The Vale Voice - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Blake used to look at the distribution numbers as soon as they were available on Saturday morning.  With great anticipation, she waited for that small data point to show up online, then used it as a barometer while repeatedly checking through the rest of the weekend.

Over time, she stopped looking so obsessively.  She still checked, normally on Saturday evening, but with a sense of apprehension instead of anticipation.  Rather than hope for a huge increase in readership, she dreaded a huge decrease - one large enough to break their fledgling hold on survival.

Neither the huge decrease nor the huge increase happened this weekend.  When compared week-to-week, the numbers appeared relatively stable.  Looking at a longer time horizon, however, made the alarming, downward trend fully visible.

Granted another week’s stay, she managed her weekend as she normally did: a moderately healthy mix of personal errands interspersed with various accounting tasks (paying the office’s rent chief amongst them) and preparation for the upcoming week.  But part of that preparation, however, had been far from ordinary.

It was the start of a new week, which meant Brand would be back from vacation...and Yang was still here.

Most of Blake’s free time had been devoted to finding something to defray the potential conflict, to no avail.  She couldn’t exactly ask Yang to leave whenever Brand was in the office, nor did she want to.  She couldn’t tell Brand to work from home either - that might only make him more upset.  

Ultimately, she’d thrown her hands in the air and decided there was nothing she could do except wait and see how Brand took the unexpected change in his work environment.  Not a great solution, but there wasn’t much else she could do from home.

What she had been able to do, with moderate success, was create a list of tasks Yang could help with around the office.  That had been, without a doubt, the most enjoyable part of her weekend.  With an extra set of hands, they could finally start some of the tasks they’d put off for ages.  Archiving previous versions of The Vale Voice and helping Velvet tag and organize all of her photos were top priorities now that they had extra manpower.

By the time Blake made her way to work, a warm cup of tea in hand, she felt adequately prepared for whatever the day might hold...minus the giant question mark that was Brand.  Stepping into the office and turning on the lights, she looked at his desk and took a sip of tea.  

They made it through last week alright, and Yang seemed to be a positive contributor so far.  The last thing Blake wanted to do was disrupt the gentle peace that had been established, regardless of the circumstances.  They were hopefully making progress towards securing an advertiser that could solve the bulk of their problems.  If Brand, for whatever reason, flew off the handle at Yang...that would be a very negative first impression and a harsh mark against their work. 

Taking her tea into her office, Blake checked her morning emails but didn’t dive into her work right away.  Instead, she organized a few files and put away some unnecessary papers while keeping one eye on the door.

Hopefully, Brand would get there first, giving her the chance to speak to him in private.  Unfortunately, he normally arrived last since he worked from home in the morning.  As he put it, his kids weren’t getting any younger, and he liked seeing them off to school before starting his day. 

Sure enough, Yang got there first - walking through the door while already in conversation with Velvet.  Blake watched the two sit down, then watched Victor hurry in a few minutes later, before standing up and walking over to Yang’s desk.

She could give Yang the list of projects she’d compiled and, if possible, a bit of a head’s up…

As she walked to Yang’s desk, the door burst open yet again, and Sun raced inside.  Catching Blake’s gaze, he grinned.

“Hey Blake!  You’ll never guess what happened this weekend.”

“Tell me about it later?” she diverted him, unwilling to be dragged into a long conversation at this instant.  Pleased with the response, he nodded and flew to his desk in a tornado of noise.  While he set everything down and got ready for work, Blake walked to Yang’s desk and cleared her throat.

“Good morning, Yang.”

When Yang turned towards her, it was with a smile that immediately grew brighter - as if it was a surprise for Blake to stop and talk to her.

“Hey, good morning!”  

Feeling the joyful gaze warm her skin, Blake dropped her eyes to examine Yang’s desk.  A few random notes were stacked in a somewhat-neat pile beside the keyboard while a full-sized notebook lay on the larger part of the desk.  From just a glance, she saw that the page was filled with neatly arranged notes.  

Overall, Yang was far more organized than Blake had expected based solely on appearance.  Of course, if Yang could organize her wardrobe and outfits to coordinate so perfectly, why was it difficult to believe she could organize the rest of her life as well?

Meeting Yang’s gaze again, Blake struggled to find the words she wanted to say, unsure of how to bring up the topic of an unhappy bear headed their way.

“Did you have a good weekend?” she asked instead.

“Yeah, it was great!  How was yours?”

“Mine was...normal.”  Her heart jumped when the door opened, but she smiled in relief when Lola walked in.  Passing by Yang’s desk, Lola gave them a soft “good morning” before going about her business.  

“Normal’s good,” Yang replied, never losing that cheerful grin.  “I’d take ‘normal’ over a lot of the alternatives.”

“That’s true…” Blake mused before remembering what the two of them talked about on Friday.  “You went to the fair with your sister, right?  How was that?”

To Blake, the conversation felt awkward and forced, but Yang seemed to have no problem with it.  She actually grinned from ear-to-ear while leaning back in her seat.

“It was awesome.   Although she ate like three things of cotton candy and nearly puked on the spinning teacup ride...but, other than that, we had a blast.”

“That...sounds like fun.”

Again, the conversation stalled while Blake searched for somewhere to go from there.  Deciding work was the safest route, she handed the list of tasks to Yang.

“I wrote down a few things you can help with,” she explained while Yang read the bullet points.  “Some of them might be longer projects, but I wasn’t sure how long you’d be here.”

“Oh, me neither, actually.  Weiss is still outta town, so I guess at least until she gets back?”

“When’s that?”

“Couple weeks.”

Nodding at their tentative time frame, Blake mentally calculated that as enough time to make a sizeable dent in the work.  Any extra progress was helpful, especially when zero progress was currently being made.

“Great.  Victor can show you how to set up an archive, and you can work with Velvet to figure out how she wants her photos scanned.”  When Blake glanced one desk over, Velvet smiled at the idea and nodded.  “Don’t worry about finishing everything,” Blake added.  “We can always pick up where you leave off.”

When Yang chuckled at the comment, Blake gave her a curious look.

“You act like I’m just gonna up and leave,” Yang explained with a shake of her head.  “Even if I need to help Weiss with other stuff, I’ll make sure to finish this - at night or on the weekends or whenever.  I mean, if you’ll let me.”

While Yang seemed suddenly uncertain, her dedication to seeing the tasks through to the end lifted the corners of Blake’s lips.

“Of course you can,” she answered, feeling even more of a smile appear when Yang looked relieved by the response.  But Blake’s attention abruptly shifted away when the door opened and a tall, burly man strode inside.  

No sooner had the door fallen shut did his eyes land on Yang, and his smile immediately disappeared.

“Brand!” Sun shouted, racing over and jumping to give the towering man a high-five.  “What’s up, big man?  How was vaca?”

“It was great,” Brand said, but his gaze never left Yang, who squirmed in her seat.  That was an appropriate reaction given the circumstances, with Brand’s furrowed brow and his eyes casting a suspicious gleam.  Curious at the lackluster response, Sun followed Brand’s glower before grimacing and slinking back to his desk.  

Determined to make this as painless as possible, Blake walked over to greet him.

“Good morning, Brand,” she said, doing her best to block Yang from view so he would stop glaring.  “How was your trip?”

“A lot of fun.”  After casting another glance at Yang, he leaned close to whisper, “Did something happen while I was gone?”

As his gaze flitted over her shoulder, Blake did her best not to turn around.

“Let’s talk for a second.”  Shooting at glance towards Yang, who was clearly listening while also trying to disappear, Blake gestured for Brand to follow her.  Once inside her office, she closed the door and took a deep breath.  

“Ok, let me hear it,” she said, walking around him to her desk.

“What’s a human doing here?” he immediately asked.

“She’s helping us for a little while -”

“She’s working here?” 

“It’s only temporary,” she tried to reassure him, but he wasn’t hearing it. 

“This is supposed to be a Faunus environment,” he said, a displeased frown still on his lips.  “Where Faunus can find a bit of peace from the world out there.”  As he gestured roughly towards the window, Blake looked at the sunny blue sky beyond before turning back and waiting.  She knew he had more to say, and she only waited several seconds before he said it.

“You know what it’s like,” he added, knowing he would find a kindred spirit in her.  “You know what The Voice is supposed to be.  How could you let her in here?”

When it was finally her turn to speak, she first let out a long sigh - one that felt like she’d held in for a long, long time.  

“I agree with you,” she said simply.  “The people here are what makes us special.  We provide hope to Faunus by speaking in their voice.”

When he nodded at the response, she added, “And that’s why I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep us running.”  His nod stopped, but she continued.  “We need advertisers, Brand.  You know this.  Without advertisers, we have no money.  And without money, The Vale Voice is no more.  Is that what you want?”

It was a serious question, and he took it as such.  Thinking about his answer carefully, he slowly shook his head.

“No...that’s not what I want.”

“Good.  Me neither.”  Sensing that his stance had softened, she gave him an earnest expression.  “She’s here because we have a chance to win over Schnee Industries.  We only need to prove we’re worthy of the investment.”

He clenched his jaw at her word choice, but was calming down in leaps and bounds.  She understood his harsh reaction - the last thing he’d expected coming to work today was to find a human working amongst them.  It was a shock, an unpleasant surprise, and deserving of an outburst.  But, eventually, he slumped his shoulders, losing some of his imposing height in the process.

“It’s only temporary then…?”

“Yes.”  From the way he nodded, she could tell he was coming around.  He was smart enough to understand the reasons behind her decision, and he loved The Voice as much as she did.  If their positions were reversed, she was certain he would have made the same choice.  

“She’s only here to see how we operate,” she added.  “And it will only be a couple of weeks.”

After thinking about the situation for several long seconds, Brand eventually sighed.

“I guess I can deal with that...”

“That’s all I’m asking of you.”  About to leave it at that, Blake changed her mind and added, “But she’s actually a nice person, if you wanted to get to know her.  You don’t have to be friends or anything, but she might be able to help with some of your work.”  

She watched him mull over the question, knowing she was asking an awful lot of a man who’d experienced far more than she had.  But, surprisingly, he nodded again.

“I can at least be polite,” he muttered, mostly to himself.  “This is a professional workplace, after all…”

Impressed by his decision, Blake walked over and patted his arm.

“Come on then.  Let me introduce you.”

Opening the door, she led them into the main office and stopped by Brand’s desk, hearing him sigh softly behind her.  Everyone pretended to be buried in their work at that moment, but she felt the entire room’s attention on them - everyone wondering what would happen next.

“Yang,” she said while waving Yang over.  

Rapid glances flitted in Yang’s direction as she stood and walked over.  She was smart enough to look hesitant, but still managed a small smile directed Brand’s way. 

“Brand, this is Yang.  She’s here from Schnee Industries.”  When Yang nodded, Blake turned to Brand.  “Yang, this is Brand.  He’s in charge of the crime and punishment sections.  He was out last week taking his family on vacation.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Yang replied with a polite smile and dip of her chin.  “I hope you had a good vacation!  Where’d you go?”

“Ice-land,” Brand answered, standing to his full, towering height.  “Their request.”  When he gestured towards the photo of his kids on his desk, Yang spared it a glance before doing a double-take.

“Wait, you’re Zell’s dad?”

Brand’s eyes widened when he heard his daughter’s name.  “Yes…” he answered hesitantly, but Yang laughed - having lost her hesitation from seconds earlier.

“I coached her little league team last year!” she explained with a big smile.  And while she chuckled at the coincidence, Brand lost any suspicion in favor of his regular demeanor - actually, a more excited version of his regular demeanor.

“You’re Miss Xiao Long?” he asked in disbelief, shooting Blake a surprised look before letting out a deep laugh.  “You’re one of Zell’s favorite people.”

“She’s definitely one of mine,” Yang replied.  “She was our star player all season!  And just so, so sweet.  How much honey do you feed her?”

“Too much, believe me,” Brand replied with another laugh that made Yang smile.

“Wow, I can totally see the resemblance now,” she said while glancing between the photograph and Brand.  “But from the way she described your job, I thought you were a cop.  She brought up ‘bad guys’ a lot.” 

When Brand chuckled and shook his head, Blake silently backed away from the conversation and watched from afar.  If anyone was going to have an issue with Yang’s presence, it was Brand.  He’d worked here the longest, was the oldest, and had dealt with far more discrimination than the rest of them.  Some of his stories were...harrowing, to say the least.  Begrudging acceptance...yes, that’s what Blake expected.  Not...whatever this was.

“Wow,” she muttered under her breath when Brand pulled out an album he kept in his desk and started showing Yang more family photos.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Velvet commented, having appeared by Blake’s side to watch the interaction unfold.

“She coached Grizzell on some sports team?” Blake asked, still perplexed as to what just happened.

“I think I remember that.  She played in a mixed league.  He was worried about how everyone would treat her.”

“Oh.  I guess I should have remembered that…” 

“The last year has been hard.  No one will blame you for forgetting,” Velvet reassured her.  After briefly biting her bottom lip, Blake shrugged off the inkling of guilt.

“I guess it turned out ok.”  She nodded towards the two people - human and Faunus - happily chatting in front of them.

“It appears that way,” Velvet replied before making a soft “hmm” sound and returning to her desk.

Just like that, the tension disappeared - with Yang talking to Brand, Sun chiming in with his two cents, and the rest of the office going about their business.  Discovering that all her worry over Brand’s reaction had been for naught, Blake shook her head before sneaking back into her office to officially start her Monday.

How was Yang still surprising her?  She thought she was a good judge of character, yet Yang seemed to be going out of the way to prove Blake wrong at all turns.  Her effort in the office, while lacking specialized knowledge or experience, wasn’t at all subpar.  And her ability to get along with others exceeded Blake’s wildest dreams.  Even Brand...Brand, of all people...was quick to accept her into their midst.

Sitting at her desk, Blake absentmindedly finished her tea.  It was cold by now, but she hardly noticed while watching Yang walk back to her workstation with a smile that wasn’t at all hesitant or unsure.  Brand also smiled while picking up the framed photograph of his kids and looking at it lovingly.

Now, Blake couldn’t help but wonder what Grizzell had to say about Yang.  What did a young child think about her energy?  Her enthusiasm was likely infectious.  And her nurturing side probably shone through with flying colors around children.  

It was probably quite a sight to see.

As the office settled into a rhythm, Blake turned to her computer and forced herself to think about work rather than imagining Yang coaching a team of human and Faunus children.  Collecting the estimated sales figures from the weekend, she plugged them into the long-standing history she kept.  They were more of the same, unfortunately - a tiny drop that, out of context, would seem like a relatively minor concern.  In the greater scheme of things...it was a big deal.

What was she missing?  There had to be other ways to gain publicity.  Ways to attract more readers, both human and Faunus.

But some days - and it felt like today was going to be one of them - she felt like she was in way over her head.  She wasn’t a businesswoman.  She wasn’t a brand marketer.  She was a writer.  

At least, she had been a writer...but then The Voice needed someone to take the helm, and she volunteered when there was no one else.  She was naive back then...believing it would be easy - that if they worked hard enough and were true to who they were, they would find success.

Her own life didn’t work that way, so why had she been foolish enough to believe work would be different?  Collectively, they’d written wonderful articles and never sacrificed their Faunus identity.  They worked just as hard, if not harder, than any of the other journalists in Vale.  But, at the end of the day, they were Faunus.  Working harder would never be enough.  

As the day marched on, and people came and went on their assignments, she tore through her morning tasks.  The faster she got the menial housekeeping issues out of the way, the faster she got back to working on articles for the next edition.  In the midst of studying another set of numbers, however, two quiet knocks drew her attention away from the screen, and she found Yang standing by the door.

“Hey, sorry to bother you -”

“No, it’s ok.  Come in.”  Checking the time and finding nearly half the day had already fallen away, she sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.  “What’s up?”

“I had a question on this,” Yang said while holding up the paper Blake had given her that morning.  “For creating a catalog of Velvet’s photos, do you want it to be something everyone can access or more of a ‘just for Velvet’ thing?”

“Oh -”  Even though she still remembered the task, Blake looked at what she wrote down while thinking of a response.  “I hadn’t thought about the rest of the office using it.  Are we even able to do that?”

“I think so.”  Nonplussed by the greater endeavor, Yang shrugged.  “I mean, might as well give it a try, right?  I’m imagining this big database that we can all use - search by keyword and it brings up the photos to choose from.”

“That sounds like it might be beyond our scope of resources…”

“Maybe, but who knows!  I’ll see if there’s a service or something that does it…”  Pausing, Yang suddenly appeared less confident in her suggestion.  “I mean, if that’s something you’d want?”

“Of course.  That sounds like a solution we could use, as long as it’s free.”  After glancing at the screen, Blake shook her head.  “We don’t exactly have spare money lying around right now.”

When Yang followed Blake’s gaze, she gave the computer a thoughtful look.

“You’re looking at a...P&L chart?” 

“You’re familiar with them?” Blake asked, mildly surprised when Yang nodded.

“Yeah, kinda.  Weiss goes over them all the time.  She explained how she uses them.”

“Then you can read what this says.”  Blake gestured towards the lines, which pointed in a definitive downward direction.

“Uh, yeah, kinda,” Yang replied, fidgeting under Blake’s gaze.  “I mean, Weiss only vaguely explained and in a different setting.  I wouldn’t want to assume…or anything...”

Sensing that the topic was making Yang uncomfortable, Blake changed it.

“You and Weiss are close?” she asked, realizing that she still had no idea what their relationship might be.  The more comments Yang made, the more Blake believed they had something more than a simple employer-employee relationship.

“We are.”  After pausing for a second, Yang chuckled.  “Certainly didn’t start out that way, but we are now.”

Blake nodded and filed away that bit of knowledge for future analysis.

“She’s not at all what anyone expects her to be,” Yang added while meeting Blake’s gaze, as if hoping Blake would agree with that statement.

“That seems to be the theme,” Blake muttered before shooting another look at the clock and standing to stretch her legs.

“Huh?”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” she said with a smile.  “I think I’m going to get some fresh air.  Would you like to come with me?”

“Uh, yeah, sure!”

With that acceptance, Blake grabbed her keys and headed out of the office, leaving everything on her desk in mid-completion.  “We’ll be right back,” she told Velvet on their way out.  “Going for a quick walk.”

Receiving a nod and smile from Velvet, she turned and made sure Yang was following her before heading down the stairs and out into the midday sun.  After taking a deep breath of warm air, she sighed it out in content while the sun’s rays heated her skin.

“It’s nice out,” Yang commented from beside her.

“It is.  And nice to get out of the office for a bit.”

Picking a direction and heading that way, she kept to the sunny parts of the sidewalk, being warmed to a pleasant temperature that was impossible to find without the sun shining down on her.  She noticed, however, that Yang gladly walked closer to the buildings - sticking to the shadows where it was a little cooler.

“So...you know Brand’s daughter?” Blake eventually asked, turning to the side in time to watch Yang laugh.

“Yeah, I do.  Zell was on the little league team I coached last year.” Yang chuckled again as they stopped at an intersection and waited to cross.  “It was a lot of fun - we called ourselves the Batter Bees.”

“The Batter Bees?”

“Yeah, cuz there’s no one batter,” Yang replied, shooting Blake a grin that was way too thrilled for her not to laugh.

“That sounds like fun,” Blake agreed while they crossed the street together.  The two of them lapsed into silence for a few paces then, but it was nowhere near as uncomfortable as it had once been.  Still, Yang spoke up relatively quickly.

“You know, Weiss personally funded the league.”

“She did?” 

“Yup.  Paid for all the equipment and field time.  Heck, she even paid for us to get jerseys.”  Yang smiled at the memory.  “The kids had a field day with those - got their names printed on the back and everything.”

“That was nice of her,” Blake replied, although she was taken aback by the news.  It was one thing to help sponsor a sports league for children, or to have a company sponsor it, but to pay out of her own pocket?

“I told you, she’s not what anyone thinks of her.”

Brow furrowing, Blake studied Yang as they continued walking, searching for the real meaning behind that statement.  She wanted to say that Yang and Weiss were close friends, but that felt fonder than mere friends.

Shaking her head and deciding she was reading too much into it, Blake gestured for Yang to follow her to the right.  The two of them turned the corner and continued, making a giant square that would eventually lead them back to the office.

“I’m surprised you could get players,” she commented.

“That was a bit of a problem.  We ended up having fewer teams, but I’m hoping this year we’ll have more.”

“Will you coach again?”

“Definitely.  It was a blast.”

“How did it work...having the Faunus there?” Blake asked, finding that she was more curious than she initially thought.  But the idea of a cross-cultural team of children was fascinating, and she had a first-hand source of information to get answers from.

“You know...once you get them out on the field running around, it doesn’t really matter.  There were some small incidents, but nothing a firm talking-to didn’t fix.  They just love to play.  And in the case of my team - win.”

When Yang grinned at the boast, Blake actually laughed.

“Are you sure it was the kids who loved winning?” she teased.

“Oh yeah, they definitely did!” Yang answered with a big smile.  “I might’ve had a blast rubbing it in the other coaches’ faces, but it was mostly about the kids!”

Blake chuckled at the semi-honest answer and shook her head at the image of Yang teasing her fellow coaches about their constant losing.

“Grizzell was the star of the entire league though,” Yang added.  “You should’ve seen her when she stepped up to plate.”  When Yang stopped on the sidewalk, Blake turned to watch her assume a batter’s position before swinging an imaginary bat and shielding her eyes to watch an imaginary ball sail away.  Satisfied that she’d knocked the ball over the nearest building, Yang dropped her arm and grinned.  “She has so much power.”

“I’d imagine so,” Blake said as they continued their walk.  “Her entire family is strong.”

“Oh!  She has a little brother, right?”  Yang hopped a step in excitement.  “He was in the photos Brand showed me.”

“Troy?” Blake asked, amused and curious about Yang’s sudden enthusiasm.  “Yes, he’s a few years younger.  I think three years.”

“Gotcha.”  When Yang put a hand on her chin, her brow furrowed in concentration.  “I need to find a way to get them both on my team…” she mused.  “Then we’d be unstoppable…”

Blake couldn’t help but laugh at Yang’s plot to take over the little league baseball realm.  Coming out of her devious schemes, Yang sent Blake a happy smile before her eyes sparked with another thought.

“Oh, that reminds me,” she said, turning sideways to look at Blake while they walked.  “I have a question about Brand and Grizzell, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Sure.  What is it?”

“Well, Brand is, you know, brown,” Yang began, looking moderately uncomfortable but continuing regardless.  “How did she...turn out blonde?”

“Ah.”  Blake nodded at the question, which was a good one.  Also, it wasn’t one many thought to ask.  Or maybe, from Yang’s current expression, one that many weren’t comfortable asking.

“Her mom is a polar,” she explained.  “Has hair as white as snow.  Her brother is brown like Brand, but Grizzell is a golden bear - that’s why she has that gold-blonde color.  It’s a genetic trait...must be on Brand’s side of the family somewhere.”

“That’s cool!  So it’s a rare color?”

“Very rare,” Blake answered with a nod.

“She’s gonna be a real beauty when she grows up,” Yang commented, absentmindedly swinging her arms while they turned another corner.  “Brand’s gonna be beating the boys away with a stick.  But first, I’ve gotta keep the other coaches from stealing her away from me…”

While Yang pondered the dilemma, Blake glanced sideways in interest.  Some of the comments Yang made were surprising and a bit...unusual.  She definitely didn’t speak how Blake would expect someone of her...kind...to speak.

“Can you imagine how scary he’ll be with the first guy she brings home?”  Yang shook her head and laughed again.  “If it’s anything like this morning, I’d probably wet myself.”

With that comment, Blake finally figured out what it was - Yang spoke about Faunus as if they led regular lives, as if they were regular people.  Whether it was naivety or just plain wishful thinking, Blake couldn’t quite tell.  It didn’t seem like Yang was naive to the troubles Faunus faced, yet she spoke about them without the glare of the world.

After several seconds of silence, Blake decided to find out which it might be.

“You realize it’s unlikely Zell will have that many people after her?” she pointed out.  “What with her being a Faunus, and one of the less common ones at that?”

“Yeah, I know…” Yang mumbled, scuffing one toe on the sidewalk as if wishing for a stone to kick.  “Can’t hurt to dream though, can it?”

The smile Yang flashed Blake’s way was so unabashedly sad and hopeful that she felt guilty for dashing that pleasant future with a heavy dose of reality.  It answered her question though - Yang wasn’t naive, she was a dreamer.

“Good thing you’re too old for her,” Blake added in an attempt to restore the light mood from moments ago.  “Because I think Brand currently likes you.”

When Yang laughed, Blake smiled at the joyful sound.

“I’m more into brunettes anyway,” Yang replied, sending Blake a wink that made her blush in startled confusion.  “Two blondes is like...way too much blonde, ya know?” Yang continued, gesturing with her hands as if that should make complete sense.

Quickly regaining her composure, but unsure of how to respond, Blake noticed that they were near a change of subject.

“Let’s stop in here,” she said, gesturing to the easily-missable deli storefront.  “We can surprise the office with lunch today,” she added while holding the door for Yang and walking in behind her.

A myriad of smells greeted them - each competing for dominance in the crowded space.  The deli was small, with room for only two small tables against one wall, each seating only two people, while the main counter lay just a few steps from the front door.  Two badgers ate lunch at one of the tables, and both gave Yang a long look before returning to their meals with hushed voices.

Leading them up to the counter, Blake waved towards the chalkboard hung on the wall above it.  

“What would you like?” she asked, smiling at the way Yang stared at the menu.

“This is...the most diverse menu I’ve ever seen...”

“They serve mostly Faunus here.  We’re kind of known for...eclectic tastes.”

Yang laughed before shaking her head and turning to Blake.

“What do you normally get?”

“The tuna sandwich.”

While Blake waited for a cat joke to appear, Yang simply nodded and said, “That sounds good.  I’ll try that!”

When a squirrel Faunus bounded over to the counter to help them, Blake smiled.

“Heya!  What can I get you?” 

“Two number fives,” she replied, “A number seven, nine, fifteen, and seventeen.”

As she spoke, he scribbled down each number before tearing the slip of paper off the pad.  After ringing everything up, he swiped her card, returned it to her, and bounded into the back to prepare their food.

“Let me guess,” Yang said while they waited.  “The peanut butter and banana is for Sun.”

“That’s right,” Blake answered, but felt a tease appear immediately after.  “I’m guessing you saw him eat an entire bunch of bananas last week?”

“Six bananas, Blake.  Six!”

She laughed at Yang’s surprise at what was not at all surprising.  Sun ate bananas like they were going out of style.  Or...he ate them like he really liked bananas.  

“Do you want to guess the rest?”  When Blake nodded to the menu she just ordered their lunches from, Yang grinned.

“I totally got this.”  Staring at the menu, she raised one hand to her chin as if an answer was coming to her.  “Brand gets the salmon sandwich,” she said before wrinkling her nose when she read the description.  “Raw salmon on bread??”

Smiling at the bewilderment, Blake shrugged.  “We all like different things.”

“Well, that’s true…” Yang mumbled before turning back to the menu.  “Ok, let’s see...I bet Velvet and Lola are the two salads.  The only question is...which one gets which…”

After studying both options, Yang came to a conclusion.  “Velvet gets the spinach with fresh fruit.  And Lola’s is the garden greens with all the veggies.”

Impressed with the answer, Blake nodded.  “How did you figure that out?” she asked, to which Yang laughed and shot her a grin.

“Snack habits, Blake.  You can learn a lot about someone from what they snack on.”

“I didn’t realize we were giving so much away with our finger foods,” Blake replied, smiling when Yang laughed again.

“Well you’re not.  This sandwich will be the first thing I’ve ever seen you eat.  Seriously, I don’t know how you’re not starving or super angry.  I get angry when I don’t eat!”

“How do you know I don’t eat?” Blake asked, giving Yang a playful smile as the squirrel Faunus rushed back to them and set two brown paper bags on the counter.  “What if I wait until you’re not paying attention?”

When Blake picked up one of the bags, Yang quickly grabbed the other.

“You’d have to be pretty dang sneaky to get away with that.”

“And you don’t think I’m sneaky?”  Raising one brow, Blake watched Yang try to find a response.

“I mean, I bet you are, but why would you do that?”

Blake shrugged and smiled as they walked out of the deli.  “To confuse you, I suppose,” she replied before giving Yang a more serious glance.  “So...what do your snacks say about you, Yang?” 

Lifting the bag in her hands, Yang grinned.

“I’m willing to try anything.  Except whatever you just got for Victor.  What the heck is ‘owlmeal’ anyway?”

“You probably don’t want to know.”

Yang made a face but didn’t ask.  “I have to say…” she replied instead.  “You’re like the best boss ever.”

Caught off guard by the compliment, Blake said, “I wouldn’t consider myself anyone’s boss...”

“Exactly.  So you treat everyone equally.”

This time, she grimaced when she remembered how she hadn’t planned on treating Yang equally.  

“Plus, you remember everyone’s lunch order,” Yang carried on.  “What boss does that?  I’m telling Weiss - she forgot my birthday last year.”

“Did she really?”

“Well, only in the morning.  By the afternoon she’d scrounged together a gift, but still.”

The idea of Weiss putting together a last-minute present made Blake smile and shake her head.  It was fascinating to think about Weiss in the way Yang presented her - a much friendlier, more normal way, where she forgot birthdays and paid for little league uniforms.  The actions didn’t mesh with the image in Blake’s mind, but it was the same person...just seen through different eyes.

If talking to Yang was accomplishing anything, it made Blake believe they might have a shot at winning Weiss’ support.  Sure, she probably wouldn’t be impressed that Blake could remember a lunch order, but it seemed like Yang liked them.  If Yang gave a good report, would that be enough?

By now, Blake knew better than to put her hopes in the hands of a human she’d only known for several days, but for whatever reason, she felt hopeful.  Maybe it was the walk, which rejuvenated her mind, or Yang’s energy, which rejuvenated her spirit.  Whatever it was, she felt lighter than she had in quite some time.

With the office building in sight, she was ready to go back to work.  The stress of everything she needed to accomplish crept back into her mind, but at a more moderate weight than before.  It felt more...manageable.

“Thank you for the walk,” she said while Yang held the door for her.

“No problem.  It’s good to take a break during the day.  Get some fresh air, stretch your legs...I’m always down for a walk if you want to go again.”

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

Reaching the third floor and walking out of the stairwell, Yang made it to the office door first and again held it open for Blake.  After walking inside, she found that everything was as they’d left it, with their coworkers working or softly chatting amongst themselves.

“Who wants lunch?” she asked while Yang held up the bag of food.  Ears perked up and smiles swept the office at the news.  Setting her bag on Yang’s desk, Blake pulled out the contents and handed the first sandwich to Brand when he walked over.

“You’re a lifesaver,” he said before lifting it to his nose to sniff.  “I was starving.”

“Would you say you just barely made it?” Yang joked.  Brand’s eyes lit up when he understood the pun, and his deep laugh rumbled out.

“I would say that!” he replied while giving Yang a happy pat on the shoulder - a pat with enough force to send her stumbling forward.  Quickly reaching out, Blake caught Yang’s arm to steady her while Brand walked back to his desk.

“Just barely,” he repeated to himself with another chuckle.  “I’m going to use that at home tonight...”

Realizing she was still holding Yang’s arm, Blake let go and smiled while Yang looked at her with wide eyes - having nearly been knocked off her feet by a mere congratulatory tap.

“Yeah, I’d wet myself for sure,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, and Blake let out a surprised laugh, which caught a curious look from Velvet as she collected her salad.  

“Thanks, Blake,” Velvet said as her eyes darted to Yang.  “I’m surprised you made it out of the office before it was dark.”

Accepting her tuna sandwich from Yang with a “Thank you,” Blake turned Velvet’s way.  “I’m trying to take more breaks so you can stop worrying about me,” she replied, the answer making Velvet smile as she returned to her desk.

Looking around the office and finding everyone contentedly unwrapping their lunches, she nodded to herself before heading towards her office. 

“Ok, Sun, come tell me how your weekend was,” she said, walking into her office as Sun gleefully skipped in behind her.  Unwrapping her food and preparing to work while semi-listening to what he had to say, she shot one last look at Yang.

The day was only half over, yet it was already going far differently than she’d expected.  Whether that was because she was horrible at anticipating Yang’s actions or Yang was just that unexpectedly surprising, she couldn’t tell.  What she did know was that she was almost excited to see what would happen next.