Next Update Friday, June 29th

Chapter 21

There were occasions, rare though they were, that Blake truly felt mystified by her human companions. There were many small quirks that they seemed to exhibit, some of them more baffling than others. The siblings, Yang and Ruby, shared plenty in common, which is what made their contrasts more appealing. Even so, each woman had some rather enticing, yet troublesome tendencies.

For Yang, it was her blind and boldfaced charisma, often acting before thinking. Her courage and her personality were difficult to handle, her emotions even harder still. Predicting Yang's mood and the nature of it was what Blake considered to be a never-ending struggle.

For Ruby, it was her unstoppable sweet tooth, and her love of sweet confections. Those sad eyes, and puppy-dog pouts that encompassed both her age, and her seemingly innocent outlook on like. Beneath that gentle demeanor a dangerous huntress lay dormant. It would be wrong for anyone to mistake Ruby's playful platitudes, or her desire for levity as childish.

In spite of the way Ruby often came across, she was the furthest thing from a child. "Come on, Blakey, please?" Ruby begged, reaching for the cookie bag that Blake had taken.

"I think you've had enough." The Faunus said, not knowing how many cookies Ruby had eaten today, but she could make a guess. "You're hyper, and we both know I hate it when you're hyper."

"I'm not hyper." Ruby said, sticking out her tongue. "I'm just…bouncy."

"Which means you're either made of rubber, or you've had way too many cookies. I'd be willing to believe both at the moment."

"No way, you can never have too many cookies."

"Oh, I'm sure you can, and I'm also sure that you've toed that line today." Blake knew that this bag was from a different bakery than Ruby's first earlier that day. She also knew that the resident cookie fiend made a habit of skipping breakfast, and snacked throughout the afternoon when she did. "I have no idea how many you ate, but I know the number will be at least double what a person should have. It's probably closer to quadruple."

"They're so good though. Why put them down, when they're nice in fresh?" Ruby said, jumping for the bag, only to have Blake easily sidestep her. The Faunus taking some pleasure in holding the confections away from her. "Damn." She cursed, the word nearly silent on the air. "Blake, give me those cookies now." Ruby began to grouse. "I've been cooped up in that stupid administration building all day long."

"You didn't have a choice. We had to file away all of the paperwork and add what we could to the computer systems. It's a lengthy process."

"And I hate doing that."

"I know…"

"The least you could do is give me the cookie bag I had to brave the crowds for." The damn watery eyes did her in every time. Blake felt her resolve cave, dropping the brown paper bag into Ruby's waiting hands. The girl inspected the cholate morsels for any damage, finding none. Then Ruby sighed happily, taking one and popping it into her mouth. "No matter how many times I eat one, it's always as good as the last."

"Hmm." Blake sounded, her voice placid. "Doubtful. Cut back a little, I mean it."

Ruby only smirked in defiance. "Spoilsport."

"I just don't share the same love of sweets as you do." Blake explained as she smoothed out Ruby's messy tendrils of short hair. "I think I'd get quite a bit sick of chocolate chip cookies if I ate them in the same quantities that you do."

"My cookies, your tuna." Ruby deadpanned, as though Blake's dislike of the sweet confections were an insult.

"Yes, yes, you might have a point. We each have our comfort food, mine's just more expensive and harder to come by." Blake agreed gently, hoping that it might be enough to placate the shorter woman. Ruby rarely exhibited anger, but Blake could tell, the short huntress had been more than a little miffed by Blake's teasing. It was time to leave the topic aside for the moment. "More importantly Ruby, have you and Pyrrha agreed on the details of the mission?"

"Kinda…" Ruby said, tiling one hand back and forth, indicating the shakiness of the statement. Then she took another cookie out of the bag, this time only taking a small bite, and chewing it thoughtfully. "Not to sound like I'm just going to complain, but keeping Yang here really does make it hard to come up with our teams."

"You'll just have to get creative." Blake said, unwilling to budge on the topic. "I want Yang to stay put. She's my mate."

"And she's my sister." Ruby shot back with a small, playful, grin. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything." Blake said, her tone soft but serious. "Is the fact that she's your sister supposed to change my position on the topic?"

"Is the fact she's your mate supposed to change mine?" Ruby echoed back. "Trust me, I get it. I know why you don't want her to leave, but if you're going to mess up my usual team composition, then you've got to give me time to sort it out."

"Ruby, are you worried about the mission because Yang won't be with you?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow, her arms crossing over the shorter woman's shoulders and pulling her close.

"No, not really." Polishing off the rest of the cookie, she rolled up the paper bag and carefully set it to the side. Clearing her fingers of crumbs, she rested her hands on Blake's own and leaned back into the embrace, closing her eyes. "I'm not worried exactly."

"Well then," Blake began slowly. "What is it that's on your mind?"

"I think you have the right idea about keeping Yang here. I think she'll be happier, I even told her that." Ruby sighed. "All the same, it doesn't make it easy on me knowing that we've got to leave her out of the rotation. Yang's a powerhouse and she's versatile."

"Mmm." Blake voiced, lowly. "I know. Flexible too. Very, very flexible."

"We, Blake, I didn't mean like that!" Ruby shot back, more than a little mortified. Her brows furrowed in disgust as she craned her head to look behind her. "Don't be gross."

"Oh, but it's so much fun to see you glare at me like that." Blake said softly. "You do it so rarely after all."

The shorter woman rolled her eyes. "I meant that she's almost perfect for northern missions. It's like she's built to beat down artic Grimm. Besides, she's like a portable space heater, pull on her hair a little, and the cabin below deck heats up just like that." Ruby said, snapping her fingers, to make her point. "Not having Yang there is going to suck. We'll figure it out, but I need more time."

"You wouldn't be procrastinating, would you?" Blake asked. "Waiting for one of my warriors to be free, or perhaps trying to talk Sun into going with you…"

"Sun hates the northern missions."

"He hates Atlas, but that's of no consequence to me." Blake corrected, as she broke the embrace and headed for a nearby sitting room. Other household members lounged around after a tiring day. "If I order him to go, he will go."

"Could you not order him, though?" Ruby asked lightly. "I want my team going because they want to be there, not because you forced them to…" Ruby looked down at the floor then. "I'm not like Pyrrha, I don't do a good job leading people who haven't volunteered."

"If I say that he will go, then he will go." Blake said simply. "If you tell me your desired team, I will make it happen…"

"Yeah, but that's the problem. I don't like it when you do that. I want him to want to be there with the rest of the team." Ruby protested. "If he doesn't want to, you can't force him."

"Oh, I do believe I can."

"But Blakey, I'm asking you not to."

The Fauns sighed at length. "Alright, alright, enough with the puppy eyes." The Faunus murmured.

It was at this time that Yang came into the room. The blonde smelling of booze and flopping down between Blake, and her confused sister. Yang's knuckles dug into Ruby's scalp as the blonde grinned. The smile was obviously forced as she released Ruby from a headlock. "Heya sis, I need to talk to Blakey about a village thing, and it can't wait."

Even the tone of her voice seemed off. Oozing with forced happiness. Pretending as though nothing was wrong, even though both of them knew that something obviously was.

"What's up, Yang?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing you have to worry about, it's on me." The blonde promised. "It'll take a few seconds. Well maybe longer. I won't keep Blake from you all night, but this kind of can't wait."

"We're kind of in the middle of something, Yang." Ruby shot back.

"Yeah, and usually I'd be out at the pub for at least a few more drinks so that I didn't come back to you two getting freaky or something." Yang said with a shrug. "It's a village thing, though, sis. I've got someone waiting to talk to her, and from what I hear, he's been waiting a long time." Then she turned to Blake, her voice softer still. "So how about it? Talk now, or talk later?"

Blake felt her head throb.

There were few things that could be as annoying as Yang's antics. When the blonde approached her quietly, sat beside her demurely, and acted subdued and mild mannered, Blake just knew that Yang had done something she wasn't supposed to. She rolled her shoulders, murmuring a dismissal to the female servant behind her. To the huntresses flanking her sides, she gazed to them gently.

"Leave us." It was a simple command, but heeded by even those of her most well respected peers and household members.

"Should I go too, or…" Ruby trailed off.

Blake looked up to Yang, sometimes when the blonde was in a bad mood, Ruby could talk her out of it. This seemed different, more personal. Her gaze flicked back to Ruby, seeing the worry in silver eyes. "I think it would be best." Blake said slowly, studying Ruby's expression. "Leave us for now, I will come in search of you later to continue discussing the mission."

Ruby nodded, standing up, walking passed Blake. A kiss on her cheek swift and playful. It was almost an afterthought, or so it seemed, but it made Blake happy anyway. The wolfish grin and raised eyebrow Yang sent in Blake's direction caused her to scoff. "What, am I not allowed to receive affection from another in my household?"

"Just not used to Ruby seeking you out…" Yang mentioned truthfully. "Normally it's the other way around."

"It seems that way, doesn't it? Ruby has come into her own, though. She's docile, responsive, but unquestionably opinionated." Blake replied simply. "I have no issues when it comes to my courtship proceedings with her. Although, that being said, she's made it quite clear that I will have to go to great lengths if I ever wish to claim her as my own."

"Never thought Ruby could be that demanding about anything."

"It's just the way she is." Blake frowned then, an unhappy thought skittering along in her mind like a bug. "It may never happen at all, she's pleased with our current arrangement."

"I think that's because you've got competition." Yang said, nodding over to the other room, where Ruby was already curled up in Sun's hammock, laying with the monkey Faunus while the two of them ogled some sort of television program on the small scroll.

"It's the claiming she takes issue with." Blake said with an offhanded shrug. "Affectionate though she may be, Ruby is whimsical to say the least. I think it comes down to the true thread of independence that flows through her entire being. She many never want to be claimed by anyone…even human marriage might be impossible. Honestly, none of that is my current concern." Only a lone servant remained in the far corner of the room, hidden in the shadows. A personal guard and Blake dismissed her as well. "You came to me wishing to talk, so, let's talk..."

"Promise not to be mad?" Yang asked almost all too quickly, and cringing when a black eyebrow raised in her direction. "Okay, so I did something. It's not bad, not this time, anyway."

Blake licked her lips, and considered the rebuttal slowly. Her eyes slipped closed. "When I took you as my mate, I knew you would have to start partaking duties relative to my bloodline. You even asked me if you could, and I agreed on one condition. That you carry yourself with dignity and honor. The same way that I would carry myself."

"I think I did a good job of doing that today." Yang grinned, but it faltered too quickly. "Maybe too good a job. Maybe too much."

Blake opened her eyes and studied her mate. She knew the woman had a heart a gold. That Yang lacked the cold and calculated logic of a ruler tending to the needs of thousands. It was a skill that would come with time. "So, tell me, Yang, what did you do?"

"I brought someone home to meet with you, like I said." Yang sighed when Blake's deep level of study persisted. "It's a guy, he's human like me. He wanted to talk to your dad. Since I knew that wasn't going to happen, I thought…maybe…" Yang shook her head. "Well, to be honest, I don't think I was thinking. Not all that clearly, anyway."

"Out with it, Yang…"

"I thought you'd talk to him instead." Yang spluttered. "It seemed important, but, you can still say no. It'll be me that lets him down, not you."

"A distinction without a difference." Blake pointed out. Yang's admission was one that stole a heavy sigh out of her. The Belladonna's didn't take money for their services to the people. Only receiving favors of their own for good deeds. She was brought to wonder what Yang would receive for this. "So, what was the deal worth to you? You must have received some type of payment."

"The bandit tribes on the mainland...they're moving around again." Yang said. "I might get some info on my mom a buddy at the hunters pub, if I'm lucky."

Blake said nothing to this at first, causing Yang to shrink down into her seat. She was unperturbed by Yang's obvious discomfort, allowing her to feel the unmitigated aggravation that such a deed would cause. It was bullheaded, and it was selfish, but Blake had to admit she understood the reasons why Yang had agreed to it. Even if she wouldn't personally favor the choice as a good one. "I see."

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

Blake shook her head. "No, it's not that simple." The Faunus said gently. Instead, her golden eyes cast down to the floor, thoughtfully studying the rings in the wood. It was only after she'd given it some thought that her eyes returned to her mate. Her fingers caressing Yang's tattoo. "Yang, remind me again, where exactly I found you five years ago?"

"A whorehouse."

"A whorehouse…where?" Blake pressed.

"Mistral." Yang looked down at her hands in shame.

"And what were you doing?"

"You know what I was doing." Yang bit out. "What I keep doing…" A surge of guilt washed over her as she thought about how Blake might view her actions. "Fuck, Blake I'm sorry, I just want to know her…what she's like. That's why I followed you here at first, it was the first solid lead I had."

"The bandit tribes haven't had dealings with Menagerie decades. I told you that."

"I know, but that might be changing now...and if not, I want the chance to find her, and see for myself."

"Yang, it's more complicated than that."

"I know."

"When it comes to your past, and to further extent, your mother's past, it has not been a good one." Blake said ever so slowly, caution deep within her throat. "The matter has always been out of my hands, and it's not within my concern to meddle in human affairs."

"But you do sometimes…"

"When it comes to you, yes." Blake allowed. "You are, and have always been a special case. All the humans here in Menagerie are. I knew when I found you, that you had a warrior's body. That you were meant for greater things than what could be provided to you in a den of ill-repute. You were so out of place, and it hurts to think about what you'd chosen to endure while being there. It wasn't a choice you made because you wanted to."

"What else was I going to do?" Yang groused softly.

"I brought you here to keep you out of that life." Blake said. "I kept you here on this island for your own good. The bandit tribes are more vicious than even the most feral Faunus, and Raven is a known leader."

"That's why I feel like I'm so close this time. If they're on the move, they might move closer to here." Yang said. "I know it bothers you when I go snooping around. It's just that she's my mom, Blake. Don't you think I have a right to know about her?"

"I do, I just don't think you'll like what you find. Even so, it's your choice, and that's why I turn a blind eye to many of your antics. No matter how troublesome they are." Blake let loose another sigh as she thought about how best to deal with this newest set of issues. "I know you search for her diligently, same as you did back then, but you have to understand something. Raven Branwen is not the sort of woman you trifle with."

"I'm going to find her, Blake."

"If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be. What would you do now, even if you found her?"

"I don't know." Yang murmured. "I haven't gotten that far. Things..." she raised her hand to her tattoo. "Things are different now, plans kind of changed."

"What were they before?"

"I don't want to think about it."

"That wasn't what I asked." Blake shot back. "Yang you've directly involved me in this now. You don't have the luxury to keep quiet."

"Look, when I left my dad back on Patch, I promised my dad that I'd bring my mom home. That we'd be a family. I was so sure of that. I didn't run away from home just to give up, turn around, and go crawling back to my dad on hands and knees." Yang huffed and turned away. "He would be ashamed of me now, anyway. I can't go back there anymore."

"Why?" Blake pressed.

"Because…"

"Because, why?" Blake asked again.

"Just…because he would hate me, okay?"

"Because you are mated to a Faunus?" Blake asked. "Because you stand among the strongest huntresses in Menagerie? Because you must learn to be a leader for the people here?"

"My dad is a famous huntsman, Qrow too. Even my mom, she's got a reputation. They're nothing like me. I haven't made anything of myself." Yang said softly. "How do I go home with nothing to show for it? I don't want to let him down, but I know I will…"

Blake reached out, pressing her fingers delicately under Yang's chin, guiding her gaze back to Blake's own. "You have accomplishments, and the weight of thousands on your shoulders. Your burdens now are heavier than your father's will ever be."

"That doesn't change what I did."

"…you didn't do anything, Yang."

The blonde snorted, the self-loathing in her tone sharp as ever. "Most dads don't want their kid ending up where I was…not even to go searching for someone. Sleeping around like I was? Yeah, that's bad. If you're a girl, you're not supposed to. Guys see it as dirty, other girls think you don't have any self-respect, and both sides look down their noses and judge you."

Blake sat still, largely unimpressed. "A father who judges so harshly, is not worth the emotional effort."

"Look, it's just different for humans." Yang shot back, eyes so deeply red, and yet moist with tears. "It doesn't matter what reasons you have, it's never good enough…humans see that kind of sex as a taboo thing."

"That's a problem that extends far beyond the moral boundaries of humans, Yang." Blake reminded gently, thumbs brushing away the salty droplets. "True, humans are probably more vocal about it, but many Faunus feel the same about heat. Not every Faunus woman has it, so those that don't sometimes lack acceptance of those that do."

"I'm sure Qrow's told him all about where I've been..." Yang said, pulling away. "They talk about everything, so he has to know. I don't think I can face him, knowing that."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. It's hardly a comfort, but in this, we're not so different. I do see where you're coming from, though." The Faunus wondered why the humans were so talkative about negative things, chalking it up to their lack of greater perceptions. "We might not be as vocal about our judgements, Yang, but Faunus do have them, and it is vitriolic at its worst. My father and I disagree all the time, too. You know that well."

"Maybe, but you never have to worry about your dad not accepting you for something like that. He actually understands you, Blake. My dad never really understood me, he tried I think, but just never ever really got it." Yang shrugged, but her words were lighter, slightly more at ease. "I just don't think I could face him after everything. I don't even know what I'd say. Sometimes I wonder if that's why mom left for good…because she's done things she just can't, or won't talk about…if she was too ashamed to face us, or something."

"Facing your father one day will be inevitable." Blake said with a chuckle. "I'd like to at least be acquainted with your sire."

"Yeah, well, I can't promise you'd get along. He's like a dude form of me, but rougher around the edges. He makes your dad look perfect."

"That isn't a concern I care to have, but let's put that aside." Blake replied offhandedly. "It seems that you are very intent to receive this information on Raven, and that means I have to do something about the human male you brought home." She had preparations to make, and she wasn't quite sure how to make them. "I will meet with this wayward stray of yours in the morning. Until then, he can wait in a guest room. You'll put him there and see to his amenities."

"What are you going to do?" Yang asked, her hands rubbing together slowly, worrying.

"I'm going to prepare myself." Blake said softly. "Tomorrow will be a very busy day."