Chapter Four: Carnival
Written by: JayEmEl
Edited by: Cowjump
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Wasn't there a saying that went 'it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt'? Yang didn't believe in that one. She liked to think her pranks were entirely harmless, as she never played them in a mean-spirited manner and only put them into action with people who knew that. Those individuals were generally her friends and family, close relationships that she already cared for and proved so as often as she could. To add to that, most of them were huntsmen and huntresses, so they had auras to protect themselves with should her practical jokes be a little more...daunting, or so to speak. But the jokes were never truly hazardous to anyone's safety or health.
They solely meant to generate hilarity...or at least amusement…or, on the other side of the spectrum, homicidal urges…
That being said, Yang had indeed noticed just how much Blake had struggled to keep from chasing all the lasers in the first round. And, naturally, Yang had also been unable to refrain from contributing to Blake's troubles in the second stretch.
Just as the Faunus was plagued with cat instincts, the goofball was forever intensely tempted to tease those she was close to the moment occasions presented themselves. Yang's partner was one of her favorite targets – because she was usually so placid and serious, and instigating more animated reactions from her was a pure pleasure to the blonde. It was just that the only manner by which she seemed capable of achieving her goal was through provoking the kitty within. This went without mentioning that ever since Blake had admitted her feelings, Yang interestingly found it twice as compelling to prod at her temperate composure.
Therefore, it was far more hilarious than painful when Blake knocked her down and bit her. Yang had been surprised, for she had made the mistake of underestimating Blake due to the instinctive trance the Faunus had been in, and hadn't expected the normally calm girl to literally attack the source of the red laser dot. And, to top it off, Yang had been some ten feet away. She had lost her shotgun lookalike as soon as she had been tackled, so it only made sense that Blake had bit her hand instead. Frankly, Yang had been relieved it had been herself and not the metal of her weapon, as that would have been more than a little...teeth-grinding.
Heh.
Now under her victim, faces a few inches apart and Yang's hand still caught in Blake's mouth, the culprit clearly saw dreaded realization hit her dark-haired partner. Yang couldn't help the wide grin that crossed her lips. Through the somber lighting, Blake's eyes widened and she immediately released Yang, but only to suddenly grab her collar – taking advantage of their compromising position – and press her pistol to the now not-so-amused-and-much-more-stunned brawler's temple before pulling the trigger.
Earning Blake a headshot.
Yang stared in disbelief.
The Faunus' eyes seemed to glow and smolder like pools of molten gold as she approached Yang's face even more, causing the blonde to truly grow uncomfortable for the first time since becoming Blake's girlfriend about a week ago. She did not desire this kind of proximity. But the silent ninja stopped when they were practically nose-to-nose and murmured in a low, almost threatening tone as her gaze bored into Yang, "You continue to play with fire, Little Sun Dragon. And you just got burned."
Ohhhh, yeah. Better apply cold water to that and fast, too, Xiao Long.
Although Blake was more than obviously irked, there was no way she hadn't been aware of what she had just uttered. Yang always appreciated a good pun, and although this one was not all that great – Blake just wasn't the pro-comedian Yang was, after all – it was nevertheless the thought that counted. Yang therefore couldn't remain offended by what Blake had done. But Yang was still feeling rather awkward about the position they were in, as Blake was straddling her hips to forbid a smooth getaway. Also, her hand had still not forgotten about having been chomped on a few moments ago.
But Yang had a few tricks up her own sleeve. She hadn't been dubbed the Pun Master (self-dubbed, but still) for nothing, and her grin was back instantly. "Oh, but kitten...don't you know? You can't burn fire!" And with that, the girl in yellow made her semblance flare, illuminating their vicinity and creating enough heat to make Blake jump back and get onto her feet without hesitation. Yang followed the motion and was quickly upright as well. The two faced each other defiantly. Yang winked at her partner, harmless flames licking across loose strands of her hair. "What's wrong, babe? Am I too hot for you?"
Blake glared and started to raise her gun, as if she had every intention of scoring herself another headshot while the brawler still hadn't recovered her shotgun. However, she then strangely paused mid-movement, appearing suddenly fascinated with something in the direction of Yang's face. Yang's reaction to this was peer at Blake in confusion, creasing her eyebrows. She glanced behind herself quickly, verifying that it was indeed her that Blake was randomly ogling.
It was.
A sniper shot then clearly resounded from below, followed by a young, piping voice shouting, "Yang, you're not even trying!"
It took a few seconds, but once Yang realized what had just happened, she couldn't help herself; she began cackling, so much so that she started doubling over, holding her stomach as her semblance faded. No, that was quite true – this round, she wasn't trying at all, playing as what some would call a "camper," minus the trigger-happy stigma that accompanied the title, making her a completely insipid enemy for everyone to shoot at. Pyrrha had, as a matter of fact, been hiding in Yang's general vicinity and just scored herself some easy points whenever she fancied it, but Yang had been so unresponsive that the warrior had just moved on. It was simply far more amusing for the prankster to make Blake's life difficult, even more so because she knew the ninja wouldn't remain angry with her. She couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Proof of this was that Yang soon heard a second laugh join her own, the soft chime that belonged to none other than the very target of her teasing: Blake. This gratified the social butterfly in way nothing else could, as the silent bookworm laughed so rarely and had all but forced Yang to make it one of her objectives almost daily. Not that she was particularly successful in this endeavor...but when she was, like now (even if she technically wasn't, since it was incontestable that she was being mocked...), it took all of her willpower to not hop up and down in delight.
Blake was the one to quiet first, but then she said rather tonelessly, "You know, on a scale of one to ten, your jokes mostly vary between 'Will the pain never end?' and 'Dear God, someone stop her before it's too late.' But then other times, like now, you reach the 'I'm going to murder you for that' level. So, Yang...take a guess at which line you crossed."
Yang became silent pretty quick at that. She stared at her friend. Blake stared back.
"Shotgun!" Yang yelled and dove for her weapon before the Faunus could react, grabbing it and then rolling into cover behind a low wall, grinning like a maniac. She knew Blake wouldn't kill her for real. Plus, that hadn't even been a proper one-to-ten scale. But she also knew her toying might have been slightly excessive. Blake had shown legitimate signs of irritation. Yang would have to find a way to make it up to her. And she would stop with the laser teasing. But for now...
Well, the extrovert was incorrigible, and proud of it, too. It was one the best afternoons she'd had in terms of fun, and just for being who she was, despite her intentions and probably being unaware of the effect her behavior had, Blake was a main contributor to that. And Yang really did appreciate it.
A few weeks later, students at Beacon Academy were just concluding a difficult evaluation and exam period. After the laser tag outing, and on Weiss' enthusiastic insistence, Ruby had coaxed her teammates into high gear so that everyone would study and train more than sufficiently to ace their tests. This meant that Team RWBY practically breathed academic obligations for almost a month straight. This wasn't due to Ruby becoming a severe leader. It was more so that the girls were nearing the end of their second year at Beacon and had started to gain a greater sense of responsibility – especially after dealing with the threat Cinder Fall, Roman Torchwick, Adam Taurus, and the White Fang had been not so long ago. It didn't stop them from finding occasions to amuse themselves, and they certainly still were the young and energetic girls they had always been, but time had a way of changing things for the better in these apprentice huntresses.
For the most part, of course.
Which was why, when Carnival Week came around in Vale, Team RWBY would take advantage of their extra day off from classes to spend it in the city. Weiss had been reluctant about it, arguing that the end of the final semester was approaching faster than they gave it credit for and that now wasn't the time to slack in their efforts. But she was very quickly submerged in protests and complaints from Ruby and Yang. Blake didn't involve herself, although she did appear to have a penchant for Weiss' point of view after making a show of needing to think about it when asked to pick sides. However, since she didn't speak up, the ice queen had no choice but to acquiesce on the basis that maybe they did need and deserve a small moment of respite – but only in order to better excel afterwards. Ever the self-proclaimed voice of reason, she took it upon herself to kindly remind her teammates that they would have two full months during summer to do whatever it was that pleased them, after all.
And she wouldn't be wrong in that declaration. Even Yang would have to admit it.
But on the night before the group's planned activity, this proved to be one of the many thoughts not on the golden girl's mind. She tended to brush off most of whatever the heiress felt the need to add once her point had been made, anyway, since a lot of it was often just Weiss being Weiss – and that had rapidly become much less noteworthy a long time ago. Generally, with Weiss, it was just best to take some and leave some.
No, Yang was lying in her bed on the top of the second bunk, staring up at the ceiling through the darkness, thinking about her partner – the very same one currently having her regular late-night shower in the next room. Yang felt sad for Blake. The two had been "dating" for about a month now, but with the kind of busy schedules the team had, the possibilities to have any kind of bonding experiences were next to nonexistent. Plus, they were rarely by themselves, and having decided that everyone except Ruby needn't know about their new relationship forced the two girls to be careful in public. Not that there was much to be prudent about to begin with...
And this bothered Yang. Not personally, since she didn't exactly desire further romantic interactions with her friend, but because she was all too aware of Blake's feelings and how the situation might have been affecting her. If Weiss had convinced Ruby to keep Team RWBY focused and strong after this single vacation day, it meant that tomorrow would be all Blake and Yang would have until summer to truly work on their couple (and even then, plans were still up in the air). She wanted her companion to know that she hadn't given up on trying. Yang had been putting in a conscious effort to grow closer to Blake, despite all the studying and training they did – observing her more often; placing herself near the Faunus when they were reading their work material, sprawled randomly on the floor in their dorm room; sitting beside or across from her at lunch in the cafeteria; listening more attentively when she spoke... They were insignificant actions, but within their circumstances and taking into consideration their respective feelings, Yang was doing all she could.
And yet Blake continued to give her that look, an expression of regretful longing that regularly appeared after interacting with Yang, however briefly, and this generated doubt and worry within the blonde's mind – doubt that she would be able to reciprocate the raven-haired girl's love, worry that she was causing more harm than good, even if she gave it her best shot. It wasn't easy. Blake was hellbent on not making Yang uncomfortable, no matter how many times the lilac-eyed girl assured her that it was okay. At every instance, Blake gave the impression of being unable to accept her girlfriend's willingness to put herself through the inevitable if they wanted the relationship to progress.
And that was the pinnacle of Yang's comprehension – the rest was beyond her. Why, if this was what Blake desired, did she insist on creating such distance between them? Why did it feel like ever since that implication-filled moment on the beach, they had ultimately been growing farther apart? What was Yang doing wrong?
The shower turned off just then, signaling that Blake would be out within the next few minutes. Yang turned on her side to face the wall, stared at it for a moment, and then repositioned herself on her back. She let out a sigh. Neither the ceiling nor the wall offered any inspiring advice, and this issue was going to keep her awake if she didn't find some sort of solution. Anything would help, really.
She heard Blake washing her face at the sink soon after, and Yang decided she needed out of the room. There was pressure building, no matter how "okay" it seemed for their relationship to be crawling along at a pace even a turtle could outrun. It wasn't okay. Blake wasn't happy and Yang wasn't happy because of that. Plain and simple, and Yang needed to not be in the same room as her partner right now. She needed to think and to move.
So, Yang grabbed her scroll, swung her legs over the edge of her bunk, and hopped down to the floor as quietly as she could so as not to wake Weiss – Ruby was probably still awake up on the bed above hers, but that was fine – before heading towards the door. She grabbed the knob, but then heard Ruby's loud whispering voice ask, "Yang? Where are you going?"
Yang winced. She hadn't thought the younger sibling would concern herself over Yang's current actions. Silly me. Ruby was trying to be a responsible leader, after all. The blonde turned and saw Ruby's cute face peeking around from the blankets hanging from the ceiling over her top bunk. "Just, uh...going for a short walk. You should sleep, Ruby."
Ruby scrunched her nose. "Okay, but it's past our curfew. Don't get in trouble."
Yang forced a bright grin. "Me? Trouble? Never."
The young leader's head disappeared back into her bunk-fort, apparently buying the reassurance despite her disbelief. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say."
Yang did not reply to this, but she breathed a short sigh of relief and quickly exited the dorm before Blake had time to come out of the bathroom. But just as she had told Ruby, Yang didn't go very far. Right across the hall from RWBY was JNPR's dorm, and Yang stopped in front of the door. She opened her scroll and pulled up a certain warrior's messaging screen.
Hey Pyrrha wake up
Yang waited in silence for about three whole seconds before giving up on patience being a virtue and began spamming her redhaired friend with messages.
I wanna talk
Im outside ur door
Its kinda urgent
Wake uppppp
Ur face smells
Its so lonely out here
Whats that weird stain on the carpet
Nikos!
JNPR's door suddenly swung open, revealing Pyrrha in her pajamas and her scroll in one of her hands. She winced when the light in the hallway reached her eyes, and gave Yang a half confused, half tired look. "Jaune spilled...something."
For a second Yang didn't understand what Pyrrha was referring to, but then quickly realized and let out a snicker. "You mean on your face?"
Pyrrha winced harder. "I feel like there's a joke I'm missing, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. Is that what you wanted to talk about? The stain on the carpet?"
Yang was tempted to continue pulling Pyrrha's half-asleep leg for the laughs, but the matter on her mind was bothering her enough that she sobered…right after snorting in amusement at the clueless girl's question, that is. "Heh, uh, no. But maybe some other time. Can we go elsewhere to talk?"
Pyrrha blinked slowly and then shook her head before stepping out into the hall with Yang and quietly closing the door. "How about just the end of the hallway over there? It's past our curfew – we can't go far."
Yang looked to where Pyrrha motioned and then nodded. "Sure." There was a small lounge area right before the staircase where they would be able to sit, in the same vicinity as where the elevator was located, too. It was far away enough that Yang figured their words wouldn't be apprehended by a certain someone with super-developed hearing in RWBY's dorm room.
The two made their way down the hall, and once they arrived at the lounge, Yang quickly claimed the sofa while Pyrrha shook her head again and sat in the armchair. At least she looked a little more composed now. "To what do I owe the pleasure of being so rudely awoken, hm?"
Yang opened her mouth, ready to answer immediately, but then…said nothing. She had not obtained Blake's consent to speak about their relationship to anyone but Ruby. This kind of complicated things. Yang slumped her shoulders and then rubbed the back of her neck. She'd have to beat around the bush and talk about what was bothering her…without talking about what was bothering her. Fortunately, Pyrrha would probably still be able to help at least a little.
"Okay, so, um… There's this…situation, right?" Yang started lamely, but Pyrrha only leaned forward to rest her chin on her hand in order to better pay attention, so the blonde continued, somewhat reluctant, "What would you do if, like, you were straight and –"
"Which I am. I am straight."
Yang widened her eyes at Pyrrha. What kind of interruption even was that? "Not you you! The hypothetical you. And in this situation, let's say you have a friend, a girl, who is gay – or, you know, maybe not entirely straight –"
"Are you my hypothetical friend?"
They suddenly both went quiet and stared at each other, both daring the other to argue. It lasted a few seconds before Yang tried cautiously, stepping on the battleground, "No, I'm your real friend."
"Are you hypothetically gay or, you know, maybe not entirely straight?"
Honestly, Yang should have known Pyrrha would give her a hard time. It was what they did to each other, after all. The artillery had arrived – Warrior Nikos was obviously no longer half asleep. Still, Yang tried again, "No, I'm –"
"Are you hitting on me?"
"Oh, my God, no. Pyrrha! Stop and listen, I –"
Pyrrha leaned forward even more, green eyes glittering in amusement. "But am I your friend?"
Yang threw her hands up. "You're starting not to be!"
Pyrrha grinned and got comfortable in her seat again, casual in her satisfaction. She crossed her legs. "You were the one asking about my sex life not five minutes ago. Expect retaliation."
Fair point. But Yang did need Pyrrha's cooperation this time. The situation truly was bothering her. She let out a sigh and hung her head. "Blargh."
There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on longer than it should have, but when Pyrrha spoke again, her voice was softer, as if she knew something was up now. "Okay. No more jokes. I'm listening."
Yang had to take another few seconds to gather her thoughts again. As much enjoyment as she got out of her humorous interactions with the redhead, and as much as she appreciated the dynamic between them, at the end of the day, those weren't what made Yang trust Pyrrha for advice. No, Pyrrha knew when it was time to be serious and levelheaded and redirect the conversation to get back on track. And she was perceptive – much like Blake, actually – seeing through Yang's pranks and cheery façade and coaxing the truth out.
So, now it was time to talk and leave the jokes for later. Yang let out a breath and then simply asked, "What would you do if your friend – a girl – told you she was in love with you?"
Pyrrha crossed her arms and creased her eyebrows. She seemed to give the question some thought before answering. "That's…a tough one." She hesitated, and continued, "But…for both our sakes, I'd have to say I'm sorry. I don't think I'd be able to make her happy, and I wouldn't be happy, either. It would suck to reject her – I don't like hurting others anymore than you do, especially those I care about – but it might hurt more if I made a promise I couldn't keep."
Yang couldn't reply to that. Not right away, at least. Her uncertainties were being confirmed – and Pyrrha was practically using the same words Blake had. It was perfectly valid – Yang's relationship with Blake had no guarantees, and it would be more painful to drag it out than to make a clean cut and let time heal the wound. But… "But let's say you agreed to give it a try anyway."
Pyrrha was silent, and they looked at each other, green irises boring into lilac in search of unspoken information. She seemed to find what she was looking for because she then said, "Then I would do my very best to keep my promise, even if I made it on a whim – as I'm guessing you did."
Yang dropped her gaze and felt the heat rise to her face in shame. Yeah, she hadn't exactly been thinking further than the tip of her nose. Pyrrha had seen right through her. All that had mattered, in the moment, was doing anything to make Blake's pain go away. Yang hadn't taken into consideration the problems that would come up in the long run – problems that could easily tear them apart.
"People's emotions aren't meant to be played with, Yang," Pyrrha added gently. "You try your best, and if both of you come to the conclusion that it isn't worth it, then you can mutually end it. But you need to speak with her. Not me."
She was right, of course. And Yang had every intention of doing that. But now she had a better understanding of how important it was for her and Blake to talk, no matter how difficult the subject. Yang had made a promise, and trying didn't just mean actions – they had to communicate, too, to make sure they were on the same page. Because, clearly, right now, they weren't, and that needed to be fixed.
Yang hopped to her feet. Her face was still a bit hot from embarrassment, but she had a goal in mind now. She put her hands on her hips. "Pyrrha, you aren't a genius and you didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but thank you. I needed that talk."
Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "You're welcome. I'll remember that next time you wake me up."
Yang grinned and waggled her eyebrows before heading back towards RWBY's dorm room. "Goodniiiight!"
"Night, Yang. See you tomorrow," came the undisturbed response somewhere behind her. Pyrrha was heading back, too.
Tomorrow would be important. Even if Yang couldn't find a whole lot of time to spend with Blake alone, the imperative part was having a heart-to-heart with her. Yang had made a promise, after all.
"Yang! Ohhhh, look at all the rides!" Ruby grabbed her sister's arm in excitement, pulling so hard she caused Yang to momentarily lose her balance. This reminded Yang once again that her half-sibling had grown quite a bit since their first year at Beacon, not so much in height than in strength.
The older of the two laughed a little as she stabilized herself and ruffled the redhead's hair. "You say that every year, Rubes."
"Last year too," Weiss muttered to enforce the point, crossing her arms and still appearing quite miffed about agreeing to the activity. "It was the same story. I argued the same things. You two complained the same way. And here we are, standing in the same place at roughly the same time. Am I the only one getting a strong sense of déjà vu?"
"Oh, come on, Weiss. Stop being such a –"
"Team JNPR is herrreee! Now where's all the cotton-candy?!" yelled a voice that unmistakably belonged to Nora.
In reaction to this, Weiss gripped the bridge of her nose and slowly shook her head in frustration. "Like I said; déjà vu."
"Yay! You guys came!" Ruby abandoned Yang's side in a heartbeat and rushed over to meet the group, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. Weiss was entirely ignored, much to the lilac-eyed girl's amusement.
Yang followed her younger sibling, though, deciding to greet Team JNPR as well. Pyrrha grinned and met her first. "Hey, you. Looking a little more chipper than yesterday. I'm glad."
"What can I say? I have great friends."
"Uh-huh. Sucking up won't win you any points. And you weren't particularly grateful yesterday, as I recall. But I'll let you off the hook for now."
Yang laughed. "Let me guess – you'll beat me later."
"Uh, as she always does, obviously," Jaune butted in, coming closer, and Pyrrha discreetly took his hand, smiling sweetly.
"Yeah, obviously. I get better every day, for your information. Even when I'm bad, I'm good. I'll beat her next time." Yang narrowed her eyes in fake defiance and crossed her arms.
"Yang, stop lying."
"Blake! Help me! Pyrrha's being mean…" Searching for their taciturn teammate with her gaze for support, Yang discovered that Blake had lagged behind, nose planted in a book – and it looked suspiciously like the one she had bought when they had gone on their first date.
Jaune looked smug. "Guess your partner's gonna leave you all alone to the sharks…"
Yang glanced at the couple, her amusement fading. She shrugged. "I'll go talk to her. You guys go on." She put a term to the conversation after they agreed, and then made her way over to Blake just as the group was becoming loud in their excitement once Pyrrha and Jaune joined up with them. She would have liked to continue bantering with her friend and Jaune, or race Nora and Ruby to the nearest ride, but her girlfriend was her priority, especially today, and Yang wanted her to actively participate and be part of the fun. She knew Blake would enjoy herself, too, if she set her mind to it. The Faunus just needed a bit of...convincing.
Casually, Yang swung her arm around the young woman's shoulders – causing Blake to stiffen and turn her attention away from her novel – and said, "It would be pawsitively awesome if I could have the pleasure of your presence by my side, and I would love to see a smile on your face." The girl in yellow paused just long enough for Blake to start creasing her eyebrows, and then added facetiously, "You should totally put the book away and go on the merry-go-round with me." For emphasized effect, she grinned and winked.
Blake glanced towards where Teams RWBY and JNPR were already waving for the two girls to hurry up. "Us," she murmured, and met Yang's playful regard. "You mean 'us.'"
Sometimes – or rather, often – the prankster uttered things without truly thinking about it. She was forced to jog her memory of literally the past ten seconds to recall what Blake was correcting her on. When she realized what it was, she was both tempted to agree and wonder why it mattered, but then she thought better of it and decided not to make the others wait too long. "Nope! I meant me, by my side!" She grabbed the raven-haired girl's hand and took off running, jerking her forward and leaving her no choice but to follow along.
Carnival Week was a major annual event in Vale. Various rides, games, and all sorts of activities were set up in a rather vast area of the city with many restaurants and shopping malls in short walking distance. If there was any time during the year to spend absurd sums of lien, it was during this entertainment-filled week. It attracted tourists and visitors from all over Remnant, sometimes even huntsmen and huntresses from other combat schools if they had the time and energy. There were activities suited to everyone's level of thrill-seeking, for children and adults alike. Each day there was a different special event for the crowds to attend, and the end of the week was concluded with an explosive grand finale of fireworks.
Yang remembered a time when her father and Summer would bring Ruby and her for that specific occasion, somehow always managing to find the quietest spot with the best view over the lake, despite so many others coveting the same. They were tender memories she recalled fondly, a time when her dad laughed often and loved with all the warmth in his strong arms, a forever-present role model for his daughters. After Summer's death, Taiyang's bright inner flame had unfortunately grown so dim and distant that it had forced Yang to become the family's light source in his stead. She was the one, afterwards, who took it upon herself to make sure Ruby never missed the loud and colorful illuminations in the sky every year. Her little sister's innocent and fascinated expression always made it more than worth the effort anyway.
After entering Beacon, though, seeing the fireworks up-close had become nigh impossible, their schedules forbidding it, and that was something Ruby was quite old enough to understand. From the academy's courtyard, they were visible in the far distance, and that was the isolated spectacle they satisfied themselves with – along with this one day they had off at the beginning of the week. As Weiss had so tactfully pointed out, today would be fairly similar to the previous year's day off...but for Yang and the young leader, it was still rather strange and disheartening to break from tradition. Plus, they had partners and friends by their sides now, too.
...Which actually made up for a lot of it, if Yang was honest with herself, even if she did miss those unique moments with her half-sibling. There was a lot of fun to be had by involving such eccentric personalities. For example, it turned out that the first ride the group went on was, in fact, the merry-go-round, utterly tossing aside the fact that they were adults. They had no children in sight to accompany or supervise either.
There might as well have been no difference.
They were all hyped, and in her excitement, Nora was incapable of remaining on one pony, especially because carrousels were not known for their thrilling experience. She initiated a round of tag that Yang joined without a second thought, the blonde putting away bittersweet memories for now and chasing the loudest member of JNPR from one horse to another in circles, inciting Ruby and Jaune to take part in the game, too. This lasted no more than two minutes before the ride's attendant decided they were causing too much of a commotion, disturbing the other calmer patrons, and kicked the troublemakers off without even issuing a warning.
Both teams left together, refusing to be separated so soon, some laughing like madmen – Yang included. And when Weiss fumed about how incredible it was that they managed to get banned from the merry-go-round – and right off the bat, for that matter – even Blake and Ren couldn't help but have a good chuckle. There was nothing to be surprised about, after all – it should even have been expected. When Nora and Yang set their hearts to it...
Plus, Yang figured, if she could have fun and foster part of Blake's and the others' amusement in the process, then it was a win-win situation. Not that Weiss would know about that, so she could keep ranting if she wanted.
The next ride Yang insisted the group had to do, like last year and while the energy was still high, were the bumper cars. She gained Nora's, Pyrrha's, and Ruby's support immediately. Jaune hung his head and mumbled about 'losing very badly' – everyone remembered it – but on an exchanged look from Yang to Pyrrha, who grinned and then just took his hand, the defeated boy instantaneously perked up and exclaimed his sudden enthusiasm with a, "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Now having the majority onboard with her idea, Yang jumped in victory and punched the air. She turned to start walking but caught Blake's regard, observing her. There was a shadow of a smile on the young woman's lips, something between mirth and longing flickering in her gaze. If Yang recalled correctly, this was a vast improvement from the stubbornly steadfast girl planting her feet in the ground, crossing her arms and directing a glare so venomous at Yang that the blonde hadn't even tried to convince her to join in on the bumper cars. Now she appeared rather open to the activity, albeit hesitant about it, too – she hadn't agreed to it, after all...but she hadn't disagreed, either! – and Yang couldn't help but beam at her girlfriend, delighted that Blake was much more comfortable and relaxed with the group. She had come a fairly long way from the unapproachable, almost cold and haunted individual she had been when the girls had first met.
The bumper cars were a riot. Teams RWBY and JNPR obviously weren't the only ones in the cars, but that didn't matter. Music blasting through large speakers nearby and hearts pumping with the high energy, laughter and friendly shouting were in definite abundance, some players more ruthless than others but everyone enjoying themselves nonetheless. That is...until all the crashing and bouncing made Jaune sick and, without further warning, proceed to vomit all over himself and the poor patron in the machine in front of him. Which also happened to be Ruby.
Weiss was beginning to be pretty accurate about her "déjà vu" comments.
"He was told not to indulge in too many bowls of Pumpkin Pete's this morning..." Ren reflected in his calm voice, as the two teams of four distanced themselves from the most recent ride after receiving unpleasant grumblings from the exhibit's attendant, who ushered them and everyone else off the bumper cars while the puke was mopped and wiped up.
Out under the sun now, removed from the crowd, Pyrrha was trying, without much success, to help clean off her partner, who was doubled over and moaning, leaning himself against a garbage can with one hand and generally not making the emerald-eyed girl's life any easier. It looked like she wanted to giggle but wasn't doing so because gagging from the smell was also an opposing reaction. Yang would have made fun of them, but there was a more pressing matter for her to pay attention to.
"Ew! Ew! Ewwww! Gross!" Ruby whined loudly in an utter state of panic and disgust. Her older sibling tried to calm her, but instead of staying still, the girl in red rushed off suddenly, the last thing heard being a desperate wail about, "Washroooooooms!"
"Ruby!" Yang started, having every intention of chasing after her, even if she knew all too well that her chances of catching up and finding the younger sister were legendary – and Yang was awesome at legendary, so that was saying something. However, someone put their hand in front of her before she could begin running, forcing her to remain standing where she was.
She impatiently glanced to her side.
"I'll go look for her. You wanted to amuse yourself, and I would be a poor partner if I couldn't take care of this." Weiss' glacial blue eyes displayed mild annoyance upon seeing that the brawler was about to dispute this decision. Gratingly, she cut off Yang before the blonde could even speak, "Plus, now I have an excuse to not follow you on another one of your demented adventures." With that, Weiss stiffly strode off in the direction Ruby had gone, not looking back once to verify that the elder sibling wouldn't insist.
The robust young woman put her hands on her hips and watched her teammate go, a disbelieving frown on her face. Sometimes the ice queen had her moments, too, in that oh-so-charming, Weiss-cold manner of hers to show she wasn't heartless. She just never seemed to choose them appropriately. Yang couldn't do anything about it now, though, and it did allow her to concern herself over her other friends' wellbeing. Slowly shaking her head, barely convincing herself that Ruby was in good hands and promising herself that she'd contact her sister later via their scrolls, she turned back to Jaune and Pyrrha, and her grin instantly returned.
There was no denying – it was hilarious to watch those two. They almost naturally recreated movie-like scenes of a heroic warrior coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress – Jaune being the latter, in literally every case. That was probably why it was so comical.
As it turned out, the couple decided to separate from the group as well to find the washrooms, as Ruby had had the sensible idea to begin with, despite taking off abruptly. The two left, Jaune leaning on Pyrrha so visibly he might as well have been hanging off her shoulder, and Yang couldn't help but think it was a mighty good thing the redhead was solid and muscular – not as much as the brawler was, but muscular nonetheless. Yang would have to tease them later. Pyrrha wasn't going to live this one down easily.
By the time Yang switched her attention to her remaining friends, she curiously found only Blake in sight, who was standing a few steps away in silence, the perfect picture of patience.
The Faunus arched one of her fine eyebrows and shrugged rather casually. "Nora saw something," she stated simply, as if that clarified any confusion Yang might have had.
Which it did. And it also explained Ren's absence, too. No surprise there.
"So just you and me!" Yang exclaimed, part cockily, partly in marvel. It had happened so fast. Suddenly, they were just two. Refusing to linger on the non-essential details, though, she walked over to her partner. She wanted to focus on Blake today anyway, to try and make her happy – or at least not cause that look of forlornness to cross her facial features once – therefore, in a sense, she was quite alright with this change in circumstance. "Anything in particular you wanna do?"
Blake started to say something, defined lips parting to speak, but a much more masculine voice was heard instead.
"Blake! Neptune, it's Blake! Come over here."
Both girls turned towards the voice, in time to see Sun Wukong strolling up to them, dark grey eyes glinting joyfully and grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, yeah, hey Yang! It's great seeing you guys here, at the Carnival, of all places. Are you two, like, alone or something?"
"We could say the same about you," Blake quipped in vague amusement as Neptune came to a stop next to his pal. She crossed her arms. "Pretty far away from Haven. You can afford to miss at least three days of schooling? And the others just left us not even five minutes ago."
"We will join ourselves to you, then, fine ladies," Neptune replied in his eternal attempts at being smooth and charming, bowing his torso slightly, hand on his chest.
So much for her plans to be alone with Blake for a while, Yang thought with mild disappointment, nevertheless applauding the goggle-wearing, blue-haired young man's ridiculous antics. She glanced at her girlfriend, who appeared impassive as usual. It was true that Neptune and Sun were pleasant company, and, she had to admit, quite handsome, too. And Sun...well, Sun's name might as well have been Abs. He definitely put the woo in Wukong. Plus, he and Neptune were a comical duo. And she could still ensure that Blake wouldn't be left out and treat her as specially as she could without it being too indicative of their relationship to the boys. They wouldn't stick around forever anyway, right? She was glad to see them, though, and she may as well enjoy their presences at least a bit with Blake while they were there.
"Yeah, most of our exams are over, and those that are left don't require so much studying," Sun admitted flippantly in response to Blake's question. He rested his hands at the back of his head, abdominal muscles stretching as he searched the surroundings. "So? How about a roller coaster or something? Or even better...let's do the Zipper!" His dark grey eyes lit up enthusiastically.
"Dude, that would be so sweet." Neptune grinned and bumped fists with his partner.
The Zipper was more of an extreme ride, one which consisted of twelve narrow cages pulled around a long, rotating, oval boom with a cable around its edge. It was unpredictable, capable of strong vertical G-forces and numerous spins. Only two individuals could enter each cage, and there was enough room to sit, but otherwise the patrons were securely barred in and couldn't move much at all. Nonetheless, they could use their hold and balance to turn their car upside down and straight again as many times as they wanted for the duration of the ride.
Yang loved the thing. It was a rough attraction that wasn't meant for the feeble, and it offered quite a thrill for the adventure-seeker. They hadn't done it last year, either, so she was more than willing this time. "Heck, yeah! I'm totally up for it." She looked over at Blake, convinced it was an experience she would savor. "Whadd'ya say, Blakey? Do you wanna, or do you wanna?"
But Blake seemed a bit troubled, what with her eyebrows being creased and the way she was looking down at the ground. And before Yang could ask what the problem was, probably because she was momentarily surprised that there was an issue in the first place, Sun stepped closer to her girlfriend and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Aw man, I'm so sorry, Blake. Duh, Sun – you idiot. It's fine! We can do something else, like...the drop tower! That thing is pretty awesome too!" he beamed a little awkwardly, giving her shoulder a squeeze and then dropping his hand.
Neptune seemed thoroughly disappointed with the change of plans, slumping his posture for emphasized effect. "What? C'mon, man! We aren't gonna do it just because Blake is scared?"
Yang gazed at Blake and then at the hand Sun had lowered. For one thing, Blake wasn't showing any signs of fear. For another, there was a silent exchange that had happened here, one in which the two Faunus had been in agreement, and Yang had failed to understand. If Blake wasn't afraid, but it was clear she didn't want to go on the Zipper anyway, then what...?
Sun smacked his partner with his yellow monkey tail and shook his head. "Forgive him, for he knows not what he says." He smiled reassuringly at Blake, and she acknowledged with an appreciative tilt of her head. Sun then faced Neptune. "Blake isn't scared. I thought I told you about these things already? She has cat ears, and those are, like, super sensitive to pressure. With the amount of G's that ride can pull, it would cause her a lot of pain, even if it lasts just two minutes."
Yang's eyes widened in realization as the information was processed. She stared at the quiet girl.
"It's okay. You didn't know, either," Blake offered with no particular intonation and then shrugged slightly. She invited Yang to follow her with a motion of her head. "Let's go. The drop tower is an immensely suitable replacement." The darkly dressed young woman began walking, Sun and Neptune readily going along as well.
But Yang had caught her regard as she turned, and the expression in Blake's eyes had been all too familiar. Maybe not as pronounced, and Blake was generally difficult to read when she chose to hide her feelings, but it had been there. And as Yang hurried to keep pace with the three of them, she couldn't stop from blaming herself for this occurrence. It had never even crossed her mind that Blake's cat ears could have been sensitive to high forces, and because of her ignorance, she had stupidly pressed her friend to engage in something she might have wanted to do but couldn't, hence the sadness. It was Yang's fault. Only a few minutes after promising herself she wouldn't cause Blake's sadness today...
It didn't matter if the feline Faunus had said it was okay. It obviously wasn't. But Blake once again refused to talk, refused to share the thoughts and concerns on her mind, refused to truly open herself to Yang, to tell her why she kept such an emotional distance. And somehow, the blonde knew it was because of her, because of something she was doing wrong. She wasn't treating Blake right. She wasn't playing her role as the bookworm's girlfriend correctly, wasn't listening close enough, wasn't paying nearly enough attention.
Yang pepped up, however, when the small group of four reached the drop tower after walking for a good ten minutes. She couldn't remain in a low-spirited mood, especially if she was determined to improve, and it was also rather challenging to stay morose around Sun and Neptune. They chatted as they waited in line, and Blake appeared to have recovered her own good mood, too, often gazing at Yang in admiration or amusement – and was that longing? – when she started laughing with the boys. Yang would simper at her in response, reminding herself that she was extremely fortunate that Blake had shared her feelings with her. She had to show that she wasn't taking that leap of faith for granted.
The drop tower was a thrilling experience. Neptune sat beside Sun, Sun beside Blake, and Blake beside Yang. As they rose higher and higher into the air, the extrovert caught Blake observing the view beyond them with marvel, her golden eyes capturing everything they could as if her life depended on it, taking in the tall buildings, the vast city of Vale, the lake glittering in the distance as the sun shined down on it, and the mountains far beyond. Her fascination was rather adorable.
"Brace yourself," Yang murmured, and, when Blake glanced at her, winked. The breeze played with their hair, tendrils lifting slightly and landing across their faces. "You're about to fall hard."
Blake didn't even have time to roll her eyes at the innuendo. The ride dropped. Yang cackled like a madwoman as the adrenaline pumped through her veins, wind sending her hair flying in every which direction. She heard Sun and Neptune joyfully yelling their hearts out beside her.
When it was over and they started putting distance between themselves and the attraction, legs a bit wobbly from the nerves (and Neptune fixing his blue hair), it was then that Blake began chuckling. Yang gazed at her in wonder and couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips upon hearing the soft chime of her girlfriend's laugh. She had been silent on the way down, but the expression of utter delight that had been on her face when they reached the bottom had been telling of how much she had enjoyed herself. And this made Yang glad. This was what she wanted for her.
"Whoa, Blake...it seems like forever since I heard you laugh..." Sun looked at her in awe. "It...it's really nice to hear it again. Wow."
Yang had to suddenly stop a moment at that, eyebrows creased as her smile dimmed. "Blake...does laugh every now and then. Probably more than she used to, in any case."
Blake wiped her eyes with her slender fingers, beginning to calm herself and not taking any offense at being spoken about in the third person despite being physically present.
"No, I know...but this is great. I sort of wanna stick around to hear that sound more." Sun scratched the back of his head sheepishly while Neptune gave him this knowing look from behind.
Blake's cheeks appeared to have reddened a bit when she said, "I believe you can thank my teammates for that development." She then glanced at her partner, and Yang knew the message she had conveyed through her regard. Their teammates had helped, but Yang was a far more significant contributor to any changes that might have happened within Blake's personality.
The social butterfly beamed but had to turn her attention to Sun. Ever since he had shown up, something had been nagging Yang about him, something that had, at first, not bothered her...but it had gradually made itself more urgent to be figured out. And it was so obvious now it might as well have slapped her. Sun was interested in Blake, romantically. Yang had never really taken notice before, but even digging into her memory of the first time Sun had run into their lives – literally – in fact revealed evidence that shouldn't even have been questioned or ignored.
She hadn't been in many relationships, but Yang knew what she was witnessing. She had hung out with enough of her past boyfriends' friends to understand that Sun liked Blake and had been subtly hitting on her from the start. It had just taken Yang a moment to clue in.
The group continued walking, Sun continuing to chat with his cat-like kin, and Yang found herself only listening distractedly as she focused on this recently discovered knowledge.
She knew this technically posed a problem. But she also knew that no matter how she thought about it, she wasn't jealous. Perhaps part of it was Yang not feeling any romantic emotions for her friend, perhaps it was simply that the lilac-eyed girl knew Blake would sooner break up with than cheat on her, or perhaps it was just obvious that the bookworm had never shown that kind of interest in Sun. Perhaps it was a mix of all this.
But Blake wasn't stupid, and she wasn't blind. She must have been aware of Sun's feelings, and she must have seen through his attempts to draw closer to her. And if Yang did nothing, if she remained quiet, then the message that sent to Blake wasn't particularly encouraging or hopeful... But what was she supposed to do? Their relationship was a secret! She couldn't just...boldly step in and put a stop to this. That would be weird, wouldn't it?
Yang was pulled from her pondering when Neptune exclaimed, "Oh duuude! Check this out. Let's do it!"
She looked around. The four of them had reached the games area of the carnival, which was more or less located in the center of all the other attractions. It was at a spacious four-way intersection, one of Vale's beautiful fountains smack in the middle and offering a nice view among the noise and bustling activity surrounding it. There was a light, little calliope tune playing in the background, the kind of music that was so typical to carnivals, and the smell of something delicious in the air suggesting the presence of fried food and popcorn nearby.
Sun and Neptune had hurried over to one of the games further up and to their left. When Yang and Blake approached, they saw why the boys had taken a particular interest in this one. It consisted of using a pistol of sorts to shoot at fast moving Grimm targets, all the while trying to avoid hitting the others that represented innocent lives. The two girls watched Neptune begin after he handed over a few lien, but Yang quickly spotted something else that intrigued her.
"Oh, Blake, I think I found one meant just for you! Get over here." Grinning, she grabbed her partner's arm and, once more, all but dragged her over to a stand south of the fountain, a good fifteen meters from where the Haven duo was stationed. Sun noticed them leave but rapidly brought his attention back to what Neptune was doing. He had it bad. It was so striking, now that Yang had taken note of it.
"I would have followed you," Blake muttered, shaking Yang's hand away from her arm and then turning to evaluate the game in front of her. She arched her eyebrows, nonplused. "So, why is this one meant just for me, again?"
"Because," Yang picked up a tactical throwing knife – or kunai – from the counter, under the watchful eye of the employee, and showed it to Blake with a wicked smile on her lips. "This is a weapon for a ninja, and you are a ninja."
Blake rolled her eyes at the Yang-logic, but the corner of her mouth had definitely twitched upwards. "I'm not a ninja. Now give that to me before your hurt yourself." She snatched the blade from Yang before the brawler could even react and positioned herself in front of the counter, taking out a few lien to pay her turn.
Laughing, Yang leaned herself on the ledge, resting her chin on the palm of her hand to look at her girlfriend as she took the five additional kunai the attendant gave her. "You insult me! The only kind of hurt that tiny, minuscule knife could do is a scratch. And even then..."
The employee began to explain that the point of the game was simply to pop the balloons tied to the opposite wall. It wasn't meant to be dangerous or complicated, the excitement supposed to come from using an actual real-life weapon...for the patrons that weren't already huntsmen and huntresses, of course. It was not recommended to throw more than one knife simultaneously, as that increased the risk of injury. Popping six balloons one after the other – meaning missing none – would win Blake a large stuffed-animal of her choosing. He wished the raven-haired girl luck and removed himself from the danger zone but never took his eyes off the duo.
Blake began by testing the weight of the kunai and getting a feel for it, observing its shape in detail and giving it a few small swings to figure how it sliced through the air. She then met Yang's amused stare and said, "The knife itself might cause little harm. It's the wielder you should be wary of." And then without a warning, without even looking, she threw the first one.
Yang blinked at the loud pop and then at the muffled thud that indicated Blake had just scored herself a point without batting an eye. She looked over at the wall and saw that the blade was halfway wedged into it, the tattered remains of a balloon hanging off it. Her eyes widened. "You cheated. That was so totally rigged."
"I'm offended that you doubt my skill, after almost two years of fighting together. Allow me to demonstrate only one more time." It was Blake's turn to grin mischievously, and she showed Yang the five remaining kunai in between each of her slender fingers, three in one hand and two in the other. She proceeded to add in a most patronizing manner, "We'll talk about this 'tiny minuscule knife' and how it would only scratch you, afterwards, 'mkay?"
Yang narrowed her eyes at the girl in black, daring her to do what they were both thinking she was going to do. "A scratch like a cat's claws, kitten. It would do nothing more."
Blake didn't even dignify that comment with a reply. Instead, she faced the wall, observing her targets and visually measuring distances with her sharp golden eyes. The silence became thick with anticipation as she focused, and then suddenly, Blake went into motion. She threw the first two, spun and used the momentum to launch the last three. Yang admired the movement, but she was far more enthralled by what took place about ten feet from them. One after the other, the balloons popped and dull wallops followed immediately after. The kunai didn't even vibrate from the impact, they were so firmly imbedded into the wooden wall.
There was a moment of quiet.
"Although..." Blake observed thoughtfully, speaking first, "you are partially correct to discredit me. This is, after all, a controlled environment in which I had time to evaluate and prepare my throws."
Yang finally recovered from her shock and began laughing heartily. "Showoff! Remind me to never play darts with you." She continued to chuckle as the employee calmly collected the six kunai from the wall. It didn't matter what Blake said – she was a ninja, there was no denying it, especially after this display of talent. And the blonde had to admit that it had been pretty cool to see the young woman go through with that, and with so much confidence, too. If Yang was to be honest with herself, though, she was more impressed by witnessing it happen than surprised that Blake could actually do it at all. The darkly dressed girl had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve when it came to combat.
"Choose your prize." The attendant waved at the stuffed animals hanging from the booth's ceiling, appearing to have gained a certain admiration for Blake as well.
Yang gazed on in mirth at her friend as she frowned up at her choices, appearing rather uninterested in what she had won. Blake was veritably quite something. She had known what her options were from the start, and despite apparently not fancying any of them, had played the game anyway and totally rocked at it. She wasn't one to parade her skills for the fun of it, but for some reason or another, she had gone along with Yang's spontaneous idea nevertheless. And Yang always enjoyed it when she did that.
But then Blake lowered her gaze and met Yang's lilac regard. She tilted her head a little. "Pick one you would like. My gift to you."
Oh! Yang's eyes became round. She stared at Blake, unable to move for an instant. Gifts were something Yang did not receive often – only Ruby made it a point to buy her older sibling something when she worked up enough money during the summer, about two times per year, sometimes only once. Yang had never asked this from Ruby and had often insisted that it wasn't necessary for her to do that, all too aware that it was hard-earned lien being used to purchase an item that, in the end, the eldest sister considered a luxury, nothing she needed. Yang was the one that was supposed to give presents and spoil those she loved – and spoil them she did. It was a pleasure for her, and she never expected anything in return.
But when she was gifted with something, she was very appreciative of it. Her father, Taiyang, had been scarce for most of her life, but Yang had seen how generous love was, how happy it made those he gave to, how happy it made him...before it tore him apart. Yang had understood fast that it was important for her to focus on the joyful moments, though, and to recreate that kind, selfless spirit, in order to be the pillar of warmth and light she promised herself she would be for the sake of others, but mostly for the sake of Ruby. Moreover, Summer had been someone who bathed her children in love, too, before she died.
"Yang?" Blake was observing her in slight concern, probably because of her momentary lack of reaction.
"Blake! You amazing person, you!" Yang came to life and hugged her girlfriend tightly, trying to convey through her embrace what she couldn't say with words. She felt Blake's arms hold her hesitantly, but both girls knew it wasn't the appropriate time to prolong such a fanfare of affection. Yang pulled away, beaming, and had to snicker a bit when she saw the faint blush spreading across Blake's cheeks.
The poor employee looked so befuddled.
"Well, don't just stand there. Pick one." Blake's encouragement came out sounding vaguely amused.
Yang looked up at the large stuffed-animals hanging from the ceiling of the booth, and it only required five seconds for her to spot the one she wanted. Grinning, she pointed at the black panther, and the attendant carefully brought it down to give it to Yang. Its body was as tall as her torso, the tail reaching her knees, and it was made from a delightfully soft material. The eyes were wide and yellow, making it look like more of a cub – it was adorable – and the paws were as broad as her own hands.
"There. Now every time I look at this, I'll think of you." Yang giggled, knowing all too well that she was making a kind of pun again about Blake's Faunus heritage. That wasn't the only reason, though. She did legitimately like how cuddly it was, and it seemed appropriate to get one that would somewhat have meaning for both girls.
As they began slowly walking back to where Sun and Neptune were, Blake gripped the bridge of her nose, slowly shaking her head. "Confound it, Yang. You are incorrigible. Of all your choices..." But then the shadow of a smile curved her lips, allowing Yang to know that she wasn't bothered by the joke. In fact, Blake's gaze expressed the very opposite of annoyance. She was happy – her golden-amber eyes were laughing, and this gratified Yang immensely.
Blake could have refused to play the game. She could have put very little effort into it. She could have even decided to not take a prize at all, if not keep it for herself. But no – Blake had wholeheartedly participated, had dished out a few of her own savings, and had given it her best. And then she had gifted Yang with a souvenir that rightfully should have gone to herself. She might not have realized how much the action meant for her partner, but it was clear her present had been sincere and that she was pleased – with reason.
Yang leaned over, took Blake's hand to give it an appreciative squeeze and pecked her on the cheek before murmuring, "Thank you." And then she straightened in time to watch her girlfriend's face redden, causing her to guffaw. She loved how responsive the generally so placid girl was to her teasing and marks of affection, and when the two reached Sun and Neptune, she was still chortling about it.
Sun was just finishing up his turn at the shooting-Grimm game and managed to win a souvenir for himself, something small enough that he just stuck into his jeans' pocket. He faced the girls, and opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but then his gaze traveled to the black panther in Yang's arms, before beholding the joyful expressions both girls were showing and then down to the space between them, somewhere at the level of their upper thighs. He looked confused, to say the least.
Yang's eyes widened. She had forgotten to let go of Blake's hand. Immediately, she released her and said jovially, "So, Blake is the best tactical knife thrower ever, just so you guys know. Also, something smells heavenly, and I'm starved. It's gotta be lunch time by now. Should we grab a bite?"
Sun appeared to shake himself at the mention of food (and Yang congratulated herself on her fast thinking to come out with a topic no man could resist...), eyes lighting up and switching his attention to the brawler's face. "Uh, yeah. About that… We're supposed to rendezvous with Scarlet and Sage somewhere's else in not too long..."
"You could join us," Neptune offered with a charming smile, showing off a set of perfect white teeth.
Yang wasn't opposed to the idea. She would have gladly spent more time with both guys, and would have liked to see Scarlet and Sage again, as it has indeed been a while since they had all done anything together, but when she glanced at Blake, she knew now was the moment to say goodbye. "Blake and I have to find our teammates, too, and Ruby ran off before the two of you showed up, so I wanted to message her to see if she's alright. Plus, I think a trip to the ladies' room is in order. We might bump into each other again later, though?"
"Maybe!" Sun smirked, and then peeked at Blake before adding, "So, I guess we'll see you around?" Upon receiving confirmation from Yang, he saluted a bit comically, saying, "Laters!"
Neptune pretended to remove an invisible hat off his head and bow, just like a gentleman would do, and then grinned before following Sun. The two were quickly out of sight.
When she had been at the top of the drop tower with her friends, Yang had caught a glimpse of the mountains and hills beyond the lake. She hadn't been able to appreciate the view at the time for obvious reasons, but now she could. The water glittered and twinkled in the sunlight, occasionally interrupted by sailors taking advantage of the pleasant weather to navigate their boats. It was peaceful to watch them, moving slowly out in the distance. The mountains were just a hazy blur on the horizon because of the heat waves in the cloudless sky.
The background noise from the carnival was still present, of course – chatter from the crowds and music – but Yang and Blake had walked away from the midst of the activity to find a vantage point where they could admire the view. They leaned side by side on the wooden fencing that kept people from wandering too close to the ledge, and for a few moments all they did was gaze at the scenery before them. Yang was at ease here, in this atmosphere of life and fun, and taking a breather without actually leaving was equally enjoyable.
She figured they had about twenty minutes. Once Yang had checked on her sister and verified that Weiss had found and helped clean her up, it had been decided that Teams RWBY and JNPR would meet up where the duo of yellow and black were presently waiting. Ruby had explained through text that everyone was all at various sections of the carnival and had decided that the look-off was an easier rendezvous point, being just a five-minute walk from the spacious four-way plaza where a lot of the games were located. Yang and Blake had already been nearby and had therefore been first to arrive.
And now seemed like a good time to talk with Blake. It was entirely possible this would be the only kind of time they would have for today, just the two of them. They weren't actually alone, though – there were others walking about, mostly couples or families with children who were taking a stroll along the water or stopping to admire the view, too. But nobody cared or would care about two girls just having a chat here, so Yang knew she couldn't let the opportunity pass without having at least said something.
She licked her dry lips, grounding herself, and then turned her gaze away from the water to set it on the bookworm. "Hey, Blake? Can we talk?"
She didn't really know what to expect from this conversation, in all honesty, but she had an inkling that by the end of it, it would be determined whether or not their relationship was worth continuing. Maybe. If they couldn't find a way to be on the same page, then things weren't looking up. It did make Yang feel a little nervous.
Blake's bow seemed to twitch once as she turned her head to meet her companion's regard, the gold of her irises bright and striking in the sunlight. She appeared relaxed, as if she were enjoying herself, and upon looking at Yang, the intensity in her eyes softened. "Talk about what?" she asked, undisturbed but interested.
There were several responses that sprang to mind, all of them sudden and important enough to cause a reaction, so instead of scrambling for something more tactful – or even for the premises she had established for her argument to begin with – Yang simply stated one of the conclusions she had come to. "Do you think we should break up?"
Indeed, a reaction did take place. Blake's relaxed posture stiffened and she leaned away from the blonde, now looking more upset than her usual placidity would allow. Her eyes went wide but for a second, mouth opening a bit as if to respond, but then her expression closed completely. The calm of the moment had been ruined. Nevertheless, Blake lowered her gaze and replied quietly, "Only if that's what you want, Yang."
Yang wasn't entirely sure what to say for a few seconds. Blake already sounded resigned, as if breaking up was an inevitability that might have come sooner rather than later. There was something not right about that, and Yang wasn't known for backing down so easily. "It's not what I want. Is it what you want?" She turned her body to face Blake this time, keeping the stuffed panther securely tucked under her arm.
The bow on the Faunus' head seemed to lean backwards, as if Blake's cat ears wanted to flatten, and she stammered, "N-no. Of course not. I don't understand."
Okay, so they both didn't want to break up. That was…something. Unfortunately, that something meant nothing in the present dilemma. Yang pressed forward with her previous supporting conclusion, thinking that perhaps it was the more sensible of the two. Second time was the charm, right? "We should go public, then – tell the others and stuff."
Blake stared at her girlfriend for a moment, something between hurt and confusion clear in her eyes. She creased her eyebrows. "I don't understand your train of thought. What's going on?"
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Yang began to realize she had not conveyed her thoughts in the proper order, and attempted to level with Blake by saying, "Well, if you don't want us to end, then I thought maybe the problem was you being unable to openly show that you have me."
At that, Blake looked almost offended, eyes widening once more in outrage. "That I have you? You think I want this relationship so I can show you off like some trophy? God, no!"
And the number-one prize for sticking their foot in their mouth – and then taking it out to promptly stick the other one in – at the absolute wrong time went to Yang. She had messed up, bad. The lilac-eyed girl took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. She was jumping from one thing to the next too fast. "I'm sorry, Blake. That's not what I meant – I'll try again." She was backpedaling, but her worry and doubt were beginning to surface and had caused an unfortunate sequence of poorly chosen words. She had to get herself together or else the issue definitely wouldn't be resolved. "I feel like you've been distant with me, and then you also didn't want anyone but Ruby to know about us, so I wasn't even sure if you wanted this. But you say you do, so it seems like the logical step would be to let people know."
Blake didn't answer immediately. Instead, she closed her eyes and turned away from Yang for a moment, massaging her brow. Much like Yang had, the introvert took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, too. She looked like she was fighting a headache. But when Blake brought her attention back to her partner, she looked composed again, albeit still a little rattled. She put her hand on the fence beside them. "Okay, just so you know…generally speaking, conclusions come last, not first. Please, try to give me a warning next time."
Agreeing one-hundred-percent, Yang nodded, uncomfortable and thoroughly repentant. "I'm really sorry. I'm bad at this." She had not meant to cause Blake any pain, and, in hindsight, could only imagine how much distress her initial question must have generated within the poor girl.
Blake slowly shook her head, looking regretful. "If anything, I'm worse at this than you. I get where you're coming from now, though… It's alright." She paused, hesitating, and bit her bottom lip. Finally, shoulders slumping somewhat and gold avoiding lilac, she asked, "You know what going public entails, right?"
It was odd. Sometimes, Blake gave the impression of bearing the weight of the world in her heart. The phenomenon manifested itself in glimpses of profound sadness in tired regards, rapidly concealed behind masks of quiet monotone. It also presented itself in bouts of driven and justified anger, words and actions said and done for the sake of righteousness. But Blake was independent and taciturn, and Yang had a feeling that the only reason she could see through the walls sometimes was due to Blake placing in her companion a certain amount of trust. Or…maybe Yang had simply recognized the look of a torn soul, having seen it much too often in the past when she stared in the mirror.
Encouraged by this mark of progress, however small it seemed, though, and regaining a bit of pep by the same notice, the blonde perked up and managed a bit of a smile, attempting to be reassuring. "Yeah! We get teased to death and shown an incredible amount of support, and we get to be real wherever we are, around anyone."
Blake blinked, apparently mildly caught off-guard. "That's…not…" She fell silent. Two heartbeats later, she decided to ask instead, "Is our couple becoming official what you want?"
She had asked that question twice now. Well, not that exact question, and the first time hadn't even been one, but she was obviously concerned about Yang's comfort again. At this rate, it was becoming an obstacle in itself. Gently, Yang put her hand on Blake's on the fence, and made sure to catch the Faunus' gaze. "What I want, Blake, is for our couple to work, so that you can be happy, and then I can be happy, too. But I need to feel like our relationship is actually a thing and that it's going somewhere." Yang paused, and then added more lightly, "Plus, we need the sunscreen against the UV rays. He keeps hitting on you."
Blake furrowed her eyebrows, gold leaving lilac only to be drawn towards their linked hands on the fence. She ignored Yang's rather great pun and murmured, "I don't mean to be distant with you. I'm just afraid of things getting weird between us if we take a step you're not ready to take."
"But I need this, kitten. Being secretive is making this more difficult for both of us. I don't want you to feel afraid of showing me your affection whenever you want, and, like I said, the others knowing and expecting us to be a thing will put a good kind of pressure on me – like, I can make jokes about us openly, tease you, get teased by them – and receive their support, because they will support us – and that'll improve my level of comfort with you."
Once again, Blake didn't answer right away. And it was in the ensuing silence between them that something dawned on Yang. She intertwined her fingers with Blake's and gave her hand a squeeze before asking, "Is there a reason you're hesitant about telling them?" Because there had to be. Blake had yet to state a shared desire for this step to happen, after all, and there had been several occasions where she could have. But she had not, and now Yang was anxious that Blake wouldn't tell her at all.
"I…" Blake's bow seemed to twitch. "I'm not hesitant. If you think this will be good, then we'll tell them. It was just…the cat jokes. Most of them, I don't mind, but…you crossed a line when we played laser tag. I'm not an animal, and you shouldn't be getting a kick out of inciting me to act like one. So, we can tell the others, but please be careful about your jokes."
Oh. So, Yang had done something wrong, and although Blake may not have realized it, herself, she had erected a wall between them because of it. Why had she not said something sooner? Yang had never intended for her pranks to be hurtful. "I understand. I'll be careful, I promise. And I'm really sorry. But…" But there was something else. It was weird. Blake had sounded like she was telling the truth – and for all intents and purposes, she probably was – but at the same time…maybe it hadn't been the whole truth.
And Yang had every intention of asking about it, to really make sure everything was okay, but before she could do or say anything meaningful, it was right about then that their teammates began to arrive. Ruby led the group, yelling out to Blake and Yang, evidently excited to have everyone reunited again.
Yang let go of Blake's hand, and a silent agreement passed between the couple that they would continue their conversation at a more convenient time. For now, they had come to a decision, and they seemed to be on the same page, for the most part – Yang would make sure of it later – and that was the important thing for the moment.
They proceeded to greet their friends and listen to the tales they had to share, resuming the fun they were supposed to be having and discussing what they would do for lunch.
The day was far from over.
For those of you who were following Forlorn previous to it being taken down, you might have noticed that this chapter has undergone a lot of change. The scene with Pyrrha is new, and Yang's conversation with Blake at the end is almost entirely different. Adding more of Pyrrha into the story was to give concrete basis to Yang's mentioned friendship with her instead of just passively saying they were friends, and Yang and Blake's talk was changed because the previous version really didn't accomplish what I meant it to accomplish - at least, it didn't do it well. Now it does.
Again, I'm open to any and all comments you guys have to say! See you in chapter five!