Renegades (Act I)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANKS SO MUCH!

At long last, it's finally time to share Renegades with the world. Originally, this was a roleplay on tumblr done by myself (Weiss) and kokkoro (Blake). We worked on it for over a year, but never finished it. But a few months ago, I decided to write an ending for it myself, so it's complete. With permission from my partner, I've decided to post it as a story for all to see.

I've posted a roleplay as a fic in the past, so I'll do the same for this one. As a way to differentiate between characters/authors, I'll add dashes between characters' perspectives.

I really love this story. Not only is it probably the longest I've played a part in, but it's also one of the most unique and most beautiful, mainly because my partner's writing is so amazing. We planned and worked on it long and hard. I really love it, and I hope you will too.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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															Renegades

															 Act I.


The placement of the Schnee mansion as it looked over Vale had always been both Weiss' favorite and least favorite thing.

On the east side, the structure overlooked the vast sparkling ocean from on high; the walk from her house to the beach was a good half hour if one traveled through town, but only half the time if one were to simply brave the prickling ferns and thickets of the hillside directly below. Having such a lovely view was one of several benefits of being the wealthiest family in Vale, after all.

But the mansion's location wasn't exactly ideal.

On the west side, it was smothered by the rest of Vale's buildings, a grungy alleyway sitting constantly in shadows just beneath Weiss' bedroom window, even at noon on the brightest of days. She heard fights take place there almost every night, and longed to write a book on the things she'd discovered from the reverberating echoes.

But Weiss didn't have to worry because she rarely left the house anyway, and when she did, it was with escorts and security.

Though, to her, they felt more like prison guards.

She envied those who were allowed to attend combat school, but Weiss had been home-schooled all her life. She had a strict schedule, and stuck to it for sanity's sake, lest her father gain wind of her so much as dripping a speck of ink out of place on her calligraphy papers.

She trained with her rapier in the wide, specialized basement daily, but it was more for show and bragging rights rather than actual fighting. She had piano, signing, writing, business, and various other lessons as well.

She needed to be the perfect young wife for whatever suitors came to visit at her father's lavish monthly banquets, after all.

Weiss had been born solely for the purpose of being married off for her father's financial benefits, and she'd always known that.

Sometimes though, she just wished she could go down to the beach and watch the sunset, and not have to think about all of that for an hour or so.

...

The streets were dark no matter the time of day.

Overshadowed by the climbing towers of the Schnee mansion on the east side of town, Blake grew up believing it was only natural. Its darkness was thick, and in the crowded underbelly where she and Adam had made their home, there were days when she forgot the sun even existed. The sky was merely afterthought between the high rise of surrounding buildings, blotted out by criss-crossing wires and the ever-present smog that rose from sewers like a disease.

When she was young, Adam told her it was fate wrung from the hands of the privileged. Leftovers that trickled through the fingers of the wealthy at their leisure and had the audacity to call fair - deserved.

Adam soured over the years because of it, his face housing a thinly-disguised ire that Blake had become much too accustomed to in their years together. He strove for change, sought it in earnest like a man starved, and it wasn't long before his anger manifested in disturbing ways.

He joined a group known as the White Fang when she was twelve, and for a while it seemed he had become content with the fact of change. That he could bring it about with active resistance.

She'd seen him smile, and for a moment in time she'd thought everything would get better.

It had been more than enough to convince her to join, and the five years that followed were nothing if not livable. Adam was family, even if not by blood - was home no matter the shelter - and wherever he went, Blake was more than happy to follow.

But time was merely a blindfold tied tight over her eyes. Held there through her naivety and Adam's own hands.

Sometimes it was easier to overlook the truth for something simpler. To indulge oneself in fantasies - in stories that spoke of the downtrodden rising above the constricting grasp of the oppressor.

It kept her sane. But even she had her limits.

...

Weiss had just finished her piano lessons for the evening, her fingers sore and cracking, though she'd never dare complain aloud; the first time she'd ever done that had been the last, as a swift slap to the cheek had silenced her for her insolence.

The dress she had been demanded to wear today was made of a thick material that made her sweat, and the muggy stiffness of the air inside the mansion did nothing to help that.

Her father always told her to keep her window shut in her bedroom, told her that leaving it open would let disease in on the air; he couldn't afford his precious trading goods to be damaged, now could he?

So Weiss opened her window every night, and tonight was no different. But only after she'd changed into her lighter nightgown; she knew better than to keep her curtain open while changing.

But oh, how she'd once wished her room had been on the other side of the house; the breeze there was always clean and natural and of the sea. But here where it was, it smelled faintly of smoke and tar.

And yet, it was… charming somehow. She'd grown to like it over the years. It smelled of the adventures she could only dream of, of the places she could never go…

A knock on her door broke her from her reverie, and she quickly yet quietly closed her window just before a servant walked in.

"Ms. Schnee," he addressed her. "Your father would like to remind you that this month's banquet is approaching rapidly."

"You could just say it's in a week…"

"Quite," he confirmed. "Please do be aware that since your birthday has recently passed, you are now of-age to be wed. Your father demands you choose a suitor at next week's banquet or else he shall do it for you. Regardless of the selection, the wedding will be held promptly and exactly a week later. Please be aware of your obligations." And with that, he left her.

Weiss sat slowly down onto her bed and heaved a weighted sigh. She knew it would be coming, but she just wished she could have a few more months…

Two weeks.

In two weeks she'd be married in secrecy and sent off to her new husband's kingdom.

In two weeks she'd be exchanged for business numbers and a few signed papers.

In two weeks she'd lose her purity by no choice of her own, as she was no stranger to the carnal avarice of a young man in stupor.

Two weeks…

She'd been preparing for this for seventeen years.

She'd be lying to say she wasn't terrified.

...

Blake couldn't remember when the smell of blood had dulled to the point of ambiguity.

It clung to Adam like a second skin, but familiarity made the scent non-existent in the years that passed. Although there were moments when the smell burned past the fantasies, particularly strong against the evening odors that squeezed in through the cracks of their small one-room apartment.

Tonight had one of those moments. The door shut behind him with a click, and Blake looked up from her book just in time to see Adam shrug off his coat. It was speckled with bits of dried blood, and he tossed it into a growing pile of dirty laundry in the corner of the room. She lowered her book.

"White Fang?"

Adam turned in her direction, eyes hidden behind the mask that he wore more often than not, before dusting of his shirt. His silence was not ignorance, and when he passed by where she was seated in the lone armchair, a large hand ruffled her hair.

"Got in a bit of trouble." His voice was rough - tired - as he searched through the sink for a clean cup. "But we managed."

The faucet turned on in a rush, and Adam let it run for a few moments before positioning his glass under the flow, letting it fill. "It seems they're starting to take notice."

Blake could see the satisfaction in the quirk of his mouth as he brought the glass to his lips. Five years of work would do that to anyone, she supposed, but she couldn't help but wonder if the ends justified the means.

It had been a sour point for the both of them on more than one occasion, bringing them to moments of contention that only temporary separation could heal. The violence always bothered her, and when it threatened to invade the quiet walls of their home, she needed to get away. At least for a little bit.

And so that's what she did. Feigning a need for fresher air, she slipped out of the apartment without another word, the coldness of Adam's stare like a gun at her back.

...

Weiss didn't want to think about it, about how she only had two weeks left to be her own person; soon she'd belong to someone else, even more so than she already belonged to her father now.

She got up briefly to reopen the window, inhale the musky scent of grime and soot; if she was lucky, she'd catch some kind of illness and perish before much longer.

But there was still one thing left she wanted to do, and was allowed to do.

If she couldn't travel, at least she could sing.

She didn't have a piano in her room, so she settled for a-capella.

She sang of the intriguing people she would never meet, the scents of the air she would never breathe, the foreign foods she would never taste, the mysterious things she would never learn, the incredible sights she would never see.

Her voice was good enough even for her father, and more than once she was aware of people gathering beneath her window outside for a moment or so to listen.

She stepped slowly around the room, her nightgown trailing behind her like a white shadow, hair down and flowing. She liked to think she looked nice like this, aside from the scar - the thing she'd been given during an ambush and attempt on her life six years ago-

-the thing that made her value so much less.

Her father always told her it was her own fault, and to this day she still believed him.

She cut off her song sadly, quietly, nothing like the joy and confidence she usually sang with. The hurtful thoughts resurfaced and she collapsed softly back to her bed, letting out a shuddering sigh.

Two weeks…

...

The small staircase leading to the streets was cramped, a space fit for a child, and the moment she reached the street, stepping out onto the sidewalk, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The streets were gray, a sort of ever-present mist curling from the pavement and sewage drainage. It smelled, but that wasn't anything new. At least it wasn't blood.

People crowded the narrow street, mostly Faunus - it was that part of town, after all - as they struggled through the last stretch of their day. The bright neon signs cast them in blues, greens, and reds, reflecting sharply in their eyes and making them appear nothing less than feral. Any human stupid enough to wander this far into town would no doubt wonder if they had stumbled across hell.

With some minor working, Blake was able to squeeze through the thrum, slipping into a narrow alley just across the road. She let out a breath, glancing back only briefly at the small window on the second story. It was aglow, yellow and almost burning, and she looked away the moment a shadow passed behind the glass. The point of the walk was to forget, she reminded herself.

...

Weiss tried, but she couldn't sleep, not for long anyway.

She woke when the moon was almost in the same position it had been in when she'd lost consciousness, and yet she felt terribly awake. She wouldn't be able to fall back asleep now even if she wanted to.

She flicked on her bedside lamp as she sat up, listening to the bustling sounds of the night life of the town. She could hear laughter and jovial voices, loud and fun, and she'd always wondered what that might be like.

But she was forbidden to go outside ever, let alone at night.

Because night was when the Faunus emerged most prominently thanks to their nocturnal vision. And all the stories she'd ever been told about Faunus were that they were no good, always getting into fights and committing crimes, pit-pocketing and stealing. Most of the deaths in town every day were Faunus getting caught up in fights.

But Weiss knew that humans were the ones that caused a lot of it. The Faunus all hated them, and she thought it better to avoid them as much as possible, even in her thoughts.

Leaning sideways, she chose a book from her nightstand and settled back against the headboard, slowly losing herself in a world of fantasy.

...

The smell of the ocean was buried under smoke and grime, but Blake followed it like dream. Compared to everything else, the scent was refreshing.

She had never been down there before, something about it being overrun by humans had always kept her at bay. Adam had told her as much, and what did she have to doubt him?

At night though, they had to be scarce, and she found herself wandering in its direction. It was no secret Faunus thrived during the night, if only because their senses were sharpened to the point where darkness caused them no problems.

She heard during her trips through other parts of town that humans would tell stories of Faunus at night, that their brutality was a direct link to their heritage, and to avoid them at all cost.

It was certainly a blow to hear monster stories like the ones she read about in books were being told about her kind. That they had been basically reduced to creatures one warned their children about.

But she tried not to think about it. She buried it under years of practiced patience and left it at that.

...

Weiss couldn't settle down.

No matter how late into the night she read her book, she could not shake the feeling of wakefulness that coursed through her. She blamed it on the knowledge the servant had provided her with about her upcoming marriage ceremony.

The nap had left her refreshed enough to believe she wouldn't need to be sleeping much tonight. She kept her light on, her window open, and her senses alert to anything and everything.

Past the rustle of the town's nightlife, the drunken laughter and occasional accusatory shout, if she tried hard enough, she could make out the not-so-distant lapping of the waves. Or maybe she imagined it. She really wasn't sure anymore.

She was high up enough in the mansion above the alleyway that she didn't fear draping her arms on the window sill and leaning out. It was a bit of a risk to do that though; sometimes people would see her, and while some were kind and curious, others only sought trouble.

Her family name held a heavy weight on this town, and evidently her face did as well. She'd survived a dozen attempts at kidnapping simply due to her vicious defensive tendencies to thrash like a mule when it came to being cornered.

She was feeling very awake tonight, and thought she'd be able to handle any troublesome drunks who might stumble along and happen to look up. So she leaned out the window, inhaling the scents that made her nose scrunch up, able to detect a faint saltiness there as well.

She still had two weeks to be free, and she was going to enjoy every last second of them.

...

The quickest way to the sea was the road by the Schnee mansion - a little path buried in the thicket beside the stone wall.

Adam had shown her once when they were kids, but over the years, recreation was the last thing on Adam's list of activities. He had become so preoccupied with the White Fang that sometimes Blake believed he forgot how to enjoy himself.

The whole of White Fang was like that. A collective entity that seemed to believe their sole purpose was constant applied force until the status quo changed. Those who didn't participate where dealt with harshly. Not by any spoken rule, but by those in the group who felt that a weak chain was better off cut.

It wasn't until too late that she realized there were those who thought that of her.

Her nose curled at the scent of blood and her head turned, sight catching on two men she recognized from trips with Adam. Tall and lanky, their spotted tails curled behind them, swishing back and forth.

"Where were you today, Blake?" one said. There were spots of scattered blood across his shirt, smeared on the knees of his pants. "We had a bit of trouble without you."

...

From the vantage point of her window, Weiss had seen many things over the years. Hearing them was one thing, but seeing was an entirely different experience. She had seen fights, and they terrified her like she couldn't explain, to be the sole witness to some of them.

Once - the first time, actually - she had grabbed the rotary dial phone with shaking hands and called the police. The fight had been broken up before things could get too serious, but when her father had found out the informative call had come from his mansion, he had been furious. He'd yelled at Weiss for hours that night, shouting that she was never to do something like that again; having his last name involved with police activities in any way was an embarrassment. Weiss had agreed in tears never to do it again.

So sometimes, she would hear the fights and bear witness to them, but never be able to say a word. Once, she had even witnessed a murder - scared to call out for help or even as a distraction, she had been too petrified to move and had retched on the floor, forced to clean it up herself at three in the morning so no one would ever know.

It was memories of times like those that made her wary of looking outside this window. And tonight, she feared she would see it again.

Two burly Faunus men had come up behind a girl wearing a bow, tails lashing as they growled at her. It wouldn't have been the first time Weiss bore witness to an assault either, but she still didn't want to see it again.

"Oh, please no." She clasped her hands together and prayed. "Not tonight. Don't let this happen again…"

She didn't think she'd be able to bear it.

...

They watched her like prey, anticipation coiling visibly in their muscles. There wasn't much they could do without rousing Adam's ire, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try.

"Does it matter?" she replied, her stare impassive.

A hand fisted in the front of her shirt, tugging her forward. The Faunus' breath was hot against her skin, and the heat seemed to settle around them like a fog, sticky and unpleasant.

"This isn't some kiddie club, Blake," he growled, his fist tightening. "There's no coming and going as you please. You pull the same weight as everyone else or we cut you off."

Her eyes narrowed, her hands curling around his wrist, nails biting into the soft flesh.

"Adam-"

"Adam can screw it."

...

Weiss ducked down from her window the instant one of the men grabbed the girl. She pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block it out, pretend it wasn't happening.

She wasn't allowed to tell anyone.

She wasn't allowed to call for help.

But-

But that didn't necessarily mean she herself couldn't intervene, did it?

Slowly, Weiss stood up again. She looked around sharply, trying to locate something to throw, but realized if anything went missing, her father would soon notice and interrogate her.

Well, he probably cared more about the objects in her room rather than its living occupant.

Weiss crept back up beside her window, biting her lip as she watched the two Faunus men close in on the girl with the bow. They clearly weren't going to stop until they'd done something awful, and in the position they had her pinned in, the girl couldn't fight back.

The fear in Weiss' veins was soon replaced by fury.

Cowards.

It was as if all of the doubts simply dissolved, leaving her body with every exhale until there was only anger to motivate her into action.

She looked down the side of the mansion. A fire escape beneath her window that had been untouched for years would do wonders for her now.

Carefully, quietly, as not to alert any of them, she clung to the side of the window as she stepped out, testing her weight on the ladder.

She needed to be quick.

...

The first hit shocked her more than it hurt, though she wouldn't be surprised to find a bruise on the side of her face tomorrow. She spit, blood mixed with saliva, and it soaked into his already-grungy shirt.

"It's people like you who give us a bad rep," she growled, twisting skin. "Get off your high horse. What you're fighting for isn't equality."

"That's because equality isn't gonna change shit." The Faunus' lips twisted into a snarl, and his comrade moved closer. "Have they ever actually listened to us? Have those humans ever once cared about our well-being?" He shoved her back, and she stumbled into the wall. He didn't wait for her answer. "No, they haven't, and they never will. So why should we?"

...

Weiss really didn't have a plan. She was just furious and not about to be a helpless silent bystander to yet another crime. She was done with that. She didn't care if she had some bruises on her forced wedding day if it meant she could save a life tonight.

She lowered herself down as far as she could go, quickly and silently. They were all too focused on each other - who would expect an heiress to come down from her window at midnight to intervene in an alley fight, anyway?

She winced when the girl was hit, but Weiss couldn't act yet, she wasn't in the right position.

Just another few steps forward, and the Faunus man was in her shadow-

"Hup!"

With a brief cry, Weiss released her grip on the ladder and jumped, her white hair and nightgown fluttering out behind her as she landed squarely on one of the men's shoulders.

He reared back with a surprised holler, releasing the dark-haired girl as Weiss' weight slammed on top of him. He stumbled and almost went down as she clawed at his face like a madwoman.

She had self-defense training. She had rapier lessons. But right now, she was just infuriated and thrashing like a child in a tantrum.

The man beneath her spun in an effort to throw her off, and Weiss felt her legs fly out and slam against something that grunted and then collapsed - the other Faunus man. Weiss almost laughed when she noticed he was out cold, but before she could get a second to feel smug, there was a loud bellow of a curse from beneath her.

The man surged sideways and rammed her against the wall of the alleyway, and Weiss was temporarily crushed, her grip slackening as she was dislodged and dropped to the ground. The impact of the fall left her winded, and she blinked open one eye, looking up in a haze.

His shadow loomed over her, blocking the distant moonlight, and Weiss couldn't see the other girl. A heavy boot pushed down onto her chest and she sputtered.

"Well, well," his gruff voice said. "I don't believe it. The little Schnee princess just falling from the sky." He leaned more of his weight onto her and she whimpered. "Wonder how much Daddy'd pay to get you back?"

Weiss closed her eyes, feeling her breath catch. She really shouldn't be surprised it was coming to this. She just hoped that girl was okay.

...

There was something being said about Schnee, but the words filtered through her ears, useless.

Her eyes had just enough time to make sense of the new intruder, a girl, and decide that she'd return the favor.

Once she regained enough of her senses, Blake shoved her entire body weight into him, sending both herself and the male Faunus sprawling. His head snapped backwards, cracking against the stone wall. It left him delirious, and Blake scrambled to her feet in the shock of the aftermath to pull the girl up from the ground.

She didn't waste any time in escaping.

The man's partner was too preoccupied in helping his friend that Blake was able to make a break for it, tugging the girl along into the dense thicket and out of sight. The decline was sharp, much more so than she remembered, and with her head still pounding from the blow, it didn't take much before she tripped over her own feet. It sent them both lurching forward, tumbling down the slope.

...

She was pulled up on shaking legs, shocked to see the other girl, and yet relieved that she had the heart to come back for Weiss.

Her shoulders ached from where she'd hit the wall, and her lungs were burning as she tried to catch her breath with little success, but she couldn't stop running. Not now, with this girl pulling her along.

In the few times she'd been outside the mansion, Weiss had never been this way before. She didn't know what to expect-

-but it certainly wasn't that the ground would disappear from beneath her feet.

The two of them went tumbling down the side of the hill, the hill coated with bramble thickets and tough bushes.

The one that led down to the beach…

She'd always wanted to travel down there.

But again, certainly not like this.

There was an assortment of grunts and whimpers as the two of them went rolling down, colliding in turn with the earth that rose up at them. Thankfully, it wasn't a rocky slope, but neither was spared from the cuts and scrapes of the thorns and branches.

They ended up going all the way down, but at least there was a small blessing in the landing - soft cool sand.

With one final shared "oomph!" they came to a stop. Weiss coughed multiple times, chest heaving, trying to dislodge the sand from her mouth. She gasped breathlessly, still winded and finding a weight pressed onto her stomach to prevent her from drawing breath. When she cracked open an eye at long last, she found the other girl sprawled on top of her, moaning and groggy from her own pain.

At least they were both still in one piece.

...

By the time they rolled out onto the beach, everything hurt.

A constant throbbing pushed against her skull, and her legs and arms hadn't been spared during their trip to the bottom. No doubt there were numerous cuts and bruises littered over her skin, but at least she had been spared a hard landing.

Though she couldn't say the same for her new friend.

Blake groaned as she pushed herself up onto her arms, the sand cool and soft under her hands. Her head hurt like something terrible, every movement aggravating the already-numbing pain, and her ears flattened against her skull. She pressed a hand to her face, willing the aches to fade.

"Sorry," Blake mumbled, rubbing her ears as she slowly adjusted to the pale light of evening. "I forgot about-"

Wait a second. Ears?

Her eyes widened, searching, taking in for the first time the scar across the girl's left eye, and it hit her all at once.

Schnee's daughter. She had just dragged Schnee's daughter down a hill, and she scrambled away so quickly that the whiplash caused the pain in her head to multiply with a vengeance.

Her bow. Blake needed to find her bow.

...

Weiss sputtered as the girl lifted herself up. The heiress pushed herself up onto her elbows, turning her head to one side to expel the sand from her mouth in the most ladylike way possible - if that was even possible.

She gasped, something she realized she'd… never had to do before. She'd never done something so exerting, not even in her rapier lessons. It felt… good to breathe so deeply and fully, and even the aches and scratches felt justified, and even welcomed.

That was… the most fun she'd ever had.

When she'd managed to catch her breath, Weiss sat up properly, fixing her nightgown and dusting herself off. She faced the other girl who seemed frantic for whatever reason.

"Oh, don't worry," Weiss reassured her. "I don't think they've followed us after all that." Her fingers curled in cool sand, but there was something else. Weiss looked down, finding a soft velvet ribbon of black that was oddly familiar. "Oh! This is-"

She offered it out to the girl and then froze.

There were two dark triangles on the girl's head, but it certainly wasn't her bow.

"Ah…" Weiss cleared her throat. "Are… Are you all right?"

This girl - a Faunus - was holding her head as though in pain.

A Faunus. Weiss had just saved a Faunus. If she lived by her father's will, she'd be disgusted and shoving the girl away from her by now.

But Weiss wouldn't dream of that. She felt she'd helped this girl, and if someone like Weiss who was forbidden to so much as leave the house on her own could help save someone else's life…

She couldn't describe it properly, but it just felt good.

A small smile curled her lips as she waited for the girl to accept her ribbon. Weiss noticed how her dark hair shown like it was painted with starlight under the beams of the moon, her golden eyes vibrant. She couldn't help but wonder what they looked like in the sun.

...

Blake didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't casual concern for her well-being. If anything, maybe some shrieking, a fist or two, an eyeful of sand - you know, the works - and she sat there somewhat confused, her eyes locking on the ribbon. Her heart was beating fast, and she briefly considered running away.

For some reason she stayed.

"I'm fine," she said, words clipped as she stared cautiously at the ribbon in the girl's hand. It didn't seem to be offered with ill intent, so after a moment, Blake accepted the ribbon with a mumbled thanks.

It was useless now though, and her ears twitched unconsciously, unsure of their focus. The crash of the waves on the sand, the wind - she hadn't been here in years, and despite the current circumstances being less than ideal, it was hard not to be swept away by it all.

She settled for something easy, ears flattening and hopefully disappearing into her hair.

"Thanks for - uh - helping me out back there."

...

Weiss waited patiently for the other girl to get her bearings. She was so pretty and mysterious, Weiss didn't mind sitting beside her in the melancholy silence for a while - perhaps even all night. That would be nice. She had so many questions…

But she knew this girl probably wanted nothing to do with her, the Schnee heiress. Her family wasn't exactly known for being kind to Faunus. Weiss herself had just attacked two of them; albeit to save another, she hadn't known at the time this girl was one of them.

She bit her lip and frowned, wondering if that knowledge would have stopped Weiss from interfering, hating the thought that that was even a possibility.

She perked up, however, when the girl accepted her ribbon, calloused fingers that spoke of years of hardship brushing over the heiress' soft, pampered palm.

"That's good. And don't mention it," she murmured. She opted to believe this girl's race didn't matter, that Weiss had helped her simply for the sake of helping another person.

She'd grown up being told all Faunus were vicious liars and murderers, but this girl appeared to be the exact opposite - a rather petite thing that had more bruises than just the ones she'd received from the recent fall, Weiss noticed. She was probably the victim of more crimes than she'd actually committed, if that was any at all.

She didn't try to bolt away from Weiss, nor did the heiress make an attempt to run. Now that she was here, she just wanted to stay on the beach, and if this girl was going to accompany her, she didn't mind one bit.

"Ah, hold still."

She reached up, putting one hand to the girl's shoulder to bring her down a bit as her other hand went to soft, onyx curls. Weiss pinched a thin branch of thorns that had tangled there over one of her soft ears. With care she loosened it, being gentle with her hair, until at last it came free. Weiss tossed the branch aside.

"There."

But she wasn't thinking very clearly at this hour of the night. She should've known better than to just go touching a stranger without their consent, especially after a fiasco like that, and especially if they were a Faunus. Weiss pulled her hands back into her lap immediately and stammered an apology.

"S-Sorry!"

Now she wouldn't be surprised if she were hit, or if the other girl really did run off.

...

Suppressing the urge to flinch was impossible, and she jerked back slightly when the heiress' hand neared her face. Habit, really. Years scrounging about the human part of town for work would do that to any Faunus.

The strike didn't come though, and she couldn't help the look of disbelief when the hand instead dislodged a branch of thorns tangled in her hair. Her ears flicked contentedly in response, free from the restriction, and she watched the girl before her with something akin to pure curiosity.

Weiss Schnee.

There wasn't a soul in town who didn't know her name. She had even popped up in White Fang conversations every now and again.

Her father paraded her around like a dress-up doll, in fancy clothes and lace. It was always in relation to her father - what he would do if his youngest daughter were to vanish, but the topic was always dropped before long.

Hesitance, though, brought her back.

Blake couldn't remember the last time a human had ever offered anything but malice, and she exhaled, glancing away as she brushed a hand over her ears, trying to sooth the last of the pain.

"It's nothing," she said, but honestly that was far from the truth.

...

Weiss' heart was beating quickly, still excited from the rush and the tumble, as well as curious and nervous about this girl.

But when the other avoided her gaze, Weiss felt her heart sink, shoulders slumping. Of course a Faunus would want nothing to do with her of all people.

For a moment, there was nothing but the nearby lapping of the combers on the shore, the wind a constant hum around them as the sounds of the town echoed from up the hill.

Weiss scrambled for something - anything - to do or say to keep the other girl there with her. She didn't know why but she just… wanted the company. Eighteen years of never having met another girl her age before had left the heiress a bit depraved for companionship, Faunus or not.

But the fact that she was a Faunus didn't matter; Weiss just wanted someone to talk to who wouldn't silence her.

But where to start?

"So…" She cleared her throat. "What-"

But she stopped when she felt a stinging on the left side of her face. Wincing, she lifted a hand to her cheek to find warm wetness there, tears welling up and spilling over.

"Ah… oh…"

She desperately pressed her palm over her eye, trying to cancel out the stinging feeling.

Now she remembered why she never came to the beach, and it wasn't simply because of the fact that she was forbidden to do anything she requested.

The scarred tissue over her left eye had never fully healed, and exposing it to extreme temperatures - even in the bath - would often cause pain. Sand particles were no different, and it felt like she'd been forced to dip half her face into a pool of burning needles.

Weiss held her eye for a moment, blinking the tears out quickly to try and wash away the sand. Dismay twisted in her stomach; she wanted to talk to this girl. She didn't want her to run off, but Weiss' display right now was probably scaring her.

Frustrated, she squeezed her eye shut tightly before wiping her face in the crook of her elbow. Now with her cheeks pink and puffy, she was having trouble holding the other girl's gaze as well.

But she wanted to talk to her, even if she'd never see her again, Weiss just wanted to say something-

"What… What's your name?"

...

Blake looked back when the girl's words suddenly tapered. There were tears, even despite the heiress' insistent actions to push them aside, her hands brushing across her face again and again.

An accident - that's what the papers had said about the scar. Blake wasn't sure how much of that she believed.

She had only ever really known Adam, and it was almost natural that his word became law as the years passed. The White Fang had gathered Faunus that even Adam seemed wary around in the passing months, and despite her heritage, Schnee's daughter didn't seem all that bad. Not anywhere near comparable to those who - even sharing status as Faunus - still treated Blake like a nuisance. Unneeded in the coming age of Faunus if violence was the preferred message.

Only time would tell, and at the moment - as she stared at the red puffy cheeks as the girl slowly regained some semblance of composure - Blake was giving the thought actual consideration despite the nagging feeling in her gut. It was just loneliness after all.

Her name. That seemed like a good place to start.

"Blake."

She took a steadying breath, hands lowering from her ears to the sand. Well, might as well put it all out in the open.

"You're Weiss Schnee, aren't you?"

...

Weiss sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth as the stinging finally subsided. She was glad the girl had stayed there with her, hadn't bolted and ran off yet. Her ears were still flat, but not as much as they had been, raising ever so slightly in cautious curiosity, and Weiss thought she might have a shot at this.

The instant her name was spoken, Weiss straightened up quickly; hearing her full name like that always made her remember exactly who she was, what her responsibilities were, what was expected of her that required little to no effort on her own part other than simply to keep herself alive and desirable.

"Yes. That's me," she said with a tiny nod and an even tinier smile. "I… guess you probably don't think too highly of me, do you? I can't blame you."

Her hands went back down into the sand, letting the grains fall through her fingers and the creases of her palms. "Blake…" she murmured.

She wanted to ask her last name, but quickly recalled that not everyone in Vale had a last name or cared to recite it due to personal reasons. She held back on asking; just her first name was enough.

"Blake…" She said it again, testing it out, liking the way the consonants rolled off her tongue. Decisive, straightforward, certain-

-mysterious, intriguing, alluring.

"Your name's beautiful," Weiss murmured. "You're quite beautiful, you know," she added innocently, admiring once again her onyx tresses and honey-colored eyes that shone in the silver light. Weiss realized she was smiling at the girl and quickly looked down again, not meaning to make her uncomfortable.

"Ah…"

She wanted to say more. She wanted to keep talking to her more and more. She wanted to hear stories from her.

But she needed to get back home. The sounds of the fight in the alleyway might have alerted attention, and if her father or any of the servants had woken to find her missing-

Weiss' stomach clenched at the thought, and she felt the blood drain from her face, a lifeless whisper escaping her lips:

"I have to… go back…"

...

There was nothing to say to Weiss' statement, simply because for the most part it was true. The entire Schnee name was held in such low regard thanks to their unsavory business practices and it was nothing if not well-placed. Schnees deserved any malcontent they received ten times over. What they had done, and what they continued to do was entirely inexcusable.

But Blake had never heard her name spoken like that by a stranger - like it was something worth remembering - and the compliments that followed, that smile - it had her insides squirming. She felt a slight warmth prickle to life on her cheeks and she looked away, at a loss for words.

It was a second before the whisper reached her ears, and Blake looked back to see the blood drain from Weiss' face. All the life and wonder gone from her face in a second, and to Blake that mention of home seemed more like prison than anything else.

She pulled herself up, dusting the sand from her pants, the action more filler than anything as she waited for the necessary courage to scrounge up a goodbye. Yet the longer she waited, the less she wanted to say those words. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she held out her hand.

"I'll help you back."

It was the least she could do.

...

Weiss looked up slowly as Blake stood, scared she was leaving, not wanting her to, but the heiress herself was too downhearted now to try and stop her. She at least wanted to say goodbye to her-

Her eyes flicked up quickly when a hand was offered to her, and she didn't think it had ever happened before. Usually if she fell, Weiss was hoisted or yanked back up to her feet; they never waited for her consent on anything, not even her own posture.

"I'll help you back."

Those words echoed in her mind, bringing a bit of color back to her face, a bit of light back to her eyes. She could stay with Blake a bit longer…

With hesitance, she slipped her hand into Blake's, squeezing her palm cautiously, then with certainty - Weiss wanted this more than anything.

She was helped to her feet, not tugged or jerked. Blake supported her, waited for her to adjust and find her balance. Weiss' bare toes curled in the sand as she dusted her nightgown off with her free palm.

"T-Thank you," she said, not about to forget her manners. "I'd… I'd really like that…"

She looked ahead; should they go back up the main path from the beach, smoothed out with pebbles until it met with the cobblestone sidewalks of Vale? Or should they be more inconspicuous and go back up through the brambles the way they had come? Weiss wasn't sure.

Either way, she knew she needed to gather up the courage to talk to Blake again, ask her something - anything. She wanted to keep listening to her voice.

...

Walking the roads would certainly be easier, but with the streets busy even during the night, it would be more of a risk than facing the hillside and its thorns. Who knew if those two White Fang men were still wandering about anyway, and with someone unaccustomed to the streets, it wasn't exactly a good idea.

Blake gave a small tug on the hand in hers before letting go, gesturing to the incline with a tilt of her head.

"The streets would be too risky," she said, trying to draw Weiss' attention back to her. "We're better off going back the way we came." She glanced back only once, her eyes finding blue. They were bright in the growing night, and she held the gaze briefly, turning back around when something odd and unwelcome fluttered alive in her chest. "Just… be careful."

...

Weiss had been spacing out a bit, senses dulling for a moment as she was enveloped in the nighttime air. She looked back over her shoulder, casting one last glimpse to the ocean.

It was so close. She could breathe it in so clearly now, hear the waves lapping in high tide. She wanted to go down to the water so badly-

The instance Blake spoke again, Weiss whipped her head around quickly with a new animation in her eyes; she was glad to hear the girl's voice again.

"You're right," she agreed. "I… don't think I'd do too well in the streets, even if I had you to protect me." She quickly clamped a hand to her mouth; she hadn't even meant to say that. It'd just felt so natural somehow, the thought that she and Blake had been together for a while now and would defend each other-

No. They'd only just met, what was she thinking…

"I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me." Weiss murmured an apology and forced herself to look away from those pretty golden eyes as repentance.

She said no more as she followed after the Faunus girl, afraid she'd say something foolish again. She'd rather Blake speak anyway. But even if she didn't, it was enough for the heiress just to watch the dark curls of her hair down her back, bouncing with every step.

It took all of Weiss' self-control not to reach out for her hand; she'd liked the feeling of it, but reminded herself it wouldn't be acceptable to take it again, not without very good reason and not without Blake's permission; simply wanting to wasn't a good enough justification.

They trudged uphill, through the darkness, and Blake quickly got ahead of her, likely due to her enhanced night vision. Weiss scrambled to keep up, tugging her hair and nightgown free of thorns and brambles whenever they snagged, which was far too often. The fear of what beasts might lurk here especially at night served to startle her, and when she had almost lost sight of Blake in the darkness, she panicked.

She knew full-well that if she simply kept going she'd make it to the top before long. But the circumstances of being out in the middle of the night in such a place for the first time without permission-

Sharp pains shot through her bare feet with her next step, and Weiss yelped, falling to her knees. She'd stepped into a litter of fallen thorns and desperately tried to pluck them out of where they'd embedded themselves in her flesh. She could smell faint traces of blood.

Oh goodness, if Father finds out... if he sees me limping tomorrow and finds out-

The thought seized her with terror, and it was all she could do to choke out a soft plea for help.

"B-Blake…?"

The sounds and smells of the ocean lingered as they worked their way up the incline, an afterthought that swiped at the backs of her heels as if begging her to stay. She ignored it, tried to anyway, as she tugged herself through snagging briers and brambles.

The path was narrow, allowing only one to pass by at a time, and Blake had taken the lead simply because of her superior eyesight. Not that it actually made a difference; there wasn't much to look at and anything she missed was sure enough to catch her - literally.

She grumbled audibly when another thorn snagged on her shirt, tugging it free with a annoyed curse. To her dismay it tore, the threadbare fabric too weak to put up much of a fight.

Blake was about to set off again, renewed vigor burning in her limbs, the desire to be done with all this and head back home more than prevalent in her mind.

It was a soft call that stopped her.

Her name-

and Bake looked back over her shoulder to see that Weiss had stumbled to her knees. The dull smell of blood drifted to her nose shortly after, rising above the salt and vegetation to settle just behind her eyes. She was backtracking in a second, pulling herself back through thorns.

"Show me," Blake said the moment she knelt next to Weiss, trying to tug the heiress' hands away to get a better look. Her words left no room for argument.

...

Weiss could hardly believe the relief that flooded over her like the distant crashing waves when Blake turned and headed back for her. She allowed a tiny smile to curl her lips, Blake's name at the tip of her tongue until the Faunus girl reached her and addressed her in a serious tone.

Weiss was a bit taken aback, not sure if it was frustration that she'd hindered their journey or concern for her cuts.

"Y-Yes…" She stammered and pulled her hands to her chest, allowing Blake to see where the thorns had plunged into her bare feet. She could still smell blood faintly and did her best to activate her aura to heal them.

But if she healed the ones with thorns still present, they would get stuck even further into her skin, and Weiss shuddered at the thought, so she called off her aura just in case.

It was… honestly very hard not to jerk away or giggle as Blake touched her feet, and Weiss felt like a child. She bit her lip and forced herself to stay still, avoiding Blake's eyes, praying she wasn't upset with her; her heart thumped uncomfortably at the thought of Blake's ire.

...

The thorns, thankfully, hadn't gotten lodged deep enough where they would become a problem, and after a few minutes of careful prodding, Blake was able to remove the rest of them. Blood flowed freer now though, and after only a moment of hesitation, she slipped the ribbon from where it had been wrapped around her wrist. She began to coil the fabric around Weiss' foot, and the excess blood soaked darkly into the black cloth.

"It'll be fine," Blake muttered, tying off the ends into a bow. It would have to do for now.

Her eyes drifted upwards, studying Weiss' face. There was a slight trace of worry etched into the creases of her forehead, but whatever the cause, Blake couldn't be sure. She turned around then, and after pulling her hair over her shoulder and exposing her back, Blake looked behind herself expectantly.

"You shouldn't be walking on that," she said, and Blake told herself it was the truth. Though she couldn't help the nervous flick of her ears, cautious, her heart a beating mess in her chest.

...

Weiss almost stopped the girl when she tied her ribbon about her injured foot, but she didn't want to come off as ungrateful, so she bit her tongue. Now that the thorns were out, the pressure of the cuts being wrapped made the pain lessen, and the heiress felt a bit better.

Until she remembered she still needed to get back home.

Therefore, when Blake gave Weiss her back, she was more than a little surprised. Was this… the traditional piggyback ride? Weiss had always, always dreamed of trying one before as a child with her older sister Winter, but never got the opportunity to; it wasn't proper, her father said.

But now she could, with Blake…

She'd only just met her, so how was it possible she could feel so comfortable around her?

Again, she didn't want to be rude and refuse the girl's generous offer. So Weiss crawled slowly and tentatively wrapped her arms around her neck, keeping the embrace loose. She inhaled Blake's mysterious scent - fresh air, cool seasons; freedom itself.

Weiss eased herself forward, pressing her chest to Blake's back with almost nonexistent contact, but froze when she felt the throbbing through her collar.

And yet, it wasn't coming from just her own chest.

"I-Is this really okay?" She fretted, about to pull away, worried she was hurting Blake. "Your… Your heart's beating awfully fast."

And Blake wasn't the only one.

She hovered behind her, not willing to tighten her embrace around Blake or shift their bodies any closer, prepared to move away immediately at the other girl's request.

...

The moment she felt the weight settle against her back, arms circling her neck, Blake began to have doubts. Misplaced doubts, maybe.

The arms around her throat held the blood of Weiss' father - Jacques Schnee - and while that was in some ways condemning - problems bred in over years of misplaced guidance set to the tune of prejudices - Blake knew better than to judge a person based on their parents. Though that was easier said than done.

"We really don't have time for second-guessing right now," Blake said, reaching back to curl her arms around Weiss' legs.

She stood, swaying as she compensated to the added weight on her back. The arms around her neck tightened a fraction at the sudden motion, but once Blake had adjusted, making sure Weiss was settled comfortably, the grip loosened. Weiss was light, and Blake chalked it up as a small miracle as she started the remaining trudge up the hill.

...

Weiss released a small squeak when Blake suddenly got a grip on her and stood up, taking the heiress up with her. Blake was right; they didn't have time for thinking this over, and Weiss knew it better than anyone.

She was sure to loosen her arms around the girl's neck, not wanting to hurt her. Weiss wasn't sure how to position herself, so she tentatively laid her head sideways, using Blake's soft hair as a cushion. She could feel her own heart thumping faster and faster with every step Blake took; it was embarrassment and excitement and a bit of fear, but…

But Blake's scent wreathed around her again, and it calmed her just a little.

As they continued the trek, Blake was sure to avoid any branches that could potentially hit Weiss, and the heiress took note of that. She could feel Blake pushing herself with her added weight and frowned when she heard panting breaths.

Not even really thinking about what she was doing, Weiss traced small circles over the collar of the girl's shirt. She didn't want to distract her or add to Blake's burden in any way, but she felt the need to speak.

"Don't strain yourself," she murmured, more a plea than anything else.

...

The slight circles on her collar made her heart beat faster, the touch like a breeze. She had to stop herself from turning her head to look back, and a small, nervous cough hidden into her shoulder was the only intelligible answer to Weiss' statement.

Blake shifted her grip, locking her hands together as she jostled Weiss into a better position on her back. There was not much longer to go, and Blake wasn't about to quit now.

By the time she reached the top it was almost safe to say she had gotten used to it - to the weight, to the life settled comfortably on her shoulders. It might have just been the circumstances, the suddenness of it all thrust upon her shocking enough to make her throw caution to the wind. The whole thing had become a combination of exhilaration and an awkwardly-found comfort.

She wasn't sure how misguided it was until she realized how hard it was to let go.

It was just loneliness. They had nothing in common, known each other for an hour at best, and what little conversation they had shared was stilted and unnatural.

And yet, here she was considering the idea of maybe coming back? It was stupid beyond belief.

She stopped when she was right below the fire escape, and a quick survey of the alley made it clear they were alone for the time being. Blake turned her head, trying to look back towards Weiss. Through the corner of her eye, all she could see was wisps of white hair.

"Can you reach it?" she asked, not quite sure why she was whispering. The first rung was quite a ways up.

...

Weiss felt comfortable enough to close her eyes as Blake carried her the rest of the way up.

Whatever possessed her to believe that jumping into a fight between strangers, speaking casually to a stranger, or letting a stranger carry her home, Weiss didn't know. For all she knew and had been taught, she should've run off and called the authorities an hour ago, screamed and thrashed until Blake had left her alone.

And yet, here they were, warmly pressed against each other, reluctant to go and let go.

When they reached the fire escape Weiss strained to brush her fingers up against the first bar, her nails lightly scraping it.

"I think I can manage," she reported in a hushed tone; there weren't any sounds coming from within the mansion, and she prayed her assumptions that no one had woken to find her missing were a reality.

But before Weiss made a move to grab the ladder, she leaned forward without thinking it through very much and kissed the side of Blake's cheek, a simple show of gratitude.

"Thank you for helping me tonight, for bringing me back here."

With a bit of a surge of strength, she managed to grab the bottom rung with both hands, firmly enough to start hauling herself up. She struggled, trying not to let the sand and sweat on her palms break her grip while also making an effort not to kick Blake.

With a huff, Weiss scrambled and managed to steady herself, catching her breath as she finally got her feet up and stood, holding tightly to the metal.

She looked down at Blake with a helpless smile, wishing she could say how much she wanted to see her again, but-

-but Blake probably didn't want to see her anymore, right?

Something in her golden eyes then told her otherwise.

Thinking quickly, Weiss lifted her injured foot slightly, gaze flicking down to it.

"T-Tomorrow…" she murmured. "I… I can give it back to you now, or if… if you can come back tomorrow night, I'll return your bow."

Depending on Blake's answer, Weiss might have a reason to get out of bed in the morning of her own volition, rather than her father's orders.

...

The blush the swept across her cheeks the moment Weiss' lips touched her skin was engulfing. It crept up her neck like a fire, built thick and glowing in her face, and climbed to the tips of her ears. Any and all words she had planned all but melted in her mouth as she struggled to regain some form of composure - to very little success.

Blake all but froze in her spot as Weiss hoisted herself up and onto the fire escape. Honestly, it all seemed like a dream, one she almost expected to wake from any moment now to find that none of this had ever happened.

Tomorrow.

Her ears fell back, embarrassed, even if it was highly unlikely a human could make much out in the dark.

"I… uh…"

Tomorrow.

"I…"

So articulate. She cleared her throat-

"Tomorrow-"

-and swallowed.

"Tomorrow night - is fine."

...

Weiss forgot about the precarious placement she was in right then and gave a small bounce of delight at Blake's agreement. She quickly caught and steadied herself with a sheepish smile.

"Wonderful!" Did she sound… too excited? "I'll… I'll see you tomorrow night then. Whatever time is best for you; I'll be in my room any time after sunset."

She didn't want to say goodbye. But the knowledge that this time wouldn't be forever made her smile rise on her cheeks.

"Goodnight, Blake. Thank you."

She quietly, excitedly scurried back up the fire escape and crept back into her room, peeking back out, flattered to find Blake had stayed to make sure she got up safely. Weiss took a deep breath and smiled down at her in the moonlight, lifting her hand and curling her fingers in a tiny wave.

She carved Blake's figure into her heart, though she already knew she'd never forget such a girl.

It was hard to turn away from her window, but when she finally managed the feat, Weiss found her face almost hurt from how much she'd been smiling in the past hour.

...

Wonderful.

Wonderful.

Blake couldn't remember the last time that word was more appropriate, and she couldn't seem to move even after Weiss had disappeared back through the window.

In light of everything, her face still throbbed, and she pressed a hand lightly against her cheek. It was hot, but she had enough of a mind to know that it wasn't from the strike, but the press of lips, the compliments - the gratitude. The mere thought of it had the blush burning, and she offhandedly tried to brush it away, oddly happy when it stayed.

She headed back home when it became clear that standing still wouldn't help things pass by quicker, and a strange mix of anticipation and apprehension swirled in her stomach - like butterflies, and it wasn't long before the smell and color of blood had a faded from her mind.

Hopefully what had settled in its place was something much more permanent.

---------

A/N: Thus concludes Act I! My partner and I put a ton of thought and effort into this at the time when we wrote it years ago. I hope you all can appreciate it even now.

Preview for Act II : It was the soft sobs that made her hesitate, words catching in her throat, and she swallowed around them, ears flattening. She reached for the ladder, hands latching onto the rusted metal after a small jump, and she pulled herself up.

It wasn't until she was just outside the window, uncertain if she should move closer, that she spoke up.

"Are you all right?"