I guarantee no expertise in or even basic correct knowledge of parties, presents, RWBY's semblance mechanics, cakes, knives, cooking, camping, marshmallows, or fashion.
-OOO-
Blake woke up in the middle of the night. The door opened. Blake didn't quite know which one of those happened first.
One of the maids was there, holding a lantern and a finger to thin lips, beckoning Blake to follow.
So Blake switched places with one of the life-sized Blake dolls- since remade slightly to accommodate the ways Blake had changed since she first arrived- and Blake was taken to a big, windowless office that smelled of dust and white-collar crime, where the adult Schnees were sitting in imposing chairs. Blake sat down in her own chair and waited to find out what she was needed for this time.
"So as you may know," said Mum Schnee, "Our Sweetie's birthday is coming up soon."
Blake blinked. She actually didn't know that, because Weiss never brought it up and she had been here less than a year.
Blake didn't say anything, which must have prompted the Schnees to continue their spheal.
"That means it has been a while number of years since our sweetie was born," explained Mum Schnee.
Blake's expression flattened. "i know what a birthday is."
"And while we feel we have a decent idea of what sorts of material items our sweetie would appreciate bring given, it is only a net gain if we double check."
Blake blinked.
"So Blake," mum Schnee said, "can we ask you to ascertain an optimal gift for our sweetie's birthday?"
Blake didn't react for a few seconds, just to savor the fact that the adult Schnees were waiting on her. Not that it was as important now, now that Blake had maybe possibly in some kind of light decided that the Schnees weren't the least likable people , maybe.
Then Blake nodded. "i will do my best."
So the next day, as Weiss was playing with Blake's hands during their designated free time, Blake broached the subject.
Blake cleared her throat, and Weiss paused and looked at Blake expectantly.
"weiss," Blake said, "what do you like?
Weiss winked. Then she hugged Blake's head, "You're so silly, Blakey!" Weiss said, "It's you! You are what I like!"
Blake allowed her head to be hugged.
"In fact, I love you, silly Blakey. Mwah." Weiss smooched the side of Blake's head. "No matter what."
Blake managed to keep her expression unwavering during the ordeal.
After Weiss was done, she held Blake out at arms length.
"then," Blake said, taking advantage of the time she had before Weiss tried to play with her hands again, "what kinds of things do you like?"
"Oh, cute, fluffy things," Weiss said. She waved her hands in the air. "Just like you, Blakey!"
Weiss hugged Blake's head again.
Blake scrunched her mouth to the side. Clearly, she would have to be more cunning the next time.
After Weiss was done, she held Blake out at arms length.
"what's," Blake began, "your favorite corporate mouse brand hereditary monarch?
Weiss pulled out of the hug and looked at Blake.
"Well, since we managed to negotiate a Blakey princess being added to the brand as part of our settlement with the Corporate Mouse Corp," Weiss said. Then she waved her hands in the air, "It's also you! (To be fulfilled withing five years or they'll be in default of the contract.)"
Weiss hugged Blake's head.
Blake sighed as she allowed herself to be hugged. She had walked into that one
After Weiss was done, she held Blake out at arms length, again.
"what is," Blake said, quickly, "your second favorite animal?"
Weiss winked.
"Oh silly Blakey," Weiss said. She waved her hands in the air. "It's kitties, just like you!"
Weiss hugged Blake's head.
Blake blinked.
Blake blinked again.
"wait," Blake said, from inside the hug, "what's your first favorite animal then?
"Oh Blakey, didn't you know?" Weiss said. She tilted her head to the side.
"is-" Blake narrowed her eyes at the giant spotted snake plush toy on the corner of their bed. "is it snakes?"
"Hee hee, you're so silly, Blakey!" Weiss said. "You really didn't know?"
Blake blinked, and she shook her head.
"Well, snakes are fun, but my favorite animal is~" Weiss began. She waved her hands in the air. "Sharks!"
Blake blinked.
"Like the one in our mansion's shark tank! You know, the one we pass every time we see the in house vet? Its right next to the optic's engineer's office?"
Blake blinked again as she processed that information.
"Like, for your teeth?" Weiss said. She tilted her head to the side.
Blake blinked. "how, long has this been the case?"
"Oh, since forever! Because sharks are so cool, Blakey!" Weiss explained. She made chomping motions with her hands and mouth and went into a long speech about why sharks were cool.
So the next time Weiss wasn't looking, Blake snuck away to the basement level of the mansion, next to the in house vet and the optics engineer's office, where there was a large tank of water that Blake had always assumed was just the lower half of some kind of swimming pool somewhere. She had never sought to confirm her hypothesis, because water was dumb and gross and she never wanted to willingly go into it for recreation.
But now that Blake looked closer, she could see that there was, indeed, a shark inside the tank, swimming around listlessly with some kind of cylindrical device tied to its stupid head.
Blake looked at the dumb fish in the Schnee mansions tank for several minutes.
"what's so good about you?" Blake said, even though she knew the shark couldn't interpret the language she's speaking, or hear her through the glass pane and water.
"you're not so tough," Blake said. She made a face at the shark.
But it ignored her.
It was probably for the best, because then Blake noticed the evidence of all the people who had previous been fed to the shark, drifting around the bottom of the tank.
- A POSSIBLE FUTURE -
Weiss is in their room, while the rest of her team is off doing other school related things.
She is alone, because dumb Ruby had managed to sneak in a dog, and it had scared Blake, but Ruby made Weiss promise to at least try to tolerate Zwei for as long as they were hiding a fugitive pet in a school dorm room.
So Weiss turns on the lights and closes the door and walks over to the closet.
"Whats so good about yo-" Weiss begins as she opens the door, but before she can finish, a small canine runs out, barking, and jumps on Weiss.
"Ah! um-" Weiss says. She picks up the dog by its armpits and holds it out at arms reach.
The dog managed to look happy as it sticks its tongue out of the corner of its mouth and pants.
"I seem to recall there are correct and incorrect ways to pick up dogs?" Weiss says, aloud, even though she know that Zwei can't interpret the language she's speaking.
Zwei only barks happily.
"Well, anyway," Weiss says, "Just so you know, cats are better, since you have to earn their affection. Since you have to prove you deserve it."
Zwei barks happily.
Weiss scrunches her mouth to the side. "You just met me and you love me, don't you?"
Zwei barks happily, and tries to lick Weiss.
"You'd probably love me no matter what, since you don't know better, and that's why cats are the superi-"
And this time, Zwei manages to jump out of Weiss's grip and crawl up her lap and lick her face.
"oh! ah-" Weiss says, and after a few moments of interacting with the dog, she stops tensing all her muscles.
"I guess you're not literally the worst," Weiss says. She pets the dog, and the dog wags its tail.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, random puppy," Weiss says, as she continues to pet the dogs weird head, "you're still maybe only the... third snuggliest thing that lives in our dorm room."
Zwei barks, happily.
Weiss pets Zwei again, going down to the neck this time.
"But I suppose," Weiss smirks in spite of yourself, "You're not all bad..."
Weiss plays with Zwei for what surely isn't all that long, petting and snuggling with the contraband canine. She idly wonders, if maybe she can use some treats to trick Zwei into liking her more than Ruby, but that would mean Weiss was still concerned with her petty rivalry with her combat partner, and she had been trying to not fall into that so much.
Weiss holds Zwei out at arms length. "Whooooo's a good puppy~?" She says, in a silly voice affect.
Zwei barks happily.
Weiss frowns. "Unfortunately, it cannot be you, I'm afraid, random puppy," Weiss says, "Because morality is a lie constructed by the powerful to justify their cruelty and subjugate the masses."
Zwei tilts his head to the side, and then barks happily.
Weiss hugs Zwei. He barks happily.
"But in the shadow cast by the fallibility of mortal understanding, you, random puppy, can be a just doggy," Weiss says. She hugs Zwei. "And perhaps that will suffice."
And then there is a noise.
Weiss flinches, and looks to her left-
Where Blake is standing in the doorway. Her schoolbooks are dropped to the ground and her hands are over her mouth.
Blake's eyes are wide and wet with tears.
"Weiss," Blake chokes, "How- how could you...?"
And then she runs into hall, tears streaming, face in the crook of her elbow.
Weiss scrambles to her feet, letting Zwei down to run around in circles and bark, happily.
"Blake, wait, come back-" Weiss calls out, "This didn't mean anything-"
- PRESENT DAY -
So one night, Blake reported her findings to the adult Schnees.
And Mum Schnee sighed. "I suppose that lends itself to the obvious course of action."
Blake nodded. She understood.
Blake awoke first, on the anniversary of Weiss's birth, for that particular celestial cycle. The air smelled, of foreboding.
And at some point Weiss sat up and yawned and smacked her mouth and adjusted her medical eye-patch, and then her eye opened and focused on Blake.
"Hey, Blakey! Mwah!" Weiss said. She hugged Blake's head and smooched her ears.
Blake blinked.
Weiss pulled out of the hug and bit her lip and glanced at the bedsheets.
"So, um," Weiss said, "Today is my birthday- that means it has been a whole number multiple of full years since I was born."
Blake's expression flattened. "i know what a birthday is."
"Hee hee hee, of course you do, silly Blakey!" Weiss hugged Blake again.
Blake blinked.
"But, um," Weiss said, "That means, there's probably a party downstairs."
Blake blinked again.
"So, you should go out, and make sure there's nobody there trying to surprise me," Weiss said. She smiled. "Okay, Blakey?"
Blake opened and shut her eyes, but she agreed.
And so the door creaked open, and Blake tiptoed out of the crack in the door.
And Blake stepped into the hallway, and looked upon the dozens of staff members wearing pointed hats and holding noisemakers and piles of confetti, ready to spring their trap.
"So, is the coast clear, Blakey?" Weiss said, from inside the room.
Blake made eye contact with some of the staff, before she turned to the door and cleared her throat.
"yes."
And after Weiss calmed down from the surprise, she and Blake were brought down to the foyer, where there were party decorations around the walls and flor and the staff were all up, smiling, wearing birthday accessories. They congratulated Weiss for her achievement of surviving for another 365 days since the last time this thing happened. Occasionally confetti poppers would go off, showering Weiss and Blake with tiny pieces of colorful paper. Blake hissed at the confetti, but it still got in her hair and clothes.
There were banners and balloons around the edges of the room. There was also buffet table, which Blake snuck off to,.
"Happy Birthday, Weiss sweetie," Mum Schnee said. She held her arms out and she kneeled down, in front of her daughter.
"Oh! Thanks, mom." Weiss said. She made a smile and allowed her mother to hug her.
"We made your favorite food, sweetie," mum Schnee said, gesturing to the buffet table Blake was currently eating at.
"And I consulted with the maid who is studying to be an architect," mum Schnee waved the air, "To construct your favorite pillow venues to play around in."
Blake peeked into the adjoining room and saw that, yes, there were in fact pillows arranged into elaborate architectural constructs.
"Aaannnnddd," Mum Schnee managed a smile, but there was the unmistakable sense of unwilling compromise in her voice, "We hired a music grad student to write a catchy, simple song about birthdays and cats, to be performed as annoying background music."
Blake twitched her ears. The song was, indeed, very annoying.
Weiss gasped. "I love it!" she said. She waved her arms in the air, and then started singing along to the simple lyrics.
So the day became a rush through all the highlights of Weiss's imagination games. Weiss got dressed in a party dress (And Blake allowed some maids to dress her out of her pajamas), and then Blake was sequentially imprisoned, baked into a pastry, crowned hereditary monarch of a small independent sovereign nation, sent into space, press-ganged aboard a pirate ship, and sung to in public.
As the Adult Schnees looked on, vicariously enjoying the physical pleasures of movement and imagination, through their daughter.
And eventually, the whirlwind tired itself out. Blake was, of course, completely fine. She just needed to lay down for a bit.
"Alright," Weiss said, panting just slightly, sweating just noticeably, "Let's do presents, now!"
Mum Schnee brushed past Blake, without making eye contact, dropping a box into her stomach as she did. Blake caught it right before it left the ground.
"Don't worry Blakey," Weiss said. Before Blake could ask Mum Schnee what the box was, Weiss ran up to Blake and picked the wrapped box out of Blake's hands, "I was always gonna do yours first!"
Blake blinked.
Weiss messily ravaged the box until it burst open.
"Gasp!" Weiss said- rather than actually gasping, "It's a sharky!"
Blake narrowed her eyes at the shark. Them again.
Weiss pulled out a plush shark the size of her forearm. She closed her eye and hugged it hard enough to deform the toy in a comical way.
"I love it! I'm gonna name it Bitey."
Blake blinked.
"Princess Bitey of the Cerulean Tide." Weiss opened her eye and mouth all the way, and she waved the shark around, and then pointed it at Blake, "Watch out, she's here to eat you~!"
Blake tried not to smile as Weiss poked her in the face with the shark toy.
"Heeheehee, you got eaten, Blakey," Weiss said, "You'll have to be faster than that, next time!"
Blake blinked. "okay," she said, and she made a smile.
Pa Schnee had a small box, which he held out nervously before Weiss ran over and politely requested the gift. Pa Schnee smiled and pontificated theatrically as he presented his gift.
This box was only closed by a lid, decorated in a similar pattern to the base, so Weiss didn't need to tear it open. She did so anyway.
"Ooo, cool!" Weiss said, "A digital recorder!"
Pa Schnee smiled, "Yes, since your voice coach is due to return to teaching soon, I thought you'd want to brush up on your singing ability, and perhaps take the time to learn more than just pop songs."
Mum Schnee's eye twitched, "Ah, of course. That was one of your hobbies, wasn't it?"
And while that was happening, Mum Schnee caught Blake's attention.
Blake nodded, and she followed the adult's directions to meet where nobody was looking.
In one of the adjacent rooms, three maids helped Blake change her outfit (And Blake wondered why, if they wanted her a specific way, why they didn't just change her into the amber dress in the first place). Mum Schnee affixed a bow to Blake's head, and then climbed up a footstool to jump into a large box. The box closed, and Blake adjusted her sitting position.
There were a few small air-holes at the base of the box, but Blake was too lazy to contort herself to spy through it. And besides, Blake figured it probably wouldn't take too long. And the real reason, was that mum Schnee had handed her a bag of tuna snackies to occupy herself while she waited.
"Alright, yeah, I'll do your present next then, mom," Blake heard Weiss say from outside the box. Blake stuffed a handful of the snackies into her mouth, since she'd have to eat them fast.
The box moved. Blake wobbled with the movement.
"Alright- wait, where's Blake?" Weiss said.
Blake smushed her mouth together as she chewed.
"Oh, I'm sure she's around-"
"Well then, someone should go find her- BLAKE~" Weiss called out.
And there was some murmuring from the ambient staff. Blake blinked.
"BLAKE? BLA~AKE~?" Weiss called out.
Blake ate another snackie.
"Mom, where's Blake?" Weiss then said, her tone shifting.
"What? Surely I wouldn't know-," Mum Schnee said.
"YES YOU DO!" Weiss yelled, "What did you do with Blake?"
"Weiss, sweetie," Mum Schnee said. If Blake didn't know better, she would have thought she heard a slight tremor in the woman's voice, "You have to know I'd never do that-"
"You've been trying to get rid of Blake since she got here-"
"Can't you just open your present-"
"No!" Weiss yelled, "I wanted Blake to be here when I opened your present to prove to her that you really care about me!"
"Weiss, sweetie, please-"
"But I guess I can't prove it." Weiss sounded defiant, and hurt.
"Sweetie, can you please just just open your present?"
"No! Not until you tell me what you did to Blake-"
Blake scrunched her mouth to the side as, clearly, things weren't going as planned.
Well, it was her duty to safeguard Weiss's emotional and mental health, so, making a great compromise to herself, for the first time in her life, Blake meowed.
There was a pause, and them a scramble at the top of the box.
There was light; Blake's box opened.
There was Weiss, with her hair done up fancy, a fancy white dress and a medical eye-patch around her left eye. She looked down where Blake lay.
Weiss looked down where Blake lay.
"Oh what? A Blakey?" Weiss exclaimed.
Weiss lifted Blake out of the box, by her armpits.
"Yaaaay, its just what I wanted! How did you know, Mom?"
Mum Schnee made the dirtiest expression.
Weiss rubbed Blake's hair and head and ears with her hands and cheek. Blake appreciated the lateral pressure to her torso.
Weiss rubbed down to her face, rubbing her nose, rubbing eyelids. Blake tried to turn her head away but the Weiss did not relent.
"And there's even a bow on her!" Weiss squealed, "Shes so cute!"
Weiss hugged Blake's head again, but in a way that allowed her to breath, "I'm going to call you Blakey, Blakey! Cause you're the Blakeyest Blakey ever."
Blake blinked.
"And don't worry! I'll take full responsibility for you!" Weiss said. She clutched Blake harder. "I'll teach you how to walk and talk and read and to believe in all the Schnee ideals!"
Blake blinked. "you, know i'm the same Blake, right?"
Mum Schnee chuckled at that.
"Oh, Blakey," Weiss said, "You're so silly!"
Blake blinked. "does- does that mean, yes?"
"Hee hee, it's okay, I still love you, silly Blakey," Weiss said. She hugged Blake's head, from the side.
Blakes mouth wobbled. "weiss~?"
"Blakey is a Blake," Weiss sang, and because it was her birthday, everyone else had to just sit there and take it. "She's Blake in every way~!"
Blake blink. Weiss's statement was tautologically accurate.
"Shes Blakey in the morning, and even at night~!"
"She's cute and she's nice, and shes fluffy just for me,-"
"And I think that will suffice, cause I think that's really sweet!"
Blake allowed herself to be rocked back in forth with Weiss during the public performance.
Blake made to stand up, but then Weiss began the second verse, and there was a chorus of muffled sighs from the party guests
"Blakey is a Blake~ She's Blakey every day!"
"She's Blakey in the morning, and even at night~"
"She's fluffy and snuggly, and cuddly and neat-"
"And she's snugly and she's soft, and she always starts with B!"
Blake was sure there a difference between the word to describe a person and that person herself, and she tried to parse how to explain that distinction to Weiss.
Weiss pulled out the recorder she had gotten from her father. She pushed some buttons on it.
"Blakey Blakey Blake~" She sang, and then she replayed what she had just recorded and sang harmony, with the recording.
"Blakey Blakey Blake~!" Weiss sang again,
And as a finale, she did so again but singing a third part harmony.
"Blakey Blakey Blake~" Weiss sang, for the last time.
Blake scrunched her mouth to the side. She, supposed she could admit to herself that that last bit was at least a little bit impressive.
Mum Schnee's earlier smile had returned, and she seemed to be once again enjoying that her daughter was enjoying the party.
Blake, wondered how much of that was an act. She supposed perhaps none of it was, considering how long mum Schnee probably had had to get used to Weiss's personality, and how many random fights they probably had that resolved due to Weiss's short attention span. .
Weiss's next present was a small box, un-decorated save for a small red ribbon tying it shut, and a letter.
"Ooo, it's from Winter!" Weiss said. She read the letter in silence, thus finally confirming, in public, that she knew how to read.
Alternatively, Blake supposed, it could be that Weiss was just pretending to read.
"Aw, that's nice. I'll have to write you back, sis," Weiss said. She touched the letter to her chest and titled her head down and closed her eye and smiled, offering silent gratitude.
Weiss then turned to the box. "And the gift is..."
Weiss opened the gift.
"Ooo, a knife!" Weiss said. She waved the knife around, excitedly.
Mum Schnee tilted her head to the side. "Didn't she give you a knife last year?"
Pa Schnee waved the air. "No, last year she gave Weiss a throwing dirk. That's a field dressing knife."
"And two years ago it was a parrying dagger!" Weiss said. She also waved the air. "Completely different things."
Mum Schnee scrunched her mouth to the side. "Ah, of course."
The next few presents Weiss opened were from the weekend maids, who were here, even though it wasn't the weekend.
"Well you didn't expect us to miss a Schnee party, did you?" said the tall maid.
"Prolly the only time ah'd ever see a party this ostentatiouness outside ma own funerole," said the young maid.
And so Weiss got a corporate mouse intellectual property holovid, a hair tie with a snowflake on it, a cookbook specifically for fish, and an accessory for her sword.
And after that, it was time for the cake.
"Woah, it's a Blake Cake!" Weiss exclaimed, as the cake was carted in. "Hee hee, you look so scrumptious, Blakey!"
Blake blinked.
"Blake cake! Blake cake! Blake cake!" Weiss chanted as she followed the cook and the cart holding the cake.
The cake was a rough oval with two protrusions for ears, and the frosting in the center was drawn to make a very unflattering, grumpy looking feline aspect Faunus.
Blake's expression flattened. "i don't look like that."
Weiss hugged her. "Hee hee, you're so right! You're much more snuggly, Blakey!"
Blake blinked. "was this, just because cake rhymes with Blake?"
Mum Schnee smirked. "In actuality. it was because it has been empirically proven that you, Blake, are our sweeties favorite thing."
Blake decided that that statement was accurate.
"But yes," Mum Schnee continued, "We did figure Weiss sweetie would enjoy the rhymes."
Blake's expression flattened.
"As the birthday girl, I get the first slice, but ill give that to you, Blakey!"
Blake nodded. "to test if it's poisoned, yes."
Mum Schnee made a face.
Weiss walked up to Blake and put an arm behind Blake's waist.
Weiss stepped forward and somehow Blake's upper half fell back, held in Weiss's arm in half a dance move. Weiss bent her arm so that her hand was under Blake's head while she supported Blake's torso with her elbow.
"Now, open wide, Blake!" Weiss said, and she force fed Blake her own face, in cake form.
And then the party winded down.
When Blake wasn't looking, they cleaned up the whole buffet table. Blake was upset until the cook came in to show her which refrigerator the leftovers would be kept in.
Weiss thanked her parents for the party and the guests for coming.
Blake was carried to her and Weiss's room, and then the adjoining bathroom.
"Alright, now we need to clean you up, Blakey," Weiss explained, as she deposited Blake in a corner of the bathroom, "Because the party was fun, but now there's confetti everywhere, And even one piece of confetti in our bed will keep me awake all night." Weiss waved her arms theatrically.
"weiss, you know it's me, right?" Blake said, as Weiss undressed her. "i'm not another feline-aspect faunus?"
"Hee hee hee, you're so silly, Blakey!" Weiss said. And then she deposited Blake into the tub, and the roaring of the water faucets drowned out Blake's protests.
Blake manged to ask one more time as she was dressed and carried to the bed, before Weiss took her own bath.
Blake looked around their room, at the plush snake and the new plush shark and at the pile of Weiss's presents some of the maids stacked in the corner when they weren't looking.
"Alright Blakey, you can sleep in the bed, with me, if you want..." Weiss said, once she finished her bath. She looked at the ground.
Blake blinked.
"Okay, sounds good!" Weiss said. She pulled Blake onto the bed and hugged her and closed her eye and started drifting off to sleep.
"Weisss~~~" Blake emitted. It may have sounded less dignified than she would have liked.
Weiss lazily opened her eye. "What is it, Blakey Blake Blake?"
"you-" Blake bit her lip, "you don't want more kitties, do you?"
Weiss closed her eye and smiled.
"Hee hee, you're sooo silly, Blakey~," Weiss mumbled blissfully As she hugged Blake to her chest more tightly, "You should know that I'd only want more kitties if they were exactly like you."
Blake let an inexplicable wave of relief wash over her.
"'Cause you're the only Blake for me, Blakey..."
And then Weiss's breathing steadied and her grip grew limp.
And when Blake couldn't fall asleep, she decided to think on those words.
And Blake concentrated on her self, and her sense of self.
And then something happened- like a new set of nerves appearing along her body, pricking in a way that wasn't quite touch and wasn't quite proprioception.
And Blake gained a new skill.
And over the next few days, after practicing enough to use her new powers on command, Blake prepared a surprise for her human.
And the next time Weiss walked into their room, she exploded.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-!" Weiss said, her squeal rising to a pitch out of even Faunus hearing range.
And she seemed to overload, because she froze for a good 30 seconds.
And then the squealing sound resumed, slowly lowering into the audible spectrum and then into the normal vocal range of a human.
"-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk!" Weiss finished. She ran up to the nearest Blake and hugged it.
"Multiple Blakes! Aahhhh! This is the best present ever! (Even if it's a little late)."
Weiss hugged her chosen Blake to her chest.
"Wow, is that your semblance? To make copies of yourself?"
Blake didn't answer, since she was fuzzy on the details herself, but she was pretty sure that's what it was.
"That's so cool! But this one came out without bones," Weiss said, shaking the Blake in her hands, "Since it's so floppy."
"actually, um," Blake said, from in Weiss's arms. She mustered up the energy and motivating to move her limbs, "i'm the real one..."
A Possible Omake:
"Blake- " Weiss manages to say, during the next lunch break.
Blake is closing her eyes and pouting at the wall after she sees her girlfriend walk in.
"Blake I'm sorry," Weiss says. She pulls out a specially prepared ben-to box, with Blake's favorite food in it. Well, okay, Weiss knew that Blake liked all fish, so technically the box contains one of Blake's favorite food.
"Of course you're the only person, animal, or animal person in my heart," Weiss says, "Not dogs, or sharks, or snakes, or even other kitties, unless they're exactly like you, Blake."
And Blake doesn't move.
But Weiss notices an almost imperceptible smirk on Blake's lips, signifying that she's enjoying the fact that Weiss is waiting on her answer.
And then Blake makes a smile and relents. Or maybe she was just hungry.
"You managed to borrow an upperclassman's kitchen, then?" Blake says, as she inspects the sauteed pan-seared mackerel in the lunch box.
"Yeah," Weiss says. She and Velvet had an okay rapport, now that they had broken the ice with each other. And since Velvet had gotten back together with her boyfriend, she didn't have any cause to be asked to model for Velvet's photography, and that meant there was no chance that Blake might find out an incomplete version of it and spiral into a hurricane of misunderstandings. Because that was the kind of world they lived in.
"It's delicious," Blake enunciates around the mouthful of food.
Weiss smiles.
And then they are joined by their other friends. Yang sits down next to Blake, and starts talking about their weapons' training course and what to call their special move.
At some point, Ruby sits down at the far end of the table, and then Goodwitch sits to the side of her.
"I made some lunch," Goodwitch says. she pulls out a fancy floral ben-to box, "And I thought, since you were concerned with your teeth, recently, I would make a little extra and give you the leftovers..."
Ruby smiles and reaches but another woman sit's down at the opposite side of her.
"Don't eat those gross vegetables, Rubles," Cinder says. She pulls out her own lunch box and slides it across the table to in front of Ruby. "I made you an extra special ben-to, for my extra special dood." Cinder says, and she shoots, "Specially for you, rather than just making extra of something I was gonna make for myself."
Goodwitch frowns.
Cinder smirks. "It's got cookies, and a milkbox, and a grilled cheese sandwich, just for you~."
"Well I also packed some cookies in mine," Goodwitch says, "And they're sweetened with fruit juice, which is healthier."
Ruby glances between the two adults on either side of her and chuckles, nervously.
"[X:990] So Death shall be deceav'd her glut, and with us two Be forc'd to satisfie her Rav'nous Maw..."
And she ends up alternated between taking bites from both lunch boxes.
"Yo, Weiss-bucket," Nora says, then. She waves her arms.
Weiss blinks to attention, and turns to the group of people she was ostensibly having a conversation with.
"Sorry," Weiss says, "what were you guys talking about?"
Nora waves her arms like a muppet, tapping parts of her head intermittently, "Only the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE SCHOOL YEAR,' Nora says. She ends her gesticulations with her fingertips to her inclined forehead. "What are your plans for the Midsemester Break?"
"The, break?" Weiss says, "It's only four days long, so, I don't know, I figured I wouldn't do anything that required planning in particular." She tilts her head to the side. "Why, were you guys planning on something?"
Nora then oscillates violently with every body part except her left leg.
Ren covers for his partner. "Well, see, this is a boarding school, we need teacher accompaniment for long-term off-campus outings. But that also means, if we secure permission from a teacher who is willing to accompany us, we are authorized to do any off-campus trip they approve of."
Nora then flops onto the table. "And since Ruby's got Mz. Goodwitch wrapped around her PERNICIOUS NOISOME FINGERS," Nora gesticulates violently again. (Blake pulls her lunchbox off the table, out of the collateral damage zone)(Ruby points a finger gun at Nora and winks), "that means we can do anything we can imagine. AAANNNYYYTHING..."
Nora then sits upright. "So, here's an idea," she says, "Why don't we visit corporate mouse land?"
Weiss manages to keep her expression flat. Blake and Goodwitch try to make eye contact with her, tho.
Nora starts nodding as she taps her chin. "Yeah- we can even do corporate mouse cosplay! I can be the lightning themed pajama vigilante."
"Ren already has a military themed hereditary monarch costume," Nora says, gesticulating in the direction of Ren.
Ren turns to Blake. "Blake, you are like, the spitting image of the Corporate Mouse Proletariat Heredity Monarch."
Blake scrunches her mouth to the side, "The, what?" she says, like she doesn't know.
"You know, the one that starred in that show on the Corporate Mouse's low budged animated channel. Like, down to your Faunus aspect and eye color, except you're secretly a ninja instead of a samurai."
"Heh heh," Blake chuckles, nervously, "That's so weird..."
"And Mz. Goodwitch," Nora says, to the opposite side of the table, "I think you'd make a good Ice themed Hereditary Monarch."
Goodwitch scrunches her mouth to the side. "She is my favorite- but back to your original question, " Goodwitch says, ostensibly to everyone at the table but shes looking right at Weiss as she does, "Why don't we go to corporate mouse land?"
Blake stifles a giggle. Weiss smushes her lips together.
Nora looks between Weiss, Blake and Goodwitch. "Why is that? "Nora says, "Does Weiss not like the Corporate Mouse for some crazy reason, and her old friend and the faculty are aware of the reason why?"
"I, um," Weiss says. She scrunches her mouth to the side.
Nora leans in, expectantly.
Weiss sighs. "I'm, actually, legally prohibited from entering any of the Corporate Mouse Corp's lucrative amusement parks and tour lines around Remnant."
Blake then bursts out into giggles. Even Goodwitch hides a chuckle under a glasses-adjusting motion.
Nora is silent for three seconds before she cackles up and down three octaves.
"Really? How'd you manage that?" Nora asks.
Weiss scrunches her mouth to the side. "I'd rather not say..."
"Oh? Why not?" Goodwitch says, like she doesn't know, "Is it part of some sort of Non disclosure agreement or something?"
Weiss shoots the adult a glare.
"Well, then," Nora says, and Weiss is relieved she's changing the subject, "How about, we try to catch a play?"
"That's kind of a half-day endeavor," Yang says.
"How about a secret fighting tournament on a lost island with an inexplicable magical field that makes you immortal, so you can be super violent with your finishers?"
"We did that last year," Ren says.
"Well then, how about camping?" Nora says.
Weiss shrugs. "It's been a while, but I would enjoy that."
Nora gasps, artificially and theatrically, "Yooove been camping, Weiss?"
Weiss furrows her brow. "Yeah? What, is that so impossible to believe?"
Nora makes a smirk. "Well, you're rich- Was it like. You were only technically camping, because you brought a portable mansion with you?"
Weiss furrows her brow. "Yes, but I also did regular camping, and I even did wilderness survival training once. To get away from things. My sister arranged it."
Nora blinks at her.
Weiss continues speaking."The trick is to check the batteries in your radio, and to boil your leather boots for three hours to soften them up if you run out of food."
"Actually," Goodwitch says, "I think team CFVY was also going camping." she pulls out her scroll, "I can ask if we can share their campground, if you are all in agreement?"
And soon thereafter, they are all in agreement, and the plans are made.
"I can send away to get my camping supplies," Weiss says, "But since it's getting colder, well have to get specialized equipment for colder climates. So, what kind of camping supplies does everyone already have?"
Ren and Nora glance at each other, and then shake their heads. "We, ah, don't have camping supplies."
A quick round of questioning confirms that neither, Jaune, Pyrrha, or Goodwitch have camping supplies either, and nobody except Ruby and Yang have winter equipment.
"Well, it's a few days away, so we can arrange a trip to go pick up some," Weiss says.
"YES! An additional group hang, spiraling out of the original get-together."
Nora puts an arm around Ren. "I knew this was a good idea."
Weiss makes eye contact with Jaune. "Hey, to get all our supplies, we can go visit the mall~."
"I don't see why we couldn't just order this stuff on the line," Pyrrha says. She's wearing an athletic tracksuit and walking with her arms behind her head.
"See, partaking in materialistic consumerism is not significantly different than other forms of social camaraderie, like going for walks or watching holovids together." Jaune says.
Weiss nods. "It's just a third party profits from your entertainment, and may also attempt to manipulate your desires in order to secure your money by providing fulfillment to an artificial desire you didn't have before their advertising infected you."
The rest of their group blinks and shoots glances at each other, but Jaune nods, because he understands.
Blake is in a nice blouse and pants that go down to her calves. Yang's got a button down shirt that's mostly unbuttoned and hanging around her right arm, showing off a tank top with a band's logo on it.
Jaune went heavy on the arm accessories, with a and a short jacket that ends right after his elbows.
And Weiss herself is wearing an outfit inspired by Optimus Prime, in one of the AU spinoffs.
"Alright, most important thing first," Jaune says. He runs with his arms out to the front of the group and spins on his heels. "Is our outfits! We need fashionable ensembles that compliment our personalities and also stick with our established color schemes."
"[XI:866] Conspicuous with three listed colours gay, Betok'ning peace from Dust, and Cov'nant new..." Ruby intones. She's wearing a knee length black dress with red frills and one of her fancier corsets. And her cloak, because she always wears her cloak. So at least she knows what going to the mall is all about. Weiss tries to try to feel happy that she has another thing in common with her combat partner.
"See, Ruby gets it!" Jaune says.
Weiss nods.
"It is absolutely imperative that we pick outfits that are both warm and stylish while also complementing our personal tastes and aesthetic themes," Jaune says.
They're walking together, in the alleyways of the corporate megaplex.
"You!" Yells a woman, from a ways away.
The whole group pauses and turns, and it turns out the woman is talking to Ruby, since she walks right up to the Gothic cookie reaper and slaps Ruby right in the face.
"Three months and two weeks and i hear nothing from you?"
Ruby opens her mouth-
"Stay your silver tongue!" says the woman. She turns and pouts, "I'm done crying over you."
And nobody says anything for a good five seconds. Weiss wonders if they too are trying to figure out what to say.
But that's is why, before anyone gets a chance to snidely comment or ask Ruby what just happened, another woman, who had snuck up on them, taps Ruby on the shoulder.
"Who was she?" she asks Ruby.
And Ruby barely opens her mouth before she gets slapped in the opposite cheek.
There is a chorus of blinking.
And then someone coughs.
"Are, all your ex girlfriends like that?" Cinder asks. She manages a smirk.
"Nah, that snake lady was pretty cool," Yang says, she waves the air. "Before the divorce."
Ruby scrunches her mouth to the side.
In the background, Pyrrha coughs.
"Anyway," Weiss says. She glances at the shopping list again. "We're looking for the outdoor supply shop...":
"So, we need tents," Weiss says, after they find the outdoor supply shop. "Who's sharing which tents?"
The group glances around at each other.
Weiss sighs, "Alright, so, like, is this gonna be a massive group date thing? Because you know what they say about dating while camping."
There's more glances, which are more nervous this time.
Weiss sighs again. "Alright, you guys can sort it out, and if there's any doubt, you can just get individual tents, and if you all want to sneak out to each other's tents to partake in quiet moments of concurrent intimacy and share pieces of what quickens the rot, that's your business."
There's some noncommittal agreement noises, and Weiss figures her job there is done.
"So, since it's getting colder, you'll want thicker sleeping bags. A mat for under the tent will help keep the heat insulated and also be more comfortable, and you'll want a chair or at least a blanket to sit on, since a lot of camping is sitting around in the wilderness," Weiss instructs, "Everyone will want their own lantern or flashlight and pillow, but there's a chance you might already have suitable ones."
"As a group, we should get a collapsible table and a cooking stove, to prepare our meals," Weiss says.
Pyrrha tilts her head to the side. "You don't want to have a campfire?"
"A campfire's good to sit around and roast smores over," Weiss says, "but for actual cooking, you'll want a stove and some kitchenware."
"Smores!" Yang says, "We definitely have to make sure we have those."
Weiss nods, "We can divide up duties for the communal supplies that the group only needs one of."
Weiss walks off on her own, with her girlfriend in tow.
"Ah, Blake," Weiss says, "You'd want an extra insulated tent, right?"
Blake pouts. "Why would I need that? Can't I stay with you?"
"Oh, of course you can," Weiss says. She smiles, "I was, just making sure that you wanted that. And if wanted the option for some more independence."
Blake nods. "Okay, yeah. I appreciate that. But I want to be warm, so I think I'd prefer to snuggle with you~"
Weiss smiles softly and her cheeks heat up. She leans against Blake's side, and Blake puts an arm around Weiss's shoulder, pulling the shorter girl's head in for a smooch on the forehead.
And Jaune then takes them in for a montage of picking out warm weather clothes. Mostly people just pick out one or two extra accessories to keep them warm.
"Blake, did you need any clothes?" Jaune asks.
Blake shakes her head. "Nah. I have three sets of thermal underwear, four thermal rods with requisite asbestos, a backpack for the extra batteries, and a water resistant full body coat."
Jaune's face contorts in horror, "But, that's not cute at all!"
And the day of the camping trip they all wake up early to catch rides to the train station.
"Hey, where's Blake?" Yang asks.
"Oh, ah, "Weiss's expression flattens, "Blake told me to tell you, that Ninjas don't board trains at the station."
And a few minutes later, as they pass under a bridge, there's a clunk at the roof and Weiss scootches over to open a window;
Gusts of air scream into the train, disturbing every loose paper and piece of clothing, and Blake somersaults inside. She poses as she lands.
Ruby claps. Weiss reluctantly joins in, after a second.
And then after a short hike, they all find themselves at a campground.
Team CFVY is already there, so they don't have to think too hard about where to set up the additional dozen tents.
"Hey," says one of Velvet's team members- the tall brunette lady, "You guys look cute."
"Yeah, we have Jaune to thank for that," Pyrrha says. She pushes Jaune forward a bit and pats his shoulder. "We had a whole clothing montage and everything."
"Oh? you have a good sense of style."
Jaune smiles, sheepishly, "uwa~ you really think so? That means a lot, sempai!"
"Well," Coco says, "Except for at giant wobbling marshmallow-shaped mass over there.' She points to Blake, making her way out in the cold in her zillion layers that are also a minor fire hazard.
Jaune clutches his face. "iraira~, I knowwwwww..."
"Okay, now to organize our communal supplies," Weiss says.
The other campers shuffle around in their luggage.
Ren and Nora bring out the firewood. Team CFVY had the camping mat and the portable stove, and everyone else has various foodstuffs. Blake had brought some smoked fish, Weiss had brought a bag of grains and some back up utensils.
Yang has graham crackers and Ruby has chocolate.
"Alright, so, most important bit," Weiss says. She claps her hands. "Who brought the marshmallows?"
Everyone turns to Goodwitch.
"Well, because marshmallows are largely sugar," Goodwitch says, as she pulls out a large bag of white things, "I instead brought some some healthier placebo alternatives that are better for your teeth and your cholesterol..."
And there is silence, resounding in the cold.
"You- you did what?" Jaune asks, horrified beyond all reason.
And the floodgates open.
"You had one job, Goodwitch!"
"W-why would you do that?"
" - [X:996]: with desire to languish without hope, Before the present object languishing With like desire, -"
"How can we do smores without marshmallows?"
"My Coffee Machine has one job, and it manages to do it every single day!"
"Why would you ever do that?"
" - [X:997]: which would be miserie And torment less then none of what we dread-"
"How can we do camping without Smores?"
"I don't wake up to 'healthier placebo' coffee!"
"Ah," Goodwitch says. She opens and closes her mouth. "Was this really that important?"
"YES!" yell a bunch of people, in unison.
"That's why we sent the teacher to do it," Jaune says, before crying.
And order breaks down. People are screaming as they run in circles, some of them are clutching their legs and crying. The upperclassmen are the most calm in going their separate ways, though Velvet runs off into the trees. Cinder is taking the opportunity to taunt Goodwitch, and it honestly is hard to tell if Ruby is feeling any more forlornly despondent than normal.
"Ah," Weiss says. She turns to Blake. "I, guess we'll just let them tire themselves out?"
At some point, Velvet comes back with a deer over her shoulders. Weiss notices a bite mark around its neck.
"Ah," Weiss begins.
"Well, with Goodwitch's whole marshmallow hraka, we are forced to make do from scratch," Velvet says. "Perhaps she was trying to teach us this lesson."
"No, I think Goodwitch is just a sugar hater," Pyrrha says. She scowls.
"Anyway, we can use this thing's bones to make gelatin," Velvet says. She pulls out a knife from somewhere and starts skinning the game. "And we'll gather some berries, to extract the sugars from them."
"Oh ye of LITTLE FAITH," Nora says, gesticulating violently, "I happen to have raw sugar on me at all times." She pulls out a bag of sugar from somewhere.
Pyrrha nods. "It's true. But then, can't we just mix the sugar in with the sugarless marshmallows?
Nora shakes her head. "No, the sugar has to be mixed in with the gelatin before it solidifies, to become part of the holistic construct of the marshmallow ideal."
Ren nods in affirmation. "Also, if it's not mixed in it won't caramelize when exposed to fire."
Jaune blinks, "Ah, is, that important-"
"IT IS A PROPERTY OF MARSHMELLOWS," Nora bellows.
Velvet finishes skinning her prey and starts . "We can also cook the deer as steaks. We always intended to do this, which is why we didn't bring any meat."
"But, ah, should we use the meat we bought this morning first?"
"I think packaged store-bought meat might last longer than," Pyrrha pontificates at the animal corpse, "Raw meat that's currently being exposed to the elements?"
Goodwitch interjects then, trying to appear useful after having been informally ostracized from group, "I can cast some preservation spells on the store meat, if you'd like?"
"Sure," Velvet says. "So dinner today is venison, then. Yatsuroo!"
Yatsuhashi appears besides her, then.
Velvet hands some deboned animal limbs to her boyfriend. "You can cook these."
"Well, I'd rather actually cook food than try to make gelatin from scratch," Weiss says, so she picks up some pieces of animal corpse as well and follows Velvet's boyfriend and, apparently, chef, "So, you guys have fun with that."
Weiss finds herself setting up the communal stove with Velvet's boyfriend. She and Yatsuhashi hadn't really talked before, so, this was the opportunity to do that, right?
"Hello," Weiss makes herself say.
Yatsuhashi nods.
And Weiss figures she should probably say something else. So she opens her mouth-
And she closes it, because, what's she going to say?
But she has to say something else, though, right? She cant just be sitting there next to someone and not talk to them.
Or if she waits long enough, surely Yatsuhashi will say something, and Weiss can jump off of whatever he says, so they're not just sitting here awkwardly, not saying anything-
But after failing to say anything again for what feels like forever, Yatsuhashi- takes a breath. He doesn't say anything.
And luckily, it seems that it's because the upperclassman doesn't' seem like the talkative type.
And also luckily, he's knowledgeable enough with the mechanics of cooking meat that they don't need to speak to work in tandem.
So Weiss breathes, and she breaths again, and she continues to not say anything.
They each take their cuts of game and prepare them in respective silence, with decent efficiency. At one point Weiss catches Yatsuhashi nodding in approval at her cutting technique, and Weiss nods back in mutual understanding.
And after the most urgent parts of preparing the game meat are finished, it's time to cook an actual dinner for the camping group.
"I'm thinking," Yatsuhashi says, finally, because there's now a need for him to talk, "Sukiyaki?"
Weiss nods, then. "That should be good with venison, yeah."
And after a quick round of chopping vegetables from the communal supplies, Weiss and Yatsuhashi simultaneously adjust their sitting position to be comfortably around the large pot. Yatsuhashi turns the stove up and Weiss smears butter around the pot. They both place strips of meat at the bottom of the pot to grill slightly.
After a minute, Yatsuhashi pours in some soy sauce and sake as Weiss adds in the sugar.
And they add the vegetables in and cover the pot to simmer.
The announcement that dinner is prepared goes a long way to helping order be restored. People stop running around in circles, or hugging their legs and crying, and conglomerate around the large blanket laid down in the middle of camp that is the designated eating area. Velvet and Nora's first attempt at from-scratch marshmallows had ended in failure, it turned out. Cinder's moved on to teasing Goodwitch about non-marshmallow related things, and it's honestly a little hard to tell Ruby's mood.
And after dinner is finished, some of the more pyromaniac members of the group start digging a pit and piling firewood into it, to make the campfire. Ren and Jaune take charge of the second attempt at making gelatin.
Velvet is posing in front of the flames, telling stories about her religion- something about a rabbit hero who tells god to bless his ass and that's why rabbits have tails- and people are pulling out some of their personal snacks. Yang is experimenting with eating just graham crackers and chocolate.
"You know~~" Nora says. She visibly drools, "In all those giant fluffy clothes, Blake sorta looks like a marshmello- OW!"
Weiss karate-chops Nora in the top of the head. "Don't even think about it."
And Weiss eyes some of the skewers, and hey, why not empirically validate the prior assumption?
Weiss then pulls out one of the healthier placebo marshmallows and impales it on the end of the skewer.
Without sugar, it doesn't toast, so there's no obvious visual indication of the marshmallow toasting, so the first one ends up just melting into the fire.
Weiss tries again, with the goal of merely warming it, so that the smores are and maybe the chocolate melts a little.
And the smore resulting from the marshmallow certainly looks similar enough to a regular smore. So Weiss takes a bite.
"Huh, these aren't so bad," Weiss says. She takes another bite.
There is silence as the whole group turns to look at her.
"I mean, most of the flavor of a marshmallow is from some added vanilla flavoring," Weiss says, "So, it tastes fine-"
"HA!" Goodwitch yells out. She points at all the people who doubted her. "Vindication!"
Then Goodwitch coughs and pretends to be an adult again.
OMAKE:
"Heeheehee," Weiss said, "now that you can become Multiple Blakes (tm), we have a small window of time to prank people before they know you can do that."
Blake agreed. She nodded.
And so, one day, Weiss deposited one of Blake's shadow clones into Mum Schnee's office- the big one that smelled of white collar crime, that she spent a lot of time in now that it was tax evasion season.
And Weiss and the real Blake hid outside, but within earshot. Weiss giggled under her hands.
And eventually Mum Schnee entered her office.
"Oh, Blake-" Mum Schnee's voice said from inside the room, "What are you doing here?"
The shadow clones weren't able to formulate sound, let alone speech, so presumably it just lay there. Which was, for much of the time, a perfect emulation of Blake's regular habits.
"Well, Weiss sweetie will be looking for you."
And Mum Schnee exited the room, carrying the Blake copy, and deposited it on the living room couch.
And soon after, Mum Schnee had reason to enter the kitchen.
"Oh, ah," Mum Schnee's voice came from the kitchen, "You, are here now. If you're hungry, you should consult with our chef. And since Weiss sweetie will be looking for you, I ought to bring you to a more visible spot."
And Weiss and Blake spent the next few minutes placing shadow Blakes in rooms that Mum Schnee made her way into, until the jig was up and Mum Schnee encountered a mountain of Blakes.
"Oh," Mum Schnee said, her voice wavering just slightly, "There's... more of you..."
Weiss then jumped out of their hiding spot. She waved her arms in the air. "Surprise! Blake's semblance is to make copies of herself (sometimes without bones)!"
Blake scrunched her mouth to the side, but she stepped out of the hiding spot and lethargically waved her arms too.
There was a pause.
Then Mum Schnee shrugged.
"Yeah, that's fine," Mum Schnee said. She then pulled out her portable metal box with a glowing rectangle on it and poked at it.
"I'll schedule an evaluator to get your semblance formally inspected, and we'll see about having the combat instructor incorporate developing it into her regimen."
"But yes, Blake isn't really a problem, so feel free to clone yourself as much as you want," Mum Schnee said.
Then the adult chuckled, forlornly, "Could you imagine if it was Weiss sweetie who had that semblance? That would be..." She glanced at her daughter, and then made a smile. "Just, the worst."
Blake's eye twitched. She agreed.
-OOO-
A thank you to the reader who provided the prompt for this possible future omake. You know who you are.
Good news if you liked chapter 5: the next arc will be called 'My Fair Blakey'. I'll try to keep a musical-free possible future parallel story line going throughout it, though, if that's more in your tastes, and if not, it was nice having you so far :).