Talk with Blake

You debated what to do first before finally deciding. After you controlled Blake’s trust, she told you she needed to tell you something important in private. Since she wasn’t the talkative type, this wasn’t something she would share normally. It must be something important. You were a little conflicted though. This was a secret you tricked her into telling, but at the same time, maybe you would learn a bit about the quietest girl on your team. She didn’t seem to want to join everyone’s antics, preferring to just read her books.

Now you had to find Blake.

The first place you looked for Blake was the library. Since she liked to read, you figured that was as good as any place to start. The school year had just started, so of course the library was empty.

Except for the girl you were looking for in the corner, sitting comfortably on a beanbag chair.

“Hey, Blake!” You greeted and she looked up. There was a brief moment of confusion and then she smiled.

“Hello, Jaune,” she replied. “Did you need something?”

“We had some time, so I was wondering if you wanted to talk. Like what we mentioned this morning?”

She blinked her amber eyes and then it sunk it. Her expression suddenly turned nervous and she even closed her book. You recognized that look. Your sisters had similar ones when they had a secret they were going to tell, but were afraid it would get them in trouble. Pushing her might work since she trusted you due to your power, but you decided to just wait and let her tell you at her own pace.

“Not here,” Blake whispered. “Somewhere far away from others so no one will stumble upon us.”

Curiosity wrecked your brain as your followed her. You really wanted to know what the big secret was. So many possible ideas ran through your mind, each more unlikely than the last. You only knew Blake for a little over a day, so it wasn’t like you had any leads. Blake led you out of Beacon and toward the Emerald Forest. Since neither of you were armed, you didn’t actually go in, but you were right on the border, far away from any prying eyes.

“This should be good.” Blake muttered, more to herself than you. Finally, she turned to you and gestured to a patch of grass. You sat down and she joined you. “This isn’t easy to say, but I’ve kept a big secret from you and the rest of our team.”

You remained quiet. It wasn’t like you didn’t have a secret of your own. Using fake transcripts to get into Beacon wasn’t exactly model behavior.

“You can tell me anything,” You assured her. “I promise to keep it a secret unless you tell me it’s okay to tell others.”

Blake didn’t answer your verbally. Instead, she reached up a trembling hand to her bow. You weren’t sure why she was doing this until she removed her boy and revealed a pair of cat ears. Her expression was nervous, as she noticed you staring at her ears. When you didn’t say anything, she finally spoke.

“I’m a Faunus, Jaune.”

“Okay?”

Your response confused her and she titled her head slightly reflexively.

“You are taking this rather well.” Blake told you.

“Huh?” Now it was your turn to be confused. “Why would it matter if you’re a Faunus? I was just surprised you were hiding a pair of cute ears. Wouldn’t a bow be uncomfortable for them?”

“It’s not that bad,” Blake muttered, blushing slightly and then composed herself. “I figured you were someone who didn’t care about race, but I was still worried.” She eyed you closely. “There are a lot of people who don’t think highly of Faunus.”

“Oh…” Now that you thought about it, you occasionally met people who called Faunus kids back home animals. Most of your hometown was rather accepting of them and those people who insulted them weren’t well liked. “I’ve seen that.” You admitted and then patted her shoulder. “Listen, Blake. We haven’t known each other very long. So regardless if you were human, Faunus, space alien, or even Grimm, I’m getting to know the real you and that takes time. I still consider you a friend and teammate.”

“…Thank you, Jaune.” She finally answered. “That means more than you realize.” She went quiet. “Do you know about the White Fang?”

“Kind of?” They had been on the news a few times. “A terrorist group right?”

Her glare told you that you said something wrong, but you managed to relax a fraction of a second later when she sighed.

“I suppose that’s true now,” Blake muttered. “They were a group that fought for Faunus rights. Back when we were forbidden from entering certain business, attacked on the streets, discriminated by a large section of society.”

“That’s horrible!” You blurted out and she gave you a sad smile.

“Back then, they held peaceful protests, trying to get people to change their minds,” Blake continued. “They were ridiculed, beaten, and arrested. The SDC in Atlas, run by Weiss’ father, was the worst. They didn’t pay Faunus well, gave them the most dangerous jobs, all while pretending they were helping. A lot of Faunus die in the Dust mines…”

She gulped.

“…then the White Fang got a new leader. One who was willing to use ****. Suddenly, people began to treat us as equals, but out of fear, not respect. The peaceful protests now became attacks on stores that refused to serve us. And it worked! That was the worst of it. It worked!” She suddenly went quiet and pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat there next to you.

“It sounds like you were part of the White Fang,” You suddenly realized. “You were… weren’t you?” She remained quiet. This was a shock, but something she said stood out. “You left when the **** happened.”

That was not a question.

“I couldn’t take it,” Blake muttered. “I didn’t want to use my skills to hurt people. I want Faunus to be treated as equal, but without ****. That’s why I joined Beacon. To become a Huntress that protects humans and Faunus. Most of my training was during my time in the White Fang, especially scouting and survival missions. It was all to prepare me for fighting the SDC and other organizations.”

She sounded so bitter and you knew what you had to do.

You turned and wrapped your arms around her.

“J-Jaune?!” Blake asked surprised. “W-What are you doing?!” You didn’t say anything and just kept it up. Slowly, she relaxed and then leaned against you as you hugged her.

“Calmed down?” You asked.

“A little… how did you know that would work?”

“Seven sisters, it wouldn’t be uncommon for someone to be upset each day. Sometimes, people just need to know someone cares.”

“Do you still trust me?” Blake asked.

“You haven’t given me a reason NOT to trust you Blake,” You told her. “You left a toxic organization because you believed they were doing wrong. That’s pretty brave and noble of you… A lot more noble than I am.”

Blake tilted her head at you.

She completely trusted you enough to tell you her huge secret and now you had the opportunity to tell her yours. It wasn’t smart to do it, but the words came tumbling out. Part of you wanted to tell someone. You told her how you faked your transcripts into Beacon. How you didn’t have any skills and only survived due to having possessions like Pyrrha and Weiss to make up for your lack of combat skills. You had to improvise a little when she pointed out you won in Combat Class today.

“That was dangerous,” Blake reprimanded. “You could have gotten yourself killed… or Pyrrha as your partner.”

“I know, but I didn’t have a choice.” You admitted. Once you said it out loud, it really did sound bad.

“But you followed your beliefs because you wanted to help people too,” Blake continued. “I would be a hypocrite if I got mad at you about that. We both did things we aren’t proud of.” She gave you a small smile. “I still trust you completely Jaune, even more so that you shared that with me.”

You didn’t tell her to trust you even more…

THE SHOWERS!

You weren’t sure if Blake protected the words on her lower back.

Was it like with Ruby and got washed off or was it still there? Did you make her trust you even more naturally? You had to check, but it might be tough to see. Sneaking a peak might work, but you might be able to ask her since she trusts you completely.