I think it's time that someone finally put this into writing, as at least so far as I have personally seen, it's never been recorded- meeting new people is exhausting for introverts. I was just starting to get used to having Shiv and Sun around when Cin pulled me aside after we made camp last night to tell me that she had another member of the Fang set to meet us in Harold's Folly. I didn't object, as Cin said that the girl was reliable and incredibly skilled for her age, but I did feel a bit frustrated at the fact that I would soon be around a third member of the White Fang. Fortunately, everything worked out, and our new party of five gets along far better than I'd anticipated. For the record, this is being written from atop the guard tower on the cliff overlooking Harold's Folly, in hours of the morning so early that it's still considered night. I volunteered to take the last shift simply so I could record my thoughts, and to allow Cin to get some uninterrupted sleep. She really needs it, and I know she'll appreciate the gesture, even if she would never ask for it outright.

The rest of the ride here was largely uneventful, though I did get a chance to simply laze about with Cin in bed for quite a while, while Sun and Shiv were out on patrol. I decided to see how long it would take for her to mention the White Fang if I didn't bring it up, and to my surprise, it never came up at all. She seemed far more interested in making small talk and cuddling than dealing with anything serious, and I had no objections to the idea. She also licked the tip of my nose, which was… let's call it "new". New is a very safe word. Eventually, though, she did raise a few points about how we should approach the sand worm.

Given her semblance of triggering another's semblance through direct contact or venom, her ability to inflict meaningful damage is going to be limited to precise crossbow shots. Shiv is primarily a long-range sniper, and Sun and our new squad member Blake are apparently capable fighters, but specialize in creating distractions, and they're both quite young and inexperienced in actual combat. It wasn't long before I volunteered to take point and lead the operation, in a move that surprised both Cin and myself. Naturally, I'm not about to back down when there's a girl I like to be impressed, and I'm also legitimately our best option to lead the charge, such that it is. That being said, I absolutely regret volunteering, and I'm likely going to look incredibly stupid in front of two children, my girlfriend, and her ex. What could possibly go wrong?

On the subject of Blake- she was indeed ready and waiting for us outside of my hometown. Cin warned me ahead of time that the girl's last name was Belladonna, and that she is daughter to the High Leader of the White Fang, which essentially makes her faunus royalty. Despite that, she gave her last name as "Moonglove" when she introduced herself in order to throw Sun off the trail. I'm not entirely sure where the alias came from, but in some weird way, it suits her. Blake looks to be about Sun's age, and has a gorgeous set of black feline ears. I quite honestly thought his tail was going to twist itself into knots as he shook her hand during introductions. It's not every day that I get to see the development of an immediate crush, but I will admit- they would look cute together.

Unfortunately for him, I fear that looking cute would likely be the only thing the pair would have going for them. Blake is Sun's polar opposite- calm, reserved, quiet, and intense. Despite the fact that she stands only to the center of my chest, even I was a bit intimidated by her piercing yellow eyes and stoic attitude. Her style of dress is admittedly a bit odd, in that she looks to be wearing almost some sort of maid's outfit with coattails, but I hardly have any room to judge. She told us very little beyond a general overview of what she had heard in town about the sand worm, and that fact remained true for the majority of the remainder of the day. Apparently, Blake had been in the area by coincidence alone, and beat us to Harold's Folly by nearly half of a day. In her time here, she found out that the worm seems to be consistently approaching from the west and roaming the sands just outside of town in what appears to be a desperate hunt for food. According to the locals, it's drawing closer each day, and if its behavior continues, it will be at the gates within the next three.

After introductions, Shiv apparently decided that being amicable and cooperative for two straight days was far too long, and decided to show his ass by insisting that I escort our party around the town, while informing Blake that it was my home. Blake immediately agreed, Sun agreed with Blake, because of course he did, and Cin joined in on the fun, most likely just to watch me squirm. Left with little choice, I gave in, and began giving the grand tour of my former little community.

Unsurprisingly, not much has changed in my time away from Harold's Folly for the past however long. Even less surprising, nearly nothing had changed since my departure from the place for Higanbana, so long ago. The town is small, consisting of a little over two hundred people, which is typical for a desert settlement. The population is skewed more toward faunus, though there are some humans about working as vendors, mercenaries for hire, innkeepers, and the like. The entire place is surrounded by a sandstone wall about twice my height, with guard towers along it. The wall forms a wide semicircle, and the "open" portion is built into a cliff standing about a hundred feet above the sands, with a large, multi-story watchtower atop it. It is from that watchtower that I am currently writing, and in which our group has been offered lodging by the leader of the settlement.

Within the town itself, there is a typical bazaar, as well as businesses that one could reasonably expect in a small settlement. The aforementioned inns, bars, and hotels, two competing smithies, a brothel that I may or may not be somewhat familiar with, and several locations in which to eat dot the town. I skipped the brothel on my tour, and I was expecting and hoping to skip my former family home. I don't think I even need to say who asked me where it was in town, and I reluctantly showed it off at their request. My former home is a medium-sized, two-story adobe, and it is currently occupied by a family I do not recognize. Seeing the place again brought about uncomfortable feelings, but Cin was quick to reassure me and take my hand. The action also made Shiv look a little miffed, so there's that.

Our group of five eventually met with the village leader and procured the watchtower for the night. The man recognized me, and invited our group into his home for free food, which is always a plus. He gave us a bit more information, though it wasn't anything that Blake hadn't already detailed or implied with her report. Not long after, it was time to schedule shifts for the night watch and begin settling in for tomorrow's hunt. Cin volunteered to take first watch, which worked out well, since we had a period of several hours in which to share a bed between her duty and mine.

Before I turned in, though, Sun asked to speak to me privately, and I went off with him to scout the dunes near to the tower. I was honestly expecting him to have picked up on the White Fang involvement in our group and with his sister, but what he wanted to talk about instead made me want to faceplant into the sand and sleep there until morning. He asked whether or not it would seem creepy if he offered to cover Blake's watch for her, since he thinks she's "incredibly cute", to use his words. When I told him that he needed rest as well, he informed me that his original idea was to keep her company during her watch, as a way to keep her from getting bored and show a little interest. He then told me that he came to me for advice because I seem to know what I'm doing with relationships and approaching women, given that I'm dating his sister.

Laughing in his face probably wasn't the best idea, but it's not like I could have stopped myself.

After carefully explaining to Sun that I had somehow luckily bumbled into Cin's arms, I did try to offer some advice to help the boy. I really do need to keep in mind that he is just a "boy", and that having a crush on a girl his age like Blake is certainly natural. Of course, he doesn't know that she's in the White Fang, and what getting involved with her would likely do to him. I was, and honestly, still am torn about how much I should try to keep the two separate, but seeing the well-meaning, good-natured attentiveness that he gave to my words swayed me toward being legitimately helpful. I more or less told him to calm down and fight well if he wanted to impress her, and then see about getting her number when we parted ways. Sun seemed happy enough with the advice and thanked me, which is great, since I had no idea what else to say beyond that. Honestly, I'm not sure if "opposites attract" would apply with these two, but for his sake, I hope it does… and I also hope it doesn't. I worry for that boy, and I worry even more now that he's apparently starting to look up to me, of all people.

Regardless, I slept well, and only rose for my shift a little over two hours ago. When I reached the top of the tower, I found Blake sitting silently atop the parapet, waiting to be relieved. I told her that she was free to go, and that I wouldn't try to hold her back to make small talk, since I could tell from her body language through the day that she, too, wasn't one for crowds. She was appreciative, but asked if she could stay with me at the top of the tower, as she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anyway, and wanted to get some reading done under the stars. I saw no problem with the offer, and so, she's… a few feet to my left right now, with her back up against one of the raised sections of the turret. The temptation to say something is indeed rather strong, but at the same time, it's incredibly nice to just be able to sit, write, occasionally look out over the landscape, and know that I'm not stuck up here alone. She hasn't said anything about my journal, but she's definitely seen it, by now. I appreciate her silence on the matter, and I can't help but wonder if she has one of her own.

I've never heard of the book that Blake is reading, but it's entitled Forbidden Love, and has a rather muscular male bird faunus cradling a human woman in his arms. Neither of them is wearing clothing, but their explicit bits are strategically covered by folded limbs, feathered wings, and falling leaves. I'm not entirely sure if a book like that is appropriate for someone her age, but I'm also not her father, and I think I understand the thought process behind reading it. Life and love are both messy affairs, while in books, everything usually just seems to work out. Maybe she's reading it as a form of escape, or because she desperately wants such a romance. Maybe, if she sticks with us, I'll talk to her about it when she's less preoccupied. I like to read as well, and I get the feeling I'm alone in that notion amongst our group. For now, though, I think it's best if I just focus on keeping watch and mentally preparing for the coming fight. It's been a while since I've had to put some serious effort into a battle, and the stakes are higher than ever.

Two of us have girls to impress.

Author's Note:

Blake is also 16, at the moment. Shiv is still asshole years old.

-RD