Warning:
This chapter contains disturbing content that some may find offensive. Topics include assault of both violent and sexual natures. Reader discretion is advised.
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"Oh, hey." Stepping into the club, the first thing Jay had done, like any other good for nothing idiot, was bump right into someone random. You know, looking at one of them up close, Jay couldn't really say they looked all that different; Junior's regular henchmen were, just as they appeared from far away in the show, pretty much all the same. This particular one was speaking to him though. "You're that kid the boss took in, ain't you?"
"Yes..." Jay hadn't exactly asked Junior about what he was telling everyone else working at the club, but nobody ever asked or confronted him, so he assumed people got the bare minimum on why he'd been seen hanging around, and that was about it.
For some reason, the man wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Good, you're back."
"Is, uh... is something up?" Jay cast his eyes around, only now noticing how everyone else - of the staff, that was - seemed a little jumpy.
"Yes, but not anymore." The guy raised up an arm, making a gesture to one of the employees behind the bar. They returned the favor before taking off. Turning back around, the guy gave him a little push. "Boss is out at a business meeting, but the others got back a bit ago, and let's just say they were a little... concerned to learn you'd walked out with some girl."
"Oh..." Jay cringed, shrinking in on himself a little. Well, there went his good mood - or, as good as it got, anyways. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
The man shrugged. "Can't say. You'll need to check in with the twins for that. They calmed down a bit when we described the girl; a friend of theirs too, apparently. Still, they're waiting on you, so you best get going before their patience dies and they decide to go looking for you themselves; you won't like it if they do, trust me." Taking a solid step away, the man returned to his post next to the entrance.
"Alright... Thanks."
He was probably right, but still, that didn't rid Jay of the slight worry bubbling up. Sure, the girls, and even Junior himself, had been rather reasonable so far, but they were still criminals at heart, and damn good ones at that. Yeah, it was just a little casual meandering, easily explained away, but the fact he'd left without saying anything - or even leaving a message - could quite possibly get him into some serious trouble if it became a habit. But considering how Miltia had been with him so far, and Melanie's patent for following her sister's lead, he doubted he'd face much in the way of punishment.
On the other hand, Jay felt he was in for at least some criticism for his little vanishing act - if he could even call it that.
Stepping into his room, Jay intended to leave his jacket behind for this one; it wasn't all that cold out, and besides, he didn't really plan to leave the club again for at least a few hours.
"Oh, hey." Rex looked up, sending a short wave, only to then freeze as he suddenly jerked his hands away, along with a set of cards resting within his grasp. Melanie, who was next to him, rolled her eyes, as if annoyed by the sudden shift, and yet, Jay noticed the tiny smirk on the edge of her lips. Miltia was the only one not trying to cheat at their apparent card game, and she folded her hand together in a little stack and passed them off to her sister, all the while Rex did the same, but not before looking a little bummed.
"Welcome home." Miltia said, and Jay just sort of returned it with a wave. He didn't mind the greeting, even if it felt a little weird, but he was more perplexed by the scene he'd walked in on.
Temporarily losing his filter, Jay asked, "were you all just playing cards on my bed?"
"Mm hmm." Melanie, having assembled the entire deck into one stack, proceeded to shove it into one of the folds of her dress; weirdly, Jay couldn't quite tell where she'd put it. "Had to do something while waiting for you to get back." Crossing her arms, she leaned back and hit him with a look. "And about that, do you plan on telling us why you decided to up and scoot with..." Casually, she leaned forward towards her sister and prompted, "what's her name again?"
"Ruby."
"Ruby." Her glare was back on him and she'd returned to her accusatory posture.
Furrowing a brow, Jay was at a loss for what to really tell her; that didn't stop him from doing it, though.
"Because she asked me to go with her." Upon receiving a less than pleased expression, he decided it would be best if he gave a brief explanation. "Do you know Coco?"
"No, but Miltia here's always telling me she's the one who fixes up our torn nightwear, so I know who you're referring to."
A bit personal for his liking, but that could be ignored. The real kicker was that she at least knew who he was talking about, which made this a whole lot easier.
"Yeah, well: Ruby was on her way to meet up with Coco, and I agreed to tag along."
"Agreed, huh." Something tickled him about the way her voice slipped around with its tone. "So she invited you?"
"I guess." Knowing Coco, it was more likely that Ruby was asked to fetch him, although he hadn't really thought about it that much at the time. Melanie's eyes wandered over him, discreetly of course, but Jay managed to catch the tail end of it. She was looking at him kind of funny, but it was masked with annoyance, as was the case most times she spoke to and with him.
Mumbling something under her breath, her eyes clenched and she conceded.
"Whatever." standing up, she passed right beside him and out into the hall, calling out as she wandered into the club. "Just don't mosey off again without saying something first."
Jay... was at a loss for words. That hadn't been nearly as damning as he thought it would be. Sending his sights back to the other two, he got only a shrug from Rex, and an apologetic grin from Miltia.
"She's just annoyed you didn't leave a note or something." Miltia told, and Jay somewhat slumped.
"I didn't think she cared that much about me."
"Probably not." Miltia confirmed, passing him by as well, but at least she had the courtesy to send him a small, lighter smile on the way. "But it's her job to wrangle up the stragglers when they get into trouble. Sure, she's not all that happy it was you who ghosted us, but the boss has a thing for you right now, so she can't afford to let you muck yourself up; it would look bad on her."
The woman passed out into the main club, presumably to join her sister of a shorter temper. This left Jay in a bit of a spot. The way she said it, how Junior had a "thing" for him... it just rubbed him off the wrong way. At the very least, his worries were temporarily dashed when Rex popped up and slapped him on the back.
"So... Was it the same 'Ruby' you're dressed up as?"
What a way to lighten the mood; good for drawing in his attention, but explosively obvious that he was trying to change the subject. Jay accepted it though; he wasn't super tired, and the stint with Coco earlier had brightened his mood a little. For a short time, he could genuinely say he'd felt something wholly positive.
Shaking his head briefly, Jay passed Rex, nodding as he began to slip his jacket off.
"The same."
"Cool." Rex clearly hadn't thought about what to say next, or maybe he expected Jay to make excuses otherwise. He recovered soon enough though, just as Jay tossed his coat on the bed. "Does she still think you're a creep?"
"What?" Jay paused, momentarily stunned, before bumbling out, "I didn't even know she thought that." He'd assumed she felt something strange towards him, but this was Ruby they were talking about. Later Ruby, sure, he could see her finding him weird, but early Ruby was a different ball game altogether. She hadn't acted any differently towards him, other than pushing them along to Coco, and she hadn't looked at him too funny either.
Ruby acted like... well, Ruby.
"Oh." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry then. I kind of just assumed she may have thought you were a real weirdo." Chuckling, he looked up with a grin. "We didn't really get to talk all that much back when we met, you know, with the shootout going down."
"She never said anything about me being a creep..." Jay crossed his arms, struggling to not sound so provoked. "Did she?"
"Come on my man." Hopping over and wrapping an arm around his waist, Rex began to violently steer them away from the question with the finesse of rhinoceros. "Let's get back to the girls. There's no work today, and Melanie's buying."
In the end, Jay accepted this change. Rex may not have been good at hiding his screw up, but once more, Jay found himself with a bit of updraft in his mood. Junior was out, meaning there was little chance of being assigned to help out crooks or terrorists again. And Melanie was buying too; Rex must have finally strung together something coherent if she was willing to pay - that, or she was just tossing out a few freebies approved by Junior, and Rex wasn't even an inch ahead.
It didn't matter; today had started out fine, and Jay intended to enjoy it while he could.
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"You doing okay?"
Yang might not have been the smartest girl when it came to classes, but she wasn't an obtuse idiot either. Sure, she had her ups and downs when it came to making decent enough social calls, but Blake may as well have been waving around warning signs.
"I'm fine."
Like right now, for instance; a cheerleading routine of problems, and she was the star. Yang quickly buried the idea of Blake in a mini-skirt for later consideration, like she had for the idea of Ren in a kimono - don't question that second one. The point was, despite how her eyes tended to wander towards the more... attractive aspects of people, she wasn't so shallow as to not notice when one of her friends' fires was fizzling out.
And that kind of sucked; their particular fires often burnt the brightest, with wild and beautiful colors.
"You could have fooled me." Mumbling just loud enough to be a bother, Yang saw Blake cast her signature pout, although maybe she was scowling; it was cute all the same, no matter which of her friends did it - Ruby's was the best though, as expected of her little sister.
You know, Yang really thought that would get more of a reaction from her mysterious smut addict, but Blake stayed silent for the entire trip back, so much so that it even started to make Ruby look visibly uncomfortable. Eventually, after several minutes in the dorm, Weiss had barged in, presumably back from the library, and faced Ruby with the fuse of a drill sergeant.
"Alright, you're not going to like this, and I know you're our leader..." The Schnee then flashed a collection of papers towards Ruby. Upon closer inspection, it looked as though Weiss had somehow convinced Professor Port to give their Beowolf Biology report results back early; leave it to miss perfect to procure something like that from an official. "But this is simply unacceptable."
52 percent; Yang cringed, hissing a little near the end. So Ruby wasn't the best when it came to certain subjects outside of weaponry, okay, but that seemed a little low even for her. Of course, that assignment had been a little rough with how... obscure some of the questions had been. But even so, Weiss had singled out Ruby over the rest of them, meaning their own grades may have been a touch higher - ouch.
"Huh?" Ruby looked over her magazine, with a focus that was less excited than what it really should have been. Normally Ruby would take a few prods to break free from the newest article, but she'd caught Weiss's yapping on the first go. That was... not normal.
Okay, Yang thought, I'm adding Rubes to the list as well today; joy.
She kind of expected this stuff from Blake - although not to the level her teammate was showing right now - but Ruby was a different story.
"Come on." Weiss marched forward, grabbing Ruby by the arm. "We're going to the library and discussing how to properly present information at an academy acceptable level."
Well, that at least explained why Ruby's grades were so low. When it came to Signal, Yang distinctly remembered there being far, far more written assignments and lessons in the later years as opposed to the early ones. From structure to layout, a hunter's job involved being able to spot any irregularities in potential work contracts, as well as being able to craft eye-catching resumes and cover letters. You'd think it would be all about ability, reputation, and schooling; nope, appearances were pretty much the brunt of the battle.
Ruby didn't really fight it, almost looking a little ghostly as Weiss pulled her out. Yang made a mental note to sit her sister down and have a chat later, but right now, Blake was primed and ready for her, even if the woman herself didn't yet know it.
Moseying on over, Yang took a seat and began her little therapy session.
"Alright, what's bugging you."
"I already told you back in Vale: I'm fine."
"You see, that is where our problem lies." Yang leaned in, making it exceptionally harder to be ignored; Blake made an astounding attempt anyways, doing her best to bury her nose deeper into her book. "You're talking the talk, but you're not walking the walk."
Blake, to her credit, held her ground for all of a minute, before caving into the beginnings of the conversation with a thump, letting her head fall back onto her pillow. With the novel resting open against her chest, it was easy to see the subtle shifting's of the paper against her, exasperating each and every breath.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"I'd be a pretty bad friend and teammate if I did." Yang backed up a touch, finally giving her partner some breathing room. "We're in this together for four years; four of them. If one of us is going through some stuff, then we can't be keeping each other in the dark. We need to have clear heads if we're going to take on the real challenges." A tiny grin crossed the blonde's lips. "So what do you say: wanna bitch about your problems with a buddy?"
Blake... kind of just scowled a little; again, this wasn't the reaction Yang had planned for, once more proving the old saying of how things never go as expected. Leaning up, Yang noticed her partner put on an almost dirty look.
"You say that, and yet when it came to your problems, you told me to wait." Crossing her arms, Yang could tell from that tone alone where this was going. "Kind of hypocritical how you're so ready to coax my issues to light, and yet you bury your own."
Yang raised a finger, opening her mouth to speak, before setting her arm down again and wearing a tired expression.
"Yeah... yeah that's fair, I guess." Slurping in a breath through her clenched teeth, she found it a bit hard to truly meet her partner's gaze, but she did so anyway; Blake was right, after all. "I guess it is a little unreasonable to expect you to spill it for free."
"You understand then, good." Blake went to lie back down, but froze when Yang next spoke.
"How about a trade?" This earned a curious look from the shadow of the pair, and the light offered a wary look. "A tit for tat sort of thing. I tell you mine, and you tell me yours."
This certainly changed things, Blake was sure of that. Even so, she couldn't help but nod, agreeing to the plan.
"Okay then... secrets for secrets." Furrowing her brow, she offered a pointed, but not all too hostile look. "Who begins?"
Yang waved a hand in the air. "I'll let you take the reins; this was my idea, remember? It's only fair that you ask first." Her louder teammate turned her way, facing Blake with an unfitting expression of expectation. Both of them knew what Blake herself wanted to know, but the question was, would she even be comfortable asking?
Maybe, or maybe not, but things would never get going if she kept backpedaling every time an opportunity showed itself. Taking a short, awkward breath, Blake broke the ice.
"I've been thinking a bit about what you first said to Ruby, back when you were so riled up."
"The collection of what-if's, right?" Blake nodded, and Yang leaned back a bit, shutting her eyes and just looking to... soak in the air around her. "Let me guess: you're curious if any of that may have happened, or if it was just a collection of extremes pulled out of my backside."
A single eye popped open, and as it lingered on her, Blake offered a shameful nod. She really, really should have just let it be and told her partner some excuse or another; Blake hadn't done that though, and now she was intruding on private affairs almost by force.
It made her feel disgusted on the inside.
Yang leaned forward again, shrugging as she delivered a rather curt telling of the truth. "It was more of an abridged version of events, but most of it's true." Blake only felt more and more worse as her partner's eyes almost looked to fog over. "I was a stupid kid, and I paid the price for it. I met a guy, thought he was cool, ignored any and all warning signs, and woke up cold and alone, feeling... rotten."
"I'm sorry." Blake didn't know what more to say. What could she say? This was a can of worms she had no right to open, but she did, all because she wouldn't just open up about the video making her upset. The Fang's newest showing was bad, sure, but it wasn't directly affecting her, not like the nightmare her partner was recalling right now.
"Hmm?" Yang eyed her, raising a brow. "Why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault." And then her face settled again. "But... thanks anyway."
"It wasn't your fault." Blake was nearly running on autopilot now. All of this had been so much about her, that she hadn't stopped to consider what everyone else may have been through, and from the sounds of it, Yang was blaming herself for whatever terrors her younger self had seen.
Yang snorted, not super happy mind you, but a little chuckle.
"Okay," she began, holding up a hand. "Don't do that. Look," placing a hand over her chest, Yang zeroed in on her partner. "I get you feel the need to step in with all the reassurances and that, but trust me: I don't need them."
Blake froze up again, but managed to throw out a gentle nod, earning an eye roll from Yang who sighed.
"I'm not accusing you of anything, okay, so just relax." Blake, very carefully, took that advice and settled down a bit, thawing just enough to earn a little smile from Yang. "That's better."
"I'm sorry for asking." Blake had no right to prod and poke like she had, and she wanted to get that off her chest. "I shouldn't have forced you to go through that again."
"You're not forcing me to do anything, alright, so just... chill a little." Yang rolled her head, getting some of the stiffness out of her neck. "Besides, this is a trade, remember; I give a little, and you give a little."
Yeah, but that didn't mean the trade would be equal. Blake wanted to just skip everything, but she felt she owed it to Yang to at least hear this all out. Yang was partially right, she had proposed a trade, but Blake had nothing of equal value to return. Even so, with the uneven odds, she found herself curious once more.
"You... doesn't it hurt? Remembering, I mean."
"A little." Yang spit tossed out. "Had this been a few years ago I may have cried, but I've come to terms, and all that..." Her eyes locked with Blake's again. "Hey, you mind if I vent a bit? It helps when I have someone to talk to."
Blake nodded again, unable to find any words at the moment. Yang just shook her head lazily, giving off an almost peaceful aura.
"That's the spirit. Bitching goes both ways, you know, and if I'm digging for the reasons behind your sour mood, it's only fair I offer up something of my own. Sheesh, look at me acting up over here. This was supposed to be about you, and here I am stealing the show." Stretching her arms, Yang crossed them behind her head as she fell back onto the bed. "But my therapist once said it helps to let these things out if you're talking with someone you trust."
"Do you... really trust me that much?" This was news to Blake.
"Duh." Yang grinned. "We're partners, remember? Like it or not, we're stuck with each other for the next four years at least."
That wasn't a very good excuse, but who was she to question Yang? Really, Blake was more surprised by just how... carefree Yang looked.
"You're awfully calm about this..."
"What?" Yang smirked. "Is that a surprise to you?" Not giving Blake a chance to answer, Yang leaned up and put on a more reserved mask. "Listen, Blake, I've had a long time to come to terms with what happened back then, okay. I wasn't... I wasn't alone like most other people in these situations are; heck, the first thing I did after waking up was wander back home to tell my pops about what happened. Most people wouldn't feel comfortable telling anybody, but he and my uncle were all I had, and I was scared. I think… I think I just wanted it to be a dream. I thought that, by telling him, he'd maybe just call me lazy, and say I'd just come in from being out in the garage. Maybe I'd dozed off and none of it happened… but it did. So… yeah: my dad was the first one to know I'd been roughed up."
Blake could imagine that hadn't gone over well, and this was confirmed when Yang stifled a small chuckle
"You wouldn't believe how furious he was." And then her look changed, restoring its serenity. "But he wasn't angry at me. No, he was pissed and out for the blood of the guy who tricked me. We found out a bit later that the guy had been torn apart by the grimm; supposedly died the night after he got me. Local reports said he wandered into the woods, supposedly while fleeing the scene, and the beasts got 'em. I guess that's as good an ending he could have got…" Once again, Yang paused, and her face shifted bit by bit before she started up again. "In the end, despite it all, nobody blamed me… well, almost nobody. To tell you the truth though, there was one person who blamed me entirely."
"Who?" Who in their right mind would blame Yang for something like that? You'd need to be a complete heartless lunatic to even consider the idea. Some of her fury had slipped out, but Blake didn't care, because she was heated.
"Me." And like that, all fury died, and Blake felt as though her heart spasmed. Yang merely settled her arms on her lap. "I did."
"Why?" The only word Blake could find, and yet Yang hit her with two.
"Why not?" Her partner straightened her posture again, but her mind was anywhere but here; Blake could tell from the way her pupils dilated that Yang wasn't exactly focused on anything within their dorm room. "I was the idiot who slurped up all his lies. Some of my friends and family, and heck, even the other patrons at the few small clubs around town we hung out in, told me he was acting touchy with me. But I wouldn't hear it, not really."
Blake had half a mind to tell her partner that she was just a kid, and that the man shouldn't have even had eyes on her, let alone try anything. But she refrained, because this was Yang's story to tell, and she seemed to be wholly into it.
"I'll just say it: I thought I was invincible. I'd felt it a few times, how he got a little too close, but in those instances I'd just shove him back. I was a huntress, and he was just an ordinary guy. I didn't think he could do anything to me, and I was strong; one of the strongest of my year even." Yang gave off a tiny, scratchy laugh. "What could one measly little man do?" And then her breathing trailed off. "Apparently, a lot."
"It wasn't your fault." Blake couldn't catch herself before it slipped out, but oddly, it earned a tiny, cheeky smile from Yang.
"I said not to do that… but you're right, and I know it wasn't my fault." But just like that, it was gone. "But that didn't stop me from blaming myself back then. It scared me badly. Like... I never felt so weak and vulnerable in my entire life up until then. I wondered: how? How was it possible for some random nobody to take me, an up and coming huntress, and treat me like a...?" She appeared to struggle with finding the right words, before ultimately settling down. "Like a toy."
Blake got to see in full detail how Yang's hands curled into balls.
"I was strong, powerful, and unbeatable. I couldn't just be... I couldn't just be used and then thrown away when some guy was done playing with me. That wasn't how it worked..." Yang lost her grip, and soon her posture was weak once more. "But it was... that was exactly what happened. The great and powerful Yang Xiao Long ended up pilled and pounded like a common hooker."
Blake wanted to scream, but what good would that do? There was nothing she could do or say that would help alleviate what Yang had gone through. No, all Blake could do was sit quietly and listen, as - in her eyes - nothing more than a bystander unable to intervene.
"It took about a year for me to come to terms with it; my therapist told me that was remarkably quick for someone like me."
"Does that mean you... got over it?" That sounded incredibly insensitive, and Blake knew that, but her ability to carefully word things was kind of fried right now.
"You never truly "get over'' things like that... but I had accepted it... mostly." Yang sighed, leaning back on her hands and letting her head sink into her neck. "Yeah, I still have moments from time to time, as well as a few nightmares under certain conditions, but the years have muddied them quite a bit." Her eyes bit down hard into a solid focus, clear and unwavering. "But there was one thing that I learned, and it's something I'll never forget."
"What?" Yang then looked at her, showing off a sturdy expression.
"I'm not responsible for what that man did to me, but I am responsible for how I handled things. If I had listened to everyone around me, and the little things I turned a blind eye to, then I wouldn't have ended up in that state."
"You couldn't have known." Blake felt like a broken record, but even so, she sang the tired old tune.
"No, but I should have." Yang placed a hand over her heart, staring into Blakes eyes with more force than ever before. "It's going to be my job to catch those little details. Being a huntress is as much about attentiveness and responsibility as it is fighting off the Grimm and looking like the heroine." She settled back down. "Yeah, it wasn't my fault back then, but that fiasco taught me just how vile the real world could be, and how every little detail matters." Her eyes fell into a foggy state again. "My dad and uncle tell me not to blame myself, and I don't, but if there was one thing I took away from all of it, it was the necessity of paying attention to your surroundings. Reading the room is one of the most important skills for anyone, because you can't defend people from something you don't even know exists."
There was a simple few minutes of silence between the two before Yang started up again.
"I know I sometimes get... intense when things go down, but I can't help myself." Blake felt her heart crack as Yang's sight trailed towards Ruby's bunk ahead of them. "Ruby's one of the only family members I have, and... my last connection to our mom." Sighing heavily, Yang flopped her head into her open hands, who themselves were propped up by the woman's knees. "She doesn't know how bad people can be... and, a part of me doesn't want her to find out." Her eyes shifted again, lost somewhere in the distance. "Is that wrong?"
"I don't know." Realistically, Ruby would find out anyway, so Yang was just delaying the inevitable. The odds of something like that happening to Ruby in particular were slim, but from the eyes of those who'd lived through those moments, it seemed almost guaranteed and waiting around every corner. "But I don't think it's so wrong to think like that." Shooting a look, Blake spoke easily, albeit cautiously. "She'll eventually find out though. There's nothing we can do to stop it."
"I know." Yang said, standing with a grunt. "But I want to let her innocence live just a little bit longer." Turning back around, she finished off with a last statement. "We're huntresses, Blake, and we have to be strong not just for us, but everyone else too. We're not allowed to be weak."
Another bout of silence, and with a final puff, Yang wiped the dirt from between her eyes.
"Now I know that was all a downer, but believe me when I say I'm a fairly well adjusted sort of gal." A little grin skipped across her lips. "I know how to party and play just fine, and I even still enjoy dreaming up a few spicy ideas from time to time; I just need some cooling down every now and then." A more honest smile took hold. "But sometimes you gotta let things out; get them off your chest and all that. It's just a bit tiring to do, and I'm really going to need a good break after this, if you'd care to join me?"
Yes. Blake would be quite up for some rest after this. Standing up herself, she felt it was time to return the favor. This was a game of secrets after all, and since Yang had trusted her enough to share something so personal as that, then it was only right that she placed that same trust in Yang.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot." Casual and sporty; just like she'd been earlier today. It was here Blake had to round up her courage, and then toss herself out into danger.
"Do you believe that everyone within the White Fang are monsters, like Weiss does?" A little on the nose, but what more could she do? Blake, while willing to put her trust in Yang, at the very least wanted to know what reaction to expect beforehand.
Yang raised a brow, but nevertheless spoke up after a little.
"No, I don't." Yang's previous smile had hardened into a line, but not too hard as to appear upset. "I'm the type of gal who believes that there's good in just about everything, no matter how wicked it may seem. Sure, they're terrorists and murderers now, but I remember my dad once talking about how they used to be simple protesters. I highly doubt every single one of them chose to just start killing when it became the popular thing. Between you and me, I think some of them are just too scared to leave now that the killers have made themselves known; fearful they might be killed too."
Her partner really wasn't like most people, was she? And here Blake thought this might all end in disaster; how foolish of her. Letting a tiny, honest, and appreciative smile form, Blake opened up a bit more.
"Not many people are willing to think that hard about it."
"Most people are just scared." Yang replied, wearing a more pleasant, accepting look. "They see the danger and flee. It's not entirely their fault for thinking so when bullets are flying, especially if they lose someone close to them because of it. You know what they say, one bad apple spoils the bunch; people are too afraid to see beyond what's in front of them."
Yeah, they were, but Yang wasn't like those people. Yang was caring, understanding, and observant; more than many gave her credit for. If her partner was to ever truly understand what was getting so deep under her skin, then she would need to start from the beginning.
Many in the White Fang could be classified as innocent, however, Blake was not one of those people.
"I guess it's my turn, huh?"
Yang threw on a smile, free from any extra strings and such.
"That's how the game works."
"Alright then." Taking a deep breath, Blake took her first step from the shadows of the past, now willing to, at the very least, take in a single helping hand. "My name is Blake Belladonna, and I'm the former High-Priority Executioner for the White Fang."
Barbarism, she always called it, because it was the only word strong enough to knock her back into the real world. They were monsters for even considering the idea of executions as viable. But no, she'd taken to her role perfectly... because Adam had made it seem so heroic, and like the ignorant little kitten she'd been, Blake took up the role of ending the lives of high priority targets as per his request.
As far as Blake knew, she'd become an assassin; she was never told they would be recording anything.
Slavers and serial killers; always the worst of the worst, or so she was led to believe. Never questioning how they ended up in the places that they did, she'd always just assumed they'd wronged one of their business partners and were captured and about to face punishment while tied up in some abandoned factory or other. Perhaps if she'd really taken the time to look around she would have found the cameras, but she never did. The only solace she'd been given was in how dark it was, and that darkness had hidden her face from every single one of her kills, and perhaps even the cameras themselves. The captors always had a bright spotlight on them, but she never drew close enough to be immersed in it.
Her blade had, though, and she'd always made her kills both smooth and efficiently, never dragging it out like the White Fang did now, because to her, there was no use in making them suffer when they would die anyway.
It took until she'd actually recognised one of her targets, the daughter of a prominent council member from Atlas who was no older than herself, for Blake to realize what it was she'd really been doing. The look in the girl's eyes as blood coated her blade, and the warmth of Adam's hand over her own as they, together, ended an innocent life.
She'd frozen up with Gambol Shroud primed to strike as realization dawned on her, and it was here when Adam took control, guiding her dysfunctional limb along within the aims of his own and aiding in her first, now fully aware, atrocity. Adam never denied her when she questioned the girl's identity, and when prodded about all the other missions she'd been assigned, he then confirmed that all of them had been not only filmed, but used to dissuade those who would seek to even lay hands on a faunus. Justice and retribution had been the terms used to describe the killings, but she knew better than to delude herself like that.
They weren't fighting monsters anymore. They were the monsters.
Author's note
...
That was a heavy one.
To tell the truth, this scene between Yang and Blake wasn't supposed to be nearly as long a segment as it ended up being, but when it comes to sensitive subject matter like this, you can't afford to phone it in. This should explain why Yang was so... shall we say 'brutal' in the beginning chapters of the story. Yeah, it was somewhat obvious during certain parts, but you weren't truly privy to how she saw things.
By the way: this'll be the most 'overt' with darker subject matter of this variety that we'll be getting; they're not meant to become showpieces, they're meant to provide a look into each of the characters and why they do what they do. Hopefully I've handled this carefully enough; it's so easy to disregard something crucial and muddy the waters.
Just keep in mind that accepting and learning to live with something does not mean doing away with it entirely. Victims of all sorts of trauma are almost constantly fighting with it, and those battles can be incredibly discreet.
In contrast to Yang's portion of the chapter, Jay, Rex, and the sisters pretty much have the day off, whereas Ruby and Weiss are at the library.
Anyway, this is it for now. Until next time.