Chapter Text
The sack was hastily pulled off her head, it’s rough material pulling at her hair and scratching her skin. After blinking a few times to readjust her sight the Princess was greeted by a scene of death. The bodies of her would be kidnappers lay strewn about like the aftermath of some grotesque battlefield as the smell of blood protruded her sense of smell.
Her breathing became quick and short as panic started to seize in her throat, feeling bile building up and threatening to come up from the pit of her stomach. A pair of rough hands had suddenly taken hold of the Princess’s cheeks, directing her gaze away from the scene around her.
She stared right into the bright golden mask of a knight, their armor tarnished by splatters of blood and other gore the Princess tried not to notice, lest she give reason for her stomach to spill its contents. The Knight was speaking to her in low tones, but the thudding of her own pulse prevented her from understanding the words. After taking several deep breaths, the Knights words started to become tangible.
“You are safe now my lad-” Delete, Delete, Delete
“It’s going to be alri-” Deeeeeellllleeettteeeee
“Are you-” DELETE DELETE DELETE DELETE DELETE
Blakes fingers savagely smash at the delete key, effectively erasing the last sentence as she leaned back in her chair with a frustrated sigh.
Working on her latest novel was proving to be a bit tedious, as she’s been trying to make the Knight protagonist some unique individual but has only succeeded in making him a horribly cliche hero. Glancing at the clock on her laptop, Blake realizes that she’s been trying to write the Knights entrance for the last twenty minutes, and hasn’t made any real progress as she’s been deleting nearly everything she has typed.
Her cat ears go flat against her scalp in frustration as she takes off her glasses to rub at her eyes.
“It could be worse Belladonna. Your deadline could be tomorrow and you’d have to explain why you couldn’t write such a simple character arc in the time frame you promised.” She said to no one. After all, she lived alone so thankfully there was no one around to judge her for talking to herself. But her promised deadline wasn’t for many months, so thankfully Blake had all the time in the world to figure out how to write the stupidly heroic Knight who saves the Princess from danger.
Blake has been a professional novelist for the last four years, however she must admit to being slightly out of her comfort zone with her latest work. Her other novels consisted mostly of urban fantasy settings with the protagonists being perfectly capable of getting themselves out of trouble. Or into trouble, depending on the character.
However when her publisher had requested that she come up with something new and different to break her artistic mold, Blake had thought it would be easy. Boy was she wrong... But then again, it wouldn’t be a challenge if it were easy then would it?
Blake shook her head with determination. She will get through this. She just needed to drink some tea and dive back into it! Because tea makes everything better. But as she picked up her mug, her ears drooped in disappointment as she found its contents empty.
“Why is the tea gone?” She muttered to herself. She could have sworn it was a full mug two minutes ago.
With another sigh, she pushed away from her desk, stretching her arms high above her head and hearing a few vertebrae give a satisfying ‘pop’ before grabbing her mug and making her way towards the kitchen.
Setting the kettle on the stove for the water to boil, Blake was reaching for some of her favorite tea when her scroll started to play the iconic Imperial March, signalling an incoming call. She didn’t even have to look at the caller ID as she pulled out the device, the ringtone only played when her publisher called her after all. But why was she calling? Guess it’s true that when you speak of the devil…
Leaning her hip against the kitchen island she answered the call with a confused “Hello?”
“Good afternoon Blake. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“Afternoon Weiss. I was actually in the middle of making some tea before typing some more.” She tried to sound as neutral as possible, least she give away just how frustrated she was with her current work.
“Oh good, so I take it you are at home then?"
Blake felt her ears pull back as the kettle started to give out a shrilling whistle signalling that the water was ready. “Um, yes, I’m home. Why?” She asked hesitantly as she poured some water into her mug and plopped a bag of her favorite tea into it, filling her kitchen with the aroma of green tea and mint.
“Are you home alone?”
Blake stared at her scroll in confusion, why wouldn’t she be alone? “Yeah?”
There was a short sigh on the other line “Very well, I’ll be there in just a moment.” Blake looked at her scroll with an arched brow, but Weiss had already disconnected the call. A second later her doorbell rang twice.
Pocketing her scroll and grabbing her tea, Blake made her way to the door to tentatively open it, finding none other than Weiss Schnee standing on her doorstep dressed in a sharp looking powder blue blouse and skirt with a white pea coat.
For a moment, Blake could only stare blankly at her friend and publisher who stood there looking professional, while she herself was dressed in an oversized black sweater and baggy dark purple sweats. ‘At least I’m wearing a bra…’ The Fanus thought to herself as she opened the door wider in silent invitation for the other woman to enter.
“I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion Blake.” Weiss said politely as she took her pea coat off and hung it up on the nearby coat rack. She then followed Blake into the living room where they both sat on the oversized couch. The faunus folding her feet beneath her as she sat down with her tea in her lap, while Weiss sat ramrod straight on the opposite side.
Weiss was the first publisher that Blake ever worked with who truly didn’t care that she was a faunus. Kind of shocking when Blake thought about it, given that Weiss’s father was the Jacques Schnee, owner and head CEO of the famous, or infamous given one's point of view, Remnant Times. And after working together for the better part of three years, the two had come into something of a friendship. Blake wouldn’t call her boss her best friend, but still friends, which is how she could tell there was more to Weiss’s visit than her simply wanting to stop by for a visit.
“It’s no trouble. Though I am curious to know why you decided to suddenly drop by. It isn’t about the new story is it?” Blake asked as she brought her tea up to inhale the scent of mint to try and center her thoughts.
Despite just asking, she knew this visit wasn’t about her current work. Weiss is usually more professional about such things. For example She would have emailed the writer with a progress request.
Weiss made a waving motion with her hand even before Blake was finished speaking. “No, not at all. We’ve just barely agreed on having the manuscript drafted for review. I won’t be bothering you about the deadline for at least another few months.”
They both shared a chuckle at that. The first time Blake was behind schedule, it was like she was getting emails from Weiss every hour. Needless to say, she had only made that mistake once.
Okay, twice. But still...
Suddenly holding up an ivory envelope that she had been holding since taking off her coat, Weiss then abruptly handed it to the faunus. “However, this visit is work related I’m afraid. I just thought it would be better to do this in person rather than by email.” Blake set her tea down on the coffee table to take the envelope, only to very nearly drop it as she read who it was from.
It was a letter from the Remnant Literature Awards Committee.
Tearing open the envelope with haste, she quickly read the letters contents while Weiss watched her silently from her side of the couch.
“I- I’ve been nominated to receive an award in the fiction category?” Blakes said after a few minutes. As her hands started to slightly tremble she quickly set the letter down next to her tea and just stared at it for a moment longer, hugging her midsection as she tried to determine if this was real or not.
“Yes, that’s right. The ceremony wont take place until this November, however… Blake, you will have to attend the ceremony regardless if you win the category or not.” Weiss had scooted closer to the dark haired woman as her whole body visibly began to shake.
Weiss had moved to rest a hand on the faunus’s shoulder “Blake, breathe…”
Blake did her best to focus on her breathing, which had become too quick too fast. Thinking of all the people, of hundreds of people that would be there, had started to send her into a panic attack.
Shortly after the popularity of her first book release, she had a book signing event where hundreds of people had showed up. However when she had lingered longer then scheduled to talk with fans as everything was being packed up, no one caught sight of the individual with the knife.
One moment she was laughing and sharing a moment with an older couple, talking about her book, the next she felt an arm slide to her left side followed by a burning sensation that quickly turned into pain. The police said it was most likely a hate crime, but they never found the individual who did it.
There were times when Blake felt like the police never truly cared about finding her attacker during their investigations. But the knowledge of knowing that the person was still out there caused the young writer to go into a panic attack whenever confronted with large groups of people.
Apparently, the mere thought of interacting with a large crowd could also trigger a panic attack. ‘Learn something new everyday.’ Blake tried to mentally joke with herself as she began to feel herself starting to calm down.
It took Blake several more minutes before she was calm enough to fully sit up and her breathing mostly back to normal. She gave Weiss a nod of thanks, however the white haired woman had a apologetic expression. “There’s more isn’t there.” Blake said matter of factly, her voice sounding rough even to her own ears.
Weiss nodded. “Before the ceremony in November, there are several agencies who have been making requests that you host several book signings. And,” She paused as if preparing for the dark haired woman to spiral back into another panic attack. “And they’ve also made a formal request that you attend this years Authors Convention in July to take part in a Q and A panel.”
Blakes ears flattened against her skull to the point they hurt.
Standing abruptly, Blake wrapped her arms tighter around herself and began to pace. Weiss stood in response but stayed near the couch.
“The awards ceremony is one thing Weiss, but only because it’s every author's dream come true. But, but this...” She was trying desperately not to become frantic.
‘Breathe Blake, in and out, just breathe, in and out…’ She chanted in her head as she felt another panic attack urging to come around.
Weiss had put her hands on Blake’s shoulders, effectively stopping the faunus from further pacing. “I know Blake, believe me, I know.”
Gold eyes stared into blue for what seemed like minutes, but was really only a few seconds before Weiss continued in a softer voice.
“I did what I could to make your personal appearance unnecessary, but some of the requests couldn’t be turned down least it ruin your chances of winning this award. However I was able to reach a compromise that the committee readily agreed to.” Blake's ears perked slightly as she raised a single eyebrow at the other woman.
It was Weiss’s turn to pace as she had her hands on her hips, a sure sign she was a bit stressed about the topic as well.
“Granted, it depends on what they have to say specifically on the matter or if there are any conflicts with their schedule. But I arranged it so that your girlfriend could be in attendance at your upcoming appearances, including the convention panel. Having them attend the awards ceremony was a given however, as it’s common practice for people to bring family or loved ones to the event.”
Blake's brain came to a complete halt as a completely different kind of panic started to take hold.
Weiss turned back to face Blake, mistaking the writers posture for one of relief. “I know you’re quite secretive when it comes to your personal life Blake, you do have a right to your privacy after all. However I think it would be beneficial if you asked them to attend the upcoming events with you. That way, you’ll have someone you trust constantly by your side in case you have a panic attack.”
‘So that’s why she asked if I was home alone.’ Blake thought. She swore her lifespan had decreased by a good ten years by all the stress caused in a single afternoon.
Regardless, the faunus did her best to meet hopeful blue eyes and nodded meekly. “Yeah, sounds great. I, uh, I’ll ask when she gets back into town. She’s visiting family again.” Blake tried to smile reassuringly, doing her best to not sound as awkward as she felt.
Weiss however just gave her an approving nod before looking at her small wrist watch. “Well, not to sound brash, but I hope they’ll be back in town by the end of the week. I still have to finalize the paperwork regarding transportation and other expenditures by then.” She then turned and walked towards the entrance to grab her coat, missing how Blakes expression mirrored one of sheer panic before she was able to quickly school her features into something more neutral before joining Weiss at the front door.
“I have to get back to the office, but I’ll email you with more information regarding the upcoming events once I get details from the marketing team. And Blake?” Weiss paused with one hand on the doorknob, waiting for the writer to meet her gaze. “If this whole thing turns out to be too much for you, please let me know, okay? No amount of literature awards are worth it, if all it does is cause you is pain. Understand?”
Blake was touched by the genuine concern in Weiss’s voice as she nodded in response. “Thank you Weiss. I will, I promise.” This time her smile, though small, was genuine as she watched Weiss return the smile before turning and making her way to her car.
Blake watched from her doorway as the white Lexus made its way out of her long gravel driveway until it was out of sight before going back inside. Walking to her office, her tea left behind as it was no doubt cold and unappetizing by now, Blake sat heavily at her desk.
Her laptop was in sleep mode and for what seemed like several minutes, Blake just stared at the shoal of cartoon tuna swim across her screen before seeing one of her books sitting under a pile of footnotes and other papers.
Ears drooping, she silently reached for the book, not caring that some of her notes and rough drafts slid off the desk to fall onto the floor.
It was a hardback copy of her previous book, a romantic comedy depicting a young rabbit faunus who, despite being socially awkward, attracts the attention of a human. But with the support of her friends, she learns that the fashionably dressed human was just as awkward as she was. However, the book’s story wasn’t the reason why she had picked it up.
Opening the book, Blake flipped to the last page where it showed a picture of herself, sitting on a bench with a copy of her first book in her lap, even though its cover doesn’t show in the picture itself. Below the photo, a short paragraph which served as her author's bio read:
‘Blake Belladonna is a graduate of Beacon Academy where she earned her Masters Degree in English literature. She has written several best sellers such as Ivory Fang, Iceflower, and The Sea God's Plight. She lives in Vale where she enjoys reading books as much as writing them, much to her girlfriends amusement and dismay.’
Blake let out a deep sigh. Shortly after graduating college she had found a publisher to work with in releasing her first novel. During that time he had told her that she needed to come up with something to make herself more relatable to her readers. But rather than making up an alias or pretending to be human, like he suggested, she came up with an imaginary girlfriend instead.
Other than actually being bisexual, Blake no longer remembers the legitimate reasoning behind her decision on making up a girlfriend. However when the book was finally published, the popularity of it exploded in the LGBT community, thus leading its popularity into other circles. So she kept the fact that she was actually single, a secret.
After working with Weiss however, who is attentive to the smallest of details, Blake had to elaborate.
Blake had tried telling Weiss the truth on numerous occasions, but for whatever reason she would chicken out and come up with yet another lie. “They couldn’t make it due to work.” Or “They’re away visiting family” and her favorite “You just missed her, she just left to go to the store.”
Blake knew she was just digging the hole she was in deeper and deeper each time. And now… Well now Blake knew she had hit rock bottom.
She’ll have to tell Weiss the truth. She just has to scrape together enough courage to actually fess up.
“And you have one week to do it, Blake.” She angrily said to herself, tossing the book back onto her cluttered desk, sending more of her notes into a scattered mess. But she couldn’t be bothered to care about it at this moment.
Blake curled in on herself in her office chair and cried.