Hi! Life got in the way for a few months, but getting back to writing fanfics, so here's the previous chapter and this newest chapter! Enjoy!
As she looked at the mission board, Blake realized why Atlas felt so cold to her beside the frigid temperatures. The Atlas Academy Mission Hub was a dim grey location, hard lines indicating the doorway to the rest of the school. Hardlight monitors lined the walls detailing various categories of tasks and missions for people to tackle. In some weird way, she found comfort here, reminded of what usual huntsman & huntresses got up to as opposed to her & her cohorts' mission.
Logging in and browsing, her eyes scanned the board, huffing at the overwhelming number of missions in Mantle. Being in Atlas as a faunus sometimes felt exhausting, particularly in some of the darker aspects of the city's backstreets. Scrolling lazily, the faunus was able to find a patrol of one of the outer watchtowers. Getting out nearer the tundra felt more freeing, and Blake entered her name, along with Ruby. As rare as it sometimes felt, she did love some one-on-one time with her leader. Yet when she tapped the screen, an error message appeared.
Mission Unavailable: Mission Already Booked
Confused, Blake changed screens to discover Weiss had put the two of them on a mission providing security at a faunus rally.
Again.
Blake's ears scrunched as she sighed. The former heiress had been shadowing her as of late since they'd arrived in the kingdom and had been keen to take on missions with her. Blake needed her boundaries with people, no matter how much she cared for them. With her recent behaviour and excessive tea gifts, she knew something was off between them. What the issue was, however, remained to be seen. With that, she left for the dorm, not confrontationally, but to prepare for the afternoon.
Entering, she found Yang snoozing away with a gym bag lying on the floor. It brought a slight chuckle to the faunus, who put the bag on her own bed and grabbed her own backpack. As she threaded her arms through the loops, the door opened again, her white-haired teammate walking through confidently, only to slightly slow at seeing Blake. The faunus hid her frown by turning to the backpack and put on a light voice.
"Hey, so when do we need to head to the rally?" She inquired.
"Oh, didn't realise you knew, um… we should go now, get there early!" The usually composed heiress stumbled through her words, but Blake let it go for now. She went about her preparations, her amber irises occasionally glimpsing odd behaviors from Weiss. The former heiress' usual elegance lacked, fumbling through a drawer to find her scroll. She was unusually taciturn. Even for her. Their walk to the rally, being held in the centre of Mantle, was tense, the pair trading one word answers.
Getting an airship and stepping out into the frigid city, the pair wandered down the main streets, passing citizens who either didn't care or didn't want to give them attention. That surprising level of anonymity still felt strange in a city where faunus weren't exactly considered close neighbours, but Blake appreciated that being huntresses came with a certain level of both respect and wariness that wasn't voiced.
The pair turned the corner and gazed upon the square where protestors had already began setting up. A white box with blank cardboard signs and accompanying paints sat next to a statue, a model of Atlas & Mantle. A collection of faunus gathered in conversation and a few local police were gathered. Blake had found the police difficult and often uncooperative at these events, but she would put up with them. She approached a younger male crocodile faunus officer.
"Hi there, we're the huntresses helping to provide security here." Blake greeted, hands by her side. The officer looked them both up and down.
"Tremendous. Surprised to see another faunus helping out, people tend to get a bit angry seeing faunus huntsmen at these things." He remarked.
"Oh, really? Well my partner signed us up." Blake's gaze turned to the clearly uncomfortable former heiress, who averted her own eyes.
"Well don't worry, they're shouldn't be any trouble. Feel free to set up there and there." The officer pointed to two corners of the square, opposite from each other.
"Oh, are you sure you want to be by yourself Blake?" Weiss piped up nervously.
"Yes, I'll be fine." The faunus shot back, leaving the heiress without a word.
The pair said nothing over their earpieces as the crowd built up, the silence deafening to Weiss. Watching the swelling crowd, she glanced over to her teammate, currently in discussion with a faunus protestor. She gathered through the earpiece that it was a rather one-sided talk, the protestor quite upset at Blake. Weiss couldn't help her own discomfort, wandering over as the protestor left her teammate disgusted.
As she approached, she could see the stormy glare starting to form, then change as Blake sighed. Turning to face Weiss, she spoke deliberately. "I've got Elm and Vine to cover us. You're coming with me." The former heiress shrank into herself as she was dragged away by Blake.
Leaving the square, they ended up at a nearby coffee shop and Blake sat her down at one of the metal tables outside. A waitress came by as they sat, Weiss in complete silence as Blake ordered for them. The former heiress briefly peeked up to see her teammate looking at her with inquisitive eyes, the uncomfortable silence bubbling underneath. Nothing was said as their drinks were brought to their table. The faunus took a sip of her tea and an intake of breath.
"Weiss, what's going on?"
The heiress gulped down a big swig of coffee, her usual stoic demeanor destroyed under her friend's intense gaze.
"Look, I'm really sorry. It's just…"
Weiss faltered in her explanation, glancing up. The amber eyes hadn't moved, merely waiting for the Schnee to continue.
"Ever since we've been here, I keep seeing faunus having to fight for the things I automatically got. The mines, here in Mantle, and I did nothing. I grew up, and willingly blinded myself to the issues that regular people faced." Weiss' head dipped as she finished morosely. Even admitting this didn't make her feel better. Her hands grasped her coffee mug tightly. Yet she couldn't help her surprised gasp at Blake clearing her throat.
"Go on." Blake's eyes seemed hyper-focused on her own.
"Blake, my family oppressed your people. There's no getting around that."
"I know."
"I don't want you to think I'm even remotely like them. Not again."
Weiss shrunk in her seat, staring at her lap. These kinds of conversations were never the ones she wanted to had. Being a member of this team had made her understand that ignorance truly was bliss, no matter how misplaced. Confronting that ignorance always scared her, reminding her of what she had once been.
Her thoughts were broken by her friend taking her left hand from the table. A soft 'hey' brought her eyes up, a kindly smile.
"Weiss. I don't think you're like them." Blake responded, her voice confident.
"You have not always thought that," Weiss shot back. She knew it was harsh, and was about to apologise when she was interrupted. Blake squeezed her hand slightly.
"You're right. But you've changed. We all have. Even people not in our… predicament change. Those who can't change are close-minded, unwilling to empathise. You couldn't have changed if you didn't possess those qualities. Weiss, I'm glad you care about the faunus, you don't need to prove anything to me. You already have."
For the first time, the former heiress slightly smiled. Blake let go of her and took a sip of tea.
"When all of this is finished, maybe we could do something for faunus. Together."
The singer's irises lit up.
"That would be great. Thank you." Weiss took a drink.
"No problem. Just do me a favour, I'd rather us hang out here and not do anymore missions." Blake laughed lightly as she finished, only to raise an eyebrow as she noticed the slight shift Weiss' grip on her coffee.
"Weiss, what did you do?"
The former heiress sank into her seat again.
"I guess you want me to cancel everything I booked for us for this week?"