[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

It was late, after a joint training session with CFVY. Everyone was sweaty, laughing, packing up gear in the locker room. Coco was teasing Velvet about her ears twitching every time Yatsuhashi walked by—"Girl, just ask him out already"—when Velvet paused and sniffed the air. She slowly turned to stare intensely at Blake.

Blake, tying her bow a little tighter out of habit, froze mid-motion at the stare.

"Yes, Velvet?" Blake asked quietly. "Something... I can help you with?"

Velvet sniffed a few more times. She stared at Blake.

"... When was the last time you were in Atlas, Blake?"

Velvet's voice was quiet. Too quiet.

Blake's heart dropped into her stomach. She opened and closed her mouth, slowly.

"Blake? What's up?" Yang asked, leaning from her locker. Ruby and Weiss looked with concern too.

"When was it?" Velvet pressed again.

Velvet was staring at her, ears flat against her head, fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white. The room had gone dead silent—Coco's sunglasses slipped down her nose. Weiss tensed a bit. Ruby looked confused, as Yang frowned deeply.

"I..." Blake started, but the words died.

Velvet took one step forward. "You were there."

It wasn't a question.

Blake's mouth went dry. "Velvet—"

"That night. My parents. Atlas suburbs. Three years ago." Velvet's voice cracked like a whip. "I remember the masks. The horns on one of them. I was hiding in the closet. I heard everything. I smelled everything." Her eyes filled with tears, but they were furious tears. "You were the lookout."

The accusation hung in the air like smoke.

Blake didn't deny it. She couldn't.

Coco stepped between them instinctively. "Vel, what the hell—"

"Get out of the way, Coco," Velvet said, voice trembling. "She was there when they broke my father's ribs. When they told my mother she'd betrayed her people by marrying a human. When they—" She choked. "I thought they were going to kill them."

Blake's knees felt weak. "I didn't know," she whispered. "I didn't know it was going to be like that."

Velvet laughed, a broken, bitter sound. "You didn't know? You were there!"

"I was told—" Blake swallowed hard. "I was told your mother was selling Menagerie secrets to Atlas. That we were just... questioning her. I was new. They kept me outside. I was uncomfortable—I faked a police siren to get them to leave early—"

"You think that makes it better?!" Velvet shouted. "You think pretending to be a lookout while they beat my parents half to death makes you innocent?!"

Coco reached for Velvet's shoulder. She shrugged her off violently.

Blake's eyes were burning. "No. It doesn't. Nothing makes it better."

Velvet stared at her for a long moment, chest heaving. Then she turned and walked out, ears pinned flat, shoulders shaking.

The locker room was silent.

Coco rounded on Blake. "Explain. Now."

Blake couldn't. She just slid down the lockers until she was sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees.