Black Dragon
Chapter 8: Dulce et Decorum Est-Part 1
"愛是由一個單一的靈魂棲息兩個機構." (Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies) -Aristotle
Him
I get into the driver's seat beside Blake, giving her a shy grin and revving up the engine.
"Hey. Wanna go for a ride?"
She nods, and I floor it. We sit there in silence for around fifteen minutes, merely enjoying the scenery and each other's company. I find it amazing that a girl like her would even agree to go out with a guy like me, but hey. There's a first for everything, right?
I can hear her humming along with the song on the radio, and I smile a little before turning it up. The song seems pretty familiar, though I can't really place it. It sounds a little depressing, honestly, but with a past like ours it's probably for the best.
I have nothing left to give.
I have found the perfect end.
You were made to make it hurt…
Disappear into the dirt.
By here, her amber eyes are glistening with tears, and I can feel mine starting to get moister.
Carry me to heaven's arms,
Live forever, drag me down!
I will fight for one last breath,
I will fight until the end.
For some reason, her fists are slightly clenched, and I gently ease my hand into hers. My heart is pounding harder than ever, but she doesn't appear to notice. Then, after a split second, she squeezes my hand and I do a little victory dance inside my head.
And I will find the enemy within…
Cause I can feel it crawl beneath my skin!
Dear agony,
Don't let go of me…
I'm so sorry,
Is this the way it's gotta be?
Dear agony…
She's openly in tears by the end of the song, and I pull over onto the shoulder to comfort her.
"There, there. Blake? It's all in the past. It's okay."
She sobs softly on my shoulder, and I pat her back as I hold her. We just sit there, in the car on the side of the road, with only tears and the night as company.
After a good ten minutes or so, the tears come slower, and she gradually lets go of me. Then, seemingly just realizing our position, a deep blush colours her cheeks.
"You okay now? C'mon, let's get to our little date."
I give her a wink and a lopsided grin, and for once she smiles back. It's not much, but it's something. I nod, then gun the engine. I hit the accelerator, and we're off.
The souped-up Ferrari, black with green highlights, is capable of reaching three hundred kilometres per hour. We definitely didn't reach it that night, but we surely got pretty damn close. The streetlights grow in number as we approach downtown Vale, flitting by like fireflies high in the air.
I eventually have to let off on the engine, turning off of the highway and onto King. Damn traffic. After that, the hardest thing to do is finding a parking space. After searching in vain, I eventually give up and stop the car in front of the restaurant. I get out first, nearly getting hit by a passing truck but managing to jump to the side just in time. I brush off my suit jacket, walking around the car to open up Blake's door.
I hold out her hand, and she takes it. We both blush, but I help her out of the car and gently close the door. I tell the car to autopark with my scroll then we both stroll into La Fenice.
Ever the unruly gentleman, I hold the door open for Blake as we enter. She gives me a little half-smile, and walks in by my side.
"Bonjourno, Sir and Madam, and welcome to La Fenice Mistrallian restaurant. If I may show you to your table?"
The waiter gives a little bow and motions us to follow him, weaving a path through the multitude of people inside.
The interior of the restaurant is certainly upscale, reminiscent of the late 300's. The walls were painted the shade of beige that's supposed to bring about a romantic atmosphere, miniature chandeliers hanging over every wooden table. The chairs looked as though they were a hundred years old, yet the wood was polished to perfection. All in all, the standard high-class restaurant that most students had no right to afford. Then again, most students shouldn't have the right to drive a Ferrari 420 Blaze, either.
The little waiter stops at a tiny table, a lone candle sitting atop its surface. His miniature moustache quivering, he quickly hands us each a menu before making yet another bow and marching off.
I help Blake to her chair, then sit down across from her. I gently flip open the menu, doing my best not to cringe at the prices. Fifteen Lien for a salad alone? I'm almost afraid to see how much an entrée costs here…
Not a second later, the same little waiter appears by my side.
"Drinks, sir? Madam?"
After getting over my initial shock and startled surprise, I give Blake a questioning look. She simply shrugs, and I turn back to the guy.
"Um…two glasses of red Sauvignon, please. Preferably from before 590 AD."
"I'm afraid that Sir will have to show me some identification before such an order may be placed as the legal age here in Vale is nineteen. Sir does have identification, yes?"
I resist the urge to give the man an elbow in the crotch for that little remark, instead pulling out my forged Vale citizenship card and giving him a pointed look. His eyes widen, but he gives another little bow before dashing off.
I turn back to Blake, one of her eyebrows raised curiously.
"So, Ren. Just out of curiosity, since you're clearly not nineteen…where did you get the ID?"
I give a little nervous laugh glancing quickly around the restaurant to make sure that little man isn't nearby.
"Er…you see…when you're onboard a cargo ship for a few months…you get busy. Busy enough to get a half-million Lien 'research grant' from the Kay'Dyan government, or to forge a Valian citizenship, or both. Heh. Heh."
She gives me another of her half-smiles that make me want to just sweep her off her feet and kiss her, but thankfully I manage to restrain myself.
"If you'll excuse me, Blake. I kinda need to go to the little dragons' room…"
She rolls her eyes, but nods and starts pulling out a book from her purse. Thus excused, I stand up and manage to dodge a rich couple that look like they're from Valhalla. The man mutters something about gottverdammter schweinehunde, but passes by me without incident. Judging by the way he said that…he's lucky I don't speak his language.
I walk past tables full of dining couples, noting the dirty looks that are shot my way when they think I'm not looking. Most of the people here are either Western, rich, or both. As such, a middle-class Eastern kid stands out pretty well, which isn't really a good thing for me. On the bright side, considering how terribly they treat their Faunus workers, it's a good thing that Blake never takes off her bow.
Just squeezing past a group of laughing heiresses and trying not to look surprised that Weiss isn't with them, I open the doors into the washroom. Which, judging from the amount of things thrown at me, wasn't the men's one. I beat a hasty retreat, apologizing profusely before running into the washroom opposite.
I stand in front of the sink, splashing some water on my face before looking myself in the mirror.
"Dammit Ren, what are you doing? How do you know she's even into you? It's not like she's dropped many hints or anything. Maybe I'm just stuck in the friendzone, and I don't even know it yet…"
From the other side of the sinks (it's a large washroom.), I hear a familiar voice continuing on the same lines as I am. Intrigued, I stop my moaning and self-pity just for a second to listen in on him.
"…but there's a chance, right? Pyrrha might like me…maybe. But she agreed to this, right?"
I walk around the partition, tapping him on the shoulder and greeting a surprised Jaune face-to-face.
"Wha—? Ren! What are you doing here?!"
"Er…I'm on a date-that's-not-a-date with Blake. You?"
"Same, with Pyrrha. Er…this is weird."
I nod agreement, then think. Huh. Now that I think about it, I've never really had that many guy friends. This one poor, poor boy just might be…time to implement plan B.
"Hey, Jaune. Under Article 13 (1) of the Bro Code, I hereby dub myself your wingman and you mine. Agree?"
His face becomes a mask of surprise, confusion, and startled confusion, after taking about two seconds to process the information.
"Uh…what?"
I roll my eyes, then place both hands on his shoulders.
"…Do you honestly have no idea what the Bro Code is?"
He nods, and I do my best not to shake our fearless leader back and forth and inevitably accidentally break his neck. Instead, I let out an exasperated sigh and start explaining.
"It's a code of behaviour to members of the male species, written by one of Vale's greatest philosophers. Article 1: Bros before ho's…although in this situation I think we can let that one slide just a bit. Article 2: A Bro is always entitled to do something stupid, as long as all the other Bros are doing it. Article 3…"
I continue along this line for quite a while, pausing only to make sure the blond is paying attention. Eventually, we get through all 150 articles of the Code, and he's left there stupefied. Not like I care too much, of course.
"…So there you have it. Now go outside, and let's get these dates done. Good luck, buddy. Oh, and one more thing: Not a word of this to anyone else: got that?"
He nods numbly, and I sigh again. I check my green tie in the mirror, then adjust his just a little. Satisfied, I move my hands away from his neck and gain a sigh of relief from him.
I practically drag him outside with me, though once he gets inside the restaurant proper he seems to recover his bearings. I walk over to our table, Jaune and Pyrrha apparently having taken the one next to ours. Oh boy, this is gonna be awkward. Then again, considering how socially inept Jaune can be, this might just be sheer entertainment.
Blake simply looks towards me, her piercing amber eyes still captivating as ever. She sighs, then closes her book and takes a sip of her water. Just then, the same annoying little waiter appears with a bottle of the restaurant's best Sauvignon, placing it on the table and then disappearing off to who-knows-where.
I pop the cork, delicately pouring first Blake a glass, then myself. She accepts it gracefully, and we clink our glasses together before taking a small sip. It's good stuff, fruity with hints of earthiness and a slight smoky flavour. We spend a moment savouring the wine, Jaune and Pyrrha staring at us in amazement. I don't even take my eyes off of Blake's for a moment, instead vaguely waving my fake citizenship card at the pair.
Eventually, the little man shows up again, his moustache as hyperactive as ever. We order a whole grilled tuna fillet and a small plate of spaghetti, Blake's bow twitching as I order the fish. After he leaves, she turns back to me.
"How did you know…?"
"That it was your favourite? Oh, I made an educated guess. Did I guess right?"
She dips her head, then takes another small sip of her wine. Beside us, Pyrrha stares deeply into Jaune's eyes as he recounts a story of his ancestors and how bad he is compared to them, although I doubt she's paying that much attention judging by the small amount of drool around her mouth.
The food comes eventually, actually faster than our wine showed up I drily note. Blake shares it out between us as I admire her delicate movements, slowly cutting apart the fish with clearly visible relish.
"Sik fan!"
She gives me a look, but digs in nonetheless.
"Er…it's a Xi'anese tradition. Sorry. Enjoy!"
I take a bite of the fish, my eyes widening at the rich flavour. The chef put just the right amount of lime in the marinade, giving it a delightful sour-sweet-salty taste. From across the table, it's plain that Blake's enjoying it just as much as I am.
I get a forkful of the spaghetti next, marvelling at the smooth texture of the tomato sauce and the hint of saltiness from the Parmesan cheese. The pasta itself seems to be made by the gods themselves, having a firm yet soft feel to them. I try and fail to prevent myself from gorging on the food, Blake having far better self-restraint than me.
We talk of our pasts, of things that we normally wouldn't say a word of to anybody else. After all, we have to trust each other with our lives. As I promised three weeks earlier: no more secrets. So out comes the truth, and with it a better sense of understanding. Honestly, where was this beautiful girl all my life? I'm definitely glad that I met her, let alone had the balls to ask her out. Now the question is: does she like me back? Judging from her agreement to this 'date that's not a date', I'm swayed to the 'yes' side, but it doesn't hurt to be sure, right? Ah, well. A bit more time waiting won't exactly kill me.
I return to savouring our food, making the occasional literary joke or remark but otherwise focusing on the plate in front of me.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and we eventually finish off the dishes we ordered. Just as I put down the fork, the waiter shows up again with the menus.
"Desserts, sir? Madam?"
After a quick look, we choose to order a chocolate and raspberry Tartufo, or chocolate ice cream with a raspberry centre. The treat is a Mistrallian favourite, and somehow costs as much as half an entrée. On the side, I get myself a cup of Earl Grey, Blake ordering a pure black coffee.
I see Jaune demolishing a cake, Pyrrha alternating between laughing and crying at the hilarity. Our food arrives to much less celebration, a spoon poking out of either side of the ice cream. It's enough for Blake, though, who eagerly takes the first inquisitive bite. Chuckling, I follow, letting the flavour explode across my tongue.
She gives me a little smile as we finish, and I, ever the gentleman, offer her the last spoonful. She accepts, and I decide to go a little further by feeding it to her myself. She laughs a little, only for her mouth to be filled with chocolate ice cream.
Now it's my turn to laugh as she tries to turn her blushing smile into a pout, and she half-heartedly makes as if to throw the spoon at me.
Sadly, the moment is ruined as the waiter shows up again with the bill. There's a kind of tiny smirk on his face as I take it from him, and I quickly understand why. Holy shit…is this in Lien? In total, the price came up to L110.98, not counting the hefty 13% tax. Thankfully, I hadn't blown all of my 'hard earned' cash, although it certainly took a bite out of it.
I fight back the urge to be a prick, and instead give the man a fifteen percent tip. Not the minimum, but far from what I would usually give. Given the waiter's pitiful excuse for customer service, he gets about twenty bucks instead. Ah, well. He can't really complain. After all, I am a poor Xi'anese student, right?
I help Blake to her feet as we leave, Jaune and Pyrrha staying behind a little longer to talk. I call the car over with my scroll, and grab a seat on a bench in the square.
"Sorry, might be a while before the car gets here."
Just when I say that, a familiar black-and-green Ferrari 420 Blaze pulls up by the curb, flashing its lights and honking once.
"…or maybe not…"
The ride back to Beacon is filled with silence, each of us content to just be together. I leave the radio off, keeping one hand on the wheel and the other on hers.
We get to the Academy some time after 9:30, and I wheel the car into the front loop. I get out and hold the door open for Blake, helping her out of the vehicle and accompanying her past the gates. The statues in the gardens stand like silent sentinels, swords held out as if in preparation for the coming war.
I walk Blake to our room, her hand in mine. We stroll past some of the other students, wolf whistles resounding across the hall. We ignore them, however, climbing the stairs and making it to the dorm.
I hold the door open for her, motioning her in.
"The car's kind of a rental from my cousin who runs a dealership downtown, so I gotta go return it now. I'll be back in half an hour."
I turn around, ready to leave, when I hear her soft voice behind me.
"Ren, wait! I just wanted to say…I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks, Ren."
As I turn, I feel a pair of gentle, soft lips on my cheek. I put my hand to my face, blushing. Blake is equally red, and she gives me a tiny smile before closing the door. I just stand there in the hall for a moment, flushing and thinking.
Hey. I could make this work.
A/N: Yeah. I felt like having a feels chapter. ^^ Blake's POV will be in Dulce et Decorum Est Part 2 (next chapter), uploaded on Wednesday the 20th. As for Ren's stuff as described last chapter, his shoulder pauldrons are like the ones used by Halo ODST's, and his gun is based off of the QBZ-95 and the Halo Battle Rifle. Lastly, Dulce et Decorum Est means 'It is sweet and right' in Latin. True story.
Shadic1978: Thank you for your enthusiasm and your dedication to this fic. ^^
Husker75bsg: Gratitude, and to be honest I got the idea for this fic because my friend hated the pairing :)
Athan StarClimber: Er…sadly, I've never actually been on Deviantart…*hides under rock* but I've seen the line used in a lot of Bumblebee fanfics, so I decided to 'steal' it. Sue me.
(1) I got this from the website by Neil Patrick Harris. Other Bro Codes have different numbering systems for this, although the Wingman tradition is present throughout them all.
As always, read, review, and ENJOY!
-Rafen
PS: FOLLOWS FOR THE FOLLOW GOD! REVIEWS FOR THE REVIEW THRONE! LET MY FANFICTIONS GROW! (Brought to you by Tzeetnch Incorporated, a division of Chaos Undivided. All rights reserved.)