Chapter 34

Opening the USB, Weiss saw two folders, "Art" and "References." Opening the Art folder, she found herself looking at several dozen folders, some labeled generically such as "Fanart" and others more specific, like "Atlas Art Project" which she opened. Another dozen or so folders popped up, baring familiar names. She opened the "Ruby" folder to find scans and works featuring a taller, gothic looking version of the girl, wielding - of all things - a gigantic, stylized scythe. Ruby had shown Weiss a few of the works before, but usually they were unfinished. This one was dated near the start of the year, and nearly identical to another version. It seemed Ruby had redrawn it, likely as the basis for her project.

Clicking back, Weiss opened the References folder. There were less sub-folders than before, "Human-Faunus," "Sci-Fi," "Fantasy," "Leather," "Cloth," and "Patterns" stuck out. Browsing through a couple, she found more sub-categories of various weapon and clothing styles, until she opened Human-Faunus and found familiar names yet again. It seemed Ruby had references of her friends and family. Indeed, opening "Raven" showed what looked like a middle-aged Yang with crimson eyes and black hair, performing several poses in a sports bra and boy shorts. Her only meeting with the subject had been during the misery and guilty haze of Yang's overdose. It was nice to see Raven more composed and care free.

"Yang" of course showed the much younger, lilac-eyed, blonde clone. Her beaming smile and bright eyes reminded Weiss of their brief time together. She almost did a double take at the second, muscular arm on display. It was strange, seeing Yang whole, eyes still free of the shadow that clung to them, even as she joked and teased. Hopefully Pyrrha would help her with that, and Yang's eyes would be as bright as they were in the pictures when next Weiss met her.

"Nora" drew a scoff from Weiss. It seemed she refused to wear a top in her photos. Indeed, the third showed Yang covering Nora's breasts with her hands from behind, laughter clear on their faces. They must have been taken when the pair were dating, or perhaps they were so comfortable with each other that they could do this even when separated. Weiss felt a pang of envy.

"Pyrrha" was more modest than the others. Though the tank top and tights still showed off her form, it was clear that she was shy about showing skin, even to Ruby. She was slighter than Yang, with more definition, beautiful, truly. Weiss backed out before her mind wandered.

"Blake"

Well, this must have been recent. The others could be years old, but not this one. Opening the folder, Weiss froze. "Oh...wow…" Blake had not bothered with underwear, only tying her hair back for the first few photos, before doing away with even that as they progress from simple reference poses, to more...playful images. It seemed Blake had begun to tease Ruby, a hungry look in her eyes as she sat on the bed, chest puffed out, her bountiful breasts on display, the scars Weiss had grown familiar with contrasted angry red against her porcelain skin, they eyes she had fallen in love with boring into her, as she crawled toward the camera- "Oh God, what am I doing?"

Weiss backed out of the folder and crawled into a ball on her chair, shame settling like a thick blanket on her shoulders. This was terrible. This was awful. Weiss had violated Ruby's privacy. Blake's privacy. Yang, Nora, Pyrrha and Raven's. They had allowed Ruby to take the photos in confidence, with the assurance that they would never be seen by prying eyes, and Weiss had broken that. Worse, Blake's photos were on a deeper, more personal level, not simple references but evidence of their relationship, of the love and intimacy they shared...that Weiss craved...God she was so aroused...it made her feel sick…

"Get out of your head." Weiss pleaded with herself. "Out of your head Weiss. Stop doing this to yourself. You didn't know, you didn't think, you made a mistake." Weiss looked back at the screen, another folder named "Ruby" caught her attention. Images flitted through Weiss' mind, Ruby in Blake's place...did Blake take pictures of Ruby? "This is so fucking unfair. No, stop, no more…"

Weiss ejected the USB, capped it, and placed it on Ruby's desk. If Ruby asked if she had looked through it, Weiss would be honest. If not, well, it would not be the only thing she was keeping from her roommate. But now Weiss was aflame with arousal, her imagination running wild...there were plenty of interracial blogs for her to browse, and all the time in the world to find the perfect pairings.

Sun showed Blake and Ruby to his room, which to their surprise was fairly neat. It featured a double bed in one corner, a desk in another, and a few game and movie posters on the walls. "Welcome to the Bone Zone." Sun smirked. "Boning optional. I promise the sheets are clean."

"Is that a Kendo staff?" Ruby asked, pointing to a wooden pole leaning in a free corner.

"Yeah, I bought it online when I was drunk." Sun replied. "Not the worst thing I've done drunk, I can tell you that." He crossed the room, opening a drawer before removing a key from his pocket. He unlocked something. "Alright, Sauce kicks in a little quicker than LSD, but burns out quicker too, and you two are half-baked as is, so it'll probably mix a bit...well, I'll get Neon to check on you every now and then." He handed Blake a baggie with two small tabs inside.

Slipping out and closing the door, Sun left the couple alone. Hopefully they would have a good trip, but it was hard to tell when you did not know people well. There was no way of knowing if someone had a big, dark secret that would bite them in the brain, though with Faunus, it was more likely than not. Still, he trusted Blake would handle things well enough, she was devoted to Ruby, as any Faunus was to her mate. It was a beautiful thing, even to him, not the most romantic of men.

Human/Faunus relationships were still fairly rare in Atlas, where the racial divide would probably never truly fade. Coco and Velvet were even more shocking, old money consorting with what was once considered a lesser race. Sun's elder sister, Solara, would go on at length about the thinning divide between classes, and though a lot of it tended to go over his head, enough stuck to give him an appreciation of how times had changed. And how much their parents had done for them. A decade prior, Sun would not have been standing anywhere near this district, let alone attending the finest university in the kingdom.

He did feel guilty on occasion, dealing drugs - legal though they may be - fit him firmly into the stereotype his kind had been attempting to escape for generations. But it was as common occupation in the ghettos like the one he was raised in, one of the safer ones at that, and he was good at it, good at making friends, good at ensuring they were safe. That was what separated him from a lot of dealers. They saw customers as just that, they were a means to an end, a source of profit. So what if the weed was poor quality? So what if that nip was a bad batch? They would be back, they always would. Sun was better than that. He paid for better product and only sold legal. His prices were higher, his customer base smaller, but he was safer, more reliable to his customers, and every one of them was his friend, because he cared, he actually gave a shit.

"Suuuuuun, everyone abandoned me." Neon whined. She pouted from the couch as Sun returned to the Chiller.

Sun laughed, flopping down beside Neon and letting her fall into his lap. Neon was always touchy-feely with her friends, as if afraid they might fade away should she let go for too long. Not that Sun would ever complain about a beautiful girl near his crotch. Unless she was high as a kite, on catnip no less. "Where's Coco and Velvs?" He asked.

"Out back with Fox and Yatsu." Neon replied. "Probably makin' out or somethin'."

"You feelin' okay?" Sun pressed.

"Nyeh, the 'nip is helpin'." Neon answered.

"'Nip only helps a little Ney." Sun noted.

"My name's two syllables and you're shortenin' it?" Neon scoffed.

"Maybe I am, maybe you're trying to change the subject." Sun challenged.

Neon did not respond to that, instead opting to stare at the ceiling, hands stroking her tail repeatedly. "I'm not okay Sun." She finally admitted.

"You wanna' talk about it?" Sun offered.

Neon nodded, then shook her head. Her hands clenched, tail twitching in her grasp. Sun lay a hand on them and she let go, clinging to Sun instead. Neon was a naturally upbeat person, one of Sun's favorite customers, and a consistent guest at his parties, always joking, ever smiling, rarely if ever talking about herself at length. She only afforded others small glimpses, referential jokes and the odd story were Sun's only windows into her life, nothing so clear as today's however.

"I don't wanna' be a burden." Neon resisted.

"You're not a burden Ney, you're my friend." Sun insisted.

"Heh, I thought you were my dealer." Neon chuckled.

"What kinda' dealer gives away his product?" Sun asked.

"A pretty stupid one if you ask me." Neon replied.

"True!" Sun laughed. That coaxed a laugh from Neon as well, a small one, but it was enough. She relaxed, her grip on Sun's hand no longer vice-like, though hardly less sure. He squeezed reassuringly. "Hey, it's my birthday, and it'd be a great gift to be your emotional punching bag for a while."

Neon closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I don't want anyone else to know."

"Scout's honor." Sun promised.

Neon scoffed, opening her eyes to roll them. "Seriously...it's just...I don't like unloading. I don't like making others carry my baggage. I don't even like mooching the 'nip, but things are tight at home and I have to make everything stretch. Coco doesn't care though. She borderline drags me on shopping trips, and always pays...I love her so much...Coco, Velvet, Fox, Yatsu, Blake...Weiss. Without them, I dunno' if I could make it. And you Sun, you're the reason I really get to let loose, just smoke up some 'nip and dance to the music, let everything fade away for a while...I have so much pressure Sun. It's not my fault, it's not mum's fault. We've been in a shitty situation since I was born, and the asshole...assholes who did it are just gone, both of them."

"What happened?" Sun asked.

"I...mum was young, barely out of college, good job, loving boyfriend, human, both of them." Neon started. "Mum doesn't like to talk about it, everything just makes her sad, or angry, but she told me what happened, because eventually she had to. I wanted to know who my daddy was, why he wasn't there. Daddy hurt mummy, in the worst way possible, said terrible things to her, did terrible things to her...if not for me, she never would have told anyone. Things were different back then. If people found out, even though it was against her will, she would have been ostracized...didn't matter in the end. Everyone found out, when the first ultrasound showed a little extra spine than usual." Neon flicked her tail, hitting their hands.

"Fuck." Sun exhaled.

Neon laughed, a hollow laugh. "Boyfriend wasn't happy." Neon continued. "He didn't believe her, thought she was just making excuses. He was disgusted, thought she was consorting with the animals. No one believed the truth. So there she was, three months pregnant, fired, dumped and disowned...all because of one asshole, and the shitty time she lived in." She smiled, and even as tears welled in her eyes, they shone. "Mum was hurt, but she's Atlesian - stubborn, prideful and smart. She fought, even though her life was falling apart. She found ways to make money, moved into a cheap apartment, and she kept me, she kept me Sun, through everything. She could have aborted me, she could have stuck me in an orphanage or just abandoned me altogether, and I wouldn't blame her if she did. She had to have thought about it. She wouldn't admit it but she had to. All she would say was that I was her daughter, no matter what, that she had a duty to her family, that she couldn't abandon that. She refused to inflict that suffering on me, she wanted to be better than that. She cared about me, no matter what I was or how I came to be, and wanted to raise me right.

"She's terrified of us Sun." Neon cried, face half-buried in Sun's stomach. "The trauma never left her. Any time she saw one of us, when she was forced to ask for help when I confused her, when my Faunus traits required care, when my instincts manifested, when research couldn't help her, she turned to others. This full-blooded Atlesian, who would look out of place anywhere other than a sleek office building, sitting in a Faunus day care, taking messy notes from people who caused her to flinch and jump at every quick movement. Even now, I can still scare the hell out of her because of how quiet I am without shoes."

Neon fell silent, barely a sob escaping her even as she shuddered, curled into a ball. Sun was glad he had closed the door. Neon did not deserve prying eyes or ears. It was clear she needed this, this catharsis. He wondered if Weiss had been in his position at one point, hell, he wondered how he had inspired so much trust with just promises and some jokes. Did Neon value their relationship so much she was willing to bare all? It was likely the 'nip, loosening her inhibitions. He hoped this would help Neon. Seeing her so subdued was painful, like one of those touch sensitive lamps at half power.

"I love her Sun, she's my hero." Neon declared. "She abandoned all hope of having a normal life by keeping me, and I know that deep down she loves me too...she just shows it in her own ways. Like when I ate the fridge, she didn't care that I ate everything, she was scared that I got high because I was with bad people, who would hurt me, or encourage me to do bad things. When I'd go through my heats, she'd stay with me all night, brushing my hair and keeping me distracted, and when she couldn't...she...w-when I got my scholarship, she supported me completely, without question, told me to prove myself, told me to do my best, that I can do anything I put my mind to, and I will!"

Neon rose, climbing into Sun's lap and grabbing his shoulders. Sun met her fierce gaze with his own bemused one. "I'll prove myself!" She exclaimed. "I'll make her proud! I don't care how hard it is. Xenon gave me a chance to make something of myself. I shouldn't exist, but I do, and I'm grateful, and I'll bring the world to its knees to make mum proud if that's what it takes. I'LL BECOME KING OF THE WORLD IF I HAVE TO! YOU HEAR ME MAIDENS? I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

"Alright, alright, I get it Ney." Sun chuckled. "Calm down."

Neon giggled, wiping her eyes before hugging Sun firmly. "Thank you." She smiled, genuinely this time. "I know that was a lot and...I know you said you were fine with it, but it was a lot...I've just been going through some stuff, brought up a lot of these feelings, things I've kept bottled up and all...it feels good to let it all out. I didn't even tell Weiss everything. She had enough on her mind without adding my stuff to it. Coco and Velvs, they have each other, and their own problems. You and me? We just chill, and I love that. You're here, and there, and it's always fun to have you around. You know, I don't mind if you wanna' do a little somethin', birthday boy and all, lighten things up a bunch, whadda' ya' say?"

Sun sighed, chuckling, returning the embrace and rubbing Neon's back. "How about we get some grub and chill?" He suggested. "We gotta' check on Blake and Rubes soon."

"Oh yeah!" Neon gasped. "Wonder if they'll get it on in there."

"At least then the bed would see some action." Sun grumbled.

Neon smirked. "Hey, I offered!"