Equivalent Exchange (Fem!reader x Yang Xiao Long)

Beneath the Surface

I was going to put Fallen Down, but I decided against it
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3rd person POV

Ruby is still on watch, too far or too immersed to not hear and conversation

Yang:
Hey Blake, are you awake?

Blake:
Yeah.

Yang:
Why do you think he asked was asking us about being huntresses?

Blake:
Perhaps he was just curious.

Yang:
Do you really think that's it?

Blake:
Not really.

Yang:
Weiss, are you awake?

Weiss:
As if anyone could sleep with you two talking. And I think he... I don't know. I meant it when I said that I wanted to uphold my families honor, but I'm not stupid. I know my father has taken the Schnee Dust Company in a... morally gray area.

Blake:
That's an understatement.

Weiss:
Which is why I need to set things right. And I can't do that from some nepotistic position in Atlas. My grandfather started this company. I won't let my father end his legacy.

Blake:
For my whole life, I've tried to do what is right. I had a partner and mentor named Adam. He assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. And I believed him for the longest time before realizing that his idea for a perfect world wasn't perfect for everyone. I joined Beacon because I knew that Hunters were regarded as the most noble warriors humanity has to offer. But I've never thought of any further. How can I undo so much hate?

Yang:
I'm sure you'll think of something. You're not one to run from a challenge.

Blake:
But I am! I spent so much of my life running! When you learned I was a Faunus, I ran! When I realized that my oldest partner was a monster, I ran! Even my semblance shows it! I leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy to take a hit as I run away...

Yang:
Well, at least you two have something driving you. I've always just gone with the flow, y'know? Never taking anything too seriously. And that's fine to me. It's just who I am. But I don't know how long I can really do it for. Being a huntress means that there'll always be another adventure to go on. I'll never know what tomorrow will bring. And that's what I want. I'm not like you guys. Ruby's always wanted to be a huntress since she was a kid, so she could be like the heroes in her books. She knew that was what she wanted even though she couldn't fight. That's why she's trained so hard to get here.

(Y/n):
That's probably why he didn't ask her.

Yang:
Sorry, did we wake you?

(Y/n):
No, my shift will be starting soon.

Weiss:
What did you mean by that?

(Y/n):
Doctor Oobleck most likely knows that is Ruby's reason for becoming a huntress.

Weiss:
Even so, she's just a child.

(Y/n):
And she's earned her position beside us.

Blake:
And we're only two years older. We're all kids.

Yang:
No, we aren't. Just look at us. We're in the middle of an abandoned city, filled with Grimm, armed to the teeth.

Blake:
This is the life we lead.

Weiss:
This is our job. We all had a romanticized vision of what being a huntress would mean, but it is just a job. A job to protect others above any personal goals we may have.