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Chapter 22: Dissonance

Beacon's Library

Blake let out a small sigh, closing the book she'd been reading. She got out of her chair, picking up the stack of books she'd collected. She started slowly toward the front desk.

Try as she might, for once, Blake just couldn't focus on reading. She'd found one or two new books that held her interest, but she couldn't bring herself to sit down and take them in. Her mind was too cluttered, unwanted thoughts overpowering everything else.

Time was up. This was the last day that the other's Mate's Marks would be at their full strength. Once the sun came up tomorrow, the Marks would start breaking down, the slivers of her aura fading and flickering until they were just… gone.

And no one had said anything.

There was still a very loud part of her (one that sounded like a scolding Ruby) that said that there was still time, that she should give her teammates the benefit of the doubt. So far, it seemed like they enjoyed being Mated, and how the Link had affected their lives. They could still say yes.

But as loud as that voice was, it couldn't drown out her worries. It was a humongous change, one that none of them had even considered until Blake's heat-addled mind had thrust it upon them. Ruby was still a little young, and Yang might not want to be tied down to a relationship yet. And Weiss…

A Schnee becoming a Faunus' Mate. There were dozens of ways that could go wrong, for both of them.

That thought continued to worry her, ever since Weiss had broken down in her arms that night.

"Can I help you, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake jumped. With a start, she realized she had been standing in front of the librarian's desk for several minutes. She muttered an apology, handing over the books she wanted to check out. The old lady gave her a kind smile, and Blake was soon walking out of the library, books held in her arms as she marched up the hall.

She tried to picture a future with Ruby, Yang, and Weiss as her Mates. A smile formed on her lips as she thought of Team RWBY, years from now, still fighting together, ferocious Huntresses by day, tender lovers by night. An apartment in one of Vale's skyscrapers, or maybe a large house out in the countryside. Curling up together on cold nights… starting a family…

She stopped that thought before it even started. A million things would have to go perfectly before that became anything more than a wayward thought. Graduating Beacon, getting steady-paying missions… the SDC… the White Fang…

...staying together…

Blake could feel her ears droop, her bow bending a little at the sides, and had to struggle not to just let them do what they wanted.

Why did I think this would work?

"So how much did it take?"

Blake stopped, surprised. She had entered the courtyard, when a rough, deep voice sounded behind her. She turned around.

It was the bear Faunus from before, the one that had been bothering Weiss during Grimm Studies. She'd heard his name said in class a few times. Koda? Kodlak? Something like that. He was leaning against the building wall, right next to the doorway. He had his arms crossed, a sneer on his lips.

"E-excuse me?" Blake asked, already feeling on edge.

The sneer grew, his lips pulling back to show teeth. "I'm curious. Just how much did she have to offer you to sell your soul?"

Blake's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?" she repeated, her voice lowering.

The bear Faunus scoffed. "Don't play dumb. The Schnee walking around with a Mate's Mark? Kind of hard to miss."

Feeling a spark of panic, Blake quickly looked around the area. Students were milling around the grounds like normal, but no one else was immediately nearby.

"What, afraid of the humans finding out?" Her head snapped back to him, making him bark out a laugh. "Why? Most Faunus would be thrilled to be Mated. Or was silence part of the deal?"

Blake's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Deal?"

He rolled his eyes. "Y'know, the one you have with the Schnee? What is it, some kind of publicity stunt? I noticed the second I walked into Port's class on Monday. At first I thought it was some kind of trick, some new way she'd found to screw with Faunus, but then I saw you glaring at me. So how much did she give you? Must have been a lot to trick yourself into thinking you care for her."

Blake felt her shoulders tense. A feral growl formed in her chest, just begging to be let loose. She managed to hold it, just barely. "You think she paid me?" she seethed.

The bear Faunus (Kojak, that was it) blinked. "Yeah? She did something, obviously. It must have been big for you to make an actual working Mate's Mark."

Blake felt pressure in the back of her throat, a feline yowl seconds away from leaving her mouth. She swallowed it down, taking a calming breath. She leveled a cold stare at him. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I truly do care for her?"

Kojak blinked again, then laughed. "Yeah right. Seriously, how much? Five figures? Six?"

Blake felt her shoulders raise a little. "She didn't pay me." Her clenched teeth were the only reason she hadn't yelled yet.

He scoffed. "Then what? She must have done something for you to have twisted yourself so much into thinking you care for her."

"Nothing more than being herself." Her voice lowered dangerously, daring him into refuting her.

He actually laughed. "Wow, you actually sound serious. Hell, I almost…" He trailed off when he noticed her unwavering glare. His eyes narrowed, the first show of confusion flickering in them. "Wait… are… are you serious?"

"Completely." Her voice gained an unmistakable growl of agitation. Blake felt the slight tightness in her eyes as she forced them to slit. She wanted to make this as clear as possible and end this conversation.

Kojak flinched a bit, and Blake took a small bit of satisfaction as he did. It was always good to get the proper reaction from a Faunus' universal signal of 'back off.'

He pushed himself off the wall, uncrossing his arms. His face went slack with realization. "No way… you… she's a Schnee!"

Blake actually took a step back at his sudden yell. Kojak's face twisted into a snarl, showing off his pointed teeth. "How the hell could you actually feel something for one of them?! What, do you not know how they treat us?"

Blake gulped. From the corner of her eye, she saw a few students look towards them, their attention drawn by his loud yelling. She forced down her anger and spoke calmly. "I'm well aware of the SDC's policies, but Weiss has nothing to do with that."

Kojak growled. "She has everything to do with it. It's her company!"

"It's her father's company," she corrected.

He rolled his eyes. "Like it matters! They're all the same."

Blake's eyes hardened. "No, they're not." She took a slow breath through her nose, willing herself to calm. She let out a sigh. She gave him a tired look. "Why do you even care, Kojak? Who I Mate is no one's business but my own."

Kojak took a threatening step forward. "I care because you're making a mockery of everything important to us!"

Amber eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Kojak growled. "You. I'm talking about you. Everything I've seen about you since I came here has done nothing but piss me off. The Schnee just clinched it."

Blake's expression morphed to one of utter bafflement. "I've hardly spoken to you since I enrolled. I don't even know who you are. What have I done to make you angry?"

He glowered at her. Then, very deliberately, his eyes turned slightly upwards.

"That," he spat, glaring at the top of her head. "You did that."

It took a full second for Blake to understand what he meant. When she did, her blood froze in her veins, her eyes widening in panic.

Her bow suddenly felt much heavier.

RWBY Dorm

"Something's wrong," Weiss stated, worry in her voice.

"Yeah, no kidding, Weiss," Yang said breathlessly. "Where is she right now?"

"The library. Or at least… near it." Weiss frowned, frustrated at her lack of skill. None of them had really figured out how to translate where one of their auras were when sensing into a physical location yet.

"Um… should I…?" Ruby questioned, fidgeting in place. She bounced from one foot to the other, wanting to run to Blake right that instant, but not wanting to leave Yang and Weiss behind.

"Yes, go!" Yang shouted.

"Hurry, Ruby!" Weiss yelled at the same time. "We'll catch up!"

Ruby blinked in surprise, then gave a terse nod. In a red flash, she was out the door, a cloud of rose petals floating where she'd been.

Yang moved to run after her. "Come on, Weiss!"

Weiss took a step towards her, then stopped. "Wait!"

Yang stumbled at Weiss' sudden yell. She turned back, mounting panic on her face. "What?!"

"Just-" Weiss' eyes flicked back and forth as she thought. Her gaze then snapped to Yang, face set in determination. "I have an idea." She suddenly ran to the window, throwing it open as she started to look around.

Yang, completely lost and getting agitated as she felt Blake's fear spike, marched towards the heiress, ready to drag her to the door if necessary. "Weiss, I really don't think we have time for-"

"Do you trust me?"

Yang stopped mid-word as Weiss suddenly rounded on her, her crystal blue eyes boring into her own with the utmost seriousness as she placed her hand on the windowsill.

"Uh… yeah?" Yang answered, caught off guard.

Weiss nodded. "Then follow me." She then turned around…

And jumped out the window.

Yang froze as her heart skipped a beat. She stared dumbly at the empty window for a second.

"Weiss!" Yang ran the rest of the way across the room, new panic fueling the old. She barely stopped herself from jumping out after the heiress, and looked down out of the window, expecting the worst…

Only to be met with Weiss' impatient glare as she stared up at her, tapping her foot on the large glyph she was standing on just ten feet beneath the window.

"Well? Come on!"

Yang blinked rapidly, her brain trying to process what she was staring at. Despite everything, she barked out a laugh. She leapt out after her girlfriend, landing beside her on the glyph. "Y'know, I kinda forgot you could stand on these."

Weiss rolled her eyes, then summoned another glyph, this one in front and below them. "Let's go." She then leapt towards the glyph, preparing to make another one as soon as her feet touched it.

Yang jumped after her, hearing the familiar reverberation of Weiss' glyph disappearing as she leapt off it. What little humor she had felt disappeared as she followed Weiss down her summoned path towards the ground, hoping that whatever was wrong with Blake was something they could fix.

Ruby was halfway down the third-floor stairs when she suddenly had a thought. She came to an abrupt stop, the wind behind her scattering rose petals everywhere and blowing the papers out of the hands of the poor group of freshmen walking up the other way.

"Shoot," she muttered under her breath. "We could probably use those."

Turning on her heel, Ruby blasted back up the way she came, leaving behind a bunch of angry students trying to figure out which scattered papers belonged to who.

Courtyard

"Wha… What…?" Blake struggled to form words as her brain completely stalled. "What do you mean?"

Kojak snarled. "I'm from Atlas. My whole life, I got crap because of what I am. I was one of the only Faunus in my hometown, and the people there made sure I knew it. But my folks always told me to stand up to whatever was in my way, to always be proud of what I am. I pushed back against every embarrassment, every slur, every beatdown I ever got, and I managed to be the only member of my school to get a scholarship to come here to Beacon."

"And what do I find?" He barked out a laugh of disbelief. "Not only do I share half my classes with one of the Schnee bastards my dad ranted about my whole life, but then there's you." He practically spat the word.

Blake swallowed. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She glanced at the other students in the courtyard. No one was close enough to hear at the moment, but if this kept up… "What about me?"

He shook his head, sneering. "You hide. You hide your ears, you clip your claws, I bet you even ignore your own instincts! And for what? To fit in?"

Blake's eyes narrowed, a true growl passing through her throat. "Forgive me for not wanting people to judge me before they know me."

Kojak laughed, jabbing a finger at her. "Then you'd better plan to keep hiding for a long ass time, 'cause trust me, it's never going to get better." He spread his arms wide, mockingly. "This is our world. The humans are up top, and us lowly Faunus are on the bottom."

Blake shook her head, the ice in her veins turning to fire. "It won't always be like that."

He scoffed. "Yeah, if you really believe that, then why hide in the first place? I've seen you during classes. You're one of the best Hunters in the whole school. You could be a symbol for every Faunus trying to make something of themselves, but instead, you'd rather be chalked up as just another human Hunter this school churned out, one of hundreds."

Blake was stunned. Is… is that really what people think of me? Before she could refute him, Kojak went on.

"But you know, I was fine with that. Really, I was. I figured, 'if she wants to piss all over her own species, fine. There's plenty of other Faunus in this school who can become what she refuses to be.'"

"But then…" He shook his head, chuckling darkly. "You pull this. Taking more than one Mate, Mating humans, fine. I don't see the appeal, but hey, to each their own. But a Schnee?" He took a step forward as he shouted. Blake backed up a step, fighting her now screaming 'fight or flight' instinct. "I mean… how?! Why?! They hate Faunus!"

Blake growled in the back of her throat. "Weiss doesn't." She felt her hands tense, her nails extending slightly as she gripped her books tightly against her chest. Whether by instinct or just regular anger, Blake would not tolerate this man bad-mouthing her friend, Mate or not.

Kojak didn't miss the subtle movement, and bafflement mixed with the anger on his face. "You're really willing to fight me over her? Seriously, what do you see in her?"

Blake struggled not to raise her voice, not to give into the bestial part of her brain telling her to leap at this creature threatening her Mate. In a calm voice, her gaze never leaving Kojak's eyes, she proclaimed, "I see a kind person struggling against everything she was taught, and who's willing to learn about who and what I am."

Kojak's brow raised, his disbelief palpable. "Wow, is that the line she fed you? 'Cause if so, how'd you fall for something so cheesy?"

Blake glared at him, then let out a frustrated sigh. "We're clearly not going to agree on anything, so I'm ending this. Kojak, you're entitled to your opinion, but I don't have to stand here and listen to it. I'll see you in class."

With that, Blake turned around and started marching towards her dorm, ignoring Kojak's shout of indignation. She made it three steps before-

Her instincts screamed at her to dodge at the same time she felt… something in the back of her head.

A flash of yellow and white.

Jump/Turn.

The sudden warring of her body trying to do three separate actions made her freeze. For a split second, she felt confusion.

Then her heart stopped as she felt something grab her bow.

And pull.

Time seemed to slow. She could feel it, the fabric of her bow leaving her head, a sudden chill as a small burst of fresh air hit her ears. Everything came to a sudden stop as she realized her worst fear was happening.

Then a piercing sound split the air, and her bow stopped moving. Abruptly.

"Let… her… go."

With deep, choppy breaths, Blake forced her eyes to the side, her head tilting minutely.

There was Weiss, her arm extended towards something directly behind Blake, her eyes colder than the Faunus had ever seen. Next to her, Yang was slightly hunched over, her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Her hair was glowing, and her eyes burned red as she glared.

Straining her eyes, Blake turned as much as she could without feeling her bow move.

Kojak was right behind her, the center of her bow clenched in his fist. His teeth were bared in a pained snarl as he struggled against the glyph around his wrist, holding him in place. He struggled and strained against it, but the glyph wouldn't budge. He grabbed his forearm with his other hand, pulling hard.

Blake struggled not to gasp as she felt her bow move a little in his hand.

"Hey!" Yang shouted, taking a threatening step forward. "She said 'let her go!'"

Kokak glared at them. "And why should I?"

Suddenly, red. Swirling, surrounding, nothing but red all around them. Blake felt as if a tornado had materialized around her, wind whipping her hair wildly.

She heard a crunch. There was a yelp of pain. The grip on her bow disappeared.

She felt something grip her around the waist, and the world blurred as she was pulled. When it stopped, she felt as if her stomach had been left behind. As the wind died down, she looked around in confusion. A sea of rose petals slowly drifted around the area.

Ruby stood next to her, the leader's arm still wrapped around her middle. Crescent Rose hung compacted off her back, but Ruby's free hand was gripping her hilt, ready to wield the mighty weapon at a moment's notice. The young girl's face was strangely blank, her grey eyes fixed ahead.

The familiar chu-chk! made Blake turn her head to the left. With Ember Celica suddenly having appeared on her wrists, Yang pumped her arm quickly, loading a round into the gauntlet's chamber. Beside her, Myrtenaster had materialized on Weiss' hip, the heiress resting one hand over the rapier as she kept her now closed fist extended.

All three kept their eyes forward, glaring at the sight before them. Blake followed their gazes, and swallowed.

Kokak grit his teeth as he cradled his limp hand against his chest. Weiss' glyph was gone. The bear Faunus' eyes burned as he growled at Weiss. "Bitch, you broke my wrist!"

"Hey, that was her being nice, buddy." Yang's voice was disturbingly even for the amount of rage in her eyes. "Keep it up, and trust me, I'll give you a reason to complain." To enforce her words, she pounded her fist into her palm, loading a round into the other gauntlet.

Kokay's eyes flicked between each member of Team RWBY. His eyes lingered on Weiss, then Blake, his lips parted in a scowl He took a step back, then, with a grunt, he turned and ran into the school, clutching his shattered wrist.

Only after he was gone did Ruby remove her arm from Blake's waist. With the apparent threat gone, Team RWBY relaxed. Yang's hair stopped glowing as her eyes changed back to their usual color, while Weiss' visibly warmed. They all turned to Blake their concern clear on their faces as Ruby's rose petals settled on the ground around them.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Weiss asked softly.

Blake looked between them all, completely at a loss for what to say. "I…" With a gasp, she remembered. Her arms flew utowardds the top of her head.

She froze when Yang's strong grip wrapped around her waist. The blonde gave a comforting smile. 'Hey, relax." With almost dismissive ease, she reached up with her other hand and lightly tugged down on Blake's bow, straightening it properly on her head.

"It didn't come all the way off," she whispered quietly, smoothing out the wrinkles in it. "No one saw them."

Blake inhaled sharply. Her eyes darted around, looking everywhere at once. Students all around the courtyard were staring at them, curiosity evident. But… no one was really looking at her specifically. No shocked eyes looking up at her bow.

Blake breathed the air out slow. Her heart still hammered away, but she willed it to try and slow. She could feel it around her, a warm wave of concern and protectiveness, tempered with curiosity.

She managed to form a small smile. "Thank you," she murmured, so low they barely heard her.

Ruby leaned forward, re-wrapping her thin arms around the Faunus' waist in a brief hug. "No problem, Blake. It's what we're here for!"

Weiss smiled, ready to say something, but stopped when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Um… perhaps we should head back to our room, where we'd have less of an audience?"

Blinking in surprise, the other three followed her gaze. More students were entering the courtyard, new arrivals from late-day classes. Some of them were starting to group together with people that had already been there, and more and more eyes were starting to turn towards the four girls.

Blake felt that tightness in her spine, the uneasy feeling of being the center of attention. Her every instinct told her to get away, quickly.

Her thoughts stopped when she felt a cool hand wrap around her own. Her eyes snapped back, only to be met with pools of calming blue.

"Blake?" Weiss asked, frowning.

Blake blinked. She quickly noticed Ruby and Yang staring at her with similar looks. She felt a warm feeling build in her chest.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. "Let's head back."

The sisters smiled, and Weiss gave her hand a small squeeze. Together, the four made the trek across the courtyard, Ruby taking point as Yang sidled up to Blake's other side.

Weiss' hand never let go of hers.

Betaed by Covert Weapon