Chapter 5
TW: Cannon typical violence and kidnapping.
Blake took her time to steam, but before long, she got to work. First, she cleaned her mess and did her best to cover up the broken television without making it clear that something was up. With that cleaned, Blake did her best to pile up the blankets on the couch in such a way that anyone entering the apartment would think the faunus had curled up for a nice little cat nap. Then, Blake went for the knives- well, anything sharp or heavy really. She needed to deprive the heiress of any weapons. Sure, she would try and take the girl down in one strike, but this operation would only succeed if Blake kept Weiss alive- something the faunus felt she might just struggle with after the newscast.
In the process, Blake found a beautiful huntress tool. A rapier placed on a shelf in a glass casing with a plaque that read 'Myrtenaster'. The tool was well crafted, it looked as if Weiss had at one point earnestly intended to train as a huntress. This certainly couldn't be left out; if Weiss got to it, she'd at least be able to put up a problematic amount of a fight. Something enough to alert everyone in the appartnemnt complex that something was up.
Everything safely hidden away, Blake prepared. She formed ropes from Weiss's extra bed sheets, found handcuffs hidden away in some drawer with some sleek and expensive-looking toys. Blake initially dismissed them, but they actually looked rather sturdy, and just a small amount of testing revealed Weiss had probably gotten the real article rather than some toy. Not one to ignore a gift from the brothers, Blake prepared those too. Finally, she set up the cage and pulled and rewrapped the majority of it with the same wrapping paper it'd been covered in when she was inside. Odd, but convenient. This way, no one would question what was inside, it was just whatever gift Jacques had given Weiss the night prior.
Nerves from being left idle for just a little too long before something important had just begun to get to Blake when the apartment's landline jingled. She lept to it as quickly as she could.
"Oh- fast! I- Blake, I'm sorry it's been so long. My father wanted to celebrate, but I'm free and headed home now. We'll be free of prying eyes and ears just like I promised. We can… actually talk about…" Weiss trailed off with a slightly awkward intonation in her voice.
Blake wanted to scream, to lash out and strangle the heiress through the phone! CELEBRATE? Celebrate what? The full approval to indiscriminately murder faunuses? The utter lack of any actual crime for a full life sentence- one so likely to be cut short in the least humane of ways? Blake really did want to kill Weiss. Some part of her wanted to ignore the mission and take revenge for the whole of her people. But those were the same instincts that led her to follow Adam for so many years. Blake gritted her teeth, fighting through the torrent of her emotions. "Oh? That's great? You'll be home soon?" She performed her best imitation of some bimbo slave too stupid to know how fucked it was to be owned; a pet just eager to hear her owner would be home soon. She was certain that was how Weiss saw her after all.
"Yeah… I…" Weiss seemed to have trouble finding what to say. "Well, I'm sure you weren't happy to be cooped up all day, under threat if you left you'd be… I'm just sorry." Weiss sighed. "Was the salmon good the day after? Are you hungry? What can I pick up for you on my way home?"
Blake bit through the flesh of her cheek and nails cut into the palms of her hands in her fury at the heiress's faux concern. That disgusting false kindness. She'd enjoy destroying the proud heiress, breaking Weiss into everything Weiss must have seen her as. It would be perfect. But before that, she had to stay in character just a moment longer. "Oh, It was great! I! I may have ordered a movie on your tv by accident tho." Blake faked an embarrassed sigh. "I didn't have the salmon, but I did eat that tuna you told me about? I- didn't know they even still fished for it. Thank you so much, it was delicious."
"Oh, that's fine. And, I'm glad the Tuna was good! Would you like some more? I know a nice place that cooks it better than I ever could." Weiss sounded so bubbly, so excited, and it made Blake's blood boil.
"Yeah, sounds great!" She could tell the visage was slipping, her hate slipped into her voice through gritted teeth.
"Ok, I'll be home soon, and when I get there, we can talk about all this and-" The line suddenly went dead with the sound of several harsh cracks in Blake's ear. It took her until the broken plastic cut into her fingers for her to realize it was her fault. She'd cracked and all but shattered the phone in her fury. She felt stupid for it, but, maybe it was for the best? This way, she'd circumvented any risk of breaking and calling Weiss a privileged genocidal cunt while still on the phone.
Blake took the rest of her time to find the best place from which to strike. On a whim, she ended up in the closet and decided to steal some clothing, first something to hide her ears, and then something to help make her fit in once she was escorting the cage with heiress in tow. Newly clothed, the faunus found herself comfortable just past the apartment's hallway that lead to the front door. She turned on the light closest to the door and turned off the rest. That way she'd see the heiress's shadow and know exactly when to strike.
Exhausted, the heiress fumbled with the door handle. Her day had been horrible and involved far too much, only to leave even more on her plate to deal with later. On the bright side, the faunus awaiting her at home didn't seem quite as hateful as Weiss expected… though, that could have some issues to it too. She had no idea what the hell she'd do if Blake actually wanted to stay. That'd be a moral quandary Weiss had no idea how to solve. Either way, she had the city's most expensive tuna in hand as a hopeful apology for the delayed explanation and comforts she felt she owed Blake. She did her best to juggle the take-out containers in her hands as she undid the lock and opened her door. "Hey? Blake? Blake, it's me!" Weiss wondered if her exhaustion showed in her voice or if she was still doing well with hiding it behind a bubbly and cheery pretext. "I brought your tuna! Nice and fresh! It smells fantastic. I hope it's good. I-" As she turned to close and lock the door behind her, she knew she couldn't keep the eager tone up any longer. "Blake, I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry about all this, my dad, my brother and everything that's goi- Geez, it's a little dark in here? You alright?" The heiress couldn't get out another word before something collided with the back of her head and she was out.
Blake struck fast and hard. Weiss might have gotten a concussion, but her skull was more or less intact and she was out cold. That was what Blake needed. First, she cuffed the heiress, then tied her down. Needing the heiress's scroll to call Neptune now that she'd destroyed the landline, she stole Weiss's and dialed. Neptune picked up quickly and assured Blake that he'd be there in less than twenty minutes. She loaded the heiress into the cage, rolled it as close to the door as she could, gagged Weiss, loaded her in, and spent her leftover time eating the dinner Weiss had brought her.
"Blake? Blake?" Neptune whispered into the door just a moment after he knocked.
Blake was quick to open it up and usher for his assistance with the rewrapped cage.
"She's?"
"The bitch is in there, yeah."
"You heard?" Neptune went pale.
"Oh, I fucking heard. And she had a fucking part in it!"
Neptune just nodded.
"She's mine." Blake hissed.
"She's what?"
"I want in on the rest of this. I want her to pay."
Neptune almost looked scared… no, he looked terrified, but Blake didn't recognize that look anywhere other than in the mirror. "You… you're coming back to the whi-"
"I am White Fang!" Amber eyes all but illuminated the dark hallway with Blake's burning fury. "I don't care what you, Sun, or Illia say. It was my ass on the line, technically I outrank all of you! This is my op now!" Blake couldn't see it… she didn't seem to notice at all, but her hands were shaking. Neptune assumed it was anger, but a portion of him knew the truth- that there was far more fear hiding along with all that fury. "Now help me get her out of here!" Blake barked out the order.
"O- ok." Neptune swallowed around his thick tongue.
"The ship they stole is waiting for us?"
Neptune nodded.
"Jacques wouldn't dare shoot once we're in the air. Let's go!" She went to forge ahead, but Neptune stopped her. "What?!" She barked at him.
"Blake?"
"What!" She demanded again.
"Are you alright?"
Blake glanced at him, then the cage, then back. "Are you?"
"Not in the slightest." Neptune answered. "I- what if Sun's heard? What if he changes his mind and won't go back with you?"
"Then I'll knock him out and drag him back with me."
Neptune gaped. It was the perfect answer. He knew he couldn't force Sun back to safety, but Blake could. Despite that? It didn't fix the darkness dwelling deep in his gut; the omen telling him things were already going wrong.
"No. I'm not. Not in the slightest."
"You're not what?"
"Ok."
Sun fought when they arrived at the tarmac. He fought, yelled, and screamed. Nearly blew their cover entirely. Neptune begged him to just go back to the safety of Menagerie with Blake, but Sun wanted to fight. The first of Neptune's tears fell just before Blake struck Sun across the side of his head with Gambol Shroud. He broke into sobs as she threw his boyfriend into the cockpit. He gathered himself together enough to help get Weiss into the cargo bay, but he and Blake didn't share another word. Even as Blake kicked on the engines, Neptune stood, silently wiping his face clean outside the airship.
Travel to Menagerie was infinitely easier by air than by boat. Blake and Sun entered descent with their package in tow before Sun even woke. Turbulence on the way down happened to rouse him tho. He had… a litany of choice words for her once they landed, but he knew why she did it. There was no point in arguing for long; not with someone who felt no guilt for dragging him back.
Blake, for years, had been living in a house addition to her family's Menagerie manor. Older now, it awarded her privacy but kept her close to home. This felt extra useful as she and Sun dragged the cage back and down into her basement. Sun lingered like they'd have more words for each other, but for the night, Blake had not a single moment of patience for anyone but herself and planning the heiress's justice.
End of Chapter 5
