Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Yang stared at her ceiling as she continued to listen to the ticking of her kitchen clock. She had music playing earlier, but her speaker’s batteries died and needed to charge. Yet, she wallowed in self-pity. She was a moron and should never show her face at the bazaar again.

Two Months Earlier - Week 1

“Whoa! This is definitely not something you see every day,” Yang exclaimed. 

She held a hand over her brows, blocking out the sunlight.

There had been posters all over town. At the start of the month Vale would be hosting a bazaar every Saturday leading up to the Vytal Festival. Six months of a pop-up bazaar with booths selling goods from all over Remnant.

“I’ll definitely need to bring Ruby and Weiss to this.”

After finding a place to park her motorcycle, Yang took care of the actual business that brought her to Vale before checking out the bazaar. The various scents of perfumes, incense, and spices bombarded Yang’s sense of smell. Yang’s head turned, trying to follow any one scent. She shook her head, finding it futile. In the end, she walked down the first aisle and serpentined her way through.

Along with the perishable goods, many stalls were selling: shirts, paintings, magazines, vintage vinyl records, and pants. The bazaar had something for everyone if they took the time to look at the stalls. Things for Ruby from baked goods to weapons. Coffee from the other kingdoms for Weiss to try. There were a few things that caught Yang’s eyes, but nothing she could buy and bring home on Bumblebee, her motorcycle. She’ll have to try again next Saturday.

She had been wandering between the stalls for a couple of hours when her stomach grumbled. There were plenty of stalls selling food at one end of the bazaar. Yang made her way towards it and let her nose choose. A savory, cooked seafood scent wafted through her nose causing her stomach to growl again.

Yang closed her eyes imagining the food she smelled. “Aw man. That smells so good. Makes me wish I could have some of my uncle’s seafood.”

“Ask and you shall receive, Sunshine.”

“Uncle Clover!” Yang exclaimed.

Clover held out a stick of fried squid in front of Yang. “Hey, glad to see you here.”

“Sup, kiddo,” Qrow greeted from his seat. The dark haired man skewered vegetables and shrimp.

“Are you guys going to be here every weekend?” Yang asked as she bit into her squid.

“Sure are! Even this grump wasn’t too happy about it,” Clover pointed his thumb towards his husband. “It’s good for business and it gets him out of his workshop twice a week.”

“I’ve got a lot of commissions to work on!” Qrow countered.

“And you need a break. Watch yourself, Yang,” Clover warned before adding more oil to the griddle. “No Ruby?”

Yang shook her head. “Nope, she and Weiss are being hermits this weekend. I’ll be dragging them here next week.”

“Gotcha. I’ll be sure to bake some cookies next week for her.”

“Hey, what about me?” Yang pouted.

“You don’t need it, Firecracker,” Qrow smirked. He set his plate of skewered vegetables and shrimp on the table next to Clover. 

Yang stuck her tongue out. “You just want to keep my share for yourself. Admit it.”

“Nope.”

The two chuckled at their antics. 

“So, any plans later today or tomorrow?” Qrow asked.

“I got one more row before I’ve finished scoping the place. After that I’m not sure,” Yang answered.

“You could check out Robyn’s cafe that she opened up with her friends,” Clover suggested. He pointed with his spatula in the direction of the cafe. “It’s over that way called ‘The Happy Huntresses’. They also have a booth in the last row.”

“They any good?” 

Clover looked offended. “Would I ever suggest a place if I didn’t think it was good?”

“Point. I’ll check it out later. Thanks Uncle Clover.” Yang looked around to see people starting to line up for food. “Anyways, I’ll leave you two alone for your customers. Good luck with your sales.”

“Appreciated,” Clover flicked his lucky charm strapped to his apron. “Here, take a small plate to go. One squid isn’t enough for you.”

“I beg to differ,” Qrow laughed when he saw Yang flip him off.

As Yang passed the last stall, she did a double take and looked back at a female cat faunus with long black hair. She watched as the other woman sniffed at some of the tea leaves the stall owner offered her to smell. Yang could feel her cheeks become a little warm as the other woman’s cat ears flickered with excitement. Not wanting to be weird for staring, Yang approached the other side of the stall and looked at the various loose leaf tea.

Today felt so much like a fantasy with the bazaar, as if some magical fairy tale. While Yang browsed at the teas, she noticed tea named after various books and fairy tales. At the corner of her eye, she watched the faunus woman finish making her purchase and began to walk away. Yang leaned sideways to follow the other woman with her eyes until she stopped and turned looking back at Yang.

Yang jumped and looked away immediately. She could feel her ears burning along with her cheeks. Feeling a little daring, Yang turned her head and saw the cat faunus looking at her. She appeared more amused rather than angry at Yang’s obvious staring earlier. One of the cat ears flickered again as she smiled and continued on her merry way.

A throat cleared as the stall owner smiled at Yang. “Anything I can assist you with, Ma’am?”

Not wanting to be rude, Yang began asking questions about the various teas. She had found something for Ruby and their parents. While the stall owner gathered Yang’s purchases, she stole a quick glance at the direction the cat faunus went. She didn’t see her anywhere in sight. Yang pouted a little before smiling again. She hoped to see the other woman again next week.

Until she saw her again, the image of the dark haired beauty and her cute cat ears lived rent free in Yang’s mind.

Week 2

The following week Yang was back at the bazaar with Weiss in tow. Ruby should have been with them, but the poor girl had caught a stomach flu the night before. Weiss made her stay home and rest. While it was a bummer to not spend some time with her sister, it had been a while since Yang had hung out with Weiss.

Weiss and Yang had met in some of their general studies classes during their time in college. At the end of their first year Yang learned that Weiss and Ruby had crossed paths before. During move-in day, Ruby ran into Weiss and stained the former heiress’s jacket. Yang ended up playing peacekeeper between the two. Her sister and her school friend. The only school friend Yang didn’t mind hanging out with outside of school. When Yang and Weiss were third years, Ruby became a first year at Beacon University. After a while, Weiss and Ruby began dating, making Yang feel like a third wheel. It was nice to spend time with her friend without her sister present.

“I know we just got here, but we should do this a little more often.” Weiss commented, breaking Yang out of her thoughts. “Us hanging out I mean.”

“Heh,” Yang scratched her cheek. “I was thinking the same thing. You sure you’re going to be okay out and about? Not going to melt are you, Ice Queen? Or would it be Ice Princess for you since you have an older sister who is as icy if not more so than you?”

Weiss huffed and adjusted her sun hat. “Quiet you! For your information, I’ve packed sunscreen to apply every couple of hours. You could also learn to apply some on yourself.”

“I grew up on a farm and helped Dad in the fields,” Yang countered.

“So I’ve heard and yet Ruby still got sunburned a few times while using that excuse.”

“Rubes also has a paler complexion than I do. I have a natural tan.”

Weiss rummaged through her bag and pulled out her bottle of sunscreen. “Natural tan or not you can still get burned. Now stick out your hands. Oh, wait, this won’t mess up your arm, will it?”

Yang wiggled her mechanical arm. “It shouldn’t as long as I wash it after I apply the sunscreen.”

When Yang returned to Weiss’s side, the other friend failed to notice as she texted Ruby. Yang poked Weiss’s cheek with her damp and cooled metal hand. Weiss shrieked at the sudden cold metal and slapped Yang’s hand away.

“You are so childish! It’s no surprise where Ruby gets it from!”

“I would have thought you would be used to the cold being from Atlas and all,” Yang teased.

“Shut up,” Weiss’s words had no bite as she began walking down the aisle.

Yang rolled her eyes in endearment and followed suit. 

“The cold never bothered you anyway,” She mumbled to herself.

After several hours of walking through the bazaar, Weiss and Yang took a break at The Happy Huntresses Cafe. Thanks to the bazaar, the cafe and other local businesses were making more money than they would on a typical Saturday. Weiss left Yang at their table to go to the restroom to apply more sunscreen. Yang enjoyed soaking up the sun rays as she sipped her cold beverage.

Since Weiss had driven them to the bazaar in her car, Yang was able to get a few things she couldn't get the previous week. One being a medium sized painting.

The painting had a generic city background with the central figures standing in the rain. It was painted with black, white, and many shades of grey except for the central figures. The central figures were locked in a loving embrace. The dark haired one wore a purple shirt and the light haired one in a yellow shirt. The figures in the painting were abstract enough that anyone who looked at the painting can imagine themselves and their loved one.

While Yang imagined herself and her unknown lover in the painting, the subject of her day dreams had passed by her. She had almost missed her. The cat faunus beauty no longer had her long black locks, but a short bob cut with soft curls. Yang sat up straighter and followed the other woman with her eyes. The cat faunus stopped in front of a candle stand.

Weiss and Yang had purchased a few candles from them earlier. Their schtick was having their candles named around Grimm and Grottos. They had picked a few for Ruby and her friends for their weekly games.

From what Yang could see, the cat faunus bought a lavender scented candle and either a honey or vanilla scented candle. When the other woman began to walk away, Yang grabbed her and Weiss's bags and followed.

The dark-haired woman stopped at another stand in the next aisle over. This stand sold various wood carvings, specializing in animals.

As the other woman perused the different carvings, Yang realized she didn't know the beauty's name. Yang had to come up with a name as a placement holder if she didn't want to keep referring to the beauty as 'that girl' or 'the cat faunus'.

"YANG XIAO LONG!"

Everyone within the vicinity jumped at the shrill of Yang's name. The blonde turned to see a miffed Weiss. If looks could kill, Yang would be dead on the ground.

Yang waved as Weiss made her way towards her.

"Hey… Weiss."

"Don't you, 'Hey, Weiss' me! You ditched me!"

"It was an accident, I swear," Yang defended.

"How do you accidentally ditch me?"

Yang tilted her head back towards the wood carving table. Weiss looked behind the blonde to see the cat faunus.

"Seriously? You ditched me for a girl?" Weiss looked again and sighed. "Okay, I can see the appeal. She's your type. Anyway… Ruby texted me, she's not doing too well."

"What? You mean our foolproof remedy isn't working?"

Weiss glared at Yang. "I have yet to see how warm milk, video games, and motivational posters with a cat is a foolproof remedy."

Yang shrugged. "It was something our parents gave us whenever we got sick. Mom also added honey to our milk and calmed our upset stomachs. Video games were better than staring at the wall."

"And the motivational posters with a cat?"

"That was definitely Dad's idea," Yang chuckled.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Let's head out and get Ruby something she'll enjoy and won't unsettle her stomach."

Week 3

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Sis! This place is amazing!" Ruby exclaimed as she jumped off Bumblebee.

"Ruby! At least wait until I completely stop!" Yang turned off the ignition to her motorcycle. "Also your helmet."

Ruby removed her helmet and tossed it to Yang. The young sibling bounced on the balls of her feet waiting for Yang to finish putting the helmets away.

"Aw, man! I can't believe I missed this last weekend with you and Weiss!"

"Too bad Weiss couldn't come today."

"Pfft. As if you wanted to be a third wheel. Besides, it's been a while since we had sister bonding time!" Ruby jumped onto Yang's back. "Piggy back!"

Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby's legs. "What am I? A horse?"

"Yep! Now giddy up!"

"So, I'm a Yorse?"

"Ugh! Yang, no! Put me down!" Ruby protested as she tried to get off Yang's back.

Yang laughed and held on tighter to her sister's legs. "Nope! Now you're stuck on the Yorse! Beehaw!"

Accepting her fate, Ruby wrapped her arms around Yang's neck. "Isn't it 'yeehaw'?"

"Eh. Normally, yes, but then it wouldn't have been punny so… Beehaw since my bike's name is Bumblebee," Yang explained. "Do you want to browse or eat first?"

"Food! I'm starving!"

Once the two situated themselves, Ruby brought up what was on her mind.

"So, Yang… Weiss said you ditched her last weekend for a girl."

Yang could feel the tips of her ears become warm. "I didn't ditch her. I accidentally moved away from our table with our bags… following a girl."

Ruby smiled as she sipped her coffee. "What's her name?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her," Yang could feel her blush spread to her cheeks. "I've been calling her 'Belle' as a placement holder in my mind."

"Okay, until you learn her actual name we'll also refer to her as Belle. Now tell me more about her," Ruby scooted her chair closer to Yang's.

Throughout their meal, Yang talked about Belle and why she couldn't stop thinking of her. Ruby spent the rest of the time trying to motivate her sister to talk to the other girl.

"How are you a disaster around girls? You have an entire club terrified of you! The owner even calls you 'Sir'!" Ruby threw her hands in the air.

Yang flicked Ruby's forehead. "I didn't exactly focus on dating and girls while in school. I'm not blaming you, but my focus was on you. Now that you're an adult and have Weiss to care for you, I can now start thinking about dating."

Ruby stuck out her tongue and rubbed her forehead. "Now that I'm no longer an excuse, when and how are you going to talk to her?"

"Well I'll have to see her again first. And maybe do my ice breaker 'Hello'."

"You mean the 'Hello' you say in a high pitch and drag on while introducing people to me when I was younger?"

"That's the one."

Ruby smirked. "Okay, now’s your chance. Because I'm pretty sure the girl with kitty ears who walked in fits your description of Belle."

Yang turned as she pretended to look around the cafe and saw Belle in line. She had her nose in a book enjoying what she read. At least that's what Yang assumed when she saw Belle's cat ears flicker. Yang was so enamored she didn't hear Ruby calling her name. Ruby flicked Yang in the back of the head causing the blonde to snap out of her trance.

"Dude, you're staring. Just go talk to her," Ruby encouraged.

"No way. She's reading. I know not to interrupt a cute bookworm while she reads," Yang rubbed the back of her head.

"Chicken," Ruby taunted. "I still find it funny how your class back at Signal voted you as the female heartbreaker."

"That goes to show you how little they knew the real me," Yang said. She turned her body in her seat so she could watch Belle and still pay attention to Ruby.

Belle's cat ears twitched. She lifted her head from her book and looked towards the sisters.

Yang turned more towards Ruby to avoid eye contact. Ruby rolled her eyes over Yang's antics. The younger sister looked over at Belle and gave a friendly wave.

"What are you doing?" Yang panicked.

"Helping you obviously," Ruby whispered back. "Belle is still looking over here. Turn, smile, and wave already."

Yang turned back to see Belle indeed still looking at them. And like the last time, Belle appeared amused.

Belle smiled and waved at Yang.

Yang had barely returned the wave before Belle's attention turned to the cashier.

"Weiss says, 'You're a disaster' by the way," Ruby announced while texting on her scroll.

"What? Are you giving her the play by play or something?"

"Yep! We're invested now," Ruby typed a few more words before putting her scroll away. "Weiss also says, 'go talk to her already.'"

"Nope. I think I embarrassed myself enough for today," Yang countered.

"Belle looked like she didn't seem to mind," Ruby leaned her head on her hand.

They both watched Belle retrieve her drink and sat at a table by the windows. She wasn't too far from where the sisters sat. Belle began to read her book again.

"Now she's reading again. I'm not going to interrupt her."

"What's she reading?" Ruby asked. "Maybe learn what it is and have a conversation starter next time you run into her."

From where Belle sat, Yang couldn't see the cover. The blonde tried to be subtle while leaning in different directions to try and catch a glimpse of the cover. After a near slip of almost falling out of her chair, Belle noticed what Yang tried to do.

Belle smiled and adjusted herself until Yang could see the cover. Which Yang took notes of by taking a picture on her scroll. To be polite, Yang made sure to have Belle’s face blocked by the book, but her cat ears still poked over the pages in the photo.

Yang had to look into the book before next weekend. 

"If you're done making googly eyes at your girlfriend. Can we go shopping now?" Ruby asked.

"Not my girlfriend. Yes, let's go before I make a bigger fool of myself."

"Not your girlfriend yet," Ruby mumbled as she waved to Belle one last time.

Yang also waved to Belle. Yang smiled when Belle returned the wave. Next week she'll talk to her.

Week 4

While Yang didn’t need to get anything at the bazaar this week, she wanted to at least see Belle. So here she sat in the back of The Happy Huntresses Cafe. Waiting to see Belle. Ruby tagged along, but the younger girl was waiting for Weiss. 

Weiss was bringing her mother and siblings to the bazaar this week and they had wanted Ruby to join them. Ruby had been dreading this since her first interaction with Weiss’s older sister, Winter. It was awkward. She didn’t know what to expect from Weiss’s mother and brother.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about. You’ve been dating Weiss for years now,” Yang sipped her caramel iced latte.

“It’s her family. I’m not sure if her older sister even likes me. She was terrifying enough. Now I’ll be meeting her mother and brother,” Ruby laid her head on the table.

“Was her sister terrifying because it’s her older sister or because she’s a military officer?”

“Both!” Ruby pouted. “Weiss looks up to her sister and thinks highly of her. So her sister’s opinion holds a lot of weight.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Rubes. Just be yourself. Weiss is the one dating you. Not her family.”

“Sure tell yourself that when you finally meet Belle’s family,” Ruby countered.

“I’d have to be with her first before that happens. That’s why I’m here waiting to see her and maybe talk to her.” 

“Why maybe? Just do it! Go talk to the girl,” Ruby smirked as she looked towards the entrance. “And now’s your chance. She’s walking in as we speak.”

Yang’s expression perked up and looked. From her spot at the cafe, they couldn’t see her, but she had a full view of the front. Her smile turned to a small frown as she saw Belle wasn’t alone. She couldn’t talk to Belle this week. Unlike the previous times Yang had seen Belle, the other woman had been alone. This week Belle had a friend with her or someone Yang hoped was just a friend.

The two sisters watched as Belle and her friend talked to Coco and Velvet. They couldn’t hear what the group talked about, but Belle laughed and smiled. Seeing that smile caused Yang’s heart to melt. She hoped to be the cause for that smile some day.

Ruby flicked Yang’s forehead to snap her sister from the trance. “Stop being a sap and go talk to her.”

“She’s with a friend. I’m not going to be that person. They came here together and I was not a thought for Belle’s plans today. Because even if Belle and I were together, as it stands, that friend will be at the wedding. I might not be,” Yang argued.

The younger girl rolled her eyes. “Sis, you keep making so many excuses. I understand today might be a no-go. But what’s your excuse going to be next week if she’s by herself? Your excuse last week was because she was reading. I could have kicked rocks for a while if you had wanted to talk to her.”

A notification pinged on Ruby’s scroll. “Weiss and her family are here. I guess I’m going to head out. Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. My mission this week was to see Belle and I have. I’ll probably head home unless you want me to stick around as your ride back.”

“We’ll see. More than likely,” Ruby leaned forward and pecked Yang’s forehead. “Love you Sis.”

“Love you too.”

Instead of sitting at the cafe waiting for Ruby, Yang followed Belle and her friend. Not wanting to interrupt the two, she followed them at a distance. Yang kept telling herself that she was gathering intel. Intel on if Belle’s friend was a friend or something more. 

Belle’s friend was a female human or human passing faunus, Yang wasn’t sure which. The friend had long auburn hair and a lot of freckles on her face and shoulders. Yang found the friend’s hair interesting how it curled at the end. It reminded Yang of a chameleon tail.

There were a few times while Yang followed them, the friend almost caught her. She had to hide when she snickered at Belle’s friend’s unintentional pun while talking about Weiss’s sister.

She watched the two women walk into a cafe and decided not to follow them. Yang already felt like a creep without meaning to from following them all day. Next week if Belle was with a friend, Yang would not follow, but be content with seeing the woman at all.

Yang let out a heavy sigh and looked at the stall she stood in front. Magazine stands with an array of interests and from the different kingdoms. One in particular caught her eye. A weapons magazine from Mistral that Yang thought Ruby might like to read. As far as she knew her sister only read what she could find available in Vale.

“Hey, is it cool if I take a photo of the cover for my sister to see?” Yang asked the stall owner.

“Yeah, no problem. Thanks for asking,” The stall owner replied.

“Of course.”

Yang held up the magazine and took a picture with her scroll. While she waited for Ruby’s response, Yang glanced towards Belle and her friend. She almost jumped when she found Belle’s friend looking at her with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, shit,” Yang mumbled to herself.

Belle had her back to Yang, but saw her friend’s expression. The friend spoke up without looking away from Yang and nodded towards her direction. One of Belle’s ears twitched and she turned to look at Yang. The confusion on her face changed to a smile and she waved at the blonde.

A blush appeared on Yang’s face as she waved back. Before she could think further of her situation, her scroll’s message tone went off. Yang purchased the weapons magazine for Ruby and left the bazaar.

Week 5 

Weiss and Ruby spent the last week roasting Yang. They were not kidding about their investment into Yang’s crush over Belle. While their intentions were good, it raised Yang’s anxiety of talking to the raven-haired beauty. But Ruby was right. She kept making excuses every time they mentioned Belle.

Not this week! This week she will talk to Belle. Even a simple ‘hello’ in passing.

The blonde waited in a more open area of The Happy Huntresses. Belle had not been consistent on a time she showed up at the bazaar or cafe.

Robyn, May, and Coco were the ones running the shop this week. The three of them had a knowing smirk on their faces. They knew why Yang continued to sit at the cafe even though she had finished her drink long ago. 

She had been sitting at the cafe for the last three hours on the lookout for Belle. In those three hours, Yang had tried to play video games on her scroll, but she became bored. Her mind would wander to topics she wouldn’t usually think about.

Before her thoughts could wander far, Robyn set a new bottle of Sunflower Pop in front of her and sat down.

“You good, Goldilocks?” Robyn asked.

Yang rolled her eyes at the nickname. “Peachy.”

Seeing Yang eye the drink, Robyn waved her hand. “It’s on the house. Drink up if you want. Or don’t. So, I hear you and another regular have the hots for each other.”

“Pfft,” Yang choked on her drink. “N-no! I mean, yeah, I do, but I don’t know if she does. It’s not like we’ve talked to each other. How do you know about that anyways?”

Robyn smirked as she raised her eyebrow. “I have eyes and ears around when it comes to my regulars. Also you do know we’re open throughout the week too. We’re not open just during bazaar hours. That’s a perk for the business though.”

“But I’ve only been here on Saturdays during the bazaar hours.”

“True, but others come in during the weekdays. And they don’t mind spilling the tea about you being smitten with a certain kitten.”

Yang groaned and took another swig of her drink. “I’m not smitten. I’m infatuated.”

“Same thing, Goldi,” Robyn chuckled.

“Why do you guys care anyways?”

Robyn shrugged. “We’re romantics. If we could play a part in a budding romance, you know we’ll butt in where appropriate. We’re as invested as our little birds who keep us up to date on the progress.”

Yang groaned again, knowing who Robyn was talking about. Those two were in so much trouble next time Yang saw them.

“Hey, Rob! Your favorite customer is here!” May announced.

Both Yang and Robyn looked to the front to see a blushing Winter Schnee. 

“Was that really necessary, May?” Winter muttered.

May grinned. “Of course Miss Badass Ice Queen. Big Boss’s rule: If you come in here, no frostiness from work. You’re off the clock.”

“I’m never off the clock,” Winter argued.

Robyn shook her head as she chuckled. “Looks like I got to go save my girl. Not that she needs it, but she’ll argue all day if we let her. You’re not off the hook with me, Goldi. We’ll continue this talk later. If the Bravo team spots her, I’ll let you know.”

It had been a month since Yang had met Belle. She couldn’t believe how many people cared about her love life. Did this place - this bazaar, have nothing better to do? Were they not busy enough? Either way this bazaar experience was becoming bizarre. Yang laughed at her own punny joke. It was as bad as Belle’s friend’s pun about Winter last week.

Yang stayed at the cafe another hour staring out the window. While being on the lookout for Belle, she enjoyed people watching. Some of the couples who passed by were amusing to watch.

One tall couple appeared wholesome. The blond male came off as the loveable dork best friend. The woman had long red hair and was a few inches shorter than the man. The red-head looked familiar to Yang, but she couldn’t figure out where. The man carried all the bags for the two of them even though he looked to be struggling from the weight. As much as the woman tried to help him, he refused to let her carry any of the bags.

The next couple were opposites who balance each other kind of couple. The tall male had long dark hair with a streak of magenta on the left. And had a stoic aura about him. The female had orange hair and a half a foot shorter than the man. She had a happy-go-lucky and hyper personality. The woman carried a large Ursa Grimm stuffed animal that had to be as tall as her with ease. 

The Valeon military had set up several carnival games as part of their promotion to get recruits. They had a high striker, the strength test game with the hammer to ring the bell. They also had a shooting gallery with cork stoppers. There were even physical fitness challenges. All their games were military related and they gave away the Grimm stuffed animals. The Ursa Grimm were given away at the high striker. Yang wondered if the girl won the prize. She wanted to believe it was the girl.

“Hey, Goldi! Kitten is at the bazaar. Shoot your shot, girl!” Robyn hollered.

“Darling, leave the girl alone,” Winter chastised from her spot at the cafe bar.

“I’m helping.”

“You’re a migraine.”

“And you’re stuck with me.”

“I don’t see a ring on my finger.”

“I can fix that if you want.”

Everyone in the cafe watched the banter between the two and remained silent. Robyn and Winter’s eyes were wide as they stared at each other. May and Coco continued taking orders to keep people going about their business. Their boss needed a while to realize what transpired. Yang took this opportunity to sneak out of the cafe to go find Belle.

Once Yang made it outside of the cafe she realized she did not know how to find Belle. Since Robyn told her Belle was here, the cafe’s stand might have seen her. 

Today was warmer than it had been in previous weeks because of humidity. The air felt disgusting from the dampness and clothes sticking to bodies. While the aftermath would not be pleasant, rain and clean air would be welcomed. Unfortunately, not a chance of rain in the forecast.

“Hello, Yang!” Velvet greeted as the blonde approached the stand. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Uh… no. I’m good,” Yang looked around the general area and did not see Belle anywhere.

“Are you sure?” Velvet double-checked.

“She went towards the food stands,” Fiona offered with a knowing smile.

“Thanks,” Yang took off from the cafe’s stand.

“But Yang she’s… and there she goes,” Fiona muttered in defeat.

“Oh! Was Yang looking for Blake?” Velvet asked. “Isn’t she with her parents?”

Fiona nodded. “Yep! Poor girl is going to be terrified when she sees Blake’s father.”

Yang bounced on her feet due to her impatience. With the bazaar in full swing, there were elbow to elbow crowds. While Yang could barrel her way through, it would be rude. Yang’s anxiety rose at the thought of finally talking to Belle and learning her actual name.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. Move with a purpose people,” Yang whispered under her breath.

Her eyes scanned the crowd for a pair of black cat ears and a short black bob cut. Seeing a small open space, Yang beelined it for breathing space, away from the crowd. She glanced around and saw the back of Belle’s head near her uncles's squid stand.

“Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry,” Yang apologized as she pushed people to the side, making her way to Belle. “Uh, hey! Finally I got a chance to talk to you. I’m Yang. Sorry for this coming off as a little rude. I didn’t know how to introduce mysel-”

Yang felt her stomach drop when the dark-haired cat faunus turned towards her. Not Belle. Warning bells and sirens were blaring inside Yang’s head. She needed to abort now, but she froze in place from embarrassment.

The woman in front of her shared a resemblance to Belle. An older version of Belle, but with longer cat ears with piercings. She gave Yang a kind, warm smile.

“Well hello to you too. I'm going to guess by your expression, I’m not the person you’re looking for.”

Unable to speak, Yang nodded.

“I’m Kali. A pleasure to meet you. Yang, was it?” Kali greeted.

Yang nodded and shook the woman’s hand.

“Is everything alright?” A deeper grumbling voice asked from behind Yang.

“Oh, everything is fine, dear. This is Yang,” Kali beamed. “Yang, this is my husband, Ghira.”

Yang turned around and met an expansive plain of a purple tropical shirt. It made Yang think of Menagerie. The man towered over her. He had to at least be an entire foot taller.

“Uh, hi,” Yang squeaked. 

Trying to look anywhere, but the man in front of her, Yang looked down. What she saw caused her to look at the man, back down, and at him again. 

“May I ask a question in regards to your boots?” Yang asked.

Ghira raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips. “You may.”

“Are those designed to look like white paw tips?”

“They are,” Ghira answered. His voice carried a tremble of caution on her next words.

Yang nodded. “Cool. Cool. That’s cool. Uh, by chance do you have some sort of bean toes embossed on the soles of your boots?”

Ghira bellowed with laughter. “They sure are!” He lifted his boot to show the sole to Yang.

“Oh, pink. Did not expect that. That’s good… great even!” Yang corrected. 

She could feel a word vomit arise. She needed to get out of this situation. Yang had not planned on meeting Belle’s parents before getting to know her.

“I wanted something to represent my faunus heritage since I can pass as a human,” Ghira explained.

“It is alright for me to ask what kind of faunus you are? Like what animal? Brothers! I’m going to shut up now. I’m probably being really rude right now. Sorry,” Yang apologized.

Kali patted Yang’s shoulder. “You’re doing fine, sweetie.”

Ghira’s smile softened at Yang’s attempt to be polite with her questions. “I’m a panther.”

Yang’s brows furrowed at the answer. “Jaguar or leopard?”

The two feline faunus were surprised at Yang’s question. Ghira recovered first and beamed.

“I’m impressed. Few faunus, let alone humans know that detail. I'm a leopard black panther.”

“Cool. Cool. That’s cool,” Yang’s hands drummed against her thighs. “Well… This has been a nice conversation. Kali. Ghira. It was nice meeting you. I’m… I’m just gonna go.”

Yang booked it away from the couple. Her trek back to the Happy Huntresses’s booth with haste. She thanked the brothers for having most of the crowd elsewhere. Before Velvet or Fiona could question the blonde, Yang got behind the booth and crouched down. Her head laid on top of her knees and she wrapped her arms around her legs.

Fiona knelt down to Yang’s level and rubbed her back. “You okay?”

“I’m waiting for a hole to open beneath me while I wallow in self-pity,” Yang mumbled into her knees.

“Were you not able to find Blake?”

Yang lifted her head. “Blake?”

Fiona nodded. “Yeah, the black cat faunus who is also a regular at the cafe. She’s the one Robyn asked Velvet and I to be on the lookout for today. We were to text her the moment we saw Blake.”

“Insufferable cocksure,” Yang shook her head.

“Yeah, that’s Robyn,” Fiona giggled. “But one could argue you’re one too.”

Yang fell onto her back. “Ouch! Call me an ambulance for the burn I just received.”

“Drama queen,” Fiona rolled her eyes as she stood.

The blonde stuck out her tongue. She continued lying on the ground looking at the tent cover. Her main mission failed, but she learned the name of the woman who consumed her thoughts.

Blake.

Belle’s real name was Blake.

Week 6

"It's a beautiful day for me to spend time with my two favorite daughters!" Taiyang exclaimed. He tossed his arms around his daughter's shoulders.

"Ugh, Dad!" Both girls protested.

"We're your only two daughters," Ruby added.

"Uh... that we know of, Rubes. Any other half-siblings we don't know about?" Yang questioned.

"No, no. Just you two. After you were born Ruby I got snipped."

"EW DAD!" Ruby exclaimed. "T.M.I.! T.M.I.!"

Taiyang ruffled their hair. Yang slapped his hand away. The blond man smiled.

"It's been so long since I've attended a bazaar. I think the last time I was at one was when it was in Mistral. You two and your mothers had already moved back to Vale," Taiyang reminisced.

"Yeah, well, maybe you can spend the time teaching Yang how to turn on the Xiao Long charm. You had to have done something right with our mothers for them to have us. Yang has been crushing on this girl we have been seeing at the bazaar for the past several weeks. She has still yet to talk to her. She only learned her name last week."

"Ruby, you traitor! You promised you wouldn't tell either parent," Yang gasped.

Taiyang's eyebrows raised. "Oh, Yang has a crush on someone. That's new. So, what is this girl's name? What does she look like?"

Yang covered her face with her hand, unable to deal with the spotlight on her. "Blake. Her name is Blake."

"Yeah, she's a cat faunus with cute kitty ears," Ruby added. She ducked out of the way when Yang attempted to hit the back of her head.

"Brat," Yang muttered. "Anyways, do we want to eat before we take Dad on the tour? Or go up and down a few aisles before food?"

"Duh! Food!" Ruby announced. "Let's go to Uncle Clover and Uncle Qrow's stand again. I'm craving fish cakes!"

"I think it's just Uncle Clover this week. Uncle Qrow came down with hay fever the other day," Yang said as she and Taiyang followed.

"There is no way Uncle Clover would be able to run the stand by himself. Especially since he's been here since Day One of the bazaar. He has to have plenty of people ordering food from his stand by now."

Being the tallest of the three, Taiyang looked and saw a couple of familiar faces besides Clover's.

"It looks like it's going to be a mini-family reunion from the looks of it. Summer! Raven!"

Ruby and Yang looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know either of their moms were going to be at the bazaar. Both had a feeling they would see their mom, Summer, at least once at some point. But their Ma, Raven, tended to avoid crowds. She was a 'love humanity, hate people' kind of person.

Summer was a Lieutenant for one of the divisions in the Vale Police Department. But as a higher ranking officer in the department, Summer didn’t work out on the field for events. Her patrol officers maintained the order at the bazaar.

As the father-daughter trio approached Ebi-B Fried Seafood, they saw two women who were no doubt related to Ruby and Yang.

Yang was the spitting image of Raven, but with blonde hair and purple eyes while Raven had black hair and red eyes. 

Summer and Ruby might as well have been twins separated by a generation. 

A younger Ruby used to have her hair in a stylized bob. Now she wore her hair spikier and chopier with her bangs swept to the right of her face. 

Meanwhile Summer had shoulder length hair currently tied back in a half-up, half-down style. If on duty, Summer’s hair would be in a small neat bun with her bangs out of her face.

"Mom. Ma. What are you two doing here?" Ruby asked.

Summer turned and smiled seeing her two daughters with their father. She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Dropping this one off to help her brother-in-law with his food stand."

Raven sent a half-hearted glare towards her wife. "I'm only helping because I happen to like my brother-in-law. I still think he could have done better than my actual brother."

Clover laughed. "Too late now. I put a ring on his finger so you're stuck with me like he is."

"Again, you, I don't mind being stuck with. I was stuck with Qrow from the beginning. You are a blessing to keep him out of my hair. You, I want to keep," Raven explained.

Everyone besides Raven rolled their eyes.

"So... Ma. We didn't know you were going to be here," Yang said.

"You would have if you called once and a while," Raven snipped.

"Babe," Summer said with a warning tone.

Yang took a deep breath before responding. "No, Ma, is right. I should call more often. I've been busy."

"Busy chasing a girl who's name you didn't know until last week to call your mothers?" Raven countered.

The younger blonde whipped her head towards her sister. "Seriously? You told all the parents?"

Ruby pushed her index fingers togethers."Not just the parents."

"Seriously? The whole family knows?" Yang moaned.

"Our family and most likely the entire Schnee family too. But not because of Weiss," Ruby defended her girlfriend. "It would have been through Robyn since she is dating Winter. Or I guess they're engaged now. That is not very clear at the moment."

"Why don't we tell the whole bazaar while we're at it?"

"At the rate you're going kiddo, they probably will before you and that girl even talk," Raven chuckled. 

"Here work and talk. Clover and I have many mouths to feed."

"Raven, we can't put them to work. They're not on the permit," Clover objected.

"Seriously? Then why am I working? I'm no- oh, you sonofa- Clover! Did you seriously put me on the permit when you registered?" Raven raised her voice. "Is Qrow even actually sick or is he ditching?"

"No, he's actually sick. I put your name down as a precaution," Clover held his hands up in defense.

"Why didn't you register any of your staff from your restaurant? They could have helped you out. You're doing what The Happy Huntresses Cafe is doing. Having a stand at the bazaar as a form of advertisement for your business."

While her wife went off on a dramatic tirade, Summer held out a small wad of cash and placed it in front of Clover. Clover nodded as Summer picked the already made food and handed them to the rest of the family. Summer gestured for her daughters and their father to walk away from the food stand. Raven continued to give Clover an earful while they worked.

"Still as spunky as ever I see," Taiyang observed.

"There is never a dull moment with her, that's for sure," Summer replied.

Ruby and Yang stayed quiet as they ate their food. Ruby would look over to her sister once and a while, worried. Yang continued to look straight ahead at her parents.

"I'm sorry I told the parents and the uncles," Ruby apologized softly.

Yang sighed. "I'm not mad, Ruby. They were going to learn at some point. It definitely wasn't going to be from me."

"Okay, but seriously Yang. When are you going to talk to Blake? It's been over a month now."

"I'm working on it. Maybe we should track her down and have her meet our crazy family. I met her parents last week. Again, totally an accident," Yang grimaced at the memory.

"I still can't believe mistook her mother for her," Ruby giggled.

"We don't have much room to talk. Especially you. If your hair wasn't so crazy, people would mistake you for Mom from behind too."

"What about me?" Summer asked as she looked back at her daughters.

"Not really about you, Mom. Merely comparing how I mistook Blake's mother for her last week and how similar they looked. Like you and Ruby," Yang explained.

"In short, Yang continues to be a disaster trying to talk to a girl she likes," Ruby added.

Taiyang and Summer chuckled.

"No doubt she's Raven's daughter," Taiyang replied.

"Is there anything I inherited from you? Besides hair and eyes." Yang bellowed.

"My sense of humor. Dad jokes for days."

The group split into two. Summer with Yang and Ruby with Taiyang. 

Summer and Yang walked in silence through a couple of aisles. Yang made it clear she didn't want to talk. Summer was patient and used to wait for daughter to speak when ready. Part of Summer's job was interviewing and interacting with juveniles who crossed paths with law enforcement.

As they were browsing through a stand of ceramics, Yang began talking. "How did you know Ma was the one for you? I'm surprised you two married and then had Ruby and I."

The older redhead smiled as she lifted a small pot. "It wasn't a fairy tale, that's for sure. Ma thought I hated her at first."

"Did you?"

"No, I didn't hate her. Wary, yes. But not hate. We met during college. I was at Beacon U and while she and your uncle were at Vale Trade School. Actually from what Ruby has described, your situation isn't too far off from how Raven and I got together."

Yang clicked her tongue. "I still can't believe she told you guys. I would have told you eventually."

"Yes, that was wrong of your sister for doing that. You've always been so independent growing up. It was hard to keep up with you sometimes. We're not asking you to call us every week, but try every other week. You and Ruby might not live with us anymore, but we still worry for you two." Summer lowered the pot and stroked Yang's cheek.

The blonde crossed her arms. "That sounds reasonable. So, what exactly happened with you and Ma?"

"In her poor attempt to try and flirt, she pissed me off by insulting a shirt I was trying on."

"What was so bad about the shirt?"

"Her words were, 'That doesn't suit you very well, you should try a different color’. To be fair, she was right in the end. Still pissed me off, those were the first real words she said to me though." Summer smiled as she shook her head at the memory.

"From the stories you've told Ruby and I, you knew Ma for quite a while before your first date."

"We knew of each other. I was friends with Qrow and didn't interact with Raven until that moment. Her pride and stubbornness didn't help her for the longest time. But thanks to Tai and Qrow, the four of us started hanging out more often and we eventually got to know each other. The rest is history," Summer explained.

"I say this endearingly, but Ma was an idiot for saying that to you. I'm trying to at least say, 'Hello' to Blake," Yang smiled at the thought of the other girl.

"Raven is known for being candid. While that mouth of hers has gotten her into trouble, I wouldn't change that about her. She could be more tact about what she says, but she always said what she meant. Made it easier to know where she stood on things. That's something you inherited from her."

Yang choked on air. "I refuse to believe that."

"And her stubbornness. Sweetie, you changed your last name from 'Branwen' to 'Xiao Long' to spite her after an argument."

"In my defense, I made Branwen my middle name. I'm not completely heartless to remove the Branwen name," Yang argued.

"You have her flair for being dramatic too," Summer added.

"You didn't answer my question: How did you know Ma was the one for you?" Yang reiterated.

Summer smiled. "While her candidness got her in trouble, it's also what made me fall in love with her. Everyone thought I was perfect and could do no wrong. A super woman if you will. Raven didn't. She saw I had flaws like everybody else and would call it out. She challenged me to be better than where I was and to be myself. It certainly shocked people when we started dating. By that point I stopped caring what others thought of me."

Yang hummed in acknowledgement over her mother's answer. "Hey, why don't we head over to the Happy Huntresses Cafe booth?"

"Oh, okay. Why not head over to the cafe itself?" Summer questioned.

"We're closer to the booth and I'll be able to get the answer I'm looking for. Just watch."

The blonde led her mother over to the booth where they saw Velvet and Coco.

"Hey, if it isn't spitfire and... older Ruby?" Coco lowered her sunglasses.

"This is mine and Ruby's mom, Summer. Mom, Coco and Velvet. Okay, Coco, let me have it. Is Blake here?"

Coco looked over to Velvet. After a few seconds of waiting Velvet looked up from her scroll and gave the thumbs up.

"Yep, she's at the cafe with her friend," Coco replied. "Finally gonna talk to the girl?"

Yang looked back at Summer and smirked. "Yep! Can't have my parents tease me about this any further. No way could I do worse than my other mom."

"Good luck, Yang!" Velvet cheered.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Yang sped walked to the cafe. It had to have been the determination on her face that caused people to get out of her way. She didn’t hear Summer apologizing for Yang barging through.

When they got to the cafe, Yang paused and took a deep breath. Summer squeezed her shoulder in support before opening the door.

Blake was not at the cafe. Taiyang and Ruby were though. They were in the back corner playing some sort of card game.

"Hey, Yang..." Fiona greeted. "You just missed her. We'll have Coco and Velvet keep a look out for her if you want."

Yang let out a sigh in defeat. "The universe couldn't have made it easy for me this week, huh?"

Summer rubbed Yang's back. "Don't worry too much over it, Sweetie. It'll be worth it once it finally happens."

"I hope so."

Week 7

Today's the day. Today Yang would talk to Blake.

The moment Yang walked into the Happy Huntresses she received her order and sat by the windows. She was not going to miss Blake this week. The baristas were coordinating with each other to ensure the two regulars would talk this week.

The stands were beginning to open for the day. Yang had arrived early for parking and to get a good spot at the Happy Huntresses. She felt her leg shake in anticipation.

By her third order of coffee, Robyn had cut off Yang from ordering anything with caffeine. The Big Boss of the cafe stated she had enough anxiety to hype her up. It also didn’t help that Yang requested a shot of vodka to her last order as a joke.

Ruby had texted her earlier for a status update on the situation. Yang sent a clock emoji signifying she was still waiting. She thought of visitings her uncles to kill time, but she didn’t want to miss Blake again.

Third time if Yang counted not seeing her two weeks ago. She had met Blake's parents and learned her name, but didn't see the girl that week.

Yang watched as a blue haired Valeon police officer walked into the cafe. She recognized him as one of her Mom's junior officers, Neptune. He had tried flirting with her when they first met, Yang found him tacky and a try hard. But still a good guy.

As she looked out the window, Yang spotted Blake walking towards the cafe. Yang jumped from her seat, knocking her knee into the table, and limped her way out the cafe. Before she could greet the other woman, a blond monkey faunus police officer glomped Blake from behind.

The two talked with a familiarity to each other. Yang recognized that police officer as being another one of her Mom's junior officers, Sun. She knew Sun and Neptune partnered up for the majority of their shifts. The dorkiest pair Yang had ever seen, but effective, they balanced each other out.

Sun had dragged Blake into the other aisle of the stalls. Yang stayed back to watch where they went and to wait for Sun to leave Blake alone. She felt uneasy with how stalkerish it came off to her. Yang wasn't a stalker! She followed Blake because the cat faunus allured her.

It wasn't long before Sun left Blake at a tropical shirt stall. Yang watched Blake browse through the selections.

There were quite a variety that Yang and her father would wear if given the chance. None of them appeared to be Blake's style though.

Blake held up a white button down with red and blue triangle patterns. Yang bit her tongue to keep from snorting. That shirt and Blake were not a match.

The second shirt Blake looked at was blue with pale blue hibiscus flowers and golden koi. Another nice shirt that didn’t fit Blake’s style, Yang thought.

The third shirt should not exist. While the colors were eye-catching, they clashed with each other. A bright neon pink shirt that had late night beach party vibes. The pattern had neon purple and blue Grimm scattered around it.

"That doesn't suit you very well, you should pick another color."

Blake let out a frustrated sigh before dryly replying, "Right..."

Yang cocked her head to the side in confusion. Did Blake talk to her? She gasped realizing she had spoken her thoughts aloud. Blake had heard her.

She watched as Blake turned in annoyance. The cat faunus's expression changed when she noticed Yang.

The blonde could hear alarm bells and danger warnings sound off in her thoughts. Yang needed to get away from here. Yang bolted. In her haste, she knocked into the corner of one of the stalls. Yang apologized and kept limping away.

She was an idiot.

Present

Yang let out a frustrated groan as she punched the air. She was an idiot. The blonde rolled off the couch and landed on the floor with a thump. Her self-punishment for being an idiot. She reached for her scroll on the coffee table and went through her contacts. Yang scrolled until she found who she was looking for. 

She brought the scroll up to her ear after she pressed call and waited as she rang. There was only one person she could talk to about her predicament. Yang hoped she would receive some insightful advice, judgement free.

“Yang?” Answered the voice on the other end. “This is a surprise.”

“Ma, I’m an idiot and you’re the only one who has been through what I’ve been through. I need advice. I need your advice.”

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Yang heard Raven take a deep breath. 

“Okay. Start from the beginning. What happened?”

Chapter Text

Rumble. A flash of white. Crackling of lightning.

Blake stared out the window towards the bazaar. Low attendance this week because of the warning of an incoming storm. Even with the clouds dark and gloomy, the subject of Blake’s search would still be easy to spot. But, Blake had a feeling she would not see her this week. Or ever again after the disaster.

Two Months Earlier - Week 1

Two hours into the first day of the bazaar, the crowd were knocking elbows and all free parking lots were full. Blake was glad she decided to take the bus into town. Earlier in the month Blake had seen posters for the popup bazaar leading up to the Vytal Festival.

Blake had attended the Vytal Festival and its bazaar one other time that she could remember. As a young girl, her parents had taken her on one of her father’s business trips to Mistral. After her father’s meeting concluded, the Belladonnas spent the rest of the trip at the festival. Her father carried her on his shoulders the entire time. This prevented her from getting lost in the crowd and to help ease the sensory overload. Now as a young adult she didn’t find it as daunting.

Starting at the first aisle of the bazaar, Blake made her way down as she eyed all the various goods offered. So far all she saw were paintings, magazines, shirts, records, and jeans. Nothing she needed or cared to look at closer.

A waft of fried squid carried itself across her nose. If she didn’t run late this morning on catching the bus, Blake would have remembered to eat breakfast. Her stomach growled in hunger.

“Alright, alright. I hear you.” Blake muttered to her stomach.

Blake walked over to the stand that was cooking the fried squid. The banner of the stand read ‘Ebi-B Fried Seafood’. She watched as the men cooked or skewered the squid.

The cook had short brown hair and teal eyes with broad shoulders. The other man had greying black spiky hair and a stubble along his jawline. The two were quite opposite of each other.

“Lunch deal of three for five lien,” The cook announced as he flipped the squid over. “How about it, ma’am?”

“Sounds great. I’ll even take a bottle of green tea please,” Blake replied.

“Coming right up! Babe, could you get the lady three fried squid and green tea,” The cook hollered to his co-worker.

“Yeah, yeah,” The man with a slight stubble stood and prepared Blake’s order. “Here you go, enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Thanks.”

Blake stayed by the food stand to continue watching the cook fry the squid. By the time she finished eating, a crowd had gathered in front of the food stand. Not wanting to take up any further space, Blake continued down the lane of food stands.

There were some confections, sliders, tacos, and salads. Quite a variety to choose from. Blake hoped most of them would show up each week for her to try their food. Once she passed the food stands, she continued pursuing down the remaining aisles. Quick glaces here and there as nothing caught her attention.

It wasn’t until she reached the last stall of the aisle did Blake come to a stop. The stall sold loose leaf tea. Her current stash was running low and she enjoyed supporting small businesses. Blake will swear their teas tasted better because of the personal touch and care for their tea. She could taste the love with each sip. While others found Blake’s line of thought delusional, she didn’t care. The small thought brought her joy and comfort as she drank the tea.

“We have some samples over here for you to smell if you’re unsure if it’s to your liking.” The stall owner gestured to four bags that were off to the side of Blake. “Do you have a preference? These are our regular black, green, white, and oolong blends. We also have other varieties as well.”

“Oh, I prefer black and oolong. But I do enjoy all kinds of tea. It all depends on my mood,” Blake answered as she took one of the black teas to smell.

One sniff and her cat ears twitched in excitement. Blake continued to sniff the various teas. At the corner of her eye the mane of golden hair approached the stand.

Finding the teas that caught her interest, Blake bought some for herself and her parents. She thanked the stall owner and began to walk away when she felt she was being watched. She turned and saw the woman watching her.

The other woman jumped when she noticed Blake looking back at her. Trying to feign that she wasn’t staring, she looked away immediately.

Blake giggled at the other woman’s reaction and waited to see if she would look back at her. She watched as the blonde turned back to look with amusement. The woman had a mane of golden hair that could rival some of the lioness faunus Blake knew. Yet this woman looked like she would bolt any second like a scared kitten depending on the woman’s reaction. She couldn’t help but smile at the other woman as she felt one of her cat ears flicker.

Wanting to spare the woman from the embarrassment caught staring, Blake continued walking. She felt her stomach bubble in glee as she thought of the many sweet romances she had read. Maybe she could have her own mini modern fairytale if she continued to run into this woman. She couldn’t wait to see the woman with the golden mane next weekend. Blake had a feeling the other woman would show up.

Week 2

Blake ran her hand through her short hair for the umpteenth time since yesterday. Due to the rising temperatures of summer, Blake thought of having her hair cut into a bob. This would give her hair time to grow out for the winter months. It had been so long since she wore her hair this short it felt weird.

The first time she saw her reflection in the mirror, Blake looked like her mother. The resemblance was uncanny. Except she didn’t have piercings in her cat ears. Her mother had more prominent and wavier hair.

After running her hand through one more time, Blake did a quick scan of the bazaar for the blonde. When Blake didn’t see her, she walked down an aisle. While most stalls remained the same, a number had switched vendors. With the bazaar lasting six months it made sense to Blake some couldn’t show up every week. The stalls that remained the same appeared to be local as they were from the Kingdom of Vale.

As she finished the second aisle, Blake saw the blonde. Before she said anything, she saw another woman conversing with her. The other woman had long white hair tied into an off-center ponytail and shorter than the blonde. Based on their interactions they were familiar enough with each other. Familiar enough that Blake couldn’t tell if they were friends or more.

Blake had a small frown on her face as she watched the two women. She’ll admit it to herself, Blake felt jealous. Blake watched the pair for a while longer before walking the opposite direction. She didn’t know the blonde to approach and say ‘hello’. If they bump into each other by chance while browsing, they could talk. At least exchange pleasantries or not. Blake wouldn’t know if the other woman would recognize her with the short hair.

Lost in her thoughts, Blake walked through the bazaar with no destination in mind. She didn’t track which stalls were new or not. Blake came to a complete stop and shook her head. She had to be overthinking the situation between the two women.

“Why so gloomy, kitty?”

“What?” Blake turned to the stall owner.

The stall owner was a human female with fair skin and short wavy dark brown hair, part of her hair was dyed from her natural dark brown to a caramel. The human smirked. This woman could have walked off from a fashion runway. The woman tilted her sunglasses down to get a better look at Blake.

“I said, ‘why so gloomy, kitty’?”

Blake felt her cheeks become warm in irritation and her cat ears pointed upward. Before she could retort, a rabbit faunus smacked a folded magazine on the other woman’s head.

“Coco, don’t be rude to a potential customer.”

Coco blushed and turned her attention back to Blake. “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” Blake looked up at the stall’s banner. “Happy Huntresses?”

The rabbit faunus smiled. “Yep! That’s where Coco and I work. We have weekly rotations during the festival, so we won’t be here next week. Oh, I’m Velvet by the way.”

“Blake.”

The two faunus shook hands.

Velvet gestured towards the other woman. “And of course you’ve met Coco.”

“Yo!”

“So… Happy Huntresses… What are you? What are you selling?” Blake asked. It looked like simple store merchandise.

“It’s a cafe and bakery here along the city center, on the other side of the bazaar,” Velvet pointed behind her. “During the festival we have our merchandise out here so there is more room for sitting. And we help direct people to the cafe.”

Coco handed Blake a postcard. One side of the postcard had the cafe’s logo and name along with ‘Vytal Festival’ and the year. The other side had a simple mini map of their current location to the cafe’s location.

“We have a rotation of baked goods, but we always have macrons.” Coco held up a small package of three macrons of three different shades of pink. “We got the berry package here. There's a coffee and chocolate combo. We’re basically the dark side since we have cookies.”

Velvet rolled her eyes as Blake chuckled. "What Coco means is, would you like to buy some macarons? We have quite the selection of flavors."

After much discussion over macarons, Blake left the Happy Huntresses stall with several packages. She meandered between stalls until she saw The Happy Huntresses Cafe. As Blake looked at the crowd size, she realized she would need to visit the cafe early in the day. 

A smile crossed Blake’s face as she spotted the blonde woman sitting at one of the outside tables. Blake didn’t see the white haired woman anywhere, but there were two glasses of drinks at the table.

The blonde had a thousand mile stare across her face. Very deep in thought as she tapped the knuckles of her right hand on her forehead. Blake didn’t want to disturb whatever occupied the other woman’s mind. Instead of approaching and greeting her, she stopped in front of the stall in the blonde’s line of sight.

On a rainy day, Blake loved curling up on her couch with a book, music, tea, and her favorite scented candle. She grabbed a honey scented candle and sniffed. The sweet scent with a hint of nectar was subtle enough to not be sickening when lit. Blake hoped this stall would be here on other weekends so she could buy more from them later. Just in case, she picked up a business card.

Blake left the candle stall and noticed the blonde move. She smiled to herself having succeeded in catching the other woman’s attention. Blake’s cat ears twitched when she heard the other woman scramble getting out of her seat and grabbing her bags.

Not wanting the blonde to stray too far from the cafe, Blake stopped in front of an animal wood carving stall. She had done this in case the white haired woman was still around the area. It wouldn’t be fair for the blonde to ditch her friend.

“YANG XIAO LONG!”

Blake jumped at the shrilling voice. She snuck a glance towards the blonde and saw her friend looking miffed. While her cat ears twitched and tried to pick up what they were saying, she couldn’t hear them. To Blake the interactions between the two had no romantic connotations.

She learned the blonde’s name. Yang. Yang Xiao Long.

Week 3

First things first this week, Blake headed to the Happy Huntresses to enjoy a cup of tea as she read. After she left Yang with her friend the previous week, Blake went back to the Happy Huntresses stall. As she talked to Velvet and Coco, she received the insider scoop on the best times to go to the cafe.

Blake normally took the bus into town, but today she drove to arrive early enough to find parking. As she crossed the parking lot, she noticed a bright yellow motorcycle. It stuck out between all the other dark colored motorcycles. Blake smiled and wondered if Yang rode a motorcycle.

Blake walked into the cafe amazed at the big interior. On the outside it looked like a small hole in the wall cafe. The cafe had yet to move the tables by the window outside. Blake noticed last week the cafe had them outside to make room for the crowd in the entryway.

The smell of coffee and baked goods filled the air as lo-fi cover songs played in the background. Along the counter with the register ran a bar top that wrapped around the room. On the opposite wall were a row of five or six two-person tables. The cafe filled with the sounds of music, customer chatter, and equipment running. Because of the cacophony Blake couldn’t hear the floor-to-ceiling waterfall at the end of the bar top.

The cat faunus looked up at the menu boards to see a variety of coffee selections and only tea listed. Blake blinked in surprise when she saw the board change. The boards now listed the tea blends and changes to the baked goods.

Having now chosen her beverage, Blake pulled out her book and read as she waited her turn in line. She had gotten to an interesting part while on the bus and couldn’t wait to read what happened next. Blake felt her cat ears flicker in excitement. Blake took a half step forward when the line moved.

Her ears twitched in a way that pulled her out of the story. Blake stared at the page pretending to read as she concentrated on the other customers. While she couldn’t hear the exact words, Blake understood why her ears twitched. She heard Yang’s voice.

Blake looked up and turned towards the direction of the voice. She saw Yang turn towards her friend and avoid eye contact with her. Yang’s friend rolled her eyes and smiled at Blake as she waved.

The friend looked a little younger than Yang. She had short messy black hair with a tint of red. Blake could see a resemblance to Yang in the other girl’s features. A sister or cousin?

As Blake returned the wave, she saw Yang’s back hunch and the blonde whisper to her friend. Whatever they were talking about, Blake guessed it had to be of her. The friend kept looking at her and smiling. Blake couldn’t help but smile when Yang turned to look at her. It didn’t look like the two would talk this week either. At least now they could acknowledge each other in passing.

“Next customer, please,” The cashier announced.

Blake caught Yang waving back at her as she turned her attention back to the front. A white curly haired lamb faunus smiled at her. Blake was thankful it wasn’t a customer service smile. She hadn’t meant to hold up the line.

“Yes, I would like a twenty-four ounce hot jasmine tea, please,” Blake ordered.

“One twenty-four ounce hot jasmine tea,” The cashier repeated as she inputted the order. “Would you like anything else with your order, ma’am?”

Blake looked at the display case of the baked goods and couldn’t decide. “I’m not sure. What would you recommend?”

The lamb faunus’s smile widened. “Normally I would recommend our triple chocolate cake, but it pairs better with our black teas or coffee. With jasmine I would recommend either the egg tart or any of our white cakes. I wouldn’t go for anything too sweet. Oh, and there are also our savory baked goods too.”

With the selections narrowed, Blake had an easier time picking. “I’ll take an egg tart and an almond croissant, please.”

“Sure thing,” The lamb faunus read off Blake's order once more to confirm.

After paying for her order, Blake stepped off to the side near the bar top. She watched as the other cafe employees worked on the various orders. There were only three behind the counter, including the lamb faunus. One with blue hair was taking care of the food orders. The taller one with green hair made the drinks. The two moved around one another like a well oiled machine. Blake wondered if these three were the other founders of the Happy Huntresses. Velvet had mentioned them to her last week.

Blake thanked the two baristas when they handed over her order. She glanced at their name tags and read their names. ‘May’ and ‘Joanna’. Blake sat at the table closest to the window with her back to the wall. From here she could watch Yang at the corner of her eye while she read. Yang and her friend were two tables over.

Like earlier, Blake’s cat ears twitched as the other two talked, but she couldn’t make out the words. Not that she wanted to because that would be rude. At the corner of her eye she saw Yang leaning her body in different directions. Blake realized Yang’s intention when she almost fell out of her seat from leaning. Yang tried to see the cover of her book. 

Blake smiled at the antics. She adjusted her seat so she could help Yang see the cover of the book. Blake held the book high enough to hide her face as she felt her cheeks and human ears grow warm. Her cat ear twitched when she heard a fake camera shutter sound. She lowered her book in time to see Yang put her scroll away.

Yang and her friend talked some more before getting up to leave. The friend gave Blake another smile and wave. Yang also waved goodbye to Blake. Blake returned the wave, causing Yang to smile.

Blake smiled as she sipped her tea. Today they made a little progress, but progress nonetheless. Next week they will talk.

Week 4

Blake and Yang would not talk today. Earlier in the week one of Blake’s childhood friends arrived in town for work and Blake mentioned the bazaar in passing.

Ilia Amitola was a sergeant in the Menagerien military. She was in Vale under temporary assigned duty for the next couple of months. Ilia never attended a Vytal Festival. When Ilia lived in Solitas the other continents held the previous festivals. By the time Solitas hosted the Vytal Festival, Ilia and her parents moved to Menagerie.

The two women were currently sitting on a bus on their way to downtown Vale.

The chameleon faunus let out a groan as she stretched her arms into the air. “Aw Brothers, class was brutal.”

“How so?” Blake inquired.

“Death by presentation slides,” Ilia pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know why Menagerie spent money to send me to Vale for a class that could have been done there.”

Blake chuckled. “Are you complaining about the free travel and hotel room?”

“No… especially since it’s my first time in Vale. Good thing my best friend lives here,” Ilia smiled. “Anything super interesting at this bazaar?”

Blake thought of Yang. She mentally shook the thought away. Ilia didn’t need to know about the blonde.

“There’s something for everyone. The bazaar is used to hype up the festival later this year.”

“Too bad I’ll be back in Menagerie when the festival starts,” Ilia pouted. “Though I could always drop a leave request to come back during the actual festival.”

“Aren’t flights expensive by now?” Blake asked as she pressed the stop request button along her seat railing.

“Oh, most definitely. Don’t get me started on the hotel costs. And no, I would not ask to stay with you if I am able to get time off.” Ilia countered before Blake could make her suggestion.

Blake rolled her eyes as she stood to get off the bus. They arrived early for the bazaar hours to allow Ilia time to adjust to the crowd size as the day went on.

“Do you want to get something to drink before browsing?” Blake walked towards the Happy Huntresses.

Ilia shrugged. “Sure. I could grab something to go.”

When they entered the cafe, the lamb faunus greeted them. “Welcome to the Happy Huntresses. Oh, and welcome back to you,” The lamb addressed Blake, having recognized her from last week. “What can I get started for you?”

Blake glanced at the cashier’s name tag and read ‘Fiona’. “Thank you. I’ll take an iced black tea, please.”

“Size?” 

“Oh, uh, let’s go with a sixteen ounce, please.”

Ilia raised an eyebrow. “Only a sixteen ounce?”
“I had some tea with breakfast.”

“Could I get a name for the order, ma’am,” Fiona asked.

“Blake.”

Fiona finished Blake’s order then turned her attention to Ilia. “And your order, ma’am?”

Blake stood off to the side near the pick-up counter to wait for her order and Ilia. She broke out into a smile when she realized which baristas were behind the counter this week.

“Velvet. Coco. Hello.”

“Hey, Blake!”

“Yo.”

The two brunette baristas greeted as they kept working. Velvet placed Blake’s iced tea in front of her.

“How have you been?” Velvet asked.

“I’ve been good. Even brought a friend,” Blake nodded her head towards Ilia.

Ilia approached as Blake referenced her. “What about me?”

Blake shook her head. “Nothing bad. I promise. This is Velvet. I met her and Coco a couple of weeks ago at the cafe’s bazaar stand.”

“Pleasure to me you,” Velvet greeted. “We have actual cookies and macarons for sale at the stand today.”

“Who’s working the stand this week?”

Coco set Ilia’s drink on the counter. “That would be the Big Boss herself and the general manager.”

“Otherwise known as Robyn and Joanna,” Velvet further supplied. “Definitely stop by to say, ‘hi’. Robyn loves getting to know our regular customers.”

“Oh, uh. I’m not a regular,” Blake objected as a blush appeared on her face.

“But you’re starting to be,” Fiona chimed in. “You were here last week and now here this week. You even brought a friend.”

“And you stopped by our stand a couple of weeks back,” Coco added. “You’re becoming a regular. I bet you will be by the start of the festival.”

Ilia watched in amusement at the exchange between Blake and the baristas. As teenagers Ilia only knew Blake as being reclusive. Ilia did what she could to have Blake get out and interact with others. Blake attending Beacon University instead of the University of Kuo Kuana surprised Ilia. Seeing Blake interact with these baristas warmed her heart at her friend’s growth.

“Hey. Ready to go?”

Blake’s question shook Ilia out of her thoughts. Seeing Blake and the three baristas staring at her caused Ilia to blush. As hard as Ilia tried, Ilia’s freckles changed to a faint pink like the blush on her cheeks.

“Yep! Let’s go!” Ilia responded. Her voice was an octave higher than normal.

Sparing her friend any further embarrassment, they left the cafe. Blake pulled out a folded bazaar map to show Ilia.

“How about we head back to the other side of the bazaar and serpentine our way back to the cafe? Then we could have lunch here,” Blake suggested.

Ilia nodded. “Sounds good. Though you’re solidifying that you’re becoming a regular at the cafe.”

Blake rolled her eyes and began walking. Every once and a while they would stop at a booth. Eventually they arrived at the Happy Huntresses booth. 

Joanna and, who they assumed was, Robyn were in deep conversation with three women and a young man. They all had white hair. 

Blake recognized the youngest white haired woman. It was Yang’s friend.

Yang’s friend began looking around. Blake wondered if she was looking for Yang or someone else. The friend kept looking until she saw Blake and they locked eyes. Her expression showed she recognized Blake and gave a nod in acknowledgement. The young woman’s eyes also widened when she looked at Ilia. She nodded towards Ilia.

A red blur zipped past Blake and Ilia. Knocking into their elbows.

“Hey!” Ilia exclaimed.

The red blur slammed into Yang’s friend, almost knocking them over. It was Yang’s other friend or family member. The white haired friend rolled her eyes as she returned the hug.

Blake realized she didn’t know their names. It felt awkward to ask them with the present company. Ilia nudged Blake indicating them to move along. As they walked, Blake pondered on what to call Yang’s friends as placeholders. Wanting a second opinion she brought it up to Ilia.

“Why do you want to come up with placeholder names for them?”

“Makes it easier to talk to someone about them until I learn their actual names,” Blake explained. “They’re people too.”

Ilia nodded her head side to side. “True. Anyways you don’t need a placeholder for that family. I know their names. They’re the Schnees. As in the SDC, Schnee Dust Company, in Atlas, Solitas. The young woman who nodded at you and I is Weiss Schnee, former heiress.”

“Ah. I thought they were familiar. The company with controversial labor forces and questionable business partners,” Blake stated.

“The company isn’t as bad anymore since their Board of Directors removed Jacque Schnee as CEO years ago.” Ilia defended. “Willow Schnee, the founder’s daughter, took over. I guess she’s stepping down next year to let her son, Whitley, run the company after he graduates college.”

“And you know this because you lived in Atlas?”

“That. But also because Weiss and I were friends. We were in the same class all through elementary school. My parents worked for the company when Jacque Schnee was CEO. When Willow Schnee took control as CEO, she granted separation packages for anyone who wanted to leave the company. The package came with amazing health care for the miners, so my parents took it. They left SDC, we left Atlas, and now live in Menagerie. ‘Cleaner and fresher’ is what my mom always says about the air,” Ilia explained.

“Weiss, Willow, Whitley… and what of the other woman? Weiss’s sister?” Blake asked.

“That’s Major Winter Schnee. She’s one of my instructors for the course I’m taking. She’s part of the Atlesian military stationed in Vale. Major Schnee lives up to her nickname ‘Ice Queen’. I think she's pretty cool under that frosty persona.”

Ilia’s head snapped in the direction of the busy stalls. She thought she heard someone snicker. The chameleon soldier scanned the crowd and didn’t see anyone paying any extra attention to them. Something about that snicker didn’t sit well with Ilia. From this point moving forward she kept her head on a swivel.

Because of Ilia’s military training, her behavior came off erratic to those who didn’t know her. If something went wrong, Blake trusted Ilia.

After another couple of hours, the two faunus wound back in front of the Happy Huntresses. They placed their orders and sat at one of the tables by the window. The Happy Huntresses kept their tables inside due to the crowded streets.

Because of her training, Ilia took the seat facing the exit. If there were more open spots, they wouldn’t be near the windows. But with the cafe packed, they sat in the last available spot. Ilia’s eyes narrowed as she saw a familiar blonde at the magazine stall in front of the cafe.

Ever since Ilia heard that snicker she saw this blonde following them. When they stopped, she stopped a few booths away from them. Subtlety was not this blonde’s strong suit. She watched the blonde take a picture of a magazine cover on her scroll. The blonde glanced in their direction and jumped. Ilia smirked at startling the blonde.

“You okay?” Blake asked.

“Some blonde chick has been following us.” Ilia nodded her head behind Blake. “She’s at the booth directly behind you.”

Blake’s ear twitched. She heard her heart pounding in her ears as she turned around.

Yang!

“Should I call the cops?” Ilia asked.

“No. I kind of know her,” Blake waved. “That’s Yang. She’s one of Weiss’s friends.”

They watched Yang return the wave, buy the magazine, and leave. Blake kept watching until Ilia cleared her throat.

“Since we’re going to be here awhile. Care to explain?” Ilia asked.

Blake smiled and filled her friend in the last three weeks.

Week 5

“Today has certainly been eventful.” Kali observed as she watched her daughter and husband play chess.

The three Belladonnas were relaxing at the Happy Huntresses as the only customer. When the Belladonnas arrived, May and Coco were pushing Robyn out the door. They were adamant that they could handle the shop without her and she should celebrate.

Coco informed Blake that Robyn had become engaged earlier that afternoon. An accident that worked in her favor.

“How does one accidentally become engaged?” Blake questioned.

“For Robyn? Bantering with her fiancée while sticking her nose in other people’s business,” Coco chuckled. “It was rather smooth if it was intentional.”

Kali spent most of her time getting to know May and Coco while Ghira and Blake had father-daughter time. After graduation Blake stayed in Vale and hadn’t returned home since her final spring break. She couldn’t afford flights with her paycheck unless she booked far in advance. Ghira and Kali offered numerous times to pay for her airline tickets, but Blake refused. It did not feel right to her for her parents to pay so she could visit them. And she also needed to build up enough vacation time at work.

Blake suspected her parents would not take ‘no’ as an answer after today. It was cheaper for her to visit them instead of them coming to Vale. Her going home meant she could stay with her parents at her childhood home. Her parents were in Vale because of her father’s business trip. They coordinated to spend time with Blake before their return to Menagerie.

Ghira tipped over his king piece in defeat. “Sweetheart, I love you, but I don’t think I can play chess with you anymore. I haven’t stood a chance since your mother sent you to chess camp when you were a child.”

“I swear I’m not trying to win,” Blake smiled as she sipped her tea.

“I don’t know what would happen if you were trying. What’s that saying about checkers and chess?”

“You’re playing checkers while I’m playing chess?”

The older faunus laughed. “Yes, that’s it. You’ve got your mother’s wit, that's for sure,” Ghira looked over at Kali with a smile. “Anyways, excuse me, you two. Nature calls.”

Kali returned the smile as she watched her husband walk away. “By the way, Blake, we ran into a friend of yours earlier.”

Blake’s cat ears twitched at the way her mother said ‘friend.’ “Really? I didn’t know Ilia visited the bazaar again.”

“No, it wasn’t Ilia,” Kali shook her head. “I know you have a few close friends, but I remember her. This was another girl with long blonde hair.”

“Oh! Yang,” Blake could feel her cheeks start to become warm.

“Yes, that was her name. Sweet girl,” Kali confirmed.

“Wait, you talked to her? Like full conversation talked to her talked to her?” Blake asked in shock.

“Yes, dear. Your father and I full on talked to her talked to her,” Kali replied amused. “I even heard from May and Coco you two have been dancing around each other.”

“Oh my god,” Blake hid her face in her hands. She now felt the warmth on the tips of her human ears. Her cat ears were flat against her skull. “Please don’t bring it up to Dad.”

“Don’t bring what up to me?” Ghira asked as he sat back down. “What are we talking about?”

Blake lowered her hands to shoot her mother a warning glare. Kali gave her daughter a fake innocent smile before answering her husband.

“I was filling in Blake that we met her friend, Yang, earlier today.”

“I like that girl!” Ghira boasted.

May and Coco looked up from their scrolls. They checked on the shop and the Belladonnas before returning to their scrolls.

“She’s observant. She noticed my boots and even knew to further ask if I was a jaguar or leopard. Your other blond friend didn’t think to ask that,” Ghira crossed his arms smirking.

“Dad! For the millionth time, there is nothing going on between Sun and I! He’s just a friend. Nothing more. He understands and respects that. I’m allowed to have guy friends too,” Blake protested.

Kali patted Blake’s arm. “Your father knows that, sweetheart. Let him have his dramatic protective father moment. You haven’t tried bringing home a boy or girl for us to meet since you were in high school.”

“As long as they’re not like that Adam Taurus, I’m sure I’ll be fine with any partner you bring home. Even if it could have been Mr. Wukong. But your mother is the one who would be interrogating any of your female partners,” Ghira chortled.

“Why are we going on about my lack of dating life all a sudden? I’m fine being single.”

Kali and Ghira’s jesting became sincere. Kali moved from her spot next to her husband to sit beside Blake. She pulled her daughter into a one arm hug.

“Oh, my baby girl. We’re not trying to push you into dating if you don’t want to yet. We’re not even asking for grandkids like other parents are from their children. Your father and I want you to be happy with someone you love. Someone who loves you back and will be there to support and care for you while your father and I can’t.”

“That’s right,” Ghira added. “We love and understand you are strong and independent… But it also doesn’t hurt to have someone by your side. It could be someone we haven’t met, Ilia, Sun, or Yang. As long as it’s someone who cherishes you, it is all your mother and I can hope for you.”

Blake nodded her head. “Okay.”

“Ghira, would you be a dear and order us another pot of tea, please?” Kali asked.

Ghira knew not to ask further questions with the look Kali gave him. Mother-daughter time. With Ghira away, Kali began to talk.

“So… Yang? What’s the story with her? From what May and Coco have told me, the entire cafe staff are interested.”

The youngest Belladonna groaned. “I swear you can make friends with anyone.”

Kali kissed Blake’s temple. “You’ve never been very talkative. But you know I’m always willing to listen when you do talk.”

“There’s not much to say about her. We were at a tea stall when we kind of met and never had a chance to talk to each other,” Blake said.

“Never?” Kali questioned.

Blake blushed. “Okay not never, but the first couple of weeks she was with friends and I didn’t want to be rude. Then last week I brought Ilia and this week I’m with you and Dad. I guess she didn’t want to be rude either.”

“To be young and in love.” Kali combed her fingers through Blake’s hair. “A ‘hello’ would be a good place to start. A verbal one, not a wave. Yang tried today, but she got the wrong cat faunus.”

“When did this happen? I was with you the whole day,” Blake leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder.

“You were purchasing that little bee pot while your father and I were by the food stands. She thought I was you.”

“Sun did say I looked more like you since I got my hair cut.”

Ghira returned to the table with a pot of tea. “Is everything alright?”

The two Belladonna women looked at each other and nodded. Ghira smiled and poured the tea for the two important people in his life.

“How about a game of Word Tiles before we get dinner?” Kali smiled as her cat ears perked.

Blake and Ghira gave each other a look. The whole family were bibliophiles, but neither of the two could ever win against Kali. Whenever one of them thought they won, Kali managed to rack up the triple and double points. They also knew they could not refuse when Kali suggested they play.

In defeat, the father-daughter duo cleared the table of the chess board and set up for Word Tiles. They already felt the impending defeat.

Week 6

Blake watched people passing by the cafe as she sat near the window. Ilia was with Blake, typing away on her laptop. The two were avoiding the aisles of stands at the bazaar as much as possible.

Ilia wanted to avoid spending money on things she didn't need. Especially since she currently lived out of a military hotel on the Valeon base. She needed to be conscious of her luggage for her eventual return trip to Menagerie.

Blake avoided the bazaar to also prevent herself from spending. She also didn't feel like dealing with people today. She thought of skipping the bazaar, but it was out of the question.

And so that's how they found themselves back at the Happy Huntresses. Ilia felt the cabin fever from staying on base during her weekends and needed a change of scene. Blake wanted to low-key be on the lookout for Yang.

The baristas of the Happy Huntresses were still as nosy as ever on the saga of Blake and Yang. This week May, Fiona, and Joanna manned the shop. Coco and Velvet were at the stand.

"Do I want to know why the baristas keep looking towards us?" Ilia asked without looking up from her laptop.

Ilia sat with her back to the wall and full view of the front of the cafe. That included seeing anyone who walked in or out and the baristas.

"The same reason why I keep coming back to the bazaar every Saturday. They're invested in whatever is going on between Yang and I," Blake answered.

"You mean whatever is not going on between you two. While I don't blame her I still can't believe she mistook your mother for you."

"She found it flattering. Yang managed to impress my dad too."

"Really?" Ilia looked up from her screen. "It took Sun at least a year before your dad tolerated him."

"Welcome to the Happy Huntresses!" Fiona announced as the latest customer entered the cafe.

Ilia freezed as she saw who entered. Seeing her friend's unusual reaction, Blake turned around.

A young woman with medium-brown complexion and mint-green hair was talking to Fiona. She seemed friendly enough to Blake.

When Blake turned back to Ilia, she saw all of Ilia's freckles shaded in pink. Same as the blush across her friend's cheeks.

"Hey, are you okay? Your blush extended to all your freckles," Blake asked, concerned.

Ilia cleared her throat and shook her head. "Yeah, fine. She's one of my classmates in the course I'm in."

While waiting on her drink, the mint-haired woman looked around the cafe. Her eyes locked onto Ilia's. She smiled and approached the table.

"Ilia, how's it going?"

The chameleon faunus shot from her seat knocking her knee into the table. All three women winced at the sound.

"OW! Hey, Sustari. I'm doing well. Trying to get a grasp on what we learned this week," Ilia gestured towards her laptop. "By the way this is my friend I mentioned who showed me around the bazaar a couple of weeks ago."

The woman shook her head and smiled. "Oh, c'mon on now. We're the same rank and we're not in uniform. You can call me by my first name. I'm Emerald, by the way."

Blake stood up from her seat to shake Emerald's hand. "Blake. Which kingdom's military are you from?"

"Anima's."

"An-Anyways, Emerald," Ilia winced at how the name sounded foreign coming out of her mouth. "What brings you to the bazaar?"

"After your stories the past week, I thought I would check it out for myself. Definitely a different vibe from the one I experienced in Vacuo," Emerald explained.

"What was that one like? I've only been to one in Mistral," Blake asked. "Their celebration tied in with the harvest celebration."

"Vacuo had theirs themed around the sun leading to the solstice. After that they shift themes leading to the harvest festival also around the same time. Every night they held a dance party. Traditional dancing, not club dancing."

Ilia pouted. "Both of you are lucky to have attended one. I’ve never been to one and I won't be here when the actual festival kicks off."

"Well, I'm stationed here in Vale. Perhaps you and I can plan something to get you back here during the festival?" Emerald offered.

"Uh, y-yeah. I'd like that."

"One Vacuo coffee for Emerald," Joanna announced as she sat the drink on the pick-up counter.

"That's my order. Blake, it was nice to meet you. Ilia... I guess I'll see you in class. We can discuss more during our break."

Blake watched Emerald grab her drink and left the cafe. Ilia still stood even after Emerald left.

"You can sit back down if you want to."

"Huh? Oh, right," Ilia sat down and stared at her sleeping laptop screen.

"Sooo... How's it going?" Blake asked with a smirk.

Ilia's reaction was not normal. The normally collected soldier was flustered. Blake wondered if she appeared this way to everyone else with how she acts about Yang.

"Fine," Ilia squeaked.

"Uh, huh. Fine. You do remember what Sun told us about the true definition of 'Fine', right? Feelings Inside Not Expressed," Blake retorted.

"He didn't come up with that. And I have nothing to express that she is a fellow sister at arms and a classmate of mine."

"Right…" Blake replied.

"Shove off! You're not better about Yang." Ilia deflected.

"Hey, you two!"

Both Ilia and Blake looked at the baristas. May was the one paying attention to them while Fiona and Joanna were taking orders.

"Speaking of Yang, Velvet texted saying she's at the bazaar right now. Though not alone. Looks like she's with her mom," May announced.

Blake felt the warmth on her cheeks. Ilia rolled her eyes at Blake.

"Coward. You're not going to talk to her because she is with her family, are you?" Ilia asked.

"It'd be rude."

Ilia banged her head on the table. "You are not allowed to make fun of me with my crush when you're being a bisaster. But don't tell me... you're F.I.N.E.'”

"As F.I.N.E. as you are."

Joanna, May and Fiona watched the two faunus continue to banter. May and Joanna looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Fiona texted an update to Robyn on her scroll. The boss wanted to learn about another possible couple. And the lack of progress between Yang and Blake.

Blake and Ilia were locked in a stare off with each other. Ilia blinked first from her eyes stinging.

"Damn it. I blame you for being a cat, the only reason you usually win a staring contest," Ilia rubbed her eyes. "Look, we know Yang is at the bazaar. Why don't I help you look for her and you two finally talk."

"She's with her family," Blake argued.

"You were with yours last week, not that she knew that. It's not like you're going to pull her away from spending time with her family to go on a date. You're only saying 'hi' to her."

Ilia closed her laptop and packed up. "C'mon. Get up, we're finding your girlfriend."

"Not my girlfriend."

"Yet."

The two faunus waved to the baristas on their way out the door as they moved with a purpose. Ilia pulled out the folded map Blake gave her the last time they were at the bazaar.

"Okay, plan of action. We know that she had at least passed by the cafe's stand in the last minute. I'll take the far side away from the food stands. You take the food stand side since it’s lunch time and there might be a higher chance of finding her there. If I see her on my end I'll shoot you a text and find a way to keep her there. How copy?"

Blake giggled. "Really? Applying your training for something as simple as this?"

Ilia glared. "We're wasting time. I don't want to hear about this next week if you don't talk to this girl."

"Okay, okay. I'm tracking," Blake held up her hands in defense. "Hey, Ilia?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No prob. Break!" Ilia clapped her hands and made her way towards the far end of the bazaar's perimeter.

Blake took off looking for the blonde down the food aisle. She looked down the main aisles, but didn't see Yang. Blake paused in case she saw Yang nearby.

"Hey, welcome back, Miss. Here for some more fried squid?"

"Huh?" Blake looked away from the aisle to see she stood in front of Ebi-B Fried Seafood. Her eyes widened when she saw the woman helping Clover.

The woman was identical to Yang, except she had black hair and red eyes. Like Clover's husband.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm looking for someone," Blake responded as she turned back to the aisles.

"Is this the girl?" The woman asked Clover.

Blake turned back to the food stand. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The woman didn't answer Blake. She looked at the cat faunus up and down with scrutinizing eyes. With a nod, she smiled.

"Okay, I can see the appeal. You're definitely Yang's type." The woman responded.

"You know Yang?" Blake approached the stand to keep out of the way of other people.

"Hmm," The woman crossed her arms. "I would hope so, she's my daughter."

Blake felt her stomach drop. She didn't expect to actually meet one of Yang's parents. "I- I can see the resemblance."

"Relax. I'm not going to interrogate you. You're not dating my daughter."

"Yet," Clover added as he threw a wink towards Blake.

The woman pushed Clover back towards the grill. "Anyways even if you were dating my daughter, my wife would be the one doing the interrogation."

Blake felt her cat ears lay flat on her head.

"C'mon, Raven. There is no need to scare the girl off before Yang has a chance to say, 'hi' to her," Clover tried to deflate the tension in the air.

"I'm letting her know what she has to look forward to," Raven crossed her arms. She nodded towards the direction behind Blake. "Last we saw Yang, she headed that way with the rest of the family."

"Thank you," Blake bid farewell and headed towards the direction Raven pointed out.

As Blake made her way down the aisle, she didn't see Yang anywhere. She kept on searching up and down the aisles until she ran into Ilia in the last row.

"No dice?" Ilia asked.

Blake shook her head. "No, but I ran into her mother who is working at the seafood stand."

"Well, this is a bust. Let's head back to the cafe. They're so invested they might have the latest update of her whereabouts. Or she's there," Ilia suggested.

As they entered the cafe, no boisterous blonde was seen.

"Hey, Blake..." Fiona greeted, sounding defeated. "A few minutes after you left, Yang arrived looking for you. Now you missed her."

"How long ago was that?" Blake held onto the counter top.

"About ten minutes ago? Sounded like they were done with the bazaar for the day."

Blake turned to Ilia in defeat. "Another week. Another bust."

Week 7

Blake bounced her leg as she stared out the window. Come hell or high water, she would talk to Yang today. Enough of this dancing around each other. Two more stops until she was at the city center to the bazaar.

She planned out her course of action. She would go to The Happy Huntresses Cafe first to see if Yang was there. If Yang wasn't, Blake would wait at the cafe. She would not leave the cafe outside of an absolute emergency. She would wait there all day if she had to for Yang to show up.

One stop left. Blake pressed the stop request button by her seat and stood from her spot. The bus couldn't arrive at its next stop fast enough. The red light felt like an eternity for Blake. When it finally turned green, Blake wanted to jump off the bus.

Blake thanked the bus driver as she jumped off the bus as soon as the doors opened. She bounced a few times to prevent herself from falling onto her face. Once she had her bearings, Blake headed towards the bazaar. She was a couple of stalls away from the cafe's entrance when she could make out Yang sitting inside.

"Blake!"

A weight slammed into Blake from behind. Arms wrapped around her neck for a hug.

Even though Blake recognized the voice, she elbowed the offender in the ribs. Hard.

"Sun! Don't do that!" Blake elbowed his ribs again for him to let go.

The blond haired monkey faunus grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. It's been too long since I saw you last."

"I've been around. You're the one who's been busy the last couple of months," Blake pointed out. "Are you working?"

Blake looked at his outfit, it wasn't his usual ripped jeans and open buttoned down shirt. He wore a Valeon police uniform.

Sun placed his fists on his hips. "Yep! Neptune and the rest of the boys are working today too. Lieutenant Rose thinks this would help boost our chances. We’re up for becoming Junior Detectives in the next selection board."

"That's great, Sun! I hope the best for you and the others," Blake congratulated.

"Hey, since I got you here. I need your opinion on a shirt I'm thinking of buying." Sun dragged Blake over to a stall in the other aisle before she could object.

"Don't you have enough shirts? Outside of uniform you have an aversion to them."

"I could never have enough button down shirts. Here we are!" Sun beamed up at a wide variety of shirts at the stall. "I have to go rove around real quick, but when I get back I want three possibilities."

"Wha- Sun!" Blake objected.

The faunus policeman was gone and didn't hear her.

Blake shook her head and turned back to the stall. Yang was at the cafe. Yang was at the cafe waiting for Blake. That's what she told herself. She would pick out shirts for Sun, pass them to the stall owner, text Sun where she went, and go talk to Yang.

Having known Sun since college, she knew of his pitiful wardrobe selection. Being from Vacuo, he rarely needed to wear a shirt.

She ignored the plain colored shirts and browsed the patterned variety. The loud and bright colors were immediately out of the question. He could use some more tasteful patterned shirts.

Blake held up a white shirt with blue and red triangles of various shapes scattered about. Definitely not his type. She put it back and picked up another. A royal blue button up with pale blue hibiscus flowers and golden koi fish. It would look ridiculous on her, but it fit Sun's tastes.

She put it off to the side and grabbed another. A ghastly neon pink with various Grimm patterned on the shirt and neon purple and blue.

"That doesn't suit you very well, you should pick another color," A woman's voice offered behind Blake.

Blake let out an annoyed sigh. Some people needed to learn to mind their own business. Not wanting to cause a scene Blake dryly stated. "Right..."

She heard the person behind her gasp. Blake turned and her eyes widened.

Yang stood behind her. Yang looked mortified. 

Before Blake could say anything, Yang bolted in the opposite direction. In her swift retreat, Yang knocked into another stall. She apologized to the stall owner and kept heading in the opposite direction. The blonde didn't hear Blake call out to her.

Present

Rumble. A flash of white. Crackling of lightning.

Blake watched as the stalls close to the cafe began to pack up. No point for them to keep their business open when there weren’t many customers. Blake waited at the Happy Huntresses for three hours and still no word about Yang. Not wanting to be caught out in the storm waiting for the bus, Blake got up and left the cafe disheartened.

Chapter Text

From their spot in the back of the cafe, Ilia and Sun watched as Blake left. After Yang had run away from the disaster of her comment, Sun had returned to find a disheartened Blake. She had told both Ilia and Sun what had happened. Sun didn’t know much about Yang except she was his boss’s daughter. He felt bad for both of them. Ilia couldn't decide if she wanted to kill the female blonde or not.

The two faunus ended up in The Happy Huntresses Cafe this week to check on their friend. They wanted to be there for Blake whether Yang did or didn’t show up.

Ilia had noticed Weiss and Weiss's friend arrived at the cafe and sat at the bar top near Blake. They had continued to look at Blake during the duration of them sitting at the bar. Whispering to each other on and off.

"Come on. Yang's friends are here," Ilia got up and walked over to Weiss. "Spill. What do you two know? We'll let you know what we know."

Weiss rolled her eyes at Ilia. "Good to see you again too, Ilia. Ruby's sister, my friend, Yang is an idiot. She opened her mouth and mastered the art of 'How to Insult a Girl in Fifteen Syllables.'"

Ilia crossed her arms. "We heard of that. Where is she? Blake waited for her."

"Wallowing in self-pity at home," Ruby replied.

"Right, so what's the plan?"

The group looked towards the other side of the bar top and saw Robyn leaning against it. The other three Happy Huntresses founders were also listening in for the plan.

"I might have an idea," Ruby smiled. "We'll have to get the moms involved."

"Would you calm down?" Raven snapped. Yang had bumped into her for the third time in less than five minutes.

"When I offered to spend time with you to help me with my situation, I didn't mean take me back to the bazaar. I made a complete fool of myself and swore to never return," Yang whined.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Summer was right, she is as dramatic as me."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, darling?" Summer beamed.

"Not a chance," Raven smirked. "Buck up, kiddo. You wanted to spend time with us and we had planned to visit the bazaar this weekend. Besides, we're later than when you usually showed up. I doubt you'll run into her here."

"Those baristas would rat me out," Yang mumbled.

Raven turned and faced Yang. "Are you or are you not my daughter? The same daughter, who out of spite during one of our fights, legally changed her last name to her father's to spite me? If you're petty enough to do that you can embrace the suck of being at the bazaar and take your licks."

Yang looked to Summer for support. "You going to let her talk to me like that?"

"Sorry, sweetie. I have to agree with Ma on this one," Summer kissed her daughter's cheek in consolation.

"Wow! Backstabbed by both moms. I feel the love."

"Knock it off Drama Queen," Raven scoffed.

"Excuse you, it's Drama Princess. I'm still in training from the true Drama Queen," Yang gestured to Raven.

Raven kicked Yang in the rear as Summer tried to hide her laugh. The family laughed and continued to the bazaar. Yang slowed down and grimaced as she saw the dreaded shirt stall from two weeks ago.

Noticing Yang falling behind, Summer paused and looked at the stall. "Is this it?"

Yang nodded.

"Great! Stay here and make peace with what happened. Mom and I will be back shortly. We'll grab something to drink from that cafe and pick you up," Raven announced. She looped an arm around Summer's shoulder and guided her wife away from their daughter.

Flabbergasted, Yang couldn’t believe her mothers ditched her and treated her like a child. She stared at the stall and all its colorful shirts. One caught her eye of being yellow with a black dragon wrapped around. Yang could see herself wearing that shirt.

Letting her eyes wander, she spotted the culprit shirt for the disaster a few weeks ago. Yang picked up the ghastly neon pink shirt with various Grimm patterned on in neon purple and blue. She couldn't blame the shirt or the stall. This would look good on someone and she opened her mouth. The design was still terrible though.

"That doesn't suit you very well, you should pick another color."

Yang flinched hearing those words again, but she didn't say them. Someone else said from behind her. Yang felt her heart hammering against her chest. Those exact words spoken to her when she held the same shirt couldn’t be a coincidence.

Hoping for it to be who she thought it could be behind her. Yang smirked and dryly replied as she turned around, "Right..."

Blake stood there smiling.

Not wanting to waste another second, Blake blurted, 'Hi."

She watched as Yang turned around with relief. Blake could see the tension Yang had in her shoulders relax.

"Hi," Yang said.

The two broke out into a laugh. People around them watched them in mild concern as they continued on their way. When they were able to catch their breath, Yang wiped away a tear.

"This did not need to be as difficult as we made it," Yang snickered.

"You running away, didn't help either."

Yang sobered up. She ran her metal hand through her hair. "Yeah... about that... I'm sorry. I panicked and... sorry."

Blake shook her head. "No, it's alright. I probably would have done the same if the situation was reversed."

"Right," Yang cleared her throat. "Anyways I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long."

"Blake. Blake Belladonna."

"I have to confess, I've known your name for a few weeks because of the Happy Huntresses baristas."

"Which one told you? Fiona, May, or Robyn?"

"What you don't suspect Joanna to tell?"

"Have you seen that woman? I think it's safe to say she's the best secret keeper."

"Point," Yang chuckled. "Fiona told me. It was after my embarrassing run in with your parents."

"Mom said you mistook her for me," Blake giggled.

"To be fair, you two looked similar from the back since you cut your hair!"

"Oh, I know. You look like the spitting image of your mom."

"Please don't remind me. Did you know my name before a few seconds ago?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Our second time seeing each other. You were with Weiss and you ditched her."

Yang shook her head as she smiled at the memory. "She still hasn't let me live that down. Wait? You know Weiss?"

"Not personally. A friend of mine knows her and her family."

"Ah."

A calm silence fell between them. Blake looked away with feeling her cheeks grow warm. "I- I almost didn't show up today, but my friends were insistent. Now I see why."

"Have you been here all day?" Yang said with worry. She began to feel bad if Blake had waited for her again. Another thing Weiss wouldn't let her live down.

"No, we got here a few minutes ago and suddenly I was ditched by them."

"Huh? How about that? I was ditched by my moms who allegedly already planned on coming to the bazaar today."

"Oh really?" Blake replied in sarcastic wonder. "What are the odds?"

"Right? What are the odds?" Yang agreed.

"Uh... excuse me, miss? Are you going to buy that shirt?" The stall owner asked.

Both girls realized Yang still held onto the disaster shirt.

Blake bit her lip to keep from laughing. "It really doesn't suit you."

"It doesn't really suit you either. You know what, it's my size and I'm going to buy it anyways!" Yang beamed.

"What? Why?"

Yang shrugged, "Memento."

"Buy one, get one half off," The stall owner informed the blonde.

"Why don't you buy one too?" Yang asked as she looked back at Blake.

Blake grabbed the white shirt with red and blue triangles. She bumped her hip against Yang's as they waited to have their shirts purchased.

"Uh, so..." Blake trailed off.

"So... what are you doing later?" Yang asked.

"Since our friends put in the effort to get us to finally talk to each other, why don't we tour the bazaar together?"

"Like a date?"

"Exactly like a date."

"Let's do it!"

Yang and Blake meandered up and down the familiar aisles of the bazaar. When they passed the Happy Huntresses stall, Coco wagged her eyebrows at them. Velvet cheered seeing them together and messaged the other baristas at the cafe.

When they passed by the military's carnival game area, the recruiters roped Yang into the pull-up challenge. The Valeon military had a white board with a tracker: five ‘Maybe Later’, twenty-five ‘Back Day was Yesterday’, two males holding the record of twenty-four pull-ups, and two females with fourteen pull-ups.

One of the soldiers explained the rules. Yang’s chin had to clear the bar to count, start from a dead hang, and couldn’t use any kip-ups or swings to help her up. Yang went to the gym regularly, but pull-ups were not her primary focus when it came to working out. The first five were a breeze, but her arms shook on her way up for number nine.

Blake cheered Yang on as the blonde cranked out a total of eleven pulls-ups. That had earned her a water bottle with the Valeon military insignia on it.

The soldiers tried to get Blake to attempt the pull-up challenge, but she objected. In the end she competed against two other females and a female soldier with planks. The other two women tapped out after a minute into the challenge. Blake was shaking by the two minute mark. She would have been able to push through, but Yang's taunting caused her to laugh and collapsed. Her time had also earned Blake a water bottle.

"I knew I should have done the hammer strike," Yang pouted as they walked away from the area. "A few weeks back I saw this girl, smaller than Ruby, carrying one of those large Grimm stuffed animals. That girl was a beast. No one expected her to win at the hammer strike."

"I saw that girl in passing too. The stuffed animal was almost as big as her!" Blake looked down at her water bottle. "I have no need for this. I'll give it to my friend Ilia for laughs since she's Menagerien military."

"Is that the girl I saw you hanging out a few weeks back?"

"Yep, she's one of my childhood friends. Since we're asking about each other's friends, who is that little red I saw you with a few times?"

"Oh, that's Ruby, my sister. She's also Weiss's girlfriend."

"I only know of Weiss because of her family name and Ilia, but how do you two know each other?"

"Do you want the long story or short story?"

Blake looped her arm around Yang's. "Long and let's get something to eat while we're at it."

"Sure. How about we go to a restaurant and have a chance to sit and talk?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay, so Ilia is your childhood best friend who knows Weiss from when she lived in Atlas. Weiss was a friend in school and is now my sister's girlfriend. Meanwhile your friend, Sun, is one of my Mom's subordinates in the Valeon police department..." Yang spoke her thoughts out loud.

While trading stories over what happened the last couple of months, they flipped the paper placemats over and made a plot map. Yang and Blake made a plot map to see how many people they knew who knew each other.

The summer’s night air still had a chill when the sun set. The restaurant hadn’t set up any standing heaters in the outdoor seating area. Blake shivered which Yang noticed. The blonde removed her yellow and black varsity jacket and handed it to Blake.

"Here, take it. We don't need you catching a cold during our date."

"Oh, I couldn't," Blake objected.

"It's all good, no worries!" Yang beamed. "I run warm anyways."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Blake slipped the jacket on. She smelt sandalwood, and a hint of a musky cologne. Blake placed her hand over Yang's. The gesture caused Yang to stop writing and look at the other woman.

"Do we really care to figure this out now?" Blake asked.

Yang chuckled. "Nah, not really. We already have quite a bit mapped out anyways." She folded up the paper mat and tucked it into her back pocket.

A lull fell between the two and they looked around trying to think of what to say next. A live band played cover songs and people found an open space to dance. Yang had caught Blake looking at the dancing couples.

Yang stood and held her hand out to Blake. "May I have this dance?"

Blake felt her cheeks warm up as she placed her hand in Yang's. As if she would deny this woman a dance. They joined the other couples on the outer edge of the makeshift dance floor.

"Uh, do you know how to dance to this song?" Blake asked.

"Not a clue. But who cares? Just go with the rhythm!" Yang continued to hold Blake's hand with her right and placed her left over Blake's upper back. "Mind if I lead?"

"Please. Let's see what you've got!" Blake placed her open hand on Yang's shoulder.

Yang began their dance with a simple spinning box step in time with the music of the band. Once Blake moved in sync with her, Yang took a bigger step and raised their held hands higher. Adding extra flair to their steps.

Blake laughed, ringing like music to Yang's ears. She wanted to continue hearing that laugh. A laugh of joy and carefree.

Feeling bold, Yang twirled Blake. Blake completed the twirl, Yang stepped back. She extended their arms as far as they would go and pulled Blake back in with a spin, followed by another twirl. Blake had fumbled while trying to get back into the box step, but kept moving. Yang kept them at their extravagant spinning box step for a few beats. Seeing Blake comfortable with the steps, Yang twirled Blake again.

Prepared this time, Blake helped Yang with the spin and second twirl. She still misstepped a few beats, but corrected herself faster. She trusted Yang to lead. Blake noticed Yang keeping them at the box step and squeezed the blonde's mechanical hand. She wanted Yang to twirl her again.

Third time's the charm, as the saying goes. Blake moved through the twirl, arm extension, spin, and twirl back to the box step without issue this time. Blake smugly smiled at Yang as a form of a challenge for the blonde to dictate the future twirls.

They had blocked out the rest of the world as they danced. This moment was about the two of them having fun while dancing. The song concluded, the audience applauded, but they kept dancing. The live band had picked a slower song this round.

Blake squeezed Yang's hand before letting go and bringing it to Yang's other shoulder. She wanted to lead this time with a more intimate sway to the song. Yang followed Blake and placed her now free hand on Blake's hip. The two smiled as they kept eye contact with each other.

Yang could feel her heart racing as she tried to control her breathing. So many times over the past couple of months she wanted a moment like this with Blake. She squeezed Blake's hips to check she wasn't daydreaming. Weeks she had followed Blake around the bazaar and looked out for the other woman. Yang had done all that because she had found Blake alluring at a tea stand. The girl who looked back to see if Yang looked at the other girl looking back.

Blake returned Yang’s gesture by wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck as they continued to sway to the song. She was glad Yang had followed after her the second week. If Yang hadn't, Blake wouldn't have come back to the bazaar the third week to see the other girl. But because Yang had gotten in trouble with Weiss, Blake knew she had a chance with Yang. Even if it took them a while to get here to this moment. She caught Yang glancing down at Blake's lips and back to her eyes. Blake saw a blush begin to form on Yang's cheeks.

Still being the lead in their dance, Blake tugged Yang closer to her. Yang wrapped her hands around the small of Blake's back. Blake could see the short circuit blank stare Yang had in her eyes. To make it easier for the blonde, Blake nodded. She felt her cat ears twitch in excitement.

Something wet fell on their cheeks before they could lean into each other. They paused their dance to look up at the sky as water droplets began to fall. Blake and Yang looked at each other and laughed.

While other dancers and audience members scattered, Yang held Blake and continued to dance. More spinning than dancing while in the rain. The band had also stopped playing to escape the rain. 

Blake had squeezed Yang's shoulders to get the blonde to stop spinning them. Without hesitation Blake lifted herself to her toes and kissed Yang. 

It took Yang a couple of beats to register that Blake was kissing her before returning the kiss.

The kiss was short, but perfect. When they broke from their kiss, they made their way under an awning of the restaurant for cover. Yang had pulled Blake by the labels of her jacket for another chaste kiss. Blake cupped Yang's cheeks to deepen the kiss before parting and leaning her forehead on Yang's.

"Hey," Yang greeted.

Blake laughed. "Hey."

"Why don't we head to the cafe to get warmed up and wait out the weather?"

"Think you can handle the baristas and whoever else?"

"With you by my side. Always."

Blake pecked Yang's lips again. "Let's go."

"Seriously, that shirt doesn't suit you very well because of the color," Yang commented as Blake sat down. 

By the time the two of them reached the Happy Huntresses cafe, their shirts were soaked from the rain. They had tried to use Yang's jacket as a form of cover, but it wasn’t big enough to cover them completely. They changed into the shirts they purchased while waiting for their orders.

"Says the woman wearing the neon pink shirt. And in my defense, I was selecting shirts for Sun," Blake sipped her drink. "Hey, question."

"Answer: forty-two."

Blake tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Right... Anyways, what made you want to come back every week?"

Yang sat up straight at the serious question. "Well, on the first day the bazaar felt like a fairy tale for me. I was at the tea stand and I couldn't help but notice a woman who I found alluring. Then she walked away, but she looked back and caught me staring at her. If she didn't look back, I probably wouldn't have ditched Weiss for her the following week."

Blake's cat ear twitched in excitement.

"What about you? Why did you keep coming back?" Yang asked.

"I caught a girl with golden hair staring at me as I left this tea stand. It reminded me of a meet cute moment in books I've read. I came back the second week to hopefully talk to her, but saw her with her friend. But, she did ditch that friend to follow me, I guess I wanted to see where this would go."

"Well, here's to defying expectations," Yang held up her cup towards Blake.

Blake tapped hers to Yang's. The two women continued to talk through the night until Robyn had to kick them out. They felt the sparks flying between them. As they parted ways, Blake looked back to see if Yang was looking back. Yang looked to see if Blake would look back at her looking back.

"Hey, Blake! What are you doing next Saturday?"

10 Years Later

"Mommy, look! Those shirts are as ugly as yours and Mama's!"

"Lily!" Blake whined. She waved at the stall owner in apology for her daughter's outburst.

"Well, kiddo, we're here because you're going to be getting a shirt," Yang lifted Lily off from her shoulders.

"Nooooooo!" Lily protested, laughing.

"Yeeeeees!" Yang nuzzled her daughter's cheek. "Mommy and I have history with these shirts. We're going to make it a family tradition!"

Blake patted Lily on the back. "You also get to pick out the shirt, pick something you like."

Lily's cat ear flickered in irritation. "Fine."

Lily didn’t know that her parents planned for them to come back to the bazaar often. Many friends and family wanted to meet up with the couple at some point leading to the festival. Yang and Blake were going to make sure Lily wore the shirt as much as possible before she outgrew it. That’s why they wouldn’t subject Lily to a poorly designed shirt and let her pick out one she didn't mind wearing.

Lily picked a royal blue shirt with golden koi fish and pale blue hibiscus flowers. Yang helped Lily into the shirt while Blake paid for it.

"I remember this design. I think it was one of the few tolerable ones," Yang said.

"Why didn't you or Mommy get it then?" Lily eyed Yang's loud neon pink shirt with Grimm patterns.

Yang chuckled. "Mama might have opened her mouth and stuck her foot in it over this shirt."

"Why don't we go to the Happy Huntresses and tell Lily the story?" Blake suggested as she reached for her daughter's hand.

"Great idea!" Yang held Lily's other hand. "We also have stories about that cafe and its baristas."

"Yeah, but it all leads to how we fell in love in a bazaar."

"Yeah... it all began one Saturday and I fell in love with you in a bazaar."