Chapter 33

"I'm sure." Weiss nodded. "You two have fun, stay safe. If you need anything, if anything happens, give me a call."

As expected, Weiss recovered in record time, on her feet in two days, fully recovered in four. It always surprised Blake how robust Weiss was. For such a small, weak-looking girl, she was a force of stubborn nature. It seemed even germs quaked before her. As for the party, Ruby was all for it. A party meant food, fun, and unforgettable memories, a view that amused Blake and concerned Weiss. To her, parties were often cramped, chaotic, and...well...Weiss struggled to come up with a third alliteration, though criminal could fit depending upon the party in question.

Indeed, once informed of the presence of recreational drugs, Weiss firmly refused to attend. Though aware of the relative safety to be expected, she was not willing, nor ready to enter that environment. It simply did not interest her. Still, she did not expect the others to stay away for her, and she even ordered a gift for Sun. Ruby ordered a set of t-shirts with cut-outs to show off Sun's abs, and Blake played along with a bottle of baby oil. Weiss took things more seriously, with a Faunus bodycare kit.

Blake and Neon took good care of what little fur was on their bodies, with the latter having allowed Weiss to help. The kit for Sun contained shampoo, conditioner, several brushes and trimmers, and files. The files were for the care and maintenance for Faunus nails, which were often harder and sharper than what humans had. The rest was for fur, which could be uniquely difficult. Even if Sun himself did not get much use out of the kit, perhaps someone he knew, or would come to know, would utilize it.

As Blake and Ruby left, planning to catch a taxi to the house Sun and his roommates rented, Weiss settled on her bed. She was not alone as often as she expected these days. More often than not, Blake slept over with Ruby. Normally Weiss would have been with Neon while Coco was with Velvet. It had been a comfortable routine, a convenient one, and Weiss had disrupted it. She expected Ruby to spend more nights in Blake's room, but it seemed they were comfortable keeping the majority of their amorous activities to the showers, free periods, and some creative hiding places. Or so Weiss expected.

Weiss appreciated the company, even if it was out of concern for her wellbeing. She had to bite down on her urge to shoo them away at times. She had to bite down on a lot of urges, some of which she would satiate this night. Weiss knelt beside the bed, pulling free a case and laying it on the covers. Standing, Weiss hastily ensured the door was locked and closed the window. Weiss could get a bit excited, and she could not risk anyone listening in. Slipping off her clothes, Weiss changed into her nighty and robe. She would not be leaving the room anyway. She preferred to be as comfortable as possible, rugged up in bed.

Finally, opening the case, Weiss smiled at the gift Neon had given her. Sure, she could have acquired it in better condition, but the experience was what mattered, and no amount of wear and tear would change the memories the gift held, or the stories it told. Pulling free the volume she was up to, Weiss slid the case under the bed, snuggled under the sheets and opened her laptop, popping in the disc and turning on her headphones. The show's theme began playing as the menu screen appeared, and Weiss smiled.

Blake had her erotica, Ruby her games, and now thanks to Neon, Weiss had her anime, her delightfully indulgent romantic comedy about a Human/Faunus relationship. The others must never, ever find out.

"Hey, you made it!" Neon cheered. She pulled Blake and Ruby into a hug, careful to avoid burning them with the blunt between her fingers.

"Hard to miss the place." Blake observed.

Neon laughed, releasing them and taking a puff. She stepped aside and waved them in. The home was surprisingly upscale, but obviously older than the modern Atlesian architecture typical of the campus and its surroundings. Solid, rich crimson brick, with white skirting and a grey, tiled roof, the house was surrounded by a well manicured lawn, all enclosed by a neat hedge. It took them by surprise that Sun, such a rough and tumble looking guy, lived in such a nice place. "Yeah, striking isn't it?" Neon agreed.

"The rent must be astronomical." Blake noted.

"Nep and Sage are old money." Neon explained. "They handle most of the rent but everyone pulls their weight. Plus, Sun's good at making money. Has to be, his scholarship doesn't pay much past tuition. Hell, pretty much all Faunus here are on the same sort of scholarship, 'cept you Blake."

"Lucky me I guess." Blake shrugged.

A cheer roared from the living room as the group entered. A group of guests was crowded on and around the couch, staring at a flat screen TV on the wall. It displayed the latest installment of Ember Gauntlet, a 2D fighting game. Two costumed brawlers duked it out on screen, one very obviously more skilled than the other, borderline juggling his opponent across the stage, much to the enjoyment of the audience.

"God, this is such bullshit!" Neptune complained.

"Eat it!" Sun shouted. "Eat all of my feet bitch!" Sun's avatar landed a final kick on Neptune's, and it fell to the ground. Sun fist pumped as the crowd cheered.

"That character is bullshit!" Neptune yelled, nearly throwing his controller.

"I reckon you just have a foot fetish." Sun taunted.

"You're lucky it's your birthday or I'd kick your ass for real." Neptune grumbled.

"Do I hear a challenge?!" Sun sprang to his feet, pointing at Neptune dramatically.

"Bring it Monkey Business!" Neptune challenged. He jumped up, hitting Sun with a couch pillow.

Sun tackled Neptune, and they began rolling around the floor, again to the enjoyment of the other guests. Writhing around, they attempted to gain dominance. Blake, Ruby and Neon watched with amusement. "They're kinda' like me and Yang." Ruby reminisced.

"You lose in a game so you end up rolling around on the floor?" Blake smirked.

"More like I wiped the floor with Yang, and she just sat on me with her big butt until I called for mom." Ruby corrected.

"Sounds like fun to me." Neon chuckled. "Is she hot?"

"Hotter than the sun." Ruby nodded.

"Nice, hope I can meet her someday." Neon said.

"Hope you like puns." Blake warned.

"Hey, is there food?" Ruby asked. "I kinda' skipped lunch."

"Kitchen's just down the hall." Neon pointed. "Knock yourself out."

"Want anything Blake?" Ruby asked.

"I'll be fine, thanks." Blake shook her head. She turned to Neon. "Can I get some of that." She gestured to Neon's blunt. Neon held it out for her to take, and Blake took a long, slow draw. She held her breath as she handed it back, before slowly exhaling, smiling. "God I missed that."

"Been a while?" Neon asked.

"Not since my last heat." Blake replied.

"Oof, didn't have anyone?" Neon took another drag.

"It would have been weird asking my sister to bang me." Blake laughed. "Though it crossed my mind in my more desperate moments."

Suddenly the brawlers rolled to their feet. Sun had Neptune in a full-nelson. The latter weakly reached for Sun's head, kicking pathetically. Sun smiled up at the others. "Hey guys, glad you could make it!"

"I wasn't told about the wrestling matches." Blake grinned.

"What kind of host would I be if I didn't provide some entertainment." Sun asked. Neptune managed to reach Sun's hair, grabbing and pulling. "Ow!"

"A slightly less gay one perhaps?" Blake teased.

"Hey, I'm not gay!" Sun protested. "I just appreciate the human form."

"Oh, sure, like you don't appreciate it physically as much as mentally." Neptune said.

"Hey, I'm supposed to experiment." Sun noted. "It's college baby!"

"You are a big baby, big dumb monkey fuck baby!" Neptune thrashed about. When his feet were off the ground Sun released him, sending him flopping onto his back.

Sun laughed, just as Ruby returned to the room, holding a plate in one hand and a half eaten brownie in the other. "Hey Sun, havin' fun?"

"Is that really what this looks like?" Neptune groaned.

"Hey Rubes, whatcha'...uh, those brownies?" Sun asked.

"Yeah, Neon said it was okay." Ruby nodded. "They taste so good, like, mom good. Who made 'em?"

"Sage did." Neptune answered.

"Sage did...hey, did you get those from the blue or green plate?" Sun asked, clearly nervous.

"Hmm...the green one I think." Ruby replied. She finished the first one and picked up another. "Why?"

"Oh, that's good then." Sun breathed a sigh of relief. "The blue plate had the Special Sauce in them, those are just pot brownies."

Ruby froze mid-bite. Blake's gaze snapped from Sun, to Neon who smiled cheekily, to Ruby, who raised a brow, before shrugging and taking another bite. "Well, try new things and all."

"Oh boy." Neptune shook his head.

"Maybe we should sit down." Blake suggested.

"Probably a good idea." Sun agreed.

Neon smirked. "I'll get us more 'nip!"

"I'm sure they're fine, parties just aren't for me." Weiss declared. She could see through the video chat that Winter was unconvinced. "I'm sure we both had our fill of them as children." Weiss lie on the ground, her legs resting on the bed as freshly painted toenails dried. She had elected to try on purple tonight.

"Those weren't parties." Winter scoffed. "They were balls, galas and charity auctions, PR stunts and networking events. A party is where friends and family go to enjoy themselves, socialize-"

"Get drunk, smoke pot and have orgies?" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Whatever floats your boat." Winter grinned.

Weiss scowled at Winter's amusement. "Tch, as if, and Ruby is too pure and innocent to partake in such degrading acts."

"You can't tell me the idea of a tipsy Ruby isn't the cutest thing in the world." Winter countered.

"Tipsy is not drunk, and that is beside the point!" Weiss protested.

"Weiss, these are your college years." Winter shook her head. "Try and enjoy yourself. Wasn't that Neon girl going to be there?"

"Yes, but we're still keeping our distance." Weiss replied.

"But don't you miss her?" Winter pressed.

"It's complicated Winter." Weiss sighed wearily. "Can we drop it? Please?"

"Fine, it's always complicated with you." Winter complained.

Weiss laughed, shaking her head, examining her fingernails. Perhaps some red for these, she thought. "Nothing worth having is ever simple."

"I feel like I'm floating." Ruby smiled.

"That's normal Ruby." Blake declared.

"If I start to float away, can you keep hold of me?" Ruby asked.

"I promise." Blake chuckled.

Blake cupped Ruby's face, as the latter lay upside down on the couch. She had eaten three brownies, and was high as a kite and just as colorful. Neon sat on the other side of Ruby, sharing her blunt with Blake, fending of Ruby as she swatted at her pigtails. Sun, Neptune, and a thin, effeminate person called Scarlet sat on beanbags on the floor. They had since move to one of the upstairs rooms, filled mainly with beanbags and chairs. They called it the Chiller, for what now seemed like obvious reasons.

"I remember my first time on 'nip." Sun reminisced. "I took off my shirt-"

"And never put it on again." Scarlet cut him off.

"Shush you." Sun continued. "I took it off and started rubbing myself all over the carpet, which was shag stuff. I swear I could feel every follicle individually."

"Boring, I ate the entire fridge." Neon scoffed.

"Your skinny ass ate a fridge?" Neptune asked skeptically.

"Ain't nothin' skinny about that ass." Sun smirked.

"Thank you!" Neon cheered. "I do a lot of squats. Anyway, I only got like halfway through the pantry before mum busted me."

"Haha, bus-ted." Ruby giggled.

"Then what?" Sun asked.

"She yelled a bunch and kicked my ass, literally." Neon replied. "Then we both cried a bunch and had a weird bonding session. I like to think we grew from it."

"Aw." Ruby sighed.

"Seems a bit harsh." Sun observed.

Neon shrugged, taking another draw before handing the blunt to Blake. "Life was always kinda' harsh." Neon shrugged. "I'm an accident. Not like happy surprise accident, big time accident, really, really big time...but mum still took care of me, even if she didn't really want me, and I love her for it, even if she doesn't really love me back...I'll make her proud someday."

Suddenly Ruby lay a hand on Neon's chest, or rather, her breast, patting it. "You're an awesome kitty Neon." Ruby declared. "You made Weiss happy, and your tail is so soft and fluffy, hehe."

Neon grinned down at Ruby, patting her hand before taking it in her own, exchanging an amused look with Blake. Her tail tickled Ruby beneath the chin. "You should take a few brownies back for Weiss." Neon suggested. "I reckon she'd be great, all glassy-eyed and giggling."

"I bet you'd know." Blake smirked. Neon laughed, accepting the blunt from Blake and taking a puff.

"That'd be a sight." Sun thought aloud.

"She can be a stick in the mud." Blake admitted.

"She just needs to be loosened up." Ruby suggested. "Do the puppy pout, always wins."

"Yeah, well some of us are at an advantage there little pup." Neon chuckled. "Weiss and I didn't work out and that's okay. We'll find people that really work out for us eventually."

"Hmm...what about Sun?" Ruby asked.

"You're just saying that because we're Faunus." Sun scoffed.

"This is true!" Ruby confirmed. "So is Blakey, but she's mine, and you can't have her...unless maybe we're all into that...but Sun's got a nice butt, and you've got a nice butt, and you should touch butts!"

"As someone with a nice butt, I concur." Blake nodded. "Butt touching must occur."

"Is that some sort of lesbian speak for banging?" Neptune asked.

"Bingo to the man in the blue hat!" Ruby cheered.

"Burn!" Sun laughed.

"Hey, this is my natural hair color!" Neptune protested.

"It's okay Nep, we all dye sometimes." Neon teased. "My pubes aren't naturally blonde after all."

"Prove it!" Sun challenged.

"Ooh, curious are we?" Neon asked.

"I think the high is wearing off, an orgy is about to begin." Ruby declared.

"Nah, orgies are on Fridays." Neon joked. "I'm thinking Secret Sauce Twister."

"Secret Sauce?" Ruby asked.

"Twister?" Blake asked.

"Rubes' a virgin." Sun noted. Blake and Ruby snorted and Sun shrugged. "Ya' know what I mean, and Secret Sauce is a bit intense."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Street legal LSD, basically." Neptune replied.

"In effects." Sun confirmed. "Was trying to make some better Faunus painkillers, and then Nep started seeing pixies."

"Sounds...fun?" Ruby said. She righted herself, hugging Blake's side.

"You tested homemade Faunus painkillers on a human?" Blake pressed.

"It was completely safe." Neptune assured her.

"Luckily." Blake warned. She planted a kiss on Ruby's head.

"Anyway, Nep survived the trip, and we did a few more tests." Sun continued. "It's fun stuff...but Twister is not a good idea. Don't ask."

"What's it like?" Ruby asked.

"If it is like LSD, it depends on the environment, mood and personality." Blake explained.

"Is it safe?" Ruby whispered.

"Usually, unless you have a bad trip." Blake replied.

"What happens then?" Ruby asked.

"A nightmare you can't wake up from." Blake answered.

"Oh." Ruby sighed.

"Do you want to try it?" Blake asked.

"A little…" Ruby hesitated. "But only if you think it's safe. We don't have to."

"It's up to you Ruby." Blake declared. "I'm comfortable with this, I promise."

Ruby nodded, pecking Blake on the lips before turning to Sun. "Can we try it?"

"Sure, I mean, if you're okay with it." Sun shrugged. "Blake, you know what you're doing, right?"

"I do." Blake nodded. "Is there another room we could use?"

"You can use my room." Sun offered. "It's clean...mostly."

Blake smiled. "We'll try to keep it that way."

Taking a break from her anime, Weiss decided a quick clean was in order. While Ruby maintained her side of the room fairly well, a lot of junk and dirty laundry ended up shoved beneath the desk and bed. Taking a hamper and a garbage basket with her, Weiss knelt down and started pulling articles free. A school shirt, several socks, Ruby's old flats - Weiss was sure she'd thrown them out - and a…

"Oh, well, wow…" Weiss gasped. She held the lacy black bra up to the light, examining the mangled clasp. This was Blake's bra - Ruby had a smaller cup size - meaning it was her roommate who had done the damage. The idea of Ruby doing the same to Weiss sent a shiver down her spine, and she had to take a deep breath as a familiar warmth pooled in her abdomen. "Stop it, get out of your head." Weiss hissed at herself.

Weiss stuffed the ruined garment in the trash and bent down again, half crawling under the bed, feeling for anything that was not a box and throwing it out. As the bed was against the wall, she could not see very well. A torch would have been wise, but it seemed she had located everything.

After crawling back out, Weiss sorted the trash from the laundry. She looked to her next victim, the desk. She could already see some wrappers stashed beneath the drawers, and it was likely that several things had slipped behind the wood backing. After pulling more socks, several pens and pencils, and some candy wrappers from beneath the drawers, Weiss pulled the desk out far enough to get between it and the wall. She immediately spotted more pens and pencils, along with what appeared to be a toy ladybug. After picking them up she pushed the desk back into position. Placing the stationary into a small pile, she examined the ladybug, which seemed to be a keychain, though devoid of keys. A seam in the middle revealed it to be a USB stick, a rather cute one at that. Curious, Weiss crossed the room and plugged it into her laptop, revealing it to be named "Art Storage."

"Hmm...maybe a little peek." Weiss said to herself.