Blake was having a relatively good day. It had been a week since her team returned from Spring Break, and now that it was Sunday, she finally had a bit of time to herself. So, she did what she always did whenever she had free time. Her eyes skimmed over the pages of her book as her scroll sat on her lap, patiently waiting for it to buzz.
Considering that it was Sunday, she knew well enough that a certain blond in her life was more than free, so she sent him a text. It wasn't anything worth mentioning, just a question about what he might be doing for the day. So, until she got word back from him, there she sat, skimming through her book.
The book itself wasn't anything notably fascinating either, but she only started reading it recently. It was the story of a young man with nothing to lose. A story about someone who was down on his luck, living life from paycheck to paycheck, struggling to move past his surroundings. It felt… melancholic, honestly. A distorted reflection of the life that Blake felt she once lived.
Though she had to admit, she didn't get paid for it.
Her amber eyes drifted across the pages as she silently waited for a text back. The occasional sound of a page flipping was the only all she could hear in her vacant room. Loathe as she was to admit, she felt a little sad that her teammates weren't around at the moment.
The most she got from them was constant studying, training, and the odd bit of shallow grumbling and bickering. The Faunus girl remembered hating how her team could find just about anything to argue about. But now? Blake found it endearing. Her friends brought a bit of chaos to her life, and she relished that.
As Blake leaned against the headboard of her bed, she felt her scroll buzz on her lap. With a hum, she set her novel aside before picking up her scroll, flipping it over to have it face up. To her delight, her boyfriend finally replied.
She wiped away the ghost of a dopey smile that threatened to split her face, focussing on her scroll. It wasn't much of a response, only a short reply saying how Jaune didn't have anything to do for the afternoon. Her thumbs tapped against her screen, quiet ticks from her scroll forcing her ears to twitch.
Do you want to meet up later? She typed, clicking a small paper plane icon on her screen, the text buffering before finally being pushed through.
She watched a trio of bubbles dance across the bottom of her screen, waiting for the inevitable reply. The raven-haired girl bit the inside of her cheek as she watched her screen intently. With a buzz, her scroll showed the response.
A little stick figure took up a corner of her screen, its hand showing a massive thumbs-up. A smile overtook her face yet again, not bothering to hide it this time.
Alright, sweet. What do you want to do?
Another moment passed, bubbles rising and falling along the bottom of her screen. Then she felt her scroll buzz once more.
Whatever you feel like.
Her smile wavered as she stared down at her scroll, a sigh slipping from her mouth as she let her scroll fall to her lap. "That complicates things." Her mouth twisted to the side as her brows furrowed. What could either of them possibly do today?
She had already shared her hobbies with the blond boy as it were, taking him to book stores and… What else did she share with him? She shared books with him, and that was it. Sure, she had other hobbies too, but they weren't worth showing off.
Meanwhile, Jaune had taken her all over. They'd been to Cafes, Hotels, and taco trucks, she supposed. By comparison, Blake hadn't shared much with Jaune. She didn't share her interests or show him places that she thought were fascinating. So for him to just tell her to pick whatever she liked was a little nerve-wracking.
The Faunus girl threw her legs over the side of her bed before sitting up, her leg bobbing as she brought a hand to her chin. Tukson's was already closed, as sad as it was. She could suggest the cafe again, but they haven't gone there since they nearly, um, soiled the seats.
A stray thought wriggled its way through Blake's mind. "Am I boring?" She muttered, her brows furrowing as her head tilted to the side. She hadn't realized just how few interests she actually had.
Oh no, she was boring.
Her hands came to rest on her face as she loudly groaned against her palms. Besides the odd tidbit of information that she could dish out over literature, she really didn't have anything interesting to talk about. Anything that could've been classified as intriguing was something that she had previously brought up. What was she supposed to do now that she'd talked about everything?
The raven-haired girl rubbed her eyes before dragging her hands down her face, "Okay, that's fine. I'll figure something out. I always figure something out." She lied, hoping that she could fool herself into coming up with something.
Blake rose to her feet, her hand on her chin as she quickly paced in front of her bed. She wanted to come up with something fun, but her brain could only come up with visiting a library or an art museum. While both sounded nice to her, she couldn't help but feel that Jaune would be bored.
Her hand trailed up from her chin, sticking to the bridge of her nose. "Maybe we can just go to the cafe again? I mean, it's not like either of us don't like being there." She muttered, though the more she thought about it, the less the idea became appealing. The last time the two of them went to the cafe, they had a bit of trouble keeping their hands to themselves.
Now, if things just so happened to go down that route, then she wouldn't complain. Finally, her hands came to grasp at her hair, a tight feeling tugging at her scalp. Nothing felt right. Every idea that came to light just seemed to be another tossed-out thought, belonging to the garbage bin.
Her saving grace came in the form of her door clicking before slowly creaking open. A figure draped in white stepped through the door with her head held high. Yes indeed, a certain Schnee made herself known. In her pale hand was a black plastic bag, the contents of which Blake could not see.
"Oh, are the dual dunces still not-" The heiress' question was cut off by the sight of Blake rushing towards her. Her hands roughly came to rest on her shoulders as auburn orbs burned into hers.
"I need your help." The words desperately clawed their way out of Blake's mouth.
The heiress's ice blue eyes blinked rapidly, her brows reaching for the sky as her mouth made a straight line. "Do you now? The infallible, ever-knowing Blake Belladonna needs my help?"
Blake felt her eyelids weigh heavier on her as she maintained eye contact with the prissy rich girl that was her friend, "Yes, I need your help." Her words caked in irritation, "I'm supposed to go out with Jaune later, and-"
"Say no more, I understand." Blake's ears twitched at the sudden reply, her head tilting as her eyes narrowed. "You and your favorite fool are having trouble picking a place to go to, so you need my extensive knowledge of locations to ease your burden." A confident smile on the heiress's face was enough to send Blake's mind into a frenzy.
"How..?" She mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing deeper as she stared at the pale-skinned Atlesian.
"I heard you through the door." She answered casually, though the Faunus girl didn't fail to spot the smug satisfaction that covered her face.
Blake let out a sigh as she let her hands fall from her teammate's shoulders, "Why am I not surprised?" Her voice monotonously droned.
Though, what did surprise her was the sound of her prissy teammate laughing, patting her on the back, "I didn't want to interrupt your train of thought. Plus, it was funny." Her voice filled with mirth as a smile spread across her face. Despite her foul mood, the raven-haired girl found herself smiling back. "Now then, how about you take a seat while I go find my notebook?"
As Blake hobbled over to the edge of her bed and took her seat, she watched as her white-haired teammate walked to her dresser. She yanked open one of the many drawers before stuffing the black bag away. The amber-eyed girl couldn't stop her feline nature from taking hold, tilting her head as she stared at the dresser, her ears twitching violently. She knew that curiosity killed the cat.
However, she wasn't much of a cat.
"So," she started, leaning back onto her hands as Weiss started shuffling through her things, "What's with the bag?" Doing her best to sound as casual as she could. It wasn't something she cared about, per se, but Blake would be lying if she said she wasn't interested.
"Oh? It's a gift from Sir Nunyor of House Business." Came the snappy response from the heiress. "Now, where did I put the- Aha! There you are." Holding a three-ring binder above her head. It was comparable in size to some of the enormous epics that Blake had the pleasure, and sometimes displeasure, of reading through. Seriously, some books just dragged on if they overstayed their welcome.
Subtly shaking her head, the raven-haired girl watched as the Schnee sat on her bed, peeling open the binder before flicking through several notebooks. "I thought you said 'notebook.' You know, as in a singular notebook, and not an entire atlas of-" Blake paused for a moment as she let her own words rest in her mind, then a snicker slipped from her mouth.
The four-eared girl watched as icy blue eyes dulled, Weiss' eyelids sagging as her jaw slackened, "That joke alone makes me want to get up and pretend that I never met you." Her words sounded as dead as Weiss looked. "If you start slinging puns, I swear I'll throw you out the window."
This only prompted Blake to snicker again, "If I start making puns, I'll throw myself out of a window."
Blake watched as Weiss rolled her eyes, "Well, before you get an opportunity to do that, let's get serious. You want help finding somewhere to go, but I need more than that. Is there anything you specifically want to do?"
"I don't know," she started, letting her lip curl to the side as she stared down at the carpet, "It feels like we've already done everything. I mean, the first time we went out together, we ended up going to some shoddy restaurant. You remember that, right?"
The white-haired girl nodded as her binder rested in her lap, "How could I forget? It was the biggest besmirchment of the fine dining industry since the Great War."
"Right, and we also went on all sorts of dates," Come to think of it, could she even call them dates? At the time, they weren't actually dating, so did they even qualify? "Cafes, book stores, hotels-"
"I don't want to know what you got up to during your hotel visits." The Faunus girl was swiftly interrupted. The normally composed blue-blood held her hands out in front of her, face flushed as her ice blue eyes drifted towards the floor. "I already know too much as it is."
Something about Weiss' embarrassment drove the amber-eyed girl to smile, "We weren't really at that stage for what you're thinking. We went for a swim, cuddled for a while, and took a nap." It was pretty simple stuff, but she didn't think she would miss it for anything. She lived for those simple moments in life.
"You can't have possibly done everything there is to do. Think about everything that you haven't done! Have either of you ever thought to just go watch a movie? Or maybe go and find an arcade? Something as simple as a walk around town can be a magical thing!" Weiss prattled on, not knowing just how much she was preaching to the choir.
A stray thought entered the weary mind of Blake Belladonna, "I expected something more formal coming from you." She didn't expect Weiss to think about arcades and movies. The raven-haired girl figured she would have enjoyed fancy dinners and formal gatherings more interesting.
Weiss blinked a few times before bringing a hand up to her ponytail, quickly stroking it as she laughed. "Ah, well, I just thought that you might appreciate a few more realistic ideas. It's not exactly like I can recommend something formal, it's beyond your price range."
For reasons beyond her, Blake couldn't help but feel a little miffed, "What, you don't have any formal dinner places within the price range of a college student in there? Nothing in that bottomless book of restaurants?" With that, the gauntlet was tossed, and an issue was challenged.
Blake watched as her teammate's eyes narrowed, the Atlesian girl's pale hand hovering over her chest, "Oh, you want formal, do you? Fine, I'll give you formal." A certain bite behind each of her words, a sudden chill freezing over the room. Weiss clicked open the rings of her binder, pulling out a single white-covered notebook.
Dozens of multi-colored sticky notes stuck out of the top and bottom of the notebook, each of them having something scribbled on them. Though, Blake couldn't tell what from where she was sitting. "Now then, we're looking for something formal, but cheap, preferably in the 300 to 400 lien range-"
"That doesn't sound cheap!" The Faunus girl yelled out before quickly covering her mouth.
To her dismay, she watched the heiress smugly smirk, "Oh, but you wanted formal." A sickly sweet tone slinked out of her mouth, as though an acidic toxin was injected into her bloodstream. "So, that brings my list of about 200 establishments down to maybe, I don't know, 45? Yes, 45. Now, we also want something where the dress code is presentable, but slightly lax."
"What's the matter with the formal wear I already have?" The Faunus girl asked. She thought the dresses she had were just fine. Sure, they weren't frilly, or over-the-top, or super cute, but she had pockets! That had to count for something, right?
The Atlesian girl only smiled wider, holding a single, dainty hand up to ease her, "Oh, nothing really. They look good for the price you got them at." Blake felt her heart skip a beat at the sheer damage of her statement, a singular brow twitching at the backhanded compliment. "But there's a reason why formal dresses don't come with pockets."
Blake felt her brows furrow at her statement, tilting her head to the side. That's weird, she didn't remember ever mentioning pockets. "And why's that?"
A smile spread across the blue blood's face, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "Well, buying a decent dress implies that you can afford a good purse." Another shard of ice dug itself deeply into Blake's beating heart.
"What's wrong with my purse?" She was almost afraid to ask.
Icy blue eyes softened for a moment, Weiss' smile wavering slightly, as though she had asked the most innocent question of all. "Blake, my dearest teammate," she started, her voice losing its previous edge, "You bought that purse for 40 lien. I've already said too much."
Blake paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. With that, she placed back on the stoic mask, raising an arm to the sky as she rose from her seat, "I'm going to hit you now." Her words mechanically droned out like they did so many months ago.
"I'm joking!" Came the near-instant response from the heiress, "You need to find a sense of humor." Weiss mumbled, crossing her arms as her binder rested on her lap. Right, because she was the problem.
"And you need to keep reading that list." After all, the Faunus girl didn't want Weiss to forget just why she was here. Aside from critiquing her clothes, her purse, and her choice in establishments, that is.
The Schnee rolled her eyes as she continued to flick through her notebook. "Fine, fine. Spoilsport." She muttered, shaking her head as she went to the next group of bookmarks, "Alright, we've got the dress code down, and we've got the price range. Now, it's time to pick your poison. Are there any restaurant types that you prefer?"
"What, like seafood?" She couldn't remember the last time she honest to goodness, real seafood. Not since she was on Menagerie did she have any decent seafood. God, she'd kill for some good shrimp right about now. Maybe even some calamari.
"Only you would mention seafood." For as long as Blake had known her, Weiss never once properly deadpanned.
"That's racist." She snapped back, equally as deadpan.
"You make it too easy." Came her nonchalant reply, shrugging her shoulders as she went back to reading. "But I'll make sure to keep seafood in mind for the restaurant. Lucky for you, Vale is a coastal city." Oh yeah, that's right, seafood was supposed to be cheaper in Vale.
Wait, then why hadn't she gone out for seafood yet- Jaune. Right. Yep, that made sense.
For a moment, the two of them sat in silence. Blake could only watch as the organized heiress flipped through her notebook, assumedly taking note of all potential restaurants that might make for a good night. It was at that moment that Blake realized that, despite how much Weiss annoyed her, she was still her friend. Sure, she may have complained a lot, and she may have been a horrendous cynic, but she helped when it counted.
That didn't mean she wasn't really annoying though.
The ghost of a smile that traced her face was wiped away by the sound of the heiress coughing into her hand. "Alright, I think I have everything organized. Wait, you said that you wanted to go tonight, right?" Blake nodded, and soon enough, the Schnee groaned as she let her head fall backward, staring up at the roof. "Give me a minute."
The sight of Weiss folding away bookmarks was enough to put a smile on the Faunus girl's face, if only because she knew how much it annoyed her teammate. Yeah, she was going to have to find a way to make it up to her later.
After another minute and many bookmarks having been put away, Blake watched as only a handful of bookmarks remained. "Okay, now I'm done. I've got a short list of restaurants, and if none of them work, then you're out of luck, so I don't want to hear any complaints." Weiss was complaining about her potential complaints. The irony was far from lost on the amber-eyed girl.
The Faunus girl raised her hands in mock surrender, a small smile tugging at her lips, "You won't hear any complaints from me." Her voice still maintained its mechanical monotony. "So, what have you got for me?"
The white-haired girl let out a breath as she stared down at her notebook, "Well, there's a restaurant out on the riverfront with some excellent lobster, or so I've heard. The average trip there wouldn't cost more than maybe a hundred lien if you and Jaune pinched your money and got only what you wanted." As nice as that all sounded, a particular part of that sentence stuck out to Blake.
"Whatever happened to that 300 to 400 lien cost?"
"Oh, that?" Weiss asked, rolling her wrist as she tilted her head, "I lied." A smile came over the heiress' face as the words left her mouth.
A crease formed between Blake's brows as she stared at the heiress. There was a lot she could say, but the Faunus girl opted to save herself the trouble. "Right. Well, what else have you got?"
The white-haired girl let out another hum as she went through her list, "If you're still intent on seafood, I remember there being this lovely Mistrali place near Central Vale. It's the kind of place where the chefs will cook in front of you and throw the food into your mouth, it's just so authentic!" A certain level of excitement in her voice as Weiss held her hands up, shaking them as a smile came over her face.
The Amber-eyed girl couldn't help but quirk a brow, a smirk spreading across her lips, "I didn't think you'd be interested in something so gimmicky." Blake thought she would've liked more formal, 'civilized' establishments rather than authentic Mistrali restaurants. Not that she was complaining, a bit of Mistrali food didn't sound bad at all.
White brows rose as an appalling look took to Weiss' face, "Teppanyaki is not a gimmick! It's a restaurant-style that came after the Great War, and it's perhaps one of the only good things that came out of that horrible conflict. It takes the traditional style of Mistrali cooking and introduces a variety of Valean, Atlesian, and Vacuan meats and seasonings, making a beautiful display of cooking prowess and cultural blending!"
Blake's smirk only widened as her friend rambled on. Well, it seemed the heiress had an interest in teppanyaki.
"I never said it wasn't a good idea, I just said it was gimmicky. Though I've got to admit, it does sound nice." Came her easy-going, if only slightly monotonous, remark. She wasn't expecting a history lesson with her restaurant list, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
Weiss let out a huff as she rolled her eyes, "Of course it sounds nice. After all, I'm the one that recommended it." Ah, there it was. The signature Schnee pride on display.
Blake didn't bother stifling her chuckle as she leaned back against her hands, her hands sinking into her rough mattress, "Alright, what else have you got?" So far, the list was looking good, and the Faunus girl would be lying if she said she wasn't anticipating the next few choices.
The previously wide smile on Weiss' face faltered as her eyes drifted away from her notebook. "There's also another restaurant I could recommend, but I want you to keep an open mind." Her voice shook as her fingers drummed against the pages of her notebook.
The raven-haired girl couldn't help but quirk a brow, holding it before shrugging her shoulders. "How about you tell me about this restaurant before I make my judgments?" The least she could do was keep an open mind. Besides, the list didn't sound bad so far, so it wasn't like she had any reason to judge.
An awkward laugh escaped the heiress' mouth as she looked back down at her notebook, "Right, well, the restaurant I want to recommend is a little more down to earth, if that makes any sense. It's a small establishment on the riverbank, nice for a long walk after dinner, and their menu is actually very synergized with the establishment. It's almost typical of a Valean restaurant. Cheap too." The more her friend went through the list, the more Blake felt she had nothing to worry about.
"That doesn't sound too bad," Blake started, letting her brow fall as her worries were set aside. "As a matter of fact, that sounds pretty good. Why would you think I wouldn't like it?" It just didn't make sense to her. It hit every possible criterion she set. That being: cheap, small, and comfy.
"You won't like the name." Weiss quickly answered, and a pit formed in Blake's stomach.
"W-why wouldn't I like the name?" For the first time in a while, Blake stuttered. Not out of confusion but out of fear.
"It's called the Blue Moon." The world froze for a moment as the memories of the restaurant hit her like a ten-ton freight train. The smell of smoke, the booze, the tacky music, it all slammed into her as her eyes glazed over. Weiss Schnee was recommending the Blue Moon? Something must have been wrong.
"Why would I ever want to go back there? It has to be the single worst place to take a date! Plus, the last time Jaune and I were there, we both hated it!" A touch of heat lined her words as a crease grew deeper between her brows. She wanted tonight to be perfect, breathtaking even! Dragging Jaune back to the Blue Moon was the single worst choice she could have been given.
Weiss paused for a moment, her mouth slightly agape as her eyes darted about the room. The fluffy-eared girl watched as her friend took a breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth. "Well, it couldn't have been that bad. After all, you're both together because of it."
The raven-haired girl tore her eyes from the heiress across from her, her eyes resting on the carpet beneath her feet, "That's different," she mumbled. "Jaune and I got together because we both thought that place was that bad. It's not really fair to say that it's the fault of the restaurant that we are the way we are."
To her surprise, she heard Weiss let out a giggle. "Blake, you can argue semantics for as long as you want. But the fact of the matter is that you and Jaune got together because of the Blue Moon. For better or worse. Besides, don't you think it would be nostalgic to visit? After all, look at how far the two of you have come in so little time!"
Blake felt her brows furrow as she tilted her head, her ears flattening on the top of her head. "Wait, how long has it been?" It felt like forever ago since the Faunus girl found one of the greatest joys of her life. Yet, at the same time, it also felt like yesterday. She felt trapped in time, but in the best way possible.
Weiss blinked as she stared at auburn orbs, "It's been a few months now. Just a little over three, I think."
The auburn-eyed girl paused for a moment, letting her friend's words rest on her mind. Her head hung as she brought both of her hands to rest on her cheeks. Three months? That almost felt unreal to her.
The Faunus girl let out a breath as her head hung lower than before, "I could have sworn it was longer than that." She muttered, an inkling of amusement hung on the edge of her words. "Is it bad for me to say that it makes me feel weird? You know, knowing that Jaune and I have only been together for three months?"
She heard her prissy teammate hum for what felt like the umpteenth time this afternoon, "I'd say that you and Jaune getting together the way you did is nothing short of a miracle. The fact that the two of you meshed so well together is astonishing." She started, her tone was wispy and unfocused, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't envious of what you two have. I can only hope that I find someone so willing to put up with me like that blond dolt does for you."
Something about that comment made Blake smile, "Oh, come on," she started, bringing her head up to stare at the heiress, "Sure, you're a little annoying, but you're not that bad. I'm sure a guy out there will be able to melt the cold heart of the Ice Queen some day." She added, sprinkling in her amusement with abandon.
Previously unfocused ice blue eyes returned to the world with renewed life, deadpanning as they peered into Blake's soul. "The window is right there. I will let you decide whether you want to jump or if you want me to push you." A haughty tone gripped hold of the heiress' words as she stared down at her.
"Hey, I mean it," Blake spoke, trying her best to come off as supportive as possible. "Someday, you'll find a guy that you feel comfortable with and be yourself. It'll take a while, but you will find him. Not Jaune though, he's mine." Was she being petty and overprotective? Absolutely. Did she regret it? Not in the slightest, no.
Blue eyes rolled at her comment, "You can keep him. The last thing I want to do is break up a happy couple." Weiss let out a giggle as she brought a hand up to her mouth, closing her eyes out of amusement. "Though I'm not sure if I could speak for anyone else, so you might want to keep an eye on him."
"I don't think Jaune has it in him to look at any other girls with that in mind. He can think other girls are pretty, and he might even be right, but at the end of the day, I'm his, and he's mine." The words rolled off her tongue more naturally than she wanted to admit. It wasn't the fact that she thought he couldn't, but because she knew he wouldn't.
Plus, she had to admit, she was confident that she could keep his eyes on her.
Only then did Blake realize that a silence set over the room, feeling her cheeks burn up as she let out an awkward laugh, "Right, well, if we're still talking about the Blue Moon… I guess I can give it some thought." She really didn't want to, but the Faunus girl knew that there weren't very many alternatives. Plus, it was the cheapest option, and she liked it cheap.
The cat watched as Weiss coughed into a closed fist as she closed her notebook, "Good, because after that, I'm not sure if I want to help anymore." Her haughty attitude returned with greater force than ever before. But Blake didn't fail to notice the rosy pink that dusted Weiss' cheeks. "Honestly, you should learn to be a bit more careful with what you say in polite company. If I were anyone else, I might have presumed the worst."
Something about the heiress chastising her drove the raven-haired girl to snicker, "Why? It's not like we haven't given you enough to presume as it is." Blake knew her teammate hadn't forgotten about the tumble she took in her bedsheets, and even though she felt bad about it, she could only laugh about it now.
"Because the last thing I want to think about is my friend and her favorite dunce doing… that." The pause in Weiss' voice gave the normally stoic girl a reason to laugh. As her voice bounced off the walls, Blake watched through teary eyes as her prissy friend deadpanned, "I'm not sure why you think this is so funny, Miss 'I slept in my friend's bed while wearing her Sunday dress.'" Any semblance of laughter died in Blake's mouth as the words registered in her mind.
She knew.
A ball formed in the Faunus girl's throat as her soul withered beneath the annoyed gaze of her friend. Blake could laugh about the bed thing, but the dress made her feel bad. "How did you-" The question died on her tongue as ice blue eyes sharply stabbed at her heart.
"You just confirmed it." Fuck, "I had a sneaking suspicion after my dress went missing, followed up by Yang showing me a picture that was on your scroll. By the way, you should probably change your lock screen password." An awkward chuckle slipped out of the amber-eyed girl as a hand stuck itself to the back of her head. She didn't even have a lockscreen on her scroll. She just kept it on her at all times.
Then a pause took to her mind, "Wait, I never sent those pictures?" She asked, quirking a brow at Weiss. She still felt weird about the whole dress debacle, but there wasn't much to be done about it.
"Yang went through your scroll a few nights ago and found them in your gallery." A sudden heat came over Blake's chest, her eyes subconsciously twitching as a corner of her lip rose in contempt.
"That nosy bitch." The words flowed out of her mouth with a venom that she didn't know she held, only to blink and pause. She just called her partner a nosy bitch, which she was, but out of anger. A twinge of guilt touched her heart. "Sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"Oh no, you're right. It's not exactly like I wanted to see those pictures either." Came the easy response from the heiress, a frown taking to her face. "By the way, I really hope you burned that dress, because no amount of soap could ever wash out the shame."
You know, Blake suddenly felt unwelcomed in her dorm anymore. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, her ears folding downwards onto her head as her eyes stared down at the floor. "Neither of us planned on it that night. It was a dare, things spiraled out of control, we were both drunk, and-"
The white-haired girl only sighed as she raised a hand, "What's done is gross. But seriously, if you and that blond dunce ever get the feeling to do something like that, just go out and get a room. Please?"
Instead of answering, Blake opted to place her hands on her face, drag them down her cheeks, and stand up from her bed as she suppressed a groan. "I think I'm going to go get ready now." She mumbled, trudging over to her dresser.
As Blake shuffled through her dresser, pulling out her dress and other appropriate articles of clothing. With her folded clothes neatly stacked in her hands, she made ready to march off to the shower. But a single, long piece of cloth caught her attention, a fabric that she would always bind over her ears. Did she even want to wear it tonight?
She was going to be moving around in public, and if she had her bow on, no one would ever know that she was a Faunus. That is, if she played it safe. But on the other hand, something about wearing her bow tonight felt wrong, disingenuous. Sure, people could end up judging her for her appearance and her ears, but it wasn't like it mattered. At the end of the day, she was going out with Jaune, and she knew just how he felt about her ears.
Knowing that made her feel safer. With a sigh, she set her bow on top of the rest of her clothes. She'd just have to figure it out later.
As she turned around to march into the bathroom, she saw her prissy teammate staring at her with a quirked brow before shrugging her shoulders, "Have a lovely night, and make sure that you're safe. Don't want any blond kittens before you can support them."
That comment alone was enough incentive for Blake to rush towards the bathroom with her clothes in hand, if only to hide her quickly growing blush. That thought was the last thing she needed clogging up her mental space. Blond kittens? Absurd. As Weiss said, it had only been a few months. The idea of her having to deal with small, blond-eared, amber-eyed kids was…
No!
As soon as she got to the bathroom, Blake made sure to slam the door behind her. She had a lovely afternoon to get to, and she wasn't about to let Weiss get her all riled up over an off-handed comment that didn't mean anything. The ears atop her head twitched as she heard the sound of quiet laughter come from under the bathroom door, her face radiating with the heat of a thousand burning furnaces.
The amber-eyed girl sighed as she set her clothes aside before turning the key to the shower. The familiar feeling of cold water hitting her forearm sent a chill up her arm as she pulled it away from the shower curtain. With the water running, all that Blake was left with was her thoughts. What was tonight going to be like?
Hopefully good, but she wasn't going to hold her breath.
The city of Vale always managed to leave Jaune breathless. Towering skyscrapers with windows that ran all the way up to the sky, carefully reminding him about just how small he really was. In the few months that he came to Vale, he had to admit that there weren't many places that he could recall. Aside from the places he found with Blake, but those were few and far between.
There was always Tukson's old store, but there wasn't much point visiting a vacant building. Then there was the Game Cafe, but they hadn't found the time to go back since they first hooked up. The park was always great fun, but they never went. Jaune couldn't help but feel that Blake might have been allergic to the color green, but he wasn't sure. He supposed there was the Samual King hotel, but neither of them had the money to go back now that the Spring deal was over. So that left one place.
The riverfront.
The place where it all started. That place where he found Blake gracefully sitting on a bench as she stared at the shimmering sea as it funneled into thin canals. Even now, the sight was etched into his mind. Honestly, he was a little surprised when Blake told him to find his suit and get spiffy. But after looking at himself in the mirror, he really couldn't complain.
He could rock a suit, and he knew it. Then again, he couldn't think of anyone that couldn't look good in a suit. As his loafers clacked against the winding concrete sidewalk, turning corners where he needed to, his right hand tugged at his tie as he felt the improvised noose dig at his skin. As much as he liked looking good, sometimes it was just a pain.
The cold evening wind brushed its gentle lips against his forehead as he stopped at a crosswalk. A crimson red light soon flicked to green, illuminating the asphalt in front of him. Yet despite that, no cars dared pass. The road was empty, silent. It was a shame, he thought. For such a lovely night, he felt like the only one out to enjoy it. Granted, he knew that there was at least one more person out there, but he had to find her first.
As the light flickered back to its previous red shade, the sharply-dressed blond continued his journey. Brown loafers clacked against asphalt, and with another few turns, he found his feet meeting cobblestone. The smell of salt attacked his nostrils as he walked along the riverbank as the sound of running water along the canal brought his heart to a slow.
He hadn't smelled the sea in such a long time. How long had it been? Two months? Three? Something like that. All he knew for sure was that he welcomed the smell. Though it may have been strong, it reminded him of home, if that made any sense. It just felt so… real, he supposed.
That was a funny thought. He had not been to the riverbank since that fateful night. The fact that he was walking along the same bank, having only been there a few months prior, made him feel weird. On the one hand, his life had gotten better since then. He had Blake to talk to about his forged transcripts, his confidence was through the roof, and he was pretty sure he was able to lift more. But on the other hand, he still felt like he hadn't done enough.
In three months' time, Jaune had only managed to improve slightly upon himself. Slightly being the operative word. He still felt inadequate in some areas, mostly in his combat prowess, or rather, lack thereof. But he knew that Vale wasn't built in a day, yet he still couldn't help but feel that way.
A small smile came over his face as he smacked the back of his head, "Come on, man, get a hold of yourself." The blond boy muttered, "You're going to spend a good night with your drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend, and you're busy sitting here complaining about yourself." Sometimes a reminder that he was being stupid was enough of a kick to get him thinking. It was something that Blake taught him, and he was sure that she knew it.
With a chuckle, he followed the cobblestone trail, the stars serving as his guiding light as the shattered moon cast down its most radiant rays. If he wasn't in a rush to find his favorite Faunus girl in the world, he would have certainly admired the sight. The view of shimmering stars reflecting off of the sea, along with the canals that it was fed into. The wondrous lights waltzed across the water, dancing to the symphony of Cricket strings, Owl brass, and the percussions that stemmed from his heart.
One final turn on the winding path and a chime from his scroll was enough for Jaune to know that his destination was in sight. As the sharply-dressed blond walked the trail, his hand gliding along the metal rail to his side, the picture of glowing lights filled his eyes. Deep blue lights spread their rays upon the cobblestone road in front of him, a single bench no more than a few feet away from the riverfront.
But most of all, a single figure sat at the bench. Raven hair blew gently with the breeze as amber eyes stared at the sight of stars reflecting atop the ocean surface. A woman dressed in a beautiful purple dress with a black sash around her waist. Though, what stuck out to him the most was a pair of black ears that adorned her head.
Months ago, a similar sight left him breathless. It was all nearly the same in his mind. But the greatest difference of all was what stirred within him. Blake was always beautiful, but knowing her made her look that much more gorgeous.
Swallowing the knot that threatened to form at the back of his throat, Jaune brushed off his coat one final time, gave his tie one last tug, and strode towards the center of his attention. He put in his best effort to put on as good a smile as he could, though the Faunus girl that captured his eye just stared at the ocean. Honestly, he couldn't blame her.
If Blake wasn't there, he would have done the same.
Jaune's loafers clacked as he grew closer to the elegant lady he was lucky to call his girlfriend. Soon enough, he stood right behind her, yet she paid him no mind. A part of him wanted to cough or to tap her shoulder, but the funnier part of his brain urged him to do something else.
Without a word, the blond boy stepped around the bench and took a seat next to her, staring at her from the corner of her eye. "So," he started, letting his amusement trickle into his voice, "What's a pretty lady like you doing out here by yourself?"
A smile came over the dark-haired girl's face as she stared back from the edge of her eye, "Oh, you know how it goes. I came out here hoping to get dinner with a certain someone, but they haven't shown up yet." A twinge of sass in her voice that always managed to tickle his ears.
She heard the boy next to her let out an over-dramatic sigh as his head flew back, "I know what you mean. I was supposed to come out here with some friends of mine, but wouldn't you know it, they all ditched me." A wide smile contrasted the melancholy that came from his voice.
Blake couldn't keep herself from chuckling as she turned to stare at her favorite blond, looking over his attire. She knew Jaune cleaned up nicely, but tonight he looked particularly handsome. Something about how his suit hugged his shoulders, accentuating his broader, more masculine qualities was something that she could appreciate. Her boyfriend dressed in a suit with black slacks was something she wouldn't mind seeing more of.
"Well," she started, leaving a bit of a wisp in her voice, "You're alone, I'm alone, and both of our dates ditched us. How about we step inside and get something to eat?" Giving the blond a confident smirk as she stared at the restaurant door behind him.
The blond let out a laugh as he let drop his act, "I thought you'd never ask." Standing from his seat, he stretched out a hand in the hopes of helping her up. As he took her hand and brought her to rise, he may have intentionally put a little too much force into it, pulling her to his chest. "You look fantastic, by the way."
The amber-eyed girl rolled her eyes as her hands pressed against his black suit-jacket, "And you clean up nicely. Now, if we don't start walking towards that entrance, I might just forgo the food and skip to the end." She promised, though she knew he'd hardly take it as a negative.
"Don't threaten a guy with a good time." Came his playful reply, just as she expected. She felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders, and as she went to tilt her head up, she felt him take a step back. Her brows furrowed slightly as her expectations were unfulfilled. "I don't get a kiss?" If Jaune had to describe it, her words felt like they carried the crack of a whip. Snappy, and with a promise for the future.
The blond snorted as he patted her shoulder, "There's time for that later." His words flowed like smooth, sweet honey. "Besides, not in public." As much as he wanted to kiss his girlfriend, and God did he want to, it was better to save that for later.
He watched as her lips curled to the side as a single brow rose, "Is there something wrong with me kissing you in public?" Though it went unsaid, he watched as her amber eyes trailed upwards, beyond himself and the stars. His own eyes followed, resting on her bare, openly presented ears.
She felt his hands bolt off her shoulders before raising them in surrender, "Oh, no! Your ears are perfect!" A confidence in his voice that she wished she could emulate. Truth be told, Blake was terrified of walking in public with her bow off. The only reason she thought to take it off was… She wanted to surprise him.
Blake knew how he didn't mind her ears, but even then, it was the only reason she could think he wouldn't want to kiss her in public. "Then why..?"
The previous confidence in his smile was shattered by an awkward laugh, a hand sticking to the back of his blond hair. "I uh, I don't want anyone else to see you like that." His face resembled the dorky boy that she met three months ago. Awkward, dorky, and with his heart on his sleeve.
Jaune listened as a giggle slipped between his girlfriend's lips, a gorgeous smile threatening to split her face in half. "How else am I supposed to keep pretty girls away from you?" What an easy question.
The blond only rolled his eyes, "You don't have to try hard. Most pretty girls don't want anything to do with me." He watched as a corner of Blake's lips tugged upwards, amused at his self-deprecation.
"Oh, am I not pretty enough for you?" Her smile grew wider as a playful twinkle shimmered behind her amber eyes.
"Hey, I said most, alright? I just ended up getting really lucky, is all." And he meant it. He was beyond lucky to call Blake a friend and even luckier to call her his girlfriend. Soon enough, he held his arm out to the side. "Now, are we gonna stand out here and flirt all night, or do you want to step inside and get some dinner?"
A snicker slipped from Blake's lips as she wrapped her arms around her favorite fool's arm. "And here I was thinking tonight would be boring." A smile threatened to split her face in two as she stared up at the pair of deep blue orbs that were her boyfriend's eyes.
"How could it be?" He started, eyebrows raised in surprise, "When I'm with you, everything's interesting." Jaune felt a hand lightly pat his chest as he began to walk his lovely date to the door.
"Who's the flirt now?" Came her reply, and all the blond boy could do was chuckle.
A short walk brought them to the front door of the restaurant. A simple push was enough to bleed out the sound of music, laughter, and clinking silverware. So, with his arm holding the door, the sharply-dressed blond gestured to the opening. "Ladies first."
The raven-haired girl smiled as she stepped through the door, putting a bit of sway in her step as she moved past him, knowing full well that he noticed.
And then the front door to the establishment shut, the sound of bombastic old-world music ceasing for the outside world.
Blake didn't have high hopes for the Blue Moon when she walked through the door. She expected little more than a pre-war speakeasy in the guise of a restaurant. She expected the stench of smoke and sour odor of cheap alcohol. But she was pleasantly surprised. Rather than finding a smoked-up restaurant with alcoholics at a bar, she found people dressed not unlike herself, all of them chatting among their tables as they ate dinner.
As for dinner itself, she had to admit that it wasn't the worst. She wasn't shocked to see Jaune order a steak with an appropriate side dish, though she hardly paid much attention to that fact. No, when she received her meal, she practically salivated at the sight of it. Whereas Jaune opted for steak, the amber-eyed girl wanted seafood.
And you know what? It was a great idea. The seafood at the Blue Moon was to die for, and for the life of her, she didn't know why. The last time she'd been there, it was the worst experience of her life. Every second in the restaurant had been suffocating, awkward, uncomfortable, she could go on. So why was it so different now?
Maybe it had to do with the fact that things were awkward between her and a certain blond, or maybe the restaurant actually cleaned up its act. Or it was something else entirely and was left to the whims of some omnipotent being that left itself unseen and unheard.
One of those things was not like the others.
The Faunus girl snickered to herself as she walked hand-in-hand with her date, taking a short walk along the riverbank. Neither of them suggested it, it just felt like the right thing to do. After all, it wasn't like there was much else to do after getting dinner.
The sight of twinkling stars filled her eyes as she stared up at the night sky. She didn't know much about the stars, truth be told. However, she knew that stars and their rays traveled for millions and millions of miles until eventually reaching Remnant. It was a curious thing. All of the stars in the sky could have already been dead and gone, yet no one in the world would know until it was too late.
Weirdly enough, Blake thought that she could compare the stars to a lot of things. They were out of reach but just within sight, and they burned brightly. There was a saying that her parents told her once. The candle that burns twice as fast burns half as long.
To her, she thought that an actual relationship with someone she deeply cared for was nothing more than a distant dream. Not unlike a calm Spring afternoon in the middle of a wheat field. And yet, there she was, walking hand-in-hand with the boy that made her feel like life beyond repentance was worth living.
Though, whereas Blake was busy watching the stars, the blond boy was entranced by the sea. Jaune was no ancient Mistrali philosopher, he didn't have the slightest clue on how to approach or view the world around him. But staring out at the sea made him feel a way he didn't think he could. There was just something so honest about the way the waves moved, the way the ocean surface reflected all that gazed upon it, showing one's truest self.
He figured it out now. He knew why he couldn't tear his eyes from the sea that fed into the canal. It was more than because it was beautiful, but because it held an honesty that he wished he could have presented from the start. The truth, and nothing but the truth, was something he'd come to value, and being able to express himself and his concerns was something that he didn't think he could appreciate so much.
In Blake, he found someone with whom he could share everything, and he hoped that the Faunus Girl felt the same. Then again, considering that he knew she was a Faunus, she probably already did. She was the mirror in his life that he needed to see himself if that made any sense. Before meeting her, he thought so little of himself, thinking that he was unreliable and useless. Yet time and time again, not only did she manage to prove him wrong, but she managed to put forward proof that he was better than he thought.
Something about that made him feel all giddy on the inside.
The Faunus girl heard her boyfriend let out a snicker as he walked to her right, staring out at the sea. She couldn't help but quirk a brow as a smirk took to her face, "What's so funny?" Amusement bleeding into her voice.
She watched as a smile took to his face as he waved her off with his free hand, "It's nothing, just a dumb thought I had." How was that any different from the normal thoughts that jumped around his mind? Blake may not have been able to read minds, but even she knew that Jaune's headspace was an interesting place.
"You always have dumb thoughts." A playful smirk danced across her face as her words whipped at his heart.
Jaune brought a hand to his chest, clutching at his aching heart, "Your words wound me, madam." A faux posh accent gripping at his voice. Seeing her smirk widen was enough for him to feel like his joke succeeded.
Blake rolled her eyes at the silliness of her favorite blond's posh accent, but she would play along. "You'll have to forgive me, but I fail to see how that should be of concern. The truth hurts, and all you can do to combat it is improve." Putting forward her best attempt at a posh accent, though she felt it fell a little flat.
But to her surprise, she heard Jaune laugh. "Hey, that's a pretty good Weiss impression-"
"I will fuck you up." She immediately replied, her eyes directly staring into his own with the promise of pain.
"Remove the 'up' part and I'm down." His thoughts had slipped from his brain and out of his mouth. Amber eyes blinked as they stared back at him, and all he could do was pretend to be embarrassed.
The raven-haired girl paused for a moment, turning her head to look over her shoulder as she slowed her pace. Pleased to see that no one was around, she stopped completely, tapping her sharply-dressed boyfriend on the shoulder. A singular brow rose on his face, but when she beckoned him down with her finger, she brought herself close to his ear.
"Later," she whispered, pulling away with a confident smile as she saw a look of surprise grasp hold of his face. But soon enough, it was replaced by a smile of his own.
"Sounds fun." He mumbled, walking further down the cobblestone road and enjoying its winding path. Blake stayed close by, thankfully. He hoped he wasn't dragging her along, but then again, her hand was still tightly wrapped around his, so that thought came and went fairly easily.
Eventually, cobblestone turned to concrete sidewalk as the two of them walked their path. To neither of their surprise, they found themselves gravitating towards the park. There was no other way to describe it, it just felt like the right thing to do.
As they passed through the metallic archway that was the park entrance, the only way either of them could describe it was different. Or rather, different, but the same. String lights hung from the park lamps as they walked through the vacant park. Even with Blake's superb hearing, she couldn't hear a thing. The nocturnal life of Vale remained silent, the nightlife of Vale felt nonexistent, and the very soul of the City thumped quietly, barely registerable.
The white dots in the dark sky were contrasted by orange and blue string lights, lighting their path along the park's path. The street lights themselves radiated white light, causing a collage of three different colors, though they all seemingly blended together like a fine tapestry. Soon enough, as they walk through the endless canvas of beautiful colors, there before them sat a familiar bench no more than a few feet in front of a street lamp.
Again, no words were spoken as they both approached the bench, taking their respective seats as their hands remained intertwined. So much had changed, and yet, so little felt foreign. To Blake, it felt like she was living in a totally different world, but that world just so happened to look the same as the last. It felt like a world that was better while still feeling the same.
A world where every star was a dream. Whether the dream flickered and faded, or if it burned brightly with a passion to rival that of the sun, they would be immortalized in the night sky. Simple dreams, like short-term success, the hopes of starting a family, leaving behind a legacy, or just hoping to help someone in need. But Blake's was more than that.
Her dream was hoping to one day bridge a divide between humanity and the Faunus, and the way to do it would be through being a huntress and partaking in peaceful demonstrations. Instead, she found a much more personal way to close the gap, finding herself in a happy relationship with a human boy from school.
She couldn't help but laugh to herself as she sat next to the boy in question, staring up at the stars. Of all the dreams that could have been achieved… "It just had to be mine, didn't it?" She muttered, a grin subtly stretching across her face. She almost felt undeserving of her happiness. There were millions of people in the world that suffered daily. Some of them are because of Blake's choices. But she didn't feel guilty, as horrible as it sounded.
Did she feel bad about her choices from years ago? Certainly. But it wasn't as if she wasn't trying to better herself. In one year, she managed to learn how to better protect the people of Vale and the Frontier, learned how to become slightly more sociable, and managed to mostly push past her own insecurities. At the rate that she was going, she would be able to bridge the gap between people sooner than ever.
All because she had people there to help her.
The sound of his girlfriend quietly giggling to herself was enough to get the blond boy's attention, staring at her from the corner of his eye. "What's so funny?" He asked, knowing full well that she would say his dumb face or something.
To his surprise, he watched as his girlfriend shook her head from side to side, her long-flowing hair waving back and forth along her back. "It's nothing, just…" A brief pause took hold as she smiled at the stars, "You make me really happy."
Any attempt to reply on his end only resulted in stammering, a familiar tightness settled in his chest as he coughed into his hand, "That came a little out of left field." He muttered, watching as her ears twitched atop her head. "Not that that's a bad thing! I'm glad I make you feel that way!"
The Faunus girl giggled as she stared at him from the corner of her vision, watching as a tint of red spread across his cheeks. She was lucky Jaune didn't have the night vision that she did, or he might have noticed her own embarrassment. "It's true. You make me feel… I don't know? You make me feel like I was always normal. Does that make sense?"
The sound of the blond boy's warm chuckling was always a treat to the amber-eyed girl, "Not really." Came his reply, his smile stretching from ear to ear, "But if making you feel normal is what you want, then I'll make you feel so normal that you'll think it's boring."
Jaune was many things, but to Blake, boring was far from them. "The only way you could do that is if I had to deal with you for the rest of my life. And as tempting as that sounds, I think I'd rather graduate first." The idea of spending all of her time with him was euphoric to her. A feeling of serenity that would never end, a security that would never leave, and most of all, an affection that would always be reciprocated.
The blond boy snickered at the thought, "Slow down a bit, would you? It's only been a few months and you're already talking about settling down." In all honesty, it kind of reminded him of his parents. That didn't sound all that bad, actually. A quiet place on the frontier, a cabin in the woods, a couple of goblins, and a dog.
Great, now he was thinking fast.
"Nothing wrong with a bit of daydreaming. Unless, you're not ready for that conversation?" If it was, then Blake wouldn't mind refraining from the subject. As far as she was concerned, she was perfectly content with her lot in life as it were. She didn't need more, but the thought of a future was beyond tempting.
The blond boy let out a hum as he turned to look at the night sky. "You know, I'm not really sure. Things have happened in so little time, but it all feels like it happened really slowly, you know?" Was he the only one that felt that way? He wouldn't say it felt as long as a year, but it definitely felt longer than a few months. "Honestly, I don't want to mess anything up by rushing through it. Being around you? It makes me feel larger than life. Like nothing could stop me, even if it tried."
Blake couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, a smirk taking hold of her face, "Larger than life, huh? What, the young Arc plans to save the world with his Faunus girlfriend?" Sarcasm crept into her voice as she playfully jostled the taller boy's shoulder.
She heard him let out a laugh as he rocked back and forth, "Why not? I'm sure it would make a great story for future Arc generations! Think about it, a story where a dumb knight and a pretty ninja meet by coincidence, strike a deal out of convenience, only to fall in love by complete accident! Sounds like it could make a killer book."
It was for the best that he didn't know that book was real. And even better that he didn't know what was in it.
"I'm sure it would." She carefully replied, trying her best not to tip him off. "But you know what? I think tonight was a pretty good night, all things considered." Doing her best to steer the conversation away from the idea of books, and ninjas, and smut- not smut!
She wasn't surprised to see the well-dressed blond nod his head, gripping her hand tightly as he turned to face her, "I know what you mean. Tonight was honestly kind of awesome. I mean, we got good food, took a nice walk, saw the stars. Call me crazy, but I think tonight was perfect." Blake wasn't sure she agreed with him on that. She wasn't so quick to give anything the title of perfect.
But if there were anything close to perfect, tonight would certainly be it.
A smile tugged at her lips as she gently squeezed his hand back, "Well, I'm glad you liked it as much as I did." Her usual monotony disappeared from her voice. What was once an apathetic sound for her morphed and changed into something more teasing and open. She had to stifle a laugh as a memory forced itself to the front of her mind.
Blake recalled a time when her partner insisted that she go out more and live it up a little. That she shouldn't close herself off and focus on books so much, lest she ends up trapped in her head. Well, there she was, living life how she wanted, and now her partner couldn't get her to sit still for a few nights.
Jaune let out a breath, content with his lot in life. Though a question still lingered from so long ago. "Is it weird to say that this night was kind of wasted on us though?" He didn't mean it in a bad way. After all, this was a night that two other people could have fallen madly in love or something. As far as Jaune was concerned, he was already head over heels for Blake.
He watched the Faunus girl quirk a brow as her ears twitched atop her head, "I'm not sure I get what you mean?"
Blake listened as Jaune chuckled, a smile gluing itself to his face, "Well, this was a night two people could have fallen in love, you know? A perfect dinner, a walk along the riverfront, and someone to hold close. It was all too flawless. But I didn't have to fall in love again-"
A rush of heat took to her cheeks as she suddenly found the sidewalk far more interesting. She wasn't sure what she could say. Blake liked Jaune more than she had any right to, but for him to say something so strong as 'love' was heavy. But the fact that he said that he loved her, no matter how much of a slip, made her feel like she could conquer the world.
Her heart loudly pounded against her chest as she swallowed the knot at the back of her throat, watching as Jaune silently fidgeted from the corner of her eye. "I think I get what you mean." She started, trying to find the appropriate response. "I… I didn't need tonight to prove that I do too."
It was cheesy, cliche, corny, and all the other things that she could think of. But from what she learned about dating, particularly from experience, liking someone was both cheesy while simultaneously being the opposite of what she expected. There didn't have to be classy dinners, long walks, or fancy clothes. Just someone there to hold and care for.
Jaune couldn't help but laugh, a feeling of relief sweeping over his body as he moved past his slip of the tongue. "Guess we're tonights biggest suckers, huh?" After all, they'd both paid 80 lien for a dinner they didn't need.
"Yup." Blake easily replied, staring up at the sparkling dreams that dotted the sky.
They both sat there for a while, enjoying the silence that the city provided. It felt like the whole world was put on pause just for the two of them. But, of course, life can never pause forever. They had to go home at some point, so when they did, they made sure to leave without saying a word.
They didn't have to. They knew what they would say long before saying it. So they walked home, leaving behind the bench in the park, the light above carefully flickering as it had so many months ago. But as they left, the park still made no sound. After all, the park was something of a different world.
A world where street lights flicker on long walks.
525,600 Minutes.
8,760 hours.
365 days.
One whole year of writing Street Lights.
You know, at some point, I was sure I had some kind of idea as to how I was going to write this author's note. But honestly, now that it's over, I'm not even sure what to say.
When I started writing Street Lights, my goal was to write two characters that I don't have any particular attachment to. I didn't like either of them to a degree, despite what my followed story list might say. I don't like how Jaune is written normally because of how others turn him into something he's not.
And I never really liked Blake's canonical portrayal just because I felt that her themes fell a little flat after Volume 3. Her thing was supposed to be peaceful resistance in contrast to Adam's violent resistance, but now it's all just a bunch of angsty teen shit with no actual substance.
So, you could imagine my surprise when I posted the first chapter of Street Lights for the first time and saw that I hit 100 follows in a night. I rode that high for the week that followed, finishing the next chapter in record speed while setting a schedule for myself. At first, it was every Monday. Then it became every two Mondays. Then I started uploading Sundays.
But no matter what days I posted, I still ended up feeling fulfilled, if only a little.
After a while, sometime after Chapter 9 or so, I got burned out of the idea. I wrote so much in so little time that I could've written an honest-to-goodness novel. That sorta demoralized me, to be honest. I figured, "What the hell am I doing writing fanfiction when I could go write this book that I've been wanting to do for so long?"
And truthfully? I don't know.
Maybe it was the feeling of wanting to finish something. Maybe it was because I didn't want to be one of those assholes that built up a massive follower-base before leaving them dry. Because believe me when I say that I've been that guy before. I didn't want to be that guy again.
So, I finished it.
If I had to be honest, I feel kind of hollow. A year's worth of work into this story, and as nice as it was to interact with all of you lovely people, I feel like I've got nothing to show for it. My life took a tumble during the process of me writing this story, and I'm not sure how long it'll take to recover.
Maybe I should've been that guy. Maybe I should have tossed aside the story and focussed on more worldly issues. But thinking about it all now, there's nothing I could have done.
All I can say is that I had fun, no matter how painful, sleepless, tiring, and mind-numbingly terrible it was.
Thanks for joining me on this journey. I know I wasn't as consistent as I could have been, and I know I should have pre-written more chapters first, but I can't do anything about it now. I can only course-correct for the future.
I think I'm going to go off and do my own thing for a few months, recharge my battery for a bit, and hopefully write that book I've been meaning to get done. At least it'll be shorter than Street Lights, so that's good.
I thought about starting a at some point, if only to help fill the hole in my bank and to help my family with the stuff that I can, but I feel like I'd be leeching off of people with just as much to lose as I do. So I think I'll refrain until I've got some original stuff to shill. Look forward to that, I suppose.
I might do commissions. 'Might' being the operative word. It depends on how I'm feeling.
Oh, and last, but not least, the discord. To you guys that joined the server over the last few months, thank you so much. It doesn't mean a lot to others, but it meant something to me, to see the Goblin Industries get to a decent size. It's nothing crazy big, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in being personal. So yeah, thank you, guys.
Anyway, that's all I've got for today. I'll probably write some side stories for Street Lights, sort of an epilogue-style thing that shows off what life after the events of the story would look like. Stuff like graduating, getting their own place, that sort of thing. If any of you have any ideas, I'd be more than happy to hear them out in, hey, guess where?
That's right, the fucking discord!
I'm joking. Unless, of course, you want to join. In which case, welcome.
Alright, I've taken up enough time as it were. I'll see all you lovely people later. Ciao.
discord: 7ksPCNs3ZM