Ruby nodded, determined to ignore the pain.
"Then let's begin, in your own time. What happened?"
"Well, we set off right after we met you, and it took us at least an hour to get across the middle of the-"
She was interrupted by a loud bang at one end of the infirmary, followed by heavy pounding footsteps. She craned her neck to see Yang barreling down the room, with Weiss hastily following her. A second or so later, Blake emerged from the corridor in a less rushed manner. She wasn't about to miss this for the world.
"Ruby are you oka-yyy?" Yang screeched to a halt a few feet away from the bed, nearly hitting Weiss in the face as she flailed her arms in an attempt to keep her balance.
"Will you slow down-hey! Watch it!" Weiss hissed, immediately regaining her composure upon seeing the visitor.
"Good afternoon ladies, just in time. I was about to ask Miss Rose here about the events of several nights ago, would you care to join?" Professor Ozpin gestured with his eyes, still holding his trademark mug in one hand. He took a sip as the three girls moved around Ruby, with Yang choosing to stand while Weiss and Blake sat on either side. None of them spoke as they waited for Ruby to begin, with Blake catching a tiny grin on their leaders face.
"We left straight after you gave us the briefing, and it took around an hour for us to get across the middle of the forest, the rain made the ground really boggy but we avoided it as much as we could. As we moved further east the trees became thicker in general and it looked and felt more and more like a jungle. We heard a Nevermore up ahead, but it was very faint."
"Over the wind and the rain." Yang chipped in, resting her arm on the headboard. Ruby nodded, watching Ozpins face as she spoke. It didn't change at all.
"So we moved quietly until we were within sight of it."
"Barely through the dark, it was only the lightning that gave us a clear look at it." Again, Yang finished her sisters sentence for her.
"It was circling restlessly, like it had something important to protect." Weiss pointed out, silently suspicious of what Ozpin would hear and what he would deduce from it.
He simply took another sip from his cup, his eyes glued to the girl on the bed. Ruby continued, grateful her teammates were here to help her remember. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to get all the details by herself, and she desperately wanted to give Ozpin accurate information.
"We think it might have been a nest, but we can't be sure."
His eyebrow raised.
"It started to land on a cliff edge, but as soon as it stopped flying something big and black came bursting out from the trees!" Ruby was getting a little too into it, making various excited motions with her hands. She paused at Ozpins question, holding herself mid-action.
"Do you know what it was?" He asked, his other hand firmly resting on his cane. Ruby shook her head in time with Yang, while Weiss and Blake did their best to ignore the question.
"No, it wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. It was definitely a Grimm, I saw the mask. It was very fast and very dangerous. It snapped the Nevermores neck before it had a chance to react!" Ruby replied, amazement evident in her voice.
Ozpin gave a smirk and inclined his head for her to continue.
"It was eating the corpse, which was really sickening. But then it must have caught our scents on the wind because it just stopped and then charged right at us!" She paused to gather her thoughts, specifically about Blake. Should she tell him that Blake was nearly killed by it? That she froze to the spot? On the one hand...
"And Ruby and I distracted it while Yang and Blake moved into a better position." Weiss finished, lying to the headmasters face. She wasn't proud of herself for doing so, but she felt like she was doing the right thing. It seemed as though he believed her, but it was hard to read his face as he kept it blank.
Yang too thought it best not to tell Ozpin about Blakes breakdown, but she frowned slightly at hearing Weiss lie about it. Ruby cut her off before she could ask anything, returning her attention to the Professor.
"It was a lot more agile than it looked, and it very nearly got me." Ruby started, her voice shrinking at the end. "But Weiss knocked it off balance and after we stunned it, we ran."
"You ran?" Ozpin asked, frustratingly unaffected by the news. Blake couldn't tell if he was even listening to what they were saying, his eyes locked into Rubys own as she wildly gesticulated with her arms.
"Yup! Because that's what you told us to do! We ran all the way back across the forest, but it chased us right up to the cliff. And after that I don't remember anything..." She finished, scratching her head in confusion. Weiss took up the report with her usual professionalism, clearly pleased to be the center of attention. Even so, her voice was low as she spoke.
"Ruby was hit by a Deathstalker that ambushed her. She was put on the brink of unconsciousness as the three of us bolted for the trees. The Deathstalker saw whatever it was that chased us as a threat and they started circling one another as we climbed the cliffside path, they started fighting when we reached the top. And then we came back to Beacon, and the rest you know."
Ozpin nodded, shifting his grip on his cane ever so slightly. Blake noticed it, and documented the action just in case.
"I'm impressed that you performed as well as you did, but of course I regret that you suffered for it." He looked at Ruby and Yang in turn, the two who were baring their injuries the fullest. Weiss had resumed her nigh-perfect appearance with barely a mark on her, in stark contrast to the sisters who had been dragged through a warzone. Blake kept her gaze trained on the seasoned man, watching his body language for any signs of prior knowledge.
Ruby glanced to her side at Yangs arms, the bandaged bulging slightly under her uniform sleeves. They exchanged a warm smile, but there was undeniable regret for the both of them.
"Is there anything else you can tell me about this 'creature'?" Ozpin asked, taking another sip as he waited for a response. Ruby nearly jumped on the bed with shock as she remembered her drawings.
"Oh! Yes!" She reached over the edge of the bed, grabbing at the air in front of her bag that was lying on the floor. Yang picked it up gently and held it open for Ruby to reach into, watching with interest as her sister pulled out a worn-looking sketchpad out from the mess of things she kept inside. Ruby flicked through the pages in a hurry, flipping it around and holding it out to Ozpin with a smile on her face. He placed his mug on the table beside the bed and gently took the pad from her, his eyes scanning the page.
"Hm. And you're sure this is what you saw?" His eyes darted to Ruby as she nodded excitedly, happy to be helping.
"Very well. Do you mind if I take this for a few days?" The pad closed shut as he held it under his arm, retrieving the cup almost instinctively. Blake cursed to herself, she was getting nothing out of him. Ruby shook her head, once again beaming with happiness.
"Nope! I don't need it yet, I hope it helps!" Weiss looked at the headmaster as Rubys voice took a more serious tone.
"Sir?"
"Mhm?"
"Can I ask, why did you send us out there?"
Ozpin said nothing for what seemed like hours, not even blinking as he kept eye contact with Ruby. Blake could have sworn that he was waiting for something, but she couldn't be sure about anything. Yang remained unusually quiet, confident that Ruby was doing a good job. Only Weiss showed any real concern, her hands tightening in her lap subconsciously in unease. Finally, the silence broke not with Ozpin answering Rubys question, but by Yang.
"Uh...Prof?" She winced at her lack of respect, but Ozpin didn't seem to notice.
"I knew you would do as I requested." He answered simply, leaving far more questions than any of them would have liked. They all had their doubts and questions, but his answer did not help nor ease any of them.
"Run?" Weiss asked, the tiniest trace of irritation working its way into her voice. She wanted to ask so many questions that she knew she couldn't, Blake could see that much even now. But what worried her more was that if she could see it, it was more than likely that Ozpin could see it too. Indeed, he fixed his gaze on the heiress for a minute that dragged on and on, seemingly reading through her facade into the knowledge she possessed beneath.
"To investigate the area for any signs of unusual activity." He corrected, stifling her growing temper. "You did as I instructed and the information you have learned will be of great help. For that, I thank the four of you. But." He continued, cutting off Weiss before she began.
"That does not mean that you are free to speak of this as you please. You will keep this knowledge to yourselves, am I making myself clear?" The sheer authority in his voice brought all four heads bowing in respect. Ruby was the first to speak, followed by Yang and a reluctant Weiss.
"Yes sir."
"Yes."
"Yes, sir."
Only Blake didn't respond, causing the headmasters stare to fall onto her. She returned it, refusing to give any ground to him in any way possible. Even though his words cut into her with an edge, she kept quiet.
"Miss Belladonna?"
All three girls had turned to stare at Blake, questioning her actions. Yang and Ruby were wholly confused, but Weiss knew better. Weiss knew that Blake did not trust him at all, and despite everything she found herself slowly agreeing with her mysterious teammate. All the evidence pointed towards them not being told the whole story, there was nothing to suggest that Professor Ozpin was being honest about anything. It bit at her mind but she knew that she couldn't challenge him on it as that would cause far more harm than good, and she didn't want that. She may be at odds with every other member of her team, but she would never want any harm to befall them.
Blake kept her gaze blank, matching him silent word for silent word. It took everything in her power not to speak, but she almost gasped when he finally gave in, bidding them a farewell and walking briskly out of the infirmary.
Blake mentally prepared herself, she knew that as soon as Yang was sure he was out of earshot, she would practically explode. And as the echoing footsteps died away, she flinched at the inevitable chastisement.
"What the hell was that? D'you just have memory lapses or something?"
Ruby quietly interrupted her sister, calming Yang down instantaneously.
"Yang...c'mon. Let's not do this now." Yang visibly relaxed, stroking Rubys forehead with a gentle touch.
"I'm sorry Ruby, you know how I get. It's just...I'm worried." She turned to look at Blake sitting in the chair in front of her, somewhat distant. Weiss changed the subject unsubtly, essentially shoving Yang and Blake away as she checked on Rubys knee.
The two stood at the opposite side of the room, with Yangs back the rest of her team. Blake had her arms folded defiantly in preparation for the fierce verbal assault that would come. She watched with boredom as Yang mouthed things to herself, trying to work out where to start. She was looking everywhere but Blake, something that didn't go unnoticed.
"Yang."
She held up a finger to shush her teammate. Blake sighed, already tiring of the charade.
"Yang."
"Sh." Yang took another few seconds before she opened unusually calmly.
"Why didn't you reply to Ozpin?" Blake bit her lip, reminding herself that it was Weiss who knew about Ozpin, and Yang that knew about her past. She kept her tone firm, holding her ground.
"Because I didn't want to." She would have raised an eyebrow at Yangs expression of disbelief as she stood slightly dumbstruck, her jaw hanging loose. But she kept her cool, retaining her blank face.
"It's polite!" Was all Yang could manage, much to Blakes enjoyment. She reveled in seeing people try to regain control of the conversation when it had been tore from their grasp, usually by an unpredictable remark. She tilted her head slightly to the side as she shrugged, reading the perplexity in Yangs face.
"So?"
"...Weren't you told to be polite to people?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to do it." Blake resisted looking into the purple eyes in front of her for too long, instead concentrating on the other features of Yangs face. The sculpted cheekbones that ran seamlessly into her neck. The enticing lips that silently begged for attention. No matter where Blake looked, there was always something to admire.
The muscular arms supporting slender yet powerful fingers. The neck giving way to her chest, so alluring to the eye. Even now, in the uniform, Blake could see the curves of Yangs stomach as they flowed into her hips. She was incredibly attractive regardless of anything else, but the fact she had such an intriguing personality just added to the captivation. Blake had toyed with the idea before, but now she was more tempted than ever. There was something about Yang that she couldn't quite shift...something she found irresistible.
"Blake? Are you there? Spacing out again?" Yang asked impatiently, waving her arm in front of her partners face. She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her body to the side as Blake blinked twice, coming back into reality.
"I'm trying to lecture you here, the least you could do is listen to me. As I was saying-"
"I'm not interested in your lectures." Blake stated flatly, once again throwing Yang into speechlessness. She rolled her eyes, confident that the exchange would be finished very soon.
"But. I. You. Wha-..." Yang hung her head in defeat, giving up for the time being. She left Blake open to walking away, but nobody moved past her, there were no smug remarks. She glanced up, locking eyes with Blake for the second time in one day. They remained like that, staring eachother in the face. Blake had not moved since they began talking, her arms were still tightly folded across her chest but her expression was no longer that of defiance or boredom, it was of intrigue. Yang blinked, unsure of what to do. This too was the second time they had acted like this, but she couldn't very well embrace her partner with the other two members of her team behind her.
It was Blake who broke first, silently bypassing Yang and bidding Ruby and Weiss goodbye. Yang watched her leave, feeling her breathing stop when Blake halted at the doorway and glanced over her shoulder, leaving Yang to question herself alone. She shook her head, thoroughly confused.
Weiss called her over, and as she sat back down to talk with the two, she felt a strange sense of peace. Things were looking up.