Sorry for the delay, I was a little under the weather!

Y'all know the drill, any reviews, feedback, or just nice little comments to brighten up my day are appreciated!

"Hey, how're you doing?" Blake looked up from her copy The Boy Who Fell From the Sky, gifted to her by Ruby, to find her partner looking down at her, hands on her hips and a warm smile on her face. The Faunus rolled her eyes, chuckling a little as she scooted over, allowing the blonde to sit beside her. "Oh? The "not talking" game again? That's fine, I can talk enough for the both of us." That was certainly true.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be quiet, I'm just… thinking." Blake admitted, giving Yang a lighthearted smile, though she couldn't hide the discomfort behind it. "Meeting the General today was… more than I had expected. I'm happy that Professor Ozpin is taking things seriously, but…"

"General Ironwood has a reputation, right?" Yang offered, Blake giving a surprised nod in affirmation at her partner's suggestion. "My family may not really seem like it, but we do worry about Faunus rights. I-I might not remember Summer very much, but I know my mom was attending every rally she could back before she passed."

"That was one of the first things Sienna did away with when my father stepped down." Blake noted, nodding slightly as she shut the book in her lap. "She insisted that humans had no right to stand with us when they were our oppressors. In a way, she's right. They don't have a right to act as leaders for us, not when they've never experienced the hardships Faunus do. But the ones who just protest at our sides? The ones who stand in front of us when police arrive to "keep the peace?" They aren't a problem, not to me. Not when they use their privilege to protect us, but don't speak over us about the issues."

"I don't… remember as much as I'd like of mom, but I remember asking her why she was going, once. I don't think I really understood, but… she said it was her responsibility." Yang sighed, shrugging her shoulders, Blake noticing a pensive look on her normally bombastic face. "I always wondered if it might be because she was a Huntress, but I don't know if it's really that. A lot of Huntsmen certainly didn't share that obligation."

"I don't think it had to do with a Huntress." Blake suggested, offering a slight smile to her partner. "A lot of Faunus didn't - don't - trust Huntsmen. If she felt obligated to participate in marches and protests, it wasn't because she was a Huntress, it was because she was a good person. A trait both of her daughters seemed to get, I'd say."

"Aw, thanks, Blake." Yang chuckled, the Faunus catching the pink dusting her partner's cheeks in the dim light. A soft smile grew on the blonde's face, strands of golden hair falling back as she leaned down a little, resting on her arms as she looked towards the sky. "I don't want to just focus on me, though… how are you? Ironwood isn't gonna come after you with me around, okay?"

"Well, he'd only avoid me because you're stirring up trouble again, right?" The Faunus teased, smiling playfully. The warmhearted laugh that escaped Yang's lips caused Blake's heart to beat faster, but the Faunus clenched her left hand tightly, doing her best to shift the direction of her thought. Yang was nice, but after everything that had happened with Adam, Blake wasn't confident that she should seek any sort of relationship, and finding Yang attractive like this was still a somewhat new experience. "You don't need to worry about me, Yang. I can take care of myself."

"But you shouldn't have to!" The blonde insisted, giving a confident grin. "You've got me. And Ruby and Weiss! We're a team, and we'll stick together, remember? Things are looking up, but no matter what, we'll be here with you, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Yang." Blake gave a soft smile, running a hand across the cover of the book in her lap. "I'm glad that I chose you as my partner during the initiation. Imagine if I'd gone with Cardin or something!"

"Oh, gosh, no one should be partnered with that dumb a-" Yang started to laugh, only for the humor to disappear in favor of curiosity. "Wait, you chose me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you certainly didn't need any help with those Ursa, did you?" Blake raised a brow, lips curved into a smirk, ears perking up ever so slightly. "I don't think you minded, did you?"

"I mean, of course I didn't mind, I could tell you were going to be a great partner at a first glance." Yang turned it back on Blake with a playful grin. "And wow did you deliver."

The way that Yang raised her brows caused Blake's cheeks to warm slightly, and she clenched her hand again, shaking her head slightly. "You're hilarious." She couldn't let herself get carried away. The last time she did that led to years of hell. Stretching her arms upwards with a slight yawn, Blake gave Yang a slight smile, grabbing her book as she started to stand. "Let's get back to the dorm, it's getting late. If I'm going to keep reading, I want it to be somewhere more comfortable."

"Mind if I join you there?" Yang asked with a wink, keeping a smirk on her lips for several seconds before bursting into laughter. "Sorry, Blake. Just teasing." Yeah, right.

"You didn't have to come to the lockers with us, Ruby." Jaune insisted as the trio made their way back to the dorms, the blonde and redhead sporting freshly damp hair from quick showers. "You know we would've come to stop by and say goodnight."

"I know!" The redhead chirped cheerfully, hands held together in front of her as she turned around to give the older duo a happy smile. She felt her cheeks warm as she got a good look at her boyfriend and girlfriend, ignoring the feeling her sister called "butterflies in her stomach" as she continued, walking backwards as she spoke. "Even if I didn't need to, I wanted to! It's nice spending time with you, and the wait while you were showering wasn't long."

"Well, thank you, then," Pyrrha insisted, returning Ruby's warm smile with one of her own, Jaune following suit rather sheepishly. She tried to determine which she liked more, the beautiful smile from Pyrrha, or the dorky one from Jaune, before deciding comparing them was silly because they were both precious to her, like every smile from the pair. Noticing the delighted look on Ruby's face, the older redhead spoke up. "What's gotten you so gleeful?"

"Mmmmmmm, nothing!" The shorter girl peeped with a giggle, before turning around so she could see where she was going. "Just thinking of how much I like your smiles!"

"Oh!" Ruby could practically hear the blush undoubtedly painting her girlfriend's face, cheeks a brilliant scarlet matching her hair. What she wasn't expecting were for Pyrrha's firm arms to wrap around her waist and lift her into a hug from behind, letting out a startled squeak as the taller girl laughed warmly. "I think you're overlooking your smile, Ruby. It's such a delight to see every day, don't you agree, Jaune?"

"Absolutely." The blonde agreed, slipping in front of the redheaded duo to take Ruby's place at the front, turning around with a slightly smug smirk on his face as he looked at the younger girl. Walking backwards, he decided to elaborate as he continued looking at the increasingly embarrassed Silver-eyed girl. "Every morning when we meet you, my whole day becomes brighter when you give us that cheerful grin I can't imagine having so early in the day."

"What, but that's- that's just silly! You're being silly!" Ruby insisted, feeling the warmth of her cheeks coloring a shade of red befitting the tips of her hair. Jaune's cocky smirk grew into a grin, which only made Ruby feel even more embarrassed. How come him and Pyrrha always managed to say stuff like that, making her feel all warm and fuzzy! It wasn't fair, not one bit! "W-Well you and Pyrrha have the best smiles ever! Every time I see them I feel so much better, even when I'm feeling down!"

Judging by the warm giggle that escaped Pyrrha's lips as she hugged Ruby a little tighter, not letting the girl down as they walked towards the dorms, the shorter redhead wasn't too sure her retort had been successful. "I'm glad to hear we can have such an effect on you, Ruby, I think I speak for both of us when we say that the same is true of us when we see your smiles." Oh, well, that was sweet of her to say. Maybe what she said was successful, just not how she'd expected. Stupid weird feelings. "I think my favorite was when I fought Team CRDL. Seeing how proud you were… You have a smile worth fighting for, Ruby."

Oh, gosh, that was, well, that was something she'd never heard before, and hearing Pyrrha, hearing her girlfriend, say something like that? The mixture of joy and embarrassment was almost overwhelming, the younger girl tearing up a little as a small smile graced her lips, cheeks a rosy red befitting of her name. "That's definitely true." Jaune agreed, his smirking changing into a more genuine smile. Ruby would hesitate to call it loving, if only because the thought of using the term "love" so soon was a bit too much. She certainly cared about Jaune and Pyrrha a whole lot, but to say she loved them was, well, scary. She just liked them a whole lot! "Pyrrha's genuine smiles are wonderful, but there's a purity to your smiles that I don't think either of us can match, Ruby. It's inspiring, I'd say."

"Y-you aren't just saying that, right?" Ruby asked nervously, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the complimenting. "You mean it?"

"Of course we do, Ruby." Jaune insisted, slowing his pace a little so he could get in line with Pyrrha, offering the shorter redhead a gentle smile. "I know you're new to this kind of stuff, newer than me and Pyrrha, anyways, so if we need to stop, just let us know, okay?"

"I think it's okay, I'm just… a little overwhelmed, is all." Ruby gave a somewhat nervous smile, though Jaune didn't seem to mind her answer at all, if the warmth in his blue eyes was anything to go by. "I'm glad you two like me… I like you, too." The embrace Pyrrha was giving her tightened slightly, not so much that it was painful by any means, just a little firmer.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me every time you say that." The taller redhead said softly, almost more to herself than to Ruby or Jaune, and before the shorter girl could comment on it, the group came to a stop as they reached the dorms. "Here we are, I'll put you down, now."

"Thank you!" Ruby chirped, a little sad to be out of Pyrrha's hug, even if she would never admit it. Being carried like that was embarrassing, but it was nice, too. Standing between Jaune and Pyrrha, the younger girl held out her scroll to unlock the building, the detector's soft chime signaling they could enter as the doors slid open. Pulling back her scroll, she noticed something she hadn't before: there was a message waiting for her. "That's weird."

"What's up?" Jaune asked, looking down past Ruby's shoulder to see what was on her scroll, not really able to make out what was on the screen. "Yang message you or something?"

"I got a message, yeah." The uncertainty in her voice left the duo from JNPR feeling a little worried, which only furthered as she continued. "But it's not from a scroll I recognize."

"Maybe don't open it?" Pyrrha suggested, memories of unsolicited messages from fans that'd gotten her scroll number somehow, usually filled with indecent proposals and sometimes rather vile images.

"Too late." Ruby regretfully chirped, both girls relieved to see that when the message opened, it wasn't anything bad, though it was rather strange. "You lack clarity, seek out the Warrior in the Woods. -BR What's that supposed to mean?"

"The "Warrior in the Woods?" What's that, like, you need to seek out some master hiding in the woods?" Jaune chuckled nervously, not exactly thrilled his girlfriend had received such a weird message, even if it has at least on the surface a harmless one. He had no clue what it could possibly mean, though. "I have no idea, same with you, Pyrrha?"

"Yes," that sounded somewhat more uncertain than expected, but Ruby chalked it up to Pyrrha being uncomfortable with her receiving a message like that. "We should get going, it's getting late. Ruby, you need to be careful about opening messages from people you don't know, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Pyrrha." Ruby mumbled, sinking her head and shoulders a little in shame, only to be brought into another hug by the older girl.

"Hey, it's okay. I just don't want you to open something and have something bad waiting for you." Pyrrha explained, giving a warm smile to the shorter redhead, gently squeezing her shoulder to reassure her. "I'm sorry if you thought I was mad, I certainly wasn't."

"That's good!" Ruby chirped, returning the hug with a rather tight one of her own. The trio fast approached their rooms, and soon enough, they were standing outside Ruby's door. "Um, goodnight, you two. I l-like you both a ton, I'm sure I'll be dreaming of you, so it won't feel like we're so separated."

"We like you a lot, too." Pyrrha said gently, leaning down to give the shorter teen a kiss on the forehead, giving a warm smile as she pulled away.

"Goodnight, Ruby." Jaune was blushing almost as much as Ruby, not looking like he was quite at the point where he'd be ready to kiss her, even just on the forehead. "We'll see you in the morning, okay?" The shorter team leader gave an affirmative nod, smiling sheepishly after what Pyrrha had done, before slipping into her dorm, leaving the other two in the hall as the door closed. All seemed well until Pyrrha gave a concerned sigh, which drew the blonde's attention. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I think I know what the message means." Pyrrha admitted, looking to the ground with guilt. "I-I had an idea, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't want to give Ruby false hope if I was wrong."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune was perplexed by his partner's statement. Pyrrha never had seemed the sort to lie, not in his mind, so hearing that she had was a shock to say the least. "Come on, Pyrrha, there's got to be some reason to not tell Ruby outside of the fact that you aren't sure."

"It's just… it's outlandish. There's no way it'd be true." Pyrrha insisted, the blonde unsure of what to make of her expression, a mix between doubt and certainty with a covering of guilt in the way she held her shoulders. Taking Pyrrha's hand, Jaune offered a reassuring smile, one she could only halfheartedly return. "I need to check something, the book I got when we went book shopping with Ruby."

"The, uh, fairy tales, right?" Jaune suggested off his memory. Though Ruby had given them their books in the next few days after the incident, reading them was understandably off their minds. Still, Jaune was pretty confident he remembered what she'd bought, and was glad to see her nod affirmatively. "Let's find it then, yeah?"

"Yeah." Pyrrha agreed as the duo entered their dorm. Ren was currently going over some papers, likely homework if Jaune was to guess, while Nora snored from her bed, not having bothered to use the covers as she slept atop her blankets. Following Pyrrha's lead, Jaune accompanied his girlfriend to the bookshelf, looking through some of the lower shelves while she checked the top. "Ah ha! Here we are." Pyrrha announced quietly, placing the book on her bed, leaning over it as she skimmed through the first story, a frown growing as she reached the end. "Jaune, what color would you say Ruby's eyes are?"

"Um… Silver, I guess? They're a bit grayish, but there's something more about them." The blonde shrugged, not really following his partner's train of thought. "They aren't really gray, though. That kid from Haven, Mercury? His eyes are gray. Yeah, I'd say that Ruby's eyes are silver colored. It's kind of cool, I've never seen eyes quite like hers. Why?"

"Read this line here." Pyrrha's tone left no room for questioning. The blonde leaning beside her to get a better look at the book.

"Okay, um… "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her silver eyes." Wait? That's what you think this is about?" Jaune did his best not to sound skeptical, all things considered. It was strange, but he wasn't sure why someone none of them knew would suggest she seek out the story. "I-I guess it's pretty weird, I certainly never heard of this story."

"I… I'm not sure, Jaune. But this can't be a coincidence." Pyrrha insisted, the blonde frowning slightly at how agitated she sounded, not at him, but at the situation itself. "I've never seen eyes like hers before, Jaune, and this story talks about people like her being hunted down. About strange powers, though that might be a reimagining of a semblance. Either way… I-I'm not sure what to do. Should we tell her?"

"Of course we should." Jaune insisted, offering Pyrrha a reassuring smile as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. "She'll understand why we waited, and be happy that she doesn't have to wonder what the message means."

"Of course. I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're fine, Pyrrha." Jaune said with a warm smile, hugging her a little tighter. "Now let's get to bed." Pyrrha nodded, still looking a bit worried, but glad that Jaune had her back on this.

"I'm really allowed to do this, Specialist Schnee?" Winter looked to the rather nervous looking girl beside her, green eyes wide as the redhead stared at the Atlesian.

"Yes, Penny. General Ironwood has agreed with your request to socialize with my sister and Ruby Rose." Winter smiled at the girl, though it was somewhat forced. On the surface, what they were doing was nice, and that was certainly how Penny would see it, but the Specialist had to remind herself that the redhead was in fact artificial as an excuse to ignore the fact that the General was essentially using her to spy on her sister's team. "And please, Penny. Call me Winter."

"Um, if you're sure, Miss Winter!"

"No "Miss," Penny, just Winter." The Specialist instructed. "Now there's no need to wait any longer, please go speak to your friend."

"Thank you, M- Winter!" The robot girl announced with a grin, bringing the Atlesian woman in for a tight hug. "Just remember, you're my friend, now, too!"

If Winter had a reply to say, it had been lost when the air was crushed out of her lungs by the redhead's backbreaking embrace. Penny gave a cheerful wave as she made her way towards Weiss in the otherwise abandoned library. The younger Schnee was in the middle of looking through an old book, though Penny could not identify it at a glance, a surly expression of annoyance on her face. Walking up behind her, Penny raised a hand in greeting as she loudly announced: "salutations, Weiss! How are you?"

The scream that erupted from Weiss' throat caught the redhead off guard, and she was quick as she could be to the white-haired girl's side, hand on her back in concern. "P-Penny?" The Atlesian stared wide-eyed at the slightly sheepish looking girl, who offered a grin one might interpret as apologetic. "First Ruby, now you. What is it with redheads and a lack of sense?"

"I don't know!" Penny chirped cheerfully, a smile gracing Weiss' lips as she laughed softly. "How are you, Weiss?"

"I've been better." The Atlesian admitted, eyes slightly downcast as she turned her focus back on the book she was reading. Seeing the curious look in the redhead's eyes, Weiss waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Penny, it's not of any concern."

"But I thought friends are supposed to be concerned about each other!" Penny insisted, leaning towards the white-haired girl, completely disregarding the pink dusting her cheeks. "We are friends, right, Weiss? You didn't change your mind, did you?"

"Of course not, Penny! I would never." The expression of worry on Penny's face broke Weiss' heart, and she was quick to reassure the redhead, placing a hand on the robot girl's free hand and offering a reassuring squeeze as Ruby would often do to her. "We are friends, absolutely. I just don't wish to be a burden. It would be… indecorous of me."

"I disagree! I want to help, so there's nothing wrong with telling me." Penny insisted, smiling brightly. "You and Ruby are my best friends, Weiss. I would do anything for you!"

"W-well, thank you, Penny." Weiss wasn't… unused to hearing people make such claims about doing anything for her, but only from perhaps Klein and Winter would it ever sound so genuine. The Atlesian blushed brilliantly, eyes darting towards the book again before shaking her head. What was with redheads having this sort of effect on her? First Pyrrha, then Ruby, now Penny? Penny was her friend, and maybe earnest to a fault, so maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world to tell her. "I'm… trying to understand my family's semblance better. I still haven't managed to summon, so I'm rereading my grandfather's notebooks."

"Maybe I could help?" Penny asked, head lilting slightly to the side. "I'm happy to be of assistance!"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Certainly not tonight." Weiss replied, though curiosity flashed across her face before deciding her next question. "Penny, why are you here? I thought that General Ironwood wanted you to avoid us."

"Oh! The General considered my request to let me interact with you and Ruby, and after this morning, he approved it!" Weiss definitely took note that it was only after the morning's meeting that he had allowed this, but she was sure that it was more an attempt to ingratiate himself with their team than anything truly malicious. "I've been so lonely, even when Spe- when Winter spends time with me. I'm worried it'll be the same when I am assigned a team mate."

"You've spent time with my sister?"

"Oh, yes! Winter is assigned to keep watch over me for the next week while I acclimate to being social. I think she's nearby!" A look of worry graced the redhead's face, cheeks a verdant hue as she blushed. "Oh no! I wasn't supposed to say that! I'm sorry!"

"I am… sure that Winter will forgive you, Penny." How could she not? The girl was positively adorable, as much as Weiss tried to push the thought from her head. "How about you tell me about your day?"

"Oh! Ab-so-lutely!" The redhead chirped cheerfully, not even reacting as Weiss rested her head on her shoulder. The two continued to chatter, Winter watching on with a hint of guilt, both for how they were using Penny, and how she had made her sister feel so poorly.