"Weiss!" Against her better judgement, Ruby shook off her paralysis and followed her partner out. "What's wrong? Why are you being crabby girl again?"

"You really have to ask that?" Weiss whirled around. "You're what's wrong! You're supposed to be the leader, and all you've done is cause me problems!"

"What did I do to you?" Ruby asked, baffled. "And what happened to being a...uh...holy supportive teammate?"

"Let's see, shall we?" Weiss said, in the tones of a judge reading out a lengthy list of felony charges. "Needing to be rescued from a Death Stalker, not knowing Plant Dust existed, embarrassing the team in Grimm Studies with your antics, distracting me in a live combat situation, stealing my apple...being ignorant of the difference between 'holy' and 'wholly'?" Ruby wondered how she could detect the missing W. "Support has to be earned, and you've done nothing to earn mine!"

"I...but..." Ruby struggled for a response, in the face of her many apparent sins. Part of her felt like dropping to her knees and begging for forgiveness. Dimly, she recalled the words of a different Schnee from that morning. "Well, I mean...Ozpin chose me for a reason, right? Can't you just...y'know..." Give me a break? Forget about it? No, that wasn't the right thing to say...

"Ozpin! What was he even thinking with this?" Weiss shook her head. "Then again, he also thinks random eye contact and our favorite chess pieces are a good basis for a team. I'm starting to wonder if he should undergo a dementia screening!"

"Oh! I know, right?" Ruby commiserated. At least that was something they could both agree on. "I couldn't believe it when he just dropped it on us like that!" That had been several minutes of pure, skirt-wetting panic. It was pure luck she'd happened to find Weiss instead of...well, someone who would be an even worse partner than Weiss. Poor Jaune hadn't been so fortunate.

"Exactly—HEY!" Weiss actually started to nod in agreement before she caught herself. "Don't you dare change the subject!" She continued to prosecute her case against Ruby's leadership, though now sounding less angry and more condescending. "I suppose it's only natural for a child to behave immaturely, but such behavior is unbecoming of a team leader. Now, it's hardly your fault you were given a position you were unprepared for. Nonetheless, surely you see the wisdom in having someone else in charge—"

"ICE QUEEN!"

Yang? Ruby and Weiss looked up to see the blonde in question looking furious, with what seemed to be the entire Grimm Studies class watching behind her. Oh dear. She'd kind of forgotten they were still in the hall, right outside the classroom.

"ICE QUEEN! What do you think you're doing?!" Yang bore down on Weiss with the general air of a fire-breathing dragon. The white-haired girl's expression took on slightly nervous tinge. "I knew you were going to be trouble! I knew it! How dare you try and coup my sister!"

Jaune gulped. His first day at Beacon had been terrifying and bewildering in equal measure. The classes might as well have been in a foreign language for all he understood them. His partner yelled at him for everything, from tying his tie wrong to sneezing within six feet of a Dust canister. There was apparently a coup going on in Team RRWN, and now he had front-row seats to a fight between two teenage girls with superpowers. Was it even safe to be standing this close?

"Woo! Fight!" Nora shouted in excitement.

"Nora!" Ren scolded. "Please don't cheer for our teammate possibly getting beaten up."

"Whoospie." Nora went quiet in embarrassment, but a tall, bulky boy with orange hair—Cardin, that was his name—took up the cry. "FIGHT! FIGHT!" It rippled through the watching class. "FIGHT! FIGHT!" Russel Thrush shouted something about throwing Jell-O on them, whatever that meant.

Sable gathered up whatever shreds of brotherly love he had in his icy-hot heart, and laid a restraining hand on Yang's shoulder. "Yang! Calm yourself!" Jaune blinked at hearing his partner say that without any irony. Talk about the the pot calling the kettle black; except Sable already wore black, so it didn't make sense. Or did that mean it made even more sense?

"Oh, are you on my side now?" Weiss said, regaining some of her composure. "I don't need you to save me, Sable!"

"Shut up! Do you want to have your head caved in?"

Jaune locked eyes with Ruby, who looked about as lost as he felt. "Yang no..." she muttered weakly. Ren and Nora seemed equally unsure what to do.

"Don't stop me, Icy-Hot!" Yang brushed off Sable's hand. "No one messes with Rubes and gets away with it! You hear me?" She jabbed a finger at Weiss's nose. "Apologize or I'll—"

Sable reacted as expected to the dismissal, that being with great offense. He shouldered his way in between the two girls, actually shoving Yang back a couple feet. "STOP!" he bellowed, right in the blonde's face. "That's an order from your leader!"

"Like I care!" Yang grabbed the tall boy by the lapels. Ruby gave a little gasp of dismay at the sight of her reddened eyes. "I've taken down bigger men than you, pretty boy! Be a shame to mess up that cute face, wouldn't it?"

"Blake, help?" Jaune looked around as the family feud mushroomed before his eyes. But Team SJBY's fourth member was nowhere to be seen, having apparently run off and ditched her teammates in their moment of crisis. That seemed rude. Hopefully it wouldn't be a running theme with the girl.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! Take those hands off me or you'll lose them!"

"Unhand him, you barbarian." Weiss said coldly. "As irritating as Sable may be, your quarrel is not with him."

"How about we trade sibling for sibling, Ice Queen?" Yang counter-offered. "Take back what you said to Rubes, and I'll release your brother unharmed!"

"You're taking hostages? Yang, that's too much!" Ruby protested.

"Schnees don't negotiate with terrorists!" Sable said defiantly. His left hand dipped into his pocket, pulling out a glass vial filled with red powder. Jaune's eyes widened. His Dust Studies knowledge might be lacking, but he knew what that was.

"Guys, stop it!" Jaune rushed forwards. Wait, what the hell was he thinking, running in like that? He didn't want to take an explosion to the face, or one of Yang's punches! Nevertheless his body moved on its own over his brain's belated objections. The two hotheads broke apart, as they instinctively dodged the six-foot blond projectile. Jaune smacked solidly into the wall between them and then fell flat on his back, like a chopped-down tree.

"What are you doing?!"

"Butt out, Vomit Boy!"

"NO!" A voice boomed in the hall, and everyone fell silent. Jaune was stunned to realize that he was the one who'd shouted. "Just...can't you guys talk about this normally? I mean, we're supposed to work together for four years, trust each other with our lives? Stuff like that, right?" he babbled. A few people in the crowd seemed to be nodding their heads, which he took as a good sign. "How's that supposed to happen, if we can't go a day without trying to kill each other?"

An even longer moment of silence ensued. Then Yang sighed deeply, fire fading from her eyes. "Welp, way to make us feel dumb." She gave Jaune a faint smile. "I'll give you 8/10 for the speech, but minus two points for the landing strategy."

"Way to kill the hype..." Cardin grumbled. With the hall brawl called off, the rest of the class dispersed.

"Eh..." Jaune sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "I've got seven sisters. I saw Mom and Dad break up plenty of fights, back home."

"Seven?" Sable said incredulously. His posture still looked visibly tense and he glared at Yang suspiciously, though at least he'd put his Fire Dust away. "You poor bastard. Two is more than enough for me." ("Hey!" said Weiss.)

No one had further comments on Jaune's home life, and they all stared at each other awkwardly. "So...now what?" Ruby spoke up. "I guess we should...talk about stuff?"

"Not right away." Jaune tried to recall how his parents had usually handled it. "Usually they make my sisters spend some time apart, cool off a bit, you know?"

"That sounds great! Come on Yang, let's cool off!" Ruby tugged insistently at her sister's arm, pulling her away down the hall. Ren and Nora left as well, looking similarly relieved. Jaune had almost forgotten they were there.

"Hey, Icy-Hot?" Yang called. "Um, sorry about threatening to punch your face in. Nothing personal. No hard feelings, eh?"

"As if you could've!" Sable fired back. "And I'm...I retract my threats of dismemberment." he added.

Only Jaune, Weiss, and Sable remained in the hall now. He felt like he should say something to his partner, but for the life of him he couldn't figure it out. I'm sure you had her? Please don't set anyone on fire? Oh gods I regret faking my transcripts so much, just kill me now? Maybe he should just go talk to Ruby. She was his first friend...only friend, after all.

"Well?" Weiss said impatiently. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Yeah, Ruby it was.

Off in a dark corner, Ozpin shook his head. "I'm going to need more coffee for this."

"Holy cow..." Ruby's heart no longer felt like it was about to explode out of her chest. "Yang, please don't do that again. Ever."

Not that she didn't appreciate her sister's concern for her, but they weren't at Signal anymore. Back there, Yang could beat up some random bully, and he'd be too scared to show his face near them ever again. Needless to say, that approach wasn't going to work on someone who she had to share a room with. As awkward as things felt right now, she couldn't imagine how much worse it could get if Yang put Weiss in the infirmary. Or if she did it to both the twins at once, and then the SDC demanded revenge and Ruby's family got into it too, and it all ended with Uncle Qrow fighting a bunch of Atlas robots in Beacon's burned-out ruins...

"Sorry Rubes. Guess I got a bit fired up there, huh?" Yang sounded apologetic. "Seriously though! That girl's such a bi...eautiful but difficult person...heh." She trailed off.

"Beautiful but difficult person?" That was a strange way to describe someone, and Ruby had no idea what to make of it. "Wait, do you actually think she's—"

"Never mind that!" Yang waved it off. "You're going to do amazing as leader, all right? Ren and Nora seem pretty cool with you already. And I don't know what happened with you and Ice Queen, but forget what she said! It's been one day, she shouldn't be disrespecting your authority like that!"

Ruby stared at her sister in disbelief. "Uh, Yang? You just threatened to punch your leader in the face!"

"Ruby!" Jaune Arc made his second surprise intervention of the day. He was panting slightly, as if he'd run through the halls after them.

"Jaune! I thought you'd be with your partner?" Still, she was happy to see her buddy again. As far as she could tell, he hadn't had the easiest day himself. Maybe they should form a support group? It might make dealing with their respective Schnees more bearable.

Jaune shrugged. "I just wanted to check on you, you know? It's what friends are for!" Ruby didn't miss the implication that Jaune and Sable weren't friends, but sadly, that was pretty danged obvious. "What happened back there, anyways?"

It all came pouring out of Ruby. Everything from the plant monster she'd accidentally created in Dust Studies, to Port's bizarre rambling story (she still thought she was missing something there), to her partner's list of complaints which she could still recite word-for-word. "Weiss was right though, you know?" she said softly. "Thinking about it, I really did mess up."

"She could've gotten hurt because I distracted her in a fight. And I probably looked real silly goofing off in class like that."

"Oh, that blowhard?" Yang scoffed. "Don't beat yourself up over it. He probably didn't even notice, with his eyes shut like that. We could've all left and he'd keep talking to the empty room!"

"But I'm the leader!" said Ruby. "I...I have to do better than the others, right? Set an example and all that?" She looked at the floor. "Or else they stop trusting to you lead...like Weiss..."

"Ruby, you're not the only one who's made mistakes." Jaune reassured her. "I mean, there's no way you've screwed up as much me...haha..."

Yang chuckled. "No offense Vomit Boy, but I think Rubes is aiming higher than that."

"Yang! Don't be mean!"

"No, she's right." Jaune scratched his head ruefully. "I almost got us killed in initiation, but look, I'm still here! I made it onto a team! I've...uh...not gotten expelled on the first day!"

"Wait, almost killed? You mean the thing with the Nevermore?" Ruby nearly retched at the memory. "Look...I know you've got...that problem, and it was kind of my fault too, I should've remembered it before we jumped, plus we didn't hit the ground that hard, probably could've survived it even without Aura—"

"No, it was different big mistake. Before that." Jaune said. "Sable was really mad about it. Like really really mad, a lot madder than Weiss was."

"Geez, was that the unholy screaming we heard?" Yang joked, only for Jaune to avert his eyes in shame. "Holy crap, it was? What did you do?"

"Th-that's beside the point!" Jaune waved his hands. "The point is, even after I screwed up like that, he still saved me when I got in trouble, even though it was dangerous for him! And he still let me fight against the Death Stalker, and...um...don't tell him I told you this...just to be safe..."

"Okay?" Ruby wasn't quite sure how that story was supposed to help her. So Jaune had committed some sort of mysterious no-no, but he'd turned it around and now his partner...barely tolerated him, by the looks of it. That wasn't comforting. But then again, not paying attention in class sounded a lot less serious than nearly getting killed by a Grimm. And Weiss might be a meanie, but she was still the nicer twin. Or at least the less shouty one. But then again again, Ruby was the leader and Jaune wasn't. Well, the math still worked out in her favor...or maybe it was a break-even? Eh, math was never her best subject, outside of whatever calculations she needed to aim a sniper rifle.

"I think I get it?" Ruby said. "So you made a mistake and got him mad, but then...you somehow made it up and you're cool now?"

"Uhhh...maybe. I'm not actually sure if I made it up or not." Jaune stammered. "And, um, we're not cool, exactly, more like lukewarm, but I mean, there's a chance? At least I think there is?"

"What Vomit Boy's trying to say is this, right?" Yang intervened. "Mistakes happen but life goes on, yeah? If you screw up but do better next time, Weiss is gonna have to change her tune!"

"Yeah! That's what I meant!"

Ruby giggled in spite of herself. The math was in her favor after all! Some small adjustments to her personal equation, and it would add up to a happy Weiss on the other side. Like being quiet when her teammates were trying to concentrate, and paying attention...to Professor Port...oh gods. Well, she would survive? Maybe an extra coffee before Grimm Studies was in order. With, like, five sugars.

"Thanks Jaune! Thanks Yang!" She smiled at the blond pair. "Uh...Yang, are you gonna be all right with Sable? After, you know." Ruby made some vaguely violent hand motions.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Yang winked. "Not like he's the type to hold a grudge...oh shi...itake mushrooms, he is totally the type to hold a grudge..."

Well. That had gone...terribly.

Weiss leaned on one of Beacon's many balconies, staring out at the Emerald Forest. Sable stood by her side, uncharacteristically silent. She'd always found that taking in the sights of nature helped after a particularly vexing day. Sadly, there weren't many opportunities for that when you lived in a floating high-tech city made of glass and metal. Thank goodness for that Forever Fall painting, now hanging back in her room. Given the uniquely vexing nature of the Schnee household, Weiss had spent a fair number of hours staring at it; she'd imagined herself someday walking through those red leaves, Myrtenaster in her hand and her Beacon team at her back.

She had very much not imagined having a fifteen-year-old girl assigned as her leader, then nearly being forced into a schoolyard brawl against said girl's brute of a sister. The noble families of Atlas had been known to swear oaths of eternal hatred over lesser incidents. And if it came to that, well, Weiss knew enough about politics to realize the math was not in her favor. Nora would take Ruby's side because they were both hyperactive children, Ren would naturally stick by his childhood friend, and she was going to left as the odd one out who they tolerated having around but didn't really accept. Kind of like Sable with the family...oh gods, she didn't want to be the Sable of her team!

"So." her brother grunted. "Sorry about the pig comment."

"That's all you have to say about this?" Not that she wouldn't take the apology; a 'sorry' out of him was a rare thing. The laughter from the class must have been what prompted it. Sable might be able to shrug off being disliked or even hated, but he could never abide being laughed at. "No ideas on how to fix this...sad state of affairs? I don't have the faintest idea what Ozpin was thinking, making that girl leader!"

"Why are you asking me?" said Sable. "How should I know what goes on in his head?"

"That was a rhetorical question!" Weiss snapped. "At first, I thought he might have chosen the least qualified person on purpose, as some sort of confidence booster. But then he picked you! I don't understand at all."

Sable grinned. "Thank you for not considering me the least qualified, I suppose. So are you more mad that he didn't make you leader, or that he made me one?"

"Hey! That has nothing to do with it!" Weiss said defensively. "It bothers me that there isn't a consistent standard, that's all!"

"Whatever you say." Sable scoffed. "But if I got mad every time you got something and I didn't, I'd have been angry for the last seventeen years."

Weiss stared at him. "I'd say you were."

The sound Sable made was not quite a laugh, more of a sensible chuckle. No doubt due to the stress of the day, Weiss found herself joining in. They both knew how many things Sable had been angry over not having—whether it be the inheritance, Winter's favor, their father's attention, their mother's love...hmm, that was not very amusing now that she thought about it more. They really had a warped sense of humor, didn't they?

"Why don't you just ask Ozpin, if it bothers you so much?" Sable asked, composing himself. "I mean, he's the person who can actually change the leader."

"Only you would think of that." As usual, Sable's idea had all the subtlety of a Dust explosion to the face. There was no way that conversation would go badly. Hello, Professor Ozpin? I know you must be busy with headmaster business, but I wished to inquire why I was not made a team leader while my inferior-in-every-regard brother was and request it be rectified. "There's not the slightest chance of that working!" If there was one thing Weiss had learned from their father, it was that powerful men disliked being contradicted. Ozpin would probably double down on his decision; he might even make Nora leader to spite her. That was a terrifying prospect.

"So you're not going to ask him, and he's the only one who can do anything about it." Sable summed up. "I've got nothing for you. Sounds like you're stuck with the Rose girl to me."

Stuck with her. That was how it was, wasn't it? She had known, deep down, that that was how it would be, the moment Ozpin said Ruby's name, but still. "This wasn't part of the plan." Weiss hung her head. "How am I supposed to work with this?"

"Not a nice feeling, is it? Seeing someone else get what you wanted, when you deserved it just as much?" Sable said softly. "As I see it, you can either stay angry, or accept your place, like I did—"

"First, that's not what you did at all; second, don't ever compare me to that girl again." Weiss was sure that if, say, Jaune Arc had been named leader of SJBY, Sable would have raged about it until they graduated. Probably longer. She could just imagine the inscription on his tombstone: 'Here lies Sable Schnee. Should have been team leader at Beacon. Screw you, Ozpin'.

But still, was that really a good thing? What had all that resentment done to him...done to them? It had taken them so long to even become something resembling family. Too long. No, Sable's reasoning was actually sound, if blatantly hypocritical. Yes, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but the leader's position only mattered for four years, and only within Beacon's walls. A trifle compared to so many things they'd gained and lost before, and the battles that were surely yet to come. Not to mention the chance the other path would end with her wearing all black and throwing fireballs around while screaming like a maniac.

"I think I have a solution." Weiss straightened up. "Against all odds, you actually provided advice useful to the situation..."

"Of course I did!"

"And I suppose I ought to congratulate you on your position." she continued magnanimously. "Perhaps it's fair that you get the chance to be in charge, for once."

"Fair? You're going to lead the largest company on Remnant!" Sable grumbled, though without real malice. "And I get to lead a boy who can't hold his sword straight!"

Creak...

"Whoa!" Ruby jerked awake, fumbling her Grimm Studies book (currently open to 'Creep'). How late was it, anyways? It was dark outside the dorm window; only her desk lamp kept the room faintly lit. Ren and Nora weren't in bed, she noted, probably out getting late-night pancakes. And the door had just opened.

"Weiss, I—"

"Let me speak." Her partner raised a hand, and took a deep breath. "I...wish to apologize for my insubordination earlier. Whatever my objections to your behavior, I should have voiced them in a more constructive manner. It is my hope that we can move on from this unfortunate incident and strengthen our partnership."

Ruby blinked. "What?" Had she been busy writing and memorizing a speech? It took Ruby a few moments to process the various three and four-syllable words. "You mean, you're sorry?"

"What don't you understand about—" Weiss cut herself, off with notable effort. "Yes, that is what 'apologize' means." She glanced at the open textbook. "Well, it's good to know you can take feedback to heart, at least."

"So...are you cool with me?" Ruby dared to hope. "With me being leader?"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" said Weiss. "Ozpin made his choice, and I hardly expect to march into the headmaster's office and convince him otherwise."

Ruby imagined Weiss earnestly making a presentation why she should've been made leader, while Ozpin just smiled mysteriously and drank from his coffee mug. 'Hmm. This is some excellent coffee, Miss Schnee. Are you aware that you...have blue eyes?' She giggled a bit. Yeah, she didn't see that working either.

"As such, it falls on us all to ensure the functioning of Team RRWN." Weiss finished. "I will certainly have more to say on your leadership, but nothing so unprofessional will happen again. I promise it, on my honor as a Schnee."

"YEAH!" Nora's shout made them jump out of their skins. "KISS AND MAKE UP!"

"AAH! NORA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Ruby clutched her chest. "How long have you watching?!"

"Just a couple hours!" Nora said cheerfully, bursting out of the dorm closet. "RENNY, WAKE UP! Everything's fine! We don't have to break her legs!" Ren flopped limply out the closet after her. He continued to snore peacefully, despite the commotion.

"WHAT?!" Weiss dived behind Ruby's bed, shielding her legs from the hammer-wielder.

"Calm down Sable! I said we weren't gonna break your legs!" Nora advanced on them, arms spread. "Team hug, everyone! We're all friends again, and nothing bad is ever gonna happen!"

"My name is Weiss!"

Blake arrived at Training Arena #12, half past seven, not quite sure what she would find. She was half expecting to find her teammates sporting various bruises and broken bones, but all three of them looked unscathed, and even surprisingly cheerful...well, Yang looked cheerful, while Jaune was an odd mixture of pleased and nervous. The Schnee merely looked less pissed off than usual.

"Blake, where have you been?" Yang called out. "You missed the excitement! Vomit Boy here was almost cool for a moment, and I almost beat Icy-Hot's ass—"

"You absolutely did not! I would've won!" Sable sniped. "And stop calling me that."

"Huh?" Blake decided not to admit she'd seen the shitshow brewing, and gone off in the other direction as quickly as possible. Why get involved when seafood was on the menu? "I'm not sure what you mean. I was just in the cafeteria for dinner...eating a fish pie..."

"Geez, I thought you'd gone and run off like a scaredy-cat!" Yang said good-naturedly. "There was some top-tier stuff! Drama, heartfelt speeches, threats of disfigurement and dismemberment, all that jazz!"

"Enough talk about that! In fact, let's never speak of it again." Sable motioned for quiet. "So, training! I was thinking we'd start by having the partner pairs spar, so we can get an idea of our styles and general competence. Jaune and I first, then Blake and Yang. Jaune, since you haven't figured out your Semblance, I'll only use my sword, to make things fair. Ready?"

"Ready..." Jaune's cheer had vanished; he looked as if he were walking to face the firing squad. The poor boy had four years of this to look forwards to. At least Yang was her partner, and not the Schnee. She had a feeling the blonde would be easier to talk to than either of the boys; there had been plenty of those boisterous brawler types in the White Fang.

"Begin!" With a desperate-sounding battle cry, Jaune charged his partner, sword raised. Sable sidestepped with ease and kicked him in the shins; the other boy tripped and fell hard on his face, sword skidding across the floor.

Huh. Blake had thought the Schnees would be too proud for tricks like that. Then again 'win by any means' was how Jacques Schnee approached his business dealings. Perhaps it made sense for his son to treat combat the same way. It was a philosophy a ninja like Blake could (grudgingly) approve of.

"Pick that back up! Again!"

The next few minutes were painful to watch. Jaune rushed in blindly over and over, and was punished every time. A duck and a thrust to the stomach, a parry and an elbow to the nose, a spin and a slash from behind; finally a buzzer sounded to indicate his Aura falling into the red, and he slumped over with a groan of pain.

"Sweet God of Darkness on a motorcycle!" Sable exclaimed in disgust. "My expectations were low, but holy shit!"

"Come on..." Jaune said feebly, "was it really that bad? Guys?"

"That...was pretty bad." Blake said bluntly, in slight shock at the display. That performance would have embarrassed a White Fang novice on their first day of boot camp. Who the hell had taught him? Did his combat school purposely train their least favorite student wrong, as a joke? She thought her books had made that up!

"Well...nowhere to go but up, eh Vomit Boy?" Yang tried to smile at the boy, but she seemed equally stunned.

"Blake, Yang, your turn." She swore she could hear Sable's teeth grinding. "And Jaune, you are clearly in dire need of remedial instruction. We're coming back here tomorrow."

Jaune made his best attempt to sink through the arena floor and into Remnant's core. Sadly, he failed to unlock any sort of intangibility Semblance at that moment.

Blake wondered how much longer he would last.

Look at those crazy kids, solving their problems without adult supervision.