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“A nightmare?” Ruby asked as she looked at their comatose girlfriend in the infirmary.
“Indeed,” Shion said as they strode up to the bed, dream catcher in hand. “They’re a unique Grimm, a parasite that feeds, and multiplies inside a host.”
Maria frowned as she looked over at Shion who continued speaking.
“As you might imagine this presents a problem. I can use my semblance to send you into her dreamscape, and find a way to fight back, and free her.”
“Question,” Maria said, and it was a testament to how serious things were that she was in business mode. The Grimm Reaper as others called her was brought to the fore when one of her most precious people was lying in the bed.
“Yes?” Shion asked as they tilted their head to the side, hat following the motion, and somehow not being dislodged in the process.
Maria tapped the area near her eyes. “Is there a reason we can’t just use these, and burn them out of her?”
“In times past you might have been able to, but many a century ago when there were more with silver eyes, it was found the Grimm began to…evolve in a cruel way.”
“How?” Ruby asked as Shion sighed, and leaned on their dreamcatcher.
“The Grimm decided on a mutually assured destruction when the cleansing silver washed over them and the light began to burn the host.”
“So if we tried, then we’d just be killing her?” Maria asked flatly, a tick in her jaw as she looked at the woman in the bed that held both their hearts as Ruby squeezed her hand, a worried look on her face.
“Most likely,” Shion answered. “It’s possible she might survive, but she would be crippled by doing so, most of her nerve endings burnt out, horrible burn scars, and loss of sensation all over her body. It would be a wretched life at best. With her resources, it’s perhaps even likely she could have some life, but not one that she would enjoy I would wager.”
“Send us in then,” Ruby said.
“You’ll each only have a limited amount of coins when you arrive, six apiece, and if you fail to break through to her you would be wise to save one each for escaping. It is likely to be…highly dangerous.”
Maria only smirked. “Psh, you don’t know Weiss like we do.”
“That’s right,” Ruby chirped. “She’s one of the strongest people I know.”
“Let us pray your faith is not misplaced then,” Shion stated as they gestured toward the bed. “Lie down please, and make sure you are comfortable.”
The two reapers took beds on opposite sides of Weiss, and each grabbed a hand heedless of the warnings as Shion sent them into the dream.
“And now?” Ozpin asked, although he seemed more amused than he should at this point.
“We pray,” Shion answered.
“How long will it take?” Glynda asked curiously.
“It depends,” Shion stated. “Miss Schnee has a strong Aura, and so the Grimm might have a good hold on her already, and will be able to muster powerful defenses. I would not be shocked if they meet with failure the first time. Seeing as time in the dream passes by at a far quicker rate, who is to say?”
Shion winced then. “It has begun.”
Professor Peach, the current nurse, helped them to a nearby bed as they began to wince, and shake.
“Are you alright?” Glynda asked worriedly, her eyes flicking from the shaking Shion to the trio opposite of them in the beds.
“It must be a truly terrible foe for them to already be so hard pressed. You said they were skilled? Close?”
“As close as can be,” Glynda answered instantly. “I was wary of it at first, but I’ve rarely seen a trio so in tune with each other.”
“And they’re all incredibly skilled. Miss Calavera has her family title, Miss Rose, there has been talk of a nickname for her as well as Miss Schnee. They are some of the most powerful huntsmen of their generation.”
Shion let out a gasp as they bent over sucking in air.
“David,” Glynda said worriedly as beads of sweat dotted the other three's head, Miss Schnee reddening to an almost worrying degree.
“Could they be trying to use their eyes from inside the dreamscape?” Ozpin wondered.
“They’re coming,” Shion said as their Aura shattered.
“So soon?” Glynda asked as the pair of reapers sat up almost at once, before they turned to Weiss as they groggily opened their eyes.
“Wakey wakey,” Ruby said with a grin.
“There’s little chance you managed to-” Shion was cut off as Miss Schnee groaned, and rubbed her forehead.
“How did?”
“We told you,” Maria said as she yawned. “We know, Weiss.”
“She already had the thing on the ropes when we got there, and she was just waiting for us because she wanted an opinion,” Ruby admitted.
“That’s…not possible,” Shion said, their jaw dropping.
“Pah, that’s cause you’ve never met Weiss. No one outstubborns her,” Ruby said proudly as Maria helped Weiss sit up, and gave her a cup of water.
“Why are her eyes red, and black?” the headmaster asked warily, Long Memory at the ready.
“Oh right, that’s part of her new adjustment,” Maria said. “We were gonna tell you.”
“Perhaps it would be prudent to debrief you now before you are allowed to leave the hospital.”
“Fine,” Maria granted with an eye roll. “We got inside, and found out Weiss had imagined us in our winter outfits.”
“Right it was all snowy, but I had my cool snowboard stuff, and Maria her winter cloak.”
“Correct, if you were inserted into the dream she would have given you clothes to match the weather, and what she thinks of you, and what you represent,” Shion explained.
“Surprised we got clothes at all then,” Maria admitted as Weiss hissed, and slugged her in the arm hard enough her Aura actually flickered.
Thankfully, when her eyes opened this time they were back to being almost entirely blue.
“So anyway, she let’s us in to this weirdo Atlas thing, that kinda looked like our apartment inside,” Ruby explained.
“Dispatching the Grimm was a joke. It tried to use my memories against me, but it kept digging deeper until it got to more…private memories,” Weiss admitted with a flush.
“I don’t follow,” Shion admitted.
Weiss pursed her lips, and refused to answer.
“Our private tangos,” Maria said shamelessly with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
“And it hurt itself?” Shion asked, wondering if that was how the woman struck it down so easily.
“Ah, you see, the memory it saw was... it was apparently when we were on a hunt. We hadn’t seen any Grimm, but they were there. We’d started getting hot, and heavy in the tent, feeling lots of love, and then we sort of…accidentally of course…” Maria trailed off.
“Flashbanged me,” Weiss said, clearly not happy to have anything private leaked, but knowing they wouldn’t be allowed to leave until they did.
“And that allowed you to dispatch it?” Shion asked as Glynda’s shoulders began shaking as she held a hand up to her mouth.
“Hah! She had that thing waiting for us all trussed up, and when we arrived it starting begging,” Maria said. “Almost killed it on principle.”
“It wanted to merge, or I’d mantle it I suppose you could say. Its powers would feed my own, but it’s entirely subservient to myself.”
“With all due respect Miss Schnee,” Shion began as Weiss held up a hand and with a shimmer her outfit changed to include a strange hat, and aviators the other two really appeared to like.
“I can draw some of the nightmare’s abilities to warp reality to a minor degree, my Aura is far more potent, and in return well…”
“What did you offer it?” Shion demanded.
“It wants us to use our eyes on Weiss during private times,” Maria said as Ruby flushed, and poked her fingers together, clearly embarrassed.
“What?” Shion said flatly.
“Likes the feeling of destruction, but being inside her body it’s now protected by it. A masochist I think is what it’s called,” Maria mused.
“Uh, Weiss you aren’t one though, right?” Ruby asked.
“No,” Weiss said flatly before she flicked Ruby’s forehead in response.
“The Grimm is granting you incredible power because it wants…to…”
“It’s got a kink about silver eyed warriors, and silver eyes I guess, not sure how much of that is from Weiss though,” Maria admitted casually tilting her head to dodge her girlfriend’s furious retaliation. “Can’t fault its taste, we’re pretty hot. So hot we cross species attraction lists!”
“But the battle inside, the coins,” Shion said, trying to make sense of it.
“Right,” Maria said. “You said we could use them for anything.”
“And you used them to battle it?”
“Nope, pizza party,” Ruby explained with an expression that said she didn't feel bad about it. “The Grimm, uh we need a name for them,” she muttered. “Anyway she likes pineapple on her pizza since it tries to digest it back, and she likes the challenge.”
“You used my Aura…to make pizza?”
“We also used it for a snowball fight,” Maria said shamelessly. “Only way we could keep up with the dynamic duo in the dream.”
“It's cheating bringing in outside help, and there were two of you,” Weiss complained as the others watched, unsure what to even say to that.
“But we just love you so much we couldn’t bring ourselves to hurt you,” Ruby said with wide innocent eyes that Weiss scoffed at.
The others noticed she looked pleased regardless of her actions however.
“Yes, well that’s to be expected,” Weiss allowed, sounding proud.
“So you went into the nightmare, found out Miss Schnee had already subdued the Grimm, and it offered to be ‘mantled’ in return for…something,” Ozpin finished lamely as he trailed off.
“It wanted to be eyeblasted,” Maria finished, taking great amusement watching the adults squirm as Ruby picked up as they both moved to bracket Weiss in her bed, clearly tired of being separated.
“Like a lot.”
Shion narrowed her eyes. “Earlier Miss Schnee was very red.”
“Aye, a preview,” Maria bragged. “She was basically begging for the double silver eyes laser show.”
“You weren’t supposed to say anything you pest,” Weiss halfheartedly complained, face in her hands, and already beat red again.
“Daw, it’s ok we love you, and you love us,” Ruby beamed as she smooshed, and rubbed their cheeks together.
“Unfortunately,” Weiss complained with no heat, or venom.
“I mean if you want,” Ruby said, her eyes almost glowing faintly.
“Private!” Weiss hissed, faint swirls of red appearing for a moment.
“Your eyes…”
“When it’s active some red appears in my eyes, more so if I’m actively drawing upon any of its abilities,” Weiss said professionally because someone had to be, and it wasn’t going to be either of her girlfriends, or the Grimm.
“You said she earlier,” Glynda pointed out.
“She identities as female, at least now,” Weiss explained with a shrug, wanting this day to be over, or at least out of the hospital.
“The Nightmare Grimm evolved to harm the host if they detected silver light, how will Miss Schnee fair now?”
“It’s basically being protected by my acceptance now. It’ll be fine,” Weiss assured them as Ruby, and Maria traded a kiss, and the hospital flushed with light for a moment.
When it faded, Weiss was rubbing her legs together, and was extremely embarrassed, but was remarkably unharmed.
“As…you c-can see, not an issue,” Weiss stated, trying to keep her speech as normal as possible, and not break down as she wished.
“Perhaps some more tests,” Ozpin stated.
“No, we’re done, Ruby plan E, our apartment now,” Weiss commanded her.
“We’ll send a report maybe,” Maria offered as she rubbed her hands together clearly anticipating a fun day before the trio were gone, and vanished with only rose petals left in their wake.
“I’m going to drink,” Shion remarked.
“It’s eleven in the morning,” Glynda reminded them.
“It’s five somewhere,” Shion countered as she accepted the flask of booze the headmaster procured from…she didn’t care where.
“I did tell you they were exceptional,” David remarked as Shion merely drank faster in response.
With any luck she could forget this day ever happened.
Then she got a report on her scroll that merely said:
‘Status - Weiss remains fine. Will test again.’ Followed by even more updates.
‘Likes it rough.’
‘Very flexible.’
‘Knows a lot of tricks, Weiss still fine, in all senses of the word.’
There wasn’t nearly enough booze in the world for this.