Author's note: Hello again! I've got a quick note for y'all regarding the setting: Remnant is the country while the Kingdoms (Vale, Atlas, etc.) and Menagerie are major cities. Patch and the towns outside of the Kingdoms will be small towns. It's a minor quirk for the setting, but it is relevant. As always thank you for the feedback and I hope you enjoy!
Monday
Blake sighed as she unlocked the door, exhausted from their first day of classes. She was met with the sight of Yang sitting on her bed, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and tongue sticking out as she worked hard at writing something. Blake had to admit it was kind of adorable. She's your roommate, she reminded herself.
"Homework already?" Blake asked, setting her stuff down. She was fortunate in that all of her professors just used the day to go over syllabi, but knew not every student was so lucky. Yang jumped, apparently having not heard her enter.
"Not exactly," she said, grabbing her pencil from where she dropped it. "Just working on my handwriting," she explained casually. Blake nodded understandingly.
"Right, you mentioned you were right handed," she mused. Yang raised an eyebrow.
"I mean I am but I don't remember saying that."
"Yesterday you told Pyrrha you can't pitch with your left hand. I assumed that meant you were right handed," Blake said, taking a seat on her bed. Yang gave her an impressed smile.
"I'm surprised you picked up on that," she said, earning a small shrug from Blake. "I've had to relearn how to do almost everything left-handed and I haven't practiced writing much. I didn't exactly need it this summer," she joked.
"But you need it now," Blake observed.
"Yup! Hence the practice," Yang said cheerfully, waving her pencil for emphasis. Blake flashed her a sympathetic smile that she hoped didn't come across patronizing.
"Good luck," she wished wholeheartedly, earning a laugh from Yang.
"Thanks, I'm pretty sure I'll need it."
Tuesday
"Good choices. Nice emotional range without being over the top," Yang observed, scrolling through the monologues on Blake's laptop as Blake stood behind her. "You're totally free to practice in here whenever. I mean, as long as I'm not sleeping or something," she added.
"I'm pretty sure you could sleep through a fire alarm," she deadpanned, but Yang could practically hear the smirk on the dark haired girl's face. Yang smiled as she turned to face her, feeling a small sense of satisfaction when she did see the smirk.
"I wouldn't go that far," she protested weakly, earning an amused eyeroll.
"So what are you planning to perform?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mind if I pull them up?" Yang asked, gesturing towards Blake's laptop. With her consent Yang did just that before standing up to let Blake read through them. She watched her read through them, and stiffened slightly when she saw a frown on her face.
"These are both comedic. Professor Ozpin said they wanted us to demonstrate range," she critiqued, earning a calculated shrug from Yang.
"That's what I do. I'm not cut out for serious roles," she said easily, hoping Blake wouldn't see through her. Unfortunately for her, she was already learning that Blake had a tendency to do just that.
"What makes you say that?" Blake asked, clearly unconvinced.
"I'm not exactly leading lady material," Yang dismissed with an exaggerated eye roll.
"Says who?" Blake challenged, crossing her arms. Yang scoffed.
"Says everybody? I mean they're all so...you know. Conventionally attractive, straight-"
"And human?" Blake asked, and Yang froze. Horror flashed through her face as she remembered exactly who she was talking to.
"Blake, I'm sorry I-"
"It's fine," she insisted, waving her hand dismissively. "So what if there aren't any disabled lesbian leading women? As a friend of mine once said, 'you'll just have to be the first'," she said, a small smile on her face. Yang could feel her cheeks heat up. "If you're deadset on doing these I won't stop you. But if you want to give it a shot I would be happy to help you find a new monologue," Blake offered. Yang thought it over for a minute.
"Okay then," she decided with a small smile.
Wednesday
Blake breathed a content sigh as she stepped back into their room, feeling refreshed from her shower. Yang was sitting on her bed, typing away on what Blake was pretty sure was a homework assignment. The blonde looked up from her work.
"I've got a question for you," she announced. Blake eyed her curiously. "Please stop me if this is offensive," Blake tensed in preparation, "but how does hearing work for you?" She asked, appearing genuinely curious.
"Um, what?" Blake asked, confused.
"You have four ears," Yang continued, as if that suddenly explained her question. "Does that mean you hear sounds from four different places? I mean it probably isn't weird for you since you've always had four ears but-" she stammered before groaning. "Sorry, I'm sure that's a rude question," she apologized.
"I wouldn't know what makes it different," Blake admitted. "They don't exactly teach Faunus anatomy in schools," she added with only a hint of bitterness.
"Even in Menagerie?" Yang asked, sitting up straighter.
"Even in Menagerie," Blake confirmed. "It may be one of the few places in the world where Faunus are the majority, but it's still governed by the laws and federal policies of Remnant," she explained.
"Which are made by a bunch of racist humans," Yang concluded.
"Exactly. We've tried to teach ourselves, but so much of that information requires research which requires money and an education. So many Faunus are trapped in a cycle of poverty; they're born into it and society actively works to make sure they stay there. Even the ones that break out are forced to either hide who they are or face discrimination on a daily basis in the workplace and on the streets," Blake said, growing more impassioned as she went on.
In the meantime, Yang watched her intently with an expression she couldn't read. Blake sighed. "I'm sorry, you didn't ask for a lecture," she apologized. Yang seemed taken aback.
"Don't be; it was important," she said simply. Her tone was so genuine that it caught Blake off guard. "I'm sorry if that was a rude question," she added. Blake shook her head.
"It's fine," she said truthfully. "Thank you for listening." Yang hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to but...have you ever done that? Hidden that you were a Faunus?" She asked. Blake debated whether or not she should tell her and eventually decided she could trust her.
"For two years in high school. All it took was a little black bow," she admitted. "But that's a story for another time; it's getting late."
Thursday
Blake sighed as she stared blankly at her computer screen. It was just her luck that she'd get a professor that would assign a five page essay on the first week of classes. She spared a glance to her roommate, who was humming to herself as she faced the same dilemma.
At least I'm not alone, Blake thought wryly. Yang groaned before popping out her headphones. "I'm gonna go for a coffee run, want anything?" She asked, standing up and stretching.
"Sure," Blake said, caught off guard. "Are you going to The Vault?" she asked, earning a perky 'yep' from the blonde. "Chai tea, no milk no sugar," she said, reaching around for her wallet.
"Oh don't worry about," Yang said dismissively.
"Are you sure?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, so long as you get the next one."
Blake smiled. "What makes you so sure there will be a next time?" She asked, amused. Yang laughed.
"Well, we're gonna have rehearsals and homework and essays...honestly, I'm convinced Oobleck's plotting to have us addicted to caffeine by the end of the semester," she joked, earning a chuckle from Blake.
"Fair enough," she relented, before watching her leave with a friendly wave. Blake couldn't help but smile as her gaze drifted across the now empty room. The sight of a book on Yang's desk caught her attention.
"A History of Faunus Oppression by Saphira Lazul," Blake read, recognizing the book from reading it herself a few years ago. She really meant what she said last night, she realized. Smiling, she returned to her essay until she heard footsteps approaching followed by a knock on the door.
Upon opening the door she was greeted by Yang with one of most over the top grins Blake had ever seen. "Sorry, I couldn't get at handle on it," she announced, obviously pleased with herself. Blake rolled her eyes fondly.
"That was terrible," she decided, taking her drink from the blonde and giving her her thanks. She waited for Yang to put her drink down before she continued. "If you're going to make bad puns you should at least arm yourself first," she deadpanned, internally cringing at her own joke.
The look of complete and utter delight on Yang's face however was definitely worth it.
Friday
"What time do you want to meet up with everyone?" Blake asked, looking from her book to her roommate. It was the first Friday night after the start of the semester, and their newly found friends thought it would be a great idea to celebrate. Yang looked up, almost reluctant.
"I uh, I think I'm gonna pass tonight," she admitted. Blake frowned. Yang had been one of the masterminds behind their plans, which made the typically chipper girl's declaration even odder.
"Is everything okay?" Blake asked, concerned. She had been pretty sure that something was up all day just based on how...subdued her roommate had been acting.
"Yeah, I'm just…having a bad day," Yang admitted. "Nothing happened it just, well, happens sometimes. I'm not really feeling up to dealing with people tonight," she elaborated.
"Are people giving you a hard time?"
"Not really. I mean, people stare but I expected that. Or they assume I need help when I don't. I know it'll get better as the semester goes on, but right now I'm still getting used to it. Tonight I don't want to deal with any of that," she said, leaning back on her bed.
"What about a quiet night in then? We could watch a movie," Blake suggested. Yang shook her head.
"No, you should go hang out with everyone. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she insisted.
"Honestly, staying in sounds like more fun," Blake said, waving her book to remind Yang who she was talking to. "I can leave if you really want to be alone, but I would be happy to keep you company," she added, giving Yang the choice. She could see her debating it in her head, confirming Blake's suspicions: no, she did not want to be alone.
"If you really don't mind," Yang decided hesitantly.
"Then it's settled. I'll let them know we can't make it tonight," Blake said, reaching for her phone and typing out a quick message to the group. "Sun knows I'm not much of a people person sometimes and auditions are tomorrow. They won't think anything of it," she assured, hoping to soothe her unspoken worries.
"Thanks," Yang said with a small smile. "Sorry for being such a mess," she joked weakly.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Blake said, grabbing her laptop. "Now come on, let's find a movie," she said, motioning for Yang to join her on her bed.
Saturday
Yang's alarm barely got through one beep before she turned it off, almost jumping out of bed. She went through her typical morning routine with a nervous excitement, and to her surprise Blake was already dressed by the time she got out of the shower.
"Are you ready for this?" Yang asked, grabbing her hair dryer.
"Theoretically, yes," Blake said, taking a sip of tea. It helped Yang to know that she wasn't the only one feeling nervous.
"We can do this," she said confidently, as much for herself as for Blake. Blake smiled at that, and the rest of the morning passed without incident. They reached the theatre with plenty of time to spare. It didn't take long for Professor Ozpin to greet the students.
"Good morning everyone. In a just a few minutes we will begin auditions. We will call you into the theatre in alphabetical order, where you will perform your monologues in front of myself and Professors Goodwitch, Oobleck, and Port. You are free to leave once your audition is complete. The cast list will be emailed to each of you by five o'clock this evening," he announced.
"They still haven't even told us what play we're doing," Weiss grumbled. Yang shrugged.
"I guess they don't want us to be influenced by it," she said. Yang knew she would've prepared differently if she knew the play if for no other reason than that she would already have a role she wanted to get.
"Doesn't make it any less frustrating," Blake said with a sigh.
"There's nothing we can do about it now, so let's go out there and do our best," Ruby said cheerfully. Yang smiled and took a seat against the wall.
"Sure thing sis," she said, before noticing the odd look Weiss was giving her. "They said alphabetical order, Weiss. If I'm gonna be here a while I wanna be comfortable," she pointed out, getting a groan out of the shorter girl when she realized that 'Schnee' would take a while to get to.
"That means Blake's probably going first," Ruby observed.
"Lovely," Blake deadpanned.
"Better first than last," Yang pointed out. "At least you get to get it over with," she said good naturedly.
"Don't worry, I'll keep you company," she said with a smirk.
"Aw, thanks Blakey! You sure know how to make a girl feel special," Yang joked, complete with dramatic hand gestures. Blake raised an eyebrow.
"'Blakey'?" she questioned. Any response Yang could give was cut short when the theatre door opened and Professor Oobleck appeared.
"Yes yes, we are starting auditions now! First on our list is a 'Blake Belladonna'. Come now, we don't have all day," he announced and Blake sighed.
"You can do this," Yang said reassuringly. Blake smiled.
"Thanks," she said before being ushered into the room by the whirling dervish known as Professor Oobleck. Yang turned to see Ruby and Weiss staring at her, Ruby with a look of absolute glee and Weiss with...amusement?
"What?" Yang asked, confused.
"Oh nothing," Weiss said as she pulled out her phone.
Somehow, Yang didn't believe her.
Author's note: Oh what ever will the play be? Who knows.