Welp, I was just about to go to bed when I remembered that I hadn't posted this yet. Well, here it is!

First off, reviews. For Victor John Foxfire, I don't like going into spoilers, but I will say that rest assured that, while Cardin may do many morally incorrect things over the course of this story, having someone lobotomized isn't one of them. For the rest, thanks for the comments and the continued interest in the story.

Not much else going on this week, so I'll leave it at that.

Chapter Six: Picture Imperfect

In the early morning, the first-year students started team combat sessions with Doctor Oobleck. Russell, Sky, and Dove practiced a team maneuver where Russell used Sky's halberd and Dove's sword as springboards, bouncing back and forth between them and throwing knife after knife at Cardin. He absently swiped away the blades aimed at his armor and focused ahead on Jaune's group. They were still arguing over the names of their maneuvers, with Nora interrupting Jaune's exasperated explanations. Despite the chaos, Pyrrha seemed more upbeat, and her feet twitched as she watched Jaune.

Cardin grinned to himself and turned his attention to his teammates. He watched Russell's trajectory a few times before throwing his mace. Though the weapon missed, Russell panicked and landed wrong on Sky's halberd. The haft slipped in between Russell's feet, and his groin slammed into it.

Though his aura took the brunt of the blow, Russell swore as he hobbled around bow-legged. Cardin walked over and leant him a shoulder.

"You have to be ready for projectiles," Cardin said loudly as Oobleck walked by. "It doesn't matter if you dodge the blow when you land wrong."

"Did you really have to do that?" wheezed Russell.

"Just be thankful that didn't happen on Dove's sword." Cardin leaned closer and whispered, "Think you can do it after class?"

Russell patted the pocket that held his scroll. "Like you said, no camera at the ventilation shaft. I can slip in and out before anyone notices."

"Get caught, and you're on your own."

Russell grimaced. "I won't get caught then. You'll make an excuse for my absence?"

"Gotcha covered."

For the rest of the period, Cardin had them focus on two-man attacks. Dove and Russell practiced a brutal flurry against an imagined opponent while Sky poked around Cardin as he guarded him. He kept a close watch on Pyrrha, but their team had started firing a barrage behind linked shields. Her attention often drifted towards Jaune, but she never said a word.

As they headed to the locker rooms, Cardin wiped sweat from his brow and said, "Hey Russell, get me a soda, would you?"

Russell feigned a frown and asked, "What kind?"

"Grape. Get it to me by next class."

"Grape it is. Anyone want anything while I'm out?"

Both Sky and Dove shook their heads. Russell sprinted through the locker rooms and took off at a dead run through the empty halls.

Cardin loitered around the entrance to the locker rooms, pretending to check his scroll. Team RWBY went to the locker rooms with Weiss trailing behind, and the spy was another twenty feet behind them. Taking a slip of paper out of his pocket, Cardin strolled forward while looking at his scroll. He bumped into Weiss and knocked her over.

"Hey, watch where –" He looked down and feigned surprise. "I beg your pardon, heiress. Please allow me to help you up."

Yang and Blake both scowled at him as he offered his hand, while Ruby hid behind her sister. He angled his hand so Team RWBY wouldn't see it, but the spy would. Weiss took his hand with a frown, and her eyes widened when she felt the paper. He left it in her hands after he pulled her onto her feet.

The spy hurried away and took his scroll out. Cardin smiled at the retreating figure, made a formal bow to Weiss, and hurried into the locker room. Dove and Sky were waiting with their uniforms and textbooks. Cardin opened up Russell's locker and took out all his stuff before changing into his own uniform. He activated his Semblance and hefted both stacks.

As they went to Port's lecture, Russell sprinted around a corner and stopped next to Cardin.

"Clothes, now," he huffed. Cardin held out Russell's stack, and his shadow swallowed the whole pile. It crept onto his skin and writhed like a horde of ants. When his shadow slid down to his feet, his gym clothes were gone, the uniform in its place, and the stack of textbooks was neatly held in his hands. His tie was crooked and two of the buttons were undone, but he otherwise looked as though he had changed with them. A grape soda shot out of the shadow, and Cardin caught it.

"Thanks for that," Russell said. "I forgot to turn off the flash."

Pressure built up in the back of Cardin's skull, as though he were lifting weights with his head. Before Cardin could ask what had happened, footsteps clattered behind them. A pack of Huntresses stormed around the corner. Nora, wearing only her bra and panties, led the pack with her hammer. Yang, still in her gym clothes, was not far behind, followed by a dozen others in various states of dress. Ruby and Weiss had the rear, both with their full uniform on, and both Blake and Pyrrha had blended in with the other girls.

"Death to the pervert!" Nora roared. "We'll break his legs with his other legs! We'll shove his scroll up his nose! We'll feed him to the sloths!"

Yang walked up to Cardin and grabbed him by the collar. The gauntlet on her right wrist whirled as she cocked it back. "I swear, if you had anything to do with this, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp."

"Anything to do with what?" His skin tingled from adrenaline, but he forced an inquisitive countenance on his face.

Weiss walked up next to her. "There's no way it was Cardin. He's dressed in his uniform, while the creep was in gym clothes. Plus, there's no way he would fit in the vents." Her eyes darted back to Cardin, and she added, "Not that you're fat, certainly not. I only comment on the broadness of your shoulders."

Cardin chuckled and said, "No offense taken."

Yang let go of Cardin and turned to Russell. "Well, what about him? That toothpick could definitely fit." She peered closely at his face. "He's sweating."

"Hey, I just spent an hour bouncing around on weapons," Russell said with a nervous chuckle. "Of course I'm sweating."

"Then you didn't do it?"

"Do what?" Cardin asked.

Nora slammed the haft of her hammer on the floor and said, "Some pervert was taking a picture of my baby!"

"Your – your what?" Weiss asked.

"My baby," Nora said, pointing at her hammer. "Nobody takes a picture of Mister Bonebreak without my permission."

Yang tossed her hair and stepped in front of Nora. "What she's trying to say is, some creep was taking pictures of us in the locker room. Now, take out your scrolls."

Cardin shrugged and handed her his. Sky and Dove did the same. Russell reached into his uniform's pocket and handed Nora his own scroll. After a quick examination of the pictures, they handed them back.

"Looks like you're not it," Yang said, "But if I find out it was one of you, I'll make that parent-teacher conference look like a friendly game of tag." She looked around and said, "We better tell Goodwitch, I don't think we're going to catch him. And Nora, get some clothes on."

Nora saluted her with her hammer. "On it, captain!"

"I think it would be best if we sent a representative to tell Professor Goodwitch," Weiss said. "I will go and explain the situation in full detail to her."

"I'll tag along," Yang said.

"You still need to get dressed," Weiss pointed out. "I, on the other hand, am already prepared for the next class."

"Ooh!" Ruby raised a hand. "Can I go? I got all my clothes on."

Weiss glanced nervously at her partner, and one hand went to her pocket. Cardin felt the temptation to help Weiss get some alone time to read the note, but instead, he decided to watch how Weiss would handle it.

"I – I don't see why not," Weiss said. "But we better hurry. We're already going to be late as it is."

"On it!" In a flash of rose petals, Ruby vanished, leaving a gust of air in her wake. Weiss blinked after her partner as she raced down the hall. She ran, calling for Ruby to slow down, and vanished around a corner.

Team CRDL lingered behind as the Huntresses split to get dressed or go to class. When they were alone, Cardin slumped against a wall. A cold, hollow sensation clutched his chest as his skin burned with adrenaline.

"You okay?" Sky asked.

"Just a headache," he said. "No big deal."

Sweat poured down his brow, but he wiped it away by pretending to rub his temples. The back of his neck prickled as though a Grimm were watching him from the shadows.

"We better go," Dove said. "Class is about to start."

Cardin propped himself up and took a step forward. Russell wrapped his arm around his shoulder, providing support while pretending to lean on him.

"Jeez, thought I was done for. Thanks for the save."

"You kept the flash on?" Cardin growled.

"I didn't think to check it, since mine is normally off. But hey, at least we got away with it, right?"

"Did you plant the scroll on him?"

Russell shook his head. "I'll catch him when class starts."

Professor Port launched right into his lecture as though half the seats weren't empty. Only when a large group of girls, led by Nora and Yang, entered the room, did he stop and stare at the empty seats in surprise.

"Ladies! What could possibly be the meaning of this tardiness?" With a raised eyebrow, he asked, "Were you just having a Professor Port fan-club meeting?"

Nora made an exaggerated 'bleagh' sound while Yang rolled her eyes. "Some creep was taking pictures of us in the locker room."

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Port shouted. He looked around and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Sorry, old habit. So, you were saying that some rapscallion was taking pictures of you in the locker room?"

"Yeah, from the ventilation shaft."

"The shaft," Port murmured, "Wish I could've fit in there." He caught Yang's flat stare and coughed. "Yes, well, don't worry, leave it to the faculty. We will have the culprit found in no time!"

The spy, still in his gym clothes, walked up to the door. "Hey, what's going on?"

He flinched under the collective baleful gaze of a dozen Huntresses.

Yang held out her hand. "Scroll. Now."

"Wait, what?"

Cardin hissed into Russell's ear. "Do it now, hurry!"

"Already on it," he murmured back. His shadow wove in between the desks, darted up the spy's leg, and wriggled into his pocket. It leapt back out the second the spy's hand reached for his scroll. Cardin swallowed and put a hand to his chest as he watched Yang tap through the scroll's menu.

"Well," Yang said, "Looks like you've got good taste. I really like the lighting."

Cardin let out a relieved sigh. On a whim, he took out his scroll and started recording. One could never have too many recording of Yang losing her cool.

The spy stammered as Yang showed him the picture taken of her on his scroll.

"But – but I was just-" He took the scroll and examined it. "That's the scroll I lost yesterday!"

"Really? You're going for that one? I've heard better excuses out of Sky."

Sky chuckled, and Russell punched him in the shoulder. "She's got you there. Remember when you said you were just cleaning the ceiling when you were putting that bucket up on the door?"

Yang yanked it out of his hands. "Let's see what else you got." She flipped through a few more pictures. Her finger froze, and her eyes blazed scarlet. She turned towards Professor Port. "Excuse me, Professor, would you mind if I send this degenerate to the hospital?"

"Well, um, Yang, I really think you should-"

The spy's aura flashed as Yang's fist sent him flying into the first row of seats. Ren lifted his book just in time as he tumbled to a stop in front of him.

The spy raised his arms to block, but Yang grabbed both his wrists, hauled him onto his feet, and punched him in the gut. Cardin heard a rib snap as the spy cried out and crumpled onto the floor.

"Yikes," Port said as he watched the spectacle, "She reminds me of Raven."

"I got the scroll!" Nora shouted, waving it in the air. It showed a picture of Ruby in her spotted black underwear. "Yang, hold his nose open!"

"Nora," Ren said, "I don't think it will fit."

"I'll make it fit," Yang said with a vicious grin. "Give it here."

The door slammed open and fell off its hinges. Professor Goodwitch strode into the room, riding crop in hand, and leveled it at Yang. "Miss Xiao Long, what is the meaning of this?"

Weiss walked in behind her, while Ruby waited behind the safety of the doorframe. Yang wiped blood off her knuckles and pointed at the collapsed student.

"This creep took pictures of my sister. See?" She held up the scroll. Ruby shrieked from behind the doorway and buried her face in her cloak. Her face nearly matched the fabric.

Goodwitch rounded on the fallen student. "Is this true?"

Blood dribbled from the spy's mouth as he shakily got to his feet. "I – I didn't. I'm being framed!"

"The scroll was in his pocket," Yang said, "And he's still in his gym clothes."

"I was making a phone call."

"Really? Right after class?" Professor Goodwitch asked. "Tell me, what was so urgent that you had to make a call right away?"

The spy glanced at Cardin, but he kept his mouth shut. With his head lowered and blood dripping to the floor, he said, "Yes, I did it. I'm sorry."

The riding crop groaned in Professor Goodwitch's hands. Professor Port chuckled nervously and backed himself into the corner of the room.

"You will be immediately demoted to the reserves. That means Team ORNG will need a new G." She brought up her scroll and scanned a list of names. "Oliver, your new teammate will be Miss Gala Farley. The transferal will be effective tomorrow morning. Is this understood?"

Goodwitch hardly waited for a reply before turning her attention to Yang. "I understand how this reprehensible behavior must make you feel." With a murmur and a glance at Professor Port, she added, "Believe me, I've been there." Clearing her throat, she said, "That does not excuse such violence against a fellow student."

"But-"

"No buts! That will be another round of detentions for you."

Cardin looked down at the scroll in his hand, still recording. After weighing his options, he raised his hands. Goodwitch's caught the motion and her attention snapped on him.

"Do you have something to say, Mr. Winchester?"

"Yes. She had Professor Port's permission."

Yang, Port, and Goodwitch collectively said "What?"

He hit the playback button and fast-forwarded through it until he hit a particular line.

"Excuse me, Professor, would you mind if I send this degenerate to the hospital?"

"Well, um, Yang, I really think you should-"

Professor Port shrank beneath Goodwitch's glare.

"Thank you for clarifying the situation, Mr. Winchester," Glynda said. "It sounds as though Professor Port had more to say on the matter, but I can understand how Yang had misinterpreted his words as permission to avenge herself for this indecency." She took the scroll from Yang and put it in her pocket. "Rest assured that these photos will be properly dealt with." With an added glance at Port, she added, "I will see to it myself."

Once Goodwitch was gone, with the spy floating in the air behind her, Yang walked up to Cardin and leaned on her desk. She slid her blood-slick hands away from his paperwork.

"Hey, that was pretty cool back there. Thanks."

Cardin shrugged. "Just repaying the favor."

Yang sighed and pushed away from the desk. "Couldn't you let me think you have a heart, just for five minutes?"

"What, and make you think I might be nice again? It would be cruel of me to get your hopes up."

Yang opened her mouth, but she looked at a loss for words. Professor Port adjusted his collar as he returned to his lectern. "Students, students. It has been an exciting day, to be sure, but now, we have to get back to studying! Now, where was I last time? Ah yes, the Vacuo incident, I remember!"

Yang returned to her seat as Port went into full-on rambling mode. He stared at his textbook, but his eyes gazed past the words, into the schemes tangled in his head. Too much had happened too fast, and already, he had some close calls. Now that he had Yang's goodwill, he should be able to put some distance between him and Weiss, and with some evidence of Pyrrha's distress and the removal of a spy, his father should accept that misstep.

So, if everything was going so well, why did he feel so uneasy?

The classroom felt crowded, its walls closing in on him and every student watching him out of the corner of their eye. He wanted to run, hide himself behind his book, but he couldn't, not with so many eyes on him. Unseen watchers lurked in the shadows, dangled from the ceiling, peered in underneath the door and through the keyhole, all waiting for him to make a mistake.

Russell put a hand on his arm. "Hey man, you're getting pale again."

"Just remembering the last time Yang beat me up," Cardin said faintly.

"That was, what, three years ago? You planned for her to do that, didn't you?"

Cardin grinned. "I didn't realize how hard she could punch. Otherwise, I'd have had someone else be her punching bag."

He took a deep breath, slowly, so Russell wouldn't notice. Everything was fine. He was overreacting to the disaster Russell had made of the framing mission. There was no reason to panic.

"You going to drink that?" Russell asked, pointing at the soda. Cardin had forgotten about it. With a nod, he snapped the tab open and drank the whole thing in one go.

Through Port's lecture, he schooled himself to tranquility and slogged through a few pages of the book, enough to keep him ahead of the reading for a few days. Once class was over, he bolted out of his seat. He stopped himself halfway to the cafeteria, picked out a secluded doorway, and waited for Jaune to pass by. Russell had been smart enough to keep Jaune close and his teammates far away. Cardin snuck up behind Jaune and slapped him on the shoulder. A squeak escaped the smaller boy as he flinched beneath his hand.

"Cardin," he said with a squeamish smile. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually, there is," he said with a sly whisper. "I thought of a fun little game we can play. I'll tell you all about it on the way to lunch."

Jaune went pale, then flushed when Cardin told him what to do. When they arrived at the cafeteria, Jaune paused by the lunch lines, fidgeting with the straps of his backpack.

"You just want me to ask Blake out? Why?"

"Because it would be funny," Cardin said. "You know, I think I'll have you ask Ruby out tomorrow. I wonder how Yang would react to that."

Jaune shivered. "Please don't, I don't think my spine could take that."

Cardin pretended to think for a moment. "Tell you what, do a really good job asking Blake out, and I'll have you ask Yang out instead. That would be a lot less painful for you, believe me."

Jaune reddened and looked down at the floor. He reached for random items off the lunch counters and heaped them on his tray. "Why are you doing this? Haven't you humiliated me enough?"

"I'm just trying to help a friend out." He patted Jaune on the back, and a couple bread rolls tumbled to the floor. "I noticed you weren't having any luck with Weiss, and I figured you needed to expand your horizons a bit."

Jaune's eyes snapped up. "So that's what it is? You're doing Weiss some kind of favor? Then why not just tell me to stop asking her out?"

Cardin raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you want to think, then go ahead. Just do what I tell you."

Jaune's jaw tightened, but after a few seconds, his shoulders sagged, and his head fell forward. "Yes Cardin."

"Good. Ask her as soon as she sits down. No, wait, ask once the whole team gets in. I want to see the looks on their faces."

Jaune groaned and nodded. Cardin waited until Jaune was well clear of the serving area before he rejoined his teammates at their table.

"Everything ready?" Sky asked.

Cardin glanced around at the other tables. Conversations buzzed around each one, but to be certain, he leaned forward and kept his voice low. "Jaune's all set to go. Russell, you're on camera duty. Get a shot of Pyrrha's reaction. And no flash this time."

Russell rolled his eyes. "It was the scroll's fault, not mine." He tucked into his food, shoveling mouthfuls in at a time.

"Sky, stay with Russell and make sure he doesn't stand out."

Sky gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir." He ate with haste rivaling Russell's, and within three minutes, both of them were returning their trays.

"And that leaves me here with you?" Dove asked once they were gone.

"We need to keep an eye out for Pyrrha and make sure she arrives at the perfect moment. Tap the table when you see her."

Dove nodded. He speared food on his plate without looking at it and ate in silence. Cardin looked directly at his food as he ate. Doubts plagued him, more so with so many more eyes to watch him, so many more ears to overhear his plans, but he forced his breathing into a calm, steady rhythm.

From his peripheral vision, he watched for streams of red hair. He had a few false alarms, but after a few minutes, he found Pyrrha. Ruby was just about to reach her table, and Jaune was anxiously watching her cross the cafeteria.

"Dove, run interference on Ruby. Pretend to return your lunch tray and bump into her."

Dove glanced at Ruby, and then at Yang. "You realize that I'm dead if she catches me."

"Then don't get caught."

Dove gave him a sour look and rose. Winding his way around the cafeteria benches, Dove slowly approached Ruby as she walked towards him. A student in between them rose from his seat, pushing it out into the aisle. Without missing a step, Dove swerved around the chair and knocked into Ruby. The stack of chocolate chip cookies teetering on her tray fell to the floor.

"My cookies!" Ruby moaned as she knelt to the floor, gathering up the broken crumbs. "Ssh, don't worry, I'll still eat you all."

Dove looked back at Team RWBY's table. Yang was glaring daggers at him. He stammered as he said, "I'm sorry about that, how about I get you some more?"

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Really? I'll go with you!"

Pyrrha was just leaving the cafeteria. Dove hastily said, "You better get to your table before you spill more cookies. I'll bring them over to you."

"Oh, alright!" Ruby darted across the room and bounced in her seat. Yang leveled one last menacing stare at Dove before turning her attention to her sister.

All the pieces were in play. Jaune, setting down his tray and walking over to Team RWBY. Blake, eating in silence, her eyes on the book in her lap. Pyrrha, approaching Jaune with flushed cheeks and a firm stride. Weiss, giving her a stealthy thumbs-up from behind a textbook. So, why the anxiety?

The answer hit him like one of Yang's punches.

Before this moment, Blake had been expendable. If she got caught, he could deny any connection to her and find someone else to do his reading. But now? With his plans around Pyrrha hanging on her feigned relationship with Jaune? The moment Blake was expelled from Beacon, Pyrrha might snap him up. He could have Jaune make her life miserable, but which of them would snap first? Jaune, without a doubt.

So, tie himself to a former White Fang terrorist, or allow himself to fall back to square one on the Pyrrha plan. He reached for his scroll, ready to give her the text. Even a refusal would do damage, as he had told his teammates, but could he afford to take half-measures? With Mistral involved, his cousin's life could hang in the balance, and with it, his own.

Jaune approached the table. Weiss glowered up at him, and she stiffened in surprise when he walked past her. Blake looked up, without an expression on her face.

"Um, Blake? Would you, um, like to go out sometime?"

"Go out?"

Adrenaline burned at Cardin's gut. He couldn't tell what Blake would do. Pyrrha stopped at their table, face pale as she watched the conversation unfold.

"Yeah, I, um-" Jaune tugged at his shirt collar. "I know you really like to read books, and I, well, I like to read books. I thought it'd be fun if, if we went out to a café, and, discussed… books?"

"What time?"

Jaune stared dumbstruck at her. When he found his voice, it came out as a high-pitched squeak. "Could you repeat that please?"

"What time?" Blake repeated.

Ruby stared open-mouthed at Blake. Weiss' eyebrows rose into her hairline. Yang smirked and said, "Didn't think you'd be interested Blake."

Blake shrugged. "Since he asked, I thought I'd give him a chance."

Jaune gaped like a fish out of water. After a few moments, he swallowed and said, "How – how about tomorrow?"

"We have class tomorrow," Blake pointed out.

"Oh. S-Saturday then? Noon?"

"Tuckson's at noon, then."

"Y-yeah, Tuckson's. Sounds great." He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. His hand trembled as though he held his shield.

Pyrrha backed away, set her tray on the nearest table, and ran out of the cafeteria. Russell returned, triumphantly holding up his scroll.

"The lighting was perfect on that shot. I think it's my best one yet."

Cardin looked at the scroll, but his brain didn't register the image. "You should be a photographer."

Sky grinned and sat down next to him. "So, she accepted. Is that good or bad?"

Cardin felt hollow inside, and his skin itched. He'd give his left arm to crawl into bed and stay there for a week.

"I have no idea."