This wasn't how she'd planned on spending her evening. Yet, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Each day brought forth new surprises in expectation and reality.
Winter Schnee stood in Team AWRY's dorm room behind a seated Weiss. Standing in front of the single desk which had a mirror stationed atop it, she ran a brush through Weiss' long, white, Schnee hair. It was gorgeous, which was surprising considering her sister's… feral nature in her true form. In her human form, however, she was as beautiful and graceful as Winter had been at her age. If she were being honest, perhaps even more so.
Tonight was supposed to have been a sister's night out, but as soon as Winter had rendezvoused with Weiss outside of her room the elder Schnee had been taken aback with shock. With her face caked in so much makeup that she resembled a Mistrali street performer more than a student of a huntsmen academy, Winter had immediately turned her errant sister around and marched her back into her dorm. On the way there they'd found the second pair of sisters Ruby and Yang preparing for an adventure of their own. As soon as Winter had mentioned redoing Weiss' makeup, Ruby had become interested as well. Thus had the evening gone from a night out with her sister to a crash course makeup tutorial with a pair of Grimm hybrid girls.
It didn't take much to make Weiss look stunning. Possessing natural beauty befitting of her lineage, Weiss' already attractive features were brought out by small and subtle touches, such as a pale shade of lipstick and the slightest hint of blush to darken the pale skin of her cheeks. With her hair down rather than in a ponytail, she looked all the part of a fairy tale princess rather than the monster who would abduct her.
Ruby Rose was a younger girl with less classical beauty than Weiss, but still attractive all the same. Her path to a makeover was entirely different as well. Favoring eye shadow and eye liner, Ruby's silver eyes popped in the black outline which Winter had drawn around them. Her own pale face was framed with reddish-black hair, adding to the 'scene girl' appearance she favored complete with her corset and black stockings. Where Weiss looked ready to play the part of being rescued from a tower by a valiant knight, Ruby appeared ready to go out to a club and dance the night away.
All in all it wasn't a miserable way to spend an evening. Winter had enjoyed tending to her sister and her friend in a way she'd only been able to do with her dolls as a little girl. Running a brush down Weiss' long hair felt natural. It felt right. It felt sisterly. She found herself grinning into the mirror despite her own normally reserved behavior, basking in the experience of something so simple yet so powerful. Weiss was her sister. Her one and only sister. Finally, after all these years, they were able to behave like sisters.
"Why does Yatsuhashi, the largest of Team CFVY, not simply eat the other three?"
Until she said things like that.
Winter's smile evaporated from her lips, replaced with a small frown at her sister's rather absurd question. "Why would he?" she asked in turn.
Weiss' small shoulders shrugged in response of her own. "Maybe not eat," she conceded. "However, do something to assert dominance. It makes no sense that the tiny Coco is the leader of their team rather than Yatsuhashi. Surely he is the strongest, and therefore should have been made their leader. A pack needs a strong alpha, after all."
In the natural world, and perhaps in Weiss' bizarre hybrid world, that was true. The largest and strongest animals rose to the top and led their weaker brethren. However in the world of humanity, in the world of huntsmen, that wasn't always the case.
"We've evolved to the point where strength isn't everything," Winter explained. "Knowledge and wisdom are as powerful, if not more powerful than brute force. It's entirely possible and plausible that Coco possesses more of these things than her teammates."
Weiss harrumphed, her own lips twisting into a scowl as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Well if that's the case then I should be the leader of our huntsmen team," she surmised. "I of course being the most intelligent of our pack. Jaune only achieved his position of leader due to being the strongest of us." Weiss' face almost immediately softened, and her lips curled up in a satisfied grin, giggling softly as she admired herself in the mirror.
Winter didn't know what that was about, but given Weiss' liberal admissions of what she and Jaune did together in private, she likely didn't want to know.
"Jaune's way more than that," Ruby interjected from her seat on one of the nearby beds. "He's nice and friendly and always looks out for us. And he knows waaaaay more about the human world than all three of us," she exclaimed, her arms extending to emphasis his vast knowledge.
The Specialist pursed her lips. Of course he did, being human himself. That was likely the main reason that Salem had made him the leader of the team she'd sent to infiltrate Beacon Academy. She spared a glance at the blonde one. She didn't know what Yang knew, but it seemed as if Weiss and Ruby weren't forthcoming with the fact that he was human. She would need to be careful as not to slip up and spill the secret herself. The last thing she and the rest of this strange group needed was internal strife between them.
"Speaking of Jaune, where is he?" Weiss wondered. "I wish for him to gaze upon the perfection of my beautiful face, which is even more perfect than usual."
"Oh, that. He messaged me on my scroll and said he was going out with Blake," Ruby replied.
Winter frowned. "And who is Blake?" she asked the collective group of girls. Winter didn't like surprises. She didn't like secrets. Never mind the fact that she was keeping one of epic proportions from her commanding officer.
"Blake is…" Ruby began hesitantly.
"A beast," Weiss finished for her. "A beautiful beast."
"I was going to say mysterious."
"What about seductive?" Yang added. "She has that whole aloof ninja girl vibe going for her."
"She does have excellent choice in pornographic comic books," Weiss agreed. "The ones from Mistral always include so many tentacles that you'd think that they actually did have some sort of affinity for the Grimm. Or at least mating with them."
Winter's nose wrinkled in disgust. She wanted to gag at the mental image of such a thing. However, the most important thing right now was getting to the bottom of who this Blake person was, and right now the hybrid girls in the room were not helping. Not one bit.
"Maybe you can use less abstract ways of describing Blake and simply explain who she is in relation to the four of you," the Specialist suggested.
Staring into the mirror in front of them, Winter saw how Ruby's face scrunched up in confusion. Weiss frowned, as though some dark memory had just invaded her mind and she wasn't happy with it. She didn't bother turning around to spare a glance at Yang. Obviously there was something about this Blake person that was most displeasing.
"A first kiss thief," Ruby pouted.
"A keeper of secrets," Weiss sulked.
Upon receiving no follow-up from Yang, Winter finally did crane her neck around to look over at the blonde. The girl who was sitting on her bed merely shrugged in response. "Don't look at me. I didn't bang him." A sly smirk crept up her face. "Yet."
These answers merely raised more questions. Winter was about to give up on her quest for knowledge when the door opened. Two bodies, but only one familiar, stepped inside. However, it wasn't the presence of the black-haired girl, but the condition of both hers and Jaune's clothes which was cause for alarm.
"Jaune?" Ruby gasped, standing from her seat at the desk.
Weiss inhaled sharply, but stood all the same as the two rushed over to where a bloodied and bruised boy was standing in the doorway. Clothes were torn. His face was filthy. The same could be said about his companion wearing a Haven Academy uniform.
Winter was left standing alone as her sister and Ruby fussed over Jaune and his companion, each grabbing and touching wherever they could in an attempt to find out if he was injured or not.
"What happened to you?" Ruby asked. "Are you okay?"
"Who did this to you?" Weiss followed up. "I will kill them for daring to harm my mate!"
Light and dark. Healing and harming. Concern and wrath. Ruby and Weiss exhibited utterly different, yet both well-meaning reactions to Jaune's current condition. Both were emotionally invested in the boy to the point where his safety was of paramount importance to them. Winter on the other hand could afford to stand back and be more objective. She could see the broader picture. Right now that picture included a girl she'd never met before, and therefore someone who could be a threat to her sister.
Winter stepped forward, and hands which only minutes ago had been applying makeup to Weiss and Ruby folded as her arms crossed over her chest. "Who is this?" she asked expectantly.
The strange girl clung to Jaune's arm tightly, her head resting on his shoulder as her eyes remained closed. The skin around them was red and puffy, and it was clear to Winter that she had been crying. Perhaps as a result of what appeared to have been an attack on the two of them. The big question was just who or what could have done so much harm to a pair of aspiring huntsmen in the middle of downtown Vale?
The blond boy glanced down at the girl holding onto his arm for dear life before looking back to up Winter. "This is Blake."
Icy-blue eyes narrowed. So this was the elusive Blake she'd heard so much about. Yet despite all of the strange and unflattering things she'd heard, she still didn't know a single real thing about the girl.
"And who is Blake?"
Said girl squeezed down tighter on Jaune, turning her head to bury her face into his shoulder. In response Jaune wrapped his arms around her, one of his hands coming up to gently stroke her dirty black hair.
"Blake is…" he spoke softly, causing the girl's faunus ears to twitch under the breath of his words. "She's another hybrid. Not a part of our team, or anyone's team really. Not officially supposed to be here." Winter noticed how those feline ears drooped down low after Jaune's explanation. "She kinda…"
"Stalked us," Weiss finished for him.
"Followed us," Jaune corrected. He glanced down at the top of her head, and he probably noticed her change in demeanor as well, leading him to gently stroke the top of her head. Her ears in particular. "Because I made her a promise."
"That promise being?" Winter asked.
His gaze didn't break from the girl's head when he answered. "That I would save her."
Blake's feline ears twitched once more, and Winter was left wondering what exactly was transpiring here that she wasn't privy to. Obviously there was a deeper history between the members of Team AWRY and Blake than she was aware of, and if there was anything she didn't like, it was being out of the loop.
Winter took a few steps closer to the gathered hybrids and Jaune, and her hands moved to rest on her hips. "Tell me, are there any other hybrids you're hiding from me, Jaune?" she asked coldly. "Are there any other secrets you're keeping from me which might put my sister in harm's way?"
The mention of Weiss caused her attention to turn from Jaune and Blake back to Winter, and she moved to stand between them. Her back was to her team as she craned her head up to look her older sister in the eyes.
"Winter, I've come to love you dearly," Weiss said. "But please do not take that tone with my mate. Jaune has my best interests in mind just as you do. I trust him with my life."
The Specialist's nose twitched. Obviously Weiss had a long and storied history with Jaune, but the fact that he was somehow on a similar level to herself, Weiss' own blood relative, was insulting.
A long breath slipped through Winter's nose. Like it or not, this was the reality of their situation. She may have gotten Weiss back in her life, but Weiss came with baggage. It wouldn't be right or fair to try and act like this wasn't the case. She was only alive and well here in Vale because of Jaune. She supposed that she would be able to put up with it all for the good of her sister. At least until she could somehow get Weiss to return to Atlas with her.
"Very well," she conceded. She clasped her hands behind her back, one squeezing down particularly hard on the other in an attempt to suppress her frustration with this whole situation. She returned her attention to Jaune and Blake. "My next question is, what happened to the two of you?"
The boy gave Blake one final stroke of his hand through her hair before he took her shoulders and pushed her away. She peered up at him with sad, longing eyes, and Jaune smiled sadly down at her. "I need you to sit with the others for a little while," he urged her gently. "I need to talk with Winter alone."
Blake reluctantly nodded, and just as she turned to walk over to one of the beds, Yang stood up from her own. Bright lilac eyes as well as her long golden hair contrasted harshly with the black school uniform she wore, and they made the anger on her face stand out all the more as she took a step toward Jaune.
"Uh uh," she said with a shake of her head. "You think you can show up here looking like that," she nodded at him, and more specifically his clothes. "And that," pointing at Blake's condition. "And not give us an explanation? I don't like not being in the know, Jaune. Something serious went down and I'm not going to sit here in the dark while you let this human in on what's going on."
Yang's outburst all but confirmed Winter's earlier suspicion. Was Yang indeed the only one here who didn't know Jaune's true nature? It would be the only reason she would say the word human with so much scorn. If she knew Jaune was one surely she wouldn't feel that way, right?
"And there is indeed so much you don't know," Weiss gloated. The pompous smirk on her face reminded Winter so much of their father. She would need to curtail that bad habit of hers sooner rather than later.
Jaune shot a glare over at the younger Schnee sister. "Weiss. Not now."
Weiss pursed her lips and crossed her arms, a pouty harrumph rumbling in the back of her throat as she looked away from him like a child being chastised by her father.
"But… fair enough," he agreed. The boy sighed and shook his head softly. "I guess you all deserve to know what happened out there. You'd find out sooner or later. We just need to do something about it quickly."
Ruby tugged on his sleeve, casting a worried gaze up at him. "Jaune? What happened? There's a lot of negativity coming from you right now…"
Winter had no idea if the girl was speaking about his mood or something tangible and quantifiable. If they were indeed Grimm hybrids, did this mean they were able to sense negativity like actual Grimm? There was still so much Winter didn't know about her sister and the rest of her teammates. Sometime she would need to ask a lot of hard-hitting and personal questions about the nature of these girls.
Jaune shook his head once more. "There's no easy way to say this. Professor Callows is dead."
A collective shock from the other members of Team AWRY filled the room. Winter had no idea who this was, but it was obviously a huge deal to them.
"Dead?" Weiss echoed. "How?"
"I knew I smelled someone else's blood on you," Ruby said. "But I'd never smelled his before so I didn't recognize it."
"Damn, you killed Professor Callows?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow. Shock turned to amusement as a satisfied grin grew on her lips. "I mean, I knew you were strong, but damn. You offed one of the strongest people we ever knew." She shrugged nonchalantly. "For a faunus, that is."
Winter held her hands up to put the conversation on hold. She needed more information than what they were giving her. "I'm sorry, but who is Professor Callows? Is he someone from Haven Academy?" It was a fair question considering that their cover story claimed them all to be exchange students from there.
"No, he wasn't a real teacher. Just one of Salem's followers from where we really came from," Jaune explained. "Tyrian Callows. I don't know anything about him other than that, truthfully. He was an amazing fighter and a psychopath. Religiously devoted to Salem. Maybe with your connections you could find out more about him. Not that it really matters anymore since he's…"
"Dead," Winter finished for him. "And you killed this amazing fighter yourself, Jaune?"
The boy cast a glance back to Blake who sat atop a mattress alone. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She was trying as hard as she could to appear small and hide from the others.
Jaune bent down to whisper something into Ruby's ear. The girl nodded, and in front of their very eyes, changed into her true form.
Her Grimm form.
Much like she'd seen with Weiss on the night of the school dance, Ruby's skin paled and black veins crawled along her flesh. A pair of uneven horns sprouted from her forehead, and silver eyes turned blood-red. The most horrifying thing of all, however, was how her right arm turned from normal to a black gnarled, and skeletal-like appendage. At the tips of her fingers were nails so sharp that they might as well be considered claws.
Ruby moved over to where Blake sat on the bed and placed her right hand on the other hybrid's shoulder. In an instant Blake's behavior changed, and her vibrant golden eyes seemed to pale. Her gaze became muted and distant.
"Everything's fine, Blake," Ruby whispered, her tone surprisingly loving. "It'll be fine."
"This is fine," Blake repeated, her voice seemingly on autopilot, as if her mind wasn't all there.
Winter had no idea what had just happened, but she wasn't about to question it. Not when there was still so much that needed to be discussed.
"So he's dead, and you two killed him," she surmised. Obviously the event had been more traumatic for Blake for some reason. "Meaning there's a dead body down there in Vale just waiting to be found."
"Yeah," Jaune nodded. "What should we do?"
Winter's eyes closed and she breathed out another heavy sigh. Outside of the safety of the Vale's walls, a dead body wouldn't have been anything new or surprising. Inside, however, in the middle of the downtown area, it would raise many questions. It would lead to an investigation. The perpetrator would be hunted.
Blue eyes opened to once more focus on Blake's docile form. Especially if the murder weapon couldn't be explained by the usual forensics. Weiss had impaled students with her horn, which had led to the convenient excuse of Professor Port's pet Grimm being the one responsible. She knew, however, that this excuse wouldn't fly in the middle of Vale. The police would want to know more. If Grimm were brought into the equation, then Beacon might be brought in as well. Beacon. Ozpin. Ironwood.
This had to be dealt with immediately.
"We recover the body," she stated matter-of-factly. "And we make it disappear."
As a Specialist in the Atlesian military, Winter wasn't used to going against protocol. Someone of her station didn't simply make people disappear like she was some sort of shady crime boss. However, as she had once told Qrow, she would go to any lengths to ensure her sister's safety. If that included breaking a few rules and covering up the death of an evil man who worked for Salem, then so be it.
"You can do that?" Jaune asked hopefully.
Winter had a number of special talents befitting of a Specialist. Making somebody disappear wouldn't be a problem. "I can," she confirmed. "I'll requisition a transport as well as a couple of Atlesian Knights to assist in handling the body."
"I'll help," he said, taking a step toward her before she held up a hand.
"You," she said sharply, stopping the boy in his tracks. "Will stay here. Just tell me the location it happened and I'll take care of it. The last thing we need is some idiot returning to the scene of the crime. Do you know if anyone saw you leave?"
Jaune shook his head. "I don't know." Blake in her catatonic state couldn't seem to be bothered to respond.
"All the more reason for you not to come. The less a murderer is seen at the site of the murder, the better."
The boy seemed to bristle at those words. "It was self-defense," he whispered harshly.
Jaune's eyes were hard as they stared into her own. Winter wasn't usually one to admit to her mistakes, but this had indeed been a faux pas on her part. Jaune didn't seem like the type to kill in cold blood. She gently dipped her head in acknowledgement of this. "Of course. You have my apologies. So tell me, where did this occur?"
His right hand came up to his face where he rubbed his forehead and cheek in thought. "I don't remember exactly where," he admitted. "But it was in an alley. We'd just left a movie theater. The… um… Starlight Cinema."
Winter brought out her scroll and typed the name in. In seconds she got an address. The spot of the corpse would be somewhere in the vicinity. Somewhere in a dark alley in close proximity to this theater.
"Very well," she said, returning the device to her pocket. "I'll leave at once, and I'll contact you when it's done."
Jaune nodded, moving over to the bed where Ruby and Blake sat. It appeared as if he had his own situation to deal with tonight.
Just when she was about to step out of the room, Winter heard a voice behind her. "Mind if I tag along?"
She turned to see Yang approaching with a knowing smirk on her lips. Winter tilted her head slightly in disbelief. "And why would come?"
"You could always use another set of hands," the hybrid explained nonchalantly. "Plus I wanna see Professor Callows with my own eyes. Not that I think Jaune's lying or anything, but it's just kinda unbelievable that our combat professor got merc'd by a couple of his own students."
Winter held the blonde's gaze for a few seconds. She was cocky and full of herself, that was for sure. Her body language said it all.
"Plus, unlike those two I can actually carry myself as a true human," she said referring to Weiss and Ruby. "I've been to the kingdoms before. It's where I got this little toy," she said, patting her side where a single gunmetal-colored shotgun hung.
Winter didn't know the story behind the weapon, but an extra pair of hands on this mission could come in handy. If she didn't have to requisition any Knights to aid her, there would be less of a paper trail. Yang wasn't at the scene of the crime either. Only one thing about her had to be altered.
"Change your clothes," she ordered. "No Haven affiliation. Understood?"
Yang smiled and nodded.
"Good. You have two minutes, otherwise I'm leaving without you."
She didn't say another word as she opened the door and stepped outside. Once out there she let a shaky breath slip through her lips. She couldn't show weakness back in that room, but now that she was alone she could.
Winter dragged a hand down her face from her forehead to her chin, allowing it to rest over her mouth. She, an officer in the Atlas military, was really about to cover up the death of a civilian on foreign soil. Her eyes closed and another deep breath was forced from her lungs. All she had wanted was her sister back, and now she found herself deep in a conspiracy involving an ancient and malevolent being of darkness and her Grimm hybrid creations.
If they all made it out of this unscathed it would be a miracle.
Jaune watched Yang and Winter leave. He knew they would be okay. They could handle themselves. Yang, despite her lingering anger issues, was one of the more stable hybrids. She'd said it herself, she'd been to the human kingdoms long before any of the others. It was where she'd earned her grisly trophy. With Winter there to help supervise her, he could entrust this mission to the two of them.
Right now his more personal priority was Blake. Jaune moved to take a seat on the bed beside her, where the hybrid was currently being tended to by Ruby.
"I've never seen her like this," the redheaded girl said. "What happened to her?"
Jaune sighed and placed a hand on Blake's right shoulder. She barely even registered it, and her head only slowly craned over to look at him with dead eyes. "The same thing as what happened to Yang and Weiss."
Ruby sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Her Aura…"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "It was unlocked already, but whenever she uses it…"
Ruby nodded a wordless understanding. "It must have hit her hard."
Jaune nodded in turn. It had. He wasn't fully aware of Blake's history, but he knew that she'd done a number of things which she would much rather forget. Now she was forced to face them all without the benefit of hiding behind her Grimm form. Without being the playful beast who reveled in slaughter.
Adam's head in a jar back in Salem's realm was no longer a treasured possession which she would lovingly speak to. It was a painful memory of what she'd done after her transformation had stolen her young life.
"I can't keep her like this forever though," Ruby said, nodding to Grimm arm.
Jaune knew that was true. Once he'd learned the truth of Ruby's appendage things from earlier in his time spent in Salem's school had made sense. He could recall moments of feelings at ease in spite of his terror. Emotions had been suppressed. It could be a powerful tool to harm, but in this case, it could also be used to help.
"I know. We'll have to be there for her then."
"And what do you expect us to do?" Weiss asked, standing in front of the trio with her arms crossed over her chest. "If Blake is no longer stable she's a risk to our presence here in Vale. Before she was able to stay hidden, but if she's a broken mess of a girl…"
Jaune's eyes flicked up to meet Weiss'. "Then we'll fix her," he snapped softly. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "I'm sorry, Weiss. It's just been… very stressful tonight."
Weiss hummed, seemingly unfazed at his terseness with her. "Killing Professor Callows is no easy feat. Though I expect no less from you, my strong, powerful mate."
A humorless laugh slipped through Jaune's lips. "Me," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, I was more of a punching bag than anything. Blake on the other hand…"
Memories flashed in his mind of a dozen Blake's surrounding and jumping on Tyrian. Once he'd amped Blake's Aura the fight had devolved into pure chaos. She'd made the most of her ability, and combined with the dark and shadowy alley, along with Jaune himself serving as a distraction, it had become the hybrid's ideal hunting ground. In the end she had indeed caught her prey.
Tyrian gurgling blood through his ruined throat was a sight and sound he would never forget. Jaune closed his eyes and took another deep breath. It had to be done. It had to be done.
"She's powerful," Ruby agreed. "But what will she be like now that she's not, um…"
"Feral," Weiss finished for her.
Jaune shrugged. He honestly didn't know. He didn't know who the Blake underneath the monster's cloak was. Despite telling her over and over again that her hybrid form wasn't her real self, he honestly didn't know who the real Blake was.
He supposed there was only one way to find out.
"Alright, Ruby," he said, motioning to her hand. "That's enough for now. The only way she'll get better is to face what she's done. And with our help…"
"She'll get better," Ruby smiled.
The boy nodded. "Yeah. We'll make sure she gets better. She's a part of our pack, isn't she?" he asked Weiss, glancing up at the white-haired girl.
Weiss seemed to stiffen, standing up straighter and puffing her chest out proudly. "She is," she agreed.
Ruby removed her arm from Blake's left shoulder, and sure enough life came back to her. Golden eyes blinked several times, and she looked around groggily like someone who'd just been woken up in the middle of the night. She saw Ruby. Then Weiss. Then Jaune. "What… what happened?"
In an instant reality flooded back to her. Jaune wrapped an arm around her and held her close.
"It's okay," he offered softly. "It'll be okay."
Blake's head leaned against his shoulder once more. She nodded against it, but didn't say a word.
"We're all here for you," he continued. "And we all love you. We're going to stand by you no matter what. You're a part of our pack. You're our family, Blake."
Slowly her head moved so that she could see his face. "Jaune."
He gave her a small smile. "Yeah?"
"I want to be alone tonight."
It wasn't what Jaune would have suggested, but if that's what Blake wanted then that's what she would get. All people dealt with grief in their own ways. Maybe this was hers. If she ever did need help from her family, she knew that they would be there for her.
"Did you want to go back to your… well, wherever you're staying?"
"My room," she agreed. "My personal room."
Jaune couldn't help but smile. Of course Blake had carved out a lair for herself here at Beacon. It wouldn't have surprised him if it was covered in spider webs and lit purely by candles. Truly a dark den of secrecy fitting for a girl who descended from the shadows.
"If that's what you wanna do."
She nodded. Blake made a move to stand up, and Jaune released his hold on her. She took a few steps before stopping and looking back at him. "Are you coming?"
He gave her a confused look. "I thought you said you wanted to be alone."
"Alone with you," she corrected him. "Was that not clear?"
It wasn't, but he wasn't about to fault her with that misunderstanding. Not when they were both so frazzled after what had happened tonight. "Sorry, my bad." He looked down at himself, and then back up at her. "Do you mind if I grab a shower first? And some clean clothes?"
Blake seemed to look him over before shaking her head. "No. I could use one as well."
She was just as filthy as he was. Her clothes were a mess. She would undoubtedly have both a shower and clean clothes in her borrowed room.
"I'll meet you there, okay?"
She nodded. "Room 320. I'll leave it unlocked for you."
Without another word Blake turned and left, leaving Jaune with Ruby and Weiss only. Two sets of eyes focused on him, one red, one blue.
"She deserves it," he told them, addressing their unspoken concerns. "I've spent alone time with both of you when you needed it…"
Ruby pouted nonetheless. Weiss' jaw clenched. Clearly they weren't so into the idea. Change was difficult, and considering they'd both shared his bed for a number of months now, it wasn't surprising that they weren't a fan of tonight's sleeping arrangements.
"We're going to need a bigger bed if she plans to join us from now on," Weiss pointed out.
She wasn't wrong… but still. He wondered how sleeping arrangements would go if Blake did indeed start sharing their bed at night. Normally it was himself in the middle with Ruby and Weiss on either side of him. Where would Blake fit into that?
Unless of course she decided to lie directly on top of him. Something told him Weiss would be quite jealous she didn't think of that first…
On the street they were just like anyone else. A pair of women in an unremarkable, indistinct car. No one knew that a trained warrior and a monster were searching for a corpse.
Winter exhaled through her nostrils. No, not a monster. If Yang was a monster then what did that make Weiss?
In lieu of who had become her normal partner in crime since coming to Vale, the Atlesian Specialist was driving with the man's niece. Both hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and her intense gaze focused on the road and the cars ahead of her. She only spared a single glance every now and then to check on the status of her quiet companion.
Yang Xiao Long wore what Winter could only describe as casual attire, dark gray-brown cargo pants and an orange tank top which exposed far too much of her skin for the Specialist's liking. Between her generous cleavage and her midriff, Yang would be sure to draw eyes rather than blend in inconspicuously. Still, it was better than a huntsmen academy uniform. At least here she resembled a civilian rather than a student.
CCT positioning data told Winter that they were approaching the Starlight Cinema, and once there they would be able to begin their search in earnest. That was, of course, unless someone else had happened upon the body of Tyrian Callows first. If local authorities were already on the scene, Winter didn't know what she would do. It would probably be best to simply not get involved in a local investigation and merely hope for the best.
Turning into a nearby parking lot, Winter brought her requisitioned car to a halt and shut off the engine. She took a deep breath, still gripping the wheel tightly, before turning to regard Yang once more.
"We're here," she announced softly.
The blonde had elected not to wear a seatbelt, and simply opened the door before stepping out into the crisp autumn air. Winter followed suit shortly afterward, and the two women came around to the front of the car before walking off side by side.
Bright and colorful lights decorated the front of the movie theater, while gathered crowds and lines of people milled about waiting for when they would enter in order to view tonight's entertainment. Winter had no such luxury of a simple night out at the movies. This was far more important than some trivial and fictional tale. Though… with Tryst in the Mist being in production, she was tempted to see one of her favorite romance novels adapted to the big screen. Maybe, someday, she would take Weiss to see it…
She had to make it to next year first in order for that to happen, however.
The pair found their way to the first of the nearby alleys, this one close to the theater. Taking out her scroll and switching the flashlight function on, Winter scanned the area for any sign of a body. She came up empty.
"One down," she said before urging Yang to follow. The alley on the next block would be their next target.
Silence gave Winter time to think. She wondered if Weiss would even like a movie like Tryst in the Mist. She knew that Weiss loved Jaune dearly, but there was still so much about her sister she longed to know. To understand. It was strange being an older sister to one of these… hybrids. The cultural differences made it almost like being from a different country. A different world, even.
She spared another glance at Yang. Yang was an older sister just like she was. The only difference was that Yang was also a hybrid. She wondered what the relationship between Yang and Ruby was like. She wondered if she might be able to learn something about how to interact with Weiss.
"May I ask you something?" Winter said as the pair walked down the sidewalk.
Yang quirked an eyebrow as she regarded the Specialist beside her. "That being?"
Though she was apprehensive on the inside, her face and body betrayed none of it, maintaining a calm and cool composure as she met Yang's gaze with unflinching poise. "You and Ruby. You're sisters. I was wondering… what your relationship was like in that regard. You're not exactly human, after all. Does it differ from that of human siblings?"
To her surprise, Yang hummed a soft laugh. It sounded almost mocking. "Feelings and emotions. That's what you want out of this, isn't it?"
Winter didn't balk at Yang's almost sarcastic sounding question. "It is," she confirmed. "I want to know what you feel for Ruby. What she feels for you. I want to know if it's possible that Weiss and I may share a normal relationship as sisters."
A sly smirk remained on Yang's lips as she shook her head, and her gaze turned downward as she stared at her feet. "Sounds pretty human, alright," she chuckled. Winter didn't know whether or not to take these words as an insult or not. She didn't know if Yang's intent was to mock her for her human emotions or not. "Ruby and I… well, it's complicated. She loves me, I know that much."
"Complicated how? You're sisters, are you not? You're her blood."
"Half her blood," Yang corrected. She turned to regard Winter again, and Yang must have seen the surprise on her face. "Guess Qrow didn't tell you about that, did he?" she spat. The disgust was clear in her tone.
"He didn't," she admitted. "Still, half sister or not, you love her don't you?"
"Do animals really love their offspring?" Yang answered with a question of her own. "Or is it instinct? Is it hardwired in their brains to defend and care for their own?"
Winter was no expert on animals. She honestly couldn't answer the question without delving into some sort of philosophical argument about free will and consciousness. "I don't know," she answered honestly.
"I don't either," Yang said, shaking her head once more. "Back when we were at Salem's academy I felt the powerful urge to protect Ruby. I maimed for her. I broke bones. Tore muscles. I killed for her, because she is my kin." Yang's voice dropped to a dark whisper. "But I know what I am. I know I'm not like you. I'm not a human. I don't know if what I felt for Ruby was or wasn't. Maybe I'm a mother wolf defending her pups from predators. Maybe instinct tells me to do so even if my heart doesn't."
Winter didn't want to believe that. She didn't want to believe Weiss was like this too. She wanted her sister to love her not out of some sort of animalistic instinct, but because they were sisters. Weiss was someone she would lay down her life for if need be, and she would do so not because of some bestial urge, but for her human love for the girl.
"But you don't know," Winter reiterated, using Yang's own words against her. "For all you know it could be love. Human love."
Yang laughed. "Human love," she echoed. "I've seen what human love is. I know just what humans who are supposed to love you are capable of."
The second alley turned up no body either. Winter began to fear the worst. Maybe someone had already discovered and removed the body. But if that was the case, wouldn't there be more of a police presence around? Wouldn't there be detectives gathering evidence? Red and blue flashing lights, a perimeter of yellow tape, gawking civilians gathered around to try and witness the tragedy like it was just another movie playing out before their eyes?
The pair turned to go to the next alley. They were getting further and further away from the theater. She didn't know how much further they should or could go.
Yang's words merely begged more questioning. "And what are they capable of?" she asked the girl beside her.
The blonde sucked in a breath through her nose. "Why do you care?"
"Because I care for Weiss," she snapped quietly. "And I want to understand her. I want to be there for her. I want to be the family she was denied after being stolen away from us. From me." Winter's hands balled up into fists as she walked, and she had to fight back the tears which were forming in her eyes. "Even though she may not have had the best upbringing in our family, it would still have been better than what she was forced to endure from that monster!"
Winter had no idea how Yang would react to her calling Salem a monster, but she frankly didn't care. It was the truth, after all. A being of ultimate cruelty abducting small children, stealing them away from their families, and turning them into human-Grimm monstrosities. Winter was seething with anger, and it took all of the control in the world to steady her breathing as they walked in public to the next alley.
Yang, in complete and utter contrast, was the epitome of composure as she kept in stride with the Specialist. All except those intense lilac eyes, which seemed to be boring holes into older woman's. "So much hatred," she breathed. "You really do hate my mother, don't you?"
Normally Winter's more diplomatic side might have prevailed, but in this moment she wasn't in the mood to play games. "That creature is not your mother," she snarled. "Nor is she Weiss'."
"No," Yang agreed. "But she was there for me at least when my true mother wasn't."
Winter gave her a curious glance. "Your true mother? You remember her?"
"I do. Well, not that I'd ever met the bitch in person or anything." The bitterness in Yang's voice was clear as day. "But I remember things from before I was transformed into this. My mother, my human mother, the woman who should have cared about me more than anything else in the world, left me when I was still only a baby. She abandoned me. Left me and my dad to pick up the pieces without a second thought. So tell me, Winter. Is that what human love is? Is that the kind of thing you're looking for with Weiss? Or maybe once things get too hard you'll just pick up and abandon her too? It would be the human thing to do, wouldn't it?"
Yang's rage had finally spilled forth as well. Rather than a violent eruption hers seethed and simmered, but it was no less real. It was no less powerful. No less emotional.
"I would never abandon Weiss," she argued. "Never."
"Things are easy now. We'll see how easy it is when things get tough."
So Yang's mother had left her before all of this. She would definitely have to talk to Qrow about it once his little personal mission was over. Until then, however, maybe she would be able to connect with Yang herself. After all, they shared more common ground than they knew.
"A mother's love is supposed to be unconditional," she agreed softly, shifting the subject back onto Yang rather than Weiss. "And when it isn't… it's one of the most painful things you can imagine."
Yang scoffed. "Pain is part of life. It's how you use it which makes you strong or weak. I choose to be strong."
Winter knew all too well how painful life could be. Weiss' disappearance. Her mother's drinking. Her father's control. Winter had taken all of the pain and used it to forge her own path in life. She'd run away to the military to escape it all. She may have been strong now, but was that strength built on a foundation of weakness? After all, rather than face her problems, she'd chosen to run.
"My own mother chose to be weak," Winter finally said, still trying to connect with the blonde girl. It was the least she could do after Yang had decided to share her own past with her. "She took her pain and decided to drown it out with alcohol. Much like your own mother, she abandoned me and my brother. Though she was still present physically, she was emotionally gone."
Yang hummed thoughtfully. "And this is the human love you want me so badly to believe in."
"Yes. Because… it's human to make mistakes. It's human to make the wrong choice. It's human to be weak."
Yang scoffed once more. "And why would I ever want that? Why would I ever want this weakness in my life?"
"Because it's how you get strong," Winter argued. "We learn through our failures. It's how we improve. When we fail a test we study harder next time. When you hurt yourself you learn what not to do next time. When you break a bone it heals stronger than before." She shook her head, hardly believing that such an impassioned speech was coming out of her lips. "It's not weak to fail. It's not weak to get hurt. It's not even weak to admit that you are hurt." Liquid-blue eyes focused on the blonde next to her. "And you are hurt, Yang. I know you are because I was hurt too…"
Yang wouldn't meet her gaze. There was a decided shift in the mood once Winter had opted to go on the offensive. "If weakness doesn't make you weak, then what does?"
Winter took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Giving up makes you weak," she whispered. "Deciding that this is your lot in life and never wanting to make it better makes you weak. Abandoning your humanity because it hurts too much… makes you weak."
She knew she was poking a rapier wasp's nest right now. From what she'd learned from Yang in this very limited timeframe, she knew the girl had been emotionally hurt by her mother abandoning her. She knew she hated her mother. She hated humanity. She hated weakness. Yet… by embracing what she had become, Winter knew that Yang was the weakest of them all.
"But the ability to try… and try… and try and try and try and try and try!" Winter snapped, her shaky hands still squeezed tightly into fists. Blinking away tears that threatened to obscure her vision. "Even after all the hardship… even after all the failures… is what makes a person strong. It's what makes a human strong. To try and never stop trying to get what they desire." She looked Yang squarely in the face, uncaring if the other girl saw her tears. "And let me tell you something, Yang Xiao Long. I will never stop trying to get my sister back. I will never give up on her. I will sacrifice anyone and anything for her happiness. Even myself. Because I am human, and deep down so is she."
To her surprise and relief, Yang had no snappy comeback. No quips. No sarcasm. No superiority complex of herself over weak and emotional humans. Winter knew she had exploded in a way she'd never done before, but in the moment there was no other way she could have been. Weiss, the idea of Weiss, who she once was and who she could be again, got the better of her. Winter wouldn't have it any other way. She was only human, after all.
Turning into the next alley, Winter saw that this one was different than the previous two. A pair of civilians stood at its entrance, and one had his scroll out. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw what lay deeper in the alley.
She didn't even need to flash her scroll's light to see what was illuminated by the alley's dull overhead street lights. A man dressed in white. At least… it used to be white. Much of his shirt was stained red. A long black ponytail topped his head, but it was the enormously long scorpion's tail which made him stand out. A faunus. A deadly one at that.
Next to her she heard Yang gasp. "Professor Callows…"
That was all the confirmation Winter needed. This was bad. If they didn't hurry this would get much worse.
Striding forward with as much poise and confidence befitting both her rank and family, Winter approached the two civilians. "Stand aside," she ordered. "I'm a huntress."
One of the men looked up from his scroll. "A huntress?" he asked, seemingly with relief.
"Yes. I'm here to take command of this situation. Please stay as far back as possible. We'll handle it from here."
The man glanced down at the sword sheathed at her side. Along with her military uniform, it must have been an impressive sight. He nodded hurriedly before he and the other man moved away from the alley.
Winter and Yang moved in, and upon closer inspection saw the fatal wound which had taken the man's life. A large hole had been punched in his throat, wider and rounder than possible from any blade. She didn't know what had delivered the killing blow, but it likely wasn't from a human weapon.
Even if they'd brought a body bag with them, the faunus known as Tyrian Callows wouldn't have fit with that massive tail of his. There was only one thing they could do now to move the body without carrying it with them for a couple of blocks.
"Stay here," she ordered Yang. "And don't let anyone get close. I'm going to bring the car."
Yang nodded, but her eyes were seemingly glued to the corpse below her. She regarded him not with fright or disgust, but rather curiosity. Almost like she couldn't believe he was dead.
That would have to wait for another time. Winter didn't waste another second as she turned and sprinted back down the alley and to the parking lot where they'd left their car.
Room 320. Located on the third floor of the exchange student dorm, it was the furthest room down the hallway. A secluded little corner for a certain Grimm hybrid to make into her lair.
When Jaune had arrived he saw that the door was cracked open the slightest bit, and when he looked down saw that a scroll was being used to keep the door from shutting. He bent down and picked it up, curious as to who it belonged to. Certainly not Blake, who hadn't been invited on this mission, and thus had not received a burner scroll.
When he entered the room, what he saw shocked him.
Piles of clothes sat folded neatly on one of the beds. Uniforms from every academy in Remnant along with casual attire for both men and women. It didn't seem to matter to a certain tentacle kleptomaniac, it seemed. Blake probably hadn't wanted to been bothered with doing laundry, and so would take what she wanted when she wanted until she was able to build up a stockpile of clothing which would last her the rest of the trip.
Along with these things Jaune found personal care products. A collection of stolen scrolls, all of which likely belonged to students or even teachers here at Beacon or from visiting schools. A curious pair of nunchucks which looked more like glow sticks laid on one of the unused beds, while a rifle which looked like it once belonged to one of those Atlesian battle droids rested next to it. Only one of the beds was bare, and judging by the condition of the sheets it appeared to have been recently used.
Jaune sat down on the bed, and when he looked toward the bathroom door noticed that he couldn't hear water running. Either he had showered very quickly and Blake hadn't even started yet, or she'd just finished and he'd arrived at the perfect time.
He didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know what he was going to say to her. Ruby hadn't needed this sort of talk. Weiss had only needed him and the knowledge that her sister loved her. Yang had Ruby. But Blake? Blake had no one but him. Sure she probably had family somewhere out there, but would it be a wise decision to bring them in on this secret while plans were still in action and lives were on the line?
He would find out soon enough, and the door swung open to reveal…
Jaune's eyes widened as the girl appeared before him. Standing in the doorway was a fully naked and still damp from the shower Blake. Her jet black hair clung closely to her face, and it contrasted with the pale body which was on full display for him. Jaune would have felt like one of the luckiest men in all of Remnant to be able to witness such a beautiful sight as he sat on this girl's bed, but this moment was not at all the time to be thinking of such things.
The faunus girl tilted her head curiously, eyeing Jaune even as he received an eyeful of her. "You look surprised," she commented softly. "Is this not how you've always desired to see me?"
Jaune swallowed hard. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't, yet this wasn't appropriate at all. Blake was vulnerable. She'd been laid bare to him tonight emotionally, and seeing her like this now just seemed wrong.
"I… I mean… Blake, this… this isn't…"
"My faunus form," she said as Jaune stumbled over his own tongue. She glanced down at herself to see her naked body before looking back up at him. "You always said this was the real me, did you not?"
As she stepped closer toward him, her steps agonizingly slow, Jaune couldn't help but feel intimidated by the sight of her. This girl who at one point had shown him a maw of razor-sharp teeth, who'd caressed him with slithering tentacles, who'd licked him with a slippery serpentine tongue, now looked completely normal. Completely faunus. Completely and utterly beautiful.
Blake had never been more intimidating before this moment, because right now she was giving him everything he'd ever wanted of her. Her true self. Her innocent self. Her old faunus self.
And it terrified him that he wouldn't be able to come through for her and save her as he'd always said he would.
Jaune shook his head softly, trying to collect his thoughts and his courage as she stepped ever closer toward him. "It is. Yes. This is absolutely who you are. It's just… you're naked…"
Pale arms wrapped themselves around her torso, and Blake looked down once more to hide her expression from him. "And you're staring."
He looked away in an instant. "Sorry," he muttered.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw how Blake gently swayed, arms still hugging herself tightly. "You were the one to cut me… so I'll bleed forever…"
Despite how much he wanted to peer up at her, he respectfully averted his gaze. "Cut you?"
"Indeed. What you've done hurt me, Jaune. It hurts more than you can ever imagine. More than I can bear…"
Blue eyes widened, and this time he forced himself to gaze up at her. Not at her body. Only her face. "Blake… I didn't mean, I'm so sor-"
Blake reached down and placed a finger on Jaune's lips, stopping him in his tracks. "Shh. I don't fault you for what you've done. For… saving me. The only way was to make me face what I've become. What I've done…"
This knowledge didn't make it any less easier. Any less painless for either of them. He knew it had to be done, and much like ripping a bandage off of a wound, it would hurt before it could be done.
"None of that was your fault," he reminded her. "None of it."
She hummed softly. "So you say, but I still live with what I've done. Only time will mend all wounds. That, and…"
He stared up at her quizzically. "Blake?"
She turned and took a seat close to him, so much so that her bare thigh touched his own clad in a pair of sleeping shorts. Fresh out of the shower, her skin was cold. Yet Jaune didn't flinch.
"Stripped down to my naked core, the darkest corners of my mind are yours." She looked him dead in the eyes. "That's where you live." Her face moved closer to his. "That's where you breathe," she whispered into his ear, tickling his flesh and causing him to reflexively pull away.
After he'd gotten a little distance from her face, he'd half expected for there to be some sort of maniacal grin on her face like there used to be. Instead he simply saw the flawless face of a faunus girl. Her lips weren't smiling, but something about her vibrant golden eyes told him that they were. Blake had often gazed upon him with lust, but here and now he felt nothing but pure adoration from the hybrid girl.
She'd always called him her love. Her darling. Here in this moment, the way she was looking upon him, it felt like she actually believed the words for the first time.
"So, um… what would you like to do?" he asked, wondering if she'd come out naked for a reason. He didn't know if he would or could deny her request if she desired him tonight. He was no psychologist, but he feared that Blake's emotional damage might be worsened if he rejected her desires in her time of greatest need.
Blake hummed again and lifted a hand up to touch him. Jaune sucked in a breath as she rested her palm on his chest, and much to his surprise, she made no move to try and remove his shirt.
"Thump, thump, thump," she whispered softly. Her gaze remained on his chest and her hand. "I feel the emotions churning inside of you, Jaune. Anxiety." She breathed in deeply through her nose. "Fear." Another shaky breath. "Even… lust…"
Could she blame him? She was sitting next to him naked. He would have had to be dead inside not to feel something about the stunningly attractive faunus girl touching his leg with hers.
"I don't expect anything from you tonight," he said, if nothing else to make it clear that he wasn't trying to take advantage of her. That the ball was in her court. "But I'm here for you, Blake. Whatever you need, just ask me and it's yours."
A dark, sultry laugh sounded in her throat, not at all like the snake-like hissing of her hybrid form. "And what if I did want that of you?" she asked quietly. "The thing you both fear and desire the most. Would you give it freely? Would you even be capable of doing so after we took a man's life tonight?"
In other words, could he perform tonight after Tyrian's death? He had no idea. And honestly he didn't want to find out. He wasn't in the mood. Not at all. However, if Blake was, if she needed it tonight… he would do his best for her.
"If that's what you want," he answered honestly.
She laughed again, shaking her head softly. "Finally, after all these months he's ready to give himself to me freely and willingly. Yet I do not desire him." Her eyes flicked back over to meet his. "Not yet, at least."
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. Never before had a man been so relieved that the beautiful naked woman sitting next to him not be in the mood tonight.
"You said you wanted me to be with you tonight," he reminded her. "Did you have anything in mind?"
She hummed in thought once more before pushing herself entirely onto the bed. Jaune moved with her, shifting so that he was lying across its length, and Blake did the same. She came to rest on her side next to him, and with one arm reached out to grab the covers and pull them over the two of them.
"Let me melt away in your embrace, my darling," she answered, turning her back to him. She pressed up against his chest, and Jaune had done this enough times to know to wrap an arm around her body. He was careful to avoid a couple of warm and squishy parts of her in particular, and his hand came to rest upon her bare stomach instead.
His face was so close to the back of her head that his nose touched her still damp hair. "I can do that," he whispered into it.
"I know you can," she whispered in turn. She giggled, and Jaune felt her back expand and contract as she breathed deeply. "It's funny, isn't it?"
Jaune had no idea what could possibly be funny, but riddles and games were nothing new coming from Blake. "What is?"
"I was there for you in your time of greatest need," she explained, still not facing him as she spoke. "When Cardin had bloodied you. When Ruby had fled from you after you'd revealed your human nature to her. I held you close to me all night…"
Jaune remembered the experience all too well. He'd been convinced he would die that night. Either by Cardin's hand, Ruby's, or Blake's. Yet Blake had stayed with him all night. She'd protected him. She'd comforted him. She'd even licked his wounds clean…
"And now here you are in my moment of need as well. Surrounding me. Encompassing me. Gifting me with your warmth and love…"
The arm around Blake tightened, pulling her body impossibly closer to his. "I'll always remember what you did for me back then," he spoke into her hair. "And even if you hadn't, I'd still be here for you right now."
He felt her back heave once more. "I came close to facing my own end, but it was the taste of you that led me back instead."
In a dark alley next to the corpse of a madman, Jaune had kissed her. Straight out of a fairytale, the valiant prince had saved the sleeping princess from her fate. Jaune's kiss had indeed woken up the part of Blake which had been sleeping for a long time.
Jaune felt Blake's body shift and struggle in his grasp, and he loosened it so that Blake could turn around. All he could see was her face, and even after seeing all of her, he was still floored by the sheer beauty she possessed.
Underneath the covers one of her hands snaked its way up to poke under the top of the blanket, and she gently cupped Jaune's face in her soft fingers. "Kiss me now, my love."
He didn't hesitate in closing his eyes and tilting his head. Jaune's lips met hers, and the two shared a gentle and loving kiss. His arm held her back firmly, pressing her up against him as the two basked in the combined warmth and love underneath the covers.
When Blake finally pulled away Jaune saw how her tongue darted out to lick her lips. To taste him even once he was gone. Fluttering eyelashes batted, though not in any sort of attempt to seduce him.
"I'm tired, Jaune," she whispered wearily. "I'm so tired."
The hand on her back came up to her hair, and he ran his fingers through her damp locks softly. "Sleep," he urged her. "I'll be here with you all night. I'll be here when you wake up in the morning."
Blake adjusted herself once more, pushing against Jaune so that he laid on his back. Her arm draped over his chest, a leg hooked around his own, and her head came to rest in the crook of his arm.
"I know," she offered softly. She snuggled closer against him. "Good night, my darling."
With both arms wrapped tightly around her back, Jaune reached his head down to plant a kiss atop her head. "Good night, my darling," he echoed.
Author's Note: This story has been away a very long time. So here's an explanation as to why.
Long story short, I got burned out. At the time of posting the last chapter, I'd been going at it pretty much non-stop for 16 months. 16 months, 300,000 words, in addition to all the other stuff I'd been doing. I needed a break from this idea. I needed a break from writing in general, and there was a period for around 2 months where I just didn't update anything. But even once I came back, this story languished in Noupdateville. It was just... hard getting back on it. It's complex. It's emotional. There's all sorts of drama and angst in addition to comedy and romance. That's a lot harder to do than the instant gratification I could get from writing a short story or one shot about humor or romance or crack or smut. Trust me, it's so tempting to write a short lighthearted story in comparison to this, the fallout from a major chapter. But now that it's done, now that we're on the home stretch to the climax, I'm going to try my hardest to keep at it in order to provide you all with the ending which I've envisioned for a long time now.
So with that out of the way now, I really did enjoy writing these scenes once I got down to them. Winter and Yang is a duo which I hadn't really given much thought to, but pair up nicely in terms of who they are as people. They're both big sisters. They've both been abandoned by their mothers, though in Winter's case it was only emotional. They both take pride in being strong. So what better way for Winter to learn about hybrids, and Yang to learn about humanity, than by spending time with each other?
Blake is as always a treat to write. Though I'm going to miss the old Bogey Blake ways, she couldn't remain insane forever. It wouldn't be fair to her character in-universe, nor to her character in a literary sense. She had to change. She's still going to be dark and mysterious, and I still have an awesome time giving her song lyrics as dialogue which seem to weave seamlessly into the scene, but she is going to get her humanity back. This is the first step.
I hope that all of you who are still following this story enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought. Let me know if you feel I missed a step somewhere, considering it's been so long since I've written for this story. In any case, I hope that this update and the fallout from Tyrian's death was satisfying. I hope that the next update comes a lot sooner this time rather than later.
As always, thanks for reading.