During The Stray
The sun was shining brightly down on the city of Vale. Walking down its streets was the entirety of Team VNLA, with their leader trailing behind them. The group had originally planned to walk around with Team RWBY, but had decided to go to the Grifball Court in town so Vio could rent it out for some point during the following weekend so they could play with their friends like he had agreed to. As they walked along the street, Vio let out a pitiful sob.
"Vio, what the hell's your problem?" demanded Album after he whined in misery.
"You two are my problem," he whined. "You're gonna make my father take away my credit card."
"What makes you say that?" asked Nudar. Like Album, he acted completely carefree about their (extremely rich) friend and teammate paying for sixteen people (Nudar had extended the invitation to Team CFVY so they'd have an even number of teams involved).
"Because!" he snapped at them. "I have a habit of never needing to use more than half of my monthly allowance through my card, but that stadium took up that half, and then all the gear I needed to rent took up another fourth!" He ran in front of them. "I just spent more money than I usually do, and it's because you two guilted me into it!"
"Wait," Album said raising her hands up to make him stop. "You mean to tell me, that your monthly allowance is so much Lien that three fourths of it is renting a Grifball stadium and sixteen players worth of gear?!" She and Nudar shared a look. "Hey Vio, can I-"
"NO!" he yelled at her. "I'm your leader, NOT your personal bank card! I don't want to wind up being responsible for paying for you two doing God knows what simply because you feel like it!"
"He's got a point," added Leaf. "Did you guys even stop to think about how much all that was going to cost? I get it that Vio is from an incredibly rich family, but we shouldn't take advantage of it like that."
"Nobody asked for your opinion, Leaf," Album commented dryly. As she said this, a couple of police officers ran up to them.
"He kids, did you see a Faunus around here?" asked the one with a full chin beard.
They all stared blankly at him before gesturing to Leaf. "Yeah, we're hanging out with one," commented Nudar.
The other officer stepped forward. "No, different Faunus. This one has blonde hair, a monkey tail, an open shirt, and rolled up jeans. You see anyone like that around here?"
"Sorry, but no. We haven't," replied Vio.
The bearded one fixed Leaf with a glare. "What about you, Foxy?"
"I'm a bat," he replied.
"Don't get snappy with us!" snapped the second officer. "Maybe that other Faunus is an accomplice of yours? And you just don't want your White Fang Wannabe partner to pay for what you're planning to do?" As a means of intimidation, he rested his hand on his Dust Revolver.
The three humans drew their weapons. "Back off," demanded Vio. "Leaf's been with us this entire time, and I'm pretty sure the press would love to find out that not only did two cops get beaten up by first year students, but that they were beaten up because they were making racist comments to an innocent Faunus."
The cops looked around, and realized people were pointing at them, and a couple people were taking videos on their Scrolls or talking quietly among themselves. The two officers hesitated, but backed off. "Just stay out of trouble," warned the first one. "And make sure your Faunus friend doesn't get any ideas." After the two had left, the three sheathed their weapons.
"You guys didn't have to do that," said Leaf.
"We wanted to," muttered Nudar as he shouldered his sword. "You're our friend, and I can't stand racism or any form of intolerance."
"And I don't think it's right," added Vio. He had a sour look on his face. "Just because of the White Fang, the Faunus are in a worse light than ever before. I may respect the White Fang for their goal, but their methods hardly justify that." His hands were clenched tightly into fists. "It's disgusting to judge everyone of a group for the mistakes of a select few."
"Well, you guys certainly seem like the right crowd," came a playful voice from above. The four looked up and saw a teen matching the description they had been given hanging from a window grate by his tail.
"Wow, as soon as they leave," muttered Album.
The boy dropped down and landed on his feet. "It was pretty cool how you guys chased of those cops like that. I mean, sure, I was a stowaway on a ship from Vacuo, but I was just coming here in advance to scope out the competition."
"So that's why the authorities are after you," deadpanned Vio. "So," he crossed his arms, "who are you, exactly?"
The blond Faunus smiled and pointed a thumb at himself. "The name's Sun Wukong, and I'm a Huntsman in training."
"Let me guess, you're here for the festival too?" asked Leaf.
"Yup. My team sent me on ahead to see what they'd be up against here." The way he said that made it sound like he was proud of himself, but he then realized something. "And, I wasn't supposed to tell you that…" He then started panicking. "Oh man… Scarlet is gonna kill me…"
Leaf chuckled at him. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." He extended a hand to Sun. "I'm Leaf."
Album put her hands in her pockets. "I'm Album White."
Nudar extended a hand with a huge grin. "Nudar Athenos."
Vio was the last. "Vio Black," he said while extending his own hand.
Sun went bug eyed and backed away from him. "Wait, Black? As in, the most legendary military family from Atlas? The one that's infamous for its anti-Faunus policies?"
The other three looked at Vio in shock, but he sighed. "You're probably thinking of how much of a racist my father and his family have been towards the Faunus. I however, want everybody to be treated equally, regardless of whether their human or Faunus."
The Faunus boy studied him cautiously before grinning again and giving him a handshake like he had for the other two boys. "Well, nice to meet you guys. I take it you're a team?"
Vio nodded. "Yup. I'm the leader of our group of misfits. Officially known as Team VNLA."
"Hey, I've got a question," he told them as the group of now five walked in a direction the two cops wouldn't go. "I saw this gorgeous Faunus girl when I got off the ship from Mistral. Do you guys know who she is?"
"Faunus girl?" asked Vio, none of them noticing how panicked Leaf looked. "I didn't realize Velvet and CFVY were hanging out in town today."
Nudar looked at him. "Did this Faunus girl have brown hair and a pair of rabbit ears on her head?"
Sun looked at them in confusion. "Um… No. She had a pale, olive-like complexion, these amazing golden eyes, a cool black and white ensemble, long black hair, and a bow on her head."
"Well, that sounds like our friend Blake," Vio said while looking at him strangely. "But she's not a Faunus."
"Besides, Vio's got the hots for her," added Album. She stuck her tongue out at her leader when he gave her a death glare.
"No, she's a Faunus," Sun replied awkwardly. "I'm positive she is."
"She isn't," insisted Nudar. He looked at their own Faunus. "Right Leaf?"
The bat Faunus stayed silent and nervously fidgeted with his hands. "Leaf?" asked Vio. "You mean…"
The green teen nodded. "How do you think she and I knew each other?" he asked rhetorically with a bit of a defeated tone. "We grew up together before my family was forced to move when the White Fang started having violent members."
"But how could she hide being a Faunus from us?" asked Album in confusion. She looked at her partner, but he shrugged at her.
Vio's eyes widened as he realized something. "Her bow," he said softly, but the others had all heard him. "I saw it move the day I flirted with her. She must use it to hide her Faunus ears." He looked at Leaf for confirmation and got an affirmative nod from his partner.
"But why hide it?" wondered Album.
"Yeah, I mean, we all like Leaf, and he's a Faunus," commented Nudar.
"Um… You guys do realize I've been dealing with racism against the Faunus since I was left in that orphanage seven years ago, right?" asked Leaf. "I've faced a hell of a lot of racism, of course, I can't really hide these," he said while gesturing to his ears.
"But still," commented Album. "Why hide it from her friends?"
"Weiss," answered Vio. "She's probably scared to tell the rest of Team RWBY considering she works with Weiss." He looked at the other four teens who had stopped around him and sighed. "The Schnee Dust Company has been a target by Faunus radicalists since Weiss' grandfather really got the company off the ground, and more so during the last five years by the White Fang. Because of that, Weiss' father raised her and Winter with extreme racial prejudices, even for Atlesians. So, she thinks all Faunus have the potential to be White Fang agents. Why do you think she freaked out when Leaf held her during initiation a couple months ago?"
"I thought it was out of embarrassment or the fact that she was the Schnee heiress being held by a common person," noted Leaf. "But that would explain why she tries to avoid spending time with me."
"Damn, I knew she was cold, but that's whole new level," muttered Album. "Now I get why Faunus hate me until I explain I just look like Weiss Schnee."
"So… You said Vio had a thing for her?" Sun asked uncertainly.
Vio glared at Album again but nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid I already have feelings for Blake, and she has started to return said feelings for some reason," he explained to the teen. He didn't notice Alum grin at the mention of her efforts to mess with his love life.
Sun groaned. "Dang it. And here I was hoping I'd be able to get a smoking hot Valesian Faunus girlfriend." He straightened up. "So then, what were you guys up to before I joined you?"
"Oh yes, that's right," Vio said in a tone of realization. He then smacked Nudar upside the head and punched Album on the arm. "That's for nearly maxing out my card!" he yelled at them.
"You're rich!" snapped Album as she rubbed her arm. "Why do you care so much?!"
"It's the principle!" he snapped back.
Sun started laughing. "Wow, you guys are something else." He looked around at the four teens. "So… did you guys already eat lunch?" he asked them. "There wasn't exactly a lot to eat on the ship I stowed away on."
Nudar and Album looked at their leader expectantly, and he sighed. "Fine, since I bet none of you brought money."
"I'll pay for it myself," Sun told him. "I was just wondering since I haven't eaten yet."
Vio smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Sun. And I'm positive my credit card thanks you as well." Sun laughed at that and lead them to a café he had seen while running.
-That night-
Team VNLA were relaxing around their room. Nudar was sharpening his sword, Album was writing her gay fanfiction, Leaf was trying to perfect playing "Mirror Mirror", and Vio was writing a BS letter to his father about how he had the entirety of his team wrapped around his finger. What better way to make him think going to school in Vale was a good idea than to make myself sound like the best member of the team?
As they enjoyed their semi-relaxing evening, Leaf groaned before pushing his piano off his lap. "I wish they'd keep it down," he muttered while looking at the wall they shared with RWBY.
"What's wrong?" asked Nudar as he looked up from his sword.
"Weiss and Blake have been fighting ever since they got back from Vale." He looked back at the wall. "From what I can make out, they're arguing over Weiss thinking all of Faunus-kind are all criminals." He sighed sadly. "It kinda makes me wonder how she thinks about me, or how she'd act about Blake's heritage."
Album laughed. "Wait a minute, are you crushing on Weiss?!" Leaf blushed and tried to find something else to pay attention to. "Oh my god, you are! Why else would you care about what she thinks of you? And you keep trying to play that song she sang! You're totally crushing on her!" She started cracking up. "Wow, our leader is crushing on Blake and Yang, and you've got a thing for Weiss! Next thing you know, Nudar is hooking up with Ruby or I'm in a reverse harem with Team CRDL!" She stopped as a horrified look crossed her face. She put a hand to her mouth and looked sick. "I think that image just made me want to hurl," she groaned.
The boys took their turn to laugh at the girl's misfortune before Leaf froze. "Oh no."
Vio, still grinning, looked at Leaf. "What?"
The group's Faunus had a horrified look on his face. "Blake just let it slip about who she really is." The group heard footsteps outside their door. "And she just ran off."
Album looked at the door in concern, everyone's mood killed. "Should we go after her?"
Leaf shook his head as he stood up. "If Blake is the same as when I grew up with her, she wouldn't like it if just anyone went after her." He walked over to the window and pushed it open. "She's probably heading outside, so I'll track her down. I'll let you guys know how it goes." With that, the Bat Faunus jumped out the window and to the ground.
Vio sighed as he put his Scroll on his nightstand. "I hope he finds her."
"Don't worry," assured Album. "Leaf can track anything. I'm positive he'll find her."
-Outside-
Leaf kept running as he followed Blake's scent. He was lucky she was upwind from him, so it wasn't long until he heard the sound of the fountain in Beacon's courtyard. "Blake!" he yelled.
He heard her shoes against the ground as she turned around. "Leaf? What are you doing here?"
"I heard your argument with Weiss," he explained. "I wanted to see if you were alright."
"I-" She turned from him. "Just go. You wouldn't understand."
Leaf heard another set of footsteps as a third person joined their group. "Well, I knew you'd look better without that bow," commented a familiar voice.
Leaf turned to the source of the third voice. "Hey Sun. It's about time you stopped hiding."
Skip to Monday
Leaf sat at the café Sun had taken the team to when they met first him. At the table with him was the Monkey Faunus himself and Blake. There was an awkward silence, especially since Blake hadn't said anything to either Faunus boy since she had run off on Friday. Although it isn't technically running away since Sun and I told Vio and the rest of the team where she was.
"So," the black haired girl stated while breaking her silence. She looked over at Sun. "You wanted to know more about me, huh?"