And here we are again.

Beta: CrowSkull

YBWR

Chapter 22- A Thin Line Between Strength and Weakness

Team YBWR sat in a row, heads hanging down as Professor Fall paced back and forth in front of them. A yard stick in hand, meanwhile Salem sat back in her seat sipping at a white mug of herbal tea. The leader of the team took the brunt of the action. Although in her mind, Yang didn't think that she deserved to be the one singled out when in reality it was Weiss that pressured them - though not on purpose - into planning that incursion in the first place. She still didn't want to be the reason that her teammates got in trouble too. She was the leader, after all, sometimes the leader had to take one for the team's actions.

"What you did tonight was not only reckless but caused thousands in terms of financial damage to the district!" Cinder exclaimed, berating her with each word. "It is a miracle no one at all was hurt, despite the insane amount of destruction Neopolitan's mechanical rampage through the city should have wrought. You should all count yourselves lucky, girls, for if there was even a single injury - or God's forbid a death, this would be a much different conversation."

"So, how long is she going to keep going with this?" Raven Branwen asked as she tried to throw her legs up on Salem's desk. "It's like, seven in the morning where Patch is. I'd really like to go back to my bed."

"Give it time," Salem remarked. "Let her get it all out."

"Tch," Cinder crossed her arms and glared at the ex-bandit. "I would have expected better from supposedly one of the best huntresses in all the kingdoms. I can't believe that the statement you gave to the police could be so… repulsive."

"Repulsive?" Raven threw her head back and laughed. "Girl, all I said was-"

"No need to repeat it!" Cinder, Ruby, and Yang all said at once. They all shared a nod at that, a common goal brought them together for that moment.

"Pansies can't even handle a few C-words here and there anymore… Hah!" Raven sighed explosively. "What kind of snow angel world is this now? Damn…"

"Disregard that, please." Salem kindly requested. "Miss Branwen here is… well, she is an eccentric former student of mine. She comes from a place that is much more open with her manner of speech."

"Piss off." Raven spat.

"Quite." Salem nodded. "With that said, I will take it from here, Professor Fall. Go return to your private lesson with Miss Sustrai. I am sure the time you spend teaching her will be more valuable than the time you spend here doing what should be my job."

"Hmph, if that is what you wish. Then so be it. I just hope that you actually mean that." Cinder huffed, turned on her heel, and gave one last glare to the four young girls in a row of seats. The elevator dinged, indicating her departure as she began to descend down the tower to continue that lesson previously mentioned.

"Raven, your presence is no longer needed." Salem said as soon as Cinder was gone, dropping her professional act and leaning back in her seat in a much more lax manner. This didn't go unnoticed by the students, and it threw them off slightly. "You can go back home, your girls won't face any harsh punishments."

"Eh, I'd just portal them out anyway," Raven said as she swung her legs off of her desk and made her way to Ruby and Yang, who were both sitting next to each other. She reached out and grabbed both of their heads, banging them against each other and causing Ruby and Yang to recoil back in pain. "That's what you get for being weak idiots not being able to protect yourselves and making me worry and have to save your asses." She then leaned down and kissed them each on the forward, causing the two sisters to feel a confusing mix of feelings using both fear and affection. Without saying anything else, she waved her hand and created a portal, leaving through it and back home through means of their pet dog back at home.

"Headmistress," Weiss stood up suddenly, bowing her head and garnering her attention. "I would like to point out that I was the one who convinced the others to plan the incursion. It was my own agenda that caused us all to almost get hurt or killed. Please, if anyone is to be punished, it should be me."

"No, that would be a waste of time." Salem said with a loud yawn. "The only ways I can punish you is as lax as giving you detention or at worst expelling you. But I won't do either. I know your types, anything I do would be too little or too much and either way it probably wouldn't stop you anyway, correct?"

"I…" Blake didn't know how to reply. Yes? No? The latter answer felt like lying…

"I've had many students like you in the past," Salem continued, standing up and walking around the desk so that she could face them all. She paced back and forth in front of them, the four girls following the headmistress with their eyes the entire time. "Hundreds, perhaps thousands. I have been a teacher for a very long time, and then headmistress. I've met all kinds of people, taught them what I could as well. You four are unique types but nothing I haven't dealt with before. Weiss Schnee,"

At the sudden calling of her name, Weiss sat up at attention, looking Salem in the eye and giving her the attention she deserved.

"I do believe we made an agreement, or an arrangement one could so that you would not cause any trouble regarding the Blue Revolt." Salem remarked. "I took a risk allowing you to attend this school, a risk that many of my advisors warned me against. In fact, a select few of them advised me to hand you right over to Mantle so they could use you as a bargaining chip against the Blue Revolt and its leaders." With each point, Weiss sunk further and further back into her chair. "Yet I did not." Salem added. "Do you want to know why? I don't recall the reason when we first spoke."

"Yes…" Weiss gulped nervously. "Why did you? I wanted to redeem myself by becoming a huntress, and I am genuine about that, but you didn't know that."

"I did not." Salem agreed. "Have any of you ever heard of the saying: The eyes are the windows of which to peer into one's soul?"

All four of them nodded, it was a saying that they heard while growing up. Everyone knew that saying. It was on a poster for crying out loud.

"Good." Salem said. "I for one take that saying very seriously. There is a lot you can get from a person just by looking into their eyes. The way they passively scowl may perhaps hint at a spoiled or rueful background, or the relaxed muscles around their eyes who likely have lived a sheltered and shy life. Then there are the eyes of a criminal, a prisoner, someone who has gone insane. I could go on and on, but I want you four to answer a question for me instead; What do you see when you look into my eyes?"

The four girls did just that. Ruby looked into Salem's blue-green eyes, seeing the wrinkles underneath them that may hint at exhaustion or fatigue. Yang noticed that despite that, the eyes were still bright and clear, full of life. Weiss noted that she may have had a hard life, as if she bore the burdens of people long past. Blake had the most trouble trying to find something to answer the question with. For her own life wasn't full of riddles or questions, it was a straight path that was set for her, only deviating when she chose to become a huntress. They gave Salem their answers, each of them making her nod as she listened to them intently.

"You are all right." Salem said with a smile. "Miss Rose, I am always tired, once you become an adult, you will surely learn that facet of life. Miss Xiao Long, I thank you for the compliment, but disregarding that, I still hold up within my soul. Miss Schnee," She released a soft sigh. "Your assumption would be correct. I had four daughters, once. They all passed away many, many years ago."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think-"

"Don't be," Salem stopped her. "Those are very old wounds that have long since healed with time. I have learned to live with many lifetimes of mistakes," she chuckled. "Another facet that I hope none of you will have to inherit. As for you, Miss Belladonna, I believe you are confused when you look into my eyes. Would my theory be challenged?"

"No," Blake replied honestly. "There's… too much? Or too little. I can't quite decipher it."

"No, your first answer would not be wrong." Salem said. "As you four can see, this method has high rates of success. It's what I use to hire my professors, as I personally interview each and every one of them." She pointed to Yang when she raised her hand. "Yes?"

"What did you see in Mister Callows' eyes?"

Salem laughed. "I get that question every time I explain that method, and I shall repeat the answer once more. Professor Callows is an eccentric man, of course. He used to be homeless, you know, but he became a vigilante, punishing criminals and defending people from the Grimm. I met him when I was still a teacher, and it was while he was locked in a cell awaiting a trial. I was the one who bailed him out, because when I looked into his eyes and heard his story, I knew that he was a man who was determined - nay, devoted to the very concept of justice to an obsessive level. He has never killed a person, despite how he may act sometimes. I took him as an apprentice until he was skilled enough to take the H.L.T (Huntsman License Test)."

"Tyrian was your apprentice!?" Yang asked.

"Not in the same manner as Cinder, but yes." Salem explained. "When I was voted to become the next Headmistress, he applied to become a teacher here so that he may pass on his ideals to the next generation, and so here he is now as one of my most trusted subordinates. As for Watts, Hazel, and others, well, everyone has a story to tell."

"Which reminds me to get back on topic." Salem said, looking back at them. "I see in your eyes all a determination to do the right thing, even if it is wrong in the eyes of some or many, and in this case, what you did was right."

"But… didn't we almost get people hurt? Killed even?" Yang questioned.

"Almost." Salem said. "But you did not. I will not punish you for something you almost caused. It is a miracle that no one was hurt, yes, but that fact remains as such and I have grown to look at and stick to the brighter side of ordeals when able. All in all, you all did good to expose Neopolitan and her stolen tank. It has given General Khan notice and me insight on what is truly happening within the city. However," she raised a hand when they started to smile from the soft praise. "That does not mean that nothing bad could have happened. Things could have very easily gone wrong, and it is only through luck that nothing did. The next time you four huntresses in training want to plan an operation like that, you will bring it up with me or Professor Fall specifically. Understood."

"Understood." Team YBWR replied as one.

It took a moment for them to realize what that implied.

"Wait, you're going to help us next time!?" Yang and Weiss asked in their shock.

"Not by going with you, but by planning professionally." Salem corrected. "But I will bar you from doing anything else so soon. Not when your faces are plastered everywhere within the criminal underground. You will do nothing until the school dance is over. Understood?"

"That is too long-"

"I said," Salem narrowed her eyes at Weiss. "Am I understood?"

Weiss didn't dare challenge the headmistress. "Yes, headmistress."

"Good." Salem put her hands behind her back. "Now, all of you go pay a visit to Mister Black in the infirmary and then go to bed. Lessons begin again tomorrow morning, so I hope you all get a good night's rest."

"Well, that was a shit show and a half," Harriet commented as she flipped a page in a comic book while listening to the morning news on the television Glenn had installed in their room. "Neo and her little ginger friend lost the tank we helped the Blue Revolt steal. Are we going to do something about that?"

"We'll do whatever Glenn tells us to do," Marrow said as he stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "He without a doubt noticed what happened already. So he's either dealing with it already or about to soon. Us however, already have our mission."

Harriet groaned and tossed her comic book to the side. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Go to combat class, challenge that blonde guy, find an exploitable weakness. I remember."

"Good," Marrow chuckled. "I'd take that job for myself but apparently Glenn has a lot more faith in you than I ever will. Try not to take it too far, eh? We don't need that kind of attention, and befriending that Ren guy was annoying enough already just so we can get to know the guy."

"Why do we need to find out Jaune Arc's weakness anyway? Everyone knows what his semblance is, its only all over the fucking internet with a few clicks on a keyboard." Harriet remarked. "Aura manipulation, or control or whatever. He can use it to amplify or replenish his own or others auras. How exactly are we going to be able to use that to our benefit?"

"Glenn probably found out a way," Marrow said. "Which is probably why he wants us to do this."

"Yeah well how the hell am I going to make him use the damn semblance if I have to hold back?"

"Hm…" Marrow hummed, rubbing his chin with his hand as he thought on the matter. "You may have a point there, for once in your life you might be right. Thankfully, Glenn only said that we had to find his weakness. Give him a reason to use it, find a way, get creative," Marrow suggested. "Just don't accidentally kill anyone while doing it."

"Pfft, who said I was going to kill anyone?" Harriet asked, rolling her eyes and then continued. "I know how to go all out and when to stop myself, I might not be an educated little snob like you, but I know my way around a fixed fight or two."

"Then we'll have to see for ourselves whether or not you can actually handle it," Marrow held up his scroll, showing Harriet the time. "Because combat class is coming up next. This isn't a class we should skip. Ready?"

"Been ready for the past two hours," Harriet said, tossing her comic book on her bed as she stood up and threw two practice punches in the air in front of her, recalibrating her bionic arms. "Finally, I can't wait to get a good sweat going. I look forward to seeing what this Jaune Arc guy is made of, you don't get called the strongest upcoming huntsman of his generation for no reason, right?"

"Eh, I wouldn't know." Marrow shrugged. "Tournament fights and actual fights are two way different ball games. We'll play to his advantage for now, but I'd be pretty confident taking him on with you in a dark alley with no rules."

"Not by yourself?" Harriet teased.

"Hell no," Marrow spat. "I'm not that crazy."

Harriet and Marrow made their way into the large auditorium-like classroom. Taking their seats next to Team PLAN. The red haired girl who Harriet only knew as the Jaune guy's partner looked at them and smiled, forcing Harriet to nod back at her and smile back very forcefully. Marrow chuckled next to her, barely able to hold in the laughter caused by him knowing Harriet all too well. She terribly wanted to tear the redhead's face right off her face, but couldn't even touch her since that'd draw too much attention to them. Especially if she actually went through with what her mind wanted her to do. And so she smiled, let Pyrrha hug her, and then bumped her metallic fist into Ren's.

"Wouch!" Ren exclaimed, shaking his hand back and forth as the pain in his knuckles continued to hurt. "That is a hell of a set of knuckles you've got there! What are they made out of, pure metal!?"

"Eh heh…" Harriet didn't know how to reply to that, as in that moment, she wasn't really trying to hide her bionic arms save for the long sleeved uniform that she was forced to wear to blend in. "Yes actually, they are literally made of metal."

"Sweet." Ren said, still favoring his hand. "Well, are you all ready to watch another cool fight?"

"Oh, yes!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Jaune is going up against an entire team to start us off! It's going to be a spectacle, I'm sure. I look forward to seeing him try harder than usual, since he doesn't ever go all out when he is training me."

"It would be rather interesting." Nora agreed as she took out a notebook and set it on her lap. "I'll take notes for us all to study later. It's a new hobby that I've taken up," she quickly explained before Ren could pop the question. "I am interested in multiple types of Martial Arts and how they work. I aim to take notes on different styles I see so that I may try and adapt those skills to my own arsenal. It will be difficult, considering the fact that I have chosen a warhammer for my weapon, but I will need to adapt to future challenges if I hope to reach my full potential."

"Those are a lot of words, and yet I agree with all of them!" Ren exclaimed.

"Smart move," Marrow commented, actually being genuine for once. "Too many rely on just one style and that style alone. So if they are disarmed or meet someone stronger than them, most people just lose outright or then rely on their semblance."

"Not me!" Yang, who sat in the lower row ahead of them along with the rest of her team, said. "I fight with my fists, and I'd love to see someone try and take Ember Celica away from me!"

"He does have a good point though," Ruby admitted. "That ginger guy almost stole my weapon, and I knew that I would have been in a lot of trouble if I didn't have mom come bail us out."

"Well, that's an easy fix," Marrow piped up again, getting their attention. "Yang can show you more about fighting while unarmed and you in turn can teach Yang how to fight someone who is much faster than she is."

"Wow, that's actually a pretty good idea!" Ruby exclaimed, pumping a fist in front of her. "That way we can make our weaknesses slightly less impactful!"

"Yeah! We'll definitely work that into our training schedule, thanks Marrow!"

"Hmph," Marrow scratched his temple. "Don't sweat it." When he turned his head to the right, he saw Harriet's pink eyes glaring at him. Suddenly, he felt himself come back to reality. "Shit," he thought to himself. "I just gave our future enemies a way to get stronger and more difficult to deal with… I really hope Glenn doesn't find out about that one." He couldn't help it, honest! Sometimes he just blurts some stuff out. Ugh, he could already hear Harriet winging to him about that later already. Probably calling him several kinds of dumbass while berating him about his hair color. So annoying…

Thankfully, all the attention in the classroom was deviated back to the stage in the center. Professor Cinder Fall stepped onto the stage, her black heels clicking against the floor as her red dress fluidly followed behind her in a dance of fabric. Although her appearance was appealing, her personality was much more unwelcoming. There was a green haired girl beside her, her new apprentice that everyone has been talking about. Emerald Sustrai, it was hard to miss her when they were ordered to keep a track of her as well. Late night training sessions, lessons, and ideals were being passed onto her. An enemy for the future, surely. All of her studies were now being handled by Cinder directly, which meant that in the future once Salem steps down from her position and Cinder takes it, then Emerald would be the one to take it once she was gone as well. Definitely someone of note, Marrow and Harriet understood why Glenn's bosses wanted them to keep track of her as well. She did little else but stand next to Cinder for now, however, so she wasn't who they were keeping track of at that moment.

"Today we will start with a one on four bout. If you can hear me from the locker rooms, CRDL, Jaune Arc, we are ready to have you now." Cinder announced easily and quickly.

Marrow and Harriet watched from either side of the classroom as each respective party made their way out and then onto the stage. Jaune Arc stood on one side all on his own, wearing pearly white light armour trimmed with gold, his blonde hair matching the color of that trim. His blue eyes were of the darker kind. He held onto his sword, Crocea Mors, and had its point down to the floor as he held his hands up on the pommel. Everyone at this point knew that his scabbard doubled as a shield whenever he needed it, but for some reason just by looking at him and then comparing him to the team of four across the stage, Marrow and Harriet agreed with the fact that he didn't need it here. He could handle them all on his own.

And he did. Cinder started the bout after a few minutes spent explaining what the rules were for the students that had transferred there from the other Academies. Basically tournament rules. You were out when your aura got into the red, you were out if you went out of bounds, and you couldn't get too violent with your opponents. Restrictive rules, nothing like how it was outside of the kingdoms and academies. Out there, people won't care if you were out of aura, that just meant that they were getting closer to killing you. Marrow and Harriet knew that perfectly well. Fighting like this taught the wrong lessons.

Jaune Arc defeated them all with ease without ever touching his scabbard to turn it into a shield. An impressive feat of skill and speed. He danced around Catherine's mace, never letting it touch him. He knocked out two of her teammates in the first thirty seconds, and within the next minute, there was only the leader left. She didn't give up at least, so that at least left her dignity intact. But soon enough she was double K.O'd when Jaune both drained her aura to the red and knocked her out of the ring at the same time.

The guy wasn't even sweating when he was done. In fact, he merely sighed and returned Crocea Mors to its sheath. He stayed where he was as Cinder instructed while she went on to explain something.

"As you can see, if you are skilled enough you can defeat a whole team of huntsmen and huntresses. One day, you will one day meet a rogue huntsman or huntress or someone just naturally stronger and more skilled than your entire team. Next semester, I will start putting teams up against myself, and a few select older year students of my choice to pit you up against."

That got a nice reaction from the rest of the classroom. Marrow and Harriet weren't really interested, it wasn't like they'd be here for that anyway if everything went well.

"But for now, let us continue today's combat class. Are there any volunteers who wish to fight first? Everyone will get the chance," Cinder said. "I will make sure of that."

A lot of people were hesitating, and by a lot, almost everyone was. The ones that weren't were too shy to raise their hand and voice their intentions. The others just didn't care, or didn't want to fight. Cinder noticed this quickly and sighed. "Very well, I will choose someone then. Miss Schnee-"

"I'll do it," Harriet suddenly stood up, raising her hand and looking down at the stage to Jaune Arc.

"Very well," Cinder stopped herself and looked at her. "And who might you be, if I may ask?"

"Harriet Bree." Harriet replied. "From Haven Academy. I want to fight. Can I choose my opponent?"

"Eager, aren't we?" Cinder actually smiled for once. "Very well, I will allow you to make that choice once since you are the first to ask it of me this semester."

"Thank you." Harriet grinned. Her hand which was raised dropped down to a point, and she pointed that finger at Jaune Arc, who looked surprised at her decision. "I want to fight him."

"Me?" Jaune said, honestly shocked but pleasantly surprised.

"Jaune Arc has already fought today," Cinder said. "Unless he is okay with it, I will not make him fight again."

"No!" Jaune said suddenly, a competitive smile coming onto his face. "I am good to go again, if Harriet wants to fight me, then it would be rude of me to deny a pretty girl's request."

"Hmph, pretty, am I?" Harriet said as she shrugged off her school coat, revealing her bionic arms. She couldn't see it, but Marrow was gesturing her to stop boasting around, she was already making a name for herself as it was. "We'll see if you still think that in a few minutes."

"Just a compliment," Jaune said as he rolled his shoulders and stretched. "Nothing more. Nothing less. I just hope you're as skilled as you are confident."

That got a few more reactions out of the peanut gallery behind her. Harriet only grinned, narrowing her eyes at Jaune as she pumped her robotic arms in the air and jumped onto the stage from above.

"Would you like to change first?" Emerald asked, parroting Cinder's direction.

"No, I'm fine like this," Harriet said. She boasted a white t-shirt underneath her school uniform. She appeared to still have the pants on, but in actuality it was just the pants that she usually wore along with the boots that came with the set. She was perfectly okay fighting as she was now. "I'm ready whenever."

"As am I." Jaune said immediately.

Cinder looked at Jaune and then at Harriet, nodding her head when she realized that this was happening no matter what. She instructed Emerald to get off the stage while she went to the podium across from it. She stood there waiting, holding her hand up and ready to begin the fight.

Her hand swung down in a swift motion.

"Begin!"

Despite the rocket countdown, Harriet and Jaune didn't attack each other right away. Instead, they each entered their stances, and began to circle each other. Harriet's arms were dangerous, Jaune immediately surmised. He guessed that she probably had a similar style of fighting to Yang's, but there was a clear difference that could not be ignored. Yang's arms were made of flesh, skin, and bone whereas Harriets were made entirely of metal. Naturally, ignoring the obvious question of why they were metal or how, her attacks were going to pack much harder of a punch than normal. Still, he didn't think he had to use his shield just yet, instead, he held his sword in a basic guard while Harriet inched toward him with her forearms cocked against her chest. Several seconds passed, and after a few seconds of studying Jaune's form, Harriet lunged forward.

Three punches came out like a machine gun. Right, left, right. Jaune parried each with his sword, each impact causing a spark to strike the floor. A bright one at that. Jaune stepped back from the fourth left and swung his sword across Harriet's body, to which she narrowly dodged by backstepping. She let her arms swing around her as she walked away, turning away from him for a moment while chuckling. Jaune let her, cracking a smile himself while he accepted her silent challenge.

Jaune was the first to attack next. His sword coming from above before shifting and fainting, then attacking from the left. Harriet caught the blade on her hand and squeezed, ripping it out of Jaune's grip and throwing it into the ground. In the same maneuver, she threw a fist directly into Jaune's guard, now with his forearms in a cross guard formation to absorb some of the impact. He was still sent several meters back away from his opponent and his sword.

"Woah," Yang commented, looking back at Marrow. "That's the first time I've ever seen Jaune get disarmed. Harriet's doing really well!"

"Yeah," Marrow grinned. "She is, for now."

Jaune stood back up straighter and shook his aching forearms. Even through his aura, he could feel bruises begin to form. If it wasn't for his aura though, then both his arms would probably be broken. He looked at Harriet, who was now bouncing up and down on her feet, apparently warmed up now. Jaune chuckled softly and reached down to his scabbard, preparing to shift it into its shield form.

That was when Harriet struck, closing the distance in a second before throwing another powerful punch in his direction. Jaune's eyes widened, tearing the scabbard off his belt and using it as means of blocking the attack, only without it actually being shifted into the shield form. Harriet kept coming at him, his punches were continuous, and shortly Jaune realized that her arms would never get tired. They weren't made of flesh after all, they literally could not tire of fatigue, which meant that he had no choice but to counter attack.

Jaune dodged left and then right, he ducked low and then stepped back. Harriet followed him all the way through. Some blows struck his armor, making him gasp as he felt his organs get pushed in by his skin and bones. Still, he fought back. Grabbing the leather strap on his scabbard, he used it to blow away one of Harriet's punches, using her own strength against her as her arm whipped off to the side. In that opening, he finally managed to open his shield and bashed it against her chest, pushing her off her feet and throwing her over his body. Harriet twisted in the air and landed on her feet, twisting back only to see Jaune farther away from her, back with his sword and now with his shield in hand.

"Hm." Harriet cracked her neck. "Not bad, I can see why you're called the strongest." She whispered to herself. She had the advantage while he was disarmed, but she was still curious to see how she'd fair up against his best style now. Again, she attacked first, pummeling at his guard and once again getting Jaune on the backfoot. That was until Jaune feinted, grinding his sword against Harriets aura in her side, tearing a chunk of it away. Harriet let out a groan, but didn't let the pain get to her. Jaune's eyes widened when he saw that, and while still retracting his sword back, he felt Harriet's full strength haymaker clash with his cheek. Jaune yelped as he was thrown back, bounced off the floor three times, and very nearly got out of the stage had he not held his ground at the last second. Again, even through his aura, there was a bruise on his cheek now. He let out a soft sigh, groaning as he felt the pain ache his muscles.

Harriet watched closely as her aura remained in the orange, while Jaune's aura went from orange all the way back up to yellow-green. He doesn't just amplify his aura, he uses it to regenerate already drained aura on top of that? It was said that willpower alone could regenerate a person's aura granted they had enough determination, but the fact that Jaune could do it in a simple metaphorical press of a button was… Harriet honestly wanted to call it hax. Unfair, even. But then again, there was still something that could be gained from this. She still hasn't used her own semblance yet.

Harriets eyes sparkled with orange energy as her aura crackled with the same electric aura. Slowly, her perspective of the world around her changed. The audience gasped when they saw her speed across the arena in a blur of lightning, crashing her fist against Jaune's aura while he was still using his semblance to regenerate his own aura. In that slow motion moment, Harriet felt her own aura start to regenerate as well, at a much faster rate now that Jaune was holding her back and exerting more energy. The clash against his shield echoed around the entire classroom. Harriet tried to push Jaune off the ledge, but his amplified strength was more powerful than her normal strength. His blue eyes shined a golden color, and she pulled back at the very sight of it. She pushed off his shield and flipped through the air again, landing on her feet while her aura continued to flare and spark along with her semblance. Sighing, she shook her head and crossed her arms, confusing Jaune as he was just about to attack her again.

"Why are you stopping?" Jaune asked as Crocea Mors stopped just before it could hit her head.

"I can't win." Harriet half-lied. She wasn't sure she could win, at least not in this tournament-like setting and with these restrictive rules. "You'll just regenerate your aura every time I get it low. That last encounter was a fluke. I forfeit," she said suddenly, sighing again and walking away. Leaving Jaune and the rest of the classroom stunned. "Really, I don't get why you're so surprised," Harriet continued, looking over her shoulder as she hid a misdemeaning grin. "Who would ever want to go all out against you if you can just regenerate your aura any time they got a good hit on you? It's not fair, really, you probably wouldn't even be the 'strongest of the generation' if you weren't able to do that."

"Miss Bree!" Cinder exclaimed when Jaune gasped at the insult. "It is one thing to realize you're outmatched but another thing to be this sore about it!"

"N-No," Jaune stopped her. "She's right, I… I cheated that fight."

"Don't say something like that." Cinder snapped back. "You don't choose the semblance you're born with."

"Meh," Harriet placed her hands behind her head, still grinning. "I'm gonna go shower, all that useless fighting made me sweaty." She sped away to the locker rooms, using her semblance to enhance her speed before anyone could stop her. However, a red blur made of rose petals got in her way before she could enter the locker room. A silver eyed girl appeared out of that blur, both bright and conflicted. The fact that she also had a speed semblance was not lost on her. Harriet looked at her and crossed her arms. "And what do you want?"

"You didn't have to be so mean." Ruby said, crossing her arms in turn and looking her in the eyes. "What was that all about? I thought we were supposed to be all cool with each other…"

Harriet chuckled, then lied through her teeth. "Of course we're all friends. I just never tell a lie, would you rather me betray that part of me and say that fight was fair?" She asked, leaning against the wall and wearing a charming smile.

"Well… I…"

"Just think about it, you go through all the trouble of beating that guy's ass and he just regenerates his aura, stealing the spotlight from you and then winning the prize of the tournament." Harriet explained. "Sounds pretty unfair, don't you think? I wasn't slandering the guy out there, just speaking my mind, and the truth at that."

"But still!" Ruby struggled. "He's still my friend, and he was bothered by that!"

"Well, he's not my friend." Harriet pointed out. "So I don't care if he is hurt by what I said or not. But hey, if you wanna be mad at me, go for it." She shrugged her shoulders. If there was one thing she learned it was how to manipulate people, and right now she knew that she was making Ruby feel like she was somewhat in the wrong trying to change how someone else behaves naturally. If there was one thing she learned to do while growing up, it was how to bullshit her way through almost anything.

Just how she did to those researchers that experimented on her all the way back then.

"We can settle that in the ring. I can't help but wonder who's faster between you and me, I bet that would be a fight worth paying to watch on TV."

Harriet stepped past Ruby, patting her shoulder as she did so. "You can tell the others you told me off and I apologized if you want, don't worry, I won't tell."

As I wrote this, I came up with a few new ideas for Harriet, Marrow, and the rest of the reversed rolled Ace Ops in this story. It was pretty eye opening, can't believe I didn't think about it before until now.