"Hey mom, I'm home this weekend," Eliana shouted into the house as she tossed her bag onto the couch and flopped down, checking her scroll right away for messages from Neela.

"Any particular reason that you're here?" Violet asked her daughter as she entered from the sunroom and sat on a rocking chair across from her daughter.

"What?" Eliana asked.

"Don't 'what' me young lady," Violet replied. "You're with Neela every minute of every day that you can be. Neela's not here with you, so what's going on?" Eliana shook her head and rolled her eyes as she watched the wind brush over the trees out the window.

"Nothing at all, I can't just come visit my mom?" Eliana asked. Violet stood with a sigh, walking to Eliana and placing her hands on her shoulders, looking her directly in the eye.

"This is about Irving, isn't it?" Violet pried. Eliana laughed nervously.

"I'm just worried, mom," Eliana informed her. "Maybe I should start coming home on the weekends to make sure that you're okay." Violet released her grip and walked away.

"Elli, I will be fine," Violet insisted. "You're just as bad as your father was about worrying about me. I was married to one of the best fighters that Remnant has ever seen, you think that some freak with invisibility powers is a match for me?"

"I know, but…" Eliana began to argue.

"No buts!" Violet declared causing Eliana to laugh. "Speaking of butts, how is Neela?" Eliana raised an eyebrow and stepped into the kitchen with her mother.

"Mom… gross…" Eliana stated. Violet laughed.

"I'm just saying…" Violet replied with a smirk. Eliana shoved her hard and they both laughed.

"You don't want to know about the RWBY fight?" Eliana asked, hoping her mother was curious so that she could recount every detail.

"I watched it on TV," Violet replied washing her hands.

"It was so awesome in person!" Eliana exclaimed. "I just wish they would have had Grimm so Ruby could have used her silver eyes."

"Wouldn't have been much of a fight for the Grimm if she had," Violet remarked. Eliana pouted.

"I know, I just want to see it once though," she insisted.

"I heard you and Neela never made it back to the dorms the other night," Violet pried, glancing back at her daughter who was already trying to ruin her appetite with a cookie from the table.

"Yeah, we fell asleep in my secret cave," Eliana informed her.

"Nothing else happened?" Violet asked Eliana. Eliana looked at her for a long minute before swallowing, moving to the fridge for a glass of milk.

"Like what?" Eliana replied. Violet sighed. Neela, I am so sorry.

"Nothing, how is she doing though?" Violet inquired again.

"She's been having a rough time recently with all of the Fang activity," Eliana told Violet drinking right from the gallon.

"Hey!" Violet shouted. Eliana glared at her like a deer in the headlights before it dawned on her.

"Oh. Sorry," Eliana replied taking another swig before wiping her mouth quickly and putting it away.

"Maybe you could help her take her mind off of it," Violet suggested. "Maybe you two can go to the movies or dinner. Maybe go for a walk on the beach, something relaxing. Your father used to take me for a walk through the woods under the stars when we went on our roman- I mean, to help ease my anxiety."

"I thought about that, but with them protesting in the city, we'd be restricted to the school," Eliana pointed out sitting at the table.

"I'm sure you could think of things to do at the school," Violet noted. "You could take a walk by the cliff, maybe go for a swim, hunt Grimm for the hell of it-"

"I was thinking because she works so much that I could start like a reading circle with the area kids at Fox's book store," Eliana interrupted

"Not a bad idea, but why don't you just get a job then?" Violet pondered. Eliana stared at her before doubling over in laughter and slapping her knee.

"Why would I do that? Don't be crazy, mom," Eliana laughed.

"You know you can't read the stories you normally do to the kids," Violet instructed Eliana who blushed hard and leapt up from her seat.

"What are you talking about?" Eliana stammered leaving the kitchen.

"You left them on the table when you and Neela spent the night here in the winter," Violet yelled into the next room.

"I wasn't gonna read those to the kids!" Eliana replied shaken. "I'm a little embarrassed you know I was reading them."

"It's normal to wonder about those kinds of things…" Violet began.

"Mom!" Eliana screamed. "No!" She marched up the steps to her room. "Call me when dinner is ready!"

"Of course," Violet called after her cheerily.

"You know, the more I talk to her, the more I think that Neela might be into girls," Eliana offered for conversation as her mouth was full.

"What makes you think that?" Violet asked.

"She doesn't seem too interested in guys," Eliana noted. "And she more or less told me. It seems like she has a type in mind."

"And what's that?" Violet pried.

"Somebody like me," Eliana said plainly. She stopped and thought over what she'd said before continuing to eat.

"So… how about it?" Violet offered. Eliana looked up at her mom.

"What?! No, Neela and I are just friends," Eliana replied.

"Is that how you feel about her?" Violet pushed further. Eliana nodded.

"Yeah," Eliana stated. "She's amazing, I'm just lucky that we're friends."

"What about you then?" Violet added. "What are you looking for?"

"I have to help her find somebody first," Eliana laughed eating again. "She's really helpless you know. She'd be lost without me there to help her."

"Uh-huh," Violet agreed sarcastically.

"Not really," Eliana laughed. "But I'd like to think she keeps me around for a reason."

"It's because you're a good friend, Elli," Violet explained. "You shouldn't doubt that. You're just as strong as Neela, and she needs that strength."

"I don't always feel like that's true…" Eliana admitted sheepishly. "She's just amazing, you know. She's the strongest huntress I know, and I can't imagine being strong enough to go through everything she has."

"There's no standard for measuring strength, we all have our own demons to overcome," Violet told her daughter as she stood to take her plate to the sink.

"I think I'd want to date someone like Neela," Eliana declared. "But where would I find someone else like that." Violet groaned.

"You're the worst, Eliana," Violet breathed.

"What was that?" Eliana shouted out from the other room.

"Nothing!" Violet replied.

Neela laid a stack of new books down on the counter for a moment as she scanned them into the inventory, looking the titles over for a long moment as she tried to drown out the chanting outside of the building. Sure, the protests were going on a few blocks away, but the sheer size of the mass complimented by her Faunus hearing ability made it fairly audible to her if she was anywhere within the city limits. Her body was tense and she was fatigued all of the time as of late, the idea that there was always White Fang nearby made it difficult for her to sleep well, no matter if she was with Eliana or if she stayed with her parents. She took a deep breath before looking up from her stack and seeing Shadow standing on the other side of the counter with Tai and Raven.

"What are you doing here?" Neela asked looking up at them before glancing down at Shadow who seemed excited.

"Eliana invited me! She's going to tell us a story!" Shadow declared. Neela looked up at them confused, Raven replied with a shrug as she walked Shadow over to the children's books.

"What's she on about?" Neela inquired.

"Your girlfriend invited a bunch of kids here for like a reading circle, said she was going to tell them a tale that her dad used to tell her," Tai explained. Neela glanced back towards the office.

"Really?" Neela replied.

"That's what she told us," Tai reiterated. Neela nodded with a smile before moving back to the office, Fox sat with his feet kicked up as he looked something over on his scroll that Neela could only make out from the backside as financial numbers.

"Do you have a moment?" Neela asked him.

"Is this about Eliana?" Fox questioned.

"You see a lot for a blind guy," Neela joked.

"Has nothing to do with being blind," Fox fired back. He put his feet down and looked towards her. "What's up?"

"She's holding a reading circle here?" Neela inquired. Fox smirked.

"Is that going to be a problem?" He chuckled.

"This isn't a library," Neela pointed out.

"You're right, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to get children in here and excited about reading books," Fox told her. He turned away from her and stood up before moving into the back room. "You might want to head out there. Wouldn't want you to miss the story."

"Fox," Neela began but he closed the door behind him. She took a deep breath in and stepped back out to find most of the children from the area in the building, all gathering at one corner. Neela shook her head, she couldn't let this distract her and she moved to put the books away on the shelf.

"Settle down and we can get started, okay," Eliana told the kids. Neela could hear her from an aisle or two away and contemplating peaking out towards her but she denied herself the pleasure. She had work to do and she couldn't let Eliana distract her from it. She welcomed the chaos for a long moment however, glad to hear the excited screams and giggles of children instead of the hate and fear that awaited her outside.

"What's the name of the story, Elli?!" Shadow asked sitting in the front just inches from her, bouncing up and down on her knees before sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Hmmm… let me think," Eliana pondered for a moment as she looked towards the ceiling and contemplated possible titles. "I know. The Huntress and the Claw."

"Well?" Another kid insisted from the back.

"Go ahead, Miss Elli," A young girl with three short, black, tail feathers pleaded.

"Alright, calm down," Eliana said laughing as she leaned back in her chair. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was living with her parents inside of an evil organization called the Claw."

"Are they like the Fang?" Shadow asked. Neela's head shot up from her work and she glanced back.

"The who?" Eliana inquired with a smile. "No idea what you're talking about."

"What are you up to?" Neela mumbled under her breath as she moved a touch closer but stayed out of sight.

"Anyway, this girl grew up under the Claw and she only knew what they knew what they taught her, which is that the Others were evil and they couldn't be trusted," Eliana explained. "The Others showed up and there was a huge fight and they saved the girl, showing her that the Others weren't evil like the Claw thought that they were."

"What happens next?" the Faunus girl from before asked.

"She got stronger, she grew up to be a beautiful, amazing Huntress!" Eliana detailed. "But the Claw came back and wanted her to return with them." Neela watched speechless for a long moment before stepping out past the shelves.

"Then what?" Neela asked her. Eliana smiled softly at her, filling her with a warmth that she'd been missing recently.

"The Huntress loved the Others. She knew that what the Claw was saying wasn't true. She felt bad for them, but no matter how much they asked her to return, she stood her ground like a warrior. She didn't want to hurt them, but if it came to it, she wasn't going to let them hurt her new family and friends," Eliana said.

"Did she live happily ever after?" Shadow asked forcing Eliana's eyes to leave Neela's.

"You kids are way too easy to please," Eliana laughed. "There was a final battle between the Claw and the Huntress. She faced off against their leader! She was scared but her love of her family was stronger. Her aura was close to breaking but she fought off the leader and unleashed fury on her unlike any other, defeating her once and for all and ensuring the safety of the people that she cared about."

"Now does she live happily ever after?" Shadow asked, her eyes wide. Eliana smiled softly at Neela a second time, her best friend's face bright red.

"I sure hope so, Shadow," Eliana spoke softly.

"Tell us another one!" A boy in front yelled. "With action and adventure." Eliana rubbed her chin as Neela watched her for another moment longer.

"Hmmm… I do know another one about an amazing huntress who happens to be a cat Faunus," Eliana started. Tai placed his hand on Neela's shoulder and she turned to look at him, her eyes wet.

"She has too much faith in me," Neela said trying to laugh before burying her head in his chest.

"It isn't misplaced," Tai told her. "I know it's hard, trust me, I know."

"I just want it to be over," Neela exclaimed trying not to cry.

"It will be someday. All things come to an end, Neela. For now, just keep living life," Tai said. "I think Eliana can help you with that."

"Yeah," Neela laughed sniffing. "I think she can."

"You should tell her soon, kiddo," Tai insisted grabbing her shoulders. "It'll be better if you do." Neela looked at Eliana. Her smile was contagious and her laugh lit Neela up every time. She'd convinced herself to focus on studies for this long, but with all of the chaos going on around her, it was hard to concentrate regardless. Was it finally time that she told Eliana? Could she bring herself to do it?

"Another specialized training?" Tawney asked. "Oum, is there no end to the special treatment that they give to Neela? She's the best, let her fight in a tournament for the best. She can handle herself, let's let her get kidnapped and then have the wackiest story about how she turned her captors into allies and kicked the ass of a Mistrali terrorist at the same time. She's amazing, let's have her put on the front of DUST magazine for the person of the year!" Tawney's chest heaved as she seethed and Cobalt looked at her for a long moment.

"Okay, the last one would be a little overboard, but don't you think that all of this just stems from your jealousy?" Cobalt replied. Tawney laughed manically.

"Jealous? Ha! I'm the Maniac of Mistral, I've always been number one. If the staff can't see that, it because they'll all got their Neela glasses on! Is it because she looks more like a celebrity than I do? Is it that she and Eliana make the perfect bullshit 'we love each other but we don't realize it' couple and people just eat it up?" Tawney exploded. Cobalt glanced at her again, she was hanging by her legs on a bar in the room's doorway, doing crunches at an absurd speed to blow off her rage.

"She's not that much of a celebrity," Cobalt told her.

"She's been on magazines," Tawney shouted.

"For archery contests," Bái insisted.

"You sound a little hypocritical, to be honest, Maniac of Mistral," Cobalt condescendingly noted. "You were a big deal in Mistral weren't you?" Tawney stopped for a moment to glare at him.

"And yet no one recognizes my skill here," she told him. "Society is rigged, that's why I liked Mistral better."

"You can't be serious," Bái dully inserted death glaring at Tawney. Tawney grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, right…" She started. "Sorry." Tawney stopped, leaping down and taking her shirt off. She threw it, nailing Cobalt in the face and revealing her homemade tank top underneath which she cut the sleeves far too short on, revealing her black sports bra as she grabbed the bar and began doing pull-ups. Cobalt removed the shirt and set it on the floor beside him, shocked and grossed out at the amount of sweat it had been soaked with. "Where is Lykos, anyway?"

"I think that he said he was chosen for that training that Neela's doing," Bái mentioned.

"What?!" Tawney exclaimed. She dropped to the floor, moving quickly to the closet to find a shirt. "I'm going out there!"

"What are you planning?" Cobalt asked standing up to stop her.

"I just want to watch," Tawney said pulling the new top on and shoving past him.

"Shouldn't you take a shower first?" Cobalt asked.

"No!" She shouted back, flipping him the bird. Cobalt looked back at Bái and shrugged.

"I wasn't even being dirty this time, I was just being honest," Cobalt defended. Bái nodded.

"I believe you," she reassured him.

"You'd be the first," he laughed.

"Then I said, 'Now that's a katana'," Eliana blurted out in laughter as they all headed up to their dorm room.

"You've never said that," Neela said shaking her head as she opened the door and was nearly mown over by Coco who grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the hall.

"Neela!" Eliana called out.

"Don't mourn for me!" Neela yelled back to her.

"Did you two plan that?" Titus asked.

"Was it too much?" Eliana asked. Ilia led them into the room.

"It seemed a little forced, yeah," Ilia informed her. Eliana removed her scroll and made a note.

"Good to know," Eliana replied.

"What was that actually about?" Ilia pried.

"Not supposed to say… I wasn't even supposed to know, but I was there when it all went down… so…" Eliana began before the lights went out. Titus looked around.

"What the hell?" He began before Eliana shone a flashlight on her face. "Really?"

"It's more dramatic this way," she told him. "Can… uh… Can you close the blinds?" Titus looked over at the window before looking back at Eliana.

"No," Titus flatly answered. Ilia reached past him and closed them.

"There," Ilia replied.

"Thanks!" Eliana said.

It was a dark and stormy night. In the dorm room. In this very spot in fact… actually, I was kind of standing where you are and Neela was standing here, but those are minor details that probably don't matter too much, so I'll just get back to it. We'd just gotten back from a long day of training in Forever Fall and the two of us were ready for bed when it happened…

"What happened, Elli," Titus asked. Ilia held up her hand.

"No, I want to hear this," Ilia insisted.

We turned the lights out and said our goodnights when the strangest thing happened…

"Question," Tawney said standing in the doorway. Ilia sighed.

"What's up?" Titus inquired.

"Is Neela here?" Tawney prodded.

"She's busy," Eliana told her. Tawney looked at her for a long moment.

"You know where she is," Tawney noted as she entered the room. Eliana stood chest to chest with her.

"So?" Eliana gloated. Titus looked at the two of them.

"What's happening?" Titus whispered to Ilia.

"I'm not sure," Ilia replied.

"Tell me where she is," Tawney demanded.

"Not at liberty to say, top-secret and classified information," Eliana informed her.

"I doubt it," Tawney taunted.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Eliana asked. Tawney stared her down.

"You're on," Tawney replied through gritted teeth.

"Seriously, what's going on today?" Titus repeated. Tawney took a few steps back, her fingers twitching as she prepared to shoot, watching Eliana prep herself as her eyes met that of her opponent. Their gazes locked, Eliana smirked as she brought her fist up against her hand.

"Rock!" Eliana shouted. She slammed her fist down. She knew in an instant what she had to throw. Paper! It was the only way that she'd be able to defeat Tawney at her own game! She knew the girl intended to dominate her, and rock was the way to do it!

"Paper!" Tawney yelled. There was only one way to beat the girl and that was to play on her knowledge of her own tendencies. She knew that Eliana would predict her to throw rock, and so she would play scissors! It would work without a hitch, and she would emerge victoriously!

"Scissors!" They bellowed in unison. This was it! The moment of truth! If Tawney couldn't beat Neela she could at least destroy Eliana in a true test of wits! They raised their hands, the scene nearly playing out in slow motion as they both came down, Tawney throwing scissors and Eliana used rock, effectively stunning and defeating her.

"Eliana uses rock, it's super effective!" Eliana exclaimed leaping up and down before thrusting her fist into the air.

"How?!" Tawney demanded.

"I knew that you were doing to try and adapt like you've been trying with Neela, meaning that you'd be determined beyond changing your mind to decide on scissors. I threw rock. At least if I was wrong, it'd be a tie," Eliana explained.

"Best two out of three?" Tawney asked. Titus closed the door on her.

"Can you finish your story so we can go on with our day?" Titus asked.

"Where was I?" Eliana asked.

"The beginning," Ilia reminded her.

"Right."

Dark stormy night. Dorm room. Very spot. Sexy time.

"No."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. We both nearly leapt out of our skin and I scrambled under the covers so that no one would discover our secret love with each other.

"No."

It was a Grimm.

"No."

It was Ozpin's ghost.

"No." Titus interrupted once more. Eliana groaned.

"Titus, you're ruining her story," Ilia told him.

"She's starting to sound like Cobalt," Titus told them.

"Ew, don't say that," Eliana begged.

"Sorry," Titus replied.

"So what's the short version, Elli?" Ilia asked her.

"Fine," Eliana said turning the light back on and flopping down on her bed. "I overheard that Neela is having a secret training today that no one is supposed to know about except for the people involved. Some kind of 'real-life scenario' kind of stealth operations thing where she has to determine the target she needs to kill and the target that she needs to bring back to base."

"Do the other students participating know which they are?" Ilia asked. Eliana shrugged.

"I don't know," Eliana replied. "I only heard part of the conversation."

"At Neela seems like she's been in a better mood since you've started reading over at the bookstore," Titus noted sitting at his desk. Eliana beamed.

"I'm glad," Eliana happily remarked. "I was worried about her there for a while."

"Will the rest of us be having a similar training?" Titus asked.

"It sounded like just a few of the top students from each year were going to be participating," Eliana informed him. Titus rubbed his face, thinking it over. Were they that desperate for more Huntresses and Huntsmen? The only time they did something of that sort in Atlas was to promote them.

Sorry for the late upload, it was another busy holiday weekend. Next week, Chapter 108 - Mom!

A big thank you to Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.

Until next week, stay classy!