So this chapter was written over the course of about two months due to real life work constraints. Because I seldom could devote enough attention to it for any length of time, it really started to loose cohesion and experience bloat. It exceeded forty pages and 20k words at one point, and so much of it was me repeating myself. Thus I am reworking the second half of it. I plan to release that part of the chapter the weekend after Thanksgiving in the United States. Unless real life again interferes. Wolfe has already pre-approved the next few outlines so I should be able to dive right in and maybe get something else out before Christmas.
"All praise the outline approver!"
Fair warning, there is more profanity than is typical in this chapter. Ready?
Here we go.
Blake's folder felt heavy. In it was the paperwork that validated all the effort she had placed into finally putting her worst decision behind her. Blake now had the tool she needed most for a new life, a post Adam life, to truly begin. She had her very first license to hunt Grimm. A golden ticket to a life guaranteed to do the most good, where she could face and destroy enemies beyond redemption. It was an opportunity to finally do right by both her name and her legacy. Something that trusting Sienna Khan and Adam Taurus had almost deprived her of.
There was only one problem. Blake's license was also one other important thing. It was Blake's greatest excuse to leave her friends behind. Something that looked more and more like it might be for the best. The weight of that frankly hurt the young Huntress. Hurt a lot to be honest. But Blake knew she had important goals elsewhere. Goals Blake would only ever accomplish if she separated herself from Team RWBY.
Blake deliberately reminded herself that things were finally changing for the better on Remnant. Changes that felt real. Changes that felt earned. Changes Blake was even instrumental in bringing about. Changes that Blake desperately wanted to be part of implementing. Her dad was honestly leading the faunus into a new age. As much as anything, Blake wanted to be standing by her father's side, to help make sure this new age was fully realized.
Sure, one could still find an abundance of prejudiced and shortsighted people, but Blake believed their numbers were actually shrinking. Shrinking so much that the governments of the world were finally adjusting to shifting political pressures. Last night, Blake's dad told the family that Prime Minister Marrone, head of Vacuo's Deputy Assembly, was formally requesting lands in Menagerie's capital of Kuo Kuana. Prime Minister Marrone was doing this. The man Chieftain Belladonna often said had 'Property of Jacques Schnee' stamped on his ass somewhere!
If someone as bought and paid for as Marrone was adjusting to shifting political pressures, just think what that meant for the honest people. People like Doctor Oobleck that were already willing to come to grips with how the faunus were treated. Both historically and currently. People, who despite being human, would no longer embrace willful ignorance to make sure that dust prices were kept stable.
Blake smiled softly. Dad had been so ecstatic in setting up the Relay too. Like things might unexpectedly change if the news didn't get back home instantly. Blake paused, then conceded that getting the Ministers back home started on finding an appropriate location for Vacuo's new embassy really was probably a time sensitive thing. Many of Menagerie's Ministers were veterans of the Faunus Rights Revolution, and some still held a grudge that Vacuo had remained completely neutral throughout the conflict. Even after Dyer Enfield massacre in Bagh, Vacuo still didn't do a damned thing!
Blake shook it off. That was thirty plus years ago. What mattered most was that Vacuo was doing something now. Rehashing old grudges wasn't going to help anything. Neither was Chieftain Belladonna's own daughter thinking like his most entrenched political adversaries back home. Good men and women that Blake still respected, but it was time to look forward, not back. Never forgetting, true, but neither becoming so chained to the past they could no longer move forward. After all, it wasn't like Vacuo was Atlas, and Atlas soldiers had been the ones pulling the triggers.
Blake was doing it again.
She shook it off one more time, and focused on what was truly important.
Vacuo putting a formal embassy in Menagerie could only be seen as amazing news. Proof that the political winds had indeed changed course. Blake sniffed. Dad even let his daughter join in on the recorded message. Her father, another sniff, said she had more than earned that honor. Blake smiled she remembered the few brief words she got to say in the formal message back home. "In exchange, Vacuo is granting the nation Menagerie a compound adjacent to the Oasis of Vacuo. A place within the shadow of the Shade Academy itself."
Blake blinked as a thought occurred, and with a fond bit of longing whispered, "Damn it Yang."
Blake Belladonna let thoughts of her friend spread into the warmth in her heart. This would give Menagerie two official embassies in the Four Kingdoms. One Kingdom was even reciprocating with formal ambassadors on their own lands. Mom had just started crying, and when she did, Blake's own father let the tears fall. That was how much this meant to everything the two of them had worked for during their lifetimes.
Even Mistral negotiations hadn't been this successful. Their Senate was still wary of the more militant factions inside the White Fang, and thus balked at trusting their people in Blake's homeland. It had been the one bitter pill Blake's dad had to swallow. That Vacuo offered no such hedging was huge for plans going forward. It would give Menagerie their next big opportunity to prove that Atlas's propaganda against them was patently false.
Which left Blake right back to where she started. Blake was very aware that as one of Menagerie's few licensed hunters, and as one of the most prominent White Fang reformers, the daughter of Ghira Belladonna could do much to help with both practical and political matters going forward. Leading Blake to a life that mattered. A life helping her people. A life befitting the legacy of Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Everything that Blake had dared dream of when she stood at Beacon's orientation two years ago. Even if taking that road was now going to be without Blake's fiery partner. Making that road colder and lonelier…
"Damn it Yang." Blake whispered Team RWBY's unofficial motto with longing and regret.
"I see you made up your mind."
Blake couldn't help it, she jumped nearly two feet in the air. How the hell had Ruby Rose of all people snuck up behind her? Blake stared at Ruby, whose eyes were shadowed by her hood. There was a long awkward pause. After a moment to think about it, Blake willfully raised her faunus ears so that they weren't plastered to her skull and asked, "Ruby? What are you doing here?"
Ruby shrugged, and walked within a few feet of Blake, almost, but not quite, facing Blake. The distance was close enough to make speaking easier, but still had a certain lack of closeness. It had all the intimacy one stranger in a grocery might grant another should they inquire where the milk was. Ruby didn't even pull her hood back.
"I thought I would come and say goodbye. I noticed you were leaving." Blake flinched a bit when, after a moment, Ruby felt the need to add, "Again."
After a few awkward moments, Blake responded, "I'm sorry, but I honestly think it's for the best."
Ruby shrugged again, her hooded eyes were staring somewhere into the middle distance. "Maybe it is." After another awkward moment, Ruby said something Blake found surprising. "The other's noticed you were planning on leaving as well."
Blake blinked. Blake looked around, saw no one else but Ruby Rose, and tried to keep valiantly from sniffing. "Are you sure they know?"
Ruby took another long moment before nodding. Adding to how disjointed the conversation felt to Blake. "Yang definitely does, and yes she's mad." Blake winced. Ruby shrugged before moving on to Blake's other teammate. "Weiss probably thinks I'm here to convince you to stay." Ruby, again, infuriatingly paused for a several moments before finishing. "Otherwise I'm almost sure she would have come to tell you goodbye or something."
Blake stiffened. She honestly felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. Nothing in Ruby's tone softened the statement, and Blake was completely unprepared for the frank indifference in Ruby's statements. After a moment of anguishing silence, where Blake had no idea how she could hope to respond, Ruby abruptly decided to stick her hand out.
"Well, goodbye I guess." Blake stared at Ruby in shock. This did cause Ruby to take a half-step nearer and offer a feeble, "Be safe okay? Maybe I'll see you around sometime."
Blake stared at Ruby's hand. Like it was an alien and monstrous thing. Then she looked Ruby in the eyes, "Why are you doing this?"
Ruby cocked her head, but her blank expression did not change. "Doing what?"
"Being like this!"
Again Ruby's expression changed not at all, "Oh. Did you want a hug instead?" Silver eyes dull and uninterested, Ruby mechanically dropped her offered hand and spread her arms out wide… but this time she didn't even do Blake the small courtesy of nearing. Not even a tiny bit.
And her hood remained low.
Blake now hurt, started to get angry. "Why are you acting like, like…"
Ruby cocked her head, "Like what, Blake?"
Blake flared her nostrils and shouted, "Like a child!"
Some memory briefly flashed in Ruby's eyes. There was a faint flicker of an expression, but Blake couldn't make it out. Was it anger? Amusement? It was hard to tell, but Ruby Rose's face would offer no further clues. With only a small shrug, Ruby dropped her arms, then turned and started walking away. Not even bothering to look back, Ruby offered one more half-assed goodbye. "Don't be a stranger, alright? Be seeing you Blake."
Blake blinked yet again. Then she snarled and ran Ruby down more than eager to give her pouting leader a firm piece of her mind!
\/
Yang kicked a fair sized cobblestone into a small duck pond. It skipped rather impressively before finally losing momentum and sinking with a decent sized splash. On the far side of the pond, far from the rock's path of travel, one of the ducks turned to glare at Yang balefully.
Yang smiled a sad, apologetic smile at the duck. "Sorry." The duck didn't look like it was overly willing to accept the apology. It flapped its wings a few times, like it was somehow telling her off, before reorienting itself deliberately away from apologetic Huntress. It both amused and saddened Yang Xiao Long that the duck didn't seem to be the forgiving type.
"What are you sorry about?"
Yang froze at Weiss's voice. She must really be out of it if someone dressed in bright blue and white could sneak up behind her. Yang faux relaxed, trying to drum up some of that classic Xiao Long nonchalance. Given Weiss's concerned face, it must not have been a very large amount.
Yang rolled with it anyways, more than eager to pretend everything was fine. "Oh, you know, me kicking rocks at defenseless aquatic birds."
Weiss looked at her friend's face briefly before obviously deciding on something. The petite Huntress then made something of a show of examining the offended animal. At last, Weiss concluded that, "You know what?" Yang raised an eyebrow in response. Weiss smiled at her friend then said, "That duck over there looks like a real jerk. Even beyond the already poor standards of pond ducks."
Yang snorted, and a more honest smile graced her face. "Yeah well, I still shouldn't let snooty ducks get to me like that."
Weiss nodded, "True, but some water fowls can get beneath the skin of even the best of us. Maybe someone will come along one day and pond ducks everywhere will finally learn to treat certain people a little better."
Yang smiled crookedly, the metaphor was already wearing thin, but the thought was nice all the same. They stood a bit apart because neither wanted to crowd the other too closely. Yang wondered how long before Weiss worked up enough nerve to ask the obvious.
Yang felt a small smirk form when Weiss opted for straining the metaphor a little bit more. Yang thought that was very kind of her friend. "I've seen worse types of birds than simple pond ducks though. Let me tell you about the awfulness that is the Atlasian Seagull."
A somewhat relieved Yang politely chuckled. "I agree gulls are just about the worst. Still the gulls in Atlas can't be any worse than the ones we have back on Patch."
Weiss smirked in open challenge. "Oh really? As a child, I had one of those awful airborne rats land in my hair. It then proceeded to swallow my hair piece along with the braid it was attached to. A hair braid thoroughly adhered to my skull."
Yang looked off into the distance, not really thinking about seagulls, but still remarked, "It didn't even ask if could have it?"
"Nope. Just took exactly what it wanted because it thought it could get away with it." Weiss sighed somewhat theatrically, "Fortunately my sister beat it off so I didn't end up with a giant bald spot, just covered in feathers and bird bile."
Yang nodded as if she was giving the matter careful consideration. Then she said, "I concede defeat. Atlas Seagulls are bigger jerks than both Patch Gulls and pond ducks." Weiss smiled softly, as if in victory. Not for the first time, Yang believed Weiss was truly beautiful when she smiled. Yang quickly quelled that thought with the best smirk she could manage.
"You know what?" It was Weiss's turn to raise an eyebrow, "I don't think we can, in good conscience, keep letting these birds get away with their behavior" Yang formed her face into her best attempt at stern outrage. "Sure, that duck isn't an Atlas Seagull, but think how even the nicest birds treat windshields all around Remnant!" Yang yelled at the bird, "Just you wait! I will soon find an even bigger rock! Then I'll strike a blow against evil water birds everywhere!" It was admittedly a terrible joke, but Weiss still laughed cutely. Weiss then nudged Yang a bit in the ribs, basically revealing how close she now was to her friend. Yang rather liked that Weiss kept sneakily closing the distance between the two of them.
Weiss said, "I have a better idea." Weiss continued to smile her beautiful smile before turning herself towards the snobby little animal. Her sleeves glowed white. Yang tore her eyes from her friend and back the pond just in time to see a huge glyph appear in the water. A giant Armored Gigas rose out of the lake, right up from beneath the duck. The startled bird squawked madly as flapped its wing wildly to gain height and escape. The sparkling white Grimm shook a clenched fist at the fleeing bird as Weiss shouted, "Know you hold no power here. Flee while you can foul villain!"
Yang blinked, "Did you just pun?"
Weiss's face was completely pat. "Nope."
Yang smiled big, "I am so proud!"
"Nope."
Yang started laughing, even if Weiss's expression remained unchanged. Yang desperately looked for any cracks.
"Nope."
Yang found none, but kept on laughing all the same.
Eventually, Yang pulled her friend in close to give Weiss a hug. When she did, Yang could detect Weiss was subtly trembling from laughter, even though Yang honestly wouldn't have been able to tell without touching her. Hugging Weiss felt good, but after a moment, Yang let her friend go so they could finally address the Goliath in the parlor.
Weiss being Weiss, was the first to finally say something directly. "Ruby's talking to her right now. Just so you know."
Yang half-shrugged with her human arm, "Yeah I figured. Think it will do any good?"
Weiss took a moment before nodding in affirmation. Softly, but still clearly, Weiss said, "If there is one thing I have learned over the past two years, it is not to underestimate Ruby Rose."
Yang silently agreed. Rubes had done a lot of growing up. True much of the time Ruby still seemed to be the awkward teen whispering about her 'normal knees,' but only if you weren't paying attention. Ruby watched, she listened. Over the last few weeks, as she had reconnected with both Yang and Weiss, it became easy to tell just how much she had changed. Not so long ago, Ruby even forced a confrontation with Yang. An attempt to at least get Yang to start talking with Blake again. Even though it hadn't fixed things, it had helped a bit.
Just not enough.
Yang sighed. It kind of hurt that Yang wasn't there to see Ruby turn into a young adult. It would probably hurt dad even more when he noticed the change. Her dad though had to stay home. Stay so he could help Yang who honestly, at least at the time, needed him more. Maybe dad already understood something about Ruby, since he already trusted his youngest girl to be out on her own. Well, on her own, so long as you didn't count the fact Uncle Qrow had been tailing her—
Weiss slightly nudged Yang again. Yang blinked at her.
"I take it your thinking about anything other than Blake?"
Yang tried a smirk, it didn't work very well, which basically sucked. Yang was not used to being let down by the power of smirks. Feeling sad and somehow lonely, Yang offered, "You know what? It really sucks that I've somehow become this obvious."
Weiss again did her most to lighten the mood in an unexpected way. "Sorry to break it to you Xiao Long, subtlety was never your strong suit."
Yang waited a moment, then smiled an appreciative smile. "Thank you."
Weiss, "For?"
Yang, "Not pushing."
Weiss released the power of her very own smirk. It honestly wasn't half bad. "So you know, I'm not letting you off the hook either."
The comment hit Yang odd, and she barked a laugh. "Yeah Weiss-cream, I figured. Just so you know, subtlety was never your strong suit either."
Weiss looked mock-offended, "I should let you know that I fully plan to one day erect a proper monument to show just how subtle us Schnees can be."
Yang didn't quite bite, "And you're still letting me stall."
Weiss smirked, and Yang had to give this particular smirk a fairly impressive score. At least a solid eight out of ten.
"I haven't started yet."
It was a pretty decent joke. Yang wanted to laugh. Still that laughter died somewhere before it could become a sound. Finally Yang just stated her honest feelings about her partner. "Weiss, I'm tired." Yang paused to organize her thoughts. Weiss nodded for Yang continue. "I'm very tired. I'm tired of doing all the work and having her continually take it for granted." Yang closed her eyes as her feelings began to gain momentum. "I'm tired of trying to meet some mystical measuring stick so she will finally let me in and tell me what's going on so. Not everything of course, but something so, you know, we can do things like function as partners and friends." Yang looked at Weiss carefully, "Mostly though, I'm tired of worrying if today's the day she finally decides to leave me behind for good. Leaving me to wonder if I could have done something different or better." Yang's voice went soft, like she was offering some dark secret. "Like how I sometimes feel about Raven just leaving. Even though I know it's unfair, like how I sometimes feel about my mom leaving."
Yang sighed, "Weiss, want to know something bad about me? Right now I both hope Ruby brings her back and I also hope she doesn't. Because once Blake finally decides to leave, it will at least be over you know? Finally. I can then just accept I've been rejected and get out of stasis to move forward with life." Yang started pleading at this point. Even in her own ears, Yang was begging Weiss to understand something fundamental to Yang and Blake's tenure as partners. "Weiss? Is it wrong to be angry at someone who seems to take everything out of you? Someone who never seems to give anything back? Someone who leaves you with nothing but doubts about your own self-worth?"
Weiss paused, but Yang could tell she was picking her words more than anything. Finally Weiss said, "No it isn't wrong, Yang. And I won't ever tell you it is." Yang nodded slowly as the two decided to stare at a duck pond now devoid of ducks.
After a little while, Weiss surprisingly started chuckling. Confused Yang turned to see Weiss smiling softly. Weiss's eyes were far away. Finally Weiss softly gave voice to her memories. "We all knew from the get-go who drew the short straw when it came to partners." Yang thought that might be a bit harsh, but was grateful Weiss seemed to be siding with her blonde teammate. Then Weiss dropped the other shoe and completely surprised her teammate.
"Ruby honestly deserved so much better."
Yang felt herself blink slowly, but frankly found herself irritated. "I appreciate the short-straw pun, but I am trying to be serious about this."
Weiss smiled at her friend sadly. "Sorry Yang, but I do not pun."
Yang crossed her arms and felt her temper. "Sure then, because you're well known for treating your teammates like crap."
Weiss looked honestly sad. After a moment, Yang realized that Weiss wasn't putting up an act. "I know." There was a polite pause, then she looked at Yang, "I'm sorry Yang."
Now Yang felt the focus of her anger shift. "Sorry for what? For being awesome? For being a real friend? For being freaking here!" Yang rolled her eyes. "Please."
Weiss looked Yang in the eyes. "I'll start by apologizing for forgetting to lock one of my suitcases."
Yang felt confusion erode her anger. "Okay?"
"Then I'd like apologize for blaming your sister when the overfilled luggage rack tipped over, and that unlocked suitcase popped open to spill dust containers all over the ground."
Yang started catching up with the conversation, "Wait are you talking about back at Beacon?"
"Then I foolishly didn't check the seal on a fire dust container and started waving it about."
"You are aren't you!"
Weiss didn't pause but she did nod. "Then, with a bunch of fire dust filtering through the air, something that could have easily started a fire, I then proceeded to yell at your poor little sister for having the audacity to sneeze."
Yang rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Fine. You're forgiven. Happy?"
Weiss continued, "Forgiven even though my response was to track down your sister so I could force her into signing a legal waiver? A legal waiver that had her accepting complete responsibility over the incident?"
Yang blinked, "I kind of forgot about that."
Weiss smiled, "That doesn't go into the moment where I tried to fudge initiation and refused to accept Ruby as my partner."
Yang breathed out slowly. "I know what you're doing…"
"After that, I even went completely behind the Team's back so I could retroactively be named RWBY's leader."
Yang blinked again, "Wait… You did what?"
Weiss smiled awkwardly, "I went completely behind the Team's back to be named RWBY's leader."
Yang shook her head in exasperation. "That's some straight bullshit right there."
"Indeed."
Yang let out a long sigh, and honestly relaxed a bit. "Fine. Apology accepted. Anything else I should know?"
There was a pause, Weiss stared at the empty pond. After a fair amount of time, the heiress reminded Yang of something else. "Do you even remember that it was my racism, my blindness, that drove Blake away the first time?"
Yang closed her eyes. Her human hand twitched. Complicated emotions filled the Huntress. She couldn't quite look at Weiss, but Yang didn't lie in what she said next. "Okay Weiss, I get what you're saying. I do. I've long since forgiven Blake for running away that night. I have."
Weiss touched her teammate's shoulder and simply said, "I know you can forgive someone more than once. I am the living embodiment of that. So why, after all that I've done, can you talk to me just fine, but keep shutting Blake out?"
Yang balked. Something ugly lit up in her face and she decided to dig her heels in. "There's a huge difference."
Weiss's smile was sad, but this time she did push. Weiss pushed hard. "I also left you when you needed me most. Left without even so much as a goodbye," Weiss said softly. "Yet here I still stand. Completely forgiven."
Tears were in Yang's eyes as she continued with a quivering denial. "It's different…"
Weiss's smile was very sad and it broke Yang's heart that it was still so very beautiful. "Why is it different?"
Yang sniffed and looked away. She deliberately firmed her wavering voice with anger. "It just is."
Yang's hollow anger was not something that could deter Weiss Schnee, and she finally found where Yang's defensive wall was most vulnerable. "Is it because you're scared?"
Yang froze. Her anger gained some fuel. "Scared of what? Blake leaving? Yes! I told you that!"
Weiss closed her eyes, when she opened them her expression was completely defenseless. Defenseless, but still somehow relentless. "Yang, you are my friend and I love you very much." Yang swallowed and deliberately held onto as much of her anger as she could when Weiss accused, "So please stop lying to me."
Yang's denial was feeble, but Yang's temper held so she kept Weiss at bay as best she could. "I'm not lying to you Weiss."
Weiss's expression remained defenseless. "What are you afraid of?"
Yang, "I already told you!"
Weiss didn't listen, "What are you afraid of?"
"Weiss, I'm telling you!"
Weiss didn't believe. "What are you afraid of?"
Yang dug down, shielding that glowing coal of rage as best she could. Yang warned, "Weiss… I need you to listen to me."
Weiss paid the warning no heed. "Tell me." Angry tears formed in Yang's eyes, and still Weiss continued softly. Asking one more time, "What are you afraid of?"
"Please." The soft entreaty hung in the air with neither young woman sure who, if not both, actually spoke the word out loud.
It was all too much for Yang. A poorly bandaged wound ripped open, and the coal inside her heart began to catch light. Eventually, Yang whispered something. Something that had remained raw and bleeding. Something Weiss couldn't hope to hear. For even now, Yang wasn't willing to give utterance to her fear, lest it go up in flames and she lose all control.
Then Weiss touched Yang's mechanical arm, and like the raw nerve it was, Yang reacted. Her rage came to the fore, and Yang loved and hated how getting lost in that anger felt.
Yang viciously ripped her arm away from Weiss. Eyes filled with tears. Yang rounded on to her teammate. Yang had meant to yell at her Teammate for touching her, but Weiss's open expression still hadn't changed. For Yang, there was no holding it in anymore.
Yang screamed her rage.
"HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME!"
And her pain.
Neither the shout nor the words caused Weiss to even so much as blink. For reasons unfathomable, those painful words garnered no reaction at all from Weiss. Yang Xiao Long, for the first time since facing Adam Taurus, completely lost herself in maddening euphoria of her anger's power. Power that fed on, even as it temporarily dulled the pain buried inside the volatile Huntress.
Weiss's expression still had not changed.
Does she know? Is this funny?
Yang's rage grew and still Weiss just calmly stood there. Even after Yang's eyes turned red. Even after Yang's hair started glowing. Weiss still didn't move. She didn't flinch. She just refused to do anything. ANYTHING! Even after Yang moved threateningly close. Close enough that not even a Huntress's reflexes would not save Weiss should Yang decide enough was enough. If Yang truly decided she would make Weiss react at any cost.
An ugly laugh sounded deep in Yang's throat as she slipped fully into the seductive wake of her anger.
Time slowed down.
As Yang's hair exploded into flames.
Yang's smile became as ugly as her laughter.
And still Weiss didn't flinch.
Enough was enough. More than anything, Yang wanted to see Weiss to react. To understand just what hell Yang was going through! Finally. Barely audible. Yang whispered the truth she knew would ultimately make Weiss crumble. Voice laced in venom, "Do you have any idea? Is there any possible fucking way you could understand? He… Adam… was going to kill me. He wasn't even concerned over that fact. I lay there helpless and knew, I fucking knew, I was dead." Yang sucked in a deep angry breath so she could give vent to more ugly laughter. Empty laughter. "That wasn't even the worst fucking part of it. Want to know what made it so truly pathetic? What made me so truly pathetic? What still makes me pathetic?" Yang's smile was absolutely vicious as she noticed tears start to fall on Weiss's face. For ugly reasons somehow fundamental to being human, Yang savored those tears.
With a cruel smile Yang continued, "What made it all so gods-damned pathetic was that Adam didn't even care. I was nothing. Ending my life was nothing. Neither chore nor joy. I wouldn't even have been worth noticing except he could use my death to torment someone he truly wanted to inflict pain on. If not for the fact Blake cared about me, Adam wouldn't have noticed me at all. And there, in those moments where I thought I was going to die, I wished I had never met Blake. A wish I still haven't fully recanted on."
Yang's voice was bitterly triumphant as Weiss's façade truly began to fall apart. "You see now Weiss? That is what I am angry about. That is what I am unable to forgive Blake for. To forgive myself for. That is why it is different."
Weiss expression fell, and tears started falling. An ugly triumph welled up in Yang as she relished every crack in Weiss's crumbling compassion as she learned the ugly truth about Yang Xiao Long. Yang's voice was harsh and alien as she twisted the knife that much harder. "You see it now don't? You are starting to imagine just how I felt as I lay there on the ground while a fucking monster taunted someone else over my helplessness? Taunted them while I could do nothing but lie there bleeding on the ground. All the while knowing that the only reason I was lying there was because someone else maybe liked me a little too much!"
Weiss nodded in understanding. Tears pouring from her eyes, Weiss pointed ever so slowly at her own abdomen. To where, to Yang's mounting horror, she had once witnessed a jagged glass spear erupt out of it. Weiss smiled a sad knowing smile. "Yes Yang. I understand that pain."
After a moment, Yang's hair stopped glowing. Her eyes, now lilac, widened in shock and misery. Completely and utterly shamed, Yang turned to run, but before she could take a step, Weiss grabbed her around the waist and hugged her friend from behind. Just hugged her. As tight as she could. Hugged her after Yang started bawling. Weiss let Yang give vent to a year of pain and fear. Weiss hugged her friend long after Yang sank to her knees and buried her face into Weiss's shoulder. Long after Yang was doing nothing but clutching her smaller teammate in desperation as she wailed.
Weiss hugged her friend through both snot and tears.
Weiss held on until Yang finally, finally understood she wasn't alone in her pain. Yang was loved. Truly loved.
/\
Nora shouted, "Found it!"
Jaune let loose an explosive sigh of relief. "Thank the Brothers." Then he yelled down to his friend, "Where?"
Ren's voice was next, "Unfortunately, all the way down. I see it now too."
Jaune didn't, but he trusted that Nora and Ren did. He repelled down the rope a ways to where Nora stood on a cliff outcropping looking down. Jaune's friend was only offhandedly holding her line. Not that there was any real cause for concern, even if they all somehow fell, all three had full Auras. The ropes were more a way to get back up without taking the long way back.
After a moment, Jaune finally picked out the sabre. Given he also picked out a few other things, it was obvious that the weapon had been deliberately placed so that it could be picked out. "Ren how many of them do you see?"
Ren shrugged. This side of the forest was pretty close to the river and these kinds of Grimm were all too common near streams. "I'm counting eight Bukavacs. There's also at least one Echidna at the moment, so I suspect there are more hiding down there waiting for us."
Jaune nodded. "Yeah I hear you. I don't see the… no wait I see the Echidna now. I wonder where the others are hiding." As a kid, Jaune had camped a lot with his family in Mistral. Jaune's dad was Huntsman and had been stern in warning his children about certain Grimm in the area. Bukavacs were a well-known hazard around pools and streams. Though they were a smaller Grimm, no more than four feet high, Jaune knew they were very dangerous.
Bukavacs looked benign enough by Grimm standards, something like a cross between a spine covered toad and a large toothless iguana. They had plenty of spines sure, and those spines had barbed ends which made them stick into people, but Bukavacs didn't back them up with claws or teeth. Not exactly intimidating. What made them so dangerous was the slime. Out of the Grimms' mouth and from its spines in its back a sticky black tar substance constantly oozed from within the monster. The slime causes instant cramping if a person so much as touches it. Prolonged contact could easily lead to seizures and sometimes even paralysis. Touching the area around them was dangerous, and touching them directly was a recipe for disaster. Bukavacs were notorious for tainting pools and streams so they could drown people, most often children, in water. Sometimes water as little as an inch deep.
They also had prehensile tongues, because of course they did.
Ugh.
Still, Bukavacs weren't overly dangerous to a wary person with aura. The Echidna though was a completely different matter. First off, Echidnas were huge, nearly half the length of a full grown King Taijitu. They also had a peculiarity of shape that made their range difficult to judge. A peculiarity of range backed by surprising speed for a Grimm their size. They were also ugly as sin. If you were generous, one could say they looked somewhat like a hairless human woman from the 'waist' up. Well, a hairless human woman with no arms and an overly large maw willed with rows of razor sharp teeth. The mouth also came with a set of giant venom injectors that could kill a man in just a few minutes. Worrying about those fangs often led people to being immobilized in other ways.
See, neither the fanged maw nor weird lady torso was what made them so freakishly ugly. The peculiarity of shape that made Echidnas so hard to judge range and motion on began from the 'waist' down. Below what would, on a human, be the abdomen, an Echidna's body morphed into something that almost looked like a large black snake with red striping. A snake that abruptly split into two at what would have been the thing's hips if it retained a human silhouette. Not like legs though, because those tails split again into four at what would have been the knees, at least if one used its vaguely human proportions as context. After that, human proportions became irrelevant as the Grimm split again and again until, by the end of the thing, there could be over fifty entangling tails. The smallest of which still retained coils thicker than Jaune's wrists and possessed all the eerie strength one thought of when it came to serpents.
Jaune knew that Echidnas were known for withholding their bite on immobilized victims. Preferring to slowly suffocate victims to prolong the darker human emotions that sustained Grimm. Slowly tightening oily coils with every exhale until the lungs could no longer expand. Jaune shuddered. He wasn't a big fan of regular snakes in general, they always seemed a particularly cruel predator, so Jaune was willing to admit Echidna's were especially freaky to him.
Jaune watched as the Echidna slowly shifted. Again and again giving away its position. Jaune shook his head. Nothing like being conspicuously inconspicuous. Jaune and his team weren't remotely fooled. While not brilliant by any means, Echidnas were still well documented for high perceptiveness and well above average intelligence compared to other Grimm. If the Echidna was showing itself, either it was somehow oblivious to the shouting Hunters above it, or was deliberately baiting them. Given what was now the obvious placement of Winter's weapon next to some rather deep crags, Jaune was willing to guess something more along the lines of the latter.
Jaune looked around double checking his team. Nora was already rummaging in her bags. Pretty soon she pulled out her head phones, checked her dust batteries and gave Ren and Jaune the thumbs up. Ren followed suit, and Jaune double checked his. Near full, all good. Before telling them to activate their sets Jaune reminded them, "You realize it will probably try and knock your headset off, right?" Nora smirked and nodded, Ren shrugged in agreement. "You two also know that thing obviously has something up its sleeve, right?"
"Pretty sure Echidnas don't have arms, much less sleeves!" Nora laughed.
"Damn it Yang!" Ren and Jaune said together.
Nora acted wounded, then smiled. Finally she said, "Jauney, don't worry, we got this easy."
Jaune conceded, but felt the need to add, "I'm only double checking, okay?"
Nora winked, "Well my fearless leader, for the record, I bagged my first Echidna before you knew what Aura even was!"
Jaune sighed, "Am I ever going to live that down?"
Ren smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "No."
Jaune's turn to act wounded came. Still he felt the need to add just once more, "Just don't wind up hypnotized okay?"
Nora gave a thumbs up, "No problem… although, if they have a giant stack of pancakes down there, I make no promises!"
Jaune chuckled, "Alright then, I'm going for the sabre first. I'll feel better dealing with those poisoned frogs if I can hit them with something other than my hand."
Nora nodded, "Sounds good. Want me to scatter the riff-raff before so you deal with whatever is hiding in that crack?"
Jaune nodded, "Please."
"Got it!" Nora checked with Ren, "We all good?"
Ren nodded and Jaune smiled. Jaune said, "Nora, you may now smash to the music." Nora's laugh was carefree as she flipped her scroll switch, then let go of the rope. Ren timed his leap a few seconds later, and Jaune later still.
On Jaune's headset, the guitar kicked up as Ren glided straight towards the snake monstrosity that had already given up its ruse and was staring straight at them. The voice of what had then been a fifteen-year-old white haired heiress began belting out one of Jaune's favorite songs.
They see you as weak and helpless!
They see you as just a child!
Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild!"
Jaune wondered briefly what Weiss would think of the song selection, then laughed as he imagined her face as he fell. The next lyric was drowned out as Nora proceeded to put a new crater in Mistral's landscape. Bukavacs and Bukavac pieces were launched skywards along with a large amount of dust. Jaune closed his eyes as bits of rock and Grimm ash glanced off his Aura and armor, before basically tucking into a ball to make sure he kept his earbuds in place. He hit the ground with a heavy thud that was pretty anticlimactic after Nora's entrance. Jaune looked up to see Ren easily swing from branch to branch as he unloaded Stormflower at the hissing Echidna, distracting the large Grimm and keeping it from swarming in on Nora. Jaune felt a bit on envy. But only a bit. What was he going to do? Not everyone had that kind of grace.
"The dream you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower!"
Jaune paused, and for the first time since Ms. Goodwitch presented him with his license, Jaune realize he was a truly legal and legitimate Huntsman! It was one of those moments that, for whatever silly reason, Jaune would remember until the end of his days. Even more clearly than receiving his license itself. Laughing some more, Jaune joined Weiss in the best song she ever sang.
"We… are… light-ning,
Straying from the thunder.
Miracles of ancient wonder!"
There was a loud explosion over even the volume of Jaune's fully blasting headset. A Bukavac was launched violently against the cliff face not ten feet away from Jaune. Jaune nodded at Nora. Case in point right? Nora winked at him briefly before rounding on a few monsters still trying to flank her. Jaune didn't wink back as he saw what could easily become a problem. Ren was doing amazing at making sure everything on Nora's left, the side closest to the trees, was tied up, but it was time for Jaune to secure her right. Making Nora center was dramatic and devastating, but she only had a mediocre amount of Aura. Jaune knew that until he got himself into position, there was a chance she could be overwhelmed.
Jaune moved towards the place where he remembered the sabre was laying, keeping an eye at the crags that would block line of sight until the last moment. Then he saw movement! Movement a lot bigger than what a few Bukavacs could manage. That a second Echidna was able to squeeze itself into such a small space was somewhat surprising, but not overly so. Jaune had once seen a full grown Deathstalker squeezed into smaller.
"Welcome to a world of new solutions.
Welcome to a world of bloody evolution."
Snake fast, the Grimm lunged at Jaune, maw aimed straight at Jaune's face. Compared to Ruby Rose though, the Grimm's speed was almost quaint. Jaune easily moved enough that the fangs got nothing but armor, then, as it started to rear back Jaune grabbed it by the head and thumbed it viciously in the eye. It hissed, and quickly slipped out of Jaune's grasp, but his thumb was bloody and the Echidna was now blind on one side. He rushed past the monster's blindside, dodging its strange tails that flailed unseeingly after him.
Triumphantly he grabbed ahold of Winter's silver weapon.
Victory is in a simple soul!"
Jaune then cursed as his hand was seized by an unexpected cramp, and he quickly dropped it.
Jaune knew exactly what had just happened. The Echidna had thought to coat the grip of Winter's weapon with Bukavac slime. Jaune hadn't looked at it close enough to notice. Thus he hadn't been pushing aura into his hand. The fact he wore fingerless gloves, kept the cramps from being terrible, and pushing Aura into his hand quickly relaxed the muscles of his fingers. His hand was definitely numb. Hardly a disabling attack to be sure, but it proved distraction enough. Around one calf, Jaune felt a looping coil grab. He tried to pull away, but it was already too late. Another coil snaked around to grab his right arm by the forearm and wrist. Another, a thicker one that split in two, grabbed him by the waist.
Without hesitation, Jaune used his still free arm to protect his headset. Jaune whispered to himself, "Thirty seconds Nora. Just wait thirty more seconds Nora, and I'll be there."
Jaune was strong. Not Yang strong. Not Nora strong. Very few Hunters could hope to rival those two on the scale of brute power, but Jaune was still strong. Add to that, Ren had been teaching him breathing techniques that allowed Jaune to reinforce tiring muscles with Aura, making them far less prone to fatigue. The Echidna lashed a few more tails around him, but unless it dragged the young Hunter closer to the monster's main bulk it could not pry Jaune's arm from the headset. The Echidna was already singing with all its might, but the only words Jaune would hear was that of his friend unless the Grimm committed fully to its attack.
Growing quickly angry and frustrated, the Grimm did just that. It even dropped its song and opted for a bite at Jaune's head. A bite that met pure aura. One of its fangs shattered.
Jaune smirked a smirky smirk. Yang would have been proud.
The monster dragged Jaune into its main bulk, lashing more and more tails around his body, especially the arm protecting the headset. It had taken the bait. Just before the monster could finally rip his free arm away, Jaune rapidly began extending his Aura field. A bubble of sheer will rapidly began to expand around Jaune's body, a bubble that wasn't overly impeded by layers of Grimm coils wrapped around the young Huntsman. Jaune did feel a bit of resistance. Almost like he was covered wrapped in a few dozen strings. Something to be sure, but only enough to prove a mildly distracting.
This time it was Jaune that launched Grimm pieces every which way.
"In time, your heart will open minds."
… as he basically shredded the Echidna from its waist down.
"A Story will be told.
Victory is in a simple soul!"
The song ended. Weiss's greatest hit was next on the list. Mirror, Mirror. Jaune's didn't really hear it though. Because the Grimm was now screaming. Rage, pain, and maybe even a bit of fear that was shouted from a voice that was just human enough to be eerie. If the monster had been anything else, Jaune might have held some pity for it. It wasn't anything else, though. This was Grimm, the true enemy of all. Covered in gore, Jaune calmly walked over to the remains of screaming monster, poured aura into his fist, and proceeded to crush the thing's bald skull with one solid blow.
His scroll chimed when he did. Yellow. That meant he was now below fifty percent. Jaune mentally calculated both his landing, his Aura flex, and his final blow. Estimating the cost of each in his head. Jaune immediately remembered his promise to Glynda Goodwitch and decided step it back a bit. With caution, he picked up Winter's weapon by the blade. The blade was still clear of slime, but the hilt and grip definitely were not.
The sabre would be dangerous to use until everything was wiped down carefully. Not that holding the thing by the blade and using it as a club was a better bet. Seriously, Winter's weapon was sharp. Holding it by either end then would be a small but constant drain on Aura and thus would be risky. Jaune didn't want to be reduced to throwing rocks though. Then he noticed the trigger. Touching a weapon you weren't familiar with was not a safe practice, but Jaune saw no dust cylinders, and took a calculated risk. Nearly a foot of glistening dust infused steel ejected from that grip.
Jaune smirked. Things were rapidly looking up! He picked up the slime-free weapon.
"INCOMING!"
Jaune's instincts were solid. At Nora's shout, he immediately hit the deck. Nora grenades hit a cluster of flanking Bukavacs with rather spectacularly messy results. Jaune snorted, now in conjunction snake-lady gore, Jaune was coated in iguana-frog ash. It was going to take him hours to clean his armor. Jaune started laughing though. Why wouldn't he be laughing? This was the beginning of a dream realized!
With that thought Jaune turned to face the enemy. Every Grimm that failed to walk away from this cliff face would be one less menace to farmers, fisherman, and local children. People he was now licensed to protect. He thought of Pyrrha, something he was growing more and more comfortable doing, he smiled. Then, with true joy in his heart, he charged the enemies who were even now trying to outmaneuver his team
Weiss's song may have been about loneliness, but Jaune felt no such emotion as he drove the stiletto through one Bukavac's cranium then kicked it hard in the throat with a heavy boot. Nora's manic laughter, as she really got into a groove, was the true music playing in his head as Jaune's Team fell more or less into place.
/\
Blake grabbed Ruby by the shoulder and forcefully spun her around to face her. If Ruby Rose was surprised, she sure didn't look it.
"Was there something else Blake?"
Blake felt her indignation grow, but forcefully tried to calm herself. "Okay, I get it. You're mad."
Blake expected some denial and wasn't disappointed. "I'm not mad, Blake."
Blake rolled her eyes, "Oh come on…"
Ruby kept right on talking. "I am way past mad. Mad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. I think livid would be far more accurate. I'm pretty sure that's the word Weiss would use anyways." Blake stepped back, because for just an instant, it was like Ruby's eyes had started glowing. Ruby's next words were soft. There was no harshness, or even threat, in them. The words were simply spoken as an absolute fact. "Blake, in my entire life, I don't think I've been as angry at anyone as I am at you right now."
Blake stepped back. Some fear she couldn't quantify seized her heart and Blake fought down a spike of unforeseen panic. For time indeterminable, Ruby stared at her, through her, with those shining silver eyes before blessedly breaking contact to look somewhere else. Blake swallowed, for some reason she felt like she had just been measured, and Blake knew not one by what measure or if she had been found wanting.
She need not wonder for long. Voice soft, but inflexible, Ruby told her. "I didn't want really believe it. I knew you had a foot out the door, but I thought this time, you'd at least say goodbye before you took off."
Blake swallowed, then steeled herself. Ruby was her leader, but she was also just Ruby. Just a kid. "I only now made up my mind."
Ruby stared at her. Here in the late afternoon light, face still partially obscured by the shadows of her hood, Ruby looked older. The shadows on her face somehow harsher. Ruby Rose's tone remained unchanged and unmoved. It was somehow worse than the disinterest of her earlier tone. "I wish I could say I believe you, but I don't."
Blake tried for some righteous indignation. After all, who was Ruby to treat her like this? Still something about RWBY's leader today made fueling that indignation difficult. Even to her own ears, Blake's denial sounded contrived, "Ruby, it really was a spur—." Ruby locked eyes with Blake, and the words died on the faunus's lips.
There was the barest hint of disdain. A noise that was somehow too tired to even be a dismissive snort. Ruby's voice and timbre did change though. It might have even been the first bitter words Blake had ever hear Ruby Rose utter. "Were you at least going to talk it out with Yang? Or were you going to skip out on that too?"
The falseness in Blake's words only became more obvious as her voice grew quieter, "Like I said, I only decided a moment ago."
Ruby closed her eyes, when she opened them, Blake's Team Leader was no longer inclined to hide the depth of her anger. "The fact you didn't answer the question just kinda says everything. Doesn't it?"
They stood there in silence for more than a minute as Ruby's rage became palpable. Blake wanted to retreat. Maybe even storm off in a huff. Blake wanted to, but something strangely merciless in Ruby's eyes kept her from really considering it. After the silence became truly unbearable, Blake tried again to talk to her young leader, "Ruby… I know this is hard for you to understand…"
That same flash of an expression from earlier washed over Ruby's face. This time it was much clearer. It was indignation. Honest, sincere, indignation. Ruby's voice became harsh. "Why? 'Because I'm a child?' Like back when we first met? Blake, don't. Just... don't. We both know this isn't because I'm younger. We both saw Beacon fall. I know you saw Yang get hurt. I know you got her out of there after she was. Honestly I will never cease being grateful about that. It is the main reason why I'm speaking to you right now." Voice hard, Ruby explained carefully, "But being grateful doesn't mean I'll let you patronize me. I left my dream of 'Happily Ever After' when I failed at the tower. The moment I watched Pyrrha Nikos die."
Blake swallowed. She honestly forgot Ruby had seen that. The realization derailed Blake more than a bit, but it didn't mean the faunus gave up. Instead Blake dug in, and defensively lied, "I wasn't going to say that!"
Ruby didn't roll her eyes, but nothing in her expression showed any belief. "Okay then. Why don't I understand?"
Blake jumped all over something she knew Ruby couldn't very well deny. "Because you're a human."
If Blake expected crossed arms or defensiveness, she was sorely disappointed. Ruby considered briefly before nodding. Blake felt relief as Ruby's posture relaxed a little. Ruby's tone was still unbelieving, but it was much softer when she said, "Okay then Blake. Help me understand."
Blake seized up a bit and stumbled out of the blocks, "I don't see how I can."
Ruby remained merciless, "I guess leaving's easier than explaining then?"
Blake narrowed her eyes, "That's unfair!"
Ruby's expression was flat. In an angry tone she said, "If that's unfair, I apologize. But Blake, for just one moment, understand that I wasn't exaggerating before. I am way past angry. I'm at the point that I really want to walk away and not talk to you for a long, long time." Blake blinked. "So, if you value my friendship, you will at least try to help me here."
Blake felt some dryness in her throat. The task Ruby was requiring was surprisingly daunting, at least with a person whose opinion you strongly valued. The big stuff, Blake knew Ruby was relatively aware of. Ruby probably understood as much as any non-faunus could given her relatively limited contact with faunus and faunus issues. Blake knew Ruby had at least seen pictures from the dust mines of Vacuo. Doctor Oobleck himself had shown all of his students in his class. Even Cardin Winchester had shut down his bluster when pictures of faunus children were shown lining up for their shift during the height of the Great War. When, for the good of Vacuo, all safety measures were abandoned. When a child's fear could draw the Grimm in the tight and lightless underworld of a dust mine.
Well, all measures when it came to faunus citizens, there hadn't been any human children in those lines.
Oobleck had not pulled punches about the history leading up to Faunus Rights Revolution. Professor Oobleck had even called the conflict that, and not simply the Faunus Revolts. The fact things were slightly better now were shallow testimony when one realized just how low the starting point really was. Especially to someone as kind and honest as Ruby Rose.
Blake shook her head and willfully pulled down her defenses. She started by explaining some simple frustrations. Like how Blake was almost forced to wonder if she received bad service at a restaurant, was it because the server was incompetent, or was it because the owner was prejudiced. Then she moved on to the fact that it was much harder for a faunus to find a job, especially a decent job offered at comparable wages. That understated prejudice crippled faunus culture in the four major kingdoms and led to greater poverty with higher crime rates in faunus neighborhoods. Crime rates that fed the picture so many people, especially those that fought against the faunus during the Revolution, were so willing to accept as proof that the faunus were somehow morally lesser than humans. Even though humans from those same impoverished areas committed just as many crimes and had, in Blake's opinion, less excuse.
Ruby's posture softened. She started asking questions. Some of those questions were difficult, and nearly all of them were pertinent. Blake did her best to answer them. The tension between the two teammates lessened immeasurably. Blake was nearly completely relaxed as she started explaining her new plan.
After Blake got going, Ruby grew more and more quiet. Blake failed to understand exactly what that meant.
Blake explained that leaving RWBY didn't mean she wanted to stop being friends. Blake smiled a warm smile as she thought of a cheeky blond monkey faunus that had somehow become the rock of dependability in her life. Blake told Ruby she was pretty sure she could convince Sun to bring Team SSSN to Menagerie after they finished their schooling in Haven. That would be a huge win for Menagerie who never could compete fiscally for valuable Hunter Teams. Blake's smile turned especially eager as she explained how Team SSSN could help quiet her father's few vocal political adversaries. Those naysayers reaction to three humans being led by a faunus-orphan-turned-Vytal-festival-finalist would be priceless.
Blake's smile broadened. With an eye-roll and tone of long suffering amusement Blake added, "I just need to somehow convince him not to steal anything! When he keeps his hands to himself Sun can win anyone over!" Blake laughed. Spinning around she proclaimed her thoughts on the matter to Mistral at large more than Ruby herself. "Sun honestly doesn't realize just how amazing he can be! People on the island already know him. I bet, inside a couple of years, he'll rival my father in popularity."
Ruby's reply was soft. "I see."
Blake didn't because she reacted to Ruby's tone not at all. "I'll also have Ilia!" Blake then went on to explain how Ilia will obviously jump at the chance to secure Kuo Kuana's wall from the Grimm. Eager, Blake rounded on Ruby and said, "Don't you see Ruby? It will be Ilia's perfect opportunity to prove I was right about her!"
Ruby's tepid response of, "I honestly don't know Ilia very well," slowed Blake down not at all. Because something big occurred to Blake. Something so obvious, Blake was kicking herself that it had never ever occurred to her until this very moment.
Starting off as a whisper, but liking every syllable more and more until her voice was borderline shouting, Blake dared speak the thought aloud. "What if," Blake licked her lips a bit, "What if the daughter of Menagerie's Chieftain could negotiate the heiress of the SDC?"
Blake almost laughed at the absurd simple brilliance of the statement. "Ruby think about it? I'm not talking simply about dust! I'm talking better weapons!" Blake hugged a now ridged Ruby but was still lost in this profound moment. "Weiss might even give us those weapons for little-to-no lien!" Blake smiled as she thought about all the angles. "I mean it could be the first step in paying the faunus back for how the Schnees treat their faunus miners!" Blake laughed as she thought of the heiress. Weiss, for all her faults, was still a good person. She would understand the hardships her company had unduly placed up the faunus and begin to make it right.
This could work. This could honestly work! Can you imagine Old Man Hihiu's face once a fully loaded SDC freighter showed up! All Blake had to do was go to Menagerie, and get to work.
All Blake had to do was give up on being part of Team RWBY.
"You done now?" Blake humming happily to herself was a bit ashamed she had kind of briefly forgot she was talking to Ruby. Turning, Blake faced Ruby Rose. She was not prepared for Ruby's expression and the warmth inside Blake's being evaporated inside cold silver light.
"What?"
Ruby held up a hand to silence her. This time there could be no doubt, in Blake's mind, Ruby's eyes were glowing softly. There was pain in those eyes. Real honest pain, but there was determination as well. A fierce will that might just outshine anything if it was ever let fully loose. It was beautiful to behold, but that didn't mean Blake didn't fear that light. It was somehow ancient, terrible, and Blake knew there was nowhere to hide from it.
"You know, I wonder how Weiss would react to your plan. After all it is hard to help faunus miners in Mantle if you start giving away stuff to country on the other side of Remnant."
Blake swallowed, she wasn't prepared for the conversation's shift in tone or the questioning of her logic. "Weiss… I'm sure she could…"
"Not that Weiss is the heiress anymore."
Blake felt her plan begin to evaporate, "When did that happen?"
Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Are you sad for Weiss? For the miner's? Or are you simply sad about Weiss's loss means to you?"
Blake recoiled a bit, "This is bigger…"
Ruby silenced Blake by simply narrowing her eyes. Her voice was firm, "You know what Blake? For a moment there, I honestly stopped being mad." Blake blinked as Ruby continued, "For a moment, I was ready to even apologize." There was clearly derisive snort, something Blake had never expected to hear from Ruby. Then the young Huntress continued, "I was going to ask you to forgive me for overreacting, because Blake, you're right. I didn't really understand."
Blake had unexplained tears form in her eyes, "Ruby…"
A flash of silver and Blake clicked her mouth shut with a click. Bitterness formed on Ruby's face and in her tone, and that bitterness honestly seemed to cause pain to Ruby's very being. Ruby offered Blake an ugly smile. "I was so ready to give you a big hug solely on condition that you visit us every day before we left. Now I am pretty sure I understand completely, and I really don't want you hanging around if that is your mindset."
Blake sucked her lips, and felt her own bitter anger rise. She had just revealed her heart to Ruby, only for Ruby to rip it out. "So you know now. Know what it means to faunus? Wow. I must be a truly amazing teacher if I can teach a kid, a fucking child, something so fundamental in just a few minutes!" Blake jabbed a finger into Ruby's chest. Ruby's hood finally fell back, and Blake snarled, "I expected better from you. Much better."
Ruby stood straight. Her hands were shaking with rage, but after only a moment, Ruby stilled. She calmed. Blake half expected Ruby to storm off, but she didn't. Instead Ruby offered, "I'm sorry, Blake." Blake didn't relax. Until Ruby said exactly what she was apologizing for, Blake had no intention of accepting it. "Blake, I'm sorry for getting this angry, but I am worried about my friends."
Blake stiffened at the implication, "I guess I'm not included in that list of friends am I?"
Ruby cocked her head sadly. She closed her eyes. A tear trickled down one pale cheek. In spite of her anger, Blake felt her heart hurt looking at that tear. Then Ruby opened her eyes. Bright silver light erupted throughout the courtyard. A surprised Blake fell backwards to the ground even if she quickly realized the light ultimately seemed to be harmless. Blake rolled into a crouch, still not comfortable standing in the silver glare, but the light ceased after only a few seconds. When Blake turned to face Ruby Rose, the young woman was swaying badly on her feet.
Confused, she wondered if this was some form of the strange attack it was rumored Ruby had used during the Battle for Haven. Blake wondered if that meant Ruby had just attacked her. No, that didn't feel like what had happened…
She didn't notice that Ruby had stopped swaying.
Without Blake's assistance.
When Blake grew the courage to stare into Ruby's eyes, those silver orbs were seemingly normal again. Ruby also seemed far less emotional than she had been… well since the long conversation had started. Ruby being calm did not mean Ruby was about to be merciful. What happened next for Blake was pain. Just raw hurt. It was not just delivered by Ruby's words, but also Ruby's tone. For the rest of her life, Blake would never forget that tone; how there was absolutely no longer any traces of bitterness or anger in Ruby's voice. There was simply the stark naked honesty about how Ruby Rose truly saw Blake Belladonna at this moment in time. Nothing, not even Adam, ever hurt Blake nearly as much as that honesty.
"You don't even see it do you?"
Blake fought down her panic, "What?"
"Just how self-centered you are."
Blake backed up.
Ruby offered a warning when she did, "If you run now Blake, we're done."
Blake stiffened, "What?"
Ruby voice was unchanged, "You run away. You can't come back. Maybe one day, if me and the rest of us survive, some might revisit the idea of being friends. Probably not me. Definitely not Yang. Weiss might though. After all, she basically thinks I'm here begging you to stay."
Blake felt wounded, "So you really don't want to be my friend anymore?"
Ruby's eyes continued to be unmerciful in their sad honesty. "With someone who was almost laughing about how she planned to use my partner? To use a guy who is obviously in love with her? Someone bragging about her ability to hold another person under unending obligation? No Blake, if that is the last impression you leave with me before running off in fear, I doubt very much that I'll want to be your friend anymore."
Blake wanted to cry, "That's not how it is!"
Ruby stepped into Blake, and wrapped her teammate in a warm hug. Blake was stiff as a board for several moments before her heart started cracking. Ruby's hug was loving, but it felt very close to goodbye. Blake broke and clutched Ruby to her, but couldn't help but stiffen when Ruby whispered, "Blake, I'm sorry, but that is exactly how it is." Blake lacked the ability of offer even the feeblest denial as she started crying. Not sobs, but tears did more than stream, they flowed. So despondent was Blake, she nearly shrieked when Ruby separated from her, fearing that was the end. Fearing there was no going back.
Ruby touched her shoulder, but the pain did not cease. "You're right Blake, I don't know what it means to be faunus. I will never know. I'll never be able to understand. I am sorry about that." Ruby's face was impossibly kind. "Unfortunately Blake, this doesn't mean I don't understand you. To understand just how willing you are to hurt Yang." Blake felt her chest start to hitch. "Not because you're cruel, but because you're selfish. After all, running from Yang is much easier than facing someone you've already wronged. Trusting them to ultimately make it right because you are too scared to face that failure." Blake started crying. "You selfishness is obviously the reason why you never even called your parents while at Beacon." Blake broke down. "It's why you never told Sun that you're not interested in him romantically." Blake collapsed to her knees. "It's also why you know so little about us. Why you didn't know about Weiss losing her place in the SDC. Why you don't know the reason Yang is so hurt by you. Why you insist on seeing me as a child." Ruby's voice was too kind to be mocking, "The world is a very big place Blake. I hope you will learn to see beyond your self so you can witness that." Ruby gave her a few moments before proceeding. "You inability to see beyond this bubble you've centered on yourself is a big reason the problems you care about so much keep mounting and mounting and the solutions keep escaping you." Devastated, Blake expected Ruby to leave her behind here and now.
Blake's heart almost broke when Ruby said, "Your self-centeredness has led Team RWBY to this place and I am now forced to make a difficult decision for my team." Blake stared up into the face of someone, who not five minutes ago, she called a child. Someone who's decision would shape much of the rest of her life. RWBY's leader smiled kindly at Blake Belladonna. It was then that Blake understood Ruby was more than willing to share her friend's pain, but she was not willing to let Blake inflict pain on others. Eventually Ruby Rose made her decision with both offer and warning. "I won't beg for you to stay. My sister, Weiss, and I all deserve better than me begging you to not abandon us." Blake wanted to beg, would have begged, but Ruby was as kind as she was honest. "Blake, I am willing to let you stay though. I am willing because I still want you to stand with us against whatever this Salem monster is. Stand with us against whatever is really going on. Maybe it's childish. Maybe I'm childish. Or maybe I just want you to be my friend. To really be my friend. Whether you want the same things though is your choice."
Ruby used her hand to warmly squeeze her teammate's shoulder one final time, then turned and started walking away. Blake's own decision was already clear. After barely two seconds, mostly because her legs were wobbling, Blake rushed to catch up with the leader of Team RWBY.
Okay, I'm breaking it here, trust me there is a lot more, but I honestly feel like this is a good place to break up the monstrosity that I had been writing. Wolf also agrees, so there you have it.
As an aside, I don't usually ask for reviews, but if anyone has a spare moment, please tell me what you think of my takes on Grimm. If they suck, please tell me. I don't want to throw in things I find amusing if they just prove distracting.
Thank you for your time.
Let's address the Goliath in the Parlor though.
For the record, I don't hate Blake. I honestly don't. Even if I've said some unflattering things on WiP's server over the past two years. I always thought she was a much needed concept to the story. Needed or not though, at this point I think she's a colossally selfish friend. I also think she deserves being called out for being such a selfish friend. Her parents or Sun embracing her after an apology would have been enough for me a couple years ago… but then Volume 6 happened. Ugh...
I do know I glossed over some stuff that would have solidified Blake's argument with Ruby. I also know I extended Blake's bad habits further into this story. This isn't to deny her a leg to stand on. I already believe she basically lacked that. It was to solidify her arc and give her a few reveals later down the line. This really is for story purposes. I derive no joy for beating on characters unless their defining attribute is stupidity. (I will be smiling like a loon with a certain Commandant)
The history of the faunus is something I plan to delve in later though. So if me glossing over oppression came across as glib, I fully apologize.
I mention these things carefully mainly because my brake doesn't really work when it comes to Blake. Blake is a sensitive nerve and important character to RWBY… and Wolfe really doesn't like Blake. Even though he (like me) agrees with her politically, he loathes her as a person. Like he literally said on draft one, "Ruby should be a lot meaner." Sooooo, since my sounding-board and outline approver wouldn't mind if Blake walked right up and out of the story (well most stories honestly), I leave it open to others to offer criticism on whether or not I went too far or made things too unfair to her position.
Also Volume 8 has started. Wolfe will be the one watching it for anything pertinent. I will not.
Thank you all for your time and patience. The next chapter should be up soon.
Please be well and safe.