"Come on, Blake!" Sun Wukong called after her, his white shirt open and his faded blue jeans folded to just inches below his knees. Who could blame him? It was the middle of summer and Menagerie was known for its sweltering heat and for housing 76% of the Faunus population all throughout Remnant.
"The fair's only here every five years. You promised you'd come with me yesterday." he said, jumping up and down and taking in the flashing lights and the variety of stenches wafting through the air.
Blake felt like puking.
"Calm down." she said dryly, her arms folded over her white tank top. Her black shorts and sandals did nothing to cool her, "We can always come back in five years."
"Fat chance, grumpy kitty." Sun jibed, turning to her with his million-lien smile.
Blake Belladonna never liked being teased for her Faunus trait, not by any human nor Faunus and most especially not by the monkey Faunus, Sun Wukong. That never stopped him though. Even when they were younger, he'd always find a way to remind her of the second pair of ears on her head.
"Go eat a banana." She scoffed, flipping her short black hair behind her sweaty neck. She hoped Sun would get the double entendre there, but judging by the toothy grin on his face and how his monkey tail swung freely behind him, he missed the entire point.
"Lighten up." His monkey tail coiled around her wrist, "You and me are gonna have a ball tonight!"
It never took much to make Sun happy. He had bought several fried hotdogs, sweet bananas on a stick, corndogs, more hotdogs, and practically anything that was deep fried and ultimately unhealthy. Surprisingly, he never gained any weight. "I'm a growing boy" he would say in between bites. He was just an all-around good guy since day one.
Well, not since the very first day they met though.
They were both fourteen years old when Sun had just moved to Menagerie from Vacuo. He would never tell anyone that his family had been forced out of their home from the constant threats against their kind. He had been problematic and angry at the world upon arrival. That's why when he first saw Blake, he started picking on her. After giving him a black eye though, he finally told her that he only picked on her because he liked her.
Unfortunately, Blake did not like him.
Astonishingly, they became the best of friends after that. Blake forgave him for his ill-conceived notion that girls respond better if a guy mistreats the girl he likes. She made sure he never did that again to anyone.
Two years later, they were inseparable and Blake thought of him as the brother she never had. Her parents loved him as if he were their own son and would not stop doting on him. Sometimes, Blake thought that they loved him more than they loved her. Sometimes. Most days, she would laugh at how they would kick him out of the house after he would rummage through their fridge and eat all of their food.
A couple of pretzels and sodas later, Blake and Sun were off trying their luck at the games around the fair. The balloon dart board was a fiasco after Sun almost hit the carnie with a pair of darts he threw simultaneously. The ring toss wasn't any different. Sun's aim was just not very good.
Empty-handed and with only twenty lien left in both their pockets, they began their hunt for the last attraction before turning in for the night.
"Please don't spend our money on a snow cone." Blake protested dragging Sun away from the stand the minute they passed by it. The shredded ice would be a welcome treat in this damnable heat, but sweets never really were her thing and she didn't want to spend the last of her lien feeding the ever-hungry Sun.
"Fine!" he sighed, his shoulders drooping forward as he trudged behind his friend, kicking a discarded soda can on the ground.
They circled the fairgrounds, noting how they had already tried every bit of games and food being offered to them. Sun thought it would be fun to try the dunk tank, but Blake knew better than to trust a baseball with his lousy aim. Besides, it didn't seem like a good idea to spend five lien just to dump a poor squirrel Faunus into a tank of murky water.
"Oooh a psychic tent!" Sun bounced, his tail grabbing Blake's wrist.
Blake turned to where he was looking at and saw a wooden wagon nestled just a few paces outside of the fairgrounds. They've circled the grounds at least three times and this is the first time she had seen it there. Right on cue, a head of wild brown hair poked out of the dark tent beside the wagon, ushering two giddy young women out.
"... He was handsoooome!" called out the girl with chestnut hair, her lamb ears flicking in excitement, "Madame Leona said I'd meet him in a year."
"Oh yeah?" the blonde girl said, her little goat tail swished back and forth as they walked past Blake and Sun, "I'm going to meet my true love in five years. We're going to get married and have three beautiful kids."
Blake turned back to the dark tent and looking at the brunette woman who was now staring intently at her and Sun, her steely brown eyes matched the color of her hair. She was draped in a bright purple shawl over a black dress that pooled at her feet. In any other day, Blake would have panicked as she saw the fangs at the corner of the older woman's lips, but her smile was inviting which made Blake all the more curious.
"Let's go there!" That was the final invitation Blake needed as she jogged after Sun who had bounded for the dark tent, standing just in front of the lion Faunus.
"Hello, children." her voice was silky, "I am Madame Leona. I have travelled to the far corners of Remnant, dined with the richest and the most powerful, sharing my visions of the future. Want your fortune told?"
Blake didn't think twice about her well-practiced statement of travelling all over Remnant, but having dined with the richest and most powerful? That seemed absurd. She lived in a beat up wagon and was now peddling stories and false hope to a bunch of teenagers in the ass end of Remnant.
"YES!" Sun shouted before Blake could protest. His fist curled up in front of his chest as he bounced in excitement in front of Madame Leona. If she was surprised by his sudden outburst, it didn't show in her expression. Blake would rather have paid to learn how to do that.
"Twenty-five lien." her lips curled, placing one hand on her left hip as the other one produced a long pipe, "I'm saving for my retirement, so no less."
That should have been the end of it. They only had twenty lien between the two of them and she did not want to spend it on some vague fortune of who her true love would be and how many children she was going to have. Besides, she had already drawn up her own future.
She was going to marry the most popular boy in school, Adam Taurus, and they were going to have a whirlwind romance, travelling all throughout Atlas in trains, ferry rides in the rivers of Vacuo and holding hands in the sprawling streets of Vale. Together, they would prove to the entire world that Faunus are people just like everyone else with their love and they were going to have two beautiful children that were as good-looking as their father and as brilliant as their mother.
That is if he only noticed her.
A girl can dream.
"Oh," Sun rubbed at the back of his neck, his other hand already fishing for the seven lien in his pocket, "We only have twenty lien."
"No," Blake announced, placing a hand on his shoulder, "you only have five lien. We should go, Sun."
"Come on, Blake!" Sun pulled her aside, leaving Madame Leona to puff at her pipe in peace, "Maybe we can cut a deal with her. I got seven here and if you spot me the three, we could probably get something for ten lien each. What do you say?"
"I suppose," Madame Leona puffed on her pipe and blew out smoke, "I could cut you both a deal. Ten lien each. Lover's discount."
Blake suddenly turned to Madame Leona, her face flushing, "We're just friends!"
"Best friends!" Sun piped up, pulling Blake back towards the tent, "Ten lien each, you've got a deal."
Madame Leona held out her hand, palm up and waited until Blake and Sun deposited their twenty lien before motioning for them to step inside. She directed them to the stiff wooden seats on the other side of her round table. As expected, the table was small and covered by a maroon fancy table cloth with intricate designs of golden vines and grapes. Right in the middle of it was a plain-looking crystal ball held in place by a white marble perch with more vines and different fruits carved onto its surface. Madame Leona must love her produce.
Blake expected the lion Faunus to conjure a deck of tarot cards and start shuffling them in front of them. She could almost hear her telling them to pick a card or do magic tricks. But no, Madame Leona only held her shawl in place as she gracefully seated herself on the only remaining chair.
"Well, at least I wouldn't have to break up a couple," Madame Leona announced, her eyes darting between the two before settling on Blake's amber eyes, her lips curling into a devious smile, "I can see that you prefer the... fairer... things in life."
What was that supposed to mean?
"So, do we hold hands, close our eyes, chant magic words, flip cards or what?" Sun was buzzing in his seat, either from excitement or from how uncomfortable the chair really was.
"For the full price," Madame Leona scoffed, placing both her hands on the table, the crystal ball in between them. She was still upset about only getting twenty lien from them, "I usually show you how you will meet your true love, when that will be and what your future would be like together."
Sun held his breath and Blake could only roll her eyes. Absolutely ridiculous. The future is not set in stone and can be gleaned into like it was some sort of episode in a television series or a page in a book. It's all a network of choices and circumstances and it's ever-changing, never the same.
"But for ten lien, I can only show you what they look like. I won't show you how you'll meet and when that will happen. That's all you'll get. Got it?"
Blake folded her arms over her chest, leaning back into the chair as far as she comfortably could and Sun enthusiastically nodded in agreement.
"You first, monkey. Put your hand on the crystal ball and close your eyes."
"Uhh..." Sun raised both his hands and looked at them in confusion, "Which one?"
Madame Leona sighed in annoyance, "Whichever one. I don't care. Just do it."
Sun finally chose to use his left hand and gingerly placed it on the crystal ball, probably trying not to knock it off the table and pay for it. Madame Leona placed both her hands over his and closed her eyes, muttering the strangest thing Blake had ever heard.
"... chordata, synapsida, mammalia, carnivora, felidae..."
And then there was silence.
Both Madame Leona and Sun were motionless. Blake felt the temperature in the room getting more awkward by the second. What was she supposed to do while they were both in their trance? Were they even in a trance? What did she mean by showing them what their true love looked like?
Blake decided to investigate as best as she could if Madame Leona wasn't a fraud who cheated dumb teenagers out of their money. She carefully lifted the table cloth a little bit to check if there were any sticks or wires under the table, but she could only see Sun's sneakers, Madame Leona's dress and a safety pin that one of her victims might have dropped earlier.
After about five minutes, she heard Sun gasp. She quickly threw the table cloth back in place and straightened herself before the two of them caught on to what she was doing. Sun snapped his eyes open while Madame Leona slowly did the same, the same devious smile spread across face.
"Blake, Blake, Blake!" Sun exclaimed, his arms flailing over his head, "She was beautiful. She had this cute red hair and the sexiest pair of doe ears. Ah! Her eyes were sooooo beautiful."
"A doe?" Blake laughed.
"Your turn." Madame Leona held out her hand to Blake, waiting for her to place her hand on the crystal ball.
Might as well, Blake thought. They did pay ten lien for this and even if what they saw would never come true, at least they would both have fun exchanging stories of what their true love would look like. If she ever saw Adam in Madame Leona's visions, then she could only hope that it would come true, but whatever. She was in control of her future and if she didn't like what she saw, she would do well to just avoid it entirely.
She placed her right hand over the crystal ball, surprised by its coolness. Madame Leona instructed her to close her eyes and after a quick second of hesitation, she closed them. Blake was in complete darkness, her ears picking up the soft muttering of the same strange words from earlier.
"... chordata, synapsida, mammalia, carnivora, felidae..."
And after they were spoken, nothing happened. The sounds of the fair and Sun faded, but she could still feel that she was seated in the tent. How in the world did Sun see his beautiful doe then? Finally, Blake opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of a simple but tasteful living room.
Great. She was going to spend the rest of her life with a living room. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Best ten lien ever.
She did like the beige couch though and the orange throw pillows. The dark wood coffee table was littered with a hard cover book, a set of keys and a remote control. On the opposite wall was a big flat screen TV hung in between two tall book cases. This living room looked exactly like something she would pick. There weren't any traces of someone else though. Her heart fell a little, but her eyes darted back to the orange throw pillows. If it were entirely up to her, she would have them in black.
She realized that she was leaning against a kitchen island. Turning around, she saw a big kitchen with white marble countertops and dark wood cupboards like the table in the living room. The big window showed a busy street outside and it looked as if she weren't in Menagerie anymore. The smell of coffee hung in the air and her eyes spotted the machine to her left. To her right, she saw a small dining area with a wooden table and white chairs.
"Good morning, Blake!" a soft voice called from behind, the words laced with tenderness and love. Blake turned around, half-expecting Adam, but mentally kicked herself because that was clearly not Adam's voice. No, it was softer. Sweeter.
If her eyes could grow any wider, they would have fallen out of her skull. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart stopped.
Standing in front of the living room was a beautiful woman, her hair a glorious mess of blonde hair against her olive skin. Her pink lips looked soft as she smiled wider. Her short yellow tank top hung over her broad muscled shoulders, accentuating her long neck and the top of her sizeable breasts. Her abs were quite the sight to see underneath her tank top and her black shorts hugged her hips like a second layer of skin.
Another quick sweep from head to toe and Blake had confirmed it. She was standing in front of a human. A stunning one at that.
Blake didn't notice how the woman had now been standing barely a few inches from her, hands gently placed just above the Faunus' elbows. Her heart was desperately trying to jump out of her chest. When her ears were drawn to the blonde's soft giggle, Blake suddenly became aware of the set above her head. Her hands shot up to cover them, barely noticing that her hair was long instead of the shorter style she usually wore.
"Blake, what's wrong?" the blonde stepped back a little, her left hand over Blake's right shoulder and her right hand buried into her long black hair, just an inch away from the base of her feline ears. "Do your ears hurt? Should we go see a doctor or something?"
Blake should've died by asphyxiation every time this woman took her breath away, but those pair of deep lilac eyes seemed to keep breathing life into her. It was like staring into the most beautiful sunrise over the ocean in her hometown. Her golden hair must be the sun then. Everything about this woman felt like home and the concern in her lilac eyes was probably what love felt like.
"Blake?" and there was that sweet voice again. Just like honey.
"N-no." She finally muttered, "I'm fine... Just dizzy."
The blonde didn't move, eyes still searching and worried, "You sure?"
"Positive." The word tumbled out with her sigh, the tiniest smile forming on her quivering lips.
The woman's lilac eyes were still set on her though and she returned Blake's smile with her own smaller one. By now, Blake had mapped out every miniscule detail within the blonde's eyes, how the lighter streaks of lilac seemed to expand from her pupils and how they darkened to the very ends of her irises. It was like watching a supernova searing itself into Blake's memory.
"Okay." the blonde whispered, pressing her lips to Blake's forehead as if it were the most natural thing to do, "I'll make some breakfast. You should sit down for a minute."
Blake closed her eyes, holding her breath as she felt warm hands slip away from her. She wanted to reach out and pull them back into her own, but the moment she tried to look, she was staring at the devious smile of Madame Leona, her hand still on the cool crystal ball.
She blinked again, wishing to go back to that kitchen. She was back in Menagerie, in the dark tent in the fairgrounds in the summer heat. She blinked once more, hoping to see that supernova in her eyes, to hear her sweet voice, but she could only hear Sun.
"Hey, Blake, you okay?" Sun covered his hand over hers on the crystal ball, "Was your true love that bad?"
"Oh, no. Like I said," Madame Leona whispered, blowing a faint stream of smoke after a quick puff of the pipe she produced almost out of thin air, "your friend here likes the fairer things in life. You can't deny it, child. Madame Leona has seen it."
Blake quickly got up from her seat, her back aching from how uncomfortable it was. This was all a terrible joke. Madame Leona was upset that they only paid ten lien, that's why she played a stupid trick on her and showing her with a woman. A woman! A human woman, no less. She didn't know how the lion Faunus did it, but she was sure that it had all been a trick. Blake Belladonna would never be with a woman and there was no way in all of Remnant that she would be with a human.
"Let's go, Sun." Blake didn't wait for his reply. She quickly walked out of the tent, pushing the flap out of her way and beginning her long walk home in the night. She was grateful for her night vision when she deftly avoided a puddle of god knows what it was.
"Uhh... Blake, wait!" Sun got up and followed her, "Thanks, Madame Leona!" he called out to the lion Faunus as he ran after Blake, careful not to trip on the garbage strewn about the fairgrounds and just barely jumping over the puddle.
It can't be true. It just can't be true. Blake didn't like girls. As far as she knew. No, no. She did not like girls. Even if she has only ever liked one boy. And even if she ever did like girls, it wouldn't be a human. Humans were mean. They've been harassing the Faunus even before she was born, driving them back into this sorry piece of island, cut off from the rest of the world. But the woman in her vision was kind. And oh my dust, she was beautiful.
That settled it. A beautiful human with a plain Faunus like her. That's impossible. Madame Leona was a liar.
But her mind kept coming back to those lilac eyes. And it always did for the next four years.