The man knew his plan was working when he saw Blake look at him, look to the side, then half-heartedly paw at a toy mouse. Her expression was enough to tell him that she was in a good, safe enough mood to be annoyed without much other concern.
Part one of the master plan for Blake was, of all things, visiting a pet store. Oddly enough, it served many a purpose that would further the mutual goals. Through their discussions, the man learned that Ilia was attracted to Blake; the Faunus had always had her suspicions, but seeing her again confirmed that the chameleon had more than a small crush. Due to the odd circumstances surrounding him and Blake, Ilia would easily come to the conclusion that there were dating, as they live together and he was willing to stand with her. So, if Ilia was still tailing Blake from a distance, seeing her, "go on a date," would rile her up and make her more likely to make a mistake. After all, why would casual friends be looking at pets with one another? Would it not make sense to come to the conclusion that they were together?
The second thing going to a pet store accomplished was that it eased Blake's mood. It was no shock to guess that she was still on edge, but doing something as cliche as browsing for pets was the perfect opportunity to do a soothing activity. Plus, the man could make light-hearted jokes about her being a Faunus, further calming her and letting him know her being a Faunus didn't matter.
The final thing the master plan accomplished… was that it was just fun. Going to a pet store was a fun thing to do! If nothing else, it was worth it just to see Blake get in on the joke and bat around a toy mouse. Looking at all the hamsters and lizards was cool, too, but there was also a pretty obvious benefit to it all; it just so happens to be an adoption weekend, so there were plenty of cute animals waiting to be pet.
Blake was staring at the wall of tiny aquariums filled with fish. The dozens of goldfish mindlessly swam around their tiny glass homes, occasionally bubbling but doing little else, though it seems to enthrall Blake. Suddenly, it strikes the man that, of course, she likes fish; though maybe a bit offensive, her love of seafood made a bit more sense now that he knows she's a cat Faunus. He imagines she isn't staring at the goldfish with the intent to eat them, though. Best not to ask.
What it IS best to ask Blake is what exactly was in her naughty books. The man watches Blake stare intensely at fish before he casually moves to a different aisle. Deciding to poke fun at her, he holds up a cat-themed collar and says, "So, is this in that book you've been reading?' The about the wish?" He remembers hearing how the latest Patty Berdioler book was a hit in certain communities, though it was criticized by some vocal Faunus; something about a Faunus woman super into pet play rubbed people the wrong way.
. "Oh, haha, very funny. If you MUST know, I finished that one ages ago."
"That doesn't answer the question."
Blake blows past the man, increasing her walking pace. As she slips by, she angrily grumbles, "Yes…". Steaming, she rounds the corner, then stops suddenly.
As the man comes up behind Blake, he sees what caused her to stop. The main reason they came to a pet store made itself clear as he spies several small fences breaking up different pets. Puppies, kittens, cats, and dogs excitedly tried to get the most pets from equally excitable children and their families. All of the dogs were jumping at the people nearest to them, and even a few cats broke the stereotype and tried to socialize.
A lot of the ones for adoption were puppies, and even the bigger ones looked maybe a year or two at most. The thing most unbelievable was Blake's reaction; she drifts to (of course) a kitten enclosure and falls to her knees.
"Oh, my god, they're so smalllll…" Blake trails off, reaching over the fence and letting a kitten touch her. A tiny little tabby made its way to the ribbons dripping off of her fingers and playfully bats one of the tips. She says, "I love him," through an almost choked voice.
"You can tell it's a boy?"
"No, but I'd say that regardless." The tabby the man and Blake are petting rolls onto his back, likely due to falling over itself. "Aww, he's doing his best!" She starts scratching his(?) stomach.
Frankly, Blake's act was adorable, especially when she was bent over petting a kitty. The man leaves her be to play with the tabby for a bit. Moving over to another area, he finds another cat to play with; this one was an even smaller black one with… golden eyes and a sharp look. Wow, it actually resembles Blake, at least as much as a cat can look like a human with cat ears.
Getting down onto his knees, the man puts an arm over the fence before him and waits. The tiny black kitten took notice, but didn't move; it eyes his hand, then shifts to look at him. Though the man's mind was in a specific place thinking about Blake, he can't help but see his Faunus friend in the cat's eyes. After checking back on the actual Blake still playing with the tabby, he focuses back on Blake-Cat. The kitten, apparently sensing no hostility or whatever dictates cat-friendliness, slowly trots over to his hand. Once it gets close enough, he reaches over slightly and begins petting it.
As the man squishes the furry creature behind the fence, Blake-Cat arches its back and lets out a "Mrow~," clearly enjoying his touch. It nuzzles his hand, encouraging him to rub its little ears.
"Oh, what's this one like?" Blake asks from behind the man, causing him to jump. Blake-Cat gets scared and hops away as his arm jolts. "Oh, sorry…"
"Eh, it's fine. It was friendly and small and I love it."
"And why's that, hmm?" Blake says, peeking over to look at the kitten that had run to a corner to hide behind a pillow.
"It was- is, a tiny black cat. It's super small and super cute!"
"A black cat, huh? You know people say that they're bad luck, right?"
"I don't believe that. I think they make okay roommates, but that's about it."
The man receives a half-hearted slap to the back of the head that was 100% earned.
"It was cute! Look, I think it sees you!" Blake-Cat, seeing its human counterpart, cautiously approached Blake as she reaches into the fence.
"A black cat, huh?" Blake repeats as Blake-Cat comes closer to her.
"It reminds me of you. Has the same look in its identical eyes."
Blake looks at the man, starting to blush. "D-does it?" As Blake-Cat comes close to her, she oversteps a bit and picks it up. Now holding a tiny kitten, Blake smiles and holds it up close to her face. It affectionately purrs as Blake stares at it, starting to hold it like one would a baby. "C-cute…"
"This is one of the cutest things I've seen in awhile. See, look! It's got golden eyes and tiny little ears!"
"Hush!" Blake says, startling Blake-Cat. "Not so loud. That's still a secret to everyone else besides you, you know!" Seeing that she startled her similarly shaded companion, Blake adjusts her legs so that she's sitting, and places the kitten on her legs to rest. Blake-Cat paws at Blake lap a bit, then snuggles in and starts to purr. "Oh, my god. I can never get up. I'm going to die here and it will be so worth it!"
The man decides to not argue with Blake's logic. He gets off his knees and sits down, then scoots over to another fence to play with the tabby from before. It lets him rub its ears for a while; while he pets the tabby, he looks over at Blake quietly humming to Blake-Cat, gently running her fingers over its tiny back. Her voice is soft, and, if the man was being honest, not quite up to par with his operatically trained girlfriend, but seeing Blake baby a kitten was a pretty adorable sight all around.
Blake's look of absolute peace gives faith that the plan has worked perfectly so far. Admittedly, they still had a lot of steps to go and the hard part has yet to come, but seeing her happily pet a kitten was a reward in itself.
Eventually, Blake-Cat wakes up from its nap on Blake's lap. It looks up at her and begins meowing, causing Blake to pick it up and ask, "Are you happy? Did you like it when I pet you?" The way she was holding it by the front legs made the bottom half dangle rather humorously, but it still meowed an agreement to enjoying its time with the Faunus. Blake gives it a tiny kiss on the forehead and places it in a bed inside of its fence. Placing several toys next to it, she looks at the man and says, "Well, I can die happy now."
"That's always good to hear. Though, I'd think you have plenty of good years left in you; you still have a book to finish, right?"
Blake clambers up to her feet as the man follows. "Yeah, I guess. Though, now I need to write a children's book about the cutest little kitty I've ever had the joy of playing with. So, where to now?"
"I still have a few ideas, if you still want to hang around for a bit."
"Sounds good."
Both the man and Blake spend the rest of the day pushing aside thoughts of Ilia and the White Fang away. They accomplish this incredibly well, as the first place after the pet store was a toy store; the two wander around the aisles of a toy store, reminiscing about childhoods and all the weird/funny/cool toys all around. Once again, they have a war with dart guns that lacks any of the fun of real artillery, but comes with the benefit of less collateral damage. After the toy store came a bookstore, then a comics shop, then an imports store… The list went on, all the places one could think of that would be a cool place to check out and come with the benefit of a big morale boost.
After a packed day of visiting all of the unique places one could think of in Vale, the man sets the last of his master plan into motion. Making a quick stop for some dinner and to get some things, the pair set out back to the training grounds with their gear; the final part of the master plan would be another round of training, though this time with a bit of a twist. As the sun begins to set and the clouds begin to cover the sky, both the man and Blake face off against one another, ready to spar. The real plan starts now.