genessia | log

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Who Blake and YOU
What Training and tattoos, multiple scenarios
When Afternoon
Where Genessia
Warning n/a, slight mentions of Battler but nothing graphic or trigger inducing - will update if that changes

a) Genessia, Outskirts
Blake focused on the clone in front of her,a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. It flickered and she gritted her teeth. She was trying to make it to a minute. At least a minute, before it faded. She had done it when her back was against the wall. She could do it again. She tried to make another and the minute the second appeared the other faded.

She let out a shout of frustration and sank to her knees. Why couldn't she get it? She had done it before. Did she literally have to have her life hanging in the balance to be able to push herself again? She wiped the sweat off of her face roughly as though it was the rivulets of water dripping down her face that were to blame. She got up and retrieved her water bottle from under a nearby tree.

As far as anyone knew, Blake was out book hunting. And she would after this. So it wasn't a complete lie. She just didn't want anybody treating her like she was too fragile to train. She had been out of the hospital a week. Besides, it also gave her some alone time to focus her mind. Ever since she had got back she had these weird bouts of both wanting to be around people and then suddenly wanting the be far away from them

She gulped her water, a breeze lifting her dark hair. Then she stood and got ready to go at it again

b) Window Shopping for tatoos!

Blake stood with her face buried in a book - not a novel for once. An art book. It was any idea she had been toying with for a while. She got tired of flinching every time she saw that ugly brand on her arm. It wasn't just the memory. It was the idea that that demon had changed something, altered something on her own body without her permission. Every time she saw it her stomach twisted in anger. Not just because of what he did, but because she knew that her reaction was probably the exact reason he marked her.

She could probably find someone who knew how to get rid of it. But something about a tattoo just seemed...how could she explain it? Like another permanent mark, she supposed, but one she'd put there hereself. One that would symbolize that there was something better in the world than the horror she'd survived.

Maybe she's look at it , think it over. She had not even told Yang this yet.

c) freestyle/choose your own adventure

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Almost as though on cue, the Faunus looked up and found herself looking right at him.

"Jaune..."she feels awkward considering everything that happened. Sure, she'd checked on him, but she hadn't really been to see him. She had done that for most of the others as well. She was not the best at approaching people in the first place and a 'hey, how have you been since you've been tortured/killed....?' wasn't a great conversation starter.

She'd probably look no better than him if Yang weren't there to help her sleep and keep some of the nightmares at bay.

"Blake." His voice felt rough from disuse. Other than now, the only time he had ever talked since...that, had been when he had talked to Alice. Because free magical drinks. This was go and hide forever worthy in terms of awkward. The drink began to shake, so he held onto it with both hands, for something to hold onto. He couldn't even take a sip. He felt frozen in place. He wanted to step away until he could run and pretend he had never seen her.

Blake had been one of the ones tortured too, so he was supposed to say something, right? Words were so difficult now.

He really does look rough. And now Blake does feel guilty for not actually talking to him, even if she had no idea what to say, maybe she should have still tried. Sure, she's moody and bounces back in between raging, crying (when no one sees) and training like crazy but it's some form of taking care of herself. Maybe not a great one, but some.

Jaune doesn't look like he is at all. She puts the book to the side and walks over to him. For a moment she doesn't say anything. Then she darts forward and hugs him.

Edited 2016-07-06 20:08 (UTC)

After everything that had happened, Jaune didn't feel like he could face any of them. But if anyone was to blame, it was Battler. In just one night, he had managed to practically tear everyone apart from eachother.

Too bad they're the ones shouldering the guilt. Jaune doesn't feel guilty for avoiding Blake or anyone else, but he does feel bad for not knowing at first. If Weiss hadn't messaged him...

It probably would have been a very ugly wake-up call.

It's not like he had gotten over it, but he had managed to react in isolation, instead of around anyone he cared about. He catches the brand, feeling a familiar flare of rage. Suddenly the art book makes more sense. He stares at her carefully, feeling cornered. Before he can react, she's hugging him. He drops his drink out of shock, some of the liquid splashing and spilling on his jeans. It's not like they were clean to begin with. He's too busy trying to process what's currently happening to care. He probably stinks. Sorry Blake. It's the first safe physical human contact he's experienced that he can remember. His body freezes up, and he sucks in a breath. He doesn't relax, he can't relax, but he forces his limbs to move, to hug her back. He feels vulnerable and angry and terrified at the same time. The embrace is just as much to shield himself from it as it is to try and do what he can for her.

She steps back hastily. "Sorry! I'll buy you another on -"

She stops. It's not just the fact that he looks like he hasn't slept and even without Faunus senses she'd probably be able to tell he hadn't bathed, it's his reaction that's heart breaking.

"Jaune....it's just me," she reminds him softy, tears threatening to prick the corner of her eyes.

She feels something else though that keeps the tears from fully forming and it's white, hot,fury, pure and simple. She didn't care what Fai or anyone else had to say, if she saw Battler she would not be able to stop herself from going after him. She might not stop at just pummeling him, either.

Edited 2016-07-06 21:01 (UTC)

He tears his gaze away from her. He doesn't want to see that expression on anyone's face, but seeing a friend look so heartbroken is much harder to deal with than if it were a stranger or acquaintance. Blake had been someone whose respect he once wanted to earn. He's a failure and earning it is out of the question. Just because he realizes that now, doesn't mean it hurts less.

"...I know," Part of his mind realizes it, the part of him that can see Blake for himself, and registers her voice as real. The other part, and his body is stuck in a constant state of fear. He's never felt this on edge before. He doesn't know where to start. For the most part, he's just reacted to the situations he found himself in. Even when he had been motivated to be a good team leader was thanks to the encouragement of Ruby and his team. The few times when he acted on his own never ended well. How does he even begin to move forward from this? Can he? Grasping his arm, he takes a few steps back. Just to give them both some space. He glances at the book, doing everything he can to avoid looking at Blake. Okay. Words. Maybe he could start there. He'd rather talk to Blake, anyway. He wouldn't put in the effort if it had been just anyone.

"Did you go back?"

She wishes he would look at her. Jaune has nothing to be ashamed of. Blake wasn't able to stop Battler either. Then again, everyone was hardest on themselves, weren't they? She doesn't touch him again, because she's not sure how he would react and she can tell that something's wrong.

"Back?" she echoed a little confused at the question.

There's a pause from him as he looks around for a distraction. Something to focus on. Words are difficult right now, and every sentence feels like he's expending too much effort. It's kind of frustrating, but it's not Blake's fault. It's not her fault everything seems pointless.

"At the house." He replies. Short, simple. He plays with a loose thread on his sleeve.

Her expression hardens a bit when she realizes what he is talking about. "Of course. Remnant House is my home."

She had lost one already. She was not going to lose another to Battler. And...and she couldn't do that to Yang again. She wouldn't do that to Yang again. And at any rate, the blond had not given her a choice. She felt a little bit of warm glow in her stomach despite the other things she had been feeling lately. And seeing her partner with her new arm seemed to cheer Blake up no matter what mood she was in.

She folded her arms. "You look like hell. You're not taking care of yourself. Why?"

Direct and to the point. Call anyone else if you want mothering, but call Blake if you want blunt.

He doesn't know what to say to that. Part of him feels like he should be guilty, but why does it matter? The only thing he can even remotely begin to see as positive is that she's probably safer around other people than alone. Even that wasn't guaranteed.

Finally, he does meet her eyes, his own so void of even pretending to care. "What's it to you?"

Probably not the best idea, but Jaune had been choosing to talk via text for a reason. Take care of himself? What good would that do? Even if he had wanted to, there were some things that he was too scared to attempt now.

Edited 2016-07-07 19:56 (UTC)

Blake didn't want him to feel guilty. And she didn't want pity from him or anyone What she wanted was this: if people were going to isolate themselves fine. Who was she to talk? So long as they stopped sleeping in sleeping bags in weird places and didn't stop showering. As long as they took care of themselves, Blake would give them all the time they needed to gather themselves back into one piece, however they chose to do that. It was a terrible thing that happened to them all. It was something that should have never happened to anyone. No one would get over that in a day.

But damned if she would except this defeatist, nihilistic attitude. ~~That's her job.~~

She resisted the urge to shove the probably still traumatized teen boy.

"Are you deliberately being an idiot?" she demanded. "Oh, I don't know. Only that you're my friend. Only that I care about what happens to you. Only that because I have people that I care about is the reason I keep going - including yourself in case you missed it the first time. So I tail you, keeping my distance because it's not my desire to force you to talk to or see me if you don't want to and because somehow thanks to Weiss it's my job to do that because - wait for it - she doesn't want to talk to anyone either! So we're all not talking to each other. Fine. I get it. I didn't really want to talk to anyone either. But then I come across you for the first time to see that it's not enough that Battler had to treat us like shit, we'll now treat ourselves just as bad. So we aren't talking and we aren't ....bathing. Well done to him! I guess he got exactly what he wanted. Screw all of that!"

Well that...probably didn't come out of nowhere. Jaune just stops in place and stares, quietly, his eyes a little wider than normal. Congratulations on getting that much emotion out of him, Blake. If he was thinking rationally, he might understand her point. There was literally no advantage to what he was doing. What a lot of them were doing. Rational thinking is one of the last things he's trying to accomplish though, and having to talk about what happen, having to face what he's already constantly being reminded of, is just enough for everything he's been trying to bottle up to flood out of his control. He didn't have any control over anything else, so why did it matter?

"No, screw all of this!" His fist collides with the window he was standing next to, with enough force to fracture the glass. He doesn't care though. He doesn't even notice. Every nerve hurts already. "You're the one who doesn't get it. You shouldn't be my friend. After everything we've been through? Everything I've done? What the hell, Blake? I thought you were supposed to be smart." His voice catches, and his vision begins to blur. He hates Battler, but he hates himself more. He didn't choose for Battler to do this. But he chose to be a stupid, trusting idiot who believed that if you tried hard enough, things would turn out okay eventually.

He hadn't learned the first time, and people had died, again. "You're right. I'm stupid, and you've got better things to do. So just...go read your book or whatever. I don't need or want your advice." He's crying. He's crying and his voice sounds broken, but he's just so empty and tired and angry he doesn't care anymore.

Blake flinches a little when his fist hits the glass, but she's not backing down. Her expression slowly morphs from pissed, to stern, to pained. What is he saying?

"Everything you've done?" she repeated in disbelief, shaking her head. "What, get captured? I got captured too. So did Weiss, so did everyone and I couldn't do anything about it. If you're hating yourself because you've failed then join the club. All the training I did when I got here, taking bounties, trying to still live like a huntress even with Beacon gone - for what? For this to happen? Why are you a worse person than me? I was practically on my way to being a terrorist before I ran away and came to Beacon. What have I been through with you that I'm supposed to resent so much? And it's not that kind of book and I'm not going away!"

Her expression wavers a little more and her own lip trembles a bit but she bites down on it. She never thought she'd see Jaune like this. She never wanted to see any of her friends like this.

"Jaune...even if you aren't part of my team it feels like Beacon again,"she murmurs. "I feel like everyone is being divided again. Maybe you don't need me, but I need you."

She unties her ribbon because she doesn't have a handkerchief handy and offers it to him. She'll just deal with showing her ears in public, she's pretty sure a lot of people know by now what she is anyway.

"I..." Thought Battler was their friend. Signed Weiss up at the auction. Sneaked into Beacon and was too weak, so someone else paid. He clenches his jaw, too ashamed, too broken, to meet Blake's eyes again. So that had been what Weiss had meant when she said Blake had her own things to tell. He could argue over it forever, but it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't undo what Battler had done to any of them.

A part of him understands, it does feel like Beacon. They had managed to keep moving forward before, even if it was just here, but now that the world has collapsed again he isn't sure if he should even bother. What he doesn't understand is why she includes him in that. He takes the ribbon, clinging onto it like it's his lifeline. The texture is smooth. He stares at it in confusion, tears still distorting his vision.

"I don't get it. Are you asking me to wear this?"

Blake just stared at Jaune for a moment. She might have laughed if the situation hadn't been serious. "What? No!" She shook her head, supressing an eye roll. "I just wanted you to have something to wipe your face."

"But I will make you wear it if you start saying more of the dumb things you just said about yourself."

"...I don't want to use your ribbon, Blake. I know you like to wear it." Or maybe she doesn't. He doesn't want to make her buy a new one. She's right about one thing though. There's no point talking about something she would never agree with. He offers her the ribbon and looks back at her book.

" I have like twelve of them," she replied. It is true. At Beacon she kept those things stashed everywhere just in case something happened to the one she had. If you were going to hide being a faunus, then it was better safe than sorry. She even had deep purples and blues and whites for special occasions, though most were black.

"...That makes more sense." He still felt bad for using it, and wiped his face with his dirty, sweaty sleeve instead.

She would have just told him to keep it. Ribbons and bows weren't an expensive, rare commodity to come by.

"When's the last time you had something to eat?" she asked.

The tattoo hunting could wait. She already had a little bit of an idea what she wanted.

"I don't know." He hadn't kept track of the time, except when it involved taking care of Frost and Snow. Looking after them felt like it was the only thing that had kept him going for a while. He hadn't avoided eating, he just...didn't eat much, and when he did, it was mostly junk food.

"When's the last time you had something to eat?"

Edited 2016-07-10 06:14 (UTC)

Blake's stomach rumbled a little. Hopefully, not too audibly. But in her defense, training did work up more than a sweat. It was one of the few ways to ensure her appetite still worked. "Early this morning I think."

Blake didn't sleep in much unless Yang did.

Jaune shot her a look. Yeah he had heard that. "So go eat something." There was no advantage to avoiding eating if she was hungry. Part of him was relieved she was at least giving some semblance of taking care of herself.

She studied him for a moment. Not remembering when he ate, huh? It could have been Jaune being Jaune or some ridiculous self-punishment.

"I will if you will," she said, finally.

"Fine." It was easier to agree with Blake so she would go and take care of herself. She was stubborn, and he knew better than to argue with her.

Well, at least he saw the futility of arguing. She put some cash on the counter and tucked the magazine under her arm.

"Not for nothing, Jaune," she continued, wincing a little. "But you are also starting to reek. You need to bathe. And help me pick out a tattoo."

The last part was half a joke half serious. She didn't expect he would want to talk about what happened to him and Blake wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it. At least she could distract him.

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aurabble - 2016-07-11 04:42 (UTC) - Expand

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Re: Window Shopping

Re: Window Shopping

treasure it - she does not hug often

blake ;;

Re: blake ;;

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wrong thing to say, Jauney

He always knows the wrong thing to say

Re: He always knows the wrong thing to say

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