Chapter 14: Sharing is Caring


Taylor

Beacon stood just as magnificent and isolated as ever when we returned from Twin Seams. The ride back had been somber at best, with everyone dwelling on what happened.

Sky seemed the least affected, but he hadn't seen the bodies. Cardin put up a brave front, but I had caught him staring at nothing. Dove and Russel acted as each other's support, having sat next to one another in silent solidarity.

Team CRDL would grow after this, but it wasn't worth the cost.

I was supposed to have been doing better already. Empty words, empty promises.

I had wanted to stop compromising with bullies for my goals, and now I was debating whether or not I should have found a way to work with CRDL to prevent what happened, even if it meant tolerating their behavior. Ends and means. Sacrifices and tolerance. I wasn't sure how I should be doing things anymore.

If I wasn't hiding my powers, was there something I could have done? A swarm of bugs with Dust crystals, thousands of flying grenades might have helped.

We would have to submit individual reports on our actions and the reasoning behind them, something I was very familiar with. I'd written dozens of similar reports while in the Wards.

I distracted myself by trying to run through what points I would include, but my tired mind kept forgetting what I had already thought of.

There was a barrage of texts from Ruby, with a moderate amount from Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss, and others, all asking about how things went. I sent them brief responses but nothing too in-depth.

I needed a shower and a change of clothes, but my first stop would be rest. Regrets or not, I needed sleep above all else.

The sun had barely risen when we touched down at Beacon, and after my trip to the infirmary, I entered my dorm room just as morning classes started.

Team CRDL and I had been excused from classes today, for obvious reasons. So, I took a quick soothing shower, lay on my bed, and instantly fell asleep.

I dreamt of the Undersiders' loft, all of us sitting in the living room. Not any particular time, just all of us chatting.

My eyes shot open to a clock that told me I had been asleep for a few hours, but after rolling around for another half hour, I realized I wouldn't be getting any more.

There should have been something in that dream; a feeling of togetherness, of warmth, of companionship.

Instead, I struggled to remember those times, what it had been like to spend an average night with friends.

I shook my head and decided to finish a book I had borrowed from Blake, anything to let my mind wander. It was well-written, but I was never one to really get into the shoes of a lovestruck protagonist.

I finished the book, but it hadn't been enough to pull me from darker thoughts and troubled doubts.

Sleep still wasn't in reach, so I got dressed and decided to go for a walk.

The gardens always were pleasant to go through. Beautiful, well kept, serene—all accurate descriptions that didn't quite encapsulate the vibrancy of the flowers, the glow that the sun left in its wake, or the scents that seemed to accentuate the sights.

A butterfly landing on a familiar cane dampened my mood. I kept going anyway.

There were too many things that I was unsure I was handling correctly. Personal relationships, obstacles, and conflicts… The three things that I had the most trouble dealing with in my life. And despite everything I'd been through, I still struggled in how I approached each one.

Hell, I was more unsure that I was improving at all, in that respect.

I flared my Aura and felt its embrace. Aura supposedly reflected who you were. Perhaps that was why I didn't particularly like the sensation of my Aura, but at least it wasn't uncomfortable anymore.

Stone circles housed tables for anyone to sit and appreciate the garden's splendor. I stopped for a moment and just took in the colors, the arrangements.

This was peace, yet I felt guilty for enjoying it. I should have been out doing something, but I didn't trust myself to not fall back into old habits.

"Good afternoon, Taylor," Ozpin said, not looking away from the table in front of him.

"Good afternoon. Do you always take a pot of cocoa and spare mugs with you when you come to sit alone?"

"Of course, you never know when someone wants to sit and talk," he stated, setting his own mug down and pouring some cocoa into another, which he set on the opposite side of the table.

"Thank you." I sat down across from him and took a sip. It wasn't tea, but it warmed me anyway. A bit too sweet for my tastes though.

"I understand you had quite the harrowing experience," Ozpin said, an undertone of guilt and worry marring his words.

I didn't blame Ozpin or Professor Goodwitch for what happened. A regular mission would have let Team CRDL and I push beyond the bad blood between us… probably.

"I wouldn't call it harrowing." I had read enough casualty numbers to grow numb to them. I was just… disappointed in myself. Unsure. "Considering everything, what happened was expected."

"Expected how?"

"Unknown, rare Grimm in a location where we couldn't properly engage it while also having to protect bystanders. The cave-ins, getting separated. Not much we could have done to change things."

The Bukavac was so rare that Team CRDL and I had to submit reports to Professor Port on any behavior or traits the Grimm had, which would be included in an official Grimm index for Huntsmen around the world. We were some of the few eye-witnesses that lived to tell their tale. Just encountering the Bukavac raised our mission rank to at least 'B' rank—a level that was restricted to third-year students and up.

"Yet, you still wish you could have changed things," Ozpin reasoned.

"…Yes. If I regret anything, it would be what led up to the mission." The things I could control.

Ozpin's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he leaned back in his chair in thought. "I thought that you were quite assured in how you handled Team CRDL in your quarrel," he stated, seemingly confused by my answer.

"I don't regret the outcome of what I did. Team CRDL's bullying decreased drastically afterward, even if they are still dumb bullies. The problem was that, at the time, I didn't really care how it would affect my interactions with Team CRDL from then on. I didn't see another way of dealing with the situation that would have accomplished my goal but also didn't make enemies out of Team CRDL. Or, maybe I regret not taking the time to resolve the issue before our mission. If I had, things may have turned out better," I rambled.

Once again, I acted as though people should adapt to my actions instead of finding a compromise.

"I understand regrets, Taylor. Maybe things could have turned out better. That's why we send students on such missions. To show them that they can improve. Although, usually there are less… surprises than you experienced," Ozpin said.

Well, damn it. His punishment did everything he meant it to, and I can't be annoyed at him for it.

"Do you believe you should have been team leader for the mission?" he asked.

A part of me said yes, demanded it, even. Had I been able to oversee everything, control everyone's actions to my liking, used every 'tool' I had, then yes, things would have been simpler. 'Working together' as I dictated every action they were allowed to take. Efficient, effective, easy. No chance of someone getting in my way.

It was the same part that whispered in my nightmares about how Skitter had saved Brockton when it was under her thumb, how Weaver set up so many pieces to help save the world, and how much Khepri had accomplished.

Control… I needed it, yet I knew it was the drug that pushed away my friends and led to the monster.

I sighed through my nose, the only release I allowed. "No... They would have fought everything I said and resented every moment I was in charge of them. Things would have ended worse."

Ozpin hummed, not in agreement or disagreement. Silence set in as we took sips of cocoa. Two chess players taking a break from their game.

"I thought I was doing better…" I confessed, letting my mouth fall into a bitter smile.

"...I consider myself quite knowledgeable and skilled on a variety of subjects," Ozpin began. "It often leads me to take charge of many different matters. Yet, despite how much I excel above those around me, I continue to make mistakes and forget things that I know I should have considered." He stared into the surface of his cocoa, as though he could see all the things he regretted in its surface.

"What did you do about it?"

"I couldn't do anything about it," he replied bluntly.

"Sorry?"

"The people around me, they were the ones who were able to do something. I can't change the fact that I will make mistakes, but having people I can trust certainly helped point them out," he continued, appreciation for those he was talking about evident in his voice.

"I see." He was right, and it only reinforced the things I had already suspected.

I hated it. The idea that I couldn't fix things. That I had to give that up to others.

No, I needed to be the one to make the effort. Others weren't a crutch for me to let my failings continue.

But was I taking the right road for that?

Ozpin reminisced while I reconsidered what I had been doing.

I am here, on Remnant, but I haven't let myself get invested in actually staying at Beacon or with the people around me... Maybe it's time to accept that I'm here to stay… I need to stop shying away from actually becoming friends with everyone and commit.

"Hypothetically speaking," I began, in a tone that marked a change in subject, "if you spontaneously received the whereabouts of the White Fang and Roman Torchwick's base in Vale, how would you use that information?" I asked, feigning innocence.

I didn't know where it was, not yet anyway, but I would soon enough.

"Well," Ozpin said in a far more convincing innocent tone, "I would pass that information onto the Vale Police Division, and then it would be mostly out of my hands."

"Beacon wouldn't send out any Huntsmen?"

"Unfortunately, while Huntsmen are called in to respond to ongoing threats, using them as strike teams for things inside Vale would be…"

"Stepping on the VPD's jurisdiction," I finished for him. "Beacon trains people to fight the Grimm, not to be police. If you used Huntsmen for every situation, then the public would wonder what the point of having the VPD was while also questioning why the Huntsmen aren't out there fighting Grimm. So, you can only send them out to deal with something that is in progress but can't use them to deal with something that isn't actively happening."

"Politics…" he murmured with a shake of his head and a sip of his cocoa.

"Never helpful when you need it to be, and interfering when you don't need it," I added sympathetically, which garnered a chuckle from Ozpin. Both of us then sighed in annoyance of past experiences.

"But you are correct, if there was an ongoing situation occurring in town, then the Huntsmen and VPD would be sent out together," Ozpin stated, his tone calm and even but the hint clear.

"I see. Well, if such an instance were to occur then I can feel safe knowing that the appropriate parties would be coming to intervene," I stated blankly.

We didn't share subtle looks or glancing smiles. They weren't needed; we both understood what the other was conveying. It wasn't exactly a friendly air, more tenuous, like we were waiting for the other to back out of the unspoken agreement.

A temporary truce rather than an alliance.

The bell marking the last class of the day resounded through the garden with a melodic chime, just as I finished my cup.

"Thank you very much for the cocoa," I said, getting up from my chair as I did.

"Thank you for the conversation," Ozpin replied.

My bugs in the hall caught Weiss's chagrin as Ruby grabbed her and dashed to our dorm room. Yang stopped and chatted with team JNPR for a bit in the classroom. Blake was noticeably absent, though I quickly found her looking things up in the library.

Guess I'll grab her while Ruby and Weiss are getting ready for whatever is happening tonight.

As I walked, I grew more dour and hesitant with each step.

Opening up and letting myself try to make friends was hard enough, but accepting that I was in Remnant for good meant acknowledging that I really wasn't going to see Dad or my friends again.

That was a door I didn't want to close… but I might not have a choice.


"Blake."

I watched the Faunus almost leap out of her chair and turn toward me, surprised and cautious. After seeing it was me, her eyes narrowed angrily. "Did you have to sneak up on me?" she hissed.

"Check the clock, Blake," I said.

"I still have some time until lunch ends…" she started, then petered out as she watched the seconds tick by on her Scroll's clock. "Damn it. I didn't mean to…"

"I know. Find out anything?"

"Nothing really. The only high-level members in the White Fang that were active near Vale were me and… Well, I was trying to figure out who had taken over their local activities, but no, I haven't figured anything concrete." Weariness dripped from her words.

"I guess we'll find out when we find wherever Torchwick is hiding out in the city. For now, we have a…" I sighed, a mix of disbelief, dread, and disdain. "A slumber party to get to, I guess."

"Oh right..." She gathered her things. "I'm not sure how this is all going to go."

"I don't think any of us know," I admitted. "But we owe it to them to be there."

She paused and looked down at her various notes and books regarding her campaign against the White Fang.

"Yeah, we do owe them…" she murmured, more to herself than to me.


We took the scenic route back to our dorm, letting Ruby and Weiss have some more time to prepare things.

Yang was making her way around the campus, stopping and talking with a bunch of groups. She never stayed too long, but she was still able to get along with everyone. She was making her way to the library—ah, she was looking for Blake.

"Hey, Blake. Could you send a message to Yang and tell her that…" Where the hell did Ruby get all those pillows? Why did she have all those pillows?

"Tell Yang…?" Blake asked.

"Sorry, tell her that we're heading to the dorm room right now."

Blake opened her Scroll and the history of unanswered texts from Yang said enough.

Ruby and Weiss had grown closer together as partners, which was surprising. The naïve dreamer and the driven, spoiled Schnee somehow built off each other. Ruby's ideals challenged Weiss and spurred her on, while Weiss guided Ruby in the less exciting parts of being a Huntress, like paperwork.

Yang and Blake's situation was the opposite.

Yang wasn't subtle about things. She either pushed past them as if they didn't exist, or she charged them like a bull. Quick to anger, mostly on the behalf of others. I'd lost count of the times she'd threatened to cripple Cardin or someone else for insulting a friend.

Blake was flighty with her issues. If it weren't for our common ground, I bet she would have fled once her race and past came to light. Yang injecting herself into Blake's hunt for the White Fang fists first, without knowing the context for Blake's actions, was a recipe for disaster.

I would have clued Yang in, but it wasn't my story to tell.

Either way, something had happened. I guessed Yang had tried to press the subject and Blake either snapped or ran. The tension in the dorm as Blake ignored Yang while Yang watched Blake with noticeable frustration when she thought others weren't looking was obvious.

Hopefully, today would also help that a little.

We opened the door to our room to find it transformed.

An obnoxious amount of streamers hung around the room, their colors matching our own. My dull gray amongst the red, white, black, and yellow felt like I was imposing on a team activity.

The desks had been cleared for bowls of snacks, drinks, and a variety of pastries, each atop a frilly doily. A frankly absurd number of pillows had been placed in the space between the two bunk beds to create a makeshift sitting area. A stack of board games was set beside one of the projectors Beacon let students sign out.

Weiss and Ruby were in the middle of frosting cupcakes, and both had changed into their pajamas, for some reason. Weiss was currently scolding Ruby for having eaten the sugary coating straight from the bag they were squeezing it out of.

"Taylor! You're back! How was the mission? Did you kill a bunch of Grimm? Did Starfall work alright? What was Twin Seams like? Were CRDL a bunch of jerks?" Ruby machinegunned as soon as she set her eyes on me, ignoring Weiss's attempts to reproach her.

"Mission went terribly. Didn't kill many Grimm. What's Starfall? It was nice, but I don't think it will survive the damages done to the mine. Yes, they were jerks, but I should have done something to alleviate that," I said in succession, familiar with Ruby's enthusiastic questions. Weiss reached out and wiped a bit of frosting off Ruby's face while I did.

"Oh. Thanks. Sorry your mission didn't turn out great..." Ruby said. "But what do you mean you don't know what Starfall is?!" Her cheeks puffed out. "She was the product of our love…" she muttered to herself in a heartbroken tone, hugging herself as she did.

Blake choked on a laugh while Weiss looked at her partner agape.

"Oh, the sword worked fine," I stated, not bothering to acknowledge Ruby's comment.

"Fine? That's it?" Ruby exclaimed, astonished at my lack of shared enthusiasm.

"This is the first time I've used it in live combat. I'll give you a more detailed opinion of it after I've used it more. Thank you again for your help with it."

"Taylor, what do you mean the mission went terribly?" Weiss asked.

"She's not an 'it', her name is Starfall," Ruby grumbled.

I gave them a quick summary of what happened, letting them ask questions when they wanted to.

"I'm sorry things turned out that way," Blake said softly.

"Thanks, but what's done is done. Just have to do better next time." If I figure out how that is.

"Well, from the sounds of it Team CRDL were less than hospitable, but I also don't think the problems were really in your control. So, I don't think there's a reason to blame yourself for what happened," Weiss stated.

"Yeah, I'm sure Twin Seams will be able to pull through somehow," Ruby stated optimistically.

If only things were that simple, Ruby.

"Now, Ruby," Weiss snapped. "We still need to finish the cupcakes, and no more frosting or cookies until you're done!"

"Uggghhhhhh." Ruby begrudgingly turned back to the table.

"Anything we can help with?" Blake offered uncertainly.

"No, we just have this bit left and then we're done,' Weiss replied.

"Oh, but both of you have to change into your PJs!" Ruby stated sternly.

"Why?" I asked.

"How would it be a slumber party if we weren't in our pajamas?" Weiss of all people responded coolly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. She had taken the 'etiquette' of slumber parties a little too seriously, though Ruby nodding beside her wasn't helping the situation.

I looked at Blake and shrugged, before moving to get changed. Afterward, Blake started toward the ring of pillows but I stopped her before we sat down.

"Oh, I wanted to return something to you," I said, heading over to my pile of books by my bed. "You said I could borrow whatever book I wanted, but I think I should give this one back to you instead of putting it back on the shelf…" I said, handing Blake back her copy of 'Ninjas of Love'.

"What do you…" Blake froze when she saw the cover.

She looked up to me, then to the book, then back to me. The cycle continued as I watched embarrassment messily kill any dignity she had at that moment.

"Y-y-y-ou read a-all of it?" Blake sputtered, dread digging deeper through her voice with every syllable.

"I did."

Blake's eyes darted to the exit and then to the window, planning her escape. Her crimson blush was even more noticeable against her pale skin.

"The plot was good, the main relationship was a bit forced when it started but was fine afterward. A bit more raunchy than I would have liked." Blake closed her eyes, mortified, and looked like she was wishing for a meteor crash into Beacon. "Twenty pages of smut for the last scene was a bit much though, especially when it's super unrealistic."

Seriously; mud, sand, and grease? Who thought that would be appealing in any romantic situation? God, this was why I didn't read romance. And having the scene serve as the ending? Boring.

"I—wait—not realistic! What do you mean?" she asked, almost offended at the criticism. Then, an expression of guilty curiosity washed across her face before she held the book up to slightly hide herself. "It's a little like that… isn't it?"

"Not at all."

I felt bad for the fairy tale romance that died in Blake's eyes as she looked over the book in her hands. Then, a wave of realization overtook her disappointment.

"Taylor, how do you know that it wasn't realistic?" she asked in an overly interested tone, leaning in as she did, punctuating the question with a raised eyebrow.

Fate seemed to work against me, as Yang entered the room at the same time as a lull happened in Weiss and Ruby's conversation, just in time for Blake to loudly whisper, "You've had sex?"

Yang froze mid-step, Ruby dropped a cookie that she had snuck, and Weiss whipped around with a look of shock.

God damn it.

"No way," Yang denied, her expression a battle between confusion, disbelief, and shit-eating amusement.

Ruby just robotically looked away and seemed to be convincing herself that she hadn't heard Blake.

"Of course not, Blake. Taylor isn't the type to indulge in such depravity. She understands proper decorum and knows her priorities," Weiss stated. I wasn't quite sure how having sex would mean I couldn't get stuff done, but I started to re-evaluate the level of 'experience' the people of Remnant had for people our age. "Right, Taylor?" she asked, looking to me for confirmation.

God damn it. I'm one of the last people who'd want to do girl-talk. Even less so when it comes to relationships.

"I'm going to be honest, I'm surprised this is some big revelation," I stated. "And Ruby, how are you embarrassed when you just talked about 'the product of our love'?"

"What!?" Yang shouted.

"W-weapons are different!" Ruby yelled in a fluster. "And don't you try and compare Starfall or my beautiful Crescent Rose to your a-activities!"

Blake was smiling, so that was something. Yang joined her and began to laugh heartily.

"Okay, forget everything. We need to—" Yang started.

"Nope! Nope, nope nope!" Ruby frantically protested.

"Why don't we settle down and relax a bit. First," Blake said, putting emphasis to make sure I knew that the matter wasn't off the table.

"Well, I know what we're talking about tonight," Yang almost sang, looking at me with a devilish smile and then to Blake with a softer, more relieved one.

"Everyone sit!" Ruby gestured to the lake of pillows. "Oh, oh! Taylor, sit here!" Ruby said excitedly while motioning to the spot that was right in front of Weiss's bed.

Well, I said I was going to do this. So, here we go.

"I'll be there in a minute. It's a slumber party, so I have to change! That's the rules!" Yang said offhandedly before fishing out her pajamas. I just shook my head.

Ruby and Weiss then brought several of the bowls of snacks and placed them within the fluffy ring for easy access.

I shrugged and took the seat, only for Ruby to forgo a spot amongst the pillows and sit directly behind me on Weiss's bed.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" I asked.

"So, what is the plan?" Blake inquired blankly.

"Well, I thought we would start with 'Truth or Truth', then just see what the mood is like and move on from there. We've got games, movies, and other stuff to do. There's lots of snacks. I kinda just thought we would spend some time together. Oh! But we aren't allowed to talk about school stuff!" Ruby said, ignoring my question as she started to braid my hair. She was lucky I didn't have any bugs in it at the time.

"Wait, you were serious on 'Truth or Truth'?" Yang asked.

"Why are you braiding my hair?" Having someone touch my hair and not be either insulting or attacking me was odd.

"Well, yeah. It's the perfect way to learn more things about each other," Ruby said; to Yang, not me.

"That sounds fine… What are the rules?" Weiss asked, before moving to sit beside Ruby. "Also, you're doing it wrong," she stated as she started on the other side of my hair.

"Is anyone going to answer me?" I asked.

"I think it's just 'Truth or Dare' without the dares," Yang said, before she stuffed a fistful of snacks in her mouth.

"Okay… but what are the rules?" Weiss reiterated. I knew the Schnee heiress was sheltered, I just didn't think it would be this bad.

"Why am I the one getting ignored here?" I questioned.

"You've never played 'Truth or Dare', Weiss?" Ruby asked, no condescension or mockery in her voice.

"N-no… I wasn't allowed to play such things," Weiss said quietly.

I used to get up early every day to prepare to fight against a threat that was going to end the world. Now, I'm getting ignored so that schoolgirls can braid my hair…

"Well, all you have to do is ask a question or answer one truthfully. Usually, you say 'truth or dare' and the person has to pick which one they want to do; either tell a truth or do a dare, but I think we'll be fine with just asking questions," Ruby said, then a light bulb lit in her head. "Oh! How about we ask questions that everyone has to answer, including the person who asked? That way, it's fair for everyone!"

"Sounds good, maybe do questions for specific individuals after we break the ice a little bit?" Yang stated her eyes darted to Blake for a moment as she did.

"I think that sounds fine," I said. I can guess what you really want to ask Yang, and I'm sorry, but that will have to happen another time. "However, I'm not going to be answering questions about what I'm doing in town."

"Same here, I'm not going to comment about what I've been doing," Blake said firmly. "…but I am sorry for not being with the team more," she added with a guilty frown.

"Fine, whatever then," Yang said quietly, lacking the usually fiery strength she had, her delighted mood souring instantly. I felt Blake flinch beside me.

"I will however"—If I want to do this right, I need to take the first step—"answer any questions you guys have about my past."

"You remembered more things?" Blake asked hopefully.

"I can recall almost everything."

Ruby immediately enveloped me in a hug from behind. "That's great, Taylor! I knew you would remember everything eventually!" The hug was nice—my second one in months—but Ruby and I weren't exactly close despite how often the girl talked with me. Maybe this was another situation like with Pyrrha where Ruby felt closer to me than I did with her?

"So, that means you'll be able to find your family and friends," Weiss said, also smiling. I hid the ache I felt.

"Let's play twenty questions about my life after. I don't want to hog all the attention." And I'll probably bring down the mood when those questions start.

"But I want to know if you were a secret agent or a super spy now!" Ruby whined.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Ruby thought you were a special agent or something after she found you," Yang said with an amused head shake.

Whyoh, costume… I don't know how I'm going to explain that one.

"Should we start?" Blake asked.

"Yes! 'Operation: Party Poppers', start!" Ruby announced, finally taking a seat beside Yang after leaving me with rows of braided strands running in my hair.

With that, an awkward silence filled the room, only interrupted by the sounds of crunching chips.

I sighed. "Ruby, do you want to go first to start us off?"

This whole situation was bizarre. I hadn't ever hung out with people for the express purpose of getting to know them; there was always a bit of business or something to work on.

"Oh, uh, sure." Ruby blanched slightly as everyone turned their focus on her. "Ummmm, why did you all want to be Huntresses?"

"I thought we didn't want to ask anything school-related?" I asked.

"It's not just about school though," Ruby argued.

"What order are we supposed to answer in?" Weiss enquired.

"Uhhhh, how about we just go in the order of the team name, then Taylor? So, since I asked the question, it would go; Weiss, Blake, Yang, Taylor, and then I answer," Ruby suggested, earning shrugs and nods of approval.

"Well, I did it because it was my duty to. When I found out I had the capability to fight, there was no question that I would," Weiss stated.

That seemed odd. If Weiss wanted to uphold the Schnee family legacy, shouldn't she be in Atlas working with the SDC? Or was being a Huntress her way of leaving her mark?

"There's a lot of bad things happening in the world. I decided to become a Huntress to try and do something about it, and maybe be an example for others, to show that there is a better way to do things," Blake said, hiding a turmoil of emotions I knew she was struggling with. I leaned onto her shoulder slightly in support.

Yang grinned widely. "I want to travel the world and go on adventures. Fighting bad guys, having fun, seeking thrills." She mimed a couple of punches. "Being a Huntress means I can do all that while also helping people; it's a win-win."

I liked Yang less for her answer. Fighting had never been about thrills or being happy for me, it had always been about accomplishing something. For Yang, helping was just the by-product, an aspect I saw in Wards that weren't real heroes, not in the way that mattered. Or maybe I was just judging her because her motives were so opposite mine.

No wonder we didn't really get along. Then again, she was used to being able to talk with anyone, and my social skills were…

"Taylor?" Blake whispered to me sharply.

I broke from my contemplation to everyone's waiting eyes. "Sorry, I…" I threw a crafted lie aside. No. I needed a bit of truth and openness. "I don't really care about being a Huntress."

"What?!" Ruby yelped in disbelief. "You don't want to become a Huntress? But they're the best! They're super strong, go around saving people, and they're just so coooool, you know?" Ruby argued in a mix between trying to convince me and fangirling.

"I wanted to"—Fix things? Be better?—"help people, and you don't necessarily have to be a Huntress to do that. I'm not the hero type anyway." Not in the ways that matter.

Ruby puffed her cheeks and pouted, looking like a volcano about to erupt unless she got an answer that she accepted.

"Now, now. Settle down, Ruby," Weiss said.

"I'm not going to quit Beacon or take my duties as a Huntress any less seriously than anyone. So don't worry."

"That's true, you are always rather serious," Blake commented almost teasingly.

"Yeah, I was hoping today would force you to relax for once," Yang added.

"I can relax," I said.

"Taylor, I have literally never seen you relax before," Yang stated, deadpan. "You're always like this," she continued as she shifted into a passive yet stern expression.

"Hmmm, I think it's more like this," Ruby countered, trying to glare while also keeping the rest of her face blank.

Weiss looked down, trying to do her own impression of me. Each time she tried it, her expression would quickly shift into one of frustration or dissatisfaction before trying again. When she looked up to see me staring with a raised eyebrow, she squeaked and turned away.

"Guys, I don't think that's very funny," Blake stated.

"Ah! Blake! That was the perfect 'Taylor-face'! It had the perfect mixture of intensity and analysis, with a tinge of judgment," Ruby said approvingly. Weiss and Yang nodded in agreement.

Blake's eyes narrowed at them.

"I don't always look like that, I smile sometimes…" Then again, I had to be told that I don't change expressions… and had to constantly remind myself to smile or frown... "Okay, I guess you're right."

"I think Ruby's rebuttal counts as her answer to her own question," Blake said.

"I guess, it's my turn… What do you all think of me?" Weiss asked politely.

Woah.

"Woah, that's the question you decided on?" Yang said with a judging smirk.

"W-what's wrong with it?! We're trying to learn about one another, and I think learning how you all perceive me would help me know what to improve on," Weiss stated haughtily.

"It's just kinda…" Ruby started with a cringe.

"A loaded minefield," I said, receiving small nods from everyone.

"You're a spoiled, rich princess," Blake stated evenly, causing everyone to tense up at the harsh description of Weiss. "But… you are obviously more than that based on your abilities, and the fact that you're at Beacon at all." 'Instead of Atlas Academy' was left unsaid.

Weiss was taken aback by Blake's initial words but smiled after a moment.

"Okay, we're actually answering this one…" Yang started, running her hand through her hair awkwardly. "Yeah, you're an heiress and stuff, but I think I'm glad that you're the one that became Ruby's partner… Uh, yeah."

"Well," I began, and Weiss's attention was razor-focused on my words, way more than the others for some reason. "I know that you are very studious, and you take every task given to you very seriously." Weiss… preened? "You're the heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation… Other than that, there isn't actually much I can add. I'm… sorry. We room together but I don't really know much about you—any of you, really."

I had gleaned things through my bugs, but I didn't really know them, not like a friend would.

"A-ha!" Weiss shot up in triumph.

There was a moment of silence before Weiss realized what she had just done. Her expression was tight as her face flushed red.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked slowly.

"Uh, I, uh…" Weiss started before quickly sitting down and clearing her throat, covering some of her face with her hand. "Sorry, I'd thought the same things about getting to know Taylor some time ago," she explained, her hand still hiding her expression.

"Oh, Weiss! You want to get to know us better!" Ruby shouted, lunging at her partner and tackling her into the pillows with a hug.

"Get off me, you dolt!" Weiss ordered.

Ruby let go and sat up, smiling happily at Weiss. "Weiss, I'm glad that you're my partner too," Ruby stated honestly, with no hesitation or doubt.

Weiss blushed furiously but didn't move farther away from their now much closer seating positions.

"Even if you are kinda naggy," Ruby continued.

Weiss twitched.

"And you take almost as much time as Yang in the bathroom."

Another twitch.

"And a bit neurotic about some things. Plus, you have this look like you think I'm talking too long. The one that's like you kinda need to poop or something."

A vein in Weiss's forehead throbbed.

"Also—"

"Okay, thank you, Ruby," Weiss ground out through clenched teeth. "But I believe it is Blake's turn now."

"…What kind of books do you all like?" Blake asked stiffly, unsure.

Yang looked down at the floor and shook her head. "Honestly, I've only been reading comics lately, but 'X-Ray and Vav' is pretty good right now." Yang wanted to get to know Blake more, but literature was not going to be her avenue to do so and she knew it.

"Oooo, is the new one out yet?" Ruby asked.

"Nah, just been rereading the last few," Yang said.

I turned toward Blake and looked her dead in the eyes, then smirked. "Well, I just happened to have read this delightful book that Blake really enjoyed. It's about—" was all I got out before Blake's hand clapped over my mouth.

Blake's eyes asked 'why', mine responded 'revenge'.

"Oh, was it that spicy one about the ninjas?" Yang asked, and Blake's head instantly twisted towards the blonde girl. "I noticed you reading it and saw it on the shelf one day, so I thought I would check it out." Blake's eyes widened. "I only skimmed through it, but I did catch some of the parts that I can guess are why you liked it." Yang sent a teasing wink that had Blake reeling in mortification.

"Oh, all three of you have read it. Maybe I'll have to borrow it then—" Weiss began.

"No!" Blake interrupted jarringly. "I mean ummmm…"

"I think you would find it a bit too childish for your tastes, Weiss," I lied to save Blake from even more embarrassment.

"Yeah… too childish," Blake repeated, fighting between trying to pass off the excuse and being annoyed at the criticism of the book.

"Well, maybe I should read it then?" Ruby asked innocently.

"No," Yang, Blake, and I stated firmly together in perfect synchronization, to which we gave each other weird looks afterward.

"Okay, well, I've been reading comics as well." She gave a knowing nod to Yang. "But, I've also been reading 'A Man with Two Souls'. It was… it was the book we saw Blake reading when we first met," she added shyly.

"You… noticed that?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, I love books. Stories of heroes and monsters," Ruby said, her mind wandering to far-off adventures as she did.

"I-I see," Blake muttered, seeming slightly flattered that Ruby had remembered something like that.

We all turned to Weiss who looked rather awkward.

"It's okay, Weiss. We all know that you've only been reading textbooks," Yang stated casually.

"There is nothing wrong with being dedicated," Weiss stated with a huff.

"Okay, Yang, your turn," Ruby said.

"Oh my god, finally! None of you are doing this right," Yang exclaimed with a mix of annoyance and disbelief. "We're here to have fun… You guys do know what that is right?" Her eyes flashed over everyone but Ruby.

"Video games! Hanging out with friends! Cookies! Becoming Huntresses!" Ruby yelled excitedly.

"Good manners?" Weiss said unsurely.

"A good book," Blake stated.

"That wasn't my question!" Yang yelled, exasperated. "No, slumber parties are for gossip and girl-talk," she said with an evil smile. "So, how far have you all been in a relationship?"

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, a small blush showing her embarrassment.

Blake froze and seemed smaller. I guessed her past relationship must have been during her time in the White Fang, and I doubted her deserting them meant that the relationship had gone well.

Weiss seemed indifferent to the question, maybe even a little condescending based on the glint in her eyes.

"But, just for this round. Let's have Taylor go last," Yang proposed slyly.

"Seconded," Blake agreed. Traitor.

"That means, Ruby, go!" Yang yelled with a pointed finger at her sister, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face at the chaos she must have thought she had unleashed.

"Um… uh…" Ruby floundered.

"She got kissed on the cheek once when someone was trying to confess to her and ran away using her Semblance!" Yang stated.

"Y-Yang!" Ruby raged as her face matched her cloak.

"What? Just wanted to get them up to speed," Yang quipped, earning a flying tackle from Ruby, sending them both wrestling into the pillows.

"Really, I don't see the reason for the horseplay," Weiss commented. "Personally, I have been on many dates before," she declared indifferently.

Yang and Ruby stopped wrestling, and both looked at Weiss from the odd angles they had ended up in.

"You asked someone out?" Yang asked incredulously.

"I have not, no."

"So, you've been asked out," Yang continued.

"…No," Weiss said, receiving confused looks from the sisters.

"Marriage interviews?" Blake asked.

"They weren't common, but there were a few of them, yes."

"Were they part of the reason you left Atlas for Huntress training?" I asked.

"A very small part," Weiss confirmed.

"Kiss any?" Yang asked.

"No."

"Anything more than kissing?"

"No."

"Boring… And you, Blake?" Yang prompted, untangling herself from Ruby and sitting back down to face her partner.

"…I… I was in a fairly long relationship with someone…" Blake started hesitantly. Like me, she was fighting with herself to share more. "We were… part of the same circle"—a White Fang member, as I suspected—"and eventually… I guess what I thought was passion really drew me in," Blake lamented with a sigh, her eyes gazing through memories.

"What did they look like?" Yang interrogated.

"Is that really what you want to know?" Weiss asked.

"Yup."

"You guys broke up," I cut in, more of a statement than a question.

"Yes… He… changed, so I left," Blake said without going into detail.

Yang picked up on the cues because she turned her attention to me with a twinkle in her eye. "And how about you, Taylor?" she asked teasingly.

"Yes, I've been in a relationship." Talking about Brian was… weird. The feelings were far off, but the memories very close.

"When? What was his name?" Yang enthusiastically questioned. "What did he look like?" she finished with a wiggle of her brow.

"How did you meet?" Blake added with reserved excitement.

The partnered pair were both leaning in toward me while Weiss feigned disinterest and Ruby pretended to be interested in the corner of the room.

I sighed heavily. "His name was Brian. We met and dated when I was sixteen. I… accidentally helped him and his friends in a situation, and they became my friends. We started dating a bit later on." The familiar, distant ache of thinking of the Undersiders echoed.

"I—wait… You were only a year older than Ruby when you…" Yang began, putting facts together in her head.

Yang leapt up and slapped her hands over Ruby's ears, and the younger girl yelped in surprise.

"Don't you corrupt my innocent Ruby!" Yang yelled.

"Yang, I can still hear… and I'm fifteen, not ten—" Ruby protested before Weiss's hands covered Yang's on Ruby's head.

"That doesn't mean you can give her any ideas, you know how impressionable she is!" Weiss defended. "I will not have a hoodlum infect my partner." She and Yang looked at each other and established their combined front against my 'bad influence' with a nod.

"Let me go! I know about s-s-se-that stuff!" Ruby objected, trying to flail out of the two girls' grip. Only to stop when Blake joined the others in shielding her ears.

"But you should tell us about it anyway!" Blake proposed with a blush.

"I'm not giving you guys a play-by-play. Brian and I broke up not long after we were together. We're still friends, and that's it," I stated with finality. If he could still think of me as a friend after Khepri.

"Well, you somehow made even the juicy bits of your life boring and serious," Yang complained as all of the girls retracted their hands and sat back in their spots.

"And I'm not some sexual deviant corrupting Ruby," I started, causing the others to lunge back for Ruby's ears again. The young girl shrieked and a torrent of rose petals burst from her spot, and I suddenly felt her hiding behind me. What kind of world did I end up in that I was the one considered too… whatever this was. "Ruby can make her own choices about her love-life at her own pace. Also, she's mature enough to not need to hide behind me," I said, and Ruby stiffened before moving back to her seat.

"Sorry about that, my big sister-card was activated," Yang said.

"You can't just say that every time you do that!" Ruby whined.

"Yes, I can. Big sister-card," Yang stated evenly.

"So, you can use the big-sister-card, but you get angry every time Dad uses the dad-card—" Ruby began.

"That's different! And we're supposed to be on the same team for that stuff!" Yang rebuked.

"I don't think that's how it's supposed to work," Weiss said.

"What? Of course it is, aren't you like that with your sister?" Yang asked. "You don't team up with Winter to battle against the world?

"Wha—no. We…" Weiss teetered off. "No, I guess we aren't really like that," she murmured sadly.

Yang and Ruby both wore a look that said 'yeesh'.

"Maybe we should ask Taylor about herself now?" Blake proposed, earning a grateful expression from everyone else for the subject change.

"Are you a spy?! Or a secret agent!?" Ruby instantly shouted.

"No," I stated, quickly shooting her down.

"Family?" Blake asked solemnly, preventing Ruby from following up.

"All gone."

"Sorry," she and Yang stated.

"My mother died when I was young." Ruby flinched before staring off with a look of… longing? Then, her eyes moved toward her crimson cloak that hung from the post of her bed.

"Was your cloak your mom's?" I asked.

"Y-yes… It was hers first," she answered sadly.

"I understand why you wear it so much. I used to have a flute that was my memento from my mom," I said. Probably best not to mention what happened to it.

"Used to?"

"Stolen a long time ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know what I would do if someone stole my cloak."

"Probably something that involves a fifty-caliber bullet and/or a giant scythe blade," I quipped.

"Definitely," Ruby chuckled, perking up a bit.

"My hair is very much like my mom's though. I keep it pretty similar to how she did."

"What about your dad?" Weiss asked cautiously.

"Also gone." Everyone grimaced. "No siblings, no relatives."

"Do you have anyone else?" Yang asked.

"No, there isn't." I couldn't reach them if I wanted to, and I wasn't sure I deserved to anyway.

"Fuck," Yang whispered to herself, having a look of pity, guilt, and sympathy. One Weiss and Blake shared.

"You have us," Ruby stated with conviction, as she came up and gave me a reassuring hug. It wasn't like her usual tackling embraces; this one was one of promise. To her and to me, that I did indeed have them.

Blake joined in right after Ruby, then Weiss, then Yang somewhat hesitantly.

Warmth, safety, people to be comfortable with, all of it came in a swift rush that flooded through me.

I felt something squirming in the back of my eyes, threatening to come out. My bugs writhed to relieve the pressure.

"T-thank you, I mean it."

Fuck me, these girls deserve someone so much better than me.

We broke apart, and I encouraged them to keep asking questions, which turned into an hour-long interview where I went over things in my life. I didn't say anything about parahumans, Earth Bet, that I was a criminal, any of my more immoral choices, or anything that they didn't need to know or would make them think that I was some kind of multidimensional fugitive. Though, I think it would have been hard to convince anyone of that anyway.

They asked about my interests, what my family was like, and other mundane things. No need for harrowing trials or nightmarish enemies to fight and survive through to bond us, just conversation.

"Okay, enough about me," I said, sipping some tea right after to soothe my throat. I hadn't talked that much in a long time. "Also, fold," I added, placing my cards face down in front of me.

Yang had brought out the cards about halfway through their questions, giving us something to do instead of simply interviewing me. We were using the snacks to gamble with. Suffice to say, I was handily winning, to Ruby's despair as more of her treats left her. I had a good poker face; everyone else but Blake did not.

"But I never got to ask your favorite color?" Ruby said with a pout, then proceeded to panic over which cards she wanted to exchange.

"Why not just ask everyone? Go back to everyone answering?" Yang proposed as she straightened her dealer's cap, which I was still surprised she had.

"Well, mine's red."

"White."

"Black."

"Yellow."

Wow, who could have guessed?

"Don't have one," I answered.

"Not gray?" Weiss asked, not looking up from the page of poker rules on her Scroll.

"Gray is good for blending into the walls of a city, but besides practicality, I don't have any preference for it."

Blake displayed her cards with a triumphant smirk, causing Ruby to burst into faux-tears at the sight of them.

"No! My delicious friends, I failed you…" Ruby wept.

"Do people really waste their money on a game like this?" Weiss wondered aloud.

"Says the girl that was boasting about her pile of sugary glory before Taylor won it all," Yang said wryly.

"I've lost everything…" Ruby mourned.

"Don't you have some cookies in your—" Blake began before cutting herself off. She looked sheepishly guilty at Ruby and mouthed a 'sorry'.

"Oh! You're right! I'm still in this!" Ruby declared, rushing over to one of the braces of her bunk bed.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" Weiss asked.

"Grabbing some cookies I stash—" Ruby started until she noticed Yang's sharp glare.

"Ruby, you haven't been hiding cookies again, have you?" Yang asked.

"N-no, I mean, no. Not at all. I just—what! Where are my cookies?!" Ruby cried out in dismay. "And what are these?" she demanded to the world, holding up an energy bar in a brightly colored wrapper.

"They're a healthier alternative to three pounds of cookies, wouldn't you agree?" I asked innocently.

"I would agree, all that sugar would be terrible for a Huntress in training," Weiss stated.

"Yeah, and I'm sure that those vitamin bars taste just as good as cookies, and totally not like cardboard," Yang added, punishing Ruby with her comment.

"You can bet the stack of marshmallows in your cocoa if you need to, there's enough of them there," Blake said, taking a drink of her own tea as she did.

"No! Haven't you all taken enough from me?" Ruby pleaded.

"I need as much as I can get to bribe Nora. She's… difficult to get working if she doesn't have some incentives," I said.

"I believe it's my go? Hmmmmm..." Weiss glanced at her Scroll, and I was baffled at the fact that she had searched up what kind of questions were best to ask for 'Truth or Dare'. "Something relatable… what's your favorite thing to do in town?" Weiss decided to ask from the list, unsure of how good of a question it was.

"Pass," Blake stated. Was her favorite thing hunting for White Fang, or did she just not want to give any leverage for follow-up inquiries on what she did?

Yang frowned at the answer, eyes darting to me and back to Blake in a flash. "I like going on drives on my motorbike, Bumblebee, or just hanging out with friends. Nothing secretive or anything," Yang said mildly.

The last sentence was meant for Blake and me, without a doubt.

Now, what do I like to do in town?

I'd lived my whole life in a town. The only time I was ever really cut off from civilization would be when I was in jail. So, I wasn't sure what was specifically special about being in a town that stood out from everything else.

"I can't really think of anything specific," I answered honestly, but inwardly grimaced as Yang seemed to take that as some kind of confirmation to whatever suspicions she had.

"I love going to the weapon shops and just browsing, seeing what's new and such," Ruby stated.

"Winter and I used to go to a restaurant to talk when she was back from duty, just the two of us," Weiss said fondly. "Your question, Blake."

Blake stilled, and I saw her lips purse as she fought with herself.

"Blake?" Ruby said.

Blake let out a steadying breath. "Have you ever done something that you really regret doing?" she asked clearly.

"Sharing some deep stuff about ourselves, are we?" Yang said. Her mouth opened to continue, then closed, before she shuffled back and forth. "When I was a kid, I almost got Ruby and me killed by Grimm by taking her into the woods."

"Why did you go into the woods by yourself like that?" Weiss asked. She was the only one who didn't know the reason, as Ruby knew, Yang told Blake, and I'd heard it through my bugs.

"Well, you know how Ruby and I have different mothers? I wanted to go searching for my own mom, but I didn't have any clue where she was. I was just a kid. But I went anyway," Yang explained somberly, more awkwardly nervous then deathly serious. "Didn't even get that far from the house. Thankfully, our uncle found us, otherwise… Well, I think about what could have happened a lot."

"Thank you for sharing," Blake said quietly. The awkward tension between the two continued to build. Blake turned to me, pleading for me to go so the silence would end.

"There are a lot of things I regret. Picking just one is… difficult." Picking one I could talk about even more so.

My thoughts went to Dinah, to Aster, to Khepri, to hundreds of things that I probably should talk about, with someone, but couldn't.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," Blake stated.

"Yeah, sorry. I think I'll pass this one," I said, taking the lifeline.

Yang frowned but didn't comment.

"I regret not being able to catch Torchwick when I had the chance," Ruby stated frustratedly, miming some swipes of her scythe as though re-enacting the scene.

"I have never had sour candies before today…" Weiss mumbled shyly, popping another of the fruity treats into her mouth.

"Weiss, I am so sorry," Ruby said with the utmost seriousness and sympathy.

"How about you, Blake?" Yang invited, almost too expectantly. She had been watching Blake cautiously as though moving too fast would make Blake run away.

"Someone… close to me started to change in a bad way. I regret not noticing it before."

Her partner in the White Fang, and the person she was in a relationship with, judging by her wording.

"I understand. If someone around me was heading down a bad path, or someone was being a bad influence on someone I cared for, I would stop it," Yang stated. There were too many emotions and possible meanings mixed into her words for me to determine what she was referring to.

"So, your move, sis," Ruby said.

Yang's eyes drifted to everyone, stopping at me, before her slight smirk turned contemplative. "I wanted to ask, and I know you said you aren't on one cause you don't really need to learn to be a leader or whatever, but Taylor, did you want to be on a team? It feels like you're kinda singled out, you know?"

"It doesn't matter to me if I'm on a team or not. I still work with people. I'll be sent on missions with other teams that I will have worked with—"

"Dibs!" Ruby cut in.

"What?" I asked.

"Dibs, I called it. You're with Team RWBY next mission."

"Ruby, you can't just—" Weiss started.

"But I did," Ruby said back with the confidence of a child getting her way without any of the petulance.

"We'll see when the time comes." Ruby nodded as if I had agreed with her request. "But as I was saying, I think a team at Beacon is just practice for how Huntsmen are usually sent out in the field. Lots of teams don't work together after they graduate"—Ruby blanched—"mostly because they specialize in what they do as Huntsmen, want to stay in certain areas, or want to do different work."

"So, you don't think teams matter?" Ruby asked sadly.

"They do, but I don't feel like I need one." That didn't come out right judging from Blake's frown. "I don't feel they're necessary when you could pick certain people who would be better for a mission based on their skills rather than by teams." Still not perfect.

"So… if someone doesn't match up with what you think you need, then they aren't good for the mission?" The words swished around in Yang's mouth like she was tasting something odd. Caution and worry instead of her usual fire.

"I suppose." Our contexts felt off. "Teams are more for camaraderie. And some people don't do well to team up with strangers, so an assigned team means they have a group they know they can work well with."

"I see." Yang frowned, glanced at Blake before staring at the floor in dour thought. "I'm gonna go get some more ice, I'll be right back." She stood and left without waiting for a response.

We continued a round of questions no better than small talk. No one wanted Yang to miss out if someone asked something personal

Yang had been where she had been for the last ten minutes, in our floor's common lounge by herself. She was at the back of the room facing the wall, and hadn't touched the fridge that had the ice, or any of the other furniture.

"I'll be right back, I have a quick call to make tonight," I said, standing up.

Ruby puffed her cheeks. "No working tonight!"

"Don't worry, it's not work." Blake tilted her head, a silent question on whether it was about the White Fang. I shook my head. "I'll just be a moment."

I stepped out of the room and toward the lounge.

I found Yang with one hand scratching her head and the other holding bits of plaster from where she had apparently punched a hole in the wall.

"Yang," I said, only to announce my presence.

Yang twitched and turned. "Y-yo." She pointed at the hole sheepishly. "Guess you could say I gave this wall the hole nine yards." She laughed with no warmth.

"Everything okay?"

She sucked in a breath, ready to deny anything, but sagged after a moment. "I just… what you said, before." I nodded. "What if camaraderie was the mission? What if I want to help someone, but am apparently not the person to do it?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"Is this about Blake?" The side-eye glances and looks of concern peppered through the night hadn't exactly been subtle hints.

"Yeah... Fuck, I hate this." Yang paced along the back of the lounge's couch. "Not being able to do anything!" she raged, eyes a bloody red. "I just, I tried and nothing…" She trailed off with a slump.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Yang. What Blake is going through, is something that I went through, so it was easy for me to talk to her about it." And easy for me to get her to understand that overworking herself isn't a way to get the results she wanted. "I… I can't tell you what she or I are doing, that's not for me to say." But… soon. I want to tell them, just not yet… I think Blake is starting to feel that way too. "All I can say is… You would understand why she is doing what she's doing, and why she hasn't told you about it."

There was a pregnant pause, one where I expected Yang to either explode or walk away defeated. Instead, she took several deep breaths and relaxed.

"You're looking out for her? Making sure that she has some help for whatever she's going through?" Yang asked sincerely.

"Of course."

"Good… she hasn't wanted my help… or needed it, apparently. That said, if either of you get in over your heads, you better come to us, got it?" Yang's eyes narrowed slightly, a promise of help and a good-hearted threat.

I nodded and gestured back to the dorm. Yang smiled, grabbed the ice from the communal fridge, and led the way.

She marched into the room, a mask of energetic glee on her face that I knew would fall when she thought no one was looking at her.

"Sorry I took so long. Had to sort through the freezer for the ice to find it. Or maybe I just have bad ice-sight?"

The girls, who looked like they were in the middle of a discussion, paused to groan.

"Really, Yang?"

"Yaaaaang."

"Guys, don't be frost-strated just because you haven't thaw-ght of such cool puns." Yang radiated victory while everyone cringed.

"As we were saying, before we were interrupted." Yang beamed, but it soon slipped away. "Surely Taylor would be the tie-breaking vote as an honorary member of Team RWBY?" Weiss stated, looking to me for confirmation. Three sets of eyebrows raised while Ruby flushed. "What? That's what Ruby said you were."

The younger girl squirmed. "Well, you know, you live with us, have class with us, train with us. You're like, the big sister of the team—"

Like a big sister?

"Like a big sister?" Yang echoed, her sullen rumination snapped by shock, and her eyes narrowed slightly at me.

"Well, yeah. Before Taylor beat up Team CRDL in the cafeteria, she would always step in between them and me when Cardin looked like he was about to comment about how I'm too young to be here and stuff."

"Cardin was bullying you?!" Yang's hands clenched into fist so quickly that she ripped the pillows beside her.

"I-it was nothing bad. He was being a big jerk, but it's over now." Ruby's placation didn't make Yang's eyes turn from red back to their natural lilac or placate Weiss's narrowed gaze in the distance.

"You'll tell us if something like that happens again?" Blake asked. I couldn't tell if she wasn't close enough with Ruby to show open rage or if she was simply masking it.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Yang turned to me. "By the way, that big sister card is mine. I will fight you for it," she said with faux seriousness.

"Oh, that's right! Taylor being a big sister!" Ruby said, suddenly remembering what she had been saying.

'Will. Fight. You.' Yang mouthed with an upward twitch of her lips.

I never considered myself the big sister type… or the type of person anyone should look up to.

"Um, she always makes sure we're training and doing homework, but it's, uh, different from the team leader exercises Professor Goodwitch puts us through. Taylor's more... like a stern older sister," Ruby mulled.

"Are you saying Taylor is more mature than me?" Yang accused half-heartedly.

"Yes."

"She kinda is."

"I kinda am."

"Traitors! All of you!" Yang announced jokingly, pointing at everyone but Weiss.

Despite the lightheartedness of it all, I felt ashamed, just like I had with Pyrrha. Another relationship that I hadn't invested myself in and had either misconstrued or just let myself be ignorant of.

Then again, that was why I was here today, to start giving back some of the feelings the people of Remnant had given me.

I owe Ruby for setting this up. A simple get together with friends was something I hadn't had in—friends? I... guess they are.

"Thank you, Weiss. I knew I could count on one of you to have my back," Yang said.

"Oh, my silence wasn't me agreeing with you. Taylor being more mature than you just goes without saying," Weiss stated.

Yang mimed a dagger to her gut.

"Taylor is also a model student, strategist, and coordinator"—Yang mimed more wounds with every word—"even despite her suspicious gambling skills and explicit relationships," Weiss finished, hidden mirth at Yang in her words.

"It was one relationship," I interrupted grumpily. "Yes, I had sex a little younger than most would in Remnant, it's not a big deal. It hasn't affected my performance or grades, has it?" I appealed to what Weiss thought was important, anything to get her to drop this.

"…I suppose you're correct. Just because it is… scandalous"—Really?—"doesn't undermine what you have accomplished," Weiss admitted.

"Thank you. I was beginning to think I would have to crack open a drink at this rate," I said drolly.

"You drink?!" I sighed as all my progress crashed and burned. Of course, that had to be an expression that wasn't on Remnant, even though most other common ones I knew were. "Are you secretly some kind of delinquent?!" Weiss demanded. I almost laughed, she had no idea how right she was.

"Taylor… is that why you have those two bottles in that bag by your books?" Ruby whispered worriedly, but no one missed the statement.

"Y-you have alcohol here?!" Weiss's hysteria rose. "How did you even get any?!"

"You had booze and we didn't use them for drinking games?!" Yang shouted, appalled at the wasted opportunity.

"They were a gift, and I forgot about them."

The liquor was as much a bribe as it was a gift, given to me during one of my recent meetings with Junior. Good relations meant better prices. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't in it for the long haul.

"I could have seen Weiss drunk… God, that would have been funny," Yang grumbled.

"Don't be Yang-ry about it, I'm sure you'll get the chance someday," I said blankly, getting chuckles from everyone else.

"That pun was terrible and shouldn't have gotten any kind of laugh! Also, I've already made that one!"

"Yeah, but this time the pun was on you," Weiss clarified.

"You all suck," Yang said, but even her mirth couldn't hide a tired undertone.

Ruby inspected her sister. "You... all right, Yang?"

Yang paused, then smiled. Not playfully like usual, but assuaging. "I'm better."

"What's the plan now?" Blake asked. Yang gave her a grateful nod for the topic change.

"Remnant to leader? Shouldn't you be hosting your party?" Weiss scolded.

"Oh! Yeah, uh, cake and board games? Maybe a movie?" Ruby said uncertainly.

The day ebbed into night as we just… spent time together. No more in-depth conversations, no more hidden tension, no more thinking of how to talk about myself while also not mentioning anything otherworldly. It was a group of friends, having fun.

After a movie—apparently Spruce Willis was an action star on Remnant, one of several coincidences with Earth Bet that I had taken note of—we sat against a wall of pillows making small talk.

"You know, you never mentioned your own… escapades, Yang," Blake stated, referring back to our game of 'Truth or Truth'.

"Oh, totally forgot. I've been on a few dates, but they either can't keep up or are just in it for the goods, you know?" Yang said with a puff of her chest.

"Really? Didn't you let Indigo Pechman touch your—" Ruby teasingly started before a pillow crashed into her face.

"They don't need to know about that!" Yang yelled with a tinge of embarrassment.

"You told them about—" Ruby began before ducking under another pillow.

"Big sister card!" Yang declared adamantly as she grabbed more fluffy projectiles.

"You can't say that for everything!" Ruby yelled, along with a flurry of pillows of her own.

Oh no.

Yang sidestepped Ruby's barrage and the fluffy mounds wrapped around Weiss's face with a dull smack.

"Watch where you're throwing those, you—" A pillow fired by Blake hit her face again.

Weiss glared at the raven-haired Faunus with cold accusation, Blake giving a small smirk of satisfaction before it disappeared behind a return volley from the heiress.

This can't actually be happening… it's too cliché.

There was a moment of stillness as everyone else put on looks of anticipation.

They slowly backed away, leaving me in the middle of the battlefield, each of them holding a set of feather-filled projectiles.

"Guys, you aren't thinking of—" A spinning pillow caught the side of my head. "We're not kids any—" I stepped back to avoid another throw but felt three more pelt me in the back. "I'm not going to—" This time all four of them. As if in perfect coordination, I was struck on all four sides.

They're just kids having fun. Breathe in for four, hold for seven, out for

Another barrage, and another round of snickers.

I took a deep, heavy breath. "I—" I started before noticing the glyph situated perfectly above me. I looked to Weiss to see her holding a small vial of Dust.

The pillows around me slowly began to rise into the air. Strands of my hair rose too, attracted by the pull of the Dust.

I looked straight at Weiss, Ruby grinning madly beside her. "Don't you—" A torrent of pillows interrupted me as they rained down from the sky, burying me from head to toe in a comfortable pillow mountain.

Bugs marked my targets.

My leg shot out in a wide kick that hooked all the pillows in its path and fired them towards Yang and Blake. Aura blasted through my body.

With my arm out, I continued the pivot of my hips and momentum of my kicking leg, throwing pillows back in a backhanded chop at Ruby and Weiss.

But I followed through with my spin, jumping off with my standing foot and bringing it up along with everything it could before I flicked the leg out while the other crossed past it. The final maneuver sending another few missiles straight at Weiss.

In one fluid hurricane of motion, I retaliated against my foes.

The sounds of their muffled grunts as their faces were struck was a sweet song.

My projectiles flopped to the ground after peeling from their faces, revealing mixed expressions, yet, they all silently communicated the same thing: challenge accepted.

Ruby moved first, a blur of red petals becoming a twirling corkscrew of pillows as she drilled through the air, attempting to batter everything in her path in a storm of red and white.

Blake's Semblance pushed her out of the way. Weiss danced upwards onto a set of glyphs and levitated some pillows up to her as she did. I dove out of the way as soon as I sensed Ruby's muscles tense, barely evading her charge.

Yang was struck by a flowery twister, getting buffeted all over by a maelstrom of spinning pillows.

Ruby spun in the air and landed with her feet on the wall, momentum sticking her there and giving her enough time to reposition her feet to leap off it as she threw her pillows at Weiss.

Blake jumped and grabbed one of Ruby's missiles out of the air, then redirected her flight path with another clone and returned the pillow to its sender.

I stepped off the dresser between the bunk beds, then bounded off Ruby's bed to get Weiss in the air.

The heiress saw herself being targeted and looked toward a recovering Yang.

"Freezerburn!" Weiss yelled, using glyphs to prepare a pillar of pillows in front of the blonde fighter.

Everyone else was still off the ground, unable to intercept until they landed.

With a fiery grin, Yang burned with her Semblance as her fist rocketed down onto the pillow stack.

An explosion of feathers filled the room instantly, blocking everyone's view. It didn't stop my bugs though.

"Bookworm! Four feet up, one foot to the left!" I called out just as I touched down on the ground, only to immediately jump back up into position.

Blake moved into position, quickly creating a clone that held both its hands up, ready to catch us. Blake hopped up and planted her foot onto her clone's hand, her uncertainty as to where I was disappearing as I landed on her clone's other hand with two pillows clutched against my chest. I pointed in the direction I wanted her to send us.

In the brief moment before we were launched forward, Blake and I shared a nod, just barely visible in the smog of wafting feathers around us.

We were rocketed up towards the center of the room.

"In front of Weiss's desk!" I said.

Blake put her hands together in front of her navel while I bent my knees in preparation. She looped her grip around my foot and I was again launched, this time in a new direction with added momentum.

"Why am I the only one that didn't get to do a team attack!" Ruby pouted from amidst the feathered storm.

"You're the leader, shouldn't you be the one calling out formations?" Weiss commented.

"I can't see anyone to do that! How are Taylor and Blake able to—" Ruby was cut off as I barreled into her, letting the force of the air hold the pillows against me as they also cushioned the tackle into the younger girl.

There was a sharp grunt as Ruby was sent into a pile of pillows.

"Whhhyyyyyyyy?" Ruby asked weakly from her cushiony tomb.

Everyone else was gathering ammunition around themselves ready to fire as soon as the feathers were less obstructive.

Ruby shot up, sending a wave of pillows flying out. "Middle of the room! Ice flower! Ladybug! Sunrise!" Ruby commanded maniacally as she tossed every pillow she could towards the center of the room, right where I was.

I was partly to blame. If they were going to be calling out tactics in battle, then it needed to be an instant maneuver, otherwise, the enemy would have time to prepare for it. So, I had them go over all their 'team attacks' in different scenarios, positions, and against different sized targets, repeatedly.

It also didn't help that Ruby had shown a knack for knowing when to use the formations. She had used the talent to win a few practice spars when fighting with a partner or with her entire team. So, not only were the team attacks ingrained in Team RWBY's heads, but their trust in their leader left almost no hesitation for using them, so they were almost instinctual at this point. Now, that trust was their downfall.

The instant Ruby said the words, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were rushing toward the center of the small room. Aura letting them bound to their destination in a single leap before they realized they were being herded, right to where I was.

Ruby had grabbed a stack of pillows and held them to her chest. I guessed she was going to do what I had done and use them to slam all of us in one massive sweep.

So, bugs secretly attached draglines of silk I'd prepared in the vents around her feet.

It proved to be a flawed counter as Ruby didn't take a step. No, she used her Semblance and pushed off with a mighty spring, singing a battle cry that turned into a wail midway to us when she found her feet tied.

I only had time to sigh as everyone arrived around me, cutting off my escape. They all turned toward the sound to see a floundering Ruby hurtling towards us like an uncontrolled, tumbling train.

Then, Ruby slammed into us.

Everyone was sent flying in a tangled pile. Aura mitigated the damage, but we still felt the impact.

Feathers flew past us with the burst of wind from Ruby's speed, and when they settled, the room was a battlefield littered with the bodies of dozens of pillows.

We lay there, moaning in pain, sprawled across one another. We didn't bother trying to get up; all we could do was move our heads to glance at one another.

Yang broke first, followed quickly by Ruby, and I felt their bodies begin to shake as they started to giggle. Then we all joined in.

"Oh my god! Taylor, you laughed!" Yang declared in shock.

"What are you talking about, that's not—" Oh wow, I can't remember the last time I laughed. "Okay, you got me there."

"Wooooo! 'Operation Party Poppers'!" Ruby stated triumphantly, pumping her fists into the air from her prone position. I ignored the operation's name.

I looked around at my team, the people I would be spending the next portion of my life on this strange world with.

We hadn't solved anything, we hadn't accomplished anything, but I found myself smiling nonetheless.

Chapter 14 End


Author Notes:

Praise be to the divine and holy Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Rakkis157, Orbital Oracle, Majigah, and Weird Caster! Tremble and wallow as they grace this fic with their providence!

What a weird chapter.

So, yeah. Nothing really happens, but down the road, I think I'll be grateful I did it. I think this fluff will reinforce a lot of the relationships and hardships to come instead of just having the friendship happen offscreen. Don't worry, we're going to be going hard into plot stuff, then a break chapter, then some heavy stuff, then dive hard into plot until this arc's (Look at me, thinking I have arcs for this story. What a fucking liar) end. So, couple chapters of plot, then a break; rinse, repeat.

Also, I really wanted to practice writing a chapter that was mostly dialogue, as well as writing, well fluff, to see if I could do it. This was certainly the chapter that I second-guessed myself the most.

Also, I don't remember if I've brought it up before, but Ozpin drinks Cocoa, not coffee.

I love the idea that Blake is the realist (Besides Taylor) on the team but also has these romanticized views on some things that make her the innocent or optimistic one. A little bit of hope amongst all her frump.

Also, Blake's clones. In the boat fight in Volume 4 Episode 3, Blake's clones have physicality and can apparently be used as Naruto clones for a little bit. At least enough for her to have two of them toss her up. 'Bookworm' is just an application of that.

The Yang and Taylor make out joke had to go. It didn't fit anymore without being forced. Let us all take a moment of silence in remembrance.

'Enabler' is the name for the Ruby/Yang ship, but it sounds weird for a team attack name (and the Ruby/Yang ship is eww). Then, I thought about 'Fire Flower' but that was just like 'Ice Flower'. Then, I was thinking 'Snapdragon', cause they're dragon flowers, but they're not really roses. So, I went with 'Sunrise', cause of Yang's Strawberry Sunrise, and because I almost had Blake and Taylor's move to be called 'Midnight', but 'Bookworm' was just too good.

That laugh at the end, kinda like what happened at the end of the initiation, huh. BOOM, callback.

Lots of dialogue from the earlier in the canon series that was never said in this fic, and some stuff from the future that was said early. I don't like doing it, but when the context comes up, it makes sense that the character would say the same thing/have the same opinion. I don't like re-hashing though, so this will hopefully be one of the last instances of it.


Questions they asked Taylor that didn't fit into the chapter:

"Where did you get the scar on your ribs?"

"From a giant saw blade trap."

"I—wait, what?"

"Trust me, I was just as surprised."

Especially considering that Bohu somehow made the blade come out of a totally solid and seamless patch of concrete. Not even my bugs could have noticed something that seemed to phase through the wall to slice me.


"Why were you in that cool costume when I saw you?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"A costume?" Blake repeated.

"Yeah. Taylor was wearing this skin-tight outfit that had armor plates on it. It looked kinda scary but super cool," Ruby eagerly explained.

"That wouldn't have anything to do with your… activities, right?" Weiss asked disapprovingly.

"I'm not going around wearing fetish gear in my spare time, Weiss," I replied dryly.


"Cats or dogs?" Ruby asked.

"I thought these were supposed to be about my past…" I asked.

"Still important though."

"I like both. I've only really been around dogs, but I don't think I'm the kind of person who would be around enough to take care of them properly." Not like Rachel could. "But my neighbor had a rather violent cat, so I don't think I would want one either."

Blake gave me a look. I just rolled my eyes.


"Well, what kind of pet would you like?"

A giant beetle, big enough to ride on, would be awesome.

"I wouldn't mind a big spider," I mused.

"Ewww!"

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Fine, no pets for me then," I said.


"What's one thing about yourself that you wouldn't want us to know?" Yang questioned.

How many people I've hurt, tortured, killed, enslaved. My numerous crimes, shitty past, terrible decisions. How many times I've left, betrayed, and disappointed the people that were closest to me.

"Taylor!" Ruby's voice cut into my thoughts.

"Sorry?"

"You just blanked out for like a solid minute…" Weiss said.

"Ohhh, ummm, I don't want you guys to know that… I don't really listen to music…"

"…Okay, sure…"


"What is the most embarrassing question we could ask you?" Blake asked slyly.

"Good one," Yang commented approvingly.

Things that embarrass me… I can think of questions I couldn't answer because they would reveal the fact that I'm from another world, or that I've done terrible things, or things that would bring down the mood…

"You can't think of anything, can you?" Weiss asked.

"I… no, I really can't."

"It's like fun just bounces off of you," Yang muttered under her breath.