Last night had been restless to say the least. Sleep had found everyone but Raven relatively quickly. Between contemplating the strange girl she was partnered with and the music she'd played inconsiderately through the night, Raven had tossed and turned the whole time.

It did seem that it eventually found her though. There was an hour or two unaccounted for that at some point Summer had woken up and left. Raven and Qrow were normally very early risers and today was no different; however, it seemed that Summer was a far earlier riser. 5AM and she wasn't in the room. What could that girl have so important this early? She certainly didn't seem like the type to get a head start on drills. Maybe the monk? He hadn't returned last night, seeing how his things were still sitting on his bed unpacked.

"Your future ex is missing," Raven said to her brother in monotone.

"Can it!" Her twin shook his head, regretting his declaration the night before. "Besides, shouldn't you be worried? She's your partner!... Unless you wanna' trade, maybe?" He waggled his eyebrows with a mischievous grin. "There'd be no arguments on my siiiiiide!"

"I'd consider it if it meant sleeping in different rooms," Raven muttered to herself and Qrow lifted a brow.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I couldn't sleep with all that noise coming from her phone!" Raven growled. "How the hell does she sleep with that?"

"Hey, some people can't sleep in silence," Qrow shrugged. "It didn't really bother me any."

"It's still inconsiderate," she grumbled as she got up.

"My offer still stands," he sang out in amusement and the aven girl rolled her eyes. As appealing as the idea seemed, she had questions she needed answered and allowing too much space between them would make that difficult.

"I wonder what kind of weapon she uses," Qrow sounded like he was trying to conjure an image of something, but it was perplexing him. This was something he often did when he met fellow fighters, though she had to admit that Summer threw her for a loop.

"I'm unsure," Raven's brow furrowed in thought. The monk was rather obvious with the way he had handled himself; however, Summer was a complete mystery. What Raven did know was that she had an unusual power that was very reflective of the Faunus and she could be aggravating. "But based on her personality, it's probably something just as annoying…"

"Ooo, has someone got your attention?" He forcefully sat his head on her shoulder and held her arms. "That's rare!"

"She is…" What was she? Captivatingly mysterious, unsettlingly problematic… suspiciously well-connected…DOWNRIGHT AGGRAVATING! There were several things she felt toward her, but at the moment Raven was mostly curious. "Yes, intriguing is a word. Did you see her leave?"

"Maaaaaybe!" He grinned playfully and she swatted at him. "Judging from what she was wearing, I think she went for a run?... Man, sometimes I wish you were a guy!"

"…Why would I want that?" She watched as Qrow put an arm around her and grinned.

"Because I need someone to appreciate the female form with me," he balled a fist and spoke passionately. "She has a figure to die for! I just rolled over and there she was - changing!"

"You watched her?!"

"No," he winked. "I appreciated!... Ow! The hell!" He rubbed his head from the smack she delivered.

"I can't believe you would violate someone you just met like that!" She glared at him as she picked out clothes from her things. As she changed, he looked away and she continued to glare. "I see you have some sense of decency. You should reflect on it!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he waved her off. "Who wants to look at their sister…" He mumbled to himself and withdrew at the glare she shot him. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Exploring."

"Cool, I'll join you!"

"No," she slammed a figure down in front of him – Morrigan, the deity of their people. "You'll sit and reflect on your actions. Then you'll apologize when she returns…"

"Seriously? It's not like she'd even know!"

"Which is why you'll show some humility and admit to your own wrongdoings…"

"Oh, c'mon! It was one little peek!" He threw his arms out in protest. "You don't even like her!"

"That's still no excuse to behave in such a way!"

"Oh, c'mon, Rae! There wasn't even a nip slip!" He shrieked as he recalled what he'd seen. "...though that bra was really cu- I mean, nope! Nothing there!... Wait, that'd be even wor- shit…" He paled when he realized he was just digging himself a deeper hole. "Yep, reflecting! Reflecting is good!"

"You are the Chieftain's son and my brother," she hissed. "At least, try to be respectable. We are above our desires and we should demonstrate that."

"You have desires?" He gasped mockingly. "I didn't think you had it in you!" She glared at him again. "Oh c'mon, Rae! We're teenagers! We should be having the time of our lives and enjoying ourselves before our lives become all about the family. Sure, we should make good decisions, but we can still let loose a little. You should try it!... or at least take the stick outta' your ass…"

"Ugh, you're impossible," Raven rolled her eyes and left the room.

"Love you! Miss you already!" He called as she shut the door. "Promise me you'll write!" As much as she loved him, he annoyed her to no end.

He had so much potential, but Qrow lacked the ability to be serious when it counted and he had a horrible knack for getting into trouble. Their father had wanted so much for him to become something great, and he had been for a while. Qrow used to take point on missions and she had even followed him for a while, but a few years ago, he'd returned home and started acting out.

Without an explanation, he'd thrown away his Branwen pride and clipped his own wings. The only time he even tried anymore was when Raven led an assignment. She was the only person he showed any amount of respect anymore.

Clearing her mind, she looked over a small sheet of paper with a crude map drawn out on it. For such a well-cared for facility, she'd imagined they'd have been able to afford something more detailed… with sleek lines… and readable text! Where the hell was she anyway? This was the courtyard, right? She looked around warily, but yesterday's crowd wasn't around.

"Did you hear?" Some giggling girls across the courtyard caught her attention. Were they laughing at her?

"No, what?" Another girl asked.

"The Schnee family is announcing Willow's engagement soon!"

"I heard her fiancé is mysterious!"

"Oh, you know he's gotta' be loaded - rich and powerful!"

"I'll bet he's real Daddy material!"

"Haha, knowing them, he probably is twice her age!"

Raven gagged internally at their useless chatter… Well, it wasn't entirely useless. At least, now she knew the Schnee's daughter was engaged. She'd have to keep an ear to the ground to find out about that. Someone would be looking to buy that information, and normally, the Schnee used marriage to further their own agenda. It might also be interesting to see how this could be used to her father's advantage.

Marriage itself - it wasn't as if it was a foreign concept to her. She just didn't see a purpose in it. The Branwen family did practice monogamy, if only for the sake of power. She supposed that was similar between their families, but theirs was for physical power – not political or otherwise. Love was never involved, nor was intimacy intended for her future. It was something that made them far too vulnerable. Still, it might be useless to observe and learn to imitate.

"Sup stranger!" Raven almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of an eager voice in her ear, coming from above. She shot around to find Summer hanging upside down from a tree branch, her cape draped behind her and hood swallowing her features. "You're awfully jumpy today!"

"Can you act like a normal person?!" Raven snapped at her.

"Normal?" Summer grinned slyly. "Psh, overrated!" The darker girl rolled her eyes at the joke and went back to looking at her map, though Summer casually reached over and turned it upside down so that it was facing the right way for her. "Pfffft, what is this? It looks sooo bad! Please, tell me that the headmaster gave you this! I would absolutely live for this, right now!"

"He…did?"

"Hahahahaha," the silver-eyed girl burst out in a fit of laughter and fell from the tree. "Oh my god, it hurts! Haha, ow! Hahahaha! Can't breathe! Did he hire a two year old to draw this?! Hahahahaha!"

"It's really not that funny," she felt herself twitch in irritation. This wasn't getting her anywhere fast. She snatched the map back and tried once more to make sense of the childish scribbles.

"Tell me where you're going," Summer peered up at her from the ground with a playful smile plastered across her face. "I know this place pretty well, so I can point you the right way." She spoke absently as her eyes slowly moved around, almost like they were following something.

"I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic and would like to burn off some energy," Raven explained, trying not to be distracted by whatever the younger girl was apparently looking at. "A place to train would be nice."

"Hmmmm, okay! But only if you catch me, first," Summer gave her a mischievous smile and she jumped up, smacking at her arm. "Tag! You're it!"

"What the!" The sudden contact caught the Faunus off-guard and the strange girl took off with blazing speed, readjusting her hood as she fled. Had she lost her mind? Raven took off in pursuit of her, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What do you mean I'm it?!" Raven ran alongside her – their run catching the attention of those around them.

"Oh, wow, you're fast," Summer's joyful laugh made her blush. "You're supposed to catch me! All you have to do is touch me and you win."

"What sort of insanity is this?!"

"It's called a game, silly," Summer stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry! I won't cheat. If I did, it wouldn't be competitive and where's the fun in that!"

Competitive? Faunus were known for their extraordinary physical prowess, but humans couldn't even begin to compare. To make matters worse, she was a human without Forge to enhance herself with. How brazen was she to think that she could even compare? Summer was so outmatched that this wasn't even a fair comparison. This was a waste of time.

"I asked about a training facility," Raven narrowed her eyes. "I don't have time for your games."

"Noooo, you asked for a way to train," Summer stuck her tongue out. "Catch me and you'll get what you want!"

"I'm not trying to play games with you!"

"But games are fun!... Oooooh," Summer grinned. "You're one of those serious types… How boring!"

"Boring?!" How could she call her boring?! Raven led such an eventful life! Boring was the last word she'd use to describe it.

"I'd say all work and no play makes you pretty boring, Little Birdie!" Summer twirled around.

"I'm not boring…" Raven muttered, blushing at the nickname.

"Prove it," Summer taunted with a condescending grin and made off.

"Ugh," Raven rolled her eyes and her expression went serious. "Alright, fine." This would be over soon enough. Raven reached out toward her as she closed the gap and Summer narrowed her eyes playfully, skidding to a stop for a sharp turn. She kicked off with a leap and Raven mimicked her movements. What the hell was with this girl?

"Not so easy, huh?" The whimsical girl called back in a teasing manner. "Whoa!" Summer had to duck hastily, grabbing the end of her cloak just as Raven's fingertips touched the fabric. "Close, but no dice! Guess I gotta' watch you!"

Again, the white cloaked girl grinned and took off. It was a narrow run – one that Raven was pretty sure she could gain ground on. The distance between them was short, but she had a feeling Summer was familiar enough with the area to start using the environment to her advantage. There were a lot of things to vault over.

"Aw, c'mon, Little Birdie! With the way you carry yourself, I thought this would be easy for you," Summer continued to taunt as she leapt over the rails. Again, Raven started to close in on her. As they came upon a lamp post, Summer looked back with a cocky smile and reached a hand out to her side and Raven's eyes widened at the unusual sight.

Something slithered around beneath the fabric of her arm warmer. It shot out, wrapping around the post, ripping Summer out of her sight and whipping sharply to the right. As quickly as it showed itself, it recoiled and vanished.

"Uwah!" Distracted, the Faunus tripped over herself and plowed straight into a large pile of trash bags. Sprawled out over the mountain of trash, she silently seethed in her own anger. This was not how she saw her morning going. This human was quickly becoming the bane of her existence and when she got her hands on her, she was going to make her displeasure very well known.

"Hahaha, that must be so embarrassing for you!" Summer bent over in laughter from across the path. "Hahaha, er, eep!"

ooOOoo

"So, I hope your second day here has been much better than the first, Mr. Branwen!" The headmaster spoke kindly. "Have things improved with Mr. Xiao Long?"

"He… didn't really come back last night," Qrow rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure we'll get along with him… Rose is great though!"

"Is she now?" The headmaster raised a brow in amusement. "I thought she might have some trouble getting used to the two of you. It's not often that she adjusts well to new teammates, or rather, they have difficulty adjusting to her."

"Difficulty, sir?"

"Some students have said that she has a tendency to be very unsettling at times, while others have said that she's a bit too much to handle," Pine chuckled to himself. "Others have said that her expectations are too high, though that may be my own fault. I do have higher expectations from her team than most, and many cannot handle the added pressure. I'm afraid that I've made it quite difficult for her to blend in when she has such extraordinary circumstances."

"What does that mean?" As they walked down the outdoor stairway, Qrow cocked his head in curiosity.

"Hmmm, I supposed it's alright," the headmaster hummed in thought. "Miss Rose sees the world quite differently from you and I. It can be very distracting for her, so we tend to need to give her something to focus on."

"Do you mean like some things are too intense? Or like how she interprets things?"

"Haha, I think you'll notice the more you are around her," he smiled fondly. "But sometimes, the world can be a bit too much for her… and other times, it's just not enough."

"Speaking of Summer…" At the bottom of the stairs, a familiar girl in a white cloak hunched over, catching her breath.

"Miss Rose," the headmaster called out to her and she acknowledged him with a small wave as they approached her. "I see you're as active as ever. How are you getting along with Miss Branwen?"

"Ummmm, fine!" Summer gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head through her hood. "I was just showing her around the school!"

"Really, now?" He gave her an amused look. "I notice she isn't with you."

"Oooh, I'm sure she'll be along any-"

"Rooooose," Raven's voice bellowed as she closed in, feet slamming into the ground as she raced after her. "Get back here!"

"Minute!"

"Uh, what did you do to her?" Qrow swallowed in fear for the girl. "I don't think I've ever seen her this pissed."

"Aw, just a little friendly competition," Summer waved him off. "Now, if you'll excuse me!" She turned around and shouted as she waved. "Over here, Little Birdie! Having trouble keeping up?" Invigorated by rage, Raven was upon in a matter of seconds, swiping at her.

"Stop moving so I can hit you!"

"Hahahaha, that won't do, Little Birdie," Summer dodged effortlessly, heading toward a nearby tree. "You're getting mad and predictable!" She sniffed twice and covered her with, pretending to gag. "Oh man! You smell awful! Did you shower this morning?"

"You know exactly why that is," Raven growled in her pursuit. This girl had an inhuman amount of endurance. How the hell was she still moving?... and why was she letting her get to her so bad?

As she ran after her, Raven noticed that Summer was heading toward a tree. So she was going to take this to the trees now? On missions, Raven had spent a great deal of time among the treetops. Even if Summer hung out on branches, chances were she wasn't as adept at climbing as she was at running or dodging. She'd still need a moment to jump to the branches from the ground and that would be where she would catch her… but that wasn't what she did at all.

Without stopping, the free-spirited teen marched up the trunk of the tree, somersaulting over the Faunus. In a last ditch effort, Raven tried to reach her, but something wrapped around her wrist and yanked her away. Raven's back slammed into the tree trunk and whatever had grabbed her wrapped around her multiple times, binding her to the tree.

"Rose, what the hell," Raven panted heavily. At first, she struggled to get free, but the bindings only got tighter. When she looked, she realized they were vines, like a plant. What, did nature work in her favor too now?

"I think you need," Summer made a T with her hand tapping the palm of her left hand to the fingertips of her right. "A water break!" She jogged off into a nearby building.

"Are you serious, right now?!" Raven kicked and squirmed around in the vines to no avail. "This is cruel! You can't just leave me like this!... Qrow, get me down!"

"Uuuuh," Qrow gave her a confused look as he and the headmaster approached. "Well, looks like you're in a… bind!"

"…Oh, haa haa, real funny," Raven said sarcastically. "Are you gonna' let me down?"

"Well, I don't really know how it works?" He smirked as she struggled. Somehow, it was relieving to see her like this – well, not the tied-up-against-her-will part. Raven was normally very calm and distant from others, rarely showing her true emotions. Sure, he knew when she was actually irritated, but she kept it well-hidden, opting for the calm, scary anger. Seeing her so open about it was a welcome change.

"Cut it off," Raven shouted. "I don't care how you do it!"

"Aw, but that's no fun," Summer pouted when she returned. "You're a poor sport!"

"No, I'm being held captive by a crazy girl in a hood! Let me down! This isn't funny!"

"I dunnooo," Summer taunted her knowingly and took a sip from the bottle of water she'd brought back. "You wear the damsel-in-distress look rather well!" Raven shot a sharp glare at her, opting to take a deep breath and put on the fakest smile she could muster.

"Only one?" Raven looked at the bottle indicating what she meant. "I thought this was my water break? Or is that how you treat your prisoners?"

"Finally," the question earned a giggle from Summer and she looked Raven up and down. "Now, you get in character!" Summer grinned again and walked over to offer some from her bottle, stopping in front of her. The Faunus gave her a displeased look and Summer sighed. "I only grabbed one but I don't mind sharing."

"How am I supposed to drink it?" Raven squirmed in emphasis. "Can't exactly move my arms, now can I?"

"Oooooh yeeeeah," Summer palmed her forehead and walked a little closer to press the bottle to her lips. Despite her embarrassment at being at her mercy, Raven took a long swig. As the liquid worked its way down her throat, an idea formed in her mind. Clamping down on the bottle with her teeth, she ripped the bottle out of her hand and gulped down the rest. "Hey! Not the whole thing! Give it back!" Summer reached for the bottle and Raven took her chance, slamming her head into Summer's.

"That's what you get!" Raven yelled as the younger girl recoiled in pain, but what she did next was what really caught her off-guard.

Instead of being angry, she fell to the ground in a fit of laughter, groaning in pain periodically. The vine restraints went slack, letting Raven down to her feet as they slithered back inside of Summer's arm warmer. The Aven girl gave her a look of surprise, having not expected to be let down, and rubbed at her sore arms.

"Ow, haha. You win, ooooow," Summer continued to laugh through her pain, but pointed to a building right behind her. "Hahaha, the Rec Room, ow, is right here."

"You couldn't have just shown me like a normal person?" Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Raven scolded her.

"You said you needed to burn off some energy and I was bored," Summer laughed a little more as she sat up and pressed her hand to her forehead in an effort to relieve the pain. "So I solved two problems at once!"

"You said I was boring," Raven said in a small voice, surprising Qrow. Had something like that actually bothered Raven? Normally, she was pretty thick-skinned when it came to her feelings, so that was surprising to say the least. Even more surprising was that she had been thoroughly annoyed with her earlier.

"You looked down on me," Summer leaned back on both her hands and looked at her with a mixture of something both soft and serious. "You might not have said it, but you dismissed me because you're a Faunus and I'm not. You thought that because I can't use Forge, I can't keep up with you and that you shouldn't take me seriously."

"…I misjudged you… It seems you are far more resourceful than I thought… but what was that thing you caught me with?" The vines had really caught her off guard. "It's plant matter that bends to your will. How exactly are you doing that if you aren't an Inhuman?"

"Hmmm, I wonder," Summer tapped her chin thoughtfully and her face morphed into an impish grin as she spoke. "I'm not sure, haha!... Awww, are you curious about me, Little Birdie? Have I beaked your interest?""

"I take it back. You're annoying."

"My Little Birdie is cute when she gets all self-conscious and embarrassed!"

"My?!" Summer didn't own her!

"Oh noooo," the energetic girl gasped and quickly covered her mouth. "Now I've made things hawkward! I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers! I hope I'm not being too much of a birden!"

"Qrow! I can't take this anymore," the aveness snagged her brother by the collar and dragged him toward the building. "We're training!"

"I haven't seen you try this hard before," Oscar offered a hand to help Summer up. "So… is that yes?"

"I definitely like her!" Taking his hand, Summer smiled brightly as he lifted her up.