Well… not only did I forget to post this on time, I also forgot to comment on reviews. Oops. At least I'm learning from my mistakes.

True, this did get delayed a bit, but that's because I was stuck at work an extra forty minutes. Lots of cleans to be inspected, with some delays due to technical issues. Could've been worse, but it would've been nice to leave on time.

For the weekend, I've decided to make soft pretzels, Cajun pan-fried catfish, honey-roasted carrots, and cornbread. I'm half-tempted to push my release date to Sunday just so I can relate all the cooking I do over the weekends, but for now, it stays on Friday.

Alright, on to two weeks worth of reviews.

To Thehappyvampire, Cardin is indeed a bully. As to learning how to get along with everyone and become a positive member of society, well… we'll see how that goes.

To Hellbreaker, I always thought the politics behind the Vytal Festival could've been explored more, and that's what I intend to do.

To Qinlongfei, grounded and realistic is exactly what I was going for, and I'm thrilled to hear at least one person in this universe agrees.

To AxDevilman, you'll find out soon enough. :)

And to xantheman, I'm glad you appreciate the portrayal. I don't want Cardin's actions justified – it would diminish him as a character in my eyes. Justifying it takes the bite out of his horrific actions and plays down the meaner aspects of his personality. Rather, I wish to create a character that attracts a reader's interest despite the ugliness of his personality and his off-putting behavior. Looks like it's working so far.

So, having accomplished that, I'll let the next chapter speak for itself. Enjoy.

Chapter Five: Snags

Jaune staggered under a four-foot stack of notepads, textbooks, and papers. Russell and Sky walked on either side of him, clearing the hall ahead, and Dove trailed behind, silently staring at the floor. As they rounded the corner, they saw Pyrrha waiting by Professor Port's classroom. Cardin strolled up to Jaune and slapped him on the back. The books clattered to the floor.

"Whoops, sorry about that Jauney boy. Would you like some help picking those up?"

"No, no, I got it," Jaune stammered as he went on his hands and knees picking up the scattered papers. Russell kicked a notebook halfway down the hall. It slid to a stop by Pyrrha's feet. She looked at it for a moment, glared at Cardin, and walked into Port's classroom.

Jaune watched Pyrrha turn away with sullen, dead eyes. Cardin examined his expression and prodded him in the shoulder, sending the top half of his new stack to the floor.

"You better hurry up with that, class is about to start."

Two minutes after the bell, Jaune rushed into class with a teetering tower of paper. Port gave him a scathing lecture on tardiness that somehow diverted itself onto another one of his escapades, featuring an army of Ursai, five damsels in distress, and cheese fondue. Jaune remained standing with the papers in his hands for ten minutes until Port absently sent him to a seat.

"Have those neatly sorted," Cardin whispered as Jaune set the papers down in four piles. "You wouldn't want us losing our homework, would you?"

"I'll have it tidy."

"Thanks pal." Another clap on the back made a pile topple forwards, but Jaune caught it just before it fell onto another student.

His eyes wandered across the room. Blake had her head buried in a book, but Pyrrha was staring at him. The moment their eyes met, she turned away and turned a page. Yang locked eyes with him, staring with cool indifference betrayed by the red in her eyes. Ruby, who sat next to her, hid her face behind her book and darted quick glances at him from over its cover. Weiss Schnee was also watching, impassive, and though she averted her eyes away from his, she didn't turn away.

"Yang's going to be trouble," Russell whispered from Cardin's left.

"It's Ruby we should be worrying about," Cardin said into his book. "So long as Jaune doesn't stick up for himself, Yang won't make a move, but that would change if Ruby asked her." He passed another glance at Weiss. "I think it's about time I spoke with the heiress and see how valuable an ally she could be."

"That's not a good idea."

"No, but leaving Ruby and Yang to stew is worse. Just tell him I'll speak with her as a student, and not as a Winchester, alright?"

Russell shrugged. "Just don't do anything too risky."

Cardin placed one hand over his heart and another on the ramshackle pile of papers Jaune had assembled. "On my honor as a Winchester, I shall do nothing to dishonor the family name."

Russell cracked a grin and shoved his shoulder. "Alright then, let me know how it goes on the track."

Per her usual custom, Weiss lingered in the classroom to sort her intricate array of notes and reference material, ask Professor Port a rapid series of complex questions that left the man sweating until his mustache drooped, and straighten out her skirt. Nearly five minutes went by before she shouldered her pouch and strode out the door. Cardin fell in beside her.

"The answer is still no, Jaune," she said without turning around. "I'm not interested and never will be interested, so for the love of the gods, take a hint."

"Did you really just mistake me for that shrimp?"

Weiss jumped. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Cardin. "Oh. What do you want?"

Cardin paused for a moment, letting the hostility in her voice wash over her brain as he contemplated the ways he could deflect it. "I've merely come to pay my respects to the heiress. I have been hoping to have a conversation with one worthy of respect equal to any ducal heir, but out of fear of offending you, I have thus far waited for you to make the first move. Seeing as it has been some time since our classes started and we have thus far not exchanged a word, I hope you do not take offense to my forward behavior."

In the time it took him to catch his breath after such a long-winded monologue, Weiss' face went through a wide range of emotions, none of which filled Cardin with any confidence. Surprise, then disgust, and last, stony dismissal.

"I see. You have said your words, and I have said mine. Now if you will excuse me, I would rather not be late to class."

Weiss turned away. His chest fluttered as Cardin said after her, "So you hate the formalities as much as I do? Thank the gods, I thought I was the only sane one."

She stopped and looked at him. She had suspicion in her eyes, but she took a step towards him.

"You dislike the trappings of nobility so much, and yet you look down on everyone around you? You even have Jaune carrying books for you."

Cardin grimaced, but inwardly, he took a deep, calming breath. "I cannot behave in such a manner that would disgrace the Winchester name. As you are of equal standing with me, and we are quite alone, I have greater freedom to talk." His brain burned, and his thoughts raced to process everything he knew about her. "I had hoped that, since you went here instead of Atlas, that you must wish to escape your dad as much as I do."

Her features softened, and a smile touched her lips. "True, such responsibilities can become quite wearisome after a while. In truth, I wished to attend Beacon so I could better acquaint myself with Vale's culture and politics. After all, Vale is a prominent purchaser of Dust, and it would be best for the heiress to learn all she can of her clients."

Cardin smirked to himself and grinned with all his strength.

"Perhaps I could assist you with your research. After all, I am the heir to the Winchester ducal title and its seat on the Council of Lords, and I would be very interested to learn how the SDC intends to conduct business in the future."

Weiss beamed and offered her hand. "Why don't we discuss matters on the way to class? I would be interested to understand how the nobility of this land perceive the lower-class citizens."

Cardin answered the implied question with words coated in resigned bitterness, relating how his father encouraged him to assert his dominance over the other students in his class and manipulate the teachers that tried to curb his influence. Flashes of anger colored Weiss' cheeks, but her face didn't move a muscle. When he said how his father had him pay extra attention to the Faunus in his school, her hands shook and she turned away.

"I had not realized that the Vale nobility were so strict. It quite reminds me of matters back in Atlas."

He paused, on the threshold of asking about her own feelings, perhaps probing into that reaction to Faunus harassment, but rather than risk alienating her, he diverted the conversation. "What was that about Jaune? Has he been bothering you?"

Weiss flinched and looked away. "Well, I mean he isn't being cruel. He just, I wish he could take a hint. He hasn't stopped asking me out since classes started, and I'm sick and tired of telling him no." She huffed and hugged her satchel against her chest. "I wish he'd ask Pyrrha out. She'd be thrilled."

Excitement bubbled in his chest, but he forced himself to proceed slowly. "Couldn't you be a bit more firm? Perhaps if you made it clear that someone of your station couldn't possibly accept someone like him, he'd lose interest."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she sifted through his words. "I'd rather not. Using my rank as a shield would invite envy and scorn."

Cardin pretended to think for a moment. "You said that Pyrrha would want to be with him?"

"Yeah, obviously!" She wrung her hands around the strap of her satchel. "I don't know how Jaune could have possibly missed it. She's clearly head over heels for him."

With a sly grin, Cardin said, "He's dense enough to think he still has a chance with you."

"Exactly!" Weiss huffed and shook her head. "I was hoping that Pyrrha would talk to him, but it's been months now."

"Well, why don't you talk to her?"

Weiss looked up at him. Her eyes had an unfocused cast, and he could see the gears spinning in her head.

"Talk to her about what?"

"Convince her to ask him out. Perhaps she just needs a little push. Once she and Jaune are together, you wouldn't be bothered anymore, right?"

Weiss frowned and looked down the hallway. "I don't know. It feels so manipulative."

Cardin brought a hand up to his brow to hide the rolling of his eyes. "Is it wrong if it would make everyone happy?"

"Huh. I suppose you're right." Weiss grinned up at him and gave him a quick hug on the shoulders. "I'm glad we had this little talk. I'll talk to Pyrrha during lunch tomorrow."

"Why wait until tomorrow? Let Pyrrha know during exercise period that you would like to talk to her tonight. The roof on top of the dormitory is a great place to get some privacy." He looked away and let his grin fall. "Or so I hear."

Weiss put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure to keep the hideaway a secret."

Cardin feigned a relieved grin and held the doors open to the track room for her. Their entrance drew a few wondering looks from students on the track, but neither Pyrrha nor Yang had seen them.

"I'll slip you a note when I can meet you," Cardin muttered without moving his lips. "It would be best if we aren't seen together too often."

"Political intrigues?" Weiss asked.

"Exactly. See you tomorrow."

Before Weiss could say another word, Cardin hit the track and sprinted hard until he caught up with Russell. Sweat already dampened his mohawk, and his breaths came out in sharp puffs.

"What did you find?"

"She'll be difficult to use, but she gave me the most brilliant idea."

Russell wiped sweat off his forehead. "It better be worth it. I saw a student ahead of me snap a picture with his scroll."

"Any chance you can get it off of him?"

Russell gritted his teeth and stared at his feet. A piece of his shadow wriggled free, darted forward, and vanished down the track. After a few seconds, it rushed back. A scroll leapt out of the spot before it merged back with Russell's shadow.

"Damn, he already sent it," Russell said as he opened up the messages.

"Get the number to Sky."

"No need." Russell held up the scroll. Though it bobbed with the motion of Russell's arms, Cardin saw the name Cirilian on the contact information. His swears made the nearest students shy away from him.

"What now?" Russell asked.

"Keep the scroll and have Dove watch him. I'll get some damage control started."

Cardin sprinted into the smaller room. Once again, Blake left the obstacle course. Yang glared at him, and her punches hardly touched the dummy.

He turned on the obstacle course. He let the easier section push him around while he watched the twirling and swinging of the hard mode. After a few minutes, he noticed a section in the corner where, if he was bunched up in a ball, the machine wouldn't touch him. The path there was brimming with obstacles, but timing it out, Cardin slipped in between a swinging bar and a pendulum. A cord snagged around his arm, but he twisted out of it, dove, and rolled into the safe corner.

Hidden by the obstacles, Cardin opened up his scroll and called his father. He answered on the first ring.

"It's rather surprising that you call me in the middle of class. Is something the matter?"

Ensconced within that simple phrase were a series of codewords – he was alone, it was safe to talk, and he was in a position to immediately address matters.

"The Cirilians have a picture of me holding a door for Weiss Schnee."

"I see. This is why I warned you against fraternizing with her."

"It was in the interests of Vale that I approached her," Cardin replied, intimating at the project assigned to him. "Is the dinner party scheduled for this Saturday?"

"I will have you added to the registry and mention your coming to my brother in law. Gideon will come for you on Friday evening."

"Thank you father. I have to go now, but it was a pleasure to speak with you."

"Any time, Cardin."

After the line went dead, Cardin stared out at the writhing mass of obstacles between him and the relative safety of the beginner's course and felt his spine shiver.

"Wow, you're really getting the hang of that," Yang called from her dummy. "I've never seen such masterful dodging."

"At least I'm not punching all the obstacles," Cardin shot back. "I'd rather not get detention with Goodwitch."

Yang's eyes changed color, and she swung a fist at her dummy, but it stopped short of its face. With a chuckle, she turned around and crossed her arms. "I wonder how you're going to get out of there."

Cardin shrugged. "Hit the off switch and I'll tell Goodwitch you only broke one of those dummies yesterday."

She trailed a finger over the off button, but she didn't press it. "I'm not dumb enough to fall for that."

"Damn it. You actually have a few brain cells underneath all that hair? Good for you."

Yang ran a hand through her hair and made it bounce. "With hair this gorgeous, who needs brains? Besides, I'm not the idiot who walked into a torture chamber to make a call." Her face brightened, and the crimson vanished from her eyes. "Hey, I wonder how many people I could get to come watch this?"

"Fine, fine, I'm getting out." He watched for that clearing he darted through earlier and found it, but from a crouching position, he couldn't properly time it. He rose a step too late, and a rope swung his legs out from under him. Within two seconds, he was strung up by his ankles with a wedge crammed in his gut and a bar slapping him in the face.

"Aww, I didn't have time to heat up my popcorn."

"Screw you. Could you at least call Goodwitch?"

Yang put a hand on her chin and leaned on the console, pretending to think. "Nah, I still want my popcorn."

A younger voice called across the room, "Don't worry, I got it!"

"What, Ruby? Wait, just let him sit in there for a couple minutes, please?"

Yang's words went unheeded as her little sister darted out of the room. A moment later, Goodwitch strode in. Her eyes went to the dummies, which for a change, weren't smashed to pieces.

"I'm glad to see the detentions are sinking in," she said. She looked inside the obstacle course and sighed. "Cardin, I believe I told you to stick with the beginner's course. Please don't expect me to pull you out of there every day."

As she set the machine into its neutral setting, her eyes fell on the usage stats on the console. "Well, what's this? It would appear that I was incorrect in estimating your skills. Mind you, ten minutes is nowhere near the record, but it is well above average for students your age. Even professional Hunters use that equipment from time to time, so take pride in displaying skill equal to theirs. Please accept my apologies for doubting your capabilities the other day, Mr. Winchester."

In an awkward position in every sense of the word, Cardin studied Glynda's smooth, up-side-down expression as he wondered how to answer her. Taking credit for the excellent score would let him further drag Yang's name through the mud when she would inevitably try to contest it, but it would give Glynda an unreasonable assumption of what he could do. Revealing how he had cheated the system would come with its own problems, but if he played it off as trying to get a good score for laughs, he could avoid getting scolded for making a call in the middle of class.

Before he could make up his mind, Yang spoke up. "You should've seen it, Professor Goodwitch, he made that obstacle course look easy. He only got hit because I started talking to him."

Glynda raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? I never thought you would be one to pay Cardin a compliment."

"What can I say?" She tossed her hair and gave Cardin a devilish grin. "I'm trying to be more honest."

Cardin felt a sinking feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with the pivot jammed under his ribcage. "I didn't really do anything special, Professor, I just hid –"

"No need to be shy," Yang cut in. "It'd be great if you could show me how you do it."

Professor Goodwitch smiled, and Cardin's gut turned to ice. "Why, that's a fantastic idea Yang! Granted, it would take some time to arrange something for a combat demonstration, but perhaps a day dedicated solely to perfecting dodges and commenting on it, why it could be a new staple for the curriculum. Cardin, I would be grateful if you could be the first to present when it's ready."

Humming to herself, Professor Goodwitch raced out of the room. Cardin wriggled in the bindings and shouted after her, but the door slammed shut.

"Here, let me," Yang said. She clambered into the machine and approached him. The equipment groaned as she pried it aside, and she yanked on the ropes until Cardin fell to the floor.

As Cardin rubbed life back into his ankles, he said, "You could've extorted some favors out of that."

"And you'd make me pay for them later. No thanks."

Cardin smiled at her. "It would be smarter for me to keep my word. That way, you'd be more inclined to do me favors in the future. If I stabbed you in the back after you helped me, you'd never forget it."

Yang huffed and clambered out of the machine. Cardin followed her to the punching dummies and picked one next to her.

"Why did you help me then?" he asked.

Yang shrugged mid-punch. "I didn't feel like leaving you in there." She threw a few more half-hearted punches and rubbed her knuckles. "Better stop before I get a detention. See ya."

She threw one last punch before throwing open the door. Cardin watched her hit the track and wait for Ruby to race up to her.

With the room to himself, Cardin took out his scroll and looked at his message history with Blake. Her response had been terse, too cold for a distant friend, but he could work with it. He sent a half-apologetic reply and snapped his scroll shut.

The after-dinner meeting with his teammates started with an uneasy silence as they waited for Cardin's orders. As Sky detached the microphone from the scroll's motherboard, Cardin mulled over the day's events and the sudden involvement of the Cirilian family, Weiss' behavior, and his impending meeting with Blake.

"Sky, have you found anything on there?"

"More pictures," Sky said, holding up the scroll for them to see. They showed him in the cafeteria, the battle with Blake, and a well-timed picture of the embarrassing shot he took. "There's an encrypted file on there, it'd take a few days to crack it."

"Alright. We can ignore it for now. Russell, what did he do afterwards?"

"He saw his scroll was missing and borrowed a teammate's to make a call. A package arrived for him during dinner."

"Snap a few pictures in the girl's locker room with that scroll and switch it with the new one. But first, Sky, extract the files onto Dove's scroll"

"Why mine?" Dove asked.

"There's a risk the files are bugged. Yours doesn't have anything important on it."

"You better replace it if it gets messed up."

"I'll buy you a new one tomorrow. Also, after Russell makes the switch, leave an anonymous tip-off with Goodwitch that you saw a male student with pictures from the girl's locker room."

Russell grinned. "Absolutely brutal. Can I keep a pic or two?"

Cardin gave him a level stare, and Russell looked away.

"I was just kidding."

He turned towards Dove and put his feet up on his bed. "I have a job for you as well."

Dove crossed his arms and leaned back. "More locker room pictures?"

Cardin rolled his eyes. "Try to talk to Weiss tomorrow. Be the essence of politeness and ask what she and I spoke about yesterday. Have your scroll recording the conversation."

"And if my scroll is bugged?"

"I'm counting on it."

He grunted. "I'll do it after Oobleck's class."

"Do it after Port's. I'll slip Weiss a note first."

Cardin looked at the time. He swiped a white exercise shirt and jogging shorts off of his bedpost. "I think I'll get a run and read in before bed. Care to join me?"

"I'll work on the decryption," Sky said. Dove didn't bother to respond. Russell looked at the door and put a hand on his scroll, but he said, "I'll scope out the locker room in a bit. How many cameras are in the area?"

"Two in the halls," Cardin said as he wriggled out of his uniform, "Each overlooking a door." "I doubt there are any inside, but check first. The ventilation shaft on the east wall should be clean."

The exercise room was empty this time. The scratches on the floor had been buffed clean, and a coat of fresh wax covered the tiled floor. Cardin hit the weights first, using his Semblance to match what Nora had lifted. Even with the assistance, Cardin's arms trembled after fifteen reps. The weights hit the bench with a heavy clang when his Semblance gave out. He sprinted just enough to drench his hair and work-out clothes, left the lights on in the room, and went up to the roof. He struggled through a couple pages of Port's assigned reading before Blake swung up from the side of the building.

"Right on time," Cardin said without looking up. "We have to stop meeting here. Too many people have caught on to this place."

Blake glanced away, and her jaw clenched. "What do you suggest?"

"An empty classroom. Fitting for a quiet study session, right? We'll take the long way so no one spots us."

He could have picked any classroom, but he led her to the one where they had first spoken. Her bow drooped when she walked into the dark, dusty classroom. He left the lights off as he went to the desk closest to the light from the hallway.

"Page eighty in Grimm Studies, second paragraph."

Pages rustled as Blake settled on the wall opposite him.

"You're not using your scroll?"

"Hurts my eyes. Is that a problem?"

"As long as you can read it, I don't care."

Cardin leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, letting the words sink into his brain. He could hear her fidgeting against the wall. Blake made it through twenty pages before she stopped.

"Don't expect me to bow and scrape like Jaune. If you don't want me to get caught, I need to act the way I normally would."

Cardin opened his eyes. "Of course. I'm glad you're smart enough to realize that." He couldn't make out her facial expression in the darkness, only her shiny yellow eyes, but he knew she could see every feature of his. A calculated scowl twisted his face, and though she stiffened, she held his gaze. "That said, would you normally shoot someone in the ass?"

Blake shrugged. "After what you did in class, yeah, I would have. Expect me to keep doing the same as long as you act like that."

Cardin grinned, and Blake's hands tightened on the book. "You won't go that far again. The problem is, each time you make a fool out of me, I have to punish you. Otherwise, my teammates will wonder why I'm not doing anything. With Yang around, punishing you and getting away with it would be next to impossible." He leaned over the book, blotting out its words with his shadow. "Luckily for me, I have the perfect way to punish you, and there's nothing Yang could do to stop it."

He let the silence hang in the air as Blake's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Then who would you have doing your reading?"

"Jaune. You already know I'm blackmailing him."

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't contest his claim. "Then I'll tell Ozpin first and have Jaune expelled."

"You could. Then I'd just blackmail someone else. Watch."

Cardin took out his scroll, went through his contacts, and found the police chief of Vale's southern district.

"Good evening, Mr. Chartereuse. I trust that you're doing well this evening? Yes, I understand how difficult it must be with Torchwick at large. Now, I have a small favor to ask. Give me a moment." Cardin sifted through the student files and found the name of a Faunus. "Teal Simmons. Have his parents arrested as suspected White Fang terrorists, and release them an hour later, apologizing for the mix-up in the paperwork and compensating them for the mistake. Yes, I'll have Gideon bring over a bottle of champagne in the morning. Thank you."

Blake's face had gone bone-white, and she shook against the wall. "Did you really just have someone arrested just to prove a point?"

"Yep. Now all I have to do is slip Teal a note, and he'd be my new reading buddy. Of course, if you had kept in line, I wouldn't have needed to blackmail him."'

Tears welled up in Blake's eyes, but she blinked them away. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"I have three things in mind. First, you're going to tone down the hostility. Calling me out in class every so often is fine, as is beating me in combat training, but no more attempting to humiliate me. Second, I want you to teach me how to do the advanced obstacle course without getting hit."

Blake scoffed. "With your build, that'd be impossible."

"Make it possible. This last one's the most important, and how you'll pay me back for what you did today."

He let the pause stretch out until Blake looked away from him. He rose from his seat and groped his way around the table, until he was in front of Blake. Putting his hand against the wall and leaning up to an ear hidden beneath her bow, he whispered, "Jaune's going to ask you out on a date tomorrow, and you're going to accept."