Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Even the most brilliant lights will eventually fade away and die. And when they are all gone, the darkness will return. So prepare your guardians. Build your monuments to a better world. It matters not. There will be no victory in strength.

…

Perhaps victory is in the simpler things that have been long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.

Ruby really liked this little shop. It was nice and quiet, rarely very busy, and the shopkeeper didn't mind her hanging around and reading the magazines in the corner for hours on end. Whenever she came in, he simply left her to her own devices and carried on with his own business. Even though she didn't often buy anything, he never told her to leave, unless it was getting late, and he needed to close up for the day.

Granted, she didn't actually visit this shop too often. After all, she didn't live in Vale proper, and Patch wasn't exactly a quick walk away from the capital. But these past few months, with her sister preparing to move out, the whole family had been making semi-frequent trips to the city for one reason or another. Between the multiple interviews Yang had needed to attend, as well as the entrance exam, orienteering days and so on, Ruby and the rest of the family had been spending a lot of time away from Patch, so having somewhere she could go when she needed to be by herself had been a lifesaver.

Today however, Ruby had not come to Vale with her sister or her father. Today she had come to Vale by herself, having earlier that week received an incredibly unexpected invitation. An invitation which she had, at first, assumed had to be a mistake of some sort. That is until Dad took one look at it and had swiftly sent her along to Vale to meet this rather unusual appointment.

He and Yang would have come with her, but it had all been on such short notice. None of them had expected this. After all, how often does something like this happen?

Maybe it really was a mistake.

That particular line of thought had been swirling around and around in Ruby's head during the entire trip to Vale. So instead of being able to sit back and enjoy watching the world go past outside the window of the airship, she had instead been focussed on keeping herself calm.

Ruby had gotten so much better at managing herself lately. She hardly ever needed Yang to help her ground herself anymore. Gone were the days when she would shut down entirely when she got too stressed. But try as she might, today Ruby just could not get her nerves to settle enough. She hadn't even been able to respond to the steward when he had asked her if she wanted anything. Her swirling thoughts just carried on inside her head, and she soon started to feel overwhelmed. The sounds of the other passengers' chatter, the noise of the engines, the shake of the cabin…

Before long, Ruby was starting to feel the first tendrils of panic begin to wriggle around in her chest.

She was scared that she was going to start to spiral. So much so that as soon as the transport landed and the passengers were allowed to disembark, Ruby had instantly made a beeline for that familiar little shop, desperate for something to settle her down before the worst could happen. And so, with her headphones on and her hood pulled up, she had spent the last half an hour or so reading a magazine while listening to her music, shutting out everything else.

It had helped, as it always did when she felt like she was spiralling. The welcoming familiarity of the shop was calming, and the combination of headphones and hood shutting out the rest of the world were always a comfort. Soon enough, the feeling of panic had receded. Now Ruby could simply enjoy reading the magazine she had grabbed while she waited until it was time to make her way to her strange appointment.

Crescent Rose's scope could certainly be better. But if I use one that's too big, it'll throw off the balance. Maybe I could strip it down and remove some of the redundant parts? So long as I keep the weight down, it should be OK. Of course, if I do replace the whole scope, I'll need to readjust the folding mechanism to make sure it doesn't get jammed, so maybe it would be better to work with the scope I already have. Replacing just the lenses shouldn't be too tricky. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time those have needed replacing…

Ruby could obsess over the finest details of her pride and joy for hours on end quite happily. She had poured a lot of time and effort into making her weapon, but she could and did still make adjustments quite frequently, oftentimes for no real reason other than because she enjoyed working on it.

Yep, I'll replace the lenses. And while I'm at it, I may as well readjust the folding mechanism anyway. If I can get it to deploy a bit faster, it'll make is easier to-

Ruby's train of thought stopped dead in its tracks when she felt someone's hand roughly grab her shoulder. She was spun around, and her hood fell off as she did so.

The man was rather tall, and he was holding a sword in his hand. It didn't look like a particularly fancy weapon. It was a mass-produced model that could be picked up in most places that sold weapons and other gear. The only thing notable about it was that it had been spray-painted red, which Ruby could appreciate. It certainly made it stand out a bit more.

Ruby then realised that the man was trying to talk to her, and was gesturing for her to lower her headphones.

Ruby felt a twinge of embarrassment as she realised that he was likely annoyed that she was ignoring him. Sheepishly, she removed her headphones and switched them off, switching her gaze from the man's hands to his face. He was wearing a hat and sunglasses, and was frowning at her.

Yep, he looks annoyed.

"I-I'm sorry, d-did you say s-something?" Ruby asked, cringing internally as she was unable to keep her voice from stuttering. As much as she had improved in other ways, she still had trouble talking to people from time to time.

The man pointed his sword in Ruby's face. "I said, put your hands in the air, now!" His tone of voice, combined with the threatening gesture, made his intentions quite clear.

Ruby cocked her head to one side. "Are you robbing me?"

"Yes!" exclaimed the man, sounding more annoyed than intimidating. "Now put your hands up, you dumb kid!"

Ruby stood still for a moment longer, considering what to do next. It didn't seem like this man had any other weapons on his person, and judging by the way he was holding the weapon he did have, he didn't really know how to use it well. Ruby highly doubted that this would-be thief had much in way of actual training.

Slowly, Ruby made a show of raising her hands, taking a deliberate step back as she did so. The thief would likely interpret this as her backing off out of fear, when in reality she was putting a bit of distance between him and her to allow her to make her move.

Ruby Rose was a girl who struggled to talk to people, who would start to get anxious in new situations, and who often worried that she would be unable to hold herself together when she started to get stressed and panicky.

But there was a lot more to Ruby Rose than that.

Just as the thief began to lower his sword slightly, Ruby threw her headphones at his face. He ducked his head to the side to avoid them, which was exactly what Ruby had been hoping for.

Before the man could regain his balance, Ruby had reached behind her and unclipped her weapon from the holder attached to the small of her back. With fluid, practiced ease, she swung the compact form of Crescent Rose out in front of her and triggered the mechanism to extend the handle to its full length.

The end of Crescent Rose slammed into the man's stomach with immense force and sent him flying back across the shop. He collided with the far wall and slid down to the floor, knocked unconscious by the force of the impact.

Definitely not much training.

Ruby then noticed that the shop was not as empty as it had been when she had arrived. A few more men dressed in similar clothes were seemingly in the process of stealing everything they could carry, while the poor elderly shopkeeper was hiding behind the counter.

"Freeze!" shouted one of the men, aiming a pistol at her. Another off-the-shelf model by the looks of it.

Either way, Ruby wasn't about to let him just shoot her. And she certainly wasn't going to let these guys hurt the shopkeeper if she could help it.

Tapping into her Aura, Ruby drew upon the power of her Semblance as she leapt forwards. She felt her body become lighter as she accelerated towards him, before letting her Semblance fade and her body's mass return to normal. Twisting in the air, Ruby's feet connected with the man's chest and they both went flying through the window with a loud crash!

The man landed on his back, while Ruby landed on her feet, her knees bending to absorb the impact. Footsteps behind her alerted Ruby to the presence of the other thieves who had followed her outside.

Ruby turned to see that indeed, three more black-suited men were standing outside the shop with weapons drawn. A fourth man in a white jacket and holding a cane was standing with them with a rather puzzled look on his face, in comparison with the rather more apprehensive looks the others were wearing.

Ruby allowed herself a small smile, satisfied to see that she had succeeded in getting them all to follow her.

Spinning Crescent Rose around, Ruby triggered the full unfolding mechanism to reveal her weapon's true form. The large blade of the scythe gleamed in the light of the streetlamps as she slammed it into the ground, embedding the tip in the sidewalk.

The man in white looked a little more thrown off. "Okay…" He looked at the other three men on either side of him. "Well, get her!"

One of the three men charged at Ruby head on, sword raised high above his head, leaving him wide open. Ruby simply leapt up and used the handle of Crescent Rose to help her spin around. Her boot connected with the man's head, knocking his hat and glasses off and sending him sprawling on the ground.

The second man, also wielding a sword, thrust forwards rather clumsily, leaving him off balance. Ruby pulled her scythe's blade out of the ground and swung the blunt end into the man's side. He flew away from her and slammed into a streetlamp.

The third man was a bit smarter than his friends, staying at a distance and taking aim with his gun. Just as he fired at her, Ruby pulled the trigger of her own weapon, using the recoil to help her quickly dodge to the side. A second shot sent her hurtling towards the gunman. An upwards swing sent the hapless man cartwheeling through the air, his now very much unconscious body landing in a crumpled heap at the feet of the man in white.

The man in white snorted dismissively. "Well, you were worth every Lien. I knew I shouldn't have paid in advance."

Ruby held Crescent Rose in both hands, barrel aimed towards her target. He didn't seem to have a weapon, but something about the way this man held himself told Ruby that he was likely more dangerous than his associates.

Ruby then registered the sound of sirens in the distance, and a moment later realised that they were police sirens. The shopkeeper must have triggered his silent alarm early on.

"Well, Little Red," said the man in white, his voice almost conversational. "This has been an eventful evening. As much as I would love to stick around, I'm afraid we have to say goodbye." With that, the man lifted his cane, and Ruby realised with a mixture of alarm and intrigue that this was the man's weapon all along, just as he fired a red blast in her direction.

Thinking fast, Ruby jumped as high as she could, aimed Crescent Rose downwards and fired a shot of her own, using the recoil to launch herself over the blast as it destroyed the sidewalk she had been standing on.

Ruby landed and quickly began to scan her surroundings. She saw the man in white a few buildings away, climbing a ladder.

Ruby didn't hesitate. She took off after the man, reaching the base of the building just as he reached the roof. Once again, Ruby used the recoil of her weapon to boost herself upwards, reaching the roof of the building in a single bound. The man in white had reached the other side of the roof, and it seemed he had nowhere to run.

"Persistent one, aren't ya?" he said, taking a step back towards the edge. "But I'm afraid this is the end of the line."

Ruby heard a sound like breaking glass, and watched stunned as the very air behind the man in white shattered to reveal a bulkhead hovering right next to the roof. The door slid open, and the man hopped inside.

"But I will leave you with a nice parting gift!" With a flourish, the man tossed a red crystal towards Ruby, raised his cane and fired at it.

Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to escape the blast if she tried to run. All she could do was focus her Aura and hope that it would hold enough to at least keep her from getting too badly injured.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Ruby heard the explosion go off. Aura or not, this was going to hurt. A lot.

Only, it didn't. Which was very odd indeed.

Opening her eyes, Ruby found herself staring at the back of a tall woman with a black cape and blonde hair. A woman who Ruby had met before, when she had accompanied her sister to one of her orientation days.

Professor Goodwitch.

Ruby suddenly felt all her confidence from a moment ago evaporate as she remembered what she actually came to Vale for in the first place.

Ruby heard another gunshot from the man in white's cane, and watched as Professor Goodwitch swung her riding crop and made the rubble in front of her rise up to form a barrier that blocked the shot quite effectively. With another gesture, the Professor and trained Huntress sent the rubble flying through the air towards the bulkhead…

… only for said bulkhead to shatter like glass and vanish.

Professor Goodwitch tsked with annoyance, before turning to face Ruby, looking decidedly unamused.

Ruby looked down at her feet, her hands wringing around the handle of Crescent Rose. She felt herself shrink under the Professor's gaze.

"Miss Rose." Professor Goodwitch's voice was icy enough to freeze lava. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

"I hope you realise that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger."

Ruby said nothing in her defence. She simply kept her gaze aimed downwards at the table and allowed the Professor to admonish her.

This was not the great first impression she had been hoping to give.

The police had arrived swiftly and arrested the four thieves Ruby had incapacitated, recovering all of the Dust they had attempted to steal and returning it to the shopkeeper. They had then asked Ruby a slew of questions, which she had answered in stops and starts, her stammer making the whole process a lot more awkward for everyone. And all the while Professor Goodwitch had stayed very close by, arms folded and frowning in her direction, which did not help her nerves in the slightest.

Once the police were done with her, Professor Goodwitch then escorted Ruby to the café several streets over where they had been supposed to meet. However, rather than an interview, the Professor had instead launched into a lecture.

"That all being said," continued Professor Goodwitch in a slightly softer tone. "I'm sure the owner of the establishment is grateful for your assistance tonight."

Ruby looked up slightly at that. "Is he OK?" she asked. In all the chaos, she hadn't been able to see if he was safe.

"He is unharmed," replied Professor Goodwitch. "Although I imagine he is still rather shaken by the ordeal."

Just then, Ruby heard the door of the café open behind her.

"Glynda, I hope you are not being too harsh on the poor girl."

Ruby knew that voice quite well. Even before she had met the man in person during her sister's orientation, Ruby had known exactly who this man was. Almost everyone in Remnant knew who he was.

"Only as harsh as is necessary, Headmaster," replied Professor Goodwitch. "It is important that Miss Rose understands how reckless she was being."

Footsteps, accompanied by the sound of a cane, echoed in the empty café. No other customers were present besides themselves. Even the owner had disappeared shortly after Ruby had arrived.

The sound of a chair being pulled out spurred Ruby to lift her head fully to look at the man who was now sitting in front of her. Messy grey hair, black spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, and a small but welcoming smile that was almost always present on his face, there was no mistaking who was in front of Ruby.

Professor Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon Academy. And the man who had sent the letter that had summoned Ruby to Vale in the first place.

"Ruby Rose," the Professor greeted her warmly. "It is nice to be able to meet you properly for once."

"Uh, um…" Ruby floundered desperately for something to say. This was Professor Ozpin, one of her heroes, arguably the most famous man on the planet, and Ruby had no idea what to say!

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked her. "This establishment serves a wonderful hot cocoa."

"N-no thanks." Ruby didn't think she would be able to eat or drink anything right now, with her insides flip-flopping around as much as they were.

"Well then, let us not delay any longer." Professor Ozpin pulled his Scroll from his pocket and placed it on the table between them, tapping a few buttons to make it project its display in the air. Ruby saw several tabs open on the display. The Professor tapped one to open it up fully, revealing what Ruby assumed were her school reports, judging by the logo in one corner.

"Am I right that you presently attend Signal Academy, Miss Rose?"

"Th-that's right. S-Signal," Ruby replied. "I-I'll start my s-second year next month."

Professor Ozpin swept his finger through the display to go to the next page. "Yet I see that you have already taken classes meant for third-years."

Ruby felt her face heat up slightly. "I-I'm not the only one who sk-skips ahead." She was proud of what she could do, she truly was, but Ruby still did not really like people bringing it up very much. She felt self-conscious enough as it was, being in classes alongside people two years older than her.

Professor Ozpin hummed at that, flicking to another page. "Your transcripts are quite impressive as well. Not many first-years can boast a win-loss record like yours, especially against opponents with more training than themselves."

"I-I have had other t-training." Ruby could feel her blush growing. "M-m-my uncle…"

"Oh, I know about your uncle, Miss Rose," Professor Ozpin interjected. "Qrow and I have known each other for a long time. In fact, I was a teacher of his once."

Ruby knew this, of course. Uncle Qrow had told her, as had Dad.

"And it would seem that you truly do take after him." Professor Ozpin switched tabs to a video, which he began to play.

It was a security recording from outside the Dust shop. Ruby watched herself on the display as she engaged the thieves, and once again marvelled at just how incompetent they had been.

Why didn't they all attack me at once? Were they afraid of getting in each other's way?

"They weren't very good," Ruby murmured.

"Well then, what about this young man?" Professor Ozpin switched tabs to show another video. The Ruby in this recording was wearing her Signal combat uniform, and was having a live-fire sparring match with a fellow student. A third-year student. This particular fight had happened a few months earlier.

"This opponent of yours was no petty thief. Yet you hardly seem to be struggling at all in this recording."

Ruby watched herself and the older boy engage each other. This was the tail-end of the match, around when the boy had run out of ammo and been forced to rely purely on melee combat. His weapons were a pair of hatchet-pistols, and while he had been very skilled with them, they just didn't give him as much reach as Crescent Rose gave Ruby. Without any ranged options left, Ruby had quickly whittled down his Aura until he was forced to concede to her.

"I have only ever known two other scythe-wielders who possessed that level of skill, one of whom was your uncle." Professor Ozpin closed the video and switched to another tab. "And your scythe is quite the impressive piece of weaponry itself."

Ruby did smile at that. She may not like it when people talked about her, but Crescent Rose was another matter. "I d-designed her myself. C-Crescent Rose, I mean. W-well, I did base the c-core design on Uncle Qrow's, b-but I've made quite a f-few alterations. Instead of a shotgun, I w-went with a s-sniper rifle for more range. Also, unlike Harbinger, Crescent Rose doesn't have a second melee mode. I did try it once, but I'm not as good with a sword as I am with a scythe, so I stuck with that. Plus, I try to keep the weight down as much as I can so I can move around easier, and so the folding mechanism doesn't jam up…"

Ruby trailed off, realizing with considerable embarrassment that she had been rambling, and the two Professors were staring at her.

"S-sorry," she mumbled. "I get a little c-carried away s-sometimes."

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "That's quite alright. I can see you are quite passionate about your weapon."

Ruby nodded, once again feeling her face heat up.

"So what I see is a very talented young girl, leaps and bound ahead of her peers, who has already begun to establish the exact kind of fighter she wants to be." Ozpin closed his Scroll and pushed it to one side, his expression turning serious. "My question, then, is what kind of person does she want to be?"

Ruby took a deep breath. This was it; this was what she had come to Vale for.

"I want to be a Huntress." Ruby spoke very slowly and deliberately, making absolutely sure to keep her stammer from getting in the way. "I want to be like my uncle, and my dad, and my… my mom."

Professor Ozpin laced his fingers together and levelled her with an even gaze. "I assume you know that such a life is not an easy one."

Ruby nodded. That was a fact that she knew very well.

"So when you graduate from Signal, do you intend to apply for my school?"

Ruby nodded again. "I w-wanted to even before m-my sister started to apply, but now I know f-for sure."

Professor Ozpin's expression gave nothing away. "You know why I asked you to come here today." It was not a question.

Ruby swallowed. "T-to be honest, I thought it w-was a m-mistake."

Professor Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at that, lowering his hands to reveal that he was smirking slightly. "Well then, allow me to make myself clear." Reaching into his pocket, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy withdrew a letter, which he unfolded and slid across the table towards Ruby. "I would like to offer you a place at my school, starting this semester."

Ruby looked down at the paper she had been given. Right there, in plain letters, was the real thing. An offer to start down the road to making her dream come true, a full two years ahead of schedule.

This is actually happening.

"If you would like some time to think about this, I understand. This is a big decision-"

"Yes!" Ruby blurted out, rather more loudly than she had intended. "I-I mean, I accept. I w-want to go to Beacon."

Professor Ozpin smiled and handed her a pen. "Then let's begin. We have a lot of paperwork to complete."

"Oh, this is the best day ever! My baby sister is going to Beacon with me!"

"Please stop," wheezed Ruby as she struggled and failed to extricate herself from Yang's strong embrace.

"Nope!" Yang said simply, although she did loosen her grip slightly, so she wasn't crushing her younger sister to death. "I'm so proud of you, Ruby! You've gotta be the youngest person to get into Beacon in, like, ever! You're incredible!"

"Third youngest," Ruby replied. "And I almost didn't. You should have s-seen how mad Professor Goodwitch w-was at me."

Yang rolled her eyes at that. "Don't worry about that. I mean, it's not like she can give you detention for something you did before you even joined Beacon."

Ruby gave her sister a small smirk. "If that w-were true, you'd be in detention forever."

Yang gave a mock gasp of indignation. "Are you implying that I, Yang Xiao Long, am a troublemaker?"

"More like a trouble-chaser," Ruby retorted, her smirk growing into a proper smile as she felt herself relax a little, enjoying the banter with her sister.

"That sounds more like me." Yang released Ruby from her embrace and gave her a warm smile. "But seriously Ruby, you've earned this. No matter what anyone else says."

Ruby's face fell at that, Yang's words reminding her of what had happened after she had accepted Professor Ozpin's offer.

"We are pleased to announce that Signal's very own Ruby Rose will be enrolling at Beacon Academy. Miss Rose, congratulations from everyone here at Signal!"

Congratulations were not what her classmates had given her that day. Quite the opposite. For the entire final week of the semester, Ruby had been subjected to all manner of comments and barbs.

"What makes you so special!?"

"They rejected my application but let you in? That's not fair!"

"You're just a kid!"

And that had just been what people had said to her face. What she overheard some people say behind her back was worse.

"I heard her uncle is friends with the Headmaster. He probably pulled strings to get her in."

"Maybe they let her in out of pity. I mean, it's Ruby."

"I bet she gets killed by a Grimm within a month."

A gentle hand on her shoulder brought Ruby out of her thoughts. "Hey, think of it like this," said Yang. "No-one knows you at Beacon. This is a fresh start for you, a clean slate."

A clean slate…

"I hope so," mumbled Ruby, mostly to herself as she turned to look out the window of the airship. Vale was far below them, sprawling out in all directions. If one squinted, it was almost possible to make out the tiny shapes of people wandering the streets.

In the distance, but getting closer by the minute, was their destination. The high tower of the CCT was an unmistakable sight. It was the tallest building in the kingdom, and it was situated on the campus of Beacon Academy itself.

Ruby wasn't the only person taking in the view. Quite a few other passengers were also peering out the windows to take in the sight. The rest milled about the passenger bay in small groups, talking to each other, while a holoscreen was playing the news, although it didn't seem like anyone was actually watching-

"Hey, wait, turn that up," someone called out. A moment later, the sound of the holoscreen became louder, and Ruby found her attention drawn to it.

"This Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights March turned violent when members of the White Fang joined the proceedings. Protesters clashed with law enforcement for several hours, resulting in dozens of injuries, although no fatalities have been reported at this time. In response to the recent escalation of protests, Vale City Council has declared a temporary ban on any forms of large, organised gathering in the metropolitan area, while calls for a curfew to be imposed on Faunus citizens continue to gain support. We go now to our correspondent, Cyril, who was at the scene of the protest when police became involved-"

Whatever the news correspondent was about to say about last night's protest-turned-riot was cut off when the holoscreen's display switched from the news to a projection of one Professor Goodwitch.

"Hello to you all, and welcome to Beacon Academy!" In stark contrast with how she had come across when she was speaking to Ruby, Professor Goodwitch was smiling and speaking in a much friendlier tone. Ruby suspected it was a recording.

"For those of you who do not know me, my name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honour of being chosen to attend this prestigious establishment! Although our world is presently experiencing an incredible time of peace, as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it shall be your duty to uphold this peace.

"You have all demonstrated the courage and commitment required for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to become the best versions of yourselves. You will be arriving at the campus shortly, where I and my fellow staff shall greet you properly. I look forward to meeting you all in person soon enough."

With that, the holoscreen switched back over to the news, which was now reporting on the sports by the looks of things. The chatter of the passengers resumed, much more excitedly than before, and Ruby felt the airship accelerate slightly as it began to make its final approach.

Ruby felt nervous, and worried, and more than a little uneasy. But she also felt a thrill of excitement. Two years early or not, this had been her dream for some time, and now the day was here.

"You gonna be OK?" Yang asked, concern in her voice.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah. I think this is gonna be great."

Chapter Text

Blake Belladonna was among the last of the passengers to disembark the airship, having not really been paying very much attention to the announcements during the trip. She had been far too absorbed in her reading to notice anything else. It was only when she saw everybody leaving out of the corner of her eye that she closed her book, grabbed her bag, and followed after the rest, stepping out into the early afternoon sun.

Well, here I am. Beacon Academy.

Sighing, Blake double-checked that her bow was secure on her head, then began to slowly make her way across the courtyard, giving everyone else a wide berth as she did so. While she highly doubted that anyone here would have any idea who she was, Blake was not about to take any chances.

Granted, my being here at all is big risk all on its own.

Blake shook her head. That kind of thinking wasn't going to help her. This was a chance to start all over again, to make up for her mistakes. And it wasn't like this had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Leaving to attend Beacon had been something she had been planning on doing for months. She wanted to be here.

She needed to be here.

Slowing her pace a little more, Blake took the time to take in her surroundings. Beacon's courtyard was very well maintained. The trees that grew alongside the intricately cobbled pathway were neatly trimmed and almost perfectly uniform. In the distance, the main building loomed large, a truly impressive structure. Marble columns, tall windows, arching architecture…

This was Blake's first time seeing it all in person. She had to admit, it was quite something. The designers of the school certainly pulled out all the stops.

I wonder if the inside is as impressive as the outside? Well, I'll find out soon enough.

Picking up her pace a little, Blake began walking towards the main entrance in earnest. Although she didn't let it show on her face, she was actually a little excited.

"What are you doing?!"

Blake winced at the volume of the shout. She stopped walking and began to search for the source of the noise to make sure that they weren't talking to her.

"Uh, I-I'm s-s-sorry!" a quieter voice stammered.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?"

Well, whoever they were, they clearly weren't shouting at her, so Blake decided that it was none of her business. Turning back around, she resumed walking towards the entrance.

"What are you, brain-dead? This is Dust! Purified Dust! Extremely volatile and dangerous! And you just blundered into it like an imbecile! Well? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I-I-I-I…" Whoever the unfortunate individual was who was on the receiving end of this particular tirade, they didn't sound like they were doing too well. Nonetheless, Blake carried on walking. She was not about to go barging into other people's arguments.

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"W-w-well, I-I, um…"

Blake stopped walking. The other girl, the one getting yelled at for what sounded like a rather trivial reason, sounded like she was starting to get a bit upset.

Despite her better judgement, Blake turned around to see for herself what was going on. Perhaps she could step in and help diffuse the situation before things escalated any further…

Blake's gaze fell upon the two girls who were standing amidst a rather large number of white suitcases that were strewn about the floor. Presumably they had been knocked over, sparking this entire incident. One girl was dressed in red and black, and was wearing what looked like a cloak. The other girl was slightly taller, and dressed in white and pale blue.

The girl in red was not someone Blake recognised, but the girl in white very much was.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school!" Weiss Schnee continued to vent her anger at the girl in red, oblivious to the fact that she now had an audience. "It's not just sparring practice, you know! We're here to become Huntresses!"

Blake watched as the girl in red fidgeted on the spot. She had her head down, looking at her feet, and was fiddling with the end of the cloak she was wearing. She did indeed look to be quite young, perhaps only about fourteen or fifteen. Maybe she was here with a family member and had gotten lost?

Whoever she was, the poor girl certainly didn't deserve to be berated so harshly for a simple mistake. Seeing how upset the girl looked, Blake found herself filled with a desire to help her out.

Well, that, and a simultaneous desire to bring a certain rich pampered heiress down a peg or two. So, filled with a certain feeling of recklessness, Blake began to make her way towards the pair.

"I mean, really! Can you not even watch where you're going? How do you expect to be able to fight Grimm if you can't even walk like a normal person?!"

Blake quickly bent down and snagged one of the Dust bottles that had rolled away from the open case by Schnee's feet. Straightening up, she held it out towards the angry heiress and cleared her throat to get her attention.

"Excuse me, but is this yours?" Blake asked in as polite a tone as she could muster.

Schnee turned towards Blake, her eyes flitting from Blake's face to her outstretched hand holding the bottle.

"It is," she said curtly, snatching it from Blake's grasp. "Thank you."

Blake kept her face neutral. "You seem familiar. Have we met?"

"No, we have not," Schnee replied as she began to gather up her fallen cases and place them back on the luggage cart. "I've never been to Vale before. I don't know anyone here."

"Then I must have seen you on the news at some point." Blake made a show of looking like she was trying to remember, all while she surreptitiously moved herself in front of the girl in red, shielding her from sight. She hoped the girl took the hint to leave.

"Perhaps you did," came Schnee's reply, sounding quite annoyed.

"Oh, I remember." Blake nodded to herself. "Schnee. You're Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

Schnee turned to face Blake, looking a little less livid than she had done so a moment ago. "Not anymore."

Blake blinked; her momentum thrown off, her comments about the family business forgotten. Had she heard that right? Did Schnee just say that?

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get going." With that, Schnee began to push her luggage cart, going around Blake.

"And as for you," she said, pointing at the girl in red, who had not taken the hint to leave. "Stay out of my way."

Blake watched as Schnee walked away with a final huff of annoyance, her pace quick despite her short stature.

Not anymore? Did something happen that I haven't heard about?

Sighing, Blake turned towards the girl in red. "Are you OK?"

The younger girl startled at Blake's voice, turning towards her. She did not look at Blake, however. The girl kept her gaze downwards as she continued to fiddle with her cloak. Blake could only assume that she was still a bit off balance after getting yelled at.

"U-Um, I-I didn't m-m-mean to bump into her. I sh-should've paid m-more attention to w-where I w-was going."

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me," Blake reassured her. "She was the one who overreacted."

The girl lifted her head a little. "Have you s-seen a girl with blonde hair? W-we got s-separated."

So she is here with a family member. Her older sister, perhaps?

Blake racked her brain. She recalled walking past a blonde-haired girl as she left the airship. Said girl had been in the process of throwing their guts up upon exiting the ship. Maybe both siblings were the nervous type? That or the older sister got travel sick very easily.

"I think I saw someone like that back in the direction of the airship." Blake turned and gestured towards where she thought she had seen the girl. "Try going back that way."

The younger girl looked unsure. "I think she actually w-went ahead of m-me."

"What's your name?" Blake asked.

The girl blinked at that. "Oh, um, it's Ruby. Ruby Rose."

Blake nodded, committing the name and appearance of this girl, Ruby, to her memory. "Well Ruby, if you go check the dock, I'll go on ahead and see if she's at the main hall. If I see her, I'll send her your way. I'm assuming she's your sister?"

Ruby nodded. "Sh-she is. Thank-you, um…"

For a moment, Blake considered giving Ruby one of her old fake names, before dismissing the idea outright. That life was over. She was starting again here, and that meant using her real name again.

"I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna."

Ruby gave Blake a small smile. "Thanks, Blake. Um, m-my s-sister's name is Yang."

"Yang. Got it." Blake began to make her way towards the main entrance once again. "Bye for now, Ruby."

Ruby gave Blake a little wave, before turning and beginning to make her own way back towards the dock.

…

About thirty seconds later, Blake realised that she probably should have asked Ruby what her sister looked like. 'Blonde' was all she had to go on, and that wasn't really much.

Oh well, I'm sure it doesn't matter. How many blondes can there be?

Ugh, why did Saph and Terra insist on feeding me so much for breakfast before I left?

The airship ride had not been kind to Jaune Arc in the slightest. As soon as the ship had landed, he was one of the first to stumble off, staggering over to a nearby trashcan to void the contents of his stomach that he had not already emptied over the floor of the passenger bay mid-flight.

After that, he had spent a few moments leaning against a bench, catching his breath, and waiting for his insides to settle. By the time he felt well enough to straighten up without feeling queasy, everyone else had gone on ahead, leaving him all by himself at the dock.

Way to make a good first impression, Jaune. Hope you're ready to be called Vomit Boy by everyone for the rest of the year.

Groaning, Jaune began to make his own way across the courtyard and towards the main building in the distance, pulling his suitcase behind him. At least he had managed to avoid leaving that on the ship before he got off.

"Uh, excuse m-me?"

Jaune looked up. Then he looked down again to see a short girl in red standing in front of him.

Jaune quickly wiped the sour expression off his face and gave the girl a smile. "Hi, can I help you?"

"I'm looking for m-my sister. Did you s-see anyone else by the dock?" she asked, stammering a bit as she did so.

"Afraid not, sorry," Jaune replied. "I was the last one to leave the dock. Pretty sure everyone else went on ahead."

"I thought so," the girl mumbled, mostly to herself it seemed.

Jaune offered his hand to her. "The name's Jaune Arc, by the way. Nice to meet you!"

"Uh, Ruby Rose," she replied, not taking his hand, or even looking him in the face.

Crap, am I making her uncomfortable?

Jaune hastily withdrew his hand. "Well, I'm heading up to the main hall. Are you heading that way as well?"

Ruby nodded, still not looking at him directly. She fidgeted a bit on the spot, one hand reaching to grip the end of the cloak she was wearing.

Ah, I see.

Realisation dawned on Jaune as he noticed how Ruby was acting, and how similar it was to the way one of his sisters would act at times. He knew how to handle this.

Jaune took a step backwards, giving Ruby a bit more space. "I'm sure she's looking for you," he said. "Let's head up to the main hall and see if she's there. Unless you'd prefer to go by yourself?"

Ruby raised her head and looked at Jaune. She didn't quite meet his gaze, but it was something, and she didn't look like she was about to cry, so that was a good sign.

"I'll w-walk w-with you," she said, speaking a bit more firmly, albeit her stammer was still there. Probably something she always had, by the looks of things.

Jaune nodded and began to walk, smiling slightly when Ruby walked alongside him without trailing behind.

"So, are you enrolling as well?" Jaune asked, deciding to chance making small talk. If Ruby didn't want to answer him though, he wouldn't press any more.

Fortunately, it seemed like she was OK to talk. "Yep. M-me and Yang."

"That your sister's name? Are you twins?"

Ruby shook her head. "No. I m-mean, she is my s-sister, but we're not twins. She's older."

Jaune was a bit surprised at that. Ruby did seem a bit younger than everyone else who was on the airship, but he hadn't been aware that Beacon took people early.

"Wow," he said. "You must be pretty good to get in early, then."

Jaune noticed Ruby blush a bit at that and dip her head. "Not really," she said quickly. "I-I'm just lucky, I guess."

Jaune chuckled a bit at that. "Me to. Honestly, I never expected to be accepted at all."

Ruby turned to look at him, a small smile of her own now adorning her face. "Is that your weapon?" she asked, pointing at his scabbard on his belt.

Jaune stopped walking and drew Crocea Mors, holding out for Ruby to see. "It's been in my family for a while. My great-great-grandfather used it in the war."

Jaune saw Ruby's eyes light up as she looked over the blade, all traces of nervousness or awkwardness gone. "That must m-mean that it's eighty years old at least!"

"Yeah, and I've got a shield as well." Jaune removed the scabbard from his belt and triggered the mechanism to unfold it, revealing the full shield form as it slotted into the brace on his left arm. "Although I don't think that it's as old as the sword is."

Ruby stepped forwards, standing very close to Jaune as she inspected both sword and shield with interest.

"The folding m-mechanism is pretty simple, but very efficient by the looks of things. The edges look like they're fairly sharp, so it could probably double as a second offensive weapon as well. As for the sword, the blade is really high-quality. The handle looks like it's been replaced a few times, but it fits really well, it's almost not noticeable-"

Jaune took a step back as Ruby got a bit too close for comfort, almost stepping on his feet. "You uh, really know your stuff, huh?" he said awkwardly.

Ruby stopped talking and flushed bright red, her face now matching her cloak quite well. "S-s-sorry. I-I get a little carried away s-s-sometimes."

Jaune suddenly felt a bit guilty for making her feel self-conscious. Collapsing the shield and re-sheathing Crocea Mors at his side, he offered Ruby an apologetic smile.

"Well, what about your weapon?" he asked, hoping to get her to feel better. "What do you have?"

Ruby's blush faded as she reached behind herself and pulled out a curious red object, which she unfolded into a giant scythe that was almost twice as long as she was tall.

"Woah!" he exclaimed, both impressed and intimidated at the sight. "Now that's a weapon! What's it called?"

"Crescent Rose," Ruby said with a smile. "And she's a hybrid scythe that also functions as a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"So it's also a gun?" Jaune was very impressed. "That's so cool! And scary looking! Seriously, that thing must weigh a ton."

"Nope," replied Ruby, sounding a little smug as she did so. "I m-made sure to keep the weight down."

Jaune blinked. "Wait, you made that thing?!"

"Of course! I guess I did go a little overboard when I designed her," Ruby admitted. "But I like it."

Jaune laughed. "I can tell. But anyway, we should probably get going. We don't wanna be the only two people late on their first day, after all."

"Good point." Ruby collapsed her gigantic scythe and stowed it away once more. "Let's go, then."

With that, the pair resumed their walk towards the main building.

I think that went well. She seems nice. A bit quirky, but friendly enough. I'm glad I could cheer her up a bit.

The two of them carried on making small talk as they walked, Jaune noticing that Ruby seemed much more at ease than she did when he first bumped into her.

It seemed like he had made a friend.

Yang stood by the entrance of the main hall, waiting to catch a glimpse of Ruby as she approached the building, and feeling quite guilty for leaving her sister behind like that. Not that she had meant to do so. Yang had been so excited to arrive that she had failed to notice that Ruby wasn't standing with her. Assuming Ruby would have gone ahead, Yang had made her way to the main hall, only to find that no, Ruby was not there.

A moment later, a black-haired girl called Blake had told her that Ruby went back to the dock to look for her. Hence why Yang was now standing outside.

Sorry, Ruby. But hey, it's no big deal. I'm sure she's fine.

"Yang!"

Yang turned her head and smiled as she saw her sister waving at her, accompanied by a scraggly-looking blonde guy… girl? They looked a bit girly.

Yang walked down the front steps and met her sister halfway. "There you are. How's your first day going, little sister? Making friends already, I see." Yang gestured to the blonde boy by Ruby's side. Yep, definitely a boy. A girly-looking boy.

"Jaune Arc," said the boy, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"You too, blondie," replied Yang, holding out a fist towards him, which he tapped with his own after a moment. "Sorry about leaving you behind, Ruby. I was a little distracted."

"It's fine," replied Ruby. "Should we go in?"

Yang nodded, turned, and led the way up the steps and into the main hall. The blonde boy, Jaune, went off somewhere else, leaving Ruby and her alone.

A few dozen people milled about the main hall, mostly in groups of two or three. At the far end Yang could make out a podium with a mic set up, but besides that the room was rather sparse. Given how huge this place was, there didn't seem to be very many people here.

"Eep!" squeaked Ruby suddenly, ducking behind Yang. "Hide me!"

Yang turned around, puzzled, to see her sister hiding behind her with her hood drawn up over her head. "From what?"

"You!" came a rather loud yell, drawing Yang's attention as she saw a short white-haired girl striding towards them.

"Another new friend?" Yang quipped.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" snapped the white-haired girl, pointing at Ruby and levelling her with an icy glare.

"It w-was an accident, I s-swear," stammered Ruby, still cowering behind Yang as much as she could.

"Did something happen, princess?" asked Yang, feeling her temper begin to rise. Whoever this prissy girl was, Yang didn't like her tone towards Ruby.

"Weiss," she replied. "And I take it you know this girl?"

"I'm her sister," said Yang, folding her arms and raising herself up to her full height. "Is there a problem?"

Weiss was about the same height as Ruby, maybe only an inch or two taller, yet she did not seem to be all that intimidated by Yang looming over her. "Just make sure your sister stays away from me. She's a hazard to my health."

Yang quirked an eyebrow at that. It didn't seem like this Weiss girl was trying to bully Ruby, at least. Maybe this could be fixed?

"Look, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot." Yang stepped to one side to reveal Ruby. "Why don't you start over?"

Ruby turned to look at Yang with wide eyes. "Yang…"

"Weiss, was it?" Yang carried on as if Ruby hadn't spoken. "This is Ruby. Whatever she did, I'm sure she didn't mean it. Can you at least accept her apology?"

Weiss fixed Ruby with a glare, but after a moment her eyes softened a little and her scowl shrank into a smaller frown. "Fine. Just be more careful in the future. You could've gotten us both badly hurt."

Yang watched as Ruby nodded her head slowly. "I-I'll be m-more careful."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me." With that, Weiss turned on her heel and walked away.

"Well," said Yang simply. "That was a thing. Maybe steer clear of that one, at least for a few days."

The sound of someone tapping a microphone drew everyone's attention then towards the main stage at the end of the main hall. Standing front and centre was none other than Professor Ozpin himself, flanked on either side by what Yang presumed were the rest of the teachers at Beacon.

The muttering of conversation ceased as everyone focussed on the Headmaster, who began to address them all.

"Future Huntsmen and Huntresses, I welcome you all to Beacon Academy. You will all have met me in some capacity before now, but allow me to introduce myself nonetheless. I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin. With me today are the other Professors of this school. They will all introduce themselves to you in time, but for now, I would like to take this time to explain how initiation will proceed."

A few murmurs rippled around the hall, before being quickly silenced by a glare from Professor Goodwitch, who then proceeded to point her Scroll towards a holoscreen behind Professor Ozpin. The screen switched on to show an aerial view of the grounds around Beacon Academy.

"Tomorrow, you will all gather at the Beacon Cliff, whereupon you will be tasked with making your way through the Emerald Forest, where your abilities will be evaluated. You will need to make your way through the forest to the northern end, where you will find an abandoned temple."

The holoscreen display switched to a photo of some rather striking ruins in the clearing of a forest.

"Within the temple ruins, you will find a number of relics. You must retrieve one of these relics and return with it to the top of the cliff. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but we will not be intervening at any time. You will meet opposition along the way, and you must not hesitate to destroy everything in your path. If you do not keep your wits about you, you will die."

No one said anything at that. Everyone here knew exactly what the Professor was talking about.

"Now, I'm certain that many of you will have heard rumours about the assignment of teams."

This did get many people muttering, before again being silenced by a glare from Goodwitch.

Rumours… Yeah, right. Maybe some people here don't know much, but Dad and Qrow already filled us in. I know how this works.

Professor Ozpin carried on with his speech. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. You will rely on each other, fight beside each other, and support each other through thick and thin. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well.

"That being said, once the initiation had gotten underway, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."

…

A collective shout of "WHAT?!" echoed in the hall as almost everyone voiced their shock at this revelation. Yang, however, just chuckled to herself in amusement.

"That will be all, children," called Professor Goodwitch, her voice cutting across the indignation of the crowd quite effectively. "You will stay in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. For now, you are dismissed."

And with that, the Professors all began to usher everyone towards the ballroom.

Oh man, this is gonna be great!

Night fell over Beacon as everyone settled into the ballroom. Bedrolls and sleeping bags were arranged all across the floor haphazardly as everyone went about preparing for sleep. Most everyone had changed into pyjamas, and a few had already drifted off.

Yang, however, was wide awake. She had never been one for turning in early, so she didn't feel particularly tired. She just laid back on her bedroll, eyes lazily scanning over the rest of the students.

He's a five. She's a six. He's a three. Seriously, who wears footie pyjamas these days?

Yang could only eye up her fellow students for so long before getting bored, so she rolled over to see what her sister was doing.

"Whatcha got there, sis?"

Ruby was scribbling away at something as she laid on her stomach, her sleep mask pushed up over her forehead, making her already messy hair look quite funny.

"My journal," she replied. "Dad suggested it before I left. Figured it w-was worth a try."

Yang couldn't help but squee a little. "Aw, that's so cute! Maybe I should take a look sometime."

"Please don't." Ruby repositioned herself to hide what she was writing a bit more. "This is private."

Yang raised her hands. "I'm just kidding, Ruby. You know I'd never do that."

Ruby sighed, closing her new journal as she did so. "I think I m-might just go to sleep."

Yang scooted closer to Ruby and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's only been one day. Try not to worry too much. Everything's gonna be fine."

Ruby smiled at Yang. "I'm fine. Just tired."

Yang returned her sister's smile, giving her shoulder one more small squeeze before letting go. She scooted back over to her own bedroll and began to fluff up her own pillow, before she stopped, having spotted someone out of the corner of her eye.

It was the black-haired girl from earlier, Blake. She was sat up against a wall nearby, reading a book by candlelight. She was wearing some sort of yukata or dressing gown, and that bow was still in her hair.

She seemed nice earlier. Wait, did we ever thank her for her help?

Yang nudged Ruby to get her attention. "Hey, let's go over and say hi."

"To who?" asked Ruby, who had just been about to pull her blanket over herself and looked a bit annoyed at having been disturbed.

Yang paid that no mind. She just grabbed Ruby by her arm and pulled her up to her feet and across the room towards Blake.

"Hel-lo!" Yang sing-songed with a cheerful wave. "Blake, wasn't it?"

Blake looked up from her book. "I see you two found each other."

"Yep! Thanks, by the way." Yang tugged Ruby forwards a bit more, causing her to stumble a bit.

"Well, I'm glad I could help." Blake then returned to her book.

"I like your bow."

…

Yang had no idea why she just blurted that out.

Blake looked up, her expression a mix of puzzlement and annoyance. "Uh, thanks?"

"It goes great with your… pyjamas!"

What the hell am I doing?! I sound like an idiot!

"Right…" said Blake slowly. "Again, thanks."

Yang probably should have just left it at that, but for some reason, her brain insisted on making her blunder on ahead anyway.

"Nice night, don't you think?" she said, and now she knew she was losing her mind. Why was she acting like such an idiot? She never tripped over herself this much talking to people!

"Yes, it's lovely," replied Blake, a definite note of irritation in her voice now. "Almost as lovely as this book. That I will continue to read. As soon as you leave."

Yep, I have definitely blown this one hard. I should just go-

"W-what's it about?"

"Huh?" Both Yang and Blake turned to look at Ruby with surprise, albeit for different reasons.

Ruby?

"Your book," Ruby continued. "Does it have a n-name?"

"Well…" Blake looked at Ruby with a curious expression. "It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

That didn't sound like an especially cheerful book to Yang. Certainly not the sort she and Ruby used to read together.

"I-I love books," said Ruby. "Yang used to read to m-m-me every n-n-night before bed. S-s-stories of heroes and m-m-monsters… They're one of the reasons w-w-why I w-w-want to be a Huntress."

Yang was a bit stunned. Ruby was stammering quite a bit, even by her usual standards, but she was soldiering on nonetheless trying to talk to this girl she had only met that day.

Yang felt a swell of pride as she watched her sister speak. She really had grown so much.

Blake's expression was unreadable. "And why is that? Hoping that you'll be able to live happily ever after?"

"W-well, I-I'm hoping w-we all will. I w-wanted to be like those heroes in the books… S-someone who fights for w-what's right, protects people who can't protect themselves."

Blake frowned slightly. "The real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. Things don't always turn out OK for everyone."

Ruby, in turn, smiled slightly, her cheeks turning a little pink as she spoke. "W-well, that's why we're here. To m-make it better."

Blake looked a little taken aback by Ruby's words. After a moment, however, her expression softened, and she gave Ruby a small smile of her own. "Well, it's a pleasure to have met you, Ruby. You too, Yang."

Yang couldn't help herself. She scooped Ruby up in her arms and gave her a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!"

"Yang, cut it out!" Ruby squirmed in Yang's embrace, trying to wriggle free. Yang just laughed and set Ruby down, ruffling her hair playfully after she let her go.

"What in the world is going on over here?!" came a rather indignant-sounding cry. "Don't you realise some of us are trying to sleep?"

Yang turned to see who was yelling at them, groaning as she realised who it was.

Oh, not her again!

Ren stared up at the ballroom ceiling, feeling one eye begin to twitch in annoyance. Whoever those girls were across the room, they were making far too much noise.

Please, I just want to sleep.

"Nora, can I borrow your headphones?"

"Sure thing, Ren. Here you go!"

The cheap plastic did very little to block out the bickering, but Ren supposed it was better than nothing.

"Good night, Nora," Ren sighed, resigning themselves to an unsettled night's sleep.

"Good night, Ren" their long-time friend replied. "See you in the morning."

Chapter Text

Pyrrha landed on a wide branch with substantially more force than she had meant to, having not quite succeeded in slowing herself down as much as she would have liked. As her knees began to buckle under her, she thought quickly and transitioned into a forward roll and then into a low crouch to stop herself from tumbling to the forest floor below.

That was a little too close.

After taking a brief moment to regain her bearings, Pyrrha stowed her shield, Akoúo̱, on her back, then switched Miló into its rifle form so she could use its scope to scout her surroundings.

The Emerald Forest sprawled for miles in every direction. Behind her was the cliff she had just departed from, but besides that she could make out no other landmarks to indicate any areas of significance. If the ruins were indeed here, they were quite some distance away.

Well, I suppose I should keep moving forwards for now, see what I can find.

With that, Pyrrha leapt down from her perch, using the branches below her to safely make her way down to the forest floor. After a quick scan to make sure no Grimm were nearby, Pyrrha switched Miló back into its sword form and slid Akoúo̱ back onto her other arm. With her weapons at the ready in case of any ambush, she began to make her way deeper into the forest.

Pyrrha did not run. After all, she quite literally had all day to complete the appointed task, so conserving her energy was the priority right now. Wearing herself out early on would not end well. She needed to be ready to fight at any moment, and that would be tricky if she was exhausted from running everywhere. Better to take it slow for the time being.

The forest was fairly quiet, save for the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind, and the occasional gunshot in the distance that indicated some of her future classmates engaging in combat with Grimm.

I wonder how the others are faring? And who might I run into first?

Although she felt a bit guilty for thinking it, she hoped that she didn't run into that Weiss girl first. Pyrrha had never particularly liked it when people gushed over her like that. It was part of the reason why she had chosen to attend Beacon instead of Haven back in Mistral.

I shouldn't judge her so quickly. Who knows, she might be a good partner if we teamed up.

Pyrrha was wondering if she should head in the direction of the gunfire and find herself a partner now, when she heard the sound of someone, or something, approaching from her right.

Her combat instincts and training taking over, Pyrrha turned towards the sound, raising both shield and sword and adopting a defensive stance. She could tell by the sound that whatever was approaching her, there were more than one of them, and they were approaching fast.

Beowolves, most likely. I'd guess about a half dozen, judging by the sound of it. Young ones, if they're so eager to charge in without fanning out to surround me. But they won't be the only ones to realise I'm here. I should deal with them quickly and move-

Pyrrha's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of something else approaching her from behind.

And then, a voice called out.

"Hey, is someone there?"

Pyrrha did not have time to respond to that, as the Beowolf pack chose that exact moment to erupt from the shade of the trees and charge at her all at once.

Six in total, just as she had predicted. Black-furred, with white-skulled heads lined with red markings. Jaws filled with long, sharp teeth. Claws like daggers. Spurs of bone protruding from their bodies.

All other thought left Pyrrha Nikos' mind. All she was focused on were the Grimm in front of her.

Claws slashed. Jaws snapped. Pyrrha dodged or blocked it all, Miló and Akoúo̱ dancing in her hands as she parried attack after attack, keeping her eyes open for any opportunity to respond with a strike of her own.

She had been right in her assumptions. These Grimm were indeed quite young, and thus not especially cautious or well-coordinated. Soon enough, openings began to make themselves apparent as the Beowolves grew impatient and sloppy.

A quick thrust took out the first Beowolf, skewering its head and killing it instantly. Two more followed in quick succession, leaving only two more to deal with.

Roaring with rage, the final pair leapt in unison, clawed forearms outstretched as they closed in on both sides.

They were both wide open and defenceless.

With her left arm, Pyrrha threw Akoúo̱, the sharpened edge of her shield slicing into the body of its target as if it were butter. With her right arm, she thrust with Miló, extending her main weapon into its full spear form. The lunging Beowolf was impaled fully through the chest and dangled lifelessly on the end, its body already beginning to evaporate as all slain Grimm did.

The fight had lasted less than half a minute. Pyrrha had dispatched the entire pack with practiced skill and efficiency-

ROAR!

Wait, I only took out five! There's one more!

Acting swiftly, Pyrrha pulled her weapons back into her hands with her Semblance and spun around, ready to engage her final opponent.

Only, it seemed that this Beowolf had chosen a different target. It was Jaune, the blonde boy she had spoken to earlier back in the main locker room. The Beowolf was on him, swiping for his head with its claws.

Jaune raised his shield to defend himself, stepping backwards as he did so, seemingly trying to put some distance between himself and the Grimm. It was useless. This Beowolf was clearly not feeling patient, and continued to lunge at the boy, swiping at him over and over again.

Pyrrha stowed her shield away and switched Miló into its rifle form, but otherwise did nothing. She stayed where she was, watching the fight play out in front of her. She was interested to see what Jaune could do.

I shouldn't get in his way. I'll step in if he needs help.

The Beowolf continued to slash wildly at its prey, and Jaune continued to stay on the defensive, blocking each blow and stepping backwards each time he did so.

Is he trying to lure it somewhere? What is he doing?

The Beowolf stopped its advance, dropping onto all fours and rearing back. Pyrrha recognised the act as a preparation for a powerful leap. The Beowolf was planning to ram Jaune head-on.

To Pyrrha's surprise and alarm, Jaune chose that moment to thrust with his sword, clearly aiming to stab the Beowolf's head.

No! You should have let it leap at you, dodged, then attacked! If you attack now, you'll just-

Sure enough, the crouching Beowolf moved its head to one side to avoid the lunge, then twisted and opened its jaws to seize the sword. With a quick tug, the weapon was wrenched out of Jaune's grasp and flung away.

Then the Beowolf sprang forwards, slamming head-first into Jaune's stomach and sending him flying backwards. The boy landed on his back several meters away, but that distance was quickly closed by the Grimm, jaws wide and ready to maul its prey.

This battle was over.

Pyrrha raised her rifle and fired a single shot, hitting the Beowolf in its throat. A second shot to the side of its head finished the job.

"Are you OK?" Pyrrha asked after taking a moment to make sure there weren't any more Grimm approaching.

"Y-yeah," replied Jaune, slowly getting back on his feet. "Thanks."

Pyrrha made her way over to Jaune, picking up his sword and returning it to him. "We should move on. Other Grimm will be here soon."

Jaune nodded, stowing his shield and sword. "I guess we're a team now?"

Pyrrha smiled, holding out one hand. "I suppose we are."

Jaune seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he took Pyrrha's hand and shook, wincing as he did so.

Pyrrha frowned. "You're injured?"

"I think I landed on my shoulder a bit hard." Jaune pressed his left hand to his right shoulder with a grimace. "Gonna have to be more careful."

Pyrrha felt very confused by this. Unless Jaune had already been in multiple combat encounters, which was doubtful considering how little time had passed since they had been launched into the forest, Jaune's Aura should have been more than sufficient to deal with that hit.

"Why didn't you activate your Aura?"

Jaune stiffened at that, turning away from Pyrrha.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha stepped forwards and placed a hand on Jaune's other shoulder.

"I don't have Aura."

Pyrrha blinked. "Huh?"

"I said I don't have Aura!" Jaune snapped, pulling away. "I never unlocked my Aura."

Pyrrha stared at Jaune, stunned by what she had just heard. No Aura? How had Jaune managed to make it this far with such a huge disadvantage?

Crack!

Pyrrha knew better than to turn and see what was behind her. Trusting her instincts, she threw herself to one side, just in time to avoid the much larger Beowolf's jaws from chomping into her body.

An Alpha? No, this one is just older than the others were.

Alpha or not, this Beowolf was still a threat, so Pyrrha quickly switched from rifle to spear and prepared to launch into combat once more. She needed to take this one out fast, and not just for her own sake now. Jaune was in no condition to…

Pyrrha once again found herself staring at Jaune in shock, but for a very different reason than before.

The Beowolf had continued its advance after Pyrrha had evaded its initial attack, charging straight for Jaune instead. Jaune however, rather than try to evade, instead swung his still-sheathed weapon into the Grimm's head, knocking it off-balance and causing it to stumble and fall.

A second blow to the now-downed Grimm was then delivered with enough force to cave in its skull with an audible crunch, killing it instantly.

…

He's strong.

"Arg!" Jaune collapsed to his knees, dropping his sword, and clutching his shoulder as his face twisted in pain.

He's reckless.

Pyrrha once again walked over to Jaune and knelt by his side, equal parts impressed, concerned, and dumbfounded by this bizarre boy in front of her.

He's had no training, I can tell. But I can also tell that he has potential.

"Dammit!" grunted Jaune. "I'm sorry. I should've been more careful."

"Yes, you should have," agreed Pyrrha. Then she smiled. "But given the circumstances, I'd say you did very well."

Standing up, Pyrrha offered Jaune her hand.

"I can unlock your Aura for you, if you want me to."

The look on Jaune's face almost made Pyrrha laugh.

"H-how!? Don't you need, like, special training to do that sort of thing?"

"Yes, you do," agreed Pyrrha. "Don't worry, I've done this before. So long as your body can handle it, it's perfectly safe. And based on what I've just seen, you should be fine."

Well, that wasn't entirely true, but Jaune didn't need to know that.

"Why would you do that for me?" he asked.

Pyrrha cocked her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"

Jaune's mouth opened and closed several times. He seemed completely lost for words. After a moment, he took Pyrrha's hand and allowed her to pull him up.

"So what do I do?"

Pyrrha placed one palm against Jaune's temple and her other against his chest, over his heart. "Just close your eyes and concentrate on what I say."

Jaune complied, closing his eyes, and standing very still.

Pyrrha closed her own eyes and took a deep breath. Calling upon her Aura, Pyrrha pushed it out of her palms and into Jaune's body, reciting the words she had been taught while she directed the energy of her soul to seek out Jaune's.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death."

There!

The energy of Jaune's soul thrummed within his body, warm and strong and very, very plentiful. It was ready to be unlocked. Pyrrha latched onto this with her own Aura, and began to pull it out.

"I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Jaune's Aura needed no further prompting. With a sudden rush, Pyrrha found her own Aura pushed out by the sheer force of Jaune's. Letting go, she took a step back and panted, suddenly feeling quite tired.

"Pyrrha? Are you alright?"

Pyrrha opened her eyes to see Jaune looking at her with concern.

"I'm alright," she replied. "It's done. I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you is now your own."

Jaune tentatively raised his injured arm, and Pyrrha saw his eyes widen in surprise. "It's all better. It doesn't hurt anymore!"

Pyrrha gave him a smile. "You have a lot of it. But do remember that it doesn't make you invincible. You still need to be careful."

"Right, of course." Jaune lowered his arm. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," replied Pyrrha. "Now, we should really get going."

Jaune nodded. "Lead the way, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha chuckled a little at that, and the pair resumed their journey through the forest.

I have a lot of questions I want to ask him, but I suppose they can wait. I don't want to press too hard. I get the feeling that he may not appreciate that.

Let's just finish the initiation for now. I can find out more about my new partner later.

Blake remained crouched within the bush, watching the fight play out before her eyes with interest.

"Sheesh, you guys are so slow! I've known old ladies who could move faster than this!"

Blake had heard the sound of someone fighting Grimm and had come to investigate, staying low to avoid being seen. She had arrived to find Yang, the blonde girl she had met yesterday, running circles around a pair of Ursai that had attacked her. Neither beast had managed to land so much as a single hit on her in that time, and Yang seemed to be treating the whole thing like a game, grinning madly and cracking jokes all the while.

"Welp, I'm getting bored now," Yang quipped. "Shall we wrap this up?"

Blake watched as Yang's bracelets unfolded across her arms, transforming into a pair of gauntlets. With a yell, Yang delivered a quick one-two combo to the first Ursa, each blow accompanied by shotgun blasts that sent the enormous Grimm flying across the small clearing they were fighting in.

The second Ursa swiped at Yang, which she easily ducked underneath before delivering a swift uppercut to the Grimm's jaw, blowing its head clean off with the force of the hit. The now-decapitated Ursa fell to the ground, already beginning to disintegrate.

Yang actually seemed a bit disappointed at that.

Well, if I were to have a partner, I could certainly do worse. She's a bit on the hot-headed side, but a skilled fighter regardless.

Then again, she probably wants to partner-up with her younger sister. I should move on and look for someone else.

"Well, what did you think of that?" Yang called out, turning to face the direction of Blake's hiding spot.

Blake blinked. Had Yang known she was there the whole time?

"You wanna come on out and say hi? Or are you just gonna stay in that bush all day?"

Choosing to disregard her previous line of thought, Blake rose to her feet and stepped into the clearing.

"Hello there." Blake gave Yang a small wave.

Yang waved back and smiled at her, a much more confident smile than the awkward one she had given Blake the night before.

"You're pretty good," said Blake. "I've not seen many people who fight so… directly."

Yang's confident smile morphed into a smugger one. "Well, that's just how I roll. Swords and scythes and stuff never really felt right for me."

"I see," replied Blake with a nod. She could appreciate that.

Yang held out a hand towards Blake. "Welp, I guess we're partners now. Nice to meet you, Blake."

Blake took Yang's hand, the blonde giving her a very firm handshake. "Nice to meet you too, Yang."

Releasing each other's hands, the pair fell in step with each other and began to walk through the forest side by side. They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. At least, Blake felt comfortable. She had never been one for idle conversation.

"So, you use a sword?"

Yang however, it seemed, was not one for long silences.

"I do," Blake replied. "Although it's a bit more than that."

"Can I see?" Yang asked.

"If we run into any more Grimm, sure."

The pair were silent once again, but now it was a less comfortable silence. Blake could sense that Yang wanted to talk more, but Blake didn't really know what they could talk about. She was pretty sure Yang wouldn't be interested in discussing books with her.

"I wonder if Ruby's OK?"

Yang had probably not meant for Blake to hear that. She had muttered it under her breath to herself, but Blake's hearing was quite a bit better than most. Not much escaped her ears.

Maybe she really was hoping to pair up with her sister.

"Do you want to try and look for her?" Blake asked.

Yang shook her head. "No, I'm sure she's fine. She may not look it, but Ruby's really strong. She can handle herself in a fight."

"You aren't worried about her?" Had Blake misunderstood Yang's mutterings?

"I'm always worried about her," came Yang's reply, sounding much more casual than her words implied. "But not because I think she's weak, because she isn't."

Blake felt a bit lost, like she was missing some context. "I don't understand."

Yang sighed. "You probably noticed yesterday, but Ruby… struggles sometimes. With other people. And with some situations."

Blake thought back to her interactions with the smaller girl. The way she avoided eye contact. The way she tripped over her words almost constantly when she spoke. The way she had reacted when Schnee had started yelling at her, shrinking into herself, and seemingly trying very hard to keep herself from crying.

"I had gotten that impression," Blake admitted.

"She's gotten a lot better," Yang said quickly. "Seriously, she's come so far, and I'm so proud of her for that. She used to never talk to anyone else besides me, dad, and our uncle. Now, well, you saw her last night."

"The real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. Things don't always turn out OK for everyone."

"W-well, that's why we're here. To m-make it better."

She may have stammered her way through the whole conversation, but Blake could not deny that there had been a lot of confidence in what Ruby had said to her.

"She's quite something," Blake mused aloud.

"She sure is," agreed Yang.

"But you're still afraid for her." It wasn't a question so much as an observation.

Blake saw Yang grimace slightly out of the corner of her eye. "I don't wanna smother her. She needs space to grow into her own person. But I still need to look out for her, so I can be there when she does need me."

Blake pondered Yang's words for a moment, weighing in her mind whether or not she should say what she was thinking. After a moment, she decided she might as well offer her suggestion.

"Well, if we do run into her," Blake said, turning to face Yang properly as she spoke. "I won't be offended if you want to be her partner instead."

"No," replied Yang firmly. "Like I said, I don't wanna smother her. She should find her own partner." Yang then turned to look at Blake with a sheepish expression. "To be honest, out of everyone, I kinda was hoping you'd run into her first."

Blake wasn't sure how to respond to that. She felt a little flattered that Yang trusted her to keep an eye on her little sister, despite having only know each other for a day.

Snap!

That branch breaking was not because of her or Yang. Something was approaching them.

That something turned out to be another Ursa.

"Do you mind if I take this one?" asked Blake, already stepping forward and reaching for her weapon.

"No problem," replied Yang. "Show me what you got, Blake."

Blake smiled at that. Drawing her sword, she took her stance and prepared for battle.

"I think w-we're lost."

It took every ounce of Weiss's willpower to keep herself from simply walking off and leaving Ruby to fend for herself.

"We are not lost! I know exactly where we are going. The forest temple is this way."

"W-well, m-maybe if I climbed up a tree, I could s-see w-where w-we are."

Weiss let out a huff of annoyance. "Fine! Climb a tree! I'll wait here, but don't take too long! We've wasted enough time already."

Weiss watched as the smaller girl in red began to clamber up one of the nearby trees, pulling herself up branch by branch as she made her way into the canopy above. Once or twice her hands missed the branch she was reaching for, causing her to take a bit longer, which only added to Weiss's frustration.

"You would probably be able to see where you're going better if you took that silly hood off for five seconds!"

Either Ruby didn't hear her, or she ignored her, because she did not lower her hood. In fact, she had kept her hood up the entire time they had been walking.

Why did I have to run into her first? Out of everyone else, why am I stuck with a little kid who can barely string a sentence together?! I'm training to be a Huntress, not a babysitter!

Weiss continued to silently fume and curse her own misfortune, not paying any attention to Ruby anymore, too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice anything else.

Until she heard the sound of several Grimm approaching her from all sides, which quickly snapped her out of her trance.

Weiss spared a quick glance upwards, saw that Ruby was no longer in sight, then returned her attention to her surroundings as she drew Myrtenaster and prepared for battle.

Beowolves emerged from the foliage around her. Weiss counted four in total, surrounding her, and approaching slowly, cautiously.

Remember your training, Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward. Slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike.

Weiss spun the barrel of her weapon, selecting the Red Dust chamber and preparing to activate it at a moment's notice. Her eyes darted between the four Grimm circling her, waiting for the first one to make a move.

NOW!

The Beowolf to her left was the first to attack, leaping for her with claws outstretched. Pivoting on her feet, Weiss lunged towards the attacking Grimm, activating the Dust, and sending red energy surging up the length of her blade, ready to set the offending enemy ablaze-

SLAM!

The sound and force of something impacting the ground behind her threw Weiss off balance, causing her to stumble mid-attack. Unable to fully regain her footing, she was forced to twist around and catch herself on the tree beside her.

In doing so, Weiss had no choice but to swing Myrtenaster out to her side. The Fire Dust, already activated, erupted from the end of the sword, and set a nearby bush on fire.

The blast of fire narrowly missed Ruby, the source of the impact, who was forced to leap aside to avoid being burnt. The Beowolf she had been in the process of attacking was able to back off and avoid being struck down.

The Beowolf Weiss had been about to attack backed off as well, joining its brethren as they fell back to regroup for another assault on the pair. All the while, the fire from Weiss's wayward blast continued to spread, engulfing their surroundings, and turning into a full-on inferno.

"We have to go!" Weiss yelled. She grabbed Ruby's arm and began to sprint in the opposite direction, dragging the smaller girl behind her.

After running for about a minute, putting enough distance between themselves and the blaze, Weiss and Ruby stopped beside a pair of very tall trees. Weiss leant against one of the trees and panted heavily, trying to catch her breath after her sprint.

"Um, are you OK?"

A small part of Weiss' brain registered the genuine concern in Ruby's voice, but any appreciation she may have felt for that was entirely drowned out by pure anger.

"What is wrong with you!?"

Ruby flinched and stepped back at the volume of Weiss' shout, but Weiss paid that no mind.

"You attacked out of turn! I could have killed you! I had the situation completely under control, until you blundered in and ruined everything! If you had just exercised even the slightest amount of caution, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"

"I-I was just trying t-to help."

"You weren't helping, you were acting like a child!" Weiss was in no mood to listen to Ruby. She just continued to vent all her frustrations at the other girl, heedless of anything else. "You can't just charge in without thinking about what you're doing! This isn't a game, this is serious!"

"I know!"

Weiss paused her ranting, Ruby's sudden yell breaking her momentum.

"I know this isn't a game. I know I m-make m-mistakes. B-but I… b-but I… I…"

Ruby stammered to a halt, and Weiss felt her frustration begin to bubble up again.

"Just spit it out already! Can't you even talk properly!?"

…

"… N-no. I can't."

For the second time in the span of a minute, Weiss felt the momentum of her anger break, but this time it was much more jarring. "Excuse me?"

Ruby did not respond. She simply turned and began to walk away, head bowed, and eyes hidden from sight.

"Wait, where are you going?"

No response.

"Oh, very mature of you!" Weiss yelled, although with less energy than before. "Fine, go sulk somewhere else, see if I care."

And with that, Weiss turned and walked in the opposite direction, perfectly content to forge ahead by herself.

…

…

…

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, Weiss began to calm down enough to feel a pang of shame for how she had acted.

You called her a child, but she wasn't the one throwing a tantrum back there. You're supposed to be better than that.

Weiss stopped walking. The memory of her outburst played out in her mind, the image of Ruby shrinking back away from her adding a touch of guilt to her shame.

I'm supposed to be better than him.

Weiss took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping. She shouldn't have lost her temper like that, and now her would-be partner had walked away. Weiss supposed she could hardly blame the other girl for leaving. After all, hadn't she done exactly that?

Well, there's nothing I can do now. She's gone, and I have a job to do. I should get back to finding the ruins.

But where to begin? Despite what she had said before, she really didn't have a single clue as to where she was, even less so now that she had blindly wandered around after Ruby left…

Weiss looked up and to her left, sizing up the tree beside her.

"Worth a shot, I suppose," she muttered.

Chapter Text

Glynda observed the goings-on in the forest below with growing interest. Video from the numerous cameras they had set up in the trees afforded her and the other staff plenty of vantage points to observe the children as they made their way towards the assigned objective. Some of the would-be Huntsmen and Huntresses were making excellent progress, some were quite clearly lost, and a few were…

"Is that girl riding an Ursa like a horse?" asked Ann Greene, sounding utterly incredulous at what she was seeing.

"It would appear that she is doing just that, Ann," commented Bartholomew Oobleck with amusement. "Certainly more efficient than simply walking, I might say."

Peter Port chuckled along with his friend's joke. "Well, Miss Valkyrie will certainly be one to watch out for, it seems. I'm looking forward to having her in my classes!"

"Her poor partner, though," mused Thumbelina Peach, concern evident on her face. "They did not seem too keen on her idea."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine," chimed in Harold Mulberry with a nonchalant shrug. "From what I gather, those two have known each other for quite some time already."

Initiation day was always like this, every year. The seven Professors of Beacon Academy would all gather at the top of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest and make a day of enjoying the proceedings, offering up their own commentary throughout. As per usual, several holoscreens had been set up to allow for multiple points of view at once, and Peter and Bartholomew had even set up a refreshments table for everyone.

That was not to say that they weren't taking this seriously, of course. Despite what they had told the students, there were a number of measures in place to prevent things from getting too out of hand. A detachment of Atlesian Knights, donated by James Ironwood after he had insisted they accept them, were on standby to be sent in if required, and a pair of bulkheads were fuelled up and ready to go at a moment's notice if the staff themselves needed to step in at all. But until and unless that was required, the seven Professors were quite content to have a day off from teaching, perhaps even more so than their students were to have a day off from classes.

"What opinion do you have on those two, Glynda?" asked Ozpin.

Glynda didn't need to think about that for very long. She had already read every student's file, and had already drawn some initial conclusions about each one of them. With regards to this particular pair…

"I believe their partnership has the potential to be a strong one, if only Miss Valkyrie can reign herself in a little and allow her partner to have more of a say in what they do."

Ozpin hummed at that. "Perhaps their fellow teammates, whomever those end up being, can help with that."

Glynda nodded, making a few more notes on her Scroll, her mind already working away at the potential problem, sifting through potential solutions.

"Ah, it would seem that Miss Belladonna is about to showcase what she is capable of," announced Peter, drawing everyone's attention back to the holoscreens.

Glynda lowered her Scroll and adjusted her glasses. Blake Belladonna had been one of only three students this year to not have any prior records from a combat school. While her surname may have carried a few connotations with it, she was almost a complete unknown in terms of actual capabilities, besides what she had demonstrated during her entry examinations.

Glynda, as well as her colleagues, watched with some mild anticipation as the girl approached the Grimm, weapon drawn and poised for combat. It was time to see for themselves what Blake Belladonna could do.

…

As it turned out, her exam results had not been a fluke in the slightest.

"Wow. That was quite something," said Ann with a small smile. "She certainly has a lot of talent, and by the looks of things she also has the experience to back that up."

Glynda and the rest of the Professors all voiced their agreement. Miss Belladonna had not wasted any time in dispatching her opponent, nor had she wasted any effort in doing so. Her movements had been precise and meaningful, and the Ursa had gone down in less than half a minute.

"And she's paired up with Xiao Long's daughter," added Harold. "That's going to be an interesting dynamic to see. Their different approaches to combat should compliment each other quite well, assuming they can get along."

"I don't think that will be an issue," Ozpin mused. "Miss Xiao Long strikes me as the kind of person who gets along well with most people. I believe we have the makings of a very strong pair here."

Ann raised an eyebrow at that. "Already eyeing her up for a leadership position, Headmaster? Can't say I necessarily disagree, but she'd need to check her own impulsive tendencies to be effective."

Ozpin simply offered a noncommittal shrug in response. "We shall see, Ann. The day has only just begun, after all."

Glynda had known Ozpin for long enough to know that he had indeed already made up his mind, and if Glynda was right about his train of thought, she was in complete agreement with him. Like Ann had said, Yang Xiao Long was a very impulsive and headstrong individual. Her school records had had plenty to say about her tendency to cause trouble, her recklessness and her thrill-seeker tendencies. She may have been an excellent fighter and people-person, but she was not responsible enough to lead a team.

She's going to be a headache all year, isn't she?

Glynda let out a sigh that she was sure would not be her last where Yang Xiao Long was concerned, and pre-emptively resigned herself to a long and tiring year of additional stress.

"Now there's an interesting pairing," announced Peter. "Miss Nikos and Mr Arc."

Glynda couldn't quite suppress the small frown that made its way onto her face at the mention of the Arc boy's name, but she quickly schooled her expression into a neutral one before anyone could notice. It would not be professional of her to show such bias.

"That was the boy with the fake transcripts, wasn't he?" asked Ann, who had made no attempt to hide her own disapproval. She had been quite vocal in her opposition to allowing Jaune Arc to enrol, even after his surprising showing in the entry exams.

"Ann, you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss him outright," chided Thumbelina. "He may yet surprise us, if we only give him a chance."

Glynda was not so sure about that, but chose to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being. She trusted Ozpin, and if he said the boy deserved a chance, then she would not refuse him that opportunity.

After all, Jaune Arc had managed to pass the same entry exams as everyone else. That had to count for something. And not everyone had the luxury of being able to attend a combat school. Miss Belladonna was one example from this very same year.

But Miss Belladonna didn't try to cheat her way in. This boy did. He will need to work hard to earn any trust here.

Glynda made a few more notes on her Scroll next to Jaune Arc's name, before bringing up the student profile of one Pyrrha Nikos.

Prodigy was not a word anyone ought to use lightly in this particular line of work, but Pyrrha Nikos undoubtedly fit the description. Her successes in numerous tournaments in her home Kingdom of Mistral had made her quite the celebrity at home and abroad. In official matches she was undefeated for three years straight, and her school instructors had not had anything to say about her other than glowing praise for her abilities.

And the girl herself was a delight to speak with. Glynda had been the one to interview her, and she had been unfailingly polite and courteous to the Professor. Modest too, downplaying her accomplishments and insisting that anyone could have done what she did.

A leader, born and forged. She will be an outstanding Huntress.

"Hold on, there's a fire a mile into the forest."

Bartholomew's words had everyone alert, and all eyes turned towards the third holoscreen. Sure enough, a roaring blaze was consuming the entire area, and spreading fast.

"Harold, deploy the Knights to that portion of the forest," ordered Ozpin. "Let's get this under control before it can spread too far."

"Yes Headmaster," Harold replied, already tapping at his own Scroll to direct the robots to take action.

Thumbelina let out a sigh. "Would it be too much to ask for us to go one year without someone starting a full-on forest fire?"

"Look of the bright side, Lina," said Ann, patting her colleague on the shoulder. "At least this time we caught it early. I mean, you can't even see the smoke from here yet!"

"I can," commented Peter, pointing out the rising plume of smoke that was making itself known in the distance.

Thumbelina simply lowered her head and began massaging her temples, while Ann shot Peter a dirty look. Peter at least had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"The Knights are on their way there now," announced Harold, stowing his Scroll back in his pocket. "Do we know what caused the fire to start?"

"I can find out," replied Glynda, using her own Scroll to take control of the feed from the camera and directing it to rewind the footage.

…

"Isn't that girl supposed to be a Dust Company Heiress?" noted Ann. "Why would she think that using raw fire Dust in a forest would be a good idea? Even if her partner hadn't thrown off her aim, she still could have set her surroundings on fire regardless."

"Indeed," agreed Peter. "I can say from experience that setting Grimm on fire to kill them is best attempted when you aren't also in a flammable area. The now-on-fire-but-not-dead-yet Grimm tend to spread the fire around as they thrash about in agony."

"Like that time you decided to set fire traps in Forever Fall, Peter?" added Bartholomew with a smirk.

"That was you!?" exclaimed Ann, while Thumbelina just buried her face in her hands and groaned.

Glynda tuned out the resulting argument that erupted between her colleagues, focussing instead on following the goings-on between Miss Schnee and Miss Rose on the holoscreen. The pair seemed to be involved in quite the heated argument of their own, with Miss Schnee being especially furious if her body language was anything to go off of. Without any audio, there was no way to know for certain what was actually being said, but it was clearly not friendly conversation.

Eventually, the two girls walked off in separate directions. Glynda decided to have the video feed follow after Miss Schnee for the time being, who had set off in entirely the wrong direction.

"Those two will be disappointed to learn that everyone else has already paired up," said Bartholomew. "Their only options left now are each other, whether they like it or not."

Bartholomew was right. The partnerships had all formed very quickly this year, and every student had found a partner within the first twenty minutes of the initiation, compared to the full hour it had taken in the previous year. Like it or not, these two girls would have to work together from now on.

This sort of thing wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence. The entire point of the paring system they employed at Beacon was to force the students to learn to work with people they wouldn't ordinarily work with otherwise. Being able to cooperate with people who had different approaches to your own was vital if one was to be a successful Huntsman or Huntress. One would not always have the luxury of being able to choose your allies out in the field.

If anything, Glynda would have been more surprised if there were no disagreements at all at this stage. It took time for teams to become tight-knit units, and even then there were some who never became close enough to call themselves friends.

Her own colleagues were presently demonstrating that well enough.

"Alright everyone, let's not waste the whole morning arguing. We do have a job to do, after all."

Ozpin's words cut through the bickering between Peter and Ann, and the pair grumbled apologies to each other before turning back to the screen, where Miss Schnee had now decided to start climbing up a tree, presumably to get a better view of her surroundings.

"Where did the other girl go?" asked Thumbelina.

Glynda cycled through the different camera feeds until she found where Miss Rose was. The younger girl still had her hood up and was walking very slowly, but at the very least she was heading in the right direction.

Glynda pulled up Ruby Rose's student profile and scrolled through it, refamiliarizing herself with some of the details. Her fellow Professors all began discussing Miss Rose among themselves, but Glynda tuned them out, pondering to herself instead.

Many of the things that could be said about Pyrrha Nikos could also be said about Ruby Rose. Both were immensely talented and hard-working girls, who had both achieved much in their combat schools. In fact, considering Miss Rose's younger age, her achievements were arguably even more impressive, if not quite as plentiful. However, Glynda would not describe Miss Rose as a prodigy like she did Pyrrha, for one simple reason: confidence.

Pyrrha Nikos was polite and modest, yes, but she was also very sure of herself and incredibly driven. She knew what she was capable of and, while she downplayed it to be polite, she embraced her potential wholeheartedly, and enjoyed being in the spotlight.

Miss Rose, on the other hand, shied away from all that. She hated being the centre of attention, and downplayed her abilities not out of courtesy, but out of fear. She certainly had the passion and drive to push her forwards, but without the confidence and self-assuredness, she would never be able to reach those same heights.

Glynda tapped away at her Scroll, making more notes next to Miss Rose's name.

Fixing someone's confidence was a challenging prospect, but Glynda had a few ideas that might be able to help.

"Headmaster, might I discuss a proposition with you regarding Miss Rose?"

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at that. "What did you have in mind?"

Ruby untangled the end of her cloak from the branch it had snagged on, taking care not to rip the fabric as she did so. Once freed from the clutches of the pointy stick, she continued to meander her way through the forest, hood up and feet dragging, not really caring that she was probably taking far too long to get where she needed to be.

"Just spit it out already! Can't you even talk properly!?"

Ruby had heard those exact words many times before, so they shouldn't have hurt as much as they did.

But even so…

A fresh start…

Ruby had gotten her hopes up, allowed herself to believe that Yang was right, that things could be different here. But no. No, nothing had changed. She hadn't changed. She was still the same screw-up who couldn't even string a sentence together without making a fool of herself. She still got in everyone's way and made people angry. She didn't deserve to be here…

Sunlight broke through the canopy above her, causing Ruby to squint and raise a hand to pull her hood a little lower and shield her eyes from the light-

Ruby paused. There was no canopy above her. She had reached the edge of the treeline, and had emerged into a clearing.

A clearing that happened to contain some very impressive ruins.

Ruby lowered her hood and stepped out into the clearing, casting her eyes over her new surroundings. Broken pillars were dotted here and there, large chunks of crumbling marble scattered in between, and in the centre stood a large stone platform, upon which was some sort of alter.

And placed atop the alter, on little pedestals of their own, were a number of chess pieces.

I made it.

Despite her situation, Ruby allowed herself a small smile.

BOOM!

ROAR!

Smile vanishing in an instant, Ruby spun on her heels and drew Crescent Rose, unfolding her weapon into its full scythe form, ready to face… whatever was coming her way.

"WO-HOOO!"

Out of the shadows of the trees on the other edge of the clearing emerged an Ursa… being ridden by two people, one of whom was cheering while the other looked like they were about to throw up.

With a final roar, the Ursa collapsed, and its two passengers tumbled off and landed in a heap on the grass.

"Nora… please… let's never do that again."

"I make no promises, Ren. But look, we're here! I think? I'm upside-down right now, so I can't quite tell."

Ruby remained where she was, unsure what to make of these new arrivals. She vaguely recognised them from earlier in the locker room. The girl, Nora, had orange hair and was carrying some sort of grenade launcher on her hip, while her companion, Ren, was dressed in green and didn't seem to have any weapons on his person.

"Oh hey, someone else is here!" Nora waved at Ruby before rolling over and jumping to her feet, a few blades of grass sticking in her hair. "Hi there, are these the ruins?"

"Uh, I think s-s-so? I'm n-not s-sure, I only just g-got here m-m-myself."

"Good enough for me!" replied Nora, shooting Ruby a bright grin. "C'mon Ren, let's get our relic and get out of here!"

Ren rose to their feet, much more slowly and unsteadily than Nora had done, and brushed of some grass that clung to their clothes. "Alright, but we're walking back this time. No more Grimm rodeo."

Nora didn't reply, having already sped off towards the alter and grabbed a chess piece.

"Look Ren! I'm Queen of the Castle! I'm Queen of the Castle!" Nora sing-songed as she danced around the alter, white castle in hand.

Rook. I think it's called a rook. Or was that the other one?

Ren reached the alter and swiped the piece out of Nora's hands. "I'm holding onto this. We can't afford to lose it."

"Ren!" gasped Nora. "I would never lose something so important!"

"You lost our keys every week for a year."

"… OK, fair enough. Lead the way, Ren!" Nora gave Ren a salute, and the duo made their way down off the alter.

"Hey, are you gonna take one?" Ren asked Ruby. "There's not many left."

Ruby felt her face flush and averted her gaze. She had been staring, she realized, watching the pair as they bantered with each other while she stood off to the side. It was something she did often when she was around people she didn't know.

"R-right." Resisting the urge to pull her hood back up, Ruby walked up the steps to the alter and across to where the remaining chess pieces were laid out.

So, Dad and Uncle Qrow said that the pairs who take the same relics are put in the same team. So if I took the other rook…

Ruby glanced back over at the other two, Ren and Nora. They were walking slowly back towards the edge of the forest, Nora continuing to talk a mile a minute to her partner.

Ruby briefly imagined what it would be like to be in their place, and while she was sure that the other girl was probably a very nice person, Ruby didn't think she could handle being around someone with that much energy all the time.

Mind made up, Ruby instead grabbed one of the two white horses.

Knights. I'm pretty sure these are called knights.

Ruby was not much of a chess player. Video games were more her thing.

Stowing the chess piece in one of her pockets, Ruby descended the steps and left the alter behind.

Well, I guess I should try and find Weiss.

Ruby's mood soured once again at the thought of having to confront the older girl once more, but she knew she didn't really have any choice. They were partners now.

For the next four years.

"What is wrong with you!?"

Ruby sighed and pulled her hood back up over her head. So much for a fresh start-

Ruby froze. She hadn't heard or seen anything, but she froze nonetheless. She could feel that something was approaching.

Crescent Rose was already deployed, so Ruby simply remained perfectly still, waiting for any sign as to what had made her instincts scream at her to stop.

Two seconds passed.

Three.

Four.

The leaves of a nearby bush rustled.

But there was no wind.

Ruby pivoted on her heels, took aim at the bush, and fired.

The Beowolf that had been lying in wait leapt out of the foliage, Ruby's shot striking it in the leg and causing it to stumble. Seizing the opening, Ruby activated her Semblance and closed the distance between her and the Grimm in an instant. Crescent Rose's blade came down, and the Beowolf was cleaved in half.

The sound of paws on dirt alerted Ruby to the presence of more Beowolves closing in, and she quickly leapt back into the clearing to give herself more space.

Sure enough, three more Beowolves came barrelling out of the trees and charged at Ruby, growling and snarling and baring their fangs.

Crescent Rose spun in Ruby's hands until the tip of the blade was driven into the ground. Lining up her sights, Ruby took aim at the closest Beowolf and-

"Heads up!"

Just before Ruby could fire upon her target, the Grimm she had been aiming for was hit with the head of a silver hammer. The body of the Beowolf crumpled with a sound like a bag of potato chips being crushed, and the creature went limp and lifeless.

The sound of small arms fire then filled the air, and the second Beowolf was sprayed with bullets from behind. The now enraged Grimm turned and charged towards the one who had dared to attack it, and was swiftly cut to pieces by Ren, whose guns also happened to have large knives attached to them.

That still left one more Grimm to deal with, so Ruby readjusted her aim and took her shot, felling the final target with a single round to the centre of its bony forehead.

As the bodies of the Grimm began to evaporate, Ruby let out a breath and allowed herself to relax. Folding Crescent Rose up, she stowed her weapon away on the small of her back once more.

"Thanks for the h-help," she called to the other two.

"Not that you needed it," replied Nora, hefting her hammer onto her shoulders. "You're a pretty good shot."

"S-so is your partner," Ruby replied. "Ren, was it?"

"Lie Ren," replied the green-clad gunslinger. "And this is Nora Valkyrie."

"What's your name?" asked Nora, leaning forward and smiling at Ruby.

"Uh, m-my n-name is Ruby Rose." Ruby ducked her head to avoid the gaze of the pair.

I can't even introduce myself without stuttering it all up.

"Well, nice to meet ya, Ruby!" replied Nora, straightening up and lowering her hammer off of her shoulders. "Wanna come with us back to the cliff?"

Ruby was about to politely turn down the other girl's offer and explain that she really needed to find her partner, when the ground began to shake. All three stumbled slightly as the rumbling intensified, accompanied by an approaching sound of wood cracking.

Ruby turned to face the direction of the sound. The trees on the other side of the clearing were tilting this way and that, as if they were being pushed aside by something truly massive.

A second later, two figures burst out of the treeline in a frantic sprint, one screaming in abject terror while the other yelled at them to keep running.

"I'm sorry!" cried Jaune. "I didn't mean to wake it up!"

"Don't worry about that right now!" yelled Pyrrha. "Just keep moving! Head for the ruins, we can take shelter there!"

"What has those two in such a rush?" asked Nora, head cocked to one side in confusion.

Her question was swiftly answered when an enormous Grimm crashed through the forest and emerged out in the open. A gargantuan scorpion, covered from head to tail in thick white bone. Claws the size of cars, a glowing yellow stinger on the end of its raised tail, and legs longer than a person was tall that carried it at frightening speed, its weight making the ground shake with each step it took.

The Death Stalker was considered to be one of the most dangerous Grimm native to the area around Vale. Even to a fully-trained Huntsman or Huntress, such a foe was a formidable one to face in battle. Its armour rendered it impervious to all but the most potent firearms, its powerful claws could sheer right through a person's Aura if they were unfortunate enough to be caught in the monster's grip, and the poison it could secrete from its stinger was potent enough to kill in a matter of seconds, assuming the mere act of being impaled on the barb wasn't enough to do the job.

Ruby watched with wide eyes as Jaune and Pyrrha ran as fast as they could. If they could just make it to the ruins, use the tall and sturdy pillars to take cover…

Pyrrha was clearly the faster of the two, pulling ahead of Jaune by a few metres. Even so, as long as they kept moving, both of them would easily make it to safety…

And then Jaune tripped, his foot catching on a small chunk of rubble. He fell onto his hands and knees and scrambled to pull himself back to his feet to continue running.

But it was too late. The Death Stalker was right behind him, its deadly claw reaching towards the fallen boy.

Pyrrha hadn't yet realised her companion had fallen behind, and by the time she did, it would be too late.

Ren and Nora were too far away.

No-one else was in the clearing. No help was coming. They were on their own.

Ruby didn't hesitate for a moment. With barely a conscious thought, she activated her Semblance. In less than a fraction of a second, she had covered the distance between herself and Jaune. The Death Stalker's claw was now closing in on her body instead.

Although Ruby wasn't lying when she said she always tried to keep her weapon's weight to a minimum where possible, Crescent Rose was still a hefty tool, since it needed to be durable enough to withstand the stress of prolonged combat.

The claw of the Death Stalker was unable to close around Ruby's body, as the shaft of her weapon was pinning it open, held horizontally by its wielder.

Ruby then pulled the trigger, and the force of the point-blank shot shattered the claw entirely.

Though thick the Grimm's armour may have been, a high-impact sniper rifle packed enough of a punch to do the job.

With an ear-splitting screech of pain, the Death Stalker scuttled back, putting some distance between itself and the one who had wounded it. Seizing the opportunity, Ruby grabbed Jaune and pulled him back to his feet.

"The ruins, take shelter there!"

Jaune nodded and ran for the cover of the pillars, Ruby following beside. She quickly cast a glance back towards Ren and Nora, and was relieved to see that they had taken cover themselves by clambering up one of the trees.

Reaching the ruins, Ruby ducked behind one of the pillars. Jaune did the same, and Ruby could see that Pyrrha had likewise taken shelter.

OK, so now what?

Ruby leaned out from behind her pillar to take stock of the situation. The Death Stalker, now down one claw, was no longer reeling from the injury. Instead, it was remaining perfectly, almost eerily still.

It's waiting for us to make a move.

Ruby knew that Grimm grew smarter with age. Any Grimm that lasted long enough to reach the size of this one had likely seen a number of battles before, so were less likely to attack mindlessly.

Ruby had wounded it, and it was outnumbered. If it was smart enough to have survived this long, then maybe, just maybe, it would retreat and leave them alone.

"No-one move," Ruby whispered to Jaune and Pyrrha, drawing back behind her pillar.

…

Seconds ticked by slowly. Ruby made a conscious effort to keep her breathing slow. She didn't dare peek out from behind the pillar again, lest she accidentally set the Grimm off. Instead she listened carefully for any sound that would indicate the Death Stalker was moving. Given the sheer size of the thing, it wouldn't be difficult to hear.

…

…

Come on, just leave already.

Seconds became minutes. No movement. No Sound. Nothing to indicate that the Death Stalker was going to move on.

…

…

…

They couldn't stay like this forever. If the Grimm wouldn't move, then they would have to move first, and take their chances with being out in the open.

Ruby chanced a peek out from behind the pillar once more. Sure enough, the Death Stalker was still there, motionlessly waiting. A thin tendril of black vapor was curling off from where its missing claw used to be, a sign that it was beginning to heal. Grimm healed very, very slowly. Something like what Ruby had just done to it would likely take a few weeks to fully recover from.

Slowly, careful to avoid any sudden movements, Ruby scanned the trees until she spotted Ren and Nora. They were still safely perched in the branches, the leaves keeping them mostly hidden from sight, but Nora's bright hair was easy to spot.

With those two, that makes five, but getting any sort of message to them without triggering the Grimm will be tricky.

Ruby took stock of what they had. Her rifle could break the Grimm's armour, and she was willing to bet that Nora's hammer could do the same based on what she saw earlier. They would just need enough of an opening-

SKRAAAAW!

Ruby felt her blood run cold at the noise. Casting her gaze skyward, she saw it. Far too massive to be a normal bird, its wings cast a shadow over the entire clearing as its feathered body blocked out the sun.

The Nevermore drew back its wings, and Ruby realised with a surge of terror that it was about to attack.

"RUN!" she screamed, bolting as fast as she could. In her panic, she didn't even think to activate her Semblance.

The air filled with a whistling sound, and a gigantic feather with a point like a spear slammed into the marble floor where she had been standing mere moments before.

But it wasn't just a case of avoiding one feather. More and more deadly projectiles rained down from the sky, piercing the ground and turning what was once a flat clearing into a dark mockery of a forest, where instead of trees grew black feathers that towered over them. And as the feathers began to evaporate like all pieces of Grimm did, a thick black fog filled the air, turning what had been a bright sunny afternoon into pitch black night.

Pitch black, save for the glowing red eyes of the Death Stalker.

The raw panic of its previously quiet prey had spurred the Grimm back into action. The ground once again shuddered and shook with each step the scorpion took as it homed in on its chosen target, the red glow of its many eyes growing brighter as it bore down on Ruby.

Ruby's eyesight may have been better than most on account of being a sniper, but the Grimm fog was just too thick. She had no way of knowing where she was going.

So when she activated her Semblance once more in an attempt to flee, she was unable to see the shaft of the feather right in front of her, and she collided with it hard. Her Aura flared to absorb the impact, but her desperate dash was halted dead in its tracks.

The Death Stalker was closing in, and there was nowhere to run.

For a brief moment, Ruby's mind was filled with the image of her own dead body, torso skewered by the Death Stalker's tail, lifeless eyes gazing up at the sky-

NO!

Ruby shock her head, pushing the horrible image out of her mind. She still had her weapon. She still had her training.

She wasn't going to die!

Ruby turned to face the oncoming Grimm, staring straight up at the glowing eyes as they approached her.

If I can see it, I can hit it. And I can see your eyes!

Ruby stepped backwards until she felt her shoulders hit the feather she had run into, bracing herself against it as she folded Crescent Rose's blade away. Raising her weapon up, Ruby took aim at one of the larger glowing eyes, and pulled the trigger.

CLUNK.

Jammed! The rifle was jammed, and at the worst possible time.

There was nothing Ruby could do. She simply stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide with terror as the slight yellow glow of the Death Stalker's stinger became visible, hurtling towards her.

Once again, that terrible image played in her mind. The stinger ramming home, her body going limp, her form rippling and vanishing into thin air…

Huh?

She was not imagining anything. Ruby watched as her own body disappeared right before her eyes.

"I've got you, just hang on!"

Ruby recognised that voice, and she also was now aware of an arm wrapped around her middle, carrying her away.

The darkness vanished, and Ruby blinked as the sunlight returned in full force. She had emerged from the fog, held firmly in the grasp of a girl dressed in black with a bow in her hair.

"Blake?"

"RUBY!"

Ruby suddenly found herself in a much more crushing embrace, as her sister wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright! We saw the fog and we heard all the noise and we didn't know who was in trouble so we came as fast as we could and I saw you running and all those feathers flying around and-"

"Yang… can't… breathe…" gasped Ruby as her sister's hug went from crushing in the hyperbolic sense to quite literally crushing her.

"Sorry!" Yang quickly set Ruby down and released her. "I'm just so glad you're OK!"

"Not for much longer, we're not," said Blake, drawing her weapon from her back and holding both the sword and sheath at the ready. Ruby noted absently that the sheath was also bladed.

The last of the black fog faded, revealing the Death Stalker fully. No more feathers remained in the clearing, having all evaporated. The Nevermore that hurled them was most likely circling back around.

With a screech, the Death Stalker once again charged forwards, seemingly far too enraged to be cautious any longer. Its one remaining claw snapped threateningly, and its stinger was poised for another strike.

"Crescent R-Rose is jammed!" Ruby yelled. "I need time!"

"I'm on it, little sis!" replied Yang, cocking Ember Celica. "This big ugly bug is gonna regret ever-"

Something shot past the three girls, and there was a sound like breaking glass. In an instant, a wave of glittering pale blue ice erupted from the ground, encasing the Death Stalker's legs, and pinning it in place.

"Were you seriously going to try and punch a Death Stalker in the face?" quipped Weiss, pulling her sword out of the ground and walking back towards the trio. "You're lucky I showed up when I did."

"A few moments ago would have been even better," Yang quipped back. "But better late than never I guess, princess."

Weiss looked like she was about to respond, when a loud cracking noise alerted them all to the fact that the Death Stalker was trying to break free.

"We should go," Weiss said. "I don't have enough Ice Dust for another technique like that."

Yang nodded. "Then let's grab a relic and get outta here!" She and Blake began to run towards the ruins.

"Come on, Ruby, we need to get ours as well."

Ruby blinked at that. "Y-you s-s-still w-want me as your partner?"

Weiss sighed. "Look, I may have said some things that were… unwarranted, before. And I will apologise for that when we get back to the cliff. But right now, we need to focus."

Weiss turned to face Ruby. "So I'm willing to give us a chance if you are."

Ruby said nothing. She didn't know how to respond. Was Weiss really offering her another chance?

Crack.

"OK, at the very least, can we just grab a relic and go?"

"Oh, I-I already h-have it." Ruby pulled the knight out of her pocket and showed it to Weiss.

Weiss just nodded. "Then let's go already!"

Ruby put the knight back in her pocket, just as Yang and Blake came running towards them.

"Got ours," Yang announced. "Now let's get the heck outta here!"

The four girls, relics in hand and weapons at the ready, ran into the forest together.

I hope Jaune and the others made it out OK.

"It's coming back!"

SKRAAAAW!

The Nevermore screeched as it continued its pursuit of the four of them. Ren carried on running as fast as they could, their three companions likewise keeping up the sprint.

"Just keep moving!" cried Jaune. "We're almost there!"

Sure enough, the four emerged from the treeline once again, and found themselves standing on one side of an old stone bridge over a canyon. On the other side of the bridge lay a towering stone structure that looked like it had definitely seen better days.

"Alright everyone, across the bridge. We're only gonna get one shot at this!"

"This is a terrible plan," Ren mused, mostly to themselves.

"I love this plan!" cheered Nora. "This is gonna be great!"

Chapter Text

High, high above the crumbling ruins of the old stone tower, the giant Nevermore beat its enormous wings. Even at such a distance, the powerful gusts of wind generated by the Grimm as it flew around could be felt by the four as they sprinted across the cracked and broken bridge that led to the tall structure in the centre of the vast canyon.

Ren was the last of the group to reach the tower. Following the lead of the other three, they quickly ducked low and crouched beside one of the few pillars that were still mostly intact, making themselves as small as possible in order to conceal themselves in the shadows. It wouldn't keep them hidden from the Grimm for very long, but it was better than standing out in the open.

Briefly, Ren considered using their Semblance to hide them completely, but dismissed the idea after a moment's consideration. Were it just themselves and Nora it would be easy enough, but trying to mask four people at once would likely be more than they could manage right now.

Not for the first time, Ren cursed their pitiful Aura reserves for being such a detriment.

"Alright you three," whispered Jaune, getting everyone's attention and snapping Ren out of their thoughts. "We're only gonna have one shot at this, so we need to make sure we time it right. Get set up and wait for my signal, then bring it down."

"Jaune, are you sure about this?" asked Pyrrha, concern evident in both her voice and her face. "There are so many ways this could go horribly wrong. Maybe we should try something else?"

"There's no time!" Jaune hissed back. "This is our best chance!"

Ren said nothing. They didn't really think that this was a very good idea either, but Jaune was right, time was not on the team's side right now. Sooner or later, the Nevermore was going to resume its attack, and they would not be able to outrun it forever. If the four of them wanted to get away with their lives, then they had no choice but to stand their ground and fight.

This would not have been my first choice of action, but I suppose these are dire circumstances. Or maybe spending so much time with Nora has somewhat desensitised me to insane plans with marginal odds of success.

All told, as crazy and potentially suicidal as Jaune's plan was, Ren had to admit that it was impressive just how quickly he had managed to come up with it while they had all been running for their lives. If nothing else, the blonde boy was remarkably observant and resourceful, having taken into account not just what the four of them had on their persons, but also what was available in their surroundings as well.

None of that made Ren feel any less apprehensive, of course. This was still an insane plan with a worryingly high chance of getting them all killed. At the very least, Ren was fairly certain that the Professors were going to take issue with what they were about to do to the important-looking historical monument they were currently sheltering underneath.

SKRAAAAW!

Another powerful gust blew through the area, buffeting them with much more force than before. The Nevermore's patience had evidently run out, and it was beginning to prepare for its attack run.

Jaune rose to his feet, standing poised on the edge of the shadows, ready to step out onto the second bridge that led deeper into the canyon towards the cliff. Ren watched as Jaune muttered something under his breath, but they couldn't quite make out what the boy was saying. They saw that the boy's hands were shaking slightly, causing his shield to rattle against the arm brace that it was fixed to.

"Jaune," Ren began. "If you don't want to do this, we could-"

Before Ren could finish, Jaune sprinted out onto the second bridge, yelling loudly and slamming his sword against his shield to create as much noise as possible.

"Never mind," Ren muttered.

They didn't have much time. The Nevermore would be on Jaune in a matter of seconds. Fortunately, they would not have to worry about a second salvo of feathers anytime soon. That was a trick the Nevermore could only do once, lest it run the risk of de-feathering itself to the point it could no longer remain in the air. If it wanted to attack now, it would have to dive and make a full-on attack run against its prey.

They had maybe a half a minute at most before it did just that.

"Nora!" Ren called, holding up their hands. Nora was already unloading Magnhild and taking some of the grenades out of the chamber. Two were tossed to Ren while another pair were quickly handed off to Pyrrha, who wasted no time placing them in the appropriate places. Ren copied her, and Nora completed the set-up with two more that she placed herself.

In short order, six grenade rounds had been positioned around the base of the tower, each one placed up against the side of a pillar.

SKRAAAAW!

Ren looked out at the bridge. The Nevermore had begun its attack dive. Its wings drawn back and angled behind it, the giant black bird hurtled towards Jaune with its beak open, ready to snatch up its prey.

"NOW!" Jaune yelled.

Ren raised StormFlower.

Nora hefted Magnhild.

Pyrrha lifted her rifle.

All three took aim, and opened fire with everything they had.

Bullets and explosives slammed into the side of the Nevermore's head, throwing off its trajectory and causing it to veer to the side. At the same time, Jaune leapt out of the Grimm's path and began to sprint back towards the tower. Behind him, the body of the Nevermore crashed onto the bridge with a shriek of fury and pain. It had been dazed, but it was still very much alive.

"Go go go!" Jaune ordered as he sprinted past the three of them and made his way back towards the forest. Ren followed suit, and Nora and Pyrrha did likewise.

Just as the team made it halfway across the first bridge, Ren and Pyrrha both spun around and took aim at the grenade rounds that had been placed at the tower's base. With a single shot each from the pair of them, two of the grenade rounds were set off, triggering the rest shortly after in a chain reaction.

Six explosions blew out the entire base of the old tower. Pillars that had stood for centuries, possibly even longer than that, were reduced to rubble in an instant, and the entire tower began to topple in the direction of the downed Nevermore.

Ren watched as what had to be over a thousand tonnes of rock and marble fell upon the Grimm. It screeched and struggled as it was crushed under the weight, until the bridge it lay upon gave out beneath it, sending the entire ancient structure plummeting into the canyon it had been straddling up until then.

The death cries of the mighty Grimm echoed in the valley as it fell. Within seconds, its now very crushed and very dead body was buried underneath the rubble of the tower at the base of the cliffs.

…

Silence settled over the area for a moment. They had done it. They had taken out the Nevermore.

"THAT! WAS! AWESOME!" Nora cheered. Ren watched with amusement as their friend pulled Pyrrha into a tight hug and spun her around, despite the other girl being quite a bit taller than Nora was.

Ren, meanwhile, found themselves drawn to Jaune, who was doubled over and panting for breath.

Using himself as bait to lure the Grimm in, even though his own weapons wouldn't have had any use if it had gotten to him before we could hit it. Either he trusted us with his life remarkably quickly…

Or…

Ren shook their head. No use jumping to such morbid conclusions so rashly.

After all, maybe Jaune was just a reckless fool. He wouldn't be the first one of those Ren had known.

Got it!

With a final click, Ruby slotted the barrel of Crescent Rose back into place. The jammed bullet had at last been removed, and her weapon was now once again combat-ready.

A whistle from her left drew Ruby's attention to the tree beside hers, where Yang was clinging to the branches like she was. "All fixed?"

"Yep," Ruby replied. Pulling a new magazine from her pouch, she slammed it home and racked the bolt to load a round into the chamber before bringing the scope up to her eye to peer down at the forest floor below. The Death Stalker had not yet caught up with them, but Ruby knew it was only a matter of time. It had already been breaking free of the ice Weiss had trapped it in when they had all fled.

"So what now?" asked Blake from her perch beside Yang. "Maybe we should just make a break for it?"

"That would probably be our best course of action," chimed in Weiss, who was in the same tree as Ruby. "We only need to get our relics back to the clifftop. There's no need to fight if we can avoid it."

Yang let out a huff. "It's already injured, it's all by itself, and there are four of us. I'm pretty sure we could take it on."

"That's not what we were asked to do!" Weiss snapped back, irritation clear in her voice. "We should just make our way back to the clifftop right now!"

"W-w-we can't. N-not yet."

Ruby flinched a little as Weiss turned to glare in her direction. "Why not?"

Ruby took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out slowly. She couldn't afford to stumble over her words right now. This was too important.

"It knows us n-now." Ruby spoke slowly, deliberately, trying as hard as she could not to let her stammer get in the way. "Once it gets f-free, it'll come after us r-right aw-away. It's a big Grimm, s-s-so it could attract m-more if it chases us. If w-w-w-… If w-w-w-"

Ruby broke off to take another steadying breath.

Come on, Ruby. This is too important for you to mess it up!

"If w-we w-want to avoid m-more Grimm f-following us, w-we need to kill it."

…

"Well, any ideas how we could do that?" asked Blake.

Ruby turned to face the black-haired girl. "Uh, m-m-maybe? I mean, I th-think I have a plan?"

"Well then let's hear it, little sis. We're all ears." Yang gave her a smile.

"I suppose any ideas are better than no ideas, so sure, let's hear it." Weiss did not smile, but she didn't look like she was angry anymore.

No one's calling me stupid either, so that's a good sign.

Taking another steadying breath, Ruby closed her eyes. If she tried to imagine that she was all by herself, this could be a little easier. It was a trick her mom had taught her way back when. It didn't always work, but it was helpful from time to time.

"Crescent Rose can break its armour. Ember Ce-Celica could probably do the s-s-same. If w-we can s-stop it from m-m-moving, m-me and Yang could hit it together."

Ruby heard Weiss huff beside her. "I already told you I don't have enough Dust to freeze it a second time, so unless someone else here has Ice Dust on their person, we already wasted our one chance."

Ruby took another slow breath, and silently hoped that Weiss would not assume she was sighing out of annoyance. Quite a few people tended to jump to that conclusion whenever Ruby tried one of her calming techniques.

"Th-there's another w-way. W-we could use th-the trees."

Yang chuckled. "I think I know where you're going with this."

"Where is she going with this, exactly?" Weiss asked.

Ruby opened her eyes. "W-well…"

Blake stood in position, Gambol Shroud held at the ready in its pistol configuration. In the distance, if she squinted hard enough, she could just about make out the shape of the Death Stalker approaching her. It was far away enough at the moment that the ground wasn't yet shaking with each of its steps, but it was most definitely approaching at speed.

Blake had been far less apprehensive of this plan than Schnee had been. Crazy gambits like this were nothing new to her, and she was very much used to acting as the bait in such scenarios. Her Semblance was particularly useful for assisting with that sort of thing.

Still, I'm placing a lot of trust in a bunch of people I've only known for a day.

Strangely enough though, Blake did trust them. The two sisters had both managed to impress her in the short time she had known them, each in their own way. Yang's raw physical strength was undeniable, while Ruby's strength was more… well, Blake was certainly intrigued by the girl to say the least. All told, Blake found herself genuinely looking forward to getting to know the siblings better.

Schnee was a different story, but Blake would simply have to unpack that issue later. She had more pressing matters to deal with right now. The ground had begun to rumble, and Blake could now plainly see the Death Stalker barrelling towards her.

Taking aim, Blake began to fire off round after round from Gambol Shroud. Each bullet struck the Grimm head on, and each bullet did nothing of consequence. The hard white armour of the monster was simply far too thick to even be dented by meagre pistol rounds. All she succeeded in doing was further enraging the Grimm.

Enraging it, and distracting it.

Out of the corner of her sight, Blake watched as Ruby swung her enormous scythe and sliced clean through the trunk of one of the taller trees in the vicinity. A moment later, the sound of gunfire rang through the air as Yang, from her position up in the tree's branches, used the recoil of her weapon to accelerate the tree's fall.

So focussed on Blake was the Death Stalker, it didn't realise what was happening until it was too late. With a mighty crash, the felled tree landed on top of the Grimm's back, pinning it down as it screeched and thrashed, its one remaining claw snapping towards Blake.

But Blake had already backed away, and the claw only managed to cut the illusion that had been left in her place. A snowflake-patterned circle manifested in the air, surrounding the now outstretched and closed claw, holding it in place. A second circle likewise trapped the Death Stalker's tail.

"Hurry!" snapped Schnee from her position up in another tree. "I can't hold this for long!"

Blake watched as Ruby and Yang dashed around to the front of the Death Stalker, Ruby arriving first as she left a trail of rose petals in her wake. She pressed the barrel of her weapon firmly against the Grimm's face and fired.

The recoil of her shot sent the small girl skidding backwards. Blake quickly sidestepped to avoid being knocked over by Ruby, and the Death Stalker once again let out a screech of pain and thrashed around, its claw and tail both straining against the ethereal restraints they were bound in.

Blake had heard about the supposedly hereditary Semblance of the Schnee family. The 'Glyphs', or whatever they were called, could supposedly do all kinds of things depending on what they were needed for. Platforms to stand on, barriers to defend against attack, restraints capable of trapping even the most powerful of-

The circle surrounding the Death Stalker's claw flickered and vanished just as Yang began to dash towards it for her attack. Free from its binding, the Grimm reached towards its attacker, who had no hope of getting out of the way.

Thinking fast, Blake threw Gambol Shroud as hard as she could. The ribbon of her weapon wound around the claw and she yanked as hard as she could, straining to keep the Grimm immobilised for just a moment longer.

With a loud yell, Yang delivered her blow, a powerful punch directly into the point on the Death Stalker's head that Ruby had already weakened with her shot. With a loud crack, the white armour plating gave way entirely.

There was no final screech or last-second desperate attack. The Death Stalker simply slumped to the floor, dead, and began to evaporate.

It was over.

Blake let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

That was too close.

"Yeah! Go team!" Yang pumped her fist in the air as she triumphantly yelled. "What'd I tell ya White, my sis' plans always work, most of the time!"

"My… name… is Weiss." The girl in question was doubled over, panting for breath and clutching her head with one hand.

"Oh crap, are you OK?" Yang quickly made her way to the other girl's side. "What happened?"

"Nothing," sighed Schnee. "I just… need a minute."

Despite herself, Blake felt a twinge of sympathy for her.

She still can't fully use her Semblance. She hit her limit, and now she's feeling the recoil.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Yang offered, placing a hand on Schnee's back.

For the briefest of moments, Blake saw Schnee's entire body tense up at the contact. Her head was lowered and one hand was still pressed against her temple, but Blake could also see something flash across the girl's face as well.

A moment later, Schnee straightened up and twisted away from Yang's touch, and the expression on her face was now one of annoyance. "I am perfectly capable of walking by myself, thank you very much. I am not an invalid."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," huffed Yang. "No need to bite my head off."

Blake decided to step in before things escalated. "We should get moving before more Grimm find us."

"Of course," said Schnee. "We've wasted enough time already." Turning on her heel, she began to walk purposefully in the opposite direction of the ruins.

Yang and Ruby followed closely behind, while Blake hung further behind them all. She was thinking about what she had just seen. The expression on Schnee's face when Yang touched her, the look in her eyes that she had done a good job of masking when she had stood back up, but Blake had seen it nonetheless.

Fear.

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by… Cardin Winchester!"

Polite applause filled the auditorium as the four boys in question filed off the stage following Professor Ozpin's congratulations, grinning from ear to ear despite all looking quite a bit worse for wear.

Would it have been too much to ask for a quick shower break before this? I'm certain I still have a leaf in my hair somewhere.

Weiss refrained from searching for the offending foliage, if only to avoid drawing any more attention to it if it was there. Instead, she simply stood alongside the rest of her new teammates as they awaited their turn up on the stage.

They had been the last team to make it back to the cliff, arriving just behind the team Pyrrha Nikos was on. Weiss knew that didn't mean anything, but it still irked her that they hadn't been quicker in completing their mission. She hoped that this wouldn't reflect badly on her.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie."

Weiss watched as the team in question ascended the steps of the stage, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

Pyrrha and myself would have made such a good partnership, if only I had been able to find her faster.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR, led by… Jaune Arc!"

Weiss joined in the applause as the new team filed off the stage like those before them, and then it was her turn. Walking up the steps with her new teammates in tow, Weiss took her position on the stage and awaited the announcement.

No matter what happens, accept it. Even if you aren't made the leader, it's not the end of the world. You aren't here to babysit other people anyway. You have your own goals to pursue.

"And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY."

Wait, what?

"Led by… Ruby Rose!"

Weiss felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from under her. Ruby? Ruby was the team leader!? Was this a joke!?

Applause filled the auditorium like it had done so for every other team, but Weiss could barely hear it.

"Congratulations to all of you." Professor Ozpin spoke with a smile. "This is shaping up to be an interesting year."

Ruby!? Why her? She's just a child! Out of all of us, she should be the last person to lead a team! What is Professor Ozpin thinking?

Someone waved their hand in front of Weiss' face, causing her to blink and turn her head.

"You coming, Weiss?" asked Yang, smirking at her.

"I… Yes, of course."

I'm too tired to deal with this right now. I just want a nice shower, then a nice long sleep. All of this can wait until tomorrow.

Following after her new teammates, Weiss made her way off the stage.

Nora exited the bathroom, hair still slightly damp from the shower, and skipped towards the bed that she had already claimed as her own. "Shower's all yours, Ren!"

"Thank-you, Nora." Her long-time friend needed no further invitation, quickly entering the now vacant bathroom before anyone else could duck in.

Nora flopped onto her bed, grinning from ear to ear as she stared up at the new ceiling above her.

We're actually here! We're actually at Beacon! This is our dorm room now, and this is my bed! We really made it!

"Nora, was it?"

Nora sat up and turned to see Pyrrha sat on the bed beside hers. The taller girl had her hair down and had removed the tiara-thing she had been wearing, but was still clad in her armour.

"What's up?" Nora asked.

"Well, we never got the chance to properly introduce ourselves earlier, so I thought we could talk a little before we go to sleep."

"Sure!" Nora crossed her legs and leaned forwards. "D'you wanna go first, or should I?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Oh, well-"

Before Pyrrha could really say anything, she was cut off by the sound of a certain blonde boy's foot colliding with the corner of his own bed, followed by a loud howl of pain as he hopped around on one leg.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune simply nodded his head as he collapsed onto his bed, massaging the toe he had injured.

"You can dodge a giant Nevermore's attack dive on a crumbling bridge, but you can't dodge a non-moving bed in your own room?" Nora giggled as she spoke, amused at the sudden clumsiness of her new team-mate and leader.

"I'm just a little tired is all," he huffed in reply. "And there's not much space in here to move around."

"It is a little cramped," agreed Pyrrha. "We may need to rearrange the furniture at some point."

Nora waved her hand dismissively. "We can do that tomorrow." She turned her attention back to Pyrrha. "So, I have to ask: is it true that you beat one of Haven's Professors in a duel? Me and Ren heard that story a lot when we were in Mistral."

"Well, he wasn't technically a Professor there anymore, and it wasn't exactly a… sanctioned duel." Pyrrha looked rather embarrassed as she spoke. "If you don't mind, that's one thing I'd rather not talk about."

Nora would be lying if she said she wasn't a little disappointed to be missing out on that story, but she decided not to press Pyrrha any further on it. After all, everyone has things they'd rather keep to themselves.

"Huh, I guess we're all from Mistral, then," mused Jaune. "Ain't that a funny coincidence?"

Nora just nodded and said nothing to contradict Jaune's assumption. After all, everyone has things they'd rather keep to themselves. Nora was no exception to that.

"Have you and Ren known each other long?" Pyrrha asked.

Nora's grin shifted into a much more genuine smile. "Almost all our lives. We met when we were little kids, and just kinda stuck with each other ever since."

"That's nice." Pyrrha was smiling as she spoke, but something in the tone of her voice sounded a little off.

Eh, probably nothing serious.

"What about you, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, shifting her attention to the room's other occupant. "Any siblings?"

"Seven," Jaune stated bluntly. "All sisters."

Nora couldn't help but let out a whistle at that. Jaune's parents certainly went above and beyond when it came to growing the family it seemed.

Nora almost made that comment out loud, but decided against it at the last moment. It was probably a little too early to be making jokes like that.

After a few more minutes of chatter, Ren exited the bathroom, and Pyrrha got up to have her own shower.

"Nora, I'm going to bed. Don't wake me up for anything less that the school burning down."

"D'you want my headphones again?"

"Yes."

In short order, Ren had buried themselves underneath the blanket of their bed with Nora's headphones over their ears, and in mere moments they were completely out cold.

Ren didn't usually fall asleep that fast. The day must have taken a lot out of them.

Well, I'm nowhere near tired! I could stay up all night! In fact, I think I will! I might even go for a run around the campus later, get a real look at-

Nora's train of thought was broken by a yawn that suddenly left her whole body devoid of any energy. Perhaps Ren wasn't the only one who had had a rough day.

"Good night, Ren," Nora mumbled, laying her head down on her own pillow as her eyelids began to feel heavy. "Good night, Jaune."

"See you in the morning, Nora," she heard Jaune reply.

Just before she drifted off entirely, she mumbled out one final sentence:

"Night… Pyrrha."

Yang had never really been one for turning in early. She was a night owl, through and through, someone who loved to stay up late doing whatever took her fancy on a given night. But after the day they had all had, even someone as energetic as Yang Xiao Long was feeling drained enough to desperately crave a full night's sleep.

But before that could happen, they needed to get the beds set up properly.

"That really doesn't look safe," said Blake, staring with no small amount of worry at the pair of monstrous bunk-bed-hammock hybrids that they had cobbled together.

"You worry too much," dismissed Yang with a casual wave of her hand. "They'll be fine."

"Are w-we gonna get in trouble f-for n-nailing the ropes to the c-ceiling?" Ruby didn't look much more confident than Blake. Yang watched as her sister gave one of the beds an experimental push, causing the whole structure to creak loudly as it swung in the air.

"OK, so maybe it's not the best system in the world, but it'll do for a few nights until we can figure out something more permanent." Yang would not be dissuaded. As far as she was concerned, this was a job well done.

"You can have the bottom bunk, then," quipped Blake. "Since you're so confident in your carpentry."

"Fine by me," Yang replied. She turned to face the other two occupants of the room. "What about you two? Who's having what?"

Weiss looked like she was about five seconds away from strangling someone, while Ruby was continuing to eye the beds with worry. Hearing Yang speak, she turned to face Weiss and held out one closed fist.

"Uh, r-rock paper s-scissors?"

Weiss turned her glare on Ruby, who quickly withdrew her hand.

"N-never m-mind, I'll have the bottom bunk."

"Thank you," said Weiss simply. "Now can we please go to sleep? I am very tired."

A loud yawn prevented Yang from saying anything to Weiss, so she simply trudged towards the bathroom, grabbing her pyjamas as she went so she could quickly shower and change.

Ten minutes later, she was clad in her shorts and top and settling into her bed, ready to sleep the entire night away. The mattress was nice and comfy, and the room was just the right level of cool without feeling chilly. The bed above her may have been a potential hazard to her health, but Yang didn't care. If it fell on her in the night, then that was just bad luck. She was fairly confident that she could survive a bed falling on her anyway. She had taken bigger hits than that.

Closing her eyes and letting out a sigh of contentment, Yang felt herself begin to drift off.

"May I borrow your hair dryer once I'm done with the shower?"

Yang cracked one eye open and saw Weiss standing at the foot of her bed.

"Don't have one," Yang muttered.

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that. "I find that hard to believe, considering your hair is already clearly dry."

Yang just shrugged. "It dries quickly on its own. I think it's some sort of side effect of my Semblance of something, at least that's what Ruby thinks."

"I have one you can use," offered Blake. "It's in my case."

Weiss accepted Blake's offer, grabbing the aforementioned hair dryer and taking it into the bathroom with her. She closed the door a bit more forcefully than was probably necessary.

Someone's cranky.

Yang rolled her eyes at the shorter girl's theatrics and once again settled back into her bed, closing her eyes and beginning to drift off once more.

"Uh, Yang?"

Cracking her eyes open yet again, Yang's mounting annoyance at not being allowed to sleep faded as she saw Ruby beside her.

"What's up, sis?"

"Do you h-have a pen I c-could use?"

Yang smiled. "Wanna write in that journal of yours a bit before you turn in?"

Ruby nodded. "I can't f-find m-my own. I think I l-left it in the h-hall."

Yang may have been dead tired, but she could always find the energy to help out her sister. Rolling out of bed, she went over to her bag and dug around in one of the side pouches until she found the pencil case that dad had no doubt packed for her before they left.

"Here you go." She tossed the case to Ruby, who caught it without issue. "Knock yourself out. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna knock myself out and sleep."

For the third time, Yang settled herself back into her bed and closed her eyes, beginning to drift off once more.

Until the bathroom door loudly opened and banged against the wall, jolting Yang out of her doze.

"The shower is free if anyone wants it," Weiss called as she strode across the room, Blake ducking into the bathroom as she did do. Stopping as she arrived at the pair of beds that now belonged to her and Ruby, Weiss cast her gaze up at her own bed-hammock.

"How am I supposed to get up there?"

Yang could feel her annoyance beginning to grow again. "Just grab the ropes and pull yourself up, genius."

Weiss was silent for a moment, staring up at the bunk that she had claimed as hers.

Yang felt a smirk tug at her lips as she realised the other girl's predicament.

"You can't reach, can you?"

Weiss whirled around to glare at Yang, who almost started laughing at the expression on her face.

"You made it too high up!" she snapped indignantly.

Yang fought to supress her mirth, and prepared to offer to lift Weiss into bed. The mental image of the girl's potential reaction almost broke Yang's poker face-

"Do y-you w-want m-me to help you up?"

Yang's supressed chuckles faded as she turned to look at her sister, who had gotten out of bed and was holding out her arms as she made her own offer.

Yang watched with trepidation as Weiss rounded on Ruby. She was fine with the pampered rich girl getting mad at her, but if she lost her temper with Ruby again…

"I would appreciate that, thank you."

A few moment later, Weiss was up in her own bed-hammock, having been boosted up with Ruby's help, and Ruby herself had gone back to writing in her journal.

Guess I was worried over nothing.

Not that she was about to stop worrying anytime soon. So long as Ruby was still her sister, Yang would always worry about her, even after she became a world-famous Huntress.

But for now at least, there was nothing to really worry about. So, after making a mental promise to pour salt into the cereal of the next person who interrupted her attempts to get some sleep, Yang closed her eyes once more and once again began to drift off.

This time, she was able to drift all the way to sleep.

"I never wanted this!" Ozymandias raged. "I never asked for you to be in my life, in my mind!"

"I did not ask for this either," the Voice said calmly, slowly, echoing in the distraught man's mind as it always did when it spoke. "But this is the way things must be. Now, I will ask again: cede control of our vessel to me, and I will take care of this for us."

Ozymandias seethed at the Voice's audacity. How dare it demand such a thing of him! Surrender his own body, his own free will? How could this parasite upon his very soul think he would ever allow such a thing? No, Ozymandias would not give up his autonomy so easily.

"Our vessel? There is no 'our' vessel. There is only my body, and you have no right to any of it!"

Ozymandias' mind was silent for a moment, save for the tempest of his own emotions within. Then, the Voice spoke once more.

"If you will not cede control willingly, then you leave me no choice."

PAIN! Agonising pain, unlike anything he had ever felt before, crackled through Ozymandias' entire body. Darkness ate at the corners of his vision, and the sound of the world began to fade. He was falling, down down down into a void within his own soul.

No. He wasn't falling. He was being pulled down.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Ozymandias screamed, but made no sound. He cursed the Voice, but his protests went unheard, ignored. The Voice did not care.

He was fading, his own thoughts drifting away from him as the darkness dragged him down further. Even his own name faded from him.

…

They did not care. This was the way things had to be. Any obstacle in their path needed to be dealt with, and that included the one they now inhabited.

The Voice, now in full control, stood up and walked out of the hall.

They had a job to do

…

Blake marked the page with her bookmark and placed the book underneath her pillow. She decided to save the last few chapters for another time, lest she stay up too late and pay the price in the morning.

Rolling over and making herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. It had been a long and tiring day. A good night's rest would do her the world of good.

Especially since she actually had a proper bed to sleep in for the first time in a while. It may have been a tad precarious, but it was a lot more comfortable than the tent floors she was used to.

Being far away from him certainly helped as well.

Creak…

Blake shot up, eyes scanning the room, searching for both the assailant and any possible escape routes she could take. Her weapon was up against the wall on the other side of the room, so she would need to be careful in she wanted to avoid-

"S-s-sorry!" Ruby squeaked. "I-I didn't m-m-mean to w-wake you up."

Blake blinked. The younger girl was frozen on the spot, staring up at her with wide eyes as she waved her hands and stammered out an apology.

For the second time in one day, Blake let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding, and allowed the tension to leave her body and she relaxed. She wasn't at the camp, she was at Beacon. No imaginary assailants were trying to break in.

"Don't worry about it," Blake whispered in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "I hadn't really fallen asleep yet anyway."

"W-w-well, I'm s-s-sorry f-for dis-s-sturbing you anyw-way." Ruby was stammering a lot more than Blake felt she was before, and she could see that the girl was hugging herself and shaking a bit where she stood.

"Hey, are you OK?" Blake asked, concerned by what she was seeing. "You don't look very good."

"I'm f-f-fine," Ruby replied, not sounding convincing in the slightest. "I just n-n-need to use the bathroom."

Blake debated what to do. It was clear that something had upset the younger girl, but Blake didn't really know what she could do to help. The last thing she wanted to do was make things worse by prying if this was something personal.

Her sister would probably know what to do.

But Yang was fast asleep, her soft snores indicating that she was out cold, and Blake got the feeling that neither girl would appreciate it if Blake were to wake Yang up over this.

"Well, goodnight then. See you in the morning."

Blake laid back down as Ruby made her way into the bathroom, resolving to mention this to Yang in the morning instead.

Ruby gripped the edge of the sink and willed herself not to throw up as the image from her dream continued to loop inside her head. The stinger of the Death Stalker ramming into her body, her flesh burning, her body melting as the venom ate her from the inside out…

Calm down. Breathe slowly. In… out… In… out… Think about something else…

Her sister's words from times in the past when Ruby had felt sick came to her, and she followed the old advice, slowing her breathing and counting backwards from a hundred silently.

By the time she reached zero, her stomach had stopped lurching, and her body was no longer shaking. Relaxing her grip on the sink, she stood back upright and took one more deep breath, held it for a second, then let it out.

"I'm fine," she whispered to herself.

The near-miss had shaken her, there was no denying that. Had Blake not arrived when she did, Ruby would be dead, that much was certain.

"You're just a kid!"

"I bet she gets killed by a Grimm within a month."

Ruby hugged her arms around her waist again and squeezed her eyes shut, but she did not dwell on those thoughts. She pushed them aside, focussing instead on something else.

I need to be better. I need to be better than this. If I'm gonna be training here, I need to be better.

I can't be this pathetic.

Chapter Text

Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Beacons of hope and strength who have dedicated their lives to the protection of Remnant and its people, these brave individuals stand head and shoulders above the rest. Wielding their weapons as extensions of their own bodies, channelling their Auras in ways few others could ever hope to accomplish, and with skills honed to near perfection, it would be no exaggeration to say that these warriors represent the very best of the best.

Unlike officers of the law, who are limited to their own jurisdiction in where they can operate, Huntsmen and Huntresses are free to operate across all of Remnant without restriction. Their licenses act as both passport and badge, allowing them to bypass all travel restrictions and border controls. A Huntsman needs only their licence and the cost of a ticket to travel anywhere on the planet.

Of course, a Huntsman's licence is more than just a means of identification. Active Huntsmen and Huntresses have a great deal of authority afforded to them to aid in their role of defending the people of Remnant, and from more than just the Creatures of Grimm. A Huntsman has the power to arrest suspected criminals and level charges against them. They also have the explicit permission of the leaders of wherever they find themselves to requisition resources in times of great need, within reason.

Huntsmen and Huntresses may also issue orders to others, although this is one aspect where things can vary from Kingdom to Kingdom, depending on the rules laid out by the governing Councils. In Vale for instance, Huntsmen may demand access to evidence from law enforcement and gain access to investigations, but they can not countermand orders issued by the Vale Defence Force. In Atlas meanwhile, Huntsmen have no authority in police matters, but they do hold a rank equivalent of Captain in the military chain of command.

Huntsmen even have the authority to enact justice on individuals who cannot or will not be so easily detained, up to and including the use of lethal force.

Such power and authority of course comes with a great deal of responsibility, and those who would abuse that power in an irresponsible manner would soon find their authority stripped from them by the Academy who issued it to them in the first place.

Abuse of power is not tolerated in this line of work, and it is expected that Huntsmen and Huntresses cooperate with those who serve the Kingdoms in other capacities as well. True heroes do not use their power for themselves, but for the sake of others.

But even the greatest of heroes must start somewhere. Despite what… certain individuals may claim, no-one is born great. True greatness must be earned through hard work, determination and no small amount of courage. This is as true for Huntsmen and Huntresses as it is for any profession, and like any profession one wishes to pursue, you must learn all that you can before you are able to step up to the task.

In decades past, those who trained to fight the Creatures of Grimm as Hunters did so independently, honing their craft in their own way wherever they could. And while it is true that some of Remnant's greatest heroes were forged in these times, it is also true that many more would overreach in their efforts to improve before they were ready, their lives cut tragically short as a result.

So, in the years following the Great War, the leaders of the Four Kingdoms worked to develop a better alternative. A way to train generations of heroes in a safer way.

And so, under the direction of the last King of Vale, the Four Great Huntsman Academies were founded. And the first of these great establishments to be completed and opened was the Academy of Vale: Beacon.

Lucis pharus dispellere tenebras.

With more than fifty proud years of history etched into its heart and soul, Beacon Academy has trained some of Remnant's finest. The Professors, accomplished Huntsmen and Huntresses in their own right, provide the training and guidance required to transform students into their best selves.

Admittance into this prestigious establishment is selective and competitive. Prospective students who wish to enrol must first meet the requirements for consideration. In most cases, references from previous combat schools in the form of transcripts serve as an initial indication as to a student's potential, which is further evaluated in a rigorous entrance examination designed to test the limits of each individual.

Once accepted, initiates must then complete the initiation examination, which also serves the purpose of establishing partnerships and teams.

Simul fortior.

From then on, students begin their four-year education at the Academy, with each year being built around helping students develop and excel, while also allowing them to acclimate to their new lives as defenders of Remnant.

First-year students spend their entire year training within Beacon itself and the surrounding areas, under the watchful eye and careful instruction of their Professors. Classes include both theoretical and practical instruction, covering a broad range of areas. From weapon crafting and upkeep to Grimm studies, from sparring to history, a first-year student's education lays the groundwork for what comes next. In their second semester, students have the opportunity to shadow qualified Huntsmen out in the field in order to get a first-hand sense of what to expect, and the year closes out with a final examination that determines whether or not they advance to the next stage of their training.

Second-years spend more time away from campus, devoting a portion of each semester to placement activities that allow them to develop more autonomy and confidence in their work. It is at this stage that students can truly be called Huntsmen-in-training, as they actively take part in the defence of the people. By the end of the year, with experience under their belt and skills honed to a sharp edge, they are ready to undertake the examinations for their Provisional Huntsman Licenses, allowing them to operate without direct supervision during their third year.

With Provisional Licenses qualifying them as capable warriors, third-years are free to operate as they see fit within the Kingdom and its surrounding areas, taking missions and further developing their skills in their own ways, while continuing to receive support from the staff at Beacon proper. Teams of Provisional Huntsmen and Huntresses are assigned a mentor, who they continue to report to and meet with on a regular basis.

By the beginning of their fourth and final year at Beacon, provided they have met all the requirements and passed the final examination, students' Provisional Licences are upgraded to Full Licences. These Newly-Qualified-Huntsmen, or NQHs as they are often referred to in the media, remain restricted to operating within the scope of their own Kingdom for one year, during which time they can continue to use the Academy as a base of operations. Once this 'probationary period' has elapsed, the now fully licenced and qualified Huntsmen and Huntresses are free to do as they see fit, wherever they wish to operate.

It is this freedom of operation that serves as one of the core tenets of the Huntsman philosophy.

Servire omnibus, non meis.

To that end, Huntsman take work in the form of missions that they are free to decide for themselves. While missions can of course by taken from anyone, anywhere, and at any time; for ease of access and administration, the Four Kingdoms, as well as other independent settlements, cooperate to manage the Mission Boards, where anyone may post a request for aid from a Huntsman. Missions posted to the Boards are assigned a rank based on numerous factors, including risk, duration and compensation:

Rank-0 missions are the only missions that require no licence of any kind to undertake, as they are deemed low-enough risk to not warrant a Huntsman specifically. Such tasks include simple search-and-recovery missions or low-risk protection details. These tend to be low-pay missions, and they tend to be very common, hence the allocation of unlicenced practitioners to make up for the shortfall.

Rank-1 missions require at least a Provisional License in order to be undertaken. From escort tasks to Grimm exterminations, these sorts of jobs make up the majority of a Huntsman's day-to-day work.

Rank-2 missions require a Full License in order to be undertaken, as they are deemed too dangerous for those who lack the full four years of training and experience. However, there is precedent for allowing NQHs to undertake these missions in times of need.

Rank-3 missions are where things get especially dangerous. Long-term protection of outlying villages, dangerous Grimm slayings, manhunts for wanted fugitives… These missions generally require pairs or even teams of Huntsmen to undertake them, and can often be specifically restricted from solo actors.

Finally, there are the rare Rank-4 missions. Huntsmen have taken to calling these sorts of jobs 'retirement runs' as a rather morbid joke: they are simultaneously so dangerous and expensive that, one way or another, the Huntsman or Huntress in question will not be working again afterwards.

While Huntsmen are free to take as many missions as they see fit, it is expected that they undertake a certain amount of licenced work in order to maintain their position. As such, Full Licences require renewal every four years, which is only granted if the licence-bearer can prove they have provided enough of a public service to warrant their renewal. The issuing, renewal and recognition of Licences is managed by the Academy the Huntsman in question graduated from, and they have the authority to revoke said licenses if they feel it is necessary to do so.

The life of a Huntsman or Huntress is not an easy one to live, and for many, it may wind up being a short one. But for those who are able to stand up and take on the role of Remnant's defenders, there can be no greater reward than knowing that your actions can make a difference, and maybe even inspire others to act as well.

Chapter Text

The door to the lecture hall swung open with a loud bang, cutting off Professor Port mid-speech and drawing everyone's attention to the pair of late arrivals who stumbled into the room.

"Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose. How nice of you to finally join us!" The Professor spoke with the same jovial tone of voice he always did. If he was frustrated with the pair, he did not let it show in his expression.

"Sorry we're late sir, we kinda lost track of time." Yang at least had the decency to look apologetic, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. Her younger sister simply fidgeted beside her, fiddling with one end of that stupid cloak she seemed to always be wearing 24/7.

"Well, I'll be more than happy to hear all about it after class. Now please take your seats beside the rest of your team."

Nodding their heads, the pair sat beside their respective partners, pulling their books out of their bags. Weiss did her absolute best to remain calm as Ruby sat beside her, choosing to focus all of her attention on Professor Port as he resumed his lecture.

"Now, as I was saying, the Beowolf pack was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to the village with my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

Within seconds, Weiss had once again tuned out of the old man's grandiose ramblings, her thoughts turning instead to her frustration with… everything.

One week. It had been an entire week now since classes had begun, and the rest of her team continued to treat everything like a joke. At first it had been no big deal, even slightly amusing to watch, but with each passing day amusement turned to annoyance, annoyance turned to frustration, and now frustration was beginning to turn into anger.

Blake was the least problematic of the bunch, but even she seemed disinterested in just about everything that was going on. Weiss rarely saw her taking notes in classes, while outside of classes she seemed to spend more time reading than studying or training with everyone else.

At least she showed up to all of their classes on time. Yang, on the other hand, was late so often that Weiss was beginning to question if the blonde even knew how to tell the time. Already the Professors had seemingly given up on Yang ever arriving to their lessons in a timely manner, as evidenced by Professor Port's blasé reaction to her bumbling in almost fifteen minutes after the bell. The only class she was never late to was sparring class with Professor Goodwitch, presumably because even Yang wasn't stupid enough to earn the ire of the stern schoolmistress.

And then there was Ruby, their supposed team leader, who seemed to be going out of her way to dodge any and all actual responsibility that came with her position. She never contributed in any classes, leaving Weiss or occasionally Blake to fill in and answer any questions posed to the team as a whole. She also regularly showed up late to classes in the mornings, and Weiss knew for a fact it wasn't because she overslept, because Ruby was almost never in the dorm with them when they all woke up. Where she went every morning, Weiss had no clue, but it just served to further hammer the point home that this… child was not in any way capable of leading a team. For goodness sake, the girl could barely string a sentence together most of the time!

A loner, a slacker, and a little kid. This was the team that Weiss found herself a part of, and her patience for all of them was wearing thinner by the day.

Sighing, Weiss focussed her attention back on Professor Port. As much as her teammates aggravated her to no end, she really shouldn't let it get under her skin.

I'm better than that. I'm better than them. If I let them drag me down with them, then what was even the point of leaving home in the first place?

"But of course, heroic deeds and the adulation that comes with them do not make one a great Huntsman. A true Huntsman must be honourable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated and wise!"

Weiss smiled a little to herself as she listened to Professor Port. Honourable and dependable? Strategic, well-educated and wise? She was all of that and more. Winter had made sure Weiss was trained to fight honourably and dependably, and Weiss had honed her combat skills to near perfection. She had studied the strategies of all the great leaders, educated herself on the myriad ways she could utilise the tools at her disposal, and had sharpened her mind just as much as she sharpened her blade. Oh, she still had plenty of room to grow, she knew that, but Weiss felt deservedly proud of what she could already do.

Her teammates would never be able to diminish any of that.

"Team RWBY, your team scored a two. I'll need the four of you to stay behind after class."

With that final declaration, Professor Greene began to dismiss the students row by row to lunch, while Weiss sat in her seat fuming with rage.

A two!? I put in all that work, and all I get is a two!?

They had scored the lowest out of everyone on the research assignment, which had been to write a report on the border defence systems used by the four kingdoms. Weiss, taking charge where Ruby would not, had suggested that they research one kingdom each and then put their reports together at the end when Ruby, as the leader, would have to submit them on their behalf. Naturally, Weiss had opted to write about Atlas since she hailed from there, and she had made sure Ruby received her portion of the report in good time before they needed to submit it.

And yet, for all her hard work, she had earned a mere grade of two. Despite her best efforts, Weiss' teammates had indeed succeeded in dragging her down with them.

What if this was just the beginning? Surely there would be more assignments like this in the future, perhaps even ones that went towards her final grade for the year. Would she fail because of that? Would she be kicked out of Beacon because of her team? Wouldn't that be just her luck, to manage to get away from the reputation of her family only to still fail because of the actions of others anyway? Was that fated to be her lot in life? To always pay for the mistakes of other people?

"Ruby, would you mind telling me why, instead of a single, well-structured report, you handed me four separate essays?" Professor Greene asked, levelling the girl in question with an even look.

"W-w-well, y-you s-s-see-"

"I suggested that we each write our own reports on one kingdom each," Weiss cut in. She did not have the patience left to allow Ruby to dig them all deeper with her constant nervous stuttering. It would only make them all look worse. "I wrote the part on Atlas, Ruby wrote-"

"I was not talking to you, Miss Schnee. I was asking for your leader to explain the situation, as is her responsibility." Professor Greene turned back to Ruby, her expression having not changed from the level, inscrutable look she seemed to always wear.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry Prof-f-fessor Greene. I sh-should've m-m-made sure w-we all w-were w-working together."

Weiss fought hard to keep from losing her cool as she listened to Ruby 'talk'.

It truly was embarrassing to witness.

Professor Greene closed her eyes and sighed, shoulders slumping as she mumbled something under her breath that Weiss couldn't quite hear, but she could guess wasn't good.

"The rest of you may leave." Professor Greene gestured for the three of them to depart with a wave of her hand. "I need to have a discussion with your leader in private."

"Actually, I'd rather-" Yang began, before a glare from the Professor silenced her.

"That was not a suggestion Miss Xiao Long. Now leave."

Without another word, the three of them departed. As she turned to leave, Weiss watched out of the corner of her eye as both Ruby and Professor Greene sat opposite each other. The younger girl had not once raised her head to look the Professor in the eye.

Seething silently, Weiss exited the classroom, allowing the door to close behind her as she made her way towards the cafeteria.

"Yang, I'm sure she'll be fine," said Blake as she placed her fork down. "You said yourself that Ruby is tougher than she looks, and I doubt Professor Greene would be too harsh on her."

Yang let out a huff. "It's still not fair. Ruby doesn't deserve all the blame, it was a group project."

Weiss snorted at that. "She is allegedly our leader, so taking a little responsibility should be the bare minimum she should be expected to do."

Seeing Yang's eyes flash red whenever she got mad had alarmed Weiss the first few times it happened, but now, after seeing it happen almost daily, it didn't perturb her very much anymore.

"What is your problem with my sister!? She hasn't done anything to you to deserve the way you treat her!"

"She hasn't done much of anything at all," Weiss replied. "That's the problem."

Yang's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Weiss rolled her eyes as she finished the last of her coffee. "Exactly what you think it means. Now if you don't mind, I have more important things to be doing."

Weiss stood and made her way out of the cafeteria, tactfully ignoring whatever loud protestations Yang yelled at her retreating back.

Maybe a nice, stern lecture is just what that girl needs to get her act together and start taking her role seriously.

After exiting the cafeteria at a rather brisk pace to avoid being accosted, Weiss slowed to a more meandering walk as she slowly made her way across campus for her next class, sparring practice with Professor Goodwitch, whom she hoped to perhaps have a talk with before anyone else arrived.

"Ah, Miss Schnee! On your way to class early I see!"

Weiss turned to see Professor Port exiting one of the rooms along the corridor, a stack of papers in hand and the same ever-present jovial expression on his face.

Quickly schooling her own expression into an amicable smile, Weiss nodded at the Professor. "Yes sir, I was hoping to speak with Professor Goodwitch about something."

Professor Port chuckled. "Well, perhaps you could speak with myself as well. If there's any way I can be of assistance to my pupils, I will always make time to do so!"

Weiss pondered his offer for a moment. She supposed she had some time to spare, and Professor Port would very likely also understand where she was coming from.

"Well, I don't think Ruby is the best choice to be the leader of my team."

…

Professor Port said nothing for a moment, and while his smile did not disappear, Weiss noted that it did seem to drop slightly.

…

"That's preposterous, my girl."

Weiss was quite taken aback by the Professor's blunt response. "Excuse me, sir?"

"What you said is preposterous, Miss Schnee. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch carefully consider everyone they choose to become team leaders, and they would never make a mistake in their decisions."

"How can you be so sure of that?" asked Weiss, feeling her temper beginning to rise despite her best efforts to remain calm. "You've seen what Ruby is like for yourself. Do you honestly think that she is a good leader?"

Professor Port was no longer smiling. "My dear girl, are you insinuating that myself and my colleagues are such a poor judge of character?"

"Then why was she made the leader?" Weiss asked, no longer able to keep her anger entirely out of her voice. She did not yell, but she was certainly no longer speaking calmly. "Out of the four of us, what set her apart?"

"You believe you should have been made the leader instead." It wasn't a question, and Weiss really didn't like the accusatory tone Professor Port spoke with.

"That's not what I said at all."

"Maybe not directly," Professor Port admitted. "But it is clear that that is what you believe. Otherwise, you would not be so focussed on the matter, and you would not presumably be going to see Professor Goodwitch to make your case to her without your team present."

Weiss felt herself bristle at the insinuation, and was no longer able to keep her anger completely in check. "I don't want to be the leader Professor, but if Ruby won't do the job properly, then someone else has to step up. I've already had to step up to cover for her!"

"And that is most admirable of you, Miss Schn-"

"My name is Weiss! Stop calling me Schnee! That's not who I am!"

Weiss felt her nails dig painfully into her palms as she clenched her fists, her whole body shaking.

Am I never going to get out from under his shadow!?

"Miss Sch… Weiss, perhaps we should have a more proper discussion in my office? I can let Professor Goodwitch know that you will-"

Weiss did not wait for Port to finish his statement, storming past him and continuing down the corridor, not caring that she was now heading in the wrong direction from the sparring arena, failing to notice that her entire outburst had been witnessed by someone other than the Professor she had yelled at.

"Remember, keeping close tabs on your Aura levels is of vital importance, regardless of the severity of the situation you find yourself in. So until you are able to feel for yourself how much Aura you have remaining, your Scroll will be your most important tool in combat after your weapon."

Professor Goodwitch clicked the remote in her hand one more time, switching slides from the diagram to a display of multiple empty Aura bars.

"So, with all of that in mind, I want you all to calibrate your Scrolls to your own Aura signatures now."

Weiss pulled her Scroll out and went through the motions of calibrating and casting her display to the main projection like everyone else. In short order, her Aura levels were being projected alongside the rest of the class. Thankfully the display simply showed levels as a percentage rather than a true numerical value, which Weiss was highly grateful for.

"Excellent," said Professor Goodwitch simply. "Now, we have time for one more demonstrative match before we end for the day, so can Miss Rose and Miss Schnee make their way down into the area please?"

Weiss tensed as yet another Professor referred to her by her surname, then sat up straighter when she processed the rest of what Professor Goodwitch had said.

A match with Ruby?

The younger girl was already making her way down into the area, fixing her Scroll to her arm as she did so.

Well, this should be interesting. Perhaps this is my chance to show just how out of her element Ruby is.

Fixing her own Scroll to her arm and checking Myrtenaster was loaded and ready, Weiss stepped into the arena and took position opposite Ruby.

"I will be calling the match when one of your Auras drops below half. Ready your weapons and await my mark." Professor Goodwitch then turned her gaze to the rest of the class. "I want all of you to pay close attention to how each combatant monitors their Aura levels, and be ready to offer your critiques after the match."

Gripping Myrtenaster in her hand, Weiss took her usual stance, one-foot forwards, her off-hand extended parallel to the ground, her head angled so that Ruby was clearly in line with her left eye…

Ruby had her weapon fully unfolded and was holding the blade of her scythe behind her. She was crouched low, her body leaning forwards to place most of her weight on one leg, and her gaze was fully focussed on Weiss.

Such a sloppy stance. She'll trip over herself the minute she tries to advance on me. I'll just hold my position and let her lose balance on her own, then move in.

With another click of a button, hard-light Dust barriers crackled into existence around the arena, separating the pair from the rest of the audience. There was no need to worry about a missed shot hitting anyone by accident.

"Miss Schnee, are you ready?"

Weiss' grip on her weapon tightened further, but she relaxed a moment later. "I am."

"Miss Rose, are you ready?"

"Yes."

No stuttering this time?

Weiss might have contemplated that further, but the sound of Professor Goodwitch clapping her hands together pushed all other stray thoughts from Weiss' mind. She was ready to-

BANG!

In an instant, Ruby was right in front of Weiss, swinging her huge scythe towards Weiss' right side. Her Aura flashed to absorb the impact, but did nothing to prevent her from being launched sideways, just barely managing to remain on her feet by planting Myrtenaster into the ground to remain upright.

What in the world was that!?

Weiss barely had time to think that single thought before Ruby was on her again, scythe once more homing in on her right side. Reacting instinctively, Weiss just barely managed to intercept with the flat of her sword, parrying and twisting around, spinning away from Ruby and rapidly back-peddling away, placing as much distance between them as possible.

The reprieve was short-lived. Ruby did not give Weiss even a moment to collect herself, relentlessly attacking her over and over again, her scythe spinning around in a truly dizzying display. It took all of Weiss' focus to keep from being struck a third time as she frantically dodged and blocked each of Ruby's blows.

Their frantic exchange lasted around half a minute before Weiss was able to spot an opportunity when one of Ruby's swipes went a little wide. The other girl was off balance for a fraction of a second, and Weiss seized the chance while she could, leaping back and conjuring a glyph in front of Ruby. With the added aid of some Dust, a strong gust of wind blew Ruby back, once more creating some distance between the duelling pair.

Ruby slammed the blade of her scythe into the ground, and Weiss realised that she was preparing to open fire. Conjuring a second glyph, a solid one this time, Weiss allowed her makeshift barrier to take the hit while she spun Myrtenaster's barrel to select the Ice Dust canister.

Just as her barrier glyph gave way, Weiss stabbed the blade of her sword into the ground and poured her Aura into it, activating the Dust and sending a wave of ice hurtling towards Ruby.

What happened next happened so quickly, Weiss was barely able to process it. There was a curious sound that she felt was familiar, followed by the much more recognisable sound of a loud gunshot. Weiss had time to turn her head to see Ruby heading straight for her, but with her blade planted in the ground, she had no time to avoid the scythe as it stuck her right side once again.

Weiss was able to keep her grip on Myrtenaster and prevent herself from being knocked across the arena a second time. Acting without thinking, she lashed out with a kick towards Ruby's stomach, drawing on yet more of her Aura in order to give the hit more of an impact.

Weiss' efforts were rewarded with a grunt as she succeeded in winding Ruby, staggering her and stopping her from making a follow-up attack.

Yanking Myrtenaster from the ground and spinning to face her opponent head on, Weiss delivered three rapid thrusts into Ruby's body, knocking the girl back with the third hit.

Dimly, Weiss recalled one of her sister's lessons where she had expressed the importance of not rushing in during a duel, but she very quickly dismissed the stray thought from her mind. She had been on the back foot this entire fight while Ruby ran circles around her, and now here was a golden opportunity to turn the tables against the other girl.

She had grossly underestimated Ruby, she knew that, but that didn't change the fact that she still had two years of experience over the other girl. She was going to win this fight, show Professor Goodwitch, show everyone that Ruby didn't belong here, that she was too young, too childish to be in her position.

Myrtenaster's barrel spun again. Weiss pushed her Aura into her weapon. Fire Dust activated, causing the blade to glow red as Weiss drew back and swung at Ruby, sending an arc of flame careening towards its target…

The familiar sound from before rang in the air once again, and Weiss this time saw what the cause was. One moment Ruby was standing in the path of the oncoming fire, the next she was way off to the side of the arena, a trail of red petals indicating the path she had travelled in a literal instant. Had Weiss not seen it occur, she would have thought Ruby had teleported.

Weiss knew Ruby's Semblance increased her speed, but this was beyond anything she had been expecting.

But that didn't matter. The fact that Ruby had not used her Semblance more in the fight simply proved that she couldn't use it multiple times in a row. She had used up her one trick for the time being, and that meant that Weiss had a perfect opening.

Two glyphs manifested, one beneath Weiss' feet and one behind her. The first glyph assisted her in her jump as she flipped backwards, her feet connecting with the second glyph as it held her in place. Shifting the second glyph from white to black, Weiss used it to launch herself forwards, Myrtenaster held out in front of her as she lunged directly at Ruby, closing the gap between them as she went for the finishing blow.

Ruby dodged to the side, but not fast enough. The tip of Myrtenaster's blade struck her in the shoulder rather than the chest as Weiss had intended, but the hit was still a substantial one, and Weiss could see Ruby's Aura visibly flash as it absorbed the impact.

If Weiss could just land a few more blows, this fight would be over-

Ruby grabbed Myrtenaster's blade with her bare hand and yanked it sideways, much to Weiss' shock. As her weapon was nearly wrenched from her grasp, Weiss found herself dangerously off-balance, almost on the verge of falling over outright.

A swift blow to her stomach drove the wind out of her, and Weiss fell to her knees, gasping for air as she let her sword clatter to the ground beside her.

"Match over!" declared Professor Goodwitch. "The victor is Ruby Rose!"

Applause filled the room as the hard-light barriers deactivated and Professor Goodwitch thanked the pair of them for their demonstration, but Weiss did not acknowledge any of it.

She had lost.

Ruby had beaten her.

She had lost to Ruby Rose.

Professor Goodwitch was explaining something to the other students, but Weiss did not pay any attention. She simply stood up and kept her gaze upon the ground, not wanting to see the looks on anyone's faces.

What did this mean? Ruby was a child, someone who took almost no responsibility for anything, a nervous wreck who stuttered and avoided eye contact and who by all rights should not have been able to win against her. And yet Weiss had lost.

The bell rang, and Professor Goodwitch dismissed everyone. Weiss filed out with the rest, barely aware of what she was doing or where she was going, simply allowing herself to be led along by the others as they departed and began to meander towards the dorms for the afternoon.

What's wrong with me? What did I-

A hand came down on Weiss' shoulder, and she froze on the spot, the familiar touch causing her heart rate to quicken and her skin to feel clammy. Her breath hitched in her throat as she kept her gaze aimed downwards, lest she make what was about to come worse than it otherwise would be.

"Weiss?"

It wasn't his voice that spoke to her.

He wasn't here right now.

The voice that she heard was not disappointed or angry, it was worried.

As the haze of fear began to clear from her mind, Weiss realised what she had just done. She had frozen up right in the middle of the corridor, and as she lifted her gaze, she saw several people staring at her.

"Weiss, you OK?" asked Yang, her hand still on Weiss' shoulder. "Did Ruby hit you a little too hard back there or something?"

Yang's hand squeezed her shoulder in what should have been a comforting gesture. The taller girl had surely meant it as such, Weiss knew that. But to Weiss, the increase of pressure on her shoulder was familiar in a way that was the exact opposite of comforting.

With a startled yelp, Weiss twisted around and slapped Yang's hand away, then she began to run. The calls of her teammate faded away as she sprinted down the corridor, desperate to get away from anyone who might try to ask her why in the world she had just reacted in such a way to a simple touch.

That was something she never wanted to have to explain.

"I'm not mad at you, I want you to know that."

A lie. Of course he was mad. How could he not be after she had screwed up so badly, made such a fool of herself, of the family, of the name she bore.

Oh, how she hated that name.

"I didn't mean to ruin anything, Father." She kept her voice quiet. If she whispered, she could avoid letting her voice crack.

"Of course you didn't. You would never do anything to damage our reputation, would you my girl?"

"No Father, I would never. Our reputation is everything."

She heard him hum in approval as she spoke the line that had been drilled into her mind for as long as she could remember, and she let herself hope that it was enough to placate him.

His hand gripped her shoulder in that familiar way, and she knew that it would never be enough. It never was for him, nothing ever was.

"I will have to punish you, of course. Otherwise, you will never learn from your mistakes."

His grip tightened. It hurt. There would be bruises the next morning.

"You will remain in your room until I feel you have learnt your lesson. Meals will be brought to you, and I will make sure your brother knows not to disturb you while you think about how to do better in the future."

Her eyes began to sting and her vision began to blur, but she could not let herself cry right now. That would only make things worse.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes Father." She prayed he did not notice the hitch in her voice as she suppressed a sob.

"Good girl." His hand left her shoulder, and she listened to his footsteps as he walked towards the door.

"I think three days will be required this time, wouldn't you agree?"

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to cry and yell and make him understand that this wasn't fair, that she hated being locked away like this. She wanted to see her brother, she wanted to see her sister, she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Yes Father. It's what I deserve."

…

Weiss sat slumped in a chair in an empty classroom, eyes closed as she massaged her temples and let her exhaustion wash over her. She had long since calmed down from her earlier outburst, and now just felt drained. This entire day had been stressful in one way or another, her old memories were just one more thing on top of the rest.

She was away from all of that now. If all went to plan as she hoped it would, she would never have to go back there again. He couldn't follow her here, he had no power over her here, and she no longer had to worry about those sorts of punishments for her errors.

Unless I fail and get kicked out. Then I'll be right back where I started, with no way to get away anymore.

Weiss let out a long sigh. She knew full well that worrying over this would just make her feel worse, but try as she might she could not get those thoughts out of her head.

And now that she knew just how she measured up against someone she had been looking down on, how she had been completely outclassed by someone so much younger than her…

Weiss heard the door to the classroom open, and she lifted her head and sat up straighter. It wouldn't do to be caught moping by one of the Professors in their classroom at night. She would say she had needed somewhere quiet to study, apologise for not asking permission, then go and find somewhere else to-

"W-W-Weiss?"

Ruby, one of the last people Weiss wanted to see right now, poked her head into the room, hood up as usual.

"Do you ever take that thing off?" Weiss asked, her voice lacking any energy as she spoke.

Ruby lowered her hood, stepping into the classroom and letting the door close behind her. She still refused to look directly at Weiss though, keeping her gaze averted as she stood by the door.

Weiss slumped back into her seat, not even having the energy left to be annoyed at the intrusion.

"Why are you here? Surely you have something better to do."

"W-well, I w-was looking f-f-for you. You n-never came back to th-the dorm."

Weiss let out a short huff, not quite a laugh. "What do you care? What does it matter to you?"

Ruby shuffled her feet where she stood, still not looking directly at Weiss as she spoke. "Because w-w-we're partners. I w-wanted to m-make s-sure you w-were OK. W-we w-w-were all w-worried about y-you w-when you r-ran off."

Weiss turned to face Ruby directly. The girl was stuttering even more than normal, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

But at the same time, it also made her feel a bit guilty.

"Do I scare you, Ruby?"

Ruby seemed taken aback by that. For the first time since she had entered the room, she looked at Weiss properly, although she still did not look her in the eye.

"N-n-no? I m-mean, y-you are a little in… in-timidating s-sometimes, but I w-wouldn't s-say I'm-"

"Then why do you always stutter so much when you talk to me?" Weiss asked, cutting Ruby off. "You never look at me when you talk either, and you're always fidgeting or messing with your cloak. Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Ruby lowered her head. One hand reached for the end of her cloak, only to stop short and clench in a fist instead.

"Everyone m-m-makes m-me feel uncomf-f-fortable," she whispered.

Weiss didn't quite know what to make of that. "Huh?"

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then another. Then another. Her fist unclenched, and she lifted her head to look at Weiss properly. "It's a l-little h-hard to explain…"

Weiss thought about all the things that had frustrated her with regards to Ruby. How she spoke. How she acted. If there was a chance to make sense of all that, she wasn't going to pass it up.

Pulling out a chair beside her, Weiss gestured for Ruby to take a seat. "I don't have anything better to do. So you try and explain it to me, and I'll try to understand."

Ruby looked quite hesitant to accept Weiss' offer. She gnawed her lower lip and resumed shuffling her feet on the spot, seemingly giving the idea some thought.

"Look, I promise not to interrupt you or get judgemental." Weiss tried her best to sound reassuring, but she was certain her words had come out sharper than she had intended.

Nonetheless, Ruby seemed to have made up her mind. She slowly walked over to the desk Weiss was sat at and took the seat offered to her.

"W-well, f-first thing's f-first, m-my s-s-stammer," Ruby began. "F-feeling n-nervous does m-make it w-worse, but it's alw-ways there, and th-there's not m-m-much I can do about it."

All of a sudden, Weiss felt like kicking herself as hard as she could.

A speech impediment. Why did that never occur to me?

Weiss knew full well why it had never occurred to her. It was because she had never even bothered to consider it as a possibility, because she had already decided for herself that Ruby was just a scared little kid.

And yet that little kid had wiped the floor with her in their match earlier.

"As f-for the r-rest, w-w-well…" Ruby trailed off, taking another breath, and Weiss now realised that this was her trying to steady her voice so she could talk.

The guilt Weiss had felt a moment ago was back, and it was growing by the second.

"H-have you heard of s-something called Autism?"

Weiss racked her brain to see if she recalled ever hearing the phrase before, but came up with nothing. "I'm afraid not."

"W-well, that's w-what I h-have. M-my dad could explain it better, but it m-m-means that I s-sort of… don't work properly."

The way Ruby said that made Weiss feel uneasy. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ruby let out a small chuckle, devoid of any mirth. "Dad and Yang h-hate it w-w-when I s-say it like that too, but it's true. M-my m-mind doesn't w-work the way it sh-should. There's r-r-really no other w-way to explain it."

Weiss swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat as she did so. "In what ways does it… not work, as you put it?"

Ruby took another series of steadying breaths before continuing. "I get s-stressed in c-certain s-situations that n-normal people never w-would, like a crowded sh-shop or on an airsh-ship. S-sometimes it get ov… overwhelmed and I n-n-need to sh-shut it all out, or else I… I s-sort of… Dad calls it a m-meltdown."

Another steadying breath. "Th-there's s-some little things as w-well. C-certain foods I can't eat w-without the f-feel of it m-making me s-sick, c-certain clothes I can't w-wear because the f-fabric f-f-feels like someone is trying to s-smother me. N-normal people don't get ups-s-set over s-silly things like that, but I do."

Weiss listened patiently as Ruby explained all of this to her, but she was struggling to wrap her head around a lot of it.

"I also don't r-r-really… get people v-very w-well."

"That much was obvious," Weiss muttered without thinking, immediately wishing she hadn't the second after she had said it.

Ruby let out another humourless laugh. "Y-yeah. W-whenever I talk to people, it can f-feel like I'm m-messing everything up and m-making everyone else th-think I'm r-really rude. I s-struggle a lot w-with that, and my s-s-stupid s-s-stammer r-r-really doesn't h-help." Ruby's voice gained a noticeably bitter edge to it as she finished talking.

"That all seems… difficult to deal with," Weiss finished lamely. In truth, she had no idea what to say in this situation. How could she? She was struggling to understand any of it.

Ruby took another deep breath. "It f-feels like th-the wh-whole w-world is just… wrong, in every w-way, and you're the only one wh-who r-realises it. But th-then you remember… it's you. Y-you're the one wh-who's wr-wrong, and broken, and n-not r-right."

Weiss tried to imagine what that would feel like, but she just couldn't. It was an impossible idea to comprehend, the notion that the entire world around you could feel alien and wrong, every minute of every day, and there was nothing you or anyone else could do to make things feel right…

"How do you cope with all of that?" Once again, Weiss' brain failed to keep up with her mouth, and she found herself once again wishing she could take back her question.

Rather than getting more upset, Ruby simply shrugged her shoulders. "I h-have a few things th-that h-help. M-my cloak, f-for st-starters." Ruby gestured to the ever-present article of clothing she wore on her person. "Having s-something f-familiar can h-help keep me grounded. M-my headphones also h-help when th-things get too loud."

Ruby then gave a small smile. "And Yang. Sh-she's r-really good at h-helping m-me manage it. M-Mom taught h-her all kinds of th-things."

Ruby's smile fell. "Sh-she s-says I'm getting better, but it r-r-really doesn't f-feel like it a lot of th-the time, and I h-hate being s-such a problem f-for her…"

The guilt that had been building inside Weiss as she listened to Ruby explain all of this to her was making her feel sick, especially as Ruby revealed to her what she felt about her own sister.

That part was a little too close to home for Weiss, who had often worried about the burden she placed on her own siblings whenever they had to comfort her after the latest incident with their parents.

"Ruby… I'm so, so sorry."

Ruby lifted her head, her expression now somewhat puzzled. "F-for what?"

Well Weiss, time to be honest with her. It's the least you owe her after how honest she's been with you.

"I thought you were just some scared little kid when I first met you. I didn't even try to understand you at all, I just wrote you off from minute one. I thought to myself that you didn't deserve to be here, that you would get kicked out soon enough. I… might have actually hoped for it."

Admitting that last part was difficult, but it needed to be said. This all needed to be out in the open.

"M-maybe you're r-right," mumbled Ruby, her expression falling again as she spoke. "I h-haven't exactly been th-the best leader. I don't even kn-know w-why I w-was chosen for that."

That part still didn't add up to Weiss either, especially knowing what she knew now. What in the world had Professor Ozpin been thinking, placing that on Ruby? Surely he, as the Headmaster, knew about Ruby's… Autism, as she had called it.

"Well, I won't lie, I still don't think you should be the leader," said Weiss slowly, carefully weighing her words before speaking this time. "But for what it's worth, all things considered, you've made the best of it where you could."

"And besides," Weiss continued. "If nothing else, you are undeniably an excellent fighter."

Ruby's face flushed as red as her cloak at that, and Weiss could not deny that the sight was more than a little cute. "I-I just got l-lucky is all. Y-you could probably beat me if w-we had a r-rematch."

"Oh trust me, I will beat you when we have our rematch," Weiss replied, smirking as she did so. "I just need to train more to surpass you."

Ruby smiled at that, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. "W-well, y-you're m-more that w-welcome to join me in the m-morning for my r-run."

Weiss blinked. "Is that why you're always out before us in the morning?"

Ruby nodded, her expression turning sheepish again. "Y-yeah, and s-sometimes I lose track of time. S-s-sorry."

Weiss huffed, but it was more playful than outright indignant. "Well then, I suppose I will have to accompany you from now on. As your partner, I really should make sure you don't overexert yourself, and that you remember to get to classes on time."

The smile returned to Ruby's face, and Weiss found herself smiling as well.

"OK then. Just s-so you kn-know, I r-run five m-miles."

Weiss blanched a bit at that. "Did you just say five miles? Every morning?"

Ruby nodded. "M-my f-fighting style r-requires a lot of s-stamina, and I try n-not to rely on m-my S-Semblance too much, so m-my training r-revolves around building my stamina. A lot of endurance tr-training."

"W-well, five miles should be no problem for me. Make sure to wake me up tomorrow so I can join you."

Ruby nodded once more. "W-will do!" She then stood up, before sitting back down rather abruptly, expression serious again.

"I'm s-s-sorry, W-Weiss," she said. "I came to s-s-see if you w-were OK after earlier, and w-we s-spent all that time talking about m-me instead."

Weiss felt her growing good mood begin to sour at being reminded of where this had all started, but she really didn't want to ruin this moment.

Besides, talking about any of that, especially with someone who clearly has a lot of their own problems to deal with, wouldn't be fair to Ruby. Better to just ignore it like she always did.

"Oh, I was just being a sore loser," Weiss replied dismissively. "Sorry again about that, and I suppose I owe your sister an apology as well when I see her."

Ruby seemed satisfied with that, standing back up and making her way towards the door. Weiss followed behind her, switching off the light as they left.

"Uh, did you w-wanna get s-some food?" asked Ruby as they began to walk. "You kinda m-missed dinner."

Weiss was about to reply that she was fine, when her stomach chose that exact moment to let out a loud grumble, presumably triggered by Ruby's mention of food.

"I could use a little something, yes."

The pair thus made their way towards the cafeteria to see what leftovers remained in the snacks bar.

Chapter Text

"So then, after we all finished outrunning the avalanche, we used the Nevermore feathers to create wing-suits, and flew back to the tower with the crates in record time!" Nora finished her story with a flourish, twirling her spoon between her fingers as if it were a baton.

Yang was scratching her head in confusion. "But Nevermore feathers evaporate after, like, two minutes tops. How would they have lasted long enough to make the whole journey?"

"That's why it was record time!" replied Nora with an air of satisfaction.

"Yang, are you really going to question the logic of someone's dream?" quipped Blake. "It's not supposed to make sense."

"Actually, this was one of her tamer ones," said Ren. "Compared with the one about the Ursa that grew more heads every time it got hit with something, flying with giant feathers is downright mundane."

Nora started giggling at that. "Oh yeah, that was a fun one. Ren and I were trying to catch flying fish, when the Ursa showed up and…"

Pyrrha smiled as Nora began to regale them all with yet another one of her bizarre dream stories, but decided to zone out of this particular one in order to instead focus on her Scroll, typing out a message to the one member of their team who was noticeably absent.

Me: Jaune, lunch break ends in ten minutes. Should I grab you something to eat in class if you're running late?

Pyrrha waited a minute, but there was no response.

Typical.

Sighing and returning her Scroll to her pocket, Pyrrha resumed eating her own lunch. She would grab Jaune a sandwich from the counter on the way out regardless. He might complain, but he would still eat it if she brought it to him.

"Is he coming?" asked Ren.

"Probably not," replied Pyrrha with another sigh. "I'm starting to worry about him a little."

That was an understatement. Pyrrha was more than a little worried about her leader and partner at this point. He was spending increasingly more and more time in the training rooms in-between lessons, skipping meals and running himself ragged.

At first, Pyrrha had just assumed he was very devoted to his training. That prodigious strength of his certainly implied as much, it had to come from somewhere after all.

But this was too much. If Jaune wasn't careful, he was going to begin doing serious harm to his body. Pushing yourself too far past your limits never ended well for anyone…

I need to have a proper discussion with him, tonight.

"S-s-sorry w-we're late! W-we lost track of time."

The arrival of Ruby, accompanied by her own partner, snapped Pyrrha out of her musings.

"You mean Weiss got lost again," deadpanned Yang. "Seriously, how can you still not know your way around after a month?"

Weiss shot Yang a decidedly unamused glare as she took her seat. "Actually, we really did lose track of time. But you'll be pleased to know that we managed to find plenty of research material for our next team assignment."

"W-we took th-the books back to th-the dorm bef-fore we came h-h-here." Ruby took her own seat and began to dig into the lunch that her sister had grabbed for her and Weiss ahead of time.

"You're welcome, by the way," added Weiss. "You can return the favour by actually reading some of it, instead of making things up."

Yang gave a mock glare of indignation. "Hey, I only did that once!"

"Twice, actually," Blake chimed in.

Yang's fake glare quickly morphed into a more playful smirk. "OK, I promise to try my best. Will that do?"

Weiss sighed. "Ruby, tell your sister to take this seriously. I don't want us to be bottom of the class again."

"Yang, sh-she's r-right. W-we can't m-mess up again." Ruby's stammer did not in any way lessen the exasperation in her voice as she spoke. Clearly, this was a regular thing for them.

And yet, the team sat in front of Pyrrha, for all the bickering they seemed to engage in, she could tell they were getting along decently well, in stark contrast to what they were like at the beginning of the year. Ruby and Weiss were especially notable, given that they had spent the first week of the semester outright avoiding each other.

Now look at them.

If those two could turn their partnership around so drastically, then maybe there was hope for her and Jaune as well.

History class with Professor Oobleck was never dull, but it could be a little hard to follow at times. The animated, fast-talking Professor was not one for pausing to allow his students much time to absorb what he was telling them.

Today was no exception. His coffee mug in hand, looking as ragged and scruffy as he always did, the self-styled warrior-scholar spoke rapidly as he described the day's topic of importance.

"Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie. But the leadership of the Faunus community remained strongly opposed to what they described as a mass deportation and forced relocation, thus the resultant escalation from sporadic pockets of unrest to a full-blown militarized conflict!"

Professor Oobleck paused in his rapid-fire delivery to take a sip of coffee. "Now, who can recall what we discussed the other day about the event that is traditionally considered the starting point of the war?"

Pyrrha saw Weiss raise her hand. "The Battle of Fort Castle?"

"Precisely!" exclaimed Professor Oobleck. "And who can recall what the advantage was the Faunus militiamen had over General Lagune's forces during-"

An audible snore cut Professor Oobleck off mid-question, and everyone's attention was drawn to the sight of Jaune Arc slumped over his desk fast asleep.

Pyrrha felt her stomach twist uncomfortably at the sight.

That settles it, he needs to stop.

Professor Oobleck rapped his knuckles against the desk. "Mr Arc!"

Jolting awake, Jaune raised his head and gazed around the room. He looked dreadful, with bags under his eyes and a pale, sickly hue to his skin.

"Yes, sir?" he mumbled, blinking and rubbing at his eyes.

"Since you feel confident enough to take naps in the middle of my lectures, perhaps you can tell us what the Faunus militia's advantage was at Fort Castle?"

Jaune sat up straighter in his seat, Professor Oobleck's less-than-enthused tone as he spoke evidently making him a bit more alert. "Uh… the advantage that the Faunus had… over the other guys… it was… a bigger army?"

"Incorrect, Mr Arc. General Lagune's forces outnumbered the Faunus five-to-one." Professor Oobleck stepped back from Jaune's desk, taking another sip of his coffee. "Would anyone else like to assist Mr Arc?"

A hand raised lazily into the air, and Pyrrha felt herself bristle slightly when she saw who it belonged to.

"Discipline, sir," Cardin Winchester said. "It's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier, after all."

Pyrrha probably would have been more shocked by how brazenly inappropriate Cardin's words were, if he hadn't made it quite apparent over the past month exactly what sort of person he was.

"Mr Winchester," said Professor Oobleck slowly. "I do not appreciate those sorts of comments in my classroom."

Cardin simply shrugged and said nothing else.

"Miss Belladonna, third time's the charm." The Professor turned his attention to the bow-wearing girl sat in the middle row. "Can you help your fellow students recall the facts of this event?"

"It was night vision," replied Blake. "While it's not a trait possessed by all Faunus, many possess nearly-perfect sight in low-light conditions. General Lagune was inexperienced and ignorant of this possibility, so when he tried to catch the Faunus by surprise during the night, they were able to better navigate the battle than his own men, who were unable to coordinate effectively in the darkness. The general was captured, and his army forced to scatter without their leader."

"Maybe if he'd paid attention in class, he might not have been remembered as such a failure," chimed in Weiss.

Cardin rose from his seat at that, only to stop in his tracks when Professor Oobleck glared at him.

"Mr Winchester! Take your seat and reign in your ego. You can remain behind after class."

Pyrrha couldn't suppress a grin, gaining a sense of satisfaction at Cardin getting rightly called out for once.

"Mr Arc, you too will remain after class. It seems the both of you will require some additional reading this week."

The grin fell off of Pyrrha's face at that, but she couldn't exactly blame the Professor for his decision.

No, her frustration was with Jaune.

What is going on with you?

Pyrrha watched from the side-lines as Cardin's mace slammed into Jaune's shield with immense force, sending the defending blonde flying backwards across the sparring arena, landing in a heap by the hard-light wall.

A glance at the display being projected above showed that Jaune's Aura was only slightly above fifty percent. Guarding with his shield was only doing so much to mitigate the impact of each of his opponent's blows.

He should be trying to avoid Cardin, not taking him head-on.

Cardin sauntered over towards Jaune, who was slowly rising to his feet, using his sword to prop himself up as he gasped for air. The last hit had clearly left him winded.

"I win, Arc." Smirking, Cardin raised his mace high above his head in a two-handed grip, preparing to bring it down hard upon his opponent.

Jaune's response was barely audible, but sat in the front row as she was, Pyrrha was able to make out what he said, and it did not make her feel any better about the boy's mental state…

"Over my dead body."

The mace came down.

Jaune lifted his shield to cover his body, but it was useless. With a savage blow and an echoing clash of metal-on-metal, Jaune was driven into the ground face-first, Aura flaring brightly to absorb the hit.

On-screen, Jaune's Aura dropped below the halfway line, and Professor Goodwitch called the match in Cardin's favour.

Again.

This was the third time in as many weeks that Jaune and Cardin had faced off in sparring class, and each time Jaune lost by bigger and bigger margins. Cardin's Aura hadn't even dropped below ninety percent this time around.

"Mr Arc, do you need someone to escort you to the ward?" asked Professor Goodwitch, although she looked less concerned than disappointed as she spoke.

"No Professor, I'm fine." Jaune rose to his feet and began to make his way towards his seat, not even sparing a glance at either the Professor or his opponent. His hair covered his eyes, but Pyrrha could see that he was scowling.

"Now then, just so you are all aware, due to your upcoming field trip with Professor Peach, I have rescheduled our next class for the weekend after. I will be very unhappy if any of you forget this and decide to sleep in that day, so consider yourselves duly warned." Professor Goodwitch's gaze as she said this was aimed squarely at Ruby and Yang, who both nodded their heads without a word.

The bell rang to signal the end of the day, and not for the first time Pyrrha found herself wondering how Professor Goodwitch was able to perfectly time her classes so they always ended exactly as the bell would ring.

Then everyone began to file out of the room, and Pyrrha's wondering mind snapped back to the present.

Without saying a word, Pyrrha grabbed Jaune by the arm and began to steer him along the corridor, weaving in between the throng of students as she led him towards her chosen venue for their… talk.

"Hey, Pyrrha! What are you doing? Let me go!"

Pyrrha ignored him, turning the corner and ascending the steps towards the top floor. Jaune stopped trying to pull free and began to follow along by himself, but she kept her grip on his arm regardless. Just in case.

Here we are!

Pushing open the door in front of her, Pyrrha and Jaune emerged onto the roof of the main building.

Classes today had gone on a bit longer than usual, and with summer now fully transitioning into fall, the sun had already begun to sink towards the horizon. An orange glow was cast over everything, creating quite the spectacular view of the school grounds.

Finally letting go of Jaune's arm, Pyrrha turned to face her partner fully. "Jaune, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Jaune laughed. An obviously fake laugh. "Nothing's wrong Pyrrha, I'm fine. But thanks for asking. I appreciate the thought."

"Jaune." Pyrrha folded her arms and levelled the boy with an even look. "You're struggling, it's plain as day. You're not eating properly, you barely sleep, you spend far too much time in the training rooms for your own good-"

"I'm fine." Jaune's previously light-hearted tone was gone. "So don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"But you don't have to," Pyrrha said softly. Getting confrontational was not going to help here, she needed to be gentler if she was going to help in any way. She could not afford to have Jaune shut her out entirely.

She did not want that.

"Jaune, I am worried about you. You look exhausted, and I can tell you now that if you keep pushing yourself too hard like this, you'll break. So please, talk to me. Let me help, if not as your partner, then as your friend." Pyrrha reached out to place a hand on Jaune's shoulder, but decided against it at the last moment, withdrawing her hand and instead giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Jaune looked Pyrrha in the eyes. "Do you really wanna help me?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Of course I do."

"Then just let me figure this out my way. I don't need anyone to hold my hand."

Jaune spoke with such venom in his voice that Pyrrha was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words.

Jaune began to walk towards the door, brushing past Pyrrha as he did so.

"Wait!" Pyrrha grabbed Jaune's arm again. This was all going so horribly wrong, she had to salvage this somehow. There had to be some way to get through to him-

Jaune wrenched himself free of Pyrrha's grasp and whirled around to face her. He looked angry, and bitter, and so very tired…

"You think I'm weak, is that it?"

Pyrrha frantically shook her head. "No, that's not what I said at all!"

"But that's what you think, right? You think I need help, that I can't handle it here."

Pyrrha considered her next words carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing and drive him off for good this time. "Jaune, everyone needs a little help now and again, but that doesn't make you weak. Having bad days and struggling to cope doesn't mean you don't belong here, it just means you're human like the rest of us. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, and I promise you, not me, or Nora, or Ren would think any less of you for it."

Pyrrha reached for Jaune again, but this time she went all the way and placed her hand upon his shoulder. "You made it this far, you made it into Beacon. That alone speaks volumes of what you're capable of. I've seen for myself just how strong you can be."

For a moment, Jaune looked at Pyrrha with uncertainty in his eyes, but then his face hardened again and he shrugged her hand off his shoulder.

"I didn't have an unlocked Aura. You had to do it for me. Didn't you think that was strange, that I was accepted into Beacon despite that?"

Pyrrha began to feel an unpleasant sense of unease as Jaune asked her that. Yes, she had thought it strange at the time, but after that first fay she hadn't really given it much thought. But now that Jaune had brought it up again, she found herself considering the question once more.

The pieces began to fall into place, and the picture they formed was not one that Pyrrha liked the look of.

"Jaune," said Pyrrha, voice shaking slightly as she spoke. "What did you do?"

Jaune grimaced. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon. Not like everyone else. I never even attended a combat school, or passed any tests other than the entrance exam they set here, and even then, I'm ninety percent sure I scored as low as someone can. My transcripts probably offset that result enough to get me in…"

Jaune's grimace twisted into a bitter snarl. "My fake transcripts. I doctored a set of records to show my name, and used those to get in. I lied."

Pyrrha stared at Jaune in utter disbelief as his confession sunk in.

He cheated his way into Beacon.

An Aura that was never unlocked. A weapon that was clearly not designed as a Huntsman's weapon. No training, no skill with his blade…

But something still felt off. Yes, Jaune had not received any proper training, but he was still amazingly strong, and remarkably talented in many ways. He was the one who had led their team to victory during the initiation.

And even if his Aura had been locked before, the fact that Pyrrha had been able to unlock it without any ill effects was as clear an indicator as any that Jaune was ready to start down this path.

It just didn't add up.

"Why?" Pyrrha asked finally. What she was asking 'why' about, she couldn't decide.

Jaune sighed. "Because this is what I wanted to be, ever since I was little. I grew up hearing storied about my Grandpa, what a hero he was, and I wanted to be just like him."

Jaune walked towards the edge of the roof, staring out at the sunset. "I begged my parents to let me train and go to a combat school, but they always said no. Told me it was too dangerous, that I'd just get myself hurt."

Jaune's fist clenched. "So I trained myself. My sister Saph, she was the only one who thought I could do it, and she found Grandpa's old weapon and gave it to me. I practiced with it whenever I could sneak away, I made excuses to spend more time out in the woods practicing, doing everything I could to get stronger. But it was never enough. Mom and Dad always said no.

"I moved out and went to stay with Saph last year, and she helped me apply to Haven Academy, but they rejected me because I never attended a school. Shade and Atlas were the same, always saying I hadn't done enough. It wasn't fair. I wanted to go to one of those schools so much when I was a kid, but I never got the chance! They just slammed the door in my face without even letting me try!"

Jaune took a deep breath, unclenching his fist as he exhaled slowly. "Beacon was my last chance, and I couldn't risk being turned away again… so I cheated. Figured if I could just get past that first hurdle, I'd be able to catch up in no time."

Jaune laughed then, a bitter laugh that sounded so hollow and joyless. "But look at me. I'm so far behind all of you that it's a joke."

There it was. The last piece of the puzzle. Now it all made sense.

That didn't make it any less distressing to hear.

"Jaune, I won't pretend to understand what you've been though up until now, but please believe me when I say that this doesn't have to carry on like this. I want to help you, I want you to have that chance, because I know you could be amazing if you had that opportunity. But I'm begging you, please, you have to stop torturing yourself. If you don't stop this, you'll ruin yourself. You'll wear yourself down until there's nothing left."

Jaune turned to face Pyrrha once more. With his tired eyes, pale skin and utterly exhausted expression, he looked for all the world like a ghost.

"If I can't do this on my own, then what good am I?"

When Jaune walked past Pyrrha this time, she was unable to stop him. When she grasped his arm again, he pulled free and continued towards the door, pulling it open…

… to reveal Ren and Nora, the latter of whom had evidently had her ear pressed against the door, as she proceeded to fall over with a grunt.

If Jaune even noticed their presence at all, he gave no indication of it, simply walking past them and descending the stairs back into the main building.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called after him, running towards the door, only to be stopped by Ren placing their hand upon her own shoulder.

"Let him go, Pyrrha," they said. "You said what you could. The best thing now is to let him think about it and decide for himself what he wants next."

Pyrrha wasn't so sure about that. She wanted to run after him right now, to keep on trying to convince him to rest, to let her help, to stop punishing himself before it was too late…

"What should I do? I want to help him, but I don't know how. What am I supposed to do?"

Nora poked Pyrrha on the cheek, causing her to turn to face the shorter girl, who was fixing her with an uncharacteristically serious expression… by her standards at least. Nora's pout was not as serious as she likely thought it was.

"First thing's first, you need to take your own advice. Like you said to Jaune, there's nothing wrong with asking for help."

"We're all in this together," Ren added. "We're a team, so let's think about how to help him as a team."

Pyrrha looked from Nora, to Ren, then back to Nora and then back to Ren. Ever so slightly, she began to feel the knot of anxiety loosen in her stomach.

"You're right. I'm sorry for not including you before. He's your teammate too."

"He's our friend," said Nora, her trademark grin returning full force. "And so are you!"

Ren hummed in agreement. "So let's all put our heads together and figure out a way to help Jaune."

When Nora pulled them all into a group hug, Pyrrha smiled rather than trying to struggle out of it, allowing herself to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

I missed this. I really missed having friends like this.

Breaking the embrace, the three of them re-entered the building and began to make their way back to the dorms.

Jaune swung Crocea Mors, sweat pouring off his brow as he pushed himself to finish the final set.

Come on, you can do this. You have to do this!

Diagonal-down right to left, back up left to right, backstep and draw back to guard, thrust five times, step forward and slice upwards, pivot and slice sideways, three steps and a downward strike into a crouch, roll, leap up and strike with the pommel, sidestep and guard, strike with the flat, transition into a reverse cut, switch to a reverse-handed grip-

Jaune fumbled, Crocea Mors slipping from his fingers and clattering to the floor.

A moment later, Jaune fell to his knees, nausea overtaking him as he retched. Thankfully he avoided actually throwing up this time.

Dammit, not good enough! I shouldn't be falling over from just this!

But as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he had reached his limit for the night. He knew that if he tried to carry on now, he really would be sick, and he didn't fancy cleaning that up again.

Pushing himself to his feet, Jaune retrieved Crocea Mors and departed the training room, making his way back towards the lockers.

Entering the code, Jaune swung the door to his locker open and returned his sword carefully to its place beside his shield.

Jaune ran a hand over the buckled metal of the shield. Clearly Ruby had been right when she said that it was of a lesser quality than the sword was. The hit Cardin had delivered earlier had damaged the folding mechanism and bent the brace that attached it to his arm.

Whatever, I shouldn't be relying on it so much anyway. I can't hide behind a shield forever.

Slamming the locker door closed, Jaune slowly began to make his way back towards the dorms.

Not that he had any intention of staying in the JNPR dorm room. No, he was going to stay in one of the empty rooms along the corridor, like he had done for the past few nights now.

He really didn't want to see the others, especially after what had happened earlier.

Not yet at least.

I'll catch up to you guys, mark my words. I'll get there, whatever it takes.

Chapter Text

The Forest of Forever Fall was once known for being a very popular destination, for both tourists and locals from Vale, to spend time in. Family picnics on lazy afternoons, young couples on dates enjoying the scenery, adventurous children who loved clambering among the curiously-always-auburn leaves of the trees…

But then, several years ago, the Grimm began to push further into the area, and much of the forest was declared off-limits to civilians. Huntsmen conducted regular sweeps of the forest to cull the population as much as they could, but even after dozens of campaigns intended to reclaim the territory, the Vale Council still classified Forever Fall as a dangerous Grimm hotspot. Which really was a shame, because if you were careful enough to avoid the most densely-populated areas of the forest, Forever Fall really was a stunningly beautiful sight to behold.

A fact that their chaperone for the day was all too eager to explain to the class in plentiful detail.

"Unlike the vast majority of fruit-bearing broadleaf trees, and indeed the vast majority of plant-life in general, the Red Leaf Maple does not photosynthesise, owing to the lack of chloroplasts in its distinctively-coloured leaves. Instead, in order to produce glucose for respiration, the Red Leaf has adapted to burrow deeper into the ground with its roots than any other tree. The root system of but a single Red Leaf Maple can extend downwards for over a mile in order to harvest the maximum possible amount of ambient nutrients from the soil."

Professor Peach may not have had the same amount of energy as Professor Oobleck, but her enthusiasm for her subject was quite evident in the way she explained the various attributes of the many plants that could be found across Remnant. With a smile on her face and cheerful lilt to her voice, the diminutive pink-haired Professor happily continued to rattle off factoid after factoid about the trees the class were slowly walking through.

"But of course, a single Red Leaf Maple can only do so much by itself, which is why it also possesses a second adaptation: inosculation. In essence, all of the many trees that make up this forest share a single, gargantuan root system that allows them all to work in tandem to maximise the yield of nutrients they harvest. In fact, there is far more forest beneath our feet right now than there is surrounding us!"

Coming to a halt, Professor Peach spun on her heel and faced her class, arms spread wide as she gestured to the large clearing they had arrived at… after almost three hours of nonstop walking!

"Set your gear down here, class. This will be our base camp for the day."

A chorus of groans, sighs and one or two curses filled the clearing as twenty-or-so very tired teenagers unceremoniously collapsed to the floor, dumping bags and belongings haphazardly here and there as they did so.

"Professor," groaned Weiss, slumped up against a stump. "Did we really need to walk this far just to collect some sap? If all these trees are linked like you said they were, then surely any tree would do?"

"You are quite right, Weiss. But I figured you could all use a day away from the main campus. After all, everyone needs a day off now and then!"

If the Professor noticed the sea of borderline murderous glares being sent her way, she did not let it show, simply continuing to beam at them as if she had done them all a favour, as opposed to wasting three hours of their time on what was apparently a pointless nature walk.

Jaune would have seethed at that if he had the energy left to seethe at anything. Instead, he just let out a disgruntled sigh as he too slumped against the trunk of one of the many trees that surrounded the clearing.

Just take the opportunity to get a little more rest, Jaune. You need your strength back if you're gonna be hitting the training room again tonight when you get back.

"Now then," Professor Peach announced loudly. "Everyone take one jar from the boxes that Team CRDL graciously transported here for us. And do take care not to break them, as we only have so many to go around."

The 'gracious' Team CRDL grumbled as the four of them opened the boxes they had been lugging all the way through the forest and began passing out jars to everyone.

Cardin held one jar out towards Jaune, who quickly snatched it from the other boy's grasp without comment. That earned him a glare, but Professor Peach was already talking to them again, so Jaune just ignored it.

"As I explained in class last lesson, the sap that the Red Leaf Maple produces is rich in energy and nutrients, and as such it is a highly versatile substance with both medicinal and nutritional applications. Therefore, you are to each gather one full jar of sap for use in our practical class tomorrow. You'll need to harvest sap from multiple trees in order to gather enough to fill the jars, so you will need to venture out beyond our little clearing. Stay in your teams, keep your weapons close at hand, and be on your guard. While this area of Forever Fall is safer than most, Grimm still lurk in these parts."

Professor Peach's voice turned serious for a moment towards the end of her instructions, only to return to her usual, more cheerful tone right away. "Meet back here at 3pm, and have fun!"

With that, the teams began to split off from the group and ventured into the forest. Jaune saw Cardin lead his team back in the direction they had all come from, while Team RWBY were already in the process of harvesting from the trees around the clearing.

Jaune stiffened as his own teammates made their way towards him.

"OK," said Pyrrha. "Why don't we all head-"

"Let's split up." Jaune spoke quickly, cutting Pyrrha off before she could complete her statement. "Each go in a different direction and gather our own sap. If we split the workload between us, we'll save time."

Short, sweet, and perfectly reasonable.

"Jaune, Professor Peach told us to stay in our teams." Ren levelled Jaune with a pointed stare as they spoke. "If we stay together, one of us can keep watch for Grimm while the-"

"I don't need you to watch my back, Ren," snapped Jaune, his patience already gone.

Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

"In that case, why don't you keep watch for us instead?" suggested Pyrrha. "We can get the sap while you stand guard."

"Yeah!" added Nora. "Let us take care of this one!"

Jaune fought down the urge to snap at them again. He knew, in some small part of his mind, that they meant well. They just didn't realise that this was not what he needed right now.

They were going to try and talk to him again, just like they had been trying to do for the last three days since he and Pyrrha had had their first talk on the roof. Quite frankly, Jaune was sick of it all. Between Nora constantly asking if he wanted to "buddy" with her and train together, Ren sending what he swore were disapproving glares at him in class, and Pyrrha just refusing to accept his assertions that he did not need any help and that she should just leave him alone…

"Fine," Jaune sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"Then follow me!" Nora spun around and began to march into the forest like she was leading an army. Ren followed with a shake of their head, Pyrrha followed with an amused smile, and Jaune trailed behind them all with a frown.

After about a minute of walking, the gap between Jaune and the rest of the team had widened enough that he could no longer hear whatever Nora was saying to Ren.

Perfect.

As quickly and quietly as he could, Jaune slipped off in a separate direction from the others and began to navigate the forest on his own, weaving in between trees and around fallen tree limbs until he was confident enough that he had lost his team.

After a cursory sweep of the area to make sure he was indeed alone, Jaune let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding, drew Crocea Mors from the makeshift sheath he had managed to procure, and walked towards a tree whose bark looked a bit darker than the rest, one of the signs Professor Peach had told them to look out for that indicated a tree with more sap than the rest.

The blade of Crocea Mors sliced through the bark with ease, and a trickle of deep reddish-purple sap flowed from the gash and into the open jar Jaune held underneath.

A very slow trickle of sap, one that very quickly ran dry. There wasn't even enough to cover the bottom of the jar.

"This is gonna take a while," Jaune mumbled to himself.

The sun was now directly overhead. Almost two hours later, and Jaune's jar was a little over half-full of sap. Crocea Mors was stained purple all along its edge, as were Jaune's hands and the ends of his sleeves.

I hope this stuff comes off.

Slicing into what had to have been the five-hundredth tree that day, Jaune allowed himself to feel a little bit of relief when the sap flowed out in a substantial quantity, bringing the level in the jar to almost two thirds in a matter of minutes before the tree ran dry. With any luck, he would be finished within another hour, then he could-

Jaune froze. He hadn't heard anything approaching, but something was causing the alarm bells to go off in his head, and he was smart enough to know that ignoring those alarms was never a good idea.

Setting his jar down carefully, Jaune stood as still as he could, ears straining to pick up the sound of whatever may have been approaching…

Footsteps, not those of a person, slowly approaching from behind, getting louder as they got closer. Leaves crunching underfoot. A branch snapping.

Jaune turned to face… a bear. A regular, non-Grimm bear.

It must have smelled the sap and come looking for a snack. Well too bad bear, you're not having any of this, it's mine!

A quick scan of the floor, and Jaune spotted a nice, heavy-looking branch a few feet away. The bear's attention was drawn to Jaune as he strode purposefully towards it and picked it up. Taking aim while drawing on some of his Aura for a boost, Jaune hurled the branch into the tree beside the bear, causing it to splinter into dozens of tiny pieces with a loud noise.

Regular bears may have been a threat to regular people, but to those with unlocked Auras, they were not a danger in the slightest. Jaune's display of strength was more than enough to spook the animal, causing it to flee in a panic… in the direction of the jar Jaune had left on the floor.

"No, stay away from that!"

But it was no use. The bear, in its rush to get away, crushed the jar underneath one of its paws while Jaune could only watch, unable to react in time to save all his hard work from being smeared on the forest floor and rendered useless.

The bear vanished into the trees, and Jaune simple stood where he was for a moment as his mind processed what had just happened.

Fisting his hands painfully into his hair, Jaune screamed in anger and frustration.

He screamed and yelled and cursed as all his effort was rendered pointless, as yet again he had all his hard work invalidated in an instant.

"Why does this keep happening!?"

It was like some sort of cosmic joke. No matter what he did, Jaune always wound up losing in the end. All his hard work and training to earn a place at an academy, ignored. All the time spent trying to improve so he could stand alongside the others here at Beacon, worthless as he failed again and again to win even a single match. Even something as simple as getting some stupid tree sap, utterly pointless as nature itself decided to just kick him while he was down…

ROAR!

Jaune's own screams of anger died in his throat as he registered the much louder sound of a Grimm making its presence known.

ROAR!

ROAR!

Make that three Grimm.

Jaune lifted his head, and felt his heartrate instantly double at the sight before him.

Three Ursas. All larger than he was. Giant, armoured facsimiles of the bear he had just scared away, black-skinned with white bone plating and glowing eyes all trained on him as they advanced.

The Ursa closest to Jaune roared again and began to charge.

Jaune had only enough time to raise his Aura before the Ursa headbutted him in the stomach and sent him tumbling across the forest floor. Were it not for the protection of his Aura, the blow would have left him winded and defenceless.

Not for the first time, Jaune was amazed at the difference having an unlocked Aura made to his ability to do… anything, really. Rolling to his feet, Jaune quickly took his stance and grasped Crocea Mors in a two-handed grip, ready to respond to whatever the trio of Grimm would do.

He could do this. Even without his worthless shield, he still had his sword and his Aura and his experience from all those many hours of practice. He could handle a few Grimm no problem.

After all, what good was he if he couldn't even handle this much by himself?

One of the other Ursas charged next, but Jaune was ready. Just as the creature was about to slam into him like its friend had done, Jaune dodged to the side and swung Crocea Mors in an upwards arc. The blade sliced through the flesh of the Grimm's shoulder, cutting a deep gash and revealing the red inside.

With a yell of his own that mixed with the Ursa's cry of pain, Jaune brought his sword down upon the Grimm's neck, slicing the beast's head off and killing it instantly…

…is what should have happened. Instead, Crocea Mors became wedged in the thick neck of the Ursa, failing to fell the beast and leaving Jaune open and unable to defend himself.

So when the third Ursa made its move, Jaune was sent flying by yet another full-body charge, losing his grip on Crocea Mors and landing roughly on his back. His Aura flared to absorb both impacts and prevented him from having the wind knocked out of him, but that meant nothing to the Grimm. The first Ursa was once again on him, this time swiping at his body with its paws, its sharp claws raking across Jaune's body and scraping away more and more of his Aura.

Jaune lashed out with a kick at the Ursa's body, unconsciously channelling some Aura into the blow and succeeding in knocking the Grimm away. Seizing the opportunity, Jaune scrambled to his feet-

Claws raked across Jaune's back, causing him to stumble and almost fall over again. He turned and raised one fist, ready to-

Another full-body charge sent him flying. It was only by some miracle that he was able to remain upright. Jaune quickly back peddled to put some distance between-

Another powerful paw swipe knocked Jaune off balance. He fell to one knee with a wince, his Aura not quite dulling the pain entirely. Clenching both fists, he rose to his feet and prepared to-

Another swipe, and he was on his knees again.

Another swipe, and he was on his back.

Another swipe.

Another.

Another.

Another and another and another…

Jaune's Aura flashed and flared with each hit, but its light was growing fainter, and the pain from each blow was increasing.

Jaune lashed out wildly, a punch here, a kick there, anything he could to try and get the Grimm to back off for just a moment so he could get up-

Jaws clamped down on his leg and began to pull, dragging him across the floor.

Then another pair of jaws grabbed his arm and began to pull in the other direction.

A third pair seized his other arm, and Jaune was being pulled this way and that, his Aura straining to prevent him from being torn into pieces as he screamed in pain and he was going to die he was going to die die diediediediedie-

"JAUNE!"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"YOU LET HIM GO YOU UGLY FREAKS!"

Gunfire rang out through the forest, and the three Ursas dropped their prize as they were peppered with bullets, their attention now fully drawn away from Jaune.

Jaune was left to stare up at the red canopy of leaves above him, every part of his body on fire from the agony of almost being ripped apart, but what was left of his Aura was already beginning to dull the pain.

The gunfire had stopped but the sounds of fighting had only intensified. Jaune could hear blades slicing into Grimm, and the unmistakable sound of a particular hammer slamming into bodies.

The pain had receded enough that Jaune was able to push himself into a sitting position and see what was going on. Pyrrha was fighting one of the Ursas, her spear-sword stabbing into the belly of the Grimm as it reared up on its hind legs to swipe at her. Her shield was able to guard against the Ursa's paws.

Nora was in the process of demolishing the second Ursa, which still had Crocea Mors lodged in its neck. Her hammer making short work of the creature's armour, and the wounded and quite frankly outmatched Grimm was beginning to back away.

As for the third Ursa, Ren was dodging each of its swipes as they slashed with their own blades at the Grimm's limbs each time it overreached in its attacks.

They were all holding their own perfectly well against the monsters that had only moments ago being using Jaune as their chew toy.

What am I even doing here?

Jaune watched as Nora delivered a final blow to her Ursa. It fell down dead and began to evaporate, Crocea Mors falling free and dropping to the ground as the body vanished.

Jaune stared at the sword that his family had held onto for so many generations. The sword that he had used to cut a few trees open before losing it in a matter of moments to a Grimm that should have been no issue at all for someone like him to handle.

No, not someone like him. Someone like them.

Like his teammates.

He was nothing like them.

He was nothing at all.

Maybe he really didn't belong here after all…

Jaune watched as Pyrrha finished off her Ursa with a final thrust through its neck. Ren likewise dealt with their opponent shortly afterwards, and the final Grimm was left to evaporate like the rest.

I'll catch up? To them? How could I be so stupid? I'll never measure up to them.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha ran over to his side and knelt down beside him. "Are you alright? Are you injured?"

"How did you find me?" It was a pointless question, but Jaune asked anyway. He wasn't sure why.

"You kinda left us a trail with all those trees you sliced up," answered Nora, who was kneeling on his other side. "That and the yelling were enough to track you down."

Ren knelt in front of Jaune, levelling him with a look that was more relieved than disappointed this time around. "I did say we needed to stay together. But we're all just glad we made it in time."

"Yeah," muttered Jaune. "Thanks."

"You dropped this, by the way." Ren held out Crocea Mors, having apparently retrieved it before coming over. "You probably want it back."

Jaune stared down at the purple-stained family heirloom he had dared to assume he was worthy of holding and calling his own.

He did not take it.

"I don't deserve that."

…

"Jaune, why would you say that?" Pyrrha sounded confused. "It's yours."

"It's my family's. I just took it and thought I could use it. But I was wrong."

Jaune rose to his feet and began to walk back towards the clearing. Sure enough, a path back was clearly indicated by the many scarred trees he had left in his wake.

I'll call Saph and tell her it just didn't work out. No need to worry her, especially when Terra's pregnant. I'll just get a temp job someplace in Vale until I can figure something else out-

WHOOSH!THUNK!

Crocea Mors embedded itself in the tree directly in front of Jaune, quivering from the force of the impact.

"Jaune, stop!"

Jaune turned to face Ren, who had evidently thrown Crocea Mors and was now looking at him with an expression Jaune had never seen on them before: anger.

"You're acting like a child, and we're sick of it! Just listen to us for one minute and stop being so stupid!"

Jaune just stared at Ren, genuinely taken off guard by their outburst. He wasn't the only one surprised either, as both Nora and Pyrrha were also looking at Ren with surprised expressions.

Ren closed their eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry, that was a bit much, but my point stands. No more dodging us. We are having a proper discussion right now, no excuses."

Jaune blinked. "And if I say no?"

Ren's expression turned furious once more, before they schooled it back into their usual neutral gaze. "Then we'll force you to."

"No we won't," stressed Pyrrha hastily, waving her hands. "But we do want to talk, Jaune. So please, just stay and listen."

Jaune glanced from Pyrrha, to Nora, to Ren. Pyrrha looked at him pleadingly. Nora was still staring at Ren. Ren was staring straight at him, almost daring him to try and leave.

"Well, what is it you want to talk about?"

They all relaxed at that, and Pyrrha was the one who stepped forwards first.

"Jaune, let me make this first part perfectly clear: we do not think any less of you for anything. We don't think you're weak, or that you don't deserve to be here, because you do. You've worked hard, and I meant every word I said on the roof about your potential. No matter what you think of yourself, you did earn your place at Beacon."

Jaune resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course he shouldn't have expected anything else other than more of the same. "Pyrrha, I-"

"Let us finish," Nora interrupted, cutting Jaune off. "We have a lot to say, and you need to hear all of it. You can say whatever you want after we're done."

Jaune closed his mouth and nodded.

Let's just get this over with.

"You think not being able to do what we do makes you worse than us, but that's not true." Nora smiled as she spoke. "You came up with that crazy-awesome plan during initiation! We'd never have been able to take out that Nevermore if you hadn't been there!"

"And don't say she's lying or that she's wrong," Ren said before Jaune had a chance to say exactly that. "You took charge when no-one else did, and led us out of a situation that could have ended badly."

Pyrrha took over from Ren. "Even without an unlocked Aura, you were able to fight a Beowolf one-on-one, and killed it with nothing but your own strength. You've only had an unlocked Aura for a month, and already you're able to use it in ways that take others much longer to master. Not to mention just how much of it you have. You have talent, Jaune. Even if you don't see it, we do."

Nora nodded, then her expression turned dour. "But you need to realise that there's only so much you can do by yourself. We're a team for a reason, Jaune. No-one can do everything alone, and no-one should have to. You can rely on us. You can ask for help. You can say when you're struggling and not worry about being seen as weak, because we never would."

"We all support each other," said Ren. "All of us, as partners, as a team and as friends. If any of us came to you asking for help, you'd say yes, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," replied Jaune without hesitating, his voice shaking slightly as he spoke, absorbing everything the others were saying.

"Then trust us as well, like we would trust you. Let us help."

"Please, Jaune," pleaded Pyrrha. "We can't just watch while you tear yourself apart. Let us in."

"Come on, Jaune, what are friends for?" added Nora with a grin.

"We don't pity you," said Ren. "Not one bit. We just want to help."

Jaune was at a loss for words. This was not what he had been expecting. This was… genuine. No fake smiles or pitying looks. No empty words. No consoling assurances that maybe he could do something else instead.

"I…" Jaune swallowed. "I want to be here. I want to be a Huntsman."

Pyrrha nodded at him with a smile. "Then the first step, is accepting you still have room to improve, and not thinking of that as a mark of shame, but as a mark of what you could be in the future."

"No-one starts out an expert, Jaune," added Ren. "We all have to work to reach those goals, and if we fall short and need help, that's just the way things go."

Pyrrha stepped forwards again, and this time held out her hand. "You can be a Huntsman, Jaune. Just… don't try to do it alone."

Jaune remained still for a moment, then slowly reached forwards and took Pyrrha's hand and shook it.

A moment later, Nora and Ren's hands were placed over theirs, and Jaune couldn't help but smile at the gesture.

"I was acting kind dumb, wasn't I?"

"Super dumb," answered Nora. "But that's fine. We all act a little dumb sometimes!"

Jaune chuckled, then laughed, and before long they were all laughing together.

"Team hug!" Nora cried, sweeping them all into a group embrace as they carried on laughing.

It all seemed so silly now.

"Well, we should probably be getting back," said Pyrrha as they broke their embrace. "We don't want to be late for the rendezvous."

Jaune's good mood soured again as he recalled what happened to his jar. "I'm gonna need to start all over again with the stupid sap…"

"No you won't," chimed in Ren, holding up a jar full of sap. "We have a spare."

"But Ren!" whined Nora. "We were gonna keep that for our pancakes!"

Jaune was about to turn Ren down and say he needed to get his own sap like they did, but then he stopped himself.

It's OK to ask for help.

That, and Jaune really didn't want to spend another two hours cutting trees open. Crocea Mors was probably never going to be the same colour again…

Speaking of which, the old sword was still embedded in that tree.

Jaune grabbed the handle and pulled Crocea Mors free. The blade really was filthy, the handle was sticky, and the whole thing smelled like syrup.

"Sorry Grandpa. I promise I'll treat her better from now on."

The temporary sheath was a little too big, and Crocea Mors rattled within as Jaune walked back to the clearing alongside his team.

I'll get the rest fixed up as well. You deserve a proper sheath after all.

And I think I know just who to ask about that.

"All done!" said Ruby, holding out the finished product with a smile.

"It wasn't too much trouble, was it?" asked Jaune as he took it from her hands. "I know you were probably busy…"

Ruby shook her head. "It w-was n-no trouble at all, J-Jaune. I just h-h-hope I did a good j-job with h-her."

Jaune drew Crocea Mors from the sheath, the blade gleaming in the light, not a trace of purple to be found anywhere along its length.

The sheath slid onto the brace on Jaune's left arm, and with a flick it unfolded into its true form, the shield broad and undamaged.

Jaune moved around with both shield and sword. "The shield feels a bit heavier than before."

Ruby looked alarmed at that. "Oh n-no, I'm so s-s-sorry, Jaune! I th-thought that you w-would w-w-want it to be s-sturdier after w-what h-happened, s-so I-"

"Ruby, it's fine, I'm not complaining," Jaune reassured her. "I like it. You did a great job." With another gesture, the shield collapsed back into its sheath form and Crocea Mors was stowed away within. "It folds out and back faster now as well. Thanks!"

Ruby beamed at that, her smile still looking a bit nervous, but she was clearly quite happy with Jaune's comments.

"W-well, I'm glad y-you like it."

Yang slung her arm around her sister's shoulders and shot Jaune a grin. "Ruby here is the best when it comes to fixing weapons, no matter what they are! Now that'll be 150 Lien!"

"No it won't," deadpanned Ruby, turning to her sister with a rather unamused expression. "S-stop trying to m-make money off of my work."

"Yang does have a point, Ruby," chimed in Weiss from where she was working on her own sword at another workstation in the weapons lab. "You could make a decent profit from offering a maintenance service to people."

"W-Weiss, w-we've talked about th-this. I like f-fixing w-weapons. I don't n-need to charge people."

"But just think of all the cash we could make!" stressed Yang.

"S-so I sh-should start charging you f-for your repairs?"

"Well obviously I would get a family discount, right?"

Jaune clipped his returned gear back onto his belt. "Well, I don't have any Lien on me right now, but I make a good batch of cookies if I do say so myself. Does that sound like a good payment?"

Ruby smiled sheepishly at that. "W-well, I w-wouldn't s-say no…"

Jaune nodded and smiled. "Thanks again, Ruby. I really do appreciate it."

Turning and heading out of the weapons lab, Jaune made his way towards the training rooms and let himself into the one he had booked for the afternoon.

"All ready?"

Pyrrha was sat on one of the benches beside Ren, while Nora was standing in the middle of the room, Magnhild at the ready in its hammer form.

"Ready when you are, Jaune!" she called, hefting her weapon and leaning it on her shoulder.

Jaune smiled, but then turned serious as he gestured for Nora to follow him and sit on the bench alongside the other two. She followed, and all three of his teammates levelled him with a curious look.

Jaune took a breath. This was probably not going to go over well, but it needed to be done.

"I don't think I should be the leader anymore."

Pyrrha frowned at him. "Jaune, what happened to everything we talked about?"

"I'm not saying I'm quitting the team," Jaune continued. "I just don't think it's right for me to be the leader right now, not when I still have so much more to do."

Ren levelled Jaune with their usual look of disappointment whenever he said or did something dumb. "Jaune, you are a good leader, we've all established that. And like we said, having room to improve is not a bad thing."

Jaune shook his head. "It's not like that, I promise. This is something I've thought about properly. It wouldn't be forever, just until I feel like I'm ready. If I am going to lead this team, I want to feel up to the task first."

The group was silent for a moment, until Nora spoke up.

"So, who'll lead the team until then?"

Jaune turned to face Pyrrha. "Well, I was thinking Pyrrha, but only if she wants to. It'd be pretty hypocritical of me to force someone else to lead when I don't want to."

Pyrrha seemed to give the idea some thought. "Would the rest of you be OK with that? I don't want to make such a decision alone."

Nora gave a smile and a nod. "I'm OK with you leading us for a little bit. Ren?"

Ren nodded as well. "I suppose we would need to think of a new name for the team, though."

"We can do that later." Nora rose to her feet once again. "Now come on, Jaune! We have work to do if you wanna beat Cardin!"

Jaune followed Nora into the centre of the room, drawing Crocea Mors and deploying the newly-refurbished shield on his left arm. "Pyrrha, you have our Aura levels up on your Scroll?"

"Already loaded up."

"Ren, you ready to be the referee?"

Ren took their position off to the side. "On my mark, get set… go!"

"Match over! The victor is Cardin Winchester!"

Jaune picked himself up off the floor and stowed Crocea Mors away in the folded sheath.

Cardin leaned against his mace and breathed heavily, the exertion from the fight catching up to him.

It had been a much closer fight this time, but ultimately Cardin had managed to break Jaune's guard at the last moment and drop his Aura below the threshold with a well-placed strike to the side, but Jaune had gotten quite a few good hits in of his own.

"Nice try, Arc, but you still don't stand a chance of beating me."

Jaune shot Cardin a smirk as he held out his hand for a shake. "You're pretty good, Winchester, but I'll beat you one day, you mark my words."

Cardin gripped Jaune's hand hard and shot him a smirk of his own. "We'll see about that."

Releasing each other's hands, the two boys returned to their respective teams. Jaune sat between Nora and Pyrrha, both girls congratulating him on his effort.

I'll get there. I swear I'll get there one day. I will be a Huntsman.

We all will.

Chapter Text

Ruby crouched low. She placed one hand in front of her on the ground, and held the other out behind her to keep balance. Shifting her weight slightly, she took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it out. Then another. Then a third. She kept her gaze straight ahead, focused on her goal.

Drawing upon what remained of her Aura, Ruby pushed everything she had into her Semblance, and launched herself forward as fast as she could.

Ruby had often heard that other people with speed-based Semblances like hers would experience a feeling of everything else around them slowing down as they accelerated, but that had never happened to her. Time did not stretch on when she used her power. Her burst of speed lasted a fraction of a second, both for her audience and for herself, and she came to a halt just as quickly.

Ruby let her Aura recede, and suddenly found herself gasping for breath. Her legs began to tremble slightly, a sure sign that her body had reached its limit.

Maybe pushing my Semblance this much wasn't the best idea after all.

"S-so… h-how did… I do?" she panted.

Weiss looked up from the expanded screen of her Scroll, eyebrows raised in surprise. "One hundred meters in zero-point-five-nine seconds. You clock in at just under half the speed of sound."

Ruby nodded. She had figured as much. After all, this was hardly the first time she had tested the upper limits of her Semblance. Her instructors back at Signal had made sure of that.

Checking her own Scroll, Ruby saw that her Aura levels had fallen below a third.

"Time out." Ruby made her way off the track and fell into a sitting position with little grace. "I th-think I'm done f-f-for th-the day."

"I agree," Weiss replied. "We have everything we need anyway; we should head back and see how the others are doing."

"In a m-minute. I n-need to r-rest a little." She wasn't breathing as heavily, but she still felt like she would stumble if she tried to get up, so Ruby remained sat where she was.

Weiss came and sat beside Ruby, handing her a bottle of water which she accepted with a nod of thanks, draining half of it in a few gulps before pouring a little over her head to cool off somewhat.

"S-so, f-final numbers?" she asked a moment later.

Weiss tapped at the screen and brought up a spreadsheet full of information on the entire team. "Top speed of three-hundred and seventy-nine miles-per-hour, cooldown between uses ranging from five seconds to one minute depending on distance travelled, and a maximum range in one burst of one-hundred and sixty-eight meters."

Ruby nodded. She had managed to push her max range a little more than she had previously, but her top speed and cooldown times were still more-or-less the same as they had always been.

She sighed, unable to help feeling a little disappointed. It was looking less and less likely that she would ever be able to go supersonic, not unless she cheated a little…

"Hey W-Weiss? Could y-you show m-m-me how to use Dust like you do s-s-sometime?"

Weiss shook her head. "Ruby, I don't use Dust like that. My Semblance works in tandem with Dust effects, I don't infuse it into my body. Doing that sort of thing is really, really dangerous if you don't know exactly what you're doing."

"Oh… s-sorry."

Weiss frowned. "Ruby, what did we say about your apologising all the time?"

"S-stop it?"

"Stop it," repeated Weiss firmly. "You don't need to apologise for asking questions. It's fine to ask."

Ruby nodded, feeling her face flush slightly. "R-right. I'll try to r-r-remember."

Weiss hummed at that, then stood up, offering a hand to Ruby as she did so. "Now come on, we need to head back and get Blake and Yang's numbers as well, right?"

Ruby nodded. "Right." Taking Weiss' hand, she allowed herself to be pulled up, and the pair began making their way back towards the main building.

I hope Yang and Blake were able to manage all right.

It had been an idea Ruby had been thinking of for a while, to measure the upper limits of each of their Semblances. Knowing each other's limits as well as their own could wind up being helpful at some point. If nothing else, it would help them all set a baseline to measure themselves against. So, when Ruby realised that today would be a free morning, she had invoked her (admittedly rarely used) leader-powers to insist that they pair off and measure each other's abilities.

Ruby had thus learnt from observing her partner that Weiss could project her Glyphs as much as she wanted with no cooldown in-between, provided she had the Aura left to do so. However, when it came to casting multiple Glyphs, two at once seemed to be her limit, although she could project three simultaneously for a few seconds before they began to fade if she pushed herself to her absolute limit, though that would result in her straining herself quite a bit, leaving her dizzy from the exertion.

From prior experience, Ruby knew that the limits of Yang's Semblance were tied directly to her Aura levels. So long as her Aura was not depleted, she could continue to stockpile energy from each hit she took until she decided to use it, but the instant her Aura broke, all that energy went with it. If anyone could be used as a textbook example of how personality and Semblance reflected each other, Yang would fit that role perfectly. An all-in, all-or-nothing power to match an all-in, all-or-nothing mentality…

Ruby realised that Weiss was no longer walking by her side, having gone down the wrong corridor while still looking at her Scroll.

"W-Weiss, it's this w-way!" Ruby called, getting her directionally challenged partner's attention with a shout and a wave.

A few minutes later, the pair arrived at the training rooms and entered the one that Blake and Yang had taken. Blake was leaning against the wall, checking something on her own Scroll. Yang was nowhere to be seen.

"Your sister went to take a shower," said Blake without even looking up. "We finished a few minutes ago."

As Ruby entered the room, she saw out of the corner of her eye that the device used to measure impact force was dented. Evidently, Yang had not held back very much.

Are we gonna have to pay for that?

"Well then, care to fill us in so I can add your data to our spreadsheet?" asked Weiss without any preamble, stepping past Ruby and walking over to Blake.

Blake nodded and tapped at her Scroll. A ping indicated that she had sent a message to Weiss. Ruby sat beside Weiss on the bench, peering over her shoulder to read what Blake had sent over.

Yang's numbers were no surprise, but Blake's were what Ruby was interested in. After experiencing it during initiation, Ruby wanted to know exactly how the sword-wielder's Semblance worked, so she skimmed over her sister's entry and went straight to Blake's.

Blake had explained the basics to her already when she asked earlier. She could create copies of either herself or another person she was touching, and the copy would 'push' the real person out of the way as it spawned, helping them to avoid being hit. The copy would take the hit instead and fade immediately afterwards.

According to the numbers, one copy was Blake's current limit, with a three-second cooldown between uses. If the copy wasn't struck and dissipated by force, it would linger for a maximum of forty-five seconds unless Blake created another one, which would cause the old one to fade as she switched her focus to the new copy. As for how far she could be pushed away by spawning a copy, a single meter was the limit there, but she could decide the direction.

As Ruby considered what she was reading, a thought struck her.

"S-so, if you w-were f-falling, you could m-make copies to push you back up to s-stay in th-the air?"

Blake nodded. "I do that a lot to break my falls if I'm dropping from really high up." Then she gave Ruby an amused smirk. "Although if you're asking if I could fly with my Semblance by pushing off my clones over and over, I'd need to be able to use it quicker."

"I could do it," chimed in Weiss with more than a little smugness in her voice. "I can use one Glyph at a time as a platform and jump across them as far as I want to."

"That's not really flying, though," Blake pointed out. "More like using mid-air stepping-stones."

"W-we should try it out s-sometime! M-maybe that can be our n-next team training exercise? W-well, Yang w-wouldn't really be able to take part I guess, but the th-three of us could try to f-find out h-how far each of us could go. If we use the cliff over the Emerald Forest as a starting point, Yang could referee for us and we all launch off at the same time and use our Semblances to see how far we go before w-w-we… uh…"

Ruby trailed off, realising to her mortification that she had been rambling and both Blake and Weiss were looking at her with confusion.

"Uh, n-n-never m-mind. Th-that w-would be s-s-silly."

Blake and Weiss exchanged a look, and Ruby decided that she should probably leave before she embarrassed herself even more. Muttering a quick excuse of wanting a shower of her own, she quickly left the training room and headed back towards the dorm.

"Quiet please, children." Professor Goodwitch's voice cut across the chatter in the hall, and everyone fell silent at once.

"Thank-you, Glynda." Professor Ozpin stepped forwards, and everyone's attention was on the Headmaster.

Ruby was no exception, although she continued to fiddle with the hem of her cloak. She didn't pull her hood up, but she did consider it. Instead, she just kept her attention focussed entirely on the Professor, avoiding even glancing at her teammates beside her.

No-one had said anything after she returned, but Ruby still felt awkward about it.

"Good afternoon students, and thank you for coming to this impromptu gathering. I appreciate that you may have all been busy with your training or your studies, but I have several important announcements to make that I had planned to deliver to you later on down the line. However, circumstances have changed recently."

There probably would have been some murmuring from everyone at that, but the students at Beacon had quickly learned not to interrupt anyone speaking while Professor Goodwitch was around. Nonetheless, the atmosphere in the hall became noticeably more tense.

"Now, as many of you are no doubt aware, Beacon is hosting the Vytal Festival this year, and it has now been agreed what the specific rules for this year's tournament will be."

The tension gave way immediately to excitement, and Ruby felt her own nerves fade away as she processed what Professor Ozpin had just said.

Ruby had been watching the Vytal Festival Tournament since she was little, but she had never attended one in person. Atlas and Shade hosted the Festival most of the time, and Ruby had never ventured any further from home than to Vale, so she had only been able to watch the broadcasts. However, when Beacon's own Team SLVR claimed a surprise victory two years ago, Ruby had been very excited at the prospect of finally being able to watch a tournament live, even if it would mean sitting in a crowded and noisy audience.

But she was actually at Beacon herself this year. So maybe she wouldn't be watching the show this time around…

The screen behind Professor Ozpin lit up and showed a diagram of the brackets for the tournament, which the Headmaster began to explain.

"As usual, each Academy will be able to put forward a total of four teams from their First-Year and Second-Year student populations. We will of course be nominating two teams from each year as is tradition. As for how combatants will progress, the rounds will operate in the inverse of how they operated last time: Round One will be full four-verses-four battles between whole teams, while Round Two will consist of two-verses-two bouts. Round Three will be one-verses-one bouts, and the final Round Four will also be a one-verses-one match."

The display on the screen changed to show a list of all the First-Year and Second-Year Teams at Beacon.

"Myself and the other Professors have already begun to consider who will be chosen to represent Beacon, but there is still time for you to sway our decisions. We will not be making our final selection for another two months at least."

Professor Ozpin cast his gaze across the assembled student body, his expression shifting from serious to challenging as he began to pace up and down the stage.

"Some of you may have already been involved in smaller-scale tournaments in the past, but this particular tournament is quite different from those regional gatherings. The Vytal Festival is a global event, attended by thousands and broadcast across all of Remnant. It is a celebration of everything that we, as Huntsmen and Huntresses, embody and champion: strength, cooperation and above all, unity. If you are selected to represent Beacon on the world stage, you will not only be representing your school, or even your kingdom. You will be representing the very institution of Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Professor Ozpin stopped pacing, and the screen behind him once again switched to display something else. A golden trophy depicting the emblems of all four kingdoms joined into one.

"Victory in the Vytal Festival Tournament will therefore confer unto the winning Team a great deal of recognition, but even those who do not lift the trophy will have an opportunity to showcase themselves by taking part."

An image flashed through Ruby's mind of her and her Team lifting that trophy, their names etched into it alongside the names of all those who came before.

Alongside her idols and her heroes.

Alongside her Uncle Qrow, her father, and… her mom.

…

Another image swiftly overtook the fantasy: an image of herself down and out, her Team eliminated because of her, all looking at her with contempt for costing them their chance at victory while the crowd jeered and booed and hurled insults at them…

Ruby's excitement withered and died, and her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Professor Ozpin stopped pacing. "Of course, you will not be the only students taking part in the Tournament, which brings me to the second reason I gathered you all here today. Yesterday evening, I was informed that the students from Atlas Academy would be arriving ahead of schedule, next week to be precise. As such, there will be…"

Ruby was no longer listening. Try as she might, she just couldn't get that unpleasant image out of her head, and it had soured her mood considerably.

Of course she would screw everything up for everyone else. All she ever did was cause problems for people after all. How could she ever allow herself to dream of being a Vytal Festival Champion like her parents? She was nothing like them. She was the odd-one-out, after all. The one who didn't fit.

But then what about Yang? What about Weiss, and Blake? They don't deserve to be held back because of me. Could they enter as a trio? No, the first round is four-against-four, so that's not an option. Maybe someone else could fill in for me, someone whose Team didn't get selected? Then they'd have a chance as well-

Ruby's train of thought was rudely derailed when the hall erupted into a cacophony of noise. Chairs scraped harshly against the floor as everyone began to stand up and move around, loud voices assaulted her ears as people launched into conversations, footsteps rang through the hall and everyone was pressing in around her and there were too many people around and her ears hurt from all the noise and the lights were too bright and her head was full of images all swirling around and making her feel sick and her chest was tight and it hurt to breathe and she needed to get out and get away and run and hide and-

A hand took hers and gently tugged her along, jolting Ruby out of her spiral for a moment and allowing her to focus of who exactly was leading her away.

Yang, because of course she was. She always knew when to step in, after all. She always knew what to do when Ruby was on the verge of a meltdown.

She always has to take care of me.

Ruby used her free hand to pull up her hood, bowing her head and allowing her older sister to pull her along and lead her out of the crowded and noisy hall.

Her chest was beginning to hurt quite a bit, and Ruby realised that her breaths had become very rapid and shallow, and her heart was racing. Trusting Yang to guide her out safely, Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on trying to get her breathing under control, going through the usual exercise she had been taught.

In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three. In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three. In for four seconds…

Slowly but surely, Ruby was able to assert some control over her heartrate and breathing. The horrible tightness in her chest began to loosen, and the painful noises began to fade as Yang led her away from the hall and into an empty corridor. They stopped, and Yang let go of Ruby's hand.

Ruby wrapped her arms around herself and continued to go through the motions of counting the seconds of each breath. She opened her eyes, but kept her gaze downwards.

In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three. In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three.

Finally, Ruby began to feel more like herself again. She relaxed her grip on her upper arms, and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Her shoulders slumped and she let out a heavy sigh as she leaned back against the wall behind her.

All things considered, it had been a very mild episode compared to some of her other meltdowns, and she knew full well that it could have been a lot worse if Yang hadn't caught her in time.

But it had still happened, and like always, it left her feeling utterly awful.

"I'm s-sorry," she muttered.

A hand gently pulled her hood back, and Ruby lifted her gaze to see Yang standing above her, smiling.

"It's fine. You don't have anything to apologise for."

Yang must have said that to her a thousand times by now, and while Ruby knew her sister meant it every time, it didn't really do much to alleviate her guilt at having once again forced Yang to take care of her, like she was still the same little girl who fell apart at the drop of a hat.

Ruby's eyes stung and blurred slightly, so she quickly turned to hide her face. She would not cry in front of Yang. She could manage that much at least.

"I'm gonna take a w-walk." Ruby pulled her hood back into place, turned, and made it all of two steps before she was pulled back into a tight hug by Yang.

"I love you."

Ruby returned her sister's embrace. "I love you, too."

She never stammered when she said that.

With her hood up and her headphones on, Ruby slowly walked through the streets of Vale as she made her way towards the Dust Shop.

At Yang's suggestion, she had changed her clothes before heading out so as to avoid anyone asking her why she was off-campus for the afternoon. Thus, rather than wearing her Beacon uniform or even her combat gear, Ruby was instead dressed casual: a dark red t-shirt with long sleeves and silver stitching around the cuffs and neck, paired with a knee-length black skirt over dark tights. Her boots had been swapped for simple sneakers, and her Scroll and other items were in a pouch at her hip.

And her cloak, of course, fastened around her shoulders by her emblem-buckle as usual.

Perfectly casual and inconspicuous. Just the way she liked it.

♪'You… were the one,

Who held me down and told me I was heading nowhere.

You… should know your place,

Accept your fate and show good face and be thankful that you're there.'♪

Ruby liked Asche Schwarz's music, but lately she couldn't help but wonder why their voice sounded so familiar.

In any case, she wasn't really listening to the song, she just needed a little extra buffer between herself and everything else. Her headphones weren't noise-cancelling, so there was only so much they could do without a little help.

Ruby had also hoped the music would help distract her from her thoughts, but no such luck. She still found her mind wandering to all manner of unpleasant images: Weiss and Blake looking at her like she was a weirdo after she had rambled on with her stupid idea, the mental image of the crowd booing her and her team after she let them all down, her sister looking at her with tired eyes even as she smiled for her sake…

Ruby tried to steer her wayward mind elsewhere. She thought about what magazines the shopkeeper would have, what new ideas she might be able to get from them for her weapon, maybe she could even pluck up the courage to ask him about using raw Dust to boost her Semblance. After all, he was a Dust salesman, maybe he would know some tips for her to safely try and boost herself so she could finally go supersonic-

As it turned out, Ruby managed to distract herself quite well. So well, in fact, that she had completely stopped paying attention to her surroundings, and she walked right into the person in front of her.

"Wah?!"

A hand grabbed the front of Ruby's shirt, and Ruby found herself being pulled down by the person she had just barrelled over, landing on top of them with a grunt. Her headphones fell off as she landed, clattering to the ground beside the head of the girl underneath her.

"I am so sorry!" said the girl. "I did not mean to make you fall down as well! Are you hurt in any way?"

Ruby lifted her head and found herself staring into a pair of bright green eyes.

"WAAH!" Ruby quickly pushed herself off of the girl and scurried to her feet, her face burning as she blushed in mortification.

"Oh no, you must have some sort of fever! Should I call a doctor for you?"

"N-no!" Ruby shouted in a panic. "I'm f-f-fine!"

"Oh, well that is a relief!" replied the girl with a bright smile, all while she continued to lay on the ground, making no move to get up at all.

"Um, are y-you OK?" Ruby asked. What if she had injured this poor girl really badly?

"I am perfectly fine! Thank you for asking!" The girl rose to her feet, brushing off her clothes as she did so.

Ruby felt herself relax slightly. "Th-that's good. S-s-sorry f-for r-running into you like th-that."

"Apology accepted!" replied the girl. "And I hope you will accept my own apology for also not paying more attention to my surroundings."

"Uh… of course. I m-mean, apology accepted as w-well."

The girl was about Ruby's height, maybe a little taller, with long carrot-coloured hair that came down to her waist, adorned with a pink bow. Green seemed to be her colour of choice, as she was wearing a long green dress over a white top, with long billowing sleeves that seemed just a bit too large for her arms. Her boots were also green, with black detail on them. She had some sort of backpack on, and for some reason she was also wearing gloves, despite it not really being cold enough for such a thing.

The girl held out her hand, and Ruby realised she was handing her back her headphones. "I believe you dropped these, Miss."

"Oh, thanks." Ruby took the headphones and switched them off, stowing them away in her pouch, deciding that it was perhaps best she didn't keep wearing them while walking around a busy street.

The girl nodded. "Pardon me for asking, but are you from around here? I am afraid I have gotten lost."

"Are y-you looking f-for s-someplace in particular?" Ruby asked.

"Someone in particular to be precise," replied the girl. "But she did say that if we got separated, I should make my way towards a café called 'Mr Beans'. But I am afraid I do not know where such an establishment is located."

Ruby wracked her brain. She hadn't really explored Vale much yet, but that name rang a bell…

Ah, that's it! It's the café I met Professor Ozpin in!

"I'm h-heading that w-way now, if y-you w-wanna f-f-follow me." The Dust Shop was only one street away from the café, so she supposed she could make a small detour to help this girl out.

The girl in question lit up even more than she already was, her smile widening and her eyes almost sparkling. "You would do that for me? Even though we just met? You are such a nice person, Miss…" she trailed off. "I am so sorry, I never asked you your name."

"I'm Ruby. W-what's your n-name?"

"My name is Penny. It is nice to meet you, Miss Ruby!" The girl, Penny, held out her hand as she spoke, her bright smile never once leaving her face.

"Y-you can just call m-me Ruby," Ruby replied, shaking Penny's hand, who gripped hers in a very tight hold that almost hurt as much as Yang's handshakes did.

"Very well then Ruby, please lead the way!" said Penny, releasing her grip on Ruby's now throbbing hand.

Taking a second to reorient herself, Ruby recalled which direction they needed to go and set off, keeping her pace slow so as not to lose her newfound companion along the way.

"So, Ruby, are you attending Beacon by any chance?"

Ruby blinked. "H-how could y-you tell?"

Penny pointed at Ruby's hip pouch, which she only now realised was the one that had Beacon's logo on it instead of her own emblem. It had been a gift from her Uncle Qrow for getting accepted early, she must have gotten them mixed up.

"Y-yeah, I'm at Beacon," Ruby muttered, inwardly cursing herself for being so sloppy. So much for keeping a low profile.

"What is it like at Beacon? I imagine it is quite different from Atlas, but perhaps there are some things that are the same between the two?"

Ruby turned to look at Penny, surprised. "Y-you're from Atlas?"

Penny gave Ruby a playful mock salute. "Penny Polendina, Huntress-in-training at Atlas Academy, First-Year!"

Ruby dimly recalled Professor Ozpin saying something about the Atlas students arriving, but she was fairly certain that wasn't happening today.

"Y-you're h-here a little early, aren't y-you?"

Penny nodded. "My partner and I came ahead of everyone else. I have never been outside of my own Kingdom before, so I wanted to have the opportunity to see more of Vale before the Festival starts."

"But then y-you got s-separated."

"But then we got separated," replied Penny. "I suppose I got a little too excited to see a new Kingdom, and did not pay attention to where I was going."

Ruby couldn't quite supress an amused smile at that. Between Weiss and now this Penny girl, she seemed to be meeting a lot of people who got lost easily lately.

"W-well, w-what are your f-first impressions of Vale?" Ruby asked.

Penny hummed at that. "It is certainly very different from both Atlas and Mantle. Everything feels much less crowded together for one, and the buildings are smaller as well. And of course, it is much warmer here."

"That f-figures," Ruby mused. "W-what about Atlas Academy? W-what's th-that like?"

"Of course, the hard-light training rooms are very popular, so if you wish to make use of them, you need to book them in advance to make sure you will have the opportunity to do so."
"M-makes sense," Ruby replied. "Th-they do s-sound really cool. Our training rooms m-mostly use m-mechanical equipment."

"Oh, Atlas Academy has normal training rooms as well, it is just that they are not as popular with the students as the hard-light rooms."

Ruby took a sip of her drink as they sat in the café, still waiting for Penny's partner to arrive, passing the time with friendly, comfortable chatter.

Ruby was rarely one to chat with people for long stretches of time, especially with people she had barely known for a day, but she nonetheless found herself remarkably at ease just talking with Penny. The carrot-haired girl was very animated and talkative, the sort of person Ruby usually found herself feeling overwhelmed by. Nora, for instance, was exhausting to talk to.

But talking to Penny felt… natural. Easy. Not at all overwhelming, but engaging and, dare she even think it, nice. Penny talked a lot, yes, but she was not a loud talker or a fast talker, so Ruby had no trouble keeping up with her. And when Ruby spoke, Penny listened, never cutting her off.

She hadn't even mentioned Ruby's stammer once the entire time, and Ruby herself hadn't paid it much mind either.

"May I ask about something else, Ruby?"

"Sure." Ruby set down her drink and nodded. "W-what do you w-want to know?"

"What kind of weapon do you use? If that is not too personal a question, of course."

"I can sh-show you, if you'd like?" Ruby pulled her Scroll from her pouch and expanded the screen, moving her chair around the table so she was sat more beside Penny than across from her. Tapping at the menus, she brought up the folder full of images of Crescent Rose and began to flip through them one by one.

"This is Crescent Rose. Sh-she's a h-hybrid sn-sniper rifle scythe."

"Fascinating!" Penny moved her own chair to better see the screen. "I have never met a scythe-wielder before. What made you chose such an unusual weapon?"

Ruby smiled, recalling memories of days long past. Of seeing her family in action, of listening to stories about their adventures, of afternoons spent sketching designs or assembling models, and that one time when she was seven when she put together a bunch of spare parts she found in her mother's workroom and then accidentally shot the window with the half-finished product.

Dad had been in a panic, Mom was impressed, and Yang had laughed her head off and spent the next month making jokes about the whole thing.

"M-my uncle uses a scythe, and my M-Mom used a s-sniper rifle. I r-really liked both, s-so I decided to-"

SLAM!

Ruby jumped in her seat, startled by the loud noise. Turning her head to see what had caused it, she saw a large man in a hood standing by the counter. The noise had been caused by him slamming his fist onto the tabletop hard enough to crack the surface.

The entire café fell silent, all eyes upon the man.

"You turned away one of our brothers from your establishment two days ago." The man's voice was strangely smooth and level, and he spoke with an accent that Ruby couldn't quite place.

"L-look, we don't want any trouble," the young barista stammered, her face pale. "I was just trying to-"

"You were trying to drive us out," the man said, cutting her off without even raising his voice. "You saw a Faunus, and decided you didn't want him around, so you made him leave, ridiculing him in front of all your patrons."

"Please, I didn't mean to offend him, I just thought it was for the best he went somewhere else." The barista was shaking now, her voice rising in panic as she remained rooted to the spot.

"You can make excuses for yourself all you like, but it does not change what you did. After all, acts and deeds are more potent than speech."

The man lowered his hood and revealed his face… or rather, the mask he wore over his face. Bone-white, with red lines in a pattern that emulated the Grimm.

"And it is though my actions now, that I shall make an example of you." The White Fang soldier drew a gun from a holster in his jacket.

The barista began to cry. "No, please! I'm sorry, please don't hurt me! Please!"

The White Fang Soldier lifted his gun and began to take aim.

Ruby didn't have her weapon, nor did she have much Aura left after her training earlier. But there was no time to come up with a plan. The girl behind the counter was about to die.

So Ruby did the only thing she could. She threw her drink.

The porcelain cup smashed into pieces as it collided with the soldier's head.

A gunshot rang through the air, and the café was filled with screams as everyone flew into a panic, but Ruby blocked all of that out. The soldier's aim had been thrown off by Ruby's improvised action, and his shot had gone wide, missing the barista and instead shattering a glass on the shelf behind her.

Acting swiftly, Ruby launched herself out of her seat and sprinted across the café, ramming her shoulder into the gunman's side and knocking him off balance, raising her Aura as she did so to absorb the impact.

The gunman recovered quickly, spinning around and swinging the butt of his pistol towards Ruby's head. She ducked underneath his swing and lashed out with a jab at his torso, once again knocking him slightly off balance.

It was all the opening Ruby needed. With her left hand she grabbed the gunman's wrist, and with her right she grabbed his arm at the elbow. Twisting around, she forced the gunman's arm upwards, then pushed more Aura into her arms to give her the little extra boost needed to finish the job. The gunman's wrist bent at an unnatural angle, and he dropped his pistol with a pained grunt.

Releasing his arm, Ruby followed up with a kick, intending to knock the wind out of her opponent-

Red metal flashed, and Ruby's leg stung as it was slashed with a sword the gunman drew from his belt.

Ruby fell to the ground, and the now thoroughly enraged White Fang soldier stood above her, sword raised in preparation to strike once more.

"You meddling little s-"

A bolt of green flashed through the air, striking the soldier square in the chest and sending him hurtling backwards, crashing into a table behind him.

"You will not hurt anyone else."

Ruby turned to look behind her. Penny was standing at their table, holding what Ruby could only assume was her weapon in one hand. It looked like a short sword, or perhaps a long knife, except it had a handle that was bent at an angle, and Penny was holding it like a gun as opposed to a bladed weapon.

"You will remain on the ground where you are until the authorities arrive, or I will have no choice but to use additional force to ensure the safety of everyone here." Penny's bright smile and sparkling eyes were gone. Her gaze was angry, and her tone of voice indicated that she was having some trouble staying calm.

The gunman said nothing in response.

"Uh, I think you knocked him out," said the man closest to him.

Ruby grabbed a piece of broken porcelain and threw it at the downed gunman. It bounced off his leg, eliciting no response from him.

"Yep, h-he's out." Ruby looked back at Penny. "It's OK, y-you can lower y-your gun."

Rather than lowering her weapon or holstering it, Penny simply let go of it. However, rather than dropping to the floor, it was instead pulled behind Penny and slid into the strange backpack she wore. Ruby was just about able to make out the very thin wire attached to the handle that seemed to have been responsible for the curious effect.

"You're bleeding!" someone gasped.

Ruby glanced at her leg, and sure enough, she was bleeding from a gash on her calf. Evidently her Aura had broken when she took that last hit, and it had been unable to completely deflect the slash. A small pool of blood was gathering underneath her leg, and now that her adrenaline was beginning to wear off, the slight stinging was growing a lot more painful.

Penny was at her side in an instant, kneeling down and carefully straightening Ruby's leg out to get a better look at the injury.

"H-how bad is it?" Ruby asked, wincing in pain as Penny examined her.

"It does not appear to be life-threatening," Penny replied. "But we should perhaps call an ambulance nonetheless."

"Penny?" a voice called out from the café entrance.

Standing in the doorway was a girl in a white shirt and blue skirt, with a blue beret atop her head. She was surveying the scene inside with a baffled expression on her face.

"Hello again, Ciel," Penny called out across the café. "Could you please call the police and an ambulance to come as soon as they can? Also, I will need to borrow your first-aid kit if you have it with you."

The new girl, Ciel, let out a long-suffering sigh. "I wasn't even gone two hours," she muttered.

"Make sure to change the dressings every six hours, and no strenuous activity for a few days while it heals. Now, are you sure there's no-one we can call to pick you up?"

"Th-there's really n-n-no n-need. I'll be f-fine."

The paramedic shrugged. "Suit yourself, but if you wind up in front of me again because you aggravated the injury, I won't be amused." With that, the paramedic packed up her equipment, gathered up the remains of Ruby's tights that had needed to be cut off to get them out of the way, and departed with her colleagues who had likewise finished attending to the other café patrons.

Ruby watched them go as she remained sat on the bench outside the café. The police had already carted the gunman off, so now it seemed everything had been resolved.

No need to make Yang worry about me any more than she already does. I'll just say I fell over and cut myself of some broken glass.

"Ruby, was it?"

Ruby turned to see Ciel and Penny standing beside her. Both had rather worried expressions on their faces, although Ciel's was a bit less pronounced.

"Are y-you Penny's partner?" she asked.

Ciel nodded. "I wanted to thank you for helping Penny out. I appreciate you keeping an eye on her while we were separated. She can get into trouble quite easily."

Ciel was quite different from Penny, much more proper and well-spoken. She reminded Ruby a little bit of Weiss in that regard.

"Ciel, this was not my fault on this occasion. If anything, it was a good thing myself and Ruby were present."

Ciel nodded again. "I know, and I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you both. Once again, Ruby, thank you."

"It's f-fine," Ruby replied. "I'm glad I could h-h-help."

"Are you sure you do not require any assistance, Ruby?" asked Penny, stepping forwards and placing her hands upon the armrest of the bench. "I could escort you back to Beacon, or I could call your teammates, or I could-"

Ruby waved her hands in front of her. "N-no, r-really, I'm f-fine. I'll just rest h-here for a little bit before I h-head back."

Penny paused for a moment, then sat beside Ruby on the bench. "Well then, I can at least keep you company until then."

Ruby opened her mouth to say that no, she was fine, and Penny could go with her partner and not worry about her, and she didn't want to inconvenience them both…

"If th-that's OK with y-your partner?" Ruby asked, casting a glance at Ciel.

The beret-wearing girl gave them both a small but warm smile. "Just don't wander off again. I need to go and get our hotel room booked anyway, so I'll meet you back here in, say, an hour and a half?"

Penny shot out of her seat and wrapped Ciel in a tight embrace, lifting her off of the ground and spinning her around. "Thank-you thank-you thank-you, Ciel!"

"Don't mention it," wheezed the other girl. "Now please, stop hugging me before my spine breaks."

After setting Ciel back down with an apology, Penny resumed her seat beside Ruby with a giddy grin on her face.

"One more thing before I go," Ciel added, turning to face Ruby directly. "Can you not mention to anyone that you met us today? We're technically not supposed to be here yet, after all."

Ruby nodded, miming zipping her mouth shut.

With that, Ciel left, leaving just Ruby and Penny on the bench.

"Is it painful?" Penny asked.

Ruby shrugged. "N-not that m-much." It still stung a little, but the paramedic had given her a mild painkiller after bandaging her up, which had taken the edge off for the most part.

"Um, excuse me?"

Ruby turned to see that the barista was standing behind her, holding two mugs of hot chocolate.

"It's not much, but here. To say thanks for saving me."

The mugs were tall, topped with whipped cream and marshmallows, and Ruby savoured her first sip. Penny had politely declined hers, saying she wasn't hungry or thirsty, and to give it to someone else.

"S-so, wh-what were w-we talking about?" asked Ruby.

"You were showing me your weapon on your Scroll."

"Y-yours w-was pretty cool too. H-how does it w-work?"

And like that, Ruby was able to fall back into the comfortable conversation she had been having with Penny before. No worries, no fights, just the two of them talking about various things and passing the time.

When Ciel returned to collect Penny, Ruby was almost sad to part ways with her.

"I hope to see you again soon, Ruby. I have a lot more things I would like to ask you about."

"S-same h-here," Ruby replied. "S-see you s-soon!"

As the girls parted ways and Ruby began to slowly limp back towards the airship pick-up point to return to Beacon, she found herself looking forward to seeing Penny again.

Chapter Text

Just beyond the police barricade, it was clear to see that the Dust shop had been completely and utterly trashed.

The main window had been put through, as had the front door and even the upper-floor windows of the apartment above the store, presumably the owner's home. What could be seen of the interior from the outside indicated that the place had been ransacked top to bottom. All of the shelves were knocked over, broken vials and containers and torn magazines were strewn all over the floor, even the light fixtures had been torn loose and left dangling from their wires. The culprits had done a very thorough job of rendering the establishment unusable for the foreseeable future.

But the thing that drew most of the crowd's attention was not the sorry state of the store, but what had been sprayed on the wall next to the now shattered front window.

A red skull, three scratches behind and a circle around.

A number of journalists with clipboards and cameras and microphones, not to mention quite a few ordinary people alongside, were surging forwards and pressing against the barricade, volleying questions both curious and panicked at the detectives who were combing through the debris.

"Was this a White Fang attack!?"

"Do you have any leads on the culprits!?"

"How could you let this happen!?"

One detective eventually stepped forwards and raised a megaphone. "Alright everyone, clear the area and stay behind the line. This is a crime scene in an ongoing investigation, and we will not be taking any questions at this time. Anyone who does not comply is liable to be held for obstruction of justice, so please, get lost!"

The crowd took the hint, and began to disperse, albeit with no small amount of chatter and complaints.

"Aw, man. Ruby really liked that store," muttered Yang. "She's gonna be so upset when she finds out."

Blake snapped out of her daze hearing Yang's voice, tearing her eyes away from the graffiti. "We should go. Didn't you still wanna get your snacks?

Yang perked up slightly at that. "Sure do! And they're not just my snacks, they're the Team's snacks, for everyone!"

Were Blake in a more jovial mood, she might have rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Yang's assertion. Instead, she simply nodded and followed after her partner as she led the way through the scattering crowd of people, towards the very specific convenience store that Yang had boldly claimed sold 'the best barbeque chips in the whole city.'

Ruby would have ordinarily accompanied Yang on these weekly snack runs, but Yang had insisted that her sister needed to rest, owing to the injury to her leg she had acquired the previous day.

Blake had been quite happy to get out for a few hours when Yang had asked her to come along that morning. She hadn't had much opportunity to get out for a while, so even though it was just a 'snack run' as Ruby had called it, she was grateful for the offer.

It was also nice to not have to wear her uniform for a change. Granted she didn't own very many ordinary clothes, so she still wore her white shorts and black leggings from her combat outfit, but she did swap out her usual vest and undershirt in favour of a black button-up shirt under a white jacket.

Yang had made a comment on her lack of other attire, and had suggested that they could swing by a clothes store while they were out if she wanted, maybe even pick up lunch as well and make a day of it, just the two of them out in town.

It had sounded like such an enjoyable day. Now Blake was wishing she had just stayed at the dorm with the other girls.

Hoping desperately that no-one noticed her actions, Blake hastily double-checked that her bow was in place and hadn't come loose.

A few seconds later, she checked again.

She almost checked a third time before she realised that constantly checking her bow would just make her look more suspicious, so she stopped.

Why can't I ever get away?

Blake knew she was being absurd. Anyone could have attacked that store and sprayed that symbol on the wall. The odds of it being him were almost non-existent. She hadn't told anyone where she was going when she left. He probably thought she was still somewhere in Anima, if not back in Menagerie with her family. He had no reason to suspect she was in Vale, and no reason to come all this way. Certainly not for her.

She knew all this, but still her stomach flip-flopped at the mere notion.

And that was on top of the reminder of everything else she had left behind making her feel an unpleasant combination of guilt, worry and, of all things, loneliness.

She still missed them. Despite everything, a part of her still wanted to see them all again.

"Blake!"

A hand waved in front of her face, and Blake stopped walking as she noticed Yang looking at her in confusion. "Still in there?"

Blake blinked. "Huh?"

"We're here, this is the place. You almost walked past it."

Blake turned her head. Sure enough, they were standing outside a small convenience store that looked more or less the same as any other convenience store that could be found in Vale.

"Oh, right. The snacks." That was why they were here, after all.

Yang cocked her head to one side. "You feeling alright, Blake? You seem kinda out of it today."

Blake shook her head. "I'm fine," she lied. "I just spaced out a little is all."

Yang shrugged. "Well, alright then. Come on, let's get our stuff and head back."

The pair entered the store, whose interior was just as nondescript and generic as its exterior. Yang made a beeline for the shelf stocked with chips and began grabbing bags, passing them off to Blake who accepted them with some slight fumbling as Yang all but threw them into her arms.

I guess her and her sister have a system for this sort of thing.

In short order, both girls had armfuls of chips, candy bars and soda bottles.

"Schnee is gonna burst a blood vessel when she sees all this," Blake mused, recalling how the shorter girl had shot Yang and Ruby a withering look a few days ago when they had both helped themselves to sizable portions of ice cream when it had been served in the cafeteria.

It turned out Schnee was rather health-conscious.

"Well, that's her problem, not mine," quipped Yang. "Now let's pay up and bag up before-"

"Get the hell out of my shop!"

Blake jumped out of her skin, almost dropping everything she was holding as the sudden yell startled her.

It had been some time since she'd had that yelled at her, but she supposed it had only been a matter of…

"Hey, I'm not gonna rob anything! I just came in to buy some milk!"

The shopkeeper had not, apparently, been yelling at her. The object of their ire was instead a boy who had just entered the store. A Faunus boy, with a pair of grey mouse ears poking out from his curls.

"I said get out! I don't want your kind in my store, not after what happened to the Dust shop! Get out before I call the cops!"

The boy didn't look very old, maybe twelve at most. The shopkeeper's threat of calling the police clearly had him in a bit of a panic.

"Please, I swear I'm not with those guys. My mom just wanted me to-"

"Five." The shopkeeper held up a Scroll, the number for the police already typed in, their thumb hovering over the call button. "Four, three, two…"

The boy turned and ran out of the store before the shopkeeper could make good on their threat. Blake was just able to make out tears beginning to well up in his eyes before he fled.

Blake felt a rush of sympathy for the poor boy, but given the situation in town presently, he really should have made more of an effort to blend in. It was a shame that they still needed to resort to such things to get by these days, but that was just the way things were…

"What the hell was that?" Yang was staring at the shopkeeper, brow furrowed.

"Sorry about that," the shopkeeper replied. "Gonna have to put the sign back up, it seems."

Chip packets crinkled as Blake's grip on her armful of snacks tightened, her anger at the whole situation beginning to rise.

He said that so casually, like it's OK to just bar any Faunus from buying food.

But Blake couldn't do anything about it right now. She certainly wasn't eager to draw the shopkeeper's attention to herself. Better to just pay for their stuff and leave as quickly as possible.

"Hey Blake, I just realised that I left my wallet back at the dorm," said Yang. "What about you?"

Blake's wallet was in her pocket, and she knew for a fact that Yang's was in her own pocket too.

It took a few seconds for Blake to realise what Yang really meant.

"Oh no, I didn't bring mine either," she deadpanned. "I must have forgotten to pick it up before we left."

"Well then," Yang added. "I guess that means we can't buy our snacks today. We'll just have to leave them here."

And with that, both Yang and Blake unceremoniously dropped what they were holding. Chip bags and candy bars and bottles of soda fell to the floor in a messy pile, and the two girls turned and walked out of the store while the shopkeeper simply stared after them, apparently at a loss for words.

As soon as they were outside, they broke into a run and put some distance between the store and themselves before anyone could start yelling at them for making a mess.

After about a minute of running, the pair slowed to a stop to catch their breath in an alleyway.

"Well, I know to never shop there ever again. Seriously, what a jerk!"

Blake sighed. "It was bound to start happening after what happened to that other store."

"That doesn't make it OK," Yang said. "People shouldn't just assume the worst like that. He was just a little kid, for crying out loud!"

A sniffle from somewhere behind Yang caught Blake's attention, and she peered around her partner to see who was there.

It's the kid.

The young boy was sitting on the floor of the alleyway, legs drawn up to his chest and head buried in his knees. His mouse ears were pressed flat against his head, and his body shook slightly with his sobs.

"Hey, what's your name?" Blake asked, kneeling beside the boy, and keeping her voice low and level.

The boy raised his head. His eyes were puffy, and his cheeks streaked with tears. As soon as he saw Blake, his face paled. "Please, I swear I'm not a thief! I'm not with those guys, I promise! Don't call the police!"

"I'm not going to call anyone," said Blake in what she hoped was a reassuring tone of voice. "That shopkeeper was wrong to treat you like that."

The boy didn't look too sure. His eyes still darted around, seemingly looking for somewhere to run if the stranger kneeling in front of him turned out to be lying.

Blake didn't really know what to say to put the boy at ease. She had never really been one for providing comfort to people. Her talents lay elsewhere.

Ilia was better at this sort of thing than I was. What am I supposed to say here?

"Hey kid, you hungry?" Yang knelt beside Blake, holding out a candy bar to the boy. "Here, take this."

Blake blinked. Why did Yang have…

Blake fought down the urge to groan and admonish her partner for engaging in petty thievery. Outing Yang as a shoplifter would probably not help in earning this boy's trust.

The boy looked at Yang, at the candy bar she was holding out to him. Slowly, he reached out and took it, stowing it away in his pocket rather than eating it.

"Saving it for later, huh?" Yang said, her voice light and friendly, not unlike the tone of voice Blake had heard her use when talking with Ruby sometimes.

"My name's… Luke."

Yang gave the boy a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Luke. I'm Yang, and this is Blake. Sorry about how that jerk acted back there, but don't let it get to you. I'm sure you're a good kid, Luke."

The boy, Luke, sniffled, but gave a watery smile. "Thanks."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're feeling a little better." Yang stood up and offered a hand. "Need a hand up?"

Luke shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. "I should go. I still need to get the milk."

Yang moved out of the way, and Blake did likewise, following her partner's lead. "Take care, Luke! Be careful out there!"

With a wave, Luke walked out of the alley and back onto the main street, turning a corner and walking out of sight.

"Good job," said Blake. "But did you have to steal that bar from the store? Don't you think that was going too far?"

Yang snorted derisively. "I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. That guy was out of line, and besides, it's not like I stole anything really valuable. It helped cheer Luke up as well, so I think that balances out."

Blake frowned. "Well, just don't make a habit out of it."

Yang's expression turned sheepish, and she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Sorry for putting you on the spot back there, by the way. You probably wanted to keep your head down, didn't you?"

Blake shrugged. "It's fine. Like you said, he was a jerk. I mean, robbing him was a bit much, but I don't feel bad about leaving like we did."

Yang let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was afraid you thought I was being petty."

"You were, but in a good way."

Yang blinked, then snorted, then began to laugh.

Blake began to chuckle as well. The whole situation wasn't really funny, but it did feel good to be able to laugh about it, nonetheless.

After about a minute, the two of them were able to calm down.

"So, you still wanna get some new clothes while we're out? We can grab some snacks from another store on the way back."

Blake nodded. That sounded like a nice idea.

The curtain pulled aside, and Yang stepped back out into the store. "What d'you think? Pretty cool, right?"

'Pretty cool' was not quite how Blake would have described how Yang looked in the outfit she had chosen. Dark jeans paired with a muted-yellow sleeveless top worn over a black t-shirt, with her usual purple sash tied around her arm instead of her leg, and her orange scarf still worn loose around her neck. It all looked…

"It's a little mis-matched, don't you think?" Blake commented. It honestly looked like Yang had just grabbed a bunch of random items and thrown them on without thinking.

Yang pouted a bit. "I mean, I'm gonna tweak it here and there after I buy it. Add some more character to it, y'know?"

"If you say so," Blake muttered.

Yang huffed, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face before drawing the changing booth curtain closed again, mumbling something about how no-one else understood her aesthetic.

She emerged from the booth a few moments later, back in her usual attire, her chosen items bundled up in her arms. "I'm getting these, and you can't stop me."

Blake arched an eyebrow at that. "What you wear is up to you, Yang," she said as she entered the booth herself to try on her own selection.

After a few minutes, Blake emerged from the booth. "Well, what about me? Thoughts?"

Blake didn't have a lot of Lien to work with, so her options in this particular store were a little limited, but she was quite satisfied with her own selection. A pair of loose-fitting pants that faded from black to purple down the legs, paired with a silver belt, alongside a charcoal shirt with long sleeves that had a few white accents on the ends of the cuffs and the hem. She had also taken a page out of Yang's book and added a scarf, dark grey instead of orange, which she could add her emblem to if she wanted.

Yang was leaning up against one of the clothes racks when Blake emerged, checking her Scroll. She looked up when Blake spoke, casting her eyes up and down Blake in appraisal.

"Uh… yeah! You look great. Good! You look good. Good choices…" Yang trailed off, suddenly averting her gaze, and looking pointedly in a different direction.

Blake noticed that Yang's cheeks were dusted a light pink, and she had not missed the way Yang's voice had hitched slightly when she complimented her.

Well, this is nice and awkward now.

Pulling the curtain across once more, Blake sat down on the stool inside the booth and lowered her head into her hands.

Blake wasn't blind, and she was not oblivious. She had had her suspicions for a while, but now she was pretty certain of her assumptions.

Yang liked her. Or, at the very least, she found Blake attractive.

Yang was nice. She was open and friendly, and wore her heart on her sleeve most of the time. She spoke her mind no matter what, but she was kind as well, never out to hurt anyone's feelings. She was strong, and driven, and always up for a challenge. And yes, if Blake were being honest, Yang was quite pretty.

But this was not what Blake wanted. Not after how things had ended with…

No, don't even think about him. He doesn't factor into this at all.

Yang was nice, but Blake wasn't interested in her that way. She didn't want a girlfriend, not now. She wanted… needed… a friend. Just a good friend. Someone she could just… be calm around.

How am I supposed to deal with this?

Blake sighed, rose from the stool, and began to absentmindedly change back into her own clothes, folding the new clothes in a neat pile.

Hey, maybe I'm still jumping to conclusions. Maybe I'm just seeing something that's not there. Maybe things don't have to be this awkward.

Blake considered what to do. She could confront Yang, tell her upfront that she wasn't looking for a relationship right now and that she just wanted to be friends.

Or she could say nothing, pretend things were fine and normal, and not worry about upsetting her partner.

I don't even know if she's come out to anyone yet. Maybe it's best to just say nothing, at least for now.

A small part of Blake knew that this was a terrible idea in the long run. The longer she ignored this, the more likely things would just get more awkward for them both.

…

The rest of Blake was very, very eager to avoid this entire mess at all costs. It was this side of her that won out in the end.

Gathering up her new clothes, Blake opened the curtain again and stepped back out into the store. "Alright, ready to go?"

Yang seemed to have collected herself a bit. She wasn't blushing any more for one, so that was good. She stood up a bit straighter, smiling at Blake in her usual way.

This is fine. It's going to be fine.

Yang's eyes flicked upwards. "Oh, you forgot your bow."

Blake froze.

"What?"

Yang gestured to her own head. "Your bow, you don't have it on. Did you drop it?"

Blake dropped the clothes she was holding, and her hands flew up to check her head.

Her fingers brushed against fur, not fabric.

Her cat ears were on full display.

Yang had seen her ears.

Yang knew she was a Faunus.

Yang knew.

Yang knew!

Panic overtook Blake in an instant. Whirling around, she darted back into the booth and yanked the curtain closed. There, on the floor lying forgotten in her earlier daze, was a black ribbon that should have been on top of her head.

"Blake?" Yang sounded concerned, confused.

"Go away!" Blake yelled, frantically tying her bow back into place. How could she be so stupid? How could she forget something so important so easily?

It was a nightmare come to life. Yang knew she was a Faunus now; knew she had been lying about who she was. She would want to know why. She would ask questions. She would find out more, learn what Blake had done, what kind of monster she had been at her worst.

She needed to run. Now.

Flinging the curtain aside, Blake sprinted as fast as she could. Out of the store, into the street, ducking and weaving past everyone in her way. She had no idea where she was even going to go. All she knew was she had to get away as fast as she could.

Why? Why? Why!?

It had been going so well. She had been settling in, growing comfortable around people again. She had made some friends, people she liked spending time with. This was supposed to be a fresh start…

Blake ducked into an alleyway and slumped against the wall, panting from the exertion of her mad dash. She had no idea where she was, but at least she had gotten away. At least she… At least….

Blake's eyes stung, and her vision began to blur. Scowling, she wiped away the tears before they could fall, refusing to let herself cry.

It has to be this way. You have to go.

But it's not fair…

"What am I even doing?" Blake murmured.

"That's what I wanna know."

Blake whirled around. Standing at the entrance to the alley was Yang.

"You followed me?"

Yang nodded, slowly walking into the alley and towards Blake, who reflexively backed away as Yang approached.

"You scared the crap outta me back there." Yang did not sound mad. She sounded genuinely worried. She looked worried as well. "I was scared I was gonna lose you in the crowds."

Blake's back hit the wall at the end of the alley. She was trapped.

"Why?"

Yang stopped advancing, her worried expression morphing into one of confusion. "Why what?"

"Why did you follow me?" Blake wasn't quite able to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke.

Yang was silent for a moment…

"I followed you because I was worried about you."

"But… you saw… don't you…?" Blake stumbled over her words, unable to form a coherent thought as her mind whirled in panic.

"Blake, I've known you were a Faunus for a while now."

Blake's racing thoughts ground to a halt. "What?"

Yang once again awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, pointedly avoiding looking directly at Blake. "I, uh… I kinda saw your ears one time a few weeks ago. We were training, and your bow had come loose, and I, kinda, saw them. Before you put your bow back on properly."

Blake thought back, trying to recall if her bow had ever come loose like Yang had said. She had a vague recollection of her bow almost falling off during a sparring session with the rest of the team…

A fresh wave of panic rose in Blake's mind. "Ruby and Schnee? Did they-?"

"No," said Yang quickly. "They didn't see. At least, I'm pretty sure they didn't. I didn't tell anyone, either. Not my business, and all that."

So only Yang knew. Blake calmed down a little, but she was still far from OK. This was still a terrible situation. She had intended for no-one to find out at all.

And if Yang could find out, other people would as well. It was only a matter of time.

"I have to go."

"Why?" asked Yang, sounding genuinely mystified by Blake's statement.

"I can't stay here. I have to go."

"No you don't," said Yang. "That's dumb."

"Yang, I can't stay here anymore! I have to go!" Blake tried to get around Yang, but the blonde refused to let her pass.

"Blake, stop. You don't have to go anywhere." The alleyway was narrow, so all Yang had to do was plant one hand on one wall to keep Blake from getting past her.

Blake felt her frustration begin to build. "Yang, I mean it. Let me go!"

Yang did not budge. "Tell me why you need to leave, first."

Blake tried once more to get around Yang, but it was no use. If she wanted to get past her, she would have to force her way through, and Blake couldn't do that. She couldn't hurt Yang.

"I…" Blake began, tailing off before she could even get a word out.

I'm a criminal trying to start again, but now you know so I have to leave?

It sounded absurd now that she considered it.

Blake searched Yang's face for any sign of distrust, or hate, or anything to indicate that Yang was angry with her.

There was none. Yang was certainly not happy with her, but her face did not show any animosity. She was worried.

She had been nothing but concerned for her this whole time, and here Blake was, assuming the worst of someone who she considered a friend.

But the doubt and fear still lingered in her mind.

"You don't… you're not… it doesn't bother you?"

Yang shook her head. "Not one bit. And I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise."

Blake took a shaky breath. "You won't tell anyone else?"

"Of course not," Yang said firmly. "I understand why you wouldn't want anyone knowing. Especially after what happened earlier with Luke."

Blake felt herself sag with relief. There was still a bit of apprehension there, but this hadn't turned out to be the worst-case-scenario she had been envisioning.

"This has been a stressful day," she mumbled.

Yang chuckled. "I guess it has been a bit. And we didn't even get anything we came out for."

Right, she had just ran out of the clothes store and abandoned everything there. That was two shops she had done that to in one day. Granted, the second had not been quite so intentional, but Blake had a feeling the store clerks still likely weren't too happy with them for leaving bundles of clothes on the floor.

"Well, we could still grab some things on our way back, but I think I'm done for the day." Blake shot Yang an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Yang waved her hand dismissively. "Hey, it's fine. We can head back if you want."

Blake nodded in appreciation, and the two began to slowly walk back towards the pick-up point in silence.

It was a comfortable silence. One that Blake appreciated.

She appreciated how Yang had not tried to pry in any way.

Yang, her partner, her friend. Someone she could trust not just in a fight, but with her secrets as well.

How long had it been since she had had something like that in her life?

Far too long.

Yang really was a good friend, and Blake had almost thrown that away in a moment of panic.

"Hey, Blake?"

Blake turned to see Yang was looking at her, the dusting of pink back on her cheeks.

"For what it's worth… I think you look good without your bow."

Blake felt her own cheeks warm slightly, and turned to stare straight ahead without saying a word.

The rest of the walk back was quite awkward.

Chapter Text

As her Scroll buzzed for the fifth time that morning alone, Weiss did her best to resist the urge to hurl the thing across the library. Letting out a huff of exasperation, she glanced at the screen and saw that yes, it was indeed her father calling her yet again.

Why are these things designed to never be able to turn off so long as they have charge on them?

Weiss pressed 'ignore' once again, and returned to her work. Surely her father would give up eventually? He did apparently have a whole company to run, after all. How much time could he afford to waste chasing after her anyway?

Picking her pen back up, Weiss turned her attention back to her assignment.

Q7b) Assuming the proportions you have given for Part (a) are accurate, how much refined Lightning Dust is required to produce the necessary energy to run the engine as it is described in the brief?

Weiss knew the ins-and-outs of Dust better than most people her age did, so it was no trouble for her to solve the questions they had been set for their homework. Writing the answer down, Weiss turned the worksheet over and began to read the next question.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

This time, Weiss didn't even look at the screen before she hit 'ignore.'

Leave me alone.

"Hey, are you Weiss Schnee?"

Weiss looked up from her work, and fought down a groan. The boy who had walked up to her was wearing a grey uniform that she immediately recognised.

"Yes, my name is Weiss," she said as calmly as she could to the Atlas student. "Now if you would be so kind, I am in the middle of an assignment right now, so please go away."

The boy looked rather put off by her response, not that Weiss cared how he saw her. She just wanted him gone.

"Alright, sheesh. What's got you all bent out of shape?"

Weiss levelled the boy with a glare. "Probably the fact that you people have spent the last two days pestering me every chance you get, and it has long since become tiresome."

The boy seemed at a loss for how to reply to that, so he simply turned and walked away, back towards a small group of similarly-dressed people who were muttering amongst themselves while glancing her way with very little subtlety.

The early arrival of the Atlas students two days ago had been met with much fanfare and discussion amongst the population of Beacon. Even Ruby, the person Weiss would have expected to be the least enthusiastic about the whole situation besides herself, had apparently succeeded in striking up a friendship with a pair of Atlas students in record time and had insisted on giving them a tour, much to her elder sister's joy. Yang had likewise struck up a friendly conversation with another student, and even the quiet and conversation-averse Blake had seemed to take to the new arrivals with some interest.

Weiss, meanwhile, had been dreading the Atlas students' arrival ever since Professor Ozpin had announced it. It would be just like her father to 'reach out' to some Atlas student and ask them to pass on a message to his daughter.

While that had not happened… yet, what had been happening over the last two days had been aggravating enough.

What's it like being a member of the Schnee family? That was one she got asked a lot.

Is it true you aren't the heiress anymore? That one was also quite frequent, and even less welcome that the first.

How did you get your scar?

That one, she hated more than the rest.

But no matter how many times she told them that she didn't want to talk, no matter how many times she made it quite clear that she did not at all appreciate these total strangers asking her such personal questions, they just kept on accosting her. In between classes, during mealtimes, and now apparently even when she was trying to study in peace!

BUZZ! BUZZ!

And on top of it all, her father had been calling her nonstop!

Her concentration now ruined, Weiss got up and packed away her things, shoving her books into her bag and stuffing her Scroll into her pocket after once again having to hit 'ignore' to silence its incessant buzzing.

As she made her way out, yet another Atlas student attempted to talk to her, but she didn't even give them the chance, swerving past them without so much as a word as she swiftly exited the library and began to walk back towards the dorm.

…

Three wrong turns later, Weiss pulled her Scroll back out and opened up the map of the school to figure out where she was.

"I do not have a terrible sense of direction!" Weiss had fumed after one too many remarks from Yang. "This school is just so needlessly big! Anyone would get lost in it!"

"I'm pretty sure Schnee Manor is bigger than Beacon," Blake had commented. "Do you get lost in your own home as well?"

No, she did not, since most of the manor had been strictly off-limits to her and her siblings. Their bedrooms, the dining room and the main hall were the only places they had been allowed to go without permission.

Not that she had said that to her teammates. That was none of their business, after all.

Eventually, Weiss found her way back to the dorms, and let herself into the room. She was apparently alone, the rest of her team off elsewhere.

That suited Weiss just fine. She was guaranteed some genuine peace and quiet now.

Retrieving her work from her bag, Weiss set herself down at the desk and resumed her work.

…

It took five minutes of staring at the page and drawing a blank for Weiss to realise that no, she was not going to get any more work done today.

So she once again shoved her books back into her bag and threw the entire thing haphazardly into a corner. She would put it away properly later, but at that moment she just did not care enough to bother.

She couldn't go to the sparring rooms, not if she wanted to continue avoiding the Atlas students. Going out for a walk in the grounds was similarly out of the question.

Weiss briefly pondered the possibility of calling one of her teammates and asking if she could join them on whatever it was they were doing, but decided against it quickly. Odds were good that they were spending time together with their new Atlas friends, after all.

Darn it, I should have grabbed a book to read before I left the library…

Weiss glanced at the small shelf of books that belonged to Blake.

She wouldn't mind if I borrowed one, would she?

It wasn't a particularly wide selection, maybe a dozen or so different books to choose from, but Weiss was bored enough and frustrated enough to not mind.

The Man With Two Souls was one she had already read before. It was interesting, but Weiss wanted something new.

History of the Great War did not sound like a light read, and judging by its thickness, Weiss doubted she would even finish it before she graduated.

The Seven Swords caught her attention. The description on the back sounded interesting enough, at least.

Mind made up; Weiss made her way back over to her bed with her chosen book in hand.

Despite Yang's insistence that her ridiculous hammock-beds were supposed to be a temporary measure, they had wound up becoming a permanent feature of the room, much to Weiss' chagrin. But at least she had a system to get up to her bunk without help now. Slipping off her shoes, Weiss used the bedside table to boost herself up and reach her bunk, pulling herself up using the ropes.

Settling herself against her pillows, Weiss opened up The Seven Swords and began to read.

Asagi fell to her knees in despair. She had journeyed so long, travelled so far, only for it all to have been in vain. All she could do was watch as the warrior turned and walked away without sparing her a second glance.

Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

What was she to do now? Akabeni had been her village's last hope. No other warrior would aid them, not for the meagre price they could offer. The bandits would come, raze her home to the ground, slaughter her family, take all that they could, because what could they do to stop them?

Nothing.

Not a damn thing!

"Please!" Asagi bowed low, her forehead pressed against the rough wood of the tavern as she prostrated herself before Akabeni. "I beg you! We will be forever in your debt!"

"I cannot eat your debt," Akabeni rumbled. "I cannot buy my ale with your debt. What you can offer me is not enough for me to risk my life."

Asagi could no longer hold back her tears. She cried, because she could do nothing else. She cried, because the world was so cruel and without hope. She cried, because she didn't want to die, she didn't want to die, she was so scared of dying…

"Beni, do not walk away from this."

Asagi lifted her head. A younger man, not much older than herself, had risen from his seat. His hair was long and unkempt, his clothes tattered, but he stared after the retreating form of Akabeni with intense eyes.

Akabeni stopped walking. "Murasaki, have care how you speak to me. I only tolerate you so much. Do not test my patience, boy."

The unkempt man, Murasaki, took a step forwards. "How can you turn away from this woman's plight? Were you not sworn to protect those below your station?"

"I was," replied Akabeni. "But no longer. Those days are passed. I did my duty, now I rest. My twilight is approaching, and I will not risk cutting short the precious few years I have left in return for such a pitiful payment."

Akabeni then turned to face Murasaki, his expression dark. "And you will not accept her request either, boy. We make for the coast tomorrow, if you recall, and I will not leave you behind."

Murasaki stood his ground, stood tall in the face of the veteran soldier's harsh gaze. "You do not own my life, Beni. I choose my own path, and you have no right to sway my choice."

Akabeni took a step closer to Murasaki. He towered over the shorter man, and despite his long years, he was clearly stronger. "And you have no right to insist that I stay."

"Then leave, but I will not leave with you. I make for this village that needs help."

Asagi would have sworn that she had not seen Akabeni move, yet in an instant he had drawn his sword and pressed it against Murasaki's neck. "If you are so eager to throw your life away, boy, then perhaps I should spare you the trouble and kill you right now."

Asagi surged to her feet. She would not allow this young man to be killed because of her-

Silver flashed, the sound of metal-on-metal rang in the air, and quicker than Asagi's eye could follow, Murasaki had drawn his own blade and parried Akabeni's aside.

In doing so, his cloak had fallen from his shoulders, and Asagi gasped as she saw that the young man possessed only one arm.

"I am not as fragile as you seem to believe, old man," Murasaki spat. "If you think you can take my life so easily, then take it!"

Akabeni did not move.

Neither did Murasaki.

Asagi was frozen where she stood, paralysed with shock and fear.

Everyone else in the tavern had scrambled for cover. The owner had ducked behind the countertop, and the patrons all hid beneath their tables.

For a few moments, moments that extended for what felt like an age, no-one moved or spoke.

The two swordsmen stared each other down in silence, tense and poised.

And then, swift and sudden, they exploded into combat-

"Are you enjoying that one?"

Weiss startled, almost dropping the book as she whipped her head around to see who had spoken.

Blake and Yang had arrived back in the dorm, Weiss having managed to not hear the door opening as she was absorbed in her reading. Yang was already making her way towards the bathroom, while Blake was smirking at Weiss, arms folded as she leaned against the wall.

Weiss frowned. "I was, until you interrupted me."

Blake just kept on smirking at her. "Glad you like it. Just make sure you put it back when you're done."

Weiss bristled at the implied insinuation. "I was going to do that anyway, I'm not a thief!"

Blake shrugged. "I'm not saying you are."

Weiss was about to respond to that, when…

BUZZ! BUZZ!

"Oh, for the love of…" Weiss pulled her Scroll from her pocket, ready to once again hit 'ignore' and then actually throw the thing across the room, because she had had enough of people bothering her for one day…

WHITLEY

Weiss felt her anger fade quickly seeing her twin's name on the screen.

Smiling, Weiss hit 'answer' and raised her Scroll to her ear. "Hello Whitley. How are you?"

The voice that spoke back to Weiss was not her brother's.

"Weiss, my girl. Why are you not answering when I call you?"

Weiss felt her blood run cold as her father's voice rang in her ear.

"F-father?"

"Yes, Weiss. Now tell me, why have you been ignoring me?"

Weiss did not respond. She felt her heartrate quicken, her breaths become shallower, and she could have sworn that she heard his footsteps behind her. His hand would be on her shoulder soon, gripping her tight, and she would have to apologise and promise to do better from now on-

A sudden realisation blew all of those worries away and replaced them with something far more frightening.

"You took Whitley's Scroll?" Weiss whispered.

Father huffed. "Of course. I needed to speak to you somehow."

Father had taken Whitley's Scroll.

Which meant that Whitley was still…

"He didn't know!" Weiss yelled, panic causing her voice to rise in pitch and volume. "He didn't know I was leaving!"

"Lies," Father said, cutting her off. "You all planned this together. Whitley told me as much when I spoke with him."

Weiss felt her panic rise further. "Where is he? Where's my brother?"

"Why, he's right here," replied Father. "Would you like to speak with him?"

There was a moment of silence, then… "Weiss?"

"Whitley!" Weiss cried. "I'm so sorry! Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Whitley sounded so tired. "And you have nothing to apologise for."

Weiss clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm. "I'll come back. Tell Father that-"

"No!" Whitley yelled. "Don't you dare! Weiss, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, you don't have to-"

Whitley's voice was cut off, then a moment later Father was speaking to her again.

"Weiss, my girl," he said, his voice calm, his tone kind. All fake. "You are always welcome back with the family. Whenever you want to come home, just say the word and I'll have you brought to me straight away."

Weiss swallowed. "What if I don't want to come home?" she whispered. "Ever?"

Father was silent again for a moment. When next he spoke, the false kindness was gone, replaced with cold disappointment. "Then you will no longer be a Schnee. You will not see your brother, your mother, or myself. You will have no access to the family name, or any of the benefits that come with it. You will be alone, like your sister is."

Then Father's tone was friendly once again, dripping with his signature fake kindness. "But of course, all you have to do is call, and that can all be in the past. You can even be the Heiress again if you wish, since your brother is, well…"

Weiss gripped her Scroll so tightly it began to creak. All her fear, worry and panic was driven out by her rage at the way Father dared to speak of her brother.

"I hate you," she hissed. "I have always hated you."

"Nonsense," Father scoffed. "We're family. Now, I did have more to discuss with you, but I can tell that you need time to think. I shall call you again in a few days, or you can call me whenever you like. Oh, and do be sure to study hard. It wouldn't do for you to fall short now, would it? After all, our reputation is everything."

Before Weiss had a chance to say anything in response, Father had hung up.

…

Weiss stared at her Scroll. She felt sick.

"Uh, Schnee?"

Weiss lifted her head. Blake was staring at her, eyes wide. She had, of course, witnessed the entire thing.

Slowly, Weiss lowered herself down from her bunk and walked towards the door, her Scroll clutched tightly to her chest.

"Weiss?"

Weiss paused for a moment. Blake never called her by her actual name.

"I need to make a call," Weiss said quietly. "I'll be back later."

Somehow, Weiss had found her way back to the same empty classroom she had hid away in last time, after her fight with Ruby. She was holding her Scroll in front of her, one name highlighted, her finger hovering over the call button.

WINTER

Would she even answer?

This is for Whitley.

Weiss hit call.

The Scroll rang… and rang… and rang…

There was a click, and then, "Weiss?"

There were so many things she wanted to say, but what came out first was angry and bitter.

"You were supposed to get him out! You promised us!"

That had been the plan. Weiss would leave for Beacon, and Winter would take Whitley away to stay with her. All of them were supposed to get out, away from him, not one of them left behind.

If Weiss had known that this would happen, she never would have left her brother all alone…

"I tried, Weiss," Winter sighed. "I tried everything I could, but it just didn't work. I can't legally take custody of Whitley, not while I remain a Special Operative. I just wouldn't be able to take care of him, I wouldn't be there enough."

"But you promised!" Weiss no longer bothered to stop herself from crying. Tears poured down her face as the reality of the situation fell upon her. "He's all by himself, Winter! We left him all alone with… with…"

Weiss sobbed painfully, unable to finish talking.

"I'm sorry, Weiss." Winter sounded close to tears herself. "I couldn't keep my promise, and I'm sorry."

Weiss fought to pull herself together, stifling her sobs as much as she could. "I… I have to go back. I'll call Father and-"

"You will do no such thing!" snapped Winter. "I am not letting you go back there, Weiss. You got out, don't throw that away."

"But Whitley," Weiss protested. "What about Whitley?"

"Weiss, listen to me." Winter spoke calmly but firmly. "Your brother wanted you to get out, just as much as you wanted him to get out. He didn't help you get accepted into Beacon because he was hoping that it would benefit him, he did it for you. He loves you, and he wants you to be safe and happy. We both want you to be safe and happy."

Weiss sniffled. "But what about Whitley? Doesn't he deserve to be safe as well?"

"Weiss, if you go back now, what would that accomplish? Whitley would still be there, but now you would be as well, and Jacques will have gotten exactly what he wants, just like he always does."

Weiss wrapped an arm around herself, curling up in the chair she was sat on. "At least he wouldn't be alone," she mumbled.

Winter sighed. "Weiss, you're the one that Jacques wants. You were his… favourite." She spat that word out, making it clear what she thought of how Father treated his trophy. "I won't lie and say that Whitley will have it easy, but Jacques never paid as much attention to him, for better or worse. And in a year's time, he won't have any more say in the matter. Whitley will be able to leave on his own."

Weiss balked at what Winter was suggesting. "We can't just leave him there for a whole year on his own, Winter!"

"Weiss," Winter said firmly. "Your brother is not fragile. Jacques might not think highly of him, but you and I both know that Whitley is strong in his own way."

Weiss hiccupped, wiping away some of her tears. "C-can I see you?"

"Of course you can."

Weiss lowered her Scroll and pressed the button to turn on the camera. A few seconds later, Winter's face appeared on her screen.

Winter had her hair down, and by the looks of things she had been settling in for the evening before Weiss called. Her eyes looked tired, but she smiled at Weiss nonetheless, a small but genuine smile.

"How are you?" Weiss asked.

"I'm fine," Winter replied. "And Whitley will be fine as well. I might not have been able to get him out, but I can still check up on him whenever I can. Jacques doesn't know it, but I still have Klein's number, and he has mine."

Weiss sniffled again. "Whitley… I was able to speak to him, a little. He said… he yelled at me not to come back."

"Well then, are you going to disagree with both me and Whitley?" Winter asked.

Weiss took a shaky breath. "I'm just… I'm scared, Winter. I'm so scared something will happen to him because I left."

Winter sat down. "Weiss, think of it this way: if Whitley wasn't a factor, if this was just about you, what would you want to do?"

What would she want? That was an easy question to answer.

"To never see Father again for as long as I live."

Winter gave a slight chuckle at that. "Then make that choice, Weiss. Not for anyone else, but for yourself. You have your own life to live now, Weiss. Live for yourself for a change."

Weiss sagged in her seat. She was exhausted. "Thank-you, Winter. For everything."

Winter smiled once more. "You should get some rest. I can't speak for how Beacon runs its classes, but if they're anything like Atlas, you'll need a good night's sleep."

The mention of Atlas made Weiss remember the other thing that had ruined her day. "Ugh, the Atlas students keep asking me questions. I wish they would just leave me alone."

Winter grimaced in sympathy. "I'm afraid I can't help with that. I recommend you just avoid them, though I imagine that's what you've been doing anyway."

A yawn escaped Weiss, and she felt her eyelids beginning to grow heavy. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I should go."

"Yes, I think that would be wise," agreed Winter. "Get back to your dorm before you wind up falling asleep in that classroom you're in."

"I will," Weiss replied. "Good night, Winter."

"Good night, Weiss. Take care."

Weiss stood at the entrance to the dorm, slightly hesitant to enter. No doubt Blake had filled Yang in on what she had overheard, maybe even told Ruby as well. She was really not looking forward to being asked about what had just happened.

Just tell them you sorted it out, and leave it at that. No need for them to know the details.

Taking a breath, Weiss entered the dorm.

No Ruby, she was apparently still elsewhere.

No Blake, either, which was strange. Maybe she was in the shower?

The only other person in the room was…

"You look like crap," said Yang bluntly from where she was laying on her bed.

Weiss did not even have the energy to spare to snark back. "I need some sleep," was all she could manage as she all but dragged herself towards her bunk.

"Weiss, wait." There was the sound of creaking springs as Yang got up.

Weiss turned around. "Can it wait till morning?"

Yang scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Look, I know we aren't exactly… close, but we are teammates. So, if you ever wanna talk, or anything like that, you can just ask."

Weiss blinked. Yang's offer sounded… genuine. Not a hint of teasing or sarcasm to be detected.

"I'll… keep that in mind." Weiss certainly did not feel like baring her soul to anyone right now, much less Yang, but she could at least appreciate the sentiment.

With a nod, Yang returned to her own bed, and Weiss clambered into hers.

Within seconds of her head hitting her pillow, she was fast asleep.

Chapter Text

"Are you kidding me!?" exclaimed Yang in disbelief. "Ninety Lien!? Since when does it cost that much!?"

The man behind the counter gave Yang a deadpan stare. "Since wholesale prices went up after all the miners' strikes up in Mantle. Hate to break it to ya, lil'-lady, but Dust is gettin' pretty pricy these days, and it ain't gonna get any better anytime soon."

Yang huffed in annoyance, slapping what remained of her money down on the counter and swiping the small vials of Dust, stuffing them into her pockets.

"Ain't you kids from Beacon anyway?" the shopkeeper asked. "Don't they give you your Dust for your weapons?"

"They do," Weiss chimed in from behind Yang. "But not very much. Sometimes we need a little extra."

As Weiss placed her much larger selection of Dust vials upon the counter, the shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "That's a big 'little extra' there, lil'-lady. Ya sure you can afford all that?"

Weiss withdrew a card from her pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper, who took it and swiped it without a word. Both his eyebrows raised as his checkout beeped and accepted the card. "Well, never mind, looks like you got it covered."

Unlike Yang, Weiss bagged up all her vials properly rather than just shoving them into her pockets.

"For now, at least," Yang heard her mumble under her breath.

Yet another detail that caused Yang to question her decision to leave Weiss alone.

I can't force her to talk to me, but jeez, this is starting to get really unsettling.

"Are we done here?" Weiss asked, aiming her question at the rest of the team.

Yang nodded. She didn't have as much as she would have liked, but at least she had managed to get something.

"I don't need anything from here," Blake said. "Gambol Shroud uses standard ammo, and I can get that anywhere."

"H-hold on a m-moment!" Ruby quickly made her own way to the counter, a half-dozen small vials of Fire and Gravity Dust in her hands, and one vial of Lightning Dust…

"What's that one for, Rubes?" Yang asked, pointing to the out-of-place vial that Ruby handed to the shopkeeper.

Ruby shot Yang a look that was somewhere between excited and guilty. "W-well, I'm gonna try s-something a bit… different, but I don't w-w-wanna jinx it."

As often happened whenever her younger sister got one of her more outlandish ideas, Yang was torn between being concerned for Ruby's safety, and amused at just how out-of-the-box she could be at times.

"Just try not to blow yourself up this time, alright?" Yang remarked with a smirk.

"That w-was only one time…" Ruby mumbled under her breath.

"You're thirty Lien short, kid."

Ruby turned back to the shopkeeper. "I'll just h-have two of th-the Gravity Dust, then."

With all their purchases in hand (or pocket, in Yang's case), the four girls exited the Dust shop and made their way back towards the pick-up point for the airship back to Beacon.

"Thirty Lien for one vial," Yang fumed. "What a rip-off."

"It could have been worse," Blake said. "At least we were able to buy Dust at all today."

Yang hummed. "I guess. Still a rip-off, though."

"Well, what did you expect?" quipped Weiss. "With all the robberies happening lately, it's a wonder they haven't started to limit how much people can buy at once."

Yang glanced at the dilapidated, burnt-out remains of yet another Dust shop that they walked past as they continued on their way.

That makes it, what, five in two weeks?

"Good point."

Weiss huffed, and muttered something under her breath that Yang couldn't quite hear, but she did make out the words 'Faunus' and 'criminals.'

Judging by the way Blake noticeably tensed up, she had also heard what Weiss said.

Oh, dear…

This was a recipe for disaster. She needed some sort of distraction, fast-

"Look out!"

Yang turned, just in time to see a grey blur hurtling towards her.

Sidestepping quickly, Yang was just able to avoid being bowled over by the boy who had apparently not yet figured out how to actually use the rollerblades he was wearing. With a yell and much flailing of arms, his feet collided with the curb and sent him flying across the sidewalk, slamming into a lamppost.

Yang winced. That had looked incredibly painful…

"Ow…" the boy groaned, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position and wincing as he clutched his side.

"H-hey, are y-you OK?" Ruby asked.

"No," said a voice from behind them all. "He isn't, and it's his own stupid fault."

The boy shot a glare at the new arrival. "I'll figure it out eventually. Just give me a little time, Em."

'Em' shook her head. "Mercury, seriously, get rid of those things. I refuse to take you to the hospital because you can't listen to common sense."

"Emerald's right, Mercury," a third voice added. "At the very least, take them off while we're in town."

The boy, Mercury, huffed, but nonetheless removed the rollerblade wheels from the bottom of his boots. "Ruin my fun," he grumbled.

Accepting an offered hand, Mercury rose to his feet and joined his companions.

They were an… odd bunch. Mercury was very skinny, dressed in grey and black, with slicked-back hair that had gotten a bit messed up by his fall. The one called Em had green hair and red eyes, and was dressed in an odd leather outfit that bared her midriff. The taller third one, the girl who had told Mercury to take off his rollerblades, was wearing bandages of all things, underneath an open beige jacket, and her long ashen hair covered one eye. There was also a fourth member of this little group. A very short girl, even shorter than Ruby, with long black hair tied into massive twin tails that came down to her waist. Her attire was all black and white, with frills around the neck.

"My apologies for my teammate's recklessness," intoned the taller girl. "He can be little… excitable at times."

Yang just nodded, a little at a loss for what to say. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about this girl that threw her off a little. Perhaps it was her strangely refined voice, or the way she seemed to carry herself…

"If you don't mind me asking," the girl continued. "Would you four happen to be students at Beacon, by any chance?"

"We are," Weiss replied, apparently taking the initiative. "And am I right in assuming that you are here for the Vytal Festival?"

"You assume correct." The girl offered a hand towards Weiss. "We are Team Carmine, C-M-N-E, from Haven Academy."

"Team Ruby, R-W-B-Y, of Beacon Academy. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Yang watched as Weiss and this new arrival shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that these two were related in some way. They seemed to be on exactly the same page.

"I suppose more proper introductions are in order. My name is Cinder Fall." Cinder gestured to each of her teammates. "This is Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, and Nyx."

"Sup?" said Mercury, giving them a lazy wave.

"Hey." Emerald nodded at them with a smirk.

Nyx said nothing, just stood and stared at the four of them with an oddly disarming smile on her face.

"Well, my name is Weiss, and my teammates here are-"

"I can introduce myself, thank-you." Blake cut Weiss off, sounding more than a little irritated. "I'm Blake."

"Uh, R-Ruby R-Rose." Yang frowned. Ruby rarely tripped over her own name like that, but given the odd vibes she was getting from these four, Yang could hardly blame her for feeling a bit nervous.

"I'm Yang. And if we don't hurry up, we're gonna miss the airship, so we'd better go." Yang offered Team CMNE a curt nod. "See you around."

"I look forward to meeting you again in the near future," intoned Cinder.

The two teams went their separate ways, Yang in particular feeling uncharacteristically eager to get away from these strange new arrivals as quickly as possible.

They were kinda creepy. Especially that Nyx girl. Did she even blink once that whole time?

"The H-Haven students w-weren't s-supposed to arrive f-for another month, r-right?" asked Ruby.

Yang was a little confused by this as well. "I guess since the Atlas guys got here early, the rest of the schools just decided to send theirs early as well?"

"Most likely," mused Weiss. "Although I don't recall there being an announcement on that front. Either we missed something, or Professor Ozpin is about to get a bit of a surprise."

Yang personally doubted anyone could catch the Headmaster by surprise. If even half of the stories people told about Ozpin's exploits were true, that man was almost impossible to outwit. Yang half-suspected that he could predict the future somehow-

"Hey, stop that Faunus!"

The sound of footsteps approached from the left. Rounding the corner at speed, a boy in an open white shirt with a long yellow tail emerged, weaving through the crowds and grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Wasn't me this time, guys! Sorry!"

Hot on his heels were a pair of police officers. "Stop him!" one cried. "Thief!"

"Not a thief!" the boy retorted. "Just a simple case of wrong-place, wrong-time!"

The boy was approaching the four of them, so Yang moved to step out of the way. No need to get involved in this. He might have been a thief, or he might have been innocent. Either way, Yang was not eager to get embroiled in anything like this today…

"URK!"

Weiss, however, was apparently not feeling as apathetic as Yang was. Rather than moving aside, she had placed herself in the way of the fleeing boy and clotheslined him.

As the boy dropped to the floor, winded, the pursuing police officers finally caught up, panting from their exertion.

"Thank-you for your assistance, young lady. We'll take it from here."

In short order, the police officers had the boy up on his feet, hands cuffed behind him, and began to roughly march him away.

"Hey, I'm telling you, I didn't rob that guy! Seriously, check my pockets, I don't have his-"

"Shut it, hairball!" snapped one of the officers, before delivering a blow to the back of the boy's head with his baton. "I don't wanna hear it!"

Yang winced. That had looked like a hard hit. That guy was probably seeing stars after that…

"Serves him right."

Yang winced again, but for an entirely different reason.

Dammit, Weiss. Let's just hope Blake didn't-

"What did you say?"

Yang sighed. "I'm sure she didn't mean it like that, Blake."

Blake folded her arms. "Then how did she mean it? Enlighten me."

Yang cursed inwardly. The tension between Blake and Weiss had been building for some time now, and given what Yang had learnt about them both recently, she had been hoping against hope that they would be able to avoid a full-blown confrontation.

Silently, Yang pleaded for Weiss to recognise that this was not the time or place, and to keep her mouth shut.

"I meant that if he's going to run around acting like a criminal, he should expect to be punished for it. Quite frankly, those officers had every right to be angry with him."

Yang paled. She looked from Weiss to Blake, then from Blake to Weiss. Both were staring intently at one another.

Crap.

"You don't know anything about him. All you know is what you saw. You can't just assume that he's guilty like that."

"I saw enough. He was fleeing the authorities. What possible reason could he have to run if he hadn't done anything wrong?"

"So even if he was innocent, he should have just let himself be arrested? Is that what you're saying?"

"Now who's making assumptions? Do you think the police just go around arresting people without good reason? If he were as innocent as you seem to believe, as soon as they were done questioning him, he would have been free to go."

Neither girl had yet raised their voice, but it was clear that they were close to reaching that point. Several passers-by were beginning to stare as Blake and Weiss remained stood opposite each other.

"Uh, guys?" Ruby tentatively took a step forwards, attempting to get their attention. "M-maybe w-we should-"

"Are you seriously that naïve?" Blake spat, ignoring Ruby as she stared daggers at Weiss.

Weiss scowled. "Excuse me?"

"OK, let's get going! We gotta get that airship on time, or we're gonna miss dinner!" Yang spoke with forced cheer as she grabbed Ruby with one hand and Blake with another and began to guide them along, shooting a glance back at Weiss as she did so.

Blake yanked her arm free from Yang's grip, but nonetheless followed in silence.

A moment later, Weiss began to trudge along with the group.

"Yang?" Ruby spoke in a whisper. "Wh-what just h-happened?"

"Don't worry about it," Yang whispered back. "I got this."

No way was Yang letting Ruby get involved in… whatever this was going to turn into.

Dinner had been supremely uncomfortable. All four ate in stony silence, not saying a word to each other or to anyone else at their table. Pyrrha and company had evidently picked up on the atmosphere around their group, and had elected to leave them alone.

As they made their way back up to the dorm, Yang hung back with Ruby.

"Sis?" Yang kept her voice low. "Let me handle this. You go to the library for now, and I'll-"

Ruby shook her head firmly. "I'm th-the leader of Team RWBY, Yang. If th-things aren't r-right, I n-need to be h-here, to help."

Yang wanted desperately to insist that no, Ruby didn't need to be here, that she should just listen to her big sister and leave this to her…

"Yang, please."

Yang looked her little sister in the eye.

Ruby stared back. Nervous, maybe even a little afraid, but resolute, nonetheless.

As different as Ruby and Yang were in so many ways, they also had a lot in common.

A mutual stubbornness was one of those ways.

Yang nodded. "Alright."

The four girls entered the dorm room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Weiss rounded on Blake. "Now you listen here, Blake. I am not some brainless little girl, so don't you dare accuse me of being ignorant!"

Blake glared at Weiss. "Everything you've said suggests either that, or that you have something against Faunus."

Yang's eyes widened in alarm. This was going in a direction that would end in disaster. "Blake, come on, that's not-"

"Are you really going to defend her?" Blake snapped, turning her glare upon Yang. "You heard what she said!"

Yang raised her hands in front of her. "Hey, let's not jump to conclusions or start making accusations we'll regret later." She kept her voice level, despite slightly panicking a little on the inside. "Why don't we all just calm down, before this gets ugly…"

"If you're going to accuse me of something Blake, just do it. Don't skirt around it, just speak your mind right now."

Yang turned towards Weiss. "Weiss, seriously, that's not helping-"

"Yang, stay out of this," said Blake firmly. "This is between me and Schnee."

"Weiss! My name is Weiss!"

Weiss had yelled loud enough that Yang was pretty sure the other rooms had heard her as well.

"I am not Schnee." Weiss spoke lower, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "Don't tar me with the same brush as him."

This was getting out of hand. Yang needed to stop this, now, before someone got hurt. She didn't know exactly what was going on with Weiss and her family, but it was clearly nothing good.

"Weiss?"

Ruby approached her partner slowly. "M-maybe w-we should go f-for a walk, m-me and you?"

Were the situation not so dire, Yang would have felt so proud of her sister.

Good call. I'll talk with Blake, and Ruby can talk with Weiss.

After all, Ruby had done it before, now that Yang thought about it. Weeks ago, when Weiss had stormed off that one time, Ruby had been the one to speak with her. She hadn't told Yang exactly what they had talked about, but ever since then the two had been on much friendlier terms.

Whatever Ruby had done that day, it had worked wonders. Maybe she could-

"Well, how do you think Faunus feel, whenever people like you keep lumping them in with criminals?"

Yang stared at Blake, eyes wide and mouth agape, shocked by what her partner had just said.

"Blake, what the hell!?" she exclaimed.

Blake just gave Yang a cold look. "It always happens, Yang. People like her, who've never had to live in the real world, have no idea what life is like for the rest."

Out of the corner of her eye, Yang saw a look of genuine hurt flash across Weiss' face, only to be replaced a moment later by one of white-hot fury.

"You don't know anything about me!" she screamed. "You're the one who has no idea! The Faunus, those White Fang monsters, they've done awful, sick things!"

"And why is that, Schnee!?" Blake yelled, finally raising her own voice. She took a step forwards, closing the gap between her and Weiss. "Have you ever stopped to think about why the White Fang exists? Why so many Faunus feel the need to go so far?"

"Nothing justifies what they do, Blake!" Weiss snapped back. "How can you even think of defending them?"

"Because I've seen just how bad things can be!" Blake took another step towards Weiss, narrowing the gap between them even more. "I've seen things that would make you sick to your stomach. And it happens all the time, all over the world. Yet everyone just ignores it, pretends it isn't their problem and sweeps it all under the rug."

Blake drew herself up tall, looking down on Weiss with contempt clear on her face. "I don't agree with everything they do, of course I don't. But I cannot and will not ignore the fact that the world, and people like your family, pushed them to those extremes."

Weiss did not look cowed. She stared up at Blake, stared her straight in the eye.

Yang was at a complete loss as to what she should do.

This was beyond her.

She could be the shoulder to cry on, the ear to listen. She could offer a hug, words of comfort, a few pieces of advice. She could help her sister calm down, and assure her partner that she would always be welcome and accepted, and she could tell Weiss time and again that she was here if she needed her.

She could even let her own father lean on her when he fell apart.

But this? This was not something she knew how to fix.

Yang felt helpless as she watched her two teammates argue.

What do I do?

"My family?" Weiss said, barely more than a whisper.

Blake's scowl curled into a sneer. "Oh, don't even pretend you don't know what your family have done. Even you can't be that ignorant."

"My family?" Weiss said again, louder this time. "My whole family? You think we all deserve to be condemned, because of one man?"

Blake frowned once again. "I don't believe that anyone deserves to be held responsible for the actions of others. But since that is the world we live in, is it any wonder why your whole family is so hated?"

"So if someone were to attack my family, to get revenge for the actions of my father, you would say that they were justified?"

Blake seemed taken aback by that statement. "I didn't say that."

"Well someone else did," said Weiss, pointing at her eye.

Her scarred eye.

The room went silent and still. No-one said a word.

"Huh?"

Weiss smiled, but it was a smile that was devoid of any joy.

"Father used to insist that my brother and I accompany him on business trips, you see. He said we had to show everyone that we were united, especially after my sister left rather publicly to join the military. 'Our reputation is everything' he would say, time and time again. He made very sure Whitley and I knew that as well."

Yang felt a mounting sense of foreboding as Weiss spoke.

"One trip took us a bit further than usual," Weiss continued. "A mine on the border territories. Something to do with a pay dispute, apparently. But we didn't really care about that sort of thing, Whitley and I. We were just a pair of bored ten-year-olds, and we had never been so far away from home. And I wanted to go exploring…"

Weiss took a few steps back and sank onto Ruby's bed. She looked tired, but her gaze never wavered from Blake.

"Whitley wasn't so sure, but I persuaded him that it would be fine. 'We'll be back before anyone even notices we're gone' I said. So while Father was in his meeting, we snuck away and went looking for something fun to do."

Yang couldn't be sure, since Weiss was in the shadow of her own bunk, but it looked like tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

"I still don't really know what happened. One moment we were wandering around the mine, looking for fossils of all things, because we'd overheard one of the workers mention that they'd dug up some old bones. But the next thing I knew, I had a bag over my head, and I was being thrown into the back of a bulkhead."

"I don't know where they took us, but it was far away from home. When we arrived, they tied us to chairs and set up a camera in front of us. They made us read from cards they held up, made us say that they were… that they would return us bit-by-bit, until their demands were met."

Yang felt the blood drain from her face, and felt the sudden urge to void the contents of her stomach as she found herself picturing what Weiss was describing.

"They made us say it," Weiss hissed. "They forced two ten-year-old children to describe what they were going to do. Recorded it. When we started to cry, they held their knives to our faces and forced us to keep going."

Weiss paused for a moment, seemingly gathering herself a little.

"I had to sit there and watch as they cut my brother's eye out."

Yang heard Ruby gasp, and saw her sister cover her mouth in horror.

"It was my turn next. I was struggling so much that he missed at first, cutting across my eye instead of around it. He had to get his friends to pin me down so he could try again."

"But…" Blake swallowed. "But you still have your eye."

Weiss nodded. "I do. Because I was lucky. In that moment, as he went in to try and take my eye out again, I unlocked my own Aura and used my Semblance for the first time."

Yang had heard that it happened sometimes. People who were in life-or-death situations could unlock their Aura without realising it, drawing out the power of their soul out of sheer desperation.

She and Ruby had had their Aura's unlocked by Dad as soon as he felt they were strong enough, and they had been allowed to figure out their Semblances in their own time. Yang couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to discover such a thing in such a terrifying situation…

"I couldn't really control it, but that didn't matter in the end. It only bought me a few extra seconds, but that wound up being enough. Turns out the little bracelets that Father had given us for our birthday had tracers installed on them, and just as they were getting ready to pin me down again, the military arrived to save us."

Weiss was no longer staring at Blake. She had lowered her head and was now staring at her balled-up fists in her lap.

A few tears had dripped onto her knuckles.

"Whitley was never the same after that. I suppose neither was I. I had corrective surgery, but my left eye never fully healed."

"I… I th-thought y-you got it in a… training accident," Ruby whispered.

Weiss lifted her head and grimaced at Ruby. "Father likes to spread that story around. Better for people to just think I was a clumsy child than learn the truth. Better for our reputation, after all. It's the same reason why he keeps Whitley out of public view. He was the heir at first, you know. But after he lost his eye, and after he…" Weiss took a shaky breath. "Well, I was the better choice after that. Or rather, the only choice Father had left."

Weiss returned her gaze to Blake. "So there you go. Now you know this ignorant little girl's story."

Blake said nothing. She no longer glared or sneered. She looked as shocked and horrified as Yang felt.

"I…" Blake swallowed. "You… you were ten?"

Weiss nodded.

"But… the White Fang doesn't target children."

Weiss just stared at Blake. "Now who's being naïve?"

Blake took a step back.

Then another.

Then she turned and ran for the door.

"Blake!" Yang grabbed Blake's arm. She was not going to risk losing her again.

Blake twisted free of Yang's grip, and in doing so, lost her balance and fell to the floor.

Her bow had already come a bit loose earlier.

Now, jolted by the rough landing, it slipped from her head and fluttered to the ground.

Yang froze.

Blake froze.

Ruby gasped.

Weiss uttered a stunned "What!?"

Blake, her cat ears on full display, shot up and bolted for the door as fast as her legs could carry her.

The door slammed shut, and the remaining three inhabitants of the room remained silent and still.

…

"Oh no…"

This was so much worse than Yang had ever expected.

"She… she ran?" Ruby sounded lost.

"She's a Faunus?" Weiss sounded shocked.

Yang spun around, panic overtaking her mind.

"It's not what you think!" she exclaimed.

Weiss' eyes widened. "You knew!?"

"You don't understand! It's not like that! She isn't…"

Isn't she? How do you know?

No! She's not like that! She would never… she would never…

…

She wouldn't… would she?

Yang didn't know any more.

But she did know she couldn't let things end like this.

Yanking the door open, Yang sprinted down the corridor, burning her Aura to give her a boost, hoping that it would help her to catch up to Blake before she vanished into the night.

Yang rounded the corner, her shoulder slamming into the wall hard enough to crack it, but she kept on going.

Yang leapt down the entire staircase, landing hard enough to cause her Aura to flash from the impact, but she kept on going.

She burst out the main doors and onto the courtyard.

But there was no sign of Blake.

She was gone.

No! No no no no no, this can't be happening! How did this all go so wrong!?

"BLAKE!"

Chapter Text

I have to keep looking.

"Ex… excuse m-me? I'm looking f-f-for s-someone. Can you h-help?"

The lone traffic warden shot Ruby a sideways glance, then went back to writing in his notepad. "I'm busy, kid. Ask someone else."

Ruby swallowed. "Please, I h-h-have to f-find h-her. Can y-you just h-have a l-look at this ph-photo?" She held out her Scroll for the warden to see.

Sighing, the warden glanced at the photo on-screen, the one of Blake that was registered to her contact number. "Haven't seen her. Can't help you."

"W-well, if y-you do-"

The traffic warden snapped his notepad shut, cutting Ruby off. "Look kid, I have more important things to deal with. Now you should be getting back home before it gets dark. It's not safe out here at night, not right now."

Before Ruby could say anything else, the traffic warden had walked away, leaving Ruby alone once again.

I have to keep looking.

The temperature was beginning to drop as the sun began to set. Shivering slightly, Ruby drew her hood up and resumed walking, keeping her eyes open for anyone else who may be able to help.

I have to keep looking.

The streets of Vale were unusually quiet. The town had been bustling earlier, full of life and noise and people like it always was. But now that evening was beginning to settle in, most everyone seemed to have gone home. Only a few people remained out and about, and only a few small shops remained open.

I have to keep looking.

Ruby might have enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere, were things not so awful.

I have to keep looking.

Over and over she repeated this thought in her head, drowning out everything else so she could stay focussed on what she needed to do.

I have to keep looking.

I have to keep looking.

I have to keep looking.

The streetlights flickered on one by one, casting long shadows across the sidewalk and bathing their surroundings in an orange glow. A shop on the other side of the street locked its doors and drew down its shutters, its business done for the day. A couple who were walking hand-in-hand picked up their pace, the two young men hurrying along as night fell over the city.

I have to keep…

Ruby was so, so tired. Her feet dragged along as she forced herself to keep on walking, to keep on looking for Blake.

She was the leader, after all. She had to keep going.

Even if she was the only one who carried on.

Clatter…

Ruby paused. Something was moving about in the alleyway beside her.

"H-hello?" She peered into the shadows, and could just about make out the vague silhouette of someone with an extra set of ears rifling through the contents of a trash can.

"Blake?" Ruby called tentatively, feeling ever so slightly hopeful that finally, after so long a search, she had managed to stumble across her wayward teammate.

The figure paused, and raised their head.

Ruby switched on her Scroll's torch and shone it into the alleyway.

"Gah! What d'you want?"

It wasn't Blake.

"S-s-sorry," Ruby mumbled. "I th-thought y-y-you w-were s-someone else…"

The girl with ears that Ruby could now see were fox ears rather than cat ears huffed, shoving the trash can aside and storming past Ruby, barging her with her shoulder and knocking Ruby's Scroll out of her hand as she did so.

"Mind your own damn business," the girl growled.

I have to… I have to keep looking.

"W-wait!" Ruby called out after her, her desperation giving her more courage than she would have ordinarily had, and her exhaustion leaving her far less cautious than she should have been. "I'm l-looking f-for m-m-m-"

The fox-eared girl spun around and shoved Ruby backwards, causing her to stumble and just barely avoid falling over. "I said mind your own damn business, brat!"

CRUNCH!

Ruby looked down. Her Scroll was underneath her boot.

"No!"

Frantic, Ruby knelt down and scooped up her Scroll… at least, what was left of it. Her boot landing on the device had cracked the screen and bent the frame. The torch light had gone out, and no matter what Ruby did, she could not get anything to work.

No Scroll. No way to contact anyone.

And as Ruby looked at her surroundings, she realised she also had no idea where she was. She had wandered into a part of town she had never been to before.

She was lost, and all on her own.

Her vision began to blur, and Ruby felt her breath hitch in her throat.

No.

She couldn't cry. She had to keep going. She had to find Blake.

I have to keep looking.

She had to find her.

I have to…

She…

I…

She was so tired.

…

Staggering into the shadows of the alleyway, Ruby slumped against the cold brick wall and slid roughly down to the ground, her back scraping painfully against the rough surface. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, huddling into a tiny ball.

Just a small rest. Just a few minutes, then she would carry on her search…

They had waited until the following morning, hoping that maybe Blake would come back on her own, that she had just needed some time alone after what had happened.

After what Weiss had told them all, Ruby could hardly blame her.

Yang had insisted that they all try to get some sleep, and Weiss had agreed with her.

…

Ruby had tried her best to fall asleep, but it had been useless. She couldn't stop thinking about what had occurred that night. About what Weiss had told them. About how Blake had been lying to them. About why Blake had lied, and what that meant, and what else might she not know about her teammates…

So Ruby had laid awake in her bed the whole night, fighting a losing battle with her swirling thoughts.

She had stared up at the ceiling as her mind filled with images conjured by her imagination. Images of what had happened to Weiss and her brother, of Blake running away, of her sister panicking and practically yelling at her and Weiss that Blake wasn't what they were thinking…

Images of Blake wearing a white mask, blood on her sword…

Ruby had tossed and turned, looked at her Scroll, opened her journal and tried to write something but instead just stared at the page. She had tried to block out all those horrible images by reading, or playing a game, anything at all to distract her mind.

None of it had worked for very long.

As soon as the first rays of sunlight had begun to filter through the curtains, she had leapt out of her bed, and so had Weiss and Yang. She had clearly not been the only one to have had a sleepless night.

"We have to go and find her," Yang had said without even a moment's preamble.

If Weiss had had any objections, she had kept them to herself.

So the three of them had left campus, not even grabbing breakfast first, and they began to comb the streets of Vale together, hunting high and low for any sign of their missing fourth member.

They had asked everyone they could if they had seen her. Yang had even left her number with various store owners, telling them to call her if they saw anything.

Hours of searching, but no success.

"M-maybe w-we should s-split up?" Ruby had eventually suggested. "W-we could cover m-more ground that w-way."

Yang had shot that idea down right away. "No. We stick together. If we're gonna get her to come back, we all need to be there, to let her know that we all want her to stay, that we don't care about her being a Faunus."

"Speak for yourself."

Weiss had been silent the whole morning. But she spoke then with clear venom in her voice.

"Weiss, come on. Don't be like this. She's our teammate, our friend."

"She lied to us. She kept the truth about who she was hidden from us this whole time. Who's to say she's keeping any other secrets?"

"We don't know!" Yang had stressed. "And we won't ever know if we don't talk to her!"

"How can you still want her around!?" Weiss had snapped back. "How could we ever trust her!?"

Yang had rounded on Weiss after she said that, and Ruby had recoiled as she saw the furious expression on her sister's face.

"Weiss, I get it, you and your brother went through something horrible. I'm not gonna ignore that. But that's no excuse! It's not fair to tar everyone with the same brush, after all! Your words by the way, not mine!"

"She ran, Yang!" Weiss had looked just as furious. "Why would she run, if she had nothing else to hide?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe she was afraid you would hate her for being a Faunus!?"

"Well if she really can't stand being around me, why should I try and force her back!?"

Ruby had frozen, unable to say or do anything to get the two girls to stop yelling at each other. All she could do was watch helplessly.

"You really don't care if we never find her, do you." It wasn't a question.

Weiss had just shrugged. "I just don't think we'll like what she has to say if we do. The innocent never run, Yang."

Before Yang had the chance to respond to that, Weiss had turned and walked away, vanishing into the crowd.

"Fine, go then!" Yang had screamed after her retreating form. "I'm sorry I ever felt bad for you!"

"Yang?" Ruby had stared at her sister with apprehension. Yang lost her temper plenty, but this? This was a lot more unpleasant to witness.

"Go back to the dorm, Ruby." Yang had spoken to her in such a cold, dismissive voice. "I'll find Blake."

And before Ruby could protest, Yang had walked away, vanishing into the crowd as well.

It was a rare thing indeed for the Vale dockyard to be entirely deserted at any given time. But tonight, things were different.

Thanks to the goings-on in the city centre over the last few days, most of the authorities' attention was focussed on staking out Dust shops, and with the Council continuing to debate the possibility of enforcing a curfew, the general populace had taken a surprising amount of initiative and collectively decided to just go home early.

Oh, of course, the docks had not been entirely unattended. A few workers and a single night guard had been present, but they had been dealt with easily enough.

All that remained now was to finish the job, and they would be on their way.

Now where are those bulkheads?

A moment later, the sound of engines could be heard approaching.

"Ah, right on time!"

Three bulkheads landed in a line, and all cut their engines to minimise the attention they would draw. The rear doors of all three opened, and their ramps deployed.

"Alright fellas, let's get this show on the road! Start loading everything up, and if anyone even thinks of trying to skim a little of the top, they and I will be having a nice conversation about manners."

A few of them murmured amongst themselves at that, but nonetheless began to do as instructed, opening up the marked shipping containers and starting the process of moving the cargo into the back of the small bulkhead fleet.

It was honestly quite amazing just how easy it had been to get away with this for as long as they had. A few bribes were all that had been required to ensure that they had enough storage for all the Dust they had lifted from across the city, and no-one had even thought to search the docks for any sort of stockpile of stolen goods, allowing them to remain under the radar for months.

Had they had a little more time, perhaps they could have expanded this little racket to include a few other targets? A jewellery store, a few nightclubs, or maybe even a bank…

Ah, well. There'll be other chances, in other Kingdoms.

"Torchwick?"

Roman Torchwick didn't bother to turn around. "What is it, Perry? I tell ya, it'd better be good news. I do not appreciate it when my good moods get ruined."

"Uh, we underestimated how much space we had in the bulkheads. There's not enough room for all the cargo."

Roman laughed. "Well, that's a first! We actually managed to steal too much!"

"More like you failed to acquire enough ships for us to use," growled a much less friendly voice.

Roman rolled his eyes, before turning to face the tall, muscular man who had approached alongside Perry.

"You said three, you paid for three, so I got you three. If you wanted another ship, you should have asked for it up front, big guy."

Like everyone else in their gang, the towering Lieutenant had his face covered by a white mask. His, however, covered his entire face, not just his eyes.

"Have care how you speak, human. The White Fang does not tolerate disrespect."

Roman spun his cane and aimed the barrel directly in the Lieutenant's face without missing a beat.

Several other White Fang soldiers aimed their own weapons at Roman, but he paid them no mind.

"I say what I want to whoever I want, whenever I want to say it," Roman quipped smoothly. "You can put on that 'big scary Faunus' act to frighten the little kids if you want, but if you wanna ruffle my feathers, you're gonna have to try a little harder than that."

With a flourish, Roman twirled his cane on his finger and set it back down by his side, leaning casually upon it as he smirked up at the Lieutenant.

"But let's not get all bent out of shape. We're all friends here, aren't we?"

The Lieutenant growled once again. "We would never associate with the likes of you if we had any other choice. Do not be mistaken, Roman Torchwick: we are not allies."

Roman chuckled. "Happy to hear how much you care. Now then, how's about we fix our little 'luggage space' issue?"

Roman turned to face the row of bulkheads. "Neo! I got a little job for ya!"

The pilot's-side door of the middle bulkhead slid open, and out hopped Roman's diminutive younger sister and partner-in-crime. Parasol in hand and a smile on her face, she skipped over to Roman's side and shot him a curious look.

"If memory serves me correctly," Roman mused. "There was another bulkhead parked in the loading bay on the other side of the docks. Be a darling and go fetch it for us, would ya?"

Neo cocked her head to one side and signed a brief response back to Roman:

[What happened to keeping a low profile?]

[Not my fault this time], Roman signed back.

Neo just rolled her eyes at that, but nonetheless skipped off to do a little hotwiring.

"There we go! Problem solved!" Roman withdrew a cigar from his pocket and lit it up, taking a big puff on it and letting the smoke out in such a way that it blew towards the Lieutenant's face.

"Don't you have work to do?"

The Lieutenant said nothing. He simply stared at Roman for a moment, before turning and making his way back towards the rest of his crew.

"Sheesh, that guy needs to lighten up a little. Right, Perry?"

"Uh, I should probably get back to work as well," Perry replied.

"Right you are, my bespectacled friend," Roman quipped. "Come on, chop-chop."

Perry shuffled off, returning to his position and assisting with the loading of the cargo.

Roman took another long puff of his cigar, sighing contentedly as he watched his latest job go off without a hitch.

It had been a good day.

Ruby had not gone back to the dorm like Yang had asked. She had stayed out in Vale, alone, and searched all day long.

She had wandered the streets without any real idea of where to potentially look or where she was really going. She asked anyone she could if they had seen anything, police officers and shop owners and random passers-by.

But no-one had seen anything. Either that, or they just didn't care enough to spare Ruby much attention.

So she had just continued to search. She walked and walked and walked, but she couldn't walk any more. She was running on no sleep, no food, and everything that had happened over the last day and a half had left her mind spinning and her emotions in total disarray.

Ruby had nothing left. All she could do was huddle in on herself in a cold, dark alleyway and grapple with her own monumental mistakes.

Some leader she had turned out to be.

She hadn't known anything about her own teammates. She had been blind to everything that they were dealing with, because she had been too wrapped up in herself, as always. Too consumed by her own doubts and insecurities to realise just how bad things were, and now it was too late to fix it.

Weiss had been through hell. How she was still able to even function after that had happened to her was incredible. But when she had been having a bad day, when she had been upset with Ruby, what had Ruby done? Made excuses for her own shortcomings and ignored the rest. She hadn't even asked Weiss what had been bothering her that day. No, Weiss had been the one to reassure Ruby instead.

And then there was Yang, who Ruby constantly had to lean on for everything. All her meltdowns, all her nervous moments, Yang had to pick her back up after every single one. Even now, at Beacon, Yang still had to take care of her. She was fifteen, and still she needed her big sister to tell her it was all going to be OK. But what about Yang herself? When had Ruby ever helped her sister in return? No, all she had ever been was a burden. Yang had been struggling too, and Ruby had ignored it.

And Blake! She had wanted to get to know the other girl better, maybe even bond over their shared interest in reading. But Ruby had been too scared to try and approach her, just like she always was whenever she met someone new. Had she and Blake even shared a single proper conversation in all the time she had known her? Clearly not, or she would have noticed that the other girl was afraid as well, afraid of her team, so afraid that she hid her real identity from them all because she felt she couldn't trust them.

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry everyone…

She was the leader of Team RWBY. She was supposed to be the one who kept everyone together. She was the one who should have been there for them, to listen, to help.

Instead, she had let it all fester. Let her sister struggle to hold it all together in her absence. Let all of them suffer alone, because she was too much of a failure to be of any use to anyone.

Even now, when they needed her to step up more than ever, what was Ruby doing? Sitting in an alleyway, feeling sorry for herself.

Pathetic.

Useless.

Worthless.

Ruby's eyes burned with tears.

It's all your fault. You let this happen. You should have done more.

But she hadn't. She hadn't done anything at all.

More and more thoughts began to swirl around in Ruby's head. Images of all the mistakes she had made.

Weiss comforting her, when she should have been comforting Weiss. Yang having to step in over and over to handle all the things she couldn't handle herself, including her own fracturing team. Blake running in fear because Ruby hadn't been kind enough to make her feel welcome…

Ruby began to breathe faster, shallower. Her heart was pounding, her chest was tight and painful, and her stomach twisted violently with nausea.

More images, more thoughts joined the growing spiral. Her sister looking exhausted. Weiss on the verge of tears. Blake pale and shaking.

It was getting hard to breathe. Ruby began hyperventilating, the tightness in her chest increasing and the roiling feeling in her stomach making her head spin even more.

Yet more images. Yet more thoughts. A young Weiss screaming as a knife was held to her face, Blake in a mask standing over a body, Yang telling her that she wished Ruby had just stayed home and never followed her to Beacon and ruined her life…

All your fault, all your fault, all your fault all your fault your fault your fault your fault yourfaultyourfaultyourfaultyourfaultyourfault-

A car went past, the sound of its engine screaming in Ruby's ears, stabbing at her eardrums and hammering her skull.

Ruby clamped her hands over her ears, but the noise in her head would not be blocked out.

Horrible images and words and thoughts swirled around and around and around in her mind and it was all her fault and it was all so loud and it was all her fault and it made her feel sick and it was all her fault and it just wouldn't stop they wouldn't stop they wouldn't leave her alone she couldn't make them go way she was sick she was scared she was alone she couldn't breathe-

She screamed until her throat hurt.

She hit her head over and over with her open palms, pounding her skull until it throbbed with pain.

But it didn't help. Nothing helped. The noise in her head just kept on building, kept on spiralling around and around and around. She couldn't drown it out, couldn't drive it away. It just kept going, assaulting her over and over and-

Something grabbed her, held her wrists tight and stopped her from hitting herself anymore.

She panicked. She screamed and pulled and tried desperately to get away-

Something else grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stay still, making her panic rise even more. She was trapped.

Something else touched her face. Softer, gentler, not so rough and painful.

She heard a voice speaking to her.

"… can hear me, I need you to slow down your breathing…"

Slow her breathing?

Right, she could do that. She knew how to do that.

In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three.

It was hard. Really, really hard. Her chest hurt so much.

In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three.

Her breaths were strained, and shaky, and laboured. She wasn't quite able to keep to the rhythm that she had been taught.

In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three.

"That's it," the voice said. "You're doing great. I think we can let go of you, now."

The hands on her wrists and shoulders withdrew.

"Keep it up. Keep breathing slowly, kid."

In for four seconds, hold for one, out for three…

The tightness began to loosen. The noise in her head faded away into the background, slowly but surely.

A voice spoke, a different one from before.

"What now? Is there something else we should do?"

Ruby opened her eyes, and looked up at the people who had helped her.

Two girls, slightly older than she was. One had green hair, another had hair that was a dark greyish-brown. They looked familiar somehow…

"Ruby Rose, wasn't it? Do you remember us?"

That was it, she had met them yesterday, when they had been shopping. Emerald and Cinder, from Team CMNE.

"Y-yes… I r-r-remember y-you."

Cinder smiled. "It seems that you're back to normal, now. At least, I hope so?"

Ruby nodded. 'Normal' was never the word she would use to describe herself in any situation, but she was no longer mid-meltdown, which was probably what Cinder had been asking her.

"So, should we, like, call someone for her?" Emerald asked. "We probably shouldn't just leave her here."

Cinder withdrew her Scroll from her jacket pocket. "Miss Rose, who should I contact for you? Your teammates?"

Her teammates…

Ruby felt tears well up in her eyes once again as she was reminded about her team, and the situation that she was still in the middle of.

Swallowing hard and stifling a sob, Ruby wiped her eyes before her tears could fall. "N-no," she said thickly. "N-not them…"

She would not dump yet another problem on her sister like that.

"OK then, someone else?" Cinder asked.

Ruby shook her head. "I'm f-f-fine."

"No you're not," Emerald said bluntly. "Come on, kid, we're not leaving you here by yourself. If there's no-one else, we'll call you a ride back to Beacon."

Cinder shot Emerald a look. "A little tact goes a long way, Emerald. Do try to be a bit more civil, especially when we're helping people."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Was there anyone else? Aside from her teammates, who else could Ruby call?

Jaune?

Pyrrha?

She didn't really know them very well. In fact, she wasn't even sure she had their numbers in her…

Well, even if she did have them, that didn't matter now. Her Scroll was busted, after all.

…

Penny…

Could she really bother her new friend over something like this? That really didn't seem fair to her, to call her out to come and collect Ruby because she had had a meltdown. That wasn't something she should have to deal with.

…

I should just say no…

"Penny. Y-you can call Penny."

Cinder nodded. "What's her number?"

Chapter Text

No answer.

Not that she had expected there to be any at this point. If a simple call on her Scroll would have been enough to get Blake to come back, Yang wouldn't have needed to be out searching all this time. Even so, it had been worth a shot, even if it had taken her far too long to realise it was even an option.

Yang tended to develop a one-track-mind when she was stressed.

And she got stressed a lot lately.

Shoving her Scroll back into her pocket, Yang sighed and resumed her slow walk down the street.

What a mess…

Had Blake really just disappeared on them for good? There was no sign of her anywhere in town, no-one else had seen her, she wasn't answering her Scroll…

Had she really just… ran away?

'The innocent never run, Yang.'

Yang clenched her fist. She refused to believe what Weiss had been suggesting. Blake, a member of the White Fang? It was insane to even consider it a possibility. Blake was nothing like that, she would never do anything like that.

She had looked as horrified as the rest of them when Weiss had told her story. The idea that she would have taken part in something like that… the idea that Blake would be a part of that world…

No. No way in hell. That's not who she is.

Blake, the quiet bookworm with a sarcastic sense of humour, a White Fang terrorist?

Blake, who had been concerned enough about Weiss to fill Yang in on what she had overheard, supporting a cabal of lunatics?

Blake, who was sweet and kind underneath her aloof outward persona, kind enough to offer a helping hand to a boy crying in an alley, kind enough to offer to help Ruby find Yang even when she had just met her…

It was impossible. Weiss was wrong to think that way, wrong to even hint at the possibility.

The streetlights flickered on one by one, casting long shadows across the sidewalk and bathing their surroundings in an orange glow. Yang must have been out searching for twelve hours at least, and all her efforts had turned up nothing but disappointment.

She was exhausted, running on fumes and barely able to keep her focus on where she was walking. Staying up all night a second time in order to keep on wandering aimlessly without any leads wouldn't accomplish anything. So as much as Yang wanted to keep on going, keep on hoping that Blake would be just around the next corner, she knew she had to call it a night here.

Even if she was also slightly dreading having to face the other two upon her return to the dorm.

Especially Weiss…

"Yang?"

Yang tensed upon hearing the familiar voice call her name.

Well, no more putting this off now, I guess.

She took a moment to compose herself slightly, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. She just didn't have the energy to spare for yet another shouting match.

Yang turned around. "I thought you went back to the dorm?"

Weiss shrugged. "I did for a little while."

That much was clearly obvious to Yang, seeing as how Weiss had apparently changed clothes before coming back out. Her usual skirt and jacket had been swapped out for something more suited to the chill night air, replaced by a heavier coat over a longer dress, both of which were more white-and-black than the white-and-blue that Weiss normally went with.

"Why are you here, Weiss?" Yang asked, not entirely able to keep the bite out of her tone. "You made your point already, didn't you?"

Yang had expected Weiss to bristle, or to scoff, or maybe even to roll her eyes at Yang's question.

She did not expect Weiss to fidget with her hands awkwardly while avoiding Yang's gaze. And she certainly did not expect to hear what Weiss said next:

"I'm sorry, Yang."

Yang blinked.

"…huh?"

"Ruby?"

Ruby lifted her head, feeling a mix of elation, relief and no small amount of guilt as she saw Penny standing at the entrance to the alley with concern clear on her face.

Cinder rose to her feet alongside Emerald. "We'll leave her in your care. I suggest you get her back to Beacon as soon as you can."

Penny nodded in Cinder's direction. "Thank-you for calling me. And thank-you for helping my friend. I truly appreciate it."

"No thanks are necessary, Miss Polendina. I wish you both a good night." With that, Cinder and Emerald departed, leaving Ruby and Penny by themselves.

"Ruby, are you hurt?" Penny asked, wasting no time as she made her way towards Ruby. "What happened, exactly? Cinder did not tell me very much, only that you needed my help."

The guilt eating at Ruby only grew further as Penny spoke. She sounded so worried, and for what? Ruby wasn't hurt, or in any real trouble. She had just felt… lonely? Was that really a good enough reason to have called Penny out here so late at night?

"I'm s-sorry, Penny," Ruby mumbled, lowering her head again to avoid meeting Penny's gaze. "I'm just… h-having a bad day. I sh-shouldn't have asked y-you to come."

"Nonsense," Penny said without hesitation. "You are my friend, Ruby. If you are feeling upset, I want to help you."

Ruby pulled her knees closer to her chest, burying her head once more. "I'll just be w-w-wasting y-your time…"

She was being so selfish, expecting Penny to come all this way just to make her feel better. She was supposed to be able to look after herself now, but she just kept on being a burden to more and more people…

Ruby felt something nudge her side. She lifted her head to find that Penny had taken a seat beside her in the alley, close enough for their shoulders to touch. Penny was looking right at her, her green eyes almost seeming to glow slightly in the dark.

"I would never think of helping you as being a waste of time, Ruby." Penny spoke in a firm voice, not unlike the tone she had used when speaking with the attacker back in the café where they had spent the day together when they met, but with a bit more warmth to her words. She sounded somewhat frustrated, but not angry. "I may have only known you for a short time, but I truly do consider you to be a friend, and I hope that you can call me a friend as well. So please, do not think that I would rather not be here right now, because I can promise you that that is not true."

Penny smiled, nudged Ruby's shoulder gently with her own once more, and continued to speak in that firm yet warm voice.

"I want to help you, Ruby. So tell me what is wrong, and let me see what I can do."

Ruby almost told her. She wanted to. She wanted so badly to just tell Penny what was wrong, to ask for help and not have to try and fix this awful mess all by herself.

But she didn't. She couldn't.

"It's n-not your problem, Penny. I n-need to do th-this alone."

I can't keep making life harder for everyone around me…

"Why?" Penny asked. "Why do you need to do this all by yourself? Whatever 'this' is?"

Ruby didn't want to admit to Penny her mistakes. She didn't want Penny to hate her, didn't want her to realise what a bad person she was.

But it was either that, or risk Penny getting dragged into her problems.

"I…" Ruby swallowed hard, the soreness in her throat from her earlier screaming fit making the action quite painful. "I m-m-messed up, Penny. I l-let m-my teammates down, and I h-have to m-make it better. S-s-so I can't ask you to h-help me. Because th-this isn't s-something you sh-should h-have to deal w-with."

Ruby hoped desperately for Penny to not ask her how exactly she had messed up, because she wouldn't be able to lie to her, and Penny would absolutely hate her for it, tell her how much of a terrible sister and friend she had been once she learnt the truth, tell her that she never wanted to see her again…

Penny shook her head. "Ruby, I am sure that whatever you think you may have done wrong, it is not as bad as you feel it is."

"Yes it is," Ruby said, her voice dropping to a whisper as she fought to keep herself composed. "Penny, I… I'm the leader of m-my team. I'm s-supposed to h-help them. But I ignored it all, and n-n-now it's all f-fallen apart."

Penny cocked her head to one side, confused. "Ruby, what exactly happened? I do not understand."

There it was. The question Ruby had been dreading. Now she would have to tell Penny everything, and lose one of the only real friends she had ever managed to make.

Ruby swallowed painfully once more, and began to explain all of her terrible mistakes.

Weiss had had an entire lengthy speech prepared in her head for when she saw Yang again, but it had all flown from her mind when Yang had rounded on her, leaving her with only three words that came out in a mumbled rush of nerves and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Yang."

She then shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket to stop fidgeting, while she continued to wait for Yang to say something in response.

After a few moments, the blonde finally spoke.

"Is this a joke?"

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not joking, Yang. This is a sincere apology. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Yang echoed back. "Is that all you came out here for? To apologise?"

Weiss couldn't help but flinch back slightly at the harshness of Yang's tone, but she couldn't deny that she probably deserved it. After all, what she had said…

"Yang, I know you're probably mad at me-"

"Stop." Yang cut her off. "I don't care anymore. I'm too tired, and I really don't wanna argue with you again, so if you don't mind, I'm heading back to the dorm, and I'd appreciate it if you waited a bit before coming back yourself."

"Yang, please." Weiss took a cautious step forward. "Just hear me out? I didn't just come here to say sorry."

Yang seemed to contemplate what Weiss was saying for a moment, before letting out a huff. "Fine. What else do you have to say?"

Her carefully-crafted speech was gone, and even if she could recall exactly what she had planned to say, it probably wouldn't have worked now. Even so, despite not knowing exactly how to say it, she did know what she wanted to say.

She would just have to improvise the delivery a little.

"I didn't mean to upset you, and I didn't mean to say what I said."

"You still said it," Yang retorted.

"I know. And I know I can't really take it back. But believe me when I say now that I wish I could."

Yang took a step forward herself, narrowing the gap between them. They were both now stood underneath the streetlamp, its orange light covering them both and leaving them both with nowhere to hide.

"Do you really think that Blake is with the White Fang?"

Weiss clenched her fists inside her pockets. "Do you want the truth?"

Yang scowled. "Answer my question, Weiss."

Weiss looked down at her feet, not willing to meet Yang's gaze. Afraid of how she would react to what Weiss had to say.

"Honestly? I don't know. And I don't really want to know, because I'm scared of what the truth might be."

"You're wrong, Weiss!" Yang snapped. "Blake isn't White Fang! I know she isn't! How can you think she is?"

"I don't want to think that!" Weiss cried. "I shouldn't think that, but I can't get the thought out of my head, Yang!"

That was the crux of the matter. Despite the clear and apparent disdain Blake had held towards her from the moment they had met, Weiss had begun to feel a connection forming between them. Despite the barbed remarks and sideways glances, Weiss had slowly begun to feel as if they were growing just a little bit closer. They weren't friends by any means, but there was something there. Some small amount of understanding that had been growing as the days went by.

But then they had fought, and Weiss had laid bare to them all her past, and Blake had inadvertently revealed that she had been lying about her identity, and amid all the swirling emotions that that terrible night had stirred up, Weiss had found her mind filling with doubt. Doubt which gave rise to that horrible thought, that suspicion that grew and grew until it was all she could think about.

Never before in her life had Weiss wanted to be wrong about something this much.

And it would be so easy to put her mind at ease. All she had to do was ask Blake, and that would be that. After all, it was just like Yang said. There was no way that Blake was with the White Fang… right?

But the doubt… the doubt was still there. And with it came the fear of what the truth might be. What might happen if Blake told them that Weiss was right…

"Do you hate her?" asked Yang.

Weiss shook her head. "No, I don't hate her. I'll admit, I didn't like her much at first. But I never hated her."

"Are you afraid of her, then?"

Weiss paused for a moment, but then shook her head once more. "It's not her I'm afraid of. It's what I might find out when I ask her."

"When?" Yang echoed.

Weiss lifted her head and met Yang's gaze. "Yes. That's the other reason I came back out here."

Yang frowned again, but she didn't look angry so much as confused. "I thought you didn't want to find her?"

Weiss took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I had a lot of time to myself back at the dorm to think about this. I am still afraid of what I mind find out, but I can't just leave it like this. If I'm wrong… and I do hope that I'm wrong, Yang… I need to apologise to Blake as well, for ever thinking so poorly of her."

Yang's frown faded, and was replaced with a small and shaky, but nonetheless genuine smile.

"Well then, let's head back and get some proper rest, then we'll go out and prove you wrong first thing tomorrow."

Weiss smiled back. "That sounds like a good idea. Is Ruby nearby?"

Yang's smile fell. "She wasn't with you back at the dorm?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. Like I said, I was alone. I though she was still with you?"

"I sent her back after you left…" Yang trailed off. She quickly pulled her Scroll out and tapped at the screen, presumably calling her sister.

Weiss saw Yang's eyes widen and her face pale slightly. "It's not going through. Her Scroll isn't working."

"Maybe it ran out of power?" Weiss suggested.

Yang began to look panicked. "Are you sure she wasn't back at Beacon?"

"I'm certain, she never came back to the dorm."

Yang began to walk quickly. "We need to find her. Come on."

Penny didn't say a word as Ruby spoke. She didn't interrupt her, nor did she comment on anything Ruby said whenever she paused to collect her thoughts. She showed no outward signs of judgement, she just sat beside Ruby as she spoke, listening.

It took a while. Between her hoarse voice, her stammer acting up throughout, and just her general reluctance to open up, Ruby's confession wound up taking quite some time to get through.

She told Penny everything. She explained her autism, and how it had made her so dependent on her sister for so long to help her. She explained how she had utterly failed to realise that her teammates were struggling, how she had been unable to see their troubles beyond her own. She explained how Weiss and Blake had fought, how Blake had run away, how it seemed like the two would never be able to reconcile. She explained how Yang had sent her away, because she had finally realised how useless her little sister was and she was better off without her…

She left out Weiss' story, and the fact that Blake was a Faunus. Those parts weren't hers to share.

When she finally finished, Penny remained silent, seemingly processing everything Ruby had just unloaded onto her. Ruby could only wait silently herself for Penny to give her judgement of Ruby's failures.

"I think I understand now. I think you are right, Ruby. I cannot help you with this. I am sorry I cannot do anything."

It took Ruby a moment herself to realise that Penny had apologised to her.

"W-why are you s-sorry?"

"I wanted to help you," Penny explained. "But I see know that this is something that another person cannot really help with."

Penny stood up, and offered Ruby her hand. "All I can do is help you get back to Beacon, so you can talk with your other friends properly about all of this."

Ruby did not take Penny's hand. She remained sat on the ground, staring up at the green-eyed girl in confusion.

"Y-y-you… think I can f-fix th-this?"

Penny shook her head. "I do not think that this is something that you need to 'fix,' Ruby. I think that this is something that you need to face, and talk about with the people who are a part of it."

"I… I don't understand…"

Penny seemed to ponder for a moment. "I may not be explaining myself very well. I have never been in a situation like yours before. But I have had disagreements with my Dad, and when those happen, we find that the best thing to do is talk about them with each other. Maybe if you tell your team what you have told me about how you feel, and then listen to them when they tell you how they feel, you can all figure this out together?"

Ruby stared up at Penny. She had been expecting any number of bad reactions to result from telling Penny all of this, but instead Penny was offering her advice?

"You… don't think th-that I'm a h-h-horrible person? Even after w-what I told y-you?"

Penny shook her head firmly. "Not at all. You care a lot about your sister and your friends. A horrible person would not feel so bad about this."

No longer waiting for Ruby to take her hand, Penny reached down and pulled Ruby to her feet by herself. "Now come on, we need to get you back to your-"

Penny stopped, her eyes widening before she spun around, her gaze aimed towards the sky.

A low rumble sounded in the distance. To an untrained ear, it would have sounded like thunder.

To the ear of one who knew what an explosion sounded like, there was no mistaking what this rumble was.

Especially when it was followed by another, which itself was accompanied by the distant, tell-tale glow of flames rising into the night sky.

"Ruby, what is in that direction?" Penny asked.

"Th-the docks, I th-think." Ruby strained her hearing, and although it was difficult to make out, she could have sworn that she heard the sound of gunfire echoing through the night.

Ruby reached for her weapon, only to remember that it was back in her locker at Beacon. So she reached for her Scroll to call the locker to her location, only to remember that it was broken.

Luckily, she remembered the code she would need, and so long as she remembered that, any Scroll would do.

"Penny, can I borrow y-your S-Scroll?"

"Ruby!" Yang yelled as loud as she could. "Ruby, where are you!?"

"Yang, let's think about this," chimed in Weiss. "Is there somewhere she might be? Somewhere she would go if she were lost?"

"If she were lost, she would have just called me!" Yang replied, her panic rising. "Ruby! Can you hear me!?"

"Maybe she went back to the dorm after I left?" Weiss pulled her Scroll out. "I'll call Pyrrha and ask her to check-"

Yang's own Scroll buzzed in her pocket, and she felt a wave of relief flood over her. It was most probably Ruby, calling to ask where she was…

BLAKE

Yang's heart stopped. Her finger froze over the 'answer' button as she stared at the name on the screen.

"Are you going to… oh." Weiss looked down at the display on Yang's Scroll. She was apparently just as thrown off by this development as Yang was.

Yang swallowed thickly, and pressed the button, switching on the loudspeaker as she did so.

The voice that came through was panicked, and not Blake, and accompanied by the distinct sound of a lot of gunfire.

"HELP US!"

Chapter Text

As Roman continued to take shelter behind a charred hunk of bulkhead fuselage beside several White Fang soldiers, with the sounds of gunfire and panicked yelling filling the air around him, he found himself wondering if maybe, just maybe, he hadn't been quite as clever as he thought he was when he was putting this operation together.

He pondered that particular possibility for around half a second, before ultimately deciding that all of this was quite clearly not his fault, and one of the White Fang idiots must have blown their cover on the last robbery and allowed themselves to be followed back to the docks. It was probably that idiot of a Lieutenant. The guy was way too gigantic to be stealthy and sneaky, and he used a huge chainsaw as a weapon for crying out loud. Honestly, it was a minor miracle that guy hadn't ruined the entire operation from the start.

Between Junior's goons-for-hire and now these morons, I don't seem to be having the best of luck when it comes to hired help at the moment. I knew I should have brought more of the guys with me from Mistral.

But there was no time for Roman to lament his lack of foresight, not when it was quite apparent that a full Huntsman team plus backup had decided to come by and say hello. Two entire bulkheads had already been reduced to piles of spare parts, and a good chunk of the cargo they had been loading was gone along with them.

At this point, the smart thing to do would be to just cut-and-run, but if they lost all of the ships then they were sitting ducks with no way out, so simply grabbing Neo and running wasn't really an option.

Not to mention how he would likely react when Roman came back empty-handed and without any of the White Fang that had been loaned to him for the job. The Lieutenant may not have intimidated Roman, but that guy was the poster-boy for fanatical and crazy, and Roman had the strong suspicion that he was the sort who would take less-than-well to being told about any setbacks in his grand master plan.

So, while he continued to remain crouched behind the still-smouldering remnants of the bulkhead's wing, and while the White Fang soldiers carried on returning fire sporadically to keep their adversaries at bay, Roman weighed up his remaining options. Thanks to Neo grabbing the spare bulkhead earlier, they still had two functioning vehicles available, provided they also didn't get blown up anytime soon. They had just about finished loading the majority of the Dust before they were ambushed, so between those two ships they would still have a decent haul to show for their efforts.

The only slight issue was that there clearly wasn't going to be enough room for everyone to pile into a single pair of getaway vehicles. Not unless they dumped out some of the cargo to make space.

Well then, I guess it's time to find out just how 'loyal to the cause' these guys are.

During a brief lull in the frenetic exchange of fire, Roman rose from his position and fired off three rounds from his cane, aiming them at the ground beneath the feet of the three who were shooting at them. The resulting trio of blasts created a tall wall of debris, briefly obscuring the enemy's line of fire and throwing them off balance.

"Alright, get to the ships!" Roman barked, moving out from behind his cover and mingling with the small group he was with to stay out of sight. "We need to go now!"

But just as the group began to move out, a shadow passed overhead, and Roman had the realization that, despite seeing three people shooting at them just now, he could have sworn that there were five of them at first-

A pair of feet landed on top of Roman's head, sending him stumbling into the White Fang soldiers he was with and knocking them all down as well.

"Hold up there, pal! You're not getting away that easily!"

Roman groaned, both from the pain of having his head stomped on and from the irritation of hearing someone say something so...cliché.

Getting back to his feet, Roman saw the monkey-tailed one standing before them, smirking cockily as he spun his staff around like he was showing off. Now that Roman had a closer look, this one seemed to be a bit on the young side, too young to be a licenced Huntsman.

Roman again groaned inwardly as he realised that his crew had been jumped and his operation blown sky high not by actual Huntsmen, but by a bunch of schoolkids.

Roman fired on the boy, his irritation taking over and making him lash out without thinking.

It was a blatantly telegraphed shot, and the boy blocked it without issue, deflecting the round with a casual spin of his staff.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" quipped Monkey Boy playfully. "I thought you were supposed to be some big-shot crime lord?"

Roman felt his eye begin to twitch. He wouldn't ordinarily have been so annoyed by such basic taunts, but his patience had understandably been worn out entirely by recent events.

He cast a frustrated glare around at the soldiers he was with. "Can one of you please get rid of this idiot?"

All four White Fang soldiers decided to take Roman up on his request, fanning out and surrounding the boy with weapons at the ready.

"Why are you getting in our way?" one asked. "We should be on the same side! We're trying to help you! We're trying to help all Faunus!"

"I don't remember asking for your help," Monkey Boy replied.

No more words were exchanged. The four soldiers charged together, and Monkey Boy met them all at once with his staff.

Roman chose not to stick around and see the results. With the wannabe hero occupied, he was free to continue making his way towards the bulkheads…

"Stop right there!"

A wire wrapped itself around Roman's arm, stopping him in his tracks. He was yanked hard and spun around, his face coming level with the point of a sword.

"Drop your weapon and surrender. The police are already on their way."

This boy (because of course they were all children, as if Roman weren't feeling humiliated enough) had red hair, and looked like he was cosplaying as a pirate. His sword and gun even looked like the sort of things someone in a cheap pirate movie would use.

"Drop my weapon, huh? Alright, you're the boss." Roman let go of his cane, and with his newly freed hand grabbed the wire that was wrapped around his other arm and yanked it towards him. Pirate Boy stumbled forwards, and Roman stepped to one side to avoid having his face skewered on the boy's sword.

In one smooth motion, Roman wrapped the rest of the wire around Pirate Boy's neck, forcing him to cut it with his sword to avoid being choked. This freed Roman from its snare as well, allowing him to quickly draw his spare pocketknife and slash at the boy's face.

Pirate Boy leapt backwards to avoid the hit, and Roman took the opportunity to kick his cane back up to his hand. Now fully armed and unhindered, Roman swung into action, cane and knife dancing in his hands in tandem as he forced Pirate Boy to defend himself from his assault, not allowing the kid a moment to breathe.

Roman could at least appreciate that this one had a decent amount of skill. He ducked and dodged and blocked with remarkable efficiency, and Roman was only able to land a few glancing blows in their duel, not enough to have any real effect.

But skill could only take one so far in this world. At the end of it all, as Roman had learned a long time ago, the value of talent would always take second place to the value of genuine experience.

And Roman was pretty certain he had seen more fights in the last year alone than Pirate Boy had seen in his whole life.

Roman threw his knife upwards, grabbed his cane in both hands, and swung it hard into the boy's ribs, slipping through his guard to land a solid blow that sent the boy reeling backwards, Aura flashing and gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of him.

The knife fell back down, and Roman swung again, hitting the knife like he was hitting a baseball and sending it flying towards Pirate Boy's hand, knocking his gun out of his grasp and leaving him with only his sword.

Roman dashed forwards again and resumed his attack, taking full advantage of his opponent being winded and off-balance to get several more solid hits in, before jamming the barrel end of his cane into Pirate Boy's stomach and pulling the trigger.

The point-blank round exploding with full force shattered Pirate Boy's Aura, launched him across the docks, and sent him slamming against a shipping container hard enough to dent the metal.

The kid slumped on the ground, motionless, a small trickle of blood flowing out of his mouth.

Roman winced. His own Aura had taken a bit of a battering from the recoil of that particular tactic, but he wasn't too bothered. He had never really been one to rely too much on his Aura for defence anyway, preferring to guard and parry manually as much as possible. In his opinion, Aura was for emergencies only, or for facilitating kamikaze attacks that would catch less-experienced adversaries by surprise.

Experience trumps talent, every time.

"SCARLETT!"

Oh, so that's his name. Ah, who am I kidding, I'll forget it by tomorrow anyway.

A white and yellow blur approaching from the corner of his vision spurred Roman to spin back around, just in time to intercept a blow from Monkey Boy's staff.

"You are not the brightest bulb, are you?" Roman sighed. "You should just grab your friend and go on home, before this gets worse for anyone."

"Like hell I will!" Monkey Boy growled. He twisted his hands around the shaft of his staff, and Roman heard a series of clicks as he did so.

The staff split apart, first into two shorter staves, then those staves split as well, separating out further. Chains held each part together, forming two pairs of nunchakus.

Nunchakus that Roman realised, after narrowly dodging a bullet that whizzed past his cheek, were made from shotguns.

"Wait a minute… you were a member of the White Fang!?"

Blake grimaced, flinching at the accusatory note she heard in Sun's voice.

"That's right. I was a member for most of my life. I was almost… born into it."

"You say you were once a member," said Scarlett slowly. "Meaning you aren't any more?"

Blake shook her head. "I left about a year ago now, when things started to get worse."

Sage crossed his arms. "Define worse."

Blake closed her eyes and sighed, setting down her tea and wondering how best to explain all of this.

"It used to be different. Back when it all started, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace. A way to show that Faunus could stand alongside humanity, as equals. But things weren't changing the way we had been promised they would, so the White Fang changed instead."

Blake leaned back in her chair, staring up at the sky to avoid looking at the others directly as she spoke.

"We organised. We protested. Boycotts and rallies and petitions, and for a while we had hope. We thought that if we tried hard enough, showed the world that we weren't going to be silent, we could make them listen to us."

"But it didn't make any difference. The only responses we got were complaints about all the trouble we were causing. So, we changed again. Switched from peaceful protests… to violent ones."

"The White Fang have been violent in their actions for a lot more than one year," Scarlett commented.

Neptune elbowed him in the side, shooting his teammate an unamused look.

"You're right," Blake replied. "This has been going on for a long time. And for a long time, I was a part of it. Setting fire to businesses that refused to serve Faunus, stealing cargo from companies that used Faunus labour, threatening politicians and officials who supported anti-Faunus laws…"

Blake trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut. "I kept on telling myself that it would all be worth it in the end. And I convinced myself that the people we were hurting deserved it for the way they treated us. And I reassured myself over and over that it was just property damage and empty threats, and that we would never, ever go so far as to actually kill-"

Blake stopped, her voice cracking as she fought to keep herself from breaking down, the weight of everything she was saying, everything she was confessing to…

A hand grabbed hers, gently squeezing it. She opened her eyes to see Sun looking at her with concern.

"But you got out," he said softly. "You turned away from all that."

Blake nodded, finding her voice again. "It just kept on piling up. And it still didn't help. We still weren't getting anywhere, so all of that chaos we created was pointless. But some of us… a lot of us… thought we just weren't going far enough. So someone else took charge of the White Fang, and she took things to a new extreme."

"Sienna Khan, right?" asked Sage. "The Militant?"

"Militant is putting it mildly," Blake said, her voice low. "She doesn't care if other people get hurt. As far as she's concerned, anyone who doesn't support the White Fang is an enemy to be targeted, no matter how small a role they play in the systems that oppress us. To her, it doesn't matter if you're a CEO of a megacorp, or the driver of a cargo train that works for the megacorp. They're both just as guilty in her eyes, and just as deserving of punishment."

"That's insane!" Scarlett exclaimed. "The world isn't as black-and-white as that! She can't just tar everyone with the same brush!"

How many times had Blake heard that phrase now?

"Scar," Neptune chimed in. "I don't disagree with you, but try and think about it from their perspective."

"No, Scarlett is right," Blake said. "She's wrong. Sienna… her worldview is broken, and it pulled a lot of people down a path that had no way back. So… I left. I didn't want to go down that path with her. I wanted to help people, not cause more pain. So I thought about what I could do to make a real difference, and… well, I decided to follow an old childhood dream of mine, and become a Huntress."

The table was silent for a few moments, as the other four took in what Blake had told them all.

"So…" Sun began. "Have you told your friends any of this?"

Blake's grip on her teacup tightened enough to make the cheap ceramic creak under the pressure. "How could I? They already hate me enough as is."

"So why tell us, then?" asked Neptune. "I mean, I know Sun here insisted, but why did you agree?"

Blake shrugged. "Honestly? I don't really know. Maybe I just felt like I needed to tell someone, and you just happened to be here?"

"My I ask another question?"

It was the longest sentence Blake had heard Sage say the entire time they had been sat together.

"If you knew that the White Fang were going to take action here in Vale, and you could stop them, would you?"

Blake blinked. "Huh?"

Sage continued. "You said you got out because you didn't want to be a part of their violence. But are you willing to act to stop that violence? Or are you OK with staying out of their way and letting them act without you?"

Blake's teacup shattered in her hands, spilling its contents all over the table. She surged to her feet, angered by Sage's insinuation.

"I'm not with them anymore!" she snapped. "I left!"

"I know," Sage replied calmly. "I don't doubt that. What I'm asking is if you would oppose them now, or would you allow them to carry on so long as they didn't drag you down with them?"

Blake didn't hesitate for a moment before answering resolutely.

"If the White Fang were going to attack people, and I could stop them, then I would do everything I can to stop them. I meant what I said, Sienna's way is wrong. All her ideology is going to achieve is make humanity hate us even more."

Sage smiled a small smile. "There's a stockpile of stolen Dust being moved out from the dockyard tonight by members of the White Fang."

Blake stared at Sage. "What?"

"I overheard some stuff when I was looking around town yesterday," Sun explained. "We did a little digging, and it seems like all that Dust that's been stolen lately is for some big job their planning."

Blake sat down in her chair, dumbfounded by how casually Sun had just said that. "Have you told the police?"

Sun gave Blake a look. "Call me crazy, but I get the feeling the police around here wouldn't be too inclined to take anything I have to say seriously."

"So we figured we'd go and stop them ourselves!" Neptune said excitedly. "Someone has to, after all!"

Blake looked from Neptune, to Scarlett, to Sage, to Sun.

They weren't joking.

Blake hardened her gaze. "I'm in."

The White Fang soldier's blade narrowly missed Blake's head as she dodged to one side, but she was unable to avoid the spray of gunfire from her opponent's partner. Her Aura strained to absorb the impact of the bullets, just about managing to hold out without breaking.

She wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

Leaping as high as she could, Blake flipped through the air and took aim with her weapon, firing off the last of her ammo to draw the attention of the sword-wielding soldier. Just as the soldier swung her blade upwards, Blake used her Semblance, the shadow of her taking the hit as she was launched that little bit further upwards by the displacement effect of her power.

She threw Gambol downwards, the blade embedding itself in the ground between the gun-wielding soldier's feet. Yanking on the ribbon, Blake pulled herself down at speed and swung Shroud, channelling just enough of her precious remaining Aura into its edge to allow her to slice clean through the rifle, rendering the gunfighter member of this particular tag-team defenceless as she landed a swift kick to their stomach.

Landing in a crouch, Blake rolled to avoid another attack from the swordfighter. Springing back to her feet and pulling Gambol back into her grasp, Blake blocked with Shroud and used her second blade to deliver a final slash that broke the soldier's Aura once and for all. A follow-up strike with Shroud's handguard to the soldier's masked face rendered her out cold.

Blake could feel her Aura flicker as she gasped for breath. She could maybe take one more hit before it broke which, given the situation she was currently in, was not ideal.

"SCARLETT!"

Blake whipped her head around in the direction of Sun's shout, and froze as she saw Scarlett slumped motionless against a shipping container.

I need to get him out of here. I need to help. I have to help.

But Blake did not move. Her legs were rooted to the spot, and her body would not obey her wishes. Panic and terror and pure exhaustion had rendered her immobile.

"BELLADONNA!"

Blake's eyes widened as she heard that all-to-familiar voice bellowed her name. Slowly, she turned her head see him.

Bane Gainesboro. One of the White Fang's most infamous Lieutenants, and someone who Blake knew all too well.

In one hand he was holding his weapon, that enormous chainsaw that Blake had witnessed cutting through armour plating like butter.

In his other hand, bloodied and unconscious…

"Sage!" Blake cried in horror. He looked in even worse shape than Scarlett did, and Blake couldn't tell if he was even breathing or not.

"You threw in with these humans!?" he roared. "After everything they've done!?"

"Let him go," Blake replied weakly, fear robbing her of the ability to do anything else.

If Gainesboro is here, then that means-

"You traitor!" Gainesboro spat. "You will answer for this, Belladonna! Just as this one will answer for his crimes!"

Gainesboro dropped Sage, grabbed his chainsaw with both hands, and moved to bring it down on Sage's head.

Adrenaline cut through the fog of terror clouding Blake's mind, and overcame the paralysing fear that had her frozen in place. She surged to her feet, Gambol Shroud at the ready…

But she was too far away. She would never be able to close that distance in time.

No no no no  NO !

Blake didn't think. Not consciously, anyway. She did not deliberately do what she did next, but she acted on pure instinct, driven only by the knowledge that she had to save Sage no matter what.

She was at least ten metres away from Gainesboro, yet in an instant she was in front of him, Shroud held high to stop his chainsaw's descent before it could take Sage's life.

Ten metres behind her, her shadow flickered out of existence, its purpose fulfilled.

Blake's Aura broke, the last of her energy having been spent in forcing her Semblance past its limit. She tasted blood in her mouth, and her vision blurred, but she pushed back against Gainesboro with all of her might and forced him back away from Sage.

"Get away from him."

Gainesboro snorted behind his mask. "Fine, if you are so eager to die first, then so be it!"

Gainesboro raised his weapon, and Blake knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid his attack. Her Aura was gone, her body well past its limit, and even if she wasn't utterly spent, she had never been able to match up to him anyway.

The roaring blade of the chainsaw descended towards Blake, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was going to die.

The blade was close enough that Blake could feel the air it stirred up tickling her face…

And then her vision was filled with red, and the wind roared in her ears as her end came and the blade of the chainsaw-

Stopped.

Silence filled the air for a brief moment, then-

BOOM!

It was as if a bomb had gone off right beside Blake's head, such was the volume of the sound. Her ears rang from the sudden noise, and she was knocked sideways onto the ground from the force of… whatever that just was.

Her vision blurred again, but she could just about make out a red flower petal floating down to the ground in front of her…

Is that..?

Blake lifted her head, struggling to focus her vision on what was in front of her. She squinted; the blurry shapes began to sharpen…

And then her eyes widened in shock.

Gainesboro's gargantuan chainsaw, which Blake had personally seen tear through people's weapons before, had been halted entirely by a gleaming silver-and-red scythe, the edge of which had jammed the spinning chain and stopped it from running.

Holding said scythe was a girl in a red hood, flower petals drifting to the ground around her, and sparks of electricity crackling across her arms and legs.

"What? Who are-?"

Gainesboro did not get the chance to finish asking who this was, because in the next moment, the hooded girl had spun her scythe around, knocked aside his chainsaw, and proceeded to fire a sniper round into his chest, launching him backwards and sending him sprawling across the ground.

"Ruby?"

Ruby turned to face Blake. The younger girl's eyes were puffy, as if she had been crying, and she was wincing in pain as the last of the sparks danced along her body, but she still gave Blake a small smile.

"Glad I m-m-made it in time. Are y-y-you h-hurt? N-no, s-stupid question, of course you are…"

Blake's brain struggled to process what had just happened. It was as if Ruby had just appeared out of nowhere. The girl was fast, sure, but Blake never had trouble tracking Ruby's movements, even when she used her Semblance.

And what had that explosion been?

And why did she have sparks running along her..?

Blake stared up at Ruby, stunned. "Did you just go supersonic?"

Ruby's smile grew a little wider. "Yup."

"Get out of my way, little girl!"

Gainesboro was back on his feet, chainsaw running again, the sound of it filling the air as he advanced on them once more.

"Ruby, run!" Blake cried. "He'll kill you!"

Ruby did not reply. She simply settled into a fighting stance, scythe at the ready, placing herself in front of both Blake and Sage.

Gainesboro closed the distance between himself and Ruby, swinging his chainsaw and roaring in fury, his own voice blending with the roar of his weapon, both drowning out Blake's frantic pleas for Ruby to just run and leave her behind-

Ruby spun her scythe around her body and swatted the chainsaw aside with the blunt end, knocking Gainesboro off balance and following up with a blow to the side of his head. He recovered quickly however, and resumed his attack, swinging for Ruby once more, this time aiming for her legs.

Ruby slammed the end of her scythe's handle into the ground and used it to vault over the incoming attack, flipping around and landing behind Gainesboro to deliver a blow of her own, sending him reeling once more.

Blake watched in amazement as Ruby followed up with another strike, and another, and another, and another. She was relentless, her scythe spinning so fast at times that it almost resembled a buzzsaw as she forced Gainesboro on the defensive, not allowing him to launch another attack, lest he open himself up to a devastating counter once more.

Blake had seen Ruby fight before. She was watched Ruby duel Weiss, and had observed the younger girl during training, so she was well aware that Ruby was a skilled combatant.

But this? This was something else. This wasn't the careful, practiced style Ruby used in training. This was ferocious. Angry.

Gainesboro stumbled as Ruby hammered him with an overhead strike. His legs buckled, and he fell to one knee.

Ruby drew back her scythe and leapt forwards… but something seemed off. Blake couldn't be sure, but Ruby seemed to be moving a bit slower than she had just a second ago.

Gainesboro rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Ruby's strike as he swung his chainsaw at her again.

His attack landed.

Blake cried out in alarm as Ruby's Aura flashed brightly to absorb the impact, but judging by the yell of pain Ruby let out, it hadn't quite managed to block the hit in its entirety. Ruby was knocked aside, landing roughly.

The Dust! The Lightning Dust she used to boost her Semblance was boosting her normal speed as well, but it wore off! She can't move as fast anymore!

"I admire your ability, girl," Gainesboro sneered. "But it would seem that this game is now over."

Blake forced herself to stand up on shaking legs, gripping Gambol Shroud in her hands. She wouldn't let him do to Ruby what he did to Sage. Even if all she managed was to buy Ruby a few seconds, she had to try and do whatever she could to save her.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Blake growled.

Gainesboro ignored her and advanced on Ruby.

Ruby moved to guard with her Scythe.

Blake stumbled forwards, determined to at least do one good thing, save one person…

There was a flash of green, and Gainesboro was knocked off balance.

Half a dozen more green flashes followed suit, forcing him back.

"Ruby! I am here!"

A girl in a green dress and with long orange hair landed beside Ruby, a curious-looking array of guns seemingly floating behind her.

"I told you not to go on ahead without me! What if you had gotten seriously hurt?"

"S-sorry Penny. I'll m-m-make it up to y-you, I promise."

The girl, Penny, huffed. "You may make it up to me by promising not to be so reckless in the future."

Ruby, in what Blake considered to be an uncharacteristic display of sass from the normally shy girl, rolled her eyes. "Y-you s-sound like C-Ciel."

Penny blinked. "I suppose that means I will need to apologise to Ciel after this is over."

The sound of approaching footsteps jolted them all back to their senses, just in time to realise that around ten White Fang soldiers had moved to surround them as another pair helped Gainesboro stagger away.

"Kill them all," he snapped.

The soldiers advanced, weapons at the ready.

"Ruby, take Sage and get out of here," ordered Blake, taking as good a stance as she could, given her less-than-peak condition.

"I'm n-not leaving y-you, Blake," Ruby replied, her stammer not taking away form the firmness of her tone. "I w-wasn't there f-for y-you when y-you n-needed me before, s-so I'm not m-making that m-mistake again."

"I think it would be wise if you were the one to take this 'Sage' and escape," suggested Penny I do not believe that you are in any condition to assist in this battle anymore."

Blake grit her teeth. "I'm not running. Not this time."

Blake raised Gambol, ready to intercept the incoming attack from the soldier closest to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruby and Penny stand back-to-back, covering each other's blind spots.

They make a good pair.

The soldier in front of Blake swung his hatchet, and Blake prepared to parry.

A yellow-gauntleted fist slammed into the side of the soldier's head, sending him flying away from the force of the impact.

"Anyone else wanna try their luck!?" yelled Yang. "I'll send you all to the hospital one by one!" She slammed her fists together to emphasise her point, taking position beside Blake and staring down the entire assembled force of soldiers.

"Not by yourself you won't!" another voice added. A strange yet familiar sound rang in the air, and another new arrival descended to land beside Blake on her other side.

"Weiss?" Blake gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping for furniture," Weiss snarked back. She gestured to Sage on the ground. "I take it he was the one who called for help?"

"I… I don't know. But… why did you come?"

Weiss looked Blake directly in the eye. "Because we're a team."

"Because we're your friends," added Yang. "And whatever it is you think you need to run away from us for, we don't care."

Blake was speechless.

They already hate me enough as is.

That was what Blake had thought all this time, yet here they all were.

Because they don't know the truth…

"I… I'm not who you think I am. There's something I've been-"

"Here's an idea," Weiss cut in. "How about we save the explanations for after we survive this life-or-death encounter!?"

"She's got a point," Yang said, just as another soldier charged towards her. "Let's take care of these guys, then you can apologise for making us all worry."

As the rest of the soldiers surrounding them advanced once again, Blake nodded.

"Alright then. Let's finish this."

Chapter Text

"Here's an idea: why don't we save the explanations for after we survive this life-or-death encounter!"

Once again, it seemed that Weiss had to be the sole voice of reason on the team and remind everyone of the dire situation they were currently in. Thankfully, Yang agreed with her, and the other two did as well shortly afterwards.

The White Fang soldiers were closing in cautiously, but they were closing in nonetheless. Weiss could tell that as soon as one of them charged on their small band, the rest of the soldiers would swiftly follow suit, and they would run the risk of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Blake was clearly in no condition to continue a long fight, and they also had a bleeding and unconscious boy to worry about as well. Not to mention whoever else might be injured elsewhere.

Barrelling headlong into a big battle was not going to work. They needed a proper plan, and they needed time to formulate it.

The barrel of Myrtenaster spun until it landed on the vial Weiss needed. She plunged the point of her weapon into the ground and cast a Glyph to encompass all six of them, before channelling her Aura into her blade and activating both Dust and Glyph in tandem.

A circular wall of ice rose up around them, shielding them from the approaching soldiers, who quickly began hammering away at the impromptu barrier with their weapons.

"That won't hold for long!" Weiss yelled. "Ruby, we need a plan!"

"A… a plan?" Ruby stammered.

"Yes!" Weiss snapped, her patience non-existent. "You're our leader, aren't you? Lead us! How do we get out of this mess?"

Ruby said nothing for a moment, and Weiss worried that Ruby wouldn't be able to suggest anything in time. Every second that passed was a second closer to the barrier crumbling, and if they had no viable plan of action when that happened…

"W-we need to get away, s-so w-we should f-focus on escape. But w-we can't do that if th-there's anyone chasing us. So… we n-need to m-make sure they can't f-follow us."

Ruby pointed at Blake. "Blake, who else is h-here?"

"Three others besides Sage," Blake replied. "Scarlett was knocked out by that Torchwick guy, he's near the bulkheads. Sun is there as well, fighting Torchwick. There's Neptune as well, but I don't know where he is. We got separated."

Ruby seemed to consider this information for a moment, before rounding on the girl in the green dress. "Penny, can y-you clear a path f-for us to the bulkheads?"

"Affirmative, Ruby," Penny replied with a salute. "I will make sure no-one gets in your way."

Ruby nodded. "Yang, can you f-fly a sh-ship?"

"I can," Weiss interjected before Yang could say anything. "I had pilot lessons when I was younger."

"OK then, W-Weiss is our pilot. Y-you go w-with Penny and get one of the sh-ships ready f-for us. I'll h-help S-Sun get past Torchwick, and the two of us w-will destroy the other sh-ship s-so no-one can f-follow us."

"What about me?" asked Yang. "If I'm not flying us out, what's my job?"

Ruby turned to face her sister. "You and Blake… you n-need to h-help get the others to the sh-ship. Grab S-Sage and S-Scarlett, f-find Neptune, and m-meet us at the sh-ship."

Yang looked like she might protest, but ultimately said nothing. She just grimaced and nodded, silently accepting her sister's judgement of the situation.

"Alright everyone, get ready," Weiss warned. "As soon as I stop maintaining the barrier, it'll start to crumble faster and we'll be out in the open."

"Everyone get ready," Ruby ordered, dropping low and holding her scythe behind her. "W-we need to be f-faster than th-them."

Everyone nodded and took their positions, ready to move out as soon as Weiss stopped maintaining their rapidly diminishing fortification.

It wasn't a particularly ingenious plan, but it was more than Weiss had been able to think up in the heat of the moment. Her entire focus had just been on keeping the White Fang at bay for as long as possible. She wasn't able to think ahead to what they would need to do next.

Coming up with plans in a classroom or a training exercise was easy. There were no real stakes there beyond grades, so Weiss could take her time to think of the best possible course of action for the scenario she found herself in.

But in a real situation like this? One where every second counted and a mistake could mean death?

Weiss could plan, but she couldn't improvise. Not the way Ruby could. Ruby could take stock of a situation, weigh up her options, and cobble together a strategy that they could use on the fly. They were never super complicated or clever strategies, but they worked. It had worked in the Emerald Forest when they fought the Death Stalker, it had worked for her when she sparred with Weiss, and now she had done it again here.

Weiss was beginning to understand now just why Ruby had been made the leader.

Because she really was good at it.

She just needed a little extra input here and there.

And Weiss could accept that she was more than happy to be able to provide that.

Weiss turned to face Ruby. "Just say the word, partner."

Weiss saw Ruby flush just a little bit at Weiss' remark, but then her gaze set, focussed and stern, all traces of hesitation gone.

"GO!"

Weiss cancelled her Glyph, and her Aura stopped sustaining the ice wall. With the damage it had already received, it swiftly fell apart around them, collapsing into a melting ring of slush in seconds.

As one, all of them sprang into action.

"This way, Weiss!" Penny yelled, opening fire with her strange floating guns, forcing the surrounding soldiers to dodge to either side to avoid getting shot.

Seizing the opportunity, Weiss dashed forwards and ran past the soldiers before they had a chance to regroup.

Don't stop. Don't waste time engaging anyone. I have to get to the bulkhead and get it ready, or none of us will make it out of here.

Someone to her right fired at her. She quickly swerved to avoid the shot, feeling it skim past her shoulder, but did not pause to see who had attempted to shoot her. She just kept on running.

Someone to her left lunged at her with a sword. She parried the lunge, but did not stop to retaliate further. She just kept on running

Several shouts behind her indicated that she was being chased, but Weiss did not look back. She kept her gaze fixed forwards, focussed only on her goal.

Nothing else mattered, so she just kept on running.

She was getting closer. She could see the nearest bulkhead just up ahead, no-one guarding it. A few more seconds of running and she would be there.

A tall man moved to block her path, but she would not be stopped now. She was so close. Conjuring a Glyph beneath her feet, Weiss used it to boost her jump so she sailed over the man's head-

A hand wrapped around Weiss' ankle, and she felt herself being pulled downwards. With a shout of alarm, Weiss was slammed down onto the ground hard enough to make her Aura flare.

The hand on her ankle maintained its grip, and the tall man swung her by her leg and slammed her into the side of a shipping container. Weiss saw stars as her head impacted hard with the steel wall of the container, her remaining Aura only able to do so much to reduce the force of such an impact.

A distinctive and unmistakable mechanical roaring sound filled the air, and Weiss stared in horror as a gargantuan chainsaw, wielded by the man holding her, descended towards her pinned leg.

A blast of green energy struck the man's arm, knocking his aim wide and sending the chainsaw into the ground beside Weiss instead of into her flesh.

"Unhand her at once!" Penny cried. "You will not hurt anyone else!"

The tall man released his grip on Weiss and rose to his feet, grasping his weapon with both hands and charging at Penny with a furious yell.

Weiss scrambled back up and began to move to help Penny.

"No!" Penny yelled. "You must get to the ship! I will make sure he does not follow you!"

Right, the bulkhead. She had to get it ready. They were all counting on her to get it ready for their escape.

Sparing Penny one final glance and silently praying she would be alright on her own against this monster of a man, Weiss turned and sprinted towards the bulkhead.

"Humanity will pay for what they have-!"

Yang's uppercut silenced the White Fang soldier mid-rant, launching him upwards and sending him crashing into a heap some distance away, out cold and almost certainly in need of some serious dental work to repair the damage he had just received.

How many more of these guys are there?

Were Yang on her own, she would have felt fairly confident in her ability to take on every single one of them. Thus far the ones she had taken down hadn't really put up much of a fight, having likely been worn down a decent amount already by Blake and the others before Yang had even arrived.

But that was the problem. She wasn't alone right now. She couldn't afford a drawn-out slugfest, not when there were people she needed to get to safety right this instant.

"What does this Neptune guy look like? Yang asked.

"He has blue hair," came Blake's strained reply. "Just look for the colour blue."

Another White Fang soldier came barrelling towards them, armed with what looked like a pair of tonfas.

Well, at least these guys have a bit more variety to their gear than some of the other goon-types I've met.

More variety, but not much more skill. Yang made short work of her latest assailant, dismantling his flimsy guard with a few well-placed feints before hammering his body with a barrage of powerful jabs, driving the air out of his lungs and leaving him slumped over gasping for breath before she moved on past him, Blake following closely behind with the unconscious Sage draped over her shoulder.

The unmistakable sound of a very specific sniper rifle being fired over and over almost caused Yang to stop and turn towards the source of the noise, but she fought against her instincts and pressed on, trying her absolute hardest to block out the sound that indicated that her little sister was fighting for her life and Yang wasn't there to protect her…

She doesn't need protecting, Yang. She needs you to do your damn job!

Yang knew better than most just how skilled Ruby was in a fight. They had trained together since they were young, learnt from their parents, from their uncle, and from each other how to take care of themselves in combat. Yang had seen Ruby take on opponents twice her size and with years more training and come out on top almost every single time. She had seen Ruby carve through Grimm and hit targets so far away that Yang couldn't even see them. Yang knew full well what Ruby could do, and she knew that out of all of them right now, Ruby was the one who she should be the least worried about.

But that didn't matter. It didn't matter what she told herself, or how much she convinced herself that Ruby would be fine. Hearing that rifle go off filled Yang's mind with images that made her feel sick to her stomach.

A grunt of pain from behind her snapped Yang back to reality.

Ruby will be OK. Besides, you have other people to protect right now.

"You sure you're holding up OK?"

The short, pained laugh Yang received from Blake was not entirely humourless. "Believe it or not, I have been in worse condition before."

Yang decided not to try and unpack that statement for the time being, choosing instead to focus on the fact that Blake was at least feeling well enough to snark at her, which was a good sign, all things considered.

Another pair of White Fang soldiers rounded a corner and leapt towards them, swinging their weapons in unison to strike at Yang on both sides.

Yang dodged the attack on her left, the curved blade of the soldier's sword skimming past her arm. The attacker on her right was able to land a hit with their staff, but Yang's Aura reserves were still plentiful enough to render the impact more-or-less moot.

Twisting around, Yang delivered two jabs to the staff-wielding soldier's body, then followed up with a hook that they were only just able to block with their weapon. They swung for Yang again, but she just ducked beneath the high strike before launching into a rising uppercut, her fist slamming into her opponent's chin and cracking their head backwards.

They swung for her yet again, but Yang's last hit had clearly left them dazed. The attack sailed past Yang, who didn't even need to move to avoid them. Drawing back her right fist and cocking Ember Celica, Yang delivered a final hit to the soldier's chest, firing off a shotgun blast upon impact that sent the hapless individual careening into a stack of crates, which proceeded to collapse on top of them, burying them underneath a mountain of splintered wood.

The sound of metal-on-metal rang out from behind Yang, and she turned to see that Blake was holding off the sword-wielding soldier, having been forced to drop Sage in order to defend herself from attack. Even exhausted and with no Aura left, she was able to guard against her enemy's strikes well enough to avoid taking any more damage.

Not that Yang was about to let Blake continue fighting in her condition. Not when Yang could help to protect her.

Yang fired Ember Celica behind her, using the recoil to launch herself towards the remaining soldier faster than she would have been able to on foot. Ever since Ruby had figured out that trick and taught it to her, it had come in handy time and time again.

But before Yang could even close the gap between them, a bolt of bright blue light flashed past her eyes and struck the soldier, knocking them aside and sending sparks of electricity coursing through their body. They keeled over, paralysed from the shock.

Yang landed beside the now crumpled soldier, and turned to see where that shot had come from. Standing a few metres away was a tall, thin boy with bright blue hair, holding a glowing blue rifle and staring daggers at the soldier he had just incapacitated.

"This whole night has been one giant disaster," he huffed.

"Neptune!" cried Blake. "You're OK!"

"No I am not," Neptune replied. "But I will be as soon as we get the heck out of here."

Blake nodded. "Right. Let's get out of here." She stowed her weapon on her back once more, and lifted Sage back onto her shoulders.

"Alright, let's grab the others, get to the ship, and then-"

Yang didn't finish what she was about to say, because the whole world suddenly tilted, and a dull pain blossomed from her temple.

Yang fell roughly on her side, her vision going slightly out of focus as a result of the blow to her head. Pushing herself upright, she saw a short girl standing nearby, with what looked like an umbrella held in one hand. She was staring down at Yang with mismatched eyes, smirking.

"Yang!" Blake yelled her name, and Neptune called out to her as well, moving to take aim at the girl who had managed to blindside Yang so effortlessly.

"Go!" Yang snapped, rising to her feet and taking a fighting stance, glaring at her new opponent. "Get the others and get to the ship! I'll meet you there!"

Blake seemed to hesitate for a moment, but Neptune quickly grabbed her arm and steered her away. Yang just about managed to hear him insist that they needed to find the rest of his team, before they both retreated from view, leaving Yang alone with the short girl in front of her.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Yang quipped.

The girl did not respond. She just smirked a bit wider, twirling her umbrella in a playful manner.

I can't waste time on this one. I need to catch up to Blake.

The distance between the two of them was narrow. In a single quick step, that distance was closed, and Yang was in position to attack.

Yang swung for the girl's head, but she ducked underneath Yang's arm smoothly. She stepped aside as Yang launched a jab to her torso, backstepped to avoid an uppercut, leaned out of the path of a hook…

The short girl evaded all of Yang's punches effortlessly. She ducked and weaved out of the way of every single hit, smirking at her all the while, taunting Yang without even saying a word.

Yang felt her patience wearing thin, her frustration mounting and her impatience boiling over. She didn't have time for this! Blake needed her, her sister needed her! She had to get past this little brat, now!

The air was filled with the sound of shotgun fire as Yang unleashed Ember Celica with each new punch she threw. If she could just land one good hit, knock this kid off balance and create an opening-

The end of the girl's umbrella slammed into the side of Yang's head, striking her in the same spot she had been hit before. In spite of the frail appearance of her opponent, the blow Yang received was powerful. The handle of that umbrella was heavy and solid, and this girl swung it with the force of a sledgehammer. Yang staggered to the side, the blow leaving her dazed and disoriented.

Another blow, delivered to her stomach, drove the wind out of Yang's lungs, and she almost dropped to her knees. She was just barely able to guard against a third strike before she back-peddled away from her attacker, putting some distance between them. She launched a barrage of shots from her gauntlets, all of which were blocked by the open canopy of the short girl's umbrella, which proved to be far more durable than something that flimsy-looking had any right to be.

Who the hell is this kid!?

The kid in question twirled her umbrella around, settling it on her shoulder and winking at Yang, that smug smirk still plastered across her face.

Yang's temper rose even higher, and she felt her eyes begin to heat up. They had almost certainly just turned red.

Firing Ember Celica behind her, Yang flew towards her diminutive enemy, all other thoughts gone from her mind besides a burning desire to take this girl down.

Ruby heard them before she saw them. Rapid-fire shotgun blasts, not too dissimilar to what her sister used, mixed in with intermittent sounds of larger explosions from a more powerful firearm, all intercut with the sound of weapons clashing together over and over and over again.

Activating her Semblance once more, Ruby sped ahead the remaining distance, and the two combatants came into view as she came to a halt.

Torchwick and another boy, who Ruby guessed was Sun, were fighting ferociously, their movements almost a blur as they exchanged frenetic blows and barrages of gunfire, their respective Aura's flashing intermittently, dull orange and golden yellow, as they each managed to land hits on the other in the chaos of their duel.

Neither one had noticed Ruby yet, so she ducked beside a hunk of what looked like the wing of a destroyed bulkhead and watched, waiting for an opening she could take advantage of.

The last time she had charged into an ongoing battle blindly and without care, she had helped to accidentally set a large chunk of a forest on fire. Best to play it a bit more cautiously this time around, lest the consequences be even more dire.

I've made enough mistakes already. I don't need to make things even worse by barging into another fight without warning.

Sun, whose nunchakus would have fascinated Ruby immensely were she not so worried about what might go wrong next, landed a solid blow to Torchwick's head that sent him staggering backwards.

It was the opening Ruby was hoping for. Taking aim, she opened fire, shooting half-a-dozen rounds at Torchwick in quick succession, who was taken completely off-guard, unable to block or avoid a single bullet. They all hit home, his dull orange Aura flashing with each hit as he was blasted further backwards, the gap between him and Sun widening even further.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose around so it was aimed behind her, and fired once more, the recoil sending her flying towards Torchwick. She twisted in the air as she flew, ready to land a powerful kick to the crime lord's head and knock him down.

But Torchwick had already recovered. He brought his cane up in a two-handed grip, blocking Ruby's kick and pushing her away.

Ruby landed in between Torchwick and Sun, both of whom regarded her with surprised expressions.

"Little Red!" Torchwick exclaimed. "So nice to see you again, kiddo! How've ya been?"

"I take it you're Blake's teammate?" Sun asked, coming to stand beside Ruby. "Thanks for the help."

Ruby just nodded in response; all her attention trained on the man in front of her. She had not been expecting to ever see Roman Torchwick in person again, but here they were.

"He's fast," muttered Sun from beside Ruby. "And that cane packs a wallop."

"I know," Ruby muttered in reply. She drew Crescent Rose back, and crouched low, drawing upon her Aura and preparing to activate her Semblance again.

Torchwick raised his cane, ready to fire, and Ruby sprang into action.

In an instant, she was right in front of Torchwick, and Crescent Rose was slicing through the air towards his body. Torchwick raised his cane to intercept, parrying Ruby's attack and transitioning into a counter, the curved handle of his cane striking at Ruby's leg.

Crescent Rose span around Ruby's body, the lower portion of the handle blocking Torchwick's attempt to hobble her. She responded with a counter of her own, the blunt end of her scythe coming down towards Torchwick's head.

Torchwick blocked with the barrel end of his cane, firing off a round as he did so, the force of the explosive shot knocking Crescent Rose upwards, and Ruby almost lost her grip on her weapon.

He struck her with a blow to her stomach, causing Ruby to grunt in pain and step backwards to avoid the follow up. She span Crescent Rose around her in a wide arc to give herself more space, then resumed her offensive.

Roman was indeed fast. He kept up with Ruby blow-for-blow, blocking and parrying each of her attempted attacks and countering with his own. In their brief exchange, Ruby had yet to land another hit, but had taken several hits herself.

"Isn't it past you're bedtime, Red?" Torchwick asked mockingly as he once again succeeded in parrying Ruby's attack. "And on a school night, as well? What would your parents say if-?"

Torchwick's joke was interrupted by a blow from a red-and-gold staff that staggered him. Seizing the small opening it provided, Ruby successfully landed a diagonal slash with Crescent Rose that caused Torchwick's Aura to flash bright and flicker slightly. Evidently, he was just beginning to reach his limit.

Ruby spared a brief glance to her right. Sun, now wielding a staff that Ruby could only assume was his weapons' combined form, was staring at Roman with a furious expression.

"That was for Scarlett," he spat.

Torchwick rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, you two need to watch other movies, you don't sound nearly as 'cool' as you think you do."

Ruby circled around, holding Crescent Rose close to her body in a defensive grip as she sidestepped to her left.

"Y-you can't f-fight us both by y-yourself."

"A-a-actually," Torchwick stammered out in a mocking imitation of Ruby. "I think I can." Torchwick circled around as well, mirroring Ruby's movements as he continued to place himself in front of her. "You got a little talent kid; I'll give you that. But I've done this a lot longer than you have, and let me tell ya, I usually wind up on top in the end."

Ruby racked a fresh round into her weapon's chamber, collapsed Crescent Rose down into its more compact rifle form, and lined up her shot.

Torchwick raised his cane in response, lining up a shot of his own, smirking all the while. "Go ahead, Little Red. Let's see how this one ends."

At once, both of them fired, the sounds of their weapons mixing together as rifle round and explosive round flew from the ends of their respective barrels and towards their targets, passing each other mid-air and continuing on without interruption.

The recoil of her shot sent Ruby backwards. She leaned into it, back arching as she bent over in limbo. The explosive firecracker passed over her, and she watched it fly past as she fell onto her back.

Torchwick sidestepped to avoid Ruby's shot, but he needn't have bothered. It had gone wide, sailing past him comfortably.

Neither Ruby nor Torchwick had been hit.

But unlike Torchwick, Ruby hadn't been aiming for her opponent in the first place.

Just as Torchwick's firecracker round impacted the crate behind Ruby and exploded, it was drowned out by a far more deafening explosion from behind Torchwick, one that lit up the surrounding area and made everything shake from the force of the blast.

Ruby lifted her head in time to watch Torchwick spin around to see that the bulkhead behind him had just gone up in flames.

The back door had been left open, and Ruby had just set off the crates of Fire Dust that had been stacked inside.

That takes care of that.

Torchwick rounded on Ruby, his face twisted in rage, composure utterly broken.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done!?" he spat.

"Yup," Ruby replied simply, rolling to her feet and redeploying Crescent Rose into its scythe form as Sun moved to stand beside her.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying a moment ago? About how you always come out on top in the end?" Sun was grinning wildly as he spoke.

Just as Torchwick raised his cane again, a blue bolt of energy sailed past his head, making him pause.

"You OK, Sun?"

Ruby turned to see who had just spoke, and was filled with relief when she saw who else was standing with the blue-haired boy who had just arrived.

"It's over, Torchwick," Blake said coldly, aiming her gun at him at she spoke, the larger boy slung over her shoulder not seeming to inconvenience her at all.

Torchwick was clearly taken aback by this turn of events, but then his expression returned to one of smug arrogance as the sound of footsteps echoed around them.

"It certainly is, Kitty Cat. But not for me."

Ruby stared wide-eyed as over a dozen White Fang soldiers surrounded them on all sides, all aiming various firearms at them.

"OK, seriously, where do these guys keep coming from!?" Sun asked incredulously.

Ruby's mind raced as she took stock of the situation. If her count was correct (and it always was), she only had two rounds left. Sun and Blake's ammo-count was a mystery, but she was willing to bet they were running low as well, if they hadn't run out entirely by now. The blue-haired boy's weapon looked like one that fired energy-based shots, so it would likely have more to offer, but there was only so much a single rifle could do against a large number of opponents.

"You're trying to think of a way out of here, aren't ya Red?"

Ruby glanced at Torchwick, who was smirking at her while leaning on his cane in an almost casual manner.

"I can almost hear the wheels turning in your brain from here," he continued. "But why don't I make it easier for you? If you all just drop your weapons right now, we can settle this like civilised people."

"You really think we'd give up that easily?" Sun retorted. "How stupid do you think we are?"

The sound of breaking glass rang through the air, and Torchwick's smirk grew into a more sinister grin.

"Why don't you show me?" he asked. He lifted one hand and gestured to the right, pointing at something just outside the circle.

Ruby felt the blood drain from her face and her breath catch in her throat as she saw Yang, eyes closed and slumped over, head pulled up by her hair as he was held by a shot girl with multicoloured hair who was pressing the blade of a thin sword to her sister's neck.

"Impeccable timing as always, Neo!" Torchwick exclaimed. He turned back towards the group, his smile falling and expression turning deadly serious. "Now drop your weapons, all of you, or Blondie gets bled."

Ruby stared at her sister, feeling herself begin to shake, her racing mind grinding to a halt, all thoughts of escape or fighting their way out of this jettisoned and replaced with the image of her sister bleeding to death.

"I'll give you to the count of three to make up your minds," Torchwick said. "One."

Ruby franticly turned to face the others. They were all frozen. Sun was glancing around at all the soldiers surrounding them. The boy with blue hair had his rifle trained on Torchwick, but he was noticeably shaking as he did so. Blake was staring in horror at Yang, the boy draped over her shoulder sliding from her grip.

"Two."

A new image flashed through Ruby's mind. A familiar hilltop, adorned with a simple headstone that she knew all too well, but beside it a newer, fresher grave…

"Thr-!"

Ruby dropped Crescent Rose, the large scythe loudly clattering to the ground.

Sun, Blake, and the other boy's weapons followed suit.

Torchwick laughed. "Well, that settles it! You really are idiots!" He turned to face his ally. "Neo, ki-"

A single gunshot echoed through the air. A pistol round. Ruby saw one of the White Fang soldiers stumble… and shatter.

"They're not real!" a voice screamed. "It's an illusion!"

More gunshots followed, and more White Fang soldiers shattered as they were struck by an unseen attacker.

"Scarlett!?" Sun cried, whipping his head around in search of the origin of the voice.

The rest of the White Fang soldiers… the copies… broke apart all at once, vanishing from sight, leaving only Torchwick and the other girl as their enemies.

Ruby activated her Semblance, launching herself towards where the girl was holding Yang. She had left her weapon behind in her haste, but she didn't care about that. All that mattered to her was stopping this girl from hurting Yang.

"Let my sister go!" Ruby screamed, stopping right in front of the short girl, Neo, and landing a direct punch to her face, causing her to stagger backwards and release Yang from her grasp.

Neo responded with a swipe of her blade, which Ruby saw extended from the end of what looked like an umbrella. She stepped back, but the weapon had a long reach, and it grazed her stomach, her scant remaining Aura just about managing to stop it from slicing open her belly.

Ruby took a defensive stance, copying the way she had seen Yang guard herself a thousand times before. Fists clenched, arms raised high to cover her head, one foot forward and knees bent.

So far this night, Ruby had gone from exhausted, to screaming out her emotions in an alleyway, to desperately running into certain danger, to panicking at the situation she had arrived in, to determinedly fighting through everything in their way to get out, to scared out of her mind upon seeing her sister almost die.

She should have felt utterly drained, emotionally and physically, but instead she was buzzing with adrenaline, and utterly furious.

Neo retracted the blade of her weapon into her umbrella, opened its canopy and twirled it around, flashing Ruby a playful smile and a wink as she did so.

Ruby was about to throw all caution out the window and charge at her opponent, when the air around them suddenly began to be whipped up into a frenzy, and the noise of engines descended from above.

A floodlight lit up the ground where Ruby stood, and a ladder descended in front of her.

"Get in!" echoed Weiss' voice, amplified by the speakers of the bulkhead she had managed to get airborne.

Ruby saw Neo dash towards her, only to be driven back by a hail of green energy bolts.

"We must depart at once!" yelled Penny, running up to Ruby from behind and all put pushing her towards the ladder. "More soldiers are on their way, their Lieutenant called for backup! They will be here soon!"

Penny's urgent words jolted Ruby out of her haze of anger. She grabbed onto the rungs of the ladder with both hands, then turned to face Penny.

"Grab my s-sister!" she shouted over the noise of the bulkhead's engines.

Penny nodded, and Ruby began to ascend the ladder into the hovering ship it dangled from.

Blake's hair whipped about in the gale-force downdraft produced by the bulkhead, and her eyes squinted from the stinging of the powerful winds.

"Neo!"

Blake turned to see Torchwick had started to run away, his diminutive companion following behind.

They weren't chasing after them. They were escaping.

After all of that, they're just going to get away?

No.

NO!

Blake stowed her own empty weapon, and grabbed Ruby's discarded scythe-rifle from the ground beside her. Hefting the enormous weapon in her arms, Blake aimed down the sights, lining up the fleeing back of Roman Torchwick in the scope.

You don't get to run away. Not after this. I won't let you run away!

Sage had almost died because of him. Gainesboro had been here because of him. All of the robberies, all of the pain, everything… it had all been his fault, and Blake wanted him to pay!

Blake's finger found the trigger, and pulled. The recoil sent the hefty weapon slamming painfully into her shoulder, but she had succeeded in making the shot, the bullet striking Torchwick's back-

And causing the illusion to break apart and vanish.

He was gone.

"NO!" Blake screamed. She whipped her head back and forth, spinning around to search for any sign of the escaping criminals.

But there was none.

They had vanished into the night.

It had all been for nothing.

Blake screamed in rage, her throat burning painfully, the taste of copper filling her mouth as she let out all her anger and pain at the utter unfairness of it all.

"Blake, come on! We have to go, now!" Sun grabbed her arm and began to pull her along.

Blake allowed herself to be led towards the dangling ladder, allowed herself to be lifted onto the rungs as she grabbed on to them, She robotically ascended, pulling herself up and into the bulkhead.

Sun followed behind, helping Neptune up after him, the pair of them carrying the still out-cold Sage and laying him across several seats in the cramped passenger bay. Scarlett was last up, having emerged from his hiding spot after the bulkhead had arrived. He looked terrible, and was noticeably gasping for each breath, but he made it.

Scarlett pulled up the ladder after himself and slid the bay door closed.

"OK, let's go!" Weiss announced over the ship's intercom. Blake stumbled as the bulkhead began to move, rising up and flying away from the carnage below.

Mutely, Blake stared out the window at the scene below. She watched as a number of White Fang soldiers, fresh reinforcements called in by their allies, swarmed the docks, running towards their fallen comrades and taking stock of the remains of their operation.

She watched as the unmistakable, hulking figure of Gainesboro emerged from the shadow of a fallen container. He stared up at the retreating bulkhead, and Blake knew that he was staring directly at her.

He'll know where I am now. He'll find me.

Blake clenched her shaking hands into fists and swallowed thickly. "Drop me off somewhere outside the city."

Sun leaned into her field of view. "You're kidding, right?"

Blake shook her head. "I can't stay here anymore. I have to leave."

"Why?"

Blake turned around. Yang was sat up, her sister silently fussing over her after she had awoken.

Blake took a deep breath. This was absolutely one of the worst ways for everyone to find out, but that was neither here nor there at this point. It was too late for her to be worried about how much everyone was going to hate her for this.

"I… I used to be in the White Fang, Yang. I used to be one of them." Blake closed her eyes, desperate to avoid the undoubtedly venomous looks she was getting from everyone as she spoke. "When A-… when the leaders fine out I'm here, they'll come for me. So I have to go."

"You will do no such thing."

Blake opened her eyes in shock. Weiss was glaring at her from over her shoulder where she was sat in the cockpit.

"You are coming back to Beacon with us, and we will not hear any arguments otherwise. I personally refuse to have a repeat of any of this in the future."

Blake sagged, realization dawning on her as to what Weiss was implying.

"You're going to turn me in," she mumbled.

Silence reigned for a long moment. Blake kept her gaze cast downwards, waiting for the hammer to fall upon her, the inevitable condemnation…

"Are you still with the White Fang right now?" Weiss asked slowly.

Blake lifted her head. Weiss was no longer looking at her, having turned to face ahead as she flew the bulkhead, but Blake could see her eyes reflected in a rear-view mirror. She couldn't read the expression in those eyes, try as she might.

"No," Blake finally said. "I left, a year ago. I…"

Suddenly, it all came spilling out, the words Blake had been keeping locked away tumbling out of her in a breathless rush. "I didn't want to be a part of it anymore, but it took me so long to see how bad it had gotten! I did awful things, I helped them do awful things, all because I wouldn't accept that we were going too far! I never wanted it to turn out like it did, I wanted to help people, I wanted to be good, but I was stupid and ignorant and I'll never be able to get away from it and now he knows where I am and he'll find me and… and…"

Blake sobbed, tears pouring down her cheeks as she fell apart, no longer able to stop herself from crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"

Blake cried her heart out, burying her face in her hands as she collapsed to her knees. She had ruined it all, ruined her new start. Not that she ever deserved it in the first place, not after what she had done for so many years. She didn't deserve to have a normal life. She didn't deserve to be a Huntress.

She didn't deserve to have friends again, even though it hurt so much that she was going to have to go back to being all on her own, even though she hated being alone…

A pair of arms wrapped around Blake and pulled her close, hugging her tight.

"It's OK," whispered Yang softly. "It's going to be OK, Blake."

A hand touched her arm gently, and someone took her hand in theirs.

"W-we're n-mot mad," Ruby stammered, and Blake could hear the tears that the younger girl was trying and failing to hold back. "W-we w-were worried about y-you, Blake. We just w-wanted to f-f-find you."

"I'm flying right now, so I can't join you, but I want to add that I'm glad we were able to find you before it was too late." Weiss' voice was tired, but it was not in any way angry.

Blake opened her eyes again, her blurry vision filled with the golden yellow of Yang's hair, who was showing no indication of breaking her embrace of Blake anytime soon.

"H-how can you all be lime this?" she hiccupped. "How can you not hate me?"

Yang pulled back, but kept her hands on Blake's shoulders, smiling at her warmly.

"Because we're your friends, dummy."

Sun nudged her with his foot. "Told ya," he quipped.

Blake stared at Yang, then at Ruby, who was giving her a teary-eyed smile of her own, then at Weiss, who was still facing ahead, but Blake saw her smiling in her reflection.

"I'm sorry," Blake mumbled, sniffling and scrubbing at her eyes with the sleeves of her top. "I should have just told you from the start."

"Yes, you should have," Weiss retorted. "But I think I understand why you felt like you couldn't."

"It doesn't bother you? That I used to be in the White Fang?"

Weiss stiffened. "It does bother me," she said slowly. "I can't deny that. But… you deserve to be able to tell us the whole story, without me jumping to conclusions."

Weiss then relaxed slightly, her shoulders slumping again. "But after what I saw tonight, I think I already owe you an apology. So I'm sorry as well, Blake. I'm sorry for thinking so little of you."

Blake felt more tears begin to well up, but she blinked them back. She had cried enough.

"I'm s-sorry too, Blake," Ruby whispered. "I sh-should h-have realised th-that y-you were w-worried. I'm s-sorry I didn't do m-more."

Blake turned to face the younger girl. "Ruby, I'm the one who shut you all out. You couldn't have known because I didn't let you know."

"Then let's all make a promise," Yang said firmly. "No more keeping things from each other. If something's going on, we talk about it together. Deal?"

"I'll agree to that," Weiss replied.

"M-me too," stuttered Ruby.

Blake finally smiled a small smile. "Alright, it's a promise."

Glynda knew she was going to have a monster of a headache when this was all over and done with. Somehow, Team CFVY was looking downright sensible compared to her newest batch of problem children.

"So, let me see if I have this all correct. The nine of you decided, on a whim, to take it upon yourselves to intervene in a smuggling racket led by the White Fang, without considering reporting this to anyone."

"That would be correct, yes," Mr David chimed in, sounding nowhere near as nervous as he ought to have done given his circumstances.

"Then," continued Glynda, her voice growing even more icy. "You proceeded to lay waste to an entire wharf of the Vale dockyard, causing a sizable amount of property damage and destroying no less than three bulkheads in the process."

"Y-yes Professor Goodwitch," stammered Miss Rose, fiddling with the hem of her cloak and refusing to look Glynda in the eye.

"And then, belatedly realising that you were in over your heads, you stole a fourth bulkhead and fled the scene, landing it illegally on school grounds, and rather than explaining all of this to the authorities after all was said and done, you thought it best to tell us instead. Do I have that all correct?"

"In our defence," Weiss added. "We only stole the bulkhead because there was no other choice available."

"And, hey, we managed to destroy all that stolen Dust they were keeping at the docks, so I think that balances us out," Mr Wukong concluded. "Right?"

Glynda just stared at them all with the most neutral expression she could muster given the circumstances. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Ozpin beside her. "Headmaster, would you like to take it from here?"

Ozpin leaned back in his chair as he considered the nine students in front of him in turn, his expression unreadable to anyone who didn't know him well enough,

Glynda did know him well enough, and as a result she supressed an exasperated sigh upon realising where this would go next.

"While the results of your actions are indeed warranting of punishment, I wish to begin by acknowledging the fact that you did indeed succeed in partially dismantling a criminal operation that has been causing a great deal of disruption and grief to the city. So for that, I thank you."

"However," Ozpin continued, tone shifting from semi-jovial to serious. "That does not excuse the fact that you all put yourselves in a great deal of frankly unnecessary danger, and caused a great deal of trouble for the local authorities."

Ozpin turned to face the boys of Team SSSN. "I will be informing Headmaster Lionheart of your actions, and I shall leave your final punishment to his judgement. While you stay here in the meantime for the Vytal Festival, I shall be setting the four of you remedial classes on Huntsman Ethics, which you are to attend every weekend for the foreseeable future."

The boys seemed to accept this decision, and left the office upon being dismissed.

"Miss Polendina." Ozpin turned his attention to the lone Atlesian student who had gotten involved. "I shall likewise be passing this on to Headmaster Ironwood. He will no doubt wish to discuss this incident with you in great detail. In the meantime, I am imposing a curfew upon you, and insisting that you not be unaccompanied when you leave this campus, until such a time as you are able to meet with your Headmaster to discuss alternative arrangements."

Miss Polendina nodded. "I understand, Professor. And I apologise once more for my recklessness."

That left the remaining four.

"Girls, you must understand that your actions as students of this academy reflect back on the entire student body, as well as the entire establishment itself. This sort of reckless behaviour cannot be tolerated, especially at this early stage of your studies."

"At Professor Goodwitch's suggestion, I am suspending you all from Beacon for the remainder of this week. I shall give you till the end of today to collect anything you may need from your dorm, and you are to remain off-campus until Monday. You will leave your weapons here in storage in the meantime."

"That will be all. You are dismissed."

The four girls made their way out of the office, closing the door behind them.

Glynda let out a deep sigh. "You were far too lenient with them, Headmaster. Three days' suspension is a slap on the wrist, given the amount of trouble they caused."

Ozpin gave Glynda one of his enigmatic small smiles, rising from his chair and walking over to the window.

"Perhaps," he mused. "But their actions would not have been necessary if the authorities had taken action themselves sooner. Besides, getting involved in situations that others wilfully ignore is part of being a Huntress."

Glynda couldn't agree with that, but she did not press the issue any further.

After all, Ozpin had a keen sense for this sort of thing.

Who was she to question someone like him?

"So, where are we gonna go for the next three days?" Yang asked, stuffing an assortment of random clothes into a bag without really looking at what she grabbed.

"I suppose we just get a room at a hotel someplace in town," Weiss mused. She was being much more careful with her packing, neatly folding each selected item before placing them in her bag. "I can call ahead and see if there are any rooms free?"

"I still can't believe we didn't get any worse punishment," said Blake, grabbing two of her books from her shelf. "I thought Professor Goodwitch would be furious with us."

"I th-think she w-w-was," added Ruby, zipping up her backpack after double-checking it. "I th-think Professor Oz… Ozpin talked her down."

Yang just shrugged at that, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Well, whatever. We somehow managed to get a weekend off out of this whole mess, so I'm not really complaining."

"We've been suspended, Yang!" Weiss huffed. "This isn't a vacation! This will go on our records!"

Yang scoffed. "C'mon, Weiss. Those things don't matter in the long run. You should hear some of the stories Uncle Qrow told us about what he got up to at Beacon!"

"I don't think I want to hear those stories," Weiss muttered in response, closing her bag up.

Blake nudged Yang with her elbow. "I might wanna hear them."

Ruby shouldered her own bag. "Alright th-then. Team RWBY, let's h-head out!"

May 20th

Dear diary,

We got suspended for the fight at the docks. I was scared it would be even worse than that, but it seems Professor Ozpin stepped in and convinced Professor Goodwitch to reduce our punishment. I guess Uncle Qrow was right, he does like to bend the rules sometimes, but I don't think we can count on that happening too often.

Weiss paid for us to all stay at a hotel together. I hope it didn't cost her too much. I know she has a lot of money, but I don't want her to feel like she has to pay for us all the time. I should get her something nice to say thank-you. I wonder if she likes cookies? I guess I'll have to ask her.

Blake still hasn't told us everything yet, but she says she wants to talk properly tonight, so maybe that's when she'll explain what happened? I don't want to pressure her if she isn't ready yet, though.

Things feel a bit better now. I don't know if what Blake tells us will change that, but I want to believe that it won't. Whatever Blake used to be, I don't think that's who she is now. The Blake I've gotten to know would never do something like what Weiss told us, and I think the others feel the same way. I know Yang definitely does.

I think I need to talk to everyone tonight as well. I've put it off, but Penny is right, I need to tell everyone what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling. I'm nervous, but I need to do this. I'm a leader now. I need to be the one to take the first step.

We're about to go out to a café for some food, so I'll leave it here for now. I'll fill in what happens tonight tomorrow morning. Right now though, I just want to spend some time with everyone.

Because we're a team. We're friends. And I'm so happy that we're all safe.

Ruby Rose.

RWBY Re:Mixed Volume 1

END

Chapter Text

…

Blake set her cup down on the ground in front of her and let out a long, slow sigh. Her shoulders sagged as some of her pent-up tension left her, the hot and sweet tea helping to warm up her cold and numb body from within. The oversized towel that had been draped over her slight frame also helped somewhat, soaking up the rain that still clung to her body, weighing down her clothes and dripping from her hair.

"Thanks, Ilia," she murmured. "I really needed that."

Ilia, sat across from Blake and sipping from a chipped cup of her own, simply hummed in response. The two girls were resting in an abandoned shack, its sagging roof and lopsided walls providing just enough shelter to protect them from the raging downpour going on outside. A small fire in between them flickered slightly, casting dancing shadows across their immediate surroundings and providing them with a small measure of warmth. A pot of thin soup suspended above the flames simmered away, giving off an aroma that made Blake's mouth water and her stomach growl. In all the chaos in her haste to get away, she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday evening.

"So," Ilia began, breaking the silence. Lowering her cup, she fixed Blake with a hard stare. "Are you gonna tell me what you're doing all the way out here?"

Blake clenched her fists tightly, averting her own gaze and scowling as the memory of what had been said replayed in her mind.

"He's a coward," she spat disdainfully. "And a fool. He just… sits there in his office and does nothing. Nothing, Ilia! People would listen to him; they'd follow him anywhere if he asked them to! But instead he just… he just…"

Blake supressed the urge to scream in frustration. But just barely.

Ilia just snorted in mock amusement. "Took you long enough. I've been saying so all along, Blake. Your father lost his edge years ago. He's not a fighter anymore, he's just a pencil-pusher now."

Blake stood up roughly and began to pace, her anger from earlier rising to the surface once again. "All those people in that mine, Ilia. All those Faunus who died because the humans just didn't care enough to give them the proper equipment. And all Dad will do about it is write a letter!? What does he think that's gonna do!?"

"Not a damn thing, that's what it'll do," Ilia said bluntly. "It never does. I bet the humans don't even read them."

"That's what I told him!" Blake yelled. "But he just brushed me off like he always does! It's like he doesn't even care that Kaa-"

Blake hiccupped, her breath catching in her throat and her eyes stinging as tears began to well up. The shock, the pain… it was all still so fresh in her mind.

"He doesn't even care that Kaa died, Ilia." Blake lowered her head and scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeves, sniffling.

Kaa was gone. She would never again visit Blake at her home, never again tell her stories of what it was like in Mantle, never again share with Blake a new book she had found while browsing the bookshops in Atlas…

A hand gently squeezed Blake's shoulder. She lifted her head and met Ilia's eyes with her own.

"I'm sorry, Blake. I know how much she meant to you."

"I though she meant a lot to Dad and Mom, too," Blake murmured. "She was like family to us."

Ilia pulled Blake into a hug, her arms wrapping around Blake tightly.

"I know you're hurting right now Blake, but for what it's worth, I'm glad you left home."

Blake stiffened at that, pulling free from Ilia's embrace and stepping backwards. "No… Ilia, I'm not leaving. I needed to get away from home for a while, but I'll have to go back eventually."

"No you don't," Ilia replied. "Actually, I think you shouldn't. You should leave for good."

Blake shook her head. "I can't do that, Ilia. I'm not like you. I mean, where would I even go?"

Ilia smirked, gesturing vaguely to their surroundings. "Well, it might not be as fancy as you're used to, but we can both stay here for a little while longer."

Blake scowled. "This isn't a joke, Ilia."

"No," Ilia replied, her smirk falling, replaced with a far more sombre expression. "It's not. I'm sorry, I was just trying to cheer you up, but I know that's not what you need right now."

Ilia seemed to pause for a moment, contemplating something to herself. Her own frown deepened, her brows furrowing in thought.

"I'm meeting someone in a few days' time," she said slowly. "At the old docks in the north. You could come with me, if you want?"

"Meeting who, exactly?" Blake asked, apprehensive.

"He's a new lieutenant," said Ilia. "I've heard that he's someone Sienna herself scouted for the cause. Apparently he's not that much older than we are, but he's already making waves in the White Fang. They say that he was the one who pulled off the Argus job two months back, with only himself and one other soldier."

Blake blinked. "Only the two of them? The news said it was a whole squad."

Ilia grinned at that. "Well, we can ask him ourselves when we meet him. So are you interested?"

Blake was interested, but she was also unsure. If what Ilia said was true, then whoever this mystery person was would undoubtedly be an extraordinary individual. But if she was wrong, then the two of them could easily be walking into trouble…

"You're sure this isn't an undercover cop or something?" Blake asked. "It wouldn't be the first time that's happened to you."

Ilia just rolled her eyes. "Please Blake, I'm not that stupid. I've spoken to him already via Scroll. He's genuine, and he's looking for recruits. Your last name alone should be plenty of reason for him to take you on board."

"If I even wanna be on board…" Blake mumbled to herself.

Ilia sat back down and took the soup off the fire. "Look, why don't we both sleep on it? Let's eat, let's get some rest, and then make a decision in the morning. Sound good?"

The offer of food made Blake's stomach growl once again. Taking her own seat, she accepted her bowl from Ilia with a nod of thanks and began to eat. She was hungry enough and cold enough to not really care that the soup was scalding hot in her mouth as she ate.

"Can you at least tell me the name of this guy?" she asked after finishing her soup.

Ilia set her own bowl aside, pulling out her Scroll and tapping a few buttons before handing it over to Blake. On the screen was a photo of a masked boy with red-and-black hair, with two pointed horns protruding from beneath his locks.

"His name's Adam," Ilia replied. "Adam Taurus."

…

Blake Belladonna was twelve years old the first time she ran away…

…

"And so I say to you all, my sisters and my brothers, my fellow comrades-in-arms… We will not be cowed by those who would look down upon us. Until the day comes when all Faunus are respected and free, we of the White Fang shall fight to the last, with every ounce of our strength, in order to seize that day by our own hands! So if any among you here today would aid us in our struggle, step forward, and march with us towards that promised day!"

Gainsboro finished his speech with a grand, sweeping gesture of his arm, the flag of the White Fang unfurling on cue behind him.

There was a smattering of applause from the small crowd that had gathered in the stadium, and one-or-two people even made their way towards the stand to take up Gainsboro's invitation, but for the most part the crowd were apathetic. A number had already started to leave before the speech had even finished, and the rest were following after them.

Blake couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the lacklustre turn-out to their latest rally. The numbers had been dropping steadily for some time now, but this had been especially embarrassing. Maybe around two dozen people at most had showed up tonight, less than half the number they had managed to draw in a month ago.

The soldier standing beside Blake tsked with disdain. "Spineless cowards, the lot of 'em. They're weak."

"They're scared," Blake commented. "They just don't wanna get arrested for associating with us. It was risky enough for some of them to even come tonight."

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a few got stopped by the police on their way home right now.

Blake chose to keep that particular thought to herself, lest she further stir the ire of her comrade.

Before long, the last of the audience had left the stadium, and the two new recruits had been sent on their way with instructions to meet again when called.

Sighing, Blake began to assist with packing away the equipment they had bought, when she felt her Scroll buzz five times in her pocket, then another three times after that.

It was a signal system that had been agreed upon in advance, and they all knew what it meant.

Police.

"Leave it all here!" Gainsboro snapped, dropping the crate he had been holding. "Scatter, loose anyone following you, and meet back at the safe house! Go!"

Blake dropped the flag she had been rolling up and sprinted towards the rear exit of the stadium. She emerged into the empty parking lot and raced across the open ground towards the cover of the nearby trees that surrounded the area. If she strained her ears, she could just about make out the sound of several cars approaching in the distance.

She crouched low, concealing herself in the shadows as much as she could, relying on the black of her jacket and uniform to help her blend in even more. The sound of cars and sirens were closing in, and the faint flickering of blue and red from the police cars' lights grew brighter.

Three police cars came to a halt beside the rear entrance of the stadium, and a total of twelve officers emerged from them and swarmed into the building.

They were apparently so eager to rush in and arrest any Faunus they could find that they didn't even leave a single officer on lookout outside.

For once, I'm glad the Mistralian Police Force are terrible at their job.

Blake removed her mask and stowed it in her pocket, drew up her hood to conceal her ears, and made her way calmly back towards the main city.

In short order, Blake was far away from the silence of the old stadium and surrounded by the noise and crowds and bustle of the lower districts. Even this late into the night, these parts of the capital never slept. Merchants called out from their stalls, offering wares of dubious quality for dubious prices. A dozen different smells from a dozen different shops mingled in the air as various friends and families and acquaintances shared food and drink and conversation. In a nearby alleyway, the sound of a drunken brawl could be heard plainly, a sound so familiar to the locals of this district that nobody paid it a second thought.

Blake weaved among the crowds, head down all the while. She paused here and there to glance at a few stalls and shop windows, even bought herself a drink from one vendor to sip at as she navigated the winding streets. In a crowd as large and boisterous as this one, nobody would notice someone as inconspicuous as her.

About half an hour after she had made her flight from the stadium, she felt relatively certain that no-one was following her, if they even had been in the first place. Finishing the last of her drink, she tossed the empty cup aside and pulled out her Scroll.

Me: not being followed. in city, on way back to safe house

Several other messages had been sent over the group chat by others, all similarly indicating that the others had managed to avoid being followed and were making their own way back.

Well, that was a bit of a close call, but no-one got caught, so that's good.

Stowing her Scroll, Blake resumed walking, this time with a more purposeful direction in mind.

The crowds thinned out as Blake made her way towards the district where they had set up refuge for the time being. There were fewer open shops in these parts of the city, fewer reasons to be out late at night. The few who were still out were either going someplace else like Blake was, or…

"You lost, kid?"

Blake stopped. Two men had moved to block her path. One of them had a hand in his pocket, clearly holding onto a knife.

"Get out of my way," Blake huffed. "I don't have anything worth stealing."

"Did she just assume that we were thieves, bro?" the first man asked jokingly.

"I think she did, bro," the second man replied. "Now that's not very nice of her, is it?"

"It isn't very nice of her at all, bro. And after we were so kind to offer to help her find her way home."

"Maybe she ought to make it up to us. Y'know, for being so rude an' all."

The first man drew his hand from his pocket, revealing the small blade he had been unsuccessfully concealing. "Why don't we start with your Scroll? I reckon you at least got one of those. Give it here."

Blake seized the man's arm and twisted it sharply, and there was an audible snap as she broke his wrist. He cried out in pain and dropped his knife, spewing profanities at her all the while.

"You little gutter-rat!" spat the second man. "You'll pay for that one!"

Blake sidestepped to avoid his clumsy swing and tripped him with her foot, sending him crashing into his friend and knocking them both to the floor.

"Idiots," she muttered under her breath, resuming her walk back to the safe house now that she had dealt with-

A hand grabbed Blake by the back of her jacket and yanked her backwards, throwing her roughly to the ground. She just about managed to keep her head from slamming into the dirt, but in doing so her hood had fallen down.

"It's a stinkin' Faunus!" spat the one who had grabbed her, a third man who she hadn't noticed before. "What's it doin' here!?"

Blake felt her temper began to rise. "I'm not an 'it'. And I can go wherever I want."

The third man brought his foot down, and Blake rolled to avoid having her head stamped on.

"Shut it, you damn filthy animal!" the man snapped. "You're kind ain't allowed here!"

Blake leapt to her feet, her temper boiling over at the man's insults. "Don't you dare call me that!"

"I'll call you whatever I damn well want, you dirty-!"

Blake activated her Semblance, allowing her Shadow to push her forwards. The distance between her and the man was less than her minimum, so she slammed into him with considerable force, her elbow driving into his gut.

Just as he doubled over and began gasping for breath, Blake grabbed his head and drove her knee into his face, breaking his nose and sending him reeling backwards in pain. She followed up with a punch, and another, and another.

He fell to the ground, flat on his back, and Blake didn't stop. She knelt on his chest and punched him over and over and over again. Several teeth were knocked loose from the man's mouth, along with no small amount of blood.

"Why couldn't you just leave me alone!?" she screamed. "I never did anything to you! I just wanted to get back home!"

The man didn't respond. He had long since been rendered unconscious.

Growling, Blake stood and turned towards the other two men… one man, the one whose wrist she had broken. His friend had apparently decided to run for it and leave him behind.

All you ever do is come for us, every minute of every day! Why should we have to be scared of you!? You should be scared of us! You deserve to feel the same fear I felt!

Blake advanced on the remaining man, fists clenched, ready to make him pay, ready to give him everything he and his kind deserved…

"Please, don't hurt me! I-I'm sorry! Please! H-here, have my money! Take it! Take it all, just don't kill me!"

Blake stopped. "What are… kill you? I'm not gonna kill you I… I…"

The haze of her anger began to subside. In front of her, Blake saw a scared man with a broken wrist, holding out his wallet and begging for his life with tears in his eyes.

She looked down, and saw her hands, covered in the blood of someone she had just beaten senseless.

She turned, and saw the body of the man she had attacked. He was breathing, but his face was a mess, blood pooled around his head and teeth scattered across the ground.

I did that?

Blake suddenly felt very sick.

She ran, leaving the scene behind, but the images came with her, lingering in her mind's eye as she sprinted away.

"They deserved it, Blake. They brought it on themselves."

Blake shook her head. "I didn't mean to go that far. I… I was so angry… I lost myself to it."

The image of the man's broken and bloodied face resurfaced in her mind, and Blake felt her stomach lurch. If she still had anything left to throw up, she would have done so.

A hand grabbed Blake's shoulder and squeezed tightly. "You were defending yourself, Blake. You did nothing wrong. Those humans who jumped you, they're the ones to blame."

Blake lifted her head. "Then why do I feel so awful about it, Adam?"

Adam sat beside her on her bed, his hand never leaving her shoulder. "You were attacked. It shook you up, that's all. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Will I?"

"Yes," Adam said firmly. "Because you're strong, Blake. You're not the type to let something like this knock you down for long."

Blake stared down at her hands. She had scrubbed them raw to remove all the blood, but she could still feel it clinging to her skin.

"What if he dies because of what I did?"

"Then there'll be one less hateful human in the world," Adam remarked. "I'd say that's an improvement."

Blake's eyes widened at Adam's comment, but before she could even properly process what he had just said, the door to her room slammed open.

"Blake!" cried Ilia as she stumbled inside. "What happened!? Are you OK!? Did they hurt you!?"

"She's fine, Ilia," Adam snapped in annoyance. "No need to come barging in."

Ilia stood upright and schooled her expression. "My apologies, Lieutenant Taurus. I should have knocked first."

"Captain Taurus, actually," Adam replied, rising to his feet and releasing Blake's shoulder. "There are a few changes you need to get caught up on before we move out, Ilia."

Ilia blinked. "Oh, um… congratulations on your promotion, Lieu- Captain Taurus. But, um… may I have a moment alone with Blake?"

Adam nodded and made his way out of the room, nodding once to Blake before he left.

As soon as he was out of sight, Ilia rushed forwards and wrapped Blake in a tight hug.

"Seriously, are you OK?"

"I'm not hurt, Ilia," Blake mumbled. She did not return Ilia's embrace, her arms remaining limp at her sides.

"But are you OK?" Ilia repeated.

Blake paused for a moment, then shook her head.

Ilia let go of Blake and drew back, looking her up and down. "Wanna talk about it?"

Again, Blake shook her head. She had talked about it with Adam enough. She didn't want to start all over again.

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked. "How did your job go? You're back late."

Ilia waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, no problems on my end. We just got a little held up with the ship is all. Engine trouble, you know how it is with those things. But I do have something for you."

Ilia reached into her pocket and drew out a small paper bag. "I know it's a few days late, but… happy birthday, Blake."

Blake took the bag from Ilia an opened it up.

Inside was a length of black ribbon.

"I know it's not much, but I figured you could wear it in your hair as a bow. That way, you wouldn't have to wear a hood all the time to cover your ears."

Blake withdrew the ribbon from the bag and turned it over in her hands. "You keep telling me I shouldn't cover them up at all."

Ilia grimaced. "Yeah… I shouldn't have said that. I mean, I'm hardly one to talk. I hide my trait all the time, after all. So… I'm sorry for pressuring you over it. You can stop hiding them when you're ready, not because anyone says you should."

Blake made her way over to the small mirror set up in the corner and considered how to tie the ribbon.

"Here, let me," Ilia said, coming over and taking the ribbon from Blake's hands. "I'll show you how to tie it."

Soon enough, Blake's ears were neatly hidden beneath a black bow atop her head, the ribbon itself blending well with her hair.

"There we go," Ilia said. "Perfect."

It was, Blake had to admit. She quite liked the way it looked.

"Thanks, Ilia. I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all, Blake. Happy fourteenth birthday."

…

Blake pushed through the flaps of the tent and stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Adam?"

Adam briefly paused in his sharpening of his sword to look up at her as she entered. "Yes, I did. Come on in, have a seat right over here."

Blake sat opposite Adam and watched as he resumed sharpening Wilt, drawing the whetstone along the edge of the red blade slowly and methodically. The sound of metal and stone scraping past each other filled the tent, an oddly rhythmic sound.

"I like doing this," Adam explained, continuing to draw the whetstone across the edge of Wilt in a practiced motion. "Other people might find tending to their weapon boring or monotonous, but to me it's a rather calming action. It helps me think, and the sound helps me to relax."

Blake scrunched her brow in confusion. 'Relaxing' was not the word Blake would have chosen. "Was there something important we needed to talk about? Or is this just a casual conversation?"

"A little of both, actually," Adam replied, not pausing in his actions. The red metal of Wilt glinted as he turned it over to sharpen the other side. "I heard that you and Ilia had a fight recently."

Blake averted her gaze from Adam and fidgeted slightly in her seat. "It wasn't really a fight. We… well, it's a little hard to explain."

"No need to explain," said Adam. "So long as it doesn't cause any problems with the squad."

Blake shook her head. "It won't. I promise."

"Good." Adam set his whetstone aside and examined the edge of Wilt. "You know you don't have to wear that bow around me, right?"

Blake's hand reached up and brushed against her bow. "You don't have to wear your mask around me, either."

Adam tensed slightly, then relaxed and let out a sigh. "Touché." He sheathed Wilt and set it aside, rising from his seat and striding across to the table set up in the centre of the tent. "Join me here for a moment."

Blake walked to the table and glanced at the map spread across it. Several areas had been circled. One of them was their current camp, but another area had been indicated in a similar manner. "We're moving again? We only just set up here."

"Not moving, no." Adam gestured to one of the points on the map that had been circled red. "We underestimated how many new recruits we'd have, so we need to make a supply run. There's a small outpost a mile from the rail line here. Huntsmen use it to stock up when travelling on foot. We're going to stock up from it ourselves."

Blake shot Adam an alarmed look. "A Huntsman outpost is a bigger target than anything we've hit before Adam, and it'll draw a lot more attention. Sienna says we should avoid targeting the Huntsmen altogether."

"There won't be anyone there besides a few volunteer guards. The Huntsmen themselves never stick around for long. We'll be in-and-out before anyone has a chance to even raise the alarm."

Blake wasn't so sure. "It's still a huge risk, Adam. If a Huntsman were to be there-"

"Blake," Adam cut her off. "Do you trust me?"

Blake blinked, taken a bit of guard by the question. "Of course I do, Adam. I've always trusted you."

"And I trust you, Blake," Adam responded. "So it's just gonna be the two of us."

Blake stared at Adam with wide eyes, and she felt her heart beat slightly faster. "You want me to… partner with you?"

Adam took a step forwards, reducing the distance between the two of them. "Yes, Blake. I want you by my side on this one."

Blake stepped back reflexively, her legs bumping into the side of the table as Adam backed her into it. Her heart quickened even more, but Blake couldn't tell if it was because she was nervous, or…

"Why me?" she asked. Surely there had to be better options he could take with him?

Adam stepped forwards again, standing very close to Blake, almost leaning over her. "Because you're amazing, Blake Belladonna. I've thought you were amazing since the day we first met."

Blake felt her cheeks flush. Now she was fairly certain as to the reason her heart was racing.

"I… I'm n-not that special," she stammered.

"You're wrong," Adam whispered, leaning in even closer. "You are so much more than you think you are, Blake. Everything about you that I've already seen is amazing, and I want to see more of it."

Adam reached up and pulled Blake's bow free from her head.

"I want to see more of you. All of you."

Blake felt a swell of something akin to confidence inside her. She reached up and took hold of Adam's mask, removing it so she could look into his eyes.

"Then let me see you as well."

Adam's mask fell from Blake's fingers as he leaned in and closed the remaining distance between them.

…

Blake paused outside the entrance to her tent. She knew for a fact that he would be in there, waiting for her. She knew that if she put this off any longer, it would only get worse for her. She knew well that the sooner she got this over with, the better.

But Blake also knew exactly what was going to happen as soon as she entered that tent, and she so desperately didn't want to have to face it again…

How did it end up like this?

How many times had Blake asked herself that same question?

She had been happy at first. They both had. They shared something that no-one else in the squad shared, and it was wonderful.

But now? Now it had turned into a living nightmare.

"Blake, darling…" Adam's voice drifted out from the tent, his tone cold, the term of endearment that had once made Blake feel warm now filling her with dread upon hearing it. "Come in. Let me see you."

Blake steeled herself as much as she could and entered the tent.

Once Adam had left, Blake picked herself up off the ground and staggered over to the chair she had set up in the corner, dropping into it and wincing in pain as she did so.

In the small mirror hung from the support pole, she saw the usual marks left behind by her's and Adam's latest argument. A noticeable handprint on her left cheek, and a split lip from where the hilt of his sword had slammed into her mouth. And of course, the bruises that were no doubt already beginning to form on the side of her torso from where he had thrown her roughly to the ground.

As always, she would have to wear these latest marks for at least a day before allowing her Aura to fix them up. He wouldn't accept any apology of hers if she didn't accept his punishment.

"It doesn't look too bad this time."

Blake turned her head. Ilia had entered the tent and was standing beside her. Her face was impassive, neutral.

"Get out," Blake said without any energy to her voice. "I don't need your input, Ilia."

Ilia shrugged. "You should've just done what he asked, Blake. How hard is it to just follow his orders?"

Blake simply stared at Ilia. "The shop wasn't empty, Ilia. People could have been hurt, or killed, if I set that fire."

Ilia rolled her eyes dismissively. "If they're dumb enough to not be able to get out of a building that's on fire, then that's their fault. Besides, they'd have deserved it anyway."

Before Blake could say anything in response, Ilia turned and walked outside, leaving Blake by herself once again.

For a short moment, Blake found herself agreeing with Ilia's remark. After all, if she had just done as she was told, behaved herself and followed his orders, then Adam wouldn't have had any reason to be mad at her this time.

But it was only a very short moment.

Because if she had gone through with it, and if people had gotten hurt, it would have been her fault. Just like it had been her fault way back in Mistral when that man she attacked had wound up in a coma from the beating she had given him.

She couldn't do that again. She refused to cross that line ever again. So every time she stood her ground and stuck to her principals, Adam made sure she paid the price for it.

Did she deserve it? Perhaps she did. Perhaps it was what she deserved for what she had done, for all the people she had hurt or helped to hurt ever since she had sold her life to the White Fang.

That line of thought was much more stubborn, rearing its head in her mind whenever she was at her lowest.

Blake shook herself out of her musings and reached for her book. It was an old and tattered thing; one she had read more times than she could count. But whenever she was feeling like this, it helped raise her spirits to re-experience such an enduring favourite of hers.

Opening to where she had gotten to last time, Blake resumed reading, allowing the events of the last few days to fade away as she escaped into her fantasy.

…

"Ilia, stay with me! Come on, we need to get out of here!"

Ilia didn't respond, because of course she couldn't. She was out cold, her Aura broken and her weapon destroyed.

ROAR!

The Beowolf closest to Blake leapt forwards, jaws open wide and clawed front limbs outstretched. Blake swatted it aside with her scabbard, only to find that another Beowolf was bearing down on her from the other side, forcing her to twist to aim and fire at it and force it back.

ROAR!

They were surrounded, Ilia and her. Over a dozen Grimm encircled them from all sides, cutting off any hope of escape. They had been utterly blindsided, completely oblivious to the approaching threat at they had argued with each other. They must have been the equivalent of a giant banquet of negativity to have drawn a crowd this big.

Blake swing Gambol Shroud in a wide circle around her, the long ribbon giving her enough reach to keep the Grimm at bay for now. But it was only a matter of time before the Beowolves decided to rush in as one…

They were out of signal range this far out in the wilderness. No-one knew where they were, and no-one was coming to help. If they wanted to get out of this alive, then they would have to fight their way out on their own.

Blake would have to fight their way out on her own, for Ilia's sake as well.

The Grimm closed in more, Gambol Shroud no longer deterring them from advancing on their prey. Blake withdrew her weapon and reset it to its sword form. She held both sword and sheath together, taking position and preparing to fight for her life-

A gunshot rang out in the air, and the Beowolf closest to Blake fell down dead, its body beginning to evaporate.

Two more gunshots felled two more Grimm, before the remainder of the pack turned and charged in the direction of the gunfire.

Blake watched as the new arrival met the small horde of Grimm by themselves and began to tear them apart, their knife carving through the Beowolves and bringing them down one by one. All the while they avoided each and every attempt by the Grimm to attack them, weaving in-between the monsters' swipes and snaps as if they were dancing.

When the last Beowolf fell and evaporated, the mysterious newcomer simply holstered their knife and lowered their hood.

It was a woman with red, messy hair and haggard-looking eyes. She wore a heavy scarf around her shoulders and was dressed in dark green slacks.

"You kids alright?" the woman asked, sounding just as tired and worn out as she looked despite the impressive showing she had just put up.

Blake pointed to Ilia on the ground beside her and began rambling, but she was quickly cut off with a wave from the woman… from the Huntress.

"She doesn't look badly hurt," the Huntress said after giving Ilia a cursory examination. "Get her home and she'll be fine after some rest."

The Huntress turned and began to leave, lifting her hood back up over her head and heading into the forest once more.

"Wait!" called Blake.

The Huntress stopped, but did not turn around. "If you're about to ask for a lift home, the answer's no. I'm on a job right now, I can't let you come with me."

"Why did you help us?" Blake asked.

The Huntress turned to look at Blake with a raised eyebrow. "Would you have preferred I left you alone? No offence kid, but you weren't exactly handling that very well from what I saw."

"I'm a Faunus." Blake pointed up at her ears, uncovered after her bow had fallen off in the chaos. "Why would you help a Faunus?"

The Huntress simply gave Blake a small smile, one that somehow looked both genuine and sarcastic at once. "We humans aren't all hateful bigots, kid. Some of us are at least halfway decent people. And besides, I'm a Huntress. It's my job to protect anyone I can, whoever they are."

Blake didn't know how to respond to that. She just stared at the Huntress, wide-eyed and open-mouthed and a little bit in awe.

"What's your name, kid?"

Blake blinked. "What?"

"Your name," the Huntress repeated. "I know I said you weren't handling the Grimm very well and all, but I can tell you have some skill. Ever considered putting it to good use? Because if so, I reckon you'd do well at an Academy if you felt so inclined."

"I'm Lily," Blake said finally, giving her current alias out of habit.

The Huntress nodded once. "Well Lily, if you ever find yourself in Vale, maybe consider giving Beacon a visit. If you mention me, I could help with an application."

Blake shook her head. "I'm not interested. Thank-you for helping me, but I don't think I'd ever want to be a Huntress."

The Huntress just shrugged. "Well, if you ever change your mind, my name's Ann Greene, and you know where to find me."

…

Blake double-checked that her bag was well-hidden in the undergrowth, then began to make her way back towards the rendezvous point. Adam would be arriving soon, she would need to look like she had been waiting for him the whole time if she wanted to convince him she wasn't planning anything.

It was all set up. She had a transport pass ready to get her to Vale, and a room in a cheap hotel booked in advance. It hadn't been easy getting everything in place without being noticed, but she had done it. She had her way out. All she would need to do now was make her disappearance look convincing to stop anyone from looking for her, and she would be free.

She had managed to get a second chance. A chance to fix her mistakes and do some real good. Not as a soldier for the White Fang, or as Adam's so-called 'partner', but as a Huntress. Someone who could make a real difference.

Blake arrived at the rendezvous point and sat on the rock in the centre of the clearing. She gazed up at the sky and allowed her mind to wander slightly.

She thought about Ilia, who would no doubt be hugely upset to hear that Blake was gone.

She thought about the rest of the squad. Yuma and Trifa and the rest, and pondered how they would react when they learnt of her desertion.

She thought about Gainsboro, who would absolutely brand her a traitor and demand that she be hunted down if he ever caught wind of her whereabouts.

She thought about Adam, who was about to watch her leave him behind. Five years spent fighting together, two years spent together as more than just comrades… the last year spent living under his control as he turned from a caring partner into a borderline monster…

Blake turned her mind elsewhere. She focussed on other things. On how she would no longer have to be a part of an organisation that had lost its way so much in recent years. She focussed on the fact that she would no longer be helping the White Fang to hurt people. She would be fighting not to tear down and destroy, but to protect.

Blake found herself thinking back to her old favourite story, the one she had read and reread ever since she was eleven. In the story, the warrior was a hero who saved everyone, and made everyone's lives better in the end.

A childish fantasy. Blake knew she couldn't change the world on her own. But maybe, just maybe, she could at least save anyone she could. Maybe the small difference that would make could make up for some of the terrible things she had been a part of…

"Blake." Adam's voice snapped Blake out of her musings. "It's time."

Blake sighed. Time to get this over with.

"OK."

…

Blake Belladonna was seventeen years old the second time she ran away…

…

Blake set her cup down on the table and let out a long, slow sigh.

"Well, I guess that about covers the gist of things," she murmured, keeping her head down to avoid her teammates' stares.

Yang exhaled loudly. "Damn, Blake. That was… a lot to take in."

Blake closed her eyes. "I understand if you don't believe any of it, but I promise you that it's true. Everything I said. No lies this time."

"We believe you, Blake," said Weiss. "Of course we do. We're just a little… well, like Yang said, it's a lot."

The table was silent for a long moment, no-one else saying anything.

"Did y-you really m-meet Prof-fessor Greene l-like that?"

Blake lifted her head and opened her eyes to see Ruby staring at her from across the table. She looked somewhat starstruck.

"Y-yeah," Blake replied. "She really did save my life. And she really did help me get enrolled as well. I owe her a lot, I guess."

"She sounds so cool," Ruby whispered to herself, but Blake heard her quite clearly, and couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's excitement at hearing about their Professor's apparent heroism.

"Yeah, she is pretty cool I guess."

Weiss snorted. "Maybe she used to be, but the Professor Greene we know now doesn't really seem like that anymore."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Yang quipped with a smirk. "She already kinda hates us for failing her classes."

Blake glanced around at her teammates, watching and listening as they bickered and joked with each other as if nothing had happened at all.

She felt a mixture of relief and disbelief at that.

"So… you're all really OK with… with me?" Blake asked hesitantly, afraid she might be pushing the wring button by asking directly, but unable to stand not knowing for certain.

Yang reached across the table and placed a hand over one of hers. "Blake, we meant what we said. We're not just a team, we're friends. No matter what, that'll never change."

"S-same here!" added Ruby, placing her own hand atop her sister's. "You'll always be our f-friend, Blake."

Weiss added her own hand to the stack, and Blake turned to face her.

"Blake," she began. "I want to start over. Can we do that? A clean slate from today onwards, now that we all know about each other?"

Blake smiled, and nodded.

"Alright then. From the beginning: I'm Blake, nice to meet you."

"And I'm Weiss. Nice to meet you to."

"Yang here. Looking forward to getting to know you all better."

"Ruby Rose. N-nice to m-meet you all."

The four girls fell silent for a moment, then all burst into laughter.

It had been a long time since Blake had laughed like that.

"Look, like I told ya, we got busted! Someone on your end must have let something slip about-"

The voice on the other end of the call cut Roman off before he could finish.

"I'm not interested in your excuses, human. Your failure has set us back weeks. So tell me why I shouldn't just have my Lieutenant kill you right now?"

Roman tensed. The boy's tone was unambiguous. If Roman said the wrong thing now he was a dead man.

"Atlas military will be arriving in Vale in the coming weeks," said Roman. "Might I be able to interest you and your friends in some proper hardware?"

The call was silent for a moment.

"I won't accept any more setbacks, human. You guarantee you can get your hands on Atlas tech without drawing the General's attention?"

Roman smiled and relaxed slightly, leaning back in his seat. He had him now. "Of course I can, kiddo. They don't call me the Crime Prince of Vale for nothing. Just send me some helpers, and I will get you all the toys you could ever want."

Another period of silence. Roman could picture the boy pondering his options…

"I'm coming there myself."

Roma sat up straight in his seat and tightened his grip on his Scroll. "I thought you wanted to keep a low profile? Isn't that the whole reason you've got me fronting this operation?"

"That was before you failed me, 'Prince'." The boy's voice dripped with condescension. "And besides, circumstances have changed. I need to be there to oversee this next phase of the plan."

Roman was about to offer his explanation as to why that would be a terrible idea, but the line went dead as the Taurus boy hung up on him.

A tap on his shoulder drew Roman's attention, and he turned around to face Neo.

[Do we have problems?] she asked.

[None that we can't handle,] Roman replied. [We just might wanna tighten a few things up.]

Neo frowned. [Are you telling me the truth?]

Roman flashed Neo a smile. "I never lie to you, sis… usually."

Neo swatted Roman on the arm and walked off with a huff, presumably to go and find someone else to annoy in the safehouse.

As soon as she left, Roman let the mask drop and lowered his head into his hands.

This is getting too crazy. We need to get out of here as soon as we can.

Just finish this job, and then Neo and I will head back to Mistral.

Let Taurus have the wreckage of this place.

Glynda sipped from her teacup and continued to read through her students' latest batch of assignments.

Seems I'll have to set remedial classes for the lot of them.

Setting aside the papers for the moment, she grabbed her Scroll and pulled up her class timetables to see when she could be able to fit in an extra session.

An alert on her home screen flashed, so she tapped it to see what it was.

TEAM RWBY BACK IN BEACON TOMORROW. REMEMBER TO SET CATCH-UP WORK FOR

THE CLASSES THEY MISSED.

Glynda sighed, opened up her files and began to pull together a work pack for the four girls.

Let's just hope that the four of them will have learnt a little more responsibility following their brief absence.

Chapter Text

Let's just hope that the four of them will have learnt a little more responsibility following their brief absence.

…

Glynda Goodwitch had perhaps been unduly optimistic in her previous assumptions, if the situation she was currently having to deal with was any indication.

"She started it! I was just minding my own business until my face was hit by a pie of all things! Who eats an entire pie for breakfast anyway!?"

"I wasn't aiming for you! I was aiming for Yang, who actually started it when she threw that apple at me!"

"You threw it at me first! All I did was return it to sender!"

"In Nora's defence, you sorta had it coming. That pun was painful to hear."

"Jaune, not helping!"

Glynda just stared at the eight of them from over the top of her glasses as they continued to apportion blame amongst each other, apparently heedless of the fact that their very exasperated Professor was watching the entire thing unfold in the middle of her office.

Teams RWBY and JNPR (or rather, the newly re-named PRAN: Perano) were all of them caked from head-to-foot in various items of food and drink, a not insubstantial amount of which was now dripping onto the previously immaculate floor of Glynda's office, no doubt leaving stains in her carpet that would never fully come out.

"Children," Glynda said sternly, silencing the bickering students in an instant. "I am not interested in who started the food fight. The fact is that all of you were involved, so all of you are equally to blame."

Glynda had been teaching aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses for many years, and had by now perfected the art of getting rowdy children to fall in line and listen to her admonishments. A hard stare and a stern word were all she needed to subdue all but the most intransient of individuals.

"Team PRAN, I expected better from you four. You had until today demonstrated to me a level of maturity and rationality that I found to be most admirable. And I am especially disappointed in you, Miss Nikos. You are the leader of your team now, it is expected that you set the example for your teammates to follow."

The girl in question at least had the decency to look contrite, head bowed low as she murmured out an apology.

"As for Team RWBY," Glynda continued, turning her attention towards the other half of the room. "Considering your recent suspension, I would have thought that you would all be especially conscious of how close to the line you all are right now. Engaging in yet more reckless behaviour is troubling indeed."

Even Miss Xiao Long looked apologetic as Glynda spoke. "We're sorry, Professor Goodwitch."

"W-w-we didn't m-mean t-to get th-that intense," Miss Rose stuttered out as she continued to fidget with the end of her cloak. She had not stopped fiddling with the hem of it since arriving in the office.

Glynda drew herself up to her full height and folded her arms behind her. Drawing her heels together with an audible click, she drew the attention of the entire room.

"Evidently, merely reprimanding you for your behaviours has not been sufficient to impress upon you all the attitudes that are expected of individuals in your position. Therefore, I feel it necessary to ensure that you all learn to act more maturely. So, I shall be assigning the eight of you to undertake a very specific job."

"Team CFVY had originally been assigned the role of organising the Vytal Festival Dance, but their existing commitments elsewhere mean that they are no longer able to carry out the task. I am therefore assigning this to you in their stead."

Glynda's words were met with eight confused expressions.

"You have a little over one month until the day," she continued. "And a fixed budget that you may not exceed under any circumstances. I understand that Miss Adel has already drafted up some initial plans, so I would encourage you to meet with her first before making any plans of your own."

"You want us to… plan a party?" asked Miss Belladonna.

"I want you all to take some responsibility, Miss Belladonna. When serious missteps are made, it is important that we make up for them via our subsequent actions. Show me that you can all be trusted with a task such as this, and I will consider yourselves redeemed in my eyes for your utter destruction of the cafeteria today."

Glynda retrieved an envelope from her desk and handed it to Miss Schnee. "You will find everything else you need in here, including instructions on what is and isn't appropriate for the occasion."

"That will be all for now. You are dismissed, and I recommend you all clean yourselves up before doing anything else."

Glynda's eight troublemakers filed out of her office, closing the door behind them. As soon as they left, Glynda sank into her chair and let out an exasperated sigh.

It hasn't even been a full semester yet. If this keeps up, these students may yet be the death of me.

Having showered and finally managed to remove the last of the foodstuffs from her hair, Weiss sat on the end of Ruby's bed and slowly brushed through it to remove the remaining tangles as she listened absently to the discussion Yang and Pyrrha were currently having.

"Yang, I really think we should consider seeing if anyone in Beacon could provide the music. It would save a great deal of money if we could avoid having to hire someone for that." Pyrrha was calm and measured as she laid out her case.

Yang, on the other hand, was loud and excitable. "C'mon Pyrrha, we have the budget for it, we should make the most of it! I know for a fact that OK Goodnight are gonna be in town that week, we could hire them in between shows if we play our cards right!"

"But that would leave us with less money for other things. Remember, we still need to organise all of the catering, decoration, and transportation for anyone bringing plus-ones. Plus, unless some of us are willing to man the entrances and welcome people in, we may need to hire people for that as well."

"Pyrrha, I hear you, but think about it: OK Goodnight, live at Beacon. Everyone'll love it!"

Weiss paid the pair of them the minimum of attention, and wondered if she might be able to convince Professor Goodwitch to assign her some other remedial task. Like laundry duty, or weeding the grounds, or really anything that didn't involve… parties.

Weiss had had more than her fill of parties and formal dinners and elaborate gatherings in her life. Her father had made a point of throwing some sort of expensive function every few months for as long as she could recall, inviting all his biggest investors and business partners. They would drink, and talk, and make big decisions that earned them all lots of money.

The whole family had been forced to attend each and every one at Father's behest… at least at the start. Mother was the first to stop attending them, then Winter after she had been declared persona no grata by Father for daring to refuse his summons once too often. Whitley had held out a bit longer, until Father decided that her brother needed to be removed from the public eye after his breakdown…

But Weiss was always present. Whether she wanted to be there or not, and she often did not. After all, Father needed someone to play nice with his associates' children.

She had hated every single one of those events, even more so when Whitley stopped attending them.

And while she knew that this party was nothing to do with her father or his associates, she still didn't relish the thought of dredging up past experiences. As such, she had been fully intending to skip out altogether and spend her evening doing something else.

Maybe I can play a role from the side-lines? Something that'll require me to be as far away from the entire event as humanly possible…

Glancing around as she finished brushing through her hair, Weiss noticed that the rest of their respective teams were apparently not present, having vanished sometime after Weiss had entered the bathroom.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, mostly to herself.

"Nora and Ren went to meet Coco to ask for her plans," Pyrrha explained. "They should be back soon. I don't know where Jaune is, though."

"And Blake and Rubes went off somewhere else," added Yang. "I'm guessing the library? Probably to research some stuff."

Weiss frowned. "You didn't think to ask them before they left?"

"Nope!" Yang replied cheerfully, popping the 'p' in that way both she and Ruby always did. "But if I'm being honest, this sort of thing isn't Ruby's style. Like, at all."

Weiss wasn't particularly surprised to hear that. Ruby didn't really strike her as a party-going type of person. She struggled to imagine the younger girl finding any sort of enjoyment at a loud school dance.

Something she and I have in common, I suppose, albeit for very different reasons.

"Weiss, did you have any input you would like to share?" Pyrrha asked. "Any advice at all would be appreciated."

Weiss let out a resigned sigh. She may not have been particularly enthused to be involved in any of this, but it was her punishment as much as it was everyone else's, so she supposed she had to at least try to engage with it.

"Pass me the guidelines. Let me see what we have to work with."

The envelope was not as thick as Weiss had been expecting, containing only around half-a-dozen pages detailing mostly basic minutiae regarding the schedule and order of events. There was a formal dress code, a curfew, a few business numbers if they needed them, and not much else besides. All told, there was quite a bit of leeway regarding what could and could not be planned.

One detail did stand out as oddly specific to Weiss: No Fireworks.

I wonder what happened to result in that rule being necessary?

Weiss set the papers aside. "Perhaps we should wait for the others to get back first? Then we can all discuss this together rather than jumping to any decisions without thinking them through first."

"I think that's fair," agreed Pyrrha with a nod.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Fine, we'll wait. But in the meantime…"

Yang's expression quickly turned playful, grinning at both Weiss and Pyrrha. "Any ideas on who you're gonna go with?"

Pyrrha suddenly looked much less sure of herself, averting her gaze and flushing slightly. "W-well, not at present, no."

Yang's smile only widened. "Sounds to me like you at least have some idea. Care to share, Pyrrha?"

Weiss resisted the urge to just get up and leave. Even more than not wanting to get involved in anything party-related, she really didn't want to be involved in this sort of discussion. If Yang started asking her questions of that nature…

Better to derail this before it even starts.

"Yang, leave her alone," Weiss interjected before anything else could be said. "If she doesn't want to tell you, don't force her."

Yang raised her hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Of course I'd never do that." She turned to face Pyrrha. "Sorry for putting you on the spot, though."

"It's fine," Pyrrha replied. "I know you didn't mean any harm."

The door to the dorm room opened then at that moment, and Ren and Nora entered with armfuls of paper and folders.

"Coco gave us everything," Ren said from behind the tottering pile of notes they were holding. "I wasn't aware that planning a party could be this… elaborate."

The pair set their respective stacks down in the centre of the room. All Weiss and the others could do was stare in disbelief at the mountain before them.

"Well then," said Pyrrha cautiously. "Let's get started, I guess?"

Yang looked almost despondent at the amount of reading they were all apparently now going to have to do. "I was wrong. We need Ruby and Blake here for this. Where are they?"

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

Ruby closed the book she had been attempting to read and tossed it back onto the table. 'The Perfect Party Planner's Perfect Guide to Perfect Parties' had turned out to not be anywhere near as helpful as its boastful title implied it would be.

"No," she sighed. "I r-really don't."

Neptune chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't have a clue what to do, either."

Ruby turned to face her unusual companion. "N-not to s-s-sound rude, but… why are y-you here?"

Neptune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "To be honest, I'm just kinda bored. Scarlet and Sage are still resting up after the whole docks disaster, and I have no idea where Sun's run off to… again." Ruby didn't miss the note of bitterness in Neptune's voice as he spoke about his leader.

"H-how are they?" Ruby asked. "S-Sage and S-Scarlet, I mean."

"Oh, they're fine," Neptune replied. "I think Scarlet's pride was more wounded than his body was. He hates losing."

Neptune's expression then turned a little more serious. "What about you? Are you and your team holding up OK?"

"Y-yeah, we're f-fine," Ruby murmured, pointedly avoiding looking directly at Neptune. She stood and gathered up her things, turning to leave with a muttered "Bye."

'Are you and your team holding up OK?'

…

No, I don't think we are.

At first, Ruby had felt like they all had managed to really come together after the fight at the docks. Blake had opened up to everyone, they had made new promises as a team to talk properly to each other from now on, and when they had come back to Beacon after their suspension ended things had seemed to be going fine.

But a week passed, and it became clear that no, things were absolutely not fine.

There were the dreams, for starters. Dreams of what had happened. Of what might have happened of things had gone differently. Of all the ways things could have gone terribly, terribly wrong. Ruby hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in days now.

Then there was the lingering stress from the whole ordeal, as well as the lingering uncertainty between everyone. Sure, they had talked, and made all those new promises, but Ruby still found herself worrying if it could all still fall apart.

The other three surely had the same worry, if the many terse conversations and awkward silences were any indication.

And on top of it all, capping off the pile, was the very clear fact that, in spite of their efforts and all they had done, in spite of how hard they had fought… it had all ultimately amounted to nothing of substance. Every day more news reports told the same stories: another robbery, another attack, another sighting of the White Fang or even of Roman Torchwick himself.

They had all escaped with their lives, but that was it. Whatever plans Torchwick and the White Fang had, they apparently hadn't been inconvenienced very much at all by Ruby and company's involvement.

Blake was taking this the hardest, Ruby could tell that much quite easily. Every morning and every evening, Blake made a point of checking the news, and always came away looking miserable from what she saw.

Of course, Ruby was guilty of that as well. They all were. They just weren't talking about it with each other. Despite their promises, they had managed in the span of a week to slide back into the broken dynamic they had started with.

'Are you and your team holding up OK?'

…

We can't go on like this.

As she wandered slowly along the hallway, she found herself recalling the words of advice Penny had given her in the alleyway:

'I do not think that this is something that you need to 'fix,' Ruby. I think that this is something that you need to face, and talk about with the people who are a part of it.'

Those two days when everything had gone to hell had been awful. Ruby did not want to have to go through all of that again.

Lifting her head and steeling her resolve, Ruby turned and made her way towards the sparring rooms.

Time for a team meeting.

Blake ducked to avoid the blast aimed at her face, responding with a wide swing of her sword, aiming to force her opponent to back off and give her more space.

But he would not be so easily driven back. Gambol was parried aside, disrupting Blake's guard yet again and opening her up once more to an assault. Rather than forcing her opponent back, Blake was the one who found herself retreating, frantically back peddling to dodge a body blow that would have knocked the wind from her.

Blake's back hit the wall, and she realised that she had nowhere left to escape to.

Nowhere except up.

Pushing upwards off of her Shadows was a little trickier than using them to launch herself straight along the ground. She had to contend with gravity pulling against her, throwing off her trajectory ever so slightly. Blake's range upwards with her Semblance was thus slightly reduced from her normal range. And as much as she had trained to compensate for this, she still hadn't quite managed to alleviate all of the issues just yet.

As a result, she was unable to avoid having her ankle grabbed mid-leap, and unable to avoid being yanked back down to the ground, rendering her escape attempt utterly futile.

Blake fell to the ground hard, her sword knocked from her grasp and sent skittering across the floor out of reach.

The end of a red staff was thrust into her face, stopping just short of hitting her in the eye.

"I win," said Sun. He withdrew his staff and offered her his free hand.

Blake took it with a huff of annoyance that was mostly aimed at herself, allowing Sun to pull her up before letting go and retrieving her weapon.

"Again," she said, retaking her stance.

Sun shook his head and smiled. "We've been sparring for the better part of an hour, Blake. You may not need a break, but I sure do, so I'm hitting the showers. Some other time, maybe?"

Before Blake could protest, he had made his way out of the room, just as another pair of students made their way in.

"Is this room free now?" asked one of them. "Or do you still need it?"

Blake sighed, replacing her weapon on her back and making her own way out. "All yours," she grumbled.

"Wait."

Blake paused halfway out the door and turned to face the pair. "Did you need something?"

One of the girls, the one with dark hair that covered one eye, gave her a look. "You wanted to keep training, didn't you?"

Blake just shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I'll just have to come back later."

"Why not now?"

Blake raised an eyebrow at that. "With you two?"

The girl gave a shrug of her own. "Emerald, you wouldn't mind if I sparred with this one first for a bit, would you?"

"Fine by me, Cinder," the other girl, Emerald, replied.

I though they looked familiar. They're from Team CMNE, from Haven Academy.

Blake made her way back towards the ring, drawing her weapon once more and settling back into her stance. Her new opponent, Cinder, stood opposite her and drew from behind her a pair of curved swords, holding one in a reverse grip.

"Whenever you are ready, Miss Belladonna," Cinder said calmly, smiling a small smile.

Blake shifted her weight forwards, tensed, and prepared to launch herself towards her foe-

"Blake!"

Blake stopped and turned her head. Ruby was standing at the doorway, an armful of books clutched against her chest.

"Ruby, can it wait? I'm a little busy right now."

The younger girl shook her head and shot Blake a hard stare that she would not have expected Ruby to be capable of. "N-no, it can't. Come back to the dorm w-with m-me."

Blake turned back to Cinder and sent her an apologetic look. "Some other time?"

"Of course," Cinder replied, still smiling that small smile of hers. "I look forward to it."

There is way too much here. Coco, you seriously went overboard. How were you even gonna pull all this off!?

Team CFVY's plans had indeed turned out to be ridiculously elaborate. Coco had apparently taken this very seriously, and her notes had accounted for just about every single tiny detail that could possibly arise from planning a dance.

Yang could certainly appreciate the effort that must have gone into all of this, but it all seemed far to excessive to her. To Yang, a party was supposed to have some spontaneity to it. Sure, you could plan some of the big stuff, but there had to be some stuff that you just let fall where it may. Otherwise, you'd take all the fun out of it.

So Yang opted to make an executive decision.

"All in favour of just throwing all of this out and doing our own thing, raise your hand now."

Unanimously, everyone present raised their hands at Yang's suggestion.

"Great!" She threw aside the folder she had been holding and grabbed the blank sheet of paper she and Pyrrha had set aside earlier. "Alright, let's lay out everything we need to-"

The door to the dorm beeped and swung open, and Blake and Ruby entered.

"Perfect timing!" Yang chirped happily. "We were just about to start brainstorming some stuff."

Ruby set her armful of books down of the desk. "Pyrrha, N-Nora, R-Ren? Could you give us th-the room f-for a bit?"

Yang sat up straighter as Ruby spoke. She sounded very serious. Something must have happened.

The others clearly picked up on this as well, as Pyrrha simply nodded and left without a word, Nora and Ren following suit, leaving just the four of them in the dorm.

"Ruby, is everything alright? What happened?" Yang got up and made her way over to her sister.

Ruby closed her eyes and took a breath. "L-let's all just s-sit down."

Now feeling very worried, Yang retook her seat on the floor, Ruby and Blake joining her soon after. Weiss likewise got off the bed and came to join the rest of the team, with the four of them now sat in a rough circle.

"OK then," said Weiss slowly. "What's all this about?"

Ruby turned to look at each of them in turn, then turned her gaze up at the ceiling.

"W-we all promised to talk to each other f-from now on," she said slowly, taking care with each word to avoid stammering as much as possible. "But we s-still aren't doing that. So w-we need to talk… right now."

"About what?" asked Yang, but she already had a pretty good idea what this was about.

You beat me to it, sis. I was gonna bring this up soon, but you went and beat me to it.

Ruby took another deep breath. "What happened… at the docks. W-with the W-White Fang… and Torchwick."

The room was silent for a moment. It seemed they were all now waiting for someone else to say something first.

"I'm not… I'm not s-sleeping well. I keep th-thinking about it… and I know th-that you all th-think about it too."

Yang inhaled sharply. She had known, of course, that Ruby had been waking up in the middle of the night, but hearing her outright admit it…

"He's still out there," whispered Blake. "Torchwick, Gainsboro… they're all still out there. We couldn't stop them. All we did was save ourselves."

"What else could we have done?" Weiss asked. "We were in way over our heads that night. We were not ready for something like that!"

"No-one else was doing anything!" Blake yelled suddenly. "The police didn't stop them! They still aren't! Something big is about to happen and no-one is doing anything about it!"

"You don't know that for sure, Blake," Yang interjected. "Maybe there's an investigation going on, but they can't say anything publicly in case they blow their cover or something?"

"I agree with Yang," Weiss added. "Professor Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm certain they have this all under control."

"Well, I'm not!" Blake snapped. "They don't know the Fang like I do."

"So you want to go charging in all over again?" Weiss asked, her tone cold. "Since it went so well last time… Need I remind you that we are still students in training, Blake? We are not ready for this yet!"

Blake rose to her feet. "We may never be ready! The White Fang aren't just going to wait for us to graduate! They're out there somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not, they're coming!"

Weiss stood up and placed a hand upon Blake's shoulder. "I get it, Blake. It's driving me crazy as well. Ruby's right, we're all thinking about it, all the time. But be reasonable: what can we even do right now?"

"We can do our own investigation."

All eyes were on Yang after she spoke.

"There's no rule against doing a little… 'extra-curricular activity'." Yang made an air-quotes motion as she said that. "And who knows, we might find something that could help stop them. I doubt anyone would complain about us giving them any info we find, if it helps them arrest the Fang and Torchwick in the end."

Weiss stared at Yang like she had grown a second head. "We just got back from a suspension, and we've been taken to task for a food fight! Can we really afford to risk getting in any more trouble?"

"We h-have to do this."

Ruby stood up herself, pushing down her hood and staring at them all. "W-we aren't gonna s-stop thinking about it if w-we just do n-nothing. It'll keep on bothering us until w-we all go m-mad from th-thinking about it. About w-what could've h-happened.. if we'd only done m-more."

Yang was torn between feeling proud and afraid as Ruby spoke. A feeling she was growing increasingly familiar with, it seemed.

"L-like Professor Goodwitch said: we h-have to m-make up for our m-mistakes. We couldn't s-stop them before… but m-maybe we can s-stop them next time."

"We have to take responsibility," said Blake, nodding her head. "We screwed up at the docks, now we need to make up for it."

Yang looked her sister in the eye, and she knew that there was no talking Ruby out of this. Her little sister could at times be the most stubborn person on the planet, and this was one of those times.

And if she were being honest with herself? Yang couldn't blame her one bit. After all, she was the one who suggested an investigation of their own in the first place.

Yang thought back to the fight. She thought back to her encounter with that short girl with the umbrella, how she had been beaten so badly Ruby had needed to step in and save her.

Make up for our past mistakes, huh?

"So, are we really doing this?"

Blake and Ruby both nodded. "We are," they said together.

All eyes now turned towards Weiss.

"I want the record to show that I think this is a terrible idea… but I'm in." Weiss held out her hand in the centre of the circle. "Someone has to make sure the three of you don't get into even more trouble, after all."

Yang placed her own hand on top of Weiss'. "Glad to have you on board, Ice Queen."

"Call me that again and I will freeze you to the ceiling," Weiss quipped.

Blake added her own hand to the pile. "Alright then, we're in this together."

Ruby added her own hand on top. "Then let's s-start to plan our n-next move."

"Not quite yet," Weiss said. "First, we need to tidy up the room." She gestured to the mess of papers and folders that were strewn all across the floor of the dorm.

"Oh, right. We still have a party to plan." Yang facepalmed. "Forgot about that for a moment."

"We can multitask," Blake responded. "Besides, planning parties isn't really in my wheelhouse."

Am I the only member of the team who likes parties? Yang mused.

Roman stared up at the approaching ship with no small amount of trepidation.

Just stay calm. Don't let this kid get under your skin.

A tug on his sleeve drew Roman's attention back down to his sister, standing at his side with a rather concerned expression of her own.

[Are you sure about this?] she signed.

"Not in the slightest," Roman replied. "But that ship has long since sailed."

Neo's brow creased with worry. [If he turns on us, will we be able to deal with him?]

No, was the answer to that question, but he wasn't about to say that to Neo.

"If worst comes to worst, we'll just bail back to Mistral."

The ship drew closer, making its final approach to land.

Roman's grip on his cane tightened. "That being said, keep your guard up around this guy. And let me know right away if anything feels off."

Neo nodded.

The ship landed a short distance away, and the side door slid open.

Its single passenger hopped out, and the ship immediately took off again and flew off, not wasting a single moment.

"Roman Torchwick. We finally meet face-to-face."

Chapter Text

Weiss stared up at the CCT and went over all the reasons in her head why this was probably a very bad idea.

Then she pushed all those thoughts aside and entered the tower anyway.

Desperate times…

"Good afternoon, Miss," the receptionist greeted her as she stepped inside. "Welcome to Vale CCT! How may we assist you today?"

"I'd like to use one of the main terminals if that's OK," Weiss replied. "I need to request a large number of files for a project."

The receptionist tapped a few keys and nodded, gesturing to the doorway that led into the main terminal station. "Terminal number thirteen, on your left at the end. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thank-you." Weiss pushed through the door and made her way towards the far end of the room.

Thirteen, huh? Let's hope that isn't a bad sign…

Don't be silly, Weiss. Superstitions like that are nonsense.

Taking her seat, Weiss logged into the terminal and pulled the Scroll out of her pocket, slotting it into the dock. Not her personal Scroll, though. This was a spare that she had held onto just in case she ever needed it. It had been wiped clear of everything else as a precaution. Perhaps a tad excessive, but Weiss was not about to take any chances, given what she was about to do.

Weiss opened up the call app and dialled the number she needed, making sure to switch off the camera as yet another precaution.

Will he even pick up? Does he even have his Scroll anymore?

The call connected, and a tired but familiar voice spoke from the terminal's speakers.

"Hello, this is Whitley Schnee. May I ask who is calling?"

Weiss smiled, even as she felt her heart ache over how worn-down her brother sounded.

"Hello there, this is Whitney. Are you busy right now? I was wondering if we could talk about the recital."

Weiss wondered for a moment if Whitley even remembered the old code they had come up with all those years ago, their little pass-phrases they used to let each other know if they were alone or not whenever they wanted to talk without being listened in on.

…

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

…

"Not at the moment," came Whitley's reply, sounding noticeably more upbeat than before. "I was just reading a little. The piano is in need of repair."

'Reading a little'. That meant he was in his room alone.

'The piano is in need of repair'. That meant no-one else was home.

No-one to overhear them. They were safe.

"How are you, Whitley?"

Whitley sighed. "I'm fine, all things considered. Just short on sleep at present. Things have been a bit unsettled as of late."

Weiss frowned, not liking how that sounded. "Unsettled how, exactly?"

"It's not important," Whitley replied quickly. "What about you? How are you doing? Are you keeping well? You sound rather sleep-deprived yourself."

Weiss sighed. Her brother was far too perceptive. "It's part of the reason I called, actually."

"Go on," Whitley pressed.

Weiss paused for a moment, hesitating slightly about what she was about to ask of her twin.

Should I really be doing this? I could get Whitley in a lot of trouble if he gets caught, and for what? To make things easier for myself?

"Weiss? Are you still there?" Whitley was starting to sound worried.

Weiss shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking you for things like this. Forget it."

"No I shall not," Whitley replied simply. "You called because you need my help, did you not? Whatever else, you can at least tell me what is going on."

"I don't want to put you in a bad position," explained Weiss. "This could cause you a lot of trouble."

Weiss heard a bark of bitter laughter from the terminal speakers. "Dear sister, if you are concerned about my getting on Father's bad side, I can assure you, I truly do not care. He can hardly think less of me than he already does."

Weiss winced at the bitterness in her brother's voice. "Whitley…"

Whitley cut her off. "Let me decide for myself. Tell me what is troubling you, and I'll see how I can assist you."

'Your brother is not fragile. Jacques might not think highly of him, but you and I both know that Whitley is strong in his own way.'

Winter's words echoed in Weiss' mind, and she knew that her elder sister was right.

"My team are investigating White Fang activity in Vale. We got involved in an incident a few weeks back, and we've been trying to follow any lead we can to try and track down the perpetrators. So far though, we've come up empty."

"You're… going after the White Fang?" Whitley asked slowly, cautiously.

Weiss grimaced. "Not alone, I'm not. And we don't plan on confronting them directly this time. We're going to hand whatever we find over to the authorities and let them deal with it."

"This time!?" Whitley exclaimed. "Weiss, what happened!? What did you do!?"

"I'm fine!" Weiss insisted. "I'm not hurt, and I didn't go out of my way to fight them, if that's what you're thinking. My teammate was in danger, and I helped her escape. That's all."

"… Turn on your camera."

Weiss blinked. "Why?"

"So I can see you," Whitley said sharply. "So I can see that you're telling the truth."

If it'll put his mind at ease…

If no-one was home, then Weiss supposed there was no risk of being seen by Father. So she pressed the button to activate the camera, switching to video call.

The light beside the camera lit up, indicating that is was active.

"There," she said simply, looking directly into the lens. "Satisfied that I'm uninjured?"

Whitley said nothing for a long moment, and Weiss began to wonder of their connection had been cut.

Then her own screen's display changed, and she saw her brother looking back at her.

Whitley's hair, the same pure white as all of their family's hair was, had grown out a little, his bangs just beginning to cover his brows. He was slightly paler than normal, with noticeable dark bags underneath his uncovered eye. He had forgone using his glass eye today it seemed, opting instead for the blue-and-white patch that she had made for him years ago.

All told, he looked as worn-out as he sounded, but nonetheless he smiled at her from across the screen.

"It's good to see you, Weiss," Whitley said warmly.

Weiss smiled back. "It's good to see you too, Whitley."

The two of them just… sat like that for a few seconds, smiling small smiles and appreciating this little moment.

"I miss you," Weiss whispered.

"I miss you too, Weiss."

Whitley shook himself slightly, his smile dropping as he became serious again. "Now then, what exactly do you need me to find for you?"

Weiss snapped back to the task at hand. "Any reports you can get me on incidents involving SDC shipments in the Vale area. If we can find a pattern of any kind, it might point us in the right direction."

Whitley disappeared from view for a few seconds as he rearranged some things on his desk, presumably pulling up his second screen.

"Well then," Whitley said upon returning to view sat at his desk. "Let's see what I can find on the company records."

"You're sure you're OK doing this?" Weiss asked. "You can, and probably should, say no."

Whitley just smirked. "My dear sister, don't pretend like this is the first time I've gone snooping around Father's work. Now, do you have a device ready to receive the information once I get it?"

Ruby checked the time on her Scroll once more as she waited on the bench, just outside the small café that had somehow become their agreed-upon meeting spot that they always used.

I should really get a watch.

The display read a few minutes before 2PM. In her excitement and impatience to get out from the dorm for a little while, Ruby had managed to arrive slightly earlier than she needed to.

She felt a little guilty for having ditched the rest of her team for the afternoon, but she needed this break. The four of them had been juggling their studies, and their training, and planning the dance, and investigating any and all leads on Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. Needless to say, they were all four of them reaching the end of their tethers with it all.

Especially with regards to the investigation. After more than two weeks of searching for information any chance they got, all they had managed to learn thus far was that Roman Torchwick apparently ran a surprisingly tight ship when it came to his criminal enterprises. He left very little evidence behind whenever he was involved in a robbery, just enough to tie him to the crime without providing anything useful for tracking him down.

The White Fang were just as hard to pin down. Blake had explained that small groups of them would frequently move their location to avoid being found, and it was evidently quite an effective strategy.

It was all proving to be equal parts maddening and disheartening. Anytime they found some small piece of evidence, the trail it sent them down would always be a dead-end.

There was only so much of that someone could put up with before being driven crazy. So, Ruby decided to put another of her mother's old words-of-advice to good use, and step back for a little bit to recharge before carrying on.

Hopefully the others will take today off from all of this as well. After all, it's not like we're making any real progress… with either of our projects.

"Ruby!" called a voice from across the street, prompting Ruby to lift her head and smile upon seeing who was waving at her.

Penny.

The taller, orange-haired girl jogged over to the bench where Ruby was waiting, beaming at her all the while. She was dressed in her usual attire, but had also opted to wear a wide-brimmed hat that seemed a little too big for her head. "It is wonderful to see you again, Ruby! I am sorry we could not meet at all these past few weeks, I was rather busy with some other things."

"S-so was I, actually," Ruby replied as she rose from her seat. "Th-thanks for coming out w-with me today."

"No thanks are necessary, Ruby! I am always happy to spend time with you!"

Ruby smiled at that, and felt her cheeks warm slightly at the same time. Penny's bubbly enthusiasm was infectious in a way that Ruby had never felt before.

"W-well then," Ruby began, as the pair set of at a slow pace down the street, walking side-by-side. "R-ready for a proper tour of V-Vale?"

Penny nodded with enough vigour that her hat almost fell off her head. "By all means, lead the way!"

Truthfully, Ruby didn't actually know a whole lot about Vale. She had lived on Patch for much of her life, and it was only in the last few months that she had gotten to spend time in the capital now that she was attending Beacon. Even then, Ruby wasn't in the habit of exploring the city very often, mostly sticking to a few familiar places that she knew were nice and quiet.

"Th-that's the Vale Library." Ruby pointed to the large, glass-fronted building that took up one whole side of the North Square of the city. "Beacon's library h-has a lot, but if there's s-something that you can't f-find at Beacon, this place probably h-has it."

Penny stared up at the library with rapt interest. "It looks a lot bigger than the Central Library in Mantle."

But Ruby knew the city well enough to navigate it without getting lost… most of the time. So she could at least give Penny a basic run-down of the city, while pointing out the handful of places that she liked to visit herself.

"Over there… that's the café w-where I met Professor Ozpin." Ruby gestured to the small, out-of-the-way café opposite where they were walking, en route to the South Plaza.

Penny lit up upon seeing the café. "Maybe we could go there later?"

Ruby nodded, and smiled. She seemed to be doing that a lot this afternoon.

"I'd like that," she said. "I n-never did get to try th-the cocoa…"

Ruby trailed off. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a commotion. A large number of voices talking over one another.

Is that coming from the Plaza? What's going on?

Penny had noticed as well, so the two of them made their way towards the noise, rounding the corner to find a sizable crowd of people gathered around a stage set up in the centre. Standing on the stage were half-a-dozen humanoid figures, metallic and faceless.

Are those Atlesian Knights?

"I didn't r-realise there w-was some s-sort of presentation on today…" Ruby mumbled, glancing around to look for a path out that wasn't too crowded. She wasn't feeling too keen on wading through a dense crowd.

"Oh, of course!" Penny exclaimed, startling Ruby slightly with her yell. "I did not think of this! Ruby, let's watch! I am sure you will find this fascinating!"

Ruby supressed the urge to pull her hood up reflexively. She really didn't want to join the crowd, especially if whatever show this was turned out to be a noisy one that got everyone jumping and yelling…

"There is a spot just over there that is more out of the way," said Penny, pointing off to her right. Ruby followed her finger to see an area of the Plaza that was much more devoid of people.

Well, that looks a bit better. And Penny does seem excited about whatever this is…

Swallowing, Ruby nodded, and allowed Penny to lead her over to the empty space.

"S-s-s-so…" Ruby managed to force out, her stammer acting up more than it had been earlier. "Y-you know w-what th-this is?"

Penny nodded, but said nothing more, so Ruby turned to face the stage.

"Greetings to all," a voice announced through the speaker system. "Thank-you for coming to today's demonstration. We hope that you all enjoy what you are about to see."

Where have I heard that voice before?

A pair of blue lights clicked on from either side of the stage, their beams meeting in the middle and forming the outline of a person.

The lights, hologram projectors, brightened, and the outline became a distinct individual. Clad in a military dress uniform, with short hair and a distinctive metal plate above his brow, Ruby's eyes widened as she realised who she was looking at.

General James Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and leader of the Atlas Military.

"By now, I'm sure you are all familiar with the AK-130 series of Autonomous Atlesian Knights." General Ironwood… or rather, his hologram, gestured to the six androids sharing the stage with him. "The AK-130 has been the standard security model of Remnant for almost a decade now, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you all agree?"

A smattering of applause came from the crowd, and the Knights responded by bowing in that stiff and jerky manner that they had become infamous for.

Ruby felt her skin crawl at the sight. She couldn't really explain why, but she had never really liked the Atlesian Knights. Something about them just felt off, but Ruby had a hard time pinpointing exactly what that something was.

"However," Ironwood continued, the applause settling down as he resumed his speech. "The Kingdom of Atlas is the Kingdom of Innovation and Progress, and 'fine'… Well, that's just not good enough, is it? The people of Remnant deserve nothing less than the very best that we can offer you. So our engineers have been working diligently to bring you the next generation of cutting-edge hardware."

The sound of gears and motors accompanied six metal containers that rose up behind the still-bowing Knights. The doors, each emblazoned with the spear-on-shield insignia of Atlas, slid open.

"I present to you… The Atlesian Knight 200!"

Six new figures stepped out of the containers and shoved the AK-130s to the ground. The new droids were white and black, with sleeker forms and smother movements.

Polite applause accompanied the reveal of these new models, and General Ironwood smiled at the crowd as his hologram waled up and down the stage.

"The AK-200 is a leap forward in autonomous defence. Smarter, sleeker, and… let's be honest, a little less frightening to look at."

At that, the six droids all began to strike various poses. One pointed finger-guns at the crowd, another bowed in a very formal manner, a third and fourth high-fived each other, and the last two flexed their non-existent muscles, eliciting a few laughed from the audience.

Ruby could appreciate the incredible feat of technology she saw in front of her, but she still found herself feeling creeped out by the droids, despite how much more humanlike they looked and acted.

"These newest models are still a work-in-progress, but we expect them to be combat-ready later this year."

"But they won't be alone," added Ironwood. "I have one more announcement to make here today before we conclude. Now, the Atlas Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield, but it is undeniable that there are still a multitude of situations that will require… a human touch."

This piqued Ruby's interest, and she found herself leaning slightly forwards.

What does he mean by that?

"We don't have a prototype to show you today, but rest assured that what I am about to show you is very, very real. I present to you… the Atlesian Paladin!"

A second hologram appeared beside Ironwood's, and Ruby's jaw dropped as she stared up at the stage.

One of her's and Yang's favourite videogames from years ago was one where you could play as giant robots. Now, projected up on stage for everyone to see, was something that looked like it came right out of that very game. Towering over Ironwood, the behemoth stood on two piston legs, supporting a heavily-armoured main body. Its arms were adorned with huge guns, larger than anything Ruby had seen before outside of airship turrets. As the hologram rotated, Ruby could make out additional missile ports on the machine's shoulders, what looked like laser-targeting systems on all sides, and much more besides.

"Whoa…" Ruby breathed in awe.

"I knew you would like it," Penny said beside her.

"These mechanised battle suits will be seen defending Kingdom borders within the year! In tandem with the AK-200s, and fighting alongside the very best Huntsmen the world has to offer, Remnant will be safer from the threat of the Grimm than ever before in history!"

Raucous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd, the racket stabbing at Ruby's eardrums and jarring her out of her awe-stricken state. She reflexively clamped her hands over her ears to block out the noise, forgetting for a moment that she was out in public and not all by herself.

A tug at her sleeve drew Ruby's attention to Penny, who was looking at her with concern and saying something that Ruby didn't quite hear.

Withdrawing her hands, Ruby ducked her head in embarrassment, mentally kicking herself for overreacting like she had done.

"S-s-sorry," she mumbled. "It just… got a bit too l-loud."

"Then let's go somewhere else," Penny replied. "Maybe back to that café we walked past?"

Nodding, Ruby followed after Penny as the two of them withdrew from the Plaza and returned to the side street they had been walking down before.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," said Penny. "I should have realised that you would find the noise uncomfortable."

Ruby waved her hands at Penny's words. "It's n-not your f-fault, Penny. And I did l-like the sh-show. Th-that Paladin l-looked really cool."

Penny smiled, but it was more subdued than her usual beaming smiles were. "All the same, I should have known better. So I am sorry, Ruby."

"It's OK Penny, r-really," Ruby insisted. "N-now come on, let's go to th-that café." Ruby turned and stepped off the sidewalk to begin crossing over to the other side, forgetting in her rush to distract Penny to check for oncoming traffic before she did so.

"Ruby, look out!"

Ruby only just about heard Penny's shout of alarm over the deafening noise of a horn blaring from her right. Immediately, Ruby clamped her hands over her ears once again to try and block out the painful noise, freezing on the spot due to the sensory overload and forgetting to move out of the way of whatever vehicle had honked at her.

Then there was the sound of a crash, of metal buckling and asphalt cracking and tyres screeching to a halt that all managed to drill into Ruby's ears despite her best attempts to block it all out. She screwed her eyes shut and hunched over, wanting nothing more in that moment than for the painful noise to go away.

It did. The world fell silent almost immediately, and Ruby breathed a sigh of relief.

Then reality caught up to her, and Ruby realised with no small amount of horror that she had just wandered out into the road and almost gotten hit by a car, and that that car had presumably just swerved to avoid her and crashed into something else.

Opening her eyes and spinning around, Ruby prepared to run over to the vehicle and begin helping whoever might have gotten hurt because of her stupidity-

She froze, and stared in utter shock at the sight before her eyes.

It was a van that had almost hit her, but it had not swerved like she had assumed. It had come to a dead stop less than a metre from where Ruby was stood, it's front end crumpled as if it had slammed into a wall.

But there was no wall. Standing in between Ruby and the now-totalled van, hands outstretched and pressed against the destroyed front-end of the vehicle, was Penny, the ground beneath her feet cratered.

Penny had stopped the van with her bare hands.

"Wha…?"

"Are you unhurt?" Penny asked the driver, who had emerged from the side of the van in a bit of a daze.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" he replied slowly. "Are you?"

"I am uninjured, yes," Penny responded, taking her hands off the front of the van and turning to face Ruby. "Are you OK, Ruby?"

Ruby could only nod, at a loss for words at what she was seeing.

"That is a relief," Penny sighed. "Come on, we should probably get out of the road."

Penny gently took Ruby's arm in her hand and guided Ruby across to the opposite sidewalk.

Glancing down, she looked at Penny's hand and noticed that her glove had been torn.

That must have hurt her hands. How is she not in pain right n-?

Ruby's mind stalled as she noticed exactly what Penny's torn glove had revealed. Not skin, or even torn and bloodied flesh… but dull, grey metal.

"Penny, your hand-"

Immediately, Penny withdrew her hand and clenched both of her fists, holding them close to her chest and staring at Ruby with wide eyes.

She looked terrified.

"Uh… I have… I mean… Uh… You see, the thing is…"

Penny stalled and stopped talking.

Then she turned and sprinted away.

"Wait, Penny!" Ruby cried, sprinting after her fleeing friend as she rounded a corner into an adjacent alleyway.

This alley was a dead-end, and Ruby found Penny frantically looking around, seemingly searching for a way out.

Her frightened behaviour brought to Ruby's mind memories of the night Blake ran away.

No, not that. Not again. Not Penny as well!

"Penny…" Ruby said softly, taking a small step forwards and hoping desperately that she didn't cause Penny to run off again. "W-what's wrong? If y-you're h-hurt, let me h-h-help. Tell m-me w-what to do."

Penny shook her head. "I can't. Everything is fine!" She hiccupped after saying that.

Ruby stepped forwards again. "Please, Penny… let me h-help. I w-want to help."

"I'm fine! Really!" Penny hiccupped again. "I… I don't want to talk about it!" Another hiccup. "Besides, you would not understand…"

Ruby felt a swell of sympathy for Penny as she said that.

You wouldn't understand…

Ruby had worried about that exact thing whenever she had to tell people about her autism. She had worried about it when she told Weiss, and she had worried about it when she had told Penny. Both times she had been listened to, and both times she had been relieved to learn that, even if people didn't understand right away, the fact that they were willing to listen to her explain herself was immensely cathartic.

Ruby took another step towards Penny, and spoke softly and slowly. "You w-were there for me, Penny… Let m-me be h-here for you. You can trust me, I promise."

Penny fidgeted on the spot, then took a step forwards of her own, hands still clutched to her chest. "You are my friend, right? You promise that you are my friend?"

Ruby nodded. "I promise."

Penny lowered her hands and unclenched her fists. "Ruby… I'm not a real girl."

Ruby looked down at Penny's hands. Her gloves were handing off them in tatters, revealing dull metal underneath.

"Most girls are born," Penny said quietly. "But I was made. I am the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. I'm… I'm not real…"

Ruby stared at Penny's hands. She saw the metal underneath the gloves, and her mind processed what Penny had just told her.

Synthetic person…

Not real…

That couldn't be true.

Memories flooded Ruby's mind. Penny smiling and chattering excitedly away about whatever caught her fancy. Penny laughing at something Ruby said responding with her own remark that made Ruby giggle. Penny comforting Ruby in that alleyway and helping her get back on her feet after she had hit her lowest point in a long, long time.

Penny calling her a friend…

Penny saying how much she liked spending time with her…

Penny never failing to brighten Ruby's day just by being herself…

Not a real girl?

"That's not true," Ruby said firmly. Reaching out, she took Penny's hands in her own. "Y-you are real, Penny."

Penny lifted her head and looked into Ruby's eyes. "Ruby…?"

Ruby squeezed Penny's hands in her own and smiled. "Y-you think just because you've got n-nuts and bolts instead of s-squishy guts makes y-you any less r-real than me? You're not like th-those things we s-saw back there. You've got a h-heart…. And a soul… I can f-feel it."

Penny stared at Ruby with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing for a few seconds.

Then she smiled that wide smile of hers, and wrapped Ruby in a tight hug. "Oh, Ruby! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! You are the best friend anyone could ever have!"

Ruby was fairly certain that Penny had just broken something with her hug, but she figured that, given the moment, it didn't really matter right now. So she wrapped her own arms around Penny and hugged her back as hard as she could.

The two broke apart after a long while, with Ruby trying her best to disguise the fact that she was gasping for breath.

"I am so happy that I met you, Ruby!" Penny said, smiling brightly.

She has such a nice smile…

"I'm h-happy I met you too, Penny."

"Dammit!" Blake yelled, tossing the useless scrap of paper away as she stormed off, leaving the abandoned warehouse behind her.

Nothing! Again! No leads, no signs, just a whole lot of absolutely nothing!

It had seemed like a sure sign, a solid lead that could finally help them, but once again it turned out to be woefully outdated information. If the Fang had ever used that warehouse for anything at all, they were long gone, and they had cleaned up after themselves very well.

Shoving her hands into her coat pockets, Blake began to make her way back towards the airship station, sulking all the while.

Two whole weeks of searching, and nothing to show for it. Are they even still in Vale?

Blake knew that they were. Shops were still being hit, and reports were still being filed. The White Fang were here all right, but where exactly 'here' was was turning out to be damn near impossible to figure out.

It was looking increasingly likely that the White Fang had set up their current hideout somewhere beyond the city limits. If that were indeed the case, it made locating them substantially more challenging. Searching around Vale city was one thing, but venturing outside the border without explicit permission? That would definitely cross a line.

So what do we do? Give up?

Giving up wasn't an option for Blake. Ruby had been one hundred percent right when she said that they wouldn't be able to stop thinking about this if they did nothing. Blake hadn't stopped thinking about any of it since the night at the docks. She wasn't sleeping or eating properly, she could barely focus on her classes or on planning that stupid, waste-of-time party…

All she could think about was Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, Gainsboro…

… and him.

The idea that Adam might be here, in Vale, filled Blake with immeasurable dread.

But it was the uncertainty of that fact that drove her crazy more than anything else. She needed to know, one way or the other, or she would carry on tormenting herself with the possibility.

I need some sort of distraction…

Blake had already finished all of the books she had back at the dorm, and while rereading an old favourite was something she usually enjoyed, what she needed right now was something new.

So she took a slight detour and made her way to Tukson's.

…

"Hello, and welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to-"

"Every book under the sun," Blake finished. "I've been here before, Tukson. You don't need to repeat the slogan every time."

Tukson just shrugged. "Sorry, force of habit. Looking for something specific?"

"Something new," Blake clarified. "What do you recommend?"

Tukson smiled and reached below the counter, retrieving a book with a red and yellow cover. "Just got an order of this one in earlier today. 'The Brothers Wittebane' by E. G. Clawthorne. Heard good things about it."

Blake accepted the book from Tukson and turned it over in her hands, reading the description on the back. A dark fantasy, apparently.

"I'll take it," Blake replied, retrieving her wallet and withdrawing the required Lien…

She paused as she noticed something on Tukson's countertop that she hadn't seen there before.

It was a small sticker, just next to the cash register. A white claw on a red background. If one didn't know better, they would likely assume it was the logo of some sort of band.

Blake hadn't see that particular symbol in several years, but she recognised it easily.

The Claw was a more discreet means of showing support for the White Fang. Only members and their close associates would recognise its significance.

Two conflicting thoughts briefly battled in Blake's mind. One was of shock that someone she thought quite highly of was allied to the White Fang, while the other was of the potential opportunity this presented…

"Fang and Claw," Blake said as she handed over her Lien.

Tukson blinked, then smirked. "Fang and Claw," he replied.

OK Blake, let's see how far we can push this.

"Do you have anything else I might find interesting?"

"There's a White Fang recruitment rally happening tonight at the old town theatre."

Yang lowered her Scroll and stared at Blake, who had just walked into the dorm room and made that announcement without any preamble.

"And you know this, how exactly?" Weiss asked from where she was sat at the desk.

"Stroke of luck, really," Blake replied. "I should be before midnight, but I definitely won't make curfew, so you three will have to cover for me."

Yang leapt up from her bed and stared at Blake incredulously. "You are not going by yourself!"

"None of you are Faunus," Blake said simply. "You wouldn't even get past the front door. I'm the only one who can go without raising suspicion."

Yang shook her head vehemently. "Blake, you can't do this all by yourself. What happened to doing this together as a team? What if it's a trap, or what if someone does recognise you?"

Blake scowled at Yang. "This is the only lead we've managed to find after all this time. We can't let this go. I have to do this, Yang, and I have to do this alone."

Ruby leapt up from her bed and came over to Yang's side. "Blake, Yang's r-right. It's too dangerous f-for you to go alone. W-we should go w-with you."

Blake folded her arms and levelled the sisters with a hard stare. "Alright then, how? How do you plan on getting into a Faunus-only event when you aren't Faunus?"

"We sneak in," Yang responded right away. "I know that old theatre, it's falling apart. We just get in through one of the holes in the building when no-one's looking."

"Won't work," said Blake. "The White Fang choose venues like this with that in mind. Those 'openings' will be designated escape routes if a bust were to happen, and they'll make sure to account for every last one. There's no sneaking in like that."

"Disguises?" offered Ruby. "M-maybe we could blend in?"

"As what?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"As Faunus."

All eyes turned towards Weiss.

"What? You disguise yourself as human all the time. Why don't we disguise ourselves as Faunus and just all walk in the front door?"

Yang stared at Weiss in shock. She would never have expected the cautious one on their team to suggest something so… audacious.

"Do you have any idea how badly that would go for you all if you were found out?" Blake asked slowly.

"I imagine it would be similar to what could happen to you if you were recognised by someone there," Weiss stated.

Blake bristled. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"And we aren't allowed to take that same risk?" Weiss asked.

"You're Weiss Schnee!" Blake snapped. "Every Faunus on Remnant knows what you look like, and every member of the White Fang hates your family! They will recognise you, and they will come after you!"

"Fair point," Weiss conceded, the gestured to Yang and Ruby. "But that argument doesn't apply to those two. So why can't they take that risk?"

"Well… Ruby's too young! They wouldn't let someone her age in anyway!"

Weiss did not look impressed. "Based on everything you've told us so far, that seems highly unlikely. And even if that were the case, that still doesn't rule out Yang."

Blake turned to face Yang, and she seemed to be struggling for what to say next.

That's it. I'm taking it from here.

"Weiss? Ruby? Could you two give us the room for a minute?"

The two girls nodded and left the dorm, closing the door behind them and leaving Yang and Blake alone.

"Alright Blake," Yang began. "What's really going on? You were all for us helping you on this when we started searching. What's changed?"

Blake looked at Yang desperately. "Yang, think about what you're saying. If this goes wrong, you'd be in serious danger."

Yang rolled her eyes. "We're training to be Huntresses, Blake. Danger is what we signed up for."

"Why are being so nonchalant about this!?" Blake cried. "Yang, you could die!"

"So could you!" Yang yelled back. "Am I supposed to be OK with that!?"

Blake looked like she was about to respond, but Yang kept going, not giving Blake a chance to talk. She felt her eyes heat up, and judging by the way Blake stepped back, they had just turned red from her rising anger.

"We're your teammates and your friends, Blake! I'm your partner! We're supposed to stick together, that's what we promised! But now you just expect us to let you walk into this without any of us there to help you? No way! I'm not letting you do this alone, Blake. Either I come with you, or none of us do this!"

Blake was clearly taken aback by the fire in Yang's voice. She said nothing for a long moment, seemingly considering what to do next.

Finally, she let out a sigh and lowered her head, shoulders sagging. "Fine. If you really wanna come, I guess I can't stop you."

Blake then looked back up and stared Yang straight in the eye, determination clear in her expression. "So I'll make sure no-one comes after you."

Yang's stomach probably would have done a little flip-flop at Blake's apparent declaration of protection, had the situation not been so tense.

"Good," she simply replied. "That's settled, then. So what time is this meeting?"

…

Ruby and Weiss re-joined them, and together the four girls settled on a plan-of-action.

When the time came, they geared up and departed.

I'll watch your back too, Blake. I won't let anyone lay a hand on you.

Chapter Text

Blake checked her surroundings one more time to make absolutely sure that no-one was tailing her, then she quickly dashed back around the corner to where Yang was waiting for her, leaning against the wall and tapping her foot impatiently.

"I was starting to think you'd gone ahead without me," Yang grumbled.

I almost did, and probably should have.

"I just needed to make sure I wasn't followed," Blake replied, keeping her actual thoughts to herself to prevent yet another argument about this whole mess of a plan. She withdrew a pair of bone-white masks from her pockets and handed one over to Yang. "Now put this on, and don't take it off, no matter what."

Yang eyed the mask with apprehension, not taking it right away. "Y'know, I still don't get the whole 'Grimm Masks' thing. Not exactly a friendly image to put out if you're trying to get people on your side."

Blake donned her own mask, concealing her eyeroll at Yang's question, one she had heard asked many times before. "The masks are a symbol. Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters ourselves."

Yang gave Blake a somewhat dour look. "That's… kinda messed up."

"So was the guy who started it," Blake replied. "Now put yours on and keep your hood up. We need to move."

Yang did as instructed. With the white mask hiding her eyes and the hood of the jacket Blake had loaned her drawn up over her head, she at least looked the part she was trying to play: one more mad-at-the-world young Faunus in a crowd. The only question now was if she would be able to actually blend in as well as they hoped she would.

"Just keep your head down, let me do all the talking, and don't draw any attention to yourself. Got it?"

"Yes Blake, I got it," Yang huffed in annoyance, following after Blake. The pair walked close together as they made their way towards the venue for tonight's gathering.

As they got closer, the foot traffic became denser, and the sound of conversation grew louder. Blake spotted more and more people with weapons concealed ineffectually on their persons', an observation that served to put her even more on edge than she already was.

The Fang never managed to draw a crowd this big before. At least not back in Mistral. Faunus in Vale must be a lot angrier than I thought they were for this many to be interested in a rally.

The sun had set a short while ago, and streetlights in this part of Vale were few in number. The fragmented moon was the only major source of light, blanketing the may run-down buildings in its distinctive mottled-silver glow. Looming in the distance, in-between two taller buildings, was the decaying remnant of the theatre.

The old theatre was in severe disrepair, its old, tiled roof full of holes and many of its windows boarded up. The ruined sign that announced the name of the once grand establishment was no longer legible, the letters having long since faded away. Nestled in the outer limits of the capital, the theatre that once drew crowds from far and wide was now nothing more than a forgotten relic, something that no-one cared enough for to acknowledge its existence.

But on this night, as dozens of masked individuals descended upon the building like a strange facsimile of a masquerade ball, the old theatre felt alive once again.

Blake and Yang arrived at the entrance, where a pair of uniformed White Fang soldiers were acting as security, checking everyone before they entered.

Blake relaxed as best she could, and stepped forwards, withdrawing from her pocket a card adorned with the symbol of The Claw.

"My friend is new," Blake said casually, gesturing with a nod of her head towards Yang beside her. "She wanted to see for herself what we're about. Is that OK?"

The soldiers nodded and waved them through, and the pair entered the building.

"That was easy," Yang whispered once they were far enough away from the door. "They didn't even ask me for anything. You sure you weren't just being paranoid?"

"Bringing one friend won't raise suspicion, but bringing a whole group absolutely would have," Blake explained. "Now stop talking."

As the two of them approached the double doors leading to the main auditorium, Blake surreptitiously unzipped the front pocket of her own jacket by the tiniest amount to allow the camera of her Scroll to see ahead of her without exposing the device.

Outside, some distance from the theatre proper but close enough to be on hand in case of an emergency, Weiss was sitting with her own Scroll expanded on her lap, the feed from Blake's Scroll streaming to her screen and recording everything it saw and heard.

Elsewhere, perched on the roof of a building one block down, Ruby was observing the outside of the theatre through the scope of her rifle, watching for anything that might pose a problem. If she spotted anything at all, she would signal the others with a ping from her own Scroll, the signal to drop everything and get out as fast as they could.

It was far from an ideal set-up, but it had been the best they could manage to agree on in the little time they had had before the rally began. Blake at least took some comfort in the fact that Weiss and Ruby were mostly out of harm's way… and although she would never admit it to anyone, especially not to Yang, Blake was a little glad that she wasn't entirely alone right now.

The auditorium was packed. Blake had never seen so many attend a White Fang gathering before outside of the central stronghold. Evidently, the Vale chapter of the White Fang were doing far better than the Haven chapter had been doing when it came to drumming up grassroots support.

All the seats had long since been removed from the theatre, so everyone was standing. Up on the stage, White Fang banners had been hung up where the curtains once hung from. A screen depicting the White Fang logo sat in the centre of the stage, flanked by speakers that were playing a familiar anthem:

'Behold your flaccid leaders

Too weak to take the prize

Replace them with a warrior

It's time we mobilize

Depose the feeble cowards

Heed this battle cry

Vengeance on the human filth

The time is now we'll rise.'

Blake had never really liked this particular anthem. It sounded far too angry, not hopeful at all. No mention of building a better future, just revenge and violence for its own sake.

The music cut off, and the lights in the auditorium dimmed. Conversation ceased, and all eyes were drawn to the stage as a figure strode confidently into view.

Blake tensed up as she saw who they were.

"Thank you all for coming!" Gainsboro announced, microphone in hand. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Bane Gainsboro, and I have been with the Fang for ten years. In that time, I have seen much, done much, and given all that I have for the future of Faunus across all of Remnant. And I speak for all of my comrades when I say that each and every one of them has done the same, time and time again."

Blake joined in with the round of polite applause from the crowd, slightly taken aback by Gainsboro's demeanour. He was much more subdued than she remembered him being, much less bombastic in his mannerisms as he addressed the crowd.

"Tonight is no ordinary night, my friends," he continued. "Tonight, we have a very special guest who has come to speak with you all. Now, you may have your reservations about him, and I understand fully, but I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have been fighting for."

Footsteps heralded the arrival of a second speaker upon the stage, and Blake's eyes widened as she saw who it was.

"Allow me to introduce to you all, Roman Torchwick!"

Torchwick, accompanied by his diminutive, umbrella-wielding partner, took centre stage as Gainsboro withdrew to the side. The white-coated, cane-wielding crime lord grinned and waved at the crowd, even as they all began loudly voicing their shock and disdain at his presence.

"Thank you! Thank you all for your gracious hospitality! Truly, it is wonderful to be here tonight!"

"What's a human doing here?" one woman yelled angrily, and Blake felt Yang tense slightly beside her.

Blake brushed her hand against Yang's, reminding her that she was here and hoping that it helped put Yang at ease a little bit, even as Blake once again mentally kicked herself for dragging her partner into such a dangerous scenario.

"I'm glad you asked, 'Deerie'!" Torchwick responded jokingly. "Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans... are the worst! Case in point." He gestured to himself as he said this, smirking at his own little remark. "So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed! It's a very understandable attitude to have."

Blake discreetly glanced around the auditorium, noticing as she did that many in the crowd were visibly confused.

Where is he going with this?

"But, before the claws come out," Torchwick went on. "I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy. The ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms! Government, military, even the schools! They're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with!"

The tone of the room quickly shifted. Confusion and apprehension gave way to enthusiasm and receptiveness. But one thing remained the same: the hostility. Only now it had a different target…

"Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around... No offense to any rodents in the room, of course. And I have access to just the right tools for the job."

Torchwick clicked his fingers, and the sound of breaking glass followed as something very large was revealed to the audience.

A collective gasp filled the auditorium, and Blake's jaw dropped as she beheld the sight before her.

A hulking, towering mech had materialised beside Torchwick and his partner, both of whom gestured to it with matching flourishes of their arms and wide grins, as if they were presenting the grand prize of a game show, rather than showing off a piece of stolen military hardware.

"As some of you may have heard, this right here is Atlas' newest defence against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my contacts, we've managed to snag a few before they hit the shelves. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine... But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you with."

The crowd was stunned into silence for a moment, but then one person began clapping and hollering, and before long the entire auditorium was filled with raucous cheers and applause.

Blake, however, could only stare in horror, the full implications of what she saw making her feel sick to her stomach.

He's really going to do it. He's going to start a war.

The sound of shattering glass repeated, and the mech vanished once again as the apparent illusion broke. Gainsboro returned to the centre of the stage, Torchwick and his partner returning to the wings.

"With these tools and more at our disposal, the future of Faunus-kind shall burn brighter than ever before!" Gainsboro's calm and measured demeanour from before had given way to his recognisable bombastic energy as he further whipped up the crowd. "The White Fang are ready to bring about a revolution the likes of which has not been seen since the Great Rebellion of decades' ago! If you would stand with us as we begin this great march, let us hear you roar!"

If any in the crowd had reservations about any of this, they were not making themselves known. The energy of the crowd, the anonymity provided by the masks, and the mob-mentality of being surrounded by so many others all served to unite everyone in the theatre as they began to chant as one.

"HEAR US ROAR! HEAR US ROAR! HEAR US ROAR!"

Gainsboro raised his hand, and the crowd slowly settled back into silence. "Now, it is my great honour to introduce to you all our second speaker for the night. He has travelled far to be here to speak to you all, and what he has to say shall…"

Blake felt the Scroll in her pocket buzz, snapping her out of her daze. It took a few seconds for her to remember what that signal meant.

Blake turned to face Yang, who likewise had received the same signal: the ping from Ruby that meant they needed to get out, now.

Blake turned to face the stage once more, sparing one final glance at Gainsboro before she turned to follow Yang out of-

Blake froze. Her heart stopped, all the blood drained from her face, and the air left her lungs.

Gainsboro had stopped talking while she had been distracted, and a new figure had taken to the stage.

He wore the same mask as many others in the White Fang, but his was stylized with additional red patterns so as to more closely resemble a Grimm.

Adam…

He was saying something to the crowd, gesturing with his free hand as he gripped his sword's sheath with his other while he paced up and down the stage, but Blake didn't hear any of it. White noise filled her ears as her mind was overwhelmed by sheer terror.

Yang was still tugging at Blake's arm, and Blake was dimly aware that Yang was saying something to her, but all she could focus on was Adam as she did everything she could to avoid descending into a blind panic.

He doesn't know, he doesn't know, he doesn't know he doesn't know he doesn't know hedoesn'tknowhedoesn'tknowhedoesn'tkn-

Adam's gaze passed over the crowd, and Blake felt his eyes fall upon her.

All rational thought fled Blake's mind, her panic winning out as Adam looked right her way. She turned and ran, pulling free of Yang's grasp and shoving past everyone in her path, desperation urging her to run as far and as fast as-

The door to the auditorium slammed open, and a heavily-panting White Fang soldier staggered inside.

All eyes fell on them as they doubled over, the sudden manner of their arrival silencing the auditorium.

"Police!" she gasped. "Raid! Everyone scatter!"

No sooner had she finished uttering this warning, when the sound of many sirens became audible from outside.

At once, everyone in the auditorium flew into a frenzy of action, yelling and screaming and shoving one another as over a hundred panicked Faunus scrambled to escape.

Weiss leapt to her feet, collapsing and stowing her Scroll as she made her way outside, ready to sprint across to the theatre and help her teammates get out…

Then she paused, and realised belatedly that she didn't have any means of getting to the now trapped pair to aid them in any way. Despite their planning, the team had utterly failed to anticipate something of this nature occurring.

Withdrawing her Scroll from her pocket once more, Weiss hastily selected Ruby's name and hit call.

Ruby answered almost immediately. "W-Weiss! W-where are you!?"

"I'm still in my hiding spot," Weiss replied. "What about you? Do you see Yang and Blake?"

"N-n-no, I don't s-see them. There's s-so many people r-running out of…"

Ruby tailed off, and Weiss heard her partner shuffle about on the other end of the line.

"I s-see them!" Ruby exclaimed. "Yang h-has Blake, they got out through th-the s-side exit."

"Call them and tell them to get to the rendezvous point," Weiss said, once again beginning to make her way out of the building. "You get yourself there as well, and I'll meet you all there."

"Got it!" came Ruby's response, before she hung up.

Weiss broke into a run, but was careful to stay as close to the shadows as she could to avoid being seen. Per Blake's insistence, all four of them were wearing dark jackets, Weiss having borrowed one from Ruby. With her white attire and hair concealed beneath the baggy item of clothing, she hopefully didn't stand out too much.

The sound of the police sirens grew fainter as Weiss put distance between herself and the theatre. A few Faunus were also fleeing in the same direction as she was, but Weiss just kept her hood up and her head down so as to avoid being potentially recognised.

The rendezvous was a small parking lot a few blocks down from the theatre. Following the map on her Scroll led Weiss straight there, arriving to see that Ruby had made it there before her.

"Ruby!" Weiss called as she ran over to her partner. "Where are Yang and Blake?"

"On their w-way," Ruby replied. "Did the r-recording work?"

Weiss showed Ruby her Scroll, opening up the saved recording that had been streamed from Blake's Scroll to hers. The audio quality was shaky, and the footage was a bit out-of-focus, but it was still plain to see what was going on up on the stage.

"I'll send a copy to all of our Scrolls, as well as to my spare back at the dorm just in case." Weiss tapped away at her screen and began doing just that.

"Ruby! Weiss!"

Weiss lifted her head to see Yang and Blake stumble into the parking lot, waving frantically at them.

"Are you OK?" Ruby asked, dashing over to the pair. "Y-you're not h-hurt?"

"We're fine, Rubes," Yang reassured her sister, giving her a pat on the shoulder as she did so. "Right, Blake?"

Blake didn't seem to hear her. She was staring off into space, eyes wide and face blank.

"Blake!" Yang shook her partner. "You OK?"

Blake snapped out of her daze, blinking and focussing on Yang beside her. "Y-yeah. I'm OK."

Weiss let out a long sigh of relief. "Well, that was a little too close for my liking. But I think it all worked out quite well. We didn't get spotted, we have a recording that incriminates everyone up on that stage and identifies them by name, and with any luck the police are currently in the process of placing all of those scoundrels under arrest as we speak!"

The sound of a car door being unlocked drew Weiss' attention, and all four girls turned around to see who it was.

Standing on the other side of the parking lot, one hand on the handle of the door of a car, staring back at the girls in surprise, was none other than Roman Torchwick.

…

No-one spoke or moved for a long moment.

…

"Well, that's just perfect," grumbled Torchwick. "This night just keeps getting better and better!"

Weiss drew Myrtenaster and spun the barrel, pointing the tip of her blade directly at Torchwick. Beside her, her teammates took aim with their own weapons, all staring down the man across from them.

Torchwick sighed and shook his head. "I don't suppose you girls would be willing to just forget you ever saw me, would you?"

"What do you think?" Weiss retorted.

Torchwick closed his eyes, stepped back from the car and raised his hands. "Alright then, you got me. Place me under arrest."

Weiss raised her Scroll and began to dial the police. "Just stay where you are and don't try anything. We have-"

Torchwick thrust one arm forwards, and an explosive round was fired directly at Weiss.

She never even saw him draw his weapon.

Her Aura took the hit, but even so, Weiss was blasted off her feet, Scroll and sword both knocked out of her grasp as she landed roughly on her back some distance away, stars dancing in her field of vision as her head slammed painfully into the ground and left her dazed.

She heard more gunfire, the slamming of a door, a screech of tyres, voices yelling…

Weiss pushed herself into a sitting position, just in time to catch sight of a car speeding away.

"Weiss!" Ruby was at Weiss' side in a flash, red petals drifting in her wake. "Are you OK!?"

Weiss winced at the volume of her partner's panicked shout. "I'll be fine," she grunted. She stood up and retrieved her Scroll and her sword, stowing both away.

"Dammit!" yelled Blake. "He can't keep on getting away like this!"

Weiss walked over to Blake's side. "It doesn't matter. We have it all recorded. Let's just turn over what we have to the authorities, and they can take it from here."

Blake shook her head. "We have to go after him."

Weiss blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Blake walked over to a nearby car and slammed her elbow into its window, breaking it open.

"W-what are you doing!?" Weiss exclaimed. "Have you completely lost your mind!?"

Blake reached in through the broken window and unlocked the door, pulling it open. "You all saw what they have. If he gets away, if the White Fang get access to that equipment… it'll be a war. He'll have the war he always wanted."

Weiss cocked her head to one side. "Who's 'he'?"

Blake paused, then shook herself and got in the car. "Get back to the dorm and make sure that footage is safe."

Before Blake could pull the door shut, a hand grabbed the door and forced it back open.

"Like hell are we letting you go after him all by yourself!" Yang shouted furiously. "Not this time!"

Blake glared back at Yang. "I don't have time for this! He's getting away!"

"Then move up and let the rest of us in!" Yang snapped back. "This isn't a debate, we're coming with you!"

Weiss opened her mouth to begin to protest. After all, this was taking things way too far. Stealing a car? Running down a criminal like a band of vigilantes? They got what they came for, they should just pack up and go home. What was the point in taking on even more risk?

"Weiss?"

Weiss blinked. Ruby had gotten in the car alongside her sister and Blake. All of them were staring at her expectantly.

She sighed. "Alright, let me in."

Weiss took her seat in the rear passenger's-side, as Blake forced a panel loose underneath the steering wheel and began to fiddle with the wires.

"Should I be concerned that you apparently know how to hotwire a car?" Weiss deadpanned.

"I do, too," Yang quipped.

"Same," added Ruby.

Weiss stared at the sisters in disbelief. "Why!?"

Yang shrugged. "Uncle Qrow taught us how. You never know when something like that could come in handy."

Weiss was about to ask what exactly Yang and Ruby expected to be getting into that would require such specific knowledge, when the car's engine roared to life.

"Hang on," Blake said, slamming her foot down on the pedal and speeding off. Weiss hastily fastened her seatbelt to avoid being thrown out of her seat by Blake's reckless driving.

Reaching the main road, Blake sped up, the car hurtling down the mostly empty street in pursuit of the fleeing Torchwick, whose car had long since vanished from view.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" she snapped, gripping the wheel tightly enough to turn her knuckles white.

Weiss briefly pondered the possibility of suggesting that they take this as a sign and call off their insane pursuit, but she had a strong suspicion that Blake would not hear it.

So instead, she drew Myrtenaster and spun the barrel to select the vial of Lightning Dust.

"I might me able to help with that," she announced, twisting around and stabbing the blade of her sword into the middle seat of the car. "Brace yourselves."

Weiss had used the Time Dilation Glyph of her Semblance a few times before now, but only ever on herself, and only ever in very short bursts. It was a very taxing ability to use, and a tricky one to control. And with her Aura already having taken quite a hit only moments ago, there was no guarantee that she would even have enough left to activate it.

Well, only one way to find out.

Ignoring her better judgement, as well as the many, many warnings her sister had given her about overextending herself, Weiss activated her Aura and channelled it down the length of Myrtenaster's blade, infusing her power with the energy of the Lightning Dust she had selected and casting the resulting Glyph directly into the body of the car.

Closing her eyes, Weiss pictured the face of a clock. The hands of the clock were motionless, but then they began to move. Slowly at first, then picking up speed as they began to spin around and around, faster and faster. She felt the Glyph building up energy, stockpiling it in preparation for the moment she unleashed it.

"We're slowing down!" Yang yelled.

"Weiss, what are you doing!?" Blake cried. "Stop!"

"Just a few more seconds," Weiss huffed. "Get ready."

"For what?"

Weiss opened her eyes and released the Glyph, the stockpiled energy rushing out and into the car, as well as its occupants.

The effect was immediate. Outside the windows of the vehicle, everything seemed to slow down. The few other cars that were out this late at night crawled by. A single pedestrian went from jogging to barely moving at all.

The car Weiss was in, however, did not slow down. It sped up, the time within it moving at a faster pace than the time outside was doing. To any observers outside, it would seem like the car had accelerated so quickly as to seemingly vanish from view.

The effect only lasted a few seconds, relatively-speaking. But a few seconds of dilated time was a significant amount. By the time the effect faded, Torchwick's car was right in front of them, the distance between them and it closed.

"Weiss, that w-was amazing!" Ruby exclaimed. "H-how did you do that?"

"Explain… later…" Weiss panted, the effort of accelerating time for so large a target leaving her utterly drained. She felt her Aura flicker around her. She didn't have very much left.

"Well, we caught up," Yang commented. "Now what? Ram him off the road?"

"I h-have a better idea," Ruby said. Leaning back in her seat, she lifted her legs and kicked at the sunroof, knocking out the panel entirely.

I hope whoever's car this is doesn't want it back. That's two windows we've broken now.

Weiss watched as Ruby lifted herself up through the now-open sunroof and deployed her weapon in its smaller rifle form, taking aim at the car in front of them.

"Wait, is she-?"

Ruby fired, and Weiss watched with wide eyes as she shot out the rear wheel of Torchwick's car, sending the escaping vehicle spinning wildly out of control and careening off the side of the road, ploughing headlong into the side of a parked van.

Blake slammed the breaks, and their own car skidded to a halt.

"Nice shot, sis!" Yang said, grinning.

Blake opened the driver's-side door and got out of the car, shedding her jacket and drawing her weapon from her back.

The other three followed suit, Weiss being the last out of the car. She likewise discarded her no-longer-needed jacket as she spun the barrel of Myrtenaster once more to select a new vial.

Alright, let's try this again.

"Get out of the car with your hands up, and leave your weapon on the ground this time!" Weiss barked.

The doors of the crumpled vehicle creaked open, and two individuals staggered out into the open.

"Kid, I just got this coat cleaned!" Torchwick snapped. "This thing is dry-clean only!"

"Oh, spare me!" Weiss spat, her temper getting the better of her. "You're lucky you can still stand up straight!"

"Sheesh, someone's cranky today," Torchwick quipped back. "What's the matter, Daddy not get the Princess the pony she wanted?"

Weiss gritted her teeth and prepared a Glyph, ready to activate the Fire Dust and blast Torchwick with everything she had.

"You're not getting away this time, Torchwick!" Blake yelled. "You are going to answer for what you've done!"

"Oh, you mean like you have, Belladonna?"

Blake took a step backwards, and Weiss could see the stunned look on her face. "What did you say?"

Torchwick chuckled. "Oh yeah, I've heard all about you, kitty-cat. Your boyfriend told me everything."

Weiss saw Blake's hand begin to shake, and she could hear the other girl's breathing speed up and become shallow.

"Not that I blame you for leaving him, to be honest. Guy's a psycho, through-and-through. So why don't we make a deal? You let me go, and he never has to know that you were here. Sound good?"

"I have a better deal," Yang cut in. "You get on your knees and surrender, and we won't have to put you in a hospital."

Torchwick rolled his eyes. "Welp, can't say I didn't try to be reasonable. Neo?"

Beside him, Torchwick's diminutive partner twirled her umbrella and winked playfully.

Weiss activated her Glyph, and launched a fireball directly at the pair of them.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose around her body and deployed her weapon fully, scythe at the ready to leap into combat, just as Weiss' fireball slammed into the wreckage behind the criminal pair and set off a sizable explosion, forcing Torchwick and Neo to separate from each other.

Pointing the barrel of her weapon behind her, Ruby fired and launched herself forwards with the recoil, straight towards Neo.

The image from that night at the docks flashed briefly in Ruby's mind once more. Her sister, beaten and unconscious, blade against her neck…

I won't let you hurt my sister!

Crescent Rose sliced through the air, but Neo simply ducked underneath it, avoiding Ruby's slash with minimal effort.

But Ruby did not relent. She spun her scythe around her body and flowed into yet another slash, and another, and another, and another…

Neo stepped back, twisted, ducked, flipped around… Over and over, she avoided every one of Ruby's attacks, but in doing so she was forced backwards steadily, until she was pinned between Ruby and the wall of the building behind her.

Her opponent trapped, Ruby twisted her grasp on Crescent Rose, switching from a horizontal grip to a vertical one. With a yell of effort, Ruby brought the blade of her scythe downwards, straight upon the head of her enemy.

Neo's umbrella deployed, and the sturdy canopy stopped Ruby's downward strike dead. With a smile on her face, Neo delivered a powerful kick to Ruby's gut, knocking her backwards and driving the wind from her.

A metallic sound rang out, and a long, thin blade extended from the end of Neo's umbrella as she thrust forwards, aiming for Ruby's eye.

A second sword swatted the strike aside, and a gust of wind pushed Neo backwards.

"What have I told you about rushing in without thinking?" Weiss said sternly, standing beside Ruby with her sword held in a defensive stance.

"S-sorry," Ruby replied, sucking in a breath and standing back upright. "I got a l-little… angry."

"So am I." Weiss spun the barrel of her weapon once more. "So let's do this together."

Ruby nodded. Racking another round into the barrel of her rifle, Ruby retook her own stance and stared down Neo once more.

Two-against-one…

"Go!" Ruby cried, dashing forwards alongside her partner.

Scythe and sword moved in tandem, and Ruby and Weiss swung at Neo from both sides. Neo leapt upwards, flipping over the twin attack and landing lightly on her feet behind her attackers.

Ruby pulled the trigger on Crescent Rose and let the recoil kick her weapon backwards, the handle of her weapon sliding smoothly through her hands as the pointed bottom end of her scythe's shaft stabbed towards Neo, who quickly parried the unorthodox attack to one side with her now closed umbrella.

Weiss capitalised on the opening this gave them, spinning around and stabbing forwards with a thrust of her own, the tip of her sword striking Neo's shoulder and knocking her slightly off-balance.

Don't let up. Don't give her a moment to recover!

Crescent Rose once again came down in a hammer-strike at Neo's head, who once again blocked the attack by opening the canopy of her umbrella. This time, Ruby fired again, the added recoil giving her strike even more weight and forcing Neo down onto her knees as she continued to defend herself.

Weiss stabbed her sword into the ground and cast a Glyph around Neo. In an instant, ice encased the crouching girl up to her neck, trapping her entirely.

"Ha!" Weiss barked out a laugh. "Not as slippery as you thought you were, huh?"

Ruby turned her gaze towards Yang and Blake, who were presently engaged in combat with Torchwick. Just as he had done when Ruby had fought him alongside Sun, Torchwick was keeping both girls at bay with astounding skill, defending and attacking while fighting them both at the same time.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled. "We have to help-"

The sound of breaking glass filled the air, and Ruby felt something sharp slash at her back.

Crying out in pain, Ruby dropped to the ground. Taken completely off-guard, she hadn't been able to stop the slash with her Aura. Her back was on fire, and she felt blood trickling out of the wound she had just received.

"RUBY!" Weiss screamed. The sound of metal-on-metal followed.

Ruby focussed as much as she could on her back, willing her Aura into action. The pain dulled somewhat, allowing her to push herself into a sitting position to see Weiss engaging Neo one-on-one, their respective swords clashing repeatedly.

Ruby looked over to where Neo had been imprisoned in ice only seconds ago, to see that the ice had been broken open from the inside.

How is she that strong? A whole army of White Fang soldiers couldn't break through Weiss' ice that quickly.

Shakily getting to her feet, Ruby clutched her scythe tightly and slammed the tip of its blade into the ground. Staring down the barrel, she lined up a shot and prepared to fire.

Come on, Weiss. Get me an opening, and I'll knock her down.

As Weiss and Neo continued their duel, Ruby also heard the sounds of her sister's gauntlets firing rapidly. She tuned that noise out, focussing only on the one target that mattered in that moment.

Weiss jumped up, vaulting off of one of her Glyphs to somersault over Neo's head, landing and striking with a thrust in one smooth motion. Neo pivoted and parried the thrust aside like she had done so many times already, but in doing so, Ruby noticed that the action left Neo ever-so-slightly overextended.

It was the opening that she needed.

Without missing a beat, Ruby fired.

…

But the shot never hit its target.

A blur of red-and-black materialised in-between Ruby and Neo, and Ruby's shot was blocked by a half-drawn sword.

"You should learn to watch your back, Neopolitan. You almost suffered the same fate you inflicted on this girl."

Ruby recognised the man in front of her from the recording of the rally. Dressed in black, his long coat coming down to his knees. Red-and-black hair, with a pair of horns poking out from underneath the messy locks. A Grimm-patterned mask hiding his eyes, held in his hands a sword that he had fully returned to its sheath after blocking Ruby's shot.

"So this is what Blake chooses to spend her days with now. A child… and a Schnee."

The man in black spat Weiss' name with utter contempt.

Ruby fired again, but the man in black simply sidestepped the shot, moving aside so quickly that he almost seemed to teleport to one side.

He's fast.

The man in black crouched low and griped his sword. The red of his hair, as well as the red lines of his mask, began to glow.

Ruby raised Crescent Rose in front of her, ready to guard against whatever attack was about to come her way.

Dimly, Ruby registered Blake screaming in panic.

"ADAM, NO!"

In an instant, the man in black was right in front of Ruby. He drew his sword and slashed in a single motion, accompanied by a blinding flash of red light.

The blade of the man in black's sword cleaved right through the handle of Crescent Rose and sliced into Ruby's stomach.

Ruby's Aura broke, and she was sent flying backwards from the force of the strike, slamming into the wall behind her.

Strangely, it didn't hurt as much as she had expected it to. She felt oddly numb, slightly queasy, and very, very dizzy. She slumped to the ground and lay there, feeling a warm wetness spread over her back and her head.

Am I bleeding again? I think I'm bleeding…

Everything was muted and muffled. Her sister's voice sounded distant, faint, barely audible. Darkness ate at the corners of her vision, the world growing dim.

It's so quiet… so dark… I feel so tired…

A small part of Ruby's mind was aware that this was not good, that she was very badly injured, almost certainly going into shock from blood loss and in need of urgent medical care…

But the rest of Ruby felt eerily calm.

It's so quiet here… so… peaceful… so…

That was the last thought Ruby had before her world went black.

Yang stared in horror at her little sister's body, lying in an expanding pool of her own blood, her demolished weapon on either side of her, the man responsible standing over her and staring down at his handiwork…

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Firing Ember Celica behind her, Yang launched herself at her sister's attacker, activating her Semblance mid-flight. Her eyes burned red and her hair burned gold, her blood burned in rage and tears burned her face as she prepared to hit this monster with everything she had left, to break him for daring to harm her sister…

A mechanical roar came at her from the side, and Yang felt herself swatted from the air by a powerful strike.

"Your coming to my aid was unnecessary Bane, but appreciated nonetheless," the man in black said simply, not even bothering to spare Yang a glance as he spoke.

"We should depart at once, my Captain," the Lieutenant growled, his chainsaw still whirring at his side. "The human police will be here soon."

Yang leapt back to her feet and threw herself at the Lieutenant, aiming to knock him aside so she could take down the man behind him, get him away from her sister-

An explosive round hit Yang's back, stunning her and causing her to loose her focus on her Semblance. The fire faded from her, and the strength it would have given her vanished.

The Lieutenant's chainsaw slammed into her side, her Aura managing to keep her from being bisected, but Yang was nonetheless knocked back down to the ground.

"STOP!" cried Blake. "Adam, stop, please!"

"Hello, my darling," the man, Adam, said with fake sweetness. "This was the last place I ever expected to see you again."

Yang raised her head to see Blake standing across from the two new arrivals, Torchwick moving away from her to re-join his partner, who had just finished knocking Weiss unconscious.

"Please, Adam, don't hurt them! I'm begging you!" Blake sounded close to tears herself.

"Look what has become of you, Belladonna," spat the Lieutenant. "A snivelling coward, begging for mercy that you do not deserve."

"I'll handle this, Bane," Adam cut in. "You get the Torchwicks in the car and ready to go."

The Lieutenant nodded, and moved to usher Torchwick and Neo towards a car that Yang hadn't noticed arrive.

"You and I were going to change the world, remember?" Adam said, turning back to Blake. "We were going to ignite the fires of revolution together. But you left. Why? Why, Blake!? Why did you abandon me!?"

"I… I…" Blake didn't respond. She just stood and stammered, the first few tears beginning to run down her face.

"You threw your lot in with them!? With these humans!?" Adam stamped his foot on Yang's head, grinding the heel of his shoe into her temple and making her cry out in pain.

"With a Schnee!?" Adam pointed at Weiss, who was lying on the ground unconscious after Neo defeated her.

"These are the people you abandoned your own kind for!?"

Yang grabbed at Adam's ankle with one hand and held on tight. Cocking the gauntlet on her other hand, she slammed her fist into Adam's leg and fired, blasting him point-blank with a shotgun round.

Adam grunted in pain and reeled backwards, but Yang did not let go. She drew back her fist and prepared to strike again, to knock him down so she could unload every round she had left directly into his face…

A red blade stabbed downwards and pierced Yang's hand, going straight through the metal of her gauntlet and skewering her flesh, pinning her hand to the ground.

Yang screamed in pain, her grip on Adam's leg loosening. He delivered a kick to her head, causing Yang to see stars and almost black out.

"I said STOP!"

Gunfire rang out, and Yang felt the foot pressed against her temple to move away. Groggily, she lifted her head to see Blake firing over and over at Adam, who had let go of his sword and stepped away from Yang to avoid the bullets.

"Blake…"

Blake charged at Adam. Yang could see plainly the anguished look on her face, pain and anger and terror all at once.

Adam caught Blake's attack with his free hand, and jammed the end of his sheath into her gut before pulling a trigger on its side, shooting Blake in the stomach.

Yang saw Blake's Aura flash to absorb the impact, saving her life from the bullet, but not entirely alleviating the pain from the shot. She doubled over and coughed, only for Adam to swing his sheath upwards into her jaw, knocking her head backwards and sending her staggering away.

"You've brought this on yourself, Blake," Adam spat. "I wouldn't have to be doing this, if you'd just behaved!"

He struck Blake again with his sheath, the blow to her face knocking her down.

"Because you're selfish!"

He hit her again, this time striking her ribs.

"You're a coward!"

Again he struck, and this time Yang saw Blake's Aura flicker and break, leaving her defenceless.

"So this is what you deserve!"

Over and over and over, Yang watched helplessly as Adam mercilessly beat Blake with his sheath, kicked her, stomped on her. Blake had long since stopped reacting to the blows, she must have lost consciousness at some point, but he carried on hitting her anyway.

"Stop it…" Yang gasped.

Beside where she lay, her sister was bleeding out.

Across the street, Weiss was lying face-down, her condition a complete unknown.

Right in front of her, Blake, her partner, was being savagely beaten.

"Stop it."

Yang lifted her hand and gripped the blade pinning her other hand to the ground. With a grunt of pain, she yanked it free, tossing the sword aside.

"Stop it."

She pushed herself to her feet and clenched her uninjured fist. She still had some Aura left, so she channelled all of it into her arm, bolstering herself for her next move.

"Stop it!"

It wasn't enough, she knew that. But she focussed every last drop of her energy nonetheless, drawing on everything she could to ensure that this one strike would do something, anything.

"STOP IT!" she roared, sprinting ahead and closing the gap between her and Adam.

Adam lifted his gaze, Yang's shout drawing his attention away from his assault of Blake. Lazily, as if he didn't even care, he lifted his sheath to block Yang's punch.

Yang felt her eyes burn, her blood burn, her tears burn, her rage burn… Twisting and putting all her weight behind her, Yang punched at Adam with all of her might.

Pain surged up the length of Yang's arm as her fist struck Adam's sheath and crashed right through it, shattering it into pieces. Onward her fist travelled, straight into Adam's ribs. His Aura flashed crimson, and he was blasted backwards, off his feet, his body sent flying and landing in a heap some distance away.

Yang fell to her knees, clutching her arm as it now dangled uselessly at her side. She had almost certainly just broken it with her punch, but she had done it. She had knocked him down.

Adam surged to his feet. He stared down at Yang. Even with his eyes covered, Yang could tell he was furious.

"You'll pay for that, human." Striding over to where Yang had tossed his sword, he picked it up and pointed it at Yang.

"I'm going to take your-"

Sirens could be heard in the distance, causing Adam to stop his rant. He lowered his blade and turned his back on Yang, walking over to the car waiting on the side of the road.

"You'll pay!" Yang shouted after him. "I'll kill you! I swear it, I'll kill you for what you've done!"

Adam turned to look back at Yang. "You're not the first person to say that to me. They all died before me, and so will you."

The car sped off, Adam, Torchwick and the rest escaping into the night.

Shortly after, a number of police cars pulled into view, and a number of police officers emerged.

"Hands above your head!" one yelled, pointing his gun at Yang.

"You're letting him get away!" Yang cried, taking a step forwards. "He's in a black car, it's going-"

"I said hands above your head! Don't move!"

Several other officers took aim at Yang.

Yang raised her one working arm. "Fine, but at least get them to a hospital!"

One officer strode over to Yang and grabbed her arms, cuffing them behind her back. She hissed in pain as her broken arm was roughly pulled about.

"We have three, possibly four injured teens a half-mile from the raid site," one officer said into his Scroll. "Send ambulances ASAP, and contact Beacon. Suspects appear to be students at the academy."

"Suspects!?" Yang cried. "What the hell!?"

"Stow it!" barked the officer holding her arms. "Now get in the car!"

Yang allowed herself to be bundled into the back of the police car. She gazed out at where Blake was lying in a heap, where Weiss was lying unconscious, where her sister was still laying, a pair of officers attending to her, pressing their jackets against her back and her head…

Yang leaned forwards and threw up. The sight was just too much for her to bear.

'I'll handle this, Glynda. Give yourself a break for once.'

Professor Greene found herself partially regretting her decision to take ownership of this latest RWBY-related fiasco, and partially relieved that she was the one dealing with this instead of her colleague. Given the severity of this situation and Glynda's fraying patience with these four girls, her reaction to the sight that greeted Professor Greene at this moment would likely have been less-than-ideal.

"They will all make a full recovery in due time," the doctor beside her explained. "Young Miss Rose was the most severely injured, but she thankfully did not require any surgery. A blood transfusion to replace what she lost and some stitches to fix up her back were all that were required."

"And the rest?" Greene asked.

"Painkillers for Miss Belladonna, a cast for Miss Xiao Long, and an ice-pack for Miss Schnee. That is all. That said, Miss Xiao Long is incredibly fortunate her injury is not worse. Her x-ray showed signs that she may have overclocked her Semblance and over-burned her Aura."

Greene sucked in a breath. "Stupid girl," she muttered.

"Indeed," concurred the doctor. "The police are done with them for now if you would like to see them. I imagine you have a lot to say to your students."

"Indeed," concurred Greene. "Thank-you, doctor. I'll take it from here."

With a nod, the doctor withdrew and made their way down the corridor, presumably to see other patients.

Greene sighed, gathered herself, and entered the room where the four girls were recovering.

All four were awake, all four were in hospital gowns, and all four had one hand cuffed to the side of their beds. An officer was standing guard inside, leaning against one wall. He waved at Greene as she entered, and she gestured for him to leave them alone.

"Well," Greene began. "You four clearly didn't learn your lesson after last time."

"Professor, I can explain," Weiss started, her free hand clutching an ice pack to her forehead. "We never intended to get involved in another fight, but the situation was-"

"I'm well aware of what the situation was, Weiss," Greene interrupted. "I saw the recording you made. The officer in charge of your case showed me already."

Weiss blanched at that. "Are… are we going to be arrested?"

Greene kept her face blank. "You could be. Given the seriousness of your actions tonight, you could be looking at some time behind bars."

All four girls looked close to freaking out at that, so Greene decided to put that issue to bed right away to prevent any potential meltdowns.

"As it happens, however, the chief has elected to let the four of you off the hook, owing to the fact that you have provided them with intelligence that will prove vital in their investigations going forwards."

All four girls visibly sagged in relief.

"You are not, however, entirely off the hook in the eyes of Beacon."

All four girls stiffened once again.

How does Glynda do this? These kids just went through hell, and I have to make their night even worse…

"The four of you have already broken the rules regarding operating without licences before. Not to mention the many other incidents you have been involved in on school grounds. You have been punished, even suspended for these infractions, yet you still carry on acting as if our rules do not apply to you."

"Professor, we had to do something!" Blake said emphatically, albeit rather slurred owing to the painkillers coursing through her system. "Were we supposed to just ignore what we knew was going on?"

"Of course not," Greene responded. "But you should have raised your concerns with us. While you are students at Beacon, you should be able to come to us if you have any concerns about anything at all. Don't forget, all of us are Huntsmen and Huntresses as well. We can act where others cannot."

"Then why didn't you?"

Greene narrowed her eyes. "Careful, Blake. Right now, I'm just about the only ally the four of you still have."

"Are… y-y-you going to… expel us?"

Greene turned to face Ruby. The young girl looked dreadful. Paler than normal, with puffy eyes from where she had apparently been crying at some point, and bandages around her head. She was staring at Greene with clear fear in her eyes, terrified that she was about to have her future dreams ripped away from her.

"No," Greene said. "You are not being expelled."

"You mean it?" asked Weiss hopefully.

"Make no mistake, I am putting my neck out for you four by doing this, but I have managed to persuade Glynda… Professor Goodwitch, to allow you to stay at Beacon."

"That being said," Greene continued before the girls could respond. "This is your final chance. As of this moment, Team RWBY is officially on formal probation. If even one of you steps out of line one more time, all four of you will be expelled at once. You will be blacklisted, unable to ever enrol in any of the four academies ever again, and forever barred from attaining your Huntress licences. Understand?"

The four girls stared at Greene with wide eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Yang asked. "I mean, not that I'm not grateful for it, but… why?"

Greene allowed her expression to soften, just a little. "You almost died tonight, Yang. You all almost died, and it's only by sheer dumb luck you didn't. And while I cannot condone putting yourselves in harm's way like this, I also cannot deny the fact that your actions tonight, getting the video evidence that you did, will probably save lives. So… think of this as my way of saying… thank-you."

Yang blinked. "Well… could you maybe do one more thing before you go?" she asked, rattling her handcuffs to indicate exactly what she was asking for.

Greene nodded, and called the officer back into the room.

In short order, all four girls were uncuffed, and the officer departed once again, for good this time.

As soon as he left, Yang got out of bed and walked over to her sister's side, pulling her into a tight hug with her one good arm.

"I thought I was going to lose you," she said shakily, clearly on the verge of tears.

The other two girls likewise got out of bed and joined the sisters, all four clinging to each other and appreciating the fact that they had survived, against all odds.

Greene withdrew from the ward and began to make her way out of the hospital, giving the four girls their privacy. No need to intrude on this moment between them.

The world needs more people like you four. Don't let me down.

Chapter Text

The Soul…

It would be no exaggeration to claim that the Soul is at the core of everything that lives and breathes. All that a person is… all that they were… all that they have the potential to become… all is embodied within their living spirit.

The exact nature of the Soul is still the subject of some debate, but enough about it is understood to allow us to appreciate not only its significance, but its utility as well. For when the power of one's Soul is properly channelled and focussed, that person can become so much more.

For the majority of people, the power of their Soul remains shackled from the day they were born until the day they die. But for some, when they find themselves with their backs against the wall and their own imminent death staring them in the face, this shackled power… their Aura, can unlock itself in their moment of greatest need.

Perhaps even more than your weapon, your Aura is your most vital tool at your disposal as a Huntsman or a Huntress. Understanding its rules, its limits and its uses is essential if you wish to succeed and survive in this line of work. So pay close attention as we begin to examine the fundamentals of Aura.

While it is true that one's Aura can unlock itself in particularly high-stress circumstances, nowadays many have their Aura unlocked manually by another, using the energy of their own Soul to draw out the energy of another's. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that the individual in question is prepared in both body and mind for their Aura to be unlocked in this manner. An unprepared individual will reject any intrusion into their Soul, which can have negative consequences for both parties involved.

Once your Aura has been unlocked, its energy becomes freely available for utilisation in a variety of ways, both passive and active. In terms of the passive benefits of an unlocked Aura, its energy bolsters every aspect of your body. Your speed, your strength, your reflexes, and even your ability to heal are amplified to levels above and beyond an ordinary person. Your senses sharpen, your stamina increases immensely, and your body becomes capable of surpassing its limits.

But it is the active use of Aura wherein lies its true potential. With appropriate training and experience, these are the abilities that serve to set a true Huntsman above a mere soldier.

For starters, all of the aforementioned passive boons granted by an unlocked Aura can be further amplified by focussing more of your Aura into them. So long as you have the energy to spare, and provided your body can take the additional strain, you can increase your physical attributes many times over, allowing for superhuman feats of speed and strength. Used appropriately in short bursts, this can serve to elevate your combat abilities and give you an edge over your opponent, but take care not to overexert yourself, lest you be left open to counterattack.

Of perhaps even greater value is your Aura's defensive capabilities. When properly focussed, Aura can act as a protective barrier around your body that can reduce the impact of physical attacks, or even negate them outright. Blunt force, blades, bullets… your Aura can protect against much. But be careful. There is only so much that your Aura can do to mitigate damage. Powerful attacks will still be felt, and should your Aura be unable to blunt the impact enough, you can still be injured. In addition, this defensive barrier is not an autonomous defence. Conscious effort is required to maintain this barrier, meaning you can still be blindsided by attacks you fail to anticipate.

Aside from these more direct means of attack and defence, an unlocked Aura can also be channelled in other ways besides. Perceiving your surroundings by expanding your Aura beyond your body, sensing the Aura of others, channelling it directly into other objects such as your weapon… With adequate training, these more advanced abilities also become available to you.

And then of course there is the activation and manipulation of raw Dust, though that is a subject for another day.

Indeed, Aura is a powerful tool in the right hands, but it is not without its drawbacks. We have already heard mention of some of the limits of what your Aura can do, but all of that is tied to the core limitation of Aura: it is finite.

As long as you continue to draw breath, your Soul will always produce energy, but your Aura can only stockpile so much at one time. This is what we call your Aura reserve, and once depleted it takes time to restore itself. Should your reserves completely run dry, your Aura will break, and all of the boons and abilities it granted you will vanish, until your reserves fully replenish and your broken Aura can repair itself.

A broken Aura can be a death sentence in a battle, so you are encouraged to monitor your Aura levels to ensure that you never find yourself left exhausted mid-fight. Until you learn how to instinctively feel how much Aura you have left, you should make use of your Scroll to take stock of your Aura's condition.

The capacity of your Aura reserves and the rate at which they regenerate are somewhat innate. They can be improved up to a point, but each individual has a hard limit that they cannot surpass. Learning to work with what you have is therefore just as important, if not more so, than working to expand your potential.

While the passive abilities of Aura draw upon such little energy as to be almost negligible, all active uses of Aura will deplete your reserves over time. Stronger effects naturally cost more energy to perform, so as your reserves deplete, your maximum potential output will also diminish.

There is, however, a technique to circumvent this: Overburning.

A technique of absolute last resort, by drawing directly upon the energy of the Soul itself, it is possible to force more out of your Aura that you would otherwise have access to. Even if your Aura is broken, this can still allow you access to some of your abilities.

But be warned. Overburning is considered a forbidden technique for a very good reason, as by doing so you are effectively burning up your own Soul as fuel. As such, performing an Overburn will eat into your natural lifespan, and can even kill you outright if you burn too much at once. Many therefore refuse to teach this technique, but we believe that when the choice is between certain death and accepting the risk of an Overburn, you may have no other choice at all. Ultimately, you must use your own best judgement in such circumstances.

Everything we have explored thus far has been information that applies to all of you equally, as these are the fundamental rules of Aura and its use. Now, however, we move into discussion of an aspect of Aura that is much more… personal.

Semblance.

As we learned at the beginning, your Soul, the source of your Aura, is the culmination of all that makes you who you are. And no two Souls are alike. Therefore, each unlocked Soul manifests in a way unique to the individual, granting them an ability that is entirely their own, one that reflects an aspect of who they are. Hence, this is referred to as a Semblance.

Attempts have been made time and time again to classify Semblances into various categories so as to better understand the nature of these unique abilities, but this has largely proved to be a futile endeavour. Nevertheless, a few classifications do stand out as having some utility, so we shall first explore these options before we discuss Semblances in more detail.

One type of classification is 'Active vs Passive' Semblances. Put simply, an 'Active' Semblance is one that requires conscious effort to use, while a 'Passive' Semblance does not. A gross oversimplification to be sure, but a somewhat useful starting point for many.

A second means of classification sorts Semblances into three types: Enhancement-types, Transformative-types and Influential-types. Enhancement-types are Semblances that, as the name suggests, enhance an existing attribute of a person in some way, such as boosting their strength or their speed under certain conditions. Transformative-types are Semblances that alter the use in some capacity, such as rendering them invisible. Lastly, Influential-type Semblances are those whose effects extend beyond the user's own body, such as the conjuring of Glyphs.

No doubt you can already see the issues with attempting to classify all Semblances this way, as many do not fit neatly into one of these categories, if they even fit into any at all. Therefore, such classification systems should always be taken with a grain of salt. The very nature of Semblances as unique reflections of their users should instead be embraced rather than constrained.

So how then can we go about understanding how Semblances work? In the end, that is down to the individual to ascertain for themselves. That being said, there are some things that can be explained that can help one gain a better grasp of how to approach their Semblance.

As unique as every Semblance is, they do follow certain rules. A person can only have one Semblance, as they of course only possess one Soul. A Semblance can seemingly grant several abilities at once, but they all tie back to the same root in the end. Also, like all abilities granted by an unlocked Aura, your Semblance requires Aura to function. Run out of Aura, and you can no longer use your Semblance.

Most important of all to bear in mind is that your Semblance is a manifestation of an aspect of your identity. Thus, the better an understanding you have of yourself, the better an understanding you will have of your Semblance as well.

But people are not static, unchanging machines. Who we are, and who we see ourselves as, can change over time for many reasons. The person you were ten years ago is not the same as the person you are now, nor will it be the same as the person you become ten years down the line. And just as you can change, your Semblance can change as well, via a process referred to as Evolution.

When you first discover your Semblance, it is referred to as being Awakened. Once you gain full understanding and control over it, it is considered to be Mastered. And when a Semblance undergoes a drastic change, granting a new ability as a result, it is considered to have Evolved.

Semblance Evolution is an intensely-studied phenomenon. Through years of research carried out by many experts in this field, the process of Evolution is understood to follow a broad pattern in five stages: Realization, Introspection, Epiphany, Acceptance, and finally Evolution itself.

Realization occurs when the individual acknowledges that there is some part of themselves, some flaw or shortcoming of their person, that they do not wish to accept. From there, they can either reject this realization and stall outright, or make the commitment to try and change. If they are able to do so, they can progress to the next stage.

Introspection is where many find themselves stuck, as it requires them to contemplate this part of who they are and understand why they need to change it. This can take a long time to figure out, and is part of the reason why true Evolution is a less-than-common occurrence.

The Epiphany is when the individual finally achieves that understanding and is able to recognise not only the flaw itself, but the reason behind it as well. This can be a bittersweet moment for some, as it becomes fully apparent to them that they are indeed flawed in some significant way that is actively holding them back.

Acceptance is the hardest stage to overcome. With the understanding of who they are and what they are lacking now laid bare to them, the individual is faced with a choice: embrace their imperfection, reject it, or move past it. Embracing their flaw will make them stronger for it, but doing so will not allow them to truly change. Rejecting their flaw will likewise not allow for any progress to be made. Only be fully moving beyond your flaw are you able to reach the final stage of the process.

Should the individual succeed in moving past their flaw, they will be a changed person, and their Semblance has the potential to change with them if that flaw was in any way tied to the nature of their Semblance and the aspect of their identity it embodied. Thus, their Semblance has undergone Evolution.

Just as there is no limit to a person's potential for change, there is no limit to the number of times a person's Semblance can undergo Evolution. However, for the vast majority of those who do experience this phenomenon, a single Evolution is all they will be able to achieve. Even so, a single instance of Evolution is a significant achievement, as many more are unable to ever accomplish even that.

One final point of note on the subject of Semblances before we conclude is that, much like how it is possible to amplify other abilities by using additional Aura, it is possible to amplify your Semblance this way as well. However, unlike merely boosting your physical attributes, boosting your Semblance past its natural limit before your body is ready is extremely ill-advised. This act of Overclocking your Semblance by forcing more Aura into its activation can result in what's known as an Aura Backfire. This can have serious repercussions, such as permanently damaging your ability to use your Semblance, or even causing irreparable damage to your Aura itself, leaving you with a reduced Aura capacity for the rest of your life. Once again, this should be considered only as an act of absolute last resort.

There is another factor to consider with regards to Aura as well. An unlocked Aura, and by extension an unlocked Soul, comes with one significant caveat: you become more visible to the Creatures of Grimm. With the barriers over your Soul lowered, your emotions are less restrained. Your passions shine brighter, your anger burns hotter, and your fear screams louder without the shackles holding it all back. You are afforded great power, but you also become a torch that draws more danger to you for the rest of your life.

Make no mistake, you are all taking on a great deal of risk by choosing this path, and we cannot guarantee that all of you will even reach the end of the road you now walk down. But if you have the conviction to see this through to the end…

… you can be something truly magnificent.

Chapter Text

Myrtenaster thrust forwards.

The point of Weiss' sword homed in on its target, moving to strike her opponent dead-on. She had performed this exact attack thousands of times over, honed it to the point of near perfection through repeated practice…

The umbrella swatted her strike aside, dismissed her efforts as if they were nothing.

Weiss sidestepped the counter, avoiding the slash aimed at her neck, following up with a swing of her own. A tried-and-true technique, drilled into her by hours of training…

Her opponent jumped over her sword, never once being in any danger of getting hit.

Stepping back to give herself space, Weiss drew upon her Aura and prepared a Glyph, ready to vault over her opponent's head and strike from above. Her Semblance, her weapon, all the years of hard work she had put into making herself stronger, all so she could snatch victory in this very moment…

A blow swept her legs out from beneath her, sending Weiss tumbling back to the ground as a flash of silver lanced towards her face-

"Match over! The victor is Pyrrha Nikos!"

Weiss blinked, and the image of Neo's smirking face looking over her was replaced with the friendly smile of Pyrrha, who was offering her a hand to help her back to her feet.

"Well fought, Weiss," said Pyrrha.

Weiss stared at Pyrrha's outstretched hand for a long moment, before pushing herself to her feet and walking out of the sparring ring to sit on the bench, head cradled in her hands as she took several deep, calming breaths.

"Should I call medical and have someone escort you there, Miss Schnee?" asked Professor Goodwitch.

Weiss shook her head. "I'll be fine, Professor. I just need a minute."

"Very well," Professor Goodwitch replied. "Now then, I need to get back to my office, so this is the end of your allocated time here. Miss Nikos, please make sure Miss Schnee does not linger here for any longer than is necessary, and see to it that she returns her weapon to the impound room."

"Yes, Professor," Pyrrha responded uneasily, as Professor Goodwitch made her exit.

Were she not feeling so awful, Weiss would have baulked at the notion that anyone would have to watch her to ensure she followed the rules. At that moment, however, she was far too preoccupied with other thoughts to register any sort of indignation.

"Weiss? Are you sure everything is alright? I am more than happy to fetch someone for you if needed."

Weiss lifted her head out of her hands to look up at Pyrrha once more. The taller girl was starting down at her worriedly… worry that was not entirely without merit, she supposed.

"I think I just need to go back to the dorm and lie down for a bit," Weiss admitted with a sigh. "I wasn't as ready to get back into this as I thought I was."

Pyrrha frowned. "If you weren't feeling up to this, why did you ask to spar with me? Pushing yourself too far is rather… out-of-character for you, if you don't mind me saying."

Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but she couldn't think of anything to say to refute Pyrrha's insinuation.

She was right, after all… Weiss wasn't the sort of person to step too far outside what she was familiar with. She stuck to what she knew, what she had practiced before…

… and look what that accomplished.

Rising to her feet, Weiss handed Myrtenaster over to Pyrrha, who accepted the offered weapon after a moment's hesitation.

"Remember, store it blade-downwards. And make sure the barrel is unlatched before you hang it up."

"Of course," Pyrrha replied. "No need to worry, I'll make sure your sword is stored safely."

Nodding in thanks, Weiss moved past Pyrrha and began to make her way out of the sparring room.

"Weiss," Pyrrha called after her.

Weiss paused and turned back around. "Yes?"

Pyrrha gave Weiss a small smile. "Remember, even if we aren't teammates, you can still talk to me if you need to. If you can't talk to your team, I mean."

Weiss returned Pyrrha's smile. "Thank-you. I appreciate it, but I'm fine. Really."

The door to the sparring room swung shut behind Weiss as she began to make her way back towards the dorm. As she walked, she tried her best to think of literally anything else besides the disaster of a duel she had just had.

Her thoughts returned, as they so often had done in the days since, to the night of the rally.

To her fight against Neo.

It had been a week, yet it was all still so fresh and raw in her mind. The chaos of it all, the sound of her teammates' desperate voices crying out as they fought for their lives, the sound of her partner's agonised scream as Neo sliced her back open, the panic and the fear and the pain as she was beaten down by Neo before everything went dark, before she woke up in a hospital bed to learn that they had almost all died…

They had all recovered from their injuries by now, Weiss having recovered the fastest owing to her injuries being the least severe. Yang's cast had come off two days ago, Ruby's back and head had both fully healed, Blake's many bruises had faded away…

So why am I not able to fight properly?

Weiss hadn't expected to actually be able to beat Pyrrha. She was quite aware of how far the gap between the two of them was in terms of skill, after all. Even so, she should not have lost quite so badly as she had done so. She should have at least been able to put up a bit of a fight.

But as she clashed with Pyrrha, Weiss' mind had gone back to her fight with Neo, and she had fallen apart.

"Pushing yourself too far is rather… out-of-character for you…"

Pyrrha likely hadn't meant it as a critical statement, but her words resonated within Weiss as she grappled with what was going on inside her head.

She was cautious. Always had been. Ever since her recklessness had cost her brother an eye. So if she never took too big a risk, then she wouldn't make another mistake like that one again. That was the reasoning.

So she trained. Made herself stronger and faster, made herself into a warrior who could fight back… but always, always making sure she never went too far, never strayed too far from what was necessary. Caution became ingrained in almost everything she did… and only now did Weiss realise what that had done to her.

She had played it safe, never pushing too far outside what she knew she could handle… and as a result, she had stagnated. Instead of overcoming her limits, she had accepted them. Instead of becoming more than she was, she had become more of the same.

Her recklessness had cost her brother an eye… now, her caution had almost cost her friends their lives.

If I had been stronger… if I had been faster… if I had just been better than that…

…

… not again.

Weiss turned and changed direction, heading away from the dorms.

Sitting in a room and sulking isn't going to fix anything. I need to be better, and that will only happen if I make it so.

An empty classroom afforded her the perfect venue for what she had in mind. Closing the door behind her, Weiss set about the task of shunting various items of furniture out of the way to clear a space in the centre of the room.

As part of their probation, Team RWBY as a whole were restricted for the time being in what they could do outside of class. When not in use, their weapons had to be handed over, and if any of them wanted to make use of any facilities like the sparring rooms or the forges, they had to get express permission and a member of staff to oversee them.

Luckily, at least from a certain point of view, Weiss didn't need any of that for the moment. Weiss could admit that she wasn't in the right headspace for any more sparring anyway, even if she were allowed to do so.

But there was something else she could work on… and using a classroom wasn't technically breaking the rules.

Satisfied that she had prepared a wide enough space to work in, Weiss stood at the edge of her impromptu practice circle and did everything she could to clear her head.

…

Weiss could conjure Glyphs as platforms and as barriers. She could manipulate the elements with Dust, boost her speed, even bend the flow of time.

But there was one aspect of her Semblance that she had never managed to grasp. And in her drive to perfect only what she could already do, she had neglected to invest adequate time into unlocking this other power she had available to her.

'We Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. Every Schnee, for generations, has had the ability to Summon. But that doesn't mean it will come easily.'

Winter's words of advice resurfaced in Weiss' mind as she focussed on what she wanted… on what she needed to do.

'Your Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it, if you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible, then you'll never truly grow.'

Weiss took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it out slowly.

I'm sorry, Winter. I should never have ignored your teachings. But I promise, I won't make that mistake again.

Extending one hand out in front of her, Weiss focussed her Aura and willed it to take the form she desired.

A Glyph appeared on the floor in front of her, flickered briefly, then vanished.

Clenching her jaw, Weiss tried again.

And again.

And again…

Ending the call, Ren sighed and sagged with relief.

"Well?" Nora asked impatiently.

"They said yes," Ren replied with a grin.

Nora practically squeed with delight as she threw her arms around Ren excitedly. "Ren, you're the best! What would we ever do without you?"

"I imagine you'd probably break a lot more stuff that you already do," Ren deadpanned in response.

Jaune quirked an eyebrow at that. "Hey, I happen to be very mature and responsible, thank-you very much. I only break things unintentionally."

"You tore open a vending machine in order to use the cans within as makeshift grenades against Team RWBY."

"And you used a pair of leeks as knives," Jaune retorted. "You're not as above it all as you think you are, Ren."

Ren levelled Jaune with a stare, but quickly devolved into chuckling, unable to maintain their feigned annoyance for very long.

"Fair enough," they conceded. "But let's get back on track, shall we? That takes care of the music for the night, so all that remains now is the decorations."

"Didn't Yang say her team would handle that part?" Nora asked.

"That was before they got themselves put on probation," Ren replied. "Professor Goodwitch took them off of planning duties because of that, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Nora mused. Then she grinned. "So that means we get all the credit for planning the party!"

Ren shook their head in bemusement. Of course Nora would default to that line of thinking. No concern for the extra workload they had been landed with, but instead the prospect of the glory that pulling this off successfully would bring.

"Well, I vote we leave that for now and take a break," said Jaune, rising to his feet. "I dunno about you two, but I could go for some sandwiches."

"Now that's a plan I can get behind!" Nora chirped happily, springing to her feet. "C'mon Ren, let's eat!"

Nodding and smiling, Ren followed after their teammates, hanging back behind them a short distance. While Nora and Jaune chatted about something or other, Ren pulled their Scroll back out of their pocket and reopened one of the other tabs they had saved from earlier.

"Oh, are you three done already?"

Ren stopped and turned to see Pyrrha approaching from the other end of the corridor.

"For now," they replied. "We're getting some lunch. Will you be joining us?"

"Certainly," Pyrrha said. "And sorry again for not sticking around to help out. I promised Weiss I would spar with her."

"No need to apologise," Ren responded. "In fact, you arrived at a good time."

"Oh?" Pyrrha quirked her eyebrows up. "Do tell."

Ren handed their Scroll over to Pyrrha. "I have mine, Nora's and Jaune's outfits ready to order for the dance. Now I just need yours. This site offers some very good deals if you buy in bulk."

Pyrrha gave the image on Ren's Scroll a glance. "I'll have to think about it before I decide. I haven't really given much thought to an outfit, I'll admit."

"Fair enough." Ren resumed following after Nora and Jaune, Pyrrha now also in tow.

"How is Weiss?" Ren asked.

Pyrrha hummed. "Hard to say. I think only she can answer that question right now. But I wonder if I should say something to her teammates all the same?"

"If you think that would help, then by all means do so," Ren said.

"But I don't want to overreact over nothing," stressed Pyrrha. "I don't want to be too intrusive."

Ren considered Pyrrha's words for a moment. "Well, what if you did nothing, and it turned out something was wrong? Wouldn't it be better to overreact than underreact in that case?"

"I suppose so…" Pyrrha murmured.

"Hey, Pyrrha!" Nora called, waving back at her while walking in reverse. "Jaune wants to talk to you about something!"

Pyrrha blinked, then shook herself to attention. "I'm coming!" she called, walking ahead of Ren to join Jaune while Nora fell back to walk beside Ren.

"So," Nora began. "Is she going to the dance or what?"

Ren shrugged. "No idea. We were talking about other things."

Nora puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "Reeeen," she whined, drawing out their name. "We're supposed to be working together on this!"

Ren rolled their eyes. "Nora, this was your idea, not mine. I suggested we leave them be to figure things out on their own."

"But that's the problem! They won't! Pyrrha's too shy and Jaune's too dense! If we leave them to figure things out on their own, they'll be old and dead before either of them says anything to the other!"

Ren couldn't help but crack a smirk at Nora's remark. "As entertainingly morbid as that sounds, I think you need to have a bit more faith in the two of them. They're smart people, they'll figure it out soon enough."

Nora groaned, and Ren chuckled, as all four members of JNPR made their way down to the cafeteria.

If this is the worst drama the four of us have to deal with, I'll take it. It's a lot better than constantly worrying that Jaune is going to kill himself out of stubbornness, after all.

Blake massaged her temples as she continued to stare at the screen in front of her, the words of the article she had been attempting to read for the past hour blurring together into an incoherent mess as her exhaustion caught up with her, shattering her focus entirely.

"Dammit," she huffed, rising out of her seat and making her way over to the coffee machine to get another much-needed hit of caffeine to perk her up.

Whoever's idea it had been to install coffee machines in the library, presumably to help students with late-night studying, was someone Blake would dearly like to thank one day. Having coffee on-tap to keep her awake was something she sorely needed right now, three days in with no sleep and very little to eat. If she wanted to stay alert and able to keep on researching as much as she could, she needed all the caffeine she could get.

"Hey, Blake!"

Blake didn't pause to acknowledge whoever was calling her name. She just returned to her seat and resumed attempting to read the article on screen, sipping at her cup as she did so.

'White Fang presence… southern regions… reports of heavy weaponry…'

The fog over Blake's mind was slow to lift, but she was beginning to pick out some details from what she read. None of which made her feel any better.

'Heavy weaponry'… so he really does have access to that tech.

"Blake!"

Scowling, Blake turned to see whoever was trying to bother her.

"What do you want, Sun?" she snapped irritably. "I'm busy."

Sun looked Blake up and down, his expression one of confusion. "Uh… are you doing OK?"

"I'm fine," Blake replied shortly. "Is that all?"

"Well, actually…" Sun rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "I hear that there's this dance going on next weekend… sounds kind lame, but… you and me? I'm thinking, not as lame, yeah?"

Blake stared at Sun. "What?"

"The dance! Next weekend! You wanna go? With me?"

Blake scowled. "I don't have time for some stupid dance, Sun. Now leave me alone."

Sun's face fell. "Oh, well, OK. If you change your mind-"

"I won't," Blake replied swiftly. "Now please go away."

Returning her attention to the screen, Blake resumed reading.

'Multiple reports have been made that White Fang members have been seen using military-grade equipment. According to insider sources in the VPD, known criminal Roman Torchwick has been conspiring with the White Fang to acquire such hardware illicitly, but exactly how such an individual was able to gain access to Atlas military equipment remains a mystery. Vale's chief of police has gone on record to say that-'

"Blake, we need to talk."

Blake looked up from the screen, once again pulled away from what she was supposed to be focussed on by yet another interloper.

"Yang, this had better be important."

Blake's partner stood with her hands on her hips, staring down at Blake disapprovingly. "Walk with me," she said, gesturing towards the exit with a motion of her head.

Blake retuned her attention to her screen. "No thanks, I'm perfectly fine right where I am."

A hand grabbed Blake's arm and yanked her out of her seat.

"I wasn't asking," Yang said, pulling Blake along as she made her way out of the library.

Blake tried to pull free from Yang's grasp, but quickly accepted that it was useless to even try. The blonde's grip was unbreakable.

Yang led the two of them into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind them before she released Blake from her grasp.

"Alright, no dancing around the issue," Yang began. "Blake, we're worried about you. This investigation is really starting to mess with your head."

Blake scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"I'm serious," Yang pressed. "You don't sleep, you barely eat, in class you hardly even seem to notice that you're there."

Blake bristled. "Do you think I care about the grades I get in class? I have bigger things to worry about. I thought you of all people would understand that."

"I do," said Yang firmly, leaning against a nearby desk as she spoke. "We all do, Blake. We were all there, we all saw the same thing, we all know what we're up against."

Blake clenched her fists. "No you don't. Not really. Not the same way I do."

"You mean Adam?"

Blake turned away from Yang to hide her face, hugging her arms as she did so.

"He wants a war, Yang," she whispered. "He always spoke about the war that would change the world, and now he has the means to actually start one. Someone has to stop him."

"I agree," Yang replied. "But you're not going to stop anything if you run yourself into the ground."

Blake barked out a bitter laugh. "If you're trying to tell me I need to stop, then save your breath, because I can't."

Blake felt a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not gonna tell you to stop; I'm telling you to slow down."

Blake whirled around to glare at Yang, her temper beginning to rise. "I don't have the luxury of slowing down, Yang!"

Yang crossed her arms and levelled Blake with a glare of her own. "It's not a luxury, it's a necessity."

"The necessity is stopping him before he gets thousands of people killed!"

"And we will," said Yang, her glare softening slightly. "But first, you are going to hear me out. So sit down, and listen to what I have to say. If you still won't agree with me when I'm done, I won't pressure you any more, but at least give me a chance to say my piece."

Blake considered simply brushing Yang off and leaving then and there, but ultimately decided against it. She knew Yang well enough by now to know that the blonde would not let this go so easily.

Taking a seat atop a desk, Blake folded her arms and levelled Yang with a stern gaze. "Alright, fine. I'm listening."

Yang nodded once, then leaned backwards on her hands against the desk behind her, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Ruby and I… We grew up on Patch, the little island off the coast of Vale. Our Dad's a former Huntsman, teaches part-time at Signal, while Mom took on missions all over the place."

Yang's expression turned wistful as she spoke, but her voice had an air of melancholy to it.

"Summer Rose," Yang said softly. "She was like… Super-Mom. Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters. She was gone a lot, sure, but she always found some way to make time for me and Ruby when it counted. But then…"

Yang closed her eyes and paused for a moment.

"It happened five years ago… Mom had gone on a mission that took her outside the Kingdom. She didn't tell anyone what it was for, just that she might not be back for a while. Well, about two months after she left… we got the news. She died."

Blake felt a pang of sympathy for Yang and her sister as she heard that, but she was still confused. What did any of this have to do with her?

"It was tough. Still is, sometimes. Ruby took it real bad, withdrew from basically everyone and everything for almost half a year. But Dad? He completely shut down. I… kinda had to take care of both of them for a while, there. I mean, Uncle Qrow helped out where he could, but he couldn't be there all the time. So for a long time, it was just… me, holding it all together."

Yang pushed herself off of the table and began to wander around the room absently.

"The thing is, though, it shouldn't have been. See, I call Summer my Mom because that's who I always saw her as, still see her as… but the truth is, my real Mom… she left."

Yang's voice took on a bitter edge towards the end, and her gaze hardened.

"Raven," she all but spat. "Qrow's sister. I don't know much about her. Dad and Qrow don't like to bring her up very much. She was on the same team as they were, but right after I was born… she just left everyone behind. Dad, her brother… her own kid."

"Do you… know why?" Blake asked.

Yang sighed. "That question… Why? Mom… I mean, Summer… she never made me feel like I was unwanted or didn't belong, so for a long time I didn't really care. I had a Mom who loved me, so why should I care about the one who doesn't? That was what I thought."

Yang walked over to the chalkboard at the front of the room and picked up a stick of chalk, absently beginning to draw something on the dark slate surface.

"But then she was gone, and Dad shut down, and I was left to pick up the pieces all by myself. But Raven was out there, somewhere. She should've been there to help when we needed her… so I decided to find her myself. I asked anyone I could what they knew about her, where she might be. And after a while, I found something. A clue that I thought might lead me to some answers."

"I wasn't much older than twelve, and Ruby was only ten. In my stupid, short-sighted mind, I figured I couldn't leave Ruby all by herself in the house while I went out searching, so I took her with me, pulling her along in a toy wagon while she slept the journey away."

Blake's confusion was only growing more pronounced. "Yang, is there a point to all of this?"

Yang turned and gave Blake a dry, humourless smile. "I'm getting there." Returning her attention to the chalkboard, Yang continued to draw as she spoke.

"I must've walked for hours. I had cuts and bruises all over my legs, I was totally exhausted, but I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. I could barely even stand up straight by the time I got to the place I had heard about, but I didn't care. All I could think about was how desperately I needed to find her, to find Raven, to make her realise how much we needed her…"

Yang finished her drawing with a sharp, final line, and Blake saw that she had drawn a picture of a Beowolf.

"There we were: two little kids, one asleep in a wagon, the other too exhausted to even cry for help. We might as well have been served up on a silver platter."

Yang drew one more line, slicing though the image of the Grimm she had drawn.

"Luckily, Uncle Qrow found us just in time. He saved us, made sure we got back home… and made sure I knew full well that I almost got myself and my little sister killed because I was too stubborn and reckless to realise what I was doing."

Blake stared at Yang. Sympathy welled up inside her for what her partner had gone through, but that sympathy was overshadowed by another, more bitter emotion.

"Yang, I'm sorry that happened to you, and I think I get what you're trying to tell me, but this is different. So much more is at stake here than just us."

"I know," Yang said. "But this isn't different: you're obsessed, like I was. And I get it, trust me, I get it… but if you let that control you-"

"He doesn't control me!" Blake snapped.

"But this search does," Yang pressed. "Listen to me, Blake, I'm not telling you to stop. You're right, this is so much bigger than us, and if we can do something about it, we should. But if we destroy ourselves in the process, then what good are we to anyone?"

Blake felt her anger rise once more. "You don't understand, Yang! I have to do this! I'm the only one who can do this!"

Why can't you see that? I got you involved already, and it got you hurt. It could get you killed, when this is my fight to face! Why can't you just let me go!?

Yang's eyes turned red.

"No, you don't understand!" she yelled. "If Torchwick were to walk in through that door right now, what would you do!?"

Blake drew herself up to her full height. "I'd fight him," she said firmly.

Yang stepped forwards and shoved Blake hard, causing her to stumble and almost fall over.

"You'd lose," she snarled.

Blake launched herself forwards and swung for Yang's head. "No I won't!"

Yang blocked Blake's punch with minimal effort. "Yes, you would."

"I can stop him!" Blake cried, desperation in her voice as she pushed back against Yang, anger and frustration boiling over and spurring her to make her point known through force.

Yang caught Blake's next punch in her hand and twisted around, throwing her down to the floor.

"You can't even stop me!" Yang spat.

Blake looked up at her partner, red-eyed and staring down at her with a thunderous expression… then her eyes became soft lilac again, and her scowl became a smile as she held out her hand.

"I'm not asking you to stop, Blake. Just please, get some rest."

Blake looked at Yang's offered hand for a moment… then she took it with hers, and allowed Yang to pull her to her feet.

"Alright," Blake sighed. "You win. I'll take a break."

Strong arms wrapped themselves around Blake, and she tensed up as Yang hugged her tightly.

"You're not alone, Blake," Yang whispered. "You don't have to do this alone."

Blake hesitated for a moment, then returned Yang's embrace, hugging her back.

'HUNTSMAN WANTED: Escort detail from Vale to Northern Outpost. Travel party of three, cargo consisting of Dust and ammunition. Mission Rank-1, details of fee to be agreed upon acceptance of job.'

"Miss Rose, might I enquire as to what you are doing at this moment?"

Ruby startled, then winced as her sudden motion tweaked her injury, sending a small jolt of pain along her back. She might no longer have any need for bandages of stitches, but her wound still felt tender in spots.

Professor Ozpin smirked down at her. "Perhaps you should not be up and about as of yet, if your back is still causing you issue."

"I-I'm f-fine," Ruby replied quickly. "It's n-not that bad."

Professor Ozpin's smile fell slightly, but he shrugged nonetheless. "If you feel you are well enough, then I shall not labour the point. So I shall instead return to my initial question: what are you doing at this moment?"

Ruby's brain quickly scrambled about for an appropriate excuse, only to come up with nothing.

Then again, I don't think I could actually tell a convincing lie to someone like the Headmaster anyway.

"W-well, I'm checking the M-Mission Boards…" Ruby cringed internally at how stupid that sounded.

Professor Ozpin hummed, casting his eye over the Board himself. "I see. Does anything stand out to you, then?"

Ruby shook her head. "N-not really…"

Not anything useful for us, at least…

"Not much advertised for the southern regions, I see."

"No," Ruby sighed, returning her own focus to the Board to stare despondently at the lack of anything helpful…

Then she clammed up and flushed red as she realised that she had been found out.

Whirling about, she saw Professor Ozpin once again smirking at her. "Subtlety is not you strongest attribute, Miss Rose. You tend to wear your intentions rather openly, even if you do not intend to."

"Uh, I can explain…" Ruby began.

"By all means, explain away."

Ruby opened and closed her mouth several times, then lowered her head and shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Actually, m-maybe I can't."

Ruby heard Professor Ozpin chuckle. "Don not fret, I am not here to reprimand you. I find your commitment to be quite admirable, even if you perhaps get a bit too involved at times. Rather, I wish to offer some sage advice to you."

Ruby lifted her head, fighting down the blush she could still feel on her cheeks. "Y-yes, sir?"

Ozpin turned to face Ruby fully. "Take some time to rest."

Ruby blinked. "Huh?"

Ozpin's expression shifted, taking on that unreadable look he adopted whenever he was being serious.

"Knowing when to step back and allow yourself to recuperate can be just as important, if not more so, than knowing when to take action. Just as it is a factor to bear in mind when managing your Aura in a fight, it is a factor to bear in mind regarding your mental wellbeing as well."

Ruby considered what Professor Ozpin was saying, and thought back to how Blake had been acting in recent days.

"Y-yeah, I th-think I understand."

Then again, it's not like I'm going that far… right?

"Then might I suggest you turn your attention towards the upcoming celebration instead?" said Professor Ozpin. "A night of dancing and revelry may do you the world of good."

Ruby frowned. "I'm n-not much of a… f-fancy pansty… dancey girl," she mumbled.

Professor Ozpin smirked once more. "Well, you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you want to."

That's a lesson that's been floating around a lot lately.

"If you think about it," Professor Ozpin continued. "Fighting and dancing aren't all that different from each other. Two partners interlocked, their respective movements as dependent on each other as they are on themselves..."

Ruby found herself imagining a pair of dancers holding weapons spinning each other around, bullets flying in all directions as a band played in the background.

Those two things do not go together…

"Y-you win a fight," Ruby mused. "You don't w-win a dance."

Professor Ozpin hummed. "Well, that all depends on the attitude you bring to the engagement, doesn't it?"

Ruby was about to ask what he meant by that, but Professor Ozpin simply turned and walked away, cane clacking against the polished wooden floor as he did so.

Odd…

Ruby glanced at the Mission Board again.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not gonna find anything useful here. Not now.

Maybe the Professor was right… Ruby needed a break.

"Hey there, need any help?"

Once again, Ruby startled at the sudden voice behind her, and once again painfully tweaked her back as she did so.

Yep, I definitely need a break.

Ruby turned to see who was talking to her. The girl in question was wearing glasses and a beret, and carrying a large handbag.

"Um, Coco, r-right?"

"Coco Adel, at your service." Coco bowed slightly and smiled. "Leader of Team CFVY. And you're Ruby, if I'm not mistaken. Your Team were one of the ones who took over for us planning the party, weren't you."

Ruby felt very awkward at that. "W-w-well, w-we kinda got… taken off of that…"

Coco laughed. "Oh yeah, that whole thing! Nice work busting that rally, by the way."

Ruby once again felt her face warm up in embarrassment. "W-we didn't r-really do much to h-help."

Coco waved her off. "Don't undersell yourself, kid, you did good, no matter what anyone says. Taking those kinds of risks is what being a Huntress is all about, after all."

Ruby began to fiddle with the hem of her cloak nervously. Coco and her Team were quite well known in Beacon for their many successes despite only being second-years, and Ruby was quite conscious of the fact that she was more known for her mistakes at present.

"Anyway," Coco continued. "Checking out the Boards I see. Thinking about what your Team's gonna take for your first Mission-shadowing?"

Ruby shook her head. "A-actually, I was just l-leaving. S-s-sorry."

Ruby began to leave, only for Coco to move to block her path, folding her arms and smiling. "Well, let me help you with something else, then. Gotta pay you back for covering for my Team somehow."

"Th-thanks, but I r-really don't n-need anything…"

"Got a dress for the dance?"

Ruby blinked. "Huh?"

"I'll take that as a no," Coco said. "Alright, come with me. Let's see what we can do for you."

Ruby gulped. "Y-you aren't gonna take n-no for an answer, are y-you?"

"Nope!" replied Coco. "Now come on! Let me work my magic!"

She's a lot like Yang…

Swallowing her awkwardness and nerves, Ruby allowed herself to be led out of the hall and towards, presumably, Coco's dorm.

"Got anyone in mind to go with?" Coco asked. "Unless you'd rather not say, that's fine too."

Go with?

Ruby hadn't really given that much… any thought. Then again, she hadn't really given the dance itself much thought either, especially this past week.

Who would I even ask? I don't really know anyone outside my Team all that well…

As she pondered this, Ruby found herself picturing an image of herself on a dancefloor, hand-in-hand with a carrot-haired girl in a green dress…

Penny.

…

Wait, what?

Chapter Text

"S-stupid lady-stilts," Ruby muttered, wobbling precariously with each step she took in the hideously uncomfortable high heels she was wearing. "W-why couldn't I just w-wear my boots? I f-feel like I'm gonna f-fall over."

Coco laughed good-naturedly. "You'll be fine, kid. Just don't overthink 'em. It's like riding a bike, just go with it and don't let your head get in the way."

Ruby took slow, careful steps as she walked alongside Coco towards the main hall, the sound of music and conversation growing noticeably louder as the pair approached the doorway. They had taken their time getting ready in CVFY's dorm, and so were running a bit behind everyone else. Most of the rest of the party-goers had already arrived ahead of them, including the rest of their own teams, so the hallway was devoid of any other people to witness Ruby's utter failure to walk properly.

Unfortunately, that couldn't last, as in short order the two girls arrived at the hall.

"Well, here we are," Coco announced, striding in through the entrance with all of her usual confidence. Ruby timidly crossed the threshold alongside her, feeling awkward and uncomfortable and remarkably out-of-place.

The hall was full of people in various styles of fancy outfits. Some were dancing to the upbeat music playing from the speakers, others were standing off to the sides conversing with each other, and a few were gathered around a refreshments table set up by the windows.

"Coco!"

Coco smiled and gave a small wave to the girl who had called her name who began to make her way quickly towards them, weaving through the other party-goers and beaming a wide smile of her own.

"Wow, Coco! You look amazing!" she gushed.

"Thanks, babe. You're looking pretty good tonight as well."

Ruby remained off to the side as the two older girls playfully flirted with each other. She didn't want to intrude on their moment, but she also didn't really know what she was supposed to do with herself now that she had arrived.

"So who's this with you tonight? Should I be jealous that you arrived late with another girl?"

Ruby felt as if her face had caught fire as she registered the other girl's remark. Mortified, she began frantically waving her arms in front of her and stammering incoherently as she tried to deny the implication.

Coco chuckled and shook her head, smirking in amusement. "You don't need to worry about that babe. I was just helping out a friend. Besides, I'm pretty sure she's already taken."

Ruby stared at Coco. "W-w-what are y-y-you…"

Coco offered Ruby a wave as she linked arms with her date. "Good luck out there, Ruby!" With a final wink, she turned and walked off, leaving Ruby all by herself, red-faced and flustered and very much beginning to regret her decision to come at all.

Now what am I supposed to do!?

Another couple entered the hall, brushing past Ruby on their way in and startling her slightly, sending her wobbling sideways. She thankfully managed to avoid falling over outright as she leaned against the wall, head down and fighting to get her racing heart and flushed face back under control before she made a scene.

Coco had managed to do a pretty good job of convincing her that this would be a fun time. Parties and big gatherings of any kind were not really something Ruby tended to find 'fun', but the older girl had talked so enthusiastically about how nice it would be to spend the night just hanging out with everyone else that Ruby had found herself getting caught up in her energy as she allowed Coco to pick out her outfit and style her hair for her.

When Coco had had Ruby look at herself in the mirror before they set out, Ruby had been stunned by her own reflection. The dress Coco had loaned her looked wonderful, a dark red sleeveless one that came down to just above her knees, with grey ruffles around the skirt and a black belt around the waist, paired with a pair of black high-heels that, despite being a pain to walk in, matched well with the rest of the ensemble. Coco had also done a fantastic job with her hair, fluffing it up and sweeping her bangs to the side, holding them in place with a hairclip that looked like a rose.

However, all of that initial confidence and energy she had felt earlier had wilted during their walk down to the main hall, and now it was all gone, replaced with a familiar but no-less-unwelcome feeling of anxiety that made her stomach twist and her chest clench.

I don't wanna be here right now.

Lifting her head, Ruby scanned the hall for any sign of her sister, but quickly stopped herself.

No. You said you wouldn't be a burden to her anymore. Don't ruin her night just because you can't handle it. Just… go back to the dorm.

Swallowing past the lump that was beginning to form in her throat, Ruby pushed herself away from the wall and turned to leave-

"Ruby!"

Ruby turned towards the familiar voice calling her name. The anxious feeling in her chest loosened slightly, and she smiled a little as she saw Penny make her way across the room towards her.

"I was not sure that you would be coming! I am so glad that you did though!"

Penny looked… well, a little odd, if Ruby was being honest. She had tied her hair back in a ponytail, and seemed to have attempted to add some green streaks to it, but they were all different shades of green and didn't really match each other. Her attire was also a mess of different greens. She wore an emerald-green jacket over a white shirt, paired with a tie that was more of a yellow-green. Her skirt was yet another different shade, bright chartreuse, and her leggings were seafoam. Her shoes broke the trend, a pair of pink flats replacing her usual boots.

"You look wonderful, Ruby!" Penny exclaimed. "I especially like what you have done with your hair."

Ruby felt her face heat up yet again. "Th-thanks. You look n-nice too."

"Thank-you!" Penny replied with her usual bright smile. "Can I get you a drink?"

Ruby nodded and followed Penny to the refreshments table, lagging slightly behind due to her heels.

Penny ladled out a cup of whatever was in the punch bowl and handed it to Ruby, who accepted with a nod of thanks before taking a sip.

"Are y-you here w-with Ciel?" Ruby asked.

Penny shook her head. "Ciel did not want to come. She likes to go to bed early so she can get up early, so it's just me here."

The music changed, switching to a new, slower track. The couples on the dancefloor switched gears and began to move to the new, calmer rhythm. A number of others also joined in from the sides, the middle of the hall now becoming quite crowded with people.

Penny held out her hand. "Would like to dance with me, Ruby?"

Ruby stared at Penny's offered hand. She imagined taking it, being led out onto the dancefloor and holding onto Penny as they moved in time with the music.

She then imagined herself tripping over, her and Penny falling down as everyone stared at them and laughed.

"Um… I don't… I m-mean… uh…"

Penny withdrew her hand. "You are not comfortable here, are you?"

Ruby looked up at Penny and saw concern all over her friend's face. Guilt washed over her as she realised that she was making Penny worry.

I'm ruining this already…

Ruby wanted to wave away Penny's concern, tell her she was fine, and take her up on her offer of a dance regardless of her own worries.

But Ruby knew that Penny would see right through all of that.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I guess I probably sh-sh-shouldn't have come. I th-think I'll just go back to the dorm."

Penny's expression softened. "Then let's go someplace else together."

Ruby waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. "Oh, n-no no! Penny, y-you don't h-have to l-leave with m-me! Y-y-you should s-stay and h-have f-fun!"

Why did I do this? I should've just turned Coco down and done something else tonight. I'm not someone who does things like this. I'm not a dancer, I don't do parties, I don't fit in with people like this…

"But I want to spend time with you, Ruby."

Ruby's thoughts ground to a halt. "Huh?"

Penny smiled that bright smile of hers. "Come on, let's go for a walk instead. It is a lovely night tonight, after all."

Ruby once again felt her cheeks warm up.

She really does have such a nice smile.

"OK."

Yang watched her sister and her new friend leave together out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but smile at the sight.

I saw that blush, little sis.

"What are you smirking about?"

Yang returned her attention to Blake. "Nothing."

Blake just raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? Because from where I'm standing it looked like you were spying on your sister."

Yang pointedly averted her gaze. "I was just making sure she was alright."

"Of course you were," Blake remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

Yang rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I'm not gonna tease her about it, if that's what you're getting at."

Blake's smirk softened into a small smile. "I know you wouldn't. You're a good sister."

Yang chuckled and smiled back at her partner, while simultaneously willing her heart to not beat faster.

Don't blush red, don't blush red, don't blush red.

Asking to dance with Blake had perhaps not been Yang's smartest decision ever. It certainly didn't help that her friend/partner/crush(?) looked absolutely stunning that night.

Yang herself had made the most of the occasion to dress a bit differently from her norm. Rather than letting her hair fall where it may, she had tied it back into a high ponytail, with a few strands hanging loose around either side of her face, and her dress was white rather than yellow. A more 'classy' look than she was used to, fitting for a night of dancing and music.

Yet Yang felt that her look paled in comparison to Blake's, who's light-blue dress she had opted to wear suited her amazingly well despite it not being her usual colour-of-choice.

"Thank-you."

Yang quirked an eyebrow at that. "For what?"

"For convincing me to come," Blake explained. "You were right, I needed this. This is… nice."

Yang knew she was fighting a losing battle against her rising blush at that point. She just hoped that Blake wouldn't notice, or if she did, that she wouldn't think too much about it.

"Well… glad I could help."

Nothing else was said for long moment. The pair just continued to move in time to the slow melody, turning and weaving in the small portion of the dancefloor that they had claimed for themselves amid the crowd.

Blake was the one to break the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

Yang nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

Blake paused for a moment before speaking. "How do you… how do you not let things bother you so much?"

Yang blinked in confusion. "Uh… what do you mean by that?"

Blake looked down at her feet. "Well, you worry about your sister a lot, right? And you have a lot of… bad stuff in your past, right?"

"Yeah?" said Yang slowly, still not entirely sure what Blake was getting at.

"But you're always so upbeat. Even after everything, you're always still OK. You bounce back so fast. How?"

Yang pondered Blake's words for a second.

I'm always OK, huh?

"I wouldn't say I'm always OK," Yang replied. "I have bad days just like everyone else. I get mad, I get sad, I get stressed and tired and all that stuff."

"But you never let that stop you for long," Blake continued. "How do you manage to come back from it so easily?"

Yang's brain connected the dots, and she felt a rush of sorrow as she realised what Blake was trying to ask her.

"I don't think I'm the best person to ask for advice on this front, Blake."

Blake lifted her head to look Yang in the eye, and Yang felt her heart ache as she saw the expression on her face. She was doing a pretty good job of concealing it, but Yang could still see the sheer exhaustion and worry Blake was carrying inside.

Well, it's not like one conversation and a dance was gonna magically make all of Blake's troubles disappear.

"I'm sorry," Blake murmured. "I shouldn't be asking you about this, I know. Just… forget I said anything."

"Hold on, Blake, I didn't mean it like that."

Yang mentally berated herself for her prior slip-up, but quickly quashed that thought and trained her full attention on her partner. Blake needed her help, her advice, so she needed to focus on her.

"What I meant was, what works for me might not work for you. So any 'tips' I could give you about how I cope with stuff might not be all that helpful."

Blake smiled slightly, but it was a smile that lacked humour. "Whatever tips you have are more than I have. I dunno if you've noticed, but I'm not that great at dealing with emotions."

Yang decided not to make a joke about that. This was a serious discussion, after all.

"Well, I tend to just distract myself most of the time," Yang began. "Find something else to do, something else to think about, and just kinda wait out the worst of it until it becomes easier to handle."

"And that helps?"

Yang shrugged. "For me, yeah. At least, most of the time. There are some things that can't be ignored like that, after all."

Blake and Yang had stopped dancing some time ago. Neither one of them had even noticed that the song had changed and people were switching about around them.

"So what do you do if you can't ignore it?" Blake asked quietly.

"I do something about it," Yang replied. "If I can't ignore it, then that means it's too important to be brushed off, so I need to face it head on and do something to fix the problem."

Blake frowned. "That sounds like the exact opposite of what you told me before, Yang."

Yang furrowed her brow. She knew what Blake was implying. "No it's not. Remember, I didn't tell you to stop, I told you to slow down."

Blake let out a frustrated huff. "I know what you said, Yang. But I still don't get it. How can you say you can slow down but also be able to still focus on fixing anything? That doesn't make any sense."

"Because slowing down is part of fixing it," Yang stressed. "I told you already Blake, you can't help anyone if you run yourself into the ground. You need to…" Yang racked her brain for the best way to explain what she was getting at. "You need to pace yourself. Think of it like climbing a mountain, or running a really long race. If you run out of energy right at the start, you won't have enough left in you to make it to the last stretch."

Blake pondered Yang's words for a moment. "I… I guess that does make some sense."

After another pause, Blake spoke again.

"I distract myself as well. I read when I need to stop thinking about things. But lately it hasn't helped at all. My mind just keeps going back there…"

"Back to that night?" Yang asked gently.

Blake nodded.

Yang sighed. "Same here."

Blood… pain… screams…  hate …

"I wanna make him pay," Yang growled. "I want him to pay for what he did."

Blake's grip on Yang's arm tightened slightly. "You sound like I did a few days ago."

Yang's anger receded, and she returned her gaze to Blake. "I told you already. We're slowing down, but we're not stopping. Not now."

"But what do we do right now? How do we keep ourselves sane until then?"

Yang wasn't sure how to answer that right away, but then she heard the music change again, hearing a familiar opening riff play out of the speakers that made her smile.

Turning to look up at the stage, she saw a set of immediately identifiable figures take up their positions, instruments at the ready as they began to play their first song of the night after over an hour of soft piano and strings playing in the background.

Ren, you are a miracle worker, and I will never be able to thank you enough for managing to convince them to do this.

As the band members of OK Goodnight began their set, Yang turned back to Blake and smirked at her playfully.

"Well, if our old distractions aren't working any more, maybe we just need some new ones."

Cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders, Yang prepared to begin dancing again, but with much more life and energy this time around.

"Think you can keep up with me?"

Blake answered Yang's smirk with one of her own, the sight of which sent Yang's pulse fluttering.

"Do you think that you can keep up with me?"

As she felt the heat spread across her face, Yang realised that she had indeed failed to stop herself from blushing.

But at that moment, she decided that she didn't really care.

It was taking all of Weiss' willpower and restraint to stop herself from pulling away and walking off.

"This is nice, is it not? I'm certainly having a grand evening tonight."

Unlike her unwelcome dance partner, Weiss was not having fun at all. But he was an important guest and the son of an important business associate, all things Father had made her acutely aware of when he gave her his instructions earlier that night, so Weiss was doing everything she could to play nice and keep up appearances.

She just needed to get through a few more hours of this, and then she could go to bed and forget all about it.

"Have I mentioned how lovely you look tonight?"

"Yes, you have. But thank you for saying so."

The older boy chuckled. "Apologies, I suppose I'm not very good at small talk, am I?"

"It's alright," Weiss replied with as much fake interest as she could muster. "I'm quite happy just dancing with you for now."

An utter lie, but a necessary one. One she had told many times before to other sons of Father's colleagues as she played the role of the friendly peer that they could spend time with while their parents talked about more important things.

Had Winter been required to do this as well, before she left? Would Whitley have been made to entertain the wealthy daughters of the executives if he were here with her?

Not that she would have wished that upon her brother, but if her were here, at least she would have had someone friendly to-

A hand brushed through her bangs, and Weiss felt her entire body tense up at the unwanted touch.

"You know, some people would probably say your scar is something to be ashamed of." If the boy holding her had noticed her freeze, he made no mention of it. "But I think that it's brave of you to not hide it. It shows your strength."

Weiss knew she was supposed to respond to his words with more false gratitude, even if the compliment had been a barbed one. But his unwelcome hand running through her hair had made her thoughts lock up and fail her.

"You're like a beautiful sculpture. Even your imperfections only serve to emphasise how dazzling you look."

He leaned forwards, and Weiss felt his breath on her face as he moved in to kiss her.

Her mind and body finally started working again, just in time to allow her to stop his advance by slamming her palm upwards into his jaw and knocking him backwards away from her.

The older boy reeled from the strike, cursing as he staggered away clutching his chin.

"How dare you!?" he spat. "I thought we were-!"

"Stay the hell away from me!" Weiss snapped back. "I am not some-!"

"WEISS!"

Weiss wilted, her indignation melting away, replaced with dread as she turned to see Father staring at her furiously from across the ballroom.

"Excuse yourself from this room and wait for me upstairs."

Swallowing thickly, Weiss turned and did as instructed, keeping her head down to avoid the many accusing stares being sent her way.

…

Father paced up and down the length of Weiss' bedroom as she sat upon her bed with her gaze turned downwards.

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable! Do you have any idea what your little temper tantrum could cost us?"

"I-" Weiss began, only for Father to cut her off.

"And don't think that I'm just talking about Lien here! Our reputation, our image! This behaviour of yours is incredibly disappointing. You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is."

"He tried to kiss me."

Father just scoffed. "Of course he did. You are a Schnee, and an eligible young lady. Any boy would be lucky to have you."

"I didn't want him to kiss me!" Weiss yelled, her emotions getting the better of her for a moment.

Father rarely slapped her, which only served to make the times he did sting all the more. It meant that he was well and truly furious with her.

"Young lady, I do not give a damn about what you want!" he spat. Then he collected himself and folded his hands back together.

"This is not about you. This is about the Schnee family name, and it's future. You are the future of this family, Weiss. Your sister abandoned us, your brother is unable to shoulder such burdens anymore, and your mother is past her prime. You and I are all that remains of this family's proud legacy, and you will need to one day ensure that that legacy continues."

Weiss had heard this same speech before, many times. And each time she had just nodded and agreed with it to get Father to leave her alone.

But she couldn't do that this time.

"I can't do that."

Father just scoffed again. "Preposterous. Of course you can, and you will."

Father turned and sat upon the bed beside Weiss, and his tone of voice changed to one that was softer, kinder… fake.

"Weiss my girl, you are getting older now. In time, you'll be married, raising children of your own. Perhaps not with that boy, if he truly was so abhorrent to you. But sooner or later you will be proposed to, so you must make sure that you are desirable, so as to attract someone whom you can love and care for."

Weiss took a steadying breath and lifted her head to look Father in the eye. "I don't feel that way about anyone."

"Oh my dear, don't be so down. You will in time, I promise. We just need to have you get to know more people-"

"No, Father, you don't understand." Interrupting Father was dangerous, Weiss was well aware, but she needed to explain herself to him now. "I don't think I'll ever feel that way towards someone else. The thought of being with someone like that… it's not who I am."

Father said nothing for a long time. He just stared at Weiss, his face unreadable.

"We'll see about that."

Father stood and made his way towards the door. "A week will suffice on this occasion, I think. Plenty of time for you to contemplate your future."

The door closed, the key turned, and Weiss was locked away once again.

This time, she couldn't stop herself from breaking down in tears.

…

…

The distant sound of music filtered up through the hallways of Beacon as Weiss relaxed in the dorm, her own attention taken up by Ruby and Yang's game console as she attempted to make sense of how to control the character on the screen and navigate her way towards the spot on the map where she was supposed to be going.

Weiss had never played videogames back at in Atlas, but she was finding herself enjoying the one she was currently playing quite a bit. Even if she didn't really know what she was supposed to be doing or where she was supposed to be going, just wandering around this fantastical world was oddly enjoyable in a manner she couldn't quite put her finger on.

At the very least, it was vastly more enjoyable to her than the dance would have been.

If I never have to go to another party, dance or formal function again in my life, I will die happy and fulfilled.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Sighing, Weiss paused her game and picked up her Scroll.

WINTER

Seeing her sister's name on screen, Weiss wasn't sure if it could be a good thing or a bad thing. So, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, she hit answer and raised her Scroll to her ear.

"Hello Winter. How are you?"

"Weiss, are you able to speak right now? This is important."

Weiss felt her stomach drop. Winter's voice sounded strained, worried. Whatever this was, it wasn't good.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"Did you ask Wh-… … -load fil-… …"

Weiss scowled as Winter's voice cut in and out so much that she couldn't make out what her sister was asking her.

"Winter, you're breaking up. Can you hear me on your end?"

"… … -ther is f-… … under-… …"

It was no good. Weiss had no idea what Winter was trying to say.

"Winter, if you can hear me, I'm going to go down to the CCT and call you from there."

Whatever Winter said in response was utterly indecipherable, but judging by the fact that Winter was the one to hang up, she must have at least understood the gist of what Weiss had said.

Slipping her shoes back on and grabbing one of the jackets the team now kept hung up by the door, Weiss stepped out from the room and began to make her way towards the tower, hoping dearly that whatever her sister had to tell her wasn't life-threatening.

Pyrrha stood in the doorway, levelling the training room's sole occupant with a supremely disappointed stare.

"I thought we talked about this."

The object of her ire at least had the decency to look somewhat contrite.

"In my defence," Jaune began. "I genuinely just lost track of time. I really was gonna come down to the dance, I swear."

Pyrrha folded her arms and continued to level her gaze at Jaune. "That doesn't explain why you are in here in the first place. What happened to taking the day off?"

Jaune opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again and turned away.

Letting out a sigh, Pyrrha entered the room and walked over to her partner's side. She had spent the past half an hour searching high and low for him, hoping dearly that she wouldn't find him here of all places. She supposed she had been unduly optimistic in that regard.

"Jaune, remember what we said to each other. You don't have anything to prove to us, and you don't have to torture yourself like this. You're allowed to take time to unwind and have fun."

Jaune exhaled loudly and massaged his brow with his free hand.

"I know, Pyrrha. I know that. I just…" he trailed off, hand dropping back down to his side.

Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, and took some comfort in the fact that he no longer pulled away whenever she did that.

"Talk to me, Jaune. What is it that's bothering you?"

Jaune took a few breaths, and Pyrrha did not fail to notice how shaky they were.

"I know I said all that stuff before, and made all those promises. And I know you all said you were OK with me being here and stuff, but…"

Jaune broke off, his voice catching momentarily.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I can't help it. Sometimes I… I just have days where it all comes back. All the… thoughts that I had."

Pyrrha suddenly felt very guilty for getting annoyed with him a moment ago. Jaune was still hurting, and everything they had said already hadn't helped as much as she had hoped it would.

So this time, Pyrrha reached out and pulled Jaune into a hug.

"It's OK," she said softly. "It's OK to not be OK, Jaune. It's OK to have bad days."

Jaune lifted his arms and returned Pyrrha's embrace.

"I didn't wanna worry you guys all over again," he said thickly.

Pyrrha tightened her hold on her partner and friend. "We told you already: you can come to us when you need to, because we're a team. We all look out for each other."

The pair stood there for a long time, arms around each other and silent.

Pyrrha wondered if Jaune might need to talk to someone else about what he was going through. She had meant what she said when she told him he could come to her whenever he needed to, but Pyrrha was not really qualified to help someone who was clearly suffering from more than just a touch of doubt.

I'll have to talk with him about that some other time. But not tonight. Tonight, I think he needs a distraction instead.

Eventually, Jaune broke the hug and pulled back. He wiped at his eyes with one sleeve and gave Pyrrha a small smile. "Thanks, Pyrrha. For everything."

Pyrrha nodded her head and smiled warmly back. "Are you feeling up to coming to the dance still? I won't force you if you don't."

Jaune waved his hands. "No, I'm up for it. I think I need something else to do, anyway."

Pyrrha's smile grew into a grin. "Then I guess you need to go and get changed."

Ren leaned against the wall, cup in hand as they listened to the music the band were playing and nodding their head in time with the beat.

"Where are they?" asked Nora. "They're so late!"

Ren shrugged. "I'm sure they'll be here soon. Perhaps they got held up."

"Held up with what?" Nora whined. "Seriously, what is taking them so long?"

Ren had a feeling they knew what was up, but they kept that thought to themselves, hoping that they were mistaken and Jaune and Pyrrha were indeed just taking far too long to get changed.

"I'm gonna call Pyrrha and ask her where she is."

Without looking, Ren reached across and swiped Nora's Scroll from her grasp.

"Wha-..? Ren!" Nora cried in indignation. "Give that back!"

"Only if you promise to not interfere with them. I told you already, we should just let them progress at their own pace."

"Ugh, fine!" Nora groaned. "Now can I have my Scroll back?"

Ren returned their friend's property, just as their attention was drawn to the doorway.

"There they are," they said simply, gesturing to the pair of new arrivals.

Nora lit up and waved excitedly at the two of them as they made their way across the hall.

"About time you two showed up! What took you so long?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and avoided looking directly at either Nora or Ren.

Pyrrha looked a bit awkward herself, fidgeting with her hands. "Sorry. We were… talking."

Ren saw Nora's face turn mischievous, and they felt confident that they knew exactly what conclusion Nora had come to upon hearing that excuse.

The conclusion Ren came to was less upbeat, considering the slight redness they noticed around Jaune's eyes, but they decided against mentioning anything about that for the time being. They would ask Pyrrha about it later.

"Well," Ren said, speaking before Nora could say anything to make the situation even more awkward. "We're all here now, so how about we just enjoy the night?"

Jaune perked up at that. "Sounds great!"

"I agree," added Pyrrha.

Nora deflated slightly, Ren having apparently succeeded in taking the wind out of her sails and derailing whatever idea she had been forming.

Ren loved Nora's energy, despite how often they complained about some of her antics, but there were times where they needed to stop her before she could get too enthusiastic about something.

The current song ended, and the band began to play a new one, the opening riff of which had Nora lighting up even brighter than before as she heard it.

"Oh, I love this one!" she exclaimed, grabbing Ren's arm and pulling them along. "Come on Ren, this is happening!"

Ren smiled as they allowed Nora to pull them out onto the dancefloor.

Their smile only grew as they saw Jaune and Pyrrha come and join them, the four teammates all standing together.

Ren supposed that the four of them made for quite the odd sight. They, for instance, were wearing a green waistcoat over a pink shirt and leggings, their hair loose and adorned with a lotus blossom. Beside them, Nora was wearing a pink waistcoat over a green shirt and skirt, her hair 'styled' in a manner reminiscent of bed-head.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha was wearing a scarlet qipao and a bronze shoulder drape, hair styled in a bun. And rounding out the group was Jaune in a grey suit with a yellow tie, his hair tied back in a rather pitiful attempt at a warrior's wolf tail, despite his hair being nowhere near long enough for that yet.

They were a mismatched group of oddballs, to be sure.

But all four of them were smiling and dancing together, all other worries left by the wayside for this night.

They're oddballs, but they're my oddballs.

Ruby sighed with relief as she finished removing her heels and resumed walking beside Penny barefoot on the grass, no longer staggering and wobbling with every step she took.

"I'm n-never wearing heels again," she muttered. "S-seriously, h-how does Weiss fight in th-these?"

"I could lend you my shoes for the time being if you wish," Penny offered.

Ruby shook her head. "N-no, that's fine. I'm OK n-now."

Penny nodded once in response. "Well, if you change your mind, you only have to ask."

Ruby hummed in response, looking off into the distance at something else.

"H-how have you been, anyway?" Ruby asked after a pause. "W-we haven't r-really been able to talk after…"

"After you and your friends got hurt?" Penny finished.

Ruby nodded.

Penny clenched and unclenched her hand a few times, a nervous habit of hers that she had developed recently.

"How are your injuries?" she asked. "You have recovered, right?"

Ruby nodded… then seemed to reconsider herself and shrugged instead. "M-my back s-still aches a little s-sometimes, but it's n-not as bad as it w-was. And ev-everyone else is f-feeling better as well… I think?"

Penny did not fail to notice the uncertainty in Ruby's voice at the end. "Have you and your team not talked about it with each other since?"

Ruby stared down at the ground and fiddled with the frill of her dress. "W-we're n-not very good at… talking to each other, I guess."

Penny reached out and placed her hand upon Ruby's shoulder. "Well, would you like to talk with me about it instead?"

Ruby didn't respond right away, and for a moment Penny was hopeful that she would agree to tell her how she was feeling.

But instead, Ruby shook her head.

"Actually, Penny… I th-think I'd rather… talk about s-something else tonight. Is that OK?"

Penny supressed the urge to press Ruby to speak with her about what had happened. She wanted to help her, but if Ruby wasn't ready to talk, then forcing her to do so would only serve to upset her more, and that was the last thing Penny wanted to do.

"Well then," Penny began. "What would you like to talk about instead?"

Ruby lifted her head once more, and Penny was slightly relieved to see that she was smiling, at least a little bit.

"Wh-what have you and C-Ciel been doing lately?"

Penny and Ruby resumed their slow, casual walk across the courtyard of Beacon as Penny recounted to Ruby what she had spent the past week getting up to. She told her how she and Ciel had spent time training for the tournament together. She told her about the new book she had started reading that she had found in the library. She told her how she had been finding some of the classes she had attended while at Beacon…

Small things, really. Mundane, everyday things that weren't really all that interesting or engaging to hear about.

Nonetheless, Ruby listened to all of it, interjecting with an occasional question of her own, but mostly remaining silent, seemingly content to just allow Penny to talk to her about anything and everything that crossed her mind.

Penny had worried a little when they first met that she wasn't letting Ruby be involved in their conversations much, what with her own tendency to talk quite a lot without pause. But Penny had quickly realised that Ruby just wasn't much of a talker, even around people she knew well. Which was fine, since Penny was quite happy to talk enough for the both of them given the chance.

Ruby shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms.

"Are you cold?" Penny asked, realising a second later that such a question was obviously redundant. Of course Ruby was cold, or else why would she be shivering like that?

"I'm OK," Ruby replied. "It's n-not that cold."

Penny was about to offer Ruby her jacket to keep warm with, but she stopped herself. Knowing Ruby, she would just turn her offer down and insist that she was fine without it, just like she had done when Penny offered her shoes.

So instead of asking first, Penny just shed her jacket and threw it over Ruby's shoulders without a word.

"Wha… Penny, I don't-"

"I do not feel the cold," Penny explained quickly. "So I have no need for it, but you do. So please, do not worry about it."

Ruby stared at Penny for a moment, then proceeded to don the jacket properly. The arms were a little long for her, but it otherwise fit her well enough.

"Thanks," she said softly.

Penny smiled. "It is no trouble at all."

Ruby looked back at Penny with a puzzled expression on her face. "You really don't get cold?"

Penny shook her head. "I can tell when it is hot or cold, but I do not really feel the temperature, if that makes sense."

Yet another way I am not like you…

Penny forced that thought out if her head as quickly as it reared up. She was not going to dwell on that tonight.

The two girls were quiet for a long while after that. Penny had more or less run out of things to talk about, and Ruby didn't seem to know what to say next either.

Perhaps we should head back now, in that case. I imagine Ciel will be annoyed with me if I get back too late-

Penny's attention was grabbed by a small, green light that drifted by in the corner of her vision.

Turning to follow it, she realised with a surge of joy that it was not the only one.

"Ruby, look! Fireflies!"

A number of glowing green bugs had taken to air around them, floating about and shining together under the night sky.

Ruby followed Penny's gaze and noticed the bugs as well. "Do y-you n-not have fireflies in Atlas?"

"No, it's too cold there for them." Penny held out her hand towards the drifting little lights and waited, holding as still as she could. To her delight, one of the fireflies landed on the back of her hand, its green glow lighting up her glove where it rested.

Beside her, Penny noticed Ruby copy her, extending her own hand to match.

Rather than land on her hand however, one of the fireflies instead chose to inspect the flower Ruby had in her hair.

Penny giggled at the sight.

"It seems they are interested in your rose, Ruby."

At that moment, another firefly chose to land on Penny's nose.

"Oh!" Startled, Penny shook her head slightly, causing the bug to take off and float around her face for a few seconds before moving off elsewhere.

"He was a friendly one," Penny mused, following it as it drifted away.

Beside her, Penny could hear the sound of laughter.

Ruby was holding her stomach with one hand, laughing with her eyes closed and a bright, sunny smile upon her face.

She still had a firefly resting upon her hairclip, and a few more were hovering about her head, framing her face with their soft, emerald lights.

The combined effect was something that Penny found herself enraptured by as she stared at her friend, watching her as she smiled and laughed and shined all by herself.

"I'm sorry miss, but the CCT is off-limits for tonight, you'll have to wait until morning."

Weiss fumed internally, but did her best to not let her irritation show. "Please, this is important. Can't you just let me in for a few minutes? You can watch me make the call if you want to make sure I'm not doing anything else!"

The Atlas soldier simply shook his head. "Sorry kid, rules are rules. I can't make exceptions for anything. Now you'd best be moving along. We've got a job to do."

Weiss took a moment to compose herself, lest she loose her temper entirely. "Why is the CCT off-limits anyway?"

The second soldier answered that question. "Just a precaution. Nothing to worry about. Now go on home, kid. It's getting pretty late."

Weiss wasn't quite able to keep herself from huffing at that. "I'm a student here."

The soldier shrugged. "Go on back to your dorm, then. Either way, you need to leave."

"If it's really an urgent call," added the first soldier. "Then I suggest you come on down here first thing tomorrow morning to beat the rush. I can leave a message with the next guard shift to let them know to expect you if you want?"

Realising that this was probably going to be the best she would get, Weiss sighed and agreed to the soldier's offer, giving them her name and student ID number to pass on to their colleagues.

Sorry, Winter. Just wait a little longer. I just hope whatever it is isn't really bad-

"Hold on." The first soldier pressed a hand to their ear. "Repeat, what's your situation?"

Whatever the person on the other side of the radio said clearly wasn't good, because the soldier immediately drew their gun and turned towards the entrance.

"Intruder," he barked at his partner. "Come on, let's go."

"What about the kid?" the second soldier asked.

"Leave 'em."

With that, the two soldiers quickly entered the tower, leaving a confused Weiss stood outside wondering what was going on.

Someone playing a prank, perhaps? Well, none of my business I suppose. I guess I'll just have to wait until-

The sound of a gun firing inside broke Weiss' train of thought.

A second gunshot followed soon after, confirming that Weiss had not been imagining the first one, and causing her to begin panicking somewhat.

Should I call for help? No, I can't, my Scroll isn't working right now. If I ran to find someone, I might not make it back in time to help either. But I don't have my weapon right now, so what can I even-

A third gunshot rang out.

I don't have time to think!

Ignoring the many, many alarm bells that were ringing inside her head, Weiss entered the CCT.

As soon as she made her way into the main lobby, she was greeted with the sight of both soldiers laying on the ground, motionless. One was bleeding from a wound across their chest.

Standing above him was a short girl with tri-colour hair, holding a parasol that had a long, thin blade extending out from its tip.

Neo turned to face Weiss, who stood frozen to the spot as she registered the situation she was now in.

The parasol-wielding girl smiled a lopsided smile at Weiss and began to walk slowly towards her, dragging the end of her blade across the ground as she did so.

With no weapon, no plan, and no means of reliably outrunning the girl approaching her, Weiss did the only thing she could.

She ran towards the nearest downed soldier and reached for his dropped gun.

She never made it.

Neo was on her in an instant, her blade slashing across Weiss' arm. Her Aura took the blow, but she was still knocked down by the attack and sent sprawling across the floor.

Rolling over, Weiss stared up at her enemy, who just continued smiling that casual, terrifying smile at her as she loomed large above Weiss.

All reason and composure fled her mind as she screamed.

"SOMEONE HELP-!"

Neo's foot came down hard on Weiss' head, and her world went dark.

Chapter Text

James Ironwood liked to think of himself as a rather patient and understanding man, all things considered. The nature of his complex position as both General and Headmaster, not to mention politician alongside, required him to be calm and collected, rational and open-minded. He was the one whom others depended upon to lead, to make the hard choices, to know what the correct course of action to take was in any given situation. He kept a level head at all times, and never allowed his emotions or his personal feelings to get in the way.

But like everyone, he was only human.

Like everyone, he had his limits.

"They were here, Oz! They were right here, right under our noses!"

Glynda pursed her lips and levelled James with an unimpressed stare. "We are well aware of that fact, James."

"Fantastic, you're aware!" James huffed sardonically. "So glad to know that we are all on the same page! Now, are we going to do something about it, or should we just stay the course and ignore what is happening right in front of us!"

"James, calm down," said Ozpin. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't even know for certain who they were, or what they were after."

James scoffed. "We all know better than that, Oz. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots in this case."

"Nonetheless," Ozpin continued, cool and collected as ever. "It would be unwise to jump to any conclusions or rush into any rash decisions when we still do not have all of the information we require."

Reigning in his aggravation as best he could, James folded his arms behind his back and turned his full attention to his long-time friend and ally.

James trusted Ozpin with his life, he truly did. But there were times when he found Ozpin's more cavalier attitude to the circumstances they were facing to be unbearably intolerable.

"I have four men, four good men, recovering from an attack that shouldn't have happened. One of them is in a critical condition. Not to mention that one of your own students was also attacked alongside them. The CCT may be compromised for all we know, or they could have retrieved some information that could prove catastrophic to us in the near future."

Ozpin's mouth was hidden behind his clasped hands, and his spectacles concealed his eyes, so his expression was unreadable.

James allowed his own countenance to darken as he glared at the seated Headmaster. "If you had just listened to me and agreed to allow me to deploy more than a skeleton crew for security last night, this could have all been prevented."

Glynda was the one to respond, moving into James' field of view and looking at him furiously.

"We are not in Atlas, General." She almost spat his title as she spoke to him. "Deploying dozens upon dozens of armed soldiers on school grounds was never going to be something we would agree to."

"Then perhaps your attitudes need reconsidering, before something worse comes-"

"Enough!"

Both James and Glynda fell silent at once.

Ozpin rarely raised his voice, and he rarely looked truly angry. He tended to be aloof most of the time, at worst he might get annoyed with someone if they pushed his buttons once too often.

But Ozpin was human as well.

He too had his limits.

"Bickering will not solve our problems," he said sternly as he rose from his seat and began to pace across the office. "Nor will dwelling on what could have been. What we must do now is consider what we must do next."

James frowned. "Then please Oz, by all means, what are our next steps?"

It was at that moment they all heard the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Come on in," Ozpin called, his expression turning neutral once more.

Four girls stepped into the office, all of whom James recognised from prior accounts he had heard.

Team RWBY all looked rather skittish to be stood in their Headmaster's office, in the presence of Ozpin, Glynda and James at the same time. Given what he had heard about the incidents these four had been involved in as of late, he supposed it was a natural response for them to have. They likely only ever were summoned to this office to be reprimanded one way or another.

"Miss Schnee, how are you feeling?" Ozpin asked, his tone softer than it had been mere moments ago.

The girl in question offered and uncertain shrug. "I'm not badly hurt. The doctor said I'm fine to carry on as normal."

Ozpin nodded. "That's good to hear."

James decided to interject at this point. "Weiss, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think you made the right decision to take action last night."

Weiss did not look happy to hear that. "I didn't do anything. I couldn't do anything. It all happened so fast…"

"You recognised a threat, you took action, and you did everything you could to try and salvage the situation you were faced with." James gave Weiss what he hoped was a comforting smile as he spoke. "I can see the makings of a great Huntress in you. So don't be disheartened."

"The General is right, Miss Schnee," Ozpin added. "Now, if you are feeling up to it, I would like you to tell us what happened. Any insight you can give us will be of great value in ascertaining the full depth of the situation."

"Headmaster," Glynda chimed in. "Might it be best to ask the rest of Miss Schnee's team to wait for her outside?"

James was a bit amused to see Ozpin smirk at Glynda. "Come now, Professor Goodwitch. You know as well as I that whatever Miss Schnee says to us, and whatever we say to her, will inevitably be repeated to her teammates after the fact regardless. I merely figured we could save everyone a little time and avoid any potential miscommunication that may arise from such."

Well, I can see you've settled on a new band of favourites this year, Oz.

Glynda watched Team RWBY leave, the door to Ozpin's office clicking shut behind them. Her shoulders sagged somewhat as she allowed her stern mask to slip now that her students were no longer around.

"I don't think I have ever had a group of students who have caused me this much stress in such a short span of time," she muttered, mostly to herself.

"They do appear to be magnets for trouble, don't they?" Ozpin remarked dryly. "I suppose we should at least be thankful that this incident was less… bloody than their prior adventures."

Glynda was about to offer a response to that particular summation, but James spoke first, cutting her off before she could say a word.

"Well there we have it," he said quickly. "Confirmation of who is involved. Added to the information we already have, it's clear what we are dealing with."

Glynda watched as James pulled his Scroll from his pocket and began tapping away at its display with one hand.

"I can have a battalion of troops here within two days. We send them out to the southeast and smoke out the enemy, capture the leaders, cut the head off this before it can spread-"

"Absolutely not!" Glynda snapped. She rounded on James and stared him down. He may have towered over her, but she glared at him with all of her fury nonetheless.

"We don't have the luxury of time, Glynda," James replied. His tone was no longer heated. Now he was icily cold. "If we allow this problem to grow, it's only a matter of time before they make their move. So we have to move first."

Glynda almost growled in frustration. "Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado!?"

"James, listen to me."

James turned away from Glynda and faced Ozpin once again. Glynda herself likewise turned her attention back towards her trusted leader.

Talk some sense into him, Ozpin. Please…

"I understand your feelings regarding this matter," Ozpin said calmly. "But this is far too delicate a situation for us to go charging in with everything we have. There is the very real chance that this goes beyond Vale. If that is the case, and there is some grand plan to which we do not yet know the final move, we mustn't be so bold. We cannot tip our hand too early, nor risk the spread of unnecessary panic."

Glynda found herself in full agreement with Ozpin's words.

She was disappointed however, although not especially surprised, to see that James remained less than agreeable. His expression had darkened once more as Ozpin spoke, and she could almost feel the barely supressed anger boiling underneath.

"If you mean to tell me that your only plan is to wait and see…" he seethed, trailing off towards the end as if he couldn't find the words to express his fury.

"It is not!"

Glynda stepped back in surprise as Ozpin abruptly rose from his seat once more, voice raised and eyes hard.

She had rarely seen him so furious.

"You are a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"

Glynda felt her stomach drop as she registered his words.

He can't be serious…

Weiss sat upon her bed, Ruby's borrowed and thankfully working Scroll still held to her ear as she finished recounting the events of last night for the third time in the span of a few hours.

On the other end of the line, Winter remained silent for an uncomfortable length of time.

"Um, Winter?" Weiss asked tentatively.

For a moment, she wondered if the signal had cut out yet again, but no. After a pause, Weiss heard her sister let out a long and very exasperated sigh.

"Be thankful I am not there to berate you in person," Winter said, sounding quite defeated.

Weiss fidgeted where she sat, as if Winter really was there in the room with her and pinning her beneath a firmly disapproving stare.

"Sorry," was all she could think to say.

She heard another sigh from the other side of the call. "Well, I at least have some more information to work with on my end now."

Weiss sat up a bit straighter at that. "What do you mean?"

"Did you actually manage to read the documents Whitley copied for you?" Winter asked.

Weiss grimaced. "No. I had to turn it all over to the police after the rally."

Were I not so out of it after that fight, I might have thought to make another copy.

Winter huffed. "Well, you're assumptions were right. Jacques has managed to keep a tight lid on it, but SDC transports have been targeted in recent months. Atlas ones, too. The General has me running investigations into it at present."

Weiss found herself gripping the Scroll more tightly, her other hand grasping at the bedsheet beneath her. "Last night…" she said slowly. "You wanted to talk about what I asked Whitley."

"He's fine, before you start getting worried," Winter replied quickly, stopping Weiss from starting down that line of thought. "Jacques doesn't know. I only know because Whitley told me himself."

Weiss let out a breath and felt some of the tension leave her body.

Well, at least that's one bit of good news.

"Weiss, I need you to listen to me."

The tension returned. Winter's voice sounded dangerously serious.

"I know that asking you to stay out of this would be a waste of time at this point. If I'm being honest, a part of me is glad that you're doing this. But you have to promise me that from now on, you'll keep me informed. Whatever else you find, whatever else happens, no matter how small it might seem, you let me know straight away."

"I don't want to bother you…" Weiss said quietly.

I don't want to worry you. I don't want to cause you any more trouble. I don't want to give him any more reasons to go after you, to go after Whitley…

"You're not bothering me Weiss, you're helping me. The more information I can gather, the easier it will be for me to draw a complete picture of this whole mess."

Weiss sat silently for a moment, absorbing her sister's words.

Then she smiled. "OK. I'll help however I can."

"Good," Winter replied. "I'll need it. If something is truly going on with the Schnee Dust Company and the White Fang, we're the ones who could wind up having to deal with the fallout. We need to be ready for that."

Weiss nodded firmly. "Of course."

The auditorium was packed, wall to wall. Students from every Academy jostled and chatted and generally made an awful lot of noise as everyone waited for the assembly to begin.

Towards the back of the hall, where there were less people and the level of noise was less painful, Ruby stood with the rest of her team, sans Weiss, who was taking a bit longer to arrive.

"She got lost again, didn't she?" mused Blake.

"Sh-she's probably s-still talking to her s-sister," Ruby replied.

"Well, she'd better hurry up, or she's gonna miss the announcement," commented Yang, excitement evident in her voice and on her face as she almost bounced up and down on the spot.

Blake shot Yang a bemused look. "Yang, we're not getting selected. You know that, right?"

"Never say never, Blake," Yang retorted. "We've got as much of a shot as anyone else."

Ruby wasn't so sure. After all the problems they had caused and all the trouble they had been wrapped up in, the idea that the Professors would want Team RWBY representing Beacon in front of the entire world seemed pretty unlikely.

It was disheartening, to be sure. Despite her anxiety and her worry and her fear of making a fool of herself, a part of Ruby had genuinely been as excited as her sister was at the prospect of getting to compete in the same tournament as their parents. The thought of missing out on that was a definite disappointment.

But if she were being honest with herself, Ruby wasn't actually all that upset. With everything else that had happened since arriving at Beacon, Ruby was really just thankful that she and the others were even still here and in one piece.

"Quiet!"

The hall fell silent at once. As usual, Professor Goodwitch's voice was able to cut across the crowd with ease.

"Thank-you," she said, taking centre stage. "Before we begin, I would like to ask you all to join together in a moment of silence as we mark this day, and remember those whose lives were lost decades ago, and all those who have left us since, giving their lives to safeguard Remnant."

Ruby lowered her head and closed her eyes, as did everyone else in the hall.

Every year for the past five years when this day came around, Ruby's thoughts in this moment of silence were for one person and one person only.

She thought about her headstone upon the hill, carved with her name and emblem.

She thought about her smiling face as she ruffled Ruby's hair, eyes warm and full of love.

She thought about the sound of her voice, and the feeling of being wrapped up in her hugs, and the joy she felt whenever she came home after being away on her latest mission.

… I love you, Mom.

… I miss you so much.

"We will remember you always," intoned Professor Goodwitch.

"We will always remember you," everyone responded.

Ruby lifted her head and opened her eyes. Her vision was a little blurry, but she quickly blinked that away, returning her focus to the present as she saw Professor Ozpin take to the stage next.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo and Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the Great War came to an end. A war of ignorance, greed and oppression. A war that was about much more than simply where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself.

"We fought for countless reasons, both petty and grand, but one of which was the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. As you are all well aware, this was something that the people of the world could not abide. And so, those who opposed this tyranny chose to begin naming their children for one of the core aspects of the arts: colour. It was their way of showing that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. It is a trend that has held to this very day.

"We stand here in this hall united, a veritable rainbow of different cultures and creeds. But these bonds cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work tirelessly to uphold it. And soon, it will be your turn."

Ozpin concluded his speech, and stepped away from the microphone. The students in the hall were given a moment to absorb his words.

Then, Professor Greene stepped forwards, looking only slightly less exhausted than she usually did, a small stack of cue cards in her hands as she took position in front of the microphone.

The energy returned to the hall, as the students' anticipation for the next announcement rose once again.

"It is my great pleasure to now announce the teams selected to participate in the Vytal Festival Tournament," Professor Greene droned, sounding far less enthusiastic than her words implied. "First, the candidates from Beacon Academy."

Professor Greene shuffled her cards while the audience waited.

Well, whatever happens, it'll be fun to watch at least.

"In no particular order, the first Team from Beacon is… Team CFVY, second year."

A round of applause and cheers, especially from the Beacon students, accompanied the first announcement. Ruby clapped along and smiled as she watched Coco lead her team up onto the stage to stand beside Professor Greene, who waited for the applause to die down before continuing.

"The second Beacon team is… Team PRAN, first year."

Ruby quite clearly heard Nora's loud exclamation of triumph even over the applause as she and the rest of Team PRAN joined CFVY up on the stage.

"I'm here!" came a shout from behind Ruby. Turning around, she saw Weiss doubled over, panting for breath, looking like she had sprinted the entire way to the hall.

"Sorry I'm late," she gasped. "Lost track of time. Have I missed much?"

"CFVY and PRAN w-were chosen s-so far," Ruby replied as the applause died down once again. "Two m-more to go."

"The third Beacon team is… Team RWBY, first year."

The hall filled with applause once again, and Ruby joined in as the third team was…

… what?

"What?" said Blake, echoing Ruby's mind.

"What!?" exclaimed Weiss.

"Heck yeah!" cheered Yang, punching the air. "What'd I tell ya, Blake? Never say never! Vytal Tournament, here we come!"

"But… but… but…" Weiss stared up at the stage, dumbfounded.

Ruby was much the same, and she imagined Blake was in a similar boat.

Am I dreaming?

"Team RWBY, would you be so kind as to join us so we can announce the other teams as well?" Professor Greene asked sarcastically, her gaze falling upon the four girls where they remained stood at the back of the hall.

"Well, you heard her, let's go!" Yang immediately began making her way up towards the stage.

After a few seconds, Ruby followed, Weiss and Blake following behind her as well.

The four girls found themselves standing beside the other two teams who had been chosen, both of whom offered congratulations as the audience slowly settled once more.

Professor Greene announced the next team, but Ruby was no longer paying any attention. The sudden turn of events in the last few minutes was proving to be a bit more than she was able to process at once.

How? Why!? After everything we did wrong, how did we still get chosen?

There must be some sort of mistake.

That had to be it, surely? Somehow, some way, their name had wound up on the wrong card, and in a moment Professor Greene was going to correct herself and tell them to get off the stage so that the real nominees could be announced.

Either that, or I really am dreaming right now.

Professor Greene stepped back from the microphone, and a teacher from Shade Academy took her place to begin announcing the next group of chosen teams.

Professor Greene came and stood beside the Beacon contenders… and Team RWBY.

"Um… Professor?" Ruby found herself speaking before she could stop herself.

Professor Greene turned her attention to Ruby. "Before you ask, no, this does not mean your probation is over."

Ruby blinked. "Uh, that w-wasn't… I mean… I w-w-was…"

"Why?" Weiss asked, cutting in when Ruby was unable to get the words out. "Why us?"

Professor Greene stared at the four of them, her face unreadable. Ruby began to fidget underneath her gaze.

Then her glare lessened, and she gave them a small smile that was almost a smirk.

"Because the world needs more people like you four," she said.

Then her face turned serious again. "Don't let me down."

Blake sat with her back against the wall and stared at her Scroll, finger frozen above her father's name, as she pondered her next action.

"You OK, Blake?"

Blake looked up to see Yang looking at her worriedly from where she was sat on her bed.

"I'm alright," she replied. "Just… thinking."

"About what?" Yang asked.

Blake sighed. "Well, now that we're going to be competing in the Tournament, that means we're going to be on TV when they broadcast the matches, so that means…"

Yang frowned. "Adam."

Blake shook her head. "He already knows I'm here, that's not it."

"Then what is it? Is there some other crazy White Fang guy out looking for you?"

Blake shot Yang a decidedly unimpressed look, causing the other girl to look away awkwardly.

"Sorry," she murmured. "That was in bad taste."

"Yes it was," said Blake shortly.

She didn't stay mad at Yang for long, though. She knew her partner hadn't really meant anything with her joke, after all. Just a poor choice of words.

"My parents," Blake said quietly. "They'll see me."

Yang turned to look at Blake again, her head cocked to one side. "They don't know you're here?"

Blake shook her head. "I haven't spoken to them since I left home. I… changed my number so they couldn't call me. They have no idea where I am."

Yang blinked and said nothing for a long moment.

"That's…" she trailed off. Her expression was now one of…

Disappointment.

Blake felt a twinge of guilt seeing the look Yang was now giving her, in addition to the guilt she already felt for going dark with her family all this time, and the guilt she felt for leaving in the first place, and the guilt she felt for what she had said to her father before running out on him and mom, and the guilt she felt for how badly she had thought of them both for so long.

Blake grimaced and looked back down at her Scroll.

"Yeah, I know."

She had a lot to feel guilty about.

Blake heard the creaking of springs, and the sound of footsteps making their way across the room. Looking up, she saw Yang walking towards the door.

"I'll give you some space," she said as she opened the door, not looking back as she spoke. "If I run into Weiss and Ruby, I'll tell them to wait a while before coming back to the dorm."

Blake didn't have time to respond to Yang before she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.

She's being polite. She doesn't want to intrude while you call home, said one part of Blake.

She's disappointed in you. She thought better of you, but now she sees how spineless you are, said another part of Blake.

She wasn't sure which side of her mind she agreed with.

The second possibility certainly upset her more than the first.

DAD

She may have changed her number, but she had kept theirs, Dad and Mom both. All she had to do was tap her screen…

But what would she even say at this point?

Sorry?

It wouldn't be good enough. Not after everything she had said and done.

Guess I should just add this to the pile of problems I'm choosing to ignore-

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Blake startled and almost dropped her Scroll as it began ringing in her hands.

CALLER UNKNOWN

She frowned. That was definitely unusual. She wasn't exactly in the habit of sharing her contact information with very many people.

Perhaps against her better judgement, Blake hit answer and raised her Scroll to her ear.

"Hello? Who is this?"

The voice that spoke to her was immediately familiar, and hearing it again after so long caused her to freeze up entirely.

"Blake, it's Ilia."

Ilia!?

No, it couldn't be. She had to be mistaken.

"Don't hang up, please," the voice that was Ilia yet couldn't be Ilia continued. "And don't ask how I got this number. Just hear me out for a minute."

Blake swallowed hard. "What is this?"

It can't be. It can't be. It just can't be…

"You need to get out of Vale. Now."

That got Blake thinking clearly again, if only because of how jarring it was. Not just the words, either. Ilia… and yes, it was Ilia, Blake accepted that now… Ilia sounded scared.

"What are you talking about?"

Ilia continued, and Blake could hear plainly the sheer panic and terror in her old friend's voice.

"I can't tell you everything. Just trust me when I say that you need to get as far away from Beacon as you can, before it's too late."

Blake stood up and began to pace back and forth across the room, her free had rubbing her arm nervously.

"Ilia, you call me for the first time in months, after somehow finding out my number from who knows where, and all you have to say is I should… run away? Again?"

"Blake, please!" The desperation in Ilia's voice was as plain as day. "Forget about what happened before! I don't care anymore! None of it matters now, so please… just get away from there. I couldn't live with myself if you-"

Ilia hiccupped and stopped talking. Blake heard her breathing shakily on the other end of the call.

"Ilia…" Blake said slowly, dread filling her mind. "What's going to happen to Beacon?"

No response. Blake realised belatedly that the line had gone dead while in the middle of her asking her question.

The number had been withheld, so there was no way to call Ilia back. Her number had been one Blake had not saved when she left.

So all she could do was stare at her Scroll as she stood in the centre of the dorm, replaying the brief conversation over and over in her head as she processed everything that had been said.

Something bad was coming, that much was clear. What it was and when it would come, Blake could only guess.

But as for who? Well, if Ilia was the one warning her, then the question of who was very straightforward.

The thought of running suddenly seemed very appealing once again.

But no. She couldn't run. Not this time. Not now that there were other people involved.

She wouldn't run. She refused to run and leave them all behind.

Blake left the dorm in such a rush, she didn't even bother to close the door behind her.

Yang. Ruby. Weiss.

She had to find her friends. They had to know what was coming.

"You cannot be serious!" Roman exclaimed. "This is already shaping up to be a major rush-job as is, and you wanna speed things up more!?"

"The timeline has changed, Torchwick. Now stop complaining and go do what you do best."

"Alright kid, look. A little friendly advice for you. If we-"

Roman felt cold red metal pressed against his neck before he even heard the sound of the blade being drawn. The boy had been on the other side of the room, yet now he was in front of him, and Roman hadn't even had the chance to blink.

"I am not your friend," the boy spat. "And I do not desire any 'advice' from the likes of you."

Roman did his level best to not let his fear show, levelling the boy with as much of a glare as he could muster. "You need me."

"I need you to follow my orders, human," the boy said cooly. "If you won't do what you are told, then that makes you a liability."

The blade pressed against Roman's neck remained where it was for a few more seconds of tense silence, before the boy withdrew his weapon and sheathed it at his side once more.

"I will remain here in Vale to oversee the situation on my end. You will go to the site and oversee the final preparations. You will not complain, or question my orders again."

Roman's confidence was non-existent at that moment, but he was not about to allow the boy to see that. So he rolled his eyes and put on an air of disinterested annoyance.

"Whatever you say, kiddo. Just don't come crying to me when your big party doesn't go as planned."

Turning to leave, Roman began to leave the room.

"Make no mistake, human," the boy called after him. "The only reason you're still alive is because I allow it. Don't test my patience again."

Roman made his way outside and towards the other building he and Neo had been using. He kept his face schooled into his usual mask, but he could not stop his hands from shaking slightly.

Roman was under no illusions anymore as to the gravity of his situation. This kid was a bomb just waiting to go off, and if Roman made the wrong move…

Roman wasn't a fool. He knew that if it did come down to it, he wouldn't have a hope of surviving a fight with this kid. He needed to keep him happy, or he and Neo were dead.

I should have never gotten involved in this. This is getting way too messy, way too fast.

But it was too late for any of that. Whether he liked it or not, Roman was in too deep to back out now.

Chapter Text

Ruby stared at the board's glowing blue display and scanned high and low for the best possible option.

There were plenty of requests for aid up north, a good number of requests listed as inner-city, and a fair few requests whose mission parameters lay far beyond the borders of Vale…

But not very much in the southeast.

In fact, it didn't seem like there was much of anything at all going on in the southeast regions, which was more than a little bizarre given what they already knew. Either the White Fang were really good at keeping a low profile when they needed to, or…

Ruby wasn't sure she liked the alternative.

"Over here!"

Tearing her gaze away from the listings that she had been browsing, Ruby slid over to Blake's side. She was pointing at one particular mission near the top of the display.

'SURVEY REQUEST: Vale Council requires the aid of a Huntsman team to investigate Mountain Glenn and report on the population and behaviour of Grimm in the area to determine what action, if any, is to be taken ahead of the Vytal Festival. HIGH PRIORITY. Mission Rank-2, fee negotiable.

"This one," Blake said firmly. "If there's any part of the southeast where the Fang could be hiding, it's here."

"Makes sense," mused Weiss, sidling up beside the two of them to read the mission advert herself. "If Grimm numbers are higher than normal, it's probably because something is drawing them there."

"Or someone," Ruby added under her breath.

A hand reached out over Ruby's head and tapped a finger against the holoscreen.

"Then let's go for it," said Yang.

An error noise sounded out, and a window appeared on the screen.

MISSION LOCKED. LICENCED HUNTSMEN ONLY.

All four girls let out simultaneous groans of frustration.

"Come on!" Yang huffed. "It's a survey mission! They give those to unlicenced people all the time!"

"It did say Rank-2," interjected Weiss, sounding quite annoyed herself. "Even if that seems excessive."

Blake just lowered her head into her hands and exhaled loudly. "How many times are we going to be tripping up at the first hurdle?"

Ruby continued to stare up at the display. She too was exasperated. This whole saga had been nothing but failures, let-downs and disappointments. Now that they had something concrete to latch onto, they were once again stymied in their efforts.

"M-maybe we could s-sneak onto a transport going to M-Mountain Glenn?" she murmured under her breath sarcastically.

"Well, that certainly is one option."

Ruby squeaked in surprise and spun around. Professor Ozpin was looking down at her with his oft-present smirk, one eyebrow raised.

"I see you four have your eyes on the survey request the council posted," he said airily.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Yang huffed. "It's blocked."

Professor Ozpin inclined his head slightly. "Yes. Unfortunately, given the deteriorating nature of the environment around the Glenn in recent years, most missions to that region are rated higher than they used to be. The Grimm populations have only grown larger as more time has passed."

Ruby felt her teammates sag in disappointment beside her.

"W-well… I guess w-we'd better l-look for something else," she said without energy.

Professor Ozpin hummed. "Perhaps you should. Then again, I have a sneaking suspicion that the four of you will nonetheless attempt to make your way to that region regardless."

Ruby could only fidget with the hem of her cloak awkwardly as Professor Ozpin continued to smirk at her and her team.

"So how about this," he continued. "Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules again and give poor Glynda even more of a headache, why don't we bend them a little instead?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Huh?"

Professor Ozpin withdrew his Scroll from his pocket and tapped at the screen. A few moments later, a sound rang out from the holoscreen behind her, prompting Ruby to spin around again.

MISSION ASSIGNED: TEAM RWBY. REFER TO MISSION BRIEFING FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

Ruby stared in open-mouthed shock as she took in what she was seeing. She seemed to be doing that a lot these past few days.

"Professor…" said Blake slowly. "Thank-you."

"Do not thank me for this." Professor Ozpin no longer sounded jovial. His tone and his words were serious and sharp as he addressed them all. "You have all grown and learnt a great deal these past few months, but the things that await you beyond the borders of Vale will not care. Out there, you will not be able to rely on any hope of a timely rescue. If you are not vigilant, you will die."

The Huntsman-turned-Headmaster slowly scanned his eyes across the four of them, and Ruby couldn't help but gulp as she listened to his blunt warning.

"Stay close to your handler at all times. They will be leading you on this mission, and you are to treat their word as the law for the duration of your time together. Follow their direction, learn from them as best you can, and keep each other safe."

Professor Ozpin tapped one more button on his Scroll, and Ruby felt her own Scroll buzz in her pocket.

"Familiarise yourselves with the details of the mission parameters, then get a good night's rest. You are to report to the bulkhead hanger at precisely 6AM tomorrow morning to begin your assignment."

"I wish you all the best of luck."

Blake zipped up her small travel bag after double-checking its contents.

"Weiss, we need to pack light," she heard Yang stress behind her. "We're gonna be on the move constantly. Trust me, you don't wanna be lugging around all of that."

"But what if we need it?" Weiss responded indignantly. "I'd much rather be over-prepared than under-prepared, wouldn't you agree?"

Blake turned around in time to see Yang roll her eyes exaggeratedly. "You're the one whose gonna have to carry it all."

"Fine by me," Weiss huffed, closing her own travel bag… at least, she attempted to. So much stuff had been packed inside that the zip refused to budge, no matter how much she pressed down upon the contents.

Ruby slid her bag across the floor next to her partner's. "I have s-some extra s-space in mine," she offered, which Weiss quickly took her up on, transferring a number of items of questionable utility into Ruby's red duffel.

"We should all set our alarms for 5AM," Weiss suggested after finally succeeding in closing both hers and Ruby's bags. "To make sure we don't oversleep."

No chance of that happening… assuming I even sleep at all tonight…

"Blake?" called Ruby. "We can s-still change our m-minds if w-we want. W-w-we'd understand if…"

Blake almost bristled at the imagined insinuation, before she caught herself and just sighed instead. Ruby might not realise it all the time, but Blake knew that she was a good friend and leader. The fact that Ruby was making sure to regularly check that she was OK after what had happened the day before was genuinely nice, if a tad overbearing.

"I'm fine, Ruby," she said. "I told you all yesterday, I'm not backing down now."

"And neither are we," Yang added, slamming her fist into her palm. "We're gonna do this, and this time we're gonna win."

Blake nodded firmly, trying her best to echo her partner's confidence. Maybe if she acted well enough, she might actually start to feel it.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Four short knocks. They had a visitor.

Ruby, closest to the door, made her way over and pulled it open.

"H-hi, Ren."

Sure enough, Ren was standing in the hallway, arms laden with a number of packages and envelopes.

"I grabbed your mail when I went to get ours," they explained, offloading two letters and a cylindrical parcel to Ruby as they spoke.

"Thanks," Ruby said brightly. "S-so, do you h-have a mission for tomorrow?"

Ren nodded once. "We're manning the outer border of West Vale for a week. You?"

"Uh… M-Mountain Glenn."

Ren's eyebrows shot up into their hairline. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't you start," Weiss called from across the room. "We've already heard plenty from everyone else."

Ren looked like they were about to say something, but apparently though better of it. Instead, they nodded once more, bid Ruby and the rest of the team farewell, and turned to enter their own dorm.

Ruby closed the door, then rounded on Weiss, looking somewhat disapprovingly in Weiss' direction.

"What?" Weiss asked.

Ruby just shook her head and looked down at the mail she had been given.

"It's f-for us," she said, holding one envelope out towards Yang. "Dad's handwriting."

Blake watched as Yang quickly went over and retrieved the letter from her sister's grasp, smiling as she tore it open.

Did the sisters get letters from home often? Blake hadn't noticed. Or maybe she hadn't been paying much attention.

They both look happy about it.

…

Would I be happy too?

Blake pictured herself in Yang's place, eagerly opening a letter from her parents that was full of well-wishes and cheerful updates on what was going on at home. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be able to do that whenever she wanted, to just pick up a pen, scribble down her thoughts and send them off without a care.

A pang of longing clenched her heart, followed by a surge of jealousy.

Why couldn't she have that?

You know exactly why.

"Dear girls," Yang read aloud. "I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Love you both, Dad."

Ruby's face shifted from excitement, to confusion, then her eyes widened and her whole face lit up in childlike glee as she looked back down at the tube in her hands.

"Zwei!" she cheered happily, popping one end of the tube open and upending it over the ground. "Come on out!"

Something small and fluffy slid out of the tube and landed on the carpet, bouncing once before unfurling itself, revealing…

Blake instantly stepped backwards and scrambled up to her bunk as she registered the presence of the creature that had emerged from the package that had contained it. It flicked its ears, wagged its tail, and let out a bark.

"Zwei, you little rascal, come here!" Yang crouched, opened her arms and laughed as the dog leapt up towards her, catching it and cuddling it as she rose back to her feet.

"Your father sent a dog in the mail!?" Weiss exclaimed incredulously.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time," said Yang casually, as if such a blasé statement in any way explained how such a thing could happen.

Blake had never seen Ruby so positively bubbly and cheerful. She was playing with the dog's paw, shaking it as if she were shaking someone's hand.

"I missed you, Zwei!" she cooed. "It's good to s-see you again!"

"Hey Blake!" Yang called. "Come say hi!"

"No I'm good up here thanks," Blake said quickly in response, voice perhaps a little higher-pitched than usual.

It wasn't because she was a cat Faunus…. Well, OK, maybe that was part of it, she'd always thought dogs were a bit unsettling… but no, it wasn't just that. She'd had more than enough run-ins with various guard dogs over the years to develop, in her mind, a perfectly reasonable apprehension towards canines of all kinds.

Blake watched as Weiss approached the sisters and their newly-arrived dog. She looked uncertain.

"Are you telling me that this mangy… drooling… mutt…" she began slowly, stopping when the dog leaned forwards in Yang's grasp and bumped its nose against hers.

Weiss' face and tone transformed in an instant, mirroring the expression on Ruby's face as she began to pet the dog's head.

"Is going to wiv wif us foweva? Oh, yes he is, yes he is!"

Blake had just been starting to feel like she had a good grasp on who Weiss was, but the display before her at that moment shattered all notions she had.

"Oh, Ruby, he's just adorable!" she cooed.

"He sure is," Yang said smugly. "But what are we gonna do with him?"

Weiss' face fell. "Can't we take him with us?"

"No," said Yang bluntly. "We can't."

"But we can't leave him here all on his own." Weiss withdrew her hand from the dog's head, crestfallen. "He'll be lonely."

Send him back home send him back home send him back home-

"We just need someone to watch him for a few days for us."

Darn.

"Who? PRAN are leaving tomorrow as well."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, let's worry about that tomorrow. Who's the second letter from, Rubes?"

Ruby jolted, seemingly only just remembering the other envelope in her hand. Opening it up, she unfolded the single sheet of paper and began reading it to herself.

After a few moments, she silently folded it up again and slid it into her pocket.

"Just a good l-luck m-m-message," she mumbled, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks and a small smile on her face.

Weiss knew she was probably holding everyone up, but she really didn't want to leave just yet.

"I'll miss you. I can't wait to see you again, we'll be best friends I know it!"

"As amusing as this is to watch, you're gonna be late, so maybe wrap this up?" Coco snarked playfully.

Sighing, Weiss stood up and left CFVY's dorm to join the rest of her team.

"I take it you never had any pets back home?" Yang asked.

Weiss shook her head. "We weren't allowed. Whitley and I did bring a mouse back home once, but…"

Weiss trailed off. That particular memory was just one more from her childhood that she didn't like dwelling on much.

"Am I allowed to say your Dad sucks?"

Weiss snorted. "I'd be happy to hear you say so as much as you like."

"Awesome," Yang replied, shooting Weiss a wink and a thumbs up.

"W-well, s-something to look forward to w-when we get back," Ruby added. "Zwei will be h-happy to s-see you too, Weiss."

All the more reason for us to get this mission done. The sooner we find the White Fang, the sooner we can get back and the sooner I can play with Zwei.

Weiss lightly slapped her palms against her cheeks to refocus herself.

Keep your mind on the mission now, Weiss. This is serious. We need to find a lead, before it's too late.

The four entered the elevator, and Ruby pressed the button to take them all to the bulkhead hanger.

The doors slid closed, the elevator jolted into motion, and Weiss found her mind wandering once again, but this time in a different direction.

We're going to work with a real Huntsman! There's bound to be so much they can teach us, so much they can tell us. And we'll get to see them in action, observe them as they fight and scout and lead us through the Glenn.

Weiss couldn't help but let out a tiny noise of excitement.

This is going to amazing!

All Weiss' prior excitement withered and died as she beheld the person who was going to be leading them on their first ever mission.

"Throw your stuff in the back and get in," drawled Professor Greene. "We're leaving."

"We need to inform the teachers at once!" Weiss said, sounding quite close to panicking. "The police as well! And my sister, she asked me to tell her everything, I need to tell her too!"

Weiss rounded on Ruby and reached out towards her. "I need your Scroll again, now!"

"H-h-hold on a… a m-m-minute," Ruby stammered. "W-W-Weiss-"

"Your Scroll Ruby, now!"

"Everyone, cool it!" Yang yelled, raising her voice to be heard over them all. "One thing at a time!"

Blake appreciated that Yang was taking the role of the calm(ish) one at that moment. She herself wasn't feeling very calm. She felt a lot like how Weiss was acting.

"First thing's first," Yang began. "Blake, did this… Ilia say anything else?"

Blake shook her head, not quite trusting herself to speak again just yet without her words coming out in a jumbled mess.

Yang took a deep breath. "Dammit," she huffed.

Ruby held out her Scroll towards Weiss. "Call y-your s-sister and tell her everything," she said. "Blake, y-you and I w-will go tell Professor Ozpin. Yang, call th-that n-number the police gave us and… and explain it all to th-them. We'll all m-meet back at the dorm l-later."

Two months prior, Blake would never have expected Ruby to be able to take charge of a situation like that. It was quite something to see how much she had changed in the short span of time they had known each other.

Their roles assigned, Team RWBY split off and each went their own way, Blake following after Ruby as she led the pair of them towards the elevator.

Once inside and on their way up, Ruby turned to face Blake directly.

"Blake?" she asked hesitantly. Her 'leader-mode' persona was replaced by her more familiar nervousness. "If y-you w-w-wanna l-leave… w-w-we'd be…"

Blake did something then that surprised herself as much as it probably surprised Ruby.

She hugged her.

"I'm not running," she whispered as she pulled the smaller girl close. "I won't leave you all behind."

Ruby stiffened in Blake's embrace, and for a moment Blake worried that she had crossed a line. Ruby was OK with Yang hugging her, but Blake had noticed that she tended to be a bit more averse to touch from other people.

Just as Blake was about to pull away and apologise for breaching Ruby's boundaries, she felt her return the hug, bringing her arms up to wrap around Blake.

"I'm glad," Ruby whispered back.

…

…

…

"We're here," announced Professor Greene.

Blake opened her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. Peering out one of the windows, she saw a mass of grey buildings sprawled out below them, all looking quite a bit worse for wear.

"Mountain Glenn," Greene said. "I assume you all recall what Dr Oobleck taught you?"

"Indeed," responded Weiss promptly. She began checking off her fingers as she spoke. "Envisioned as a large-scale expansion of Vale, intended to house a population equal to the Capital over time, it grew too large and spread beyond the safety line that had been established, and Grimm were able to overrun the outer limits and force an evacuation."

Greene hummed. "Well recalled, Weiss."

Weiss smiled a little smugly at that. It seemed her earlier sour mood at seeing Professor Greene had passed, and now she was back to her usual self, eager as ever to impress her teachers.

The speaker crackled, and the pilot's voice came through the static.

"We are approaching the landing zone, ETA four minutes."

Greene turned to face all four of them. Her usual impassive face looked slightly more serious than usual.

"The landing zone is one of the more intact areas that are still mostly defensible, and far away from the main Grimm pockets. We'll set up a base camp, then begin scouting from there. Once we've established-"

The sound of something colliding with the side of the bulkhead rang through the interior, and the whole craft shook violently, causing them all to stagger and fall.

A moment later, another, more bestial sound could be heard.

"Weapons!" barked Professor Greene. Her own knife was already in hand as she pulled herself back up.

A second animalistic cry filled the air, followed by another, then another.

What is that?

Whatever it was, Blake didn't recognise its cry. It sounded strangled and warbling, somewhere between a birdcall and the whinny of a horse.

Greene slammed her fist into the panel beside the main door. It slid open, filling the bulkhead with harsh winds that drowned out the sounds of the Grimm.

Flying beside them, somehow keeping pace with a ship at almost full throttle, was a dark mockery of a horse, its front hooves replaced with grasping talons and its head that of a bird of prey. A pair of ragged black wings beat furiously at its sides to keep it airborne, and its tail was laced with spines as bone-white as its masked face.

A Gryphon. Blake had only ever seen them in books, but now one was right on top of them.

The Gryphon let out another warbling cry before banking sharply towards them, reaching towards the open side of the bulkhead with its talons outstretched.

Blake drew her weapon from her back and shifted Gambol into its pistol form, taking aim at the Grimm and firing off two rounds.

Greene fired twice at the same time, and all four shots hit home, driving the Gryphon back with a screech of pain. Its wing took the brunt of the impacts, causing it to loose speed and fall behind them and out of sight.

But they did not have time to catch their breath. No sooner had the first Gryphon been driven away when a second one took its place, swooping in to attack even as Blake and Greene fired upon it.

"Get back!" Yang yelled, firing a shot of her own that hit the Gryphon head-on, sending it plummeting towards the ground as it evaporated.

A third Gryphon managed to avoid the next volley of rounds sent its way and hooked its claws into the fuselage, moving to pull itself inside.

Ruby and Weiss were on it in an instant. In perfect sync with one another, they both sliced at its front legs and severed them. The Gryphon flew away, leaving its claws behind to evaporate, the wind carrying the black mist away before it could fill the inside of the ship.

"Was that all of them?" Weiss asked.

Her question was quickly answered by the sound of metal screaming, as the top of the bulkhead was torn open by the talons of yet another Gryphon.