The trip to Forever Fall had Ruby on the edge of her seat with excitement. Only three teams had been selected to accompany Professors Goodwitch and Amber to the woods, chosen by their combat abilities. Team RWBY tied with JNPR for first place, but only because Pyrrha was undefeated! The championship fighter had proven herself time and time again deserving of her title.

Not that Ruby cared about that! She was just glad that Team JNPR was joining them on this field trip. It was great, get away from those stuffy classrooms, maybe fight a few Grimm, spend time with friends, what more could a girl want?

The only downside was that Team CRDL came along too. The all-boy squad had been ranked third in combat, though distant from Teams RWBY and JNPR. They weren't even that impressive, stupid Cardin just used a heavy mace. Granted it was a heavy mace enhanced with a Dust crystal amalgam of gravity and fire that was pretty cool because it compressed the fire down so it would explode on impact if swung with sufficient force plus Ruby was certain he could aim the explosions—

Ahem.

Ruby glanced around the Bullhead, crammed with people. Twelve students and two—no, three teachers. Not counting the pilot, it was a packed ship.

"Are we there yet?" Nora asked excitedly, shaking Ren. "Ren, are we there yet?"

"No," the boy answered, voice steady even as he was bodily heaved to and fro. "For the eleventh time, Nora, we're not there yet."

"But are we there now?!"

"Still on the Bullhead, Nora."

"Ugh, that girl is giving me a headache," Weiss complained next to Ruby. "How does the rest of JNPR handle her?"

"I like Nora, she's fun," Ruby told her partner.

"Liking her isn't my issue," Weiss rolled her eyes. "It's that she's like this, all the time! It's like dealing with you times twenty."

"Nora isn't that bad," Blake interjected. "I haven't heard any complaints from Jaune or Pyrrha."

"Like you'd know! You barely talk to them."

"We do sit with them at every meal," Blake said dryly. "And I listen."

"Speaking of Jaune," Yang jumped in. "He's a little chummy with Cardin these days, don't you guys think?"

Ruby looked at the boys. Jaune sat in between Cardin and Russel, glumly staring at his feet. Occasionally, he snuck guilty glances at his teammates. Ruby felt a pang of pity, remembering their conversation on leadership.

"He said Cardin's got him on a leash," Ruby whispered to her team.

Yang's eyes hardened. "Blackmail? Think we should do something?"

"I—" Ruby frowned, gut rolling. She wanted to help Jaune, but was that the best option here? He said he could handle it, but it didn't look like he was. "I—Maybe? I don't know, maybe he'll figure something out. What if we get involved and it makes thing worse?"

"That would be bad," Blake pointed out the obvious. "It's Jaune's business. If he wants help, he'll ask."

Would he though? Ruby didn't think so.

Seeing her sister look so troubled, Yang shifted the conversation. "Blondies on the mind, what about Amber's boytoy?" she smirked, motioning her neck towards the teachers at the front of the Bullhead. Professor Goodwitch glared sternly over them, riding crop ready for any potential shenanigans. Amber, the assistant teacher that occasionally showed up in their classes, sat beside her, making idle conversation with the final adult.

"All he does is follow her! It's weird, right?" Weiss seized the change of topic. "He's so silent, and he's always watching us in class. It's creepy! Who even is he?"

"His name's Link," Blake helpfully added. She withdrew a book to peruse for the remainder of the flight.

"How do you know? Can you hear what they're saying from here?"

Blake's bow twitched. "Nope," she answered plainly, opening to a dog-eared page. "Just paid attention when Amber introduced him on the first day."

Weiss flushed.

"Huh, she did introduce him," Yang mused. "Guess Jaune-two fades into the background."

"Not anymore he won't," Weiss pointed out. "Look at him!"

Ruby had noticed as well. Before, the pointed-ear man had worn his blue shirt and trousers with plain boots. He'd upgraded. Now the blue shirt rested over steely chainmail the covered his arms and upper thighs. Leather guards protected his shoulders, forearms, and shins. A small steel buckler shield mounted his arm near the wrist. It didn't cover much, but it'd turn away an attack in a pinch.

More interesting was the weapons he brought. Sure, they were nothing special, but there were so many! He'd taken a whole seat to rest his gear, just so that he comfortably sit down next to Amber. Ruby spotted a war hammer, a bow, a sword, a quiver of arrows, and a knife. They were plain but looks could be deceiving. Ruby practically drooled at the thought of it. Oo what if all the weapons combined to make a super-weapon!? That'd be awesome.

He locked eyes with Ruby. His eyes were a deep blue, warm if a little stern. Ruby blushed, darting her eyes away. Oh boy, that was awkward. Hopefully, he wasn't bothered.

The conversation shifted again, this time to the upcoming exam in Oobleck's class. Ruby pulled a Blake and tuned out the conversation, passing the time by tinkering with Crescent Rose in her mind. Before she knew it, the Bullhead was landing.

"Everyone, calmly exit the vehicle," Goodwitch commanded, standing up. She addressed the other two adults. "Link, Amber, would you please bring the jars provided by Professor Peach?"

"Yes, Glynda," Amber answered.

"That's Professor Goodwitch in front of the students."

After they exited the Bullhead, the Professor signaled the pilot. The vehicle shut its doors and engines whirred. It lifted off, leaving the class behind in Forever Fall Forest.

"Amber, would you mind explaining the task to the students?" Goodwitch delegated. The girl was taken aback, clearly not expecting to have to.

"R-right," Amber coughed. "Alright students, Professor Peach has asked us to collect jars of red sap from the forest. Since Forever Fall is full of the creatures of Grimm, we only took the top combat students. That's, uh, you guys."

"Woo!" Yang cried, interrupting the teacher.

"Miss Xiao-Long, if you don't mind," Goodwitch glared at the offending student.

"It's fine," Amber pushed on. She withdrew a rod, tipped with crystals. Ruby perked up. "You all should be able to handle yourselves, but if you need help, don't hesitate to call us for help."

To illustrate her point, the rod extended into a long staff. She butted it on the ground, ready to use it at a moment's notice. Ruby's eyes roved over the object, taking in every detail.

"Teams, empty jars are here. There's enough for all of you and then some," Amber announced. "Stick to your teams, don't go too far, and watch your backs!"

"And be back here by four," Goodwitch finished for her.

"R-right, I was going to say that."

The lecture broke up, everyone going about the task. Cardin pushed Jaune forward, telling him to grab an extra jar while he's at it. Ruby nearly tripped him, rushing past to reach Amber.

"Professor, uh, Teacher, er, Amber!" Ruby caught her attention. The woman glanced at Link, adjusting her grip on the staff.

"What is it, Ruby?" Amber asked, giving her a patient smile.

"I, uh," Ruby flushed. "I wanted to ask you about your weapon!"

Amber blinked. "My weapon?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah!" Ruby confirmed. She rubbed her hands together. "I'm really into weapons, and since you're a full-fledged Huntress…"

"You wanted to see what I was carrying?" Amber picked up her trailing thought. "Alright, I suppose it's fine."

"Really!?" Ruby exclaimed, jumping. "What's her name? Does she mecha-shift? What kind of Dust does she use? Can you switch out the crystals? What kind of energy extractors does she use? Did you build her yourself?—"

"Woah, woah," Amber interrupted, waving her hands in front of the red-cloaked girl. "Slow down, Ruby. Take a breath."

"Sorry." Ruby counted to ten. Or three, same thing. "I get excited when it comes to weapons."

"I can see that," Amber laughed, shifting nervously. "Just… one question at a time, you know?"

"A-alright!"

"Ok," Amber paused, thinking. She lifted the staff, examining it herself. Ruby's eyes devoured the sight of it. "It's called Autumnal Grace. It was a gift from the headmaster after… after I graduated."

Amber pointed at one end, then the other. "This red crystal is fire, and the green crystal is wind. I can use them to burn or blow away enemies, so it's pretty useful. You can switch them out, but I'm used to those types, so I don't. And no, it doesn't mecha-shift." Amber spun it around her body. "I like it simple, I suppose."

Ruby nodded vigorously, starstruck. If it generated wind and fire, then it likely used cyclonic extractors to get the energy from the crystals. Given its configuration, it would maximize attack range of either end of the staff, making full use of both the red and white crystals—wait.

"Um, isn't that a white crystal?" Ruby pointed at the wind crystal.

"Hm? No, that's a wind crystal," Amber responded, examining it. "Therefore, it's green."

Ruby blinked. It was clearly white. "Are—are you sure?"

"Positive. Are you okay, Ruby?"

"I'm fine!" Ruby insisted. "Um, what about Link? What weapons does he use?"

Amber looked over at the man in question. Link had equipped his various weaponry, his sword and knife at the belt, while the rest sat on his back.

"What weapons doesn't he use." Amber muttered. She caught the look in Ruby's eyes, her own widening. "Hey, uh, don't tell anyone else, but there's a prize for bringing back the most sap."

"Really!?"

"Yep," Amber nodded. "So get to it!" She smiled and waved her off.

Ruby snapped to attention, darting quickly to the pile of empty jars. Much of them had been removed by other students while she chatted with Amber, but she still managed to grab eight of them. Her arms full to bursting, she set off to regroup with her team.

The rest of Team RWBY hadn't gone far, having patiently waited while their team leader geeked out over Amber's weapon. She shoved two in the arms of each bewildered teammate, then dropped the remaining at their feet.

"Ruby, that's too many—"

"No time!" Ruby shouted back, activating her semblance. She returned to the pile leaving a traile of transient rose petals. Grabbing the single jar left over, she quickly returned. "There's a prize on the line!"

Team RWBY sans Ruby shared a look, the one that they gave each other whenever Ruby was, according to Weiss, 'acting her age.' Whatever, she was the team leader! They'd collect as much sap as she wanted. When they earned the prize, they'd be thanking her.

Scooping the two jars she dropped earlier, she beckoned the rest of her team into the woods. "Amber told me there's a prize for whichever team brought back the most sap. since the others are only getting about one per person, if we bring two per person, we're shoe ins!"

"That is how the math works," Blake said flatly. She didn't protest, heaving the empty jars to her shoulders.

"Ah Rubes," Yang smiled, shaking her head.

"What?"

"Nothing Ruby," Yang said, still grinning. "Let's collect us some sap!"

Finding sap was pretty easy, the trees were practically bursting with the stuff. All they needed to do was make a shallow cut past the bark and the sweet-smelling liquid would pour out. The raspberry-colored fluid bled from the wound in the tree, but it cloyed the air with its sugary scent.

Forever Fall was gorgeous this time of year. Really, it was gorgeous any time of year there wasn't snow on the ground, the maple and burnt colors swirling the air giving the forest its name and a peaceful atmosphere. Ruby and Yang had been here before on a picnic, before… well, before. A long time ago.

Still, it was fun to come back! Collecting the sap was easy and it got them out of stuffy classrooms for the day. The thought of claiming whatever prize Amber offered motivated Ruby to move fast, shoving jar after jar under each rivulet of tree sap. She wondered what the prize could be. Ruby hoped it was cookies.

"Only you would want something like that," Yang rolled her eyes. The blonde girl lazily laid against a tree, her jars full of sap. "You really think any team's getting a prize?"

"Why else would Amber say we would?"

"Gee, maybe because you were bugging her about her staff the whole trip over? Or maybe that she only told us and none of the other teams?" Yang stretched, rising from her seated position. She'd filled exactly one jar, then proclaimed herself done and sat down. Blake and Weiss had rolled their eyes and went off on their own.

"Noooo, Amber wouldn't do that," Ruby insisted. She thought again. Amber did seem quick to tell her about the prize before Ruby could ask more about Link. "Would she? Am I that annoying?"

"Don't worry about it, sis, I'm sure it's fine," Yang grinned. "No need to get sappy."

"That wasn't even good," Weiss interjected, reappearing. She carried a pair of full jars tucked under each arm, and Blake following behind her with the same. "Sappy means sentimental, not upset."

"No need to bark at me Weiss-cream," Yang rejoined. "Just trying to branch out, you know."

"Now you're really stretching," Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"Blake seed what I'm doing!"

"If you're done butchering the language," Weiss huffed, adjusting the jars in her grip. "We should get back. We have plenty of sap for… whatever it is they need it for."

"Weiss, you think we're getting a prize, right?" Ruby asked the heiress. Weiss shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet her team leader's eyes. "Weiss? You believe it, Weiss?"

Blake shifted one jar over and placed her newly freed hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Let's go, Ruby," she said sadly, watching the young girl's face crumble.

No sooner did they start moving then they heard rustling in the bushes, and cries of battle.

Russel, Sky, and Dove all charged out of the bushes, frightened and stumbling. They spotted the four girls, but didn't slow down, moving past them. Yang shot an arm out, catching Russel at the elbow.

"What's happening?" she interrogated.

Russel shook free of her grip. "Ursa! It's got Cardin!" He took off, catching up with the rest of his team.

Ruby reacted first, dropping the jars of sap. With a flourish she pulled Crescent Rose out from behind her back, unveiling the scythe. "Blake! Yang! Go with them, get the teachers! Weiss and I will go help!"

Blake nodded, and she placed a newly freed hand on Yang's shoulder. "Be careful, there might be more than one," she warned. With a tug, she pulled Yang after her.

"Save some for me Ruby," Yang flashed a cheeky grin at her sister. She moved to follow Blake.

Ruby turned away from the two, ready to sprint into the fray. Her eyes widened, struck by sudden realization. "Wait!"

Team RWBY stopped, Blake and Yang already ten or so yards away. Weiss had dropped her jars and drawn Myrtenaster.

"Don't forget our sap! Keep it safe!" Ruby cried.

Blake groaned. Yang palmed her face.

"There's a prize!" Ruby shouted, thinking that was explanation enough. A prize of cookies, she hoped. With that final command, she activated her semblance, rushing into the brush, trusting Weiss to follow.

Ruby arrived just in time to witness something astonishing. Bursting into a clearing, she saw Jaune cleanly beheading an Ursa Major. Cardin was on the ground and Pyrrha stood at the edge, hand raised.

Ruby deactivated her semblance, skidding along the ground. She swung Crescent Rose into the ground, braking her momentum.

"Jaune!" she cried, startling the blonde swordsman. "That. Was. Awesome!"

"Ruby?!" Jaune screamed. "What are you doing here?"

"We ran into CRDL!" Ruby explained. Though Cardin was present here, so she supposed it was more Team RDL. "They told us about the Ursa. The one you just killed!" She mimicked a sword slash.

"Ah, well," Jaune said sheepishly. He sheathed his sword in his shield. Jaune scratched the back of his head. "Guess lessons are starting to sink in." He turned away from the red-cloaked girl, expression darkening as he stalked towards Cardin. He extended a hand to the heavy-plated brute.

"He sells himself short," Pyrrha said, approaching. She nodded at Jaune, currently exchanging words with the bully. "Jaune was very brave."

"Guess you had faith in him, huh," Ruby beamed at her.

Pyrrha chuckled but looked away. "You could say that. He just needed a win. Gain some confidence."

Weiss finally broke through to the clearing, Myrtenaster ready for battle. She blinked, noticing the lack of danger. Ruby waved her over.

"Jaune killed the Grimm," Ruby explained.

Weiss's brow shot up. "Jaune killed the Ursa?"

"Yep!"

"You sure Pyrrha didn't help him?"

Pyrrha laughed a little too loudly. "Nope, it was all Jaune," the fighter agreed.

Weiss looked between the two, disbelief obvious. With a sigh, she sheathed Myrtenaster. "We should get back to the teachers, the others are no doubt worried."

Jaune joined the three of them, an uncomfortable Cardin collecting his mace in the background. "Hey guys!" he said, cheerily.

Ruby noticed. "You seem happy. Cardin apologize for being a butt?"

"Ruby!"

"Something like that," Jaune shrugged, smiling. "We reached an understanding."

"Does it have something to do with the fact he's covered with sap?"

Jaune laughed. "Kind of, see I may have—"

"Jaune, Golden Girl!" Cardin cried, lifting his mace up. "We've got incoming!"

All four of them turned in time to notice six Ursai exiting the brush. The Grimm glared hatefully at them. Though smaller individually, their numbers made up where size failed in terms of intimidation.

Cardin rushed over to them, eager to have back up against the new wave of foes. Weiss sighed, pulling Myrtenaster forth. Pyrrha drew out Miló and Akoúo̱. Ruby freed Crescent Rose.

"Ok, guys," Ruby began, taking charge of the ad hoc five-member team. "Get ready to—"

She didn't have a chance to finish. An arrow whizzed past her, striking the leading Ursa in the eye. The beast howled, pawing at the fletched wood in its face.

Link leapt in front of them, wasting no time with words. He charged, sword flashing in the light, as the battle began in earnest. He blocked a flailing paw with the buckler on his wrist before countering with a disarming strike. A literal disarming strike, the Ursa screaming as it fell back with only one arm left.

Link didn't hesitate, spinning around to thrust deeply into the chest of another Ursa. He leapt back, narrowly avoiding a blow, then returned with a vengeance, swinging his war hammer directly into the bone-plated skull of his assailant.

He followed through on the attack, using the momentum of the earlier attack to hurl the war hammer at another Ursa. The Grimm fell back, cowed by the ferocity of their opponent.

Link took the moment to recover his sword, then punished the creatures for their hesitation.

The whole battle was over in less than twenty seconds. Ruby blinked, trying to make sense of what she just saw. She was fast, but that was unbelievably fast.

Link sheathed his sword, then gathered his other armaments from the unmoving corpses of the disintegrating Grimm. He patted himself down, dirt and dust floating from his clothes. There wasn't a scratch on him.

"Uh," Ruby said dumbly. "What?"

"Link!" Amber burst into the clearing, chased by Blake and Yang. Her staff was clutched to her chest, extended and ready for battle. She stopped at the sight of the scene. "Oh, already done?"

Link nodded. Amber collapsed her staff and went to talk with the warrior.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, rushing over to her sister. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Yang," Ruby collapsed her baby, returning it to her back holster under her cloak. "Link and Jaune handled the Grimm." She pouted. "I didn't even get a shot in."

Yang laughed. "Next time, sis. We're heading back, Goodwitch says we're cutting out early."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Did you get our sap!?"

"Yes, Ruby," Yang rolled her eyes. "We brought your sap back. And since Nora ate all the rest, we're even the 'winners'."

"Yes!" Ruby's arms shot up. Everyone jumped at the sudden exclamation. "Amber! We won! We collected the most!"

Amber blinked. Weiss flushed and covered her face. The others chuckled to themselves, while Cardin just looked confused.

"What's the prize? Whatstheprize!? Whatstheprize?!"

"Oh right," Amber realized. "I did say something about a prize." She gestured to her assistant. "Link expressed an interest in experimenting with the sap. Since you brought more than enough to satisfy Peach, we'll have extra. I figure you can be his taste testers."

Sap for cooking. Syrup. Syrup was sweet. Ruby grew more excited. "Does that mean cookies?!"

"I guess it can be used for cookies, but you'll have to ask—"

Ruby's cry of triumph echoed throughout Forever Fall, no doubt disturbing every animal and plant in the wood.

"I can't believe you actually made cookies," Amber said, mouth stuffed. The baked confection was sweet, almost sickly so. It was the addition of nutmeg and ginger that made it palatable, and the light dusting of cinnamon and salt evened it out. Amber grabbed another off the plate.

Satisfied with her apparent approval, Link smiled. He removed the offering plate before she could steal anymore. The rest were for Team RWBY.

Despite what she said in the forest, Amber had insisted on trying them first. Just to make sure they were safe for the students to consume. Really, it was quite selfless of her to do this. Given what she knew of Ruby Rose, Amber doubted she'd be thanked for her generous sacrifice.

"I didn't know you could cook," Amber swallowed, wiping her mouth. "When you said you'd like to try cooking with the sap, I expected the worst." She nibbled at the other cookie.

"There was never any need here," Link shrugged.

"Mmm, I think you missed your calling. I'm sure Ozpin will be glad to have you in the kitchens if you asked."

Link hummed, though she didn't think it was agreement. Amber licked her lips. Maybe he could cook, but she still wanted space. Okay, having Link around wasn't the worst thing in the world. The knight was good for idle small talk when she wanted it, silence when she didn't. He could cook, that was always a plus, and while he insisted that he wasn't a good instructor, she was improving in her spars against him. Though she hadn't beaten him once, with or without Maiden powers.

She just wanted a little time away from all of it. Beacon, she supposed. Ozpin, Maidens, and divine Relics. She used to throw herself into the bog-standard Huntress missions, it sent her away from Ozpin when she needed it and let her do some good. Never anything big or far, just Grimm incursions in Vale's outlying settlements. Ozpin wouldn't allow anything else.

The headmaster had explained why. He'd permitted a degree of free movement to let her improve and to help the people, but the Fall Maiden, or more accurately, her powers, needed to remain in Vale territory. Needed to remain where Ozpin could find it. Given what was at stake, she understood it, intellectually. But that didn't feel better experiencing it.

"I can take these to Team RWBY if you want," Amber offered, pointing to the cookies.

Link arched a brow.

"I'm shocked you think so little of me," Amber huffed, crossing her arms. "I'd never steal sweets from the mouths of children."

Link stared at her flatly.

"I wouldn't!" Amber insisted. "You—" she caught the subtle quirk of his mouth. "You're messing with me."

"I'm shocked you think so little of me." Link said gravely.

Laughing, Amber rose from the table in the faculty lounge, where Link had forged his treats in the small kitchen attached. It was empty, the other teachers in their offices or classrooms, finishing the week in their own way. Good luck for them, because it meant they wouldn't have to risk anyone else stealing their delicious treats.

Oobleck wouldn't because he can't taste anything that isn't bitter and caffeinated. Neither would Glynda, she was too proper for that. Port though… He wouldn't take no for an answer, not when food was on the line.

Amber led Link to the students' dorms. There was, thankfully, a directory showing which team had which room, so it didn't take long before they stood outside their door. Amber knocked gently on the door.

Ruby cracked the door open, puffy silver eyes peeking through the narrow slit. She widened the door, letting Amber see the rest of the room.

Ruby had obviously been crying, the girl sniffling. Weiss looked shocked, frozen to her bed in disbelief. Yang was uncharacteristically silent, sitting on the bed looking at the floor, lost in thought. Blake was nowhere to be found.

Amber was so taken aback she ignored the blatant safety hazard that was their makeshift bunk beds.

"Professor," Ruby sniffed, forgetting to refer to her by name, "This-this probably isn't the best time."

"Ruby," Amber glanced at Link, frowning beside her. The warm plate of cookies went ignored. "We, uh, have your cookie prize, if you want it."

Amber stepped aside, letting Link offer the plate to the upset teen. Ruby brightened a little, taking the plate with mumbled thanks. The girl picked one up, idly biting into it.

"It's good," Ruby commented, forcing down the treat. She picked another one up.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Amber questioned gently. "Did something happen? Is that why Blake isn't here?"

At the mention of Blake, Weiss reacted, standing up with such force she nearly hit her head on Ruby's dangling bed.

"If you don't mind, Amber," Weiss said frostily, "this is a private team matter."

It was none of her business, the heiress didn't say. The girl was forcing herself to be polite. Weiss was wound up, tighter than a ball of string. Her hands clenched and unclenched and she stared angrily at the wall.

"Blake's just... getting some air!" Ruby lied. Lied so obviously. Weiss threw the red-cloaked teen a glare.

"Yes, that liar needed to take a walk," Weiss admitted, shrugging. She walked up to the door. Grabbing the handle, she made to close it. "Thank you for the gift, Amber. We'll share it amongst ourselves. Good night!"

The door shut in their faces.

"That was unexpected," Amber sighed, backing away from the door. Link looked at the door with a frown. Clearly he hadn't expected this development. Amber looked at the knight. "Can you make more of those cookies? Or any cookies?"

Link tilted his head but nodded.

"Great," Amber whispered, mostly to herself. She pulled out her scroll. Glynda had made sure she could access student contact information. Amber hadn't thought she would need it, but it came in handy at this moment.

If you need to talk, come to the faculty lounge, Amber messaged Ruby. There will be cookies.

No response. Amber returned the scroll. "Let's go," she told Link. "We need to get baking."

Link hesitated, confused. Thankfully, he didn't ask, following her back the way they came. The lounge was as they left it, empty but for the dirty cooking ware Link had used to reduce the sap to syrup, then bake into cookies. There was close to half a jar left over of the stuff, enough for another batch.

Amber helped clean up the materials and re-prep the ingredients. She still hadn't received a response from Ruby.

Scroll in hand, she checked in with someone who might know more. RWBY upset. Had a fight or something. Belladonna missing. Any idea where/why?

Ozpin responded immediately. Miss Belladonna departed on a Bullhead with a student from Haven. As for why her team is upset, I suspect it is to do with her being a former member of the White Fang.

Amber blinked. Link finished making the cookie dough, spooning it onto a greased baking sheet.

The faunus terrorists?

Yes.

Why do we have a terrorist at Beacon?

Former member. Miss Belladonna expressed regret and wished for a new start.

Amber hummed. Presumably, Ozpin knew what he was doing. Why wasn't I told?

Weren't you?

Maybe not. Nobody mentioned it to me.

I suppose it must have slipped our minds. Sorry. Miss Belladonna is adamant about keeping her former occupation a secret. A secret I presume is now known by the rest of RWBY.

Sighing, Amber put her scroll down. Link had finished with almost everything, they were just waiting on the oven to finish heating up. The red-tinted cookie dough rested, waiting for its warm embrace. At least this time, she could enjoy the cookies more.

Her scroll chirped. Expecting another message from Ozpin, she had to do a double take when she saw the sender. Ruby had answered simply.

K.

"Ruby's joining us," she told her companion. Link placed the cookies into the oven, neglecting to set the timer. Amber did it for him. "I'll fill you in while we wait."

Amber gave him the basics, explaining Blake's apparent connection to the White Fang. That prompted another set of questions, like who the White Fang are, what are faunus, and what terrorism was. None of these could she answer in time before Ruby arrived.

"Ah, Ruby!" Amber gestured, deliberately ignoring Link's perplexed expression. "Sit down, the cookies are almost done."

The teen smiled at her, considerably cheerier than when they'd last seen each other. "Sorry," she said. "I had to wait for Weiss to stop ranting and go to sleep!" Ruby sat at the table, inhaling deeply the sweet smell of cookies baking.

"Smells really good," Ruby admitted. "Yang and I loved the ones you made earlier."

"Wasn't me," she clarified, jabbing a thumb at Link. "All him."

"Ah! Thank you, then, Link," she bowed her head slightly, unsure of how to interact with the man.

Link smiled at her, nodding.

The oven timer went off. Link removed the baking sheet from the oven and left it to cool. Ruby stared at the baked goods, unable to keep her eyes off them.

"Ruby," Amber started. How best to broach the subject? "We know about Blake?"

Ruby snapped to reality. "You-you do?" she asked nervously.

Amber nodded. "All the teachers do." Apparently. "About how she's former White Fang. We're fine with it."

Ruby crumbled, face falling. "Weiss isn't. She… her family's been hurt by them, you know? She's really, really mad at Blake right now."

"Tell me what happened," Amber said, gently taking the girl's hand.

Ruby spilled everything. How Weiss had said truly awful things about a faunus guy, how that led to a massive argument with Blake, and how Blake finally let the truth slip out.

By the end, Link had artfully arranged the cookies on a new plate, this one decorated with flowers. He placed it on the table, and Ruby didn't hesitate in chowing down.

Amber watched as each cookie disappeared in the abyssal gullet of the teen. It's for the best, she reassured herself, her cravings berating her for not asserting herself.

"Now Blake's run off somewhere," Ruby said in between cookies. "She still hasn't come back."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine," Amber comforted. "If she's not back by the end of the weekend, I'll help you look for her."

More canon covered. Not much to say here, other than Team RWBY finally getting some (semi-)serious screen time. Next week, things get a little more exciting.

Honorable Mentions (because I'm terrible at proofing my own work)

The Sin of Justice

Thanks for reading, for reviewing, following, and favoriting!

LeonTetra