Chapter 29: Confliction

(Girl's bathroom)

Coco let out a tiresome sigh as she waited by the sink, tapping the seconds away as she stared down the door of the occupied stall, glaring at it through her shades like she expecting it sprout wings and breathe fire at any second.

"Coco?" The sweet accented voice came from the stall. "Are you sure th… this is really necessary?"

"Absolutely." The gun trotting Huntress said with confidence. "Trust me Velvet, first date impressions are absolutely important. You need to stun the guy, not trod down the safe road."

"But… Jaune isn't really into these things. Maybe I should just go with my usual or maybe my uniform."

"You gotta give me some credit V. Come on now. Think about it for a second. If you show up with just your lame uniform, your date will just become a night out with friends. Tell me honestly, you like Jaune, right?"

An adorable squeak could be heard from the stall. "Y… yeah. I… kinda do."

"Then you got to go on the offense!" Coco's voice boomed echoing throughout the bathroom. "Strike while the iron is hot! Give him no chance to recover! Seal the deal and throw yourself at him! That's the only way you can get through a man's heart."

"Coco… I understand what you're saying but it's just that… your choice in fashion is… odd."

"What do you mean?" The leader asked with a confused look. "Those clothes are all the latest trends in both Atlas and Mistral. You got to keep up with today's wardrobe or you'll never get anywhere."

"Yes… well… these clothes. Are you allowed to even call these… clothing?"

An irritable brow rose from the chocolate girl. "Of course they are. What's the problem?"

"Well some of these fabrics are a little… well… there really aren't any. I mean… my napkin has more depth than four of these combined!"

"That's how things work V! You gotta be aggressive if you want to catch your man."

"I'll catch a cold before that happens!" Velvet rebuked. "Some of these are just a little too ambitious and I think they should be illegal!"

"Oh quit your whining!" Coco bellowed. "With the competition you got on you, you need all the advantage you can get!"

"C… competition!?" The little rabbit stuttered.

Coco sighed. "It's Jaune's partner, Pyrrha. I got a word out of her awhile back. You don't need to be a genius to know what she has on her mind. She's head over heels for the guy and you know how Huntsmen partners always pair up by the end of the day. Right now, Cereal Box lady is incapacitated in the infirmary so we're going to take this chance to speed you off to the finish line!"

"B… but isn't this a little…"

"All's fair in love and war!" The leader of Team CFVY declared proudly as if she was saluting to women all around. "Listen to me sweetie. Jaune is a sweet guy, I can tell. And if you look at him in a certain angle, I'm sure there are plenty of gals waiting for a guy like him to show up on their doorsteps. If you don't go for it, then he might just get taken away."

Velvet cursed under her breath. Coco was right. Jaune is sweet. And at the same time he is also still a guy. There was no doubt he would eventually find someone to partner with for life and settle down in the near future. If she wanted to be in that picture, she can't go on as her usual naïve self. If what Coco said was true and she was indeed going up against the famous champion of Mistral, she needed to change.

After a moment of trickling water, she steeled herself. "Alright… I'll do it! I'm gonna fight for it!"

"That's my girl!" Coco beamed before suddenly tossing in another pile of clothes into the stall. "Now hurry up and try some of these. We got about 15 minutes before lunch so we'll have to cut short with the makeup."

"A… hey, Coco." Fox's voice cut in coming from outside. "Are you two done yet? I know that this shouldn't really bother me but Yatsu and I are really uncomfortable standing guard in front of the girl's bathroom."

(Garden)

It was half past twelve. Just right on lunchtime—and just as Weiss deduced, the garden was pretty much empty with only a few students hanging out and passing the time with anything they could entertain them in the next hour.

Blake grumbled annoyingly as she was forced to come here by her friends. They kept pestering, telling her to meet the guy face to face as he deserved. Yang seemed pretty convinced that Sun was the sender of that cheesy love note and honestly, Blake agreed. There was not a student who was dumb enough to fall for a girl like her and even if there was, they'd quickly find out it was best just to find the next fish in the sea

The kunoichi Huntress sighed. She swore that this was going to be it. She was going to be straight with Sun and tell him straight up that there was not going to be a chance between them. It's not that she wasn't interested; it was more because she couldn't get her mind into a relationship. After the battle with the White Fang by the Highway and Adam—there were too many emotions running through her to make a proper judgment. So like any good friend, she had to be straight with him. Blake was going to reject the guy so hard he'll run out crying to his friends for comfort.

Ok… maybe that would be a little harsh but it was for his own good!

Besides… Blake couldn't possibly think that anyone would want to settle with her. Sun was a great guy and they would have great chemistry together. They are both stowaways in a sense and his criminal streak would probably fit with her 'running away' lifestyle.

No… no!

'Why are you trying to make excuses?' Blake smacked herself. 'You're here to dump him. So get to it together. Who would even fall in love with…'

"You might think yourself a horrible person for what you did. But I think I know well enough the REAL Blake Belladonna. She's a brave and strong girl who cares for deeply about her friends… even though she doesn't really show it."

Jaune's face suddenly popped into her mind. Remembering those words made her blush. Perhaps it wasn't too late to fall in love. Perhaps… if time would allow her, she would settle down in a field somewhere. Built a home for herself and have little Faunus children of her own playing in the garden.

But that dream ended rather abruptly when her cat ears perked to the sound of rough shoes coming up behind her. It was a very distinctive sound.

She half expected Sun to start with a good pickup line or something but Blake wasn't going to give him that chance. She was going to set the line right here, right now. People might've compare her to the infamous Ice Queen herself, but if you want to get the message across you have to be aggressive. With a quick spin, she opened her mouth to lay down her words… but what she saw then… froze the very blood in her veins.

"Hello Blake…" Standing there, in the uniform of a student carrying his katana sheathe on his left hand and blaring red hair with his mask-less face was someone she knew well, someone she never thought to meet again for a long while.

"Adam…!"

(Dorm entrance)

Jaune let out a yawn as he made his way back to the dorm. It has been a long and taxing day and grabbing a quick nap before Professor Peach's class would be beneficial for his health. The dorm should be empty around this time with everyone eating in the cafeteria and a quick power nap should revitalize him for the rest of the day.

Heck, the boy even considered skipping the afternoon class. He was sure that the teacher would grant his excuse of recovering from his injuries. If not, then no real waste.

"Jaune."

"Bwah!" The young knight skipped back when he noted his comrade's face appearing from the bushes. "Oh… it's just you Ren. Geez, don't scare me like that."

"I wasn't really trying to scare you." The pink locked answered but quickly brushing off the conversation. "Anyway, are you busy right now? I need to talk to you. It's urgent."

"Huh? Oh well I guess I can spare a minute and… whoa!" The blonde boy stammered when his pal pulled him over. "Ow! Hey watch the arm!"

Ren quickly pulled over to a secluded side of the school's entrance where Nora was waiting for them giving the two a playful salute as they went.

"Nora, keep watch." Ren ordered which the girl loudly complied, portraying a hawk to keep eavesdroppers at bay. Once he was sure that no one would disturb them here he let out a sigh. "Alright, it should be ok to talk here."

"Ow. What's with the secrecy Ren?" Jaune asked taking back his arm. "And where have you and Nora been? I didn't see you guys in class all morning."

"We've… been out." The green garbed warrior answered. "Well, to be more specific, we were in Vale."

"What were you guys doing in the city that's so important that you skipped class?"

"Nora and I went back to the highway crime scene where we fought the White Fang."

"Back wh…!" Jaune found himself shushed when he raised his voice. "What in the world were you two doing there? You know you're still far from recovery. You should be taking it easy not going out into dangerous places again."

"I had Nora with me." Ren reasoned. "But that's not important. What is important is what we found back there."

"What you found?"

Ren looked around trying to make doubly sure that no one was eaves dropping. "There was something that bothered me during the fight. Remember when we fought against Adam and that chain blade soldier?"

How could he forget? With that murderous rage they threw at them even the boogieman would hide under his bed when those two come out to play. "The Dynamite Duo. What about them?"

"Don't you find it odd how they easily took an entire army on their own?"

"Well, they are skilled fighters." Jaune deduced. "And that Adam guy seemed to know what he's doing. Why?"

"At first I thought it was just skill. But I noted how that warrior was able to take down Professor Goodwitch with just one strike. You and I know how powerful she is." Jaune understood what he meant. After watching how the woman practically seal the hole during the 'Breach' a few weeks back, it was easy to discern her powers. "It doesn't matter how powerful your weapons are or how strong you are, taking out a skilled Huntress like her with just one blow should be relatively impossible."

"So… what? Are you saying that the guy used some kind of superpower?"

Ren's brow arched at his leader's guess. "Well… that's one way of looking at it. So I went back there with Nora… and we found… this." He pulled out a fist-sized vial with its contents as black as onyx.

Jaune recognized the powdery item almost immediately. It was that strange substance that he 'loaned' Ren during the beginning of the semester. The object of his crazed obsession.

"Is that…?"

"Black Dust…" Ren confirmed it dangling the vial. "I was able to collect these from the road. There's no mistaking it. Adam and his collaborators used these to enhance themselves in battle. It's what made them so powerful enough to take on Professor Goodwitch and everyone else."

"How'd you get them?"

"The Black Dust has a unique magnetic property." Ren answered placing his finger in the vial. "Unlike the other Dust in the world, the Black Dust responds to a special frequency of itself matching to our auras. The Black Dust that is powered by aura attracts those that are without it. It's how I was able to collect so much of them so quickly. The investigators wouldn't be able to tell unless they were looking for it specifically."

"But how were they able to get these?" Jaune inquired which again made the ninja shrug.

"I was actually hoping you could answer that." He admitted. "Jaune, I've spent the last few months studying the Dust you gave me and no one in my clan or anyone here in school has ever heard, much less seen Black Dust. They're a complete mystery."

"Whoa wait a minute. You don't think I have anything to do with what happened, do you?"

Ren would've laughed if it wasn't such a serious question. "That was my first assumption… but then I realized that you're not smart enough to involve yourself in something that dangerous."

"Hey!"

"In either case, I made some fascinating discovery." Ren continued. "After some research, I discovered that the Black Dust can greatly enhance a person's physical body to a whole new level. It grants them incredible strength, speed and endurance, practically making them monsters. Anyone who has proficiency in aura management or… possess some degree of knowledge about Dust, can use these without difficulties. But that's not the interesting part."

"It's not?" Jaune wondered, not really sure what could be more interesting than the effects of the Dust itself.

"I compared the samples from the road and the ones you gave me. The interesting fact is that the Black Dust they used is diluted." Diluted? Dust? Was that even possible?

"Diluted Dust?"

"It's not an uncommon practice." Ren explained. "Large Dust companies like the SDC have been doing it for years to keep up with the large demand of Dust sold throughout the world. It's a method that stems from quantity over quality. They would stretch the Dust crystals and mix it with other various chemicals that would prolong its uses. They would be able to extend the lifespan of the Dust more times than normal but the tradeoff is that the Dust is less potent than before."

"So it's not as powerful?"

"No." Ren nodded. "I calculated the stretch they made with the Dust and the ones that Adam and that wolf guy used is about 1/8th of the original power of the Black Dust."

1/8th! That much!? If two people could defeat an entire group of Hunter trainees with such power, how much more can they do with the original? Just thinking about it made the blonde boy shiver.

"So what does that mean?" He asked finally after recovering from the shock.

Ren looked at the vial he brought with him, shaking his head. "It means that the only conventional way we can defeat those who use Black Dust… is to use Black Dust ourselves. Fighting fire with fire. I plan to write a report on this and giving it to Professor Ozpin as part of evidence, but I wanted your opinion for that."

"Hey don't let me stop you." Jaune encouraged his friend patting him on the shoulder. "If you think it's important then do it. Just… make sure you two get some rest afterward. Don't want the team to be slumped until the festival. We might go on a mission again soon after this week too if we're lucky."

"Don't worry, we will."

(Garden)

Blake froze in her tracks, her eyes glued to the sight of her mentor gazing down at her with his own. The voice in her throat choked out his name, both surprised and equally frightened. Quickly she recovered pulling back from the range of his katana to ensure that she kept her head.

"Impressive." Adam muttered, a proud smile crossing his face. "Your reaction time has improved."

It took only a moment for her to recover as she reached out for her blade only to pull up short when the red headed bull clicked his tongue in a toying manner. "Ah ah… ahhh…" He waved his index at her before pointing to the side where a number of students were gathering. It was a subtle way of saying that if she starts a fight here, others will be involved.

Blake hissed back but at the same time she couldn't find the courage or strength to face him. Even if she did pull out her blade she wouldn't last a minute alone against a man of his caliber.

"So… this is where you've been hiding." He mocked. "I gotta say it's a big improvement from the woods. At least here you don't have to worry about insects or Grimm."

Blake didn't answer. She held her lip tight, keeping a close eye to the man. Charging in with words would most likely end in her swift defeat. Silence was the best response in this situation.

But Adam didn't seem to mind. "Still silent. You know… you used to talk a lot more when we were together. In fact… I don't I've ever had an hour with you without you questioning everything that I did. It was kind of adorable actually."

Still no reply.

"You also changed your combat style." The hero of the White Fang noted, brushing pass her. "You're faster… more resilient than before. I have to admit I'm proud of you."

Her silence was stern.

… until he pulled out her greatest weakness.

"Well if there's anything that hasn't changed about you: It would be your poor taste in literature."

Blake's eyes sharpened at the object before they widened like saucer plates. "That's…!"

It was the 5th Volume of the Ninjas of Love, her most prized possession! She was sure that she kept it hidden in her bed to prevent people like Yang to discover it. She even made the effort of putting out dummy copies to keep the others off the loop.

Without even realizing the bait, she yelled out, cheeks flushed. "Th… that's mine!"

"Ninjas of Love? Really?" Adam humored opening a random page in the middle. "In the dead of night, in the lonesome cabin they met. Haruto's passion grew ever larger as his fondness of his twice forbidden love. In that cold damp room he pondered on his feelings awaiting a reply…"

"Don't spoil it! I haven't gotten to that part yet!" Blake jumped at him, having her tough and silent persona cracked to reveal the soft and sensitive girl underneath. "Give that back! Give it back!"

But Adam dodged her, reciting more lines from the book, spoiling the juicy details of her favored treasure. The next thing that happened could be compared to a cat and mouse game with both sides trying to catch and not be caught by the other. This play went on for a while with the other students simply brushing them off as an adorable couple.

Around several minutes, the cat's chase began to slow to a crawl while she barely laid a finger on her mark. Physically exhausted from an unprepared tease Blake held her knees panting as she swiped the sweat from her brow.

"You really need to pick a new hobby." Adam said as she handed her book back which she hesitantly accepted. "It's good to see you again… Blake."

The little girl's heart skipped a beat to hear her name muttered through his voice. She looked up to her mentor, seeing his handsome face stare down. Whatever mental wall she had built to block him out seemed to have shattered by his soft smile.

"I can't say the same." She said finally which only made Adam's grin widen. "What are you doing here Adam? You know that I will report you the moment I get the chance, right?"

"I thought that this would be a good time to talk. Considering the location I picked out, I expected you to actually feel comfortable."

"You and I have nothing to talk about." She folded her arms together putting a mean act. "I left the White Fang on my own accord and that's that."

"Oh please, don't give me such a sorry excuse." The Crimson Swordsman shrugged. "Give me a real answer Blake. Why did you leave? You used to be so spirited about our cause. I remember how you told me about your dreams of a world of equality. Don't tell me all of that was a lie. What changed?"

"What changed!?" The girl's voice rose. "The White Fang changed, that's why! Our organization used to mean something. The White Fang was meant for something more than this. It was our voice of equality. A place where our voice, our pleas can be heard throughout the world."

"I didn't hear you complain when we destroyed our first Dust shipment." Adam recalled, thinking back on the assignments they took when they were still partners. "… or the time we freed our brothers and sisters from that Dust Baron in Vacuo. Or the time we stopped those haters from running our people out of town. Come on Blake! Even you saw how much good we were doing. We were helping the Faunus. Our people!"

Blake understood what Adam was trying to say. Even she admitted to enjoy the first few missions they had undergone together as a team. In those first few months, she really believed that they were really helping the Faunus rise to equality.

"I know what you mean." She answered finally. "I really did believe it at first. But then… I realized that I too have changed. I was naïve and gullible. I wanted to believe that what we were doing was the right thing, that we were truly making a difference in the world. Staying with you… learning from you, it changed my perspective of things. I then realized that what we were doing, what you and I were doing was completely out of line and unfair."

"Unfair!?" He raised his tone. "You think we're unfair? What about them? What about those people who take advantage of us? The ones who robbed us of our livelihoods, the ones walk over our hard work and take all the profit for themselves!? The world we're fighting has never been fair. There will never be such a thing. Oh we tried. You should know that better. We tried to voice our reasons, we tried to be considerate but it never worked. They were the ones that struck first, they forced our hands! No. If we truly want equality, we will have to earn it!"

"By becoming the very things we chose to oppose?" Blake countered. "Adam, this is nuts. Hurting people just to get what we want is no different from them."

"And you think your method is any better?" The man added balling his fist. "You think that by blending with them they would accept you, that you be part of them?" And from that fist, he revealed a familiar black bow.

"Wha…?" Blake gasped, her hand reaching over her head to find that it was no longer there.

"If you truly believed what you're doing is the right thing, then why do you hide it? Why do you hide who you are if you're so sure that people would accept you for your actions?"

There was no answer. Blake turned away, feeling rather exposed with her cat-like features protruding from her hair.

"Come back to me Blake." Adam begged. "Come back to us. The White Fang needs you… I… I need you."

(Dorm hallway)

Jaune made his way to his room after his little discussion with Ren. The Black Dust was indeed a serious topic but from the looks of it, Ren seemed to have it covered. Right now he needed a little rest. A quick power nap in the room and a quick changed in the bathroom would do him some good. The sweat from this morning's combat class was beginning to stink.

"Yo Jauney." But before he could even reach for the doorknob, a familiar carefree voice interrupted him.

"Oh, hey Sun." The boy waved back to the primate student. "Sneaking into our dorm again?"

"Pfft no, I only do that on the weekends." The monkey boy laughed. "Besides, I almost got caught last time by that scary witch. Anyway, have you seen Blake? I didn't see her at the cafeteria so I thought she might be here." He fidgeted on those last words looking like a kid going for broke for his crush.

"Blake?" The boy thought for a moment. "No. Haven't seen her. Why?"

"Well… there's something I want to tell her." Sun stated.

"And that would be?"

"Ok… promise you won't laugh?" He whispered trying to make sure that no one was around to listen. Jaune simply rolled his eye at the thought. He already had enough of the cloak and dagger routine especially what happened with Ren and Nora. "I was thinking of asking her out. There's this huge parade happening in Vale today and I thought it'd be a nice way to get her out of her shell."

The parade.

Jaune wondered if it was the same parade that Velvet invited him to. There have been a lot of those lately and even more so with the Vytal Festival closing with each coming day. It certainly would be a good place to cheer up after the fiasco they had the other night.

"Well whatever you do, I hope you get what you want." Jaune cheered him on, putting on a brave smile. "Just be sure it's not something too loud. You know how she is."

"As a matter of fact… I don't." Sun admitted. "Honestly, I hardly know Blake. Other than her liking fish and coming from the White Fang and all I hardly…mphhh!" He stopped when he felt a hand go over his mouth.

"Shhh! What are you doing saying that out loud!?" Jaune whispered. "Do you want the whole school to know? It's supposed to be a secret!"

"Sheesh… sorry dude. Slip of the tongue." The blonde Faunus apologized lowly. "Look. I know I'm at a disadvantage here. And I know that Blake rejected me more times than I'd like but I really want this to work."

"Then, what's stopping you?"

"Well, for one thing, her." Sun pointed out as a matter of factly. "I don't know anything about her. I tried asking her friends and her teammates and Blake herself and she won't even let me hear a peep. If I want to get closer to her, I need to find a way that'll make her say yes to go out with me on this parade."

"Well you're gonna have to find someone who she trusts." Jaune suggested. "Her team respects her privacy so I don't think you'll get anything out of them."

"True. So who else is there?" Quickly enough, Sun darted his eyes to Jaune. "Hey… wait a second. You!"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Blake trusts you, doesn't she? Maybe you can ask her for me."

"Oh no no no no no no…" Jaune strutted out of that conversation immediately rushing into his room. He tried to lock Sun out but the monkey man was persistent, putting his foot between the door and the hinge.

"Come on Jaune. Be a bud here. I just need you to go and ask Blake what she likes. I'm not asking much. Just ask for her favorite color, favorite flower, and what type of catnips she'd like."

"Sorry, no can do." Jaune stated pushed the door down trying to get the boy's foot out. "I learned… my lesson… to stay… oof… out of… hmph… people's… business!" He definitely did. After the car jack he did and the fight at the docks, the boy learned that the best way to keep out of trouble is to avoid them completely.

"Why don't we make a deal? How about I do your laundry for the next week?"

"No."

"I'll serve you breakfast for the whole month!"

"No!"

"I'll do all your homework for the next year!"

"We go to different schools! No!"

"I'll give you my collection of X-Ray and Vav action figures!"

The door opened slowly with Jaune's one eye peeking through. "Does it come with the Mad King Super Armor edition?"

"Uh… no?"

"Then no."

"Oh come on Jaune!" Sun forced his way through at last. "You're the only one I can turn to for this. You and I have been tight since the docks. Do it as a favor. For me? Please?"

"Forget it Sun." The boy threw his arms into the air. "I'm not gonna play cupid. That's the last thing I want to do for today."

Sun grumbled under his breath. "Fine. But at least help me find her. You can at least do that, right?"

"Sun… it's not that easy." Jaune pointed out. "Finding one person in this whole school is like finding a needle in a haystack. It's not like I can just look out the window and say… hey… there's Blake."

"Oh come on, you're not playing fair dude."

"No, I meant… hey… there's Blake." Jaune corrected his tone pointing out the window alarming the monkey prince.

"What!? Where!?" Sun squeezed himself beside the young knight noting his words to be true. Just right outside their window overlooking the garden was Blake standing oddly close to a fiery redhead. "Who's that with her?"

"Hey! Personal space!" Jaune brushed the blonde monkey off.

"Sorry. But seriously, I need a closer look. You got any binoculars around here?"

Jaune again rolled his eyes. "What in the world would I need a pair of binoculars for?"

"To spy on your friends!" Sun whispered back before focusing his attention back to the pair below. "Who is that guy? I've never seen him around campus before."

Jaune too put out his two lien. "Hmm… judging from the uniform, he must be a student from Mistral. Don't you recognize him?"

"Nope. But then again, I hardly notice anyone but myself in there." Sun added. "But what is he doing talking with her so privately?"

"Maybe… he's an old friend?" Jaune guessed. "He is pretty good looking though." Sun simply shot him a glare.

(Garden)

Blake recoiled back from his words. She looked away from his former love, unable to stare him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. But you know I can't go back. Not anymore."

"Yes you can!" Adam shouted almost convincingly. "You always have a place by my side. You know this."

"And what about the others? Will they take me back after all the harm I did to them?"

"They understood the sacrifices needed for the cause." He rebuked. "I can just tell the others that you were on a mission assigned by me. I can tell them that you were deep undercover to find information about the Schnee and the school. They'll accept it."

"So you'll lie to them?"

"Blake!" Adam raised his voice once more to get his point across but quickly calmed his temper. "Please… I'm trying to protect you."

"You already trained me to be the best fighter I can be." Blake countered, folding her arms once more. "I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I meant." Adam let out a tiresome sigh. "I'm trying to protect you… from what's about to happen."

The girl raised a puzzled brow to his choice of words. "What do you mean?"

"I have a plan… a plan that will make Vale shudder in terror. A plan that will finally bring our goal within reach. By this time next week… I will bring this country to its knees and beg for our forgiveness."

"Adam?"

"I'm tired of it Blake." Adam muttered with a deep breath. "I'm tired of our voices being unheard. Tired of fighting, tired of all this… resistance. Those who rule the kingdoms of this world have shown that they respect only force. And if force is what they honor… then they will respect what I have in store for them."

"Adam, what are you talking about?"

"We're going to destroy Mountain Glenn." Came his horrid answer that made the hair on Blake's neck stand. "Without it, the Grimm outside the borders will flood through, destroying everything in their path. All the local towns outside of the main cities will be snuffed out overnight, the outer strongholds will be overrun in a matter of hours."

"You would kill thousands for that!?"

"If it's for the cause… yes… I would." He replied. "Blake. I'm not saying this because you're a Faunus… but because you're… to me… you are… special."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What are they saying? I can't hear them." Sun was getting irritated watching the two. The gentle wind and the birds chirping around made it impossible to discern the conversation. "I need to get a closer look."

"Wait! Sun! Not through the window! Hey! Come back here!" Jaune stated in a whispering tone. "You're gonna get yourself in trouble again!"

"Shhh… relax dude. I've done this plenty of times. It's all in the momentum. Just go with the flow and… whoaaa!" The monkey prince failed to realize that the next branch he reached out had a bird's nest which promptly startled the poor little ones inside causing them to call out for their mother. And like most parent, the den mother of the nest rushed in, eyes blazing with anger. "Oh… snap. Nice birdy. You have some beautiful chil… gahh! Ow! Hey, not the hair!"

The next few seconds could then be called a comedy strip of its own with the monkey man holding onto dear life as the den mother continued to peck his head with no remorse.

"Ow! You stupid bird! Ow! Alright, you asked for it bird brain. No more Mr. Nice gu—ow! Ow! Alright I give, I give! Jaune! Help!"

The blonde knight grumbled, seeing how his nap time was cutting short because of this fiasco. "Hold on. I'll get you off that thing." But unfortunately for Jaune, balancing wasn't exactly his strongpoint and by the time he reached out, he slipped from the window. "Bwahh!"

"Whoa! Hey Jaune! Easy with the pants man!"

"I'm slipping!"

Crackle…

The branch sun held was beginning to crack. "Oh snap…"

And snap it did sending the two straight down.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ow… I think I broke something."

The sudden noise startled Blake out of her conversation. She turned with eyes widened in horror when she recognized the two. "Jaune? Sun?"

"Hey Blakey doll." Sun recovered first patting the dirt off his shirt pretending like the fall never happened. "Uh… fancy meeting you here."

With little time to react, Blake took advantage of that moment to draw her weapon hoping to get a lucky strike on her opponent. Sadly, she was a little too slow as Adam had his drawn first.

"You keep forgetting Blake." The redhead muttered before brushing her off with a single swipe. "Surprise attacks don't work on me."

To say the least, both Sun and Jaune were confused. They weren't quite sure what they stumbled onto except that it was definitely very volatile.

"What are you two doing!?" Blake yelled out at them. "Get out of h—ahh!" Adam's swing was quick and deadly, with enough force to push her back despite her defense.

"Blake!" Sun saw this attack and instinctively took the guy as the enemy. His face wrinkled and his teeth gritted together in anger. It mattered not if he was ruggedly more handsome than the average man, he was going to pound him a new one. "Hey Red! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!?" The Monkey Prince drew out his quarterstaff immediately dishing out one blow after another.

"Wait, Sun! You're no match for him!" But Sun ignored the cat's warning, going even faster splitting his staff in two, turning them into his favored gun-chucks. To say the least, the sudden spark of gunfire and clash startled the other students away leaving several panicked screams and yells in their place.

Jaune, finally recovering from the earlier fall rushed over to Blake's side. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. But we need to help Sun. He's no match going against Adam!"

"Wait… Adam!?" Jaune stammered turning to the fighter whom he then instantly recognized. "As in… THE Adam!?" Just as Jaune was able to get that information into his head, Sun's muscular body was thrown to the air, slamming onto the garbage bins with cartoonish bananas spinning around his head.

Jaune couldn't believe it. Sun was practically one of the better fighters he knows other than Pyrrha. For him to be defeated in a matter of seconds was just… unfathomable. As he turned his attention back to the Crimson Swordsman, all the fears from that night in the highway began to creep up to him. The mere presence of Adam's footsteps sent chills down his spine and gazing at him was like looking at the face of death itself. A handsome version of death at least.

"One down. One to go." Adam muttered in a humored tone slowly walking towards our blonde knight.

"Adam stop!" Blake pleaded. "They have nothing to do with this!"

"On the contrary. They're much a part of this as you are… Blake. There will be no mercy for anyone."

Seeing the redhead wasn't going to back down, Jaune got into his battle stance, pulling the girl away as he drew out his sword. "Blake, stay behind me."

Adam scoffed at his pathetic attempt at heroics. "You really think you can stop me, kid? I've fought soldiers who are ten times stronger than you and they never lasted a minute. Do you really think that your old shield and sword can…" But he pulled up short when he noted the striking patterns of Jaune's weapons. "Huh? No… it… can't be. Twin Golden Moons on a shield? And that sword…"

The Crocea Mors…

Adam's eyes sharpened in anger when he finally recognizes the blade. "That sword is… that's the Crocea Mors!"

"Huh?" Jaune raised a brow, puzzled to how a lot of folks seemed to know his weapon's name before he did.

"Where did you get that!?" Adam demanded, his mouth almost writhing with burning hatred and a hint of fear underneath. "Why do you have that sword!? Who are you!?"

Blake couldn't believe her ears. She had known Adam about half her life and never had she ever heard such tone from him. Fear was never in his vocabulary nor was it was a factor in his life. But now… to see him quiver in fright, the way his body shook, how his hands trembled at his blade, how his eyes screamed bloody murder at the blonde's very presence. All of it was new to her.

But just before Jaune could mutter his answers, a detachment of Atlesian soldiers appeared to save the day. "What's going on here? We heard screams."

Adam cursed their ill timing. There was still so much he wanted to do, so much he wanted to say, so many questions he needed answered. But he couldn't take on Ironwood's Army, especially here. So… with a heavy heart, he withdrew, throwing a smoke bomb to mask his escape.

"After him!" The soldiers gave chase, but their efforts would be in vain.

Taking advantage of the confusion and not wanting to be caught in this mess, Blake grabbed Jaune by his collar and whisked away before the guards could seize them. With a little luck, the witnesses here would just say that it was a disturbance caused by some hothead students venting off steam with one another. Sun would most likely be convicted since a lot of folks saw him openly fighting. She quickly made a mental note to apologize to him later.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Blake came to a stop when she finally made it to a quiet corner in school. A number of soldiers and robots whisked passed their hiding spot, probably alerted by the other guards after all the commotions. She breathed a sigh of relief when their footsteps were in the distance.

"Uh… Blake." Jaune's voice croaked. "You can let go of me now."

"Oh… right. Sorry." She apologized unintentionally realizing she had brought the boy all the way here with her. "You ok?"

"Other than a few stitches on my shirt, I'm fine." He replied casually, patting the dust off his pants. "But forget about me! What the heck was that!? Was that… was that guy really Adampphhhh!"

"Shh! Not so loud!" She clasped her hand over his mouth, taking a quick look around if anyone heard them. "Look I'll explain everything, but you have to promise me that you won't freak out. Ok?"

"Mphhhphh!" A reluctant nod came from the boy's side. With a tiresome sigh, Blake released her clasped, opening up to young knight. "Then that guy was…"

"Yeah, that was Adam."

"We need to warn the others! If he's here then."

"Don't bother." Blake told him. "If I know him, he'd probably have an escape route planned ahead of time. He'll be long gone before any of the teachers could get here."

"But what was he doing here? Why was he talking to you?"

Questions questions and not an answer to be found.

"I think… he was here for me." She replied hesitantly noting Jaune's arched brow. "It might sound strange but that's what I think he was here for. He wanted me to come back… to him."

If Jaune hadn't known about Blake's previous relationship with the Crimson Swordsman he probably would've called that a lie. Still it didn't make much sense. Why would a wanted criminal go out of his way to expose himself just for her? Was she really that important to him or was there something else that they weren't seeing. There was too little information to be had here and meeting the leader of the White Fang so suddenly wasn't exactly helping with his thoughts.

"He came all this way just to talk to you?" Jaune said, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"Like I said, it's strange." Blake answered back. "I don't think his arrival here had anything to do with his grand plan. If he came here to do some damage, he wouldn't risk exposing himself so bluntly… at least… not this way."

"I guess that's true." Jaune agreed. "Wait… his plan? What do you mean?"

"He told me his plan. I can't really make much sense out of it but he says that he's going to destroy Mountain Glenn."

"Destroy Mountain Glenn?" Jaune mimicked. "How's he gonna do that?"

"I don't know."

Of course she didn't. What kind of a cheap villain would reveal his plans on the get-go?

"Alright… so what's our next move?" Jaune asked the kitty cat who was busy processing the last few minutes. "I mean… we gotta tell someone about this right? If the White Fang really is planning something major we should tell the others."

"And tell them what? That Adam came by and told us all of his plans out of the goodness of his heart? No one's going to believe that."

"Professor Ozpin would…" Jaune pointed out which earned him an eye roll from the Faunus. "Hey, I know I don't have the right to tell you what you have to do… but at the very least, I can give you some advice."

"And what's that?"

"Talk to your team." He told truthfully. "If you can't trust anyone else, then at the very least trust them. I'm sure if you put your heads together, you'll think of something. You always do."

Blake cursed his Wiley charms. This little talk was beginning to sound like one of Yang's 'talks'. But regardless of what she thought about the situation, Jaune was right. She needed her team. If they put their heads together, they're sure to think of something.

With a heavy heart, she agreed. "Alright. I'll discuss it with them. I can't promise anything though."

"Hey, anything is better than bottling it inside of you." Jaune felt like he was repeating the same thing over and over to this girl. With all the trouble everyone's been having with her, it was perhaps a natural reaction.

(Outside the girl's restroom)

Yatsuhashi and Fox were stumped. Stumped out of their minds. It was bad enough they had to obey their tyrannical overlord of a leader, but now they had to spend their precious lunch hour doing her bidding. If this was any other ordinary day they would've started a revolt a long time ago. The only thing that held them from doing that was their little precious Faunus team member who was busying herself, preparing for the inevitable date with her long time crush.

The two have now been reduced from servants to security detail and stand guard outside and make sure no one interferes with their leader's magic. The silence would've been a normal thing if Yatsu didn't open the conversation.

"Fox-dono. May I impose on a… question?"

The white-eyed boy shrugged. "Shoot big guy. I got time to kill."

"When you first met Jaune-dono, what is your opinion of him?"

"What?" The shorter man raised a brow. "Where'd this come from? I thought you saw him as the goody two-shoes kind of guy."

"I am merely wanting a second opinion on the man."

Was Yatsu acting like a big brother who didn't want to let go—or was it merely a way to cure his boredom? Fox didn't know and he didn't bother to ask. "Well… other than a hard jaw, not much. We don't exactly run on the same circles here. Why? What do you think of him?"

"I find him a rather… fascinating person." Yatsu admitted. "There is no dishonesty in his eyes and strangely enough I sense no hostility or malice from him. He possesses a kind heart and a gentle soul. Yet… I feel… unease being close to him."

"What, does he smell bad or something?"

"Something like that, I suppose."

But their little chitchat was cut down short when the door to the restroom swung open. It was loud enough to startle the two into combat stances until their leader came out, a Cheshire grin on her lips.

"Yatsu… Fox…" She began with the imaginary drumroll coming in on the background. "It was long… and it was tough and honestly, I didn't think she'd make it. But our little girl held on to the end without a shed of tear. The task was long and arduous, but finally, it is done. Allow me to introduce you two… to the new, improved and totally awesome, Velvet Scarletina 2.0!"

Yatsu peeked in behind Coco… and there she was… standing gorgeously with her long pants, wearing a denim long sleeved vest covering a pink top, was the new and fashionized Velvet.

"H… how do I look?" The rabbit asked shyly expecting praise from her teammate.

If Yatsuhashi was to be honest with himself, he would say that the clothes certainly do make the man. The clothes that Velvet chose was in no way the 'Velvet' he once knew. It was daring, bold and it spoke loudly like it was trying to draw attention from all eyes within the room. No longer did she look like the bookworm, timid and shy girl that he first met in Emerald Forest. If he were to put it in the words Coco and Fox would use, he would say 'smoking hot'.

"Hey Yatsu!" Fox called out to the samurai. "Don't keep me hanging man, describe her for me!"

"It is… astounding." Yatsuhashi said vaguely after a long pause. "I do not recognize the girl in front of me."

Coco took that as a compliment. With all the time and makeup she put on, the reaction on the samurai's face was worth the effort. "I told you I could make a princess out of you."

"You really think I look fine… in this?" Velvet didn't really seem convinced or confident of her new threads. She had been so used to the comfort of her clothes that exposing so much of her skin made even the tiniest draft send shivers down her neck.

But Coco waved her worries off. "Don't you worry your pretty little head V. When Jaune gets a glimpse of you, his jaw will drop so hard, he'll have to see a doctor for it. Now come on. Time for the finishing touches."

"Wait there's more?!" The girl said in horror.

"Duh! I only did your hair and your face. I made a reservation in the art room for your manicure and pedicure. Chop chop, young lady."

"Wait! What about the afternoon class?"

"Skip it! We either go big… or go home! Yatsu, Fox, grab the stuff and let's bolt before the bell ring!"

The two boys simply looked at one another, thinking how excited their leader spoke.

(RWBY's room)

Blake's ears twitched from the cold as she watched the various reactions of her teammates. Taking the advice of Jaune to heart, the black cat met with her team and told them the whole incident leaving no minor detail untouched. Naturally, they were dumbstruck.

Ruby was watching intently, waiting for the others to react, Yang was rubbing the lower end of her chin deep in thought and Weiss had her mouth shut not really trusting the words that would come out.

She waited for them to process the information—and thankfully it didn't take long before Yang decided to open up.

"Ok let me get this straight. Are you saying that the White Fang plans to blow up Mountain Glenn in a week's time?" Blake nodded in reply. "And this would be bad… why?"

"Mountain Glenn is one of the many barriers separating Vale from the outside world." Blake answered. "Without it, hordes of Grimm could easily traverse the land. The core cities would be safe but outlying towns and farms would be affected."

"Yeah, but blowing up a whole mountain?" Ruby added her opinion not really convinced of the whole story. "I mean, is that even possible?"

"They have Torchwick on their side." Blake responded only to be interrupted by the heiress.

"I have to agree on Ruby with this one. That sounds absolutely atrocious. Impossible if I may add. It doesn't matter how much explosive Dust you have, blowing a mountain that size would take a large amount of firepower that even the SDC can't produce. He has to be bluffing."

"Adam isn't bluffing." Blake said as a matter of fact. "I've known him half my life. He never bluffs."

"But I thought the army searched through Mountain Glenn." Yang pointed out remembering their first expedition there. "They must've found all their bases by now."

"It's possible the White Fang just moved in when they were done." Weiss guessed which seemed to make a little sense. "But I'm still not convinced. It has to be a trick. I mean… would he really reveal his plans to us just like that?"

"He was vague, but he gave me enough to discern it." Blake nodded in agreement. "However… I think he'll really go through with it."

A pause came with each member looking at one another for advice. This wasn't something they were prepared for.

With a tired sigh, Yang opened up again. "So what's the plan now? Do we sneak out to check that place again or try to find another mission in that area?"

"I think we should investigate." Blake agreed with her partner. "Even if it is just a trick, we should at least take a look just to make sure."

"Hold on a moment." Weiss objected raising her hand up. "Instead of charging in like last time, why don't we try asking the teachers for advice? I mean they are Hunters and they are more experienced than us. Maybe they could take care of this problem."

"It'll be too late by then." Blake pointed out. "The last time we let them investigate this, they sent us, remember?"

"Which is exactly why I am against charging in blindly." The heiress grumbled. "In case you've forgotten, we barely stood a chance against Adam back in the Highway and we couldn't even stop the train from punching holes in the city. If we go in alone, it won't be much of a difference."

Ruby nodded too. "She's right. In the end, we're still students. Adam is far too strong for us to handle and if he's in Mountain Glenn with Torchwick and the White Fang, we'll be putting ourselves in unnecessary danger."

"So what? Do you suggest we leave them alone?"

"Of course not." Ruby calmed the Faunus down. "I think we should tell the professionals and see what they do. Maybe they'll organize a strike or send professional Hunters after them."

"That's a big maybe." Blake added.

"We at least have to try." The heiress insisted. "If we go in by ourselves… we'll just add more trouble for others. We need to have a plan and getting the letting other people know of the dangers is a good first step. Besides, they might even assign us one teacher to scout."

"I can't believe I'm saying this." Yang nodded in agreement. "But I have to agree with Weiss. We barely made a dent on Adam the last time we met. So having a teacher around might even the odds."

"But what if they don't believe us?" Blake pointed out. "What if they're too late? Delaying will only make things worse."

"Ok that's enough." The red leader yelled out, raising her hand, stopping the two from bickering. "As the leader of this team, I think that it's only right that we should put this topic to a vote. All in favor of going to the teachers… say aye."

"I'm in."

"Sound likes a plan."

The team turned to Blake for the final cast. She didn't seem to be in an agreeing mood. "It'll be a hard story for them to believe. Without sufficient evidence, they might not even do anything about it."

"It's still worth a shot Blake." Ruby added, patting the Faunus by the shoulder. "We have to make them believe us… one way or another. And if they don't then we'll do the next best thing."

"And what's that?"

"We wing it."

Blake could only smile as she looked at her leader's innocent yet determined face. Grabbing a spare bow from her closet, the team went off hoping that someone would listen to their plea.

(Ozpin's office)

"Come in." Ozpin stated when he heard the elevator door beeping on his console. And in came James.

"You know, this is rather nostalgic." Ironwood stated openly as he entered, his hands on his back. "I remember being called in to the Headmaster's office plenty of times back in school. But I never would've thought you would become a Headmaster."

"We were troublemakers back then." Ozpin replied taking a sip from his mug, a little irritated to be reminded of his troublesome youth. "How the school tolerated us for so long is a wonder on its own. I'm surprised neither of us was expelled after all the fights we caused."

"That's your opinion. I only fought because you kept going against your seniors." The soldier laughed. "But jokes aside, why did you ask me to come here? You know you could've just as easily called me from my ship."

The Headmaster of Beacon took his seat before sharpening his eyes at his old friend. "I wanted to speak with you, in private… regarding your initial presence here in Vale."

Uh oh… some serious talk. James could already tell where this was heading. If Ozpin went out of his way to use big words like those, it had to be serious.

"Go on…"

"Glynda told me you offered two of my students a position in your school." The Headmaster of Beacon stated plainly, his poker face stern. "I didn't think you'd go so far as to poach my students."

"I merely gave them an opportunity." James countered in the friendliest manner he could pull off.

"An opportunity to change their education?"

"An opportunity to make the most out of their talents." Ironwood corrected, slowly approaching the table. "I understand that you want to put things on a firsthand experience, but remember you're still on a fixed budget. The Valean Council isn't exactly handing over money like they did during the war."

"And your attempt of stealing two of my students, leaders in fact, is your way of helping me?" Ozpin challenged.

"I'm merely giving them the option. If you're so afraid about your students leaving your school, then maybe it was time you did a little redecorating—or hire some newer staff to replace those that are on missions. You can't have the best of both worlds Oz."

"Well if you haven't noticed: Vale isn't exactly the wealthiest kingdom in the world. It never has been the strongest even during the war."

Ironwood shrugged at his excuse. "That's the price you pay for peace. When there's no enemy to fight, old soldiers like you and me go out of business. But come now. You didn't call me all the way here because you're upset about two students."

"I think you'll agree with me when I say that I take all of my students very seriously, James. I don't want you conflicting them through your psychological methods. Even Glynda was rather upset that you would go that low."

"And so you called me here to warn me?"

"I'm asking you, not to go around taking whatever you like." Ozpin answered, his eyes focused. "It's just… unprofessional."

"Well… if it helps, I can always draft them into the army after they graduate."

"James… do you really want us to go through this again?"

"We both want to protect this peace Ozpin." James reasoned, his tone calming. "We both want to protect this world and its people. We want to protect those that we care about. But I can't do it hiding behind a desk like you. If I want to protect something, I go out with my own hands."

"You speak of protection." Ozpin countered. "Yet all you do is go about looking for fights."

"The best way to eliminate a threat is to make sure it never exists. Eliminating the White Fang is a priority."

"I agree… but banging on every door and preying upon people's paranoia isn't the way." The Headmaster of Beacon sighed. It was obvious that they've derailed from the original topic and were on the verge of another argument. "Answering violence with violence will just send the wrong message. It's bad enough that you have an entire army stationed at Vale and the other kingdoms are getting anxious. Mistral even sent me a message asking me the purpose of having a foreign army at our doorstep."

"And here I thought you were the master of deception."

"Don't start with me, James." But right when the two were about to go into another bickering fight the intercom on his holoscreen came to life. With a hesitant sigh, he opened the channel revealing, to his surprise, the whole of Team RWBY. "Yes Ms. Rose. How may I be of assistance?"

"Uh… hi there Professor." The leader of the team awkwardly replied. "Do… you mind if we come in? We kinda have something we want to talk to you about."

The silver haired Hunter raised a brow. Normally he wouldn't hesitate to invite a student to his domain and share his knowledge and wisdom to answer any question they may impose. But the situation he was in would say otherwise.

"I'm afraid I'm a little busy at the moment, Ruby. Perhaps you can come at a later date."

A scattered expression of panic crossed her face as she noticed the good professor reaching for the end-call button. "B… b… but it's really important! We really need to speak with you. It's super major urgent!"

"Super major? Really?" Weiss face palmed in disbelief. "Real mature Ruby."

"Oh come on sir." Yang threw in. "It's really important."

Still the silver haired man shook his head. "I understand your urgency Ms. Xiaolong but I'm afraid it will have to wait. I have a matter of utmost importance to take care of. I must ask that you all hold your questions until tomorrow. Good day."

But right before the man could end the call, Blake pushed the others away putting herself in front of the camera. "Wait… professor."

"Ms. Belladonna. Like I said before, you will have to…"

"Professor Ozpin. Last semester you made me a promise." Blake opened up, making the Headmaster pause. "You said that if I ever needed to talk to you, I needn't hesitate to ask. I know that this is a little belated, but… I… we really need to speak with you."

Ozpin held his gaze at the monitor as Blake's eyes stared back at him, judging him by his words and actions. The Headmaster gave pause, for the first time, he felt challenged by his own students. He turned to James who merely looked at him with a curios brow. No doubt he was also wondering what these students had to discuss with their Headmaster.

And so with a sigh of resignation, Ozpin buzzed them in. "Very well… come on in."

It took only a short moment for the girls to arrive, their colors decorating the room like a rainbow in a dark valley. Their reactions were quite understandable when they noted the good General Ironwood standing by the sideline.

Not wanting to waste time, Ozpin opened up. "Welcome Team RWBY. Now… what is it that is so important that it cannot wait?"

"Umm… well…" Ruby muttered lowly, suddenly feeling unsure of herself as she darted to her group. They had a story but they weren't exactly sure on how to tell it without sounding like complete idiots. "It's kind of a long story. I… well… we… don't really know where to start. Ahehehe."

"Is there perhaps a short version?" Ozpin inquired gesturing with his cane.

Blake rolled her eyes on this. She needed action, not discussion. With a sigh, she stepped up and spoke out loud. "The White Fang are planning to destroy Mountain Glenn by next week."

The message was simple, abrupt and it got the point across easily. The whole room went silent. None of Team RWBY spoke and even the cogs that continued to spin remained oddly quiet from the bluntness of the cat's voice.

To say the least, the expression on both Headmasters was equal to one another. James had his metallic brow raised while Ozpin nearly let slip his favorite coffee mug.

The silver haired Hunter took a moment to collect himself before finally speaking. "I'm afraid I didn't hear that correctly. It almost sounded like you said that the White Fang were going to blow up a whole mountain."

"That's correct." Blake held her ground nodding. "They're planning to blow up Mountain Glenn and destroy one of the key barriers of Vale."

"That's ridiculous." James rejected the thought. "How in the world would they be able to do that?"

"I don't know." The cat answered truthfully. "But they plan to do it by next week."

"And you know this… how… exactly?" Ozpin inquired, trying his best to remain calm.

All eyes turned to Blake awaiting her next response. She was thankfully still composed and was holding onto her poker face like a master. "Adam told me." The name sprung alarms in everyone's head. All manner of attention was now solely on the black cat.

"Adam?" James recovered first, approaching the student with a seriously frightening expression.

But thankfully Ozpin calmed him through a gesture of his hand. "Are you referring to THE Adam Taurus? The same Adam you fought the other night?"

"Yes… that's correct." Whether it was through sheer bravery or desperation, Blake held her ground, continuing to answer all of the questions that came at her. She knew that deep down she had to convince them. She had to convince them to act so that her friends don't have to. If all went well, the Atlesian Army would handle this matter and they can return to their dorms and turn in for the day. "He came to me and told me his plan."

The two Headmasters looked at one another, unable to tell whether this was some kind of prank or they were dead serious.

"I'm afraid you'll have to clarify this Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin spoke. "You're telling us that a wanted criminal entered Beacon, come to you and told you about his plans to destroy Mountain Glenn? Forgive me, but even I find this story to be rather farfetched."

"She's telling the truth." Ruby vouched in. "Uh… well… I wasn't exactly there but I trust Blake. She wouldn't lie." The other two members nodded in agreement, cheering their Faunus friend on.

"That's kind of you to say Ms. Rose. But I cannot trust in the words of one person." Ozpin returned his focus to the Faunus in disguise. "Ms. Belladonna. You claim to have information of the White Fang's plot and I can see that you are serious with this matter, but… I can scarcely believe it. Do you have anyone who can prove your claims?"

Blake opened up her mouth knowing well who could prove as her witness. The face of the blonde knight came to mind. But oddly enough, she paused on that thought. The moment she speaks his name, the boy will once again be caught in a web of trouble that he had no part of. Knowing him, Jaune would rush here at a moment's notice to vouch for her. But if he did… and if this was all just a ruse… then he too would take the fall. And honestly… that boy had enough troubles to deal with.

"No… no I don't." Blake said finally, her tone disheartened.

"Then I'm afraid we have nothing else to discuss here." Ozpin finished.

"But you can at least send someone to investigate."

"I'm sorry Ms. Belladonna. As much as I would love to help you, without sufficient proof or something to back your claims, all we have are your words."

James for once actually agreed with Ozpin. As much as he would love to believe that Adam would have the galls to sneak in here, even he found the story ridiculous. "What's more curious, is to why would Adam tell you this? What reason or objective would he achieve by telling you?"

"That's because…" Blake's mouth dried. Her fists clenched and her legs stiffened like concrete. She had one last shot at this, one last move. If she was to convince everyone here to act, she would need to bring out everything to the light… and that meant… everything that she was.

Everything that made Blake Belladonna the woman that she is.

"It's because I'm a Faunus." With a single motion, the girl willingly pulled out her bow, letting all to see who and what she was. "And… because I was once a member of the White Fang."