Hello again, and welcome to another non-Cardin POV chapter! Our guest for this week's look into the Cardinverse is none other than the sullen, silent ninja. No, the other one. Not that one either. Yes, Ren, that's the one.

Lots of ninja types in RWBY, aren't there? I mean, sure, Ilia's kind of a stretch, but for the sake of a joke, it counts.

Okay, got that out of my system. Easter weekend's going to be a rough one for me, lots of traveling to do, lots of family to see, all that jazz. I had today off, luckily, but it was given over to more family time. Had enough time to put the final touches on this one, but, yeah, I've been busy.

Also, should've mentioned this last week, but the new story I was talking about (The Last Sage, a Pokemon Fanfic) hit the virtual shelves last Sunday. If you're interested, check it out. If not, at least you have this.

Thanks again for all the reviews, follows, faves, etc. Input is always appreciated.

So, what else? I made banana crème pie. Crust, custard, whipped cream, all from scratch. It was awesome.

Oh, btw, free pancake recipe in the story. Just scale it down so you don't have a Nora-sized mound to eat.

Chapter Twelve: Famine

Beta: HybridAlabaster

Half a stick of butter in the microwave. One quart buttermilk. Four eggs cracked on the counter until they fell apart in his fingers, shell fragments tenderly pried apart and held back from the gooey yolk. Whisk together. Four cups flour, a quarter cup sugar, four teaspoons baking powder, two of baking soda, half a teaspoon salt, all mixed together until it just comes together, thick and lumpy. Yank the bowl out of Nora's reach as she dipped a finger in the batter. Except, this time, she didn't.

Medium heat on the skillet. Batter on, two spoonfuls per pancake. Nora should be hovering over his shoulder, babbling about sloths and crooning at the pancakes as they cook, but she was in the chair, staring absently at her empty plate. She didn't say a word.

Flip once bubbles rise to the top. Wait for the sizzle to die down. Nora should be trying to scoop the pancakes off the skillet. He should be fending her off with the spatula. She was balancing a fork on her plate and he was holding the spatula like a katana, glancing over his shoulder for the assault that wasn't coming.

Pancakes off, golden brown on both sides. A dollop of butter over top, followed by a puddle of maple syrup. Set a spoonful of batter down, cooked pancake on, another spoonful over top. He ghad tried telling her again and again the pancakes won't cook properly, but she had insisted on her double pancakes. Twice the eating power, she would say. She didn't. Flip and repeat, more butter and syrup, stack it high and set in front of Nora.

She stared at the mountain of bloated pancakes with puffy red eyes. One hand was on her stomach, as if crushing it will make her feel less empty. The other prodded the pancakes with a fork.

"Where did you get this?" she asked with a hollow voice.

Ren had waited until the morning after to make these pancakes. He had hoped that a little time would make her forget that Cardin had offered her these ingredients, but he should have known better than to bank on Nora's short attention span. Her mind was a steel trap for all things pancakes.

"Someone had thrown away all these perfectly good ingredients. I know it's undignified to go dumpster diving, but it seemed such a waste."

At this, some of Nora's cheer returned. A single slice with the fork cleaved all four double-pancakes. She held up the quivering forkful in front of her. "Don't worry, I don't care that you're dumpster babies. I'll treat you like you're my own."

Within seconds, the stack was gone. Nora smiled, but the tired, haggard appearance on her face remained.

"I can't keep doing this, Ren."

"Doing what?"

Nora bent over and licked up all the syrup. Ren took it out from under her once she was done.

"Pyrrha's a mess. Every time I think she's starting to get better, something else sets her off. Now she's upset because Blake saved Jaune instead of her.

Ren sighed and washed the plate. "There's nothing we can do for her. She hasn't even told him how she feels, much less went out with him. If she doesn't learn how to handle her emotions now, there's no telling how she will handle an actual crisis."

"We still have to help her. She's our teammate." She straightened and turned towards him. "She's our friend."

"How?" Ren asked. "Should we make Jaune go out with her? Should we force him and Blake apart? How would that be fair to them?"

"They don't even want to be together. Cardin's making them."

Ren had heard Nora say all sorts of crazy things over the years. Whether it's conspiracy theories about how squirrels are plotting to overthrow the Kingdoms and sloths are the only ones stopping them, or plans to use Magnhild to launch herself to the moon, he thought he knew whether or not Nora was serious. All the craziness was Nora being Nora.

But this? This wasn't Nora.

"Cardin's making them?" he echoed back.

"Yep. He's trying to make Pyrrha sad because he's mean. I have to stop him."

Ren thought to himself as he ladled more batter onto the skillet. Between puzzling over how Cardin could make Blake do anything, what he would gain out of making such a match, and what could possibly be done about it, he felt his brain tying itself in knots.

"What are you going to do?" He slapped another stack of pancakes in front of Nora.

She wolfed down the stack without answering him. Once she was done, she held out the plate.

"That's all I had," Ren said. "I'll have to get more from the store."

With a growl, Nora threw the plate on the floor, shattering it into pieces.

"Damn him!" she yelled. "If I sneak into the kitchens again, he's going to tell Goodwitch."

Ren grabbed a broom, swept up the sticky pieces, and hid them at the bottom of the garbage can. "I told you not to."

"But what else was I supposed to do? We don't have any food, and Pyrrha's keeping me up all night. I can't wait until morning!"

"I'll try to find some more food. Maybe I'll get lucky and find more in the garbage."

Nora gave him a skeptical glance. Even with his back to her, Ren felt Nora's suspicion.

The door opened with a soft click. Pyrrha glanced into the room, hiding behind the door. When she saw that Jaune was absent, she shuffled into the room and sat next to Nora. If Nora looked a little worse for wear, her face looked as though a hurricane had torn it to pieces. Her hair was a tangled mop that flopped over her eyes, her clothes hadn't been changed since the field trip, and dark bags shadowed her eyes.

"Making breakfast again?" she asked in a dreary voice.

"Just finished," Ren said. "I would offer you some, but Nora already ate all I had."

"No, I'm quite alright. I'm not hungry." Pyrrha sagged into her chair. "Hey Ren, can I ask you for some advice?"

"People always do," Ren muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said that I am here for you."

Pyrrha took a deep breath and straightened her hair. "Well, I think you know why I haven't exactly been doing well lately."

"Yes, I am aware," Ren answered.

"Both you and Nora have been extremely helpful. I don't know what I would do without wonderful friends like you." She put a hand on Nora's shoulder. Nora reached up and gave the hand a gentle squeeze. "But I can't keep being like this forever. It's going to affect how we do as a team."

Pyrrha's breath hitched and tears ran down her face. Ren groaned inwardly and prepared himself for a monologue.

"I know I'm being stupid, getting this sad over someone I just met, and I'm not really sure why." She glanced at the door, but the hallway outside is empty and silent. "Jaune is sweet, and kind, and he's not afraid to talk to me and just be himself. I wanted to tell him how I felt since the day we became partners, but I was terrified he would think I was being too pushy, or that I was taking things too fast, or he wasn't interested in me. So, I waited. I waited for him to ask me out. Then he started asking Weiss out. I felt so angry about that, angry at myself for not doing anything, angry at her for turning him down without a thought, like he was a piece of trash at her feet." With a sniffle, she added, "And yes, angry at him for asking her instead of me. I felt so horrible about that, like what right do I have to get angry at him because he thinks she's prettier than I am? How selfish could I be?"

Tears formed a puddle on the table. Ren grabbed a towel out of the cabinet, one of the softer dish rags, and handed it to Pyrrha. She mopped up the puddle and dabbed her face dry.

"But then he asked Blake. After Weiss helped talk me into being direct with my feelings, he just had to go and ask someone else, and she just had to accept." Her head hit the table with a dull thud. "I know that they're just dating, that they could decide to stop at any time, but it feels like I've lost him forever. How the hell am I supposed to tell him how I feel when he has a girlfriend? How am I supposed to stop thinking about it when I share the same dorm room with him, when I have to watch him get ready for a date with her? Every time I feel like I'm starting to get better, that I can finally stop thinking about it, he'll mention Blake and I start crying again. See? It's happening now!"

Nora patted her shoulder as Pyrrha wiped her face on her sleeve. Her nose sniffled as she took deep breaths.

"It's getting so bad that it's affecting my Semblance. Since yesterday, I can't even use it half the time!"

"What is your Semblance?" The question darted off Ren's tongue before he could stop it.

Pyrrha flinched and gave a delirious chuckle. "Right, we never told each other our Semblances. Might as well, since it's not good for anything else these days." Frowning at her hands, Pyrrha stayed silent for a long moment. Ren started to wonder if she would change her mind, but she said, "It's polarity. I can manipulate metal."

And suddenly, her flawless win record made a lot of sense.

Nora bunched up one of her biceps and said, "Mine's super zappy strength! If I get hit with a lightning bolt, I get super strong."

"I can suppress negative emotions. Useful for hiding from Grimm."

"Is that why you're always so calm?" Pyrrha thought for a moment. Excitement tinged her voice as she asked, "Is there any way that could help me?"

Ren shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, and even if I did, I couldn't keep it up for long."

Pyrrha sank back down. "Oh, right. Sorry, that was silly of me."

"Not at all. If I could, I would do it for you."

"Thank you. So, anyways, now my Semblance isn't working because of all this." She gestured at her tear-streaked face. "And at this rate, it's only a matter of time before I get unlucky and someone beats me."

"So," Ren said, "Your problem is that you need a way to address your feelings so you can move on."

"Exactly. The problem is, I can't tell Jaune how I feel, not like this. It's not fair to him or Blake when they're already in a relationship that I try to butt in." She broke down into sobbing and buried her face in her arm. "I can't stand this! Every time I think about it, I get so angry, then I feel so ashamed at myself for feeling angry and start crying, and I get angry for crying about it!"

Ren leaned in while Pyrrha paused to bawl her eyes out. "Is she like this all night?"

"You have no idea."

Pyrrha straightened and slammed her hands on the table. "So, Ren, I need your advice. What should I do? Should I just tell Jaune how I feel, or should I wait?"

"You should pin him to the wall, lean in really close to his face, and tell him how much you want him!" Nora said.

Pyrrha's face turned scarlet, and she turned away from Nora. "Ren?"

Ren studied Pyrrha while he sifted through his thoughts. Her emotions were a knot he had no idea how to untangle. Perhaps Nora was right, and an aggressive play would get Jaune interested in her, but it could also push him away. Even that rejection might do her good, or it could make her spiral out of control.

There was also Cardin to consider. Though Nora's claim that he was forcing Jaune and Blake together still seemed ridiculous, Cardin was definitely interested in Pyrrha's declining emotional state. If Pyrrha started to recover, he might withhold the food he had promised Nora.

Pyrrha, or Nora? That question was too easy for him to answer.

"I think you should wait," Ren said. Nora opened her mouth to object, but he cut her off. "I agree with Nora that just waiting will make the situation worse. I only ask that you wait until I can talk to Jaune about his feelings for Blake. If it turns out he's not that interested, I'll convince him to break up with her, and that will be your chance."

Nora frowned at him, but Pyrrha's face lit up. "Oh Ren, that's perfect!" She leapt out of the chair and hugged him. Tears soaked into his shoulder. "Thank you so much!"

"I can't make any promises Pyrrha," Ren said.

"I know. Thank you anyways." Pyrrha sniffled and straightened her hair. "I need to talk to Professor Oobleck about the homework I missed, then I'll be in the library. Let me know how it goes."

Nora stood up and followed after her. Ren, covered in a light dusting of flour and with a wet spot on his shoulder, decided to hit the shower while Pyrrha wasn't living in the bathroom. As soon as he finished drying off his hair and stepped out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel, Jaune walked into the dorm room.

"There you are! Ren, can we talk?"

Before Ren could grab his clothes, Jaune dragged him over to his bed and sat Ren down next to him.

"So, Ren," Jaune said, "I'm just going to come out and say it. You are one of my best friends. I feel that we've really bonded since we became teammates, even though you don't say much. I mean, you're really quiet. I don't know much about you to be honest, but I consider you to be the brother I never had."

Ren sat there, shivering in his bath towel, mere inches away from the dresser with his clothes, wondering what he did to deserve being everyone's guidance counselor. How did people expect him to help them with their emotions when he didn't even have any of his own?

"And I you," he said mechanically.

Jaune faltered, pressing forward word by word. "Which is why I wanted to get your advice on girls."

"Girls?"

While Jaune was distracted, Ren reached for his clothes. Inch by inch, he pried open his dresser until he had just enough room to pull out his combat clothes.

"I mean, well, uh, I was wondering, how did you and Nora, you know, get together?"

Ren's hand froze just as it touched his clothes. "Together?" A chill crept up his spine as he remembered the screams of dying men, the smell of smoke and blood burning his mouth, and the bright flash of red as the Nuckelavee sliced his mother in half.

"Yeah, well, I mean, you two have such great chemistry together, so I thought, you should know by now how to tell what a girl's thinking."

Ren let out a relieved sigh as the memories receded. "Oh, we're not together like that."

"Really? It's just that you're always together, and you cook for her all the time, so, you know…"

"Jaune, what is this all about?"

"It's Blake. I – I don't know what to make of her." Jaune took a deep breath and leaned back in his bed. "I didn't expect her to say yes when I asked her. I don't even know why she said yes. On our date, she didn't even really act like she was interested in me, at least, I don't think so. We talked for a while, and it was kind of fun even though so many things went wrong, so part of me thinks maybe she does like me, but I just don't get why."

"Why did you ask Blake out?" Ren asked.

Jaune covered his eyes with a hand. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise."

"Well, Cardin told me to. That's why." Jaune bounced forward and slapped his hands on his lap. "He had me ask her out as a joke, and she said yes, and now I have no idea what to do. I don't even know if I want to keep dating her. Do I just want another date because I'm excited just to have a girlfriend, or do I really have feelings for her? Does she feel the same way, and how would I know?" Jaune chuckled. "I thought I'd know how girls work since I have seven sisters, but with Blake, I have no idea."

"Seven sisters?" Ren asked. He grabbed his clothes, yanked them off the hangar, and drew them onto the bed.

"Yeah, and not a single brother. I kept asking my parents for one, but they would always say the store was – that's not the point. The point is, I don't know what I should do about Blake. Should I just go and ask her how she feels, or should I wait?"

Nora, or Jaune? Another easy question.

"It'd be better if I ask her," Ren said. "She might expect you to know how she feels, which I know, isn't exactly fair. If she's interested, I'll let you know to ask her on another date, and if not, then you can break it off and find someone else."

Jaune smiled at him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. The touch felt uncomfortably close on bare skin. "Thanks Ren, I knew I could count on you."

"No problem. Now, would you mind if I slipped into some clothes?"

"Oh! Sorry Ren, go ahead." Jaune turned around in the bed. Ren considered going back to the bathroom, but he was cold enough already. He got the shirt on first, and then loosened the towel so he could slide into his underwear.

Just as he had his briefs halfway up his legs, Nora flung the door open. "Hey have you seen – oh." She paused, eyes fixed on Ren. "Wow Renny, I didn't expect you to swing that way. Jaune though, totally not a surprise."

Jaune choked and leapt off the bed. "Uh, Nora, it's not what it looks like."

"Relax silly! I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for Ren getting out of his underwear on your bed."

"But he's–"

"She's just teasing you," Ren said as he put on his pants. "Nora, you should knock before you enter a room."

"What? It's not like I haven't seen it before."

Jaune started another choking fit while Ren drew up his pants. "Nora, stop."

"Jeez Ren, you're no fun today."

"So, Nora, what were you looking for?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, it can wait. Have fun you two." She winked and left the room.

Jaune buried his face in his pillow. "You just had to change in here, didn't you?"

"You dragged me out here in a towel."

"Fair point."

Ren felt a headache coming. Between Pyrrha and Jaune wanting advice from him, and considering Cardin's desires, his brain felt as though it had run a marathon. He might catch a quick nap in one of the trees outside if Nora didn't see him slip away.

"Hey Ren, how did the two of you meet?"

"Hm?" The cold and the smoke were back.

"You know, Nora. Were you always together?"

"Yes, yes we were." Ren rose and walked out the door. Jaune started after him, but he hesitated before the hallway.

The tree Ren had picked out was a short maple, stunted, stuck under the shadow of a mighty oak. Its gnarled branches had grown thin and spindly, but there was one branch with a long, shallow dip perfect for lying on, hidden from view by a dense veil of leaves thriving on that one branch against all reason.

When he made it up to the branch, he found that it was already occupied.

Blake had her eyes closed, and her hair was in a bunched-up tangle. Ren backed away, but he made the branch shake, and her eyes snapped open. In a panic, she raised her head, and her hair slid aside to reveal two feline ears. They drooped, and she sank into the foliage.

"Please don't tell anyone," she whispered.

Ren clambered up the tree branch and sat next to Blake. "Cardin knows, doesn't he?"

"How do you know?"

Ren shrugged. "It was a hunch. Nora was saying earlier that Cardin was forcing you and Jaune to date."

"That pretty much sums it up."

"That's messed up."

Blake swatted leaves out of her hair. "I know, right? And he wants me to go on another date, maybe even more, or else he'll have me arrested."

"For being a Faunus? I don't know much about Vale, but that seems a little extreme."

"For being a member of the White Fang."

Ren blinked. For a long moment, the only sound between them was the wind rustling through the branches.

"A member now, or…?"

"I quit," Blake said bitterly. "Not that it's going to matter to whoever Cardin tells. He had someone's parents arrested just to prove a point. Made the phone call right in front of me. I heard the guy talking about it a few days later, so I know he wasn't lying."

Ren frowned. "So, what are you going to do?"

Blake sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I don't have a choice. I'll keep doing whatever he wants."

"You could run away," Ren said. "I don't think you could re-enlist in another school, but if you laid low, in Menagerie or Vacuo, no one would find you."

"I wish it was that simple." She peered out of the trees. "You're not going to tell this to anyone, are you?"

Ren shook his head. "I don't like talking to people much."

She smiled. "My parents are the Belladonnas. If I was wanted for arrest, there'd be repercussions for all of Menagerie. They might use it as an excuse for an embargo or travel restrictions."

"I see. Well, I wish I could help you, but I'm afraid I have my hands full."

"Wait!" Blake reached for him as he edged towards the trunk. "Could we at least talk again, like this?" Her ears pressed flat against her head. "It's just, it felt good having someone to talk to."

Ren sighed as he felt his skull creaking from the pressure in his head. He had almost told her that he was working for Cardin, but perhaps he could barter with what Blake said.

Blake, or Nora? Too easy.

"Sure Blake. I like sleeping in this tree, so I might talk if you happen to find me here."

Just before dinner, Ren pulled Jaune aside and told him that Blake was still interested, and it might be wise to ask her out within a few days. When Pyrrha went off to the library to study alone, Ren walked with her part of the way and told her Jaune and Blake were still feeling things out, that there wasn't any real affection yet and the whole thing might fizzle out. Both of them gave him warm smiles that made him feel queasy.

As they were getting ready for bed, and Pyrrha was preparing for another night crying in the shower, Nora pulled him out of their room. Other students gave them odd looks, as Nora was just in her underwear and had Ren pressed against a wall.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"That advice you were giving today, you're not trying to help them."

"I can't help them, Nora, they're going to have to figure things out for themselves."

"Then at least try not to make things worse. Please? I don't think I can take many more of these nights."

It hurt him to see how red and tired her eyes were.

"Okay Nora. I'll try."