This one gets pretty intense, I hope it doesn't ruin the pacing.
While Ruby continued to stare at Yang. A guard with long red hair walked up to the cell "Good morning inmates." she said. Ruby and the other girls all turned to face her, none of them responded to the guard. But apparently undeterred, she said, "I'm Officer Nikos, I'm in charge of this cell block."
"Can we help you, Officer Nikos?" Ruby asked, confused as to why the woman chose this moment to introduce herself. "I'm just here to introduce myself and let you know it's almost yard time." Officer Nikos explained.
"Does that mean for the whole block, or just us?" Weiss asked, deeply worried by the idea of being in a yard full of people who wanted to kill her. "It means the whole block, don't worry. We have armed guards to keep you safe." Officer Nikos answered. Weiss was not convinced that the yard was safe "That's not as reassuring as you think it is." Officer Nikos sighed "Well, I'm afraid that's all we can do for you. We don't have the budget for anything more than that."
"What about me Officer Nikos? This place is full of White Fang members and they'll all be after me." Blake asked once her brain started functioning again after Yang broke it. "I'm afraid the same goes for you as well, we'll do what we can to protect you though." Blake didn't really care if she was killed, but it would make sense for her to be protected. Since she could provide a lot of useful information on the White Fang and on Adam. "Thank you, Officer Nikos." She responded, not wanting to be rude to the nicest guard she had encountered. Officer Nikos was just doing her job after all and should be thanked for her kindness. Even if Blake did not wish to receive it. The Officer gave her a slight nod in return.
"Don't worry guys, I can protect you better than they can. Nobody will fuck with you if you stick with me, and I'll deal with them if they try." Yang said. Officer Nikos was not impressed "Please don't resort to violence, we can handle any situations that arise." Yang laughed "Three things. First, I will resort to violence. Second, there is no way in hell that you can handle anything that happens. Third, It's not like things can get much worse for me anyway. All you can do is put me in solitary or kill me. So, Officer Nikos. You can leave now before I start getting annoyed.
"Yang, I'll take you up on that offer of protection. But please don't threaten the guards. Officer Nikos is being nice, unlike everyone else here." Weiss said, relieved that she didn't have to do anything for Yang's protection. Yang sighed "Alright Princess. I apologize, Officer Nikos, just don't get in my way."
"Thank you, but I can't let you do anything stupid. If someone attacks you then you can defend yourself, but back off when help arrives. I don't want to have to shoot you, but if you become too much of a threat. Then I will." Officer Nikos explained. "Now, I have to go. See you later inmates," she said as she walked away.
"Fucking guards," Yang said under her breath. In a normal situation, Yang would have killed someone for talking to her like that. But, this wasn't a normal situation. The fact that it was a guard, or that she was in prison wasn't what stopped her. It was the fact that she just met a sister, she didn't know existed. She couldn't throw that away over a guard doing their job. Anyway, there was something else she needed to attend to at that moment.
"So, now that your back with us. What are you going to do Blake?" Yang asked. Blake looked up at her, she was still torn about how she should respond to the blonde. There two options she had decided. The first option was telling Yang to leave her alone, which would likely elicit a violent response. Yang would see it as Blake being weak and she would probably follow through with her promise of beating the truth into her. She didn't mind being beaten, but there was another way to handle the situation. The second option was befriending Yang, and trying to show her the error of her ways. Blake felt bad for Yang, her mind had been twisted by her mother and she needed help. The two main issues with the option were that Yang would be incredibly resistant and that the weight of what she had done would hit her hard.
Blake sighed heavily, she didn't agree with what she was about to say. But for Yang's sake, she had to say it. "Yang, I'm sorry for acting so weak. I still feel bad for all the deaths that I have caused, but it wasn't entirely my fault. I was forced to do those things, just like you do things for your mother. So, can we be friends?"
Yang was honestly caught off guard by the apparent change to Blake's attitude. She wasn't entirely satisfied with the response, as she herself did not regret her actions. But, since Blake wasn't a Branwen, and since she genuinely started to like Blake. She was pleased with Blakes decision. "Of course Blake, I'm so proud of you. I knew you couldn't be that weak, and if you want my protection you can have that too."
"Thank you, Yang, I would appreciate that. Like Weiss, I also have a lot of people who want me dead." Blake responded. Fixing Yang gave her another reason to live, so she would take the protection that the blonde offered.
"Hey Blake, I thought you were White Fang. How come they want to kill you?" Yang asked. Outside of the White Fang, and the officers working the case. Nobody was aware of Blake's betrayal. She sighed heavily "I betrayed them. I tried to stop an attack on a train, and that made me an enemy of the White Fang. I was throw off the train, to die. But I lived, I had to watch the aftermath of the attack. That's why I hate myself, and why every White Fang member in this prison will try to kill me."
Yang sat down beside her. "Shit, well don't worry. They won't succeed, even if I have to single-handedly kill them all. I will protect you." The legendary, Yang Branwen. Actually cared for her, it had to be more than lust. Yang actually wanted to look after Blake. She would go about it in her own misguided way, but she actually wanted to keep Blake safe. It was like the blonde was trying to break her mind, she made Blake question everything. It was probably clear to see, but she didn't want to verbalize her inner turmoil. A simple "Thanks Yang." was all she was willing to muster.
"I must admit Yang, you are full of surprises. I had intended to form an alliance with you, and I was willing to do a lot to get you on side. But you seem totally willing to ally yourself with all of us, even though we are all complete strangers to you." Weiss admitted. Yang raised an eyebrow "Why would I not be nice to you? The Schnee's have never wronged me, you have never wronged me. I only clash with people I have a reason to hate or people I'm instructed to attack. You are perfectly safe, same for Blake, and especially for Ruby. I like you all, and unless something drastic happens. I will not lay a finger on any of you, without your consent that is."
Three jaws hung open, in response to Yang's comments. She was the single most terrifying person that any of them had ever encountered, and she just told them that they had nothing to fear from her. Weiss felt much safer, Ruby felt better about having Yang for a sister, and Blake became sure that she made the right choice. "Now, there is someone I need to find when we get out there. But I won't be gone long and I'll be keeping an eye out the whole time. So, you can either come with me to meet Vernal, or you can do your own thing but know that I'm there for you."
The three girls nodded. Ruby had no plans of her own, so she would stick with Yang. Nobody had a reason to hate her, but she wasn't comfortable with being alone. Given the comments that she received on the way to the cell. Blake planned on finding a quiet corner away from everyone. It probably wasn't the best idea but Yang would step in if she was needed, and she wasn't exactly a pushover if she needed to defend herself. Weiss actually had people she needed to meet with, so she would be relying on Yang's protection from a distance.
"Actually, I have to meet a few people myself. So, I'll go and meet with Ciel and Penny, when you're with that Vernal person." Weiss told the blonde. Yang nodded "Sounds like a plan." An alarm sounded and the cell door opened once Yang spoke.
The walk from the cell to the yard was uneventful, mainly because the building was full of guards and it was easy to get to someone in the yard than it was in the cellblock. The four girls separated once they reached the yard. Yang looked around briefly before she found who she was looking for, Vernal was sat at a table with several Branwen Tribe members. As she walked over to meet Vernal, everyone stepped out of her way. Allowing her, and Ruby to quickly reach their destination.
Ruby, was relieved that they had not encountered any trouble up to that point. She had no doubt that Yang would be able to fend off any attackers. But she knew that even with her training, she would just cause more trouble for Yang in a fight. She felt slightly intimidated when she saw who Yang was approaching. Though, she was probably safe as long as she was with Yang.
Vernal looked up to see who was approaching, she grinned slightly when she realized it was Yang. Though, her smile dropped when she saw Ruby. "Hello Yang, it's been a while," she said. Yang was pleased to see Vernal, she had been like a sister since Raven adopted her. Other than Yang and Raven herself, Vernal was the most capable fighter in the organisation. She had been inside for a couple of years, after being caught in similar circumstances to Yang. "Sup Vernal, I hope you don't mind me bringing a guest."
Vernal frowned "Who exactly is that guest?" she asked. Yang was annoyed at Vernal's reaction, she may have been like a sister, but Ruby was her own flesh and blood. Well, not entirely but close enough. "This is Ruby Rose, my half-sister," she explained. Vernal raised an eyebrow "Since when do you have a half-sister?" Yang looked at Ruby "How old are you?" Ruby looked back at her "I'm 18 Yang."
Turning back to Vernal "About 18 years, but I only met her today." Vernal still wasn't impressed "Can we trust her?" she asked. Yang was sick of Vernal's lack of trust "Yes Vernal, we can trust my sister. So stop being like this." she snapped. Vernal sighed "Fine, but I'll still kill her if you're wrong." Yang nodded and her smile returned "Naturally. Anyway, you should introduce yourself to her."
Vernal looked at Ruby "Hello Ruby, I'm Vernal." she said enthusiastically. Ruby replied with slightly more enthusiasm "Hello Vernal, nice to meet you." Vernal gave a slight nod in response, before turning back to Yang "So, all Raven told me was that you got arrested. Care to explain how the great Yang Branwen, got herself arrested?"
Yang laughed "You make it sound like I did it on purpose." then she got serious. Yang may act like everything is a big joke. But she took things seriously, when in conversation with someone from the tribe. "I went to Junior's, to deal with the rat and his little bitches. Killed them all, and when I tried to leave they were waiting for me. I pretty much walked out in front of a firing squad, so I went back inside. Anyway, the bastards found another way in and it took like 10 of them to take me down. I put a few of them in hospital, but they got a lucky hit in and I was out cold. As you can imagine, they threw the book at me. So I'm here for life unless I make a break for it."
Vernal nodded "Right, well. Welcome to Beacon, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun here." Yang's happy demeanour returned "Oh, I'm already having fun. I'm already planning a three-way with the two cellmates that aren't Ruby." Vernal shook her head "I swear, all you think about is sex, violence and exercise."
In all honesty, Vernal was mostly right about Yang. She was a girl of simple pleasures, those primarily being sex, violence and exercise. So, she winked at Vernal and said "If you saw who I was sharing a cell with, you'd agree with me. Let's see if I can point them out." She pointed to a bench at the side of the yard, where Weiss was talking with two girls, and then to corner where Blake was standing and observing the yard.
Vernal's jaw was hanging open when she turned back. "A Schnee and a fucking Belladonna. Are you insane?" she asked. Yang nodded "Yeah what's the big deal? I like Weiss and Blake." Vernal stared at her "It's not that big a deal, apart from the fact that Weiss Schnee is the daughter of Jacques Schnee, and Blake Belladonna is the daughter of Ghira Belladonna. So, you're trying to fuck 2 of the most powerful people in this place." Yang laughed "Relax, I can handle it."
Yang quickly glanced back at Blake, and that's when she noticed the brunette standing that had her cornered. Ruby turned and spotted the same person. "Sorry Vernal got to go, Ruby, you can stay here or come with me," Yang said as she took off at full sprint across the yard, Ruby looked at Vernal for a second before sprinting after her sister.
Weiss spotted the two people she needed to see, almost immediately upon entering the yard. She made her way over to them as quickly as possible, keeping as much distance as possible between herself and the other inmates. Penny spotted her "Weiss!" she shouted excitedly, prompting the girl next to her to look up "Mistress Schnee." she greeted. "Hello Penny, hello Ciel. It's so good to see you." Weiss said once she reached them.
Penny threw her arms around Weiss and pulled her into a crushing hug, while Ciel just gave a slight nod and a smile. "Thanks, Penny, but please let me go," Weiss said. The redhead did as she was asked, before saying "I can't believe you are here." Weiss sighed "Neither can I Penny, neither can I."
"Are you alright Mistress Schnee?" Ciel asked. "Not really, but things aren't as bad as I had feared," Weiss replied. Thinking mainly about how well things were going with Yang. "May I ask why things aren't as bad as expected, Mistress Schnee?" Ciel asked. Weiss nodded "Of course, but please just call me Weiss." Ciel nodded "Thank you, Weiss." she said hesitantly. "Well, I am sharing a cell with four other inmates. Two of them seem completely harmless, and the third has offered to protect me."
Ciel didn't wish to pry any further, but Penny was curious. "Who are your cellmates?" Weiss took a seat on the bench next to her companions "Ruby Rose, is the first one. She seems innocent to me. According to her, she killed someone while trying to stop a robbery, and then got framed for the murder of a shopkeeper. I haven't interacted with her much, but she doesn't seem to harbour any ill will towards me," She paused for a moment, making sure that the two girls understood.
"Then there's Blake Belladonna, she was a White Fang member. But it would seem that she turned her back on them, and she really regrets her actions. She hasn't got any fight left and I believe she is helping the police. So, she isn't a threat either." Penny and Ciel were taken aback, by the mention of the White Fang. But Weiss, explanation about Blake eased their worries.
"Then there's the one who offered to protect me. Her name is Yang Branwen, and she's probably the most dangerous and intimidating person in this prison. Anyway, for some reason, she has taken a liking to me. So, I have her to fight off anyone who comes for me." Penny and Ciel must have known about the Branwen Tribe and Yang because they both had looks of horror on their faces. Weiss waved them off "Seriously, she's terrifying and I have no doubt that she could kill me easily. But, she hasn't done it yet and she told me she has no intention of doing it. As I said, I have her protection. Which means, this place is a hell of a lot safer for me than it would otherwise be."
Penny and Ciel looked slightly less worried, after Weiss' reassurance. But they clearly weren't entirely comfortable with Yang being around her. "I hope you're right Weiss," Penny said. Weiss smiled at the concern she expressed. "Thank you, Penny, I understand your concern. But it really is unnecessary at the moment." Penny nodded. "I have heard a lot of bad things about her, Weiss. But the fact you are still alive seems to indicate that she is safe for you to be around at the moment. However, I recommend being vigilant. As she has a reputation for being a highly volatile individual." Ciel said.
Weiss nodded, in acceptance. She could tell that Yang was indeed highly volatile, but she wasn't too concerned about that. Especially, when she turned around and saw Yang running over to help Blake. "Ciel, Penny. I think we are about to see Yang in action."
Blake found a quiet corner of the yard, she made her way over to it and stood facing the yard. That way, she could be alone while also being able to see anyone approaching. She needed time to work out the best way of fixing Yang. It could be highly traumatic for Yang, if the weight of all the lives she had taken, hit her at once. She must have done some unimaginably bad things in her life, and the guilt could be unbearable for her. So, Blake needed to be delicate. Not wanting to hurt Yang any more than necessary.
While she was thinking, she observed her three cellmates. Yang was talking to someone, Blake assumed that it was the one she called Vernal. Ruby was with Yang and she didn't seem to be comfortable with Vernal. She was almost hiding behind Yang, but it seemed like she was showing herself in order to not look week. Blake really found the Branwen philosophy ridiculous, they took survival of the fittest too far, in her opinion. It certainly did not suit someone as seemingly innocent as Ruby.
Weiss was talking to a couple of girls, they must have been Penny and Ciel. One of them seemed to be a Weiss' friend. While the other seemed to be more of an associate. It must have been strange living Weiss' life. She was rich and used to the finer things in life, but was also a criminal who carried out crimes on behalf of her family. Blake struggled to understand crime families. How could a parent force their child to commit crimes and risk their life, purely for material gain?
While it was true that her own parents founded the White Fang, she had joined the organization by choice. Also, the original aim of the White Fang was to achieve equality and fair treatment for Faunus-kind. So, although their stories and lives may have seemed similar to an outside observed. Especially, after what the White Fang had turned into. Weiss and Blake actually lived very different lives and would struggle to understand how each other lived.
Blake returned to reality when she saw a familiar face approaching. It was a face that had brought her joy in the past, but it filled her with dread. Ilia had been a close friend when they were in the White Fang together. Blake knew that she was still loyal to the cause, so her approach could only mean trouble. She hoped that Yang would come to her aid, but she didn't want Ilia to get hurt. Even if she was planning to kill her, as payback for her betrayal.
"I've been looking for you Blake, you should know it's not safe for you to be alone anymore," Ilia said. Blake sighed "If you're going to kill me you better get on with it, because you don't want to meet my protector." Ilia was caught off guard, she had not expected Blake to be so willing to die.
"That's it, you aren't even going to try and fight?" she asked. Blake nodded "Look Ilia, Adam is evil and he's manipulating you. He's gone completely insane, that's why I tried to stop him. What he did on that train is fucking evil. I went along with him for far too long, I failed to stop him. So, I deserve to die, I have the blood of innocents on my hands. So, I'm going to advise you to leave the White Fang, but I'm not going to stop you killing me if you have to."
Ilia was angry at Blake "You're a fucking traitor, you abandoned us. You abandoned me. Why should I listen to anything you say? I trusted you and you abandoned me." she ranted. In truth, Blake really cared about Ilia. She would have tried to convince her to leave with her if things had gone differently. But fate was cruel, and she had been forced to abandon her closest friend. "Ilia I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt you." Her eyes filled with tears, as she felt the regret of leaving Ilia behind.
Ilia also teared up "Liar, you never cared about me. I loved you and you left without even saying goodbye." Blake shook her head "I'm not lying Ilia, I really care about you. I hadn't planned on leaving until I was in the moment, I saw what Adam had become and it terrified me. He threw me off the train, almost killed me, then I got arrested. So, as much as I didn't want to leave you. I had no choice."
Ilia started shaking. "Are…are you serious?" she asked. Blake sighed heavily and nodded "I'm deadly serious Ilia, you know there's still hope for you. You can leave, join me and help bring down Adam." Ilia was going to say something, but a furious blonde grabbed her and slammed her against the fence.
"I'm gonna tear your fucking head off, you White Fang whore. Nobody fucks with Blake and lives." Yang said as she wrapped her hands around Ilia's neck and started choking the life out of her. The terrified girl tried and failed to free herself, in desperation she looked to Blake.
"You aren't getting away, you little bitch. Nobody can help you." Yang taunted, as Ilia struggled for breath. Yang was too strong, there was no way of escaping. Ilia would die, and Yang would take great pleasure in killing her.
Alarms started blaring, and a few gunshots went off. All the inmates hit the ground as a guard shouted through a loudspeaker "Yang Branwen! Stand down now! Stand down or we will open fire!" Yang shook her head "This bitch tried to kill Blake! I'm not letting go!" she shouted.
She was completely ready to kill Ilia. She had almost done the job when Blake shouted at her "Yang stop! Please stop! I love her!" she pleaded. Yang froze up, she wanted to kill Ilia. But Blake's pleading did something Yang didn't think possible, it broke her heart. She let Ilia go and dropped to her knees.
The guards swarmed them, Yang was restrained and dragged away. She didn't even put up a fight, she couldn't. She hurt Blake, she made her beg, Blake had begged her to be merciful, she almost killed someone Blake loved. She was so stupid, her need to be violent had gone too far.
Blake was on the floor, a crying mess. Ilia almost died right in front of her. She crawled over, to the hyperventilating Chameleon Faunus, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry Ilia, I'm so sorry. I love you, I love you so much Ilia." She wasn't lying, she may have lusted after Yang, she may have wanted to fix Yang, but it was Ilia that she loved. She had loved Ilia for a long time, but it took Ilia almost dying for her to realise.
So, Yang is human. There may still be hope for her. Hope nobody minds the whole Blake x Ilia thing.