"Did you go over everything with Olivia?"

Weiss made a small 'hmm?' sound in surprise, turning from her place at the desk to regard Ruby with a raised eyebrow. Her leader stood a few feet away with her hands behind her back, smiling expectantly.

"Of course I did. Did you finish your homework?" Weiss asked seriously, aware that her partner had a penchant for 'forgetting' to do certain things.

Ruby smirked as if proud of herself and let out a quick, "Yup!" before nodding over her shoulder towards where Blake sat on her bed, reading, "Blake helped me out with some of it, but I managed to get most of the way through before I asked!"

"She was practically finished," Blake tacked on, turning the page of the comic in her hands, "I barely had to help at all."

Weiss regarded Ruby with a measure of respect, "Well, keep that attitude going forward and I'm sure your grades will improve. Can't have our leader falling behind, now can we?"

"You can count on me!" Ruby beamed, then tilted her head with a mild frown, "What have you been doing over here, though? You've just been staring at your desk for the last few minutes… Did something happen while you were out?"

'You mean aside from all this… whatever it is I keep feeling?' Weiss thought glumly. It had started when she was reading that book. Connecting with the characters, wanting to put herself in their shoes… then that scene had happened, and Weiss couldn't quite get it out of her mind. Being around Olivia had only helped to reignite those feelings over the last few days, so she'd steered clear of her as much as she could.

Weiss was never one to ignore necessity, however, and making sure that Olivia didn't fall behind in their classes had been a necessity. So what if she'd found herself enjoying it for other reasons? Was there something wrong with having fun?

"Weiss?" Ruby asked slowly, pulling the Atlesian from her brief reverie.

"Sorry. No, nothing happened. I've just… had a lot on my mind, as of late. You don't need to worry about us, Ruby. We're fine, really."

Ruby let out a long sigh, then gave a tight nod, "Good!" She pivoted and hopped up onto Weiss's desk, sitting next to her while looking down on the heiress with a concerned expression, "Anything you wanna talk about, then? You've been almost as reclusive as Blake lately, and that's saying a lot!"

Weiss sat back in her chair to give herself some distance from the younger girl, tipping her head to the side to avoid meeting her gaze, "I don't really have anything to talk about. Same old, same old. I'm not exactly the most exciting person."

'Maybe that's why she wouldn't want to…' Weiss shook her head, snapping herself out of that odd train of thought. What did it matter if Olivia hadn't wanted to be seen together 'that' way? Neither did she!

"Weiss just needs time to think, Ruby," Blake came to her aid, raising her head from the comic in her hands.

Ruby looked between the two of them hesitantly, then gave a small shrug and hopped back down off Weiss's desk to lightly hit the floor, "Can't say I didn't try! Responsibilities of a leader, you know?"

Weiss stopped what she'd been about to say as Yang's voice could be heard calling out from across the hall, muffled through the wooden door yet distinct enough to understand clearly, "Ruby! We need another player!"

Ruby looked at the two of them with a sheepish grin, "And that's enough responsibility for one night! See ya!" She burst out of the room in a flurry of petals, leaving the door to slowly close shut once more.

Weiss shook her head with a quiet laugh. Her leader's antics had angered her at first, but she knew now that Ruby only ever had the best of intentions. 'No matter how childish they might be…' Considering the other three members that made up the team, she had been the only real choice that the Headmaster could have made.

The room was quiet for a few minutes, Weiss going back to her thoughts while Blake went back to her comic. After a while though, the faunus poked her head back up from behind the pages and cleared her throat to get Weiss's attention.

"Olivia said it was alright for you to keep reading that book, by the way. I talked to her about it the last time I visited. She just, um… doesn't want you to talk to her about it…?"

Weiss felt her cheeks heating slightly and gave a tight nod before turning to face away from Blake, hiding the effect her words had. 'Of course she wouldn't want to talk to me about it! At least, not about those parts…' On second thought it would likely be better to avoid discussing the entire thing, for fear of another reader overhearing their conversation and knowing…

'Do I even want to keep reading it?' Weiss needed to ask herself the most basic of questions in that regard. While the fights had been enjoyable and the dynamic between the two partners was one she envied, the fact that both girls were more was a little bit… odd…

'I don't have anything against people that are like that!' Weiss thought quickly, then visibly slumped, 'I just never thought that I would be, too…'

'If I am…! ...Am I?' The question had been on Weiss's mind for a few days now. Judging by her reaction to seeing Olivia stretching, bending down so that her… assets had been on full display when Weiss entered the arena… She had fallen closer to believing it herself.

'Perhaps if I keep reading the book, that'll help me figure a few things out…?' Weiss couldn't lie to herself. The idea of continuing where she left off did excite her. She wanted to know what happened next, wanted to know what the full extent of the girl's 'family technique' entailed.

With a firm nod to herself, Weiss got up from her desk to go and grab the book. She had returned it to the place she'd found it, tucked away behind the bookshelf as if it had fallen by mistake. Weiss began to walk back to her desk before thinking better of it and veering off for her bed instead. She climbed in and made herself comfortable, propping herself up against the wall and pulling the blankets up to her chest.

Blake flipped the comic closed that she was holding and made a small 'hmm' sound before shuffling over and dropping off her top bunk. Her feet hit the floor with catlike grace, and she spared Weiss a passing glance before heading to the door, "I'm going to see what the others are up to. We'll probably be gone for a while."

"Oh, see you later then!" Weiss replied, thanking her lucky stars that Blake wouldn't be there to witness… what? Her reading?

Blake flashed her a grin before stepping out and closing the door behind herself with a gentle click of the lock. Weiss slouched down a little more in bed and opened the book back up, remembering the exact page number that she had been on before her minor freak out.

With only a quick glance, Weiss had found her place once more, and picked up where she left off.

Feeling the burning desire to help her partner, Hana gripped the hem of Ako's skirt tightly and tore it open. There, revealed before her, was the source of Ako's need. Hana slowly lowered her head once more, lips finding their way to the small bud that lay atop Ako's petals.

Her partner gasped, hand finding its way to the back of her head and stomach quivering as Hana continued her ministrations. Hana's tongue explored the entire length of Ako's slit, delving deep until she found the source of the magic that had left her partner in such a state.

Weiss shifted in bed, feeling her own nether region growing heated in response to the words on the page. She found herself imagining being in Ako's place, her legs spread while a girl with short black hair administered the same level of affection.

Ako moaned loudly, pressing down on the back of Hana's head so that she would go yet deeper. The action elicited a primal response from Hana, her tongue now lapping vigorously along every exposed petal, drinking in the juices that were affecting her partner in such a way.

"Oh, yes! Hana~!" Ako cried, arching her back while her free hand played with her breasts. Hana could already see the discoloration of her skin receding, heading further down towards where the pressure was now mounting. She would need to go harder, and faster to make sure the ritual finished correctly.

Weiss rubbed her thighs together, feeling the space between her legs beginning to grow moist. She had been… excited… like this before, but never to this extent. Her mind searched, trying to remember the times that it had and what had inspired them, even as her hand traveled down the length of her stomach to dip beneath the hem of her own skirt.

There had been the movie about the two lovers, born to opposing families yet destined to be together. Weiss had felt this way when imagining herself as the prince, kissing his beloved awake. Then there was the time she had been at a gala, and spotted a wayward couple that had snuck off to enjoy indecent acts in the darkness of the theater. Weiss had felt a twinge of excitement, seeing the hand that went down the woman's shirt, wondering what it would have been like if it were her hand…

She realized her hand had moved down to gently play with her own petals, fingers slick with the juices her body had produced, and darted her eyes up in fear towards the door. Blake had said they would be gone for a while, though… Weiss's eyes returned to the page, wanting to see how far this would go. Her heart beat loudly in her chest, the risk of being caught only adding to the excitement of it all.

Hana used one hand to hold Ako's legs apart, while the other wrapped around to rest atop her mound. Hana's thumb circled her partner's bud, increasing the mounting pressure that was building inside her. Ako's muscles began to spasm, in the throes of an indescribable pleasure.

"Hana! I'm… I'm…!"

All at once, Ako's hand pressed harder than it ever had before, burying Hana's face between her legs as the magics sprayed free. Hana drank all she could, helping Ako's release with both tongue and thumb as she rubbed the small bud more roughly than before. Ako's powerful legs closed on either side, trapping Hana in place while the pressure that had been mounting was finally let loose.

Weiss arched her back, trying to keep her eyes on the page even as she felt herself drawing nearer to a release of her own. The space between her legs was wetter than it had ever been, her fingers and palm coated in her own juices as they rubbed frantically. A gentle whine built in her throat, escaping in small moans that she couldn't contain.

Weiss felt her pleasure mounting, envisioning that it was Olivia between her legs, doing all of this to her. The faunus with a tongue so quick to insult, now being used for nothing other than servicing the heiress and her desires.

'Does that feel good, Princess~?' Weiss's toes curled, and her muscles began to shake as the vision helped her to reach release.

Weiss could feel the juices flowing against her hand, could feel the inside of her panties growing soaked as she tried to gasp, but was far too breathless. Her fingers drifted up to her own bud on instinct, giving it all the attention it deserved in the long moments of her overwhelming orgasm. After what felt like an eternity, the pleasure finally faded, giving way to a painful oversensitivity, and Weiss's hand slowed to a stop.

Breath coming out in ragged gasps, Weiss slowly extracted her hand from between her legs and stared at the juices coating it. She brought her hand closer, an aching curiosity forcing her to slip one finger between her lips. Hana had sounded as if she enjoyed it, so…?

'Hmmm…' Weiss pulled her finger free with a wet pop, then came back to herself with a pair of widening eyes. Here she was, sitting on her bed that was now woefully stained, and sucking on her finger when someone could come in at any moment!

Weiss jumped up and ran to her dresser, snatching out a replacement pair of underwear and her pajama bottoms before rushing into the bathroom to change. Her mind was in a panic, trying to remember what she had read on both feline and spider faunus. How good was their sense of smell? Weiss had no plans whatsoever of leaving her bedsheets as they were, but would Blake be able to tell regardless!?

Weiss got herself cleaned up, changed, then stood in fear, holding both her defiled panties and skirt in one balled up hand. Certainly, they would have to be disposed of. She could definitely recall Olivia remarking once or twice about smelling things with Blake, one instant being after she had gone to visit her 'girlfriend'.

'Yup! Just gonna have to get rid of them!' Weiss threw the balled up garments into the bathroom's trash can and pulled out the lining, tying it shut tightly before heading back out into the bedroom with it. She pulled her blanket and sheets off as well, then similarly bundled them beneath her arm and headed for the door.

'I don't have a replacement for those… I'll just have to hope for the best, and use a lot of bleach…'

One thing was for sure. Weiss had no plans on anyone finding out what she had done.

Blake walked back into the dorm with Ruby a couple of hours later, immediately noticing the vanilla fragrance that the room itself had been drenched in. Weiss sat at her desk in a pair of pajama bottoms, yet still wore the top of her regular uniform. Her blanket was smoothly laid out, freshly cleaned if the stench of bleach was anything to go by, and Ninjas of Love was nowhere to be seen.

Blake smirked, holding herself back from letting out a laugh that would definitely give away that she knew exactly what Weiss had done while they were gone.

'Looks like even an Atlas elite can let loose from time to time~'

Olivia was tested the next morning to see whether or not she was well enough to leave. After doing some light work outs and being asked a laundry list of questions, the nurses finally gave their begrudging permission. Their only stipulation was that she wasn't allowed to take part in combat class, and she would need to stay on school grounds for her own safety in case her fever returned.

'I'll accept one of those two things~' Olivia hummed to herself as she left, still dressed in the long sleeve and tight pants Weiss had brought her the day prior. She didn't mind not being able to take part in Miss Goodwitch's class. The only one that posed a significant enough threat was Pyrrha, and she'd already made up her mind to never bother sparring with the Mistralian champion again, at least not in public.

Restricted from going down into Vale, though? Olivia wanted to replace her combat outfit, and after being locked up for most of three days in a featureless room, she needed to go out. 'It can wait until after classes, of course. That's it, though. I won't wait a minute longer.'

Olivia doubted that Ruby would take much coercing, the small reaper being her best shot at finding Madam Myrtle's shop again. The outfit she provided had been durable, perfectly sized, and cute, if she didn't mind admitting as much to herself.

'My god, Vale has changed me…'

It had only been a month and a half since she'd first stepped foot into the city, since she'd had her day out on the town with Coco and Velvet. 'If Lotus could see me now…' She doubted her past, hoodie wearing self would approve, but then… what had she known aside from hatred and fear? Certainly not the joys of the way she looked, nor the comfort of her own skin.

Olivia could feel her three roommates stirring awake in their dorm as she approached, and grinned as she slammed the door wide open with a loud thud, causing it to bounce off the wall.

"Did you miss me!?"

Ruby gasped and scrambled off her bed, falling to the floor before darting across the room and crashing into Olivia's chest along with a flurry of petals, "Olivia! They let you out!?"

Olivia draped an arm around Ruby to partially return the hug, eyes glancing to the other two as well while she spoke, "Yup! Passed their silly tests with flying colors. Nothing wrong with this faunus."

Blake shared a momentary smile before lowering her head back down and draping her pillow overtop to cover both sets of ears. Weiss gave her a tentative smirk, rubbing the sleep out of one eye, "I suppose you lied to them, then? How's your leg feeling?"

'Stiff.' "Totally fine!"

Weiss's smile fell until she was leveling a frown at Olivia that oozed disbelief, "You know you said that yesterday in the arena, right?"

"Did I?" Olivia thought back to it and winced, recalling that those were indeed the exact words she had used, "It's true this time!"

"Uh huh," Weiss muttered before lying back down and rolling over, yawning while she spoke over her shoulder, "At least you made it all the way here alone. That's better than yesterday."

Ruby pulled away in confusion, looking between Weiss and Olivia, "What? When did you go to the arena?"

Olivia shrugged, pushing gently past Ruby into the room so that she could let the door close behind her, "I needed to cut loose a bit after all that studying. My brain was about to melt. That and Weiss couldn't wait to hit on me~"

"What!?" Weiss's head darted back up, looking at Olivia with an unreadable expression, "Don't you mean 'hit' you?"

Olivia smirked, "Ah, so you admit it then?" she turned to Ruby, "You heard her, Ruby. Weiss wanted to hit a sick faunus. I was right about her all along~"

"No-! You-... That isn't-!" Weiss ripped her blankets free and got up, giving Olivia a nasty look before heading over to her dresser and pulling out her uniform. She paused in place a moment later, letting her hands fall slack while turning to face Olivia.

"What did you just call me…?"

Olivia grinned, "What's the matter, Weiss? Can't believe I'd hold myself to my part of a deal?" she raised her hand to her chest as if offended, "Still thinking so low of me~"

Weiss shook her head, eyes falling to the floor for a moment before looking back up. She appeared conflicted, fighting an internal battle before allowing herself to speak, voice barely above a whisper, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… It didn't count..."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "Why wouldn't it? You got a hit on me, didn't you? Several in fact, as much as I'm loathe to admit it."

"You weren't at your best," Weiss continued, voice and features appearing less conflicted with each passing second, "It doesn't count."

Olivia was partially taken aback. Was the heiress so prideful that she wouldn't accept a victory given the circumstances? Olivia had been surprised when Weiss hadn't brought it up herself the day before, nor noticed when Olivia had chosen to use her name, thinking that was what the heiress was waiting for.

"If you're sure…"

Weiss nodded acknowledgement.

"Alright, Princess. As you wish~"

A slight smile curling her lips, Weiss headed past Olivia and Ruby into the bathroom, carrying her garments with her to get ready for classes. Olivia watched her go with a confused frown, but decided to simply chalk it up as something else she hadn't known yet about the heiress. Apparently, she took challenges very seriously.

The group collectively got ready for classes, intent on being ready ahead of time. The topic of food was discussed, and their small group of four headed downstairs and across the grounds as one. Olivia felt a sliver of happiness working its way into her heart, enjoying the fact that she was finally out of the oppressive infirmary and with her teammates once more.

Olivia watched Ruby flitting about, Blake quietly keeping in step with them while burying her nose in a comic book, Weiss chastising Ruby for startling another student, then apologizing profusely on her behalf and forcing Ruby to do the same...

'I missed this…'

Near death aside, Olivia's life had become so much simpler than what it was before. She didn't need to constantly watch over her shoulder, nor wonder if the contracts she accepted were only a thinly veiled attempt at collecting the bounty on her own head. Fights no longer required the loss of life… her hands were the cleanest they had been in years.

Olivia felt a group of familiar presences inside the dining hall as they made their approach, and dropped her dark thoughts to the wayside in preparation. They opened the door to find Team Coffee sitting around one of the long tables, tiredly munching away at their breakfast. Each had a steaming cup in front of them, along with two coffee pots set in between that had been mostly drained of their contents. As she entered, Olivia watched Coco beginning to fill her mug up once more before adding an excessive amount of sugar.

Velvet's ears swivelled atop her head, alerted to the creaking of the door as it opened. Her eyes fell on Olivia, and the previous exhaustion that had been there before was swept away in favor of bright eyes and an excited smile.

"Olivia! How are you feeling?"

Velvet's voice drew the attention of her teammates, each of them giving greetings of their own, if less enthusiastically.

Olivia crossed the short distance to stand at the head of the table, accepting the brief hug that Velvet gave her, "Never been better," her eyes wandered over the group, taking note of just how tired they appeared to be, "Why are you all up so early? You don't look the greatest."

Coco groaned into her forearm before rising up enough to speak, hiding the dark bags beneath her eyes with the sunglasses she wore, "Training with Carmine… Showing off our semblances… All that jazz… We're going on a mission with them and their leader wanted to make sure we were 'up to snuff', arrogant bitch…"

"Carmine?" Olivia raised an eyebrow, knowing she had heard the name in passing at some point over the last couple weeks. It took her a moment to think back on where she'd heard it before the dots connected and she had to stop herself from visibly paling.

"Yeah, some third year team that transferred from Mistral…" Coco sighed, taking a long sip of coffee before setting the mug back down roughly, "At least that Neo girl makes up for their leader. She's so small, it's adorable~"

"I-I think I know who you're talking about," Olivia admitted, knowing that it would likely be more odd to not have seen the miniscule third year around campus. Neo's age was dubious at best, given her size, "What's the mission, exactly?"

Coco was in the middle of taking another sip, so Yatsuhashi answered for her, "We're headed to a small town outside Vale. It's supposed to be a regular extermination mission from the sounds of it."

'I need to talk to Cinder… Hopefully she doesn't have anything planned with them,' Olivia thought worriedly.

She could sense the rest of her team heading back to another table after having gathered food for themselves, and flashed team Coffee a smile, "Well, best of luck. Doubt you really need it though, eh?"

"Damn straight," Coco grinned, raising a fist that Olivia bumped readily enough, "We'll show them who's not up to snuff. Bunch of Mistralians thinking they're hot shit." Coco noticed the amused smirk that Olivia gave her along with the raised eyebrow that Yatsuhashi leveled in her direction, and shrugged nonchalantly, "Not saying all Mistralians are that way."

Olivia chuckled, "No, you had it right the first time. I'm definitely full of myself~"

"Hey, at least you've earned it. Don't see many lasting that long against Nikos," Coco smirked, lowering her sunglasses for a moment to share a wink, "And you don't flaunt it everywhere you go," her eyes roamed up and down Olivia's body before she pushed the sunglasses back up, "As tragic as that is~"

Olivia leaned in closer to Velvet, whispering loud enough that she was certain the rest of the team would still be able to hear, "I'm starting to think she isn't just teasing~ Might want to start upping your game there, Vel."

While Velvet's cheeks grew heated, Coco snorted out in a quick burst of laughter, "You've obviously never known the joys of being with a rabbit faunus, kid. If there's anyone here that's been left wanting…~"

Velvet's eyes widened as they darted in Coco's direction, her hand moving up to cover her mouth and keep her from speaking further, "D-don't listen to her! You know how she is! I-I'm..." Velvet's voice drifted off into silence, far too embarrassed to speak further.

Olivia figured it would be best to stop their little game before her fellow faunus blew a gasket, and patted her on the shoulder before turning to walk away, "No worries. I know Coco likes to joke around," she gave a little wave as she left, calling out over her shoulder, "Bring me back a souvenir if you get the chance!"

Olivia allowed the frown she had been suppressing to spread across her face as she made her way over to grab breakfast for herself. Did third year teams usually chaperone for second years? Was it just a normal mission from the school, or did Cinder have something far more sinister planned?

Who would she side with…?

'Hopefully I won't need to,' Olivia told herself, not wanting to go any further down that rabbit hole. She was happy as she was now, and content to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Olivia rejoined her team, making sure to add Melanie to the list of things she needed to do that day. Going through the proper channels was the professional thing to do after all, and Cinder had said to use their mutual contact if she ever needed to speak with them.

A few hours at Junior's would only be a bonus.

Classes passed by quickly enough, both Port and Oobleck making a note to welcome Olivia back, albeit with mixed levels of affection. Olivia knew she wasn't exactly the best student, but it was the thought that counted, and she did her best that day to make up for her previous absence.

Combat class went by the same as it usually did, with Olivia only bothering to pay attention while members of team Lion and her own were taking part in the arena. It was mildly surprising to hear that Weiss had taken Olivia's place the previous day, fighting twice instead of only once, and did so again. Olivia cheered her on, and was glad to see that her efforts truly hadn't been wasted. Weiss handled herself better than ever, only allowing her aura to drop into the nineties over the course of both duels.

Olivia offered up what advice she could, pointing out the mistakes that led to Weiss giving up what few points she had, and several instances where she could have defeated her opponents sooner. Weiss gave Olivia her undivided attention, asking follow up questions of her own and asking about similar scenarios that had happened the previous day.

Olivia was more than happy to provide what answers she could, the two of them sitting side by side while they discussed various fighting tactics and different uses for Weiss's semblance. Olivia was in her element, and hardly noticed the time passing by until the bell had already rang, announcing that their final period was over.

"Hey, Ruby?" Olivia spoke up, breaking off her conversation with the heiress in order to wrap an arm around the younger girl's shoulders before she could get up to leave, "Do you want to head down into Vale with me?"

"What for?" Ruby asked, not appearing to be at all opposed to the idea, simply curious.

Olivia gestured down to herself, "I wanted to pick up another combat outfit. Wanna hit up Madam's Matchmaking with me?"

Ruby's eyes brightened as she flashed a smile, nodding once, "Sure! My skirt's been starting to fray around the edges and I've been meaning to get it touched up anyway."

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked from the side, leaning forward to include herself in the conversation.

"Ruby took me to a shop for my combat outfit before Beacon started. It's pretty nice, and the owner really knows her craft. I wanted to go there again for the replacement."

Weiss bit her lip, looking off to the side for a moment before turning back to regard Olivia with a pair of hope-filled eyes, "Do you mind if I come along?"

Olivia shrugged, "I don't see why not." She glanced over to Blake as well and raised an eyebrow, "How about you? Wanna make it a team outing?"

"I don't have anything else planned," Blake admitted with a small shrug of her own, "Where's it at exactly?"

"Heh, Ruby knows the way better than I do," Olivia grinned, giving the younger girl a quick shake while her arm was still around her. The faunus hopped to her feet and stretched, feeling how stiff her leg still was from the day prior and giving it an extra bit of attention.

Weiss frowned in concern, "Are you sure you'll be able to walk that far? There's a big difference between the campus and the streets of Vale…"

Olivia waved her off, "I'll be fine, Princess. Don't worry about it."

"I certainly hope so," Blake warned, sparing an eye for the leg that Olivia appeared to be favoring, "I won't be the one carrying you back."

Olivia pouted, "And here I was thinking we had something special~" She grinned at the blank expression that Blake gave her in return, "I'll be fine, really."

The group set off back for their dorm for a few minutes so that the others could change out of their own combat outfits, a delay that Olivia was forced to live with seeing as Ruby really was her only way back to the shop in question. She had never been great at finding her way through maze-like streets, and only visiting the shop once hardly helped her chances.

Soon enough though, team Rainbow had all gathered into one of the many awaiting bullheads and made their way down into the city. Ruby carried her combat outfit, bundled into a small bag in her hands. The young reaper and Blake were both armed, the only two that had bothered to bring their weapons with them on the outing for reasons of their own. Olivia had chosen to forego Oath, having already gained confirmation from both Adam and Widow that the White Fang would leave them to their own devices.

The city streets and sidewalks weren't nearly as busy as the last time Olivia had been down in Vale. It seemed Tuesdays weren't as popular, many citizens choosing to remain home during the weekdays or were simply still at work. Olivia was able to relax, knowing that the chances of her being recognized were even lower than usual.

"Not much further now, ladies," Ruby chirped, turning down yet another street as she led them towards their final goal.

Olivia was only just beginning to recognize some of the details, despite trying her hardest to memorize street names and turns. It had taken her years to learn the city of Mistral like the back of her hand. She doubted Vale would be much different.

True to her word, it was only a minute longer and another turn before they found themselves standing outside the familiar shop, singular wooden door set between two large glass panes that displayed a myriad of vibrant outfits to choose from. Ruby rushed up the steps first and held the door open, ushering the others into the brightly lit establishment before stepping in herself.

The door jingled as they entered, and soon enough the multicolored beaded curtain in the back was swept wide, admitting the equally colorful Madam Myrtle into their midsts. Her eyes latched onto Ruby, a genuine smile coming to her face.

"My dear! I'm so happy to see you! I was wondering when you might be coming back in~" Madam Myrtle exclaimed. Her eyes roamed over the rest, smile only widening further, "And you've brought your friends as well, oh how delightful~! How may I help you all?"

Ruby rubbed a hand across the back of her head and gestured with her other towards the spider faunus, "We need a replacement outfit for Olivia, and mine needs a little work done on it," she looked to Weiss and Blake before giving a minute shrug, "Did you guys want to have a look around?"

Weiss and Blake shared a look before Blake broke off, moving to another side of the shop to see for herself what Madam Myrtle had to offer. Weiss remained, appearing content with looking over the contents of the store from where she stood.

'To each their own.' Olivia turned back to find the larger woman's eyes roaming across her body, taking in the outfit she had chosen to wear down into Vale.

"I have to admit, dear. You're doing the world a disservice by not showing off those curves more. I know you were happy with your outfit before, but… would you mind if I made a few modifications this time around?"

Olivia frowned, stepping over in front of a mirror and imagining how her combat outfit had looked before, "I don't really want to show off more skin…" One hand reflexively lowered to her forearm, holding the sleeve in place and making it clear that that was what she was referring to. She turned back to see Madam Myrtle wearing a thoughtful frown, one hand raised to her chin.

After a few seconds, Madam Myrtle smiled once more and winked at Olivia, "Trust me, my dear. I'm sure you'll love what I have in store~" With that, she retreated into the back of her shop, leaving the three of them to look around while Olivia considered the possibilities.

After a few minutes, Weiss tapped Ruby on the shoulder, pulling her attention away from one of the mannequins and back to Olivia, who turned to face the pair as her sixth sense caught the brief exchange. Weiss stood looking her over, a slight tint of red to her cheeks.

"I've been thinking…" Weiss began, eyes drifting between Olivia and Ruby before speaking to their leader in particular, "Hasn't Olivia's outfit been missing something all this time?"

Ruby frowned, looking to Weiss and then back to Olivia in consideration. She appeared to be just as confused as Olivia, and tilted her head at the heiress, "What's she missing?"

"Well… Blake has her flower, you have your rose, and I have my family's snowflake… Doesn't Olivia need an emblem of her own?"

Ruby gasped, eyes widening as she looked Olivia over once more, "You're right! How did I not notice before!?"

"Do I really need one?" Olivia balked, sparring the two a mild frown of her own, "This is just another one of those things like naming a weapon, isn't it?"

"Well yeah!" Ruby chastised, beginning to pace back and forth across the space between Weiss and Olivia, "It's like your own personal symbol! Everyone who's anyone has an emblem!" She stopped on her heel to look at Weiss, "What should it be?"

Blake had heard Ruby's sudden outburst and chose to move closer as well, standing slightly off to the side, "How about a flower? Her last name is Mandevilla, after all."

"No." Olivia denied that line of thinking more fiercely than she had meant to and immediately backtracked, raising her hands as if to apologize for her sudden outburst, "N-not that there's anything wrong with having a flower for something like that, it just… isn't my style."

'And I would always think of it as a black lotus, no matter what the design ended up looking like…'

"Okay, so no flowers…" Ruby pondered on it, tapping away at her chin for a few moments, "How about a spider web?"

"I'm… not really feeling it…"

'Then I'd be back at square one, looking like I still worked for Little Miss Malachite!' Even her colors would match the Mistralian mob boss's aesthetic at that point.

"Just a spider, then?" Weiss suggested, trying to offer up what she could.

"Hmm…" Olivia considered it, trying to imagine what a symbol like that might look like and where exactly it would even go on her outfit, "That… that might work."

The clacking of many beads announced Madam Myrtle's return, her hands draped with an outfit that looked to be a perfect match to the one that Olivia had owned before. She took it off her hands and looked it over, trying to spot any visible difference between it and the one she had already owned, before giving up and raising a questioning look to the older woman.

Madam Myrtle waved her fingers in a shooing motion, ushering Olivia to enter one of the changing rooms to try on the outfit for herself. She obliged, still uncertain what the older woman had planned.

After a few minutes spent changing into the outfit, and another spent looking at herself in the mirror… Olivia couldn't help but agree with the changes that Madam Myrtle had applied. Her veins were still visible to the same extent, appearing for a few inches from beneath her rolled up cuffs and disappearing beneath the fabric.

The first difference was the neckline of her shirt, dipping an extra inch down her chest in a more narrow V and allowing her cleavage to show more prominently. Olivia didn't consider herself the type to flaunt, and wouldn't have dreamed of wearing something more revealing than she already had if not for witnessing the proof of its appeal. It was a subtle change, but one that Olivia found herself approving of in the end.

The other difference was the material of her pants, now thinner and hugging more tightly, allowing her natural curves to retain their shape more easily. Olivia didn't have much trouble accepting that change, already knowing from her time with Melanie that that area of her body was one of her more desirable features. Accentuating that fact only made Olivia love the outfit all the more.

Olivia could sense that Weiss was the only one remaining outside of the dressing room, standing a little ways off to the side while patiently waiting for the faunus to finish. Blake, Ruby, and Madam Myrtle had all retreated over to the counter, and appeared to be bent over it while… drawing something…?

Olivia shrugged and opened the dressing room door, feeling Weiss practically snap to attention as the faunus stepped out. Olivia could feel her cheeks heating slightly, still unused to showing herself off to anyone in such a manner. She looked to Weiss hesitantly and shrugged, giving a slow spin as she had the day before in the infirmary.

"How do I look…?"

'If anyone isn't going to approve, it'll be Weiss… She's by far the most prudish out of anyone I know…'

Weiss looked Olivia up and down, appearing dumbstruck for a moment before reclaiming her composure and averting her gaze, "Looks good. Little, um… tight… in places. If you feel comfortable in it then that's all that really matters, right?"

"Um, thanks, Princess," Olivia rubbed a hand across the back of her short hair and smiled, shifting her gaze over to the rest of her team and Madam Myrtle before raising her arms wide and calling out, "How's it look?"

Three pairs of eyes raised up from the paper they had been working on to look at Olivia, Madam Myrtle going so far as to let out an appreciative wolf whistle, "I knew it would look better on you, dear~"

"Yeah, I… think I could get used to it…"

"It looks great, Olivia!" Ruby beamed, snatching the paper off the counter and zipping to her side in a burst of petals, "We were working on your emblem! What do you think?"

Olivia's eyes fell down to the paper, seeing an assortment of various symbols that all depicted a spider in one way or another, "Did you draw these? They're pretty good."

Ruby smiled shyly, "Madam Myrtle helped some, but Blake and I worked on the initial design!"

Olivia took the paper from Ruby's hands, seeing the ecstatic smile she bore, and smiled in return, 'How could I say no?'

She pointed out one of them in particular, then glanced in the mirror, "I like that one the most... Where are we going to put it, though?"

Madam Myrtle crossed the distance to see which one Olivia had chosen, one of the designs that had the sharpest set of legs among the batch and had been drawn in a more abstract style. She raised her eyes back up to Olivia in consideration, then smirked and gestured for the faunus to spin around.

Olivia complied, immediately feeling Madam Myrtle's delicate touch across her upper back. The woman's fingers gently moved across, far more soothing to the touch than Olivia would have ever expected. She could feel the fibers changing subtling, transforming in color wherever the woman's finger glided.

After a minute, Madam Myrtle pulled away, allowing Olivia free reign to inspect the work she had done in the mirror. On her back rested a perfect replica of the abstract spider on the page, if much larger. It's front legs reached all the way up to her shoulder blades, while the back legs reached all the way down to the hem of her black button up. The spider matched the color of her arm bands and top, a deep magenta that somehow managed to sparkle slightly when caught at just the right angle in the light.

"It's…"

"So cool!" Ruby finished for her, darting forward to get a closer look at the large emblem across Olivia's back. The faunus complied, turning to allow the rest of her team a better look at the work that Madam Myrtle had done.

"I like it," Blake stated with an appreciative smile, giving Olivia a warm nod when their eyes met, "It really does fit you well."

"Thanks, Blake," Olivia grinned, turning lastly to Weiss.

The heiress seemed to have been caught off guard, darting her eyes up to meet Olivia's with a hesitant smile, "Happy I could be of service."

Olivia nodded, "It was your idea in the first place. Thanks, Princess."

Weiss looked away and cleared her throat, moving away suddenly in order to step closer to the door, "Well, we've got what we came for. There's still homework that needs to get done, and twice as much from Oobleck's class at that. You can thank Yang for not letting me remind him yesterday."

Blake checked the time on her scroll and nodded, "We do need to be getting back soon. Was there anything else you needed, Olivia?"

Olivia shook her head, pulling out the wallet from the clothes she had changed out of, "Didn't you need to get your outfit fixed, Ruby?"

"Already did! Myrtle fixes up clothes just as fast as she changes their color!"

Olivia nodded and paid Madam Myrtle for both her outfit, and the repairs she had done on Ruby's, much to the other girl's protests. Olivia waved her off though, knowing that Myrtle's expertise didn't come cheap, even if you were her favorite customer as she claimed Ruby to be.

Bags in hand, the four of them exited the establishment a few minutes later, promising to return if any of them wished to change their looks any time soon. Blake at least appeared to consider the suggestion, while Weiss seemed content with what she already wore.

Olivia continued with them up until they reached mainstreet, then held the bag of clothes out to Ruby, "Can you take these back up to Beacon for me? I have another errand I need to run before I head back."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, accepting the bag from Olivia, "Where do you need to go?"

Olivia shrugged, "Junior's."

Three faces frowned in a mixture of disapproval and disbelief, Weiss going so far as to speak up, "You still want to go back there? Even after what happened?"

"It's not as if I'm going to get sick twice. Besides, it wasn't Melanie's fault. She didn't know what her sister had."

"Still…" Weiss trailed off, looking off to the side as if disappointed in the choice that Olivia had made.

Olivia scoffed, "I'll be fine, Princess. No need to worry."

"We'll see you back at Beacon, Olivia," Blake interjected between the two of them, wanting to break up any disagreements before they had a chance to truly begin.

"Yeah, see ya later," Olivia replied. She gave a small wave as she left, turning away yet keeping her sixth sense focused on her team behind her.

As soon as her back was turned, Weiss's eyes raised once more, following after Olivia even as both Blake and Ruby began to leave. After a few moments, Weiss breathed heavily and turned to follow their leader, an almost imperceptible slump in her step.

'I guess she really is worried…' Olivia shook her head, knowing that there really wasn't anything to worry about. The nurses had assured her that she wouldn't get sick again, nor would she relapse now that her aura was almost fully functional.

The heiress would get over it in time, once Olivia returned no worse for wear.

Right now… there were bigger things at stake…

Well, first time trying to really earn that M rating. Wasn't sure how well it turned out but wanted to show the moment where Weiss really came to terms with her own sexuality.

Now it's a long, arduous journey of will-they-won't-they. Olivia doesn't quite feel as strongly as Weiss does as of yet, or is perhaps far better at hiding her own feelings from herself. Plenty of turbulence ahead for Black Ice. Tis a slippery slope, after all.

At the same time, some aspect of Cinder's scheme may be moving forward. What exactly does she have planned, and does Olivia need to worry about the safety of her peers?

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think,

- Sybaen