Sorry about the late post, guys. Life happens... in this case, life happened with bamboo hackin' and kitten savin', but I managed to remember to post. Hooray!

Now, I've been getting questions as to why Weiss is acting the way she is. There is a good reason - this is still before she loosens up at the end of the first season. She still hates Faunus. She still has a ten meter pole rammed up her backside. So she's a bit of a bitch at the moment. That will change.

Still, thanks for caring enough about this story to ask. Cheers.

The next week was hectic. Connie already had her hands full between her classes and homework, but counting in random challenges from the other students as well? She was a girl used to schedules. She enjoyed the comforts of everyday routine, security of the familiar, and the tranquility of repetition. The randomness of Beacon was playing havoc on her nerves – just yesterday, Cardin had launched Jaune in one of the school's rocket propelled lockers, resulting in him crashing down right at the edge of the Emerald Forest. The forest wasn't far away, but that wasn't the point.

It took every ounce of willpower Connie had not to shoot Cardin's smug face herself.

Of course, it didn't help matters that she hadn't seen her tank since Initiation. The VDF commander, a broad fellow named Anton Zurich, had all but refused to meet with her, preventing her from seeing the state her tank was in. It was eating away at her, not knowing.

…Maybe she was just worried.

She was currently doodling in her notebook as she waited in the stands of the sparring room, Team RWBY on one side of her and JNPR on the other, minus Jaune. Another source of her frazzled nerves was the fact that they tried to include her in every… single… thing! She couldn't even go to the bathroom without one of them asking where she was going! Connie had the sense that they wanted to talk to her about something – what that something was, she couldn't care less. Prior experience had told her that when someone needed to talk to you alone, it was either for… that… or they needed someone for target practice. Sometimes both. Luckily, it was only during the school day - she always managed to get out of her room early enough to avoid being accosted by them, and came back from the firing range at night after they were all asleep.

At least, she thought so. One time she thought she saw amber eyes peeking at her from outside her window, hidden by the leafy branches of the tree outside, but when she had taken another look they were gone.

…Maybe the lack of sleep was getting to her, too.

On one hand, it was easy for her to shove her emotions aside and lock them away, then chain the box shut, coat it with cement, and throw it into the ocean. On the other hand, it was hard for her to speak civilly to these children and not plant a bullet somewhere in them, on them, around them or through them. They were so utterly young that it made her sick to be the same age as them.

Then again, it was… pleasant to be able to walk down the hall and only get looks that varied between disgust, pity, and friendliness, though thankfully the two former were rare.

Who was she kidding? This place confused the hell out of her.

The spar between Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc had been going on for some time now, if only because Cardin recognized his foe's weakness and wanted to play with him. Jaune still had that determined glare about him as he swung his sword enthusiastically at the bully, only for it to be caught on the shaft of his opponent's mace before being flung back. As enthusiastic as the boy was, it didn't make up for him being so utterly exhausted, as he was now leaning on his sword with his aura reserves well in the yellow zone.

It didn't seem like a fair fight, in Connie's opinion. She herself could fight better than the boy in close combat, and she was no expert. His stance was wrong – nonexistent, really – and he was blindly swinging his sword so widely that even a civilian could see it. For a student accepted into Beacon, it seemed like he had only just begun to train with a blade.

Jaune gathered himself and charged, letting out a reckless yell, only for Cardin to sidestep him easily. The blonde didn't even have time to blink before Cardin swung the mace into his side, sending Jaune flying one way and his shield in another, the sound of the impact making even Yang cringe. Miraculously, Jaune got to his foot once more and charged at Cardin, locking weapons with the bigger, stronger teenager.

A moment passed as the two spoke, though Connie was too far away to hear anything. Cardin cut Jaune off mid-sentence with a knee just above the groin, dropping Jaune like a rock and putting his Aura into the red.

Connie's eyes narrowed. She'd seen that move many times before in Ironwood – duel rules specifically stated no attacks to sensitive areas, especially the armpits, groin, and neck, and while an almost-groin shot wasn't technically an attack on those areas, it was still close enough to throw the human body for a loop. At the very least, now that Jaune's Aura had dipped into the red the match was over and the blond could collect himself.

There was a malicious grin on Cardin's face as he glanced at the board and raised his mace high above his head, weapon trembling as he pushed all the Aura he could into it. Connie felt herself go cold with alarm – with that much Aura, Cardin could literally drive Jaune into his own crater, killing him easily.

No one else seemed to sense the impending doom.

Cardin sneered, but before he could swing a buzzer sounded and lights lit up the dueling area.

"Cardin, that's enough," Goodwitch scolded, striding onto the dais. Cardin scowled, but lowered his weapon and turned away, reabsorbing his rampant Aura. Jaune could do nothing but lay there and try to catch his breath, gasping in pain all the while.

Ignoring his discomfort, Glynda tapped at her Scroll and said, "Students, as you can see, Mister Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-style duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle and the official can call the match."

She sighed. "Mister Arc, it's been weeks now," she said sternly, leveling a steady glare at the boy. "Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you to decide whether it is appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more… defensive strategy."

As she spoke, Jaune pulled his Scroll from a back pocket, looking forlorn as he watched his Aura gauge bleep angrily at him.

Uncaring that she was kicking him while he was down, Glynda pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she said condescendingly, "We wouldn't want you to get gobbled up by a Beowolf, now would we?"

Connie closed her eyes. Now that tone she remembered well – false concern masking scorn was something she was familiar with. Too much so. With a sigh, she packed her battered leather book bag, stood, and made to leave the auditorium.

"W-wait, Connie, where are you going?"

She looked back to see the dejected face of Ruby, who had elected to sit by her in the farthest, darkest corner of the stands. To be honest, the hooded girl was always at the forefront of the attempts to include her. Though she had to admire Ruby's determination, Connie could see right through the girl's façade of naiveté and innocence – more than enough experience taught her that above all else, it was the innocent ones you had to watch for.

With a huff, she turned away and muttered, "It has nothing to do with you."

Everyone except Connie saw Ruby's crestfallen expression as the girl disappeared through the doors.

Though she perked up at the mention of the approaching Vytal Festival, Ruby quickly sobered once she and her team had filed back out into the mostly empty hall.

"Don't worry Sis," Yang said reassuringly, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulder. "She'll come around. She's just… had a hard life."

Weiss sighed. "Why are you trying so hard? It's obvious she doesn't want to have anything to do with us – if she's so adamant on pushing everyone away, just let her wallow in her own misery."

"But I can't do that, Weiss," Ruby said, slouching dejectedly as she walked.

"And why not?" Weiss stepped forward and spun on her heel to face her partner, leaning her weight on one hip as she crossed her arms.

Forced to stop, Ruby looked uncomfortable as she glanced anywhere except Weiss. "U-um, what do you mean?"

"She's not your friend," Weiss continued, pointing her finger in Ruby's face. "And she's not your ally. All she's shown us so far are her suicidal tendencies and her abusive anti-social issues. Why in the name of Dust would you even want to associate yourself with someone like that? What makes you think a Faunus like that is even worth your time?"

"Geez, Weiss, tell us how you really feel…" Yang muttered, scratching the back of her head.

Ruby shrank into her hood as she wrung her hands. "I just… I don't think she's a bad person, okay? I don't want her to be alone; I know what it's like."

Weiss was somewhat shocked at the muted tone in the normally-energetic girl's voice, enough so that when Ruby drew up her hood and walked by, she didn't stop her. When she gathered herself she made to say something more, but was stopped when Yang gripped her shoulder and shook her head.

"Don't. Ruby knows what she's doing," she said evenly. Her tone brokered no argument, and yet Weiss slapped Yang's hand away.

"She obviously doesn't know what she's doing if she's wants to make friends with that Faunus," Weiss shot back.

Much to Weiss' surprise, Yang's eyes flashed red and she gripped the heiress' arm hard, enough to make the girl hiss in pain. "Listen, Weiss. You're her partner - she's your teammate - and what you're doing is not what partners do, let alone friends. I'm not going to go into why she is the way she is, that's her decision to tell you. But if you don't lay off her, I'm throwing you out the window."

"Wh-what? How dare you!"

"How dare me? For once in your life, stop being such an Ice Queen and think about what someone else is going through!" Yang hissed. She then turned angrily on her heel to follow her sister, leaving Weiss to stand with a confused, dumbfounded expression.

It was Blake that snapped her out of her daze. "Come on, it's time for lunch," she said. Quietly leaving her behind, the black-haired girl offered no comforting words for the heiress. Weiss could only sigh in exasperation as she too followed, wanting nothing more than to forcibly knock some sense into her partner.

Though Ruby would collect herself by the time they got to the cafeteria, Weiss could still see the pain in her partner's eyes every time she looked at her. It left a bad taste in her mouth, as well as an ugly pulling on her conscience.

-O-O-O-

Connie trudged down the hall to Port's lecture hall – her next class, to be exact. As she had well over half an hour before it started, she could afford to take her time, and though she knew she would regret skipping lunch by the end of the day she wanted time to herself so she could think things through. The halls were blissfully empty as she looked out the window, slowly putting one foot in front of the other as she watched the world go by.

She'd spent a full week in this Beacon. It was calm and peaceful, despite her confusion and aggravations with the place. But all the peace in the world couldn't hide the fact that she didn't belong. In Ironwood, she'd known who and what she was. Here… she was lost.

#1

"Ah! What a pleasant surprise, Miss Carlisle!" a voice boomed behind her, startling her out of her thoughts.

That same voice sent a wave of irritation through her.

Professor Port, looking jovial as always, strode along behind Connie, a bulging bag strapped across his shoulder that he handled with ease. The tips of his moustache were tilted up in a smile as Connie turned to face him, snapping her arm up in a salute.

"Good afternoon, Professor," she said in a curt tone. Her irritation towards the man hadn't faded in the slightest, though Port either didn't notice, didn't care, or was too inflated on his own ego to notice or care.

It was probably the last.

"No need to be so formal with me, child! Please, call me Peter!"

Connie made a face like she'd just sucked on a lemon. "…Professor Peter."

Port barked out another laugh. "Then you may simply call me what you like, Miss Carlisle!"

"Don't."

Pausing at Connie's clipped tone, Port looked to the frowning girl with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't… call me Miss Carlisle. I… I really hate being called that," Connie gritted out, struggling to find the right words.

Instead of a sneer like Connie expected, Port smiled – or she guessed that he smiled, judged by how his 'stache twitched – and clapped the girl on the shoulder, making her wince and shy away. "Very well, Miss Constance," he boomed. "But why aren't you in the cafeteria? It's lunchtime, shouldn't you be with Team RWBY?"

At this, Connie frowned and spun on her heel to walk away. "Is there a specific reason why I should be eating with them?" she asked quietly.

Port, undeterred, strode alongside her. "You are friends with them, are you not?"

"Why would you assume that?" she asked. Her tone was bitter, and she glared at the floor as she continued, "It's not necessary for me to socialize with them to do my job."

Before she could take another step Port turned in front of her, becoming a living wall to block her path. Gone was his friendly demeanor and warm smile, replaced instead with a serious glint in his eyes. "I didn't ask whether or not you were able to perform your duties Miss Constance, I asked why you weren't with your friends," he stated, his voice low and giving no quarter.

Connie flinched under his gaze, bowing her head with flattened ears. "I-I apologize, sir. I spoke out of line," she said, tone respectful as she quietly reprimanded herself for back-talking a superior office.

Before she could continue, Port sighed and placed meaty hands on her shoulders, ushering her along. "Constance," he said in a kindly voice, "I cannot claim to know you after a week of you coming to my lectures. But I see someone who's struggled for her place in the world, even when that place wasn't for her."

#2

They reached Port's classroom, where he opened the door for and allowed her to enter first. Following, he continued, "You are an honorable person that pushes everyone away for fear of the possibility of losing the few you do have. But when you push away even the chance to get closer to people, who will mourn you? Who will you have to worry about you, and be willing to share the deepest parts of their life with you? And what of the people that you hurt who wish to know you in turn?"

Connie, who had been listening silently, frowned and set her bag on the nearest desk. "Professor Port," she said, turning to the man, "I have no need for extraneous relationships. I am an Armor pilot. My duty is to be a shield, follow the orders of my superior, and fall if necessary. I am an instrument ready to be used. By your reasoning, I need to be close to the people I am protecting, but where, may I ask, does socializing with my charges come to be necessary for me to perform my duties?"

Port was silent, instead turning to slowly unpack his own bag. Piles of worksheets and notes quickly filled the desk, followed lastly by a single apple which had somehow managed to keep from being crushed. Just when Connie thought she had won the argument, Port turned to her with a level gaze, one she recognized well. She snapped upright, her arms stiff at her sides in attention.

"Pilot Carlisle!" Port bellowed. Just like that of a commander.

"Sir!"

"Draw your weapon!"

Connie pulled her Maverick from under her skirt without a moment's hesitation, holding it out to the side.

"Now, aim that weapon at my chest and fire!"

Connie's arm moved on instinct before it stopped, not quite pointed at Port's chest but to the wall beside him. Her eyes were wide, and her nostrils flared as her fox ears twitched in alarm. At seeing her hesitation, Port smiled and strode over to the girl.

"Do you see?" he asked. "That hesitation would not be there if you were a mindless instrument. That hesitation allowed you to escape Ironwood Academy's brainwashing. If you were truly as you say, a mere instrument, then you would have shot me without a second thought. So tell me then, if you are mindless, what brought you to the decision to leave the Ironwood military?"

Connie was still frozen. Why did I leave the military? I-I wanted… no, I needed…

"You left because you saw yourself as something more, Constance," Port said soothingly, and gently wrapped his massive mitt of a hand around the barrel of her gun before prying it away. "You survived five years of Ironwood's training with your mind intact. No easy feat, to be sure. I endured several years of it myself, and believe me, that place has not grown any less harsh. And you wandered, searching for a place to belong."

Port clapped his free hand on Connie's shoulder, and her eyes met his with a shaky, fear-filled gaze. "Beacon Academy can be that place if you let it."

It was then that the bell rang, signaling for classes to start. Already hearing the stampede of students approaching, dozens of shoes clapping on linoleum, Port gave her a warm smile and said, "Think about it."

He offered the gun back to her, and she took it with shaky fingers before stumbling over to her bag and heaved the thing onto her shoulders. While she staggered to her lone desk in the far corner, Port nodded to the door where Glynda had been waiting and ready to spring into action, ready to prevent his death if anything happened outside of Ozpin's predictions. It was reckless of Ozpin and even more reckless of Port – Glynda was just as irritated as when she'd heard about the plan, and though the blonde professor gave Port a stern glare, she also gave him a nod and disappeared just as the door to the class banged open. Connie collapsed in her seat as students filed in, taking their places amid mindless chatter. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang came in last, the red-hooded girl looking around before spotting Connie. She brightened with a wide grin and a wave. Connie, meanwhile, was still dazed from Port's words as Ruby sat in the seat next to her.

"Hey, we didn't see you at lunch. Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

Connie flinched. Her fox ears granted near-superhuman hearing, able to detect sounds that were far outside ordinary human range. She could hear the individual tones that a voice made, letting her know if a person was sad, happy, angry, or even outright lying by voice alone. It was a trait that many Faunus shared, one that saved countless lives over the centuries.

And Ruby had nothing but sincerity in her voice. Even her human ears could hear it.

Swallowing thickly, Connie nodded and said, "Y-yes, I am. I wasn't hungry."

Yang, who had seen the display, smiled before grabbing her own bag and climbing the stairs. "Hey, Sis!" she greeted, flopping into the seat next to her sister.

"Yang! You don't have to!" Ruby protested, though it was with a smile.

"Aw, and leave my favorite baby sister? No way!" Yang said with a grin, playfully wrapping her arm around her sister's neck and pulling her in close.

"I'm your only baby sister," Ruby gargled out.

Blake rolled her eyes, smiling as she packed her bag and moved to Connie's desk, gracefully sliding into the seat next to Yang. "Hello again," she said, giving Connie a nod.

Connie could do nothing but stare at the girls. Her brain had quite literally crashed.

Meanwhile, Weiss was in her seat, scowling at being abandoned by her teammates. She hated this. She hated being forced into a corner, a tactic that her father used all the time. Clenching her fists, Weiss struggled to find a solution that would allow her to make amends to her partner and still retain her pride. Currently, she found none.

Damn all the Dust in the world…

She swiftly packed her things, scowling as she strode to last seat beside Blake. Ruby gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said quietly, as Port had begun to trail off into one of his lectures.

"You're a dunce. If I left you to your own devices you'd find some way to convert that girl into a cookie-gobbling, hyperactive loon," Weiss snarked. A moment passed, and an ever so slight smile lit the heiress's face. "Besides, I told you I would be the best teammate you would ever have, didn't I?"

It merely earned a giggle from Ruby, as her partner lacked the venom and vitriol that the Schnee heiress would normally use to tear into her victims. "Yep, you did," Ruby replied, smiling herself.

A second later, Weiss reached over Blake, Yang and Ruby to point a finger in Connie's face, making her lean back in shock.

"By no means does this make us friends," Weiss said, staring the fox girl down.

Connie nodded. "Yes, ma'am," she said, though she was inwardly grateful for being snapped out of her trailing thoughts. Though as Port's mindless lectures were liable to do, most students began to do anything humanly possible to avoiding listening to him, Connie included. However, instead of doodling or whispering to her neighbor, she thought about Port's words.

Is he right? My training tells me I should ignore him and just follow orders, but what are they supposed to be? Should I just follow my training? Or can I…

She looked to the four girls sitting beside her.

…Can I actually let myself get close?

-O-O-O-

"So what is the prognosis, Felix?" Ozpin asked. He was down in the VDF garage, Felix's domain, unaffected by the pungent smell of grease and sight of the discarded parts around him.

The little mouse Faunus, with his coveralls and shirt covered with smears of oil, looked up from where he was kneeling on the bottom half of Grendel and removed goggles that comically magnified the size of his eyes. Absently wiping his forehead and smearing black across it, Felix flopped back on his rear.

"Ah, Professor Ozpin. Convenient you arrived. Just finished," he said quickly.

If Ozpin was bothered by the man's clipped sentences, he didn't show it.

"Applied ferrosteel to fracture," Felix continued, not missing a beat. "Will hold. Will not under stress, however. Took liberty of removing the dampener override. Girl was out of her mind when installing it. Must talk to her."

Ozpin nodded. "That issue is being addressed as we speak. With any luck our wayward pilot is being shown the errors of her current way of life."

Not giving any indication that the mouse was even listening, Felix muttered to himself, "Quite ingenious. Girl installed dust capacitors to increase burst fire rate. Added sensor array from a military Bullhead, boosted range by several kilometers. Very effective scout. Possible role as command vehicle. Knowledge of machinery is rudimentary, but effective. Who is the pilot? I'd like to meet her."

At this, Ozpin smiled. "The pilot's name is Constance Carlisle."

Felix nodded. "I see, Constance Carli-CARLISLE?!"

Shooting upright, Felix promptly tripped and fell off Grendel in a loud crash of falling parts. He was standing before Ozpin barely a second later, eyes manic and ineffectually clutching at the man's front as he snarled, "Carlisle?! Daughter of Eduard Carlisle and Tania DeWitt?"

Ozpin nodded.

"You are aware of her situation, yes?"

Another nod. "One of the few who know the true story."

"Did it influence your decision to let her attend? Would explain strange exception. No Armor pilot has ever been accepted into a Hunter academy," Felix rambled.

At this, Ozpin shook his head and laid a hand on the distraught man's shoulder. "Her unfortunate history is not what influenced me, but rather her abilities. She is exactly what I was looking for."

"And what were you looking for?"

Ozpin sighed. "A small, honest soul that needed a chance to grow, Felix. She is what we needed when we needed it. We are coming toward hard times, and while I regret being forced to use my old friend's daughter, she will give my students a new perspective on our world. One that will allow us to fight the coming storms."

Finally, Felix lost the hard glint in his eyes and released the grey-haired headmaster. He took a breath, pinching his nose before he looked to Ozpin with surprising lucidity. "And if she finds out just how much you're keeping from her? What then?"

"Then I will tell her the full story."

"And the Directors? What if they come for her? We both know they're greedy enough bastards to pursue her. We only know who two of them are for sure."

"…Only she will be able to make that decision," Ozpin said, taking a moment to take a large gulp of brandy-laced espresso from his mug. "I can only pray that she makes the right one."