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dear blake,
mom told me this was a good idea. i didn't take her seriously before. but i have the time now, so, hey. here goes.
for a while i wasn't sure exactly which blake i was going to write to. there's a lot i could say to any of you.
now i think that you're seventeen, on your way to beacon, vale. for a fresh start. or whatever it was that you were chasing. i'm not quite sure what it was and i know you're not either. maybe it was a shot at redemption. people have since told me i didn't need that because i didn't do anything wrong. i didn't believe them for a long time, i know you don't either.
your years at beacon will be ok. he will not show up. i know that's what you're worried about, and you can stop now. you have time. you will have to deal with him eventually, he gets more powerful just as you do, but there's more to strength than just bullets in your gun. that's something he doesn't seem to realise, even at the end. you do, though. it's one of the few things i don't regret.
i know you will go into this not expecting much. which sometimes is fair because a lot of people suck. but a lot of people are pretty good, too. perhaps that sounds unrealistic to your ears.
all of your ears. you'll try to hide them but people will find out. don't worry, they'll accept you. there might be a bit of shock first, they will be surprised. especially weiss. but i promise it'll be ok. i've been told they're cute.
there's a lot of people at beacon. and outside of it, i guess. most of them you don't know yet. i know them all, though. try not to shut them out.
you can start slowly, though. you meet your team before you're assigned to them. there are three of them. together you're rwby. that's pronounced ruby, and it's awkward - you can blame weiss when you become good enough friends to not kill each other over it.
weiss schnee is opinionated, self-centered, selfish, and one of the most courageous people i have ever met. she will throw many tantrums, you will have a bit of difficulty with her at first - i know we both recognise that surname - and she will fight to be leader. she has a heart of gold, and she cares, so, so much. eventually. we grow together, all of us, and that includes her. she is not her father, please remember that before you judge her too harshly. you will hate every second of her in charge, and you will probably let her take it anyway. better than causing more fights. that's ok, for now. ozpin, for all his faults, did get one thing right.
that thing is choosing ruby rose as your team leader. her optimism is blinding, and she is the only reason i can sit here and write this right now. i don't know how many times she's saved our llives but i'd probably need more fingers to count on. ruby, like rwby. that's a little ironic, considering that there are four of you, yet she will insist that it was named after her. and then she will never let you forget that. she is childish, immature, and a wreck with more power than she knows what to do with. she is the youngest of all of you, and you will look down on her for a while because of it. her best friend is a dog, at least when you first meet and before zwei is pushed out of the way for weiss. she is also the bravest person i know, and i trust her with my life. she's so open, and at first it will be annoying, but soon it will be a relief. there are too many secrets in our lives.
the third member is your soon-to-be partner. yang is ruby's sister, which is funny because they are nothing alike. ruby is small and childlike, she has dark hair and a weapon too big for her puny arms, but yang is tall and pretty, long blonde hair with. muscles. it is because she works out a lot. you may not like her very much at first, but that is ok. she will still stick by you. just remember to thank her for it. then thank her for telling you not to thank her for it, because she will do that. yang is loud, annoying, and careless. reckless. she throws herself into danger too much, too eager to save others and not eager enough to save herself. even now. i wish she had more consideration for her own health. maybe she'd still have both arms. i can never thank her enough for giving one up for me.
adam's dead, by the way. i'd tell you that someone else did it but i know you won't believe me. i still won't tell you when though, because i know you'll count the days until it happens. yang helped. she gave up her motorcycle for it. she says it was worth it.
mom and dad are ok. they made it away from the white fang safely. i don't know what will become of it now. its leadership is dead. they're still in menagerie, though. it's ok, too. there was a bit of war there, between white fang and the rest of the civilisation. most made it out ok. sun's there now, too. he seems pretty happy.
you haven't met him yet either. he's a monkey faunus. he doesn't know how to button his shirt up. he doesn't take anything seriously, and he's too flirty for his own good. he's great fun, no-one else is quite as exciting. you might think there's something there, for a while. don't be afraid to try it, if you want to. he's safe. don't force yourself to, either, though. things will be ok, and my life is better for having him in it.
ilia was there too. i was beginning to doubt if she was even still alive, but there she was. she's still with adam in your time, but she comes around. she wasn't doing great, but she's free now. i think she's still on menagerie but it's been a while since i heard from her. there's something else too. i'm not sure i should tell you. it's her secret.
writing this feels very clinical. like filling out some kind of fact file. i wonder if this letter will be used to document us and our experiences in the future. that would be a dream. or a nightmare, i'm not quite sure which yet.
i miss them - all of them. things are kind of lonely right now, but i know that loneliness only comes from having company otherwise. i hope you have to miss them too, someday. that means they were there long enough for you to need them.
i don't know if we'll ever find home again.
it's dark right now. i can almost forget where we are. not that i know where we are.
i'm writing by the light of a campfire in the back of a book. it'd normally kill me to be doing this. but needs must. it feels like the time to talk about it, when there's no time to talk about anything else.
at least i can see my team. we're lucky yang knows how to start a fire, weiss and ruby are both useless at this kind of thing and honestly, i'm not much better. remind yourself to learn these skills. we both have night vision, but they don't.
they're all asleep now. i think ruby is drooling on weiss' shoulder. weiss is going to scream when she wakes up. i will make sure i am awake first, so i can get far away by the time she does.
never mind
i think yang's reading this over my shoulder.
she is.
yes you are.
don't lie to me.
i can hear y
"Okay, okay," Yang laughs from next to her, "I'm sorry."
Blake snaps the book shut, she was running out of space in it anyway. She curls her knees up into her chest, and despite being right in front of a gently crackling fire, finds herself subconsciously leaning into the warmth of Yang's side.
"That was private," she grumbles, turning her face into Yang's arm, burying her nose in the soft leather and inhaling the scent, even as she still shakes with barely-contained laughter.
The laughter dies out quickly, though, as Yang seems to sober up. Perhaps she doesn't know if Blake's actually upset or not. It's the least Blake can do to reassure her, then, when she presses a soft kiss into the crook of her arm.
"... I'm sorry," Yang says then, somewhere above her head, "That was dickish of me."
Blake's response to this is just to curl further into Yang. She feels the arm move, and leans forward enough for Yang to pull it out from under her, instead draping it over her shoulders and pulling her close. She smells like vanilla. And sandalwood. Even now, so far away from home.
The ground is not comfortable. They're sat on some kind of gritty sand, under an unfamiliar sky void of stars, backs pressed against a fallen log. Almost as if it was made for this moment. This perfect moment.
Blake takes a deep breath. It'd be more than easy enough to just stay here forever. Forget everything they've left, all that history, and live now. Today. Tomorrow.
Yang clears her throat, "Did you mean it when you said I was pretty?" and ruins the moment.
"-Oh my god," says Blake before she can even stop herself, "You've been reading for that long?"
She sits up, her face a mixture of confusion and amusement, and looks up at her partner. Somehow, she's never prepared for what she finds.
The fire dances in her violets, dying yellow tresses a golden honey and illuminating the soft smirk on her soft lips. Those eyes, they could hold the world and Blake wouldn't even question it. Maybe they already do.
This goddess bumps her with her shoulder, and Blake blinks. Yang's looking at her expectantly and her throat is suddenly dry, "-What?"
"Did you mean it?" Yang says again, ever-patient.
Blake has to force herself to laugh, "You know you're pretty." If she doesn't laugh, she thinks she might cry. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
"Oh," Yang grins with exaggerated cockiness, and Blake rolls her eyes fondly.
"Darling, I'm hot. But you called me pretty," she corrects gently.
Blake feels her face get hot, "-So?"
"... I don't know."
The smirk falters, giving way instead to a thoughtful look as her gaze drifts over to the fire. Yang doesn't do thinking very much - as the entire team likes to joke - but when she does, she gets this crinkle in her brow. It's very cute.
Blake reaches up to smooth it out with a thumb, and in an instant there's a smile on Yang's face again. She feels warm. Maybe it's because of the fire. It's not because of the fire.
Purple eyes return to her own golden ones, her thumb drops to lay resting on Yang's shoulder.
"I think you're pretty too," she says, almost too quiet to hear over the crackling of the fire and for a moment, Blake thinks she might have imagined it.
If she did, this is a beautiful dream. She never wants to wake up.
Blake's head goes back to resting on Yang's shoulder - wrapping her in her scent again - and moments later, she feels the weight of Yang's head atop her own. A golden curtain falls around them both, and everything's perfect, even as Yang brushes it away.
Yang watches, even as Blake's breathing evens out. She finds herself unable to sleep, far too focused on the girl curled up into her side. Her hand comes up to gently card through black locks, and she feels Blake smile against her shoulder. Her hair is so soft, almost as soft as the pair of ears poking into her cheek.
Minutes, hours, moments, pass.
Blake turns into Yang's side, and Yang holds her tighter. How did she get so lucky.
Another moment. Yang turns her head, and presses a soft, lingering kiss between the furry ears atop Blake's head.
And Blake, on the verge of sleep, curls further into Yang, and smiles.