And here's the next chapter! I hope you like it.
Chapter 10: The Stray
Weiss pocketed her scroll and turned to Blake and Yang, who were sitting on their bunks.
"She said she will be heading back, I really hope she doesn't make us late, that restaurant was hard to book a reservation for. But why did she have to leave to talk to her mother; wouldn't a phone call suffice?" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms. Yang looked down at the floor.
"She was with her mom?"
"That's what she said." Yang sighed and looked up at Weiss.
"Ruby's mom died when we were really little. Our dad put up a grave marker near our house and Ruby visits it sometimes." Weiss said nothing, feeling reprehensible for the attitude she had given Ruby, and Blake poked her head down from her bunk.
"Her mother?" Blake asked. Yang nodded.
"Ruby and I have different moms but we have the same dad. Ruby's mom raised both of us until she died and my dad never found anyone else after that."
"Does Ruby know about this?" Weiss asked. Yang shook her head.
"I don't think so; I've never told her. Dad might have or she might have figured it out on her own though." Yang stood up, stretching her arms. "So where are we going anyway? The suspense is killing me." Weiss grinned.
"We will be going to Shizen; it's one of the best Mistral restaurants on Remnant."
"And you're sure they offer pescetarian dishes?" Blake asked. Weiss nodded her head.
"Positive," she said. "Our reservation is at six," she checked her scroll "Its two right now, so let's get ready."
Blake leapt down from her bed and went to the closet. She came out a moment later with a simple black dress that faded to purple at the bottom, and had long purple sleeves. Weiss noticed that a few parts of the dress were stitched up. Blake went to the bathroom as Yang made her way to the closet. She returned a moment later with a golden low cut ankle length dress and stood next to the bathroom door as Blake got ready.
Weiss went to the closet and eyed her many dresses, unsure of which to wear. Her eyes wondered to a long black dress with white snowflakes patterning the bottom. Black wasn't usually her color but she could try mixing things up tonight.
She opened up the closet door and went over to the bathroom door and stood, waiting. Blake was sitting on the floor in between the beds, pulling on her boots. Weiss cocked an eyebrow at the sight.
"Are you not going to wear heels?" she asked. Blake shook her head.
"Don't own any," she said. Weiss' mouth opened slightly in disbelief.
"Seriously?" she asked. Blake nodded as she buttoned the right boot.
"Yep. When you live outside the kingdoms you don't have much need for formal wear. It's an accident just waiting to happen." Weiss saw that Blake had very little make up on; her signature purple eyeshadow and some blush but that was about it.
"I'm guessing make up isn't that important either?"
"Nope," Blake finished buttoning her boots and stood up.
Yang exited the bathroom, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had on eyeshadow, light red lipstick, and blush. Her heels were the same color as her dress.
"How do I look?" Yang posed, winking and pursing her lips.
"Like a million lien, now move," Weiss said as she made her way into the bathroom.
She quickly changed into the dress and pulled her make up bag from behind the mirror. She unzipped the bag and pulled out her eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, and blush. Her reflection was there, she was in the same black outfit she was wearing; admiring the ends of the sleeves.
"Very nice choice Weiss, I must say we should wear outfits like this more often." She said. Weiss ignored her and started to apply the blush. Blake and Yang were outside. Her reflection cocked her eyebrow in annoyance. "Silent treatment? Okay, fine, I can tell you don't want to talk." Weiss sighed in relief as her reflection returned to normal. She applied her makeup, and stepped out of the bathroom. Yang was sitting on her bed, listening to music as Blake sat on Weiss' bed, reading a book with a ripped spine. Weiss sat on the bed and put on her heels before taking out her scroll and beginning to read as well. She saw that it was already three, Ruby should be back at any moment.
As if on cue Ruby burst through the door, out of breath and sweat dripping down her face.
"Sorry, sorry!" she wheezed as she went to the closet. She came out a moment later carrying a long black and red Gothic dress. "Sorry, sorry!" She said as she went to the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out wearing the dress, black eye shadow, and a necklace with a silver rose. Ruby exhaled and stepped forward
"Alright Team, let's-" she tripped over her dress, squealed, and fell to the floor.
Weiss sighed and stood up as Yang started to laugh.
"Get up, Ruby, you're going to make us late." She said as she walked over to the door. Ruby groaned in response.
Blake trailed behind Weiss and Ruby as they led the way down the streets of the docks of Vale. Blake loved the smell of freshly caught fish and the sight of so many different fish made her mouth water and her belly rumble. The sight of so many boats reminded her of her family, and the thought made her smile. She saw that Ruby was having a hard time walking in heels, tripping and nearly falling multiple times. She chuckled as Ruby grumbled about her 'stupid lady stilts'.
Her ears twitched underneath her bow; she could hear someone crying out in pain a little ways ahead of them. They rounded a corner and Blake's heart dropped. Glass covered the sidewalk, the remnants of the shattered window of a Dust shop. The police were there, one of them holding off an angry group of citizens while the other dug their knee into the back of a mouse Faunus who was on the ground, struggling in vain as the officer tried to cuff them.
"Get off of me! I didn't do anything!" the Faunus shouted.
"Save it for your lawyer," the Officer said, managing to get the cuffs on him. The officer got off him and jerked him to his feet. An older woman, also a mouse Faunus, ran past the officer stemming the crowd and ran over to the officer walking away with the Faunus.
"Please, my son wouldn't rob a store. He hasn't done anyt-" The officer backhanded her and she fell to the ground, letting out a cry. Blake gnashed her teeth, her blood boiling, and shoved past Ruby and Weiss, who had frozen at the sight. Police brutality was something she knew well. She stormed up to the officer carrying the Faunus, who was busy struggling and calling out to his mother. She stopped in front of the officer, crossing her arms.
"Move out of the way," the officer said.
"No," Blake said. The officer got in her face, his nose pressing against hers.
"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Move out of the way before I arrest you too."
"Do you really think you can arrest a Huntress?" The officer backed off; she was hoping that the glare she was giving him sold him on the bluff.
"You're a Huntress?" Blake nodded.
"Ah shit." Blake looked at the mouse Faunus in custody; he refused to meet her eye.
"Why did this officer arrest you?" The Faunus looked up.
"I have no idea. I was just walking down the street, passing by that Dust shop when the police who were there tackled me to the ground and started to cuff me." Blake scrunched her eyebrows and looked at the officer.
"Why?"
"You know how uppity these Faunus get around this time of year," Blake narrowed her eyes at that comment. "We got a call from the shop owner about a group of Faunus in masks robbing his store at gunpoint. We get here and what do we find, some Faunus delinquent skulking around the scene of the crime."
"Let him go." Blake said.
"Can't do that ma'am. You Hunters may be above the law but these punks aren't. And besides, he's our only suspect, we can't let him loose." Blake looked at the Faunus; there wasn't anything she could do to get him out of this mess. She caught his eye and she hoped that he was able to see how sorry she was for not being able to get him off the hook. She closed her eyes and stepped out of the officer's way.
"Fine," she said. The officer trudged past her, dragging the innocent Faunus away with him. His partner trailed after him and the Faunus' mother sat on the ground, crying. The crowd started to disperse, some shaking their heads as they left. Blake crouched down next to the grieving mother. "I'm sorry," she said. The mother said nothing but hugged Blake and cried into her shoulder, her tears disappearing into the black fabric.
Blake heard Weiss clear her throat and she looked up to see her teammates standing in front of her, Weiss tapping on her wrist and looking annoyed. She glared at Weiss before untangling herself from the hug. She helped the mother up and gave her a hug before leaving her and rejoining her friends.
Blake looked back to see the mother start to leave, she could hear her crying.
"What was all that about?" Weiss asked.
"What? Helping an innocent person?"
"No, trying to prevent that officer from doing his job and arresting that Faunus scum." She saw Yang and Ruby's eyes go wide in shock, and Yang's lips part in surprise at the comment. Blake stopped.
"You seriously think that Faunus was responsible for that robbery?"
"I wouldn't doubt it," she said. Blake opened her mouth to respond when a shout from nearby interrupted her.
"Police! Someone stop them!" She heard a male voice yell. She looked down the road to see a blonde monkey Faunus with an unbuttoned shirt sprinting down the sidewalk, sidestepping people and munching on a banana. A man with electric blue hair and a red jacket was not far behind the Faunus. A pair of angry looking men were chasing after them.
"Catch us if you can!" The blue haired man shouted with a grin. The monkey Faunus threw the peel behind him with a laugh.
"You goddamn stowaways!" One of the men shouted. They barreled past Blake and her teammates and the two stowaways took a turn and started to run down a narrow alley, with the two men following suit.
Neither Blake, nor any of her teammates, knew what to say in response to what they had just seen. Yang cleared her throat.
"So, uh, yeah. How 'bout that reservation?" Weiss started to walk down the sidewalk, leading them to the restaurant. Blake glared at the back of her head; that Schnee bitch was pushing the limits of her patience.
They continued their way through the town, Yang and Ruby trying to provide some conversation to try and ease the tension. Blake continued to glare at Weiss' head as Yang talked to Weiss and Ruby prattled in her ear.
"So I've been thinking of trying out a new series; which ones would you sugge-" Ruby shrieked as she ran into the person in front of her and they collapsed on the ground.
Ruby had landed on top of the girl, who didn't seemed phased by the fall. She had orange hair, decorated with a pink bow. Her pale skin was covered with freckles. Her outfit, a gray dress and black stockings, was decorated with green stripes going down the sides. Ruby scrambled off the girl.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you, I was talking and I wasn't paying attention and-" The girl said nothing but raised a hand in greeting. She smiled as she said
"Salutations!" Ruby cocked her head to the side.
"H-hello," she said. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" The girl shook her head.
"Not at all, thank you for asking. I am doing wonderful." Ruby scratched the back of her head.
"Are you going to get up? That sidewalk can't be comfortable." The girl looked confused for a second before nodding her head.
"Yes, I will," she said. She got up and offered her hand to Ruby. "My name is Penny. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ruby shook the girl's hand.
"Hi Penny. My name is Ruby." Blake raised her hand in greeting.
"Blake," she said. Something about this girl felt off to Blake, and not in the same way as Weiss.
"I'm Weiss," Weiss said. Yang gave a little wave.
"And I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister." The girl smiled as she looked at each of them.
"A pleasure to meet you all!" She said. Weiss pulled out her scroll.
"Well this has been…interesting but we really must be leaving. We have a dinner reservation to get to." Weiss said, turning and leaving before Penny could respond. Yang followed after her and Blake began to walk away as well. She heard Ruby take a few steps forward before turning around and say
"Take care, friend. Sorry about running into you like that." With that Ruby followed after them.
"Man that girl was weird." She heard Yang say.
"Wait!" Blake turned around to see Penny march up to Ruby. She didn't seem to have any sense of personal space, her face was practically on top of Ruby's. Ruby leant her head back to try and have some room to breathe. "You believe I am your friend?" she asked.
"Uhhh. Sure, why not?" Ruby said with a nervous laugh. Penny grinned and picked Ruby up off the ground, spinning around and laughing before hugging her.
"Oh, happy day! This is absolutely sensational! I have never had a friend before. Oh we can talk about…whatever it is we girls talk about!" Penny let Ruby go and Ruby backed away from her a little, just out of arms reach.
"Yeah, sounds…fun." Ruby forced a smile.
"So, like, what are you doing out here?" Yang asked. Penny smiled at her.
"I am homeless! I came here from Atlas in honor of the Vytal Festival!" Bake looked at the girl in disbelief; she had never seen someone so chipper about having nowhere to live.
"You do know that the Festival isn't until fall right?" Yang asked. Penny nodded.
"I do. But I wanted to explore Vale first." Penny hiccupped.
"You okay?" Ruby asked.
"Yes ma'am! I just get the hiccups from time to time." Penny beamed at them as Weiss started to leave.
"Well this has been fun, Penny, but we really must be going if we don't want to be late." Weiss said. Blake followed after her, and then Yang. Blake heard Ruby pull out her scroll.
"Do you have a scroll, Penny?"
"Yes I do!"
"Cool, so let's trade numbers. If you ever need somewhere to stay just give me a call, okay?"
"Roger!" A moment past before Blake heard Ruby run after them, nearly tripping in her heels.
The rest of the trip to the restaurant went by without event, no false arrests, no stowaways, and no homeless girls. The buildings in the Upper District were some of the nicest she had ever seen in her life, beautifully crafted and not a speck of garbage or grime anywhere in the streets.
The restaurant was a white building with modern architecture. The name of the restaurant, Shizen, was hanging above the door in simple silver lettering. She saw a man drive up in his car and hand the keys to the valet that stood at the sidewalk. The car looked more expensive than any she had seen before in her life.
They walked into the restaurant and Blake was amazed at the sight. The inside of the building was full of light, candles burning on the polished wood tables, lights that dangled from the ceiling in beautiful, yet simple designs. There were bamboo pillars throughout the building and the bar was encased in a glass box. The chairs were white, and much like the lights, simple but gorgeous to look at. The floor was tiled and a beautiful shade of grey. Servers bustled through the building in white shirts and black vests, carrying trays of food. Her mouth watered as the smells of so many different dishes washed over her; seasoned fish, sushi, sashimi, a multitude of vegetables and fruits. The building was packed and she could hear snippets of a multitude of conversations from all around the building.
Weiss walked up to the hostess, who smiled at her.
"Good evening ma'am, do you have a reservation?"
"I do; Schnee, party of four." The hostess checked the reservations list and nodded her head.
"If you will follow me, I will take you to your seats," the hostess said. They followed after the hostess and took their seats at a square table covered in a white tablecloth. Ruby and Yang sat across from each other and Blake sat across from Weiss. The hostess smiled at them as they took their seats. "Your server will be here in just a moment, enjoy." With that she left. Yang looked at the table in confusion.
"So are we not getting menus or what?" Weiss laughed and shook her head.
"They don't use menu's here. The food they serve is changed day to day and from season to season."
"So what if I don't like what they are serving today?"
"Then you're just going to have to deal with it."
"That's stupid. Can I at least get a cocktail here?"
"It isn't stupid, and yes you can."
"Great, a drink sounds amazing right about now." Their server appeared a moment later, he was a comely fellow with dark hair and eyes.
"Good evening ladies, what can I get you to drink?" He had a small notebook in hand and a pencil in the other.
"Strawberry sunrise, hold the ice." Yang said.
"Pinot Noir for me," Weiss said.
"Do you guys have milk?" Ruby asked. The server's mouth opened slightly.
"Uhhh, I believe so. That's not something we usually serve though. But I will get you a glass if we have any."
"Thanks!" Ruby smiled at the server. The server turned towards Blake.
"And how about for you."
"White wine sounds nice," Blake said.
"What kind ma'am? We have Riesling Lion, Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc,-"
"A Riesling sounds nice." The server scribbled down her drink.
"Any dietary needs I should know about?" Weiss, Yang, and Ruby shook their heads.
"I don't eat meat," Blake said. The server nodded and scribbled in his notebook. He closed the notebook and smiled at them.
"Alright, I'll have those drinks out in a moment, and some appetizers." The server left then. Weiss started to talk to Yang and Ruby, explaining the 'use every part of nature' philosophy that the people of Mistral have and how that is incorporated in their food. Blake tuned her out and listened in on the conversations going on around her.
"I still don't understand why those filthy animals get a holiday for waging war against us. And why should my kid get the day off when he doesn't get the day off in remembrance of the Great War?"
"You hear about that bombing in Vacuo? The White Fang are saying that they did it. Can you imagine what that is going to do to the SDC's stocks?"
"I don't know, home schooling seems kind of drastic. I mean, being the only human in her class can't be that bad for her academics can it?"
Blake began to drum her fingers in agitation. She looked over at the entrance to see a fox Faunus standing in front of the hostess, a human woman holding his hand. He looked upset as the hostess kept a straight face.
"I told you, I have a reservation!"
"I'm sorry, sir, I just don't see it."
"What do you mean? I booked this reservation months ago! I want to speak to a manager!" The hostess nodded and left her post. She returned a moment later with a large man with gray hair.
"What appears to be the problem?" The fox Faunus pointed a finger at the hostess, who flinched back.
"Your hostess is refusing me service; I made a reservation here months ago for my anniversary and she's saying that I don't have it." The manager stroked his mustache before responding.
"I hate to inform you that our restaurant reserves the right to refuse service to…to those we think aren't fit for the environment our restaurant is trying to create."
"It's because he's a Faunus isn't it!" The woman demanded.
"I never said that ma'am," the manager said. The woman scoffed.
"You didn't have too. Come on honey, let's leave. We're too good for this overpriced garbage anyway." With that the couple turned and left. Blake glared daggers at the hostess and manager.
"Blake? Yo, Blake!" Blake stopped her drumming and looked over at Yang.
"What?"
"You okay? If you keep doing that you're gonna put a hole in the table." Blake slipped her hand into her lap.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure, Blake? You seem pretty out of it." Weiss said.
"Did I ask for your input?" Blake spat back. Weiss looked taken back before scowling.
"Where is this coming from? I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I said I was fine." Blake said. The server appeared then, carrying a tray full of drinks, plates, and food.
"Alright ladies I brought you some butter bonsai's; it's a small ball of butter encased in crushed olives and spinach dust, very popular with people your age." The server put a plate down in front of each of them, before giving each of them two butter bonsai's. Ruby went 'ooo' as she examined the small ball with what looked like a tree growing out of it. "Milk?" the server asked. Ruby raised her hand. "Strawberry sunrise, no ice?" he said while he put it down in front of Yang. "Pinot Noir," he handed Weiss her drink. "And the Riesling Lion," he set the drink down in front of Blake. She looked at the drink and then at his smiling face.
She grabbed her drink and tossed its contents into the servers face.
"Thank you," Blake said as Yang and Ruby stared at her in shock as Weiss stifled a scream. The server sputtered and wiped at his eyes, backing away from the table. The server backed into the table behind him and knocked it to the floor, spilling the food all over the customers, who screamed in shock and outrage.
Blake grinned slightly at the horrified looks on their faces; they were the bigots complaining about the Faunus Revolution being celebrated. She saw Yang start to stuff the butter bonsai's into her mouth, and start downing her cocktail. Weiss stared in shock at the mess as a different server came up to help theirs. They got him to his feet and he addressed their table.
"I'm going to have to ask you ladies to please leave," he said calmly, though Blake could see the anger boiling behind his eyes. Yang wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she motioned to the uneaten butter bonsai's.
"Can I get these in a to-go bag first?"
Yang nibbled at one of the butter bonsai's as she walked down the streets of Vale. It was dark now and the streetlights illuminated their path. Weiss and Blake hadn't said a word to each other since they left the restaurant and they both looked pissed. Weiss was leading the way, and Blake trailed behind. Ruby was walking next to her, looking upset about her two angry teammates. Yang pulled out her scroll and started to text Ruby.
"Hey if shit hits the fan wen we get to the dorm want 2 spend the night wit JNPR?" She saw Ruby pull out her scroll, glance at her, before she responded.
"Is this my fault?" Yang stopped chewing as she looked over at Ruby.
"Of course not. Sometimes people don't get along, that all"
"If u say so."
"We could order a pizza and watch scary movies with JNPR. I bet John screams like a little gurl" Ruby snorted.
Weiss glared back at them as she marched down the street. Yang pocketed her scroll and went back to eating the bonsai's, offering Ruby one.
They got to the airship, the last one heading to Beacon for the night, and rode in silence. They made their way to their dorm and Weiss used her scroll to open up the door. Yang motioned for Ruby to stay in the hallway as Blake entered and she stood in the doorway. Weiss sat down on her bed and started to pull off her heels.
"Oh I must really thank you Blake; I never knew what it was like to get thrown out of a five star restaurant until now." She sneered. Blake crossed her arms.
"You're welcome Weiss, maybe you can find some better company in a different place." Weiss placed her heels on the ground before standing up.
"Better company? What are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Schnee." Weiss rolled her eyes.
"What? Did you overhear someone say something bad about your precious Faunus you love so much?" Blake glared at her. Yang slipped out of the doorway and slowly shut the door. Once it was closed she motioned for Ruby to go into JNPR's room; she could tell it was going to get ugly in there.
Blake glared at the small girl in front of her.
"Everyone in that restaurant hated the Faunus. They refused to serve a human Faunus couple!"
"So what? They have a respectable name to uphold." Blake laughed, the sound bitter.
"Respectable? You call being a bigot respectable?"
"No, I call keeping undesirables out of a decent place respectable."
"Undesirables? Are you listening to yourself?"
"The Faunus are undesirable; they are a bunch of riff raff and murderous thugs; just look at the White Fang!"
"They have nothing to do with this! You're just a judgmental little cunt and you are no better than Cardin!" Weiss shoved her index finger in Blake's face.
"How dare you call me that! I have much more class than that brute!" Blake swatted Weiss' hand out of the way.
"How dare you call the Faunus a bunch of murderers!"
"Well they are! How many people have the White Fang killed Blake? How many?"
"I, I don't know. But you can't compare all Faunus to the White Fang! That's just wrong!"
"And why not? They're animals, just like the White Fang."
"We are not animals!" Blake screamed, stomping her foot on the ground. Her breathing was heavy as she realized what she said. She saw Weiss' eyes go wide and her mouth fall open. "Oh no," she thought.
"W-we?" Weiss said, tripping over the word. Blake's eyes darted around the room; she had to get out of here, now. Her eyes settled on the window. She looked back at her desk, Gambol Shroud lay there in its sheath. She lunged for it, grabbed it, and ran over to the bookshelf in the blink of an eye. She leapt through the window, the glass shattering around her as she fell through the air. She heard Weiss scream her name as she fell.
And that's it! Let me know what you think!