A/N: Guys, seriously, so many follows and favorites! Thank you for the support, this is kind of a fun work for me, but I'm considering adding it into the weekly rotation of things I write. Updates for now will be sporadic, I got a promotion at work, went through some personal stuff and I'm just now getting back into writing daily again. Again, not sure about pairings, let's just let things fall into place as I write since that seems to be working out well for WhiteRose shippers.
In regards to characters and the world; they're all older, Ruby being the youngest at 18, Weiss at 20-21, Blake is 21 and Yang is 22. The world is I guess a Historical/Renaissance Era Remnant where Aura and Semblance is a result of exposure to a piece of Eden in a select few who are genetically pre-disposed to have powerful Auras, kind of like in the game series and people with high levels of first civil afoot DNA.
Hold on to your bootstraps, boys and girls, we've only just begun.
The Sun and its Shadow
"She's going to be staying with us for a while you know." Yang wiped down the bar counter while Blake read in one of the stools.
"Mm" Blake turned the page in her book, no indication she was listening to the one sided conversation Yang seemed intent on having with her.
"Probably forever."
"Is that so?" Blake lifted her glass without looking away from her book as Yang wiped a section near her, again ignoring the Blonde's attempts to garner a reaction.
"In our room no less." Yang coaxed, leaning over the bar to look Blake in the eye.
"Yes, we've had this discussion already." Turning another page, Blake stopped reading. She stared at the page while watching Yang, reigning indifference. She had to hide her smirk, wondering what her friend was getting at.
"Aaaaand she'll go on missions with us once she's been properly trained. That means plenty of time spent in close proximity of her." Yang grabbed a mug and filled it for herself.
"That tends to happen when you're teamed up with someone. If you're worried, she may be lovely, but you're still lovelier." Blake teased, she knew it was the farthest concern from her partner's mind, but it didn't stop Yang's reaction from being amusing.
"Wha-A-Are you kidding me? That is not what I'm talking about." Yang took another sip, hiding her indignation with the mug.
"Also, I'm sure Ruby will come to you for advise should she choose to pursue the Ice Queen." Blake added flatly, regretting pushing Yang's buttons when she was mid drink, as Yang spit all of the contents of her mouth across the bar and onto her book in a hilarious jet.
"Where are you- what the hell Blake, that's not what I meant at all. As if Ruby would ever- oh Ha Ha, very funny." Yang grimaced at Blake and set to wiping up her mess. Tossing a clean rag at Blake forcefully, she huffed and seethed at being had.
"What're you getting at then, Yang? What's with all the questions when I agreed to not only having her on our team, but including her in our room?" Blake wipes her book cover, grateful for the leather binding and helped Yang wipe the bar, adding to her mental tally of all the times she's gotten the best of Yang.
"What I'm getting at, you angry little minx, is that are you sure you're ok with this? I mean…" Blake waited for Yang to finish, not sure what exactly was coming next from her often unpredictable partner. "She's a Schnee. You know, kind of your people's mortal enemy."
"I've not have the chance to properly speak with her, so as long as she remains amicable about my race, then we have no hard feelings. True, Weiss is a Schnee, but you're forgetting the most important part." Yang looked at Blake with an expression that screamed "well, what that?" Unpredictable and completely readable.
"Weiss is a Schnee who defected to our side. She is a Schnee who supplied us with valuable information. She's a Schnee who spied for us when she faced her father's cruelty if she were caught. Most importantly, she's a Schnee Ruby has unwavering trust in. If you can't trust Ruby, then I don't know who you can trust." Blake smiled at Yang, doing her best to put her worries at ease.
"No, I get all that. It's just, well, what if she's not as sincere as we think? What if she's a double agent? You can't tell me that thought didn't cross your mind." Yang looked down into her drink, studying the settling foam with intensity.
"I won't lie and say the thought has never occurred to me. I'll admit, when Ruby first brought her to our camp on that mission, bloodied and injured, I thought our best course of action was to interrogate and execute. Then I saw Ruby, begging for us to treat Weiss. I'm not sure what Runt said to Weiss to get her to switch sides, but I know firsthand how persuasive a Xiao Long can be when they set their mind to it. Ruby may be a Rose by name, but she's also a Xiao Long by heart." Blake grabbed the mug from Yang and took a sip, grimacing at the taste.
"We are a persuasive bunch aren't we?" Yang winked at Blake, refilling her glass with the wine Blake preferred.
"You manage to sell this swill by the barrel some nights. And even Tai can talk anyone into inviting them into their home. Then there's Ruby selling unnecessary weapon modifications to anyone within earshot when she's at the forge. It's a good thing you all have pure intentions, I'd hate to live in a world where you didn't." She raised her glass to Yang who happily clinked it with her own mug.
"Who says my intentions are always pure?" Yang winked again at Blake before finishing her drink.
"Then I'll thank my good fortune you don't seem to be putting forth a serious effort, lest I fall prey to your less than honorable tendencies." Blake finished her glass and stood from the stool. "Come on, we should sleep before Master Qrow decides training is more important that letting his Barmaid and Madame rest."
"Whatever you say." Yang followed Blake through the door into the small dorm style residency. When they entered the room, they were treated to the soft snores of both Ruby and Weiss. The dawn peeked through the tears in the curtains, indicating they'd taken longer than they'd hoped to clean up. The leaping and landing with a thud on the bed above Blake's, Yang kicked her boots off from above and sprawled on the bed.
"You can bathe first; you're the one who deals with the worst filth." Yang sighed not sure if she'd move if she got too comfortable.
"I'll make it quick, you smell like a cask. Or you can join me; it'll cut our time in half." Blake added playfully.
"What, for real?" Yang sat up excitedly and smiled at her partner.
"Of course not, but you looked like you were falling asleep. I needed to get your attention somehow, you gullible brute." Blake chuckled as she shut the bathroom door.
"You tease." Yang laughed, before hopping off the bed and walking to the fire to feed it another log. If she was going to smell like booze, she was going to at least be warm. It didn't hurt that Blake caught a chill easily. For a former bandit and skilled assassin, her partner certainly didn't fare well in cold weather, not that it ever slowed her down.
After coaxing the fire to roaring warmth that filled the room, Yang sat in a chair near the fire to enjoy the fruits of her labor, though she didn't need it. While Blake caught chill in event he mildest of climates, Yang rarely felt the cold at all after activating her Aura. They were true polar opposites. Where Yang shone like the sun, Blake was the embodiment of shadow. Yang was loud and boisterous, Blake was quiet and reserved. Yang was the powerful brute, Blake was the silent assassin. They complimented each other perfectly, with only minor disagreements occasionally; their bickering was more like playful banter and a match of wits than actual resentment or anger.
"Your turn, and please hurry, you seriously so stink. Did you pour a single glass of ale or did it all end up down your shirt?" Blake stepped out of the bathroom with a towel in her hands. Her long black hair was still damp from being washed.
"Oh, you mean this isn't your favorite scent? I wore it just for you. Maybe next time I should try something else. Maybe I could roll around the fish market for a few hours." Yang stood wearily, the long hours catching up with her.
"Go bathe Yang." Blake was already lying in her bed, nuzzling into her pillow and pulling her thick comforter over her body.
"Yes mom. Geez you're so bossy lately." Yang grabbed her clothes and headed toward the bathroom.
"And for the record, maybe next time you can try something like lilac or citrus. Those are my favorite scents." Yang smirked as she shut the heavy door.
Lilac and citrus huh? She thought, picking up her citrus bar of soap and lilac scented hair wash oil, her usual combination settled in a box clearly marked with her burning heart emblem and a large "Y" carved into the lid. "You got it, partner."
Bonus A/N: A short chapter to tide you all over until I finish editing the next chapter. This is actually the first half of what was planned to be chapter 3, but it got away from me length wise. This felt like a good stopping point. Lots of dialogue because we had a ton of exposition last time, and because I love playful banter.
