In case you skipped the first chapter, which you shouldn't have, I'll fill you in on what happened. Yang bothered me far beyond reason, then got mad when I told her off. Cardin Winchester showed up at just the wrong time and may or may not have inadvertently discovered my... well... actually, forget it. You're going to find out sooner or later anyway, so here it is.
My name is Blake Belladonna, and I am a Faunus.
You get it? I have Cat ears. They should have been hidden under my bow, but I seem to have lost that crucial piece of my outfit. I have no idea when I lost it. It could have fallen off at some point while I was running through the school with Nora Valkyrie, escaping Cardin and his team of dolts. I regret that I may have lost it as early as when I smacked Cardin in the jaw with my book. If that's the case, then not only would he and his entire team have noticed, but pretty much everyone else as well.
As it is, I'm only sure Nora and Velvet Scarlatina know my secret. Although, watching her try to stand up, I think Velvet is out of it enough that she might not even remember seeing anything. Nora, on the other hand, could probably tell everyone without anyone actually believing that I'm a Faunus.
Oh yeah, by the way, tell anyone and you're dead. I will literally beat you to death with your own skull. You may think that doesn't seem physically possible, and that's what you'll be screaming while it's happening. Also, I didn't mean any of that.
Nora, who was standing beside me, was enjoying watching the Rabbit Faunus stumbling around. Eventually, Nora thought to ask her a question. "So, uh... what happened to you?"
Velvet fell onto her back and giggled. "I don't know. What happened to you?"
If I had to guess, which I apparently do, I'd say she was delirious. I couldn't guess what brought it on. Maybe she just hit her head really hard on something... like... the floor. That's really the best I can come up with.
Down the hallway, my friend and fearless team leader Ruby skidded into view. I panicked and covered my ears with my hands. I can't let anyone know about this. I need to find my bow. Only then will I be able to breath easy. Ruby ran over to us and looked to me, then to Velvet, then back to me.
"What happened? Is she okay? Why are you holding your head like that?"
Nora jumped in. "Blake's embarrassed because-"
I am not going to let her finish that sentence. "Because I lost my bow!"
Nora looked over at me, then quickly smiled. "Yeah! We need to go find it for her!"
Ruby blinked at me, then smiled kindly. "Oh, Blake, you don't have to be embarrassed! I know exactly how you feel!"
Does she? "You do?" I doubt it...
She pulled her giant scythe weapon out from behind her, letting it unfold to it's full size. "Of course! I get all nervous whenever I go somewhere without Crescent Rose! Yang says it's because I'm insecure... well, maybe she's right, but if having your bow makes you feel safer, then find your bow we shall!"
I... I don't know what to say. Ruby's pretty much right, she's just missing one little fact... or should I say 'two little points'? "Well... having my bow... would make me feel safer." So far so good. Easy there, girl. Don't go letting the cat out of the bag. "I'd rather not be seen without it..."
Ruby put her scythe away. "Then stay right here! Nora and I will search for it!" She spun around and ran off down the hallway. Nora saluted and chased after her. They were gone seconds later.
Now it's just me and the dizzy bunny.
Velvet suddenly bolted upright. "Oh no! I'm late for class! It's history class too! I'm going to miss the only class I have good grades in!"
Okay, so now she's somewhat lucid. I called after her as she ran down the hall. "History class was this morning. It's after lunchtime."
She stopped and turned to me, horrified. "I already missed it?"
Yeah... this girl's a lost cause. She drooped over, her ears and arms flopping sadly. How am I supposed to comfort someone like this? "It's okay, just say you weren't well. I'll help you with any assignments you missed."
She straightened up a bit and looked at me, eventually giving a small smile. "I... I would like that. Thank you." Then she squinted at me and tilted her head. "Why are you holding your head like that?"
I shall alter what was actually going through my mind while I explained the position of my hands. "Well, uh, you see..." Baka baka baka. "I lost my bow..." Duck duck duck. "And I, uh, I'm... insecure..." Baka baka duck ship punt. "And my bow makes me feel better..." Yang Xiao Long. "...because it hides my ears."
And so I removed my hands. Velvet could now lucidly behold my fluffy black ears, and her reaction was about what I would expect. Her eyes went wide. "You... you're a... you're one of us?"
I hate having to explain this to people. "I wear the bow to hide my ears, because I don't want people to think of me differently."
"Blake, you don't need to hide it from anyone."
Oh... crap.
I turned around to face Ruby, who was standing behind me. She held out her hand, showing me the bow. "It would just be easier if everyone was just themselves. You don't have to hide that you're a Faunus. Even if anyone picks on you, you've got your friends to help you."
That's nice, Ruby, really. But that's only part of the problem. I took the bow and put it back on my head, covering my ears again. "I appreciate that, Ruby... but I'm not here to be known as a Faunus. I'm here to be a Huntress. I don't have time for bullies or jerks." Because I felt she could use a push like this, I turned to Velvet. "We're not here to prove points to imbeciles like Cardin. We're here to serve the people of Vytal."
Nora, who had been standing behind Ruby and was surprisingly quiet, finally jumped in. "Of course that's not why we're here. It's a bonus!"
Ruby surprised me with her response to Nora. "No, that's not it." She turned back to me. "I see what you're saying, Blake. If we're going to gt the respect of our fellow Hunters and Huntresses, we do it by fighting monsters. Not by fighting each other. Their opinions of us don't change what we're here to do, and if we don't let them, those opinions can't do anything to us."
Ruby deserves a cookie for that. "I have to say, I didn't expect you to be the one who saw it the same way, Ruby."
She shrugged. "I'm fifteen years old and everyone else here is seventeen or older. I used to worry about what other people thought, but now I realize that it's not important. I might be the only person at Beacon who feels more out of place than you, but I found my way."
Footsteps from down the hallway caught all our attentions. Walking towards the four of us was Professor Ozpin, and he had a suspicious piece of paper in his hand. He smiled as he approached us.
Ruby and Nora smiled back cheerfully, while Velvet looked down at the ground. He took no notice other than to nod briefly to Ruby, then held the paper out to me. "Miss Belladonna, this arrived for you this morning." I took it from him and inspected it, noticing that it was an envelope. He turned and left. "You girls have a good day."
It took until he was out of sight for me to notice that the other girls were all peering over my shoulder at the envelope. They're all curious, I know. Deciding I wanted to know too, I turned the envelope over and began to work on opening it. I stopped when I saw writing on the envelope. Sure enough, it was addressed to me, but that's not what made me freeze.
It was from Adam.
Author's Note: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Blake the Cat Faunus! Enjoy!
