A/N: I think I'm going to try updating every Monday, so look forward to that! No guarantees, though. I'm still a working student, after all.

Let me know what you think! Reviews/PMs make me really happy/motivated.

Laws of Attraction

For the first time in a long, long time, Pyrrha didn't dream. Her head was devoid of all thought- her body moved mechanically through the motions of getting ready for bed and tucking in for the night, all under the ever-watchful eye of a concerned Nora. Even the next morning, she awoke in a daze, unsure of what to do.

It's all gone.

She had known that it would happen eventually, but the fact that it had finally occurred felt surreal to her. To think that she wouldn't be able to go back to her childhood home, down the steps into the place she loved more than anything…

But there was nothing she could do.

A bitter taste filled her mouth at the thought, as she sat in the dining hall during breakfast that day. Why can't I ever protect the things that matter? Even though she had continued her success in Beacon overall, she still couldn't please her mother, still couldn't feel whole.

The little black box kept threatening to break free. She swallowed it down, let it rot in the center of her gut. She was too tired to deal with that pain- it was easier to put her mask back on and continue her day. In the end, she simply put on her smile, desperately pretending like the conversation the night before had never even happened. And, true to their word, JNPR never asked any questions.

The box wanted to escape. She ignored it. The dull ache in her stomach continued, and all she could do was sigh and let it happen. The only reminder of it was the beeping of her Scroll, her Aura gauge constantly showing signs of depletion throughout the day.

Why is my Aura activated? Can Auras heal hearts?

Thankfully, one thing seemed to go her way. Perhaps the professors pitied them after making them come back after a soothing vacation, or perhaps they just hadn't sorted out exactly what to do with the plethora of new exchange students suddenly filling up each lecture hall. Either way, the Beacon students found themselves blissfully lacking in actual content the first full day back in classes, and soon found themselves dismissed for the evening with little else to do.

Teams RWBY and JNPR both headed to the library to relax. And, in the typical fashion, what began as a study session to catch up on future readings quickly turned into a session for Ren, and Ren alone, to catch up on future readings. Ruby brought a board game which her father had given her for the winter solstice, so her team launched into a long, convoluted, and horribly noisy tabletop campaign.

At a nearby table, Jaune read his comics, and Ren scoured a large history book on Mistral villages. Initially, Nora had joined him. In about thirty seconds, however, she managed to fall asleep on the book itself, leaving an exasperated Ren no choice but to turn the pages and directly lay them on Nora's sleeping face.

As Pyrrha read one of her texts on tactics, she couldn't help but overhear the commotion at Team RWBY's table. She had never played that game, but it was more than enough fun just watching Yang and Ruby battle head-to-head whilst Blake and Weiss just watched on in a daze.

Nora started in her sleep, startling the rest of her team. "Oh. Have pancakes," she mumbled before settling back to sleep. Pyrrha rolled her eyes good-naturedly before clearing her throat, glancing over at Jaune's comic book. The illustration on the page he was on was beautifully intricate. Curious, she lightly plucked the book out of his hands and swapped it with her own textbook, much to his chagrin.

After a few moments, Jaune slammed the book shut. "Oh, I can't take this anymore, I want to join!" he whimpered, abandoning their table to join the other team. Awkwardly, he called out, "Hey! Can I play?"

Pyrrha put down the comic and watched what the girls would say, mildly intrigued.

Ruby shrugged. " Sorry Jaune, we've already got four people."

"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you possess," Weiss huffed. Pyrrha frowned. No matter how much time she spent with the girl, she could never get over how much Weiss tended to pick on Jaune.

Yang quickly cut her down to size by saying, "Uhh, you attacked your own naval fleet 2 turns ago."

Jaune merely grinned, unfazed by her comment. "Bring it on, Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I have been told that I am a natural born leader!"

Ice Queen? Pyrrha sighed tiredly. At least it's better than the 'snow angel' thing.

Weiss scoffed, "By who? Your mother?"

"A-and Pyrrha!" he replied defensively.

Pyrrha waved automatically, "Hello again!"

Clasping his hands together, Jaune begged, "Come on, let me play your hand for a turn!"

The pale girl held her cards away from him indignantly. "I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!"

"Why not?" he protested. "You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a Fa-"

Pyrrha instinctively leapt up, frantically rushing over to the blond. Clamping her hand over his mouth, she interrupted, "Fun-loving person, whom we admire and respect."

Jaune's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. With a nervous giggle, he promptly hunched over, suddenly very interested in a pattern on his shoe.

Casting a glance at Blake, Pyrrha winced. The Faunus girl glared at everyone. It was clear that she understood her secret was out.

Jaune regained his composure and bowed dramatically, trying to distract from the tension that had suddenly filled the room. "Right. That. Ladies, enjoy your battle."

Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head as she returned to her seat. "Well. There goes that situation."

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice drew their attention once more. "'Sup losers," Sun smirked, sauntering over to RWBY's table.

"Hey Sun!" Ruby chirped brightly, eager to have someone else come in and change the subject.

Pyrrha cocked her head curiously as another figure emerged from behind Sun. With a mop of shockingly blue hair, a dashing smile, and dark eyes, this new figure waited for the blond to introduce him.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake," Sun began. After a moment, he tacked on, "…Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss cried, throwing her hands up in the air.

Ignoring her, he continued, "I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend."

Instead of taking his cue, the boy simply asked, "Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?"

In the back, Ren threw his arms up in the air, exasperated. "Thank you!" to which Nora screeched, "Pancakes!", the girl finally jolting awake.

Sun shrugged. "Shut up. Don't be a nerd."

The blue-haired boy shook a finger at his friend. "G-g-g-geh! 'Intellectual', okay? Thank you." He waved good-naturedly. "I'm Neptune."

To Pyrrha's surprise, it was Weiss who first spoke, her tone coy. "So Neptune, where are you from?"

"Haven," he replied, walking over to her. With a sly grin, he said, "And, I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."

Instead of mocking him, the girl giggled. "Um, I'm Weiss."

Jaune turned back to look at Pyrrha, distraught. "Are you kidding me?!" he cried, gaping at how smoothly Neptune had just outdone Jaune.

Raising a brow, Neptune smirked, "Pleasure to meet you."

Ignoring the debacle on the other side of the table, Sun asked Blake, "I never took you as the board game playing type."

The girl sighed, standing up and shoving Sun aside. It was clear that her bitterness had not died down from the reveal of her identity. "Right, well, I think I'm done playing actually. I'll see you guys later." Before anyone could speak, she stalked out of the room.

The whole room was quiet, subdued, in her wake, until Nora shrugged. "Meh. Women."

And with that, the spell was broken.

Sun groaned, running his hands through his hair. "Ugh, I'm going to go talk to her."

"That's the girl you've been chasing all this time, man? Damn. She's… not exactly the cheeriest, huh?" Neptune commented, crossing his arms. "I was wondering why you were lurking in Vale for so long instead of coming to party in Mistral before the semester started. I wasn't expected it to be for someone like… that."

"Back off, dude," Sun hissed, bristling. The hair on his tail stiffened, the boy's stance becoming defensive. "She's going through some stuff. It's none of your business."

Neptune held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I believe you. I'll chalk it up to a bad day, then." Turning back to face everyone else, he waved cockily. "Well, I guess it's time for me to head out. Enjoy your night!" Leaning in towards Weiss, he added, "I'm sure I'll see you around, Weiss."

The normally stern girl let out another soft giggle, and from where Pyrrha was standing, she could see how red her ears had become. "Oh, I'm sure you will, Neptune."

By the time he had turned around, however, Sun was already running out of the room after Blake.

Sheepishly, the Neptune turned back to the three girls seated around the table. "Well… mind if I join in?"

Ruby and Yang shrugged, casting nervous glances at the door after Blake and Sun. "Sure! By all means," Weiss invited, gesturing towards Blake's empty seat.

Jaune sat back down in his seat and buried his head in his arms. "Why wasn't I allowed to play?" he moaned.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have brought up Blake's personal information in the middle of the open library," Pyrrha scolded tiredly. "You realize that Ruby told us about the situation in confidence, right? It wasn't your story to tell."

"I didn't mean it!" he insisted, but she held a finger up to cut him off.

"No, Jaune." She held her tone firm. "That was her secret to share, not yours. How would you feel if I went around talking about your secret?"

The blond paled.

"See?" she finalized pointedly.

Jaune sighed, running his fingers through his mop of shaggy hair. "I-" he paused, then sighed again, as if conceding his defeat. "I know," he replied glumly. "I shouldn't have said anything. We weren't supposed to know. Ugh, I can't believe I messed up like that!" Hearing a burst of laughter from RWBY's table, they turned to see Neptune striking a pose, the three girls laughing at his antics as he continued his turn. Jaune spun around and crossed his arms, pouting petulantly. "I just thought that…"

"I suppose you didn't mean any harm by it," Pyrrha acknowledged, although reluctantly. "You wouldn't do that."

Jaune mussed up his hair quickly in frustration, his frown growing as he realized that the laughter from the table behind them continued on.

"Why is this bothering you so much, Jaune?" Pyrrha mused aloud, raising an eyebrow. "This kind of stuff usually doesn't bother you."

Jaune gestured exasperatedly at the icy girl at the other table, back facing them. "She's laughing, Pyrrha! She never…" His frown deepened, eyes glazing over. After a moment, however, he snapped out of it.

"Yes?" she pressed, leaning in. "What's wrong?"

Rather than continuing, the boy simply flushed lightly and buried his head in his arms. "Nevermind," he mumbled, voice muffled by his arms.

Pyrrha patted him on the back, but her heart was confused. Why was he suddenly so sullen? Why was he upset that Neptune was getting along well with Weiss? She just didn't know.