"Thanks again, Jack!" Yang called as she left the small convenience store, bag in one hand, jug of milk in the other. The sun was just above the horizon, casting its red rays of light across the thick clouds in the distance, making them glow brightly while Yang was left in near darkness of the street lights.
Not that the light mattered. She'd spent most of the past few years walking the streets of Patch at night and there was nothing on the rather small island to be afraid of. Even the Grimm that lived in the sparse forest kept to themselves in favour of self preservation over their violent natures.
Yang spun the bag she was carrying around in circles, using the weight of the snacks she'd bought to allow her to spin the handles around a single finger. There was something calming about her hometown that reached deeper than the lack of Grimm and criminal activity. It was as if the island itself took a deep breath at the end of the day and relaxed into the night. It was her favourite time to simply walk.
There wasn't much that she had to think about, but that didn't mean she walked home quicker. Quite the opposite in fact. It was because she only had a few things to think about that she barely moved down the street as the remaining daylight quickly faded into darkness.
The first of the things she thought about were her friends. Not the new ones she'd made at Beacon, but her old friends that she'd known before. Most of them had gone to other schools and hadn't kept in touch. The few that followed her to Beacon had been divided into other teams and she only saw them every so often in passing. It wasn't as if she was lonely, far from it, but Yang felt a small amount of regret that not a single one of them had kept in contact after they'd been split up.
Of course, she'd already told all that to Blake. And in a moment of insight, she'd responded that they must not have been very good friends. Yang hadn't had anything to say to that. She wanted to argue, but deep down she knew Blake was right. They had been school friends. She hadn't often seen any of them outside of school save the few group projects they'd done. That was due in part to her training at the local gym to hone her boxing skills, but mainly due to the fact that they didn't actually have many common interests.
Maybe that was why she found herself spending more and more time away from her old habits since getting into Beacon. Ruby herself had once commented on how it was strange to see her in the room so often or to see her just talking to other students in the halls. At Beacon everyone seemed to have a goal, a reason to be there, and Yang was no different. The only thing was that she couldn't actually put that reason into words.
Due maybe to her somewhat lacking vocabulary, or just the limitations of language itself, all she could honestly say is that the feeling that she had in her gut told her she was in the right place and going the right direction. But when asked, she would always shrug off this inexplicable feeling and answer that she was a thrill-seeker. It was easier and quicker to say, while easily being supported by her personality, so she had no large problems with it.
The only thing she'd started to notice when she'd answer someone's question about her reason for being at Beacon, was the odd look that would cross Blake's face for just an instant. It never came up in conversation between them, and she doubted Blake would answer if she asked, so Yang never brought it up. But there were definitely some negative thoughts that ran through Blake's head. Whether it be doubt, scorn, exasperation, or disappointment, Yang could never tell. Just that there was something that Blake disliked about her answer.
Yang broke out of her thoughts as the door in front of her opened, a man in the door with a sandwich dangling from his mouth as he pulled on a black leather jacket.
"Hey Dad. You gotta go again?" Yang asked as she stepped aside to let him past.
"The island never sleeps. If I'm not back tomorrow, I left some lien on the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Okay?" He spouted quickly as he fished his keys out of his pocket and jumped into his rugged old pickup truck.
"Sure. Be careful." Yang waved as he backed out of the driveway. His tires crunched the sand and ice on the street while he waved a salute to his daughter before peeling off towards the center of the island.
Yang stood there for a moment before she stepped through the still open door and into the dark house.
She didn't bother turning on a light as she walked around putting the snacks and milk away in the kitchen. She knew the house by heart since it never changed, not that there was much to maneuver around to begin with. The cupboards were essentially barren save the odd can or appliance here or there. The fridge wasn't much better with its burnt out light and half eaten loaf of moldy bread.
Normally there was much more food in the place, but since both her and Ruby were away at Beacon and their uncle had his own job teaching at Signal, the only one at the house was their father. And he spent most of his time on call, meaning he tended to favour fast food over home-cooked meals.
She left the kitchen and went upstairs to her room to find Blake cutely sleeping on her bed. Smiling at her partner and keeping her urge to squeal in check, she went to her dresser to get a pair of her pajamas. She left for the bathroom down the hall, making sure to close the door so any noise that might escape the bathroom wouldn't disturb her teammate.
She quickly showered and changed in the washroom, tossing her old clothing into the basket she'd toss into the wash later on. She was about to open the door when her instincts sensed movement on the other side. She flung the door open to find Blake holding her weapon as she looked through the darkness.
"Jeez, you scared me." Blake said, letting the weapon rest on her back again.
"I should say the same thing." Yang laughed as she clicked the bathroom's light off and waited a moment for her eyes to adjust. "What's with the weapon?"
"I thought I heard noises from around here." Blake said. When she saw Yang's raised eyebrows, she sighed. "I got a little scared and training kicked in."
"So cute!" Yang squealed, reaching out to touch the kitty ears atop Blake's head. Blake dodged out of the way of her hand and walked out of reach.
"No. I'm going to bed now." Blake said, walking to her own room and closing the door with a not so subtle slam.
Yang rolled her shoulders back, the joints cracking slightly as she walked back to her room directly across from Blake's.
"If you need anything, you know where to find me." She called, knowing Blake would hear her even through the closed door.
She found her bed still warm from Blake and relaxed while pulling up a thin sheet. She fell asleep faster than she ever had before.