N7 Rose

Volume 1, Ch. 7: N7's Black and White

~Tea Shop in Vale~
*Commander (Y/N) Rose POV*

Two days, two days it's been since the heated argument between Blake and Weiss, and later me snapping at Weiss. I swear that girl sometimes. I understand what she means, but damn it not all faunus share the same thought as the White Fang. Anyways, along with Tali, we stayed with Blake to comfort her, but we had a lee- I mean another person joining us. A monkey faunus, named Sun Wukong, who I wasn't all that happy to see. After a couple days, the four of us stopped at a nearby tea shop and drank some tea. Sun used his tail to drink his tea, while Blake and I drank normally. Tali, however, had to modify her tea with some Dextro-Amino alterations to make it edible for her. Blake and I drank from our tea, and Blake took a deep breath before speaking.

"So," Blake reluctantly said after two days. Sun looked at her with his mouth full of tea. "You want to know more about me?"

"Babe," I said while holding her hand. "It's your choice."

"He's right, Blake," Tali replied after me. "We're here for you. Just take it slow."

"Thanks you guys," Blake replied with a smile. "I want to talk."

"Finally she speaks," Sun says while raising his hands. "Nearly two days and she's given nothing but small talk and weird looks."

The three of us looked at him with "seriously?" expressions.

"Yeah," Sun says. "Like that."

I shook my head with Tali, while Blake rolls her eyes.

"Sun, (Y/N), Tali," Blake starts off. "Are you three familiar with the White Fang?"

"Of course," Sun replies. "I don't think there's a faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them. Stupid, holier-than thou creeps who use force to get whatever they want."

"Tali and I only heard a few things here and there with Liara, Garrus, and Grunt." I replied to Blake. "Sun, I believe you don't agree with the White Fang?"

"I agree for equality, but I don't agree with the methods," Sun replied to me as Blake takes a drink from her tea. "Bunch of freaks if you ask me."

"I was once a member of the White Fang." Blake said. That sentence made Sun choke on his tea. Tali and I acted surprised, since Ozpin told us that information already.

"Wait a minute," Sun blurts out. "You were a member of the White Fang?! (Y/N), Tali, did you know?"

Sun and Blake's eyes were on Tali and I, and we came clean.

"Professor Ozpin told the both of us before we left," I replied. Sun and Blake were shocked, but Blake was even more surprised that Ozpin knew. "Now, Blake, yes Tali and I know, but let me tell you this."

I set my tea down while looking at Blake and holding her hands.

"Blake, what you did in the past, is all in the past," I began. "It's what you do NOW and in the future are what matters. I don't care that you were in the White Fang, and that won't change how I see or feel about you. I love you with all my heart, Blake."

Blake had a few tears and smiled from my words. Tali rubbed Blake's back.

"He's right, you know," Tali said. "You are a friend to us and that doesn't change how we see you."

"Thank you both, I mean it," Blake replied while wiping tears away. "I was a member for most of my life actually. You can say I was born into it. Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between the humans and the faunus.  Of course, despite being promised equality, the faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings, so the White Fang rose up, and became the voice of our people, and I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott, and I actually thought we were making a difference, but I was just a youthful optimist. Then five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. A new leader with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fires to shops that refused to serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used faunus labor, and the worse part was. It was working. We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect, but out of fear."