When you've been around as long as I have, you learn to appreciate the beauty in simple things.

Take my surroundings, for example; nothing but miles upon miles of beautiful trees in all directions, their silky smooth scarlet leaves creating an ocean of red as far as the eye can see. On several occasions, the wind would pick up and blow a large chunk off the top of the canopy, and then carry the leaves away in its current. It was both dazzling and relaxing to behold, like the elegant strokes of a paintbrush swirling across the blue canvas of the sky.

From what I'd seen so far of Remnant, Forever Fall took the cake in sheer environmental wonder. No offense to the Emerald Forest.

After Glynda brought us all out here, everybody split up into groups of two or three to accomplish our assignment. Apparently, apart from being a naturally sweet breakfast topping, the thick sap from Forever Fall's trees could also be used as a good base for a new type of explosive Professor Peach was developing. Some sort of Molotov cocktail-like dust bomb, from what I'd gathered. Students were to gather one bottle to bring back to her, plus another to keep for themselves as a 'thank you'.

I decided to pick a tree far away from the rest of the class, a quiet little spot. I was almost finished filling up my last jar when I heard footsteps approaching behind. A quick check of their vitals and I knew who it was without even looking.

"How's it going, Blake?"

The footsteps stopped. "It's… fine. The forest looks very… red today."

"As it should," I chuckled as I screwed the lid on the container and stood up. "Did you and your team get your jars?"

"Yeah, we're finished. The others should be done soon, too."

"Nice. Just make sure to let Miss Goodwitch know so we can get out of here before any potential Grimm show up, okay?"

"I will. But before I do, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said as I turned to face her. "What's up?"

"Do you," she paused and began rubbing her arm nervously. "Do you believe that humans and faunus can coexist peacefully and as equals?"

"Hmm, that's a big question. May I ask what brought this on?"

"You just… you seem like a nice guy who doesn't care about the differences between the two races. You treat everyone the same, and I really appreciate that. I was just… curious, I guess."

"Thanks for telling me that," I smiled. "And yes, I do believe that humans and faunus will become equals one day. It will happen, sooner or later."

"How can you be so sure?" She asked

"It's already begun; you just have to know where to look," I stated. "Take Team CFVY, for instance, or you and me. We have common ground in our shared love for literature, right?"

A small smirk appeared on her face as she shrugged.

"I guess so," but then her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, what do you mean by 'you and me'?"

"I know, Blake," I said as I pointed to the top of my head. "I know that your bow isn't just a fashion statement."

"SHHHH," her breathing quickened and she looked around this way and that nervously. "The others…"

"Are nowhere close enough to hear us talking," I spoke softly, leaning back against the tree and crossing my arms. "Your secret is safe. Trust me."

She managed to calm down somewhat after that but kept her eyes and ears open nonetheless.

"How'd you figure it out?" She demanded in a hushed tone, her eyes narrow.

"Very easily," I started, electing to give her the "logical" explanation. "For one, you never, ever take that thing off, even outside of class. Plus I've noticed the subtle twitches it makes when your ears move underneath. You are always acutely aware of your surroundings, even when you're just sitting still while reading a book. You're able to correctly guess what's for breakfast just by smelling it all the way from the dorms. Oh, and don't get me started on how happy you get whenever the cafeteria serves fish…"

"Okay, okay," she conceded, sighing in irritation. "Just… don't go shouting it from the top of Beacon Tower, alright?"

"I won't, but in all seriousness Blake, why hide who you are like that?"

"You may be willing to accept the faunus, Kent, but your species is not," she declared.

"The actions of the few should not determine the way you feel about an entire group or species," I retorted.

"… Regardless, until the issue is resolved, I want to avoid any unnecessary attention. I want people to see me for who I am, not what I am."

"So who and what are you, then?"

That caught her off-guard. "I… I don't understand what you're asking."

"Then let me be specific," I pushed myself off the tree and stepped towards her. "Are you someone who's so afraid to let others see her true self that she'd rather keep it concealed beneath a piece of cloth, or are you someone willing to take a stand for her heritage and beliefs no matter what negativity comes her way?"

Her silence was her answer.

"Know this, Blake," I whispered as I leaned in closer to her face. "It's better to be honest and despised, than dishonest and loved."

I pat her on her shoulder and then walked off, leaving her to contemplate my words so I could do some contemplation of my own. Even when it was necessary, lying by omission always sucked, which is why I made sure to be as honest as I could with my friends when it came to what I did share with them. Hypocritical or not, I still had a cover to maintain, at least for a little while longer.

I was halfway back to the main group when I noticed Yang trying to free Ruby from a block of ice she was encased in by punching it. I tilted my head at the display, but that was when a certain bunny girl noticed me approaching and waved. During the break between classes, Velvet had confessed to me that my words during Oobleck's class struck a chord with her desire to preserve the "good times" through photography, so she asked to come along on the field trip to hone her craft.

"Hey Velvet, how goes the photo op?"

"Great," she beamed as she held her camera out to me. "Care to take a look at what I got so far?"

I took the device from her and began scrolling through the selection on the little screen. The first few were simple wide shots of multiple students going about their business, but after that is when it got interesting. There was a shot of Nora chugging a jar full of sap like her life depended on it, then Ruby trying to sneak up on Weiss and scare her in another pic, only for the one after to show her frozen solid with the heiress looking pretty smug about it.

Well, that explains that.

But the next four were my favorites: 1) Pyrrha handing Jaune a jar, 2) Jaune bending down next to a tree to draw sap unaware of Pyrrha checking out his butt, 3) her horrifying realization that Velvet was watching all along, and finally 4) her burying her cherry-red face in her hands as Jaune holds the now full jar out for her to take, a look of confusion on his face.

"These are pretty good," I commended.

"Thank you," she nodded gratefully, but then looked worried when I kept cycling through the photos. "Wait, what're you doing?"

"Just seeing what else you've got."

"B-but I…"

I soon discovered why she was so hesitant. For every two pictures of another student and/or their unique weapon, there was one featuring the leader of Team CFVY in some capacity. There was a shot of her making a face whilst wearing a pair of tacky shades, another of her having fallen asleep on her textbook in the middle of studying, and a selfie of her and Velvet with the latter using two fingers to give her leader bunny ears of her own.

And the funny thing was, all the ones I just listed were dated last week.

I looked at Velvet with a knowing smirk. "So, why so many pictures of weapons and battle poses?"

She coughed, perfectly willing to change the subject. "W-well, my semblance is mimicking the fighting styles of others, and my camera allows me to create copies of their weapons. Coco calls it a 'match made in huntress heaven'."

"Like you and her would be?"

"Yeah-waitNO!"

"Hah, gotcha."

She swiped the camera from my grip as I laughed. "Don't play games like that!"

"I make no promises."

"Kent…" she stomped her foot while giving an admittedly adorable pout.

"Okay okay, I'm just messing around," I conceded, and the rabbit faunus went back to fiddling with her gadget. "Does she know?"

She paused with her tinkering, eyes going wide. "Kn-Know what?"

"Velvet," my voice was quieter, but also sterner. "Does. She. Know?"

After a moment, she let out a long exhale as her ears drooped slightly. "No."

"Why haven't you told her?" She shied away even more, her body going stiff. "I'm just saying I noticed your reaction to simply being held by her that day in the hallway. Your attraction to her was kinda obvious, so I figured…"

"I can't."

"Huh, why not?" By now her bunny ears had almost completely bent over to cover her face. "Oh, I get it."

She didn't want to ruin what they already have, and they did seem very close. Classic.

She nodded silently, lowering her head even further until I could no longer see her eyes. Now, I may not be the best person to give relationship advice for obvious reasons, but that doesn't mean I didn't know a thing or two that could encourage her. So I patted her on her head right in-between her animal ears, and I the reaction I intended as she lifted her gaze back to me.

"When you are ready to tell her, I'll be there if you need me."

Her lips quirked upward a little at that. "Okay."

"Mr. Mason," I heard Glynda call out as she came walking over.

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch?"

"Your fellow students are finished with the assignment, but Team CRDL is unaccounted for. Have you come across them?"

My senses expanded their range on reflex, going further out away from the group until I found the three I was looking for. Apart from their different heartbeats and electrical impulses firing off in their brains, however, I could also detect the sounds of a fourth entity, one made up of buzzing wings, clinking pincers, and stingers trying to stab their way out of a thick cardboard box. How they hadn't broken out already was anyone's guess.

"I know where they are," I answered. "Have everyone else pack up and get ready to leave; I'll go get them myself."

"Alone?" Velvet asked.

"Don't worry about it. I can handle them if things get ugly, but hopefully, it won't come to that if I can help it."

"Well… good luck, then, I guess."

Velvet then walked away, but Glynda remained a moment longer.

"And if it does get ugly?" she inquired, clearly concerned over what could happen.

"Hey," I smiled. "It's me."

She rolled her eyes before turning away, and that's when I chose to start making my way towards Cardin and company. They were in a small clearing not too far from the group, just passed a thick cluster of trees so they could not be seen or heard by the others. They had no idea I was there listening in as Cardin relayed his plan to his two teammates, the box of rapier wasps sitting on the ground behind him.

"Okay, when everyone gets ready to leave, you, Russel, will run back to the group and tell Kent that Sky was jumped by a Grimm and got hurt…"

Oh, so it's one of those kinds of traps.

"He's very determined, I'll give him that," Liv acknowledged.

Too determined.

"You'll lure him over here, and when he gets close enough, I'll give the signal…"

The wind picked up again, the perfect cover.

"You two will run away…"

WHOOSH

I snatched the box without him noticing, set it ablaze with my heat vision, and then threw it off the nearest cliff before returning to my original spot.

"And I'll throw the box at him," the bully finished.

"What box?" I yelled as I stepped into the clearing, startling them all.

"Kent?" Cardin was shocked by my sudden arrival, but even more so when he noticed that the cardboard container was missing. "What the… where did it go?"

"You lost something? Well, I'm sorry, but we don't have time to look for it," I turned around and gestured for them to follow me as I began walking away. "We're all heading back to Beacon now, so let's go."

Cardin looked to both of his teammates, then back to the ground where the box used to be, his eyes screwing shut. "… No."

I stopped. "No?"

"We're not going anywhere," He pointed his weapon at me and bared his teeth. "Not until you and I settle this!"

"Settle what?" I slowly spun to face him again. "You're not still mad about what happened in the cafeteria, are you?"

"Yes!"

"Dude, I told you that I was done. I don't want us to be enemies."

"Then you should've minded your own business that day!"

"You were tormenting a fellow student one year your senior, and when I stopped you, you called one of my friends a bimbo just to tick me off, and then tried to attack me while my back was turned," I threw my arms out in exasperation. "But even then I was willing to let it go. I still am. Why can't you?"

Cardin didn't respond immediately, instead looking to the ground and he racked his brain for an answer. Sky and Russel were also starting to look a little hesitant if only slightly, which meant I was on the right track.

"Cardin, let's be real here," I sighed. "Even if you did get your revenge, what would it matter? Remnant would just keep on turning like nothing happened, and you'd only be making things worse for yourself. My friends would be mad at you, the teachers would all be disappointed in you, and you'd probably go down as one of the worst huntsmen of this generation. Is that really what you want?"

"You don't know shit about what I want!" He thundered, scaring his two companions into edging away from him.

"Actually, I do," I walked a few paces forward. "You don't really want revenge against me, you're just lashing out because you can't get over your father's murder."

All three of them stared at me, mouths agape. Cardin was so flabbergasted that he had to lower his arm until the business end of his mace rested on the ground.

"H-How do you know about that?"

"I did some digging," I divulged. "Your father, Wallace Winchester, was both a huntsman and an unsung hero of the Faunus Rights Revolution who fought in support of the faunus."

"What?" Sky and Russel blurted out in disbelief, but Cardin was still too stunned to respond.

"It's true," I began pacing back and forth in front of them. "His convictions were unshakable, even when most of his colleagues shunned him as a traitor. He later took part in the Battle at Fort Castle and became paralyzed from the waist down after defeating another huntsman under General Lagune's employ."

"What does that have to do with-"

"I'm getting there, Sky," I silenced him with a glare. "Anywho, Wallace returned home after that and married the love of his life. They then moved to Vale where they had a child named Cardin who wanted to be a hero just like his dad. But with his dad's handicap, he had to find someone else to give him proper combat training when he reached his teens. Eventually, he found an instructor in their next-door-neighbor, a retired huntsman named Dante."

"Stop it," Cardin grumbled.

"Over the next year, Dante taught Cardin how to fight, and even became close friends with the Winchesters in the process. He invited them to barbecues, played poker with Wallace himself, and even agreed to help him plan Cardin's surprise 15th birthday party."

"Stop," The bully growled, his fists clenching and shaking.

"But when Cardin's mom picked him up from school that day, they came home to find different sort of surprise…"

"Shut up."

"Wallace and Dante, both dead, the latter with a knife jabbed into his throat, and the former with a bullet wound in his head."

"SHUT UP!" Cardin roared, scaring some birds away from their perches in the nearby trees as tears welled in his eyes. "WHY DO YOU CARE?! WHY ARE YOU EVEN BRINGING THIS UP?!"

"Because it wasn't your fault, Cardin."

His rage evaporated in an instant after that, leaving only confusion, like he had never even considered such a possibility. Sky and Russel observed with the utmost attention, wondering where this was going to go.

"Dante used you. He'd wanted your father dead ever since he sided with the faunus during the Revolution, and his hatred for him only grew after their duel at Fort Castle. He spent years plotting his revenge, even going as far as to get plastic surgery done in Atlas to hide his true identity before tracking his old enemy down."

"I-I trusted him," Cardin choked out. "I… I thought he was a good guy."

"I know, and he was counting on that," I stopped pacing and took another step towards him. "He took advantage of you to get close to your family, to learn all your secrets and earn your trust as he waited for the right moment to strike."

"I-I gave him that chance. I told him everything he needed to know! My father's dead because of me, dammit!"

"That's not true," I moved closer until we were only a foot apart. "Dante was an arrogant, racist sociopath who didn't know when to let go of a grudge. He's to blame for betraying your trust and using you like that. Dante killed your father, Cardin; you mustn't feel guilty over someone else's sin."

I watched as the towering teen dropped his weapon before collapsing to his knees. Sky and Russel took a step back as I knelt in front of their leader and waited for him to calm down a bit.

"You're not really mad at me, you're mad at yourself and taking it out on everyone around you," I declared, causing him to look back up to me. "That's why your mother enrolled you in Beacon; it was her last chance to set you straight because nothing else worked. Now, I'm giving you another chance to if you're willing to take it."

"What do you want me to do?" He sniffed. "Forgive Dante for what he did?"

"No," I gently laid my hand on his shoulder. "I'm asking you to forgive yourself for letting it change you. You can still be a great man like your father was, but you've got to stop blaming yourself for what happened to him. Would he want you to keep going down this path of self-destruction?"

"… No."

And then the floodgates opened, reducing him to a sobbing wreck whose cries filled the clearing and echoed through the trees. Sky and Russel were unsure of how to respond to this, but after I gave them a little gesture, they settled for patting their leader on his back as he relieved himself of all his guilt, rage, shame, and regret over his past actions. After a minute or two, he got his breathing under control and wiped his face on his forearm.

"So, what happens now?"

"Now," I smiled as I helped him to his feet. "We deal with that Ursa."

"What Ursa?"

ROAR

The four of us turned to look just in time as the aforementioned Grimm came barreling out into the clearing, stopping a dozen or so feet away from us to snarl at its prey.

"It was drawn here by you, Cardin."

"Great," he deadpanned.

"W-What do we do?" Russel shivered as he and Sky drew their weapons.

Narrowing his eyes, Cardin reached down and picked up his mace up off the ground, gripping it tightly. "We take it down."

"You guys got this," I stated.

"Yeah, we do," came a familiar voice from behind me, and I turned to see Jaune approaching us, sword and shield already drawn. Further back I could see all of the other students by the tree line, watching us.

"You," Cardin was stunned at his old adversary's arrival and willingness to aid his team. "Why would you help us?"

"Well, you guys are short one member," the knight shrugged. "So I figured you could use some help. That's what huntsmen do, right?"

The former bully gave an appreciative nod before refocusing on the monster. As Team CRL plus One took their battle stances, I sped over to the other students and stopped in-between Yang and Pyrrha to watch events unfold. A second later, they all charged the ursa at once, prompting Velvet to start taking more pictures with gusto. In the middle of all the hacking and slashing, I felt Yang tap my hand to get my attention.

"You guys saw all of that, huh?"

"Yep, and now I see why Ruby calls you 'Superman'," she grinned before pointing to the former bully. "You'd have to be one to get through to him."

"Thanks."

"Mmmhmm. But I'm still gonna call you 'Boy Scout', though."

"I thought so."

I switched back to watching the battle. Sky and Russel each took a swipe at the ursa's back legs, causing it to stumble. It roared again before raising one of its front legs and bringing it down upon Jaune, who blocked it with his shield. As the knight pushed back against the clawed appendage bearing down on him, I noticed Pyrrha raising her arm whilst the faint flicker of her semblance manifested around it. I gently grabbed her wrist and stopped her, shaking my head when she turned towards me.

"Watch," I said.

The ursa managed to push Jaune down onto one knee, and that was when Cardin came in from the side and brought his hammer down on the creature's leg, breaking it. It roared in agony and collapsed onto its side, leaving it wide open for Cardin and Jaune's next move. The knight kept his shield raised so the former bully could jump onto and then launch himself off of it. Raising his mace above his head mid-jump, he then brought it crashing down atop the ursa's head, cracking its skull-plated face with a thunderous impact. He then swung his weapon up like a golf club, knocking the monster flat on its back, leaving it wide open for the four huntsmen in training to swarm it. The beast was completely helpless as it was repeatedly stabbed and bludgeoned over and over again until it finally succumbed to its wounds and dissolved into nothingness.

Pyrrha looked a little embarrassed for doubting her partner, even for a moment, so I gave her a comforting nudge with my elbow and she snapped out of it. Ruby then came up next to her and began asking about her semblance, but my attention was still on Jaune and Cardin.

"Hey, Yang?"

"'Sup?"

"Do you think it'd be alright if I added another guest for tonight?"

"I think so. Who'd you have in mind?"

"You'll see," I then cupped my hands and shouted out across the clearing. "Yo, Cardin!"

"What?" he called back.

"Do you like pancakes?!"

My fellow students looked at me like I was nuts. Cardin, however, just scratched the back of his head in thought, pondering my question.

"… Yeah, why?"

(X)

Later…

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I smirked as I kept walking down the halls of the dormitory, Cardin following right behind me. While the rest of the student body ate in either the cafeteria or downtown, my friends and I had planned a little get-together instead. Pancake Night in JNPR's dorm, with Ren volunteering as the cook.

"Yes," I answered as I stopped in front of JNPR's door. "Consider this the first step in your journey to redemption."

He looked to the door, fully aware of who was on the other side, and took a deep breath. "Okay."

"How's Dove doing?"

"Oh yeah. I checked up on him and apologized, and he was cool with it," he sighed. "Man, I've got a lot of people to say sorry to like that Velvet girl, and especially my mom."

"It's gonna be tough, dude," I slapped him on his shoulder encouragingly. "But as long as you stay committed to making things right, it'll all work out. You'll see."

"I hope so. And look, I don't know how you figured out all that stuff about me and my dad, but… thanks."

"No problem, man," I gestured to the door with my free hand, the other balancing a lid-covered tray I brought with me. "Shall we?"

He nodded before raising his hand and knocking on the entrance three times. A voice from inside told us to come in, and when I opened the door I was greeted by the sight of my two favorite teams spread out in different parts of the room.

"Fashionably late, I see," Weiss chided as she elegantly ran a brush through Pyrrha's hair.

"Now Pancake Night can begin," Ruby announced gleefully.

"And Nora can stop drinking all our syrup," Yang pointed out.

"Hey!"

"You know what you did!"

"Will Velvet be joining us?" Ren asked as he fastened his pink "Please Do Nothing To The Cook" apron around his torso.

"I'm afraid not," I explained. "She had to process all the pictures she took today."

"Hmm, shame."

I stepped through the threshold, and that's when Cardin entered the room as well. Everyone went silent. Despite my willingness to befriend him, most of the others were a little… resistant to allow the former school bully into their circle so soon after his decision to change his ways. It took a little convincing, but I managed to persuade them to give him a chance, at least for tonight.

Cardin stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to react or even greet anyone present. Thankfully, though, Ruby broke the ice by asking Cardin to come sit by her so she could share her ideas on how to improve his "macing", which involved a lot of weapon modifications.

Ren gave Jaune a skeptical look, but the knight simply smiled and nodded, prompting the tranquil ninja to smirk at the former bully.

"Cardin, what do you like in your pancakes?"

"Oh, um…" he flustered. "Pecans?"

"Coming right up."

As Ren walked over to where an electric skillet and several ingredients sat atop a nearby desk, Blake eyed the tray I was carrying curiously.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this…" I held the tray out in front of me before removing the lid in a very dramatic fashion, revealing the sizzling contents underneath. "Is just four pounds of BACON!"

"Woohoo!" Yang cheered.

"You didn't have to do that, Kent," Pyrrha spoke up from her chair.

"I know, but I did anyway, so now you've all got to eat it."

Jaune then tried to get up from his seat, only to wince and sit back down. "I think I pulled something fighting that Grimm."

"Here ya go."

SMACK

"Agh," Jaune cried out as he was knocked flat on his back. He then reached up and pulled the piece of cooked meat from off his face. "Why?"

"Because bacon makes everything better."

"Duh," Yang and I said together, and we both laughed.

Jaune looked at the bacon strip he held in his hand, then shrugged and bit a huge chunk off of it, moaning in delight. "Not bad."

"Ooh, do me! Do me," Nora cried, one hand raised as she bounced on her bed.

SMACK

"Yummy," Blake rolled her eyes. "Face Bacon."

"Of which I will never partake," Liv lamented, sniffing. "It's not fair, I tells ya!"

Oh c'mon, you know life is fair…

"Because it's equally unfair to everybody. Yeah, yeah, just shut up and eat your nonessential pleasure food. I'm gonna go sift through the Schnee Dust Company's unmentionables. Auf Wiedersehen!"

After she disappeared into the CCT Network again, I took notice of Ren distributing plates of pancakes to everyone (man, he cooks fast), with Yang being the last. She looked over at me with half-lidded eyes and patted the empty space right next to her, inviting me to sit there.

Leaving is going to be harder than I thought, I swallowed apprehensively before reaching back and closing the door.

(X)

A.N:

There we go. Thanks for waiting. What did you think of the backstory I gave Cardin? Let me know.

Okay, so yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get this done by the end of this year like I planned. Life works like that. However, I've also gotten numerous requests to pick back up my other fic, Convergence: Showtime, and I do miss it. So here's what I was thinking; doing a bi-seasonal thing between this fic and Convergence. For summer I'll work on a couple chapters for that, then in fall, I'll do a couple more for this one, then back to Convergence in the winter and so on and so forth.

Or I might just work on however many chapters for each I feel like writing at a time. I don't know.

Please leave a comment/review. Your critiques help me improve as a writer.

Thanks and I'll catch ya later!