Here it is, chapter two! Me and my co creator, tumblr user bumblebyqueen, do hope you'll all enjoy! This chapter really sets much of the tone for much of the story. Happy reading!

Chapter 2: Gains and Losses

Yang Xiao Long was one who often was able to take even the most boring and drab of circumstances and flip them on their heads, bringing with her a certain, incredibly unique flavor that somehow kept her, and often others, interested. But even Yang could not take Professor Port's lecture about the varieties of single celled life forms, and make in even remotely interesting. And that was why at half past five in the afternoon, her faced bathed in the warm glow of the sun leaking in through the open window, Yang slept the lecture away.

Only Yang was really half-asleep. Every now and then, she would lift her head and rest down the other side on the warm, weathered wood of her desk, silently blowing her hair out of her face with strong breaths. As Port droned on about something concerning snails or the sort, Yang felt her eyes close again, and a light snore nearly left her. Who knew a hard wood desk could be such a good pillow? Yang thought, somewhat amused. Of course, she reasoned, when you're as tired as I am…anything's worth napping on. And so she slept, feeling almost justified for doing so.

Blake sat in the row behind her, yet despite their different seating, she and Yang shared a similar mentality when it came to Port and his inane fascination with snails. Only, rather than sleep, Blake sat there idly chin resting on her palm, doodling in the margins of her notebook. She was just adding some embellishments onto a floral design in one corner, when something smacked lightly into her bow, bounced off, and landed directly onto her desk before her. It was a crumpled up ball of paper, and behind her, she could hear the perpetrators snickering. She reluctantly turned her head, and sure enough, a few rows back, sat the girl she'd met on her very first day. Weiss Schnee. Accompanied by those two other girls. The twins.

Blake considered narrowing her brow threateningly, but for reasons she could not explain, she raised it instead, almost questioningly. Weiss simply smirked at her, nodding towards the paper ball that now rested on Blake's desk. Blake grimaced, and unfolded it. There was something written hastily on it, yet with an almost intricate penmanship. However, the content was far less intricate, and far blunter.

"We haven't forgotten you yet, bitch." The note read. Blake sighed, and refused to look back, knowing that doing so would only give them satisfaction. She could hear the twins giggling, and Blake tried to ignore them by returning to her doodle, while the drabbling words of Professor Port assisted in drowning out the girls' fit of laughter.

As she scribbled some petals onto her flower, Blake scratched at her desk irritably with her other hand. No matter where she went, people seemed to always pick on her. In grade school it had been bad, particularly one incident Blake shuddered upon remembering, but High School had been equally, if not more of an ordeal for her.
She could still visualize how stupid and pathetic she had felt, standing there alone at the Senior Prom, wondering to herself why the fuck she had even bothered to show up. She didn't have a date. She never had one period. Blake remembered the momentary nervous joy that had overcome her when Brandon, one of the more popular boys, had asked her for a dance. Her legs were practically shaking. She had never expected something so…unexpected. She had mostly drowned out the memories of that happened next, but some images still stuck with her. Among those images, was one of her being tossed onto the middle of the dance floor by her supposed "gentleman," and the humiliation she had felt when the remainder of her class simply stopped their own dances to laugh at her. To gawk and squeal at the poor girl who lay on the floor, the one chance for that night to mean anything good for her taken away as soon as it was granted.

Blake shuddered in class, and blinked suddenly. The bell had rung, and her surrounding peers seemed in a hurry to leave, while Port tried shouting in a few more words, although they fell on deaf ears. The students cared not for whatever last-minute insights the heavyset professor had to offer, as they much preferred to get as far away from the classrooms as possible. Their many distractions awaited them, be it the satisfying glow of their laptop screens, or the fresh, crisp autumn air the grounds provided. It was what the students had been looking forward to the entire day, and at last their coveted recreational hours were upon them.

Yang was no exception. She stood up, gathering her books and bag, and stretched her arms. She longed for the satisfaction that came with running, as it was all she wished to do at that time. All those hours confined to hard wooden chairs had allowed a large amount of energy to build up within her, and she couldn't wait to expel it on the track.

As she turned to leave the room, huddled behind the mass of students cramming for the exit, a thought entered Yang's mind. Perhaps, she thought, I should invite Blake to join me? Yang had hardly gotten much chance to get to know the mysterious, quiet girl that was her designated study partner. They had scarcely made much in the ways of conversation since that day on the stage, following orientation. Yang couldn't quite place it, but there was something almost…intriguing about the dark-haired girl. Yang made an effort sit near her during their classes, and always made sure to greet her with one of her trademark smiles. "Good morning, partner!" She'd say, or "Looks like someone could use some more sleep!" she'd joke to Blake in the morning classes.

Blake's responses, Yang found, were all the more so interesting. Most often, the girl would meet Yang's eyes briefly, before quickly reverting downward, her breaths falling silent. Yang was fairly certain as to why.

Blake, Yang believed, was rather...
"Shy." Yang said aloud, to nobody in particular. She turned her attention away from the mob of students clamoring for the exit, and looked upon the seat in which Blake had sat during class. It was empty.

Yang smirked. "Such a strange, sneaky, shy girl…" She said to herself. She hadn't noticed her quiet partner leave, though, she thought, how could I? It wasn't like Blake was exactly the most attention-drawing person she'd ever met. Quite the contrary, in fact. It seemed Blake would go out of her way to avoid detection from everyone and anyone, peers and teachers alike. Yang often glanced in her direction during lectures, only to find the dark-haired girl drawing absentmindedly, seemingly closed in on herself, her shoulders hunched up and her nose nearly smudging her pencil marks on her paper.

Yang put her bag down and sat on her desk, and she took out her scroll. She brought up the call function, and stared at the keypad for a moment. She fully considered on calling Blake, to possibly see where and what the girl had gotten up to, only, something else on the screen stole her attention.

Yang's call history had looked the same way for years. A few friends' numbers were always listed in her "recent calls", however, one contact always remained the most common, and always unanswered.

Yang blinked, frowning to herself. Mom.

The word echoed about in her head, as it always had. Swallowing, Yang stared at the glowing text, almost hoping her screen would light up, signaling a call from that very person. She knew it would never happen though. And it was something that she had managed to come to accept, albeit rather bitterly.

Yang glanced back at Blake's desk. She shook her head, and placed her scroll back into her bag. She needn't call Blake. She knew the girl would probably refrain from picking up anyway. Not that it mattered, as Yang was fairly certain where she could find her aloof study partner anyway.

Blake Belladonna had always enjoyed the solitude and serenity that came with libraries. They were often among the few places she truly felt comfortable, a sanctuary of sorts. And there she sat, surrounded by thousands of books, her own book's pages lit up by the warm light which streamed in through the tall glass windows. She was in a less frequented, somewhat neglected corner of the library, but it was there she had found her reading nook, a place she could sit for hours at a time undisturbed, at peace, and in silence. After all, it wasn't as if students were clamoring for the encyclopedias that surrounded her little "reading spot." Such books were rendered obsolete by devices such as scrolls, and thus, Blake had a quiet zone all to herself. Which she was rather glad for, as she really wasn't up for socializing attempts. She was much too scarred by her disastrous interactions with that Schnee girl and her two lackeys, those malachite twins.

Blake clenched her teeth at the thought of their names. In only the few short days she had known them, those three girls seemed to been driven to making her utterly miserable. Whether it was poking fun of her in class, or that time the other day when Militia had knocked into her in the hallway, and sent her books flying, the seemed to really have it out for her. Which was another contributing factor to why Blake enjoyed the library so very much. There was no torment, and no drama. Well, there was some drama, only that was exclusively pertaining to the book in which she was currently so absorbed in.

She turned a page, and drew a hand to her lips, gnawing lightly on her fingertips. The chapter was getting somewhat steamy, as the heroine was currently being seduced by her enchanting partner. Blake went slightly red, but kept reading, perhaps even more intently than before. Her eyes scanned the pages quickly, occasionally stopping to raise her eyebrows, and she fought to suppress her giggles.

Which was why it came as a shock, to realize that someone was watching her.

"You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself Miss Belladonna…" A familiar voice said.

Blake kicked the underside of the table in surprise, stubbing her toe. It didn't help that she had kicked off her shoes, and her socks did little to soften the painful impact.

"Yang!" she shouted, although it came out more like a squeal. She nearly dropped her book, and she fumbled about to keep it from slipping. "Xiao Long!" Blake added awkwardly, then immediately hated herself for saying it.

Yang simply smirked, and leaned against a nearby bookcase, crossing her arms, almost judgingly.

"Yes," she said, "that is indeed, my full name…"

Blake went beet red, and hugged her book to her chest, in effort to conceal the suggestive title.
"Oh!" she said, trying to recover. "Y-yeah. Um-sorry. You-you just surprised me is all…"

Yang nodded. "Uh-huh." She walked over to the table at which Blake sat and leaned over it, giving her timid study partner a funny look. "So…. Watchya reading?" she inquired, seemingly genuinely curious.

Blake bit her lip, her cheeks flushed to capacity. "Um…It's-it's nothing too interesting really…" She stared into her lap, pressing the boo against her bosom even tighter. "Y-you'd probably think it's pretty boring anyway."

Yang leaned in more, an odd grin appearing on her lips. "Try me." She said.

Blake swallowed, and let out a small breath. "W-well," she stammered, "it's about some, uh, knight who slays dragons and stuff." She wanted to kick herself as soon as she said it. It had been a terrible attempt at lying, but Yang didn't flinch. Instead, she raised her eyebrows, and appeared even more interested.

"Oh?" The blonde pressed, "Tell me more…"

Blake looked to both her left and right nervously. "There's battles, wizards, and more knights and-and orcs. Yeah. Orcs. Just uh, nerd shit, you know?"

Yang smiled, though rather sweetly, Blake thought. "I do know, actually. I happen to love that "nerd shit."

Blake was surprised. Even though she was lying through her teeth, she was still astounded that a girl who was so far from "nerd status" could even like such a thing.

Yang crossed her arms. "Tell me," she said, grinning, "are there damsels saved by said heroic knights, and if so, do things get interesting between them?"

Blake's face burnt up once again, and she bit her tongue so hard it nearly bled, almost causing tears to well up in her eyes.

"No!" she responded defensively. "Nothing like that. None at all. I-I don't really go for those kinds of books anyway. They're uh, far too shallow…" She trailed off, almost whispering to herself.

Her study partner shook her head, and rolled her eyes.

"Alright then, Miss Belladonna. I gotcha." She sat on the desk, allowing her legs to dangle off the edge, and she kicked them about idly. "But I want to ask you something. Answer truthfully okay?"

Blake felt a small, aching pit in her stomach. What was Yang implying? She didn't answer Yang, she simply nodded in silence.

The blonde went on, "Why do you come here? Why can't you read in the dorm or something? And most of all, I was wondering…why you seemed to be avoiding me? We are to be study partners, after all. And that can't really work all that well if you're, well, missing all the time."

The dark-haired girl was rather taken aback, to be bombarded by so many questions. It wasn't that Yang had asked them in a mean way, it was simply that Blake didn't have much in the ways of answering them. Still, she tried.

"I like the library…" she began, "because I don't always like being around people. They can be, uh…scary sometimes, I guess?"

Yang snorted. "Scary? Naw. You just have to warm up to others, and you'll usually find they can be warm right back."

"For you maybe. I don't really know what it is about me, but I find it…" she paused, searching for an appropriate word. "Difficult. To like other people and get them to like me that is…"

"So you come here to avoid them, is what you're saying?"

Blake nodded meekly, her eyes wearing concern. She was afraid Yang wouldn't think much of her answer. Yang would prove her wrong, however.

"That's…that's okay, actually." Yang said. "You don't need to feel that you've got to always be out there doing shit with other people. I can respect that."
"Do you?" Blake asked earnestly.

"Absolutely."

"Oh. Um…thanks." Blake paused, and scratched at her bow, adjusting its placement on her head.

"Your bow's pretty cute, I have to say." Yang commented. "It's not something you tend to see very often. But you, uh, you make it work pretty well."

"Thanks…" Blake said for the second time, although quieter, almost as if she was ashamed to respond the same lame way twice.

"It's like you've got your own look going on for yourself. 'Fashion, par Blake', or some shit." Yang chuckled, eliciting another small blush from her study partner. Yang could tell Blake wasn't too used to praise or compliments, and so she felt as if it was her duty to dish that out. "Well…I got to go right now. Wanted to hit the track. So…see you around, Blake. It was nice to talk to you." She turned to walk away, but looked back and added, "Enjoy your book, by the way. I've always fancied erotica literature myself."

At that, she walked off, leaving Blake with her mouth gaping, her book slipping away toward the floor. She knew. Of course she knew. Still, Blake smiled, through her apparent blushing. Her face had been red for the entire duration of their little chat, yet Blake felt good. As if it had been the first conversation she'd held that actually…went well for her. Even if she was her usual reluctant and quiet self, and even if it had ended in a fairly embarrassing light for her.

She felt a sense of satisfaction, and a good feeling inside. She felt, as if she had finally made a friend.

Yang left the library feeling rather good about herself as well. She'd finally gotten somewhere with the girl that she, and others, had previously deemed "unapproachable." One thing, however, put a damper on her mood. The sky had turned an unsightly gray, the clouds dulling out the blue that was once there.

"Fuck…" she muttered to herself. There would be no track exercise today. She ran a hand through her long hair in frustration. She'd have to run sometimetomorrow. She'd gotten some time in the day before, but she disliked missing out on even just one day. Still, she had no choice, as it certainly seemed the sky was posed to open up any minute, and she'd have to get herself inside, lest she get soaked by the inevitable downpour.

She groaned and headed back towards the dormitory. As she made her way up the steps, she found three girls sitting atop them. And she knew one of them. Weiss Schnee.

The white-haired girl was the daughter of the director of the university board, and had therefore been given certain opportunities that were simply unavailable to other students. Namely, she'd somehow become the recruitment chief for the "sisterhood sorority's freshman division." After only having been at the university but a few days herself.

Yang knew it would do her well to get to know Weiss, as she desperately wanted in on the sorority. It was essentially, "the place to be", for all "alpha girls" such as herself. Or so she somewhat arrogantly considered. As she approached Weiss and the two girls sitting beside her, Yang opened her mouth to introduce herself. Only, Weiss took her by surprise, and spoke first.

"Xiao Long, no?" The girl asked inquisitively. "Yang Xiao Long?"

Yang's eyes went wide, yet she recovered with a small smile. "Yeah, that's me. How'd you know my name."

Weiss didn't even pause to think before answering, in a matter-of-fact tone, "The sisterhood makes it its business to know all the names and basic information of its potential recruits." Weiss stood up, and extended a hand. She was a fairly short girl, yet still managed to evoke a sense of authority.

Yang eagerly took her hand, glanced at the other two girls. They were twins, and always seemed to hang around Weiss Schnee.

"I was actually going to speak to you sooner or later," Yang said. "I wanted to ask you about-"

"You want in on the sorority." Weiss finished for her. "Of course you do. Practically everyone does. Luckily for you, we got a glimpse of your athletic ability the other day-"

"On the track?"

Weiss shot her a slightly annoyed look. "Please. Don't interrupt me."

Yang looked down. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Yes, on the track. Anyway, we wanted to offer you a place in our ranks. Should you choose to accept it, of course. We would love to have someone as skilled as you with us."

Yang didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected it would be this easy. Skilled? Her? She knew she was athletic. But to give off a good enough display to impress the sisterhood? That, she found, was certainly something.

She was about to say she most certainly would accept, but something, or rather, someone, crept into her mind. Blake. She could imagine just how thrilled the girl might be to actually be considered among the "popular girls" for once. It seemed she never had that opportunity. And now, with her own coming so easily, Yang was intent on trying to give that to Blake as well.

"I…have one request."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Speak up. What is it?"

"You see, I've got this study partner…"

One of the twins snickered. "No shit. We all do."

Yang ignored her. "Well, I wanted to know if it was possible she could join as well."

Weiss went silent for a moment. She seemed to be in deep contemplative thought, as she closed her eyes, and ran her hands through the lacey parts of her white blouse. Finally, she looked up, with a blank expression on her face.

"Sorry," she said. "No can do."

Yang was shocked at the abruptness of it all. She blinked, and gritted her teeth. "What do you mean, 'no can do'? You ought to give her a chance. You don't even know her-"

The other twin interrupted. "Actually, we do."

"Huh?" Yang said bemusedly. "You know who she is?"

Weiss spoke up, standing straight to reassume her authority. "That Belladonna girl no? isn't she your partner?"

"Yes but-"

"Her first name. It's something unusual. Bianca, was it? Barbara?" Weiss paused, looking Yang in the eye. "Brent?"

Yang detected malice in that last one. She gritted her teeth even harder. "It's Blake. But you already knew that…"

"Right…" Weiss said. "Blake. Well, the problem is, that girl just isn't, shall we say, sisterhood material. We want our members to be strong, fierce, and competitive. You, Yang, have those things. Miss Belladonna, on the other hand, doesn't even come close."

Yang frowned. "Oh…" she said, feeling dismayed. Weiss wasn't wrong. Her partner barely spoke, let alone had those qualities that were just described. "Still, Weiss, I'm asking you, is there some way, perhaps, that she could have a tryout?"

One of the twins cleared her throat.

"Yes, Melanie?" Weiss sighed.

"I hate to say it, Weiss…"

"Spit it out!"

"Well…there is a certain rule, no, a loophole I guess, in our recruitment handbook."

"We have one of those?"

"I think you wrote it, Weiss."

Weiss shot her a glare. "Go on…"

"I believe we are required to give any recruit's designated study partner an equal chance at applying. Of course, they won't necessarily pass…"

Weiss nodded slowly. "I've heard enough. As have you, Xiao Long. You did get all that, no?"

Yang nodded too. "I did."

"In that case, we have nothing else to speak about. You can come by the sorority house this evening, and if you wish…you can bring her too."

"Oh!" Yang exclaimed. Thank you! I'll make sure to tell her. She'll be so glad-"

"Under no circumstances does this guarantee anything, understood?" Weiss said definitively.

"Understood." Yang responded.

At that, the three girls made their way down the stairs, walking off into the quad, as the sky boomed overhead. Yang grimaced. I ought to get my ass inside asap.

"I don't want to."

"Of course you do!"

"I'm not cut out for that kind of thing, Yang. I'd just look stupid in front of everyone. That's…that's the last thing I want."

Yang pouted. She'd spent the last twenty minutes trying to convince Blake to come with her to the initiation. "Don't you want to make more friends? It'd do you some good. Really."

"Those…girls. They don't like me. None of the others will either." Blake crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Really, I'm fine. You-you go on ahead and do it. I can tell you really want to."

"What I really want," Yang said. "Is for you to do it with me. Seeing as we're study partners, we're gonna be spending quite a bit of time together this year. We should try and do it as closely as possible. Besides, you'd like it. I know it."

Blake looked at the blonde. She could tell the girl was genuine and sincere. She liked Yang, and was flattered by the fact that Yang seemed to like her back. She'd never really had a friend like her. Or many friends at all. She didn't want to fuck up this one opportunity. The opportunity that came in the form of a pretty, enthusiastic, and overall nice girl by the name of Yang Xiao Long.

The dark haired girl leaned back in her chair, sighing.

"Okay. I'll do it…" She agreed. "But if I don't make it, p-please don't be mad. I…I'm not cut out for this stuff. I t-told you."

"Blake, I get it. And don't worry about. I'm sure they'll take to you. Even the other girls. I think you all just got off on the wrong foot is all."

Deep down, Blake wasn't too sure that was true. But she agreed, if not for herself, then for Yang. She felt that she ought to repay the only person who'd shown her any kindness so far, even if it meant she'd be uncomfortable. Blake took a deep breath. "I'm ready, I guess. L-let's do this okay?"

Yang gave her a smile, and the two set out toward the sorority house together, the clean, crisp, evening air accompanying them as they went.

Giggles and hushed whispers could be heard as they, among a few other girls, entered the handsome building that was the sisterhood's home. It was roughly five stories tall, with a large flag waving about in the wind, perched on top. The main room on the ground floor was typically decorated exquisitely, only on that night, the lights were off and only the glow of the fireplace, among dozens of precariously placed candles, illuminated the room.

Blake looked around nervously. There had to be nearly four dozen girls there, all watching them excitedly, eagerly waiting to judge the candidates. Weiss was there in the center, calling up girls one by one, and discussing their traits a bit for a few moments, before the audience of girls would nod, allowing that girl to enter the fold.

Blake was three girls away from being called up. She felt nauseous, and even considered leaving. But Yang stood there in front of her, occasionally glancing back, and giving her reassuring smiles. Sadly, they weren't helping. Blake was simply, utterly, terrified.

"Yang Xiao Long!" Weiss cried, signaling for Yang to come forward. Yang shot Blake one more grin, before practically skipping up into the center of the crowded circle of girls.

"Miss Xiao Long," Weiss began, "I would like to…personally vouch for. I've observed her excellent skills on the running field, and from what I have gleaned, she is advanced at nearly every sport available on campus. I find Yang here to be confident, insistent, and bold. At least from the little time I've observed her. I think she'd be a fine addition to our ranks, no?"

"Oh, please, Weiss, you're going to make me blush!" Yang laughed sarcastically.

Several of the girls around them giggled as well.

Weiss smirked. "And…She seems to fancy herself a funny one too! What do you say girls?"

The large group nodded quickly in agreement. They'd scarcely heard such praise from Weiss, about anyone really. Yang fist pumped the air, and went to join the gaggle of girls, quickly striking up a conversation with several of them.

Blake closed her eyes. She was going to throw up. She didn't think she could bear all that attention, and she was seconds from being called up-

"Julia Lieber!" Weiss shouted, and the girl behind Blake dashed up happily. Blake looked about confusedly. She was next in line. Did they not see her? Perhaps it was some mistake…

Weiss went on to list several positive attributes about Miss Lieber, who in due time, went to join the crowd gladly after a few minutes.

"Okay, then!" Weiss announced, seemingly satisfied, "I do think that's just about it for tonight. We've gained eight new members, I believe. You girls have yourselves a good night."

She turned to leave, but before the rest of the crowd could disperse, Blake heard a familiar voice shout, "Wait! You left one out!"

Blake was horrified, and stared at the speaker, Yang. Yang immediately realized the awkward embarrassment she'd just unintentionally focused onto her partner, and felt awful for it. Blake went pale, and stared at the floor, so as to avoid the crowd's gaze, now focused on her, and her alone.

Weiss let out an incredibly phony chuckle. "Oh! My bad, girls! It seems we do have one more possible recruit here with us…" She went to pull Blake into the spotlight, who was too paralyzed by fear to resist or protest. She just stood there, while Weiss gripped her by one arm, digging her nails into it. Blake wanted to yelp, but no sound came out. Her mouth simply hung open.

"What's that? Did you want to say something, dear?" Weiss said with a hint of bitter malice. Blake trembled, her legs wobbling and her jaw twitching nervously. The crowd looked to one another, exchanging whispers. A few giggles could be heard as well.

"Blake Belladonna!" Weiss exclaimed. "I'll be a bit frank here, I'm not too sure about this one…" Weiss pouted sarcastically, raising a finger to her mouth, as if to give off the sense she was deep in considerate thought. "I do believe Blake here is quite smart actually, which if course, is something we desire in our members…" She looked to the crowd, which nodded in agreement. "However," Weiss went on, "I think she also might believe herself to be a bit too smart for us. Perhaps that's why she's so very quiet?

Blake swallowed. "That's…t-that's not i-it at all… she stammered, her legs still shaking in fright. She hated how the crowd just stood there, judging her and staring, picking out all her flaws. It made her want to throw up even more. "It's n-not t-true…" She tried to add, but Weiss spoke up loudly once more.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Blake. So very sorry. You're just shy is that it? You don't do well with people?"

Blake glanced around for someone to help her. She was trapped, stuck in a nightmare from which there was no escape, and no relief. The crowd stared back at her, but disapprovingly.

"Blake also unfortunately seems to be a bit unaware, or perhaps, inconsiderate, of people around her. She walks into things, and people, rather frequently…"

"I-It was one time!" Blake tried to protest, but all that came out was a hoarse squeak. That earned some more giggles from the crowd.

"Overall, I'm not so sure Miss Belladonna is very well suited for our standards…" Weiss said, in a mocking somber tone. The crowds began to shake their heads, muttering to one another.

Suddenly, one of the twins, who Blake was fairly sure was named Militia, called out, "Take off that weird-ass bow, bitch!"

Weiss grinned subtly. "I think Militia is correct. Perhaps…We'll be able to see you in a better light, Miss Belladonna, if you could please remove that ghastly head garment?

Blake shook her head, and tried backing away. "I-I can't…" She muttered, horrified.

"Can't or won't?" a girl shouted from the crowd. Blake felt tears well in her eyes. It wasn't just the white-haired girl before her, it seemed much of the crowd was enjoying themselves too.

Weiss stuck out a hand. "Please, Blake. Hand it over." She added quietly, "You wouldn't want this to get more embarrassing for you, now would you?"

Blake backed away even more, but bumped into a mass of girls behind, those who formed the circle around them. They simply gave her a rough shove in Weiss' direction, and Blake stumbled headfirst, landing at Weiss' feet. She looked up, feeling defeated, to see Weiss' hand reaching down, and a sharp tug on her head.

She could hear much of the crowd laughing, shrieking, almost manically, and a thought occurred to Blake. Where was Yang? And why isn't she helping me? She never received her answer, because as she lay there face first on the floor, the laughter which surrounded her came to a dead halt.

She rolled over, and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. The girls around her appeared horrified, some with disgusted looks on their face. Blake looked up at Weiss, the girl who stood above her, and saw that in her hand, she was clutching her bow. Her eyes were blank, and her mouth was gaping. Weiss let the bow fall to the floor, and it slowly sailed down, like a sheet of paper.

Weiss cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

"To, think…" She said quietly, "That we almost considered allowing one of your kind in here…Oh my fucking god…"

Blake curled up, and pressed her palms against her head. She was shaken, however, by the loud growl that emanated from the girl before her.

"A FAUNUS?" Weiss shrieked, clenching her fists. "Oh I didn't like you much before, bitch," Weiss grumbled. "But now?"

She kicked the floor before Blake, causing the fallen girl to jump. "YOU FILTH!" She roared. Looking to the silent, shocked crowd of girls, Weiss shook her head. "Well now, we CERTAINLY cannot allow such a girl to join our ranks! To think we considered it!"

The circle of girls began whispering to one another again, although rather loudly.

"Disgusting…"

"There's no WAY we can accept her…"

"Filth…"

Blake stood up, and backed away. She could see her reflection in the large mirror that hung on one wall. Her cheeks were tear-stained, and of course, perched atop her head, was the secret she'd tried to keep from everybody. Her Faunus ears, or more particularly, cat ones.

Blake saw a tiny gap in the mob of people, and bolted for it, not quite feeling her own body take her there, but going all the same. Her head was numb, as was her body, but she cared not. She had to get away. Away from the yells, the taunts, the whispering. As the cold night's air greeted her wet face, she could hear Weiss yelling after her, "Go on, you cunt! Run away! We don't want to see your stray-ass in here ever again!"

She let the tears fall even more, as she dashed across the dark horizon that was the campus quad. She ran for a long time, although she didn't truly know how long exactly, only to trip on some uneven earth, sending her face first into the dew-dampened grass. She didn't bother get back up, and she crawled over to a large tree, the very same one she had first spied Yang from under.

She sat there, the wet ground staining her jeans, and placed her head in her palms. And then she sobbed. She cried for herself. She cried for the loss of the secret she wanted to keep so badly. She cried for the loss of someone she though was her friend.

Yang. Where was she? Why didn't she stop anything? The crowd was large, and it had been much of a blur to Blake, yet she couldn't find Yang among them after she had called her out. Mistakenly, of course, but the damage it did was all the same. Blake cried from the shame. The humiliation. She cried silently into the night, feeling once again, truly alone.