Weiss could tell she was falling, the way the wind rushed between her fingers, between the strands of her hair as it whipped around in response to the gale-like forces, how the air rushed into her ears causing a roaring sound to reverberate making her entire head feel like it was vibrating, the wind thought against her eyelids as she struggled to force them open, as if the wind was pushing against an already closed door as Weiss sought to open it. She couldn't tell if it was through her own strength or with the assistance of her aura but she managed to slowly creep her eyes open, blinking rapidly as she did. Weiss recognised what she saw, she had spent many nights looking down towards Mantle, wishing and dreaming of an opportunity to escape from her own home, to free herself from her father's grasp. As she reminisced over childhood dreams a realization dawned on Weiss, there was a shadow surrounding Mantle, it wasn't strange for Atlas to leave a long shadow in the late evenings but this was different. The shadow Atlas cast seemed to impose itself causing Weiss to worry, she could tell something was wrong but couldn't quite work out what, her nose seemed to offer her a hint as the smell of burning ashes and embers suddenly filled the air, her heart started to rush and her breathing became shallow and rapid. It was then a series of sounds rushed past her, almost like they were racing to catch up before she hit the ground, Weiss scolded herself for not worrying about it sooner, she was falling, reaching for her hip she couldn't feel Myrtenaster by her side and her worry only grew.
The sounds Weiss, she said to herself, she could worry about hitting the ground later when it was itself closer, properly registering the sounds of collapsing brick and bending metal seemed to take over the rushing wind, shattering glass and screaming alarms forced their way to the forefront, her eyes looked back to the peculiar shadow that encompassed Mantle, she could tell that Mantle wasn't the source of all the noise.
Atlas, she screamed inside her head, Weiss struggled without anything that could easily act as leverage, she fluttered around struggling to flip herself until she finally built enough momentum to roll over, feeling like an inverse of a turtle as she eventually managed to get herself onto her back and her eyes widened with shock, opening now with ease as her head shielded them from the force of the wind, the sight before her seemed to send a spear through her heart.
Atlas was burning, smoke bellowed out from multiple sources, Weiss could see dozens of collapsed or collapsing buildings ruining the skyline as Grimm circled above the ruins like vultures. Weiss watched as the gravity dust that was embedded into the bottom of Atlas flickered as it struggled to keep Atlas afloat, acting similar to a sinking ship, one side gave way first and tipped towards Weiss, she could just about make out the all too familiar SDC building standing almost proudly above the ruins before it to succumbed to the destruction after a Wyvern crashed through the logo, tears seemed to pull themselves free from Weiss' eyes as she witnessed the destruction of her home.
How many times am I going to leave a place in ashes?
Weiss' own voice rung out but her lips hadn't moved her, voice seemingly being carried by the wind from a memory. Her clothes rippled through the wind slowing her descent just as Atlas' began to increase in speed, more gravity dust failing as nature sought to return Atlas to Remnant proper. The smell of ashes and embers became overpowering as her home barrelled ever closer to her, pieces of debris started to fall all around her.
Every time she blinked Atlas seemed to jump closer towards her until it had blocked out the sun. In the corner of her eyes Weiss could make out the mountains and hills that were spread around the continent bringing her the realization that her descent was nearing its end, as Atlas got closer and closer Weiss' heart raced, her home, her childhood, marred with times of struggle were still held close and witnessing its fall pulled tight on her heart strings.
"Weiss?" Spoke a soft voice carried on the wind. Weiss whipped her head around searching for its source but all she saw was the ever-closer ground of Remnant as Atlas sped faster towards her.
"Weiss!" The voice repeated this time with more worry.
Atlas was so close Weiss could almost grab it now, she closed her eyes and raised her hands to shield herself, she blinked, her body shooting up in response as she tried to avoid hitting the ground behind her but that effort seemed in vain as Atlas would surely drive her into the ground.
Weiss struggled to focus her eyes in the darkness but she could make out the boards of the bed above her, she recalled that she had agreed to let Ruby have the top bunk, opting for the two to take it slow, they opted to keep to the separate beds, though she was regretting that now, she felt surrounded by a coldness that the duvet failed to protect her from. Her breathing refused to slow down and that voice rung out softly again but this time it wasn't carried on the wind it came from beside her.
"Weiss?"
She looked to her left and Ruby's head hung upside as she leant over the side of the top bunk, her face clear with worry and Weiss felt the tightness in her heart loosen. Weiss shuffled over to one side and lifted the duvet offering room for Ruby and her partner jumped off the top bunk with ease and slid in alongside Weiss, pulling the duvet over the both of them. Whether it was because of Weiss' upbringing in Atlas or Ruby's more energetic disposition she didn't know but Ruby always seemed to be warmer than Weiss and the girl's presence immediately caused the icy feelings in her extremities to recede.
"I'm sorry."
Ruby spoke and Weiss pulled her closer until Ruby's head rested on Weiss' shoulder.
"I didn't know how to wake you, the last thing I wanted to do was jolt you awake."
Weiss shook her head speaking softly and in a hushed tone hoping Blake and Yang hadn't been awoken as well by her.
"Don't be, I could hear you, your voice saying my name… a voice on the wind that meant even in my nightmares, I'm not alone."
"Been a while, since you last had one." Ruby stated confidently and it gave Weiss a moment of pause, she found herself frowning a little as she processed what at first sounded like a question but she realized that Ruby's words were true, Weiss responded part sarcastic part concerned, with the question on her mind, if Ruby was being honest surely that meant she was cutting into her own sleep.
"Keeping an eye on me when I'm sleeping?"
Ruby snickered under her breath.
"No, it's not your fault but whenever you have one it wakes me, I like to think even in my sleep, I'm looking out for my partner."
Ruby seemed to pull Weiss closer as she continued, she moved her head back though so she could look face to face with Weiss, even in the late night the moonlight creeping through the windows offered plenty enough that she could see her easily.
"The last time was just after Haven, was it the same again?"
Weiss shook her head then rested it on the pillow and looked up to the boards of the top bunk, with her free hand she reached up and run a finger along one of them, she slid down the bed slightly so her and Ruby were side by side and she rested her head against Ruby's.
"It was Atlas… I was falling through the sky and it was chasing me. I thought it was going to crush me. It's strange that a place that held so many horrible memories is hurting me so much, like Beacon felt more like home than Atlas ever did and we were younger then, less prepared but… Beacon can be rebuilt, even if we could io don't think Atlas deserves to be."
"But you still grew up there." Ruby offered and Weiss hummed in agreement.
Weiss shook her head then tucked herself into Ruby as she yawned.
"Enough negativity for now, we both need some sleep now."
Ruby shivered slightly and Weiss responded automatically.
"Sorry."
"Don't be." Ruby answered.
"It's better than being too hot besides, don't think you can distract me, I won't push but I want you to know that you can talk to me. Always Weiss, don't forget I'm team leader, your partner and girlfriend, in the venn diagram of people you can talk to, I'm a circle."
"I will, it's just… We're never more honest to ourselves than when we're dreaming and lets just say I'm not ready to confront them just yet."
Ruby nodded in understanding, taking Weiss hand into her own the both of them laid there and Weiss didn't know if she or Ruby was the first to fall back asleep but what she did know is that now, in her dreams, she wasn't in Atlas.
Sucking in a breath of that familiar fresh forest air she immediately recognised Beacon, that all too familiar voice rung out again from behind her.
"Weiss."
She turned around and realized she was on the cliff looking over the Emerald Forest and Ruby stood there, hand out waiting for Weiss to catch up.
"Come on, dad will be here soon, you're going to love Patch."
Weiss felt her heart swell.
"C-coming." She responded instinctively.
