Chapter 9: When Everyone Is Watching

The wind was rushing underneath Yang's wings as she glided over Atlas. The sun was high in the sky, and the air was clear. In short, it was the perfect day for flying about and taking in the sights. Unfortunately, the view beneath Yang wasn't exactly picturesque. All she could see was the same collection of rundown warehouses that she'd become all too familiar with over the past few days.

Yang wasn't a magpie, but today she was flying with an unusual collection of treasures. She had a brightly colored red cloth hanging from her beak and a metal rod clutched in her talons. The rod was long and thin, with a stand on one end, and another, shorter rod attached perpendicularly to the other end.

Yang was returning from checking in on her motorcycle. She'd hidden it away nearby the day after Blake had become the White Fang's newest High Leader, once it had become apparent that Blake had no intention of returning to their cabin anytime soon. Yang thought that was a shame. She missed the place already. Hopefully she could convince Blake to take a break from being High Leader sometime soon. Blake had barely slept in the past three days, and Yang was starting to get worried about her. But if nothing else, Yang was reassured slightly knowing that she and Blake would be leaving the White Fang's warehouse headquarters soon, at least temporarily.

Weiss had been very insistent yesterday when she'd spoken on her scroll with Yang that she needed to talk with Blake right away. Fortunately, Yang had managed to convince Weiss that she couldn't just barge into a White Fang stronghold and demand to see the High Leader. However, someone like Weiss could only be denied for so long, and Yang supposed it was only fair that Weiss receive a little better explanation than the one she'd gotten. So it had been agreed that Yang and Blake would meet up with Weiss and Ruby tomorrow. At least it had been agreed after Yang had talked Blake into it. She'd been almost as stubborn about the whole thing as Weiss had, just in the opposite direction. Yang was looking forward to Team RWBY's reunion. Apart from everything else, it would be nice to see her sister again.

Yang's destination, the White Fang's warehouse, loomed ahead. She swooped in closer, making a rapid descent. A window that led to the old manager's office, now Blake's office, had been left open specifically so Yang could come and go as she pleased. She expertly maneuvered through the narrow opening, even managing to get the rod she was clutching through the window as well. Then she neatly landed on the floor inside, although the rod clanged noisily as it hit the concrete. Yang transformed back into a human, stepped off the rod, and spat out the red cloth that was now stuffed in her mouth.

Blake was standing in the office too. Her cat-like ears had twitched at all the racket Yang had made, but she didn't otherwise acknowledge Yang's presence. She was wearing her full White Fang regalia, and her mask was sitting on the table nearby. She had a red cloak, the one with the cutout shoulders that Sienna had often worn, draped over her back, but she was fumbling with the complicated clasp.

Yang walked over to Blake. She said, "Here. Let me."

Blake glanced up, seeming to notice Yang was there for the first time. She let go of the clasp and moved her hands out of the way.

Yang reached out and fumbled with the clasp for a few seconds before finally getting it closed.

"Thank you," Blake said. She sounded nervous. "How do I look?"

Yang smiled at Blake. She made a show of running her eyes over her. Then she said, "Like you're ready to conquer the world."

"That was Sienna's plan, not mine," Blake said.

"Yeah, I know," Yang said. Unfortunately, Blake's sense of humor had taken a real nosedive ever since she'd become High Leader. Yang hoped it would recover soon.

Blake reached for her mask, but she didn't put it on right away.

"Something the matter?" Yang asked.

"I'm just…not sure what to expect today," Blake said.

Blake had given a big speech yesterday to all the White Fang members who were present at the warehouse. Yang thought it had been pretty good, but she readily admitted she was biased. It had been about how the White Fang needed to change with the times and that equal rights were within the faunus's grasp if they stayed the course. But crucially, Blake had invited anyone who wanted to talk with her personally to come see her tomorrow, that was to say, today. There was no doubt that a lot of colorful characters were already lining up to speak with the High Leader. Although if Ryn was to be believed, they would've been lining up with or without Blake's permission.

Yang said, "You'll do fine. Plus I'll be there with you."

"Yang, you don't have to do that," Blake said. "I'll probably be at this all day."

"I know I don't have to," Yang said. She walked over to where she'd left the metal rod and red cloth on the floor and picked them up. "But if I don't, I won't get to use these!"

Blake looked confused. She asked, "And what are those?"

Yang grinned. She placed the metal rod on its stand on the floor, which left the smaller, perpendicular rod on top of it at waist height. She artfully draped the cloth over the small rod. Then she hopped up and transformed into an eagle. With just a few flaps of her wings, she landed on the rod, perched there, and started glaring at imaginary passersby like the predator she was. The overall effect, at least in Yang's mind, was that she looked like a well-trained, well-pampered yet deadly avian companion.

Blake stared at Yang for a moment. Then she snickered and shook her head. Yang was surprised at how relieved she was to hear Blake laugh a little.

Blake asked, "Where did you even get those?"

Yang hopped off the perch and transformed again on her way back down to the floor. She said, "There's all kinds of stuff still in these old warehouses! You just have to do a little rummaging and hope you get lucky. So what do you say? I'd look great next to your throne. It'll really help you sell the imperial look."

"You mean 'imperious'?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. That," Yang said.

Blake smiled, but it quickly faded. She cast her eyes down.

"Hey? What's wrong?" Yang asked.

"It's not too late for you to walk away from this," Blake said. "You're not a faunus. This isn't your fight."

Yang glanced at her fingers. She'd tried again yesterday to get talons to sprout from them but without much success. As hilarious as it was fooling everyone into thinking she was nothing more than an ordinary bird—and Yang did find it hilarious—she knew she could be a lot more help to Blake if she could be seen with her in human form.

Yang walked over to Blake and touched her chin. She gently tilted Blake's head up until their eyes met, and she subconsciously ran her thumb against the scars on Blake's cheek. She said, "I'm not going to walk away from this. Because that would mean walking away from you."

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Blake warned.

"So what?" Yang said. "I love you, Blake. I'd do anything for you. Besides…. It's for a good cause, right?"

A tear trickled out of the corner of Blake's eye. She leaned in and kissed Yang for what felt like the first time in forever. Blake's lips lingered on Yang's, but then they were gone again all too soon.

"I love you too, Yang," Blake said. Then she slipped her mask on. "Now let's get this over with."

Several minutes later, Blake was sitting atop a dais on the throne of the High Leader of the White Fang. She had Wilt and Blush with her. Her hand was sitting on the very top of the sword's hilt, and the other end of the sheathed blade was resting on the dais. Yang was perched next to Blake's side on the stand she'd scavenged which was decorated with the red cloth just like she'd intended. She really wished she had a picture of this moment because she refused to believe that Blake looked anything less than absolutely badass.

The throne and dais had been moved since yesterday to a smaller space on the warehouse floor. There were old cargo containers surrounding it, creating a makeshift room, and a heavy curtain was draped over a gap in between the containers which served as a door.

The curtain parted as a guard walked in. Notably, he had a spear in his hand. Sienna's method of doing things was already giving way to Blake's.

The guard said, "We're ready to begin, High Leader."

"Very well," Blake said. "Send the first person in."

The guard thumped his chest and withdrew through the curtain. Two new people walked in a moment later. The first was a man with a mop of short but messy brown hair and a tuft of beard on his chin. He wore a dark jumpsuit with a shiny brass zipper up the front. But his most predominant feature was a pair of leathery bat-like wings on his back. There wasn't a drop of mirth in his expression, and he walked with the stone-cold air of someone who wasn't afraid to kill their way out of a situation. He had a dagger strapped to his thigh but no other obvious weapons.

The man's companion was noticeably smaller than him. She had a short, ash-colored mohawk, yellow eyes, and a patchwork of gray scales on her arms and face. She wore a green button-up shirt under a brown corset and striped pants. Like the man, she was openly armed. She was holding a sheathed saber with a bucket hilt which she occasionally gave a twirl. She had a smug look of supreme confidence on her face, like she knew without a doubt that she was better than everyone else in the room put together, and she moved in such a way that Yang could tell she was in perfect control of her body. She wasn't doing anything except walking, but Yang still felt mildly intimidated by her. She was clearly the more dangerous of the two.

The man and the woman approached Blake's throne. When they got close, Blake said to the man, "Yuma. It's been a long time."

"Maybe not long enough," Yuma said. He and his companion stopped about ten feet away from Blake and Yang.

Blake said to the woman, "I don't recognize you. Who are you?"

Yuma answered for his companion. "This is Tock. She never has much to say. Don't worry about her."

Blake said, "I didn't realize you were in Atlas, Yuma."

"People never realize I'm there until it's too late," Yuma said. "I didn't believe it at first when I got word that you'd killed Sienna. I never thought you had it in you."

"That makes two of us," Blake said.

"I was even more surprised when I was told to call off the little op I was on," Yuma said. "I may have roughed up the messenger a bit to make sure he wasn't lying."

"And what was the operation you were on?" Blake asked.

"Tracking down Albert Smoke, the former administrator of the Schnee Dust Company's Creek Basin Mine," Yuma said.

There was a pause. Then Blake asked, "Tracking him down in order to do what?"

Yuma cocked his head to the side in an incredulous gesture. He said, "I'm not the kind of guy you send to deliver flowers."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked. "It's traditional to bring flowers to a funeral."

Yuma almost looked like he was about to laugh for a moment. He said, "You're not wrong."

"And what exactly did you think killing a former mine administrator would accomplish?" Blake asked.

"It doesn't matter to me," Yuma said. "I'm the knife, not the hand that wields it."

"Knives don't enjoy their work like you do," Blake said. "What did Sienna hope to accomplish by killing an ex-SDC administrator?"

Yuma's expression turned into a frown. He said, "She wanted to send a message."

"A message to the police that they need to hunt you down?" Blake pointedly asked. "Or maybe a message to other faunus that the White Fang is nothing more than a pack of murderous thugs who are turning public sentiment against them? I'm sure the Schnee Dust Company would've taken it as a message that they need to turn their resources toward repressing us again."

"Yeah…. About that last one," Yuma said.

Yang had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. It would've been far too human of a behavior for a bird. But she knew what was coming next.

Yuma asked, "Why exactly were you seen being all buddy-buddy with Weiss Schnee?"

Blake was silent for a moment. Then she tapped Blush against the dais and stood. She said, "What if Weiss Schnee were on our side?"

"What, did you seduce her or something?" Yuma sarcastically asked. "If you really think it's possible for someone like her to be on our side then you're just plain stupid. I'm sure she'd be happy to keep you as a pet. But when she has to choose between you and her riches, she'll take her riches every time."

Blake countered, "And what if Weiss Schnee thought we were on her side?"

"If you're going to stab someone in the back, why wait?" Yuma asked. "Better yet, just stab them in the front. That way they know who did it."

"Those methods don't work anymore," Blake said. "The world's changed."

"The world hasn't changed," Yuma said. "That's just an excuse people tell themselves when they've gotten too weak to fight back."

"Don't mistake patience for weakness," Blake said. She sat back down. "The wolf who charges into a flock of sheep gets one. The wolf who sneaks into the flock gets them all."

Yang was pretty sure that line was from a book Blake had read—a rather corny one as she recalled. But it must have impressed Yuma because he appeared to be mulling it over.

Eventually, Yuma said, "Fancy words. Alright, 'High Leader'. You'll get your chance. Don't disappoint."

Yuma turned to leave and started walking away. Tock, who had been silently watching the proceedings, turned too, but she paused. Her eyes drifted over to Yang where they lingered. Then Tock gave Yang a knowing grin.

Yang did her best to play the part of an unassuming eagle, but inside she was suddenly sweating. Surely it was impossible for this Tock character to know who or what she really was. Maybe Tock just liked birds, Yang reasoned, looking for an explanation.

Whatever message Tock had intended to send, she finally turned away. She hurried after Yuma, even skipping a few times as she did so. Then they both vanished behind the curtain.

Blake said, "There's got to be some way to get Yuma and others like him on our side."

Yang squawked. Unfortunately, she didn't have a way at the moment to tell Blake that she was more worried about Tock than Yuma.

The curtain parted again, and the next White Fang courtier walked through. However, they nervously paused the moment they entered the room. Yang quickly realized why. It was Ilia.

Blake leaned forward a little in surprise. Then she sighed. She rested Wilt and Blush against the arm of her throne and let go of them. Her persona as the unassailable High Leader of the White Fang seemed to melt away, and she said to Ilia, "Well don't just stand there."

Ilia cautiously walked forward. She looked apprehensive, like she was afraid guards were going to pounce on her out of nowhere and drag her away to some horrible fate. But when she got closer to the throne, her eyes fell on Yang. Her fear immediately gave way to exasperation. She asked Yang, "Really?"

Yang transformed back into a human. She even managed to stay balanced while crouching on top of her perch for a second or two before she jumped off. She said to Ilia, "Jealous?"

Blake said, "Stop it you two. Ilia, what do you want?"

"I'm here to help you, Blake," Ilia said. "In any way I can."

Yang asked, "You're sure you're not here to overthrow the High Leader again?"

Blake said, "Yang! Enough!"

Yang really did roll her eyes this time, but she didn't say anything more.

Ilia said, "I didn't…know things with Sienna were going to end the way they did."

"And how did you think they were going to end?" Blake asked.

Ilia lowered her head. She said, "I'm not here to ask you for forgiveness, Blake. I don't ever expect you to forgive me. But maybe now you understand why I had to do what I did."

Blake silently looked away. It was as clear an admission as any that she did understand.

Ilia raised her head again. She said, "If you want to send me away, fine. But I meant what I said. I'm here to help."

Blake turned back to Ilia. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then she said, "What I really need right now is some way to convince our brothers and sisters that we don't have to be terrorists anymore."

"That's not going to be easy," Ilia said.

Yang butted in again, asking, "Why not? Aren't you guys big on blindly following the High Leader?"

Ilia said, "Stop talking like you understand us."

Yang retorted, "Stop assuming I don't. You guys aren't that much different from a tribe of bandits. Which I happen to have grown up in."

Blake said, "She does have a point, Yang. Anyone who thought a softer touch would fix things left the White Fang a long time ago."

Yang asked, "Then what are we going to do?"

Everyone went quiet. It was Ilia who spoke up next. She said, "We need something big to happen. We need to show the White Fang that the new High Leader can get results."

Yang asked, "Okay. How?"

"I…don't know," Ilia admitted.

Blake said, "Neither do I. But I do know someone who can make big things happen. And I'm going to be meeting with her tomorrow."

Author's Note: In the last story I had a character who was originally supposed to be Yuma, but he didn't fit Yuma's personality, so he became not-Yuma. It's a good thing too because in this story I really needed a character like Yuma to serve as a foil to Blake. Thank you not-Yuma for becoming not-Yuma so I could use Yuma when I actually needed him!

Does referencing Albert Smoke count as a deep cut from the original story? If it does, it won't be the deepest.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.