Renegades (Act IX)

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

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														   Act IX.

Despite the dreamless slumber, Blake woke early.

The rain had stopped, and the grey of the storm passed in favor of a stale light that leaked in through boarded windows.

In retrospect it was quaint, the quietness making up for the crumbling state of their temporary shelter, and in the moments just after wakening, it was a comfort worth its consequence.

As a result the world came to slowly. The blue of Weiss' dress focused and stretched in front of her eyes like a clearing fog, and the soft breaths across her forehead an afterthought to the lips brushing unconsciously against her skin.

She couldn't help turning into it, curious at the softness - the pressure - even if the feeling it conjured was fleeting. A moment later Blake pulled away as carefully as possible, untangling limbs and the grip she had on Weiss' dress, leaving the fabric that had been bunched in her grasp wrinkled and clumped.

Her clothes were still strewn on the floor and she gathered them quietly, placing them over the edge of the couch before fumbling through her now-dry bag for something to wear.

In the lingering haze, her steps were shuffling as she tugged off the dress and pulled on her clothes and shoes. The worry hadn't left, but Blake wasn't going to let it get worse. Better to be prepared - or distracted enough by the possibilities that failure was the furthest thing from her mind.

It didn't take long to find a newspaper stranded in a bus shelter after the suddenness that was yesterday's storm. She didn't look, simply tucked the rolled-up paper under her arm and turned around. The town was silent, and perhaps it was for the best, though that did little to assuage the unexpected need to hear Weiss' voice tracing patterns in her head.

...

When morning came, Weiss wouldn't have believed it. Even past the shields of her eyelids she couldn't sense much light, and somnolence clung to her, unwilling to relinquish its grip.

The only sounds she could decipher were the consistent drips of water leaking through the dilapidated rafters, serving to accentuate where she was, pooling into puddles that had formed in the night.

She felt she'd only napped for an hour or so, and the dreariness that dragged at her conscious was almost enough to keep her down a while longer.

In the end, what drove her to open her eyes was a worrisome lack of warmth and pressure. Her heart seized at what she saw - or rather what she didn't see.

Blake was gone.

Panic was the initial reaction, and Weiss shot up from the couch, blinking past the inky morning light that filtered in. But when her eyes flashed about, she caught sight of the dress she'd lent Blake to sleep in, folded on the far end of the couch.

A call of her name resulted in silence, but there was nothing to suggest Blake had been forced to leave; besides, Weiss had faith in herself that she would've woken had there been any kind of struggle.

Convinced Blake's absence was nothing but voluntary, Weiss slowly stretched her legs before going to the bag, pawing through it for a fresh dress for herself. She shed blue for white and packed their dried clothes away, spreading the few damp articles out on the couch to dry.

With nothing left to busy herself, Weiss could only look toward the door and worry. Just because Blake hadn't been in peril when she'd left didn't mean she was safe from trouble being out alone in this foreign town.

Ten minutes. Weiss would give her ten more minutes before she went out to search for Blake herself.

Taking a breath she sat back down, eyes trained on the door. She tried to ignore the little tremble of each heartbeat, and started counting.

...

Blake didn't remember when her walk back to the small shack turned into more of jog. It only occurred to her the moment her hand closed around the door knob, her breath short and hair windswept, but a few quick passes of her hand brought some semblance of order to the mess before she tugged the door open.

She found Weiss sitting on the couch, and her eyes caught blue instantly. There was traces of nervousness in the stillness, and Blake's ears folded flat against her scalp as she turned around to quickly shut the door. After a quick exhale, she grasped for the paper folded underneath her arm, held it between her hands, and turned around.

"Hey," Blake said. A soft smile found its place on her lips even with the guilt she felt nagging at her for leaving Weiss here alone without telling her why. A small reassurance she hoped, even if she didn't have an excuse other than the anxiety, eyes falling to the paper briefly before she made her way to the couch.

"I found this. Figured it might help us out." Her voice sounded off, remnants of last night, but Blake didn't really have the mind to care. It was Weiss, and when Blake sunk down close beside her, the warmth she felt scared the creeping chill away.

...

She'd been halfway through minute six and growing antsier by the second when the door knob turned. Weiss stiffened, for some reason thinking it might've been someone other than Blake who'd think to come into this abandoned shack.

Still, the sight of her companion made the fear dissipate in a matter of seconds, and Weiss released a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding.

The casual greeting and smile from Blake had Weiss feeling foolish for ever imagining something had gone awry, though she didn't miss the little hitches in Blake's voice. When the Faunus girl sat down beside her, Weiss was sure to move closer, enough to feel her warmth and share her own.

"That was a clever idea." Weiss had forgotten about Blake's suggestion from the night before. "Let's see what it says."

Her eyes traveled down to the crumpled paper in Blake's hand. The ink was slightly stained with residual rainwater from last night's storm, but it didn't take more than a second for Weiss to register the words on the front page.

Her eyes only scanned, but her breath stopped abruptly at the sight of the angry, bolded headlines:

"Schnee's Men on the Hunt for cat Faunus and Missing Daughter"

The paragraphs after that weren't any more comforting: her father's reputation was in the gutters, he was humiliated and furious, and his men were already tracking them.

Any shred of comfort that might have settled from braving last night's storm was instantly shattered, and the trembling started again. Weiss' voice tumbled out past quivering lips, thin and lifeless.

"Oh god…" She brought a hand to her face, covering her scarred eye subconsciously as her posture slumped. "Already… they're already… it's only been t-two days…"

It really shouldn't have been a surprise at all; she'd known to expect this. It was all just so terribly unsettling when it was staring her in the face.

...

The large front-page photo under the headline was a shot of the ceremony – the moment she had crashed into the courtyard and had rushed up to meet Weiss at the alter. It was startlingly clear compared to the others littered across the page, but her mind certainly didn't need the refresher.

Blake could remember those moments with startling clarity – the softness of Weiss' hands in hers, the heavy thudding of her heart, that white noise and familiar blue–

She tore her eyes away, forced them through the words just below.

From the information she could gather, their options were limited. Schnee had complained to the papers, had blamed the stunt on some cat Faunus looking to ruin him, and while shoddy Faunus records kept the officials from securing her name, her picture was just as much of a crutch.

It wasn't a shock – it was almost expected, but that didn't make the implications any less urgent. They were far away from Vale, and yet the resources Schnee had at his disposal was innumerable. Who knew where or when his men would show up?

All they had was a warning, and what help did that do besides make it clear that their only option was to run?

And to continue to run.

Blake cleared her throat, trying to swallow around a lump in her throat with little success, but when she looked to Weiss, somehow the words escaped free of fear.

"It won't stop us," she said, coaxing the hand away from Weiss' face, threading her fingers between Weiss' and squeezing gently. "We just need to find an alternative."

There had to be an alternative. They just had to look hard enough.

...

The warm hand on hers was tender and comforting, fingers entwining, interlocking in a way that suggested they might never break apart. It reminded Weiss of the mad dash when they'd sprinted from the altar only two days prior. It was the same hand, and it promised the same things; that they were safe for now - free - that the'd keep running.

Together.

She realized there could be no other way. They couldn't exist alone anymore. If Weiss were to give herself up and return to her father, she knew Blake would come back for her, no matter the consequences.

Blake's hand, her voice, her eyes…

Weiss remembered to breathe again, the discombobulating thoughts that had been buzzing around her mind finally settling, thinning out like a fading fog until she could think clearly once more.

Right. This was no surprise at all. They'd known they were being pursued since the second Blake broke into that courtyard. They'd simply have to best Weiss' father and his men, if not by outsmarting them, than by outrunning them.

Weiss' fingers squeezed Blake's in return, a silent apology for her more or less childish display of emotion just now. When she found her voice again, it was quiet but steady.

"I don't know much about the world - only Vale. I don't know what's beyond its borders. But there's got to be somewhere…" She tried to think of the places she'd been taught of, names of provinces she'd heard, but could only draw blanks. "But I think… at the very least we've got to have a set destination in mind."

A glance to golden eyes had her believing Blake was considering similar thoughts.

Just… where could they possibly go?

...

A destination, Blake thought, returning her attention to the paper. A quick scan of the company's address revealed they were situated in Bronte, a town along the mid-south coast of Vytal.

A little further west was the border to Vacuo, and what exactly that entailed was a mystery to her. All Blake knew was Vale, and she knew it well, but the limit of her knowledge began and ended in those streets.

They needed something else, something they could work towards.

She flipped through the pages clumsily, unwilling to let go of the hold she had on Weiss' hand, and scanned the articles for anything that they could use. Most of the publicity was given to the kidnapping, detailing the extent at which Schnee intended to go to retrieve his daughter from those who would do her harm, and the declaration made Blake's brow crease, her grasp tightening.

It was an offhand mention in an advice column that had her eyes widening as half-processed memories breathed back into life. Memories of huddling next to Adam when they were left without a place to go, his voice rough even in his youth as he told her stories about home.

About her family – and the journey her parents had taken as they sought to make a difference in the world.

"A map," Blake said, and it was hard to keep the sudden excitement from her voice. "We need to find a map."

...

She peered at the paper in Blake's lap as the Faunus girl flipped through the pages with her free hand. Weiss felt the fingers around her own curling tightly, and she had to wonder what kind of thoughts were running through Blake's head.

And yet, she felt she knew exactly; she wasn't about to let her father catch them either. She'd sooner breathe her last.

When Blake started mumbling about a map, Weiss perked up.

"Hold on."

As much as it pained her, she eased her fingers out from between Blake's, motioning for her to stay put as Weiss stood. It was just a whim, but in her time alone waiting for Blake to return, her eyes had wandered around the shack.

Weiss scurried over to a far corner of the room, stepping around a broken chair to access the desk behind it. There were several books strewn about on its surface, and though the covers were crumpled and wet, she could still make out the titles of each. One was about stocks, and another about mathematics. She slid those two aside, biting her lip as she brought the last book into view.

History.

Weiss blessed her luck as she opened the cover, flipping through the pages, blowing away the layers of dust. Walls of text and unhelpful pictures flashed before her eyes until at last she found what she sought - a map of Remnant, and it was updated as of the last decade.

Keeping that page open, she hurried back to the couch, an accomplished smile on her lips as she held the book open in her lap. At last, she slipped her hand back into Blake's and squeezed.

"How's this?"

...

"That's…." Her voice trailed off, fingers curling around the hand that had slipped back into her grasp. "Pleasantly unexpected."

The page Weiss had opened to was discolored and crinkled from the rain, but was more than legible for its purpose. Blake trailed a finger over the page, finding Bronte along the southern coastline before tracing a line between it and small town to the northwest. Her finger stopped and she couldn't help getting lost. It seemed so close.

"My family," she said absently, losing herself for a moment before she pried her eyes away and glanced towards Weiss. "Adam– he used to tell me stories about my family." She looked back to the page, to that small dot labeled Belmere, and to her at that moment it may as well have been called home. "I've always kind of wondered what it was like."

...

Blake's voice was tender and soft as she spoke, like an untouchable breeze, longing for something indescribable, something shrouded in nostalgia and a distant familiarity. It was like a memory, something she could visit in her mind if she dug deep enough, but rarely in reality, if at all.

It must've been bittersweet for Blake, because even Weiss felt a swell of stinging emotion rise in her chest. She herself had never had a place like that.

That mansion had never been "home" to her. There was a sacred simplicity to the word, a yearning that made her eyes water for reasons unknown to her. Perhaps because it was something she'd never truly had. Perhaps she was still searching.

But who was she to deny this for Blake?

Weiss could sense the excitement about her companion as her ears swiveled, mixed with a bit of fear of the unknown, but surely it could be nothing terribly different from what they were already experiencing.

She held onto that hand, rubbing her thumb along Blake's knuckles in slow circles. Her lips curled up into a small smile, one that could be heard in her voice.

"Let's go there," she murmured. "I… I want to see it, Blake. I want you to be able to share your homeland with me."

Her eyes flicked away shyly, but ultimately returned to meet with gold.

...

"You don't-" Blake faltered, words failing. "Are you sure?"

The distance between two dots on a map was inherently deceiving. What was centimeters to their eyes was, in reality, miles and miles of unfamiliar territory. The picture before them was rudimentary–no roads, no numbers, just a general direction and a sense of hope. And if they wanted to get anywhere, they would need a lot more than that.

"I mean…" Blake looked around, eyeing their meager supplies and the few remaining damp clothes draped over the couch. It wasn't exactly what she would call travel-ready. "Do you think we have a chance?"

...

Weiss couldn't help but smirk - just a little bit.

"I think you've forgotten exactly who you're traveling with." Her eyes flashed over to her bag. "I've brought my father's credit card. I can withdraw some money from the nearest bank. Just once. I know we can be tracked by the transaction, but I can do it right before we leave this town. It'll take a few days for my father to catch wind of things, and by then we'll be long gone."

She knew what she was suggesting was a huge risk for them, but Weiss also knew they had few other options if it was money they needed. At least this way it was fast and guaranteed.

"But… perhaps I should go sooner rather than later. Before the newspapers reach the bank tellers. I'll disguise myself with what we have. We can get out of this town as soon as possible after that. Maybe grab a few more apples from that tree and spend another night here, just for shelter? We can buy train tickets this evening and depart early tomorrow morning, before anyone knew better."

The things fell into place as she spoke them, and in the end, it sounded like a fairly solid plan.

But they'd need to move quickly.

She met Blake's eyes again and squeezed her fingers.

"What do you say?"

...

The determination in Weiss' voice, that smirk, it had Blake exhaling a steadying breath.

"Okay," she said softly, unable to help the glance down to their entwined hands. It was warm, and she wriggled her fingers in Weiss' grasp before squeezing back, repeating a bit more purposefully, "Okay."

Blake couldn't help the smile; Weiss' very presence was infectious, and the excitement she felt buzzing beneath her skin chased away any unsavory thoughts before they had a chance to catch hold. She was going home, and right now that was more than enough.

"So," Blake hummed. "What's our first course of action?"

...

She saw the same eagerness reflected in Blake's eyes, the same upward curl of her lips, and it all served to encourage Weiss further.

She murmured a small guilty apology as she tore the pages of the map from the book, just in case, and then put the tome aside on the ground. With one last squeeze, she released Blake's hand and stood.

"First," she said. "I need to disguise myself."

Going to her suitcase, she folded the pages of the map until it could slide easily into one of the outer zippers. Then, she sifted through a few of the others until she'd located her father's credit card. She rummaged around through her own clothes, but nothing she'd taken along was very inconspicuous; her entire wardrobe consisted of well-made dresses, after all, and it wouldn't be a difficult feat to take note of her in this town.

She looked to Blake, asking silent permission to go to her bag and extract that familiar sweatshirt once more, pulling it on over herself. Weiss tucked her alabaster tresses down the back, concealing her hair, save from a few locks she pulled over her left eye to hide the scar. She slipped the credit card into the sweatshirt's pocket, taking a moment to savor the article's familiar warmth and scent before turning to Blake.

"Would you like to stay here or join me?"

...

"I'll go with you."

The words came out quickly, and Blake folded the newspaper in her lap and set it aside, standing. She'd feel more comfortable if they were together when they were out and about in town, especially with the recent events.

"Just let me find something to, uh…"

Glancing around the room, she trailed off as an idle hand rose to comb through her hair and over her ears, soothing the remaining aches before the inevitable binding brought its familiar pains. Blake found the ribbon discarded by her bag and went about wrapping her ears.

It wasn't about choice anymore – no matter the social views of their current residence. The newspaper had stated cat Faunus, and she wasn't about to jeopardize their already-unstable freedom.

Not that the bow did much in terms of hiding her identity, she simply didn't have the option. They stood out more than they should have to begin with, and perhaps if they were able to swipe enough money off of Schnee's card, then maybe some new clothes were in order.

After giving the bow a good tug, she turned to Weiss.

"To the bank, then?"

. . .

She watched quietly as Blake bound her ears; Weiss made a promise to herself to free them again as soon as they'd returned.

"To the bank," she agreed.

She took Blake's hand again, and this time it wasn't just to satisfy the prickling chill that had spread over her fingers from lacking that warmth. Now it just felt… natural.

They left their bags behind the door of the shack as they stepped out into a cool morning. The world was still dripping with evidence of last night's rainstorm, the grass heavy with droplets and the gutters of distant houses swelling.

Weiss set a quick pace, intent to finish things quickly, before too many people could read the morning paper and start spreading potential rumors. She had a faint idea of where she was going, fueled mainly by the hazy memories of buildings she'd seen yesterday out of the corner of her eye. The town was just beginning to awaken, and she subconsciously quickened her stride.

Luckily her memory served her well, and she was pulling Blake into the doors of the bank before very much longer. There was no line to wait on, and Weiss went immediately to one of the tellers.

She straightened up professionally, handing him the credit card and requesting two thousand lien in cash to be exchanged in order for her signature on several papers. The teller didn't seem to recognize either of them, nor did he seem put off by Weiss' last name. She received her money and the credit card back, intending to dispose of the latter.

After folding the bills into the sweatshirt pocket, she ushered Blake back outside quickly, where she paused for a breath of fresh air.

She was a bit flustered, but mostly incredulous her plan had actually borne fruit. Her eyes found Blake's, and a smile made its way to her lips.

"I'd say that went well."

. . .

The nervousness that spread through her the moment they stepped foot into the bank had her on edge. There were so many variables that predicting any one outcome was about the same as winning the lottery.

Their pictures were everywhere, as well as Weiss' name, but the poise with which Weiss held herself when face-to-face with the bank teller had the tension in Blake's muscles lessening. In a port town some hundreds of miles from Vale, the social problems of a far-off businessman was probably the last thing on the locals' minds.

Weiss knew what she was doing. That was all that mattered, and before she knew it, Blake found herself ushered from the bank, Weiss' hand pressed lightly to her back until they were both safely outside. The first breath Blake took was a sigh of relief, turning towards a flushed Weiss with a smile of her own.

"I'll say."

She was still a little shaky, and her ears strained to hear some far-off shout telling them to stop, but nothing came. And she wasn't about to wait and see as she gently took hold of Weiss' hand and tugged.

"Though, I'd rather we not stay around for much longer."

. . .

"Right. Let's head back."

They could take it easy today, perhaps rest a bit in order to compensate for the stress and unease of last night.

They headed back the way they had come, albeit moving a bit more hastily now; some time had passed since they'd entered the bank, and more people were beginning to stir, shops opening up and dogs barking.

She couldn't help but notice the bottles on the front steps of every house they passed, and when Weiss paused to take a closer look, she discovered they were full of milk. Every house had two near the front steps, likely dropped off by a delivery person.

At first, the observation went to the back of her mind, and she focused on getting back to the shack. But when she caught sight of a house with an extra bottle outside, she paused again.

There was no one else around.

Weiss put a finger to her lips as she slipped away from Blake momentarily. She reached into her pocket, extracting a few of the coins she'd received from the bank, leaving them in place of the bottle she took. She tucked the bottle beneath her sweatshirt and returned to Blake, a sheepish blush over her cheeks as she took the Faunus girl's hand once more. Without a word they hurried on.

They lucked out one final time that morning when a woman dropped her groceries, and the pair couldn't help but stop to assist her in picking things up. She thanked them with an orange and a loaf of bread.

As they left the more populated area of town, Weiss voiced her disbelief at their blessings.

"If our luck keeps up like this, we'll be out of here without a hitch."

. . .

There would always be issues, problems they'd face on their journey, but the moments littered between their walk back to the shack held a familiar lightness to them that was similar to their first night here.

Despite the purpose, it was impossible to ignore the curiosity with which Weiss regarded the world, the tenacity that bubbled to the surface when the opportunity presented itself.

That didn't stop Blake's heart from jumping into her throat the moment Weiss slipped away to the doorstep of a house to sneak off with a bottle of milk under her sweatshirt. It was the sheepish blush that had the warnings dying before Blake had the chance to voice them, and the resulting thrill sent them hurrying on, the natural rush working wonders on tired limbs.

And it didn't end there, but Blake wasn't going to argue the offhand bone thrown their way. She would take all the help they could get, and as they made their way out of town, she couldn't help humming her agreement, nodding.

"And the sooner we're out of here the better."

They still needed tickets, but the morning crowd would be boarding for work. It was probably in their best interest to wait.

. . .

Weiss nodded in agreement, and the two hurried on.

They reached the shack within a few minutes and slipped inside to deposit their findings and generous gifts. Weiss put their newly-obtained food in Blake's bag with the apples and granola bars they had procured along the way. It'd probably be best to indulge in the milk sooner rather than later though, and neither could deny that they'd need the energy such protein would bring them.

She put the bottle aside for now and went to her own suitcase, unzipping it and digging inside to seek the hidden pockets. She stuffed the money and credit card there, testing the strength of the material and that there were no holes or possibility of potential-damaging liquids seeping through.

Satisfied, she took an apple in one hand and the milk in the other before retreating to the old couch with Blake. She kept the sweatshirt on simply because she'd gotten too comfortable to think to remove it.

It was then she remembered what she'd wanted to do upon returning. She reached up slowly to Blake's bow, surer with her motions now than ever before. The closeness they'd shared last night, cradled together amidst the storm, left Weiss moving without hesitance now as she untied the bow with painstaking care, as not to put pressure on Blake's ears.

Once it was off, Weiss ran her nails through soft onyx hair a few times, between her ears and down the back of her neck.

"There," she murmured. "Much better."

Weiss poured her strength into breaking the apple in half, failing at first and needing to stop to catch her breath before trying again. Once she'd managed the feat, she offered half to Blake for breakfast.

"Now how do you feel about milk?"

. . .

The bow slipped free, and a moment later Weiss' fingers trailed through her hair. If it was possible to melt, Blake knew that all it would take was the dull graze of nails against her scalp and over her ears, and an involuntary shiver traveled the length of her spine.

It was relaxing, set the tenseness in her limbs at ease, and the beginning of a purr rumbled in her chest even after Weiss pulled away to split the apple.

Blake cleared her throat, trying to smother the instinct before it became too hard to control, and accepted her half of the apple with a quiet thanks. But when Weiss mentioned the milk, her ears twitched.

"I like it more than I probably should," she said, a curl to her lips. It had been somewhat of a delicacy during her time in Vale, and even after Adam had starting getting money from the White Fang, it was better to have fresh food and water than milk and bread. Or at least that's how Adam saw it. "Tukson used to treat me every now and then." Her shoulders rolled nonchalantly, trying to shrug off the feelings before the memories took hold. "He had a taste for it, too. I think it rubbed off on me."

. . .

She could see the little glaze that screened over Blake's eyes, and assumed the Faunus girl was getting lost in old memories of Tukson - the man who'd helped them hide out back in Vale. It had been obvious from the second Blake had brought her there that the two Faunus shared a rare bond.

Weiss felt a pang go through her chest, unable to help the feeling that he was very important to Blake. And Weiss had literally torn her away from him.

It was clear he held a special place in Blake's heart, a place that Weiss could never reach.

Without a doubt, Tukson had saved them by sheltering them that night, and Weiss should feel nothing but gratitude toward him. So she hated the prickle of jealousy that threatened to creep up and coil in her chest. Weiss fought it off with a tiny smile.

"Then please. Be my guest."

She offered the milk to Blake and bit into her apple as an excuse to stop speaking.

. . .

Eating was a rather silent affair, punctuated simply by a small conversation detailing their plan to buy tickets for the train. The milk was refreshing, but savoring it was short-lived as Blake stared curiously at the road-less map of a decade-old textbook. Studying the surrounding cities and towns sounded like a good place to start.

In practice, it was like connecting the dots, train-hopping until they arrived in Belmere safe and sound. Of course, that was if her hometown even had a connecting train. Worst case was that they'd have to walk part of the way, though Blake hoped to avoid that if at all possible. They had enough to deal with already, and the quicker they went, the harder it was for Schnee's men to catch up. Though who was to say when taking the train would be too much of a risk?

So after checking and then double checking, something resembling a plan finally started falling into place.

"Here," Blake said at last, tapping a finger determinedly on the map. "If there isn't a one-way train to Belmere, then this is our next best option."

If the legend in the corner was accurate, that meant there was still over fifty miles separating them from potential freedom. They could make do with that if it came down to it – they didn't really have a choice.

. . .

Eighteen years of being more or less imprisoned inside her father's mansion hadn't exactly molded Weiss into an experienced traveler. The majority of what she'd seen of the world had been in books, on the news, and - on rare occasions - a visit or two to a neighboring town for business purposes.

Therefore, she was relying almost entirely on Blake to get them to this destination. It was Weiss' job to do her best to understand the maps, listening to her companion when she spoke of plans for boarding a train or potentially train-hopping. With the money Weiss had withdrawn, buying tickets wouldn't be an issue, though that didn't mean it was going to be easy getting to the right places and avoiding detection.

She didn't have reason not to be putting her full trust in Blake with this, or with anything she did from here on out. That trust was equivalent to their survival, their freedom.

Weiss nodded as Blake pointed at the map, indicating their potential choices of action. Tomorrow morning would see them waking early to purchase their train tickets. That, compounded with the effects of the stressful evening last night, Weiss was beginning to feel the weight in her eyelids before very long.

Still, she needed to reassure Blake that she had her full faith with this. With a nod, Weiss met those determined golden eyes with equally fierce ones.

"All right," she murmured. "We'll make this work, somehow."

They had to.

----------

A/N: Sorry for the somewhat abrupt ending, but it was a good place to stop before the next act picks up. Now they have a set destination in mind and a decent idea of how to get there, but will it be that simple?

Preview for Act X:  "How do you–" She stopped, swallowing past the lump in her throat as she forced herself to hold Weiss' stare. "…feel…. about me?" The last two words were nearly silent, pushed past her lips before she could think to take them back.