Chapter 10

Nameless Nevermore

Yang glanced up, her eyes having turned completely crimson illuminated the now darkened room. "I'm saying that the Branwen semblance doesn't always stop raging when we die violent deaths, sometimes it just ticks us off and then there's hell to pay. What I'm trying to say is that after my mom died, her body got back up..."

Weiss made a choking sound. "That's not-"

"Then she ripped the Alpha that killed her into pieces and left her husband, brother, and best friend in a broken, bloody mess before disappearing."

Blake shook her light head feeling a sense of dread. "Yang, that's-"

"Crazy?" Her pupils returned as did lilac and the room's lights. "That's not the first time it's happened in my family. My mom's in a much better place now than Remnant, but sometimes us Branwens leave behind something with red eyes that's full of rage, hate, and everything ugly about ourselves until it finally runs out of aura."

'It's almost like she's describing-'

As if reading Weiss' mind, Yang stared back at her with eyes flickering one last time. "That's the dirty secret of my family that no one can know about."

She cried out suddenly, lurching forward in her seat as her body convulsed. She gasped for breath as beads of sweat rolled down her face, and her friends quickly moved to the edge their beds as if to pounce but were frozen with lead feet, and could only watch in horror as her words echoed in their minds and agony shot throughout her body from using what was left of her aura reserves and using herself as fuel for her semblance.

Finally, when she was able to lift her head again, a ghostly pale face looked at them with only occasional muscle spasms.

"Yang..." her partner whispered. "Your hand."

Yang gave the badly blistered skin a dismissive glance as it was a mild annoyance compared to the wildfire that had burned its way out of her body weeks prior and the scars it had left behind. She highly doubted she'd have to suffer with it for very long anyway, and instead focused on the disapproving looks she was given that were mixed with worry and fear.

"I said that I'd try to be less stupid," she replied between breaths, wiping the sweat from her sheepish face before dabbing it with her top. "I never made any promises."

She grimaced again as her shoulders, ribs, biceps, chest, and her countless other injuries, some of which she'd almost forgotten about, began to ache and burn again, which she fought away with a painful smile that wasn't reciprocated back.

"What about Ruby?" Weiss murmured. "Does she know any of this?"

Yang shook her head comforted from the obvious concern in the girl's voice for her partner and best friend. "Rubes knows that my mom died in Mistral on a mission with her team, and that part's true, but our dad and uncle don't talk about the mission, ever. I don't even know what their mission was or what kind of Grimm killed my mom, or could kill her to be honest. Dad usually just shuts down and our uncle either leaves or finds the nearest bottle, and unlike usual he's a miserable drunk to be around then. And the only time I ever brought it up to Summer was to remind her that she wasn't my mom..."

A look of self-loathing crossed her face but quickly softened seeing the caring faces of her friends looking back at her.

"Why can't Ruby know?" Blake asked gently.

Yang glanced between the pair with a hard look that was only slightly offset by her moist eyes. "Because I know my baby sister better than anyone and she'd only try to help which she can't. We don't want her anywhere near this for her own good. She already feels weird enough about Dad and Summer hooking up almost immediately after my mom died. It wasn't something either of them planned on happening, it just kinda happened one night...

"My mom was the heart of her team and she left a gaping hole inside all of them when she died." Yang swallowed hearing her partner's tearful voice echo about her own team. "They weren't exactly proud of how it happened, and felt guilty enough feeling like they'd dishonored her and her daughter without everyone else who couldn't understand what they were going through condemning them for it. Those people will never understand that Rubes was and still is the best thing that could've ever happened to us, and under no circumstances does the daughter of Summer Rose need to get involved in Branwen business ever again..."

There was something off about her words and tone but her friends dutifully nodded when a thought occurred to Weiss that felt like a blow to the chest. "Your mom doesn't know about Ruby..." she said breathlessly, earning her a dark look.

"You mean does she know that her husband and best friend slept together and had a kid?" Yang asked bluntly, shaking her head even though it hadn't been a question. "How could she."

"And you're afraid what you mom would-"

"That's my mom!" she cried, an unsteady hand pointing at the photo. "The thing out there is nothing more than the shadow of Raven Branwen, the greatest huntress and most beautiful woman that ever lived, and only behind Summer as far as moms go."

Her hand fell but her voice was firm when she was able to speak again. "If the roles had been reversed, my mom would've adored Ruby and treated her like her own daughter just like Summer did for me, but the thing out there isn't my mom. Only something pure evil could've hated Summer. She had the same kind of soothing effect on my mom's aura that Ruby does for mine, if not stronger. My uncle might've been an almost perfect aura match, and she might've fallen in love with my dad, but neither of them understood her like Summer did. She was a master of aura manipulation to the point she could copy semblances almost perfectly and knew her teammates' souls better than her own, and it tore her to pieces the worst when she died..."

"I'm sorry," Weiss said unable to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, but what would she do if she found out you have a sister?"

Yang took several deep breaths. "We don't exactly have to worry about her figuring out anything, Weiss. She's nothing but rage, instincts, and a few leftover memories that probably aren't very pleasant. She is nothing more than footprints on a beach and the tide's coming in to wash her away. But if she did find out about my baby sister, there wouldn't be a single huntsman or kingdom on Remnant that could stop her from ripping her apart, and Rubes would never be able to run away far or fast enough..."

She eyed the dejected heiress with a small smile tugging on her lip as if as an apology or to let her know she wasn't upset. "Luckily, Rubes is the spitting image of her mom. She was my mom's absolute best friend, and funny enough was like a big sister to Summer after her grandmother died. When the time came there was no question who would be her maid of honor, and who'd be her partner in crime razing the city during her bachelorette party, and the wedding reception, and the honeymoon. Heh, she actually even caught the bouquet." Yang couldn't help but snorting at the dark irony as well as recall all the wild stories, the kind of which their daughters probably shouldn't have known, much less by heart.

"Summer was my godmother way before she became my stepmother, and when I was born my mom made her promise to take care of me and my dad if anything ever happened to her. She would've been happy that they got together after she died even if they weren't really together, and even more thrilled that they had a baby girl that's the spitting image her best friend. And she would've probably found the actual means hilarious."

Yang's face regained some of its color as she fondly played with her hair. "I think a part of my mom always felt a little guilty for getting in between Summer and my dad. I'm not sure but I think she might've had a crush on him when they were about Ruby's age going to Signal together, and Dad's always kinda had a weakness for girls, sorta like how Mom had a thing for dumb guys with muscles and a tan who lived at the beach and couldn't take their eyes off of her."

"That shockingly sounds vaguely familiar," they said in unison, glaring at their more than just genetically similar daughter with Weiss' eyes slowly drifting toward the photos taped above the blonde's bunk where they noticeably lingered for a moment.

Yang smiled playfully and let herself linger for a moment as well. "I guess it's a good thing I mostly take after my mom then isn't it, Weiss?" she teased in a low sultry voice, expertly mimicking the pose and expression of the photo in Weiss' hand before holding her sides and wiping away tears as the girl's red face looked ready to explode, all the while Blake sat back amused by the pair but also shaking her head at her partner and her bandaged ribs.

Her laughs continued until they sounded more like sobs before savoring another look toward the photos where she laid her head at night, and sighed deeply at the wonderful sight that was regularly rotated out to keep things fresh. "Alright, so I am my momma's baby girl a hundred and ten percent, but you and Rubes are just too easy to tease, and at least she doesn't blush just from the mere mention of 'underwear', 'kissing', and other marginally fun activities. She just giggles like a twelve-year-old until you actually get to the good stuff, then she turns red and covers her ears like you're doing. Now back to what I was saying, when Mom and Dad met it was love at first sight just like when my uncle met-"

She quickly looked up at expectant looking faces, with the heiress' being exceptionally bright, and pretended to clear something from her throat. "Uh, never mind that. Just know that even if she actually did see Ruby, she'd probably think she was Summer. Even we can't help but do a double take sometimes the older she gets, especially Dad and Uncle Qrow."

"Who she left for dead from the sound of it..." Weiss thought aloud.

"Trust me," Yang breathed. "I might be a ditsy blonde sometimes, but unfortunately I've got a pretty good memory of that day. I was really young at the time but I remember what they looked like coming back from the mission, because before Patchwork fell it was the worst day of my life. They were all in hospital beds hooked up to all kinds of machines and barely alive. Summer doing her absolute best to look strong, sat me in her lap and explained as kindly as she could that my mom wasn't ever coming back. I didn't understand what that meant just like Rubes had trouble at first when her mom died, but Summer was there holding me and crying even harder than I was, not because her body was in even worse shape than mine and Ruby's combined, but because a part of her soul had just been ripped out. And if that was all that happened to my baby sister, we should all be very thankful."

Blake glanced at the heiress who like herself seemed to be having trouble breathing properly the more Yang shared with them. "Does anyone else know about this?"

She shrugged. "A few huntsmen close to the family who wouldn't tell a soul. She isn't my mom anymore, but even if all the kingdoms believed us they'd still want her huntress status revoked and she'd be considered as having gone rogue. Guys, this isn't the first time something like this has happened in my family, and both of you know full well that Remnant isn't very kind to traitors, or their families..."

The monochrome pair looked away in opposite sides of the room but nodded as the stories of traitors rested heavily on every huntsman in-training's shoulders, but especially theirs. In a world of bloodthirsty monsters, siding with Remnant's enduring nightmare or going rogue against your kingdom were considered the greatest forms of treason, and their families would forever have a stigma that was not easily forgotten or forgiven.

"If people found out there was something more dangerous than Alphas out there they'd get scared and try to take her out, and they'd make her very angry and a lot of good people would die. Then they'd want to make sure it never happened again, and a lot of good people would die then too..."

Blake balled her hands into tight fists knowing exactly how the kingdoms treated so-called traitors and rogues, many of whom were considered heroes in the territories, but Weiss simply stared down at the young woman's photo looking inquisitive as if she were asking her a question.

"Yang, during the breach you drew hundreds of Grimm from all across the city because of your semblance, and it sounds like yours is nothing compared to your mom's. If that's the case then why haven't-"

"Because she's already dead, Weiss," she replied kindly, her lip twitching. "Grimm might be drawn to her, but she's just an empty shell and a shadow of who she was. Even her aura doesn't feel human anymore."

Blake studied her partner's sorrowful expression and felt something painful pressing on her chest. "You've seen her haven't you?"

Yang looked away but reluctantly nodded. "It was back when my powers first started developing but before I got red eyes and started putting holes in the walls. I wasn't getting along very well with my stepmom, or anyone besides Ruby to be honest, but that was entirely my own fault." She glanced at the red cloak with a look of shame. "If Dad had it his way, I probably still wouldn't know about my mom or the truth about the Branwen semblance, but Uncle Qrow and especially Summer thought it was past time to tell me the truth. It still gives me nightmares but I think deep down I always knew. Dad says some really messed up stuff when he's not all there, and if you can get past the slurring so does my uncle. But when Summer held me in that hospital bed all those years ago, she let me get lost in her aura just like she did whenever I needed a mom, and I could just feel that something was wrong. And I never realized or didn't want to admit back then just how much she loved my mom, and me..."

She paused seemingly to work something out of her throat. "Dad unsurprisingly refused to go and Summer wouldn't even let Ruby come visit us at Signal by herself, so my uncle took me to the western swamps of Mistral far away from even the most remote villages, and I can't tell you how excited I was to finally see her." Yang's eyes drifted toward the photo in Weiss' unsteady hand. "All I've got are pictures that don't do her justice, stories that may or may not be completely true, and vague memories that I'm pretty sure aren't even real, but to me she was supermom and I missed her. We had to keep our distance but I finally got to see my mom in person. She was a just figure standing in a field with Beowolves all staring up at the moon as dawn broke, but even from from a distance I could see dried blood on her chest, and I could feel violence incarnate radiating off of her. After he dealt with the Grimm with his sniper rifle, my uncle was able to get close enough to talk to her, but it was still too dangerous for me even beside him. But I really, really needed to talk to her..."

Her head hung even lower and Blake seeing the guilt on her face swallowed. "You saw her again." It wasn't a question this time.

Once again her partner slowly nodded but began to play with her damp hair as if it were suddenly more important. "After I graduated from Signal I got acceptance letters from all the academies practically begging me to take a tour of their schools, and even though I knew Beacon was my home since before I could crawl, I decided to do them the honors of trying to impress me. I got flown first class to Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral, and got an all expense paid vacation staying at the finest five star hotels and fully immersing myself with the people and their cultures."

She licked her lips lazily causing the other two to shake their heads at how easily distracted their roommate could be, or at least how changing the subject came so naturally to her. "I had guys lining up to buy me strawberry sunrises and help me with suntan lotion all day at the beach, which by the way Vacuo's have the best dress codes and next time I'm going during spring break and you're all coming with me whether you like it or not."

The girls rolled their eyes but couldn't help hiding smiles and rosy cheeks as everyone knew the reputations for Vacuo's beaches as they made Patch's sound tame, and all eyes naturally gravitated toward the top bunk with Blake craning her neck to see the pictures and rather enthralling stories that went with them.

"Atlas' weren't bad either but they were still thawing out from winter so the views weren't quite as impressive, but luckily the hotel I was staying at had an indoor swimming pool and hot tubs so it wasn't a complete waste of time going to Polaris."

"You're unbelievable," Weiss muttered, "but at least I know how you got your hands on towels monogrammed with my family's name on them."

"Hey, it isn't my fault that after me and the guys working the front desk went for a midnight swim together, while they were on the job mind you, that not thirty minutes after I got out of the tub I just so happened to get free room service for the week, complimentary bath towels and bathrobes, and was upgraded into the penthouse suite where I slept in a magical king sized bed that I was told a certain VIP occasionally sleeps and was personally requested by her to stay 'undefiled'."

Weiss' eyes widened. "You didn't..." she seethed.

"I ate gallons of ice cream out of priceless antique bowels," she proclaimed loudly. "I ordered feasts fit for royalty from a menu that had bread sticks I couldn't even afford, and yet I sampled everything at least twice and washed it all down with iced strawberry sunrises that I drank out of champagne glasses with cute little umbrellas. I had my baths drawn by gorgeous men in a room with gold faucets, a chandelier, a ten foot fountain, and a tub that we could've all gone swimming in together. Then after the most comfortable nights of sleep of my life in between your thousand count Vacuon cotton bed-sheets, I'd wake up every morning to a full body massage by even more beautiful men who treated all of this with the proper attention and admiration it deserves. And princess, I did absolutely everything you think I did to your getaway and would've done even worse if I'd known we'd be friends in just a few short months."

Blake enjoying the turn in conversation, smirked at Weiss' obvious and rather understandable signs of disgust that came from sharing a bedroom, bathroom, and locker room with Yang for four months. And while Yang grinned triumphantly, her lip fell as the brief albeit very pleasant distraction passed.

"But once I had my fun out of the way and took tours of Shade and Polaris it was Haven's turn, and it was all just an excuse to go to Mistral by myself and not make anyone suspicious. I needed to see my mom one last time before she's gone for good. Her semblance was raging and she still had a lot of aura when she died, but they were fading and my uncle said she didn't have a whole lot of time left. He visits her occasionally to check up on her and make sure she's still calm, and once in awhile can even get her to say a few words but it's usually just nonsense. I don't think he can bring himself to give up on her, and if he hadn't tried an aura transfer after his sister died she would've probably faded before I ever got the chance to see her the first time."

"He did what?!" Weiss cried, a flash of horror crossing her face as well as Blake's.

Yang flinched but raised her eyes to the opposite bunk before lowering them back down. "They might've been the same age but she was my uncle's baby sis, Weiss. I'd try the same thing for Rubes in a heartbeat even if we aren't aura matches. But like you already know it only made things worse, and if it hadn't been for Summer's aura manipulation they would've all died. She was able to soothe her best friend's semblance one last time with her powers, and even though it gave my mom enough aura to last all these years, as long as nobody bothers her it keeps her from hurting anyone. Summer carried some of those scars until the day she died, but besides taking care of her husband and daughter, it was her last gift for her best friend. But at least they're together again, forever. And Rubes and I will see them again one day..."

The monochrome pair glanced at one another almost afraid to breathe before nodding for her to continue but deep down wishing she wouldn't.

"After I was given a tour of Haven and took some time savoring those last couple days, I called home and told Dad I'd found a great beach to get a tan and some nice guys wanting to give me a hand, and that I'd be staying another week."

Blake and Weiss gave her incredulous looks but she merely shrugged, sheepish but unashamed. "It needed to be believable, and Dad usually won't put up much of a fight even when he knows I'm lying. He just doesn't have it in him most days, and while he might not approve of his daughter's hobbies, he knows that I can take care of myself and who I really am, despite my best efforts. He married my mom after all..."

The pair nodded as they knew Yang the 'party girl' rather well themselves, and even had to remind her of it occasionally. "How did you find her?" Weiss asked after a moment of the only sound being the corgi snoring beside her.

Yang sighed and tapped her head which resounded with a loud thud. "Like I said, for having such a thick skull I've got a pretty good memory, but I've also got Rubes who'll keep her mouth shut and do anything for chocolate, and is an expert at drawing maps for her ditsy big sister. It didn't take Ruby long after telling her all that I could remember from back when our uncle took me, and she stopped asking questions when I rewarded her with a box of chocolates and shared my vacation plans with her." She chuckled recalling the fond memories of her sister sticking chocolate coated fingers in her ears and her smeared face turning red, but her mood dropped slightly as she knew the worry and pain her little sister had felt when she left because it came close to what she had felt every day they were apart.

"I knew it was stupid and a long shot, and without Qrow it took me days of trudging through mosquito infested marshes, reading the idiot proof map wrong and getting lost, and avoiding Grimm as best I could, but after putting every survival skill I learned from graduation to the test I finally found her again in that same field as if she'd been waiting for me all these years later. I didn't really pay attention to it last time but there was a beautiful lake with crystal clear water, and my mom standing at the shore almost like she was looking at her reflection, or like her daughter was thinking about stripping and taking a much needed bath.

"I must've watched her for the better part of a day. She wasn't breathing, her hair was falling out, her clothes were covered in dried blood, some of it was her's but most of it was probably her teammates', and even though her aura wasn't nearly as strong as I remembered it was just as violent, and I just had to talk to her..."

She paused feeling unease in the room and looked up at her friends. "I had to try, guys. Even if there were just the tiny shreds of the woman in there that might remember holding me in her arms, I had to tell her how I feel. I needed to finally tell her that I love her, that I'm not mad that she left me, and that I understand why she died. I needed to tell her everything about her daughter's life, and that ended up being the worst mistake of my life..."

"Oh God, no..." Weiss murmured, covering her mouth and causing Yang to nod.

"She didn't notice me until I was right behind her," she whispered. "I told her who I was and flared my aura like my uncle always does hoping it might remind her of him or Dad, and maybe it did because she turned around and hissed at me, then started screaming..."

The room suddenly became much colder and chills went down both girl's spines as Yang wiped her pale face.

"I've never been hit that hard in my life, and after she was done beating the living hell out of me, I woke up floating in a red lake to the sound of Beowolves howling."

Her misty eyes found the photo again and both girls followed her gaze to the large katana attached to the skirt being unsheathed, an almost insignificant detail and easy overlook when everything else about the woman including her apparel purposefully caught the viewer's attention. When the pair finally glanced up, Yang was clutching her stomach before moving her hands about her bandaged body, grimacing as if she was remembering something unpleasant the longer she stared at the crimson blade that was only slightly exposed.

"I was literally bathing in my own blood, and I'm pretty sure every Grimm in Mistral sensed our semblances because it seemed like every single one of them came after me. I've never been so angry in my life than I was at that moment, not just at her but myself. I finally had to admit to myself that my mom really did die all those years ago, and that I had just spat on my stepmother and her final gift for her best friend by costing her months if not her last couple years..."

"Yang..." her partner nearly sobbed.

"She's just Raven now," Yang spat bitterly. "My Uncle Qrow says their tribe named them after Nevermores, and it kinda fits. I cried for her to stop calling her everything a daughter would, but she didn't stop butchering me until I finally called her Raven like the way he and my dad say her name and started repeating some of the stuff they say when they're drunk or not all there. Even then I passed out before she quit, and she left me there in a broken, bloody mess for the Grimm just like she did them all those years ago..."

Weiss' gaze fell on the crimson katana that matched the young woman's eyes perfectly, and for the first time thought she saw something malicious about her and didn't find her quite as stunning as she once had, or rivaling that of the blonde's beauty anymore for that matter. Across from her, Blake's own gaze lingered on the red blade for a moment still finding it all too familiar, but her attention was quickly drawn to the white object off to the side of her face, and once again felt something cold press against her chest from within her jacket.

"I was alive, just barely, but that's all my semblance needs. I don't really remember what happened next, I just remember being angry. I must've ran for days, ripping Grimm apart I'd never even heard of without sleeping or stopping to rest. The only clear thought I had the entire time was thinking about who was waiting for me back home. Half the world was inbetween me and my baby sister, which meant the world never stood a chance."

She gave a cocky grin that lifted their spirits for a moment, but only for a moment as it quickly slid off her face.

"That's a lie. I wasn't thinking of anything really. I was too far gone, and to be honest I just got lucky. With all the sudden Grimm activity, the military and huntsmen were practically pouring in to make sure it didn't turn into a kingdom-wide disaster like what happened here. I'd drawn so many Grimm away from the villages that they just followed the breadcrumbs and found me fighting for my life. By the time airships were landing around me, I could barely think straight from exhaustion and blood loss, and my semblance wasn't even kindled at that point. I practically passed out in the arms of the first handsome men I saw, and couldn't even savor them playing doctor or carrying me like a bride in their strong muscular arms. Okay, maybe that's a lie too..."

Yang gave a weak chuckle but it sounded hollow and didn't even seem to bother her injured ribs. "Western Mistral's got enough problems with Grimm without me being there, and it's a miracle I didn't get anyone killed. I lied of course and told the huntsmen I'd been traveling the countryside minding my own business and 'trying to make my decision on which academy to join' when the Grimm just started going berserk, and hat without much of a plan I'd decided to just punch my way back home. The worse thing is they treated like a hero and I even got official huntsmen commendations from Haven and Mistral, and everywhere else that were now desperately wanting to recruit me. For every time I was rightfully called reckless and suicidal or yelled at for not thinking before I acted, and for doing what they'd thought I'd done, I was called a true huntress twice as much."

"That's because you are a true huntress," Blake said without hesitation. "What happened wasn't your fault. You went looking for your mom, and anyone else would've done the same."

"And you did save lives," Weiss affirmed. "I was watching the news every day and keeping up with all the inside reports because one of the SDC's shipping routes was forced to halt for a few days, but unlike the rest of my family who were miffed about losing pocket change, I was more interested in hearing how an entire region of Mistral was practically rid of Grimm and how villages that were used to daily attacks went weeks afterward without seeing even a single Beowolf. And while I used to terrified of Father when he'd receive inconvenient news or mild disruptions, I've grown somewhat fond his temper tantrums now."

Her friends grinned but Yang shook her head, but at the same she time didn't seem to have the energy to argue. "I don't know if they pried it out of her or not, I never asked and she never said, but Rubes told Dad and our uncle about the map once it made the news that Grimm were swarming the area. I think that's the real reason why I got help so quickly. They've got a lot of huntsmen who owe them favors. Rubes probably saved my life but when I finally got home she almost looked worse than I did and wouldn't stop blaming herself for sending me into a feeding frenzy, kinda like what we're both doing right now I guess..."

It took a moment to find her voice again as she stared at her bare feet. "Poor Rubes, she had no idea why her family just fell apart on her all of a sudden. Even before I got home they both knew what I'd done. Dad took one look at me and broke down worse than I've seen him in years, which is another reason I haven't told him about his girls being in the hospital, and for the first time in my life I honestly thought my uncle was going to lose control of his semblance. I've never seen him that furious at someone, and he and my dad almost started throwing punches over some of the things he was saying, which I completely deserved."

Yang looked up shaking her hands knowing what they must've been thinking. Already the pair didn't have the greatest opinion of the man they affectionately referred to as their 'drunkle' despite she and her sister's best efforts. "But things were good between us next time I saw him, once his semblance cooled off. My uncle and I have always been super close and we had a really, really good talk, and he told me some things a girl like me just needs to hear once in awhile. He understood why I went looking for her because he'd done the same thing, but he still hasn't found a trace of his sister because of me..."

She hid her face under her mane while they watched, occasionally whispering her name in a comforting manner, and when she did speak again her voice was as small as a child's. "And that was the same day they told me about what happened to Amber..."

The pair glanced at one another blinking. "Amber," Blake repeated, familiarizing herself with the name. "Is she the girl Ruby drew a picture of?"

Yang remained silent but eventually gave the slightest of nods.

"Can you tell us about her?" Weiss asked, remembering how quickly the drawing was crumbled up and burned before she even got a good look at it. "Or what exactly happened to her that your sister would draw a picture of her and want help from a shady info broker of all people?"

Once again the larger girl was quiet for some time to the point they began to suspect she was tired of conversing and had said all she was willing to say, or possibly had already dozed off, when she brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"It'd probably be better if I showed you." Yang wiped her face and grimaced as she contorted her body, reaching for her ammo belt atop the desk with a shaky hand.

Visibly flustered, it seemed the naturally clumsy girl was mostly oblivious of her actions as yellow, orange, and red shotgun shells fell to the floor with one or two explosive rounds rolling beneath Weiss' bed. Soon a large pile formed beneath the chair made up of hair brushes, protein bars, perfume bottles, breath mints, lotions, dozens of pens none of which likely worked, a small medkit, bent plastic utensils, fake IDs all with amusing aliases, magazine clippings, expired coupons, Ember Celica 1.0, discarded gum wrappers, and extra tops and bottoms that were neatly folded in tiny ziplock bags that also included a bright yellow swimsuit and what Weiss hoped were undergarments but knew better, as well as various other objects that Yang might find useful on missions, at the beach, or a night out on the town. Or had simply found its way in out of sheer laziness such was the case with last year's Christmas cards and last month's homework assignment that had doodles of faunus-eating corgis covering it.

Finally, her search ended and she held up her scroll for her friends to see, but they were too busy marveling at the ammo belt's scattered contents with dumbfounded expressions. Although their roommate was noticeably more scatterbrained than usual, they couldn't help wondering if she might've been trying to gather her thoughts as even Yang rarely lost or misplaced her scroll. It was normally kept with her more invaluable items like her wallet, keys, and aviator sunglasses, which she tended to only lose once or twice a month at the most.

"You're a slob," Weiss remarked dryly, afraid to move with live ammunition beneath her as she overlooked the clutter with a sour expression finding most it unsavory, especially her so-called 'clothes' which in her mind required covering a certain percentage of skin before having the right to even be considered undergarments.

Yang didn't bother denying this, instead she tossed the belt atop the desk knocking over the makeup mirror in the process.

Bones popped and creaked as the disorganized blonde used her unsteady arms and legs to lift herself out of the too-small chair, which she pushed off of for extra momentum. Once she was standing which might've been a miracle all on its own, she stumbled toward her partner's bunk as it was half a step closer and so as not to wake the sleeping corgi. Blake scooted over to give her room but not quite quickly enough as Yang's knee buckled beneath her and she collapsed atop of her. Once they were sitting upright and Yang was done complementing her as well as her comfy bed, she motioned for the other red-faced girl to join them who after a long moment of hesitation, carefully navigated her way around the explosives. She took a seat on the edge of the bed giving ample elbow room before being pulled close so they were both bunched up shoulder to shoulder with the freshly showered blonde.

"There," Yang said, now situated and giving the mattress a healthy bounce. "Looks like I get to be in the middle after all." She grinned wide and wagged her eyebrows which earned her sharp elbows to the ribs.

"Either of you wanna see some pictures from spring break?" she asked, gasping for breath and coughing while the scroll verified her fingerprint and she began typing in long passwords to her folders, causing them to look away both out of both privacy and also because they'd begun sounding out some of the words. "Or maybe my all-expense paid vacation? I've got some great ones from the beach and some really great ones from someone's once private getaway."

"Um, maybe some other time." Blake smiled convincingly.

"In other words never," Weiss huffed, trying in vain to scoot away from the barely clothed girl who had a hand on her cape. "Although personally I think you may have been embellishing your story a bit."

Yang, always one to prove she didn't need to embellish her exciting and sometimes self-incriminating tales, pressed a few buttons on her scroll and physically turned the heiress' head toward the screen where a familiar blonde was holding her scroll toward an ornate mirror while posing half submerged in a bathtub the size of a swimming pool with gold faucets and bubbles that appeared to be in the midst of changing colors even while clinging to her bare form. After taking her time savoring the memory, Yang flicked the screen and Weiss was unable to avert her eyes in time before seeing the girl beside her laying in a king sized bed with comfortable looking sheets strategically placed about her self as clothes, empty dishes, wall hangings, and overturned furniture lay about a disorderly room.

A deep growl escaped from her causing Yang to hold her sides tightly and for Blake to cover her mouth laughing, finding herself highly amused but also begrudgingly impressed by what she saw.

"Did you set it on a timer or did you have help taking that picture?" she asked, with her answer coming in the form of a playful wink and nudge from her partner.

"I hate you," seethed the girl still trying unsuccessfully to escape. "Next time I'm in Atlas, I'm burning the suite as well as my family's century old hotel to the ground."

"He-he, would it make you feel better if I told you that I didn't do anything you haven't done, princess." She flashed a not-quite-so innocent smile that was met with contempt but also pinkish cheeks. "Don't forget, I found your favorite low-fat vanilla yogurt in the fridge because everything in the penthouse was perfectly stocked just for you. And since I didn't give them enough time to clear all your clothes out before I moved in, I went ahead and rummaged through some of your things finding all kinds of outfits that I'm sure you've never worn once in your life, and yet I didn't find a single one of your boring nightgowns. And sleeping in that bed was like being wrapped inside a warm cloud..." She gave a heavy sigh that turned into a moan the longer she stared dreamily at her past self.

Weiss tilted her head giving her a cold look with an increasingly brightening face. "D-did it ever occur to you that I m-might have packed them myself? O-or that being alone I might've just worn my pajamas w-without the nightgown? Or that maybe it's none of your business what I wear to bed!?"

Yang bobbed her head in delight of the shrill voice. "As it so happens yes, yes, and no. Which is exactly why I asked a few innocent questions to the laundry attendants. Care to explain yourself, princess? Not that you really need to, I completely understand and I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it..."

The heiress opened her mouth but promptly closed it, and calmly muttered something to herself about the sheets indeed being warm and comfortable, but unfortunately needing to be burned for the good of mankind.

Seeing the look of a defeated enemy, Yang leaned in close. "Just so you know, I might've been only telling half the truth, but it's up to you on which half you'd prefer."

She again played with the hem of her top and shorts as if to needlessly emphasize which halves she was talking about. "And thanks for the info, princess. Now I know why you bury yourself under the covers at night. I don't blame you, but I'll be sure to tell Rubes not to lay on your bed anymore..."

Weiss' face turned scarlet and her hand drifted toward the rapier at her belt, but while indignation and embarrassment flared within her, with the very same goosebumps and the blonde's non-judgmental carefree attitude, she was finding it difficult to actually find something to be upset about, besides of course being played like one of her priceless violins by someone who couldn't even keep a tune whistling.

"Oh!" Yang cried excitedly, inadvertently knocking the hand away. "Here's me on the balcony getting some sun!"

"If you can call that the sun," Blake muttered, paying more attention to how eager her partner seemed to be for yet another distraction rather than the actual picture, which wasn't anything they hadn't seen before.

"Very classy..." was all Weiss could choke, eyeballing a pyramid of champagne glasses and bowls that appeared to have been licked clean while avoiding the blonde that was spilling out of a swimsuit for all of Atlas' elite to see.

"I'm classy as hell," she said, pointing at herself while using her most refined and snooty accent.

"My point exactly..."

"Oh, here's-"

Blake cleared her throat getting their attention as they both seemed content bickering back and forth with each other. "You were going to tell us about Amber?"

"I'm getting there," Yang sighed, speaking like a child being chided by a parent before she continued flipping through memories with occasional commentary being done by her and Weiss.

"Didn't you say something about neither of you being allowed to have pictures of her?" Blake tried again.

"Yep, my uncle absolutely forbid it," she confirmed, acting as though she didn't understand the problem.

"Alright, so why-"

"Oh!" Yang interrupted. "Here's one from when Ruby and I were kids."

Slightly frustrated with the sudden yet not unusual flip in attitude, Blake followed her partner's gaze and despite her best efforts couldn't help softening. Two young girls below the age of ten sat in front of a mirror with the younger attempting to have her short red highlighted hair put into pigtails by the yellow haired girl whose lap she was sitting in. Wide smiles were permanently etched on their faces but they paled in comparison to their audience's who moved closer together.

"We've always been adorable, especially Rubes." Yang's aura flared out of sheer happiness, feeling just like morning sunlight, but she was soon swallowed up by the two girls with their arms wrapped around her. Weiss, holding back the bitter chill of her aura, still caused her to shiver while Blake's quiet shadow intertwined around her partner giving her a sense of peace as they shared their own happiness for her to enjoy.

With her best friends freely sharing their souls with her, Yang quickly got lost in a whirlwind of emotions that weren't her own and went beyond intimacy with each other as their very selves were on display unable to conceal even their most private feelings from her. Strength coursed throughout her broken body and despite her promise, she flared her aura again but only for a moment. When their souls separated and auras finally settled, both girls gasped for breath while Yang wiped away tears from the purest form of trust they had just given her, to know without any doubt or them being able to hide just how deeply they cared for her and her little sister. They were the family Weiss and Blake had laid awake at night all their lives wishing they had...

She sniffled wiping her eyes which had long since reddened due to rubbing, and began going through pictures at a quicker pace, pausing only when something humorous or interesting caught someone's eye. Both Blake and Weiss felt lightheaded from the sudden use of their already depleted powers, but couldn't help feeling giddy and almost self-conscious of themselves in an oddly pleasant manner after having just shared their literal selves and saying plainly what they never could with words.

Resting their heads against the larger girl and enjoying the strange yet warm sensation, they followed along on memory lane finding many photos familiar as they'd seen large portions of their leader's massive collection which started from an early age and ended with that very morning as she took pictures almost hourly of even their most mundane tasks, but these while similar seemed as though each one had been taken with care and both girls were promptly reminded that they were only a small part of their partners' lives. It made them smile seeing the sisters so incredibly happy with each other, but at the same time it also hurt in many respects as they wished themselves as having always been by their sides for the good and the heartbreaking as that was how it felt.

"We don't have a lot of pictures of our moms," Yang said, a dark echo from earlier that night which caused them to play with her hair and rub her back, mindful of her injuries even if she didn't seem to notice. "I think that's why we take so many, even when we're just lounging around not doing anything."

They nodded as the sometimes annoying habit suddenly made sense, and although it made them soften on their stance of their pictures constantly being taken without their hair being done, they still wished there could be more warning, especially when the next photo shown was from earlier that day of someone trying unsuccessfully to fit into a corset.

"Huh." Weiss tilted her head looking at herself and ignoring being less than three quarters dressed. "Red and black isn't at all a bad look on me, and the corset is rather slimming..."

"Really?" Yang said, trying not to laugh as it hurt too much. "Looks like you're about ready to pop out of the top to me."

The partners chuckled with Yang being moved to tears, but the presently dressed caped-girl merely smirked and batted her eyelashes up at the blonde just as she so often did.

"Still am," she stated rather proudly, adjusting the pinafore slightly.

All three laughed with Yang tousling the wig as a reward for causing her ribs to ache before going back to the photos.

In truth her collection was about as well organized as everything else she owned, if not worse. Unlabeled folders were within mislabeled folders and pictures seemed to be sorted together at random without any rhyme or reason, much to the Atlesian's irritation. But Yang seemingly knew what she was looking for while taking her friends on the scenic route, or more likely in their opinion was simply good at pretending to know what she was doing and stalling for time.

Both girls busily began putting names and faces together of the friends their partners had left behind at Signal, and couldn't help but noticing how they all seemed to be about Yang's age with Ruby out of place among them. Sometimes it was as if she was only there because of who she was with, always beside her older sister who sometimes used her as an armrest or looked down at her fondly. Single moments captured in time that they saw every day.

Yang paused when she came to a photo of a group of boys about her age or perhaps a little older staring hungrily at the camera while laying on a white sandy beach that could've only been southeastern Vacuo, the only region of the kingdom officially deemed 'reasonably safe for tourists'. She flicked the screen slowly as if to build up anticipation and they soon saw why. The girl they had their arms around was on her stomach lying on a beach towel with her back arched slightly, giving the scroll in her outstretched hand a sultry wink and generous view of herself as several guys, all perfect specimens in every regard, kindly helped apply lotion to any and all exposed skin while giving extra attention to those hard to reach areas.

Not even noticing that the blonde was spilling out of a swimsuit that would've barely left tan lines even if she could've had such a thing, which she liked proving she didn't have without ever mentioning her aura, the well-mannered heiress turned her head but her face brightened the longer she glanced out the corner of her eye at her loyal attendants while Blake simply stared with a dazed look that eventually became one of defeat but also total admiration of her partner.

"I know your rules about me not being allowed to put up pictures that include me stealing the spotlight and spoiling it for the two of you, but I think the views in this one more than make up for it," Yang cooed. "So you coming to Vacuo with me or not?"

"Definitely," they said in unison, hardly breathing and still ogling at the males that'd been masterfully sculpted out of bronze that also wouldn't have to worry too much about tan lines.

Yang snorted triumphantly and passed through several more photos with both girls now fully attentive and Weiss not even bothering to turn her head anymore. Instead, she politely folded her hands in her lap trying to hold onto the last shreds of dignity she still possessed while what appeared to be a volleyball game was played in hundred and ten degree weather with the blonde unsurprisingly coming out victorious, barely even glistening as she clung onto love drunk looking guys that sheened with sweat as if they were her prize and paid the apparent consequences for losing said game.

"You're incredible and I hate you," Blake murmured, the reverence and jealousy apparent in her voice.

Weiss only nodded in agreement as she was unable to think coherently or take her eyes off such a scene. "We're making an amendment to the rules," she said in a hoarse voice, stealthily wiping the drool of her chin. "This one goes up, and if you'll excuse me, I believe I need a drink of water..."

The refined lady didn't even make an attempt to move causing the blonde's heart to flutter as she bobbed side to side.

"Trust me, I've got better, and a cold shower works faster," Yang promised, quickly passing by photos with both girls doing their best to catch every detail that wasn't their roommate and commit them each to memory until she finally stopped on another picture of just she and her sister, this time as young teens building sandcastles on the yellow shores of Patch.

"Awww, this was when I was still sweet, naive, and innocent."

"You were never any of those things," Weiss argued, unable to keep from smiling with her.

Blake chuckled but studying the pre-teen version of her partner closely, she could tell boys weren't quite on her mind yet and wasn't exactly trying to impress anyone in her one piece bathing suit that was somehow even less revealing than her shy sister's as if she was still feeling awkward in a body she wasn't quite used to yet, all of which likely changed by the end of that particular year. It was strange seeing the fearless girl and future knockout with actual pimples and without the unwavering confidence she'd soon have, and found the scene entirely endearing as she could feel Yang cringing beside her seemingly enjoying the self-deprecation, and Weiss especially seemed to take notice of the difference in how comfortable she had become with herself, something that didn't appear at all go unnoticed by the girl in the middle who had the picture angle toward her.

Despite the young teenager's awkwardness however, Blake also saw a maturity in her partner's demeanor that wasn't present in earlier photos of the pair. She had a pleased look on her face almost like a parent watching as her younger sister, whose smile no longer quite matched her eyes, built an incredibly detailed replica of an ancient Atlesian castle.

Yang slowly drew her finger on the screen just as she had before causing the girls to be filled with anticipation while Weiss repeated to herself that there was nothing unusual about three girls sitting on a bed together looking at pictures of dignified, handsome, barely-clothed-and-most gorgeous-men-she-had-ever-seen that were causing her pale skin to feel like it was on fire. She was close to taking the scroll away from her but was brought back to reality when she finally realized Yang's hand actually shaking, and suddenly remembered why they'd been called together and why they were sitting in such close proximity. Without a word they laid their hands atop her's, with Weiss' noticeably sweaty, and swiped the screen for her.

"We're here..."

The image changed and the first thing either girl noticed were the camera holder's chocolate stained fingerprints on the sides, but as with any photo including her, attention was instantly drawn to the tall blonde wearing her huntress gear and giving her trademark crooked grin as she posed like a model against a shower stall in what must've been the girls locker room back at Signal as they didn't recognize the layout as the guys' which their roommate had extensive knowledge of which she liked to share. She'd obviously been the camera's target but almost like an afterthought and barely in frame beside her was a dark complected girl in the process of shyly pulling up a green hood that bore a striking resemblance to a crumpled up drawing that'd been set on fire.

"And this is Amber?" Weiss questioned, receiving a hesitant nod many seconds later.

"Yeah, Rubes was so busy licking her fingers she didn't even realize she was on the screen," Yang whispered, touching a specific fingerprint which caused the image to zoom out a couple inches. "With older scrolls like mine the picture gets cut off on the sides when you view it again, and once I saw the corner of her face I spent hours cleaning the image up and messing with the settings to get it like it is now. Then I spent nearly a week trying to decide what to do with it..."

Blake listened to the hollow voice but was busily studying the girl named Amber, who standing beside her partner in a photo as recent as the past year or so appeared to be only slightly taller than herself but more muscular compared to her own wiry frame. Her chocolate brown hair was simply cut not quite reaching her eyes and falling just short of touching her shoulders, and it was obvious to Blake by her plain appearance that although Amber was pretty, she like herself didn't seem the type who wanted to stand out in a crowd, but then again standing beside Yang Xiao Long it wasn't exactly a fair comparison or even remotely a competition.

Next she noted the collapsible staff just poking out from behind her green cloak which was reminiscent of her leader's except much shorter stopping just short of her knees almost like a dueling cape, but given how it was only draped over her shoulders it likely wasn't worn for actual combat.

The last thing she caught should've been more obvious, but Amber's bright brown eyes had the same peculiar orange radiance as Ruby's drawing, and she began to realize how the lack of detail of her figure must've been purposeful. Her leader could create almost lifelike drawings and paintings when she put her mind to it or didn't let herself get distracted, and Blake thought back to the sisters' uncle forbidding them of photos such as this and how they'd both defied him in their own characteristic ways. The elder not listening and the younger creatively finding a loophole.

"Ruby did a really fantastic job," Weiss praised, though in truth had barely gotten a glimpse of her partner's artistry before it had been crumpled.

Yang nodded her head as doodles and stick figures were about the extent of her abilities, or lack thereof, and Weiss herself despite having the skill to recreate the majestic snowy mountains of her kingdom on canvas, had very little imagination and creativity for such things, and being the very definition of a perfectionist she had the tendency to set her 'mistakes' on fire before they could be seen.

"Especially her eyes..." Blake murmured, causing her partner's hand to tighten into a fist.

This subtle movement didn't at all go unnoticed by her sharp eyes, but she still couldn't help thinking back to the drawing. While Blake did have some artistic talent it was mostly applied in removing the dark thoughts that so often plagued her mind and were mostly abstract with precious few details as if she were drawing shadows. Ruby on the other hand had true talent for detail and something about Amber's eyes unsettled her but couldn't find a logical reason why.

Practically everyone's eyes glowed when using their auras or semblances, and this shouldn't have even caught her curiosity because of how normal it was for a young huntress in-training being unable to shut it off on cue, but nothing about this situation felt 'normal' and it appeared her partner sensed her unease.

"There's a reason I don't let you, Rubes, or anyone else mess with my scroll..." Yang admitted, sounding as though she was having an internal struggle within herself and losing.

"Besides there being countless immoralities that would cause any decent person to go blind?" Weiss asked, attempting at least in the Blake's eyes to get her partner distracted again.

The blonde gave her a hard look that let her know she wasn't joking around this time. "If that's what it takes to keep people away from my scroll then fine. Call it 'Yang Xiao Long's pleasure and relaxation fun time security system' that's sure to keep all dads, uncles, nosy little sisters, friends, teachers, and anyone else who doesn't want to be scarred for life from going through my stuff. Even if someone did figure out my passwords, which I'd seriously want to see their faces when they did, they've got to go through a whole lot of so-called 'immorality' that I don't mind sharing just to find the things I don't seeing. My family keeps a lot of secrets, and this picture alone is buried deep in folders that'd make our little princess faint from heatstroke and would take days or weeks for anyone else but me to find. And just like I've been showing you, sometimes you have to press a gorgeous photo or delicious video in just the right places to open the right folder..."

Any humor they might've heard in her voice was quickly quelled as she stared each of them in the eyes for what felt like an eternity reading their uncomfortable expressions before nodding as if agreeing to something important. "There's a reason why Rubes and I aren't allowed to carry pictures of Amber, and if my uncle knew about this he'd be furious."

"And who exactly is she?" Weiss asked in a high-pitched voice, her face having already brightened again as she couldn't help imagining events and participants even greater than those of at the beach, and also because she just now realized she hadn't even noticed Yang touching the photos from her vacation in sometimes oddly specific places for the next to appear.

"It looks like the two of you were close," Blake noted, pointing out the girl's shoulder guard and vambraces that resembled Ember Celica's gold plating.

Yang followed her finger seeing it as almost accusatory. "Now don't get jealous, Blakey. Just because we were in a shower stall together doesn't mean anything." She gave her a playful nudge but her heart didn't seem fully into it. "Amber was my training partner back at Signal, and Ruby made those for her like she made mine."

Blake returned the nudge with an elbow for the insinuation, and rolled her eyes at what she had to put up with on a daily basis.

"Our moms went way back and I can't remember a time we weren't friends. After I breezed through my intermediate combat courses, my uncle paired us together for private lessons so we didn't accidentally killing anyone while our powers were still developing. He also wanted to keep a close eye because one of us couldn't handle the other's aura and was always getting burned alive in practice."

"I know how that feels," Weiss grumbled, having little doubt she could send them both to the hospital even now.

"No offense, Weiss, but no you don't. I'm being literal and I'm not talking about her."

In unison the pair glanced up speechless and almost unable to comprehend her words despite the sincerity written on her face. They only knew of only one person that might be able to defeat team RWBY's juggernaut in a fair fight, but in their hearts they knew who was the real 'invincible girl'.

"Which school did she get accepted to?" Weiss flinched as the question had been reflexive despite having long since guessed the truth. "I mean-"

"Amber wasn't going to Signal because she wanted to be a huntress," Yang replied gently. "A few years ago she was left on her own so she came and lived at the school like me, Dad, and Rubes, and other kids or adults who need a place to stay. Most of the other kids going there didn't even know her name, or that she even existed to be honest. All she wanted was to learn how to control her powers and live a quiet life far away from the rest of the world."

"Was she really that strong?" For Blake it almost sounded ludicrous to think of her partner being outmatched by anyone her own age, or outmatched in general for that matter.

Yang took a deep breath holding tight to her bandaged ribs before giving a stiff nod. "Imagine waking up one night with unbelievable powers and an almost endless supply of aura. Now imagine that happening to a sweet little girl who just lost her mother, and later the only family she had left in a Grimm attack, and basically forced to become something that she just wasn't. It's a miracle she didn't kill anyone the first time her powers got out of control."

"I can't imagine..." Weiss murmured, staring down at the photo.

Yang blinked back tears as she didn't have to try very hard, or at all frankly. She had Summer holding her on the first worst day of her life when she was told her mother was never coming back, and on the second did the same for her baby sister after the horrible news had been broken to her by a grief stricken widow and a non-functioning alcoholic. And though both of her own experiences seemed so incredibly cruel and unfair, she couldn't imagine waking in the middle of the night and realizing before you even sat up that your mother had just been murdered, especially when you knew who was supposed to have been protecting her had long since abandoned their duty to look after someone else...

"Yang?" Blake asked, bringing her out of her trance by carefully rubbing her shoulder.

She wiped her face forcing herself to stay upbeat, a practice that had become habit by now. "The only reason I could even practice with Amber at all is because it's pretty tough to burn me alive." As if to prove her words, a small flame jumped from her damp mane into her palm where it began to dance and blister her already discolored skin. "But not impossible..."

Without hesitation, Blake took the girl's hand into her own smothering the flame between them, gritting her teeth as it bit her flesh. It wasn't entirely unpleasant as she had long since grown used to her partner's fiery aura, but it was much like grabbing a hot stove and quickly began using her aura to heal what little of the larger hand she could without being an aura match. After several long seconds of giving each other reassuring squeezes seemingly not wanting to let go, they reluctantly separated and Weiss gracefully brushed her fingertips across their bright skin causing frost to appear and numb their discomfort.

Yang stared at her hand for a moment before giving her friends looks of gratitude but also letting them know their efforts had been unnecessary and also a complete waste of their already exhausted powers, which they refuted by flaring their auras and showing her exactly how much more she mattered to them.

*sniff*

"The burns I got from my semblance can't even compare to the ones from our first training sessions," she said after taking a moment to compose herself again. "If you think I'm cocky now you should've seen me back then. I thought I was really hot stuff and the toughest girl in entire the world, but all I remember is Amber unleashing her aura and something hitting me in the back of the head. I woke up to Amber balling her eyes out just like my dad while he and my uncle hovered over giving me massive aura transfers. They told me that I'd been screaming my head off and they'd mercifully knocked me out because I'd just had my entire body burned to a crisp and they didn't want me conscious to feel it, or see see what was left of my skin for that matter. It wasn't very pretty. That was my favorite vest and my last pair of clean underwear, and I almost skipped letting guys buy me some well deserved drinks that night. Almost..."

Both Blake and Weiss gave the smirking girl expressions that ranged from comforting and sympathetic to extreme horror and fear, and couldn't help brushing up against the cool soft skin that should've been running a fever.

"And then like an idiot I'd get up for round two and feel like hell for the next couple days from all the aura transfers and getting myself barbecued. But that's what helped make me who I am today, and by the time we graduated I was standing toe to toe with powers you can't even imagine, and sometimes I'd even win."

She let a cocky grin rise of her lip but didn't do a very good job of letting it linger.

"That's only stretching the truth a little since we usually didn't do every much actual combat. I mean don't get me wrong, Amber was good, like really good. She learned to twirl a stick just like Rubes from our uncle, but she didn't want to be a huntress and I graduated top of my class for a reason, and if you give my semblance enough time I'll burn hotter than the sun. And I'm pretty good at bringing everything they taught me together if you hadn't noticed."

"As a matter of fact we have..." Weiss muttered, distracted by her comfortable knee high black boot with red frills, which she kicked in the air as Blake's bed rose higher than her own. "But what does this have to do with Ruby taking a hand drawn picture of her to a scummy info broker?"

"That would be my baby sister also being an idiot and not listening our combat instructor." Sadness as well as a combination of disappointment and anger was clear in her voice, but who towards neither was too sure. "That being said, Rubes could've gone back months ago if she wanted and a lot's changed since I saw her on the bad side of town. She got accepted into Beacon with her awesome big sis for one thing, but more importantly she met the two of you."

Yang rocked her shoulders against them in a playful manner which they returned, and after swaying for several long pleasant moments Weiss spoke up. "Yang, can you tell us why Ruby's looking for Amber? Obviously something happened to her that you're avoiding."

She stopped mid-motion and her eyes fell to the girl whose very image attempted to hide her face.

"But if you don't want to talk about it-" Blake began before being interrupted.

"I don't know the full story. All I know is that she was walking through Forever Fall when she was attacked."

"Grimm..." Weiss lowered her gaze having heard tales like this far too often but Yang shook her head.

"No, not Grimm. A man and two women wearing Grimm masks. Leviathans to be specific..."

Beside her, Yang felt her partner flinch and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "This would've been shortly after you left the White Fang, Blake. And my uncle isn't even sure they were actual faunus. Lots of other psychos wear Grimm masks too. I mean not that you were ever… Never mind. You will not blame yourself for something like this when I'm the one who should've been with her."

Blake glanced up, her eyes puffy and face wrapped with guilt while Weiss continued studying her feet with a cold expression, preoccupied by something her own partner had said about a possibly human woman in a Beowolf mask.

"If I hadn't gone looking for my mom, I would've been by her side and they would've had to deal with Amber and me, which I'd wish them the best of luck. One of the reasons Rubes is kept in the dark is because she'd get in the way of a LOT of very bad people that would want Amber dead if they ever found out about her, which is exactly what those people tried to do. If it wasn't for my uncle she wouldn't be here right now, instead she's only in a coma."

"E-excuse me?" Weiss tilted her head up.

"Rubes doesn't know about any of this, and she isn't going to." The absolute mother-like authority in Yang's voice returned letting her threat be known. "All she knows is that Amber went on an assignment for our uncle, never came back and is missing, which isn't a lie because even I don't know where he took her to keep her safe. He wants us as far away from this as possible and Rubes knows better than to start digging things up..."

When she noticed the unnerved expressions she was being given Yang cleared her throat. "I know it's cruel, believe me. I know exactly how cruel it can be to be kept in the dark about the people you love, but in our family it's a lot better than knowing the truth. I've had to learn that the hard way but after all the hell Ruby's been through, and because of her mom, we don't want her to ever get hurt that way ever again, and if that means being cruel and keeping her in the dark about family business that doesn't concern her to protect Summer's daughter then so be it. If I lose my Ruby again I lose my dad and uncle for the last time, and I'm willing to let this go if it means keeping her safe..."

The room was quiet except for sniffles and heavy breathing, all of which they were acutely aware of.

"You'll always have us," Blake promised, holding onto her partner.

"Always," Weiss reiterated, bringing herself closer before lifting her face. "Please don't take this the wrong way, Yang, but you're not the type of person who just 'lets things go'. It's because of nights like this that I know when someone hurts your family there's always going to be hell to pay. So there must be a reason you aren't looking for answers like your sister. Or are you doing just that?"

Yang ran her hand through the girl's wig, playing with it by habit while the girl rested her head on her shoulder. "Alright, maybe I've checked into a couple of dead end leads and stayed in touch with my uncle about some of the things going on in Vale, but before leaving he made me swear that my only priority would be keeping Ruby safe and watching out for her, and he promised that he'd take care of Amber and the people that attacked her. And if that man said he was going to put the moon back together in time for Christmas then that's what's going to happen. Amber was one of his students and her mom was really close to his team, and he'll make those sorry SOBs wish they'd never been born. He's already promised that if there's anything left of them it'll be my turn, but I know sooner or later he'll need my help with something."

'Then we'll be able to wake her up again...'

A dark look crossed her face but it quickly passed and she played it off as her ribs aching again. "We're not making it up when we say he's the greatest huntsman alive, but if Rubes knew any of this she'd want to help just like she'd want to help with my mom, and she's already starting to ask questions she really, really doesn't want the answers to."

All three fell silent, quietly staring at the girl and the green cloak that suddenly had an unsettling feel about her.

"It looks and sounds like she was really close to the both of you," Weiss said, keeping her voice low. "And let me tell you from experience that Amber couldn't have had better friends."

"Thanks." She smiled warmly bringing her arms around them so her scroll sat in her lap. "Amber avoided people as best she could and I was her only real friend at Signal, but I guess I could say the same about Rubes."

Blake pulled herself back slightly as something about her melancholy words didn't sound right. "Yang, are you saying the two of them weren't friends?"

Her partner was about to shake her head but caught herself and brushed her hair anxiously. "Not exactly but that had more to do with Summer..."

"She might be a dolt but even I've gotten somewhat used to her," Weiss snorted. "How could anyone possibly not like her or your stepmom and you still be your friend?"

"Because I didn't always like my stepmom either, Weiss." The heiress' eyes widened in surprise while Blake's looked away as it still hurt to hear. "Summer took my baby sister away from me right after I thought we were going to be a family again, and Amber had her reasons, some of them were pretty good actually. She doesn't hate Ruby in the slightest and they are friends, but it's..." She trailed off looking for the word while they noticed she spoke very deliberately about Amber in present tense. "It's just complicated alright. She looks at Ruby and sometimes all she can see is Summer, and she's reminded of how she lost her mom and the day Patchwork fell..."

Weiss felt a tug on her partner's cape and realized Yang was running her hands through it, and she did her best to hide her sudden unease. "You said Amber lost her family," she murmured. "But why would she blame-"

"How would you feel if after you lost your mom, you just lost what little family you had left to a pack of Beowolves and there just so happened to be a retired huntress there who might've been able to save them, but the only survivor ended up being her daughter?" Yang asked softly. "I didn't know it at the time but there was serious talk about revoking Summer's huntress status completely because she'd put her daughter's life before anyone else's. You know just as well as I do that's against everything the huntsmen stand for, and that I'd do the exact same thing in a heartbeat. But how do you think that makes Amber feel? Or Rubes for that matter? She's the only survivor of a massacre when her mom might've been able to save them and a lot of other people if she'd just let her die instead. Amber forgave Summer a long time ago, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt..."

Both girls lowered their heads with Blake scooting back over to wipe her partner's cheek. It was torment seeing her best friend cry when she was by far the strongest person she had ever met, and she wondered if the emotional toll they were putting her through was simply too much when it was obvious how her current state was affecting her body, soul, and spirit. With the way she was patched up it was almost like she was in the process of splitting apart.

"Yang," she whispered, loathing herself for what she was about to ask. "Please don't be mad and I'm sorry for asking this, but how much does Ruby remember about Patchwork falling? We've heard her nightmares and-"

"-they're horrible," Weiss finished, fighting back tears thinking back to the hospital record. "And what happened to her mom… sometimes it sounds like she saw it happen…"

Yang was quiet for several minutes to the point both girls believed she was ignoring the question before she finally found her words again. "Trust me, they've gotten a lot better over the years. Rubes buried a lot of that stuff deep and it's going to stay that way for as long as it needs to." Her voice was weak but the commandment was clear.

"It wasn't that long ago she couldn't talk about it at all without shutting down just like Dad does. Weiss, the night in the lost city was the first time she's ever talked about it with anyone besides me. Uncle Qrow was the one who found Summer in the garden, and later when he was good and drunk he told me what my baby sister went through and what she was like when he found her hiding under the bed. And I thank God everyday I still have her and that she's slowly getting better. So please, let Rubes' nightmare be stay just that, nightmares. She buried it for a good reason and before tonight she's never asked about Patchwork, because deep down she knows nothing good can come from it..."

Weiss' heart quickened as she began playing with the cross pendants fastened to her collar, thinking only about her best friend and flared her aura for Yang to feel. "I won't pretend to even begin to understand the hell Ruby went through or what goes on in her head. She's smarter than anyone gives her credit for and is proof that honest to God good people exist on Remnant, but sometimes I think she's too smart for her own good and is too innocent to become a huntress. Your sister's the most incredible person I've ever met, but I'm scared one day being around so much evil is going to tear her apart. We understand why your family works so hard to protect her because we feel the same way. Nothing you've said ever leaves this room, but could you tell us what makes knowing Amber so dangerous?"

Yang sniffled as the girl's overwhelming regard for her sister washed over her, and when the waves of cool aura finally settled she couldn't help her heart skipping from hearing her uncle's voice. She was sitting in between the youngest daughter of Remnant's most ruthless family and a former faunus of the White Fang. Names that were at the top of his search...

"Have either of you heard of an old fairy tale called 'The Four Maidens'?" she asked cryptically.

The pair glanced at one another looking for assistance but shook their heads.

"Father considered fairy tales childish even when I was a child," Weiss said evenly. "He ordered the servants not to fill his daughters' heads with nonsense, and if it hadn't been for my grandparents on occasion and a particularly kind but very foolish butler, I wouldn't even know about 'The Girl in the Tower' or 'The Shallow Sea'."

Blake listened to the sound of the girl's rueful voice and nodded. "There weren't exactly many kids books in Menagerie. Most of our stories tend to revolve around the first two faunus crusades, and I've never exactly cared much for fairy tales or happily ever afters."

"Then you'd have liked this one," Yang muttered bitterly. "Everyone dies at the end, including the guardians sworn to protect the maidens with their lives..."

'Guardians?'

Before either girl could ask the question at the tip of their tongues, Yang shifted her position and coughed. "If you haven't heard it before then don't worry about it, actually just forget I said anything. I'm a little punch drunk and besides my 'extra special strawberry juice' I've got an empty stomach. It's just a dumb fairy tale anyway with enough girls getting killed or dismembered you can make a drinking game out of it, which I have actually. After a dozen shots my uncle used to call me his little 'anti-maiden' while I pried test answers out of him. You're better off not knowing about Amber, and believe me when I tell you that you'll sleep better too."

Yang abruptly closed her scroll and stuffed it in her waistband startling the pair, and before they could raise objections she bounced on the bed for momentum and used her partner's shoulder and Weiss' head to push off of and steady herself. Bones popped and she creaked with every awkward step. She could barely raise her feet as she shuffled through her ammo belt's spilled contents, and watching from behind her friends could only watch with gaping mouths as she hopped on the desk in favor of sitting in the cramped chair again. Kicking her long legs out, she studied the mess around her but her cloudy eyes seemed to be seeing something that wasn't there.

Feeling their eyes on her, Yang raised her head and met them with a wink. "Sorry, but as comfy as your bed is, Blake, I'm not really in the mood to be in the middle anymore. You two were making me feel a little underdressed and overdressed at the same time, but don't let that stop the two of you from carrying on..."

Letting out a long breath that more resembled a growl, Weiss communicated all her annoyance and frustration with her unrelenting antics all at once, but while she used the legs of the overhanging bunk to gingerly get to her feet, Blake was studying the girl across the room seeing how her emotional exhaustion far outweighed her physical, and that while something had clearly been lifted from her partner's shoulders and their souls felt more inseparable than ever before, there was still a barrier between them that she simply couldn't leave standing any longer.

Once Weiss was upright again with her bones echoing that of Yang's, an outstretched hand tugged at her red-frilled sleeve.

"Weiss, could I see the photo again?"

Startled, she followed where Blake was pointing and a look of surprise flashed across her face having completely forgotten she was still holding onto the young woman's image, and after taking a final look passed it over, careful not to leave any fingerprints before settling herself beside the sleeping corgi who didn't seem to have noticed her absence.

"Thanks." Blake stared at the large crimson curved blade that was attached to the skirt through some means she didn't care to know as there wasn't much to keep secret, before narrowing her eyes at the familiar object that was mostly obscured by her dark mane and angled off to the side of her face.

Absently digging inside her jacket, she retrieved a white mask with red markings over the eye slits along with ears and fangs resembling that of a large predatory feline, and held the two up not even needing to compare them for herself.

"Yang?" she asked, glancing up with a blank face at partner. "Why is your mom wearing a Grimm mask?"

Weiss made a small, frightened squeak across from her but the other girl's only surprise seemed to come from her partner taking this long to speak up.

"She wasn't a faunus if that's what you're asking. She and my uncle were born in Menagerie, where their tribe just happened to wear Nevermore masks..."

"Just happened?" Blake's voice shook. "I was born there too, Yang. My kind were wearing Grimm masks long before the first faunus crusades back when we actually thought Remnant's nightmares could mean our salvation. Cults of Grimm spawned everywhere and some of my people actually learned how to harness their powers for-"

"Not my mom!" Yang shouted, her fists tightening as she moved to the edge of the desk.

Blake swallowed, calming her voice in an attempt to defuse the situation. It seemed waiting until her partner was on the other side of the room out of striking distance had been a wise idea, at least for now.

"We call them Doppelgangers..." she whispered. "Or sometimes Skin Walkers, and there are some that think they're where the legends of Mimics came from, but I guess the four of us know better..."

"Get to the point."

"In Menagerie," she said quickly, "my people have to bury our dead deep. There's evil out there called a Geist. You've both read about them but I've seen one for myself, and I still have nightmares. They can possess more than just rocks or trees when they're hunting for their next meal. They can possess the dead too and even mimic the person's voice. But when they latch onto a fresh host they do can do more than that. They can feed off what's left of their aura for days, weeks, or even years if their host was powerful enough..."

Yang's eyes flickered red but her partner continued as though she didn't notice the small room's temperature rising despite Weiss' subtle efforts to cool it.

"The faunus weren't just banished to the territories because we were constantly fighting the kingdoms. Unfortunately some of us and even some humans had good reason for being banished. They started worshiping Grimm and found ways to let Geists possess the living. They'd don Grimm masks like mine signifying which tribe they were a part of just like the huntsmen did with their emblems. Some with strong enough auras could fight off the malevolence inside of them for years and be one man armies against the kingdoms and draw hoards of Grimm straight to them without fear of ever being attacked, and when they finally fell or lost control of the monster inside them, then the huntsmen still had an Alpha capable of leveling entire villages to fight. Yang, if your mom and uncle are from Menagerie that means your ancestors were probably banished there just like mine were, and the tribes that still wear Grimm masks-" Her words caught on her throat as the air became increasingly thick and hostile, but she had a sense that the worst was being withheld behind crimson.

"Not. My. Mom," Yang said between her teeth. "I already told you about the Branwen semblance, or do you think I might be Grimm possessed too? Maybe I made a mistake sharing my mom and what I've been through with you. I thought you of all people would understand..."

Blake lowered her shameful gaze to the young woman with remarkable eyes and an unforgettable face matching that of the girl across the room, and whose aura like her daughter's could become violence incarnate when she wished and draw the smallest Nevermores just as easily as giant Deathstalkers straight to her.

"My mom kept that mask to remind her of where she came from, but just like you that's all she kept. I don't particularly like some of the looks I get when my eyes start glowing red but she had it even worse, and only wore it on missions with her team. And I know why she wears it now because I'm just as vain as she was. If I were dead I wouldn't want anyone seeing my face either. My hair falling out...my body...everything I was...gone..."

She covered her mouth and looked away, tears streaming down her face. Neither Blake nor Weiss could look away as all at once they had a new appreciation for the trust they'd been given and realized just how difficult it must've been for her to walk out of the bathroom as she was now. Vulnerable was the first word that came to Weiss' mind, but they felt inherently wrong being used in the same sentence as the dauntless girl who didn't bat an eye in the face of monsters or the attention of captivated onlookers, and while in the hospital had doted on her and cared for her broken arm even when she could barely lift her own.

"Yang?" Blake asked softly, cursing herself inwardly. "Have you seen her here in Vale?"

Through the mist her partner's eyes shined like the woman's in the photo. "I thought I caught a glimpse of her once or twice, but yeah I saw her. I was going through what Weiss likes to call a 'blood rage' and was a little too preoccupied worrying about Rubes to go out for drinks mother and daughter style. I like to think she followed me and some part of her still remembers her daughter, but..."

As she trailed off many things raced through the faunus' mind, none of them very pleasant. She recalled how before their mission, Ozpin had explained that the Grimm population around Vale was quietly getting out of control in the passing months, as well as what her partner had said about the woman named Raven being ignored by Grimm, an occurrence not too unusual for her kind but especially while wearing their faces.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Yang, and I promise I'll believe you and never bring this up ever again. But did you see her during the breach?"

Her best friend remained silent, only glaring at her with the lights occasionally flickering.

"Yang, please..."

"No, I did not see my mom during the breach..." Her voice dripped with venom but once her eyes made it clear that the conversation was over, they softened and her aura filled the room with something that caused all hearts in the room to flutter.

"Then I'm sorry for asking," Blake said, glancing down at the photo one last time. "And I'm sorry." 'But I think you're willingly believing a lie.' "And I understand."

Yang slid off the desk causing both girls to immediately tense up despite the sudden change in atmosphere. If she sensed her partner's mistrust she didn't acknowledge it, and wiping away a mixture of sweat and tears she confidently stepped over the spilled contents of her ammo belt. But just as a confident grin began to spread, her knee buckled again and she fell forward head first. Without hesitation, red and black darted forward from either side of the room catching her and were immediately brought into a tight embrace where they stood for several moments before any of them could speak.

"You did that on purpose didn't you," said a muffled voice, it didn't appear to be a question.

"Maybe," Yang answered, pulling Weiss closer so she was talking into a mess of highlighted hair. "But I don't hear you complaining."

"That's because she can't breath," Blake replied, looking at her partner from the side and grinning at the caped-girl whose face was currently buried in yellow bandages. "And I get the feeling you falling on me earlier wasn't an accident either..."

Yang didn't answer, only hummed a soft tune that she couldn't keep while letting her warm aura overwhelm their senses. Love, pure and unwavering with nothing to hide. Words that never needed to be said could never have matched the feelings she was sharing that made them feel as though they were basking in morning sunlight. But this was Yang Xiao Long who unlike them wasn't afraid of words or ever shied away from affection.

"I love you, the both of you, like I love my baby sister. She is the best thing to ever happen to me, and the two of you are right with her. If I really am the heart of this team then I want you know that I couldn't have asked for anyone better to share it with, and don't ever forget that it belongs to the both of you."

Lost in someone else's radiant soul, they tried flaring their auras but her's swallowed them up drowning all sense of their selves. 'I love you' had been foreign words before coming to Beacon, having never graced their lips or even blessed their ears back when they still believed those words didn't matter. Now those same beautiful, exhilarating words were being said in their ears by someone who was not only telling them the truth, but whose aura also let them know just deeply the heart of team RWBY loved them.

Reluctant to let each other go but necessary so that the shorter girl didn't suffocate, Yang kept a hand around the both of them keeping herself steady and perhaps so she could pull them back without warning.

"Wow..." Was all either of them could muster, just as out of breath as her but feeling more alive than ever.

"Yeah..." Yang flashed a smile that was mirrored back at her as the world darkened and she collapsed again.

"Easy girl," Blake laughed, already having her by the shoulder while a lightheaded Weiss took the other. "There you go being stupid again."

"Still don't hear either of you complaining, Blakey," she said breathlessly, bobbing her head against theirs in turn. "Hmm, thank you guys for everything you did for me and Rubes tonight, and for listening to everything I had to say. I've never told anyone about my mom before..."

A knot formed in the chest of the faunus and perhaps sensing it her partner shifted her head so it rested against her's.

"I know I didn't make a mistake sharing anything with you." She grabbed her partner's hand and together looked down at the nearly identical looking young woman. "I'm just sorry I can't tell you more. About her, me, and Rubes..."

Taking the photo in her own hand and without even a second glance, Yang flung it atop her bunk out of sight before moving her head onto the other girl and use her as an armrest, which she didn't seem to mind.

"And thank you, Weiss, for pretending to be Rubes for the night. We couldn't have done it without you, and I hope dressing as my little sister hasn't caused any permanent damage."

The bright faced heiress snorted indignantly having been stifling giggles ever since catching the girl and having her aura touch her. "I can feel my IQ dropping as we speak and I believe I'm beginning to develop a craving for chocolate."

Yang's arm pulled her close again causing the girl's face to redden even more as between laughs a muffle plea begged for her release, though her request didn't sound too urgent.

"Well, sis, I happen to know where all the emergency cookie jars are hidden, and I think you've earned the right to get chocolate on other you's clothes for once. And I just happen to have some extra special strawberry-" A dragon growled causing them to look down at the girl's bandaged stomach.

"Heh." Yang rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Never mind dessert. When's the food getting here again?" She and her partner glanced down at Weiss who she gave some breathing room and was now busily wiping her face and spitting with as much dignity as she could muster after being smothered most humiliatingly.

During their return back to the dorm, Weiss had stepped away from her companions to order dinner in peace as Yang had been loud and rather crude about wanting to stop for some quick drinks and 'family friendly male entertainment', which she claimed they wanted just as much as herself. A claim they neither confirmed nor denied.

"Well it's a Friday night and the most popular pizza in the city is closer to Patch than it is to Beacon, and since all air taxis have been grounded there's a waiting list of well over an hour."

Yang stared at her earnestly like a starving girl who just might have to go to bed hungry.

"However..." she said with a minuscule grin. "When I put the order in the name of 'Weiss Schnee' they quickly apologized and said I'd be receiving the finest pizza Vale has to offer within thirty minutes and that the delivery boy would also pick me up some fresh white lilies and those little puppy boy treats Zwei likes so much. But when I casually mentioned that a particularly shameless blonde-"

"-who has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of," Yang replied proudly, her gaze drifting down the heiress' nose to her bandages before batting her eyelashes innocently.

"-who has a tendency to answer the door when she's less than half-decent was going to shower and gave an approximate time of when she'd be reasonably presentable, the kind young man told me he'd personally pick up a box of chocolates, roses, and make sure there were extra disgusting anchovies for Blake. I told him fifteen minutes from now would be the approximate time so he'll probably arrive in ten hoping to see you before you're presentable. Which you still aren't unfortunately..."

Yang cheered in delight bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet needing all their help to keep from tipping over. "Great! I'll get Rubes!" She removed the scroll from her waistband and despite having already seen much of its contents, Blake again averted her eyes just to be safe while Weiss' were already tightly shut and waiting for her nightmare to be over.

"On second thought..." The sound of the holographic device closing caused them to look back as she tossed it onto her bunk beside the photo. Just as they were comprehending the image of their aura charts and a peculiar red dot moving, Yang wrapped an arm around their midsections sporting a devilish grin and took a deep breath. "Dibs on middle."

Zwei barely had enough time to leap out of the way as all three came crashing down onto Weiss bed, shouting protests and giggling hysterically in a mess of limbs and hair. Slaps were traded as well as punches and kicks but they were mostly harmless and in playful fun as the protests were now merely for show. Auras naturally flared for protection but they almost immediately began intertwining around each other letting them get lost in two other souls that had nothing to hide and let them feel just how deeply loved they were.

"Wow, Weiss, are these Vacuon cotton?"

"N-no! Shut up!" she squealed, in the middle of Zwei sticking his long tongue down her ear. "EEEP! SOMEBODY BETTER MOVE THEIR HAND AT THIS INSTANT!"

"It's not me," two cheery voices replied, the hand not moving.

*click*

Only the faunus seemed to hear the door unlock and gradually creak open, but it was a faraway sound as little air was getting to her head and lungs from wonderful laughter and high-pitched screams, as well as from the bodies piled atop each other fighting for position. Finally, someone's backside moved out of the way and she spied a figure standing in the doorway that caused her to freeze and was soon sensed by the too small of bed's other occupants.

Slowly, all heads turned toward the open door where blurry silver eyes were fixated on the peculiar scene of a glistening blonde in bed with two scarlet faced girls that were sweating and almost as out of breath as herself, one of whom which was like looking into a mirror. And the pair on either side of the pleased girl in the middle couldn't help noticing the sniper-scythe with a fresh coat of paint that was being used as a crutch.

*gulp*

"Ruby!"cried the impostor in a shaky yet commanding voice. "I swear this is not what it looks like!" She tried removing the long cloak that had somehow wrapped itself around their bodies and nearly over her head, but Yang kept pulling it back up to cover her chest as if suddenly modest.

*hic*

"Oh?" Yang slurred, grinning wide and finding a more comfortable position. "I think this is exactly what it looks like. What does this look like to you, princess? It was your idea after all."

While the smaller girl went back to shouting muffled protests and flailing uselessly, Blake watched on trying to look as innocent as possible despite having long since lost feeling in her arm as well as its current whereabouts, and hoped she was the only one who thought the stuffy room reeked of sweat and that the oppressive humidity was from being in such close proximity to their auras.

"Ruby, I promise this isn't what it looks like."

The confounded newcomer blinked, still staring at the three with a blank look that hardened slightly when she noticed the dog in bed with them. "Like I haven't heard that before..." she grumbled, glancing at the dark jeans, boots, and yellow socks laying in the bathroom, the damp towel discarded on the carpet, and her sister's skirt-like ammo belt sitting on the desk with its scattered contents leading to the bed as if she'd gotten undressed in a hurry.

"Hey Rubes," Yang laughed heartily, casually waving now that both her opponents were helplessly pinned beneath her. "Don't worry, I'll decontaminate your cape tomorrow. Weiss will probably be doing the same for her bedding, and I'm kinda out of underwear at the moment anyway. We were just doing some innocent Schnee angels together while we had the room to ourselves. Which reminds me, no more laying in or on Weiss' bed. Remember what I told you about staying in the penthouse suite in Atlas and refusing to let anything come in between me and thousand count Vacuon cotton sheets? Well turns out I was totally right and our princess sleeps in the buff and puts her clothes back on before-."

"YOU!" she screamed, coming up for air spitting, unable to untangling herself from the mess of limbs so instead raised her head as though she might bite her. "YOU PLANNED THIS!"

With dramatics, Yang threw the cloak off so it dangled off the side of the bed still pinned to the girl's collar.

"See?" Weiss breathed, looking up at her partner with doe eyes. "We're completely-"

The caped-girl paused as she glanced down from Ruby's empty expression to their disheveled appearances. Out of sheer spite, her wig had stayed in place but like her bunk-mates' long locks it was tangled and plastered in each other's faces, and occasionally having to be spat out. Yang was covered more by bandages than she was by her tank top and the very definition of shorts, but to Weiss' annoyance enough of the girl's golden mane fell over her body to both obscure her injuries and leave what she may or may not be wearing to her sister's imagination. Blake's jacket had been unzipped sometime during the chaos and was laying on the floor along with her katana and was now showing off a dark top that didn't quite reach her belly button and left her shoulders bare, and after a moment realized why she couldn't find her rapier to kill the blonde with. Myrtenaster was now on the other side of the room and her partner's ammo belt unbuckled at their feet, meaning her combat mini-skirt had slipped off her thinner waist nearly to her knees, and wearing leggings underneath didn't seem to comfort her.

"I HATE YOU!"

"That's not what you were telling me before she walked in..." Yang cooed, letting her sister follow her mischievous eyes to the discarded weapons and the articles of clothing that had been so easily removed by her expert hands. "Your high-pitched voice was like music to my ears..."

Their leader may have 