Valence

by Cowjump

With the end of their first year at Beacon Academy having come to pass, Team RWBY must contend with the next three months of their summer break. Follow this eclectic bunch as they are thrown into a situation that utilizes neither their combined combat prowess nor their acquired knowledge on all things battle-related during their adventures in the city of Vale.

5. Chapter 5: Home

Honestly, there isn't much I feel I need to say about this chapter beforehand. I'm actually really happy with how it turned out so any preludes would just be narcissistic ramblings on my part.

Anyways, I'll step out of the way for chapter five of Valence.

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Chapter 5: Home

"How are we going to find those two in this?"

The "this" in question was a large crowd in the middle of the city square—much larger than it had been earlier in the day and much louder as well. The cries of small vendors and shop owners were replaced by the amplified droning of the crowd enjoying Vale's night life. Unfortunately, this was the night life that neither Blake nor Yang could enjoy—not yet at least. The two stood at the precipice of the crowd, at the end of one of the streets that spawned from this center of activity. To the both of them, the crowd was utterly impenetrable. What was worse was that the two intended on finding two relatively shorter girls in the middle of the large crowd, as had been the plan earlier in the day when the crowd was not as numerous. Now arose the question as to how this impenetrable mass of humanity would be worked around in order to find Ruby and Weiss.

Yang was tapping her foot impatiently, sending an ineffectual glare into the crowd, hoping that this action would miraculously cause its members to disperse. Blake, on the other hand, was scanning her surroundings for any potential openings or ways to find the two girls. Her assumption that searching inside the crowd would be a bad idea seemed to remain true as she found no openings. After the events of the day, she felt somewhat at ease with the idea of entering a crowd as long as she had someone familiar such as Yang by her side. However, from an efficiency standpoint, it didn't make much sense to search for her vertically challenged friends on a horizontal plane that had many obstructions that were taller than even Yang. Her eyes shifted to the buildings above the square. "Yang," she began, catching the blonde's attention, "I think I have an idea."

"I'm all ears."

She thought the idea she had formed was a bit excessive, but she believed it had a definite possibility of working and offered it anyways. "We could head up to top of one of these buildings and see if we can find them from there."

"It sounds crazy." Blake was about to retort negatively until Yang continued. "But it sounds crazy enough that it just might work."

Blake groaned. She had walked into a reference. But she had to admit, she found it a little humorous—either that or she found the blonde to be an absolute joy to be around. Truthfully, she thought it a bit of both. She grabbed Yang by the wrist and whisked her away. "Come on," she sighed as she dragged Yang back down the street they had come from.

The two didn't walk far as Blake had only intended on finding the nearest inconspicuous place she could that would allow her the privacy required to climb up the designated building. Almost immediately, she found an alley near the building and led Yang into it. "Oh, I like this idea." This garnered the blonde a glare from the Faunus. She simply laughed.

Blake stopped in her tracks. "Really?" she asked incredulously. "We haven't been dating for more than a day and you're already making that kind of joke?" She wasn't necessarily angry at her girlfriend, but was ever so slightly agitated.

"Well," Yang chuckled, "you're the one dragging me down an alley at night. I can't be held accountable for your actions." She smirked.

Blake couldn't dignify that with a response. She turned down the alleyway again and continued to pull Yang along, leaving the blonde to giggle at her own joke. This giggling subsided as the two moved further down the narrow path that grew darker with each step. A subconscious caution fell upon the blonde, causing her to look over her shoulder from time to time at the diminishing light emanating from the now distant promenade. Blake, however, was unfazed by the darkness that grew around them. She noticed Yang's shifting glances but could see that there was no harm in the immediate area. She lowered her hand from Yang's wrist to her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

It hadn't taken the couple too long to arrive at their destination, but by the time they did, the only light from where they stood was the orange sky directly above. This left the alcove in the concrete jungle to be shrouded in shadows—this was exactly what Blake needed to proceed with her plan. Yang had to squint in order to make out the form of Blake moving away from her. Due to the low-light conditions of the area, she could only just see her girlfriend extending an arm to her back so that she could ready Gambol Shroud.

Yang was barely able to ask "Blake, what are you doing?" before said girl set the blade on her weapon to its horizontal position and moved her hands so that they gripped the ribbon that had previously been on her wrist. Blake looked back to her girlfriend, making sure that there was ample space between the two of them for what she had planned. Slowly at first, Blake began spinning the bladed end of Gambol Shroud by the ribbon, gradually letting the ribbon out to ensure that she wouldn't have to exert too much energy to maintain the force required for the action she was to attempt. As she increased the speed and power of the twirling, she focused her sights on the building in front of her, making a rough estimate as to where the blade would head if she released it. As soon as she was sure there was enough strength behind her motion and was confident that her aim was fairly accurate, she let go of her weapon while keeping her hands on the ribbon.

Gambol Shroud soared through the air, passing the multitude of windows and the metal staircase on the side of the building. In a matter of moments, the bladed end of the weapon flew past the roof of the building and kept ascending, undeterred by the fact that the desired height had been exceeded. Blake, however, felt that it had reached a suitable height and pulled on the ribbon, halting the progress of the weapon. This caused Gambol Shroud to quickly fall and clatter against the rooftop. Blake continued to pull on the ribbon until it grew taught, the blade hopefully having imbedded itself into the stone of the building's roof. "Huh," Yang contemplated as Blake began testing the strength of the attachment by applying her body's weight to it. "A grappling hook? I never would have thought of that."

Satisfied with the grip her blade had in the roof, Blake smirked in an unabashedly proud manner. "Well, we are trying to be stealthy to some extent. And desperate times call for desperate meas-ears, right?" This latter comment was delivered with a playfully challenging glare.

Yang groaned at her own joke being used against her. "If you expect me to apologize for that one, I won't. I am proud of my puns and don't regret any of them."

"And I'm fine with that." Blake smiled, absent-mindedly twirling the hanging ribbon between her fingers. "I just don't want to wake up to them every day is all." Due to her inherent night vision, Blake was able to see the beginnings of a salacious grin making its way across Yang's face. Going off of the insinuations that her girlfriend's previous uncouth comment held, Blake figured that the blonde had inferred something that objectively wasn't in her recent statement. She had to at least try to keep these reactions from becoming a common occurrence. "Yang," she warned, donning a more serious expression, "if you keep thinking that, I'm going to leave you down here while I look for those two."

The grin turned into a frown as Yang conceded. "I'll behave."

"Good." Blake's proud smirk returned as she grabbed the ribbon again to test the hold. "Now we climb this up to the top and see if we can find Ruby and Weiss."

"All right." The pacified demeanor Yang had instantly vanished as she popped her knuckles in preparation. Blake almost felt bad about how she had chastised the blonde, but now she could barely suppress a smile at Yang's care-free attitude having returned. "Who's going first?"

Blake shrugged. "I guess I will. I'll see if it holds before you come up."

She then prepared herself for the climb and made sure that the makeshift grappling hook would hold, testing her weight on it one last time. It seemed as though everything was set for her ascension, but just as she was about to grab the ribbon, she heard Yang tell her, "Be careful."

The words caused Blake to hesitate. They seemed so kind and so customary and yet, in all the time she had spent at Beacon and in the White Fang, she had never heard the phrase directed towards her. She had heard it plenty of times from one person to another and had even read about character saying it to one another, but she had never heard it herself. She looked over her shoulder and gave Yang a warm smile. "Thanks," was all she could bring herself to say before climbing the ribbon.

Due to the years of practice Blake has had with Gambol Shroud, the process of climbing the ribbon proved simple enough. When she reached the building's roof, she did not bother looking out upon the city square, instead, looking down to the alley below. What she found was a fairly distant Yang quizzically pulling on the ribbon. "Don't worry," she called down, sending a noticeable glance at the bladed sheath that was imbedded into the stone of the building. "It should hold."

"Should?" Yang exclaimed. "'Should' doesn't sound very optimistic!"

Blake smirked. "You don't want to be alone in the dark down there, do you?" Yang didn't say anything in return, instead choosing to secure her grip on the plastic bag in her hand before finally climbing the ribbon. Whereas Blake's climb was more efficient and nimble, Yang's could be considered hurried and brash. The blade dug deeper into the building, but did not break away as the ribbon attached to it held without a problem. When the blonde neared the top of the building, Blake extended her hand and helped Yang the rest of the way. She was heavier than she looked, but Blake figured that this was due to the extra height and higher percent of muscle mass. In fact, Blake felt as though she only acted as an anchor as Yang pulled herself up.

Yang didn't seem winded in the least as she practically jumped from the ribbon to the roof and chirped, "Thanks, kitten!"

This caused Blake to pull away from her girlfriend and face the opposite direction with her arms crossed. "What did I tell you about calling me that?" While she had been adamant about moving away from Yang as a form of temporary punishment, she tensed as she felt a warm presence move up next to her and an arm falling over her shoulder.

"Well you can't be all that mad at me about it." The tone she had adopted was more of a teasing one now. "I mean, I can see you blush every time I call you kitten." In her flustered state, Blake hadn't realized that she had turned so that they could overlook the city square below. This view cast a light on both of their faces, presumably enough so that Yang was able to see her flushed face that only grew in intensity at the second reference of the name.

Backed into a corner and with no means of staging a witty reply, all Blake could say was, "Shut up."

"Nah," Yang drawled. "Admit it, you like the name." To further press her point, she tightened the hold she had on Blake.

Blake rolled her eyes and sighed. "Can we just look for Weiss and Ruby? It's getting late." However, she found that Yang did not relent from the embrace and had started staring at her with an oddly wistful and contemplative expression.

This expression quickly faded away after only a few seconds. "Fine," Yang sighed, notably unhappy that the teasing had to come to an end. The two walked over to the edge of the building to get a better view of the square below. They were initially blinded by the sheer amount of lights that could be found atop and between the many stalls and smaller vendors, on the many lampposts that circled the area, and inside of the large fountain in the center, making the water glitter in hues of the shifting colors. From this angle, the entire crowd could be seen. The size of the group was large enough to make the two question why they had initially thought that going through it would be even a plausible idea. The crowd was more condensed around its exterior but thinned around the center. Regardless, the entire square was congested, making it difficult for the Faunus to spy the other partnership.

Scanning the masses below was proving more difficult than Blake had imagined. She had thought that getting a higher vantage point would give them a greater chance of quickly spotting two girls in dresses of contrasting colors. However, this had not been the case; if anything, the vantage point added a new layer of difficulty in having to process more information at one time. Blake felt as though she must have overlooked the duo more than once by now, causing her subsequent glances over the crowd to become more hurried and frustrated. It was only when Yang nudged her with her elbow and pointed to a part of the crowd that Blake was able to see what she had missed.

There was a small opening in the crowd that was just relatively large enough that Blake had to ask herself how she had missed it. The crowd didn't dare enter this circle for what was in the center of it. A girl in a white dress had her hands on her hips as she slightly leaned forward towards a girl dressed in black. With attention now focused on this sight, a loud, shrill voice could be heard coming from the girl in white as she seemingly scolded the cowering girl who stood opposite herself. Between the penetrating reprimanding and the outlandishly red cloak, the couple on the roof knew that they had found Ruby and Weiss.

Now the only question was how to get to them. This question was raised by Yang when she asked, "Now how are we supposed to get to them?"

When Blake looked over, she found the light of the city square glittering off of the lavender irises of her girlfriend. She smiled at the sight, barely able to keep herself from losing herself to blissful inactivity. "I remember where they are. Let's climb down and we can head over to them."

Yang frowned. "How are you going to get your weapon down then?" Her logic, as it seemed, was that if the two were to climb down the same way they came up, there wouldn't be any way to retrieve Gambol Shroud due to it being lodged into the roof and neither of them having the ability to find enough leverage to dislodge it.

"I have an idea," Blake stated as she moved to peer over the other side of the building and into the alley. Satisfied with whatever it was she saw, she turned back to Yang with the same smile etched on her face. "You can climb down. I'll meet you down there." She looked to her partner who had become silhouetted by the light from the square and was surrounded by a halo of yellow-orange sunlight that caused the outline of her form to glow.

"Are you sure?" Blake nodded. "Well," she began, seemingly willing herself to leave, "I guess I'll see you down there." Her eyes didn't want to leave Blake as she moved to the grappling hook and grabbed the ribbon.

It looked like she was waiting for something since she had grabbed the ribbon and hadn't made a move to climb down it. For some reason—be it genuine care or newfound courtesy—Blake found herself telling her, "Be careful." At this, Yang grinned widely and jumped away from the building.

Blake rushed over to the edge of the building, unable to say anything as she knelt to look over into the alleyway. The quick, reckless action horrified her at first, but upon further inspection, it proved to be a very Yang thing to do. She sighed in both relief and frustration as she watched Yang rappel down the building. She continued to jump down the side of the building, letting a few more feet of the ribbon pass by each time. Every jump caused the faint rustling of the plastic bag against the wind. In a flourishing leap, Yang descended the final story and landed with her hands on her hips in a proud, triumphant pose. The grin that she held from before remained on her face as she looked up to the amber eyes that flashed in the darkness. Blake groaned. She felt as though she in some way incited this response from her warning to take care. "I told you to be careful!" she called down.

"I was!" she exclaimed. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

"No, you're reckless." Blake muttered this to herself as she prepared to descend the building. She dislodged Gambol Shroud with some effort, coiled the ribbon back around her forearm, and placed the weapon on her back before she took a few steps away from the edge of the building. She heard Yang call up to ask where she was going now that she was out of her vision. This was answered by Blake taking a running start towards the edge of the building before leaping as far as she could away from it.

Blake could not verbally reply due to the concentration required for the planned maneuver. What was to happen was Blake would jump from the building and utilize her Semblance to decelerate her descent. After quickly plotted out her points in which she would materialize solid shadows, she began to move. What resulted was her jumping from one shadow to the next, each being a sizable distance away from the others as to not increase the total time of the descent yet close enough so that there would be no way of causing injury to herself. After a total of eight jumps, Blake landed casually on the concrete of the backstreet. She held a straight face and controlled her breathing so that she would not seem the least bit exhausted as she moved over to where Yang was. The blonde was applauding her as she neared and told her, "I'd give it a six-point-five. Ten for the landing, but six-point-five overall."

"That's all?" Blake smirked as she moved past her girlfriend.

Taking the hint that Blake intended on finding their teammates now, Yang followed as she talked. "I mean, it looked cool and you made it look great," she winked, causing an eye roll, "but I don't think you were careful enough." This last part was said mockingly, causing the raven-haired girl to give her a flat look.

"It was either jump off of the building or lose Gambol Shroud. I think I made the better choice." Looking back on the action, perhaps it had been somewhat excessive. There had been the building's staircase that Yang had seemingly forgotten about—Blake made it a point not to mention this. Some part of her wanted to outdo the stunt that her girlfriend pulled. Nevertheless, the sentiments Yang was showing now were very much welcome. It didn't feel as though it had taken as long to get back to the main thoroughfare than it had coming from it to the alley. The two had found their way back into the midst of the general population, amongst the light of the street and the enthusiasm of the crowd.

"Then what was all that about telling me to be careful, huh?" She moved in front of Blake, choosing to blaze a trail through the crowd of the street while walking backwards. "What you did didn't look careful to me."

Blake couldn't help but watch behind Yang since the girl didn't seem to be looking where she was going. "I knew what I was doing. You've even seen me use my Semblance before. What's making you so concerned now?"

Without having to glance behind herself, Yang was able to dexterously sidestep an inattentive passerby while keeping her regular carefree stride. "Well, you're not just my partner now, you're my girlfriend—Sorry!" She cut herself off momentarily, the reason for which Blake was unaware of until Yang spoke again at a marginally quieter volume. "You're my girlfriend too and it just made me worried seeing you jump from that building."

Blake frowned. "How is that different from what you did? I was worried too."

She scratched her neck sheepishly. "I had a rope to rappel down with?" Though it was intended to be a statement, the lack of conviction behind it caused it to sound like a question. "Look, I'm sorry, Blake. I probably should have told you first; I wasn't thinking."

Sighing, Blake rubbed the bridge of her nose. Yang sounded sincerely apologetic, but the backpedaling almost gave the bow-wearing girl the wrong impression. "Yang, it's all right. I'm sorry too. Just—" She sighed again, this time looking up to meet Yang's gaze. "Just promise that you'll warn me before doing something like that again?"

Yang returned with a smile. "Sure; if you promise me the same thing."

"I think I can handle that." This made Yang's smile grow wider for a moment before she turned to walk forwards again, facing the impending, impenetrable crowd. The size of the mass had not diminished—in fact, the crowd seemed to have grown larger since the two last stood on the precipice of the square. Blake made an attempt to once again find an entrance into the crowd but found none. "Now, how are we going to—"

"Excuse me! Coming through! Out of the way!" Yang hadn't slowed her stride as she neared the crowd and instead chose to barrel through. There were a few disgruntled comments made, but other than that, there was nothing keeping the blonde from breaking through. Seeing this, Blake followed closely behind, finding that the berth that was made by Yang's intrusion large enough to separate herself from the rest of the crowd. "Hey!" she called back. "Where are they? I thought we'd have found them by now."

"Head right!" Blake had to shout back in order to overcome the sound coming from those around them; however, she felt as though her voice didn't carry well when she yelled and was beginning to ready herself for another shout before Yang began veering right. As the sea of humanity parted, a shrill voice was becoming more and more clearer, indicating to the two girls that their destination was almost in sight. Nothing pertaining to where Ruby and Weiss were seemed to have changed from when Blake watched the crowd from above; the two still stood in an open area in the center of a large group of people. The closer Blake and Yang got to this open area, the more willing people became to back away.

Weiss had been shouting at Ruby for a reason unknown to either Blake or Yang. What is known is that Yang walked into the center of the circle and quickly led both girls out of the clearing and away from the eyes of onlookers. Blake chose to skirt around the outside of the crowd, moving so that she met the three on the other side. No words were exchanged between any of them nor had there been any reactionary facial expressions aside from those Weiss gave Ruby. Yang continued her brash warnings to the impeding onlookers as she forged a way out of the crowd and onto another branching promenade. As soon as they were out of the sea of people, Yang brought all of them to a halt and turned to look at her teammates. "All right? Who's up for dinner?"

"What is wrong with you, Yang?" Weiss all but screamed. "You barged in and interrupted our conversation. Do you have any manners at all?"

"That didn't look like a conversation from where we were standing," Blake offered. From where Blake now stood, she could see that Weiss' normally pale face had grown abnormally red, presumably due to frustration and subsequent lack of oxygen from venting this frustration. It seemed to only turn further scarlet at her words.

Weiss huffed and turned away from the rest of the team, crossing her arms. When Blake turned to look at her partner, she found her with a hand on Ruby's shoulder. The team leader hung her head in what looked to be shame while her sister attempted to pacify her. She heard the blonde ask, "Ruby? Is there anywhere you want to go eat?" A quick shake of the head was the response. Yang's eyes drooped for a moment before she looked at her sister with a hopeful smile. "Is everything all right, sis?"

"Ye-Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice was weak, but it seemed as though a façade of hopeful happiness was being formed and was making its way through to her features.

Due in large to Blake's heightened sense of hearing, she could hear what Yang asked her sister when she moved closer in an attempt to speak confidentially. "Do we need to go home? We can order take-out from some place if we need to."

Blake did not need a heightened sense of hearing to hear how Ruby responded. "No, I didn't mean it like that! I'm fine, really!" Her timid demeanor had vanished and was replaced with her regular personality, albeit a slightly more panicked version of it. "I meant that I don't care where we go." Blake from afar and Yang from nearby gave the girl a critical look before they looked at each other, wondering the same thing. Their thoughts, however, were interrupted by Ruby's insistence of "I promise! Yang, I'm all right. I just think that…umm…I just think that you and Blake should pick where we go!"

The suggestion was blatantly a means of covering something up; however, the two would humor the girl for the time being. Yang looked to Blake, giving her a look that asked a question separate from what she actually said. "Blake, do you have any place in mind?"

Blake took this look as Yang asking whether or not there was something serious going on between Ruby and Weiss. To answer the unspoken question, Blake dismissively shrugged before looking at Weiss. The heiress still looked away from the group. Blake figured that she didn't care where they went. "You've lived here before. Why don't you decide?"

Yang looked to both Ruby and Weiss before she smirked. "Okay, I think I have an idea."

A groan came from Weiss. "I don't like the way you said that."

"Is there anything you do like about me?" Weiss didn't have time to respond before Yang amended her own question. "Besides my sister?" Blake had to cough to conceal a laugh that had snuck its way out while Ruby sent a glare at the blonde. However, this glare paled in comparison to the ferocity evident in the one Weiss sent. Fortunately for Yang, glaring was all the heiress could do at the moment, words having escaped her at the teasing. "If anybody has a problem with me picking where we eat, speak now or forever hold your peace." The glares from the two girls only intensified but neither voiced their opinions. "That settles it then. Come along, little ones! We're off to find some dinner."

As soon as she was sure that both Ruby and Weiss were following Yang as she marched off towards an undisclosed destination, Blake began to move. She quickly caught up to her ebullient girlfriend, overtaking the disgruntled pace of the other partnership easily. Yang smiled at her expectantly. "What are you planning?" Blake asked, genuinely curious and not at all worried about possible repercussions of whatever machinations the blonde had in store for the others.

"Nothing at all!" Yang singsonged. This was followed by the girl moving closer to Blake and placing an arm around her. While the gesture normally would have been an act of affection, this instance proved Yang to have ulterior motives. Now that she was closer, her voice lowered to a volume not audible from where Ruby and Weiss walked. "There's totally something going on between those two and I plan on finding out what it is."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

Yang tightened the hold she had on Blake. "Hasn't stopped me before." She loosened the hold. "Now you're going to help me like the wonderful, beautiful girlfriend you are and get some information out of those two."

"As fun as that sounds," she disengaged herself from the hold, "I think I'll pass."

"What?" Yang cried. "C'mon, Blake! Help me out here!"

Instead of returning to the sideways hug, Blake found Yang's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Yang, I can't do that; it wouldn't feel right. But I'm not going to stop you from trying to figure this out."Yang's frown lifted into a slight smile. Unfortunately, it was not a full smile and Blake wanted to rectify that. "I won't completely rule out helping you. If I become interested, then I'll help; but as it stands, I can't do it."

Yang's smile broadened, if only a little. "I guess that makes sense." She sighed. Seeing that she still wasn't cheered up, Blake decided to take the hand she had wrapped in hers and put it over her own shoulder, finding her way back into a sideways hug. A small, short laugh came from Yang. "Thanks, kitten. I won't let you down." Blake's bow twitched irritably, but before she could respond, Yang said, "Sorry, I can't stop it; it wouldn't feel right." Blake sighed while Yang laughed.

Down the path the two walked, followed by their disgruntled red and white compatriots. Because the thoroughfare was immediately different from the one she and Yang were on before, Blake could not fathom where they were headed, choosing instead to walk closely by her girlfriend's side. She trusted the warm figure to know where she was going so she resigned to admire the warmth of the sun as the red star in the distance began its descent into the horizon. Even with the crowd around her, Blake found a peaceful solitude under Yang's arm to the point where she couldn't much mind her surroundings as she lost herself in the calmness of the setting.

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The Kingdom of Vale's sky burned orange due to the setting star that had slowed to a crawl. The night life now came in full force with the shopping crowd having dispersed and given way to those that searched for dinner. Four of such people stood outside of "Flaherty's Bar & Grill," a slightly more elegant chain restaurant than other competitors. This, as Yang had explained, had been her dining choice. Ruby was immediately enthusiastic about the restaurant while Blake was, as she stated, content. Weiss didn't seem openly ready to accept the new locale, but Blake knew she would warm to it, if only slightly and eventually. The four stood outside not to admire the purposefully rustic feel of the building's exterior, but to debate a topic which would not have been a problem had it not been their summer break.

"No!" Ruby yelled. "I'm not hiding Crescent Rose behind a dumpster. That's sick and wrong!" During their time at Beacon, the members of Team RWBY had come to believe that carrying around their weapons at all times (even to meals) was to be considered normal. This was not the case in everyday society. The problem that faced the four now was what to do with their weapons if they wanted to sit down and eat at a restaurant.

"Well I'm up for whatever suggestions you have!" This same conversation had been going on for a while now, as evidenced by Yang's irritation. The conversation had mainly been a back and forth between Yang and her sister with a few instances where Blake would interject to keep Yang from doing something she would regret. Weiss, up until this point, had been quiet for the most part with the exception of a few annoyed sighs or groans.

However, these passive-aggressive noises could only sate her annoyance for so long. The girl in white walked over to Blake as calmly as she could before unfastening Myrtenaster. "Hold this," she said simply, presenting her sword to the bow-wearing girl. Blake took it and chose not to question the action even when Weiss walked into the crowded lobby of the restaurant. While the sisters had been bickering, the restaurant had been steadily filling up and now it was at the point where Blake thought that they might have to choose a different venue. That is, she believed that it would be nearly impossible for them to get a seat in the restaurant before Weiss returned not a minute after she entered the building. "Would you two cut it out!" she snapped at the sisters, catching their undivided attention in the process. She cleared her throat. "Now, if you would follow me, I've convinced the management to let us have our weapons with us. We also are waiting to be seated right now, so I'd suggest that you two get over whatever it is you're bickering about soon."

The fierce expressions on the faces of Ruby and Yang instantly faded away and were replaced with equally excited and eager faces. They followed closely behind Weiss and Blake as they made their way towards the building. "How did you get them to let us in like this?" Blake asked.

Weiss scoffed. "I'm a Schnee. All I have to do is mention my name and people grovel."

"And you don't have a problem with throwing that much power around for something like this?"

"Hardly." The heiress glanced over her shoulder at the sisters who were now discussing what they wanted to eat. "It was worth it just to get those idiots to shut up for once."

Blake raised an eyebrow at the name she had given the two. Usually, Weiss would resort to calling them "dolts" or something of the kind. "Idiot" was a much harsher word. "Weiss," Blake began, having no intentions about unwittingly aiding Yang in her endeavors, "did something happen between you and Ruby while we were gone?"

"I don't want to talk about it," was all she said before she flung open the door of the restaurant in order to let herself in. Before Blake could react to the door closing on her, she found a gauntleted hand holding it open above her head. She entered and smiled back at Yang who had been holding the door open for her and Ruby.

Blake was in a confined space with a large group of people. The lobby of Flaherty's was packed to the point where Blake felt the need to question if this amount of people was contrary to the whims of the fire marshal that set the maximum occupancy limit. This was one of many questions that ran through the mind of the Faunus so that she may try to distract herself from those around her. She hadn't seen the true size of the crowd before she entered, but now that she was inside and looking at the people, she couldn't move. The dimly lit foyer was made just a little darker by the thought of all of those eyes being focused on her bow. She knew that she was blocking the doorway and there was nothing that she could do about it; she couldn't move to let Ruby pass as she squeezed behind her. People were everywhere; swarming the host's table, clustering on the benches, and even blocking one set of double doors due to their collective mass. Her breath became shallow at the sight.

A warm presence moved up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. Blake could let her shoulders relax at the touch. "Hey," Yang said, bringing Blake out of her trance. "The table's all set up. Let's get moving." Though there were orders in Yang's suggestion, they were given softly, allowing Blake to comply with a small smile. As she was moved between the groups of people into the dining area, Blake actively tried to regain her composure. It was not until she was amongst the tables and away from the crowd that she was able to breathe again. She looked to Yang who held a more serious expression than she was used to. However, with Blake's gaze trained on her, she smiled. Blake's pace increased and steadied.

She hadn't realized while in her incapacitated state that Ruby and Weiss had already headed off to their table. This table could be considered to be more of a booth and was located in a remote corner of the dining area, a choice no doubt made by Weiss. She and her partner had already seated themselves on one side of the booth, leaving the opposite bench empty for Blake and Yang. As Blake approached, she could tell that the two had begrudgingly sat on the same side, judging by their constant frowns and glares at Yang.

In seeing these two act this way, Blake was able to move efficiently and on her own, now able to forget about the multitudes of people who overcrowded the lobby. She slid her way into the booth, opting to take the seat closest to the window in order to make sure that Yang didn't sit directly across from Weiss. Yang sat down right after her, placing the bag from Game Place in between the two of them. Both took a moment to adjust their posture and acquaint themselves with their new environment. The dim light of the foyer carried over into the dining room, adding to the modern industrial feel of the building. Red bricks and wooden supports made up the walls, contrasting the beige stone exterior of many of the buildings in Vale. This contrast was made apparent to the group by the picture frames on the walls that held photographs of the city's landmarks and sights. A common theme in these pictures was the inclusion of this specific establishment.

The group remained in silence, too preoccupied with their own thoughts to speak to one another. Blake watched the two sitting across from her glare at Yang, still having not yet let go of her jokes. Yang didn't speak, probably too concerned with keeping up her confident visage in spite of the spiteful looks she was being given. Blake alternated between watching the lack of conversation at the table and the pedestrian movements happening on the other side of the window. Because of that small sheet of glass that separated her from the world outside, Blake could safely watch the people of the city walk by without feeling the stress of being unwanted and watched.

A slight shuffling sound coming from the carpet alerted Blake to a presence beside their table. He was a man around their age, probably a little older. The glares on both Ruby and Weiss' faces remained, only now redirected at the newcomer. Yang held an interestingly neutral expression as she looked at the waiter. "How are you ladies doing tonight?" The glares and the neutral expression from the blonde seemed to have not affected the young man in the least.

Instantly, Yang perked up at the customary conversation starter. "We're doing great. How about yourself?" The glares lingered.

He grinned. "I'm just fine. Now what can I start you all off with to drink?" The question seemed to break Ruby's glare as she scoured through the menu in front of her. Weiss was not as easily deterred from her sentiments.

"Water," she said flatly, almost at a level where she was growling at the waiter.

He wrote down the order on a notepad before looking to Ruby. She hummed in contemplation as she quickly scanned the list of drinks. "I think I'll have…umm…" She suddenly brightened up at something on the menu. "I'll have a cookies and cream milkshake." He jotted this down before looking to Yang, a smile now present on his face.

Yang set her menu down, having been gazing at it while the others made their orders. "I'll have a strawberry sunrise with no—Wha—Hey!" She was caught off-guard by an elbow to her side.

"She'll have a water," Blake said calmly, keeping her eyes off of her leering girlfriend. Before the waiter could speak again, she continued. "And I will have an iced tea, unsweetened."

He wrote their orders down. "I'll get your drinks out to you in a minute." And at that, he left, leaving the table's occupants in a wholly volatile state.

"What was that for?" Yang was more confused by the action than anything, but hints of anger could be found seeping their way into her tone.

Without looking up from her perusal of the menu, Blake stated, "As your partner and girlfriend, I'm not going to let you order anything containing alcohol." As if she could see Yang beginning to object, she said, "That's final."

Her statement didn't seem to deter Yang from arguing. "C'mon Blake! We're celebrating!" Nobody at the table looked to be expressly ecstatic about recent events.

Blake closed the menu and set it down. "You're underage." She looked at the blonde. The stern expression she had left nothing needed to be said. It nonverbally communicated all of warning, care, and disappointment. She wasn't necessarily disappointed at her for trying to order a drink unsuitable for her age, but more so Blake was disappointed in her because she saw this request as an attempt on Yang's part to escape from the group. She saw it as Yang's attempt to augment her own experience over the experiences of everyone around her. This rationalization made Blake feel inadequate in a small way, in that she felt Yang wanted to supplement her time with the Faunus with the drink. Blake halted this train of thought and the possibility of it coming to fruition with the denial of her order.

Whether or not Yang could interpret the ideology behind the sentiments of the stare could not be determined. What could be determined however was her willing compliance to Blake's whims after an upset of a few seconds. "Fine," she sighed, "A water was probably would've been better in the first place. Just because we're not at Beacon doesn't mean we don't have to stay in shape." Her previously forlorn demeanor vanished at the newly fabricated grin. Blake knew she was a bit upset over not getting the drink she wanted, but the fact that she was trying to appease Blake made said girl smile. Instead of voicing her thanks and drawing attention to their recent nonverbal conversation, Blake simply leaned against her. Yang leaned back.

A rattling sound from behind told Blake that their drinks would be arriving at any second. True to form, the drinks arrived, being carried by the waiter who was having a difficult time concealing his uncertainty about the hold he had on the tray. He struggled to get out the names of the drinks as he set them down in front of the respective girl who ordered them. As soon as he finished setting the drinks, he regained his confidence and tucked the tray under his arms, an almost overconfident grin forming on his face. "Okay," he began, pulling out his notepad and pen. "Now, what can I get you all?"

There was a period where nobody at the table could speak, being restrained by the tension between them. It was only due to the man's expectant look and Weiss' affinity for efficiency that the silence was broken. "I'll take a Caesar salad."

As the man noted this, Ruby's head spun to look at Weiss. She looked mortified at the order. Without removing her gaze from the girl sitting beside her, Ruby said, "I'll have a cheeseburger and fries."

"I'll take what she's having." Yang smiled.

Blake watched out of the corner of her eye and waited for the man to finish writing everybody else's order down. As soon as she saw him lift his head, she spoke. "I'd like the grilled salmon, please."

The smile he had was perhaps too amiable. In light of recent events, Blake could even see the waiter's smile as being somewhat flirtatious. Though Blake purposefully tried to show disinterest, the waiter didn't seem to understand this. He smiled widely. "Certainly," he said with a wink. Blake did not care for the action and thusly did not react. However, a sudden wave of heat washed over the entire restaurant. People in the other booths and tables of the establishment were visibly confused, looking around and leaning towards others to confidentially complain about the building's heating system. Meanwhile, the girls at the table had their attention immediately trained on Yang. She wasn't angry now, but for the briefest of seconds, she had been. Now she simmered in her annoyed state. The waiter wasn't being affected by the glare now given by the blonde; more so, he was affected by the change in temperature and immediately excused himself from the table to take care of the order and fix the thermostat.

Jealousy was what caused the heat wave. Blake knew this because she had seen the wink, but judging by Weiss' question of "What was that for?", neither she nor Ruby knew why Yang was unable to control her aura. Blake put her hand atop Yang's, hoping that the hold would relieve the annoyed state.

Yang sighed, exchanging her annoyance for exasperation. "I don't wanna talk about it." She crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them, not relinquishing Blake's hold. Blake found the blonde's thumb tracing a pattern around her knuckles.

"Whatever." Weiss crossed her arms and watched Ruby begin to work on her milkshake. "Just don't burn down the building and I won't care what you do."

A small smirk played across Yang's face. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind, Ms. Forest Fire." Weiss lifted her nose at the statement in a feeble attempt to hide the heat of embarrassment prevalent on her face. Both the reaction and the nickname caused Ruby to laugh, causing her to withdraw from her drink. Yang, meanwhile, set her head back atop her arms . Blake's brows furrowed.

"I forgot," Ruby giggled, "you totally set the forest on fire!"

"Shut up," Weiss snarled. "You got in my way. You should be lucky that you weren't set on fire as well."

"I am lucky! You saved my life!" Weiss barely had a chance to groan before Ruby wrapped her in an impromptu hug. "My hero!" she exclaimed, almost dreamily.

Her face flushed with what seemed to be anger as her scowl grew more prominent. "Ruby," she said in a low, dangerous tone, "get off of me." Blake could tell that the threat held no substance to it, yet the way it was stated seemed to strike some fear into the mind of Ruby.

The team leader let go of Weiss so that she could sit with her back straight and her hands in her lap. "Yes, Weiss." She sat calmly and without complaint. Weiss smirked.

"Whipped." The quip from the blonde could barely be heard through her barricade of arms. She lifted her head to rest her chin on her topmost forearm so that she could look at Weiss. She didn't say anything, merely choosing go look at the heiress. This lasting stare seemed to bore into Weiss in an irritatingly passive way to the point where the heiress was becoming visibly agitated. Blake had to assume that this was the beginning of Yang's plan.

Seconds passed and Weiss grew more and more annoyed. The cold glower coming from the heiress clashed with the abnormally vacant stare from the blonde. Blake observed the two in their silent battle—watched as Yang showed no signs of giving in and watched as Weiss looked to be slowly losing. Finally, Weiss lost. "What?" she snapped. Yang didn't so much as flinch at the response, choosing not to answer and continue her stare. Blake could see Weiss' jaw tighten as she ground her teeth. "What is it?" she asked again, this time acting relatively calmer than she had when she asked her previous question. Blake would have never guessed Yang to have the silent treatment at her arsenal for teasing others; however, she was wielding the skill well. Weiss sighed, conceding defeat. "What do you want, Yang?"

With her demeanor kept uncharacteristically aloof, Yang asked, "What were you yelling at my sister about in front of all those people?"

Weiss ground her teeth again. "I don't think that's any of your business." She now assumed a compliant and fearful posture, similar to the one that Ruby had.

Yang's eyebrows raised as she hummed an introspective noise. "I think it is my business. First of all, she's my sister." Yang's look hadn't changed and yet Weiss fidgeted. "Second, she's my teammate. I want to know what's going on." Now it was Weiss' turn to remain quiet, though it was not her conscious decision to do so. Yang had kept a neutral visage during her silence. Weiss, however, shifted between looking scared and unsure. "Weiss, I'm not mad at you and I won't be if you tell me what happened. But if you don't tell me soon, then I will be mad."

Weiss looked back to the blonde with an indignantly furious expression, face glowing bright red and glaring at Yang for only a second before crossing her arms and turning her head to the wall beside her. "Fine," she huffed. However, this was not followed by any explanation.

"Well?" Yang asked expectantly.

There was a low, growling noise that came from Weiss as she looked down at the table, not meeting the eyes of anyone else in the group. Ruby made an attempt to look like she was focused on her milkshake, but in reality, she watched Weiss out of the corner of her eye. Weiss mumbled something almost inaudible and Ruby suddenly became much more interested in the drink. Blake could see a smirk appear on Yang's face for a moment before it was concealed behind the odd mask of stoicism. Her head raised from its resting place of her arms and moved over the table, closer to Weiss. "What'd you say?" The question was of genuine intrigue rather than one intended to be used to gloat over newly acquired information.

The heiress' glare returned in full force with her face being a shade of red never before seen on her icy visage. However, this glare wasn't sent towards Yang; rather, it was Blake that received the look. More specifically, Weiss looked between Blake's eyes and her bow. The heiress did not have the courage to say it again, so she wanted Blake to repeat it. Blake had been able to hear what Weiss mumbled and was confused as to why she couldn't repeat it. Nonetheless, between Weiss' pleading glare and the questioning gaze of Yang now directed at her, Blake was unable to ignore the request. "She said Ruby tried to hold her hand."

Everybody at the table—with the exception of Blake—reacted quickly to the statement. Ruby stared wide-eyed at Blake before pulling her cloak's hood over her head and placing her face on the table. Weiss went back to looking at the table's edge closest to her. Yang's attention jumped between Ruby and Weiss, her calm expression replaced by apparent confusion. "Is that it?" She almost sounded offended. The act of Weiss looking further down in embarrassment gave Yang her answer, causing the blonde to burst out laughing. Blake smirked while Ruby and Weiss looked up to the guffawing girl. Her head had come to rest in her arms again, this time in an attempt to mute her laughter that had drawn the attention of the other patrons of the restaurant.

"You!" She couldn't get the rest of her exclamation out before she laughed herself into incoherency. She was crying now, causing Blake to smile slightly. The admission of Weiss, albeit embarrassing to her, was a fairly harmless revelation that Blake found humorous. However, what she found even more humorous was the fact that Yang's façade had broken and her plan had worked. "That's it?" she cried, causing Weiss to glare at her. She looked to Ruby. "You held her hand?" She fell into another bout of laughter when Ruby pulled her hood tighter over her head. "Oh my God," she wheezed, "you two are perfect for each other!"

It was hard for Blake to not laugh, but she persevered. After the events of the day, the concept of holding hands had become commonplace and to be expected, yet the occurrence seemed to be anything but to the heiress. Unfortunately for her, Yang was not in a state of mind where she could respect the relative awkwardness of the action and thusly laughed at her for it. Blake placed a hand on the shoulder blanketed in blonde hair and looked at Weiss. "I'm sorry, Weiss." To emphasize what she was sorry about, she tilted her head towards her partner. At this, Weiss relaxed but Blake continued. "However, what you did to Ruby was wrong. You yelled at her in front of an audience because she tried to hold your hand. That might have been a little much." The blush on Weiss' face faded away while she frowned rather than scowled. "I think she deserves an apology."

Oppositional pride made itself evident. "But she tried to touch me in front of all of those people." Blake hardened her grip on Yang's shoulder, stifling the giggles coming from the blonde. "What if someone saw? I could have lost credibility; not only here but around the kingdom. I have values to uphold—values of the Schnee family and the Schnee Dust Company. I can't be seen holding anyone's hands, much less…" She paused and brought her voice down to a level that it could almost be considered a whisper. "Another girl."

"Weiss," Blake pleaded, "you're not the only one who was affected. How do you think Ruby felt when you yelled at her in front of all of those people?" Weiss' eyes widened for a moment before she shut them, seemingly trying to separate herself from the conversation. "You're also not the only one with a reputation to uphold. Ruby's lived here for most of her life. How do you think the people here reacted when they saw her being yelled at? Maybe not all of the people in the crowd knew her, but rumors spread quickly." Though Weiss' eyes were still closed, she managed to make it look as though they closed tighter, causing her face to scrunch in pain. "A simple slap on the wrist would have sufficed."

Yang lifted her head from her arms again, watching Weiss expectantly alongside Blake. The pained expression on the heiress' face did not alter and she showed no signs of giving in. Neither of the two spectators noticed the fourth member of the team and how she reacted. "Weiss," they heard her say, causing all three other girls' attentions to turn on her. "Don't worry about it. Nobody will remember it anyway. And if they do, I don't care. That, and I don't really feel bad about what you said anymore. So, no harm done!" She smiled at Blake. "Thanks," she said simply. Blake smiled back and nodded, giving a nonverbal "You're welcome."

Weiss' pained expression disappeared as she rubbed the bridge of nose. "Ruby," she sighed, choosing her words carefully. Blake expected some sort of sincere apology and reconciliation. However, all Weiss said was, "You dunce." The three other girls smiled. Blake was content with this sort of response; it meant that Weiss wasn't going to feel too much compunction for what she had done and was not going to remain on the subject. It also meant Weiss was back to normal and, on some level, had come to terms with the situation.

With Yang's plan having been completed and the team having calmed down for the most part, a small period of peace occurred at the table. That is, it could only occur when it was only those four at the table. Muted, rhythmic sounds came from behind Blake, standing out from the droning conversation of the patrons. Blake could hear it pretty early on, but she was surprised to find Yang's shoulder and hair heating up before she heard the sounds. It was the waiter; she could smell the food. Blake pulled on Yang's shoulder to get her attention. She gave the blonde a warning look which was returned with an eye-roll.

A stand was set before their table and the tray placed atop it. The smiling waiter that Yang despised stood there, smiling. With his same happy and confident expression, he named off the dishes as he served them to their respective recipients. The only ones at the table who thanked him were Ruby and Blake. Even with Blake's previous warning, Yang sent a heated glare in the most literal of senses at the back of the waiter's head. Blake had to admit, the protectiveness was sweet even if it might have been a bit excessive.

As soon as the waiter was gone from the immediate area, the four began to eat. Conversation transitioned away from Ruby and Weiss' incident in the square to how Blake and Yang's day went. This sparked a fervor in the exuberant girl who quickly and idealistically regaled the two on their adventures in the bookstore and the game shop. Blake was thankful that she replaced the part of her overreacting to her new title of girlfriend with a tale of Blake dragging a bored Yang through the aisles for hours on end. Fortunately, all that Ruby took away from the two stories was the fact that Yang bought a video game. The excitement radiating off of the two caused Blake to naturally smile and Weiss' countenance to soften.

From time to time, Weiss could be seen correcting Ruby's table manners, not with openly severe warnings or passive-aggressive remarks, but with relatively amicable teachings, sometimes even by example. From Blake's perspective, the incursions were barely noticeable and would be otherwise overlooked. She figured that this was Weiss' way of apologizing.

Blake looked to the young woman sitting beside her. Seeing her bright smile and the positive effect she was having on Ruby and Weiss brought only one thought to Blake's mind: she was lucky—more so than she originally thought she would be when she could only imagine what a relationship between herself and Yang would be like. She was able to turn Ruby's fear and trepidation into laughter and mirth as well as Weiss' outright anger into her regular calm annoyance all due to a purchase she had made not a few hours earlier. On top of that, she was able to soothe Blake back into a logical state of mind after her unexpected outburst. Blake smiled, not at the joke Yang was now telling, but at her own internal joke and observation. Yang had saved the day and Blake was proud—could be proud because Yang had said "Yes" and saved her day.

---

The starry night sky burned at the edges, the last rays of the set sun casting an orange glow on the horizon of the otherwise dark violet atmosphere. Shadowy trees stood still on the edge of the world while fence posts and the occasional building zoomed by Blake's vision. She quietly watched the scene unfold before her, choosing to idly rest her head against the warm shoulder of her girlfriend. Time had become indefinable, feeling as though it was dragging with the lack of action or conversation and feeling as though it was flying by with the distance they covered. In her zoned-out state, she could only partially feel Yang's fingers rubbing against her own. She had to make a decision whether to suppress a smile or to suppress a yawn. In the end, she chose to smile. She was tired and could tell the others were as well, yet she didn't want to be the one to draw attention to the fact.

Weiss and Ruby weren't ignoring each other as much as they were comfortably sitting near each other without arguing or even talking. Weiss had an almost imperceptibly disgusted scowl that only worsened whenever her eyes fell upon Ruby. Blake had seen that sort of scowl before and knew that it was seldom exacerbated by an external conflict. Ruby, however, had no such problem, staring past Blake and Yang at the bright white moon on the opposite horizon with a reminiscent smile.

It was late now and the group was only a small distance away from the sisters' residence. It had been a long day with the intermittent periods of distress coupled with the overall elation caused by the newly formed relationship and the events that spawned from it. The emotional rollercoaster of happiness and pain hadn't relented for even a moment, leaving the Faunus exhausted but nevertheless content. She absentmindedly squeezed Yang's hand, causing the blonde to close the miniscule distance left between them as they sat. Blake rested her head against the shoulder of the warm figure as she anticipated the moment she could return to her bed and return to a familiar pace that she had found comfort in during her time at Beacon. To end the day with but a single chapter of a book—it didn't matter which at this point—would solidify this day as being one of the best days Blake had ever experienced. There was a distinct possibility that this day could not have been one of the best days, but perhaps the definitive best day she had ever had the pleasure of having.

The thought of ending the day with her previous routine brought forth a frightening thought. The plan reminded her that the final result would be the end of the day. Be it childlike sentimentality or a nagging need to spend more time with Yang, Blake did not want to see the day end. She leaned closer against Yang in a futile attempt to slow down time. She knew it was irrational but she didn't care. The day was perfect and she had slept in; it could last a bit longer.

Unfortunately, she felt the transition from the smooth pavement of the road to the rough dirt of the path up to the house with the vibrations of the car. This shook her from her dazed state and caused her to unwittingly frown. However, the tightening of the hug that Yang held her in reversed this effect. She looked to find Yang smiling down at her, her tiredness only just noticeable. Blake did her best to give the blonde a smile that told her that she was doing a good job in staying awake before watching the shadow of the house come into view from the opposite window.

The limousine rolled to a stop and almost immediately, the driver's door could be heard opening. The four sat in fatigued silence as they simply listened to the footsteps on gravel that traveled to Ruby and Weiss' door. Before the driver could open the door, the lights inside of the cabin dimmed due to the car apparently being turned off. For a moment, the group was shrouded in shadows, only able to make out the person sitting beside them. Moonlight flooded the interior of the vehicle as the door opened. However, Blake didn't need this illumination to know that Yang had kept her gaze trained on her. The stare stayed that way even as Weiss and Ruby exited and made their way up to the house.

Yang wouldn't let go and Blake didn't want to move. Unfortunately for the both of them, the thought of the other becoming uncomfortable due to the lack of movement for an extended period of time forced the two to move on their own accords. Blake exited first and stopped just beside the door of the car to wait for Yang. As soon as the blonde emerged, Blake found her hand captured in a warm embrace. Before she could be dragged off towards the house, she gave the driver a small smile and short bow before she allowed herself to be whisked away. Just as they turned to head towards the house, Blake could see the front door closing and a red cloak only just making it inside. Seeing this, Yang slowed her pace and began looking over her shoulder at the limousine every few seconds. Even with the curious glances behind her, the blonde was able to take the steps up to the porch two at a time—an amount still manageable for a weary Blake.

The crushing sound of gravel from behind caused Yang to stop completely as she watched the car drive away. As soon as it was well on its way down the driveway, she turned to Blake who stared bemusedly at her. "Now that we're alone," she drawled, causing the Faunus to roll her eyes at what she thought was going to be a joke. "And now that you've walked me up to my front door…" She let her sentence trail off, allowing Blake to realize that Yang on some level wasn't joking. Before Yang could say anything more, Blake wrapped her in a hug, albeit one that wasn't purely intended to be affectionate but more so preemptive than anything else. Even if the hug was to cut Yang off from making any more suggestions that Blake had only experienced in some of her books or in a few movies, it didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the warm presence before her. Yang hugged back and chuckled into Blake's neck. "So, I'm guessing a kiss is out of the question?"

"It's only been a day, Yang. Give it time." Another reason why she chose to hug Yang was to hide the inevitable blush that would come to her face whenever Yang chose to mention her plan.

"Fine," she sighed in a faux exasperated tone.

At this, the two parted, if only so that they could gaze into each other's eyes. Having had enough time to compose herself and collect her thoughts within the hold, Blake found herself somewhat apologetic for not being willing to seal their first date with a kiss. "I had fun today." she smiled as she watched the corners of Yang's lips rise to one of her own. "Thanks for inviting me to stay with you and Ruby this summer. I don't think I've had a chance to say that since I've arrived, but I feel like it would be right to say it now. Thank you, Yang, for everything." There were a few moments' pause with nothing happened between the two. Blake had tried to muster the courage to kiss Yang, but she couldn't do it, leaving the two standing in a comfortably awkward silence.

That is, it was silent until Yang caught on to Blake's trepidation. Quickly, she began, "Don't mention it. I should be thanking you for coming. If you stayed at Beacon, I don't know what I would have done besides tease Ruby and the princess by myself. Thanks for being my partner-in-crime." Blake shook her head, trying and failing to suppress a small laugh. "And Blake?" This brought her attention back to the lilac eyes before her. "Thanks for asking me." Yang pulled her into a crushingly tight hug. Blake could tolerate it; she figured it was Yang's way of compensating for her hesitation.

Feeling empowered and happy from the contact, Blake attempted to hug back as hard as she could. It was a trivial effort for Yang did not so much as flinch at the exerted pressure, but it felt right. The two stood like this for a few moments, basking in the glow of the moon and the warmth of one another. It wasn't until new lights, not of the sky or the city on the horizon, but of the house's porch, turned on suddenly. This broke up the embrace, causing Blake to look down at her hands folded in front of her and Yang to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "So, uh, I guess we go inside now?" Yang laughed nervously as she spoke. "I've never really dated someone who shared the same house as me."

Blake would have found the fact that she wasn't Yang's first date to be off-putting had she not found her bumbling expression cute. She shook her head, smiling before she grabbed a hold of Yang's wrist. "Come on," she said as she opened the door and pulled the blonde through.

"That sounded weird, didn't it?" Yang couldn't keep up with Blake's pace, having to awkwardly scrutinize her own statements in an attempt to sound at least marginally composed. "I mean, it's not really normal for someone to date someone who's in the same house as them—not that I don't like it. It just isn't really something people usually do. And I'm not saying that I've dated a lot of people—I promise!"

"Yang." Blake had stopped, leaving the two standing in the hall between their rooms. She doubted that the blonde realized how far they had travelled as she gave her excuses. She thought the action was funny if not admirable. However, she knew that the blonde's fatigue played a large factor in the apologies. "It's all right," she said softly. "None of this is really 'normal,' so why draw attention to it? Saying the situation is weird is the only thing that could make it weird between us."

Yang stared at her for a moment, brows furrowed at the observation. "Blake, it's late. I heard what you said but didn't understand a word of it. Can we hold off on the smart stuff until tomorrow?"

Blake smiled. "Sure." She chose to give her a quick hug and said, "Have a good night."

This action turned out to be a mistake as Yang returned the hug fiercely. "But I'm not tired," she whined. Blake tried to escape from the grasp, but much to her dismay, Yang was stronger. "I just wanna spend more time with you. Please?"

She sounded like a child, but Blake had to admit, the affection was having a positive effect on her. "You invited me to spend the summer with you, remember?" Though her voice was muffled by the jacket which her face had been buried in, she felt Yang tense for a moment before relaxing and releasing her hold.

"Fine," she sighed. "Just promise you'll be here in the morning." This was an odd request, but Blake attributed it to the delirium of Yang's lack of sleep.

Still, she smiled. "Don't worry, I will. Have a good night."

Yang hugged tighter for a moment as she returned, "Good night, kitten." After saying this, she broke away from the embrace and gave Blake a sad and tired look. Blake gave her a soft smile back and, due to her not knowing how to proceed any less awkwardly, bowed her head slightly before turning to her room. Yang didn't seem too distressed by this as she ambled into her own room, letting momentum close her door as she pushed it shut.

As soon as Blake was in her room, she shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a relieved sigh. What a day it had been. Not only did she garner the courage to ask Yang out, she had said "yes." It had been perfect—something out of a romance novel. Yang had whisked her away to a secluded spot in the middle of a forest, let herself become unguarded and vulnerable, and had accepted Blake's offer. It had been followed up by her first official date, and, despite all of the pain of memories and arguments between group members, it had gone perfectly. To say that she felt accomplished would be an understatement; she felt elated and confident and hopeful and the only way she could express this was through the reflective sigh as she leaned against the door.

As soon as she was sure that she was grounded in reality and not a victim of some cruel, hyper-realistic dream, she moved towards her bed, intent on changing into her pajamas and finishing out the day with a chapter of a novel. She figured that if the day had already been perfect, she should end the day on a high note rather than on the awkward farewell she had given Yang. She wasn't excited about the end of the day that had been so good to her, but she understood it was an inevitability and thusly resigned to relaxing and getting back into her regular routine.

---

Whether it was the length of the chapter or her unfocused mindset, Blake was unable to get through the section of the novel as quickly as she would have liked. She had lost interest in the content, a greater story relentlessly replaying in her mind. That is why, when there was a soft rapping at the door, Blake was not surprised too much. If anything, the novel had woken her up again, returning her not to the routine of reading, but back to her nocturnal habits. Looking at the clock, she knew that it was too late to audibly permit entry. She had closed her book and readied herself to stand when the clicking noise of the doorknob ceased the action.

She had expected Yang. Rather, she hoped that it would have been Yang, if only to spend a few more seconds with her. However, it was Ruby who entered, dressed in her pajamas and adorning an expression that was more serious than Blake had ever seen on the girl. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting," she said, strangely diplomatic for regular personality.

"Not at all." Blake set the book to her side and rested her hands atop her blanketed lap. ""What are you doing up so late?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, losing her stoic expression for a second as she laughed sheepishly. "Well, Weiss sort of kicked me out so she could change."

"She kicked you out of your own room?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Weiss kicked me out of my room. I'm not going to argue with her if it comes between her and her clothes."

Blake gave a small laugh. "Fair enough; that's as good a reason as any." She let silence descend on the both of them as they calmed. She could guess that from the serious demeanor Ruby had held when she entered that the team leader had something she needed to speak to her about. When she saw that Ruby had recomposed herself, she asked, "Is there something you needed?"

The young girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking Blake in the eyes. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's about you and my sister." Blake was surprised; this was turning out to be one of a few instances where Ruby's intermittent maturity showed through. Blake sat back against her pillows and regarded the girl before her. "Blake, I trust you as a teammate and a friend and everything, but there's something I need to be sure of. I need you to promise me something."

"Sure; what do you need?" Normally, the idea of accepting an agreement before knowing the conditions went against Blake's better judgment. However, between the subject of her new relationship and the cautious sincerity in Ruby's tone, it was hard not for her to accept.

"I need you to promise me that you won't hurt my sister. She's the only one I have left to really call family and if something happened to her, I don't know what I'd do. I don't mean don't hurt her physically; we're all training to be huntresses, it's probably going to happen anyways. I need you to promise me that you won't break her heart. I can tell you mean a lot to her and that she means a lot to you, but she's been through too many bad experiences and I don't want it to happen again." Ruby gave Blake a pleading look, silently asking the Faunus to accept. "Can you promise me that?"

The plea raised more questions than it should have. Nevertheless, Blake made it a point to remember some of the points made in the explanation and learn more about them at a later date. For now, she scanned the girl before her. Her posture was straight and her eyes were held a conviction that rarely could be seen on someone who wasn't truly sympathetic. She instinctually wanted to say yes, but the overly logical, often remorseful part of her mind warned against this quick response.

Whether or not this promise would be made was pivotal for both girls. Blake saw this question not only as caring protectiveness on the part of one sister for another, but as an agreement that could have lasting effects. She saw this as Ruby asking whether or not she would commit herself to Yang, to have the relationship last and to have it not be a throwaway experience. Ruby was asking if Blake was willing to take a leap of faith into the unpredictable depth of a relationship. Thoughts of her time in the White Fang clouded her mind, reminding her of the actions she had taken against humans and told her that this sort of relationship would never work out. These thoughts were swept to the side with the experiences of the day. Visions of Yang's smile, humor, and touch made the decision all the easier.

"Ruby, I promise you that I will take care of your sister. As both her partner and her girlfriend, I will do my best to keep her out of harm's way. There's no need to worry. She has my back and I've got hers." Blake finished this with a smile, proud at her own words. Ruby let out a large sigh of relief, presumably due to her being able to be her regular self again, before returning with a warm smile of her own. "Yang's pretty lucky to have you as a sister. I've never seen you so protective before."

The grateful, sentimental demeanor she held vanished as she placed her hands on her hips in a triumphant pose. "Yeah, I am pretty great, aren't I?"

Blake's bow twitched. "Yeah, pretty great at making Weiss angry."

Ruby looked as though she was about to question this quip until the two could hear a door opening and Weiss yelling throughout the house, "Ruby! Where are you, you dolt? It's late and you need to go to sleep!" Blake smirked as Ruby's eyes widened in fear. The muted and slurred "Shut up" from Yang's room caused Blake to giggle unabashedly.

Ruby nervously chuckled. "Duty calls. 'Night."

"Good night, Ruby." Blake waited until Ruby had left her room and closed the door to turn off the light on her nightstand. She figured that her thoughts were too preoccupied to truly focus on her novel, so she set it aside on the nightstand. Now she was left alone in the darkness, having only her thoughts left to keep her company. The memories of the day and her time with Yang were still fresh in her mind, but the promise took priority over all else. She had agreed to remain by Yang's side and to protect her not only physically, but emotionally as well. She smiled, thinking that she wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, it was a great deal of responsibility entrusted to her, but the fact that she was the one trusted with it made it worthwhile.

She still sat up, her finger having an odd, anxious, tapping movement every few seconds. They trusted her—not only with their lives, but with those precious to them as well. She saw Ruby's permission to date her sister as a defining moment of acceptance amongst the group. Her hand stopped its tapping and made its way up to her head. Not only had they accepted her for being a Faunus, they were more than okay with her new relationship with Yang. She grabbed one end of the silken ribbon. Now Ruby trusted her with the wellbeing of the one individual decisively more important than her weapon. Perhaps she was being slightly too sentimental, but she saw this action as acceptance not only into a team of friends, but into a family. She pulled on the ribbon, letting her Faunus ears breathe in the open air.

She looked at the black fabric. Would she really need it around the others? She set it on top of her book. She decided that she would, in time, stray from using the fabric, but she would slowly introduce the others to the concept of her not wearing the bow. She could only stand the cat jokes so much, so she believed that the only way to keep these at bay was by gradually making her Faunus traits a pedestrian sight rather than a surprising one that could elicit jokes. They had shown her their trust; she figured that it was time to show the team that she trusted them as well.

She gazed blankly at the ceiling as she reclined to a supine position, her mind reminiscing upon all things Yang as she slowly drifted off to sleep. She remembered the time in the forest, the ride to and from the park on the bike, the comforting embrace in the bookstore café, and the genial conversation at the restaurant. In every memory was Yang's sunny smile, directed solely at her. Blake was genuinely happy; not only had she found someone who cared for her so readily, she had found that her accepting friends had become more of a surrogate family. No longer did this house on the outskirts of the city of Vale feel like just a foreign building in which she was to be confined for the most part during her summer break. In its stead was a warm, comfortable place that could contain supportive teammates, the promise of extraordinary times, and the one person in her life that could cause an indestructible smile to appear on her face at something as fleeting as a memory. Blake could fall asleep easily, allowing the day to end for her knowing that she had found a home.

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When I said that I was happy with how this chapter turned out at the beginning author's note, I should have included an asterisk next to that claim. I am entirely happy with everything in this chapter except one scene in particular. I am on the fence about the dinner scene. I have always found writing meal scenes to be difficult, especially dinners with important subject matter being covered. I don't find it difficult due to the conversation aspect, but due to the myriad of stimuli that present themselves within a restaurant. Between crowds, noisy patrons, servers, quality of food, the act of eating, variations in the environment (such as temperature changing or tables being rearranged), and describing the locale, I tend to feel somewhat overwhelmed. I feel that the dinner scene in this chapter turned out fairly well but I doubt I am going to do many more meal scenes with four characters. There is a reason why there is a break in time in the middle of the meal, after all.

I would also like to note that this chapter acts as the end of the series of chapters covering the group's first trip to Vale. Chapters after this will begin sometime after the end of this chapter. Time will not progress too far ahead at first as that would take away from the importance of the events in the first five chapters. If I was reading a story myself, I would feel robbed if a writer stays with the characters in pseudo-real time for the first few chapters before jumping weeks ahead in the plot. I will just say that chapter six begins only a few days after chapter five. Expect chapters to be grouped in similar fashion to how chapters two through five were. In saying this, I mean that I may write a few chapters in sequence that take place immediately after each other.

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, or anything that exhibits even the slightest of interest for Valence. Seriously, I am still astounded by the support I've received for this story. Stay safe and stay tuned.