It was weird.
Ruby hadn't exactly planned to start her day thinking about nightmares and horror stories, but that was kind of the theme this morning (courtesy of Yang and Nora)—especially after what had happened earlier with Jaune and Weiss. She still couldn't shake that memory, his face pale and slick with sweat, banging on their door so early in the morning. And then when she peeked below her bed to see Weiss, looking back at Jaune with eyes so wide, so frozen, it was like she'd turned to stone on the spot, the two had clearly woken up looking a little worse for wear.
Her partner hadn't helped matters either. She just sat there in bed, staring back at Jaune in a way that was both fierce and vulnerable, like she was seeing him for the first time and hated what she saw. When he took a shaky step toward her, she snapped. Her voice, sharp and cold as a shard of ice, cut through the air.
"Get out! Just get the hell out!" Weiss didn't even wait for him to leave before she pulled her blanket up to her chin and sat there, stiff and silent, refusing to say another word.
The anger in her words was one thing, but the fear in her eyes was another. She was terrified, Ruby realized, and the only thing scarier than that was that Weiss almost never got scared, at least not to the point of shouting something vulgar and "improper" like that.
Jaune had practically tripped over his own feet, backing out of the room like a scolded puppy and nearly bumping into Yang on his way out. It was… well, in any other moment, Ruby might've snickered. He'd looked so startled, like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, like her once upon a time, and the way he'd scrambled away was… well, kind of funny. Except it wasn't, because he was rattled too, he hadn't even tried to argue, just muttered an apology, before scurrying away back to his room.
Sitting in the Beacon cafeteria in her school uniform, Ruby couldn't shake the weirdness of it all. She tapped her fingers against her empty juice box, half-listening to Nora's animated chatter while her mind wandered. For the last few days, she'd noticed Weiss acting strange—stranger than usual. Weiss was already pretty high-strung and cranky, but this was… different.
She'd thought maybe Weiss was just stressed about finals or even the Vytal festival school dance which she wouldn't shut up about even though it was still several months away, or something along those lines, given how annoyed she seemed with her following their return from their mission out in the Emerald forest. At least then, she could sorta understand it, since Ruby did technically do something stupid enough to warrant such a reaction.
But this morning had flipped everything on its head.
What stuck with Ruby the most was what Jaune had said when they asked him about what happened. His answer had been hazy, muttering something about gardens and necks, but the weirdest part? Pyrrah said he'd told them he didn't remember going to bed at all. That would've been weird on its own, but then Weiss had told her the exact same thing—she didn't remember heading back to the dorm either, just suddenly waking up in bed.
Her eyes had been so… blank. For the rest of the morning, she refused to meet her gaze. "It's nothing," She'd say, her voice distant, almost hollow. "Just… forget it."
Ruby scrunched her nose, frowning. It didn't add up. She was pretty sure Weiss had come straight to their room last night, and even if Jaune had somehow ended up wandering the campus, he wouldn't have had the chance to see her since Pyrrah had left the cafeteria soon after to find him already asleep in bed. Unless… Ruby made a face, trying really hard to come up with an answer but failing miserably.
Still, Ruby's gut said she was onto something, and if there was one thing she trusted, it was her instincts. Her partner might be as icy as a glacier, but Ruby would get her talking sooner or later. She wasn't about to let some nightmare shake her friend into silence.
Not that she could blame her for being tight-lipped; after all, what was there to say? They'd both had the same nightmare? Was that even possible?
Yang's voice broke through, loud and impatient. "Alright, so are we actually gonna talk about what happened, or are we all just ignoring the elephant in the room here?"
Ruby looked around, catching everyone's gaze. Pyrrha gave a polite nod, Nora was practically vibrating in her seat with curiosity, and Ren looked at her with that calm, unreadable expression, probably waiting for someone to speak up. Blake, as usual, was quietly focused on her notebook, occasionally glancing up with an unreadable look, Ruby had to wonder what could be so important for her to be so immersed in it.
She cleared her throat, keeping her tone as light as she could. "Uh, well, Weiss was a little… intense with Jaune this morning?" she offered, her fingers twiddling nervously. "And he was totally freaked out as well. It's weird... right? I mean, they're usually fine. Well, "fine" as in how Weiss and Jaune conversations usually go kind of fine, and not to mention they hadn't even spoken in days so... yeah."
"I don't get it. What could VB have possibly done to make her react like that? It's not like him to just barge in here acting like the sky's falling. And Weiss isn't usually the type to get spooked so easily." Yang leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I mean, she can be frosty, but that was straight-up arctic. And Jaune? Never seen him that shaken up before, not even during initiation."
"He's locked himself in our closet and refuses to come out, it's genuinely bad." Pyrrha added softly, her usual composed demeanor tinged with worry. "Even during dinner yesterday, he barely touched his food." She frowned, as she added. "He seemed to have taken his loss against Blake very seriously."
Blake, who had been quietly jotting notes in her notebook, glanced up to see everyone staring at her then simply shrugged.
Ruby frowned, "Weiss isn't doing any better either, she hasn't move from her bed at all this entire morning, but I'll talk to her when she's ready. Maybe… maybe we'll figure it out together."
"Let's just give them some space for now, but we should definitely keep an eye out for them." Pyrrah nodded in return.
"Well until then, what do we know for sure?" Yang prompted, "They both disappeared after dinner, neither remembers coming back to bed, they had the same nightmare – which, by the way, is creepy as hell – and now they're both holed up in their rooms refusing to leave."
"Oh! Oh!" Nora bounced in her seat, waving her hand frantically. "Maybe they were being possessed by evil spirits! Or maybe—"
"Nora," Ren tried to interject, "I don't think that's—"
"But think about it!" She protested, turning to face him. "The weird behavior, the memory gaps, the matching nightmares! It all adds up to them being possessed by ghosts!"
Yang snorted, though there was an edge of unease in her voice. "At this point, that's probably the most reasonable answer we can find."
"Jaune isn't a very good liar, we'd know if he was making it up," Pyrrha said, her usual composure slipping slightly. "He really woke up with no recollection of how he got there, Nora might not be far off all things considered..."
"Well, he definitely remembered something this morning," Yang muttered back. "I mean, did you see his face? He looked like he'd seen a—" She caught herself, glancing at a smirking Nora. "Uh, like he'd seen something really bad."
"I've never seen them both look so scared. Not even during initiation with the Deathstalker and Nevermore." Ruby frowned.
"Oh! Oh!" Nora shot up, nearly knocking over Ren's tea in her enthusiasm. "If ghosts are out of the question, then maybe they're both secretly working for a shadow organization and had to meet up for a covert midnight mission but something went horribly wrong and now they can't tell us because they're sworn to secrecy!"
Everyone stared at her.
"What? It could happen!" She defended, before quieting down at Ren's gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Perhaps we should review what we actually know," Ren suggested calmly. "What was everyone doing last night?"
Ruby perked up, grateful for the practical approach. "Well, after dinner, I went straight to maintenance on Crescent Rose – I sorta miscalculated the recent upgrade I made so I had to fix a loose bolt that was driving me nuts. Yang was there too, working on Ember Celica."
"Can confirm," Yang nodded. "We were in the workshop until..." she squinted, thinking. "Maybe ten? Then we headed back to our dorm. Blake was there, and Ice queen was already asleep."
Blake glanced up from her notebook, giving a slight nod of confirmation before returning to her writing, Ruby noticed her bow twitching slightly.
"I left about thirteen minutes after Jaune did, he was already in bed when I walked in and couldn't have left the room until after at least Eleven-thirty." Pyrrah said, as Ren Nodded.
"That's right around when Nora and I got back." He added.
Ruby chewed her lip, thinking. "So how does that even work? People don't just... teleport in and out of their beds, right?"
"Maybe they were drugged!" Yang sat up straight, her eyes flashing red for a moment. "If someone slipped them something-"
"Yang!" Ruby yelped, "Don't even joke about that!"
"I'm not joking! Think about it – they both black out, wake up with the same nightmare, acting all weird... either that, or somebody has a really messed up semblance."
"But who would want to drug Jaune and Weiss? Semblance or otherwise," Pyrrha asked, her tone careful but skeptical. "And why?"
"Could be Cardin trying to mess with Jauney again, we don't even know his semblance," Nora suggested, cracking her knuckles. "Want me to go break his legs and find out?"
"No leg-breaking," Ren said automatically.
"Aww, but-"
"No."
Ruby slumped forward, resting her forehead on the table. "This isn't helping, we can't accuse people without proof." She sighed, "We're just coming up with scary possibilities without any real answers."
Silence settled over the table as everyone seemed to mull over Ruby's words. Even Nora, usually quick to crack a joke, looked unusually pensive, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the table. And Blake still glued to that notebook, would it kill her to contribute something to this?
"Maybe we should retrace their steps?" Pyrrha suggested, breaking the silence. "If we can figure out where they went after dinner—"
"Already tried that!" Nora interrupted, somehow managing to look both proud and disappointed. "Ren and I did a super-secret reconnaissance mission this morning while you were all still freaking out at the dorms. We checked the cafeteria, and everything in it's vicinity, even the roof! Nothing!"
"You did what now?" Yang raised an eyebrow.
"We found no indication of where either of them might have gone." Ren chimed in, shaking his head.
"The garden!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, causing some of them to jump. "Sorry! It's just—Didn't you guys say that when Jaune was doing the whole 'crazed incoherent muttering' stuff, he mentioned something about a garden?"
Pyrrah nodded slowly, "He did mention that."
"I knew we missed a spot! We definitely need to check it out!" Nora declared, already half-standing. "Detective Team JNPR and RWBY, minus the J and W, are on the case!"
Ruby's silver eyes bright with determination. "Alight, then it's decided! Something happened to our teammates last night, and they're both too scared to talk about it. We need to figure out what's going on."
"And if we find nothing?" Blake spoke for the first time, her voice quiet but pointed.
Ruby set her jaw, looking more like the leader she was meant to be than the awkward kid sister she usually appeared as. "Then at least we tried. Because whatever this is? It's really messing with them. And I don't know about you guys, but I'm not okay with just sitting here while my partner and our friend are suffering."
"Well, when you put it that way..." Yang cracked her knuckles, a grin spreading across her face. "Count me in, sis. Besides, anything that can scare Weiss that badly? I kinda want to punch it."
"Ooh, It's gonna be the greatest mystery hunt!" Nora's eyes sparkled. "Can we have code names? And secret signals?" She gasped, before turning to her partner. "Ren, throwback time! Do the sloth call again!"
"Nora, Sloths don't—"
"Boop!"
Ruby led the way into the gardens, her usual bounce notably absent as she tried to channel her "serious leader" mode. The afternoon sun cast long shadows through the carefully maintained topiaries and flower beds, "We should split up to cover more ground," she announced. "Yang and Blake, take the east side. Pyrrha and Nora, west. Ren, we'll check by the center thingy over there!"
"Pavilion." Ren supplied.
"Yeah, that."
As they separated, Blake's bow twitched slightly. "Actually," she said, her voice carefully measured, "The eastern section is closed to students due to maintenance today. I saw the notice this morning."
"What? But I didn't see any—" Yang started, but Blake was already steering her toward the north path.
"Trust me," Blake insisted, "We'll have better luck this way."
Ruby frowned as she watched them go, before shrugging it off and resumed searching. A few minutes into it, her effort and determination were starting to lose steam when Nora's voice rang out way in the distance.
"Ruby, Ren! Come look at this! This flower has a face!"
They rushed over to find Nora pointing at a strange pattern in the grass. Fallen petals formed an almost perfect circle, their colors arranged in a way that seemed deliberate.
"That's... weird," Pyrrah muttered as Ruby walked past her and Nora, kneeling to examine them. "These aren't from any of the flowers growing here."
Ren knelt beside her, his expression troubled. "No, they're not. And look how they're arranged—it's too perfect to be natural."
"Oh, that?" A voice called out from behind them. Velvet Scarlatina stepped around a hedge, her camera hanging from her neck. "Sorry about the mess. I was doing a photography project earlier – trying to capture the way light plays through falling petals. Took ages to arrange them just right, but then the wind kept messing it up." She rubbed her neck sheepishly. "I should probably clean those up..."
Ruby's shoulders slumped. "So... you've been here all morning?"
"Mhm!" Velvet nodded. "Since before breakfast. The lighting's best early on."
Ruby groaned. "Great. So we've got nothing to prove Weiss and Jaune were here, and a bunch of artistically arranged flower petals."
"Sorry!" Velvet gave an apologetic smile.
The group exchanged deflated looks. A dead end, and now they felt a bit foolish for getting worked up over some photography props. Ruby felt her shoulders slump. What exactly had she expected to find? Footprints in manicured grass? A convenient trail of evidence? The more they looked, the more she felt like they were chasing shadows.
"Nothing back there, and the eastern section really was closed off, never been there before anyway." Yang called out as she approached with Blake.
"We should head back," Blake suggested, her voice carrying across the quiet garden. "Whatever happened here... well, maybe we're looking in the wrong place."
Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that they'd missed something important. But every time she tried to grasp what that might be, the thought slipped away like water through her fingers. But then something came to mind, that excuse Weiss gave yesterday before slipping away.
"I forgot something in the library," Weiss announced suddenly.
Terrible excuses, memory gaps, no leads.
"The library..." Ruby repeated slowly, brow furrowed as she pieced it all together. "It could have been just Weiss giving a bad excuse since she's been with us the entire time that day but... At this point it doesn't really make any sense, so... what if she did think she went there for whatever reason?"
Blake was about to open her mouth to speak—
"So we're banking on Weiss either being a terrible liar or schizophrenic?" Yang raised a brow, causing Ruby to shrug in response before she went with it. "Whatever works I guess."
Pyrrha spoke up, "If she is either of those things, then the library's security cameras will let us know."
Ruby looked at the group. "Then we know our next stop. If we still can't find anything, maybe it's finally time to take this to Ozpin and Goodwitch. They could help us get to the bottom of this."
Blake tensed slightly at the mention of the professors, as Yang spoke up. "Sounds great."
Velvet suddenly chimed in. "Uhm, the cameras have been down for maintenance this week. I overheard the librarian complaining about it... lots of people taking out books without signing in hehehe..."
The group frowned at that, but Ruby refused to give up anyway.
"Then we'll look for other clues!" Ruby insisted. "Come on, guys! What's the worst that could happen? We waste another hour and end up with homework done instead?"
"It'd be the most productive thing we'd do all day." Blake commented.
Yang shrugged, already following her sister. " Well, It does beat standing around over here and getting hay fever from Velvet's art project."
"Sorry again!" Velvet called after them, before her face went blank as watched them disappear into the distance.
The library was quiet when they arrived, most students either in class or enjoying the afternoon outside. Ruby immediately marched to the front desk, but the librarian only confirmed Velvet's statement about the cameras with an apologetic shrug.
"So... where do we start?" Yang asked, wandering over to a nearby shelf. She pulled out a book at random, frowning slightly as she flipped through the pages.
"Well, Weiss usually studies in the back corner," Ruby answered. "You know, the one with the weird plant that kind of looks like Professor Port's mustache? That one, we split up and look for any signs of—"
"—Weiss's obsessive note-taking?" Yang offered, before frowning at the book in her hands, squinting at the pages like they weren't quite making sense, when Ruby's voice pulled her attention away.
"Hey, maybe we should check the sign-in logs? They keep track of who comes in after hours, don't they?" Nora suggested.
"Already checked," Blake said quickly. "They clean the logs every morning."
"Since when?" Yang asked, putting the book back. Something about it had seemed... off, but she couldn't quite place what.
"It's... a new policy," Blake replied.
"Then I'll check the history section!" Nora declared. "That's where all the mysterious stuff happens in books!" Before unceremoniously dragging Ren away.
Yang wandered between the shelves, absently pulling out more books. Something felt... odd. What the hell? Yang squinted, deeply confused as she stared at the string of text printed on the front page before her, "Down, Down-Forward, Down, Punch.", The book was about ancient Valean history, did someone put this here as a pran—
"Found something!" Ruby's voice cut through her concentration. Yang shoved the book back, hurrying toward her sister's voice.
They gathered around Weiss's usual study table tucked in a corner. Ruby pointed triumphantly at some scuff marks on the floor. "Look! Someone moved this table recently. The marks are fresh!"
"Ruby," Blake said patiently, "people move these tables all the time for study groups."
"Yeah, but..." Ruby's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "I mean, it could be..."
"Let's just face it, this entire thing was pointless, we'll be better off reaching out to headmaster Ozpin." Yang leaned against a shelf, crossing her arms. "We're just grasping at straws here."
Blake simply hugged her notebook close to her chest, eyes down at her feet.
Ruby frowned, as she looked over at Blake, she had been watching her strange behavior all day, and now, seeing her so intently focused on whatever she was writing... Something didn't add up. She had barely looked up from that notebook all day, even during breakfast. Come to think of it, she'd been writing in it constantly since... since yesterday?
"What are you always writing in there anyway?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Blake's bow twitched, hugging it closer protectively. "Nothing important. Just notes."
"You know, you've been awful interested in those 'nothing important' notes," Yang observed, her lilac eyes narrowing slightly.
"And awful quick to shoot down every suggestion we made," Ruby added skeptically.
Making a decision that she'd probably regret, Ruby used her semblance to dash forward, rose petals scattering as she took the faunus girl by surprise and snatched the notebook right out of her hands. "Ruby!" Blake's voice held real anger now, but Ruby was already flipping it open, her eyes widening as she took in the pages.
"I just want to see what's so interesting that—" Ruby's voice died in her throat as she looked at the open pages. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, she just stood there, frozen as her heart skipped a beat.
"Ruby?" Yang straightened, suddenly alert at her sister's expression. "What is it?"
"The pages..." Her voice was barely a whisper. "They're..."
Blake had gone very still, her amber eyes fixed on Ruby with an intensity that made the air feel heavy.
She blinked, staring at the words written repeatedly, obsessively.
Page after page, the same phrase, bleeding into one another.
Her mouth went dry as she turned a page, and then the next.
There was no other text.
No mention of Grimm migrations from Port's essay, no notes from other classes, no thoughtful observations, no doodles or anything.
Just that same line repeated.
Over
And
Over
And
Over
And
Over
Again.
all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all not real all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my fault all my all my fault all my fault all my fault
Her breathing turned heavier as she stared at the words scrawled across the page— Not words – the same phrase, written over and over and over, until she reached the final page where only three words stood out in the center
Can't be forgiven
She looked up and her world tilted sideways, because Yang's face had changed, like something wearing her sister's features as an ill-fitting mask, her usual warmth drained away and replaced by something cold and wrong—her lips pulled back in a grimace that showed far too many teeth and her eyes, oh gods her eyes, they'd gone glassy and dull like marbles pressed into wax, like something dead and staring
"Y-Yang," Ruby whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs like it was trying to escape, "guys, what's wrong?"
None would answer, all glaring at her
"I—I just wanted—" but the words withered and died in her throat as more faces turned toward her, Pyrrha's features contorting into a mask of such pure revulsion like Ruby was something putrid she'd found beneath her heel, and Blake—Blake's expression held such raw, primal hatred that it triggered something deep and instinctive in Ruby's hindbrain, something that recognized predator and prey
The library had gone silent Not quiet – silent, The kind of silence that pressed against your ears until they rang, and in her peripheral vision she became aware of movement that wasn't movement at all—other students throughout the library, none turning their heads but their eyes, all of their eyes swiveling in their sockets to fix on her with that same glassy, empty stare
The notebook turned to lead in her trembling hands and fell with a thunderous crash that seemed to echo forever in that suffocating silence, but she barely noticed because she felt it then—a presence behind her that crept into her awareness with the cold, crushing inevitability of a closing tomb, and her breath caught in her throat as an impossible weight pressed down on her shoulders, her spine, filling her with a creeping dread that crystallized like ice in her veins
The silence pressed closer until she could feel it against her skin like frost, and every instinct screamed at her not to turn around, please don't turn around, but her body betrayed her as her neck began to turn with mechanical slowness to look over her shoul
Chapter end.
Blake jolted awake, a gasp escaping her lips as she bolted upright in bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Everything was still, save for the soft, steady breathing of her teammates nearby. She pressed a hand over her heart, feeling it thundering beneath her palm as she struggled to shake the remnants of the nightmare.
She shivered, her mouth dry as she tried to push it all away. It was just a dream, she told herself, even though the details felt so real they left a metallic tang of fear in her mouth.
Slowly, Blake reached for her notebook, fingers trembling as they brushed against the cover. She had to check—to see if the words were there, to make sure that none of what she'd seen had crept into reality. Her thumb slid along the edge of the notebook as she lifted it from her bedside, opening it cautiously to the first page.
Nothing. The pages were blank, save for her usual notes and a few scribbles from earlier. No accusing words, no endless, looping lines of guilt. She flipped through the notebook slowly, page by page, as if she half-expected the ink to shift and reveal something sinister beneath.
But there was nothing unusual. Only her familiar handwriting, paragraphs marked with quick annotations and reminders, a few drawings here and there. Blake exhaled shakily, some of the tension finally beginning to ease from her shoulders.
Still, she could use a splash of cold water on her face.
Carefully, she slid out of bed, bare feet finding the cool floor. Blake moved with her usual stealth toward the bathroom, though she probably didn't need to - her teammates were heavy sleepers, especially Yang after a long day of training.
Just as her hand touched the bathroom door handle, her cat ears twitched. But she dismissed it with a shake of her head, telling herself it was just nerves from the dream. She twisted the handle and slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind her.
In the dim dorm room, Ruby's unblinking eyes fixed on the bathroom door, joined by Weiss's and Yang's, the three of them lying silent and still, watching.
Thanks for reading, next chapter in 2 weeks as I will be away!
Real talk, how are we feeling about the dialogue? Forced? Seamless? Are there sock puppets on my hands? What about Le Horror, are you scared out of those socks?
Anyway, I know this may have seemed like a pointless chapter (literally) but I have now pretty much dropped 90% of the hints about how this Grimm works (even after death!) and that final 10% will be shown when the story develops further, I will give you the freedom to figure it out on your own if you really want to make the effort or you can just wait until the characters realize it themselves. On paper, this is a story centered around Jaune but there will be plenty of POV shifts here and there.
Anyway, that's all from me, allow me (I, the author) to answer your previous reviews:
Guest: (Q: Is Weiss dead) Good question! No.
Guest#2: Today it was Blake who was the victim, tomorrow it could be anyone!
Chaosconetic: That wasn't a question, but thank you!
Adult shallot: Yeah, that was inspired by the Mandela catalogue and the longeyed project. I heckin' love analog horror!
dl316h: Also not a question, but thank you! I am glad to see that the story does instill some feelings of unease!
Hiyuusha: I wish I could answer in a way that wouldn't spoil anything, but as far comparing this Grimm to the Grimm from Ice Queendom, those two are not similar in the way they function and behave with their hosts but you are right that it is a lot more subtle (but on a smaller scale, might I add).
ByeBye!