The city of Vale was decorated and ready for the arrival of the people from the other kingdoms. Everyone was talking about the Vytal festival.
Balloons and streamers graced every telephone wires and buildings, streets were cleaned, windows polished. Vale was putting on an impressive show.
"Wow, I haven't seen this place look so nice since, well, ever." Elise said adjusting Serenity on her back. "You're right but I appreciate the change." Elin said, nudging Peyton who was eyeing a pastry shop with a gleam in his eyes.
I laughed at him. "Elin, go with him. Make sure he doesn't make himself sick." I said, putting some money in their hands. "Thanks, Mom." "Bless you, oh fearless leader." Elin and Peyton said happily at the same time, grabbing each other's hand and walking into the shop.
"I wish you'd tell me where you got all this money. It's like you're a magician. You rub two fingers together and poof. You have enough money to cover the damages to that bar I got in a fight at." She said throwing her hands in the air.
I just smiled.
I had enough money to buy every stone, board and nail in Vale and still have some left over. And to be fair, I broke quite a few things myself in that fight.
Those guys should have thought better about choosing Elise to harass. Her temper was never the best.
"Perhaps I am a magician." I said conspiratorially. She grinned. She was nearly bursting with excitement.
Today, the students from the other schools would be arriving in Vale.
Elise was bent on studying her competition that she had been training hard for weeks to defeat. I had every confidence in my little friend, who's Semblance was simple but powerful.
We walked past the docks where we saw team RWBY and waved. "See? Told you wouldn't be alone. Weiss is checking out the competition too." I said nudging Elise who looked self-conscious.
Elise eyed the Dust shop wrapped with police tape but I told her we were not going over there. Team RWBY went over there and soon were in deep heated discussion. Weiss said something and Blake hummed with anger. Weiss was full of righteous indignation tinged with hate, not something I usually felt from the lovely snow girl.
Yang was beginning to get upset with Weiss as well and I thought about going over there to soothe whatever was going on but I decided that it would only make more problems if I intervened.
I saw the shop I was wanting to visit down the street but a yell from the ship currently docked from Vacuo distracted me.
"Hey, stop that Faunus!"
I saw two figures chasing another who hopped on the railing and leapt a tremendous distance to the dock. "Thanks for the ride guys." He said laughing. I saw the monkey tail as he jumped and laughed rolling my eyes. Monkey-Faunus were always getting into trouble.
"You no good stowaway!" One of the men yelled angrily. The Faunus boy was hanging by his tail upside down on a lamp, peeling and eating a banana cross legged.
"Hey, a no good stowaway would've gotten caught. I'm a great stowaway."
Even Elise giggled at that. I guess he heard us because he winked at us, grinning crazily.
Then the policemen who had been investigating the Dust shop approached him and demanded he come down. The boy just threw the banana peel into the lead policeman's face. His rage was palpable to me.
The Faunus boy curled himself up onto the top of the lamp and laughed.
He was filled with mischievous delight.
He looked into my eyes and I raised one eyebrow. He had short spiky golden hair, the same color as his tail, handsome tan features and dark gray eyes shining with that mischievous happiness that I felt was contagious.
He wore an open loose-collared white jacket with no shirt underneath and the sleeves rolled up, revealing his muscular tan torso, red wrist bracers, blue cargo pants tied up with a white belt with white bandages underneath that showed below the edge of his pants down his calves and he had a chain hanging from his belt loop on the right side.
His black and yellow sneakers were beat up and around his neck he wore a long twisted gold chain necklace from which a round gold pendant stamped with a monkey crest.
With that sweet grin he had, he leapt high, perform a half side spin before landing at a run. He turned to run down the street, passing team RWBY as he did so.
His interest sharpened when he saw Blake. His head turned as he passed her and her feelings grew muddled.
He ran with incredible speed, vanishing quickly around the corner before the police made it up the stairs.
Yang said something and Weiss jolted into action, taking off after the police.
The rest of team RWBY followed suite, except Blake who hesitated.
"Well, that was interesting." Elise said. "Well, dear, you just saw your competition for the tournament." I said laughing at her dumbstruck expression. "I'll crush him." She said.
I fed her ego a little before turning toward the arts shop, called Creativity.
I had some things to pick up.
"Why are we here?" Elise asked. "I need some things and this is one of the better shops I've found."
"I bet Elin and Peyton are having a romantic time in that sweet shop. They are so cute!" Elise said, looking at some art work submitted to the shop.
Another thing I liked about Creativity was how they encouraged art in every way they could. Any art given to them by their patrons they displayed for all to see.
Hey! Dally, did you do this one?" She cried looking at a landscape charcoal drawing.
Heat suffused me. I didn't think she'd notice the picture of the view from our window. "Yeah."
She stared at it. "You're really good." She murmured.
I just smiled as I perused the shelves.
I picked up a new set of charcoal sticks, paints and brushes and pencils and all the things I had run out of in my art set.
I went back and forth over a set of canvas' till Elise just told me to get them. The last thing I bought I told Elise to go get Elin and Peyton.
I found the right thing and placed an order for thirty of them to be delivered to my room.
There was no way I could carry all of those.
I was suppressing serious excitement when my team came. I wanted to tell them what I was doing but I was determined to make it a surprise.
"Hey, Dahlia, when we were coming back we saw Blake and Weiss hardcore arguing. They were still yelling at each other when they all left. And... we made a new friend."
Elin sounded unsure of himself when a cute girl popped her head out from behind Peyton. "Salutations!" She said with a bright smile plastered on her face. I was startled out of my wits. "Um, hello." I said.
She was short with rather curly orange hair that came down to her chin and one little curl stood up on the top of her head, some of it pulled back with a large pink bow on the back of her head. She had neon green eyes, light skin and a spray of freckles across her face.
She wore an old fashion blouse with short feminine overalls that became a skirt at the bottom lined in places with that bright green that was also on the inside of the bottom of her skirt, with a black and green high collar with matching pairs of black and green pant-style thigh high stockings and black shoes. On her back was a curious thin backpack.
"My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Likewise. I'm Dahlia." I said leaning on Orchid. My bag of supplies was heavy on my arm. "Hello, Dahlia. Are these your friends?" I nodded smiling. She felt so vibrant. Everything seemed to bring her joy.
She had an innocent sweetness to her that I enjoyed but there was something off about her that I couldn't put a finger on.
"Do you know Ruby?" I nodded again. "Ruby is my friend." She announced proudly.
My heart took a blow. She was so unlike me but I remembered the pride I felt after I met Elise. My first friend. "Ruby is a good friend." She nodded fast. "What are you doing in Vale?" I asked.
"I'm here to compete in the tournament. I'm combat-ready!" She said saluting us. I flinched at those words.
I also remembered being called Combat-ready. I prayed that her context was vastly different than mine.
"That'll be fun. Well, we must get back. But I'll look for you when I'm here."
She smiled that smile. "Friends?" She asked. My teammates looked long-suffered but I ignored them.
"Of course, Penny."
Her hug was tight and set me off balance. I nearly fell but I planted Orchid and rebalanced as she skipped away. "Bye Elin! Bye Peyton! Bye Elise! Bye Dahlia!"
I turned to my team. "Don't give me that look."
Elin grimace grinned. "Why is it, oh fearless leader, you always make friends with the weird people?" I snorted. "What does that make you?"
He shrugged and slid his hand into Peyton's who grinned silly at me.
"I make friends with the weird people who don't have a lot of friends because I am one of those weird ones and I know what it's like to desperately want friends. If it makes her happy to think that we are friends, then why would I say no? Empath, remember?" I said as we began walking to the bus that would take us back to Beacon.
"She's psychotic."
"She's a little different."
Elin looked at me but I just smirked and raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed. "I guess she isn't too bad."
I smiled triumphantly. Monday evening I was headed to Daren's studio for practice. He and I had come far from the night at the Raindance.
There was supposedly a dance contest at the festival and he and I planned to enter together.
"Do you guys want to come see me dance?" I asked without thinking. All three heads whipped around.
"Yes!" They said at the same time. I was startled.
"Oh." Peyton rolled his eyes.
"We've been wanting to see you dance till you told us about Daren. We just didn't want to ask you. It seemed too personal. Everyone want to see you dance especially since Yang's been talking about it all the time.
I laughed. "I had no idea. Well then, Monday all of you will come with me to Daren's studio. Maybe he'll give you guy's lessons." I teased. Peyton had two left feet but he thought it was funny too. He shuddered. "I'm good."
I was content. I had my surprise and my friends wanted to see me dance.
And I had a night with Oz to look forward to.
The anger permeated the hall. Oh boy. Weiss and Blake were still butting heads.
My order from Creativity arrived that evening and I kept it all very secret from my team, burying the items deep in my trunk.
"Dahlia, should you go and sort that mess out?" Elin said uncertain.
I was uncertain too. I was reluctant to intervene. The problem would come back. It's usually best to let that sort of thing work itself out. But Blake and Weiss were circling and it was affecting everyone.
Maybe it was time for me to go mediate.
"Dahlia!" I heard someone cry. The feelings had changed.
Ruby came charging in. "Blake ran away. I can't find her." I stood up quickly. "What happened?" I said to the little team leader who looked beyond concerned.
"Weiss and her were still arguing over the Faunus and the White Fang and Weiss told us about the war with her family and said some nasty stuff and then Blake kind of..." She trailed off.
"Blake what?" I said urgently. I didn't like what I was feeling.
"Blake said, "Maybe we were just tired of being pushed around.' Blake is a..." I sighed angrily. "Yes, she's a Faunus. She doesn't like it broadcasted so everyone keep their mouths shut." I snapped. Everyone looked shocked at my tone but I didn't care. I was scared for Blake.
"Don't worry, Dally. We won't say anything." Elise said recognizing a protectiveness no one else saw.
And as Elise looked longer she began to piece together a strange puzzle. "I can't find her..." Ruby said quietly.
"She doesn't want to be found. She's told you something she didn't want you to know and now she is afraid of what you will think of her and now she's running from that fear. Don't worry, she won't run from me." I said grabbing Orchid.
"You knew?" Ruby said.
I turned and fixed her with a look. "I've known for a long time." I said before stalking out of the room, leaving behind three surprised faces and one very thoughtful one.
I clicked Orchid closed and tucked her into the sheath above my healing kit on my back and began to run.
The pain was excruciating but I needed to find my little sister. It was an all-consuming need.
I caught a feel of her Aura and slid along the hall to turn a corner. I heard a surprised, "Dahlia?" as I went but I didn't turn to see who it was.
I was feeding on my pain and following the ever weakening feel of my baby sister.
She was outside in the front courtyard of the school, in front of the statue of a Huntsman and a Huntress standing above an agonizing Beowolf that didn't much look like a Beowolf. It looked like a wounded beast. A part of what we were.
Her feelings were sharp and painful. Hurt over her friend saying things that were indirectly about her, anger that Weiss was so judgmental, fear that now her friends didn't want her and there was a tinge of memories to her.
The pain was too much so I pulled Orchid out and leaned as I walked over to my little sister.
She reached up and pulled her bow off, revealing the cat ears on the top of her head. I came up behind her slowly.
"Why, Dahlia? Why does everyone hate us?" She said. Blake, who rarely cried, had heavy tears falling down her face.
I turned her around and wrapped my arms around her. "They are afraid of us. And what one fears, one destroys." I whispered, rubbing her back slowly.
"Weiss hates me." She sobbed.
"No. She doesn't hate you. She is figuring your heritage into her image of you and she is still figuring out how she feels. But she can't hate you. You can't hate the ones you truly love." I murmured.
"But I helped steal the train car full of Dust! I made her childhood awful!" I shushed her. There was nothing she could do to change the past.
She clung tightly to me. "For a long time I thought you hated me." She confessed tearfully. I chuckled. "How could I hate the one good thing in my life. I love you more than anyone in the world and there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. After my Mum… you were all I had left in this world besides my father. And he's evil. Even after what happened, I couldn't bring myself to tarnish your memory with hate. I needed it too much. I needed something good and that was always you. My love for you was my only lifeline." I told her, petted her hair softly. Mentioning my Mum made both of us cringe inside, remembering it as if it were yesterday.
It was all too easy for Blake to see her own Mother in place of mine. She had been there, hiding in another room, when Omar had finally broken me to his Regime. She could sometimes still hear my Mother screaming through the walls.
I could still see her in front of me as I was helpless to do anything but watch. Shaking my head, I forced aside my memories and focused on Blake.
I gently sealed the crack in her heart and eased a bit of the pain that all Faunus carry inside them.
"Take your time, Blake. But don't shut your friends out. You need them as much as they need you." I pulled her back and kissed her forehead. "I need you too." I said nuzzling her cheek.
Then I left her to contemplate everything I said.
She'd be okay and she'd feel better now that her team knew.
Once I was barely inside, I caught the feel of another person outside with Blake. But when I peeked outside, I saw that blonde monkey boy smiling at Blake and I relaxed.
As I began walking back I heard Oz's voice behind me. "I always wondered about the sister who drew you your first tattoo ." He said.
I whirled around. I never meant for anyone to know of my relationship to Blake. His smile was gentle. "Relax. Your secret is safe with me." I sighed and smiled. "We're not actual sisters..." I said walking next to him. He waited for me to finish. "We were both very young when we were thrown together and once we had sorted out who was who and what was what, we did an old blood binding oath. She's my blood-sib. Even closer than a flesh sister." Oz processed this answer, considering the weight of my words.
"So your Mother was a Faunus?" I nodded. Another thing I had wanted to keep secret. "Yeah. My mum was a Wolf Faunus. Blake's is a Cat-Faunus. It took us a while to figure out the pecking order." I said looking down. "Will you be at the garden tonight?" I murmured, looking at him. He had come every night since but I still asked. He looked sad.
"I'm afraid I have a meeting tonight and tomorrow and won't make it. But I'll be there Sunday night. I promise." I nodded. He was a Headmaster and that came first.
"Promise?" I murmured. He held up his pinky and I wrapped mine delicately around his. "Promise."
"Sunday then." I said before looking around. When I saw no one I gave him a quick peck before vanishing down my hall.
His warm feelings filled me and I felt like things would be alright. I could trust Oz with my secrets. And that night, I would begin my surprise.