Valence

by Cowjump

With the end of their first year at Beacon Academy having come to pass, Team RWBY must contend with the next three months of their summer break. Follow this eclectic bunch as they are thrown into a situation that utilizes neither their combined combat prowess nor their acquired knowledge on all things battle-related during their adventures in the city of Vale.

11. Chapter 11: Independence

Welcome back and thank you for reading. I would like to keep this initial author's note brief so to keep the displayed word count down to an extent and so that you can get to the chapter sooner. I would like to say that in the author's note at the end of this chapter, there are a few announcements that may interest some of you. The announcements are not related to any sort of hiatus or change in scheduling or anything else negative, so don't worry about that. Honestly, I'm trying to keep this author's note positive so that you may get in the right mood for this particular chapter.

I hope that chapter eleven of Valence exceeds your expectations.

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Chapter 11: Independence

July 3

It has been far too long since I last did this. Even writing that last sentence proves my atrophy. To my future self, please disregard this paragraph as it only serves to reacquaint me with writing in a way that lacks the tedium of structural note taking and rigidity of informative styles. I will admit that the extension of this paragraph is also meant to allow me the opportunity to reinforce and restructure my handwriting. Looking back on the other entries, I find that the relaxed mood of the time directly affected the writing quality and appearance despite the subject matter covered. I need—I must reclaim the skills I have lost because it would only be just for the topic I am to discuss.

Yang.

Yang. Yang. Yang.

Why is it that when I think of your name—let alone write it—I get this feeling? I cannot begin to describe what it feels like (A warm shiver? A soothing flutter?) but I know that it feels right. It is incredible and haunting and mystifying and humbling—it builds and it breaks and yet I never get tired of the sensation and will actively seek it by thinking your name just one more time. You broke me, Yang. You broke me from the hex of the maddening world that threatens our sanctity. And I don't care that you broke me because what you broke built itself back stronger than it has ever been before. Weiss was wrong, Yang; I haven't lost my edge. Instead, it has been sharpened and honed to such a razor that it can hardly be seen and yet it would be foolish to claim that it does not exist. It's there, Yang. As you protect me, I will protect you with strength given to me by this wonderful feeling you supply.

Yang Xiao Long.

Had I a sufficient eraser, the previous paragraphs would not exist. However, because I lack such a tool and because the points made and alluded to still hold some validity to them, they must stay. The aforementioned points (emotions, sensations, etc.) are the reasons why I am writing again. I need to clear my mind and organize my thoughts. Perhaps with this entry I can figure something out.

During this past year, I have attended Beacon Academy with the intent of learning and training towards becoming a huntress and have disengaged professionally, ideologically, and emotionally from the White Fang in its current state. I am not ignoring the vast gap in both time and reason between this entry and the last; instead I am choosing to elaborate at a later date. This entry is to be dedicated solely to one peculiar anomaly I have become enamored with in this past year. My combat partner for the extent of my attendance of the Academy, Yang Xiao Long, is now my girlfriend. It is still strange to think about but makes sense in this present moment. I will refrain from being comprehensive in my retelling of our history so to preserve pages—I find that these moments we have shared are ingrained in my memory and it is doubtful they will ever leave—and will describe the fundamental outline and causes that have led to this effect. To my future self, I am aware of the suddenness of our history, but it is a rich, real history despite the time frame.

Security—or a lack of hostility—was something I doubted could be found after leaving the White Fang but was surprised to learn that the student body of the Academy was not only welcoming but accepting. It was odd, the school. After my experiences within the organization, I believed that a constant competitive atmosphere would exist everywhere and would dominate the school's population. Not only did they prove to be accepting and encouraging, they were among the first people I could sincerely call "friends" without meaning acquaintances who became obligatory allies whenever the situation descended into conflict. Yang was the first of these friends—she was my best friend. Actually, it is to say that she still is my best friend but at the same time she is much more.

During the school year, this friendship amounted to rather frequent jokes (mostly from Yang, but I occasionally made attempts), integrated combat tactics, thorough note-taking habits (what Yang missed in class, I was able to supplement), a constant feeling of relaxation and happiness, and eventually an invitation. This invitation was Yang's offer near the end of the year to spend the summer with her and Ruby in Vale. At the time, I thought nothing more of the offer than a chance to spend time with my newfound friends. Even though it had occurred to me that the other students outside of my team were returning to their homes and parents, this information seemed to spur my decision towards accepting Yang's then outstretched hand rather than declining. I had no knowledge of what had become of my parents—whether or not they cared for me, remembered me, or even if they were alive—but I expected the worst. I accepted Yang's offer without much deliberation and it turned out to be perhaps the greatest decision of my life.

Towards the latter months of my first year at Beacon, I began to see Yang in a light that was far more personal than mere friendship. I will spare this entry the descriptions of how and why these sentiments came into existence because this is not about the origin of our relationship. Rather, this entry is dedicated to the results of what happened on the morning of our second day of summer break. On that second day—not 24 hours after we left the school—I asked Yang and she said "Yes." Less than two weeks after that moment, I feel as though I am in love with her. This sensation is the reason why I feel I must write. This closeness is not natural to me and is admittedly very confusing.

Who is Yang to me?

This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. My immediate reaction is to respond with either girlfriend or partner but I know that such simple words will not justly apply to these emotions. Perhaps I should begin by saying what comes to mind. It seems as though anything else proves too analytical while such a simple, natural thought process yields the most telling results.

Yang—as I wrote before, the name sends a warming chill down my spine—is this wonderful force in my life that has shown me nothing but kindness. In these past two weeks, she has changed my life in so many ways that I never thought possible for me. It seems as though I'm blindly praising (Idolizing?) her in my writing, but that is not my intent. I would like to thank her but I must stay objective about this. She has altered my personality positively—augment would have been a better word—and it would be wrong to look over this fact. I now prefer company over solace; small company, numbering one to three at most, but company nonetheless. I have found that my primary leisure activity has become being near Yang rather than reading. I want to speak again and I feel that I will be able to without worrying about political or personal repercussions. At a very basic level, I am different after the events of last year, but these two weeks have changed the way I interact with others to such a degree I have never before experienced. And it was all because of Yang.

So who is she to me, then? Even with a few minutes of thought, I still have not come up with an answer. However, without the looming presence of Beacon, I have had more than a few minutes to think and now I know how I feel for her. I am proud to be with Yang. Every second I am with her is new and fresh and this makes life exhilarating. She is so different from me and yet very much the same. Our goals, ideals, and morals are fairly aligned. I doubt she could ever care about the state of Faunus the way I do, but that is to be expected. She has priorities I could never relate to with her sister and absence of parents. We both understand the harshness of the world, albeit in different ways and for different reasons. What separates us, however, is how we deal with that harshness. Looking back at those older entries, I know that I can be grim and, at times, pessimistic. Yang is optimistic and counters reality with humor—this does not mean she ignores the world; she merely softens the impact for those around her. The optimism helps and the humor makes even a grim situation a little bit lighter. Would it be narcissistic to say that I act as a balance for her too? Perhaps it would be a tad novel to say that my dark, reserved disposition harmonizes with her sunny, idealistic nature? Am I the Yin to her Yang?

She really has gotten to me. If the second paragraph of this entry inspired want of a better eraser, then that joke—if it can be called that—inspires a need for a new eraser.

This transition (Degradation? Decline? Degeneration? There are so many words to describe the effect of her infectious sense of humor.) was inevitable and possibly for the best. I find that I am happier than I used to be and not by a marginal percentage. Whenever I look in a mirror, I am smiling and I cannot compose myself. I feel lucky despite the deliberateness in choice of Yang as my partner. I love her—I am sure of that. "Love" was the conclusion I came to within five days. It has been seven days since then and I still cannot seem to grasp the scope of this emotion. I know it exists—it is too strong to go unnoticed and unclassified—but how it managed to develop in such a short period of time is admittedly confusing to me. It is not to say that my love for her is shallow or trite in any way—rather, it is remarkable how quickly she inspired such emotion on my part. Before she came into my life, I was certain there would be no fairy tale ending for me. I still don't believe everything will work in my—our—favor, but perhaps the "happily ever after" may come after all.

I see Yang as my happily ever after. She is who I will fight for and who will fight for me—not because she is obliged to be my ally but because she cares for me as I do her. She is my partner, my girlfriend, my light in the darkness. I love her. Yang Xiao Long.

Yang, if you realize the purpose of this book and find this entry, know that I will not be mad at you. I admit, I will probably be a little upset at the invasion of privacy, but this is information you have a right to see. I'm sorry if the entries before shocked you—they still shock me too. I originally wrote this for myself but you have given me reason to write for us. I may not know who you are in every regard but I look forward to finding out. Yang, if you are reading this, I want you to know that everything I said in these past few pages is true (Even the part about your humor corrupting me. I may never forgive you for that.). At the same time, if you're reading this, then it must be apparent that I am a coward and have pretty much forced you to search for any indication of affection from me. If that is the case, then I am sorry.

I love you, Yang. I may lack the courage to say it aloud, but I love you nonetheless. Perhaps when I acquire that courage, I can say it to you and you would know. I love you, Yang Xiao Long, whether you read this or not.

---

Blake stared at the words, surprised yet skeptical at what she had written—at how much she had written. She tapped the end of her pencil where an eraser had once been against the final page as she looked at her inaudible confession. The thoughts and sentiments were true but the fervor in which she wrote was disconcerting. It felt as though only minutes had passed since she first retrieved her journal and now she had far more pages filled than she had intended. She wanted to flip back through to count exactly how many there were, but her eyes were resolutely trained on that final paragraph. She had intended this entry to simply be her retelling of events and an evaluation of what she was feeling, but her emotions seemed to override her ability to write. However, she could find neither reason nor inclination to refute anything written. Everything here was true enough to make her blush, but she felt that the action of tapping her pencil against the journal while looking intently at the final paragraph would be enough to cover up this reaction.

Within the sanctuary of her room—the room she had been given as a child—Blake sat atop her bed, struggling with limited time and alien emotions. She felt as though she needed to write more but could not bring herself to continue. Despite how long this entry had become, she felt as though it was relatively succinct. She had answered her question and had come to a conclusion that she had arrived at multiple times before and yet she felt as though there was more to say. Of course, there would always be more to elaborate upon as her feelings for the blonde could not amount to mere pages. This amount would do fine, she thought before flipping back to the entry's first page with the intent of proofreading despite her lack of eraser. However, when her ears perked at a noise on the other side of her door, she suddenly became panicked.

She watched the handle turn before Yang entered. Before could be seen, Blake closed her journal so that the leather cover with the dead language would be displayed. In her haste, she had unfortunately closed the book on her pencil, showing what she believed to be an obvious gap that would tell Yang what she had been doing. She could only hope her perceptive partner would not see it.

"So," Yang began, tugging at one of her gloves so that it would fit correctly, "are you about ready to go?"

Blake had to compose herself. It took a great deal of effort to even her features and control the blush that still lingered, but eventually her practiced calm became apparent and hid any and all signs of panic or embarrassment. She wanted Yang to know what she had written but not yet—it was too soon. At the same time, she had to tame the eager smile that came from seeing her partner. They hadn't been caught last night and Yang had even been there when Blake woke up, albeit asleep but there nonetheless. She wanted to smile at the memory of the position they had woken up in. During the night, Yang had shifted so that she could nuzzle possessively underneath Blake's chin, resulting in a hold that was opposite the one they had fallen asleep in. When the Faunus roused from her slumber, she was met with a sight of untamed, golden hair and an indomitable grip that she could not escape from. Despite the happiness brought about by this memory, Blake needed to stay composed so that her journal would stay unnoticed.

"I believe so," Blake calmly replied as she slid the book off of her lap and onto the bed. She hoped that her saying this while moving the journal out of sight would direct Yang's attention more towards her than anything else. This seemed to work as the blonde smiled widely. Blake imagined that the next thing said would be Yang encouraging her to get moving, but precautions needed to be taken first. "Wait," she purposefully made a show of looking at Yang's arm, "shouldn't you bring Ember Celica?" She felt that because Yang's weapons were inconspicuous enough in their collapsed state, it would be ideal for her to bring them. Blake did not expect any trouble today, but this preparedness had been instilled and seemed logical to her now.

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, sure. What about you? Aren't you bringing yours?"

Blake shook her head. "I can't. I don't know how my parents would react to me carrying a gun around, much less Gambol Shroud."

"Fair enough." Again she shrugged before sending Blake her best attempt at a winning smile. "So, what are you reading?"

"Nothing." She answered quickly and automatically. Yang had apparently caught on to her attempt at hiding the book. Unfortunately, Blake believed that because the concealment was observed, her reaction had also been perceived as panicked and forced. Her girlfriend's expression did not change but surely she must have been aware of the lie she had been told. For this reason, Blake needed to move the conversation along and away from herself. "Go get your weapons. I'll be out in a moment."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll pry some other time." She turned to the door so that she would hopefully leave and allow Blake the opportunity to hide her journal. "Besides, I'm not in the mood to read anything right now. Maybe later." Blake sent her a defensive glare which evoked a laugh on Yang's part. "Simmer down, Belladonna." She winked as she pulled the door open. "I don't care what you were writing anyways. It's none of my business." At this, she exited and closed the door behind her.

Blake reclined into a supine position before sighing aloud. Yang had realized the purpose of her book. Now it was only a matter of time until she would find and read it. Fortunately, she did not seem interested in it at the moment as the events of today seemed to be exciting her much more. This sigh was intended to release the panic that had overcome her mind and to show general gratitude that their interaction had passed without incident. Normally, she enjoyed Yang's company and her sudden intrusions, but the timing of this particular instance proved somewhat irksome. However, she couldn't be mad at Yang for too long; Blake thought that without her partner's entrance, she would still be proofreading. She took a breath before sitting back up and retrieving her book.

Just as Blake was preparing to conceal her journal, her door opened once again and Yang's head peeked through. "I'm sorry; what I said came out wrong." Blake raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was not preparing to leave. "I didn't mean that I don't care about what you're writing—I do! It's just that I was in a rush and didn't think about what I was saying and I'm sorry if it hurt your feelings. I promise I won't read your diary or anything, Blake. I—"

"Yang?" Blake cut her off.

"Yes, dear?"

She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the blatantly appeasing name she had been given. "Weapons," she said simply.

Yang's apologetic demeanor vanished with a short laugh and a bright grin. "Roger that." She then closed the door, leaving Blake alone and with a bemused smile. She no longer had any reason to be annoyed at Yang. Her partner's appearance and subsequent reappearance evoked the same feeling she had been compelled to write about. Even without Yang's presence, the smile still lingered and even grew to a small, quiet laugh that she could not suppress.

The young Faunus retrieved her book, removed the pencil caught between the pages, and went to her closet. Inside was her suitcase—the location she believed would best hide her journal from the inevitable search of her partner. However, with the opening of the case, concealment lost its priority to the sight she was met with. The thin, black box that had been purchased a week prior rested unobtrusively against one side of the case. Blake haphazardly placed the book atop everything else before gingerly collecting the gift. With Yang out of her room, she was able to check on the necklace and see that it still retained its simple, stunning beauty. Yang would like it, but now was not the right time to give it to her. Blake smiled as she closed the box and tucked it back into its inconspicuous space. She had brought it with her just in case there was the opportunity to brighten Yang's day. However, it seemed as though Yang was already fairly jubilant and such a present given today would not have as great an effect as it could.

Blake closed her case and rose. She did not know why she had been unenthused before since she had enjoyed the festivities in her early life. Today would be fun, she thought, if Yang's enthusiasm was any measure to go by. The energy that she had been quite literally radiating would undoubtedly carry through the day and keep Blake comparatively upbeat as well. Thinking about Yang and how she would enjoy the festival made the young Faunus smile. Perhaps she could relax and simply enjoy today as well. The past few days had been rather stressful and she could find no outlet for her frustrations before she left.

She decided to leave her bow for the day. She had decided earlier in this summer that she would go without the fabric but had yet to follow through with the intention. Perhaps today would be the day she could start her break from her bow—she had grown up in this town without it and had rarely faced discrimination. She nodded to herself before making her way to the door. Yang was most likely waiting for her by this point. She exited her room, excited for the day ahead and for the time she would spend with Yang.

Across the hall, her partner's door was closed. Blake could only assume that Yang had already made her way downstairs as she would have left her door open if she was still preparing her gauntlets. There was the possibility that the blonde had listened to what Blake said about her parent's possible reaction to their weapons and closed the door out of caution, but she believed that Yang was too enthused at the moment to care about any potential repercussions. For this reason, she moved to the stairs and quickly descended them. As she did, she could hear her father's hearty chuckle followed by Yang's high pitch. Hearing these allowed her worries to disappear entirely.

When she arrived at the base of the stairwell, Blake was finally able to see the sources of conversation and found her parents and girlfriend sitting around the living room's coffee table. As though nothing was wrong with the action, Yang wore her gauntlets in their retracted state proudly, making them seem more like large, golden bracelets than imposing guns. Her parents seemed arguably less dangerous in clothes that made it apparent that they saw the day as special as well. Her father, in a button-up shirt that looked perhaps too professional than he should be wearing, spun his keys around his finger by their ring as he spoke to Yang. The girl in question gave Blake a quick smile before returning to the conversation that she had apparently involved herself in. "And if you two want to head over to the North Wind Park, the town's band will be playing, I think, from around three or four until the fireworks start—but you'll be back here before that; we have a better view here than you'd have at the park. I think Blake will want to go to that concert, though. It always was fun to go when she was little even if she kept trying to get closer to the band. I never got why she wanted to do that. We could hear them just fine from where we were." He laughed before looking towards Blake with a wide grin that rivaled Yang's own. "Speaking of Blake, there she is now. Good morning, sweetheart."

Blake reciprocated the smile and nodded thankfully. "Good morning." She then looked to her mother and repeated the phrase before moving to take the seat beside Yang. It was strange to not have her partner's arm drape over her shoulder, but Blake knew that this lack of public affection was for her sake as well as to show some amount of restraint that might impress her parents. The reason why Blake felt her partner was trying to impress her parents was due to the appraising look her mother was giving them and the subtle shudder it caused Yang. Lilian, in a light-grey summer dress worn more deliberately than leisurely, seemed happy and hesitant—individually, frequent occurrences, but together, a true rarity. Perhaps she would be more forgiving of their relationship after rationalizations at length, but until that time she would remain uncertain about the future of the relationship while being at ease with its present. The slight smile she sent Blake told her that disappointment was not one of her current sentiments. She returned her mother's expression.

"So," her father caught his keys and sat back in his chair, "it seems you two are going out on a date. And here I thought the whole reason you came here was to see us again." He chuckled. "But I guess it doesn't matter. It gives your mother and I the chance to go on a little date of our own." He turned his grin Lilian's way. "It'll be just like when we were younger."

She sighed and shook her head. "You speak as though we have romantic intentions interwoven into our plans. We are no longer children, Cole, and I should not have to remind you of this fact."

"And you act like a trip to the grocery store can't be romantic. I, for one, see that as a challenge to make this barbeque the most romantic barbeque you've ever eaten."

"Oh, please."

"Look, you know how they say 'you're only as old as you feel?' Well, I feel about thirty again and you still look as beautiful as you did the day I met you. Why let them have all the fun, huh? Let's make a day out of it, even if we aren't kids anymore. C'mon! It'll be fun, Lil'." She continued to shake her head with the beginnings of a flustered smile.

Yang looked to Blake and rolled her eyes. "Gross," she said quietly, trying her partner's composure and ability to suppress a laugh.

"Hey!" Cole started, turning towards the young couple. "You say that now, but you'll be saying the exact same things in twenty years." He held a confident, playful glare that soon enough faltered to realization. "Wait. You two are younger than we were. Make that thirty years." He then looked to his wife incredulously. "Are we really that old?"

"Cole!" she exclaimed at a volume that was relatively loud for her. "Compose yourself. Let the two have their fun without the burden of your ideas. I could do without them myself, but where would we be if I could not bear them?" He laughed sheepishly. "We are wasting their time as well as our own—it would be wrong to make them wait. They came not only for us but for the festival you invited them to attend. Let them go about their day in peace while we take care of our own matters. Perhaps then would be the better time to consider our errand a date or not."

He sighed. "Okay. I was only joking." He then looked to Blake with a smirk. "Well, since your mother can't seem to contain her excitement, I don't see why we shouldn't go now. I don't want to 'make you wait' any longer than you absolutely have to." Blake smiled as her mother shook her head once more. Her parents were putting on a show for them to assumingly prove that Blake was still welcomed and Yang was accepted. However, the present banter only served to further delay their leave; Blake knew her mother had been aware of this and her father was the chief cause. Yet she would not rush them because they would be acting as their chauffeurs into town. Thankfully, her father stood and began spinning his keys again. "All right, is everybody ready?"

Unsurprisingly, Yang was the first person to stand to this show of enthusiasm. "You bet! Blake? You good to go? I think I got everything I need." With this question came an extended hand which the young Faunus gladly took. She was pulled to her feet but found herself dwarfed by the slightly taller girl and her even taller father. Still, she nodded.

Soon after, her mother stood and glanced at Blake and Yang with but a hint of wariness in her eye before looking to Cole. "It seems we are all prepared. Shall we?"

Again, Blake's father caught his keys. "We shall!" he exclaimed before quickly heading to the foyer. Lilian followed after, leaving the partnership to lag behind with a satisfied if not amused smile quietly gracing her features. The two looked at each other, one with a smile and the other with a raised eyebrow. However, the respective holders of these expressions were quite the opposite of what would normally be expected.

Yang looked quizzically at Blake. "Your dad is worse than me. Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

Blake couldn't contain a short laugh at her girlfriend's observation before she took a gloved hand and pulled. "Come on," she said. "I believe it's time I showed you around for once." With this statement and pull, Yang's incredulity vanished for her signature, sunny smile which brightened Blake's mood in kind. She led her partner outside to her parents and their car, surprisingly excited for what she considered her normal personality to be. She could no longer think or plan or reason, only look forward to the times ahead, both near and far. She did not know if it was the sun clearly above or the star so near to her heart that radiated this incredible warmth. Perhaps it was the temperature, but she knew the effect Yang had on her. She knew her parents had some idea of it as well—both were smart enough to realize something this obvious. Their allowance of their outing proved this to her. Perhaps this, too, was a reason why Blake was smiling in an uncharacteristic, uncontrollable way. This was yet another reason she loved Yang added onto the list of innumerable others realized within these two weeks. She smiled gleefully, widely, and childishly as she clung happily to the warm hand the entire way into town.

---

Yang leaned against the sedan and peered inside the passenger window as she spoke. "You said the band starts playing at four, right?" Blake stood on the sidewalk beside her partner and the car, arms crossed as she waited patiently for her girlfriend's attention to be turned her way once again. It is to say that she waited patiently rather than impatiently because she found it easy to delay their day when her partner couldn't stop grinning. Furthermore, it was opportune to listen to this conversation of places and events she had forgotten about. "I just want to make sure. If I don't get our schedule straight, I think that the spirit of Weiss Schnee might haunt us." She looked to Blake and found the both of them smiling. "And I really don't want to think about her today."

While her father snickered, Blake's mother ignored the offhand comment. "Yes, the town's band is scheduled to begin playing around four. The park is located three blocks ahead." She turned her gaze towards the street ahead of them. By the time the couple was looking in the same direction, Lilian continued. "I should warn you that there is the possibility of the concert beginning early—perhaps by an hour at most." She then looked to the two and smiled slightly. "Regardless, I hope you enjoy yourselves today."

Cole leaned over where Lilian sat so that he could be seen through the window. "And make sure you drink lots of water. I don't want either of you getting heat stroke while you're visiting!"

Yang crossed her arms and scoffed. "Oh, please. Who do you take us for? Amateurs? We know how to hydrate and we know our limits. You don't get to be a huntress if you can't pace yourself. I think we're good."

"Okay, then I probably don't need to tell you two to take care of each other out there."

"We'll be fine," Blake sighed. Honestly, she wanted her parents to leave so that she could spend her day with Yang. Their concerns were unwarranted and the fact that they were lingering was taking away from the time that could be spent enjoying the day. But they were her parents and she their guest; she understood their worries as they applied to most every other person who did not strive to become a huntress. She could not bring herself to be angry at their insistence—annoyed perhaps, but not angry.

"No, sir!" Yang chirped, thankfully answering for Blake and compensating for the impatient response. "As long as I've got my eye on Blake, nobody's getting anywhere near her." And Blake would protect her as well if the situation called for action. This seemed to sate the parents' concerns as the mother nodded and the father returned to his seat.

"Well, that's good to hear," he said. "Anyways, we might as well let you two have your day. We'll be right here around seven to pick you up. Have fun and be careful!"

The blonde grinned before returning the sentiment. "You too!" she called as the car began to drive away. The two simply watched the sedan start and stop at the few intersections between them and the horizon until it was lost from their sight. Blake sighed, partly out of relief but as well out of frustration because she had returned to finding her parents irksome when they should not be. They were good people—family—who had welcomed her back as though she had done nothing wrong and had accepted her girlfriend and relationship surprisingly well. Still, their presence did hinder their progress towards enjoying the festival.

That festival that had been on the minds of the girls since the night prior would not have been outwardly apparent from the décor of this relatively small town—it was not necessarily a hidden village, but compared to the city, it was dwarfed. Despite the sizable population of immigrants from the northern kingdom, there were no banners or streamers hung to commemorate the Mistralian victory over the Grimm that occurred centuries ago. Streamers would not have been appropriate as there would be no place to hang them. The buildings in this township seldom rose above three stories and even then such structures were few and far between. Perhaps in the city streamers and banners would be appropriate, but it must be understood that this town was not the city in any regard. It was quiet and secluded, but on this day it was also proven genial by most of its people being out and about, talking and not paying Blake any mind while all moving towards the direction her mother had given. The crowds were not like those in Vale; occasionally, they were slightly intimidating but never were they innumerable or frightening. Whole families, groups of friends, and friends of friends all moved together down sidewalks laid out in front of shops, stores, and the occasional house out of which even more people were emerging to find their eventual destination in the park. There was a singularity of purpose here that could not be seen in Vale. It was calming in a way to the young Faunus.

"Okay," Blake began, attempting to recall as much as she could so an itinerary could be formed, "if I remember correctly, most of the activities for the day will be in the park. There are other events taking place, but they are all located just outside of the park." She looked to where Yang had been, intending to see what she wanted to do, but found that her partner had begun walking away. Furrowing her brows, Blake followed her across the empty street, not wanting to be left alone but frustrated at the same time that she would be abandoned like this. Part of her wanted to believe that this was not abandonment and that Yang had a plan in mind, but the lack of communication only pushed her thoughts towards the negative.

As though nothing was wrong, Yang replied, "Do you want to go to any of those other things or do you just want to go straight to the park?" She didn't bother looking back, instead keeping her eyes trained on a man behind a chrome cart. Thankfully, traffic here did not seem as intense as it was in the city—in fact, Blake had yet to see a car that was not her parents'. This allowed the two to cross from one sidewalk to the other and for Yang to near the cart.

"Yang, what are you doing?" It would be a lie to say that she was entirely annoyed at her partner's actions; to some degree, she was curious, but she wouldn't let this show in her tone. Yang had walked away when she was speaking and deserved reprimand in some form.

She turned a sunny smile Blake's way, evidently unaffected by the annoyed tone Blake had used. "I'm just getting us some cotton candy. Don't worry, I'm still listening, I just wanted to get something for when we're walking around. Since we made the mistake of not really eating yesterday, we should probably be a bit more careful."

Blake wanted to reply with an argument of how choosing to buy something that was entirely comprised of sugar was far from careful eating. However, this response would be condescending and uncouth. Yang was being open and sincere with her now; there was little reason to be mean to her after what she had done this summer. Though, without the bias of gratitude, Yang had walked away while Blake was speaking and was now buying something for the Faunus that was decidedly unnecessary. Blake sighed. "I'm fine. You don't need to buy me anything."

"Yeah, sure. You say that now." They came to a stop before the cart just as the man was waving good-bye to a mother and daughter. Blake's attention unwittingly shifted from her girlfriend to the elated smile of the little girl and the proud grin of the mother holding her hand, causing a deep-seated sadness to claw at her annoyed demeanor. Fortunately, hearing Yang's order of two sticks of cotton candy brought her attention back to the present before any further damage could have been taken.

Blake kept her unamused glare even. "At the very least, you could have told me about what you were doing first."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, I probably should have. I thought that I wasn't going too far away and that you would follow anyways, but I probably should have told you first." In Blake's mind, this sufficed for an apology and she was ready to forgive her partner. However, Yang continued. "But you seemed like you really wanted to go to the park. If I know you—and I'd like to think I do—then you probably wouldn't have let me stop to get something on the way."

That wasn't true, Blake thought. She had only skipped breakfast yesterday so that they would make their flight—a decision that proved correct with the amount of time they had. She knew that decision had proven detrimental by the end of the day, but it was a choice she had to make at the time and in no way reflected the patient personality that she believed she had. She would admit that she wanted to head to the event at the earliest possible time, but this did not mean she would keep Yang from buying something for herself. She couldn't find anything to say in response, wanting to be neither argumentative nor immediately forgiving. The man behind the cart drew the blonde's attention away before handing her two cones of the unwanted sugar. They both smiled while Blake frowned. Yang thanked him before turning her expression to the Faunus. The smile lessened to a point where she nearly looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Blake," she said before extending one of the cones out to her. "I made a mistake by walking off and calling you impatient. I'm sorry." Her hopeful grin helped express her sincerity and nearly caused Blake to relent. But it was only because of the extended peace offering held between them that she was won over.

Blake sighed and took the cone, prompting her partner's grin to widen. "It's all right. I should be apologizing, not you." This made Yang's look change from ecstatic to curious. Blake sighed again as she looked down into the fluff of the gift that began to look more and more desirable. "I don't know what it is, but I'm not thinking correctly. Perhaps it's the stress of travel or my fear of rejection by my parents, but this stress has been making it difficult to think clearly. I'm sorry if I've been sporadic in my emotions."

"Don't worry about it." Blake looked up to meet her partner's gaze and found her sporting a smirk that was both disarming and encouraging. This look—this loving look, she thought—influenced a small smile to grace her own features. "I can't say I completely understand what you're going through, but I know that everybody has their moments of…well, I don't want to say 'weakness' because you and I are incredible in every way imaginable," Blake couldn't suppress a quiet laugh, "but we do have our moments. How could we not, being this awesome all the time?" The young Faunus closed her eyes and shook her head. In this state, she could only feel her free hand being pulled into Yang's. She looked once more to her girlfriend and found her glittering, honest, lilac eyes confident and reassuring. "Don't worry about it, Blake. I imagine you're having a rough time and I'm just glad that you were only annoyed. Let's forget about all this and try to have some fun today. You can take point. I'm happy to go wherever you want to go."

Even to this day, Yang proved to be an anomaly. Whenever Blake thought the blonde's intentions were shallow or single-minded, she always managed to turn the situation in her favor and into an opportunity for impressing speech and heartfelt sincerity. It was brilliant and managed to turn Blake's mood around for the better every time. Before this summer, the Faunus had thought her disposition was unchangeable for the most part, but Yang quickly subverted that idea. She loved that smirk and she loved that Yang was able to better any of her faults that may arise. She hoped that she could return the favor and make her partner's life as enjoyable as her own was now. Currently, however, all she could say was "Thank you." This gratitude was given for many reasons—for helping her calm down, for this entire summer, for the cotton candy—but mostly for Yang herself as strange as that was to Blake. The smile and squeeze of her hand she received conveyed that this gratitude had been conveyed yet made her want to continue. Fortunately, Yang spoke.

"Blake," she laughed, "I said don't worry about it. Now come on," she pulled her partner forward, "we've got a festival for a day I know nothing about to go to." Blake allowed herself to laugh as well as she was pushed ahead, moved to lead her partner through the day and show her around like Yang had with Vale. Soon enough, they were walking side-by-side and hand-in-hand down the promenade with the flow of foot traffic.

Blake looked over at her partner and saw her tearing away at the flossy material, free of inhibition or shame that normally spawns from others seeing a lack of lack of manners that would appall Weiss and set a bad example for Ruby. She didn't know if it was her partner's enthusiasm or if it was her own intent to not squander her cone, but the couple's hands unlatched so that the individuals could tend to their own matters. Yang carried on with her actions while Blake carefully picked away at the material as she minded the path before them. She vaguely remembered what these buildings were—their names, purposes, and so on—but could not glean anything more than sporadic and unconnected memories. There were a few places that were obvious in their design and thusly brought back some happy visions. Not too far back, they had passed an old ice cream shop that she remembered her father taking her into far too many times to count. She remembered having memorized the owner's name as well as the cast of characters that cycled in and out of employment there. Sadly, she had forgotten their names after all this time. To some part of Blake, this was still her home, but that part of her was so repressed and revised that she felt that it hardly represented who she was or who she wanted to be anymore. She shook her head and resumed pulling away the candy, strand by strand.

Her mother had stated that they would have to walk three blocks to reach the park. The reason why they had not been dropped off closer—and the reason why there were hardly any cars seen driving in this area—was due to the fact that the closer they came to their destination, the harder it would have been to maneuver a vehicle through the pedestrians. The couple had walked only a block and by this point, but the streets were already too crowded for even a sedan to navigate successfully. Again, it must be stated that Sierra is a relatively small town, but on this day of celebration for the northern kingdom, the people of this relatively small town enjoyed the idea of a festival and flocked to the park to be merry alongside their friends or families from the other side of the border—after all, it was only with Vale's assistance that the celebrated victory had been achieved. Blake could not estimate the population of this crowd. It was not nearly as dense as the many crowds of the city but there were still a lot of people here. Fortunately, she still did not seem bothered by their presence or nervous because of her lack of bow. The only acknowledgements she had received from these people had been in the forms of friendly smiles and passing greetings despite her heritage and relationship. Perhaps they could not be bothered to care or they were too happy to notice, but the fact of the matter was that their indifference allowed Blake to feel comfortable.

"Huh," Yang said, taking a break half-way through her substitute for lunch. Blake looked to her and found her partner staring at the buildings on either side of the street. "So, you grew up here? It's kinda small, don't you think?"

Blake smirked. "And you don't think Vale is kinda big?"

"Yeah, probably even too big, but I can't see myself living anywhere this small." Her quizzical gaze turned towards Blake. "I mean, what did you do here for fun?"

"Me?" Blake asked disbelievingly.

"Oh, come on, you're fun! You were probably more fun as a kid, but that doesn't mean you're boring!"

Blake shrugged. "Honestly, there wasn't much to do outside of school, trips to the park, and reading. Somehow, I managed to occupy my time with those three activities fairly well." Yang waited for Blake to continue, returning to her cotton candy to pass the time. As she did so, the young Faunus attempted to recall something from her even younger years that would validate Yang's claim that she was not boring. "Well, there was a movie theatre that we went to occasionally and we went hiking in the mountains one time."

Yang broke away from her cone. "Oh my God, that's so sad! I'm sorry for asking." Her voice gave off nothing but a sincerely sympathetic tone. It was as though she saw Blake's past situation as piteous. "Is this place really that bland?"

Blake raised an eyebrow to her. "Yang, I had an enjoyable childhood. I didn't mean for any of that to sound pitiful." Yang's eyes momentarily widened in realization before she laughed sheepishly, causing Blake to shake her head. "But to answer your question, no, I wouldn't say Sierra is bland." She looked ahead to where the entrance to the park would be located. "You will have to see for yourself." She returned to the cone in front of her as Yang stared incredulously for a moment before doing the same.

The crowds grew denser as they neared the last block they would have to traverse. At this point, dozens of families could be seen strolling along, lawn chairs and blankets in hand. They all seemed happy being together. It would be untrue to say that this did not cause a yearning, forlorn sensation within Blake. She felt cheated by herself and that she would never be able to be one of those children jumping up and down out of excitement—that wasn't her anymore and never could be. Yet, when she looked over to her girlfriend and the pleased look that she had after finishing her candy, Blake found a separate happiness that she would not replace with any other. Childhood was so very distant for her; life had always been so serious after joining the White Fang. Yang disregarded that seriousness and had shown that responsibilities and worries did not necessarily entail a lack of fun. She looked to the families again, glad for them rather than jealous.

She couldn't help but smile now. Yang was with her and the day looked to be perfect for the festival. The sun was at its highest point and lingered amidst infrequent, white clouds. Yet the forest around this town played into its aesthetic, allowing for matured trees to line the sides of roads and fill in the spaces and courts between shops, creating an ever-present shade to protect its people. A small, cool breeze floated through the crowd and blew any fallen leaves past the couple's feet. With this wind came the fading, distant scents of the park's recently mowed grass and the currently grilling concessions that most assuredly came from the various booths and stands set up for the day. To Blake, this kind of day had become a rare occurrence after leaving her home but was not at all one that she could possibly be disappointed in. With pleasant weather, sunny company, and a bright disposition, Blake thought that perhaps today would be ideal for forgetting her past stressors and simply living in the moment as she had been inclined to do when first deciding to join the sisters for their summer.

The two arrived at the park's entrance and had stopped to look on at the many groups using the street and present intersection as though it was a large sidewalk. In their immediate view were trees taller than the ones they had passed standing both in front of and behind a short brick wall. Though the reason why was not apparent to Yang yet, this park was the town's pride and rightfully so if the young Faunus remembered correctly. This park was larger than it seemed. "So," her partner drawled, pulling Blake back into the present, "I'm guessing that," she pointed her depleted cone at the open gate the townspeople were funneling into, "is where we're going?" Blake nodded before looking at her own candy. It wasn't nearly half-way finished, but she didn't feel like eating any more of it. At the same time, she didn't want to waste what Yang had given her. "Do we need to find another way in? It looks kinda hard to get through right now."

Sighing, Blake considered their options. There were entrances at every corner of this park, but the nearest one that was not the gate before them was at least another three blocks away, perhaps more. Then again, it could be assumed that the other entrances would be as crowded as this. They could simply hop over the wall but there was no reason to do so other than avoiding a crowd that had proven rather welcoming. There was no entry fee for this event and entering in such a surreptitious manner would most likely draw undue attention their way. Yang was present and had made moving through a crowd possible many times in the past. Blake replied, "No, I can handle this."

The smirk sent her way seemed almost proud despite the unmistakable excitement it showed. "All right. Let's get in there so I can see what's so great about this place." They moved forward and Blake returned with a smirk of her own, hopeful that her memories proved beneficial for once.

They moved with the flow of traffic and joined the line. Almost immediately, a small group concerned only about their own matters followed them into the queue and solidified the fact that Blake was now amongst a crowd. Surprisingly, she did not feel tense because of these newcomers or the many in front of her. It felt as though she and Yang were the only people in the line. She had already come to understand that this town was accepting, but she was unsure if this was the primary cause of her ease among these people. The line moved at a fairly steady rate that, alongside their composed excitement and air of jubilation that was infectious, kept Blake's mood delighted rather than timid. However, Yang's presence kept her excitement at a reasonable, manageable level due to the apparent need to be the mature one of their group. Whenever the line stalled, she saw the blonde tap either her foot against the ground or her hand against her leg to an allegro beat of an aimless melody she had been hummed throughout their short wait. Soon enough, those ahead of the couple moved onto the branching paths behind the gate, going this way and that without much care for where they would arrive. Next it was their turn to join the festivities.

On this stone path that separated into five others, nothing more than the people who walked ahead made it immediately clear that a celebration was occurring, but Blake knew beforehand that they would not be met with the festivities the moment they walked in. The sound of a large group of people talking, shouting, and laughing was able to be heard now that they were beyond the gate, but at this present juncture, they could only see the paths that fanned out ahead, the trees that lined them, and the people that walked over the small hills that just obscured the horizon. Yang looked skeptical but moved with Blake down the center path nonetheless. They passed by a garbage can (currently empty, but it would be filled thrice over by the end of the day) and disposed of their concessions. However, Yang still seemed unconvinced that there was any merit to this place, judging by her smile falling slowly into a bored expression. As an attempt to counter this, Blake assured, "One of the reasons why this park is held in high regard is due to the effort put into making it aesthetically pleasing. Past these hills is where events like this are held." Yang gave her a disbelieving look which Blake took in stride. "I was told as a child that these hills were supposed to build suspense before showing the park fully."

Yang rolled her eyes and laughed, shaking off the expression that had nearly seemed unenthused. "Why does everything have to be a book thing with you?"

"Why is this town automatically boring simply because it isn't Vale?" Blake's own jab caused the blonde to give a shorter, louder laugh.

"Fair point. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you're the one who lived here, but I just want you to know that I'm not impressed yet." Her words were those of a playful challenge rather than a condescending remark. Blake shook her head before quickening her pace, cueing Yang to catch up as they rapidly approached the crest of the hill.

The two looked out over the small valley turned large park, one in nostalgic appraisal and the other in surprised awe. The path carried on before them as it dipped back down the hill and across an empty, grassy plain that served to transition between a tranquil, forest setting and a shining, jubilant sprawl of humanity. These people gathered at the numerous booths and stands offering concessions and games to their right and at the large stage to their left. In front of this stage, many were claiming their spots with lawn chairs and blankets and created a veritable sea of people all speaking and laughing with one another. This large stage, the most ornate structure of this park and perhaps the town, was where the orchestra would eventually play but where currently loud, popular music was blaring. Even from this rather large distance, the sound could be heard by both girls, but not even Blake with her unbound ears could recognize the song at its current volume. After approvingly taking in the sight she had last seen as a child, Blake looked to Yang and found her eyes fixated on the sight before them.

She composed herself before smirking at Blake, only to find that the girl in black was giving her much the same expression. "Okay," she said, "color me impressed. You've got Vale beat in the tree and nature departments and there doesn't seem to be a rude person around. So, I guess this place isn't that bland." By this point, Blake had already figured that Yang was enjoying their trip, so the idea of her being happier about her decision to join her was not the main cause of the Faunus' smile. She smiled because she had seemingly proven that this trip and was able to remove any worries about her past that concerned her childhood or relationship with her family. Of course, she also was happy because Yang was happy—it was hard not to be.

Blake did not say anything in response, simply taking hold of a gloved hand and pulling her girlfriend down the path instead. The closer they came to the event, the more the sounds of harmless chatter and faintly coherent music overpowered the chirpings of invisible birds and soft rustling of leaves. Once more, the path before them split but only into two directions this time. Blake chose the path to their right, intending to experience the booths and other attractions before settling down for the concert. Those that had brought blankets and chairs chose the opposite direction, assumingly with the idea that they would claim their spots in front of the stage before heading over to the concessions. Because the couple lacked either item, they moved towards the lines and crowds of the festival.

The queues in front of the booths and stands seemed insufferable as far as Blake could see but were all muddled due to the back-and-forth foot traffic that made no attempts at a two-lane system. This was the confusion of the crowd at a distance. Enthusiasm and jubilation, as great as they were, proved detrimental to order and structure whenever they influenced one's walking pattern. Unfortunately, this affected more than just one person and made it difficult for Blake to see a clear way through, thus forcing her to stop before reaching it. She stared at the obstacles for a moment before she felt Yang's grip on her hand tighten.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Blake thought her partner's avoidance of her hesitation was purposeful and dismissing—she was thankful for that.

Unfortunately, she did not have an answer for the posed question. Everything that she would have wanted to do as a child now seemed either immature or impractical. The various games and challenges offered in a few of the booths seemed too easy for her after all the training she had been through and she saw the flat "rollercoasters" (they could hardly be called this at their elevations and intended speeds) as unamusing to her older self. She also found any concessions pointless after Yang's earlier purchase. "I don't know," she replied evenly before looking back at her partner. "What about you?"

"I don't know either. I can't really see much from here. Why don't we take a look around and see if anything catches our eye?" Blake nodded and was quickly pulled along by Yang. The blonde must have been confident about maneuvering through the imposing crowd because there was no trepidation in her steps. This was another point Blake made towards the idea of Yang being able to supplement where she felt weak. Though the action of helping her through a crowd has been discussed at length by this point, she felt that it must be reiterated for this particular circumstance. In this instance, Blake was not necessarily scared of the crowd, merely hesitant about how she would go about moving through it due to no clear path to take. The walkway had become invisible, being obscured by lines that began at the booths on one side of the path and ended a few dozen feet away on the other side. At the same time, the back-and-forth traffic overflowed onto the grass on either side, crossing through the lines without any party involved caring. Yang seemed confident with the flowing movement enough to pull Blake into it.

There was something about this crowd. Blake wasn't necessarily comfortable but she did not feel threatened or watched. She couldn't focus on a single conversation, being around enough to find that the crowd's language had become as incoherent as the music, but she could tell from the general nature of the group that everyone was happy to see one another. It was strange to think that such a large group of people could tolerate one another in this manner. The city was not nearly as hospitable—the people were nice, just not universally. Moreover, she came to believe during her time with the White Fang that people simply could not be this tolerant of one another outside of idyllic, utopian circumstances. Both Yang and this town had proven the organization's beliefs wrong in this regard. The crowd was intimidating but did not intimidate—the size was imposing but its people were not. As the two seamlessly merged into the many, Blake did not feel as though her ears were being watched. When she looked to those around her, she found their gazes directed at each other, at the people directly in front of them, or on their eventual destination. Those behind the couple looked at Blake and Yang only to gauge the distance between themselves and the girls as not to collide with them. It was once again cynical pragmatism that spared the Faunus from the assumed glares of the unknown.

Every so often, Yang would stand on her toes to gain the extra inch necessary to look over the crowd. Every time, it made Blake smile. The blonde was only a few inches taller than Blake, but even then she was not tall enough to always see over the varied people here. A grumble of discontent was heard before Blake was pulled off of the path and was moved closer to the booths. At this distance, they could see the purposes of the stands easier but they knew that none would be simple to access with the lines being as long as they were. Blake thought that the lines they were struggling through would exist throughout the park. However, they suddenly emerged from the sea of patrons to reveal a row of stands and trailers that did not serve food and were thusly lacking lines. This caused a wave of relief to wash over Blake and an eager grin to Yang.

The blonde jerked the Faunus forward, causing Blake to ask, "Yang, what is it?" She hadn't seen the grin, having been distracted by the relatively open space that came as a breath of fresh air and the blinking lights that lined the trailers.

"C'mon!" Yang urged. "There's a thing over there I want to do. And I don't want a line to form before we get there, so come on!" Blake saw a gloved hand pointing towards the trailer that held some form of game. She wanted to argue that it was unlikely a line could form in the time it would take them to reach it, but doing so would suffocate the sunny enthusiasm she had been anticipating. She happily sped up to match her partner's pace and arrived at the attraction soon after. It was a purposefully gaudy show that nearly blinded the young Faunus with the multicolored lights and larger-than-life stuffed animals. If it was Yang's intention to win one of these, Blake would be forced to argue against for practicality's sake. However, the blonde didn't seem to be in the competitive mood yet, instead staring wide-eyed at the sight.

"You are aware that we can't carry one of those with us, right?" Yang remained unresponsive, staring blankly at the drained milk bottles stacked in neat, untouched triangles. Understanding that her partner was contemplating whether or not she would attempt this feat, Blake felt the need to ask, "Have you ever done this before?"

Yang shook her head. "I've walked by a few of these before and always wanted to try."

"Would you like to now?"

Her responding look was indicative of resounding yes. Their hands disconnected as Yang began to fish for something in her jacket's pockets and the two began moving towards the trailer. Seeing their approach, the man inside began barking the challenge to those who would listen of hitting all the bottles in the triangle of six down with three throws of a ball. "Welcome, welcome, ladies," the man sneered as they stopped before him, managing somehow to make his greeting encouraging. "You know the rules; you've heard 'em before. To buy the tools, you'll pay Lien four." His statement was clear enough, but the rhyme attached to it and its shortness came across as odd. Still, Yang wordlessly handed him the white card that Blake had seen many times before. He moved three balls out to the counter before swiping the card in his nearby machine. Yang seemed to forget about the card, focusing only on a ball that she now hefted and appraised.

Because of her partner's preoccupation, the man handed the card to Blake instead. When she took it, she had the urge to inspect it and sate the curiosity that had arisen when Yang first used it in front of her. However, doing so would be undoubtedly rude and would probably detriment their relationship. Instead, she simply held onto the card, intending on waiting for Yang to finish her attempt. Her partner continued to observe the ball, apparently checking its weight and balance. Blake stepped closer to her and quietly asked, "Is something wrong? Are the balls weighted strangely?"

"No, I don't think so. They're a bit heavier than I thought they'd be." She tossed the ball suddenly, throwing it off to the side of the triangle and missing by a sizable margin and causing it to ping off the metal of the trailer's back wall. "But they fly right, I guess."

"That was a miss, miss," the man stated but did not draw the attention of either girl away from the second ball. "Aim towards the center and that would be better. Shoot too high and you'll be out another try."

Neither girl listened to what he said, already knowing what needed to be done. "Do you need me to ask him to stop?" Blake asked.

"It's tempting. At least I know when I get on people's nerves with rhymes." They didn't laugh but found the conversation humorous. It would be inappropriate to laugh at the moment as the small action would disrupt their concentration. "You think the bottles are made out of metal?"

"Yeah. They are designed to be difficult to knock down." A silence settled over the two as they stared at the triangle. The longer this silence lasted, the more impatient the man seemed, but the girls didn't care. Eventually, Blake asked, "Do you have your target?"

"Yup," Yang replied simply. Blake smoothly backed away and watched as Yang gave the man a knowing smirk. She then turned back to the bottles with fire in her eyes before throwing. Her previous throw, in relation, was but a casual toss with little force behind it so that she could test the weight of the ball. This throw—rather, this pitch—was executed with such force that as soon as the ball touched one of the bottles on the second level, the entire structure exploded with a satisfying clatter, sending bottles throughout the trailer's cabin and allowing the rubber ball to leave a sizable dent in the back wall. Yang stepped back and looked to Blake, grinning toothily and laughing excitedly. "That was easier than they make it look in the movies."

Blake rolled her eyes and handed her the card back. The man looked to them with an expression comprised of bewilderment and disdain. "Okay, you hit 'em all. Pick a prize." His patience had apparently worn thin, causing him to thankfully forgo rhyming.

"Nah, I'm fine. I didn't really need one anyways." Yang quickly turned her smile to Blake. "So, you wanna take a shot at it?"

She considered the idea for a moment, having seen how much fun Yang seemed to have during and after her attempt. However, she decided that four lien for three throws was an exorbitant amount. "I'll pass." Truthfully, she wouldn't have minded attempting the feat, but she wanted to save her money for food, water, and attractions that she believed were smart purchases. This was not one such attraction.

"Oh, come on! It's not that hard." The game's operator did not seem pleased by this testimony. Blake wanted to say that difficulty was not the limiting factor in this situation, but was unable to when Yang handed her card back to the man. "One more round. This time, for her."

A glare was sent the blonde's way as the balls were placed on the counter without any fanfare. "Please stop buying me things without my permission." Blake would not decline this instance due to the scolding from Weiss having taken root in her mind, but she hoped that by saying this, she could avoid future instances of unnecessary spending. Yang was trustworthy and dependable, so the young Faunus hoped that this plea would be heeded.

Unfortunately, Yang's smile lingered. "Nope! I can't do that. See, it's my job now to spoil you and make you happy. Honestly, it's not a problem. We're on vacation…while we're on vacation. I can afford to spend a lot on this kind of stuff. Plus, you already paid for the flight and hotel." Blake sighed. Any counter-argument she could imagine would not be able to aptly convince Yang she was wrong—honestly, she was having a difficult time convincing herself of this. Blake understood that during such a trip, excessive spending was nearly unavoidable and she was aware of the amount she had already spent on travel alone. On top of this, she knew Yang was equally as stubborn as she was trustworthy and dependable. Blake couldn't say that she was not stubborn herself, though. Help of any kind outside of combat was not easily accepted yet despite her efforts to change this. She looked to the feat ahead and the glowering operator and knew that she had the opportunity that she had somewhat desired. She sighed again and picked up a ball.

It was heavier than she thought it would be. It felt as though it was filled with some sort of material rather than being the hollow ball she had expected. She heard Yang approach her side to look over her shoulder at the next stack of bottles. All thoughts of defiance by this point had been dismissed and replaced with observations about the task at hand. She spun the ball around, trying to understand its texture and what grip she would have to put on it to keep her throw accurate. Without looking at Yang, she asked, "Did the second ball you threw have any pull on either side?"

"No, they fly straight—surprisingly straight." Blake adjusted her grip accordingly. "I wouldn't try any sort of arc, though. You were right when you said they were built to stay standing. I'd beam it if I were you." Blake nodded. Instead of aiming for the second level like Yang had, she looked to the center bottle of the triangle's base. She pictured taking out the single bottle that maintained the integrity of the structure and saw the bottles collapse. She did not need to ask any further questions and took aim, gauged the strength she would need to use, and threw.

The center bottle instantly vanished, causing a collapse like Blake had hoped for. However, instead of the rest of the bottles falling towards the center as she had planned, they collapsed to the left, toppling all but the right-most bottle. She sighed, realizing too late that she had put her faith in this game not being rigged like all the others around her. As the man was telling her to make her second toss, she eliminated the final bottle quickly and without much deliberation. The planning around the first throw had been fun, but in the end it turned out to be disheartening. She didn't bother listening to the man offer a prize and instead turned to Yang. She didn't know why she looked to her this quickly, but she felt hurt and she thought Yang would be able to make it better.

"Nice shot!" Any belief that the blonde was patronizing her went away with a wink. "Remind me not to get you mad when you have a ball in your hand." Yang laughed, but quickly stopped when she saw her partner looking back at where the bottles once stood. Blake thought that she could have taken them all down in one throw had she been aware of the balance of the bottles. Had she thrown a little further to the left, her plan would have worked perfectly. She felt Yang put an arm over her shoulder before kissing the side of the head. "It's all right, kitten." She felt her partner's head lean against hers as they both looked in the same direction. "They were both great throws—you actually hit what you were aiming for which is better than I can say for myself." Blake couldn't think of a response and chose to hum noncommittally instead. Yang sighed. "You know this doesn't mean anything, right?" This caused Blake to look at her, wondering what she was talking about. "Just because you couldn't knock a few lead bottles down the first time doesn't mean anything. You took that last one out without even thinking about it. If that's not skill, I don't know what is. So, I'll say it again: that was a nice shot."

Perhaps she was being too critical of herself. She had knocked the structure down in the same number of throws as Yang. Even still, if anybody was going to best her at a game of accuracy like that, she would rather it be her partner than an enemy. She took a composing breath. "Thanks, Yang," she whispered before nuzzling into the collar of her girlfriend's jacket.

Yang tightened the hold and pulled Blake forward. "Come on. Let's go find something else to do. Hopefully something that's not rigged." Blake nodded and looked ahead as she allowed herself to be pulled further down the path, towards booths and stands thus far unexplored.

Perhaps Weiss was right and she had lost her edge. Blake had felt disappointed in herself before but never to such a degree because of an action so simple. It was just a ball thrown at bottles, nothing more. There should not have been any pain for being unable to win at a game she knew beforehand was rigged, yet she felt as though she had failed in front of Yang and it would decrease her standing with the blonde. She knew that this wasn't true, but she felt the pain nonetheless. She didn't blame Yang for her potentially dulled edge, her sudden insecurity; she blamed herself. She hadn't fired Gambol Shroud in over two weeks and it was likely she fell out of practice with her aim. Furthermore, she couldn't keep her mind off of Yang, even when she was focused on her target. She sighed as they continued on, attempting to brush off these self-destructive sentiments so that she could enjoy their day.

Beside them were more games and challenges with the occasional food or drink stand in between. This area was far less crowded than the area behind them, presumably because these booths attracted children and young adults more than the majority population of adults for the most part. None of the booths looked interesting anymore as she knew that the feat they just came from was more in their favor than any of the others. Yang seemed to be of a similar mindset because her scanning gaze passed the nearby attractions over without much of a second glance while she held Blake close.

Perhaps Weiss was wrong and her edge still existed, sharper than ever. The criticality of her throw was quite possibly necessary. She truly had been out of practice with Gambol Shroud and she felt that her throws showed her the degree to which she had become deficient. Reasonably speaking, she hadn't thrown poorly and she had hit her mark exactly how she wanted to. She could have added a bit more strength to it, but besides that, her throw was acceptable. The results were the only disappointing part of the feat. Yet Yang seemed to find quality in her attempts and had been the one who helped her plan. It was refreshing to have her act more as a partner than a girlfriend for a moment. Blake smiled. All things considered, they were decent throws and she had won in the end. The sting of defeat proved unwarranted due to Yang's accepting nature. She leaned into the hold and felt Yang rub her arm.

She couldn't see to their left because of their positioning, but Blake could hear sounds of nearby conversation and knew that people were sitting at tables or in the grass on the other side of the path. However, their collective volume could not compare to the cheering and laughing from a source obscured by a group of people ahead. Yang heard it as well and immediately became attentive to whatever the noises were. Their pace unwittingly increased as they were compelled to find the cause of this current excitement. As they neared, Blake found that the group simply standing there, obscuring the noise, was debating whether or not it would be worth their time to partake in the event happening in front of them. When Yang was finally able to push through the loiterers, she stopped with the rest of them and audibly gasped at the sight before her. Blake watched as this wide-eyed expression gradually shifted from surprised to a level of excitement many of the children in this park simply could not match. Before Blake could ask her about it, Yang pushed her towards the sight's line, resolutely stating only one word: "Teacups."

The laughs and screams came from the whirling, spinning attraction of larger-than-life teacups holding families and groups of children, all adding to the town-wide jubilation that was admittedly still a little strange to the Faunus. Because this was not a game that could be won or lost and because it didn't have excessively showy lights and colors, Blake was willing to join the line along with her partner who put her enthusiasm to shame. Another reason why Blake was instantly appreciative of this sight was the way the line winded and folded rather than stretched past the path to become an annoyance. There was the fact that they would have to stand in a line of people, but the smile on Yang's face was something she could not in good conscience disrupt. Instead, she wanted to see her smile brighten even further (if that was possible) and she wanted to know why she was this excited. There was suspicion that Yang's intentions for going on this ride were rooted in some joke about Blake's taste for tea, but she figured that asking would be better than assuming. "So?" She beamed at Blake before the Faunus could continue. "Are you going to tell me why you're so happy to ride this?"

"Sure!" Yang chirped. Before she could begin her explanation, the attraction slowed and the current group riding it exited, causing the line to move forward and people to fill in behind the couple. The sideways hold never broke, leaving the two standing side-by-side in the confines of the guiding belts on either of their sides. Yang continued. "I used to go on these all the time with Ruby and my mom. It pretty much became a thing where we would have to stop any time we walked by one of these. It was great because me and Ruby always spun it as fast as we could and always made our mom sick—or at least she said she was sick to make us laugh. It was great!" She laughed, assumingly out of pure excitement created by the opportunity to recreate the occurrence. "I've probably been on about a hundred or two and now I get to ride one with you!"

Blake couldn't help but point out, "Yang, please don't rhyme. Not today." She had intended her speech to be good-natured with its pleading context and she felt that it was effective judging by Yang's laugh. She doubted her partner had been aware of her rhyme, but after the bottle toss, she felt a light-hearted distaste for the act. However, As much as she wanted to be mirthful with Yang, a question pulled at her mind, spurred by something the blonde had stated so nonchalantly. "Yang?" She caught her partner's attention. "You aren't going to try to spin the cup too fast, are you?"

As a brief aside, it must be stated that due to her specific physiology, Blake's balance is highly developed and comfortable but concurrently fragile in certain instances. As with all Faunus whose observable traits are ears that augment balance and hearing, the likelihood of being affected by vertigo is very high and was the reason she was hesitant about the ride after Yang had mentioned spinning which, judging by her strength shown over the past year, would likely become rather quick. With her drive to become a huntress and proven ability in combat, it was only natural that Blake was used to high speeds while maintaining her balance; however, all natural movements for her were in either straight or slightly curved lines; she—and a majority of Remnant's population for that matter—seldom moved in a rapid, circular pattern. This was not a matter of motion sickness—she had lost that at a young age—rather, it was due to an upset in the inner ear of her Faunus characteristics. For the sake of progression, the details of this affliction will not be elaborated on much further, but it must be stated that during the factory protest of years ago, her loss of balance had been attributed to a disruption of the inner-ear organ by the thunder, not by momentary deafness alone.

"Why do you ask?" Yang beamed.

Blake's smile lessened by a small percentage. "You didn't answer my question." She was beginning to think that this ride was a bad idea for her. She could handle spinning at decent speeds as would be normal for such a ride and she could handle Yang's overzealousness when it came to something she wanted to do, but she doubted her ability to deal with both at the same time.

Sadly, Yang's unbreakable smile cracked to reveal the concern that she now held. "If it's going to bother you, then I can slow it down. I don't really want to make you sick—we were kids and there was no way we could have made my mom dizzy anyway." Blake allowed her smile to return to its previous state, trusting that her partner would not purposefully harm her. Yang's smile, however, did not shine as bright as it had. "Blake, I'll follow your lead. We don't have to go any faster than what you're comfortable with."

"I'll be fine," she sighed, leaning back into her partner's collar and closing her eyes as she waited for the line to shorten. "Just try to stay conscious of your speed." She could only hope that Yang would take her advice as she had resigned to this relaxed state for, hopefully, the duration of their time in line. She felt Yang's head rest on her own again, allowing for greater relaxation and warmth to supplement the pleasant, sunny day.

Before she had closed her eyes, she had looked to the crowd to determine how long they would have to wait before boarding. She figured that they would not be with the next group but perhaps with one of the subsequent two. There was a large amount of teacups for a festival in a town of this size—perhaps more than what was necessary. Though, she could see the benefit of bringing this attraction to the festival; there was a surprising amount of people here for a town of this size. It was probable that many who were here for the festival came from other towns in the area or even from the few towns just across the border (it was not odd considering Blake and Yang had come for the event). Regardless of this assumed gathering of myriad towns, the people acted as though they had known each other for years and seemed to be universally friendly.

Suddenly, Blake's ears twitched, perking at something that concerned her interest. The word "Faunus" had been said not too far away from where she stood. She listened intently to ensure she was not mistaken but found the word said once more. Hearing it again, she was able to ascertain the source's general position and voice. Instantly, she knew that those that had been saying the word were of no immediate threat. She dared not look at the younger boys' positions in line as it would give away the fact that she was eavesdropping on them. "Shut up," one said. "I'm not racist. I just haven't seen many Faunus up-close before."

"Dude, you are racist if you think that being this far away from her is 'up-close.'" They sounded younger than she and Yang were, but older than most of the children queued for this ride—they were perhaps fourteen or fifteen.

"What do you want me to do, go up and ask her?"

"Sure. You're never gonna do it, but why not."

"Yeah, okay. I'm just gonna walk up and say, 'Hey, what's up? I see you two are going out. Isn't that illegal?' That'd work just great. You know how they are. You say one thing wrong and they threaten to call the White Fang on you or something."

Blake fought the urge to turn around and tell them about how wrong they were about everything, but simply released an agitated sigh instead. "Blake?" Yang asked. "What is it?" Blake shook her head, silently telling her that it was nothing. The matter concerned Yang as well, but she felt that if her partner knew what the two boys had said, they would all be forcibly removed from the premises due to her probable actions.

She could not decide which matter was more pressing at the moment. She had spent years fighting for equality and had recently begun fighting for the disassociation of the Faunus people from the militant organization. For this reason, the boy's latter thoughts were able to evoke her ire; yet it was his dramatized question that roused her rare fury. To think that their relationship as human and Faunus was wrong was not only wrong itself, but it was representative of the majority population's beliefs about Faunus. However, these boys—these children—didn't seem to have an understanding or respect for the effects of racism, having thrown the term around enough times to make its blade turn to bone. She was associating the other boy because he was apparently the speaker's friend and had enabled the speech. They were sickening—moronic, blissfully immature, and personally insulting. She loved Yang and she believed this boy who knew neither girl and claimed the sentiment wrong was misguided. It was absurd and frustrating—evocative of defensive urges that she had to suppress to maintain some form of integrity.

As she had never been in a true relationship before Yang, Blake had little experience with dealing with this particular form of distrust and ignorance. Within the White Fang, there was an underlying hatred for the sort of relationship she was currently in, but they were purists and she had escaped from their clutches. Their beliefs were not her own if it was not already evident. The thought that their relationship was wrong was an unfair assessment. They were both of mature mindsets and knew each other well enough to recognize their limits. Moreover, their attraction was true and unyielding. From her personal perspective, the boy's suggestion that their relationship was "wrong" came as a shockingly irreverent concept.

Furthermore, if such a relationship was "wrong," then her mother wouldn't have been born and, in effect, neither would she. Her grandparents held such a relationship which had worked out successfully from what she had been told. Of course, their child had been shunned by both sides of the conflict, but times had changed and Yang and Blake would not have to worry about any child for the foreseeable future. It was the distant thought about the child that made her want to blush, but it was necessary to prove her point before she could indulge in sentimentality. There was nothing keeping them from dating—the unfounded argument of legality did not bother her as much as the thought that them dating was bad in any way. If they were insinuating that their relationship was of a human and an animal, then this claim could be classified as racism. Faunus were not animals; animals lack the abilities to speak, animals lack the ability to think logically, and animals certainly could not find the sort of sensation Blake felt in the relationship she had with Yang. However, they would not care if they were racist. They were not worth her time, she thought before sighing.

She felt forward movement and opened her eyes. They were nearing the ride's entrance, but doubted they would join the group currently boarding. Fortunately, she was proven wrong. Yang quickly handed her card to the woman operating the register beside the entrance. Just as quickly as Blake felt the forward movement, they were led to their own cup and away from the two boys she was glad to leave. She smiled as Yang attempted to increase their speed so they might get to their teacup before the attendant could show them to it. Their seats were within a carriage painted colors uncharacteristic to either girl: pink and green. However, they happily boarded, free of care or worry that could spawn from questionable statements or a certain physiological fragility.

Yang slid onto the curved bench and immediately gripped the disk in the center which would allow them to spin once the ride began. Blake sat opposite her so that they could hopefully watch each other's expressions throughout the ride. The attendant closed the door, backed away, and waved to the woman behind the register. Yang grinned and Blake could not suppress the excitement that shined through her pursed smile. "You ready for this? I promise I'll keep it under control." Blake nodded. "Thanks for doing this, Blake." She felt the ride begin to move but didn't bother to look around, instead training her eyes on the glimmering, lilac orbs that emulated the smile that was on her girlfriend's lips.

Soon enough, the ride was fully underway, reaching its top speed that truly wasn't very fast; the speed was to come from the individual cups spinning. Yang began to pull on the disk and instantly they began rotate in a clockwise manner, inspiring the bowless girl to help. As they pulled and increased the speed gradually, they kept their eyes riveted on one another's in an unblinking show of affection. This eventually turned into a staring contest as the speed continued to pick up. Yang stuck out her tongue and began making a face that was obviously designed to make the Faunus laugh. Blake fought the urge to do so off and instead sent as caustic a glare as she could muster back in jest. The blonde responded by mimicking this look. However, she was too excited to hold any sort of faux angry expression adequately, causing her partner to shake her head, telling her silently that her attempts were not working while keeping her own glare steady. Yang seemed to disagree as she nodded, sending back the message that her looks were working. Blake relented and rolled her eyes, breaking eye contact and unleashing the flood of laughter that Yang had been feebly suppressing.

It was an honest laugh of happiness and bliss rather than at the humor of the situation. Soon enough, Blake was laughing too—lightly at first, but her enthusiasm quickly built to a level similar to Yang's. They spun the cup faster and faster and were forced to close their eyes to avoid eye contact that would cause even more mirth. When Blake finally reopened her eyes, she saw Yang with one of the most wonderful smiles she'd ever seen as she continued to laugh. Knowing that she had caused this happiness for her partner made a pride and confidence well in Blake's chest. She didn't care that the landscape behind them was blurring or that she could barely hear the assistant yelling at them to slow down—she didn't care that when the cup stopped she would doubtlessly lose her balance and be subject to pain caused by her Faunus traits. Yang was happy now. How could their relationship possibly be wrong?

The last thing Blake saw before her vision began to swim was Yang's expression change from unwieldy mirth to a calm, focused, almost loving look directed solely and undeniably at her. Reciprocation was attempted but faltered as the ride began to slow while the spinning of her vision increased. They had spun too fast and the inner-ear organ, as resilient as it had become over the years for Blake, could not withstand Yang's strength. Blake quietly gasped as she suddenly felt her balance fail her. She felt faint, as though she could pass out at any moment, but she knew that such an instant effect would never come. The ride continued to slow and her hearing began to dull. She would be trapped like this until the sensations passed—she wished that she could pass out as it would relieve her of the pain. "Blake?" she barely heard Yang ask. She felt the weight of the cup shift and a figure moving to her side to keep her upright. She believed the ride had stopped. Why else would she be on her feet?

Blake groaned as she failed to find her footing. Fortunately, Yang supported her in a one arm carry, allowing the Faunus to stay upright but causing her feet to drag as she was pulled along. Blake didn't want help. If she couldn't move on her own, what was the point of training to become a huntress? What was the point of trying to be the best possible girlfriend for Yang if she could not withstand a teacup ride, let alone stand afterward? She couldn't answer these questions right now—it was painful to think. She vaguely understood that she needed help and would take it. Blake made multiple attempts to walk, but each time she found that her knees could not support her weight. Every time she blinked, the world looked new and not in any way that was refreshing or revitalizing. She didn't know where she was in the park and couldn't bring herself to even think about it. She was dizzy, Yang was holding her, and they were moving; this was all she knew.

"Hang in there, Blake," Yang urged. "You're gonna be all right. Just breathe and let me carry you." She had never heard Yang this panicked before. It would have been heart-warming if moving hadn't felt so impossible. She tried to heed her advice by breathing, but found that this was about all she could do. Her sight was out of her control. She saw a nearing structure but all she knew about it was that it was white and swaying. "Don't worry. I've got you."

Yang was all but carrying her by this point but did not slow in her stride. From her perspective, she saw that her girlfriend was hurt and needed to be moved to a place where she could recover. They were heading towards a tent that was probably intended for people to find tables that were out of the sun's burning gaze so they could eat in peace. Though, Yang did not know for certain if this was the point of tent and could only hope for her partner's sake that she was correct. The Faunus' head kept shaking, potentially out of her instinctual need to follow her swimming sight but more than likely it was Blake trying to rid herself of her dizziness. She was a fighter and wouldn't let this slow her down for long, but it strained the blonde to see her fighter in such a weakened state.

They entered the tent and Yang found that she had been correct. She didn't care about the families and other inconsequential groups who looked her way when she carried the weary girl in. There was a secluded corner against the back wall that she moved towards. She knew Blake needed to recuperate and thought seating her around people she didn't know would undoubtedly be detrimental to the process. She moved to the table that was as far back in the corner as one could be and sat Blake in a chair beside it. This was the first chance Yang had to see her girlfriend's face since they were on the ride and the sight she was met with was painful. Blake's expression was stuck in a troubled wince, obscuring the sobering, amber eyes that so often let her know that her world was warm and secure. Without being able to see those eyes, Yang felt as though her world was beginning to fall apart and that she would do anything to get them to open again. She leaned down and placed a kiss on Blake's head. "Okay, Blake, I'm going to go get you some water. I'll be back in a minute, all right?" She waited a few moments for a response before asking again. "All right?"

Blake wanted to rest and wished Yang would stop asking for permission to buy her something. "Sure," she groaned a bit more aggressively than she would have liked. As soon as this was said, she heard the blonde bolt out of the tent. She crossed her arms and buried her face in them, escaping from the light so that the shadows could ease her pain as they had so many times before. In this darkness, the world continued to spin. She felt a headache coming on and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her ears pressed flat against her head, reacting to the pain that they had been the cause of. She hadn't been this dizzy for as long as she could remember. She hadn't ever suffered from vertigo outside of the incident at the factory, so she was uncertain if this was severe dizziness or the suspected ailment. There was also the possibility of this being heat stroke, but she doubted this was the case.

Even the shadows couldn't block out the world. It seemed as though everything that had once been joyful was now irritating. The grating conversations of those around her would not cease and the distant music that was further muted by her momentary pain was annoying in the extreme. And there were people around her. Normally, she would care about them viewing her in such a vulnerable state, but now she didn't care about her state or their existence. They cared too much about themselves to offer help and were not the friendly bunch that she thought had been when she first arrived at this park. But perhaps she was just bitter.

Her sense of direction was returning at too slow a rate for her liking but there was nothing she could do to expedite it and she found that any return to normality was better than nothing. She found that controlling her breathing while blocking out those irksome stimuli allowed her to reach a desirable level of calmness and apathy. Quicker than her senses returned to her, the world around her became insignificant and easily ignorable. Truly now did the quietude she sought become achievable. The world still spun in her darkness and it was upsetting, but she knew that it would stop soon enough. She knew that Yang would return and make everything better.

It would be a few minutes until she next heard anything that caught her attention. Yang had not returned yet and Blake had begun to worry for her partner. The noise that she heard was not of the blonde's return, but of a child much younger than those boys in the line she had learned to hate in her current state. It was a little boy, a toddler if she was to guess by his diction choices and inability to properly pronounce any word with an "R." Her reason for paying attention to this child over all the others who were with their respective families was for a similar reason she initially listened to the flippant teenagers.

"Mommy?" he asked. "Where's that other girl? Why didn't she come back?" Blake was beginning to wonder the same thing, partly out of resentment but as well out of concern. She hoped that Yang hadn't gotten caught in one of the lines.

"I don't think we should ask that," the mother replied calmly.

Blake opened her eyes to stare at the table that was now mere inches from her face. Thankfully, it wasn't as spinning as fast as everything else, but it still wasn't in any fixed location. She blinked, hoping that the action would help before looking to the source of the voices. She had been correct in her inference that the speakers were a toddler and his mother. They didn't seem to notice her relatively fixed gaze on them, probably due to her only just peeking over her folded arms, but there was the probability of both being preoccupied by each other. "Why?" the child inquired in the way that children his age often did.

The mother shook her head and pointed her fork at the food that was in front of him. "We shouldn't ask that because it would be rude. We don't know them and I don't think they want us to know." A fairly accurate assumption, Blake thought. "Now, eat."

"But they kissed!" he practically shouted, causing his mother to attempt to calm him down and Blake to send him an impatient, headache-burdened glare that was barely able to stay on his small form. Unfortunately, neither effort seemed to be able to keep him down. "She isn't coming back! Why did they kiss?"

Fortunately, the mother had some sort of tactfulness about her. "Don't worry. I'm sure the other girl is coming back soon to take care of her." Blake had to keep herself from becoming angry at him. He was only a child. She couldn't fault him for being overly curious about a subject he had no business prying into, but she could be silently annoyed from afar until Yang returned or her pain subsided. She did not favorite one outcome over the other at this point as both seemed wonderful.

"But they kissed!" he repeated louder and insistently, testing the patience of both the present parent and the beleaguered Blake. "Why did they kiss? Do they love each other?"

The mother hesitated. "N-no," she stuttered, unsure of what to say. Yet she had said enough to have Blake's quiet anger focused on her instead of the boy. "I'm sure they care about each other very much…but I don't think they love each other. They're just really good friends." She sounded unsure of her words and Blake was unsure of when her patience would finally find its breaking point.

"Ew!" the child gasped. "Friends don't kiss each other!" She had to agree with him. What they had was beyond mere friendship and to label it as such was an insult. Her ire had shifted completely from the boy that now seemed innocent and innocuous to the mother who was passive and delusional. It was not Blake's place to judge her beliefs and morals—that was what the White Fang had done and why she had left—but she found it difficult to tolerate this defamation of their love.

Again, she hesitated, seemingly uncertain about how she would lie to her son next about what he had seen. She laughed in a way that was obviously nervous and forced to the Faunus but most likely fooled the child. "You're right. Most friends don't kiss each other. But they're just really good friends and will stop doing that when they are older and learn better." Perhaps it was Blake's study of literature mixing with her dazed anger, but she heard the woman calling her and Yang immature—she was certain that she was claiming that their love was simply a phase, but she saw a personal remark hidden in her speech as well. Blake's glare became harsher as she fought to remain calm and composed. She and Yang had devoted their lives to protecting these people from the Grimm and in return they were called immature. She had a difficult time deciding who was worse: this woman or the boys in line.

"But you and daddy kiss." He sounded genuinely confused and Blake could understand why.

"Your daddy and I kiss because we love each other." And she didn't love Yang? "They'll find daddies of their own to love and will stop kissing each other." Now she was implying that there was a person on Remnant who was better for her than Yang. This appalling logic had finally become an outright personal insult, whether the mother had been aware of it or not. There were many things that Blake wanted to say to this woman to defend herself and so many more things she wanted to do to defend Yang, but today was supposed to be happy and cheery and go without incident. Despite her dizziness, Blake had an amazing time today, but this woman and those boys had just about broken her patience. The woman was simply wrong. Blake didn't have the capacity at the moment to argue specific points but she knew that the woman was wrong. She didn't want to hear any more of this woman's ignorant lies. She understood that people had differing opinions and that her speech had not been purposefully harmful, but in this upset state, it was difficult for the Faunus to be anything other than bitter without Yang's presence.

She sat up in her chair and watched the world continue to spin. However, it was reasonably calm compared to how it had been before, allowing her to rise to her feet shakily. Her balance was still off but not gone completely—she could stand and probably walk if she kept focused. Blake briefly saw the mother and child look at her curiously before she moved toward the exit. She wanted to send back a glare but couldn't rationalize any reason beyond disagreement and emotional pain. She would be no better than the woman or the White Fang if she expressed her disapproval in such a manner. Instead, she staggered out of the tent, partly to get away from them but mostly to find Yang.

To her right were more rides, games, and an eventual tree line. She went left, moving back to the crowds of the concession stands without fear or concern. Her gait returned to a pace that looked to be normal to anyone who passed her by, yet it felt unsteady and as though she could topple at any moment. This was not how she expected their day to turn out. She hoped that it could still be salvaged and that they might find greater happiness later on, but she knew the recent incidents would leave impressions on her. They were just more bad memories to add to her library.

Her sight and hearing had returned by this point to a state where they were functional, if faulty. This gave her enough confidence in her abilities to believe that moving through the crowd while staying aware of those around her would be possible. She trudged forward, intent on searching the sea for her partner. However, she needed not look far because the bright-yellow, attention-grabbing sight came into view immediately. She had pushed her way out of the crowd and had began to run back to the tent but stopped when she saw the hobbling girl. "Blake?" In an instant, Yang was by her side and easing the discomfort of walking like this. "Blake, I told you to take it easy. What happened?"

Blake found a jarringly cold bottle of water shoved into her hands which she accepted gratefully. Her tone of voice, however, proved more pleading and dire. "Yang…" Speaking with this headache was excruciating and nearly impossible but she pressed on nonetheless. "Can we go somewhere else? I can't stay in the tent."

Yang's brows furrowed in concern. "You need to sit down. I promised your dad I'd keep you from getting heat stroke."

It wasn't heat stroke and she didn't want to return to the tent. "Yang…" she pleaded feebly and pitifully. She didn't care if she was no longer using her words to describe her needs; Yang surely understood and it was painful to think any longer.

Yang took a moment to seemingly debate which side she would take on the matter and eventually sighed in frustration. "Fine," she said carefully, "the concert should be starting soon so we'll see if we can find seats there. But we're sitting in the shade and away from the band. You getting better is our first priority. After that, then we can worry about the music. All right?" Blake nodded into her shoulder. She felt the bottle be pulled from her grasp and heard the click of its cap coming off before it was handed back to her. "Okay, drink up. We'll take it slow and you'll stay hydrated, all right?" Again, she nodded. At this, Yang pulled her along, acting as the Faunus' crutch and guide while Blake's eyes shut to keep out the light.

The water helped distract Blake from her headache and blind walk through the park. From what she could hear, they did not pass through the same crowds in front of the concessions as their pace did not slow and the volume of conversation thankfully decreased. Chatter was still present, leading her to believe that they were walking through the rows of tables that had been set up for festivalgoers. Perhaps Yang had seen a route they could take that would bring them to the stage. However, she had a feeling that the stage would not be their destination as the people who sat before it were exposed to the sun with this glade's purposeful lack of trees. Yang had said they would find shade but that they would also head for the stage. Blake did not attempt to assume the current time or their destination as they would be fruitless endeavors with her fatigue. Her focus was on recovery and staying hydrated as Yang had told her to do.

She found that the further they were from the teacups and tent, the easier it became to relax and forget the aggravating parties involved. She couldn't smile at the moment as the discomfort of their spinning had yet to completely disappear, but Blake looked back fondly on those few, short minutes on the ride. That was likely as close as she could have come to experiencing childlike wonderment. She had known that the spinning would inevitably detriment her wellbeing, but not only did she allow Yang to pull the cart faster, she helped as well. Seeing Yang smile the way she did encouraged her to throw any sense of self-preservation to the wind if only so that she could see her partner shine even brighter. That was the girl she loved and who she had made laugh. Her musical laugh had brought a sort of excited tranquility to the Faunus. In those few minutes that were far too short for Blake's liking, she realized that this trip had turned out to be incredible and unquestionably affirming for the beliefs she held about her own emotions. She would suffer through this momentary pain because she knew that Yang's smile had been worth it.

Her partner had also taken care of her without being asked to—actually, it is to say that she aided Blake despite her insistence that she shouldn't. She no longer saw her girlfriend's actions as selfless but instead loving. Whether or not Yang held the same sentiments Blake did was still to be determined, but the young Faunus saw these actions as intent care and concern that could only be synonymous with love. Her compliment by the bottle toss, her assistance in moving from the teacups, and the water that she now drank were all acts of kindness that she would have never seen in the White Fang. Yang didn't need to know what those judgmental people had said about them. They had already impacted Blake's day negatively and there was no reason she would subject her partner to this discord. Those people were unimportant to their day. All that mattered in this moment was the hug Blake was wrapped in and the recovery that she had begun to feel the effects of. She figured that if she could regain her balance and senses to the point where Yang could stop worrying, then their day might be fixed and they could find that same happiness again.

Wherever they were within the park, Blake wasn't sure. She did not want to open her eyes and reverse the healing process. She knew that she was recovering due to the same reason she wanted to open her eyes. The music coming from the stage had become clearer and recognizable, letting Blake know that her hearing was nearly back to normal and that they were getting closer to the stage at a decent rate. However, the knowledge of which pop song was playing did not concern her as much as the silence that followed it. During her previous times attending this event, there had always been a considerable pause between the appeasing, ambient music and the playing of the first composition by the orchestra. This quiet spread across the field and she knew that the orchestra was setting up. She risked opening one eye to see where they were and what the progress of the band was. The couple was surprisingly close to the supposed destination, being at the very back of the sea of lawn chairs and blankets that lay in front of the stage. She closed her eye soon after, finding that her vision had come back to working order but not to its peak state.

She hoped that they would change course and find a seat amongst all the other families, but found that they continued moving forward. "Just a little bit more," Yang told her, seemingly aware of her partner's subtle disappointment. "You need to relax and sitting out there isn't going to help with that. We're going for shade and I think I see a spot. Just hold on, Blake." There was no jovial tone to be found in her speech. It was sobering and forceful while being utterly caring and committed. Because of this, Blake complied and kept moving, finding her footing again with this longer walk.

This had been her most severe episode of disoriented balance from what she could remember, trumping even her initial practices in acrobatics and the ensuing flips, tumbles, and pirouettes therein. The effects of those had lasted perhaps a minute or two at most. With this particular instance, however, she could no longer keep track of time so she did not know the exact duration of her disorientation, yet she was certain it was longer than any other she had so far experienced. She knew this because she heard a sound that made her worried and allowed her to realize approximately what time it was. The orchestra sounded, announcing its undeniable presence with a single, collected, introductory note. They had not found a spot in time to properly enjoy the concert and this strangely put Blake on edge. She panicked because what she believed to be her final chance of reclaiming whatever childhood she had left was escaping her with every quarter note played. It sounded exactly as she remembered but because she could not enjoy the music as she had long ago, she could not stand it. However, Yang held her and let her know that in the end, everything was going to be all right. She felt their pace quicken and was immediately grateful for her partner.

The next few minutes became a blur to the young Faunus as her attention shifted away from their walk and her water to the song the band was playing. She had never memorized the overture, being that she was young and it was long, but she felt the familiar power that come from it nonetheless. She found it easier to keep her eyes shut and see the crowd of years ago. Her mother and father were present, youthful and without wear, sitting as close as they could to the stage. At that age, she had no awareness of the possible repercussions of having her ears show in public, but like today, she didn't much care for anything more than the fun she was having. She would stand in a daze, watching the men and women of that musical group play their songs that sounded wonderful to her but held no subsurface meaning at the time. Even now, she could practically hear her parents laugh as she ignored them and focused on the warm, jovial tones. Every year, she acted this way due to the joy she felt from the songs and from the fact that these people would spend time they could have used for themselves to play for the benefit of others. Now she and Yang were in a similar (albeit, more dire) situation, thus creating a bond between her and those on the stage in regard to their commitment to the safety and care of others—Yang's care for her and her care for Yang.

She felt the relatively flat ground they walked on change into an incline. Now she knew they had passed the area where the others were sitting because the only hills that were anywhere close to the stage were at the edge of the tree line that surrounded this field. For this, she opened her eyes and saw a single tree atop this hill before looking back at the crowds and the stage. They weren't too far away, she thought; the music was still clearly audible and the sight she was now given was admittedly better than what she saw as a child. She looked back to the tree and forced her legs to work again. It took some effort, but soon enough their pace increased to the point that they reached the old tree nearly instantly.

Blake was implored to sit first and she did so without argument. Yang followed soon after and the two leaned against one another with the tree at their backs as they watched the band continue to play. Now that she was able to sit again, Blake found that all the ailments that afflicted her—her dizziness, headache, and lack of hearing, sight, and care—began to quickly fade away. Yang put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her over so that her head rested atop the young Faunus'. This arm moved downwards so that the hand could rub Blake's arm. "Come on," Yang whispered, "you haven't finished yet. Keep drinking." Had the circumstances been different, Blake would have perceived this encouragement as similar to advisement given to a child who did not know any better. However, Yang was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing and she knew this.

"Yang," she said, finding it easier now to speak without interwoven bitterness, "I'm fine. That wasn't heat stroke, it was…" She didn't want to burden her partner with an explanation of why she suffered from vertigo and thus chose not to, sighing to change the topic. "I'm fine now. Thank you for the water."

This allowed Yang to smile. "If you say so," she hummed. This was followed by a lengthy silence. Blake felt that this wasn't caused by awkwardness or excessive thought; they were simply listening to the music and letting their ears adjust to the distant sounds. When Yang began tapping a finger against her leg to the beat of the song, Blake leaned into the hold, understanding that she didn't need to watch the band play to hear the song correctly. Instead, she took in Yang's presence and smiled for the first time in what felt like hours. Yang hummed again. "Sorry I made us miss their first song."

Blake shook her head, finding that her headache and dizziness had just about cleared. "Don't worry. This is still their first song of the night."

"Still?" Yang exclaimed. Blake laughed quietly as she nodded, knowing that Yang was back to her regular personality now that she no longer needed to uphold the overly concerned demeanor. She groaned, seemingly playfully. "Songs are supposed to be three to five minutes long. What amateurs."

"Usually, if someone calls a person an amateur, they would have some experience in the field. What experience do you have?" Listening to this music while conversing with her girlfriend was surprisingly an enjoyable experience. When she was a child, she never talked to anyone while the band was playing, but now she could see why the crowds below continued to speak to one another in respectfully hushed tones.

"Please. You don't have to play an instrument to know how music works. I think I've heard enough to know a thing or two." She moved her hand up to absent-mindedly run her fingers through Blake's hair, an action that made the Faunus close her eyes and warm to her partner's touch. "Why?" she asked. "Do you play anything? Do you think you know better than me too?"

Blake ignored the challenge that would have led to a contest of who could tease the other more. She had recovered fairly quickly, but she was not yet ready to combat Yang's conversational nature. Instead, she hummed, "I used to." This led to another comfortable silence as the two simply held each other and listened to the music. It was odd but not at all wrong to Blake. She hadn't read of any such situation in a book before but she knew it was not unique to her experience. Still, she focused on getting comfortable with Yang.

A couple minutes would pass until Yang spoke next. What she said had no teasing edge to it nor curiosity that could spur a further conversation. "Thanks for inviting me. This turned out to be more fun than I expected." Yang turned her head to look at the Faunus and Blake could feel her warming Aura swell. "You're the best, Blake, you know that, right?" Blake could control neither the blush nor smile that spread across her face. The only response she could give was a shake of her head. No, she thought, that commendation did not belong to her, but her partner instead. She felt Yang kiss the top of her head before she was wrapped in another warm, hopefully loving hug. The two would remain like this, happily holding each other as they occasionally listened to the music for the few hours it would take for this concert to finish. At the moment, however, they simply reveled in each other's presences as this overture concluded.

---

Under the pale glow of a half moon, the stark, square plain of the parents' backyard proved to be as ideal a spot as Blake's father claimed it was. The tall trees of the region shortened at the far end, allowing a view from any part of this lawn to the place the fireworks were intended to fire. This was fortunate for the couple who lay beside one another on this grass, staring at the stars above that were now visible without the perennial glow of Vale's lights. Blake's parents were inside, choosing to leave her and Yang alone so that they could speak with each other instead. She was more than content with this. She cared for her parents, but the love that she held for Yang was incomparable. The two didn't feel the need to make contact with each other at the moment—they knew that they were together and alone—yet they still smiled giddily as they observed the nebulas above that glittered unabashedly without the pollution of light.

Yang raised a finger up and pointed to a spot in the sky. "And there's the…uh…there's the Great Squirrel." To pass the time, Yang had begun pointing out constellations that had yet to hold any validity to them. However, the conversation was light and had made the young Faunus more prone to laughing than she usually was. To prove this point, she giggled at the improvisation.

"And what is the story behind that?" she asked.

"Well," Yang strained, doing her best to quickly weave a story that would be tolerable to the well-versed girl. "Once upon a time, there was this squirrel—not a great squirrel, just an average, everyday squirrel—who—" She was cut off.

"That," Blake corrected.

Yang looked at her. "Who," she stated resolutely. "Squirrels are people too." Blake laughed, glad that this statement wasn't made into a joke about the Faunus people or the White Fang as it so easily could have. "As I was saying," Yang began again, nearly sounding offended. "There was this squirrel who," she stressed the word, "was running around the woods, doing its squirrel thing, when all of a sudden, he saw this magical berry. He knew it was magic because it was glowing and shining and he knew the moment he saw it that it was better than all the rest.

"Naturally, he wanted to eat it, but something told him that this berry was not meant to be eaten. I mean, who goes and eats something that's glowing? That's just not safe. Anyways, he decided he wanted to take a look at the berry first—he wanted to see if it was radioactive or not. With his squirrel Geiger counter that he totally had, he realized that the berry really was magic. Before anyone else could find it, he grabbed it in his mouth and tucked it away in his cheek. But!" Yang exclaimed, causing Blake's laughter to subside as the apparent plot twist was given. "The little squirrel wasn't going to get away with taking the magic berry that easily.

"When he tried to get back to his home on the other side of the woods, he found that two mean, old people stood in his way. Talk about a bad commute! He tried to hide but they knew he was there; they were ready to kill him and take the berry for themselves. But the little squirrel was not as great a fighter as they were and had nothing to defend himself with. He thought to himself, 'Maybe people aren't as mean as the other squirrels say they are. Maybe they can see reason and I can talk them into giving me the berry.' So he walked out of the bush he was hiding behind and met the mean, old people face-to-face.

"But the squirrel was a coward. As soon as he jumped out of the bush, the two people looked like they were going to attack. Instead of talking, he dropped the berry and ran, never to see the magical fruit again." Blake had her suspicions about what the story was inspired by for a majority of its telling, but now she was certain what Yang had been referring to. She couldn't hold her laughter and rolled onto her side to in a feeble attempt to do so anyways. "And why is this the story of the Great Squirrel instead of that cowardly squirrel?" Yang asked. "Because that squirrel will always be on the lookout for that one berry for the rest of his life. It was going to turn him into a superhero—he'd have a cape and save peoples' lives and he was going to be the Great Squirrel. But the two people messed it all up. What do you have to say for yourself, Blake?"

Blake made an effort to control her laughter before returning the smirk Yang was sending her. "I'd say he was only a squirrel."

"Ouch," the blonde grimaced, "cold." Suddenly, a distant, quiet pop sent their gazes to the horizon.

The two moved to better positions to watch the faint dot in the sky burst into a blue flower of cascading stardust. Blake clutched at her knees as she sat upright while Yang simply propped herself up by placing her hands behind her. A second bloom of fiery Dust exploded and crackled, drawing the attention of both girls completely. Then began the deluge of fireworks, exploding no more than three at a time, but lighting the sky up nonetheless. As this consistent pace was set, Blake found that her current position was becoming uncomfortable, causing her to emulate how Yang was sitting. Fortunately, in the process of propping herself on her arms, her hand came in contact with Yang's. The two smiled at each other before their fingers became tangled. Their attention turned back to the show of simple blooms and occasional attempts at more complicated shapes, but never did they forget the hold their hands were in, causing the two to squeeze occasionally.

The occasional shape of a heart was seen amongst the tapestry of lights and caused the couple to laugh every time one appeared. The distant booms and pops were becoming so common that a beat was almost able to be found in the time it took one to be fired and another to explode. The show increased in intensity but could never quite match the sheer joy found on the faces of the two. Colors melded together and a distant cloud of smoke began to join the explosions, obscuring some but highlighting others. Then, a sight came that signaled the end of the display. The colors of the Kingdom of Vale flashed one by one, followed by the Kingdom of Mistral's. As the streaks of fire descended and dissipated, Blake knew that the fireworks had finally ended—too soon for her taste if she was to be completely honest.

However, there were no comments about the display, no jokes or conversation starters that could break the silence that had settled over the girls. The stars above had been obscured by the large amount of light that had pierced the shadows and left an ever-present glow behind. Yet neither girl paid attention to the horizon or what was above them any longer. Their heads turned to the side—toward each other—and they simply stared. Blake's breath caught in her throat but she did her best not to show any emotion. Yang was beautiful and caring and kind and selfless and warm and she was hers—hers alone and no one else could claim her. Yang was hers and she was Yang's and she loved her dearly. As if to ease the tension the situation, Yang pulled her hand from Blake's and moved it up to her cheek. It was a very sudden and surprising action, but Blake melted to the touch without much thought. The hand was warm and it was Yang's.

Did it matter if she was human? Did it matter that she was another girl? Did it matter that she was supposed to be her partner for the coming years and that she was obligated to keep her safe? Absolutely. It all mattered and in this culminating moment of existential actualization, Blake knew for a fact that these three variables—only the figurative tip of the iceberg of reasons why she was with Yang—were why her relationship with the blonde was so very incredible. She warmed to the touch of the palm that brushed against her cheek, moving closer as to goad its owner into continuing the gentle motions. Her breathing became blissfully rapid as she stared at those shimmering, lilac orbs that smiled back in kind.

Tears bordered her vision. She was not sad at all; rather, she was happy, hopeful, nervous—in love if she was to use her newest revelation—and these tears were the exultant result of these emotions. She felt so safe and so wonderfully detached from every being other than her partner and she could only rejoice in the closeness they shared. To think that this Faunus girl who had been previously so aversive to personable contact would let this exuberant human be so close to her would otherwise be irrational. Perhaps it was, but what is love if not irrational at times? There was certainly nothing irrational about the fluttering Blake felt in her chest as Yang's subtle breaths blew across her face.

The two were so close together that their noses frequently brushed against each other. Yet it did not matter to either, for they were far too involved in their affectionate staring contest to notice that they were subconsciously moving even closer. Neither girl had been the instigator of this motion, but had they been aware of it as it was happening, it was doubtful they would argue against this closeness. It felt as though there was something on Blake's upper lip. Perhaps a hair had fallen at an inopportune time, causing her to become semi-conscious of the event taking place. She could see how close Yang was. It took her a moment to understand what was happening, but when she did, she found herself uncharacteristically blushing and afraid. She loved Yang but was unsure if she was loved back. It should have been obvious to her, but she didn't want to assume. However, she did not fight the motion and was pulled back into her happy, subconscious stupor that pushed them forward into the action. She knew where Yang was and saw that her partner's eyes had drooped somewhat. Her mind recalled memories of books and films she had seen and thusly emulated Yang's actions. She felt that foreign feeling previously described spread to her lower lip before she knew that they were technically kissing.

Seemingly at the same moment, they both realized this technicality and tossed aside their inhibitions. The hand on Blake's cheek pulled her closer so that their lips could connect better. Blake clutched feebly at whatever she could, finding Yang's shoulder and waist eventually before pulling her closer as well. The kiss itself was fairly rudimentary and inelegant in its execution, but the emotions behind it were very complex and very fervent. Instantly, Blake basked in the feeling. Not only did it feel right—appropriateness and selflessness were discarded as soon as their lips had touched—everything about it was amazing. The feeling of Yang reciprocating this emotion made her happy beyond belief, causing a few stray tears to fall from the corners of her eyes. Almost immediately, the gloved hand on her cheek caught a few of them and dried her eye with her thumb. She loved Yang at this moment so incredibly much that words escaped her.

This action continued for a few seconds that paradoxically felt too short while seeming like wonderful hours at the same time. After these seconds, the two pulled away to catch their breath but never did they release the holds they had each other in. Their breaths were ragged and shallow but the look in their eyes was that of jubilant excitement. The blonde's hair had begun to glow, casting a light across the yard and warmth into the young Faunus' heart. Yang let out a short, happy laugh and was followed soon after by Blake. These short laughs were the only barrier between the kiss and the thoughtful silence that came after. She had really kissed Yang. Blake felt no compunction or consternation, only love. It was still hard to believe, but she had kissed Yang. She had kissed Yang and Yang had kissed her. It was amazing and her mind raced to find positive adjectives to describe it. However, all of her attention focused on her partner as she spoke. "Best birthday ever," Yang breathed with a lopsided grin.

Suddenly, Blake was confused. Her thoughts shifted away from how she loved Yang to decoding her simple, three-word phrase. "What did you say?" Blake had relatively composed herself; she was still smiling, but she was unsure of the meaning of what had come from the blonde.

Yang's brows raised in alarm. "Umm…" she hummed, obviously stalling for time or an excuse. "Best girlfriend ever?"

"Yang," Blake insisted, donning a much more serious expression and losing her smile completely, "what did you say?"

Yang winced, clamping her eyes shut as Blake backed away from her. It took a few seconds before she rapidly said, "Best birthday ever."

Blake sat back and simply stared at her girlfriend, coming to terms with this revelation. It didn't make sense to her at first, but it certainly did now that she could think about it. She was older than Yang by almost a year but not completely, otherwise they would be in separate classes. This would mean her birthday was before her own in autumn but after Ruby's in the spring. This thought then led to the memory of the conversation she had walked in on a week ago. Ruby had been attempting to force Yang into telling someone about something lest that someone become upset. Now Blake knew that she was that someone and Yang's birthday was that something. She looked at her partner, confused by why she would keep this information private. She was her partner and girlfriend; this was information she should be expected to know but hadn't been told yet. Blake continued to stare, thinking of what she could do in this moment. An idea came to mind and she immediately stood.

"Blake, wait!" Yang reached out. "Please don't be mad. I just didn't want you to worry about it."

The Faunus shook the hand off and said firmly but not aggressively, "Just stay here. I will be back." She then moved off towards the house at a brisk pace, leaving Yang alone in the backyard to become regretful and frustrated.

Yang had to ask herself if it would have been so hard to tell Blake about her birthday earlier. Ruby had been right, she thought. She should have told her something akin to, "Hey, Blake! My birthday's on the third of July, but you don't have to get me anything! I just want to spend time with you is all!" Of course, she hadn't and now Blake was furious with her. Would this be their first argument as a couple? Yang hoped not. Blake was smarter than her and she couldn't bring herself to hurt the Faunus emotionally or otherwise. Yang groaned as she picked at the grass in front of her. She still felt the touch of Blake's lips against her own but now the soft sensation stung with the thought of her partner now regretting the action. Would Blake leave her too? On second thought, she couldn't; they were partners and were bound to protect each other. But this was an even more frightening thought. This bond meant that Blake could leave her while always being close enough to be vindictive whenever she wanted. To some degree, this was understandable. Blake deserved better—she deserved someone who could make her happy every second of the day and it seemed to Yang that she was unable to fill that role. Blake had been the first person she had felt this way for and now she was leaving like all the others. There was something different she saw in Blake, something perhaps permanent. After all this time, it would have been a welcome change of pace. Yang sighed. Maybe it was for the best. Of all the people in the world, she knew that Blake most deserved to live without burdening constraints. She thought that it would probably be better for her partner if they separated as she thought they would. Maybe Blake could be happier and find someone who wouldn't lie to her.

The blonde's self-destructive thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected, quiet footstep in the grass behind her. She didn't have time to react before she heard Blake kneel down and say, "Hold still." Being afraid of upsetting her further, Yang did as she was told and stiffened so that Blake could continue with whatever it was she was doing. She felt her hair pulled away to rest on what she believed was Blake's arm. Then she became confused because her scarf was pulled away as well, coming off entirely and being placed somewhere by her partner. Blake peered over her shoulder but Yang didn't so much as glance at what she was doing even when she felt something cold come in contact with her chest. Blake leaned away, did something behind her back, and allowed the mane to fall as Yang felt a new weight around her neck. She only looked at it once Blake leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek before whispering, "Happy birthday, Yang."

Blake watched her girlfriend look down at the necklace and immediately glow once more. Her face shifted immediately from tense to elated. "Oh my God! Blake!" Yang spun around to face her, gripping the pendant gingerly. "Blake, it's beautiful!" The toothy, unrestrained smile made Blake immediately happy for accepting Weiss' assistance. Yang's gaze alternated between the necklace and the girl in front of her, allowing that prideful feeling to well within the Faunus once more. She had not been upset with Yang too much. It was troubling to learn about her birthday this late in the day, but she had the information now and she even understood why Yang wanted to keep it from her, even if she did not agree with it. Yang's excited look turned puzzled as she looked to Blake. "Wait. So you're not mad at me?"

Blake smiled warmly and shook her head. "Never," she said simply.

Yang's grin widened immensely. "Thanks, Blake." This was all she said before she leaned towards her partner to steal a kiss. Blake had no argument against the idea (after all, she needed the practice) and thusly leaned in as well to accept the short, sweet action. She doubted she would grow tired of the sensation or taste as it was all incredible—leagues better than she originally hoped it would be. It was able to convey her thoughts into actions far better than she could into words. It was Yang and it was her and in that moment of loving attention, she knew she wanted to say it. "Best birthday ever," Yang whispered as soon as they disconnected.

But Blake could not say it. She wanted to but she didn't know if her partner felt the same way she did, causing her to not say, "I love you, Yang." However, she knew now that Yang's feelings for her were as true and hermetic as her own, even if her emotions could not be classified as "love" just yet. For this reason, she simply basked in the warmth of her girlfriend, knowing that they would reach a day when she could say it. Today was not that day. Today was about Yang, not her—her partner deserved all the fun she had today. The two continued to stare at each other, outwardly excited about their relationship's progression. Blake was not disappointed at her inability to say the phrase, being content to be in Yang's presence at this time.

They would remain this way for a few minutes, unaware of the world around them, until a cool, almost cold breeze flowed past them. This allowed Blake the opportunity to see the result of her gift. Aside from the already heartwarming smile, Yang made the relatively simple jewel shine. Blake could not describe it, but she felt that the necklace looked right on Yang. Of course, she felt that her girlfriend could make anything look attractive, but this necklace fit. Perhaps it was the evident pride she had in wearing it or the similarity in color between her regular attire and the gold and amber of the jewelry. It fit perfectly, Blake thought. She looked up to find her sunny partner with a surprisingly somber expression. She did not look sad or angry; more so, she seemed troubled.

Blake could only speculate about what concerned her partner, but as soon as Yang looked to meet her gaze, she said, "Blake, I'm sorry about making you sick earlier."

This matter had already been dealt with and Yang had made her amends. Blake would have thought that this apology was unnecessary, but the conviction and confidence burning in those lilac eyes told her that this was necessary for the blonde. "Yang, it's all—" She was cut off by Yang adamantly shaking her head.

"Blake, I don't want to hurt you again. You warned me about not spinning the teacup too fast and I didn't listen. I mean, I promised I'd slow it down, but look how that turned out. I didn't keep my promise and I'm really sorry." A silence lingered to let the words take effect.

Surely the emotion shown was of care between partners, not what Blake fantasized it could have been. Blake knew that she had been in no state to communicate when Yang apologized before, but she had already forgiven her. There was not much else that needed to be said on the matter. Blake had suffered from a moment of vertigo, Yang had helped her, and she had recovered soon after because of this help. However, Blake was wrong in thinking that there was nothing left to be said. "Blake," Yang began, taking a moment to correctly phrase what she was about to say. The next words that came out of her mouth were said in such a boldly introspective, unsure tone that sincerity could not be argued against. "Blake, I think I love you." She didn't hesitate in her speech but still seemed to contemplate the statement as she said it. Nevertheless, the three words were there and shocked Blake into immobility.

In all the time she had spent thinking about how and when she would say the phrase herself, Blake had not once entertained the possibility of Yang saying it first. It was an absurd thought to the Faunus. She was certain that her partner's affections were still simple admiration and attraction as anyone should have after two weeks in a relationship. Now Blake knew she was loved and could not begin to express her gratitude let alone move. Her concerns were washed away and her hopes were validated in three words. She knew she was staring at Yang with a flat expression but there was nothing she could do to change her external demeanor. Internally, a whirlwind of positive emotions was taking precedence over every other function. Her heart rate increased, her eyes widened, and her ears stood on end. However, Yang did not seem to pay attention to these effects. Her burning, pleading gaze kept Blake's attention as she continued.

"I know we've only been together for a few weeks, but…I don't know. It just about killed me seeing you that way after the teacups. I wanted to do something to make you feel better instantly but I knew that there was nothing to do except be by your side. Blake, it killed me to see you that way—angry, off-balance, and…just not you. Blake, I didn't want to walk away from you to get the cotton candy. I thought that you would have come with me and I guess I thought wrong. And when I told you about my birthday, I thought you were mad at me. Blake, I hate it when you get mad. You're not you and it kills me to see you upset like that. Blake, I never want to see you in pain again. You're the nicest, smartest, most considerate person I know." During her speech, Yang's smile had become somewhat sad and reflective, but now it shined brightly. "So, yeah. I think I do love you, Blake."

The young Faunus could neither think nor move. She began to lose sight of Yang as she came to terms with the confession. She had been wrong about Yang's emotions, but that had happened before so it was not anything new. The degree by which she was wrong was startling, however. So, Yang loved her? She did not find the idea hard to believe, merely hard to accept. She did not doubt her partner, but instead doubted reality. Was this all a bad nightmare? It felt as though it had been the sweetest dream so far. If she was to suddenly wake, she felt as though her world would come crashing down around her and mock her for thinking so optimistically.

"Blake?" Hearing Yang's voice again let her know that she was not dreaming and that the paradoxically soft and calloused hand atop her own was thankfully real. Blake shook off the daze she had been stuck in as Yang asked, "Are you all right?" Blake's neutral expression steadily brightened to a smile that could rival any of Yang's. Before the blonde could react, Blake pushed forward and embraced the girl in the most accepting and uncharacteristically gleeful hug she could, knocking both of them from their upright positions. Yang asked once more, but with a tinge of hope in her voice, "Blake, are you all right?"

The girl in question nodded into Yang's shoulder perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. She did not need to say anything in return. She loved Yang and was certain the perceptive blonde knew this already. Yang laughed happily as she returned the sudden embrace. Blake felt that she did not need to say it back to prove her acceptance of the sentiment. However, she had found confidence and did so anyway. She whispered back, "I love you, Yang."

The Belladonna family's backyard was alight as though the sun beamed down upon it. For all intents and purposes, it could be said that the sun did shine as Yang's happy glow eliminated all shadows in the area. The two would remain this way amidst the Sierran woods, simply giggling and sighing and not saying much of anything as they enjoyed each other's company. Time would be lost on the couple; hours would turn to minutes and before they knew it, they fell asleep in the embrace out of exhaustion from the day. Blake did not care about their sleeping location, thinking that Yang's warmth coupled with the calm atmosphere make for a suitable locale. Yet it was the starlit sky that made this place fitting. Had it not been for a night like this where she could look up at the stars with her partner, it is doubtful that any of this could have happened.

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Fun fact: that final segment was written while I was taking a short break from writing chapter four way back when. Of course, I had to revise it and ensure that it fit with the current plan I have for the story (the plan that has changed in slight ways since chapter four) and that it fit this chapter, but I'd like to think that it held up fairly well. There are a few moments in all of my chapters that I cannot seem to become calloused to during the editing process, evoking pauses so that I can appreciate (rather, become enthralled by) certain sentences or scenes. However, the entire ending to this chapter, from the final line break to the last word, had that effect on me. I hope it came out right and that my self-confidence wasn't blinding me.

If you felt as though Blake's internal discussions about the unnamed characters' views on same-sex relationships and human-Faunus relationships were short and left much to be desired, I can assure you that this was my intent. This chapter was not meant to describe these points with logical finality, but was instead to act as prelude for discussions in the story to come. There is an order of priority that needs to be understood when choosing what to write about. The story's progression and structural integrity takes precedence over societal messages and presented ideologies. This is not to say that these messages will be foregone; rather, they will be discussed at a time and to an extent that is appropriate. This chapter was about the happiness that Blake and Yang could find with each other, not the criticisms other characters may give them for it.

Before I move on to the announcements, I would like to thank you all for your acceptance of Blake's parents as at least tolerable characters. Their absence for the majority of this chapter was necessary for the purpose of narrative focus, but I hope that I have characterized them at least decently. I will tell you now so that you can set your expectations for this act's pacing accordingly that the parents will have a greater role in the next chapter. As I said before, this chapter was about Blake and Yang alone. To include the parents past what was necessary would have detracted from the chapter.

Now, for the announcements. Last chapter, I wrote that I was going to host a live stream wherein I would talk about Valence. For those who missed the live stream, I apologize, but the recording I have of it is unusable due to copyright restrictions (I had music playing in the background of the stream.). However, I recorded a video covering almost everything I talked about in the live stream and have posted a link to it at the top of my profile. I must warn you that the video is over forty minutes long and I apologize in advance if I am not who you expected me to be, but I hope some insight can be gleaned into the story's creation. If you do not wish to hear me speak, there is a link to the transcript in the video's description and on my Tumblr.

There were a couple more things that I said on the live stream that I left out of the video only because I felt it would be opportune to post them here instead. The first announcement was that I am planning on writing a series of five one-shot/short stories to coincide with the main story of Valence. These short stories will focus on the times when Ruby and Weiss are left alone by their teammates and will show how their relationship grows in small bursts. These stories are still in their planning stages and I have yet to figure when I will have time to write them. I am almost certain that each story will be about as long as a chapter of the main story, so this creates a dilemma with scheduling. However, the stories are being planned and are making decent progress. I hope that those of you who came for White Rose development enjoy this announcement.

My second announcement was that I am compiling an e-book version of Valence to benefit those whose mobile experience with this story has been less than satisfactory. This e-book would include all of Valence (sans author's notes) as well as the aforementioned short stories. However, I would not expect this to be released any time soon as I need to first finish Valence, finish the short stories, and edit them all at least once more.

Once again, thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it achieved the desired effect. Stay safe and stay tuned.