AYangThang: We opened the pool yesterday, a process that took longer than it usually does because as we discovered once we pulled the cover off, several tiles fell off the sides. We had to cement them back on, which took some time. I'm also going away later on today to visit some relatives, so I won't be able to post again until I get back...anyway sorry for the lateness of this. The next update is pending whenever I come back home...we're playing that part by ear.

Chapter 19

Yang took what Ruby said to heart. She did love the village, and she wanted to become a well-respected part of their society. She didn't want the Belladonna family name to make life easy for her. Instead, she wanted to earn the respect of the people.

It wasn't going to be easy, Yang knew that. The Faunus of the village had seen Yang as an outlier, the troublesome sort. She hadn't helped change that image of herself, either. Following along in many of Sun's more idiotic teenage antics when she first arrived on the island when she was sixteen. Her storied past was grumbled about by shop keepers and guards alike. She lacked Ruby's discipline, and had caused more than one stampede of Grimm in the forests in her life.

She had a lot to make up for, and figuring out how to do that was going to be half the struggle.

Although the streets weren't as full as usual, there was still a large number of eyes glued to her form. More, than she had ever needed to deal with in the past. Yet, as Yang reminded herself for the umpteenth time, that was the past, and this was now. Yang walked through the streets regardless of the gawking, and the Faunus she passed by cleared a path for her.

Some even bowed to her, the action one that she never would have expected.

It was a strange thing to experience, when just the other day most of the villagers completely ignored her. Banter had been flying around freely ever since she and Blake made a spectacle of themselves at the parties, but Yang didn't expect the entire island to have taken notice. She reached up to her neckline, part of the ink she had placed on her exposed shoulder and upper arm spoke volumes. The Belladonna family crest sitting upon a background with various shades of pink, dark purple, and black.

Maybe that had something to do with how weird everyone had been acting.

Tiptoeing around Yang, unsure of what to make of her. Blake warned her as much. After all, with the Belladonna family crest on her body, what were the villagers to think? It sat upon Yang's skin, telling the world clearly just who she belonged to. It was fresh, it was sore, and it was going to be there until her dying day. In spite of all of that, somehow, Yang knew she would never regret it.

She would do everything in her power to make sure Blake never did either.

The blonde made her way through the markets, shopkeepers working hard to put the district back in working order. Others continued diligently cleaning up the messes left behind by the food stalls, bonfires, and parades. Even though she loved the yearly parties, she liked the relaxed daily living found on the island even better. She thought getting groceries would be a simple tasks, but with most of her usual shops closed, she had to settle with the shops she didn't frequent.

The ones farther away from the coastal communities.

Glancing down at the glass milk jugs sitting on ice, she made a grab at one that looked fresh, sticking it in the wicker basket perched on her arm. It was only after she recalled what usually remained in the refrigerator back at home that she actually reached for a bottle of soy milk too. She no sooner made it to the lone cash register and the elderly Faunus male sitting behind it that she cursed to herself.

That he continued to stare at her made the whole ordeal worse.

"Um, I can't use money, sooo…" She trailed off.

The man nodded to her partially exposed tattoo. "You're a Belladonna now. Got a scent all over you." He leaned forward then, as if to get a better look at the human in question. He'd seen her around, sure, but the humans were more likely to visit the shops by the docks. There trades were often made by passing merchants who also happened to be human. The Faunus on the coast were more tolerable, but even the most sheltered Faunus knew never to argue with Blake's humans, of which this blond was known to be. "Go on then, get out of here. Business concluded."

"I should do something as payment, right?"

Keeping his rather pointed opinion to himself, he sighed. "Dunno what you think you're going to do."

"I could run an errand for you or something."

The gruff old man grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. "You want to help too?" He groused, pointing to the area behind him. There as a grassy knoll and a small hut he called home. "Go on then, she'll explain."

Confused at first, lilac eyes drifted to where the man was pointing, her gaze falling onto Kali. The Faunus was busy sorting through several baskets of linens by hand. Curiously Yang approached. Even though she liked to think she knew Blake's parents pretty well, that didn't mean Yang made a habit to seek them out on her own for casual conversations. Most of the time, Yang kept her distance.

Kali had always made Yang feel uneasy, a gut reaction that the blond never could explain properly.

Old, faded memories came to life in the little gestures that Kali offered. The cat Faunus was gentle and kind in ways Yang's had always expected mothers should be, but had never personally experienced. Kali was not a figment of the past, her dignity was not held aloft by stories of people who knew her. She was huntress for the sake of being one, to maintain some level of skill in battle, and to harbor some fundamental understanding such principles provided.

In this way, Kali was like every strong woman Yang knew.

Yet, Kali was not the sort of person to leave for extended periods. She didn't vanish, and didn't condone the mentality that such a thing was acceptable.

In that single way, Kali was not like the others. It was that one single difference, so simple, but so life changing that Yang had never been able to fathom the magnitude of it. That Kali had stayed with her family, had chosen to raise Blake, and make that her utmost priority…all of it had addled Yang's mind. Even to this day, she couldn't come to grips with the woman. She couldn't quantify all of the things life had harshly taught her, juxtaposed to the woman who defied each and every cruelty with her unwavering kindness.

Perhaps if Yang had been younger, less jaded when first meeting the woman, she might have adjusted better to a life around Faunus, and the concepts of family. If things had been different, perhaps she would have been more accepting of Kali's gentler, nurturing hand. Kali's desire to offer guidance. Her failed attempts to bond.

As it was, Yang's earliest meetings with Kali were tinged with teenage hostility. Fear edging into Yang's every action, guarded because the wilds were unkind, and civilization was a selfish thing. Time had slowly changed their relationship to something less hostile, but to what extent, Yang had never been sure. It seemed she was about to find out.

She sat down beside the woman, crossing her legs and keeping more of a distance than she needed to. As was natural for the cat Faunus, she said nothing, letting Yang speak to her in the blonde's own time.

"So, what are you doing?" Yang finally managed with her arms crossed, feeling out of sorts when Kali regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "I, uh…" Her brows furrowed, and the awkwardness was bitter enough to taste. Kali, by all rights, was as close to a mother-in-law that Yang would ever get. Yet still, she couldn't find the words to bridge this gap. The idea that trusting Kali would eventually lead to betrayal was as fresh in Yang's mind as ever. "I was told to help."

Kali nodded ever so slightly, another momentary glance towards Yang was all that the woman needed. The car Faunus realized the eggshells Yang walked on. She knew better than the human dared to hope. "I'm about to wash stall covers." Kali told her. "We have an entire week of sullied covers to clean because they were neglected during the festivities."

"Why is that our job?" Yang asked. "We're huntresses..."

"We are whatever we need to be, at the moment that we're needed." Kali replied, her voice strangely casual, in spite of the deep words. "We as women of standing, are matron and matriarch. We are mates as well as mothers. Huntress one moment and den mother the next. In this case, the stall owners have other duties to tend to."

"Like what?"

"Like measuring out the milk and meat rations, and keeping records of what the villagers take back to their homes." Kali pointed out, gesturing back to the old man behind the counter. "You may not know this, but the slightest mismanagement of our supplies could lead to an island wide famine. That's the cost of having so many Faunus, each with their own dietary needs."

"We go onto the mainland as much as we can…" Yang said curling her hands in her lap. "Blake already has Ruby and Pyrrha getting ready for another trip. Med and dust run in Atlas, Ruby says."

Kali nodded at this, but otherwise said nothing else about the matter. Instead, she lightly changed the subject. "I have to admit, you're not one to come this far into the village proper. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon after the nuptials."

"Nuptials? That's got nothing to do with it. All the stalls by the docks are closed." Yang shrugged.

"So they are." The cat Faunus smirked then, wondering if it was intelligent to pry into the matter laying so obviously in front of them. She decided to take the risk. "So, the murmurs bubbling around are true I presume?"

"Depends on the rumors."

"Murmurs." Kali corrected. "You have been mated to Blake." It was the simplicity of the statement that sent an uncomfortable shiver up Yang's spine.

"Maybe…"

"My nose doesn't lie."

"Yeah, well…" Yang flinched over that knowing golden gaze. The uncanny ability to merely accept things as they were had never been a skill that Yang had possessed. She could hardly believe Kali was so relaxed about such a personal matter. "Probably pisses you off, huh?"

"Did I say I was angry?"

"No, but-"

"I'm not angry." Kali interrupted. "I was merely ascertaining the truth of the matter. If your tattoo didn't give you away, the scent all over you certainly does." She gestured over to the basket near the side of the house. "Those have already been washed and need to be hung on the line to dry. If you're at all sincere about wanting to help, you can do that."

"What, just hang them up?"

"They're heavier than they look." Kali said with a smirk, knowing just how heavy a basket of the thick canvas material was when wet.

They worked in silence for several long moments. Kali scrubbing out the black ash, stains, and the scent of smoke from the bonfires. She would glance to Yang on occasion, noting the blonde's discomfort. Kali understood why Yang was so guarded even better than the girl knew. Finally, after the moments ticked by for far too long, Kali made another attempt to extend the olive branch. "Yang, from one mated woman to another, may I give you a word of advice?"

Yang gave Kali a look, not really saying anything, but knowing also that she didn't need to.

"Do not try to live up to the standards of this village. Simply because we live in a particular way does not mean that it is always the best way. or the correct way." Kali said softly. "If you try to hold yourself to a standard beyond your means, you will fail."

"You don't think I can do it, do you?" Yang shot back. "Think I'm just a hooligan. That I'm a human, so I'm not as good as a Faunus, right? Well, here's a wake-up call." Yang said firmly. "I won't fuck it up. I can't do that this time…not if it means letting Blake down."

Kali rubbed her eyes, reminding herself yet again than this anger was never meant to be unleased in her direction. That this pain came from a deeper breach of trust, and was meant to be unleased at a much different person. A woman who Kali knew first had had a twisted idea of loyalty, and a perverted ideology of family. Friends and tribe being held above the importance of flesh and blood.

"Yang, I say it not because you're human, but, because of who Blake is." The Faunus replied, her tone cool and cautionary. "She is her father's daughter in many ways. Ways that make her just as restless and stubborn as he was at her age. Because they are people who do not have the luxury of selfishness, because they will never have the luxury of normalcy as the rest of this island knows it...they have duties that extend far and wide. They cannot just turn a blind eye to the needs of the people."

"Just what are you getting at…"

"She is young, you both are. Lacking the experience that her father and I have when it comes to both domestic and village matters. There is much to learn that only time can teach. The nuances of leading a village are not simple things to learn. Her training in that matter is far from complete...and your experience has yet to even begin."

"Not that it really matters." Yang huffed. "Faunus listening to humans, here? Get real."

"They will listen not because you're a human, but because our bylaws demand that the village leaders be treated with reverence." Kali paused then, regarding Yang at great length. The cat Faunus never said it aloud, but if Yang had been a Faunus, she would have been imposing to say the least. Her body language and natural scent were enough alone to make the wise person cautious. "You must understand, experience is a gift Blake will have at her disposal so long as she can fallow Ghira around and learn from him. You must also study hard, and learn your newfound place among our people."

It was then that Yang's grip on one of the canvas exposed her raw strength for what it was, several droplets of water flowing over her iron grip even though that particular canvas was no longer sopping. "I'm going to do the best I can."

"On your own?"

"What the hell else am I going to do?"

"That's entirely your decision." Kali shook her head then, the feeling of futility returning. "You should not be here at my side because of a payment Yang, but because you wish to learn what it means to be a member of this family, and to the people we dutifully protect and serve."