I'm putting the author's note up here because I actually care that people read it. I'm not sure how many more people read author's notes at the topas opposed to at the bottom or if there's even a difference, but I feel that I need to say this and explain myself:
I don't have a lot to say about this chapter, only this: I think that Blake is an amazing, complex, and admirable character. I respect her, and I think that she's going to do great things throughout RWBY. She is freaking awesome and I mean no disrespect to her by writing this. This story is just supposed to be really, really, really, really screwed up and I wanted to do something drastic to rekindle the fire of Blake's desire for vengeance against Roman. I don't intend for her to be seen as a victim, but as someone who is strong-willed, defiant, and tries to stay calm and in control in the face of a horrible predicament. I sincerely apologize to any and all Blake fans out there, and as always, criticism is more than welcome.
Blake narrowed her eyes at the man in hopes of looking defiant and unimpressed. He was quite tall, well over six feet, and was also rather stocky. While his large figure looked like it was shaped from pure muscle, he held himself loosely and moved with crude motions. He was clearly untrained in any kind of formal combat, and his Aura didn't seem at all refined, either, or particularly strong. Ripping him limb from limb would be as easy as blinking, if only she were unrestrained. Instinctively, she tugged at her chains, and the man chuckled. She internally cursed herself, and quickly stopped her struggling.
"You can look as tough as you want, but your pulling at those chains kind of gives you away, you know. You're scared. Full of fear." The man wasn't entirely wrong, but Blake hadn't moved out of fear. It was rage that spurred her. She was angry at the man before her, certainly, but mostly angry at herself. She was weak and helpless, giving off the air of a victim. There was nothing she hated more than that. She had been a victim her whole life, as a faunus, a victim of human hatred and of the actions of her own kind, The White Fang. She had originally joined them in order to become more than a victim. It was her anger at her own inability to change the world and the way the faunus were perceived that spurred her into action, and although she left the organization, her sentiments stayed with her. She wanted the faunus to be more than victims. She wanted to be more than a victim. And yet, here she was. If she was to be abused by her captor, she would not scream. She would not flinch or cry; she would be thoroughly calm and unflappable. She would not give the man before her, nor Roman, the satisfaction of her pain and terror.
"Now, being a faunus and all, you should be used to humiliation, so this is really more for me than it is for you. Well, it's for my boss, too. You know who he is, right?" The man asked mockingly, letting a large bag drop to the floor. The loud but dull noise it made upon landing confirmed Blake's suspicions that it held metal instruments of some kind. She made no indication that this fact scared her, nor did she betray her rage at the man's words, and she didn't betray any sign of surprise when the man ignored the bag and walked up to her. She tried to control her slight trembling, trying to force the small shivers to cease crawling all over her body. She would be a statue, still and stoic.
"I know, I know. You're shaking from excitement about what's in the bag, right?" Blake almost cursed out loud. The man was far more perceptive than she gave him credit for, as much as she hated admitting it.
"Well, before we get to that, I just want to get a little, ah, taste of what I'm working with." He waited for a few seconds to see what kind of effect his words had, and was slightly annoyed, yet unsurprised, that his victim didn't react at all.
"So you wanna play tough girl. Right. That's not so bad. There's definitely a lot less struggling, at least." Blake still had no reaction. Her trembling was practically gone, and her gaze was empty and unmoving. She stared straight ahead at the door, not looking at her captor at all. She didn't even avert her gaze when he stepped into her line of vision, acting as if she looked straight through him. He slowly walked over to her, and bent down so that his face was mere inches from Blake's neck. Still, she made no reaction. She was cold, scared, and felt sweat drip from her forehead, but to the man before her, she was the picture of calm and disinterest.
"I look forward to our time together. And who knows? Once it's all over, you might be alive." The man's hands suddenly ran along her thighs and her neck was wet with saliva from his lingering tongue, and yet her only reaction was to widen her eyes ever so slightly. It took all her willpower, but she remained unmoving. However, it was with dread that she anticipated what he'd do next, and whether or not she could remain so stoic. All thoughts of revenge fell from her mind. All she thought of now was how she could defy her victimhood. Whatever it took, she would master herself. She would not for a second let the man believe that he was in control of her.
Throughout the day, there was one thought that lingered in Cinder's mind. As she worked, ate, read, flirted with Primrose and worked some more, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Early on, at breakfast, a guard had made a passing comment about the faunus. Blake narrowed her eyes, ate her breakfast, and almost immediately after taking the first bite, lunged at the guard. A total of six seconds passed between the time the guard made his derogatory comment and Blake attacked him. It was wrong. She hadn't reacted when she heard it, but after taking her first bite of food, she sprung into action, attacking the guard. Another thing Cinder had noted was that the guard was standing very close to her, as if hoping she would overhear his words. Immediately, more guards came to his rescue and Blake was restrained, as if they expected her to go berserk. All in all, the early events of the day had Cinder worried. She heard rumors and stories floating around the prison, and they all started the same: a guard made a joke about the faunus and Blake attacked him. What she did to him was embellished, ranging from nothing of consequence to gauging out his eyeballs and ripping off his testicles. Cinder made no comment about the stories, and when asked about them, said little. As Blake's only friend in the prison, she had been questioned by a good many people about what had happened, and she gave no clear answers. Now, however, away from prying eyes and ears, she had decided to share her true suspicions with Primrose.
"So...you wanted to talk about what happened with Blake?" The faunus asked. Cinder nodded.
"I...I think it was staged. The whole thing. I don't know how, maybe through a drug of some kind, but Blake had been made to attack that guard. He had intended for her to hear his comment and the other guards knew what was going to happen. Something is very wrong with this picture, and I think I know who painted it," she said, her voice low and full of thinly veiled anger. Primrose looked shocked. Her ears drooped a little and she placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder. Over time, she had become very lax about the standard prisoner-employee physical contact rules when it came to the raven-haired woman.
"That's...that's horrible." She croaked, almost driven to tears. Cinder smiled. It was nice to know she had someone she could count on aside from Blake in the prison, and she even felt a little bad about manipulating the lovestruck young woman.
"I want to know what's going on. I want to know about anything strange going on with the guards, or with Blake herself in solitary confinement. I need to find a way to check on her," Cinder said, sounding full of resolve, yet not expecting to have to do a thing.
"You're a prisoner, Cinder. You can't...you can't be doing anything unusual," Primrose told her, although she needed no such reminder. However, she looked surprised and angry.
"Yes, yes, I know that very damn well. But...Blake is my friend. We may have been enemies once, but things have changed. She's not so different from me, really. I feel like looking at her is like looking into a mirror. I can't sit by while something horrible might be happening to her!" Cinder hissed, flames briefly flickering around her. Primrose stepped back a little, looking startled and hurt but soon smiled brightly. Cinder raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I can help," she said eagerly. The raven-haired woman looked startled by the offer, but in reality, couldn't be less surprised. The faunus was wrapped around her little finger; she'd take a bullet for Cinder if she had to. She was kind and loving, but horribly vulnerable. She'd devote herself to anyone who showed her the slightest sign of meaningful affection. As bad as Cinder felt about it, someone like her had their uses beyond romantic attachment. Emerald had been useful as well, although her relationship with Cinder had been purely one-sided. She was interesting, but at the end of the day, she had been a pawn in Cinder's game. Primrose, out of both necessity and pity, was much closer to her than Emerald had ever been.
"You...you would do that? For me? Are...no, no you can't. I won't allow you to risk your safety for me. You've done more than enough for me, and I'd feel horrible if you were to be hurt because of my selfishness. You can't do this!"
"I want to! You mean the world to me, Cinder. You've given me so much hope and happiness, more than I could ever give you. Please, let me help," was Primrose's pleading reply. Cinder took a few seconds to seem as if she was considering the offer, and with a pained expression on her face spoke her next words. Internally, however, she was quite pleased.
"...I can't stop you if you wish to do this...but be careful. You've given me more happiness than you could ever know. You are a beautiful person, Prim, and don't ever think otherwise. I...I can't bear to think about anyone ever hurting you." Primrose's smile was one of the biggest, happiest, and most sincere Cinder had ever seen. She had succeeded. And although she felt guilty for taking advantage of the dog faunus, it was Blake who she was truly concerned about.
Roman sat in his dark study, staring with glee at a small, blood-spattered baggie. In it lay a black lump of hair that could vaguely be made out to have the shape of a cat-like ear. White fur lined the inside, which faced opposite Roman, and he tossed it up and down as he spoke to his hired kidnapper, his phone resting between his neck and shoulder. The blood of the baggie bounced around, covering it in even more droplets of crimson liquid.
"Glad to hear it went well. Great work, great work. The part of an ear was a little much, though. Not cutting it off; the bitch had it coming, but sending it to me? She's not a rabbit faunus, buddy; it's not like I can wear it around my neck for good luck," the crime boss said nonchalantly, glaring at the small bag with a mixture of sadistic glee and disgust.
"Shame; I thought you'd get a kick out of it," Lex said over the phone, his voice distorted by static. The connection wasn't very good, and Roman briefly thought that it had disconnected entirely before hearing breathing on the other line.
"You sound excited," he noted.
"Excited? You don't know that half of it. I haven't had a victim this cute in a while. I really don't know how much more slowly I can take this; I really wanna get to the good stuff." Roman chuckled, noting with glee the eagerness with which Lex spoke. He had certainly picked the right man for the job.
"Cat got your tongue, huh?"
"And more."
"Well, she took her sweet time with me. You have to take longer. I don't just want revenge here; I want humiliation. You're under my payroll and my protection, and if you get ahead of yourself I might just have to cut you loose. Got it?" Roman snarled. The other end of the line fell dead silent. Lex was utterly shocked by Roman's change of tone from excited and friendly to cold and threatening. It was as if he became a completely different person. In his surprise, he briefly forgot to breathe, and as Roman waited for his answer, he took two gulps of air before replying, quickly regaining composure.
"Yeah yeah yeah, no need to get all dramatic on me. I want to savor this just as much as you do."
"Right. Well, anyway, thanks for the pictures. I'm sure I'll find some way to use them. I'm a pretty creative guy, you know. Later," Roman said, ending the call. The Scroll in front of him had at least ten dark but clearly visible images of Blake in various vulnerable situations plastered on the screen. Closing them and shutting the Scroll off, he walked out of the room, ready for a good night's rest.
"Hey, sis. You have a bed, you know, and I'm not it," Yang said softly, shaking Ruby until her eyes fluttered open. She pulled her head from off of Yang's shoulder and straightened herself, feeling the warmth of Yang's arm leave her side. She had fallen asleep against her older sister while watching an old movie, was covered in cookie crumbs, and had a newly polished Crescent Rose lying on her wheelchair. She couldn't have been any happier at the moment.
"Ugh...Yang? What time is it?"
"Late, and you need to be getting to sleep in your real bed, because I'm not lying here all night," was the playful reply. Ruffling Ruby's hair, Yang got up and retrieved her sister's wheelchair from near the couch, and pulled it up. Ruby climbed in with an ease born of habit, and yawned.
"Hey, Yang...are you still upset that we didn't get to see Blake?" She asked as she let Yang push her into her room. There was a silence before the younger woman received a reply, and when she did, it was at first so soft that Ruby hardly heard anyway.
"Yeah...yeah, I am. I saw you and Weiss, and everyone else, but Blake feels so far away. The more I don't see her, the more distant I feel, as if I can never see her again. It's...it's like in a dream, where you're running to someone, but they just keep getting farther away. Have you...ever had a dream like that?" Ruby sighed.
"I've had a reality like that, in a way," she said. Yang chuckled bitterly.
"Right. That was a stupid question."
"But I do know what you mean. It's been a long time, for both of you. I know that Blake probably feels just like you do now...she was never angry at you, you know. She always asked about you. Yang, you don't have anything to worry about. She'll love seeing you again." Yang stopped the wheelchair as she pulled up to Ruby's bed and wrapped her arms around her younger sister.
"You're the bee's knees, sis."
"And don't you forget it." The two sisters bade each other goodnight as Yang left to go to her room and Ruby got into her bed. As anxious as they were to see Blake, nothing could dampen the feeling of joy that had only grown stronger throughout the day. They were finally together, just like old times. It was as if nothing had changed.
Blake was alone. She was alone and afraid, and now was the only time she could show it. The man was gone and wouldn't be back until the next night. She could shake and shudder, writhe and cry, all she wanted, and she did. Mostly, anyway. She shook furiously with nerves and desperately tried to free herself, but no tears fell. She would not cry, not because of him. Blake didn't cry when Adam was slain, when Ruby lost her legs, when Weiss was branded a criminal, or when Yang saw what Blake had done to Roman. The emotional turmoil she felt for the plights of her friends was worse than what she felt now, and so she focused on that. She tried to blot out her current physical pain with past psychological suffering. If she was going to cry, it would be because of that. While her body, betraying her terror and helplessness, struggled, her mind stayed defiant. Even when the man was gone, she would not show submission to him. She was afraid and she was at his mercy, but he had no control over who she was and what she thought. But no matter how hard she thought, flashbacks of what had been done to her still sprung into her mind. There was a dull throbbing where her ear had been cut in half, now crudely bandaged. The various cuts she had received ached as well. Her body felt cold and unclean where it had been forcibly caressed, and she wanted desperately to shower. That, and break free and tear her captor's head from his neck. She had to get some sleep, but her mind was too full of pain to register that need. Her foot slammed into a straw lying on the ground, having been used to give her the drink and soft food she was brought. She refused to eat or drink any of it. She knew she had to nourish herself, but the thought of taking food from her kidnapper was too humiliating to bear. Her stomach felt empty, but she didn't care. All she wanted to focus on was pain, pain far away from the suffering she felt now. That, and her friends, waiting to see her outside the prison walls.
Two days passed, very differently for everyone. Cinder spent her days worrying and discussing plans with Primrose. She planned to have a diversion created and sneak out to the solitary confinement area where Blake was kept. It had taken a while, but she and Primrose were sure that they were ready. Weiss was busy as usual, going out on yet another mission, this time to exterminate a group of Grimm that were wandering a little too close to the borders of Vale. It wasn't a typical mission for the Trenches, as their work was usually deeper into the wilds of the land and closer to large groups of Grimm, but Sylvester Bard seemed to be in a bad mood and felt particularly vengeful. As such, he saddled Weiss with the task. What made it something that could be seen as a Trenches mission, however, was the fact that the exact amount of Grimm in the group was unknown, and the kind of Grimm was as well. Weiss thought it best to be prepared for the worst. The members of team JNPR all had patrol duty to take care of, as no one could be sure if the group of Grimm was only the beginning of something worse. Sun and Neptune hung out, catching up on old times and paying their respects to their fallen teammates, who had earned a typical Hunter's burial in the heart of Vale. Ruby and Yang were by far the happiest of the group; wholly enjoying things being close to normal. The sense of normalcy also had the extra effect of making Yang more uptight than ever about doing something to help Ruby gain the use of her legs. She studied all kinds of Grimm, trying to find out more about them and the one who had made Ruby a cripple. She didn't make too much progress, as she'd never been a book learner, so she talked briefly to Weiss, who knew little more than her, and even tried to call Snow, Inc. in order to do some interrogating about their research. Unfortunately, her intimidation tactics didn't work as well over the phone and she was given nothing to go on. Ruby, although pleased by her sister's devotion, was just happy to have Yang back to normal and encouraged her to be less zealous in her search.
For Blake, things were odd. They weren't better in any way, but she felt more numb to the pain. Her ability to resist the pain was growing stronger, even though her wounds were growing more numerous and her captor was getting more aggressive in his touching. She found that she was slowly growing more able to keep calm and defy him with an emotionless demeanor as she was abused, but he didn't seem to be deterred by this. As she grew more tolerant, she was able to think more of how she could do something about her situation. If he ever grew so lustful as to expose her mouth, she wondered if she could bite something of his off. He could either draw attention to himself and her predicament by seeking medical attention, or stay with her out of fear of discovery and die of blood loss. Of course, he might very well kill her if she did something so drastic, but there was little else she could think of. He seemed to have accomplices, and had no way of undoing her bonds. In her eagerness to do something to escape, she had very reluctantly eaten and drank as she was provided with food, knowing that she'd need strength. Regardless, she still felt too weak to launch an escape on her own, if by some miracle she was even unchained and able to move. Her mind was peppered with desperate ideas, each more risky and impossible than the last, but Blake was beginning to realize that her situation was one that she'd have to wait out. Confinement only lasted a week; she'd have to be freed by then.
"You've gotten good at playing the stoic, you know. I've still had some fun, but...your lack of reaction is really killing the initial spark we had." The man's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she felt a jolt of glee at knowing that her defiance was getting to him, although at the same time filled with dread that he would escalate his torment.
"I think, if we wanna rekindle this relationship, I'm going to have to get a little drastic."
Primrose walked down the halls, her target being the security room. That was where the doors to all the cells could be opened and closed electronically. It was nearly bedtime for the prisoners, and she needed to act fast. Moving shyly past other employees, using her small frame to slip around them without being paid much attention to, she made her way to the room she needed to be at. Back at her cell, Cinder was waiting for her, as her cell was one of the ones that needed to be opened. Making a list of the most violent inmates, she and Primrose planned to release herself along with them. They would cause a distraction, and no one would be the wiser as to how they escaped; Primrose would blame the incident on an accident by one of the other guards. He had fallen asleep, after all, due to a drug she had acquired on Cinder's request. It would be easy to make it seem as if his hand slipped and he pressed some buttons to unlock some prison cells. As she made her way to the room, the plan swimming in her mind, Primrose felt no regret. Her co-workers could potentially be killed; the inmates that were going to be released were both violent and incredibly strong. She could be caught and arrested herself, and she could be doing this all for nothing; perhaps Cinder was wrong or lying to her. Those thoughts never crossed her mind. She didn't mistrust Cinder, and Cinder was the only person she could care for anymore. Everyone else was just background decoration; it was Cinder who made her world light up with endless euphoria. They didn't matter. All that mattered anymore was the raven-haired prisoner who had once tried to destroy Vale and throw the world into chaos. All that mattered anymore was the one person who seemed to truly care for Primrose.
"This is an emergency, this is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Twenty prisoners have been released from their cells; we need every available officer to get the situation under control," A loud, robotic voice echoed throughout the prison. Cinder knew it was her cue. Stepping from her cell, she charged forward, crying out with a terrifying screech and secretly stashing a stun gun in her shirt. Primrose had stolen one to give to her only hours ago. Behind her, a few prisoners, excited by her noise, ran after her, hoping to meet some officers. They would. Cinder led them outside and found four guards standing by the solitary confinement area. They quickly saw the prisoners and fired the stun guns they had on hand. Prisoners fell to the ground, but Cinder made sure to stay behind them, occasionally using one as a meat shield. She was getting closer. One guard tried to hit her and she fired her weapon first. Then, another weapon went off and another guard fell. The two remaining guards tried to deal with her immediately, but she had already taken one of her unconscious fellow inmates as a shield. From seemingly nowhere, two more shots came and dealt with the guards. Primrose had wasted no time in getting back to help Cinder.
Blake hadn't had to wait long before finding out what her captor meant by the term drastic. Quickly and violently, he tore off as much of her clothing as he could. It was what she had dreaded most. She had expected it to happen sooner or later, but found that when push came to shove, she wasn't prepared for it at all. It felt horrible, sickening, vulnerable. She tried not to struggle, not to give him the satisfaction of her terror, but she did poorly. Her eyes shut tightly and she couldn't stop trembling. Blake heard the man unbuckle his pants and her eyes shut tighter, as if she was hoping they would be pushed back and straight through her brain, killing her before she had to suffer the ultimate humiliation. Just as he cackled with glee, noises could be heard from outside. Blake hurriedly jammed her knees between her captor's legs and he fell back, groaning in pain. She had to stall for time. There was a breakout of some kind, she could tell. Shots were being fired and guards and prisoners alike were crying out. She had to stall until someone came. She knew someone was. Just as the man tried to get back up, the door swung open and a shot rang through the confinement area. Blake's captor fell, and she was met with the surprised and furious gaze of Cinder.