This will be a nice quick update. Guys and girls alike, way to give me my 10G and beyond. I sure didn't expect to reach the amount of followers in the time frame. Thanks for all the support. Perhaps 300 followers for (20G – Personal Achievement) isn't that foreign an idea. Fav/follow and review. I enjoy reading them and your thoughts. One more time I'll pimp Bakki on DeviantArt as the latest Bumblebee pic should be out soon and also a cheeky White Rose in the works.
Blake: Keeping the Cat in the Bag
The Faunus was sitting on her bed, the warm spring air flowing through the open window as she was enjoying her read. She always felt the one true benefit of coming to an academy is its resources on books. It may not be the biggest selection of fiction, but she was able to find a few classics that peaked her interest. With such a limited budget, a small trip to the the library sure beat some days where her purchases at the local Vale bookstore would be hundreds of Lien. Not that she didn't see it as money well spent, but it would leave budgeting for anything else rather slim, especially the occasional surprise gift she would get Yang.
A good mystery was one of her favorite reads, mostly because she was able to guess along with the protagonist on who done it and how. It was exciting to figure out, correct or incorrect, the ending. Although she did have to pat herself on the back when she was right on the dot. In the novel she was half way through, the main character had already singled out the suspects and now just needed the motivation and murder weapon. However, Blake was finding it hard to interpret clues with Weiss and Ruby in the room.
The two lay on Weiss' bed, stomachs stretched out on the sheets and casually putting in some studying so they can go on a date the next week. Peppering in some time each day would allow for that. It's not that Blake found them to be a distraction with their back and forth of either bickering or flirting, but she did find it hard to ignore.
"Weiss... come on. Give me a kiss," the young leader pleaded as she was puckering her lips. The heiress slamming her palm in Ruby's face.
"Eww, not on your life with that cookie breath. You don't realize how gross it is for me to have the lingering smell of chocolate chip after a lengthy kiss with you."
"Yeah. I don't get it. Cookies are awesome," Ruby fired back.
"Fine, you want a kiss? Either you finish the rest of the studying for today or," the heiress paused bringing something out of her coat pocket, "you take a couple of these."
The dark green plastic container that Ruby hated was brought to her face. She immediately covered her mouth, splitting the fingers to get her complaint out. "You can't keep giving me those death strips. They're terrible and they sting."
"If they sting that means they are working. I already put up with your milk breath and that's only because you're very good about brushing your teeth afterward. You snack on cookies throughout the day and sometimes I'd rather not smell like a bakery. Eat it," Weiss commanded, narrowing her eyebrows. Ruby shook her head in response, forcing the heiress to show her hand.
Blake stopped her voyeurism and put her focus back to her book. "Those two. They sure are cute when they argue. So long as it isn't over anything major they will be just fine. It is rather charming, though. I'm the only one that gets to see this kind of banter. Ruby and Weiss find it awkward to be so close when Yang is in the room. Speaking of argument and her, I'm glad we were able to roll over what could have been a serious issue. It's hard for those who aren't discriminated against to put themselves in my shoes, but Yang seemed eager to learn when we got back from our date. I don't think I've had to bore her with so much technical talk, but many incidents like that will be few and far between."
Blake returned to her reading while the couple wrestled, Weiss determined to get the breath strip into the short-haired girl. Ruby may not have noticed it, but the heiress wouldn't be fighting this hard if she didn't want to kiss too. The Faunus held back her tongue, letting the younger ones figure it out on their own instead of embarrassing them both.
The white door crashed open, the couple immediately separating with a few loud yelps of terror and looks of fear towards the entrance. Blake dropped her book and was about to jump for her weapon until she saw the rushing yellow figure. Yang snatched the Faunus by the forearm, forced her from her spot and climbed onto the frame of the window. "Jump now!"
Blake didn't hesitate and did as she was told. She couldn't believe how she went from sitting still to a full blown sprint, but she barely had time for questions, let alone the answers, as Yang was dragging her somewhere. She reached the Emerald Forest before she knew it, blistering past trees with such force that the power they were creating was blowing off the leaves.
Yang came to a dead stop. Blake released herself, now frightened of the woman in front of her. Heavy breathing, fists clenching, shoulders tightening as the blonde stood, rage coursing trough her as the little fires of her semblance were releasing. Blake took a step back as the fire grew larger, and with a loud scream of violence came and explosion of heat. The blonde used her full force to knock the nearest tree next to her, cracking the mighty wood in half, sending the trunk into another, irreparably harming the wooden cushion. Tree after tree was being knocked down, staggering the Faunus at what she was witnessing.
"Yang! Stop it!" Blake screamed, the blonde not adhering to the pleaful command. Blake wasn't one to care too much about nature, but Yang was about to send the forest in an inferno if she didn't stop. The Faunus kept calling out to her girlfriend, trying to get through to her as she was stepping closer to the flames. Blake was running out of things to say, resorting to a last ditch effort to stop Yang. She released her aura, concentrating as hard she she could to protect herself. As soon as she felt confident, she bolted straight towards her target. The Faunus' arms bound the blonde, successfully stopping the rampage on nature, but the fire still burning hot.
"Yang! It's me, Blake! Calm down! It's alright!" Blake cried out, eyes closed, wondering how long her aura would assist in keeping her safe from the heat. Yang's writhing subsided along with the pyre of her partner. As she felt Yang's breathing normalize, her heaving chest letting deeper packets of air enter and release. The Faunus felt safe to look up, but felt it may have been too soon. Yang's red irises bled out, making way for the lilac ones she's grown fond of, but not the emotions behind them.
"Yang, please talk to me. You're really scaring me right now. What's this all about?" Blake asked as comforting as she could. The blonde's response was simply to place her forehead on the Faunus' shoulder, Blake relieving the burden that's been placed on her partner as Yang lay speechless, the answers she requested taking a secondary priority to whatever was causing her to act so berserk. The black-haired girl felt her girlfriend start to put her full body weight on her, Blake slowly lowering both to their knees on the grass beneath them.
The long silence was broken by a few words. "It's not alright. I might have screwed up, Blake."
Fingers threaded through the long blonde mane as Blake stroked the blonde's back. "Yang, whatever you did, it can't be too much of a grievance." Yang slowly raised her head, the consoling words of the Faunus not working as the blonde's eyes quaked. Yang reached into her satchels, an envelope in her grasp as she presented it to Blake. The Faunus almost thought it was an official school letter of serious penalty until she saw the words 'open or else' written on the front. She examined the brute force way it was opened, the top frayed and ripped thoroughly on some areas, the parchment crushed in what looked like Yang's hands seemed to be smoothed out. Blake brought out what was inside, a single page letter, to whom the letter was addressed to already had her throat tightening.
"To the Faunus and the Faunus-Lover..." Blake trailing off, unable to speak the words as she continued.
"It seems someone has been hiding a dirty little secret from the rest of the school. Blake Belladonna is a cat Faunus. I should have known that you don't wear that bow as a fashion statement. It's so obvious now that I see it, especially when I know I saw it move couple times. Your cat ears twitch just like the filthy animal it comes from. I'll be honest, when I decided to take a few pictures of some girl-on-girl action to put on the internet, never did I think I would find this gold mine of knowledge."
"Pictures..." she murmured out. A hand extended, Yang placing them in her field of vision. Blake's attention of the threatening letter diverted as she saw the slightly crinkled photos. The Faunus involuntarily shivered as she saw herself kissing, eating, and relaxing with Yang with her ears fully exposed. Blake was shocked at the privacy of her relationship being spied on, but even more aghast at the fact that it was combined with her true identity being revealed.
She read on. "Now, here's what you do. Later tonight, you report to these coordinates that I've left on the bottom of the letter. Zero excuses. If you don't, I will put these pictures up around the school so that everyone can know the freak that roams the halls. I'll also still put them on the internet. I'm sure some sick pervert likes human-on-Faunus action. If you do comply, you will see me and we can talk of an arrangement. Hope to see you there."
Her mouth fell agape as Blake finished reading the letter. Short, shuddered gasps of air, her lungs constricting as the shortness of breath was worsening, eyes contracting as the realization was hitting her over and over again. She was blackmailed. The letter fell between her fingers as she clenched her chest, heart beating impossibly hard it was hurting, a slick layer of sweat forming as her world was being flipped.
Blake felt the strong arms of her girlfriend wrap around her, cradling the Faunus' head "Blake. Breathe. Come on. Let's take deep breaths. Let's not forget your training now," she said in the most soothing voice the blonde could produce in her own anxiety. Blake did as instructed and inhaled deep, holding it for a few seconds before releasing. The Faunus continued as Yang was scrambling to calm her down. "I-uhh... try thinking of a happy place, anywhere you feel at peace.
Blake's mind frantically looked for the answer amidst the confusion. "In a tree? No. A beach? No. Back at the dorm room reading alone? Yes, but also no. I can't think straight. What is relaxing?" Her mind disconnected as Yang fumbled with other techniques she could think of at the top of her head. Hearing the blonde be so caring, so dutiful, so altruistic in her attempt to calm Blake down before herself gave the understanding she was searching for. "It's here. It's here in Yang's arms and her in mine is where I'm most relaxed. It's the lazy days where she curls up with me and I read her to sleep, when I follow soon after, resting my head on her chest and let her rhythmic heartbeat lull me to sleep. Where I can separate myself from problems like Torchwick and The White Fang and have those momentary pockets of peace."
With Blake's condition improving, she snaked her arms to mimic Yang's attempt to tranquilize her. As she was normalizing, Yang was too. The couple held each other in the partially destroyed part on the forest lasted as long as it needed to. Blake still mulled over the contents of the letter, the frightening aspect that in a few hours the entire school could turn on her, with the exception of her friends.
"I'm so sorry, Blake. I feel this is my fault by taking off your bow," Yang softly confessed.
Blake couldn't let her brawler beat herself up about it, Blake responded in Yang's chest. "Yang, you may be right, this could all be your fault, but I never want you to feel bad about taking off my bow. You're the only human that not only accepts who I am, but also hates it when I try and disguise myself. It's why I let you take the bow off. The fact that you have to see me without it means a lot to me. You love me for all that I am, ears included."
"But I'm going to assume that you're not ready for the rest of the world to see you like this?" the firm hands stroking the Faunus as she rested on her shoulder. Blake gave her reply with a few shakes of the head.
"The day will come when I can throw the bow in the trash, but until then, it's easier if I'm able to move around as a human. Change comes through continuous struggle and a small way to make the struggle easier is to work from the shadows, where I can't be noticed," Blake explained.
"Don't throw your bow away. I know I don't like it, but before I knew you were a Faunus, you were the cute girl in the bow reading in candlelight," Yang effortlessly dismantling the tension with some cheerful words, Blake letting herself smile for a moment.
"I'll let you have it then. Maybe you can start wearing it," Blake jested back.
"Yeah... maybe," Yang quietly quipped back. The near future now burrowed itself in their minds. The couple got themselves up, dusted each others knees off and headed back to Beacon, arms around each other in solidarity instead of love. Blake kept glancing back to the letter, the typeface not indicating who could have sent it, leaving a healthy discussion of who-done-it back to the dorm.
"Sure is a disappointment that the lockers are coed. Maybe could have narrowed this down to a girl if we had our own separate rooms," Blake pointed out.
"This isn't one hundred percent logic proof, but here's how I can narrow it down for you. This person was stalking us and taking pictures of us getting it on. Clearly a guy. I'd be amazed if a girl would be this disgusting," the blonde spitting fire at the depraved existence of the individual.
"For the sake of trying to figure out who did it, we'll say you're right, still leaving half of the school." Blake read over the letter again, searching for a clue that wasn't there, her determination unwilling to let the wool be pulled over her eyes. Yang took notice of the Faunus' eyes straining to analyzing the document.
"I know I shouldn't be saying this, but stop reading it. I read it about ten times and couldn't even narrow it down to class levels," Yang doing her best to reel the Faunus out of a spiral.
"Part of me agrees with you. I can't even find a motive other than a natural disdain for the Faunus, but it's not like we can go incriminate anyone just because they don't like my race. Even if they don't come off as hateful, there are still many uneasy around my people. I know I'm going overboard, but I hate walking into a trap. I am highly skeptical that the prick that did this would actually show up."
"I'm with you there. While you were reading, I did look up the coordinates. They are somewhere out here actually. I'd say go investigate early, but if the trap's already set, and we don't have our weapons, then it could end very poorly."
"Yeah... We have to play his game, but we might as well come prepared," The annoyance conveyed in her tone that they are on the defensive. Yang rubbed the Faunus shoulders, the small action reassuring the Faunus that Yang would be by her side. If there was a silver lining to any of this, it was Yang's loyalty shining through the darkness.
As the two returned to the dorm, the two grabbed their weapons and headed down to the training area. Both warmed up for the anticipating battle, trying not to overexert themselves, but the frustration of the situation did allow for a few too forceful blows to be exchanged. Blake always found it interesting to spar with Yang. Gambol Shroud is most effective at keeping enemies at a distance, allowing for precision strikes and a less likely chance of a head on attack. Yang though was all about the close quarters combat, having Blake to find a way to counter when the blonde got close enough to tilt the situation in her favor. Before they were a couple, this is what drove the Faunus to appreciate her partnership with Yang, making her a better huntress at the start of the gate.
After flexing the body, Blake was flexing the mind with quick meditation before they had to leave. She tried her hardest to get Yang to appreciate what it does, but the blonde couldn't sit still for it longer than a commercial break. As much as she wanted her girlfriend to join in some of her training habits, she was fine with Yang sitting back, rotting her mind to some internet clips or television before a fight. The letter didn't indicate when night was, but as soon as the sun was setting, the two set a pace for the objective point.
The spring nights in Vale were pleasant. The weather not too cold nor warm to have a brisk walk outside without a jacket. Full moon created enough light on the campus to have a natural silver polish to everything. With the slog of winter over, the insects migrated back from the south, their mating calls adding a pleasant soundtrack to the twilight sky. It would be such a romantic date, Blake and Yang hand in hand, the Faunus curling up to the blonde's curves unnecessarily close as they would talk about their pasts, peppering in the tongue-and-cheek flirt.
Unfortunately, all the pleasantness was going to waste as the two silently were walking down to their meeting area, still holding hands, but the spark nonexistent. As they were wading through the trees, Yang broke the silence. "Hey, I'm sorry I acted crazy earlier. I didn't meant to scare you. It was a lot of information to process at once and my first reaction is usually to punch things."
"I've been around you long enough to notice you have a temper. I do forgive you, but please work on it. It was alarming to say the least."
"I will. The last thing I want is for it to come up at an inopportune time, especially if it concerns The White Fang.
"Thanks. It's rare to see humans on my side. Some of them I feel are with us for a false aspect, as if they just want to be part of a counterculture. But when your numbers are so small, you take what you can get. It's rather refreshing to see someone like you that actually cares," Blake responded, giving a light squeeze of admiration to Yang's hand. The blonde always took it one step further and nimbly brought her hand up for a small peck. Blake wanted to stand back and admire the picture, never thinking that she would have someone this allegiant with her as a girlfriend.
Blake pulled a one-eighty in attitude since she read the letter. The crippling anxiety replaced with the determination to meet and defeat her hustler. Still, part of her training is to acknowledge fear, not ignore the reason she's fighting. She knew the situation had a very little chance of ending in her favor, almost a no-win kind of scenario. The only saving grace is that the perpetrator would show himself, but Blake wouldn't get her hopes that high. With the dream of victory so low, she contemplated how life would be the next morning if photos did surface around campus. The Faunus' spine crawled at the initial shocked reaction of the students, the more awkward and tense stares she would get casually walking around, and the possible hate she would have to face. The imagery alone was enough to make her cringe with fear. Even with the support of Yang behind her, this was the kind of treatment she was hoping to steer her away from. All the more reason to walk into this showing confidence, and to pull off the successful evasion of this trap.
The two found the meeting place. A single cave was in front of them, the Faunus already guessing at what would come next. With no signals of an applause or a greeting of some kind from the tormentor she felt confident enough to assume he wouldn't show up. As they surveyed the area, a small blinking green light on a dead area of the earth caught their attention, tiptoeing to the lucient device as to not set off a snare. A scroll lay on the ground, pulsating the message of 'activate me' on the black screen. Yang pressed the deviously placed equipment to show something rather not surprising.
"Good night to you two, Blake and Yang," rang Cardin's voice. The Faunus' blood pressure rose at seeing the dark blue eyes, so gratified in his own tactics while filming it. "I do hope you girls come here or otherwise I would be up all night making copies. Team RWBY has always been a thorn in my side, but never had a reason to hate you until I found a Faunus in your ranks, and let's not forget a very underhanded punch thrown by you, Yang. I probably wouldn't have even followed you girls looking for dirt if you hadn't made a fool of me in the mess hall. But now the question remains of how to get back at the both of you. Ladies, I do hope you like your next three opponents courtesy of Team CRDL."
The video made a hard cut to the flashing message of 'this scroll will now explode in five, four...' Yang immediately threw the scroll in the sky, giving it a single shot from Ember Celica, the explosion big enough the give a generous amount of heat as it erupted. "Cardin," Yang chipped through gritted teeth.
"That fiend," Blake finished. A small stillness followed the blast, Blake almost calling Cardin's bluff until a monstrous roar came from the cave, a spine scrawling outcry that shattered the peace in the night. Blake and Yang got into their attack positions, waiting for whatever would rush out of the cave. A single yellow orb lit up from the black abyss, then another on the hill above it. The first Death Stalker came bursting out of the cave, some of the mountain's debris taken with it as the shambling Grimm confronted the ones who woke it. The second scuttled down the walls, another battle cry shouted before joining his friend.
"Want to focus on one or have a individual match with these things?" Yang harshly asked under her breath.
"I can take one, but I thought Cardin mentioned three?" Blake pointed out, narrowing her eyes onto the soulless bloodthirsty eyes of her opponent, the red markings of a Grimm flaring up as he taunted the duo.
"Well, all I see is two right now. Let's focus on what's in front of us and keep yourself on guard of a sneaky third one. Agreed?"
"Yeah. Go!" Blake immediately took a step back as Yang revolved her ammo in her weapon, landing a thunderous blow to her Death Stalker. Blake knew from previous battles that the safest place to fight one is to get behind them. As the enemy was charging, Blake was setting off Gambol Shroud into a sickle, hooking the tip of the stinger and whirling it around. The beast thrashed around, its massive pincers trying to pull back and attack the Faunus. Blake reeled herself down, tightening the chain and stabbed the bottom base of the stinger.
The creature gave a shriek of pain, whipping its tail forward and slamming Blake to the ground. She didn't slouch, aura protecting her and giving her the reflexes to roll around, evading the follow up sting from the hulking tail. The tip almost dwarfed the Faunus as it lifted the soil casually, the hole a perfect spot for a grave. Blake now faced the many eyes of the Death Stalker, blocking the claw attacks with quick feet and her weapons, bolstered by her aura. "I need to get behind it again. I cracked the armor from the bullets underneath it."
The Grimm lurched forward to try and grasp the Faunus in its mandibles, but Blake doubled back, using the chain on Gambol Shroud to swing around the trees, knowing she would only have one chance at this as the monster gave chase, dismantling her only way to swing. Behind the monster, again, she whipped to the top of the armored base, transforming the weapon into a dual blade katana, plunging Gambol Shroud into the weakened plates. Blake dodged the whipping tail as it attempted to scrape the Faunus off him. She was able to sever the nerves to the appendage with a few rough twists, the monster crying out as the part was severed off.
Blake flipped off the Death Stalker, examining her opponent. The creature was in a painful torment, barely able to keep itself standing with its many legs giving out from the pain. Blake didn't waste any time and pounced on the beast, taking chopping slices to the back of the head, staggering the creature with each blow. As the casing was cracking, Blake saw the segmented lining between head and body. With a small adjustment, she stabbed at the creature, Blake feeling the sharpened blade impaling the tissue and crushing the bone.
With the nerves cut off, the sudden drop of the Death Stalker meant her opponent was finished. She turned to aid Yang, realizing that her girlfriend was every bit as competent as her. The creature was on its back, writhing as Yang straddled it, pounding the Grimm into submission, the explosive fists continuing until Yang was able to break through the underbelly, littering the ground with red casings. Eventually, the blonde got tired, or maybe got bored, after she ran out of ammo and stood atop her opponent, dusting herself off.
"Overkill much?" Blake asked, examining the small scraps and bruises of her girlfriend.
"A little bit, but he was able to knock me back in the mountain a few times. Couldn't let that one slide past me once I had the upper hand," Yang smirking at her own explanation. Blake let the minor victory set in as she gazed on the proud face of her partner, dust ridden and a dribble of blood coming from her mouth, letting herself grin at the beauty after battle.
The pleasant mood was ruined with a yellow orb now hovering above Yang, red designs lighting up around her, a single strike occurred before Blake could react. "Yang!"
The blonde was side swiped by the monolithic pincer, her body landing by Blake's original death stalker. Blake immediately brought back out Gambol Shroud, dual wielding the katana and sheath as the enraged Death Stalker was sideswiping with its claws and the occasional jab with the stinger. She was already bushed from earlier, barely keeping up with the aggressive attacks. A big swing connected, sending Blake bouncing off the stinger she eviscerated. A few small coughs were released as the hit knocked the air out of her. She needed to end this fast, but there was only one quick solution to kill a Death Stalker. It's one true weakness is its stinger, the one item that ironically can penetrate its armor like a knife through butter.
Blake transformed her blade into the chain scythe, tying the other end to the cut off tail of her former adversary. She leaped into the air as the Death Stalker took a few last jabs before she was out of reach. Using her gun to propel her, Blake was high above the trees, able to get a good look at the town and the academy with her altitude. She flipped the tail and positioned it directly above the Death Stalker's head. Using her pistol, she speed up the stinger to strike down. Before impact, she leaped off, hoping the creature wasn't smart enough to know her tactic. As the dust settled, the head was concaved in, a few legs still spasming after death.
The feeling of a win was immediately blown away as the disgruntled moans of her girlfriend were the only sound left. Blake packed away her weapons and rushed to Yang's side. Her lover gripped the bottom of her right thigh, sighing away the pain, taking deep breathes as she could through the cursing. The noticeable blood trailing the shattered Death Stalker armor was clear to what happened, a clean slice into Yang's flesh as she was barreling towards it.
Blake got on her knees, placing her hands on Yang's leg, "Please, move your hands. I need to see how it is?"
Yang's acknowledged Blake's request, but her hands were involuntarily shaking from the shock and well deserved as Blake examined the wound. A large gash, ripping slightly up her shorts, was a half foot cut, deep enough for it to be bleeding copiously. "Is-is it bad?" Yang bringing herself to shakily get out her curiosity.
"Yeah... Pretty bad. Yang, jacket please," Blake ordered, She noticed her brawler struggling disrobing herself, procuring the Faunus to help Yang out with the tan garment. The benefit of the jacket is that its small sleeves were good enough to make a makeshift tourniquet, but the fabric was not enough to absorb the still bleeding cut. Blake knew what she had to do, but didn't want to risk anymore Grimm that may be lurking about, the wounded blonde an easy target.
Blake made sure her hand was pressuring the wound, much to Yang's displeasure as she winced at the pain. With the blonde being carried bridal style, the Faunus made haste back to Beacon, the lightning speed she was racing back had Yang tighten her arms around Blake's neck. Every second precious as Blake could feel the blood soak through, forcing her to readjust her grip when she could feel her hand slipping. Ever focused at what's in front of her, all Blake could hear was Yang's labored breathing get rougher.
"Blake..." Yang breathed out.
"Don't worry, Yang. We're almost there, just stay awake. OK," Blake tried reassuring her girlfriend.
"Not that... It's just... you carrying me... it's kinda...sexy," Yang barely spoke, Blake being caught off guard by the comment.
"If this were any other time I think it would be a little more sexy."
"Trying to... distract myself," Yang admitted. Blake smiling on the inside, keeping her face stern on the exterior as the worry for her girlfriend was increasing. The two reached Beacon's grounds, the infirmary was only yards away. She knew it was no hospital, but was hoping a doctor would be on call at an academy that trains fighters. With all the shouting and commotion, there was no response, leaving the only option of kicking down the door. With Blake carrying Yang, the added weight was beneficial as the door was knocked open, the latch plating coming with it.
Blake gently placed Yang on her stomach as comfortable as she could on the nearest bed, gathering pillows of some the spares to elevate her leg. The Faunus, still burning with adrenaline, looked for the items she needed to stitch up Yang, turning the office upside down to find a sewing needle, disinfectant, a towel, and a bandage. She hastily brought them over and set them on the table next to her girlfriend. Blake cleaned up the wound of the excess blood, before applying the disinfectant.
"I'm sorry, Yang. Brace yourself. This is going to hurt," Blake ordered. Lilac eyes contracted as she saw Blake holding the bottle of disinfectant to the towel. The blonde buried her face in a pillow, gripping the metal railing as she awaited the necessary evil. Blake counted down, but at one already surprised Yang with the agonizing pain of alcohol to flesh. The Faunus rushed through the process as quickly as she could, hoping the drugging would desensitize the wound enough for the next fun part.
Blake had to steady herself as she was trying to thread the needle, missing most of the time due to the chaos she's trying to control. She did a quick sterilization of the needle and thread, keeping her mind level as she had a more delicate procedure next. "I'm going to start the holding stitch. You ready?"
Yang shook her head up and down the pillow, muffling her cries of suffering. Blake didn't hesitate, as soon as she punctured Yang's skin, a small yelp was heard. Now it was like lacing shoes, except a lot more painful, the Faunus zigzagging with the needle, each stitch pulling the wound closer, small dibbles of blood excreting when a nervous twitch trembled through her hands, apologizing profusely to her girlfriend. At reaching the end, Blake tied the knot, seeing her work good enough for the wound to heal properly.
Yang flipped herself over, Blake putting on a new cotton cloth, wrapping the thigh enough to secure the fastening. The two were drenched in blood, Blake's vest and white top splattered with red, resembling bad modern art painting. Blake undressed Yang from her skirt, the wet clothing so soaked is was sticking itself to the blonde and the bed. The Faunus brought up a chair to her girlfriend, holding her hand as the other was brushing the sweat and hairs from her face.
"You did great Blake. I owe you one," Yang's mood reverting back to her bubbly self. Blake's high was coming down, able to see the situation and how it began in the first place. The more she stared at Yang's gracious face, the more she felt the guilt rise in her, eyes watering at the realization. Yang quick drawn to comfort the Faunus. "Blake, what's with the tears?"
Blake sniffled up mucus, letting a few drops fall before responding. "Yang, this is all my fault. This is what I was trying to tell you before we got together, what I was hoping to avoid, but look at you. If I were a human... you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I should be so stupid to believe it could be alright. I'm so sorry, Yang."
Hanging her head, the droplets dotted the sheets, choking back the sobs as she was trying her best to hold it together. Blake heard the sound of shuffling. Without warning, Yang's fingers lifted Blake's chin up, lilac eyes matching hers. "Please don't cry, Blake. If you do, I'm going to cry too."
Blake, unable to resist the sincere remark, nestled herself into Yang's neck, the blonde embracing the Faunus, warm wetness falling on Blake's shoulders, the Faunus digging her fingers into her back. Through her own shortness of breath, Yang tried her best to encourage her. "Blake, I never want you to blame yourself for this. I knew what I was getting into when I confessed to you, maybe a little cocksure that it would never happen to us, but it's going to take a lot more than this to convince me that we don't belong together. Sorry, Blake. I'm crazy about you. If taking a scratch or two every once in awhile means that's what it takes to be with you then I accept the challenge. We're huntresses. We put our lives on the line to fight Grimm to keep the general public safe. What makes you think you wouldn't supersede my priority?"
Blake's heart took solace in the words, knowing that there really isn't too much worse that could happen in terms of Faunus discrimination. Still, the wound was fresh from their encounter and it wasn't as effective as she would hope, tears still rippling as Yang held her, the bare shoulder wet. "But, I..."
"Nope. Not gonna hear it. It's going to take more than Cardin and three Death Stalkers to pull you from my grasp," Yang boasted. Blake knew she wasn't going to win this argument with the stubborn blonde. On second thought, did she want to win? Only to prove her dark idiosyncrasies about dating a human.
"Thanks, Yang," she murmured against Yang's dirt ridden skin.
"That's more what I was looking for. I know we're having a moment and everything, but I think we ought to discuss our retaliation."
Faunus ears perked up at the statement. "What revenge? Yang, I thought we went over this?"
"I know, but you said we can't hurt innocents, to let the occasional hateful slur go by and even if things are thrown at us, but you know this was taking it too far. He lured us in knowing that we would get hurt and hoping we would die. Cardin is no innocent. You see how he gets away with mistreating Velvet, even getting some of the other students involved, let alone his cronies. His next platform will be in the city promoting this kind of discrimination. I'm not saying taking the low road like he did, but we have to do something, anything to show him that he can't get away with this."
Blake stared into the violet irises of her girlfriend. She didn't know if even Yang was believing in what she was saying, knowing her brawler just wanted to fight back, but she did have a point. Cardin was far from innocent. If Yang was striving to use the Faunus' own logic against her, it was working. The small smile of her girlfriend, willing to back her up on any situation, pivoted her to take action.
"I hope you're up for some revenge. I don't do sloppy work," Blake announced, relieved to hear her own words ringing in both her and Yang's ears, a wide grin spreading across the blonde's face, a flurry of excitement racing within her.
"I might be riding on a ship destined to sink, but I couldn't have a better first mate to travel with. Let the first couple's project we do be filled with the humiliation of our enemy."