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.

9. Chapter 9: Distance

Welcome back! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm certainly feeling that way now that I can post this chapter and end the wait. Mostly, I'm glad that this chapter did not take as long to finish as the last (I am still incredibly sorry for the wait for that, by the way.).

I shouldn't say much about this chapter yet; I'll leave elaborations for the end notes. However, there are two things I would like to say beforehand. First, I'd just like to remind everyone that there is a link to the PDF versions of this chapter on my profile should the Fanfiction format prove inconvenient. Second, I would like to warn that this chapter has a lot to it. For the sake of not spoiling anything, I will leave my warning at that.

Before I take my leave, I must thank you all for your continued readership. When I made the author's note at the end of chapter seven that told of my departure from my previous upload schedule, I felt as though I was betraying all of you. It was this thought that prolonged the time it took to get chapter eight written. However, after I posted the chapter, the response you all gave was simply incredible and reminded me that you were still there. I cannot say it enough times, but thank you. All of you are truly amazing.

I leave you with chapter nine of Valence.

---

Chapter 9: Distance

"No, Yang; 'admiralable' is not a word."

"Yeah it is! I've totally heard you say it before!"

Blake raised an eyebrow at the blonde. She held this look until she felt that her incredulity was adequately conveyed. "No. I seriously doubt I've said that before."

"Sure you have!" Yang insisted. "You use it when you say something like, 'Yang, that attack was a bit rushed, but the enthusiasm was admiralable,' or something like that." Her voice dipped into a bored monotone during her apparent quote, causing Blake to tilt her head to the side.

"Is that what I sound like to you?" She wasn't angry at the apparent mimicry; rather, she was having difficulty maintaining an indifferent demeanor and fending off a laugh that so desperately wanted to escape.

Yang scoffed. "You shouldn't be worried about what I think you sound like. Ask Weiss. I'll bet you'll get a kick out of her impression. It's kind of amazing."

At times, Yang proved that her ability to distract her partner from the many negativities of the world was not always used for selfless purposes. Seeing that this was currently the case, Blake smiled and shook her head. "Anyways," she began, "the word you were thinking of was 'admirable.'"

Yang gave an incredulous look of her own. "No, I'm pretty sure it's 'admiralable.' 'Admirable' just doesn't make any sense."

"And how does your word make more sense than my word?" Blake was genuinely intrigued. She knew her partner was wrong, but she felt that there was a good—or at least humorous—reason why Yang defended her word the way she did.

"Blake, I'd expect you of all people to know why," Yang said in a jokingly condescending tone. Blake rolled her eyes in response. "'Admiralable' is said about an action that's good enough for the person doing it to be made an admiral in the Navy."

Blake stopped walking, causing Yang's arm to slip from her shoulder as she unintentionally continued on. When Yang eventually stopped and looked back, Blake saw no traces of facetiousness in her expression. As such, she found the explanation absurd enough to openly laugh despite her numerous attempts to hide her mirth. This caused Yang to furrow her brows and ask, "What?"

It took a few seconds for Blake's laughter to taper off. Once she was able to catch her breath, she asked, "Did you really think I was telling you that your enthusiasm was enough to make you an admiral?"

"Well, when you say it like that, I guess not." For the briefest of moments, Yang's eyes casted downwards before meeting Blake's confidently.

That momentary falter was all the proof Blake needed to show that Yang was taken aback. Shaking her head, Blake closed the distance between herself and her partner before taking hold of a gloved hand. "Yang, I was complimenting you when I said that." Yang raised an eyebrow, apparently not completely sold on the idea. Blake smiled and said softly, "Yang, 'admirable' is a description given to someone when there is something to be admired about the other person."

Yang's eyes widened for a moment, causing any remaining look of sadness to disappear instantly. "Oh," she said simply. "Yeah, that makes a lot more sense." She seemed surprised. This thought was only added to by her contemplative "Huh" that made Blake begin to think that the blonde was taking this as some sort of life-changing revelation. She felt the need to ask how long Yang had used 'admiralable' instead of 'admirable', but decided against it for the sake of politeness.

"Yang?" she called, an attempt to bring the girl back to reality.

Lilac orbs shifted down to meet her amber. "Yes, Blake?"

"Are you all right?" She doubted that it would be the case, but Blake was concerned if she had managed to insult her in some way.

Yang neither spoke nor moved for a few seconds. Suddenly, her expression shifted back to her regular, care-free attitude. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Yang, if I hurt your feelings, I apologize. Insulting you was not my intent." There was something odd about the girl at that moment. Blake could see an almost invisible glimmer in her eye; whatever that glimmer meant, she could not be sure, but she felt safe in the assumption that it was not altruistic.

Yang let out a short chuckle before throwing her arm over Blake's shoulder. She continued their walk along the promenade, bringing a wary Faunus with her. "You worry too much, Blake. You need to lighten up a little." She let out a laugh similar to the one before. "Though I will admit, you look cute when you get worried." As Blake rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushed at the compliment. "I dare say," she began. At that moment, the prior complement became inconsequential as Blake braced for the next words to come out of Yang's mouth, expecting them to have some sort of teasing edge. She continued, "you look very admirable when you're worried."

This was not quite what Blake expected her to say. In actuality, she didn't quite know if the comment was a compliment or playful jab, causing her to ask exasperatedly, "What is that supposed to mean?" Yang grinned widely and looked over at her. Before she could say anything, Blake sighed, "Wait. Do I want to know?"

The grin never faltered. "It means I'm making fun of you, Miss Know-it-all."

Blake sighed again; this time, however, she did so while smiling and shaking her head as she looked back at Yang. "Of course. How could I expect any less from you?"

"Hey!" Yang moved her head away and gave yet another incredulous look. "What is that supposed to mean?" she mimicked in the same monotone voice she used before. The two erupted into a fit of laughter that did not relent until they found each other's eyes. There were a few seconds where nothing happened between the two except for this impromptu staring contest that was intended to be facetious but ended much differently.

Initially, Blake could only stare back into Yang's eyes with competitive intent, but as the seconds ticked away, she found herself gazing in awe at the beauty, the depth, and the memories held within the wonderful abyss of her shining, lilac irises. She saw the joy they had shared—the kiss she had been given next to the reflective monument—and the time they had spent together, not only today, but since they first met at the end of the previous summer. She saw a future, a chance of what could be, within that violet hue. It was not the future she had intended when she joined the White Fang, but instead it was the opportunity for personal salvation and inimitable happiness that was so utterly appealing. What she saw was Yang Xiao Long—her best friend, her girlfriend, and the single-most important person in her life—staring back at her with what was believed to be reciprocated love.

Indeed, Yang gazed back at her, an otherwise absent-minded expression on her countenance. Though the sentiments behind the look were decidedly not absent-minded, this is what the scant passersby understood the look to be. Between the soft, but not at all concerning blush that Blake held and the unabashedly joyful grin of Yang, it was no wonder those who saw the young couple seemed uncomfortable and felt as though they were interrupting something private. While Blake knew that they were unintentionally intruding, she didn't much mind; her attention was focused solely on Yang.

It felt to Blake as though they were gradually moving closer to one another. She could practically see their faces inching nearer with each passing second. She had an idea of what ends this action would reach, but by this point she welcomed it. She refused to unlock her gaze from Yang's, too intent on pursuing her spur-of-the-moment idea of communicating how deeply she cared for the blonde through this look alone. She hoped that through a miracle instance of telepathy or perceptive clairvoyance on Yang's part, her love would be noticed before the expected action.

Unfortunately, she was disappointed when their supposedly nearing faces were ceased in their movements by Yang's widening smile. The look her partner now had was not of the affectionate stupor Blake had found herself in but of her typical, sunny confidence. Seeing this, Blake knew that her expectations were hers alone and proved to be nothing more than optimistic fantasies. Their faces had not moved closer and, in hindsight, she saw no indication that their shared gazes could have evolved into anything else. Seeming to solidify this notion and prove that the expected action could not have arisen from this instance, Yang said, "C'mon. I know where we can go next," before placing her arm over Blake's shoulder and ushering her along.

She was not disappointed in what had not occurred and she certainly was not disappointed in Yang. Rather, Blake was disappointed in herself for souring her own mood. Their lunch had gone spectacularly in her opinion. Neither had seemed uncomfortable about the kiss in front of the monument at all. Almost immediately after they sat down, they resumed their comfortable rapport with greater enthusiasm than usual. Their conversation at the small restaurant had continued on into their aimless stroll through the city as they questioned each other's apparent neologisms. The day seemed to be going better than expected until Blake decided to make outlandish wishes. She set her hopes according to what she believed was going to happen. When the kiss never came, Blake became disappointed and found herself the sole cause of this.

Her head hung in thought as her gaze became fixated on the varying patterns of the cobbled path below. She knew that perhaps now was not the proper time to indulge in introspection, seeing as how her girlfriend was beside her (and potentially wanting to continue their conversation) and the numbers of passersby were increasing exponentially now that the rain was drying. However, she desperately needed to collect her thoughts and did so anyways.

She began with the question of if the expected kiss could have plausibly occurred. The root of her anticipation, she found, was based in the thought that because Yang had done a similar action earlier, it was feasible that she would repeat the action but in a more intimate manner. Thinking back on this, Blake realized that what was considered a "normal" kiss had a relatively vast difference in supporting affection from a kiss on the top of the head. She was able to answer her initial question with the idea that because Yang had kissed her on the head only a short time before, it was not at all reasonable to believe that she would actually kiss her so soon after.

Of course, this lead to the instant, irrational question: since Yang didn't kiss her, were her affections not as sincere as she expected? Just as quickly, Blake dismissed the thought. She had made her judgments already and knew that while her partner put on a strong façade in times of duress for those around her, Yang would not lie about something so important.

She then turned the inquiry around on herself. She had witnessed first-hand Yang's affections for her, so she knew that the blonde was comfortable to some extent in their relationship. Perhaps the length of their impromptu staring contest was an invitation for Blake to initiate the kiss. The next irrational step to explain why the kiss never occurred was to blame her own timidity and inexperience with relationships. Though she felt at times like she was fumbling through her first relationship, she never once felt incompetent about it. Now, though, she found herself asking a difficult question. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that if there was any person that she would want as a first kiss, it was Yang. Yet she didn't react to the supposed invitation. Was she not confident enough in their relationship? Did she truly love Yang?

At the very least, she was thankful for the girl who brought her out of her potentially self-destructive thoughts. Yang tightened her grip momentarily. "Hey," she said, drawing Blake's attention to her, "is something wrong? You seem more quiet than usual."

Blake turned her attention forward and sighed. "No, it's nothing." She thought that this response created more questions than answers and thusly turned back to Yang and gave her an appeasing smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

However, her attempts to create her own façade were subverted by a single eyebrow raised in knowing care. As they walked, Yang stared questioningly back at Blake. "Would you mind if I ask?"

Blake sighed again. Why did she bother hiding these things? Yang always seemed to know if something was amiss when it came to her. In most situations, this was a great attribute of the blonde; unfortunately, this was one of the few cases where her perceptiveness proved to be inopportune. "I'd rather you didn't," Blake replied. While she wanted to be as open as possible with her girlfriend (barring any reference to her life before and during her involvement with the White Fang), she was hesitant to share information that she was not entirely sure about herself.

Yang shrugged and smiled. "Fine. You'll come around eventually, anyways."

Blake hoped that this would be the case. She was not only confused about her current feelings for her partner, but she was nervous about admitting the sentiments she had realized at the monument if they proved to be correct. Unfortunately, the volumes of romance novels she had read throughout her life gave conflicting information, leaving her in the dark as to what she should do. In most instances, the books portrayed a character who was so confident in his or her feelings that the proclamation of them proved to be an incredibly simple matter that was rewarded both instantly and without obstacle. However, there were a few stories where the main character was so timid and so afraid of rejection that the proclamation would exist exclusively in the final scene of the novel.

She considered herself to be neither of these. She knew that the books she read contained only fictional events, generalizations, and satire on what actual relationships were like. Yet without them as a guide, Blake knew that the answer to her question required more personal reflection than literary reference. It would not be impossible by any means, merely tedious and mentally strenuous.

Hearing the sound of moving cars, Blake was brought back into the realm of reality once more. Ahead was a street and beyond that, a corridor similar to the one the two currently walked. Assuming that Yang planned on them crossing this road, Blake figured that a break from introspection was in order for the time being. In the action's stead, she admired her surroundings.

Despite the small, infrequent crowds in and around the numerous restaurants of this particular corridor, Blake fared well and had not yet suffered from anxiety or stress brought about by memories. Of course, the warm presence at her side was a strong reason why she could enjoy this place. With the casually distracting conversation and the sheer joy felt from it, Yang made it possible for Blake to ignore the world around her for just long enough to move away from the crowds.

Blake halted her thoughts and blinked a few times. She had somehow managed to bring her thoughts back to the subject of Yang when she had already decided to cease the pursuit of her question's answer. This was not frustrating per say—thoughts of Yang were hardly troublesome—but instead it was annoying enough to make her sigh. Unfortunately, she believed this action could have inadvertently drawn Yang's attention—an event she wanted to avoid to keep her mind off of the answer. To preemptively truncate any possible conversation, she made herself seem distracted by looking up at the sky. She knew that it was awkward, but she believed that this action would be worth it if she could avoid conversation that could potentially bias her self-reflection.

Understanding that maintaining her current line of sight was necessary for convincing Yang that she was not deep in thought, Blake attempted to relax herself and let her mind rest while she simply watched the clouds. No longer was there an overcast sky; the thick cloud layer of the past few hours had dissipated and all that remained now were streaks of silver shining under the sun's rays. Watching their lazy crawl in the wind was an incredibly serene experience for the young Faunus. This was only added to by the similar speed and direction of her stroll and the sunny, warm figure walking beside her.

Again, Blake blinked in bewilderment. Her thoughts had somehow segued from cloud coverage to her girlfriend. However that happened, she was not sure, but she was nonetheless baffled.

The street was now only a small distance away, allowing Blake to nonchalantly level out her vision and move her focus to what lay ahead. However, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yang looking at her. She did her best to respond with a slight, disarming smile, but judging by Yang's reply to this, she figured her partner had been aware of her previous actions. "Having fun yet?" Yang teased. Blake's only reaction was a sheepish, apologetic laugh which caused Yang to lightly chuckle herself. "So, I guess I'm still not allowed to ask?"

Blake sighed. "I'm sorry, Yang. I know I'm a bit distracted right now, but I'm trying to sort something out. If I'm making you uncomfortable, I could stop and—"

Yang's eyebrows raised in alarm before she cut her off. "Oh, no. No, it's fine. I'm just checking to make sure you're all right is all." Now it was her turn to laugh nervously. "Sorry I interrupted. If anything, I was worried that I was making you uncomfortable."

Hearing this allowed Blake to laugh—not the nervous sound that she had made before, but an honest, mirthful laugh. In doing so, she released a breath that she did not realize she had been holding. With that breath went the importance she had attached to maintaining an emotional distance for the sake of keeping her answer unbiased. She saw now that she could laugh and say "Don't worry about it. I'd rather spend time with you instead," without feeling constricted to forced mental exercises. She found that simply acting natural around her partner for the time being brushed away the chances of extraneous thoughts shifting to a singular subject. She realized that the answer to her question was comparatively unimportant when she could be enjoying the present moment instead.

As she rested her head against Yang's shoulder, she could both hear and feel the blonde say, "Well that's good to hear. It's better than walking around during a date and not saying anything, that's for sure." It certainly felt more comfortable to Blake as well. Though, she knew that this only meant delaying the thoughts for a later time. Until then, she did her best to enjoy Yang's presence as much she could.

The couple came to a stop at the street's curb. Unlike the last time the two had stopped before a crosswalk, there was no crowd that could possibly send back caustic looks. This absence allowed Blake to feel at ease with nuzzling closer to Yang in public despite the sea of traffic that roared in front of them. Being as close to the warm figure as she was, she couldn't bring herself to much care about anything other than her girlfriend. For this reason, she was able to close her eyes and tune out the sounds of the world as they were permitted to cross the street.

When she next opened her eyes, Blake was greeted by a stretch of shops and boutiques held within this new corridor. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the numerous restaurants and cafés in the verandas above, making her wonder what the view would be like from that height and how it would feel to simply sit down and absent-mindedly chat the day away with her girlfriend at one of the tables. They wouldn't need to order anything—they had only just eaten lunch—but could instead gaze down upon the mass of window-shoppers that had emerged after the rain began to evaporate. On second thought, a seated position like the one imagined would only keep her from being as close to Yang as she currently was.

Ahead were those window-shoppers of unintelligible conversation. There was something about these people—their preoccupation, their overall pleasant demeanor—that caused Blake to not see them as hostile in any way. In a rare occurrence, Blake felt at ease amongst a crowd. Whether this was because of Yang's presence or the crowd members being interested at the various shops, Blake was able to publicly display her affections for her girlfriend. As she leaned against Yang, she looked past the shoppers and towards the distant exit of this corridor.

Where they were headed, Blake wasn't sure. She didn't ask because, as Yang had proven before, she would most likely receive an answer with either a proper noun or personal landmark that she would be expected to know. Regardless of where they were going, Blake trusted Yang and let the blonde lead her through the crowd.

There were a number of noticeable differences between where the two exited out into and the corridor they left behind. Chiefly among these differences was the general openness of this new area. What once had been a sky limited by the rising buildings on either side of the Faunus became an open environment with clouds that were once again visible and rooftops that were hardly obscuring. The crowd had much more space to disperse, creating a vast disparity between the cramped walkway of the corridor and the spacious square in which they now stood. Perhaps the most striking means of displaying this place's openness was the intimidating immensity of the building in this plaza's center compared to the shops surrounding it.

What this building lacked in height, it made up for in grandeur. Even if the roofs at the precipice of the square towered above this neoclassical structure, the air of importance given off by its aesthetics drew any and all attention in the vicinity to it. It was this building that had been able to distract Blake from her girlfriend; had it not been here, it is doubtful that the young Faunus would have noticed their movement into a new area as quickly as she had. While the sight of the building was visually intriguing, its presence caused Blake to wonder if it had been Yang's intended destination. Such a place might be considered a site of historical significance or perhaps governmental importance. If either was the case, then Blake believed that their tour would continue.

"Yang?" she asked, causing the blonde to look towards her. "Where are we?"

Yang smiled back. However, the way in which she smiled had not been what Blake expected. Between the toothy smile and the knowing gaze directed towards the building, this grin made her partner's underlying mischievousness obvious. Blake had only a second to wonder what the look meant before Yang replied almost giddily, "The Vale Museum of Art History."

Blake was suddenly aware that their tour had just been postponed for as long as it would take for Yang to tease her intended target. Judging by the conversation she had walked in on this morning, she initially supposed that Weiss would be spared, but she knew Yang well enough to know that she would not squander an opportunity like the one before her now. Blake assumed that her plan was to wait until their teammates emerged from the building. Unfortunately, she hadn't the slightest clue as to when that would be. Fortunately, Yang said, "Ruby and Weiss should be out any minute now. I want to see what exactly is going on with those two. I've got inside knowledge that somebody is going to do something somewhere."

Despite answering Blake's unexpressed inquiry, the response created additional questions that she felt the need to ask. She managed to ask all of the questions that now plagued her mind with a simple, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Keeping the toothy grin prevalent, Yang rolled her eyes, showing her unrestrained excitement for whatever it was she had planned. "Blake," she seemed to chide, "I have to keep some secrets to myself. It adds to my mysteriousness." She winked. On some level, Blake felt that the latter statement was meant as a teasing remark towards her and her reserved personality. She understood that she might have been perceived as purposefully enigmatic, but she had only meant to keep to herself. Still, she was able to take this apparent jab in stride while giving Yang a playfully reprimanding look. It seemed that this did not affect the blonde because she considered, "Besides, it's not like I have a choice or anything. It's not my secret to tell."

Raising an eyebrow, Blake asked, "You do realize that you have already told me the basic outline of what's to come, right?"

Yang shook her head and laughed. "I said that somebody was going to do something, but that doesn't mean anything. A lot of people do a lot of stuff a lot of the time!"

"Considering that we're waiting on Ruby and Weiss, it would be safe to assume that the 'somebody' you were talking about is one of them. And judging by how eager you look right now, that 'something' might have happened while they were visiting the exhibit. Am I correct so far?"

Yang laughed again. "Blake, you're over-thinking this. I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't even know that they were going to any sort of exhibit." The two then smiled at each other.

If one thing could be guaranteed about Yang it was that she knew where her sister was at all times. Her confession of ignorance only proved to Blake that she was correct in her assumptions. Whatever had happened earlier this morning caused Yang to promise to not talk about what was apparently going on within the museum. However, the fact that she was granted access to this information showed that Yang trusted her to at least keep a secret. For this, Blake smiled warmly. She could only hope that her thoughts of probable love could be confessed as easily as this secret was.

Their gazes remained locked for a few moments before Yang's was distracted by something behind Blake. When she looked to the cause of the disruption, she found a street clock with the second hand nearing what was to be a new minute. As soon as it rounded the twelve, Yang said, "Showtime."

This single word alerted Blake to the new direction that Yang looked. At the center of the four white columns of the museum could a door be seen opening. Even from the couple's distance, the sight of two figures of red and white walking out of the exhibit stood out amongst a crowd of a bland, monotonous palette. The impish grin that had spread across Yang's face forewarned Blake to their forward movement towards their teammates. As the distant two descended the steps of the building, they seemed to be blissfully unaware of the approaching couple. Though, Blake was sure that Weiss would eventually notice their approach. Ruby, however, seemed as though she would remain unaware.

The young girl's head hung low—not enough to definitively show discomfort that Weiss would be able to perceive, but just enough that Blake was able to tell that something was wrong. Still, she managed to keep a rather upbeat look about her. Despite seeming upset, she looked happy. All of these observations, however, occurred at a sizable distance from the team's leader, forcing the Faunus' mind to wander and hyperbolize. These musings led her to believe that her leader's happiness was in some way caused by the time she had spent with her icy partner. Of course, she also believed that the apparent distress had a similar cause. Then again, these thoughts could simply reflect the joy that Blake felt from being around Yang all day.

Navigating the square's crowd was far easier than many of their other instances had been since this area had neither the small size nor the large population to allow for over-crowdedness. Yet the area was large and had enough of a population to make it difficult for the other partnership to notice their approach. Both Blake and Yang kept their eyes trained on Ruby and Weiss respectively as the shorter duo descended the large staircase. Their intentions for watching their teammates were assumed to be different; while Blake was concerned for Ruby and was watching for any signs of distress, Yang seemed to track the heiress with a nearly predatory demeanor.

The two lost sight of their teammates for a moment when Ruby and Weiss reached the bottom of the stairs. The weaving movements through the masses slowed to an almost stealthy pace. Blake could not help but reflect upon the conversation between Yang and her sister that she admittedly had eavesdropped upon. Remembering that Yang had said she would leave Weiss alone for the day, Blake was aware of her partner's intent to break the promise and tease the heiress nevertheless. The grin that the blonde held told her that she saw an opportunity and was not going to let it slip by.

Soon enough, the couple broke through the crowd and was met with a clear line of sight to Ruby and Weiss. However, while they could see the other partnership, the other partnership could not see them yet, allowing Yang to give Blake a short, reassuring smile before garnering the attention of the unaware duo.

"Hey guys!" she yelled as she walked towards them, waving the hand that was not over Blake's shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Ruby and Weiss' reactions were so different and so typical of who they were that Blake could not stifle a giggle. Ruby quite literally jumped as she squeaked, "Yang!" This action seemed to rid her expression of any remaining bothers besides surprise. Weiss, on the other hand, simply turned on her heel with a raised eyebrow before sending a subtle glare Yang's way. At no point in time did any one member of the team pay heed to the offended or surprised reactions by others around them. Blake expected that because of Weiss' calm—if not unamused—demeanor, she would be the one to respond. However, it was Ruby who hurriedly asked, "Yang, what are you doing here? I-I thought you were going on a tour."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, we did. We actually just got done. How 'bout you? How was the art?"

"Isn't there anywhere else you wanted to go? You've still got a few hours of daylight left! Vale's a big city and it could take days to see everything!" Ruby's frantic reaction was both humorous and telling to the Faunus. "I mean, you don't have to go if you don't want to. It's just that…" She trailed off and eventually groaned, accepting her current predicament and causing Blake to raise an eyebrow.

The first part of her reaction made Blake think that she and Yang were impeding on something she had planned. The latter part of her reaction, however, allowed Blake to realize that the "distressed" state she had seen Ruby in was a mix of uncharacteristic frustration and disappointment. Unfortunately, she could not know the cause of this due to her lack of knowledge of what happened within the exhibit. This is not to say that she necessarily wanted to know—she understood that what happened between the two was probably too personal for them to readily share—but she was at least curious about what managed to frustrate Ruby, the cheeriest person and most adaptive fighter she had ever met.

Weiss sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, catching Blake's attention but surprisingly not Yang's. She looked to Blake with a bored look that seemed to almost plead for help. "She's been acting this way since we arrived. She will not tell me what is wrong no matter what I say."

From her relaxed speech and direct eye contact, Blake believed Weiss' testimony was intended for her to hear. However, it was Yang who questioned this; not to Weiss as Blake would have done, but to the one who had allegedly been unwilling to speak about whatever plagued her. "Ruby, is something wrong?" Her playful, predatory demeanor had vanished and in its stead was undeniable care evident in her tone.

"Huh? Yeah! Everything's fine! Why would something be wrong? There's nothing wrong! Everything's perfect, actually! Just perfect!" With every word said by the young girl, Yang's grip on Blake's shoulder became tighter and tighter until finally she released her hold to fold her arms in front of her. This pose was accompanied by a concerned stare that caused Ruby to laugh nervously.

In a very slight, subtle way, the look Weiss sent to Blake changed. Nothing about her physical appearance had been altered, but rather it was the air of annoyance that radiated off of her. This change told Blake all she needed to know about what was going on with the two. Weiss was telling her that Ruby had been acting this way for a while and that it never failed to provoke her irritability. However, it also told Blake that Weiss' reaction had been limited to purely exasperation and never outward aggravation. This was simply Weiss looking to communicate her ire to someone who might understand.

"Ruby?" Yang asked. The weak façade of happiness that the leader held was pitiful in its ability to conceal her fearful expression. Blake believed it was this look from Ruby that caused her sister to hesitate in her inquiry. "Is there something—Hey, do you think you could help me out? I…uh, there's something wrong with Ember Celica and maybe you could find out what's going on. I think we might need to see about buying a replacement part, but I don't know."

It was a hastily made diversion that was obvious in its design—perhaps Ruby couldn't interpret the meaning, but it was clear to Blake what the blonde meant. Unfortunately, it's purpose seemed to be getting Ruby to confide in Yang by getting Ruby alone. The reason why this is unfortunate for Blake was because this would mean that she would have to spend time away from Yang.

Ruby perked up at this. "Yeah, sure! Here, let me see—"

Yang shook her head, cutting her off. "No, not here. I think it'd be best if we found a shop first, just in case. I don't want to accidentally burn down the museum, you know?" Blake watched as her girlfriend tried to get her point across to her sister in a way that was fairly subtle yet very obvious at the same time.

Unfortunately, this message was not received. "Okay? I mean, sure, we could do that, but I think I know what I'm doing."

The blonde groaned. "No, Ruby. Really. We should really go and find a shop. I didn't see one anywhere near here, so we'd probably have to take a walk to find one." At this point, Yang was making her intentions overt and emphasized. If Ruby didn't pick up on what her sister was trying to get her to do, then Blake would be seriously concerned for her wellbeing.

Ruby sighed. "Yeah, all right. Sure. But what about Blake and Weiss? Are they coming with us?"

As much as Blake would have liked to accompany them—if only to spend even more time beside her girlfriend—she knew that this would not be the case. She was not prepared for the ache she felt when Yang looked over to her with a sad smile. This look all but confirmed her suspicions. "Sorry, Blake," she said softly, keeping the conversation between the two of them, "but I gotta do this. I just need to make sure she's all right—she seems pretty shaken up."

Blake took a measured breath to compose herself. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Take care of your sister. I wouldn't want to make you feel guilty about not helping her." Contradictory to her words, Blake wanted to do whatever it took to keep Yang close. But she knew that her partner had to go and wouldn't stop her. Though, she did ask, "How long do you think it will take to calm her down?"

"Probably an hour, two at most. We're just gonna walk around until she's back to normal." Blake felt that her concealment of her discomfort was more than sufficient, but Yang must have picked up on it, for she gave a reassuring smile before continuing. "We'll meet back up here in two hours, okay?"

Two hours. Blake could make it two hours without being around Yang. She had done it before. She had gone seventeen years without being near Yang. It wouldn't be that hard. Regardless of these thoughts, insurmountable doubt made its way into her tone. "Yeah, okay."

There was a moment's pause where Yang looked to be thinking about something. What that something was, Blake wouldn't be able to surmise in her already forlorn state. Fortunately, she would not have to deduce much as she found herself quickly wrapped in the warm embrace of a hug. She let her worries drift away for a moment as she breathed in the smell of lavender and melted into the hold. "Sorry about this, kitten," she felt Yang say. "It hurts me too, but I'll be back soon." Blake found herself sincerely hoping for this statement to stay true.

Blake tightened her hold as best she could, attempting to challenge Yang's potential strength, before letting go. She smiled, trying to keep both her expression and outlook positive. "It's fine. Go and make sure she's all right."

Yang smiled back and released her grip as well, giving Blake a look that further promised her return. As the blonde walked towards her sister, she frequently looked back to see how Blake was faring. Eventually, when she reached Ruby, she focused the whole of her attention on her sister. She put her arm over the young girl's shoulder and pulled her into a sideways hug that Blake had enjoyed before. As they walked off into the crowd, Blake could not help but feel the same ache she had felt previously. This time, however, the feeling lingered far after she lost sight of Yang and Ruby.

"Yang truly has gotten to you, hasn't she?" With her gaze trained on where Yang and Ruby had once been, Blake had momentarily forgotten about Weiss' presence. She turned with a raised eyebrow and an unmistakable, unintentional frown. The heiress walked forward, arms crossed as she seemed to appraise the Faunus. "She's corrupted you—turned you into one of them. When I first met you, Blake, you wouldn't have acted this way about Yang taking time to help Ruby. You would have shrugged this off and went about your business as per usual. Now you are verging on being a sniveling mess at being away for only two hours." While the words had a definite bite to them, the expression Weiss held proved to Blake that she was not insulting her. Rather, the furrowed brows and slight look of disappointment in her eyes showed genuine care. "You've lost your edge."

Blake sighed both in exasperation and acceptance. Weiss was correct, somewhat. She had lost her "edge"; though, this edge, she believed, had been her indifference and passivity towards becoming close to anyone. If these were the aspects Weiss had been referring to, then she would have to disagree. Losing these, she thought, made her seem more accessible and personable—something she aspired for yet something she could never allow herself to be. However, if it was her independent and underlying "tough" demeanor being remarked upon, then Blake would have to admittedly agree. In hindsight, the Blake of months prior would have never acted the way she did at Yang's temporary departure. "Perhaps," was all she could say, being at odds with the observation.

The appraising stare continued to hold until Weiss eventually sighed as well. "There's no use in standing around, pondering the pros and cons of sentimentality. Come. I have an errand I need to run. Perhaps it will distract you from your…forlornness." She seemed hesitant about her phrasing of the last sentence, particularly the correct diction for the final word. Still, she expressed care through her words, albeit in her regular, standoffish way and Blake appreciated it.

"Yeah," Blake breathed, "sure." She needed something to occupy her time. As it was, she foresaw the coming hours as subjectively slow and emotionally draining. Errands and intermittent small talk were sufficiently distracting in her mind.

This was all the permission Weiss needed to turn and begin walking off. Blake followed immediately after, quickly catching up to ensure that she was not alone in the crowd. Unlike Yang's brash, undeterred way in which she pushed through a crowd, Weiss had a commanding presence that required groups to move out of her way rather than finding paths around them. While the crowd did part for the two, this imperious attitude caused those standing aside to send glare after glare at the girls. Weiss did not seem fazed by this in the slightest, not paying any mind to anything but her objective. Blake, on the other hand, was having a much harder time ignoring the gazes.

She kept her gaze trained steadily on the heiress' tiara simply because it was the object that most stood out in the area. Doing so allowed her to avoid eye contact with many of the onlookers, but even this could not completely dull their scrutiny. A logical Blake would have found the distance to the nearest exit from this square to be concerning, considering the number of disgruntled groups the two would eventually disrupt. However, what concerned Blake now was the perceived amount of people in this current crowd. Thousands upon thousands of humans looking down on her because Weiss looked down on them; it was a story not dissimilar to recent Faunus history. What had been simply annoyed pedestrians morphed into visions of irritated factory workers kept out of their place of employment so that she could further her own cause. Alongside these workers were activists—counter-protesters—screeching obscenities and stomping on this cobbled square. They all looked ready to charge, to break down the gates, and destroy any possibility of a decent life for her. Whenever they chose to, they would overrun her and her comrades without even the slightest of difficulties. And she would run but she would fall, and in the end, she would be powerless to save those she cared most about. Yet it was the tortured screams of Yang that echoed in her mind and how they quickly dissipated that was able to remind her that all of these pedestrians were harmless and that it was summer rather than a bitter autumn and that life was beautiful now.

Yang was safe, albeit safe somewhere else with her sister, but she was safe nonetheless. Even though she wasn't in view, Blake was able to take solace in her existence. Her safety had been the single flaw to break the troubled descent into fear and panic. The warmth of the sun and the shimmering light on the rain-slicked rocks of the path reminded Blake that she was not alone and that she had friends—rather, a surrogate family—that would seemingly always be there whenever she needed them. However, she knew that the cause of this and her rapid composure was Yang specifically. She smiled warmly as she swiftly moved through the crowd to catch up to Weiss and make up the distance she had created with her introspection. Ironically, it would be Yang who would get her through these next couple hours unscathed and without stress.

---

There was no welcoming sound—no greeter, no door chime—when Weiss pushed the shop's door open. It was a dimly lit place, but perhaps this added to the ambiance of the small but very much regal jewelry store. The shop was quiet, small, and drew attention to the girls who walked in heeled boots on the floor's white tiles. Blake could see why the heiress chose to enter; this place fit her personality well. However, it was an uncomfortable setting for the more reserved of the two. Fortunately, there was only one other person in the store who would notice their presences: a distracted cashier who was far too involved with whatever it was she was writing on a pad of paper to notice the patrons enter anyways.

Not even the girls' conversation that bled into their entrance seemed to bother the woman. "Exactly," Weiss agreed. "Whoever thought that placing an Edmund next to a Fletcher must have been either blind or an idiot. I swear, Blake, it was like diamonds on a swine. The curator—the unfortunate soul—was as inept as I've ever seen." As the door slid to a close, Blake was able to look at the various glass cases and counters around her. "It is truly a sad state of affairs when I can be confident that I would do a better job of curating the exhibit than an institute devoted to the study of art."

"I believe you could. Though, you have to think that maybe the curator had his reasons for placing them beside each other. Perhaps there was some sort of thematic or metaphoric similarity between the two." Despite the current annoyance expressed by Weiss, she had apparently enjoyed the exhibit. The amount of information she had given Blake, be it positive or negative, was indicative of definite happiness. Even if her current tangent was critical of the exhibit's staff, she seemed absolutely delighted with the chance to go. Blake found herself engaging in conversation for the admittedly cynical attempt at absorbing as much positivity as she could in lieu of her presently absent source of happiness. A distraction on its own, she found, was not able to keep her from paying attention to the crowd; supplemented conversation and happiness were necessary.

"That's what is sad about all of this. You are probably right and the curator did believe he was making the correct decision." Weiss didn't bother looking over to the bored cashier, instead moving quickly to a specific case. Perhaps she had been here before. "And personal preference aside, I find it hard to believe that he could find any similarity whatsoever between the paintings. I struggle to even refer to Fletcher's as a 'painting.' Edmund's was a moving work of art that was both powerful and elegant while Fletcher's was a simple picture with a one-dimensional message only just below the surface." She sighed, abruptly ending her tangential thoughts. "Whatever. There's no accounting for taste, is there?"

Blake smirked ruefully, gauging whether or not what she was about to say was appropriate to both parties involved. Figuring that this was the case, she said, "That's the story of our lives, isn't it?" She meant no disrespect to the ongoing feud between the White Fang and the Schnee family and she felt that this sentiment was conveyed to the heiress. Rather, she saw this joke as an attempt to burn even more bridges between herself and her past while forging a stronger bond of trust between her and her teammate.

Weiss let out a single "Ha!" that managed to garner a glare from the cashier. Though the look had not been seen by its intended recipient, Blake had taken notice. "Perhaps. I wouldn't dare say that around my father, but I think the proverb applies nicely." Within recent memory, Blake could not remember the last time she had seen Weiss legitimately amused. Most times, her laughs were sarcastic and condescending.

For as long as Blake had known her, Weiss had been more goal-driven and regulation-guided than anyone else she had ever met. Seeing her slowly breaking away from routine and her regular coldness was a welcome sight. Not only did this rare laugh show improvement on Weiss' part, but it reminded Blake of her own change. Her ability to empathize with Weiss' uncharacteristic show of emotion brought her thoughts back to Yang and how the sunny blonde had managed to support her in times of need and "get her out of her shell" as she had said. These were only two items of an ever-expanding list of things the Faunus was grateful for, yet they were what led her down the path towards loving her.

She blinked hard, distancing herself from her thoughts and unwittingly taking a physical step back. Blake had promised herself that she would try to avoid these thoughts as they made her seem far too aloof and distant for her liking while having the possibility of revealing potential flaws in her relationship. She was afraid of this last item purely because she didn't know why she felt as though she was "in love" with Yang. She had joined the White Fang believing that there was nobody else in the world who would understand her. Yet, now she was with Yang who understood everything about her—in actuality, Yang knew her well for what she had been told; most of Blake's past was not only something she wanted to avoid talking about, it was simply unmentionable in her mind. These tangential thoughts were inherently dangerous and something that needed to be avoided.

On the other hand, she had found positive results with a similar train of thought. Though she desperately wanted to avoid admitting its existence, her deep-seated fear of rejection was the only obstacle in the way of her and a less stressful life. She doubted that she would be able to get over this fear any time soon, but she could at least attempt once more to indulge in these supposedly dangerous thoughts that often yielded personal solace and relationship growth. Moreover, these thoughts had proven to be distracting—something that she currently desired to expedite her time away from Yang—and she now had an opportunity to make at least some progress with finding the answer to her question of whether or not it was "love" she was feeling.

Though, Weiss' presence would not be forgotten about. While she did seem to be self-sufficient in her search for whatever it was she came here for, Blake knew that it would be impolite to completely avoid conversation with her. They were friends now, but Blake understood that the heiress valued manners and efficiency over sentimentality and personal turmoil. Yet she, too, was a relatively quiet person; she could speak loudly and forcefully when the occasion required it, but most times, she proved herself to be an introvert. She would understand Blake's need to keep to herself for a moment. Even if she didn't agree with it, the most she would do was scold her.

Blake's thoughts drifted to a warmer, happier place where there was no confusion or disgruntled employee leering in the corner. In doing so, she crossed her arms so that she could revel once more at the feel of the jacket Yang had lent to her. She was selfless, yes, but that had been covered before. What was to be admired was her forethought, whether she had intended on its existence or not. The store was not expressly cold, but Blake doubted the jacket was entirely meant to ward off an inconvenient temperature. She felt that Yang knew there would be times—perhaps when she was alone in a crowd—when she would need a reminder that she was not alone and that she truly was wanted. Now this jacket allowed the Faunus to relax and distract herself from the world around her.

Further evidence of this foresight was evident in the presentation of the blonde's jokes. Blake often caught a look on Yang's face moments before she would say something humorous. It was as though she had something referential in mind ahead of time and highly anticipated the moment she was able to unleash it. It was that memorable glimmer and beginning of a grin that foretold the joke. This expression never failed to set Blake's mood accordingly, be it amused or wary.

And while her apparent deliberation may have seemed trite and concerned only for matters of entertainment when discussed in the context of her humor, it was much more ingrained in her being than simple jokes. Consistently, Yang had proven that her ability to improvise in a stagnant situation was among the best the Faunus had seen. Ruby was similar in this regard, but her abilities excelled when it came to combat. Yang, however, seemed to have backup plans in mind whenever the situation required it. For example, Blake had no reason to believe the tour they went on had been planned in any way besides their eventual destination of the art museum. She knew almost certainly that Yang had been spontaneous in her choice of landmarks to visit. While this may counter the argument that she was prepared, Blake knew that on their way to each landmark, Yang was brushing up on her histories and planning possibilities for where they would head next all while holding a conversation. Furthermore, Blake assumed that during these thoughts, there was the internal dilemma on Yang's part about whether or not the kiss at the obelisk would happen—something that was undoubtedly stressing on her partner. This may seem as though the blonde was adept at multitasking, but Blake would argue that many times Yang would think things through sequentially and expeditiously, leading her to believe that the blonde showed forethought.

"Blake," Weiss called, rousing the Faunus from her thoughts. "Would you mind taking a look at this? I would like to know what you think about it." For a moment, it seemed as though the store's only employee looked enthused; however, she slouched back down into whatever it was she had been doing when she saw that Weiss expressed no interest in her opinion. Blake walked over to the heiress and stood beside her, staring down into the glass counter and at the object in question.

Blake could only assume that what Weiss had been looking at was the large, golden necklace in the center of the case. She took a second to appraise it, finding that the size and intricacy of it made the piece all the more beautiful. The pendant on it was in the shape of either a sun or a sunflower—perhaps it was intended to seem like both—and thusly reminded her of Yang and her golden appearance. However, it was Weiss who was asking about it—a girl who was very much opposite Yang. "I think it looks nice. It's simple in composition, but intricate in design. I think the pendant may be a bit large, but perhaps it that was the intent." Blake then looked towards the Weiss, causing the heiress to look back at her. "But if you want my honest opinion, I don't think it suits you. With your regular attire and disposition, I don't think such a positive piece would be fitting."

Weiss looked back at the necklace, her expression unchanged. "I know that it's something I normally wouldn't wear," she all but growled. Honestly, Blake expected a harsher reaction at her objective statement and light personal insult. But she wouldn't complain; complaining would definitely yield harsher results. "It's not for me anyways." Blake raised an eyebrow. "But you're right. The pendant is too large." At this, Weiss stepped away from the counter and moved down the row of cabinets and adjoining counters.

Following soon after, Blake thought that she was still needed for her insight and scanned the shelves along with Weiss. "Blake?" Weiss asked, again catching her attention. "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions? Not about you, but about your moronic partner."

Blake sighed as a means of avoiding hostilities. "I'd rather you didn't refer to her in that way, but sure. You may ask your questions."

"Fine," Weiss relented, "I will avoid name-calling for now." She straightened her posture—a sign of discomfort at something to come—but concealed the action by gazing intently at an item in one of the cabinets in front of her. "Has she spoken to you about her childhood? I've come to the conclusion that many of the problems that cause Ruby's occasional bursts of skittishness spawn from an event or series of events that happened during her childhood. Unfortunately, whenever I ask about it, she always finds a way to divert the conversation and change the topic."

Blake knew that Yang had been rendered uncharacteristically sad by speaking about her life before combat school, but it had never amounted to anything more than a few moments where she nearly cried. She frequently changed the topic of conversation whenever it was beneficial to the other party and only sometimes did she do it to help herself. If Ruby's personality was at all similar to her sister's, then her reaction would be sadness rather than nervousness. Whenever Yang was nervous, it was usually caused by Blake's affections. Perhaps Ruby's reaction was more noticeable because she was less experienced in relationships than her sister. However, this was not the question Weiss had asked. To appease her, Blake eventually replied, "Yes, but she hasn't said much more than where she and Ruby went when they were younger. Though, she has referenced their mother on occasion. Actually, in almost every story Yang's told me, their mother is present or at least referenced in some way."

Weiss hummed ambiguously. "She has told me similar things. Perhaps it isn't what lies in her past that keeps me from learning about her." For a moment, Blake could see Weiss' eyes widen before she recomposed herself. Soon after, she could see the heiress looking at her out of the corner of her eye. It took a few seconds for her to continue and when she did, her hesitation in phrasing was unmistakable. "I…How did you learn more about Yang?" She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but never did.

Furrowing her brows in contemplation, Blake could barely remember what specifically allowed her to become educated about her partner. At this point, it felt as though she had known Yang all her life and the information seemed to come automatically. "I don't really know. I remember that she wanted to involve me in activities she enjoyed and, for some reason, I accepted. From there, the knowledge came naturally."

"If the same holds true with her sister, then it's not surprising that she isn't more open with me. Perhaps…" Weiss grimaced. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but perhaps I should let her be the one to choose what we do. Possibly then I could learn more about her." Her gaze looked distant, as though she was anticipating the moment she described. Suddenly, her gaze whipped over to Blake, having turned into a glare in the time it had taken to look at her. "Just to be perfectly clear, I only want to learn more about her so we can work better as a cohesive unit."

This defensiveness piqued Blake's interest and caused her to ask, "You never wanted to talk about Yang in the first place, did you?"

The glare remained steadfast for a while, but it eventually softened into a look of questioning anger and subsequently resignation. Weiss sighed before looking around, specifically at the cashier. She must have figured her a threat to some degree, causing her to speak in a low, nearly inaudible voice. "No, that wasn't what I intended. Really, I just wanted to ask you about…" She hesitated and sighed again to boost her confidence. "Blake," this was as sincere and unguarded as her voice had ever been when around the Faunus, "what do you think of Ruby?"

Blake was surprised by the question not because of the suddenness of it—she had actually expected a question like this—but because of the potential implications her answer could hold. Wanting to have a complete understanding of the question before answering, Blake echoed, "What do I think of Ruby?"

"Yes," groaned Weiss exasperatedly. "I don't mean 'what do you think of her as a leader?' What do you think of her as a person? Is she really as kind as she seems? Does she legitimately wish to be a huntress for the thrill of it all? Is she…an adequate human being?"

Her elaboration proved her suspicions. Within the sanctuary that was her own mind, Blake knew that she could infer without fear of reprimand that Weiss was asking her this because she was infatuated with the younger girl. Blake had seen the signs before but now she had a statement from Weiss that alluded to her sentiments. Such an event, when coming from the cold girl, was something extraordinary. Weiss was letting her guard down, showing how embarrassed she was at this admission but remaining confident in her search for answers. Simultaneously, she was communicating to Blake that she saw her as a friend and a trusted confidante. Blake had been in a similar place with her own search for understanding when it came to Yang, so she could empathize with her teammate's situation and would happily oblige her with assistance.

Blake hummed in thought, preparing her response in a way that Weiss would want to hear. "She's…exactly as she appears to be." This was followed by a questioning look on Weiss' part that begged for Blake's prepared elaboration. "Weiss, I doubt Ruby has the capacity to lie to you about anything. Ever since she arrived at Beacon, she's been trying to get your attention and approval. She's been trying to be your friend despite the number of times you've shot her down. And even in the face of your rejection," the heiress' eyes cast downward, "she's maintained a cheerful demeanor. She's even disregarded Yang's advice to avoid you because she wanted to befriend you. I think she was sincere in her excitement to go to the exhibit.

"But I have a feeling you know that already. You want my opinion on her, not objective facts." Weiss looked up to meet her gaze, trepidation clear in her expression. "She's a very good person with a very pure soul. At times, she may be overly enthusiastic or unintentionally awkward, but she means the best. Honestly, she got on my nerves when we first met, but once we got to know each other, I found that she is a very straightforward person who could be a very dear friend. She might have difficulties with first impressions, but once you can get past that, she's a good person. She's trying to appeal to you in the only way she knows how, Weiss. She may not lend herself to the most elegant of interactions, but I think that's part of her charm—part of the reason why you're asking me about her."

To her credit, Weiss was concealing the light blush that spread across her cheeks quite well with her look of determined contemplation. "You say that she is sincere and that she wouldn't lie, but how can you be sure of that? What if she is acting this way so that she can use me—so that she can use the Schnee name—later on?"

"I can't guarantee that any of what I said is true, but from what I've seen, she does not seem like the person who would harm a friend. I doubt that she is using you, Weiss. Frankly, I don't believe she cares what family you come from. Besides, I think it's a bit late to worry about deception now. You put your life in her hands when you looked her in the eye." Weiss' eyes widened in shock momentarily, prompting Blake to pacify the situation. "But she trusted you with her life as well. If there is one person in the world you can trust whole-heartedly, Weiss, it's Ruby."

Weiss was silent. Out of the corner of her eye, Blake saw that the cashier had her head raised from her notepad and had been looking at them while they were conversing. She sent a warning glare her way, causing her to scramble back to being distracted. Blake then turned her gaze back to Weiss, watching her as she absorbed the information. She would give the girl a few moments to collect her thoughts before continuing again.

She sighed to begin the next part of her opinion as not to startle the heiress. "Weiss, I know you weren't asking me what I think about Ruby as a person or as a leader just as you weren't asking me about Yang earlier. If you are asking me what I assume you are, then I cannot answer. Whatever you do now is your choice and while Ruby may be having similar thoughts, it is going to be your mutual decision that decides what comes next for your partnership."

The blush on Weiss' cheeks intensified to a level where it was no longer concealable by any thoughtful expression. Perhaps it was the time she had spent around Yang, but in seeing this sight, Blake felt the need to make one extra comment. "But I think I should remind you that regardless of what you choose to do, Ruby will still legally be a minor. On top of that, I doubt Yang will appreciate it if you wrong her little sister in any way, emotional or otherwise. You are a skilled with a sword, but I doubt that will help if you have to contend with an enraged Yang." Her face underwent a series of rapid color shifts, coloring at one point and then blanching immediately after. "Just keep in mind that Yang still has her reservations about you."

Weiss stared intently at nothing in particular in front of her. She then bowed her head and closed her eyes. She sighed, "Then that will be a sacrifice I must be willing to make." Blake smiled; she hoped that things turned out well for the heiress now that she had set herself on a path that she had once walked herself. In this moment, Blake chose to describe the eyes that looked back at hers as a light blue rather than icy; it was a fitting description for the sincerity shown by them. "Thank you, Blake. You have helped me immensely whether you know it or not." She then smiled back. "But I have to ask that you keep this information between us only. Can I trust that you will keep this conversation a secret?"

Blake nodded. "Absolutely."

"Very well. Now, if you will allow me, I need to keep searching." Blake felt like asking what she was searching for, having not known why she was in this building since she first entered. However, they had just had an extensive conversation about matters that she deemed to be complex. She would allow Weiss to search and think about what had been said.

Meanwhile, Blake chose to look around as well. She figured that she needed to recover from the conversation as well and making progress towards answering her question would prove counterintuitive to relaxation. Normally, she loathed the concept of shopping, but many of her reasons for her distaste were absent. There were only three people in the store and she did not feel pressured to purchase anything—at least she didn't yet. As she moved to the cases at the far side of the shop, she heard the nearing sound of heels clicking against tiled floor that decidedly did not come from Weiss.

"Hi!" The woman's drawled greeting came across as desperate and insincere. Before she could appropriately react, Blake found the woman who had been behind the counter in the corner presently standing next to her with obvious fake enthusiasm. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Blake internally groaned. She had wanted to relax, not to converse with a person holding a blatant ulterior motive.

Still, despite being annoyed at the apparent saleswoman, Blake could retain some composure and respond politely. "No, thank you. I'm just looking around." She hoped that this response would eliminate any possibilities for future conversation.

Unfortunately, this could not be. "Well, maybe I could point you in the right direction. Is there anything in specific you're looking to buy?" As soon as Blake heard the woman's attempt to force conversation, a single word resonated in her mind: commission. Judging by the décor of this establishment, Blake was certain that she would be paid on salary; however, this idea of bonus on commission meant trouble for the Faunus. It meant that the longer she went without expressly stating her wish to be alone, the more the woman would attempt to sell her something. "Maybe you're looking to buy something for a special occasion?"

It took a great deal of effort to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not looking to buy anything. I'm simply browsing while I wait for my friend to find what she needs." In her opinion, this was a more measured, meticulous response than her last. She felt that this would achieve what she wanted.

The flaw in her reply, however, proved to be her mention of Weiss. The woman lost interest in Blake immediately, revealing a bored, tired frown before turning towards Weiss with an attempt at a beaming smile. The heiress had been looking at a case before her, leaving her back facing the sales worker. Though, she didn't require a direct line of sight to hear the approaching figure. The woman was barely able to greet with the same "Hi!" before Weiss curtly stated, "No." Blake couldn't help but snicker as the woman hung her head low and returned to the register.

She felt oddly lucky that Yang wasn't here. It was strange for her to think this, but she felt that if the blonde been here in this instance, she would have engaged in conversation regardless of whether or not she wished to buy anything. Perhaps her loquaciousness would serve only to tease or would simply be natural and characteristic of her. Blake knew that Yang would have picked up on the woman's fake enthusiasm and perhaps the conversation between the two would progress to a point where Yang would joke about the woman for not being sincere, causing their eventual expulsion from the store. Then again, she was perceptive enough to notice Blake's discomfort a number of times before, so it could be reasoned that Yang might have responded similarly to how Weiss reacted. Though, she figured that perhaps her partner's response might have been less concise and more aggressive than the heiress'.

Yang was a protective person by nature. Blake had seen how she acted around Ruby during their time at Beacon and more recently, she had found herself falling under her partner's care. At times, this care felt stifling; specifically in instances where Yang offered to wholly and immediately solve one of Blake's problems for her—an example would be when she had paid for their lunch earlier today. While Blake may have disagreed with some of her actions, she knew that her partner did these things to ensure that there were minimal opportunities for unnecessary worry. Currently, Yang was protecting her sister as best she could. This was yet another aspect that added to the case of her selflessness.

Blake didn't pay much attention to the jewelry before her, finding most pieces to be bland or similar to all the others. They were all fascinating, but there were only a few pieces that differentiated themselves from the others. However, there was one which immediately caught Blake's attention and brought her back to present reality. Amongst many other necklaces in the glass counter before her was something that resonated with Blake. In the back, right corner of the case laid a golden necklace. It was not as large or ornate as the one Weiss had shown her earlier, but this was why it drew Blake's attention. This, more than the other, reminded her of Yang and caused her to envision the blonde wearing this piece.

She could not comprehend why her thoughts had so quickly gravitated towards Yang and this accessory. Her partner tended to focus on physical beauty—strength, grace, health—rather than material appearance that jewelry lent itself to. Yet there was something about this necklace that made Blake believe her girlfriend would appreciate it. The necklace itself was simple and would not draw attention away from the wearer, yet it was just elegant enough to make the assumed wearer potentially glow. The subtle sheen of the gold paralleled Yang's perennially sunny nature and was reminiscent of her radiant hair. This is the reason why Blake thought that a gold necklace would suit Yang best.

But there were many other modest necklaces in the store. What had drawn Blake's attention specifically was the amber gemstone that comprised this necklace's pendant. Perhaps it was a bit narcissistic of her to think, but Blake was reminded of her own eyes when she saw the piece. How symbolically perfect, she thought, it was to find this treasure that represented both the priceless warmth of Yang and the reserved tranquility of herself. Yang deserved it for all she had done and buying it for her was the least Blake could do to thank her for this summer, her care, and their relationship. She even thought that, perhaps, it would prove to the blonde that she would never forget the time she spent with her. Perhaps, she thought, it would convey her love.

She did not notice Weiss' presence until the girl hummed in appraisal. Blake, ever so slightly startled, looked over to her and saw her raised eyebrow. "You're thinking of giving this to Yang?" the heiress asked. Blake simply stared back at the necklace and nodded. "I think it's fitting. I believe she will like it; you know her better than I do."

Before Blake could respond, Weiss turned and walked away. She wasn't upset by this, having been too engrossed in the thoughts of how the necklace would look on Yang and how she would react to receiving it. With these thoughts sufficiently distracting her, she did not hear the short conversation that occurred between Weiss and the shop's only employee. She only became aware of this once the woman walked up to the case and unlocked it.

Alarmed, Blake sent a critical look to Weiss. She was across the store and standing before the register. Immediately, Blake knew that Weiss intended to buy the necklace for her. Yang buying her lunch was one thing, but what Weiss was doing was unnecessary. "Weiss, I can take care of this myself. Please don't do this."

Weiss shook her head. "My family has a rule, Blake, and has upheld this rule for generations upon generations. Whenever a person assists a Schnee in a great way, we are obliged to grant assistance to the person whenever he or she may need it." Blake's look became a defiant glare but was met with a rare smile from Weiss. "I'm not trying to belittle you. You've done a great thing for me today and I wish to return the favor." The woman gingerly lifted the necklace off of its stand, closed the case, and relocked it. Blake felt the urge to halt her physically, but was dissuaded by Weiss' continued speech. "Please, Blake; this is something I must do."

"But what about what you were looking for?" Blake was searching for any means of discouraging this purchase. "Shouldn't you be focusing on that instead?"

Again, Weiss shook her head. "No, I've come to realize that if I was to buy something here, it would undoubtedly come across as improper. Coming from you, however, a gift from here would be appropriate." The woman returned to the counter and laid the necklace down.

Between her ineffectual resistance and the confusion caused by the heiress' last statement, Blake could not think of anything to say to either Weiss or the employee that could cease their transaction. Instead, she steadily walked to the counter to stand beside Weiss. If what she said about familial honor in repaying a debt was true, then Blake understood that her denial would come across as shameful and rude. Moreover, she knew that Weiss' stubbornness was rivaled not even by Yang's. Figuring there was nothing she could do to stop the transaction, she sighed. "You know that I can take care of myself, correct?"

"I'm aware, but you have given me information and confidence far more valuable than any necklace could ever amount to." Weiss reached into the pouch where she usually kept secondary vials of Dust for Myrtenaster and pulled out a familiar white card. Blake barely had time to wonder where she had seen such a sight before Weiss continued. "I've wronged you too many times now and I want to apologize and thank you for being a friend." The woman swiped the card, Weiss gave her signature, and the transaction was completed.

As the woman took the necklace behind a door, Blake turned to Weiss, unsure of how her expression should look. She was all of annoyed, exasperated, and grateful. "I appreciate the gesture, but you really shouldn't have done that for me."

The kind look Weiss had held for these past few minutes vanished quickly and was replaced with an annoyed look of her own. "Blake, stop. What's done is done. I understand that you want to uphold your integrity. And while that's all well and good, you can't argue every time somebody does something nice for you. Sometimes, you need to allow others to help you. Perhaps later you could return the favor, but allow me to do this one thing for you."

Blake's defiant look held for only a few more seconds before she frowned and sighed. "I apologize. It was rude of me to argue." She then met Weiss' eyes with a challenging look. "Thank you for doing this, but don't think that I will forget your suggestion about returning the favor at a later date."

Weiss smirked. "I would be concerned if you did." This allowed Blake to smile somewhat; they had finally come to an understanding.

The woman returned with a thin, black box in hand. Instead of heading to the register where she stood previously, she went around the counter and stood before Blake to present the box. Now that something had been purchased, she seemed to be willing to show sincere emotion. "Here you go, ma'am. You chose a very pretty necklace and I'm sure your grandmother will appreciate it. By the way, I'm so sorry to hear about her. You have my sympathies." Blake was genuinely confused. This had apparently been conveyed through her expression because the woman elaborated, "I know how hard it is to have someone suffering from dementia. My mother developed it before she passed. I hope she enjoys the gift; it is a really sweet thing you're doing for her."

Blake gave an unsure smile and thanked her despite not knowing what she was talking about. She then heard the shop's door slide open and knew that her teammate had left. Left alone with the result of Weiss' cruel sense of humor, Blake made her leave eventually and with innumerable instances of false gratitude. As soon as she backed out into the humid air of the city, she turned to find Weiss standing nearby with her arms crossed. Before she could say anything, Weiss stated, "I'm happy to offer my assistance, but because Yang is the intended recipient, I had to make fun of her somehow."

"But don't you think the story you told her was inappropriate? She said her mother had dementia."

Weiss scoffed. "You actually believed that? She only kept talking to you so she could sell you another necklace." Judging by the woman's earlier behavior, Blake was inclined to believe this claim over the employee's. "But I apologize if I managed to hurt your feelings in the process. Crass behavior begets equal ridicule, whether or not Yang was here to witness it." Blake thought that this was a harsh reaction, but couldn't bring herself to complain because the heiress had purchased a necklace for her.

As she contemplated the ethics of Weiss' reaction, she found that the girl in white had already begun to move. "If Ruby and Yang aren't done with their walk by now, they will be soon." This was all the incentive Blake needed to catch up to her. As she did so, she slid the box into one of the jacket's pockets and did not let go. It wasn't her dislike of crowds that brought about this cautiousness, but rather it was the value she placed on this necklace and the joy that it might bring her girlfriend. She could see Yang's expression now: the radiant smile, the warm hug, and eyes that reciprocated the same emotions Blake felt. She would guard this box and remain attentive of those around her who might covet the gift for themselves.

As she did so, she wondered when it would be appropriate to give Yang the necklace. Perhaps not today. Enough had gone on that if she gave Yang the jewelry today, it might not receive the same reaction it could garner if given at a more opportune time. She decided that once the moment came, she would know. Whenever that moment presented itself, she would be prepared.

---

The descent into frightened discomfort from such a happy state only began once Blake found that Yang and Ruby had not yet returned from their walk. This left her and Weiss standing amongst a growing mass of humanity. During the first few minutes, Blake had been calm about the situation, believing that the two would return at any second. However, as the minutes passed, she found herself without any reassuring information that could keep her composed. Weiss couldn't help; she naturally was not a caring person and missed the fairly obvious signs of fear Blake had shown. Now she watched every person in the crowd, waiting for a head to turn towards her and stare her way. She never took her hand off of the box resting in her pocket, too afraid of potential pickpockets that she knew existed and knew went unnoticed because of her current state. She could only hope that Yang would return soon.

She was not yet at the point where visions or paralysis occurred as nobody in the crowd seemed to care about her and Weiss' presences. Yet she was aware of the fact that if one person looked even slightly agitated by her presence, a cascading effect of guilt, remorse, and fear would take control over her actions completely. As a last resort, she began rubbing the inside of her coat pockets so that she could encase herself in a shield of Yang's lingering affection.

Yang could take her away from this desolation. Ever since they started dating, she had never once failed in her consoling efforts. Not a single person in her past had been able to do what Yang has done for her in these five days. To Blake, her partner was a source of security unparalleled in her effectiveness and statistical stability. While she wanted to believe she needed Yang in this instance, her own stubborn pride would not let her think that she needed anybody—this was the same stubborn pride that argued that she did not love Yang.

While it is true that Blake was not dependent on Yang, it would be wrong to assume that she could go without her partner for long any more. The blonde was the first true friend the Faunus has ever had, thus placing a value on her that would never be matched by her teammates or any other friend she may make in the future. Furthermore, she was Blake's first significant other. In most cases, this would doom the relationship from the start; however, Blake had been careful with who she fell for. She knew that Yang was right for her. The fact that Yang felt the same way was astounding and allowed for the single-greatest moment in her life. Now this person who was so precious to Blake was away when she needed her. She would admit that she missed Yang and needed her dearly at this time.

From underneath her bow, Blake's Faunus ears perked at a sound otherwise muffled by the crowd's myriad conversations. "Blake!" she heard Yang call. She knew not if it was the high pitch of her girlfriend's call or if she had simply heard her partner's voice enough times to differentiate it from thousands of others, but Blake instantly knew to whom the voice belonged.

She felt like yelling back in response, but stopped herself preemptively. Such an action would draw the attention of those around her. Instead of easily giving Yang her and Weiss' position, Blake resigned to waiting for the next time she called her name.

"Blake!" Since she was prepared this time, she was able to interpret the direction from which the noise came. It was only after she heard a higher-pitched voice yell, "Weiss!" that Blake could be certain in her assumptions of where the other two were.

Keeping her thoughts on Yang alone, Blake began walking into the crowd. "Blake!" This time, the call did not come from Yang. "Where are you going?"

Blake turned back to Weiss and simply said, "Yang's over here. Come on." Weiss huffed but followed nonetheless.

The further into the crowd the two traveled, the harder it was for Blake to keep her thoughts trained on the prospect of seeing Yang once again. She was voluntarily moving in between people that were probably unenthused by her interruption of their various conversations, but with her forced distraction, she was unable to feel their scathing gazes as she passed them by. Again, she heard the shouts of "Blake!" and "Weiss!" This time, however, she found that the noises came from a different direction than the way she was heading. With this realization in mind, she changed course and moved towards the assumed location of her girlfriend at an even greater speed.

Once more the two called. Now it was Weiss' turn to notice them. "I think I heard them," she said. "It sounded as though their voices came from our left." Once again, Blake altered her direction. In a way, she found it ironic that she was now the one finding a path through the crowd and leading another person to their destination. However, she could not ruminate on this for too long; her current level of goal-driven indifference required absolute concentration. Suddenly, she broke through a wall of people and saw her.

Yang hadn't seen her yet. She was saying something to Ruby that was only just inaudible while she scanned the crowd in front of her. It was a strangely similar scene to the one Blake had woken up to. Now that she could see her partner, Blake allowed herself to relax, becoming aware of the glances she was being given from those around her, but not truly caring. Seeing Yang again was a dream come true despite having only been separated for what could not have been more than an hour and a half.

Her only reason for staying hidden in the crowd was so that she could prepare what she wanted to say to Yang in a witty and concise manner. However, attention was drawn her way when Weiss brushed past her and stepped into the sisters' vision. "Hey, Weiss! We're back!" Ruby exclaimed in her regular, chipper tone. "Did you miss us?"

As Weiss fumbled for a response that would not betray her flustered demeanor, Blake accepted the fact that they would eventually see her as well and stepped into view. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to Yang's lilac and their stares became locked onto one another's. Automatically, Blake began to move forward, undeterred by her previous thoughts of stealth and preparedness. When she saw Yang's beaming smile directed towards her, her pace quickened and soon enough she found her way into her girlfriend's warm embrace.

The two didn't say anything for a while, simply enjoying the presence of one another. Blake gripped tightly onto the heavier leather jacket that Yang wore, not wanting to be separated from her ever again. She turned her head this way and that so she could get the jacket's collar out of her face. In doing so, she moved herself closer so that her cheek brushed up against Yang's neck and her face became buried in the blonde's collarbone. As she closed her eyes and became surrounded by warmth, Blake felt as though it was yet another sunny day in Vale and the idea that it had rained earlier became absolutely ridiculous. She sighed contentedly, breathing in the smell of lavender once again. "I missed you," she whispered softly into Yang.

One of Yang's hands cupped the back of her head while warm fingers danced wonderfully through her hair. Blake thought that she couldn't be any happier in this moment, but her partner's action made her outright blissful, evoking emotions not dissimilar to those she felt when she held Yang's pillow close earlier this morning. As she nuzzled closer into her girlfriend, she could feel a head dip down close to hers and whisper back, "I missed you too." Blake smiled and hummed contentedly—rather, the result of her joyful efforts came out as more of a purr than a hum, but she could not be bothered by this; Yang was back now and that was all that mattered.

They would remain like this for a few minutes, locked in each other's embrace and all the happier for it despite the rising level of discomfort on the other teammates' parts. In fact, neither Blake nor Yang noticed that the other two had ceased their own conversation to awkwardly await the end of their reunited joy until Weiss faked a cough. When Blake pulled away, she had a blush spreading across her cheeks; this was not caused by the thought of others seeing her display of affection—in this moment, others' opinions on her relationship meant next to nothing to her—but instead by the amount of time she unintentionally left the Ruby and Weiss waiting. When she looked to her partner, Blake found that Yang was blushing too as she slung an arm over her shoulder. They looked expectantly at the heiress.

The girl in question sent a glare that seemed to silently warn Blake that it would be unwise to make her regret her purchase. The glare then turned towards Yang; though in this case, the glare seemed to represent established low levels of spite and loathing. "I trust your little heart-to-heart with Ruby went well."

"Nah," Yang drawled, grinning unabashedly. "I actually made it worse. Sorry about that. I tried everything I could, but she still turned out a miserable mess. That's why she's smiling and actually talking to you again. It really is a sad sight to see." This was returned with an unamused look from Weiss while Blake and Ruby laughed.

"Funny." Weiss scowled. "Perhaps it is unwise to joke about Ruby's obvious distressed state."

"Yeah, sure. Maybe for someone else, but I'm her sister; I get a pass." Yang beamed at the shorter girl. "She's fine, Weiss. She just had something on her mind and needed to talk to someone about it."

Weiss seemed alarmed and looked over to Ruby. "Why didn't you talk to me about it?" Rather than her regular, provoked manner of response, the way Weiss reacted almost seemed desperate. Ruby's response was decidedly less sentimental. Her eyes widened in fear and her mouth opened and closed in a futile attempt to say something, anything to appease the heiress.

She never got the opportunity to respond for Yang had begun laughing at Weiss' question. "Are you kidding me?" she asked between breaths. "You aren't the most approachable person in the world. Every time Ruby wanted to talk to you about something, you'd tell her to stop talking and get back to work. Besides," she controlled her breathing, "she needed to talk to me about it."

The way Yang had phrased her last statement seemed to convey to Weiss the finality she had intended, causing the heiress to truncate her insistence with a sigh. She then looked at Ruby. The young girl smiled with warmth reminiscent of her sister's own. "Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to get in the way of you and the exhibit. I really enjoyed it, though. Thanks for taking me with you, Weiss." To Blake, the young leader's response was perhaps the sweetest, most heartwarming thing she had ever heard her say. This was only added to by Ruby's pleading gaze towards her partner that begged not only for forgiveness, but for Weiss to be happy again.

Apparently, the girl in white had similar thoughts about Ruby's response. She blinked and blinked until she could formulate her next course of action, being obviously flustered by this show of adoration. When she did reply, it came out metered and monotonous. "I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Ruby. Is there anything else you wanted to do while we are here?"

Ruby squinted in apparent thought. "No, I don't think so. I know I'm probably forgetting something, but what are you gonna do? That sort of thing happens. But seriously, I had a lot of fun." She relaxed her expression, leaving her only with a smile that was able to make Weiss blush from its sincerity. "But it also took a lot out of me. Do you think we could head home early?"

Weiss nodded, slowly working her way to a smile. "Sure. That sounds nice."

Before the heiress could react, Ruby took her by the hand and began pulling her away, waving all the while back at Blake and Yang. "I'll see you back at the house! Don't stay out too late!" Blake was pleased to see that Weiss showed little resistance against the hold Ruby had her in. Other than an initial movement to shift her hand into a more comfortable position, she seemed calm—Blake assumed she had quickly become confident in her intent.

Yang waved back. "We'll be back soon!" was all she could yell before the other partnership disappeared into the crowd. As soon as she lost sight of them, she turned her bright gaze on Blake. "So? What about you? Wanna head home early too?"

Today's trip had been different from Blake's last trip into the city. She did not mean this in either a positive or negative way; rather, she accepted that there were certain aspects about their first trip that she would have been unable to replicate regardless of how hard she tried. Even still, there were certain aspects about their current trip that were more memorable than their last. Both trips had their positives and negatives, but she decided that this was not at all regrettable. And though it was still mid-afternoon in the city of Vale, she felt that if they were to do anything else today it would be aimless wandering—something that would be undoubtedly trying on both of their tired states. She shrugged. "Sure."

The arm around her shoulders tightened as Yang turned both of them around. "Sounds good." The couple then moved forward into the crowd and towards the corridor they initially came through to reach this square. In their travels, Blake returned to the wonderful warmth that was the inside of Yang's shoulder. Again, she didn't care what anybody thought of how they looked—not anymore. She had waited far too long to be able to trust a person like how she trusted Yang and she had to wait even more to return to this embrace. Those around her could glare all they liked, they could judge all they wanted, but her resolve would hold and she could no longer see validity in bold claims of those uninvolved.

She sighed contentedly, glad that she was back with Yang. "How did things go with Ruby? She acted as though nothing had happened." Partially, the question was meant to sate her curiosity, but even more than that, she asked it so that she could hear Yang's voice again. She had missed her wholly and dearly.

"Eh," Yang shrugged, "She vented for half an hour and then spent an hour yelling at me for 'interrupting' them. But at least she's fine now. She just needed a bit of a reset, that's all." As they found the familiar corridor, Yang turned to smile at Blake. "How'd Weiss go?"

There were two limiting factors in Blake's potential answer. For one, Weiss had asked her to keep their conversation confidential and Blake was ready to honor this agreement. The second factor was the thin box resting in her jacket that was intended to be a surprise. Between the two of these, her explanation was left to, "She seemed annoyed by the situation at first, but she got over it fairly quickly. She took me shopping."

Yang grimaced. "How was that?"

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," she hummed. "The staff actually proved to be worse. The woman who worked there and tried to help us was incredibly disingenuous. She was a terrible actress; it was awful."

"You know, I feel bad for you, but not enough to say I'd switch places with you." Blake shook her head and rolled her eyes. "But I mean, she couldn't be that bad." Yang's gaze remained on her for a moment, eventually losing the playful expression she held. "Could she?"

"Yang, she attempted to sell me something through guilt. She even lied about her mother having dementia to make me feel worse."

"And did it work?" Blake gave her a flat look. Yang beamed. "That's my Blake. Always the fighter." Blake sighed and closed her eyes as she moved closer into Yang's hold. She smiled absent-mindedly as she repeated Yang's phrasing again and again in her mind. "My Blake," she had said. How naturally she had said it—it could almost be assumed to be second nature. The Faunus dismissed the potential connotations of ownership, seeing the phrase instead as Yang's unadulterated affections and enjoyment of her presence. She doubted Yang cared about such semantics, but the satisfaction she derived from her analysis of the sentence was incredible.

When she next opened her eyes, she could see Bumblebee standing out amongst a line of cars coated in varying greyscale paints. Apparently, the museum had, in fact, been the intended destination, seeing as how the bike was not far from it. They didn't speak to one another as they made their way to the vehicle, being too captivated by their embrace. To disengage from the hold was difficult, but necessary for mounting the bike. Before that could happen, however, Yang would hand Blake a helmet before putting on her own. Blake was torn between continuing to watch the blonde and making sure the necklace was secured. In the end, Blake buttoned the pocket that carried the box before donning her helmet as well.

She took her position behind Yang and held on tight, not for her own safety, but to ensure that she could remain close. Some part of her worried about the box being felt through both of their jackets, but then again, the jacket Yang wore was far thicker than her own. Regardless, she rested her head against the mane of golden hair in front of her and nodded when asked if she was ready to leave. For as long as they were on that bike, Blake found that the world around her diminished in importance. She knew now what meant the most to her. The equality of her people, while still important to her, paled in comparison to this personal victory she had achieved. Her aspirations for becoming a huntress and making the world a marginally better place were temporarily forgotten in the face of accomplishment. Blake knew now that she could say without use of hyperbole that Yang was the figure she held dearest and her acceptance had been the absolute greatest moment in her life. She held this figure close, unwilling to let the world separate her from her partner.

---

The sounds of moving metal persisted as Bumblebee entered the home's garage and shook Blake from her reverie. The headlights dimmed and the engine was turned off, causing the gyroscope to activate and balance the vehicle. Yang pressed a button on the bike's control panel and the garage door slowly came back down. Their trip had essentially ended and yet neither moved. Even through her helmet, Blake could hear the subtle sounds of Yang's heartbeat as though her ear was once more against the blonde's chest. Yang held a reflective smile in kind, though due to their positions, Blake could not see it. Neither had the immediate desire to move, but they both knew that it was an eventual necessity.

Blake was the first to dismount the bike and separate from her partner. What allowed her to follow through with this action was the knowledge that they were home now and that in this place, there would be nothing impeding them from being near each other. Even as she took her helmet off, she watched her girlfriend with that same prideful, nervous feeling from earlier. Without Blake's admittedly restricting hold, Yang was able to dismount as well. As soon as her helmet was removed, she smirked at Blake. "I'd say today was pretty good, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, all things considered." Truthfully, the day had been wonderful. Blake simply felt like teasing her girlfriend.

"And I'm guessing the 'thing' you're considering is your bonding experience with Weiss?" Yang approached Blake and took her helmet before placing them on the counter at the back wall of the room.

"Well, yes, there's that." Blake pursed her lips and pretended to look intently at nothing in particular, hoping that her expression would come across as contemplative. "There's also the fact that you were late to the rally point and that you abandoned me this morning, leaving me with a pillow replacement."

"Hey! We weren't late; actually, we were early. You and Weiss came like forty-five minutes ahead of time. If anything, you should have kept on shopping." Blake laughed. "And I already apologized for the pillow thing! I told you that I had some stuff to take care of. Now that it's taken care of, that won't happen again—at least, I hope." This caught Blake's attention. Was Yang implying that the sleeping arrangements they had last night would become frequent? If so, she had no complaints.

"Fine," Blake dismissed, intending for her reaction to come across as flippant. "Anyways, I had a great time. So, yes, I do believe today went well."

Yang smiled warmly at this clear answer. "And what about the tour? I know the rain kinda messed it up, but I think we had fun."

"It was fun, Yang. I enjoyed it immensely, but perhaps next time we could go somewhere that doesn't involve causing trouble for your sister."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, fine." Yang rolled her eyes. "Again, my bad. I just couldn't resist. When Ruby says 'Don't mess with Weiss today,' you pretty much have to mess with Weiss. Just think of what could've happened if I didn't play the hero?" She shook her head, faking solemnity. "What a travest-Schnee it could have been."

This pun was nowhere near the funniest the blonde had told her before, yet Blake still could not stop herself from laughing. "You're terrible," she managed to gasp.

Yang shrugged the quip off. "I'm all right." This was just another part of Yang that the Faunus loved. Her humor was variable in terms of quality, but as time progressed and Blake got to know her partner, the puns and jokes resonated with her more and more. Eventually, her enjoyment of Yang's jokes got to a point where she believed the blonde was tailoring many of her quips to her specific sense of humor. She was amazing in that way, thought Blake.

Soon, Blake was able to catch her breath and compose herself. During the time it took her to do this, Yang had made her way to the door leading into the house. She was waiting there with a hand extended in Blake's direction, expecting her to take hold. She did not seem as though she was going to open the door until the Faunus was ready as well. Blake smiled and began to move; however, on the way to her girlfriend, a chance thought formed that caused her to blush. The idea had been a plan that relied heavily on Weiss' doctrine of leaving no debt unpaid. In the invisible moment of hesitation the idea caused her, she decided that though the intended action may be very much atypical of her usual self and though she may have been reluctant to do something of the like before today, the idea was heartfelt and she was sure Yang would appreciate it. In that invisible moment of hesitation, she bolstered her courage.

Blake stepped forward. She saw Yang's hand automatically extend even further towards her, but instead of accepting it with her own as she was expected to do, she sidestepped the gesture so that she could stand directly in front of the blonde. The questioning look on her partner's face caused her to reconsider for a moment, but she continued undeterred. "Thank you for today, Yang." She closed her eyes and took a quick breath for a final boost of courage. When she opened them next, she forced herself to her toes for the extra bit of height needed to quickly kiss Yang's cheek. The kiss was hurried and probably needed more practice to perfect, but judging by the immediate reaction Yang had and the swell of pride that she felt, it more than adequately conveyed her sentiments. When she returned to her normal stance, she felt slightly dizzy and her face burned intensely, but all of this was made up for by the similarly blushing face of Yang that held a goofy, insensate expression. With this action, she knew that her own debt was repaid and that Yang now had an idea of the love she felt for her. "I'm sorry, but today just meant a lot to me. Thank you." She then took the hand that had somehow managed to stay extended and intertwined their fingers.

Yang tried to say something—she truly did give an honest effort—but all that she managed to do was babble incoherently. Seeing that this state was not going to change by simply standing in place and waiting, Blake pulled on her hand. "Come on." Yang simply nodded and followed along as Blake pushed the door open and entered the house. She closed the door and then smiled at Yang as they walked down the hallway. She was concerned about the extent of this reaction and whether or not it would be a lasting effect. She knew the action was surprising to Yang; it had been for her as well. Admittedly, that had been the first time she had ever kissed anyone, so she had no way to gauge the success of her endeavors other than by watching Yang's reaction. While the expression seemed to be exaggerated, such a response made her take pride in her efforts. Even if it wasn't objectively perfect, she felt as though it was to her. She could still feel the warmth of Yang's skin against her lips and smiled as she felt the heat travel throughout her body and comfort her completely.

As they walked down the hallway, Yang's lopsided smile gradually formed into a toothy grin. She never said anything, possibly still a bit shocked from the kiss, but by no means did she seem argumentative. The brunt of this boldly joyful grin was directed at Blake, causing her blush to linger. But this happiness only caused her smile to widen in turn. She was unabashedly in love. Her initial assumptions about the emotion she felt from earlier were correct in her mind. She loved Yang; there was no doubt about it. She didn't know if Yang felt the same way—honestly, she doubted she did—but she would remain steadfast in her resolve to make the blonde feel as loved as she felt. Blake gave a gentle squeeze to Yang's hand before facing forward.

As the two neared the kitchen, Blake began to hear the sound of someone speaking. Eventually, it became clear to her that that someone was Ruby and she was apparently alone which made it odd to hear her speaking to nobody in particular. "Um, no. Sorry, I can't say I know that." Her speech became audible when the couple was within feet of the kitchen's entrance. When they entered, Ruby immediately turned around and looked wide-eyed at both of them. She was holding a phone up to her ear. "Actually, she just came in." She paused for an apparent response. "Yes. Just a second, I'll put her on." Ruby covered the microphone as she said, "Yang, there's somebody on the phone." She sounded panicked, as though such a thing never happened.

"Cool!" Yang chirped. Even if she was naturally a lively person, her response here was somehow uncharacteristically over-enthusiastic. "Give it here!"

"Actually," Ruby squeaked, shying away from whatever it was she was going to say, "it's for Blake."

Blake was confused. How could she be receiving a call while she was staying at Yang's house? She blinked and immediately both her and Yang's moods sobered. Her thoughts immediately travelled to the possibility of the White Fang finally realizing her whereabouts—rather, she quickly accepted this belief as fact and began thinking defensively.

Her instinctual reaction would be to swipe the phone from Ruby's hand and hang up, but such a hasty action could only endanger the lives of her teammates. Instead, she steeled herself, ensuring that whatever she said would come out moderated and guarded. She held out her hand and Ruby gave her the phone.

"Hello." This was a voice she had not used since her last day at Beacon. It was uncomfortably cold and emotionless, yet it is what she needed if her suspicions proved to be true. "This is Blake Belladonna speaking. Who is this?" By giving her full name and a few seconds worth of speech, she was giving the other person on the line exactly what they needed to know, keeping everybody else on her team safe.

However, her expectations turned out to be quite opposite what reality presented her. Though there was a great deal of interference caused by telephone technology, Blake could hear an audible gasp that was decidedly not hostile. "Blake?" This feminine voice was so incredibly far from being hostile. "Blake, is that you?"

Before, Blake was prepared to fight. Now, all she wanted to do was cry; whether they were meant as tears of joy or sadness, she didn't know. She knew that voice somehow. Somehow, after all this time, she knew that voice. "M-mom?"

Yang's eyes widened in shock. "Wait. What?"

With tears in the corners of her eyes, Blake looked to her only remaining source of strength with a similar expression. As she watched her girlfriend's reaction to this bold revelation, she heard in her ear, "Oh my! Oh my! Cole! Cole! I found her!" Hearing this name, Blake froze in place. "Cole, I found her!" It had been so long.

"Blake?" Yang asked. "Blake, what's wrong? What's going on?"

The only way she could respond was by shaking her head, still unsure of how to react.

"Yes. Yes! No, she's in Vale. The city. I'm not sure; all I know is that she is staying with her friends."

"Come on, Blake. Speak to me."

"No, no. I'm sure she's safe. They are all huntresses."

"Blake?"

"Yes, I'm sure she's safe. Because she's on the phone right now."

Yang groaned and placed a calming hand on Blake's shoulder. "Blake, it's all right. Talk to me. Say something."

Blake looked forward and saw the calming sight of lilac and said weakly, "Yang, it's my parents."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I got that part. But somehow, I still don't know what's going on."

"Blake?" she heard her mother ask.

Instinctually, she responded, "Yes?"

She could hear a relieved breath being taken on the other end of the line. "You sound so grown-up now," her mother said wistfully. "It took so long to do it, but finally we found you." She, too, sounded as though she was on the verge of tears if she wasn't already. Blake had no way to respond to this statement. For that matter, she did not know how to react to any of this now. She was happy to have heard from them, but why now? And how had they found her? There were many more questions that were raised in Blake's mind that she simply could not bring herself to voice. Then, the voice spoke again. "Blake? Are we interrupting something? I'm sorry if we are; we can call you again later if it would be more convenient."

"Umm…" Blake could not think of an appropriate response. While she wanted to talk to her parents again and to take comfort in their reunion, she couldn't bring herself to say "yes." She had run away from them. Anything she could say would be awkward and wouldn't have any substance to it. Because of this, she wanted to say "no", but knew that if she did, she would be shutting away her family completely. She looked to Yang.

Yang looked confused but ready to help. The sight did not incent Blake to inform the blonde of the current situation while she was still on the phone, knowing that this could only make her problem even more difficult. However, seeing her this way—seeing her so grounded in reality and willing to assist her in achieving a similar state as well—brought a small, optimistic smile to Blake's visage. This smile gradually grew to become more confident and caused the tears welling in the corner of her eyes to dry. Simply seeing Yang gave Blake all the strength she needed to break away from her paralyzing fear and give an answer.

"I-I'm sorry. Now's just not a good time, but could you perhaps call tomorrow? I don't mean to be rude; i-it's just that it's been a long day and I'm a bit tired and I'm worn out and…" She sighed. "Mom, I'm sorry." This was not an apology for her run-on sentence, but rather for her abandonment of her family.

"Blake," her mother seemed to soothe, "it's all right. We know." Blake's smile widened at this. "We will call again tomorrow." There was a pause. "Please be safe. We love you, Blake."

"I-I…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. She did not feel that reciprocated the sentiments would be appropriate. "I will." Neither party acknowledged their inevitable farewell, causing a lengthy silence that was eventually punctuated by Blake hanging up the phone. She turned to Yang with a lingering smile and clear confusion evident in her eyes. In a single, exhausted sigh, all positivity made its way out of Blake's features. "What am I going to do?" she groaned.

Yang simply smiled and moved to embrace the drained Faunus in a warm, reinvigorating hold. Though it did not instantly raise her mood, Blake breathed easier and returned the hug, nuzzling close to hear the calm, rhythmic beat of the taller girl's heart and absent-mindedly playing with a few locks of golden hair with one of her hands. Something about this specific action—more than the other hugs she had received—told her that everything was going to be all right and that whatever challenge may arise, they would be able to overcome them together.

---

And thus ends Act II. If you are familiar with the five-act structure in writing, then you will understand why there was a lot to this chapter and why it is important for the chapters ahead.

I apologize if the introduction of Blake's parents is concerning in any way. I can see how it could have been unexpected and outlandish, but do not think that I am changing this story vastly because of this new variable. Because the perspective of the narration is based around Blake's experiences and thoughts, I needed to introduce her parents in a way that was surprising for both her and you, the reader. If you are worried about what this could mean for the story's integrity, then let me reassure you with two things: 1. It was my intent to introduce the parents at the end of Act II from the beginning, so this is not a spontaneous decision that could ruin the story. 2. Despite their introduction and importance, the story will still remain focused on Team RWBY. Though the parents will appear throughout Act III, they will not take precedence over the interactions of Blake and Yang. I just ask that you trust me with this.

The chapter's name, "Distance," was derived from the proverb, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and the variation where "Absence" is substituted with "Distance." This was meant to reference both the time Blake spent away from Yang while Ruby was being helped and the duration Blake had gone without speaking to her parents. At the same time, this title refers to how much Blake's personality has evolved from when she was allied with the White Fang. Of course, there are smaller, more subtle reasons why I gave this chapter this name rather than the original concept of "Revelation" (It was not supposed to be a Red vs. Blue reference, I swear.), but I will leave those open to interpretation.

There is something to be said about writing dialogue between Weiss and Blake. I enjoy writing dialogue for every character in this and I make as many opportunities to vary who is involved in a conversation, but whenever I get to write a scene where Weiss and Blake converse directly, so much can be accomplished. In this chapter's case, Weiss allowed Blake to realize how much she has changed and how not all of this change was for the better. Soon after, Blake was able to glean insight into the progress of the other partnership's relationship. Having one character that values knowledge and understanding (Blake) speak to another that prides intelligence and order (Weiss) allows for convenient exposition. However, dialogue between them alone should be relatively scarce lest I rely too heavily on it.

One final thing I would like to remark upon is the necklace Blake now has for Yang. I wrote the scene where Weiss purchased it for her as I was travelling to Austin for RTX. When I attended the RWBY panel and saw the trailer shown at the end, I could not help but quietly laugh to myself. If you pay attention to the shot of Yang in her alternate attire, you can see that she is wearing a gold necklace with a lilac stone in its pendant. The reason why I laughed was because of the coincidental similarity between the necklace of canon and the necklace of my story. How I imagined the amber necklace would look was amazingly similar to the necklace shown. I'm not claiming ownership by any means; these things happen. And I know I'm not the first to write about a character buying another character a necklace that symbolizes something special about their relationship. I just find the coincidence funny is all.

Thank you for reading. I am unsure when chapter ten will be finished. I expect it will take longer than this chapter but not as long as chapter eight did. I apologize for the cliffhanger that this ends on, so I will do my best to write the next chapter in a timely manner. Once again, thank you for your support; without it, I doubt this story would be as good as it is. You are all wonderful people.

Stay safe and stay tuned.