Author's note:

This is supposedly taking place between episode 4 and whatever happens in episode 5, written after episode 4 was aired. I'm talking about volume 7. This might contain SPOILERS even if minor.

Something woke Blake up. It wasn't a strange, sudden sound or some primal desire, like thirst. She just… Woke up feeling as if something wasn't right. Perhaps that kind of thing should become a norm by now, considering all the traveling they did and circumstances in which said traveling occurred. Yet that never happened before. Whenever they slept, she felt dead tired, the process of waking up consisting of forcing herself to get up with all the will power she had. Yet there was no such need for that here. This time she just… Woke up and even if she tried to, she couldn't go back to sleep.

She let a small sigh out, glancing over the edge to see if she was the only one not being able to do so. Sadly that had to be the case, as she noticed Ruby in her wild position, Yang and her… Odd position. Lastly, there was Weiss who… At that, she blinked. Weiss wasn't in her bed. Maybe she just went to the toilet? That was a possibility. She reached for her scroll, keeping it close by in case of an emergency. Opening it, she cursed herself for not remembering how bright this damn thing could be. It was especially bad whenever she adjusted to the dark. The first thing that she was met with, was her huntress license. Of course, she forgot to change from that screen, so it was still there. It continued to fill her with mixed feelings. Was it really important? Perhaps it could give them an edge in a more practical way once they're back on the road. But was there any real meaning behind it now? She shook her head, that wasn't why she opened it. Time, she wanted to know the time.

It was too late for anyone to be up without a good reason and too early to be up already… Also without a good reason. Blake wasn't a lazy type, far from it, but even she understood the simple rule of being rested. Well, fine, she learned it the hard way at Beacon, but regardless it was there now, as such it was fair for her to claim she understood it. The notion of not overworking yourself, which included proper rest.

As she looked at her scroll, blankly watching the clock on the display move forward, she found herself instinctively tapping her finger against her stomach. Now that she knew Weiss wasn't here, for some reason she felt restless. It all circled back to the notion that woke her up. That something wasn't right.

While overall this time her temper to take action was… curbed, for lack of a better word, it wasn't entirely gone. Although there wasn't any need for it since the thing they had gotten into was on a scale that was hard for her to fully comprehend. She understood it, but she was aware that there was a lot more to this situation than she could even comprehend. As such it was hard for her to feel this way towards it. Yet this case? This was different. Weiss was not in her bed and she was… What was she? Worried? That might be it. She was worried.

There was no need to panic though, as such the idea of waking up the other two seemed pointless. At least for now. Instead, she jumped off from her bed and silently landed on her bare feet. The chill of the Atlas night made itself clear as soon as she felt the cold floor underneath her soles. They didn't really have time to do any shopping, as such her sleeping attire consistent of the most obvious Atlas outfit. White long-sleeved blouse and white pants. It felt oddly comfortable and surprisingly warm. The first came as a surprise since she always thought of Atlas as a harsh place with people that weren't much for pleasantries. Cold and harsh like the land they came from, especially since all she knew was how they treated her kind. The second part surprised her considering how thin the fabric was. Whatever material or way of processing it was, made it quite impressive. Regardless it did its job, all she needed was some shoes, which were part of the outfit and while it seemed pointless when she acquired this specific set of clothes, now she thanked her past self for not throwing them or giving them back.

Deciding she would put them on after leaving the room, she did one last thing to make sure her endeavor wasn't pointless and in hindsight silly. She approached Weiss's bed and checked if there was any warmth left. What she discovered filled her with an odd sense of relief. She wasn't going crazy, Weiss had to be gone for longer, even in the chilly night of Atlas weather, if it was a simple bathroom trip it would not feel cold to the touch.

oooOOOooo

This wasn't the best plan she had. Far from it and very close to being the opposite. She had no idea about the layout of this place, the small tour they received with Penny didn't help a lot and usually, they were lead somewhere by someone who knew their way around anyway. Besides, even if she did know the layout, Weiss could be anywhere. Taking a long shower, talking to her sister, discussing things with Ironwood and ten more things she couldn't even name.

She let out a deep sigh as she rested her back against a random wall. This was pointless. She looked around her surroundings. What made it all worse was that…

"...I'm lost."

It wasn't often she admitted to that, but with it being late, her being tired, even if restless and with her concerns to top it off, it all piled up to her not really focusing on where she went and how she got to the place she was at. The fact that this building had so many identical corridors and places didn't help. She reached back into her memories to see Beacon. Perhaps it was the same and she was just used to it back there. Still, this place had nothing on her old Academy. It lacked this… Warmth? No, coziness was a better word. Maybe.

She could ask one of the many soldiers that were stationed around the academy. While it felt odd, she understood why they were there. Still, the first instinct she had when she left her room was to hide, having to use all her will power to stop herself, as it would create more problems than if she simply stayed visible. All they did was check her scroll for her information and allowed her to pass. Far better than stressing over being seen and forming a plan once she was found out.

Still, having to run away from guards, stumbling upon Weiss and pulling her into some broom closet or something, thus making her a fellow culprit? It would be fun. Maybe. She felt her cheeks grow warm at that, it did remind her of that one short story she read that one time.

Sadly her life wasn't… What? Exciting? It was plenty exciting, maybe even too exciting. No, it wasn't filled with the fun type of excitement. Mostly risk your life type of excitement. At least she had good company, right?

She shook her head. Regardless she was restless and without much else to do, she felt like her tossing in a bed would create a potential to wake the other two up. Why not wander around the school for a bit, till she feels sleepy? She was a cat after all.

That made her smile. Back in the day, she would get annoyed at herself for even thinking that and it took a bit to learn that it wasn't a bad thing. It all depended on who it was that said it. Jokes could be just jokes, but they could also be a mean of degrading someone. The "laugh at someone" versus "laugh with someone" situation.

Speaking of her cat-like features, one of her ears would twitch as something odd was caught by her sharp senses. Sound she couldn't identify, not at this… Frequency? This was always so odd to explain. Regardless she decided to follow the sound to its source. She hoped that at some point she would be close enough to hear it better and be able to identify the sound itself.

As she was lead by the odd trail, she noticed that she found herself in the less-visited area. Not just that, but it had to be one designed for the teaching staff and not the students. The difference was subtle, but it was there. It was… Nicer? Not by a lot, but still. She wasn't here before, not in this particular wing of the building.

The sound grew louder, not by a lot, but enough so that she could name it at least. It was singing… No, not singing. More like humming. Singing implied words, right? This had no words. Just a melody composed purely out of someone's voice. A very familiar voice to be exact.

Her ears lead her towards a balcony, one of many she noticed some of the Atlas buildings had. An odd one, halfway through glassed away. Although it made sense considering the endless winter of this place. Some people simply enjoyed the view while wanting to wall themselves off from the cold. Although it made it feel like the already small space had a vestibule. Or as if someone would enter the building through the balcony. She spotted some benches on both the outside part of the balcony, as well as the closed out part. While the city in itself seemed like it never slept, looking like an oddly grounded night sky in itself, Blake couldn't really focus on that. No, her amber eyes were mesmerized by the siren that led her to this place. Even if there was plenty of space to sit, the source of this sound, this melody that lured her, was sitting on the edge of the balcony, with her eyes focused on the stolen by the Atlas aristocracy night sky.

Blake found herself holding her breath as she quietly approached. She was too afraid that if she made a sound, it would break this scene. Like it was some sort of an illusion. Like her shadows, but more convoluted, more complex. Yet still nothing but a lie. She didn't want for that to happen.

She got close enough and decided it was enough. Both doors to the balcony were open, which was the reason how she could hear it in the first place. Even if her Faunus ears were sharp, the melody was too quiet to pierce through two layers of glass. Even now she was surprised how she caught up to it. Was she not the only one who heard it? Perhaps. It's not like she was the only Faunus in this building.

Just seeing the girl's profile made her realize how much time has passed since the events of Beacon. Why? Because Weiss seemed to look so… Peaceful, so relaxed. It occurred rarely, especially around her. Mostly when they shared a moment or two to enjoy a drink together. Yet ever since the fall of her old academy, she didn't see that side of Weiss. Of course, she didn't ask about it. She was in no position to ask anything from any of them. She couldn't help but smile, even if her thoughts started to fill with dark clouds. She missed that part of Weiss. It made her look… What? Different? No, of course not. That wasn't the right word. Special? Yes. Special was a good word to sum it up.

Suddenly the melody stopped, which froze Blake in place. She could swear that even her heart stopped to beat at that exact moment. "Took you long enough Belladonna."

As she heard Weiss's words, her eyes grew wide in panic. Why? She wasn't sure, but the same heart that previously paused its rhythm now seemed to want to catch up, increasing its pace inside her chest. It was hard for her to comprehend the words as well, yet as it all boiled down, the only thing she could grasp and hold on to, was the most basic, first thought she had. "Belladonna?"

The white-haired girl chuckled. "I'm sorry Blake. It just felt like something fitting to say. I didn't mean to call you by that name."

"I see, it's fine I don't mind. There's nothing to be angry at. I was just surprised." Although she was more surprised about something else really. "You were expecting me?"

"Yes and no." As Weiss offered her mysterious answer, Blake couldn't help but pout her lips slightly. Was she being played? As she wondered if she should voice her mind, Weiss finally looked her way, which made Blake clench her jaw from what she saw. It was sadness. The sadness behind her blue eyes. Perhaps the expression from before was far from being the calm serenity she thought it was. Maybe it was just her imagination.

Was it often that Blake saw sadness behind her eyes? At Beacon? Perhaps not. There was motivation, concern at times. Happiness. Sadness? Maybe, but not that often. Or did she never really look enough to see it. Maybe even back then she was a bad friend. Maybe.

Weiss had to notice that, the fact she saw the sadness that was inside her heart at the moment, deciding to shift the topic to something else, something more casual perhaps. "I always wondered if that amount of white in life would suit you." The Schnee girl commented, making Blake glance down at herself. She never disliked white, quite the contrary. It usually was a bigger part of any set of clothes she chose to wear. Raising her head, she wanted to say something, but she noticed that Weiss was once more glancing at the city. No, there was more to that and this time it wasn't just her imagination. There was noticeable red on Weiss's cheeks. Well, one cheek really. Blake wondered why would that suddenly happen and while this encounter was plenty confusing already, the realization finally hit her. Or at least a suspicion. Still, even if just that, she decided to follow up on that. It was better than to be awkward and dance around something the other girl herself wasn't comfortable to talk about.

"I think any amount of white would suit me." She offered her response, to which Weiss simply tilted her head further away, as if aware that Blake could still see a part of her face. The human girl mumbling something and Blake could swear she heard the word stupid being said. Was it aimed at her? Or was she speaking to herself? "You knew I would come?" With her previous guess being right, she decided there was no point in teasing Weiss about her odd choice of words. Perhaps she didn't want to think about the meaning behind them herself.

"Yes, but no." Weiss repeated her answer from before, which made Blake just roll her eyes. Luckily this time the Schnee decided to follow up on that. "I figured one of you would wake up, notice I was gone and try to find me. Although I had a feeling from all three of you, it would be you." The white-haired girl let a dry chuckle at her own words. "I know, it's stupid to say things like that. That I had a feeling. But I can't explain it any other way." She finished with a shrug.

"No, it's not." Blake shook her head and as she took a step forward, she was surrounded by a cold feeling as the wind blew through the open doors of the balcony. Only now did she registered that while cold, the interior of the building was way warmer than what was currently going on outside. Shivering, she decided to follow up on her own words regardless of the temperature. "It was a feeling like that, which woke me up."

Glancing her way, Weiss decided to ignore her words, instead, she focused on her physical reaction to the weather. Jumping off her current resting place, she approached the closed-off area of the balcony and shut the glass door behind herself. "You don't have to act tough, you know?"

"I don't. When was I acting tough?" Blake's brow furrowed at the accusation.

"Just now, pretending you're not cold." Weiss shrugged, resting her back against the glass behind her.

Acting tough huh? Was that what she was doing? Far from it. She shook her head. "I wasn't acting tough I was..." What was she exactly? The sudden pause made Weiss's eyebrow raise.

"It's fine Blake. I was just concerned, that's all." Weiss looked to the side, her gaze moving lower with each passing second. It made Blake's throat tighten, making it further difficult to speak. She just upset her, didn't she? It was frustrating considering the fact that she couldn't do anything. Not that she didn't want to, no. She just felt as if she had no room to do anything. Feeling like a bother until anyone would reach out to her. Or for her.

Weiss had to feel that she was the reason for the mood plummeting down at a steady pace, trying to change that she once more looked at Blake and offered a small smile. "Since I'm not yet feeling tired, mind joining me for a bit longer?" Her eyes grew a bit as she realized something, turning to the side, she continued. "Unless you're tired. In which case I won't keep you." Not waiting for her answer, Weiss moved to the side.

"No, I'm fine. I couldn't sleep anyway and I don't think much has changed in that regard." Blake assumed that Weiss wanted to sit down on one of the benches. She got it halfway correct. Wanting to join her, she started to follow after her, but she noticed that Weiss wasn't really aiming for any of the benches. No, instead she picked the wall that was perpendicular to either of the benches. Slowly slumping down before pulling her knees to her chest. Finally, she rested her head against them in silence.

Shrugging, Blake had no other option but to follow suit, as she sat beside Weiss, although with her legs straight. Letting out a small sigh as she finally rested her back against the hard surface of the wall behind her, she glanced at Weiss, only to meet her blue gaze. "It's not working, isn't it?" Weiss asked quietly.

"What isn't?" Blake asked back, tilting her head.

"Me trying to act as if everything was fine." Blake eyed the other girl. She didn't know there was an attempt at hiding it.

"I didn't… I mean. No, it's not." She rubbed her neck at that.

"You didn't even know I was trying, that's pretty bad." Weiss giggled. "I guess becoming a huntress was the best thing that could happen. Since I'm so bad at acting."

"Huh? There's plenty of things you can do that don't require acting." It felt silly to say that, but Blake was lost by now as to what to say. She would rather say stupid things than saying something that could be considered insensitive.

"Not really. Not in Atlas. I mean, not when you're… Well, in my position." Weiss frowned, taking Blake's words a bit more seriously than even the cat Faunus had. "It's mostly politics here, no matter what or who you are. It's always politics. Which requires you to act accordingly to what you want to achieve and how high up you are in the hierarchy." She finished with a shake of her head.

Blake winced at that. She experienced that from a different side, this political thing. Although it wasn't as convoluted as Weiss made it out to be, she remembered the power struggle over the white fang when she was younger. Back then it seemed so simple and yet from today's perspective? Maybe it was as tangled as Atlas's situation. Still, she wanted to say something to at least try and cheer Weiss up. "Your voice is pretty." It didn't take her long to understand how out of context that could be taken. "I-I mean, that's something that doesn't necessarily require any kind of acting skills, right?" She finished with a sheepish smile.

Weiss had to understand that her blush was clearly visible on her face, not trying to hide it. Instead, she pouted her lips slightly. "You really want me to stop being a huntress that bad, Blake? It wasn't even a day since I got my license."

Blake turned her head away at those words. "I didn't mean it like that, I just..." She stopped mid-sentence as she felt something on her thigh. Glancing down she noticed it was Weiss's hand. Her amber eyes moved up slowly, only to spot a gentle smile.

"I was only making a joke, Blake." At that, the catgirl simply sighed. Of course, if Weiss was doing a poor job at trying to hide her worries, then Blake was awful at trying to act normal, wasn't she?

"I'm sorry, I guess we're both bad at pretending huh?" Feeling a little bold, Blake placed her own hand on top of Weiss's. At first, the hand of the other girl moved, which caused Blake to grow stiff in anticipation of yet another failure. That feeling passed away once she understood why Weiss did that. It was simply to connect their fingers together.

"We are, so you can just ask the question you want to ask, Blake." Weiss stated, to which the catgirl couldn't help but to shrug.

"You know what I want to ask." There were a lot of things that Blake wanted to ask Weiss, which would make it difficult to choose from the ocean of possibilities.

"But it's awkward to answer an unasked question." Weiss retorted, to which Blake simply sighed.

What was it that she wanted to ask? About what her father said? About her well being? The license thing? Ironwood plan. There were more, plenty more. And even those she could name, some of them seemed so unimportant at the moment. Weiss was a friend. Her teammate. In her own words, they were family. A statement she fully agreed with. As such, one question… No, concern emerged above all else. "I was worried what's troubling you." Not the best way to ask that, but at the moment she wasn't really sure how else to ask it. Or rather, any other ways of asking seemed even more insensitive and or less effective.

Weiss chuckled at that. "It's silly, isn't it. You knew what's troubling me without even having to ask, for me to answer a question you already know the answer of." She offered a smile afterward, squeezing Blake's fingers a bit more.

"I guess it is." Blake nodded, agreeing. It wasn't a mystery to guess that Weiss was simply stalling. Did she not want to answer? Maybe it was just because of how awkward their conversation has turned? Perhaps. "But at the same time, I'm worried that my assumptions could be wrong. There's plenty of things that you could worry about. Some of them taking priority in a different order than I imagine." She followed up, wanting to encourage Weiss as well as maybe give this conversation a bit of a normal tone. If only a tiny bit.

"What do you think?" Blake knew that Weiss would ask this. It didn't take a grandmaster of chess to be that much ahead.

"It would take us more than this night alone for me to offer you all the possibilities that I had in mind." She smiled, that might have been an exaggeration, but this was perhaps one of the few things Blake wasn't really looking forward to going along with.

"Would you mind?" Weiss's question took her from surprise, so much so that the implication and perhaps the true meaning behind it had to dangle in front of her before she truly grasped what the Schnee truly meant by that.

It also surprised her how little did she have to think about the answer and how confident she was when answering, "I wouldn't." As if on its own, her hand squeezed that of the other girl. It seemed like a very bold move, perhaps a bit too bold. At least that's what she thought in the split moment before she felt Weiss squeeze her hand back.

"You know, it never occurred to me that what he said was true." Weiss began and Blake assumed that was the actual moment in which Weiss would tell her about her worries. Hopefully. "That I really abandoned all of my past just to run away. I say run away because back then? Back then my goal wasn't to find you girls." Weiss let a small sigh. "I wanted to find my sister." There was a pause before she continued. "It's both sad and amazing." There was another pause, this time longer. Blake couldn't help but wonder if this was how deep her worries went. If so, there was plenty on her plate.

"Sad, because I didn't really venture out to try and reunite with neither of you." Weiss began. "But I really wasn't even sure where any of you went. I wasn't sure what to do. I just wanted to get away, to go somewhere where I thought I would find someone I could trust." Weiss turned towards her, oddly enough she could see desperation behind her blue eyes. Like she was pleading innocence of some sort. It didn't just scare her, it disturbed Blake how afraid Weiss was of being judged for it. She wanted to say something, but for once decided that words wouldn't really do. Instead, she moved her other hand to hold Weiss's hand between hers. She then smiled at her and nodded.

It was odd to hear that from Weiss as if she had anything to say in this. Of course she never really asked about details, but it wasn't hard to imagine the level of control her father had to have over each and every move of his own family. Yet Weiss felt guilty over it, even if a bit. Blake found it a bit silly if anyone it should be her that should feel guilty. She had no one to tell her where to go or what to do. While she was glad she decided to go back home, considering all that happened, afterward she would never believe that she would see her old, now current, teammates. Let alone join them on a strange quest like this.

Regardless, her action seemed to calm Weiss down. She offered a small nod of her own before continuing. "Amazing because it had to be fate. For all of us to be reunited in one place. I prefer to focus on this part. That we got together even if none of us had any plans. Even if none of us knew where the other is. Yet we're here, together." This made Weiss smile. Not a small smile like many before, but a much brighter one. While it wasn't there for long, it sure did leave a lasting impression on Blake. It made her understand that if she could, she would do anything in her power to make that happen more often. Still, she didn't want to appear weird before her, especially since Weiss opened up like that. Wanting for her to continue, as well as hide that part of her mind, she nodded to nudge her on.

"While it might be embarrassing to say that, I really stand behind my words. That all of you are like a family for me. A family I lost somewhere in the past." Weiss shook her head and looked to the side. "Yet even if I would love to move on, I can't. I still worry about mother. I think in all of this? She's… She's the biggest victim. But none of us can reach her. She just… Just gave up. On everything." Weiss's voice carried something else than just sadness. Something that crushed Blake's heart. Anguish, that was the only way to describe it.

What could she even say to that? Feel sorry for the girl? Of course not. If there was something, anything to cheer her up, she would say it. Yet once again, she had no such words. She simply moved one of her arms and wrapped it around the other girl, bringing her closer. Weiss was more than happy to comply, as she leaned her head against Blake's shoulder.

There wasn't much more to say, was there? Her insecurities and worries, even if small and seemingly unimportant, now were revealed. Vented out, was that a proper way to say it? Maybe. It was off her chest, even if still burdening her shoulders. Blake felt sad that Weiss had all those issues, but at the same time, she was happy that she could be there for the other girl. Even if the other girls didn't like it when she treated it that way, she was in debt with them for everything.

That single thought made her brow furrow. Did that mean she did it only because she felt guilty? No, of course not. She would do any of those things for all of them just because. Simply because they were her friends. Maybe debt wasn't the right word. Still, she felt like she owed something to them, regardless of how anyone would call it. There was no going past that fact.

"Blake?" Hearing Weiss's voice made her blink. She wasn't sure how long did she spend wandering through her own thoughts like that. Glancing down she noticed a certain level of determination behind those blue eyes.

"Yes?" She asked, a bit afraid as to what was about to happen. What sort of question would be asked while having such an expression?

"I was wondering if… Perhaps just for tonight..." Blake frowned as even she struggled to get what Weiss was saying, as her voice seemed to get quieter with each word, to the point where even she had trouble understanding her.

Weiss glanced to the side after her unheard question. Blake wasn't sure what to do with that, blindly agreeing or disagreeing seemed like something insensitive. Without much choice, she decided that there was only one thing she could do. "Could you repeat that?" She asked with a sheepish smile of her own.

"Hug!" Weiss suddenly yelled. No, not really yelled. She simply raised her voice a bit, but considering the quiet of the night and how quiet they were so far, it seemed like a scream almost. Blake couldn't help but to jump at that, not being able to focus on anything but the fact it was so loud to her ears. "I… I wanted to ask if we could hug and stay that way for tonight. I mean, for a little while." There was annoyance behind her voice and as she glanced down she could see her cheeks were not just tainted but outright filled with red.

Blake let a small sigh, mostly to relax after her body tensed from the loud voice. She wasn't worried about that annoyance in Weiss's voice. She knew the girl well enough to know why it was there. If she was ice cold with her, now that would bring trouble. Any kind of warm emotion, even if its outright heated, meant simply that she was passionate about something. Which rarely was a bad thing.

"Of course." She answered although she expected something else to happen. Her expectation was simply, Weiss hugging her as they were, she would hug her back and not much would change in their current position. She was wrong.

Perhaps there were some additional things she said when she first mumbled her question, Blake wouldn't know and she wasn't about to ask. Weiss, seeing as she did agree for the hug, did what she had to have in mind when asking. Moving to place herself on Blake's lap and before any self-doubt filled her mind, she buried her face into Blake's chest.

That explained why Weiss asked about a hug, since why ask about something that they were already partially doing. Maybe if she had this in mind earlier, she would find herself flustered. But right now? Right now she was happy, especially since it was Weiss who initiated this. With a smile she wrapped her arms around the girl, bringing her closer and keeping her that way. She felt Weiss's arms move the same way around her.

Once they settled into this position, there was silence. Blake wasn't sure how far could she go, so she simply felt complied to just enjoy the closeness. With each breath, she could smell Weiss's scent. Perhaps not hers, but whatever it was she used when showering. It would be odd if this was how she naturally smelled. Regardless Blake didn't wish to focus on that, as she would subconsciously sniff at her which would not only be rude but also inappropriate. And odd. Very odd.

Another thing she noticed about Weiss was how light she was. Sure, part of it was her own fault. The feeling, not the fact that Weiss was lighter, it's not like she stole her food or anything. It's the fact that their adventure honed her body. Even before, at Menagerie, she was always on the move, not to mention constant fights in harsh environments. It was only natural for her to find certain things easier. Like lifting things. Or people. Yet she didn't expect Weiss to feel this light. She almost wanted to check if she was doing that through one of her glyphs. Most likely that wasn't possible, but at the time her mind couldn't find any other rational way to explain that.

"Your parents, what kind of people are they?" Weiss asked, glancing up at her.

"My parents?" She tilted her head looking back at Weiss before moving it up to glance at the ceiling. Her parents, that's not a question she would often hear, especially not nowadays. She chuckled. "I think they're the best." She couldn't help but smile at that. "When I ran away with Adam, then enrolled in Beacon I had no contact with them through all those events. Then when everything got… You know. When we were forced out of the Academy, I returned home." She let a small sigh, closing her eyes. "I thought they would be angry with me, disappointed or at least upset with how I was." She paused, smiling once more as she glanced down at Weiss. "But no, they were just happy that I was alive, that I was well. That I came back to them." She shrugged. "The best I could hope for."

Weiss was wearing a small smile of her own as she listened, at least at the parts where Blake glanced down at her. Seemingly contempt to the warm feeling her words had to have. "I see, I wouldn't mind meeting them one day." She paused. "I mean if we… After all… No, no." She shook her head. "Of course we will." It seemed as if she was talking to herself more than to Blake at the moment. Having something settled with herself, she continued. "Once all of this is over, I wouldn't mind visiting Menagerie with you and meet them."

If they survive, it didn't take a genius to understand what Weiss was struggling with. The idea that she or one of them if not everyone might fall. Not make it. Die. She understood that and she also understood the notion of keeping yourself in high spirits. There's no point in dwelling on the fact that they can get hurt or die. No, they will end up victorious one way or another with everyone still on board. "That's not something I thought about, visiting my parents with my friends." Her destination after all this was done, would be to check on her parents. Be it settle there or get back on the road was still a mystery, one that was hard to unveil in the current state of affairs. As for Weiss? Where would she go? Come back home? To what? Her family seemed to be the core of her issues. What if they all decided to settle somewhere, would Weiss travel by herself? Would she settle somewhere by herself? Try to settle with one of them? She blinked at that, mostly since… She wouldn't mind. Why would she?

"They would probably hate me, wouldn't they? With me, bearing the Schnee name." The undertone of her words, sounding so bitter, made Blake's face twist in a grimace. She shook her head.

"No, well maybe a bit suspicious at first. But they would trust me and my choice in who I call friends… No, not just friends. Who I think of as family." She sent a warm smile towards the human girl if only to melt her worries away. It seemed to work as she smiled back. "My mom would quickly overwhelm you with how nice she is and pamper you like no one ever did in your life. My dad would have the tough dad act going for a few minutes, but I'm sure he would soon start treating you as a friend and family." As Weiss giggled at her words, it made her heart flutter, such a pretty sound. Just like the sight of her smile, hearing Weiss laugh was something that she would always want to hear.

"They sound like good people. I'm happy for you." Weiss said with a smile, only for the same smile to slowly melt away. "If only..." She didn't finish, but Blake understood what she wanted to say. It explained why she was so curious about her parents and why she wanted to meet them. Maybe it would be a good thing to do. Let her experience first hand some of that hearth fire.

"Weiss, after tonight I thought..." She began but was silenced as Weiss placed a finger on her lips. She glanced down and saw the other girl shake her head.

"I actually wanted to ask you… There shouldn't be anything after tonight." She cleared her throat. "I mean, this night didn't happen, or rather what we did tonight didn't occur." Weiss lowered her gaze.

"Why?" It slipped past Blake's lips even before she could think about it.

"I just think we should focus on our mission. This, whatever it is and whatever might bloom from this, would just hold us down. All of us." Weiss let out a deep sigh, resting her head against Blake's chest once more. "I apologize, I'm just afraid that tipping the scale even slightly might bring ruin. I would rather wait for… For everything to have a happy end."

Was Weiss ashamed of this? No, that wasn't it. She did expect any of them, not just her specifically. She understood her worries, she shared them to a degree, or perhaps fully. She just wasn't so sure if trying to keep a status quo would help anything. Maybe it would? The change was inevitable. Even if just them officially graduating. That still was change. Was Weiss afraid of acting on her own? To make a move, one had to risk making a mistake with that move. There were plenty of questions she could ask, but perhaps tonight wasn't fitted for any of them. No, of course not. It was clear that she had a moment of weakness. She needed reassurance, no doubt.

She hugged her tightly. "Everything will be fine. I promise." She whispered softly into her ear, prompting a small nod from Weiss.

Blake knew she would hold onto this promise she made to the other girl. She would make sure that Weiss would live through this to smile and laugh. She would make sure all of them would. And if everything would go well, she would be there with them, to experience their smiles and laughter.

Author's note 2:

I was saying this since volume 6, but the odd amount of Weiss/Blake scenes and small moments was always very odd. As such, after episode 4 and seeing how it was Blake who was the first to reassure Weiss that she wasn't alone, together with the hand holding, I got inspired to write this small piece.

I say small but it blew out of proportion considering that originally I was afraid it wouldn't go past what I consider a minimum amount of words, 3k. Yet as I wrote this, it sort of took off in its own direction. A lot of things changed, some were removed and a lot was added.

I admit, this is a bit messy, but I enjoyed writing it. I enjoy subtext romance and subtle stuff like that, dancing on the edge of friendship and something more. I think that when traveling and being in constant danger, together with an intimate moment of weakness, this type of situation could occur.

Regardless I hope you enjoyed this for what it was. A weird mess. I know I had fun writing it, even if it took longer than I would wish for. Still, I finished before the deadline. That being the next episode.