66

Chapter 66: Preparations

One hour later

However Roman thought this day was going to go when he woke up… this wasn't it.

While everyone's attention was still on him, there were noticeable groupings spaced throughout the room. The RWBY's were huddled together (no surprise), whispering amongst themselves as they tried to absorb all they'd just heard. Penny, Ilia, and Ciel stood with them, the former two troubled by everything while Ciel just looked overwhelmed. Neo stood just behind them, alternating between eavesdropping on their conversation and giving Roman her best 'we-are-talking-later' death-glare. The STRQ's stood silently as they thought, though each shot Roman sharp looks every few seconds. The Belladonna's talked quietly amongst themselves, something about the White Fang. And Ozpin...

Twenty-odd years ago, the maddening little terror Roman had once been would have been thrilled, no, proud, to have reduced the seemingly implacable Professor to crumpling over his desk, head held in his hands as he slumped in his chair.

Adult Roman, though?

He felt like he'd just broken a piece of the world.

"Uh…" Roman rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he looked around the room. "I got to admit… didn't think I'd drop that big of a bomb today."

Outside of a weak glare from Winter, no one reacted to him.

"How could we miss this?" Ozpin muttered lowly, still staring down at nothing. "It was right here, right under our noses the entire time, and…" The Headmaster cut himself off with a deep, frustrated breath. He looked up briefly at Ironwood, the General leaning against the desk with his brows pinched. Ozpin let out a huff of a laugh, devoid of humor. "It appears I owe you an apology, James. Clearly, I do not have as good a grip on Vale's safety as I thought."

Ironwood looked to him in surprise but quickly shook his head. "I'm not exactly in a position to say 'I-told-you-so', Oz. We were both blind to this." He then fixed Roman with a sharp look. "You're certain this is all accurate, Huntsman?"

Roman crossed his arms, looking miffed. "No, General, I made it all up just to make you piss yourselves." He rolled his eyes as Ironwood glared. "Yes, it's accurate. If Matchstick gets her way, all the Grimm at Mt. Glenn are going to come running to the all-you-can-eat fear buffet that is Vale, courtesy of the soon-to-be tragedy that is the Vytal Festival."

"But… how?" Winter asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Her disdain for Roman's presence had been pushed aside due to the sheer magnitude of his words. "What could she possibly do at the festival to cause-"

"Manufacture an accident," Roman cut in. He drummed his fingers on his arm, agitated by the tension in the room. "Wouldn't be all that hard. One of her little-lost puppies, Emerald, has an illusion Semblance. Two Junior Hunters are bashing the hell out of each other in the ring, Emerald convinces one of them that they're in more danger than they are, they use a little too much force defending themselves…" He shrugged. "The whole city sees a couple kids kill each other on live television because their teachers told them to kick the crap out of each other? An instant cesspool of confusion, fear, and anger on a city-wide scale."

Off to the side, Qrow cursed under his breath. He leveled Roman with a hard stare. "Roman, what the hell? How could you go along with this?"

Roman threw his hands up in exasperation. "Hey, I didn't think it would actually get that far! I figured I'd just play along until Oz or Ironwood busted down the door. While Matchstick and Taurus got carted off, I'd nab all their cash and split."

"That can't just be it, Roman," Ozpin said before anyone could refute the conman. "We have regulations, safeties in place to keep the festival as safe as possible."

Roman raised a brow. "Did you make a plan for overpowered robot girls?" He sent a sharp look towards Penny.

In an instant, Ironwood and Winter stiffened. Across the room, Penny's head shot up, her eyes blowing wide, her friends splitting their startled gazes between her and Roman. Everyone else in the room instantly followed Roman's gaze, the adults in surprise, while Ciel and Ilia appeared shocked.

"Robot?" Ilia asked faintly, making Penny flinch as she looked her up and down.

Winter's eyes widened even as she tried to appear calm. "How do you-"

"Cinder's got all sorts of information that she shouldn't," Roman was already answering, waving Winter off dismissively. "Not that she ever told me where she gets said info," he grumbled. "But yeah, Matchstick's whole plan hinges on Laser Lass over there getting disassembled live on TV." He bobbed his head towards Penny, making the girl flinch.

Ironwood and Winter shared a quick glance. Ironwood gave Roman a hard look. "I'm not sure what-"

Roman's flat stare darkened. "The chick shoots laser beams all willy-nilly, she can pull swords literally out of her backside, and I somehow took her out of commission with an EMP. Look, I know you hate me, but give me some credit."

Winter opened her mouth to yell at him but was cut off by Ozpin. "Penny is already on par with most Huntsmen in terms of skill, Roman. And that's without the added benefit of her nature." She locked eyes with Penny, giving her a small nod. Penny, not quite sure how to take that, nodded meekly in return. "While there are many powerful trainees in the tournament, they'll be hard pressed to gain a mere victory over her, let alone accidentally land a killing blow."

Roman gave Ozpin a doubting look, pulling out his scroll and swiping through it. "Actually, there is exactly one. Uh… yeah, here. Pyrrha Nikos."

To the surprise of all, the Headmaster's eyes widened, his shoulders tensing. To his side, Goodwitch stiffened, her grip on her tablet tightening. Ironwood gave him an odd look, eyes narrowing.

Roman didn't notice this, still looking at his scroll. "Oh, yeah, now I remember. Mistral's lovely little gladiator. Has her face plastered on every box of Pumpkin Pete's cereal." He then looked up, locking eyes with Ozpin. "Wanna take a guess what her Semblance is?"

Ozpin swallowed discreetly. "Magnetism."

Roman nodded, his usual smarmy smile returning. "Correct, Sir! Now, picture this," Roman held his arms out, gesturing around as he started pacing about the room, locking eyes with whoever he was closest to. "Miss Nikos, this lovely little master of magnetism, works her way through the tournament until she's against our little robot buddy here. They fight and they fight, the crowd loving every second of it. Then, Cinder's little minion steps in and uses her Semblance on Miss Magnet. Nikos thinks she's in genuine danger, instinct kicks in, and she lets loose with a big burst of magnetic mayhem. Now, anyone else, their weapon goes flying, maybe they get a few piercings torn out. But our little metal maiden here?" He met Ironwood and Winter's eyes, not looking intimidated in the least. "You know the most about this, you tell me: What happens next?"

The two stared back at him in silence, Ironwood's expression hard, while Winter looked shocked, almost frightened.

"Catastrophic damage."

Everyone turned to face Penny, who had her head held down, not meeting anyone's eyes. She bit her lip, before continuing.

"Most of the alloys in my makeup are susceptible to magnetism. During combat, I have no means of defense against such an attack. And… depending on the strength of the magnetic field, my internal CPU could be at risk of corruption or…" She trailed off, then finished with, "Chances of recovery are… minimal."

The room fell silent as everyone tried to process what she was implying.

"Penny…?" Ruby said softly in disbelief, taking a step towards her friend. "Are… are you saying you could die?"

Penny met her silver eyes, before quickly looking away. "I-I don't know if my deactivation could be considered a true death, but… as I would likely be unable to c-continue a-as I a-am…"

As the android started to stutter, emotion choking her words, Ruby lunged out and wrapped her in a hug. Weiss was quick to put her hand on Penny's shoulder, silently giving her support as well.

"Penny… that won't happen." Ruby's voice shook as she squeezed her friend in a crushing hug, before hardening with conviction. "That's not going to happen!" She turned her silver eyes on Ozpin, daring him to say differently. "Right, Professor?"

Ozpin met her gaze evenly, giving a slow respectful nod. "With the knowledge we now have, we are going to do everything in our power to prevent it, Miss Rose." Looking back to Roman, he asked, "Is that the extent of their plans?

Roman gave Ruby a long look before continuing, his posture straightening a bit. "Yeah, as far as I know. Robo-girl gets ripped apart on live TV, showing Jane and Joe public that, A, the military are building human-looking robots that you can't tell are robots, and B, Beacon's students are willing to kill each other just to win a petty tournament. Everyone's asking questions, no one's getting answers, paranoia and panic start to spread; a perfect storm for mass hysteria. Cue the Grimm horde and the robotic revolution. Matchstick… er, Cinder has something she wants to do once all hell breaks loose, but I wasn't made privy to the details."

Raven shook her head, giving Roman a fierce glare. "Roman, this is insane, even for you. How could you go through with this?"

"Hey, I didn't actually think it'd actually work! Do you have any idea how many stars have to align to make even a fraction of this crap happen? With all the noise we were making? I was just waiting for the cops to bust in and shut the whole thing down so I could slip out the back." He threw his arms out wide, letting out a near-manic laugh. "But apparently, I was wrong! I was the only one who knew what was going on! Normally, I'd be thrilled to know something everyone else don't, but instead, knowing this whole mess might actually happen now, I'm fucking terrified!"

"I'm surprised this is such an issue for you, given your… lifestyle," Winter interjected, not even bothering to hide the scorn in her voice.

Roman gave her a flat, wide-eyed stare. He then spoke slowly, as if to a child. "Queeny, these people are constantly spouting about taking over the world. I'm talking real end of days crap. Now, my entire enterprise can be boiled down to me stealing stuff from people, to get money, so I can prepare to steal more expensive stuff, to get more money." He lifted his arms as he suddenly yelled. "So what's the point of me helping these nuts if there's no people left to steal from, and nowhere to spend the money? Answer that, Brainiac!"

"Enough."

All chatter throughout the room ended at the sound of Ozpin's commanding voice, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The aged Professor took a moment to calm himself, before speaking aloud. "As grave a matter as this is, we have one benefit: time. We have until the Festival to work out a solution to preventing this… travesty. But right now, I'm afraid the reason for this meeting has gotten away from us."

He looked towards Team RWBY. "Adam Taurus is about to bring the full brunt of the White Fang down on these girls. As Roman has said, he is currently unstable and not thinking clearly. That, combined with the efforts of Huntsman Rose and Miss Amitola working on the inside, gives us a chance to not only prevent undue harm but bring Taurus into custody and dissolve his corrupted White Fang."

He paused, meeting the eyes of all in attendance, but most importantly Roman, Ironwood, and Ghira. "We have a lot of work to do and information to sort through. If anyone has any ideas on how to proceed, make them heard now."

The planning went on for hours, far after the sun had gone down. Roman, Ilia, and Blake laid out every bit of information they had on Adam and the White Fang, while Ghira provided any insight they may have overlooked. Ironwood and Winter started taking stock of what the White Fang had at their disposal, asking what of it Adam might use… to which all three former(?) criminals agreed was 'Whatever he could get his hands on'. Everyone else set about formulating some kind of counter-plan, one which would end with Team RWBY's safety, Adam's arrest, and Vale's White Fang either dissolved or back under Ghira's leadership.

Ideas were brought up and shot down by the minute, tempers flaring and being cooled as the night stretched on. There were so many conflicting views, from Winter's by-the-book nature running up against Qrow's blatant disregard for needed authority, to Ironwood and Ghira's morals clashing with Roman's underhanded tactics. All the while Ozpin and Taiyang tried to play mediators, with varying success.

And through it all, Raven just watched the proceedings, offering her opinion when asked, but mostly opting to glare Ozpin's way, waiting.

Ruby tried to keep up with everything, but between the numerous unfamiliar names and strategies being mentioned every few seconds, she quickly became lost. When she'd whispered as much to Weiss at one point, Ozpin had shot her a quick grin between the arguing.

"Consider it an inside look at a Hunter's life, Miss Rose. You shall learn it all in time."

It wasn't until half-past nine that they'd hammered out a basic plan. Shadowed by Qrow, Winter, and a few other Hunters, Ilia would pretend to lead Team RWBY to the ambush point. Once Adam showed himself, they would turn the trap around on him, with the help of Roman, Neo, and their 'hired muscle' surprising the White Fang from behind. When asked who Roman planned on 'hiring,' he merely looked towards Raven. With a roll of her eyes, Raven agreed to find some people she trusted, earning her a knowing smile from Roman and Qrow.

"It's a decent baseline," Ozpin said as he finished his fifth cup of coffee. "We can work out the fine details at a later date; perhaps after we've all gotten a good night's rest."

"We can't wait too long," Ilia spoke hesitantly, her voice admirably level considering she had the attention of three of the most powerful men in the world. "Adam wants to… reach an end, relatively soon."

"That may work to our advantage," Ironwood said. "Waiting a bit might make him more careless."

"Or more unstable," Ghira countered. Neither he nor his wife were very keen on letting their daughter and her Mates use themselves as bait, but were finally convinced by a combination of Blake's assurances and the sheer amount of waiting support Ozpin and Ironwood would be supplying.

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "We'll reconvene tomorrow, hopefully with clearer heads. Until then, I say we break for the night."

There were murmurs of agreement throughout the room, and the group started breaking up to say their nightly farewells. Blake flashed her Mate's a quick smile before walking over to her parents, Weiss doing the same to speak to Winter.

With the planning over, for the time being, Ruby let out a semi-discrete sigh of relief. She could feel her eyes drooping and after the sheer amount of… everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, she just wanted to go to bed. If only so, for a few blissful hours, she could just stop thinking.

A quick meeting with Yang's tired eyes let her know her sister felt the same way, the blonde offering her a small smile. Ruby smiled back, only to look forward when they noticed Raven approaching them.

The dark woman looked between them both, the corner of her lips pulled up into the tiniest of smiles. "I…" She tried to say something, but couldn't seem to find the words. Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a breath a humorless laugh, giving them a sad sort of smile. "I can't think of anything else to say, but 'sorry' doesn't quite cover it."

Ruby frowned lightly at her, nodding slightly. "Not really…" she muttered softly.

Yang looked at her mother with an uncertain glint in her eye. "So... what are you going to do now?"

Raven let out a small breath. "Try to make a few calls before finding a place to sleep. I think I know what Roman's getting at, and… it's going to take a day or so to get what he wants."

Yang shook her head, frowning. "No, I mean… after this. I'm… I'm glad you're willing to help with this whole… jealous, killer ex-boyfriend thing…" She couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her, but any humor she felt faded fast. "But… when it's over…"

"Are you going to leave again?"

The mother and daughter turned in surprise towards Ruby's sudden question. The speedster blushed at having blurted out what she knew Yang was trying to ask, but kept her silver eyes on Raven's crimson ones.

Raven's eyes softened a little. "I guess… that depends on what you two want."

Ruby bit her lip as she felt Yang's emotions flare, Surprise, Trepidation, Hope swirling away beneath her blank mask. She swallowed as she asked what her sister was thinking. "Would you stay… if we wanted you to?"

For a brief moment, Raven's face went slack. Her eyes widened, her mouth parting slightly. She schooled her features quickly, but both of her daughters had seen it, and both noticed the slight sheen in her eyes. "I… I have a… business set up in Mistral. But… with my portals, I can be here whenever you need me. Just call, and… I'll be here. Always."

Ruby looked up at Yang. Her sister was doing a valiant job at appearing unfazed, but… Ruby could see her hands shaking. She reached out to take Yang's hand, the blonde looking back at her with glossy eyes, asking. Ruby gave her a small nod, unable to hide her uncertainty, but willing to give Raven a chance. Yang let out a small breath, before slowly turning back to Raven. "We… we'd like that," she said softly.

Raven blinked a few times, taking a shaky breath. She nodded to them. "Okay then. You both have my number?"

Yang patted her front pocket, Ruby nodding with her. "Yeah…"

"Good," Raven said. "That's good." Her eyes darted around a bit, as if unsure what they should be looking at. "I, um… I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

When she looked ready to step away, Ruby found her feet moving her forward. No one was more surprised than her when she put her arms around Raven and gave her a hug.

"See you tomorrow," she murmured in Raven's shoulder.

Raven froze, her eyes blown wide as she held her arms out wide. "Um… I-I'm not exactly the hugging type, Ruby."

Despite herself, Ruby couldn't help a slight grin. "Most people aren't."

Yang snorted lightly.

Raven blinked, a little startled, before letting out a defeated sigh. "Ruby, you are so much like Summer, it's scary." She awkwardly hugged Ruby back, a grin of her own playing on her lips. "See you tomorrow, Little Rose."

Ruby held Raven for just a moment longer before releasing her. She stepped back, and let Raven turn towards Yang.

The mother and daughter stared at each other, their arms moving awkwardly like they weren't quite sure what to do. Raven then put her hand on Yang's shoulder, offering her small smile. "I will see you tomorrow," she said with conviction.

Yang swallowed thickly. She nodded in return, her lips pulling up a little as well.

Raven's smile grew just a bit. She looked between her daughters one last time, giving them a farewell nod, before walking away, towards where Qrow and Ironwood were speaking, Zwei panting happily at their feet. Qrow looked up as she approached, flashing the girls a smile and lazy salute.

They waved back at him, turning towards the elevator, when Taiyang walked up to them.

"Girls…" He started, a conflicted look clear on his face. "I…"

He was cut off when Ruby launched herself at him, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck. Taiyang blinked in surprise, before wrapping her in a hug.

"We need to talk later," Ruby said firmly.

Taiyang sighed. "I know."

"...you're still my dad."

He let out a watery chuckle. "I figured."

When he let her down, Yang gave him a small punch to the shoulder, smiling. "Since you're in town for a little while, think we could spar a bit? I have some… kinks to work out with my Semblance."

Taiyang smirked at her. "Yes, Yang, I'll help you keep your girlfriends from making your mistakes."

Yang's cheeks tinted a bit as she gave him a harder punch, but she grinned back at him. "Thanks." As he walked off to join Qrow and Raven, the sisters moved towards the elevator. Seeing this, Blake gave her mother one last hug, while Weiss bid Winter farewell… along with getting another rib-cracking embrace from Penny. They both joined the sisters as they entered the elevator, catching sight of Roman tipping his hat to them with a smirk just before the doors shut.

Once they were alone in the elevator, all four girls wilted where they stood. Ruby let out a small whimper, practically falling against Weiss. "Can we just go to bed?" she mumbled into Weiss' collar.

"I second that," Yang groaned, rubbing at her eyes. Sensing her exhaustion, Blake bumped shoulders with her, cueing the blonde to wrap an arm around the Faunus' shoulder, pulling her close and resting her head on her shoulder.

Weiss smiled gently as she slipped her hand into Ruby's. "You'll get no argument from me."

"Same," Blake agreed quietly.

From there, the ride down and the walk to their dorm was… uncomfortably silent. Blake and Weiss kept sending each other concerned looks, both well aware of the Uncertainty, Conflict, and just general feeling of Overwhelmed swirling just beneath the sisters' tired appearance. Without any other options, they just held their partners close as they made their way through the empty halls of Beacon.

The uncomfortable air around them, however, was mercifully broken once they reached their dorm, and found an unexpected surprise.

"Oh!" Weiss exclaimed, her blue eyes shooting wide. "I… didn't think it would get here so soon."

Where her and Ruby's beds once were was a truly massive bed, so wide it filled the space between the wall and Blake's long bookshelf. It was dressed in an oversized version of the standard Beacon sheets and covers, with six large pillows piled against the headboard.

Yang let out a large breath. "Geez, Weiss," she laughed in disbelief as she walked up to the bed, pulling Blake along with her. "I know you said oversized, but… damn…"

Blake stared with wide, shocked eyes, her cat ears flat against her skull. "Weiss…" she breathed. "How much did this cost?"

Weiss tilted her head up innocently, looking anywhere but her Mates' eyes. "Enough…"

Ruby actually squealed in delight, kicking off her shoes and jumping up on the bed. "It's huge!" She fell back onto it, letting out a contented sigh. "It's like a giant marshmallow…"

The others laughed at her antics, before moving about the room to collect their sleep-clothes.

As they started climbing into their new bed, though, Weiss and Blake locked eyes. With a small nod, Blake crawled until she was at the farthest end, her back near the wall. Yang gave her an odd look, before following her. When Ruby stayed standing at the foot of the bed, giving Weiss a confused look, the heiress just nodded towards the bed.

"You two can sleep in the middle tonight."

Ruby blinked in surprise, but then just shrugged, crawling under the covers next to Yang, Weiss following right behind her.

Yang looked between the heiress and the Faunus, getting suspicious. "Okay… what are you two doing?"

Weiss and Blake shared another look. Blake wrapped her arm around Yang's shoulder, giving the blonde a concerned look. "You both Feel… off."

Yang hung her head, groaning. "Uh, this is a therapy thing." She gave them both an exasperated look, even as she couldn't help but lean into Blake's warmth. "Girls, you don't need to treat us like we're made of glass."

"We aren't," Weiss assured as she scooted closer to Ruby, who had looked down at the covers as soon as she heard Yang's words. "We're just concerned. You both had a lot dropped on you today." She gave each of the sisters a stern look. "And… please don't just say you're okay. We can Feel that you're not."

Yang narrowed her eyes at her, then turned away, crossing her arm stubbornly.

Weiss huffed at her attitude, but then felt Ruby tense next to her. Her sternness melted in an instant. "Ruby?"

The speedster looked between them all, her hands gripping and releasing the covers nervously. She finally met Yang's eyes, the blonde's face showing instant concern. With no need for prodding, Yang pulled Ruby to her, Weiss coming along for the ride. Ruby swallowed nervously, but a quick burst of Assurance from all sides made her release a deep sigh.

"I… I don't know how to feel," she quietly admitted, her voice little more than a mutter as she leaned her head on Yang's shoulder. "I mean… I'm happy Raven didn't just abandon… us… I'm happy that she, a-and Dad and M-Mom loved us… but…"

"But…?" Blake asked gently.

Ruby's throat bobbed, like she was trying to force out the words but they just wouldn't come. Eventually, Yang said what she was thinking, letting out a small scoff that sounded more like a defeated sigh.

"They lied to us," she muttered, her hold on Ruby tightening just a bit as she refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Our whole lives, they lied to us."

"Y-yeah," Ruby agreed quietly, nodding. "A-and, I… I-I know they didn't want to hurt us, and… a-and I know they just did it to keep us safe, but… but…" She stuttered to a stop, but her emotions made her thoughts clear.

Hurt. Conflict. Confusion. Hurt.

"Everything we know is wrong," Ruby whispered, hugging herself tightly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Ruby…" Yang muttered, her voice thick. "Sis… c'mere."

Yang wrapped Ruby in a protective hug, slowly lowering them both down. Ruby curled into her almost instantly, the dam breaking as she buried her face into the crook of Yang's neck.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Ruby muttered, unable to stop the tears.

"It's okay, Ruby," Yang whispered to her, her soothing words coming with practiced ease. "We're okay. Just let it out."

It didn't take much for Ruby to do just that, smothered sobs filling the room as she shrunk into Yang's arms. Yang blinked rapidly as she felt Ruby tremble against her, something her girlfriends immediately noticed.

"That's true for you too, Yang," Blake said quietly, making the blonde tilt her head up as she slowly ran her hand up and down Yang's arm in a soothing motion. "It's just us. You don't have to hold it in."

Yang held her gaze in weak defiance, but soon looked away. She took a shuddering breath, holding Ruby closer, and buried her face in her sister's hair.

"Do you need anything?" Weiss asked softly, feeling a little helpless as she watched the two shiver in each other's arms.

Yang didn't look up, merely taking a deep shuddering breath. "Just… hold us," she whispered brokenly,

It was a plea Blake and Weiss were more than willing to acquiesce to, settling in next to their partners and holding them from behind.

Yang didn't sob. She didn't make a sound. She just listened to her sister's muffled crying, feeling the warmth and comfort of Blake holding her from behind while Weiss ran a hand through her hair, as a steady stream of tears slowly trailing down her cheek.

Time ticked by slowly, until Ruby's cries tapered off into deep breathing, Yang's body finally relaxing. Once they were sure the sisters were asleep, Blake and Weiss looked over their slumbering forms, locking eyes.

"They're not the only ones who need to talk, Blake." There was no reprimand or scolding in Weiss's quiet tone, just the same soft concern she'd shown Yang and Ruby.

Blake's amber eyes widened a little, her cat ears pinning back further. When Weiss just kept up her expectant gaze, she let out a heavy sigh, hugging herself against Yang's body. "Adam wants to kill you," she murmured in Yang's hair. "He's going to try to kill you all just because I love you."

Weiss huffed a little, expecting as much. "Well, to be fair, he wanted to kill me long before we met."

Blake shot her a sharp glare. "That's not funny."

"I didn't mean it to be," Weiss agreed. She scooted herself up on the bed, reaching over Ruby and Yang's heads to give Blake's ears a soft scratch, coaxing them to lift a bit. "I'm just pointing out that you're not the reason he's like this."

Blake pushed herself up a little into Weiss's touch, blinking slowly at the sensation. "I just… I don't want him to hurt you three."

"He won't," Weiss muttered, her tone firm. "We've got your family, Ruby and Yang's family, Winter, Ozpin, Ironwood… we have so many people watching out for us. And… we have each other."

Blake couldn't help but giggle slightly. "That was a little cheesy."

"Hm… yeah…" Weiss smiled fondly, looking down at Yang and Ruby. "I… guess they're rubbing off on me."

Blake laughed again, then followed her gaze. The two just watched the sisters sleep for a few moments, letting the peaceful atmosphere wash over them.

"They're going to need us," Blake eventually whispered.

"Then we'll be there for them," Weiss answered frankly, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

No more words were said. Blake and Weiss gave each other one last good-night smile, before snuggling close to their partners. Yang and Ruby each let out small, contented sighs at the closeness, and Blake and Weiss soon followed them to dreamland, Blake filling the room the soothing sound of contented purrs.

Betad By Covert Weapon

A/n: So, two things

1. As you just read above, LiLaL now has a Beta! Please welcome to the stage one Covert Weapon, who has graciously edited not only this and all future chapters, but also all the previous ones! I am currently uploading the edited chapters as I find time to do so, and am very thankful for their help. Seriously, my friend, thank you.

2. I'm an idiot. Despite knowing what a bad idea it is, through experience, I have started a whole new My Hero Academia story. Yes, that is why this took so long to get out. I was attacked by a plot bunny, and he has seen fit to annoy me at the most inopportune times. And… I really like it and want to keep expanding on it. So… that's a thing now.

That said, if you're a fan of MHA and haven't read my story yet, please do! I gave Izuku a Quirk that's basically fusion à la Steven Universe/Dragonball Z. It's… gotten a lot more support then I thought it would, honestly.

Okay, shameless plug done. Next chapter: A collection of Snippets as Team RWBY acclimate to having their loved ones on Campus, including JNPRSN meeting the Belladonna's, Roman explaining some stuff to Neo, and the Raven/Ozpin talk that… well, I promised to have this chapter before the plot bunnies laid siege. Curse you, plot bunnies!