The door opened with the slightest creak, and Glynda strode in purposefully. "Here we are, miss Rose." She spoke calmly.

Ruby walked into Oobleck's mostly-empty classroom, noting it seemed much larger when it was bereft of students. However, the familiar green-haired figure sat at his desk, slurping coffee and perusing an old, ragged tome that looked like it had been dragged through the dirt for a few weeks.

"Th-thanks Professor Goodwitch." Ruby gave her teacher a submissive nod. Almost immediately after her class had ended Professor Goodwitch had called team RWBY down to explain to them, and Ruby in particular, her remedial classes would take place immediately after combat class. Though Ruby had been dismayed, Yang had slapped her back and told her to do her best, and Weiss and Blake both supported her with pleasant nods and reassuring words. "Uh, h-hey Profess- err, Dr. Oobleck!"

"Welcome back, Ruby." The lanky man offered her a brief nod, but focused on his book. "Feel free to take a seat anywhere." He offered with an inattentive wave of his hand.

Ruby looked up to Goodwitch, who guided her straight to a desk up at the front. Ruby slid into the seat as Goodwitch took out a flash drive and plugged it into a slot underneath the desk. A holographic screen winked open in front of Ruby. The pleasant blue lightscreen read, 'Welcome to Remedial Hunter Coursework v4.0! Please enter your name and password below, then click enter.'

Professor Goodwitch leaned over Ruby to click away at the keyboard, inputting 'Ruby Rose-Xiao Long', then typed in a long password hidden behind asterisks. "Your password is B3 conStudent11, but the 'e' is a '3' and the 'a' is… I'll write it down. Begin your work, miss Rose." Goodwitch ordered.

Glumly, Ruby did as she was told. Hitting 'enter' changed the screen to a display detailing the courses she would be taking, and in what order. First order of business: History of Remnant. Something she already knew, given her compulsive reading, but she didn't have a choice.

Weiss was off doing her own studying in the comfort of their dormroom, Blake and Yang went to go grab dinner from the cafeteria, but Ruby was still in class. Easy classes too…

Ugh…

A slip of paper was put in front of Ruby with her username and password, and Goodwitch only left her to her work once Ruby had taken a picture, put a note on her scroll, and pocketed the original, all amidst the tall blonde's grumbling about the dangers of irresponsibility.

The lady professor shared a brief talk with Oobleck, then left the room as Ruby scrolled through the condensed, dumbed-down version of the beginnings of civilization. She appreciated a good story, but what fun was there in distorting reality to make it seem 'magical?' The history of Remnant was dark and filled with violence. Yang had shared a book with her little sister detailing the numerous cities that failed to rise to prominence thanks to the Grimm, and no amount of Dust, as incredible as it was, saved them.

Stories were fountains of fantasy and wonder; they took you to a place where anything was possible and everything could be magnificent, but Ruby had felt lied to when she discovered how tainted with violence and deceit the sentient races were. It was almost worse than the Grimm, but Ruby often reminded herself that compassion and love typically outweighed greed and hatred.

At least, when it came to the treatment of the Faunus, she hoped it was that way…

To Ruby, history deserved to be presented, warts and all. Downplaying human flaws out of pride meant people wouldn't learn from the mistakes of old. What worked, what failed, it all deserved the same level of attention. As Uncle Qrow had told her: 'Ya learn more from messing up than from winning, kid. Once you figure that out, you'll never let yourself make the same mistake twice.'

Ruby liked to think that, compared to the blazing pillar of ego and attitude that was her older sister, she had a rather realistic and humble opinion of herself. That was unfair… Yang had a very healthy opinion of herself. Amazingly strong, immeasurably gorgeous, quick as a whip, and with a heart of gold. She was only seventeen and showing immense promise, yet she was well-grounded, even if she liked to puff herself up for the ladies.

The youngest Xiao Long, however, had a very good reason to keep herself restrained from thinking too highly of herself, and to pay attention to her mistakes. She thought back to that book, of the cause of over 95% of the fallen cities: Grimm. She could feel them beneath her feet, she could hear them hiss and click in the back of her mind, she knew every second they were waiting for her to lose control so they could break free…

The fight against the Grimm at large was going better each passing year. Humanity's weapons were stronger, their shields sturdier, traversing the roads no longer required armed escort, and towns were safely springing up within arm's reach of the major cities, but the Grimm still wouldn't give up. Hunters worked harder than ever now that there was more ground they could cover, more bullets they could shoot, and sharper swords they could swing. It wasn't a weapon that killed a Grimm, it was instinct and experience, honed in the wielder, and growing sloppy was all too easy.

The growing ease of victory had turned humanity softer, allowing more and more people to hone their skills in other places, in serving their fellow man and their own best interests. People were less afraid, dulling the Grimms' senses, meaning the cities were safer than ever.

However, it only took a single mistake to turn that all that on its head. A simple act of nature, or somebody failing to do their job. Ruby knew what her job was; failure meant a sudden Grimm incursion wherever she stood, whether it was weeping in her dormroom bed or throwing a tantrum in a shop. She'd be swallowed, killed, and unable to protect those around her.

But that was why she was here at Beacon. To grow stronger, to mature, and to be around people who could calm her and help her.

Ruby hated being alone...

The 'tink' of a porcelain mug caught Ruby's attention, and she looked to her side. A steaming mug of coffee, the strong scent hitting her nose, mixed with sugar already melted inside, made her stomach growl. She hadn't had the chance to go get dinner after combat class, and suddenly, her stomach was all she could think about.

She looked up to Dr. Oobleck, who towered higher over her, taller than even her dad. He had a neutral expression, but his body language was tense. Ruby blinked slowly at the doctor from behind her tinted lenses as he pulled out the chair by her side and sat down.

"Miss Rose?" Oobleck asked, his tone calm and compromising as he looked from her face to her work. "If you have a minute, I'd like to take a picture of your eyes."

"H-huh?" Ruby stared at the older man. She straightened up, and wordlessly her teeth dug into her lower lip. It took her moment to notice that her professor was holding his scroll. His eyes, however, were intently focused on her goggles, and he gave her a slow nod. "M-my eyes? B-but… I d-don't know wh-what'll happen."

"It's okay, Ruby. I'm prepared for the eventuality that a photo of your eyes is just as harmful as the real thing. Digital reproductions usually don't carry the effect of a sight-based quirk, but we've been wrong before…" Oobleck pushed the mug over to Ruby with one finger, and put on a small smile. "You can drink first, of course."

Ruby nodded, and, without answering, took ahold of the mug. The brew was the same brand she'd had in the headmaster's office, and it had four sugars too! Ruby leaned back in her chair, her hidden eyes fluttering shut in relief. It was so delicious! The heat hit her belly, and the chill of the classroom was immediately alleviated, but her professor's request still hung on her mind.

She set the mug down, half the drink remaining, and imagined a puff of steam escaping her mouth as she sighed in relief. That had hit the spot, though she'd want to eat actual food before bed tonight. She turned to face Dr. Oobleck, and her eyes flicked to the door.

"Don't you worry, Ruby. I took the liberty of locking the door before asking; a proper researcher is always prepared." He held up his scroll, and the backside of the hologram was blank until Oobleck hit a button. Ruby could see herself in the back of the scroll, allowing her to see how a photo of herself would look, devoid of all additional features to mess with the photograph.

Ruby silently reassured herself that this was okay. He wouldn't attack her, her powers wouldn't be unleashed. It was a simple picture, that was all he wanted, and she would grant him that… after appeasing her own curiosity, of course. "Prof- Dr. Oobleck?" She asked, making him look up from the screen. "Why do you want to know so much about m-my eyes and semblance?"

"Let me answer that question with another: Ruby, why don't you?" He held his scroll up to her face, and bobbed his head. All she could see was her own expression, curious, pale, and somewhat worried, but she took the hint.

"I don't ever want to use it." She answered him, grabbing her goggles. They were dropped to the counter an instant later, and Ruby looked up into her own reflection, the edges of her lips peeling back in silent distaste over what she saw. Oobleck seemed remarkably calm, until Ruby noticed that her face was at a bit of an odd angle, and maybe a little too close, and he was focused more on her mouth than her eyes… "Are y-your eyes closed?"

"Cautionary measures! Do help me please, Ruby?" Oobleck asked, and Ruby couldn't help but chuckle a bit. However, seeing herself laugh, seeing those bloody circles in those endless voids arch with mirth… it stole her smile quickly. She didn't look happy, not like Yang. She looked happy like a disguised wolf who'd cornered a gullible lamb. She put on a neutral face, and carefully adjusted the camera to snap a better picture of herself. "Ruby, do you know what 'numb Dust' is?"

"Well, it n-numbs you, right? For surgeries and pain relief? Th-the picture's okay now." At that, the scroll clicked, and Ruby stared at her own frozen expression. She looked away from her eyes, and Dr. Oobleck turned to face the front of the class as he set the scroll on the desk. "How's it look?"

Dr. Oobleck stared at the picture as Ruby lifted her goggles, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced his way, and saw he was staring in silent awe and curiosity at the photo he'd taken. Ruby glanced at the upclose picture take of her eyes, and saw that he was able to look at her photo fearlessly, but even a side glance her way made his spine straighten, his expression flinch, and force his eyes back on his scroll. She swallowed thickly, wondering what he was thinking.

It was fascinating. Oobleck found himself at a silent loss; everything about the girl sitting next to him was perfectly human; she had an Aura, thus she had to have a soul, and she was emotional, easily nervous, frightened, but cheery and enthusiastic otherwise, an excellent capacity for learning, and a strong inclination towards heroism… but her eyes. Her eyes… "It appears that with digital recreations, at least, we can meet eye to eye." He stated with satisfaction.

Ruby stared at her photo, at her own eyes, and frowned. She never had the same problems everyone else did looking into those ugly, dark things, why was it only in photos could people look?! That was just salt in the wound… "But why?"

"We don't know. Just like we didn't know what to do with 'numb' Dust after the Color Wars." Dr. Oobleck's voice reasserted itself calmly, masking any tension as he finally removed Ruby's gaze from the scroll's screen. "Your eyes are fearsome things, but mere photographs don't carry the same weight as your stare in person." He stated, then switched gears, "Do you remember how numb dust was used then?"

Ruby blinked slowly. Of course she did, stories and tales coming from that era, and soon after, couldn't shut up about numb Dust. It was the primary weapon of every villain of that time period. "W-when eaten, or drunk it causes you to b-become zombie-like. It makes you dulled, and e-emotionless."

"It makes you all but invisible to searching Grimm." Oobleck nodded slowly. He looked out of the corner of his eyes at Ruby, at her eyes. His skin crawled just staring at her like this. He wanted her to look away, he wanted to turn around and no longer face her, but he refused. He was a man of science, she was an innocent little girl, eyes be damned. "That was the justification behind Mistral and Atlas' governments, wasn't it? Little by little, they'd strip society of identity to 'hide' the cities."

"They started with the colors red and p-pink." Ruby spoke up, turning to her catch-up program to stare at something that wasn't Oobleck so he wouldn't be driven away. "Colors that made you really emotional. They w-wanted to introduce it little by little, removing colors first, then stuff like sports, l-leading up to giving numb Dust to the people to keep them safe."

"Strip mankind of individuality to maintain peace and order. Remove emotions from a person, and what do you have? Why, a computer; intelligent and rational, yes, but unmotivated and unloving." Oobleck leaned back in his chair to watch the ceiling, running his fingers through his hair. "Ruby, I enjoy being a researcher; I love learning new things, discovering the undiscovered, sharing it with the world and watching what little changes it make." He smirked a little bit. "I think I'd rather be shot than lose that feeling of elation. What's a life without love?"

"A-ah!" Ruby gasped, clasping her fingers. "'A-A life without love is a life unlived by the living!'" She answered immediately, expecting a smile, or praise for knowing the quote, but Oobleck simply pursed his lips.

"Is… is that a reference to something?" He glanced at her from the sides of his eyes.

"'The Blinded Ape?'" Ruby answered, frowning now. "C'mon, i-it's a movie that came out like five years ago!"

"I'm not really familiar with obscure movies…"

"B-but it won like five awards! Best picture, best actor, best actress-"

"Okay okay!" Oobleck threw his hands out, wringing the air. "I admit it! I'm a historian, not a cinephile! The last movie I watched was—... inappropriate for this conversation."

"Porn?" Ruby guessed flatly.

"No!... A friend loaned it to me. It was very artistic." Oobleck tried to explain in a defeated tone.

"You sound like Yang..."

Oobleck covered his face. "And I should not be having this conversation with you! The point is…" The doctor let out a sigh, calmed himself, and leaned back to take stock of his original intent. "Numb Dust is used medically today, and is generally seen as a good thing. It keeps us comfortable and happy even while in great pain, but before, it was seen as something horrendous, a weapon against art, individuality, against humanity and the Faunus. What we once considered horrific turned out to be a great boon to us because we researched it, rather than destroying it. Your semblance–your Grimm summoning–may have applications we aren't aware of." Oobleck smiled at her comfortingly, and pointed to his scroll. "We just have to experiment, and find out."


"... I don't believe you." Blake sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose.

"I swear I'm not lying, you can ask my family!" Yang insisted, hanging back with Blake to chat as the group of four walked down the hallway. Both of them carried a lunchroom tray, while ahead of them, Jaune walked with an open book in hand, Pyrrha by his side carried two trays. Yang walked barefoot, wearing a yellow tank top and black gym shorts, looking comfy as could be. It wasn't flashy, but Yang pulled off the 'casually magnificent' look with admirable ease.

"No! It's completely ludicrous!" Blake insisted, her brow knitting together as she tried to imagine the scenario. "Look, you can get away with a lot of stuff with aura, but that's just absurd." Blake wore a simple white T-shirt, barely large enough to fit her, with the faded, illegible print of a band logo on it, along with a pair of black shorts and her shoes. She realized she desperately needed a few more pairs of clothes in her wardrobe, and some actually comfortable shoes… a small part of her was excited thinking about getting new footwear.

"Actually…" Jaune spoke up, holding his book above his head, looking somewhat dazed from all the text. "According to this, anybody who's unlocked their Aura can turn anything into a weapon…" Jaune was in his usual attire: black hoodie, jeans, belt, and running shoes. All well-worn, faded, and crinkled, but fitting and his. His armor was safely stowed in his room.

Blake let out an annoyed hiss, and her eyes narrowed at Yang indignantly. "Anything you have grown familiar with and attached to, yes, but even then, unless she was a particularly strong child—" she paused, considering Yang by her side, "—there is no way it would take down an Ursa Minor."

"I don't see much reason to doubt it, you hear many such stories from the surrounding rural areas." Pyrrha pointed out, looking over to Jaune contently. She wore a very formal red button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her forearms to let her skin breathe, and a pair of black dress pants, shaped to her legs, as well as a pair of short formal black dress shoes. On top of that, a fine, gold necklace with the winged shield of Mistral dangling above her breast, while a find, leather-and-gold watch adorned her wrist. Considering the paycheck she had been earning for the last four years, her wardrobe nearly matched Weiss's. Nearly.

"Sure, by farmers. With farm equipment." Blake countered, making Yang huff.

Team RWBY's dorm room door flew open and the four teens went inside. Nora and Ren were laying on the floor, on top of a spare linen from the closet against the far wall. Nora was drooling on Ren's shoulder, mid-nap, curled up under his arm with a plain, fading pink shirt and white gym shorts, while Ren silently reread his course notes from the day, dressed in a relaxed, though ill-fitting, blue yukata. Weiss sat in a desk chair, dressed in a very fine blue dress, emblazoned with the Schnee-family snowflake over her left leg, with a spotless white sash around her hips and a white dress jacket over her shoulders. Compared to everyone else, she looked ready to hit the town at any moment, barring the puffy white house-slippers on her feet. The Vale braid she'd rocked earlier had been untangled, letting Weiss's white hair hang long and shot the entering group a small glare.

"Must you four be so loud?! What are you even arguing about?" Weiss asked, a coursebook and her notes spread across the desk.

Blake spoke up first. "Yang claims she killed an Ursa Minor with a whittled popsicle stick." She snorted, shooting Yang a suspicious look, earning a pout in return.

"... Is that true?" Weiss blinked at Yang, who shrugged and put on an easy-going smile.

"It was a pretty crazy twelfth birthday, but yeah. Wore the wood down with my teeth and got it under the neck." Yang gently jabbed her throat with her thumb, making a 'crrrrrk!' sound as she did.

Weiss looked at Yang, then Blake, then let out a sigh. "According to modern Aura theories—"

"Familiar weapons, familiar!" Blake interrupted with a visible pout, "Nobody gets familiar with a popsicle stick before going into battle! It's why we all design our weapons as tweens!" She stomped her foot, her face pinched with frustration.

"It's entirely possible," Ren spoke up, not looking from his notes while also drawing Blake's ire, "that in the moment, you are capable of bonding with an object you see as your sole offense or defense to such a degree that your Aura encompasses it as completely as a familiar weapon. Therefore, it's entirely plausible Yang killed an Ursa with a popsicle stick."

Blake all but steamed until she felt the need to lay her ears flat. With a huff and a muttered excuse, she hopped up to her bed and plopped down to eat the rice balls she'd gotten from the cafeteria, her bow as stiff and tall as ever.

The debate settled, Pyrrha let Jaune take their dinner tray so she could set Nora and Ren's food on the boy's lap. Ren pulled apart his chopsticks with a hearty 'snap!' and Nora lifted her head, eyes batting rapidly in surprise. "Hahn?!" She snorted, working her jaw in confusion. "I smell food." She muttered, and opened her mouth as Ren pressed something to her lips. Nora chomped down on the offered morsel, and her eyes drifted shut again. "Mmm, coooow…"

"Monday is Mistral cuisine day, apparently! I thought you might appreciate it, Ren." Pyrrha smiled brightly. Ren's eyes slid up and down Pyrrha's body, soaking in her dress and her body language and noted that, musculature aside, she seemed comfortable as a hostess.

He did not express as such, but he was amused that such a renowned fighter was so passively supportive of her team. Ren lifted a ball of sticky rice, topped with a strip of beef, and popped it into his mouth. It needed some egg and a better brand of soy sauce, but he enjoyed the flavors for what they were. "Thank you Pyrrha." He bowed his head to her.

Pyrrha beamed, bowing back to him before turning to look for extra seating. Yang, taking the other study desk, jerked her thumb to her bed near the door. "Don't make a mess of my bed and you can sit there. Don't rock the boat too much though."

"Thank you, Yang." Pyrrha sat down, glancing up at Blake's bed above her head thoughtfully when a slight tremor grabbed her attention. Jaune looked back at her, gave her a friendly smile, and went back to reading while chowing down on the burger Pyrrha had been carrying for him.

Pork donburi in her lap, Pyrrha's cheeks began to slowly filled with red as she stared straight ahead. The sounds of distracted eating and riffling papers filled the room, but Pyrrha couldn't enjoy the normalcy. She was sharing a bed with a boy! It was not a perfect situation… they were still in normal clothes, as opposed to nightwear, the room was full of other people, and neither of them had a deep, personal secret to share, nor the pain of a break-up behind them, and it wasn't night time, and considering how exhausting the day's events had been, both of them would probably be unable to not sleep as was the cliche, so the chances of Jaune sliding a hand into her lap and suggesting they lay down together was—

Pyrrha gave a tiny squeak as a hand suddenly gravitated towards her lap, and she shot a look at Jaune. He wasn't even looking her way as his fingers bumped the side of her dinner bowl, and his fingers took ahold of her chopsticks, and he finally glanced up and realized. "Oh! Sorry Pyrrha." He stole his hand away from her food as Pyrrha stared at him with wide-eyed embarrassment, hands over her mouth. "I'm so used to stealing food from my sisters on the couch, I forgot to ask: mind if I try some?" He pointed to her dinner. Pyrrha rapidly shook her head. "No?" Jaune quirked an eyebrow. Pyrrha bobbed her head. "Yes to no, or yes I can try some?" After a moment of thought, Pyrrha held up two fingers. "The second one?" Pyrrha nodded rapidly. "Cool."

Jaune's fingers awkwardly laced between the wooden sticks, and with the grace of a dizzied Ursa, tried digging into her don. However, it was clear that though Jaune knew what chopsticks were used for, he was not aware just how to use them. Pyrrha's red-faced muteness melted away slowly, watching him struggle. "Jaune?" She spoke up. Rather than looking embarrassed, Jaune looked relieved that Pyrrha was addressing him. "Here…" She lifted his hand, and she fought against her trembling knees and she carefully positioned the implements in his fingers. "Now, click them together?" He did so. "Good. Remember, don't pinch too hard."

Success. Jaune tried her pork and rice, nodding in approval. "I'll have to go back for some. But first…" He lifted his burger, and grinned. "Burger." He took a hearty bite, and offered some to Pyrrha. The red-headed huntress waved it away with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm not a fan of red meat, but thank you, Jaune." If only it had been a chicken burger… then she could have nibbled the tip of his thumb, or licked her lips as she ate, something sensual, and seductive and hoo it was getting warm in here. Pyrrha fanned herself rapidly, mulling over the number of shows she'd seen in which a camera close-up caught how a girl displayed her interest. Something about the mouth was just erotic in ways Pyrrha didn't understand, but people seemed to favor those full, Vacuo lips as opposed to Mistral's stereotypically thinner ones.

Yang chatted up Nora, while Ren ate silently, only glancing over if his name came up in conversation. Blake sat on her bed above Jaune and Pyrrha, tuned into all the conversations around her. At first, she focused on Yang, who was in an argument over using a hammer over her fists. Blake simply rolled her eyes and looked over at Weiss; ever suspicious, and ever curious, of the heiress.

Weiss Schnee, the daughter of Blake's greatest foe, heiress to the company that made its fortune off the backs of Blake's people, and the face and voice of the Schnee Dust Empire, let out an annoyed growl and fervently erased something in her notes. Blake blinked, swallowing the last of her rice ball. It would have been easy to ignore Weiss and let her be frustrated, but Blake's brow furrowed.

It was growing difficult to connect the internalized bits of anti-Schnee propaganda to what she was coming to know about Weiss. She wanted to attribute it to acclimating to a new 'pack' so quickly, but there were members of the White Fang Blake just did not like outright, and continued to dislike. Weiss, on the other hand, despite a poor first impression, managed to be far less of a stereotype than Blake had assumed, acting quite pleasant, if high-strung and annoying… although, Weiss had yet to see Blake's ears.

Blake shook her head. Weiss would never know of Blake's ears as long as Blake could get away with it. If Weiss ever saw them…

The thought was nixed. Blake was subtle, but it was their first day, so interest and curiosity was bound to rise over time. Blake still fidgeted, optimistically imagining that she could get away with this. As absurd as it was… man, she really should have thought this through better.

Without a word, Weiss tapped her papers against her desk, squaring them into a neat, conformed pile. She clipped them in her binder, sorted by subject, with, Blake noted, tabs and even bookmarks for where Weiss last left off. It was amusingly over-organized. Weiss put her binder on a shelf, and, after suspiciously glancing at everyone in the room, took her hand off it.

Blake rolled her eyes, wondering why anyone would want to steal her notes, but realized they were probably immaculate. Cat-like curiosity crept into Blake: did Weiss somehow take better notes? Was Weiss the sort to use different colored highlighters and pens? What sort of paper did a rich girl use? Was it one of those binders with all the odds and ends and extra pockets for accessories? Blake wanted to touch it all of a sudden, if only because it would make Weiss wig out.

The thought amused Blake so much, she actually toyed with the idea longer than was likely justifiable. It was only after a solid minute of planning how best to filch it from under Weiss's nose did Blake realize how… innocent such a prank would be. She wanted to make Weiss yell, turn red, and huff and grumble, but not get angry, or even get hurt… shit, did she actually like Weiss?

Impossible, she was a Schnee, a goddamned bitch, the princess of a people who practically enslaved and put down her people! And, on top of that, weirdly nice. Blake grabbed the sheet she was laying on in a death grip as she tried to logic her way out of acknowledging Weiss's pleasantness, and only found herself confirming that the girl was… okay. Good, even.

"I'm going out!" Weiss announced loudly enough for the entire room to hear. Blake lifted her head out of its murk curiously, watching Weiss straighten up and tighten her sash.

"Cool, have fun! I'll probably be at the gym if you need me." Was Yang's only response before turning back to Nora and Ren.

"Where are you going?" Blake asked, crawling to the end of her bed as Weiss grabbed her purse, checking its contents briefly before snapping it shut. Blake wondered what activity Weiss could have outside the room… which was a foolish thought. She was a Schnee, a socialite, a media sensation, she could have any number of things going on besides schoolwork. There was probably some party or fancy dinner or—

"I'm going to get dinner for Ruby and make sure she's actually doing her work." Blake's thoughts halted. "I will not suffer a partner or a leader who fails basic classwork."

Jaune shot up to his feet, watching Weiss with an intense, almost gleeful expression. "Nee' ah eh-hort?!" He asked, before swallowing a mouthful of burger. "Err, I meant, need an escort?" He tried much more calmly, though Weiss gave him an unimpressed look as she opened the door. "Like, just in case? I mean, what if Cardin showed u-uuuuup?" Jaune held his shoulders and shivered as the room's temperature suddenly plummeted in temperature. Yang stopped talking, and her fingers were assaulting the desk more than drumming it.

Blake noted the change in her partner's mood, and ducked low in case a random object went airborne.

Weiss stopped moving, her hand moving to her cheek to caress it gently. Then, she reasserted her posture, and she shook her head. "If that walking macho complex is genuinely stupid enough to harass me further, I'll stop holding back." She then turned. She intended to show her confidence and strength through her expression, but her gaze seemed to pierce Jaune, making him falter as something unintentionally personal entered her eyes. "I am not helpless."

"I—" Jaune stared at Weiss, his overconfidence deflating. He pushed his jaw out to unlock it, and nodded. "I know. Just-... just worried is all." He dared to meet Weiss's eye, and her expression, though steely and strong, lost that edge of compensation. She nodded.

"Don't be." Was all she said before she stepped out, closing the door behind her. She stopped, briefly watching the door in case any of them tried to come after her so she could… … she shook her head and continued down the hallway.

She wasn't afraid of some muscled meathead with a grudge. There was no way some supremacist ear-taking wannabe could overpower her glyphs. If she didn't hesitate and freak out like with the Beowolf, or with the Ursa…

Weiss gathered herself and chewed her lower lip. No, Cardin wouldn't be a problem… still, a small part of her, one that she began to dread, thought about asking for Ruby, just in case. Shaking her head free of that thought, Weiss stood in the elevator, heading down to the ground floor as she contemplated the vials of Dust in her purse. One ego-bloated boy wasn't as bad as the man who had tried to rule Weiss's life. Even if she was physically weaker than her teammates, delicate even, Weiss was not harmless, not by a longshot.

She would prove that once Ruby was done with her studies.


Of the many things Weiss found nerve wracking, she had never suspected trying to feed someone would be one of them.

She stared down at the tray she had taken from the cafeteria, which was adorned with a single, very large plate, a carton of chocolate milk, and a can of soda. Ruby was a simple creature, or at least Weiss had assumed so. She had seen the girl eat a handful of foods at best, none of them standing out as being eccentric or particularly picky, just not particularly multicultural. She had seen the girl suck down plenty of cookies, however… more than anything else she'd seen her eat.

That lent well towards Weiss's theory that Ruby had simplistic tastes geared towards sugary sweetness, and yet, when she had reached the cafeteria counter and poured over the numerous choices, she realized that she was, perhaps, assuming too prematurely. People were multifaceted creatures, nobody was exactly as they appeared, and everyone had something unique in their interests, it just required some digging. And culinary experimentation...

Which was why Weiss was nervous as she raised a fist to knock on Dr. Oobleck's classroom door. Ruby was probably still working, so Weiss's hand lowered. Interrupting her could prove detrimental… but so could not eating after two physically intense classes. She rechecked her scroll, confirming from her text conversation with Ruby that she was in here, then let out a groan.

Why was she sweating so much over food?...

Because it wasn't over the food… The lingering question sat on the back of her tongue, her true reason for coming here. True, she brought an offering of a meal, but it wasn't out of charity; Weiss had a mission here. She swallowed thickly and raised her fist. As soon as the first, then second rap of her knuckles on the wood door rang out, she knew there was no turning back; she'd have to ask, it was why she was here!... Aside from ensuring her partner met her proper nutritional needs.

She lifted her chin and waited. A click, and the door opened, and Dr. Oobleck stood over her, peering down at her through his seemingly one-way glasses with a curious quirk of his lips. "Good afternoon miss Schnee, can I help you?"

"I'm here to bring Ruby her dinner and make sure she's progressing in her studies." Weiss answered mostly honestly.

"Hm." Oobleck looked at the plate she was carrying: a plate overfilled with enough varieties of food that it might as well have been a Mistral cuisine sample platter. One eyebrow visibly rose, and he took a step back. "Very well, but be careful where you look; miss Rose and I are in the middle of some tests involving her eyes."

"Tests?" Weiss repeated, tentatively walking in after him, her lips forming a small, unsure frown as she glanced around the room. The first thing she noticed was that the doctor's blackboard had been wiped clean of its scribblings and pictures from earlier in the day. Instead, what appeared to be Ruby's face–hastily sketched out in the rough-yet-legible manner only an experienced field researcher could manage–was on it. Including, Weiss noted with a drop in her stomach, her uncovered eyes.

She squeezed her own eyes shut, trying to not remember the fearful effect they had on her, and quietly opened them once her mind settled.

What happened in the forest was long gone, she was safe in Beacon, and her partner wasn't a monster…

She turned her head, looking past the blue holographic screen to look at the girl working at it, who was looking back... with those eyes watching her.

Weiss felt a thin, ice-cold finger travel down her spine, making her shiver, making her knees knock and her toes clench. Were it not for the weight on the tray, her shaking hands would have tipped the plate and its contents onto the floor.

Ruby could have been making any face, gentle and warm, innocent and kind, or crushed by remorse, and Weiss wouldn't have been able to tell; they sapped her strength and stole her will to fight, they all but reached into her skull and dug out anything resembling a rational, logical response in order to leave behind the desire to run screaming...

Weiss felt like a rat in a trap, with the cat stalking its way across the room, lips peeled back in a sharpened smile. Ruby's hand slid across the desk, grabbing at her goggles, but all Weiss could hear was the cat's claws clicking across the floor. Helpless... She felt beyond helpless. Her eyes glinted with a dark, evil promise, and the longer she stared, the more her body shook. She wanted to turn and flee, to throw herself down the hall and escape those horrible eyes, but her legs wouldn't move.

They wanted to, but she forced herself to stay in place. Weiss did not want to run, and she found herself staring at the floor, blinking and trying to shake herself free. Her jaw shuddered, then her teeth clenched. The eyes, no matter how dark and… monstrous they were, belonged to her partner.

Somebody she would not fear.

She looked up, her expression furious and full of righteousness, and it instantly quelled as she stared into her reflection in Ruby's goggles. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and Ruby's hands pressed to her cheeks. Weiss winced, then squirmed as she felt her partner's warm palms.

"I'm sorry Weiss! Are you okay?" Ruby asked, her jaw and brow tight with worry. Weiss stared at the now familiar face of her partner, and a splash of red crossed from cheek to cheek.

"What—you two sitting around researching your eyes while you should be studying! And I have dinner for you! Stop touching me, you little brat! Lead with your words, not my cheeks! How dare you!" Weiss shouted her embarrassed ramblings, causing Ruby to recoil in surprise. Weiss's shoulders sank, and Ruby stared at her in quiet loss, unsure of how to respond when the Schnee heiress pushed the tray into Ruby's hands. "You need to eat!" She insisted, looking the other way, still blushing heavily.

In either case, Weiss had come face-to-face with the way Ruby so easily kept a grip around her emotions once again. In this case, it was involuntary on both their ends. Weiss had rationalized that Ruby had zero control over her eyes; however, Weiss's annoyance had yet to abide, partly because Ruby was now ignoring her catch-up work, but mostly because Ruby, now back at her desk with Weiss sitting next to her, was eating sushi with a fork.

"Thish is pur'y goo'." Ruby mumbled through a mouthful of rice. Weiss's eyebrow twitched.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Weiss reminded her dutifully. Ruby swallowed, looking embarrassed. "Finish your work!" Weiss ordered.

"But I'm hungry…" Ruby whimpered. Her fork prodded at the sauced noodles, meats, and vegetables common in Mistral eateries, before sinking into a nugget of orange chicken.

Weiss grumbled…

At his desk, Dr. Oobleck was pouring over hand-written notes and pictures he'd taken while typing into his own computer. He shot a look up at the two girls every now and again, but busied himself with his findings.

It took around an hour and a half for Ruby to finish both eating and her work. Weiss had sat back to answer questions, and Dr. Oobleck every now and then hovered over Ruby's shoulder, examined her work, then requested something with her goggles off: a picture, a quick sketch, a wink, a blink, to look up, to look down… he was getting her eyeballs from every possible angle, though Ruby herself had to take the pictures since he couldn't look.

Each time, Weiss glanced at her partner out of the corner of her eye. Even knowing the danger involved there was that dangerous, human curiosity that drove her to look again; not at the full on stare, though, the effect was less potent from the sides, but still present. Even a quick glance at Ruby photographing herself, turned ninety-degrees the other way left her with the familiar feeling that danger hadn't looked her way. It was like being in the room with her father, a question on her lips, while he shouted himself hoarse into the phone over his subordinates' failures… she'd get the beast's attention eventually, but she was safe as long as she kept her mouth shut.

It was extremely surreal; Dr. Oobleck was clearly affected, yet he poked and prodded and tried all sorts of different things to get even one, clean look at her. Weiss's career was to identify and mitigate threats, which Ruby was doing with her goggles. Weiss didn't want to see more, it stressed her, and it even made her claustrophobic.

But… she made a silent promise to herself. She would not fear Ruby, no matter what…

"I really don't want to do this every day…" Ruby sighed, submitting the last of her catch-up work. The lessons weren't particularly long or hard, but there was just under fifteen different topics to cover, and it made her whimper just thinking about doing it all again.

"A well-rounded education is vital to a good hunter, miss Rose." Dr. Oobleck explained, confirming the grades she had accrued. As he examined them, the academic mask fell, to show the face of a man who was proud of his students. "Hmm, high-B's, mostly A's, excellent work, Ruby!" He gave a half-cocked smile at the girl, earning a shy smile back. "Keep those grades in your Beacon courses and you'll be graduating in no time."

Weiss sniffed, but stayed quiet; they were passing grades, but just passing. Weiss had extraordinary stakes, she couldn't settle for 'good enough.' If she was to be graded with Ruby, then Ruby would learn to meet Weiss's expectations. Any less, and Weiss would… … … well, there wouldn't be any less.

"Thanks Professor!" Ruby shot to her feet, only for her Aura to flare sharply around her forehead as an Oobleck-powered karate chop quickly stumped her glee.

"That's Doctor to you. Now, you two should have a free afternoon to yourselves, so make good use of your time." He laced his fingers together behind his back as he slid back into persona of an educator. "Rest and relaxation are important to everybody, and working yourself to exhaustion is highly detrimental, but that is not an excuse to slack off. Your official lessons are done for the day, but you should never stop trying to improve yourself, even if it's only in small ways."

"Yes, Doctor." Both girls spoke as one, Ruby with a big pout as she rubbed the sympathetic pains out of her forehead.

"Have a good day you two, tomorrow's lesson will start with a bang, so be prepared! And Ruby, I have a few more pictures to take tomorrow; apologies for the intrusiveness but we're making great ground!." Oobleck clapped his hands, his smile broad and excited.

"Y-yes, Pr- Doctor!" Ruby spoke with some surprise. With that, the two were given their leave.

The hallway was, for the most part, empty. Looking through the tall windows that allowed mid-afternoon light to stream in, Weiss could see that plenty of students had taken to hanging out on the grounds below, enjoying the warm weather and the post-class freedom.

Part of Weiss envied how carefree they were. Many didn't have such a burdenous responsibility on their shoulders like she had… nor the immense secret that Ruby kept. As Weiss worked up the courage to speak, she tried to imagine just how capable Ruby was with her… abilities. She'd never bothered to ask, which was extraordinarily strange in hindsight. Passing their initiation was obviously important, but Weiss had the opportunity to ask afterwards, or before class…

Had she really been so swept up in simple socialization? Then again, it wasn't like Ruby went out of her way to advertise her power, but Ruby's goggles weren't exactly for show either…

"Weiss?" Ruby's voice caught her attention. Weiss refocused, turning to look at Ruby, her typical neutral frown on her face. Ruby was still somewhat intimidated by it, but the shy girl calmed the butterflies in her tummy. She put on a large smile, causing Weiss's frown to deepen slightly. "I-I wanted to thank you for bringing me dinner! And, uh, for helping me, too."

"Of course." Weiss's frown persisted, as did the gears turning in her head. They'd stopped walking, standing idly before a window in silence for a few moments. Ruby wondered if she'd committed a faux pas, while Weiss stared down at the floor, the question at the edge of her lips.

"... I'mma go get a buncha cookies for dessert." Ruby pointed down the hallway towards the elevators in a small, gentle stance. She turned, expecting Weiss to say something about nutrition, or study, but…

"Ruby, wait." Weiss reached a hand out, stopping short of grasping Ruby's shoulder. Ruby complied, nervously looking over her shoulder, but her anxiousness disappeared as she noticed Weiss's expression. Weiss was more nervous than she was, pulling her hands back to her chest. "I… need a favor. A really big one, and I one-hundred percent understand if you refuse, but it could really help me out."

Ruby forgot about her cookies, and immediately she nodded her head. She put on a smile and took Weiss's hand. The sudden warmth and human contact made Weiss fidget, but not pull away. "Of course, Weiss! Anything you want. Just tell me, I p-promise I'll help!"

Weiss swallowed thickly, breathed deeply, and stared Ruby in the eye. "Ruby… I need you to summon some Grimm for me."

Ruby's smile stayed, but Weiss could see the way the edges of her lips grew tight. "... What?"


Each strike was like a miniature thunderclap.

What got to Blake the most wasn't how powerful Yang's strikes were, but how fast. In a singular moment, Yang went from hopping on her toes around a sandbag to a barely perceivable blur, then back to a ready position as soon as Blake registered the sound of each punch.

She sat back on a bench a few feet away, silent and curious as Yang showed that serious side of hers; the side from the forest, the one that had only Ruby's safety in mind, the one that turned this workout from what Blake had assumed to be a friendly and mindless little outing into more training.

Their little corner of the gym was empty besides the two of them; it was probably too soon after classes for it to properly fill up. Their final classes for each day would be the most physically stressful, and many students probably had their fill of exercise.

It seemed a bit of waste. The gym was a very well-equipped room; multiple boxing rings for weaponless sparring, rentable exercise mats, shelves full of weights, to barbells just waiting to be loaded up and lifted. There were showers, a closet full of spare outfits, punching bags, treadmills, and a second story with more machinery, and even yoga classes. Outside, there was even a Mistral competitive pool, a track, and weight-dragging areas. Other than a few people cooling down with yoga upstairs, Blake didn't see anyone else taking advantage of the indoor facilities. She imagined that once the school year reached a certain point, it would be jam-packed with people now used to the rigorous physical demands. For the moment, the cheers and laughter from the pool told her where priorities laid.

Blake casually and rhythmically curled twenty-five pounds in one fist, then the other. She was dressed in a Beacon gym outfit, not wanting to go through her clothes too quickly, but she was taking it easy. The earlier workout left her feeling strained and exhausted, and though she and Weiss hadn't taken their turn in combat class, the stress from overthinking herself left her unconfident in much more difficult activity. Dinner, at least, had served to recharge her enough to perform some basic activity so she wouldn't be loitering; watching Yang, though, made her feel strangely small.

Even without Aura Blake could haul around over a hundred pounds as long as she put her back into it, but she was primarily built for speed; Yang, on the other hand, looked like she could have easily carried a backpack full of rocks at the top of a sprint without much of a change in acceleration and agility. Somebody liked Cardin may have even been stronger than Yang, but Yang wasn't just a physical powerhouse, she was trained to dip into short bursts of speed that made her more lethal than some thug with a big hammer.

One's Aura could be trained to enhance the body in certain ways. Blake prefered speed and subterfuge, while Weiss more easily manipulated Dust, and Ren had his impeccable Aura control. Yang, though, was built to hit and get hit. Blake could see her partner putting her every effort into training her Aura to give her fists that much more oomph, while also shrugging off blows that would have left Weiss and Blake getting peeled off the floor.

Blake pondered on this as Yang held her fists in front of her face, playing peekaboo around them with the punching bag, almost as if trying to psych out the bag with her aggressive stare, but then her fists lashed out like pistons, throwing punches that even Blake's trained eye could scarcely follow.

It was almost scary… it reminded Blake a little too much of Adam's utterly silent practice sessions, in which a single instance was interrupted by the hiss of steel, and the cut of a blade that could rend Aura and bone alike.

Yang took a step back. She wasn't flexing, but her muscles were swollen. The blonde was panting; this was her fourth time today training her body, Blake could hardly believe she was eager for more physical activity after her father's obstacle course, or her sound beating at Pyrrha's hands, but looking at Yang, Blake wondered what she got out of it.

She had the beautiful hair, the show-stopping smile, the statuesque height and figure, the cherubic cheeks, the beautiful eyes, as well as the big tits, the wide hips, the bubble butt, the legs that never seemed to end, all this exercise couldn't have been just to look good. Yang, like Weiss, was blessed with a good physique and frame. Unlike somebody like Nora, whose musculature made her compact body look somewhat mannish, Yang wore her bulging biceps and thick abs like a goddess.

It was… an oddly apt comparison. Yang had the classical beauty of a storybook princess, the provocative curvaceousness of a model from some racy magazine, and the sleek, sinewy build of an amazon. Watching Yang made Blake uncomfortable, as if she was simply too good to be true. Yang was in-your-face even with her looks. Somebody petite and… believable like Ruby was more appealing, since her very presence didn't roar when she walked in the room.

Thinking about it, though Weiss looked lovely, Yang walked away the winner of the genetics lottery. Blake's eyebrow twitched, and an amused smirk crossed her face; Yang was a lesbian. Some unfortunate man out there was going to wage a war for Yang's favor, only to find her tongue-deep in some princess.

Blake closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and wordlessly chided herself for thinking in such overblown, romantic terms. It was one thing to call Yang good-looking, it was another to try and immortalize her. Blake realized that she may have needed to put down the romance novels… Lovely as Yang was, she was not perfect. Not some fallen goddess given form, nor unspeakably beautiful. She was above average. Well above average. Unfairly above average. She was just right...

Blake's eyebrow twitched. Her partner was a very pretty girl, and despite Blake's frustrated attempts to defy her hormones by reasoning that Yang was merely beautiful, and merely strong, she couldn't. She was… intelligent as well. Intelligent and good-hearted, who thought with her vagina too often, sure, but she gave her teammates and her sister especially a lot of affection and support. She wasn't just some brainless supermodel, or some bloodthirsty thug, or a horny slut...

Yang was an ace, and Blake wasn't able to tell if she should have been proud of humiliated to have somebody so… glowingly perfect as her partner.

Blake's thoughts slowed, and she bat her eyelids as Yang's bottom filled her vision. Then, it wiggled, and Yang grinned with delight over her shoulder.

"... What are you doing?" Blake both sighed and asked at the same time. She stared at Yang's backside. After a half-second of consideration, Blake shoved Yang's ass out of her face.

"You were staring at me all weird, thought I'd give you a close-up." Yang snickered, peeking over her shoulder to watch Blake pick her weights up again. "... Well?"

"Hm?" Blake invited the cold metal of the weight in her hand, it didn't make her feel… complicated.

"You got a strings-free touch of the Xiao Long booty! It'd be rude to not leave a review." Yang wiggled her hips in a distracting way.

"It smells like farts." Blake answered dully. Oh yes, she would have much prefered talking to Ruby about books. Something harmless, something that wouldn't make those all too intrusive hormones distract her.

"I don't smell!" Yang suddenly squeaked. She twisted her torso and head as much as she could, sniffing the air behind her, then smacking her backside before sniffing her palm. Blake bit her lips, hiding her amusement. "I don't. Little liar."

"Fine." Blake sighed. "It's nice. Happy?"

"How nice?" Yang persisted.

Blake looked up at Yang with a bemused expression, but Yang's taunting grin didn't go away. With a sigh, the black-haired girl set her weights aside and stood. She held her hands out, breast level, and held them about two feet wide. "This nice."

Yang stared at Blake's hands, then the space between them with blank comprehension. "Does… does that mean something?" Yang asked, and Blake put on a playful little grin.

"To me it does."

"Well what then?"

"It's personal."

"Your opinion of my butt is personal?!"

"Mhmm."

"... I bet you like it."

"Not that you'll ever know for sure."

"I'd be honest about your butt."

"I know you would be, and I'll make sure you never get an accurate opinion." Blake wiggled her hips, her smile turning cheeky. Yang puffed up her cheeks in mock indignation. What was it with Blake and her love of Yang's irritation?!

"... C'mere." Yang ordered after a second, hands rising, fingers curled. Blake's smile faltered, her eyebrows rose, her pupils dilated.

"Yang, no." Blake took a step back. Yang took two steps forward. Blake's hands reflexively went back to cover her butt, and Yang grew an evil, evil little smile. "Yang?!"

"I'm. Gunna. Getcha." Yang hissed with each step forward. Blake twitched. Then, she was off like a shot, light on her toes as the comparatively deafening slap of Yang's bare feet on the gym floor chased after her.

"Yaaaang!" Blake cried out in protest. The chill air of Beacon's AC blasted across her face as she ran towards the exercise mats area. She was swift, but like a raging bull, Yang grew faster with every step… and was about as graceful.

Yang lunged, arms outstretched, fingers bared for Blake's backside. "Gotch-a?!" She shrieked, as at the last moment, Blake executed an artful backflip that sent Yang skidding across the floor.

Unable to suppress a smirk from forming on her face, Blake turned back, watching Yang shoot to her feet. With a huff and a shake of her head, the blonde whirled around to stare Blake down. Yang didn't look defeated; if anything, she looked happier than ever. "Slippery little fish, huh?"

"Ninja." Blake corrected with a grin, watching Yang take a few testing steps forward. Blake bounced on her heels, hands raised, ready to support her weight no matter which way she threw it.

Yang charged, head low, hands held before her face like she would her fists in a fight. Yang's cocky smile and happy eyes were plain to see, and Blake easily vaulted to the left, cartwheeling away from the charging blonde who, with such high speed and poor control, appeared to have trouble turning. "Blake I will touch that ass!"

"Gotta work for it!" Blake called back, sprinting away as she heard happy cackling behind her. Yang was such a simple and foolish thing; she had to be entertained, she could never keep her eyes or hands to herself.

The chase was nothing new. Blake had played bait for the White Fang trainees to chase after, teaching them paths through the forest, giving them a goal and expectations of the speed they'd one day need to match. It was always work; easy work, sure–Blake loved to run–but the goal was to train, not to keep her backside's sanctity.

Blake knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, this was an annoyance, an interruption, a disruption of her goals and needs. It was childish, it was absurd… and it was really damn fun. "Mmm, you're kissing the floor so much, maybe you should marry it." Blake leaned over Yang, who pushed herself up to give Blake a little grin.

"What are you, eight?!" Yang demanded before launching herself at Blake. Blake easily side-stepped, landing a taunting smack to Yang's passing rear in the process before Yang crashed into a floor mat.

Blake gave Yang a smile full of wicked mirth, while Yang rubbed at her abused ass with surprise. Yang swiftly turned, eyeing Blake curiously, and Blake stuck her tongue out. "Nana nana boo-boo." The huntress wiggled her hips tauntingly, and Yang grit her teeth.

"Oh, it is on." Yang growled, signaling the start of a chase that would last a solid ten minutes, resulting in nothing but failure and a sore backside on Yang's end, and endless giggling from Blake's.


The question of the hour was simple: who did Nora want to play with first?

Ren was the obvious choice, they had a thing, a thingy-thing at that. Her man, strong as an ox, silent as a whisper, all it would take was one little nibble to his earlobe to send him all a-fluster, and Nora l-l-loved putting her man on the wrong foot. The problem was that he was old news. Her favorite news, but she knew all his buttons, she knew what made him kick, squirm, whimper, and purr… but right now, she had new people to play with.

And mmph, Jaune was new. He was a good boy, a total sweetheart, she sorta wanted to collar and leash the poor boy and teach him to beg. He had a bit more a man's build than Ren, and a booty that sang when Nora paddled it. That and he knew how to make a girl feel pretty. Not just with his mysterious makeup magic, but he always sorta stumbled his way into saying something too adorably honest to be mad at. Ren wouldn't like it much though, and making Ren mad was low on Nora's priorities.

So that left one person… the Mistralian beauty, the unbroken queen of the colosseum, the luscious, succulent, built-like-an-Atlesian-statue master of the xiflelin herself, Pyrrha-freakin'-Nikos.

Nora slid an inch closer to Pyrrha, a lascivious smile on her face as Pyrrha focused strictly on the lounge television. The couch was wide enough for them to keep their personal space, but Nora's idea of a 'personal bubble' was like her appreciation of the subtle blend of persimmon leaf, ginger, and turmeric in the tea Ren was brewing: nonexistent.

"Hey Pyrrha~?" Nora's smile split her face as her hand subtly slid into Pyrrha's lap. Pyrrha didn't even flinch as Nora hovered ever closer, their cheeks almost touching.

"Mm?" Pyrrha's eyes were wide, her fists in her cheeks as her unwavering attention remained on the lounge room television.

"You wanna make out~?!" Nora shot her autumn-haired teammate a massive smile. To Pyrrha's other side, Jaune stopped chewing the trail mix he'd found, blinking rapidly at Nora and Pyrrha.

"Nora...!" Ren called in a warning voice from the stove, but Nora ignored him and wiggled in place.

"After the show." Pyrrha mumbled distractedly, leaning forward, her lips barely moving in her response. Jaune's brow furrowed, and he swallowed thickly, though to his detriment as the salt tickled his throat and made him hack and cough rather than contribute any real insight to the request.

"Yes!" Nora pumped her arms, throwing an arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. Pyrrha didn't even notice, too busy watching the debut matches of Mistral Regional Tournament hopefuls. "I get Pyrrha kisses!" Nora giggled, heavily leaning against a second year boy on her other side. "Hear that, buster?! Imma kiss a celebrity!"

"Cool." The guy muttered. There were a dozen engrossed Beacon students on the couch, the floor, and sitting in stolen table chairs all focused on the big flat screen hanging on the wall. "Ah!" The guy grabbed his forehead. "No, idiot! Tchurae! Left! His weakness is his—"

The crowd vocalized a simultaneous cry of horror as one of the debut fighters took an axe blade to the temple, flooring her as her Aura sputtered and convulsed.

"Ooooh man, that is a wicked fade…" A girl wheezed in sympathy.

"No way in hell is she getting up from that."

"Yeah, but she took a hammer to the head earlier and shrugged it off."

"What do you think, Pyrrha?" The crowd excitedly turned to the redhead. Pyrrha blinked at all the shining eyes, all MRT fans, their faces twinkling with curiosity and awe of who they were in the presence of.

Pyrrha's hand went down to her chin, massaging it thoughtfully before a little gush of air escaped her nostrils. "The hit was clean, so unless she can banish that fade in the next ten seconds, we're seeing an end to the match. However, remember that the axe blade is dulled for tournament use, if it was sharpened–or, heavens forbid, serrated–then she'd definitely be dealing with a disconnect."

"Oh yeah."

"Dulling the blade became standard, like, nine years ago, right? We aren't going to see any fade paralyzation like we used to."

Jaune sat silently. He didn't really know what to expect from the MRT. PE had shown him hunters were physically capable of the absurd, while combat class had shown him how fast-paced and chaotic even a one-on-one could be. Watching two gladiators–fundamentally hunters, but trained to fight other hunters non-lethally–gave him some insight into the speed and strength of semi-pros, but he could at least follow their movements, unlike watching Pyrrha and Yang...

Having skimmed the chapter Pyrrha had given him before gym he knew Aura was affected by belief and understanding. If you knew a blade was worn and rusted, your Aura that strengthened it would be dull, but if it was freshly sharpened and clean, your Aura would be sharp to reflect that. Before the match had started, the axe-fighter had his blade worn down publically, right in front of him, so that the axe-fighter and his opponent would both know it was dull. Even in the midst of a heated battle, your subconscious knew the axe blade wasn't that sharp.

According to Pyrrha it was customary to dull a gladiator's weapon to be far less dangerous than a hunter's. After all, a gladiator fight was meant to be a spectacle, a sport, bloodshed and maiming went against the competitive spirit; that, and the MRT wanted to encourage 'boomerang participants.' Pyrrha's sword and shield had to be retempered for up to a month before entering Beacon to maximize lethality.

Thanks to the regulation a fade like what they had just witnessed had a good chance of leaving the faded unharmed. Pain was still felt with Aura, and in certain circumstances, hitting the right place would disrupt the Aura immediately. Weak points like the temple, the throat, the groin, or the back were obvious targets since most people feared getting struck there, and feeling a sudden, sharp blossom of pain across those areas could cause the mind to panic in fear of its own mortality, and quickly short out the Aura in the resultant loss of confidence. A fade could be dangerous as the shock could cause an attack to cleave through the barrier and deal lasting damage, but according to what he was picking up, it was rare for a fade to leave lasting harm on a trained combatant. Normally, only the inexperienced, or anybody trying to push the very last of their Aura to the limit were left with a permanent wound, assuming the wielder wasn't using weaponry with specialized Auratic components for a more lethal strike.

It was what made somebody like Pyrrha, who was exceptional at targeting these weak spots, such a high-class gladiator. That Ruby could stand up to Pyrrha's unsemblanced neck slice twice spoke of how much Aura she had, as well as her self-control.

What made Aura so fickle-yet-consistent was that it was nearly infallible. Tricking your Aura meant tricking yourself, which only worked if you were free of doubt and one-hundred percent believed in what you were lying to yourself about. It was possible to compensate for a lack of strength and care through sheer, zealous bravado, but it was considered risky, stupid, and above all else, pitiable for a hunter. After all, confidence was supposed to come through preparation and training, not self-hypnotism.

He stood, drawing a curious look from Pyrrha, but he offered her a reassuring smile, and walked around the couch. He nearly ran into Ren, who was carrying a tray full of tea cups, unashamed of the eye-poppingly pink apron he wore.

"Persimmon leaf tea? It relaxes blood flow." Ren offered a cup. Jaune took the cup with a small, though forced smile.

"Thanks Ren. I'm actually gonna go out and practice a bit." Jaune pressed the dainty cup to his lips and reeled away from the heat. Small sips...

"By all means, nobody's going to stop you." Ren nodded, while Jaune swallowed with a wince. "Not much of a tea fan?"

"Grew up on coffee."

"You'll come to like the taste eventually." Ren nudged Jaune with his shoulder as he passed by, stopping to look at his leader. He was so used to showing slight emotions, he had to push out a wide, honest smile. "Don't push yourself Jaune, tomorrow will be another busy day."

The statement made Jaune's heart freeze. That's right, more classes, more training… He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, and sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah. I won't overdo it."

"Mm." Ren nodded. He watched Jaune exit the room, heading for the lockers. Ren silently suspected that his team leader, good-hearted and tactically sound as he was, was not the most well-trained fighter.

This, of course, came with a small amount of hypocrisy. Ren hadn't seen Jaune fight just yet, but… the showing he gave wasn't exactly the best. He was used to Nora, he was used to a bunch of sloppy bandits, he was not used to the breathless power Yang displayed. However, being bested didn't dampen Ren's spirit… if anything, he was looking forward to his round two.

He shook the thoughts from his head as he passed tea out to the crowd around the television, saving the last two cups for himself and Nora.

He stood by his girlfriend, sipping the tea with relish, and looked down to meet her excited eyes. "I get Pyrrha kisses." She stated proudly. The tea tray smacked the top of her head, making her yip, and Ren's amused stare narrowed.

"Vetoed."

On screen the downed fighter finally made a move, but too late to recoup and resume the match. Nora and the fallen gladiator shared similar wails of despair and defeat as the watching crowd prattled on.


"We should have no witnesses here." Weiss stated in a tone of satisfaction. With some luck they had managed to secure a private practice room. The solitary arenas were much like their classroom: wide, circular rooms built with a dark metal, ceiling-embedded lights, Aura monitors, a forcefield generator, but there wasn't a ring of seats. Instead, there was a single, high observation booth which was empty, as was to be expected. The floor below was divided into multiple square tiles, each of which could be raised or lowered to simulate terrain.

Using her student profile to connect to the room's controls, Weiss summoned both her own and Ruby's lockers, taking out Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster. Her palm relaxed as she held her rapier in her left hand. It was the most natural feeling in the world: smooth, elegant, the perfect weight for combat; it was practically a member of the family. It was the sword she'd hand-crafted for herself, trained relentlessly with, and would one day be her tool of freedom. She simply had to… correct some mistakes.

Crescent Rose, folding into its compact, rectangular, rifle form, was held against her side. She knew full well how large Ruby's scythe could fold out to be, but it still threw her off how heavy it was in its portable form. She didn't like how angular it was, nor how red. It was an eyesore, and lacked the delicate elegance she favored, but it had proven brutally effective in Ruby's hands, and having seen it deploy several times now, Weiss was suspicious as to the professionalism of its make. It was all the points and edginess befitting a young, teenaged smith, but there were numerous moving parts, far too many for Weiss to keep track of on just a few cursory viewings.

Weiss held Crescent Rose out to her partner, and Weiss's eyes flicked up to Ruby's goggles. She could see the hesitation and fear in her partner's shoulders, but Weiss herself stayed confident. This was not the time to hesitate; she needed to amend her mistakes, and prove to herself and her partner she could grow.

Nervous hands took Crescent Rose. As Ruby cradled her weapon to her chest, she felt a sense of ease. Her true strength was back in her hands, where it deserved to be…

"Alright Ruby. We're set up. Tell me how you killed that Boarbatusk." Weiss ordered. As Port said, Ruby had proven to be the expert here. She needed to view this as a chance to learn, not as debasing herself.

Ruby stroked Crescent Rose's side quietly, her mind working slowly. "You…" Ruby mulled over her options. "You have to h-have the right timing. I-it's distance and t-timing, and the right angle, a-and the right force, and…" Ruby's jut her jaw out in frustration as Weiss watched her. With a masterful spin of the rifle in Ruby's hands, Rose unfolded into its full, monstrous size, that curved, inward facing blade hanging over Ruby's head. "L-let me show you…"

Ruby stepped back, and Weiss stepped out of the way as Ruby stared down the opposite wall. The growling had died down as Ruby pulled her mind away from the beasts below and focused. "Boarbatusks a-aren't super smart, even when they get really old. When they use their rolling attack, the b-best they do is when they start angling left and right, o-or an ambush. Usually they t-try to open with it to break open your defense to g-get you on the wrong foot."

Ruby looked Weiss's way, and the heiress slowly nodded her head, though there was a hint of 'I knew that' as she gave an audible, "Mhmm?"

"So…" Ruby raised her scythe, resting the shaft on her shoulder as she visualized the scenario. "The technique my uncle taught me is about s-stopping their roll and putting them in the air, where they're less dangerous. See…" Crescent Rose was brought low, the tip of the blade scraping an invisible line in the floor. "That's my e-effective range, s-so I want to h-hit the Boarbatusk as it's rolling r-right there. Then, I s-send an Aura blast to—"

"You mean pulse?"

"I mean—yes, well, I-I m-mean, I call it 'blast' but- y-you know what I'm getting at! I send an aura pulast- pulse!" Ruby squeaked, causing Weiss to let out a small sigh. "I-I send an aura pulse to the top of Crescent Rose right as I do. Th-the blast-pulse! The pulse mixed with my swing makes it p-pop into the air. Then…" Ruby set Crescent Rose back into swinging position, and made the slicing motion. In the moment the strike grazed the floor, Weiss saw it.

It was quick, blindingly so. Weiss believed herself to be very observant, but Ruby's slice could have been measured by the single blink of her eyes… but the ripple of air she'd seen was unmistakable. An Aura pulse, the most common of Aura 'techniques.' A simple burst of willful strength at the right moment, packing that extra punch. Most blade-using hunters and gladiators didn't make as much use of it as they did Aura sharpening, but being able to bust through shields, armor, and solid rock meant the pulse had plenty of application for even a knife enthusiast.

Concentrating it to such a precise area during such a quick motion was a momentous testament to Ruby's ability. The presented movement was effective for precisely one enemy, and it carried extraordinarily high risk if she swung too early or too late… but a single stroke, and the battle had been hers. Weiss recalled how lazy Ruby had looked in the process, hardly tense until the moment the cage opened.

Her grip on Myrtenaster tightened, and Weiss silently wondered how far ahead Ruby was when it came to actual Grimm hunting. She belayed her wounded ego, and instead, replayed the moment Ruby had struck in her mind.

"So…" Weiss held Myrtenaster out, and focused on the wall on the other side of the room. "Step one: know my distance." Myrtenaster's tip prodded the floor. "Step two: strike right as the Boarbatusk crosses the line." She pictured the spinning beast, wheeling towards her at lethal speeds. "Step three: release an Aura pulse upwards and back."

"And follow through." Ruby tacked on.

Weiss prodded the floor and readied herself; in her mind, the Boarbatusk was racing towards her, squealing its ugly squeal, wanting to crush her bones and grind her flesh with its multitude of bone plates. How presumptuous to think of such a simple Grimm to think it could end her life. She gave her best thrust; fast as the crack of a whip, Myrtenaster hit the floor and the air rippled as the pulse travelled down the blade. A small rumble hit her ear, and she hid a satisfied smile. It was a good pulse, powerful enough to get the job done, but Ruby shook her head.

"Right as your sword would hit the Boarbatusk, no later! If you hit it w-without the blast—err, pulse—"

"Just say 'blast'..."

"R-right… without the blast, it doesn't have enough punch–" Ruby threw a sloppy left hook, "–so you h-have to get the timing down perfectly. Boarbatusks are a cinch once you do."

Weiss stepped into position. Right as she struck the Boarbatusk… which would be right before she hit the floor. For ten minutes she thrust and pulsed as Ruby helped her. Weiss reasoned that, as a rapier fighter, she had greater reach since her thrust could be accompanied by a skip forward for more power, but that meant a greater understanding of her feet, weapon, and Aura all at once.

The timing was so precise, yet Ruby could immediately tell her if she'd succeeded or failed. Weiss had many things to say about Ruby's academic performance, but her combat intuition was excellent, at least, as far as Weiss knew. She intended to put this practical use as soon as she had it down.

Once wasn't enough; once came every now and then as Weiss learned the timing. Twice in a row was better, but it could have easily been luck; Weiss didn't trust twice. Three in a row was even better, promising, and Weiss felt her confidence growing, but she still slipped. Four in a row, however, was leaving her with a smile, especially when she made five in a row, then six in a row right after! Eight in a row, only missing the ninth by a fraction of a fraction of a second, and even then, she made it to ten on her next attempt.

Her timing was down. So down, in fact, that Weiss was dancing forward, pursuing an imaginary opponent, thrusting at their feet with flickering stabs that could dent metal and blow apart toes.

"I think you have it." Ruby said with a calm smile.

"Excellent." Weiss held her rapier straight up before her face, like a knight offering a prayer with their sword, then gave Ruby a smile. "Summon a Boarbatusk." She ordered with complete confidence, moving into position against the wall. She held Myrtenaster out at the ready, looking to Ruby.

Ruby did not share in her confidence. Weiss's smile fell as Ruby watched her with a worried frown, then silently shook her head. "I can't… N-no, I won't."

Weiss stared as Ruby took a step back, squaring her shoulders in defiance. "Ruby, listen," Weiss held out a hand, offering an explanation, but Ruby held Crescent Rose to her chest defensively. "I understand this is bending the rules, but… this is an excellent opportunity for us. We don't have to practice against each other, or training dummies, we can fight real Grimm!"

"Right… real Grimm…" Ruby whispered, her fingers tight around Rose's pole. Weiss gave her team leader a deep frown.

Time for a different tactic. "Ruby, I've done this before." Weiss started, using easy body language and a calm tone. "The Schnee family's semblance is unique not just in its hereditary nature, but we can summon." At that, Ruby took a step back, her mouth slightly open.

"D-d-do you s-summon real Grimm?" Ruby demanded in a hiss, and Weiss felt a shiver go up her arm as she watched the attempt begin to collapse in failure.

"No, no, not exactly." Weiss's cheekbones rose as her sister's words came to mind. "I have an older sister, and she would train me by summoning something like Grimm. They were white, and completely under her control. They fought like Grimm, sounded like Grimm, even felt like Grimm, but would stop at her command. I assure you, I can handle myself."

"Th-that's all well and great, but…" Ruby fell silent. Weiss did as well, wondering what reason Ruby could have to shoot it down, but with a small, angry wince, Ruby spoke up again. "Your sister c-can control her summons. I s-summon actual Grimm, but I can't c-control them."

"... Come again?" Weiss turned her ear to Ruby, her frown deepening. "What about in the forest, those… claws you summoned on the Ursa, you were controlling those."

"N-no, I didn't, th-that w-wasn't me." Ruby sighed. She stood straight, and slung Crescent Rose over her shoulders. At her feet, Weiss watched carefully as a circle of darkness expanded under Ruby's feet. The odd, black disc spread wide, rejecting the light that tried to illuminate it, remaining stubbornly obscure and featureless. The soles of Ruby's boots sank into the murk, but she descended no further, remaining aloft in the odd pool.

Then, without warning, an arm pushed out of the pool. A black, liquid-like mass collapsing off it like it was bursting through water's surface, quivering, grasping, and clutching at the air like… like a cat blinding searching a mouse hole. Weiss felt unease settle in her gut. She recognized the claw of a beowolf, she knew how dangerous it could be… but she had assumed in a controlled environment–like the protected, private room of Beacon–somehow it would be less unsettling. As bone white claws dragged across the floor trying to get a grip, Weiss found herself sorely wrong.

"W-what you saw… I-I don't know w-what it was, I d-don't want to find out. The G-Grimm I summon are w-wild, a-and violent, and they try to k-kill me." As Ruby spoke, her cloak spread and fluttered, and Weiss found herself staring in silent shock as the black claw, unable to pull itself out of the pool, turned around violently to lash at Ruby's leg. Her black Aura shielded her from the strike, but she still flinched in surprise as it tried to dig bone white claws into its knee in a thrashing rage, only for her boot to come down on top of its and crush bone and black flesh under heel. "I s-summon the real thing." Ruby whispered, dismally staring down at the pool, her nostrils flaring in quiet regret. "When s-somebody else s-screws up their semblance, they f-fall over too fast, or g-get a headache, or m-make an icicle they sh-shouldn't have. When I s-screw up, I murder dogs, or h-hurt my family." Ruby's voice fell gently, and Weiss had the sudden urge to just… apologize. She didn't know what else to do, but a stone of regret had settled in her gullet, and she didn't know what to do with it. "I c-came here to l-learn to fight w-without my 'ability.' I don't think u-using it for practice will help anyone."

Weiss considered the girl before her. It was true that Ruby's power was something alien, something horrific, something that went against the core of what hunting had set out to accomplish, but there was applications to consider: unlike Ruby's eyes, the ability to summon Grimm could have incredible uses in training hunters. With a small bite of her lower lip, she used a finger to lift Ruby's chin, getting the girl's attention.

"So you're telling me that neither of us could kill even one Grimm?" Weiss asked in a calm, yet direct voice. Ruby's cheeks twitched.

"N-no, we both could, I just… I don't want to summon any, not here. If somebody got hurt— i-if you got hurt—"

"Then I'd have failed, and I'd have you here to keep me safe." Weiss rested a hand on Crescent Rose's handle, and Ruby instinctively pulled her scythe closer to her body. "Ruby, I have my Aura, my weapon, and better than either of those, you. I am not weak, neither are you, one Grimm won't hurt either of us very much."

"But it could and-and I don't think I-I could handle hurting you and..." Ruby gave Weiss a worried look, her lip quivering as Weiss's hand moved to Ruby's shoulder.

"Professor Port trusted us enough to set us against three Grimm, one-on-one. He knows we're here for a job, and none of us have the luxury of avoiding it for the rest of our lives. We're here to kill Grimm, you showed me that you know a quick, efficient way to counteract a Boarbatusk's charge." Weiss squeezed Ruby's shoulder. It was just an impulse, a feeling that it was right to do, but she wasn't sure how it helped.

Ruby simply stared at her partner, the younger of the two putting on a worried expression. However, she quietly squeezed and stroked Crescent Rose's long pole, trying to reset her grip, trying to reestablish her strength.

Silently, she stuck her jaw out, and Weiss gently pushed. "I want to know for sure, Ruby… please. We're both here. If it attacks you, I'll protect you. If it attacks me, I know you'll protect me. Please, trust me?"

"... I d-don't like the way it feels." Ruby offered softly, no real strength in her argument, and Weiss… chuckled.

"Understandable, but there needs to be some commitment to learning about yourself and what you can do. Maybe you don't like it, that's okay, but think of this not just as an opportunity to teach me, but a way for you to learn more about yourself. How often have you used your Grimm power inoffensively, just to learn to fight?"

"... Never…" Ruby admitted, staring at her feet. No, not at her feet, but past them, into something Weiss could only guess at.

"How beneficial would it be for team RWBY if they had authentic Grimm to fight?"

"To die against…"

"Hush." Weiss's squeezing hand made Ruby whimper in slight discomfort, but then it let up. "We won't die. We're not weak, we're not vulnerable. We know what our enemy is, where it's coming from, and how it's emerging. Maybe we get a bruise or two, but that's why there's two of us and one of them. Please, Ruby? I know you won't try to hurt me intentionally, so I'm asking you to give me the chance to learn. Our fights against future Grimm could be decided by this decision! The Boarbatusks of tomorrow or the day after, I could go in with real experience… Just, please Ruby… please trust in my power, and I'll trust in yours?"

Ruby stayed silent. Without a word, she brushed off Weiss's hand, and like a sulking child, trudged to the other side of the room. Weiss watched with hope and apprehension as Ruby silently tapped at the ground with her scythe's pole. The heiress's hand squeezed Myrtenaster's grip, fighting the need to go confront Ruby further. It was in Ruby's hands now, pressuring her wouldn't help the situation, she just had to hope—

A black puddle flooded the floor from beneath Ruby's feet, and a wriggling snout and tusks pushed through. A furious, piggish squeal filled the room, and Ruby's scythe blade hung low, while Ruby's firm expression commanded the emerging Boarbatusk to be silent. "Weiss…"

Weiss entered her ready stance, watching in a mixture of awe and energetic terror as the boar squirmed out of the puddle, like it was tearing itself out of some cloying muck. Fresh, white plates adorned its face, beady red eyes focused on her, and an angry scream tore through the air as it fought to pull itself into proper attacking position.

"Steps?" Ruby demanded firmly.

"Step one: know my distance." Weiss said loudly. "Step two: strike right as it crosses the line. Step three—" The Boarbatusk's hindlegs appeared, and it trudged out of the black pool as Ruby held her scythe back, the rifle barrel aimed at the pig's haunches, "release an aura pulse. Step four…" Weiss firmed her stance, the Boarbatusk staring her down. Its wild, furious squeal sent jubilant energy through her body, the adrenaline of a coming fight, of a coming victory or loss… "Follow through."

And just like that, it curled, spinning like a bladed wheel, building up its speed and killing power in a single moment, it suddenly shot towards Weiss like a cannonball. Weiss firmed her stance, her breath caught in her throat. This was the moment. She had been practicing for this, she had the motions down, she had the—

She leapt to the right, teeth digging into her bottom lip, eyes wide as the boar Grimm shot past her, the powerful draft trailing behind it making her skirt whip against her legs before it turned swiftly, skidding to a halt and uncurling onto all four of its hooves.

Why did her hand feel like lead all of a sudden? Why was moving such a monumental task? She wasn't afraid, not of this thing… she could kill it. She absolutely could kill it! So why wasn't she killing it?!

"Weiss!" Ruby's call met her ear, and Weiss's body tensed. No, not now. "Move!" She could feel Crescent Rose's sights on her back, waiting for her to step out of the way, to let Ruby kill the Boarbatusk…

Why was she so tense?!

Weiss lept out of the way again as the pig charged her, flat teeth snapping at her evading ankle. As soon as she was clear a shot rang out, and an aura-charged bullet ripped open the Boarbatusk's front left leg, leaving it skittering across the floor on its side, squealing in pain, silenced by the deafening 'clunk' of Ruby pulling Crescent Rose's bolt.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss cried out. No second shot came, and Weiss held her sword in front of her, pointed at the Boarbatusk as her mind raced. Techniques, strategies, everything Ruby had taught her flew through her head at a hundred miles per hour. She was thinking too quickly to grasp down on what to do next, and it made her body sluggish. With a soft intake of breath, she pushed the quivering tip of her blade against the bottom of the Boarbatusk's jaw. The Grimm snapped at her metal angrily, flat teeth clamping around the metal. "Don't…" Weiss whispered to herself, while the boar tried to scramble to a standing position and pull Myrtenaster out of her hand. "Don't think." She finished in admonishment.

The Boarbatusk whipped its head back, but Weiss kept her wrist loose. Her hand swiveled, but her grip did not relent. With firm fingers and a relaxed stance, she would not be disarmed again.

She could have activated her semblance and roasted it alive, or frozen it to death, or even crushed it with a Dust-empowered aura pulse, but that was not why she was here.

She whipped Myrtenaster out of the Boarbatusk's mouth. It was not something to be frightened of, she would not hesitate again. She stepped back, and let out a self-empowering roar as she punted the Boarbatusk towards Ruby, a squeal of surprise flying after it as it landed at her surprised partner's feet. The pig, pained and confused, squirmed its way into the dark pool, sinking into the Grimm blackness.

Ruby stared at Weiss in surprise, then down at the pool roiling at her feet. They knew… whatever consciousnesses drifted in the dark mire below knew they were being called. Ruby could hear their clicking claws and snapping teeth, but she did not let it faze her. She looked back up to Weiss, who stood ready on the other side of the room.

"W-Weiss, I'm… I'm s-still not su-sure this is the b-best idea." Ruby called. Even so, she sought out another Boarbatusk. She couldn't feel one drifting in the pool at first, but then one grunted in violent anticipation, a second squealed, and a cacophony of pigs, waiting to escape their prison, reached her ears. The darkness writhed and squirmed with the unformed legion of Boarbatusks, their snouts and tusks pushing up from the shadows.

Ruby tightened that grip she had around the portal, keeping them restrained, but a single look to Weiss made the piggish wailing in her ears abate.

The heiress, her first friend… she looked so strong, so confident, so unbothered by the burden of her lesson. Her small frown was firm, her eyes sharp, her stance impeccable. "Ruby." Weiss's voice made the quivering puddle at Ruby's feet go still, "Don't be scared, we're both going to be fine," Myrtenaster spun in a flourish, pointing at the pool with confidence, "and I'm going to get this right."

They pawed at the barrier below her, begging for her now to release them. They wanted to swarm, to feast, to rend, to tear, to hurt the white-haired beauty across the room. Ruby settled the butterflies in her tummy. They were such simple, belligerent monsters… with no idea just who they were fighting!

"S-steps!" Ruby called, loosening her grip on one Boarbatusk. She could feel it solidifying quickly, the formation faster and more violent than ever before. They wanted out, and they sensed an opportunity.

"One: know my distan—" The puddle erupted before Weiss could finish the word. A Boarbatusk wheeled through the air, launched as if it was actually fired from a cannon. It wasn't on the ground, the flipping technique wouldn't work… so improvise. "Two!" Weiss focused her strength behind her off-hand. She had Aura, she wouldn't be afraid. "Strike when it crosses the line!" The boar filled her view. She freed her hand of the tense weight dragging it down. Her wrist was loose, her fingers strong, and the back of her off-hand blew the Boarbatusk out of her face and into the floor, rolling, screaming, and kicking as momentum carried it to the wall. "Step three: release a pulse!" She strode towards the confused, squirming pig, her right hand numb, wrist hurting, but she was alive, and her body undamaged. "Step four." Myrtenaster plunged straight through the barrel of its chest, making it kick, squeal, slow, quiver, and die. "Follow through."

"W-Weiss?!" Ruby stared in surprise as Weiss walked back to her position across from Ruby, Myrtenaster pointed forward, her right hand flexing. "Th-that was so cool!" Ruby gasped, her posture full of awe.

Weiss simply smiled, her heart hammering. That had been terrifying, but she had succeeded. "Thank you, Ruby. Now, another, please." The weight was threatening to settle on her body again, to slow her, to make her hesitate… but no. No more intruding thoughts, no more fear of failure…

No fearing Ruby. She was here to grow stronger, not to prove herself to anybody, least of all her partner… though… Ruby's words rang through her head. She was cool. Ruby thought she was cool. She gave Myrtenaster a flip in her hand, a self-pleased smile on her face. Hell yeah, she was cool.

The third Boarbatusk to exit Ruby's pool was much less choosy in its victims. As soon as it emerged it snapped at Ruby's boots, forcing her back a step. Weiss took a step forward to help, suddenly worried, but a swing of Ruby's scythe sheared off its tusks. It emerged with a violent scream, its primary weapons gone, but three more swipes left it in pieces. Right… Ruby wasn't helpless either, but… it was distressing her Grimm were so quick to turn on her.

Weiss could see why Ruby was afraid of her own semblance if that was what she grew up with. She made a mental note as the Boarbatusk died: rather than disappearing into black ash, to be scattered by the wind, it melted into the floor, the black tendrils slithering back to Ruby's puddle… in a way, her Grimm were loyal, but only to whatever lay beyond the pool.

A world of darkness and Grimm? The thought made Weiss's skin crawl… but intrigued her. A small, morbidly curious part wanted to see beyond, but the protection that would require… perhaps Oobleck would be interested...

… But not now. Her next opponent was ripping its way out of the portal, albeit with greater difficulty. Perhaps Ruby was keeping a better grip on it to ensure their safety, but the lack of surprise meant the charging boar didn't have much of an edge. Weiss swept to the side, distancing herself in a single leap as the boar circled around to glare at her.

She needed the rollout, so she baited its charges, leaving them fruitless, her sword's tip digging into its haunches to taunt it. It took three passes before she succeeded; with an enraged shriek, it began rolling.

It raced towards her spinning with reckless abandon, weaving left and right, trying to catch her off guard. This one was either blessed with better brains or was too angry to steer itself straight, but it made for another layer on the challenge that left Weiss second-guessing herself.

Weiss knew her distance. The line was there in her mind, and Myrtenaster at the ready. It drew ever closer, and then the moment was right. She struck, an Aura pulse shooting down Myrtenaster, but a second too late. Her left leg gave out from under her as Boarbatusk's momentum hitched, causing it to spin out and slide under her, throwing her to her hands and knees.

"Weiss?!" Ruby's cried out in worry, but Weiss held out a hand in reassurance.

It was okay. A little pain was fine, her Aura still worked, her weapon was in her hand. She whirled towards the beast, confident it would still be staggered, but she let out a gasp as it proved her wrong. Sympathetic pain exploded across her chest as its armored headbutt threw her off her feet.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted more urgently. Weiss hit the floor, Myrtenaster skidding somewhere just out of reach behind her head.

Damnit. She'd been caught off guard, too confident. It only took a moment for a Grimm's wild instincts and violent flailing to break her guard and leave her exposed… her Aura was still intact, but it wouldn't be for long if she let the Boarbatusk keep attacking her.

She heard the clattering of hooves, and spryly threw her legs over her head. She rolled back onto her feet in a low crouch before the Boarbatusk threw itself at her, barely missing as she quickly rolled out of its way.

"I-I got this Weiss, get out—"

"My sword!" Weiss interrupted loudly, watching the Boarbatusk's movements close. "Where's my sword, Ruby?!" Weiss called out. This was no time to be proud, this was a real Grimm, she had nothing to prove. Nothing. She clenched her teeth.

"Se-seven o'clock!" Ruby shouted. Weiss skipped backwards as the Boarbatusk rounded on her, its hoof scraping the tiled floor as Weiss reached back, her hand finding Myrtenaster's blade. She threw her sword into the air, caught it by the handle, and watched as the boar began began to charge a rollout once more.

Weiss grit her teeth. "Ruby! Don't shoot!" She shouted. Ruby's trepidation was palpable, but Weiss kept her focus forward, her weapon at the ready.

Step one: know your distance.

The Boarbatusk wheeled towards her at full speed, and Weiss ran. Ruby let out an audible gasp as Weiss threw herself towards the Grimm in a full sprint, her eyes on the beast.

Step two: strike when it crossed the line.

The distance closed at what felt like lightspeed, but Weiss knew that, if given the chance to think, she'd hesitate. She had to throw aside her thoughts; she knew what she was doing, but her thinking held her back.

Step three: release an Aura pulse.

Myrtenaster struck the point where the Boarbatusk met the floor, the tip puncturing the tile as the Aura swollen at its tip exploded. The Boarbatusk was flung into the air, its momentum completely stolen, its direction diverted, its belly open to her, and she pulled her hand back.

Step four: follow through.

The blade ran the boar through like a shish kebab, its body suspended in the air by Weiss's strength alone. Not even a peep escaped the Grimm. Weiss panted heavily, her arm trembling, her body surging with energy and strength, but her emotions at peace, her mind still. She whipped Myrtenaster back, out of the Boarbatusk's gullet, and it hit the floor like a sack of wet potatoes. The only sound was Weiss's heels clicking against the floor as she stepped back into position, the Grimm's remains swiftly flowing back into Ruby's pool.

Ruby stood there, hands over her mouth, completely silent and still. Though Weiss couldn't see it, Ruby's eyes were wide and unblinking, and her heart was hammering. She could only watch as Weiss held Myrtenaster before her, her knight's prayer stance filling her with meditative peace, before stepping back into a ready position.

"Send another." Weiss ordered sternly.

The pool beneath Ruby's feet was silent and still, but the young girl's small squeak of compliance was all it needed to produce another Boarbatusk to train on.

Weiss would not be satisfied with only two successes. She needed more. At the same time, watching Ruby's joy, hearing her cheer, knowing that, even when there was a misstep, her partner, her leader was there to help her made the missteps feel small.

This power of Ruby's was horrifying, and Weiss' craving to know the whats and the whys was balanced by a healthy, fearful respect of it, but it had applications, applications no other student in Beacon could use… ones that they could use to help understand Ruby's powers better, while also improving their personal performances in the field of battle.

Technically, it wasn't cheating. Technically.


Yang massaged her face with a fresh towel, dabbing away the sweat and dirt with a big grin. She ached so good, her whole body pulsating with a familiar, comforting pain. Her bare knuckles had a good, raw feeling to them she could never get with her Aura activated.

But the best part was her feet. She'd had one hell of a good time exercising her legs, mostly because it involved making her partner giggle and whine as she was chased around the gymnasium. Yang lay her sore feet on the ground and pushed herself up to a standing position, watching the showers patiently.

She threw a right straight, letting out a grunt of exertion in the process, and grinned to herself. That felt good. She threw a left, then another right, and alternated between her fists until a dry voice hit her ear.

"You never let up, do you?"

Yang swiveled her head towards Blake, who leaned against the frame of the shower's entrance. She was dripping wet, her body wrapped in a white towel, hiding that pale majesty from Yang's eyes. The blonde was immediately eyeballing those long, lovely legs, and Blake simply smirked.

"You don't get this strong by slowing down, Blakey." Yang purred, watching Blake take casual strides to the locker she'd taken over. Her black-haired partner was still wonderfully frustrating, having once again entered the showers before Yang, shamelessly letting Yang eyeball her bare body before claiming a private stall.

Yang had showered nearby so they could chat, but never got a second glimpse at Blake's curves. Yang didn't let it bother her. A part of her was drooling over the chance to pounce her partner, but she knew that moving too quickly would drive the girl away. She was not content waiting around, but she would be patient. Somehow, some way…

Blake's towel fell onto the nearby bench, and Yang's red-hot body somehow managed to warm up further. She suppressed a whimper as Blake silently got dressed, making no exaggerated movements, but little peeks of her golden eyes confirming to her that Yang was watching.

Yang had seen her fair share of beautiful women, but Blake stood out by the sheer ease in how she moved and showed herself. None of it was deliberate, she was in no way demanding Yang's attention, but Blake had it anyways. It was baffling… about as baffling as her ever-present ribbon, but Yang held her tongue. It was adorable, just also omnipresent.

Back in her T-shirt and shorts, Blake threw her still heavy, wet mass of hair over her shoulder and silently fixated on Yang. Their eyes met, and a stare-down commenced as Blake's fingers ran threw her black mane, grooming it out.

"So, uh, I'm done with exercise for the day. You wanna go chill on the roof again, or maybe find some games or something? Pyrrha said the library had a ton of movies and TV shows." Yang offered, finally approaching, the tension comfortably broken as Yang leaned back against the lockers by Blake's side.

"Mmm." Blake responded. She used a scrunchie she 'borrowed' from somebody to pull her hair back into a thick ponytail, glancing up at the ceiling. She shook her head, "Actually…" She looked to Yang, silently worried, but the blonde tilted her head. "I was going to get some alone time on the roof somewhere. Just lay back and enjoy the night. I know that's not your thing…"

"No, no, it's cool, it's cool." Yang gave Blake a little smile. "Hey, we can't be together all the time every day, that'd get a little weird."

"Li'l bit." Blake gave Yang an appreciative smile, thought she examined her partner's features closely, evaluating the truth in her expression. Though her shoulders sagged in disappointment, Yang didn't seem conflicted or angry; instead, her expression was gentle and reassuring. She seemed more confident in allowing Blake to herself, or perhaps Blake had simply made a mistake in not voicing her need to be alone at recess. "I'll have my scroll on me though, in case you need me."

"Same." Yang lifted the small white rectangle that would expand into her scroll. "I'll probably wander a little bit, maybe see if I can crash in on Ruby and Weiss."

"You certainly enjoy sticking your nose in everyone's business, hm?" Blake couldn't help but smirk, and Yang's sunny smile made Blake grin a little more.

"What can I say? Weiss is cute as a button, and I wanna keep an eye on my li'l sis. Besides, they could probably use a referee or something, I swear, sometimes they get along, and sometimes they're at each other like cats." Yang missed the way the word made Blake flinch, but Blake shrugged it off; it was just an expression.

"Could be way, way worse. Anyways, I'm gonna go find some place to lay out and enjoy the weather. Curfew's at ten, right?"

"Or eleven for people in the library or with teachers." Yang recalled, getting an understanding nod. Blake headed to the door, saying goodbye and getting one in return.

Officially alone, Blake let her shoulders sink and her steps quicken. Sunset would be soon, the skies outside were just starting to turn orange. She hustled up to the fourth floor of the wing she was in, racing past students, weaving between them with ease.

She ran out onto a balcony, lept onto the bannister, and swiftly climbed up to the school's roof. She skipped from rooftop to rooftop, easily jumping between the spires, and found herself standing on a ledge jutting out from Beacon's central tower. Her first thought was that Beacon's complex roof structure made for one heck of a challenge, one that left her panting. She was already sore from the day's workout, but she had steady footing and still felt the strength to climb down.

No way she'd let herself get too sore to climb down… again…

"Mommy used to do the same thing when she was a kitten!"

Blake clenched her eyes shut, her teeth grinding together as the sweet voice surfaced in her head. She wasn't a kitten anymore, her days of getting stuck in trees were over… and so were those innocent times of familyhood.

"You know, it's cute when it happens at camp, but if you get stuck out on a mission…"

The soft, male voice made her lip tremble.

Blake slowly lowered herself, sitting on the ledge to stare out at the sun, the sky, and the clouds as the world began its dramatic shift from bright and beautiful, to dark and mysterious. She leaned back against the tower, hands in her lap. A feeling of exhaustion crossed her…

"Someday, we're going to go to bed and wake up, and find the world's changed. We'll wake up and find that we're no longer slaves or victims, just like that. Just, one night, after some big battle, we're going to be on top, no longer afraid…"

They were gentle words back then. Calm and full of hope, carried on a voice full of strength, ambition, and resolve.

"Just watch, Blake. When the sun sets and the moon's up, that's our time. But one day, the sun will rise and it'll still be our time. Believe me, we're going to make things better for all of us. Humans won't scare us anymore! No amount of technology can stop an idea, and we're going to show the world that not even the Grimm can scare us. Look at us, Blake! The two of us, together? We could be king and queen of a new era!"

He sounded so innocent back then. Full of righteousness, full of a need to prove himself…

"He deserved it, Blake. Look at him, he was human. He betrayed his own species for some petty cash, you think we could trust him to keep helping us? I bet he had his buddies on speed dial; don't cry over a traitor, even if it helped us."

But things began to change as they grew older, and grew tired of seeing things move so slowly…

"It's us or them. We need the food to fuel our cause, they're just a bunch of humans, peasants at that. Let them call the hunters, let them starve, how can we win if we worry about what the enemy needs?"

Some days, the setting sun became frightening rather than inspiring…

"I'm sorry Blake… I didn't mean to hurt you, I justgive me a chance, okay? You know what I've been through, you understand right? Don't give me that look! I was trying to help us, you came in here shouting at me! It's not my fault!"

Blake still tried to catch every sunset.

The years of sleeping in tents on the cold, hard ground were gone. The years of worrying about where her next meal would come from were over. The years of walking on eggshells as a man she once loved and respected–

"Think about it, our kids will grow up without having rocks thrown at them! They'll be able to walk the streets with their heads held high, and we'll be the reason why!"

–became something short-tempered and scary–

"You can't run from this mission! These people would have us killed, don't you realize that?! How long would they have been peaceful if they knew we were close by?! They deserved it! Every single one of them deserved it!"

–had ended.

For now.

Adam still lived, he still existed, and he wouldn't take her escape gently. But… he wouldn't be stupid enough to go near Beacon Academy either, if he even knew she was there. The thought made Blake shiver…

It was easy to fall into despair, Blake had found, knowing that every day, she was drifting further and further away from her purpose, that her people still suffered, and she ran from the organization trying to help them…

Help them through further extremes, true, but Blake felt utterly lost. Her stay here at Beacon was temporary, a place to sharpen her skills and regain her footing, but even that felt weak. She'd ran, simple as that. A coward, fleeing from her cause, and for what? What did she have now? A bed, hot water, free food, lessons from humans on how to hunt Grimm?!

… A gorgeous little girl whose gentle nature was offset by an immense drive to protect and serve? The knowledge that her oldest enemy was actually just another girl trying to make a mark on the world without trampling those around her? An utterly sunny young woman who made her feel remarkably sexy, who stole her attention away from her grieving by giving her companionship and fun…?

"... Dammit, Yang." Blake muttered. She knew her for two days, and two days alone, and already she felt… better. Just thinking about that carefree, energetic smile made Blake feel calmer. She was a pervert, irresponsible, and an attention hog, but none of it out of malice.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang… each of them looked out for her without question or suspicion.

Then again, none of them knew she was a faunus…

But… would it matter? It didn't matter to Ruby, and part of Blake suspected Yang would be fine with that. The only unknown factors were Weiss and… and Blake's past coming to light.

With a small sigh, Blake stared at the horizon as the clouds turned purple, the land basked in a cooling, calm low light, which was rapidly slipping away.

If they knew, they'd hate her… there'd be no more fun, no more games, no more hanging out, talking about books, or teasing each other, or flirting… no more being the teen girl she'd missed out on being.

In a way, that hurt Blake the most. She'd had friends in the Fang, but not like this. This was carefree and comfort, something Blake had missed, and still ached for…

She wanted to run from this stress and grief. She wanted to run into the arms of her team, and let them pet her and soothe her… where they'd ask why she was so sad, and want to know what she did, or what was done to her.

Blake curled up on the ledge and found herself to be all alone. Even in this school full of people who wanted to help her… she was alone.

Just how a traitor like her should be.

… Right?


Beacon was a big, big place, and it had a lot of people to keep entertained when the daily school activities were over and done with. The beautiful, wide-open plazas and courtyards were natural places for congregation on warm spring days.

The army of groundskeepers Beacon employed kept the grass low and picturesque at all hours of the day, while the hedges were perfectly uniform along the walkways. The trees had their lower branches trimmed, and each walkway was cleared of stray leaves and branches. The school had a very serious anti-littering policy, so wood-wrapped trash cans were numerous, giving even the laziest lawbreakers no excuses.

Beacon Academy entertained numerous guests daily, from investors looking to see how their donated equipment and money was used, to alumni taking a nostalgic trip through around the campus, and tour groups composed of excited children and nosy parents wanting to see the center of Vale's anti-Grimm education in person.

It was a highly eulogized center of humanism, encouraging the best out of technology, business practices, and both its inhabitants and visitors. Old hunters recalled it with fondness, and it was a place of wonderment for its new visitors.

Being a culturally-crossed center of young adults getting ready to break into the world of self-reliance, and keeping an eye on the affairs of of their home cities, it was also a major political center for students feeling the need to try and make a difference.

"So, are these going to be regular brownies or special brownies?" Yang asked in a low voice, pointing to the plastic-wrapped plates sitting on top of folded brochures. She took one of the plates anyway and tucked the brochure under her arm as she unpacked the treat.

"Regular, miss." The older girl behind the table told her with a firm expression. She was probably in her third or fourth year at Beacon, and the patches of shining blue scales around her neck gills did nothing to detract from her lovely bronzed skin, or her piercing blue stare. She had a lean, limber build, with a subtle curve for her bust, strong, skinny hips, and some good height on her. Her hair was like green strands of seaweed, and she rocked a black blouse and tan slacks. She was on the exotic side, a bit rough and tumble, but she was incredibly easy on the eyes otherwise… or perhaps as a result of.

"Food's food." Yang shrugged after her thorough inspection of the girl behind the table, then took a bite of the chocolate treat as she cracked open the brochure to read.

'Have you struggled to find respect and kinship among your human peers? Have you faced insults or even violence because of your heritage? Do you want to know what your generation can do for the advancement of Faunus-kind? The Youth of the White Fang at Beacon has answers!

We provide a safe haven for young Faunus to discuss the issues they have faced as a result of their birthright, as well as share ideas for the future of Faunus-kind. Lead by Professor Bigby Wolf, a former White Fang member and the Professor of Faunus Studies, we promise a reasonable and comforting board for Faunus seeking acceptance, and Humans wanting to contribute to bringing true equality to Remnant.'

"I would like to add," the girl behind the desk spoke up as she studied Yang closely, "we are not associated with the Vale chapter of the White Fang in any way but name; we do not condone their actions in recent years."

Yang sucked the crumbs off her fingertips, quietly nodding her head as she continued to read. Only once she was done did she shoot the Youth member a little grin. "Y'know, it's cool that Beacon's okay with this." She waved a hand over the table, then folded the brochure back under her arm. "I know a couple of people from my old school who would throw a fit over y'all having a booth here."

"Well, it's not exactly all sunshine and acceptance. Every day, somebody has a few… choice words for our organization." The fish girl sighed, carefully tipping an open water bottle into a towelette. She dabbed her scales with the wet cloth as she spoke with a tired acceptance. "Had a guy come up earlier telling us that he didn't care if we weren't associated with the Vale chapter; he'd apparently lost family to a raid." Her guilty frown told a lot about her thoughts on the matter.

Yang silently nodded. She knew full well the sort of activities the White Fang had been up to in Vale. When she was a little girl, Summer would take her to watch the parades for awareness. At the time, Yang saw no difference between a Faunus and a human wearing an animal-ear headband, but age forced some insight into her. Biological differences, socioeconomic differences, ancestry, day-to-day privileges, and, of course, the various abuse both sides heaped on each other.

When she'd first seen the marches, she thought they were to celebrate a victory, like every other parade she'd been to. She was too young to understand how important they were to spreading a message that, to this day, she'd embraced wholeheartedly. As she got older, she didn't understand why the White Fang had started turning to violence; they had won, hadn't they? It took her father sitting her down and giving her a big, healthy dose of reality for her to understand that the White Fang had made only a little progress in gaining respect, and that their more recent actions were out of desperation to stay relevant and gain something they had been denied.

"I'm not seeing guards around, is there anybody here to, like, protect you? I know Beacon's a good place, but I saw a guy grabbing ears earlier." Yang mentioned, watching the girl. She frowned, then snorted, sipping some water as she thought.

"I appreciate the concern, but naw, I'm more than enough on my own. Trust me, maybe there's one idiot who tries to cause a problem, but a group of idiots would get Ozpin down here." She smiled fondly as she mentioned the headmaster by name. "Happened in my freshman year, buncha bigots tried to come tear down the booth, caused enough of a stir for him to coming marching right down and smacking heads, shouting himself hoarse. It was probably the most hope I'd ever felt for human-Faunus relations."

"I don't get people." Yang shook her head, leaning against the table as she worked her jaw slowly, opening the brochure once more. The symbol of the wolf's head was front and center, though this one lacked the prominent three cuts that marked the current White Fang's logo. It still looked really cool, but was a dangerous thing to see on the streets. These days, it was a warning to a girl like her. "It's so easy to not be a terrible person, and it doesn't take more than a minute for you to say you're non-violent… I'm not taking up your time, am I?"

"You see a line behind you?" The fish girl chuckled, and Yang cracked a grin. "Professor Wolf told me that, sometimes, the only pride some people have is what they were born with, or weren't born with. 'Doesn't matter if I was the richest man in Remnant, there'd be some hick saying 'at least I ain't a damn animal!'"

"Okay, so, full disclosure here? I was born incredible."

"Uh huh."

"And I didn't deal with too many Faunus in my life. Patch had, like, I think ten Faunus families? And they were all fine. I knew most of the kids, they were typically pro-White Fang and sent donations to 'em, and we still got along. I heard all the rhetoric and crap, and never once woke up saying to myself 'I'm better than those guys because I can't see in the dark.'"

"Patch Island also harbored a pretty influential anti-Faunus coalition though, if I remember right." The girl raised an eyebrow, completely skirting by the self-praise.

"Ugh, don't remind me. One of the Faunus kids invited me to a birthday party, and their dad thought I was going to spy on them or something. I never got into that argument myself, but the kid got grounded because they got into a fight with their dad. All I wanted was to give them a bicycle and eat some cake."

"So… my turn to give full disclosure." The fish girl spoke up, leaning forward with a serious look. "I didn't like humans when I came to Beacon." Her fingers drummed against the table, but Yang didn't give any indication of offense, just a shrug for the girl to continue. "I grew up in the Blacktail Reaches in the south, not a human for miles down there. I grew up convinced humans were coming to steal my land, sell me to slavery, and try to descale me. I came to Beacon, got partnered with a human, and spent a year undoing all that damage."

"Wow." Yang cocked her head, and the girl let out a little laugh.

"If you ever have to go down to Blacktail Reaches, you gotta be careful. The White Fang sentiment is still strong down there, but… Beacon really helped me figure things out. Now I'm working with three humans for everyone's sake, I'm helping with a club to educate people about our needs, and… I dunno, I don't get it anymore. Every side has bad apples, but ever since coming here… I mean, I used to be scared to shake the headmaster's hand, but now I do it whenever I see him. He's on our side, keeping everyone safe, not just humans or Faunus…"

"I hope I'm not, like, eighty years old when the White Fang and all those anti-Faunus groups are just post notes in a textbook. We've got bigger problems going on, but we can't get past ears and tails." Yang sighed, earning a small, agreeing nod from the other girl.

"So… what brought you over to this booth?" The girl asked, an eyebrow cocked at the younger blonde. "You were wandering around like you were lost earlier."

"Eh, my partner went off for some 'alone time,' so I was trying to see more of the campus." Yang shrugged, then reached down to smack a cardboard sign hanging off the table. "I saw a sign for free brownies and said, 'oh hey, free food.' Then saw you and said, 'oh hey, cute girl.'"

"Ah, came for a treat and a show." The fish Faunus smirked. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm already kinda committed. You'd be a helluva catch if I wasn't." She gave Yang a quick once over showing a lovely, laid back smile.

"Aww, rats." Yang stomped in mock disappointment. "Well, either way, thanks for the food. It was good talking to you."

"It's…" The girl began, but slowed down as she grew embarrassed. "Look, I don't wanna sound like a sap, but it's true. People like you are why I still do this kinda work. It's good knowing that the Faunus aren't all alone. For every ass that comes up with a stupid 'fish fry' line, I get, like, five people like you. That's told me more about the world than my chieftain ever did. Thanks, miss."

"Yang." Yang corrected, smiling at the girl. "And hey, helping people out is why we're all in this business."

"Mhmm. Marina, by the way." At that, Yang let out a snort through her nose, and immediately bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing further. Marina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a real zinger of a name."

"If it makes you feel better, Yang means 'sun.'"

"Apt."

"Yep!"

The two waved their goodbyes as Yang continued her venture across the campus.

It wasn't something Yang thought about a lot, since it didn't pertain to her, but she could sympathize with the desire for rights, and equality. She got along well with her father, and valued him as a parent and a friend, but she wasn't truly free until she was an adult. It wasn't directly comparable–the Faunus were oppressed, not underaged–but that yearning for freedom, to go where she pleased without being questions, it was the start of an understanding.

Yang stopped and turned to look down a hill by the sidewalk towards an open field. A pickup game of soccer had broken out, involving a dozen hunters chasing after the ball while crowds of students encircled an undefined field, whooping and cheering. Yang smirked; it was tempting to run down and hop into the fray and have some fun, but her body was aching… all that exercise was catching up to her, making her slow down, but there was still that craving to exert herself and do something.

Jaune and Ren were both boys, Nora was committed, and Pyrrha was straight… Weiss was off limits, Blake was having 'me time', and the last person on Yang's team was Ruby, whom Yang would choose a full day of barehanded medical waste collection, followed by Ursa Major belly rub duty over sleeping with…

"Damn." Yang mumbled to herself, hands behind her head as she watched the game from above. It was fast-paced, with had lots of people trying to be fancy, but the students were nothing compared to the pro soccer players. Yang turned away, walking away from the chance to show off and get moving again.

Maybe she could find a movie, or a good book to curl up with, and just relax. Or she could review her notes, which would be the smart thing to do…

… But also the boring thing to do. This was the beginning of the end of her education as a huntress! She was in a new place, full of new people to meet and new things to do! She'd spent the whole winter break dreaming of Beacon, of having a taste of freedom. Adults always encouraged her to enjoy being a kid while she had the chance, and she had every intention to!

Just… not when she was nearing the limit. She would sleep well tonight, that she knew for sure.

Silently, she made her way towards the outer edges of Beacon's facilities. Being on the very border between civilization and the wilderness, Beacon was a safe haven that surrounded itself in an entirely-natural beauty, free of the politics of Vale and its growing crime issues. Yang liked staring out at the forests beyond, and listening to the gurgling rivers that encircled the academy.

It reminded her of her house, somewhat. Roomy, isolated, sort of 'one-with-nature', it was zen in its own way. Obviously Beacon was bigger, and filled with more people, but the chattering students and the roaring activity was more like a dull ambience while walking the school perimeter.

It could be overrated. That isolation meant Yang was more than a bike ride away from the nightlife she loved, and it was easy to get lonely, even with an energetic little sister around. Beacon would be different… it had a ton of people, and it was closer to Vale, and the forest was right here if she ever needed some isolation for whatever reason.

Once she had her hunting license, the rest of the world would be open to her. Money would come easy, work would be entertaining, she'd have plenty of people who adored the work she did for them, and she'd get to travel wherever she wished!

With any luck, she'd get to do it with a team of people she adored, too…

She paused as something occurred to her, stopping her in her tracks. Her jaw jut out, and she quietly looked back at the academy, thinking of her sister when a noise stole her attention.

"Hi-yah!" Yang looked back towards the forest as a second cry took her mind off of things. "Hah!" In the fading sunlight, she spotted a familiar blonde boy, out by himself, standing amidst the trees.


Jaune swung Crocea Mors, his sword cutting through the air hard enough to make the grass around him wiggle. He stepped back, slicing at the imaginary pincer of a Deafstreaker, then quickly raced in with his shield raised, sword primed in a stabbing position.

The imaginary scorpion suffered a debilitating cut to the eye, and Jaune braced himself as the invisible stinger skidded across his aura-strengthened shield. It was going to pull back, and in that moment, there'd be a brief second where it couldn't sting again, so…

He skipped left, avoiding a lashing claw, then right, as the next pincer tried for his head. The stinger would be back in position, but now he was in the Doomstriker's face! It wasn't at the right range to sting again, so he'd raise his sword and...

And… and hack through its armor? Jaune relaxed his stance, and stared down at the grass in thought; it took multiple solid blows on top of a cliff to break through its carapace, what could his sword do?

Damn, where were the soft parts of the Darthstinger's body? The underbelly?... So if he just did what he was doing, but instead of rushing its face, he slid underneath… well, if it threw its weight onto him, he could stab it as it crushed him. Or if it died, it would just fall on him. Still, it was a start… sorta.

"Crap." Jaune muttered to himself. He entered his ready stance again. Arms loose, shield at a low angle to reduce strain, yet ready to rise in a second; sword arm higher, ready to lash out and deflect. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, visualizing the opponent…

Two pincers, one stinger, and a buttload of armor; Dreamstabbers were tough, so he needed to find the soft spots. Without a cliff he couldn't create softspots on demand. Unlike his friends, he was lacking in raw strength, a game-changing semblance, blistering speed, or experience. He was behind in approximately everything, and if he was to catch up, he couldn't waste time.

The first blow would come from the stinger, so he raised his shield. Then, knock it aside, to create and opening, rush in, stab—

A vibrant 'twang' made him lower his shield. Standing in front of him with a big grin, Yang held Crocea Mors' tip between two fingers, looking completely casual as she tossed his attempted stab to the side, leaving Jaune to slowly drain of facial color. "Hey dude, lookin' pretty intense."

"Ah…?" Jaune wheezed, looking down at his sword, then at Yang. "Oh my god!" Jaune squeaked in surprise.

"What?" Yang just blinked in confusion.

"I could have killed you!"

"... You… really think so?" Yang tilted her head, putting on an unconvinced smirk.

"I'm so sorry!" Crocea Mors fell to the ground, and Yang rolled her eyes as Jaune hastily inspected her fingers, all while whimpering like a kicked puppy. "I-I didn't see you coming, so—"

Jaune winced as Yang flicked his nose, sending him back a step, then waved her hand in idle concern. "Dude, I'm not stupid enough to step onto a practice range with my Aura down. Chill. Nice thrust though." Yang wiggled the two fingers, giving a cheeky grin.

"Ugh…" Jaune silently glanced down at Crocea Mors. "Still coulda warned me." He muttered. This was not a sword meant to bite into human flesh; Crocea Mors was his legacy in a family of knights and hunters. But to what end? To slay the Grimm, to protect the innocent? That was the stuff Ruby babbled about… It was some nice, wholesome platitudes, but was that what Jaune wanted?

"And ruin the surprise? Pfft-naaaaah." Yang chortled dismissively, but her eyes fell on Jaune. The boy did not respond, merely taking a couple of steps away and stretching his limbs out, to prep for his practice. In a show of goodwill, Yang moved out of range.

"Well, I'm gonna keep going. Don't… don't surprise me again, okay?" Jaune looked to Yang pleadingly, though she just gave him a cocksure grin.

Jaune took practiced steps forward, Crocea Mors slicing through the air after each move. His shout with each strike was loud and effective; Yang could feel the power radiating from his chest. Yet it was... lacking. Each attack was widely telegraphed, the swings were too stiff, and the thrusts used too much elbow.

Yang wasn't a sword-fighter, and the sword-and-board sorts were lacking at Signal as advances in weapon technology encouraged a more offense-is-the-best-defense style of combat using twin weapons or large, two-handed weapons. Shields weren't as fashionable, unless you were Pyrrha Nikos, but there was still a large degree of versatility they offered that many overlooked in favor of a bigger, heavier weapon. Yang had enough insight in basic weapons training to see where Jaune was lacking.

It made her wonder, though; he was here at Beacon fighting like that? It caused Yang's jaw to roll in a slow, thoughtful manner. He was in need of some instruction. It technically wasn't Yang's job to do it, but Ruby liked the guy, and based on how earnestly he presented himself, both before and after his attempts at flirting, he cared more about the girls around him than how they filled out a skirt.

"Hold up one sec!" Yang called out. Jaune nearly stumbled over his own feet as he instinctively complied, and he stood still as Yang strode out, circling around to his right side. He swallowed dryly as the absolute bombshell of a woman examined him, and he couldn't help but look back, but his concentration was broken when her hands closed around his forearm.

"Is, uh, everything okay?" He asked. Yang's strong fingers dug into his arm, clamping around the muscles like a vice, making Jaune instinctively call up his Aura to keep her from accidentally hurting him.

"S'fine. Drop it." She ordered. She heard his sword hit the forest floor, and an amused smirk crossed her face. "I meant your Aura."

"Oh, uh—" Jaune waved his now free right hand, trying to dismiss his Aura while Yang bent over in front of him. He froze, his eyes travelled all over the gorgeous blonde's figure as she took Crocea Mors by the handle. She stood, and Jaune felt his heart hammering as their eyes locked onto each other's.

Weiss may have been at the forefront of his interests, and Yang may have had different priorities in partners, but Jaune couldn't help that surge of warmth that entered his groin. He silently feared that even feeling this way was overstepping his boundaries, but no reprisal came his way as Yang inspected Crocea Mors' make. "Simple little thing, isn't she?"

"H-huh?" Jaune's dazed look broke as Yang rested Mors' blade across one hand. "Who? Her? My sword?" He blinked rapidly, and Yang bit back a laugh.

"Eyes on the prize, big guy. Yeah, your sword. She's nice, just simple." Yang lifted Crocea Mors in her right hand, and laid the blade across her shoulder. She held such a calm, casual stance that she didn't look like a hunter; she looked like she was posing for a photoshoot. "Though simple ain't bad; some people try way too hard with their weapons."

"Yeah, sure, I can imagine." Jaune hesitantly took a step forward, reaching for his sword. Yang didn't move to hand it back, and a spell of awkwardness made him slow as his fingertips brushed her knuckles. It was the last thing he remembered before he found himself lying flat on his back, the Aura in front of his stomach shining as sympathetic pain wracked his body.

He fluttered his eyes, sucking in a deep breath as he clutched his aching front, sitting up with a groan. Yang hadn't… she wouldn't have, would she? He looked up at her, where the gorgeous blonde's fist was still balled where she'd hit him, and only retracted when Jaune stared at her. She had. "Yang, what the hell?!" He demanded, standing up quickly, ignoring the ache in his belly. "Give me my sword!" He ordered in his big brother voice, but being a fellow older sibling, Yang was immune to anything but little sister guilt.

"You want it? You gotta earn it." Yang stated, Mors idly bouncing on her shoulder's Aura. She watched his movements with hawk-like precision as his confusion turned to frustration, his frustration into anger, and his anger into movement. His right arm reared back, his fingers stretched out, his left arm bringing his shield to bear, and his knees bent.

Predictable.

He threw himself towards her, his hand only just starting to extend when Yang moved. She crossed underneath his arm, moving to his left side, and his head turned in surprise to watch her. Her left fist lashed out with zero warning, too quick for him to react, and he nearly fell on his face as the sound of her Aura-guarded fist slammed loudly into his shield.

He caught himself on one foot, stumbling to keep his balance, and he whirled to face Yang, his lips peeled back in anger. "Yang, that is my weapon! I need it to practice!" He was starting to shout. He walked stiffly over to her. His right hand twitched, his left arm raised; he was expecting a fight.

Good.

His right hand thrust out to grab the blonde and keep her still, but she was gone before his hand was even raised. He whirled around, chasing her as she skipped an actual circle around him. His hand reached out, again and again, trying to grab her, any part of her, but she ducked, spun, and dodged with extraordinary ease.

Each and every time he tried, her fist planted against his shield, making him quiver at the loud 'clang' of knuckle on steel. He had no time to react either; her fist was like lightning, he never saw the start-up, and he only knew it was coming because she attacked whenever she dodged, targeting his shield and his shield alone.

She was taunting him, and he could feel himself growing angrier. She was dodging him before he could even try and grab her, and even when he incorporated his shield, trying to stun her, she stayed perfectly untouched, and each and every single time she slugged his shield, always keeping his sword just out of reach.

"Damnit, Yang!" Jaune tried to rush her while trying to keep his footwork loose so he wouldn't fall over, but she slid a foot forward, stepped in, and he stopped the instant before he ate a knuckle sandwich.

He reared back in shock, Yang's fist caressing the tip of his chin. He'd seen the step in, but he wasn't able to register it and react in time before she struck. She could have easily sent him flying, but she'd stopped.

After a few seconds, Jaune finally got the feeling in his legs back. He stumbled back unsteadily, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and stared at Yang. His fellow blonde retreated into her casual stance as Jaune eyed her, wondering what she was trying to accomplish, when without warning she threw herself at him.

Jaune gasped as his shield rang, the force of her fist sent him sliding back. He barely caught himself from falling flat on his back as Yang sauntered up to him.

He was angry, he was surprised, he was all around put-out, but even still he couldn't stop himself from watching the way her hips rocked as she approached him. Much more calmly, Yang lifted her left hand and set a finger on his nose. "You're slow." She told him factually.

"What?!" Jaune said in surprise, finally jerked out of the surrealness of what had just occurred. "You assaulted me!" He pointed out to her, slapping her hand out of his face with an angry frown. "What are you doing, Yang?! I should tell Ruby!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Yang held her hand up defensively, putting on a serious expression. "Let's not get drastic here. I was trying to teach you a lesson. In that whole little thing I put you through, did you manage to touch me? Like at all?"

"Well—"

"No, the answer's no."

"I think I might've accidentally elbowed your boob…"

"Cherish it." Yang ordered flatly, but then relaxed. She held her left hand up, curled into a fist. "You have a lot of problems with your form. You might have the power–" Her fist whipped past his ear and back to normal so fast, he only recognized the sound of it, "–but you're lacking in speed and control. Any opponent you come at with those moves is going to be able to read you like a book."

"If I had my sword, I could get faster." Jaune pointed out in an annoyed tone, but Yang's eyes flashed a bloody red, so he zipped his lips.

"Let me show you something." As she spoke, she planted Crocea Mors blade-first into the ground between Jaune's feet, making him flinch. Yang moved to Jaune's right, raising her fists and focusing on the air in front of her.

"Think of your arm like a gun: your fist is the bullet, your forearm's the hammer. Your fist'll hit whatever you're looking at if you trust your forearm. So here's what you do: relax your wrist, your fingers, and your elbow; don't tense up or you'll be off-angle." Yang's hand moved loosely at the end of her arm. "Only firm up as you strike. This is important, even with a sword. Otherwise, hitting the dude'll knock your sword out of your hand, and nothing's more embarrassing than disarming yourself."

"Speaking from experience?" Jaune asked. Despite himself, he listened. He pulled Mors from the ground and did as she did. His family sword wove through the air like a wand, making indistinct, invisible patterns with the tip.

"Ha! You wish! But now…" Yang rolled her shoulder, grinning to herself. "Put all that strength into your forearm. Trust your eye, trust your arm. While you're at it, throw your body into it too. Step into the hit, swing as if you're gonna cut through your opponent, and never hesitate." And just like that, she threw a simple, clean jab, one that may have very well have been a bullet for all Jaune saw.

"You make it sound so easy." Jaune mumbled. He tried to reconcile Yang's words with his uncle's training. His uncle had been a good teacher, or so he'd assumed, but this was much more clinical. His uncle was a big 'feel, don't think' type, it seemed like Yang put more thought into how she punched… "Y'know, I never pegged you for the sort to think so much about punching."

Yang stood back as Jaune stepped forward with a simple, powerful, horizontal slice. It came at a bad angle, and lost control near the end, so Jaune needed an extra couple of precious seconds to get back into position, but he tried again. Closer… "Blame my dad. He went and studied hand-to-hand combat in Mistral before me and Ruby were born. We fight like we're off the streets, but there's some real technique behind it."

"Well, this isn't exactly hand-to-hand…" The next slice cut through the air, enough to make a visible ripple from the speed. Jaune froze at the end of his swing, blinking. He readied up again, the feeling of that moment–of that slice–playing through his mind. It had felt good. Powerful, fast, but his next one wasn't anywhere near as clean. His arm was too tense; he had to loosen up. He just… had to learn how to do that. He looked over to Yang. She probably knew, but he couldn't keep running to others for help. He was a hunter, from a long line of hunters, from a bloodline of knights; he could figure it out. It was in his blood, after all.

Watching Jaune train himself was genuinely interesting. He moved like a rookie but swung with conviction. There was a need in his attacks, he wasn't settling for the half-hearted, loose-swings brought on by his tiredness and frustration, it's only when he made a cut that wouldn't look out of place in Beacon did he seem satisfied, and even then, he carried on with it. It reminded Yang of Ruby, back when she'd first created Crescent Rose, spending the long hours of the afternoon getting each swing just right.

Yang lounged back against a tree, arms behind her head, watching in curiosity as Jaune rested his hands on his knees and panted. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, and forced himself upright, sword and shield primed and ready. Yang cracked a small smile as he focused on the empty space in front of him, then frowned as he faltered, dropping to one knee.

Jaune wordlessly punched the ground. He wasn't done yet, even if his body was trying to tell him otherwise. He'd be happy once he knew he could take that Darthstreamer one on one, he just needed a moment…

He glanced up when a weight settled on his shoulder, and he followed the hand up to Yang's face. The blonde beauty fixed him with a smile, and Jaune felt his heart flutter, and then found himself on his back, thrown to the ground with a simple pull of her hand. Jaune's eyes fluttered as he watched the darkening sky above, and he glanced at Yang in quiet shock as she plopped down next to him, legs crossed.

"... Are you this rough on Ruby?" Jaune asked in worry, his limbs stretching out. They burned, but relief flooded him as he finally relaxed. He let go of Crocea Mors, and both sword and shield rest in the grass as Yang shrugged.

"Only when she screws up. Part of why she's such a little ass-kicker now." Yang leaned back, resting on her arms as Jaune remained silent. His cheek twitched as he subtly eyed the swell of her chest from this angle, and pushed down the bubbling annoyance towards Yang's sexuality.

In the moment of his training, concentrating was easy, but no matter how many times he looked, Yang's good looks seemed to taunt him. He swallowed thickly, and sighed. "Makes sense." Life was unfair sometimes, but he wasn't about to betray his feelings or, even worse, chase after somebody who couldn't feel the same. Still, they at least shared an interest, it wasn't like her desires were totally alien. In fact… "Hey, Yang?"

"'Sup?"

"You're successful with girls, right?"

"Gay ones, yeah." Yang answered with a cheeky smirk.

Jaune gave an embarrassed smile. "How do you do it?"

"Easy! See, you wanna start with the ears or the neck, get all kissy, make 'em pant and sweat, then you get your hand up in-"

"Not that!" Jaune slapped Yang's forearm, drawing a loud, happy cackle from her. Jaune rubbed his blushing cheeks, and continued. "Damnit Yang… okay, look. How do you get them to… y'know… like you?"

Yang was still grinning, but she contemplated her answer a little longer than not at all. She relaxed, and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have a good answer. Usually, I just show them I'm interested. Go up and talk to them, find what they're interested in, compliment the way they look. Gotta do it with some confidence… and girls like cheesy. Throw out a wink or two, just watch 'em melt. Otherwise, everybody's different, there's no one thing everybody likes. Except, like, being alive, but that's edging into some illegal territory..."

"Uh-huh…" Just like his family had said, again and again. Confidence confidence confidence… maybe he needed to try harder? 'Fake it 'til you make it' was a thing, apparently. He sighed thickly; where did you find actual, for real confidence? In being good at something? Yang was plenty good, it seemed, and she was plenty confident… she could have been a model or something, and Jaune definitely would have kept a picture of her on his wall if she was, but no, she chose to be a huntress...

Like he did. Like Pyrrha did. Like Ruby, Weiss, Nora, and Ren did...

"Hey, Yang?" Jaune asked as his fingers found a leaf to rub between his fingertips nervously as the heart-stopper by his side glanced at him. "Why do you…? Hrm…"

"Hrmm?"

"Um, err, like… why are you a hunter?" He looked up at her, but she had turned away. "Like, what's being a hunter mean to you?" She was staring straight ahead, a small, curious smile on her lips.

"To me? It means never having to worry about a thing." Yang sighed, not sounding boastful. If anything, there was a hope in her voice that made Jaune scrunch his brow in confusion. "Sounds stupid, right? But it's the truth. I like to fight. Best way to fight is by being a hunter. Hunters make money, so I can buy whatever I want. People like hunters and want them around, so I can go wherever I want. The hunter's code has easy rules to follow, and I'm not a dick, so it's not like any city's going to have a problem with me." It meant being strong enough that her family would be safe. She'd be strong enough that nobody could walk out of the door suddenly and disappear forever. She'd be strong enough that the two most important people she had could sleep soundly, knowing she'd return to help them…

"You sound like you were born for this sorta thing." Jaune smirked.

Yang smiled back. "Sorta, yeah." It wasn't the whole truth. She also wanted freedom from the responsibility of trying to mend a broken family, now that it was healed; to escape a place that held some of her worst nightmares. She wanted that carefree happiness she'd only gotten a taste of in the past few years. The thought of it was making her stomach flip, and a guilt gnawed at her. It was time to stop thinking. "Okay…"

Jaune looked as Yang stood up and stretched, arms behind her head as she thrust her chest out and took a deep breath. She crossed her arms and spoke like a drill sergeant. "Getcher ass up and grab your toothpick, Jaune. You ain't done until you're crawling back to the dorm one-handed."

"... Eh?" He fluttered his lashes, and let out an unmanly shriek as he was unceremoniously yanked to his feet.


"So a picture of your eyes isn't harmful?" Weiss was ever the picture of grace, even with beads of sweat dripping off her chin; she stayed upright, a hand over her chest as she breathed rapidly to soothe her aching lungs.

"That's what Proff- D-Dr. Oobleck said." Ruby confirmed as the latest tendrils of shadow slithered away from the latest victim of Weiss's practice; the boarbatusk had been slain so quickly by Weiss's now well trained flourish that neither of them had gotten the opportunity to feel threatened. Ruby called and Weiss slayed, the Boarbatusks steadily becoming less and less of a threat.

As the slaying the Grimm became less of an obstacle Weiss grew exponentially better; she was no longer afraid of them, and her Aura was that much more sturdy as a result. Even the few that caught her off guard rarely left little more than a ding in her armor, and Ruby noted proudly that Weiss was looking like one hell of a huntress.

"Then it shouldn't be terribly difficult to introduce people to the–hmm–concept of your eyes. A simple scroll picture will at least prepare them for the view; whether or not they decide to react rationally to the whole fear aspect is a different matter." Weiss held her arm out for the next Boarbatusk, but Ruby noted, with a frown, that the girl's stance wavered, and Weiss had to lower her blade with a wince.

"The Headmaster was pretty, um… h-he gave me orders not to reveal my eyes whatsoever. I-I really don't think it's a good idea at all to… I dunno…" Ruby slowly walked over to her partner, her fingers squeezed tightly together. "Even i-if it helps, I'd be disobeying orders."

Yang would have dismissed the line of logic with a snort and called it stupid, but Weiss gave a small, understanding sigh, her jaw rolling slowly. "Still, it's a step in the right direction. Doctor Oobleck's research might open that possibility up in the future."

"... You're not gonna fight me on it?" Ruby asked tentatively, standing in front of her partner with a small, curious look.

Weiss simply looked confused, "why would I? They're the headmaster's orders; until they endanger us or become too cumbersome, I see no reason to break the rules."

Ruby nodded and took Weiss by the wrist. The urge to pull away from this sudden, unasked-for touch made Weiss stiffen, but she silently granted Ruby permission, provided it stayed appropriate. She followed Ruby's gaze down to her own fingers, which she noticed were trembling.

"I'm okay." Weiss said with a small sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Combat still makes me shaky, I'll admit, but it's nothing to be concerned about. It's just nerves and excitement, so don't—" Weiss's voice caught in her throat as Ruby gently curled Weiss's fingers into a fist, then wrapped her hands around the girl's shaking digits. "Ruby, this is unnecessary, it'll go away on its own." Weiss insisted.

Ruby had cool hands, helping ease the rush of blood to her fingertips, soothing the immense heat that had built up as a result of Weiss's training. Weiss swallowed thickly, her uncomfortable expression tinged red as Ruby silently let her go. "There," Ruby nodded. "All better."

"That was unnecessary." Weiss muttered, staring at her hand, noting that her fingers had stopped shaking. She let her arm hang by her side to take her mind off it, and shook her head. What a ridiculous thing to get worked up about, the both of them. Weiss was fine; she didn't need her hand held, and such simple, physical contact shouldn't have put her off her footing so much… "Ahem, anyway, this was an excellent way for us to train. We should seriously consider other applications of your power in future training."

"M-maybe…" Ruby's voice trailed off, looking away from Weiss as the heiress made a move for the door.

"Let's head back, shall we? I could use a small snack before bed." Ruby did not see it, but Weiss had a naughty smile on her face. Snacks before bed? It would ruin her figure! It was irresponsible and gluttonous! Such travesty! Such rebellion! Weiss had to hide a small giggle as she opened the door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ruby still standing in the middle of the room. "Ruby?"

"Oh, uh, yeah…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head, her other hand tightly squeezing Crescent Rose's pole. "Um, y-you can go ahead w-without me, Weiss." She tried to offer a calming smile, but it only came off as nervous. "I'm going to do some p-pr-practicing of my own."

"Oh!" Weiss sighed softly, turning to better face Ruby. "I'm sorry, I took up the entire time fighting Boarbatusks." She hefted Myrtenaster up, but Ruby raised her hand and shook her head.

"I-it's alright. Y-you can go get s-snacks, I won't be super l-long. I d-don't want to be rusty for to-tomorrow's combat c-class." Ruby's nervous smile continued, and Weiss evaluated her for a second longer. A small frown crossed Weiss's face.

"Ruby, I am your partner, I am supposed to help you." A tightness crossed Weiss's lips, and her stare hardened on Ruby. "You do trust me, don't you?"

"I-I do! I do!" Ruby's face went pale at the implication, and her shoulders drooped, a sigh escaping her. "B-but… I-I need a," she gulped, "like, just a minute or s-something b-by myself. Y'know? P-practicing w-was sorta m-me time. I-I'm sorry, that s-sounds selfish, I—"

"Save it." Weiss ordered, Myrtenaster's point lowering as Weiss sighed. "I understand. Take the time you need, but you either contact me or come straight to the dorm room when curfew—no!" Weiss interrupted herself with a huff, "An hour before curfew. I don't want to have to rush around campus trying to find you if you get lost, so don't you dare make me impatient, understood?" Weiss planted her hands on her hips. Ruby gave her a rapid, stiff nod, alongside her nervous smile. "Good. Take your time, Ruby."

With that, Weiss slipped out the door, leaving Ruby to herself.

Herself, and her pool of monsters.

"Keep your arms low and your core firm."

Ruby swallowed thickly as she remembered her uncle's words. Crescent's Rose's cold, sharp tip dug into the floor, scraping against the hardened tile with a gentle, yet threatening, noise.

"Hear that sound, pipsqueak? Does it scare you? It should."

Slowly, Crescent Rose cut a thin, barely perceptible line through the floor as Ruby dragged the tip in a circle, the noise growing in volume until it reach her other side. Once her arms had reached the limit of her flexibility, and the noise had ceased, Crescent Rose began to spin.

"Hundreds ofwell, actually, maybe even thousands-a' years ago, the scythe was a symbol of death; used to lop off heads and take souls. That sound, and the one I'm about to show you, is scratched into the soul of every living being on Remnant. When they hear it, they can't help but be scared."

Ruby spun Crescent Rose, much like a baton twirler, but rather than being accompanied by streamers and music, the red blur of her weapon created the noise of hissing steel. It scraped the floor, it disturbed the air, the violently whirling weapon, mixed with Ruby's slow but ceaseless spin in place, made for a haunting defense.

"I know it ain't in you to hurt people, pipsqueak, but Grimm aren't the only dangerous thing out there. Hell, they ain't even the worst. Sometimes, your best bet to beating up a buncha upjumped punks is to scare the hell out of them before you rip 'em apart. After all, aura's greatest weakness is fear…"

The sound reverberated through the room. It was a comforting noise, one that left Ruby with a nostalgic feeling of the day she had first gotten the movements right, how that noise had suddenly flooded from her and changed her world. It had been her first step of actual progression in her scythe training, one she still relied on to this day…

"Grimm don't feel fear like people, but they're also dumber. Don't think of this as 'I'm just going to hurt people doing this.' You wanna be a hero, right? Well, sometimes, the coolest things heroes do are the scariest too."

The spinning wheel of death suddenly lashed out, a low-angled strike, from hip to shoulder, too quick to be seen by the untrained eye, too strong to be blocked by an unprepared arm, and almost instantly retracted into a another death spin.

"One day, you're going to have to face people, hunters. It's a fact of life that every herd of sheep has at least one wolf pulling the wool over our eyes, and sheep by sheep, they're going to snap 'em up. We're shepherds, Ruby, we kill the wolves threatening our flock… even the ones wearing our wool."

Ruby swallowed thickly. Time and time again her uncle had hammered home that Grimm weren't even the worst problem humanity had. Ruby wanted to disagree, but the history books made it clear that the worst crimes ever committed against mankind were perpetuated by mankind. The Grimm were dangerous, yes, but not deceitful, not liars, not kings, or premiers, or archbishops or—

"You can't be scared of it, Ruby. You can feel sad later, but sometimes the call has to be made. Sometimes you have to corner a wolf as they pull that wool as tight around them as they can, and then you gotta pull the trigger. It ain't fun, but it's reality. Hate the Grimm all you want, but until a person makes it their mission to make your life hell, you won't know true hate."

Ruby stopped mid-spin, Crescent Rose's blade slamming into the tile as she did. She took a few, deep, unsteady breaths and clenched her fist as she stared ahead. Enough of that. Enough thinking about people. It was making her blood boil, making her worry and afraid. They… the ones below, they could feel her losing her grip on things. She had loosened her grip and got stuck on a bad thought, and they were ready to pour out.

They craved escape, more than anything, so that could wet their teeth and claws in her blood and rampage through the school, bringing misery and slaughter to the place of their oldest enemies. Clicking claws tried to pull at the back of her mind, but Ruby did not obey.

… Not… completely, anyways.

"What you got ain't a gift, it's a curse. Only you can stop yourself from falling into it, so no matter what you do, if you want to live, you have to overcome. You gotta be stronger than even me, pipsqueak, so prove to me that all these lessons aren't a mistake."

For a brief time, the Grimm had been useful. Ruby hated to admit it–they were monsters, the greatest enemies of mankind–but Weiss had made use of them.

A trail of ink spread from the soles of her feet, forming a jagged tendril across the ground, which spread across the floor, stopping at around ten feet. The circle began to open, the gate unlocking, the veil lifting, and the pool expanded.

Ruby stood firmly as a misshapen figure began to rise. She had complete control. It was just a Grimm. A completely normal Beowolf…

Dripping the excess darkness, a quivering claw emerged from the blobby form, white claws slashing the air as the Beowolf pulled itself from its prison. Its claws slammed into the floor, and slowly the rest began to emerge as it released a perilous snarl.

A totally normal Beowolf… not like the one in the forest, not like the Nevermore, not like the thing that had nearly killed her and eaten her—

Ruby took a step back, gasping in shock as the muddied shape of the Beowolf threw out a pair of enormous wings, feathers twitching unnaturally as the shadow slid down its face, revealing not the bone-white mask of a savage wolf, but a beak and the piercing, intelligent eyes of a raven.

"N-no…" Ruby whispered. Her knees were beginning to tremble. That was not what she wanted! She'd called for a Beowolf! She was losing control, she could feel sweat forming, she could feel weakness spreading across her limbs, she had to keep control—

A second claw lashed out, joining the first, and the mutant Grimm hauled itself from the pool. The pitch-black wings gave a thunderous flap, shedding sharpened pinions all over the floor; the beak spread to let loose a rumbling, choked 'caw'; the Beowolf's torso and claws pulled it further out of the puddle, revealing the back legs to be the clicking talons of a Nevermore.

It stood on all fours, hunched over like a gorilla, those intelligent, hungry eyes focused on Ruby. Pale and frightened, the girl stared back at the eight-foot monster that dragged itself towards her. It was bigger than the Grimm she had summoned before, far more intimidating, flexing a long, slender tail topped with a golden, thorned bulb, whose stringer dripped a black, effluvial toxin.

Flashbacks of being tossed about and just barely pulling herself to safety went through Ruby's head. She would be a toy again, something to sit in the monster's belly and die alone and in pain…

Crescent Rose's tip trembled against the floor as the hybrid lurched towards her, crying out for blood, barely able to keep its footing with its disfigured body. Its claws reached out for her, those boney points aiming for her face, its trundling movements bringing it ever closer and closer.

She had to fight back. She had to move. It would kill her if she didn't! Crescent Rose raised behind her, and she felt the tip of those claws scraped against her aura as it encircled her head. No no no no no…

She couldn't die, she couldn't lose.

She had to call Weiss before curfew!

The hybrid let out a surprised squawk as the portal expanded below it, and a massive talon lurched out, grabbing ahold of its midsection. From the new pool, the Nevermore's leg rose high, carrying the murderous Grimm into the air, away from Ruby, while the mutant shrieked and clawed, trying to regain its freedom. Without so much as a warning, the hybrid was slammed into the floor, the summoned leg pinning it to the ground while furiously squeezing, crushing it so tightly that the hybrid's wings cracked painfully.

Ruby felt a resurgence of energy. She had to act now; she couldn't be caught off guard again, that was how they got you! She dashed forward, Crescent Rose spinning around her as the hybrid twisted and squirmed, trying to force its captor to loosen its grip, but then those furious eyes locked onto Ruby. It let out one final cry of rage, trying to lunge its beak for one final, contemptuous stab, but the hiss of steel ended its attempted rampage.

Ruby panted, watching the odd mutant melt into the floor to rejoin the massive claw she had summoned. The enormous limb drew back into the puddle. As quickly as it had started, the moment had ended. The Grimm were gone, the portal closed, and the snapping in the back of Ruby's mind louder than ever.

They had come close. So close...

Ruby held a hand over her face, her lips thin and tight, her eyes squeezing shut as emotion threatened to overwhelm her. She was here to be a hunter; summoning these monsters only hurt her. She was already walking on thin ice. Any given moment was a chance for them to escape and rampage; to slaughter her peers and prove her greatest fears right.

Was she really going to help people?... That was all she wanted; to make up for… this…

A loud buzz, followed by the dulcet tones of a quiet, mournful guitar shook Ruby out of her hazy worry, and her hand slipped into her hip pouch to pull out her scroll. She stared at the screen, blinking away the fright she had just experienced, staring at the words:

[Where are you?]

Ruby fluttered her eyelids, taking a second to confirm that the message was from Yang, and she pushed down her shame and terror to type back.

[Practice.]

[That's my girl. Wanna get ice cream?]

[I'm not done yet.]

[Sucks to be you, I'm getting ice cream.]

[... I'm supposed to practice…]

[But ICE CREAM.]

[Last one to the cafeteria is a filthy boy-lover!]

[:)]

One day, Ruby would have to kill Grimm outside of the classroom, and one day… she might have to fight another hunter for real, but she had somebody to lean on in the meantime. Actually… she had quite a few people to lean on, but the best of them was her older sister.

She felt bad that she was sorta lying to Weiss about practice, but… ice cream…


The door clicked open, and Blake hastily slid her journal into her pillowcase as she heard footsteps coming in. She had to silence the inner alarm bells going off at the possibility of an intruder, but she was still on edge as she sat up and looked down on Weiss from the top of her bunk.

"Hello Blake." Weiss nodded up at her team-and-roommate as she walked over to her own bunk, carrying a small styrofoam clamshell container in one hand. In the other was Myrtenaster, though carried in a walking cane grip to indicate ease.

"Hey." Blake responded, her skin still crawling. The possibility of being caught with her secret journal, especially by Weiss, made her inwardly hiss, but she had nothing to fear right now. Weiss seemed unconcerned with what Blake had been up to, and Blake was fed-up with her own paranoia about the girl.

Weiss plopped onto her mattress, setting Myrtenaster next to her as she opened the clamshell with a big grin. Blake watched, mystified as Weiss hungrily ate carrot sticks with a sneaky glee, but rather than be annoyed with the confusion, Blake found it endearing. It reminded her of when she'd sneak some of the Fang rookies a little extra food from the pot when they were having a bad day, how they'd suddenly act like they had the world in their palms.

Sometimes, food was all it took to bring somebody out of a bad mood. Blake appreciated the sentiment. It was one that both species could share.

The container was set aside, and before Weiss took hold of Myrtenaster, she used a handkerchief hidden in her sash to wipe her hands clean. With one thumb on the release switch, the other spun the dust revolver that made her weapon so personally iconic.

A turn of a small, hidden switch, and a gentle tug separated the blade from the hilt, allowing her to twist out the revolver chamber. Blake watched as Weiss scrambled to grab a towel from the bathroom to rest the disassembled pieces of her weapon on, and, using a toolkit clearly designed with Myrtenaster in mind, began to care for her weapon.

The blade would hardly be damaged if Weiss's Aura did its job, and judging by how quickly the Schnee evaluated the pointy end, Blake was correct. However, tending to the dust chambers seemed to be on the forefront of Weiss's priorities. Manually checking Dust levels, inspecting the loading springs, careful cleaning, and assessing the cause of any leakages, Weiss was enormously thorough, with incredibly steady hands. She would have made for a fine lockpicker or camp technician.

Blake banished the thought as it passed through her head. A Schnee in the White Fang? Utterly absurd! Adam would have had her—

Blake winced, slinking away from the edge of her bed to rest in the middle. She knew exactly what would have happened, and the thought perturbed her. There was a time, long ago, when she would have considered whether or not Weiss deserved it. Even now, she considered what the White Fang were set to gain with a Schnee captive, especially one as well-known and influential as Weiss, but there'd be no honor, no restraint, and no care.

She liked to think of the short term gains and the long term advantages the group would benefit from. Having probably the most visible and popular of the Schnees as a hostage—a pampered hostage—would give the White Fang clout and force the SDC into a compromising position. After all, how could they abandon one of their most publicly-acclaimed spokespeople?

Pampered was the keyword there: if the world saw Weiss as beaten and disheveled, they would not be interested in compromise, but revenge. The White Fang had to present itself as daring, dangerous, and calculating, but not as violent and savage. Certain precautions had to be taken if they wanted humanity to see them as noble freedom fighters with the ability to compromise.

But if the public saw them as unreasonably dangerous, then they were due to be exterminated. If they saw people who treated their captives well and called for change, not ransom, then sympathies would abound.

But, these days, Adam was not interested in creating sympathy, talking points, or equality through politics. He had grown comfortable killing humans. Blake knew the necessity of violence for self-defense and infiltration, but killing people? Even before she got to meet Weiss in person, the thought of killing the girl or her father left made her stomach clench and her heart feeling heavy.

She'd heard several reports about Schnees from the branch families being killed by the White Fang in self-defense, and though a number of her comrades had celebrated it, it always left Blake feeling off for the rest of the day. They were fighting for liberation, but no one Schnee was wholly responsible for the Faunus plight, no one Schnee was the embodiment of oppression and evil…

… At least one could humble herself, strive to teach, and make efforts to learn.

"Weiss?" Blake's voice surprised even herself. She hadn't expected to be the first to make conversation, even if she expected conversation to happen.

"Hmm?" Weiss responded as she carefully scraped and wiped away Dust imprints around the release valve of each cylinder.

"Do you think we have a purpose?" Blake asked, watching the ceiling.

Her only response for what felt like a long time was the tinkling of metal and the brush of cloth. Blake turned her head to look over at Weiss, who was examining the dust revolver carefully, adding more dust to the chambers that needed it. "I believe…" Weiss finally spoke, slowly, her appraising eye fixated unblinkingly on her equipment, pausing only long enough to finish, "… It's to grow."

To grow… "Explain?" Blake more ordered than asked, watching Weiss carefully reassemble Myrtenaster.

"Nobody is ever truly happy with who they are and what they have." Weiss did as she was told, putting Myrtenaster through its mechanical paces, and adjusting whatever flaws she saw. "We all want more. Money, power, land, and so on, so we figure out what we want and work towards it, every day that we're alive."

"So…" Blake focused her full attention on Weiss now, her bow subtly shifting to hear the girl in full, "You aren't truly satisfied being Weiss Schnee? Possibly the richest girl in the world?"

"Oh I'm rich, but that doesn't mean I don't want more." Weiss lifted her blade, and sighed contently as she, for the moment, found it utterly flawless.

"More riches?"

"More everything." Weiss corrected. "I have money, but I want to be strong, as a hunter and a chief executive officer. I want to be smarter, too, to know as much as the world has to offer me. I'm also hoping to grow at least two more inches before my next birthday…" Weiss glanced down at her feet, where she wore a pair of simple flats. Her typical combat heels added those two inches, and Blake only just noticed the difference. It thrilled her.

"If you say so, short-stuff." Blake put on a small grin, to which Weiss shot her an extraordinary pout.

"I am a very reasonable height, but it's proven that taller people have a natural charismatic bonus in leadership positions!"

"By that logic, you should be scrambling when I say 'Get me some fish and come feed me.'"

Weiss let out a loud, exhausted groan, and raised a finger of warning towards Blake. "I am going to go put my weapon in storage before you say something that puts it in your gut!" With that, Weiss left, leaving Blake with a small, satisfied smile… Yes, that adorable, pouting little brat was certainly the face of terror among the Faunus.

Blake had long learned how to tell an empty warning from a legitimate threat, and Weiss exuded all the danger of a well-groomed rabbit. There was nothing to fear from her, no reason to hurt her… though, a dangerous, youthful part of Blake told her that teasing wasn't hurting...

Weiss returned just a few minutes later from the dorm's locker-exchange, striding in with her chin held high, her shoulders squared, and her spine straightened, trying to look as large and imposing as possible. However, in the same way a house cat's fear response simply drew amused smiles from their owners, Weiss's posturing only made Blake grin, and crunch loudly.

The heiress didn't catch on immediately, going straight to her bed and scanning it carefully. Only a second crunch drew Weiss's eye, and Blake waved down at her as she swallowed thickly. "You didn't." Weiss snarled, puffing up with all the indignation of a startled tabby.

"You can't leave food unguarded in the wild, Weiss. Wild animals will be all over it." Blake reached into Weiss's box of carrot sticks and held one up, bringing it close to her mouth.

Weiss seethed, raising her fists in a promise of violence as her eyes grew wide with ice-blue rage. "Y-You thief! You lowest of the low! Return my snacks to me at once, and mayhaps I won't visit revenge and r-r-ruin upon you!"

Blake could only stare. Did she seriously roll her r's? Oh, the princess was getting upset, and it was adorable. The way she stomped her feet, held her hand out, and tightened her lips like she was the most dangerous thing in the room. "Hm…" Blake stared at the carrot stick in her hand. "I dunno, it's the last one."

"Blake…"

"It's pretty thick. Juicy lookin' too."

"Don't you taunt me, Blake, or I will—" Weiss cut herself short with an enraged gasp, watching her teammate chew slowly and contently through the dripping veggie stick. The black haired beauty's eyes closed slowly as she popped the rest in her mouth, and let out a moan of hedonistic contentment that left Weiss red in the face. "You–you hussy!"

"C'mon princess, let it all out." Blake cooed through a tactical opening between her lips, then swallowed the carrot mash on her tongue.

"That is it!" Weiss threw her pointer finger out. "For this transgression, you are hereby banned from my notes for the rest of the week!" Weiss's overly dramatic tantrum could have only been made more perfect by a crack of lightning, but Blake was not blessed with such fortune.

"Oh." Blake monotoned, a hand over her heart. "Whatever shall I do? None of Weiss Schnee's fancy notes? I guess I'll have to make do with my own." Blake grinned, stretching out on her bed, idly flicking the open lid to the carrot sticks' container.

"It's important to get your knowledge from multiple perspectives! After all, I am likely the second most, if not the most, knowledgeable about Dust in the school! I know everything and then some about the Schnee-Xing manafication process! I left a nice tidbit all about the Menagerie Geometric Dust Super-Compaction theory, and you'll never get to read it." Weiss said with a smugness only a Schnee could muster.

Blake, meanwhile, snorted. "So? Sounds boring."

"It's not boring!" Weiss whined, tilted forward as her voice raised. "It's an exemplary theory about the probability of Dust refining and purifying over centuries of untouched pressure and heat that would–" Snap, crunch… "–completely… you told me you ate the last one!"

Blake slowly chewed the carrot stick she pulled from the box, and smirked. "I lied." She stated bluntly, reaching for the box again.

Weiss hastily snatched it from Blake's bunk, denying the mischievous young lady her continued theft, examining the contents carefully as Blake hid a snicker. "You—!" Weiss pointed to Blake, her face red, her eyes wide, her lips pale, and her posture rigid. "I thought Ruby was bad, but no, I thought Yang was bad, but no! You! You! You, Blake! You are the most irritating, frustrating, aggravating, meddlesome, maniacal, manipulative, machiavellian jerk! How DARE YOU—"

Weiss suddenly found herself face to face with Blake as the taller girl hopped off her bed, wearing an expression like she'd just cornered a mouse. Weiss's voice caught in her throat, and the red in her face turned to white as Blake leaned in, hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. Weiss had the urge–and felt every justification–to throw Blake off and slug her, but something about the way Blake's eyes sparkled, her breathtaking little smile, those full, pinkish lips…

"You're cute as hell when you're mad, Weiss." Blake whispered.

A noise escaped Weiss, not unlike a dying balloon animal asking a question, and any tension in her frame collapsed as she stared at Blake with the most awkwardly confused look on her face.

Blake snickered and stood up straight, pulling her hands to her hips. Weiss had the very reaction she expected, if not more over-the-top. It was mostly normal, entirely human. Weiss was the daughter and public face of the company that profited the most off Faunus labor, but Weiss herself was not the enemy. She was just a girl, like Blake. Their circumstances, their races, and their motivations were different… but as far as Blake could see, Weiss Schnee was a good girl.

Blake flicked her hair towards the exit, an easy smile on her face. "Let's go hit up the cafeteria one more time and grab a pizza. My treat." Blake sauntered out the door, leaving Weiss just standing place, watching after her with an enormous amount of energy and a clot in her ability to think.

"But… the food's covered by tuition…?" Weiss finally offered, long after Blake had already disappeared from view. Without another word, Weiss lurched forward, her brain managing to think at a thousand miles an hour while simultaneously going nowhere.


A half-eaten slice of cooling cheese pizza sat on a napkin by Ruby's side, her goggles hanging from a 'student procured' hook on the wall behind her, the curtain around her bed drawn tightly, and a big, open novel resting in front of her, lit only by a small pen light. Beacon, for all of its residents, both young and old, for its dozens of facilities, purported activities, and preparation for future events, quickly fell to near silence past curfew.

Near silence, comparatively. Ruby's well-tuned ears picked up on the shuffling of feet from multiple dorms above, the distant thrum of some beat down below–followed by it shutting off as somebody ordered them into bed–and the dulcet violin coming from Weiss's radio in the bathroom.

It was nowhere near as quiet as Ruby's house on Patch Island. Even with all the modern conveniences they had in their little home, they were still smack-dab in the middle of a heavily wooded area, a good twenty-five minutes away from Patch's central township and port. It was apparently the way her father liked it, but Ruby rather enjoyed having so many people so close at once. It certainly beat the shockingly absolute silence of going camping, something that even Yang had difficulties getting used to.

It was a phenomenon that Ruby had read about with new hunters from the inner cities having to acclimate to camping in the wilds. Without the constant busy streets, the hum of electricity, and the distant movement of people, the drastic change in ambient sound could cause disturbances in the person's mental state that resulted in anxiety, heightened stress, and an inability to sleep as they involuntarily listened to the sounds of midnight predators and whispering wind around them.

Many attributed it to the 'it's too silent' mentality, and it took fresh campers some time to adjust to the difference in noise pollution. Ruby had read that, starting in their third year, students spent a significantly longer time away from Beacon, taking numerous week-long–or even longer–trips out into the wilds of Vale to get used to foraging, tracking, and caring for oneself and one's team far away from the benefits of civilization.

Thankfully, her team had no such obligations. At least, not yet...

Yang had settled into bed early, and from Ruby could see through her curtain, was curled into a ball around her pillow, sleepily muttering nonsense. Ruby knew that she was exhausted. When there wasn't enough to keep her occupied, Yang trained. When Yang was bored, she worked out, hit things, and went to bed without a fuss. She also had a tendency to mouth off in her sleep, which could sometimes be cute and sweet, but other times get her woken up by an offended punch to the shoulder.

Blake had been nodding off by the time Ruby returned to their room, full of pizza and exhausted from a busy day. Ruby was right there with her, but she had still needed to review her notes. After having greeted Ruby, Blake laid utterly still and drifted to sleep almost the moment she'd closed her eyes.

So Ruby sat in the dark with a flashlight, a bedtime snack, and a big, thick book.

Weiss's violin music switched off, and the restroom door opened a minute later. Ruby listened to Weiss's footsteps as she came around to their bunk bed, and looked at Weiss's silhouette when she didn't slip into bed right away.

"Are your goggles off?" Weiss whispered.

"Y-yeah, one second." After a couple moments of improvisation, Ruby opened the curtain, revealing a blind made out of her pillowcase. She smiled hugely, satisfied with her improvisation, but Weiss's sigh put an end to it. "I-is this not good?"

"No, it's fine, just absurd, but I suppose that's to be expected of you." Weiss answered, in such a way that Ruby had no clue if that was a good or bad thing. "Don't stay up too late with your notes if you plan to get up early again."

"I-I won't."

"And finish your pizza or throw it away. I don't know why we decided pizza before bed was a good idea, it'll be near impossible to get to sleep…"

"... It was Blake's idea…"

"I know, and it's my fault for going along with it. Anyways…" Weiss ran her fingers through her hair as Ruby blindly looked her direction. The lack of direct eye contact had been an annoyance since the first day, but the alternative was even more harsh. At least Ruby made efforts to protect Weiss's sanity… "Ruby?" Weiss asked after some thought.

"Y-yeah, Weiss?" Ruby answered, squirming in place.

"... Thank you."

"Oh! Uh… you're welcome! I th-think!" Ruby sat straighter, trying to stay focused on where she last heard Weiss's voice. However, the ruffle of her curtains, then Weiss's bedsheets suggested she was no longer there, which a quick peek confirmed.

Down below, Weiss curled up under her blankets, head on her pillow, her mind strained, her body sore, and stuck in a state of perpetual confusion and wonder. This was her life from here on out; for the next four years, these three were her roommates and classmates.

They were exhausting, messy, crude, over-the-top, and downright infuriating, yet Weiss was at peace. If this day proved anything, it was that she'd made the right choice. Despite all the hardships and pain, she was no longer alone, and no longer afraid. She had people could tentatively call her friends, who fussed over her, worried about her, and teased her without making her feel like scum...

The smell of pizza lingered, and the sound of Ruby eating as she turned pages tickled her ear, but Weiss drifted off to sleep without a problem.

With their first day behind them, the team slept peacefully.


AN: Not much has changed here, and I want to apologize for the slow response. Between schoolwork and a fairly sudden break-up this has been a struggle to get through. Thank you for your patience, the upcoming chapter should be something very different, however.