#ferineblake

Brindle yelped, stumbling back instinctively to get away from her attacker. It took a long moment for her brain to catch up to the fact that it was Sable. At first she was too stunned to be angry.Her expression tried to find a shape that wasn’t clearly hurt. Her ears folded down into her hair, tail curling tightly around her leg. “W-what was that for?”

Those green eyes cut right down to the bone. The other woman didn’t immediately answer, and that was enough time for Brindle to summon her fury and her pride. Brindle visibly bristled, even, in the way that made Sable’s eyes narrow with instinct even if she pretended she wasn’t faunus to the marrow of her bones.

“What the hell was that?”

They had worked together for years, doing good work as the CEO of Wisteria CO and the “liaison” for Beacon respectively. Also they kissed sometimes, among other things. As much as the woman held a good portion of Brindle’s heart, it didn’t give Sable the right to strike Brindle. She nearly pushed into Sable’s space as a challenge, but was stopped short by a single sheet of paper held between two fingers like a dead roach.

CLASSIFIED blazed across the top of the page in red ink, and Brindle felt the color drain from her face at the shot of Sable paperclipped to the page. It was only now that she noticed the way Sable trembled, hands gripping her elbows as if holding herself together… or afraid of what she might do. “How could you?”

Brindle cast the reporter a surprised glance, as did a few others in the room. Questions did sometimes cross the line to impropriety, but it was rare for it to be so blatant. Then Brindle recognized the logo on their microphone and wasn’t surprised at all.

That particular station dragged pro-Faunus supporters through the mud almost gleefully. It was bad enough Sable was a Faunus herself, without the additional scandal of sleeping with Beacon’s Faunus-friendly face.

“You’re a bit confused,” Brindle said smoothly, before Sable felt the need to salvage her startled pause, “Miss Wisteria and I are only friends. We work closely due to her donations to Beacon’s work in the Faunus community.”

Later when the cameras were off, her free hand fumbled to lock the office door without looking down. Her other was occupied wrapping around the CEO’s wrist, tugging up her hand to plant a playful kiss over her pulse.

It took quite a bit Del had not to sign 'You think?' Quite a bit, because everything else was devoted to not thinking about the bullet now sitting in her thigh. Asshole'd used a hollow point, there would be no telling what damage had been done until she got it checked by a doctor.

It was a long way to the hospital, the one which understood some Hunters could not answer why they'd been hurt. So a preliminary, basic healing was in order.

But with Del's abilities, that required getting the bullet out.

So instead she took Aer, wiped it clean of blood, and bit down on its blade. Then, a quick grabbing motion with one hand, pulling it in towards her chest. The other presented the tweezers before slightly frowning eyes and pursed lips, ones heated long over a flame.

'Take.'

13. being hit on by a stranger (lol most accurate roll ever)

The rat’s ear swiveled in the direction of Sable’s laughter, her head turning just enough to catch a glance. 

From this distance the rat couldn’t make out details, but she knew that Sable had pearls in her ears and at her neck to match her dove-white dress. Pretty as a picture framed in the mirror on her vanity. 

At Sable’s left Brindle recognized the son of a diplomat from Mistral - the blaze of red hair unmistakable even by lamplight. Judging by the angle of his shoulder, his hand was on her knee. Judging by the way she tilted her head in his direction, almost giggling into her wineglass, she didn’t mind at all. 

He had to be close enough to catch the scent of her perfume, something delicate and floral Brindle had picked up on the shores to the south. 

Brindle sighed inwardly and tugged at her tie, turning her attention back to the stage as another singer stepped into the spotlight. Hopefully this one wouldn’t make her want to stuff the napkins in her ears.  

Charity events like this one were tiresome, but at least it was for a good cause. And Sable had worked hard, she deserved to enjoy herself now that the event was almost over.