Chapter 11
November 4, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Blake yawned and rolled over when she heard a knock on the door. She rose and groggily opened the door, her brain not quite comprehending what was going on as she saw Ninlil walking away. However, it didn't take too long for her mind to catch up to her as she nodded. It was morning, so it was time for her to get ready and get up. She quickly dressed despite it still being dark out and headed into the main house. She made her way up to the second floor where everyone slept together. Lights brightened the room and Blake settled down on the floor near the girls her age.
"Good morning, Blake." One of them smiled brightly at her and she returned it as best she could, holding back a yawn.
"Morning." She was used to waking at dawn so getting up a few hours before that was a bit hard. But they did need to eat and everything before. And with as many people as were in the house, getting everything cooked took some time. Though one thing did hit her as her mind wandered. "Sorry if this is a silly question but...why don't we eat with the men?" She tilted her head a bit. She knew that men and women were generally kept separate from each other, but it wasn't that way at the castle at all. She was used to eating with her immediate family. Her father and brothers always ate with them.
One of the girls made a bit of a face. "Well, they're lesser than us. That's it. They can cook for themselves right? Well, why cook for them when they can do that? They can take care of themselves. We don't need them to dirty our area with their uncleanness." Blake blinked, her ears twitching slightly and standing up straight. She hadn't expected quite so much vitriol from the girl over the men. Yeah, they were weaker than women and all of that, very easy to push around, but she didn't think of them asuncleanor anything. That was more than a little shocking to hear. She loved her father even if he could be harsh and unrelenting with her at times.
"I-I see." She didn't really know how to respond to this. It was crazy to think that they could show so much hatred toward the men. She had brothers she loved and male cousins and uncles and... Yeah. She loved the men that were in her life (for the most part). She had never imagined such hatred existed for men outside of the castle. It really was shocking to see. She looked over at Ninlil who walked over.
"Is there something I can help you with, Blake?" The old woman tilted her head to the side.
"Do you need any help with breakfast? I'm working on my spicing journal..." She held up the leather-bound volume that she had been writing all her knowledge into. There was still a lot to go with, but she was making good progress at night when she wasn't being bothered by everyone in the house. She was incredibly uncomfortable being in here after hearing what had been said about the men. She knew they were lesser than women, but even so, to hear such terrible things said about them... It didn't sit right with her for some reason.
"You won't be on mandatory breakfast duty for a while, but I suppose if you want to help, you can do that." Ninlil stroked her chin a bit. Blake nodded and headed downstairs to the kitchen, more than happy to be away from the blatant awfulness that had befallen her. For the next while, she helped cook and the ladies were a bit tentative to take her advice on spices, but they remembered how well she had handled everything before, so they allowed her to guide the cooking process. She was still oddly good with other kitchen skills like chopping and such. She had no idea how she was so good at a skill she had never once done in her life before, but she wouldn't question it too heavily. She was just glad to be able to contribute and pull her weight. She still felt like she shouldn't have to be a seamstress, but there was no point in yelling and screaming about it when it wouldn't do any good.
After that, they headed upstairs with all the food and Blake settled with the girls again. They were talking about dating and she sighed. "Seriously, Blake, why won't you tell us about your date? I'm sure they're lovely." One of the girls smiled at her and Blake shook her head.
"It's not really my place to discuss her. If she wants to come by here at some point and meet everyone, that's her prerogative. But it's not my place to betray her." Three months... That wasn't a long time at all. Three months of conversations. Only about ninety conversations lasting maybe an hour to decide if she wanted to marry Weiss and dedicate her life to the woman. Well. She wore suits so that implied her identifying as male, but she hadn't said anything about it... Ugh, this entire thing was a mess. She had no idea. Plus, to her knowledge, Weisswasa feminine name... She would have to ask when they met up that night.
"Aww, come on! Just alittletalk!" one of the other girls begged.
Blake shook her head. "Stop being so nosy. It's none of your business." It was an admonishment but it really was none of the other girl's business. There was no point in talking about Weiss. She still had little idea about who Weiss was as a person. She seemed kind and considerate as well as level headed, but that was after just a couple of conversations. There was always more that lurked beneath the surface. How did she know Weiss wasn't lying and pretending to be somebody else to get close to the royal family? That made too much sense. But she really didn't get that sense from Weiss at all... Something deep in her soul told her that she should just give in and marry her. She couldn't understand why. She was human... Humans did nothing but cause war and suffering for Faunus. She seemed kind for a human. A human. She was still ultimately human. How could that make her any different than any other human that led nations where slavery was legal?
The girls sighed and went back to their talk, leaving Blake to eat by herself without conversation. She just didn't want to talk about it. The situation was complex with a lot of layers they wouldn't understand. They were commoners and she was royalty. They didn't understand what would happen if this got back to Queen Maryam. She was already a pariah as it was. She didn't want to get into further trouble for marrying a human. She'd be stripped of her title and position in the line of succession even if she'd never become queen with how far down the line she was.
After that, they headed downstairs to open up the shop and started working. Blake felt herself isolated as they continued to talk about whatever frivolous topics they decided on discussing. It gave her time to be more productive than them, but she definitely felt alone. She wished she wasn't so different from them. But she was so utterly isolated due to the vastly different lives they'd led from each other. She didn't really understand work like this. She had never done it a day in her life before now. It felt so demeaning. She hated literally every second of it. Constantly getting pricked with needles was annoying. She wished she could use the treadle machine, but that had ended in disaster. It would make her so much better at what she was doing.
Her work day eventually drew to a close and she headed out into the falconry field with Kalena. The next several hours involved her figuring out the lay of the land with the eagle soaring overhead, jesses dangling in the wind. She smiled as she saw Kalena soaring free. It was always so nice to see the bird fly free after being cooped up most of the year. Granted, it was so she could molt in peace. She wasn't entirely sure if Kalena would be a candidate for breeding or not... She had a good temperament and had proven herself as a capable hunter. She might be a great candidate for breeding... She would still have her out to be able to hunt her for the season even if she did go up for breeding. She couldn't imagine not being able to hunt with the bird for an entire season now that she had hunted with her.
After that, Blake settled on her horse and pulled up Weiss on her teibas. Thankfully, Weiss did answer right away. "Oh, hey, Blake, what's up?" Weiss tilted her head to the side. "Wait, that's a stupid question. It's around dinner time."
"I...didn't think to grab anything on my way out of town, so do you have anything there I could eat?" She smiled sheepishly, her ears flicking backward. She had been so intent on getting out of town that she hadn't thought to stop and grab them something. She felt so alone and isolated from the other girls that it was kind of depressing to stick around. She hated all of this. Part of her wished she hadn't met Weiss... It complicated life so very much. She hated how she was dodging around things to figure out if she wanted Weiss as a permanent fixture in her life or not.
Weiss sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's not very much and it's not the best either... Field rations and all. I'll have to split my dinner with you since we don't have any extra." Blake frowned at that. Weiss had already complained about not getting enough food, so to cut her already small portion in half.
"Never mind; I'll just grab something from a restaurant when I get back." She didn't want to take away food from her. She would be starving by time she got back and by time she ate, but it'd be better than starving Weiss entirely. She shouldn't have been so hasty on her exit from town. She had really overestimated just how much she wanted to get out... She hated all of this. They really didn't have too much time together to decide if they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives...and possibly all eternity. The pressure from this was pretty intense.
"Are you sure? I don't mind shar--"
"It's fine, Weiss; really." Blake smiled. One late night wouldn't kill her. She could deal with it for one night. She would just have to be mindful and grab their dinner before she left town to go out on her falconry time. She really, really just wanted to be out in the field as long as possible... It was hard to accept the fact that she couldn't spend all day hunting like she was so wont to do during everything else.
"Well, all right..." Weiss looked a bit worried, but she didn't push any further. "Do you have anything else you want to say or...?"
Blake shook her head. "No. I'll see you in a bit." They clicked the call off and Bake sent Kalena off back to Ninlil's. SHe was honestly starving since she hadn't had anything since lunch, but she would have to be patient and wait until she got back to town in order to eat. With that done, though, she clucked and her horse started off toward the direction of the camp.
Eventually, she reached the archeology camp and slowed to a walk. The guard didn't try to stop her again thankfully, so she was allowed to head to Weiss' tent without any interference. There was still daylight left, but the sun was definitely getting low in the sky. She hated how short the days got in the fall and winter... Something In her preferred the summer season and its longest days. She never really got tired of it. The heat wasn't something she liked, but the long daylight just felt best to her.
She hitched her horse and went to Weiss' tent. The other girl sat at her desk, studying what appeared to be some diagrams. Blake could sense her brow was creased, but she didn't give away much more than that. "Weiss?" She spoke softly, not wanting to startle or potentially frustrate her, but she wanted to let her know she was here.
Weiss did tense a little bit for a moment, but she relaxed a moment later and turned around. "Oh, hey Blake. Sorry; you caught me while I was looking at the layout of the area." She smiled at Blake and completely ignored what she'd been doing beforehand. She motioned to the second chair in the tent and Blake settled down. Not the most comfortable chair, but she could deal with it for a little while. She really wished she had grabbed their meals from the restaurant before leaving town. She was absolutely famished.
A man came in a moment later and gave Weiss her meal, then glanced at Blake. "Sorry, lass, we ain't got extra to go around for visitors."
"It's fine, Bren. We already discussed that." Weiss made a shooing motion with her hand and the man left, his face a bit red as he dipped out. Weiss shook her ad and sighed. "Sorry about that. He's a good man but he can definitely be a bit overbearing."
Blake shook her head. "Men do tend to be primary caregivers to children after they're weaned, so it makes sense that he's a bit overbearing. If he has a wife and children, then it would make sense." She had been too young to know how things functioned, but she did know that men tended to be primary caregivers to very young children if they didn't have jobs outside of the home. They were kept in their quarters so they didn't interfere with the women and their working too much. Men needed to be watched and presided over so that way they didn't get too frisky... They could be so prone to hurting women even though women were stronger than men most of the time.
"Yeah, that is true but still... I think he's a contract worker, so he probably doesn't make a whole lot." Weiss sighed, looking down at the meager bowl of stew that had been given to her. Evne Blake could see that it obviously wasn't enough food for a Seraphic user. Weiss really needed to stock up on goods.
Blake frowned as she watched her. "Would you like me to get you some goods one day? That's clearly not enough food..." Even Weiss had voiced that herself. Blake had more than enough money in savings. Things were pretty cheap compared to all the money she had on her from her savings account, so doing some shopping for Weiss wouldn't dent that too hard. She didn't like humans, but Weiss was clearly suffering from the lack of food. She could only imagine it wouldn't be long until Weiss started to drop weight in a dangerous way... She was already incredibly thin.
"I don't want to force you to spend money on me... Though I do imagine it'll be pittance to you considering your station. I can probably make a list up if you're going to be set on spending money on me. I can read it off to you at some point since I'll need some time to get it together. Do you think you could do that shopping tomorrow?" Weiss frowned.
Blake nodded. "I do have a fair amount put away. It should last me more than the year and a half of my Peregrination even though we're eating out every night and if I'm buying groceries for you..." Things were really dirt cheap and it wasn't like she'd ever really spent her money on much ever since she'd been a child. A stick of incense and such here and there for prayers, but that was about it. Most of it went directly into her savings so that way she would have a rainy-day fund and have plenty for her Peregrination. She had an absurd amount. Though getting those bills broken would be hard since they were such high-value amounts.
"I would appreciate it. Plus...I amreallyhungry." Weiss put a hand over her abdomen with a sigh. Blake heard the slight twinging of her stomach. She wasn't fond of humans, but Weiss was clearly suffering from the lack of food. It was hard to see her suffer so much when they shared a soul bond like this. She could probably check in with Weiss via that bond when she didn't want to use her teibas. Hopefully she would be able to help Weiss feel better...
"Well, get a list together, then we can call later tonight or maybe tomorrow morning. Just do it before I have to get to work tomorrow or maybe after work tomorrow. I usually get off about 1pm so that way I can have some time for falconry. It'll cut into my time tomorrow to go shopping, but you desperately need food. It's not good for us to have so little." A Seraphic user could starve to death in as little as ten days without food. Normal people could go a month, but with as much energy as Seraphic users burned through, they starved in half the time or less than a normal person. Undercutting the needs of a Seraphic user for so long would be a slow, painful death... Weiss would probably survive the three months, but she would lose weight and that wouldn't be healthy.
"Thank you; I truly appreciate it. I'm not sure how long I can last like this. It's already taking a toll and it hasn't been too long." Weiss sighed. "Anyway, enough of my moaning. Was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"
Blake blinked, not having expected that, but she rubbed the back of her neck. "Well. I did have one question. Where exactly does your gender identity lie? You wear male clothes but...you haven't said anything about me using feminine pronouns for you."
Weiss tilted her head a bit before shrugging. "I would technically fall under what Sodocroa calls gendervoid. I kinda slide everywhere. Sometimes I wanna present male, sometimes I wanna present female. I'm perfectly fine with female pronouns, but sometimes I feel less feminine. But I don't see it as offensive to be referred to by female pronouns." She sighed. "Sodocroa is a thorn in my side whenever I come due to the strict gender roles. I don't fit neatly into any of them and I'm not a fan of being forced into one set of clothing." Blake blinked but nodded a bit. Huh, she hadn't quite expected that. Gendervoid clothing dealt with things like split skirts and hidden pants and knickerbockers. Granted, some women were taking up gendervoid clothes because they were a bit more practical for things like riding and such. It did blur the line between the two genders which a lot of people found frustrating. Clothes made it easy to identify a person and use the right pronouns for them. Or, at least, get a better idea of their pronouns.
"I see. I'm sorry if asking that was a bit too personal or too soon..." It wasn't like they'd known each other for very long at all. She wasn't trying to overstep bounds or anything like that, but she just wanted to know what was going on with Weiss and how to address her properly. Respect for other people like this was so important...
"It's fine. I just don't like coming to Sodocroa because I'm forced into such rigid roles. I just don't like being told what to dress like and how to express myself. That isn't how Whela and Vobron role." Weiss shook her head. For Blake, it was entirely standard fare, so she was used to it. She didn't entirely understand how it was frustrating for Weiss. Then again, Blake expressly identified as feminine, so she was perfectly comfortable in dresses. The only exception was when she was out in the field and falconry was an exception for when women could wear pants. Trying to deal with carcasses and such in dresses wasn't so easy.
"Anyway, would you like to join me in the field soon? You said you'd show me how to deal with prey..." Blake was still getting the lay of the land and seeing where things were. She didn't want to try to hunt without at least a little bit of experience taking out animals first. She had her falconry bag on her with her large hunting knife, but she hadn't used it yet. She was honestly a bit afraid of having to deal with taking out prey if Kalena hadn't managed to fully end it herself. She was a strong eagle, stronger than normal ones, but even she could mess up on catching technique and not take something out fully. She was still letting the eagle fly, though, so she could keep up her fitness and wouldn't grow flaccid as the season wore on. She needed to do some lure work with her though...
"Maybe the day after tomorrow. Things aren't moving on too much since I'm the third overseer this project has had. I shouldn't be away too much, but I don't think I'll get in trouble if I'm out with you once in a while. I don't want to anger Queen Maryam." Yeah, Blake could definitely understand that. The woman was absolutely terrifying and ruled through fear. Blake hated getting on her bad side, but she often ended up there due to her lack of desire to take up the family tradition. Most Donatis took up weather control, but she had no desire to do so. She wanted to work with the soul... Maybe she ought to just get her magic while she was out here. It would anger the queen, but she couldn't be punished for anything that happened on her Peregrination.
"She is definitely a terrifying woman," Blake agreed. She hesitated before speaking again. "By the way, do you know if there are any local Fountains? I know there's a massive amount of magic in the vault you're studying, but do you know if there are any Fountains local to this area?" Blake hadn't been able to study the geography of Fountains before, so she hoped that Weiss might have an answer for her. She wasn't sure exactly what sort of magic she'd go for, but if she knew, she would have time to think and reflect on what exactly she would do with herself...
"Honestly, it's less for the fact that she herself is terrifying and more for the fact that it could negatively impact my family and career. I'm a third-party historian for hire. I'm the person you bring in when you need a second set of eyes on things. I work with royal families and nobles from around the world. One bad mark from one employer could ruin my career as well as that of my parents." Wow, Weiss really had different priorities than Blake... She could get it to some degree, but that was still crazy to see how Weiss wasn't afraid to stand up to the queen. Blake didn't have that same sort of backbone. She really just wanted to be able to live her life as she wanted to.
"As for Fountains..." Weiss got up and pulled a book off the mobile bookshelf she'd been given and handed the book to Blake. Blake flipped through it and frowned as she saw there were no Order Fountains in the immediate area. "I'm guessing you're not finding what you want?"
Blake shook her head. "Unfortunately not. I want to get Order magic, not Chaos magic. Though...I'm still not quite sure what I want my magic tobe.All I know is I want to do something with the soul... I need to figure it out before I go back from my Peregrination." She sighed, resting her chek in her hand. She was a guest at Ninlil's house and she wasn't entirely sure if she'd be allowed to go to places without Ninlil's permission. She would have to travel several towns over and...she had never traveled by herself. That was honestly terrifying. And she needed to figure out exactly what to do with her magic.
Weiss held her hand up and showed Blake a ring on her right hand. "You could always do something like this or maybe teibas work. The rings that allow you to teleport to a loved one." Blake blinked, her ears twitching a bit. She had never considered that before. She wanted to work with the soul and somehow, the teleportation bit felt...familiar.
"I think you might have the right idea. Though I think I would have to apprentice under a ring maker like that..." She frowned. She would have to talk to Ninlil about all of this. What a headache. The woman kept a pretty strict leash on her, so she doubted she'd be allowed to stray from what she was doing. Ninlil knew her mother, so she could only imagine what got back to Jatta on check-ins.
"You seem perturbed. Is something wrong?"
Blake glanced away. "My life is just...complicated by being a princess." That was where she'd leave it. She still didn't feel comfortable enough with Weiss to start delving into her issues. Though she knew she'd have to talk to her about things eventually. But they still barely knew each other so she hoped that Weiss wouldn't take offense to it. Thankfully, glancing back at Weiss only revealed a small smile and a nod of the head.
"I can imagine. My life is complex enough, dealing with nobility and royal families. I can't imagine what it must be like being in them. It's completely understandable." Blake breathed a sigh of relief at Weiss' understanding.
"I have a lot to decide on before I go back to the castle..." She shook her head. Yeah. She pursed her lips together. "If I decide to go get magic...would you come with me? I'm trained in combat, but I've never traveled alone..." She didn't want to be caught off guard. She didn't even have her Simulacrum yet. She should've had it by now, but she just didn't. She had tried so many different ways to awaken it. Even the usual way of forcing it to awaken didn't work. It...was beyond strange.
Weiss tilted her head a bit but nodded. "Yeah, sure. It might be best to do it the day after tomorrow though... That way we can get some falconry in too." She smiled at Blake. Blake nodded a bit. Yeah, might as well get it done together... Two birds, one stone sorta deal. They had to be careful not to arouse Queen Maryam's suspicion. Then again, it wasn't like she could exactly be punished for any of this. The queen would be furious, but she wouldn't be able to sustain any sort of punishment for it. She was glad that it was a rule that things done on the Peregrination could be punished...
"All right. I'll talk to Ninlil, then call you later tonight. Sound good?" Weiss nodded. Blake sighed. "I should probably start heading back..."
"All right. See you tomorrow then?"
"See you tomorrow." Blake bowed and offered Weiss a small smile before excusing herself from the tent. She rode the hour or so back to town and, by that point, the shattered moon had risen overhead. She went to a restaurant and grabbed something to eat (much to her body's relief), then returned to the house. She managed to track down Ninlil and the old woman looked a bit put out.
"You were out awful late tonight. I was starting to worry you'd gotten lost or something."
"Sorry," Blake apologised, her ears flattening. She wasn't trying to make the old woman worry. "I did have a question for you... Well. A couple." She outlined what she and Weiss had spoken about (leaving out most of the details aside from what was pertinent) and looked at her, squeezing her hands together. She wasn't sure what at all the woman would do or how she'd respond. She really, really didn't want to upset her or get reported to Queen Maryam for going behind the woman's back.
Ninlil was quiet for a little while, obviously considering. "Well, your Peregrination is what you make of it, right? I'm just in charge of giving you a place to rest. Whatever you want to do is whatever you want to do. I do know a ring maker looking for an apprentice. Ain't many people knowledgeable on the soul in the lower classes, so you'd be right up his alley." Blake blinked, surprised by the response. But she nodded, thankful that it sounded like the old woman wasn't going to rat her out. "He'll pay you a fair price for your apprenticeship."
"...Thank you." She really wasn't sure what to say. It was surprising the woman was so willing to let her go like that. But she wouldn't exactlycomplainabout it either. Tomorrow would be a relatively normal day then the day after that would be travel and time with Weiss... It would be her first extended time with the other girl and she felt her cheeks heating up.
Ninlil chuckled a bit. "Got someone you're sweet on, hm?"
Blake's cheeks heated up more and she shook her head. "N-No! I'm just getting to know her. A-Anyway, it's late. I should go to bed. Good night!" She beat a hasty retreat to her sleeping quarters and let out a breath, her cheeks still a brilliant shade of pink. What a mess. What an absolute mess. Why did people keep thinking she was sweet on Weiss? They were just getting to know each other... There was nothing wrong with that.
With everything for the day done, Blake yawned and got ready for bed, curling up and quickly falling asleep.
