Chapter 3: Yang

Blake was fast asleep when the atlesian sky dulled to gray, bespeaking an early morning hour. The sun wouldn't come up for a few more hours, as was common in the north. They lived much of their lives with only partial light, or none at all. Darkness would come again in the early evening, before they even knew it. Weiss found herself watching the slow meandering of the clouds that passed by, an indication that it was going to snow heavily again soon.

The streets were not as busy as usual. The nightlife had died down, and the early commuters had yet to leave their homes. A thin sheen of ice covered the roads, the workers diligently cleaned the streets and pavement before the workday could begin. The faint sounds of sanitation workers lifting the dumpsters behind the complex added to the daily preparations. The faint beeping and squealing of metal quick to end before the large truck drove away.

Weiss had dozed, but not slept, unable to find true peace in Blake's arms.

She had done her best to find respite, but to no avail. She had been too guilty, too aroused, to find any real solace in that warm embrace. She wanted more than Blake's strong arms around her, craved more than the warmth the Faunus provided. she wanted her body. To taste and touch the off-limits taboo lying beside her. After all, a Schnee would never lay with a Faunus, not even merely for pleasure, and that was a fact.

Blake was even more appealing because she had a somewhat muddled history. As a Faunus, and as a huntress, that was a guarantee.

Weiss entertained herself on the stories Blake had regaled her with. Her mind fixated on the heroic actions of the huntress, and pondering possible rewards for a job well done. She wondered how many times Blake enjoyed the feel of another, partaking the provocative attentions of a bedfellow. Did Blake entertain the call of physical desire at all? Did she welcome the notion of treating herself to an all too special service? Would she permit it, if Weiss showed her what a complete and total disregard for inhibition could offer her?

Weiss didn't know of Blake's past relationships, or even if the woman had ever properly had one at all. If she didn't, would she even want one?

More importantly, would Weiss?

The white haired woman glanced over to the figure beneath the sheets. Sometime during the night, Blake had rolled over onto her belly, burying her face into the pillow. Those gentle breaths, nearly soundless snores, made Weiss want to say yes. That she did want Blake for more than just the woman's body. That her mind, captivating as it was, had been the true allure that promised even more satisfaction.

As Weiss told herself this, her own checkered past cackled at her.

She had met women like this before. She knew the appeal of a strong, charismatic huntresses. The intelligent type. Someone weary from travel, who wanted more than sex, and needed more than Weiss could give. She remembered the rough and tumble blonde. How her demeanor made for some of the most overwhelming emotional tides that Weiss had ever experienced.

The sex had been explosive, but so had the arguments. Yang was too kind, too passionate, and needed she needed someone willing to meet her passion, heart and soul, in return.

Weiss, often cold and withdrawn, had never been able to provide that. Weiss considered it her greatest failure, though, she had never personally told Yang that she felt that way. Another guilty truth, left unsaid.

Carefully Weiss sat up in bed, noticing that Blake didn't move. The mattress, made of some of the finest memory foam that money could buy, didn't make a single creek or groan. It hardly disturbed the Faunus. A single flick of her ear was the only indication that she even noticed the rustling of the soft sheets.

Weiss froze when that ear twitched again, as though Blake had finally woken. It twitched again, and again, turning a bit before relaxing. The Faunus melting back into sleep. It was only after she was sure that Blake wasn't going to stir that she finally exited the room. She went to her own, pulling her scroll from the side table. She located a single number on her contacts screen.

Then she made a short text.

[Weiss Schnee] "Are you home yet, Yang?"

She was afraid that Yang might not respond. There could have been any number of reasons.

Yang might not have reception, or she merely might be asleep. A tiny twinge of rejection whispered at Weiss, all of her past failings woven between each and every interaction the two of them had, or in some cases, didn't have. Those were the worst, and Weiss knew she would never truly recover from all of the pain she had inadvertently inflicted on the both of them.

Weiss had always struggled with a lack of wanting to commit, and Yang was the sort that gave all of herself in almost every situation.

In trying to protect the both of them, Weiss had irreparably damaged what might have been considered a budding romance. Weiss felt her heart tremble at the idea. The dark sins conjuring within. Perceived inadequacies that had always existed since their rather violent break-up. Weiss feared that due to the damage, Yang might not even care about her at all.

Her logic barked back, telling her that Yang wouldn't ever betray the honest mistake. That she would not abandon Weiss.

They had been teenagers then. Young, and frankly, quite stupid, teenagers.

Yang wouldn't hate her. Yang could never hate her.

Yet, logic and emotion seemed always at war, and Weis found no comfort from the obvious fact.

The blonde had moved on with her romantic life long ago. Even if that special someone still eluded her, Yang worked hard to better herself. She tried her best to support Weiss as best as she could. The two of them had pieced together a friendship from the ashes of their errors.

Still, Weiss felt fearful. Those old self-inflicted malignancies refusing to die.

Her eyes glancing to the clock. It hadn't even been thirty seconds, but it seemed like an eternity longer.

Biting her lip, she glanced back down at her scroll, watching it. A moment later, the scroll lit up, the screen showcasing her blonde bombshell of a friend. Her best friend, the only friend, that she had ever possibly considered a truly romantic relationship with.

[Xiao Long] "Yeah, just got in from the field test actually."

Weiss felt a true smile tugging at her lips. Relief flooded over her. Just seeing that answer, made the world seem brighter. The panic and guilt that melted away. Her own reply was hurried.

[Weiss Schnee] "Is everything alright?"

[Xiao Long] "Yeah, why?"

[Weiss Schnee] "You should have been back long before now."

[Xiao Long] "I wanted more data. The boys down in the labs are going to bitch and moan. The prototype needs another re-calibration."

[Weiss Schnee] "Just what kind of data collecting were you doing?"

[Xiao Long] "The fun kind."

[Weiss Schnee] "That could mean anything, knowing you."

[Xiao Long] "Boxing."

[Weiss Schnee] "Grimm, I presume?"

[Xiao Long] "Bingo."

[Weis Schnee] "Who authorized you to do that?"

There was a lengthy pause, and Weiss could just imagine Yang sweating bullets over the answer. When it took too long to receive an answer, Weiss took an educated guess.

[Weiss Schnee] "It was Ruby, wasn't it?"

[Xiao Long] "Uh, classified?"

[Weiss Schnee] "You're an SDC employee, and I'm the one that hired you. It can't possibly be classified…"

[Xiao Long] "Eh, worth a shot."

[Weiss Schnee] "The components to the arm had better not be damaged again. If you tried to punch through another Grimm carapace of any kind, so help me."

[Xiao Long] "I said I was doing a field test, not that I was suicidal. I'm not trying that ever again."

[Weiss Schnee] "You had better not. Once was enough."

[Xiao Long] "It wasn't anything like that, just a few northern nevermore, a cave ursa or two. Ruby even cleared the field tests and came with me on back-up. She said it was okay, we even did the paperwork."

[Weiss Schnee] "If you say so, but I warn you, I will be checking the records."

[Xiao long] "Go ahead, it'll all be there. You'll see. So, what did you want this late at night? Is everything okay?"

No, it wasn't, but Weiss couldn't accurately describe that over a text message. She felt her gut twist anew. Slowly, she sent another reply.

[Weiss Schnee] "I need to see you."

[Xiao long] "Now?"

[Weiss Schnee] "Somewhat urgently would be preferred."

[Xiao Long] "Come on down then."

[Weiss Schnee] "I'll be there shortly."

Hastily, Weiss penned a short note on the small pad of paper that she kept on her nightstand. She carefully placed it in Blake's room, right atop the woman's own scroll. She was sure that it would be the first thing that the Faunus would see. Weiss felt her scroll vibrate again as she exited her apartment in haste. Realizing her error in clothing as she reached into the pocket of her robe.

She was still in her sleeping attire, a pair of slippers the only thing protecting her feet from the possibly germ addled hallway floor. Still, she eagerly read Yang's message.

[Xiao Long] "I'll be here."

It was all the invitation she needed as she made the few steps down the private hall, and into the elevator.

Yang lived in in the center of the building. It was a studio style apartment, but she rarely stayed there. The restless blonde hated being cooped up anyplace for too long, especially not by herself. She had spent her entire life with other people, and couldn't deal with the confines of loneliness. Wearing her heart on her sleeve came easy to her, and Weiss had always envied Yang's tactlessness.

She desperately wanted those candid responses now. Those lilac eyes seeing through her, just as they always seemed to. As she explained her situation, and what ultimately came of this sleepless night, she wondered what Yang might say.

"I've never met anyone like her before." Weiss said wistfully as she finished her ling tirade. "She's so different."

"People tend to be that way."

"Not like Blake, she's an entirely different sort of person. I don't know quite how else to describe her." Weiss replied softly. "There are qualities I see in her that are not so different from your own. More subdued, obviously, but there all the same. Although, it makes sense. They're commoners qualities really, you both have several things in common that would warrant such similar mannerisms."

Yang nodded slowly as she tried her best to finish dealing with the knots in her hair. She knew what Weiss meant. The common social class didn't hold themselves to such impossibly high standards. Weiss could relax, at least more so than she might around other peers. "So, you like this chick, managed to catch her attention, and she took you to bed."

"Sleeping was her intention." Weiss pointed out. "It was not mine."

"Right, but you were still in her bed. "That's more than you can say for most people."

"I hadn't planned to actually stay there."

"But, you totally did." The blonde said, glancing at Weiss through the mirror. Her lilac eyes catching blue in that gaze. Studying Weiss intently, Yang found more hesitancy than she thought she would. That, and something else. She decided it was best to push that something, whatever it was, aside. "Anyway, then, you start feeling guilty and you text me. Icing on the cake being that now you've just left her there without any warning."

"I didn't just abandon her, Yang." Weiss huffed indignantly. "I left a note."

"Right." Yang muttered, setting down her brush. "You do realize that most people aren't like you though, right?"

"Unfortunately for me, I am very aware of this, yes."

"Not that you really get it, though."

"I think I comprehend my situation just fine, thank you."

"Not everyone thinks as clinically as you do." The blonde grumbled as she tossed her duffel bag roughly into the corner of the closet. Then her eyes drafted back to the mirror, gazing as Weiss before averting her gaze, and slamming the closet door shut. "Well, seeing as you're still in the complex, I guess she won't blow too much of a gasket."

"It wasn't as if we had intercourse, or that I made a promise to stay in that very spot all night." Weiss had watched the woman unpack her clothes and mission gar as she had regaled Yang with all of the new complications in her life. Yang seemed to take the offered information rather well, considering the implications. "You act as if I've gone halfway across Remnant."

"Well, I mean, you're going to another woman's apartment, that might as well be the same thing." Yang said with a small shrug. "Hell, for some people, it might be worse. We have a history, and all that usually matters to most people."

"I hardly see why that matters."

"You mean besides the fact that you snuck out to talk to an ex?" Yang asked darkly. "Most people wouldn't be chill with that, just saying. I know, I wouldn't be. I'd be pissed."

"Then you must separation emotion from fact. She isn't you, Yang." Weiss replied, an edge of hurt in her voice. "I came here to talk because I thought you could give me a few words of wisdom."

"Well, fun fact, I wouldn't be sneaking around my new bodyguard, but that's just me."

"I didn't say a thing about her being a bodyguard, Yang."

"Ya didn't have to."

"You've been talking to Winter." Weiss accused, finger outstretched before those blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "How much did she tell you?"

"We crossed paths yesterday. I wanted to see if this new prototype could withstand bashing an ursa in the face. So, I mean, if you wanna constitute a quick fuck against a tree as a conversation, then yeah. I guess you could say we had a chat." Yang shrugged then as she undressed out of her no longer white thermal combat gear, throwing the pieces into the wash bag once by one.

"I still cannot fathom what she sees in you."

"Same thing you saw in me, I'd imagine." Yang frowned then as a somewhat sinister idea came to mind. Something that she well and truly hoped was not the case. "Is that why you're here. You said you wanted help. Is that the kind you really want? Looking to take the edge off?"

"Ugh, Yang! That's disgusting. I refuse to entertain that notion after knowing that you've been with my sister. Just recently, might I add." Weiss balked indignantly, hating to even think of it. "You are absolutely insufferable, you know that?"

"Hey, I'm only human." Yang said with a shrug. "Weiss, what else am I to think when you come over randomly in the middle of the night? I know we agreed that the sexy part of our relationship was over. It's just that sometimes you give me these really mixed signals, and I know the truth. If I pinned you against this wall and fucked you, you wouldn't stop me."

"A fatal flaw with your friendship." Weiss replied sorely. "I know that detail, Yang. I know that particular lack of restraint better than I wish I did. You don't have to remind me."

"Yeah, but I think I do. I don't want to forget who I am, or, who you are. I want to remember why we split up in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Yang."

"Don't be."

"Guilt is no so easy to get rid of, you know."

"Look, I want someone who won't kick me out of bed after the deed is done. It doesn't make it any easier on me when Winter does the same thing you do. I feel like I'm rehashing old mistakes all over again with her." Then Yang laughed, a sad little lilt, one that held more pity than Weiss would have ever liked to hear. "Now I see how much your upbringing screwed the both of you up…you both sing the same tune, and it really kind of sucks."

"She's my sister, Yang. Even thinking about what the two of you might do in that forest…" Weiss shivered in disgust. "There are limits to what I'm willing to discuss."

"Alright, fine, so let's go back to talking about you. Do you love that woman upstairs?" The blond asked, reaching for a pack of cigarettes, perching one on her lips, letting her tongue fondle it around a bit. She lit it, taking a long drag, watching the way those icy eyes glared her.

Weiss scowled, deeply in thought. "Truthfully? No...but the possibility..." Weiss trailed off, glaring more daggers into the floor.

"See that?" Yang asked with a soft laugh as she exhaled, holding her cigarette between two fingers casually. "God damn sexy, that glare…but damn if it doesn't scream that you're off the table. I never could understand it."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly as it sounds. When I bring up the topic of Winter, you gotta understand, you emulate her a lot." The grin dropped lean off of Yang's face, her expression gentling into something more sincere. "I get you both have your reasons, but, I won't pretend to understand why that can't include someone else too."

"Because, love is complicated." Weiss shot back. "Too complicated."

"Eh, that's an excuse Weiss, not anything else." Yang said, taking another drag. "Neither one of you want to commit to someone else. Winter's military, it makes sense that she'd play things close to the chest. Keep herself as emotionally far away from other people as possible. You though?" Yang shook her head. "I don't get you one bit."

"Sex is easier than love." Weiss countered darkly.

"Is it?" Yang countered. "Or do you just pretend it is?"

"I don't even know what love is." Then those blue eyes softened too. "If it's any consolation, I didn't come just to vent about my problems. I'm worried about you too, you know. You've…" Weiss shook her head. "You're not really in a good place right now. I thought that the detraction of checking in on you, that it would be nice too."

"I'm fine, Weiss." Yang sighed, dislodging the prosthetic arm from her maimed limb. She put her cigarette aside as an afterthought, to avoid getting any ash into the tiny connective parts. "I'm bored out of my skull. I'm not used to sitting on my ass like this for sure, but I manage. I guess that's really all I can ask for."

"Just getting by is no way to live, Yang."

Yang just gave Weiss a dry look. "Pot meet kettle."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"Good that you know."

"Could you please refrain from being a pain in the butt?" Weiss sincerely murmured. "I'm trying to make sure you're okay too. You were out in the wilds longer than I expected you would be. I know you're trying to fill old voids, and it does hurt me to see you struggling so much. You are my friend, even if nothing else, and I do value that bond with you." Weiss let out a hard sigh. "I thought the lab would give you more work to occupy your time."

"It's not like they don't, it's just not the same though." Yang said with a shrug as she stood up, and put the arm back into its protective casing. "The military's hold on me was a special thing. For an aimless huntress like me, getting orders handed down to me, it made sense. I knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. When it was just Grimm I was all good, I could have done that for my whole life."

"It isn't just Grimm anymore, Yang. It's the White Fang too, now." Weiss pushed some long white tresses behind her ear as she noticed Yang's good hand curling into a fist at her side. The tremors were still there. "Never mind, I know it's probably something I shouldn't bring up."

"Winter told me something once. Some slay Grimm. Others slay people. Most of the time, you're not fit to slay both." Yang said distantly, her hand still shaking as her fist balled more tightly. It didn't quell the tremors, but it made her feel better. "Just because I can slay a Grimm, that doesn't mean I can do the same thing to something that bleeds red. On the flip side, I've seen entire platoons of men piss themselves in the face of a nevermore."

"I just hate the idea of you feeling so lost, with no real goal in life. It's never a good thing when you're out of sorts."

"That's just how I'm going to be, you've gotta get used to it. You can talk about it, I'm not going to flip my shit. Those days are over for me, I can't serve like this." Yang said, indicating the tremors in her hand. Really, she shouldn't have been out in the field at all, not even to punch a few Grimm around, but Yang was stubborn to a fault. Anyone who knew her, knew that, and had to bite their tongues about a great many matters involving her recovery. "Look, at least talking about it, I can remember who I used to be."

"Contrary to what you may believe, James didn't discharge you because he thought you were incapable of service to the military."

"I am incapable, though, look at me."

"Yang…" Weiss murmured, beseeching the blonde to listen. "He did it because Winter could not function. Whenever you were put into any sort of danger, she became distracted. He couldn't afford that then, and he most certainly cannot afford it now." Looking Yang up and down, she had to admit, the blonde looked good. Her scars had healed the best that they would at this point. "I know you don't agree, but, he did the right thing, Yang."

"Maybe, but I don't have to like the bastard. We never got along, I kissed his ass because I had no choice." A good chunk of the cigarette had burned away by the time Yang's attention had turned to it. She flicked the clinging ashes to the tray as she began to smoke it again. "I think we both know the real reason I was there. It wasn't because of him, or because I give a shit about Atlas."

"He knew it too." Weiss said softly. "It was a meaningful oversight on his part, but, of course he knew. It wasn't as though Winter hid the matter. He simply chose not to address it." Weiss let that little truth hang in the air before continuing. "At least now the two of you are free to cross paths against trees whenever you might like. Although for my own sanity, I would appreciate not hearing the sordid details."

"Yeah, well, never mind about me." Yang said, putting out the now depleted cigarette, a soft cough slipping from her lips as the last dregs of smoke escaped. She shucked off the last of her thermal under armor, leaving her in her bra and panties, not even caring that Weiss was right next to her. Maybe she should have, but Yang liked to think otherwise. She wanted to pretend that she had something closer to Weiss than most. That such closeness allowed such an action, questionable as it might have been. "What are you going to do about the chick upstairs?"

"I don't know, Yang." Weiss sighed. "I really just don't know."

It wasn't as if Yang had been encouraging one way or the other.

It should have been what Weiss expected, really. The blonde couldn't encourage Weiss to act on such a lukewarm emotions. She was smarter than that, more caring and worldly aware. Yang, because of her own trials and tribulations, refused to subject another person to the ruthless mentalities of the Schnee family. Yang had suffered well enough because of Weiss.

To make matters worse, Winter, while having her reasons, had been no better.

Like it or not, the blonde woman had been scorned twice in a row, by the same chilly bloodline.

While Weiss couldn't even begin to classify what it was that Yang and Winter had with each other anymore, she knew it wasn't love. It wasn't just sex, either. Yang couldn't maintain that way, Weiss knew it. Still, whatever was there, it was lacking. Yang was very unhappy with the state of affairs as they were. Still, there was nothing to be done about it. As long as Winter continued to serve, she would not adhere to the confines of a committed relationship.

Weiss pushed the cynical analysis aside. It wasn't truly her concern.

She had made her own mistakes with Yang, she had to live with them. If it just so happened that Winter turned out to make the same errors, so be it. Weiss would pick up the pieces in the aftermath, not a moment sooner. Instead, she needed to figure out her own situation with Blake, and by the looks of it, she was on her own. The moral support she expected from Yang simply would not be there, not this time.

Weiss, to her own credit, returned back to Blake's bed before the sun began to rise. She crumpled the note and tossed it away before laying down.

It wasn't long at all before the white haired woman closed her eyes. The sound of buzzing jittered violently against the wooden side table, denying her sleep even now. The decision from last night slammed into her full force as she felt the movement of the Faunus beside her. The action, while seemingly lethargic for Blake, was like a jolt for Weiss. All of her earlier conflict was like coffee, burning the tip of her tongue. With a silent gasp, she dragged herself away from that addictive warmth of another.

Being in the same bed was an effort in ignorance that neither one of them could truly pull off.

Blue eyes met amber, Blake obviously undisturbed by the fact that Weiss was still there. An unspoken truce to not bring the matter up fizzled between Blake's obvious confusion, and the blatant shame Weiss tried not to show on her face.

"I should prepare." Weiss said, clearing her throat uncomfortably. "I have a full day ahead, I'll be spending most of it in my office."

"Yeah…" Blake trailed off. "So, breakfast, right?"

"I shower first thing in the morning, my hair doesn't allow me the avoidance. Breakfast comes after, which is why I specified that I'd like it to be prepared by seven." Weiss said, her unruly bedhead wasn't nearly as bad as Blake's own. Even so, laying down certainly ruffled the white tendrils, knotting them and sending them askew. "I may have accidentally made that more difficult, however, so if you're late making it today, I'll fully accept the blame for that."

"It should be fine." Blake said simply, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Weiss awkwardly padded off to her overly large master bedroom. Those amber eyes were fixated on her, Blake smirking in amusement as Weiss shut the door behind her. It was none too gently at that. She undressed, all but tossing herself into the shower for the lengthy process of washing herself down and caring for her hair.

Blake was less awkward about her current situation, but she didn't dawdle.

The Faunus grabbed her toiletries bag and used the other bathroom across the hall. It was a shorter experience thanks to the help of a shower cap and a niggling sense of urgency to get breakfast prepared. Unlike human hair, Faunus hair and fur tended to have a smell to it when wet, or at least, that's what Blake had been told. She had never noticed it, but several humans had equated her to a wet dog.

If it was casual racism at play, or merely fact, Blake would never know. She was careful with her hygiene, as most Faunus were. Only washing her hair and fur covered ears when she knew she'd have ample time for it to dry. That would not be today.

After showering, she dressed, and headed to the kitchen to find something to prepare. The basic task would be a grounding one, something she sorely needed as her thoughts drifted back to her encounter with Weiss.

It was hard not to miss the scent that had ghosted over her. A smell of citrus that melted slightly with her usual minty smell. There was also a smell of smoke. It lay thickly on her robe and hair. Weiss hadn't smelled that way before bed, and small suspicions began to claw slightly at the back of Blake's mind. Those smells were not completely new. Blake had picked up on them once or twice before in passing.

They were a sporadic, but, Blake once again reminded herself that Weiss had many in her family who did smoke. It was a common custom among the atlesian elite, women preferential to cigarettes, while men chose upon cigars.

There were decorated cigarette holders upon some of the walls, collective art pieces by the looks of it. She doubted Weiss actually used them. The long metal tubes were an expensive fashion accessory. The ones Weiss seemed to own were elaborately decorated. One was made entirely out of amber. One purely from ivory. One kept in a glass case was finished with white gold, and studded with tiny sapphires.

There were many things Blake didn't know about Weiss, and merely concluded that occasional smoking might be a habit of hers. It was no question that Weiss had been feeling particularly stressed. It would have made sense for her to step out onto the balcony for what might be another vice.

"Is my breakfast ready?" Weiss asked as she stepped out of her room refreshed and dressed, her hair flowing freely over her shoulders, dried, but not yet done up.

"Almost." Blake said, thankful for the distraction. "It's a simple one, since I overslept."

"As I've said before, that's fine." Weiss replied, opening her door to retrieve the morning paper left out on the small welcome mat in front of her door. The automated system always made sure that the morning news came promptly, and as always, it was the way Weiss started her business day. "If I wanted elaborate meals, I certainly wouldn't ask you to make them. There's a five star bistro in this very building."

"I'll be honest, I don't know my way around the kitchen as much as I'd like."

"You know enough." Weiss said offhandedly. "If it becomes problematic, cooking lessons might be in order."

"You don't really plan to keep me 'on staff' after we settle with business with the SDC, do you?" Blake asked, her ears wilting slightly at the thought.

Weiss licked her lips. Blake's question was one that implicated a vast many things, all of them conflicts of interest. If Weiss said yes, the Faunus might take that as an insult. If Weiss said no, the Faunus might think her finical situation to be in jeopardy. It was not easy for a Faunus to find a highly paying job, and Weiss had already purchased her contract in full already. "I suppose that depends."

"On?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Sit down and join me." She demanded, pointing to the table. "You do eat breakfast, don't you?"

"Not all the time, I'm not always hungry."

"You should from now on, sometimes lunch isn't an option. Long commutes into the city don't always facilitate a moment for a bite to eat." Weiss said pointedly, watching as Blake did, indeed, sit across from her. She thought having the Faunus in such a position might make this discussion easier, yet all that it did was bother Weiss. She looked down at her plate, meal partially eaten already, and leisurely picked at her toast a bit more. "I am a woman with a great many demands, Blake. I'm sure you understand this."

"High maintenance certainly comes to mind." The Faunus grinned, resting her chin in her palm.

Weiss hated to admit it, but Blake was probably right. "Sadly, that wouldn't be an untrue assumption to make."

"I know."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Weiss asked honestly.

"It comes down to how much you actually want to maintain, I think." Blake said, nodding slightly, tucking her fingers inwards towards her cheek. "I can't be your lover and your employee, if that's what you're asking. That would bother me. If I just happen to be dating a demanding person, I suppose it comes down to the actual demands."

The horrid table manners aside, Weiss forced herself to keep her mind firmly out of the gutter. It was increasingly difficulty when Blake toyed around in such a manner. She liked her women playful and flirtatious. Blake seemed to have the same sort of impishness that Yang did. It was subtle, and not nearly as inappropriate, but it was there. The obvious interest a gentle one. In fact, there was a lot of tendencies that Blake shared with Yang, likely due to both of them being huntresses and commoners.

Neither had the wealth or stringent upbringing that Weiss had been raised into. She knew for a fact that a straying elbow was hardly the insult that the upper-class thought it to be. In fact, though Weiss loathed to admit it, that casual stance made most women look quite fetching. Each one sexy in their own way.

For Yang, it had always been her impossibly bright smile, and her unmanageable abundance of cleavage. Any time she leaned forward, her breasts nearly spilled out of any top that lacked a high neckline, and truth be told, Yang hated high necklines. The blond ranted, calling them too restrictive, a fact that Weiss could honestly see the discomfort in. Therefore, Yang was almost always on display, caring very little about the matter.

For Blake, the same pose held a different sort allure. It was the way black waves spilled over her shoulders, like an elegant, yet chaotic waterfall. It was the tilt of her chin, a slight flick of her Faunus ears, and the glimmer in her eyes.

Both women were attractive beyond measure. Both of them boiled thoughts of lust that Weiss found difficult to ignore.

"I have never once felt what one might consider love." Weiss said softly. "I know what it might be described as, I can intuit what it could feel like. Personally, I have never experienced it. Sometimes, I doubt I can. So, if that is indeed what you're looking for, there is a good chance I will never been a candidate." Suddenly, she wasn't very hungry anymore, pushing the last of her plate away. "What I feel is attraction."

"Only attraction?"

"Lust comes easily." Weiss told her. "Too easily, actually."

"It was hard not to notice that, last night." Blake murmured. "Weiss, you couldn't have honestly believed that I would have slept with you, could you?"

"I thought it a distinct possibility." Weiss told her. "To be honest, you are the first person that has ever denied the proposition."

"Which leads me to wonder just how many of them have been made in the past." Blake said.

"It's not as large as you might think." Weiss said, as a scroll docked on a station at the kitchen counter began to ring. "You should answer that."

As Weiss had explained it, Blake's morning duties consisted of breakfast, arranging the itinerary, fielding calls on the business line, and keeping everything as organized as it could possibly be. Blake put the conversation aside, instead, answering the scroll.

"Hello, may I help you?" Blake asked.

"You're not Weiss…"

"I'm her new personal assistant, Miss Belladonna." Blake said as heard the scraping of utensils. Amber eyes peered over to the kitchen table where Weiss was back to picking at her eggs and toast thoughtfully. "I can leave a message, if you wish."

"Nah, just hand her the scroll. Tell her that Xiao Long wants to talk to her. Or, ya know, Yang works to."

Blake scowled slightly. "I'm afraid she isn't available at this time."

"The hell she isn't." The woman barked back. "Put her on the damn line."

Blake sighed, looking over to Weiss again. "There's a person by the name of 'Xiao Long' on the phone for you. She insists that you speak with her."

"Of course she does." Weiss sighed at length. "Put her on speaker." She commanded, watching as Blake promptly did as she was told. The small beep and little green light indicated to all parties involved that the call could be heard by everyone in the vicinity. Then, Blake placed the scroll onto the table so that Weiss could speak into it more clearly. "You're on speaker, what do you want, Yang?"

"I want you to put one of your heeled boots up Ironwood's ass!"

Blue eyes rolled at the angry sounding voice of her good friend. "As absolutely disgusting as that suggestion sounds, I think I'll pass. Now, what could he have possibly done to irritate you this time?"

"His goonies are all over the dust lab, Weiss. I mean like everywhere. You can't turn a corner without running into one of his battery operated robo-contraptions. It's not that I really care though, not usually, but if he wants these new prosthetics on rollout, then those damn things have got to go. They're freaking out the medical engineers."

If looks could kill, the phone would have been blown to smithereens. "A possibly stupid question, perhaps, but did you think to call him and explain the situation?"

"To that jackass?"

"Must you call him that?"

"He's a jerk."

"He is not."

"You keep thinking that, Weiss. No matter how good he is to you and your sister, it doesn't mean he's as good to the rest of us."

Weiss rubbed her eyes, blowing out a hot sigh from between her lips. "Yang, calm down, before you explode."

"I'm not gonna-"

"I said calm down."

The silence was heavy, only a gentle static on the line indicating that the call was still going on. Weiss glanced over to Blake. With a frown, Weiss regarded the phone once more. "You should know better than anyone that people rely on those prosthetics replacements. I know you need to hammer out the final bugs on this new prototype, but we've already been waiting an entire year. He can't wait much longer."

"I get that, but making the civvies all jumpy isn't going to fix things."

"He does tend to be a little heavy handed at times." Weiss allowed slowly.

"These putting it mildly. These guys haven't seen a day of action in their lives. Besides, having a platoon of robotic guards armed to the teeth isn't the sort of thing that increases productivity, if you catch my drift…"

"Ruby's dismantling them again, isn't she?" Weiss deadpanned.

"Think of it more like a wacko autopsy…it's just as creepy…"

"Right." Weiss said flippantly. "Well, on my authority, put in the code to send them back to whatever base they came from."

"I did that, it didn't work."

"Try again." Weiss groused. "If you get any questions merely explain the situation to James. If you do it respectfully, and I'm sure he'll be more thoughtful about sending human guards in the future."

Yang was about to start complaining again when Weiss reached over, daintily pressing the button to end the call, also turning off the scroll to go along with it. Uncaringly she returned to her breakfast as though she didn't have a Faunus gawking at her not a few feet away. She took another bite of her egg, only mildly glaring back at Blake as she chewed thoughtfully.

Eventually, Weiss could no longer stand the amber eyes studying her.

"What are you gawking at?" She muttered from around her mug of coffee.

"You run a dust lab?" Blake asked.

At this, Weiss sighed at length. "You worked in one of our dust mills. Surely you know that some of them provide medical grade dust to our laboratories. We use it for a plethora of testing and experimentation."

"I just didn't realize the military was so involved as well. You said so, but I never considered the depth."

"There is plenty of posturing that goes on between the various branches of the SDC, and the Atlesian military." Then Weiss merely shrugged. "This conflict is one small part of the larger picture. That particular dust lab is non-profit, and although it's not strictly a charity organization. Many artificial limbs are donated to hospitals yearly. I have my own dealings with them, just as my father does. Yang is a friend of mine, but also one of my direct subordinates."

"What does she do, exactly?"

"Outside of building security, she is the first to test each and every arm component that's been made. If it doesn't meet her approval, it won't be put into production." It was then that another scroll in the house began ringing. "Oh, for god's sake..." Weiss muttered, slamming down her fork and knife before retrieving her personal line and stepping into her office, slamming the door behind her.

Quiet fell over the apartment again, the same one Blake hated.

They stayed in, Weiss buried under classified paperwork, and Blake with the media reports.

Weiss had locked her out of the office, claiming that some things were not for Blake's eyes to see. The Faunus relented, but only because she had her own ways to keep busy. Without at least some measure of trust, what they aimed to achieve would not be met.

Although it certainly didn't need looking after, Blake tidied the apartment before flipping around to each and every news network Weiss had access to. With all of the premium channels, there were no small few, and Blake had to use her scroll in order to keep two stations running at a time.

Breaking news came crashing through every hour on the hour, but most of it was only the usual tragic realities found in Atlas. Blizzards causing damage. Grimm migration patterns. Weather reports. All of it was standard fare. Then, came the darker truths. Without hesitation, the reporters complained about gang violence, saying that it was on the rise in the unkempt parts of the city. White Fang activities were also climbing. A string of petty crimes and a few missing person's report rounded out most of the hour by hour coverage.

There were a few times when the people speaking on the matters changed hands.

The more liberal stations spoke about law enforcement, scrutinizing them for disrupting another peaceful protest among Faunus. Footage showing how another march had turned into a riot. Blake liked to think of herself an activist, but, even she found her scowling at the lack of nuance being reported. Instead, images of panic and hysteria displayed across the television with little remorse to the social engineering as a result.

Blake was sure that thinks to those videos, Faunus would be even more convinced that humans wanted to oppress them. While that was certainly true for some, it was most definitely not true for all humans.

She looked into the matter some more, finding the coverage on the matter appalling, from both side of the argument.

She wanted to believe that some of the displayed images were merely for show. The media gas lighting events just to draw in more viewers. Hypocritical viewpoints exhibited bigotry. It seemed to run rampant, but as she bit her lip to really think about it, she knew that what was smeared across the screen wasn't completely real. The clipped footages, both on Pro-Faunus and Anti-Faunus rights channels clipped segments out, giving a skewed picture.

Sure, Atlas wasn't home to the kindest people. Blake would never dispute that.

Still, she knew all too well, the most sinister form of bigotry was the silent kind.

Finally, as she was bust dealing with that evening's dinner, her ears twitched as a blurb came across one of the stations. Accusations about the mismanagement of dust mining personnel. It had been what she spent hours waiting for, and she held her breath. Her ears folding a bit as she listened intently. While the faces were covered by a black shroud, and their voices had been intentionally warbled beyond recognition, Blake realized these confessional were the ones she had personally taped.

These were her friends and allies, some of them had never known a life outside of Atlas. Some didn't even know a life outside of the mines, hearing only the stories of those who came to retrieve the crystalized dust to take it to the factories.

Blake turned down the sound on the television. Just because she was forced to listen to it, didn't mean she wanted to hear each and every detail a second time. She had seen enough, heard more than enough the first time. Every time the camera shook even slightly, Blake recalled the way her own body had done the same as she did her best to keep from being sick.

This Faunus woman described in detail the way she had been mistreated, the allegations even included being raped. Finally, just as Blake was about to run off the television entirely, the clip ended, and the station moved onto another topic. It was as if they didn't seem to care. The clip shown, and then brushed aside.

"Bastards." Blake choked out when she realized she hadn't been the only one listening to the clip play.

"So, the complaints are finally being released." Weiss said numbly, leaning on the narrow wall that separated part of the kitchen from the living and dining area. Now that she had heard one properly, she didn't know what to say. Part of her was shocked, the other numbly absorbing the allegations against her father, and his beloved company. The one she wanted to have. It seemed further out of reach. Now more than ever, and in more ways than one.

"It looks like it."

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, the touch of concern in her voice carrying heavily enough to make the Faunus take pause.

Blake said nothing at first, just watching the salmon cook in the pan, the sizzling meat a blissful distraction. Sadly, it wasn't nearly enough. "Do I look okay to you?"

"You look pale."

"I feel sick."

"You should sit down then."

"No, I'll burn the fish."

Weiss eyed her. It was a little white lie. An action to keep busy, Weiss knew that instantly. Blake kept toying with the vegetables sautéing in another pan. Butter and garlic pleasantly cloaking the room with such a smell. She appeared to be stirring them, but the action was too robotic to be anything other than a mindless way to keep herself grounded.

"You went in with this stronger than I thought you would." Weiss noted then, her voice soft. When faced with the choice of sympathy or clinical reasoning, she chose upon the latter. "You made it sound as though the list of grievances you gathered would slowly rise in scope and scale each day."

"What makes you think they won't?" Blake asked, killing the burners with a loud click to each dial. "For every handful of small complaints, there are more like these. Some people think Faunus are playthings. Some see us as ex toys, fetishes, and that's it. Add to that the abysmal housing conditions, terrible meal consumption, health concerns, and oppressive pay, and your father will have a lot to answer for. The record that you give me, those are just to top it all off."

"As terrible as it is to say, and how horrible it might sound, we're in for the long haul. My father will likely reply to this before the day is done." Weiss told her. "It'll be forgotten about, just like other allegation in the past."

"I don't want to hear it." Blake growled, ears laying down dangerously flat. "I don't want to hear anything he has to say right now. It'll just be a lie anyway."

Weiss frowned, sighing sadly as she reached for the remote, clicking the television off without another thought. What measure of comfort could she really offer? Feeling worthless, she once again settled on simple fact. "I'd rather not have my meal interrupted with mindless drivel anyway."

Blake plated their meals, setting them onto the table before quietly sitting down, staring daggers into one of her favorite food. If it was any other time, she would have had to refrain from purring at the taste. she could have never afforded atlesian salmon on her pay before, especially not fresh, and directly delivered by the local fishermen. Weiss had bought the lengths of meat without even batting an eye saying that she, too, enjoyed the delicacy.

It was depressing that Blake could barely register the flavor at all. She could tell that Weiss was watching her, but made no attempt to soothe the worry in those blue eyes. Weiss seemed compelled to leave the matter be, the dinner going by silently. When they were done, Weiss excused herself, closing herself in her office once again.

Blake hated it, she hated all of it.

She went through the motions anyway. Dishes were rinsed by hand, then placed into the dishwasher. The decaffeinated coffee percolated in the pot, and served with one cube of sugar. At least Weiss hadn't locked the door this time. Instead, Weiss sat at her desk, her scroll pressed to her ear, speaking to someone. Her words were vague enough that Blake couldn't tell what sort of person was on the other side.

Affiliate or subordinate, friend or foe, Blake couldn't be sure. For her, it was the last straw after an increasingly long day. She finally asked the question that had been truly bothering her. "Weiss, do you smoke?" Blake wondered aloud once the woman had hung up the call.

"On very rare occasions, when the social sphere demands it."

"Really?"

Weis nodded. "There are some SDC clients who have little quirks, you see. They become more lax during meetings when they feel most comfortable, and I aim to entertain these clients to the best of my ability." She said, looking up from the billing information laid in a neat pile in front of her. "Personally, however, I don't see the appeal."

"I'd like to believe that, but if it's true, then it only raises more suspicions."

"How so?"

"Your robe smelled of smoke this morning." Blake told her unflinchingly. "That's a strong smell, even another human would notice it." It was all the evidence she had, but all she needed as Weiss reacted visibly. "I doubt you were out seeing a client."

"A friend turned recent employee lives in this same building. My sister and I insisted she keep an apartment nearby, and Yang is a habitual smoker." Weiss said then. "She returned from a somewhat dangerous task. Yang tends to hide her injuries, we also spent some time chatting, as friends tend to do."

"Yang, woman who called earlier?"

"Indeed."

Blake sighed, feeling her head begin to throb. "Weiss, what are we?"

"Does it require a label?"

Blake sucked on her teeth. That was a good question. "Under normal circumstances, it probably wouldn't, but these last forty-eight hours have been rather unusual. I just don't know how you see me, or, what you even want from me."

"Last I recall, you wouldn't entertain the notion of what I wanted." Weiss replied back coolly.

"I won't sleep with you just for the sake of it."

"That would be a clear point where out ideologies differ." Weiss replied simply. "I require an exclusive courtesan, one whom I might consider a friend. There there's the business side of matters, which as you know, also requires a personal assistant. That is what I need in my life, everything else comes secondary until my personal goals have been met."

"I don't believe that." Blake scoffed.

"I have absolutely no reason to lie."

"You're different when you drink." Blake bravely crossed the threshold. Stepping being the desk and turning the large chair that rested imposingly behind it. "The woman I thought I knew, she's not the woman sitting in front of me right now." Weiss was hardly the intimidation she wanted to appear to be when Blake towered over her. "I've been trying to come to terms with that, but I realized something."

"And what, precisely, would that something be?" Weiss asked, inclining her head. That scowl was almost cute.

"You're not honest with yourself." Blake pointed out, thinking the matter obvious. "Or, if you are, you refuse to display that honesty."

"I am perfectly honest." Weiss replied. "However, I will agree that while inebriated, I may give off the wrong impression."

"Did you go to Yang to get what I wouldn't give you?" Blake asked then.

"No, that was not my intention, and it wasn't what transpired." Weiss replied. "However, for transparency's sake, I believe an introduction is in order." Checking the time, Weiss nodded to herself. "I have to go to the dust lab anyway, you can meet Yang for yourself."

The lab was over an hour away from the apartment building, and nestled itself in the seedier area of poverty riddled Atlas. The black smog that poured out from the industry buildings colored the sky grey, as it drifted downwind, which always wafted southbound from the northern mountaintops. It was why so many factories were built in this location. The poor were forced to live with the pollution that the rich simply weren't subjected to.

The build was large, and the outside used to be painted brightly in white and blue. Now it just looked old and dirty.

They walked through the reinforced metal doors, and the door security, both of them bypassing the scanners when Weiss offered a flick of her wrist. A key card bypassing usual protocol. The workers bid her good evening, and then glanced to Blake wordlessly as Weiss passed them by. The Faunus followed behind, her ears aching in dismay under her bow she used to hide them.

None of them had any clue she was a Faunus, something that would be clear the moment she ever passed through a scanner at all.

Realizing she would be safe with Weiss, she put aside her fear. Then she swallowed down the slight ire she felt at being watched, reminding herself it wasn't due to her attributes, but her place behind Weiss in general. It was probably uncommon, but Blake didn't get the chance to ask. Instead, they stepped through another set of doors, which led into a women's changing area.

"I'm sure you have a basic understanding of how to handle dust, but just as a reminder, dust is a dangerous substance when mishandled, and caustic when abused. Here in the lab, several new types of dust are being experimented upon, and there are crystals here that have not been exposed to the public. We don't even know their properties, and thus even you will not have handled them before."

"I'll be sure not to touch them." Blake assured her.

"You won't be permitted in those areas. To be quite frank, even if I trust you, I don't trust that you will not be harmed by the dust in question. therefore you will have to mind the signs, and wear the equipment specified by each room." Weiss said, pulling a lab coat and white scrubs off the hanger, handing them to Blake. "Are you allergic to latex?"

"No." Blake said as she began to dress.

"These too." She said, giving Blake a set of latex gloves and a pair of protective goggles. "We won't be going into any of the rooms with inhalants, but keep this on you, just in case." Weiss said, giving Blake a thick cloth mask. They both donned the protective gear, all except for the face masks, which they shoved into the pockets of the lab coats.

Stepping though another set of double doors, they then began running into the androids that Yang had been upset about. There was two of them standing idle in this very hall, their loadouts enough to kill off a swarm of Grimm.

"I hate these metal contraptions." Blake murmured to Weiss as it stood in the hall, an unfeeling mass of metal and murder. They were often used at Faunus rallies to suppress the public. Hard rubber balls replaced in their guns over bullets, made non-lethal firepower possible. Even so, Blake had come to hate the metal monstrosities.

"You and Yang both." Weiss said, as she headed for the central administration office. "Thankfully, when there aren't states of emergency, the Schnee family have codes we can use to send these units away. It takes all of three seconds to type in the code, but it has to be done in office."

"Why did he even send them here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Weiss shrugged, stopping when she found a bolt on the floor by her feet. She scowled at it as she picked it up. "Ruby Rose…" She groused to herself, a trail of scuff marks on the floor indicating an argument that one of the military's patrol units obviously lost. She pocketed the lonely little bolt before continuing on her way.

"I suppose I should tell you now, this lab is rather small." Weiss said distantly, her voice purely professional. "It houses a great many of the SDC's reject employees from larger, more successful labs. Ruby Rose, our chief robotics engineer is every bit as eccentric as you could possibly expect from this line of work, and twice as lacking in common sense. Keep away from her if you can manage it. She's a walking disaster, and allergic to dust."

"Then why is she working in a dust lab of all places?"

Weiss smirked at such a question. Why indeed? "The little maniac is a genius, that's why."

"Doesn't seem like a very good reason."

"She's not even old enough to drink, and her thesis papers on weaponized machinery have revolutionized the way use dust in the field." Weiss shrugged, even she was perplexed by Ruby's abilities. "The military wanted her, but she's a citizen of Vale, not Atlas. She's here because of her sister. As much as James hates to admit it, the military can't touch her."

A final swipe of a card key, a gentle beep, and two final metal doors unlocked. They stepped though. Several computer terminals surrounded the room, some of them were idle, other had lines of code. A few kept word documents sitting open.

Sitting in the middle of all of it was a woman with her bare feet up on her desk, and her keyboard resting across her lap as she reclined backwards, typing what looked to be a strongly worded letter across a large flat screen monitor. The loud interference of rock music was obviously blasting into her ears from her headphones, and billow of smoke issued from her lips.

Blake raised an eyebrow at the scene, not quite sure what to say, as it was obvious the woman hadn't noticed them. "Who-"

"That complete insult to propriety, would be Yang." Weiss interrupted, already feelings her cheeks heat from embarrassment.

"Didn't you say she was part of building security?"

"Yes, unfortunately, I did…you might want to protect your ears." Weiss sighed at length before shouting at the absolute top of her lungs. "YANG XIAO LONG!"

The blonde jumped up, her headphones yanking her backwards as she toppled to the floor.