[ It's morning. Weiss is usually the first to get up between the three of the remaining members of RWBY in the room,, so her getting out of bed and checking the window for what's new outside isn't any different. The sun's barely risen by the time Weiss looks out the window. Light seeps through the glass, which is still nothing new. What seems to be new is that there are only two people in the room right now.
A bed that hangs on the ceiling is unoccupied. The bed is kept, which could either mean two things: Ruby Rose was the first to get out of bed between the three of them, or something is wrong.
The latter is more likely. Ruby and Yang enjoy sleeping as much as they can.
Weiss tries not to panic, though. Maybe Ruby did get out of bed early, but when Weiss can't even find Crescent Rose or when she can't even send a message to Ruby via crystal because she wants to know where she is, worry creeps into her entire being and she may have frozen the floor in their room.
Not again. And just like last time, it seems that she's the one who's going to break the news to Yang.
She swallows thickly before she tries to get rid of the ice on the carpet. Usually, just a flick of a wrist or a dismissive thought would turn the ice into glitter and have it dissolve in the air. The ice remains where it is, though, cold and hard on the floor. It's a pretty sight, but there's no room to appreciate it right now what with family being gone.
For now, Weiss gives up and instead takes a seat on her bed. She says nothing and does nothing, and instead waits for Yang to wake. Maybe the cold might make her wake up sooner. ]
[Considering the fact that Yang likes to sleep on top of her sheets and in a simple pair of shorts and a tank top at that, it's a pretty safe bet, even if she tends to run warm.
Yang's not the most interesting person to watch sleep, but while she's waiting for her to wake up, Weiss might notice how Yang doesn't seem to be resting particularly peacefully. Her brows seem to be furrowed into a permanent frown, her lone arm lying across her body with her hand clutched into her shirt. She looks slightly paler than she used to, although that may be in part because she's been keeping indoors more often, but the slight lines under her eyes tell a different story.
A small murmur escapes her, too mumbled to be understood. A few seconds later, a full body shiver runs through her, enough to wake her up at least partially.
With a grunt of complaint, Yang pushes herself up, groggily rubbing at her eyes with her hand. Somewhere in the middle of that, she must have caught sight of Weiss sitting up in bed as she sleepily calls out to her.]
Weiss, can you turn down the AC? Or shut the window or something...it's freezing in here...
[Of course, once she's stopped wiping the sleep out of her eyes, the reason for the cold becomes immediately apparent as she finally sees the floor.]
Oh...
[She's a little too tired still to form the questions she wants to ask so instead she simply looks to Weiss in confusion.]
Sorry. I-- [ She looks down at the floor, then back at Yang. There's a bit of shame in her gaze because she's usually more in control of her emotions, after all. ]
[If something's happened to illicit this sort of emotional response out of Weiss, a little bit of ice on the floor and some cold is the least of Yang's concerns now.
She pauses to push some bedhead out of her face, choosing to stay up on her bunk for now away from the ice floor and suppressing another shiver as she turns to face Weiss a little more.]
...Everything okay?
[She knows the answer to that is "no" but she's having a hard time gauging what type of "not okay" has occurred.]
[Yang's on high alert just at the mere mention of Ruby's name, whatever residual grogginess in her head fading almost instantly.]
What???
[Even though it's not super early in the morning anymore, that was probably a little too loud.
Yang is staring at Weiss with a mixture of concern and slowly rising horror. Ruby leaving without saying anything isn't...unheard of, but can't mean anything good. Ruby leaving without saying anything and then not being able to contact her? That's bad. Very bad.]
Let me try.
[She raises her hand to her amulet, reaching out to contact Ruby. She has to see for herself. There's the extremely faint hope that maybe Ruby's just doing something somewhere that's somehow out of range of the crystal network. Or maybe she was doing something secret relating to Weiss. ...Anything.
But there's no response. It's like getting a "The number you have dialed is no longer available" message, only worse because you don't even get that.
Yang frowns, letting her hand slowly drop back down. She's quiet for a long moment and then suddenly she all but throws herself off the bed, totally ignoring the cold of the floor and almost slipping in her haste to get to her jacket and boots nearby. Screw getting dressed, this is more important.]
Weiss gets to her feet, too. She doesn't seem to be affected by the ice at all because it's as if she's walking on water. It's not at all slippery when she tries to walk to where Yang is. The temperature in the room grows colder, but the ice slowly cracks. The parts of it that meet begin to evaporate into glitter, but it all happens slowly that it might not be noticeable. ]
Where are you going?
[ She's worried, initially for Ruby, but now for Yang as well. ]
[Yang's in the middle of struggling to get her jacket on, god damn it's annoying to get one of those things on with one arm, never mind in a hurry.]
I'm gonna go look for her!
[It's at this point Yang realizes that she's not having any success with her jacket rushing the way she is and, in a fit of frustration, rips the thing back off and throws it onto the nearest bed with an audible snarl, eyes flashing red for the briefest of seconds.
The air immediately around Yang has a damp feeling to it and, combined with the growing cold of the room, almost gives the sensation of the calm just before a storm of freezing rain or hail. Yang is staring at the floor, breathing harshly as she tries to gather her composure in the face of that small rush of temper.
After a few moments of silence, she finally admits, tiredly:]
I'm going to the Wall.
[She's not stupid. She might as well save herself all the time and trouble and check the worst case scenario first. If Ruby's name somehow isn't there, then at least that's one weight off her shoulders and she can figure out the next move from there.]
[ Of course. It makes sense for Yang to react that way and to want to check the wall. Maybe Weiss is a bit too pessimistic though. She's tried contacting Ruby through the crystal and received no response. She thinks there's only one possible reason for it.
She decides not to help Yang, even though she wants to. It might irritate the blonde even more.
[Honestly, Weiss probably made the right choice there. Normally, Yang wouldn't be too proud to accept a helping hand from a good friend but her nerves are already frayed and her temper wearing thin because why has everything been sucking so much lately what happened??? She's just not in a good place to take it with the kindness it'd be offered and she'd feel even worse about snapping at a friend again.
At least now that she's calmed down a little, she can think a bit more clearly as well, looking up at Weiss with a wane smile.]
You don't have to do that. [She hesitates, as if trying to find a convincing reason why.] I mean...you had to go last time too...
[...Obviously, she couldn't find a very good reason.
Yang knows this is basically a foregone conclusion. There's precious few reasons Ruby would just disappear without saying something and even less that they wouldn't be able to contact her. But Yang also just can't accept that until she sees the literal writing on the wall for herself.
She needs to know for sure. She needs that closure.]
You know, that's not a very good reason not to come. I'm not taking no for an answer, by the way.
[ She cares about you, Yang!! You're more important right now, and that reason really was bogus. :')
With her already up, she just has to put on a coat.
It takes her some time because of her injury and all, but at least she can use gravity magic by being upset to make her coat float behind her as she tries to fit her arms into the holes. It hurts, especially her right arm. ]
[She just doesn't want to waste Weiss's time on a pointless venture that's just gonna make them both sad. T_T
Weiss's insistence does bring the slightest bit of warmth to Yang's smile though.]
Guess there's no point in saying it then.
[That stubbornness has always been endearing in its own way and, counter to how she was offering Weiss an out just seconds ago, Yang is actually very grateful that she'll come with her. It'll make things a lot less lonely, inevitable outcome aside.
While Weiss is getting her coat, Yang takes another crack at hers, more calmly and carefully this time: Right sleeve on first as much as possible, pinch-hold it under the armpit and then slide into the left sleeve; straighten as needed. Just like she'd had to learn how to back on Patch. She actually finishes before Weiss and her expression twists at how much her friend is struggling with her own coat.
Quietly, she'll move over to her to help her maneuver it on, even if it's just something as simple as holding a sleeve more open. It's almost funny how, even between the two of them, they don't quite have a functioning set of arms. They really are a pair.]
[ Weiss looks at Yang with a soft laugh, not expecting the help at all. It's a pleasant surprise, and she realises that she can't exactly put a jacket on with her arm and all. So she shakes her head. ]
Sorry... I guess, just drape it on my shoulders.
[ It's been a month and she's still not used to it. ]
I keep forgetting that I can't properly wear anything with sleeves.
[Yang does as Weiss asks and drapes the coat securely around her shoulders, a small sad smile of understanding crossing her features.]
Muscle memory sucks sometimes. [Her expression softens with encouragement.] Hopefully the doc'll give you the all clear soon.
[If Weiss's coat happens to have buttons instead of a zipper, Yang'll be able to cinch one or two for her as well so the coat stays on and closed better. She figured out how to do buttons one-handed a long while back.]
All set?
[There's a strained upward lilt to that question. As if she's trying to think of this like they're taking a trip together to the park or a coffee shop, instead of a trip to the Wall of Names.]
[It'd be hard for Yang to put into words how grateful she is for Weiss's company. She's not especially talkative on the trip over to the Wall but that's probably to be expected and Yang tries to show her appreciation despite her silence, even just in the way she walks alongside Weiss or occasionally gives a small smile.
It's a nice day out at least.
And when they arrive, Yang finds herself even more glad she didn't come alone. The name "Ruby Rose" emblazoned on the Wall again seems almost anti-climatic in its own way. Expected. Yang quietly gazes at it for a few moments before giving a small sigh, fully ready to turn to Weiss and suggest they head back.
It's another name nearby that suddenly draws her attention back with a small puff of breath.]
...Dad?
[Written on the wall, not too far from Ruby's name are the words, "Taiyang Xiao Long" and Yang now stares at it like she can't fully comprehend what she's seeing.]
[ That's. . . a name she didn't expect to see, really. Sun's name happens to be there as well. That's three people from Remnant disappearing the same month. Ruby's disappearance stings the most, but she can't help but feel like her heart is sinking all the more with what she's seeing. Not on the wall, this time, but what she's seeing in Yang's expression. ]
Yang...
[ Weiss doesn't really know what to say, really, but she places a hand on her teammate's shoulder as a means of comfort and checking in. ]
[For a long moment or two, Yang looks like she's a million miles away, her thoughts a whirlwind as she slowly processes everything. She's mostly trying to recall what the last thing she had said to her dad was. It could be a very long time before she could even contact him again, much less see him. Had she at least recently told him that she loved him before he left? And Ruby...she's so glad they did something together not too long ago, goofing around at Swordcon.
...But does any of that even matter if they aren't going to remember anything now that they've both been sent back home?
Somewhat abruptly, Yang blinks to. The pressure of Weiss's hand on her shoulder prompts her to look over, first in a sort of vague confusion, but before too long a faint smile takes over.]
It's fine. They're both back home so...they're safe. You know, mostly... [Salem and her horde is kind of a looming problem but whatever.] It's not like we're not gonna see them again some time.
[...Right?
Yang turns away from the Wall, side-stepping slightly to broadcast her intent to leave.]
Anyway...thanks for coming with me. [She shifts a little awkwardly in place.] I, um, should probably go check my dad's apartment. Make sure nothing important got left there and clear it out for somebody else to use...
[She pauses, looking like she's on the cusp of saying something else, but then she simply shrugs.]
[ If Yang wants to be alone for now, Weiss decides to respect it. To her, Yang might need company, but... she won't argue. Yang's always been the responsible type. She won't do anything reckless after this. All Weiss can offer right now is support. And maybe a way to make Yang smile some more. ]
Alright.
[ She gives the blonde a nod. She's going to stay up and expect Yang to be back home before the day ends, and she will not sleep until Yang is also going to bed.
Just to entice Yang to go home, though, and as a means of saying that she'll be waiting, she adds: ]
I'll make some buffalo wings for dinner. It'll be good, I promise.
[ Not that Weiss' cooking is stellar to begin with! Weiss will try for Yang, though! ]
[Yang wouldn't have said no if Weiss had asked to come along but she definitely needs some time to process things. She knows Ruby going home is tough for Weiss too so she doesn't exactly like that she's essentially ditching her right now but she's just...she just has no idea what to do anymore other than try to keep going.
Going through her dad's apartment will keep her from just going home and lying in bed sullen all day and when, not if, she finally breaks down and either screams or cries about how god damn frustrated she is with everything that's happened over the recent weeks, at least Weiss won't have to see it.
But despite how clouded her thoughts were steadily becoming, Weiss's promise cuts through them like a ray of sunshine. Warmth and gratitude shift across Yang's previously saddened expression. Weiss's understated compassion and kindness is something she continues to love about her.
Stepping back over, she reaches her single hand out to take Weiss's good one, clasping it with a gentle conviction.]
I'm looking forward to it.
[She'll be there. She wouldn't miss dinner for anything now. Not when it's being made with so much care and effort for her.
Lightly, squeezing Weiss's hand again, she adds with a soft smile:]
Take it easy with your arm though, okay?
I'll stop by the bakery on my way home and bring back some crepes for dessert. The fruity ones, you like.
[She wants to do something for Weiss too. She can't even hope to bake anything as delicate as crepes with one arm but that's what bakeries are for and she knows those are Weiss's favorite desserts.]
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-25 06:08 am (UTC)A bed that hangs on the ceiling is unoccupied. The bed is kept, which could either mean two things: Ruby Rose was the first to get out of bed between the three of them, or something is wrong.
The latter is more likely. Ruby and Yang enjoy sleeping as much as they can.
Weiss tries not to panic, though. Maybe Ruby did get out of bed early, but when Weiss can't even find Crescent Rose or when she can't even send a message to Ruby via crystal because she wants to know where she is, worry creeps into her entire being and she may have frozen the floor in their room.
Not again. And just like last time, it seems that she's the one who's going to break the news to Yang.
She swallows thickly before she tries to get rid of the ice on the carpet. Usually, just a flick of a wrist or a dismissive thought would turn the ice into glitter and have it dissolve in the air. The ice remains where it is, though, cold and hard on the floor. It's a pretty sight, but there's no room to appreciate it right now what with family being gone.
For now, Weiss gives up and instead takes a seat on her bed. She says nothing and does nothing, and instead waits for Yang to wake. Maybe the cold might make her wake up sooner. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-26 08:13 am (UTC)Yang's not the most interesting person to watch sleep, but while she's waiting for her to wake up, Weiss might notice how Yang doesn't seem to be resting particularly peacefully. Her brows seem to be furrowed into a permanent frown, her lone arm lying across her body with her hand clutched into her shirt. She looks slightly paler than she used to, although that may be in part because she's been keeping indoors more often, but the slight lines under her eyes tell a different story.
A small murmur escapes her, too mumbled to be understood. A few seconds later, a full body shiver runs through her, enough to wake her up at least partially.
With a grunt of complaint, Yang pushes herself up, groggily rubbing at her eyes with her hand. Somewhere in the middle of that, she must have caught sight of Weiss sitting up in bed as she sleepily calls out to her.]
Weiss, can you turn down the AC? Or shut the window or something...it's freezing in here...
[Of course, once she's stopped wiping the sleep out of her eyes, the reason for the cold becomes immediately apparent as she finally sees the floor.]
Oh...
[She's a little too tired still to form the questions she wants to ask so instead she simply looks to Weiss in confusion.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-09-29 12:51 am (UTC)I can't make it go away right now.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-01 07:11 am (UTC)[If something's happened to illicit this sort of emotional response out of Weiss, a little bit of ice on the floor and some cold is the least of Yang's concerns now.
She pauses to push some bedhead out of her face, choosing to stay up on her bunk for now away from the ice floor and suppressing another shiver as she turns to face Weiss a little more.]
...Everything okay?
[She knows the answer to that is "no" but she's having a hard time gauging what type of "not okay" has occurred.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-07 12:47 am (UTC)[ It's a bit silly to think about this now when she knows they'll meet again, but... she can't help it. It sucks not having Ruby around. ]
Well, I don't know where she is. I tried contacting her, but the transmission wouldn't even go through.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-07 10:15 pm (UTC)What???
[Even though it's not super early in the morning anymore, that was probably a little too loud.
Yang is staring at Weiss with a mixture of concern and slowly rising horror. Ruby leaving without saying anything isn't...unheard of, but can't mean anything good. Ruby leaving without saying anything and then not being able to contact her? That's bad. Very bad.]
Let me try.
[She raises her hand to her amulet, reaching out to contact Ruby. She has to see for herself. There's the extremely faint hope that maybe Ruby's just doing something somewhere that's somehow out of range of the crystal network. Or maybe she was doing something secret relating to Weiss. ...Anything.
But there's no response. It's like getting a "The number you have dialed is no longer available" message, only worse because you don't even get that.
Yang frowns, letting her hand slowly drop back down. She's quiet for a long moment and then suddenly she all but throws herself off the bed, totally ignoring the cold of the floor and almost slipping in her haste to get to her jacket and boots nearby. Screw getting dressed, this is more important.]
I'm going out.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-10 10:50 am (UTC)Weiss gets to her feet, too. She doesn't seem to be affected by the ice at all because it's as if she's walking on water. It's not at all slippery when she tries to walk to where Yang is. The temperature in the room grows colder, but the ice slowly cracks. The parts of it that meet begin to evaporate into glitter, but it all happens slowly that it might not be noticeable. ]
Where are you going?
[ She's worried, initially for Ruby, but now for Yang as well. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-15 02:47 am (UTC)[Yang's in the middle of struggling to get her jacket on, god damn it's annoying to get one of those things on with one arm, never mind in a hurry.]
I'm gonna go look for her!
[It's at this point Yang realizes that she's not having any success with her jacket rushing the way she is and, in a fit of frustration, rips the thing back off and throws it onto the nearest bed with an audible snarl, eyes flashing red for the briefest of seconds.
The air immediately around Yang has a damp feeling to it and, combined with the growing cold of the room, almost gives the sensation of the calm just before a storm of freezing rain or hail. Yang is staring at the floor, breathing harshly as she tries to gather her composure in the face of that small rush of temper.
After a few moments of silence, she finally admits, tiredly:]
I'm going to the Wall.
[She's not stupid. She might as well save herself all the time and trouble and check the worst case scenario first. If Ruby's name somehow isn't there, then at least that's one weight off her shoulders and she can figure out the next move from there.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-18 12:03 am (UTC)She decides not to help Yang, even though she wants to. It might irritate the blonde even more.
And so, she waits. ]
I'll go with you, alright?
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-21 01:01 am (UTC)At least now that she's calmed down a little, she can think a bit more clearly as well, looking up at Weiss with a wane smile.]
You don't have to do that. [She hesitates, as if trying to find a convincing reason why.] I mean...you had to go last time too...
[...Obviously, she couldn't find a very good reason.
Yang knows this is basically a foregone conclusion. There's precious few reasons Ruby would just disappear without saying something and even less that they wouldn't be able to contact her. But Yang also just can't accept that until she sees the literal writing on the wall for herself.
She needs to know for sure. She needs that closure.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-23 01:56 am (UTC)[ She cares about you, Yang!! You're more important right now, and that reason really was bogus. :')
With her already up, she just has to put on a coat.
It takes her some time because of her injury and all, but at least she can use gravity magic by being upset to make her coat float behind her as she tries to fit her arms into the holes. It hurts, especially her right arm. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-26 07:21 am (UTC)Weiss's insistence does bring the slightest bit of warmth to Yang's smile though.]
Guess there's no point in saying it then.
[That stubbornness has always been endearing in its own way and, counter to how she was offering Weiss an out just seconds ago, Yang is actually very grateful that she'll come with her. It'll make things a lot less lonely, inevitable outcome aside.
While Weiss is getting her coat, Yang takes another crack at hers, more calmly and carefully this time: Right sleeve on first as much as possible, pinch-hold it under the armpit and then slide into the left sleeve; straighten as needed. Just like she'd had to learn how to back on Patch. She actually finishes before Weiss and her expression twists at how much her friend is struggling with her own coat.
Quietly, she'll move over to her to help her maneuver it on, even if it's just something as simple as holding a sleeve more open. It's almost funny how, even between the two of them, they don't quite have a functioning set of arms. They really are a pair.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-10-29 11:03 am (UTC)Sorry... I guess, just drape it on my shoulders.
[ It's been a month and she's still not used to it. ]
I keep forgetting that I can't properly wear anything with sleeves.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-06 06:20 am (UTC)Muscle memory sucks sometimes. [Her expression softens with encouragement.] Hopefully the doc'll give you the all clear soon.
[If Weiss's coat happens to have buttons instead of a zipper, Yang'll be able to cinch one or two for her as well so the coat stays on and closed better. She figured out how to do buttons one-handed a long while back.]
All set?
[There's a strained upward lilt to that question. As if she's trying to think of this like they're taking a trip together to the park or a coffee shop, instead of a trip to the Wall of Names.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-08 12:04 pm (UTC)She doesn't seem all that happy, though. ]
Yeah, let's... Let's go.
[ May as well get this over with, right? And when Yang gets the confirmation she needs, Weiss will be there for her. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-22 07:47 am (UTC)It's a nice day out at least.
And when they arrive, Yang finds herself even more glad she didn't come alone. The name "Ruby Rose" emblazoned on the Wall again seems almost anti-climatic in its own way. Expected. Yang quietly gazes at it for a few moments before giving a small sigh, fully ready to turn to Weiss and suggest they head back.
It's another name nearby that suddenly draws her attention back with a small puff of breath.]
...Dad?
[Written on the wall, not too far from Ruby's name are the words, "Taiyang Xiao Long" and Yang now stares at it like she can't fully comprehend what she's seeing.]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-27 11:00 am (UTC)Yang...
[ Weiss doesn't really know what to say, really, but she places a hand on her teammate's shoulder as a means of comfort and checking in. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-12-05 09:42 am (UTC)...But does any of that even matter if they aren't going to remember anything now that they've both been sent back home?
Somewhat abruptly, Yang blinks to. The pressure of Weiss's hand on her shoulder prompts her to look over, first in a sort of vague confusion, but before too long a faint smile takes over.]
It's fine. They're both back home so...they're safe. You know, mostly... [Salem and her horde is kind of a looming problem but whatever.] It's not like we're not gonna see them again some time.
[...Right?
Yang turns away from the Wall, side-stepping slightly to broadcast her intent to leave.]
Anyway...thanks for coming with me. [She shifts a little awkwardly in place.] I, um, should probably go check my dad's apartment. Make sure nothing important got left there and clear it out for somebody else to use...
[She pauses, looking like she's on the cusp of saying something else, but then she simply shrugs.]
...I'll meet you back home later?
(no subject)
Date: 2018-12-05 12:21 pm (UTC)Alright.
[ She gives the blonde a nod. She's going to stay up and expect Yang to be back home before the day ends, and she will not sleep until Yang is also going to bed.
Just to entice Yang to go home, though, and as a means of saying that she'll be waiting, she adds: ]
I'll make some buffalo wings for dinner. It'll be good, I promise.
[ Not that Weiss' cooking is stellar to begin with! Weiss will try for Yang, though! ]
(no subject)
Date: 2018-12-12 11:10 am (UTC)Going through her dad's apartment will keep her from just going home and lying in bed sullen all day and when, not if, she finally breaks down and either screams or cries about how god damn frustrated she is with everything that's happened over the recent weeks, at least Weiss won't have to see it.
But despite how clouded her thoughts were steadily becoming, Weiss's promise cuts through them like a ray of sunshine. Warmth and gratitude shift across Yang's previously saddened expression. Weiss's understated compassion and kindness is something she continues to love about her.
Stepping back over, she reaches her single hand out to take Weiss's good one, clasping it with a gentle conviction.]
I'm looking forward to it.
[She'll be there. She wouldn't miss dinner for anything now. Not when it's being made with so much care and effort for her.
Lightly, squeezing Weiss's hand again, she adds with a soft smile:]
Take it easy with your arm though, okay?
I'll stop by the bakery on my way home and bring back some crepes for dessert. The fruity ones, you like.
[She wants to do something for Weiss too. She can't even hope to bake anything as delicate as crepes with one arm but that's what bakeries are for and she knows those are Weiss's favorite desserts.]