Ember Legacy, Volume 2

Chapter 16: Taking Flight

Kingdom of Vale,

Western Outskirts

"Once a man has seen a dragon in flight, let him stay at home and tend his garden in content, someone had written once, for this wide world has no greater wonder."

~ George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

LEMON WARNING: This chapter contains brief sexual content, starting right here. The end of this section will be marked, trigger your Cloak of Invisibility to skip over if so desired.

Weiss gasped softly, digging her teeth into Yang's bare shoulder as she moved on top of the blonde to the rhythm of the nimble fingers currently plunging into her core. Her lover tasted like sweat from when she'd already pleasured the taller girl, but she was desperately trying to muffle the screams of ecstasy that threatened to rip from her throat.

Not for the first time since she'd started sleeping with the incredibly alluring woman, Weiss bemoaned the fact that she'd never learned the Mage equivalent of the Circle of Silence spell.

The platinum-haired Elf shuddered as the tempo of her rocking hips increased. Gods, the things this woman can do to me with her fingers…

Yang's breath was hot on her cheek as she ghosted a kiss there before giving the tip of her pointed ear a flick with her tongue. "Come for me," the blonde whispered huskily. "Come all over my fingers…"

With a muffled shriek she did just that, digging her teeth even harder into Yang's shoulder as she crested gloriously. As was the case more often than not, she saw stars before her eyes from the violence of her orgasm.

The surprise LEMON encounter is over, roll for initiative and continue.

Trembling from the aftereffects, Weis lay, exhausted, atop her lover. Yang's gentle hands roamed about her body as she murmured softly, words foreign to her ear but soothing nonetheless.

"Wow," she finally managed to squeak.

Yang chuckled quietly, the rumbling beneath the Elf's ear causing her to smile. "Only fair," the blonde retorted, "with as amazing as you were earlier."

"Oh, please," she scoffed lightly. "Like I can ever hope to keep up with you."

"Don't sell yourself short, princess," Yang murmured affectionately, pressing a kiss onto the crown of her head.

The Elven Mage snuggled tighter into the brawler's embrace. She felt so amazing, so safe and warm and…

"Yang?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I… I love you."

She winced as the blonde's ministrations ceased for a moment, before her hands resumed their soft caresses. Did I just screw that up?

"I love you too, Weiss."

With a sigh, she relaxed again, the exertion from their nighttime activities catching up to her. She yawned and nuzzled into one of Yang's warm, soft, pillow-like breasts.

The Elven woman was almost asleep when her lover's voice brought her to consciousness once more.

"Hey… Weiss?"

The uncharacteristic hesitancy in Yang's tone caused her to tip her head up to look at the blonde, who was staring up at the stars in the sky past the forest canopy above them.

"Yes, Yang?"

"I… I need to show you something."

"You do?"

Yang nodded, her face resolved now as she seemed to have made up her mind. "Yeah, yeah I do. Um, can you get dressed really quick? We should move away from the camp for this…"

"Very well," the platinum-haired woman agreed levelly. She certainly trusted Yang enough at this point, more so than she'd ever trusted anyone in the past. Save, oddly enough, for Ruby, who she'd entrusted blindly time and time again.

After a short while the pair of them were walking deeper into the woods. Yang's head was on a swivel, as if searching for something, while Weiss kept her hand firmly clasped with her lover's, their fingers entwined.

Eventually they reached a moderately-sized clearing, and Yang expelled a deep breath. "Okay," she murmured, releasing Weiss' hand and stepping back. "Just… stay there for a sec, alright?"

Weiss nodded, knowing that even in the darkness Yang would be able to see her. It was a bit uncanny how the blonde was able to see just as ably as she or Blake could in the dark, but no more so than Ruby's ability to do the same.

Yang walked slowly to the middle of the clearing before facing to the side and giving Weiss a look over her shoulder. "So… Um, you trust me, right?"

"Of course," Weiss smiled, thinking back to her musings just moments ago. "Implicitly."

"Okay then…"

Yang shot her a brilliant smile before her body began to shimmer and glow. She seemed to expand somehow, filling up Weiss' vision and the clearing itself.

As the Elf blinked her eyes to dispel the motes floating around her vision, she found herself confronted by the unmistakable and grandiose form of a gigantic Gold Dragon crouched on all four limbs, wings folded behind to fit inside the clearing.

She stood there, motionless, as her brain struggled to catch up.

The great head swung around, crimson orbs regarding her warily. "Weiss?" a voice rumbled, the sound like thunder overlaid with Yang's familiar voice. "You okay?"

"Eep," was her only immediate reply.

The Gold sighed heavily, blowing her white skirt out behind her. "Sorry, I know this is kinda… sudden…"

"You," Weiss finally declared solemnly, "are a Dragon."

"Um… yep."

"You're a Dragon."

"I think we established this, yes," Yang chuckled, a deep booming sound that shook the ground beneath her feet.

The platinum-haired Mage stood motionless for perhaps a full minute. "Well," she eventually stated, her voice eerily calm. "This was unexpected."

Yang chuckled once more, but even as a Dragon her nervousness carried through clearly. "Not a bad unexpected though, right?"

"I wouldn't say that, no," she murmured in reply, one hesitant hand extended towards the enormous snout seemingly within reach. She jumped slightly when Yang moved her head towards her, causing her to realize the deceptively massive size of the Gold.

Each nostril perched on the end of the Dragon's snout looked as if it could suck the Elf in whole. She giggled somewhat hysterically as she said a quick prayer to Oum for the Gold not to sneeze anytime soon. But as she rested her hand in between, just at the top of the enormous snout, all she felt was… warmth. The familiar warmth she'd been experiencing ever since she came into contact with Yang.

It's still her, it's still Yang… and I… Yes, I still trust her…

"Okay," she breathed, retracting her hand. The massive head swiveled around to regard her with a crimson eye the size of a serving platter. "Sooo… what now?"

"Well, princess..." Yang somehow managed to convey a smirk. "I figured we'd go for a ride."

"A… A ride?" Weiss squeaked, slowly pointing a finger upright. "Like… up there?"

"Mmhmm," the Gold rumbled. "Unless you don't want to?"

"Oh, um… No, no I definitely want to…" A slow smile began to creep across her face. "Er… how do I…?"

The Dragon shuffled back, each step placed carefully and with far more grace than the Elf expected for a creature the size of a good-sized manor. Perhaps even a small castle.

"Climb on up," Yang advised, extending a wing to the ground.

Weiss marvelled at the color and texture of the wing as she carefully crept up. Even in the dim light cast by Remnant's broken moon, the almost-translucent surface shone brilliantly, matching the lustre from the numerous golden scales lining the Dragon's colossal body.

Following Yang's directions further, she ended up straddling the Gold's neck right at the base, her hands entwined with the surprisingly soft mane that flowed there. She'd managed to gather her long skirt up enough and tie it in order to keep it from blowing every which way. Or at least, so she hoped. Yang twisted her head, regarding her with a crimson eye that somehow managed to convey an excitement that was surely now reflected in Weiss' own pale blue orbs.

"Ready?" Yang rumbled, the vibration sending a thrill through her lower body.

"Er, yes," she replied, blushing slightly.

And then the mighty Dragon was crouched, feet gathered under her, before they were hurtled up and into the air.

Weiss choked down her scream, clutching the mane with a death's grip but her eyes still open wide. Immense wings unfurled to either side and began to beat, lurching them upwards more until they settled into a smooth, easy rhythm as they glided around the forest.

The Elf stared down, enchanted by how small the forest looked, and then her gaze went up and into the night sky around them. It was as if they'd flown into a diamond-studded ebony blanket, held up by the shattered moon that looked to be so close she could reach out and pluck it from the darkened sky.

"Oh my Oum," she breathed unsteadily, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek in wonder.

Before she could react further, however, something bright flashed by her vision, causing her to squawk and cling to Yang's back even more tenaciously.

"What…?" she gasped. Turning her head, she saw the source of her fright, yet another Dragon, though this one was perhaps half the size of Yang and shone a bright argent color.

"Son of an Orc, it's been too long since I did this!" the Silver Dragon called out merrily. "I haven't stretched my wings in ages!"

Weiss blinked her eyes uncertainly at the very familiar voice overlaid on top of the deep rumbling of the Dragon. "Ruby?" she exclaimed.

"Heya, Weiss!" Ruby the Dragon chuckled before doing a barrel roll in mid-flight. "Guess Yang decided it was okay to let you know, huh?"

The Elf shook her head, aghast. Of course, Ruby being Yang's sister, that would explain so much of their abilities if they were both Dragons, but still…

"All this time and you're been a Dragon as well?" she accused loudly over the whistle of the wind passing.

Yang's body shook with her rumbled laugh. She twisted her head around to speak with her passenger. "Yeah, we both decided to hold off on letting people know." She turned once more to regard her sister. "I was gonna wait for you, though. You need to be more careful, Ruby, or everyone down there will know!"

"Um…" Ruby chuckled, the thunderous sound still somehow relaying her chagrin. "I, uh… kinda thought we were coming out to everyone."

"What?" Yang sputtered.

"Yeah," the Silver sheepishly admitted, doing a quick loop around them before ending back up on the left flank. "Well, I sensed you change, so I figured, y'know…"

She seemed to quail somewhat at the fierce look Yang must have been giving her.

"Hey, I was just tired of hiding for so long!" Ruby protested.

"So what did you do?" Weiss pressed, her mouth quirking up in amusement. A Silver Dragon the size of a house and she still manages to act like the Ruby I know.

"Well, I just got everyone together and went over to the clearing you used, and um… Well, I just said 'Hey, check this out!' before changing and taking off after you guys."

Yang sighed with a noise like the bellows of a forge. "You are such a hatchling."

"Hey!" Ruby squawked indignantly, causing Weiss to laugh merrily. How can a Dragon even squawk like that?

"Perhaps we should land before there is a mass panic within the fellowship?" Weiss prompted before the bickering siblings could continue.

"Oh, yeah, good point Weiss… See you guys down there!" With that the Silver folded her wings and plummeted down in the blink of an eye.

"Oum's bloody balls!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Don't worry, she's just fast like that," Yang chuckled as she wheeled over and descended at a much more sedate rate. "Silver, remember?"

"Right," Weiss mused. This was going to take a little getting used to.

Far below them, she saw the Silver soar over the clearing where they'd originated, only for the form to abruptly shimmer and disappear before setting down. Weiss grinned to herself wryly as she imagined the brunette making an entrance in her usual flamboyant manner.

"Yang?" she called out as the ground grew closer, a random thought occurring to her. "What happens to your clothes?"

"Oh, they're part of us," Yang called back cheerfully. "Um, let's get down and tell everyone all the stuff at once, okay?"

"Certainly." Seems fair, we can all try to make sense of this together.

The imposing Gold Dragon settled down for a landing in a graceful crouch, lowering a wing for Weiss to descend. She did so, gamely picking her way down until she ended up on the floor of the clearing. It was then she noticed that several torches had been lit, and the entirety of the fellowship, including the quartet of Knights that had joined them, were standing around with identically dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

"See?" Ruby proclaimed, once more clad in her black-and-red ensemble with matching cloak. "There she is, all safe and stuff. Yang, come on over."

Weiss turned to see the Gold shimmer before turning into the familiar form of her lover, back in her black and white attire. She sauntered over with an easy grin on her face, stopping next to Weiss but not making any contact with the Elf.

The platinum-haired Mage rolled her eyes and reassuringly snatched up Yang's hand, causing the blonde to let out a quiet sigh of relief. "So, how about we head to the campfire?"

"That is an excellent idea," Pyrrha replied evenly. "I suspect there is much you wish to tell us."

o o o

They were all in a circle, any traces of sleep long since banished even though it was the middle of the night. Both Ruby and Yang had reassured them that they would sense anyone coming up, so no watch was needed. Which was just as well, as there was not a single individual who wished to miss this conference.

"Okay, then," Ruby stated with a nervous chuckle. "Guess I'll start…" She let out a quick breath, nervously glancing aside at Blake whose face was set into an impenetrable neutral mask of indifference.

"At least this explains how you knew so much about Dragons," Ren spoke up calmly. "But why the lies regarding your parentage?"

"They weren't lies," Ruby answered somberly. "And… I suppose that's as easy a place to begin as any…"

She slid down the fallen tree trunk that she'd been sitting upon, leaning her back against the side of it and extending one leg out, resting her arms atop the knee that was now propped up. "So, my mom and dad, they were, obviously, Dragons. We didn't live in the Aerie or with any other Dragons, really, just out on our own. But they taught me lots about our heritage and the world… Then, back during the War, they both flew out to oppose Ember and his reign of terror, along with a few of their friends from back home. That was the last time I saw them."

Weiss gasped suddenly, her hands flying to her mouth as a sudden realization struck her. "The painting in the castle…" she whispered.

"Yeah," Yang murmured from behind her, arms wrapped securely around the Elf's trim waist. "That was them."

"My mom, Summer, was the Silver in that painting," Ruby confirmed. "And my dad… our dad, Tai, he was the Gold."

"So if your father was a Gold," Weiss interjected, turning her head to regard Yang. "Was your mother a Gold as well, or a Silver?"

Yang shook her head, the wild mane of silky blonde hair rustling against the back of her neck. "Nope, my mom is an Onyx by the name of Raven, but I haven't seen or heard from her in many years."

"Not that I want to dismiss any of the family talk," Nebula interrupted with an upraised hand. "But I'm still trying to figure out what's going on here. We're being led by a pair of Dragons to raid the lair of another Dragon for a supposed magical artifact that only affects other Dragons." The amethyst-haired Knight looked around the assembled people. "Does nobody else find this suspect in any way?"

"Nope."

All heads turned towards the most unlikely of sources for the immediate show of support.

"I trust the both of 'em," Nora stated confidently, lounging back against Ren's legs while the Half-Elven Cleric played with her orange hair. "Doesn't matter if they're Dragon or Human, I'll follow them. Right, Renny?"

"Absolutely," the raven-haired man agreed quietly, but with firm resolve in his voice. "Oum has set us upon this path for a reason, I am not one to deny divine providence."

Nebula opened her mouth, but before she could Weiss spoke up next.

"Ruby has my trust, just as she always has," she defended adamantly. "Just as… Just as Yang has both my trust and my heart."

"Aww," Jeanne snickered. "You guys are so cute."

The platinum-haired Elf rolled her eyes, but regarded the Knight-in-training next. "What about you, then?"

The blonde warrior only glanced at Pyrrha briefly before giving them a firm nod. "You have my oath and my loyalty still, Ruby," she stated, only a faint tremor in her voice betraying her nervousness at speaking her mind before her Knight made her own known. "My trust goes along with those."

"Well said," the tall redheaded Knight said softly, bringing a small smile to her squire's face. "Novitate D'Arc speaks for myself as well."

Ruby nodded her head solemnly, digging a stick that she'd picked up into the dirt, tracing random patterns. "Blake?" she asked without looking up, her voice soft and casual.

The Cat Faunus was sitting on the ground across from the brunette. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her arms and tail both wrapped around them. As Ruby spoke, her furry ears atop her head swiveled over in her direction. Still, she was silent for the span of a few heartbeats.

"I am still with you," the Rogue finally spoke up neutrally.

"Okay," Ruby murmured back, though she seemed to flinch infinitesimally at the less-than-resounding show of support. "Then what about you, Lady Violette, and the rest of your Knights? Are you still willing to support our quest? I shall bear you no ill will if you decide to depart."

The ranking Valesian Knight of Artemis glanced around at the three Knights who had accompanied her from their chapter. All of them, blonde, raven-haired, and redheaded, gave her firm nods of support. "We began this journey with you," Nebula finally stated. "It was a request from our King. But we will continue upon this quest if you will have us."

"Of course we will," Ruby replied with a warm smile, the first since she'd returned to the campfire.

"You know," Yang interjected, tilting her head imperceptibly. "We really should go ahead and reveal the other thing."

"The other thing?" Ruby repeated, nonplussed.

Yang sighed, muttering something about hatchlings under her breath before tilting her head once again in a more prominent fashion towards the side of the campfire.

"Ooooh!" the brunette exclaimed suddenly. "That thing!"

Yang sighed once again, while Weiss giggled softly and patted her on the knee. "Patience, love," she murmured.

"So, then, Nora," the Silver began with a twinkle in her eyes. "The reason I came across you was because of a certain… well… Okay, so Dragons have a way to sense each other, right? Sometimes their aura trail left behind, but most often the Dragon themselves as they approach."

"Okay, with ya so far," Nora agreed, her brow furrowed.

"Well, I was able to sense something in you, meaning you have a bit of Dragon blood in you."

"I… I do?" the orange-haired warrior squeaked.

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yep, picked up on it myself first time I saw you. Either Gold or Bronze, we can't decide on which, but they're somewhere up in your family tree."

"Explains the ridiculous strength, anyway," Jeanne murmured thoughtfully.

"Nora?" Her boyfriend was watching the frozen orange-haired girl intently. "Are you alright?"

She slowly turned towards Ren, a slightly manic smile creeping across her face. "This… is… freaking awesome!"

"Oh, dear," Weiss murmured.

"Yep, here we go," Yang agreed with a chuckle.

"I've got freaking Dragon's blood in me?!" Nora was on her feet at this point, dancing around the fire like she were worshipping some long-forgotten deity of the flames. Which, to be fair, might actually have been the case, but it was more likely that the hammer-wielder was effused with far more exuberance than ever before.

"Wow, I wonder what else is different? Am I, like, immune to fire now? I should test this, right Renny?"

"No, Nora, please don't jump into the fire."

"Right, right, baby steps… Maybe I could breathe fire if I try really hard?"

"You tried that once," Ren stated calmly over the snickers of the rest of the group. "When you ate that spicy chili in Mistral."

"Ooooh, yeah, if I couldn't then I can't now, that was some fucking awesome spicy stuff... "

"Okay, Nora, down please," Ruby giggled, snagging the excitable pink-armored girl as she skipped by her and dragging her to her side. "I think there might still be some questions for us, yeah?"

"Hey, so are you stronger than me?" Nora asked curiously, flexing her right arm while the other hand was grasping one of Ruby's biceps.

"Yes," Ruby replied shortly, blushing at the amount of groping going on. "Nora, can you please, er…?"

With a sigh, Ren got up and pulled the giggling orange-haired girl with him. "I've got her," he offered with a small smile.

"Thanks," Ruby grinned. "So, questions?"

"You mentioned you were the same age as me," Jeanne spoke up, her brow furrowed slightly. "Was that… Is that still true?"

"Yep," Yang snickered. "She's just a hatchling."

"Yaaannng," the brunette complained. "Will you please stop calling me that?"

"Well you are, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to keep pointing it out! You're undermining my leadership here!"

"Sorry, sorry," the blonde chuckled unrepentantly, earning her a light smack on her arm by her platinum-haired lover.

"Behave," Weiss murmured fondly.

"Weiss," Pyrrha remarked. "You just smacked a Dragon."

"I did, yes."

"And this does not concern you any?"

"Of course not, she may be a Dragon but she's still Yang."

Yang pulled the Elf in tight against her. "I love you," she whispered into her ear before giving her a gentle kiss on the side of her neck, eliciting a giggle.

"I… see," the redhead murmured before turning towards Ruby once more. "So, why is it you remain in a Human guise? And is this the only, er… form you may take?"

"Hmm, yeah I should talk about that," Ruby mused. "Well, for starters, we stay this way to keep hidden. Changing into our Dragon form is like lighting up a beacon for any other Dragon to see. We're pretty remote right now, so there's little chance of being discovered if we just stay that way briefly. But, yeah, we're keeping a low profile so that our enemies, including the mate of Ember, doesn't know that Dragons are trying to reach the Orb."

The brunette stretched her limbs, once again shooting an unobtrusive glance over at the Cat Faunus who was still steadfastly refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "As far as the transforming goes… It's not like we're shapeshifters or Doppelgangers or anything of the like. This Human form is like a representation of our soul, or at least that's the way it was explained to me. We don't have any control over it or our garb, we just appear as a reflection of who we are in mortal form."

"That's actually quite fascinating," Ren spoke up from where he was still cuddling Nora into submission. "Do your forms change as you age?"

"Nope," the Silver grinned. "My mom was pretty advanced in age, a few hundred years since she hatched, and she was still really young-looking and pretty as a Human." Her smile turned reminiscent and bittersweet as she continued. "We looked pretty similar, actually, though her hair was longer and redder, and she wore a white cloak instead of a red one."

"I never got to see Summer in her Human form," Yang mused, resting her chin on Weiss' shoulder so that her breath tickled her ear. "Would have made it easier to look for you, oftentimes daughters resemble their mothers if they're the same type of Dragon."

"So you don't look like your mother, then?" Weiss asked the Gold, who shook her head slowly.

"Nah, well kinda, but her hair's black. Oh, and our eyes are opposite, so she's got crimson eyes as a Human and purple as a Dragon."

"Oh, that reminds me," Jeanne spoke up. "What's with the eye color changes? Is that a Dragon thing, then?"

The blonde Dragon nodded slightly. "Yep, exactly. My eyes are this color as a Human, unless, well…"

"Provoked," Ruby supplied. "Or at a heightened emotional state."

"Right," the Gold continued. "And then when a Dragon, they're red."

"Like mine are normally silver, but change to grey when I transform," Ruby added.

The group sat quietly for a few moments more. Weiss glanced over at Blake, the silence from her in particular becoming almost palpable, but before she might intervene she felt Yang's breath ghosting along her neck.

"Leave it alone," the blonde breathed. "It's been a shock, and she needs time to get used to the idea."

Weiss hummed her agreement and nodded slightly. Turning back to Ruby, she offered her leader a smile. "Was there anything else you wanted to speak about tonight, Ruby?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, unless there are any other questions…? Okay, then. Um… if you do think of something, don't worry about approaching me or anything, okay?" She offered a tremulous smile in Blake's general direction. "I'm still me."

"Of course you are," Pyrrha murmured as she got to her feet. She paused and rested her hand on Ruby's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We shall see you in the morning, then."

"Should we continue with a watch?" Nebula asked hesitantly.

"It's not really necessary," Ruby replied. "But if you feel safer, feel free." She had a small, rather sad smile on her face as she noticed that Blake had already wordlessly slipped off into the darkness.

"I think the routine would be helpful," Gwen supplied.

Dew nodded as she hefted her shield. "Take the first shift with me, Octavia?"

"Gladly," the Knight responded, tying her long brick-red hair back in a ponytail before rising to her feet. "Rest well, everyone."

She was met by several murmured complimentary replies as the others drifted off to bed. Ruby remained where she was, staring sightlessly into the fire.

"Give it time," Yang murmured as she got to her feet, helping Weiss up alongside her.

"I know," the brunette replied softly, not looking up.

Weiss walked back towards their bedroll, her arm around Yang's middle. She undressed before slipping under the covers, glancing up at her lover curiously. "Aren't you going to disrobe?"

"Well, seeing as how I don't have to hide things anymore…" With a grin, Yang was suddenly bare naked, her clothes vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Show-off," Weiss snorted, opening the covers to let the other woman slide in.

Yang snuggled up close, but Weiss could tell something was still on the blonde's mind.

"Hey, um… Weiss?" she began shyly. "You… You're really okay with all this, my being a Dragon and all?"

"I will admit, it was a bit of a shock," the Elf replied gently. "But, surprisingly enough… Yes, I am fine with it. I don't love you any less for it, that much is certain."

"Oh," Yang murmured, a wide and sappy smile now on her face. "Um… Good. I'm glad, because… Well, I've never felt like this with anyone before, right? So…"

Weiss pressed a soft, warm kiss to her lips. "You are such an oaf," she murmured without pulling back.

"But I'm your oaf," the blonde giggled.

"True." She leaned back warily, then, as something occurred to her. "Yang… You're older than twenty years of age, aren't you."

Yang smirked slightly and ducked her head. "Uh… yeah. I'm actually about another century older than that."

The platinum-haired Elf snickered and shook her head. "Well, that's not too bad… And I suppose it's a good thing that I don't have a problem hooking up with an older woman, hmm?"

The two of them shared another round of giggles before settling down in each other's arms, sleep overtaking the Elven Mage almost as soon as she'd closed her heavy eyelids.

o o o

Some time later, Weiss opened her eyes with a start. She immediately reach for Myrtenaster, expecting anything from more Kobolds to something of a more nefarious nature, but soon came to realize the source of her unease was the absence of a certain blonde.

She tilted her head to the side, her enhanced Elven senses picking up on soft conversation nearby. One of the voices was definitely Yang's, and another possibly Ruby's. She quickly pulled on her shift to cover up her nudity, deciding not to bother with anything more, and padded on bare feet towards the voices. Her rapier, of course, was clenched in her hand.

She wasn't reckless by any means.

By the time she got to the other edge of the camp, her eyes could finally make out several figures. One was undeniably that of her lover, fully clothed of course (and she was allowed to be slightly jealous of that little trick), and the other was that of the blonde's sister. A third, unknown figure stood nearby conversing with the sisters, while yet another was standing stiffly a few paces away.

Another step forward and Weiss could see the Faunus ears atop the last person's head, as well as the rigid way in which Blake was holding herself.

She sighed to herself softly. Definitely going to have a talk with that girl, I don't care what Yang says… She continued walking forward until Yang turned to give her a broad smile.

"Hey there, beautiful," the blonde murmured warmly. "C'mere, there's someone I want you to meet."

Weiss nodded as she stepped forward to regard the tall, rail-thin man who observed her levelly. He wore a long grey coat and black trousers, and had raven-black tousled hair that matched the stubble on his face. Bright crimson eyes peered out at her, seemingly looking straight through her and taking in her measure with one glance.

"So this is her, huh?" the man stated in a gravelly voice.

"Yep. Weiss, this is my Uncle Qrow."

"Uncle…?" the Elf repeated uncertainly.

"Yep," Yang said again. "My mom's brother, he's an Onyx."

"Oh, I see. Er… how did you find us, sir?"

Qrow grinned widely, giving her a tip of his head. "Not bad, got a brain in that cute little head of yours. Yeah, I happened to be in the area when my oh-so-stealthy nieces lit up the neighborhood with their presence."

Ruby rolled her eyes irritably. "What were the chances of there actually being another Dragon out here?" she huffed out.

"Apparently, pretty decent," Weiss smirked, earning another raspy chuckle from the Onyx Dragon.

"Oh, yeah, I like this one, firecracker. Guess she's worth it, huh?"

An unnamed emotion flashed through Yang's eyes as they went from lilac to crimson and back again. "Yes, she is," the blonde replied evenly.

"Alright, alright," Qrow stated, his hands raised in surrender. "Not my business. Look, I can't stay long, though I'd love to catch up with you girls… especially you, Ruby…"

The pair exchanged a tight grin, and it struck Weiss that Qrow had been helping Yang look for the Silver. I'm sure that's a relief for him.

"Look, I need to give you all a warning," Qrow began darkly, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets. "You've just come from Vale, right?"

"Yep, just left a few days ago," Ruby confirmed. "Soon as we complete this quest, we'll be returning."

"Well… be careful when you do," he replied ominously. "There's something amiss in the Court of King Ozpin, something nobody else there seems to be able to sense. And I'm not in a position to do anything about it. Maybe you girls can, who knows. But… Just be cautious, okay?"

"Yeah, we can do that, Old Wyrm," Yang smirked.

Qrow barked out a quiet, gravelly laugh. "Who you callin' old, kid?"

The Gold grinned widely as she enveloped him in a hug. "You take care of yourself too, okay?"

"Always do, firecracker, always do." He turned towards Ruby next, reaching up and touching the brunette's cheek. "Glad I finally got to meet you, kid. Stick with your sister, yeah? Look out for each other, I think we have some more dark times ahead…"

"Don't worry about that, Uncle Qrow," Ruby smiled. "I don't intend on letting her get away now that we're together."

"Good to hear. Weiss, and… Blake, was it? Good to meet you both. Watch your backs, and I'll be in touch again soon." With a smirk and a quick, two-fingered salute, he turned and merged into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.

"So," Weiss began softly. "That was your Uncle Qrow, hmm?"

"Yeah, he's a good guy," Yang said with a smile. "A little moody at times, but hey, he's an Onyx, comes with the territory. C'mon, princess, let's get you back to bed."

The platinum-haired Elf nodded. "Go on ahead, I'll be there in a moment."

She said her goodnights to Ruby as well before she headed off in the direction where she carefully noted Blake slipping off to earlier.

She managed to follow the trail of the Rogue to a tree where it disappeared. She stood there with her hands on her hips, still clutching her rapier, and turned in a circle. "Now where did she…?"

"Looking for me, Weiss?" a soft voice called out.

The Elf smirked and looked up to spy her quarry perched in the branches of a tree. "What an unusual habitat for a city Cat Faunus."

Blake grinned at that, which made her feel a little bit of relief at the display of humor. "Unlike an old Dog Faunus, I can always learn new tricks."

"Why Blake, that was brilliantly snarky of you," Weiss praised with a giggle. "Can I come up, or is this a private tree?"

"By all means," the Faunus girl gestured grandly. "Plenty of seating available."

The Mage glanced at the distance between herself and the branch, grimacing slightly. She smirked then, knowing that her friend was expecting her to climb up, but instead she flicked her sword slightly. A shimmering disc appeared beneath her feet, and with a flex of her will it rose up with her atop it until she could demurely step off and onto the branch next to the Faunus Rogue. With a satisfied sigh, she gracefully sat with her legs dangling over the side and dismissed the levitating platform.

"Cute trick," Blake laughed lightly.

"We all have our talents," Weiss replied agreeably. "Can we talk?"

The raven-haired girl glanced away, her expression once more slipping back into a neutral mask. "What about?" she asked levelly.

"You," the Elf replied. "How are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Blake… Come on, please. I'm not blind, none of us are, and we could see… something developing between you and Ruby. So, I ask again, how are you doing?"

"You mean now that I… know."

"About her being a bloody great big Dragon, yes, precisely," Weiss ground out. "How. Are. You. Doing?"

Blake let out a soft sigh, her facade cracking slightly as she looked… unsure. Perhaps a little bit scared, even.

"I don't really know just yet," the Cat Faunus murmured. "I think… I still need a little time to deal with this."

Weiss gave her a sympathetic nod. "All I can say is… she's still Ruby."

"I know," Blake whispered. "That… actually makes this harder."

"Oh." The platinum-haired girl considered that, and realized perhaps a big part of the other girl's trepidation was the extreme difference in longevity. She was an Elf, with a lifespan that, while certainly eons less than a Dragon, was not inconsiderable. But Faunus had the same approximate lifespan as a Human, a relative blink of an eye to one such as a Dragon.

"I suppose that can seem a bit… daunting," Weiss conceded.

"A bit," Blake agreed with a deprecating smile.

"Well…" Hesitantly the Elf reached over and slid her arm around the other girl's shoulder. Blake stiffened at first, and then relaxed into the one-armed hug. "I'm here to talk to if you need me," she finished softly.

"Thank you, Weiss," the Faunus woman replied. "You're… a good friend."

The two of them sat up in the tree for a few minutes more before the Elf realized two things.

Firstly, sitting on a branch in a simple linen shift did absolutely nothing complimentary for her posterior.

And secondly, she had a rather warm and enticing set of arms waiting for her back in her bedroll. As much as she wanted to stay and comfort her friend, the bedroll eventually won out, and she bade the Faunus Rogue goodnight in order to make her way back across the campsite.

Picking her way carefully among the other slumbering forms, Weiss let out a heavy sigh.

I don't know what I can do for her, but if her feelings are strong enough, they could still overcome her misgivings. Perhaps after all this is done and over with, the two of them can sit down and discuss things.

Until then, I have my very own Dragon to love and cherish. I only hope the same might someday be said for Blake.

A/N: So there it is, now we can finally stop dancing around the issue. Yep, Dragons can assume Human form (but not any of the other races). And now we should have a better idea of others who might be Dragons as well, right? Including a dusty old crow! And yes he'll make a few more appearances later on in the story.

Also, this will likely be the last lemon section, though I have in mind one other part (many chapters away) where it might work without seeming forced. The further we go in, the more the actual action picks up, leaving less time for the booping.

So, hugs all around for my brave adventurers, er, reviewers: Sharkdude5, RatedRSuperStar87, FoxyFoxation, bankerrtx01, kaiju62, Reaper Whisper, Aestria, ExKage, DeamonHunter, Nicodemus Cain, Heil96, SOUTHMENACE90, AndJrew76, AntonSlavik020. Got 14 reviews this past chapter, damn! Also, for some reason I still don't get all the email notifications for reviews on this story, it's the oddest thing. Apologies if I don't respond to your review!

Star shiny!