Welcome back!

REAPER IN RED

Interlude 8: Blake ch.3

Blake was reading a book called, The Tales of Marigold the Riverwander on her bed. An eight hundred and seventy two page behemoth of a story detailing the almost certainly fictional tales of the titular character as he ventured through the land of 'Mot', meeting new people of various amounts of interest all while fighting off monsters and creatures which she had become all too familiar with thanks to her class lessons, and adventures abroad.

Only a few dozen pages in, it seemed like Marigold was still holding true to his name, following along the coast of a mighty, yet surprisingly unnamed river as he tried to find food which didn't taste like ash. So far, it sounded like a focal point of the story would be about his reactions to losing his senses. Oh, no. Blake flipped the page. Marigold met a young girl who told him to stop trying to eat the food of Mot. Only those that truly lived between Mot and Eretz.

"Hmm," Blake mused with fascination as she curled up to continue reading. This was a new and intriguing mystery. And she was definitely one who loved a good mystery.

"Rubes, make sure you don't use up all the hot water!"

"I won't!" came Ruby's reply to her big sister from inside the shower.

And there was that mystery that Blake was enjoying her time trying to solve. She loved this mystery, because in a way, it was helping to build a better bond with her team leader and probably really good friend. Maybe not her best friend, because that was Yang, but there was most definitely a connection between her and Ruby that seemed to grow with each conversation they had. A strangely innate trust that Blake had not thought she would find with anyone outside of the White Fang.

Blake's feline ears flickered at the sound of changing water pressure from the other side of the bathroom doorway.

"She's totally gonna use up all the heat now, isn't she?" Blake snorted at Yang's question.

"Likely."

"I'm glad that I took a shower before her then," Weiss declared haughtily as she finished up on next week's readings.

"Ditto," Blake replied, earning a polite nod from Weiss.

After the… adventures at the docks, the two of them had come to respect each other. There was definitely truth in the saying that the bonds forged in battle were strong.

"Did the light just dim a little?"

Blake frowned, glancing around the room. It had seemed darker than it was before. Blake checked on the bathroom.

"Did Ruby shut the lights off in there or something? Can't see any light underneath the door."

Yang shrugged. "Ruby's always been a weird one. Lemme check on her."

A few soft raps on the door. "Rubes, you alright? You've been in there a while and the rest of us need to shower."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You aren't everyone."

Yang flicked a finger at her. "I have enough hair to qualify as multiple people."

A second later, the sounds of the shower diminished and the light in the bathroom, as well as their room returned to its normal state. Ruby stepped out in her towel, while Yang rushed in, closing the door behind her.

Are you doing alright?" Weiss asked.

"Huh?" Ruby seemed to jump at the question, having been lost in some sort of deep thought a moment before. "No, I'm fine."

"You look troubled. Does it have to do with class? You haven't been paying too much attention lately. That very much isn't like you."

Huh, Blake hadn't even realized that. How had Weiss picked up on Ruby's behaviour before she did? She tried her best to let the two have their private conversation in the middle of the dorm room.

"Nothing, just something on my mind." Ruby answered, trying to blow off Weiss.

"Anything important?" Weiss was pushing a little hard, in Blake's opinion. "As your partner, it is my duty to ensure that you are prepared for class and pay attention to our professors. If it is something that will impair you, I need to know. Just tell me-"

"Shut up!" Weiss flinched. So too did Blake. She'd never heard Ruby swear before. Or get that angry. It was slightly scary to see her that mad. A split second later, it was like a switch had been flicked and she returned to somber calmness. "I'm-I'm sorry Weiss. It's nothing. Please." She seemed to be pleading with Weiss to not press further.

Yet, Weiss seemed to do just that.

"Weiss. You are one of the few people that I have considered as a friend. So please. If the word friendly has any meaning to you, you will drop the issue." Ruby's final words did manage to shut Weiss up, though not without a scowl of frustration beforehand.

It was silent in the room once more, save for the pounding of shower water and faint humming that was most definitely Yang.

"Hey, Weiss?" Blake smiled lightly. There was that team leader they all knew and loved. She couldn't end a conversation without everyone coming together in the end. Blake decided it leave the two of them be. They began discussing semblances, and while Blake was interested, she respected the two of them enough to stay out of their private conversations.

Blake returned to her book and the adventures of Marigold. The young girl had decided to join him on his journey through Mot. There was something unreal about his young travelling companion, she was constantly being referred to as young by the text, yet she talked in a very olden timey way that marigold didn't even speak like. It was oddly surreal.

About a hundred pages in, Marigold realized he had lost the ability to feal temperature. No heat, no cold, nothing. There had been hints of him losing his sense of temperature the chapter before, but he only realized it when he went to save the young girl -who had not been named by the story yet, Blake realized- from being branded by a hot metal rod by some slavers. It saved him the agony of feeling the burning sensation, though he was still very much injured by the experience.

"First, heat from the shining sun," the girl mused, skipping through the meadows as a gentle breeze brushed through the landscape.

Blake finger twitched just as she was about to flip the page. That line sounded important, but she wasn't yet sure why. Still, she continued on reading, enjoying each new page as it came. Eventually, Marigold separated from the young girl. They had reached a fork in the river that he was following and she had made it all too clear that she was destined to take the left path, and him the right. They hugged and Marigold swore that the two would see each other again. A comment which brought a tearful giggle from his young friend. "Pray that you don't see me again for many more years."

At that strange comment, they separated and parted ways. Marigold was alone once more. But not for long. His new adventuring companion was now a young woman. Attractive according to the book, with long black hair, skin of ivory, a thing waist, heavy bust and the most beautifully piercing red eyes that he had ever seen before in his life. Blake could only smirk at the description which could only have been written by a man.

With a yawn, she closed her book, bending the page corner to mark her spot, and turned in for the night. The new day of Beacon-related experienced coming in the morning.

And what an odd morning it was. Class with Professor Goodwitch saw a fight which Blake had never thought she would enter into. Or, in truth, a fight she had never thought she would get into and lose. Ruby Rose had taken out both herself and Lie Ren without so much as a direct strike. All three of them had almost completely full aura metres, yet Ruby had tore through the two of them without so much as a strike of her mighty weapon.

Blake had landed a hit. Or, she thought she had. It made no sense. Her sword had slashed hard through Ruby's arm. A strike she had been practicing with Yang and knew would take out a good chunk of aura off of anyone who managed to fall in her path. Yet Ruby was fine. More than fine, it was like she had missed. Or nicked her at best. Not the clean strike she had seen. Had felt.

Blake could admit that she was aggravated at that moment when she confronted Ruby. It likely wasn't her best course of action, but what's done was done.

"I hit you," Blake commented, ensuring Ruby's full attention was on her.

"It was… more like a graze, right? Didn't really do much damage, so I think you might have come super duper close."

Blake shook her head. "No, I felt stoppage. I hit you, then sliced. There should have been damage."

"Weak damage?" Ruby squeaked out.

"Strong damage. Ruby, tell me now. Did you do something to your scroll so your aura wouldn't read properly? Because if you did, you need to fix it now. That's an offence that could get you expelled."

"No! I promise I didn't do anything to my scroll."

"Then explain to me how my attack didn't effect you." Blake knew Ruby would clam up in response to her direct questioning. Anybody would in that situation, yet Blake couldn't seem to stop herself. She just wanted a straight answer. Either so she could grow closer to Ruby, or so she could improve her attacks. Something she had been practicing so hard to do absolutely no damage? That was a pang of anguish right in her gut.

Blake sighed. "Ruby. You were the first person to find out about me. You also defended me against Weiss during that… event. But I think that I can trust you fully with the secrets I have. Don't you think I've earned a little of that trust returned?" Blake knew it was a low blow.

"You do, of course you do," Ruby said, her voice rising, a slight hiccup in her speaking. "I do trust you. It just has to do with my powers, my semblance. It's long and confusing and I don't understand it yet. Yang doesn't know either. Just for now, think of it like an… extra aura or something. And please don't tell anybody about it."

Blake stared into Ruby's eyes, her mind lost in thought. Was this what Ruby and Weiss were discussing about the night prior? Was this that strange new power that Ruby had been trying to control?

"Alright Ruby, I'll believe you. But know that Yang, Weiss and I, we're all your teammates. You can trust us with anything. Just as we no doubt trust you."

It was sometime later that They all got the news that Ruby, along with Jaune Arc, Velvet Scarlatina and Russel Thrush would be joining the headmaster himself on a witch hunt. It meant some time without their leader as she prepared and set off on her adventure.

Blake was proud for Ruby, to be able to learn to fight against a witch of all creatures. Especially after battling a Skin Crawler and… the other monster. But, it gave Blake some more time to read and finally return to the adventures of Marigold.

Marigold had barely managed to outwit a Syren by changing its tune, almost dying in the process. He was coughing up blood while the young woman did what she could to hold off the hordes of the undying, using some sort of black magic. Blake was on the edge of her seat, scanning through words at a breakneck pace. She knew there was a huge amount of story left to go, she hadn't even yet reached the story's midpoint, yet Marigold was so close to death.

With the final undead defeated, the young woman rushed over to him, falling by his side. And… just as Blake expected, they kissed a truly romantic -and imbued with magical healing powers- kiss. One which had been hinted at since the character's first introduction. It was satisfying at least. It added a new stake to Marigold's adventure, that being the young woman could only kiss her one true love, or risk failing health and ultimately death. Marigold did not end up being the young woman's true love, which was an interesting twist, and now the woman was aging more rapidly, losing strength as well as her magic.

And now Marigold seemed to be losing his next senses. Or… no, this one was confusing to describe.

"First you lost that heat from the sun's gentle rays most bright. Now you have lost those sweet colours of reflected light. Be warned sweet Marigold, for the next loss may break your will, when your vessel has gained a most frightful chill."

The rhyming was a bit lackluster, Blake had to admit, but it was interesting to see what would come next.

"No…" Blake let out in a whisper, "could she actually mean literal chills?" Another chapter done and another chapter to read. She flipped the page and continued reading on.

Thank you all for your kind words last chapter. I'm more thankful for them than you'll probably ever know or realize.

And thank you all for helping me and this story reach 700 followers! A new milestone means a new present for you all! As is tradition! So, I will see you all on Thursday for your super special, secret (not really a secret) bonus chapter!

evevee - Thank you so much! It was incredible to see you and others enjoying this section of my story.

c3l3st14 - I think the legion of the damned is from warhammer? Never actually played the game, so i don't know anything about it. Reapers have clear powers, along with reasons behind why they have what they have. But, from what you've said on the legion of the damned, then no, they don't work like that.

firewyrm2 - have fun in class!

Dragonqueen1993 - So, Reapers have different shades of red (or orange, it's pretty much always one of those types of warm colours) in Reaper form and silver eyes in human form. And thank you for the kind words. :)

lasereye27 - that's good to know the quality hasn't gone downhill, it may not be the best, but at least it's (somewhat) consistent!

Psiah - Thanks Psi. ^-^

TM Calypso - Ruby's my favourite character too! Thank you for the support. It was greatly needed.

DeOPOrange - Ya, most chapters are around this length. Except for the ones with fights. Those seem to always be like double the length. Not on purpose! Just something funny I've noticed in my own work.

Shadow Walker - I'm so happy you've been enjoying it. There is still much more to come!

No-One - Thank you very much

Guest - I know! Ruby's like a century older than all her friends. Think about all the booze that she could have legally purchased! /j

Dragon Lord Draco - Thanks. I know I'm being really critical, but I think it's because I went into these thinking they'd turn out one way and they came out different. It sucks, but I guess I'll learn to live with it. I'm just thankful you guys all have been enjoying it for the most part.

FN75 - I guess it's true that you never truly know how someone else is thinking unless you're in their head.