Nameless (ch3)

EARLY RELEASE FOR PATRONS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

Once more told mainly from Blake's POV.

WARNINGS for mental/physical/psychological abuse.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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						Chapter 3. The Waiting Hours

When Blake came to the next morning, everything came rushing back to her immediately.

The air in the room was cold, but beneath the blankets where Blake was, she was warm.

Weiss was curled up beside her, breathing softly, her smaller form shivering ever so slightly. Blake moved slowly and pulled the blankets up over the girl a little higher, draping an arm around Weiss and drawing her closer.

The early-morning sunlight that was coming in through the lone window reassured Blake that the witch likely wouldn't be entering this brightly-lit room.

But she remembered there was a curfew of sorts for breakfast time, and she also knew she and Weiss didn't have much time left to stay in bed and rest.

Blake felt guilty in how well she'd managed to sleep last night. In spite of everything, she had found strength in her silent vow to help Weiss escape this place, and that promise had allowed her to sleep with peace of mind.

A peace of mind she knew her parents would never have again.

Had they even slept at all? Had her mother fallen even sicker because of all this?

Blake couldn't afford to think about that. All she could do was believe in her parents, and pray they had faith in her as well.

Blake was pulled from her thoughts as a small sound reached her ears, a lonely little moan coming from beside her.

Weiss shifted unconsciously closer to Blake in her sleep, and the Faunus girl willingly accepted her.

/I'll get us both out of here. Someday.../

Weiss woke not long afterward, finding herself in Blake's arms. It made her smile to not have to wake up alone for once in her life. Even on nights she'd spent with Cinder, whenever Weiss woke, the woman was always gone.

She stretched a little bit, blinking the sleep from her eyes to seek out Blake's golden gaze.

"Good morning," she murmured.

Blake had to wonder how Weiss could say such a thing while smiling, and needed to remind herself the girl was under the impression that Blake had been rescued from a life of pain. For all Weiss knew, Blake should be thrilled and excited about having a nice bed to sleep in and wake up in. And Blake had to keep up the act at all costs.

"Morning," she mumbled, doing her best to smile as well. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Very well," Weiss replied. "And I know it's all thanks to you. Usually, I'd wake up in the middle of the night due to the cold. But last night was the first time that didn't happen."

"...I'm glad." Blake was admittedly a little flattered at what Weiss had said.

Being an only child, Blake had always been taken care of by her parents. This was the first time she felt she was taking care of someone else. It was a good feeling, and she wanted it to persist.

But the tranquil morning was soon disturbed when Weiss noticed what time it was thanks to the little clock on the wall.

"Oh! We've got to get up! It'll be breakfast soon and Mother will be calling us!" Weiss pushed herself away from Blake and scrambled out of bed, moving so quickly she stumbled several times. Blake sat up and reached for her.

"Do we have to right now?"

"Yes! Or else we'll be late for breakfast and we mustn't ever be late!"

There was an ounce of fear in Weiss' voice as Blake watched her hurrying to her drawers to pull out some fresh clothes.

If Cinder's anger and disappointment had such a detrimental effect on both Weiss' mental and physical health, Blake couldn't blame her for constantly wanting to appease the witch.

Blake herself knew it was wrong, but she had yet to concoct a plan of sorts; it was still too early for that – she would need to live at least a few weeks in the mansion and discover what life was truly like here.

She moved a bit more slowly as she got out of bed, pulling the covers back up to make it neat. Weiss had changed into a white dress, embroidered with the same golden markings that indicated Cinder had made it. Blake assumed all of the clothes in Weiss' drawer were like that.

Aimlessly, the Faunus girl searched about the room for something to change into, but came up empty-handed.

"Would you like to wear something of mine?" Weiss offered as she put on a pair of socks and dress shoes.

Blake shook her head.

"No thanks. Those are your clothes, not mine."

In truth, she didn't fancy the thought of putting anything made by a witch on her body. She felt awful in knowing she was letting Weiss wear such things, but the girl didn't exactly have a choice.

Weiss didn't know of Cinder's dark magics – to her, everything the witch did was good and right. Weiss just physically couldn't see wrongdoings in any of Cinder's ways.

But Blake could, and she knew those golden lines on all of Weiss' clothes were soft chains, silent declarations of who she belonged to. Blake had half a mind to tell her not to wear any of those clothes, but she knew the witch would grow suspicious of Blake if Weiss had suddenly stopped wearing her usual attire.

For now, Blake would just have to keep quiet and observe.

She stayed in the clothes she'd slept in as Weiss finished slipping into her little shoes. Blake put on the sneakers she'd been wearing yesterday – the only things along with the purple bandana around her neck that still existed from home.

Not a minute later, two rings of a familiar bell sounded. Weiss perked up instantly like a trained dog.

"We have to go!"

She hurried to the door and opened it, then paused to reach back her hand to Blake. The Faunus girl let her smile fade away in knowing where they would be venturing, but she took Weiss' hand nonetheless.

They rushed to the kitchen where Cinder was waiting for them, three plates of food set out on the little dining table. The second Weiss reached her, she dipped her head to the witch and let go of Blake's hand.

"Good morning, Mother!"

"Good morning, my dear." Cinder patted the girl's head and smiled. Then her eyes flashed to Blake. "What of your pet? Still no manners?"

"She's just shy, Mother," Weiss mumbled. "She might need a bit of time. After all, her previous mother abandoned her. She's probably scared to trust you."

"I see..."

Blake never tore her gaze away from the witch's; they both knew Weiss' version of the story was fabricated and in fact twisted to the exact opposite of the truth.

But Blake was bound to silence by an intangible contract, and Cinder knew as much. She smirked down at the Faunus girl smugly, until Blake had to look away.

"Very good," the witch purred. "Now then, let's eat."

Blake still wasn't used to sitting at a table to eat, nor was she used to the decent portions and selection. Eggs, bread, and fruit all sat before her, and she took her time with each piece of food, sipping a glass of water in between.

She was sure to copy Weiss' eating habits; whatever the white-haired girl ate, Blake would eat, and she'd only drink when Weiss did. This way, she could ensure she was following a kind of pattern Cinder approved of.

Blake could imagine Weiss had been scolded in the past for eating her food in the "wrong" order, or something of that nature and had now trained herself to eat in a manner Cinder deemed appropriate.

The meal passed without incident, and Cinder took all of their plates to the sink.

"Now run along and start on your meditation," she ordered.

"Yes, Mother."

With that, Weiss hopped off her chair and started toward the hallway. Blake quickly followed her, a dozen new questions on her mind now, but she'd wait until Cinder was out of earshot to ask them.

She followed Weiss into the main living area, a dark contrast to the sunlit bedroom they'd woken up to. That odd, unpleasantly-sharp scent filled Blake's lungs and she winced; she wanted to go back to Weiss' room where the air didn't smell like this.

Weiss led her to one of the few cushioned chairs and took a seat on it. Blake decided to sit on another seat entirely. She flicked an ear to listen for Cinder, but even the kitchen was quiet, and Blake assumed the witch had gone off to one of her many secret rooms.

Her eyes met Weiss', and her voice posed a question.

"Meditate?" she murmured. "What's that mean?"

"Just as it sounds." Weiss straightened her back, keeping her ankles crossed, her feet dangling just a few inches away from the wooden floorboards. "I've got to meditate every day. It's all Mother asks of me."

"Do you have to do it here? What about back in your room?"

"No, Mother insists I do it here."

"For how long?"

"A few hours every day."

"Hours?"

"Yes. I'm quite good at it!" Weiss declared. "But I know you aren't used to it yet, Blake. You don't need to meditate if Mother didn't ask you to. You may just find another way to spend your time."

With that Weiss closed her eyes and stopped speaking.

Blake flicked her gaze about the room.

There... wasn't exactly much to do in this place, despite the mansion's size. But she assumed that was intentional on the witch's part; Cinder only allowed Weiss to do things she wanted her to do.

Well, Blake surely wasn't going to do the same.

Even if she'd wanted to, she didn't think she could meditate in this room with that sharp, bitter scent in her lungs every time, and she took a moment to watch Weiss, amazed at how comfortably she was breathing it in.

Blake snorted almost every exhale of the distasteful air.

She didn't have much else to do now but wait for Weiss to finish.

Therefore, Blake simply sat in her chair, eyes gazing around the room, scouring every nook and cranny she could see. She wanted to know what was here, what was available to her, and if there was anything she might be able to use to her advantage at some point in all this.

But there was next to nothing aside from the few pieces of furniture – no pictures on the wall, no electronic devices. Only curtain-covered windows and a hidden door.

There was nothing of use to her here – she could discern as much after about half an hour of sitting in silence, unmoving.

But Weiss was still meditating, concentrating, her posture erect and breathing purposeful. Blake didn't want to leave her, so she merely slumped back in her chair and closed her eyes.

She dozed lightly, still doing her best to keep on high alert in this house, but nothing disturbed her.

. . .

It must have been after noontime when she heard movement from Weiss' seat, and Blake opened her eyes.

The white-haired girl was stretching now, her blue eyes finally revealed once more.

Blake followed her lead and did the same, sliding off the seat and standing. Weiss hopped down onto the floor as well, sighing contentedly.

"I had a good session!" she declared. "I've never meditated with someone else in the room before, but somehow I was very comfortable doing so with you nearby, Blake."

"I'm glad..." she mumbled unconvincingly.

Truth be told, she detested herself for letting Weiss do as the witch demanded of her, but again, she couldn't afford to risk breaking schedule and rebelling so soon.

Today was vital for Blake to gather information, and she already knew a good deal about this mansion. But there was still much more she would need to observe before she could start thinking about escape.

For now, she went to Weiss and let out a little sigh.

"So, what's next?" she wondered.

"Hmm, usually if I have time left over from meditating, I'll read until dinnertime."

Blake's ears perked up at the prospect of reading – both because she remembered Weiss' promise of how to teach her, and because that was likely something they'd do back in Weiss' room.

But she couldn't help but be appalled that every single one of Weiss' days here merely consisted of sitting in silence, reading a book, and then going to bed.

Even in the slums, Blake had played with her friends most days, breathing fresh air and getting plenty of exercise to burn off her energy. To switch to a lifestyle like this so suddenly would surely make her go insane.

She had a few ideas she wanted to try out, but decided to save them for a time the witch wasn't at home.

"Alright then," Blake agreed. "Let's go rea-"

But she didn't finish her sentence.

A sudden loud banging at the mansion's front doors silenced Blake instantly, and Weiss gasped in sheer terror beside her.

"Run, run!" Weiss hissed, pushing Blake toward the bookshelf. "Hide, w-we must hide! Visitors are never good, only trouble!"

"What?" Blake blurted without thinking. "Trouble? That's probably someone here to help us-" She cut off immediately, realizing her blunder a second too late.

The police were probably searching the town on reports of a missing Faunus child. They were probably looking for Blake herself.

But she needed to remind herself yet again that Weiss knew nothing of the truth. She was presently staring at Blake with wide, frightened eyes.

"Help us? Why in the world would you think they'd do that? No, no! Mother says that anyone who visits us is awful! She bravely stays upstairs to deal with them and eventually chase them away, but we must hide! It isn't safe for us!"

Another knock came on the door, and Weiss grew even more frantic.

Somewhere down the distant hallways, Blake caught sound of a single ring of the bell.

Weiss whimpered and lowered her voice even more, herding Blake toward the hidden door.

"You see? Mother's rung the bell once. Just once means we need to hide. And don't speak, please! We mustn't speak!"

Blake cast one last longing gaze toward the front door, but there was nothing more she could do.

Turning her back on whatever help might've arrived here, she followed Weiss behind the bookshelf and through the hidden door. Everything was dark beyond it, though Blake's enhanced vision allowed her to make out the shapes of the steps below.

It was twice as cold here as it was in the rest of the house, but that didn't stop Weiss from rushing forward down the steps at top speed, indication to Blake that the girl had done this many times before, enough to memorize how many steps there were.

Blake followed close behind her, and upstairs, she could hear the front door being opened and a deep voice spoke. Something told her it really was the police come to search for her.

She longed to run back upstairs and scream for help.

But she knew that if she did, Cinder would kill her on the spot.

Blake couldn't afford the risk, not when she'd sworn to get Weiss out of here alive.

So all she could do was follow the smaller girl across the stone floor, illuminated very faintly by the single small window up above. This one had no curtains covering it either, a discovery Blake was intent to commit to memory; she'd thought the one in Weiss' room had been the only one.

But given the circumstances of how she was to come down into the basement, Blake didn't want to be seeing this window anymore if she could avoid it.

The sharp, bitter scent was absent down here, but it was replaced by a dull, musky smell, almost like what she imagined a cave would smell like.

Weiss wasted no time in rushing to the corner behind the staircase, pressing her back against the wall, and slumping down to bury her face in her knees. Blake hurried to her and did the same, trying to ignore the fact that help was just a scream away.

But if she did make a sound, then so was death.

It was terribly frustrating to know that there was someone here looking for her right now, someone who would take her home if they found her.

And they were probably someone who had once searched for Weiss in this very same mansion however many years ago she'd been taken.

That thought had Blake's heart sinking - the fact that Weiss had likely been kidnapped so long ago that they'd stopped searching for her. They'd given up the hope of ever finding her.

One day, Blake wanted to be the one to return that hope to Weiss' real family, wherever they may be.

But for now, she was silent as a shudder ran through her. She could feel Weiss shivering at her side as well, and Blake moved a bit closer to her.

Her keen hearing could pick up on the muffled sounds of footsteps and voices from above – one was female and there seemed to be two males.

Blake bit her lip to swallow down the scream.

To distract herself, she turned her attention to Weiss, peering through the darkness at the trembling girl at her side. Blake kept her voice to a very thin whisper.

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

Instantly, Weiss cringed and pulled her knees to her chest, stifling a whimper into her dress as her breathing became excessively harsh. Blake recoiled in shock, her voice rising just a little.

"Weiss? What is it? What's-"

She cut off abruptly when Weiss only started trembling more, shaking her head, her frantic breathing becoming meek and shallow.

Blake realized what she'd done.

Weiss had told her not to speak when they were down here. Doing so against the witch's orders would surely result in Cinder's rage, and Weiss was terrified of that.

It made Blake realize that Weiss must have made a sound when she was alone down here once before, and Cinder hadn't been happy about it.

Blake had to wonder what Cinder had done to Weiss at the time, what she'd done to scare the girl so badly that she was now nearly convulsing from the fear of having it happen again.

Part of her wanted to ask, but Blake felt no part of her wanted to know.

But she did know that she'd done this to Weiss right now, brought on the girl's panic attack by speaking. Weiss was terrified they'd get in trouble with Cinder now, so her body was reacting in the only way it knew how to.

Weiss couldn't breathe, silent gasps flying from her lips as she curled in on herself, desperately trying to keep quiet. Blake whimpered and wrapped the girl in a tight embrace.

"Sorry..." she murmured, but that was the last thing she'd say for now. She squeezed Weiss close to her, until she could feel the girl's pulse pounding frantically against her chest. It was so fast Blake feared it would tire itself out until it stopped altogether.

Panic tore through Weiss until she was breathless, her lungs numb and void of use. Blake swallowed hard and begged her thoughts to convey themselves somehow.

/I'm sorry. I won't talk anymore. I'm sorry.../

She pet through Weiss' ponytail, rubbing her back by means of apology and repentance. Blake didn't fear Cinder – right now, she feared for Weiss' wellbeing above all else.

It was torment.

Weiss needed to breathe, but the required gasps would make too much noise, a volume Weiss couldn't accept. All she could do was curl into Blake's chest, clutching weakly at the Faunus girl's back as she struggled for breath. Blake hushed her, keeping her motions and her own breathing slow, hoping Weiss would match it.

"Shh..." Blake whispered to her again and again. It'll be okay.

She could only hold Weiss for a long while, pressing a hand to the girl's chest simply to ensure she was still breathing. She could physically feel the throbs of Weiss' heartbeat, and Blake had to hold back tears.

/Weiss.../

She just held her for as long as possible - waiting - but for what, she didn't know.

Maybe the witch would come down to find them.

Maybe she'd kill them for being too loud.

Maybe Weiss' heart would give out and it would all be over.

Blake couldn't be sure.

She must've held Weiss for hours until the girl finally stopped shaking. Even then, Blake kept her protective hold on her, feeling for her pulse once more. It had slowed, but miraculously not stopped.

In fact, Blake was led to believe Weiss had fallen asleep. That or her attack had dragged her into unconsciousness. But either way, the girl's body had resorted back to a calmer, more stable state.

Blake had closed her eyes a while ago, but only now did she finally let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She let her ears listen to the sounds of the house once more.

For a while, she could hear nothing but stagnant, hollow sounds, and Weiss' breathing.

But then, Blake caught sound of movement from upstairs. There were still three voices, and then the sound of the front door opening. The two male voices died away, the door closed, and all was silent once more.

She could hear the witch's footsteps as she neared the bookshelf, and hastily, Blake nudged the girl beside her. Weiss woke with a start, but quickly heard Cinder's footsteps as she descended the stairs.

The two girls waited in the darkness, huddled together against the cold, unforgiving wall.

Normally, Weiss would've smiled at her mother's arrival.

But not this time. She was too terrified that Cinder had heard noise and now Weiss was in trouble.

Blake straightened up a little, shielding Weiss from the witch's view, her eyes trained on the dark pools of burning amber.

"My, my," Cinder husked, her eyes settling on the crumpled pair, just barely visible thanks to the window light. "What happened down here? I could've sworn I heard noises."

Blake froze, feeling Weiss stiffen as well, holding her breath. She wasn't sure if she could talk just yet. But Cinder soon made it clear.

"Well? Answer me, girls."

Blake could feel that Weiss was starting to shake again, her heart pounding within seconds. Blake didn't want to make her talk like that, so she spoke first.

"It was me," she said. "I forgot we weren't supposed to talk down here. I'm sorry."

Cinder looked down at her with mild interest.

"Sorry? Oh, dear girl. I'm afraid 'sorry' doesn't suffice in this household."

She stepped forward, heels clicking loudly on the stone floor. Blake pressed Weiss a little closer against the wall in an effort to defend her.

But despite her panic, Weiss managed to speak up timidly.

"Mother... she can learn... from her mistake. She won't do it again..."

The clicking heels stopped just a few feet away from them.

Blake watched as Cinder's gaze traveled to Weiss instead, and she inhaled sharply. Cinder was silent for a long moment, and beneath Blake's palm, Weiss' heart was erratic.

But the witch then turned her gaze back to the Faunus girl and sighed.

"Very well," she said. "But just so you know, pet..." She took a step forward, until she was towering over Blake. "I do not give second chances."

With that, she whipped around and headed back to the stairs, the rush of air from her cloak hitting Blake in the face. "Get to bed, the both of you," Cinder ordered. "No supper tonight. I'm exhausted."

But Blake knew it was much more than that; a lack of food was their punishment, and Cinder's silent reminder that she was in control of keeping them alive. She could kill them any time she wished, and she needed Blake to understand that.

Blake watched her vanish up the stairs, making sure she was gone until she turned her attention back to Weiss.

"Can you stand?" she murmured.

Weiss merely whimpered again and shook her head.

Blake wrapped both arms around the girl's torso, letting Weiss hold onto her shoulders as she got to her feet. She helped Weiss stand as well, keeping her arms around the white-haired girl as they slowly made their way toward the stairs. Weiss was still shivering, and Blake knew it wasn't just from the frigid cold down here.

Even so, she wanted to get her back to bed as soon as possible. Perhaps it was best they skipped dinner tonight, because Blake didn't think she nor Weiss would've been able to eat much anyway.

It took a while to best the staircase, but once they had, Blake made sure Weiss got out first. Blake closed the door behind herself, and the two girls stepped into the familiar living area.

Evening had come, as was indicated by the change in lighting, pitiful as that may have been. But this lighting still provided better visibility than the basement had, and now Blake could see just how bad a shape Weiss was in.

She was clearly shaken, dried tear trails smearing her face and all the way down her neck. Blake couldn't even bear to think that all of this was her fault. She pulled Weiss into a hug, murmuring softly into Weiss' ear.

"I'm so sorry. It'll never happen again. I swear it, Weiss."

Weiss sobbed and nodded, clinging to Blake's shirt tightly.

Blake led the girl to the bathroom and used a wet rag to clean Weiss' face a bit, and then her own.

A bath might've done them some good, but neither had the strength or energy to fill the tub. So they merely limped back down the hallway to their shared bedroom.

But before Blake could open the door, Weiss stopped herself.

"I've got to... say goodnight to Mother."

Blake snorted.

"No, you don't."

"I do."

Weiss' reply was emotionless, an automatic response that had been forced into her mind. If she didn't do this, there was no telling what would happen.

So Blake had to let her go, but that didn't mean she had to let her go alone.

Blake insisted she follow along, and Weiss simply gave a weak smile and nodded before heading down the hallway toward Cinder's quarters. Blake followed her quietly.

The designated door was closed, and Weiss knocked softly.

"Come in," came the voice.

Weiss pushed inside, stepping lightly, and Blake followed hesitantly.

The witch's bedroom consisted merely of a large bed covered in dark comforters and drapes, the walls and curtains black.

Cinder sat on her bed, still in her crimson dress and cloak. Her amber eyes met Blake's briefly, but there was disinterest there and the Faunus girl was quickly ignored. Instead, the witch's fingers beckoning Weiss toward her in a hypnotic fashion, like a snake luring in a mouse.

Blake could only stay still and watch, and Weiss could only obey, moving closer until Cinder had scooped her up into her lap.

Blake's ears folded down, part of her fearing Cinder wold strike the girl.

But she seemed to just be balancing Weiss on her knee, rocking her gently.

"I came in to say goodnight, Mother," Weiss said.

"I know, dear," Cinder cooed. "But tell me – why won't you smile?"

Weiss gasped softly.

"I-I'm sorry, Mother. I just feared I upset you and so I-"

"Child," Cinder purred. "I'm not upset. I'll make sure we have a big feast for breakfast tomorrow. I promise."

Weiss finally cracked a smile.

"Okay. Thank you, Mother. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear."

Blake had stayed in the doorway all the while, listening very carefully as they conversed. She'd noticed quite a few things. But above all else, she'd realized the witch was merely driving more abuse into Weiss' mind.

After tormenting her and locking her away, after refusing to feed her and making her cry, now Cinder was promising her daughter she'd make it up to her in the morning. This kind of pattern was one Blake recognized; it told Weiss that the abuse was acceptable, because Cinder always promised to say sorry and make it better later.

The worst part of it all was that Weiss believed her.

Cinder let her down onto the floor, and watched like a hawk as the two sparrows flitted away, the door closing behind them.

Blake ushered Weiss back to their room, relieved to finally breathe in the purer air here.

Moonlight was streaming in through the window unobstructed, dyeing the room in silver. Neither girl changed clothes – they simply crawled into bed and curled up together. Blake pulled Weiss close to her.

"Goodnight, Weiss" she murmured.

"Goodnight, Blake..."

They said nothing more for a while, until Blake was just about to fall asleep. That was when Weiss shifted against her, voice tired.

"Ah... I promised I'd read to you every night-"

But Blake stopped her, gently nuzzling into her shoulder.

"It's alright."

"But I promised."

"Don't worry about it. We can start the promise from tomorrow night. Okay?"

Weiss was still for a moment, then opted to move closer to her.

"Alright..."

It wasn't long after that when sleep swept over Blake, her body and mind both thoroughly exhausted after the frightful events of the long day.

But she only slept for about an hour or so before she was woken by a violent gasp. Her eyes flew open, ears standing tall and alert as she felt Weiss jolt in her arms.

"Weiss? What's wrong? Weiss?!"

The girl in her arms was shuddering, once more having difficulty breathing.

Blake was then aware of the sounds coming from outside, the hissing rain that must have started after she'd fallen asleep.

And then there was a loud crash of thunder.

Weiss yelped and clung tightly to Blake just seconds before her eyes opened wide in fear.

"A-Ah-!"

"Weiss!" Blake pulled her close. "It's okay. It's okay... It was just a nightmare."

"I-I..." Weiss coughed into her shoulder, her body once more assaulted by tremors. "Th-There was a man... he was calling out for me... and a girl..."

Blake realized Weiss had been woken by the thunder.

But what she was describing...

Blake knew that hadn't been a nightmare at all.

Something told Blake those were Weiss' stolen memories of her childhood resurfacing, the childhood Cinder had somehow stolen from her. The man and girl Weiss was describing must've been her family.

But Weiss didn't even know who they were.

Blake couldn't tell her either. She could only continue to hold Weiss and try to help her calm down.

"It's okay. Just breathe..."

The thunder shook the mansion, and with every blast, Weiss grew shorter and shorter on breath. Blake didn't know what more she could do other than hold the girl and whisper to her.

Surely, this much stress on such a small girl wasn't far from becoming harmful. Blake didn't know if she could bear watching Weiss suffer a second panic attack that day.

Several painstaking moments dragged by, and the rain and thunder continued. Eventually, Weiss couldn't take it any longer.

"I-I n-need to go... go to M-Mother..."

Blake's ears went flat, her arms locking tighter around Weiss.

"No," she said firmly. "No you don't. She's sleeping now – you can't wake her."

Blake hoped that thought would dissuade Weiss.

But the girl shook her head.

"But I a-always go to her when there's a storm... I'm scared..."

"You don't have to go to her this time," Blake murmured. "Because... you have me this time."

Weiss was silent, her labored breathing fanning out over Blake's collar and bandana. She pulled away slightly to peek up at Blake past her bangs.

"Y-You...? B-Blake you'll... you'll stay with me?"

Blake smiled and started to let out a small purr, the first in days.

"Of course I will. I won't leave you, Weiss. That's a promise."

And it went farther beyond simply refusing to leave her during a stormy night. Blake wasn't ever going to leave her again. Not until they got out of here.

Blake pulled the girl back to her, purring a little louder.

"I'll keep you warm. And safe. You don't need to go to Cinder. Just stay with me."

Blake waited in silence for a moment for Weiss' response. She continued to purr, letting the soothing vibrations overlap Weiss' flustered pulse, helping to slow her frantic heart rate. Blake squeezed her tightly, rubbing her back, praying.

At last, Weiss whispered a reply.

"Okay..."

Blake's ears stood tall.

"Okay?" she repeated. "So... you'll stay here with me?"

"Yes... if th-that's okay..."

"Of course it is. Please stay with me, Weiss."

"I will. I want to... stay with you, Blake..."

The Faunus girl's purr only grew louder to battle the hiss of the rain outside.

"Thank you, Weiss. Thank you."

Blake hugged Weiss as close as possible and purred as loudly as she could, letting it lull Weiss back to sleep.

And Blake was ecstatic.

This would be her second victory against the witch.

Weiss always meditated as per Cinder's orders, followed her instructions to hide when necessary, and said goodnight to her every evening. Blake couldn't stop her from doing any of these things.

And she had always gone to Cinder on stormy nights.

But that was where Blake had won.

Weiss had chosen her over the witch tonight.

And that told Blake that she could earn Weiss' trust, too.

It was a scintilla of warm hope in this dark, cold mansion of lies and trickery.

Cinder's love for Weiss was false, built on manipulation and abuse.

But Blake was going to show Weiss what love truly was.

It might take some time, but tonight proved she had a shot.

The thought was empowering to Blake.

She waited until Weiss had fallen asleep once more; her pulse dropped and breathing returned to normal.

At last, Blake curled around her, and allowed sleep to come.

She vowed that tomorrow, and every day after that, she would earn Weiss' love a little more, until Blake could finally free her.

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A/N: There's a bit more trial and error to be done and discoveries to be made before things start falling into place, so please stay tuned!