7

Chapter 7: Contemplation

Beacon's library was one of Blake's favorite places. Far larger than any bookstore could compare to, and with such an extensive range of subjects. Always quiet and peaceful, never overcrowded. Most days, Blake would spend hours on end with a stack of books, happily oblivious to the rest of the world.

Today was not one of those days.

Blake sat in the corner of the library at a small table away from prying eyes. She held her head in her hands, elbows propped on the table. She stared down at the book before her, dread filling her with each word she read. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess.

It just… it can't be possible. I couldn't have really… Marked them…

She re-read the passage.

… It should be noted that a Faunus pursuing human mates is, at best, risky.

Due to differing biology, the human brain lacks the capability of reciprocating a Faunus' mating instinct. As such, humans are unable to create the mutual bond needed to form a Mate's Mark of their own.

However, their bodies are capable of receiving a Mate's Mark from a Faunus. In fact, it is easier for a human to receive a Mate's Mark than a Faunus. Whereas two Faunus must have a mutual trust in one another to form a lasting bond, humans need only the barest form of attraction towards the Faunus in question. This makes them, essentially, a blank slate, capable of receiving a Mate's Mark with little to no effort on their part, needing only a Faunus' feeling towards them.

Faunus in such a relationship put themselves at great emotional risk forming such a bond. Care must be taken before a Faunus Marks a human as their mate, with great consideration from both parties.

Blake closed her eyes with a sigh, closing the book. She'd read those lines a dozen times and they weren't changing any time soon.

"Damn it," she muttered quietly.

Why? That's all she could think as she made her way out of the library, a stack of books under her arm. Being the weekend, the school halls were nearly empty, allowing her to march ahead unimpeded.

'Needing only a Faunus' feelings towards them…' She shook her head as she rounded a corner. But I don't feel that way towards them!... Do I?

Her pace slowed slightly, a thoughtful frown forming. I… I guess I never gave it any real thought before… but still! Yes, I care for them, all of them, but… they're just my friends! Nothing more.

A sharp twinge in her chest brought her to a stop. She blinked, looking down as she slowly placed a hand over her heart.

What was that? She thought for a moment, before saying out loud, "I don't love Ru-"

Another twinge. It wasn't painful, just… uncomfortable, like her heart had beat a little too hard.

Narrowing her eyes, she tried again. "I don't love Wei-"

Again.

Frustrated, she huffed. In a calm clear voice, she said, "I do not love Ya-"

*Ba-thump*

Okay, that one stung a bit. Blake's hand clutched at her chest. She hissed slightly, before marching ahead, thoughts swirling.

Why? Why does my chest hurt? They're just words, they don't mean anything. The bond's not even fully formed ye- no, there is no bond. It was just an accident. I didn't choose to Mark them, and they didn't want to be Marked. They don't even know what those bites are. So I shouldn't feel anything when I say that I don't love them-

*Ba-thump*

Her hand flew to her chest as she flinched slightly.

Unless…

Her frown deepened.

Am… am I lying to myself?

A sudden breeze pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, she noticed that she had somehow made it outside. A few students milled around the campus grounds, but, for the most part, the area was empty. Her eyes trailed towards a particular tree, one that she sometimes read under on pleasant days.

Blake sighed deeply, before moving towards the tree. Finding a comfortable spot, she sat beneath it, setting the books on her lap.

Okay, let's go through this slowly… Yang.

Her partner seemed an obvious place to start. Yang was strong, loyal, free-spirited. She was hot-headed, loud, blunt, She…

Blake shook her head. No… no, that's the wrong way to go about it. That's just what she is. I need to think about who she is… who she is to me.

Yang was… warm. Just being around her made Blake feel safe, as if all of life's problems would be solved so long as her partner was involved. Always there, always willing to listen, to help, to protect. If the whole world turned against her, she knew… she knew that Yang would be by her side, ready to take it all on.

Truth be told… Blake had already felt the beginnings of a crush forming rather recently. So the idea of becoming mates…

Blake felt her lips start to curl up, before she forced them back to a firm line.

Okay… Yang makes sense… Ruby.

Ruby was… bright. So much energy, so much happiness. Just standing next to her could lift Blake's mood. The fifteen ("soon to be sixteen!" Ruby kept reminding them) year-old was one of, if not the only pure things in Blake's life, seemingly uncorrupted by the pain and darkness the world threw their way.

And she was so accepting of everything! The girl didn't care who or what you were, or what you did. All she wanted was for people to be happy. Naȉve? Maybe, but if anyone could pull it off, Blake felt Ruby could.

And… she was so understanding. As much as she loved talking with Blake, she always knew when to back off of a subject. When Blake hit a point where she didn't want to talk anymore, Ruby stopped. She never pushed, just giving Blake that small smile that said, 'When you're ready to talk, I'll listen.'

Ruby was a bright light in the darkness she'd been living in, a beacon of what the world could hold. The thought of losing that…

*Ba-thump* Her heart beat hollowly in her chest.

I… I guess I do feel that way towards Ruby… It's… different from how I feel about Yang, but only slightly… and it's a good different. I… I can see her as a good mate… that just leaves…

Weiss..

Blake frowned as the thought of the heiress, a flurry of confusing and conflicting emotions forming as she tried to put her feelings into words.

Weiss… .She… how could I feel that way towards her? We have nothing in common. She's from high society, the upper-class. I'm… well, a Faunus.

Blake's bow twitched slightly as she fought the urge to fold back her ears.

Why? Why would I Mark her? What am I missing? She's a good friend, yes, but… as a mate? She barely knows anything about me, or I her! She doesn't know what my life was like. She doesn't know what it's like to be a Faunus. So why?

Again, Blake tried to remember what happened that night, at what point she had given each of her team a Mark. After a full minute of nothing but brief flashes and broken sounds, she let out a growl.

I just don't get it. Yes, I like Weiss, but… Uh!

Frustrated, Blake sifted through the books on her lap. If her own mind was so set on thinking in circles, she could at least look for more information to keep going. She finally settled on a well-worn tome, its pages yellowed from age. On it's brown cover, the title was stamped in simple bold text:

The Basics of Faunus Culture, Vol. 2

Blake nearly rolled her eyes at the simplistic title. The book was several decades old, maybe older than most of the teachers, but it was surprisingly informative. It and its sister volumes were some of the only books Blake had read about Faunus as a species that had little to no bias, just cold fact. Considering that it was written by a team of Faunus and human, Blake held the book with care, as it was proof that the two species could work together.

She opened the book, flipping through faded pages as she searched for… Ah, there it is.

Forming a Mate's Mark is a simple, yet difficult task. For two Faunus to Mark one another, three things are needed: deep-seated affection, unshakeable trust, and, above all, mutual respect. Both Faunus must have these three traits in equal supply, or else one or both of the involved parties' Auras will be rejected, and the Marking process will fail. Should both Faunus prove equal to each other, and their Auras are accepted by one another, a basic Mark will form over the skin within the bite…

Blake's eyes trailed off the page as she mulled over the words.

Affection, trust, and respect… real specific… she thought sarcastically. She mulled over her team members, applying each trait to them.

Ruby and Yang certainly fit the bill, but Weiss… she's so frustrating! She's elitist, always so high-and-mighty, she's cold at times, hot-tempered at others… she… she's…

"You told me you were once a member of the White Fang, the organization that's been making my family's lives, and by extension my life, a living hell… If that couldn't make me hate you, what makes you think this could?"

...She's trying so hard.

Blake thought hard about Weiss' actions since discovering she was a Faunus. Weiss thought she was clever, but Blake was a master at hiding things, she could see the signs. The way Weiss would open her mouth to speak, then snap it shut almost violently. The way her eyes would trail over her bow, or Velvet's ears, or Sun's tail, before breaking away, her lips pursed in a tight frown. Any time anything Faunus related came up, Weiss would have the same reaction, almost like she was censoring herself.

And… there was a reason Blake didn't see The Basics of Faunus Culture, Vol. 1 on the shelf when she searched for books. Though she tried to keep it a secret, Blake had caught her a few times in the late hours, well past when they all should be sleeping, reading a similar brown book to the one she held now. She hadn't gotten very far into it, only reading it when she was sure that her team couldn't see her (at least those that didn't have night vision), but it showed Blake one very important thing:

Weiss was willing to learn. She was willing to see the other side of the story, not just the one her family had painted for her. Willing to question everything she'd ever known.

Just like I did with the White Fang.

Blake let out a sigh. Okay, I respect her… and I trust her… but… affectionate? We've gotten closer, but… when would that have turned into…

…

Blake's eyes slowly widened.

"You're our friend, Blake. We don't care that you're a Faunus, or whether you're normal or not. You're a member of our team, and we trust you with our lives. We love you."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Little Sis. Sorry, Blake. You couldn't make us hate you if you tried."

"Ruby's right. You are my friend. Nothing can change that."

Blake felt her lips pull upwards, and she didn't stop them.

We love you.

When was the last time someone told me that?... has anyone told me that?

Blake felt her eyes well up, before she wiped away the start of tears.

Ruby's words replayed in her head, and Yang and Weiss' actions showed no denial. In fact, they enforced the sentiment.

Okay… I see it now… how I can feel that way towards Weiss… how all of them… I… I love them.

Blake's smile slowly fell to a worried frown.

But… do they… could they… love me the same way?

Blake was thoughtful for a few minutes. She looked down at the books in her lap, a thought striking her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, flaring her aura.

In her mind's eye, Blake pictured a black void, empty of all sight and sound.

How to do this… I should just be able to extend my aura and… there!

Eyes still closed, Blake turned her head to the right. She felt a small tug, like her aura was reaching for something. She focused in that direction, blocking out all sounds around her.

Off in the distance, something glowed faintly… warmly… yellow? Wait, now she felt something… excitement? Satisfaction?

Blake opened her eyes, and found herself looking towards the Combat Room. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before her eyes widened in realization.

Yang challenged Nora to a spar earlier… that was Yang's aura!

As if Yang's excitement was her own, Blake closed her eyes, eager to try again. It took her a moment to relax as she had been before, searching out again.

After five minutes of nothing but the initial pull, Blake was getting discouraged. Was it a fluke? Or… was Yang's Mark the only one to work?

But just as she was about to give up, she felt her aura pull ever so slightly behind her. Craning her neck, Blake tried to zero in on the weak feeling. It was faint, extremely so, but after a moment…

Through the black void, two pinpricks of light shown through the darkness. One bright, excited, hopeful… red? The other tight, slightly stressed, not cold but… frosty and… white?

Again, the ghost of emotions washed over her. From the red, she felt happiness and… curiosity? And from the white… annoyance, exasperation, but also… endearment?

Blake opened her eyes, this time faced with… nothing… She frowned in confusion, before she thought a bit. Far off in the distance… The city of Vale.

That's right… Weiss and Ruby went into town to restock supplies, maybe do some window shopping.

Blake could just imagine the situation. Ruby, bouncing all around the street, oohing and ahhing at anything that caught her eye as Weiss trailed behind her, trying and failing to rein in her partner's excitement.

Blake sighed in awe. All the way from Vale… and it's not even a complete bond yet… It works. They're real Mate's Marks.

Blake felt both very happy and very worried. What am I going to tell them? How do I explain this to them? And… will they even accept it? Three mates… most Faunus would balk at the thought… three humans? And the Schnee heiress to boot? What if-?

Her breath hitched.

What if they want to break the bond?

Blake shook her head violently.

No! No, I can't think that way. I'll just… I'll just explain it to them, exactly what it is, what everything means and… and if they want to break the bond… I'll do it.

*Ba-thump* Her heart beat painfully, as if in protest.

I didn't say I wanted to…

Blake pulled out her scroll, glancing at the time. She slowly typed out a small text.

B- Hey, can we have a team meeting at the dorm around 6? I have something to tell you all.

Her finger hovered over the send button for a moment, before tapping. After a few seconds, she got a response.

W- Is something wrong?

Y- Sure. Sum kind prbm?

R- You okay?

Blake smiled at their concern, typing a response.

B- Nothing bad, but it is important.

Y- K, C Ya then

W- I'll be there.

R- Okay, bye Blake :)

Blake stared at her scroll for a moment, before standing up, books in hand. As she made her way towards the dorms, she started planning, trying to think of how she was going to explain this without getting punched or frozen or… whatever Ruby might do…

I hope this works…