Birds chirping, sun shining, and a slight breeze gently pushing on the draping curtains that were rolled up into neat bunches near the windows that framed the hallways of Beacon Academy. These were ideal conditions for many activities on a Saturday; one could go for a lovely stroll, smelling the wafting aroma of fresh-cut grass and flowers in bloom. You could have a wonderful picnic, birds chirping around you as your eyes turned skywards, gazing at the clouds and wondering, "Why does that one looks like a peni-"
*ahem*
Piano. Why it looked like a piano.
But, if you're two lovable ninjas-in-training, you're gonna say, "lolnop," to all of that, and stay cooped up inside to read books. What a pity.
If only the author would do something about it! So, dear reader, take a deep breath and let it out because if you don't you'll pass out, and take another step into...
Blake's Day Part II: feeeesh...
The bookworms didn't exchange another word on their way to the library. Blake led the two, and Ren kept up with longer strides, eyes gazing outside through the evenly spaced windows at Beacon when he could just to give himself something to do. The hallways were nearly empty, the only exceptions were a student with a stack of what looked like overdue papers, and a group with a suspicious amount of eggs were the only people they saw. Even while speed-walking, Beacon was a big place, and it took them five minutes of twists and turns to finally reach their destination.
The pair, one clad in green and the other black, stood at one of several entrances to the library. The library itself was empty save for the librarian, humming an old tune to herself while pushing around a cart of old, tattered books around. Without question or a word spoken between them, they walked towards the same table, Blake moving to her favorite spot when she was in the library for casual reading. It was a club chair wedged into a corner, perfect for private reading where people couldn't see what she was reading from behind. The seat was ideal for long periods of reading as well; it was designed for comfort with rounded arms and a seat cushion that made it feel like you were sinking into a sea of fluffiness. Ren took his usual spot at the head of the table, situated where the sunlight could shine through from the windows.
At this point, all stupor and surprise from seeing each other at six in the morning had left them. Blake was back to being a friend of a friend to JNPR, and Ren had regained his composure, along with his quiet demeanor.
"Please." He motioned with a hand towards the chair after setting his books down on the table. No awkward smile, no hitch in his voice nor catch in his throat.
Nodding and quietly murmuring a thank you, she made her way along the table to where she could begin her reading. As she sat down, she relished the feeling of the oh-so-familiar chair once again, and opened up her book to where she left off.
"Thank you for making this easy on me today, Blake." He offered a small smile. "Reading isn't a pastime I get to enjoy with Nora around all the time."
"Don't mention it." She flips another page, not looking up. Her tone monotonous, eyes neutral. "It's a common interest."
He could tell by now that Blake was definitely a seasoned reader; the books she had selected all caught his eye, even the historical non-fiction about a private's experience in the Great War looked interesting. And she had the focus of one as well.
Well, focus is a nice word. Ability to tune others out is more like it, Ren thought to himself as he picked up the non-fiction book. Opening the book to the back of the front cover, his eyes glazed over the synopsis, and how the book revealed in, "riveting account of the horrors from our ill-fated war." After setting the rest aside in a neat pile for later, he opened the book, and time passed with each flipped page.
Ren had gotten halfway through the book when Blake asked a question.
"Hungry?" Her eyes only glanced up for a quick second before she returned her eyes to the book.
Polite banter. Now this, I can work with, Ren related to himself with relief.
Checking his scroll, he noted that it was 9 o'clock, close to three hours since they started reading. "No, thank you. You?"
"I'm good, thanks."
After the ensuing silence took over the reins once more, Ren took some time to stretch out over the back of his chair, fingers interlocked over his head and arms outstretched. Glancing to his right, he noticed the clear blue skies, the flowers offering red, yellow and orange in contrast to the encompassing green grass. Students were enjoying their time off, laughing, chatting, and playing pranks, all with friendly intention.
He could almost feel the wind pushing on his face as his mind took him back to a simpler time, when he and Nora would go outside from dawn until dusk playing outside, catching animals and making them subjects for their queen for a day.
We always came back in such dire need of a shower. Especially Nora… I'm still convinced to this day that mud is physically attracted to her. Ren chuckled audibly, which came as a surprise to Blake when she heard it.
When she looked up, Ren wasn't looking at his book, but outside. His head was slightly tilted, and a slight smile still graced his lips. He was lost in his thoughts, mind pulling back faint visions of rabbit knights and frog peasants via visual cue. Ren's laugh was something that she'd never heard; the same could be said for Ren with Blake. His chuckle was deep, resounding, but quiet and comforting at the same time; it made for a strange combination.
But Blake wasn't the openly-curious person like her team leader or blonde older sister, so she didn't say anything for a bit and kept reading about how the protagonist, who was experiencing a flashback, reminisced about how he was orphaned at such a young age.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Please. Alan. Tell me what you saw."
"... I saw fire. You see, a child's memory is a fickle thing, one that does not grasp facts and instead holds onto imagination. But fire was no figment of my creativity, and it burned in my head as it had so easily burned through straw and wood. The screams still echoed in my head, and if I remember anything else, it was the sleepless nights. I would spontaneously erupt into tears, sobs. I would scream and shout for someone. Anyone.
And I kept asking myself one question. Why me?
A young child, with no one to go back to.
A lost hope, with no one to discover me.
A dying star, the magic all but dead inside.
So during the day, I took to wandering the lands, scrounging what I could through pity and lu-"
Another chuckle. Ren was still looking outside, eyes scanning left and right as if he were following something or someone out there.
What the dust is so interesting? She wondered.
"Something catch your eye out there?" She asked with another glance up. Her voice remained nonchalant. But this time, pale pink didn't come back to meet her amber. They were still glued to the window, eyes flicking left and right as if he were analyzing what he was looking at.
"Hm?" He looked at Blake. "Oh, no, just looking outside." With that, the smile vanished from his lips, and he went back to his book, not noticing the strange look that Blake was giving him.
Okay then. That was strange. If Yang were in her place, she would've kept asking what Ren was so deep in thought about, but then again, she wasn't her partner.
So, she just let it go and went back to her book.
At the other side of the table, Ren wasn't really interested in reading about how, "our ranks got decimated," or how, "our only source of comfort was pictures from home and women from the streets," in his book anymore. He was thinking about the fun he had outdoors, and how he was missing out on it while he lazily glazed his eyes over the words, no longer comprehending nor processing them.
Nora's grown on me, Oumdammit. I used to be like Blake, and now I'm like… not-Blake. He took a glance over at Blake, her eyes still relaxed scanning left to right, legs bent onto the chair and her elbow resting comfortably on the armrest. Ren took another glance out. It looks so enticing. So pleasurable. So…
"Blake?"
She glanced up, noticing that Ren had closed his book, and even more notably without a bookmark. "Yeah?"
"Do you stay inside all day?"
"I go to the roof sometimes." She replied as if that was a sufficient answer, returning her eyes to the book.
"I brought my hands down to her hips, and she threw her arms around my neck. Her skin emanated warmth; she felt like putty in my hands. We stared into each-other's eyes, lust and longing almost tangible in the air between us. We had waited far too long for this; innuendos and stares that led us to this moment felt like destiny. She knew me inside and out now, my hard exterior and soft interior. I knew her kindness, with a hidden glint of something more dangerous. The attraction only grew stronger, and I felt my knees wobbling as closed the distance between us, her breathing growing errati-"
"Yang doesn't drag you outside?" He continued his interrogation, not noticing Blake's flash of anger in her eyes as he continued to look at her.
"No." She kept her answer short and curt.
"-c. Unstable. As many other things in life. But that didn't matter tonight. As skin touched skin, and sweet nothings were exchanged, nothing mattered. Nothing mattered except her toni-"
"You should. It's scientifically proven that getting some sunlight every day improves your output on life and encourages healthy habits."
She rose an eyebrow. "Are you saying that I'm currently practicing unhealthy habits?" I swear, somewhere, somehow, Yang is laughing at me.
He remained unfazed. "No. What I am saying is that we should go outside."
"Why?"
"Because it looks fun."
Blake's eye twitched, and her ears flickered as well. Did… did Ren just say fun?
…
Lie Ren. Fun. That word didn't even sound right coming out of his mouth.
…
What the hell did Yang give me to drink last night?
"Fun?" She replied, still addled by the fact that Lie Ren had just offered to do something fun.
"Yes. Nora and I would go outside every Saturday to do various things. They all proved to be quite enjoyable. I was just wondering if you were interested."
She put a silk ribbon that she used as a bookmark to hold her spot, grudgingly accepting that she'll have to finish the segment after this conversation. "Allow me to get this straight. You," pointing at Ren, "want to go outside," points, "with me?"
"If you're interested, yes. I was thinking about how I was changed by a bit of lively energy in my life, I thought that it might apply to you as well."
She nodded, already thinking about the sisters in her team. "No thanks. I get enough of that already with the dynamic duo in my team." She reopened her book. But before she kept reading, a question popped into her head.
"Besides, what would we even do?"
"Anything that you would deem interesting, after all, it is your day. But activities that Nora and I would often engage in would be strolls,"
She rolled her eyes.
"Cloud-gazing,"
Last time I went with Yang, she made a dirty joke or bad pun about every. Single. Cloud.
"Fishing,"
These ideas just keep getting worse and wo-
"Shopping,"
Her eyes widened slightly. Wait. Did he sa-
"Swimming at the beach,"
Her mouth went slightly agape. Dear Oum.
"And we occasionall-"
Blake cut him off. "Where would you go fishing?" She kept her curious tone, mainly due to the fact that if one fished, the end result would be obtaining said fish.
How long has it been since I've had fish? Too long, that's how long. Stupid cafeteria here only offers some atrocity that they pass off as a tuna melt. Trout, salmon, oohhh… She swooned on the inside, stomach audibly rumbling.
Ren was slightly taken aback by the sudden question, mirrored by his reaction of bring his head back a bit and tilting it. But he recovered quickly, and answered smoothly. "We went to a small lake, Lake Forrester, that was teeming,"
Oh no.
"With hundreds of fish, small to large."
Don't you say it Lie Ren.
"Catfish, whitefish, bass, salmon…" He listed them on his fingers, as if he were purposefully trying to make Blake feel the longing in her stomach.
please, no
"We always went home to cook them too. If you're interested and we catch anything..." He was visibly beaming at the thought of being able to cook something other than pancakes.
Blake's lips were pursed so hard together that they formed a very thin line, eyes squeezed shut and fists clenched. If Ren wasn't busy in his speech, he would've noticed that Blake looked like someone who was about to explode. feeeeshhh...
"I could prepare some for you. I had this wonderful recipe..."
ffeeeeeeeshhhhhh
"Nora loved it. It was this lemon butter sauce for salmo-"
HNNNGGG~
Looking back, Ren realized that it was at this moment, he knew he fucked up.
"YES PLEASE" She yelled out, before cupping her hands over her mouth and looking around to find the librarian at the other end of the large room, much to her relief.
Ren, however, did hear Blake, and made no show to hide being startled, smile wiped off of his face only to be replaced by a slightly opened mouth. "I-I'm sorry?"
Blake quickly recomposed herself, blinked and shook her head, and tried again. "Sorry. I meant to say that I would like to go fishing." She almost blurred the words together. "It sounds really fun. Can we?"
Ren was still surprised. He blinked twice, but he re-assumed his smile with caution.
"Of course. When would you like to le-"
"We're leaving as soon as we can. Do you need to go shopping for supplies? Weiss won't notice if I borrow some Lien." Blake's eyes had a primal look to them, amber eyes shining through at Ren, staring at him as if he were prey.
What's up with her?...
"I have everything that we need to go fishing at the dorm." Ren remembered the terms of his dare. "But I can't go-"
"Shopping it is. Wait outside the front gate, I'm gonna go get some Lien." As she stood up, she pointed at Ren. "Do not leave without me, Lie Ren." She growled while pointing at him, before ripping Ren's books from his hands and sprinting towards her dorm room, the librarian's half-hearted calls to not run in the hallways falling on deaf ears.
Ren just stood there, arms in the position of handing Blake the books he was borrowing when she ripped them out of his hands, paralyzed. He knew that Blake was a cat faunus, but at the time, he just wasn't connecting the dots.
Poor Ren.
Blake went blazing through the hallways of Beacon, pushing an innocent bystander to the side so hard that they nearly left a crack in the wall. While the trip to the library had been five minutes, she sprinted it in less than two, barely restraining herself enough to not kick open the door, and twisted the doorknob, only to find it locked.
"Oh come on!" She yelled, exasperated at her luck. Great, Yang must've left already. Now what? She considered kicking the door down, but explaining why she did so would be very awkward.
Yeah, sorry guys! I had to steal some money from Weiss to buy fishing gear! Forgive me?
She shook that possibility out of her head, realizing how stupid that sounded.
I could go through the window, but that'd involve breaking something too... at least it's not as bad as a door. And I can just say that Cardin threw a brick up here or something. Yes, blame it on Cardin! It'd be dinner and show; I can get my Lien and I can watch Yang beat up Cardin!
Chuckling evilly to nobody in particular other than herself, she ran off towards the nearest fire escape to reach the roof, books still in hand.
You just don't get in the way of a hungry cat.
and that's chapter two! since this is my first ever real attempt at creating a real story, and not a one-shot, I'm really hoping that i can get some feedback from you guys on how to improve!
also, the reason I wanted fishing antics is because I was so... charmed by Blake in the episode where she fell head over heels with a bowl of fish ramen. it was so perfect, and i just had to get that in here somewhere.
because cute blake is cute.
updated 7/25 for grammar mistakes