Author's Note: You ever sit down to write something… you've got it all in your head, you're ready to go, sitting at the computer, lemme at 'em… then you take one look at the screen and your brain goes, "Uhhhhh… … … … …derp…?" That's been me this last week. :(
On another note, since Blake isn't really paying attention to how many days are passing during her stay, then neither will I. All I'm gonna point out is the time of day and the location of each scene.
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(Late morning, Island of Patch)
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Blake sat beneath the branches of a vast oak tree, just …sitting there. Breathing. Existing. Simple things that the cat faunus just didn't have the time for up until now.
Things had been a little hectic these last few months; her head was still spinning from the madness. And it wasn't just the whole 'traveling the multiverse' stuff that had her feeling dizzy, either – let us not forget Rose and the whole Ruby Squad. And the fact that her own world blew up.
It could be argued that Carmine's scientific clusterfuck was the real starting point to the madness… but for Blake, the issues began much earlier than that.
Blake Belladonna had always been on the run in some form or another. Whether she was a child running from humans that hated faunus, a young girl joining the White Fang, or a student running from a secret no longer hidden, Blake was always running. Always. Not once did she allow herself the luxury of stopping and, as the phrase goes, 'smelling the roses.' Oh the irony.
But now, sitting under this tree, Blake was doing just that. For once, she could open her eyes and not look for hidden enemies or quick escape routes – she saw only peace. Calm.
Her tree stood on a low hill overlooking a valley filled to the brim with wildflowers. At the edges sat a dense array of trees that probably covered most of the island. About a mile and a half away sat the ocean – the occasional breezes carried the telltale aroma of salt water. It was a lovely day, too; the recent storms left very pleasant weather in their wake. Birds were loudly singing from all over the place, clearly audible from anywhere on the island. The sea breeze carried a very slight chill to counteract the warmth of the sun.
Two days ago, Blake had appeared about a mile away from this spot, near the entrance to the underground White Fang base. Soon after that, she met a girl who looked exactly like Ruby Rose, her missing team leader – but the girl was actually a faunus called Rosey.
From there, Blake learned a lot. Maybe a bit too much… yet probably not enough.
First of all, she deduced the nature of this world's difference to her own by direct observation (and some input from Rosey). She saw quite a few faunus among the members of the White Fang here that she knew as humans back home, but none of the faunus she knew from before were here. Therefore, it was safe to assume that in this world, everyone who was human was now a faunus. Likely the opposite was true as well. Blake tried not to imagine what Sun would look like without his tail.
After that, she learned about her own alternate self… the human Blake Belladonna of this world. And she quickly decided that she never wanted to meet that girl face-to-face. Someone would not be walking away from that encounter.
For Blake, the most worrying part of this new world was the plight of the faunus – it was way, way too close to the vision of the world as seen by Adam if the White Fang should fail. Complete subjugation. Slavery. Faunus treated worse than animals. It was more than terrible… it was evil.
If Adam were here, how would he handle things? Would he rally the faunus under a banner of war? Or would he hide in the shadows, merely proclaiming the evils of mankind until 'the time was right?'
For that matter… was there a human Adam Taurus in this world? And where would he be?
"B-B-Blake…? D-Do you have a m-moment?"
The stuttering voice of Rosey pulled Blake from her thoughts. The girl stood close by Blake's tree, clutching a pair of books to her chest. She had her hood raised, but Blake could still see her floppy dog ears hidden underneath it.
"Several," the brunette replied with a kind smile. She was still getting used to this new Ruby's extra-nervous nature, and smiles tended to help the poor thing relax. "How can I help you?"
"I was w-wondering… if you'd like t-t-to r-r-r-r-read t-together…?"
The way Rosey stuttered her R's would have Yang making some kind of crack about Rosey 'revving her motor.' Good thing the blonde wasn't here at the moment. "I would love to read with you. What books did you bring?"
Blake's gentle temperament did the trick – Rosey visibly relaxed as she plopped herself down next to the older faunus.
Older? But wait… "Hey Rosey… just curious, but how old are you…?"
Rosey paused, put on a look of concentration, then said, "Sixteen… I think… I d-don't r-r-r-r-r-remember t-too well…"
Not that much older, it seemed. Strange, as the girl looked even smaller than Ruby did, who was a year younger. It was probably the way she carried herself – whenever Blake saw Rosey walking around, the girl always had a stoop to her posture. As though she was trying to make herself smaller than she really was.
Rosey showed Blake two of her treasures, motioning to one, "I'm ab-b-bout halfway through this one… b-b-but I haven't st-t-tarted the other one yet."
The Man With Two Souls. Not surprising that Rosey would be half-done with that one. The gap between the pages where Rosey's bookmark sat clearly showed the girl's stopping point. The other one, though… oh boy. Quite a good pick.
"Let's start the other one, then. The series is really good, but it's a hard read – it took me three tries to get past the fourth book, but once I did… it was totally worth it."
Rosey's face fell at the word 'series.' "I only have this one b-book. I d-d-don't have the others…"
"Ah, that's too bad. Maybe we'll find the rest of it sometime later? There's seven in all."
"…M-Maybe."
"… … …Well, we can still start with this one. It is the first of the series, after all."
"Wh-What's it ab-bout…?"
Blake grinned, her book-loving side just starting to show through. "It follows this guy as he travels around looking for a mysterious enemy… but he ends up in way over his head as he soon finds himself in… other worlds, oddly enough."
"…Like me."
"Ooh…" Didn't think of it like that before. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
Blake still reeled every time she remembered the story Rosey told her that night in the cell. How was it possible that another world went through almost exactly the same thing her own world dealt with? And magic? Seriously?
But at least their troubles were over… Blake's world just blew up. Fun.
"Anyway, how about we start with chapter 1?"
Rosey nodded, then smiled as she scooted closer to Blake so they could look at the words together. Rosey held the pages open while Blake supported the weight of the book from behind. This allowed Rosey to turn at her own speed, as well as ask Blake how to read the bigger words.
The pair soon found themselves totally engrossed. They would not move again until the light had faded, signaling the end of the day. And it all began with a single line:
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
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Chapter 32:
Hope (part 2)
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(Evening, Oobleck's Office)
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"Ah, Miss Blake-the-not-evil-one… How can I assist you?"
"Good evening, Professor Oobleck. I was wondering…"
"Actually, it's just Oobleck. I hold no titles, unfortunately. Although I would love the opportunity to earn a proper doctorate. Sadly there are no schools that will allow faunus to join."
"That's …kind of related to what I wanted to talk about."
"Hmm… Hmm… I think I see where you're going with this. According to Miss Rose, you came here from another world, correct?"
"Yes."
"And… would it be safe to assume that things are different in your world than in this one? Social matters? Faunus matters?"
"That's putting it mildly…"
"Indeed. Miss Rose told me about the world she visited last year. She said that faunus in that world were treated more like second-class citizen, rather than pure trash. And in some parts of that world, third-class citizens at worst. Is that true for your own world, Miss Blake?"
"Almost exactly."
"Hmm. Yes, indeed. In that case, I think I can help you. What is it you wish to know? What nugget of historical knowledge can this humble man help you with?"
"'Historical knowledge?' I thought you weren't a professor…?"
"I study history and archeology as a hobby, Miss Blake. I probably know more about faunus history than any other living faunus. Quite a bit about human history, too."
"What happened at the Battle of Fort Castle?"
"… … …That is the one matter I wish you hadn't asked me about, Miss Blake."
"In my world, General Lagune botched a night attack against the faunus and lost a key battle in the war. He was a human, there."
"Unfortunately, our General Lagune was likely just as incompetent as yours – he led the armies of the faunus in a doomed attack on the fort. The humans routed them easily. We lost almost our entire militia, as well as our will to continue the fight. The Battle of Fort Castle was indeed a key battle… it spelled our doom."
"…"
"After that, faunus all over the world became subject to the extreme humiliation and degradation that is our current plight. Humans can barely tolerate our presence within the kingdoms, much less put up with anything we do as a collective people. The only reason we aren't all locked away on Menagerie is because… we don't all fit."
"…Gods…"
"And believe me, they tried. I was there."
"I would say I'm sorry, but I know it won't help. I simply can't… imagine what you must have gone through here…"
"My dear, please don't trouble yourself with my problems. Dear Miss Rose is the one who needs your support right now. You are literally the only person she will speak to in this entire base."
"Yeah… she told me what she's been through…"
"She is important to us. To all of us. She's… somewhat like everyone's little sister, if I may wax poetic a bit. Watch over her, Miss Blake… for all our sakes."
"… … …I will."
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(Mid-day, Office of Cinder Fall)
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Every time Cinder closed her eyes, she saw the photo of Qrow Branwen's severed head. It didn't matter that she only saw the thing for half a second when it first arrived, nor did it matter that she immediately had the image shredded and the pieces burned, she still saw it. Every time. And she knew she would see it for the rest of her life.
And she would never forgive Belladonna for that. NEVER.
Cinder's eye twitched in irritation as she took another swig of her drink. It was her third one today, and it was barely lunch time. No one dared call her out on it, however, even if her hobby was getting rather… expensive. The scaly patches of her skin tingled as the drink ran its course.
Right now, the alcohol was the only thing to numb the pain of losing Qrow, even if only a little. Killing Belladonna might work better, but she had to work with what she had. And the Huntress was not likely to simply walk into the base for everyone to beat her up. Leave that for the fantasies.
Cinder gulped the rest of her drink quickly, wincing as it burned all the way down. She glared out of the only window in the whole facility other than the main entrance – as the leader of the White Fang, even if in name only, Cinder was allowed the 'top floor' office – which happened to be the only room to be above ground. She was currently watching the day outside, thinking and wondering about many things.
The new Blake was one of those things. A girl with eyes of a similar shade of yellow to her own. And true faunus ears. And the same face as her mortal enemy.
What could it all mean?
Qrow might have known. There didn't seem to be much that man didn't know. Cinder always felt more… at peace when he was nearby.
Why… oh why… did she not realize what these feelings meant until it was too fucking late?!
CRASH!
She barely twitched as the glass in her hand was thrown at the ground with tremendous force. She didn't even look at it. Her mind was once again on the matter that forced her to drown it. Cinder barely registered the act of filling yet another glass with a clear fluid that was not water…
That is, until a breathless young man burst his way in unannounced, "Miss Fall, Miss Fall…!" His deer antlers quivered as he fought to catch his breath.
"It's fine, it was just a glass…" she said mechanically.
"No, it's not that… *pant" …Ironwood sent me… *pant* …There's something you… *pant* …need to see on channel 3…"
The news? Without a pause, Cinder turned on her TV (one of only three on the whole island) and beheld the image of the one face she wanted to tear clean off the skull it belonged to.
Blake Belladonna. The human one. That bitch.
The hateful Huntress was currently sitting in the news studio with a reporter (whose name Cinder didn't know or care about) and they were part-way through an interview. Behind them was the image of a device that looked suspiciously like a collar, but silver in color. Along the bottom of the screen were the words: A New Advancement In Law Enforcement Technology?
Reporter: "So what you're saying is… these 'Calmers' as you call them… are capable of literally calming down anyone who wears them?
Belladonna: "That's the entire point. Handcuffs were fine in the past, but today's criminals are more powerful than ever. My Calmers take that power away and allow for safe and secure transport of dangerous individuals."
Reporter: "So they take away the will to fight?"
Belladonna: "That's the most basic version of what they do, yes."
Reporter: "Are you concerned that they might end up in the wrong hands? That they might… say… be taken by criminals to make hostages easier to control?"
Belladonna: "That was something I worked out in the design phase. All Calmers have a remote cancellation signal that will be given to each officer, as well as to specially trained technicians at each precinct. Also, I designed them to only work on faunus – and we all know they are much more dangerous than any human."
Reporter: "What about side effects? These things sound an awful lot like mind-control devices… are there any lasting effects of wearing one of these Calmers?"
Belladonna: "So far, no. My technicians are still testing them back home, but right now we have a big, fat zero for side effects. My Calmers are totally safe. Once we get everything ironed out, we will begin distribution to every city on Remnant. The people's safety is my top priority…"
Cinder didn't hear the rest of the interview… because she destroyed the TV.
'Calmers?' Only work on faunus? Mind-control devices that take away the will to fight?
Faunus more dangerous than humans?!
Cinder was very willing to show Belladonna just how dangerous she could be. All they needed was some 'alone time.' Oh if only.
The deer-horned boy was still standing there, unsure if he should flee before the wrath of his boss. Cinder eyed him sidelong and hissed, "Call Oz… we need to have a meeting."
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(Late Evening, White Fang bedrooms)
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Rosey lay still on the cot, her breathing regular. She had fallen asleep slowly, thoughts of their shared book rolling through her mind – Blake had experienced the same rush many times in the past, so she knew the signs. She would make a true bibliophile out of Rosey in no time.
Unfortunately, the young faunus had fallen asleep with a death-grip on Blake's sleeve. The brunette couldn't walk away even if she wanted to.
Blake was currently laying on a cot right next to Rosey's, waiting for the moment where the sleeping girl would release her hold and turn over. Or something. She had to pee soon, so hopefully it wouldn't take too long.
Soon there was a bit of movement and light stirring. In the silence of the vast, empty room, Blake could make out sleepy mumbling, "…I do not aim with my… hand…" and she smiled. Rosey had taken quite a shine to the oath in that book. Not that Blake could blame her – she'd done the same after her first read.
At long last the sleeve was released. Blake carefully stood up, shaking her legs to wake them up a bit, then tried to walk out the door… but before she even took one step, she found herself quickly leaning down and planting a light kiss on Rosey's forehead.
She blinked as she stood back upright. Where did that come from? Goodness sakes…
Rosey's face broke into a sleepy grin as she mumbled, "Love you… Sis…" Blake grinned as well before finally heading to the bathroom. Or the latrine, as these guys called it. Whatever. She had other things on her mind.
While Rosey was cute in her own way, she was no Rose. No one could ever replace that one – those toned arms, that goofy grin, and those skilled hands… Not to mention those candy lips… Ooh, bad Blake. Not now. Stay focused.
Yesterday, Rosey asked if she could call Blake 'Mom' like she used to do with the Blake she met before… but was refused. First of all, she and the previous Blake were two different people who had two different experiences with Rosey, so grouping them together like that was a bit… what was the word, rude? Inappropriate? Second, the two of them were only one year apart in age – if anything, Blake should be more like a big sister than a mom.
Rosey agreed. From then on, Blake was 'Sis.'
Somehow, that seemed to cause the dog faunus to become a bit more… clingy. Rosey tried to stay by Blake's side all the time from that point on, even if it meant things like barging into the bathroom. Yeah, that was rather embarrassing for both of them. The shorter girl promised she would knock from then on. Her stutter was so bad then that the promise itself took almost a full minute to say.
Clinging to Blake's sleeve at bedtime was a bit childish, but the brunette allowed it. Rosey had been alone for a long time, after all.
As Blake finished her business in the bathroom and started walking back, Oobleck stopped her in the hallway, "Miss Blake… may I have a word with you? In private?" His squirrel ears twitched rapidly as he spoke. He seemed nervous.
A few minutes later, the pair had made their way to his office. He shut the door behind them and made for the coffee pot – apparently coffee was easy to get here, but tea was rare and expensive. Dammit. Taking a swig, the man went into full serious mode and stated, "There's been an incident."
Blake didn't dare interrupt, so she leaned against the wall and nodded for him to continue.
"Miss Fall gathered the White Fang leaders for a meeting the other day and told us about something the human Belladonna was up to – some kind of mind-control device that supposedly only works on faunus. And, well… to say that she was mad would be to say that the ocean is a bit damp."
Blake chuckled at the analogy, but remained silent.
Oobleck drained his mug before finishing, "She stormed out with a half-dozen of our best fighters to hunt down the distribution center for these devices and destroy it. We don't have any real fighting power left here. If something happens to them… or to us here…"
"The White Fang is finished as an organization."
"Indeed."
A full minute passed in silence as the information sank in. Blake had met the faunus version of Cinder Fall that ran the White Fang, and the woman was none too pleased to find the face of Blake Belladonna before her, even if it belonged to a real faunus.
This version of Cinder had patches of snake-like scales on various parts of her body, each bearing the pattern of a diamondback rattler. While that seemed appropriate, Blake would have expected her to have horns like Adam. To hear that she became enraged and charged off blindly into battle did not surprise the brunette much. She did wonder how this faunus Cinder fared in battle, though. Maybe she had poisoned fangs?
"Was there anything else?"
"No, Miss Blake. My apologies if anything I said upset you, but I thought you should be aware of what's going on. And, obviously, don't tell Miss Rose… no need to upset her unnecessarily."
"Thank you, Profe- …I mean, Oobleck."
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(Sometime in the night, hidden underground tunnel)
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Three days. That was all the time they had to wait for the bad news. It was rare for so much to go so wrong so quickly.
Blake walked carefully in the pitch blackness of the tunnel, careful to watch her step and not slip. Rosey clung to her arm, walking next to the brunette and whining in fear every so often. Other than the ragged breathing of eight scared and desperate faunus, that was the only sound anyone could hear. There was no way to tell how deep they were, either.
Ozpin led the way through the darkness. Blake and Rosey took up the middle of the procession. Ironwood and a few others were with them, as they were the only ones to make it out of the base.
Oobleck was not with them. He had stayed behind the make sure they could get out. He had sacrificed himself to ensure their survival. Blake prayed fervently that he was still alive out there.
Cinder's mission had not only failed, but it was actually a trap. Belladonna knew they would try something. One faunus managed to escape and bring back the bad news, and according to him the target facility was filled with Huntsman who were just… waiting for them. Other than the messenger himself, Fall was the only survivor – and she had been captured and led away in chains.
Then one shot rang out through the base… and the messenger fell. The Huntsman that shot him seemingly came out of nowhere, but a whole squad of them had followed the panicked faunus back to his base. Death and chaos followed soon after.
Blake's memory of the event was shaky, but she clearly remembered how Ozpin came out of nowhere and pulled herself and Rosey, along with Ironwood and a few others into a hidden escape tunnel. He tried to bring Oobleck, but the green-haired man was determined to keep the attackers distracted long enough to buy them time.
So many gunshots. So much screaming. Gods… how could this have happened? And those Huntsman… how could they just trample through and kill everyone like that?! They treated the faunus like monsters! Even with the tales Blake had heard, she didn't expect such… brutality.
"Break," Ozpin said from the front.
The group quickly squatted or sat down in the dirt to catch their breath. They had been walking fast or running for almost an hour, but so far there was no sign of an exit.
But it was still better than staying back at the base. They would have been killed quickly. Oobleck's distraction seemed to work, though, as there was also no sounds of pursuit.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Blake asked quietly. Sound carried well in here, so there was no need to yell.
Ozpin waited a moment before replying, "Somewhere safe." As if anywhere was safe in this gods-forsaken world.
Another 3 hours passed in this way, though it could have easily been longer as there was no way to tell time down here. They took several breaks, but the tunnel remained dark. Luckily the group was all faunus – if not for their enhanced night vision, they would all be totally blind down here. Also lucky was the fact that one of the faunus in the group had been wise enough to grab an emergency rations package before they fled. It was enough food to support them for almost a week… if they lived that long.
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At last they reached the end of the tunnel, where a sturdy ladder awaited them. At the top was a metal trapdoor… and beyond that was their sanctuary.
Ozpin went first, then Blake came up with Rosey close at her heels, followed by the others. Everyone but Ozpin stared at their new surroundings with awe.
There was no way to know how vast the room was, yet Blake tried anyway. She guessed it might have been a quarter mile from end to end, and maybe half a mile from floor to ceiling. Maybe. The vast archways and columns had a way of distorting her perception. It was a dark green in color, with a black tiled floor that looked to be made of something extremely strong.
Near the trapdoor they came out of sat a cluster of complicated-looking machines and tubes. Blake was suddenly reminded of Carmine's transport device, but this one seemed made for a different purpose.
"No excess noise, and no touching anything. This room is deep enough underground that it has no security sensors, but we still don't want to attract any …untoward attention." Ozpin's quiet warning brought everyone's mind back to their present situation. "We can't stay for too long, but right now this is the only safe place we have… right under their noses."
They were beneath Beacon? Blake blinked at the man, trying to figure out how he could have know about a room like this. Professor Ozpin had always been hard to read, even back home. Try as she might, Blake could find no sign of any faunus traits on him – the man looked exactly the same as her old headmaster, even down to his nice suit.
She then turned her attention to the large glass tube at one side of the machine. The one with somebody inside it. It was a girl, that much was obvious. Her brown hair lay still beneath two short rabbit-like faunus ears. Her face and chest bore large scars. By all accounts, it looked like the machinery here was made to keep her alive.
"I'd be happy to explain all of this later," Ozpin mentioned from beside Blake, "But we need to focus right now. We are in serious trouble. Fall has been captured and the humans are poised to strike the final blow against us. The White Fang has been compromised… but as long as we live, it will not fall."
Ironwood and a few others gave an affirmative grunt. They kept it low, as instructed.
Rosey looked up with a face filled with fear and worry, "B-B-But… what c-can we d-d-do? This all s-s-s-seems so h-hopeless…"
"Ozpin," Blake said suddenly, still gazing at the still form of the girl in the tube, "…do these machines have access to the CCT?"
The silver-haired man blinked, then said, "They do, but their only function is to keep Amber alive…"
"All I need is access. And do any of you…" the brunette turned to the remaining faunus, "…know your way around a computer?"
Four sets of eyes glanced at each other uncertainly, but a fifth one gazed steadily at Blake. One hand slowly raised as a voice quietly said, "… … …I do."
"And you are…?"
A short girl with ginger hair and fish fins near her ears made her way to the platform where Blake and Ozpin were standing, then introduced herself, "…Penny." Her green eyes remained downcast, but Blake could just see a spark in them. This girl had a hidden strength in her. And she was quite familiar…
"I almost didn't recognize you. Penny… Polendina, right?"
The girl looked up, startled, then glanced over at Ozpin. "How did you…?"
"I knew a girl just like you back home, but she was a bit more… outgoing."
"…Sorry," her eyes fell again, "…I'm not good at making friends."
"If you can get us into the CCT, you will definitely be my friend," Blake said reassuringly, patting the ginger-haired girl on the shoulder. "And if my guess is right, you should be really good at that."
The spark in Penny's eye became a gleam. That was more like it.
"I take it you have a plan of some sort?" Ozpin mused.
"I do, but it's going to take all of us. And since we literally have nothing left to lose, then we have to make this work," Blake said as she turned to regard the entire group. They were all that was left of the White Fang, but they would have to be enough.
If they failed, they were all dead. And Blake would be damned before she just… warped away and left them to die. That was simply not an option today.
"The first thing I need is a set of Belladonna's clothes…"
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Rosey: The g-g-gunslinger is so c-cool!
Blake: Yeah, I agree.
Rosey: D-Do you think we'll see the g-gunslinger R-R-R-R-Ruby from that 100-Ruby B-Battle again? The f-fans seemed to like her…
Blake: Probably not. And besides, they probably just saw the movie. I doubt there were any real Dark Tower fans who liked seeing her show up.
Rosey: Why d-do you s-s-say that?
Blake: *leans close* Because a REAL fan would have noticed that the gunslinger Ruby showed up in chapter NINETEEN.
Rosey: *o*
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A/N: Ooh, Blake's being a savage. :)
So yeah, a lot happened pretty fast… again. Sorry if it seems like I'm going too fast, but if I lingered on every part of the story then it would last for way too long. And then I would get bored with it, nevermind my readers. And besides, just like the fights scenes, I feel that you guys can fill in the missing pieces on your own far better than I could.
Next time, we see how Blake pulls everyone's asses out of the fire… and things get a little epic at the end.
Later!
=^w^=