Cardin was far too tall to notice Gambol Shroud's tether slip ever-so-quietly around his foot; too heavy in his armor for everyone in the cafeteria to not notice him crashing to the ground, his food splattering and rolling in every direction; much too proud and arrogant keep himself from lashing out and asking what everyone was staring at.
Most of all, he was too embarrassed to stay in the cafeteria long, quickly grabbing his belongings in his dirty, food-stained arm and making a beeline to the nearest exit, several chuckles and whispers following him as he slammed through the doorway and into the hall, leaving several nearby students stunned.
Blake simply smiled to herself; she'd never seen his face so red.
Maybe now he'll show a bit of humility.
Velvet stopped walking suddenly, and as Blake slowed down, she could see the girl's hands shaking visibly at her sides.
Already? Blake steeled herself and looked around over the countless shoulders and heads crowding the hallway, searching for Beacon's resident manchild. The incident was only yesterday, Blake figured he'd still be licking his wounds in his dorm room or practicing in the sparring rooms to vent his petty frustrations.
When she saw no sign of Cardin Winchester, she returned her attention to the rabbit faunus a few feet ahead of her, watching her drooping ears quickly stand upright as the lithe girl suddenly bolted off.
That's not good.
Blake gave chase, her thoughts instantly jumping to the worst possible conclusions. She deftly wound her way through and around several students and even some teachers, cursing herself under her breath.
I didn't know rabbits were so damn fast! Skittish, sure… But!
After chasing her through a few more short hallways and more than a few hairpin turns, Blake was forced to skid to a halt, her chest rising and falling quickly now as she did her best to regain her breath, staring straight ahead.
Velvet was standing before her with her back turned towards Blake, leaving her with no sight of her face or expression. All that greeted her view was her lithe form, long brown hair, and fluffy, drooped ears.
Did she know I was..?
Blake's thought was cut off by motion ahead as Velvet turned to face her and Blake swore her heart stood still in that moment. Their eyes met, amber staring into hazel, and the thought died as immediately as it had arrived.
She did.
Velvet broke eye contact first, her ear twitching and folded slightly as she held onto her silence for a few moments longer, glancing to the ground then tentatively back at Blake, barely managing to reach her face before shying her gaze away once more.
Blake hadn't noticed before then, but in the tense moment of silence before either of them spoke, she could hear Velvet's heartbeat; a small, fast, almost uneven pitter patter. Her own heartbeat had returned to normal by now and Velvet was a fit girl, so hers should have as well; but no, it kept its rhythm - if anything it got faster.
Does she think I'll hurt her?
Velvet was the first to break the quiet that surrounded them - or attempt to, anyway - her mouth opening for a split second before she closed it once again, softly biting her lip in frustration.
Blake raised her eyebrow slightly in her own attempt to further the 'conversation,' scanning Velvet's face for clues, doing her best to piece together why she had run away and what had her so on edge.
"Um... Why are you following me around so much?" Velvet asked nervously as she glanced over to the side, then back at Blake - never holding her gaze more than one or two seconds at a time.
Blake's eyebrows fell and furrowed. She didn't know she was such a bother; she only wanted to help. Up until now, she had always tried to hide her presence and do things covertly - it was how she was taught.
So much for that, she mused internally, rather humbled at the idea her ears could be beaten. I could've sworn I could hear just as well as any rabbit...
Regardless, she'd been asked a question, and Velvet deserved an answer.
"I saw him bully you; back in the cafeteria.".
"Oh - Cardin... " Velvet glanced to the side, her face equal parts relieved and troubled, her hands moving from her sides to grip at the strap for the box which hung at her hip, fidgeting with it. It was clear she was thinking about something, her eyes drifting over the floor.
After a moment, it seemed she had connected the dots. "So that was you…"
So I was a nuisance then...
If she was bothering her so much by protecting her, by following her around, all she could do now was try to instill confidence in her, right?
"You shouldn't let him do that to you," Blake stated calmly, almost coldly, "Letting him grab your ears, I mean." Blake had seen enough of where this could lead if she didn't step in - Velvet didn't deserve any of it.
"I-!" Velvet reached out suddenly, her catching Blake off guard. Her hands stopped mid-way, however, hesitating before dropping back to her side and gripping the strap so tightly Blake could hear the fabric compress under the pressure.
Blake was more patient with her this time, letting Velvet calm herself before continuing. "I don't let him do that... I'd never let him." There was conviction in her voice - it was veiled, nervous, almost hidden, but it was there.
It reminded Blake of her time in the protests - back when she still thought words alone would work.
Blake's lips curved into a reserved smile; at least there is still some fight left in her… Here I was thinking that rabbits were skittish.
"So how'd it happen then?" Blake prodded, crossing her arms as she stepped to the side, leaning her back against the wall, her eyes glancing over at Velvet, trained on her now furrowed expression.
If Velvet was as strong as her words let on, all she needed was a push.
I can do that at least.
Velvet's hands only tightened more around her weapon's strap, its owner falling silent once again. Her eyes fell back to the floor, staring at her feet as if they'd suddenly jump out and attack her at any moment.
Blake's smile faded along with any remaining sense of progress she thought she'd made.
And there it goes…
Velvet closed her eyes and thought a moment. Blake simply watched her gather her thoughts before finally sighing, standing upright once more, about to speak before she heard Velvet take a sharp breath in.
Velvet's hands were shaking again.
Blake shrugged, not wanting to stress the poor girl any further. "Velvet, don't worry ab-"
"Well…" Velvet interrupted, her voice both soft and hesitant; nearly inaudible over the now pounding pitter patter of her heartbeat in Blake's ears.
Velvet's story started - innocently enough - with her first day at Beacon.
She spared no expense in explaining every single detail she loved about the school, from the 'cute uniforms' to the 'amazing weapons' and the 'even cooler people.' Her enthusiasm was positively contagious, bringing a smile to Blake's lips as she listened closely to the faunus recounting her first semester at Beacon in excruciating detail.
It was only after the lengthy rant about her team and how amazing they were that Velvet stopped to catch a proper breath.
"You talk so quickly when you're excited," Blake interjected as she chuckled slightly.
Velvet stopped, feeling her cheeks growing pink as she glanced to the side, then back at Blake with a small, shy smile, her hands clasped together in apology. "Sorry… I guess I get excited too easily…"
"It's fine - I'm not going anywhere." Blake smiled, leaning back into her chair, calmly folding one leg over the other.
They had decided early on in their conversation that a hallway probably wasn't the best place to discuss something so heavy, and made their way to the library. Classes had ended for the day, and they'd both sent messages to their teams letting them know they'd be 'be busy for a while', giving them plenty of time to talk. Both secretly hoped their partners wouldn't pry too much when they got back to their rooms.
"Oh, uhm… Thank you." Velvet meekly replied, catching Blake's attention once again.
"For what?" Another raised eyebrow.
"For what you've been doing for me… Most people either don't care about the faunus, or openly despise us." Her enthusiasm from just moments prior had all but disappeared, replaced with the timid, nervous Velvet once more. She held her hands together, fidgeting with her fingers, her ears drooping slightly, one falling slightly lower than the other.
"I'm not most people," Blake chuckled slightly, being reminded of Yang and her team, "Actually, most people I've met here aren't that bad either." Blake shot her a reassuring smile, and was met with another light chuckle from the rabbit faunus.
"Oh, I know that now." Velvet smiled inwardly, her ears perking back up at Blake's response, her feet kicking back and forth slightly as she lowered them and leaned back in her chair, her hands on the armrests.
Blake couldn't deny she felt a pang of guilt upon seeing Velvet's joyful reaction - she was still wearing her bow, and despite speaking to a faunus who needed her support, she still couldn't bring herself to reveal her true nature. It felt like she was running away again.
She sees me as just another Human… But maybe that's for the best.
She knew it was an excuse, but it was all she could manage right now.
This is nice. Velvet thought happily, enjoying her talk with her newfound friend.
For Velvet, it was a relief talking to someone like Blake, and soon enough she found herself almost reveling in her company. She wasn't nearly as loud or outgoing as her other teammates; she seemed more open than Fox, and spoke more eloquently than Yatsuhashi, not to mention she was definitely not as forward as Coco tended to be. Adore her as she may, Coco was almost always a… handful.
But no, Blake was different. She calmly listened to and understood her; she was even going out of her way to help her with her issues, despite their differences.
Velvet chuckled to herself under her breath. I guess it's like she said, she really isn't 'most peo-'
Her thoughts were cut short though as Blake repeated a question she must've missed the first time around.
"Pardon?" She inquired politely, her ears perking up once more as she turned towards Blake.
"So how'd the bullying start?" Blake repeated calmly, a quiet concern apparent in her voice. Her stare felt sharper now, and just like that, Velvet couldn't meet her eyes.
Velvet had never really talked about this before. Her hands squeezed each other tighter as she leaned forward in her seat, looking at the ground nervously before beginning - she knew Blake wouldn't rush her, so she took her time gathering her thoughts.
"Well… My first year went well enough, Me & Coco got paired up during the initiation." Velvet smiled at the memory, Blake could tell it meant a lot to her.
"She scared me at first, you know? The glasses especially... I may be a faunus but I couldn't see her eyes through them, I couldn't tell if what she thought of… well, me." she continued, smiling as she reminisced, her ears twitching at the word 'me.'
She does seem like the kind of girl to take charge… Blake thought to herself.
"After a bit, she must've figured out I was nervous, because she took them off for me, just to make me comfortable." Velvet raised her head and smiled at Blake, a grin wider and more earnest than those she'd seen her give any time before.
Blake didn't know the rest of Team CFVY as well as she knew Velvet now, but by the way Velvet stressed those words and the way she beamed while speaking them, she knew they meant something important. This was something Velvet treasured immensely.
"She almost never takes off her glasses, Blake; they're nearly as much a part of her as these ears are for me." Velvet explained, giving a slight glance upwards, her smile weakening slightly.
"Oh." The more Velvet spoke of Coco, the more Blake found her thoughts drifting towards her own partner, Yang.
Velvet merely chuckled. "Yeah."
There was a slight pause in the conversation before Velvet continued once more. "She's like you - she doesn't think any less of me just because I'm a faunus." Blake smiled at that.
So that's where she gets her fight from, makes sense.
"During the initiation, she outright cursed out another team because of the names they were calling me; even challenged them to a fight." Blake let out a slight chuckle; reminded of her partner.
Yeah, definitely sounds like Yang.
"I just wish she could be there all the time, you know...?" Velvet's head dipped slightly, causing her bangs to hide her eyes, pulling her legs up and into herself again as she held her knees tightly. It was clear she was remembering something unpleasant, and whatever it was, it was a burden to watch. Blake's good mood faded at the sight, she had to stop herself from reaching out and placing a comforting hand on her knee.
She knew, however, that this was something Velvet needed to say on her own.
"Just over a month ago… Cardin and his team pulled me into an empty classroom. Coco wasn't around. They..." her voice was shaky, hesitant, unsure of so much; Blake swore she could hear it crack.
Then Velvet went silent, and remained that way far longer than Blake was comfortable with.
Should I even be telling her this? Blake will understand, right? But what if she gets angry and hurts him? Blake wouldn't do that! But she already tripped him once! She wouldn't hurt him though! Who cares if she hurts him, he deserves it!
Her thoughts became a jumble in her head, she couldn't tell how long she remained lost in them, or when she had started crying. All she could feel were the wet tears staining her face and bringing her back to reality. She sniffled, doing her best to gather herself, to make herself stop crying, stop doubting this girl who'd reached out to her. The last thing she wanted to do was become an even bigger hassle for her.
She began to doubt herself and everything.
Blake doesn't need to deal with me, why would she? We're not even on the same team, I'm just creeping her out n-
That thought never finished. Suddenly there was the slight pressure of a hand on her knee; accompanied by the sound of shuffling..
Oh great, I've scared her off…Velvet sniffled again.
But the hand remained, and soon enough Velvet's entire form was pushed to the side by another body sliding into the large library chair alongside her.
"B-Blake, y-" she was cut short.
"Shh."
Blake placed an arm around Velvet's back, resting her hand on her shoulder and rubbing it calmly back and forth, doing her best to comfort her. Her other hand moved forward as she turned to face the rabbit faunus, letting her palm rest on Velvet's now-clenched fist, her thumb gently massaging the back of her hand calmly.
She seems so small…
Velvet nearly seized up, her head rising out of her curled form and turning slightly towards Blake, who was now resting her head on her shoulder, holding her. She could feel the tears rise to her eyes once again, and with Blake's protection, she let them fall.
"Thank you… So much, Blake." she managed between sobs, slowly leaning into her. She could feel Blake's bow press against her cheek now.
She hoped she wouldn't stain it.
"Mm...It's okay..." Blake softly replied.
Blake held her for what seemed like an hour or more, rubbing her shoulder and hand softly, cradling her body into hers. This was not something she'd force out of her, Velvet would explain this, recover from this, on her own terms.
What she needed now was help with that; comfort, acceptance, and a pair of ears.
Blake had never really held or supported someone like this before, but she hoped she'd learned well. She'd always been the one being supported; held by her parents when the protests went bad, held by Adam when they had no food for sometimes days at a time, held by Yang and her team in celebration when they had done well in their team sparring midterm.
No, this was different.
It feels good to be the one doing the holding.
It was then that Blake realized Velvet's sniffling had subsided, and the rabbit faunus was now calmly leaning against her, her body shifting slightly with her soft breaths.
Did she… fall asleep?
"Velv-"
"I'm awake." it was Velvet's turn to interrupt.
She remained still in Blake's arms, clearly in no rush to leave her comforting embrace. Blake was thankful that the Library seemed to be mostly empty - if Yang or anyone else caught her like this it may be hard to explain.
I'm here for Velvet. She caught and reassured herself. To hell with what anyone thinks.
"Should… I finish?" Velvet unexpectedly inquired, catching Blake off-guard once again. Her voice was strained now, as if it hurt her to speak. Blake thought a moment before responding.
"If you don't want to talk about it..." Blake trailed off, she knew how hard some feelings were to let out. She lifted her head slightly, her ears twitching underneath her bow, unbeknownst to Velvet.
I have no right to pry at Velvet's secrets, not without revealing my own.
"I want to talk about it, I need to… It's just… hard." With that, Velvet pulled away slightly and took a deep breath, steeling herself. Blake could hear her heart more clearly now, and it had slowed considerably.
Seems she's ready.
Velvet started confidently, but before long Blake could hear the insecurity and fear in her voice.
"Cardin and his team pulled me into the Classroom… Dove locked the door and kept watch while Russel and Sky… they held me down." It almost hurt Blake more to hear Velvet speak with her strained voice than to hear the contents of her story.
Almost.
The mere thoughts Velvet's words brought to her mind made her feel ill, but for every ounce of rising worry and disgust she felt, she reminded herself: Velvet must be feeling a hundred times worse right now.
Blake continued to hold her, as she told her story.
Velvet took another sharp breath in, and Blake could feel her hands shaking slightly in her own. "Cardin… I don't know how… but he got into Port's desk and…" Blake could see Velvet bite her lip, her eyes watery again.
"He did what, Velvet...?" Blake almost blurted out, barely containing her disgust as calmly she could muster - there was undeniable fear in her voice and a knot growing in her stomach. She could feel her heartbeat picking up, and could hardly imagine what Velvet must be feeling.
Blake knew all too well how far some people went with their anti-faunus rhetoric and actions - she'd been the target of many since she was a child - but still she found herself fuming at the story Velvet was telling her.
Thank Oum I'm not Yang…
Velvet's story didn't just make her angry, it set her on edge, it brought back memories she thought she'd left behind. Too much of this resembled her experiences growing up too closely for comfort. She'd been hurt more than once in the protests, and she needed two hands to count the number of times it'd been serious.
"He took out the hole puncher, you know? One of those small little things..."
Velvet didn't finish the sentence before feeling Blake pull her body ever so slightly more into hers, her hand tightening around her own; shaking.