The clouds were few and far between, drifting lazily across the mid-afternoon sky, peppering the crisp blue with wisps of white. It was a beautiful day, made even more so by the pleasantly warm temperature, with the end of summer approaching it was heading towards Blakes favourite season, where the ground would carpet in a sea of leaves and the sun would gradually give way to the moon more and more with every passing day until the turning point of the year. Then the cycle would begin anew, awakening nature from its slumber to cast a stunning variety of fresh growth over the lands. Animals would give birth to new life, waiting plants would spring from the soil and the days would warm, chasing away what frozen air remained after winter.
Blake brushed her hand over the smooth stone of the Academy wall, listening to the fading sounds of people vanishing into silence. She watched the view over the cliff-edge retreat towards her as she walked, giving way to the ever beautiful sight of Forever Fall - a vibrant red cloak stretching as far as she could see that blanketed the mountains rising above the canopy. She loved it here, not only because it was a place she could be alone with only her thoughts, but because it gave her comfort, reminding her of a better time.
She made her way to the edge of the cliff and gently sat herself on the lip, hanging her legs off the side with her bag beside her. She breathed the fresh, clean air deeply, smiling to herself for being able to escape from the somewhat hectic life of training even for a moment. The wind was light, caressing her face with a cooling breeze that blew through her hair and swept leisurely across the forest. She watched the leaves shake and sway in a hypnotic rhythm, swaying her head slowly in time. Her mind relaxed as her body rested, pushing her previous thoughts to one side and instead concentrating on admiring the tranquility she so often found herself wanting.
The only sound that reached her ears was that of the faint rustle below, melding into the background alongside her reflections. She didn't feel as though she were watching Forever Fall, she felt as though she were watching the place she grew up with, like she was being reunited with a childhood friend after years apart. While she longed to go back there, she knew that it was impossible. She would only find painful memories of a broken life, and that was something she did not feel strong enough to deal with, not yet. She had doubts about herself and her charade, but nothing would persuade her to go back there.
It was interesting to her to see how similar two seemingly different places could be once you started looking past the surface. Forever Fall and the Emerald Forest were almost bordering eachother, and yet one was a brilliant red and the other a beautiful green. Grass covered the ground in one, leaves the other. Mountains disrupted the canopy on one side, whereas rolling hills gently pushed trees higher on the other. She contemplated how the same could be said for people, as despite her indifferent personality she was alike to some of the most unlikely people in such a way that she wasn't sure herself if they were really all that different.
An unnatural sound echoed from the valley below her, pulling her attention beyond the trees to behind the peaks, where a mechanical boom rang out over the rocks, reminding her how close she was to things better left unsaid. Had she been in a better position she would no doubt have seen the grey train hurtling through the forest at speed, carrying valuable items from one rich area to another. Of course, the journey would be one to enjoy were the crews not always on a tight schedule as the crimson foliage made for a breathtaking view over the trees. Blake enjoyed the forest, just not when there was a train barreling through it disrupting her peace.
It passed as quickly as it arrived however, and within a moment Blake was back into her quiet serenity, alone with her thoughts once again.
At least, that's what she hoped.
"Yoo-hoo! Blaa-aaake!" A voice shouted from behind her, a characteristic cheer that was too tame to be Nora and too confident to be Ruby.
Blakes smile vanished in an instant as she turned her head to look at her intruder. While the voice was a giveaway, her face lightened slightly at the sight. Yang stood with one arm resting against the wall of the Academy and the other waving in a wide arc, and while the sun made it difficult for Blake to see her partners face she knew that Yang was grinning happily. The other girl began traversing a path she made on the spot, making an assortment of noises and comical sounds as she neared, flailing her arms to keep her balance on the uneven rocks that pushed through the dirt near the edge.
Blake would have preferred to be alone, but she knew that she was lucky to have had the time that she did with privacy was increasingly hard to find. She turned her head to the left, watching Yang ease herself onto the rim next to her teammate, dangling her own legs off to match the other girl. Yang gave yet another warm smile which Blake returned it a little toned down, waiting for the predictable question that would come before she could ask anything else.
"So what'cha doin' all the way over here?" Yang asked, tilting her head to the side out of curiosity. Blake turned back to look over the forest, taking Yangs gaze with her.
"I wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet, but most places were busy. This is a place I enjoy a lot but visit rarely, it's not the most sheltered from the weather." She glanced up at the sun, looking back to Yang as the blond asked another question.
"All your other ones were busy?" She repeated, nodding a little in acknowledgement at Blakes own.
"How did you know I'd be here?" Blake asked, not bothering to alter her tone of voice. She knew they were alone out here, and there was no reason for her to change anything. Truth be told, she was quietly enjoying Yangs company. The blonde threw a thumb behind her shoulder towards the building.
"Asked a few students and they said they saw you heading this way, so I followed. Turns out they were right!" Her mouth widened into a smile again, but this time it was of satisfaction rather than happiness. While it faded at seeing Blake return her gaze to the sea of red before them, Yang continued to admire her teammate internally.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Blake spoke largely to herself, but Yang gave a small 'Mhm' of confirmation as she cast her eyes across the vibrant red trees, enjoying the peaceful beauty they possessed. 'Not unlike someone else I know...' She thought to herself, casting a sideways glance at her partner.
The two of them sat for a while in silence, each content to go without words. Blake resumed her mental relaxation while Yang took to observing the forest below, admiring the beautiful shades of red that fluctuated between gusts of wind alongside the leaves blanketing the floor beneath their feet in a sea of red. It wasn't the first time Yang had seen Forever Fall of course, but there were new things to notice from her perch high above the trees that she would have otherwise missed when traveling through the area.
A tiny trickle of blue stood out between the ever-moving treetops, snaking its way between gaps in the leaves until it disappeared from her view behind the stone face. She turned her head at the voice beside her, watching Blakes mouth move while amber eyes remained gazing into the distance.
"How would you go about following someone?"
Violet eyes narrowed at the question, suspicious of the cause.
"Depends." Yang replied simply, giving thought to the question while she had time to consider it.
"On?" Blake asked, turning her head slightly to view her partner out of the corner of her eye.
"Who and where, I guess. I mean, if I wanted them to know I was tailing them I'd just act normally, but if I didn't want them to know I was there, I'd probably be as quiet as possible."
Blake smirked, though Yang was too busy staring at the sky thinking to notice the movement.
"Like, if I was down there," She pointed to the forest below, as though it wasn't obvious enough already. "I'd try moving as quickly but quietly as possible so I don't lose my target, but I'd also be careful not to alert them to my presence, 'cause you know. Sneaky and stuff."
She turned back to look at her partner with a distrusting stare, asking the question Blake had been waiting to hear with a hint of apprehension.
"Why?"
"Well." Blake began, shifting her position but keeping her eyes trained on the mist-obscured mountains in the distance, keeping her mysterious demeanour at full effect. "I was being followed through the Emerald Forest four days ago by someone who acted remarkably like you described."
While Blake wished she could watch her partners reaction, she knew she had to maintain the serious tone or risk losing her opportunity.
"And when I escaped their sight, and consequently disrupted their hiding place, I got a clear look at them as they ran up the cliffside path." She purposefully let her words hang for a few seconds, enjoying the silence from her company.
"Towards the Academy. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Her eyes locked with Yangs own, serious amber into shocked purple. The normally confident huntress-to-be was the epitome of barely contained panic, her mouth was hanging open in disbelief while her eyes were wider than an owls, a fitting match to the stuttered 'O's that she managed to push out of her mouth between fast, heavy breaths.
Yangs mind was racing, she had been caught completely off-guard and had nowhere to run. If she left now, Blake would know for sure that it was her on that day and then what? What could she possibly say then? Blake was not about to let this go, that much was clear just from her tone of voice, but there had to be some way to divert her attention from this topic. She ran through the possible options in her head and briefly, much to her own disgust considered changing the subject to her partners past. It almost sickened her to even think of such a thing, and very nearly did sicken her to think about how much pain that would inflict, not just immediately but on their relationship as a whole. She shook her head, glancing around left and right as she desperately tried to come up with something to say.
"I got...lost?" Yang squeaked, hunching her shoulders up to hide her face as best she could, grinning the sheepiest grin she had ever made before. Although she cursed herself mentally, the damage had already been done. She peeked with one eye, only to find Blake once again gazing out into the distance as though the revelation, if you could call it that, was old news to her. Yangs eyebrows raised in surprise as she pieced things together, arriving at the conclusion that Blake knew it was Yang from the beginning. Her mouth dropped even further as her surprise rapidly turned into anger, largely at being played for a fool.
"You knew!" She exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Blake as though she were the one being accused of something. The other girls response softened Yangs expression somewhat, but she left her arm outstretched.
"I wasn't entirely sure, but I am now. Why did you do it?"
Yangs defenses fell over her offenses once more, jumbled pieces of words and noises were all that came from her mouth.
"I-er...well-eeh." Another smile danced across Blakes lips for a second, she was wholly enjoying this experience.
"I was following you because..." She sighed, fighting defeat. "Because I wanted to know what you do when you're by yourself."
'Wow, great lie. I'm sure she's going to believe that. Why don't you tell her that you wanted to pin her down and ravage her like you read in that book you stole from her?'
Yang scowled, not realizing she was performing the act both physically as well as mentally.
"Why didn't you just ask?" Blake queried, her voice taking on a somewhat...seductive tone. Yang wasn't sure if that was the right word to use, but it certainly seemed to fit the effects it was having on her, feeling the droplets of sweat rolling down the back of her neck and the quickening hammering inside her chest as her heart pounded against her ribs.
"You don't usually talk about things like that!" Yang pointed out, her voice rising a little higher than she would have liked. Her head recoiled a little at seeing Blake turn to look at her, with the sunlight obscuring half of her face in shadow she looked vaguely familiar. But the image vanished as quickly as it appeared, and Blake was once again staring Yang directly in the eyes, challenging the blonde to trip herself up.
"You won't know until you try." Blake replied calmly, her face devoid of all emotion. It still amazed Yang how impassive her partner could behave, even after the month and a half they had spent largely together, let alone as a team. She was the polar opposite of Blake, and yet they seemed to get along well, almost too well. Blakes words left Yang speechless, and as the blonde clawed at her words Blake smirked for a third time and rose carefully, picking up her bad in one hand and hooking it over her shoulder. She looked down at her teammate who was staring back up, squinting against the light that fell on their faces.
Yang opened her mouth again, now able to form a coherent sentence having stabilized her thoughts. Her voice was ever so slightly cracked, she was still reeling from their exchange, not expecting Blake to act the way she had.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to get some practice." Blake responded simply, turning to walk back towards the Academy. Yang frowned, standing up herself while asking another question.
"What kind of practice?"
"Live practice."
Blake vanished beyond the stone walls as Yang took one look over her shoulder at Forever Fall and began following her teammate, unaware of the shaded figure leaning idly against one of the many trees in the forest below. A stranger who had learned some very important information.