Ruby followed Pyrrha and Yang into Lion's dorm room, where both Ren and Nora were waiting to hear the news. Ren sat on his bed, leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up and a book in his lap. Nora had been pacing across the floor, leaving a streak of indents in the carpet that showed the route she'd repeatedly taken.

Nora spun to face the door as they entered, eyes widening as she looked at them, hoping for good news. When the three other girls weren't able to meet her eyes though, her hands dropped to her sides and her shoulders slumped, "The Headmaster didn't accept, did he…"

Yang huffed and folded her arms, crossing the room to fall heavily onto her bed, staring at the ceiling, "No. He didn't even consider it."

Ruby sat down at one of the desk chairs while Pyrrha leaned back against the door, closing it behind herself with a small click. Ruby placed an elbow on her knee and rested her chin on the back of her hand, thoroughly discouraged, "I was really hoping Ozpin would go along with it…" her eyes looked up to the others, searching for an answer, "What am I supposed to do? Olivia is my friend! I want her to be happy…"

"I suppose our only choice is to try and help her get along with Weiss…" Pyrrha replied softly, glancing over to Ren and Nora, "You two have known her the longest. Do you have any insight?"

Ren and Nora shared a look between themselves. Ren opened his mouth, speaking slowly while Nora nodded agreement, "Olivia doesn't always show it, but she has a good heart. She went above and beyond to help Nora and I the first time we met. I think that extends to anyone she feels close to," Ren's eyes strayed to Ruby for a moment, "Olivia seems to care for you quite a bit, Ruby."

Nora spoke up, glancing to both Ruby and Yang, "I don't know how much she's told either of you… but, Olivia has lost a lot of people in her life. She lost her family when she was really young, and..." Nora's eyes searched Ren's, looking for approval. With his hesitant nod, Nora continued, "She also used to work with a group of hunters. They all died, and she's been alone since then."

'Oh, Olivia…' Ruby's eyes widened in dismay. Olivia had only ever mentioned her family to her, and that she'd had more than one brother that had passed away, 'but an entire group? Were they all her teammates?'

"I can feel the emotions that I suppress whenever I use my semblance," Ren added, eyeing the others in the room with an air of severity, "Olivia is desperate to keep her past a secret… We're really going out on a limb to tell you this."

"Wow…" Ruby slumped, her heart pained by the truths of Olivia's dismal past, "She told me about her family, but not the rest…" she glanced to Ren, "How much does she care about me?"

Ren spared Yang a meaningful look, "She definitely wasn't being totally honest when we spoke of Torchwick. Olivia would have done much worse than she let on."

Yang's eyebrows raised, asking a silent question, and Ren nodded in response.

"What would she have done?" Ruby asked with a frown, totally lost in the conversation, 'All she did was scare them away, right?'

Yang shrugged uneasily, choosing to answer Ruby's question for the group, "Let's just say that Olivia's very protective and leave it at that, Rubes. I don't think I'll ever need to worry too much about you going on missions in the future. She'll be sure to keep you safe."

"Okaaaay…" Ruby couldn't help but notice the way they were avoiding answering her question, "So… where does that leave us?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes while everyone thought of what they might be able to do. Eventually, Yang rolled over to lie with her head propped up by her hand, "What if we locked her and Weiss in the Rainbow dorm and told them they had to talk it out before we'd let them leave?"

Ren and Nora shared an uneasy glance, "I don't think Olivia would take very kindly to being trapped… She can be… fierce, when she feels threatened."

Ruby's eyes glimmered, taken by the idea, "You saw their fight on the first day. Neither of them will have their weapons. What would Olivia have to worry about? She's better with her fists than she is with Oath!"

"And we could have someone waiting near the door to listen in. If they started fighting then we could all rush in and put a stop to it," Yang added, growing more and more fond of the idea by the second.

"I could make sure they'd stay stuck in the room," Pyrrha offered timidly, "We wouldn't have to damage anything to lock them inside."

"It's… worth a shot, I guess," Nora shrugged in defeat.

"Come on, Ren. We have to try something!" Ruby pleaded, hoping for Ren to give his approval, "Rainbow can't keep going like this forever."

Ren sat calmly, thinking it over before raising his eyes back to the rest, "Well, if you're going to try it then we may as well give it the best chance of success."

Ruby nodded once, determined, "Alright! What's the plan?"

Olivia was growing suspicious.

All during the rest of the evening, Ruby and team Lion had been especially nice to her. Not that she minded the treatment, but even still, the lengths they had been going to try and keep her at ease had set off warning bells in her head. People just weren't that nice normally, not even in Vale.

'Something is up…' Olivia kept her sixth sense heightened to the extreme as she stood in the bathroom of the Rainbow dorm, brushing her teeth in the mirror. It was earlier in the morning, still almost seven, and the only one left sleeping was Weiss. Ruby, Blake, and all of team Lion had gotten up much earlier than they should have on a weekend, furthering Olivia's suspicion. With them up and about, she hadn't been able to sleep in herself.

Olivia finished freshening up, feeling Ruby returning as she carried something large in her hands. A peek out through the door showed it to be a platter of food, stacked high with an assortment of breakfast items.

Ruby's eyes caught the bathroom door opening and she set down the tray, turning to Olivia with a wide smile, "I thought it would be nice to bring breakfast upstairs for everyone! The lines in the dining hall weren't very long since I got there so early!"

Olivia fought back the temptation to narrow her eyes, "...Thanks, kid," and stepped fully out into the room.

Blake hopped down from the top bunk and walked to the door, sparing an eye over her shoulder, "I'm going to head down into Vale and go buy a few more books," she shared a look with Ruby that Olivia couldn't decypher, though it put her on edge.

"Did you want me to come with?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that's fine. I'm going to browse for a while so you'd probably get bored," Blake replied evenly. She stepped through the door and walked down the hall, eventually disappearing from the range of Olivia's sixth sense.

The smell of breakfast seemed to have finally wafted its way over to Weiss, who had been laying down in her bed, body turned to face the wall. She rolled over with a soft groan, eyes blearily opening to take in both Ruby and Olivia standing near the middle of the room. She frowned and looked to the clock on her bedside table.

"Isn't it a bit early to be up on a Saturday?"

"Some people lead busier lives," Olivia answered offhandedly, picking up a sausage from the platter that Ruby had provided, "I suppose a princess just has less things to worry about."

Weiss sighed, sitting up in her bed to stretch. Her arms straightened out over her head, her back popping a few times for her efforts as she chose to ignore Olivia's backhanded insult, "Really? What are you awake so early for, then?"

'Tch' Olivia took a bite of the sausage, giving herself a moment to think. With no actual answer to fall back on though, she instead reverted to her usual attitude with the heiress, "I'd heard the White Fang were getting more active in Vale and thought it would be fun to go find them. I'm running low on funds and figured you wouldn't mind if I sold them some info on you."

Weiss scoffed, "The White Fang isn't an organization that you can find the hideout to by walking down any old street, and what in the world do you know about me that would be worth a single lien to them?"

Olivia shrugged, "You're left-handed."

Weiss placed a hand to her chest, feigning breathlessness, "Oh, Olivia~ You do pay attention to me~" then rolled her eyes as she got out of bed and moved over to her dresser, rooting around for a casual outfit to wear, "If that's all you have to offer then you won't be getting very much out of them."

'I could tell them what kind of weapon you wield, how your semblance functions, and give them access to where you sleep,' Olivia thought idly, finishing off the sausage. Ruby glanced nervously between the two of them and then over her shoulder as if looking to Lion's dorm room.

Weiss withdrew an outfit finally and carried it into the bathroom to change, sparring herself the embarrassment of Olivia's gaze. The spider faunus had realized fairly quickly how prudish the heiress could be, and had set out to make her as uncomfortable as possible whenever the chance arose. It was more acceptable than outright insulting her, and Olivia could still get a kick out of it.

"Ruby," Olivia said simply, stopping the younger girl in her tracks as she began to sneak out into the hall. Ruby froze in place and turned around slowly, giving Olivia a nervous smile.

"Eh… yes, Olivia?"

Olivia tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing, "What are you planning?"

"P-planning?" Ruby replied breathlessly, raising a hand to rub the back of her head, "I don't know what you mean!"

"Aren't you going to eat?" Olivia eyed the platter of food, noticing now that it lacked any of the younger girl's favorite foods, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Oh, uh, I already ate!"

"Is that so?" Olivia picked up a piece of toast and bit into it, folding her arms across her chest, "Well, Weiss and I are going to have trouble finishing all this by ourselves. Are you sure you didn't grab too much?"

"Nope! There should be just enough there!"

Olivia frowned, glancing back to the mountain of food, "Just enough for what? Four of me?"

"Just enough for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!" Ruby bolted out of the door and slammed it shut, using her semblance in a quick burst to get out quickly. Olivia heard her call a muffled, "Pyrrha, now!" before the Mistralian champion stepped out of Lion's dorm and into the hall. There was the barely audible 'click' coming from the door's lock, and Olivia's heart dropped as she realized what exactly their plan was.

'Alone, with the Schnee, all day… No. No way,' Olivia tossed the toast back onto the platter and strode to the door, raising a fist to pound against it, "Ruby! You open this door right now! I am not playing this game!"

"This isn't a game, Olivia! It's an intervention! You and Weiss need to start getting along before we can let you out!" Ruby's voice faltered for a moment, then picked back up as she regained her determination, "T-Team leader's orders!"

"What are you both yelling about!?" Weiss slammed the bathroom door open in irritation, glaring at Olivia.

Olivia sneered, "Our fearless leader has seen fit to lock us in here until we can 'get along'," she used her hands to make quotations in the air.

"What!?" Weiss's eyes darted to the door as she crossed the room to it as well. Olivia stepped aside as Weiss began to pound against it in earnest, using her dainty fists to great effect, "Ruby Rose! You let us out this instant! This is not how I wanted to spend my Saturday!"

"For once, we agree," Olivia shook her head in annoyance at their leader's ploy, "Don't think you're getting out of this without any blame either, Pyrrha! What did Ruby do to talk you into it?"

Pyrrha's voice came through, similarly muffled as she spoke in a collected manner, albeit with some nervousness to her tone, "We talked about it yesterday while you were out. You and Weiss need to work out your differences so that team Rainbow can flourish. We all want what's best for your team, and this is our best chance at getting you two to talk it out. Don't waste it."

"You have got to be kidding me," Weiss interjected, throwing her hands up, "I've already tried having a conversation with her! It never ends well. How will this time be any different!?"

Yang's voice cut in as she stepped out of Lion's dorm, "Because this time you'll have mood music~"

A speaker outside the door began playing a song that Olivia guessed was meant to be soothing, but only served to further her anger. She glared at the blond through the door, hoping that the expression would translate through her voice, "Yang. Xiao. Long. You had better turn that off or I swear I will break this door down. You know I can!"

"Hey! This is a classic!"

Olivia let her semblance shroud her arm and raised it in a fist, pulling back as she prepared to blow the door off its hinges, "One!... Two!..."

Weiss backpedaled with a horrified expression, "Sh-she's really gonna do it, Yang!"

"Oh, fine," Yang replied with some exasperation. The song cut out soon after, ending on one last haunting note, "But we still aren't letting you out!"

Olivia glared at the door but allowed her fist to drop back to her side, "Ren? Nora? Are you two in on this little plan as well?"

"Sorry Olivia~" Nora called out from the dorm across the hall, "For the record, we weren't sure this was the best idea, but!..."

"You and Weiss need to start getting along," Ren finished for her.

"Oh, Weiss! You and me are such good friends! How did we not realize before that we have so much in common!?" Olivia didn't even bother actually looking at Weiss, but crossed her arms as she finished, "Now let us out."

"It has to be genuine, Olivia!" Ruby chastised loudly, "We aren't going to fall for something like that!"

"Ruby! I don't have anything against Olivia!" Weiss paused, eyeing the faunus while her mouth twisted in a grimace, "Aside from the way she's always insulting me, anyway."

"Well then, figure out why she hates you and talk it out!"

"There is no reason other than me being a Schnee!" Weiss grumbled, "She hates me for the exact thing she accuses me of!"

"And what's that, Princess?"

Weiss rounded on her, "You think I hate the faunus because of who I am, while hating me because of my last name. You don't know me, Olivia. You never took the time to even try before passing judgement!"

Olivia adopted a sarcastic tone, "Yes, I'm sure you really could be my best friend~" she rolled her eyes, "Don't make me laugh."

Weiss stomped her foot, "There you go again, being difficult! Who said anything about being best friends? We could at least be teammates!"

Olivia ignored her and look back towards the door, "Ruby? You're really not going to let us out?"

"N-Not until you get along!"

"Fine," Olivia walked past Weiss to her own bunk bed and reached underneath to pull out the box of comic books Ruby had given her, "Sorry Princess, but I will be enjoying my Saturday," she pulled out her scroll and fished around in the drawer on her side table for a pair of earbuds, "You're welcome to talk at me, but…" Olivia put the earbuds in, "I won't be listening."

"Are you kidding me?" Weiss fumed, glaring at Olivia as the faunus began to get herself situated on the bed.

Olivia frowned back and pointed to her ear, then gave a small shrug and mouthed, "Can't hear you," before opening up the comic she'd left off on.

She still could, of course. Olivia had pretended to do this in the past while trying to collect information. Targets tended to have much looser lips in public if the person sitting nearest them appeared oblivious to their conversation. With this, Olivia was hoping to listen to what Weiss had to say while she thought the faunus wouldn't be able to hear it.

"Oh, for Oum's sake!" Weiss turned back to the door, "She's listening to music and reading comic books, Ruby! What am I supposed to do now?"

"Um… she can't read all day, right?" there was a note of hesitation in the younger girl's voice, followed by a much more muffled, "I should have thought of that…"

'Oh, on the contrary. I could definitely read all day.' Weiss being denied her day off was only a bonus as far as Olivia was concerned. Her eyes remained glued to the page, relying on her sixth sense and hearing to track every little movement the Schnee made. There was a lot you could learn about someone through subconscious body language, especially when they were on edge.

Weiss raised her hands and exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself before looking back at Olivia. When the faunus showed no response, she let out a small 'hmph' and walked to her desk. Weiss sat down and pulled out her own scroll to browse the CCT network. Every now and then she glanced to Olivia when she would react to something in the comics, hoping the faunus would be ready to talk. Each time she was met with disappointment as Olivia went right back to reading.

A couple of hours passed, and Olivia was now thoroughly engrossed in the new story arc. Ozborne had made his way to Mistral and was investigating a string of brutal murders that had occurred there within the last month. He was closing in on his quarry, following the bloody clues he'd deduced to the killer's hideout.

Olivia eagerly flipped the page, impatient to see the big reveal, and froze, staring at the caption atop the page, 'I've finally found you, Black Lotus!' Olivia's hand trembled, the comic shaking slightly in her hands and drawing Weiss's attention. She forcibly stilled herself, looking at the page in dismay.

'The Black Lotus' stood in her hideout, hand wrapped around a child that she was using as a human shield. She looked like Olivia, if Olivia made a habit out of dressing in sexy, revealing clothing, was much taller, and was an adult. A dagger was held to the throat of the child, 'The Black Lotus' threatening to use it if Ozborne didn't allow her to escape.

'I… would never hurt a child…'

Olivia continued to read, growing more and more nauseous by the second. The version of her in the comic was sick and twisted, a bastardization of the real Black Lotus. Apparently, the author had heard about her and used her likeness as inspiration for the new villain. Everything the comic version did, everything she said, left a vile taste in Olivia's mouth.

The comic left off on a cliffhanger, and Olivia set it aside to look at the front page of the next issue. She looked at the next, and the next, on and on for the next thirty issues, heart slowly sinking in her chest. 'The Black Lotus' was a recurring villain, one that managed to escape time and time again by using underhanded tactics. She killed innocents and mocked the hero for 'being too weak to stop her'.

Olivia set the entire stack of comics back in the box and lowered it to the floor before rolling on her side to face the wall.

"Are you finally done reading?" Weiss asked aloud, turning an eye over to Olivia.

The faunus ignored her, a crisis of identity tearing through her mind.

'Is that really how I came across?' The Black Lotus in the comics didn't work as an assassin for hire, but as a vigilante for her so called 'justice'. She murdered for fun, for sport… for any reason she could justify to herself and still pretend like she was in the right.

"I never killed at random…' Anyone that the assassin had been hired to kill would have been killed off anyway, just by someone else's hand instead of her own. There was no shortage of killers in Mistral. You could hire them by the dozen, 'If you wanted your target to escape, anyway.' Olivia hadn't been a senseless murderer, but a refined instrument of death. If you wanted a guarantee on your purchase, you went to the Black Lotus.

Olivia sighed in frustration and rolled over to stare at the bottom of Blake's bunk above, glaring at nothing in particular. As much as she enjoyed reading the series, they had essentially been ruined for her now, 'I'll never be able to look at them the same again.' Olivia considered skipping over the entire Black Lotus arc, but thought better of it. Knowing that one way or another, Ozborne had eventually killed 'her' would still leave a bad taste in her mouth.

'Speaking of which…' Olivia sat up out of her bed and walked over to the platter of food that had been left relatively untouched since Ruby brought it earlier that morning. After a couple hours, it was certainly cold. However, Olivia spotted some mixed fruits in a small bowl and returned to her bed with those.

Weiss sent her a few furtive glances while she was doing so. After a few seconds, her stomach grumbled, and she shot Olivia a glare to see if she'd heard. The faunus made no reaction, biting into one of the strawberries instead and continuing to ignore the heiress.

Weiss sighed and stood as well, walking over to the platter of food. Her mouth quirked to the side and brow furrowed in disappointment, seeing that everything left would have been prepared hot.

'Ruby really didn't think this whole 'breakfast, lunch, and dinner' thing through. Our room didn't exactly come with a microwave,' Olivia tilted her head, watching the heiress's shoulders go slack, clearly disappointed. She returned to her desk and sat in a slump, chin resting against her forearm on the tabletop.

'Serves you right. You should have eaten when you had the chance…' Olivia thought the words, but their usual acidity had vanished. Each bite of the food in her own hands brought her a small pang of guilt. She couldn't help but continue to compare herself to the other Black Lotus, 'Is that something she would be happy about?' Olivia shuddered, 'I am not the same…'

With a grumbled sigh of her own, Olivia stood once more and walked to Weiss's desk, setting the bowl down next to her head. The heiress swiveled to look at it, eyes going wide in confusion.

"What are you…?" Weiss began.

"You can have them. I don't really like fruit that much," Olivia turned on her heel and returned to her bed to lie down. She pretended to mess with her scroll as if she was changing the song so that Weiss wouldn't try and start up a conversation, then rolled her head back towards the wall for good measure.

"Thank you…" Weiss mumbled quietly. A small smile crept on to the heiress's lips as she turned away, beginning to help herself to some of the fruit.

It was a few minutes later before Olivia began to hear the heiress humming quietly. The tune sounded familiar, a song that she'd heard in the past but too indistinct to remember fully. After a minute, her curiosity got the better of her.

"What song is that?"

Wiess stopped immediately, raising an eyebrow over to Olivia that turned into an accusing glare, "Have you just been pretending this whole time?"

Olivia waved her off, "Not the point. What was that?"

Weiss shifted uncomfortably. She turned her head away, but Olivia could still sense the nervous frown on her face. She raised her voice slightly instead of turning, "It's, uh…" she mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

"P-Path to Isolation…" her voice raised slightly higher in pitch, a tinge of embarrassment mixed in with her attempted dismissal, "It's just a song…"

"I've heard it before…" Olivia replied slowly, trying to remember where she'd heard it. The exact source of the memory eluded her. Olivia began to search the CCT network in earnest for the song, 'It was one that I really liked… right?'

Olivia found the song after typing in its title and hit play, noting that the song's creator had been left blank in the search. She thought little of it and began to listen. As the familiar, beautiful piano keys were played, and the singer's sweet voice began telling of her struggles, Olivia's memories were reinvigorated.

"Oh!" Olivia smiled, an old sense of nostalgia taking over, "I love this song."

"D-do you?" Weiss's face was a twisted mixture of emotions, which finally settled into a tiny smile as she turned away, "I… do as well."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "Really? For the piano…? Or…?"

Weiss turned sharply with a frown, "For the lyrics, you dolt."

Weiss's frown turned to confusion as Olivia began to laugh, "What? You're telling me you can sympathize? They're about loss, loneliness, and falling into despair while you struggle to free yourself from the pit you've found yourself in. How in the world could you understand that, Princess?"

Olivia hopped up from her bed, still chuckling and walked to the window, "Seeing as RUBY," she shouted Ruby's name in the middle of the sentence, knowing the younger girl was still outside the door but wouldn't hear the rest of what was said, "didn't provide any actual food, I'm going to go get…" she checked the clock, "brunch. Feel free to keep wasting your Saturday."

"You can't jump out the window," Weiss argued disapprovingly, standing up as well, "We're five stories up!"

Olivia scoffed, "And Initiation was closer to ten. What's your point?" She opened the window, allowing a light breeze to roll into the room and ruffle some of the various papers on the desks. Olivia climbed onto the window sill and looked back, giving the heiress a two finger salute, "Have fun."

"Wait, you can't just-!" Weiss's voice cut off as Olivia plummeted, aiming for the base of the nearby tree that rose all the way to the cusp of their window. With a quick flash of her semblance, she used the appendages to spiral around the base of the tree, leaving slight furrows along its length before hitting the ground in a roll.

Olivia was in the middle of dusting herself off when a deep voice spoke up behind her.

"Nice of you to drop in."

Olivia's heart skipped a beat as she spun around, semblance flaring back to life while she stared into the eyes of Yatsuhashi. The older boy was sitting against the base of the tree, opposite the building so that she couldn't have seen him until it was too late.

Olivia narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Are you working with my team?"

Yatsuhashi continued to sit there calmly, cross-legged with his fists pressed together in his lap. He wore his combat outfit, yet appeared to be lacking his sword currently, "I know not of what you speak. I am merely resting in the shade while I meditate."

Olivia considered leaving the conversation at that, but thought better of it. He was teammates with Velvet and Coco. Despite being a Mistralian, he seemed to get along well enough with his faunus teammate. She paused, her heart racing for a moment as a concern came to mind, 'Could he recognize me if I spend too much time with him?'

"You appear distressed, Olivia. Would you like to meditate with me?" Yatsuhashi offered, patting the grass next to himself, "It can do wonders for the soul."

"...Tempting... but I was going to go get food. I've been locked in my room with Weiss all morning."

Yatsuhashi frowned, the first expression aside from tranquility that he'd yet shown, "You make it sound so terrible, yet is she not your teammate? You should be bonding so that your chances of success are higher."

"Success at what? Selling myself out to a Schnee?" Olivia rolled her eyes, "Good joke, Yatsu. Velvet forgot to tell me you were a comedian."

"Hmmm…" Yatsuhashi tilted his head slightly, staring at Olivia as if she was a puzzle to be solved, "Did Velvet ever tell you that when she and I first met in the Emerald Forest, she tried to leave me?"

Olivia shrugged, "You're a Mistralian. That's clear enough just looking at you," she grimaced, "And Velvet is sweet. I can see her finding you rather… imposing, to be honest."

"I have heard that about myself on more than one occassion," Yatsuhashi agreed, "But back to the point… Despite her misgivings, we are still together years later. I may accidentally say something offensive at times, but Velvet is always there to correct my way of thinking. I am glad that she is the one I found that day."

"A Mistralian doesn't really compare to a Schnee. You may have been able to change, but there's very little chance Weiss and I will ever see eye to eye. We're complete opposites."

"Perhaps then, you would want to try meditation? It is a fantastic way to put yourself into a state of internal peace."

Olivia raised a hand, "I have Ren for that. His semblance removes those emotions… those memories."

"And yet, you must continue to visit him each night?" Yatsuhashi nodded at Olivia's surprised expression, "Velvet does enjoy talking to me. I am a fantastic listener."

Olivia looked around, noticing for the first time that several students had already walked past the two of them, and her sixth sense hadn't warned her. She had been too wrapped up in her conversation to notice… "I suppose you are… Alright then." She sat down in the grass next to Yatsuhashi and crossed her legs as he did, "I'm not meditating, though," she warned.

"Then, let us converse," Yatsuhashi closed his eyes, returning to his pose from before, "Begin with whatever you wish to speak of, no matter how mundane."

"Okay…" Olivia looked Yatsuhashi up and down, taking in his Mistralian armor, "It's tough, growing up in Mistral. What's your story? I don't remember many people being too big on meditation."

"I do this to remain at peace. I learned it at the behest of my parents, once my semblance began going out of control along with my emotions. It is for everyone's safety, as well as my own."

"Wow, sounds like a dangerous one. What is it?"

"...I can remove memories of people's past. If I become too emotional in battle, I run the risk of losing control and taking more than I mean to."

"Any memory?" Olivia's mind flashed to those she had lost, and those she had killed. All of the emotional baggage she had carried, every step of the way during her turbulent life.

Yatsuhashi peeked an eye open, "It is not as exact as you may be thinking. The time that is taken starts from the current time, and erases everything up until a certain point."

"That's…" 'Dangerous…' "Powerful, to say the least." 'And definitely not something I ever want to tangle myself up in.'

"It is my responsibility to not abuse such power. With it, I could do all manner of underhanded things. It is my choice to refrain from doing so."

Olivia chuckled, "Well, you're a better person than I am."

"You do not seem so bad yourself, Olivia. Maybe there are things in your past that I do not know about, things that I wouldn't want to know about. On the other hand, Velvet likes you, and I trust her judge of character more than I do anyone else's. If you two are friends, then there is definitely something about you worth considering."

"Umm, thanks? What's your point, Yatsu?"

Yatsuhashi opened his eyes fully to look at Olivia, "Do you trust Ruby?"

Olivia frowned, "Of course. She's naive, and needs to work on her fighting style a bit, but she's a good egg."

"Is she not friends with Weiss? Do you believe Ruby would go behind your back to connect with someone that had no redeeming qualities?"

Olivia paused, a retort dying on her lips. She stopped to truly consider his words, a hand raising to stroke her chin, "Weiss just… got the better of her."

Yatsuhashi raised an eyebrow, "Is it Weiss that always pulls Ruby away, or Ruby that always follows?"

Olivia frowned. She didn't like where this conversation was headed… "The second one…"

"Have you asked yourself why? Have you asked Ruby why?"

"I mean… No. What could Weiss possibly be hiding that would make me like her?"

"Have you ever considered she isn't trying to hide anything, and you simply haven't taken the time to see her positive qualities?"

Olivia thought back on the last week, mind wandering to the moments involving Weiss that she hadn't really paid attention to before. Catching Weiss helping Ruby with her homework, having her clothes washed, keeping her distance because she knew her mere existence bothered the faunus, wanting to jump down into the arena to congratulate Ruby, offering to pay and using her odd Atlesian etiquette at the cafe, holding doors open for them, and appearing perfectly comfortable in the establishment for the most part.

"Has she ever insulted you because of your heritage?"

"No… No, she hasn't," Olivia confirmed with a sigh, eyes glancing back up to the dorm window far above, "Other than our arguments over the SDC, she hasn't really been much of a real burden."

"Then I am sorry to say it, Olivia. Please do not take offense.. but perhaps you are the problem."

Olivia's hackles raised, body tensing for a moment, before she deflated into a slump and began picking at the grass, ripping up small clumps, "Perhaps I am."

"The key to healing your mind is understanding where your heart is at in the first place," Yatsuhashi placed a hand over Olivia's, stilling it so that she was no longer ripping up the grass, "Now, don't you have a dorm room to get back to?"

Olivia fell onto her back and glared up the length of the tree. A light wind shifted the leaves, allowing the sun to glisten past and brighten the side of the building in brief flashes that caught the eye. Olivia sighed and stood, patting the older student on the back, "Thanks, Yatsu… I can see why Velvet likes you."

"You are welcome, Olivia. Never hesitate to stop by team Coffee's room if you wish to speak of anything in the future."

"I… just might do that," Olivia shared a small smile with him before shrouding her limbs to prepare for the climb back up, 'You'd better be worth it, Weiss Schnee…'

Velvet's ears had been standing at attention for the entire conversation, only now falling back to their usual floppy stance as Olivia finished her climb back up into Rainbow's dorm room. She peeked her head out from around the side of the distant tree she'd hid behind, flashing Yatsu a thumbs up and a wide grin.

'Best of luck, Olivia!'

"Ruby! I am not lying! Olivia really did jump out the window!" Weiss stamped her foot on the ground and shook the handle, impatiently trying to convince the rest in the hall to let her out.

"We just heard her, Weiss! You can't fool me that easily."

"Well then, let's hear her speak now," Weiss turned back to the room to sweep her hand in a gesture that encompassed what she expected to be empty air.

"I'm still here, Ruby," Olivia smirked, busy pulling herself up through the window and speaking loud enough to be heard by the humans through the door. She finished pulling herself through and changed her expression to a disapproving frown, directed at the heiress, "I don't know why Weiss was trying to trick you like that~"

Weiss's eyes widened in astonishment before narrowing in frustration, "I wasn't lying! You climbed back up, didn't you!?"

"That sounds like an awful waste of time~" Olivia gloated, crossing her arms and jutting a hip out while she teased the heiress, "I've been listening to music and enjoying your excellent breakfast, Ruby. Thanks for thinking ahead for us."

"It's cold!"

Olivia strutted over and picked a sausage up off the platter, biting into it and making a very suggestive moan, "What? I don't know what you're talking about. This food is fantastic. I'd expect nothing less from the leader of team Rainbow~"

"Well, I didn't really make it myself or anything, Olivia…" Ruby's voice piped up from the other side of the door, "But you're welcome!" Her cheeriness brought a smile to Olivia's face, one that she didn't bother hiding from the heiress.

Weiss narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "What are you doing?"

"Me?" Olivia continued to smile as she walked up to the heiress and patted her on the shoulder with a bit too much force. Weiss stumbled to the side slightly, forced to catch her footing, "You wanted me to treat you like a teammate, right?"

"Does that include being even more insulting!?"

"Ruby?"

Their leader mumbled through the door, "She does like to tease people, Weiss… That… That means she's warming up to you!" Ruby cheered, and Olivia could sense her giving Nora a high five.

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you dialed the heat back a little," Weiss grimaced and brushed a hand across her shoulder, noticing that Olivia had used the same hand as the one she'd picked the sausage up with.

Olivia raised her hands, "As you request, Princess~" her eyes scanned the room and nodded over towards her own bed, "Do you want to actually talk now, or are you going to keep being difficult?"

Weiss strode past Olivia with a huff and folded her arms, sitting heavily on top of the bed. Olivia grinned and followed after, planting herself next to the heiress with only a half dozen inches to spare. She brought a foot up to place on the edge of the mattress and entwined her hands around her knee, looking to Weiss with mildly forced curiosity.

"Where do we begin…?" Weiss's standoffish demeanor faded, shifting to one of discomfort as she waited for Olivia to take charge of the conversation. Her arms unfolded so that she could subconsciously stroke her forearm with her opposite hand, a gesture of uncertainty that Olivia easily picked up on.

"Well, I've been given some advice that suggested you may, in fact, have a few redeeming qualities," Olivia put it bluntly, "What are they?"

"She's really forgiving!" Ruby shouted through the door, cupping her hands to the wood as she yelled to make sure she was heard.

"Ruby! I want Weiss to answer, not you."

"I was just saying…"

Olivia sighed and turned a serious eye to Weiss, "Out with it. Best qualities. Now."

"I mean… where do I begin?" Weiss frowned in thought.

"Narcissistic…" Olivia pretended to check off a box, "Thinks so much of herself that she has trouble picking anything. One point to team R-B-O," her eyes trailed back up to Weiss's, "Anything else?"

The heiress pouted, "That isn't fair. That isn't what I meant at all!"

Olivia shrugged, "Sorry, Princess. Once the box has been checked, there's no undoing it."

Weiss rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Okay, you want qualities, huh?" she raised a hand, beginning to tick off her fingers one by one as she spoke, "I am very forgiving, thank you Ruby. I won't hesitate to sacrifice my personal time for my team. I'm at the top of the class in academics, and don't mind sharing that knowledge to anyone that needs help. I always want what's best for the people around me. I'm kind and generous… Should I continue?"

"Hmmm…" Olivia made a few check marks and stroked her chin, "A few of those were pretty much the same thing, but we'll ignore that for now…" her eyes pierced into the heiress's, locking her gaze in place with their intensity, "How many faunus have you harmed?"

"None," Weiss stared back, her gaze fierce.

"How many have you wished would die?"

"None, Olivia."

"Even the White Fang?" Olivia quirked an eyebrow.

"...Even them. I want the White Fang to be captured and punished for their wrongdoings… not get strung up in the streets."

"How 'generous'."

"Well, what would you say about a group of miscreants that actively set out to murder the people you know? I think paying for their crimes is the least that could be expected!"

Olivia tried thinking it over from Weiss's point of view, 'Her life would have been easy compared to the slums, aside from when she was exposed to things like death that were more commonplace for people like me… I suppose it would seem like an extreme form of punishment in that case.'

"Fair enough…" Olivia pretended to count the tallied marks, "That puts you at five points for, and two against."

"Two? Where did the second point come from?"

"I put that one in ahead of time since you're kind of weak."

"What!? I've won every other sparring match I've had!"

Olivia scoffed, "Yeah, against fodder. Everyone in the first year is pretty pathetic aside from our team and Lion. You beating up on weaklings that can barely take on a single beowolf isn't very impressive," she shrugged, "At best you're midtier."

Weiss returned to crossing her arms with a glare, "Well, maybe if someone acted like a proper teammate, they could help me with that," her attitude changed slightly, shifting from a glare at Olivia to a look of frustration, "As much as I hate to admit it… You are strong, Olivia. No one can say otherwise."

Olivia shrugged, "While you were being pampered in the clouds, I was struggling to survive in the Mistralian slums. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why there's such a large gap between us."

"What… were the slums like?" Weiss asked with a note of hesitation.

"Well, where should I start? Do I bring up how the police would beat faunus? How businesses would deny us service and jobs because of something we couldn't change? The terrible living conditions we were forced into because we couldn't afford anything better? Not having lightning dust to power our houses? The cold, rainy nights spent shivering beneath tattered blankets? Seeing bodies being carted out of their leaky homes after they died from sickness? A sickness that was completely curable, if the medicine had been affordable enough? The constant threat of mugging, or worse, as people became more and more desperate? Should I go on?"

Weiss paled further and further as Olivia continued her ramble, finally raising her hands to shake them 'no' when she asked if she should go on, "That's terrible. I had no idea it was that bad in Mistral."

"As bad as the Mistral council is, the Schnee's are worse," Olivia said with a tinge of aggravation. When Weiss opened her mouth to retort, she held up a hand, "But… I guess I could have lucked out and found one worth tolerating, at least. So, what do you say, Princess? If you're willing to try… then I can learn to live with having a Schnee on my team. I'll trust Ruby's judge of character... For now."

Weiss smiled and gave a small nod of agreement, "I look forward to working together with you, Olivia," her eyes darted to the door and back to her, "You wanna get out of here? I really did have other stuff I was planning on doing."

Olivia hopped up with a grin and walked to the door with Weiss in tow, "Alright, Ruby! We talked it out! You can let us out now!"

"How do I know you're telling the truth!?" Ruby called back through the door.

"Because if you don't open this door, I'm going to open it myself anyway. Also I did jump out the window earlier, so the lock isn't exactly stopping me."

"You really talked it out?"

"Yes, Ruby," Weiss interjected, raising her voice as well, "Everything is fine, now."

Olivia could feel Ruby turning to the others in the hall as they talked it out, with it finally ending on Pyrrha using her power once more. An internal mechanism of the lock itself clicked back into its proper place, allowing Olivia to turn the handle and open the door.

Ruby breathed out a sigh of relief when both Olivia and Weiss were in view, along with the room appearing totally unblemished. Her face shifted into a wide grin, "Is it official? Are we actually team Rainbow now?"

Olivia grumbled, "As stupid as that name is… yes, we are."

Ruby cheered and pumped her fist into the air, "So what should we do to celebrate!?"

Olivia glanced back at Weiss, who shook her head in exasperation, "I'm going shopping, Ruby. If you want to do something, let's schedule it for tomorrow, okay? You've already used up a few hours of my day with this little intervention…" her eyes sombered, mouth shifting into a smile, "Thank you, though. I'm glad we might be able to finally see eye to eye."

Ruby pouted, crossing her arms and making a face that Olivia was sure had let her get her way many times before, "You already have enough clothes, Weiss."

Olivia's mind drifted back to the comic book version of herself while looking at Ruby, and realized right then that if the young reaper ever found out her connection, that would be the first version she thought of… "I'm going to have to agree with the Princess on this one, kid. You can plan whatever you want for tomorrow. I'm going to take a day off for myself."

"Fine," Ruby's sour mood shifted, eyes brightening as an idea came to mind, "We can do anything I want?"

'How bad could it be? I'm sure it'll be fine…' "Yeah, kid. Whatever you want. Cross my heart."

"Okay!" Ruby grinned and walked past them into the room, leaving Olivia out in the hall with Weiss, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora.

Ren and Nora both looked mildly ashamed of themselves, incapable of meeting the faunus's eyes. Olivia stepped up to clap them both on the shoulder, "Hey, no hard feelings. You did what you thought was right."

Ren gave her a grateful smile, while Nora crashed into her with a hug. Olivia smiled and returned the hug briefly, shifting to a whisper now that Ruby was gone, "Next time though, one of you take care of the food. All of the stuff Ruby brought wasn't meant to last, if you catch my drift."

Nora giggled and gave a brief nod. Olivia turned to Pyrrha, giving her a considering glance, "Since I'll be moving out of the Lion dorms, I guess that means I won't feel bad about challenging you now. What do you say, Pyrrha? Me, you, combat class on Monday?"

Pyrrha grinned, "I look forward to it. You do appear to be quite the accomplished fighter."

Olivia shrugged, "The slums do that to you," her smile faded slightly, thinking back on the spars that Pyrrha had won during the week. It was clear that she was the regional champion for a reason. Pyrrha's technique was flawless, quick, and powerful, "I don't plan on taking it quite so easy as I do for most everyone else. A champion like yourself deserves me at my best, right?"

"I wouldn't accept anything less," Pyrrha confirmed.

"Good," Olivia smirked, "Now, if you'll excuse me… I need to blow off a little steam."

Pyrrha and Weiss's cheeks reddened, while Nora returned her smirk with a knowing smile, "Have fun~"

"Is there any alternative?" Olivia waved goodbye and left. In reality, she still wanted to get some food, and then take a trip into the Emerald Forest to get rid of some of her current frustration, 'But hooking up with Melanie later isn't such a bad idea. It has been nearly a week,' Olivia frowned, 'Maybe that's why teasing Weiss has been so fun…' They did both wear almost exclusively white, after all.

Olivia shook her head, 'Now that really would be a betrayal.'

So, Olivia vs Pyrrha is finally going to happen, and Ruby is making plans to take up their Sunday. What dastardly plot could the young, pure girl possibly devise?

Little later in the day than when I usually post, but I've been sick the last few days and it's taken its toll.

Either way, thanks for reading,

- Sybaen