I hope everybody is having a good week. I know I have. Between finalizing a few important plot points for later in this story and generally accomplishing what I needed to and more in my personal life, I'm feeling pretty good about this week.
Onto the part of the author's note that is actually about the story its posted in. For this chapter, when I originally wrote it, I made it a point to limit the amount of text written around a line of dialogue. I felt that with a majority of the subject matter being covered in this chapter, a lighter dialogue format would work best. When having a conversation between four characters, dialogue within lengthy paragraphs can detract from the attempted tone. Plus, it was somewhat refreshing to not have to encase a statement taken at face value with rationalizations, logic, and motives. Still, it didn't seem to keep the word count down.
One final thing I'd like to note is that there is a reference in this chapter that those who have not seen anything from Rooster Teeth other than RWBY probably will not understand. Even if you do not know what it is from, you will know the where the reference is when you read it. As to avoid spoiling the chapter, I will post the source of the reference as well as where it was if anyone happened to miss it in the author's note at the end of the chapter.
I think I've gone on long enough with this author's note. Here is chapter four of Valence.
Chapter 4: Vale
It was surprising to Blake how little time had passed since she and Yang had departed. It was still midday and the sun hung high amidst the infrequent clouds. She found that between the high speeds of the motorcycle and the utter bliss felt by Yang's recent acceptance, time had slowed to a wonderful crawl. Perhaps it was her own perspective, but while she was with Yang, she found that minutes passed by like hours due to her desire to savor the moment and commit as much as she could to memory. When the metal door of the sisters' garage drew upwards, the sound was not as grating as it was before. More so, it had an odd feeling that made Blake think of home.
Home was a word seldom used by the Faunus. The implications of a stationary location that associated itself with a community and a family were no longer applicable to the young woman. Between the nomadic wanderings and the cell-type structure of the White Fang, Blake hadn't truly had a home since before she joined the organization. Even at Beacon, amongst trusted friends and competent allies who would readily defend her, she could not feel completely accepted and secure as one would feel in his or her own home. However, it was this house—this home of Yang and Ruby—that influenced the restoration of these long-lost sentiments.
The reason for this was not the house itself nor was it the quiet landscape surrounding it, but its occupants. The eclectic bunch that inhabited the building existed in such a chaotic balance that there was never any time for superfluous worries or uncomfortable sentiments. Between teasing remarks, minute scolding, or attempts at inspirational speeches, Blake found herself constantly surrounded by stimuli that would never make her feel like an outcast. Each of her teammates had their own quirks about them, so it was doubtless to Blake that she was in accepting company.
While the feeling of acceptance was due to Team RWBY as a whole, a large portion of this feeling was caused by Yang's particular acceptance. As the motorcycle found its way into the garage, Blake continued to hold onto the blonde. Yang had been caring enough in the past to not remark negatively on her Faunus heritage, choosing to immediately accept her for it instead. She had shown undeniable strength on the battlefield and proved to contrast Blake perfectly, creating an unstoppable force between the two of them. Moreover, Yang had gone out of her way to be kind to Blake; making her smile when she needed it most through the various jokes and puns she often made, complimenting her on her intelligence or combat style, and even going so far as to invite her into her home for the duration of their summer break.
She was shaken from these thoughts as the bike was parked and her partner stood. She reacted tightening her grip on the figure in front of her. Unfortunately, she could not stop Yang's stronger body from moving. As Yang dismounted the bike, Blake submitted to the thought that she had spent enough time clinging to her partner and that it was time to head in. With a small, sincere smile, she replicated Yang's actions by taking off her helmet and looking over at the standing sight. Her vision then drifted to the door that led to the home's interior. This raised a question. "What are we going to do about telling Ruby and Weiss?"
Yang's eyebrow piqued. "What do you mean?"
"Are we going to tell them or keep it a secret? I know it's not standard for girls to date other girls—let alone a Faunus to girl date a human—"
Yang cut her off, which was odd because she usually allowed Blake to finish her thought unless there was some sort of comedic effect to her interruption. However, there was no such humor in her tone in this interjection. "I'll take care of Ruby. Weiss'll probably figure it out on her own." She then sent a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. They won't mind. We're teammates, remember?"
Blake took a breath to calm herself. "All right," was all she said before she dismounted the bike. As she stood, she saw Yang standing by the door, her hand on the doorknob.
"Ready?" she asked. Blake nodded and the door was opened.
Blake followed close behind as Yang entered the home. She hadn't realized how hot it had been outside until she felt the rejuvenating touch of the home's air conditioner. Now she was acutely aware of a slight sheen of sweat that had existed on both her and Yang's skin, leaving the two to have slightly glowing faces—though, this effect was not solely caused by the warm climate. They walked down the dark hallway into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, Weiss and Ruby were not there as they had been earlier in the day. The pizza box and plates from earlier were not to be seen either, presumably disposed of in an orderly, Weiss-like fashion. The couple continued to walk through, on the hunt for their teammates. Blake quickly glanced at the clock on one of the room's appliances. It could still be considered morning, if only just.
As the two entered the living room, they found Ruby and Weiss sitting on opposite sides of a coffee table. Both were dressed in their regular attire and seemed to be ready to tackle the day ahead. Upon closer inspection, one could see that a map sat upon the table and held both of the girls' attention. It was only with Yang clearing her throat that the two were stirred from their trance.
"Hey, you're back!" Ruby observed. "How does she run?" For some reason, Blake was not at all surprised that Yang's sister knew of the "test drive" before she did.
Yang beamed. "She runs great! It's like I never even left her alone. The only thing that I might need to fix is the—" Yang stopped what she was saying to look at the subtly icy look Weiss was giving her. "Actually," she started again, "Ruby, you wanna go to the other room to talk about it? Weiss looks more bored than she usually does." Blake had to suppress a laugh. Yang could be uncharacteristically deceptive at times, as evidenced by this improvised distraction.
"Sure thing," Ruby replied and stood from her seat. She looked at Weiss sheepishly before telling her "Sorry" and following her sister.
This left Blake to seat herself where Ruby once sat, choosing a more reclined, relaxed position than the younger leader had taken on it. She gazed from afar at the map on the table. The map was of downtown Vale and had markings on it that must have come from the black marker that lay beside it. Her gaze shifted away from the diagram—not attempting to decipher it from her current distance—to the white-haired girl sitting before her. Yang was right when she said Weiss looked bored; however, there was a definite annoyed state hidden behind the uninterested visage. Weiss gazed inquisitively into Blake's eyes for a few long seconds before asking, "What were they talking about? Who is this 'she' they're referring to?"
Blake shrugged indifferently. "Yang has a motorcycle. She named it."
"Of course. She would have a motorcycle." Benign sarcasm laced every syllable. She paused again, looking at Blake as though she was an object to study and analyze. "And I'm guessing you two went out?"
Even at the words "went out," Blake didn't feel the need to blush or deny the claim. Now that she and Yang were dating, the phrase was appropriate. Still, she could have her roundabout fun with the observational Weiss. "Yes," she replied, "we went out for a test drive on her motorcycle."
"Where did you two go?" This question did not contain a pause before it, making it seem relatively sudden coming from the heiress.
Once again, Blake shrugged. "Nowhere in particular."
Weiss' next response came in the form of her slightly cocking her head and giving Blake a look that silently asked, "Do you expect me to believe that?"
Blake relented, if only slightly. She didn't want the heiress to become frustrated with the game and quit before she learned about the relationship. "We went to a park."
"A park?"
"I didn't see any name on it, so I can't really say much more than that."
"I would think that you would have seen where you were headed," Weiss stated. "So, where was this park?"
"I didn't see where I was going." Blake held her calm demeanor. "It was my first time on a motorcycle and I couldn't bring myself to look at the road."
"Mm-hmm," Weiss hummed patronizingly, seemingly checking off a point in her mental check list. "And what did you do at this park? Assuming this wasn't your first time at a park and could bring yourself to look."
Blake couldn't help but smirk at Weiss' form of humor—she knew the heiress meant no harm in her remark but was obviously trying to get information out of her. Blake decided that if Weiss was going to passively try to gather this sort of information, the least she could do in return was to make it harder on the heiress. "We just walked around. Nothing much." She didn't bother lying to Weiss any longer. She knew how to make connections between pieces of information, so Blake decided on divulging only half-truths.
"Just walked around?" Weiss almost sounded incredulous. "With Yang Xiao Long?" Now she did sound incredulous.
"She can be calm sometimes," Blake defended.
"That's news to me." This then led to another investigative pause, this one longer than the last as the heiress scrutinized her raven-haired teammate. After a moment, she sat back in her seat and asked confidently, albeit hesitantly with the wording, "Are you and Yang dating?"
Blake was about to reply, but was unable to due to a sudden shower of rose petals and Ruby instantaneously appearing and crushing her in a hug. Although Blake had been seated, Ruby still found a way to restrain the Faunus in her seat as she exclaimed, "I'm so happy for you two!"
Blake could hear Weiss quietly say, "I guess that answers my question."
Wide-eyed and only slightly confused, Blake had to force herself into motion again. She patted Ruby on the back and looked over her shoulder to the figure standing in the entryway to the other room. Blake sent her a look that asked if Ruby was doing this because she had been told about their new relationship. Yang smiled back warmly and nodded slightly.
It took a minute for Ruby's hold to weaken and eventually drop from Blake. As soon as the young leader was able to contain her excitement, Weiss spoke up. "Well, I guess this means congratulations are in order for the both of you." Her speech and countenance were the epitome of cordiality, showing no emotion outside of detached commendation. Blake, being all too knowledgeable about stoicism, knew that Weiss was sincere in her compliments. "But," she started, looking pointedly at Yang, "if you turn her into another hyperactive dolt like you and your sister, then you will never hear the end of it from me."
Yang moved closer to the three and stood by the seat Blake had taken. She then put her hand on top of Blake's which had positioned itself on the chair's armrest. She smirked. "I can't make any promises." An odd jolt of what felt like electricity ran through Blake at the contact. Even if she was comfortable with the fact that she and Yang were officially together, she couldn't get over the surge of confidence that emanated from Yang's touch. This confidence led Blake to raise her eyebrows in a challenging expression directed at Weiss. Even if she had only been joking, the thought of somebody else dictating how the couple's relationship would play out made Blake go on the defensive.
Weiss resigned to sighing and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Anyways," she said, purposefully trying to change the subject, "now that you're back, we might as well tell you what we were planning. Ruby?"
Taking the verbal cue, Ruby moved to stand beside the map. "Sure," she responded, sending a cheery smile in Weiss' direction before looking at Blake and Yang. "All right, so Weiss and I were thinking that it'd be a good idea to go downtown for the day and look around. She said that if we're going to be spending most of our time here, we might as well know what the city has to offer." She looked at Weiss for what Blake assumed to be approval of the summarization. When Weiss nodded, Ruby continued. "We planned on just walking around, but we can do whatever. If both of you are up for it, we wanted to leave in the next hour."
Blake looked up at Yang. "I'm all right with going."
Yang nodded and smiled. "I'm in too, but how are we supposed to get there? The only thing we have is Bumblebee and she can only carry two people."
At the mention of the motorcycle's given name, Weiss sent Blake another incredulous look. This was returned with another noncommittal shrug. Weiss shook her head before speaking again. "I've already called my driver. He should be here soon to bring us downtown."
Yang snorted, barely able to hold back laughter. "Of course you have a driver."
This resulted in an indignant humph from Weiss before she spoke again. "Anyways, you two should take care of whatever you need to before we leave. He should be here soon."
Because the orders were so similar to those given by Yang earlier in the day when they left for the park, Blake found herself immediately thinking of retrieving Gambol Shroud. She saw that both Ruby and Weiss had their weapons on their persons so she was sure that they were thinking similar thoughts of how they might need their weapons within the kingdom's capital. She stood and turned to Yang. "I'm getting Gambol Shroud. I suggest you get your weapons as well. It's better to be safe than sorry."
"Blake, are you worrying about me?" The blonde winked and the raven-haired girl blushed. While it was true to an extent, Blake had not intended on making Yang think this way. The suggestion was only meant as an act of friendship.
"No! It's not that—I—"
Yang placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax. I was just kidding." She sent a comforting smile before continuing. "Go get your stuff. I'll get Ember Celica and be right back." At this, she left, leaving Blake standing flustered in the living room. She watched Weiss and Ruby return to planning various trips on the map set before them for a moment, seeing how quickly the two forgot about the chaos of the moment prior and how they paid no mind to the new couple, choosing instead to return to conversation with each other. Blake turned and headed down the hall to her room.
As she reached her door, she found herself looking to Yang's room, her door having remained open. Inside of the similar beige room, Yang sat on her white-sheeted bed, fitting her gauntlets and loading them gingerly. She didn't seem to notice Blake looking in on her. Blake smiled and turned into her own room. She quickly grabbed Gambol Shroud and attached the ribbon wrapped around her arm to the grip of the gun before placing the weapon on her back.
As she left her room, Blake saw Yang walking down the hall and out into the living room. Stray beams of sunlight from the rooms to her right reflected off of the golden gauntlets on her wrists as she stepped confidently forward, unimpeded by any stigma or obstacle. Blake admired the sight, seeing the girl she admired move forward with the strength and steadfastness that originally inspired her adoration. She followed silently behind.
As the two entered the living room, they could hear Weiss talking with somebody. That somebody was not Ruby; the young girl still sat hunched over the map, staring intently at the markings and locations. Yang moved up to Ruby's side and bent over to look at the map as well. Following her lead, Blake moved to the opposite side of the coffee table and looked on with the sisters. From this closer perspective, she could see that the various markings and symbols were drawn around the area designated as the "Commercial District." There was a line leading out of the district towards the more rural areas. Blake could only assume that this line was the path leading from the house to their intended destination.
The muted clicking of heels on a carpet directed the girls' gaze to Weiss. "Our driver is here," she stated simply.
"Our driver?" Yang asked. "Have you finally learned how to share, princess?"
Weiss shot back an icy glare. "Watch it. You're lucky I'm letting you come with us in the first place."
"Oh, don't be that way, Weiss." Yang grinned and put her arm over Blake's shoulder, catching the Faunus off-guard. "Think of it this way: if I don't go, Blake doesn't go." She turned her sights on Blake. "Isn't that right, Blakey?"
"Perhaps," she replied with a straight face. Maintaining this composure proved to be difficult for the young woman, but the drive to tease her girlfriend was overpowering.
"I thought you were going to back me up!" Yang cried, her face forming into a staged pout.
Blake shrugged. "I want to go." She then smirked at Yang, silently letting her in on the joke and pleading for civility.
"Fine," Yang resigned, "I'll behave; but only for you." She tightened the one-armed hug she had Blake in, eliciting a straight-faced blush from the Faunus.
"Then we're off!" Ruby exclaimed as she raised a fist and walked to the front door. Weiss followed closely behind, rubbing the bridge of her nose all the while. Blake and Yang stayed a distance behind the other two, enjoying the separation from the other teammates and the closeness that Yang's hold produced.
As they reached the door, the couple found that it had been left ajar, awaiting their exit. Yang disengaged from Blake and moved to the door. "After you," she offered, bowing to emphasize her playful cordiality. Blake merely rolled her eyes and proceeded through the entryway. Yang closed the door behind her and locked it with the key from her jacket.
On the dirt driveway was an obnoxiously white limousine. The only thing moderately modest about its construction was its length being noticeably shorter than that of a stereotypical limousine. In the driver's seat was a man wearing a tuxedo who looked almost identical to the porters which had arrived at Beacon the day prior. Everything from the color of the car to the emblem on the hood signified that this was a Schnee family car. Yang gave a low whistle as she descended the small staircase of the front porch. "I almost feel bad about making fun of your generosity." She stepped closer to the car, scanning it closely for even the most minute of flaws. "It looks beautiful. You've gotta let me drive it sometime."
She received a hard "No," in return.
She shrugged. "Hey, it was worth a shot." Yang then moved towards the door, causing Weiss to noticeably flinch. "Don't worry, princess; I'm just holding the door for you all." True to her word, she opened the door and stood to the side, holding the door open for the others, giving Weiss a smug look all the while. Weiss was then begrudgingly dragged by the wrist into the car by Ruby before the two took their seats. Blake smiled gratefully as she entered the car and took her seat on the bench opposite Ruby and Weiss. In a matter of seconds, the door was closed and Yang crouch-walked over to where Blake was and seated herself in the adjacent spot on the bench. Yang leaned against Blake as she put on her seatbelt. It was hardly visible, but Blake leaned into Yang as well, the two now supporting each other.
An airy sliding noise came from the direction of the driver's seat. "Where to, Lady Schnee?" An old and professional voice called back.
"Commercial District, please," she responded. "It doesn't matter where; we'll find our way."
"Certainly, Lady Schnee," the man accepted before the girls heard the same airy sliding noise as before. No further noise came from the driver's seat as the limousine began to roll forwards.
Yang reclined in her seat, propping her right arm up on the back of the bench seat behind Blake. "Did you two figure out what we're going to do downtown?" she asked.
"Not really," Ruby replied. "We just thought that we'd make it up as we go—just look around."
"So, we're just touring the city?" Blake inquired.
"Ruby and I are willing to do anything that seems remotely interesting. We don't have to tour all day if we don't want to," said Weiss. "We'll figure something out along the way."
"Sounds good to me." Yang then leaned her head on Blake's shoulder. "Hey, Blake?" she whispered.
"Hmm?" she hummed in response, too comfortable in her current situation to utilize intelligible words.
"Is there anything you want to do while we're out?"
Blake rested her head atop Yang's as she hummed again. "Not really. I haven't enough time in Vale to know where anything is."
Yang smiled and leaned further against her. "Well, then I'll be sure to show you around."
Blake reciprocated the smile. "Sounds good to me."
The two relaxed against each other, not bothered at all by the present company. As the car drove onwards into the city, the couple stared vacantly out of the window opposite them. Together, they watched silhouettes of buildings grow ever taller and pass by the window in an instant. Occasionally, the visions of radiant blue revealed themselves between separations of buildings and from the ends intersecting roads. What had once been a massive sky in the countryside of Vale was reduced to a comfortable presence that lingered only directly above oneself as constructions grew taller and nearer.
Boredom presented itself in the cabin of the vehicle to those more loquacious and impatient. Those who could be considered introverted had been content to sit in peace beside their respective partners. Blake found herself subconsciously rolling a few particularly long strands of hair between her fingers. What struck her as odd was that the hair felt lighter than her own and, admittedly, more delicately cared for. Her eyes cast themselves upon the lock of golden hair in her grasp, her thumb rubbing along the length of the strands out of routine. Blake could only assume that Yang noticed, judging by the content sigh she let out. The young Faunus did not relent, finding the motion to be both calming and distracting—a combination suitable to combat the introduced boredom that plagued even her.
While the highway around the city had been massive and time-consuming, the path from the house to the city was relatively short—at least, compared to the excruciatingly long trip from the airport to the house. Suburban strip malls and occasional expanses of open tracts of land were replaced by terraced shop fronts, windowsills both elevated and verdant, and opulent establishments wherever the eye happened to wander. The car drove by these, its driver being on a personal mission to find a suitable place to drop Team RWBY off.
Blake was roused from her reverie by the subtle slowing of the limousine. It seemed as though Yang was as well, unfortunately causing the girls' foreheads to knock against each other. They backed away and exchanged sheepish looks as they rubbed their respective heads. The vehicle slowly came to a stop and the door was opened from the outside. Immediately, sounds of ambient chatter flooded the interior of the car. Weiss and Ruby were the first two to exit, leaving Blake and Yang to unbuckle their seatbelts, still muttering apologies to each other for the accident. The sound before had been relatively muted, but as the two left the car, the constant conversation became suddenly livelier. Not a word of distinct dialogue could be heard amongst the masses and above the cacophony came the cries of street vendors, the choruses of laughter from numerous groups of people, and even the shrill chirpings of infrequent birds. If one were to listen close enough, one could hear the rhythmically chaotic splashing of what sounded like a large amount of water.
The source of this noise was immediately known to be a large, stone fountain that stood proudly in the center of the city square that the four girls were now located. Blake could only break her gaze from the majestic sight of the cascading water to look on in awe at the marble construct that jutted high into the air with its elegantly minimalistic color scheme. The imposing sight was so different and so magnificent that it made Blake aware of her technical status as a tourist and not be hindered by it in the least. The closest comparable things the young Faunus had seen during her time with the White Fang had been nondescript, steel radio towers that appeared from time to time in her areas of operation. While those were nowhere near as aesthetic as this construction, she had been able to find something worthwhile in the metal sights at the time. In her new life, the only object that could have any relation to this had been the spire of Beacon, and while this fountain paled in comparison to both the height and intricacy of the academy's construct, to see something so extravagantly large and superfluously opulent was a contrastingly pleasing sight.
She could feel a hand position itself next to her own and intertwine its fingers with hers. Yang stood smiling at the fountain before them. Blake gave a welcoming squeeze to her partner's hand which was returned in kind. She didn't care if there was a crowd at the moment. She had her girlfriend next to her who gave off an endless supply of confidence and comfortable warmth that were both able to ward off any socially anxious sentiments.
Due to the proximity of his voice, the driver could be heard asking, "Will there be anything else, Lady Schnee?"
"No, thank you," Weiss responded. "I will call when we require your services later."
Blake and Yang would have seen the man bow his head before returning to the driver's seat had their attention not been focused on the marble pillar ahead of them. They did, however, hear the car pull away and depart, leaving the four girls to their own devices.
There was a lull in both action and conversation between the four that was soon interrupted by Ruby asking, "What now?" Even if she had been present during the apparent planning, she seemed to be overwhelmed by the current location and was now effectively lost.
"We've already gone over this," groaned Weiss. "We're just going to look around and see where everything is."
"But where do we start, Weiss?" Ruby asked, audibly concerned. She swept her hand around, pointing to the area in which they stood. This place served as a central connecting point to six visible roads—two more could be assumed to have existed, however, various booths and passersby obscured any possible view of them.
Weiss was becoming visibly frustrated, a frown already having solidified itself upon her face and her eyebrows furrowing deeper by the second. "It doesn't matter which way we go. No matter where we go, we'll still achieve our goal of exploring the city."
A quick tightening of the grip on Blake's hand alerted the girl to Yang's attempt to get her attention. She looked to the blonde and found that she had moved closer, if only slightly. "Hey," Yang whispered, "what do you say about us going off on our own and giving them some alone time?" When Blake looked, she found the girl to have a mischievous smirk.
Blake smirked back. "Sure," she drawled. "You want to give them alone time." This was returned with a playful glare. She laughed lightly. "I'm fine with it though." She felt her arm being pulled away by Yang, but she pulled the blonde back. "If we're going to separate from them, we need to set up a rendezvous point for later."
This caused Yang to pause and cease her pull on the Faunus. "You've got a point," she replied, still whispering, yet with a newly acquired smirk. "Hmm, now how to go about this…" Blake didn't necessarily like the mischievous overtone that the out-loud thought carried. With one hand already with Blake, Yang placed her free hand underneath her own chin, resulting in a form of contemplative pose that Blake felt was only for show. It only took a second for Yang to snap out of the pose and wink at Blake. Increasing her volume, Yang called out to Ruby and Weiss, "Hey, lovebirds!" This elicited a blush on the parts of both girls, but nonetheless garnered their complete attention. "Me and Blake are going to head out. We'll meet you back here at seven. See ya!" She didn't give the two any time to voice their complaints before she and Blake quickly walked off with equally satisfied smirks.
Neither of the two knew exactly where they were heading, they just knew that they were heading into the city blindly and were fine with that as long as they were together. They weaved through the crowds of inconspicuous figures and unidentifiable booths and stalls towards any street that would get them away from the city square. A mix of mischievousness and mirth coalesced in the minds of the couple as they fled from their teammates for the benefit of both parties.
Blake felt the grip on her hand tighten once more as they ran towards a crowd incidentally blocking the way to the nearest street, intent on barreling through it. The grip remained steady, allowing Blake to keep her eyes open as she ran through the mass of people. Previously, she would have not been able to focus on anything but the possibility of the crowd sending her condescending glares from all angles. However, with Yang's grip, she found herself able to make her way through the crowed unfazed, intact, and with her focus solely directed at the golden mane ahead of her. It felt as though only a moment had passed between when Blake first saw the crowd and when she saw the street ahead. Unlike the situation at the airport, Blake could not feel any sort of anxiety from the contact from Yang, instead finding a comforting embrace from her girlfriend.
Ahead was a street of cobbled stone, intended for only foot traffic. Various cafés and restaurants could be found on either side of the promenade and existed on both the ground and on a few terraces above. Rustic shops intermingled with cutting-edge technology stores, both types proving to be equally successful judging by the steady flow of ingoing and outgoing customers. A jaunty tune distantly affected the air, making the path seem all the livelier with the brassy sound. A beam of effervescent radiance descended upon Blake in the form of Yang's smile. "I guess this is it. What do you want to do?"
Blake subconsciously ran her thumb along Yang's grip as she answered, "I'm up for anything. What do you want to do?"
Yang hummed in contemplation. Blake could see the violet orbs scan the store fronts within the immediate vicinity. She looked to Blake uneasily. "How about we find a clothes store?"
There was a period of silence attributed to the falling interest in the suggested action on the parts of both girls. Blake didn't want to say anything rude with it being the first day of their relationship, but after seeing the overt look of dread in Yang's eyes, she knew that they were having similar thoughts. "Yeah," they both drawled condescendingly. "Maybe that wasn't the best idea," Yang said. While Blake wasn't opposed to the idea of owning different items of clothing, she believed that they would have been a waste of money when she already had multiple copies of the same outfit that was used for both combat and casual wear. She believed that if she was to buy clothes that were solely intended to be worn around casually, then they would only be proven obsolete once school resumed. She believed that Yang's disinterest was caused by her impatience and her affinity for anatomical attractiveness rather than exterior, material supplements. There was also the fact that Blake wanted nothing to do with a potential crowd or judgmental employees, but she wouldn't make this apparent if her pride had any say in the matter.
"How about this," Blake offered, "we each pick a store we want to go into and after we browse for some time, we'll see where our enthusiasm puts us." She felt as though it was a plan destined to fail and would only last for a short time, but it was a way of getting away from the previous suggestion for Yang's sake.
"Better than my idea," Yang beamed. "Where to?" Blake was about to object and offer her partner the first choice, but the blonde already had a counter prepared. "You came up with the plan, so you get to pick first."
Blake smiled gratefully before pulling her girlfriend along down the street. She had a destination in mind already—actually, it is to say that she had an idea of what type of store she wanted to visit; finding the store would prove to be the more challenging part, if only slightly. With Yang in hand, Blake found the confidence to blaze a trail through the multitudes of passersby and along the cobbled road. As the two progressed, the musical sound became louder and clearer, forming into the noise of a solo saxophonist. The player was a man standing by his case, accepting donations from fans of his music. Seeing this sight gave Blake the idea to find a music store to visit. However, she had little knowledge as to where one would be, let alone her initial destination. She figured that if she could not find one on this outing, she could next time.
The couple passed by the man, Yang dropping spare change into the case as she passed, and continued for some time along the pathway. In a matter of minutes, Blake stopped in front of a store with a title that made Yang erupt in laughter. It was a moderately large bookstore that Blake had never heard of named, "Novel, Tea." Blake's interest had been piqued by the title due to her affinity for both novels and tea. However, she had not noticed the wordplay and immediately regretted the decision once Yang started laughing.
Nevertheless, she pulled the giggling blonde into the store. At the chiming of the bell attached to the door, both were rendered silent out of routine. While both girls knew that it was common etiquette for a patron of a library to keep their volume to a nearly nonexistent level, it seemed that in this establishment such strict ideologies were inconsequential. Small groups conversed softly and openly while browsing the many shelves while a small café occupied a corner of the space, emanating a droning noise from the multitude of conversations occurring within. With her sight trained on the shelves in front of her, Blake barely noticed that her girlfriend was pulling her towards the café. She found that the sights of the many books with unidentifiable titles were slipping horizontally from her vision as the rich (and personally offending) scents of the café overwhelmed her. By the time she was able to ask Yang "What are you doing?", the blonde was already standing in front of a barista.
As soon as she was welcomed, Yang began to speak. "Hi, I'll take a bottle of water and a medium tea." Blake sent a critical look at Yang, only to be returned with a sunny smile. In that smile, Yang made it evident that she intended on being generous—to what ends, Blake couldn't be sure. She merely rolled her eyes in indignation.
A question arose as to what type of tea was being asked for. Yang looked to Blake who sighed. "I'll have a green tea." She looked to Yang. "Don't make this a habit," she said simply.
As Yang paid, she looked back to the figure beside her. "What? Can't I treat my girlfriend to something she likes?"
It is to note that Blake's previous state of mind had been rational and controlled. The subsequent thoughts and reactions were purely irrational and spurred on by paranoia caused by past experiences, leaving the Faunus to assume a personality far different than that which most believed her to have. While Yang might have intended the sentiment and rhetorical question to seem kind and possibly humorous, it elicited an unintentional and retrospectively irrational reaction from the Faunus. Blake quickly grabbed a bottle of water, shoved it into Yang's hands, and quickly ushered her to a remote table in the corner of the room. Yang seemed to be willing to play along for the time being as she seated herself at the table. Blake sat down and turned her face to the wall, trying her hardest to hide her face from the rest of the café, keeping her Faunus traits in such a state that her bow could not perceived as anything other than a piece of fabric. "What was that all about?" The blonde's tone was a bit harsh, but it expressed such worry that it was more than compensating.
Wide-eyed and with face blanching, Blake kept her voice to a purposefully sharp whisper as she asked, "Why did you have to say that?" Despite her attempts at keeping her heritage concealed, she couldn't help the fact that her bow twitched nervously every few seconds as she scanned the faces in the café.
Yang looked genuinely confused. "Why did I have to say what?"
Blake didn't answer. She just continued to watch the crowd for even the smallest of irregularities, finding even the most minute of quirks to be alarming. Her gaze shifted from a person as soon as he or she looked up to meet her gaze. A cough or a sneeze told fictional volumes about the conspiring lot in the bookstore and the slightest changes in the room could make her rationalize a worst case scenario.
"Blake?" Yang asked.
She couldn't hear her. Her eyes were now focused on the barista from before. She was behind the counter, preparing a drink, but Blake saw her actions as attempts to mask the machinations that flowed so steadily through her mind. She thought that behind the elastic bands of her visor would be a set of Faunus ears or horns—she was even beginning to see fur from behind the headwear that didn't quite match her hair. Blake looked away just as the barista finished making a drink and looked directly at her.
"Blake?" Yang asked again, this time trying and failing to meet her partner's gaze, but. "Are you all right?" This Blake was a far cry from the one Yang had known. She wasn't calm, cool, or collected by any means, being instead visibly on edge and seemingly frightened.
All she could do was wait. Blake watched the people at the tables, their numbers multiplied by her anxiety. At any moment, somebody would object to her presence and relationship and this objection would either be made canon amongst the crowd or be banished for ethical heresy. Either would only result in a riot—she had seen this happen numerous times before with the only difference being that she was now the root of the problem. She knew she couldn't run. That would definitely start the riot. She was prepared to fight—she might not come out alive, but fighting was all that she could do. Her fingers ached for the handle of Gambol Shroud but did not dare touch it, instead finding themselves nervously drummed upon the table top. Her breathing became labored and her vision began to swim, the people in the room became but silhouettes and the room itself became noticeably darker.
Yang finally found an angle to look into Blake's eyes, but was disconcerted at what she saw. Blake's eyes stared right through her, as though she wasn't there. "Blake?" she asked one final time, placing her hand over Blake's to cease the drumming.
For a moment, the light in the room returned, the people had returned to being nonissues, and the barista became undeniably human. Blake blinked twice, refocusing on the scene around her. She saw a hand tightly gripping her own from across the table and then the worried face of its owner. "Blake, what's wrong?" It took a moment for the figure's lilac irises to come into focus, but when they did, Blake was able to breathe somewhat easier, if only for the moment.
Yang did not relinquish her hold on Blake as she picked up her seat and moved it closer her. Her breathing was still shallow and uneasy, but not indicative of physical illness. As soon as Yang was seated, Blake instinctually leaned against her arm, whispering a chant of, "I'm sorry."
The barista was motioning to Yang from behind the counter that the tea was done. However, with Blake now gripping the arm that still held her hand, all Yang could do was gesture for the barista to bring the drink over herself. The barista looked as though she was going to complain, but a burning glare from Yang squashed any chances of her actually doing so. As soon as she was sure that the barista was bringing the tea to them, Yang began focus on her girlfriend and run a hand through Blake's hair.
The majority of the apologies were intended for Yang, but a fraction of them were designated for the past. Blake had found her way back into the inescapable void of remorse and panic, but found a light to hold onto in this time of darkness. All she could do was wait for this anguish to pass.
The blonde could only hope that her actions were having a positive effect as Blake gave no immediate signs of recovering from whatever it was that ailed her. Her ears had stopped twitching, but she began to shiver instead. This only caused Yang to pull the raven-haired girl closer and to begin repeating, "It's okay," as Blake continued her apologies. She simultaneously continued to comb her hand through Blake's hair while using the thumb of her other hand to rub a small, soothing circle on the back of the Faunus' hand. Neither of these actions seemed to completely return Blake to her normal self. While she had calmed down significantly, she was still affected by whatever it was that was plaguing her. The details as to what happened were unimportant to Yang for the time being, her only priority being that of making sure Blake was okay. Unfortunately, she had exhausted a majority of the ideas that she could come up with to console her. There was only one action left that could possibly work and stayed within the bounds of rationality. Yang ignored the heat rising to her face as she committed herself to the cause of bringing her girlfriend back.
She kissed the top of Blake's head.
Yang tried to hide the blush on her face by resting her chin on Blake's head. The normally care-free and extroverted young woman had been reduced to an abashed young girl being comprised entirely of anxiety for herself and her girlfriend. She wasn't embarrassed per say—she wasn't blushing at the idea of the other patrons of the café seeing what she had done—she was blushing because of the possibility of Blake realizing what she had done and not approving of it. Even if it was a relatively tame action for the exuberant blonde, it inspired a lack of confidence on her part.
The darkness that had momentarily clouded Blake's mind faded away at the feeling of a warm pressure above. There had been something that triggered this recovery process and while she did not know how or why she was given reprieve from the void of despair, Blake did not complain and gravitated towards the offered safety. What she saw when she actually tried to look was a sight of brown, yellow, and an oddly human tone of white. Seconds progressed before Blake realized what it was that she was seeing and what the warm pressure on her head was.
Blake sat up straight in her chair, unwittingly pushing Yang back into her own seat. She was breathing heavily again, this time more embarrassed than frightened. She glanced around the room to regain her bearings. She was still in the same café as before and before her was a cup of green tea. She only just remembered ordering the drink. She blinked a few times, desperately trying to figure out how long she had been unaware of her surroundings. Her gaze then turned to the figure she had been clinging to. She saw lilac orbs worriedly looking into her own. "Blake?" Yang asked tentatively. The tone that she used told Blake that something serious had occurred and yet she could not remember what could have happened. That is, she couldn't remember what had happened at first until the circumstances of the incident came back to her all at once. Her eyes turned downcast and her bow folded backwards against her head.
Blake felt Yang squeeze her hand as she leaned towards the Faunus. "Blake?" she asked again. "What's wrong?"
In a small voice, all Blake could say was "I'm sorry."
Her hand was wrapped in both of Yang's. "Hey," she said, leaning closer to Blake in order to catch her attention. "It's all right. You don't have to be sorry for anything; you didn't do anything wrong." Blake couldn't say anything in response. She thought about refuting these claims, but chose against it, choosing instead to sit in silence. "Blake?" she asked again. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you."
That last sentence caused Blake to sigh. "It's nothing," she dismissed. "Don't worry about it."
"Blake." Her tone was a combination of scolding and caring as she lifted one hand to her girlfriend's chin and tilted her head so their eyes could meet. "That definitely wasn't nothing. You scared me there for a minute—actually, more than that. You scared me for a few minutes. Just tell me what's wrong Blake."
Blake couldn't bring herself to look directly at Yang. "It's just—" Her voice hitched. It was a mixture of shame and regret that made her unable to say it at first, but a look into Yang's eyes put cracks in her barriers. "It's just that—" She sighed again, this time in growing frustration at herself. She thought that she should just say it and get it out in the open. After all, she had apparently had Yang worried for some time now. As she looked into Yang's worried eyes, she found the will to say it. "I was afraid."
It wasn't much, but the fact that her inner strife was in some way communicated—even if in a small, vague way—calmed her and made things seem a little clearer on her own part. That is why when Yang asked what she had been afraid of, she was able to confidently answer, "I was afraid for you. And maybe I was a little afraid for myself." She sighed. "Honestly, I was afraid for us. When you told the cashier that I was your girlfriend," Blake didn't bother lowering her voice at this, "I was afraid of what others might think about us."
A warm, relieved smile played across Yang's features. "Is that all? Don't worry about what others—" She stopped herself from her reassurances when she saw the somber expression that Blake still held.
"I know it's not really normal—no, that's not it. I know our type of relationship isn't really common—at least, it wouldn't be back home. I'm worried that because what we have is so uncommon, others will see us differently." Blake's eyes cast downwards. "On top of that, I don't think it helps with me being a Faunus. As it is, we're already looked upon in a negative light. I just don't want people to look at you in a negative light because you associate yourself with me." Crying wouldn't be right at this time. There was no mourning or excessive sadness, merely acceptance of an opinion as fact.
This fact was immediately proven invalid as Blake was crushed in one of the hardest hugs Yang had ever given since the two met. However, unlike the times before, this one was not out of joy, but out of care that challenged the outside world to interfere. It took a second, but Blake returned the hug, finding herself feebly clinging onto the blonde in the middle of a bookstore café as though she had been the one life raft in the middle of the stormy sea of doubt that threatened to drown her. In that moment, crying felt right. She was sorry, but for a different reason now. She was sorry that she had ever doubted their relationship—sorry that she had reacted in the way she did because of a simple term of endearment. She wanted to apologize, but Yang was already speaking.
"Blake, I don't care." The statement was final and resolute. However, even if the bias of the current hug wasn't affecting Blake's perception, she would have found the statement to be compassionately dismissive. "I don't care if you're a Faunus, I don't care if you're not a guy, and I definitely don't care what anybody else thinks about us. I care about you, Blake, and nothing is going to change that. They can think I'm weird all they want; I won't have my feelings hurt. But if they try to stop us, I'll fight by your side until we let them know that we don't care."
Confidence had been restored, if only slightly. Blake still held on to her girlfriend, hoping that what she said was true. It was a cynical view of the world, but in times of despair, cynicism is often welcome. In turn, Blake moved closer to the girl still crushing her. "Besides," she heard and felt the voice say before a warm weight pressed against the top of her head, "if they say anything about it, well…we're both armed huntresses-in-training." Blake could practically hear the smirk in Yang's voice as she whispered this final reassurance. Blake couldn't help but smile. Even with what Yang had said about the possibility of physical conflict, it was more than apparent that the suggestion was only a joke. Yang wouldn't drag her into any unnecessary fights and Blake took solace in this fact. Perhaps it had been the years of experience Yang had from being the big sister to Ruby that played into this protective comforting. Perhaps she really did mean that she was willing to fight for her. Either way, Blake simply replied with a sated hum of thanks in lieu of having intelligible words to reply with.
Moments passed and nothing more than Blake holding onto Yang occurred within the bookstore. Nobody except for those involved paid the action any heed, minding their own business and not caring about the couple in the corner. They didn't pay attention now and they hadn't paid attention before. Cynicism was met with equal cynicism.
Within the embrace, Blake felt arms moving from her back without the elbows releasing her from the hold. With her fear having been sufficiently diminished to a point near nonexistence, she was able to notice her surroundings and heard the out-of-place sound of moving liquid coming from above. As she pulled away from the weakened hug, she found Yang maintaining a sheepish grin whilst drinking from her water bottle. She pulled the bottle from her lips and laughed nervously. "Sorry. Probably the wrong time for this."
On the table sat the cup of tea, still warm but no longer hot. Blake could finally pay attention to it and sent a small smile to Yang. "It's fine. I should get to my tea anyway." This prompted both of them to focus on their respective drinks. Blake disengaged from her cup before Yang could separate from her bottle. "I'd feel bad about letting this go cold after my girlfriend bought it for me."
Yang just about choked on her water. "W-what?" she sputtered. It seemed as though Blake's show of how she was recomposed had worked better than expected. "But what about…?" She let the question hang open as not to cause another reaction from Blake.
But Blake wouldn't react negatively to this, having seen the error in her previous reaction by this point. "Yang, I'm happy about our relationship. I was just afraid of what others would think of us because of it." She smirked at her girlfriend. "But I think I'm fine with it now."
She took a sip of her tea as Yang beamed. "I think I'm fine with it too, kitten."
This stopped Blake's actions. "I'm not fine with that," she asserted, her tone proving that there was no hint of amusement behind her words.
"With what?"
"That…name!" She couldn't bring herself to say the word, not because it was potentially demeaning to the Faunus population or perhaps condescending on a personal level, but because it was so publicly intimate that it made the reserved girl shy at the name.
"What? Kitten?" This received a small glare. Yang laughed at the expression. "Sorry, the name's not going away." She put an arm over Blake's shoulder and said, "But I'm willing to keep it just between the two of us."
"Good," Blake stated flatly. "Keep it that way." Truthfully, she liked the name, but it wasn't something she wanted said in public. It blatantly alluded to her being a Faunus and made her want to move closer to Yang—neither of which complimented her attempted personality.
With the apparently impromptu issue resolved, the two managed to sit comfortably in the bookstore's café, sipping their respective beverages and silently enjoying each other's company. As Blake watched her girlfriend watch her, the desire to find a new book to purchase became less pressing to the point where the idea actually seemed boring. She felt content with sitting in the café rather than browsing the multitudes of aisles in the building. Even then, she wanted to leave the café that brought about memories of her recent outburst. "Yang?" What was the point of making a plan if those involved stay in the dark? "Where would you like to go? I don't really feel like getting a book here anymore."
"Are you sure?" From experience, Blake knew that Yang was masking her concerned feelings from her expression. Blake nodded, causing the blonde to drink the rest of her water. The bottle was now half full and was rapidly being drained as Yang readied herself to leave and allowed her supposed composure to fall to this nervous tick. "I have an idea, but I'd like to see if you're fine with it."
"Okay," Blake drawled, awaiting the proposition. It seemed odd to her that Yang would be doing this. She was inherently impulsive, so the act of asking for permission could be seen as an act of caution. However, Blake saw it as an attempt to make amends for whatever it was that caused her to react the way she had earlier.
"I'd like to stop by a video game shop, if that's all right with you." Yang cringed slightly as she spoke, possibly expecting Blake to respond negatively.
The response that was given relaxed Yang. "Sure; I don't see why not." She took a second to drink some of her tea, finding that it had already dwindled to below a quarter left. "What do you plan on getting there?"
There was a moment of hesitation that could be linked to surprise on Yang's part. "I don't know. I kinda want to look around and see what came out while we were at Beacon."
"Sounds reasonable." She drank the rest of her tea, finding the stoic visage she strived to achieve once again. She hoped that this demeanor would push away any memories brought up by the outburst and would make the time in the café seem relatively pedestrian to their everyday lives.
Only a few minutes passed by as Yang finished off the rest of her bottle of water. Blake could tell that she was trying to rush herself despite the size of the bottle that she bought. The sentiments were expressly excited and enthusiastic, so much so that Blake had to force herself from scolding Yang on the reckless action. As soon as Yang finished, she grinned widely, stood up, and offered a hand to Blake. After being pulled up, the grip wasn't released, forcing Blake to grab her cup with her opposite hand. The two left the café, depositing their drinks in the trash as they left. Blake couldn't help but gaze at the various titles out of the corner of her eye. Even if she was no longer interested in shopping for books for the day, she found herself at least intrigued by the titles. She forced herself to detach from this interest as the two walked back out into the warm, summer environment.
For the second time that day, Blake found a new appreciation for air conditioning. The heat of the coastal town pinched her skin and suffocated her slightly for the few seconds it took to become acclimated. It took her eyes a few seconds to catch up to her surroundings that so differed from the dimly lit café. When she could see again, she found herself being led along by the blonde whose hesitant, careful mood changed in the sunlight. She all but skipped along as she dragged Blake behind her . Although the Faunus could not see her face, she could tell that she held a joyous smile. Soon enough, Blake caught up to her girlfriend and matched her pace so that the two could walk side by side.
"I wonder how Ruby and the missus are doing," she heard Yang offer.
Blake didn't try to suppress a small laugh at the joke. "I'd imagine they have no idea what they're doing."
Yang's smile became a smirk. "You're probably right. Little sis is head-over-heels for the girl and she doesn't even know it." She looked to Blake with the same smirk. "Is it bad that I think it's kinda funny?"
"Not at all," Blake replied. "I'd imagine Weiss feels the same way judging by all the times that she's gone out of her way to scold Ruby specifically. That much scolding requires dedication." Yang laughed.
"You would know, wouldn't you?" she teased.
"Yang Xiao Long, was that intended to be pointed?"
Yang hummed as though she were mulling over the question. "Perhaps. I mean, I wouldn't think it was."
Blake smiled in lieu of laughter and squeezed Yang's hand. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood right now." She looked to her girlfriend with the most caring and kind look she could fabricate. "Otherwise, I might have shown you just how 'dedicated' I really am." She dropped the façade, going back to her signature, neutral expression before actually laughing as Yang gulped while her eyes widened in fear. The Faunus leaned into her partner's arm for a moment in order to get her attention. "I'm joking, Yang. I'm not mad."
"I know, but what if you were?" She was obviously concerned, but Blake didn't worry much about it. If—and this "if" might as well have been a "since"—the two were to remain committed to their relationship, Blake believed that Yang would eventually learn her sense of humor and Blake would learn Yang's in kind. She figured that this instance of confusion would become a rare occurrence in the foreseeable future.
She leaned against the taller girl and stayed against her, not fearing what others on the promenade would think of them. "Well I'm not. 'What could be' doesn't matter when 'what is' is standing here, holding your hand. Don't worry about it too much, I was only teasing you."
Yang gradually smiled and kept walking, leading Blake down the still crowded street. With a moment to her own thoughts, Blake looked back upon the incident in the café. Her reaction had been odd to say the least. She had lost her composure at Yang's public mentioning of their relationship. Had she been in a rational state of mind, she still would have found the mention to be unsuitable for the environment that they were in, but would not have acted in such a severe manner. However, because she had not been in a rational state of mind, she had reacted in a most volatile fashion. The specific cause of this state of mind could not be found. Perhaps it was the number of people present or the infinitely irritating scent of coffee. All that Blake knew was that the instant that Yang said that she was her girlfriend, a gripping fear took control of her, causing her to act the way she had.
The only thing she knew about this fear was that as soon as the trigger was presented, rapid visions of her time in the White Fang appeared in her mind. Blake began seeing everyone else in the café as not people, but as enemies. Paranoia had been a commonplace occurrence while she had been in the White Fang, but she had gone without feeling it since she enrolled at Beacon Academy. She attributed the response to have been caused by culture shock caused by the number of patrons in the café for the time being. She didn't know the true cause of the reaction, nor did she want to at this juncture. At this moment, all she wanted was to be around Yang and enjoy the time spent with the exuberant girl. She mentally noted to come back to the issue of the reaction and paranoia at a later date because she had come to realize that their hurried walking had slowed to a crawl.
They stood before a small shop nestled between two other similarly sized establishments. Judging by the excited smile on Yang's face, this seemed to be their destination. Above, in red and white text, a sign read, "Game Place." The various posters and advertisements in the windows grew larger as Yang pulled Blake closer to the building. Unlike the other store, air conditioning was not particularly noticeable over the stifling air of the confined space. However, much like the other store, many of the people browsing were minding their own business as they scanned the shelves of titles. Yang gave a quick wave to the cashiers before heading over to the wall of games.
While the written word had been her preferred medium of entertainment, Blake was not oblivious to other forms of media. At one point in time, she had been interested in video games, just not enough to parallel her current enthusiasm for books. Over time, however, she had lost interest in the medium, although not entirely. From time to time, she would read articles on video games, trying to find a way to get herself back into that world, but having a hard time doing so. This is why when Yang studied a copy of a game titled, "Diaper Cat," she was able to add her own opinion. "I've heard of that game. Apparently, it received some great reviews."
Yang raised an eyebrow and was visibly surprised. "I wouldn't have thought that you play video games."
"I don't." Blake shrugged. "I used to, but now I just read up on them."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "What don't you read?" she facetiously asked, eliciting a similar eye-roll from Blake. "Well, since you know so much about it, what else can you tell me?"
She raised her eyebrows in a silent question asking whether Yang was teasing her or legitimately asking for her opinion. At Yang's patient expression, she figured the latter option was the case and took a deep breath as she tried to recall as much information as she could. "This is only from what I've read," she began, "but I've heard that it's an early candidate for game of the year. Apparently, the voice acting is good and it's well-written. On top of that, I've heard that the developers had an interesting and beneficial take on the cover-based shooter genre. Besides that, it looks to be pushing the boundaries of the otherwise antiquated hardware found in current-generation systems." She kept her composure throughout the entire summary of her knowledge, leaving Yang wide-eyed and gawking.
"Okay, you've sold me on it."
"What?" She had only intended on informing, not persuading. Yang had only asked her what she knew about it. The idea that this would be another incident where Yang spent her own money because of her was slightly alarming.
Yang wrapped her in a one-armed hug from the side. "I said that you sold me on the game. Now I'm gonna buy it and then we can find the newlyweds." There was a moment's pause before Blake noticed Yang's grimace. "Actually, forget I called them that. I'm not sure I'm ready to have Weiss as an in-law."
Blake simply regarded this with a short laugh in both sincere mirth and as an attempt to mask her uncomfortable sentiments about Yang spending money because of her. "Don't you want to look around a little longer? What if there's a different game that you like?"
Yang smirked. "I'm fine with this one. You seemed pretty excited about it." This caused Blake to blush out of embarrassment.
"I was just telling you what I know." She was backpedaling and she believed Yang knew it as well.
"Yeah, but you seemed really into telling me what you know." She winked. "I'm buying it. Honestly, I've been looking forward to this coming out for months now."
Now that Blake knew that she wasn't buying it solely because of her, she sighed. "Fine." This caused the blonde to toothily grin and pull her over to the registers. With a care-free swipe of a conspicuously white card, the process of checking out proved incredibly simple. It hadn't been a minute's time between when Yang decided on purchasing the game and when the two were outside.
Time seemed to have flown by without Blake noticing. When she had left the bookstore, she distinctly remembered a very blue sky above. Now an orange and yellow view dominated her vision in both the sky and on the ground. Yang swung the plastic bag containing the game around carelessly as she leaned against her girlfriend. The crowd on the street stayed about the same, but the hurried excited pace slowed now to a more leisurely one. During their time in the video game store, the street lamps had turned on, creating a fantastic trail of lights that ran the length of the darkening street. The swinging of the bag ceased. "Is there anything else you'd like to do while we're out?"
Blake hummed. "Not really. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Well," Yang began, "It should be around seven by now." Blake had to suppress any surprised expression about how much time had gone by. Because time had escaped them, Blake figured that her previous thought of finding a music store would have to wait for another outing. "I guess we should head back to the square and see if we can find Ruby and Weiss. Maybe we can see about going somewhere to eat. I haven't eaten anything all day and it's starting to get to me." Blake now felt bad about having eaten the slice of pizza that morning.
Despite the plans laid before them, neither of the two moved, choosing to look at each other in the glow of the late-afternoon sun and the nearby street lamps. There was no mischief or any teasing or sly remarks hidden behind the smiles that they both held. Only comfort and happiness radiated between the two. What had been minutes only felt like seconds as the two held their gazes on each other's eyes. When time eventually became a noticeable factor in their lives, the two looked forward again, both having heat rise to their cheeks. Blake cleared her throat in an attempt to pacify the situation. "Shall we?" she asked.
"We shall." Neither of the two could hide their embarrassment from the situation as both of their voices hitched in their own ways. They moved forward, leaning against each other awkwardly the entire way as they headed towards the city square.
Even if the two had officially established the fact that they had a romantic relationship between them, neither was completely sure that it was real yet. This awkwardness was only one instance in this initial uncertainty, showing that they were on some level comfortable with their relationship, but at the same time, they were unsure of how to act around the other. It was a mix of surprise and confusion—a disbelief that something like this could really happen to either of them and a lack of knowledge of what to do now that the relationship had been formed. However, the longer they walked down the path, the more confident their strides became and the easier it was to balance against the other in the moving embrace. This awkwardness would always exist to some extent, but it must be understood that this was only the first day in their relationship and it was yet to end. Blake couldn't have been happier.
The reference that I described in the author's note at the beginning of the chapter pertains to the title of the video game Yang bought. The name is directly pulled from a Rooster Teeth Short by the name of "Dev Cycle." I felt that because Blake is shown in the series to favor literature as a medium of entertainment, Yang should have her own preferred medium. The result was the idea that she enjoys film immensely. However, from a stylistic standpoint, I can only make a stationary viewing experience progress the plot so far. Then came the idea that she enjoyed video games due to the fact that it allows for her to involve herself in a form of media that is inherently engaging. From this, I had to think of some clever title that would be smiled at once and immediately forgotten about after. That is, I wanted to name it something original until I realized that I could keep this RWBY fanfiction a closed system of sorts by referencing another Rooster Teeth production. I should also note that this game is pertinent to the plot and will appear again in the story.
I would also like to draw attention to the writing of the café scene in this chapter. I understand that the scene starts abruptly and seems out of place and possibly out of character; however, that was a creative decision. I needed to make that scene stand out amongst the rest of the chapter, going so far as to make it overshadow every other scene in order to draw attention to it. This scene is incredibly important to the rest of the plot because it is the first instance where Blake's memories of her time with the White Fang are debilitating physically, mentally, and emotionally. More instances of memories taking precedent over the world around Blake will occur in the story, but I doubt any will be as jarring as the one in this chapter. I feel I need to note that these memories will not make this story part of the "Hurt/Comfort" genre on Fanfiction. The memories will be integral to the plot, but they will not be brooded upon.
Once again, thank you all for reading. I don't think I can express my gratitude enough without being more verbose than I already am. Your readership means a great deal to me. Thank you.
Stay safe and stay tuned.