Disclaimer:This is a work of fan fiction using characters and/or scenes from the show RWBY, which is trademarked by Rooster Teeth, and the video game Persona 3, which is trademarked by Atlus. I do not, in anyway, claim ownership over the characters, the world, the story, or any other aspect belonging to either one. This story should not be, in any way, considered canon. This story is written strictly for entertainment and not for profit.

Warning: This story will exhibit slight differences in character behavior since I will be taking the liberty to fill in blank points in the pasts of various characters. As such, expect that many characters will not behave exactly as their canon selves. I will attempt to keep their core personalities intact, but slight changes will be unavoidable.

Warning 2: With the ongoing status of RWBY Volume 4, it's to be expected that many of my ideas will go against what is canon, such as when more of each character's respective pasts are revealed. I will do my best to incorporate what I can, but expect that many will be blended with my own ideas or perhaps even ignored completely if incorporating it will be detrimental to my existing story plans.


Chapter 15 – The Cat in the Bag

November 8, XX13

"You knew?!"

The solemn evening air surrounding Dormitory 3's rooftop was broken by the incredulous yell. Surprisingly, given her outburst earlier, it was not Weiss who made the exclamation, but Yukari, whose brown eyes were turned in the direction of her blonde teammate.

Said blonde shuffled uncomfortably as eighteen pairs of eyes turned in her direction. "Well… more like I… found out." She then explained how she had returned to the dorm room one morning just as Blake finished her morning shower and, possibly due to carelessness or forgetfulness on Blake's part, her bow had been absent from her head.

"She made me promise not to say anything," she finished with an apologetic look aimed at Yukari and Mitsuru, the former sitting on the ground and resting against the knee-high boundary of the roof while Mitsuru sat on it. "She said she wanted to tell you two on her own terms."

Yukari took a deep breath, and Yang tensed up, waiting for the storm to be unleashed, only for the archer to let out a sigh of annoyance. "And I just made things worse. Great."

Yang blinked, almost unable to believe that she hadn't been scolded or something. "You're… not mad?"

"Of course not," Yukari replied, leaning her head back to rest on the barricade as the day's trials caught up to her, her gaze focused on the night sky, and pulling her white jacket tighter around her to stave off the cold. "It's not like it was your secret to tell so I can't blame you for keeping a secret for a friend."

"That's a pretty mature way of looking at it," came the words of Team CFVY's outspoken leader. "Most people would have been screaming her head off for keeping something so important a secret."

Yukari rolled her eyes, something that Coco was coming to learn was a common occurrence with the archer. "In that case, most people are idiots. Considering we have people like Cardin in the school it's not exactly a surprise she'd be careful about who finds out." She sighed and shut her eyes. "I just wish she trusted us a bit more. I mean, it's not like we would have started treating her badly just because she's a faunus."

"We wouldn't have become friends if you did," Velvet commented with a nervous smile. Though her nervousness was probably due to the presence of Koromaru, who was watching the proceedings from beside Ken.

Yang sighed in relief. Keeping that secret for Blake, while not something she hated, was a little stressful. Especially after that incident in the training room between Blake and Koromaru. Her partner might not have been afraid of dogs in general, but it was clear that her being a faunus had something to do with why she was so afraid of Koromaru.

After that day, Yang noticed that it wasn't just Blake. The faunus on campus tended to avoid the Shiba Inu, even though he was, by far, one of the friendliest and most well-behaved dogs she had ever seen. Her family's own dog was still number one in her eyes, of course.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Velvet, who was edging away from Koromaru and moving to a position where Yatsuhashi's larger frame could obstruct the canine's view. Yang would have to see if she could talk to Velvet about that.

Yang suspected it might have something to do with Koromaru somehow having a Persona. It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of that could explain why Blake, and the other faunus, were afraid of Koromaru but not of other dogs. Now that Blake's secret was out, she could run her theory through to Mitsuru and see what she thought about it.

"So, what now?"

All the tension and gloominess from earlier returned as Junpei finally addressed the elephant in the room. Or on the roof, as it were.

After Blake's sudden retreat, the present members of all five teams split up into pairs to search, with the exception of the trio of Mitsuru, Yukari, and Yang. Messages were sent and calls were made, but neither received a response from their wayward friend.

They had covered a fair amount of ground due to their numbers, but Vale was a large city. All the time they spent searching just barely covered the commercial district, never mind the city itself.

If Blake ran away in a straight line, unlike them who took the time to almost literally search every corner, then she could be anywhere in the city or, at worst, outside the city. They might have even ran past her since not all of them were capable of reaching the rooftops without first entering the building.

As such, after hours of fruitless searching, the five team leaders conferred and agreed to temporarily put their search on hold.

That suggestion received some complaints, but cold hard logic put an end to them in no time. Even if they searched well into the night, all they would accomplish was tiring themselves out. And so, the seventeen teenagers returned to Beacon, where they explained the situation to the two redheads who had stayed behind, and gathered on the roof of the dormitory after dinner to discuss things.

All eyes turned to Mitsuru. As the leader of KYBT, of which Blake was a member of, it was more or less her opinion that mattered most. That, and the fact that SEES was used to deferring to her when it came to bigger and more important matters that involved the group as a whole.

Wine red eyes surveyed the group on the roof. Predictably, everyone was quite expectant and most of them even looked ready to head down to Vale to search if that was what Mitsuru wanted to do. Unfortunately, Mitsuru knew that searching again would be useless at the moment. "For now, I believe the best thing to do would be to wait."

Once again, people reacted more or less as expected. Shock and surprise that she wanted to wait, confusion as to why she didn't seem to see the urgency, a hint of anger at the possibility that Mitsuru didn't care, and, most importantly, understanding from a handful of people who had already worked out the reason for Mitsuru's decision.

It was that last group that Mitsuru took note of.

Team CVFY was understandable. With a faunus on their team, they probably understood better than the others why it was important to give Blake time to herself. Of course, that understanding did little to ease Velvet's worries. Or was she more worried about Koromaru's presence? Mitsuru, remembering Blake's apprehension around the white-furred, red-eyed dog, made a mental note to speak with Velvet about that.

Akihiko and Chidori were two of the most level-headed among SEES. While Akihiko was prone to excitement when a fight was involved, his disinterest in most other things allowed him to calmly analyze a situation without getting too emotionally invested. Chidori's similar lack of interest granted her the same advantage, though Mitsuru felt that it was also due to her apathetic nature in the past.

They were undoubtedly concerned on some level – Chidori more than Akihiko since she and Blake had grown close – but they were experienced when it came to temporarily setting emotions aside when necessary.

And finally, Weiss.

One does not learn about faunus and not eventually learn about the White Fang. And one does not learn about the White Fang and not hear the Schnee Dust Company being mentioned once or a dozen times. And when one put together those three specific topics, one would come to learn about the SDC's role in faunus discrimination. Moreover, Yukari had approached her earlier, once they were away from everyone else, and confessed that she been keeping an eye on how Weiss acted around the faunus in school.

To her credit, Yukari only observed Weiss when they were in the same room and did not go out of her way to stalk or spy on the white-haired heiress nor did she prioritize her observations over her academic obligations. It was for that reason that Mitsuru chose to let the matter rest rather than reprimand the archer. Still, Yukari's insight on that particular matter did help.

Weiss did not openly act against the faunus, nor were Mitsuru and Yukari aware of any time when Weiss so much as spoke ill of them in the open. As far as they could tell, Weiss was simply wary around the faunus, just as they were wary of her for her heritage. And since the worst that happened was a glare in her direction, which she sometimes returned, they felt it was safe to conclude that the Schnee heiress was innocent of wrongdoing towards the faunus. Not unless one counted ignoring them as a crime.

Now, with Blake's secret out in the open, Mitsuru tried to gauge Weiss's feelings but found that the heiress was quite adept at masking her feelings. Her expression now was one of uncaring coldness. She most likely did not care if Blake ever returned. The fact that the girl in question was a faunus was probably the only thing Weiss cared about. Though what she felt about it was a mystery.

Holding up a hand, Mitsuru waited until everyone else calmed down before addressing them all once more. "I understand your feelings, but at the moment we have no clues as to her whereabouts. The fact that she has yet to respond to any of our missives means that she has either chosen to cut ties with us…" Again, she raised her hand to forestall any arguments and denials. "… Or she is not yet ready to speak with us."

Many faces notably calmed down at that point. "I've already sent her a message letting her know that we won't be searching for her anymore, but that we'll be waiting until she is ready to speak with us. So for now, I propose we give her time to think and clear her head. None of us here have shown any tendencies to discriminate against the faunus. I'm confident she is aware of that and will take that into consideration when she decides whether or not to meet with us again."

"But what about school?" asked Yang. "Missing a class or two is one thing but if she's gone for days then the professors are gonna start asking questions."

"If anyone asks, tell them that Blake isn't feeling well," came Mitsuru's calm response. "I'll handle speaking with the teachers. I've already asked for some of Professor Goodwitch's time before first period tomorrow morning so the teacher's shouldn't be an issue after that. Although," she turned to Aigis. "Since your Field Medicine class will take place before the meeting, you'll have to speak with Doctor Blackthorne and tell her that Blake isn't feeling well. Also, tell her that I'll be speaking with Professor Goodwitch about it."

Yang, as well as all the other Aura-users, looked stunned by the confidence in Mitsuru's tone as well as how quickly she had handled everything. More surprising was the sheer confidence that SEES had in her. None of the Japanese looked even the least bit concerned about Mitsuru's self-appointed role. It was as though the results of her talk with the Deputy Headmistress were a foregone conclusion the moment Mitsuru made her decision.

Mitsuru continued to speak, seemingly oblivious to the looks she was receiving. "The best thing we can do now is clear our heads and consider how we feel about what we've just learned. That way, if Blake chooses to meet with us again, we can speak clearly, without any doubts."

An amused chuckle came from the direction of Team CFVY, and when they turned to look, they found Coco to be the source. "Well, looks like you've got things handled pretty well. And here I was thinking we'd need to reign you all in, or maybe even stop you from marching to the airships and catching the last ship down."

Yukari gave an unladylike snort. "Good luck with that," she muttered too softly for the fashionista to hear. Then she caught the curious look that Velvet sent her way. 'Right. Faunus hearing.'

"Since we're obviously not needed anymore, I think we better get back to our own dorm," continued Coco, rising to her feet and brushing off the seat of her pants. Then she draped an arm around Velvet's shoulders and began leading her away, the silent duo of Yatsuhashi and Fox following soon after. "We girls need our beauty rest after all. Try not to stay up too late kids."

Before she crossed the threshold into the stairwell, she turned around and grinned at Yukari. "And don't go forgetting my little offer now, alright?"

Soon, the quartet of second years left, leaving the fifteen first years by themselves. As one, everyone but Yang turned a questioning eye to Yukari, who was shaking her head in exasperation. "She wants to have a joint training session with us," she said, speaking before anyone could ask about Coco's parting words. Then she turned to Mitsuru. "I told her I'd ask you first. And there's the fact that our schedules won't let us train together on Fridays, so the only free time all of us have in common, and I really mean all of us, is Sunday."

A large majority had a look of distaste at that idea. Excluding the Leadership and Tactics classes, which took place at the beginning and end of Saturday classes respectively, only Yukari and Nora had to attend class on Saturdays. But of course, they were teenagers. And what sane teenager, a student no less, gave up a weekend?

The only person that Yukari could think of would be Mitsuru and, perhaps, Akihiko, but the brunette knew that Mitsuru also valued any time she could have to herself. She was just more willing to give up a weekend if the event in question was important or urgent.

"I'll consider it," Mitsuru responded without delay. But then, she turned to Yukari. "Do you trust them?"

While some were confused, Yukari immediately understood what her partner and friend was asking. "I do. Coco talks enough to make up for Velvet, Yatsuhashi and Fox being mostly quiet, but I don't ever remember her gossiping about other teams and stuff like that."

Mitsuru nodded, but said nothing more on that subject. Then, all of a sudden, there was a sharpness in her eyes that hadn't been there until that moment. Seven people were startled at the sudden change. They could almost feel the air shift, as though in response to the change in Mitsuru's demeanor.

"Aigis, Fuuka." Even her tone had gained an edge to it. It was a tone that only SEES had ever heard before. "Are we clear?"

Clear? The seven who were shocked by the change in Mitsuru's bearing glanced at each other, the question obvious in their inquisitive eyes. Clear Of what?

As one, both Aigis and Fuuka nodded and said, "Yes."

"Then you know what to do." Those sharp red eyes turned to the other members of SEES. "Keep an eye on our surroundings. Akihiko, you're with us."

"Got it, senpai."

"Right."

"Of course."

Every member of SEES suddenly rose to their feet, leaving their teammates looking quite perplexed. Ken and Koromaru, Junpei, Chidori, Yukari, and Aigis all took positions near the roof's edges. If Mitsuru's words were any indication, they were there to, for whatever reason, ensure that the group had privacy.

"No one on this side, Mitsuru-senpai," Ken called out, followed by a bark from Koromaru as though to agree.

Junpei, Chidori, and Yukari gave similar reports.

"Some windows are open," Aigis reported in turn, leaning over and gazing straight down the edge of the roof, on the side where most of the rooms had their windows. "But I believe we should be able to proceed provided we do not raise our voices."

Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, Yang turned to her team leader. "Mitsuru, what's going… on…?"

Yang's voice trailed off, and any other questions were similarly cut off when they saw Fuuka, standing close to the doorway, draw her Evoker. With a familiar bang, a pale blue light emerged and grew in size, surrounding the teal-haired girl for but an instant before the familiar form of Juno appeared, its summoner encased within its glass, globe-like dress.

Remembering the capabilities of this particular Persona, Ruby asked, "Are you… are you searching for Blake?"

Had they not already been staring at the sudden, unexpected summoning, then Ruby's question, hopeful and optimistic, would have guaranteed that they would be.

But instead of answering her, Mitsuru's attention was solely on Fuuka. After a tense minute or so, Fuuka finally spoke. "I've found her. Thankfully she's within range, since Juno can only see about a third of Vale from here." Her words elicited cheers from the more excitable members of the group, but a quick glare from Mitsuru silenced them. "She seems to be doing well. She's calmer now, but I can feel that she's still deeply worried even though she's not panicking anymore. Give me a moment to match the location to an address."

Not long after, a chime was heard coming from Mitsuru's pocket. And when the former heiress pulled out her Scroll and opened it, she found a message from Fuuka, bearing the address of Blake's current location. "Good work," she said, while Juno began to dispel into motes of light. "Thank you, Fuuka."

"Yeah, thanks Fuuka," added Yang, quickly walking past Juno's disappearing frame towards the door. "Now we can grab the next airship to Vale and-"

"Who said anything about going to Vale?"

Yang's hand froze, her fingers just barely brushing the doorknob, when Mitsuru spoke from behind her, eliciting a gasp not only from Yang, but also from others like Ruby and Nora. She spun around, thinking that perhaps Mitsuru was playing a joke on her – a cruel one at that if it was a joke – but only came face-to-face with that steely-eyed gaze, arms crossed in front of her, and her body posed in that same imperious stance as when she had talked down Cardin Winchester.

Eyes wide in surprise and apprehension, Yang could only gasp out a single word. "W-what?" Such was the shock at both Mitsuru's words and domineering posture that she was unable to even give voice to her entire question.

And she was not the only one. Split into two groups of three, one group standing on either side of the showdown, the Aura-users of the teams were growing uneasy, eyes rapidly shifting between the red-haired former heiress and the blonde brawler.

Contrary to the shock and surprise of the Aura-users, the Persona-users were all calm even as they stood in a similar grouping, one group each of four and three that stood next to their friends. But though they were calm in response to Mitsuru's unspoken declaration, their tense postures showed that they were just as worried about the confrontation between the two.

"I meant what I said earlier Yang." Mitsuru stood tall and strong in front of Yang, her gaze sharp, her voice commanding, and her tone unwavering. "Or did you think that I said all that simply because Team CFVY was here?"

"W-well, yeah," the blonde admitted, sheepish yet bewildered. "I mean, they don't know about your Persona so…"

"Make no mistake." Though calm, Mitsuru's voice was still as sharp as her gaze, like a finely honed blade poised to cut. "I am just as concerned for Blake's safety and well-being as you are. It's why I had Fuuka search for her, so that we know she is well. But little will be accomplished if we go into this while we are filled with doubt."

"What d'you mean?" Yang's voice was gaining strength once more and her stance and posture changed to match it. "What doubt? I know exactly what I'm gonna do."

"What about what you're going to say?" Again, Mitsuru's sharp words cut through flesh and pierced right into the heart of the matter. "Do you plan to say anything other than 'Come back' or 'It will be fine'? Mere platitudes and empty sentiments will avail us nothing in this situation."

"Oh yeah?" challenged Yang, the hands at her sides tightening into fists as she ground her teeth. "And you think you know better?"

"Of course not."

The response, though sharp and strong, was like a tiny bump in the road. Normally small and almost insignificant. Yet when one was moving towards it at full speed, it was almost unnoticeable until it was too late, hitting it and causing a great shock to those that ran over it.

Such was its effect that Yang suddenly froze at the unexpected turn, pausing her metaphorical advance to take stock of what just happened.

She was used to taking things head-on, used to having things come at her head-on. But Mitsuru's seemingly sudden change of heart, her admission to knowing just as little as Yang, struck her from a blind spot. Hard.

She was ready to hear Mitsuru claim that she did know better. That perhaps she had experienced something similar in the past, perhaps even be the one to run away from something or someone. She was even ready to face Princess Mitsuru – or Queen Mitsuru depending on which rumor she paid more attention to – as she was sometimes referred to in rumors and whispers after that incident with Cardin. But now…

How did someone respond when the person they were arguing with suddenly seems to agree with them?

Taking advantage of Yang's pause, Mitsuru plowed on. "And that's only one of the reasons why we aren't going to Blake right now. The other is as I've said earlier. Just as I'm certain that none of us know exactly what we're going to say to her…" she glanced around as she said this, as though daring anyone to tell her otherwise. "… Blake is certainly just as confused as we are. She wouldn't have run away otherwise. We need to give her time to think, just as we, ourselves, need to do the same."

Yang and Mitsuru's eyes were locked onto each other, the latter waiting for the former's response to her words. Nobody interfered, or even dared to say a word. Most of them had already made their decisions, one way or another, while the remaining few who were undecided continued to watch, waiting to see whose determination would win out.

In the end, it was Yang who settled down first, taking and releasing a deep breath as she allowed her body to relax just a little bit. "Even if I said I was going to Vale, you aren't gonna give me the address, are you? And I'm sure Fuuka won't either even if I asked her when she's away from you."

"I'm sorry, Yang," came Fuuka's voice, soft but loud enough to reach the blonde's ears.

Yang shook her head. "Don't be," she said, sounding quite bitter but still accepting of the other girl's decision, however grudgingly. Then her next words came. "You're just following Mitsuru's lead after all."

A few people tensed up at those words and their eyes swiveled quickly to Yang, shocked that she would say that especially since she once accused Akihiko of doing the same. Then their eyes turned back to Mitsuru in worry, wondering what she would say in response to the blonde's words. Ren and Nora noticed that Akihiko's eyes narrowed dangerously in the direction of the blonde brawler.

Contrary to their expectations, the response came from Fuuka, who shook her head firmly with her own eyes hardening slightly to show just how serious she was. "It's not that, Yang. I'm not keeping Blake's location to myself just because of Mitsuru-senpai. In fact, she hasn't said anything to me at all about keeping it to myself." Her expression softened, but it did little to dull the resolve in her eyes. "I'm doing it because I feel the same way as senpai, because I know that we all need to take the time to think about this."

While not as powerful, there was now that same look in Fuuka's eyes that challenged them to speak otherwise. Ruby and Weiss, who spent the most time around the teal-haired girl, found themselves taken aback by the sudden change in their teammate.

It was not the first time she had spoken with such conviction, but it was the first time they had seen such steel in her eyes, seen the diminutive Japanese girl stand so strong and tall that her presence made them feel small. There were still traces of the kind and gentle Fuuka they had grown familiar with, but now she carried herself with the same inner strength that the other members of SEES had shown on various occasions such as Yukari standing up to Cardin, and Junpei defending Jaune from Weiss, crude though his method had been.

"I believe I understand where Blake is coming from." All eyes turned to yet another unexpected speaker. In response, emerald green eyes met all the rest with a firm but gentler resolve. "Many faunus are looked down upon and treated poorly all because they are born different, when all they want is to be treated normally just like any other human. Any other person."

Pyrrha looked down, a sad smile on her face and a hand on her chest, not far from where her heart was. "People look at me and see the Invincible Girl. It may be a title I earned through my own efforts but, in the end, I believe our situations bear enough similarities. Just as many people might see a faunus, and not Blake Belladona, people look at me and see a symbol, and not Pyrrha Nikos."

Nobody noticed when a single person turned their head away, trying to understand why those words pierced deeply into their heart.

"Racists would literally spit on her, perhaps even strike her, if they ever met," she began with a deep frown. "Many of my admirers shower me with hollow praise, and unnecessary gifts. Blake would be wary of those who approached her for fear of being mistreated. I am wary of those who approach me for fear of being used. Blake hides her heritage so that she would be treated as a person. I dislike my fame because it turned me into a symbol that is all but worshipped."

"It's not entirely the same," she concluded, slowly moving her gaze around to watch her friends' reactions. "But I believe I understand well enough the feeling of wanting people to see me for who I am, not what I am." Then she smiled softly, gratefully, at each of them. "I am fortunate to have met you all. You acknowledge my skills, my abilities and strength, yet none of you have treated me as anything more than I truly am. If you can extend that same courtesy to Blake, I'm sure she'll see that any fears she has of being treated poorly by any of us is unfounded."

"So… are you saying we should…" Yang trailed off, sounding quite hopeful. If Pyrrha understood, then surely she could speak to Blake now instead of having all of them wait for Mitsuru to give up the address or for Blake to contact them.

Unfortunately, Pyrrha turned an apologetic smile in Yang's direction and gently shook her head with her eyes closed. "As similar as the case may be, it's still not entirely the same. And I'm also unaware of how Blake, herself, sees the situation, nor am I aware of her own personal experiences. Perhaps she was only someone who saw it happen, or perhaps she was someone who experienced firsthand how cruel people can be."

Then she looked down, a dark expression shadowing her face. "And you'd be surprised just how cruel people can be. I know I was. Enough that I could find no words to give to my thoughts."

Nobody was sure where that comment had come from. Nobody, save for a red-haired girl whose lip twitched in response along with a slight lowering of her gaze.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought their attention back to Mitsuru, whose expression was noticeably softer, her posture less tense. "If any of you want to continue searching for Blake on your own time then that's your prerogative," she began, knowing that it wasn't just Yang who wanted to keep doing so. "Just be certain that you are ready to speak with Blake if, by chance, you do find her."

Then, without another word, Mitsuru walked off, moving past Yang without so much as a glance and leaving the rooftop. The tension visibly lessened without the red-haired team leader, but that just left the apprehension that half the group felt at being told to leave the matter alone, even if only temporarily.

With the target of her displeasure gone, Yang's anger abated somewhat. She turned to the rest of SEES, Yukari in particular, with a look of annoyance. "Not to say that I hate her, but where does she get off being that bossy? I mean, she acts like she's the leader of every team here."

"Bossy?" Yukari exchanged confused looks with the rest of SEES before returning her attention to Yang. "What are you talking about? You do know that Mitsuru-senpai never actually told you not to look for Blake, right?"

Of course, Yang's irritation grew at what she felt like was an unjust defense of the redhead. "What are you talking about? She just said-"

"No, she's right." And for the third time that night, the words that were spoken came from yet another unexpected source. "Mitsuru never once said not to go, just that she felt it was best if we left her alone for the time being."

Heads and eyes turned, meeting the contemplative gaze of the white-haired, blue-eyed heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. "In fact," continued the heiress, uncaring that she now had an audience of fifteen, "She said it just before leaving. We can search for Blake if we want to as long as we do it during our free time and as long as we're ready to face her. It goes without saying that she won't give us Blake's location, but she won't stop us from going on our own."

"Funny," Yang commented with a scoff. "You make it sound like you want to look for her."

Needless to say, Yang's tone didn't go over very well with Weiss. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Do I really need to spell it out for you?" And without waiting for an answer, Yang went on to explain her previous statement. "You're a Schnee. Blake's a faunus. Everyone knows that-"

"Knows what?!" A harsh snarl cut off Yang's words. And when all eyes turned to Weiss, everyone recoiled in shock. "Go on! Everyone knows what?!" The sheer vitriol in her voice, and the look of absolute rage that appeared on Weiss's face unnerved them all.

Standing just a half-step behind and to the left of Weiss, Ruby was similarly frozen in shock and… fear? Was this what it felt like to be afraid? Ruby couldn't remember feeling this way before. Her legs frozen in place, yet her mind telling her that staying was not in her best interest. "We... Weiss…?" she stammered out, her voice high and squeaky, yet almost breathy. "A-Are you…"

But despite Ruby's close proximity to the older girl, her partner couldn't seem to hear her. All her attention was on the girl's blonde half-sister, whose gaze was just as focused on the heiress. Despite the steadiness of her gaze, it was the partly opened mouth, and slightly raised eyebrows that betrayed her seemingly calm demeanor and revealed her own agitation and shock.

"That… well…" Yang swallowed and tried to speak but she struggled to form the words. The smoldering anger in the heiress's ice-blue eyes seemed to burn its way into Yang's thoughts and incinerated the words before they could form on her lips.

When Yang failed to respond properly, Weiss took a menacing step forward, to which Yang reflexively took a step back to maintain the distance between them.

Seldom were the occasions when Yang backed down during a fight, verbal or otherwise. Rarer still were the times that she back down in the face of a peer. So the gasp that escaped Ruby's lips upon seeing Yang do just that was quite understandable.

Heedless of her partner's reaction, Weiss continued her advance, literally and figuratively. "If you don't know anything then keep your mouth shut," she snarled as she took another step forward, her diminutive stature doing little to dampen the effect of her words. "Don't go around pretending you know everything about the Schnee, about me, just because you've heard of us from some random passerby on the street, or some reporter who, like you, thinks they know everything."

Yang continued to step backwards even as Weiss approached her while speaking. Why was it that she was suddenly acting this way? Before coming to Beacon she never would have backed down from a fight. Whether it was with fists or with words, she always fought back, never once retreating or giving way.

So why now? Was it the heiress's barely restrained fury that made her retreat? Or was it the fact that Weiss had never reacted this way before no matter how much Yang pushed her?

'You know why,' a voice said in her head. A voice that sounded very much like Yukari. 'Don't pretend you don't know.'

Eventually, Yang's back hit the wall next to the door, and she was unable to retreat at Weiss closed the distance between them. In just two seconds, the heiress stood barely a foot away, glaring up menacingly at the taller blonde. Yang readied herself for a severe verbal lashing, only for Weiss to huff and turn her nose up. Then she stepped around Yang, opened the door, and walked back down into the dorm without another word, leaving a relieved but very confused blonde.

For the next few moments, the only sound on the rooftop was the gentle rustling of clothing and leaves as a light breeze blew across the campus. Then someone sighed heavily. "I know I said it before," Yukari began, cradling her face in one hand and shaking her head, "But you really do know how to make a mess of things, don't you?"

Everyone instantly knew that that was not the best thing to say at the moment. And their thoughts were proven true when Yang rounded on her teammate with an angry look. "And what is that supposed to mean?" she all but roared, mirroring Weiss's reaction to her own words just a few minutes ago. "I'm not the one who started yelling."

"You didn't start it but you practically provoked her into starting," came Yukari's firm rebuttal, her own expression growing angry at her teammate. "She wasn't even saying anything bad in the first place."

"She was practically gloating," Yang shot back. "And don't tell me you've never noticed how she's always around our team whenever she can get away with it. If she wasn't the Schnee heiress you know she'd practically be following Mitsuru around like a lost puppy."

Yukari's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked. "What she does in her spare time isn't really any of our business. And it's not like she's bothering us when she does."

"Well why not spend time with her own team? Why does she have to-"

"That's enough." The voice that cut through the argument was firm and calm, and Akihiko's posture was the same as he stepped forward, just a half-step away from coming in between the two arguing girls.

Not appreciating his interruption into something that wasn't his business, Yang immediately turned just a little bit to put Akihiko in the center of her sights, ready to give him a piece of her mind, when she froze, her mouth half-open. Facing Akihiko also had the effect of putting Ruby in Yang's line of sight, and what she saw pierced right through the angry red haze that was clouding her vision.

Ruby, her younger half-sister, was standing there, arms wrapped around herself and shying away from something. But it was Ruby's eyes that got through to Yang. Ruby's silver eyes, inherited from her mother, their mother, were filled with apprehension. And they were looking at Yang.

Looking around, Yang saw that her argument with Yukari, perhaps even with Weiss, had made everyone apprehensive. Some looked at her nervously, or even looked away when she faced them as though afraid of setting her off. A handful were wary, as though afraid that she would next turn her anger on them. But none of that mattered to her.

What mattered most was Ruby. Ruby, her beloved sister, who was looking at her like a stranger she should be wary of. With eyes that almost quivered in fear of her very own sister. That, more than anything, told her that she had gone too far.

"… sorry."

She turned around after her muttered apology, not caring either way if they knew who she was speaking to or if they even heard her. She ignored the sounds of confusion and, as much as it pained her, Ruby's call as she left the roof and made her way down to the first floor of the dorm. Since Mitsuru was most likely in the room, she decided to go for a long walk, knowing she was unlikely to remain calm for very long if she returned to the room. Especially since Yukari would eventually return as well.

And after everything that happened, getting into another argument was the last thing she needed. Hopefully, she thought as she exited the dorm, the gym was still open.

Yet, even as she walked away from the source of her anger and frustrations, she couldn't shake the feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better.


Down in the city of Vale, leaning against the wall of a dark, empty room, Blake wasn't doing much better emotionally.

After running away from everyone, she ran in a straight line, hoping to put as much distance between her and them. By the time she came to a stop, she was nearing the northern end of the city, not far from where the borders of the city met with the Forest of Forever Fall.

She broke into a vacant office building in the area, one marked to undergo renovations, on the off chance they managed to track her to that part of the city. It was only about an hour later that she remembered Fuuka's Persona, Juno, and its abilities. She had panicked for a brief moment, wondering if she should escape into the forest where they wouldn't be able to search for her. But after calming down, she realized that they would have found her already if they had relied on Fuuka to search.

She reasoned that it was probably the fact that they were in public. Being seen shooting yourself in the head definitely wouldn't be on the top of their 'to-do list'.

She stared at the Scroll in her hands, which held dozens of messages from her teammates and friends. Though she wondered if she could still call them that after what she just did. Still, one message in particular, one that the timestamp marked as having been received roughly around sundown, lingered at the forefront of her thoughts.

And once again, she found herself opening her Scroll, as well as the message in question – though it was less of a typical message sent through a Scroll and more of a letter in Blake's opinion – her eyes scanning its contents for probably the seventh time since she received it.

I can't say I understand why you chose to run, or why you chose to hide your heritage in the first place, but I have my suspicions. I can't, won't, force you, but I would prefer if we could properly talk about all this face-to-face. Take your time to decide and let me know if you still want to talk. If you're uncomfortable with meeting in person, a message or a call is fine as well.

If you want to meet, let me know where and when, as well as any preferences with regards to how many and who you would allow to meet you. I'll do what I can to make sure only those people are present, even should you exclude me. And even if you choose to break all ties with us, I would appreciate it if you let us know, even if you choose not to explain why.

I've called off the search for today and we're all on an airship headed for Beacon as of this moment, though I suspect some may choose to keep searching later on. I can, at the very least, guarantee that nobody will search for you tonight, but tomorrow may be another matter. Still, I'll do my best to minimize how many go off searching for you. Take this time to consider if you would like to meet with us.

For what it's worth, nobody here seems to be averse to the fact that you are a faunus. Though, understandably, everyone is confused to some degree. It may come as a surprise to you, but even Weiss had nothing bad to say. At least, as of this moment. But if you're willing to trust my judgement, I don't believe she is as antagonistic towards faunus as her own heritage may lead you to believe.

As I've already said, I guarantee that nobody will travel to Vale to search for you tonight. As such, you do not need to worry. Take care of yourself, Blake. I cannot speak for everyone but, whatever happens, you'll have my support.

And like the light the Scroll provided in the otherwise darkened room she was in, that message from Mitsuru was the sole source of light in the darkness of her thoughts.

She hadn't thought wrong.

Despite having hidden her heritage, even after weeks of researching faunus culture, Mitsuru didn't hold it against her. And after reading through the countless messages asking her to come back, telling her that they don't hate her for being a faunus or for keeping it a secret, she felt just a bit more confident that meeting with them wouldn't be so bad. Running away earlier, however, was something she, mostly, didn't regret.

After the day when circumstance made her unable to confess the truth to Mitsuru, Blake found her courage waning. It seemed that her conversation with Mitsuru that day provided her a brief confidence boost. A boost that faded the next day. And since then, she hadn't been able to find another opportunity to speak with Mitsuru, or rather Team KYBT as a whole. Not when she knew that telling one team would more or less mean having to tell the other three teams as well.

The fact that they all knew now was a mixed blessing. It saved her the trouble of telling everyone, but it also meant that the choice of how, where, and when to tell them had been taken away from her. And now, she would have to explain herself to them, unless she chose to, again, run.

With a sigh, she pocketed her Scroll, one of three things that she had with her asides from the clothes she was wearing. The second of her possessions was the ribbon in her hands. The ribbon she used to tie into a bow to hide her feline ears. Feline ears that twitched as a sound from down the hall reached them.

Footsteps.

Swiftly, but silently, she rose and went to the corner behind the door. With the windows boarded up completely, leaving that way was not an option. To make things worse, the room she was in was at the end of a fairly long corridor. The only way out was the direction where the footsteps were coming from.

Listening closely, she could make out two sets of footsteps, along with voices and the sound of doors being opened and shut. All three sounds were faint, but gradually grew louder as the seconds passed. Eventually, the three people outside were close enough that she could hear their voices.

"…ong with me in here. Doesn't seem like you don't trust me to get the job done right, so what's the deal?" came a man's voice, a soft baritone. "This room's the same."

"What? I can't spend time with my new favorite employee?" came another man's voice, slightly higher in pitch and much more carefree and cheerful in tone. At the silence that came, interrupted only by the opening of another door, Blake could almost image the first man giving the other a flat stare. "Alright, alright, no need for the silent treatment."

"So why are you here?" the first man asked again, followed by another door clicking shut. "Doesn't exactly take two people ta make sure the building's still the same as the building plans we got."

"Well, the boss's call was unexpected and you did volunteer to do the job when I sent out that message earlier asking for one, even though it's this late at night. And the boss asked me to do something after you're done here so I thought, 'Why not just keep the guy company instead of waiting for him to get done?' So here I am."

Blake heard the man huff. "Whassat s'pose ta mean? We doin' somethin' after this?"

"It means you're getting paid double your usual wage," she could practically hear the grin through the man's tone. "Plus she told me to take you out to dinner as thanks for taking on this job at the last minute."

"Thanks, but I don't swing that way." Blake heard the other man laugh in response to the first man's dry humor. "'Sides, the missus wasn't all that happy that I took you up on this job right as she was finishing up dinner. Generous as the boss is, if I took her up on that dinner over my wife's, then my wife would definitely blow her top."

Again, the second man laughed. "In that case, why not pick up something for her instead?" he suggested after sobering up. "I'm sure a nice cake or something wouldn't be unwelcome. I'm sure the boss won't mi-"

"Hold up."

Caught up in the men's conversation, Blake had completely lost track of their position. It was only when the first man's tone grew serious that she realized they were now standing right in front of the door to the room she was hiding in. The door that was barely two feet to her left.

"Something wrong?" Even the second man had picked up on the mood, the cheer disappearing from his voice though his tone was not as grave.

"Someone's in this one. A faunus."

Blake stifled a gasp. 'How does he know? Is he…'

"Oh? You can tell?"

"It's faint, but there's no mistaking the scent of another faunus. Must have been too distracted to notice the scent leading to the door earlier." Those words alone confirmed that the speaker was another faunus, just as the other man's question most likely marked him as a human. The question now, however, was what he would do. "Come on out," the faunus outside the door said in a louder voice. "And do it slowly. We're not here to fight if you aren't."

"Should I be worried?" Blake heard the other man ask as she went over her options.

"… Just be ready for anything."

Those words immediately killed two of her options, which were to go outside and, if necessary, fight her way past them, or wait until they came in and take them by surprise. Even without Gambol Shroud she still had her Semblance, which she could use to get away. But if they were going to be cautious about it, there was a chance that she would fail. She didn't even know if the two outside were capable of combat and it wasn't something she was going to risk.

That left the third option, possibly the fourth too. Going peacefully and praying to whatever being was out there that things turn out well. And if they turned out to be hostile, then she would wait for an opportunity to escape.

She stepped in front of the door, purposely doing her best to actually make noise. It was surprisingly hard, at least to her, to not be quiet. Especially after years of practicing and improving her stealth. After taking those three steps, she steeled herself to face whoever was behind the door. "I'm coming out," she said out loud, hand on the doorknob.

She twisted the doorknob, the rusted parts making an irritating screech like it did earlier when she came in. Slowly, like the man asked, she pulled the door open towards her. A beam of light came through the opening she made, growing wider with every inch the door moved.

When the door was fully opened, the light shone on her face, courtesy of a flashlight that she could just barely make out. She raised her hand in response to shield her eyes, now extremely sensitive to light due to both her heritage and from being in the dark for so long.

Realizing that the light was inconveniencing her, the man holding the flashlight aimed it lower. "Th-thanks," she said, blinking rapidly and trying to make the spots in her vision disappear. Eventually, her vision cleared up and, despite there being no light aimed at the two in front of her, the ambient light from the flashlight and her own faunus vision was more than enough.

The man to her left was the faunus, as evidenced by the two rounded ears sitting at the top of his head – was he a bear faunus perhaps? – surrounded by short, dark brown hair. He had a large frame and was at least a foot taller than her, with large muscles that stretched the black shirt he wore. His face was set into a wary scowl, and his eyes watched her every move.

When she turned her attention to the man to her right, Blake's eyes widened in terror, her mouth clamping shut to stifle a scream even as she shakily took a step back. 'It can't be. Why is he here?'

Her panicked thoughts quickly took stock of the situation. The windows were boarded up and the wood was quite solid. The only way she'd be able to break it was if she plowed her way through. But without Gambol Shroud, she'd have no way to stop her fall. And contrary to popular belief, cats did not always land on their feet, never mind a cat faunus falling from the tenth floor of an old office building. Aura or not, the fall will hurt.

Fighting was not an option either. Not only was she unarmed, but her opponent knew what she was capable of. What little she had picked up since their parting would not be enough to catch him off guard. Not to mention, he was faster and stronger than her. And there was his companion to consider.

She took another step back, eyes rapidly looking around the empty room for something. But it was just that, empty. There was absolutely nothing that she could use. Nothing she could have missed that might be helpful. This was it. She was going to-

"Eh? Somethin' wrong?"

Her train of thought suddenly stopped when the voice reached her ears. No, that was an understatement. Her thoughts had been completely derailed, flipping end over end again and again until the entire train fell off a cliff into a deep abyss. Only one thought survived the tragedy. 'That's not his voice.'

"Yo, kitty cat," came that same voice, accompanied by the sound of snapping. "You alright? You look like you just turned into a ghost."

The faunus to her left sighed. "First of, most faunus would be insulted to hear a nickname like that, especially from a human, even if you don't mean anything by it. Second, don't you mean she 'looks like she saw a ghost', and not turned into one?"

"First, I'm sorry. Giving nicknames is a habit of mine but I'll try to tone it down around faunus." Surprisingly, to Blake's slowly calming mind, the man's offer sounded genuine, even if his apology wasn't very… apologetic in tone. "Second, unless one or both of us died without us knowing, then there aren't any ghosts here."

"That's not really…" The faunus trailed off and just shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "Never mind." He then turned his attention back to Blake, who had, for the most part, calmed down. "Still, he's got a point. We spook you that bad or somethin'?"

"Ye- no," Blake quickly amended. "It's just…" Her eyes turned to the man on the right, the man whose appearance had terrified her. "He just reminded me of someone for a moment. That's all."

It was quite the understatement and she knew it. Now that she wasn't on the verge of a panic attack, she could see that this man's resemblance to him was just that, a resemblance. And a passing one at that.

The man in front of her had spiky red hair, but it was longer than his. This man's eyes were brown, not amber. His expression was relaxed and carefree, not stern and guarded or even hidden behind a mask, literally and figuratively. His suit, while black, was of a more common design, unlike his, which was custom-made. This man was, seemingly, unarmed, while he was never without his trusted weapons hanging from his hip.

This man was not him.

But in the dim lighting, combined with her lack of composure, the resemblance had been close enough.

"I really hope that wasn't a pick-up line," said the red-haired man. "I'd give it a three out of ten, mostly for originality, but unless you're into rape-play or enjoy playing the scared damsel and prince charming routine, most guys wouldn't really get into it. And just so you know I prefer women around my age. No offense kid."

Yes, this man definitely wasn't him.

"Sometimes I really wonder 'bout you," she heard the faunus mutter. And by the grin and unapologetic shrug he gave, the other man heard him as well. "Still, the hell are you doin' in here? How'd you even get in?"

"I… I was ju-" A loud growl interrupted Blake's words, followed by Blake turning away, a dark tint of red on her cheeks while the red-haired man exploded in laughter. "S-Sorry…"

With that, any tension that might have remained faded away, the faunus rubbing the back of his head with a sigh. "Hungry huh? You a runaway or somethin'?"

"Runaway? Really?" The red-haired man gave the faunus next to him a disappointed look. "You sure she didn't just confess her love to someone she really liked and got turned down 'cuz he didn't like her pick-up lines?"

Both Blake and the other faunus just stared at him, then faced each other once more, opting to ignore him.

"…something like that." If he was going to try filling in the blanks himself then he was welcome to. She'd be less likely to reveal something that way.

At her response, the faunus sighed again. "That bad, huh?" She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but he probably took her vague response as a clue regarding the severity of her situation. "Since you're in a dump like this I'm guessin' you ain't got any other place to be."

"You do know you might be working in this 'dump' one day, right?" Again, the red-haired man's words went ignored. Though Blake caught the twitching of the faunus's eyebrow.

"Alright, give me a bit to finish up here then we'll head out."

"Head out?" repeated Blake, giving her fellow faunus a curious look. "What do you mean? Where?"

Just then, her stomach decided to make its complaints known once more. The red-haired man just smiled this time, but she could tell he was laughing himself silly in his head. The faunus just gave her a knowing smile. "Looks like that stomach of yours is smarter than you are."

Blake shrank away when she understood what he was implying. "You… you don't have to. I can-" Her mouth snapped shut at that as she remembered one crucial detail. Her wallet.

It was the last of her three current possessions. Some may call it a good thing. But not her. Not right now.

In hindsight, she really should have opened a bank account as soon as she passed the initiation and got settled into Beacon. Instead, paranoia at being found made her decide that it was best to keep her money with her at all times. As a result, the majority of her money was in Team KYBT's dorm room, stashed away in a hidden section of her luggage, which sat unused under her bed, while a smaller supply of lien was in her rocket locker and in two hidden locations in the city.

Her wallet's current contents didn't amount to much. Two hundred lien or something around there. Enough for the two movies they had planned to watch as well as the obligatory snack or two. A third movie would be stretching it but not impossible. On the off chance that they ended up going out to dinner, she might have just borrowed some money from Yang or Yukari – Mitsuru may be rich but just the thought of approaching her for that purpose seemed… wrong, for some reason – and offered to pay them back when they got back to Beacon.

Given her current situation, however, she couldn't afford to be careless with her money.

A place to spend the night would cost her about fifty lien at a minimum for an overnight stay, about a hundred if she wanted something nicer and cleaner. A meal at a cheap diner or fast food place would run about ten to fifteen lien. With her current funds she literally couldn't afford to think about her future plans for more than two days, three if she got… creative.

She had considered going after one of those two locations, but she didn't want to touch that emergency stash unless it became absolutely necessary.

So while she may not like it for a variety of reasons, she would have to take advantage of her fellow faunus's kindness. She just told herself that she'd find some way to pay him back regardless of what happened.

In response to her protest, though she had cut herself off, the faunus sighed once again. "Listen kid, I don't know what you're runnin' from but take it from someone who's been there. Being on the run ain't easy. 'Specially when you've got no plan at all 'sides from 'run away'." He gestured the room and the building around them. "The fact that you broke in here to look for a place for the night tells me enough."

As much as it strung her pride, he had a very good point. Though she had to resist the urge to tell him that she had been on the run before. She just hadn't been as prepared this time, that's all.

"Like I said, give us a moment to finish up then we'll go grab somethin' to eat. Fill up that stomach of yours before it decides to eat you up instead."

The red-haired man, who had been quiet since his last comment, chose that moment to speak up. "So you turn down my offer for dinner but you turn around and take out the first girl you see?" he asked with a wide, teasing grin. "Should I be making a call to your wife? I'm pretty sure you included her number as an emergency contact."

"Piss off. I'm pretty sure nobody actually enjoys your little jokes. Still…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway, let's get this over with. Just a couple more rooms to check then we're done."

Blake followed the two men as they went to the next room over, the brown-haired faunus pulling out his Scroll as they entered. After a quick glance inside, he tapped something on his Scroll and moved to the next room. She observed quietly, not wanting to disturb their work, whatever it was. Soon enough, they shut the door to the last room.

"Alright, looks like everything checks out," said the Faunus, pocketing his Scroll but pulling out a small, box-shaped device that was small enough to sit on the palm of his hand. He handed it to the red-haired man. "Guess we didn't even need this after the first few. Rooms were mostly the same, save for two where they broke down the wall to make a bigger room, and practically every floor had the exact same layout."

"Better to have it, just in case," the other man replied as he took the device and pocketed it. "You know how it is."

Blake followed the two men down the building even as they made speculations as to why their boss suddenly needed the building's interior checked. The only clue they had to go on was that their boss, a woman from the sound of it, came up with an idea for the building and wanted to know whether or not they would need to renovate the interior. As such, they were sent to compare the building's current state with the registered building plans so that their own plans could be made.

When they stepped out of the building, the faunus – the better lighting allowing Blake to confirm her assumption that he was a bear faunus – turned to her with a sheepish look while the other man locked the doors. "Forgot to introduce myself. Name's Julian." He cocked his head towards the red-haired man. "That's Thantos. He's something like a supervisor for everything while the boss and her second are off doing other stuff."

"And by 'other stuff'," threw in Thantos, putting on a pair of sunglasses as he approached. "He means things we don't know about."

"Why are you wearing sunglasses at night?" Blake wanted to ask. From what she'd seen and heard of the man, however, she decided that it was better not to. So instead, she asked the other question that popped into her head. "Why don't you know? They don't tell you?"

Thantos hummed in thought for a moment while fishing out something from his pocket. "More like I don't ask," he finally answered as he pulled out a set of car keys from his pocket. "Those two are busy setting up the stuff that they can't leave to others, like purchasing the land and buildings or making connections." The trio walked away from the building, and a dark blue SUV lit up and unlocked just as they neared it. "And anything they can afford pass on to someone else, they leave to me to handle and supervise."

The three got into the vehicle with Blake sitting at the back. "So where exactly are we going?"

Julian decided to answer that question. "Dunno if you heard us earlier but apparently I'm getting a free meal outta this. I was gonna turn it down but since you're here I thought I may as well take you along. That, and I've got an idea I wanna run by ya."

"What id-"

Julian cut her off. "We'll talk later once we've gotten you filled up. Trust me. It'll be better an' easier ta think when you're gut isn't complaining every five minutes." As if on cue, Blake's stomach made itself known once more. "Like that." Without a flashlight being aimed in her direction, she didn't have to try very hard to hide her blush.

The rest of the trip was made in silence, but not an entirely uncomfortable one. Blake wasn't much for conversation in the first place and, as it turned out, neither was Julian. Thantos, as the driver, seemed content humming some randomly picked song. Though given his personality, Blake wouldn't be surprised if he was just humming random notes and was lucky enough to make it sound like an actual melody.

In less than five minutes, Thantos was parking the car once more. When Blake stepped out, she found herself standing in front of a family restaurant. It looked to be on the pricier side of things, but certainly not fancy enough that Blake and Julian's casual wear would get them turned away at the door.

Soon enough, the three of them were seated at a booth by the window, Julian and Thantos on one side and Blake by herself on the other, the waiter walking away with their orders. Another two minutes of silence later, their appetizers were brought out along with their drinks.

It was then that Julian broached the topic of the offer he mentioned earlier. "Alright, first I just wanna clear somethin' up. You've got nowhere in particular you're headed to and you prob'ly don't have much, right?" Blake nodded, grateful for his vague wording of her situation seeing as they were in public. "Here's the deal. A friend of mine's got a nice little restaurant near downtown Vale. They don't have any openings but I know he could use a part-timer or two when things get busy."

Thantos turned to Julian with a curious look on his face. "Would you happen to be talking about Olive Garden? The one where the owner and employees are all faunus?"

The bear faunus actually looked surprised at that. "Yeah, that's the one. You been there before?"

"Just today, actually," the redhead replied with a shrug. "The boss sent me there, and a couple other places, with some papers. Not sure what was on 'em but she told me to tell 'em to take their time with it and that they could turn it down if they wanted." At the inquisitive looks he received from both faunus, he just shrugged, smiled, and went back to his coffee.

The two faunus waited just another second in case he was going to add something, then turned back to one another when he didn't. "Anyways, not sure how much it'll pay. Should be enough to get by for a while. Least 'til you can decide what to do from here. As for a place to stay, there's a fairly cheap hotel not far from there called-"

"Yellow Liberty." Both faunus turned to Thantos, who looked to be holding back a grin, at the unexpected interruption. "About a ten minute walk from Olive Garden, fifteen if you take your time. Faunus-friendly and also employs quite a few faunus as staff. Decent place for its price. And by decent, I mean small with just a few amenities outside the necessities in each room, but clean and no creaks and or squeaks keeping you up at night."

At the unamused stare he was receiving from Julian, the red-haired man just leaned back into the booth seat, shrugged, and smiled once again. "Stayed there a few times," he said, and Blake could just imagine his brown eyes twinkling with amusement behind his sunglasses. "As long as you're just looking for a place to sleep and freshen up then it does the job. Like I said, few amenities. A bed, a small table, a chair, a bathroom with a shower, and the usual complimentary toiletries."

Julian huffed out in amusement. "And here I thought you were gonna say you dropped off more papers for the boss."

Thantos paused, the coffee cup just about to touch his lips. "Oh, that too."

Once, as they say, was chance. Twice was coincidence. Thrice or more was a pattern. So far, Thantos had only mentioned two instances. But Blake was never one to believe in coincidence. There had to be a reason why his employer had asked him to deliver documents – possibly an offer of sorts since he mentioned being able to turn it down – to two places that employed faunus.

The question now was, did she ask? Both Thantos and Julian had been fairly forthcoming so far so it shouldn't be a problem to ask exactly what they did for a living. Right?

Her split-second of hesitation was enough to shut the opportunity away, for the moment at least, as Julian turned back to her. "He pretty much took the words outta my mouth, so no point in repeatin' it. 'Sides from that, I can talk to Beruga 'bout that job, maybe get him to pay you day-to-day rather than weekly. We'll have to explain your situation a bit but that shouldn't be a problem. Few faunus in the city would turn away another."

"Thank you." Blake nodded. "I just…"

"No need to say anything else. You've got your story, I've got mine, they've got theirs. Long as you ain't runnin' from the police for some sort of crime, I don't need to know yours to help you out this much. Even if you were I might still help you out. Depends on what you did, anyway."

The food arrived soon after, and conversation grew more casual and ordinary, though mostly between Thantos and Julian.

"Didn't you say your wife would kill you if you came?" asked Thantos. Strangely enough, rather than remove his gloves to eat, he was eating a sandwich using a knife and a fork. "Think she's plotting a murder right about now?"

"Funny." Julian's tone, however, indicated that he didn't find it the least bit amusing. "I sent her a message. Let her know what was goin' on. Probably catch a bit of hell, but not as bad." He took a bite of his own sandwich after dipping the corner in a small bowl of soup. "Anything goin' on tomorrow?"

"The usual for now." The redhead cut off another piece of his sandwich, holding the cut portion up but delaying the act of placing it in his mouth. "'Til all the red tape, construction, and renovations get taken care of all we'll be doing is recruiting, a bit of training, and some teambuilding. The boss made arrangements with the construction crews so anyone is welcome to help them out with the job."

"Sounds a little too good to be true. What's the catch?" Julian asked after swallowing a mouthful of his sandwich. "Can't imagine those construction guys would be willing to pay several dozen people just to finish the job faster."

"They'll be clocking you in and out like their own people, but the pay will come from us. And by us, I mean the boss," explained Thantos. "They get more manpower for free, we can get the sites ready faster, and you all get a little spending money. Win-win-win all around. That starts sometime this week, though with all the usual delays in paperwork I'm thinking early next week instead. I'll send the details to everyone once we've gotten everything cleared up."

"What 'bout anyone who can't do heavy work? They gonna need to look for temp jobs or somethin'?"

"Maybe," the redhead shrugged. "The boss said we should be ready to go public in about three months, though some departments and operations will be ready by the end of the month. Everyone's getting paid for the training and such but on the off-chance they aren't gonna be working until we go public, yes, they'll probably need to look for something to do until then."

Hearing them discuss their jobs, Blake took the opportunity to ask her own question. "What exactly do you two do?" Both pairs of brown eyes turned to meet amber eyes. "I don't think you've actually mentioned anything about it."

"It's just-"

"That's intentional." Julian's head turned to Thantos so quickly at the interruption that it was like he was never facing her in the first place. "The boss doesn't want any details about what we're doing to get out until we're ready. Wants to make a big impression when everything goes public."

"Are you actually allowed to tell people that?" asked the bear faunus.

"Hey, it's not like I said anything about what we're doing." Blake was quickly coming to realize that Thantos was one to stretch the meaning of any rules he was given. "Just think of it as mystery advertising or something. On that note, if you're ever looking for a job we've still got quite a lot of openings and even if you've got no skills or abilities we're quite willing to train you from the ground up."

"Come on, give it a rest," Julian chided lightly. "Least let the girl settle down a bit 'fore throwin' a job offer her way. 'Specially when she doesn't even know what she'll be getting into if she says yes. Still," he continued, turning his gaze back to Blake. "If you do start looking for something more stable it wouldn't be a bad idea to look this guy up. He ain't kidding when he said there were a bunch of openings left, even if you've got no experience or skills."

"We're not in a hurry to fill up those openings since we already have the bare minimum we need," added Thantos, looking slightly worried, something Blake didn't expect to see on the normally carefree man. "But if things pan out like the boss expects we're gonna need at least two, maybe three times what we've got in each department to keep up with the workload. So any hands we can get on board before then will definitely help. Doesn't have to be you, but if you meet anyone looking for a job we certainly wouldn't complain if you point them our way."

"What'd I just say?" came Julian's exasperated comment, all but throwing his hands up in surrender. "Whatever. Do what ya want."

Grinning in victory, Thantos placed a small stack of business cards on the table and pushed it towards Blake. "Here," he said as she picked them up with a curious expression. "Just pass it on to anyone looking for a job or just give me a call if you wanna take me up on my offer. Pretty much the only requirement is that they can work well with other people, human or faunus."

Blake was a little surprised by that single requirement, but seeing Julian and Thantos's light banter earlier was proof enough that they were serious about it. Curious, she glanced down at the business cards. It was a simple white card with only three things written on it. A name, an address, and a contact number.

Thantos, watching Blake's examination of the card, grinned, knowing what she was thinking. "Short, sweet, gets the job done."

Unable to resist, Julian turned to the man beside him with a poorly hidden grin. "That what you say to your bedmates too?"

"There's a hotel nearby," Thantos shot back with a semi-lewd grin. "Wanna find out?" He burst out laughing when Julian turned away, looking a little green in the face.

Across from them, Blake just sighed and looked away as Thantos continued to proposition Julian, who was now regretting sitting on the inner seat of the booth as he now lacked an escape route. And, honestly, she wasn't even sure if he was just playing around.

But as she went back to her food, she knew one thing for certain. Whatever happens now, her life had just gotten a lot more interesting.


November 9, XX13

Nights at Beacon were fairly quiet. As a school dedicated to training future Huntsmen, almost no facilities on campus allowed for entertainment that didn't involve studying, training, or exercise. In fact, only the lounge located at the ground floor of each dormitory provided direct entertainment, one that came in the form of a large television and an expensive looking sound system.

Going to Vale on a weekday wasn't unheard of or prohibited but, since the last airship back to Beacon left just before nine in the evening, few went to the nearby city at night due to the time constraints.

As such, many trainees were often found in the dormitory once their classes were over. Other places students could be found after the last core class of the day were the library, the training rooms, the gym, the swimming pool located at the basement level of the gym, and the dining hall. Those who had elective classes at night would be preparing for that class. And a few handful of students could sometimes be found wandering or lazing around campus.

One such person tonight was the blonde brawler of Team KYBT, Yang Xiao Long. She walked aimlessly with a noticeable slouch and an equally prevalent expression of exhaustion. Her day so far had been one of the worst she could remember.

It all began that morning, or rather, the night before. Much like tonight, she had walked around campus aimlessly after leaving behind everyone at the dorm. She didn't know how long she had walked, or even where she had gone. All she knew for certain was that one of the school's security staff had come up to her at some point, asking her why she was out past curfew. It had been a surprise to her that she had been out that long.

Both Mitsuru and Yukari had been asleep when she entered the dorm room, something she was very grateful for given what happened on the rooftop earlier that night. She promptly changed out of her clothes and went to bed. But sleep would elude her for quite a while yet, and what little rest she did get the previous night was filled with worries over her missing partner.

When her alarm rang this morning, it didn't wake her so much as remind her that she didn't have any more time to sleep . She had woken up some indeterminate amount of time before the alarm went off and was unable to go back to sleep. Her movements were sluggish that entire morning, and her eyes told everyone who saw her that she had not had a good night. Thankfully no one, not even Mitsuru or Yukari, pressed the issue.

She managed to make it to breakfast with just a little difficulty, but had promptly fallen asleep in Grimm Studies when Professor Port went on another of his long-winded tales about his younger years fighting the Grimm. Needless to say, she had gotten caught and was promptly scolded for her misconduct.

Lunch came soon after and she took advantage of it by taking a quick nap after a light meal. It was brief, but what little rest she had gotten was enough to make Local Geography with Professor Peach less troublesome. She would, however, have to borrow someone else's notes from that class. While better rested compared to earlier, she was still unable to listen to the lecture while taking notes like she usually did.

Another nap after that made her feel better, but she knew she was far from peak condition. To make things worse, Combat class this week brought with it the beginning of what many had been dreading. Fighting against their own partners. As with every session, every team was called up to fight. And since the class ran for three hours, some teams were allowed to fight a second time if they wanted.

Unfortunately, that brought attention to the fact that Blake was missing. Doubly so since, rather than letting the three members of Team KYBT sit out, Professor Goodwitch had Yang, Mitsuru, and Yukari fight a three-way match instead. Yang emerged the victor but, much to her shame, she was a single percent away from getting knocked out of the fight when the fight ended due to her poor physical, mental, and emotional condition. She couldn't even attribute her loss to being double-teamed since Mitsuru and Yukari fought each other just as fiercely as they did her.

Mealtimes were subdued the entire day, but Yang couldn't help but notice how SEES carried on as normal like nothing was wrong. As though Blake wasn't missing. As though the faunus's absence didn't even affect them. When dinner came along, she had gotten tired of watching them interact in that manner. Having had enough, Yang all but stormed out once she finished her meal.

Her annoyance eventually petered out as she walked around campus for what felt like hours, her mind constantly jumping between annoyance at her friends' callous attitudes, and worry for her partner. She had to stop herself from traveling to Vale whenever her walk brought her close to the airship docks, yet she always seemed to walk past that area subconsciously even knowing it would do no good to search.

As several people had pointed out, it would be almost impossible to search for Blake given the size of the city. Even if everyone who wanted to search were to go to Vale, plus four more if they somehow got Team CFVY to help, they would not be able to scour the entire city even if they had a full day. Fuuka's Persona would have been a boon but, as she stated last night, she agreed with Mitsuru that it was best if they gave Blake some time to herself for the moment.

It was far too passive an approach for Yang to agree with, but even she had to admit defeat. That didn't mean she had completely given up. She made sure to send Blake a message or two in between classes, not that she ever responded. She tried making calls, but the feline faunus never picked up. Even so, Yang fervently hoped that Blake would feel her concern through the constant messages and calls and respond to one of them at some point.

That or she got annoyed and answered one just to tell Yang to stop. Even that would be better than complete silence. The fact that the calls went through, even if unanswered, gave her hope that Blake wasn't completely shutting them out.

'Not yet at least,' a traitorous part of her mind whispered. 'She just might shut off her Scroll if you annoy her enough.'

It was a valid concern that her constant attempts to make contact would, indeed, be the catalyst that leads Blake to turning down Mitsuru's open invitation to meet again. At least, it was to her. Others felt that she was worrying too much.

"Blake is not the kind of person to base her decisions on something as petty and insignificant as annoyance," Chidori had said to her during lunch, when the redhead overheard Yang asking Ruby if the latter thought that sending so many messages was a good idea. Pyrrha, who was nearby at that time, supported Chidori's opinion, as did Ren and Fuuka.

Still, she couldn't shake the possibility from her mind. Even now she wondered if Blake was even in Vale still or if she had fled the city altogether. The only sign that she hadn't left was the simple fact that Blake's rocket locker, which currently housed Gambol Shroud, was still in the school. If Blake had any intentions of leaving then she definitely would have called the locker to her location or somewhere where she could retrieve her weapon.

Not to mention the fact that each locker contained a small but well-stocked first-aid kit, in addition to whatever else the students put inside it. Yang, herself, put a spare change of clothes. Yukari and Mitsuru did the same but included a small stash of lien, a few bottles of water, a supply of dried foods, and various items for survival like matches and an emergency blanket.

It felt excessive to Yang, since the locker could only travel so far, but in Yukari's words, it was "Just in case disaster strikes." Clearly losing their home had affected them in ways everyone else had yet to realize.

But even knowing her partner was still in the city, she worried that Blake would even consider leaving. With such worries at the forefront of her thoughts, temptation easily struck once again as her eyes caught sight of the blinking lights of an approaching airship in the distance. And the arrival of an airship from Vale meant that another would be leaving in roughly fifteen minutes.

It wouldn't even take her five minutes to get to the landing platforms from her current location, which just so happened to be the general vicinity where the dormitories were.

The mere sight of the airship was just so enticing. Even if nobody else came with her, she could still perform a search. She had been to Vale several times in the past and knew the city well enough. She knew where most of the most affordable hotels were and even knew a few people who'd trade or gather information for lien. If Blake was in the city, it would only be a matter of time before Yang found her.

Such was the magnitude of her worries that she was seriously considering skipping the next few days of class, perhaps even the entire week, if it meant finding Blake.

Yang had actually taken a step towards the airships when she caught something white moving out of the corner of her eye. Turning in that direction, she found a student walking away from the dorms, carrying a duffel bag across her shoulders as well as a long, thin, black object on her back.

She would have just ignored it and gone straight back to her thoughts, possibly even going to the airships like she had considered, but the departing student caught her eye. It wasn't the clothing so much as the hair that caught her attention. When the student passed beneath a light post, Yang recognized that familiar shade of brown as well as the style, particularly the way her hair curled upwards towards the end.

'Where's Yukari going dressed like that?'

Yang couldn't ever remember Yukari wearing clothes like that before. Moreover, Yukari was fairly conscious of what she wore. A white shirt with black Japanese characters on the back and a long, pleated, black skirt, while not necessarily unfashionable, didn't seem like a combination that the archer would normally wear. And now that the brawler thought about it, Yukari was walking in the direction of the gym and the training rooms. Her current clothing didn't look anything like what someone would wear to a workout.

Curiosity warred with her desire to search for Blake, as well as her irritation with Yukari's words and actions the previous night. Not to mention the brunette's apparent lack of concern for their fourth teammate despite knowing that Blake's departure was a result of her actions, unintentional though they may have been.

Despite her feelings, however, Yang soon found herself trailing Yukari from a distance, taking care not to be seen. The brunette, much to Yang's relief, never looked back. Soon she arrived at her destination, and Yang was even more puzzled when Yukari entered the training building.

A quick glance at her Scroll confirmed that it was almost half-past seven. It was certainly an odd hour to train. That is, if that was why Yukari was there. The odd hour and the clothing only supported Yang's belief that her teammate wasn't there to train.

Rather than stand there speculating, Yang gave Yukari a minute or so to sign-in and grab a room then entered the building herself. After a quick check to make sure her teammate wasn't there any more, she walked up to the black-haired woman manning the front desk.

"Hi," she called out as she approached, gaining the woman's attention and plastering a bright smile on her face. The woman was a little younger than most of the staff, but still older than the students, wearing a simple white blouse with a black jacket hanging off the back of the chair. "Did my teammate come through here yet? Brown eyes and brown hair coming down around here," she held a hand up to her chin, and made a rising motion up to her cheek. "And curling up to around here."

Recognition lit up in the woman's green eyes at the description. "She just came by actually. Hold up your Scroll please." Yang did, and the scanner on top of the desk confirmed her identity as the receptionist logged her in. "Alright, you can head on in. Your teammate's in room three."

Yang put up a smile and nodded to the woman even as she turned away. "Thanks." She held up her Scroll to the door scanner and a quiet beep came from the machine as the door unlocked to allow her entry.

Yang had always thought it was excessive to have so many scanners on the doors, but she supposed it was a good way to keep track of where the students went. Of course, it didn't really work if someone was part of a group, since a single Scroll was all that was needed to unlock a door until it was shut, but it would, at least, let the staff know who to look for if and when something happened.

The room she was looking for wasn't far and she was soon standing outside the double doors leading into training room number 3. The individual training rooms didn't require a Scroll to enter, as it would only hinder the medical staff down the hall if an accident were to occur.

However, the doors could be locked if the staff were informed beforehand, granting the students permission to do so through the console inside the room. After all, teenagers in a locked room that wasn't normally locked wasn't a thought the staff wanted to entertain. Even so, if the sensors detected someone's Aura hitting zero, or problems with their vital signs, the doors would unlock and could not be locked again until a staff member overrode the console.

Most primary combat schools didn't have, or even need, that level of precaution. It certainly drove home the fact that they were in a Huntsman Academy. That they could very well be severely injured while working towards their individual goals.

Yang pushed away any hesitation that lingered, resolving to go into the room to satisfy her curiosity. And yet, even as her hand gripped the doorknob of one of the doors, she could feel her limb trembling ever so slightly. She didn't know why, nor did she really care to know why, but it bothered her that, for some inexplicable reason, she was so apprehensive about what she was about to do.

She pulled down the doorknob and gently pushed the door open. She was briefly surprised by the dim lighting inside the room as she stepped in and closed the door behind her. There was just enough light to see where she was going. And where Yukari was.

The transparent blue hard-light walls of the training area were activated, the archer kneeling near one corner with her back mostly facing Yang. Her hands, gently curled into fists, were resting on her hips, elbows pointing to the sides. Yang quietly walked closer and saw that Yukari was holding a bow in her left hand and an arrow in her right, which was wearing a thick, brown glove, thicker than the ones she usually used.

Again, something struck Yang as strange. The bow that Yukari was holding wasn't Sharanga, the white and pink mecha-shift bow that she used while fighting. Rather, it was just a plain wooden bow. But what a bow it was. Yang couldn't be certain because of the dim lighting and Yukari's kneeling position, but the bow looked to be longer than the archer was tall.

'How is she supposed to use that?'

As though to answer the question, Yukari moved. She rose to her feet, slowly and deliberately, keeping her fists to her hip the entire time. Yukari slid her left foot to the side and angled it outwards. Yang noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes, just a pair of white socks. Her right foot slid in the opposite direction and mirrored the left to widen her stance. She held that position for a second or two then raised her left hand up and slightly forward to chest level along with the bow.

Now that it was upright, Yang could see that, indeed, the bow was longer than Yukari was tall by quite a significant margin. That the lower end of the bow wasn't touching the floor only made the difference more obvious. And even if it were touching the floor, Yang was fairly certain that the bow would tower over Yukari by about two feet. Considering that the brunette was about the same height as Ruby, it meant that the bow was at least seven feet in height.

Possibly the only reason why the bow wasn't touching the floor was because the grip wasn't at the center of the bow. Rather, it was roughly a third of the way up from the bottom. Yet another strange detail she had no viable answer for.

Yukari's right hand rose up as well, bringing with it the arrow. No, that was wrong. Narrowing her eyes, Yang spotted two arrows instead of one.

Moving with that same deliberate slowness, Yukari placed the head of the arrow near the grip of the bow and slowly pushed it from behind until the back end was at the string. She nocked one arrow then placed the second one below it.

For a moment Yang thought that Yukari was going to shoot two arrows simultaneously, then she saw that the second arrow was facing the other way and was extending farther to the right than the other arrow. It almost seemed as though Yukari was measuring something. Or was there some other purpose to that?

Yukari took the second arrow in her right and brought her hand back to her hip. Then, for some strange reason, she slowly spun the arrow in one hand so that it settled loosely between the last two fingers, roughly a hand's width from the arrowhead.

She turned her head to the left, away from Yang's general direction and towards the opposite corner of the training area. There, Yang could make out the holographic target used for ranged practice. Yet again, she noticed something odd. The target was smaller than it normally was. Perhaps about the size of someone's head, smaller even. Again, she couldn't be too certain but she felt that it was a fair estimate.

After a few seconds, Yukari's right hand went to the bow and took hold of the arrow, the second arrow noticeably still hanging from her fingers. Her arms slowly rose in an outward arc until her hands were just above her head and slightly forward of her body. She held that pose for a few seconds before moving again.

Yukari brought her left arm towards the target, pulling the bow closer to her body bit by bit. Then she steadily lowered her arms, left hand moving down and towards the target, and right hand gently pulling back until it came to a rest behind her ear. Just like before, she held that pose for a few seconds. Then sharp sound cut through the air, and the hand that had been pulling the arrow moved back and away from the target, the second arrow still hanging from between the last two fingers.

Lilac eyes sought out the holographic target. It came as no surprise to her to find a single red dot close to the center, marking where the arrow had passed through the target. Yukari had proven to have little difficulty landing a shot against a moving target, both during Combat class and their training sessions. So against a stationary target, regardless of the reduced size, like this one? Yang would sooner bet on winning a two-on-one match against Pyrrha and Aigis than Yukari missing such an easy shot when there were absolutely no distractions.

Seeing movement, her attention returned to Yukari, who brought her feet together, placed her hands on her hips once again, and faced forward with her head slightly bowed. Then, slowly, she knelt back down on the floor, maintaining the position of her hands. Just as Yang was about to approach, the archer rose to her feet and repeated her previous motions, starting with widening her stance.

Just like before, Yukari's movements were slow and deliberate. At first, Yang thought that she was trying to control her movements, perhaps trying to practice each part of the process. Watching it all a second time threw that theory off the top of Beacon Tower.

Years ago, when Yang still trained with her father, he had forced her to practice several moves slower than normal so that he could point out where she was going wrong. When she did, she felt the urge to speed up, to perform the moves the way she was used to. In fact, she had sped up slowly without realizing it. At least, not until Taiyang had stopped her and told her to do it all over again while being more conscious of the movements.

When she did slow down, he then kept telling her to relax, that she was too tense. As her father had explained it, when someone was consciously controlling their movements to be much slower than they were used to, there was often a level of tension present as they stopped themselves from moving faster. In some ways, doing things slower than normal could be just as hard as doing things faster than normal.

That tension, which she had learned to recognize by training in front of a mirror, was missing from Yukari's body.

Whatever her reason for practicing her archery this way, it was something she had done countless times before. It was the only way she could move so slowly yet smoothly. It was calm and serene, almost graceful like a very slow dance rather than a form of training.

Even the strength Yukari used to draw the bow seemed to be carefully measured and applied. There was no visible strain on her body as she slowly moved her arms into position, the arrow and the bowstring gradually being pulled back even as the bow's arc became more pronounced. Holding her pose once the bow was fully drawn did not seem to cause any strain either.

The sharp sound of the bowstring flying back into place cut through her thoughts and observations, a second red dot joining the first on the practice target. And like before, Yukari held her pose for a short moment, her eyes never leaving the target despite no doubt having already seen the result of her shot.

Her hands then returned to her hips, her feet were slowly pulled together, and her head turned to face forward and down. With no arrows left in hand, Yukari gently bent at the knees, reversing the earlier process of standing until she was, once again, kneeling on the floor with one end of the bow hovering just over the ground.

Yang waited for just a while longer, not knowing whether Yukari was already done with what she was doing. There was just something about the archer's actions and movements that made her hesitate to interrupt.

Rather than training or practice, her actions seemed almost ceremonial in nature. Like a solemn, sacred ritual performed before a greater ceremony.

Every act was carefully practiced for hours on end until they were second nature. Those countless hours were reflected in the practitioner's serene yet confident demeanor. And both that serenity and confidence were manifested in the manner of her movements. They were slow but not hesitant. Deliberate but not uncertain. Soft and gentle but neither weak nor yielding.

Even before Yukari shot that first arrow, perhaps even as far back as before Yukari rose from the ground, Yang had already felt the stirrings of discomfort within her. It felt as though her very presence there was in violation of some sacred doctrine. The silence in which Yukari performed her acts only added to the solemnity of it all, the only sound being the firing of the bow, and the quiet clatter when the arrow flew through target to strike the glowing hard-light walls and fall to the ground.

When her eyes registered movement once more, she found Yukari rising to her feet once more, several arrows in her right hand. But instead of readying her bow, the archer turned to her, not looking the least bit surprised to find someone else inside the training room.

"Mind cancelling the training session for me?" asked Yukari. She even spoke as though Yang had actually come in with her instead of, secretly, following her in. "Thanks."

After their heated debate the night before, Yang had expected Yukari to ignore her or be hostile in some manner. Instead, here she was acting as though it never happened. She didn't know whether to be grateful, or to be outright pissed that the archer was treating it like nothing more than a minor incident not even worth remembering.

"What happened? Lock yourself in or something?" she instead asked with a small grin, walking over to the console to comply with Yukari's request.

"Hah… hah… very funny," came the slow, sarcastic quip. The tone, however, was not harsh or angry. Just plain sarcasm.

Yang cancelled the training program that Yukari had set-up, noticing that it had been set to terminate after thirty minutes or when the target had been hit ten times. She watched as Yukari picked up the first two arrows she had fired then returned to the side of the room where her duffel bag lay on a bench.

Now that Yukari's back wasn't to her, Yang could see that she was wearing something like a black breastplate on the front of what was actually a robe-like top, not a t-shirt like she first thought. Given the way Yukari's chest looked flatter – something she wouldn't say out loud at the moment – it wasn't hard to deduce that it wasn't just ornamental and was probably meant to protect her chest.

Yukari set the bow down on the bench along with the arrows in her hand, then walked to the bench next to it, sat down with a weary sigh, and leaned the back of her head against the wall with her eyes shut. Not knowing what else to do, Yang took a seat on the same bench, putting a little space between them. And just like that, the two of them sat in silence.

Before long, that silence was broken. "Thanks."

"Huh?" Yang looked over to her brown-haired teammate but found her still leaning on the wall with closed eyes. "For what?"

"For not saying anything when you came in." Yukari must have expected the confusion that Yang felt as she explained why immediately after. "It wouldn't really have distracted me but since I wasn't going to answer if you did, you might have just gotten mad or something."

The accusation stung. Did Yukari really think her temper and patience was that bad? But the worst part, Yang decided, was that Yukari's prediction was completely accurate in light of recent events. She definitely would have gone off if the brunette ignored multiple attempts at getting her attention, even if she wasn't necessarily ignoring her out of spite.

"And… I'm sorry," Yukari continued before Yang could say anything. "For last night, I mean."

Yang's head spun in Yukari's direction, eyes slightly wide at what she just heard. Did Yukari just…

"I shouldn't have said anything after Weiss left. I don't think what I said was wrong but…" It was only because of that last word that Yang didn't give in to the urge to yell. Not yet at least. "But I shouldn't have said it there. And I could have said it differently too instead of making it sound like I was blaming you. I wasn't, really." She sighed. "Guess I really shouldn't be getting on your case when I ended up doing the same thing twice yesterday."

A dozen different things ran though Yang's mind at that moment. Most of them ran along the lines of continuing the previous night's argument, some calmly and others not so. A smaller part of her wanted to use Yukari's words against her, to blame her for the events of last night as it was her carelessly spoken revelation that, ultimately, started the entire event by causing Blake to run away.

As cathartic it would have been to release her pent-up frustrations now, however, something inside her held her back from lashing out. And she knew, even without thinking about it, that it was the same force that stopped her from doing the same to Weiss just last night. The same thing that made her retreat in the face of the furious heiress.

So rather than that, Yang chose to ask the most prominent question on her mind. "What were you doing anyway? That… well… that didn't really look like training."

"It was, in a way." Yukari reached over to her duffle bag and pulled out two bottles of water. She offered one to Yang who, after a moment of consideration, accepted it with a grateful nod. After taking a quick swig from her bottle, Yukari leaned forward, arms resting on her thighs and hands clasped together with the bottle in between. "I don't know if I ever told you this but, back then, I only joined the Archery Club at Gekkoukan because we were required to join a club."

"So you didn't actually like archery?" That was surprising to hear. Seeing Yukari now, using a bow so proficiently, she never would have imagined that sort of situation.

Yukari shook her head. "More like it was the club I didn't like the least. I wouldn't really call myself a loner, but some stuff happened when I was a kid so my mom and I would move around a lot. Made it hard to make friends, even if you didn't count how quiet I became because my dad died."

Again, Yang had trouble imagining the outgoing, even if sometimes snarky, Yukari as the quiet type. She was pretty popular among their year, cheerfully greeting most of their classmates even when they were simply passing each other in the hallway. Her cheer was often infectious, and they would return her greeting with a smile.

"So I joined the Archery Club. Asides from when the more experienced students taught me what to do, we're mostly left to practice on our own. The coach or the other students would only really talk to me to correct me if I did something wrong. Other than that, I didn't really need to interact with the others that much. Didn't hurt that when we're practicing like you saw me doing, any talking would have to be done where nobody could hear."

Yukari paused just long enough to take another sip of water. "I got a letter from my dad not long after I first joined. It… put some perspective on some things and helped me move on from others. Even gave me a goal to aim for." Yang briefly wondered why she only received the letter then, given that she knew that Yukari's father had died over ten years ago. "I started taking the club a bit more seriously after that. That's about the time I learned what archery, Japanese archery anyway, was all about."

"Whaddya mean? Isn't it just about hitting the target?"

"At first, maybe, but Kyūdō is about more than just that."

Yukari leaned back against the wall again, raising her gaze but shutting her eyes in thought. Was there really more to it that hitting the target with the arrow?

"'Way of the Bow'," Yukari finally said, breaking the silence as she opened her eyes, though her gaze remained raised towards the ceiling. "That's what Kyūdō basically translates to. Learning enough to hit the target is easy. Most of us managed to hit the target at least once in our first week. But mastering Kyūdō literally takes decades. Even after that long, only a few people could be called true masters. One of the first things they taught me in the club was that Kyūdō isn't about hitting the target but how you hit the target."

"I think I'm missing something here," admitted Yang. "Don't you just put the arrow on the bow, pull it back, aim, and let go?"

"You'd be surprised at how hard even that much can be at first," quipped the archer. A slim hand rose up and rubbed her right cheek as the corner of her lip quirked upwards, her eyes glazing over as though remembering something. Then it was gone. "Anyway, the goal of Kyūdō, supposedly, is to reach the state of shin-zen-bi. Before you ask," she cut in quickly as Yang opened her mouth to do just that, "Those three words mean truth, goodness, and beauty."

Yang gave the other girl a skeptical look. "Sooo… people practice archery to become a good, truthful, and beautiful person?"

Yukari was unable to restrain the snort of amusement that escaped, nor the bout of soft giggling that followed, though she did keep from laughing out loud. Yang, however, had no such problems and laughed openly but less boisterously than she normally would. "If it was that easy then everyone in Japan would be archers," Yukari managed to squeak out.

"I'd probably jump in there too if it was," added Yang.

Eventually, both of them got their amusement under control. "But just so we're clear, that's not what it means." Yang just gave an innocent smile in response. "If you shoot an arrow with the proper form, with good intentions, then your form naturally becomes beautiful."

"Huh?" Yang was certain she looked as lost as she felt.

In response, Yukari sighed with an indulgent look on her face, much like a parent being patient with a child too young to understand something. "Again, it's not literally like that." Yukari leaned forward, looking forward in the direction of the training area.

Or at least, it seemed that way. The way her eyes stared straight ahead, unfocused like someone about to fall asleep, gave Yang the impression that she wasn't really looking at anything in particular.

"If you are truthful in words and deed," Yukari began, sounding like she was reciting something she once read. "And act with a pure and virtuous heart, then your beauty will become apparent."

"Huh?" If it was possible, Yang looked even more confused than the last time. "Are we still talking about archery here?"

She received no response as Yukari continued to look straight ahead at something that wasn't there. "Our coach had a friend who was practicing Kyūdō for over twenty years and invited him one day. My classmate asked him what he thought about Kyūdō's goal and that was what he said. Those words stuck with me since that day. And when he showed us how he shot, I couldn't take my eyes of him."

"From the position of his feet to his entire posture, from the way he raised the bow to the moment he drew back the arrow, and the moment he released the arrow and moved to the final pose, everything about it was exactly how we were taught." Her eyelids slid shut, hiding away her bright brown eyes. "But even our coach's movements didn't look half as beautiful, never mind ours. It's like…"

She thought back to that day and trying to remember what she thought, what she felt, when she watched the man they knew as Makishima-san, a 4th Dan kyūdōka, as he demonstrated firing an arrow for the club. But no words came to mind, much less her lips. She knew what she wanted to say, but had no words to describe it to her friend and teammate.

"Like a ceremony?" Yang suddenly offered, much to Yukari's surprise. When the brunette turned to the blonde, Yang went on to describe her own thoughts. "That's what it looked like when I was watching you earlier. Like you were doing some sort of sacred ritual or ceremony."

Yang reached back and rubbed the back of her head, a sheepish and slightly embarrassed look on her face. "It's actually why I didn't say anything. It just felt… wrong, for some reason. Just being there felt like I was trespassing or something. Just the thought of talking made me feel like I was about to commit a crime. Or something like that. Can't quite remember the word."

It may not have been the best way to describe it, but it got her point across. Surprisingly, Yukari frowned sadly and looked down towards the floor. "Did I say something wrong?" Yang dearly hoped not.

"Not really. Just…" The brunette sighed. "Well, that's probably one way to explain what I meant earlier." At another sound of confusion, Yukari turned to meet Yang's lilac eyes. "It probably felt that way to you because, in a way, that's what I was trying to do."

At yet another 'huh?' from Yang, Yukari realized she would need to explain even more. "The way someone shoots an arrow can usually tell you something about that person. That probably had something to do with what you felt just now. I came here to be alone, and something about how I made my shot, or even my posture or something, probably told you that. I was also thinking back to when I was still in the club, just shooting again and again, remembering those days when everything seemed so much simpler. Maybe that's why it felt more like a ritual because, in a way, attending the archery club was a ritual since we met three times a week on the same days."

Understandably, Yang looked more than a little skeptical of the seemingly convenient explanation. "You're saying I picked up on your thoughts and feelings through the way you shot an arrow?"

"To some people, Kyūdō, the way of the bow, is a way of life. If you think about it the other way, someone's way of life could be reflected in their 'way of the bow'." She frowned a bit and shook her head. "I know I'm probably not making much sense but I really have no idea how to explain this. I guess it's just something you have to experience for yourself to..."

When Yukari's eyes lit up as her voice trailed off, Yang slowly edged away on the bench, a brief shiver going down the length of her spine. "Uh… Yukari?"

"Maybe if…" The brunette trailed off again, her brown eyes now looking at Yang with a thoughtful and analytical gaze. Then she nodded firmly to herself, reaching out and taking Yang's wrist in her hand before the blonde could react. "Let's go."

Without giving Yang a chance to respond, Yukari rose from the bench, taking her teammate with her, and walking over to the next bench, where her archery equipment lay. It didn't take Yang long to piece together Yukari's words and actions. "No," she stated firmly but made no attempt to pull her wrist out of the archer's grasp. "No way."

"Come on," insisted Yukari, releasing her hold on Yang's wrist to pick up the bow as well as a handful of arrows. She held the bow out, clearly expecting Yang to take it. "It's not like I'm asking you to take it up as a hobby like I did. Just shoot a few arrows."

"Yukari, I don't even know how to use this thing." It was a weak excuse and she knew it. Yukari obviously knew it too with how quickly she shot it down.

"I'll teach you. I'm not a coach or a teacher but I did help teach some of the first-years last year."

"I'm probably gonna suck at this."

"It's not like I was any better when I was starting out."

"… You aren't gonna give this up, are you?"

"No," came the shameless, almost smug, admission. "Besides, what've you got to lose?"

Yang had no comeback for that. The only thing she would lose was the time she'd spend learning and trying it out. She took a deep breath and let out a resigned sigh, one hand reaching out to take the proffered bow from Yukari's hands. 'I'm gonna regret this. I just know it.'


November 11, XX13

"Take this out to table four. Fill up their glasses while you're there."

"Got it."

Blake placed the pitcher of water on the tray next to three small plates, each one holding a different slice of cake. With just a hint of difficulty, she picked up the tray and held it aloft at shoulder level with one hand, fingers spread out to keep it balanced.

After a quick trip out to the table in question to deliver their order, she returned to find her employer nodding in approval, his bespectacled green eyes giving her a thoughtful glance. "Better, though you still need to work on your smile."

Lucas Beruga was a tall, lanky man with graying brown hair and, more often than not, a gentle expression on his face. Blake wasn't sure was sort of faunus he was, due to the lack of any visible defining features, but the scent and feel he gave of, noticeable by any faunus, marked him as one.

The black-haired girl nodded but, inwardly, she knew she wasn't likely to be smiling any time soon. She was grateful for the help given to her by both Julian and Lucas, both for her temporary employment as well as helping her find an affordable place to stay, but it wasn't going to last.

She needed to make a decision soon.

"Better start getting ready Blake." Turning to her right, she found Rowena, one of her co-workers, walking past her, tying her black hair into a loose ponytail, reptilian scales covering a fair portion of the right side of her face and neck. "The dinner rush usually starts in a while. You've seen the lunch rush first-hand so you should know what to expect by now. In some ways it's easier, though, since people aren't in as much of a hurry to come in, eat, and get back to work."

Blake nodded and went back to work, bussing out dirty and empty plates while taking orders from any new guests. But even with the work occupying her, her thoughts sometimes strayed back to her situation.

The need to make a decision wasn't even about her limited funds anymore. With one of his employees having taken maternity leave recently, Lucas was willing to employ her full-time rather than part-time if she wanted, and her co-workers were willing to help her find a more permanent residence such as an apartment. They had even gone as far as offering to help her pay for the first month's rent since, obviously, she wouldn't be able to.

She was ashamed to admit it, but their offer surprised her. They may have been fellow faunus, but she hadn't expected that level of generosity. Not for a complete stranger who wouldn't even tell them who or what she had run away from. She hadn't even told them her last name for a variety of reasons.

However, their offer, for both the job and the residence, wasn't what tempted her to accept their generosity. Being here, being amongst faunus, was an experience she had forgotten over the past few months. Her fingers reached up to brush against the black-furred feline ears that sat atop her head.

Since that night in that old office building when she had taken it off, Blake hadn't even thought about putting on the bow that once hid her heritage. At first it had been the lack of necessity. She was in hiding. No one was there to see. When Julian and Thantos had treated her to dinner, it had slipped her mind completely to put it back on.

The next day, when Julian came to the hotel to accompany her to Olive Garden to speak with his friend about a part-time job, she felt overly conscious about hiding her ears, not wanting to offend her fellow faunus by hiding her heritage when they openly displayed theirs.

It felt strange, at first, having her ears displayed openly in public when she had been hiding it for months. But here and now, amongst fellow faunus, it was the thought of putting on the bow that felt alien. She had forgotten just how close-knit faunus community was.

But regardless of her decision, it wouldn't be right to keep Mitsuru waiting for an answer. Not when she had been considerate enough to send her that message in the first place.

Not to mention Yang, her very persistent partner who sent her at least a dozen messages every day since Monday. A brief, quiet buzz from her pocket let her know that the tenth message for the day arrived and judging by the time, the first years were just getting out of Combat class. Yang must be really worried now that she'd been gone for almost three days.

In one of her messages, the blonde brawler she called a partner had mentioned that Mitsuru took care of any questions from both the students and teachers. She didn't mention precisely what excuse Mitsuru used, just that Blake was ill. Such an excuse wouldn't last long, however. The three days she was gone was probably pushing it already unless Mitsuru's excuse was just that good. More reason not to delay any longer.

Even after three days, however, she was still having trouble mustering up the courage to finish and send the message she had already prepared on her Scroll. It was a request to meet with some of them – all would have been too much – plus a location, though even that might have to change since her current choice was a little too public. All she needed to do was add a date and time, and send it.

"Blake." Her attention was jarred out of her thoughts when Lucas called out to her. Judging by the tone, she hadn't messed up again like the first few times her attention wandered while on the job. The look on his face, however, showed that he was concerned about something. "I don't know your situation so I have to ask, are you going to be alright serving humans?"

'So that's the problem.'

While they were rare, the restaurant did have its fair share of human guests. The others often tried to lead any human guests to tables that Blake wasn't assigned to but she knew it wouldn't last. Still, she nodded her head in response without any hesitation. She was only avoiding people who might recognize her and not humans in general, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Lucas looked so relieved that Blake thought that he might have come to an exaggerated conclusion regarding her problem. "Good, good," he sighed out in relief. "Two humans just came in and are seated in your section. They don't look the sort to cause trouble with faunus but I just wanted to know if you'd be alright."

"I'll be fine." Then, knowing such words were rarely enough to put worries to rest, she added, "I'm only really avoiding specific people. And with how busy they usually are they probably won't have time to try and look for me until this weekend. Friday at the soonest."

The older faunus nodded and smiled in understanding. Unlike most, he probably did understand. "Alright. I've never seen these two in here but Rowena mentioned seeing one of them before and said that she was pretty friendly. Didn't stare or do anything that was even slightly rude so I'm guessing she knows some faunus or is even in a relationship with one. Just let us know if there's any trouble or if there's something you can't handle, alright?"

"I will. Thanks."

Blake finished unloading her tray and, after giving it a quick wipe with the towel on the countertop, placed it on the stack of trays to the side. After quick glance at the mirror to make sure she was presentable, she grabbed two menus, walked out to the serving area, turned around, and walked back in, eyes wide and face frozen in shock.

Iris, a tall woman in her twenties with pale green hair and a long black feline tail, came out of the kitchen just then and caught sight of the frozen feline faunus. "Blake? What's wrong?" Her question caught the attention of Lucas, who had just stepped into his office, and he immediately turned to see what was happening. "Did something happen?"

"…"

Iris and Lucas turned to one another then shrugged and shook their heads. Apparently, it wasn't that they couldn't hear her. Though Blake's lips had moved, she hadn't actually said anything. "Sorry, could you speak up?"

"…re …ere."

Iris took another step closer and gently placed a hand on the younger faunus's shoulder. "Blake, sweetie, you're going to have to speak just a bit louder."

"They're here."

Those two words, combined with Blake's reaction and general situation, was enough to put frowns on Lucas and Iris's faces. "'They'? They who?" asked Lucas, his normally gentle voice gaining a hard edge. "Is it the two humans who came in? Are they the ones you're running from?"

Blake just barely managed a shaky nod, too busy trying to sort out her thoughts and wondering why they were there. Had they found her somehow? Mitsuru did say that she would only be able to keep the others from searching for that one night.

Did someone perhaps see her one day? It definitely couldn't have been Yang. She would have come running the moment she saw her. That left some of the more rational people, but it wasn't like there were only a few of them. In fact, they easily outnumbered the more impulsive members of their little clique.

"…et rid of them." Her attention was pulled back when those words reached her ears. "I'll make up some excuse to-"

"No!" Not only Iris and Lucas, but even Blake had been surprised by the strength of her voice, by her sudden, apparent, change of heart. "No…" she repeated, calmer this time. "They're… they're not bad people. They just… I'll… I'll handle this. I just… just give me a minute."

The two older faunus exchanged concerned looks before Iris stepped closer to Blake. "Dear, you don't have to force yourself to do this. Even if they aren't bad people like you say, you're clearly distressed and you look like you're about to pass out. Look, why not let us handle this?" At the wide-eyed look that Blake gave her, she hastily added, "We won't force them out or anything. Go take a quick break and we'll let you know when they leave. You don't have to confront them here and now."

"No." Her disagreement was swift and her tone left little room for further disagreement. "I… I have to do this. I've been meaning to talk to them for a while now. I just… wasn't sure how to do it, I guess."

"What exactly happened?" Lucas shot Iris a warning look but the woman just glared back. "I'm not about to let her go out there without knowing at least a little about what happened between them."

It didn't take long for the restaurant owner to give in to Iris, knowing that she had a point. "Fine," he grumbled, taking the two menus from Blake. "I'll take care of their order for now. If you still want to talk with them you can be the one to take their food out. But if you wanna talk longer you'll have to wait 'til the dinner rush dies down."

Lucas left the two female faunus alone, and Iris was quick to pull her younger co-worker into the staff room for a little privacy. She sat Blake down on one of the chairs and took the one right across and looked at the black-haired girl expectantly. In response, Blake sighed, knowing she would not be leaving the room without at least a basic explanation.


"Sorry for the wait."

"It's no trouble," replied the young woman, looking up from her dinner companion. "We were just- Blake?!" In response to her exclamation, the head of the young man seated across from her shot up in surprise, eyes just as wide.

Keeping the tray balanced on her hand and shoulder, Blake carefully fidgeted in place, though her nervousness was lessened by the amusement she felt at seeing both Akihiko and Mitsuru with such shocked expressions on their faces.

Neither were completely unflappable, but this was the first time she had seen both of them looking so shocked that not only were they speechless, but their mouths were parted slightly and their eyes seemed to be as wide open as possible. It was clear they hadn't expected to run into her.

That, or they were shocked by her ears. The way their eyes sometimes darted upwards seems to support it.

Probably both.

"H-hi…" If she weren't holding up the tray, she probably would have kicked herself for that lame response.

For a while, neither side said anything. Mitsuru and Akihiko were too busy trying to comprehend the fact that they had, against all odds, stumbled upon Blake despite not actively searching for her. Blake was at a loss for words, not really having considered what she would say once she was in front of them. And watching discreetly from behind the door leading to the back, Lucas and Iris were ready to act should Blake need any help.

Thankfully, the nearby tables had gone back to their food when they seemed to realize that the disturbance, though caused by humans, was not a result of ill intentions.

Eventually, Akihiko broke the stalemate, clearing his throat and giving a nervous smile. "We could take that to go if you want us to," he said, glancing at the food that was on the tray.

Was it a testament to how nervous she was that she considered the offer? Even if it was just a brief moment, a part of her considered accepting it and apologizing for inconveniencing them. It was only because of her superior hearing that she could tell they were being serious and not just asking out of consideration.

If she asked them to, they really would leave without any complaints or any attempts to get her to change her mind. If she asked them to stay, they wouldn't start cheering or celebrating. It was, as she was coming to realize, just how they were.

"N-no, it's fine. You can stay." For a moment, it looked like they were going to ask again, probably because of how nervous she sounded. "Here." She lowered the tray and placed their orders on the table to hide how nervous she was. Once she was done, she took a quick step back. "I'll… I'll be back when you're done. To talk, I mean. I just… I just have to wait until there's less people."

"Th-that's fine." Not just the first time seeing Mitsuru shocked speechless, but also the first time she heard the normally composed and teen stammer. "We'll wait. At least, for as long as we can."

Blake nodded in understanding. "That's fine." Whatever their reason for being out in Vale on a weekday, they would still have to return to Beacon at some point. "You might be waiting a while since the rush started just a while ago but we should have enough time to talk. At least for a little while."

"We'll leave you to it then." And the graceful and ever-calm Mitsuru was back. Blake was, honestly, a little disappointed that she couldn't enjoy seeing that rarely seen side of Mitsuru for just a while longer. "And Blake," she called out just as the black-haired faunus began to leave. "I'm glad you're doing well."

The skin around Blake's eyes crinkled slightly as she gave a small smile. "Thanks," she replied before hurrying to the back. She had a job to do.


Blake practically collapsed onto the chair next to Akihiko once the dinner rush was mostly over. The restaurant was still quite full but, now that there weren't orders that needed to be taken left, right, and center, Lucas allowed Blake to join Mitsuru and Akihiko at their table once she took off her apron. She would still need to help clean up afterwards, but for now she was free to join them for the much awaited talk.

"Having fun?" Akihiko smiled shamelessly despite the tired, half-lidded stare Blake shot him in response to his question.

Mitsuru laughed softly, drawing attention. "I know I said it earlier, but it's good to see you're doing well Blake. We were all more than a little worried these past few days, mostly thinking about whether you were eating well or if you found a place to stay that wasn't outdoors or rundown."

"Nora sometimes has these ridiculous ideas," Akihiko added with weary amusement, raising his coffee cup up to his face to blow on it a bit. "Like how you might have been chased down by a pack of Beowolves, or even went to join that faunus group, the White Fang I think." Thankfully, neither Akihiko nor Mitsuru seemed to notice Blake briefly tensing at those words. "Of course, the worst part was when Yang was there to hear and she'd get more worked up too."

"I got lucky, to be honest," admitted Blake, trying not to let the words, spoken in jest, bother her. "I ran into another faunus that night who helped me find a place to stay. He was also the one who spoke with Lucas, the owner of this place, about giving me a part-time job so I could pay for the hotel I'm staying in as well as my meals."

"Sometimes a little luck is enough to get through the worst of things," commented the boxer as he finished off his coffee even though Blake could still see a bit of steam rising off the top of the cup. "Just like how a little bad luck is enough to ruin the best."

"Like Yukari figuring out my secret?" She hadn't meant to sound accusing, but the way Mitsuru and Akihiko winced, and not from the bitterness of the coffee, she knew she hadn't succeeded. "Sorry," she said while bowing her head. "I know she didn't mean to let everyone hear her say it. It's just…"

"Don't worry about it too much." She turned just as Akihiko rose to his feet, pulling his jacket off the backrest of the chair. "I'm pretty sure Yukari's been beating herself up over it since that day even if she doesn't say or show it. Be glad we're the ones who stumbled into you here," he added with a knowing grin. "Yukari's grown a lot since we first met but, like you've seen, sometimes she can still be that same girl who acts without really thinking things through. She probably would have started apologizing again and again in a loud voice the moment she saw you here." He turned to Mitsuru as he put on his jacket. "I'll go finish up so we can head straight to Beacon afterwards."

The redhead nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

After he left, Blake shuffled nervously in her seat. There was really only one topic left to discuss but sitting there alone with Mitsuru made her more nervous than before. Akihiko's icebreaker had done its job earlier, but her own careless words brought back the tension.

It didn't help that Mitsuru sat there, calmly sipping her coffee as though the tension didn't even exist. Was this a result of her upbringing and experiences? Or was it because it was now up to Blake to start things off?

Realizing she wouldn't get anywhere speculating, Blake swallowed down her nerves. "I…" Though she barely said anything, Mitsuru gave Blake her full attention the moment she spoke. Unfortunately, this just made the faunus even more nervous. 'This is almost worse that talking with Professor Goodwitch on a bad day.'

No longer able to form the words she wanted to say, Blake shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out her Scroll. Nervous fingers fumbled around to open it, nearly dropping it in the process. She blushed in embarrassment at the thought that Mitsuru was there to see her clumsy actions. Eventually, she managed to slide open her Scroll and open the message she had been intending to send.

She set the Scroll down on the center of the table and slid it slightly in Mitsuru's direction to indicate her intentions. Unbothered by the indirect manner of communication, Mitsuru just smiled gently and picked up the Scroll.

After reading the message she set the Scroll down on the table and looked up. "Of course. Just let me know the time and place and we'll meet you. Although…" She paused, her expression giving way to some concern. "Are you sure about this? I know what I said, but I'm not completely certain. There's always room for error, especially when it comes to people."

"I-I'm sure. I… This is something I need to do." Blake's voice was as resolute as she could make it, though it was clear that she still had her own reservations about her decision.

"I see." What it was that she 'saw' went unsaid, but Blake knew that Mitsuru wouldn't judge her. She never has before and, probably, never will. "In that case, just leave it to me. I'll handle everything on our end once you decide where and when to meet."

With the most important issue out of the way, Blake and Mitsuru spent the next half-hour catching up on other things.

Mitsuru explained that she had personally spoken to Professor Goodwitch to explain Blake's absence. Not the fact that she had run away, but that she had fallen ill while they were in Vale that day and that they visited a nearby clinic rather than wait until they returned to Beacon.

The choice of 'illness', however, left Blake both grateful and blushing bright red. Mitsuru apologized for using that, looking just as embarrassed as Blake – yet another side of the former heiress that Blake was privileged to see – but she was right in that it was the best choice to ensure that Goodwitch did not force the missing Blake to visit Beacon's infirmary. Of course, that left Blake completely uncertain if she could ever look Professor Goodwitch in the eye without blushing madly.

Mitsuru also let her know that she had been taking time to make copies of her notes in all their core classes while, at the same time, recruiting Ren for the Stealth and Recon class, and Chidori and Aigis for the Field Medicine class. Blake would have to do a lot of reading to catch up with the latter but, knowing Chidori and Aigis, the latter especially, the notes would be incredibly helpful.

Blake was thankful that Mitsuru had managed to reign them in when they wanted to continue the search, but she did express concern that Mitsuru's choice of action would not be looked upon very well. Especially by Yang.

However, Mitsuru's response was as calm as ever. "I'm well aware that my actions that night could very well cause a breach to form in my relationship with Yang. But as a leader, I had to consider what is best for the team as a whole." Blake felt disheartened by those words, though she couldn't explain why. The feeling, however, was almost completely wiped away by Mitsuru's next statement.

"As a friend, I had to consider what was best for the people involved. And as an individual, I had to consider what I felt was the right course of action. Perhaps others would see my choice as wrong but, as a leader, a friend, and an individual, I felt, and still feel, that my choice was the correct one."

Soon, far too soon for Blake's liking, it was time for Mitsuru to leave if she wanted to catch one of the last two airships to Beacon. But before the redhead could leave, Blake stopped her at the door. "Thank you, Mitsuru."

Mitsuru gave her a closed-eyed smile. "You're very welcome." The redhead pushed the door opened and was halfway out when she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Let us know when you want to meet and I'll take care of everything. Have a good night, Blake." And with those parting words, Mitsuru left, the door to the restaurant shutting behind her.

Later that night, Blake would go to bed in her hotel room, sleeping peacefully for the first time since the night of her departure.


November 13, XX13

Blonde hair fluttered in the morning breeze as an arm waved at the approaching group of three as its owner stood on the boarding ramp of the airship that would soon depart for Vale.

"Come on! Hurry up!"

Yang could barely contain her excitement. After almost five full days since Blake's sudden departure, they were finally going to meet her partner again. And if what Mitsuru said was true, Blake was most likely going to return to Beacon with them by the end of the day.

"Would you calm down? The airship isn't scheduled to leave for another ten minutes. Stop acting like a child. Why are you even excited about this?"

The only problem that Yang could see was the fourth person in their group who was making her way up the ramp.

Why did Blake invite her?

Yang could understand restricting the first meeting to their team. Even if everyone knew her secret, it would be less stressful to first talk to those she knew best. And once that was done, explaining everything to everyone else would be easier with her team by her side.

If, for some reason, Blake chose to invite someone from the other teams, such as Aigis, Chidori and Ren, Yang would have found it equally understandable. Blake had gotten fairly close with Aigis and Chidori through their shared Field Medicine class, while Ren was her classmate in Stealth and Recon. That also would have the added advantage of having someone supportive on each of the other three teams.

So why? Why her? Why Weiss Schnee? Why invite the one person in their group who had the most reason to look down on the faunus?

At that thought, Yang's traitorous mind brought forth the memory of that past Sunday night, when Weiss berated her for making assumptions about the heiress. It stung to know that Weiss had a very good point, but the blonde had no intention of taking back her words until she was proven wrong. She just didn't think now was the best time for it.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything. It had been Blake who requested that Weiss be present alongside the other members of Team KYBT. No matter what Yang or anyone else said, only two people would change that. Blake, and Weiss herself.

Since it had only been a request, Weiss wasn't required to join them. In fact, she didn't even want to go at first. But Mitsuru had spoken to Weiss in private and said something to make the heiress change her mind. Weiss didn't even look like she was being forced to go. In fact, Weiss almost – almost – looked like she was looking forward to it.

"Why wouldn't I be excited?" Yang shot back at the heiress as the quartet entered the airship's passenger area. "It's not like my partner's been missing for nearly a week, leaving all of us worried about whether she's safe or even still in the city. Oh wait," she paused, placing a finger on her chin in thought, then rounding on Weiss with a firm glare. "She was!"

Weiss opened her mouth to retort but someone physically stepped in between her and the blonde, short brown hair identifying the interloper as Yukari. "Will you two just give it a rest?" she alternated between the two of them with a stern yet tired expression. "Can't you two even be in the same room without getting into a fight? I swear, if this wasn't for Blake I'd be throwing you both out of the airship. While we're in the air."

"She started it!" Both girls shouted, causing Yukari to cover her ears as they were assaulted from both sides.

"And I'm ending it!" It was practically the most clichéd response to their words, but it was the definitely the most fitting. Clichés were clichés for a reason after all. "Look, just don't talk to each other, don't say anything to whatever the other says, and unless you have to don't even look at each other. I don't care that you're both stronger than me but if you don't stop fighting then one way or another I'll make you."

Not the most threatening choice of words, especially since she admitted to being weaker, but it seemed to get the job done as both Yang and Weiss huffed and walked off in different directions. Yukari followed them with her eyes, just to make sure neither one started anything. They seemed to take her advice to heart and sat as far away as possible from the other. With the size of the room, they would have to shout at the top of their lungs just to be heard, never mind being understood.

Yukari let out a weary sigh just as Mitsuru came up to her side. "Don't worry," said the red-haired teen, giving the brunette a supportive smile. "I'll accompany Weiss until we get to the meeting place. That way, we can split up and avoid any more problems along the way."

"I hope so." Despite her words, Yukari sounded anything but hopeful. "It's another thing when we get there though."

"For now, just see if you can get Yang to focus on Blake and leave Weiss to me. Then I'll take care of keeping the peace once we're there. Everything will be fine."

"I hope so," repeated Yukari, eyes looking in the direction of her blonde teammate even as Mitsuru made her way to the heiress. "I really, really, hope so."


"Everything will be fine."

"I hope so."

"Considering what you've told me of your friends, I know it will be. So maybe you could stop pacing around and try to relax. I'd threaten to dock your pay if you wear out the floor but something tells me you won't be working here for much longer anyway."

Blake stopped her nervous pacing just long enough send a strained smile in Lucas's direction. Then the rhythmic sound of her footsteps echoed throughout the empty restaurant once more. Lucas just sighed in response, running his hand through graying brown hair as he shook his head in amusement.

Few people came to Olive Garden during the mid to late morning period during the weekdays. During those hours, most people were already at work, leaving the restaurant mostly empty. A few people came by, but at most only one or two tables were occupied out of over two dozen at any given time.

That was why he offered the use of the restaurant, specifically the staff room, as a meeting place for Blake and her friends rather than have her meet them at the nearby park like she originally planned on doing. Not only was it familiar territory for Blake, somewhat at least, but he and Iris, who had volunteered to take the breakfast kitchen shift today, would be nearby should she need anything.

He wasn't really expecting any problems. Not after hearing the full story alongside Iris, who heard a highly compressed version the other night.

Blake's partner – and that was quite a shock for him and Iris when their 'runaway' had explained that she was actually a Huntress-in-training up at Beacon – found out her secret by accident but had no ill feelings towards faunus. Her team leader had actually taken interest in faunus culture and spent several weeks researching and studying the subject with Blake, a rarity among humans. And her final teammate had somehow worked out that Blake was a faunus.

Though it had been that teammate who revealed the secret to everyone in their group, Blake had explained that it didn't sound like she had done it out of spite. Rather, she had just shared her discovery, not realizing that everyone else had arrived just in time to hear it.

The only reason Blake even ran away in the first place was because she had panicked at having her secret revealed outside her control. By the time she regained her wits, it was a little too late. And even if she wanted to, she lacked the courage to go back and explain herself to her friends.

The way Lucas saw it, all of it was just one big unfortunate event. She had already come to trust her team but was just having trouble confessing the truth. In that light, being discovered the other night was a blessing in disguise as it gave Blake the chance to settle things sooner rather than later.

And that time was now, if the two girls he saw through the restaurant's windows were Blake's teammates. A fairly tall girl with long, blonde hair and a shorter girl with chin-length brown hair.

He held back a grin when Blake jumped upon hearing the door open. As advantageous as it could be at times, a faunus's superior hearing could be a bit of a burden when one was that high-strung.

"Blake!" The poor girl hadn't even had time to completely turn to the door when she was tackle-hugged by the blonde, the brunette standing by the door shaking her head in exasperation. "You're alright!"

"Yang…"

Yang continued without giving Blake a chance to speak. "Why'd you even have to run away? Didn't I promise you I'd help when you were ready to tell everyone your secret?"

"Yang… I…"

Yet again, Yang didn't give her partner a chance to speak. She had been holding it in for five days. She wasn't going to let Blake off without first letting out all her pent-up emotions. "We were so worried about you. I know you can take care of yourself but you never replied to our messages so I just kept getting worried and worried."

"Yang…"

"And you never called down your locker from Beacon. I kept telling myself you wouldn't go out of the city without your weapons but I couldn't help thinking that maybe you left without thinking and got into a fight with the Grimm or something and gotten hurt. Or maybe even worse and-"

"And if you don't let go," cut in Yukari's snarky, but decidedly amused, tone of voice, "We'll probably need to give her CPR or something."

"Huh?" Yang looked over her shoulder at Yukari. "CPR? What are you-"

"Yang… can't… breathe…"

With her partner finally able to speak without being interrupted, Yang looked into her partner's face and found her face frozen in agony. Lowering her gaze, she found the source of said agony to be the arms she had tightly wrapped around Blake's torso, trapping her arms at her sides as well. "Oh… whoops."

"Don't just go 'whoops'! Let go of her already!"

Blake had never been more grateful for the ability to breathe than the moment Yang let go of her, taking large breaths of air as though they would be her last. "Come on, no need to be so dramatic about it. It wasn't that bad, was it?" Of course, Yang just had to try to break the ice. 'Try' being the operative word.

"I'm… I'm fine," Blake said after a moment. "Just… no more death-hugs."

"Heh, no promises."

It almost felt like it was weeks or even months since she had last seen Yang and Yukari instead of five days. Neither girl had changed but there was something different about them. Or was it Blake whose perceptions have changed over the past five days?

"Sometimes I wonder if your Semblance isn't actually Breaking or something like it."

"One time, Yukari! It was one time! And I didn't even break it!"

"You almost did! If I hadn't stopped you, you would have snapped my bow in half!"

"You told me to draw it back all the way!"

"You didn't see me drawing the arrow that fast, did you?!"

Lucas looked bewildered by the argument that had sprung up before him, and Blake was no less bemused. But it was then that she realized just what had changed in her absence.

The way Yukari and Yang were arguing wasn't like how the latter argued with Weiss. It was more akin to Yukari and Junpei's near-daily banter. Something had happened while she was gone. And it had resulted in a closer bond being formed between Yukari and Yang.

They had teased and bantered back and forth in the past but, unlike Yukari and Junpei, there had always been some invisible line that the two never crossed. Like they were holding back certain words or thoughts for fear of unintentionally offending the other. Whatever happened between them had blurred that line, perhaps even broken it in some places. It was like-

"Yo, Blake, you alright?" The black-haired faunus blinked as Yang came into focus, snapping her fingers in front of Blake. "You've been staring at us like we were strangers or something."

"Oh… I… I just…"

"What's wrong?" Yang grinned and Blake felt a familiar feeling of dread welling up inside her. "Cat got your tongue?" The pun was followed by two groans and Yukari's hand slapping against her upper face. "What?" Yang asked innocently as though unaware of her fault. "Too soon?"

"That, and it wasn't funny," Yukari bluntly responded. "You're lucky senpai isn't here yet."

"Oh come on," complained the blonde, whirling around to point at the archer. "That was hilarious and you know it!"

"Hilariously stupid if you ask me."

Blake immediately tuned them out, but wondered if this was going to be the new dynamic between the two from this point on.

"Are they always like this?" Lucas asked, leaning closer to Blake but watching the bantering pair with both confusion and amusement.

"They're…" Blake paused for just a brief moment to consider what she was going to say. "…getting better."

It wasn't exactly a lie. It just depended on what someone considered 'better'.

Before the argument could die down, or escalate – Blake couldn't really discount the possibility – someone else walked in through the front doors. "And here I thought that separating Yang and Weiss would solve the issue." There was no admonishment in Mitsuru's tone despite her words, only amusement at the scene before her. It only reinforced the idea in Blake's head that seeing her two other teammates arguing would soon be the norm.

"Mitsuru," Blake said in greeting, nodding towards the former heiress. Then her gaze landed on the white-haired figure beside her and gave another nod. "Weiss."

While Weiss huffed and looked away with her arms crossed, not even deigning to respond verbally, Mitsuru smiled warmly. "It's good to see you again Blake. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

It didn't escape Blake's notice that the redhead didn't mention their accidental meeting the other night. Probably for the best, she decided. While it had been unintentional, it would seem hypocritical of Mitsuru to discourage everyone from searching only to meet with Blake behind their backs and talk about the issue at hand.

"Thanks. Anyway, we have a room in the back where we can talk." When Blake turned to lead the way, her eyes caught sight of Lucas, who was staring intently at something. Following his gaze, she found them locked onto Weiss, who was looking around the restaurant with disinterest. She cursed in her head for forgetting to mention that one detail to him. "Don't worry," she said in a low voice. Low enough for the others not to hear. "She hasn't said or done anything to me or any of the faunus up at Beacon."

It was true too. While she hadn't especially gone out of her way to monitor the heiress, Blake hadn't seen or heard of any incidents involving the Schnee heiress and the faunus. At least, not at school.

Her words seemed to satisfy Lucas, who nodded warily, though she could tell that he wouldn't be able to completely relax while the heiress of the SDC, quite possibly the biggest discriminators of faunus, was in the same building as he was.

"I'll go prepare something to drink," he said while giving them all a pleasant smile, though a tinge of nervousness appeared when his eyes fell on Weiss once more. "Go on ahead and use the staff room. Or you can stay out here if you want. It doesn't look like we'll be getting anyone until we get close to lunch. I think I can afford to close up shop until then to give you all some privacy out here."

Blake tried to turn down what she felt was an overly generous offer but was cut off by her partner. "Oh hey, mind if I order something?" All eyes turned to Yang at her unexpected request. In turn, she glanced at them all. "What? We came straight here after my first class. I didn't exactly have time to eat before the airship left." A loud rumbling came from her stomach, as though to prove her point.

Lucas let out a pleasant laugh, the levity of the situation doing much to ease what anxiety he felt at having the Schnee heiress under his establishment's roof. "I don't mind. I'm sure Iris would appreciate having something to do other than wait around for the lunch rush. Why don't you all pick out something and I'll take your orders when I get back. And don't worry, it's on the house."

Before anyone could argue or turn down his generous offer, in addition to his offer to close the restaurant while they have their talk, Lucas left and went into the back.

"Sorry about that." Blake's apology caught them off-guard. At least, until they saw that she was facing Weiss. "I didn't exactly let him know you were coming since I wasn't really sure if you'd come."

Weiss huffed and turned her head away from Blake. "Whatever." Both Yang and Yukari looked like they wanted to say something, but an outstretched arm, courtesy of Mitsuru, stopped them, though she didn't look like she approved either. "Let's just get this over with."

After a brief discussion, the five students decided to stay out in front rather than in the windowless staff room in the back. They sat at a round table for six in the corner to minimize the chance of any patrons coming in and sitting at a table near them. It wasn't the most private setting, but most of them agreed that they weren't exactly discussing military secrets and the like.

Blake took the seat closest to the corner of the room, Yang sitting to her right followed by Yukari. Mitsuru took the other seat next to Blake, leaving Weiss to choose between the two remaining seats. One placed her directly in front of Blake, which caused a brief look of distaste to appear on the heiress's face before she took the other seat next to Mitsuru.

The first few minutes was filled with Yukari and Yang questioning Blake on the past five days, starting with how she came to know Lucas. That led to some jokes on Blake's expense once the blonde brawler learned of her part-time employment at the restaurant.

When Lucas returned with several glasses along with a pitcher of water, he also took Yang's breakfast order. After a little more prodding, everyone else, including Weiss, placed an order of their own for something light, though Mitsuru opted for a single cup of coffee. After taking their order, the restaurant owner went to the front door and flipped the sign to 'CLOSED' to give them the privacy from other guests he had offered. After thanking him for his generosity, the trio of girls continued to catch-up with one another afterwards.

While this was going on, Mitsuru observed the way Weiss was clearly holding herself back from speaking. It was not out of shyness, but rather it was an effort not to be rude. It was clear she wanted nothing more than to get things over with and return to Beacon.

Thankfully, the opportunity to bring up the main topic of the day came up soon.

"Still, I gotta say that you look a lot better without your bow," said Yukari.

It took all of Blake's willpower to keep her hands on the table and not reach up to cover her ears. In all honesty, she had forgotten that her ears were no longer hidden beneath her bow. She had just gotten used to not hiding them over the week that she hadn't even considered wearing her bow to this meeting.

"Almost feels like I'm really meeting you for the first time." Those words struck deep into Blake, and she bowed her head with a frown. "Did… Did I say something wrong?"

Blake shook her head, not wanting Yukari to feel bad for what she said. "No. It's just… Did any of you come up with any ideas as to why I hid my ears?" Blake watched Yang and Yukari exchange glances while both Mitsuru and Weiss turned their attention to Blake.

The first to respond was Yang. "Honestly, I just thought you didn't wanna deal with people like Cardin. Now I'm getting the feeling that wasn't it."

"Not dealing with people like him was just a bonus," admitted Blake. "The real reason I wear my bow is because I don't want people judging me just because I'm a faunus."

"So you wanted people to see you for who you are rather than what you are, is that right?" The words themselves seemed to be understanding, but the tone was almost harsh in delivery. But coming from the Schnee heiress, Blake could almost say that it was expected. She just hadn't expected Weiss to be the one to say those words. "You do realize how contradictory your words are, right?"

"W-Weiss!" cried both Yukari and Yang.

But even more surprising was Blake's response. "I know," she said, looking down at the table despondently. "At least, I realized it just a few days ago."

"Blake…"

"I thought that by hiding my ears, people wouldn't judge me before they even knew me. I thought if I could prove that faunus and humans aren't very different once you take away the physical differences that they'd start to realize that there was no need to treat one another as if we were completely different."

"But then…" Blake paused and took a deep breath. "Then I started working here and I remembered what it felt like to be among people who honestly accepted me for who I was without me having to hide anything."

"Blake, we-"

But Blake didn't let Yang say anything, cutting her off gently with her next statement. "Here, they didn't care who or what I was running from. They didn't even care that I was running. All they saw was a fellow faunus in need and they did what they could to help. Instead of just a part-time job, Lucas offered to hire me full-time. The others who work here offered to help me look for an apartment nearby and even offered to pay the first month's rent to help me get started. You have no idea how tempting it all was."

"I'm not taking them up on it though," she added quickly, seeing the look of panic on Yang's face. Mitsuru and Weiss remaining calm was expected, but Blake was a little surprised that Yukari was taking the news calmly, though she looked surprised. "I still want to be a Huntress." She turned to face Yang. "And I know that you don't think differently of me for being a faunus. But others might not think that way."

"I went to Beacon because I wanted to show people that humans and faunus aren't different. But I went about it the wrong way. By hiding my heritage and revealing it only when it becomes convenient for me, people are going to wonder what else I'm hiding. And the fact that I'm a faunus may make them doubt other faunus too. At worst, they'll start suspecting that humans around them might actually be faunus in disguise. If I want to show that the faunus can be trusted, I can't do it by lying first then telling the truth only when it suits me."

"And so I…" Blake turned away, leading them to wonder what she was about to say next. "I'm considering not wearing my bow when I go back to Beacon. Or at least, not wearing it all the time."

"Wait, what?" Yang leaned forward in her seat, hands planted on the table and already half-standing. "But that… I don't… don't you think that you're going too fast? Right?" But looking around the table, the blonde found that her opinion was the minority. "You… you guys don't think so?"

"We can't exactly stop her if it's what she wants," said Yukari, though her face held a small frown. "But Yang does have a point. It's one thing to say you're gonna do it but... are you actually ready?"

"Honestly?" Yukari and Yang nodded. "I'm terrified." Before the two could say anything else, Blake shook her head. "I'm terrified, but I have to do this." Her hands, resting on top of the table, slowly tightened into fists. "I want... I have to show that the faunus aren't just animals and beasts like some people think. That just because we want equality doesn't mean that we're all going to start acting like the White Fang."

"The White Fang?" asked Yang. "They're that terrorist group, right?"

"They're NOT terrorists!" The shout was accented by two fists slamming down on the table, causing the napkin holder and the condiment shakers to jump. Much like the latter, the other four seated around the table jumped at Blake's unexpected outburst and it was a surprise that neither Lucas nor Iris came running at the commotion. When Blake realized what she had just done, she pressed her lips shut and looked away.

"Blake?" prodded Mitsuru, pre-empting Yang's own attempts to reach out to her partner. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. I just…" Blake took a deep, calming breath before turning back to face them all, nearly turning away again at the suspicious look in Weiss's blue eyes. "The White Fang wasn't always the way they are now. I still remember the time when they were a peaceful group, holding protests and rallies to try and denounce racism and discrimination and not... not hurting people."

The scoff that came from Weiss was almost expected, given the topic in question. But that didn't stop Blake from wincing at the sound, and the coming words. "Well clearly that isn't the case now. Or are you trying to tell me that the White Fang currently at war with my family and my family's company, the same White Fang responsible for the disappearances and deaths of family friends and SDC board members and employees, are a completely different group with the exact same name that have nothing to do with the White Fang you know?"

"That's not-"

"You know," interrupted Yang, turning to the heiress with an expression that told of how fragile her hold on her temper was. "If you aren't going to say anything useful then maybe you can just keep quiet. Actually," she turned her attention to her partner. "Why'd you even invite her? You had to know she was just gonna make a mess of things, right?"

Rather than addressing Yang, Blake turned to Weiss, who seemed to steel herself, readying herself for a confrontation of sorts. But then, as she seemed to be doing a lot lately, Blake surprised them all by bowing her head. "I'm sorry."

The other four showed varying levels of surprise, and even Mitsuru had to shrug when Yang and Yukari turned to her for an answer. It would seem that not even she had anticipated Blake's apology.

"You're sorry?" Equally surprising was the lack of derision in Weiss's response. If anything, she seemed just as curious as the rest of them. "For what, exactly?"

"That day we first met, back before the orientation," answered Blake. Yang continued to look confused, having been absent for that particular event, but both Mitsuru and Yukari look on with understanding while Weiss gestured for Blake to continue. "I'm not apologizing for what I said." That, however, earned a frown from the heiress. "I know for a fact that the faunus laborers working for the SDC are mistreated and are poorly compensated for the work they do. But…"

"But I was wrong to treat you the way I did." Blake shut her eyes and took another steadying breath, though her hands shook lightly, belying her calm expression. "I treated you like you were directly responsible for the suffering of the faunus under the SDC, all because you were the heiress. What I did was no better than when humans treat every faunus as though they were members of the White Fang."

The heiress huffed in response, raising her head to give the impression of looking down on Blake. "And you think an apology is enough to make up for that?"

"Weiss!"

"No."

"Blake?!"

The way Yang was looking back and for between her partner and the heiress showed just how confused she was over the rapidly changing situation. By the look of things, she was the only one who didn't have the slightest clue about what was going on.

"An apology is just the start," continued Blake, all but ignoring her partner and her silent pleas for an explanation. "And that's why I wanted you here. I wanted to ask you something important."

Weiss stared at Blake for a good long while, trying to determine whether it was worth hearing her out. Yang seemed ready to say something but a hand on her forearm, courtesy of Yukari, held her back, but only just. Yukari was under no illusion that Yang wouldn't react poorly if Weiss didn't give the matter proper respect. And, like always, Mitsuru was the only one who seemed completely unperturbed by the situation.

Eventually, Weiss nodded, much to Blake's visible relief, and leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed. "Go on."

Blake took a moment to collect herself, gathering the courage she needed for her current task. "How do you feel about the faunus?" Before Weiss could even open her mouth to speak, Blake slipped in some more details. "I'm not asking about how you feel about me, or the White Fang, or the faunus up at Beacon or here in Vale. I want to know what you think and how you feel about faunus-kind as a whole."

"I understood the question the first time," Weiss half-snapped in response. "Don't treat me like I'm your partner or that dolt Ruby." Yang growled at the insult aimed at her sister but Yukari tightened her grip on the blonde's forearm and managed to reign her in, though she did send Weiss a warning glance to let her know that she was treading on thin ice as it was. "As to your question, I think that-"

The door to the back area suddenly burst open, slamming into the wall next to it with an ear-piercing bang and causing everyone to turn in its direction. Belatedly, they heard the sound of something rolling along the floor. When they turned to the source, five pairs of eyes widened at the pair of canisters that came to a stop on the floor next to their table just as it began spewing out smoke.

"What the-"

Eyes were clenched shut, arms and hands were raised to cover their noses and mouths, but it was too late. It wasn't harsh enough to call it tear gas, but it was more than just plain smoke, enough to irritate their eyes and throats and cause them all to cough violently in a pointless effort to clear their airways of the irritant.

The clomping of heavy footwear entered the room and Blake could hear them moving in their direction. "Hurry!" came a muffled voice, though Blake's heightened sense of hearing noticed the distinctly male tone. "Grab the Schnee."

'Weiss!'

She opened her mouth to warn the heiress – Blake wasn't sure if everyone heard the voice, or if she only heard it because of her own heightened hearing – but the smoke kept irritating her throat with every breath, making every word come out as a harsh wheezing sound accompanied by equally harsh coughs. Nothing that came out even remotely sounded like a word. She could only guess that the others were in similar condition.

So instead, she rose to her feet to try and stop the kidnapping attempt. Unfortunately, with the smoke irritating her eyes whenever she opened them even a crack, she could barely see anything in front of her and what little she could see was blurred.

She tried to use her hands to guide her around the table, but the sound of chairs falling to the floor reached her ears, followed by a brief scream from in front of her – Weiss was sitting practically across from her! – and the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

There was a brief moment that was filled only by the sound of coughing before she heard another voice, slightly muffled like the first one but slightly different in tone. "Let's go!"

The heavy footsteps fled. Then came the sound of another door slamming open along with the sharp, ear piercing crash of breaking glass. The screeching of tires and the roar of an engine came soon after and faded just as quickly, leaving only the sound of coughing and pitiful attempts at speaking.

It took a long time – or did it just feel that way – before the smoke cleared enough that she could take shallow breaths without coughing her lungs out. She slowly opened her eyes, heartened by the lessened sting of the thinning smoke even though her vision was still incredibly blurry.

"Is… Is everyone alright?" someone asked from her right.

"Yeah," called back Blake, though she was unable to say anything else as her throat grew irritated once more by the lingering smoke.

"I'm fine," came another voice from the same direction, followed by several coughs.

"When-" a harsh cough interrupted the voice from her left. "When I find whoever… whoever did this... I'm going to…" Whatever threat was about to be spoken was interrupted by a bout of coughing.

It took just a moment longer – too long in her opinion – before the smoke finally cleared enough for them to open their eyes and blink away the blurriness. Once they did, however, a single pair of amber eyes frantically searched the premises only for its owner to calm down once they landed on a head of white hair.

But before she could relax completely, Blake suddenly noticed that, despite Weiss's presence, something was still very wrong with the picture before her. And it was only when Yukari's words, calm and oblivious to the problem, reached her that she realized what it was.

"Where's senpai?"


DUN DUN DUN…

And here we have a surprise twist to the Blake-is-a-faunus Arc. You didn't think things were going to be that easy, did you? XD

I realize that some things may feel rushed and, honestly, I may go back to make minor corrections, especially to that final scene. Maybe it's because I'm excited to get to the first major arc of the story (yes, the arcs so far have been fairly minor compared to what's coming) but I feel like I've rushed through most of this chapter's scenes as well as some from the other recent chapters.

Hopefully it hasn't affected the quality of the chapters too much. As I've said, though, I'll probably go through the chapters to fix them up a bit. I won't be making major scene changes, but maybe add just a few more lines here and there to smooth things over.

With the end of Volume 4, we've seen quite a few revelations but, honestly, I'm a bit disappointed at how little there were. While the story may have moved forward somewhat, most of the volume gave me a 'fillerish' sort of vibe. More of a re-introduction of the characters rather than a direct continuation. I get why it was needed, especially given the fairly long wait between the end of Volume 3 and the release of Volume 4, but I really was hoping for more info.

Anyway, Blake's Arc should conclude by the next chapter, hopefully, then we'll have two or three more chapters before we hit the first major arc. And just so we have a comparison, the arcs we've had so far have had 3 or 4 chapters dedicated to each one and those are just fairly minor character arcs. Major arcs will take at least twice as many chapters AT A MINIMUM. Yeah, when I say major, I mean MAJOR.

The next chapter shouldn't take as long since most of it has already been drafted down while I was writing this chapter.

As always, please let me know what you think of the story and/or my writing so far. I really do appreciate your opinions and I have a lot of fun discussing things with the story's readers. If you wanna get in on a group discussion, I've got a forum up for that (as mentioned last chapter). Not a lot of people there but, hopefully, we'll get a couple more to make things lively.

After reviewing, don't forget to check out the poll on my profile if you haven't yet.

And to all Code Geass fans out there, the teaser for my newest story is still up and the first real chapter might be coming out soon. Check it out and tell me what you think. If you love how I've worked with Messiah's Legacy I can almost guarantee you'll love my Code Geass story. What I can guarantee with absolute certainty is that nobody has ever written Code Geass a story under that premise before.

Thanks for reading everyone! I'll see you all next chapter!

Don't forget to review please! XD XD XD

Thank you!