Keyboards (ch4)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU!!

Thanks for being patient and waiting for this fic to return! I think you'll enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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															Chapter 4.

The next morning was bright, and when Weiss opened her eyes and gazed out her window, she could just make out the small floating puffs of white snowflakes flurrying down. She stood and looked outside, finding the roads to be clear, but the bushes and grass coated in a light layer of snow. She might have been prone to the cold, but she still appreciated the beauty of the season.

Weiss pulled on a thick robe just to spare herself too much shivering, and stepped into her slippers before heading downstairs. Her father had left for work in the early morning, and her sister worked from her office room on the first floor. Weiss called in a greeting to her before informing Winter she would be in her room starting on some research projects today.

After that, Weiss prepared herself breakfast, a simple bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. She brought her things back upstairs with her before sitting down at her desk and turning on her laptop.

She munched at her cereal until her blog page loaded, and she immediately sent Cat a message:

Good morning! I'm awake, so whenever you're up, let me know and we can call whenever you want! I'll type my cell phone number for you in the chat!

She sent her message and took a sip of her coffee before starting to scroll leisurely through her blog, eagerly awaiting a response.

. . .

When Blake woke up it was nearly ten in the morning; she always had a problem of sleeping late over breaks.

Getting up, she went downstairs to her kitchen and grabbed an apple. While munching on the piece of fruit, she noticed a note on the kitchen counter.

Blake,

We already left for work and the cat has been fed. The litter box needs to be cleaned. We'll be home later tonight.

-Love Mom and Dad!

Blake read the note from her parents, and as if on cue her cat jumped on the counter next to her, watching her with bright golden eyes. With a smile Blake went back to her room, turning her laptop on and finding a message from Princess.

Good Morning! We can call in a few minutes, I just need to clean out my cat's litter box. Then I'll type my phone number in the chat so you can have it too.

. . .

The instant she received the reply, Weiss felt a smile curl her lips. She waited a few moments, during which she finished her cereal. She brought her bowl back downstairs, washed it, and put it on a drying rack before returning to her room where she sipped at the rest of her coffee.

It was incredible, the effect Cat's presence was having on her life. Normally, on her breaks from school, Weiss would hide away in her room and pretend to be working. She'd read, write, and take pictures, organize her room and clean it time and again.

But she never got to go out with friends - she didn't have any, after all. By the end of the days, she'd go to bed early, sulking, sad, and cold.

But now she was eager for every second the day would hold if it meant spending them with Cat.

She opened up her video call and sent her cell phone number to Cat in the chat, waiting for a reply so they could begin the call.

. . .

Blake finished her chores quickly, eager to get back to her room and to Princess. When she was finished she threw the trash away and washed her hands thoroughly like she always did.

Heading upstairs, she saw she had a new messages from Princess, and was delighted to find it was the other girl's phone number. Blake smiled as she sent her own phone number to her friend.

I'm ready to make a call anytime you are!

She put on her headphones, waiting to call Princess.

. . .

Only a few minutes later, Cat had returned and sent Weiss her cell phone number. Weiss instantly fumbled to find her cell phone; she didn't use it much because she didn't need to, and this was the first time she'd be adding a friend's number. She didn't even know how to add a new contact, and it took her a few moments to figure it out and type in Cat's number, checking and rechecking it several times to ensure it was correct.

She then sent Cat one more chat message on her laptop:

Sorry I took so long! I've never added someone else's number before. I'm going to text you before we call, just to make sure I got the correct number!

She then did as she'd said and typed a quick message of "Hello, Cat! It's Princess!" on her phone before sending.

There was something else she'd realized that made Weiss extremely excited, but she tried to contain herself for a moment longer as she waited for a confirmative reply from Cat. She'd address that when they started their call, she decided.

. . .

Blake didn't use her phone that often either, but she was familiar with everything on it. She added Princess' number and not even a moment later a text came from the new number. Smiling as she read the simple message, Blake quickly type up a reply.

"Hey Princess! Glad to see it worked!" Blake sent the message before looking at her laptop and seeing she had a message from Princess there as well.

It's no problem. It took me a moment to add you as well. I'm glad it worked though. If you want we can call now; I have plenty of free time today so we can call for as long as you want.

Blake hoped that Princess would want to call for a long time like she did; she enjoyed talking to her new friend and would gladly whittle away the hours with her if she wanted to.

. . .

Weiss read over the confirmation text and smiled, hugging her phone briefly to her chest. She then placed it down on her desk and went back to her chat.

I'll start the call now then!

She clicked the appropriate button and waited for Cat to pick up. For now, Weiss left the video option off; they could discuss when to turn it on when they were both ready, hopefully sometime that day.

As soon as Cat had picked up, Weiss was too excited to be bashful and ended up speaking first.

"Cat! I just noticed when I was adding your number in my phone…" She took a deep breath, still a bit jittery. "We… you and I have the same area code! And that means we… we live nearby!"

It felt really nice. Weiss had been under the impression that Cat might live across the country or in another state. But in reality, she was so close.

Maybe - just maybe - it was possible they really could meet one day after all…

. . .

Blake sat, watching her computer, waiting for her friend to start the call. Within a few moments of sending her text she heard the incoming call noise through her headphones. She joined the call, and before she could say anything Princess started to talk quickly and excitedly. Blake smiled.

"I noticed that too! Maybe after we talk a little more we could meet up. If that's something you might like to try..."

This was all new to her. She'd never made an online friend like Princess before, and especially not one she might be able to meet in real life one day. It felt so special. It made her chest warm.

. . .

Weiss nodded at everything Cat was saying, until she realized Cat couldn't see her.

"Yes!" she said. "That would be wonderful. I really like the thought of living so near to you. It makes me feel a lot less lonely." She realized too late that she'd said something quite pitiful, and Weiss quickly went on. "Well, if you'd be okay with it, we could maybe… do our first video call now…?"

She clutched her hands together, glad that she'd managed to make the proposal, but nervous at what the response might be. Whether Cat said yes or no, Weiss would surely still be nervous nonetheless.

. . .

Blake smiled at Princess' sentiment. At least she'd been able to be there for her, to sooth some of the ache of loneliness.

"I feel the same way. Talking to you has been great. You're a good friend, Princess."

She did want to video call with the other girl, but she was nervous about it as well. She considered, though deep down she already knew what her answer would be. After a moment she spoke up, so Princess didn't think the call had been dropped.

"Yeah… Yeah, we can have our first video call today. Just…can we turn it on at the same time? It's less nerve-wracking that way to me."

She'd never been confident about her appearance, but she was confident in the fact that Princess wouldn't judge her on it.

. . .

When Cat finally replied, Weiss perked up instantly.

"O-Of course! I think that'd be better for both of us. I won't cover my face or anything either."

She quickly ran a hand through her hair, making sure she looked halfway decent and somewhat presentable. She straightened out her shirt as well and took another deep breath, steadying her finger over the camera button that would turn it on.

"Okay…" she breathed. "Are you… ready? I'll count to three and we can press it together, okay?"

. . .

Blake started to adjust herself once Princess agreed to the video call. She ran her hand back through her hair and unruffled her sweater a bit. She tried to straighten the messy tangles in her hair, but she remembered the other girl was waiting for her to answer.

"Uh….I'm still here. We can start the video whenever you're ready..." Blake tried to stay calm even though her heart was beating quickly. Her finger scrolled the mouse over the camera button and hovered.

When Princess started to count down her heart began beating even faster.

. . .

"All right," Weiss said, sucking in another deep breath. "All right... Here we go. 3… 2… 1!"

Without wasting another second, she clicked the button. A little green light lit up at the top of her computer, indicating the camera was now in use.

At first, Weiss could only see her own image in a little square in the bottom righthand corner of the screen. The larger square at the center was still black and registering.

The second it showed an image, Weiss couldn't help but jump a little bit in surprise.

The girl before her was nothing short of gorgeous. She had pale white skin and long, luscious, wavy black hair. She was clearly just as nervous as Weiss was, but what drew her attention the most were Cat's eyes. They were golden like honey, and entirely captivating.

Something seemed a little familiar about her, but Weiss couldn't quite place it.

Scared she was staring, her mouth fumbled for words.

"C-Cat…" she managed at last, blabbering and not thinking. "Oh… oh wow. You're so pretty…"

. . .

Blake waited with anticipation to turn her video on. When Princess' countdown was finished, Blake pressed the button with all her might.

At first all she saw was herself, and as she waited for the screen to load she ended up leaning closer to the computer in her curiosity.

And at last Blake saw the other girl she had been talking to all this time.

She couldn't help but gasp a little when she looked at her friend for the first time.

The girl on the screen was beautiful. Her skin was smooth and white, and her hair was long and straight, reaching far down her back. It was the same color as freshly-fallen snow.

Blake was a little relieved to see that the other girl was just as nervous as she was for this. She looked to be around Blake's age, but one thing caught her attention more strongly than the rest. Princess' eyes were a stunning shade of blue, like two bright sapphires.

Blake felts she had seen this girl somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

"T-Thanks Princess…" Blake replied after a moment. "You're... really pretty too..."

. . .

She could see Cat looking at her too, and Weiss blushed a little bit. She herself was doing her best not to stare, but Cat was really stunning.

Weiss kept her eyes on Cat's for as long as she dared.

That golden color was so familiar…

And then it hit her.

Weiss gasped aloud and pushed her chair back suddenly, her eyes going wide.

"Y-You're-!" She fumbled for words, completely flabbergasted. "You're the girl who helped me… i-in the bathroom that one time I was sick! Y-You… You go to my school! I know you!"

Her heart was suddenly aflutter, and her hands went to her mouth. She couldn't remember how to breathe.

. . .

Blake jolted when Princess suddenly gasped and jumped out of her seat, headphone cord going taut as she stood up. It was only after she finished speaking that the full meaning of her words hit Blake.

We have met before!

"Th-That was you? You go to my school! I know you!" Repeating Princess and stating the obvious couldn't be helped when her mind was in such a whirl. Her heart was beating quickly, and she had the sudden urge to get up and move, but was too baffled to budge.

. . .

Weiss was still baffled, and she realized her headphones had come unplugged. She removed them from her ears and put them aside, letting Cat's voice ring out through the room, her tone just as excited as Weiss' had been a moment before.

Once she'd calmed down a little, Weiss slowly sat back down and pulled her chair up again, running a hand through her frazzled hair as she fumbled to find her voice.

"I can't believe it…" she mumbled. "All this time, you've been sending me such kind messages online… and I've been seeing you in the hallways every day without realizing it? I even spoke to you once… We live so close to each other, Cat…"

It was really a possibility they could meet. In fact, they already had.

But now, Weiss wanted to meet Cat and know just who she was - the girl that had saved her life with one kind message.

"So I... I do a lot of work around the school in the Student Council. I… my real name is Weiss." She smiled kindly, properly introducing herself for the first time.

. . .

Excitement coursed through Blake. It filled her veins, and she could feel it with each pump of her heart. She lived close to Princess; she would be able to see her friend and actually get to know her. It wasn't just a dream.

"Weiss…" she repeated. "I've definitely heard your name around school before. You're really well-known for all the work you do in the Student Council. My name is Blake, though I sort of doubt you've heard much about me..."

. . .

"Blake…"

Weiss smiled as she tested out the name. It was mysterious and yet telling. It suited the other girl perfectly. She really loved it.

"Actually, I feel I've heard your name a few times here and there. But wow, I still just… I can't believe this…"

She felt like this excitement would never go away until she'd met Blake again.

"But our break from school has just started," she said dejectedly. "We won't be able to see one another there for three more weeks."

But an idea sparked in her mind, and she quickly looked back up at Blake. "Unless… do you… do you think it'd be possible to… to meet before that somehow? I could tell my father I'm meeting someone to work on a project and he'd let me go, I think!"

A hopeful smile spread across her lips.

. . .

Blake couldn't help but feel happy at the sight of Weiss' smile; being such a timid girl by nature, her rarer happiness was infectious.

"Yes!" She agreed quickly before actually taking a minute to think it through. "Yes, I can tell my parents I'm going to meet up with a friend. They wouldn't mind that. In fact they'd actually be happy to see me out with someone."

Blake was talking fast with excitement, but when she realized what she said she blushed and tilted her head down. "I don't… I don't have many friends that I see outside of school."

. . .

Weiss nodded, her eyes softening.

"I'm the same. I'm not really allowed to have many friends because my father wants me to focus on school rather than a social life. Because of that, I'm sorry if I seem a bit awkward when talking to you. I've never really done this before, not even face-to-face with someone."

Her eyes went to her calendar across the room.

"Today's Thursday… would you be free this Saturday? Or is that too soon? Whatever day works for you. We could meet up somewhere or you could even come to my house."

She typed her address into the chat box and sent it to Blake.

"That's where I live. Er… actually, I'm not sure you'd want to come here." She bit her tongue; she didn't want Blake to be here if her father was home as well. This was Weiss' first real shot at making a friend and she didn't want to jeopardize their relationship.

Her voice became suddenly quiet, and her smile fell.

"Or I could come to your house, if that's okay…?"

. . .

Blake smiled a little. "Don't worry, Weiss. You haven't been awkward at all since we met. You've been very polite and incredibly sweet since we started talking. It's really nice to meet someone like that."

She looked up slowly to make eye contact with her friend. Weiss' eyes looked to something off-screen as she started talking about the days and when they could meet. "Saturday sounds good," Blake agreed. "I'm free, so I can meet up whenever you're ready. I'm fine with you coming to my house if you'd like."

She typed her address into the chat for her friend.

. . .

Weiss sighed in relief at Blake's offer.

"Really? That sounds much better." She read over Blake's address, recognizing the street to be only a few blocks away. She felt much better now that she wouldn't have to worry about Blake encountering her father.

With their plans now finalized, the two girls continued to chat. Whatever tangents the conversation took, Weiss followed them, telling random stories that popped into mind and listening quietly whenever Blake spoke.

She was sure to keep her voice down and her laughter to a minimum; she didn't want her sister to hear her and start asking questions.

Weiss hadn't realized how quickly the day had passed her by until it started to get dark out, and her stomach begged for supper.

"Ah… Oh gosh, it's gotten late. I can't believe we talked so much! It's really easy to hold a conversation with you, Blake." Weiss offered a smile; she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so comfortable or excited. She didn't think she ever had.

. . .

As they talked, Blake noticed that Weiss spoke quietly and kept her laughter controlled; she just assumed that the white-haired girl didn't want to disturb her family, but even then she felt Weiss was holding herself back somehow.

Neither of them noticed the sun going down until Weiss mentioned it. Blake felt it was the quickest time had ever passed for her in recent months. She could feel her stomach rumbling too.

"Wow, it really is late… You know what they say about time flying when you're having fun, though. I really enjoy talking to you, Weiss. I'm happy to have such a great friend."

. . .

Friend.

The word still made Weiss giddy to hear, coming from Blake of all people. The girl smiled on the other end of the video screen, and Weiss felt her heart lift; it'd been the same every time Blake had smiled at her that day.

She didn't want to say goodbye just yet this evening, but when she heard the unmistakable sounds of her father's car pulling into the driveway, Weiss made haste and nervously flashed her eyes back to Blake.

"Then I'll see you in two days. Well, I mean I'll still probably call you again tomorrow if that's okay. But I… I'll really see you in two days!"

Weiss planned to sleep early tonight after dinner, to help pass the time more quickly; she wanted to get to Blake more than anything else.

She could hear the front door opening as her father entered, and Weiss said one last goodbye to Blake.

"Goodnight. We can still text for a bit if you'd like, though!" And with that she was forced to turn off her video and hang up the call, not wanting to risk being found out.

. . .

Blake sensed the sudden change in Weiss as she started to nervously glance around, looking at something she saw or heard off-screen.

"Yeah, we'll talk again tomorrow, and then we'll hang out on Saturday," Blake said calmly. She was already imagining what she and Weiss would do when they actually hung out in-person. "Goodnight, Weiss. I'll call you tomorrow."

Weiss disappeared from her screen and the sound in her headphones cut out. But Blake felt as though she could still hear her pleasant voice even long after the call had ended.

. . .

Weiss sat in silence for a few moments, listening to her father rummaging around downstairs. She could make out the faint scent of food, likely whatever he had brought home to eat.

After a few minutes, she heard him coming up the stairs, but he didn't turn down her hallway. Rather, he went the other way and headed for his office.

She waited until she heard the door close, and only then did she get up from her chair to stretch. She hurried out of her room and down the stairs to the kitchen to start preparing herself some dinner, a bit of leftover pasta and meat from the previous night.

Once it was finished, she ate it there at the table and washed the dishes afterward, leaving them on the drying rack. She returned upstairs to brush her teeth in her personal bathroom, and retreated back to her room at long last.

After changing into a nightgown, she curled up in bed with her cell phone and sent Blake a quick text:

"Goodnight! Talk to you tomorrow!"

. . .

When Blake finally walked down to the kitchen she her cat sitting on the counter, watching her and waiting to be fed. "Sorry little guy, I was talking to someone."

Her parents weren't home yet. It wasn't uncommon for them to get home late from work, so there were many nights when Blake was home by herself for hours on end.

Giving her cat his dinner, she went about making herself something to eat as well. She heated up some leftover chicken and rice from the previous night, then ate her dinner in comfortable silence, still thinking about Weiss.

After she had finished her food and put the dirty dishes in the sink, she went back to her room. She changed her clothes and got into bed right as her phone vibrated. She smiled when she saw it was Weiss.

"Goodnight to you too! Talk to you then."

. . .

Weiss waited only a moment before her phone vibrated with the reply from Blake. She read it, smiled, and put the device aside.

She'd gone through many rough patches in the past, ones not unlike several nights ago when Blake had saved her. She'd considered hurting herself before, she'd stressed herself to the point of being sick; it wasn't all that uncommon for Weiss. Even her condition of being especially prone to the cold was likely a result of over-stressing.

But when she thought of Blake - of the girl who had helped her not once, but twice in only a matter of weeks - Weiss felt warm inside.

As she lie in bed and closed her eyes, she only saw Blake's smile and her eyes, only heard her voice in her head. Weiss couldn't wait to meet her for real.

She slept peacefully that night, eager for the promises the following days would bring.

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A/N: You see, the thing about uploading an older story from over a year ago is that I don't even remember what we wrote, so it's all a surprise to me too, ahah! I'm still making a lot of edits though to make sure things flow more smoothly.