Whiskey & Tears

6 months ago…

Shit was the first word to pop into Yang Xiao Long’s head as she observed the bar’s shelves of liquor. They were out of whiskey. Completely.

The blonde repressed a sigh as she debated whether or not to risk a trip in the storm to get more. As if sensing her thought, a massive clap of thunder sounded and judging by the resounding noises on the roof, the rain had turned to hail. Great, add potential roof damages to the list of the woman’s annoyances.

Yang was startled by the sound of the door opening. She spun around, to see a woman, with long, drenched black hair, an old pair of converse and an oversized blue windbreaker, clutching a piece of crumpled wet paper in her hand, standing in the doorway. She looked dead on her feet.

Yang hurried over, as the woman shut the door – wobbling slightly as she did so.

“Hey, are you okay?” The blonde asked, making her way over to the woman. Yang threw an arm around the woman’s shoulders and led her over to a chair, pulling it out so the woman could sit down.

“Wait here – I’ll grab you a towel,” Yang instructed, leaving no room for argument before she raced off. The blonde reappeared a moment later, with a white, fluffy towel slung over her shoulder.

“There, this should help,” Yang said, handing her the towel. The woman started to dry herself off as Yang took a seat opposite her.

“So what made you decide to get out in a storm like this?” Yang inquired. The woman placed the dripping piece of paper on the table.

“This is Ember Celica, isn’t it?” The woman asked, speaking for the first time since she’d come in. Her voice was scratchy. Yang nodded.

“Yup sure is. I’m the owner of this place, what can I do for you?”

The woman coughed. “I’m here about the job offer… my name is Blake Belladonna.”

Yang looked at her, concernedly – wondering why Blake would go to such lengths for not that well-paying of a job.

“Look, why don’t you dry off some and then we’ll talk, okay? I’ll get you some water.” Yang moved to stand, but the woman grabbed her wrist.

“Wait! I - I really need this job okay? I- I know a bit about drinks and I learn fast I just – I really need the money. Please, I’m begging you.” Blake pleaded. Yang stared at the woman’s golden eyes, pursing her lips.

“Alright – give me a few days to run a background check first. But in the meantime, you might as well stay while the storm passes. The weather station is saying we’re under a tornado watch.” Yang relented. Blake nodded, relaxing slightly.

****

Present Day

Blake was calmly bussing a table when she heard an interesting bit of information.

“Yeah, man – did you hear that Taurus is back in town?”

“What? I thought the White Fang cleared out years ago.”

A laugh. “So did I, brother. But I guess Taurus is pissed – he’s out looking for two that got away. Some blonde dude and a chick with dark hair. Like that’s not vague.”

The other men laughed at this, and the conversation switched topics.

Blake stood frozen for a second, before leaving her towel and walking briskly to the break room breathing like she’d run a marathon. Her hands shook so bad, she could barely turn the knob. Yang raised an eyebrow as she watched the shaken girl disappear into the break room. Wordlessly, she followed.

Yang walked into the break room to see Blake pacing and minutes from hyperventilating.

“Blake – Blake, you need to calm down,” Yang said. “Take a deep breath, okay? Now tell me what’s wrong?” Yang asked, softly. Blake nodded, taking several deep breaths to calm herself before speaking.

“I-I have to go b-back to the beginning for this to make sense.” She began, taking a seat at the small table. “Two years ago, I had a boyfriend named Adam Taurus. He was nice at first but then, not long into our relationship he changed. He started, demanding things and calling me names and hitting me. One day, he made me coffee. I should have noticed that was strange for Adam to do – but I didn’t think to question it until I passed out after he slipped something into my drink.

When I woke up i-it was dark. I was in some kind of cage, and my feet were bound. There was a cage next to mine, with a blonde-haired boy in it. Over the next few weeks, I came to know his name was Sun.” She paused for a second as a memory swam to the surface…

****

Blake shivered, as she crouched in the corner of her cage – not that it was big enough to do much else. There was the sound of footsteps, as someone poured water into the dish she’d been provided. There hadn’t been water in there for at least a day, and she scurried over, pulling her long her back before bending down to drink. She ignored the jeers from her captors.

“Aw look – the bitch is thirsty.”

A low whistle. “Hey, she looks good on her knees.”

Blake was biting down hard on her lip, to keep from responding to their comments.

“Just ignore them.” A voice from her right whispered. She looked over to see a blonde boy, looking at her. “You can’t let them see that they get to you. If you respond it’ll only get worse, trust me.” He continued.

“I’m sorry – who are you?” She asked. He flashed her a wry smile.

“My name’s Sun.” The blonde introduced. “I uh, I was up to no good in a shady part of town and my luck finally ran out. Needle to the neck and next thing I knew, I was here.” Sun said, answering her unspoken question. Blake nodded in sympathy.

“Blake.” She returned. “My abusive ex drugged me.”

Sun winced. A pair of their captors came back in, carrying a limp form. They unlocked one of the cages and set her in. A few of the new abductees started shouting after them.

“Let us out!”

“You fucking psychos!”

“People will look for me – I have a family!”

“I’ll fucking murder you, psychos when I get out of this shithole!”

The pair in white masks ignored these people, turning on their heel and walking out. The closing of the heavy metal door echoed throughout the room. A few continued to shout.

Blake felt an irrational surge of anger. “Oh my god – will you all shut up?! No one is coming to save us – if they were, we wouldn’t be here! So stop your fucking crying and accept it, like the rest of us have! We’re not leaving this place!” She shouted. Blake peeked to the side and saw Sun looking at her like she’d just kicked a puppy.

“What?” Blake spat.

“That… was a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Sun questioned. Blake glared at him for one more second, before lying down and turning away from him.

“It was the truth. This isn’t a movie, Sun. No one is coming to save us. They probably don’t even know we’re here.” Blake replied. Sun didn’t make any more comments after that and Blake let her exhaustion lead her into a dreamless sleep.

****

”They - these people in odd, white masks, kept us in those cages for months – feeding us and giving us water through the bars like we were animals. They only let us out for bathing and using the restroom.

About a year after we were taken, they came for us again. They stacked the cages in some kind of van – for transport. We were going to be auctioned I think. But… the roads were slick and we got lucky. The vehicle we were in crashed and some got free. The driver was dead from the impact – so someone grabbed his keys and unlocked our cages. Sun grabbed my hand and ran – we ran and ran until our lungs burned from the effort, and our bare feet stung from the cold. We’ve stuck together ever since.

Eventually, Sun got a job and we were able to get an apartment. But- those men at the bar. They mentioned that Adam was back in town and that he was searching for ‘Some blonde dude and a chick with dark hair’. They have to be talking about us.” Blake finished. ‘Oh god – what am I going to do? I- I can’t go back there, and I won’t give Sun up.”

Yang grabbed the panicking woman by the shoulders, looking the dark-haired woman in the eyes.

“Hey – look at me. It’s gonna be okay.” Yang soothed. “Easy – breathe.” She instructed. Blake did as she ordered- taking in several deep breaths before she calmed down slightly.

“Look, how about you head home and lie low for a few days. Ruby and I will hold down the fort.” Yang suggested. “I can even give you a ride if you want?”

Blake nodded. “I’d like that.”

****

The two breezed through the city, the wind whipping by them on Yang’s bike. Blake kept her arms wrapped tight around the blonde’s waist. Blake stopped her in front of a sleek, apartment building – it’s shiny reflective surface reached for the sky, color-blocked with matte black and glass windows glittered with lights.

“This is it.” She said, dismounting and handing Yang her helmet.”You can come up for a bit if you want. Sun won’t be back for another hour, and I could use the company.” Blake offered. Yang shrugged and trailed after her.

****

Blake held the door open, while Yang walked into the apartment. The apartment was… cozy. The walls were a calming white, with one dark-red statement wall. A black couch curved in front of a matching coffee table ahead of Yang, in the living room. To the left, a granite counter-top served as a mini-bar while also separating the living room from the kitchen. Across the living room, a hallway forked off.

Yang walked forward, her eyes taking in the place. She jumped back in surprise when a black blur darted across her path with a yowl. Blake laughed, shrugging off her jacket.

“Sorry – I should’ve warned you about her. That was Faunus, my cat. She’s shy around strangers” Blake introduced. “You’re not allergic, are you?” She added, as an afterthought.

“Nah, she just surprised me is all. She came out of nowhere.” Yang laughed.

“Oh if you think Faunus is bad, wait until you meet Sun’s monkeys, Ruyi and Jingu – I’m sure they’re around.” Blake retorted. Yang raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“You boyfriend has monkeys? Is that even legal?”

Blake shrugged. “Sometimes I think half of Sun’s actions are illegal. Oh, and uh he’s not my boyfriend.”

Yang traipsed after her, into the kitchen. “I’m sorry – I just assumed that-“

Blake waved her concerns off. “No harm done. Sun and I did try dating for a while but – it was awkward. It felt weird to both of us. Then, Sun realized he was gay so - we went back to being just friends.” Blake said, nonchalantly. “He’s got a boyfriend these days. Neptune – I think is his name. He has this weird, bright blue hair.”

She opened the fridge, scouring for beverages or snacks.

“You want a drink? I’ve got wine coolers but that’s about it.” The black-haired woman asked.

“Sure.”

****

Some time later, the pair sat on Blake’s couch sipping wine coolers. A cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie was playing on the TV in front of them. Faunus was happily curled up between them, snoring lightly as she napped – her earlier hesitance forgotten.

The scene on the TV was some happy couple sharing a cheesy kiss under the mistletoe after the man had proposed.

Sitting there, on the couch watching terrible Christmas movies, with Yang beside her felt almost… domestic to Blake. Course, she was a lightweight so it might have well been the alcohol talking. She glanced at the blonde, swallowing. Blake felt brave.

Before she knew what was happening, Yang saw Blake lean over and felt a pair of lips pressed against hers. The blonde stiffened and Blake pulled back with a horrified gasp, startling Faunus who woke with a hiss. The cat angrily jumped down and wandered off her tail twitching.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what I-“ Blake panicked. Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

“Blake, it’s okay. I’m not mad. I just – there’s a lot going on for you right now, I think that maybe we should wait until this whole White Fang thing blows over, okay? I want to make sure you’re not doing something you’ll regret.” Yang reassured her. She paused. “Well, that and I can’t really date my employee.”

That last part got a chuckle out of the other woman. Blake glanced at her phone.

“You should probably go. Sun will be home soon and trust me - he would never let me live this down. Besides, I’m sure Ruby is wondering where you’re at.” Blake said. Yang nodded.

“Yeah. Just, remember what I said: lie low for the week. Both of you.” She reminded one last time, before making her way towards the door.

****

On her fourth day of self-imposed house arrest, Blake was woken up by Sun’s shouting from the living room. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and grabbed some slippers before making her way out.

“Blake – you gotta see this!” He shouted. She hurried along – as much as one could when still half-asleep. When she got to the living room Sun was eagerly leaning towards the TV, Ruyi and Jingu perched on either side of him. A bright red ribbon ran across the screen reading ‘Breaking news’. He glanced back at her and took it off mute. Blake leaned over the couch, her eyes glued to the screen.

“I have just received confirmation that 29 members of the human trafficking ring known as the ‘White Fang’ have been arrested – thanks to an anonymous tip. The police aren’t releasing any names yet but-“

The newscaster stopped, as new information came in. “The police have confirmed that the group’s leader, Adam Taurus is among those arrested. They are currently being held without bail and though his trial hasn’t been scheduled yet – Adam Taurus is expected to be faced with the death penalty. That’s all the information we have as of right now – but we will, of course, keep you posted as new information is made available.

Now, back to the weather.”

Sun muted it again, as Blake’s knees gave out. She couldn’t believe it. After years of torment, and running, and nightmares and paranoia…could it be true?

Blake couldn’t hold back her tears. She cried for the year lost, for the torment, those memories caused, for the paranoia it left behind, for the nights where she and Sun took turns comforting the other after one experience a night terror. She cried tears of joy, for the future.

 “We’re finally free, Blake. We’re finally free.” Sun whispered – still unable to believe it, himself.

When the pair had finally calmed down enough to eat, still in somewhat of a state of shock, Blake’s phone vibrated with a text.

From: Yang Xiao Long

Just saw the news. Glad they finally got that fucker.

So… if you’re still down…. Are you free next Saturday? ;)