Soulbound

by xT-Zealot

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." [Pseudo-Novelization] -Completed-

4. Velveteen

Author's Note: Oh my gaaawwwwwdddd, we're finally done!

Brain: What are you complaining about? It happened exactly as you said: once we got through Badge, we're able to get creative! Sure, I did end up flexing the good old membrane around quite a bit for this one but it was in a good way!

That didn't mean you were required to make it so long! I think this managed to beat Ruby's chapter in Recurring Dreams by…quite a bit!

Brain: Speaking of which…

NO! We are NOT doing a Devil May Cry-inspired Mega Ruby AU! That is the last time I let you have any Mountain Dew in combination with the Devil May Cry anime while we work!

Brain: It's not my fault that that series is one of the rare few that has a decent English dub!

We are too far deep in this to get distracted! Stick to your ideas for Forever Fall and STAY THERE!

---

While her first morning at Beacon was rather fun, it couldn't be forgotten that they were in a combat school and moving on into the first week gave credence to it. Once the introductions and orientations for their selected classes had been done, the commanding professors showed little restraint when it came to issuing out homework and assigned readings for their students.

Lacking any prior experience to give her a reference to how things were done in a combat school (or any kind of school really), Blake was only able to assume that this initial rough patch was normal. Each subject that was taught may be similar in that they were meant to mold a trainee into a powerful Huntsman or Huntress, but the topics themselves differed greatly. Grimm Studies, for example, was meant to teach about the types of Grimm that were found in the wild zones of Remnant outside of mankind's safe havens that were the four kingdoms. Meanwhile, there was a class devoted to the application of Aura, another for Dust, and a third on Remnant's history. Whatever wisdom they wished to impart with their chosen field, a teacher may wish to do so through lectures or live demonstrations. And this wasn't even getting into the actual combat and survival courses that involved physical dueling with the occasional incursion into the surrounding Grimm-populated territories that acted as their field trips.

It was a lot to get used to. In order to become accustomed to the scheduling, the teaching methods, and what to expect to bring back to your dorm room with you whether it be an essay or otherwise, there was very little room for the merry activities such as decorating and constructing improvised bedding arrangements. The weeks flew by as the members of Team RWBY sought to properly settle into their training regime.

This was not to say that Blake no longer felt any enjoyment within Beacon with the onset of school life. Yes, the nights did tend to consist of her and the other girls hitting the books to start their assignments while struggling against the gathered fatigue of the day that made the calls of comfy mattresses and warm blankets nearly irresistible with the mornings spent finishing those assignments because they gave in, but Blake savored it.

To be exact, she savored the peace. Whether sitting at one of their desks or her bunk doing homework or catching up on reading, Blake devoted a bit of attention to the background noise of her teammates doing their work; the scratching of pencils broken up with complaints about it (mostly Yang and Ruby), while comments and criticism (the latter Weiss usually directing at Ruby) were passed around. This and the morning routine of showering, dressing, and shoving papers and tomes into bags were all part of this rhythm that they had established.

This contentment extended beyond the presence of her team. Walking through the courtyard with books held against her chest, there was this calming sense of simplicity that came when all that she was concerned with was getting to class on time to avoid a verbal lesson on timeliness. Fall was fast approaching but the waning summer offered enough of its warmth to keep the climate pleasant.

The people were pleasant too. It wasn't just the members of JNPR, RWBY, and her teachers that she would pass and return nods and short smiles to. Everyone here shared the same goal - the same dream - and that in itself established a measure of regard that influenced these simple gestures. They were total strangers but it didn't stop them from holding a door open for you when they saw your hands were full which initiated a ritual of thanks and you're welcomes. These small things that were exchanged served to be so fulfilling to the faunus even if they were so normal.

As for the classes themselves, the setting was similar to the dorms where Blake and her fellow classmates took down notes or performed a skillful presentation that cut into the droning of their professors. Most she shared with her teammates but there was an occasional one where she found herself without them. It was a rare occurrence but the placid atmosphere remained. It could even be argued that the lack of their company and side chatter that they tend to involve Blake in contributed to it. This did not mean that she didn't miss it.

It only lasted for the hour that the lessons normally ran up to and then she was meeting them in the hall to make her way to the next with them. Lunch was the only time where the entirety of RWBY and JNPR got together and the table they tended to occupy would be abuzz with conversations of what they had done, what they have left, what classes they did and didn't like, etc. Blake usually devoted herself to a novel but, quite frequently, she would be drawn in whether by her friends' efforts to get her to join in or even because she felt compelled to socialize.

It was all so natural and maybe that was why Blake had become lost to it so easily. And maybe that was why she was experiencing numerous nights of untroubled sleep; something that she hadn't been blessed with for a long time. She was no longer plagued by nightmares, no longer afflicted with this ball of uncertainty and doubt that kept her restless whenever she thought of what tomorrow would bring.

When she did retire to bed, it was with her team. Lying on her bunk with the covers drawn up to her chin, her hidden ears and enhanced vision supplied her with the sights and sounds that took over her nights. Directly above her she could hear the snores of Yang Xiao Long, the blonde akin to a stone with how deeply she slept. Other than the sound, there was barely anything in terms of movement which spared the faunus of any apprehension of seeing if the supports of paper and hard covers that she donated to their bunks were really as sturdy as she had spoken of with - as she was reconsidering - a tad of overconfidence.

The same couldn't be said over at Fort Rose. While the curtains kept Ruby hidden from view, Blake was able to see how her bed would occasionally swing due to the smallest of turns that she tended to perform even when lost in slumber as if to make up for whatever volume that her own gentle snores lacked in comparison to her older sister's.

Weiss wasn't granted with night vision but didn't need it in order to see what was going on right above her. Blake had witnessed how the heiress would be resting on her side with eyes closed and hands resting atop each other, fooling the ninja in believing that she drifted off. It was usually a minute or two later that she would be proven wrong when, in response to a shift of Ruby's bed no matter how minute it was, Weiss's eyes would snap open before directing a wary look at the bottom of Ruby's mattress and the ropes that were wrapped beneath it.

Waking up alive for several mornings in a row got Weiss used to it. Her steady breathing was nearly inaudible but present in this melody that lulled Blake to sleep, empty of fear but filled with the prospect of what this new life would give her when she next opened her eyes.

Ironically, it was everyone adjusting to their schedules and becoming relaxed that caused Blake to start fretting. Those conversations that they had in the cafeteria had gradually transitioned from the going-ons of school life to that of personal life. The change had Blake withdrawing from them as she used her novel to deflect whatever inquiries that may be sent her way. Gratefully, it worked more often than not.

Unfortunately, Yang wasn't required to restrict her inquisitive nature to the cafeteria.

"Where did you live before coming to Beacon, Blake?" Yang asked during a walk to their next class.

It was going to happen sometime and, being partners, it was inevitable that Yang would want to know more about her. Blake had actually expected the questions to come sooner rather than later but it did give her the extra time to think of potential responses for the predictable ones.

"Atlas," the faunus replied. It also helped that she could use the truth if she didn't go into the details. She had been stationed at Atlas before her last assignment had her coming to Vale.

Yang released a drawn-out whistle, impressed. "Wow, that far huh?"

As it was known, Beacon was willing to accept individuals who hailed from locations found outside of Vale and Vytal. To study at such an esteemed place of learning and become a figure of legend that fought mankind's greatest enemy, there were many who were willing to cross land and sea in order to accomplish that. There was nothing suspicious about Blake's answer and it was fortunate that it would work in her favor as Yang wouldn't have any intricate knowledge of such a faraway place that may let her catch whatever her partner may be holding back.

But she would still ask about it. "I've never been to Atlas. What's the combat school there like? Is it anything like Signal?"

Blake can still stick to the truth yet questions such as these can make doing so increasingly uncomfortable. "I never went to one. Someone taught me how to fight."

"So you were recommended?"

Blake shook her head. "No, I took a placement test."

There were additional ways to get into Beacon other than attending a preparatory school like Sanctum or Signal to develop a suitable transcript to grant attendance. Others could train under privately contracted Hunters who were willing to offer their services and recommendations for the right price. Since Blake never went to such a facility and the people she learned under were rather disreputable concerning public view, she had to take a placement test.

It was more of a courtesy than anything else in the off chance that talent could be discovered from unexpected sources. There were those who arrogantly saw it as a method to skip what they saw as a lengthy process but they tended to wash out pretty quickly. Yet others such as Blake who had their own weapon, Aura unlocked, Semblance refined, and displayed proficiency for combat were allowed to take a placement test to see if they qualified. Obviously, she had passed with an exceptional score that let her attend an exceptional school.

She hadn't been too worried about possible background checks because Blake Belladonna severely lacked one. The White Fang never kept extensive documentation on their members - at least not when she was still with them - and Blake didn't commit any crimes. Well, none that she could be linked to anyway.

She was still surprised with how effortlessly she had been accepted without trouble after she passed the test as the information she provided hardly received a scrutiny, including her claim about being human. Then again, when it came to Beacon's acceptance of faunus and another special case that Blake knew about - that being her team leader -, unusual circumstances appeared to be the norm. She figured that if you could prove that you can handle what'll be thrown at you then you were in.

Yang was willing to accept it as she shot Blake a grin. "Oooh, fancy." Instead of digging deeper she explained, "Ruby had trouble when she started at Signal. She tried all sorts of styles and weapons but could never find one that really clicked, y'know?"

Happy for the change of topic, Blake tried to keep it on their team leader. "And one day your baby sister came home with a scythe almost twice her size that's also a high-impact sniper rifle."

Yang chuckled pleasantly. "It was a bit of a shocker when the year came for students to forge their own weapons that's for sure. Even before that though she began going on and on about Uncle Qrow. He's an instructor at Signal and he decided to give her some private tutoring. His weapon is a scythe too so, naturally, she learned how to use one."

"Quite skillfully," Blake commented.

"Well duh; she had me to look up to after all."

"I wouldn't mistake being taller as being viewed with admiration."

"Ouch." Yang held a hand over her heart in mock hurt. "Kitty has claws."

The grin that had been forming in the wake of her rebuttal froze as did the rest of Blake after inhaling sharply. Yang moved several paces ahead until she realized that her partner was no longer following her and she turned around to see what was wrong. "Blake?"

"...What did you say?"

"Hm?" Yang squeezed past a pair of students in order to rejoin Blake and looked confused at being asked that. "I just meant I wasn't expecting that from you. That was quite the impressive comeback."

Blake blinked rapidly in understanding and nodded her head a tad forcefully. "Right. Uh, sorry; didn't hear you over everyone."

They weren't the only ones in the hallway as there were fellow trainees who were off to their own destinations, chatting as they went. It wasn't that crowded and there wasn't that much noise but Yang didn't have any reason to not believe her.

"Although..."

The faunus was suddenly leaning back, eyes widening slightly in response to Yang leaning forward, her own pair of lilacs examining her. A hand came up to her chin, stroking it thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Blake asked, somehow succeeding in keeping her voice steady.

"...You have gold eyes," Yang noted. "Kind of like a cat's."

If Blake wasn't stricken with this sudden panic, she might've made some sort of mental remark as to how Yang chose to link something that wasn't as prominent as her bow. She averted her gaze in an effort to get them out of Yang's sight while options of how to respond ran through her mind. Obviously the truth wasn't a viable tactic here which meant deflection. "I'm not the only one with a unique eye color; you have two after all."

"Ha, that is true! And even then at least neither of ours are pink!" Smiling good-naturedly, the brawler spun around to resume their journey which Blake used to release a breath of relief. It didn't last long before her partner's increasingly troublesome nosiness had her asking, "So who did teach you all that stuff? Please tell me that you had to spend days on a mountain top and refer to them as 'sensei'."

Then there were the questions that Blake wished to avoid entirely. Falling back on evasion, Blake made a sudden turn at an intersection while speaking a quick, "I have to go this way." She quickened her pace to try and put what distance she could from Yang to deter any thoughts of her following.

Thankfully, her partner didn't try to pursue her but did shout to her retreating back, "See ya at lunch!"

Smooth, Belladonna, Blake chided. Real smooth.

It was hard enough to think that she could pull this off for four years without slips such as that. It had been a simple comment yet the faunus had reacted to it with behavior that should've screamed suspicious. When she made her decision to break away with the White Fang, no one had known until she had done it - not even someone who had been bonded to her.

That could actually explain part of it. Deep within an organization and Adam always at her side, there was absolutely no room for error. To give away anything would result in a fate that she could only presume but knew would be unpleasant. She didn't think her brothers and sisters had fallen so far as to kill one of their own but death wasn't solely needed to make one disappear. There had been unexplainable absences involving those who had renounced their loyalty and Blake didn't want to find out where they ended up. The constant threats kept her on edge.

During the passing weeks here, she felt anything but threatened. She's too trusting. They all are.

None of them were skeptical of her and, really, had no reason to be at the moment. In the White Fang she had established herself as a loyal member who had given up her childhood to the cause and anything out of character would alert her comrades that something was amiss. Meanwhile, her life at Beacon hadn't reached a month. It let her be flexible as her teammates only had her words and the belief that she was a Huntress-in-training just like them to go by.

That flexibility, she realized, was luring her into a false sense of security that had her lowering her guard enough that Yang, ever the skillful brawler, had managed to slip through with a jab. It would later prove to be the first of multiple reminders of the perils that were ready to befall her as the next one took advantage of her distracting musings to shove her roughly with a muscular forearm.

"Watch where you're going, little lady," came a snide comment.

Blake instinctively rolled her shoulder back despite the unexpected contact to avoid getting pushed against the wall, her feet circling around each other to spin instead of stumble out of the way of the giant who lumbered by. The faunus sent a glare as soon as she straightened which he didn't see, having already turned away from her but not before she saw the slight peak at the front of his burnt-orange hair that he kept combed back.

She recognized him immediately as there were few people who were that tall or that rude. Being in the same year made it easier but it was an arrangement that Blake detested as she was unwilling to have anything to do with him.

Had things been different, it may not have just been their year that they shared. Had Blake landed elsewhere, if she had accidentally bumped into him or one of his cronies, or if she and Yang had picked up a bishop piece instead of a knight...the faunus still shuddered at how she managed to avoid her worst-case scenario in the face of those possibilities.

Team CRDL was the embodiment of everything that Blake had come to despise concerning certain specimens of mankind. To see its despicable members freely prowling around the campus after using these weeks to set up their hunting grounds to prey on their classmates served to remind her of what will happen if she didn't remain on guard. Last time she had been cornered, it led her to making the worst mistake of her life.

---

"So there we were..." Nora began, voice ominous while sweeping her narrow-eyed gaze across her audience, "...in the middle of the night."

"It was day," Ren interjected, all monotone with a blank stare.

"We were surrounded by Ursi..."

"They were Beowolves."

As if seeking to make up for her partner's lack of enthusiasm, Nora used the fists she planted at the table to spring to her feet while dramatically shouting, "Dozens of them!" The action succeeded in making Yang - sitting across from her - jerk back from the motion before nodding her head frantically to show she was listening intently.

It had an effect on Ren who added an extra decibel loaded with exasperation to his tone as he corrected, "Two of them."

Nora's excitement wasn't dampened in the slightest. "But they were no match! And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Done with her story, Nora dropped back down to her seat looking quite proud with herself with arms folded and a smile on her face.

Her partner hung his head in response as he sighed. After a short shake he explained, "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

This was an example of the general conversations that tended to occur when RWBY and JNPR got together for their lunch period; normal, silly things that amused while informing others a little about the speaker and anyone else involved. Ruby tended to initiate dialogue when it came to learning about their respective weapons while Weiss chose to enlighten the teams to her family's products - both current and future releases to give them, as she mentioned, a 'heads-up'. Pyrrha got a lot of questions concerning her own feats of strength which she answered with modesty.

Blake was choosing to close herself off with another novel. After finishing her tuna sandwich, the faunus had taken the book that was atop a few textbooks that she brought with her. While her novel was meant to keep her face hidden from view, the others were meant to reinforce this image of her being busy to dissuade her friends from bringing her into their conversations. She wasn't deaf to them though; with four ears it was impossible to not listen in.

Like her, Ren preferred to eat and drink in peace so Nora was the one who dragged him into the latest discussions such as this one. However, despite how it may appear, this instance wasn't strictly about some dream that Nora had been having. This started because of an inquiry from Yang about a topic that Blake did well to keep any signs of unease of showing in its presence.

The blonde focused on Ren, ignoring her salad. "So you've been able to see it too?"

Ren took a sip from his mug, letting a second pass. "Yes."

Blake practically felt the glance Yang sent her way to seek confirmation and she kept her focus on the pages to appear like the devoted bookworm who lacked any interest in their business.

"It's a good thing he can!" Nora interjected, giving her partner a shove that nearly ended with him spilling his drink. "I've seen his dreams; so not cool."

"I find them very relaxing."

Nora flapped her lips at him. "You don't have any!"

"Which is why they're relaxing."

"How long does it take for you to even be able to do that?" Yang asked, interrupting their argument.

Blake knew the answer to be years. It wasn't just short thoughts that could be transmitted to a bonded pair of Hunters after such an extended length of time. Dreams were actually easier when it came to being shared as, during sleep, all other cognitive functions shut down which would lessen the chance of conscious thought getting in the way. The years of development and attunement of bonds led to some acts becoming subconscious in nature such as viewing another's dreams as your own.

She and Adam had those years. Unfortunately, when Blake would look upon his dreams, they became the nightmares that induced a number of sleepless nights. It was seeing that side of him that she had refused to believe was real until that moment and the fear that he may see her own doubts in her own dreams that further pushed her into breaking away when she did.

Ignoring how Nora was now jabbing the tips of her index fingers into the side of his head - "Dream stimulation!" she explained -, Ren calmly spoke, "Quite a while. If I remember correctly, it became consistent last year."

"That's a shame." Yang directed her attention to the other half of their table, sporting a playful grin. "I can only wonder what Pyrrha will see when it comes to Jauney-boy's dreams."

It didn't appear as if it was his red-haired partner that was troubling him. Jaune was looking to Pyrrha but it wasn't her name that he spoke. "Who? Cardin Winchester?" He waved off the worried expression that his subordinate directed at him. "Nah, he just likes to mess around! Ya know, practical jokes!"

Hearing that name had Blake lowering her book. Reading had proved to be elusive with the subject of bonds but this latest one concerning the leader of CRDL that bred this hostility made it impossible. Aware that his team had the same lunch period as them, Blake sought him out.

It didn't take a lot of effort to locate him in the midst of one of his 'practical jokes'; the irritating laugh was an unmistakable calling card. When she did spot Cardin, it was to see him sitting on a bench seat in reverse to rest his back against the table. His laugh and attention was on the girl who was doing her best to scoot away from him.

That lowered head of hers and the brown rabbit ears jolted up when it became clear that escape wasn't going to be that easy. At her other side was Russel Thrush who planted a boot on the seat to keep her from retreating any farther.

Predictably, Sky Lark and Dove Bronzewing were there as well to surround the rabbit faunus. The former had his hands above his head with fingers splayed out in an unflattering imitation of those lengthy ears as he danced in place. The latter sported a cruel smile similar to the rest of his teammates.

For a team named after a passerine bird, the scene being acted out here was reminiscent to birds of prey surrounding and toying with their latest morsel. It was seeing something so cowardly as this that made Blake wonder how those four passed the initiation. An explanation she was willing to get behind was that they managed to avoid the Grimm during their trek to the Forest Temple. There had been signs of people having made it there before she and Yang and, in their case, she found that theory to be the most plausible.

"He's a bully," came Ruby with an accurate description and a deep frown.

"Oh, please." Jaune lifted a finger. "Name one time he's 'bullied' me."

"He knocked your books out of your hands this morning!"

"He bumped into me," Jaune tried to explain. "I'm sure it was an accident."

"He got your shield stuck in the door two days before," Pyrrha pointed out.

"It can be finicky sometimes."

Even Ren felt compelled to speak with disapproval, appearing more stern than stoic. "He stuffed you in a locker and launched it to a random location."

Activity at their table halted with all eyes in the vicinity locking onto Jaune to broadcast pity to him.

"...I didn't land that far from the school," he defended hesitantly as if to block their stares with a statement that was nowhere near as durable as his shield. That uneasy smile did nothing to reinforce it.

Blake guessed it was that uncertainty that made Jaune such a tempting target for Cardin. She hadn't been there for his attempts at being suave as reported by her teammates so all the faunus had to go by was what she witnessed back at Ozpin's office and the weeks that followed. In a way he was a lot like Ruby in terms of his excitement and aspirations concerning the future but somewhere along the way they had become worn.

He wasn't as young as her but there was something about his boyish face that possessed a youthfulness that seemed out of place when compared to the rest of his team; even Nora. Whereas Ruby had started taking her responsibilities seriously, for Jaune it appeared as if he wasn't sure about what he should do. This bullying situation that apparently started since their first week was doing little to allow him to regain the confidence that he lost.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help you can just ask," Pyrrha spoke, her gentle tone clashing harshly with the unbeatable warrior image that tended to follow her. She noticed the change too and Blake didn't need her sensitive pair of ears to detect the verbal sign of frustration born from being unable to do anything to help him.

"Oh!" Pouncing on this opportunity, Nora leapt to her feet. There was a wide smile on her face but there was something very...malicious about it. "We'll break his legs!"

Like her smile, there was a measure of what Blake could only describe as wickedness that was mixed with that cheerful delivery. She may have been imagining it but when Ren tugged on Nora's vest to return her to her seat, his hand lingered as if to make sure she would remain where she was.

"Guys, really, it's fine." Jaune picked up his tray and stood up, clearly wanting an end to this impromptu counseling session despite insisting on maintaining an image of feeble indifference. "Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone."

As if orchestrated, there came a pained cry almost as soon as he finished. "Ow that hurts!"

The source came from the rabbit faunus. Going by the tray in her hands, she was trying her own escape but Cardin had stopped her by grabbing one of her faunus ears. Blake whirled around just in time to see him tug on the appendage, drawing the girl closer while he laughed.

"Please stop," she whimpered.

Beneath Blake's bow, a cat ear twitched.

The cruel pull on her ear forced a painful tilt of her head. The cry of agony she wished to make in response and the plea to tell them to stop was choked off by her scarf-like collar that was pressed tight against her throat due to the grip her other attacker had on it to keep her from running. She struggled even if it was in vain, her efforts accomplishing nothing other than to have the cloth constrict further to cut off her breath.

A trickle of blood dropped down her face from the cut that the well-placed stone had opened at her forehead. It mixed with her tears as she cried due to this suffering that she couldn't understand the origin of and the helplessness at being unable to do anything about it.

Even amidst this torment her hearing picked up the disgusted comment that was directed at her. "What a freak!"

"What a freak!"

Blake felt a tightness at her throat but it wasn't an external obstruction that was the cause as it was internal in response to Russel's insult and the sight she was bearing witness to. She was about to rise. Whatever she would do afterwards, whatever may happen once she crossed over, she had no idea but the burning anger promised that something will occur that will lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Fortunately for Cardin, he chose that moment to let go. The bunny girl immediately stepped back and fled. The laughter of her tormenters followed after her and the faunus bowed her head. She tried to hide her face but Blake caught the twinkling of tears between her fingers when she went by.

"Atrocious." Pyrrha had been tracking the faunus and as soon as she was in the clear a look of disgust came across her face, her lips forming a scowl that was more befitting of an armored Spartan. "I can't stand people like him."

Blake maintained her observation of her fellow faunus who dumped her tray at the nearby trash can. Her long brown hair trailing behind her, the girl rushed out through the exit and Blake was able to see her turn left before the door closed to cut her off from view. By then she was able to speak and nearly growled out, "He's not the only one."

Yang rested her cheek in her palm, using her arm as a prop. She was staring thoughtfully at the door that the faunus had went through. "It must be hard being a faunus."

You have no idea. Blake gave the blonde a glance and then took in everyone else at the table. Jaune had left to clean his own plate and Pyrrha had gone back to being distressed about his situation with Ruby sympathetic to her plight. Ren sipped at his coffee, expression unreadable while Nora became occupied with whatever tune was going through her head and having it bounce from side-to-side.

As for Weiss...

The heiress had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal to file her nails. At some point she had laid the tool down and, to Blake's surprise, saw that her attention was currently at the double-doors where the rabbit faunus had disappeared.

But there was no sympathy. When she eventually went back to filing her nails, Blake caught the remnant of something that was the complete opposite: the turned-up nose of disdain. Not for a second did Blake believe that it was meant for Cardin.

...Nothing's different.

They can say what they want but they refuse to do anything. When it's one of their own, they offer and do what they can if they're in trouble. But when it is one of them, they sit back and watch but don't interfere no matter how much they dispute the morality of what they see. For those such as the Schnee heiress, their arrogant sense of superiority is justified by seeing the willful abuse of a lesser race.

Blake was exempt because nobody knew the truth. She was enjoying her school life with the lie that she was human whereas faunus such as that girl she now saw remained as outcasts. Beacon may accept the faunus, but the rules that an unfair society had established were the same.

Where is her team? Blake wondered. Why was Cardin able to have her surrounded and helpless to his whims? Had the rabbit faunus been abandoned by them? Left to fend for herself? Alone?

Blake wasn't going to remain negligent. She may be pretending to be one of them but she wasn't going to become them. She gathered up her books. At some point Yang had left with Blake noticing her absence when she stood up to leave. She gave her friends a quick goodbye and then made her way to the exit.

She could guess where her fellow faunus had chosen as her destination. She had gone left which would lead her to the restrooms. There was the chance that the girl could've decided to seek out the sanctuary of her dorm or gone to her next class but she doubted it when a nearby bathroom stall would do just fine in supplying her with privacy to let out those tears.

There was the question of what Blake would do if she found her. Talk to her obviously but what could she possibly say? That humans weren't all bad? That there were some good people out there?

She may as well be lying. It wasn't a human who was seeking to comfort her but a faunus who was disguised as one to avoid exactly what happened in the cafeteria. Any attempts at befriending her would also carry a measure of deceit unless Blake was willing to reveal her secret.

And what would that do? she asked herself. All it would prove is that faunus can only rely on other faunus and that any friendly interactions with humans are accomplished with lies.

Blake's hold on her books slackened with the slumping of her shoulders. It hadn't just been the White Fang and Adam that she abandoned. Time and time again she ran into these situations with the reasoning that one of them wouldn't lead to a dead end that would have her crashing and sprawled out on the floor. Seventeen years and there was no change.

For seventeen years she clutched onto that dream of equality. As long as she could remember, she had willingly carried it around throughout her childhood, keeping it protected against the insults and the stones with the use of her body and mind in the hopes that when she let go it was to see it spread to human and faunus alike.

She wasn't sure when it happened. It may've occurred on the train when she left, perhaps days before when she decided to leave, maybe the weeks and months she found herself thinking about it, or had it been when she had first given in to violence years ago? All she knew was that when she did look down she saw that that dream had turned to dust and slipped through her fingers without her noticing.

That was when she gave up trying to change things. Her goal to be a Huntress was formed with the idea of repentance and a selfish decision to stick to getting by in the world and let it sort out its own issues without her. She was still willing to try to ease the suffering of the victims, maybe give them advice based on her own personal knowledge, but she couldn't give them a dream that she lost. They would have to find their own way to get by instead.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The voice wasn't directed at her but Blake froze as if she had been caught in the process of a crime. Without thinking she pressed herself up against the side of the hall, clamping her mouth shut and holding her breath.

"I-uh-well, you see...," came an awkward response.

Blake recognized the voices but her sudden, unexplainable need for stealth kept her from stepping around and revealing herself to them. She drew away about an inch, enough to prevent any sound that would come from her coat tails brushing against the wall but not enough to break away from cover. Her steps became light to avoid the clicking of her heels as she moved to peek around the corner.

"There's a line between being confident and being a pervert," Yang spoke again. "And you're pushing it."

"It's not what you think!" Jaune had his hands high above his head which shook vehemently to deny the accusation.

"So you weren't about to go in the girls' bathroom?" Yang had a quirked brow and arms folded but the humored grin and how she casually leaned on one foot didn't exude a threatening aura.

Blond and blonde were positioned in front of the restrooms with them drawn towards the door meant for the female persuasion. Jaune was stuck in the middle of that and Yang with a twitch in either direction having him drawing too close to either for his liking which would get him to jerk to the other, repeating the process. The brawler gave him a bit of room although it was clear that she had been enjoying the show.

"I wasn't going to go in," Jaune replied, lowering his arms but not all the way to prove that he wasn't intending to do anything illicit despite Yang's teasing. "I was going to open the door a little and try to persuade her to come out, that's all!"

"Uh huh." Yang let the boy squirm a bit more under her gaze before it eventually slid to the restroom. The grin died and her forehead creased with concern. "Is she in there?"

The question served to invoke a similar reaction from the leader of JNPR. He stepped away from the door. "I think she is. I heard someone crying but it stopped as soon as I got here."

Yang nodded. "She probably heard you coming." She didn't explain how or utter a mean-spirited remark about it. Instead, the blonde unfolded her arms and moved towards the door. "I'll see if she's there. Wait here for a moment."

"Okay."

Blake watched her partner disappear into the restroom, leaving Jaune to act as a lookout. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and it was probably a lack of something to do rather than detecting the faunus that had him scanning the vicinity. Blake dipped back so as not to be seen.

What were they doing? She mentally counted to five before daring to resume looking.

Visually confirming that no one around seemed to put Jaune at ease to try and satisfy his curiosity by pressing his ear against the door, being cautious so as not to have it swinging inwards. With him preoccupied, Blake considered it safe enough to lean further out, her faunus ears straining against their cloth covering. Their sensitivity made up for the distance that separated her from the room enough for her to know that there was something going on but any sound was basically incomprehensible.

That changed a minute later. Without warning there came a loud bang followed by a terrified shriek that had Jaune leaping away from the door. The conflict that played across his face was similar to the internal battle that Blake was experiencing when next came the sound of muffled weeping.

The only reason that Blake didn't charge in right then and there was another sound that was nearly drowned out by the sobs: a gentle, soothing noise that became easier to make out when the sobs lowered in volume. The seconds passed and while both started to quiet down, they grew louder at the same time with the plausible explanation for that being that the speakers were...

The restroom was opened and out stepped Yang. Her chin was lowered as if to better bring her mouth to speak directly into the furry ears that drooped in such a way that they partially hid the face of the person who she had an arm slung around.

Blake didn't need to see it to recognize the rabbit faunus. She was tiny in comparison to Yang and how she was attempting to shrink in upon herself succeeded in making it appear as if she was about to melt into the blonde's side. In stark contrast to her own formidable appearance when in her combat clothes, Yang was handling the girl as if afraid that she was going to fall apart at any moment. The arm she had around her was gentle but firm.

The sobs heard earlier had reduced to sniffles but the tears continued falling from the wells that were her brown eyes. With head turned away from Yang in equal parts of embarrassment and shame, the girl wiped at them to try and dry them. Upon sighting Jaune, those same eyes widened and the faunus struggled against Yang's grip to get away from what seemed like her being surrounded.

"Hey, hey," came Yang's soft voice. The arm tightened around the girl but just enough to keep her in place. "It's okay; he's a friend. We're here to help you." She gave Jaune a motion of her head, directing him to the scared faunus.

The boy stood there, speechless, and the encouragement got him to act. He held out a hand to the girl awkwardly but spoke compassionately. "Hello. My name's Jaune Arc."

Awkward or not, the girl flinched at the proffered hand as if expecting it to lash out at her, the shudder coursing through those rabbit ears a hint to how she was thinking it would do so. Finding herself unable to escape from Yang's grasp, she buried her head as if seeking to disappear within the folds of the blonde's jacket. She trembled in time with her shaky breaths.

Jaune's hand stayed out but it was clear that he wasn't sure how to proceed. He tried to locate help from Yang who gave him a reassuring nod and he translated it as to remain exactly where he was.

Eventually the girl removed her face from the leather to land a red-rimmed eye on Jaune. She refused to take his hand but after a moment she meekly spoke, "Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina."

There was a delay meant for Jaune to decipher what was said and, recognizing it as a name, he smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Velvet." He drew his hand back and something dawned on him. "Oh, uh, actually...we have the same class don't we? Professor Oobleck's?"

The other chocolate brown came out from the depths of Yang's clothing to better focus on Jaune. A measure of thoughtfulness broke through the suspicion that was playing across the glassy surfaces and the girl - Velvet - nodded hesitantly. "Yes, we do."

"Well that's good," Yang cut in smoothly, pleased with the exchange. "Jaune, I was offering to take Velvet here to her course with Professor Peach. I don't have any other classes that are near hers so maybe you two could meet up to go to your history class together?"

Jaune was put off by the proposal and the shadow of doubt that had repeatedly eclipsed his too-youthful features since his appointment to leadership crossed over them again. However, upon looking to Velvet and seeing the hanging bunny ears and her nervousness, the doubt was chased away by resolve rekindled. "Sure. I can do that."

"Always knew you were dependable." Yang shifted back to Velvet and gave the faunus a comforting squeeze. "And you can depend on my boy Jaune to keep you company. You'll be in good hands, I promise."

In spite of lingering misgivings, Velvet had been gradually drifting away from Yang's one-armed embrace with her ears matching it by rising a bit higher. She wasn't staring directly at Jaune but the reason seemed to be out of embarrassment instead of fear. Nevertheless, her next words were definitely for him as much as they were for Yang. "Thank you."

"Hey, it's no sweat." The thanks seemed to stoke Jaune's confidence enough that his chest puffed out a bit as he proudly proclaimed, "Whenever there's a lovely lady in need, Jaune Arc's ready to serve their every need!"

Those lengthy appendages sprung all the way up and now Velvet was giving Jaune a wide-eyed stare of astonishment. A second later, a giggle slipped through her lips and a pinkish hue painted her cheeks.

Yang rolled her eyes but a smirk was present. "Alright, slow it down there lover-boy." She gently guided Velvet to follow her. "Come on Velvet; lunch is about over and my class isn't that close to yours."

The faunus didn't offer any kind of resistance, willingly following the blonde. She did pause and then she was turning around to give Jaune a timid wave which was gladly returned.

Blake had stood where she was the whole time, completely enraptured by what she had just witnessed. Even when Yang and Velvet vanished from sight, the onyx-haired girl stared at where she last saw them.

With his back turned in her direction, Jaune was doing the same. He suddenly stiffened. "Oh man, I need to change!"

He spun around and while Blake was able to drop out of sight, his speedy footsteps had him nearly running into her before she could vacate the area entirely. She was at least quick enough to avoid a collision by giving Jaune that extra yard that was needed for him to register the unexpected presence and stop albeit nearly falling over with the abruptness and his arms pin wheeled comically in order to prevent it.

"Blake!" he registered as soon as he straightened. His head whipped around to where he came from and then back to her. "What are you doing here?"

If Blake hadn't been privy to what had gone on, Jaune's actions would've been suspicious with how he shuffled over to block Blake off from going further with poorly-disguised glances still being sent behind him. Yang and Velvet should be leaving the building entirely at this point but he seemed intent to impede her progress.

Blake wasn't sure how she should feel about that. On the one hand, Jaune may be doing this partially because he wasn't sure how she would react if she saw Velvet. Ironic considering what she was. On the other hand, Jaune definitely had to be doing this to prevent any further awkwardness if another person came upon the shy and tearful rabbit faunus.

The rationale served to stun Blake, delaying the response she finally managed to utter. "I was going to the restrooms." She craned her head, the motion for show and to manipulate Jaune into making another shift to obstruct her. "Is there something wrong?"

The quick bark of laughter was painfully strained as the boy failed to pass off her question as a ridiculous thing. "W-what? No, nothing's wrong! Nothing at all!" He nearly stumbled over his own feet to get around her. "Go on ahead and do your…do your thing, yeah!"

"Jaune."

He hardly got far before Blake's call had him pause and rotating to find that she had done the same. He grinned anxiously. "Yes?"

"I saw what you and Yang did for Velvet."

"Oh…you did?"

Blake nodded, expression unreadable which contributed to getting Jaune fidgeting and his grin faltering. Deciding to spare him she spoke, "That was very nice of you. I'm sure it meant a lot to her to have you two help her like you did."

Hearing that had Jaune visibly relaxing now that her opinion was out in the open. "I hope it did. I mean…" He hesitated, seeming to struggle before ultimately admitting, "I know how much of a jerk Cardin can be so I understood how she felt."

"Is that all?"

He was taken aback by that, blinking dubiously. "Is that…all?"

Seeking out to help someone was a noble goal but, given her experiences, Blake had learned to be attentive to the means rather than the ends. If Jaune's readiness to comfort Velvet was influenced by seeing a comrade against a common enemy, then the act lost the virtue that people can be mistakenly drawn to. It was a clever trap that Blake had fallen into and one that she could perceive here as well.

"Velvet's a Huntress-in-training," she continued and she knew how her words were sounding like criticism. "I'm sure she's here because she has her own exceptional skills that can be refined to make her a powerful individual. She has her own team that'll assist her if she needs it."

Her own kind. Blake didn't say it outright but it was on her mind as she spoke out these points.

It was those points that had Jaune withdrawing on himself, those baby blue eyes becoming downcast and flicking from side-to-side as if able to visually review the words that had been spoken to him. Blake admittedly felt bad about voicing them but knew that they were legitimate. Jaune may not see the situation the way she did but, really, that in itself was a problem: that of gullibility. It led to misunderstandings that could lead you astray and put you on a path with a heavy fog obscuring the destination. You can start on it with confidence, thinking that all you had to do was keep going straight and you would be fine, but when the fog cleared you found yourself knee-deep in something that you didn't want but couldn't turn back from now with how it clung to you.

It was best that people left each other be; leave them to their own groups with their own problems. Let them fix it for themselves rather than be swayed by outsiders.

"But they weren't there." Jaune met Blake's gaze and it was the faunus's turn to be taken off guard when that resolve that she witnessed a moment ago returned to give him a discernable maturity on those boyish features. "They weren't there to help her and I couldn't just stand by and leave her alone to cry. At the very least, I wanted her to know that not everyone is like Cardin; that there are good people in the world."

Somewhere deep inside, something stirred. Something once thought dead, buried, and rotted. Residual life granted it the ability to catch the words and it shook against its entombment.

It lasted a second and then it stilled but not before Blake recognized something hauntingly familiar about it. It left her momentarily mute, any plans for a reasonable rebuttal absent. All that she could say to Jaune was, "You didn't know her. Why would you care about someone who's a stranger to you?"

JNPR's leader shrugged, a sheepish smile more befitting to him appearing. "Why shouldn't I? Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet after all."

---

Jaune's leaving began a process that had the RWBY-JNPR table losing its members by the minute. A hand on her back had Ruby looking to see her sister on her feet. A raised brow of silent question was responded to with a wink and a thumbs-up which Ruby recognized as Yang being up to something. A ruffling of her red-black hair later and Yang was gone, leaving Ruby to smooth out her tresses and sticking out her tongue at her sibling.

Blake followed soon after, offering a quick goodbye and nothing else. Ruby watched her go as well but seeing another piece of evidence of her teammate's growing reclusiveness had the young leader sending a troubled look at their stealthier member.

She was aware of Blake drifting further away from them as time went on and it had actually come as unexpected to Ruby. Sure, when they met Blake had been a rather mysterious individual who said and did little but Ruby was under the impression that they got over that little hurdle after their initiation. That discussion they had at Ozpin's office, while depressing, was informative and Ruby saw it as Blake willing to open up to them now that they were teammates instead of strangers who had awkward meetings.

The next day reinforced that with the fun they shared as Team RWBY. Blake had been smiling and going along with them and everything seemed fine. What changed between then and now? These days when Ruby saw Blake it was similar to that night at the ballroom that served as the site for the first years' 'sleep over': seated at a corner, a book in hand, and seeking to separate herself from everyone else.

"Don't worry too much about it," Yang spoke, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"How can I not worry about it?" Ruby asked, visibly frustrated but welcoming her sister's touch all the same. She stomped her foot. "I'm team leader! If something's wrong with one of my teammates I need to find out what's wrong and figure out how to fix it for the good of the team!"

"And she's my partner." The blonde squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Look, I'm sure she's just a bit stressed from all the work we've been put through recently; especially you."

That night when Ruby fell asleep during her studying had not been a one-time thing. As a leader, Ruby did have courses meant to develop her position such as small unit tactics and maneuvers to broaden her thinking to the point that it would become natural to take her teammates' abilities into account and how they supplemented one another instead of solely thinking about what she could do. They were mentally taxing as it is but combined with her regular classes the opening weeks had been particularly harsh on her.

She refused to be pitied on though. "I'm fine! I'm not a baby anymore!"

Yang smiled, the expression carrying the same amount of tenderness and a hint of pride. "I know; you're our leader. And as a leader you should have some faith in your teammates, especially when one of them is me. I'll keep an eye on Blake and if it really proves to be something that can't be settled with just the two of us you'll be the first to know."

Ruby frowned but couldn't find anything disagreeable with the logic or the plan that had just been presented to her. She sighed. "Fine. Promise that you'll tell me if something's wrong, okay?"

"I promise." After a second squeeze Yang removed her hand. "Besides, I believe you have your own partner to worry about."

Pyrrha's departure from the table – to find Jaune if Ruby had to guess - made that particular obstacle more apparent. With no one else sitting near her, there was nothing to deter Ruby's attention to the white-haired heiress next to her. Having considered her nails perfectly shaped, Weiss traded her filer for the apple that she bit into.

Unlike Blake, a relationship with Weiss Schnee remained rocky even after their initiation which came to the boiling point at Professor Port's classroom. The vehemence which Weiss struck out at her with during and after their lesson had succeeded in planting the seeds of doubt within young Ruby when it came to her arrangement as leader.

With some friendly words from Ozpin, it ended up opening her eyes. Coming to Beacon had been her lifelong dream and doing so two years early with Yang no less had filled her with anticipation…and perhaps a bit of hubris. The recognition of her skills by the headmaster and premature acceptance led her to overconfidence that had her relishing her position a bit too much. Weiss's angry judgment as being unfit for leadership had been a rude wake-up call.

Ozpin gave her direction. Her title as team leader wasn't meant for showing off but to be carried with pride and enforced by her working at her best. If she wasn't always performing at her peak, what reason did others have to follow her?

When she went back to their dorm, Ruby sought to prove to Weiss that there was nothing to fear with following her. What she expected to take a lot of work ended up sorting itself out when she accidentally fell asleep in the middle of her studies and Weiss catching her in the act. Making up with Weiss wasn't an okay for her to go back to goofing off of course and, if anything, Ruby wanted to be sure that her partner's confidence in her abilities would not go unfounded.

To her delight, Weiss didn't stop at retrieving a needed batch of caffeine either to help her leader. Ruby knew she was great when it came to fighting but studying…not so much. It was just a pain to sit around reading about history or studying the anatomy of the Grimm when a heavy-caliber round to the head or a crescent-shaped blade across the throat was all that was needed for a Huntress to take care of what any obstacles may cross her path. Well, usually.

Fortunately, Weiss's knack for the academics went a long way to assisting Ruby and she owed the heiress loads of thanks. The red-themed girl just wished that it wasn't their study sessions that was all that Weiss was inclined to spend with her – albeit with her usual huffs and eye-rolls that tended to come with some of Ruby's floundering when posed with a difficult question.

Watching her partner eat, Ruby waited until she swallowed a bite before speaking up. "Hey, Weiss?"

Weiss hummed questionably to show that she was listening but offered nothing else; not even bringing Ruby into her sight. The young leader fended off the prickling of disappointment, instead choosing to venture on with, "Since we've been getting some free time, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out. Maybe later we can…um…"

…Oh crap. Try to spend some time with Weiss and don't even have an activity planned. Great display of leadership, Rubes. Deciding that a specific activity wasn't entirely necessary, Ruby continued, "Well, I don't know what we can do exactly, but we could take an airship to Vale later and find something to do! Maybe replenish our school supplies or…you know, whatever may come to mind while we're out."

The heiress spared her from her standard responses of slight annoyance. In fact, Weiss appeared almost as if she was considering it with how the chewing slowed and there came a slight furrow of her scarred brow. Finally she shook her head but still didn't face Ruby. "I can't. We have our field trip with Goodwitch coming up so it'd be wise if we used the time to collect sources and references for Port's assigned essay."

"But that isn't due for three weeks!" Ruby protested. Granted, Weiss tended to apply extra effort when it came to Grimm Studies in particular for whatever reason but that was absurd.

That outburst got a reaction in the form of a look loaded with disapproval. "Three weeks that can fly right by when you take into account our other classes. We'll barely have a chance to do anything on the day of our trip to Forever Fall and we have our theoretical paper on Aura on top of that to prepare for."

Ruby pouted. Weiss had a valid claim but, still, she didn't see why they couldn't relax for a day. Not even that; a few hours would do. Things had been hectic earlier and all the time that Ruby wasn't in a lecture hall or an arena had been devoted to her schoolwork. Things have started to calm down though and while Ruby had no intentions of slacking off, she couldn't see why they couldn't have some fun during these breaks.

As if reading her thoughts, Weiss shook her head. "We can't allow ourselves to get complacent, Ruby. This is an opportunity to better establish our standing. What kind of best teammate would I be if I let you falter when now's the perfect time to strike?"

She sounded like a soldier preparing for battle. Ruby had initially admired her dedication and such talk had proven to be motivating - and kind of cool, if she had to admit - but today it was more frustrating than anything else.

It was hard to dissuade Weiss from anything when she got like this though and Ruby liked to think that, deep down, she was watching out for the team in her own way. "Fine," she spoke dejectedly.

Ignorant of her leader's attitude, Weiss stood up from her seat. "Good. We can't do it today but tomorrow we can head to the library. I'll access the school's inventory with my scroll and prepare a few selections that'll work for us." Ruby let her silence act as her reply and Weiss took it as a confirmation. "I'll see you later."

"See ya," Ruby responded with the same lack of enthusiasm, not that the heiress registered it.

Soon all that Ruby had to turn to were the chocolate chip cookies that were on her plate. Picking one up, she promptly shoved it in her mouth and bit down. It was no good; the baked good of crumbly and chocolaty deliciousness was inadequate in terms of providing suitable enjoyment.

Having the best teammate was all well and good, but what Ruby wanted was a friend.

A previously outrageous idea when it came to the Schnee heiress considering that she had wanted nothing to do with Ruby but she tried. In turn, Ruby thought she only needed Yang but the desire to fix her own blunders that left Weiss mad had somehow evolved in a need to acquire her respect and to get her to know that there was more to Ruby Rose other than Crater Face. She believed that she had Weiss's respect but friendship she saw as an elusive thing.

She had Yang though, and Blake, and the entirety of JNPR. She'd think that that would be fine and she could live with Weiss as a dedicated comrade instead of a friend but found that she couldn't. She wanted their partnership to be more than that.

She wasn't being selfish. While the bond thing sounded awesome, she wasn't going to let it just be about that between her and Weiss. Truthfully, she was fine about not sharing her Aura with Weiss if it meant sharing some good memories instead.

Ruby dipped a hand, the rustling of paper announcing the appearance of a folded note that the young leader opened and held up to read the contents. The tips of her lips went up but there came a hint of sadness in her silver eyes.

Lati, she reminisced wistfully. Aveline, Sven, Jake, Dante…

She wouldn't trade her early acceptance into Beacon for anything. Nonetheless, the letter that updated her on her friends' status at Signal…sucked. She could see them during breaks and planned visits into Vale, but not having them here with her for two years where they could share jokes and laugh and entertain themselves during downtime hurt.

If Yang was here she would probably make a joke about the 'Ice Princess' being too cold to know anything about that. Ruby knew there was another side of her partner that she kept wrapped up. Her secret want for bunk beds was a clue and, recently, the talk of the Vytal Festival would have an unusually wide smile on her face before she got it under control as if afraid to let it show.

Problem was that Ruby's attempts to draw that side of Weiss out had ended exactly as they did here: the heiress resisting and emphasizing on their need for studying. Ruby wasn't trying to replace her friends. There was just something about Weiss that drew the cloaked girl to her and want to get her to open up; a reluctance that had the snow-haired girl holding back from merriment for whatever reason that Ruby couldn't pinpoint. Everyone else was friendly and enjoyed each other's company but Weiss was as reclusive as Blake was becoming.

Ruby would let Yang deal with her partner, but she had no idea how to do the same with her own. She supposed she could try ordering Weiss to relax although she had a suspicion that that would result in backfiring. Exhaling audibly, Ruby put the letter away - and nearly jolted right out of her seat. "Gah!"

Nora had slid down the table while Ruby had been distracted to position herself directly across from her. When Ruby dropped the letter, it was to see the hammer-wielder having lied down across the table so that her face was little more than a foot away from Ruby's. That was actually not the strangest thing about Nora's position; that would be her lying upside down. And she was frowning while turquoise orbs gazed intently on Ruby.

"Er…" Ruby tipped backwards to try and get some space albeit not much unless she wanted to fall out of her seat. Nora's stare made her tense. "Nora, what are you doing?"

The frown didn't go away but Nora's response was bright and chirpy. "Turning some frowns upside down!"

"O…kay." She said it but it took her a moment to register what Nora was getting at. When she did, Ruby couldn't stop herself from smiling at this latest antic.

Nora let out a disappointed "Aaaw…" before rolling back over and adopting a proper seating position, her frown switching as well.

As kooky as Nora was, Ruby liked her. Nothing ever seemed to get to her and the young leader commended her for her constant cheerfulness. To put it bluntly, she was fun and Ruby could always count on her to lighten up the situation as she was currently doing.

Actually… Ruby glanced down the table and realized that Ren was missing. A rare thing as the two of them were practically inseparable unless their schedules conflicted.

"So what's got you down, Ruby my friend?" Nora asked. Taking advantage of the extra room with everyone gone, the girl gripped the bench seat beneath her to better sway left and right like a metronome.

Ruby's eyes similarly moved to follow her body, idly wondering if it was having a hypnotic effect on her as she felt compelled to speak. "It's Weiss."

"Hm." Nora didn't let up but her face scrunching up in deliberation was noticeable. "Weiss, ice, nice, dice, slice…"

"…Huh?"

"So what about your partner?" she asked gleefully.

Choosing to ignore whatever it was that she had been going on about, Ruby explained, "I suppose there's nothing wrong with her being my partner. She's really smart, a strong fighter, and she's been helping me a lot when it comes to our assignments." Fondness sought to dominate her features but was quickly discouraged. "But it would be nice if it wasn't just that between us. Other than that, we don't hang out or really do anything else together."

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." Nora bobbed her head with each utterance. "So she's a bad friend."

"What? No!" Ruby shook her own fiercely. "Nothing like that! I mean, she can't really be a bad friend when I'm not even sure we are friends."

That persuaded Nora to sit still and examine the depressing expression that the scythe-wielder possessed whose chin dipped so she could to stare forlornly at the table's surface. "So you're trying to get her to be your friend." Her bright smile somehow got brighter. "Well that shouldn't be a problem!"

Considering that Ruby had just been going over how much of a problem it was, Nora's boasting did little to sway her otherwise. Doubtful, she replied, "Easier said than done. This is Weiss Schnee we're talking about; crazy rich and famous. I don't even have a clue as to what kind of life that's like."

Coming from a modest upbringing, Ruby could only wonder what it was like to being able to have anything you wanted and be admired for it. She may not know the specifics but guessed that Weiss had some kind of humongous mansion to go home to, an army of servants to order around, and closets full of fancy dresses for lavish dinners. You know; rich people stuff.

Nora actually seemed surprised at Ruby's statement and even slightly miffed. "That's why I'm offering to help you, silly!" She pounded a fist against her chest, head held high. "I know what she's like! After all, I'm Nora Valkyrie!"

Ruby stared wordlessly at her as an awkward silence came over the two of them that was broken up by the surrounding students who went on with their lunch. Getting no reaction, Nora glanced at Ruby then - with another chest pound and an extra inch of tilt to her chin – repeated, "Nora Valkyrie!"

Still nothing. Well, Ruby did cock her head to the side and lower her brows but that was to convey puzzlement, not recognition.

There came another flash of turquoise that took it all in. "Valkyrie. Like, Valkyrie Shipping and Transportation?" At Ruby's helpless shrug, Nora frowned for a second before wiping it away with not just a whimsical grin but a tune as well. "By track, sea, road, or air, if you need it delivered we'll get it there!"

It was catchy but despite that and how Nora threw in some moves to go with it – standing up on her seat and holding her hand above her eyes like a sailor peering at the horizon, gripping an invisible steering wheel, and ending it with one leg raised and arms spread out to imitate an airship -, it proved unhelpful. Remaining standing, Nora planted her hands on her hips and explained, "My daddy owns the largest shipping and delivery company in Remnant. Well, he does now since he took over Hoffa Hand Deliveries."

Maybe her lifestyle was a bit too modest. When she met Weiss, Ruby didn't have any idea as to who she was either and had gone with 'some crabby girl' whose luggage she tripped over. Coupled with this, Ruby had to think that she might be poorly detached from the going-ons of the world when it didn't involve monsters and fighting.

"Anyway!" Spinning precariously on one foot, Nora spoke, "I may not be as rich as Weiss but not by that much. That Dust's gotta get around somehow!" Halting her spin, she next lifted her arms again and kept them there to balance herself when she began walking along the cleared seat as if it were a tightrope.

No one was giving her any special attention, Ruby being no exception as she had long-since written off scenes such as this as normal. Nora could never keep herself in one place for very long, always needing to meet some hidden requirement to keep moving no matter what. Watching Nora gradually make her way to one end of the bench seat where she spun around and started moving to the other, Ruby idly wondered how she got through her professors' lectures.

When she returned to proper hearing distance, Nora continued, "Daddy always got me what I wanted and called me his little princess. Dresses, toys, candies, ponies; every day was like my birthday."

"Sounds pretty great," Ruby said as she imagined what it would be like to have her own cookie treasury or stocking up an inventory of all the custom parts and mods that she read about in her magazines and would spend her time obsessing over like what kind of sights and grips she would dress up Crescent Rose with. Her accuracy was already top-notch and she had no idea where she would put it but a laser sight might be cool.

A laser sight in the shape of a rose instead of a dot, she fantasied, the idea overriding any sense of practicality. Yep, needs to be done.

"It was," Nora confirmed, reminding Ruby of her more pressing issue. "But all of that is just stuff unless you have someone to share it with." Coming up directly across from Ruby, Nora turned fully towards her, arms dropping away to be held behind her back. "My dad and Ren's dad are like brothers and the two of us have known each other since we were little. Toys are so much better when you have someone to play with and sugar sap caramels taste sweeter when you can split half a bag instead of having it all for yourself." A moment of deliberation later and she corrected, "Well, maybe not half a bag. A third is fine…nah, a quarter; Ren never minded."

Ruby understood what Nora was getting at yet didn't see how that was something that Weiss couldn't get. Resting her cheek in the palm of her hand, Ruby spoke, "I'm sure that Weiss had a line of people wanting to be her friends."

The comment was spoken nonchalantly – a casual presumption -, but the reaction that Nora responded with wasn't so. A sheet of steel came over those blue-green pair of irises and the ever-quirked tips of her lips smoothed down to a thin line. "They are not friends."

This alarming contrast to the pink-loving girl's merry attitude surprised Ruby and a jolt that was sent through RWBY's leader had her sitting up straight.

"Those people are liars," Nora explained with a Not-Nora voice. "They're not interested in playing; just money or favors. Daddy had to deal with a lot of them. He always said that they left him alone once he gave them a new pair of shoes and some snorkeling lessons but I think even that's being too nice."

While Ruby didn't get that last part – what did shoes and snorkeling have to do with anything? -, this air of menace that exuded from Nora had her swallowing hard. She discreetly glanced to her left and right, suddenly wishing that there was someone else nearby and the other students were much too far away despite being one or two tables over in her mind.

As if a switch was flipped, Not-Nora became Nora again and the severe look was swapped with her usual radiant smile. "But you're not a liar! Once our dads let us go to combat school, Ren and I made new friends with the bestest ones having to be you guys! Jaune's funny and Pyrrhas's so so nice and I'm happy to be the N of our team! Oooh!" Her face somehow lit up further. "I should have Ren make pancakes one day. We never got the chance to really celebrate our initiation and his pancakes are outstanding! Need to make sure we have plenty of syrup though because how can you have pancakes without it?"

Mercifully, whoever happened to be watching over Ruby decided to add the chiming of the bell to discourage a resurgence of that other Nora. The cloaked girl took advantage of it, using the opportunity to inhale her last cookie and quickly get to her feet. "I'm happy to know that you consider me as a friend, but I should really get to class. Like, now."

"Oh yeah, we were talking about Weiss!" Although appearing to have disregarded the sound of the bell and Ruby's insistence on getting to class, Nora did hop off the bench seat to land on the floor and skip after Ruby. "It'll be no sweat, Rubbles! All you need to do is get to know Weiss and show her what a great friend you can be!"

"I'll make sure to take that under advisement," Ruby assured, a little wary but seeing happy, ordinary Nora put her at ease. "I do appreciate your help, Nora. Now that I think about it, I don't remember ever thanking you for letting me use that rope for our bunk beds. It's been doing a marvelous job!"

"Well of course!" Nora replied. "That rope's strong stuff; I use it all the time. Chains might've worked better but they get noisy if a person moves around too much."

Unlike Yang and Blake, Ruby didn't have any kind of items that could be used in the construction of her and Weiss's bunk beds. A quick trip across the hall to JNPR's room and a question had Nora instantly offering her own resources in the form of cords of rope that she had taken from – of all people -, Ren's luggage. When asked if it was okay, Nora just said that it was extra anyway that her partner was holding on for her.

She hadn't had the time to ask during then but seeing that she did now, Ruby questioned, "What do you use all that rope for anyway?"

It was that kind of thing you noticed. You don't know why, but during certain moments you can perceive how a second seemed to stretch longer than necessary. For Ruby, that radiance in Nora's smile diminished. It didn't move, didn't even twitch, but that in itself was odd with how frozen it was for that stretched out second.

Turning her head, Nora fixed Ruby with that odd facial gesture before patting the young girl's cheek. "Don't ask questions unless you're sure that you really want to know the answers to them." Then Magnihild's mistress was giggling. "I always wanted to say that!"

Ruby stopped but Nora didn't seem to notice as she skipped on ahead without her. Ruby would remain where she was for a full minute, pondering over how something delivered so cheerfully can sound so very threatening.

---

Jaune's words refused to go away. While he did leave once Pyrrha found them and ushered him off to the locker room to prepare for the latter half of the day, it did little to clear Blake's mind of the jumble of thoughts that occupied her mind and had been worked into a frenzy.

It would've been easier had it just been words that Blake was trying to banish. However, the live demonstration that she bore witness to kept playing over and over again.

A faunus girl scared and alone; left to wallow in her latest case of misfortune that no one had tried to assist her with. She had sought solace in her own miserable corner, blocking out the brutality of the world in favor of the darkness of her own self-pity.

It was those moments of vulnerability that could change you for the worst. Maybe not the first instance, maybe not the second or the hundredth, but, ultimately, there would come a point when even your own makeshift shelter would come crashing down whether from within or without. Then you would have to make a choice: succumb to the savagery or be a part of it with the mistaken logic that your methods justified its use.

A thousand times the cycle had repeated with no deviation. No anomaly, no exception. Until today.

"They weren't there to help her and I couldn't just stand by and leave her alone to cry. At the very least, I wanted her to know that not everyone is like Cardin; that there are good people in the world."

One for every one thousand; that was how many good people there were and that was nowhere near enough.

…No one had been there to help me.

Not a human anyway.

The math kept it in perspective for Blake. What she witnessed was an isolated incident that occurred within a controlled environment. Even if someone had been there to help her like there had been someone for Velvet that would've been one good deed that sprouted during a lifetime of suffering. And once it passed, the possibility of a repeat was absurd.

Seeing Velvet again as the day went on was proof of that.

Blake had actually recognized the rabbit faunus. Faunus students were few and far between so it was a simple matter to keep track of them. Other than Velvet – and herself of course -, there was only one other student in Professor Oobleck's class who was a faunus with the rest being human.

Jaune had been good on his promise at least. Blake had arrived early and taken a seat at one of the desks. Weiss and Pyrrha came later with the former taking a seat at the desk behind Blake while the latter took one next to her. Finally, Jaune and Velvet appeared.

The rabbit faunus followed the blond boy in, ears higher than usual but the tips still drooped. Nonetheless, it was a vast improvement to when Blake last saw her. In fact, Blake was amazed to see that Velvet's lips were slightly elevated as well and she seemed to have no reservations about sticking close to Jaune's side. It was a scene that Blake had believed to be restricted to her imaginations brought on by her books yet here it was playing right in front of her eyes.

Unfortunately, like when she closed her books, reality had to take over. While Velvet sat down at a desk in the front row right in front of her, Jaune spared a moment to exchange some words with Pyrrha. The distraction was enough for another student to take a seat beside Velvet and, seeing it occupied, Jaune chose the next desk over. There wasn't that much space separating them but Velvet appeared disappointed and her brown ears lowered another degree.

Right when class was about to begin, Cardin and Dove entered the lecture hall. All optimism was trampled beneath their feet in the form of Velvet's lengthy appendages reverting back to their original position; nearly hanging right over her face while she huddled within her seat to keep out of sight.

Cardin did glance at her and Blake did stiffen upon sighting the hints of a smirk. Whether he was debating on humiliating Velvet or not she didn't know as that was when their teacher arrived and the members of CRDL claimed their own spots with the leader taking one above and behind Jaune; a fitting position for him Blake was sure.

Seeing the danger pass, Velvet didn't hide her relief. However, her ears and form remained bowed.

Professor Bartholomew Oobleck was an example of how varied the staff of Beacon was. Glynda Goodwitch was a stereotypical stern and strict professor; cool but uncompromising when it came to maintaining order. Peter Port, in sharp contrast, favored a more grandiose approach with bad jokes and overdramatic retellings of his experiences as a Huntsman.

Oobleck was hard to pin down, and Blake did not mean that solely in the figurative sense.

"Yes, yes!" their professor cried out as he glided along the floor. Or, rather, it appeared as if he was gliding with how fast he moved; there wasn't even a twitch of his legs to signal a sudden burst of speed. "Prior to The Faunus Rights Revolution – more popularly known as The Faunus War –, humankind was quite quite adamant about centralizing faunus population in Menagerie!"

Having moments ago been standing in front of the rows of desks, their history teacher sped as a white and green blur behind his desk where a map of Remnant was held up, sporting a mess of pins, lines, and written notes. After tapping his pointer to direct the students to the location of Menagerie, he zoomed off to the side, took a sip of coffee, and was then standing in front of his desk in an instant.

"Now!" he spoke, raising the wooden pointer above his head energetically. "While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"

Not once did he remain at one point for more than two seconds. Whereas Port would pace in front of his class and sweep his arms as if to take in the entire room while Glynda would remain still but make sure her gaze would thoroughly seek out any who weren't paying attention, Oobleck would continually glide along the floor to make sure he visited every portion of his lecture hall, broken up by moments where he took a sip of coffee that was always on hand. With how many he took, Blake reasoned that he should be needing constant refills but not once did she see him take a break to do so. When she examined his desk though, she theorized that instead of a refill he just covertly snatched one of the other haphazardly placed mugs that – quite possibly – had been prefilled for his lectures when he zipped by.

Their professor's personal appearance was quite similar to the map and his desk. His white shirt wasn't fully tucked into his dark green pants and the collar was raised, a yellow tie hung slack from around his neck, and his left foot wore a brown-colored shoe while the right shoe was black. The style of his green hair can best be described as him pouring a lot of gel into it and sweeping it back in a single pass, uncaring of how messy it looked as long as it didn't fall in front of the opaque lenses of his glasses.

Such a messy attire should not be considered as him being unprepared. Far from it. In Blake's opinion, Oobleck was a professor who willingly sacrificed tidiness in his devotion to meet the day and impart his knowledge to his charges. A sign of that was how he would only remain stationary when he awaited an answer to a question he would pose to the class.

He happened to stop right in front of their row of desks for such an occurrence. "Now, have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your faunus heritage?"

Blake was as observant as he was for the results. She peeked over at the other faunus in their class – the floppy dog ears that were flat against his head hard to make out - to see him raising his hand.

Velvet was not as inclined to raise hers as fast. It was only when she saw a member of her race do so that she lifted her own albeit timidly.

The circumstances prevented Blake from doing the same but it was unanimous: there wasn't a faunus here who had been spared.

Oobleck must have chosen his position in front of Velvet for a reason because, upon sighting her hand, he tipped his head to her as a sign of sympathy before exclaiming, "Dreadful, truly dreadful! Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" After an uncharacteristically slow downing of his coffee, he cleared a few feet of space to his right. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang!"

There came a contraction of the muscles in Blake's shoulder blades at being reminded of what, exactly, happened to her group. Oobleck was spot on; it was the ignorance of humankind and their treatment of the faunus that bred the violence that dominated the actions of her former comrades. That didn't mean it made it right and Blake knew that too but what did people expect to happen?

She found herself analyzing the map of Remnant and that spot of land that was Menagerie. Unlike the other, larger continents that spanned across the mass of Remnant and were the site of the four kingdoms, Menagerie was one of the smallest bits of land to be found on the map. It was also the furthest away from the central gathering of most of those human capitals.

"They tried to banish us to some Godforsaken wasteland!" he snarled, the red detailing of his mask glowing intensely. "The only reason any of them stopped was because we made them!"

A chill ran down Blake's spine at the memory no matter how true the claim was. Menagerie was everything that humanity could've asked for to keep the faunus out of sight and out of mind. Surrounded by the sea and removed from the standard trade routes that humans shared with one another to this day, the faunus would be completely cut off and left to fend for themselves. So desperate to rid themselves of this minority, they had, as Oobleck said, been 'quite adamant' about 'centralizing' the faunus population to it.

It was humanity's ignorance that led them to thinking that the faunus would let them do so without a fight. When they did fight back, it was arrogance that had the humans losing.

"Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" Shortly after asking, Oobleck directed his attention up. "Yes?"

"The battle at Fort Castle," Weiss replied matter-of-factly.

"Precisely!" Oobleck confirmed, slapping his pointer against his desk which he had miraculously returned to. "And who can tell me the advantage the faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

"Hey."

Blake had forgotten about Jaune and it was her second pair of ears that let her catch the groggy syllable that was obviously not meant to be taken as him volunteering with how the blond lurched back in his seat when Oobleck was in front of him in a moment. "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?"

"Uh…" Jaune started uncertainly. "The answer…the advantage…"

The sluggish repeating of the question was a dead giveaway and someone else picked up on it. Next to Blake, Pyrrha audibly cleared her throat in order to get her leader's attention. Once she had it she pointed to her eyes while silently mouthing 'night vision'. When that didn't seem to click, she formed circles with her fingers and held them in front of her face.

She had his attention and Blake wondered if Oobleck truly didn't realize how Jaune was plainly looking over his shoulder in order to see his partner and her hints. In the end, it didn't matter. "Binoculars!"

The ridiculous answer coerced a round of giggles and chuckles from his fellow classmates. A particularly nasally laugh that was followed with the pounding of a fist had Blake seeking the source and a sneaking suspicion coming to mind when she found Cardin appearing quite pleased with himself.

"Very funny, Mr. Arc," Oobleck spoke after a disappointed sip of his coffee and a shot back to his desk. With Cardin's laugh lingering, he set his sights on the other team leader. "Cardin, perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject."

"Well," Cardin spoke lazily with feet propped up on his desk, "I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."

Blake bristled.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you Cardin?" Pyrrha asked in disapproval.

Cardin sent her a glare across the open space between them. "What, you got a problem?"

Pyrrha ignored the challenge, making it a point to turn away from him to address Oobleck. "No, I have the answer: its night vision. Many faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark."

Blake was ready to leave it at that but with Cardin's comment stuck in her mind and seeing how aggravated he became at Pyrrha's answer, she couldn't prevent herself from disgracing him as she added, "General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched and the general was captured."

Her professor was nodding his head in what Blake knew was approval but she translated it as encouragement. Remembering how Cardin had humiliated Velvet and how he didn't stop, Blake smirked at him. "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

That got a reaction. Dropping his feet from the desk, Cardin stood up and turned his glare on Blake. His hands clenched into fists and rage colored his features.

"Mr. Winchester," Oobleck intervened. "Please take your seat. You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class."

As thick-headed as Cardin was, even he wouldn't defy a staff member. After sticking his angry stare onto Blake for a little longer, he returned to his seat.

That was for Velvet.

There came a soft touch at Blake's arm. "Hey, are you alright?"

It was then that Blake noticed that while Cardin had turned away, she continued glowering at him. It was not just that she relaxed either as she found herself loosening fingers that had curled into fists similar to Cardin's. "I'm fine."

Pyrrha brows knitted with concern. "Are you sure?"

Truthfully, Blake would've felt better if Cardin had ignored Oobleck. She had taken pleasure in humiliating him just as he did to Velvet but that hadn't been enough. When he stood up to pick a fight, the faunus had been ready to meet him. She would've made him regret everything he had done to Velvet and any other faunus who he disrespected. She didn't have Gambol Shroud but taking him down with her bare hands would've been better anyway…and more satisfying.

She wasn't going to tell Pyrrha that and Blake reeled herself in. "I'm sure."

Still unconvinced, Pyrrha gently said, "Look, I know Cardin deserved that but you shouldn't let him get to you."

Blake chose not to reply and brought her attention back to their lesson. She knew Pyrrha was still concerned about her but, eventually, the redhead joined her. Unfortunately, it wasn't long until Blake found Velvet's subdued form at the forefront of her vision.

One good deed can't correct a lifetime of being at the receiving end of wrongdoings. Jaune and Yang had helped Velvet but she was still scared, still distrustful. With Cardin always around to remind her of what she's being put through because of what she is, Velvet can't possibly see humans in the same light as she did with her own kind.

As kindhearted as she was, Pyrrha didn't understand. Sooner or later, they'll get to you. They'll keep going and going, taking your reluctance to fight back as consent that what they were doing was appropriate.

The only time that they'll stop is when you decide to make them.

The rest of their class ended without any more trouble. Upon hearing the bell, students gathered up their books and notes before crowding to the exits except for Cardin and Jaune. With Pyrrha mentioning she was going to wait behind and Weiss nowhere in sight, Blake left the hall by herself, an objective in mind.

While Velvet remained bowed, her rabbit ears were easy to see over the heads of the other students even when not at their full height and Blake effortlessly followed her. She still wanted to talk to the other faunus yet she still wasn't sure what she should say. She hoped that when the crowd of students dispersed throughout the halls and give her a suitable chance to speak with her, it would allow her to think of something.

It didn't. Instead, she found something else to worry about.

Pyrrha may've felt a responsibility to wait for her leader, but Dove Bronzewing didn't share it. Nor did he apparently need his leader to urge him to do some mischief. When the students cleared, Blake caught sight of Dove and how he seemed to have an interest in Velvet.

They won't stop…

That desire that Cardin had influenced a moment ago came back with a vengeance when Blake spotted the grin that the boy possessed at seeing the tiny rabbit faunus. He quickened his pace, eager to come up on the unsuspecting Velvet.

Blake went to intercept, her pulse racing.

There came a pounding between both sets of her ears as she stared down at the body that lied at her feet. Breathing heavily, she tightly gripped the wooden shaft of her sign that had been broken in two with the missing piece lying on the other side of her fallen attacker. There was the salt of her tears and the coppery taste of blood on her lips, mixing together and doing little to halt the nauseous churning of her stomach. Her grip weakened, her symbol of peace-turned weapon slipping through now limp fingers and leaving behind the splinters that were embedded in her palm.

She didn't mean it. She didn't mean to do this. Why didn't they just stop? They knew they were hurting her but they just wouldn't stop.

Then Blake did stop.

Dove did too for the same reason: the one that had nails digging through the cloth of his uniform to better stab into his shoulder. Wincing at the pain, he turned to see who approached him.

Yang had her own uniform on but it hardly did anything to make her appear any less intimidating with how she stood over Dove. "And where do you think you're going?"

The boy glanced back over at Velvet who remained unaware, then at Yang. He straightened up and squared his shoulders, trying to make up for the height difference.

Yang brought her head down so that she was eye level with Dove. Then, in a deathly calm voice, she spoke, "Not even on your best day, with all your friends."

There came a flash of crimson within those lilac orbs and the spectacle chilled Blake. For Dove, it and the reminder of how very alone he was at the moment persuaded him to go elsewhere. As soon as Yang released him, he made a hasty escape in the opposite direction of Velvet.

The blonde tracked him to make sure he didn't get any funny ideas. Satisfied that he was gone, Yang looked as if she was going to go in the rabbit faunus's direction until she happened to catch Blake. The aggression was wiped away immediately and she smiled at her partner. "Hey, Blake!"

That welcoming smile that came so easily didn't get the faunus to forget what she had seen on the usually cheerful and caring blonde. Forcing herself to recover, Blake hesitantly spoke, "Hey, Yang."

Yang hadn't waited for her greeting, having turned to see the retreating Velvet. Watching her turn a corner apparently spurred the brawler into action. "Actually, glad you're here! Got something I want you to help me with!"

Before Blake knew it, her partner grabbed her wrist and the faunus found herself being dragged behind. She stumbled and almost fell over but regained her footing despite how Yang didn't slow down at all. "Yang, what are you doing?"

"Hold on, I'll explain in a sec!" she assured. After clearing the same corner, she was shouting, "Velvs! Velvet!"

The turn that Yang dragged her around came closer to getting Blake to topple over. Fortunately, this time Yang slowed and it was easier for the faunus to straighten for a second instance. She soon saw that the reason for Yang's courtesy was because they had caught up to their quarry.

Velvet had spun around at the blonde's call and was staring at the two of them in astonishment. "Y-Yang?"

"Heya!" Yang greeted, letting go of Blake's wrist. "I was planning on catching you and Jaune after your class was finished!"

The long ears twitched with the confusion that was evident in those brown eyes as Velvet regarded her. "You were?"

"Yeah!" That smile diminished and, with a furrow of her brow, Yang scanned around them. "But…I see that Jaune isn't here. Don't tell me he actually ditched you."

As thrown off as she was with this turn of events, the unhappy look on Yang's face had Blake mustering up an excuse for Jaune as she didn't want JNPR's leader to take any blame for what hadn't been his fault. With what he's done for Velvet, he earned that much. She didn't get a chance.

"No!" Velvet cried out hastily. She blinked, seemingly amazed with her own outburst then quickly looked down at her feet to hide a blush of embarrassment. With a bashful voice she explained, "I-I mean, it wasn't his fault... Cardin was picking on him and he got in trouble with Oobleck."

Blake was as surprised as her fellow faunus. She was actually defending Jaune after only having known him for a short amount of time. All so that Yang wouldn't get mad at him.

"I see." A frown was produced at the explanation but Yang shrugged. "Eh, I'm sure he won't mind."

Velvet lifted her head back up at that. "Mind what?"

"Well I mean I know he won't say no and I got the okay from Ruby. Anyway, I can't help but notice that you don't eat with any of your teammates during lunch."

"W-we have a different lunch period!" Velvet responded, her voice tending to stutter with how she made such quick replies, this one possibly because she wanted to avoid another potential misunderstanding. "I have a special class that I take because of my abilities."

"Is that so?" Grinning, Yang reached out and gave Velvet a hearty slap on the shoulder that got the faunus to squeak. "I'd love to hear it and I'm sure the others will! You can tell us all about it when we eat together tomorrow!"

There came another twitch from those ears. Velvet tilted her head to the right and the furry appendage at the same side bent to match the motion. "Together?"

The grin stretching to cross her entire face, Yang proudly proclaimed, "Velvet Scarlatina, as chosen ambassador of the Team RWBY-JNPR table, I cordially invite you to dine with us tomorrow and every day after that! And as a bonus…"

Blake yelped at the shove that nearly had her colliding into Velvet who managed to hop away to avoid it. When she straightened, Blake was face-to-face with her fellow faunus and guessed that she was as bewildered as she was.

"I want to introduce you to my partner!" Yang exclaimed. "Blake, this is Velvet. I kind of bumped into her in the girls' room earlier. Velvet, this is Blake!"

Velvet was blinking repeatedly at Blake. Managing to recuperate at this point, Blake held out a hand to her as there was no way she was going to give any kind of impression that she disagreed with this setup. "It's Blake Belladonna."

Velvet stared down at the extended hand, then to Yang who couldn't get rid of her grin. When she looked to Blake, the rabbit faunus appeared as if she wanted to drift away from her as her ears once again drooped.

Blake felt an uncomfortable twinge at that. I'm one of you…

Velvet's ears and body straightened. Then, smiling, she clasped Blake's hand with her own. "Nice to meet you."

One out of one thousand, huh?

It took a moment for Blake to register what had happened. When she did, she returned the smile and gave Velvet a shake. "You too."

She supposed it was better than nothing.

---

The progress bar that Ruby had been keeping track of became obstructed by the appearance of a message. While annoyed at the interruption, her curiosity and recognizing the name of the sender had the young leader eagerly reading the contents.

[From: Yang Xiao Long

Team: RWBY

Diplomatic negotiations have come to a close, fearless leader! Another one for the RWBY-JNPR court!]

Sweet! Ruby silently cheered, glad to see a mission that she had green lit for one of her subordinates meeting a resounding success. She had gotten Yang's request to offer an invitation to the rabbit faunus that was getting bullied during lunch and, obviously, she approved it.

That just left her with her own assignment. Clearing the message from the screen of her scroll, Ruby was ecstatic to see that the progress bar had filled up during her quick reading. Closing the device, the girl unplugged the small cord that had attached it to her pair of red headphones.

This probably wasn't what she was supposed to be doing with school property but if anyone found out, she was sure she could use the excuse that it fell within her parameters of team leader if her activities involved the betterment of Team RWBY. Besides, it was only a few songs.

Trading her scroll for the headphones, Ruby flipped it around in her hands until she was staring at the ear piece that had a screen of its own although much smaller. Pressing a couple buttons, she started scrolling through the songs that were saved within its memory storage until one in particular came up.

[Weiss Schnee – Mirror Mirror]

Slipping the headphones over her ears, Ruby pressed play and laid down on her bunk, ready to gather much-needed intelligence on her target.

---

Author's Note: Rule number one when it comes to bunny girls: you always help the bunny girls when they're being abused!

Brain: Aaaah, I remember all the complaints and fics that were made in response to this episode.

So holy crap, THAT happened. Longest chapter I've ever written! I blame my partner for the Nora idea. That was definitely not part of my initial plan and I was reluctant to use it as I was kind of restricting myself from playing with the backgrounds of the characters that weren't Weiss and Blake.

Brain: If the fans like it and Monty says he loves it, it's a-okay in my book! Besides, be honest, how much of any of this is gonna survive canon? Might as well use the opportunity!

Part of the fun with writing this fic is reviewing what I wrote and thinking of how many different ways things can get totally screwed up when we get our next volume. I especially like the possibility of finding out eating Grimm is poisonous and I inadvertently killed off Ruby and Weiss after their emotional reunion in Reunion.

Brain: I'm sure Port is awesome enough to make Grimm…not poison. Or something. I dunno. We'll take it as it comes and laugh no matter what! Now onwards, to Forever Fall!

Oy, the ideas I'm gonna have to write down for THAT chapter…