Here's chapter 94, everyone.
"You can stop walking faster than normal…" Raven called out to the white haired woman, who just ignored her, so the black haired huntress sighed and tried to catch up to her. When she did, she glanced at her. "Look, I spoke out of line, I can admit that."
Willow kept looking straight. "I'm not angry, so just drop it so we can get to the restaurant."
"Not angry my ass. If you weren't, you'd look at me while speaking." Raven stated, and Willow stopped walking as the snow around them was falling. It was around eight in the evening at the time, and several people around them continued walking past.
"I'll have you know that not every conversation needs to be face to face, so excuse me if I'd rather get to where I want to be." Willow didn't raise her voice at that point, not wanting to cause a scene as she glared at Raven.
Raven simply shook her head. "You can just tell me to leave."
"I asked you to accompany me to dinner, and you already said yes. So drop this and let's get it over with. Something you would say, correct?" Willow fired back, and Raven realized that the white haired woman had really wanted to just enjoy a night of having dinner together.
Willow stood her ground, continuing to glare at the huntress, waiting on her response. "Okay, lead the way then."
"Hmph," Willow spun on her boots and continued to walk towards the restaurant, while Raven silently followed.
"Guess I'm the idiot this time…"
The fact that brought up Jacques in such a way was a shot to the chest, and while Raven wished she could take it back, she knew that wasn't exactly so easy, so she thought about how to calm Willow down when they got there.
"Is that Willow Schnee?"
"I think it is."
"What's she doing out here without her bodyguards?"
Several people around had questioned, while Raven rolled her eyes, since she knew from Willow's training that she could wipe the floor with the people who had their own words to say, but another thing someone said ticked her off.
"A woman like her must be out here to flaunt her damn money." The person sucked his teeth. "Damn Schnee bitch, thinking she's all that."
Raven stopped walking, as she slowly turned to the man, and Willow wasn't far enough to not hear. For Willow, she simply ignored it, but when she heard the man cry out in fear, her eyes went wide and she turned to see Raven slamming him against a wall, holding the collar of his shirt to keep him up.
"W-Who the hell are you?! Let go of me!" The man yelled, while seeing the red glare in Raven's eyes.
"Repeat what you said so I can knock your teeth out." Raven threatened, while several civilians were frightened by what she was doing.
Willow ran over and grabbed Raven's arm. "That's enough, Raven… Let him go. Now."
Raven was still glaring at the man, and as she felt Willow holding her arm, she slowly let go of the man, who fell to the ground on his ass. "Keep your damn opinions to yourself," Raven pulled herself away from Willow and started walking away, while the man was shaking in fear.
"D-Don't think I won't report this!" The man yelled out at Raven, and Willow looked down at him in anger, but not for what he said about her.
She said nothing and walked away from the man, who at that point had noticed it was Willow who pulled Raven away, intimidating him to not even think twice about reporting Raven to the authorities, since Willow could more than likely get the best lawyers on Remnant if she wanted.
"Atlas and their damn opinions. Idiots, all of them." Raven mumbled, while Willow had caught up and tried to reach out to grab her arm.
"Am I included in that?" Willow asked, and Raven glanced at her, sighing a bit as she shook her head. "You didn't have to do that. I hear that stuff all the time. It doesn't bother me anymore."
"I didn't do it for you… People just need to learn to shut up is all." Raven lied, while Willow let out a small smile.
She was still a little hurt from the comment about Jacques, but knowing that Raven was defending her in such a way was a kind gesture, as kind as Raven can get that is.
"Right, well I'm glad to know that you're good at shutting people up." Willow joked and lead the black haired huntress to the restaurant.
Blake wasn't sure how to feel. She was helping out her friends, at least she felt like she could call them that, but at the same time, the fact that she was now out in the open with her team about her past with the White Fang, it made her feel less welcomed.
"Ruby told me how she felt about them… She's forgiving, but even then, I did things she'd not be able to forgive if she saw me do them. Weiss… She has every right to be mad with me. No Schnee would be able to just up and forgive someone from the White Fang. Yang…"
"Hey, you doing okay, Blake?" Yang's voice snapped her out of it, and Blake turned to see the concerned look on her partner's face.
"I'm… I'm not sure I should have told them." Blake admitted, since Yang was the person she trusted most, she could answer her with no hesitation. "Ruby and Weiss."
Yang knew exactly what she meant. "Why not? It's a lot better than hiding who you are, Blake. I mean, even that," She pointed at the bow on Blake's head. "Is something I want you to be able to take off one day. Don't you want that too?"
"Of course I do, but Weiss is still upset with me, and Ruby told me how much she hated the White Fang for what they do." Blake explained.
"It's gonna take time, but you know they don't think of you like them." Yang stated.
"Even so, it just feels like I'm back at stage one… People around me end up conflicted with me." Blake said in a somber tone. "And you… You're always cleaning up after my mistakes. I can't go a day without you having to help me."
Yang sighed and crossed her arms. "Come on, Blake. You've lived seventeen years out there without me, so what's wrong with a little help here and there?"
"But it's not just here and there! You put me before yourself all the time! You can't keep doing that!" Blake yelled out, and Yang was surprised by her outburst.
The blonde brawler stood there for a moment, and she rubbed her arm a few times. "Is that really bothering you…"
"Yes! Think of yourself for once, Yang… I'm tired of you not trying to-." Yang stomped her foot against the ground.
"Stop talking for a second." Yang ordered, and Blake was taken aback by how she spoke. "You don't get it. I've done nothing but complain in my life, saying how bullshit it is to have a mom who left us after a divorce… How I would feel like the one person in the family that didn't belong… Because Summer wasn't my birth mom. Mom, dad… Ruby… And me. I felt like the odd one out."
Blake tensed up a bit, walking to take a step forward, but Yang continued speaking.
"That was so many years ago at this point, and I hated feeling sorry for myself. I hated being this negative person, so yeah, I decided to just push those dumb thoughts away till I ended up not needing to worry for myself. Was it a good idea? No, because I bottled things up with my mom, and maybe it worked out… But things might've been better if I just spoke up about how I felt." Yang walked over to Blake and looked her right in the eyes, her lilac orbs staying the way they were. "So I'm sorry if I'm used to not worrying so much about myself, and looking after the people I care about first."
Blake's ears drooped under her bow, and she took a step back. "I… I didn't-."
"You didn't know. Ruby doesn't know, Weiss doesn't know. No one knows, Blake, because I hide it." Yang explained, but kept her composure. "You're right. I should look after myself, but I get to choose that. Not you, so if I choose to look after you before myself, then you better damn well know I will."
The cat Faunus wasn't sure what to say at that point. She knew Yang had her own baggage, but learning how she felt like the odd one out in her family was a surprise. "I just want you to think about yourself for once… I don't want you getting hurt because of me…"
"If I do, it's my choice, Blake. So please, don't push me away." Yang moved towards her and hugged her, feeling like a weight was lifted off her shoulders, since she never really told anyone those feelings she had.
Blake was shaking a little in her embrace, but she calmed down after a few moments and slowly wrapped her arms around Yang, burying her face in the blonde's shoulder. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be, because you were brave enough to tell me what's bothering you. I couldn't do that with my family." Yang smiled and rubbed her back. "You're strong, Blake."
"How am I? I ran from home, I ran from the White Fang… What kind of person is strong if all they do is run away?" Blake asked, a little muffled.
Yang moved her hand up and stroked her hair. "The kind of person who makes her own choices in life, and then shows the world who she really is, one person at a time if she has to."
Blake's eyes widened and she bit her lip, letting a few tears fall as Yang let her stay that way for a bit, knowing that Grimm could still be around, so she did keep an eye out while slowly running her hand through her hair.
Weiss was sighing to herself, since she and Ruby had been searching for a good amount of time, not staying with one pass of either side they were tasked to scout. It was around their fourth run of the east side and she shook her head. "I've got nothing, Ruby."
"Well, that's good right? Though I was kinda hoping for at least a few Beowolves." Ruby pouted a little.
The white wolf playfully rolled her eyes. "I know you want to show off, but seeing as we've went up and down the area, there really isn't any danger. So yes, it is a good thing."
"I'll let the others know so we can meet up at the main entrance then." Ruby said as she pulled her scroll out.
Unbeknownst to the two, someone was watching them from the distance with binoculars, while there was a bear next to them. The person watched closely at the two, and the wolf they were looking at shined, and both the person and the bear watching them got their answer, as the girl in red began wrapping her cloak around the other as she reached into her bag.
"She really is one of us. No doubt about it." The person with the binoculars said to himself, and the bear next to him watched the two girls as the white haired one changed into her clothes.
Kuroyuri was a mess, and with it, debris was scattered all over, so the group had to step over several pieces of it. "Watch your step, everyone." Ruby warned.
Ren was looking from house to house, at least what was left of the houses. "So many…"
Nora was still holding his hand as she looked over at one house in particular. It simply reminded her of her time in Kuroyuri, where she met the boy who she was walking with. Even with their old home destroyed, she still let out a somber smile at the happier memories that came with it.
Blake had been quiet since her talk with Yang, and while the others didn't bring it up, they had other things to worry about, especially since they had a lot of moving around to do.
As they were about to start doing that, Weiss looked behind her when she smelled something odd. That itself shocked Weiss, since her enhanced sense of smell was only active when she was a wolf.
"Why can I smell something? I wasn't before…"
"Ruby… Stop for a second." Weiss said, and as the group turned to her, she looked around. "I-I don't know why, but I can smell something close, and before you say it, yes I know I'm not using my semblance."
The group was confused by that, but they readied their weapons as something hiding in one of the buildings watched from the darkness.
Blake and Yang needed that talk, and with Willow and Raven, well you can see how those two are with each other now. Hopefully they won't end up breaking someone's legs. And now we see what Weiss can do outside of her wolf form.
To JJ- Yeah, Raven made a mistake on saying that, but at least here she shows that she cares. As for Weiss, well, I think you'll get your answers sooner than you think. Oh, and I'm glad you're still enjoying how I write Ruby and Weiss moments. I'm trying to still include them in without interrupting the main story.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 94. Remember, reviews are welcomed but not required. See you all in chapter 95.