Chapter 57
"Mistral?" asked Yang as she gave the man in the booth a curious look. She and Blake were at the airdock, inquiring as to the whereabouts of Taiyang and Ruby.
"That's right" confirmed the man, "I remember your father asking the same question, he followed after your sister not too long ago" he answered; turning his attention to the east. "I'd be careful if you're heading out that way though. Some strange news coming from the passengers that arrived from there lately" he added.
"Like what?" asked Blake as she stood besides Yang.
"Well..." paused the man as he looked back towards the two. "The usual being Grimm and bandits running amok, but lately they say it's been getting worse and the capital still won't send out reinforcements. All they get for protection is themselves and any kind hunter who crosses their path" he replied.
Yang nodded to the man, "We'll be fine. Probably. Thanks for letting us know, it really means a lot" she said.
"Any time Yang, I owe your father a great deal so I'm happy to help" answered the man with a smile. He waved his hand as the two turned to leave.
"Stay safe!" called out Yang with a wave as herself and Blake left the airdock.
After they were further away from the dock Blake turned her gaze to Yang as they walked, "Mistral is pretty big, how do you think we'll find them?" she asked.
Yang sighed softly and shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. I guess we'd need to get to the airdock they would have landed at, ask around there if anybody saw them" she replied.
"We might be able to just call them, though from what I hear the signal in Mistral isn't the best" said Blake as she turned her attention forward. They were already upon another dirt path as they passed through a light forested area. The leaves above were glinting from the setting sun, providing their natural green colour with an orange glimmer. Patch was a relatively peaceful place with the Grimm only being contained to smaller pockets in the more desolate parts of the island. People rarely had anything to worry about and so they attracted little attention.
"We'll figure it out" nodded Yang with confidence as they continued onwards.
The wind scattered fallen leaves along the path they walked and rustled at the overarching branches above them. Now and then a creak of wood or the snap of a twig could be heard in the distance, but it was never the cause of any suspicion as a squirrel sprinted across the path and climbed a tree. The air was fresh with the scent of nature and faint hints of the ocean that surrounded the small island.
Blake stood upon a twig that snapped beneath her foot, she glanced down at the sound while she continued to walk. "Does anything bad ever happen here?" she asked.
"Yeah, low-flying airships" snorted Yang; referring to the pilot.
Blake smiled at her words, "He is a little strange..." she commented as she looked up to the sky which was obscured by the branches.
"A little?" asked Yang.
"Okay... He is strange" answered the Faunus as she corrected herself. Her golden gaze set upon the road ahead of them once more. "How are you feeling anyway? About all... All of this. With Ruby being missing, your father too and... Neo being in your house" she asked.
"You still really don't like her, huh?" replied Yang as her lilac eyes shifted to her partner.
"And you do?" asked Blake in response as she raised a brow in question.
Yang shook her head, "It's not... I mean, I kinda got used to her being around is all. Besides, she's sorta changed. You know what I mean?" she asked.
"So you think she's safe to be around now?" continued Blake as she questioned Yang further.
"Uhh... Yeah, guess I do. With Weiss around she barely even looks at me any more either" answered the blonde.
Blake tapped her chin in thought, "If Weiss wasn't around, do you think we'd let Neo tag along now that Winter isn't with us?" she questioned.
Yang's eyes glanced down to the ground as she pondered upon the question. "Uhm... Well she's still useful right? So probably?" came her answer. The Faunus never offered a response as she remained silent to the answer. "Why, would you kick her out?" asked Yang as she prodded her.
"Maybe" replied Blake.
"That's not much of an answer" frowned Yang.
Blake narrowed her eyes slightly, "I just don't like her" she answered firmly.
"We won't need to put up with her forever, just until we find Ruby and dad" stated Yang.
"You think she'll just accept that?" asked Blake as she looked to her partner once more.
"She'll have to" answered Yang. Her eyes looked up to the sky ahead, the sun was setting quickly and the night would soon be upon them. "Anyway, we should probably hurry up. I don't feel like stumbling around in the dark tonight" she added.
"Speak for yourself" smirked Blake.
The door to the cabin opened as Blake stepped in, followed by Yang who closed the door behind her. Before she turned around she heard a yelp from her partner. She spun on her heel to see that Blake was covering her eyes and stepping back towards her. "Do they have clothes on!?" asked Blake, pointing one hand towards the direction of the couch. Yang sighed silently to herself as she made her way idly towards the couch, upon it was Weiss and Neo, fully clothed and asleep in each other's arms.
"They do" confirmed Yang, keeping her voice lower than usual to avoid waking the pair. Blake slowly lowered her hand from her eyes. "Why does it worry you anyway? We've both seen Weiss with less on" asked Yang curiously; back when they studied in Beacon they shared a room after all.
"Getting dressed and sleeping with someone are two very different things. Then there's Neo" replied Blake with a soured expression as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are they even on the couch? Didn't you say they could use Ruby's room?" she asked.
"Well, yeah. But this is actually better I think" said Yang, once more sparing a glance towards the two. Weiss had her arms wrapped firmly around her partner who buried her face against her neck. "You know it's kinda cute" smiled Yang softly before she walked around the couch and made for the hallway.
"Are you really calling Neo cute now?" asked Blake as she watched her pass by.
"Weiss balances it out" shrugged Yang before entering one of the rooms.
Blake moved towards the fireplace as she felt its heat flow across her form. She peered back towards the two sleeping on the couch; Neo had her back to her while Weiss would have been able to look at her if her eyes were open. Weiss was wearing a gentle smile in her sleep.
Shortly after did Yang return from the room she entered, she was dragging a large quilt in her hand. She arrived to the front of the couch as she draped it over the two before turning her attention back to Blake. "I don't know about you but I'd rather not catch a cold tomorrow because they decided to sleep there" she said.
"What time is it anyway?" asked Blake, glancing around the room for any clocks.
"Tired?" responded Yang as she approached her partner from behind, wrapping her arms around her as she rested her head against her shoulder.
Blake reached up to place her hand against Yang's, "Not really, I was just wondering" she answered.
"You seem a little high-strung today... C'mon, what's up?" asked Yang, tightening her embrace slightly. The Faunus remained silent. "Blake..." whispered the blonde.
"It's the Fang..." responded Blake.
"The Fang? I thought we dealt with them?" asked Yang.
"In Vale... Sure, but Mistral is where their leader resides; Sienna Khan" continued Blake. "Adam only led the Vale group..." she added.
Yang paused, "Then we just deal with them if they get in our way" she answered in a sure fashion. "Mistral's a big place too, we might not even run into them" she said before loosening her arms from around her partner.
Blake turned to hold Yang's hands in her own. "I'm sure it's going to be fine, I just don't like being reminded of the past, of who I used to be. What I used to be..." she replied, her head lowering slightly in shame.
Yang squeezed her hand in her own; avoiding doing so with the prosthetic for obvious reasons. "Don't worry about it, you've got me looking out for you now. If any White Fang show up I'm gonna punch them to the ground before you even look at them" she smiled.
With those words Blake smiled in return, "Thanks Yang... I really do love you" she nodded.
"And I love you too, token Faunus girl" grinned the blonde.
"You idiot" smirked Blake as she leaned forward to place a kiss against her partner's lips. She meant for it to only last a second but Yang had released her hands and wrapped her arms around her in order to prolong the contact. It quickly dawned on the Faunus that the kiss was becoming more than just a kiss as Yang pressed harder against her. She let out a soft moan as her hands came to rest against her girlfriend's rear.
The kiss broke as Yang gave out a soft sigh, "Wanna see my room by the way?" she asked with a cheeky grin on her face.
"What are you, twelve?" chuckled Blake.
"I'll show you my comics" replied Yang with a soft laugh. She loosened her arms from around her slightly as she started walking backwards, leading her partner down the hall and towards the door of her room.
"You know just because I like reading books doesn't mean I like comics too" answered Blake as the two entered the room. Inside it was rather empty with a large bed, a bedside table with a vase of withered sunflowers, a bookshelf in the corner filled with anything but books.
"You're such a nerd" laughed Yang as she kicked the door shut behind Blake. She turned to shove her partner towards the bed.
Blake stumbled from the shove as she fell onto her back upon the soft bed. "And you're an idiot brute" she answered as her watchful golden gaze remained locked upon her partner. She noticed she had kicked off her shoes and removed her jacket, revealing the orange tank top beneath.
"I don't think you'll be calling me an idiot for much longer..." said Yang; her voice taking on a sultry tone as she took a step towards the bed.
"Wait... Is this...?" paused Blake as her face took on a deep shade of red. They had always talked about doing something romantic when they had the chance, but for some reason she never seemed to expect it to actually happen so suddenly.
"Don't get all shy on me now, Kitty..." cooed Yang, her hands coming down towards the bottom of her top as she pulled it up and over her head; revealing her form beneath. She flicked the top at her partner as it struck her in the face.
Blake clambered to pull the top away from her face so that she could see the sight in front of her. As she did she could see that Yang had already crawled onto the bed and over her. "Y- Yang..." stuttered the Faunus in an almost timid voice.
"Blakey..." whispered Yang as her lips brushed against her partner's. "You want this right...?" she asked, her seductive lilac eyes staring intensely into Blake's golden set.
Slowly Blake's hands traced down Yang's arching spine. One remained firmly against her while the other daringly slipped down the back of her baggy pants; nails grazing over skin. "Y- Yeah..." replied the Faunus quietly as her lips remained parted, her eyes filled with desires as she stared back up at her lover.
Yang lowered herself fully against Blake as she pressed their lips together into a fiery kiss of passion, she tilted her head slightly and began slowly grinding her form against her partner's as she gave out a soft moan in delight. Blake's grip upon the blonde's rear tightened as she indulged in the kiss, her other hand stroking up her partner's back lovingly as her breath became somewhat struggled.
As if sensing her desire for air Yang broke the kiss and the two gasped. "Blake..." said Yang in a drawn fashion as she kissed and nipped at her jaw. Her left hand moved between the two and slid down Blake's body until it slipped beneath her pants. Blake's eyes widened at the touch as she took in a sharp gasp. She struggled to hold in her voice as she moaned Yang's name. The two pressed into another deep kiss as their passion grew more intense.
Blake squirmed slightly beneath the touch of her partner; the places she touched, the sensations she felt; all of it was bliss. She moved her own hand around her partner's waist and to her front as she bravely attempted to return the favour. She felt Yang bite down upon her lip as her hand came into contact with a sensitive spot and she could hear the blonde's sweet and soft moans, her breaths for air. "I love you" gasped Blake as the kiss briefly parted.
"I- love you" repeated Yang as their lips drew to a close once more. The window of the room was beginning to fog up as the two continued, intertwined as they were and lost in lust for one another.
Blake could barely focus her thoughts but one thing did come to mind; was this the future of her relationship with Yang? The idea excited her, to be able to share countless moments like this one with the person she loved so deeply. Soon enough she found she was unable to control the volume of her voice as she started to call her partner's name loudly but she didn't care. Nobody could hear them as far out as they were.
Except for one.
Neo's vision was covered by Weiss' neck as she continued to bury her face against it but she was awake; she could hear the sounds from where she was. The lids of her eyes closed half way as she reached for Weiss' hand; bringing it up to cover her ear before she closed her eyes tight once again.