offer for you though, if you are interested?"
"I'm not," Blake replied quickly, with no regard for manners and customs, hastening her pace.
"Check in with me from time to time, give me updates on Weiss," Cinder called after Blake. "I will reimburse you for your trouble."
Blake didn't stop walking.
"Please," Cinder continued. At that, Blake paused. "Weiss and I, we have our differences, but she's still my daughter. It hurts me deeply that our relationship has become like this. Please, grant the dying old lady's last request?" Cinder's voice lulled. It had that mesmerizing tone that drew people in.
"A man can only have one master," Blake stated before walking away decisively.
"Or he answers only to himself," Cinder finished quietly to herself when Blake and Weiss had been engulfed by the shadows.
"Blake?" Weiss asked quietly to the lone figure staring out the windows, turning over in her bed and snuggling into the sheets. Winter was most definitely on his way. "What are you doing over there?"
Blake turned around, scratching her head sheepishly. "I didn't want — you feel asleep — so —"
"So you brought me to my room, I already gathered that." Weiss waved Blake's stammering away. "But why aren't you sleeping, is my question."
"I didn't know where I was supposed to sleep?"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Come here," she ordered, unfolding the covers.
Blake crept quietly into the bed, taking her place beside Weiss underneath the covers. The two of them lay on their sides, facing each other.
"Do you want your own room?" Weiss asked, reaching out a hand to move a stray strand out of Blake's face.
"If you want to give me one," Blake responded.
In response, Weiss flicked Blake in the forehead lightly, causing the Faunus to make the cutest pout Weiss had ever seen. "Okay, let's try this again. Do you want your own room?"
"If you want to give me one," Blake repeated.
Weiss gaped in exasperation. "Really? You aren't very bright, are you Blake. I'm asking what you want. Not what you think I want. I know what I want."
"But I really don't care," Blake continued, blushing a little. "I wouldn't mind having my own room but I also don't particularly mind sleeping with you either," Blake explained, then her face turned beat red. "I mean, sleeping with you, together. I mean, in the same bed, not like. I'm not presuming —"
"Hush," Weiss pressed her finger to Blake's lips. "I know. I like sleeping with you too," Weiss whispered with a sly smile, as though she were trusting Blake with a secret from her heart.
The two of them stared at each other quietly for a few moments.
"You make me feel safe," Blake spoke up finally, in hushed languid tones.
"So safe that you flinch at everything I say?" Weiss teased, at ease. At Blake's squirming, Weiss continued. "Good. You should feel safe."
Weiss hands drifted to the collar on Blake's neck. She fiddled with the tag, rubbing her thumb over the embossed emblem. She felt a guilty pleasure seeing Blake wear a collar with her emblem on it. She liked it way more than she should.
The guilty pleasure morphed rapidly into pure guilt.
But it's not like she could allow Blake not to wear it. Then, some other slaves would just kidnap her and sell her again.
No, the collar was for Blake's own protection. Definitely. Completely.
"Do you have an emblem?" Weiss asked finally, curious and appalled that she didn't know this piece of information already. Did Faunus have their own emblems? Or was that just a human thing?
"Yeah, I had one before..." Blake responded.
"What does it look like?"
"I don't really remember."
"You don't remember?"
"I haven't used it for the last seven years."
Seven years. The words echoed in Weiss' mind. Blake's been a slave since she was ten. So long, that she forgot her own emblem.
"Let's go into the village tomorrow," Weiss decided immediately at Blake's response.
"Oh, okay. Why?"
"Just because."
"Okay."
"You'll see," Weiss smiled deviously, inciting a shy smile from Blake.
Another moment of silence passed.
"I met your mother today." Blake said finally.
"Oh," was all Weiss said.
"She basically asked me to spy on you." Blake continued.
Weiss blinked at Blake. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I just thought you should know."
"Oh," was again Weiss' response. She didn't know what else to say. Gee, thanks for informing me in advance that you're going to be spying on me, was the sarcastic bite floating around in the front of her mind right then and there. At least you're honest about your duplicity.
Why did this always happen?
"Weiss?"
That caught Weiss' attention.
"Are you okay?" Blake continued.
"Yes, I'm fine." Weiss responded.
"You're pulling away from me," Blake noted. "Is this because I brought up Cinder?"
"How else do you expect me to react to that?" Weiss retorted.
"I can see why you don't like her very much." Blake empathized.
"She's not a nice person," Weiss agreed.
"I know," Blake confirmed.
"Then why are you working for her?" Weiss snarked in disbelief, a righteous anger rising from within her. It was all fine and well if you got tricked by Cinder, she was a brilliant conniving person. But if Blake knew, why would she...?
Blake winced at Weiss' tone. "I'm not. I — I'm not, Weiss."
"You aren't?" Weiss said more harshly than she intended. It wasn't her fault. Blake saying her name was distracting. Very distracting. It caused a small locked-away portion of Weiss' heart to swell uncontrollably with emotion.
"I'm not, I don't have to listen to her right? Since you're the one who owns me." Blake half-asked, half stated.
"Yeah, no, yeah." Weiss stuttered, liking the sound of that statement, once again, too much for her own good. "Don't listen to her. Yes, you are right."
But Weiss didn't own Blake either. At least, not in a way that Weiss would be comfortable with.
"Good then," Blake smiled, yawning and closing her eyes. Blinking, she sighed. "I think I'm getting tired."
"Sleep then, we'll talk tomorrow." Weiss reassured, stroking Blake's hair one last time before closing her own eyes. "Goodnight, Blake."
"Goodnight, Weiss."