Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since RealTerminal and I have posted a chapter. Originally, we intended to take a little break, maybe a month or so, because he writes with all the speed of a glacier. Unfortunately during that time, another break occurred, this time to my femur. My injury prevented me from sitting comfortably, so I was left unable to write. Now I'm healed up and managed to goad my co-writer into cranking out two and a half scenes over the course of several weeks, so expect us to be sort of back on track.

Chapter 41

Good morning Pyrrha! If I'm not here I might be with Blake. I wanted to learn more about my essence, and you deserve to sleep in. I hope you slept well!

Ruby folded the note and scribbled a little flower on it for good measure. Pyrrha loved her art, it would make her smile, and Ruby loved Pyrrha's smile. It inspired levity within her being, a gentle warmth that spread throughout her essence like a wave. It was something only Pyrrha could foster, and something Ruby had never questioned until now.

There was simply no reason. Pyrrha was her mistress, her caretaker, her reason for existence. She gave Ruby purpose and happiness, and in return, Ruby gave her service. It pleased her to help Pyrrha, to make her day brighter, her training smoother, her work easier, but recent events had taught Ruby something important, something disturbing. Pyrrha was fragile, for she was mortal.

Ruby had not told Pyrrha - it would only have worried her more - but she had known when Pyrrha was injured. She had felt it within her being, her head ached, her leg cried, and her essence had lit afire with worry and unease. When Pyrrha had been brought in, wounded and endangered, she felt fear, true fear, for the first time. She had felt it again as the Alpha's claws descended upon Pyrrha, her mistress, her life, her reason for being. For one brief moment another feeling had ignited within her, heated and painful, burning, flaring. She sought only the destruction of that wretched beast, and not a moment later it was dissipating in the snow.

Ruby had turned to her mistress, staring wide-eyed and frozen, and that feeling had turned to warmth, relief that Pyrrha was still alive, safe and sound within her arms. She had kissed her, because she saw no other way to express such joy, such calm and happiness in her presence. But why a kiss? Why did it feel so right? Blake would know, she knew everything. The aspect understood all that Ruby did not. Perhaps she could help Ruby understand her own actions, her own feelings.

"Blake is visiting Yang." Glynda answered, placing a plate of sliced steak before Ilia, who had managed to perch herself somewhat comfortably on one of the kitchen chairs. She speared a chunk clumsily with her fork, a prideful look on her face as she chomped down the rare morsel.

Ren and Nora were also in attendance, the latter making a mess of her steak, squinting down at the plate as though it were miles away. Ren kept a careful eye on her as he sliced his own meat. Nora would have preferred to devour the meat with teeth alone, but Glynda enforced civility at the table. That and poor Dew may have found the sight disconcerting. She had recovered enough to attend breakfast, though she remained pale and jittery, her sunken eyes flickering about the room as she picked at her own plate of sausages and eggs. Surprisingly Ilia drew her attention the least, her gaze most often fixated upon the window and the room's exits.

"How is Pyrrha feeling?" Glynda asked.

"I'm not sure, she's still asleep." Ruby replied. "I thought it'd help."

Glynda hummed, reaching toward a glass on the nearby shelf. "She will likely be dehydrated." She explained, filling the glass in the sink. "Bring her water before you leave."

"Hair of the dog is more effective." Nora grunted, tearing a chunk from her slightly mangled steak.

"You're only saying that because it amuses you." Glynda sighed, handing the glass to Ruby.

"What can I say, I have first hand experience." Nora shrugged.

"Ignore the pup." Glynda advised. "Would you like something to eat?"

"May I have a muffin?" Ruby requested.

"Of course Ruby." Glynda plucked one from beneath its cover. "Tell Blake to fetch some flour on the way home. I'll be spending the day in."

"Can do!" Ruby cheered.

"It kinda' shakes me, ya' know?" Yang murmured, fingers stroking through Blake's fur, a gentle, soothing pur rumbling beneath her touch. "She's so strong and passionate, but then the nightmare hits and...I don't know what to expect, anger or sadness or both. I just wanna' help, but I don't know how."

The purring ceased, fur turning to hair as Blake transformed. Yang looked down into golden eyes as a gentle hand slid past her cheek, brushing the golden tear threatening to escape. "I may be able to help." Blake soothed. "I promise nothing, but to try."

"I know kitten." Yang chuckled, grasping the hand in her own. "You're great like that."

"It comes naturally." Blake deadpanned, much to Yang's continued amusement.

"Oh, I bet you do-mph!" Yang's laugh was barely muffled as Blake's hand slapped over her mouth, the dark aspect hardly sparing a glare in her direction.

"Enough from you." Blake sighed, ignoring the heat of Yang's tongue flicking against her palm.

The fire aspect was an interesting companion, intelligent and astute, yet so quick to distract. The pain thrumming within her being tugged at Blake's metaphorical heartstrings. She understood the torture of helplessness, the blood staining her essence ran deep and rich. Glynda had saved her from that fate, and asked naught but company in return. Yang was younger by a thimble, yet so much more heartfelt. In spite of her suffering, she held hope for humanity, cared for all who lived, and willingly defended them with her all. She shared Weiss' pain and gave herself freely to soothe it. Now that it was not enough, she took that suffering as her failing.

Blake understood the feeling all too well, and it pained her too see it. She only hoped she could help, if only to maintain this bright light. It truly felt like so little brightness was left in this realm. She was about to offer a few words of encouragement when a rapid knock sounded at the door. Yang sighed and the pair stood, heading over to greet the visitor. Hopefully they would not be bearing bad news, but good so rarely came at this time of day. It was usually a report of Beowolves or normal wolves or some impending calamity. Both were presently surprised when they opened the door to find a smiling Ruby.

"Blake, Yang, hey, good morning!" Ruby cheered. "I needed to talk to Blake and you weren't there, and Glynda said you were here, and it's kinda' important and I think and I hope I'm not interrupting anything because I just…" Ruby huffed, retaining her cheerful smile. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. How are you? Is Weiss doing well?"

Blake exchanged an amused glance with Yang, who laughed, pulling Ruby off her feet for a tight bear hug. "C'meme you! A little kitty told me you bisected a big bad wolfie!" Ruby muffled a response into the fire aspect's chest. Blake shut the door as Yang carried the young aspect back to the couch, releasing her onto the cushions before flopping down beside her. "How's Pyrrha feelin'?" She asked, throwing an arm around Ruby's neck. Blake smoothly flitted onto the couch opposite, boxing in Ruby.

"Well, I don't know yet really, I kinda' left her asleep today because she drank a lot last night and...well, I did something, and I didn't think it was weird, but now I think it was, and I can't stop thinking about why I did it." Ruby rambled once more.

"What happened exactly?" Blake asked.

"It was going well, a small pack of Beowolves with an Alpha, Pyrrha was awesome!" Ruby began. "I didn't even need to help. I just stayed back and paid attention, but then she stepped in a hole and fell! And the Alpha was…" Ruby shuddered, her hands clenched into fists. "It was so close to…" She struggled with the word, her jaw clenching as she glared down into her lap. Yang exchanged another, more concerned glance with Blake, who sat perfectly still, a hand lying upon Ruby's shoulder. "I thought I was going to lose her. I thought that monster was going to take her away from me. It hurt. It burned to think about, in here." She lay a fist across her chest. "I didn't really know what I did until I did it. The Alpha was dead and Pyrrha was okay, and I was so happy she was safe. I'd saved her and she wasn't gone. I hugged her, and I kissed her, and I don't really know why. I mean, we've kissed one another before, but on the cheek, never on the lips. I've only seen you do that Blake, with Glynda, but I did it, and I don't know why, and I thought Pyrrha was just a bit shocked from the fight, and she was, but when she was drinking she asked my why I did it, and I didn't know. I was happy, so I kissed her, and it felt right, but why did it feel right? Why did I kiss her on the lips instead of the cheek? Am I weird? Am I being weird? I don't know anymore. I don't know why I'm feeling so...so…" Ruby slumped, sinking into the seat. "I don't know how to describe what I feel. I was hot, then cold, then warm, and hot, and nothing makes me feel this way but Pyrrha."

"Rubes…" Yang soothed, wrapping the aspect in another warm embrace, grinning at her dark counterpart, who seemed just as intrigued, a fond smile tinting those golden eyes. "I think we understand you perfectly here."

"Do you feel what Pyrrha feels?" Blake inquired.

"Sometimes." Ruby croaked. "When she was hurt in battle, I ached. When she's sad, I'm sad, and when she's happy, I feel warm."

Yang giggled, pulling Ruby closer with a squeak. "Ooooh Ruby!" She squealed. "You're bonding!"

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Your essence is bonded to Pyrrha's soul!" Yang explained. "Like Blakey and Glynda!"

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Perhaps it was a consequence of the ritual." Blake theorized.

"Or maybe you did it yourself!" Yang suggested.

"But how?" Ruby pressed. "I don't even know what bonding really is."

"Bonding isn't always something you do on purpose." Blake noted. "The strongest bonds form naturally, with time and care, but this is a gradual process, you shouldn't be so close so soon."

"Unless you're doing it on purpose...but by accident." Yang added.

"But that doesn't make sense." Ruby protested.

"It makes more sense than you think, considering the circumstances." Blake countered. "Ruby, how do you view Pyrrha?"

"Well...she's Pyrrha." Ruby shrugged. "She brought me into this world, she gave me a chance to live and learn, and be happy, and making her happy makes me happier...I don't ever want to be without her. The thought of that happening makes me cold...then it makes me angry...and then I get sad." Her breath hitched. "I don't like being sad, Pyrrha would want me to be happy."

"Oh boy, you're in deep aren't you?" Yang pulled Ruby into her hap and cradled her gently, unsteady silver eyes staring at warm gold and lilac. "Listen to us Ruby. What you are feeling is normal, and okay. There's nothing bad about being angry or sad, because it means you care. That you care so much means your bond with Pyrrha runs deep and true, because you love her, like we love Glynda and Weiss."

"I do?" Ruby asked.

"We believe so Ruby." Blake confirmed. "It's rare that aspects such as us bond with humans to this level. To do so naturally shows a depth of attraction and care that surpasses simple companionship. That you do not understand is only out of ignorance." She shifted closer, joining Yang in close proximity to the young summon, smiling as warmly as she could muster. "You're in love with Pyrrha, Ruby, and instinctually trying to express it, where words fail you. Your very essence is latching onto her soul, and on a deeper level she is accepting you."

Ruby looked thoughtful, before her features seemed to light up as she smiled, cheeks tinting the lightest of pinks. "I love Pyrrha." Yang and Blake nodded. "And I want to kiss her for it." More nods. "Wow...what do I do now?"

"Well, I guess that depends on who Pyrrha is." Yang shrugged. "Humans are weird about love, and this one's from Mistral...Mistral is…"

"Completely unrepresentative of who Pyrrha defines herself to be." Blake interjected.

"Really?" Yang huffed. "So there's no-"

"No." Blake insisted.

"And she doesn't-" Yang tried to ask.

"No." Blake repeated.

"Not even any-" Yang began again.

"None of it Yang." Blake confirmed. "Pyrrha defined herself differently. It's why she's here."

"Huh…" Yang scratched her head.

"Is that bad?" Ruby asked.

"No, just means I don't know as much about her as I expected...but that's not important, for now-"

Yang was once again interrupted, this time by a loud slam against the nearby door, as Weiss' office thrummed with commotion. "Damnit." Blake spat.

Pyrrha's eyes cracked open, only to be met by blinding light. She rolled away from the window, hoping to escape the pain, but with her eyes soothed, her headache came to the fore. She groaned, reaching for Ruby - perhaps the summon could heal a hangover the way she healed wounds - but the bed was empty. "Ruby?" Pyrrha croaked, once again daring to open her eyes. She received no answer and found only a folded paper and cup of water on the bedside table.

The amount of light pouring into the room clearly indicated it was later than when she would usually awaken. Ruby must have decided to let her sleep in. Eyes squinting against the still too bright room, she reached for the water and quickly downed it. Hydrating was the best way to prevent a hangover, and the best way to cure it. She must not have done enough the night before. She sat up, rubbing her temples in hopes her head would stop throbbing. It did not.

Pyrrha sighed and grabbed the paper, smiling at the little flower Ruby had drawn on it. Unfortunately the pretty picture did nothing to soothe her pounding headache, nor acclimatize her overly sensitive eyes to the light. She pushed on, unfolding the paper to read the note. Part of her was thankful that Ruby had let her sleep in, and the glass of water had been quite thoughtful, but she already missed the little summon. The bed seemed so cold without her and the room so empty.

No matter, it was already late in the morning and Pyrrha had to get moving. There were chores to do, training to catch up on, and she still had patients under her care. Still, as much as she wanted to get going right away, her pounding headache would not let her. Instead she collected a change of clothes - something Ruby usually did for her - and took a long shower, hoping the warm water would soothe her. It worked, but only a little.

After completing her morning routine, Pyrrha headed downstairs to the kitchen, hoping to catch the tail end of breakfast. When she arrived she found the meal was, for all intents and purposes, over. There were a few muffins remaining, but the plates were already washed, and Ilia was carefully stacking them in the cabinet. The lamia stood as tall as she could, balancing further down on her tail to gain extra height, to reach the shelf. As Glynda looked on with a proud smile, Ilia put the plates away, gently placing each atop the stack, as if they would shatter at the slightest shock.

Why Ilia insisted on helping clean up, Glynda could not say. Perhaps she wished to repay her mother for taking her in, or maybe she just wanted to feel more like part of the family. Whatever the reason, the proud smile on her face filled Glynda with joy and heartened Pyrrha. It was almost enough to make her forget the headache. Pyrrha needed one of the plates for her own meal, but she was not about to interrupt the lamia. She simply walked over and waited for her to finish her task.

Ilia placed the final plate atop the stack, softly enough that it hardly made a clink. Then she slumped back down to her normal height and turned to find herself suddenly face-to-face with Pyrrha. She had not heard her approach, and threw her arms in the air, screaming in surprise. Before Pyrrha could even react, Ilia disappeared with a whoosh, cut off mid scream. Pyrrha staggered back, mouth agape, gesturing frantically at the spot where Ilia had been standing. Glynda, who initially shared in her shock, breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

"Wha-what...where...Glynda?!" Pyrrha stammered.

"She teleported." Glynda replied.

"Where did she go?" Pyrrha asked.

"Weiss' house." Glynda answered.

"How-" Pyrrha started.

"Blake's there." Glynda preempted the question.

"Oh." Pyrrha took a series of deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. "Should we go get her?"

"No, Blake can handle it." Glynda noted. "It'll be good for their relationship."

Pyrrha let loose a relieved sigh and attempted to calm her racing heart. She was certainly awake now.

Weiss slaved away at writing her book. She was working on it more and more often. It was a necessary distraction. Her office was rather spacious and somewhat cluttered, with papers and equipment scattered about. Pretty much the only tidy part was the bookcase, which she had painstakingly arranged by topic and importance. The room was dimly lit, illuminated by candles and a magical crystal affixed to the ceiling, but as a vampire the low light was more than sufficient to allow her to see clearly.

Just as she began another passage in a chapter about aspects, there was a burst of air, strong enough to extinguish the candles. She knew it well, it was the sign of an incoming teleportation, a wave of overpressure caused by energy from the void leaking into the mortal plain. She turned to face the disturbance, expecting to find Glynda or Blake. What she actually saw was very different.

Hanging in the air, just above a table, was a snake...no, a girl...a lamia! Weiss only barely resisted a scream as she tumbled back out of her chair. The lamia's levitation was short lived, and it fell atop the table, scattering the papers that covered its surface and tipping the extinguished candles, spilling molten wax all over the floor. The creature inelegantly bounced onto the floor with a thud. It struggled to right itself, careening into some equipment Weiss used for measuring experiments with crystals, and knocking it over with a cacophony of metallic clangs.

Weiss scrambled to her feet and grabbed the sword she kept beside her desk. Shaking herself from her shock, she took a step forward and held the sword aloft. The lamia, appearing dazed, turned to face her in turn. Seeing the weapon and Weiss' fighting stance, the creature screamed and threw its hands in the air, turning to flee without looking. The lamia slammed straight into the bookcase, shattering several shelves and sending their contents tumbling to the floor. The whole piece of furniture began to totter, and the lamia struggled to hold it upright.

A sudden darkness overtook the room as Blake swept in, her essence quickly solidifying between Weiss and her target. "What are you doing?" Blake asked.

"I'm going to kill this...this...pest!" Weiss shouted.

"That pest belongs to Glynda." Blake noted, taking firm grasp of Weiss wrist.

"It's destroying my office!" Weiss yelled. "I don't care who owns it!"

"Weiss." Blake insisted, gripping tighter.

Having stabilized the bookcase, and seeing her chance, Ilia fled the room. The sound of a door slamming against a wall indicated she had barged into another room rather than fleeing the house. "I want that abomination out of my house now!" Weiss growled.

"That abomination is Glynda's...our daughter." Blake hissed.

Weiss stood as if frozen, her jaw slowly descending as the realization hit her. She released her sword and let it clatter to the floor. "Ah-huh?"

"Glynda and I will see to it that anything she damaged will be repaired or replaced." Blake noted. "Sorry to bother you." She let go of Weiss' wrist and brushed past her to leave the room, making enough contact to indicate her displeasure. All Weiss could do was stand there in shock.