This has been a weird week.

Had someone parking in my spot for a few nights, which meant I had to go park a few minutes away so I wouldn't be in someone else's spot. I left a warning on their windshield, and I'll have them towed the next time I catch them in my spot. I could have just towed them, but I'd feel bad about that.

My computer crashed Wednesday, just after I spent an hour writing the next chapter. I spent ten minutes panicking, thinking that the hard drive just blew out on a nice computer I've had for a year, but luckily, not only did it come back up, but it had automatically saved 95% of what I had just written. Nice. Hadn't backed up to a flashdrive faster in my life.

Work wasn't too bad this week, aside from a 7 AM meeting that would've been followed by me working second shift had I not taken a vacation day. Had to work both days of last weekend as well, so my writing schedule was tight. Stayed up until 1AM Thursday cranking out the upcoming chapter.

As far as this story goes, I'm worried that the pacing is a bit too slow. I haven't heard any criticisms yet, which I guess is a good sign. I can't really know how to adjust a story and improve it if I don't hear what people don't like about it. It does sound like I've hit that perfect balance of making Cardin a hate-able character without making people hate the story, so I'll take that victory.

On to reviews.

To Qinlongfei, my only experience with the Harry Potter fandom is a random ongoing fanfic where Hermonie is a Parselmouth, learned how to fly from dementors, is BFFs with Grindelwald, enslaved pieces of Voldemort's soul, and pretty much runs the Ministry of Magic from the shadows, all without being evil. I can see the comparison of Cardin with Draco, and I could see a Sins-esque take on the Harry Potter story, I suppose, but I don't think I'd be the one to write it, nor was I thinking of Malfvoy when writing this fanfic.

As far as stopping the story dead to give backstory, yeah, I hate that too, but it's unavoidable to an extent. To that end, I'd appreciate it if you'd give your opinion on the next chapter. Should clear up a thing or two for you.

To AxDevilMan, I'm glad you like the humor. I was hoping it'd be a refreshing change of pace without disturbing the more serious tone the story is going for.

Alright, that's it out of me. Enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter Seven: Evasive Action

Cardin went up to the rooftop half an hour early to make sure Blake wouldn't be watching. He checked each tree and scoured the rooftop, even climbing over the door, but he was alone. Gusts of wind made him shiver in his gym clothes, a reminder that Vale might not get wintry snows like Atlas, but it was still unwise to venture outdoors without some sleeves.

Precisely at ten PM, Weiss crept up the stairs. She peered through a sliver of doorway, and only after seeing Cardin did she open the door. To Cardin's envy, she had on a full Beacon uniform, complete with long, thick sleeves.

"No one followed you?" she asked.

"I got here early to make sure no one was listening in." He peered over the roof's edge, at his own window. Russell was leaning on the windowsill with his scroll in his hand. "My window's closed, but we need to keep it down. They'll hear if we speak too loudly."

"Dove approached me after class," Weiss said. "He wanted to know what we were talking about."

"He's not the only one, unfortunately," Cardin said. "I asked you to come up here because I needed to warn you."

"Why, did something happen?"

"There was a spy in the school. They caught a picture of us coming into gym together. Rumors are already starting to spread."

Weiss frowned and ran a hand through her ponytail. "Is that really such a big deal?"

"A ducal heir and the heiress of a powerful company had a private conversation together. There are all kinds of rumors flying around. Secret business proposals, international political maneuvers, marriage contracts, that kind of thing."

Weiss flushed and looked away. "Who is this spy? We could report them to Ozpin."

He snorted. It was a reflexive gesture, and he regretted it the moment he made it, but some quick thinking gave him the words to work with it. "They don't care about one spy. They'd just get another. Besides, the spy has already been dealt with."

Weiss' brow furrowed. Shock flashed in her eyes, and she took a step back. "That creep – wait, so he was framed?"

Cardin smiled inwardly as he evaluated what to say next. "He admitted to taking the pictures, didn't he?"

"Yes, but he didn't do it, right?" She stalked forward and glowered at him. "You just ruined that student's career and tore up his team."

"And he would've gotten us both killed, Weiss."

Weiss went pale, and the scar over her eye glinted in the moonlight. "That's absurd. You're being paranoid."

"Being paranoid is the only thing that keeps me alive. Every bite of food I eat, every sip I take, every person that passes behind me or offers to shake my hand could be the death of me. Isn't it the same for you?"

Weiss looked away. "Well, the White Fang would, but that's because of how my father runs things. Faunus die everyday in the Schnee Dust mines, their wages are low, and they're dismissed at the first sign of disobedience. Once that is changed, the White Fang will no longer have a reason to keep raiding our convoys."

Cardin winced and thought of the scroll recording their every word. "There would be people here that would disagree with you strongly enough to consider the merits of letting your brother inherit instead."

Weiss pursed her lips and fell silent. Cardin brought up one hand to rub his temples while he considered how much to reveal.

"My family's hardship is no secret to anyone of importance in Vale. That is the only reason I can tell you what I am about to say."

He couldn't read the emotion in Weiss' eyes. It might be doubt, or concern, maybe interest or curiosity, but it was what wasn't in her expression that warmed his chest, no hunger for advantage, no calculation, no scheming.

"I am the first in line to inherit the Duchy of Winchester, and with it, two seats on the Council of Lords. My cousin, Crimson, is second in line. After that is Clemont Cirilian, the second son of the Duke of Cirilian."

"I take it that this Cirilian Duke would want him to inherit instead of you?"

"Exactly. However, that line of succession only occurs if both myself and my cousin die before my father. Direct cousins of the current duke inherit before those once removed, and since my grandfather married Duke Charles' sister, that would make Clemont his first cousin. Those without titles inherit before those with titles, a measure taken to prevent council seats from being gathered up under one family, which is why it passes to the second son first."

"What happens if your father dies first?" She thought for a moment and said, "That would make Clemont your first cousin, once removed, correct?"

"Yes. Manfred Montblanc, the only son of the Duke of Montblanc, is my first cousin, as my father married the Duke of Montblanc's sister. He would be second in line should my father die and I inherit. The title would pass to some other Montblanc after."

"I take it if your cousin inherits, someone else is closer in line?"

"A branch family of the Winchesters. That's why my father has him staying abroad. He wouldn't last more than a year in Vale, even with the most powerful families behind us, and either me or my father would be next."

Weiss stepped back until she hit the door. "Is it always like that in Vale?"

"Not usually. Most families aim for around seven children to make assassinations less practical." He feigned a forlorn expression and leaned against the door next to Weiss. "My mother died when I was four, during a miscarriage. My father hasn't been able to remarry, since the Montblancs would withdraw their support and I'd become a target. Our only option is to play the two families off of each other, keep my cousin safe, and arrange my marriage as soon as possible."

"You don't get a choice?" Weiss asked.

Cardin chuckled sourly. "Of course I have a choice. I can marry whoever my father chooses for me, or I can have some poison poured in my wine."

Weiss put a hand on his shoulder. Through the fabric of his uniform, he felt the warmth of her fingers. After a long silence, she said, "You should run away."

"Like you did?"

He cursed himself the moment those words passed his lips. She stiffened, and her fingers slipped from his shoulder. "I-"

"Sorry, that was uncalled for."

"No, you're right." Weiss looked up at him. Cardin offered her a hand, and she took it. Her fingers intertwined with his. "You don't have to do what your father says. You make your own decisions. If you want to stay under your father's thumb and do whatever he tells you, that's fine, but if you want to live your own life, if you want to be free, then go, and don't let anything stop you. I could help you."

He shook with the effort to keep himself from laughing. Weiss interpreted it as a strangled sob. "I know this must be hard for you, and it feels like you're powerless, but if you put your mind to it, you can do anything."

"It's not that. How long do you think my father would last if I disappeared?" He tightened his grip on Weiss' hand until he could feel her pulse. "He would have to remarry, and the more powerful families would have him killed so the cousin would inherit. My being here is the only reason he is alive."

"I – I had no idea." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she brought her other hand up to wipe them away. "Does he really mean that much to you?"

Cardin hesitated before giving his answer, thinking of the scroll in the window. With a deep breath, he said, "He's my dad, isn't he?"

Weiss buried her eyes in her sleeve. After a minute, she rubbed her eyes and looked up at him. They were a touch red, and moisture glistened around them.

"I'm sorry. I misjudged you. I thought you were just an entitled bully. Yang had all kinds of stories about you from primary school."

With a chuckle, Cardin said, "I'm sure she did. We never got along when we were kids, and we were always in the same class."

Weiss smiled. "She said you would frame her for all kinds of trouble so the teachers would think she was a bad student."

"Yeah, she always likes to blame someone else for her inability to control her emotions. When I was thirteen, before I had my Aura unlocked, she broke my nose. I had to get an implant so it wouldn't stay crooked."

Weiss gasped. "No way, really?"

"Go ahead, feel." He leaned down. Her hand rose, and she gingerly pressed against the tip of his nose.

"Why did she do that?"

"She got mad because she thought I tripped her during a parent-teacher conference. Truth is, her shoes were untied, and I just happened to be standing next to her when they got caught on a table leg. Her dad had to restrain her before she did anything else."

Her fingers slid past his nose and to his cheek. The warmth of her fingers seeped into his face. She jerked her hand away and blushed.

"I can't believe I trusted her."

Cardin touched the spot where her fingers had been. A gust of wind blew the warmth away. "I don't think she's a bad person. She's hot-headed, impulsive, and holds grudges, but she always sticks up for other people. That's how it all started in the first place."

He explained how his father had instructed him to harass the other students in the class, starting with name-calling and tripping people in hallways, and working his way up to blackmail and convincing others to do the harassment for him. As he was about to relate the story of how he got a teacher to retire, he remembered the recording and diverted the conversation.

"How did everything with Pyrrha work out?"

Weiss balled her hands into fists. "Augh, I can't believe him! Pyrrha was going to talk to him, but then he asks Blake out, and now she's in tears over the whole thing. Nora threatened to break Blake's legs when she told me!"

"Yeah, she says she'll break mine too." He threw in a grimace and said, "That sucks, but she can always try again tomorrow, right?"

"No, I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet. Blake said yes! They're – they're dating now, I think? I don't know, the point is Pyrrha can't ask him out now."

"Well, look on the bright side, at least he won't be asking you out anymore, right?"

Weiss whipped her ponytail around and caught it in one hand. She rubbed strands of hair between her fingers. "Not if it makes her so miserable. I don't understand, why would he ask someone else all of the sudden?"

Her eyes widened, and she took a step towards him. Looking straight up at him, she said, "You've been bullying Jaune lately. Did you tell him to ask Blake out?"

He felt equal parts shock and amusement at her accusation. Assuming Weiss would be naïve enough to miss the connection was a mistake on his part. He only had a few seconds to decide whether to deny it or try explaining himself. He felt that he could keep her friendship either way, but a sinking sensation of dread in his gut told him a wrong move might have dire consequences.

"I was hoping you wouldn't realize that, but you saw right through me."

"How could you? You even had the gall to involve me in your scheme!" She turned towards the door and said, "We're done here. Good night, Cardin."

Again, he felt a terrible decision lay before him, as though he were attempting to cross a frozen stream. One slip, and he'd fall through the ice.

"My cousin's life was on the line," he said softly. "I had no choice."

"You always have a choice." She turned back around and studied him. He kept his eyes down and trained his face into a subdued, blank expression. "I can see how yours haven't been easy. What do you mean, exactly?"

He explained the politics behind the Vytal festival and how the fate of those games could turn allied families against the Winchesters, giving as much detail as he could without incriminating himself on the recording.

"I should have told you from the start," Cardin said, "But without knowing what connections you might have, I couldn't take that risk. I apologize."

"No, I understand," Weiss said. "I thought you wanted to talk, well, because you wanted to. If it's just for the sake of your scheme, then you don't need to keep up this farce, do you?"

As she opened the door, Cardin strode forward and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She flinched but didn't move away from his touch.

"I do want to talk," he said. "It may have started out as part of a scheme, but now it finally feels as though I have someone I can be honest with. If you stay, I promise not to involve you in a scheme without explaining it to you first and asking your permission, and to only do so if my life depends on it."

She took his hand as she turned around. "I'll stay then. I'm sorry I doubted you again."

"Yeah, there's times where I doubt myself. I wonder if I'm becoming just as bad as my dad and the rest of them. Maybe I will, if I keep doing what he tells me to do."

"As long as you care about other people, you will never be like them." She studied his hand before she realized what she was doing and dropped it. Cardin entertained the idea of stringing her along, but he felt it was too likely to get him killed.

"You seem flustered. Is there anything on your mind?"

Her blush grew deeper, and she looked away. "No, not at all."

Cardin sighed and put one hand on a wall. "Weiss, I'm worried that you're developing feelings for me. If that's how it is, I can't keep talking with you."

Her eyes widened, and she backed away. "No, that's not it at all! I just – I've never had someone I could honestly talk to either. Well, except Klein, but he was a servant. Winter left when I was little, and Whitley is just like father." She finished that with a scowl. "My mother's drunk all the time, and all the other servants don't say more than two words to me unless I command it, and then it's like talking to a scroll." She stared up at him and said, "I have no interest in pursuing anything other than my studies at Beacon at this time."

"Then I'll hold you to that." He mentally congratulated himself on getting that on tape. Play that in the right ears, and his father might be able to put the SDC under pressure. "So, where were we?"

"Oh, right. I was just thinking, do you have Blake involved in your scheme as well? I thought it was really weird that she accepted out of the blue like that."

A cold shock engulfed him, and his chest tightened. "That would've been ideal," he said, "But my plan was to have him ask Yang out the next day. I thought she might take him, if she thought he was the sort who was just looking for something casual and didn't care who it was." He gave her a shrewd grin and added, "Or if he might ask Ruby next."

Weiss chuckled. "I could only imagine how she'd react to that."

"I don't have to imagine," Cardin said. Cold sweat ran down his neck, but he felt as though he could breathe again. "The last guy that asked Ruby out went head-first out the nearest window. He would've died if he didn't have his Aura unlocked."

"Yeah, that sounds like her."

He looked at the time on his scroll. "I better leave right now. I told my teammates I was going for a run, so I'll work up a sweat before going back. You should return to your room right away. Maybe say you went to study somewhere quiet?"

"I'll say I wanted some fresh air on the roof."

He thought of Blake and said, "Don't draw attention to this area." He looked down at Beacon's grounds and said, "Try the garden area over there. One of those benches. Students don't usually wander through there at night."

As Weiss walked over, he glanced down and cursed himself when he saw Russell's scroll. She stopped a few feet back from the edge and didn't notice the open window.

"That will work." She held out her hand to Cardin, but before he could take it, she flinched and drew away. "It was nice to speak with you. Is there any way we can do this again?"

"Give me your scroll number. I'll text you asking for help on homework. Will that do?"

Weiss considered it for a moment. "That can be arranged. Should I include a few others in the study group so we don't stand out?"

Cardin smiled. "Great idea. Just don't invite Yang if you know what's good for my health."

Weiss giggled and took out her scroll. Cardin held up his own, and they exchanged numbers.

"I'll let you know as soon as I can arrange it. Have a good night, Cardin."

Cardin didn't linger to check on Russell, nor did he go to the exercise room downstairs. Instead, he crossed Beacon grounds to a small, secluded courtyard on the edge of campus. Blake was perched in a tree, reading from a book.

"About time you showed up. Why did you have me come here at eight if you were going to be this late?"

She dropped to the ground and drew her weapon. Cardin shifted to a fighting stance and watched her feet.

"Why do you want me to teach you?" she asked.

"You're the best in the class at dodging attacks. Thanks to Yang, Goodwitch seems to think I'm almost as good as you. It'd be convenient to keep it that way."

"How soon do you want to be good at it?"

"A couple weeks, when she starts a new course on evasive maneuvers."

Blake snorted. "Really? It takes years of practice to get as good as I am."

"Then we don't have any time to lose, do we?"

Blake's grin and the subtle shuffle of her feet was the only warning he had. Her hand flicked forward, and one of Gambol Shroud's blades whirled in the air towards him. Cardin slid aside. The gust of wind left in the weapon's wake made goosebumps on his skin.

The attack continued for ten minutes, with Blake darting in to swipe at him, leaping back and firing spurts of bullets, swinging blades by the cord that bound them, and vanishing into the trees to strike at him from a new angle. His aura took a beating, but he dodged most of her efforts.

Breathing heavily, Blake dropped from a tree limb and landed in front of him, weapon sheathed behind her back. "That actually wasn't bad. Why didn't you dodge that much during our match?"

"Kinda hard to when you're lugging around armor and a mace. Anything that I can work on?"

A sudden gust whipped across the courtyard, tugging on Blake's bow. She slapped it back into place with both hands and huddled down. Once the wind passed, she straightened and said, "Your footwork is really good, but you don't move the rest of your body as much as you should. Try dodging my attacks while keeping your feet planted."

No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, she drew Gambol Shroud, latched both blades into a single, longer form, and swiped at him. He backed away from the first few blows, but on the third swipe, he planted his feet and bent his knees. The blade grazed his chest, leaving a small slice in his shirt without nicking his Aura. He spent the next ten minutes wobbling around, tripping over himself, and losing chunks of Aura to her blade. His lungs burned, and his sweaty shirt clung to him.

"Let's see how you dodge now," Blake said, and lunged at him. He was forced to sidestep, leaning back to keep the blade from skewering his ribs. He had a mere flicker of Aura left, but she pressed onward, her blade darting in and out, slashing one way and the next, too fast for his eyes to track. He moved on instinct, bobbing and weaving as the sword whistled around his head. A loose paving stone tripped him up, and Gambol Shroud carved out the last of his Aura.

He stumbled back and regained his footing, but the sword raced towards his neck. Too exhausted from talking with Weiss and the earlier exercises to properly feel fear, he moved in a state of numb relaxation, always an inch away from the point of death as he whirled and bobbed around Blake's attacks. A hot, thin line burned on his right arm, and a warm trickle reached his fingers. Another slash bit into his chest, and a pale red stain blossomed in the sweat-soaked shirt.

Wind whistled as Blake tossed half her weapon to the side. The other half lunged at him, driving him back. Cardin hadn't even noticed her split the weapon, nor could he tell where the blade had gone. A few paces later, a cord pressed against the back of his legs, and too late did he notice that Blake now held the other half, trailing the cord behind it. As he toppled backwards, Blake reassembled the weapon into a single piece and leveled it at him. His thoughts drifted to how the cord came behind him, thrown in an arc so it looped around a tree on either side of him and wound its way back to her hand. He'd have to try that if he survived.

The tip of Gambol Shroud prodded his neck, putting pressure on a throbbing vein without piercing the skin. Through a shrinking shroud of darkness along his peripheral vision, he saw Blake, standing over him, eyes glowing like moon shards. Her ribbon was gone, and her two feline ears stood tall, tilting with each gust of wind.

"You better cover those up," Cardin said between gasps for air. "Never know who might be looking."

The sword fell away as Blake reached up with her free hand and felt her ears. She buried the point of Gambol Shroud into the dirt as she fished a spare ribbon out of her pocket and went through the intricate motions of tying it in place.

"So, how did I do?"

"Not great," Blake said without looking at him. "Your movements are too clumsy and you're always off balance. You also get tripped up easily if the footing's bad."

"Anything I'm doing right?" Cardin asked sourly.

Blake regarded him for a moment as she tightened the bow. Her brows furrowed as the ribbon scrunched up her ears. "Well, you're far better on your feet than I expected, and you know to keep moving." She gave him a wry smile. "Just know I was really taking it easy on you."

Cardin fired back with his own smile. "Ready for your date with Jaune?"

Disgust twisted her features. "I can't believe you're making me go out with him. I'd almost rather – never mind." She ran her fingers over the bow and tested the knots. "How long are you going to have me string him along?"

"As long as you want to stay out of jail," Cardin said. "Try to make sure the date goes well."

Blake snorted. "With him stammering every time he talks to me? Yeah, that'll go well. And come to think of it, I don't even think Tuckson's is a café. It's just some bookstore that came to mind."

Cardin consulted his scroll. "Speaking of books, we have some time left before curfew, and I'd like to make the most of it."

By the time they were done reading, Cardin's aura had patched up his cuts. With two minutes to spare, Cardin returned to his room to find Russell listening to the recording.

"How'd it turn out?" Cardin asked as he balled up his t-shirt and stashed it in his laundry pile. He glanced at Dove and Sky, but both were engrossed in their scrolls.

"Like a work of art. I already sent him a copy."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll sleep for a week. I might've taken the 'go for a run' cover-up a bit too far."

Russell came back with a quip of his own, but Cardin had passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.