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  Over the course of the rest of the school semester, Weiss became good friends with Blake, Amber and Layla. The three girls never did explain about their circumstances with Ires for good reason, but they did make sure that she wasn't in any danger. Weiss did find it a bit suspicious whenever they flew past her classroom right before school ended, but she never questioned them in the slightest. Finally, it was almost winter break, and snow had begun to fall. On the last day of school, Weiss had wanted to walk with Blake back to the dorms, but ended up missing the opportunity when Blake and the others had to run off early again. Blake usually felt a bit bad for having to leave Weiss back at the school, but with the recent influx of Ire attacks in the city, they really couldn't do much about it. Maria and Ryne already had their hands full with attacks during class times so she felt that they couldn't impose further. Especially because Ryne was already grumpy most of the time for having to do them in the first place. Weiss, sighing in disappointment, made her way back to the dorms in silence. She moved in with Blake about two months ago and they had been well-adjusted to the place, especially because they managed to get the room right across from Amber and Layla's room. Th previous owner of that room had just about enough of surprise destruction to the front of her dorm and packed up to leave. She did however manage to rent Blake's apartment as a place to stay, so everything worked out. Weiss entered the dark room and turned on the lights to put away her things when she heard a crash just outside. It sounded like it came from Layla and Amber's room so Weiss stepped out to investigate.
"Come on! Come on! Stay up dammit!" Weiss could hear Blake's frantic voice the moment she stepped out. She gasped as she saw a bloodied Amber carried into their room with Layla in tears opening the door. Weiss rushed inside just before Layla closed the door behind them. Blake lay Amber down onto the couch. Layla walked over, collapsing onto the couch over her friend's bloodied body. Weiss could only look on in shock, terrified and confused.
"Amber! Amber please," Layla sobbed openly, clasping one of Amber's hands. Blake didn't waste anytime, searching around their room for any medical supplies. Weiss looked over Amber's current state. her uniform was in tatters and soaked in blood, three long gashes from her right shoulder to her left torso ripped through her chest. On closer inspection, she also took notice of Blake as the Knight knelt back down to help treat Amber's wounds. Blake wasn't faring much better than Amber was, laced with scars and gashes of her own. Weiss guessed that there was too much adrenaline pumping through Blake for her to notice the severity of injury she herself had sustained, too focused on Amber's to care.
"Stay with us Amber! Talk to Layla if you have to just STAY AWAKE!" Blake ordered Amber, who didn't respond. Her eyes looked dilated, a sign of losing life. Weiss immediately knelt down besides Layla to try and get Amber's attention. Whatever was going on, she could ask about when Amber wasn't in danger of dying.

It was a harrowing three hours for Blake to fix Amber well enough for the girl to at least breathe normally. Layla stepped out within the second hour to call for Maria to get some medical supplies to help the rest of the way, which saved Blake a lot of trouble. Weiss never did really pay attention since she was too focused on keeping Amber awake so she never did meet Maria. However, she knew that without Maria's medical supplies, Amber may not have been able to make it. What puzzled Weiss in hindsight was that all three girls looked adamant not to go to a hospital for something like this, opting to treat their injuries right in the dorm room. With Amber sleeping peacefully in recovery in Layla's lap and Blake's own wounds patched up, Weiss eyed them both. The two exchanged nervous glances before Blake cleared her throat at last.
"Weiss," she started, then went silent in hesitation. From the looks of things, Weiss could tell that Blake wanted to tell the truth, and so did Layla. What bothered her was that both parties held their tongue, as if they were afraid of what they were going to tell her. Still, she held her ground and remained patient, allowing them to gather their thoughts together. After a few more moments of silence, this time Layla was the first to speak.
"Weiss, this is something that may be difficult to understand," she started, one hand cupping Amber's cheek as the injured girl rested, "But understand that what we are about to tell you is nothing but the truth, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. We also need you to promise us that whatever is said here will never be mentioned to anyone else. Can you promise us that much?" Weiss looked at them both, trying to read them. Both Blake and Layla looked extremely serious about it, so Weiss nodded in response. Blake let out a bated breath, looking Weiss directly in the eyes.
"Amber was injured by shadow-like creatures that we call Ires," she began to explain. For the next hour, Blake and Layla took turns explaining everything about them, from Ires to aura as well as Guardians and Knights. Layla added that the reason why she was included was because she was a part of a small handful of people who could see these creatures, and an even smaller percent that had the means to fight them off, hence her own injuries.
"So, Blake has been a Knight fighting against Ires for a long time, Amber has been a Guardian ever since the beginning of this semester, and Layla has been helping with her capsule gear just recently," Weiss summarized as best she could, to which Layla and Blake nodded in confirmation. Weiss let out a low whistle; they weren't kidding when they said that it would seem a bit far-fetched. But from the looks of their faces, Weiss realized that they weren't lying and were being completely honest, so she forced her mind to accept what she heard as fact.
"Amber's injury is a testament to what Ires can do," Blake said, looking to Amber, "They openly target humans, though I'm not sure why. They are also the ones responsible for all those disasters in town and the reasons why we leave so early after school sometimes." Weiss nodded, finding that despite the totally fantasy-like theme that was going on, it made a lot of sense to Blake's bandaged arm and their frequent adventures into the city. Blake even went so far as to reveal her tattoo to Weiss, explaining Amber's alongside it. Weiss nodded, finally grasping the entirety of their situation. It was a lot to take in, and the fact that Blake had been fighting so hard even when she first met her was astounding to Weiss. It made her recall and wonder about all those times that Blake had known her, during the time that Melody was the common fear among them both.

Layla found it to be a blessing that winter break was the first day for Amber to sleep into recovery. The fact that Amber was seriously injured on the last day of school was something that held onto her guilty conscious. She remembered what had happened specifically, and how the normally adept Amber could sustain an injury like that. It hurt her greatly, and it was something that she would regret for a long time. Blake stopped by during the day to help Layla care for Amber while Weiss was out shopping for food and other supplies. While Weiss figured that Layla was depressed that her best friend was in such a critical condition, Blake knew better. It stung to see Layla beat herself up in that manner, which was why she had asked Weiss to help care for Layla and Amber until Amber was up and walking again.
"It wasn't your fault, you know," Blake spoke up while changing Amber's bandages. Layla looked up at Blake for a brief moment from her place next to the couch, then returned her gaze to Amber. The girl did not wake, but her breathing was normal and they managed to save her before she suffered from shock of major blood loss. Still, knowing Amber would live wasn't enough to curb her guilt in the slightest.
"You weren't there when it happened. You couldn't have understood," Layla murmured quietly. Blake still heard it, though. It was true; she was driving away a part of that Ire horde that was closing in on a group of civilians trying to make a dash for safety. She was too far away from Amber to defend her properly and Layla wasn't able to find a suitable perch to snipe from, resulting in using a tree in a park nearby as an alternative. They were doing well when Blake separated from them momentarily, and she was trying to hurry back as soon as she could. Blake grit her teeth, recalling how it wasn't soon enough. She only made it back in time to see Amber take a direct hit from an Ire by standing protectively in front of Layla.
"I've seen enough to have an understanding," Blake quipped back, anger softening greatly, "Layla, you know Amber. You know she would do something like this for you; she always has."
"I know but that doesn't excuse my inattentiveness to my surroundings," Layla responded back with a slight tremor in her voice. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh, "I'm a sniper. It's my job to be attentive to everything happening on the field to provide the best support to both you and Amber. I should have known the Ire was behind me. That's -"
"Stop. Just, stop," Blake interrupted, irritated at her friend's choice of words, "You've always done a fantastic job at giving support. However, we all make mistakes. You and I are no exception and so is Amber. It's..." Blake trailed off, cutting her thought short. It's partially Amber's fault that she decided to use her own body as a shield for you when she could have just used her aura for a more efficient solution, Blake completed the thought in her mind. She clicked her tongue and looked away, ashamed that she could think that saying something like that would help. Although it was what she truly felt, it was a very cold way to think of things, especially because Amber almost died for it. Layla kept quiet, keeping her gaze to Amber. She recalled what had happened; and Ire found out about where she was hiding, and just before she could escape the Ire toppled the tree over, pinning her underneath. As she struggled to free herself, she didn't notice the Ire behind her until it's claws began to swing down at her. She had closed her eyes to brace for an impact that never came, only to open them and see Amber's back to her. She watched in horror as Amber's body shook with the shock waves of pain coursing through her before lashing out at the Ire with her aura whip, collapsing just as the Ire began to disintegrate. Layla's eyes widened in terror and with the last of her strength she pulled herself out from under the tree, crawling over to the bleeding Amber, shaking her and calling her name over and over until Blake came over.

Two weeks had passed, with two more left in the winter break. Layla had kept her vigil with Amber, while Blake and Weiss could only look on with pity. It didn't take long for Weiss to see just how much Amber meant to Layla, so seeing something like this was almost heartbreaking.
"How're you feeling?" Weiss asked Blake as they sat together to do some homework assigned over their break. Blake nearly missed her question entirely, her focus elsewhere.
"I'm fine, Weiss. Don't worry," Blake reassured her with a small smile, "I'm just concerned for Layla, that's all." Blake chuckled slightly as she put her pencil down, looking over towards their front door, "Amber, that damn girl. She better wake up from her little nap soon or Layla's gonna become morbidly depressed." Meanwhile, back in Layla and Amber's room, Layla had gone to the bathroom to take a shower after finishing her own assignments. She had just finished and was toweling herself off when she returned to the living room to hear groans. Amber's eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the morning light, a headache rattling her brain from sleeping for so long. Layla remained frozen in place, scarcely believing her eyes and ears as she watched Amber slowly sit up from the couch grumbling in pain and clutching her head.
"Ugh, dammit," Amber mumbled. She looked around and realized she was back at her room. It appeared to be morning and she felt extremely sore all over. She recalled that she was in the middle of an Ire horde, and that she was exhausted from fighting for a little over four hours before noticing one of the larger Ires run towards a vulnerable Layla. The girl moved before she could think and made it just in time to take the attack for Layla. She could even remember the pain as claws tore through skin and muscle before blacking out from the shock of it all. Looking down and examining herself revealed that she had survived and was treated.
"I hope Layla's okay," Amber muttered, looking around, "Still, where is she?" Amber's question was answered in the form of sobs coming from behind her. Amber turned around to find Layla covered in only her bathrobe crying her eyes out from seeing her. Amber flashed the girl the biggest smile she could muster.

  "What'd I miss?"