Melanie had made it back to the dorms, ready to finally go to sleep. Her hopes were cut short by Crimson soon stepping in.
"Weren't you having a pow-wow with your friends?" She asked.
"We finished." Crimson stated. "Why did you leave?"
Melanie sighed. "I'm not your friend. I want nothing to do with your personal life. When I graduate, I'm going solo, and you'll never see or hear from me again."
"Really? Because that wasn't my first impression." Crimson replied.
Melanie raised an eyebrow. "What was, pray tell?"
"When we met in the forest, you may have been quiet and irritable, but at least you were a team player." Crimson explained. "You wanted to be there, you listened to us, you didn't shrug us off and ignore us at every opportunity."
"Yeah, well then I found out who you are." Melanie said. "Believe me, it's better for the both of us that we get through these four years, then forget each other."
Crimson raised an eyebrow. "What does who I am have to do with anything?"
She rolled her eyes. "Crimson Dram, heir to the RedOwl tech corporation. Not only is your inheritance a multi-million lien company, but you likely have ten times that in a vault somewhere just waiting for you to turn eighteen. The only teammate worse than you would be a Schnee."
"So what, you're jealous of my inheritance?" Crimson ran a hand through his hair. "Melanie, my mom is in hospital, the company's probably corrupt beyond all imagining, and my father is dead! I've spent most of my life with a middle-class Faunus family, and both families raised me to be selfless and considerate. I'm not some privileged aristocrat. Every lien I've ever used was earned by actually working. I had a part time job at a local workshop. The only reason my weapon isn't built from dumpster diving is because Signal offers a weapon-building workshop."
"Oh, well good for you." Melanie stated. "I grew up on the street. My mom died in childbirth, and my dad's an alcoholic. I've been homeless my whole life, and had to learn how to survive the hard way. My weapon was a dumpster dive project, and it exploded the first eight times. I've had to save my dad's ass from old enemies he had before I was even born. And then I find out about his past, that he used to be a Huntsman, that he was somehow friends with your dad! So now I have to go around, dealing with the fact that if my dad weren't wallowing in self-pity, maybe we could have been friends. Now I have to wonder if your dad knew my mom. Not just that, but Reed's parents, who seem to have been close to yours. What do they know? And maybe I'd consider asking them, if I weren't scared of what I'd find out! Because at the end of the day, all I know is that my dad is too drunk to feed himself most of the time, and since I've come here, I've had the lingering thought in the back of my head that his body will be found washed up in some sewer or drained of blood in some alley."
Crimson blinked. "Melanie...you could have asked us for help any time."
"YOU DON'T DESERVE MY BAGGAGE!" She screamed. "You, Reed, and Nina are decent people! You're not perfect, but you're good. What right do I have to weigh you down with my problems?"
Crimson shook his head. "What right do I have as your leader to ignore them?"
"No!" She snapped. "No, I don't want you to be...tainted..." Her eyes began to water. "I...I like you just fine as you are...I want to be your friend, but I don't want my life corrupting yours."
"Melanie..." Crimson sighed. "...get some rest..."
The next day, Crimson went on as if nothing had happened. Melanie kept watching him nervously, keeping up her bland uncaring appearance in hopes nobody knew about their conversation. When sparring class came around, Melanie sat back, hoping to take the opportunity to calm herself.
"Ms. Lemay, you haven't come up in some time." Professor Goodwitch stated. "Why don't you start us off today?"
Melanie sighed, standing and sauntering up to the stage. "Sure."
"Do we have any volunteers for an opponent?" Glynda asked. "Ah, Mr. Dram."
Melanie's heart skipped a beat, and she looked over at Crimson. He stepped up onto the stage with her, extending his arm-blades.
"What is this?" She asked.
He shrugged. "Proving a point."
She pulled Violet Cross from her pocket, hiding her uncertainty. Crimson rushed at her, but she pivoted around, keeping a leg out to trip him. He leaped into a corkscrew, easily dodging the trip and slashing at her. She ignited Violet Cross, blocking the slash, and slashing at him with a dagger hidden in the sleeve of her free hand. He narrowly dodged, jabbing at her with his left blade. She ducked under the strike, batting it aside with her knife hand, and slashing upwards at Crimson. He stepped back to dodge, and she pressed the advantage, slashing repeatedly with both weapons to gradually push him back until he was at the edge of the stage. Just as he seemed to be falling off, he backflipped into the open space, and used a blast of gravity dust to propel him back towards Melanie, legs outstretched in a kick. He knocked her back, bringing her aura down to the red."
"Crimson wins." Glynda concluded. "Though being pushed out of the arena is typically a disqualification, Crimson's mid-air recovery saved him. More so, he transformed the maneuver into a powerful attack. However, Melanie's tactics were not without merit. If you turn your attention to the display, you'll notice Crimson's own aura is in the low yellow, not far from red. Her dust blade depleted his aura more quickly than most physical attacks would. One more attack, and she could have easily been the victor."
Crimson offered Melanie a hand up. She took it reluctantly.
"So what point were you trying to prove." She asked.
He smiled. "We're on the same level, Melanie. If you think I'm not ready to deal with your problems, you shouldn't be handling them alone anyway. Let us in. We're not a burden, we're your teammates. You can trust us."
She sighed. "Fine...if it'll get you to stop bugging me."
He chuckled. "That's the spirit...partner."
"If you give me a nickname, I will punch you in the gut." She threatened.
He shrugged. "I can wait till you're comfortable with one."