It was hopeless trying to sleep, there was no way she would ever get comfortable in this deathtrap. Sighing in frustration, she propped herself against her pillow and allowed her eyes some time to adjust to the darkness, her senses rousing themselves from the dozing state they were in. It was dark, and still raining, so it was probably some time early in the morning as she had drifted off some time after 11PM. With that said, there was really no way to tell without checking the time herself, and she really didn't want to blind herself while her life was at risk.
Weiss pulled back the covers and slid down, making no sounds as she eased one of the suitcases out from under her bed, extremely aware of the sleeping Ruby beside her. She clicked it open as gently as she could and retrieved a fresh set of clothes, putting them in a neat pile beside her. She wasn't going to be getting much, if any, sleep tonight and so she may as well get ready for the morning beforehand. She pushed the case slowly back underneath, gathered her clothes and rose to her feet, peering through the murky blackness at the room to avoid hitting anything.
She made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and then switching on the light, immediately covering her eyes with her hand. She groaned quietly to herself, not being a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. It took her a minute to come around, taking out her scroll with one hand and flicking it open with her thumb.
"Ugh. 1:12AM. Way too early." She pushed it shut and left it on the next to the sink as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was largely acceptable, with only a few strands going against the flow. It was a different story with her eyes, they were in differing stages of opening, giving her the look of a brain-dead zombie, something that she didn't appreciate in the slightest. She spent a few seconds weighing her choices, either spend another 6 hours trying to sleep, or busy herself until in began to brighten up. It wasn't really a fair choice, and pretty soon she had changed from her nightgown into her usual attire, adjusted her hair into her familiar ponytail and brushed it, quietly smug that she was gifted with incredible beauty.
She didn't mind admiring herself for something many others lacked, but she was sure to mask it when she was around other people to avoid any confrontations. She knew people stared at her as she walked past, and she appreciated the attention, just not the person. She rinsed her hands and dried them off, checking herself over to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything important. She had her clothes, her hair, and her necklace. Everything was set, she looked herself up and down once more for good measure and took her scroll, hitting off the light as she left.
It was dark for her again, but she could make out the shapes of the beds, the desk and the bookshelves. This was enough for her to move, so she gingerly made her way back to the top bunk to retrieve Myrtenaster from under her pillow, pulling the weapon out in one clean motion and sheathing it on her hip with a satisfying click. She pushed her covers back tidily over the pillow, much preferring things to be clean and orderly than a huge mess. She could see the mane of golden hair through the darkness as she descended, and the sleeping form of Blake on the bed below. It seemed like she was the only one awake, much to her delight. She would've preferred for it to be later in the morning than this, but she was going to take what she could get. Combat practice would be empty so she would have it all to herself, it would be good to give herself a chance to distract herself from her worries.
Weiss recounted her equipment in her head, methodically going over everything twice to make sure she had everything she needed. She wasn't about to let her tired mind forget anything, that wouldn't be what was expected of her.
'Myrtenaster. Check. That's everything, time to-' Her mental note ended abruptly as she noticed something strange. Ruby was asleep, still in her clothes. Yang too was out for the count, and it looked like Blake was too. But there was no familiar bow on her head. She always slept wearing it, didn't she? Weiss did a quick recap in her head, recalling the past month or so since they had met. Even on the first night of Beacon Blake had worn her bow with her sleeping garments even then. Come to think of it, Weiss didn't think there was ever a time when Blake hadn't wore it on her head. Whatever the reason, a rising curiosity was building inside her.
Blake wouldn't mind if she took a peek, right? She didn't even have to know! Weiss inched closer, somewhat unsure why she was so interested in something so menial as this, but the desire to know was burning. She drew level with the lumps under the covers and leant in closer, there was no head on the pillow. Blake slept curled up in a ball? She craned her neck slowly, leaning over as far as she dared to try and glimpse underneath the sheets. There was no raven hair, no head, nothing even remotely body like. Weiss frowned a little, deciding to risk hooking one hand on the edge of the quilt and raising it upwards incredibly slowly.
She could make out something under there, but it didn't look human. Her confidence grew with every passing second, and she was increasingly certain that whatever she did next wouldn't end badly. She took a sharp breath and reached under the covers, feeling her hand grasp around fabric. Nothing happened, no movement, no surprised reactions. She pulled, revealing one of Yangs skirts. A look of supreme puzzlement danced across Weiss's face as she dropped it on the pillow and reached under again. This time, it was a jacket, again from Yang. She pulled them all the way back and stifled a quizzical gasp. There were bundles and piles of clothes arranged underneath the sheets to look like a person. Blake was nowhere to be seen.
The office was a confusing mess, with boxes and folders stacked on top of eachother on the shelves, and even on the windowsill. Blake took a second to think, the documents she was looking for were recent, and so Ozpin would most likely still have them in the vicinity of his desk. She glanced around, her eyes passing over rows of books on the walls, various trophy like items lined up neatly and a large cupboard in the lefthand corner. There didn't seem to be an actual workspace in here, but she caught the outline of a door at the far end of the room, partially obscured by the large shelf in her way, filled with boxes of an incredible array of sizes.
She worked her way around, noting the dimensions and layout of the room for future reference. It was a sideways L shape, with the entrance door at one end. A shelf that scraped the ceiling ran from one wall three quarters of the way across, leaving a modest gap to move through between the cupboard in the corner and the back wall. Past that, there was another wooden shelf in the center, two small pathways circling around it led to another door at the end, flanked by the wall on one side and a row of bookshelves on the other. Boxes were strewn around, occupying every non-essential space. It looked more like a storage room than an office to Blake, but she knew she was in the right place.
The door was locked, unsurprisingly. Blake exhaled hard, this was just what she didn't want. She observed the lock, it seemed to be a straightforward thing to undo. There was most likely no need to worry about somebody breaking in to the headmasters office, and so they didn't bother with a complex setup. She withdrew her katana from its sheath and gently rested the tip inside the hole, teasing it around until she felt the metal touch. She concentrated hard, tilting it upwards and applying pressure, easing it around. A satisfying click sounded as she worked, causing a brief smirk to flash across her face.
She put her weapon back into place and pushed the door open inch by inch, stepping through with her entire body in one motion, closing it behind her without a wasted movement. This room was far tidier, and she guessed that this was where the headmaster actually worked. There was an ornate wooden desk in the direct center of the room, with a luxurious green chair behind it. One large window was on the wall to the left, with a small case of books lined neatly underneath it. Another more ordinary chair sat askew opposite the desk, which had an assortment of items on its polished wooden surface.
Sheets of paper were piled neatly on top of one-another on one corner, with a folder lying to the side of them. A pot of something sat on the edge, with something dipped inside it. Blake scanned for possible hiding places, and formed an escape plan upon seeing that there wasn't any, not in this room. She checked the window, it was locked too. The rain yet still tapped the glass, but it was far lighter than before. She could make out the ocean below, and added this location to her mental map of the building, storing it for future use.
Blake wasn't tired, but she could feel her hands shaking. She steeled herself, now was not the time for errors. She had to be fast and efficient, nobody could know that she was ever here. The papers were of no interest, she flicked through the folder and scanned each page. She placed it back exactly the way she had found it and pulled open the drawer, filing through everything inside. Her eyes darted over the words, searching for the correct date. There was no physical way of speeding the process up, but Blake cleared the first in a matter of minutes, rifling through the second with the same careful haste she had come to master.
She plucked a thin, faded yellow folder from the pile and rotated it to look at the date. It was very recent, and was not named. She put it on the desk and stood over it, one arm turning the pages and the other supporting her weight as she worked. It was filled with immaculate handwriting, detailing students reporting of something unusual at the eastern end of the forest. Blake felt her heart tighten as she read, taking in information about the loss of an entire team in one night, with the search parties yielding nothing to show they were still alive. It seemed that many people had seen something, but only a few actually made it back to tell the tale.
Her eyes widened in alarm, reading that the survivors had been threatened with expulsion to keep quiet, forced to hide their fears or be evicted from the academy. The sightings dated back weeks, even months. Blake read notes on each page, summarizing every single case. The pressure on her heart increased as she read, too absorbed to stop. She felt a growing sense of dread, everything was piecing itself together in a disturbing display of deceit. This thing has been killing students for a long time, Ozpin had known about it since the beginning, and despite all the signs he still sent them to investigate anyway?
There was only one reason that Blake could see, and all the evidence pointed towards it as the truth. He had sent them to die, and they hadn't. Her eyes were deep with shock at her discovery, her mind racing through what she had learned. She caught a click in the background and immediately reacted, closing the folder and sliding it back into the pile. She shut the drawer and moved rapidly to the side of the door, listening intently into the other room. Someone was moving around in there, and Blake had a good idea who it was. The footsteps grew louder, matching her rising horror. Within seconds, she could hear a key being pulled from a pocket. She fought to keep her breathing slow and quiet, timing it with every other heartbeat to give her the best chance she had at evading detection.
It tapped against the lock and gently pushed open, the door hiding her from sight. She watched with baited breath as a figure calmly stepped into the room and looked around, spectacles glinting off the window. He moved slowly around the desk, with his back turned to her. She took her chance, breaking from her cover and spinning around, clearing the doorway in one move and immediately pressing herself against the wall, silently terrified. She caught the muffled noise of someone turning, then footfalls that began to walk back towards the entrance, they were coming back. She did her best to calm herself, feeling her heart hammering against her chest. She ducked into a crouch and made her way across the room, keeping her back millimetres from the wall underneath what little light the windows offered.
She froze upon hearing the silence, he had stopped in the doorway. Any movement now would just alert him to her presence, and she knew this all too well. Her body fought against her resolve, willing her to run, but she knew that if she did, it would all be over. She couldn't let that happen. The seconds ticked by with agonising tension, seeming to drag on forever. It took all of Blakes strength to keep her feet rooted to the spot, despite their protests. A tiny wave of relief came over her as she heard him turn, push the light switch and close the door behind him. Every sound pierced through her ears like knives. Even so, she daren't move, not yet. She counted the seconds in her head, well aware that she wasn't safe by any means. 'Four. Three. Two. One.'
She made her move, darting for the door in a blind panic. She instantly slowed herself, seconds from swinging it open and slamming it behind her in a rush. She regained her level head and pulled gently, mentally wincing at the small click as it opened slowly. She tugged, halting the momentum and switching arms, easing it shut as she left. The final click sounded, the trigger for relief to wash through her body as she exhaled, regaining herself for a second. Her instincts kicked in again, sending her moving back the way she had came at a swift pace. She was still careful to avoid any unneeded sound, but the ominous words lingered in her head, not quite giving way to the adrenalin rush of her encounter.
Her mind was racing as she wound her way back through the maze of walls, retracing her steps by memory. The wide expanse of the amphitheatre loomed ahead, giving her the impression of an arena. She did not appreciate the thought, casting the memory from her mind. She halted in place, watching carefully as a figure emerged from the darkness at the other side of the circle. They were dressed in pure white, an off-center ponytail hanging in line with the bottom of a beautifully elegant dress. Her eyes were a brilliant ice blue, Blake could see them clearly even through the darkness. She held her back to the wall, completely immersed in the shadows the spires gifted her with.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched her teammate slowly walk around the edge, avoiding the rain. Blakes plan had to change, she didn't expect anyone to be awake. There was a chance, however small that Weiss had discovered her absence and had come to search for her. She could avoid the heiress entirely and deal with the inevitable questions later, or she could attempt to silence her now and avoid raising any more suspicions. Blake settled on the latter, she didn't want to worry anybody even further, especially Yang. She reached for her weapon, removing it from her back and holding it flat against the wall, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
She kept her breathing steady as Weiss approached, oblivious to her presence in the shade. The footsteps served as Blakes timer, giving her the rhythm with which to act without risking injuring her target. Weiss passed her by, and froze mid-step. She had a katana hovering just in front of her neck, feeling the blade gently kissing her skin. She daren't move, her hand instinticely moving to her rapier. She swallowed hard, her mind racing with her heart. She forced herself to speak, keeping her voice as indifferent as she could.
"Blake?" She asked, breathing sharply. The blade dropped immediately as Weiss spun around, locking eyes with her teammate in a mixture of surprise, curiosity and anger. Blake stared back, still holding her weapons in either hand. Her expression was emotionless as usual, but her body language spoke volumes. She was tense, very nervous, and visibly distressed. Her voice was softer this time, but it retained its edge.
"What are you doing?"