A/N: Hello, and welcome to another chapter of A Game Between Gentlemen! Chapter 14 is already underway, and I am plotting much humor.

Warning: Plot! Nightmares! NORA BEING WEIRD EVEN BY NORA STANDARDS! Plot!

Shout outs:

Phoenix8221: So far, the chapter 18 wall of doom seems to be taking mercy on this one, but I am also not there yet. I hope and pray that it leaves this one alone. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I look forward to reading all of your reviews!

opalthehappypanda: Nice Cardin is really odd, I know. But I have a lot planned for him, and I really like writing him so far. Neo will remain just as Neo as always.

Blake sat on the edge of the bed as the nurse took her vitals, looking at the wall in boredom. She felt better since the new moon had finished, and things had gone a lot smoother since the nurse let Yang actually help care for her instead of enforcing the decree of kicking her out that first night.

"Okay. You're good to go. Just do your stretches and you'll be in top form tomorrow." The nurse assured before looking at Yang sternly. "And remember, Miss. Xiao Long; not a word. Her life is on the line."

Yang nodded silently as Blake slid out of the bed, waiting for her quietly. She could make jokes about bed pans, or anything, but the fact that people's lives were at risk for just existing kept her unruly mouth in check. It was a terrible reminder of just how horrible the world was to people who were different.

They quietly left the infirmary and walked down the halls, the silence between them heavy and hanging like an iron curtain. It was almost painfully tangible before Yang had to break it.

"So. That was awful." She simply stated.

Blake nodded. "Yeah. I'm not even halfway to feeling better. But it's going to get better. It always does."

Yang casually wrapped one arm around Blake's shoulders and tugged her in for a one-armed hug as they walked. "I'm glad I could help, though."

Blake was stiff from the contact at first, but gradually she eased, until she rest her head on Yang's shoulder. "So am I. I'm glad to be your partner."

Yang beamed. "Me too."

Cardin lay on his back on the training room floor, trying to regain his breath from being thrown across the room by Coco. She had hoisted him over her head as if he was a large but liftable chair, and then just thrown him. He could hear them still laughing at him, Fox leaning down to pat the floor to find him.

"Here." Cardin wheezed, taking hold of Fox's hand to pull him to his feet. "Jesus, she's strong."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "She's team leader for a reason, Cardin."

Cardin grinned at them. "I hope I'll be half as strong as her soon."

Coco lowered her glasses to wink at him. "One day, big boy. Until then, drink your milk, and never skip leg day."

The four of them laughed with each other as they sat down, taking up water bottles and chatting during the break. Cardin genuinely enjoyed their company, and was grateful for their updates on Velvet. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he was being a bully, but that punch to the jaw had been a very sharp wake-up call.

Being a Hunter wasn't about being the strongest, or the most feared; it was about being compassionate, being able to bring light to darkness, and protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. He couldn't change the past, but he sure as hell could learn from it, and change his future.

"BLAKE! YANG!" Ruby squealed as she opened the dorm room door, rushing over in a blizzard of rose petals to hug them tightly. "Ohhhh, I missed you so much!"

Yang hugged her firmly, Blake gently but awkwardly patting her on the back as Weiss stalked over.

"Took you both long enough. I was starting to really worry." She told them without looking at them directly.

"She was really worried." Ruby giggled.

"Was not!" Weiss snapped back, blushing slightly.

Yang and Blake both looked up in time to see a banner drop down from the ceiling with an almost comical sense of timing, the boldly yet elegantly written words of, 'WELCOME BACK!' clearly from Weiss. Her face burned even brighter red as a silence fell. "Okay, maybe I was a little worried!" She snapped.

Blake chuckled as she sat on her bed, smoothing her hands over the sheets nervously. "Well, we're fine now. No need to worry."

"THERE YOU BOTH ARE!" A voice boomed from the window, making them all jump.

Nora had somehow managed to scale the wall and was perched very dangerously on the window ledge. She was cupping her hands around her eyes to see in, grinning happily. "Let me iiiiiiiiin." She whined, much like a puppy that was stuck outside.

Ruby bolted over and carefully eased the window open, Nora wriggling her way in. "Whew! That was fun!"

"You could have fallen, you oaf!" Weiss chastised.

Nora waved her hand dismissively, looking at the group. "So, anyone up for movie night? Or maybe Scrable? Oh! Oh! Or maybe we can challenge some other first years to some rounds and totally wipe the floor with them!"

Ruby blinked, but Yang grinned. "I'm a bit tired of four walls, personally. Kinda want to stretch my legs. Maybe we can go out for lunch?"

Nora tilted her head, then beamed back. "I like it! I'll get the others."

At lightning speed, she bolted out the door, leaving the other team a bit dazed. Weiss looked at the others, utterly confused. "So... What just happened?"

"We're what?!" Jaune balked at the giggling Nora. "But I got all ready for movie night."

Pyrrha smiled at him patiently. "And you look very nice too, Jaune."

He turned to look at her. "You think? 'Cause I was kinda hoping to break the ice with Weiss using my onesie."

Pyrrha wilted very slightly, Nora skipping over to sit behind her, hugging her and propping her chin on a shoulder. The smaller girl grinned at her kindly, Pyrrha smirking and patting her arm in return. "Boys? Can I talk to Pyrrha a minute?"

Ren perked up, arching an eyebrow. "I uhhh... Sure. Jaune?"

Jaune shrugged, picking up his normal clothes. "Yeah. I should probably get changed anyways. We'll just use the common changing rooms."

Pyrrha walked them to the door, waving the both of them off before closing the door, turning around only to be greeted by Nora standing barely three inches in front of her. "Nora!" She shrieked in shock.

"Spill." Nora grinned. "You've got a thing for Jaune. Why aren't you telling him?"

"I... I do not!" Pyrrha stammered, blushing nearly as scarlet as her hair.

Nora didn't budge, simply blinking at her for several moments.

Pyrrha shifted anxiously. "Is it... really that obvious?"

Nora pat her shoulder in consolation. "Only to everyone with eyes. And a brain."

Pyrrha sighed and walked over to her bed, slowly sitting on it as her teammate all but swan-dove onto it. "I just... He doesn't see me that way."

Nora rolled onto her back, moving her legs in the air above her, ignoring the fact that she was wearing a skirt. "He doesn't see you at all, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's head drooped. "I know. God, I know. I just want him to see me at all. I've never felt invisible before."

Nora suddenly shoved herself to sitting, lunging to embrace Pyrrha firmly. "Maybe... You shouldn't want someone who doesn't know you exist, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha leaned into the embrace, resting her head on Nora's. "I don't want to be treated like an object. I want someone who treats me like a regular person."

Turquoise eyes blinked. "Wanna date Ren with me?" Was the casual question.

Pyrrha sat bolt upright, giving the smaller girl an incredibly confused look. "What? Nora, what are you talking about?"

"Well, Ren doesn't treat you weird. And you know he actually notices you. He's really sweet, and you'd never have to worry about him being a jerk."

Pyrrha's confusion only grew. "But... He's dating you. How would that work?"

Nora shrugged absently. "Like, all of us kinda just are what we are now. Teammates. With benefits, I guess. Well, Ren doesn't really do the whole 'benefits' part." She looked at the wall, chuckling to herself sadly. "It's kinda frustrating, actually. Like, you wanna take that last step, but he just never can, and you have to respect that."

Pyrrha was completely baffled. "But... How can you just... offer to share your boyfriend like that? Doesn't he have a say?"

Nora grinned. "Of course he does, you silly sloth. He and I talked about it. So, the watermelon is in your court."

Pyrrha had no idea what to say, so instead she laughed. She knew it was probably not appropriate, but neither was this conversation. "No. No, but thank you, Nora." She finally managed. "I am flattered that you would trust me that much."

Nora grinned at her and pushed herself off of the bed. "Okey dokey, smokey pokey! I'm going to check on the boys. Meet you at the fountain?"

"Alright." Was the polite reply, green eyes watching Nora leave.

Pyrrha sighed as the door shut behind her friend, exhaling softly. Why in the world would Nora even offer such a bizarre proposition? Yes, the three of them were close, but offering to let her date Ren? The fact that she would be also dating Nora was far less troubling; Nora rarely made sense when it came to herself, and honestly, Pyrrha was content to just go with it most of the time. After all, Nora was a great person, kind, bubbly, and while eccentric, always standing up for the right thing. But Pyrrha wasn't into girls at all.

Pyrrha froze in the middle of getting up. She wasn't into girls, was she? Frankly, she had never given love a shot in general, and she had always lived up to the ideal version of herself that everyone had created for her. Did she even know what she liked, or was she just doing what was always expected of her?

-Glynda looked around, a bit confused as her team made their way onto the stage to be announced. Zarina helped Arthur as he staggered from his sprained ankle, Lionel bringing up the rear. Something about this seemed off, like it wasn't quite right.

"Lionel Manecroft, Zarina Woodsman, Glynda Goodwitch, and Arthur Patch." Professor Prince called, smiling at the four first years. "You will be known as, Team GLAZ. Led by, Glynda Goodwitch."

Glynda felt her stomach drop as the others praised and grinned at her. She was in charge?! No, it should be Lionel. He was stronger.

"Excuse me, Sir!" She called out. "There's been a mistake!"

As Professor Prince turned, the Beacon auditorium faded, and she was on a ship, flying. Her team was around her still, but slightly older. "No..." She breathed. "Where..."

Her eyes flicked around. Not this. Anything but this. "Turn the ship around." She whimpered, then shouted turning to face the cock pit, "Port, turn this bucket of scrap around! We have to leave!"

"Hey, Glynda," Lionel's voice was confused. "You alright?"

She shook her head, her light blonde hair disheveled. "No, no! Lionel, we have to turn back!"

Zarina walked closer, Arthur touching her shoulder as a jolt knocked Glynda to her hands and knees.

Below her was dirt now, and her clothes were singed, dirty, and torn in places. Glynda knew her hair was a mess, and it made her so dizzy. What happened? Where was she here? Where was her team?

She could hear them groaning and whimpering, so she shakily stood, becoming the adult she truly was; no longer a third year who was in over her head, trying to do her best for her team. She couldn't see them, but her hands felt wet, sticky. She looked down, and Glynda watched in horror as red blood spread over her hands, arms, and pooled at her feet.

"No..." She breathed. "No, no... It's not... It can't be happening... Not again!"-

"NOT AGAIN!" Glynda screeched as she woke up, fighting her sheets frantically.

She could feel sweat on her pale skin, looking ahead at her wardrobe in the darkness. She was safe in her room, she was an adult. She wasn't there anymore, and it was over. Glynda calmed herself more before swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, reaching out to her night table to grasp her glasses and put them on.

"It's over. What's done is done." She told herself. "Nothing more can happen to them."

Glynda felt a few tears burn her eyes, but she looked at the ceiling to keep them at bay. No matter how many years passed, she still had those terrible dreams, those damn nightmares. She had done all she could, and she knew it, but it never erased the pain, nor the anger.

No matter how many years passed, Glynda still couldn't forgive Ozpin.

Coco used her handbag to knock Cardin's mace aside, dropping down to evade a punch before using her shoulder to lever him over her body. He flailed wildly as he went over, grunting as he landed on his back.

"You're still leading with the same three steps. You have to mix it up, and damn it, Cardin, your footwork is so sloppy, it needs a slip hazard sign." She scolded. "C'mon. Attempt fifty seven."

Yatsuhashi helped Cardin to his weary feet, patting him on the back. "She's this relentless because she truly wants to help." He murmured to the smaller male.

Cardin huffed. "Yeah. And she's got one hell of a right hook if you piss her off."

Fox chuckled, nodding. "You are personally familiar with it, then?"

"Yeah. I totally deserved it."

Coco tapped her foot impatiently. "Are we going to train, or gossip?"

"Gossiping sounds good to me." Velvet's voice casually teased from the door.

Everyone turned to see her leaning against the wall, a bit pale still, but far better. "Hello, guys." She grinned.

"Velves!" Both Cardin and Coco called, the male rushing over to envelope her in a firm hug.

"I was really worried about you!" He informed her, releasing the smaller girl.

"I'm fine now, Cardin. A bit poorly still, but I will improve." Was the reply.

Coco cleared her throat behind Cardin, looking at him over the rim of her sunglasses. "Yeah, hi. May I also welcome her? Thanks."

Sheepishly, Cardin backed away from Velvet as Coco pulled her into a firm, close embrace, kissing her tenderly. He felt so awkward just standing there, and casually started to collect his things to give the team some privacy.

"Cardin," Fox called out, "See you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow. See you guys then."

As he left, Cardin couldn't help but be jealous of how much CFVY cared about each other. He knew that the rest of CRDL still took great pleasure in hearing about lynchings, and he rarely felt comfortable around them. As team leader, he should be seamlessly interacting with them, but often felt disgusted by their behavior; they were bullies and cowards.

Cardin sighed, tossing his mace lightly. Hopefully, they would see that were creatures weren't evil, that life wasn't all black and white. Maybe humans were the real monsters, and so they saw were creatures as a mirror to project all of that on to. Or maybe the lynchers were simply misguided like he had been. Or, even worse, some humans were so violent, that they were always on the look for an excuse to kill something, no matter the victim.