Chapter 141: Blake
"So?"
As soon as Draco vanished with the Portkey, Fleur and Penny pounced on her.
"What?"
"What are your plans for our Draco?"
Penny looked at Blake seriously, and it seemed to Blake that she was looking straight into her soul. Still, she wasn't going to back down. Something inside her, the part of her that she usually relied on when making decisions, told her that if she backed down now, then...
*Then what, exactly?*
Still, Blake didn't lie to herself for long. She'd done that once already, and now she was ashamed of that. Not ashamed of the struggle itself, but of how she'd handled it, of how she'd turned a blind eye to every red flag.
"He... I like him..."
"That much is clear. You know, many people like him. In fact, many are in love with him..."
Fleur said in a calm, confident voice, gesturing for Blake to follow.
"...but he gives few people a chance."
"I... what am I supposed to say to that?"
"Nothing..."
Penny backed up her friend, continuing the conversation.
"...you don't have to say anything, unless, of course, you want to leave things as they are and lose your chance. Because Draco won't be the only one making the decision."
"Pff..."
"Snort all you want..."
Fleur wagged a finger at her, and Blake smiled.
"...Is that funny to you?"
"Fleur, don't get worked up..."
Penny put an arm around her friend's shoulders, calming her. Surprisingly, it helped, and Fleur began to settle down.
"...just imagine how it looks from the outside, and you'll understand that Blake has every right to snort like that. If you or I were in her place, we'd probably have made a sarcastic comment too."
"Well... you're right..."
Fleur nodded slowly.
"All right, so you like him? Do you want to become his wife?"
They had just entered a small parlor and settled in while the strange creature known as a house-elf began setting out pies and tea. House-elves were rare, as Summer had told her and her friends. They were a magical race, something like parasites, though Blake saw them more as symbiotes. Much had been said on the topic, but none of it mattered. Blake had long since grasped the essence: when in Rome, do as the Romans do. She wasn't going to fight for creature rights, especially since she'd spoken with Draco's house-elf one night and realized the creature was completely satisfied with its lot. Moreover, according to that house-elf, most of his kin were content with the status quo...
*So why start a rebellion, then? Just because it seemed unfair to her personally?*
"Did she zone out?"
Fleur asked Penny after Blake failed to answer for several minutes.
"Huh?"
"Are you all right?"
Penny looked at Blake sympathetically.
"Is someone harassing you? Forcing you into anything?"
"No! What are you talking about?!"
Blake looked at the girls in shock. They'd shown unexpected kindness. Not that they'd been rude, but if she were in their shoes, she would have pressured a rival to give up on becoming the man's wife.
*Ha... her man, was he?*
"I don't know... Draco, he's good... smart... kind... he promised to help me settle the Faunus... I like him, but do I want to become his wife?"
Blake shrugged, but she felt she was holding something back.
"Especially since I wouldn't be the only one..."
She shook her head.
"Well..."
Penny shrugged.
"...you're the only one who can answer that. Neither Fleur nor I can answer it for you."
"I understand."
"All right, since we're all gathered here today, and our dear Draco isn't with us, I suggest we speak frankly... We will get to know you..."
Fleur looked at Blake attentively.
"...and you'll get to know us, and try to understand what it means to be Draco's fiancée."
"So you're not against me?"
There was surprise in Blake's voice.
"We..."
Penny put a hand on Fleur's knee, stopping her.
"We haven't figured out how we feel about you possibly joining our family yet. So let's figure it out..."
"Um... All right..."
Blake was slightly embarrassed. Still, she could clearly see that despite their showy bravado, both of them were embarrassed by what was happening.
"...what would you like to know?"
"Well, to begin with, we'd like to know about your interests... aside from evenings with Draco, when he tells you about the history of our world."
Blake's cheeks reddened, but she did not look away from the girls.
"I can also say that I liked it when he stroked my head and scratched behind my ear."
Both of them seemed to snap to attention, and she realized that she had just said something she should not have said.
"No, I will not let you pet me... at least not right now."
"Pff!"
Despite Penny's contemptuous snort meant to show she hadn't wanted it that much, it also carried an offended tone, making it clear she had wanted it, and quite strongly...
*** Several Hours Later. ***
The mood in the room had changed. The three girls were talking among themselves and had already forgotten how this conversation had begun. They were simply enjoying one another's company. And it was at that moment that a Patronus flew into the room.
"Blake, you're needed. The Faunus need confirmation that the daughter of the Belladonna family is on my side. So get ready, someone will come for you soon to take you to where they're being housed. Also call Summer and your friends if they know how to operate a Bullhead. We'll need a couple of birds ferried to us."
Blake stared in shock at the Patronus as it scattered into sparks of light.
"And what do I do?"
"I suppose you can wait outside for a little while."
"No..."
Blake shook her head.
"That part is clear. I just... I just don't know how to convince them that they'll be well off here."
"Just be yourself..."
Penny patted her on the shoulder.
"Huh?"
"My friend, you're rather pleasant to talk to, so be yourself, tell the truth, and I think they'll believe you."
"I... thank you."
"You're welcome... Come on, let's stand outside for a little while and meet the person who's supposed to escort you."
"Uh-huh..."
And so the girls headed for the exit. At the same time, they sent a Patronus to Summer and Blake's friends, and soon they all gathered in one place.
The escort arrived exactly ten minutes later, and all of them immediately went with him to the Faunus who had recently appeared in this world.
"Oof..."
The transfer wasn't very pleasant, but the girls barely swayed before following the man, who led Blake to a large barracks, left her there, and went with the other girls toward the platform where the Bullheads were.
"Um... hello..."
The moment she entered the barracks, every Faunus there looked at her.
"Hm..."
An old woman stepped forward and examined her attentively.
"My name is Blake Belladonna. I'm the daughter of Ghira and Kali, and I came because I was told you don't trust Draco and would like to hear from me."
"Hm... I see their features in you..."
The old woman nodded.
"Answer me, is what that boy told us true? And why did he come to us instead of you?"
"To answer your second question... Draco Black is the representative and future head of an ancient House. Essentially, although he isn't formally the head yet, he performs all the functions of one."
"How did we end up here?!"
A man stepped forward, clearly not in a friendly mood.
"Karl, step back."
"Grandma Musya, I..."
"Step back, I said."
The old woman pinned the man with her gaze, and he stepped back.
"I can answer your question. The residents of this world call this process the Convergence of Worlds, though they only remember the name by chance, since the last Convergence was a VERY long time ago. And by 'very,' they mean not decades, not even centuries, but thousands of years."
The man blinked.
"In fact, Draco was one of the first to understand what was happening, and he began preparing. Right now, a small Quarter is under his House's control, though by our world's standards, it's more like a small town. And as the head of the Quarter, he's inviting you to settle there."
"At your request?"
"Yes..."
She nodded.
"...precisely at my request. In essence, he already has a great many matters to deal with, so most likely he wouldn't have paid attention to you."
"Is he racist?"
A little girl with fox ears asked. She approached Blake, lifted her head, and looked up at her with huge brown eyes.
"No, little one..."
Blake placed a hand on the child's head and stroked it.
"...it's just that he doesn't see anyone here who could be of help to the Quarter in the foreseeable future. Substantial help, I mean. And therefore, if I weren't on good terms with him, he most likely wouldn't even have considered inviting you to his Quarter."
"What will we have to do there?"
The old woman cut off the other questions with a gesture.
"What work will he give us? Mines?"
"No..."
Blake shook her head.
"He has no mines at all, so you needn't worry about that. Most likely, those without education will work in the fields."
"Tch... plowing dirt..."
"Now, don't do that..."
Blake shook her head.
"...all the crops are harvested using technology and magic, so they won't need help there..."
"Magic?"
The little one, melting from such a simple caress, asked with shining eyes.
"Yes, it's like Aura, but not everyone can use it."
"Can I?"
The grandmother wanted to stop the girl, but the hope in her voice only made her sigh.
"I don't know..."
Blake shrugged.
"Turns out, I have the gift, but I still need to develop it. Basically, right now I'm worse than a first-year magic student... You can find out if you have the gift in the Quarter."
"I want to!"
Blake smiled at the joyful exclamation.
"As for field work, there are certain plants that shouldn't be gathered with technology or magic. Usually these are medicinal plants, or plants for other tinctures, balms, potions, and that sort of thing... And sentients who work those fields earn decent money if they don't mess up the gathering."
"Pff..."
"Don't snort at me."
Blake looked at one of the women who'd made the contemptuous sound.
"Everyone works in the Quarter... even Draco's mothers work, despite their administrative duties. One's in the combat squad preparing to repel Grimm attacks, and she's even in charge there, while the other's at the hospital... So you can't just end up there and do nothing..."
Blake sighed.
"And if you do nothing, you'll simply be put outside the protective perimeter, and I won't defend you."
"You're on the human side?!"
"Yes..."
Blake looked at the man.
"...on THIS question, I'll be on the human side, no, on Draco's side."
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