Weiss rode quickly, constantly checking over her shoulder as she followed Blake's directions. Managing two horses was difficult at first, especially when one had an unconscious Yang over its back, but Blake's horse did a surprisingly good job of keeping its cargo steady. The only bad thing was the worryingly dark clouds that had begun to encroach; a storm heralded by crisp winds and petrichor.

She rode for much longer than she expected to, worry gnawing at her chest with each distant clap of thunder. The horses seemed to grow anxious, too, chuffing and whinnying as the sunset-painted sky grew darker. Thankfully, she didn't have to ride through the storm; she could see the squat, crumbling tower situated beside a long-abandoned stretch of packed dirt. Weiss sighed as she approached. Hopefully their tracks would disappear under the coming deluge.

Approaching the tower, its state of disrepair became more clear. It had clearly been much taller, judging by the pile of dark stones at its side, and thick ivies and shrubs had long since claimed its walls, covering the whole structure in a contrast of green. Thankfully, the hitching post still stood.

Weiss dismounted, then realized she had no clue how to hitch a horse; there had always been a servant on-hand to do the job. She did her best to tie her steed's reins to the post, which the horse seemed genuinely offended by, then spent a surprisingly long time trying to securely affix Blake's chain to the post. When she was done with that, she pulled Ruby from the saddle (nearly falling over in the process) before lowering Yang (and actually falling over in the process). After rolling the smith over to extract her iron dagger, she managed to get the door open with some clumsy jiggling and a hard push.

Rain finally came as she began dragging the others inside the building, leaving her soaked by the time Yang's unreasonably heavy body was in. As she dropped the Huntress' body, the rough landing actually made her stir. "Fuck," she groaned, prying one eye open at a time. "My fucking arms… shit."

Weiss looked down at the aforementioned limbs and winced. Her flesh had mostly repaired itself, but she was thickly scarred up to her elbows. Healed or not, it didn't look pleasant.

"Where am I?" She slurred, pulling herself up to slump against the dingy stone walls.

"We're in an old guard tower," Weiss stated. She looked around to absorb the premises, and found herself pleasantly surprised. Despite the tower's abandonment, it still looked okay on the inside. "Blake went to Vale to get some things, she'll be back."

At the mention of her friend, Yang's eyes went wide. "Oh gods, is Ruby—"

"She's okay," Weiss assuaged, pointing to the girl's body beside Yang. "Well, she's still breathing, at least."

Yang looked over at her sister and sighed, scarred hand raising to softly comb through Ruby's brunette locks. "You said Blake's in Vale?"

Weiss nodded, scowling. "She and I had an… argument. Apparently she'll be able to gate herself here, assuming she's not just running away right now."

"Hey," Yang called, her voice still sluggish, but undeniably sharp. "She's not gonna run. Don't say that; she got us this far."

Weiss hummed, doubtful. "We'll see."

Blake crept between a pair of old houses just past the edge of Vale, stopping as she approached the corner. She peered around it, her ears trying to prick up under their wrappings. When the coast seemed clear, she dashed to the next alley.

She'd yet to see a single person perusing the city, the reason for which became clear when she felt a drop of rain land on her hood. She hadn't even noticed the rapidly darkening sky was now populated by black clouds, fat with water and wind. She sighed; Blake hated the rain. The Shimmer was much more organized in its weather patterns— constantly raining in some places, always dry in others. This realm was annoyingly unpredictable by comparison.

Thankfully, the thick sheets of rain that followed served as good cover, especially as the sun began to set. Any tracks they made should be washed away, and any actions she took could be hidden under the blanket of night.

With that, Blake entered the market district. As she expected, the bustle had long since retreated, and the few stalls remaining were abandoned. She looked around the open area and quickly began searching what stalls remained as her cloak grew progressively soggier. The stormy winds battered her lithe frame, making her shiver.

One stall bore the classic hallmarks of a merchant with few local sensibilities: the largest sacks, full of heavy potatoes or onions, had been stuffed beneath the stall in a feeble attempt to protect them from the coming storm. The merchant had clearly overestimated the goodness of Vale by leaving the unwieldy products in the open. None of the other merchants had cared to warn them either, happy to have a competitor severely hampered by their own ignorance.

Blake felt little remorse as she dumped the sack of potatoes onto the market stones, and began filling the empty bag with as many now-wet vegetables as she could carry.. As much as she understood the hard work that was put into the harvest, she didn't have much of a choice. Two people were depending on her, plus one parasitic Schnee.

A good few coins lay scattered across the stall as well, the merchant either too rich or too hastened to fret over every dropped coin. She pocketed every piece she saw, but they wouldn't be enough for anything useful on their own. With her sack full, she moved to her next, much riskier target: the local apothecary.

It was a location she knew well, as she'd been frequently forced to visit it when she was… younger. Only now, as she tried to unlock the establishment's door, did the guilt strike her. It was already unlocked. Of course it was. The owner had always been too good of a soul to turn away a person in need, and here she was, coming to rob him blind.

As she pushed the door open, a blessed warmth immediately greeted her. Gentle candles lit the countertop, along with a burning hearth just visible in the back room. As soon as she entered, she felt like an intruder, a burglar.

"A long moment, please." Old Oskar shouted from the back. "These ancient bones take a lot of convincing."

Blake's entire body tightened at the gentle, familiar voice. She loved Oskar, and she was going to take everything he had for a couple of stupid girls and a fucking Schnee. "Gods," she whispered to herself, pressing a hand over her face. "What am I doing?"

Oskar Deepgrove slunk around the corner, hunched over his ebony cane. He wore a pristine white tunic over simple linen breeches, with no shoes to cover his comically hairy feet. A long grey beard stretched almost to his chest, adorned with tight knots and beautiful silver cuffs, and his sleeves were tied to reveal sweeping indigo markings with volute curls, similar to her own. He wasn't fay, not fully, but she knew he had visited the Shimmer at least once; you couldn't get tattoos like those anywhere else.

"Ah, Miss Taurus!" He called, recognizing her the moment he laid his verdant eyes upon her soaked form, even past all of her coverings. How he knew, she certainly didn't. "It has been a long time! So wonderful to see you again!"

At his gummy smile, Blake felt her soul curl up and shrivel with dread. She couldn't do this. Her hand shook as it reached for a knife beneath her cloak. "H-hello, Oskar."

He stepped up to his counter and rested his cane against it, choosing instead to lean against the long stretch of wood. "And to what do I owe the belated visit?"

Blake gulped, her trembling hand slowly pulling a blade free. "S-some business. You know how it is. Just need a few things."

Oskar's eyes lit up, then faded as he scowled with realization. "Oh. I see."

"I'm really sorry, Oz."

The old man stared at her for a moment, then waved her off. "Don't bother, Blake. You can take whatever you want, I'm too old to care about product," he shuffled himself to the edge of the counter and undid the latch for the small gate. "Please, I'm sure you need it more than I do."

Blake was worried he'd be like this, which only made her shrink further into herself. She immediately lost all sense of drive, and sheathed the knife once more. "N-nevermind," she whispered, turning back to the door. "I can't do this."

"Miss Taurus!" His voice startled her, much more stern than she was used to. "You wouldn't be here unless you needed something, and you are quite clearlydesperate. What did you get wrapped up in this time?"

Blake stopped, her hand retreating from the door. "I… I… have some people…"

She turned back towards him, and his disapproval was as clear as the scowl on his face. "If it's this bad, you should just let him die, you know."

Blake's hands immediately shot out, desperately waving in defense. "No— not him! Gods, Oskar, I… no, he's… somewhere else."

Oskar brightened intensely, his scowl morphing straight into a gummy smile. "Finally! Crook and cane, girl, you have no idea how long I've waited to hear that."

"I didn't…" Blake sagged, heavy footsteps slowly carrying her behind the counter. "I couldn't kill him, I just… ran."

"And Merida?"

The spark of hope in his voice sank a dagger into Blake's heart. All she could do was look at her feet and shake her head. "I'm sorry."

Oskar deflated, but he kept the smile on his face. "Well… that's what happens when you reach my, er… age. Losing people just becomes a fact of life." He let out a long, wistful sigh. "'Twas a pipe dream anyways."

There was a long moment of silence, one where Blake couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She nearly jumped out of her skin when his feeble arms wrapped around her.

"It's okay, Blake," he whispered. The hug warmed her soul, if not her cold, sopping body. "Now, what was it you needed? And who are you getting it for?"

Blake started, she'd nearly forgotten why she even came here. "M-my… friends. Badly injured, unconscious."

Oskar pulled back and gave her a suspicious look.

"N-not like that. They're good, I swear," under her breath she added, "two of them, at least."

Oskar smiled again and began to rummage through the cabinets of his counter. "Goodness, Blake! You've made friends?"

Blake blushed and turned away. "Sh-shut up, old man."

Oskar let loose a wonderful laugh, one which Blake had desperately needed to hear again, eventually pulling free a trio of bottles and setting them out. They were small and thin, barely reaching half a handspan in height. He pointed to each one in turn. "Just a sip of the yellow one is enough to wake a dragon, and the clear ones will do good to take some burden off their Auras."

Just as she reached for the three, he loudly spoke again.

"Oh! I should have asked," he looked back up at the fay. "Are they human?"

Blake nearly smacked herself— that kind of stupid oversight would've been bad. "One is medius, I don't think she knows it, though. She's kind of…"

"Dim?" Oskar supplied with a chuckle.

"Oskar!" Blake laughed and gave him a light, chiding smack. "She's just not very worldly."

He let out a happy sigh and replaced one of the clear bottles with one containing a swirling mixture of purple and red. "There, that won't kill her, but you'll have to administer it slowly. It might take a little longer to work, as well."

Blake gave the old man the widest smile she could muster before realizing it was hidden beneath her wrappings. "Thanks, Oskar. Gods, I can't believe I was going to—"

Blake suddenly tensed as her ears pressed hard against their bindings. Even past the raucous storm, she could hear a dreadful noise: the clanking footsteps of sabatons on stone. Just as soon as she heard it, a heavy knock slammed against the door.

Oskar and Blake shared a glance, and he quickly stepped aside to make room for her beneath the counter. Without hesitation, she dove beneath the wood.

"Open up!" Shouted a loud, feminine voice.

"And why should I do that?" Oskar loudly responded.

"House Schnee demands it!" A few words passed beyond the threshold, a short argument muffled by the door's wood. "If you do not open this door, we will!"

Oskar scoffed. "It's unlocked!"

A creaking door and a burst of cold wind followed. Three pairs of boots stomped into the apothecary, slamming the door behind them. One approached the counter, the sound separated from Blake's head by a scant inch of wood. "We're on the hunt for a group of fugitives, and we have reason to believe one would have visited this location. Have you served any suspicious figures today?"

"Please, I'm an alchemist," Oskar drawled. "Suspicious figures are all that I serve. Now begone, I'm too old to be up this late."

Blake nearly smacked him as he made that mistake, but forced herself to remain still.

"Then why are you up? Your product is laid before you, surely whatever you're doing now could have waited until morning, unless you're dealing with some… desperate clientele."

Credit to Oskar's wit, the accusation did little to disconcert him. "Clearly you know nothing of my craft; weather of this kind can affect them in strange ways. Alas, I'm forced to sacrifice some things to prevent my shop from suffering a sudden, violent end."

The one at the counter let out a huff. "I've never known an Aura potion to be unstable."

Oskar let out a sarcastic laugh. "Then you know little."

A tense silence filled the room, broken by another pair of boots approaching the counter. The voice that followed was extremely grizzled. "Pyr, let me handle this; grandpa here is running circles around you."

If Blake could curl herself up any more tightly, she would've. She wouldn't dare hope that 'Pyr' could refer to anyone else besides the Knight Captain herself.

"Silence, Huntsman, I—"

"Better yet, get out of here. You're scaring the guy. He clearly knows something, he's just not gonna tell you. Wait outside, try not to get struck by lightning in that big bucket you've got on."

"I will not be talked down to by a ruffian of your like, sir Bran—"

"Yeah, ya will. Wouldn't've paid me, otherwise. Seriously, get out."

After an annoyed growl, the door opened again, and two pairs of boots stomped back out into the storm. Once the door slammed shut, the gruff voice returned.

"Look, I'm sorry about this. You know how these Knight folk are, all hounds on their lords' leash. So tell me, anyone desperate come through? Probably looking for healing pots, food, money, threatening you with weapons, robbing you, that kind of person? Maybe wrapped up in bandages or under a cloak? Purple or yellow eyes?" Blake cringed, internally cursing her and Yang's beau— distinct irises.

"How many times do I have to tell you people, I'm old," Oskar flippantly excused. "I can barely see what I've got in front of me, and I'm not so keen to remember every face that's threatened to rob me blind."

"Fair enough, I suppose." There was a sigh, then a couple footsteps as the Huntsman turned to leave. Before he could reach the door, though, he stopped. "Oh, just one more thing…"

"What."

"Can't help but notice you've got an awfully large bag here. Looks heavy, just wondering how an old man like you lugged all this food here, and why ya just left it here at the door. I don't see any potatoes or onions for sale, and your back room's not that far from here."

Oskar took a moment to respond, and Blake could see his arms slowly reaching to the potions on the counter. "I… had it delivered."

"Bag's soaked, no way you got one of those lazy merchant bastards to lug it all the way here in this weather." He hummed, purposely loud enough for them to hear. "Saw a bunch of potatoes on the ground out there, too. You're telling me these folk are the type to waste product just to rush a delivery for some old guy, in the middle of a storm, no less? Mighty generous, if ya ask me."

The silence returned, this time sharp and volatile. Blake began to reach for a knife.

Before she could grasp one, she found the trio of bottles being thrust towards her. "Go!" Oskar commanded, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.

Blake grabbed them and rolled towards the back room, scrambling to her feet as she sprinted to where she hoped a back door would be. Boots landed heavily behind her as the Huntsman leapt over the counter, knocking Oskar over in the process. Blake held the potions close to her chest and threw a knife behind her, but the blade simply glanced off the man's Aura.

The Huntsman chased her into the back room, but tripped as Oskar wrapped himself around his leg. Finding a back door, Blake quickly snatched the cast-iron pot from the hearth's spit before barging her way out, throwing herself into the deluge once more. She ran as fast as she could, careful not to spill anything from the pot or drop her potions, ducking and weaving between alleys, desperate to escape the man at her heels. More clanking footsteps followed behind— no doubt the others were following the commotion.

Only thanks to Oskar's delaying action did she get enough space from her pursuers, and hid herself among a stack of nondescript wooden crates. She could hear distant shouts and footfalls, but she didn't have time to find a better spot. Blake pictured that abandoned tower she'd once found refuge in, remembering its falling stones, its overgrowth, and the first time she'd ever felt relief. She reached out to that space, and the realms were kind enough to guide her there.

Weiss jolted awake as a loud tearing noise, followed by a burst of light, came from outside the tower. She quickly got to her feet and stomped to the entrance, ignoring the sight of Yang snoring with Ruby pulled up into her lap, and opened the door, frost at her fingers as she readied a ray of ice.

Blake was on her knees in the rain, panting heavily with a black pot in her hands. Weiss ran to her.

"Gods, what took you so long!" Weiss had to yell over the storm, which had only worsened as the night grew long.

"Shut… the fuck… up…" Blake commanded, "and fucking… help me."

For Ruby's sake, Weiss pushed down the rest of her arguments. She took the pot out of Blake's hands, grimacing as she saw the intense burns that stretched across the fay's palm. "What happened?"

Without asking, Blake pulled herself up using Weiss as a support. "Cast-iron," she seethed. "Not a friend of mine."

Weiss looked down at the pot in her hands and hissed. "Right, sorry. Come on, everyone's inside."

"They'd better be."

Blake carried her sour mood into the tower with Weiss, and threw her sopping cloak into a corner as soon as she was covered against the deluge. Weiss spoke to her again, her voice quiet and a little distant. "I'm… sorry, Blake. For how I acted, and for what I've caused. This really is all my fault, if I'd just—"

Blake raised a hand, silencing her. "Not now, princess. Please. I'm soaking wet, freezing cold, and we have people to attend. I got some things for them."

Weiss set the pot beside the burning hearth— she'd done her best to light it on her own, but she had to get Yang to give it enough fire to survive with the water falling down the chimney, a move which had sent the Huntress back to sleep. "What is it?" She asked, settling down by the fire.

When Weiss turned to Blake, she caught the fay in a severe state of undress. All of her sopping wet clothes were piled beside her cloak, leaving her completely naked as she removed her wrappings. Weiss broke out in a bright blush and quickly turned back to the fire, but Blake just stepped up beside her, completely uncaring of her lack of dress. The fay presented her with a trio of bottles, each with liquids of different color. "Potions from an old friend. Take these two."

She handed Weiss two of the philters, one with yellow liquid and the other full of purple and red. Weiss swirled the liquid, trying to seem curious to cover up the intense embarrassment at the naked woman beside her.

"Give Ruby a couple drops— drops, very tiny— of the yellow one to wake her up, then give her a quarter of the other. It'll help her recover," Blake explained. "This clear one's for Yang."

"What does it do?" Weiss asked, keeping her gaze away from Blake.

The fay pointed to the more colorful potion in Weiss' hand. "Same as that one."

"And why can't we just give that one to Ruby?"

Blake scoffed. "Because we don't want to kill her, princess. Medius Auras don't work the same as human ones."

"Medius?" Weiss repeated.

"Half-fay."

"Oh. I see."

Awkward silence filled their crumbling shelter. Blake stepped closer to the warm hearth, while Weiss took the opportunity to shoot to her feet and turned away, hiding her intense blush.

"I'm going to give these to Ruby!" The heiress announced.

"Okay."

Weiss hurried towards the unconscious smith and lifted her out of Yang's lap. The Huntress stirred at the movement, but stayed asleep.

"Ruby?" Weiss whispered. "Can you hear me? I'm going to feed you something."

When the girl didn't respond, Weiss sighed and uncorked the yellow potion, then opened Ruby's mouth. She held the philter over her tongue, slowly tipping it as per Blake's instructions.

A deafening crack of thunder suddenly shook the tower, making Weiss jump. The move made a splash of the yellow liquid flow from the bottle, sending much more than 'a couple drops' down the unconscious girl's throat as the rest landed onto her cheek. "Bollocks!" The heiress cursed, rapidly corking the bottle so she could grip Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby!"

"What!" Blake appeared beside her again, crouching to Weiss' level. "What happened? What'd you do?"

"I-I jumped! I gave her too much!" Weiss panicked, shaking the girl. "Don't die, don't die!"

"Weiss, get ba—"

"AAAAAH!" Ruby awoke with a scream, her arms flailing as she jumped to her feet and began sprinting in circles, fanning her mouth. "HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, HOOOOOOOOT!"

Blake and Weiss both scrambled to grab the girl before she could fall and hurt herself. "Ruby! It's okay!" Weiss shouted, nearly being trampled as the smith ran in circles.

"Calm down!" Blake demanded, grabbing her from behind.

"MY FACE IS ON FIRE!" Ruby cried, dragging the fay behind her.

Weiss threw herself at Ruby's front, wrapping herself around the girl and finally halting her. "You're not on fire! It's just a potion! I gave you too much, I'm sorry!"

"Give her the other one!" Blake yelled. "Quick!"

Weiss scrambled to grab the purple philter, but when she turned back around, she found Ruby trying to wrest the clear one out of Blake's hands.

"GIVE ME THE DAMN WATER!" Ruby yelled.

"It's not water! It'll—"

Ruby suddenly yanked it free of Blake's hands, pushing the fay back in the process. She lifted it to her lips, then grew extremely frustrated as the liquid was stopped by the cork. She furiously began fumbling with the stopper.

Before she could free the deadly liquid, she found her hands frozen in ice, courtesy of Weiss. Without hesitation, Ruby shoved as much of her frozen hands into her mouth as would fit, moaning in relief. When the burning had apparently ceased, she collapsed to her knees, now rubbing her face against the ice.

Weiss slowly approached, her voice low and gentle. "Ruby?"

The girl in question did a double-take as the heiress entered her vision. "Wha— Weiss? What happened?" She looked around, lost. "Where are we?"

Weiss sighed, relieved. She knelt beside the girl, dispelling the ice and wrapping the smith up in her arms. Surprising even herself, Weiss began to cry.

Ruby found herself being crushed by the heiress' arms as her shoulders shook. "Weiss? What's wrong?"

"She's happy to see you, you idiot," Blake answered as she got back to her feet. She retreated to one of the crates that lined the room, opening it to retrieve a dusty old blanket that she wrapped around herself. "You've been out for a while, we were worried."

"Out?" Ruby repeated. "Why would I… ohhhh."

"Don't do that again, you dolt!" Weiss commanded, the severity of her demand significantly reduced as it was muffled by Ruby's shirt.

"O-okay," Ruby slowly returned her hug, the clear potion still in her hand. "Uh, what's this?"

Blake plucked the bottle from her grasp. "It's for your sister, and it is not water. If you drink it, you'll die."

"Die?" Ruby tried to get back to her feet, but Weiss held her tightly and kept crying into her shirt. "Well don't give it to Yang!"

"She's not medius… for some reason. She'll be fine," Blake assuaged.

"Me—"

"Half-fay," Blake interrupted, tired of pussyfooting around Ruby's lineage. "You're half-fay."

Ruby recoiled from the knowledge. "Huh? But Yang—"

"Isn't! I know!" Blake fumed. "Are you sure you're sisters?"

"Well, we have different moms," Ruby answered, her eyes widening as the words passed her lips. "My mom's… but she didn't have the ears! And her hair was normal!"

Blake scoffed at apparently not being 'normal', but decided to let it slide. "Hair can be dyed. Ears can be cut."

Ruby gaped at the fay. Her memory of Summer Rose was hazy, but she did remember that she had strange ears— too straight, as if they'd been purposely shaped. "Oh."

Blake nodded. "Thought so. I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but it was going to happen eventually."

"So that's why I have a Semblance…"

"Yes."

"That's why Yang can do magic…"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ruby."

The smith sat in silence for a moment, then hugged Weiss tight. "Well… what do we do now?"

Weiss pulled away and sniffled, wiping her still-wet smock over her tears. "We… we need to leave, as soon as the storm passes, if not before. My father's men are chasing us."

Another heavy clap of thunder shook the tower. For some reason, that was enough to wake Yang. "Ah, shit!" The Huntress jumped, then hissed as she clenched her hands tight. "Still burns."

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, darting from Weiss to tackle her sister in a tight hug. "We're okay!"

"Hey, hey, hey, watch it!" Yang pushed her away, wincing. "Still injured, and you need to take it easy."

"What happened to you?"Ruby asked, looking worriedly at her sister's intensely scarred arms.

"Oh, you know, had to invoke a daemonic contract to steal some horses," she casually answered. "Worth it."

Blake suddenly blanched. "Oh gods, the horses."

All three of the tower's occupants watched the blanket-laden fay shed that blanket, revealing her naked form before she threw her sopping cloak back over herself and burst out the door.

"Weiss, you fucking idiot!" They heard her yell from outside, her anger carrying over the storm. "Did you tie it by the fucking reins? And you thought it would be smart to tie a horse up with a metal fucking chain, in a fucking storm! There are ropes on the fucking saddle you stupid piece of shit! And you didn't take their barding off! You're lucky they're not dead!"

Weiss winced, letting out a small 'sorry', to which Ruby gave her a reassuring pat. Blake reappeared several minutes later, sopping wet once more. And, just like before, she immediately got naked and began drying herself by the fire. Yang was the only one that didn't shy away from the sight.

"I brought food," Blake muttered, nodding to the cast-iron pot.

Three stomachs grumbled at once as everybody raced to the hearth, ignoring the naked fay beside it. Ruby, even if she wasn't in peak condition, beat them all handily. She yanked the lid off the pot, nearly throwing it aside before deciding otherwise. She peered down at the food.

An empty, milky eye stared right back. A fish head floated at the top of the thick liquid, staring them all down, as if testing their gall.

Ruby scrambled away at the sight. Weiss took a single look and spun on her heel, gagging. Yang hung over the soup with voracious hunger. Blake looked down at her and smiled fondly, going so far as to mindlessly tousle the Huntress' hair. She only realized what she was doing when Yang turned those lilac eyes up at her, forcing Blake to retreat lest her blush be seen. "I'm going to grab some bowls," she excused, picking her blanket back up as she shuffled around, finding a few wooden bowls and a stone cup.

The three of them sat around the fire before long, with Yang and Blake ganging up on the other two so they'd actually eat the meal. The time passed mostly in silence, with Blake and Weiss chasing the others' food with their potions. Well, Blake just handed Yang's potion to her. Weiss had insisted she give it to Ruby herself, saying she had to make up for her earlier mistake. It was a poor excuse to get close to the girl, and they all knew it, but nobody objected.

Rain was still pouring by the time they were done, and they eventually had to break down some empty crates to feed the fire. After everything that had happened, exhaustion rolled over them like a wave. They all settled beside the warm hearth, finding an additional blanket to share since Blake refused to put her wet clothes back on. One by one, sleep took them.

By the time morning came, Weiss was curled under Ruby's arm, with Yang pressed against Blake's side. Nobody questioned the positions they awoke to, at least not verbally, instead rising to prepare for their journey.

The coming day brought uncertainty in every facet, but they had no choice in facing it. They gathered up their scant possessions and mounted up in the same pairs they'd awoken with. Leaving only their horses' armor behind, they rode for the Emerald Forest. There was no going back.

Part One

Fin

AN: welp, thats arc one, volume one, part one, whatever-one finished and to be continued. im gonna take an actual break from writing, or at least ill try to. i havent gotten close to burning out, but i know its better to be proactive than reactive in that regard. what sucks is that my brain is absolutely *frothing* with ideas; a college AU, mecha AU, vampire AU, the next KotWR arc, TC stuff, etc. i dont know if ill really be able to do it lol, i love writing too much. but i will try! plus, i gotta give my poor gf time to edit the huge backlog of TC chapters ive laden her with, including this coming one.

anyways, yes one of the 'familiar faces' i mentioned is indeed Qrow, which i hope was a pleasant surprise for some of you. and yes, that was a columbo reference. i couldnt help myself. fuckin love that guy. the other one is oscar pine, technically. ill leave it up to your imagination what the implications are on that one.

and yeah, uh... thats it, for now. next arc will be posted on this story, hopefully in a few weeks, assuming i dont get too restless and start writing again, which is an extremely real possibility. thanks for reading yall, i love all your support for this story, it's really blown my other works out of the water, but i appreciate that its also given them some more visibility. so thanks. ill see yall soon. peace 3