There was a commotion at Beacon. A big one really, that had everybody from the students to the teachers to even the civilians down in Vale looking up to the sky. It was something to stare at to be honest; an entire fleet of Atlesian Battleships hovered above the school, signalling not only the arrival of Alas' students, but also their military.

It was a shock clearly, but the council must have known, otherwise there'd be people arming themselves in the streets. Doubtlessly there would be media coverage, but since news teams couldn't get into Beacon without permission that left people rather free from all the questioning.

Still, a force like this wasn't normal, and people could tell. Ruby didn't know how Ozpin was going to spin this but she hoped it was good. Then again… he was good at spinning lies, so this wouldn't be a problem for him.

She shook her head, now wasn't the time for that.

Right now she was making her way to the Headmasters office as per request of him yesterday. Whatever the wizard wanted to talk about must have been important, and if Atlas' military being here suggested anything it meant that General Ironwood was going to be here too.

Ruby hadn't actually ever met the General, just heard from Ozpin and her Uncle that he was in their inner circle, well, all the headmasters were, but him more than most.. so she knew he was trustworthy but not was he was actually like. Uncles Qrows descriptions of him were… less than flattering, but then again, most of Uncle Qrows descriptions of people were less than flattering, barring only a few.

Still, if he was here then it meant this was big.

Shame it had to come off the bat of last night.

Ugh! The whole thing had nearly been a disaster and it had been all her fault! It had been fun at first, in a way that had surprised Ruby a lot. She'd thought the whole thing would e a grilling from Yang but her big sister had let her enjoy the evening.

They'd played games, watched movies and just talked about each other. It was more than Ruby had gotten in a long time. It wasn't Yangs fault that she'd been asked about their parents, it hadn't been Yangs fault when Ruby had agreed to let her tell the story. It hadn't even been Yangs fault when she'd wanted to know the truth.

It was Ruby's for biting back like she had, for making the whole thing the way it was between the two of them again!

She sighed. It was like the two of them had taken one step forward and two steps back, and what made it even worse was that now everyone knew about their story. Sure they might not act like it changed things but she knew it would. It would be in the way they looked at them, how they thought of them.

Two poor kids who'd lost their parents.

She pressed her hands to her face.

She didn't need this right now!

She shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts as she stepped into the elevator leading to the top of the tower. She could hate herself later.

The elevated hummed as it rose and after a moment it dinged, the doors swung open.

The first thing Ruby did was notice the massive box in the middle of the room, the second was take in the number of people in said room:

There was Ozpin standing in front of his desk with his signature mug of coffee, Professor Goodwitch next to him inspecting what looked like a documents file. Amber was there two, conversing with one of the two newcomers; the taller one must have been James Ironwood, with his long white coat and rigid stance, not to mention a face that looked like it'd been carved from granite he looked just like the military leader he was expected to be, and the last one was…

Penny.

The other girl saw her first and smiled brightly. "Friend Ruby!" she called, already barrelling towards her. The others turned in time to see the excitable red-head nearly crush the reaper in a bearhug.

Ruby gasped as the air left her.

"H-hi to you too Penny." She managed to squeeze out.

"How kind of you to join us Miss Rose," The headmaster chuckled. "We were hoping we could get introductions underway, Amber has already made herself known of course." He nodded to the general. "I'm sure you've guessed already but this is General James Ironwood, the headmaster of Atlas and leader of the kingdoms military forces."

She turned to the man and did her best bow. "It's uh, nice to meet you sir."

The man nodded in return, approaching her in a few large strides. "And you must be the Miss Ruby Rose I've heard Ozpin mention," he smiled, or made his best impression of one, it honestly looked like it might make babies cry it was so stern. Even so he offered his hand, and she took it. The handshake was firm, if a little… cold?

"I've heard a lot about you," he went on. "Though forgive me for saying that I have a few reservations about recruiting a girl so young. I hope you understand."

"I do sir." She nodded for his sake. It wasn't an odd worry, and since this was the kind of organisation it was she could understand.

He smiled down at her again. "My you seem to be quite formal. I'd thought huntsmen here in Vale were far more… relaxed."

Her cheeks darkened at that as she scratched the back of her head. "Ah well, that might just be because of my partner, I'm sure if I wasn't she'd find out somehow."

He hummed. "Weiss Schnee, correct?"

She blinked. "Um… yes. How did you-"

"Her sister Winter Schnee is my right hand," he chuckled, no doubt sensing her surprise. "She often talks about her younger sister, and mentions that Weiss was in a team lead by a red hooded huntress.

Ruby seemed to turn even redder with embarrassment. "Weiss mentions me in her letters?"

They were interrupted by a pointed cough from Ozpin. "If you would, we have things we need to discuss now that we are all here."

Ruby nodded, stepping over to the side to allow the headmaster to take her position beside the General. He motioned to the box in the centre of them. Now that she looked at it a second time Ruby noticed that t wasn't so much a bock as it was a stasis lock:

It was rectangular, shaped like a long coffin rather than something for storage, and there was glass along the sides and top for them to peer in. Atlas Tech, she realised, build to contain leaking energy or anything else that might be dangerous.

What was inside however was most curious however: A crystal, about the size of Ruby's head sat in the centre, jutting out in a wild crystalline formation and darker than black, as in, it looked like it was eating light instead of reflecting it.

It made her feel… uneasy.

Ozpin spoke at last once they'd all gotten a look. "This was delivered in secret by James here… from what we know no one has been able to report it before we repressed the information. I'm sure you have more to report however General."

"I do," the man nodded, hands folding behind his back as he spoke. "This specimen was found in Altor, our deepest mine in the remnants of Mantle, some three thousand metres below ground. One of the now-former workers dug this piece up. Due to the poor lighting within the caverns and its similar colour he assumed it was Gravity Dust and handled it like you would regularly."

He sighed. "That worker is now in a mental institution due to exposure."

Ruby swallowed. That was… a thing.

"My top scientists have been studying this piece as best they can, and have concluded that physical contact with the skin will almost always result in fits of madness. Those with aura seem slightly resistant but only for short periods of time. We do not know whether any more pieces have surfaced anywhere, but we are keeping a close eye on the mines for now." He glanced at his fellow headmaster. "I believe you said that you knew more about it old friend."

Ozpin hummed with a frown plastered on his face. "Indeed I can James." He stepped over to the containment unit, placing a hand on the glass. "This 'Black Dust' as your scientists have called it recently is crystalized magic."

Ruby blinked and Amber herself looked confused. "Um, sorry for asking but, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, simply put, it is magic that had leaked into the world and congregated in one spot. It becomes physical, and because it leaks into nature it takes the form of its wrath, of Dust." The frown deepened. "The darkness is as clear a sign as any that magic is dangerous, as are the effects of it. I would suggest sealing off the mine James but I know that would be for nought."

"You would be right," the General agreed stiffly. "That is the deepest mine we have, one of the pillars of Atlas' economy in recent years. If it was to suddenly close it would be a disaster."

Ruby could agree, and not only with the money involved. It was a proven fact that the deeper you dug underground the more dust you found, and the purer it was. Altor wasn't just the deepest mines, it was one of the oldest, decades spent venturing deeper and deeper in a way that machinery just wasn't capable of helping just yet. If they lost that mine all of Atlas would feel the pain.

Still, even though it was the truth, the Beacon Headmaster didn't look impressed, resigned, but that was about it.

"Indeed," he sighed. "However despite my disagreement with the General he has allowed us to harbour the Black Dust here. not only for safety, but to act as an advantage of our own a decoy of sorts."

Miss Goodwitch frowned, giving Ozpin a warning look. "Are you sure that is the correct course of action? I can think of a number of reasons two items should not be so close together."

Ruby looked between them. What were they talking about? Two items to- wait…

"Now Glynda, believe me when I say there is no danger of… cross-contamination as it were."

Ruby was staring at them wide-eyed now. They couldn't be serious could they? If this was as dangerous as the General was saying then, then…

The ageless wizard turned to Amber and smiled.

"Miss Autumn, while we are doing this… perhaps it is the time for you to see what it is that you're guarding.

Ruby could feel the air being sucked through her teeth.

…

…

The Vault. A secret level beneath the school, built into the very cliff and encased in marble and stone, green light emanating from the torches. Ruby had heard a lot about this place from Uncle Qrow, although this would be her first time actually venturing down here.

It took them two trips in the elevator, one for the containment unit and the other to bring everyone down. The whole thing was an experience unto itself. Whatever was in Ozpins cane also acted as some remote key that allowed the elevator to go down further than it was supposed to. Lot farther judging by the height of the ceiling.

You could have a battle of the gods own here. Or something like that.

Speaking of gods, the more Ruby looked at the chamber around her, the more it reminded her of… a cathedral? Yeah, it looked like some ancient place of worship with pillars lining the sides where the torches rested with some kind of green flame. Every so often third bee splitting intersection with unlit hallways stretching out into the darkness, and the marble floor was decorated with intricate and old spirals. They were… indicating to something, but from where she stood Ruby couldn't tell what.

Her eyes roamed up and down, as Ozpin and the General took the lead, with Miss Goodwitch and Amber discussion something quietly, it left Ruby to take up the back with Penny.

"So…do you know what's in the vault?" Ruby whispered to the other girl. She scowled at herself a second later. What kind of question was that? Obviously Penny knew there was something down here, else the general wouldn't have trusted her to come with them. Was she just talking for the sake of talking now?

Penny confirmed that a second later with a nod. "I indeed know a few things friend. My father told me how the schools hold something very important within them. However he was not able to offer me any more data on the subject, and I was unable to find it anywhere else either."

Data… right, that was one way of putting it, and it really wasn't a surprise she Penny couldn't find anything, with Ozpin doing his best to suppress information like that she'd have a hard time finding anything outside the Odyssium. Still, it was good to know that Penny at least had a grasp on the situation, as well that her father did.

Speaking of which.

"So," Ruby began. "Your father, what's he like?"

Penny brightened at the mention of the man, a good sign maybe.

"Ah! Father is a wonderful man. Dr Polendina in one of the top Atlesian Scientists working under general Ironwood. He made me."

Ruby choked, then blushed red. "W-well yeah, I guessed that. Uh, Penny I don't think that's something you just say aloud."

The strange girl looked to her with confusion. "Why not Friend Ruby? Is it wrong to say that he is my father?"

"No, it's not that," She protested. "It's just not the sort of thing you bring up. That's… a personal detail about yourself."

Penny nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Well that's fine. I trust you with that personal detail as you call it because you are my friend."

Ruby paused, before a small smile graced her features. "Thanks Penny."

Yeah, Penny was her friend too, despite all the little quirks the girl had, she was too straightforward and honest to be anything else but good.

Ruby might have said more, but at that moment they came to a stop. She blinked and looked up. It was the end of the hallway, but there wasn't a door. It was a plain wall forming into an archway, and above that a stained glass window leading to nowhere. Again with the religious imagery.

Ruby wondered… just when was this vault built anyway? did it exist before the schools? After them? Were their people centuries ago that used this as a place of worship maybe?

"We are here." Ozpin told them without looking back. "Now Miss Autumn, if you would, follow my instructions; step up beside me and hold your arms out in front of you. I believe that even with the half of the power you have now it should be enough to act as a key."

Amber nodded, moving to do as she was told with a look of excitement on her face. She reached out as she'd been told and closed her eyes from a moment, before opening them again, fire licking at her left eye.

They waited, and waited, and waited in silence as the air seemed to still.

Suddenly, there was a rumble, and a low grown as the air in front of them whirled with light. Ruby threw her arm in front of her face to shield her eyes as it became almost blinding, and the groan became a whine, a gust of wind that pulled at her cape.

It didn't stop, but after a second it lessened enough for the young huntress to look again, and what stood in its place definitely hadn't been there before.

It was a massive door, wide, and tall, tall enough that Ruby wondered if it had been built for giants. Its surface was a metallic green hue, a dull sheen radiated from it as strange black markings decorated the door.

"You certainly have a flair for dramatics," the General grumbled. "Is there a reason this one is summoned while the others are already corporeal?"

The headmaster shrugged. "A few. This vault was the first of the four to be built. I spent… a lot more time and energy on its construction. As to why it had to be summoned… there was another place I had wanted to store it but," his eyes flickered to Ruby for but a moment. "Plans changed some time ago."

Ozpin face gave nothing away.

"Very good." He said. "Now, place your hand on the door to open it, and see for yourself what is inside."

Amber swallowed, nodded again as she stepped hesitantly up to the door. What could she feel from it? Ruby wondered. It was clearly magic, but if it was magic that only reacted to the Fall Maidens powers, then how was that affecting Amber.

Her hand made contact a second later, and suddenly it flashed to life. Amber flinched and ripped her hand back but it was enough, Ruby felt the vibrations run through her as great invisible gears worked against her senses. The door hummed and groaned, pushed and pulled as it began to open.

It didn't open like a regular door, but from the centre, the green mental retracting like plated outwards until they could see inside.

Ruby forgot how to breathe.

It was a room, but to call it that was also a lie.

There were no walls, no ceiling and no floor. It was a room of pitch-black darkness as far as the eye could see, which wasn't really that far at all.

But… there was a centre, of the room, of this… dimension, because there saw a golden pedestal, shining as if sun reflected off its surface. It rose to about waist hight, but it was what it held that had their attention.

An orb of light, an emerald that glowed bright enough to cast shadows from their side of the door. It was wrapped in a wreath, not of living leaves but lives of gold, a magnificent treasure of its own, but simply a symbol. The symbol of Vale.

This, was the Relic of Choice.

And it had a heartbeat.

It…. it had a heartbeat!

Ruby's eyes widened as she felt its pulse, the echoes of life from the ancient artefact of the Gods reach out to her. It was all-consuming, as the sound of her blood rushing through her body filled her eyes.

Her arms tingled, her fingertips felt numb her legs locked and her chest constricted.

This thing, this beacon of power was- wait… what was…

Ruby's eyes narrowed. Was that a crac-

"I can tell that you can no doubt feel its power." Ozpin said, stepping in front of her, maybe accidentally blocking her line of sight. He looked unperturbed by it. Ruby stared at him. Could he… not see-

"That's the relic?!" Amber gasped, eyes wide as she nearly fell back.

Ruby gave her a worried look. Was the relic hurting her? Was it-

Ruby made to move and try and comfort her obviously distressed friend, only for the headmaster to block her and sent Ruby a warning look. What was he doing?

"It is," he told her. "This is the key you have to protect. If our enemies manage to get their hands in this, it could spell the deaths of countless people."

His eyes bore into her gravely as he tapped his cane on the floor. Its handle glowed for a moment before the door closed shut behind them again, and disappeared. "You must be steadfast in your duty to defend it, no matter the cost. I will continue to train you of course, to your fullest potential."

Oh… Ruby saw what he was doing; cajoling her with firm words and playing to her fear, fear of what would happen if she failed, if she didn't do as she was told and people died. It was manipulation for the greater good, pure and simple.

It was… it was a good thing, but only by some sick sort of technicality.

It was wrong. Ruby knew it was wrong.

So why didn't she say anything?

…

…

Yang took a breath to steady her nerves. She was standing next to the fountain leading to the courtyard. The sun was beaming down on Beacon even in the afternoon and the cool breeze meant it wasn't an unbearable heat. For a lot of people it was the perfect weather to just chill outside.

Blake seemed to agree; as she sat on one of the lower hills in the distance surrounding beacon. She sat in the shade underneath a tree and was engrossed in her notes, whatever they were. It wasn't a book, Yang could t least tell by the faces Blake made if she was reading anything adult.

The blonde had been standing there for the last five minutes, working up a plan of what she was going to say.

She scowled down at her reflection in the water. This was stupid, why had she listened to Sun and Neptune?! Just talk to her, yeah right, the most cliché piece of advice they could have given her. Yeah there were other things, like listen to her conversation carefully and offer to be helpful when she could but that was stupid already.

That was friendzone potential right there.

Gah! What was she even saying? Yang didn't even know if Blake would feel any spark of interest in her that way and she was already making up failed scenarios. Why was this so difficult?

Yang's features darkened as a frown took hold.

She knew exactly why this was so hard.

She sighed, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out an all too familiar box of pills. She popped one into her mouth and threw it back, grimacing all the while.

Well there was no point standing around, she might as well brace it.

So, steeling herself, she made her way over to her Partner. She stopped just a few feet away, her body casting a shadow over Blake.

"Hey," she grinned, while on the inside she kicked herself.

Hey? What was she thinking?! What kind of pathetic opening was that?! No, she had to calm down. This wasn't flirting, it was just a completely normal talk with her partner.

"What are you doing all by yourself?"

Blake didn't answer for a moment, but when she looked up Yang noticed the dark circles under her eyes. When had that started? She looked… tired.

"It's nothing," Blake told her. "Just… I'm just reading."

"I can see that, but this doesn't look like your usual smut kitten."

It was meant as a joke but when Blakes' ears flattened against her skull and eyes narrowed the blonde brawler could tell that there was something wrong.

"Hey," she said, sitting beside her and resting her back against the tree. She didn't fail to notice how Blake inched at the closeness but ignored it. "What's wrong? I seem… irritated about something."

"It's nothing." The Faunus girl insisted.

Yang didn't buy it.

"Blake." She pressed, one word, but it was enough to make her grumble. It wasn't acceptance so much as resigning to the fact that Yang wasn't going to let up. Not in Blake anyway. Ruby? Maybe, but only because that was a landmine disaster waiting to happen.

Blake sighed, allowing her blond partner to peer into her notebook. Yang stretched her body to read it.

"It's everything I've been able to find on the White Fang in recent months," she explained. "Every robbery reported on the news and every attack or threat they've ever committed on the people of Vale. I've been looking for days but I can't find anything that'll give me a clue to their objective here, or what they'll do next."

"It uh… really sounds like it's been bugging you huh?" Yang said. Blake might have given a laugh if it wasn't crushed by her scowl.

"Bugging me? No, this isn't some kind of hobby. This is my responsibility. The White Fang has been threatening the people of Vale and I need to do something about it. The people within the White Fang are misguided, if I can, I'll find a way to stop them."

Yang blinked. "Wow… this means a lot to you doesn't it?"

"Of course it does," Blake pressed. "Ilia, Yuma, Trifa, Ad-" she cut herself off and sighed. "I need to do something. But no matter what I try there's nothing to help me! Any information that I might be able to use on tracking them down is either restricted by the police or classified by the council."

Now, Yang wasn't sure why she said what she said next. It could have been because she'd followed Sun and Neptune's advice too closely all of a sudden and tried to be helpful. It could have been because Yang didn't want her partner struggling with something like this on her own. Ir it could have been the pills having some sort of side effect to make her say something stupid.

"I think I can help with that." Once she said it it was out there, and before Yang could even lament her big mouth Blake had pounced.

"Really?!" she gasped, hands clasping at Yang's orange scarf. "You're serious? You can help me find something on the White Fang?"

"Well, not personally," she admitted as she looked away. "but I know a guy who owes me a few favours. He's in Vale. I'll bet anything he knows something."

"Right!" Blake nodded, standing up. "Let's go now."

"Now?" the brawled blanched.

"Now!"

Yang knew it was basically her own fault, but she was going to kill Sun.

That was how Yang ended up mourning the loss of the rest of her day as they trekked down to the City. It was just the two of them, and with the specific location being on the other side of town it left a lot of silence that had to be filled, even with crowds of people around them.

"So who is this person you know?" Blake asked as they walked side by side. "you said he owes you a favour?"

"Uh, yeah. His names Junior. Or at least that' what everybody calls him. I've told you about this already right? I could have sworn I did. Anyway, he's the owner of the Club, you know, that really high class joint with the pretentious name?"

Blake nodded. "I do, his business is very popular with young rich kids looking to party apparently, he makes a lot of money from them."

"Yeah, well on top of that he's got a little side job as an info Broker. And as far as I know he has his guys act as hired thugs sometimes if people pay enough."

"What?" Blake stared. "If you know about this why haven't you reported it to the police?"

Yang raised an eyebrow as if to ask if she was serious, when she realised Blake was, she rolled her eyes.

"Because the cops already know. What are they going to do? Information's a pretty hard thing to convict someone of, and even if they did Junior has enough contacts that he wouldn't land in prison for it. Besides, we're going to use him too, remember? He's no use to us behind bars. Not to mention that dancing in his club is always fun."

Blake slumped in defeat. "You're right, not just about his usefulness. I bet his club means he can attract all sorts of people. I bet you find all sorts of people."

Yang blinked. "What's that supposed to mean."

"Oh, well um, it just seems like you're the type of person that um… can find a relationship easy enough I guess. I mean, you're attractive enough."

Yang's stomach did a flip but she shrugged it off as best she could, "Well I'll take that as a compliment, even if it isn't true."

"Huh?"

Yang flinched and cursed her big mouth. Seriously, that was the second time now.

"Well it's just that uh… I've never really been in an actual relationship per say."

"Really?" Blake asked, her tone saying she clearly didn't believe it. Yang wished this was something to brag about.

"Uh… yeah. I mean, I've been on plenty of dates with guys and girls before but I've never gotten past the third date before."

"Come on Yang, be serious."

"I am serious!" she growled. Honestly, why was Blake even asking? She was approaching so dangerous territory that the blonde really preferred to keep to herself.

Her partner must have noticed how much it was upsetting Yang because she reared back a little.

"Yang what is it, did I say something wrong?"

She looked away, determined not to delve any further, but she felt Blake take hold of her arm, and when she turned to look at her partner she was meet with pleading eyes. Her resolve cracked and she snarled to herself.

"I've got issued Blake, okay? I'm fucked in the head and I can't hold a steady relationship worth a damn."

"What do you-"

"The doctor's back in patch thought I was faking it at first, or that I was just a kid being a kid. They were idiots. Turns out losing your mom, finding out another abandoned you, having your sister disappear and your dad shut down, leaving you to deal with fuckin' everything is pretty bad for the head. I…"

Her voice cracked, and she looked away again. They'd stopped in the middle of the street now in a standoff. This wasn't how Yang had wanted this to go. They were meant to be a simple in and out, talk to junior, get the info and back to Beacon.

She felt Blake tug her.

"Blake what are doing?"

"Come one." she ordered, and didn't elaborate, but it became a lot clearer when the quieter girl dragged her partner to a café. A few minutes later they were sitting at one of the tables outside drinking tea, or coffee in Yang's case. She hated tea.

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Yang huffed.

"What are we doing here, shouldn't we be hurrying up to Juniors? This feels like wasting time."

Blake shook her head. Her eyes were firm as she gazed at Yang. "You're my partner Yang, and there's obviously something bothering you. We need to talk this out before we do anything else."

She scowled. "What's there to talk about? Everybody has problems, you did too remember? You still do, and as far as I can tell they're a lot more serious than mine, what, with terrorists and all."

Blake sighed, taking a sip of her tea to think her words through.

"And if I remember right, you were the first one to say you would trust me," she said, her hand reaching back over her shoulder to trace it. It had been as Ren had warned, Scars from the bullet wounds had marred her shoulder, but Blake honestly didn't feel bad about that. They were a reminder of what she'd done, and what she was willing to do for her team. "This is the same Yang, You can trust me. If you want this to stay between us then it will, I won't tell a soul, but you need someone to talk to."

Blake reached over the table, holding Yang's hands in her own in a pleading gesture. Blake probably didn't realise what she was doing, but Yang just barely managed to hide her blush.

Fuckin' hormones.

But… Blake had a point, or many it was just the chance to vent that made Yang give in.

"Do you know what schizophrenia is Blake?"

The Faunus girl blinked. "It's a mental disorder that causes the sufferer to be cut off from the world around them in some way, whether it's from delusions or hallucinations or behaviour. At least, that's the all I know about it. I'm not exactly a doctor and it doesn't tend to affect Faunus as much as it does humans… why?"

"Cuz I have it," Yang told her, ignoring the sudden shock that took over her partners face as she tapped the tabled rhythmically. "The doc diagnosed me with auditory and visual schizophrenia. I see things. Really screwed up things like ghosts and monsters in the dark that aren't really there. I hear whispers and voices of people I've never met and sometimes screams keep me up at night. That's not even touching the fact that some days I'm just left… really down." She ground her teeth together.

"The idiot on patch couldn't figure out what was wrong with me for ages. I mean, even I could tell it wasn't normal. Dad took me to a guy in Vale after a while to see if there really was something. That's when I actually got told what it was for real. Apparent they reason they hadn't found it until then was because it's not constant," Yang explained. "they never actually figured out why, but for some reason the two kinds of hallucinations don't go together."

She bit her lip in thought as she tried to find a way to explain it properly. "It's like, when I slow down too much and have time to myself to think I hear the voices. It makes it a bitch to go to sleep by myself and I can't be alone else they drive me crazy. Then, when I get angry I start seeing shit." She spat. "Apparently my semblance had something to do with that. You know when I get angry my eyes go red? Well whatever it does it makes me hallucinated and I can't tell what's real and what's not."

Yang stopped, waiting for Blake to say something, but when she didn't the blonde sighed, reaching into her pocket and taking out the box of pills. She set it on the table in front of her. Blakes' eyes fell to it and she gasped and lifted them to her face.

"Yang do you know what these are?!" she asked wide-eyed. "These are Benzodiazepines!"

The brawler raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't know about this stuff."

"I don't, but the White Fang used anything they could to give them the edge in any situation. But these… these stop you from feeling anything!"

"Yep!" Yang cheered sarcastically. "The only way not to have an episode is to take pills that somehow make me feel none of the things that trigger it. Thing is, because of my semblance it works differently, my body burns it off in a way that instead levels out my emotions. When I take these I end up somewhere in the middle."

"So yeah, " she shrugged. "I'm unstable, so bad that I'm too much for anyone my age to deal with when it comes to a relationship. I don't know if that says anything about their maturity or if I'm asking too much for someone to want to deal with me."

Blake was silent, staring at her lap as she thought something through. It was a minute until she looked up again.

"Does Ruby know?"

"Huh?" Yang grunted, looking up.

"Ruby, have you told her about this?"

"Of course not. When would I have brought that up with her? I wouldn't anyway, this isn't the kind of thing I want her knowing about." Yang suddenly looked panicked. "You're not going to tell her are you?"

Blake shook her head. "No, I told you I'd keep whatever you said between us and I meant it."

The brawler relaxed. "Well, alright then," She laughed, letting out a breath and rising from her seat. Blake did the same. "We better get going already."

"Right," Blake agreed. She paused for a second and smiled. "And for the record Yang, I think anyone would be lucky to have any sort of relationship with you."

Yang tripped and spluttered, yet for some ungodly reason Blake forged on as if she hadn't noticed.

"You're confident, strong and brave. Not to mention that you're a good enough person to choose this life of your own accord. Helping people without being forced into it whether for greed or redemption is… something I admire about you honestly."

Yang honestly didn't know what to say, she insides were doing this weird stomach flip and she wanted to take the feeling and curb stomp it on the side of the road.

Instead she just laughed. "Laying on the flattery a bit think aren't you kitten? Never mind, come on, we should get going."

Blake followed with a nod, and if she noticed Yangs suddenly hurried pace she didn't say anything. Maybe it was a good thing Blake was tired, else she might have called her out on the many slip-ups she'd made.

Course, not good for her actually health but still!

After ten more minutes of walking the made it to The Club, with the night just beginning there was a long line of people waiting out front, it actually went a block down. Junior must have been hosting it himself.

Good.

Yang felt a grin tug at her face as her eyes roamed over the people hoping to get in; it was filled with young men and women who'd prettied themselves up for a night of booze and dancing. A few of them looked awkward, a few looked confident and a lot more looked annoyed at having to wait in line.

Blake tugged Yangs' arm nervously.

"What are we going to do? I doubt they'll let us in if something like this is going on." She whispered, as if people would hear them over the music spilling out of the club. A few people in line had noticed them now as they walked past them, skipping entirely. They glared at them, some even specifically at Blake's ears. Huh… guess who wasn't getting into the place now.

The bouncer saw them coming, and saw him nod behind the red shades.

"Miss Xiao-Long," he grunted gruffly, but he knew to be professional with her. "Didn't expect to see you back here for a while longer, with all the huntress stuff going on."

She grinned and gave a wave. "Heya Cliff, good to see you too. Listen, you think you can let me and my partner in here?"

"Sure." The repose was heard by the people waiting in line and there was an outcry. The bounced winced before shooting Yang a deadpan look. "You did that on purpose didn't you?"

Her grin just grew wider. "Yep!" she made to move past him, Blake following, but as she did she grasped his shoulder and leaned into his ear. "Call Junior, let him know I need to talk to him. It's business stuff, the kind I need to be kept quiet."

Cliff paused for a second before nodding gravely. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll-radio, speaking into it. "Tell the boss that his favourite Blondes here, and she means business."

Yang chuckled, and patted his back.

"Thanks bud, have a nice night."

"Same to you, and try not to break anything."

"Hah!"

They made their way into the Club and were met with the flashing of bright light beat of music. The doors opened for them and down below they could see dozens of bodies mingling and dancing on the floor. In the light Yang couldn't make much out apart from their shadows, but it looked like people were already getting the party started. Blake shot her an impressed look. "That was pretty good," she said. "I didn't expect them to just let us in like that."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah well, I used to work here for a while, me and Junior are something of close companions so to speak."

There was the very apparent sound of a scoff as a familiar and positively bitchy voice rang out.

"Sure, as if Junior would call you friend Club Wrecker."

Another smile spread across Yangs face as the familiar sight of the Malachite twins greeted her. Dressed in their regular white and red as always they shot her a look that would have probably be considered irritated by anyone else, but the tiny curves of their lips let Yang know they were happy to see her.

Not that they'd ever admit it.

They didn't look much different than the last time she'd seen them, which honestly didn't surprise her, those two weren't ones to change their fashion sense.

Yang felt Blake tense beside her as she noticed their wicked-looking weapons, but she hoped that her relaxed posture would let the Faunus know they weren't a danger.

"So," She said. "How have you two been while I was away?"

"Savouring the peace." Melanie quipped. "with you not here to drain our booze we've had all sorts of fun."
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked sceptically.

"No." Miltia admitted.

"Miltia!"

"What? You said it yourself that it's been boring. All we've been doing is throwing out loser drunks who think their hot shit. Without you to liven things up we've been stuck having to make do with the boys here. and their too scared of us to have any real fun with."

Yang placed her hands over her heart. "Aw I'm flattered. Who knew I had such a special place in your heart?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Melanie said with a roll of her eyes. "Come on, Junior told us to come get you. It's business right? He's waiting in the upstairs booth."

Both huntress-in-training nodded and followed behind the twins. Blake leaned into Yang's ear and the brawler and to force herself not to shiver.

Fuckin' hormones!

"So these are friends of yours too? How'd that happen exactly?"

"I beat them up." Yang told her casually, in front Melaine scoffed.

"Whatever, it was the one time. I bet you couldn't do it again."

Yang laughed. "Sure, I took on both of you, Junior and all the men in the Club. If you wanna go for a few rounds you can buy me drinks when I win."

Her partner raised a sceptical eye. "Something I should know about? You seem to be surprisingly comfortable with each other for people who fought."

"Oh, that's because the three of us got busy together." Miltia supplied helpfully.

"Mitia!" Both of them shrieked. She looked at them with a confused face.

"What? So the three of us had a threesome together, it wasn't serious or anything."

"Did she now?" Blake shot her a deadpan look.

Yang laughed nervously and had to remind herself that this was basically all Sun's idea.

She was going to kill Sun.

They made their way upstairs and into a dimly lit room. On one side was a blacked-out window overlooking the dancefloor, and there were slick, black leather sofas and table. There was actually a goddamn hearth lined against one of the walls too.

Junior sat on the couch facing them with his arms spread wide. When he saw them he smiled.

"Hey there Blondie, I expected you back sooner, what, too good for little old me after joining Beacon."

"Oh nothing of the sort Junior." Yang chuckled, plopping down on the sofa opposite him. Blake sat beside her hesitantly, her eyes trained on the Club owner.

The older man raised an eyebrow as the Malachite twins took their seats.

"This is my partner, Blake," Yang said, answering his unspoken question. "She's the one looking some info, I told her you were the man to talk to."

"I am," he agreed. "Depending on the legality that is. Funny, I didn't think some goodie-two-shoes from Beacon would come to me of all people, but we'll take about that in a sec, come on Blondie, what's been going on with you? This is your first time back in weeks."

"What, miss me?"

"Yeah, actually," he told her. "After you left some punks thought they could take over a part of my business. Without you here to scare em' off they got cocky. The twins set them right but it's still not good. You were good for my image, the muscle that knew how to talk some game."

"Well I've been busy," she told him, taking the wine glass that was offered to her by another guy with red shades. Her partner took hers gingerly, sniffing it as if to check if it was poisoned. Realy, Blake needed to loosen up a little. "Turns out on my first day I'd find my long lost sister."

Blake looked at her in shock, as if she was surprised that Yang would tell them, but Junior and the girls beat her in that respect.

"Seriously?!" Miltia gaped. "I thought you said she was like, two years younger than you, how'd she get into a Huntsman school."

"It turns out she's kinda prodigy." Yang shrugged, laughing when Melanline grumbled something about a troublesome family.

Junior leaned forward a bit. "So, how'd the family reunion go?" He saw the brawler grimaced. "That bad?"

"Kinda; turns out Ruby isn't the same girl she was before. She's uh… a lot different than what I expected, not to mention tight-lipped on what happened all these years."

"Yeah, well can't blame her for that."

Yang looked at him in disbelief but Junior just shrugged.

"What? It's probably something personal. People don't just give up secrets about her life story like that to people."

"But I'm her sister!" Yang protested. "She should be able to tell me."

"Well what if that's the point?" He shot back. "What is it's something she doesn't want you knowing because she's afraid you might be horrified, or that you won't believe her, or something worse?"

Yang slumped. She hadn't… she hadn't thought about that. It might explain the anger from Ruby when she tried to push it but…

"Let's forget about that right now," she suggested. "Listen, Blake and I need some information on a group that's been popping up recently. You think you can tell us?"

"Maybe, depends on who they are."

Yang looked to Blake and nodded. The Faunus leaned forward.

"I need you to tell me if there are any leads on what the White Fang is doing."

There was a sharp intake of air from all three of them and they shifted uncomfortably.

"That's a pretty shady question," Junior muttered. "Listen kid, you don't want to get involved in all that. They White Fang are particularly violent in Vale."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Thanks, we might take the advice if it mattered. We already screwed with them before. Twice actually. You heard what happened at the docks?"

The broker nodded. "That was you? Tch, should have known. I heard there was a mess with Torchwick there. Don't know what you were thinking Blondie, the guy's dangerous, and not just because he had Huntsman training."

"Yeah well it's complicated, but if you know about that then you should know about what they'll do next. You do right?"

He sighed. "Yeah… I do."

"Then you'll tell us?!" Blake asked, nearly pouncing on the man.

He sighed again. "Fine, but when I tell you to stay away for a while, take it. Gotta keep this on the down-low." He stared at them pointedly to get the message across and when they agreed he went on. "Torchwick hired out some of my boys recently, they're still working for him for the most part, he doesn't trust the White Fang to do what he says you know? Not like paid help anyway. my boys answer to me though before anyone else, and one of them heard from some grunt that there was going to be a recruitment rally going on soon. Some kind of Rally as Torchwick shows off something big. It's tomorrow night." He handed over a card, it had an address written on one side to a place in the industrial district

Blake's eyes widened. "That's it! Yang, we need to-"

"Ah-ah," Junior warner, raising a hand. "Don't say it in front of me. The less I know about your plans the better."

Yang laughed. "That's funny coming from someone who sells information."

"Yeah well this way I can deny it if things go bad. No go on, get outta here before a bar fight erupts from your presence Blondie."

"Alright," Yang said, as they all stood up. "How much do I owe ya?"

He shook his head. "Nothing this time, think of it as a congratulations for getting into Beacon, and a promise of a favour later."

She grinned. "Sure." She nodded to the twins. "See you girls' later, k?"

"Yeah," the red one said. "We can go out drinking again some time, and you can bring the sexy cat girl with you."

Blake was too composed to splutter red-face as they left the Club, but it was definitely a close thing as she imagined what they might get up to in her head.

A few minutes later they were on their way back, the street lights guiding them as they made their way back to Beacon. They didn't have class in the morning so they wouldn't get in trouble for being so late.

Yang cradled her head in her hands behind her head as they walked.

"So that was a thing. Guess that's mission accomplished for now right?"

"It is." Blake agreed. She paused, before turning to Yang.

They stopped.

"Listen, Yang… I… I want to say thank you?"

The Blonde blinked. "For what?"

"For coming out here with me. For helping me get out of a dead-end and taking your time to help me with something you had no need to." She smiled a soft, but genuine smile. "Thank you, Yang, it means a lot to me."

Yang did her best to hide her blush. "Yeah, well, what are partners for huh?"

The Faunus smirked. "I don't know, you tell me. From what I heard, you were a pretty good partner in bed. At least according to those two. Now wasn't that a thing to hear." With that Blake walked on, leaving Yang to stare in shock.

She didn't miss the extra sway Blake put in her hips.

She was going to kiss Sun.

...

So I'll admit this one had some technical difficulties getting through. From my computer crashing constantly and losing entire chunks of what I was writing to not having enough memory to save there were a few problems. This might have come out yesterday if things had been kinder, but hey, it's here, a week after the last chapter. Honestly, if I can keep up a chapter a week I'll be happy.

anyway, I went a little deeper into the things affecting Yang. Now I'm not a doctor, but I did some research to that I was at least able to get a semi-accurate explanation to you all. Be sure to let me know if you're a doctor as to if I got it right or not.

Well, that's it for now, what did you think? Good? Bad? what did you like about it, what are your thoughts? Let me know. And as always:

Follow, Favourite and Review.

Bye!