I crawled out of bed, changing and heading outside. Calmly, I sit down upon the concrete of the fountain, my new book in hand. This new one was about ecology, and the study of ecosystems.

Visions of alien worlds and ecosystems danced around in my head as I read about how the smallest bugs, and how the impacted the ecosystem more than even the largest predators. The fountain splashed with a calming effect behind me, the sun warming the morning chill to the perfect temperature. What seemed like hours passed by in seconds, birds chirping and bringing me back to my days in the Forest.

So different, was like in Beacon. It was a word that silenced the predatory side of the mind, bringing out the softer form. In the wilderness, things grew hard in order to survive. Emotions killed, but here, they tortured. Having emotion was the norm, despite what that meant for the psyche.

So different, was this world. So different, was life. Sometimes, the scale of it all would make me feel ill. This was one of the moments, where the sheer size of the world dwarfed me. I was a mere human in a flood of people, in a flood of cities, in a flood of nations. These nations were indescribably small to the world it lived on, which was indescribably small to the sun it orbited, which was just one of millions and billions of stars. My cabin that I lived on, the only world I knew, was so small it was laughable.

When I got like this, there was only one way to return.

I thought about how small atoms were, and how small molecules were. If the universe held billions of stars, I held quadrillions of atoms. I was my own universe, filled with my own life. Thousands of unthinkably small cells linked together, forming the shuttle known as 'Mirror Black'. I was a giant to those cells, a creature of unimaginable size.

…but what if our universe was just another of those cells? A piece of an even larger titan? What if that titan lived in an even larger universe? What if that universe of titans was just another cell?

"Mirror?"

A voice tore me away from my philosophical stupor. There in front of me stood Weiss, her winter white hair placed in a sideward pony tail.

"…Yes, Weiss?"

"What are you doing? I went out to get breakfast, and I saw you here. Its lunch time, and yet here you are still."

"Just… thinking." I said, struggling slightly. When I returned to my feral-esc mind, language melted away. It was hard to adapt back. She smiled, nevertheless.

"You're an idiot, aren't you?"

"So says the few." I said, rising and closing the book I had been reading.

"Have you even eaten today?" She asked. I shrugged, placing my book away on my belt. I still had the feral mindset of 'don't eat until you're hungry.' Weiss smiled with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms. "My team is headed downtown to get lunch. Do you want to come, I guess?"

"Would they welcome me?"

"With teases and smirks, probably."

"Sounds lovely." I said with a smile. "Lead the way."

Weiss nodded, walking forward. I stood a few paces behind her, in an attempt to let her feel more dominant. I don't know why I humored her so, but the subconscious of my mind did so. I usually trusted my subconscious, or my gut, as it wasn't usually wrong. If I felt I had forgotten something, I usually had.

"So, have you chatted with Ozpin yet?"

"No, but I did see Ruby this morning. She said that we were green lit, so we're good to go."

"What's up with you and Ozpin, anyways? You guys seem to chat a lot."

"He is my father."

"…what?" Weiss said, looking back in shock. "You're father is Ozpin?"

"Yeah."

"That would mean… you said that Raven girl was your mother right?"

"Yes."

"So they…?" She asked, blushing all of the sudden.

"Yes."

"W-Well, I didn't know Ozpin liked those… type of women."

"What kind are you referring to?"

"The… Grimm kind." She said, looking away. I smiled at her bashful behavior, looking around at the various trees and fauna, reaching down and picking small stem of hydrangeas from the ground. They were white, indicating a low PH level in the ground. Weiss looked at the flowers in shock, flashing her gaze between my own and back.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Picking flowers, here." I said, handing her the stem. She seemed flustered, shaking her hands and backing away bashfully.

..oh, right. Giving flowers was a romantic gesture in Hunter culture.

My face is hot now…

"I didn't mean it like that, I was just checking the PH of the soil." I said.

"The what?" She said, taking the stem hesitantly. I grabbed another stem, taking a slight sniff.

"The acidity of the soil. If the soil is not acidic or basic, these flowers will be white like they are now. Most fauna grows at this level, so I deem it a safe level. Still, when the PH rises, these flowers turn a beautiful blue." I said, thinking of an object to compare them to. "Sort of like the color of your eyes." I said, carefully scanning them.

"My… eyes?" She said, looking away.

"Yeah."

My heart is beating quickly… why? Am I sensing a threat from her? I feel no such feeling in my gut. If anything, it's the opposite.

"Mirror?"

"What is it?" I asked, turning my head toward her. She bit her lip, as if debating whether or not to ask.

"Do you want to do get lunch alone? Like, not with the team?"

"Will they not want me? Should I head back?" I asked. Her eyebrows rose, her hands shaking to communicate I got the wrong idea.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I meant… just the two of us, getting lunch. I know this great café that you'd like."

"How do you know I like coffee?"

"You're Ozpin's son, apparently. The only other way it could be more obvious was if you were Oobleck's son."

"Well, sure. I'd like that."

…Like that. I'd… like that? Why would I like that? For the coffee? Why would my gut like that? What message was it trying to convey? Regardless of my ramblings, we walked away from the small patch of grass and down the street, entering the café. The subtle scent of coffee drifted to us as we ordered our coffee. Weiss put little cream in it, however put a fair amount of sugar in it.

"So you're a sweet girl, eh?" I asked, pouring in my cream.

"A-A what?"

"Sweets girl." I said, realizing my slipping of words.

"Oh, I suppose." She said with a smile. We took our seats near the window, watching the streets of Beacon as pedestrians continued to walk each and every way.

"Lovely weather outside, isn't it?"

"It is." She said, somewhat awkwardly. I noticed her thumbs twirling around as she held the coffee cup, as if she was nervous.

"Aren't the clouds pretty?" She said suddenly, turning to the glass. "That one sort of looks like a dove." She said, pointing to a group of cotton. I noticed it did take the shape of a cute bird, its wings stretched out mid flight.

"That one over there looks like a bunny." I said, leaning in and pointing to a cloud.

"Aww, it does!" She said, almost taking a childish fascination in the small poof. "Ooh, Ooh! That one looks like an old man!" She said, pointing to another cloud.

"I don't see it."

"Oh, come on! See, right there! That's his beard, and those are his glasses!"

"That isn't an old man." I said sternly. She recoiled, her lip making an upside down 'v' shape.

"Oh yeah? And you called that a bunny? Its just a fluff of snow with two bumps!"

"You're one to talk, seeing that you thought that was a dove." I said, teasing her. She have a slight growl of anger, clenching her eyes shut. Not being able to hold it in any longer, I let out a loud laugh. Her eyes shot open that instant, the dread of realizing how much my teasing had gotten to her. A smile snuck across her face, her cheeks fully red.

"You got me." She said, taking a sip of coffee to hide her embarrassment.

"I bet I can do one better."

"Oh, really?"

"C'mon." I said, walking getting up. Weiss joined me with a furrowed brow, following me until I stopped in front of the piano.

"Do you play?" She asked.

"Define playing." I said, taking a seat. She nodded, joining me on the seat.

I rest my stiff fingers on the keys, feeling the experiences of my old hobby. They were sore from the years long since past, but earned to play aria. My index finger gently touches a key, causing the piano to hum with its tune. I gently tap a series of key with one hand, running my second up to feel the key. Its not enough to press them down, but enough for my finger's to regain the old nostalgia of tapping.

"I think you know what it means to play a piano." She explained, looking at the keys. I nodded.

My fingers begin to set down slowly, gently pressing various keys. Various soft notes float out of the piano's gentle wooden frame, painting the air with beautiful sound. My individual notes each had an identity in the slow and gentle pacing, yet formed together in an exotic melody. I begin to increase in pace, tapping the keys again and again as the piano begins to sing, its wooden body vibrating the air in beautiful ways. The song sings about its gentle beginning, my hands dancers leaping from key to key.

My fingers dance around the white, telling stories of a bitter yet sweet tale, only defined by the fading sounds of the instrument. I feel her eyes rest on mine, partially in amazement, and partially in curiosity.

As I reached the climax of the gentle song, I sped up. The harmony melded with the melody, just as the main angelic sound looped. It played its high songs as my left hand drifted downwards, singing of the descent into the dark. The hymn hummed as it shined in its beauty, my fingers drifting across the bleached monoliths.

With soft yet focused eyes, I reached around Weiss and played the lowest notes. She reacted with a blush, but I continued to play The clash of the high and the shadows caused her lock her gaze with mine, the soft ocean blue of her eyes glowed, its emotion melding with the song.

I gently pull away my left arm, pressing but a single key.

The complex melody stopped so suddenly, emphasizing the single, lonesome note.

It hummed alone.

The silence echoed, causing an ache to hear more.

I softly pressed the final key, its hum satisfying the hunger more than another song could ever do.

The key's note faded away, but Weiss' mood didn't shift. Her voice came out low and mellow, as if the experience had been too much for her.

"What was that called?"

"I never gave it a title."

She nods, taking it in.

"And here I thought you didn't play, being a monster." She noted. I smiled.

"Playing is relative."

"What do you mean?"

I gently open the song book, placing my finger on the characters of notes and melodies.

"I never learned to read sheet music, or really how to play piano. All my songs are just muscle memory, faceless and nameless."

"What do you mean, you never learned?"

"I just never got around to it. Raven owned a piano, but none of the books of hers where about music. I only know what I made, marked by only muscle memory.."

"That's impressive. Don't you want to write it down though? I know how to write down music."

I sighed, my face slightly red.

"No."

Her face was solemn, as if the wonder of 'why' pained her physically.

"I'm not someone who can play, only pretend. My songs are just a combination of keys, and nothing more."

"But don't you want to preserve it? To leave something?"

I take one hand, playing the air much like I did the piano. I nearly hear the music in my head, but silence plagued the air.

"No. When I'm gone, they will just fade away."

"Why?"

I shrugged. Being with her, I found myself surprisingly empty-minded, in a good way. She cleansed me from my endless curiosity, which never was filled. I didn't feel the need to preserve anything, and I never had. Those songs, they were just keys on a piano.

"Because..." I said, not knowing how to say the words myself. "I don't want to be a hero."

"What?" She asked, her eyes growing with concern. I sighed, biting my lip slightly. Thinking of words was hard, especially when describing things which never were meant to be put into words.

"Be it purposeful or not, I was bred to be an intellectual. My obsession of knowledge was seeded in me very early on in my life, and that's all there ever was. Soon, I grew feral, and that's all I was. Either feral or intellect. A finger of the madness of the wilderness, or the paintbrush of the greatness of human thought and endeavors. I... I never was me. There is no me. This song, these scientific documents published under my name, they are nothing more than a flow of knowledge. I am only a tool for the greater purpose. So, this song will die in spite. It isn't me, and never will be. Nothing will."

She sighed, leaning her head against mine.

"You're weird, you know?"

"Yeah." I said simply.

"Weird is good, though." I heard her say, feeling her head rise. "Everyone at this school seems to be so… light hearted and overly giddy. You always seem to know what you're doing, though."

"I suppose."

"I envy your ability to boss Ozpin around." She said, sighing.

"You'd like to boss around your superiors? Like, you father?"

"I liked that song of yours." She said, dodging the question.

"Here, let me teach you."

"But-"

"Take it as a gift of peace from the monsters to you." I said, speaking on behalf of the Faunus and the Grimm.

Weiss smiled, a slight blush of embarrassment rising to her cheeks. Despite the authenticity of the smile, her lips curved ever so slightly downwards.

"Place your hands here."

I moved behind her, taking her hands into mine and gently placing them on the piano. I positioned her soft fingers onto each key, tapping them. My motion transferred through, causing her to play. It was the main part of the song.

"When I play this tune…"

I played a low harmony, my hands around her.

"You play exactly what I told you, okay?"

Her nod told me she was ready, and I gently began to play. With one hand playing the angelic high notes, and the left playing the lower dark notes, the signal tune flashed. As the two harmonies clashed, she began to play.

I gently stopped with one hand and moved her index finger one key over, correcting her. Taking my hands away from her, I began to play on my side.

Our two songs melded together, but still had identity. Her song was separate and clear from mine, but still worked with it.

I ran my hands along the keys, Weiss doing the same. Her hair covered her face, but I could tell that bitter smile had been replaced.

I placed my hand on hers again, placing it where my hand was. Spreading her fingers and tapping each slowly, she learned how to play the chorus. Her blue eyes met mine with the largest and most real smile I had ever seen.

"You did it."

"I am Weiss Schnee."

I felt her smile infect me, causing my the corners of my lips to rise up.

"Yeah, you did." The words come out of my mouth softly, causing her gaze to dull. Her face observed mine with a familiar emotion. We returned to our table and paid the bill, leaving the café with a satisfied smile. She turned to me, giving a slight bend of the knees, almost in excitement.

"I really should head out to meet up with my team, but we should do this again."

"Y-Yeah." I said, waving as she walked off.

My blood…was boiling

And I wasn't in danger