Roses & Thorns – Volume 1 – Chapter 10

-Blind Faith-

"So.. You want to know more about me?"

Sitting across from her teammate, Ruby stared at the other girl with wide eyes, shock still settling in at the first meaningful words spoken since she had embraced the revealed Faunus at the base of the courtyard statue. Even in her stupor, she was able to register the way that Blake tilted her head. More importantly, she caught the way the bow twitched as one of the small feline ears hidden beneath the ribbon instigated the movement. It was all so obvious now, but she had missed it for weeks, they had all missed it. Shaking herself free from the grasp of surprise, she cleared her throat and spoke softly. "I-I, yeah. I mean, if you want to tell me."

For all her effort not to let on just how badly she wanted this explanation, Ruby could not contain the subtle plea from her voice, and cringed inwardly as the girl across the table gave her a look. The amber colored eyes closed, before sliding open a moment later with a clear light of determination radiating within their depths. "You're.. Familiar with what the White Fang is, yes?"

"A little.." Studying the floral design that decorated the side of her cup, she avoided making eye contact with the other girl as she thought. "Growing up on Patch, we never heard much about them except that they were a.." Ruby shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not truly knowing how Blake would react to her next words. "A terrorist organization."

"Yes." The firm, almost mature tone that the girl had adopted caused Ruby to pause any movements for a moment, a fleeting thought wondering if their friendship would survive this conversation intact. "But they weren't always so.. Violent." Oblivious to her fear, Blake continued on, as if she were a teacher relaying a lesson. Impartial, emotionless. In her mind, it didn't suit the Faunus to be so cold. "I was born outside the walls of Vale, in a small city at the edge of the kingdom. Even there, especially there, Humans still looked down on us for simply being what we are. We were shunned, insulted, and unwelcome. It didn't use to bother me."

That caused Ruby to perk up, raising her gaze in order to see just how much this telling was affecting the girl. There was no clue to be found in the gorgeous features that awaited her, only a stoic expression that was staring off towards the street below. "I was young, orphaned, and I didn't understand. I thought it was normal. I was never taught that I was more than what the Humans saw." The first sign of emotion came through the wall that Blake had erected, a touch of venom dripping from the words as they were said through clenched teeth. "Then the White Fang came. They were like heroes to me and the other Faunus kids, revolutionaries with a cause worth fighting for."

"That was when I met Adam, my old partner. He was a few years older than me at the time, but even with his youth, he understood the world in a way I had failed to grasp before he entered my life." A strange feeling welled up inside Ruby, a tightening in her chest that was half anger, as well as a foreign emotion. It took a little bit of examination to discover what it was, this new sensation. Jealousy. Enraptured as she was by Blake's tale, she couldn't help but want to be the object of the praise the girl was now leveling upon this other person. "He pointed out the injustices, the atrocities, that had become so commonplace in my life. He taught me that I was worth far more than what others saw. More importantly, he taught me how to fight them, with words and ideas, even with weapons."

"In the ashes of the war, the White Fang had rose up to become the voice of our people. They strove for equality, and I was there for every boycott, at the front of every protest. For a while, it looked as if we might actually make a difference. Fear at our movement turned to talks of new laws, of acceptance in the eyes of the government. Some of the people were coming around as well, but then it all went wrong.." Gone was the stoic way the girl had been telling the story, and Ruby saw the version of Blake she had come to admire. The girl that held a deep reserve of passion in her beliefs just below the surface. It showed in every facial muscle that tensed as the thin jaw clenched, in every crack in the sound of the Faunus' voice.

"Faunus, tired of there being little progress after years of work, began to attack businesses that refused to serve our kind. Boycotts turned to robberies, and all talks of peace fled in the wake of the backlash. Humans, bitter from the war and losing patience for the criminals within our ranks, began attacking otherwise peaceful protests. Innocents were killed on both sides, and five years ago, in the aftermath of all that had happened.. Our leader stepped down." Blake didn't dare turn to see how the younger girl was absorbing all of this, unsure if she could trust herself to hold back tears if what she found was anything less than the acceptance she hoped for. "Another man took his place, but this one had a new way of doing things."

"What had once been the ways of a fringe element became our main tactics. Signs in a protest were replaced with weapons in a raid. We burned businesses to the ground, threatened the families of store owners that refused to serve Faunus, and stole from companies that treated Faunus as cheap labor." Letting out a hollow laugh, she dug the nails of her right hand into her leg beneath the table, anger spiking to a boiling point as she fanned the flames of her bitter memories. "The worst part was, it was working, better than peace ever had. Humans everywhere began to treat us with more respect, and dozens of laws were passed in the pursuit of equality. But it was all out of fear."

"We ran, we stole, we threatened.. We killed. In return, we were thrown in jail, some of us mutilated, even murdered. I did so many things I wish I hadn't, and lost so many friends." Speaking the last part softly, Blake heard the small gasp that came from across the table, and she released her leg as her mood swung once again to one of melancholy. "After all that had happened, I couldn't take it. The same cause that I had once believed in so strongly had become something monstrous. So, I left. I abandoned Adam in the middle of a mission and put the White Fang behind me as best I could. I set my sights on becoming a Huntress, on using what skills I had learned for something better, to create a world that didn't need people to be forced to accept one another."

Finally, after the long winded explanation of her past, Blake turned her gaze back to her companion. She expected full well to be greeted with an expression of horror, or even disgust at her admission. At the very least, it should have been an inquisition into which of the mentioned crimes she had committed herself. What she found was a face filled with sympathy, and a hand that had froze halfway across the table as if it had begun its attempt to comfort her before she had seen it. "And then fate gave me a team that included the heiress to the company that had been my target for years." A dark chuckle escaped her lips as she thought back to the day before initiation, when she had found Weiss screaming at the girl in the red cape, and had discovered who would be her classmates at Beacon. "I almost ran then."

Sterling irises were locked on to her with a measure of fear, as if the younger girl was afraid that she was going to run now, even after telling her tale. Even now, with an expression caught between wariness and concern, Ruby was an arresting image for her. Blake was glued to those pools of argent beauty, so much so that she wasn't sure she could run even if she wanted too. "But.. You stayed."

"I stayed." Unconsciously, she laid an arm down on the table as she leaned forward, as if daring that hand frozen halfway across the glass surface to complete its journey. "I guess it was mostly pride. I wanted to see if I could turn the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company around to my way of thinking. I really thought I could do it, too. I thought I could change the world, by using my teammate." Shaking her head, she felt the bow droop as the ears hidden beneath it tilted down against her hair. "What kind of person thinks like that?"

Her muscles tensed as slender fingers brushed against the edge of her palm. That panic only spread through her nerves when that hand was pulled toward the other girl, and taken up in a tight grip. Her eyes snapped down to the two hands clasped together, then up to the gaze that was waiting for her. Ruby's lips parted, and delivered an answer that gave her the first feeling of soothing warmth since she had been embraced by the girl back at Beacon. "Someone who cares. You wanted what was best for your people, Blake. And you believed in yourself enough to think that you could do it."

Ruby became aware that she was holding onto the other girl as tightly as she could at the same time she noticed the blush that was slowly blossoming into existence on the Faunus' pale cheeks. The sight, beautiful as it was, caused a warmth to spread across her own face. It didn't stop her from continuing, however, as she spoke up again. "You've got a good heart, and I think that makes you strong."

There weren't enough words that were truly adequate to express how Blake's spirit soared as she listened, and so she settled for the most simple of gestures. Squeezing gently against the hand she held within her own, it earned her a broad grin from the younger girl.

The Bullhead waiting on the landing pad at Beacon was just one of the many ships that would shuttle people from the elevated academy down to the city below throughout the day, it's loud engines idling as Yang stepped into the transport area behind the leader of team CAIN. Slipping her fingers through the loop of the handle, she caught the other girl's gaze with a glance that plainly said she had something on her mind. "What is it?"

The Faunus' brown eyes narrowed as they scanned over her, a touch of trepidation evident in the orbs that told of a slight fear of what she had to say. Unusual as it was to see such a thing in the rough character of the wolf-girl, Yang chose not to pursue it, instead leading with the question that had originally been on her mind. "Don't you need something of Ruby's to catch the scent, or.. Something?" Biting at her lip, she quietly prayed that what she was suggesting wasn't offensive to the other student. She did need Claire's help, after all. "I'm sorry, I just don't know how this thing of yours works."

A soft chuckle came her way as the girl took up standing by the handle next to her, a small smile stretching the tanned skin of Claire's cheeks. "No, I won't need anything. Your sister has a pretty distinctive scent, and I got a good whiff of her when we were in Forever Fall." The wolf-girl's grin only grew when Yang tilted her head, guessing at the next question with an impressive accuracy. "Ruby smells like strawberries for the most part, but that can be washed away pretty easily, as it comes from her shampoo. Her scent, her real scent, is.. Hard to describe."

Humming softly, Claire glanced out the open side of the aircraft as the other four members of their search party climbed into the transport area, not truly focusing on anything as she thought of the words necessary to complete the description. "She smells like the wind during summer, if I had to liken it to something.. Also sweat, mixed with a bit of weapon oil."

"Huh." She watched the blonde's facial features as they twisted from a tiny force pulling at the girl's lips to one of confusion, and then changing again into one of curiosity as startling lilac eyes slid back to her. "What do I smell like?"

"Right now?" Claire took a moment to dart her gaze past the brawler's shoulder to the other Faunus standing behind the blonde girl, letting a wolfish half-grin take over her face as she answered. "You smell a bit like Iris." A sense of satisfaction filled her as she saw both girls freeze at her words and begin to blush, confirmation that her nose was still on point. Each of them carried a bit of the scent of the other, the result of earlier activities of an obvious nature.

"Really, Yang?" For the first time since she had descended from Professor Ozpin's office, Claire heard the bitter toned voice of Weiss Schnee, as the pale heiress tossed a disapproving glance in the direction of the two most flamboyant members of their teams. "Blake has run off. Ruby, your little sister, has followed after her, despite the revelation that our dear teammate is a member of the White Fang.. And you've been making out with her?"

Iris felt the fur on her ears bristle as she heard the implied insult buried within the heiress' tone, and her gaze shot up to stare at the shorter girl with a fire in her eyes. She saw the way the blonde's head dipped at the accusation, and that only served to fuel her anger to greater heights. "What's the matter, Schnee, are you jealous? Because I'm sure Yang wouldn't mind sharing." Waggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, the groan from Nyx was well worth the look of sheer surprise on Weiss' face as she stepped forward, resuming her vicious glare. "Or do you just disapprove because I'm a Faunus? I think I remember you saying something about how we should all burn?"

"That's not what I- I don't think-!"

"Enough!" The flustered heiress looked about to recover when Iris' friend intervened, the wolf Faunus placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder and holding pushing the shorter girl away, while simultaneously pushing her away from the target of her ire as well. "Both of you!" Brown eyes swiveled around to catch her with an intimidating glare, silencing any thought she might have had to question why Claire was protecting the other.

"Briar, what's the plan?" The mention of her last name tore Claire's focus away from the squabbling pair and to the tall frame of Nyx Pinion, meeting the gaze of his dusky yellow eyes with a surprised look. "Are we just going to wander around Vale for a couple of hours, or do we know where Ruby might go?" The boy looked pointedly at the blonde that was staring off out the side of the Bullhead as the aircraft prepared to take off.

"Yang!" Shouting in order to carry her voice over the sudden increase in volume as the engines kicked up with a screaming noise, she caught the other girl's attention and drew the lilac eyes to her with a slow nod to check that the brawler was good to go.

A tilt of the head was returned to her as Yang's lips parted to answer. "The commercial district! It's the only part of town she'd be familiar with!"

"It's something.." Muttering that part under her breath, the words were lost in the wind as the transport bucked and lifted away from the landing pad, beginning its path toward their destination. "Alright, we'll sweep with teams of two!"

Weiss gave an agitated huff as she turned to once again find her companion staring off in the direction of a random citizen. No doubt because of what she had said earlier, Claire had elected to go with the brooding Nyx Pinion rather than let the siblings pair up, leaving her to babysit the absent-minded Amber. The redhead was focusing on a man that was standing at the street corner, waiting for the light to change so he could cross the road.

Even as Amber moved toward him, Weiss caught a tiny wrist in her own hand, holding the girl in place and earning a bewildered look in response. "Would you stop doing that?" Even as the words left her mouth, she saw the wide fiery eyes glance back to the man. "And don't you dare drop a cryptic statement about how 'he hurts'! We're supposed to be looking for Ruby, remember?" That brought the girl back around, and those burning orbs narrowed into a curious expression that only served to irritate her further. "What?!"

"Are we not looking for Blake, as well?" Weiss felt a vein in her neck pulse as the mention of the newly revealed Faunus on her team caused a spike of anger to shoot through her chest, glaring down at the shorter girl. It occurred to her then that physically controlling Amber would not be difficult in the least, as the Pinion girl was of slender build even compared to herself. Tiny and looking as though she wouldn't possess much in the way of strength, her companion still managed to persist as a thorn in her side with that unnerving insight that was granted by a unique semblance. "Or does your anger blind you to her view of things?"

"You're one to talk." A part of her realized how arguing this point made her look, but Weiss couldn't back down. Before her lay a path of burnt bridges and shattered friendships, but behind was a moor of self-hatred and a confrontation with certain established truths from her childhood. There was no easy way out, and though the rational side of her mind realized this, her very nature demanded that she barrel into the problem without thought of restraint. "Do you even have your own perspective, your own thoughts? You can't even walk down the street without getting lost in the feelings of another person, how could you ever think to judge me?"

Weiss growled when those red eyes lost their inquisitive form and instead changed to one more consistent with sympathy, the strange girl more concerned with her feelings and lacking the decency to even act insulted. It was like punching a wall and expecting it to crumble, only this wall stared back with worry, with pity. "I just don't see the point to all these arguments.. Why wouldn't you give her even the chance to explain herself?" There was a moment a silence, and the first true indication that she had ever seen of the gears turning beneath Amber's unusually altruistic personality as the girl's head tilted to the side. "Why is it that when you seem angry, you're really just afraid?"

Blinking as she felt her fingers uncoil from the slender wrist that had been caught in their grasp, Weiss took a half step back from the smaller girl. It took a moment for her to remember that she was at a disadvantage in this engagement, as the other could easily read her emotions, despite any walls she might erect to hide behind. "Why would I be afraid?"

"My semblance only allows me know what people are feeling, not why." Amber reached forward, patting a palm against the heiress' shoulder with a small smile. "Perhaps that's a question you should ask yourself?" Stepping past the platinum-haired girl, she continued down the road in pursuit of the pair they were searching for. Through the threads of her own aura that weaved together with the bristling white of Weiss' own energy, she could feel the waves of conflicting emotions that were swirled into the chaos of confusion, and knew that her words had struck true. It was all she could hope for that it would end up helping the poor girl.

"Blake." The sound of her name being spoken so softly by the girl that walked beside her caused both sets of ears to twitch as she turned to face the other brunette. "What's the goal here? I mean.. I'm glad I came with you, and that you trusted me enough to tell me about your past, but.." She didn't dare acknowledge the way she was holding her breath as those beautiful silver eyes opened and bared her soul before them, fear thundering into her heart as the notion of being abandoned ran through her mind. "We will have to go back to Beacon eventually."

Blake could hear the part that went unsaid as Ruby looked away from her, the part where even if she didn't return to the academy, the scythe-wielder would. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did to realize that their paths would still diverge if things continued the way that they had, but it set a cold feeling to the embers within her heart, tainting every moment she spent with this girl who had so entirely captured her affection. "I.. I don't know."

Stopping as they turned down an alley, she watched as the younger girl took a few more steps before wheeling around, watching her with a careful expression. "I want to go back, but the things that Weiss said- The things that the White Fang have done to her family.. And now she knows." Blake let her voice drop to a soft whisper, her eyes unable to remain at the same level as the beautiful pools of argent color that waited for her only a couple of feet away. "She must hate me so much."

Shutting out the world by closing her eyes, Blake disguised the attempt to hold back tears as her mind felt it prudent to remind her once again of the future she had lost because of her past. She was successful as well, holding to her stoic self and resisting the urge to cry. Then fingers smaller than her own curled into her palm, taking the hand from where it lay at her side, causing her to look up with a raised eyebrow. What awaited her was a sight that caused her breath to hitch and heart to skip, as bangs highlighted with red dye were playfully parted to reveal a bright and optimistic grin. "I think you should talk to her. Weiss can be difficult, I know. Believe me, I know.."

There came a whimsical laugh that she understood was more for her benefit than Ruby's, as the serious glint in the younger girl's eyes never once faded away. "But she isn't heartless. You left that life behind, and you weren't responsible for what happened to her family, right?" A slight twinge of fear sounded from the question, enough that Blake made sure to shake her head immediately. "See? You deserve a second chance. She'll see that."

It was always a treat to be allowed a glimpse into the world through the eyes of Ruby Rose, at least to Blake. Like a refreshing rain on a warm day, it lifted her spirits and renewed convictions that had been worn down by the previous days. Gently extracting the fingers that were bound in the younger girl's hand, she moved further down the alley. "You might be right. But.. I can't go back until I know for sure if the White Fang is behind these murders. It doesn't make any sense for them to choose these targets, but I have to know."

"Okay." Stepping up beside her, the scythe-wielder flashed a broad grin her way before looking out onto the street that lay past the exit of the alley. "Where do we start?"

"First off, 'we'?" Blake's words caused the other to turn with a confused expression, one that became more cautious when the girl saw the smile present on her lips. "You do know that Yang will kill me if I get you caught up in this, right?"

"Well I've already dodged her calls and texts, and I mean we're here right now.." Ruby took a moment to gesture about before raising her shoulders in a helpless shrug and a cute laugh with a nasally twang to it, the unintentional sound giving it more qualities of a snort than what she had wanted. It flooded her head with thoughts of embarrassment before she could shake it off. "Too late for you, I guess." She cleared her throat awkwardly as she grew quiet, looking down at the ground for a moment and glancing away, toward the graffiti that decorated the nearby wall. "I'm.. I'm with you, Blake. I want to make sure you can come back."

She didn't dare look up at the Faunus, feeling the heat that was beginning to spread across the surface of her cheeks as she felt one of the older girl's arms slide about her shoulders and pull her into a one-handed hug. Not reacting fast enough, she braced the flat palm of her right had against the other's rib cage, her blush only growing as she tucked her head beneath Blake's chin with a surprised noise. "Thank you, Ruby." The embrace was over as quickly as it had begun, and she suppressed a whine as fingers raked across the side of her neck before lifting away.

When she regained the ability to think straight, she rose her gaze to find the Faunus staring out of the alley, back to her and emitting a thoughtful hum. "If the White Fang is responsible for these robberies, they've been escalating for some time. First it was the Dust Shops down in the Commercial District, then it was the Warehouses in the Industrial areas.. And did you see the harbor today when we were at the diner?" Blake turned back to face her, the light olive color of the older girl's cheek still darker than the rest of the surrounding skin. "Massive Schnee freighters were pulling in, probably to resupply what's already been stolen. Steal enough that they have to ship in more and more Dust, then just steal that.. It's actually pretty simple."

"So.." Stepping up in front of the taller girl, Ruby tilted her chin up to look Blake directly in the eyes, finding that the bright pools of gold that awaited her were lit with a impassioned flame. It caused her heart to flutter and her stomach to squirm with nervousness to see the Faunus this way, the way that had initially drawn her attention during the weeks they had spent at school. Gulping down the stubborn ball of anxiety that was threatening to rise, she rose her confidence by flashing a dangerous grin and continued. "We need to go there, and make sure that it isn't the White Fang that tries to steal it."

"Right. But, I-Um.." Blake looked away from the way that the younger girl was looking at her, that mixture of unquestioning loyalty and support that caused her nerves to wring themselves into tight knots. She struggled to force her lips to form the query that was on her mind, stumbling over it a few times before managing to sufficiently collect herself. "What if it is?"

A light touch caused the muscles of her abdomen to stiffen as the soft pads of the other brunette's fingers danced over the exposed skin of her belly, and the girl spoke in a tone of certainty as Ruby slipped by her, the younger girl seemingly oblivious to the effect the simple contact had on her. "Then we stop them."

"Hey, have you seen this girl?" Yang held up her scroll, the screen of the mobile device displaying a picture of her little sister, and turned it towards the shopkeeper of the book store. Burly and sporting wild sideburns that gave him a feral look, the man took a moment to study the picture before shaking his head. She resisted the urge to let out a disappointed sigh as she lowered her arm and gave him a grateful nod. "Thanks anyway."

Turning to leave the store, she pushed open the door and stepped into the afternoon sun, standing on sidewalk of downtown Vale. Leaning against the nearby streetlight was the girl who had chosen to accompany her when their small party had split into pairs, watching the random citizens that passed by with an interested expression. When the Faunus noticed her, the indigo eyes widened and the girl bounded over to her, tail raised high into the air before it was obvious that the search continued to be fruitless. It filled her with a strange sense of compounded sadness at watching the fox tail slowly deflate from its excited stance. "Still nothing?"

"Still nothing." Yang didn't bother to contain her frustration, not from Iris, and slid the scroll back into her pocket with an annoyed growl. When she withdrew her hand, it immediately curled into a fist clenched tight enough to turn her knuckles white. It had only been a few hours, but the hope that she had held at the beginning of their search had slowly diminished over the course of a couple dozen storefronts and cafes. "This is so stupid!"

Moving as if she was going to punch the wall, she found her hand caught at the wrist and pulled back with a surprising amount of force. Iris had stopped her, the fox-girl's expression one of sympathy as she was pulled into a gentle hug. Taller than the other girl, Yang rested her chin comfortably on the offer shoulder, uncaring of the people that passed them by and shot curious glances in their direction. "We'll find them, don't worry." Supportive as always, the Faunus hadn't shown any signs of slowing in their search, even when the owner of a store a couple of blocks back had threatened to kick them out simply because he suspected her of stealing on the basis of her race.

Pulling away from the blonde with a wide smile, Iris chuckled at the soft expression that dominated Yang's face. It was a far cry from the ferocity she had just witnessed moments before, and the knowledge that she had such an effect on the brawler was quickly becoming a boon. She reached up and slipped her hand around the back of the girl's neck, pulling her down and into a quick kiss, their first since the dorm room three days ago, and relatively chaste when compared to those others.

Her bold move lit a fire under her heart, causing the organ to amplify its beating against her ribs, carrying enough force that she could actually feel each thump as the other pair of lips closed down about her bottom one for a brief moment. Heat flushed against her skin as she was pulled into a tight embrace, a strong arm wrapping around her slim waist, and she once again experienced firsthand that furnace that was Yang Xiao Long. Whether by blush or the brawler's temperature, Iris felt her cheeks ignite as she slipped her other hand around the other girl's shoulders and settled her head down against a scarf that covered a collarbone.

It was hard to remember what they were there for, as the position and the warmth filled her with a deep sense of tranquility. Keeping her voice barely above that of a whisper, she let her fingers dig into the material of the jacket she now clung to. "We'll find them." Sliding back, Iris let out a small laugh at the protesting whine that accompanied her departure, grinning from ear to ear as she let her hand glide down the other girl's side until it reached the waiting fingers below. "Come on."

The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon as Claire reached the end of the long street she and Nyx had just spent the better part of two hours going door to door on. For the first time since they had started, one of the waitresses of the last store they had checked, a small diner, told them that she had seen the two girls they had described around midday. It wasn't much, but after the long while of turning up nothing, it was enough to drive them onwards.

"You saw her? Where?" She watched as Nyx lowered his scroll and questioned the citizen standing nearby on the sidewalk. The target of his inquisition was a girl a few years younger than them, a pretty blonde who was clearly more focused on him than the questions that were being posed to her. Claire rolled her eyes as the girl pointed off in a general Western direction, then asked her teammate for his scroll number.

She had to admit, it was more than a little amusing to watch the reserved and uptight heir to the Pinion fortune be caught off guard so easily. Running a hand through his black hair, the boy stuttered over a half dozen words before letting out a shaky laugh and shrugging his shoulders, not so oblivious to the girl's intent as she had originally thought. Moving forward with purposeful strides, Claire caught the top of his shoulder in her hand, drawing both of other teenagers' gazes. "He's got a girlfriend, but thanks for the information."

There was a flash of disbelief in the girl's eyes that caused her grin to slip for a moment as she realized that the passerby was now thinking that she had insinuated that Nyx's significant other was herself. Cringing inwardly as the girl stomped off with a disappointed gait, she released her teammate and groaned as she heard him chuckle. "I had that handled, Briar."

"You were trying to let her down easy, I know." Pinching the bridge of her nose as she shook her head, Claire turned and glanced at the boy with a grin born of self-deprecation. "I just didn't want to waste the poor girl's time, given how she was beginning to fawn over you."

"..Right." Conceding the point to her, he turned to face the direction the girl had pointed, lifting his chin somewhat before continuing. "She said she was coming from the harbor when she saw them.. Why would they go to the shipyards?"

Claire rose both palms up in a shrug, shaking her head to accompany the gesture as she stepped past the Pinion heir with a wry smile painted upon her lips. "No idea, Nyx. Let the others know where to head, yeah?" Taking a moment to point an extended finger at the scroll in her teammate's hand, she fell into a step back and turned on her heel, marching off toward the Industrial district of Vale. "We don't need Schnee complaining that we weren't keeping her updated."

Blake had settled in for the long haul atop a rooftop overlooking the part of the harbor that housed three Schnee Dust Company freighters of immense size, the cargo containers that they had once carried now stacked on the docks of the shipyards, awaiting the morning crews that would sort and ship the freight to its intended destination. But for now, it was a low hanging fruit right for the picking, with little more security that a few cameras that adorned the walls of the huge compound.

"Anything yet?" The quiet words drew her attention back behind her, where her younger teammate was standing holding two cans of soda. In a way, she had enjoyed these three days from school. She had learned next to nothing of the other girl in their mutual silence, but had learned so much more from studying the way Ruby acted when she thought no one else was watching.

Blake had learned quickly how to tell the genuine expressions from those that were manufactured for her benefit, but never once sought to know the reason behind the fake half-smiles and the facade of cheer. There had been too much on her mind in the days since they had left Beacon, too much to deal with to invite in something more. But even now she could see through the mask of a grin that Ruby had erected on her behalf, hiding all the true emotion that had been bared earlier behind it. "Nothing."

"Here, I got this for you." Ruby extended one of the drinks she had toward the Faunus, adjusting her hold to move her fingers from its label and reveal it as one of the more popular sodas, and one that she hoped her teammate would enjoy. The strange look that Blake was giving her right now was a bit unsettling, but the older girl didn't make any noise of disagreement as the soda was taken from her hand. Using the index finger of her freed hand, she popped the top to her own drink and took a long sip, savoring the bitter cherry flavor before swallowing.

Blake pushed herself up into a kneeling position, glancing between the drink that had been offered to her and the other brunette. It wasn't hard to admit that however cute the girl looked normally, Ruby was downright close to being called a goddess from where she sat. Standing over her, the younger girl was framed by the shattered remains of Remnant's Moon, the bright silver color contrasting with the black and red outfit, but matching the bright pools of the scythe-wielder's eyes beautifully. It was breathtaking, so much so that she had to take a moment and collect herself as she opened the soda in her hand to distract her thoughts. "Where did you get these?"

"There's a machine down on the street a couple buildings back." The girl jerked a thumb over a shoulder covered by the flowing red cape that seemed to adorn Ruby's every outfit, ending the gesture with a light shrug. Blake gave a nod before sipping at the liquid that was bubbling up through the now opened lid, making a face when the carbonated drink burned down her throat. "Did you want another flavor?"

She moved to shake her head, but was forced to cover her sensitive eyes as a Bullhead suddenly thundered by overhead, it's lights causing the relatively dark area to grow blinding for a moment as it passed by. The air current generated by its engines displaced most the tarps that covered part of the roof they occupied, kicking up a small cyclone of dust that obscured her vision for a moment. Blake sat the soda down to the side and resumed her form position of leaning over the edge of the tall building, eager to get a better look at these new arrivals.

A warm shoulder bumped against her own as Ruby joined her, the hooded girl peering down over the ledge with what looked to be little regard for their proximity. Blinking a few times, Blake finally forced herself to tear her gaze back to the airship that had landed in the wide open area in the middle of the dock. It's ramp descended to make contact with the ground, and out poured six armed figures clad in armor and robes that were far too familiar. "Is that them?"

The innocuous question stung more than she thought it would, as she held out a brief hope that those below were not members of the same group she had dedicated much of her life to. As one of the robed males turned to beckon into the transport with his free hand, she caught a clear sight of the emblem splashed across the back of the white fabric. A beowulf howling, and three bloody gashes slashing through it. "It's them." She punched a closed fist into the concrete of her perch with a growl, ignoring the lance of pain that shot through her limb in retaliation. "Somehow I knew it had to be, but I hoped.. I don't know why I was so naive."

A hand ghosted over her arm, the soft touch of fingers attempting to comfort her as she glared down at the Faunus troops gathering below. It looked to be a small strike squad, enough to secure what they needed before moving on. What didn't make sense to her is why they would risk attacking such a large target if they didn't intend to haul all of the cargo away. Blake felt her eyes narrow as she thought to pose the question to her teammate in an effort to gain a different perspective of the current events, but paused when a voice sounded out from the Bullhead, and a new figure emerged. "Won't you animals get a move on, already? Secure the area and get the first tow cables set up!"

Wearing a white suit and idly twirling a cane around two fingers, the newcomer flicked a finger against the brim of a black bowler hat before waving dismissively at the few Faunus that were still loitering near the entrance to the ship. "This isn't right." Blake could hear the disbelief in her own voice as she studied the man, a thousand different questions racing through each thought as she struggled to find a reason for what was happening. "The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially one like that."

"Wait, I know him." Ruby recognized the man's outfit immediately, having seen him only a few weeks prior to now. He had been there the night she was accepted into Beacon. He had practically been the reason behind her acceptance in the first place. "He was the one that I stopped from robbing that Dust store.. But, he only had Humans with him then."

"You're sure?" Glancing over to find two amber eyes glowing lightly in the darkness, she gave a steady nod, positive that this was the same man whose goons she had fought off that night. "I need answers, then." Without another word, she watched as Blake launched over the edge of the building. From where she sat, she saw the way the older girl landed gracefully and pulled Gambol Shroud from where it lay across the Faunus' back.

It was all too quick for her to react, leaving her kneeling at the edge with a had outstretched. "Wait, Blake!"

Author's Note: So I just realized I answered reviews in the last chapter pretty much out of habit. It's something I did for one of my previous stories and it ended up adding a lot of words to the overall count. To avoid this, I'm just going to to not do that unless you guys ask me to. Probably the best way to handle it. As always, thank you all for following, favoriting, and reviewing, and I hope to hear more from you soon! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! -Fox