Chapter 273: Salvation 2

Reaching behind her back, Blake pinched each side of her bikini top's strings and tied them together around her chest first. As she lifted herself from her belly she let out a guttural, cat-like yawn and pulled the rest of the straps over her shoulders before finally flipping onto her back. Eyes shutting with a wince at the bright, cloudless sun blaring down over her face and after a few realigning rolls, settled herself down, ready to sun her belly and return to her pleasurable slumber.

At least, that had been her intention until her bow clad ears heard the rhythmic and light slapping of feet against sodden and dry parts of the faux-stone pool edging. Letting one eye drift open to see who it was—already knowing that Parc's stride was heavier yet somehow silent at the same time—she glanced around before pausing on the hairy-chested man approaching her.

A puff escaped her nostril and her eyes rolled shut, hoping the man would just wander past and not bother her. She knew he wasn't going to, there was no reason for him to stride around the pool clad in only a pair of blue and black swim-wear briefs. The type that left a little too much of his flabby old skin open and too little to the imagination.

"Pardon me, young lady." He said, his tone demanding, not offering the slightest bit of questioning.

Blake didn't respond, instead, she pulled up one leg and yawned once more. Shivering suddenly as she could feel his slimy gaze leer her body, falling her chest and even between her legs. Parc may have been awful when it came to leering, never giving her or any of the other scant clad women around them a chance to resist his gaze as he wandered, but this man… Blake could feel herself becoming drier than a desert at his simple presence.

"Young lady, pardon me. May I have a bit of your attention." Displeased with her disregard of him, Bleu noted how her shadow was off to the left and stepped to the right and directly into the sun's path, bathing her in his shadow. A twitch coursed her brow but still, she didn't react. Better a bit of discordant coolness than let this man have a bit of her time.

Vein's rose across Bleu's throat and forehead. His leering eyes turned cold and that lecherous smirk faded to anger. "Excuse me now miss. I am speaking to you. Now, will you respond?"

"I'm not your wife. I don't have to do anything." Blake murmured and swept a strand of onyx hair over her ear in an attempt to alleviate the sick churning this man's rotten smell was rising in her stomach. It failed. Wholly. She was half tempted to go for a swim just to clean the rot every second his mere existence left on her.

Cracking his jaw, Bleu scowled, "it's rude to ignore someone. Has your mother never taught you that?" She then proceeded to ignore him, wholeheartedly and turned Bleu's face his namesake blue. "Would you look at me and speak!" his voice rose, not quite a bellow but enough to earn a few sidelong stares from those around them, though they quickly lost their interest when they saw the saggy man behind them.

For the longest time, Blake kept still, her expression filtering between twitches and scowls before eventually calming and letting out an irritated grumble. When her amber eyes opened, they looked to the sky, untouched by the sun as she soon twisted to the cause of the shadow baring down over her as if to own her and claim her within its frigid embrace.

"Fine. What do you want." She didn't bother to hide her scorn behind a question.

It may not have been ideal, but it was certainly enough to calm that irritance in his heart. Bleu straightened his posture, turned his head up just slightly but lowered it when it was too high and looked down at the girl before him. At her supple white skin and bosom, smirking and frowning in the span of a few seconds as he lamented how horrible Marigold's form was becoming in her old age.

"I was hoping you could tell me where your boyfriend is?"

She quirked at that, a little happy inside that someone was calling Parc her boyfriend, on the other side, it was Bleu saying that, so it evened out the pride with just that little bit of disgust. Looking to her side she shook her head and said, "he said he was going to the bathroom."

"Ahh, I see. I was hoping I could speak with him about something." Releasing her yearned sun, Bleu skirted to the front of her pool chair and towards Parcs before descending into it, seating himself on the edge whilst still facing her, causing her to cringe away from the blatantly disrespectful and uncaring-to-boundaries action. "I hope you don't mind if I wait for him here for a bit." He smiled in what Blake presumed was meant to be an endearing softness but came off as unendingly creepy.

"I do." Blake rolled on her seat, eyes darting to her towel, ready to grab it and cover herself.

"Now, now, no need to be so rude." He chuckled 'kindly' "these old legs of mine aren't quite what they used to be." He patted his knee, rubbing across the balled hinge and continued to laugh. When it died off, he asked, "tell me, young lady, what's he like. Your boyfriend."

It was more than a simple 'is he kind?' type of question. This man, for all the finesse he thought he had, was no better than a bat with an arrow and 'Hit here' written on the side. "Must have quite the family to be able to afford the Emperor suite near five times its actual worth." Blake's lips furrowed and turned to lines as she squirmed uncomfortably. "A waste if you ask me. Irresponsible on his parents part as well. Letting their son just throw so much away for a measly little room."

"He doesn't have parents," she said doing her utmost to not start fuming at just how arrogant this man was sounding. "And what he does with his money is his choice. Whether it's responsible or not doesn't matter. It's his money."

Bleu stilled, fingers of both hands met at the tips, staying connected as he leaned ever so slightly closer and Blake inched ever so slightly away to keep the balance. "Really now? Apologies then. I didn't mean to presume anything."

"But you did."

"Yes, yes, and I apologized for it." Barely, there wasn't any heart to that 'apology' in the slightest. "I must say," Bleu moved on swiftly and brutally cutting any line of continuation off, "I couldn't help but notice those extensive scars across his body." The way he spoke… Blake couldn't help but recall those early days in the White Fang, when she and the others went to protest and would hear those disgusted, holier-than-thou utterances from the crowd. The thought, those memories, they instantly diminished any kindliness she may have had for this slimy old man.

"So?" she hissed, growing visibly agitated by the second.

"It's just, I can't imagine they weren't all ill-gotten. There's frankly too many for them to be simply misfortune. In my eyes they look like the marks of a delinquent, crude, unkempt, egoistic, always seeking the closest battle. I can't see someone like that being a particularly great lover, no?" his smile grew larger as he fed of premonition and predilection of holy superiority that floundered, pleading for recognition.

Blake gaped at the man, brows heightened, eyes widening and mouth hanging slightly. TO Bleu the sight was like an affirmation that caused this giddy little spark to rise in his chest.

A growl rumbled from Blake's throat as her face went red and she sat up and turned her eyes to narrow, panther-Esque slits, "do you always talk before you think?"

"Pardon?"

"Those scars, are things he earned in battle. In fights to the death." Every word escaped her as gravelly hisses. "He fought for his life against monsters and you say he got them from being a delinquent? Protecting people is not delinquency! If anything he's a hero!" Bleu recoiled in shock, silent, but quickly he regained his form and calmed, "and great lover? Hell, Parc isn't even my boyfriend!" at least, 'boyfriend' didn't quite fit what he was to her and vice versa. They were certainly in a relationship but something like boyfriend and girlfriend… didn't quite fit. "He's already got a wife! And a daughter even! Even multiple mistresses. And he's able to take care of them all better than you ever could an ant!"

Not willing to give Bleu the chance to respond, Blake continued, "you don't get to come here. Talk about Parc in such a derogatory way and think you're better." Her hands flew about, throwing and rumbling, "you abuse your wife!" she growled, his voice finally descending. "You hit her. And you like it."

"You don't know what you're talking about girl."

She bit her lip and rolled her head, "I know exactly what I'm talking about, 'man.' I have seen more of your type of scumbag than I want to think about. Your type is everywhere. Vacuo, Atlas, Vale, Mystral. Sick bastards, who think they can rule people just because of what? Because you're rich? Because money makes you special?"

Bleu physically stopped himself from nodding at that. He had the money, of course, he was special.

"Well guess what. Your just as pathetic as ever other shitty little rich human. Another racist bigot on the pile of societal sh-"

"Blake. That's enough." Her voice winced to silence as her body froze. Quickly unfreezing as a hand landed on her head between her bowed up ears. She turned her gaze up to him, to Parc's calm, half-amused smile and flushed as she smelt the scent of two women wafting from his crotch. Parc looked down at Bleu, a fire hidden behind calm waters in his eyes as he glared the older man's way. "Why don't you go for a quick swim and cool down for a bit?" he eyed her and said, rubbing and patting her scalp whilst also massaging some of the softer, more sensitive spots around her ears.

Hesitant at first, Blake eventually nodded. With a hateful glare Bleu's way she scoffed and was ready to bounce to her feet when Parc stopped her and kept her on her bottom. Swiftly he was tugging at the two ends of her bow and pulled it off. She jolted in surprise and shot her hands up but lowered them when she saw Bleu's shocked expression. Somewhere hidden in it she could see that egotistical disgust people had for her, but also she could see sickness in his stomach. Like he couldn't believe he'd enjoyed ogling her Faunus body.

"Don't want this getting wet, now do we." With another soft pat, Blake was able to rise and with another scoff, sauntered her way to the pool. Hesitant at the edge, worried what the chlorine would do to her hair but then recalled that Parc was likely to treat her to a long, provocative shower.

Feeling his eyes following her rump, Blake lowered onto the pool edge and dipped up to her knee in the perfectly heated pool then dropped into it.

Nodding appreciatively at her, Parc returned to the problem at hand and straightened out his shorts. "Why don't we get a drink." It took a moment for Bleu to nod and raise. When he did, they made swift strides to the gazebo in silence.