What a strange girl, Blake thought to herself as she walked. I didn't even get her name before she threw herself at me.
But Blake could understand her. After all, if she didn't have Adam, she was sure she'd be in a similar situation. Emotionally, at least.
Adam was the closest thing to a brother that she had. He always protected her and never abandoned her, no matter how tough the situation became. They fought like a single beast, able to interpret and predict each other's actions before they even occurred. They tore up Dust shipments, militant human protesters, thousands of military androids and more. He was her friend, her confidante.
Their relationship didn't progress further than that, of course. They had known each other for too long, had been too intimate with each other in ways other than a carnal relationship, so they never attempted anything romantic—both of them afraid to destroy the strong bond that they currently possessed.
Unfortunately, Blake had been sent in alone for this mission. Adam and Blake were both high-ranking and talented officers, each too valuable to commit to a single operation. Adam still called her every day just to update her about his situation and make sure that she was okay, but Blake would have felt much better if he was here physically and by her side.
It was already past midnight when Blake made it back to her room. She briefly considered going back and asking the white-haired girl if she wanted to grab a midnight snack, maybe talk with her some more and get to know her better…
She immediately stopped in her tracks. What was she doing? This girl was a human. Associating with her would only be disastrous, and if she ever had even the slightest inkling about why Blake was here, in this city, Blake would have to eliminate her. A murder disguised as an accident. And that would truly be a shame, because…
Blake groaned and sat down on the couch, her head held in her hands. That would be a shame? Why would it be a shame? Since when have I cared about the lives of humans? Her kind is the source of our problems.
Blake gritted her teeth.
Have I really fallen for her?
No, Blake told herself, shaking her head. It was just her looks. She was so exquisite, so delicate, so… fragile, as if the tiniest impact would shatter her like fine crystal. And she hadn't exactly had the opportunity for a romantic life, considering her history in the White Fang. She had supported the organization even as it became more militant. She had gone from mere protesting to learning how to fight, and found herself well-suited and eager for combat.
So perhaps she was just growing up. These feelings were a natural part of the adulthood, and Blake supposed that it wasn't really her fault that her body found the human girl attractive.
Still conflicted, Blake picked up her tablet and called Adam. The hour was late, but she was sure that he'd pick up.
Sure enough, the call was answered in a few rings.
A bleary voice came out of the speakers. "Blake?"
"Hey, Adam," Blake said softly, a smile on her face.
His voice immediately grew sharp, all traces of sleep gone. "Blake?" he repeated. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, no, everything's fine," Blake said quickly. "I just wanted to ask for your advice on something."
"Sure."
Blake cleared her throat. "Have you, uh, ever been in love?"
"…Have you been reading too many of your romance novels?"
Blake blushed furiously. "No! I mean, well, it's not like I've stopped reading them, but this has nothing to do with them! Just answer the question."
"Right," he said skeptically. "And Blake, honestly, no. Some flings here and there, but nothing that lasted long enough to turn into love." He paused for a second. "And I—no, both of us, are far too busy for that kind of thing. You, of all people, should know how important this operation is."
"Yes, yes, I understand," Blake assured him. "But I was just wondering. Just in case I ever did fall in love, what do you suggest that I do?"
"Did you meet someone? Look, Blake, it's only been what—a week?—since you've been stationed there. Whatever you're feeling right now is not love, okay?" Adam said firmly. "Don't get distracted from what you need to do. Don't let your feeling get in the way of what you need to do. If you really need to, you can entertain yourself. But remember what's important."
Blake sighed. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks for the advice, I won't let this affect my work here."
"No problem. If you ever need anything, just ask."
"I will. You should sleep now, I've kept you up long enough."
"You should sleep too. Good night. And don't worry too much about it, you're at that sensitive age."
Blake shot upright. "Hey, wait a minute—"
A chuckle came through the speakers before the call ended. Blake flicked the scroll closed with a huff, a wry smile on her face as she set it down on the table.
After brushing her teeth and washing up, Blake grabbed her book and curled up in bed, reading until she fell asleep.
Weiss woke up to a knocking on her door.
She immediately wondered if she had been tracked down overnight, if someone was here to take her back or maybe even finish the job.
In a flash, she pulled the closet door open and unzipped her duffel bag, then grabbed Myrtenaster before approaching the door. Her sword in a ready position, she took a quick glance through the peephole, reading to strike out at any enemy on the other side.
She let out a relieved sigh upon seeing the black-haired girl with the bow in her hair she had been talking to yesterday. The girl she had cried on, she now remembered, feeling a little embarrassed. She walked back to the closet and put Myrtenaster back into the bag before closing it.
She smoothed out the gown she had slept in and made sure her hair was presentable, then opened the door.
"Hi," she said. "I'm sorry, I just woke up."
The other girl blinked. "My bad, I thought you were awake. I was just wondering if you wanted to grab some breakfast?"
"I'd love to," Weiss responded with a small smile. "Give me a couple of minutes to get ready?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm not in a hurry." Blake held out her hand. "I'm Blake, by the way. Nice to meet you."
Weiss accepted the handshake. "I'm Wynne. Pleased to meet you too. I suppose I'll see you in a few minutes."
"Take your time," Blake said. "Like I said, I'm not in a rush."
Weiss nodded and shut the door again, then stepped into the bathroom. She frowned a little at the wound on her face. The cut, although shallow, ran crookedly over her left eye. Luckily, her eye seemed to be fine, and the cut had stopped bleeding already.
Using a bit of concealer, she managed to hide the injury. It wouldn't do for Blake to worry about her.
As Blake had thought, she hadn't been able to stay away. Taking Adam's advice, she was sure that it would be fine as long as she didn't let her emotions rule her actions. As long as she didn't fall in love.
And until orders came in, she had nothing to do. She might as well use this time to get to know this mysterious, beautiful girl better. Maybe learn a bit about interacting with humans. Although, considering how well Wynne had responded to her last night, perhaps faunus and humans weren't that different emotionally after all.
Wynne, she mused. The name doesn't seem to match her, and she says it like she doesn't even believe that it's her name. Terrible acting. A false name, then? Maybe she's a runaway?
Whatever it was, Blake decided that it didn't matter too much. Wynne would tell her if she wanted to.
"So, why are you here?" Weiss asked her.
Blake swallowed before speaking. "Just a business trip. I have a few meetings with some of the big shots in this city."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Business? At your age? Unless you're older than you look."
Blake laughed. "Trust me, I'm a lot more intimidating in an actual suit. And it's a family business, so I'm here to learn the ropes, so to speak."
"I see," Weiss said, taking a sip of her juice. "Sounds like you've got a lot of work on your shoulders."
Blake shrugged. "It's okay. It's not too bad, although I suppose it gets a little burdensome sometimes." She set down her fork and leaned back, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "But enough about me. What brings you here, to this city?"
Weiss fiddled with the overcooked potatoes on her plate. "I had a little bit of… trouble, with my family, as you know. So I've decided to take a little break from them, let them sort the issues out, before I go back. If I ever go back," she corrected herself.
Blake nodded. "I think you made the right decision. If your life was in danger, then leaving was the best option you could have chosen."
Weiss smiled at her. "Thank you. Well, there's another reason why I came here. Have you heard of Beacon Academy?"
"Of course."
Weiss took a deep breath. "Okay, so this sounds a little… idealistic, I suppose, but I want to enter the Academy. I want to be a Huntress. I want to do something good, to give back to the world. I want to make things right and live up to my family's legacy."
Blake looked at her, wide-eyed. "You? A Huntress?"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "I may look like this, but trust me, I know how to fight."
"Interesting," Blake murmured, checking her watch. "You'll have to give me a demonstration sometime."
"I'd be glad to," Weiss declared confidently.
"Unfortunately, I have to go now," Blake said apologetically, standing up. "I don't think I'll be back in time for lunch, but maybe we could grab dinner together…?"
"I'd like that," Weiss agreed. "Good luck on whatever business you have."
Blake nodded at her and left the table, striding toward the elevator.
Weiss watched her go before taking out her tablet and pulling up a map of the city. If she was going to spend time here, she might as well get to know her surroundings.
A few points of interest caught her eye, including some Dust shops, a few downtown theaters, and some great works of architecture. After deciding upon where she was going to go, she put away her tablet and quickly finished her food.
She made sure that her outfit was inconspicuous—a plain blue dress and a jacket over the top—and decided not to take her weapon, as it would attract too many unwanted stares.
Feeling a little bit of trepidation, she stepped out of the hotel and took a breath of fresh air.
Blake had gone back to her room and switched out of her casual business outfit and into a sleeveless undershirt and a pair of black shorts. A dress shirt went over the undershirt, and after that came a black business suit with crisp long pants. It was a hassle to have shorts underneath her suit, but it was necessary in case she needed more freedom of movement and a quicker getaway.
She had received orders earlier that morning to plant a few listening devices around the government offices in the city. Despite the fact that the White Fang weren't specifically targeting any government officials, the organization still had to make sure that no one caught wind of their plan before they were able to enact it. And, if needed, she was to dispose of anyone who displayed any knowledge about the White Fang's activities.
After having breakfast with Weiss and avoiding the commuter rush hour, she set off into the city.
A few hours later she was standing in front of a large brick and mortar building, the gray structure a story or two higher than the surrounding buildings. The lettering across the front proclaimed the building to be the Office of Public Safety.
This was her last stop. The last few buildings she had infiltrated had been bugged without a hitch. As Blake knew, confidence and walking with a sense of purpose would allow you to get almost anywhere. In addition, having a few false documents and corresponding reasons for her visit allowed herself to avoid suspicion if she were questioned.
Striding through the front door, she immediately headed for the receptionist desk, a impatient expression on her face.
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked.
"Yes I do," Blake said briskly. "I'm here for Mr. Decker."
The receptionist nodded and pulled up a few windows on her tablet.
"I'm sorry, but nowhere here does it say that you have an appointment with Mr. Decker."
"Are you sure that there isn't an appointment?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
Blake groaned and ran a hand through her hair, her expression a look of irritation and frustration. "Seems like I've been having the worst luck today."
"Don't worry, we all have one of these days every now and then," the receptionist said reassuringly. "Here, let me make some calls, and maybe we could get this all sorted out."
"Thank you," Blake said appreciatively. "But do you really think it's worth bothering them over this small issue? I'll be in and out in half an hour at the most."
Seeing that the receptionist still looked a little hesitant, Blake gave her the final push. "Look, I have the documents right here," she said, pulling an envelope out of her pocket and showing her the contents. "You can see that I have an urgent issue to speak to Mr. Decker about. I know he's a busy man, and I promise you that I won't be wasting his time."
The receptionist hummed for a moment before nodding to her. "Alright. I don't usually do this, but you seem like a nice gal. Just don't take it personally if he tells you to leave without listening to you, okay? Would you like me to tell Mr. Decker that you're coming up?"
Blake smiled and shook her head. "No, I'll be going straight to his office. Thank you very much."
Having successfully bypassed the receptionist, Blake stayed true to her words and went straight toward the office on the third floor. She took the stairs two at a time, slowing down whenever someone walked by.
The charade with the receptionist was a hassle, but Blake had to admit with to herself that it made infiltrating and escaping a lot easier. She preferred the stealth option, maybe scaling the building and breaking into a window, but that left the possibility of getting caught and blowing the entire mission.
Her shoes clicked on the marble floor beneath her feet as she walked down the hallway, glancing at the nameplates on the doors. When she reached her target, she bent down to retie the shoelaces that she had surreptitiously loosened with each step and simultaneously attached the thin listening device to bottom of the door in the small space between the wood and the floor. She then finished tying her shoelaces and began walking away as though nothing had happened.
And then the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind her as someone walked quickly to catch up to her.
"Hey! Wait up!"
Blake sighed and looked around. Windows were spaced evenly down the hall and at the ends of the hallway, and most of them were propped open to let in fresh air.
Ignoring the voice behind her, she increased her pace and turned left at the end of the hallway. As she walked, she pulled out pair of black leather gloves from her pocket and slipped them on, then turned the doorknobs until she found an unlocked, empty, and suitable conference room.
When the man chasing her turned the corner and caught sight of Blake, she opened door and stepped inside. As she had hoped, he followed her into the room, an angry expression on his face.
The older and heavyset human took a few labored breaths before speaking.
"Hey," he began, still panting a little. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What do you mean?" Blake asked innocently, inching toward the open window.
"You know what I mean," the man said angrily, walking up to her. "I saw you plant that bug. Who sent you here?"
"No one did," Blake replied. "Actually, I'm Mr. Decker's—"
She grabbed the man by the lapels and slammed his head into the windowsill, then picked him up again and dumped him out of the window and into the alley before he could respond.
Blake leapt out of the third-story window before the man fell more than a few inches, landing gracefully on her feet less than a second after he landed headfirst. After making sure that he was actually dead, even with the caved-in head and crooked neck, Blake pulled out a few zip ties and a large garbage bag and began bundling the body up.
She had to work quickly, which meant that all she did was tie the limbs together and push the man's head to his chest so the garbage bag's outline wouldn't scream "dead body". She then hauled the body into a nearby dumpster and used the refuse to cover the dead man.
She knew that he would eventually be found, but for now this was the only option she had on hand to dispose of the body. She took off the gloves and stowed them back into her pocket, then made sure her suit was neat and her hair tidy before stepping back out onto the street.
This kind of work wasn't pleasant, but it was necessary, and would ultimately lead to a brighter future.
Weiss felt that her day had been productive. She had visited several of the more famous places in the city, eaten lunch at an outdoor café, and—most importantly—located the Dust shops from which she could purchase Dust to resupply her weapon and arm herself.
She was pulling her clothes out of her duffel bag and hanging them up in the closet when she heard a knock at the door. Grabbing her weapon again, she took a look out the peephole and confirmed that it was Blake before stowing the weapon away and opening the door.
"Hey, Blake," Weiss said, smiling.
Blake felt a tug at her heartstrings. "Hey, Wynne. Sorry that I'm a little late."
"You're not late," Weiss corrected. "We never had a set time for dinner, and it's only seven."
"That's a relief to hear," Blake said, unconsciously tugging at her suit. "Should I change into something more casual?"
Blake grew embarrassed as Weiss looked her up and down, though she didn't let it show on the outside.
"No, it's fine. You do look good in a suit." Weiss thought for a moment. "Let me change into something more formal to match you, and then we can go out to eat. Do you know any good places around here?"
"I heard about a great diner downtown," Blake offered. "And I think that what you're wearing now is fine."
"Really?" Weiss said skeptically, looking down at her short skirt and jacket combination.
"Really," Blake assured her. It'd be a pity to hide such fine legs.
Weiss nodded. "Then let's go eat dinner already, before it gets dark."
The dinner was a pleasant affair. Blake managed to dodge most of the questions about her past, while Weiss seemed mostly content to talk about her day and give her opinions about the shops and places that she visited.
A little snobby, Blake thought to herself. Definitely a rich girl.
She couldn't say she completely disliked it, though. Wynne's attitude was part of her charm, was what made her feel like the pure, distilled crystal that she was. It still fascinated Blake on some level that she, a faunus practically born into the White Fang—someone considered to be part of the lowest dregs of society—was eating at this decently reputable diner with a rich, beautiful girl like Wynne.
"Blake?"
Blake responded eloquently around her mouthful of tuna. "Mmm?"
Weiss smirked at her appearance, then blinked and immediately looked down at her plate. "Are…are you going to be free any time this weekend? There's a movie coming out in a few days and one of the theatres downtown looks suitably well-maintained…"
Oh.
Blake nearly choked on her food. "I, ah, yeah, I'm available. When do you want to go?"
Weiss looked up at her, a brilliant smile forming on her face. "Well I was thinking…"
Best. Assignment. Ever.