Author Note: Hello! Welcome to this Alternate Universe version of Remnant! I've wanted to do more RWBY stories but couldn't decide what. But then the last three episodes of Vol. 6 happened and I couldn't stop myself from writing this. As a heads up, I imagine that at the beginning of the whole series, Ruby was 15, and the other three were 17 or so. This is some of the reasoning for why certain things happen. The world is roughly the same as in the show, except Salem isn't on the move. Beacon hasn't/will not fall. But I wanted to focus on some of the parallels they were drawing with the characters and so here we go! (Sorry for the long intro).
Blake enjoyed working at the Vale Library. It was moderately large, being seven stories tall, and housed a vast array of books on every topic imaginable. The building was made of dark red brick and dull steel, providing strength without being too much of an eyesore for the neighborhood. But being so large, and still relatively sought out, they needed all the help they could get. Which Blake was more than happy to give, as it gave her something to do during the day as a reason for being in the city. It also provided some solace from the rest of her life…
As the young teen realized where her mind started to wander, she shook her head, relaxing her entire body and feeling her ears twitch under the large black bow she wore. Looking at what she was holding, her stance loosened further as she remembered what the book held within its cover. A story about far away places, daring sword fights, magic, and even a prince in disguise. Truly an adventure to take one's mind away from their worldly woes. She was so lost in remembrance that when several books fell over nearby, it was as loud as a gun shot through the second floor of the library.
Instinct took over and the Faunus crouched low, forgetting her surroundings and dropping the book in her hands, sending her jumping into the air again as it too landed with a loud thud. Steadying hands prevented her from knocking anything else over luckily.
"Sorry about that…" The voice, soft but still a happy medium pitch, helped to identify her savior as the tall blonde beauty who started to work on the same level as her that day. "I, uh, got-got lost in, uh, in… Forgot…" The taller girl tried to gesture with her hands towards Blake but the motion turned into more random movements as she floundered.
The taller girl wore a brown jacket that showed off both midriff and space for her yellow undershirt to show through, highlighting some of her assets. She also wore short black shorts, causing the cat girl to wonder if it even had pockets. It put her own white shirt and pants with black overlaying parts to shame.
Blake felt a swell of amusement at the sight and giggled. The other teen trailed off at the sound. Tiny smile on her face, the cat Faunus reached for the book she dropped, ducking besides the returns cart she was working from. On the other side, half a foot from the edge of the metal movable shelving, were the other dropped books. The blonde went for them roughly the same time Blake did. They both stood upright roughly the same time, watching each other as they remained in place. They stared at one another, grings almost breaking through at the odd moment. Suddenly, Blake's sensitive hearing picking up the sound of rapid footsteps. She checked their surroundings and spotted who she was expecting after such a commotion.
The head librarian quickly but quietly marched over to the two girls. Her clothes were prim and proper, a short business skirt and vest showing her seriousness, while her light blue hair was in a firm bun on the left side of her head.
"What is going on?!" The lady hissed sternly. She seemed to glare daggers at the taller teen before looking with a more relaxed stare towards the cat girl.
Blake blinked at the harsh tone and opened her mouth to respond when the other girl answered first.
"Sorry! I misjudged where I was setting down the books!" The girl openly apologized with a hand fluffing up her hair. The other hand was waving around with the stack still in hand, drawing cautionary gasps from the others in her presence. Guessing what was causing their concern, the blonde stopped the action and chuckled once more.
The grownup humphed, clearly not overly satisfied with the answer. "Please be careful! If your rough behavior continues, you will have to do your CCSP somewhere else." With the threat in place, the librarian turned in place and went back downstairs.
Blake quickly tried to think of where she heard the term when the answer came to her in a flash. Teens helped the library for two reasons; either they liked books and wanted to volunteer, or were there as part of the Vale Correctional Community Service Program. There were never enough volunteers, so the library allowed the teens who were in trouble but not super violent or dangerous to serve their time at the public library.
Pleased with solving the 'mystery', she gave away none of her thoughts as she went back to the stack of books to be put away.
"Well, I wasn't expecting to start off with a 'Yang' but here we are!" The cheerful whisper (and pun) came from the blonde who was now leaning on the edge of the cart. Once amber eyes met lilac, the girl smirked widely. "I'm Yang. If-if that was too witty for someone as pretty as you…?"
The question trailed off at the deadpan from the black haired teen. Blake fought the urge to smile at the absurd rhyme and instead kept her face still, trying to decide what to do at the goofy greeting. Before she finished debating on whether she should respond, Yang tried another line.
"I like your bow!" Seeing the shock and uncertainty of the girl, Yang pressed on. "It goes nicely with your outfit!"
Blake merely stared. She didn't dare move if such attention was on her bow which was only there to hide her ears. She had enough discrimination to last a lifetime but that didn't mean it wasn't still going to happen if she wasn't careful. Her ears were easy to hide, but if someone was very perceptive, the game was up. After a second, Yang's hesitant smile dropped, leaving a deep scowl instead. Her entire demeanor shifted, growing darker.
"Another lost cause I guess…" The blonde muttered softly.
A human probably couldn't have caught the sentence, but Blake did. An ear twitched at the dejection she saw on the other's face. Yang didn't say another word and began to walk away. Blake joled at the movement and glanced to the stacks of books the girl left.
"Wait. What about these books?" Blake asked quietly, gesturing to the corresponding objects.
Hearing the soft voice, Yang perked up slightly, trying for a little bravo. "Oh, that librarian Aqua? She told me to bring them here."
"Oh. Do you know how to put them away?" Blake checked while she started to sort the latest returns. She couldn't stop the amused smirk at how the other girl seemed dumbfounded by the question.
"There's a special way?" Yang chuckled nervously, scratching her head.
Blake couldn't help a small grin at the statement. "Yes, there is. The same that's used in rest of the library." She teasingly stated and pointed to the bottom corner on the spine of a book. A sticker was there, with a set of numbers and three letters. "The letters are the first three of the author's last name. The numbers refer to the genre and section."
"Oh that's what they were!" Yang hummed, leaning closer and giving a million watt smile to the black haired teen after eyeing the sticker.
Blake blinked in surprise at the grin and response. She gave a soft cough and pointed to the ones added out of order on her cart. "If you don't mind putting them away properly on the cart? I like to sort them here to make it faster to put back on the shelves."
"That makes sense, that makes sense…" The blonde nodded as she picked up the books she had brought. She found that the girl had the whole three layered cart sorted by numbers then by alphabet.
In moments, she put them away and paused, watching the other from the corner of her eye. She then made some slight changes while Blake was turned away and cackled in her mind. Once that was done, she waited to see if there was anything else before sighing at the lackluster conversation and turning to leave.
Blake shifted at the exhale and felt her body tense briefly, realizing she had never gave her own name in reached out and put a gentle hand on the other's arm, stopping the blonde from walking away. "Thank you. My name is Blake. It was… interesting… to talk with you." The cat Faunus couldn't help the amused smirk while thinking about the fairly bad puns she had been subjected to. Her smile widened when the other girl beamed in return.
Yang went and put a hand on the one on her arm. "Thanks. It definitely made my day." She gave a cheeky wink before slowly walking away. She seemed disheartened when the contact between them broke. The blonde clammed back up, losing her grin and cheer as she began to trek back downstairs where disappointed adults waited to remind her of her failings with each glance and flinch.
Blake felt her heart squeeze at the change and scowled pensively. She was halfway tempted to ask what was wrong when she knocked into her returns cart. Instead she shook her head, focusing back on her tasks and the large amount of books waiting to be put away. Letting go of all thoughts outside of her work, she felt the slip into hyper focus occur gradually. The only time she broke out of her zone of centration was when the tall blonde studiously put away the returns on the cart. The other girl would exaggerate putting away the books silently, and stared intently at the stickers on the edges as she worked. The sight, including the overly thoughtful face twitches, amused Blake as she watched from the corner of her eye. It wasn't long before she realized why Yang was taking extra care when putting the newly returned items.
Each book had been put in proper place between its fellows, but was instead upside down, letting the sticker be near the top instead of the bottom as usual. It didn't cause a delay, nor was it out of place, merely just flipped around, causing Blake to half chuckle at the display. She barely schooled her features into the usual neutral face by the time Yang came back with more returns to put away upside down.
Blake lost track of time as she studiously put away the books, taking care to flip them back around in a showy manner. Her actions were rewarded with quiet laughter from the other girl. Soon however, it was nearing time to leave, and Blake jumped slightly when a large glove covered hand rested on her shoulder.
"Hey, while I'm sure you'd like to get lost in a book here, I'd hate to think of you locked up all night long." Yang added to the tease with a bold smirk. A smirk that grew three fold when Blake checked the time and blinked in surprise.
"It's nice to be someplace quiet and away from city bustle." The raven haired girl shrugged but turned away from the aisle she had been about to enter. "But I suppose you might have a point."
Yang beamed at the agreement and waved the other girl forward in a grand bow. Blake couldn't help her smile and tried to hide it behind a hand. An action that drew more of the other teen's attention and expanding smile.
Together, the two girls entered an elevator, with the returns cart at their back. Before either girl could figure out what to say, they arrived on the first floor. The door opened to show the librarians doing last minute adjustments while a group of kids with a single adult waited right by the main entrance. The CCSP guardian was pacing while the four teens looked on, bored.
Catching sight of golden locks, the adult frowned and marched over. "Yang Xiao Long, you knew we were to check out five minutes ago!" The grownup grabbed the girl's upper bicep and tried to pull her along. "You have to be more responsible…" The woman's words trailed off when not only did she not move an inch, but bright red eyes glared from under long yellow bangs. The adult released the teen with a smothered yelp.
The trio went still, tensions rising in the air. Each watched the others, none moving, until Yang let out a long exhale, closing her eyes. When she looked at the lady in charge, they were back to light lilac but now sported a bored glassy glint. "Yes. Sorry. I was helping Blake and forgot the time."
The grownup seemed unsure and glanced towards the disguised Faunus. Blake nodded, keeping a neutral expression as her thoughts raced. She continued to watch Yang from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out what had taken place.
The adult and blonde teen marched over to where the other teenagers were waiting, and they all went outside. The adult lead the way while the kids seemed more thrilled to be done than to be following the grownup. Putting away the cart behind the large wooden desk of the librarians, she gave the adults working still a distracted wave goodnight and headed outside.
What was that about? Is that why Yang is working with the CCSP? The young cat girl reflected on other times she'd seen seething anger. Most of the examples she could think of were when the Faunus tried to demand equal rights and work, and humans were just as angry. She barely focused on where she was heading, allowing habit to control her feet while she pondered. While she knew that a lot of kids with anger issues ended up working the the CCSP for their behavior, there weren't many who were allowed to work in a library in the middle of the city. Before she could puzzle out more hints to the story, a loud thud broke her concentration. Checking her surroundings, she found the source to be a nearby alley, where the lights didn't reach as well.
She cautiously went further in, senses on high alert. Two figures were in a heated discussion that had moved on from just words. Despite the darkness, it was easy to identify one of the combatants. She didn't immediately recognize the lad but the long wavy mass of blonde hair was hard to forget. The waves of golden yellow locks were flung around as the girl ducked the meager attacks of her oppenant, drawing amber orbs to stare in a half hypnotized state.
After the two threw a few more punches at each other, Blake realized it was one of the other CCSP kids Yang was fighting. And that indeed, the girl's gaze was scarlet red this time. Familiar with fights, Blake was quickly able to catch some of the things they said, eyes able to follow their motion effortlessly.
"... you just wanted to watch dat ass!" The boy tried to sneer but lost some of it's impact as he had to duck furious punches.
"You shut up right now Winchester, or you'll be limping for the rest of your life!" Yang snarled as she continued her frenzied attacks.
They circled in the small space available, making it difficult for the boy to fully swing a mace he held. While it wasn't really allowed for regular citizens to carry weapons, there were ways of hiding them on one's person or even nearby, making it all the more difficult to regulate such a ruling. Though Blake was surprised to find the lad was using only a plain mace to fight the furious girl who was more than willing to fire off a few shots from her gauntlets as they fought.
"Yeah right. We all know you're just going to cut and run like your-" Cardin never finished his taunt. An aura encrusted fist slammed into his face, sending him flying backwards into the brick wall. Nose bleeding profusely, he slid down with a groan.
"You better stop eyeing everyone within a two block radius." Yang turned to walk away but stopped when her gaze connected with gold amber orbs. The red drained away, leaving dejected lilac. Her entire stance seem to deflate the longer she stared.
Blake tried to keep her face neutral as her mind raced. She could tell the other girl hadn't wanted her fight witnessed by anyone. The raven haired girl checked on the lad crumpled on the ground, releasing some tension when she was able to make out the sound of soft breathing. Turning back to the blonde beauty who hadn't budged an inch, she sighed. "Was violence really needed?"
The taller teen shrugged, breaking eye contact as she glanced to the left. "He doesn't listen otherwise." Yang jerked a thumb to the now slumped lad behind her. She peeked out of the corner of her eye to watch the unexpected witness.
The cat Faunus couldn't argue as the White Fang found similar results. She pursed her lips, unsure if she wanted to say anything else. When she found no other comment coming to mind, she turned around and walked calmly back to the main roads.
While she kept her stance loose, her hand hovered close to her bag where she kept Gambol Shroud. A person could never be too careful, even in a peaceful city, especially for a disguised Faunus. Ears straining to give her advance warning, her brow's twitched in thought when she heard sulking stomps moving further away. It seemed the brawler was moving deeper into the backstreets of the city.
Blake looked over her shoulder and wasn't sure how to feel when the blonde didn't exit the alley. Unease built as she tried to understand but found no answer. Searching her recollection of the fight, she realized that Yang had taken few if any hits during the brawl, and was more than likely going to spend her night doing who knows what.
The Faunus tried to shake off her uneasy feeling. Taking the shortest route to the less traveled residential segments, she didn't allow her eyes to wander, focusing on only what was necessary to be sure she wasn't followed nor threatened. The roads went from wide and brightly lit to narrower ones with barely enough space for vehicles to travel along. Dust powered lamps were either broken open or in low power as they valiantly tried to keep any sort of brightness going. The buildings were a mix of ancient and moderately newer. None were in the best repair.
It wasn't the best housing but Vale was more advanced culturally than some of the other countries, making sure that housing, even for Faunus, was better than slums. Not all that much better, as those in charge of the apartments didn't always treat their tenants, even their human ones, well.
There were alleyways that broke up the line of apartments, barely more than places for trash cans to gather. Those without jobs or with darker jobs rested along the narrow path, avoiding eye contact and keeping their thoughts to themselves. Almost no light reached these narrow spaces, adding another reason to use the narrow escape ways.
The cat Faunus' crawled to a languish trot as she neared 'home'. The building in front of her was five stories tall, made of a ruddy red brick, smushed in between several others just like it. The front door segment was locked, a rarity among the buildings in the area, and the front lobby was thankfully empty. Helped no doubt by the late hour.
Blake didn't waste any time and went straight to her place on the third floor. The door opened with a decent creak that she had sought out when first selecting a place to stay. It helped her sensitive hearing pick up any intruders that were tempted to rob her. Not that the room had all that much inside.
The main segment was a tiny living room, with kitchen through one door across the way and an even tinier bedroom on the right side. The left was the bathroom that had only enough space for a shower, not that Blake trusted the area enough to go for full soaks in a bathtub. With only minimal furniture, there was plenty of space to lay her bag down and pull her weapon from it along with a white metal mask.
The design was simple, covering the top part of her face in a seamless mask that had two slits per eye and longer tips on the ends, looking like miniature fangs. Red marks crossed vertically over the eye placements and then up along where eyebrows usually were. The mask had been a gift from her boyfriend, Adam Taurus, when the White Fang shifted its focus from peaceful protests to more active ones.
With a heavy sigh, she put the mask in place and readied her mind for another night of 'protest'. She tied up her hair into a ponytail and changed outfits into one that lend to far more free motion and action.
"Time to go right more wrongs…"
End Note: Soooo... Yep. It's going to be a decent length. I have a vague idea of what I want to happen, but I'm going to be winging it for some of the story (which is always fun to see how things work out). I have to edit this stuff myself, and don't always have spare time, so not sure on update schedule, but hopefully not that long in between chapters. If you see anything that needs correcting, feel free to let me know. Please leave a review as it helps me figure out how to grow with criticism. If not, that's also ok, I just hope everyone has fun with this as I will. See you in the next chapter!