A/N: Yeah, okay, that took way long between chapters than had been planned, sorry about that. Just about everything in here has been rewritten at least once, often two or three times and several thousand words got the cutting-room floor treatment. That said, I'm happy with the end result. Violence, indecent proposals, teetering secrets, and a love confession await within.
Huge thanks go out to my proofreaders (my wife, as well as Leviticus Wilkes and SLthethird). Massive amounts of work have been put into this project by them.
Please take the time to review, I do appreciate all feedback, and try to respond as much as I can :D
Monday morning came around eventually, as it always did, and the students had to grudgingly set aside the hair-raising events of the weekend to return their focus to the mundane. Yang sat down next to Blake on the edge of the classroom and allowed herself a great yawn, shaking out her hair as she went.
"Whadya wanna bet this all ends in a bust-up between the Ice Queen and Velvet?" asked Yang with a grin. Blake rolled her eyes and rapped her partner across the knuckles, but smiled all the same. "No? Shame, would be fun to watch."
"Think of their fighting styles, Yang, they'd blow all of us bystanders up," pointed out Blake.
"Oh yeah, suppose it is a little cramped," said Yang. "Planning to take part much today?"
"I hope I don't have to," replied Blake, before tilting her head at Weiss who was sitting next to her. "It's kind of awkward."
Yang nodded and fell quiet, looking across the seats to her little sister on the far side of the team. She seemed to be holding up okay, but Yang wasn't sure. Between the fight with Miltia and slaying the White Fang, two traumatising, violent events in the space of a week had befallen her sister. It left the blonde girl with no idea what to do to help, and Ruby's apparent resilience was even more confusing. If anyone else had taken two battle kills in their stride like this, she would have assumed they had done it before. Normally she would have thought it impossible that Ruby had experience like this. But after what she overheard in JNPR's room, she had to wonder if there were other, far less innocuous, surprises lurking behind that angelic smile.
'God, is dad ever going to feel like a goose when I tell him about this,' she thought to herself. 'Your sleepovers, your insistence that you didn't have a "boyfriend"anytime he asked if you were dating. There were so many little things you had us totally fooled on.' Yang shook her head at her sister. For all it infuriated her to have been kept in the dark like that, she had to confess, as someone who had hidden a truckload of her own stuff from her father, she was impressed. 'Well played, Rubes, you're as much of a smooth operator as your big sis.'
Dinner the previous night had been uncomfortably tense. Everyone steered clear of anything controversial. Yang didn't want to talk things over with Ruby until she had some idea what she was getting into. Which meant she needed to talk to Weiss. Unfortunately, the heiress was as clever as a fox, and went to great lengths not to let herself be interrogated. As a result, the stand-off continued.
A blur of motion streaked across the room from the entrance. "I see we're all in our seats and ready to go," greeted Oobleck as he arrived standing ramrod straight in the centre of the room. A carefully metered draught of coffee disappeared from his cup. "Today we're discussing Post Faunus Rights Revolution Militancy." He transplanted himself again and another sip of coffee vanished from the cup, washing away the mouthful of a class title. "This is a sensitive topic for many people, so, we will be attempting to conduct it with decorum and respect. We are all young adults here, I expect…"
Yang began to zone out pretty much straight away. It was all administrative stuff to start anyway. But when she turned to whisper to Blake, she paused. Her dark-haired friend was tense, fearsomely so. It struck her as pretty strange, as even Velvet, the class' actual faunus girl, was not looking nearly as tense. Of course, Velvet had most of the classroom between herself and Weiss, a luxury Blake could not claim.
"You okay?" whispered Yang.
"Pay attention, would you?" rebuked Blake, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, right."
The lengthy discussion in the class stayed largely civil. It certainly helped that Weiss at her absolute worst was still far more open-minded about the faunus than Cardin and his team had ever been. She was also, perhaps even more importantly, extremely knowledgeable, for all that her upbringing had led her to view everything from a particular angle. Thus even when she said something provocative that riled up others in the class, it was something that could be argued on the merits, rather than simply being an ugly slur. It also helped that Melanie seemed to be doing a reasonable job of acting friendly that morning, even to discussion points raised by Ruby and Weiss. Despite this, Blake remained inexplicably tense throughout the class.
Finally, Oobleck coughed and placed his by now empty mug upon his desk. "Well, we are entering the last phase of our discussion. Many of us have had personal experiences with some of these groups. Some of these experiences may have been positive, others negative. Sometimes dangerously so. Now, I promise no one will be forced to talk about anything they don't want to. But I'd like to see a show of hands; who here has had a personal experience with a militant faunus group?"
Yang glanced about the class and her eyes went wide as hand after hand went up, and after a moment, realised that only herself and Jaune Arc's hands were left unraised. She leaned back in her seat in surprise.
"Astounding," declared the Professor. He looked around, quite taken aback by the numbers he saw. "Ten out of twelve, I must say, I don't think I've ever seen a class group with more than eight. Most only have two or three."
Yang's scroll vibrated upon the desk, prompting the girl to reach out and tap it. A little hologram lit up above it, displaying a message that read: "[Aurea Perrault] - lol look u w/ ur hand dwn, nt fooling ne1! shld b 11/12 not 10/12 hands up" Her eyes shot up to the girl who sent the message, clear across the classroom. The tomboy was smiling devilishly and waving at her. Just as the anger began to bloom, it was short-circuited by consternation as she felt Blake's eyes on her. Hurriedly she turned the scroll upside down, and shot an evil look at Aurea.
"What was that about?" whispered Blake.
"Aurea being silly, don't worry about it," reassured Yang with an casual wave.
Blake gave her a long, probing look. "That message didn't say 'being silly' to me, Yang." She waited a beat then added, "Well, okay, it was silly text message garble, but she seemed to be saying something very pointed."
Yang grimaced and leaned into the desk, her gesture matched by Blake, who kept eye contact with her. "I know the Professor said no one would to have to say what their experience was, but I'd rather avoid being asked entirely."
"I can sympathise with that, but I'd like to hear what experiences you've had," whispered Blake intensely, eyes sharp and piercing. "I've told you a lot, so you know I've got an … interest … in the Fang."
There was something about the way that Blake paused that concerned Yang, and she returned Blake's searching look. Her dark haired friend was visibly agitated, for all she tried to suppress it. Seeing that nervousness emboldened her and she smiled wickedly. "Oh, really? What's it worth to you?"
"Yang…," said Blake warningly.
"Next chance we get, I'll take Bumblebee out of storage and into Vale," she began with a salesman's conspiratorial smile. "Come with me and I'll tell you what you like."
"Also giving you a few days to come up with a story," noted Blake dryly.
Yang rested her cheek upon the palm of her hand and met her partner's eyes. "Why would I? I've never told you a lie, Blake, I hope you know that." The faunus girl blinked and straightened, blushing faintly. "When we first met, you didn't ask much, so I didn't have reason to. Now you're a friend, and I never lie to my friends. If you want my dirty laundry, I won't lie about it."
"I know you're hiding things, Blake," said Yang openly. "I'm not going to ask, but I'm looking forward to the day you tell."
Blake opened her mouth to reply but instead jumped as Weiss threw an elbow into her side. Both partners instinctively turned to face Oobleck, and found the Professor looking back at them balefully. "Perhaps you two would like to channel your gossipping into something productive."
"Sorry, Professor!" said Yang cheerfully. "Won't happen again!"
"I trust not. Miss Scarletina has suggested that part of the appeal for the militant groups to the faunus community is that they provide a faunus-only forum. That they are apart from the human population. This has led into an interesting discussion on whether there is in fact any meaningful human involvement or sympathy in the militant movement. A discussion you have thus far not contributed too. Perhaps you two would give us your opinions now?"
The two girls exchanged a sour look. Yang was first to reply. "Well, they're hardly self-reliant. Many militant groups derive a lot of what they can't steal through black market trade with humans. For all that society as a whole is bigoted against the faunus, if there weren't a lot of humans who sympathise with their cause, none of them would be nearly as big or successful as they are now."
"What? Who would sell to militant groups?" asked Jaune in surprise. "Wouldn't they be, uh, shooting it back at you?"
"They actually get a lot of Dust, weapon components, and consumables from human sources," explained Weiss with a disgusted look. "Some stolen, yes, but a lot of it bought, bartered, or donated."
"They buy from crime groups who aren't picky who they sell to, for instance," replied Melanie. "Or other legally grey groups. We knew a few."
"Motorcycle gangs are a big source," added Aurea airily, leaning back in her seat and lacing her fingers behind her blonde hair. She had a smug little grin on her face as she spoke, which confused her faunus teammate all the more. "They have access to the weapons, Dust, and few scruples."
"Rubbish," objected Velvet. "You can't get into those gangs if you're a faunus, they're extremely bigoted. Faunus groups clash with them constantly. I doubt they're selling to violent faunus rights groups, it would be at complete cross-purposes with their bigotry."
"Not all of them," protested Yang from across the class. "There are a couple gangs that are mixed membership, or even faunus only. Having ears on top of your head doesn't stop people from appreciating the open road."
"There was a mixed-species gang based near where me, Yang and Ruby grew up that was like that," agreed Aurea, looking back at Yang. "The Forgotten Hounds, stubborn holdouts from before the area gentrified. It used to be a big conduit for the White Fang, Jaws, VFLM, pretty much anyone. In fact, there were a lot of sympathisers in that group, weren't there?"
"That was the rumour around Signal," agreed Yang coolly, trying not to glare at the tomboy. Aurea looked very relaxed, reclining in her seat. Like everyone else she was wearing her school uniform, though she took advantage of the Academy's laxity by wearing her coat loosely over her blazer, similarly to how Ruby wore her hood with her uniform.
Yang had known Aurea Perrault as one of the neighbourhood kids, but hadn't ever really gotten along with her. They had often fought, although more as tests of strength than from anger. When they were both eleven, they had decided that combat school was for them. In their upper-middle class neighbourhood, that meant the nearby Signal Academy, most prestigious of the combat secondaries. For Yang it had been even less of a question, as her father and uncle were on staff at the institute and they paved the way for her. Stuck in the same year at Signal, they had not been directly in each other's way. However, because neither attended in a boarding school capacity, they often bumped into each other while away from school, returning to their family homes.
"It's crazy if you ask me," complained Weiss. "Trading with the White Fang? Why would people want to enable terrorists like that? Maybe for Lien, I guess."
"Because they're not terrorists," protested Blake. "The White Fang is a big group, and most people in it are just ordinary faunus who want other faunus to get a fair chance in life."
Weiss turned to her in abject shock. "How can you even say that?" she protested, thinking of the White Fang ambush.
"I know there are lot of misguided faunus in the White Fang's militant arm, like all of these groups," Blake attempted to explain. "But that doesn't make them all terrorists. There are a lot of humans who don't think what happens to faunus is just."
"I know that people like that exist; I just don't understand the logic behind it," complained Weiss, throwing up her hands.
"Out of curiosity, how many of these groups would let humans join them?" asked Jaune.
Velvet was completely taken aback by the idea. "What? None of them, that'd be absurd," she said, looking at Jaune like he had grown a second head.
"What? But when we were in the city on Sunday, after Ruby's big fight, we saw a human girl with the White F-ow!" said Jaune before Pyrrha sharply elbowed him in the ribs.
"Something to contribute, Miss Nikos?" asked Professor Oobleck in that dangerous tone teachers have for wayward students as every eye in the room turned to focus on Pyrrha and Jaune.
"N-No, sir, not at all, nothing interesting," said Pyrrha nervously. She tried her best to smile in the face of Oobleck's stare as he drummed his fingers along his arm. The look she was getting from Melanie was no less intense. She dared not look in Weiss and Ruby's direction.
"Miss Rose?" asked the Professor next.
Yang glanced over at her sister, who stopped glaring icy daggers at Jaune long enough to smile winningly at Oobleck. "Oh, nothing Professor, don't misunderstand; Jaune was just saying that there were some White Fang in the area after me and Weiss had some weapons practice."
"Right," replied Oobleck sceptically in a precisely clipped voice. "Of course," he said, as he turned and began to make a series of notes on a notebook on his desk. Ruby and Weiss went straight back to glaring at Jaune, who pulled at his collar nervously.
Pyrrha stood up and moved down her aisle to whisper in Melanie's ear. The girl in white lost her angry look. She frowned and nodded at the Mistral girl, seemingly appeased by whatever she had been told, though she turned to fix Yang's sister with a very sour look.
The blonde girl turned to whisper down the desks, "So I take it Jaune hadn't told Melanie yet?"
"No," whispered back Ruby. "They were going to tell them this evening. Pyrrha is going with them, she can be very determined. This should be okay."
Professor Oobleck cleared his throat. "Back to your seat, Miss Nikos," he instructed.
The door to the sparring arena was still shut when the teams began to arrive. Because the arena was large and expensive to open up, sparring classes involved multiple class groups, and team MAVM's old comrades were there, including Alice in her blue and white with gleaming Cheshire Silver. Team JNPR was there next, before any of their own classmates, led by a very sheepish looking Jaune Arc. The boy's cheeks were still red and singed from his embarrassment at having prematurely told the MAVM girls about Ruby and Weiss' fight with the White Fang. He had kind of expected that, but the fact Nora had taken to poking him in the sides every time he turned away was rather a surprise.
Melanie sauntered up on her own, eye-catching as ever in her lacy white battle dress. With an unimpressed look she walked right up to Jaune and folded her arms. She knew the sort of cloth Jaune was cut from. With a lesson learned from her society days, Melanie got close and used her presence and looks to intimidating effect.
"So when was I going to be told about this fight?" she demanded, shoulders squared, stance wide, and her eyes as sharp as flint.
"Uh, this evening," explained Jaune hesitantly, doing his very best to keep his mind clear.
Pyrrha stepped in, putting a hand across Melanie to lead her away from Jaune. "Yes, we didn't get the full explanation from Ruby until yesterday mid-day, and we figured a weeknight when we're all back at our dorms would be best."
"Excuse me, Pyrrha, but I was talking with my fellow team leader here," protested Melanie haughtily, resisting the other girl's interference and gesturing towards Jaune.
The red-haired girl came up short and looked between Melanie's piercing green eyes and Jaune's pained look. 'I'm not helping at all, am I?' she asked herself, realising that she was undermining her team leader. Worse, she was doing this right in front of another team leader. Anxiety over seeing two team leaders who weren't used to the lifestyle was leading her into a mistake. It was a bad look, and if she kept at this, she would make it hard for Jaune to work with his fellow leaders. He had handled himself well in the meeting, so she needed to trust him now that she had explained how things worked.
And just maybe seeing the provocatively dressed Malachite girl flaunting her charms in front of Jaune was having an effect as well.
"Of course," conceded Pyrrha, biting her lip and taking a step back. She dropped her hand from where it had rested on Melanie's arm. "I suppose I'll leave you to it then," she said as she began to turn away.
"Oh for…," muttered Melanie under her breath as the other student turned to leave. "Pyrrha, don't walk off, just relax. I understand how peer discipline works, it was a part of my old line of work," replied Melanie with an eye roll.
"In a kinda different setting though, wasn't it?" pointed out Jaune hesitantly, still not sure how to really approach the topic of the Malachite girls' old line of work.
"Aurea and Velvet are both combat school girls, you know," pointed out Melanie. "They explained the differences shortly after I was made team leader. I think I have a handle on it."
"See? We'll be fine, Pyrrha," reassured Jaune with a generous smile.
"What are you worried about, Pyrrha?" asked Melanie, turning to face her.
Pyrrha looked between the two team leaders, frowning and shifting uncomfortably. "The majority of this class-group are combat school alumni. All of your teammates, Jaune; Velvet and Aurea from your team, Melanie; and Ruby and Yang in Ruby's team. Plus I'm told Blake is from the outlands, and they have the same code as Hunters do. And Weiss is involved in the incident." She breathed in deep and set her fists on her hip.
"She hurt your sister. You don't like her," continued to explain Pyrrha.
"You mean Ruby?" asked Melanie.
"Yes, I mean Ruby," confirmed Pyrrha. "And there's no love lost between you and Weiss. I … worry that you'll want to take an underworld approach, because none of us would be okay with that. You could take this incident and use it to try to get revenge for Miltia's accident, and I don't want to see our friend get railroaded."
"Oh, Pyrrha," sighed Melanie. "Don't listen to the movies. No mob boss drills a henchman just to be scary. You have to screw up pretty seriously to have something really bad happen to you." Melanie glanced around conspiratorially and said, "Truth be told, nine times out of ten, all I did was tie them to a chair, walk around beside them and put my foot up on the chair. The sight of my heel-blade between their legs usually smartened them up." Melanie glanced over at Jaune and smiled. Her eyes flicked down at his pants and Jaune blanched.
"This isn't something we want to discuss here and now," said the JNPR team leader. "Tonight I'll explain it all, then us leaders meet to decide what to do. Uh, … who would we get from Ruby's team?" he asked of the other two girls.
"Blake," said Pyrrha. "Ruby and Weiss are involved, and Yang is Ruby's sister, so Blake is the best choice."
"Why isn't it something we can discuss now?" asked the MAVM leader.
"We really don't want to be overheard," answered Jaune. "And with a sparring match coming up, you don't really want this on your mind."
Melanie stopped and looked between the other two, letting the moment hang slowly. "This sounds pretty bad," she said slowly. "You both seem … worked up about it."
"Yes, we are," admitted Pyrrha. "But we have sparring class now. Leave it until tonight, okay?"
There was a pause in the conversation, and Melanie relaxed for a moment. "Alright, we'll talk tonight. I'm not going to try and railroad anyone."
Pyrrha sighed audibly, "Okay, but after the last week, I'm worried. I want to see this done right by Ruby and Weiss."
"I'll hear you guys out," promised Melanie.
"Okay … enough about that," said Pyrrha, trying to move on. "Looking forward to sparring?"
Melanie brightened after a moment. "Hey, I finally got my new equipment, this will be my first chance to really try them out."
"Do tell," encouraged Pyrrha, happily putting aside the confrontation to continue on a more relaxed note.
Melanie held up elbow gloves which had coiled metal scales winding around them repeatedly. She made a quick flick of her wrists and the metal smoothly coalesced and unwound, extending out into razor sharp elbow blades that extended from a few inches back of the wrist to a foot past her elbow. "You'd never know they were there until I decide to fight," she said. "Alice hooked me up. Should let me contribute to some of the larger Grimm."
"Very discreet weapons," noted Pyrrha. "You're still thinking like a deceptive bodyguard, I see."
"Habit is a powerful thing," admitted Melanie before she noticed a quartet of new arrivals. "Oh, it looks like the girl of the hour is here." She glanced at Jaune and smirked. "Don't look now, Jauney-boy, but it looks like your Snow Angel is pissed off."
"What … oh, crap," blurted Jaune as he looked up to see Weiss peeling off from her friends and stalking his way with a face as fell as a polar blizzard.
"I think I know who your opponent is today," observed Pyrrha wryly.
With the twelve students all together again, they immediately intermingled, seeking out one another to play out their grudges and indulge their interests. Velvet sought out Blake and with an innocent grin suggested she'd like another crack at their battle in the Foreverfall Forest. Ren found Miltia and offered a challenge, wanting to test StormFlowers against her claws, while Nora went to Pyrrha and Melanie wandered off to arrange a fight with one of Cardin's goons.
Yang found herself walking menacingly towards Aurea, who was smiling nastily in return. The tomboy was leaning on her weapon in its Luna rifle form. The team MAVM girl was taller than most of the girls in the class, but was still shy of Yang or Pyrrha. Her figure was a little on the boyish side, but her snug, midriff baring top made the most of what she had. However her bare arms were strong and wiry, and her legs were trim and toned with her physical conditioning, and in her current occupation, that was the important part.
"Hey, Yang," greeted Aurea. "Let me guess, you want to go?"
"Yup," said Yang, before moving to stand next to Aurea, leaning up against the wall. "Were you trying to get under my skin in there?"
"No, not really," said Aurea. "I just thought it was funny, you sitting there as if you were pure as the driven snow. You always were a wild one; pure really doesn't suit you. I mean, we both know Junior's henchman wasn't exactly an isolated incident."
"Would you just shut up?" asked Yang darkly.
"Honestly, why do you even care?" asked Aurea. "You've joined an academy for Hunters. People really only care that you're strong enough to fight the Grimm. I mean, the Malachite girls haven't hidden their criminal backgrounds and … well, okay, they get a bit of crap for it, but nothing major. So I don't see why you bother hidi-"
"Don't you dare!" hissed Yang.
"Hmph." Aurea rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Don't your teammates know? Surely Ruby knows at least?" When Yang continued to say nothing Aurea's eyebrows raised and a bemused expression came over her. "Ha, you kept it even from Ruby? Tight-lipped family, given she hid from you all this time that she was some skirt-chas…," she began to say dismissively before she caught sight of the bloodcurdling expression on the other girl's face. "Given she hid big secrets from you, too, that is. I suppose that would be an awkward talk as well."
"Aurea, neither of us are angels," said Yang quietly. "How about a wager?"
"Oh please, what are you possibly going to offer me for my silence?" asked Aurea with a smirk. "I only knew what us girls in the neighbourhood could see from the outside, but even then I could weave quite the tale of blood and misadventure."
Yang continued on heedlessly. "If you promise to just shut up about what you know if I win, then, if you win, I promise I'll let you sit down with Ruby and you can tell her every last incriminating detail you know."
That got the tomboy's attention, her brows arching high. "Interesting stakes," she snickered. "You sound confident. It's pretty silly though, Yang. Secrets always come out, you're just delaying the inevitable. If Ruby couldn't hide her skirt-chasing for even her first year, I'd say your odds of keeping your skeletons bottled up are just about nil." She looked at Yang, who just stared back flatly. "But sure, you're on. You'll be hard to beat but the idea of seeing Ruby's face as I tear down her idea of you is too much."
Cheshire Silver had collapsed to its boxy rifle form, all cloudy glass around a dark central barrel which golden dust cylinders progressively fed into. It sat comfortably in the crook of Alice's arm as she strode confidently towards Ruby. The dark haired girl was standing off away from the others with Crescent Rose expanded, practicing offensive drills with the deadly weapon.
"Miss Rose," greeted Alice in cold, clipped tones, coming as close as she dared to the young student's whistling steel.
Ruby worked her arms and lever and brought her scythe's head down onto the grass alongside her right foot, the haft running up alongside her body. "Oh, hey, Alice."
The blonde girl paused and went away from the script in her head to ask, "That's surely not a proper stance; what could you honestly accomplish from there?"
Ruby just smiled and with a little writhe and contortion, seemed to bend around the haft and in a sharp contraction ripped the weapon around and up from its standing start. Crescent Rose's beak sailed mere inches past the front of Alice's nose, up into an overhead stance.
"I was mistaken," observed Alice calmly.
Ruby grinned brightly at those words and collapsed the weapon back into its carry form. "What's up?" she asked.
"Would you believe, I heard the most fascinating story from a very clever little kitty I know," began Alice, bringing her hands together over her cuirass. As the dark crimson-haired student hesitated, letting her older classmate continue. "About a pretty girl in a blue dress with a wicked scythe, and a vain fool with a sword of flame. Oh, I was just delighted to hear that Weiss had introduced you to society dueling. Even if inadvertently."
"Y-you know about that!?" asked Ruby as shock rippled over her face.
"Really now, Miss Ruby, you caused such a stir yesterday," said Alice with a dangerous smile. "The beautiful little debutante… don't snort, I heard that very line from no less than four girls who were at the Tybalt that morning. And," she paused to hold up her scroll, "Some kindly soul sent me the footage. Poor India had no idea it was he who was the humble mouse, and you the deadly pussycat."
"Gossip-queens," muttered Ruby under her breath. "Gossip-queens everywhere."
"Quite," said Alice as she walked gracefully up to Ruby, closing the distance she had allowed for the scythe now that it was safely tucked away. "I'm rather an aficionado of dueling, you see. It comes with being the Sgathan heiress."
"You duel as well?" asked Ruby in interest.
"Oh yes," confirmed Alice. "And I certainly would not have let Venus withhold my prize. Tell me though, did you ask for that stake, or was it offered?"
Ruby began to stammer for a moment, before she settled down, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Asked," she admitted. "It's been a while since I've kissed anyone and I was kinda looking forward to it."
"Really now?" asked Alice with an arched brow. "Well, since we're about to step into a sparring class, shall we add some spice to proceedings?"
"A duel?" asked Ruby, her eyes beginning to sparkle.
"But of course, Miss Ruby," replied Alice. "Just think, if you win, you can get that kiss that Venus denied you."
"It's supposed to be someone else providing the favour, isn't it?" checked Ruby. "Miltia isn't around for you to ask. And I don't think I'll get Weiss to put her name to this duel…"
"That's true, but this is still a class first, so we can bend the forms a little," suggested Alice. "I'll stand surety for my dear Miltia," she added, while planning to not let her girlfriend hear about this duel at all. "But as for yourself, I have rather a different stake I'd like you to agree to, since you aren't going to be able to get Weiss to agree."
Ruby went still, looking at the older girl warily. Something didn't feel right, and she didn't like the sharp look in her eyes. "What is it?"
"I want you to promise to stay away from my Miltia if I win," declared Alice with a terrible intensity.
"I … what, you're, I don't?" stammered Ruby. "Why!?"
"I have my reasons," said Alice, giving nothing away.
Ruby stared up at the blonde girl silently, recognising that Alice was not dealing with her entirely fairly. However, there was a very helpful, friendly source of information that was near at hand. "Stay right there," she instructed with a team leader's imperiousness, to which Alice smiled and indulged.
The dark-haired student looked over her shoulder to where Weiss was still menacing poor Jaune. With a burst of her semblance she flashed across to her partner's side. "Weiss," she said to get the girl's attention.
"What!?" snapped Weiss, angry at being disturbed in her tirade.
"In society duels, making someone promise to stay away from someone else, how much is that worth?" asked the younger girl in a rush.
"I … uh … what? Oh, right, it's huge," said Weiss, completely taken aback by the question. "Forcing an end to an entire relationship, or potential relationship? Huge stakes."
"So more than a kiss? What'd be an equal sorta favour?" asked Ruby with an intense look.
Weiss blushed and whispered her answer, mindful of Jaune's presence. Tucked in close, she missed the girl's eyes go wide while a bemused little smile crossed her lips.
"Right, thanks Weiss," answered Ruby before she disappeared in a cloud of petals, leaving Weiss looking about in surprise.
"No problems," said Weiss, frowning as Ruby had already left. "Anyway, back to you, Jaune!" she declared, before the whole conversation sank in. She turned around to seek out Ruby's customary red cape but couldn't spot it. "Oh, crap, what did I just do?"
Ruby slid to a halt on the far side of Alice, her boots churning up the sod as she halted. The younger girl stood there, smiling, hands behind her back. The blonde couldn't help but grin. "I had so hoped you wouldn't check with Miss Schnee," she admitted shamelessly.
For a moment, the younger girl looked at her, silver eyes running deep in thought. "So, a duel, high-stakes, weapon to weapon," gushed Ruby, for whom Alice's offering tickled many of her childhood fancies. More than one novel on her shelf back home had such a scene. "Dashing, daring, a damsel's heart on the line. Sounds fun!"
Alice just smiled, resisting the urge to do anything so base as snicker. "One would expect Miltiades to have smote you had she heard you refer to her as a damsel."
"F-figure of speech only," protested Ruby.
"Do we have an agreement, then?"
"Alice, this is the sort of thing that I used to daydream about," explained Ruby with a playful grin. "Body straining, steel whistling, excitement and thrills! I'm in! Except..."
"Except?" asked Alice with a wry, expectant smile.
"You have to put up a fair wager," said Ruby, putting her hands on her hips and fixing Alice with a look. "Big stakes are exciting, but you're trying to get me to bet ten grand against ten Lien, and that isn't fair." She huffed cutely and Alice had to suppress a giggle.
"One of my kisses, ten Lien?" gasped Alice theatrically. "Miss Ruby, your cruelty is staggering. Oh dear, settle down, I was only teasing. I wonder, though," mused Alice, going off on a tangent. "You seem quite confident and sure of yourself today, but with my Miltia you were all nerves. I wonder why the difference?"
Ruby froze for a second, then somewhat sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Stress, really," she explained. "But I'm feeling a lot better today. And I love sparring, so I'm too eager to let it get to me."
"Why so stressed?" asked Alice, but the younger girl just shook her head and refused to be drawn on it. 'Well,' thought Alice, 'I guess I'm touching on something sensitive; interesting.'
"So taciturn," complained Alice with a little affected pout. "Very well. Perhaps more than a humble kiss. Perhaps you fancy something rather more laced with spice and fire rather than sweetness as your prize? A ... how did dear Miltia put it, a 'petting session'?"
For a long moment, Ruby looked at her, fixing her with a gaze. "That's right," she said in a quiet voice. She gathered her gumption and managed a smile. "I'm sure that seems pretty forward, but you are asking for a lot and several months is a long time to go without so much as a peck."
Alice ran a hand through her hair as her lips made a little 'hmm'. "Only if you're okay with myself as your offering."
Ruby winced and grinned ruefully. "Aheh, you think Miltia would refuse out of hand? Well, I guess we haven't gotten off on the right foot." The degree to which the girl had missed the point made Alice's jaw drop.
"That's … not quite it," said the heiress slowly.
"You do know I don't want to hurt her, right?" said Ruby earnestly. "You don't actually have to try and protect her like this."
Alice just smiled at her as she began to walk away. "We have our terms. I'll see you in the Arena. Good luck, Miss Rose."
Three-dozen students found their seats on the benches surrounding the pit of the sparring arena. Most were enthusiastic, looking forward to watching or participating in battle with strong opponents. A healthy buzz of conversation echoed through the gallery, awaiting the arrival of Professor Goodwitch, who was to take the sparring class.
Yang picked a bench at random and made herself comfortable, and the rest of the team piled in after her, Weiss and Ruby in the middle. Weiss glanced at Yang to her left, and Ruby to her right and bit her lip.
"Ruby," she asked, trying her very best not to sound cross and experiencing limited success.
"Hmm?" replied the girl.
"Why were you asking me about those stakes in particular?" asked the heiress tensely.
"What? Oh, nothing, don't worry about it," dismissed Ruby. Her eyes lit up as she saw their teacher arrive through a door on the far side of the arena. Surprise came over her, however, as Ozpin, Port and Oobleck followed her in. "Oh, look, Professor Goodwitch has company," she said.
Weiss glared and nudged her partner. "Don't just..."
"Good afternoon, class," greeted Goodwitch in a quiet voice that played through the speakers in the auditorium gallery as she hopped down to the arena floor. "Nice to see everyone in their seats on time. We're clearly all eager to proceed. I can see we have full attendance from all teams, so we shall proceed apace. Do we have any volunteers?"
Hands went up across the auditorium, led by Alice, Velvet, Yang and, to Ruby's surprise, Weiss nominated herself as well. "Good to see such enthusiasm in this class," noted Glynda with an arched brow. She looked among the four volunteers with a keen eye. "Alright, I believe the first volunteer was over here. Miss Sgathan, would you like to nominate an opponent, or shall I find one for you?"
Alice leaned over the bench in front of her and called down to her teacher, "I wish to fight Ruby Rose." A startled buzz erupted from Ruby's classmates, but she didn't notice as she grinned eagerly.
"Do you accept, Miss Rose?" asked the teacher, getting a quick affirmative in reply. "Then let's commence. Please enter the arena."
Ruby stood and pulled her weapon from its harness. But as she went to leave the aisle past Blake, she felt Weiss grab her wrist and looked back. "Weiss?" she asked.
"Do you have a wager with Alice?" asked her partner, causing Yang to lean over with sudden alarm, over Weiss' shoulder.
Ruby smiled and shrugged, giving nothing away. "It's just a little fun, Weiss." After that, Weiss let go of her hand, knowing she couldn't keep her without causing a scene. The dark-haired girl went down to the edge of the gallery and vaulted the wall, landing easily into the sparring pit below.
Up above in the gallery, Miltiades raced across and popped herself in Ruby's old seat. "What are they doing?" she asked urgently, but both other girls just shrugged. Yang was honestly in the dark, but Weiss simply feigned ignorance to the others, not wishing to cause a scandal for her partner just yet.
Down below, Alice was limbering up with Cheshire Silver, taking a few practice swings with her customary elegance. She knew this was going to be a gruelling fight, that Ruby was probably as dangerous an opponent as she had ever faced. So much speed and power, all tucked into that angelic little frame. Alice kept her weapon in the two-handed greatsword transform, looking to match Crescent Rose strength for strength.
Glynda gestured both of the girls close to herself. The Sgathan heiress frowned and harnessed her weapon over her shoulder again, while Ruby strode over with Crescent Rose's horrifying head assembly hanging over her shoulder. Despite being familiar with the weapon, Alice felt the powerful difference between intellectually knowing about the weapon, and actually knowing that it was going to be coming for her shortly. Among the heavy scythe's many strengths, sheer intimidating visual impact was high among them. It was fearsome and looked every inch of it a lifetaker.
"Be careful," instructed Glynda to both contestants, causing the younger student to blush and glance up at their audience. "Miss Rose, this will be your first battle since that unfortunateness with Miltiades Malachite. I'm sure we'd like to avoid a repeat."
That, more than anything else, took Alice's breath away and put a cold shiver through her spine. She had spent considerable time visiting her girlfriend as she recovered from the horrific wound that had split her chest. Knowledge of the power that could be generated by that ruthless scythe had set her entirely on edge.
'It isn't supposed to be this hard!' she told herself. 'You are an heiress to Sgathan House; you are the victor of dozens of duels; you have the finest of weapons. Don't let her intimidate you!' She bit down on the inside of her cheek and straightened up, forcing herself to appear aloof and confident. She even thought she pulled it off fairly well.
"Yes, Professor, I'll be careful," promised Ruby with a smile.
Glynda backed away from the gladiators, pulling up her large scroll and tapping away. Ruby quickly jogged to the other side of the arena and took up her guard, haft diagonally across her body, beak high right and forward. Alice slid into a low guard, right foot forward and Cheshire Silver low and forward.
"Proceed once ready."
They approached each other swiftly. Alice watched the scythe dip, and touch Ruby's shoulder. The rifle fired and that hideous weapon was suddenly screaming in. The broad hooked blade approached even as the older girl stepped back and away, bringing her weapon into a reverse grip to receive the blow.
Crescent Rose hit like a thunderbolt, sparks flying between it and Cheshire Silver. Such power lay behind the blow that the older girl staggered, almost falling to a knee. As her feet slid her ankle nearly rolled over. Although stopping Ruby's attack all but took her breath away, there was no time to rest; the tailspike was ripping up at her from the other side. Alice's hands rolled over to bring her sword across to deflect it on her right, and then strike overhand in an arcing blow. Ruby raised the haft of her weapon laterally as she took a knee and caught the blow easily.
The girl in red and black smiled as she rose and fought, twisting, striking and slashing with immense power, giving Alice all she could handle to keep up. But the heiress knew tricks as well. Cheshire Silver thrust down from an ox guard at Ruby's ankles. Her foe responded with aplomb, sliding the targeted foot back to safety, so that she went onto one knee, scythe head in her favoured high right. As the expected, brutally powerful low sweep was launched by Ruby, Alice split her weapon into its dual sword form. She jabbed her left sword towards the ground and set a low-heeled boot upon the flat of its blade, with her other weapon held high.
When the scythe's blade struck the sword, the force flipped Alice forward. She landed with a boot upon Ruby's knee. With a thrill of satisfaction she saw Ruby look up at her in abject shock, an instant before the sword in Alice's right hand smote her hard across the face. That satisfaction was short-lived as Ruby reacted with blistering speed, backflipping to throw off Alice before catching her in mid-air with Crescent Rose's blade.
The gallery stirred noisily as large chunks came off both girls' auras, and the rapid exchanges only intensified. Despite crying out in pain as she crunched into the ground, the blue and white clad girl rolled to her feet with Cheshire Silver in pulse-rifle form, a boxy, crystalline weapon with a solid stock and iron-sights between a series of dust-vials in a 'v' formation. Gasps filled the gallery again, as Ruby was already upon her, scythe coming from back right. A beam of angry blue light struck Ruby in the chest, but she rolled with the momentum and continued her blistering attack, burning through more rifle rounds to generate power. Blue crystal plates shifted once more, transforming once more into the greatsword that Alice based her art around. She braced herself to meet Ruby's blow.
With a minute, mid-flight adjustment, Ruby extended her arms, and what she lost in power, she gained in placing her scythe's beak just past the greatsword's edge. Sparks flew when the two edges ground past each other and the great curving blade punched into Alice's chest, aura flashing a vivid powder blue as it struggled with the force. Fast footwork put Ruby's right leg behind Alice's thighs, pitilessly locking her body against the incoming force of the scythe. The scythe's tip slid down Alice's side and pinned the blonde girl's own sword against her chest, and bent Alice back over Ruby's knee. The older girl went limp.
The arena lights returned to full glory. Ruby blinked and realised Alice was out cold, overwhelmed by rapid aura loss. She wrapped her left arm around her foe and cradled her safely to her chest. Crescent Rose collapsed back into its carry-state. Silver eyes looked up to where her team sat, and found her friends hitched forward, leaning over the bench before them, watching open-mouthed. She was surprised to find Miltiades sitting in her own seat, both hands over her mouth.
As she heard the click-clack of Glynda's heels approaching she pulled the larger girl up into both arms. Out of curiosity, she turned to look at the great status board at one side of the arena, and the aura gauges borne therein. What she saw there chilled her instantly.
Alice's was empty, red-bordered and flashing: a broken aura.
"Oh no, not again…," breathed Ruby.
Glynda came around to quickly check Alice's flank, but she immediately sighed with relief. "Her battle dress' steel lining held," determined the severe Professor. "Just some patchwork required. However, a less glancing blow, or a blow that hit a less armoured area, and we'd have seen a repeat of the Miltiades incident," she said to Ruby sharply, before her expression softened a little. "It was a very close-run thing, and Alice's aura had been a touch over half-full. Perhaps you weren't to have known."
Ruby was promptly dismissed back to the gallery by the professor, leaving Alice in Glynda's care. The girl in blue and white behind her awoke after a moment, groaning lowly. The scythe wielder ignored the dismissal for a moment, kneeling down next to her defeated foe. "You alright, Alice?"
Alice pushed herself up into a seated position. "Quite alright, Miss Ruby," she said in a tone that sounded more like a complaint than a reassurance. "Nary a drop of blood. Only my foolish pride was struck." She nodded towards the gallery. "Kindly let my Miltia know that I am well," she requested, dismissing the girl by her tone. "If you don't mind, I should like to walk out by my own graces."
With a gust of air and a spray of petals, Ruby turned and launched herself back up to join her friends, landing easily in the aisle.
Miltiades was immediately at her side, and she seized the younger girl's arm fiercely. "Look at me," she demanded.
Ruby met Miltiades' eyes without fear, and put a calming hand on her shoulder. "It's all okay, Miltia. It's all okay," she whispered. "Alice is fine, not a scratch on her. A couple days on light duty while her aura recovers fully and she'll be fine." Some of the tension left Miltia's shoulders as she took on Ruby's reassurance.
Beneath them Alice had gotten to her feet and recovered her weapon, sheathing it over her shoulder. She moved gingerly, but mostly unhindered. Miltia let go of Ruby's arm and went to the railing to watch her girlfriend make her way to a hatch that would let her out of the fighting pit, to a stairwell up to the gallery. "Are you alright?" she asked in concern.
"Rumours of my demise are greatly exaggerated," reassured Alice with a wan smile. "I'll be there presently."
The Professor at the heart of the arena cleared her throat to regain the class' attention. "Before we proceed, Miss Rose. Your footwork was top-notch, and I hope everyone was paying attention to it," declared Glynda. "I know you're young, but if you were to nominate for the Vytal Tournament, your prospects for qualifying are quite good."
"Thank you, Professor," replied Ruby from the gallery with a smile.
"Next hand raised belonged to Miss Schnee," continued Glynda. "Do you have an opponent in mind?"
"I'd like to challenge Jaune Arc," answered Weiss, turning to glare heatedly at the blonde boy, who recoiled in alarm from the look.
Glynda mulled that over with her lips pressed thinly in disapproval. "Perhaps … Miss Xiao-Long, your hand was next after Weiss, did you have an opponent in mind?"
"Aurea Perrault," nominated Yang, arms folded across her chest.
Glynda tapped at her scroll and then nodded in satisfaction. "I'm going to combine these battles into a two on two. Any objections? Good. Please enter the arena."
Yang stretched, sinews creaking audibly, and made her way down the aisle, along with a very nervous Jaune. Weiss likewise stood, giving Ruby a last speculative look before lithely leaping the retaining wall. After that the heiress' attention was squarely on Jaune, who was looking anywhere but back at her. Aurea entered with a flurry of movement, firing her carbine into the wall as she kicked off it, earning a disapproving frown from Glynda. She made it over halfway across the arena before she landed. With a cheeky grin she turned to face the others.
"I'm with Jauney-boy here!" declared Yang as she hit the ground. The boy in question landed next to her and she immediately collared him to emphasise the point.
"Works for me!" called out Aurea. "How about you, Princess?"
Weiss frowned and drew her weapon with an angry flourish. "It'll do," she said simply.
As the two pairs formed up on either side of the arena, Jaune leaned over to Yang and began to whisper. "Yang, I think I have a plan," he confided.
"Really?" asked Yang with a grin.
'Yeah, this should work," he said. "Okay, first you go-"
Glynda tapped a button on her scroll and the ambient lights dropped, leaving only the spotlights on the Arena. "You may commence," she declared in a commanding voice.
To Jaune's dismay, the girl beside him threw her arms back and blasted off into battle, Ember Celica's rounds echoing through the amphitheatre. "W-wait, what?!" he stammered, before a beautiful flash of light caught his attention. A dozen brilliant blue dust missiles were screaming in at him, bearing Weiss' regards. "Crap!" he cried out, raising his shield to weather the pounding blows. Soon all thoughts of a plan faded as battle was joined.
A cacophony of noise filled the arena. Myrtenaster's powers were unleashed in complex, well-drilled combinations that screamed and hissed in the air. Joining it was the thunderous boom of Ember Celica and the crack and whine of Aurea's weapon forms, Luna and Sole. Working in two individual fights, the students ripped about the arena, exchanging blows.
Although Weiss held an advantage at range, she had no fear of doing her work in close, and when Jaune finally got through the gauntlet of ice and missile that she threw his way she was perfectly happy to pit Myrtenaster and her technique against Crocea Mors and Jaune's more amateurish manners. The rapier and the longsword vyed as Weiss set a hedge of steel about the young man.
'Oh my god, she is fast!' thought Jaune to himself as he called on every lesson with Pyrrha that he could recall. And swordplay had sounded so simple to him at first! But here he felt like he was playing chess against a girl with a time machine, who was seeing his moves several turns ahead. At one point Weiss was so far ahead of him that her rapier had settled into position to parry his blow even before his muscles began to carry out his intended strike. If it weren't for his aura, the riposte from that exchange would have effectively trimmed his left eyebrow. But much of the time she didn't even bother to parry; Weiss' footwork simply carried her past his clumsiness like a river was carried past a fallen log.
"Jaune!" he heard screamed from the gallery. "Stop swinging for her sword, aim for the body! You have to force reactions!"
'Easier said than done, Pyrrha,' he thought to himself in frustration. A civilian's fear of inflicting and receiving harm was difficult to overcome.
Across the arena, the two golden girls were locked into a furious close-in battle using every trick in the book to get an edge. Aurea's cudgel was in constant motion, being wielded two handed to nimbly knock aside Yang's gauntlets and constantly shifting in and out of its carbine transform to fire point blank rounds. But Yang was canny and strong and every part of her body was a weapon. There was no way to stop her landing blows, and Aurea knew that all she needed was to allow one gap in her defences and Yang would open her up like a tin can.
Once you let Yang Xiao-Long break your guard and start up a combo, it was almost always irrecoverable. And with Weiss seemingly so focused on Jaune, Aurea knew she had little hope for intervention if she slipped up. But both Aurea and Jaune would have been surprised to know how much the two veteran fighters they faced were aware of each other's battles.
Glynda noticed, however, spotting how neither Weiss nor Yang ever turned their back on the other, how Weiss partially disengaged from Jaune when it looked like Aurea was about to be overrun by Yang, and then renewing her assault on the blond boy when her teammate recovered. And in how Yang carefully worked their fight back towards Weiss.
After a minute of furious battle, the gap between the pairs had closed to a few meters. Then Yang got around behind Aurea's guard on the left and initiated a rolling series of kicks that staggered the tomboy. Rather than go straight for the finishing blow, Yang went into a shotgun-assisted roll, grabbed Jaune by the scruff of the neck, and hurled him bodily at the staggering Aurea.
Weiss desperately tried to adjust her strike as she became aware of the sudden danger. As her steel tried to come around, Yang was spinning low, in and under Weiss' guard, rising into an uppercut that caught her teammate right on the point of the chin, lifting them both off the ground. A further blow from a knee and an elbow inverted the heiress. She nearly came down on her head, throwing her arms out in a last-ditch save, but she could not stop Yang from seizing her by the ankle and bodily hurling her across the arena, where she hit a wall and slumped to the ground.
The brawler turned her attention back to Jaune and Aurea, sighing with feeling as she realised the team JNPR leader was being squeamish about landing finishing blows, which was stringing out the battle and letting the tomboy recover. Grunting with irritation, she expelled her used shells from Ember Celica and loaded two fresh strips, and blasted her way back into the fight. Aurea cried out as the girl burst inside her guard and erupted into violence.
With a boot planted atop her victim's right foot, Yang threw a powerful, shotgun-assisted uppercut into Aurea's jaw, making her see stars. She seized the unresisting girl and whipped her around and drove a hammering elbow into her face as she came past, spinning the girl up into the air to land with a thud, a bounce and a final thud.
Up in the gallery, the two Malachite girls went green around the gills as they watched Yang apply the coup de grace to their comrade, vivid memories of being on the receiving end of similarly brutal finales. They exchanged sympathetic looks from across the aisle. Miltia winced as she heard Ruby cheer on her sister loudly.
On the ground, Yang allowed herself a moment to exhale in satisfaction, dusting off her gauntlets. Jaune regathered himself, lowering his arms as he looked at Aurea's crumpled form. She was okay, but out cold.
"I can't believe you threw m…," he began to say, before both he and Yang realised that Glynda had not yet called the fight. His eyes had a moment to flick up at the status display, where he could see one red-limned aura bar under the four portraits. One, and only one. "Cra-," he began to say.
A meteor storm of large, scintillating azure pulses demolished an unprepared Jaune in a heartbeat. Weiss came storming back across the arena floor with fury in her eyes. Myrtenaster's blade turned to a brilliant ruby hue as she launched hard off a glyph and swung for Yang's neck. The steel clanged off Ember Celica's left gauntlet and Weiss had to step around the counterpunch from the right gauntlet. Fire from the red dust in Myrtenaster flared out, adding a complication to Yang's defence, but she just grit her teeth in a savage smile and bent her mind and experience to the task.
As they twisted and turned, exchanging blows, the students in the gallery were on the edge of their seats watching the two combatants fight without restraint. Warning bells began to ring for Glynda, however, as Yang sized up Weiss' demeanour and conduct, and expelled Ember Celica's shells for a second time. Strips of shells from a different pocket were quickly loaded. The Professor knew there was no way Yang had expended all of her shells from the first reload, and she began to consult her scroll.
Scanners in the arena tracked all manner of factors in battle for later review by the teaching staff, including Dust expenditure. Of course, Professor Goodwitch didn't need those readings to tell her Yang had just loaded shells with full battle-loads of Dust, or that Weiss had removed all throttles on Myrtenaster's Dust use. When Yang landed a blow and fired, there was an appreciable new depth to the echoing boom that rumbled across the arena. The vibrancy and crispness of the glyphs that Weiss used showed that she was holding nothing back either. As she watched a new glyph in searing blue flipped gravity for Weiss to turn the impact of Yang's blow into mere impetus for a stance reversal and riposte. Goodwitch spared a glance up at Ozpin in the stands for guidance from her superior, but the headmaster was simply watching the fight in fascination, leaning forward on his cane.
In the end, it was Yang who walked from the battle, disarming Weiss when she got the heiress on the wrist with Ember Celica, then knocking her to the ground with a haymaker. The lights came on instantly, Glynda taking no chances. Weiss slapped at her thigh angrily as she looked up and saw her aura sitting in the red, alongside Jaune's and Aurea's. Both of these two students began to get back to their feet to rejoin their classmates now that the fight had ended.
"Thank you, ladies, gentleman, that was very impressive," said Glynda as she swiftly strode into the midst of the quartet, ready to restrain any hotheads.
But there was little ill-will as Yang extended a hand to Weiss, who sighed with resignation and waved it off, standing on her own. "Good job, Yang," she conceded.
"You too, Ice Queen," laughed Yang, getting a look.
Jaune slapped Yang on the back, saying, "That was awesome, guys. Especially you, Weiss, you were amazing. The way you got up after Yang blindsided you was crazy, I thought you were out of the fight for sure!" The ivory-haired girl just rolled her eyes at him. She was quite annoyed with herself that she hadn't defeated Jaune before Yang could intervene.
Aurea, who had regained consciousness after only a few seconds of being rendered insensible by the rapid loss of aura, joined them gingerly. She had watched the final act of the battle with interest. "That was an experience," she stated flatly. "We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Miss Xiao-Long, Mr Arc, congratulations on your victory," said Glynda. "Mister Arc, again, please keep an eye on the aura levels, for yourself and others."
"Yes, ma'am," said Jaune sheepishly.
"Miss Perrault, please come see me for more detailed feedback after class," continued the Professor. "You too, Mister Arc," she added, highlighting the two students who had been the weakest and thus needed the most work. She turned to Weiss and Yang. "I noticed you two competed to a very high level against each other. That was good to see, if a little nerve-wracking for us in the audience."
Yang waved a hand nonchalantly, grinning sideways at Weiss. "Gotta go hard or go home, Professor," she said.
Professor Goodwitch dismissed Weiss and Yang with promises of sending written feedback to their student email accounts. The girls and boy returned to the gallery, with Yang and Weiss getting high-fives from an ebullient team leader. Weiss rolled her eyes at the younger girl's foolishness but played along. Partially shellshocked Aurea returned to her partner and was surprised to get a sympathetic hug from Melanie, but grinned wryly and laughed it off.
Below them Glynda went to her scroll again, and then called out Velvet's name. When asked who she'd like to face, she smiled and said, "I want to fight Blake."
Blake sat bolt upright, turning away from Ruby's antics to face the rabbit faunus. Her golden eyes narrowed suspiciously, but there wasn't much she could say to get out of it. Instead she silently drew her sword and leapt down into the arena. Velvet blinked and then scrambled after her, expanding Wishbearer into full size as she landed. Neither paid any particular attention as Glynda laid down some ground rules.
"You may begin when ready," invited Glynda.
For a moment, the two girls stared at each other from across the arena floor. Blake had sword and cleaver-like sheath out and ready before her. Velvet's long staff was in both hands, her aura and will ready to trigger the psychoreactive dust in her weapon in a flash. The cat faunus was the first to pounce, and she drove into the fray, steel gleaming wickedly. Velvet exploded into light, throwing off dazzling bursts of glass formations.
Blake's shadow clones decoyed left and right, throwing off Velvet's aim as she approached, darting past searing bolts and bursts of powerful Dust Magery. As strong as Velvet was, Blake had a vicious cunning that her earnest foe did not have. It was a keen edge she had forged for herself at great, bitter cost. Acquiring that edge had given her memories she'd do anything to forget, woke her up at strange hours of the morning in a cold sweat, and had eventually turned her whole life upside down on a cliff face near the edge of the Foreverfall Forest. But what it had earned her was a prowess in battle that few could withstand.
The two girls strove with each other, sword versus stave, shadow-clones vying with all the tricks of a Dust Mage. Blake would strike in at the girl, a brutal windmill with sword following cleaver-sheath, and Velvet would parry it and then unleash a powerful blast of energy. But all she would hit was an ephemera, and the real Blake was back on the attack. Their battle filled the air with the pained screech of grinding metal, the whip and crack of Blake's ribbon, and the high-pitched sizzle of 'magic'.
Velvet fought with dedication, skill and a prodigy's talent. Her staff was fast, ever-present while her semblance scorched the arena, even catching Blake with a beam of coherent light that slammed her into the far wall. But Blake had learned her craft in a far more unforgiving milieu than Velvet had. She rebounded from pain that would have stopped Velvet in her tracks, and when the fight ended, Blake was left standing, sword and sheath crossed on either side of her kneeling foe's neck.
The lights came on again and Velvet looked down with wide eyes at the cold steel on either side of her neck.
"Whoa…," muttered the rabbit faunus with wide, awe-struck eyes.
She hadn't truly fought Blake that day in the Foreverfall Forest, and she had never developed the healthy respect for her counterpart's prowess that the rest of her team possessed. She had that respect now.
"Well done, Miss Belladonna," congratulated Professor Goodwitch. "Your skill with the chain scythe is … remarkable."
Blake just nodded, sheathing her weapon and returning it to her back as she reversed away from Velvet slowly. With a maternal smile that did not extend to her eyes, Glynda ushered them back into the stands. The rabbit faunus girl kept looking up at her status display on the wall, shaking her head. She had burned through a third of her foe's aura, but only after being dropped into the red zone that started at twenty percent.
There was silence bar the murmuring of the audience. Rather than call forth her next pair of gladiators to the pit, Glynda was tapping away at her scroll's messenger app.
'Well, that chain scythe technique certainly felt familiar. If Blake were a faunus, I'd be asking questions,' the message read. She hit the transmit button and then glanced up at her senior, who was sitting forward, resting his elbows on his knees, deep in thought as he processed what he had seen. When his scroll beeped at him, he read Glynda's message and frowned. He began to tap out a message as she stood waiting below. He pressed a button and looked down to give his right-hand woman an unreadable look as he put the device back in his pocket. He turned and walked to the staff exit.
A new message popped up on Glynda's scroll, causing her to look up at her boss in no small confusion.
'[Ozpin, Headmaster] : True. Thank you for inviting me to see your class. Unfortunately, I have to go ask a few questions.'
"Alright, so what did they do?" asked Melanie with an amused smirk. She was in high spirits after having won her own duel towards the end of the sparring class. Her elbow blades had given her exactly the flexibility she had needed to compete against opponents with better length.
Pyrrha sighed as she sat upon the desk chair in the team MAVM dorm room. Melanie's teammates were arrayed around her, either sitting on Miltia's adjacent bed, or standing in Aurea's case. The twin in red was very distracted seeming, as Alice was off being checked over by the nurse after the end of her sparring match. Jaune was with them, standing at Pyrrha's side.
"Alright, long story short, Ruby has told me that the White Fang tried to assassinate Weiss," said Pyrrha, laying it out in the open. A ripple of shock went through the group, and the smile on Velvet's face disappeared in an instant. "Weiss and Ruby were out together, and we were in the area when this happened, but we didn't see the fight itself, only the aftermath."
After a brief silence, Melanie stirred. "And what was the aftermath like?"
Jaune looked away and coughed awkwardly. "Yeah, kinda gruesome, ya know," he admitted. Jaune began to explain as much of the situation as he knew, finally capping the explanation by saying, "For what it's worth, I think Ruby's telling the truth."
Velvet moaned and looked away, rubbing at her face as her ears dipped. Miltia looked over in surprise, and asked, "I thought you hated the Fang?"
"I do hate the White Fang!" protested Velvet. "You can't expect me to be happy about Ruby and Weiss killing faunus people, though!"
Melanie stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Do you think Ruby is becoming a danger to herself or others?"
"A danger? She's our friend," protested Jaune.
"I think Ruby is a lot stronger than we thought," replied Pyrrha with a more thoughtful response. "I wouldn't say we have seen anything to suggest she's going off the rails."
"Alright," said Melanie with a sigh and a frown. "We'll have our meeting and…"
"Actually, before you do," said Velvet slowly. "The White Fang is notorious for using the same sort of observation drones they use here at Beacon. There'll be footage floating around in the underground somewhere."
"You think?" asked Jaune in surprise, to which Velvet nodded.
Pyrrha and Melanie exchanged a look. "Okay… Well, if you can get your hands on that, we certainly could," said Jaune, trying not to sound as unsure as he felt.
"So we hold off on the disciplinary meeting until Velvet gets the footage," suggested Melanie.
"Give me about two weeks. If I haven't got it by then, then the White Fang has covered up the footage and no one will find it," answered Velvet.
Weiss tossed her textbook onto her bed in frustration. It was becoming impossible to stay awake and focus. Caffeine wasn't cutting it and she needed to finish this intolerable chapter. Who cared about Vacuo military history anyway? But it was on the curriculum, so study it she must.
"Still banging your head into a wall?" asked Yang aloud, not looking up from the book she had borrowed from Blake.
With a groan Weiss glanced up at her teammate. She had honestly been shocked to see Yang reading. Of course, she had a sneaky suspicion from the slight flush and parted lips she sometimes saw on the girl's face it wasn't exactly dry, dusty fare.
"As a matter of fact, yes," complained the heiress.
"Why bother?" asked Yang. "You'll pass anyway."
"Passing grades may be fine for some people, but I want my A," retorted Weiss with a dismissive wave.
Yang sighed aloud. "Of course you do. Try going for a walk outside?"
"A walk," repeated Weiss, glancing out their window. "Hmph." She glanced down at her books and rolled her eyes. She got up from the bed and picked up Myrtenaster by reflex and walked to the door.
Blake walked into the room from the bathroom. "Where are you off to?" she asked in surprise.
"I have decided I need a walk to clear my head," she declared regally.
"Sure," said Blake, glancing up in surprise at Yang as the blonde girl snorted.
"Hey, if you see my sister out there," said Yang, "Tell her to get her butt back here already. She's overtraining."
"That I will certainly do," agreed Weiss as she left the room.
The heiress left their dorm and made her way out through the corridors until she exited through the luxuriously appointed entry hall of the building. The moment she stepped outside the chill night air hit her like a slap. A shiver ran right up her spine, making her eyes go wide. It certainly woke her up and cleared her mind, just as Yang had suggested. Weiss tightened up her jacket and picked a direction at random and began to walk.
The Beacon Academy campus was well-lit and very secure, if unobtrusively so. Weiss made her way around the bright, paved commons, past the dining hall and library. Others were out and about as well: students, faculty, visiting Hunters and dignitaries. Everyone minded their own business and ignored others on their late night strolls. Weiss didn't have a particular course in mind, rather simply a time-frame. As such, it was a surprise to her when she ran into company.
She heard their voices as she stood before a vending machine, purchasing as healthy a drink as she could find without settling for water. Weiss sighed and dropped her left hand onto the hilt of her weapon, glancing at the near corner. Sure enough, the two Malachites with Alice in tow came into view, chatting merrily among themselves.
'Clearly, I just haven't had enough bad luck lately,' lamented the white-haired girl to herself as they walked over her way.
"Well, Miss Schnee, what a pleasure to run into you out here," greeted Alice as she immediately noticed the tyrant of the society scene.
"Weiss," greeted Melanie coolly, putting her hands on her hips as she walked, trying hard to resist the urge to roll her eyes.
"Hey," said Milita as she folded her arms. "Out by yourself?"
"Girls," said Weiss off-handedly as she twisted off the cap of her new purchase. "Just out for a walk, quick break from studying," she explained.
"The Vacuo lessons?" asked Melanie with a handwave. "Pfft, not exactly helpful stuff."
"Ah, must be nice not having anyone other than yourself paying attention to your school transcript," needled Weiss. Melanie took on an angry flush, her brows knotting at the deliberate reminder of the Malachite girls' lack of a domestic situation.
"Ruby still studying?" asked Miltia with a quick glance about.
"I don't think she bothered to study at all," complained Weiss in a sudden burst of frustration as Miltia touched on the sensitive topic, making her forget about exchanging barbs with Melanie. "She's still out training somewhere, running scythe drills religiously."
"Do forgive, Miss Schnee," said Alice with a winsome grin. "But I must suggest that you will in future find in Ruby's mastery of her scythe drills more to appreciate than you will in your own understanding of the triumphs and reversals of Remnant's most lackadaisical army."
Weiss grimaced. "I'm well aware of that," she said before taking another drink. "But military history is not an elective, so I need my grades."
"Healthy drinks?" noted Melanie with a cocked eyebrow. "Why bother? You're a trainee Huntress; it's all kilojoules in, kilojoules out. You'll never get a figure if you don't give your body something to burn."
Weiss gave the girl a vile look as she took a long draught of her new drink. "You can't even imagine how uninterested I am," she retorted as she replaced the cap. "I'm a fencer, slim and flexible works for me. Besides," she said dismissively with a flick of the wrist, "People of taste prefer the elegant look to overstuffed figures." Melanie rolled her eyes, flicking her hair back.
Alice's eyes caught some movement to her left, and when she glanced that way she straightened up and stiffened. "Melanie, I do suspect you're about to receive Exhibit A for your theory," she said quietly. The other girls looked over in curiosity.
"Hey everyone!" intruded a new lively voice, bright and self-satisfied despite a tired vein.
"Hi Ruby," greeted Melanie idly.
"H-hey, Ruby," stammered Weiss as she gave her partner a wide-eyed look. 'So… Cookies in, cookies out, equals figure in,' she thought to herself in surprise.
Miltia and Alice exchanged a startled look, before looking back at the team leader. Seconds passed before they could find anything to say. Ruby had been working hard, sweating away at her drills and exercises so intensely that her exercise tank top had become soaked through. As a result she had stripped off her tank top and was carrying it tied to the back-hooks of Crescent Rose, which was slung over her shoulder. Hard work and milk, the older girls realised, had been paying off in spades, because Ruby Rose was all but glowing with health, her body an exquisitely toned instrument, while her figure was showing clear signs that Yang's curves had come through her father's line rather than her mother's.
The girl walked up in her black sports bra, which was thankfully a recent purchase and mostly fit, but also her old red shorts that she had already more than filled out. It was far and away the least clothing that any of the other girls had seen Ruby in.
'Guess that's why when Venus tried to bump into her she bounced off like she hit a wall,' realised Weiss.
"How're you guys?" asked Ruby, giving Miltia and Alice a strange look for their reaction.
"Good," said Miltia in a quick, clipped voice, a sentiment quickly echoed by the others.
"Wow, Ruby, you've really been hitting the exercises lately," noted Melanie in surprise.
"Oh no, I've always kept up this sort of exercising," said Ruby. "My Uncle Qrow always drove me till I dropped."
"Well, it's paying off, you look as strong as an Ursa," said Melanie with a smile, getting a sharp look from Weiss.
"You look lovely, Miss Ruby, we should all have such dedication," said Alice gracefully.
Even as focused a girl as Ruby couldn't help but appreciate the compliment, and she cocked a hip and smiled broadly. "Thanks, Alice," she said.
Weiss' eyes went up and down Ruby's form almost without conscious thought. Alice hadn't been lying; to her classmates, the girl looked good enough to eat. 'What the hell am I doing?' she thought to herself in surprise.
"Ruby, Yang said to tell you to head back to the dorm as soon as I saw you," Weiss found herself saying, rushing her words just slightly.
"Aww, come on," complained Ruby. "I'm heading back eventually."
Involuntarily Weiss glanced at Miltia, who was looking back at her with her lips curled provocatively. "She insisted. And I think she's right; you're overtraining, go get some sleep?" Weiss knew what she was doing, of course. She wanted to get Ruby far, far away from Miltia and Alice's eyes. But she didn't understand the why, and the jealous burn in her chest confused her mightily.
"Fine, fine," grumbled Ruby before starting to walk. "See you, guys."
When Ruby had receded from earshot, Alice turned to Weiss. "My my, Miss Schnee, you have been sitting on something special. Was that jealousy in your voice I heard when you sent her forth?"
"Don't start, Alice, you know I'm not into girls," dismissed Weiss with an angry edge to her voice. The moment she heard that burr in her voice though, she winced. It was a lapse that would look like blood in the water to society-experienced Melanie and Alice. Sure enough, both girls gave her that little haughty look that said they had noticed her weakness.
Melanie smirked that little trademark of hers and turned to her twin. "I bet you're regretting taking the high-road on Sunday, sis. One crook of your finger and you could have had that entwined in your sheets."
Weiss's eyes went wide as saucers and she almost gave herself whiplash turning toward Miltia. "What?"
Miltia looked at Melanie sourly, not realising yet that her sister was trying to dig her claws into Weiss with her comments. "I told you already, she was a mess that I don't want to take advantage of. And despite her post-workout cheer, I doubt she's gotten her head on straight yet."
The Schnee heiress looked at her Sgathan peer. "I take it that when Ruby told us all on Sunday she had gone to 'yell at Miltia', she was underselling things a little?" she asked in a voice that made Alice think of thunderclouds.
"Dear, oh dear," gasped Alice with a hand over her mouth, as if she was mortified and not deliriously delighted. "Is that all she said?" An unpleasant lump formed in Weiss' stomach. "She crashed our lunch and pulled Miltia over the side of the building." From that introduction, Alice quickly went over the encounter as she had seen and overheard it, drawing an embarrassed flush from Miltia, who scuffed at the ground with her heels.
"It's just as well you refrained," said Weiss in as pleasant a tone as she could manage. In terms of being convincing, however, her amicable front fooled no one. "I don't think I would have reacted very well if you'd taken advantage of her."
"I don't need your threats, Weiss," said Miltia bluntly. "I have my own standards, thanks."
Alice sighed aloud. "It is almost a shame that you do, my dear. Miss Rose needs some sort of release, I feel."
"I'm sure that's not the case," argued Weiss.
Melanie laughed aloud, shaking her head. "Don't lie to yourself, Weiss, your friend is as red-blooded as the rest of us. Just because you don't like to think of her like that, doesn't mean it isn't true."
"I'm certain Miss Rose will soon resolve this matter for herself," said Alice pleasantly. "Very resourceful girl that she is. Not quite romantic, but such is the way of need." She glanced silently at her girlfriend and thought, 'And then hopefully she'll stop being interested in you, dear.'
"Wonderful," ground out Weiss, doing her best to control her reactions.
"Okay, we really need to get back to our dorms already," said Melanie as she checked her scroll. "Nice running into you, Weiss."
"Goodbye," said Weiss with a hooded look. But as the two Malachite girls left, Alice hung back, waiting for a moment to talk. "Alice," acknowledged Weiss, giving her a curious look.
When the Sgathan heiress was sure the other two girls were far enough away, she turned to Weiss and said quietly, "Weiss, please, when will you give this up and return to normal? It isn't like you."
"I surely hope you don't mean training to be a Huntress," asked Weiss darkly.
"Dear, you know of what I speak," replied Alice with an admonishing tone. "Not even a year ago, had a society neophyte like Melanie spoken so to you," she trailed off, shaking her head. "Why, I expect you would given her her own heart on a silver platter as an entree."
"You can't possibly be calling me too nice," said Weiss with wide-eyed surprise.
"You still have some of your edge, but you used to be majestic," exhorted Alice. "A Tyrant, a Queen, the whole society scene, boys and girls alike, loved you and feared you." She paused and then admitted, "I adored you, Weiss. Myself, the others, we followed you across Vale, Atlas and Mistral hunting those faunus scum."
Weiss took a nervous step back. "Alice, don't…"
"That horrible matter in Mistral, your father … Weiss, when are you going to be one of us again? This isn't about being or not being a Huntress, of course."
"No, it's about cocaine, cruelty, and carnage," said Weiss quietly with ghosts in her eyes.
"Your soul was never meant to be this trammeled thing," urged Alice insistently as she reached up and slowly laced her fingers behind Weiss' neck. "You have made shackles for yourself; cast them aside."
"I don't think that would fit well with my new team," observed Weiss wryly with a glance aside, but her voice was thick with emotion. She looked down awkwardly. These words were like a siren's call to her, like the slow and steady pull of quicksand.
"Perhaps not Yang and Blake, but Miss Ruby has the instincts and charms for it," suggested Alice before grinning a little smokily. "Even if the dear thing would avoid the Special like the plague."
"Alice, I'm actually enjoying not being constantly, violently angry for a change," said Weiss softly. "I never would have stopped if my father hadn't threatened my enrollment, but now that I'm clean, I don't want to subject myself to that again."
"Don't you?" asked Alice with a bemused look. "Perhaps. But indulge my curiosity. Should I open the pommel cap of your weapon, and inspect the little capsule within, what would I find there?" Weiss looked away uncomfortably. "If you're so certain that you want to be boring and clean, why do you still keep your little vice with you at all times?"
When Weiss didn't reply, the blonde heiress walked away.
The following day's sun was low in the sky at the Vale Airship Terminal when Yang and Blake disembarked with Yang's motorcycle. Whereas to the faculty a free-study period meant just that, a chance to students to be catching up on their study, to the student body it just meant free time. A chance to sleep in, to play around and generally do anything other than study. For the two girls helping wheel the powerful yellow-clad motorcycle down the ramp and across the staging yard, it was a chance to finally stay out late and explore.
"I don't suppose I can have your helmet?" asked Blake as they finally got the bike clear of obstructions.
Yang laughed. "You sure? We might have to do some fancy driving if one of Vale's finest sees me without a helmet and wants to cause trouble." Blake gave her a look and Yang winked, tossing her the headgear. "First time?"
"Yeah," confirmed Blake. "I'm looking forward to it, but … you're a maniac, Yang, I'd like to have the helmet."
"Hey!" protested Yang. "Just you watch, we'll be safe as houses."
In truth, personal safety was only a fleeting concern. Blake was worried not about the health impacts of the high-speeds she was sure Yang had in mind, but the integrity of the bow on her head. Having her cat ears smooshed up against a helmet didn't sound very comfortable, but it was better than losing her bow halfway down the road and experiencing a truly awkward conversation. So on the helmet went, a simple skullcap with a strap that sat under her chin, but it would certainly keep the necessaries in place.
'And who knows, if Yang gets too cocky with her riding, it might just be handy to have,' she thought to herself with a smile.
Yang Xiao-Long swung a leg over the powerful machine with practiced ease before throwing an energetic look back at her partner. Her smile made Blake straighten up and catch her breath.
"Come on, babe, hop on," called the confident young brawler. Blake rolled her eyes and nimbly sprang into place behind Yang, settling in behind the other girl. Yang leaned back into her. "Remember, we're going to be going full throttle, so you," she said with a quick nudge, "Need to hold on tight as nails."
"Don't worry about me, I'm not letting go," dismissed Blake, giving the girl a look.
Yang snickered and started up the motorcycle, startling Blake with the powerful rumble that began to roll through her body. The engine roared and the faunus girl instinctively tightened her embrace just before a sudden burst of acceleration saw the bike careen across the staging yard and towards the carpark and the exit gates.
"Whoa!" yelled Blake in surprise as Yang sent them screaming out into traffic. The sensation was incredible, wind whipping through her hair, her stomach feeling like it was almost being shoved out her back, the vibrations running through her thighs and the feel of Yang on her chest. "Grimm and Dust, don't get us killed!" she yelled out against the wind, but Yang only laughed like a loon.
Yang was delighted to stretch her beloved bike's legs through the city streets. Well after close of business on a weeknight as it was, the city streets were largely quiet, letting the blonde girl weave across the asphalt, treating the traffic with disdain. Whenever there were police cars, Yang ghosted in and out of traffic, keeping her speed up while staying out of sight. Her passenger had been bemused upon realising what Yang was doing, but didn't comment on it. At one point they came by a convertible with a set of young men and women who waved and wolf-whistled as Yang rode by, blowing them a kiss as she went, hair flowing brilliantly.
Eventually they came to a set of red lights and settled down to a temporary halt. Yang twisted to throw a dazzling smile back at the girl who had been holding on for dear life.
"Enjoying yourself?" asked Yang.
Blake nodded vigorously. "That was amazing," she said with eyes wide. In truth, it was enormously appealing to the animalistic side that lurked within every faunus. The speed, the power, the wind, it raised her senses to a fine edge. Her ears were twitching madly under the helmet.
"I'm your key to the city tonight, tell me what you want to see and I'll take you there," promised Yang ostentatiously.
Blake's lips curled into a ferocious grin as a host of Vale City based attractions and destinations out of her novels came to mind. "First up, I want to go to…"
For two hours the partners went screaming across Vale, visiting landmark after landmark under the lights of the big city. Bumblebee was parked just outside the boundary of an inner city park that had been the site of a stirring duel in one of Blake's more cherished books. The faunus girl leaned back against the powerful machine and took it all in under the actinic lamplight. Yang was on the other side of the bike, leaning across it so she could talk to her partner. Chilly gusts made her locks shimmer and dance.
"Where do you want to go next?" she asked.
"I think I'm done sightseeing," said Blake, before glancing over pensively. "But I would…"
"Anywhere ya want," encouraged Yang when Blake trailed off.
"I'd like to see this alley next to the toy store," said the faunus girl quietly, self-consciously rubbing at her arms. "Where Ruby and Weiss had their fight."
The blonde girl was silent for several seconds, before she nodded. "Okay. Bounty Toys ain't far." She straddled the bike again with ease and Blake hopped up behind her.
"Are you okay, Yang?" checked Blake after her partner's silence.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just ... creeped out a bit visiting somewhere lil' sis killed people," she muttered before starting the engine.
"We don't-"
"Nah, I want to see it," dismissed Yang. "Some of what Rubes told me about the fight seemed Nora-like. Over the top." The two girls exchanged a silent nod. With a quick squeeze of the throttle Bumblebee burst into motion, leaving the parking lot behind. They returned to the road and took off at high speed. Yang navigated the roads with seasoned ease, soon turning onto one of the boulevards that traversed Vale City.
After a little while riding along they came to an intersection. Blake could see that the further the boulevard stretched the brighter it became. Neon vertical signs stood out starkly against the dark buildings above the streetlights. When she glanced around she noticed that the cars alongside them at the intersection were much fancier, many sporting customisations.
Yang reached behind her and tapped Blake's leg. "Hey, Blake, it's starting to get a bit late, and after we go to Bounty Toys, there's still someplace I wanna show you. We're gonna take the direct route through Vale's red light district to save time," explained Yang calmly. "Should be fine, just keep your eyes peeled."
"For what?" asked Blake with a cocked eyebrow.
"Signal's not far away and there's plenty of students grinding, crime gangs, cops in a bad mood, all sorts of nonsense," explained Yang, ignoring her partner's sarcastic quip. "I'm kinda distinctive and there's plenty of people out there who'd like a rematch."
Blake gave her partner a look, one eyebrow cocked high. "Playing the bad girl, Yang?"
"Just a thrill seeker," replied the blonde with an ear to ear smile. The lights turned green and the bike roared from a standing start, streaking down the boulevard. "Alright, also a bad girl," yelled Yang over the thunderous noise. Blake watched on wide-eyed from the pillion as Yang made her way through the streets like a queen of the road.
Ten minutes later they pulled up safely to the side of the road outside Bounty Toys and Games. The alleyway was sealed off feebly, with a few strips of crime scene tape. Yang personally doubted the Police had done anything more than a token inspection, given the White Fang had been on the losing end of the encounter. A few notes would have been taken, handed on to a bored clerk, and then the matter considered closed. The Schnee Dust Company dispensed its own justice.
Blake hopped off the bike as Yang parked outside the alley. Yang joined her and together they stepped under the crime scene tape and walked towards the site of the carnage. They found the spot next to the little inner-urban park easily. It was, after all, almost impossible to miss.
"Grimm and Dust," breathed Yang. "She must have hit the ground like an anvil."
In the middle of the alley was a great circle of pulverised pavement where Ruby had made her opening gambit. The intense spiderweb of cracks and rubble expanded out from the epicentre for several meters in all directions, proof of the titanic blow Ruby had unleashed on her enemy. A dark burgundy colour stained much of the area.
"Dried blood," sighed Blake. "It's absolutely everywhere."
"These gouges in the ground could only be Crescent Rose," opined Yang. "Very few weapons could do that."
"I know she's strong enough, but it still messes with my head to see the evidence," said Blake looking around.
"So what do you think?" asked Yang as she wandered around the shallow crater.
"It matches up with her story," said the faunus girl slowly. "With how far the blood spattered, you can tell it was a … a catastrophic blow.
"I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or worried," noted Yang with a huff.
"So your sister has a bodycount," said Blake as she looked up at the roof.
"So?" challenged Yang. "She's still my sister."
"Ruby does scare me a little though," admitted Blake. "Ruby's style is deadly. All scythes are dangerous. But her style, semblance, and weapon combine into a lethal perfect storm. It's a colossal risk to fight against her and it scares me a little."
Yang's expression grew haunted as she looked off over Blake's shoulder. "I know. Ruby learned about death from a very young age. And Uncle Qrow taught her that there is a very fine difference between saving your loved ones and watching them die."
Blake could hear painful memories in Yang's voice, and fell silent.
"Well, at least you know that Ruby isn't just a victim waiting to happen alongside Weiss," pointed out Blake softly. "Strange to think two people died, right here," she said after a moment, touching the ground beside a great divot of cracked pavement. "Two misguided people…"
"At least it wasn't Ruby and Weiss," said Yang. "Yeah... Giving me goosebumps, honestly." She tilted her head at Blake. "Why did you want to come here?"
"I wanted to see for myself, to make sure Weiss and Ruby were above board." 'That's a lie, Blake, you're here because you knew you could have been one of these people,' she accused herself silently.'They may even have been people you've worked with.'
"You doubted Rubes?" asked Yang with a surprised look. "Why?"
"Weiss," corrected Blake. "I suspected Weiss. I was worried that she might have made Ruby cover for her." She straightened and folded her arms, shaking her head. "But this is clearly Ruby's handiwork. She's already so strong, but she's two years younger than us."
"Heh, you think it's strange for you?" asked Yang with a rueful chuckle. "It completely messes with my head to think my little sister, the girl I once hauled around in my wagon, is capable of…" She trailed off and then flapped her hands about to indicate the scene around them.
"Of course," allowed Blake.
Yang sighed and rubbed at her head. At that point her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had burned through a lot of energy with their earlier escape. "I need a snack."
"You're the local expert," pointed out Blake. "Or did you want to go back?"
"No!" protested Yang. "Too early to go back. There's a place that does really good wings, a block away. Interested?"
Blake was a white meat kind of girl usually, always looking to dine out on fish or poultry. The thought of wings nearly made her stomach rumble. She glanced over the grisly scene they stood in and sighed. "Yeah, wings sounds good."
"You okay, Blake?" asked Yang.
Blake made an expression that was half-smirk, half-grimace. "Yeah. I have my answers."
A small stack of chicken wing bones was forming on a share plate as Blake and Yang worked their way through their late night snack. The bar was nearly empty as the two girls sat in a quiet corner with soft drinks and their wings.
"So why did you want to become a Huntress?" asked Yang.
"Why?" repeated Blake, trying to earn some time to think.
"Yeah," said Yang. "It's a really high-risk industry and Grimm take no prisoners. It's not something you just stop and think, 'Hmm, I'll try that out for a while', like some kind of receptionist gig."
"I think what I want is red...," began Blake before trailing off. "Well. There's a lot of terrible stuff going on. Oppression, greed, corruption. I think a Huntress can make a difference. And I want to be someone who can try and change society."
"Noble," praised Yang with a grin. "More than me, anyway." The blond girl snorted and waved the thought away. "But I'm not interested in being noble. My sister has enough of that for the two of us, I think."
"What did you want from being a Huntress then?" asked Blake, leaning forward on the table and resting her cheek on her palm.
"Same thing I always want," replied Yang with a grin. "Excitement, action, battle, hunks, babes, everything in life that comes with an adrenaline kick and a racing pulse."
"There's more than that," prodded Blake. "There's a lot of ways to get a rush; you don't need to be in as dangerous a line of work as this."
Yang fell silent for a moment, turning her lilac eyes to gaze piercingly at her friend. After a few seconds she nodded and gave a little smile. "Yeah. Becoming a Huntress is one of the few ways left in Remnant to really get a fresh start."
"Like the Malachites?" followed up Blake.
"Aheh, I suppose so," admitted Yang. "I didn't always make the wisest choices when trying to get my thrills growing up." She shrugged as a dark shadow seemed to pass over her. "Me and Ruby both lack a bit of self-preservation." She tapped the table and tried to get out of the spotlight a little. "Have you enjoyed yourself tonight?" she asked. Blake broke into a rare smile and Yang felt a triumphant glow warm her.
"I did, I'm glad we came out," said Blake. "It was a real rush." She paused. "Is that it for the evening?"
"Nope," said Yang. "Told you already, one last stop."
Blake cocked her head and grinned. "Oh?"
Yang's grin nearly went ear to ear. "It's a secret."
"A secret?" repeated Blake in surprise. "Why a secret?"
"Because it's special," declared Yang. "And I don't want to spoil it for you."
"Well, alright," said Blake pensively. Swiftly though, her natural curiosity overcame her again. "...what is it?"
"A secret," said Yang again, shaking her head and grinning. "I told you. No asking."
Blake folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at her partner. "Right."
"You'll love it, don't worry," reassured Yang.
"Yang, what are you planning," said Blake in a low, dangerous tone.
"A se-"
"Secret, yes, thanks," interrupted Blake, shaking her head. A silence settled over them, with Yang perfectly pleased with herself and Blake rolling her eyes at the girl's antics. "Thanks for showing me around Vale," said Blake after a while. "I'll appreciate my books all the more now that I've actually seen these places. By the way, how are you finding the book I gave you?"
Yang all but cackled. "Good raunchy fun. And you're welcome," she added, folding her hands behind her head. "I had fun showing you around."
"Okay, last wing is mine," observed Blake. "After that, you show me this surprise place of yours before I die of curiosity."
Yang just gave her a smile so toothy and broad it would have impressed a shark.
They had been riding for several minutes, through an area where rural hills intruded upon the city limits. They were undulating and wooded, leaving them to be populated by a smattering of free-standing houses and crisscrossed with winding roads. Yang took full advantage of this as Bumblebee roared down the lonesome nighttime roads. Blake held on for dear exhilarating life. The bike dipped perilously low as Yang cornered with ferocious intent. Gravity pulled her and her full stomach every which way as they rode.
Yang finally eased off the throttle as they went down an unmarked road into a dense copse of trees. After a short time they found themselves in a small, packed dirt lot that bordered on a particularly steep drop down the hill, resulting in a lookout.
"Why are we stopping h… oh," said Blake as she noticed the view. "Ohhh," she whispered as she saw the night sky and the stars with the clearer air a little further out and higher from the city. And then she noticed the vast carpet of city lights laid out before her, all the towers of enterprise lit up like a cloud of fireflies. "Ohhhh."
Yang got part-way off the bike and shifted around until she had reversed her position, so that she was facing Blake. The faunus girl blinked at her partner as she found herself looking into lilac eyes that glimmered in the moonlight.
"Oh!"
Yang grinned a little sheepishly as Blake slipped her helmet off, laying it to rest upon her thigh. Her blonde hair flowed over her shoulder as she turned to look at the city lights herself. "You know," she said quietly, "We've been partners for a while now and I think that, even if you haven't told me much about yourself, that I know who you are, and what makes you tick, and where you're going."
"Wait, are you…?" blurted Blake in shock. 'God's horns, she's going to ask me out,' she realised.
The other girl turned back and ducked her head, running her hand through her hair a little nervously. "Heh, well … look, if you want me to stop, tell me. I'm a big girl, I can handle it. Tell me you're not interested and I'll never speak of this again."
Blake fell silent and still, looking on with an intensity in her eyes. Her body hitched ever so slightly forward. She would have been embarrassed to know that Yang thought the posture akin to a cat just before the pounce.
After a few moments, Yang nodded. "I'll take that as a go ahead." She took a quick pause to gather up her thoughts and smiled. "We've faced all kinds of trouble together, and you've been a steadfast, loyal friend. You're smart and well-read, so much more than me. You're freakishly talented, but you don't rest on that, you work hard as well. I know you cherish our friendship, and that you rely on me, like I rely on you."
"You're making a love confession?" asked Blake in a distant, shocked voice.
That earned a good-natured laugh from Yang. "You know that's not what this is," she said, and she quickly carried on as Blake shot her a puzzled look. "You know me; I don't just fall in love easily. But I found myself thinking about you. Thinking that with you, maybe I could. I ... I want to find out."
"Y… you're really asking me out?" asked Blake, her eyes as wide as saucers. A mix of uncustomary giddiness and terror made her try and still her trembling hands.
"Yes, Blake, I really am," confirmed Yang with a cheeky, lopsided grin.
"I…," began the faunus girl before she swallowed and paused. Butterflies were running rampant through her stomach. "I knew you were open about gender but I didn't think … me?"
"Yes, you," said Yang with a beautiful smile. "We're good for each other. And I think you'd like to take a chance on me, too. Right?"
Blake hesitated before replying. If Yang were a faunus girl, she would have said yes without a second thought, but there was so much danger here. Humans, even humans that seemed so friendly, could turn out to be so stupid and cruel. But that smile could disarm an Ursa, and Blake let the tension out of her body and smiled back. "Right. So you want to find out if we can work. Even though we know we have four years ahead of us? Long time to be in a team with an ex-girlfriend," she pointed out.
"I'd rather try and fail, than always wonder. I have to dare," declared Yang boldly.
"I know, Yang," replied Blake. "I think…," she said before pausing to gin herself up. The blonde girl didn't even breathe as she waited. "I think I'd like to find out as well."
Yang's smile was irridescent, something that would outshine the sun above. In her giddiness, her aura was beginning to stir, her hair taking on a more literal glow. She leaned forward, eyes still open, head tilting in for a first kiss.
"W-wait!" stammered Blake anxiously.
"Blake!?" blurted Yang as she reared back in surprise.
"I can't … it wouldn't be right to you…," said Blake choppily, her anxieties and fears rearing up hard. She had just realised what accepting this meant and the implication frightened her.
"Oh," said Yang, low and slowly, her face falling. "I underst-"
"Let me finish!" demanded Blake. "Don't just cut me off, let me finish."
That got the blonde girl's attention by the scruff of the neck. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she sat up straighter and held up her hands, palm out. "Whatever you wanna tell me, Blake, I'm listening," she said earnestly.
"Not tell you, but show you," explained Blake. "It's only right to tell you upfront, because for some people it's a deal-breaker." Yang raised an eyebrow high, and Blake could all but see cogs turning behind lilac eyes as different possibilities were brought up. The dark-haired girl sighed. "I suppose it's useless to try and get you to promise not to judge. But perhaps … perhaps of all humans … you I can trust."
When the word 'humans' passed Blake's lips, Yang's eyes went wide as the moon above. 'Oh fuck, she couldn't be…!?' thought the brawler. But before her eyes, her partner reached up for the bow upon her head and swiftly untied the ribbon. Cat ears with a dark purple felt stood prominently up on her raven-hued hair.
"Oh my god," breathed Yang, shocked with herself that she had never realised before.
"I tell no one this," said Blake in little more than a whisper. "You've seen what Velvet has faced first-hand, even at Beacon. But, I want to try this with you, so you're going to find out. The ribbon may be proof against eyes, but it's not going to do any good against your touch. Do you understand why I've hid this?"
"Yes," said Yang, solemn as she knew from interacting with other faunus how important this was for Blake.
"Are … are you still interested?" asked Blake anxiously.
"You're safe with me, Blake," said Yang, breaking into a foolhardy grin. "Yes, I'm still interested. Every bit as much."
Blake was hesitant at how well Yang was reacting, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "You'd be okay with dating a faunus girl?" she asked. "I can't guarantee it won't come out."
Yang put her hands up on Blake's shoulders reassuringly. "Oh, Blakey, my old hangout was mixed, there were a lot of faunus there. It was never a problem for me. And I've been used to the social backlash of dating across the fur-lines," she said confidently, unafraid of any social opprobrium. But just as Blake began to smile, Yang went completely, ghostly, white, terror on her face.
"My old hangout," she whispered, before closing her eyes, all but shaking with sudden fear. "O-Okay, Blake, you felt you had to open up about who you were so I knew what I was getting into," she said, anxiety clear in her voice.
"Yang, what is this about?" asked Blake uncertainly.
"I need to be fair to you, because some of what I used to do was …. controversial in the faunus community," said Yang slowly, not wanting to jump straight to the point.
"What are you talking about, Yang," demanded Blake intensely.
"I'm talking about some of those unwise decisions I've made over the last few years, and the fresh start I've been looking for," explained Yang.
Blake stared at her, wanting her to get to the point.
"Do you remember, in the debate on Monday," said Yang, gesturing anxiously with her hands, "When Aurea was getting into me about having an experience with the White Fang that I wouldn't admit to?"
"Yes, and that you asked me not to pry into," began Blake before pausing. "Have you killed White Fang?" she asked, jumping to a conclusion.
"Uh, no," said Yang with a blush. "In fact, kind of the opposite. Aurea wasn't just bringing up her topics randomly, she was needling me with what she knew." Blake waited for her silently, and Yang ginned herself up and admitted, "I was every bit as criminal as the Malachites. I spent years running Dust as a White Fang sympathiser."
A/N:
Okay, aiming for something shorter for the next installment to help get it out the door in time. Chapters of this size can be pretty draining. Let me know if you like the direction things are going in (or if you don't). Thanks for reading this chapter, I know it's lot to swallow in one sitting!
