Remnant DxD

by Dessel Ordo

When an 11 year old Jaune Arc wandered out into Forever Fall hoping to become Remnants youngest huntsman, that should have been it for the foolish kid. Luckily a passing devil saw potential in him and re-incarnated him. Now, 6 years later House Bael has sent him to attend Beacon Academy to learn more about his homeworld, and establish his own peerage. What could possibly go wrong?

34. Chapter 34: Road to Reconciliation

AN: A hair late, and for that I apologize. It's a bit harder to write when your out in the middle of nowhere on a lake fishing for a week than it is when your spending a week running around another state on vacation. Either way, here we are.

Also, I don't own RWBY or Highschool DxD, and arent making a thing off of this. Enjoy!

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Blake is pretty sure her face will combust any moment now.

She'd reported to the VSPRD headquarters after classes had ended, just like Chief Drak had all but demanded after the Breach had been sealed. She had, in hindsight, misinterpreted what the Police Chief had wanted from her. She had put on her combat outfit, slung Gambol Shroud over her back and headed out, expecting to be heading out to hunt down fanatics after meeting up with whatever team the Chief had working on that case.

Instead, she'd been ushered into a conference room to give a brief on the White Fang's Standard Operating Procedures in the field to the dozen or so Senior Inspectors heading up the team's tasked with field work. Between Sienna, Adam, the Albains and a few other Lieutenants that had been up-and-coming before she'd left, she'd been stood behind a pedestal in an aggressively air conditioned conference room for hours, barely moving. The only reason none of them had figured out just how cold she had gotten were because, thankfully, they were all sitting too far away from her to notice the goosebumps on her skin. And thank the Brothers her Huntress gear is layered or they would have very likely been able to spot the far more embarrassing tell that she'd gotten kind of cold. Her current outfit is, at the end of the day as much active-wear designed for the warmer months of the year as it is protective equipment.

After explaining the organizational structure Sienna had set up and the broader strokes of the strategies prefered by the Captains and Lieutenants operating in the Vale region, she had been whisked off to a stagnant, stuffy, warm analysis room. Less than fifteen minutes leaning over different display screens and computers and she'd been sweating and desperate to take off her vest. Unfortunately that would have left her in the headquarters of Vale's Aura-enhanced police force in a white crop top, short-shorts and tights. And sweating. Not exactly a good look, or particularly dignified. Especially when most of the technicians she was working with by that point had already been looking at her like a Beowolf stuffed into a tuxedo, and eyeballing Gambol Shroud nervously. Subjecting the clear non-combatants, who had probably never left the safety of the innermost districts of Vale to just how quickly a Huntress combat attire could go from refined to provocative was not something she'd been eager to do.

So after confirming their suspicions that the Breach had likely been an insertion operation rather than the attack it appeared to be on the surface, and that most news outlets are thankfully calling it, she'd helped the techs by pointing out the sort of places that the White Fang liked to use for safehouses, as well as the sort of neighborhoods they tend to recruit from or live in–depending on who is in command–she had taken her leave for the day. Leaving her with a few hours to wander Vale and get her frazzled nerves under control and gather up what scraps of her dignity she could before going back to Beacon–where her team is...

Her team, now more unbalanced than ever.

Ruby throwing herself full force at anything and everything with reckless abandon to avoid Team JNPR like the plague.

Yang, volatile and taut as a bowstring, seemingly unable to find a proper outlet for all of her pent-up energy.

And Weiss? Blake just doesn't know what her teammate had been thinking, and isn't in a hurry to find out. How long had she just sat on such world-changing revelations, hoarding it for herself instead of finding some way to warn or inform her supposed friends about it all?

She shakes her head, and looks around to get her bearings, and spots a strip mall with a few boutiques that Weiss, Yang and Pyrrha all had recommended at different points since the school year had started. Figuring that a decent suit will be a good start to getting the VSPRD officers to be more willing to listen to and respect her, she turns down the road to start looking. Less than a minute after the solicitous cashier had welcomed her to the shop, her recent embarrassment and thoughts on how to better stop her former comrades fall to the wayside as last night's revelations come roaring to the fore now that she is free of distractions.

On the surface, nothing had really changed about Jaune and his team, aside from the fact that everything had changed about them. The fact that they'll still be around when the grandchildren of any kids she might have had grandchildren are old paints an entirely new light on any plans they may have 'for the future' and how long they may be willing to wait for certain things. Conversely, confirming Jaune and Pyrrha's ages and story had been a quick, simple search of Vale and Mistral's Vital Records archives before going to bed last night. Nora and Ren being orphans and immigrants had been a bit much, but she knows that they hadn't lied to her and her teammates about who they were. They just hadn't told them everything either.

Just like her.

As she flips through jackets, undershirts and debates between suit-pants or a skirt she finds herself focusing on what Jaune had–and hadn't–told her about the government in the Underworld and the power dynamic between them and the other factions he'd mentioned. Blake knows beyond any shadow of a doubt that he'd been sugar-coating some things. Not that she expected him to go airing out the dirty laundry for what amounted to an introductory lecture.

Things would have been so much simpler if they had only trusted her and told the truth sooner. Like when her friends had started getting murdered and needing to be brought back to life.

Just like she'd trusted them with the White Fang, right? A rebellious part of her mind whispers back at her.

Growling, she shoves a half-dozen pinstriped and shining silk offerings off to the side of the rack she had been flicking through. She wants to know more about what they'd told her last night. Needs to. And to do that she'll need to talk to them. Which means she'll need to sort out whether her anger at them for keeping secrets outweighs how hypocritical it is of her to hold that against them.

Great. No time like the present for some uncomfortable soul-searching.

_-*R-DxD*-_

Sun knows that Sage or Scarlet is about to snark at him about wearing a hole in the floor, but if he doesn't keep moving he swears he's going to go out of his mind. More. Or worse? Whatever. He has bigger things to worry about right now.

Things with big amber eyes, dry wit and lustrous black hair.

Gah! It sounds corny to even think about her like that! "I just, I need to know for sure, don't you guys get it?" Neptune rolls his eyes at that and he knows–just knows that Sage is probably just about fed up with him at this point. "Was the dance just a one-time thing? Or was it a First Date?"

Scarlet huffs out a frustrated sigh. "Well, asking the three of us for the twentieth time and pacing isn't going to answer that question for you."

He knows. Which is why he's trying to get some actual advice from his best friend and teammates. "I know a surefire way to know for sure, though." Sage offers idly, not really looking away from whatever he'd been watching on his scroll.

Sun pauses, and can feel his hunched features perking up. "You do? What is it?"

His golden-eyed teammate rolls his eyes. "Ask her out. What's the worst that could happen?"

"What's the worst that could happen? What's the worst thing that could happen if I just go out and—"

Nep drapes an arm across his shoulders, and pulls his arms back towards his sides with his other. "Dude, chill. You got this. You're Sun Wukong. It'll go great." At that, Sun realizes that his partner had also been steering him towards their temporary dorm room's door–when he shoves him through it and shuts it behind him.

Sun takes a few deep breaths, and nods. "Yeah. Yeah! You guys are right. I totally got this." He reaches his hand down into his pocket–after snaking free of his best friend's half-embrace to pull his scroll out.

Scarlet pushes up from the desk he'd been writing out some essay at, hands planted on his hips. "What do you think you're doing?"

He pauses, blinking at his teammate, and probably looking like more than a bit of a dork for it. "I was... gonna text Blake to ask if—"

The redhead bats his scroll from his hand with a scowl. "No. No you weren't."

"But I—"

He feels Neptune's hands press into his back, and start shoving him towards their temporary dorm rooms door. "Am about to go out there and ask her yourself." The blue-haired boy cuts him off, tone surprisingly firm for once.

"And you aren't coming back until you got a straight answer from her either." Scarlet continues, adding his own hands and weight to Sun's back.

After they shove him from the dorm room, Scarlet slaps him on the ass and offers a–what he probably thinks is reassuring– 'go get 'er, tiger.' Before the door is pulled shut and locked.

Great. Just great. "So, bets on whether or not he pulls it off?" he hears Sage prompts–albeit muffled–from the other side of the door. He'll talk to them about that after he...

After.

Now, he knows Blake is off in Vale doing something with the VSPRD right now, and he can't exactly call to find out where she is. So where to wait.

The Bullhead docks?

No, too needy.

RWBY's dorm window again?

Nah, it'd been quirky once, it'd be creepy a second time.

Maybe by their dorm's door?

Ehh, feels stalkery.

As he crosses the academy green, his eyes trail across the benches lining the path outside the dorms, and the wide-boughed shade trees rising above them.

Perfect.

_-*R-DxD*-_

The subway car is cramped.

Not quite rush-hour bad, but not exactly comfortable either.

Especially considering Blake is now armed with a pair of bags, one for each of the suits she had wound up buying. One in plain black with slacks, and another in charcoal gray with a neat pencil-skirt and a pack of stockings to go underneath. She'd also picked up a half dozen plain, solid colored blouses to wear under the jackets. With a bit of effort put into her hair before riding down to the Headquarters she should look professional enough going forwards to rectify her faux pas from earlier today.

Happily, the process of picking out the garments had helped her center her thoughts. Namely, back to the more important task on her plate right now–well, more important after earning a Huntress license so she can put her past transgressions well and truly behind her at least. Which, right now, means trying to remember more of the specifics on how the different high profile members of the White Fang's leadership operate. It won't do any good for her to suddenly be useless after just one meeting, after all. She hadn't been able to find a seat thanks to her bags, so, with her free hand grasping a handle she lets her mind wander down an uncomfortable trip along memory lane, mumbling apologies or non-committal acknowledgments as she is bumped into or jostles others.

The Albains' subtle fanaticism and demagoguery. Adam's bloody-handed brutality. Sienna's fear-spreading schemes and traps. And a half dozen other rising stars and their different spins on the perversion of her parents dream that the White Fang had become play across her mind. She feels guilty about having been a part of the transformation now, and shudders to think who, and what, she could have become had she been given a command of her own. Been allowed to step out from Adam's shadow.

At least she'd managed to get out before she'd either been forced to bloody her hands by circumstance, or chosen to of her own volition. After her talk with Jaune and his team last night, and the way their expressions hadn't quite fallen on anyone on her team when that topic had come up, she isn't really sure which would have been worse either.

It being well past sun-down by the time she reaches her last change-over station to get to the bullhead docks to return to Beacon, nearly everyone still out and about, especially by themselves, is at least her age. Or at least they should be. One scamp of a kid, who can't be more than twelve is standing on a dingy packing crate shouting about good luck charms. Not quite dirty enough to be a street kid, but not exactly clean enough to be from one of the nicer orphanages either. Just as she notices that the 'good luck charms' are actually simple summoning circles–from what Jaune had shown her last night at least–the kid locks eyes with her.

It's probably one of their Familiars. Ren's, if she were a betting girl. And she should really get on her next train before it approaches her because she definitely isn't ready to—

"This one's on the house!" A chipper voice cuts through her internal dialogue. She looks down at the smiling, the smiling...

Jaune's dog was his Familiar. Pyrrha had the juvenile snake monster, Nora had a bird of some sort and Ren said his Familiar was... a tree? Tree spirit? How does it look like a younger version of him? No, it's got a higher, more childish tone of Ren's calm soto vocal carriage mixed with Nora's chirpy voice. Its eyes are aqua not magenta and the dimples are all her as well, despite the straight black hair with a vibrant lock of pink by its–his?–left ear.

Oh Brothers help her, the thing has itself looking like a hypothetical take on Ren and Nora having had a—

No. No no no. She won't let the tree spirit distract her with something so heartwarmingly—

"Do you not want my good luck charm, miss?" The little spirit pouts up at her, its eyes going a bit wide and watery, earning her accusatory and outraged glares from some of the other commuters.

Blake takes a steadying breath. "You know that your..." She can't exactly call the little familiar's master 'master' in public. That would probably land her in jail, and her consultation with the VSPRD would be over before the day ended. "Brother and I are still upset with each other." The little spirit's puppy-dog eyes intensify. Great. Now she's being guilt-tripped by a haunted topiary. Grumbling, she snatches the summoning circle out of the familiar's hands and starts stalking off towards the last train she'll need to take to get to the bullhead docks and back to Beacon.

As she waits at the platform, her scroll buzzes in her pocket. Fishing it out, she swipes past the lock screen, blocks some pickpocket trying to disguise their play for her wallet as clumsiness-adding an auric enhanced wrist squeeze as a warning-and reads the text she'd just got. Looks like Yang wants a spar once she gets back. Deciding that some physical exertion would be a good way to burn away some of the stress she's currently lugging around, she replies with a quick affirmative and goes back to waiting—

"Blakey~!"

Blake's eyes widen at the siren call that shrills through the terminal. Sure, it's one of Yang's nicknames for her, but she hadn't been the first to come up with it. The distinctly feminine voice that had shouted it definitely isn't her partners. She hadn't heard that voice in years. A voice belonging to–

Blake quickly turns, her usually stoic face going pale as her eyes shoot open. "What are you doing here!?"

Oh no. Oh sweet, merciful Brothers–and whatever other divine beings might be out there, listening, and willing to toss a girl a bone–Please, no! Not her! She's the last person she can deal with right now. She already has way too much on her plate as it is.

With mischievous laughter, the older Faunus plows into her and wraps her up in one of those bone-crushing panther-hugs of hers. Ironic considering she isn't technically related to Blake's father.

Needless to say, no divine intervention is forthcoming.

"Now, what's with the lame reaction, kitten?" Before she can so much as take a breath in to replace the air that had just been squeezed from her lungs–or begin to respond–her head is pushed down. Directly into a vast, unblemished, expanse of pale, pillowy cleavage. Bigger than she remembers, which isn't fair, as she hasn't gained nearly as much as the older Faunus has since they last met in person. A few cat-calls cut through the bustle and din of the subway platform, which has Blake blushing furiously into the bust of a woman who has always felt more like an older sister to her than anything else. Which makes this all sorts of wrong. It's insane, the woman isn't just bigger than Yang, she's even more brazen about flaunting what she has.

Blake feels the shorter woman rubs her cheek against her own with catlike affection, cooing and petting Blake's head, not caring at all that they are in public right now! "Like, seriously, is that any way to speak to an old friend?" She grasps both of Blake's shoulders and presses her back to arms length, but not before giving her temple a slight lick–Because she knows that it's one of the–many–habits of hers that have always driven Blake up the wall. Blake numbly looks back at the admittedly beautiful face smiling happily back at her, golden eyes framed by long raven locks, and a pair of large black cat ears sticking out from opposite sides of her head. If Blake didn't know any better, she'd swear this person really IS her older sister.

With a feline paw gesture and a wink, Cheshire utters a cutesy, "Meow!" That's two in a row now–and in public to boot!

She's doomed.

Cheshire's expression drops into a completely unimpressed visage as her gaze lifts upward. She blankly pulls one of her hands back to point at Blake's black bow. "What the fuck is this?"

Doomed...

_-*R-DxD*-_

Coco strides down the fitness center's more or less empty corridor with a small, satisfied smirk on her face.

She'd beat her old record for a ten kilo run and reps and weight for squats. Sure, her legs feel like jelly, and she probably stinks all to hell and back, and, yeah, Yats had still out-lifted her not only on the squats but every other exercise they'd put in, but that's normal. Today had been a good leg day. Unfortunately, the girls locker room is on the far side of the building from the gym they had used today. Neither of them like getting gawked at, and between her stylish workout clothes, and Yats' sheer size, that's all they ever get if they pick too full of a gym.

At this hour though, the building is mostly deserted, so she doesn't have to worry too much about what people think of her scent, yoga pants or loose fitting tank-top. Not even really any point to worry about forgetting that she isn't wearing her shades, that the sweat-soaked towel draped around her neck absolutely ruins the look or that just letting the arm with her more or less empty water-bottle just dangle probably isn't a good look either.

She does, however, slow down when she hears the sound of groaning leather, rapid muted impacts, rattling chain and an almost familiar voice half muttering-half shouting through an almost closed door to one of the sparring rings.

She pokes her head in to spot a crimson-eyed Yang Xiao-Long knock a punching bag clean off of the chain it had been dangling on. The misshapen bag hadn't been all the way broken by Yang's final strike, but when it impacts the far wall it finally gives out and splits in half. A loud buzzer drowns out the irate blonde's ravings for a long beat, as another bag drops from the ceiling, the brawler turning to land her first hit on it before its chain has even gone taught. She follows up the first strike with a powerful left hook, and a banshee's wail that drowns out the destroyed bags chain rattling back up into the ceiling.

Considering that she'd barely been able to look in the direction of the common room from her dorm room door ten feet away last night when she'd cracked open her door to make sure nothing untoward was going down before crashing last night, and upon seeing Ruby, Yang and Blake walking away from a subdued Team JNPR with shocked, wary and angry faces, it isn't too hard to guess what has Yang so keyed up right now. She shakes her head and lets out a half-chuckle. The things she does for these kids.

She quietly opens and steps through the door she'd been looking through, the larger, double doors of the main entrance centered on the wall to her right. The younger girl is clad in a pair of bright yellow athletic shorts and a black tank-top with her emblem picked out in yellow on its back, and stands out starkly against the plain gray walls and floor of the room. Coco slings her dirty towel into the return bin, sets her water-bottle down on the bench near the door and makes her way over to the irate freshman, who doesn't notice her approach as she continues to formlessly batter the punching bag, rambling to herself as much as she is speaking with her fists. Coco catches the punching bag, stabilizing it–ostensibly so that the blonde can focus on her form–to get the girls attention. "Ya know, if you rant much louder the entire school is gonna find out Jaune's secret." She quips as she pokes her head around the training implement, making eye-contact with a shocked, once-again lavender-eyed Yang.

"I... what? Wow. Of fucking course you know too."

Coco nods, before shaking the punching bag a bit. Yang takes a step back, and, probably on instinct, starts taking probing shots at it. "Found out back before Velvet's birthday party. Ya know what changed?" Yang lets out a half-hearted, questioning grunt as she unloads a three hit combo on the bag. "I started getting more back and foot rubs. That's it."

Yang pauses after she misses the punching bag. "So, what? You're... getting 'evil' massages from him?" She throws up air-quotes around the word evil, probably trying to make a crack about the name of the system that lets Devils reincarnate mortals, or how ominous so many of their titles, names and history sound. It's... an attempt, at least.

Coco snorts out a laugh. "No, I'm getting 'seven sister' rub-downs from him." Yang snorts a bit through her scowl at that. "The only difference I can tell between humans and Devils is how long they live, and the sort of fights they might get into. That's it. And I've been summoning him on a weekly basis for the better part of the school year now."

Yang does a double-take at that, her right arm frozen, drawn back for a punch. "Summon him... Why? His Peerage's" she spits the word out with a scowl and a right cross "room is like, less than a minute down the hallway from yours!" Yang exclaims, form faltering after her single abortive blow as she throws her arms out in front of her.

Coco shrugs, about to step away from the punching bag, until Yang lets out a frustrated, confused wail and slams her left fist into it. Coco braces properly again, before replying. "But walking would start even more rumors flying about me and my team, which I really don't want to deal with." It hadn't escaped her that Yang is glaring at her, not the punching bag.

Yang closes her eyes and takes a breath in or out with each of her next dozen or so strikes. Only then, does she open her eyes, and counter "You can't be serious about how long they live being the only real difference between us and Devils. They have, like all those crazy magic bullshit powers. There's no way that doesn't make a difference."

"Like Semblances are any less bullshit?" Coco counters, grunting at the last syllable as Yang really drives that last hit home.

Yang grumbles for a tic, before shooting back, "But everyone only gets one of those!"

Coco waits for Yang to step back to reset her stance, then replies, "Same deal for some Devils. Not all of them get to be walking magic multi-tools."

Yang rolls her eyes, which flash red for a second, "Oh, did your foot-rub gigolo tell you that?"

Coco lowers her head and raises an eyebrow to give Yang an unimpressed 'you're embarrassing yourself' stare until the younger girl rolls her eyes and mutters a half-hearted 'sorry.' After a beat of silence she starts talking again. "Sure, fine, whatever. Did the sneak share with you how the Barrage is apparently basic stuff for the real heavy hitters?"

Coco winces. Okay, that she didn't know. Still, if that technique was 'final boss' level, why stress over it? Not like she'd rate attention from the sort of people that can pull off stunts like that during her natural life. Yang is unmoved when she voices those thoughts. As it is, they've been going around in circles. Time to nudge the conversation into a more positive direction. "You know how many fancy balls, galas and shit I wound up at thanks to my old gig before I started Beacon?"

The blonde gives her a queer look at the seeming non-sequitur before she shrugs, "I dunno. Probably a bunch. You certainly showed up in the tabloids and celebrity news shows enough times at 'em."

She nods. "Any idea how much I got to participate in 'em?" Yang winces, not really needing to answer the acerbic rhetorical question. "While he was helping Velv and me unwind, I got to vicariously participate in the high society shit like that as something more than a hunk of eye or arm candy thanks to his stories. Trust me, girl, Jaune being a Devil is about as big a deal as Blake being a Faunus is."

"That's not–" Yang actually stumbles after processing that, having been about to start laying into the punching bag again. She nearly goes ass-over-teakettle before catching herself. She snaps back to her feet and turns to face Coco, a worried look on her face "Wait, what, how, when did you–"

"How many girls do you know that wear ribbons or bows or whatever other hair-accessories they like to stick in their hair to and from the shower?" Coco asks her, face stone cold and voice deadpan.

Yang freezes, raises a finger, opens her mouth, then drops the finger and shuts her mouth before turning around to pace a bit. After collecting herself, Yang counters, "Sometimes she wears her hair up instead?"

Coco arches an eyebrow, and lets the silence hang for a beat. "That too."

Yang's head drops into her palms and she just stands there taking deep breaths for a minute or two. Coco waits. She's literally got all night. Besides, with how the two teams have been living out of each other's back pockets all year, it's probably only a matter of time before Jaune offers team RWBY a spot in his Peerage. They'd be absolute idiots to turn it down, in her opinion. If he offered her a spot she'd say yes before Jaune could finish the sentence. Definitely not what Yang wants or needs to hear right now though. And hey, maybe if she can speed along Team RWBY getting their heads screwed on straight maybe she'll get her shot at ten thousand years of being this fabulous sooner. Yang finally lets out a frustrated growl and looks back up at her. "How are you this okay with all of the bullshit they've been hiding from us?"

Coco shrugs "I mean, I have had a few months to process it. And like I said, once you get past the initial shock it really isn't that big of a deal." She airily replies as Yang turns to stalk over towards the ring in the center of the room, flopping down onto the floor and leaning up against it.

"So it takes that long to get back to normal once you know?" Yang eventually asks, sounding a bit more tired than angry now. At least punch-therapy is over. Probably.

Coco plops down next to the bombshell of a girl, careful not to get too inside of her personal space. "Not really. Just take some time to think, then give them some chances to prove themselves right. Eat lunch or breakfast or whatever with them. Hang out for a bit, maybe go spar or something. See if they treat you any different now that they know that you know."

Yang casts a half-murderous, half-incredulous glance at her. "Oh, yeah, like that would be soooo easy. Totally no way that could possibly backfire on me. Nope!" She pops the 'p' at that, though her usual teasing lilt isn't in it. The quirk is a lot less cute when she's being petulant, Coco has to admit. "Not at all."

Coco suppresses a sigh, and decides to test out a theory. "Say, Yang, how exactly did you and your team find out that Jaune and his crew are Devils?"

"What does it matter?" Yang pouts over at her, looking off into the distance in a way that really doesn't seem very healthy. Like, abuse the kids trust in her as a friend and RA to get her to the Academy's shrinks bad. Pity that she'd probably have to tell Jaune to blank out the memories of whoever Yang sees to keep his secret safe too. That might make any repeat appointments a bit of a bitch.

Instead of letting any of that slide out, she just rolls her eyes at the girl. "I've got a hunch, humor me. Velvet and I had a pretty good wine-buzz going, and were getting ready to spend the weekend tearing it up for her birthday. You?"

Yang shoots another glare at her, half-playfully calls her a bitch and weakly slugs her shoulder before going back to sulking. Coco waits. After a few minutes, Yang starts telling a story. Not a happy one either.

Brothers, if that's how RWBY had found out about the Supernatural no wonder they're all spooked as hell. She knows she would be. What stands out the most, to her at least, is just how massively Schnee had bungled things. At least from Yang's perspective. Coco isn't so narrow-sighted that she thinks the busty blonde's recounting of how things had played out was the entirety of the events had transpired, or that she had all of the facts right now.

Having Jaune tell her about the death-matches; assassinations and failed attempts at them; and people turning into cannibal-lust-murder monsters because the bare minimum effort to be a decent person is apparently too fucking much to ask of some of the Underworld's nobility is one thing. But actually being in the metaphorical AquaLand 'splash zone' to what is supposed to be a cold to ended war without any prior warning?

To stumble into the sort of charnel house that makes some of the shit she'd seen holding the cordon during the Breach seem tame and find out that one of your classmates has actually been a murderous sociopath who apparently thought collateral damage was fun? Yeah...she'd probably be pretty freaked out right now too if she were in Yang's shoes. Doubly so, as no one on her team has been unlucky enough to have had to, or accidentally killed anyone yet. Seeing who you thought were four of your closest apparently desensitized to killing out of nowhere?

Yeah, no thanks.

By the time Yang finishes her story she looks so incredibly vulnerable and uncertain. Not just from what she had seen or was trying to process but something far deeper that has probably been building up for years now. She takes a deep, shuddering breath before continuing "Y'know what, it's not them being some other race, it's not all the magic crap, it's not even the KILLING that's getting to me. It's the secrets and half-truths. It's like…" she trails off and waves one of her arms frustratedly, grasping at nothing, "I don't wanna sound narcissistic but it's like my life is just steeped in them. From my Dad just throwing it in my face that the woman I had always thought was my real mom was just my stepmother after she...She died; to him and my Uncle actively keeping me from finding out more about my birth mother. Hell, they don't even want me or Ruby finding out if my stepmother had any other family. They get all twitchy and evasive whenever I bring that up…" She lets out a frustrated grunt and punches the side of the sparring ring halfheartedly at that. "It's just… I never thought I'd have to deal with crap like that from people my age who I thought were my…" She shakes her head and wipes at her eyes with one of her hands "Who are my friends, and that just… it makes it hurt that much more, ya know?" She brings a hand up to close in front of her chest, as though clutching at her heart. Coco winces as Yang's voice had started to break. "I know my Semblance is all about taking the punches, but… Even I have my limits, and it doesn't do shit to make'em hurt any less. Don't even get me started on Weiss." The venom in the blonde's tone at the name of her teammate is enough for Coco to wince for a moment.

Yang either hadn't noticed or cared about Coco's reaction, and continues to rant. "She knew about them, about Devils, about nearly all of it. Has for weeks, maybe even months now without so much as a peep to the rest of us. I can barely trust myself to be in the same room as her and not shoot my mouth off and say or do something that I can't take back. I mean, I kind of get it, she can't stand being in the dark and isn't afraid to make the first move when she wants something. Something Jaune's friends said set her off and she probably went to get her answer, which, yeah, would be a bitch to bring up in a conversation without sounding like she went off the deep end, but still..." She trails off and forlornly looks down. "And Ruby, I've tried helping her as much as I can, but she just-she won't open up to me about this. It's all gone so wrong..."

The normally boisterous blonde bruiser's defenses drop and her carefree mask falls off, as she stands there trembling. For a moment all that Coco can do is look at her friend sympathetically, knowing a lot more than she'd like to about playing the tough or good girl role, knowing that her own feelings or opinion doesn't matter.

Tentatively, Coco reaches over to wrap an arm around Yang's shoulder. Just a bit of safe, physical comfort, nothing more. A few minutes after silence had fallen over the room, and a few more after Yang had leaned into the half-embrace, the blonde looks up at her, clearly at a loss for what to do.

Both of them have probably just about hit their limit for talking about feelings, so…

_-*R-DxD*-_

Blake is ready to collapse as she staggers forward, one step at a time. Her surprise reunion had been… tumultuous, to say the least. She idly glances upward as her cat ears twitch, sensitive from being hidden for so long, suddenly being freed and then played with. Which she will deny enjoying to her dying breath.

[["Mreow! Why the fuck are you hiding your adorable ears!? Give it to me, Blake! I said, fork it over!"]]

Like an overgrown kitten–Or 'loveable stray' as Cheshire prefers–and then from there…

[["You're staring like some dumb owl, Blakey. It's the twins, isn't it? Don't pout, your time will come. Or not. Heeheehee... You can touch them if you want to~! Just like old times. No bra, and everything. Let everybody look! I don't mind~!"]]

Ugh, Cheshire hasn't changed.

[["Ahh, been feline good and staying paw-sitive~! This stray cat's living the dream, baby! Traveling 'round the world, taking in all the sights and no one gives me any trouble. Unless I want them to, that is~! With my S-Semblance, I'm pretty much uncatchable! It all gives me something to do, anyway."]]

At all.

[["Huntress work? Meh, maybe a bounty here or there if I can be bothered, y'know? Hell, I'm still so exhausted from the trip here… Starving, too! You know how much I gotta eat to keep this figure! Carry me, with those big muscles of yours? Meow~"]]

No, if anything, she's gotten WORSE. Blake hadn't thought that was even possible before today. But oh she had been proven horribly, terribly, and worst of all publicly wrong. Cheshire went from pushing her boundaries to just flat-out acting however she feels! And the cat puns…!

Just thinking about them threatened to further damage her sanity. At least she hasn't met Yang. Yet. That is something she'll need to start mentally preparing herself for, now that she knows the older girl is in Vale, bored and still more or less as she remembers her. Frustration aside, with how much of a chaotic mess her life has become recently, a small, twisted part of Blake is oddly comforted by her old–friend(?)–surrogate sister(?)–house guest–freeloader's–antics, infuriating as they can be.

Better Cheshire than Blake's parents, though. Embarrassing as Cheshire can, an unexpected reunion with her had a lot less emotions tied up in it than one with mom and dad would.

It's a bit after sundown by the time Blake is able to free herself, citing classes in the morning, promising to call and text more and meet up again before she gets too busy with the Tournament. At least she got a free snack out of it. Not that she thinks it had cost Cheshire anything either. Being a 'loveable stray' and all. Blake knows, knows she used to be more wary about just… taking free food when people offered it to her without asking any questions.

Ugh. If she had been having an even slightly better, more normal week she'd probably be over the moon right now, and still down at whatever cafe she'd been halfway dragged to before she slipped loose and started stomping towards the Bullhead docks. She'll make it up to–

She spots them at the same moment they spot her, and all three freeze, awkwardly, in place. Jaune has an empty wicker basket slung under one arm, and Pyrrha's wrapped around his other. Pyrrha has a blanket hanging over the shoulder that isn't leaning into Jaune. They're, maybe, a dozen or two paces apart. All three clearly too caught up in their own little worlds to notice each other until right now. Until it would be beyond rude to just act like they'd missed each other, or been busy, as it is plainly clear that they aren't.

Blake is perfectly aware that her thoughts had been a jumble all afternoon. Barely straightened out and still running in circles. Jaune is clearly nervous, and Pyrrha looks a bit sad. At least until she falls into habit with an almost chipper "Hello again." and a wave that sends the blanket tumbling towards the ground. Pyrrha, of course, swiftly catches it before it lands.

"Hey." Blake replies. "How was your, umm, date?"

Jaune's frown cracks a bit, a ghost of a grin sliding across his face. "It was, nice." He pauses, looking her over quickly, clearly trying to reconcile her being dressed for battle, and having clearly just finished shopping with what both of their teams knew she would be doing after class today. "How was your... evening?" The way Jaune and Ruby had rubbed off on each other over the year had somehow made both of them even more adorkable than–

No. No. She's not going to do this to herself.

Outwardly, she shrugs at Jaune's question. "Kind of embarrassing. I wasn't exactly dressed to be doing seminars." It comes out wooden. She leaves out Cheshire's ambush completely. This whole conversation feels like a cheap cardboard imitation of the easy chatter that had been the norm for their teams before yesterday.

Pyrrha snickers a bit, deftly hiding it behind her free had as she drapes the blanket back over her shoulder. "At least you had enough time to get something more appropriate when you finished?" The redhead offers, her voice tilting upwards to turn the statement into a question at the last syllable.

Blake shifts back and forth on her feet. Jaune goes to scratch at the back of his head with his free hand, nearly spilling the basket onto the ground. Pyrrha is frowning again. Brothers, this is awkward. "So, was this a spur of the moment thing or had you two been planning for it?"

"Kind of both?" Jaune offers, not really able to make eye contact with her still.

Blake arches an eyebrow at that. "How can something be spontaneous and planned out?"

As Jaune starts sputtering out half-gibberish about bullhead rides, putting his foot in his mouth and the press, Pyrrha's frown deepens a bit. "Ren and Nora needed some space in the dorm room."

Blake does her best not to react too strongly. Or judge. Considering that, according to Yang, Nora had been pining after her taciturn partner since she hit puberty it isn't that big of a surprise really. "Did she tell the two of you ahead of time, or just leave a sock on the door?"

Pyrrha's face colors to match her hair, and Jaunes awkward rambling shifts into shocked sputtering. "No, no! It's nothing like that!" Jaune eventually coughs out, having dropped the basket to wave a negative at her. Blake doesn't relax her eyebrow, but does plant both hands on her hips. When Neither of them immediately answer, she starts tapping her foot at them. "It's just that, umm. What color are Ren's eyes?" Pink, they all know all the basic stuff like that about each other by now, and she bites out the answer to the mildly insulting question almost as soon as it had crossed Jaunes lips. "And what color were they during our talk last night?"

She takes a moment to think. Last night had been, a lot to take in. A hell of a lot, and Ren's dead gray and white swirled gaze had been as placid as–

"Oh, that absolute moron." Blake growls out. She has half a mind to stomp off into towards the dorm hall, kick Team JNPR's door open and join Nora in tearing her boyfriend a new asshole for–

No, no. She's still mad at Jaune and his team.

"I mean, in his defense, Saturday when we were on our mission was the first time he'd had to kill a person, and it was to protect Nora, not save himself or an accident. Then yesterday happened and he had to do it again before he could see any of the staff psychologists, so..." Jaune trails off, doing his best to defuse whatever look is on Blake's face–it probably wasn't a nice one–as she comes to terms with the fact that she doesn't want to stay mad at Jaunes team. Not for a long time at least. That much she can pick out of her mess of thoughts and emotions right now. At least?

She takes a deep calming breath. No time like the present. "I'm sure that Nora has it handled by now, and if she doesn't, the psychiatric staff here is supposed to be pretty good." Abrupt, rude. Necessary. She just needs to pull the band-aid off. Or put it on? Whatever. Today needs to just calm down already. "I... I suppose I'd be a hypocrite to say that I'm mad at the two of you, and your team for keeping secrets from me, especially about what species you are." She needs to be stern, but can still feel her lip twitching up a bit at that. She still can't believe how well her bow had fooled almost everyone–Focus Blake! Pyrrha smiles a bit, and Jaune perks up ever so slightly. "What I'm mad about–What I'm pretty sure the rest of my Team is mad about–aside from Weiss'–" Jaune and Pyrrha share a wince "is that you didn't trust us sooner." She finishes, probably a bit more harshly than she needed to.

Jaune deflates, nearly slumping over, and Pyrrha goes 'interview polite' and rigid. "That... that's actually worse." Jaune mopes, probably to himself, but with how few people are still out and about it's easy for all three of them to hear.

Pyrrha nods, "Then we shall do our best to earn your trust back."

Blake nods softly but firmly before mentioning something about getting her new suits hanging properly. Jaune mumbles something about checking their teams PO Boxes down by the Bullhead docks in reply. The two parties leave each other in silence, and Blake starts feeling guilty not too long after.

Great job, way to be a total bitch.

No. That's wrong. It would have been worse to hold off on telling them the part of how she feels that she has straight. They deserve better than that, if only for saving her life. Things between her team and Team JNPR are-somehow-worse than they had been between team RWBY back when they found out she was a Faunus and former member of the White Fang. Brothers, today can't end soon enough. As soon as she gets the suits on hangers she's going to–

Something thumping to the ground grabs her attention. She whirls around, hand darting for Gambol Shroud as she drops her bags and falls into a crouch. Sun jumps back a bit at that, tripping over the bench he hadn't been sitting on and into the tree that he probably had been lounging in. "Um, h-hey, Blake." She blinks a few times, before adjusting her weapon in its hilt and standing back up straight, recovering her bags in the same motion. "So, I was gonna just text you, but the guys on my team kinda-sorta took my scroll, pushed me out of our dorm and said they weren't going to unlock the door until I asked you myself..." He trails off as he takes in her new look. A bright grin adorns his face as he points toward her head.

"Hey, you got rid of the bow!"

Her right ear and left eye twitch.

She needs to put on one of her spares before too many people can notice.

_-*R-DxD*-_

Coco is going to be in agony tomorrow. Probably useless as well.

Hopefully Goodwitch won't single her out for a spar in combat class. Following up an intensive lower-body workout with a spar with one of the top five fighters in this year's freshman class definitely isn't a proper cool-down routine.

Luckily, Coco's patience had been rewarded with Yang finally starting to act like herself again. She's still probably got a lot of thinking to do, but she's sweat and babbled out the worst of her initial reaction to the truth about Team JNPR out. At least, Coco thinks she has. She's also incredibly hoarse from chatting the entire spar away, and sweaty.

Again.

Oh well. Not like she was going to be winning over any hearts or minds with her scent before Yang had accidentally waylaid her. She blinks her eyes open after toweling her face off to see an incredibly razzled looking Blake just standing there.

"Blakey!" Yang chirps, her partner starting slightly and giving her a haunted look. The blonde tentatively offers her partner a big wave and bigger grin. "You finally made it! I thought you'd stood me up and ended up sparring with Coco instead."

The Faunus in disguise–No, not in disguise, her ears on full display, how 'bout that–doesn't respond. She doesn't move, or blink. Just stands there. "Umm... Remnant to Blake, anyone awake in there?" Coco tries. Still nothing.

Frowning now, Yang walks over to Blake to poke her. "Hey, umm, Blake, is something wrong?" Blake rocks back with the assertive finger-to-chest Yang had tried.

Rolling her eyes, Coco trots over to the strangely-behaving girl, and starts reaching for where the stupid bow normally rests. So tacky, so stupid. "Hey, kid, I already knew you're a Faunus, but I'm glad to see you lost the–" Blake bats her hand away from the oh-so-rubbable looking ears, cutting her off, but still not saying anything.

"Blake? You're kind of scaring–"

"Sun just asked me out!" Blake half-shouts, half-shrieks. One eye screwed open, the other narrow. The arm holding a few bags of clothes twitching.

Yang takes a step back, and glances over to Coco, a wide grin crossing her face. Weird, if she were in Yang's shoes she'd be all about stealing the lithe girl's heart before the monkey can. But whatever, not her love life, and she really doesn't need another lecture from Velvet on 'not shipping the freshmen' so she holds her peace. On that at least. "So, what'd you say, don't leave us hanging like that, girl."

Yang nods, "Yeah, Blake! When is it? Where's he takin' you?"

Blake stands still, gaze falling somewhere off in the distance or behind the wall behind them.

Coco rolls her eyes and steps forward to grab the apparently shell shocked girl by the shoulders and shake a bit. "Hey, snap out of it. Deep breaths." The girl mumbles something, too low and too fast for Coco or Yang to hear.

"What was that Blake? Ya gotta speak up." Yang chirps, bouncing between amusement and worry now.

Blake shuffles back away from Coco, suddenly finding the ground incredibly interesting and wringing her hands together. "I, umm... well..." She trails off, only for Yang to make an overly expressive 'go on' gesture. "I kind of... ran away?" She offers, looking back up at them wearing a sheepish expression.

Seriously? She had the leader of an entire team of heartthrobs who has damn near every straight girl and bent guy at Beacon drooling make a pass at her, and she ran? From the earnest, happy-go-lucky blond Faunus that most of the gossip agreed was the pick of the litter, and probably doesn't have a mean or dishonest bone in his body? Is she stupid? "I kind of have a lot on my plate right now." Blake bites out.

Oops, she must have said that out loud.

"I mean, is it so bad of an idea to maybe add one good thing to all the other bullshit we have to deal with right now?" Yang offers, clearly feeling quite a bit of sympathy for her partner.

Blake starts pacing, ears twitching. "I ran from the White Fang partly because the guy I was seeing at the time was a possessive, jealous, controlling emotionally standoffish dick who was turning them into something I couldn't stand to be a part of. I came to Beacon thinking I could focus on becoming a Huntress, on being a better person, and that was it. No being a socialite, no romance, just a cause worth fighting for."

Yang nods, doing her best to keep a straight face and look sage and wise. It's a poor effort and a bad look. "Then a grinning blond monkey-boy nearly bowled you over in the streets."

Blake's pacing accelerates. "And he's nice, and open, and funny–pretty much the exact opposite of everything I'd grown to hate about Adam." As Blake rants, Coco idly muses that she really needs to start charging by the hour or something for these ameture shrink sessions she does for the freshies she's the RA for.

She shrugs the next time Blake turns around and is pacing towards her instead of away. "Assuming that you ran from the White Fang literally the day before initiation, it's been a few months. It's safe to say you're out of 'rebound guy' territory by now."

Blake chokes out a frustrated "It doesn't feel like that! Even with everything that's been going on I can still remember that damn train like it was yesterday. I haven't had the time to–"

Yang catches her partner, first with her hands on her shoulders, to mime slow, deep breaths. That gets the girl to stop twitching, and back off from the brink of hyperventilating. She then folds her into a gentle hug. "Slow down, Blake. We don't have to save the entire world today, or on our own. We get to live our lives too."

Blake nods and deflates a bit more into Yang's arms, muttering rapid-fire about what sounds like a pretty shitty, stressful day after classes had let out. The guy really made a move at the wrong time. Not his fault, or like he could have known. "So, now that you're calmer, the idea of dating Sun?"

Blake backs away from Yang, looking over her partner's shoulders to meet Coco's eyes. "I mean, I'm not against it?"

"Soooo, is that a yes then?"

All three girls freeze, and turn to the intruding voice. Sun is halfway leaning past the door Blake had left hanging open after bursting into the room. His face is scrunched up in uncertainty and hopefulness. It could really only go into one of two directions from here, and that is entirely dependent on the raven-haired girl's response.

Blake closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, before quickly pushing half of it back out through her nose. Yang nudges her gut with an elbow, nodding with an encouraging grin. Stupid play, really, but it's not her life so whatever. "We'll give it a shot." Sun lets out an exuberant whoop, jumping into the air with a radiant grin splitting his face nearly in half and–okay, when he gets like that she can almost see why so many girls are head-over-heels for him.

Almost.

_-*R-DxD*-_

Weiss is, and has been, alone...

For most of the week now. Not to say that her team has abandoned her, or kicked her out of the dorm, or ostracized her–she gets up with them, goes to class, eats and trains with them–but that is all. They barely talk to her outside of what is necessary, and during any given waking moment one of them is usually glaring, frowning or judgmentally gazing at her. No, they handn't quite crossed that line and exiled her from their lives, but they had walked right up to the line. Weiss wipes at her eyes quickly.

Sure, she could start spending more time with Team JNPR–but that might be interpreted as picking a side–might be the end of Team RWBY–and she doesn't want that!

Normally, she would have an appointment with Ravel to look forward to later tonight, but the first thing she had had to do Monday morning–when the rest of her team were off trying to get fresh shower stalls before the rest of their floor woke up–was to call Ravel and cancel their weekly appointments until further notice. The Devil girl had understood, accepted Weiss' apology, and earnestly offered one of her own.

Weiss' acceptance of the apology had been… Stiff. If not outright unfriendly, if she's being perfectly honest with herself in hindsight.

Sure, Weiss may not have asked about some of the more odious facets of Devil society, but 'you never asked' is a rather flimsy shield in light of what Weiss had dumped on her. Furthermore, going off to vent to or seek comfort from a Devil after what happened–if any of her teammates caught them together, so soon after the rest of her team had their blinders so rudely ripped off, Weiss doesn't even want to think about how they'd react. No, no. For now, she and Ravel need space, the same way she and her teammates do.

Unfortunately, that led her to a familiar place she had thought she'd–finally–left behind when her Team had started finally feeling like one after they worked out the initial personality clashes: Alone while surrounded by people that–she hopes–care for her, and she is expected to care for in turn. Conversations without any feeling and interactions that feel flat.

Just like home. She almost winces as she recalls the dejected, kicked puppy look Ravel had briefly worn before hiding it behind a perfect noble's mask. One she's schooled into place in front of a mirror more times than she cares to count. This whole situation is truly a debacle...

Her reverie is broken by the stupid Auto-CAD app on her scroll once again not working how it is supposed to.

Irritated, she jabs her finger at the screen a half-dozen times before letting out a strangled, frustrated growl and launching the offending slab of technology across the dorm. It bounces off of Blake's bunk, and slides back towards her along the carpet.

Zwei shifts from his spot curled in on himself and snuggled into her side. He lets out an unimpressed huff, licks her arm, and shifts around to go back to sleep.

Well, not totally alone, at least.

Speaking of adorable, little things though… She probably should've accepted the copy of that picture of Ravel and those nieces she mentioned spending time with before Weiss had cut her off. Just imagining Ravel with two little balls of energy calling her 'Auntie' had almost made Weiss coo when she first heard that the Phenex heiress apparently has three nieces. Surely the sight of that would've abated at least some of the ire and mistrust towards Devils her team is currently feeling. Seeing a child and being reminded that all societies have their blemishes and bright spots, wouldn't have hurt for Weiss's own piece of mind either. After all, Devil children are just like regular children... Right?

The dorm's lock clicks open, and Weiss twists around from where she'd been laying on her bed to wait to see who had finally come back. Blake and Yang had both gone off somewhere right away after class, one than the other. Ruby hadn't even gone back to their dorm after their last class of the day had let out, just said her goodbyes and jogged off.

Weiss presses the back of her hand into her eyes, groaning as she debates going to collect her stupid scroll or just giving up for the day and reading or something for the rest of the evening as the door swings open. She lowers her hand to see Ruby, half-frozen in the doorway, looking as caught in the headlights as she is. "...I'm sorry. I didn't know that you would need the room today." She levers herself up–Zwei grumps at her for interrupting his nap–and starts padding towards the door. "I'll get out of your–"

Ruby steps forward to intercept her, catching her arm before she can leave the room. The pause following the simple act feels like it stretches on for an eternity before Weiss works up the courage to look her best friend in the face. The face is sad as it is stern. "Weiss…" Ruby begins, though she trails off after taking a closer look at Weiss, and reevaluating what she was about to say. "We need to talk."

Weiss winces. "...Okay."

Ruby's face firms, yanking Weiss sideways and pushing her deeper into their room. She steps right into Weiss' personal space, earnestly looking her in the eye as she asks, "Why did you keep everything secret?"

Weiss lets out a bitter snort. Trust Ruby to cut straight to the heart of the matter that has escalated so terribly out of control. "How was I supposed to start that conversation, Ruby? 'Oh, by the way, guys, I decided to dabble in the occult a little and accidentally found out everyone on our sister team is a Devil'?"

Ruby gives her an incredulous look as she crosses her arms. "Fine, it would have been hard to start that conversation." She pauses, for a beat, glancing off to the side "Especially without any evidence, but apparently you've been seeing one of Jaune's Devil friends for a while now." She doesn't exactly trail off, but the prompt is far from subtle.

Weiss winces. "Ravel–" Weiss cuts herself off. There's a half-dozen different ways she can approach this, and she has to pick the right one the first time. She probably won't get a second chance at this talk. "Like I said, it wasn't supposed to go anywhere. A whimsical, embarrassing flight of fancy. Then the summoning circle flared orange and she was standing right in front of me. First it was just me wanting to know more about the obvious holes in Jaune's other Devil friend's cover story." Ruby's eyes narrow at that comment, and Weiss is quick to clarify. "The ones that asked me specifically for help dealing with an arranged marriage to–as it turned out–one of Ravel's older brothers." Ruby's angry look recedes a bit in response. "Then, I started running out of questions but kept scheduling more summonings anyway and we'd just… talk. One heiress to another, all the expectations and responsibilities and fears and high-society niceties and etiquette that dominate our lives–it was cathartic, for both of us. Then the commiserating turned to trading stories, and that escalated into sharing gossip and just-just hanging out and indulging in not having to worry about expectations, for both of us. It didn't take long after that for me to realize that Jaune has it worse than either of us. He wasn't born into it, didn't grow up with all of the rules and customs and extra things to consider, he was thrown into it headfirst after nearly dying–and at a massive disadvantage to boot–I didn't–couldn't go and betray his trust, tell his secrets after that." The words finally trail off, and Weiss feels like a massive weight has been pulled from her chest.

Ruby's disbelieving expression melts into one of hurt. "What about me, Weiss?"

Weiss swallows hard at that question. There simply isn't a pleasant way to respond to it, and she's known it's coming since her first sleepless night after Team JNPR had finally come clean to them. "Ruby Rose, I consider you my best friend, the person dearest to me and closest to my heart after Winter, and I mean that honestly and say it without a scrap of hyperbole." Ruby's face softens, the beginnings of a smile twitching at her lips as she looks away bashfully. Weiss tentatively smiles before she takes another deep, shuddering breath. "But some of the uglier things in my life you may feel sympathy for, but cannot possibly empathize with." Ruby looks back at Weiss in confusion. "What would you do if someone killed, or tried to kill Yang because they thought you would be easier to control once you inherited your father's home, money and responsibilities? Or if one of his work friend's car was fire-bombed while they were on their way to teach or go out on a mission with him because they were doing too well?" Ruby's face goes pale at that. "Have you ever had to worry that the last time you'd see a cousin–or younger brother for me or a niece for Ravel–would be in a ransom demand video because your parents'–broken marriage or not–wouldn't let you watch the decapitation video that would follow if things went poorly?" Weiss pauses again, this time to center herself as Ruby takes in a sharp breath. "We had two close calls with Whitley that I can remember. It isn't in any way shape or form a mark against our friendship or you as a person that talking with someone who understands that at a visceral, emotional level is something I didn't know I needed until I had found it."

Ruby offers a stiff, halting nod, before taking a half-step forward in that awkward 'I know you don't like hugs but I'm gonna give you one anyways' gait she has before stopping herself. Weiss won't pretend it doesn't hurt to receive one. "Weiss, I...That wasn't what I meant. What about when we–When I was told about everything else that's out there by Jeanne, Le Fay and the others! You didn't have to tell me everything about Jaune–or everything that you and-and Ravel talk about–but I would still have had your back! We could have found a way to tell Yang and Blake, together!" Those silver eyes having gone glassy, Ruby's impassioned plea cuts Weiss deeply.

"When?" Weiss retorts, trying her best not to sound bitter and defensive. On the contrary, she wants Ruby to listen to her own reasoning. "You found out about the Supernatural from Arthur and Jeanne's group, and less than half an hour later Yang latched onto you like a limpet until we were on the Bullhead to Mountain Glenn the next day. And, remember, I wanted to talk to Jaune about all of it after we got back. I swear to you, Ruby, I wasn't planning on keeping it a secret forever. Life just...Threw us a curveball." She finishes lamely, grimacing as she recalls the gruesome spectacle of JNPR ending Suriel and the other Fallen Angels.

Ruby snorts at that understatement, more bitter than amused but it isn't angry or hurt; thankfully. "Well, that was a heck of a curveball…" She massages her head with a weary sigh. "I still don't like it, Weiss, but I understand it was just, bad luck and worse timing." Ruby's gaze locks with Weiss'. "Thanks for not mentioning Arthur, Le Fay and their team."

The Schnee heiress gives her partner a considering look before nodding. "I'll admit, the thought did cross my mind." Ruby cringes but there isn't any judgement in the expression. "However. They did save our lives, when we were strangers to them, and didn't ask for anything egregious afterwards. In fact, they have been downright generous for the most part. Frankly, they haven't proven to be any different from our peers here at Beacon, despite their rather…" She resists the urge to roll her eyes. Barely. "Pretentious, moniker." She takes a quick breath before continuing. "That said, it's only a matter of time until Team Juniper runs into them. Then they will most likely have some very pointed questions for us if we haven't brought them up yet, Ruby."

Ruby winces and screws her eyes shut, shaking her head as if trying to dispel a particularly distasteful mental image. Probably that exact scenario. "I don't want to get mixed up in an actual war of extinction, Weiss. Even if some of the people caught up in it say it's over, it isn't something I want to be involved in. For all we know, Le Fay's team could be with the Angels against the Devils and Fallen Angels and they're just doing what they think is right... but if this has been going on for thousands of years, I don't think there's anything we'll be able to do to stop it either. If we can just keep them away from each other, for now, that'd probably be for the best. I don't...I don't wanna see them fight like that."

Weiss, on a personal level, wholeheartedly agrees. Seeing Jeanne or Le Fay fighting for their lives against Team JNPR isn't a sight she would ever want to bear witness to. Even without speaking that particular fear aloud however, there is a Goliath in the room. One that needs to be pointed out. "Ruby, about Jaune…"

"Weiss, please." It is less an order and more of a plea. One that has Ruby, again, wincing before she moves to massage her clenched eyelids. "I don't...I can't think about that right now."

Weiss nods and reluctantly lets the subject rest. For now. She's just glad to have Ruby back. Well, perhaps not back, Ruby certainly hasn't said she's forgiven her yet, but they are at least speaking again. "So, then...What did you want to talk about? Or is there something that you want to do, maybe?"

"Something! Anything productive! We stopped Torchwick, but it doesn't feel like we accomplished anything! The Breach still happened! There's still that woman from the Beacon Tower and the Fallen Angels, and the White Fang and the Grimm acting on the whims of an actual dark God! When we're not out looking for them, they just keep coming after us and I can't stop thinking about it. I need a distraction or better yet a chance to actually do something productive." Ruby had started pacing back and forth halfway through her diatribe, and by the end of it her hands had snaked up to start pulling at her hair in pent-up frustration.

Weiss grumpily purses her lips. Their… defeat at Beacon's CCT Tower on the night of the Vytal Dance had left a bad taste in her mouth. Ruby had been spending most of her freetime away from the dorm since the fight against the Paladin, when she wasn't busy tinkering with weapons. "You've been training." Weiss deduces as Ruby stops her pacing and brings herself back under control, mostly.

Ruby shrugs sulkily, looking every bit the angsting, frustrated fifteen-year-old she is for a moment. "For all the good it did me against Suriel and whoever that lady was. Then last weekend happened and the more I think about it the more I realize that an ordinary Huntress's training just isn't enough. Not once you know what's really out there, at least. Watching the fight that Jaune's team had with those Fallen, and then the Barrage made that clear enough." She looks pained by the admission before she pulls out her scroll and fiddles with it. A weird little smile crosses her face after a moment. It seems almost conniving, which is downright bizarre on the typically bubbly and earnest girl's face. "But...It's a good thing we have a few Heroes that are eager to help us fix that just a scroll call away." She waves the slim piece of plastic, steel and glass at Weiss.

"Excuse me?" Weiss stares at Ruby, baffled and a bit nervous.

Ruby loses her smile, looking at her partner with a serious expression, reiterating, "Something productive, Weiss. I've been talking with Le Fay, Connla, Arthur and Jeanne. They've been going on Grimm hunts outside the kingdom for a while now! Doesn't that sound a lot more useful, and productive than just sitting around taking classes and training after class?" The squeaky optimism is edging back into her voice as she continues to talk-something Weiss hadn't realized she'd been missing since the arguments that had ended last week. "Their leader, Cao Cao, wants to meet us, A-S-A-P." Ruby announces, grinning goofily as she lets the abbreviation roll off her tongue as she shows Weiss a message on her scroll, a picture of Arthur at the top of the screen under his name. "You remember what Jeanne did back at Mountain Glenn?" She asks rhetorically and excitedly. "That's what she and the others can do without Aura! Just imagine what we could do if we can do what they can! Plus we might get to learn whether or not we can learn to use magic. And most importantly, we can check out more SACRED GEARS!" She enthuses with starry eyes and her hands held excitedly up by her chin, leaning in nearly face to face with Weiss as she does so.

Ruby does have a point, the potential benefits of working more closely with the 'Heroes' are certainly appealing. She certainly won't object to seeing Jeanne, Le Fay, Arthur and even Connla in person again. Meeting with friends who aren't upset with her does sound wonderful right now. However… Weiss squints at her partner, "You realize we'll be fraternizing with a group who may very well be hostile towards Team JNPR."

Ruby flinches at that, as if struck by lighting, but calms herself just as quickly before fidgeting with her scroll. "I mean, it's not like Jeanne and her friends have been going out of their way to attack them, not like those Fallen Angels." She pauses, looking over Weiss' shoulder, probably thinking rather than observing the wall behind her. "Now that I think about it, Arthur did mention that they knew about some Devils being active on campus" Weiss nods slowly in agreement. She does remember that as well Which does speak to at least a passing measure of restraint on their part. It's not as if Ravel or Jaune have mentioned that the other world of theirs is a constant warzone between its different supernatural factions and residents. Ruby perks up as she looks at her scroll. "Oh, I just remembered! When I texted with them about the Devils on campus, they didn't really seem like they wanted to provoke them, either. Just make sure that I knew they were still around. Which is good! If they want to keep out of each other's way then they won't fight and we won't have to pick a side. That lady from the tower, the Fallen Angels, the White Fang and Grimm are clearly the bigger threat to them too. It's definitely bigger than what our team can handle alone. If we work with the Heroes we might be able to find, and take care of some of the loose ends from all of it. Maybe, with the extra help we'll be able to keep things from getting… bad, again. I mean, that's kind of what being a Huntress is all about." She straightens with conviction as she thinks out loud, her voice firming up with each word.

Weiss knows Ruby's made up her mind. "So you said their leader wants to meet our whole team?"

Ruby glances back at her scroll for a moment, taking it to either think or choose her words before shaking her head. "Uh, nope, just us." Weiss fights not to grimace. If Yang and Blake find out about this so soon after everything that had happened last weekend... She wants to point that out, or ask more questions but the silver-eyed girl cuts her off. "Which makes sense, I guess, for…" she trails off, clearly looking for the right word. "Operational security? Le Fay and the other Heroes we know don't really know Blake and Yang." She grimaces as she recalls the mission her sister and her partner met their new friends. "Mount Glenn… wasn't the best place to get a good feel for them. We can bring them in on things later. It's probably for the best, though. Blake is working with the VSPRD and Yang... still needs some time to unwind." She pauses for a beat, probably lost in some dusty memory. "Trust me."

Weiss sighs. Valid points, for now, at least. "Fine, I suppose it's for the best to let them deal with their own obligations, and personal foibles, for now. But we are going to tell them eventually, right?" She punctuates the last word pointedly. With how unpleasant being in the metaphorical doghouse has been, she'd really rather not give their teammates take turns flaying her alive for keeping secrets again. Weiss definitely isn't in a hurry to find out if that's an exaggeration.

"Duh~! I just said we would." Ruby lazily drawls at her.

"Good." Weiss nods decisively and with more than a little relief. She then moves on to ask another, equally important question. "When exactly, do they want to meet with us?"

"We decided that just before curfew works best." What?! This dolt–! "I can send a text to Arthur to come pick us up and then we'll go to wherever it is their boss is at and figure out a more regular schedule from there." Ruby replies with an excited grin.

Weiss gives her partner a cross look, her scarred eyebrow twitching irritably at the effectively non-existent notice Ruby had given her. 'We decided.' Ruby, observant of Weiss' tells as she is after months as partners, quickly picks up the words behind her expression. "Uhh, sorry, Weiss, I didn't mean to spring this on you out of nowhere–"

"Ruby. Hush." The silver-eyed girl's mouth snaps shut at the order. "I'm... less than thrilled about moving ahead with them on such short notice, but in addition to meeting their leader, you said we'll be working out a schedule for any potential future training sessions and outings?" Ruby nods. "That isn't too dissimilar from going to a job interview, especially with Arthur and Jeanne apparently having vouched for us." She pauses to take a steadying breath. She isn't stupid, their leader wanting to meet them could possibly lead to being recruited into the so-called Hero Faction. Adding that on top of their already tumultuous relationship with Team JNPR–this could go wrong in so many ways and she isn't about to let her overly eager, optimistic happy-go-lucky best friend dive head-first into it alone. On the other hand, between her discussions with Ravel and Ruby in addition to the information provided by Jeanne's group, it's clear to her that different supernatural factions with animosity towards each other can co-exist, if begrudgingly.

More importantly, she knows that this is the same path her Grandfather had paved. And she knows in her heart-even if she isn't quite ready to say it out loud yet-that that is the one she wants to walk as well. Seeing Ruby nearly being exsanguinated in the CCT tower… helpless to do anything to save her. It, didn't change, but solidified something inside her. That may be another reason she had kept it all to herself, at first. If she mastered the Supernatural before her teammates stumbled upon it–knew all of the different benefits and pitfalls–she could better guide them. Yes, she had wanted to be the one that they could rely on; to instruct them, perhaps even impress them. Reassert her place and protect them and those closest to her. Yes, she can't lie to herself, that is how she would answer if anyone ever pressed her further on the issue–not that it matters anymore really, as nearly the exact opposite of that scenario is what had already occurred. If she has to reforge her path alongside Ruby and under the guidance of self-styled heroes, then so be it. Perhaps the SDC had been a similarly idle, spontaneous and youthful thought before Nicholas Schnee set out to forge it with his own two hands.

Comforted by that thought and the peace of mind it offers her, Weiss smirks at Ruby. "Whatever the case, I can't let you leave me behind. I'm a Huntress-in-Training, too."

Ruby smiles softly in turn. "Just so long as you're sure."

"Partners, remember?" Weiss sniffs almost imperiously, falling back on old, comfortable habits for a moment.

"I remember, Weiss." Ruby soberly replies, her unamused tone speaking volumes. Right, of course, she isn't out of the woods yet.

"Ahem. Right." The Schnee heiress can feel some of the hot air she'd just puffed herself up with drain out of her from that remark, glancing away awkwardly.

"Right…" Ruby trails off, pointedly glancing away. Before the tension can rise, she notices and walks over to where Weiss' scroll is still resting on the floor, and picks it up for her. "Oh, hey, you got a message from..." Ruby trails off, her features shifting from confusion, to shock, then comprehension and finally what Weiss would call horror if she didn't know any better. "Whaaat are you trying to do with the VytalArsenal reference app?"

Reference app?

"I had more than a little time to reflect this week and… I realized that there's a hole in my fighting style with how our last few fights went, and wanted to fill it in." She pauses, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious of her prodigy weapons fanatic partner looking over her shoddy, amateurish attempt to design her own piece of equipment. A small, traitorous part of her brain thinking that Jacques' commissioning Myrtenaster had been another means of keeping her 'under control' rather than paternal worry and care. "And, well, I didn't want to beg Father for access to the Auto-CAD programs the SDC uses, and all of the 'good' options I researched were only offering corporate contracts that would absolutely ruin my budget for the year, so..."

Ruby raises an eyebrow at her. "You do know that Beacon has one of the best programs on the market free for student use in the machine shop, right?" Weiss does her best to not react to that, or give away that she didn't know. In fact, she had thought that the few times they'd all been set in front of the computer terminals in Weapons Maintenance had been exceptions to the rule. "And that the mobile apps are only really good for referencing your designs while you're working, right?"

The silence, as the saying goes, is deafening.

"Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"What are you even trying to make for yourself?" Ruby queries, holding Weiss' scroll, and her attempt at armament design at arms length and a slight angle, clearly trying to decipher what, precisely, her partner had done. Before Weiss can answer, Ruby grabs her by the arm and starts pulling as she strides out of their dorm room and into the hallway. "Don't worry, we've got some time to kill before we send a signal to Arthur." Well, it's a good thing the both of them are in clean, presentable outfits, still, not their nightwear or uniforms. It wouldn't do to proceed to such a potentially important meeting sloppily dressed. Honestly. Ruby distracts her from voicing that thought by rattling off dozens of increasingly outlandish weapons or pieces of gear Weiss could add to her arsenal with barely enough space for a breath between each.

After her dolt of a partner has made a dozen guesses Weiss is finally able to wrest her arm free and reply to her hyperactive partner. "I was hoping to make a collapsible targe to mount on my right arm."

Ruby shifts to look back at her, happily trotting towards the machine shop and leaving Weiss no choice but to follow behind. "Something big like Akoúo̱, or Jaune's shield-sheath, or–"

"Buckler sized. Something I can mount to my wrist and that collapses down enough to fit inside my sleeves." Weiss interjects before Ruby can start listing off the weapons of students she doesnt know as well. Ruby looks at her, a bit confused and mouth moving to form a question. "I can modify my jacket to have a slit along the right arm and breakaway tabs easily enough." Ruby's mouth snaps shut, shifts into an eager smile as she nods and turns to keep power-walking towards the machine-shop.

The next few hours are spent mostly following Ruby's instruction on how to actually use an Auto-CAD program, as well as the finer points of armament design. There aren't any proper decorations or embellishments on her design by the time they are finished for the night, but she does have something that will function, on paper at least. She just needs to build and test it now.

Most of Beacon's students and transfers are groggily trudging towards their dorm rooms as Weiss and Ruby stroll from the machine shop. The air of purpose in their steps sets them apart from the rest of their peers. Ruby seems more concerned with the surrounding buildings than the other students as they walk, nearly running into several, and she probably would have if Weiss wasn't halfway steering her partner as they walk. After a few minutes of this Ruby grabs Weiss's arm and starts tugging her towards a pair of storehouses, then into the alleyway between them which leads them deeper and deeper into the veritable maze of squat, ugly buildings serving as the backbone of Beacon's infrastructure and main workplace for its support staff. Which has conveniently gone mostly dark and silent as the day has nearly ended. On the off-chance that someone sees Arthur cutting a literal hole in space for them, it can hopefully be written off as a Semblance. Teleportation Semblances are exceedingly rare, but not unheard of. Ruby's own mother had apparently possessed one. The fewer potential witnesses to convince, however, the better.

The two slow their pace, Weiss' heartbeat picking up with each step until they come to a halt. Ruby pulls out her scroll with the careful seriousness Weiss would expect her to treat an armed detonator with. Or perhaps that's just the Schnee's own perception of the situation. As Ruby taps out a message, Weiss steels her nerves, the same sensation that had washed over her when Father had ordered her alone into an arena with an Arma Gigas waiting for her; from the moment the airship had lifted off from Atlas and headed for Vale; from when the first launchpad had activated for Initiation returns–for a moment.

The younger girl hits 'send.'

Weiss crushes the sensation and firms up her posture. Ready and willing to face whatever will come next.

Silence hangs in the air as the pair wait for a reply.

After nearly five minutes, the waiting starts to get awkward, with Ruby starting to fidget.

A perfectly clean, glittering traces its way across the air in front of them, hanging for a moment before a wound in reality opens up, revealing what looks like a nicely appointed foyer spread out behind the armed and well dressed form of Arthur Pendragon. "Apologies for the wait, miladies." He offers a polite bow and smile before stepping back and aside so that they can walk through the portal and into what Weiss can only assume is a safehouse the Heroes have set up somewhere in Vale.

The foyer, now that Weiss is properly inside of it is a rather interesting blend of function and fortification. Not quite lived in or furnished enough to be inviting, though not so barren as to seem unused or face. Gentle gray tile floor, with walls painted to match on the ground floor. A staircase curves down from an exposed walkway that looks to be up on the third story of the building, deep red, gold-striped wallpaper covering the walls of the two upper floors. A closed, dark stained heavy oak door dominates the walls to both their right and left, and the slits of windows let in just a glimmer of the light being cast by the streetlamps outside.

"Hello, Miss Ruby!" Le Fay chirps, waving at them from the wide couch she is lounging on that's pressed up against the wall that isn't taken up by the staircase. Arthur is already ambling towards his sister and dismissing Caliburn.

"Hi, Le Fay!" Ruby waves back at the younger girl. The chandelier above them glittering burnished bronze, laden with fake candles and easily putting off enough light to keep the chamber well illuminated.

Leaning against the wall to their right, closer to the heavy door than the wall or staircase Jeanne is the next to greet them "Hiya, Ruby~!" She pushes off of the wall with the foot that had been planted against it, walks over to them and gives Ruby's hair a small ruffle before the younger girl playfully swats her hand away. "Hey, Weiss, glad you showed, girl!" She gives a small flourishing wave and a wink at the Schnee heiress.

Weiss nods cordially. "Good evening, Jeanne." The white-haired girl does a small double-take, interrupting any further attempts to take the room in as exactly what her fellow fencer had just said sinks in. "Hold on, what do you mean, 'glad I showed'?"

"I mean, you seem like you can be a bit of a stick-in-the-mud." The blonde cheerfully quips, mincing no words.

"I beg your–!?" Weiss stamps down on her indignant shriek, knowing better than to add fuel to that fire. "Oh, hush up, Ruby!" She snaps at the snickering red-hooded girl who dissolves into a quick laughing fit.

Ruby eventually offers as she calms herself, resting a hand on Weiss shoulder as the white-haired girl fumes. "It's okay, Weiss. You're getting better, it's just that you still have 'rich girl' moments every now and then." She 'comforts' before devolving into giggling again. Weiss rolls her eyes and turns away in a huff.

"You said that they were energetic, Arthur, but I certainly wasn't expecting this." A dry, calm voice cuts through the remaining peals of Ruby's laughter. The door to their left thumps against the wall, revealing a forest green room behind it with plush tan carpeting. Striding through the door, and closing it behind him is a tall, slender young man with messy brown hair and box-rimmed glasses. He's wearing what looks to be a dark blue uniform of some sort under an intricate, shin-length robe the same color as Ruby's cloak with only its top clasp fastened. He looks Weiss and her partner over quickly, nods and offers a simple, "Georg." Both Arthur and Jeanne quirk an eye at him, almost in surprise, before he continues, "Descendant of Johann Georg Faust, wielder of the Longinus-class Dimension Lost Sacred Gear, and Magician extraordinaire." The Pendragon siblings share a subtle look after he finishes while Jeanne surreptitiously rolls her eyes.

Ruby blinks in stupefaction for a moment before taking in the newcomer, blatant interest clear on her face. Whether that is because he's apparently a mage like Le Fay or that he possesses a Sacred Gear, is unclear. Ruby's distraction at least gives Weiss an opportunity to, hopefully, not completely botch their own introduction. "I am Weiss Schnee, and this is my partner and Team Leader, Ruby Rose." She replies, offering a polite, shallow curtsey when offering her name, and gesturing to Ruby at hers. When they return to standing position they notice Georg looking at Ruby, specifically towards Ruby's eyes with a thoughtful hum before giving them both a nod.

Georg glances at Le Fay, "You weren't exaggerating her eyes." which elicits a blush from Ruby.

Le Fay nods excitably, glancing toward the deeply confused Ruby before turning away sheepishly. "If anything, the feeling's gotten stronger. I think that they're trying to awaken and am super curious about what will happen once they do!"

Before either girl can inquire as to what the two Magicians are talking about, the door behind them slams into the wall behind them. Ruby lets out a startled 'eep', jumping at the loud noise. Weiss spins, and falls into a crunch, her left hand halfway to Myrtenaster by the time she is facing whatever had made the noise. She is greeted by the sight of a very tall and even more muscular young man dominating the space between the other door. Between his tanned skin, shoulder length wavy gray hair, and the unimpressed scowl set above his chisel of a chin he certainly cuts an imposing form. His muscles have his uniform-probably the same one that Georg is wearing under the robe-nearly bursting at the seems, and he has finely crafted and decorated leather pauldrons, vambraces, greaves and a tasset that, unlike Yang's half-skirt wraps all the way around his waist. The brute glances them over the same way Georg had, though he is openly dismissive of both of them almost before his 'inspection' is complete. So dismissive, he doesn't even bother to look remotely threatened by Weiss hand resting on her rapiers pommel. "So you're the local heroes? Name's Heracles."

Weiss, once again, offers him her and her partner's names, dropping out of her ready stance as she does so. The brute, if he had been listening, does not reply, striding over the lean against the staircase's banister and crosses his arms.

Ruby looks over toward Jeanne, Le Fay and Arthur curiously. "Not to be rude about meeting all of you, but, where's Connla?"

Heracles snorts dismissively. Jeanne shrugs carelessly. "Off trying to get his Balance Breaker. More power to him, I suppose."

"Indeed. There's no shortage of those Grimm creatures running around for our subordinates to advance themselves." A new smooth voice interjects, gaining the group's attention.

Emerging from the door Heracles burst through, is another young man who might be around their age that Weiss would expect to share at least one common ancestor with if he didn't hail from another world with his porcelain complexion and platinum-blonde hair. Clad in the same dark-colored uniform as the other young men in the room with a dark blue, yellow trimmed vestment draping off his shoulders and over the uniform, trailing down to his ankles. Next to him is a younger boy, of similar hair color to Heracles and slightly darker complexion than the larger man, though his locks are shorn short and as messy as Georg's. The youth's red eyes immediately snapping to Weiss' rapier before locking back onto hers with an almost unsettling intensity. "Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose? Well met, I am Seigfried." He performs a bow though not nearly as well-practiced as Arthur's and perhaps a bit more irreverent. "And this young lad," he places his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Is Leonardo."

It takes all the restraint Weiss has not to start fawning over the boy. Ruby doesn't even bother to try, cooing as she offers him a gentle smile and wave. "Hi there."

The young boy, a heavy looking overcoat draped across his shoulders, merely stares at Ruby for a moment before offering both girls a silent nod. He then heads over to the couch Le Fay is sat on to join her, leaving a notable amount of space between them when he does, however.

"Don't mind Leo, he's more the strong, silent type." Jeanne chirps at a concerned looking Ruby.

"I mean no disrespect, but he's a child. Does he really have a place here?" Weiss asks cautiously, glancing uneasily at the blank-faced boy who is now eerily staring at her. She is quick to clarify. "What I mean is should he really be expected to go up against dangers like the Grimm?"

Georg coolly adjusts his glasses as he explains. "I assure you, Miss Schnee, when in the field, Leonardo is not placed in any more danger than he can handle. He is currently in possession of one of the thirteen Longinuses." That got Ruby and Weiss' attention, Ruby openly gawking at Leonardo while Weiss reassesses her original thoughts on the boy with more decorum before returning their attention to the bespectacled Magician, "And like every other member of our organization in this room, he's one of the Hero Faction's strongest combatants. If we had placed him in one of the many orphanages on Earth, he was liable to be snatched up by one of the many supernatural factions who would only see him as a potential source of power in their ceaseless wars and petty squabbles."

"It's a depressing truth that nearly everyone in this room has a similar story, being consigned to the role of cannon fodder by the myriad supernatural species and their various governments and organizations." Siegfried explains, gesturing around to his comrades. "Power draws power, and humanity has the most potential for it. The Hero Faction came together to protect ourselves against those who would exploit us all, as well as test ourselves against their best on adventures untold. Those present also inherited the souls of legendary heroic figures from Earth's history. Thus, bearing the responsibility to uphold our ancestors' legacies, we are the Hero Faction." Ruby had been clearly swept up in delighted awe by Siegfried's words while Weiss takes the impromptu speech as an opportunity to look over the gathered heroes, reassessing them as well as her prior judgement. Inheriting responsibility, protection against exploitation. Whether or not he had meant them to, the red-eyed youth's words had resonated deeply with Weiss. She will prove herself worthy of her Grandfather's name!

"Nice to meet you all! We're glad to be here and we won't let you down!" Ruby enthusiastically gushes as she waves at them again, receiving some amused and polite greetings in return. Ruby looks around after a short beat, glancing at the different doorways. "So… what now?"

Georg tilts his head upwards. "Cao Cao should be down to meet the two of you shortly. He is finalizing a few alterations to our logistics chain that proved to be more troublesome than we had anticipated." He pauses in thought, either having just remembered something or working out how to phrase it, probably. "Perseus sends his regards, but his group is currently quite busy pursuing a detestable band of Vacuan malcontents." Weiss, for a brief moment, recalls Jaune's friends having used Vacuo as a cover, but the Heroes haven't yet lied to them. Quite the opposite, they wouldn't stop sharing information–the casual way Jeanne revealed the God of Darkness is real, and Connla revealing they came from another world after having just met them came to mind most readily–leading Weiss to take him at his word. The transparency is certainly refreshing.

Ruby blinks, uttering a simple "Oh." before the prodigy straightens herself, her face set in the slight scowl she wears when the Team is about to get into a fight or head off on a mission, official or self-appointed. "Anything we can help with?"

Siegfried offers her a genial smile. "Perseus can handle himself, though your initiative is most appreciated. There is much about the Huntsmen lifestyle we find appealing. Some guidance and advice from locals on the gear, garments and tools we saw at a Huntsman outfitter would be much appreciated. We perused several of them earlier today and found ourselves lost quite quickly. Especially in regards to what is appropriate for an Emblem, and the cost-to-quality trade offs for Dust in its different forms."

"We can help with that, no problem!" Ruby chirps with a nod, elbowing Weiss as she does so. "Heck, you won't find anyone who knows about Dust better than Weiss." Weiss straightens with a nod of her own. Of course, some of her father's researchers and scientists most likely know more than her, but they aren't here right now.

"Happy to oblige. Although," Weiss begins, glancing uncertainly between Le Fay and Georg. "I'll admit that if magic and Dust interact in any meaningful way, it will be entirely new to me as well." If magic plays or has played any role in the origin of Dust, considering the latter's finite nature she could stand to make her family's company an exorbitant amount of money, and potentially remove her father from his role as its leader years before she had expected to be able to do so.

"No matter, we shall discover any secrets regarding the two together, then." Georg dismisses, though there is a tinge of excitement in his voice, before he gives them both a slight bow, clearly pleased. "You have our thanks, all the same." He pauses for a beat as he rights himself and tugs his jacket-looking robe straight again. "I must also say that the ability to combine defensive techniques with clothing-supposedly without any magic-is a rather clever innovation. Even the Grigori are behind Remnant in that field."

"They look like they'd need the extra padding." Heracles lazily opines, tilting his head at Weiss and Ruby without looking away from Georg.

Ruby's scowl shifts from what Weiss has grown used to seeing when her partner is focused on a task to actual offense. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Heracles gives the two of them a second once-over. "The two of you are even scrawnier in person. Like a couple of toothpicks. A stiff breeze could probably break one of 'em in half." He grunts bluntly at his compatriots instead of addressing the pair. Arthur shoots him a reproachful look. Le Fay's glare is less than threatening.

Weiss narrows her eyes, doing her best to seem fierce as she barks an insulted, "Hey!" at the large tanned 'hero.' She tries not to take it too personally given what Siegfried just said, and the impression that he treats everyone like that she's picked up from the short time she's known him.

Jeanne levels a scowl at the gray-haired brute. "Screw you, Herc."

Ruby steadfastly locks eyes with Heracles, trying just as hard as Weiss to make herself seem more impressive in the face of the largest Hero's dismissal. "Joke's on you, I am just the right size for my age."

The other heroes all look closely from Ruby to Heracles as he retorts with a sneer, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, you know why?" She shoots back, probably too riled up to remember where they are, or what they are here for.

Oh, Brothers, no, Weiss thinks as a sense of dread washes over her. "Ruby, don't–"

"I. Drink. Milk!" She declares haughtily, crossing her arms decisively under her chest.

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaims, before dropping her face into her palms, feeling enough embarrassment for both herself and her partner. Ruby does an admirable job of weathering the big meathead's ensuing bellows of laughter, face turning a mild crimson as she realizes what she'd just done, but she holds firm despite the reactions of everyone present in a remarkable showing of willpower. It really doesn't help matters much when Jeanne and Siegfried break out into giggling and chuckling as well, even Le Fay and Georg join in, though they try to hide it. Arthur has an amused smile on his face while Leonardo simply stares with his head tilted.

Heracles wipes a tear away before crossing his arms again, then staring down at Ruby, who is still puffed up and glaring back at him, though his expression is far more appreciative now. "Okay, it takes balls to say something that ridiculous with a straight face and then stand by it." He rumbles out with a smirk, Ruby continuing to hold his gaze, though the standoff is-less than hostile-at this point

"Didn't I tell you?" Jeanne squeals as she snatches Ruby up in a tight embrace. "She's. So. Adorable. Such an adorable Ru-baby!" The boisterous blonde pulls back, squeezing Ruby's cheeks cooing at the prodigy like she's a toddler, not a teenager.

Ruby's face looks fit to either explode or combust in Jeanne's hands, frozen in place. "Uh, thank you?" She awkwardly replies, at which point what Jeanne had just called her catches up to Ruby, and she begins struggling to squirm out of the older girl's grip. "Wait, what did you call me!?"

'Great first impression.' Weiss can't help but think as her partner finally squirms free from Jeanne's grip to glare at her instead of Heracles. There really isn't any malice to any of it though, she's seen more scenes more or less like the one playing out before her walking the halls of Beacon than she can count. It is nice to not be at the center of the insanity for once however, and judging by the expressions on some of the other 'Heroes' faces she isn't alone in that. She'd never say it out loud, but she had started to miss the atmosphere brought on by the light-hearted teasing and horseplay with her entire team having been giving her the cold shoulder all week.

"And what's wrong with admitting to drinking milk?" A new young male voice queries from above just loudly enough to be heard over the laughter and chatter.

The chamber falls silent at that. Everyone looks up at the tall, dark-haired young man who had said it as he closes the door behind him. "I happen to enjoy a nice tall glass of hot milk every so often myself." he continues as he strides towards the staircase, only his upper torso visible above the half-wall, though he appears to be clad in the same uniform as the other young men. A dress code? Interesting.

'Cao Cao, I presume.' Weiss ventures to herself, eying the young man intently.

"Hah!" Ruby crows, turning her nose up at the tallest hero. "A true comrade!" Her gaze shifts to the raven-haired youth that had just entered the room before becoming glassy eyed and transfixed. "Uhh...Oh-Oh. My. God!"

Oh Brothers... Weiss groans internally, as she turns to look at Ruby, whose expression is so painfully and openly smitten that Pyrrha's pining at the start of the year seems subtle by comparison. On top of everything else, Weiss would need to keep an eye on–

"That spear is beautiful~!" The weapons prodigy croons, and probably would have then launched herself at the older boy, thankfully remembering herself before Weiss has to restrain her. The milk faux pas was more than enough for today. He has an ornate white, gold trimmed open robe layered on top of his uniform, its black and blue tabard keeping it pooled around his waist instead of having fallen to the ground. That he would wear such a clearly expensive garment like most people their age do a sweatshirt they're not cold enough to actually put on properly indicating that he is either incredibly wealthy or supremely wasteful. Though she could very well be entirely wrong, considering just how little she knows of the arcane, and how it could potentially be applied to garments? He approaches them using his ornate spear as something of a staff or walking stick as he draws near. Either not caring or offended by the scene Weiss and her partner are currently causing.

After a drawn out exchange where the apparent leader of the Heroes allows Ruby to visually inspect the intricate spear in his hand. "Like it?"

"Yeah…" Ruby dreamily replies before she returns her gaze to a pair of blue eyes set in an amused, regal face. Ruby pulls back slightly with a blush before curiously returning her attention to the young man. "Wait, you're…"

The black-haired youth offers his hand which Ruby tentatively takes, the two sharing what looks to be a firm handshake. "Cao Cao. A pleasure to finally meet the both of you. Especially in light of everything I have been told."

Ruby fidgets self-consciously after he releases her hand, and confirms Weiss' assumption. "Only good things?" The prodigy prompts a bit too hopefully to be entirely proper.

Cao Cao's amused expression doesn't waver. "You wouldn't be here otherwise, Miss Rose." He calmly replies before stepping back, and then making his way over to the couch that Le Fay and Leonardo had vacated as he descended the stairs. "Shall we get down to business?" He rhetorically prompts as Siegfried and Georg move to flank the couch he is now occupying, left arm resting on the piece of furniture's arm, his right holding his spear up, its butt planted firmly on the ground.

Weiss swallows a touch nervously. The voice in the back of her head urging caution flaring back to life with a vengeance as his gaze settles back on Ruby and Weiss after his subordinates finish shuffling about the room. Le Fay and Leonardo to the foot of the stairs, Heracles to the left door, Arthur to the right and Jeanne midway between Georg and Heracles, directly between the most direct line Weiss and Ruby could take to reach the youngest Heroes present. Having grown up in Atlas upper-society, she can pick out a schemer on sight. This young man looks no older than Coco, and has all the marks of one who is not only good, but used to getting his way and controlling nearly every social interaction he ever has to boot. Blake had stopped trying to claim that her calculating aloof bearing stemmed at least somewhat from her time in the White Fang after she'd come clean to them. If he's the leader, and even half of what Jeanne and her friends had told Ruby and herself about the Heroes is true he most certainly has had similar life experience as well.

Considering the statement Siegfried had made not too long ago, specifically his mention of the hard lives and difficult circumstances many of those gathered here apparently came from, Weiss would be a fool to treat any interactions with the leader of the Heroes with anything less than the utmost of care. However, if she had learned anything from the debacle of Blake's nature as a Faunus and former White Fang operative it was that first impressions and preconceptions aren't everything. Both herself and Ruby have good cause and reason to be here, and Weiss will be damned if something as mundane as misconceptions borne from her upbringing will be what disrupts her chances of getting what she wants from this interaction.

Furthermore, Weiss can't help but note soberly that none of them are adults. The entire group have most likely been on their own since banding together. That paints a far from positive picture, both of how they will respond to any proper adult situation, and what forces could compel people barely older than herself to set off on their own rather than face whatever other forces are at play. Though the disproportionate male to female ratio rather neatly accounts for Jeanne's eagerness for Ruby and Weiss's presence. That, or they had parents worse than her own. Perhaps some regular social interactions with adults where secrets won't need to come into play will allow Weiss to properly verify the validity of that assessment.

"I trust that one of my Seconds have informed the two of you of our guiding philosophy and the duty we have taken upon ourselves to carter out?" Cao Cao drawls into the otherwise silent room.

Ruby nods excitedly, either at a loss for words, or self-aware enough to recognize that this is a conversation best left to Weiss. "We have." She confirms crisply and politely. "If you truly wish to adopt the Huntsman lifestyle, or add parts of it to your own, I can confidently speak for both Ruby and myself when I say you shouldn't have any difficulty doing so." She declares, taking care not to cross the line from supportive and welcoming into the realm of sycophantism.

Cao Cao nods gratefully at her reply. "That is encouraging to hear, Lady Schnee." He pauses, and glances first at Arthur, then over to Jeanne. "I have been informed that both you and your partner have taken an interest in delving deeper into the supernatural." He continues, offering a small, knowing smirk when Ruby nods eagerly again. Definitely a schemer then; Weiss notes to herself before reaffirming her previous decision to proceed with caution but not allow herself to be frozen by uncertainty or miss opportunities out of misguided fear that the worst interpretation of that initial assessment may be true. "Or to be more specific, that you seek the power to end the threat of whatever malign forces and plots of extra-normal origin are acting against the Kingdoms of your birth and homeworld." Weiss is briefly taken aback, not so much over how he managed to discern their goal so quickly than she is at how open he had chosen to be about having come to that conclusion already. Perhaps their goals truly are aligned?

Ruby snaps out of her reverie and straightens herself, her gaze confidently and earnestly meeting the older teens. "Yes." If possible, the silver-eyed girl had poured the entirety of her charisma, certainty and resolve into that single word.

Cao Cao smirks back at Ruby, then shifts his gaze over to Weiss, who also nods an affirmative. At that point his smirk widens into an openly pleased smile, clearly liking whatever it is that he discerned from their posture, expressions and demeanor. "Then let us speak of the future, and a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, techniques and power. To master this world, you must first master yourself." Blue eyes lock back onto silver ones, intent and knowing. "All of yourself."

---

A/N: Whoo boy, poor Blake, heh.

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11/6 Edit: Sorry about the late ping, but I completely forgot to also credit/mention/give a massive shout-out to my awesome beta readers MasterPrince713 and Hybrid Theory, and thats not cool/not something I'm gonna just leave that way.