Pearls on a String

Volume 2

Chapter 15: Downtime

Town of Vale

Friday Evening

Evie strolled along the busy sidewalk, her arm securely wrapped around her blue-haired girlfriend's shoulders. They'd just finished dinner, and were in no particular hurry to get anywhere just yet, rather just enjoying each other's company.

The Cat Faunus glanced down at Beryl, noting her bronze eyes glinting in the streetlamps that cut through the night to illuminate their way. The shorter girl's face was relaxed, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth as she tightened her arm around her own waist.

Dust, she is so beautiful… Why did it take me so long to figure out how much she means to me?

It'd been two weeks since they'd changed their relationship for the better, and every day she caught herself more and more in wonderment with her petite girlfriend. There was much she had already admired and knew about her, the steadfast loyalty and protectiveness she harbored towards the team, the way she would observe with quick, careful, and intelligent eyes the movements of other students as they sparred. But she'd begun to realize that Beryl often trained that same intense gaze upon herself.

It made her feel like she was the center of the blue-haired girl's universe.

And then there were the little things that she did, or gestures that she seemed to effortlessly make. Like tonight, when she took her out to a new seafood restaurant. Or when Beryl had so shyly asked if she could start using her hygiene products, somehow knowing what that gesture would mean to a Faunus, to have Evie's scent on her, marking her as hers.

The way she would gently play with her ears every night before bed. Or know just when Evie was on the verge of stressing out over a paper or test, and effortlessly reigning her emotions back in with a shoulder rub, or another ear scritch, or just a break to go on a walk outside.

Evie let out a soft sigh. I really don't deserve someone as wonderful as her…

"What was that for?" Beryl perceptively murmured.

The raven-haired Faunus glanced back over at her again. "Sometimes… I just wonder how you do what you do, y'know?"

Beryl pulled the pair to a halt, looking up at her with a blank expression.

"I mean… all the things you do for me… I just…" Evie sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't feel like I do enough to deserve everything you do, everything you mean to me."

She opened her eyes again when she felt a small hand cup her cheek. Beryl's light bronze eyes were shining now with earnestness.

"How can you say that?" her girlfriend whispered. "You are so, so very worthy of all my love… Everything you are to me…" Beryl cleared her throat in embarrassment, glancing away briefly. "Um, I know I'm not the best with words sometimes… But, you're my kitty cat, you're my heart, and everything I do for you is because I want to, I want to… show you how much I love you, and, y'know… just because I want to."

Evie smiled down at her, ignoring the press of the passersby as they flowed around the couple. "You are so sweet…" she murmured.

"There's the smile I love to see," Beryl beamed. "That's why I do what I do. To make you happy, and to see you smile like that."

"You do, you make me so very happy…"

"And you make me happy as well… Dust, I've never been so happy in all my life."

They gazed into each other's eyes blissfully for another moment before Evie lowered her head and gave Beryl a slow, sweet kiss. "I love you," she murmured against the blue-haired girl's lips.

"I love you too," Beryl murmured back.

They resumed their stroll, a little more of a bounce in their steps than before. Suddenly Evie wanted to get back to their room and some privacy, as much as she was enjoying the open air.

"Can we head back?" she asked nonchalantly.

Beryl grinned, not fooled in the slightest, as she ran her hand along her ribs ever so casually. Her small, calloused hands made her shiver even through her clothes. "I'd like that," she replied.

They separated a little bit so that they might hold hands instead, as it would allow them to walk towards the airbus platform faster.

"Oh, wait!" Beryl exclaimed, pulling them to a halt. "We almost forgot to pick up our order!"

Evie giggled quietly. "Well, that would suck. We'd never hear the end of it from the others if we were so eager to get back that we forgot."

"Seriously," Beryl chuckled, steering them down a side street. "I think we've passed through Pip's grace period, any teasing is fair game now…"

Fifteen minutes later saw Beryl lugging a good-sized box back towards the platform again, while Evie looked at her askance.

"You sure you don't want help with that?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nope!" Beryl replied confidently. "It's all good, this isn't even the hardware, we already picked that up yesterday."

"So it's a box of wooden blocks?" Evie asked. She was excited that they would soon have their bunk beds put together, finally.

"Right, but with the necessary holes already punched through the centers. Now we just have to drill the holes in the tops of the bottom bunks and the bottom of the top bunks."

"If you say so… How do you know how to do all this, anyways?"

Beryl shot her an amused glance. "You saw my Dad, right? He raised me like a son. I know all about woodworking."

"Hmm, a woman of hidden talents," Evie giggled. "What other fun stuff have you been hiding from me?"

"Well…" Beryl mused, her lips pursed in thought. "I can make a really mean chili."

The Cat Faunus barked out a loud laugh, not having expected that response at all. "Yep, many hidden talents," she snickered.

"Not to mention a seriously good kisser."

"Oum, and modest to boot."

"Hey, those were your words."

"I must have been under your spell at that point."

Beryl snorted humorously. "What, my kissing puts you under my spell?"

"Yeah," Evie sighed blissfully. "Yeah, it does."

Her girlfriend blushed brightly as they boarded the next transport to Beacon. "Um… well I suppose that makes two of us."

"What, you fall under you own spell?" Evie snarked.

"That's not… You are such a dork. Cute, but a dork."

"Mmhmm," Evie grinned, leaning over her once they'd taken their seats with the box under their legs. "And I'm your dork."

"I would say the both of you are rather profound examples of dorks," a soft voice interjected from behind them. The pair turned to see a pair of light blue eyes, twinkling in merriment, staring back at them.

"Hey, Lustre!" Beryl greeted her silver-haired partner. "Didya have fun in town?"

"I did," she replied, walking around to sit next to them. "I purchased a few new books, as well as… clothing."

"Wait, what?" Evie exclaimed in shock. "You… went clothes shopping?"

Lustre blushed lightly, the action showing up even on her dusky skin. "Well, yes… Pip made some recommendations while she and Rufus were with me. I have a new casual dress. It is very nice."

"Well, how about that," the Cat Faunus said, sitting back again. "And how are the other lovebirds doing?"

Rufus Henna, Pip's boyfriend from Shade Academy, had decided to come out from Vacuo and visit for the weekend, subsequently blowing through much of his cash reserves in the process for the two-way ticket. Their blonde leader was extremely touched by the gesture, and was taking him around town to enjoy the nightlife.

"They were prepared to, er, 'hit the town', as it were," Lustre commented with a small smile. "I do believe they wanted me to mention they would be out quite late tonight."

"Oh, really?" Beryl asked, a gleam in her eyes.

"Indeed," Lustre smirked. "Also, I might have not mentioned this, but I have been invited to a video viewing party over at Team Iris' room. It will also likely run late."

Evie giggled. "Thanks, sweetie," she murmured.

"It is my pleasure. I shall be sure to knock before I enter when I retire for the night."

Beryl and Evie turned to each other, both wearing goofy grins. "Well, then," Evie murmured. "It's a good thing we decided to return when we did."

"Yes," Beryl murmured back. "Yes it is."

Beacon Academy

Lustre stayed just long enough to drop off her purchases and change into her kimono sleepwear before leaving for her friends' room. The couple turned towards each other after dropping their box off in the corner next to the other hardware for the bunk beds.

"Sooo…" Beryl drawled, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

Evie fidgeted with the dark red straps that encased her upper arms. "How about we get ready for bed early?"

"Sounds good. Um, you wanna just… go ahead?"

The Cat Faunus glanced around in embarrassment. As strongly as they felt towards each other, they'd still done nothing more than kiss. Each was even more hesitant now to undress in front of the other, which seemed kind of silly in her mind.

Dust, we've dressed in front of each other before, it's never been that big of a deal… Why is it I feel so unsure now of doing so?

Beryl quickly picked up on her hesitation. "I can go change in the bathroom," she quickly interjected.

"No… No, it's okay, um… I'll just…"

Evie turned her back on her girlfriend and, facing her dresser, began to remove her clothing, pulling off her accessories first before slipping her black crop top off. She bent down to remove her boots when she risked a quick peek over her shoulder.

Her blue-haired girlfriend was in the process of taking her own boots off, but was openly staring at her. She gave a start once she'd been found out, and quickly turned around again.

"Really, sweetie?"

"I'm sorry," Beryl mumbled. "I just… Yeah, I have no excuse for peeking. Sorry."

Evie laughed as she pulled her black leggings and bra off before stepping into her sleep shorts. "I, um… I don't mind, I guess," she replied hesitantly as she slipped her camisole top over her head. "Are you… decent?"

"Yeah."

The Cat Faunus turned at the slightly dejected tone in Beryl's voice to see her staring down at her own sleeping attire. The blue sleep pants and baggy white shirt that bore her sapphire blue protection knot emblem on it were to be expected, but not the glum look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a step forward to rest her hands on Beryl's shoulders.

"Do you… Should I maybe get something else to sleep in?" her girlfriend asked meekly. "Something, I dunno… more feminine?"

Evie sighed affectionately and pulled her the rest of the way into a hug. "If you want to, that's fine," she murmured. "But don't feel you have to just for me. I like your pajamas, and I know they're comfortable to you."

"Says the sexy Cat Faunus who wears skimpy sleepwear to bed," Beryl mumbled into her chest.

"Sexy?" Evie asked, unsure if she'd heard right.

"Um…" Beryl sighed. She could almost hear the gears in her brain turning fast to figure out a way to retract her previous statement. "Yeah. I got nothing. That's what I said alright."

"Well, um… I never really thought of this as…" Evie paused and blinked her eyes in surprise. Beryl was pressed against her in a hug, which was nothing new, but while wearing her camisole top, her rather low-cut camisole top…

"Your face is in my boobs," she finally stated levelly.

"That it is," Beryl replied calmly. "Not complaining any."

"Um." Evie was at a bit of a loss. On the one hand, they'd decided not to move their relationship forward in any physical sense, and Beryl had repeatedly expressed her desire to take things at whichever pace she wanted, as slow as she desired.

Yet, on the other hand, having Beryl pressed up like this, her breath warm on her halfway-exposed bosom, filled her with a tingly feeling that was altogether pleasant.

Her brain began screaming at her about how important it was to wait for such things, as she'd always planned.

Meanwhile, her libido smacked her brain firmly and reminded it that not only was Beryl, without a doubt, worthy mating material, but this felt really, really, really good.

Evie's body, content at letting the two of them battle things out, decided to just leave things as they were.

Traitor, her brain complained.

Shut it, you, her libido retorted.

"Hey, Evie?" her girlfriend eventually murmured. "Um… Did you wanna get in bed?"

"Bed!" she exclaimed far more loudly than she'd intended, causing Beryl to jump slightly. "I mean, yes, yes we should. Get in bed. Together."

Beryl pulled back, gazing up at her with a bemused look. "Are… you okay?"

"Fine, never better," Evie replied, knowing her eyes were perhaps a little wild. She closed them, and took a deep breath. Once she opened them again, it was to catch Beryl's gaze shooting back up towards her face.

"Were you just checking me out again?" she asked humorously.

Beryl sighed, and turned towards her bed. "I really do try to behave," she grumbled petulantly. "But it's Dust-damned hard when you're so gorgeous."

Evie giggled as she slid under the covers next to her small girlfriend. "I'm sorry I make things so difficult for you."

"Well, I'm not," Beryl smiled. "Wouldn't want you any other way than as you are."

"You just wanna make sure I don't wear anything more concealing to bed."

"Dust, no, please… That would just be cruel…"

Evie cleared her throat as she leaned forward, a blush brightening her face. "Well… what about something, um… more revealing?"

Beryl gazed into her eyes, a matching blush spreading across her cheeks. "Oh, that would be even more cruel… Might just kill me, in fact…"

"Well, we wouldn't want that to happen," Evie murmured before sealing her lips against Beryl's.

Once again the Cat Faunus reveled in the feeling of Beryl's softness pressed up against her, her velvety tongue swirling inside her mouth and against her own tongue. Beryl's strong hands reached up and around her waist, grasping at the back of her camisole to pull her in tighter against her body.

Evie rolled slightly so that she was fully on top. One arm was wrapped around Beryl's middle while she ran the fingers of her other hand through her chin-length blue hair. She was feeling a little more aggressive than usual, perhaps because of their earlier embrace, but she let her arm slide down further towards Beryl's waist to pull her in as tight as she could.

In doing so, however, Beryl's leg made contact with her vagina through her sleep shorts.

Evie gasped loudly and shot off of Beryl. Her nerves were sparking like she'd been shot with an infusion of white dust, and she found herself trembling at the unanticipated contact.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Beryl exclaimed in a panic. "I didn't mean to, really, it just-"

Evie reached over and placed her fingers against Beryl's lips, cutting off her babbling. "It's… okay, sweetie, just… a little unexpected, is all."

She turned on her side so that they were facing each other again. Beryl's eyes were filled with worry, which in turn made her feel incredibly guilty. "Really, it's okay," she tried to assure her.

"Well, okay then…" Beryl hesitantly leaned forward again and gave her a soft kiss. "Maybe… we just stay like this, then?"

"Yeah…" Evie replied absently. Her libido was once again screaming at her to jump that beautiful girl right now, while her brain was still shouting the same refrain as before.

"Evie?"

"Um… I…" Evie closed her eyes. "I don't know what I want," she admitted softly.

"Oh." Beryl cupped her face in her hands, stroking her cheeks with calloused thumbs. Evie leaned into the touch, practically purring at the rough feeling against her skin.

"You know," the blue-haired girl began hesitantly. "There's… well, stuff we can do that's short of actual, um… sex."

Evie blinked her eyes open again, both her brain and libido silencing in rapt attention to what she had to say. "Go on…" she prompted, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice.

"Well, beside the kissing… um…" Beryl was blushing brightly, but decided to instead let her actions speak for her. She reached down to grasp Evie's hand and slowly pull it up to her own small chest.

Evie's mouth made a circle as she gazed down wondrously, and then her lips clamped shut once Beryl had moved her hand up to the intended target.

"It's just kinda fooling around a little," Beryl explained, her voice somewhat strained. "Without crossing the line. At least, I think it doesn't. Unless you think it does?"

"No," she breathed. "I don't… I think this might be, um, okay… maybe…"

"Hey, kitty cat," Beryl murmured, drawing her gaze upwards again. "I'm not going to rush you into doing anything you don't want to do, okay?

"I… I want to, really… but I'm just not sure…"

Beryl nodded, and gently moved Evie's hand off of her chest and around her waist again. "If you're unsure, then you're not ready," she stated adamantly. "And that's okay."

I was really enjoying that, her libido complained.

Her brain just shrugged wordlessly. She's not wrong.

"But…"

"Evie, don't worry about it," Beryl assured her, leaning forward to kiss her once more.

Evie closed her eyes, feeling them burn slightly with her irritation at herself. Why can't I figure out what I want?

I already said my bit, her libido stated crossly.

She waited for her brain to make a rejoinder, but it seemed to have found something more interesting to deal with elsewhere.

Beryl pulled back and grinned sheepishly. "Um, Evie…?"

"Yeah?"

"Your tail is going up my shirt."

Evie let out a squawk and grabbed at the offending appendage, holding it firmly behind her. "Sorry, sweetie," she blushed. "Sometimes it just has a mind of its own…"

"Well," Beryl chuckled. "Maybe it just acts through your subconsciousness?"

"Could be," Evie conceded thoughtfully. She was the one to initiate the kiss this time, putting both her passion and frustration into it as she pressed her body up against her slender girlfriend.

It's really not crossing a line… Is it? No, no it's not…

Having made up her mind, Evie rolled back and pulled Beryl on top of her. Instead of supporting the diminutive girl by the waist, she slipped both hands up and hesitantly placed them on her small chest.

Beryl let out a soft moan into her mouth, which, to be honest, gave her another warm tingly feeling through her entire body. They stayed like that, each one afraid to move but still deepening the kiss as much as they could, before Beryl finally pulled away and rolled off of her.

They lay side by side, both of them panting for breath. Evie's finally subsided somewhat, though the tingly feeling didn't seem to want to subside. Beryl, on the other hand, seemed to be still struggling to even out her breathing.

Finally the blue-haired girl leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "Um… I need to use the restroom."

Evie just nodded and watched as her girlfriend darted over towards the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Well, that was… something. I suppose she enjoyed that? I know I would have… Her face blushed brightly at the thought of those small and roughly calloused hands wandering over her own chest. Oum, just thinking about that… really, really excites me…

She stifled a moan as she rolled onto her side. But then her Faunus ears picked up on another faint sound coming from the restroom.

Evie sucked in a quick breath of surprise. Beryl wasn't using the restroom for what she thought she was using it for, not if the labored pants coming from there were anything to go by.

Oh, Dust damn it all… And it wasn't like she could stop hearing it. Well, she could have, really, by stuffing her head under a pillow… But she found herself simply not wanting to stop hearing it.

And then her own hand crept down her stomach, and she sighed resignedly. Well, shit. May as well, at this point…

Perhaps ten minutes later Beryl entered the room again, flipped the light switch, and slipped under the covers next to Evie. The Cat Faunus looked over, and her vision easily picked up on her girlfriend's chagrined blush even with the lights out.

"Sorry," Beryl murmured. "Um… I didn't think about, you know…"

"How I would be able to hear everything?" Evie finished for her wryly.

"Yeah, that."

"Well…" It was Evie's turn to blush now. "I may have… taken care of myself as well."

"Oh." Beryl chuckled weakly. "Seems kinda silly to do something like that in separate rooms."

Evie turned fully onto her side, unsure if she'd heard her correctly, or if she was interpreting that with any degree of accuracy.

Yep, pretty sure she meant exactly that, her brain assured her.

Her libido just purred contentedly.

She swallowed her suddenly dry throat. "Well… maybe some time…"

"Later," Beryl stated with a nod. She looked over at Evie and smiled warmly. "Much later."

"Yeah. Later." Evie leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I love you," she whispered. "And… I appreciate you being so patient with me."

"Told you, kitty cat," Beryl grinned. "I'm not going anywhere. I can afford to be patient."

"I'm glad."

Beryl gave the tip of her nose a kiss. "And I love you, too. Let's get some sleep, huh?"

"Okay, sweetie. 'Night."

"G'night, love."

Evie rolled over to allow Beryl to spoon her. She smiled softly to herself as her girlfriend reached up to run her nimble fingers along one of her black furry ears on the top of her head.

Yeah, I'm not going anywhere either. I think… I think I may have just found my mate.

Took you long enough to figure that out, her brain complained.

Seriously, her libido chimed in with a satisfied sigh.

Oh, shut it and sleep, she retorted crossly.

Some time later a soft knock sounded at their door, and Evie sleepily called out an all-clear without waking Beryl up. Lustre slipped inside and wordlessly got ready for bed before settling down for the night herself.

It would be morning before the three girls realized that their team leader had never returned to their dorm.

A/N: Ahhh cliff-hanger! I know, I suck. Hopefully this didn't cross the line for folks, I think I kept it to PG level for the most part. Plus I had fun with Evie's brain and libido arguing.

Next chapter will pick up the same evening to see what Pip and Rufus are up to.

Hugs for reading, favoriting, following (I have 15 followers now, woohoo!), and/or reviewing!

Commando2341: Hmm… Myrtensater's new wielder will certainly play a part in all of this, but for good or evil will yet be seen. And I still giggle when I think of Scaredy Cat. Dunno if it'd be appropriate for Pip to work into teasing, but I'll percolate on that…

Martin Hooper1: Picked up on the foreshadowing of Pip's family there, eh? Might have to wait awhile for that to become relevant, it will actually occupy the third planned arc in this story. And yeah, as I tried to insinuate, Damian and Frost are the only surviving Schnees at this point in time. The why and how of that will be eventually revealed.

TacoKing23: I had actually considered making the relation, but then decided not to. So no, Lord Malachite is not related to the Malachite twins from Junior's bar, at least not immediately. With all of the colorful names in Remnant, it can be assumed they see some reuse.

Glad everyone liked Corvis from the last chapter. Goes a ways to explain how Beryl turned out the way she is. Poor Evie…

Stay shiny!