It is I, once again! Making the crackships that nobody, absolutely not a single soul asked for! In reality I don't have any ships planned for this fic, the interactions are mostly for laughs.

I like seeing everyone's reactions to the characters as this story goes along. I was, and still am, very excited to keep going with these characters.

At any rate, let's get into it!


She paced the room from one end to the other. He was late. Again. Had she needed him or his companion any less than necessary, she'd have gotten rid of him long ago. She understood he had captors to evade, but that didn't mean he needed to make her wait every damn time.

The room she paced in wasn't large, but it was one of the largest in the warehouse. There was a small table with two couches on either side of it. This was where she held her meetings. It remained empty other than those furnishings and when she'd asked the crook about it he had told her there didn't need to be anything fancier.

A set of footsteps could be heard outside. The warehouse she was in wasn't pretty, but it was free and the police had long since stopped checking it for homeless people and drug addicts. The unfortunate side of having such a large city and population crammed within the kingdoms was that you simply couldn't keep track of everyone and everything.

There wasn't even a knock as the door swung open. She knew he was capable of manners, but she truly didn't appreciate how little of those manners he used for her. But at least he was quiet. His friend on the other hand—

"Ahem! We're here!" a bratty and snide voice rang throughout the room.

She was a demon. A pink, white, and brown demon of the shortest variety.

"I am very aware of your presence, there's no need for you to sulley my ears with your voice like that," Cinder sneered. The girl hardly acknowledged her, walking in and jumping into the couch that had been set up. She took up the entire thing herself, despite her tiny stature.

"Roman, does your... Pet, have to be such a nuisance?" Cinder asked through gritted teeth.

The thief took a moment to think, an action she had learned was always just for show since he either didn't think at all or knew the answer to your question and liked wasting your time.

He shrugged a moment later, a smirk on his face as he strolled over to the couch and made a shooing motion. Cinder watched somewhat enviously as the girl did as she was asked and moved over, allowing him to sit. She listened to nobody that easily but him. It made working with her just as annoying as one would expect.

"Don't be mad Cindy," the girl smirked at her, "after all, we can't all have what it takes to be a people person like Roman."

Roman shrugged in a 'what can I say, it's a talent' motion. Cinder wanted nothing more than to throttle him. She took a deep breath instead. Then several more.

Salem is always telling you to work on your temper, Cinder. Deep breaths, just like she taught you.

"Quit breathing like that, your stanking up the room," the girl jeered.

So easy to kill them. Even with her limited powers. It would be oh so easy and so very rewarding. But she needed them. Both of them, unfortunately.

"Neo," she whispered, "continue your insults and I'll make you just as mute as him." She stabbed a finger at Roman as she said the latter.

Neo blew a raspberry at her. Roman placed. A hand on top of her head and she huffed, pouted, and crossed her arms. He made some motion to her that had her eyes lighting up, and she was sulking no longer.

A pity. Cinder enjoyed seeing her act so childish.

Roman waved towards the couch opposite of the one he and Neo sat on. Cinder went and draped herself on it, crossing one leg over the other.

"Right. Let us get down to business," she said, finally regaining her confidence and looking upon them appraisingly.

She placed her scroll on the table between them, the device lighting up as she tapped away at it. The screen popped up larger between them and the two thieves stared at it in boredom.

"As you can see we still require more dust for the next phase of the plan. We're behind and with the new school year starting for Beacon we need to be more alert than ever. Huntsman and trainees are crawling everywhere now," Cinder explained. The two didn't even seem to register her words. She groaned. What she wouldn't give for more competent help right now.

"Cindy, we already know we're supposed to be grabbing dust for whatever this hair brained scheme of yours. Wanna clue us in on why?" Neo asked, looking no more interested than before.

"That is none of your concern," Cinder warned. Neo glared at her but Roman nudged her and shook his head. He made a vague gesture towards Cinder and made a 'boom' motion with his hands.

"Hmph. I guess," Neo still looked on at her, no trust in her eyes. That was fine. She didn't need their trust. Only their work.

"What pray tell did he just say?" the half maiden asked.

"That whatever you're doing is gonna mean big trouble. He thinks you need all the dust to blow up the city," Neo retold the woman. Roman nodded along.

"I'm not blowing up the city you imbeciles! We need the dust for something far more important than a bomb!" she growled.

"And we're just saying that we like to know why we need to get enough dust to supply a small army!" Neo finally snapped.

For weeks now they'd been running rampant through the city, snatching up every speck of dust for some plan they knew nothing about! Neo had been getting restless, but Roman had expressed how much the woman before them outclassed even most hunters. He didn't fancy their chances denying her.

And yet for someone who'd enlisted their services, she wasn't anywhere near the evil maleficent bitch she thought she'd be. She sure looked the part with her crazy scarred face and her weird obsession with burning things, but she'd actually been a rather patient maniac all things considered.

That didn't make Neo like her anymore mind you, it just made her feel less afraid of getting snippy with her. Neo had a feeling that there was a lot more going on with this woman. Forget the dust! What the hell was hiding in Vale? In Beacon?

"You're not too far off," Cinder mused, finally taking her scroll back from the table.

"What?" Neo hissed. Roman looked a little on edge too.

"You mentioned a small army," Cinder stated as she stared down both of them, "that's because you are supplying a small army. Some of their soldiers will be entering the city and assisting with obtaining the dust."

"We don't work with outside help we've never heard of," Neo refuted.

"Oh? So you've never heard of the White Fang?" Cinder quirked an eyebrow.

Roman winced slightly while Neo looked at her like she'd melted her ice cream in front of her.

"We're working with terrorists!?" Neo slammed her hands on the table.

"You are. I've managed to strike a deal with a stray faction near Vale. I don't know why she seemed so eager to have a presence in Vale all of a sudden but it worked to our advantage," Cinder explained.

Oh and how willing the girl had been. She had only needed to mention that they'd be striking Vale and she'd been on board. Evidently there was something or someone in the kingdom that she was looking for. Cinder didn't worry about it. There was no way they were searching for the same thing.

"Oh how lovely! I'm so glad you were able to break bread with the lovely murderers of the White Fang! Where's the part when you were gonna tell us!?" Neo still leaned on the table.

"I just did," Cinder leaned back into the couch languidly. She was clearly unafraid of the girl.

"Why are we giving a bunch of terrorists dust!? You said you weren't blowing up the city! They definitely will!" Roman placed a hand on Neo's shoulder and dragged her back. She was still clearly angry about the new development. Not that he could blame her, this wasn't something they were expecting.

"Make no mistake, the White Fang don't operate the way I personally prefer but they will provide a necessary cover and distraction while I find what I am looking for."

"Two words for ya princess," Neo growled, "Fuck. Off."

Cinder sighed. She was expecting this kind of reaction from them. Unfortunately for them she had finally reached her limit for dealing with them. So she reacted the way her body and powers told her to.

She ignited.

"Oh shit!" Neo flipped over the couch and stared from behind it at the burning woman. Roman stood and leapt away as well.

"Enough if this," Cinder breathed in a husky voice, "you two will carry this job out, you will work with the White Fang, and you will continue with the plan."

They watched as the fire around her died down, leaving a smoldering ring of embers, and scorch marks around her. The couch she sat on was blackened and still on fire in places. The table was also on fire.

"Am I understood?" the half maiden asked.

Neo said nothing. How could she after what she just witnessed? They knew this woman had some kind of power beneath that cold exterior of hers but combusting seemingly on command? And being fine after catching fire? She was speechless.

Roman stepped forward one step and nodded. He had that look, and Neo had come to learn that look meant survival. If he was throwing his lot in with her still, then that meant he didn't think they'd love if they didn't.

Cinder took a deep breath and calmed herself. She really didn't want to put the maiden's powers on display like that but she'd lost her temper. She fixed her hair to make sure her scar was still covered. Yet another reminded of why she was here.

"Very good," she said, stepping past them and towards the door, "I'll be in contact. The Fang will begin to file into the warehouses we've established. Meet them, and make sure they stay under our control for the time being."

With that, she strode from the room and away from them. The table crackled and snapped, falling to one side as the legs burned away finally. The two thieves winced at the sudden noise.

"Roman?" Neo asked, his eyes sliding to her, "What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?"

He could only look away from her. Combusting women? Working with terrorists? Something big and important hiding in Vale or Beacon? He truly had no idea anymore.

And that scared him.


"Well that was boring as shit."

"Language!"

"Dontcha mean Yanguage? OW! NOT THE EAR!"

Adam and Whitley watched their blonde leader get tugged off her feet by her sister. Ruby looked unremorseful as she pulled. Neither made any move to interrupt, both out of fear of joining her and because she kind of deserved it after such a terrible joke.

All things said however the field trip— sorry, field excursion was uneventful. They went, enjoyed the overly red scenery for all of fifteen minutes before it started to actually hurt their eyes, and grabbed the sap that they were assigned to grab for Professor Peach. What she would do with it, nobody knew. Probably rub it on herself or something. She was weird like that.

There was one thing they, along with Team PAVL had learned.

"Guh."

It was honestly a little humbling for all of them. Pyrrha rubbed a soothing circle on Jaune's back. It turned out the Immovable Champion was in fact very allergic to the sap from the trees of Forever Fall. He'd been a mess for a majority of the trip. That he'd remained standing the whole time was still quite the accomplishment considering he looked ready to pass out the entire outing.

"How ya doin' buddy?" Ren asked, for once tamping down on his normal excitement to make sure his brother in arms wouldn't topple. It didn't help that the boy wore his normal armor as well, meaning he'd also been lugging himself around the whole day.

Also if he fell they didn't know if they'd be able to lift him. Armor aside, just his shield weighed more than all their weapons combined. Yet another testament to his strength.

"I feel... Like my body... Had betrayed me..." he rasped. Despite his imposing form and attire, he appeared the same as a sad puppy at the moment; adorable and you can't help but feel bad for them.

"Come on Jaune, let's get you some water," Nora soothed, she and the rest of their team helping the champion away. Presumably to the nurse's office or the like.

"Poor dude," Yang said as she and her own team watched them go.

"Even the mightiest warriors have their weaknesses," Adam added.

"Yeah, like your inability to go on a date with Velvet," Yang said with a smirk.

She dodged the swipe at her face, and the next one at her arm. She even ducked out of the way when Ruby went for her ear again. Whitley didn't try to get a bit in, but he also made zero effort to stop Adam and Ruby from trying. Talk about a reliable partner.

"That was your idea, not mine," Adam rolled his eyes and stalked forward. What a terrible plan it was too.

He knew nothing about her other than she was a faunus, a second year, and she was snippy and abrasive at the worst of times and meek and a little less abrasive at the best of times. Not to mention he had just come out of a relationship in what could only be called the textbook definition of a rough breakup.

Maybe that one was on him.

Either way, he had only intended to let the girl talk to him, maybe let her air her grievances in a way that only another faunus would understand. Yang had to egg her on though and managed to set up a date between them. Then she'd left before he could deny her!

"Oh come on! I got you a date with a cute, admittedly short-tempered, girl!" Yang argued, throwing her hands up in resignation. Ruby rubbed her nose. Her sister was truly a mess sometimes.

"My, how terribly mischievous of you," Whitley commented.

"I prefer puckish," Yang stated proudly, having read through the mini dictionary Whitley had in their room.

"I'd prefer you die," Adam groaned.

They bickered their way all the way back to their dorm. Even then, they grumbled at each other there too. It seemed the only one who had any real heat to their words was Adam. Granted, he was the only one who's free time had just been given away without his consent.

"So when are you gonna call her?" Yang asked, laying across her bed on her back, her head hanging upside-down as she stared across the room at Adam.

A grunt was her only response as the bull wiped his blade clean. He and Ruby always managed to find some spot on their weapons to rub at. She swore they'd rub the entire blade away with the amount of attention they gave their weapons! She understood needing constant maintenance and all, really she did, but the way Adam scowled at the little spot of tree sap that had gotten on Wilt was just so unnecessarily intense.

It still wasn't as bad as that time Ruby got a tiny, near impossible to see grass stain on Savage Rose. Not only had the reaper blowtorches the stain off, she also almost blowtorches the entire lawn in retaliation! That was not a good day for their household. So many innocent daffodils lost that day.

"Anyone hear about Jaune?" Ruby asked, changing the subject for the moment.

"Ren said he was doing much better. Just needed some water and to be separated from the sap and he was right as rain half an hour later," Yang said. She'd received the text when they had walked in their dorm.

"Still hard to believe such an incredible fighter was brought to his knees by tree sap," Whitley mumbled. That got a giggle out of Yang. Takes all kinds, she supposed.

"So Adam," she turned the attention back to him, something he clearly resented her for, "whatcha gonna wear on your date?"

"As you just pointed out a moment ago, I haven't even called her yet," he finally stashed his sword away and rolled his shoulder and wrist.

"Well Ruby and I will make sure you're dressed to impress! Right sis?" Yang beamed.

"Uhh," Ruby froze at the suggestion. Clothing? Dates? Interaction of any kind with other people?

Count her the hell out!

"Why not ask Whitley?" the reaper suggested instead.

"Me?" Whitley asked. He didn't seem against the idea, but he clearly wasn't expecting to be dragged into the affair at all if his confusion was anything to go by.

"Yeah I agree with Ice Prince! Why not me?" Yang humphed.

"Yang, Whitley is a boy. A boy who knows how to dress to impress. He's definitely better suited for helping Adam than I am," she was laying on thick, sure, but she did not want to go clothes shopping.

"I... Suppose I can. With Adam's permission of course," the boy mused.

"Better you than the girl that'll try and put me high, popped collar shirt with a deep and revealing V," Adam snarked. Yang looked offended.

"It'd make you look sexy!" she declared.

"Your lack of denial at our friend's accusation proves his point all the further," Whitley sniped before sighing to himself, "very well then. We shall go out to the city to prepare you."

Adam didn't look happy that he still had to go on a date with the girl but he certainly looked much more relaxed at the idea of Whitley dressing him than Yang.

"With the Vytal Tournament on the way the city will be busier than usual," Adam pointed out. Whitley shrugged.

"Then it's better to do it sooner than later. The closer we get to the festival, the busier it will get," the boy mused.

"Maybe you two could bring Jaune and Ren along with you! You four could have some cute little guy time," Ruby suggested.

Yang grumbled under her breath. Boys were lame. Didn't they understand they could use a woman's touch!? And why was Ruby so adamant about them getting guy time? Did... Did Ruby want girl time? The two of them with Pyrrha and Nora? That could be cool. She was starting to see what Ruby's motives were.

I hope that was helpful! Ruby thought innocently with no other motives other than wanting to help her partner and friend. Psh, yeah. She was an epic friend like that.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind Arc's company. Ren may be a tad... Excitable, but I guess I don't see the harm," Adam said quietly.

"I suppose that's agreeable," Whitley didn't seem to care.

Little did they know this was perfect for him! He'd get to explore a city (mostly) on his own, scope out any potential competition for the tournament, and the best part was that he never even had to bring it up! It all just happened without his prompting! Life was throwing him a tossup today, it seemed.

"DID SOMEBODY SAY GUY TIME!?" the door was locked in with a loud crash and Ren stood with his foot extended in a perfect mae geri front kick.

"Ren! What'd I tell you about ninja kicking people's doors open!?" Nora's frustrated voice came from the opposite side of the hall.

"Uh, not to do it?" Ren answered back, still in form the whole time. Jaune walked up behind him and lifted the ninja, turning and putting him in the hallway.

"Sorry about that," Jaune dipped his head a little, "I'll pay to have the door fixed if it's broken."

The sound of the doorknob hitting the floor signalled that it was indeed broken. The blonde warrior sighed deeply at the destruction while Ren didn't even bat an eye.

"Destruction of our door aside," Adam sighed, "yes, Whitley and I were discussing visiting the city."

Ren gasped and turned around. Behind him Nora and Pyrrha had been watching from their team's dorm. Ren bolted over to Nora and shook her wildly.

"NORA CAN I GO!?" he asked. Nora felt the need to point out that Ren was fully capable of deciding that for himself. This of course would be a poor thing to say as the ninja would then extend that line of thinking to other things as well. The last thing anyone needed was Ren making his own fireworks because 'he decided to himself'. Nope. She wouldn't be the cause of that.

"As long as you behave," Nora said to the ninja instead. He beamed and saluted.

"Do I get a say in this?" Jaune asked weakly.

"There's no way in hell you're leaving us with your teammate," Adam grumbled.

"Right, didn't think so," the champion sighed.

"Then it's settled," Whitley clapped his hands, "we shall assist Adam in preparations for his date."

Adam's eyes twitched. He'd had purposefully left out that fact so that he didn't have to deal with—

"WHO ARE YOU PIPING ADAM!?" Ren yelled in shock.

"I'm not piping anyone!"

"Piping?" Pyrrha asked quietly.

"I'll... Tell you when you're older," Jaune whispered back.

As the hallway and two doorways became a cacophony of bickering, Yang couldn't help but feel that somehow, in just the most miniscule of ways, this may have been her fault.

But that couldn't be true!


Vale. A beautiful and diverse kingdom. The streets were filled with businesses, residents, and tourists alike. Hunters intermingled, roaming the city streets on their off time from the wilderness. The current time of day was perfect for anyone who just wanted to enjoy a peaceful midday walk through the city.

"REN, PUT THAT DOWN!"

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

Of course peace was always just a dream when Lie Ren was involved. Adam heaved a ragged breath, turning to his white haired teammate.

"I feel we made a horrible mistake inviting him, and yet, I can't help but feel like it's all Yang's fault."

"I find that my stress levels go down substantially when I blame our leader," Whitley said calmly, not batting an eye as Jaune lucked Ren up like a briefcase and walked back towards them. The poor streetside vendor looked like they'd just seen death.

"Sorry about that guys," Jaune nodded his head. The champion had the sense to look sheepish at the chaos his teammate could bring about.

The weekend had come quickly and the four males had gone to the city as planned. They were all dressed normally but for one minor difference.

"Adam, I didn't know you wore hats. Especially ones of such... Cowboy-esque variety" Whitley pointed out.

Indeed Adam wore a black Stetson-like hat that covered his horns. It was comical seeing the normally serious and quiet Adam wearing such an out of the ordinary hat. Re laughed at the sight when he'd first seen the faunus.

"It's funny you're wearing a cowboy hat too since you're a bull fau—" a hand slapped over the boy's mouth. Jaune shot Adam an apologetic look.

"I think the hat is supposed to hide that, Ren," Jaune chastised. He felt Ren's 'ohhh' of realisation on his palm.

"Why hide it? You're not one to normally feel ashamed of your heritage," Whitley asked. Adam sighed, not really wanting to discuss it.

"Let's just say certain groups may not appreciate me if they saw my horns," Adam said. Whitley's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. Sure there were humans in Vale that didn't like faunus, but Adam definitely wasn't the type to care about them.

He meant the White Fang. Adam didn't tell their team a lot about what he did in the group but he had told them he was higher up in the ranks than most.

"Like who?" Ren asked. Whitley winced but Adam stayed calm. He also hadn't told Team PAVL about his former life.

"Intolerant people who don't know how to separate their heads from their ass," Jaune said. The champion assumed they meant racists, and Adam didn't move to correct him.

"Well if anyone says anything, I'll burn their house down!" Ren decreed. Several civilians nearby heard his exclamation and hurried away from the team of men.

"Ren..." Jaune had his face in his hands, "Quieter. Please."

"Or not at all," Whitley was rubbing his temples.

The four continued walking, Whitley having searched a store online that he was dead set on getting to. On the way, the men learned a few things about one another.

"So you're... Afraid of the ocean then?" Jaune clarified.

"No!" Adam bit out, "I'm not afraid."

"Buuuuut," Ren said sliding up beside the man, "you don't like how dark it gets, you don't like that we haven't explored all of it, you especially don't like that there's things down there that can survive the entire weight of the ocean, and you hate sand."

"Sand is the devil's scorn of the planet!" Adam growled.

"I don't get it," Whitley's eyes were closed and he had a hand to his chin, "what's wrong with there being things that live under the ocean?"

"Ugh. It's like this," Adam turned to all of them, gesturing with his hands, "you know how a cup has weight?"

"Yeah?" Whitley didn't understand why that mattered.

"When you put water in that cup, it gets heavier."

"Okay..." Jaune just seemed lost.

"Now imagine the world is the cup, and all of the ocean is that water. There are things that somehow survive that weight! That weight would absolutely destroy any of us, aura or not!" the bull hissed.

This was the most animated they'd ever seen the man before. Whitley attributed most of it to not being around Yang, who would no doubt never let the man live it down.

"So you're afraid of the ocean," it wasn't a question this time, it was a statement.

"Fear is for the weak, I feel no fear of the ocean. Only cold, bitter hatred," the man's eyes held an intensity like no other.

"Ooookay then," Jaune looked around, trying to find something else to talk about.

"Woah," Ren's attention was drawn down the street, "what happened there?"

The four turned and saw what the ninja was referring to. Down at the end of the street was a shop, or at least, what was left of one. The streetside window had been completely shattered and the inside was darkened but it was obvious that it was in disrepair.

That section of the street was cordoned off by yellow caution tape and two police officers stood outside. Civilians walked past, sparing the shop a glance but not sticking around any more than that.

They didn't near the scene, opting to observe from down the street instead.

"What do you guys think happened?" Ren asked.

"What do you mean what do we think? It was robbed, obviously!" Whitley huffed.

"No duh! I mean who do you think did it?"

"Probably that Torchwick guy that you two and Yang fought a while back," Jaune threw out.

"Perhaps," Adam said. It made sense after all, that the same man would be committing the same series of crimes across the city. The real question was what on Remnant he was doing with all that dust?

The shortages had been happening around the city. It didn't affect huntsmen and trainees too much since Beacon had a deal with most dust vendors which allowed them to get at reserved stock. But appliances of all kinds required dust and the common people were beginning to struggle.

Sure the effects weren't immediately visible right now, but it was starting. Dust prices were shooting up, shops had started turning people away if they didn't have specific orders, and while it wasn't proven, people were suspecting the White Fang which was bringing about a tension between citizens.

"These dust shortages are gonna hit the city hard. Lots of people are losing their livelihoods," Jaune said, clearly unhappy at the thought.

"It's unfortunate indeed. Insurance companies are sure to start turning people away as well," Whitley added.

All in all, a total shit fest.

A loud boat horn blared through the air. They all turned and watched a large ship pull into the harbor. It was a large ship meant for ferrying passengers as evidenced by the drives of people coming off of the ship.

"Wow. Must be people visiting for the tournament," Adam mused.

"There's so many!" Ren gushed, running towards the docks and leaning over the rail.

"Indeed. I wonder if any of them are here to compete..." Whitley wondered aloud, barely hiding his intentions as he scanned the crowds.

A sudden commotion from the loading ramp grabbed their attention.

"Hey! Faunus stowaway! Stop right there!"

For a moment Adam froze and looked ready to bolt before he realized they were referring to a different faunus.

Said faunus had a long tail and was bright in color scheme, like the sun almost. Midriff was exposed to the world, as if the faunus saw nothing wrong with letting everyone see their body. A pair of nunchucks like weapons were visible, likely marking that the carefree looking faunus was a hunter in training as well.

The four of them were then acutely aware that the faunus appeared to be... roller skating? And she was moving fast.

She leapt and flew through the air, landing in front of them. They were able to see more of her now.

Her bright pink hair was tied into twin tails and, upon further inspection, there was another tiny pair of twin tails just below the giant ones. She had a fringe with two sections of it a bright cyan blue. She wore very liberal clothes, even for a huntress in training.

Her bra was very visible, and she wore a light blue tank top that stopped at the bottom of her ribs, exposing her stomach and the top of her hips. She wore a pink miniskirt that was criminally short with a white belt. An ovular golden buckle adorned with a smiley face held the belt together.

She wore a white bracer on each arm, the same material covering her legs from her knees down. She wore a pair of roller skates and had a white choker on with a little bell on the front.

Her eyes were a bright seafoam green, a small pink heart under her left eye. On her right arm was what looked like tattoos of a rainbow coiling around her bicep and ending with a star just before the inside of her elbow. Covering her right hand was a black glove that went under her bracer.

Her face could only be described as the embodiment of 'catty' and her long, pink tail swished to and fro. Along her tail were different colored rings that looked similar to the glow in the dark bands they gave out at clubs.

All in all, this faunus girl looked like a total party animal. That's... Not racist to say, is it? Calling her a party animal?

"Wow! I'll give that landing an eight!" Ren said, holding up a card with eight on it. Where he obtained it, nobody asked.

"Just an eight!?" the girl stomped.

"Hey!"

"Oh, oopsies! Forgot I was on the run right now!" she giggled. She spun fluidly, ready to skate away before she turned to Adam.

"Ooh, you're a cutie," she smirked, winking before evading the police once more. She rounded the corner and they watched the officers try, in vain, to catch up to her.

"Wow Adam, look at you building up a fanclub," Jaune smirked. Adam slugged him in the arm, regretting the choice immediately as he realized that even without armor and aura, the boy's arms were still more solid than most weapons he'd clashed with.

"We should follow her! She's clearly a participant in the tournament!" Whitley shouted, dashing away.

Well, at least he didn't hide his reasoning when he got down to it. The boy spoke his mind whether people liked it or not.

"We should make sure the best doesn't get himself hit by a car," Adam groaned as he chased his teammate. Ren and Jaune chased behind. As they all rounded the corner there was a large crash.

"Ah!" there was a feminine Yelp.

"Oof!" Whitley was sprawled out over another person.

"Good job jackass," Adam sighed, watching the boy pull himself up and dust himself down.

"Shoot! That girl escaped!" Whitley whined.

"Uh, shouldn't you worry about the girl you just steamrolled?" Jaune pointed to the ginger girl on the floor.

Said girl wore a cream colored blouse, a grey dress with green accents over it. The blouse only had one sleeve, much like Yang's own style, and it only covered her right arm. She also wore a glove on her right hand. Her right boot seemed to extend up to her thigh like a sock, a bright green line running up the side. Her left boot only extended up to her knee. Her hair was ginger and cut short, a pink bow tied in the back. Her eyes were a bright green, but one seemed to... Shine more than the other.

"Ah," Whitley flinched, Weiss would've been on him in an instant, "my apologies Miss. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's quite alright, I am somewhat at fault as well," she smiled, pulling herself up as she spoke.

"Well, we didn't find Adam's new admirer and Whitley swept a girl off her feet. Literally," Ren quipped.

The girl blushed a little, coughing into her left hand.

"My name is Penny," she spoke up.

"Nice to meet you Penny!" Ren appeared at her side, shaking her hand energetically. Wow! She had quite the grip! She barely even moved, even when Ren shook with all his might!

"Well, at least Ren made a new friend," Jaune laughed, "but shouldn't we go get Adam ready for his date?"

"Of course, you're absolutely right," Whitley stood straight, beginning to walk away.

"Bye Penny!" Ren said, flying back towards the other three.

"She was a little strange," Whitley mumbled.

"You're no prize yourself," Adam jabbed.

Both were halted when they stopped glaring at each other challengingly and looked forward, only to come face to face with Penny who now stood before them.

"What the hell!?" Adam jumped back, not even hearing the girl move.

"Did you say we were friends?" she peered at Jaune and Ren. Her eyes lit up, one looked more lit up than the other.

"Oh," Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "I mean, I was only joking around, you don't have to call Ren your friend—"

"Yes you do!" Ren said cheerily, cutting the champion off.

"So we're friends?" she asked.

"Sure!" Ren smiled.

"Sensational!" she said, grabbing both of Ren's hands and pulling him into a rushing hug.


Nora looked up suddenly, shocking Ruby who was helping her paint her fingernails.

"Nora? What's wrong?" Ruby asked. Yang and Pyrrha talked in the background, Yang making the redhead blush as she talked about a certain blonde champion and made vulgar gestures with her fingers.

"I just felt as though someone infringed on something that is mine," Nora said intensely.

"Like how?" Ruby asked.

"Imagine if someone picked up Savage Rose without your permission."

A dark and quite frankly murderous look crossed Ruby's face.

"I see."

"Quite."

They returned to their girl time in silence, Nora not shaking the strange jealous feeling that had surged through her so suddenly and shortly.


"I don't have many friends!" Penny said, she and Ren bubbling with excitement.

"Gee I wonder why..." Whitley grumbled. Adam's hand caught him upside the back of his head shortly after.

"We can be really good friends then! Nora's already my best friend, and Jaune is kinda like a brother, but you can be part of the same circle as Grumpy Pants and Cowboy over there!" Ren said excitedly. New friends were exciting!

"This is lovely!" Penny said with equal excitement, "my only friend is my team and another team at Atlas Academy."

"Wait, you're a student at Atlas Academy?" Whitley asked in shock.

"I most certainly am!" she said proudly. She reached over her shoulder with her left hand and patted the small pack in the center of her back.

"Go on," Adam held his laugh in, snrking, "you're the one who wanted to observe the competition."

Whitley just rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger into the man's chest.

"Remember who's buying you your clothes right now. I will make you wear a pineapple shirt," he threatened.

Adam went quiet. He was backing down! He was just... Letting the boy go because he felt generous. That was all!

"Well, Penny it was nice meeting you but we were helping out friend here so we must be on our way," Jaune smiled, bowing slightly.

"Yeah! Can't wait to hang out with you more!" Ren called as he and the others walked away.

Penny smiled brightly and waved as they departed. Score! Plus two friends! And she did it all on her own!

Her team and Team FNKI would be so proud of her!


It was official.

Adam was in hell.

Hell looked a lot like the men's clothing section at a high end department store.

"Try this one on."

Whitley must've been the devil if this was hell. Every outfit he handed to Adam made the man rethink whether or not the Schnee boy deserved to die or not.

"I thought the last outfit you picked out actually looked pretty good—"

Jaune, bless the boy's heart, was quickly cut off as Whitley tossed another outfit at Adam. The faunus sent the champion a look of thanks before he dragged his way back into the dressing room.

An hour and a half. They'd spent an hour and a half doing this. Ren had long ago passed out, leaning on Jaune's shoulder. Jaune, to his credit, weathered it very well. Strangely well. He must've had experience in this. A sister perhaps?

Whitley hadn't budged on an outfit yet.

"This is entirely excessive," Adam groaned from within the changing room.

"If excessive is making you not look like a dark and broody protagonist in a teenage smut novel, then I'll be as excessive as possible," Whitley barked.

"Do I need to worry about you being on your scroll at night?"

"That's none of your business."

"Considering we shared the same room, I think it is."

"Declined."

That wasn't even a fitting response! The bull looked in the mirror at this newest outfit. Whitley was extending his own tastes onto Adam and it was pretty plain to see. The faunus wore a white dress shirt and dark blue trousers that covered a pair of black boots. At Adam's own request, he wanted the outfit to be simple.

Adam groaned as he came out of the changing room, already knowing what was coming next. He had kept the hat on the whole time, something that made all of the outfits look ridiculous.

"Hrmm," Whitley looked him up and down, walking around and appraising him.

Jaune shot him a thumbs up and a smile.

"No."

The smile died and his hands fell to his sides. Adam almost felt as bad for the champion as he did for himself.

"I don't understand," Whitley groaned, "what's the issue!?"

"I think you're using too much white. The blue isn't bad though," a feminine voice said from behind a clothing rack.

She peeked around, her eyes bright and playful. Her hair and face... Very familiar.

"You're that faunus from the docks!" Whitley realized.

"Yup! The name is Neon. Neon Katt," she introduced with a dramatic bow.

"Why are you here?" Jaune asked, a moment later his eyes widening, "Were... Were you following us?"

She giggled and winked at them. Talk about a creepy stalker. Ren finally woke up.

"Bwah!? Huh!? Cherries!" he said frantically. None of the other men looked his way.

"Is he okay?" Neon asked.

"Forget about that," Adam said quickly, not wanting to explain the anomaly that was Ren, "what are you doing here?"

"What? A girl's not allowed to shop?" she teased.

"In a men's clothing store?" Whitley looked unimpressed.

"If the queen had nuts she'd be the king," she waved her hand around.

Before Whitley could blow a gasket or Ren could launch into a discussion about kings, queens, and nuts, Adam cut both off.

"What do you want?" Adam finally asked, nerves already frayed from the hell his teammate had put him through.

She strolled up to Adam, a bundle of clothes in her arms. She let her tail run along his waist, flicking when the tip left him. She looked him up and down before handing him the bundle.

"I think you'd look good in this. Keep the pants though," she smirked.

"Adam, don't listen to her, I am your fashion director," Whitley bristled.

"Puh-lease, I've seen the high end stuff you've been putting this hunk in. This will bring out his good side," she hummed.

"Not like it can get any worse," Adam let out a defeated sigh as he went into the rooms to change once again.

"Fine," Whitley huffed. Jaune laughed off to the side.

He looked in the mirror and was a little surprised. This didn't actually look too bad. The dark blue trousers fit comfortably. Instead of the whites and bright colors Whitley had been throwing at him, he wore a red and black flannel shirt that he'd tucked into the pants. The sleeves were closed up and buttoned, showing off his forearms. The boots he previously wore were similar, but we're brown instead of black and pointed slightly at the toes.

He came out and Jayne once again showed his support. Neon did too, whistling and giving him a slow clap. Ren looked like he just wanted to go and Adam found himself resonating with the ninja the most.

Whitley walked around him, looking him up and down. He nodded here and there, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Untuck the shirt," he ordered. Adam rolled his eyes but did so. That was further than they'd gotten so far!

"Oooh, good idea. You're looking good you angsty looking bastard. Almost perfect. Expect..." she rushed forward at Adam suddenly, her skates allowing her to shoot forward.

Adam blinked. She rolled around and stopped in front of him. He didn't feel any different, so she hadn't attacked him at least. But in her hands was a hat.

The hat he'd been wearing.

"I knew you'd look better without it," she spun the hat around before tossing it behind her. It flew and landed perfectly on Jaune. The champion blinked but made no move to remove it.

"How'd you know!?" Ren asked, equally shocked as he was impressed.

"A faunus knows another faunus when they see one," she shrugged. Adam sighed. That was mostly true. Some faunus could hide their traits almost perfectly.

Whitley obviously didn't appreciate someone unveiling his friend and teammate however.

"Wha— you can't just—" Whitley was cut off when the girl shushed him. Him! Nobody shushed Whitley Schnee!

"He looks good doesn't he?" she said smoothly. Whitley glared at her but observed Adam.

He... Did look better. Much better actually. He looked like a normal civilian almost.

"Hmph," Whitley was not one to admit when he'd been beat. The girl giggled and took it as her win anyways.

"So why are we playing dressup with tall, handsome, and broody?" she asked, rolling around Adam as he stood in place.

"He's got a date!" Ren said happily. She stumbled a bit, a pout on her face.

"Awww, you're taken?" she asked.

"No," Adam said, "it's more of a... Favor."

That sounded scummy as hell!

"I see..." she rolled right up to him and looked up into his eyes, "So you're saying you're free to go on a date with someone else?"

No!

"Yeah!" Ren cheered.

What was with other people setting him up on dates with random faunus women!?

"Good," she stated before Adam could deny the ninja's claim, "think of it as a favor for me helping you find an outfit."

Adam groaned and hunched. At least with this girl it was actually a favor. With Velvet it was because the girl was hostile and needed someone to talk to.

"Here's my number," she slipped him a little note, "you better call me! If not, I'll be at Beacon anyways!"

"How'd you know we're students?" Jaune asked. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Dude," she stated simply, "you're Jaune Arc. I feel like it's pretty obvious."

Jaune blushed slightly at that. He forgot that most of his life choices were publicised. Whether he wanted them to be or not.

"You don't even know my name," Adam pointed out.

"You gonna tell me? Or are you gonna leave a girl to tell everyone about the mysterious and handsome faunus who loves to go on dates with women?" she smirked.

Adam's eyes widened. More women asking him out? Forget the clothing store being hell. He just saw a flash of the abyss.

"Adam," he said quickly, frantically even. He grabbed her by both arms, a pleading look in his eyes.

"It's Adam. For the love of God, my name is Adam," it almost sounded like he was begging.

She giggled more and winked, blowing a kiss to him before spinning and slowly skating away.

"Later Adam! I'll be seeing you around!" she smirked as she wheeled away.

"Wowee Adam! You're such a ladies man!" Ren exclaimed.

No. No he wasn't. People just found it entertaining to run his love life for him. Oh how he missed the simple days of Blake.

Even if she had gone a tad crazy and bloodthirsty, at least she was easy to understand.

"Well, let's go then. I'm sure Yang will badger me about what happened and now I have to explain how you somehow managed to grab another girl's attention so shortly after the first ones," Whitley grumbled. Adam nearly whimpered at the thought of Yang learning of this. The puns. The dad jokes on his behalf.

Ruby would be so disappointed.

Jaune Arc swore he watched a man he'd thought to be one of the strongest he'd ever faced in combat break that day.


Bit of slice of life this time around. No big action scenes. Not everything has to be a fight.

Instead of Sun, we see... Neon? I thought of doing Neptune but couldn't find a way to make it as interesting.

Neon and Team FNKI were a team I would've loved to see more of, so I was all too happy to add them into this fic. I also thought of using Team NDGO since they're an all girl team whereas Team SSSN is an all boy team, but I couldn't find it in me to write them in.

Sue me.

We also meet Penny, and she's different. Who do you think I swapped her with? This one is one of my favorite swaps personally so I'm happy to have her in the story!

For now, remember to follow if you want to stay updated, and please leave a review! I read all of them!

Have a wonderful time out there and stay healthy and safe!


Omake: Girl Time!

This would be Nora's first instance of the phenomenon known to many as 'girl time'. Growing up outside of the kingdom with only Ren as her family meant she'd never experienced things like slumber parties, gossip, and boy talk. The four of them sat in a ring of pillows and blankets. The day was winding down and the boys would likely be back soon.

Which is why this was so confusing to her.

"So Nora, you and Ren are totally together, right?" Yang asked. She dodged Ruby's hand and the pillow that followed that.

"Yes, Ren and I have been together since we met. There's rarely been a time when we're apart," the ginger answered.

"Um, Nora," Pyrrha mumbled, "I think Yang meant together in a... Romantic sense."

Nora's eyes widened.

"O-oh! No, we're not together! Uh, like that, I mean," she stammered out.

"Suuure you're not," Yang smirked, "and Ruby totally doesn't make out with a combat knife on the third of every month."

"YANG THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Ruby screeched, tackling her sister.

Nora and Pyrrha watched the two brawl. It was no holds barred with them, both doing whatever they could to get a leg up on the other.

Biting, clawing, smothering with pillows, you name it. Ruby would tickle Yang until she was red, and in retaliation Yang would give her older sister a wet willy that made the reaper gag.

"Is this... Part of girl time?" Nora asked Pyrrha. The redhead ducked as Yang kicked out as she received a noogie from the reaper.

"I'm not too sure myself... I'm pretty sure this is just a family thing," Pyrrha mumbled. The two rolled away as the sisters tried to suplex one another.

"Okay! OKAY! Uncle!" Yang cried. Ruby had her sister's arm twisted behind her back.

"Girl Time is fun!" Pyrrha clapped politely. Ruby bowed with a flourish.

"Easy for you to say, you didn't get wrestled to the ground," Yang grumbled as she rolled her shoulder.

A knock came at the door before Adam opened it and stumbled in. He looked broken and dead inside.

"What happened Adam? You look..." Ruby looked for the right word.

"You look like shit!" Yang said. Ruby's fist met the top of her head immediately after.

Adam said nothing as he stumbled past where the girls had set up their best of pillows. He crashed down into his mattress without a single word. The other guys peered in at him, Jaune in sympathy, Whitley in exasperation, and Ren in what looked like a mix of pride and sadistic giddiness.

"What happened to him?" Yang couldn't help but ask.

"He managed to get another date," Whitley shrugged as he walked in and tossed his scroll on the desk.

"Adam! You sly dog you!" Yang grinned at him.

"Why does he look so defeated?" Ruby asked.

"And who's the girl?" Pyrrha tilted her head.

"Both amazing questions," Whitley grumbled.

Yang suddenly got that look in her eyes. That look. Ruby needed to stop her. Adam, already so defeated and shattered, would definitely die if Yang opened her mouth.

But Ruby, even with her amazing speed, was not faster than Yang's amazing comedic timing.

"Guess Adam is really taking his love life... By the horns?"

The anguished scream of a dying man could be heard all throughout the school at that moment.