Chapter 3

-Later that night-

-Inside the ballroom-

Blake immersed herself in her book, flipping through the pages as her thoughts wandered to her encounter with Yosuke.

'Yosuke seems like a genuinely nice person. He's curious, but he respects boundaries. That's a good quality to have.' She mused, her amber eyes briefly shifting to her right.

There, she found Yosuke sitting upright on his makeshift bed, his elbow resting on a bent knee while his palm supported his chin. His blue eyes gazing out through the ballroom windows and into the night sky as the dim light of the shattered moon casted an iridescent glow upon his blue oceanic hair, accentuating his admittedly already handsome features.

'And he's quite pleasant to look at,' Blake couldn't help but admit, a faint blush gracing her cheeks. Although the two had only spoken for brief moments at a time, she was already well aware of his kind nature with just those few times in which they had interacted. The sight of the boy basking in the moonlight brought a faint smile upon her face but with it came memories of a person she wished she could forget.

'He was like that too...' Her thoughts trailed off as the memory of a smiling red haired figure  adorned in black briefly resurfaced once more. Her gaze lowering as her face momentarily reflected a look of frustration as she became lost in thought.

'You were so kind, always fighting for what was right for the justice and equality of the faunus... So why...'

'What changed in you... Adam?' Her brows furrowed as she gazed absentmindedly into her open book, unheard thoughts floating freely through her mind.

However, her stupor was abruptly interrupted by a high-pitched female voice. "Hello~" The voice chirped, drawing Blake's attention towards a busty blonde girl in an orange shirt and black shorts.

The blonde waved at her with a wide smile, and behind her stood a familiar figure—the girl who had clashed with the heiress. Blake observed as the black-haired girl crossed her arms in front of her, seemingly pouting.

The blonde girl continued, her smile unwavering. "I believe you two may know each other?" She stated, her lilac eyes fixated on Blake's amber orbs.

Blake studied the blonde for a moment before shifting her gaze to the girl standing behind her. "Aren't you... the girl who caused that explosion?" She asked, recalling their earlier encounter.

The girl in question turned towards her as her lips curved into an awkward smile. "Uhh, yeah," She replied, extending a hand towards the faunus. "Mahname'sJeff—I mean Ruby," She introduced.

Ruby noticed Blake's attention returning to her book and hesitantly withdrew her hand. She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly before adding, "But you can just call me Crater..." Realizing that such a nickname would only make her more embarrassed, she quickly corrected herself.

"Actually, you can just call me Ruby," She said, a genuine smile replacing her awkward one.

"Okay," Blake responded, momentarily raising a brow before returning her focus to her book.

"What are you doing?" The blonde whispered to Ruby, who whispered back in a panic, "Idon'tknowhelpme!" They both turned their attention back to Blake, offering awkward smiles.

"So... What's your name?" The blonde inquired, attempting to keep the conversation going.

Blake let out a sigh, but before she could reply, a male voice spoke up from behind Ruby.

"Her name is Blake." Yosuke interjected, slightly startling Ruby and prompting all of them to shift their focus to him.

The blonde's lips curved into a mischievous grin as she scanned Yosuke up and down. She raised a playful question, "And you are?"

Yosuke smiled, extending a hand. "My name is Yosuke, and yours?" He replied, returning the question.

"Nice to meet you, handsome." She said, shaking his hand and leaving a playful wink, much to the boy's surprise. This was the first time he had seen a girl be this assertive upon their first meeting but it wasn't bad, he actually found it quite amusing.

"The name's Yang, Yang Xiao Long," The blonde replied, pointing a thumb to herself and then to Ruby. "This cutie's older sister. Her name's Ruby," Yang introduced, playfully ruffling Ruby's hair as she grinned.

"Yaaaang!" Ruby protested. Yang knew full well how she hated being patted on the head, though she secretly enjoyed the attention.

Yosuke's smile revealed his amusement at their sibling dynamic, but beneath that smile, he felt a pang of longing. 'I wish I was as close to my brother as they are to each other...'

He meant it, both figuratively and literally. The faint image of a retreating blue silhouette flashed before his eyes, his lips pressed thin as he recalled the memory, 'But, I guess that's impossible now...'

"Nice to meet you both," Yosuke said, extending a polite nod to Yang and Ruby.

"Very nice to meet you too." Yang nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yang, you already said that." Ruby whispered, causing her sister to chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "Guess I did." She grinned, earning a slight chuckle from the boy.

In a rare attempt to avoid further embarrassment, she turned her attention back to Blake, trying to engage in conversation with her once more. "Uhh, nice night, don't you think?" She said, trying to strike up a casual discussion.

"Yes," Blake replied, her voice devoid of enthusiasm. "It's lovely, almost as lovely as this book," She added, her face expressionless. "That I will continue to read," She stated, looking at the two awkward figures before her. "As soon as you leave." Her eyes narrowed slightly at the two.

Yosuke sighed, breaking the tension. "I apologize for her behavior, she's not really the type to socialize," He informed them, offering an explanation.

"I can sure see that," Yang quipped, her awkward smile widening, earning another chuckle from Yosuke.

Ruby, ever the curious one, spoke up. "Your book," She began, her tone of voice mirroring one with genuine interest in the topic. "What's it about? Does it have a name?" She inquired, her silver orbs sparkling with anticipation.

Blake peered up at Ruby, her gaze briefly shifting between the three before she responded. "Well... It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body," She explained, her words carrying a hint of intrigue.

"Oh yeah, that's... real lovely," Yang interjected, her smile faltering slightly in the face of the unusual subject matter.

Taking a step forward, Ruby's enthusiasm remained undeterred. "I love books," She declared. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress," She shared, her smile radiating warmth.

Amused by Ruby's words, Blake asked, "Why's that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" She posed with an almost underlying mocking tone of voice.

"I'm hoping we all will," Ruby replied earnestly. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

Blake's gaze softened as she lowered her book, her attention stolen by Ruby's sincerity. She found her perspective to be rather... intriguing, to say the least. Rarely, if ever, does one find someone who says they want to do what is right without harboring any hidden motives and just pure genuine ambition. Just like a little kid.

But that's all she was, a kid.

"That's very ambitious for a child," She commented, her tone carrying a tinge of deeply hidden woe. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale," She added, her expression now mirroring her words.

"I agree," Yosuke interjected, his voice gentle yet firm. "Reality is not a fantasy, not everyone lives happily ever after. Not all of us are content with the hand we are dealt. It's sad, but that doesn't make it any less true." He acknowledged, sharing a sobering perspective, earning him a curious glance from the amber eyed beauty seated before them.

Ruby regarded him with a small smile, undeterred by the reality check. "Well, that's why we're here," She declared, her voice filled with determination. "To make this world a better place and make that fantasy become a reality."

Yang's lips curled upwards as she wrapped her hands around Ruby, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Aww, I'm so proud of my little sister," She exclaimed, expressing her affection with a bone crushing hug.

'To make fantasy a reality...' Yosuke's thoughts wandered as his gaze lingering on the gold smothered crimson-ette, 'I guess...'

The image of a blue haired boy running about as he laughed with childish glee pushed to the forefront of Yosuke's mind.

'That wouldn't be so bad...'

"I ████ you!"

'Not at all... that's only if it were possible.' He mused, his lips curling into a wry grin as his gaze lowered to the ground, a searing pain gripping at his heart.

"Hey." Blake's voice broke through his reverie, pulling him back to the present.

Yosuke refocused his attention and responded, "Yes, Blake?"

"Are you alright? You seemed out of it..." She expressed a slight hint of concern in her tone.

Meeting Blake's gaze, Yosuke's smile grew, his eyes crinkling with warmth. "Don't worry, I'm fine." He assured her.

Blake held her gaze for a moment before nodding and returning her attention to the two sisters.

"Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to-" Blake's sentence was abruptly cut off as the voice of a very annoyed heiress made its presence known.

"What in the world is going on over here!?" Weiss exclaimed, her annoyance palpable. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!" She screeched, her hands clenched tightly. For the past couple minutes she had been trying to get some rest but was constantly denied by the sounds of giggling and whining from this particular section of the room that just so happened to be right next to where she was trying to sleep.

"You're making more noise than us, princess." Yang retorted easily, much to the shorter girl's ire.

"You...!" She started, glaring icy daggers at the blonde brawler who stood before her gaze, with an unflinching smirk.

"Yang, stop it." Ruby pleaded, tugging at her sister's arm, which drew the attention of the Schnee to her. Weiss frowned further, but before she could open her mouth, Yosuke stepped in.

Yosuke quickly intervened, his voice calm and apologetic. "I apologize," He said, addressing Weiss. "She's right, people are trying to sleep."

"Thank you for being so understanding," Weiss sighed, her tone slightly softening before she turned on her heels and stalked off, presumably to her sleeping quarters.

Yang watched the retreating figure of the heiress before sighing, "I guess it's time for bed." She said as she rested her hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Come on, Rubes." She added.

"See you guys tomorrow," Ruby said, waving to Yosuke and Blake, who silently nodded in response. With that, the group dispersed, each retreating to their respective resting places for the night.