The Vale Voice - Chapter 10 (Patreon)

“Lemme guess...a peach tea.”

“You know me too well, Sam,” Blake replied with a smile for the happy-but-sleepy canine behind the counter.

“That, or you’ve ordered the same thing for like three years in a row!” he said while making her morning tea, which was as simple as filling a cup with hot water and dropping a tea bag inside.  “How’s working with the new person - you know, the human?”

“Actually...it’s not so bad.”

Sliding the cup across the counter and taking Blake’s money to make change, Sam raised his brow in surprise.  

“Really?”

“Really,” she admitted with a nod.  “She’s nice and surprisingly helpful.”

“Well, that’s good!  See?  They’re not all so bad.  We have a couple college kids in here on the weekends and they never cause any trouble - I even convinced them that I’m a wolf.”

Catching his toothy grin, Blake laughed and accepted her change.

“Sorry, Sam, but there’s no way you could pass for a wolf.”

“Why not??”

“You’re way not hairy enough,” she joked before sending him a wave and walking out the door with her warm cup in hand.  Lifting it to her nose, she sniffed and sighed in content before heading to work.

A bit of friendly conversation and a cup of soothing tea worked wonders in pushing away the lingering thoughts of sleep that had been on her mind ever since she woke up that morning.  With it being the middle of the week, however, there was little time for rest.  She needed to rev her editing mind into high gear today.

Upon making it to the building and quickly heading upstairs, she was mildly surprised by the empty hallway greeting her on the third floor.  Inexplicably disappointed, she pulled out her keys and tried the handle to see if it was open.  It was still locked, so she unlocked the door and walked into a dark office.  Flipping on the lights, she was pleased to find that everything appeared to be normal.  There was still a slight smell in the air, but her sensitive nose was likely the only reason she could smell it at all.

A second glance flitted towards Yang’s empty desk before Blake reminded herself that she was the one who told Yang to come in late today.  After their extended evening the day before, it was hard to blame her for accepting the offer.  

Blake was also tired this morning, though that feeling was even worse because she hardly slept when she tried to go to bed.  The events of the evening had left her with way too many emotions and thoughts to sort through.  First, the combination of anger and frustration at Sun.  Then, the surge of inspiration from talking to Yang.

This morning while her computer started, she searched through her desk drawers.  One-by-one she pulled them out, looked through each of the hanging files, then closed them once more.  What she was looking for was nothing more than a half sheet of paper, cut from the page so that she could keep it in her files.  She found it hiding in a folder appropriately labeled ‘personal.’  Fishing out the piece of newsprint, she leaned back in her chair to read it.

‘Stand up, Faunus.  Stand up.  Be you the tiniest mouse or the largest elephant, stand up for yourselves.  For one another.  You all possess a power far greater than you know.  Find it.  Hone it.  Stand up and use it.’

After reading through it several times, she confirmed that it still lit a fire in her chest.  Simple yet powerfully articulate, it was a call to action that any Faunus could heed no matter what level of skill they possessed.  Those few sentences had altered the course of her life, and she couldn’t help but wonder how many others had read these words and also taken up the fight.

Before filing the memento back in the drawer, she headed out of her office and made a single copy.  Moving over to Yang’s desk, she set the copy down and grabbed one of Yang’s pens to write a short note at the bottom of the page.

‘This is the article I was telling you about.’  

Returning the pen to its place and leaving the article laying over the keyboard, she nodded to herself and headed back to her desk.  With her computer fully prepared for the day, she went through her emails quickly.  Thankfully, there wasn’t much of note other than a few drafts and a message from Brand that he wouldn’t be in today - he needed to take care of his son, who’d stayed home sick from school.

Besides Brand’s absence, it appeared that today would be a normal Wednesday.  However, this week’s edition was shaping up to be drier than normal.  Victor was spinning up election coverage, which Blake found sinfully boring regardless of its importance.  

In order to remain impartial, they ran interviews with all of the major candidates.  Unfortunately, doing so put Victor in the unenviable position of sourcing quotes from politicians who were ambivalent at best towards Faunus rights and vitriolic at worst.  Simply remembering some of the quotes she’d cut from previous drafts was enough to make her blood boil.  Which made her wonder what was worse...open hatred or casual disregard?

When Lola, then Victor, arrived for work, Blake waved and continued slogging through an in-depth analysis of Vale’s archaic legal system.  Informational?  Yes.  Appropriate for print journalism?  No.  Just after passing the midway point, she jumped when Sun burst through the door of her office.  

“I’m so sorry!” he apologized, his eyes begging for forgiveness.  “I wanted to try it out for like a half second, but the switch got stuck and foam started going everywhere -”

Before he got any further, Blake held up a hand to cut him off.

“It’s ok.” 

“...really?” 

“Yes.  It cleaned up fine, so apology accepted.  But please use better judgment next time.”

Having expected a scolding, he grinned at the unexpected outcome.  “I’ll totally try!” he agreed with several hasty nods.

“And you might owe Velvet an apology for getting foam in one of her lenses,” Blake added with a nod towards the girl who’d just walked into the office and was about to sit down.  Very appropriately, his eyes widened at the news.

“Oh god,” he said before looking over his shoulder.  “Velvet!” he called out while bounding out of Blake’s office and running over to her.  “I’m so sorry!”

Velvet had no idea what he was apologizing for, but as he explained she picked up the camera lens and examined it closely.  Taking the time to test it, she snapped a quick photo of him before smiling and turning the camera around for him to see.  Suddenly overjoyed, he wrapped her in a giant hug, lifted her feet right off the ground and spun her in a full circle before setting her back down.

Satisfied that nothing was damaged, Blake turned her attention away from their interaction and caught their newest arrival slipping through the door.  Velvet and Sun greeted Yang as she made her way to her desk and, as she set everything down and unpacked her bag, she glanced up and caught Blake’s gaze.  When she smiled and waved, Blake nodded in return.

For once, cleaning up Sun’s mess hadn’t been such a chore.  In fact, the opportunity to speak with Yang privately was rather enjoyable.  As was the opportunity to determine that they were...potentially friends.

While Blake watched, Yang sat down and quickly found the piece of paper laying across her keyboard.  After picking up the article, her eyes scanned quickly through it, then through it again.  Finally lowering the page, she met Blake’s eyes for only a half second before standing and walking over.  Compelled to her feet, Blake left her work behind and met Yang right outside the glass walls.

“Good morning,” Yang said while a growing smile lit her face.  “Are you as tired as I am?”

“Possibly,” Blake replied with a small smile of her own.  “But it’s not too bad.”

“You’re right.  We could still be cleaning.”

When Blake laughed at the joke, Yang’s smile grew impossibly happier.

“Hey, so last night I had an idea I wanted to run by you -”

“Yang!” Sun interrupted, bounding over to them with an eager expression.  “I get you for the day, right?  Cuz you helped Brand yesterday, and I could use your help today!”  

“Uh…”  Uncertain about the answer, Yang looked at Blake for permission. 

“What do you need her help with?” Blake asked, drawing his cheerful grin.

“I’m interviewing the basketball team that just won the regional finals!  And I think they’ll totally wanna talk to you.”  When he pointed two fingers Yang’s way, Blake shook her head in dismay.

“Don’t tell me you want her to flirt with a bunch of basketball players,” she said, only for chagrin to grow when he nodded.

“It’s gonna be awesome,” he replied while raising one hand for Yang to high five.  “We’ll be the dream team!”

“That’s just what we need…” Blake mumbled before giving Yang a look.  “If you don’t have anything more pressing, it sounds like another opportunity for you to learn.”

After looking back and forth between them, Yang broke into a smile and nodded.

“But I’ll only flirt with them if you will,” she teased Sun.

“Uh, there’s gonna be cheerleaders there.  I’ll be flirting up a storm!  They’ll never know what hit ‘em.”

“Lovely,” Blake muttered under her breath.

“We can leave in like ten?”

“Sure, Sun.  Give me a second to get ready?”

“For sure!”  After sending Blake one last grin, he headed back to his desk to prepare.  Once he left the conversation, Yang gave Blake an apologetic smile.  Even though she couldn’t figure out exactly what the apology was for, the expression seemed appropriate.

“We can go over your idea when you get back?” she asked.

“That, and the article.  I’d like to talk about that too.”  When Yang gestured to her desk, Blake followed the motion before nodding again.

“Sure.  We can sit down and go over both.”

“Looking forward to it,” Yang said with a grin that reflected in her eyes.  And, while it seemed like the point when Blake should walk away, she didn’t just yet.

“Me too,” she added instead, satisfied with that end of the conversation before nearly turning away.  However, a thought popped into her head and turned her back to Yang.  “And Yang?”

“Yeah?”

“Try to keep him out of trouble?”

“I’ll do my best,” Yang replied with a laugh.  Smiling at the response, Blake ignored the amused look Velvet was giving her while heading back to her office.

“Hey Victor, if you have a minute, let’s go over your plan for the next few weeks,” she said while passing his desk.

“Absolutely.”  After gathering a pen and notepad, Victor followed her into the office and shut the door behind them.  

“Have you come up with a schedule for the candidates you want to interview?” she asked while sitting down and grabbing a pad of paper to jot down notes.

“I have a tentative schedule but am encountering some adversity setting up some of the interviews.”

“Let me guess - the same ones who avoided you last election?”  

He nodded and, while he appeared nonplussed by the situation, Blake’s annoyance rose several notches.

“I don’t need a direct interview to analyze their political stances,” he assured her, as if she might be worried about his ability to do his job.  “It merely provides a more captivating piece if quotes are strategically placed for effect.”

“Do you need any help from me?” 

As expected, he shook his head at the offer. 

“I’ve come up with a comprehensive stream of articles that will shepherd us through this election in flying colors.  Introductions to the main candidates will come first, followed by an in-depth analysis of the debates and divergence on key issues.  By the time election day arrives, any reader should know enough to formulate an informed decision.”

“That’s the idea.”  After writing down the general timeline, she gave him a second look.  “Anyone we should keep an eye on?” 

Unfortunately, he shook his head and sighed.

“I haven’t noticed any candidate more supportive than the other,” he answered while meeting her gaze with his sharp, brown eyes.  “It doesn’t appear that this will be our year.”

Even though the answer was what Blake expected, disappointment still wove through her veins like a subtle toxin taking root.  Shaking her head and forcing a smile, she left the topic behind in exchange for a happier one.

“I heard you gave Yang an important task,” she said as her smile grew.  “And there’s a dictionary involved.”

For his part, Victor lit up at the comment.

“I did,” he replied, clearly pleased with himself even though Blake shook her head in amusement.

“You could just ask her to learn some new words, you know.  No need for the wild goose chase.”

“But that’s beside the point,” he said while leaning forward.  “We don’t learn best when being told to seek answers.  We learn best when thoughts organically grow and coalesce in our minds.”

“Basically...you don’t want to just give her a list of terms to memorize.”

“Of course not!  The words she’s selected are of her choosing - therefore, she’s more likely to remember them on her own.  Just yesterday, she used the word ‘anathema’ perfectly.”  When he puffed up like a proud father whose child had excelled in school, Blake chuckled and shook her head. 

“You might just be a dictionary mastermind, Victor,” she said before dropping her pen on the desk.  “That was all I wanted to talk to you about, though.  Just checking in on our plan.”

“I’ll inform you of any significant changes.”  Retaking his feet, he gave a miniscule bow before returning to his desk.  No sooner had he left Blake’s office did Lola stand up and make her way over.  Seeing as how Lola hardly ever sought Blake out in person, she was immediately interested in what the purpose could be. 

“Sorry to bother you,” Lola said while sneaking into the office.  “But do you know where Brand is?” The concern in her eyes gave away her predisposition to worry as she shifted just inside the doorframe.

“He’s not coming in today.  Troy has the flu and stayed home from school.”

“I see...poor kid…”  

Although that felt like the appropriate time for Lola to make her exit, she crept further through the door instead.

“Is something else on your mind?” Blake asked, knowing that Lola might never bring up the subject unprompted.

“Yes, actually, I was wondering if I could borrow your ear for a minute?”

“Just one, or all of them?” Blake joked, smiling when Lola laughed and finally sat down.

“All of them, if you have time.”

“Lola, my job is to help with whatever you need.”

“I know, but you’re always so busy...I don’t want to be any more of a bother than I need to be.”

“I appreciate that,” Blake replied with a sincere smile.  “But that means I’m more than happy to help when you need it.”

While shifting in her seat, Lola considered her words before speaking.  “The Celicas are in a few weeks.  They’re being hosted downtown at the theater again.”

“Right,” Blake said while nodding along.  “That’s one of the biggest awards programs of the year.”

“Exactly.  All of the biggest movie and television stars will be there.”

Usually, Blake was pretty good at connecting the dots, but she had no idea what Lola was getting at with this conversation.  Of course all the big stars would be at the biggest event of the year - why would Lola need help with that?

“Don’t you go every year?” she asked, hoping to pinpoint the topic of this discussion.

“I do.  But this year I was hoping to take Yang with me.”

“Oh -”

“I just think she’ll get more candid interviews with some of the bigger actors,” Lola added.  After a brief pause, she gave a bashful smile.  “We both know it’s a little difficult being...who we are.  With all of the other reporters there, sometimes it’s hard to get time with certain people.  But if Yang came with me, I’m pretty sure some of those people would want to talk to us.”

With a patient, hopeful smile, Lola waited for an answer while Blake’s mind raced through the possible consequences of granting this permission.

“Well, for one thing, I’m not sure how long Yang will be here,” Blake admitted.  “She might leave before then.”

“I think she’d still be willing to come, don’t you?  It is the chance to attend one of the biggest events of the year.”

“Right.  I guess she might want to do that.”  Considering how much Yang enjoyed experiencing every part of journalism so far, Blake could practically guarantee that she would agree to accompany Lola even past her end date.  “I guess ask and see if she wants to go,” Blake finally decided.  “If she says yes and you think she’ll be helpful, then I don’t see why not.”

Even though Lola smiled at the response, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat - not exactly the reaction Blake expected.

“Great,” was all Lola said.  There was another question hiding somewhere.

“But…?” 

“The Celicas are an invite-only event,” Lola finally explained with an apologetic expression.  And that comment clicked everything into place as Blake sat back in her seat, now fully aware of what Lola was asking.

“Which means Yang needs credentials.”

With a nod, Lola added the words Blake was already thinking to herself.

“She’ll need to be registered as an employee of The Vale Voice.  You’ll need to sign off on it.”

No wonder this felt like such a big request - big enough that Lola sought Blake out in person versus sending a quick email.  Yang wasn’t registered as an employee because...because she wasn’t one.  This was a temporary arrangement, so there was no need to do that - they weren’t even paying her to be here.  But by registering her for press privileges, she would be officially linked to their business.  Anyone looking up journalists working at The Voice would find her name.  She would be, for all intents and purposes, an employee.

“Let me think about that and get back to you,” Blake finally said, and Lola nodded while standing to leave.

“Please take your time.  We still have several weeks before a decision needs to be made.  Thank you though - for considering it.”

“Of course,” Blake replied, and attempted a smile before Lola returned to her desk.  Before she even sat down, however, Blake sighed and turned to stare at her computer screen.

Was it really such a big deal?  Or was it another situation like the office key - where it felt like a big deal at first but, in actuality, wasn’t.

The database was made up of names only - it wasn’t as if there was a label next to each that specified race.  The only way people would find out was if they knew Yang personally or looked her up.  Even then, who scanned the registries that closely?  Even if someone found out that Yang was human, would they care?  Would Blake care?  So Yang was human - what was wrong with that?  Just like Rico’s company - Faunus-owned businesses were free to employ humans who wanted to work with them.

Did it bother Blake that people might find out that Yang ‘worked’ with them?  Or was she more irritated that having Yang’s company meant Lola would receive better treatment and better access to some of Remnant’s biggest stars?

But that wasn’t an issue with Yang.  That was an issue with the world they lived in.

Blake already knew that she would agree.  If it helped Lola, she would set aside her personal feelings about how The Voice should look and operate.  And, surprisingly, her personal feelings on the matter were easy to overcome.  Besides, it would be temporary.  She could easily remove the credentials after the event ended.  It would be as if it never even happened.

Re-focusing on her computer, she typed a short email with her approval and sent it before she talked herself out of it.  When Lola read it and beamed, she smiled and went back to her work.  If Lola was happy, Blake was happy.  And, if Yang had any interest in celebrities, she would undoubtedly be ecstatic when she heard the news.

Satisfied with the resolution to that ‘problem,’ Blake set off on her own work.  Mainly, that entailed some pretty serious editing before responding to several emails about alterations the advertisers wanted to make for that week.  After helping them with that, she went back to editing until Sun and Yang returned.

She knew that they had returned without looking up from her desk, which seemed to be a feat of itself.  It was probably their personalities - they carried with them an infectious energy that permeated the office with a buzz of excitement.  And laughter - they both laughed a lot.

When she looked up from her work, the two of them were talking at Yang’s desk - and ‘excited’ might not even be the appropriate word for their current mood.  With all the hand gesturing going on, it would be more accurate to say they were highly, highly enthusiastic about something.  Happy that the two got along so well, Blake went back to work and made a mental note to ask Yang later how the interview went.  

At least, she tried to go back to work, but the energy in the office kept rising.  Curious as to what was going on, she found that the rest of the office had joined the conversation.  Yang was explaining something to them and they were sharing looks - not bad looks, but interested, thoughtful looks.  Interested herself, Blake dropped her pen and headed towards the door.  As soon as she opened it, she overheard what Yang was saying.

“Like, Lola - instead of writing about the new movies, you could write about that gorgeous giraffe Faunus in that ad I keep seeing when I walk here.”

“Oh...she is gorgeous, and a wonderful soul,” Lola answered with a nod.  “I’d love to write about her and the struggles she faces.”

“Exactly!  You could focus on that instead of the movies that were just released and all that nonsense.  I mean, The Sentinel has an entire page dedicated to reviews anyway.”

Joining the conversation, Blake looked around while everyone nodded with what Yang was saying.  The only question was...what was Yang saying?

“What’re you guys talking about?” Blake asked, glancing at each of them in turn.

“Yang had a great idea!” Sun replied, his infectious grin turned up to maximum power.  “We should skip all the boring human news and focus on Faunus stuff instead!”

Taken aback by the explanation, Blake turned to Yang in surprise.

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s skipping the human news,” Velvet corrected.  “More like...focusing on the topics that affect us the most.”

“Naw, I say skip it.  Instead, we only write about Faunus stuff - that’ll be so much cooler!  Right, Blake?”

When all eyes landed on her, Blake had no idea how to respond.  Were they suggesting what she thought they were?  Skip all of the ‘human’ content?  Focus only on Faunus articles?  Why on earth would they make such a change?

Instead of responding, she turned to Yang and motioned towards her office.

“Can you come with me?” 

Picking up on the pointed tone, Yang’s smile immediately dropped and she hopped off of her desk.

“Yeah, sure.  Of course.”

When Blake got into her office, she turned around and gestured for Yang to close the door.

“What are you doing?” she immediately asked and watched Yang shift uneasily.

“Uh, sorry, I should’ve talked to you about it first...but Sun was complaining about how boring basketball is, so I couldn’t help mentioning it.  Then he was all excited about it…”

“Yang -” Blake said, crossing her arms and motioning for Yang to get it out already.

“Ok, I just...I had this idea that maybe instead of writing the same news everyone else does, you guys should focus on the Faunus stuff.  That’s what you’re best at anyway, and it’s something really new and unique…”  Yang trailed off while Blake’s consternation grew with each word.

“How long have you been here?  A week?  Do you have any idea what it takes to run a paper like this?”

“No, I don’t.  I’m sorry, I just got excited about it -”

“You’re here to observe and help out,” Blake pointed out, unfolding her arms in order to gesture with them.  “What’re you thinking anyway?  Weiss asked you to watch how we operate, not try to change the entire makeup of the paper.”  When that thought crossed her mind, Blake narrowed her eyes.  “Unless this is what Weiss was trying to do all along...”

It was a devious move if it was true.  Get Yang into the office under the pretense of observing, then use her to float the direction Weiss wanted the paper to go.  But then why send an inexperienced human?  A Faunus would have made it much easier -

“Blake,” Yang said, her eyes apologetic and begging for forgiveness.  “I swear, Weiss only asked me to show up, help you out, and let her know how things go.  I’m sorry I brought it up.  It was just an idea I had last night after talking to you about what you wanted The Voice to accomplish.  I wasn’t trying to undermine you or anything.  I was just...talking.”

Blake had expected Yang to argue, or to fight for the idea.  What she hadn’t expected was a sincere apology.  Again, she was overreacting to the situation.  Yang hadn’t meant any offense - like she said, she was just talking and an idea popped out.

As Blake’s anger dissolved, it added to her growing amazement at Yang’s utter believability in all instances.  What was it about her that was so easy to trust?

“That’s ok,” she finally said, releasing her annoyance in a long sigh.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so...stern.”

“Hey, it’s ok.”  For a second, it looked like Yang was going to leave, but instead she remained.  “But...maybe you could think about it?  Making a change - focusing on topics that mean more to your readers.  Cut out the filler about sports and weather and all the other crap we get on our phones.  That’s stuff the other papers write about.”

“We already have those articles.”

“But not enough of them,” Yang asserted before pointing out the dirty window towards the world passing by outside.  “There’s gotta be at least a hundred stories happening out there every day that people need to hear about.”

“We don’t have the capacity to do what you’re suggesting,” Blake replied, hearing the bite return to her tone.

“If you removed the other stuff -”

“Those are articles people want to read.”

“No, those are articles humans want to read,” Yang said, and gave Blake a look that challenged her to say otherwise.  “Don’t pander to people like me, Blake.”

“I would never do that -”

“Wouldn’t you?” 

Blake’s indignation grew, but Yang had asked the question seriously, without the intent to insult.  And then she stepped closer, moving into Blake’s personal space before stopping - the two of them close enough to touch, as if friends having a sincere conversation.  Blake’s first instinct was to move away, but she didn’t.  Instead, she stayed put and held onto Yang’s gaze.

“To me, it feels like The Voice reports human news in a Faunus voice,” Yang explained, expressing her opinion softly.  “I think you should report Faunus news in a Faunus voice.”

“What good would that do?”  

Blake kept her own voice quiet - soft - not wanting to raise it in anger or frustration when Yang’s words struck a chord in her.  

Sadness flashed through Yang’s eyes at the response, and she raised one arm as if she might take Blake’s hand.  Instead, she lowered her arm and moved a half step closer.

“Things are changing, Blake.”  When Blake scoffed at the idea, Yang gave her a look and continued.  “Maybe you haven’t felt it yet, but I have.  I’m stumbling across more people who are...curious...about Faunus.  They want to know what you’re up to.  They want to know what kind of lives you have.  They want to know what makes you different -”

“We’re not different -”

“But you are,” Yang said, her voice imploring Blake to agree.  “You are different and that’s not a bad thing.  It’s a great thing.  A wonderful thing.  You’re trying to fit in, but why?  You should stand out.  Because you’re unique, and people want to hear from you.  Not you, the editor of The Vale Voice, but you.  The girl I was talking to last night.  The one with hopes and dreams, but obstacles and roadblocks.  Maybe I’m biased, but I would listen to you tell your story all day.  And I’m not the only one.”

The statement was surprising for the resolve behind it, and it made Blake realize that this wasn’t just some off-the-cuff idea.  This was something Yang believed in.  

With everything Blake knew, she couldn’t and shouldn’t discount Yang’s opinion, especially seeing as how Yang had far more insight into what humans were thinking than Blake did.  But that didn’t mean Yang had any idea how such a change could work in this environment.  Even if it was a valid concept...

“Have you thought about what you’re suggesting?” Blake finally asked.  “That’s a change to the entire composition of the paper.  The structure, the layout, we’d have to overhaul everything.  And we might not even have the topics to fill the pages.”

“You could have a smaller paper?  Fewer pages with more impactful articles.  Then everyone will read the entire thing instead of skipping to the sections they like and trashing the rest.”

The idea that people ‘trashed’ the papers they worked so hard on made Blake frown, even though she knew Yang was correct.  Everyone had different interests, so creating a paper that appealed to a greater group meant that certain sections would take precedence over the others.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she slumped her shoulders and sighed.  She couldn’t get upset at Yang for suggesting a change.  Having a fresh set of eyes on a problem was normally a great thing - if it was a problem.  In this case, everything was running smoothly and had been for quite some time.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do,” she replied while meeting Yang’s eyes once more.  “It just doesn’t seem feasible at this point.”

Finally accepting the answer, Yang nodded and smiled - again, that easy-going persona erasing any disturbance from Blake’s mind.

“I get it.  It’s a big change, huh?  But if anyone can figure out a way to make it work, it’s you.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, Yang, but let’s keep things the way they are for now.”

With that decided, Yang nodded and returned to her desk without argument.  Sighing again, Blake followed only as far as the door but paused before closing it.

“I could write about the Faunus plays in the park,” she overheard Lola whisper.  

“I loved that one about the cheetah,” Velvet replied with a smile.  “It was so original.”

“Oh, or what about that dude,” Sun added, making rapid hand movements while trying to find the words.  

“You mean that street performer?”

“Yes!” he said, snapping both hands Velvet’s way for the correct answer.  “That dude is so awesome - you should definitely write about him.”

Her brow creasing at the rampant excitement, Blake shot Yang another glance before closing the door and returning to her seat.  Picking up a pen in an attempt to go back to editing, she instead tapped it against her desk while watching everyone work.

Or not work.  They were still too busy talking about that idea.

Turning away from the half-edited article, she pulled up the calendar on her computer.  The next edition came out in two days.  That wasn’t enough time to make any sort of change, but the week after…

What was she thinking?  They couldn’t make a wholesale shift in the vision of The Voice.  What they currently used worked.  Although with decreasing efficiency…

If they cut two pages, there would be room for...could they write two articles each?  Could they find enough ‘impactful’ topics, as Yang put it?  First-person articles, Faunus analyses, room for Velvet’s photographs…

Maybe Blake was more interested in the idea than she initially thought.  She’d never cared much for reporting the weather - like Yang said, the other papers ran daily and always covered those topics.

Maybe the purpose of The Voice wasn’t to supplant those papers, but to supplement them.

Two articles each.  If they began as soon as the next edition hit the printer, there could be time.  If she worked fast, she could reformat and get space restrictions out in a couple of days.  That would leave plenty of time to hone in the articles while she worked with the advertisers to make changes. 

Tap, tap, tap.  Her pen hit the desk while her ears picked up the faint ‘what if’s filtering into the room.

What if they didn’t make a change?  What if they kept going as they’d always done?  If recent trends continued, they would continue to lose readership and, therefore, relevancy.  Maybe they survived the year, but what then?  Even if they got Schnee Industries to advertise, could they continue this way for the next five years?  Ten?

Deep in thought, her eyes drifted to Yang - who was reading and conspicuously not joining in the conversation going on around her.  When she looked up and caught Blake’s gaze, she mouthed ‘sorry’ before turning back to whatever she was reading.

It was a courteous gesture, and Blake appreciated that Yang was trying not to fan the flames.  But it appeared as if the fire was already lit - avoidance would only cause it to grow out of control.

Dropping her pen, she stood up and walked back to her office door.

Sometimes they needed to change, no matter how much they wanted things to stay the same.

As soon as she opened the door, attention returned to her - everyone undoubtedly curious as to what she would say.  What did she have to say?  She was only a small piece of this paper, only a small piece of what they were trying to accomplish together.  It was unfair for her to make a decision of this magnitude on her own.

“About Yang’s idea,” she said, addressing her friends and colleagues as they grouped around Lola’s desk.  “I’d like you to go home tonight and think about what would be best for our readers, for The Voice, and for you.  We can continue as we have, with what’s expected of us.  Or we can try a version of this idea where we focus on the most impactful stories we can find.”

With various enthusiastic expressions returned to her, she nodded once before waving towards the door.

“Feel free to head home early, if you’d like to get started on that.  We’ll discuss first thing tomorrow morning.”

When the excited conversations started once again, she turned towards Yang but failed to come up with anything to say.  She just chastised Yang for what could be a great idea - or, at least, an idea.  In the situation they were currently in, they could use any ideas they found, even if the source was questionable.  Hadn’t Blake struggled to come up with anything for the past year now?

As everyone else took her up on the offer to leave early, she didn’t move.  And, even though Yang stood up, she didn’t leave.  Instead, they engaged in a silent standoff while Blake tried to decide how to best apologize.  

It wasn’t until the office was empty, however, that she felt comfortable enough to speak.

“I’m sorry.  I should have been more...receptive.”

“I should’ve talked to you first - not Sun,” Yang replied, her smile an answer of forgiveness Blake hadn’t realized she was seeking.

“In most cases, it’s probably best to talk to me before Sun.”

When Yang chuckled, it felt like the relationship between them had been restored - as easy as that.  Or maybe it was only Blake who felt the tension, to begin with.

“Maybe you’ll start writing again too?” Yang asked.

“What?”

“I found your articles in the database,” Yang explained with a wave towards the computer.  “I read all of them.  They’re amazing.”

“I’m glad you liked them,” Blake replied, but felt slightly embarrassed that Yang found those remnants from a time long past.  Not only found them but read them.

“I didn’t just like them, I loved them.  They’re heartfelt and inspiring.  Even when it was something that seemed like it should be mundane, the way you write is so in touch with what it means to be a Faunus.  Not what we guess it might be like, but what it’s really like.”  

The compliments brought a blush on Blake’s cheeks as she failed to come up with a response.  It was nice that Yang liked those old articles so much, but they were from a long, long time ago.

“That’s what everyone needs to read, Blake,” Yang added, her heartfelt gaze giving Blake no opportunity to duck away.  “We need to hear your perspective.  And a human can never write your point of view better than you can.”

Unsure of how to respond to the overabundance of compliments, Blake dropped her gaze and shook her head.

“I haven’t written in a long time…”

“Yeah, I noticed from the dates.”  When Yang moved closer, Blake looked up and caught her gaze.  “But that’s what you love to do, and you’re damn good at it too.”

“I don’t have time...at least, that’s what I tell myself,” Blake confessed before shaking her head.  “Honestly, I’m just trying to keep this place afloat.  Maybe if things get more stable I can find something to write about, but until then...”

“You’ll save it.  I know you will,” Yang said with a grin that warmed Blake’s heart, but she hid the emotion.  “They’re all lucky to have you.”

“I hope your confidence isn’t misplaced.”

“Of course not.  I know who to bet my chips on.”

When Yang smiled, Blake realized how close they were standing - close enough that she could pick out the flecks of gold in Yang’s eyes.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as she would have expected, but she still stepped back as her cheeks warmed again.

“You can take off now too,” she said, crossing her arms when they tingled.  “We had a late day yesterday.”

“Are you sure?  I can stay...”

“It’s ok.”  Even though she declined, she gave Yang a grateful smile for the offer.  “I’m going to edit anyway - and that’s really a solitary thing.”

“Ok, if you say so.”  Reaching over, Yang grabbed her bag off of her desk and smiled.  “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Have a good afternoon,” Blake replied before watching Yang leave.  

It was only when the door closed that she sighed and trudged back to her desk.  Once there, she pulled up one of her old articles and skimmed through the paragraphs.  She wouldn’t say ‘inspirational,’ but she remembered how much she loved writing it.  The words flowed easily, the sentences formed themselves, and the underlying argument was concise and clear.

When she tried to write these days, her mind bogged down with uncertainty or just wouldn’t start at all.  She didn’t know what happened - she knew of writer’s block, but this didn’t seem like any writer’s block she’d ever heard of.  If The Voice got back on solid footing, maybe she could return to writing articles herself...

Until The Voice was saved, she couldn’t risk the future of the paper so that she could contribute again.  This, ultimately, wasn’t about her.  This was about Brand and Lola and Victor - Velvet and Sun and all of the Faunus who wanted to succeed in an unforgiving world.  

The Vale Voice needed to survive.  If it didn’t, their voices would be lost amongst the sea of Faunus failures.

An entire paper dedicated fully to Faunus perspective?  It was a crazy idea.  It was so crazy, it just might work.