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In a gigantic academy like Beacon, it was incredibly easy to get lost while gazing at the magnificent structure. Some might compare it to a castle, others a cathedral, yet the general opinion was that Beacon had a lot to explore and marvel at. From pure white stone walls, neat little 'Zen' gardens tucked in various nooks and crannies around campus and sky views of the entirety of Vale, there was something to cater to each person’s tastes.
Blake Belladonna preferred the small gardens as a place of tranquility and learning. Of course, said learning came in the forms of books; these places were far too cramped to manoeuvre Gambol Shroud lest she damage the fragile plants and shrubbery.
Today was a particularly lazy day. Ruby and Yang had headed into the town for a day out, whereas Weiss had the same idea as Blake and went to search for a quiet place to study. Of all the things you could admire about Weiss Schnee, her dedication was unrivalled, be it striving for perfection or self-satisfaction. Blake could really respect that about the heiress, despite their rocky friendship which was currently on better terms. It was one of the many things the faunus thought about while she read here in peace, how to improve her relationships and live life for the better.
Somehow, Blake would be finding herself in very unusual company this afternoon.
Her faunus ears, obscured by the black bow on her head, twitched uncomfortably as they picked up the echoes of heavy, uncertain footsteps.
While she was tensed and ready to disappear in the blink of an eye, Blake opted to continue reading and keep an eye out in the direction of the sounds. Whoever it was, they certainly didn’t seem to have any intent of sneaking up on her.
Another classmate rounded the corner, one the cat faunus only knew by the the long, brown rabbit’s ears protruding from her head. A fellow first year student that Blake had seen around but never been too concerned to talk to. Maybe this girl could already tell what Blake really was, after all, faunus were particularly adept at seeking each other out in crowds.
It occurred to her that the girl seemed pretty distracted, plus she had probably been having trouble with some of the less tolerable students again.
"Um, hey."
"Ah!"
It was as though the rabbit faunus snapped out of a daze. Only then had she noticed the black-haired freshman sitting there, a look of concern crossing her features. Taking a few steps back, she was ready to bolt at any second.
"I’m sorry! I didn’t realise you were already here! My apologies, I’ll just-"
"No, it’s fine," Blake cut into her rambling. "I don’t mind at all."
The rabbit girl pondered for a second, then flashed her a grateful smile and took a seat on a soft patch of grass and clover. “Thank you, I happened to be out of places to sit around lately.”
"Have you been bothered by the other students?" It really wouldn’t surprise Blake if she was still receiving a lot of snide remarks or having people tug on her ears.
"…Yeah. But it’s mostly died down."
"If it’s any consolation, I know what it’s like. People don’t really give you a chance, do they?"
Blake watched as the girl brought her knees to her chest and stared blankly at the foliage in front of them. It looked like she was about to start sobbing.
"Most people don’t even care here, it’s just the vocal minority that make it tough sometimes," she mumbled.
It suddenly dawned upon Blake that she didn’t even know the girl’s name by this point.
"So, are you feeling alright, um…"
"Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina. Yeah, I’m just a little tired that’s all," to emphasize her point, Velvet yawned and scratched behind her ears absently.
The corners of Blake’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Well I’m Blake, Blake Belladonna. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
"Say, you said you understood how I felt earlier. Does that mean you’ve been subjected to something like this…discrimination, if you will?" Velvet eyed her curiously. Blake realised that she had probably given herself away at this point, but she decided to keep being mysterious and uncertain. A tight smile crossed the cat faunus’ lips.
"I guess you could say that. I don’t have to face it now though."
Velvet seemed very confused, but she decided to be polite and let it go.
"Well Miss Belladonna, despite the fact that we’ve talked so little, I feel a bit better now. I heard that you were very silent and unapproachable, no offence meant, but you’re very insightful." Blake expressed genuine surprise at this, but nonetheless she smiled wryly.
"I do believe that books are more interesting then most people."
"I don’t doubt you at all on that one," the rabbit faunus broke into a fit of giggles. “‘An epic adventure of love and lust as one man fights his way to the top and builds his harem along the way’ sounds like quite the read!"
Blake’s cheeks flushed as she realised she was holding her book up in plain sight, she fumbled around trying to hide it while Velvet lay down clutching her chest as she laughed. While it was good that she was not moping around any more, it came at the expense of the cat faunus’ pride. Pulling a deadly serious face, Blake leaned over close to the rabbit and comically scowled.
"Tell anyone about this and I’ll have to cut you."
"Haha, I won’t Miss, I wont! Hyeeeh! P-put that away!!"