Editor's Note: Champter

But seriously I've got nothing much to say. Enjoy the read!

Chapter 46

Carol rolled the small dust depository around in his hand, spinning it through his fingers idly. He hadn't gotten any work done the previous night, deciding that a good night of sleep to give him energy for the task was the best thing he could do with what time he had. Though, it didn't serve to give him any more ideas about what to do with the tech he'd picked up. Forging a sword was easy work compared to the clever tinkering and machining he'd need to do for a system that involved Dust.

In a way, it was a nice focusing point. Classes were interesting enough, regardless if his grades showed it, but he was foremost a smith before anything else, so a job allowed him to shift his entire focus to a singular purpose. It still looped back into his current conundrum, though, so he kept staring and fiddling with the small mechanical device, sighing. The clash and clamor of weapons in the class distracted him for a moment, drawing his attention upwards.

The spar de jour was Cardin against Ren. Cardin naturally struggled against quicker opponents, and though he'd seen marked improvement training with Carol and especially Russel, he still had a way to go. The main issue that Carol had, surprisingly, didn't lie with Cardin.

It was actually Ren, who appeared to have begrudgingly taken Carol's advice, though not in the way that he'd originally intended. What Carol meant for Ren to do was use his superior control over Aura to essentially slow down and deflect incoming strikes, not to reinforce his arms to perform the same tactic but with his weapons instead. From what Carol had seen, his dagger-pistol mechashift weapons' blades were quenched with ice Dust, which meant that every single heavy strike that Cardin attempted to land threatened to damage his weapons in a major way. Sighing in frustration, he turned his attentions back to the small chunk of metal in his hand.

"What's that you got there, dude?" Russel piped up, leaning over his shoulder. Sky was conspicuously absent, but as he'd always been the more confident one in the group, Carol guessed he'd be talking with Scarlet.

"Eh. Dust repository. S'for a new client." Carol explained, briefly palming the device before tossing it towards his friend, who caught it. Russel turned it about, inspecting it.

"Hm. Yep, that's a Dust repository, alright. Reminds me of the ones in my daggers, 'cept mine are more of a circle instead of a tube." Carol raised an eyebrow.

"You've got Dust repositories in your daggers?"

"Yeah. You never noticed?"

"No, I saw them, remember? Like a few months ago or so." Russel smiled in return, face tinting a touch red.

"Right, forgot about that. It's weird, it seems like forever ago you picked our weapons apart."

"Yeah, I get what you mean." That did beg the question, however... "So why don't you have any Dust in it?"

"Huh? Oh, Dust is really expensive in Vacuo, that is, if you can even find it." Well, that made sense. It was because of that reason he prioritized making a functional blade or bludgeoning instrument before a firearm or something that relied on Dust. Sure, it was neat to have the ability to convert a bastard sword into an automatic rifle, but what did you do when you didn't have any ammunition or Dust? Though, considering what he'd seen the junior Huntsmen here do, he'd have to rethink his stance on mechashift weaponry. After all, Pyrrha was still completely dominating the class simply because of versatility...as well as the fact that she'd spent most of her waking hours training or fighting. Carol was half-convinced she was born swinging a sword...

"Yeah, that's fair, I suppose. You at least know how to use the Dust in them?" If he didn't have access to it, Russel actually understanding the effects and use of Dust would be a genuine concern.

"I mean, I do, but Dust prices here are getting close to Vacuo's, which is absolutely crazy." Russel shook his head, sighing. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't even afford a few vials of the stuff."

"I'll front the cost, if you want." Carol offered. "No point in having the capability if you ain't gonna use it."

"You serious?" Carol could see the disbelief flash over his friend's face. "That's a lot to ask of anyone, even if you work a high paying job."

"Look, you've got the tech for it, you gotta use it. The Grimm don't cut corners, so you shouldn't, either." That, and the more effective his team was, the more chance he'd not have to fight a Grimm. Given that the training missions were coming up soon, four days at the earliest, Carol was going to make sure that his team were in tip-top condition to slay Grimm. He wouldn't have to worry about fighting the Grimm if they were already taken care of, after all.

An earnest smile erupted on Russel's face, who threw an arm around Carol's shoulder, jostling him erratically. "You're the best friend I've ever had!" He joked, while wiping an imaginary tear away.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy on me. It's just Dust, nothin' major." Carol said, though his face colored and a small smile wormed its way into existence on his face. The smile was terminated from its brief existence not by Carol noticing it was there, but by a loud shattering sound, drawing Carol's attention from his teammate to the stage. Cardin stood there, mouth open slightly in disbelief as Ren clutched his hand, but from where Carol was he couldn't see if there was an open wound. What he could see, however, was a mechashift weapon that was in several pieces scattered on the ground.

Cardin discarded his mace, the heavy weapon clanging on the ground and echoing in the almost silent sparring hall. "Dude, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Save it." Ren, in a surprisingly emotionally charged voice, bit out in a tone Carol didn't even imagine he could make.

"I'm just trying to-" Cardin started to walk over, but he slowed his pace and stopped, getting the hint from not only Ren but the two-ton wielding terror running to her boyfriend. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but tamped it down and walked away, collecting his weapon as Goodwitch tried to keep the peace. The damage was done, however, and Carol could tell that this was already weighing on his team member's mind, his face flushed with shame.

However, it wasn't totally Cardin's fault. These things happened, no matter the circumstance, although it was rather unlucky that Cardin was the one that triggered it. If anyone on the other teams had done it, Carol was sure that it would be easily forgiven and bygones would be bygones. Certainly Nora could have accomplished much the same as Cardin had, considering the girl had something that rivaled the weight of Augusta Nave, but Goodwitch didn't want to promote rivalries within teams, which led to the unfortunate situation that was unfolding, which threatened to widen the divide between the teams again and undo all the work that Carol had done to get his team in their good graces.

Still, the disdainful glares were back, which left a poor taste in Carol's mouth as his temper flared up. He forced himself to calm down, knowing that anything he could say right now would just agitate the situation. He'd think of something to repair the damage done later, but for now, he just needed to settle his kindled wrath.

The evening halls of Beacon were empty as Carol strolled along, heading towards the common room. He had plenty to work on that evening in the workshop and a cup of coffee could do wonders to refresh and sharpen his mind. That, and a scalding cup of Atlesian Black would wash away the frustration from earlier, along with a good amount of tastebuds. Not that he thought he had any left.

He'd left his teammates behind in their room, Cardin blaming himself for what happened, even though Carol, Sky and Russel all told him he was taking it too harshly. Carol tried to help with it further by mentioning that the advice he gave Ren may have caused the shattering to happen, attempting to share the blame that Cardin had placed on himself. It didn't work, only serving to have Cardin start sympathizing towards Carol. Looking down at the path he was on, Carol wished he had a rock to kick in frustration. Or, alternatively, the ability to light a cigarette within a mile radius of Goodwitch and not get it ripped out of his mouth.

Still, the coffee would help somewhat, and when he would get down to business in the forge, the kinetic motions would further drive it away. Earlier, he'd had some luck in trying to pen a design down for ...whatever he was going to call the blade he was making. He knew roughly what he wanted to make, but whenever he started putting pen to paper (or finger to touchscreen while he was in class) he found himself uninspired. It wasn't like he didn't have ideas, it just felt...wrong, like he shouldn't be making a blueprint. Arae told him to have it come from his vision alone, so he supposed he could play it by ear. It worked out for his own sword, after all. 'Course, he still had to draw a blueprint for Rex after he made it, but it was a valid proof of concept. But introspection could wait until he had a fresh cup of coffee in his hands. Or never, that worked too.

He finally reached the common room, swinging around the corner by planting an arm on the outside. Though, he wasn't going to be as alone as he thought. Sparing a 'thank you' to the universe, it was not only a palatable person to talk to, but one he'd been meaning to for a while. "Hey Neptune. How've ya been?"

The boy in question looked up from the counter where he was fiddling around with a mug, an easy smile emerging on his face as he noticed who entered. "'Sup, dude." The customary fist was extended, Carol tapping it with his own knuckles. "I'm doing pretty good." Neptune's expression softened. "Sorry about what happened with Cardin."

"You didn't do anything, though."

"Yeah, but Ren and his team aren't taking it the best." He sighed, shaggy locks accompanying a shake of the head. "Just worried they're gonna cause some trouble between everyone."

"Yeah, you and me both." Carol agreed, beginning to rummage around in the cabinet where he stored his grounds. "I thought this was supposed to be a school where kids came to learn to work together, y'know? Instead, it's just like the prep academy."

"You're telling me." Neptune leaned against the counter, folding his arms. "Want me and Sun to try to play peacekeeper? Try and put in a good word to help smooth things over?" Carol shrugged.

"That's your own prerogative. Feel free, though." Carol dismissed, waving a hand. "Now where did I put the- ah, there it is." Retrieving the bag, he placed it on the counter, looking for a filter. In his search, he happened to notice Neptune looking at it with a wrinkled nose. A wide grin took form on his face. "What, you never seen proper coffee before?"

"Ugh, if that's proper coffee, I think I'll drink the fake stuff." Carol shrugged.

"Suit yourself." As he set up the small machine to process his drink, he took a breath and cleared his mind. Friendly conversation was nice, but he'd been waiting for a time where Neptune was alone. "So, hey, I got somethin' serious to talk about, if you'd humor me for a bit."

"Sure." A smirk tugged at his lips. "I've heard you give great advice, so I've been kind of waiting for this to happen."

"I give good advice?" Carol asked. "I usually just tell people to stop pussyfootin' and do whatever they want."

"Hey, sometimes people need to hear that."

Carol shrugged. "I guess. Anyway-" he finished the prep on the machine, setting it to work. "-I need to talk to you about somethin'. Someone, I should specify."

"Oh." Neptune's brows shot up in recognition. "I think I know what you're getting at, and you don't need to worry about it." Finally, someone was on his wavelength!

"Thank the gods. You know, I thought I was the only one here with common sense." Neptune nodded, sagely.

"I mean, it was kind of obvious when you look at it."

"I know, right!" Carol said, smile growing on his face.

"So don't worry about it. I'll be more than glad to support you and Weiss."

"..." Carol's expression slowly fell from his face, gradually being replaced with one twisted in confusion. "Sorry, come again?"

"She's a good girl, real good heart. You'll both be happy, I know it."

Carol started to panic, waving his hands in an effort to get Neptune to stop. "Wait, hold o-"

"Just be sure not to break her heart. I heard how you fought junior Huntsmen three on one, but something tells me that you won't live another day if the rest of RWBY finds out." Carol simply stared, aghast. Neptune finally noticed Carol's expression, appearing sheepish. "Sorry, kind of lost track for a bit there."

"You meant got swept up in a fever dream?" Carol said, temple pulsing in frustration. "Look, I'm glad that I'd have your support, but I don't need it."

"Ah, doing the headstrong thing again?"

"No! No I'm not!" Carol stressed in exasperation. "Look, I'm trying to say I don't need it because I'm not interested in Weiss! You are!"

"I am?"

"Yes, you are!" Carol said, losing energy at Neptune's reaction. It didn't exactly inspire confidence. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah... about that..." Neptune trailed off, nervous smile alighting atop his features. "I'm, like, really flattered that you think that, but I'm not trying to date her."

"But- But the dance! And the flirting! And the- the-" In a rare moment of incredulity, Carol's words escaped him as he tried to quash the disgusting feeling of relief that coursed through him.

"Honestly, I sort of fell for her at first." Neptune admitted. "I saw a pretty face and just kind of lost my head, but as I talked with her more I got the feeling that she wasn't seeing me for me." To be fair to Weiss, she was a teenage girl, and teenage crushes happened which tended to cause a lot of emotional confusion. Or, so all of those romance novels said. "As for the dance...Yeah... she kind of asked me to it, put me on the spot and all so I couldn't really say no." Once again, Carol maintained his position on Neptune's confidence issues, cursing them. "That's why I tried to...wow, this kind of makes me seem like an asshole, but I tried to get someone to step up and take my place."

"Then why'd you come back?"

"Jaune found me and told me that she was alone, and...gods, I felt like such a tool." Neptune's eyes were downcast as he sighed heavily. "I wanted to make things right. Own up to my promises. And then I saw the two of you dancing and she seemed...happy. Usually her mind's in eighty different places, but she didn't seem to be thinking of anything other than the moment." Neptune and Carol simply looked each other in the eyes for a few moments, the former resolutely gazing forwad while the latter was dumbfounded. The pot nearby dinged, bringing the two back to reality. "Sorry," Neptune apologized, laughing slightly, "-that got a lot more heavy than I thought it would."

"No, no, it's fine. I wanted to have a serious conversation, and we had one." Looking over the small pot, Carol frowned. He used a touch too much water, making enough for a cup and a half instead of just the one. A little extra coffee never hurt anyone, though. "I think you're making a mistake." He said, pouring the drink into one of the cheap paper cups.

"Maybe. I don't think I am, though."

"Just so we're clear, I'm not interested in her, either." Neptune responded with a slight smile. "I'm not." Carol took a long draught of the fresh brew, eyes watering and tongue languishing at the temperature. It helped cleanse his mind, though. "Got a curiousity, if you'd humor me."

"Go ahead." Neptune stared at the half-full cup of midnight oil, mouth pressed in a firm line. Despite the current situation, Carol felt his lips quirk upward at the obvious distaste Neptune held for Atlesian Black.

"What is your type, anyway?"

"Huh? Oh, I think I like girls with a bit more fire to them." Carol topped off his cup again, raising a singular eyebrow.

"Do I have to play wingman for Russ and cockblock you?" Neptune snorted, holding a hand to his mouth to hold back laughter. "And besides, Weiss has a bit of a vicious side as well." As well as slightly sadistic, but that was a bit out of place.

"Nah, dude. Yang's just the first example you know of. And Weiss is...well, she's spirited, and she can definitely burn you, but hers is more like freezerburn."

"You're tellin' me. Even considerin' where I grew up, I thought some glares she gave me would freeze me right through."

"Says the guy that can make people run for cover with his own." Neptune joked, receiving a 'friendly' slug to the arm courtesy of a red-faced Carol. He winched, but laughed lightly all the same. "That is, if your fist doesnt beat you to it first!" Carol could only sigh.

So, Neptune was a bust. Maybe he could convince Jaune to step up again? Shaking his head, he downed the rest of the cup, tossing it in the nearby wastebasket. No, Jaune was frustratingly stubborn when he wanted to be. So that meant Carol would have to find someone else she liked to date her. But why did that resolution bother him so much? He set to washing out the pot he used, focusing on the action of it instead of a solution to the less than ideal teenage issues. Neptune stretched, yawning. "Well, I need to get back to my team. I'll see you around, dude."

"Yep. See ya." Neptune tapped Carol's shoulder, footsteps making muffled sounds as he exited the room. A long drawn out sigh erupted from Carol as he threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I hate you, universe." The ceiling didn't respond, but he could imagine something, somewhere, making a famous one finger salute back at him.

End Note: CC, my dudes.