Disclaimer: I do not own either RWBY or Star Wars

Wayle found himself observing a sparring match between Jaune and Cardin. And so far, he had been very disappointed with Jaune's performance. He seemed to have some grasp of fighting, but he was too reckless and failed to properly use his shield to defend himself. And his swordsmanship was deplorable, Wayle could have separated his sword from him in so many different ways it was almost funny.

A powerful blow from Cardin's mace sent Jaune's shield flying out of his grasp, and where a reasonable person might have tried to recompose himself and rethink his strategy, Jaune took his sword in both hands and charged. Cardin blocked and after a few words to Jaune kicked him in the stomach. He collapsed on the floor.

The mace wielding boy approached his opponent and raised his mace for one last blow, but was interrupted as the lighting returned to normal and Glynda stepped forth to declare the match over, explaining the tournament rules that they were following and then went on to give Jaune a lesson about keeping an eye on the condition of his Aura, telling him to use it to decided when it would be more prompt to adopt a more defensive tactic.

Wayle agreed to a certain extent, but he was not one to go on the defensive when cornered. Sure, he might suddenly disappear from sight using Cloak but he most certainly wouldn't go on the defensive. Either that or simply use the force to overwhelm his opponent. It usually worked, or at least gave him some time to rethink his approach. While he felt that Jaune needed help, the worried look on Pyrrha's face told him that she would probably take care of it sooner or later.

Still, there was a tournament coming up apparently, and he was certain most of the people he knew would be going. Maybe he would as well. Sure, he ran the risk of revealing even more of his abilities but in the end he doubted any of the people who would participate would be able to draw out more than a fraction more. It might be worth the effort for him to get some more information about these people and what they could do. It was most certainly worth considering.

-Break—

"There we were, in the middle of the night." Nora's eyes widened as she said the last word. She was retelling some story at the table in the dining hall.

"It was day." Ren corrected her in a monotonous voice. It was something about the way he said it that made it more amusing than it had any right to be.

"We were surrounded by Ursai."

"They were Beowulves."

"Dozens of them!" She suddenly exclaimed, standing up and slamming her fists in the table.

"Two of them." Ren's deadpan delivery of the corrections were far more interesting than the story itself.

"But in the end they were no match and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made boatloads of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs." She looked pleased with herself as Ren sighed.

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

'Wait, it's just a dream? And Ren is correcting her on her own dreams? How well do those two know each other?' Wayle had a feeling they were a fine match, and now he was more than certain about it.

"Jaune? Are you okay?" Pyrrha suddenly decided to ask Jaune about his current state. He was obviously troubled by something. Wayle had a suspicion.

"Huh?" The fact that the person in question took so long to register the question just made it all the clearer to all assembled. "Oh, yeah, why?"

It didn't take much to see he was lying through his teeth.

"It's just that you seem a little… not okay." Ruby decided to press the issue as well.

"Uh, guys, I'm fine. Seriously, look!" He smiled and raised his thumb in a painfully awkward attempt to look cheerful. The awkward laugh made it even more unbearable.

"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first day at school." Pyrrha stated the most likely source of Jaune's problems.

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just likes to mess around you know… practical jokes!" Jaune's response didn't help Wayle's impression of him or the situation.

"He's a bully." Ruby pretty much summed it up perfectly. Even if it was "just" practical jokes, they were in bad taste AND was harmful to other people. People like Jaune.

"Oh please, name one time he's… "bullied" me". At the word bullied he raised his fingers to indicate the citation marks.

"There are far too many cases too count, but if I would have to give one in specific I would say the time he locked you in your locker and sent you away." Wayle decided to come into the situation himself, getting slightly annoyed at the boys repeated attempts to defend one who didn't deserve it. Even Wayle had come to regard Cardin as a piece of scum that even most Sith would refuse to associate with.

"I didn't land far from the school." Jaune's reply certainly grated on Wayle's nerves. Any more and he might just decide to crush something, and in this case there were a few too many people for him to guarantee zero casualties.

"Jaune, if you ever need help you can just ask." Pyrrha's concern certainly didn't befit a warrior like her, but Wayle could sense some of the affection underlying it. A hint of romance in her heart. That at least let him settle himself a bit.

"Oh! We'll break his legs!" Nora suddenly decided to propose something Wayle might actually do, with or without the others permission.

"Guys! Really. It's fine. Besides it's not like he's only a jerk to me." Jaune's reply beggared the question: And that changes what exactly? "He's a jerk to everyone."

As if on cue a crude laugh could be heard, followed by a pained outcry that it hurts. Turning his gaze to the source he found Cardin pulling the ears on a Faunus girl with long auburn hair and a pair of similarly coloured rabbit ears, laughing all the while. Wayle felt all his irritation redirected at the boy.

"Please stop." The girl pleaded for them to stop.

"I told you they were real." Cardin just continued, obviously with no intention of stopping.

"What a freak." His friends decided to call her a freak for something so small? No wonder Blake kept her heritage hidden.

Before anyone knew it Wayle was there, taking hold of Cardin's arm and forcing him to let go. He turned to the newly released girl. He spoke up in a voice none present had ever heard him use. The voice of an angry Sith giving a lesson.

"If you want them to stop, you have to MAKE them. It is the destiny of the weak and cowardly to be oppressed by those who have more." His eyes went to Cardin. "Or those too cowardly to act with honour and instead picking on those who won't fight back. Like you." He turned back to the girl.

"What are you doing?! Let go!" Cardin complained loudly. Wayle ignored him.

"So instead of just standing there accepting it, get angry, fight. Only then will they stop. Reason doesn't work on scum like them." He decided to recite something that had been central to his life for the past seven or so years.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken."

He released Cardin's arm and turned to leave. He could see the disapproving and curious looks from teams RWBY and JNPR. Behind him the laughter resumed and Cardin advanced on the girl.

"Hehehe. Did you hear that ponce? Come on! Get angry then!" A pained outcry told Wayle that Cardin had resumed his previous activity.

"Stop it! Stop pulling my ears! It hurts!" Anger found its way into the girl's voice as it rose in volume.

Wayle smiled a wicked smile that could only be described as cruel and evil. He turned around to see that the girl had freed herself from Cardin's hands and was now staring angrily as the somewhat shocked and now annoyed Cardin advanced upon her. He got one step closer before he found himself lifted from the ground and before anyone could react he and his teammates had been thrown out a window.

Amazed stares turned to the departing figure of Wayle. They didn't know how to react to this sudden development. They had never really imagined him to be capable of such behaviour. And those words he had spoken. What were they?

-Break—

Blake was confused. She had never seen that side of Wayle before, and it scared her. Cardin had been too stupid to realise, but when Wayle was standing there he had suddenly given of a presence of wrongness, of condensed hatred and anger. And that smile…

She shuddered at the memory of it. That was another thing she hadn't thought Wayle capable of. Was this the real him? Or just one of his extremes? She had no way of knowing. She was sure he was keeping secrets, and she was certain that that… poem? he had recited had a connection to them.

'What was that anyway? Peace is a lie? What's that supposed to mean?' Somehow it felt incomplete, as if it was lacking some final piece…

She shook her head. It was no use trying to decipher the words with her current information. Hopefully the truth would come out in due time, although she had started developing doubts about whatever she would like it. She was currently watching him train going through several different routines with his sword, and sometimes without it. She had known he was training, he usually disappeared for some time and came back sweaty.

She admired the skill he showed, no matter if it was unarmed or with a sword he always seemed to have perfect control of his movements. No matter how he spun or flipped he always kept perfect balance, fighting some imaginary foe.

He sheathed his sword and turned towards her.

"Blake, I know you are there. Is there something you want? Or are you just peeking on my training?" He asked her a question. She had thought she might have been far away enough. No matter how you grew up, no person is that sensitive unless they are on alert. And Wayle showed no signs of such alertness.

She walked towards him. She hadn't actually been hiding, just standing at a distance.

"It seems I just can't hide from you." She started, a slight smile on her face as she approached. "Well, I was wondering what that was all about. In the dining hall." Her face turned dark.

"That." Wayle's face showed a few emotions, a hint of anger, a hint of shame and a slight hint of… worry? "I am sorry if I worried you. I got so… annoyed, at Jaune and then Cardin drew my ire. So I intervened. He needed to be brought down a few notches and that girl seemed in need of a lesson. I hope Jaune heeds it as well, he needs to get a bit of backbone in the face of bullies. And he needs combat lessons."

"I see. And what about those words you said? That peace is a lie? Do you really believe that? Or…" Blake was a bit worried. Even she thought that those words rang false.

"It depends on your interpretation of the phrase. Alone it is false. But when you add the follow up, there is only passion, it can be interpreted as saying that people can't be indifferent, that they all have their passions. That it is these passions that give us our strength. That through this strength we gain victory that will free us from our chains. The chains themselves can be interpreted as many things, doubts, worries or fears." Wayle seemed to brighten up at the explanation, even if there was a hint of doubt, as if he doubted his own words.

"That's… interesting. Where did you learn it? I have never heard it before." Still, she was curious. It was unusual and it was a hint of his true self.

"It is the code of an order of scholars and warriors… and terrible tyrants." Wayle seemed to darken at some memory, some deep seated dislike for the order in question.

"Tyrants?"

"It might seem a little harsh, but most if not all of them are bad people, willing to slaughter innocents and torture for their own amusement. I suppose there are parts of it that can at least be considered decent. But they are rare amongst its ranks."

"That doesn't answer why you called the tyrants."

He chuckled. "True, I called them tyrants because they think themselves superior to all others, and those who live under them either listen to what they say or suffer. That is why I called them tyrants."

"Are they the ones who taught you how to fight? I doubt many outside their order would know their code, and you seem well acquainted with both it and the order."

"I see you are a sharp lady as well as a beauty. Good looks and intelligence make for a dangerous combination." He laughed, suddenly showing mirth and happiness. Was this really the same person who had seemed so evil just a short time ago? "Yes, I used to be part of the order before I came to Vale and joined Beacon. It was with them I learned most of my skills." He showed a bit of regret. Had it something to do with his education?

"And would you say that you were like the others?" She felt a slight hint of worry, could he torture just for fun?

"Maybe not quite like the others, I never truly followed their ways. It is one of the things that held me back from ascending their ranks. And one of the main reasons I so happily spend time here far away from them. Still, I have my fair share of darkness, and I most certainly am not beyond using others for my benefit. If I don't like them much that is. I have no plans on using any of you." He smiled, that honest smile that somehow didn't quite fit with his previous words.

"I see." She had no idea how to handle the sudden revelation. So she decided to simply repay him for not telling anyone about her secret and for helping a Faunus. "I'll believe you. I have no reason to doubt you and there is no trace of falsehood in your words. So as thanks for keeping my secret and helping one of my fellow Faunus, I'll keep yours."

"Thank you Blake, it means much for me. It was long since I last had anyone to confide in, and you certainly has allowed me to have such." There it was again, that smile. Blake didn't quite know how to handle it. But at the same time she saw sadness in his eyes. He hadn't had someone to confide in for a long time? She was overcome with a strange sense of affinity. I seemed they both had been part of something they didn't approve of.

She hugged him. She didn't know why, but she had wrapped her arms round him and held him close. He hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to do. Then he simply hugged her back.

She wasn't sure how long they stood there. She became acutely aware of his warmth, the strength of his arms and the firmness of his chest. He pulled away, looking abashed. She blushed profusely as she realised what she had done.

"Well… That is probably one of the first times a girl has hugged me so suddenly and unexpectedly." He scratched his chin. This was the first time she had seen him so embarrassed and unsure. "Still, I suppose that some part of me needed that just then. Thanks."

"I… I… don't know what came over me… I just… this is so embarrassing." She felt like fleeing from there and hiding somewhere high up. Or underneath something, either way worked.

"It's getting late, maybe we should return. I still need to shower after all. Want to join me?" He had a coy smile on his face. This was probably the first time he had shown that kind of expression. Still, she was sure he was joking. Right?

"I don't think that's appropriate." She decided to answer with reason.

"Of course it isn't. That's reserved for lovers after all." He laughed merrily. "Maybe I'll ask Yang? She might at least play along a bit." He muttered, loud enough that she could hear him. She dreaded that he would actually do it as they returned to their room.

Author's notes: Okay, I hope you liked the scene with Cardin and Velvet. It was interesting to write it and I'm a bit worried it feels forced or odd. I suppose the one that I'm really worried might feel odd and forced is the interaction between Wayle and Blake at the end. Feedback is appreciated. I hope you enjoyed and that you have a nice day.