And here we have a demon who's very, very, very late with his update… Sorry, things can get kinda hectic at Christmas, even in the food industry. After school ended I got sent through a never-ending cycle of shift changes that never worked in my favor, so writing this out just didn't happen until a few days ago. But, determined as I was, I promised myself (read: Ordered) to get this done by Christmas as a gift from me to all of you, so here it is!

Note: If you do not celebrate Christmas, then I hope you can still accept this as a gift, because it's honestly the best that I can do.

I won't reveal too much else. I'm going to have a lot of free time (I hope) over the next few days, weaving through Christmas Parties and work, but there should be some down time. My hope is to update this one more time before New Year's, and at least twice more before the new semester begins.

Well, that's it for me. I'll see you all at the end. Enjoy!

"Whew!" Yang whistled, stretching her arms and arching her back to stretch her muscles as she and Pyrrha walked out of the school, a wave of classmates pouring out with them. The sun beat down upon the earth, breaking through thin cloud cover to give this mid-October day a nice sixty-degree feel to it. "Feel that sun, Pyrrha! What a day!"

The athlete rolled her eyes as the duo stopped a few feet in front of the doors, still standing upon the sidewalk and away from the parking lot. "Feels nice, even with a cool breeze." The two took a deep breath and languished in the air surrounding them, enjoying their freedom just a little bit longer. "So, what're your plans tonight?"

"Who, little ol' me?" The blonde smirked, her limbs finally returning to her sides as the sun became blocked by a small cloud, "Probably- in this order- skim over the homework, toss it to the side, go into the family room and smack talk my old man into a game or two. Thrash him around- "

"-You mean get thrashed, right? Last time I checked, you're father was quite the gamer."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pyr."

"You're very welcome." She replied with a smile as Yang finally walked into the lot, making a B-line right for her car. Right behind the gold-painted Grand Prix sat a black, beat-up Stratus with a slight dent on the hood and the roof. "Huh, isn't that Blake's car?"

"Yeah, I think so." Yang confirmed with a nod, "I never saw it in the right light… Man, this thing's been around the block a few times, huh?"

"Clearly. Guess she hasn't left yet."

"Why would she have? She's gotta wait on Ruby, who's probably talking to Velvet and Coco. You know how long that conversation would take." Pyrrha thought about it for a second before nodding in agreement. "I mean, Ruby would probably high-tail it from this place as soon as she could, but those two are gonna hold her for a while."

"And we think we're her babysitters."

"Right? I mean, we do a good job, but those two are like the secret service." The two shared a giggle at their friend's expense, but ultimately ended up leaning against the gold car and returning to their previous discussion. "So what do you have planned, Pyr?"

"Well," The red-haired girl thought out loud, "Jaune and I are hitting the gym at about seven, until then we're just going to be doing homework… Like good students." Yang waved the notion off and shook her head, "But that's what happens when we both have off. Just like you're procrastinating because your dad is home."

"Yeah, but you're not procrastinating…"

Pyrrha, her eyes wide, thought for a moment before bouncing her head between her shrugging shoulders. "Well… Good point."

"You know it." Glancing back behind her friend, she saw a man with a green Jeep standing, staring, his arms crossed in front of his chest with a lone pair of sunglasses gleaming in the light. "I, uh, think you're keeping someone waiting."

Pyrrha turned around and waved to Jaune, who solemnly waved back, before turning towards her blonde friend and smirking. "Eh, he can wait for a few more minutes."

Yang glanced around, surveying the area and the people around her and ensuring that nobody else would be listening in. Once she was sure that she couldn't see a certain red-cloaked and black-themed duo, she turned back to Pyrrha, who raised an eyebrow quizzically. "While we've got a second, can I ask you something?"

Emerald eyes going wide, Pyrrha quickly nodded and with an honest, caring tone, said, "Of course, Yang. What's up?"

"Well… It's about Ruby and Blake… Mainly Ruby."

"Oh, of course." Now her friend's tone was a bit sarcastic, causing Yang to shoot a deadpanned look. "What's wrong with Ruby now?"

"I mean, aside for the usual home problems that never seem to get better," Yang began, "Have you noticed how well Ruby and Blake have been getting along?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well…" Yang awkwardly rubbed the back of her head before continuing. "It's like… Okay, remember last year when we first met Ruby? How quiet and reserved she was. Really shy, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, and she's been like that ever since but the moment Blake moved in, she's been a totally different person, you know? She's acting like… Well, she's a totally different person now!"

"I've noticed that, too." Pyrrha admonished with a nod, "She's been kinda sassy since Blake joined the group… Actually, come to think of it, she's been acting like she would be if Coco or Velvet was around."

"Yeah! That's exactly it!" The blonde exclaimed, "She's acting as if she's known Blake for a really long time, and whenever our new arrival isn't there, she's back to her reserved self again. Just like with Velvet."

"Hm, you know, I think I understand your problem, Yang." Pyrrha said, deep in thought. Or at least, she appeared to be.

"Oh? What's that?"

"I think you're just jealous!"

"What!?"

"Think about it: You've been working on Ruby for just over a year now and have made no progress. All of a sudden Ruby makes a friend with her neighbor, said neighbor manages to do more in a few days than you could in a year and now you think it's suspicious. You, ma'am, are jealous!"

"No! No, that's not true at all!" Yang defended, taking offense at the accusation, "I'm just confused, is all."

"Wondering what Blake has that you don't?"

"I'm being serious, Pyr! They've known each other for less than a week… Or so we think."

A sense of realization hit the redhead, who slowly nodded. "I see. You think that they were friends when they were kids?" Yang nodded assuredly, "Kinda like how Velvet and Ruby were?" Another nod, "Well, it's possible. It would explain a lot, but it leaves the question of why Ruby didn't introduce her to us as an old friend?"

"That's the thing that's got me a bit worried, and the only thing that puts a hole in the theory."

Deep in Pyrrha's mind, she wondered why Yang was so worried for her friend that she would be thinking theories like this. Was Ruby's well-being that much of a concern? Had she not seen it like Yang has, or was the nurse-in-training going far beyond her bounds as a friend? "Well, Yang," The gymnast began, "If you ask me, I think you've lost your marbles. But, I'm not your keeper, so… Just be careful. You may be imposing on something that doesn't need to involve you."

"I'm just making sure my little sister is safe."

"Uh-huh, sure. And that might be part of the problem."

"Wait, wha-?"

"See ya, Yang." Pyrrha easily bounced off the car and walked back towards her boyfriend, waving goodbye to her busty friend behind her. Yang was left confused, waving back and considering just what Pyrrha meant by that. She opened her driver's side door, threw her backpack on the passenger's seat and took her rightful place as the driver, all the while considering just what her friend meant by her words.

Leaning against the door to her apartment, Ruby waved goodbye to her neighbor and entered her abode. She shot Blake a small smile before closing the door behind her, resigning herself to a nice powernap before going to work. Though, as she dropped her backpack on her counter in the kitchen, she noticed a presence of a foreign plate with two envelopes. One was only big enough for a small letter and it had her name on it with a small heart, all in pink, while under the plate of frosted, fall-themed cookies was a large manila envelope.

Look around the room, Ruby cautiously approached the plate, trying to ensure that she was indeed alone here. These cookies were from the bakery behind the apartment in the strip mall, a favorite location of Ruby's on the weekends or during a break from school, just because of the treats. She picked up the envelope and removed a paper from within while taking a leaf-shaped cookie from the plate. The letter contained Neo's handwriting, and knowing the woman, this was a bribe.

'Dear Ruby,' The letter wrote, 'Sorry I couldn't be here when you got home, but I had to see a city official to see if we could get something done about the water situation we've been facing. Long story short, it's not just our building facing this dilemma, it's the whole block. You'll notice a note taped to all of the doors- if not then those residents got home. We are under a boil-water advisory until the city can get an understanding of the situation.

That being said, boil your water before doing anything. Even water you'd use to wash your hands can't be trusted. The Stop 'n Shop behind us is giving out bottled water at a discounted price if that will make it easier for you.'

A rapid knocking on her door brought Ruby back into the real world, but there was so much more letter to go! "One minute!" She called and speed read the page before her, taking another bite of the cookie. Strawberry frosting… This was a bribe.

The last paragraph read as followed: 'I'm sorry to thrust this on you, but within the manila envelope lies the complex's banking statements for the month. I know that normally I'd do them with you, but I have my hands tied right now and they're due on Saturday and I know you won't have much time then-' Crap! Ruby's eyes snapped forward as she realized that she never told Neo or Junior of her plans for this Saturday with Yang and her friends. 'This is the only thing I want you to do today. The cookies on your counter is a bribe but there will be more coming where this came from. Again, really sorry.' Neo ended the letter with her name besides a little heart, causing Ruby to roll her silver eyes. How corny.

Another knock from her front door alerted her to a guest that has been more than patient. "Coming! Sorry!" It couldn't be Velvet or Coco… They had keys and would probably just let themselves in. Could this be Blake? She walked out to her door, eager to find out and wasn't too surprised to see it was a familiar black-haired girl, still in her school uniform, with a letter in hand. "Hey, Blake, what's up?"

"Just trying to be clear…" The bow-wearing young woman began, opening the paper to full extension. "What's going on with this?"

"O-oh! Yeah, the, uh… Boil water thing, well…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, shrinking at the surprising amount of pressure thrust upon her, but felt a calm hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Blake reaching out with a calm expression, staring down at her.

"Calm down, there's no big deal." She confirmed, "I just want to know what I'm dealing with."

Ruby nodded and began, "It's just a precaution by the city. I think it has something to do with the water main, or whatever, but it is directly related to what I was talking about earlier today."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah, uh, there's a store behind the apartment that has bottled water at a discounted price, you can get a bunch just in case. If not, then well…"

"Boil the water?"

"Yeah." The younger teen giggled for a moment as Blake took the time to examine the abode before her, only to quickly return her attention back to Ruby, who slightly closed the door behind her, trying to hide her home. "So, uh, what're your plans for tonight?"

Blake shrugged, "Do the homework we got today, I don't know. How about you?"

"Well," Ruby began, "I think I'm gonna take a quick nap before going to work, and I don't know if I'll care enough to do any homework after that's done." With a small smile, Blake nodded and accepted the answer, understanding the sentiment.

"If you ever need help with it- or answers- give me a call." Amber eyes winked, their owner passing along a small smirk, "I'll be glad to lend any assistance."

Ruby blushed lightly and looked away before smiling herself, "T-thank you, Blake. I'll remember that."

"I'll let you get back to your things, I just wanted to make sure of this."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Ruby admonished, stepping out from her apartment for a moment, "Maybe later you and I could, I don't know, hand out, or something? Talk about what we were going to do for Saturday. I-if you still felt like going?"

With an assuring nod, Blake agreed, "Yes, I was, and I'll need to know how to get there."

"Well, I'm your girl!"

"Thanks, Ruby. I'll see you later, and remember what I said!"

"For sure." The two waved each other off, returning to their respective apartments and closing their doors almost simultaneously. Ruby, for what it was worth, smiled at the interaction gone right, having followed both Yang's and Coco's advice to a near T. Staying calm really did help, but what also helped was the sense that Ruby still knew Blake from somewhere, and that wink confirmed it. There was a girl, long ago, who had that same signature wink… But, she was so much different from Blake… Maybe they're related somehow?

'Maybe I should start investigating that…' She thought to herself, letting a small yawn escape her lips. 'But… After work, and especially after a nap.' She walked inside her dark, cozy room, shed her school uniform and jumped into bed, quickly throwing the covers over herself and tried to fall asleep as quickly as possible. It took some time though, as her mind was clouded with thoughts of confusion- One of which being Blake, whom she could hear through the wall, currently. But another was Weiss and what Pyrrha warned earlier.

Just why should she be careful? What has Weiss done to warrant…

Oh yeah, that thing yesterday before school…

'Maybe I should be more careful…'

"You know, Weiss," The eldest sibling chided as she leaned against the threshold of the door to her sister's room. Weiss had been ignoring Winter up to now, but would soon have to address her sister. "I do believe father implemented a rule about-"

"Aha! You are becoming like him, rule enforcer!" Weiss called out with a smile, "Not even the helpers here enforce the rules that he put forth!"

"Yeah, well, you're pissing me off. I don't like being ignored."

The heiress smirked, "Wow, really?" She sarcastically snarked, "For someone who hates being ignored, you sure perform the act very well." Her words were instantly met with a backhand to her right temple, leaving the heiress not only reeling, but surprised with how quickly and silently her older sister was able to move across the large room. This was the houses 'study', more or less the library of the building and about as big as three living rooms. For the shorter Schnee's, there was a ladder that could reach the fourth and fifth level of the shelves.

Weiss winced as she rubbed the point of impact, which resonated and throbbed in pain. Winter, on the other hand, kept a sharp gaze upon her seated sister, who faced away from her. "Maybe you'll learn some manners that way. After all, it seemed to work back home." Icy-blue eyes went wide as Weiss turned so fast she almost got whiplash, glaring daggers into the taller relative, but Winter never relented, even when forced to stare back into Weiss' scarred left eye. "Oh, did I strike a nerve?"

"Struck a little more than a nerve…"

Winter bent down to Weiss' seated level and whispered, "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear from your damn mumbling." Those soft-spoken words made a chill run through Weiss' spine and made her muscles tense. While she tried to regain her composure, Winter stood up and began to lean against the table, crossing her arms in front of her chest and staring down at her sister, who honestly contemplated leaving the conversation and taking her school work to other places in the house. She didn't have to do it in the study, in fact she thought this would be the quietest place, therefore the best. She didn't count on her sister being home, still.

Then again, what else would Winter do all day? She's still waited for deployment orders from Atlas, which would probably be in after the new year, four months away.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Weiss inquired incredulously. "I'm sure one of the workers are slacking, you could harass them!"

"I could, but it's easier to go after you, because I know you'll actually listen and take it to heart."

"Well, do it later, I have school work to do."

"No. I wanted to seriously talk to you about your choice in friends."

The scarred teen sighed in annoyance and dropped her pencil before sitting back in her seat, rolling her icy-blue eyes as she did. "Oh no, you don't like my friends. Big surpri-" Her tone was met with another backhand to the temple, causing her to snap back in pain. "OW!"

"Why do you only take up this tone with me or mom? You would never test father's patience with it."

"Because I know what'll happen if I 'test his patience'."

Winter observed the honest, yet quiet tone of her sister and retook her former pose, now bringing one leg over the other as Weiss began to reset herself. "You said, earlier, that you had a bet going with your friends, right?"

"Yeah, to see who could befriend one of Yang's brats."

"Uh-huh. And you just so eagerly agreed to do it, right?"

"Well, I mean… Two hundred Lien is on the line, here."

"You're pitiful."

"That's not fair, Winter!"

"Oh, I think it is, you bumbling idiot!" Winter snapped back instantly with more force than her sister, angered by the blindness and arrogance that unfortunately ran in the family. It was especially bad with their younger brother, but that was a story for another time. "Do you honestly think that they want you to be friends with that poor girl for just a bit of money? Knowing Cinder, they probably have some plan in store for her, something to embarrass the poor girl. After all, this is the same one that's been one-upping your group all week, right?"

Weiss shook her head easily and replied quickly, "No way. Ever since that spike in Gym class yesterday Cinder has been very intrigued with Ruby. Despite a lack of wealth with her-"

"-Which even you don't know if that's true or not."

"Trust me, she's poor. You can see it in the way she walks, stands, talks."

"Uh-huh, sure, Weiss."

"Anyways… Cinder has been intrigued and now wants to see if she can turn Ruby into an upper-class socialite like us."

Once again, the military-woman shook her head in disbelief before finally pushing herself off the table and walking out of the room, but gave her sister a final thought before walking out. "Listen, Weiss, don't trust everything you hear." She said sharply, but not to offend the sibling. No, this was more of a lesson, "Cinder is a Fall, and that family has a knack for being rather untrustworthy. Even our father has an issue with their business practices, and you know what we've done."

"Winter!"

Despite Weiss' shocked and angered tone, Winter stayed calm and continued, "I'm telling the truth. I'd be very careful of your friends. They're not exactly the best of influences."

'Where have I heard that before…?' – "I don't tell you who you should or shouldn't hang out with, you should do the same." She straightened her back out and picked up her pencil again, returning to her schoolwork with a huff. "I'll see you at dinner."

With a small chuckle, Winter nodded, then shook her head and began to walk away, her heels clacking quietly against the ceramic tile floor. "Whatever you say." She said with a rather cryptic tone, closing the door behind her. "Little sister."

Ruby walked out of her apartment and stretched her muscles, dropping her bag to the ground as she did so. Her class uniform had a new addition to it: A pair of black leggings. Last night Neo informed the girl that it would be cloudy, windy and rather chilly, giving her all the reason to break out the additional clothing. Fifty degrees was still chilly to her, at least.

Having stretched herself out, the red-themed teen glanced over towards her right where Blake had just walked out, ensuring that she locked her own apartment up for the day. With a small smile and a wave, Ruby greeted her neighbor with a quiet voice, as not to disturb her probably still slumbering neighbors. Many of whom she envied, just because not waking up at six, or even five-thirty every day seemed like a blessing.

"Hey, Blake." She cheerily greeted. "How was your night?"

With a small, brief nod, Blake made a mild, joking complaint. "Very, very short. Happy Thursday, at least, right?"

"Yeah, one more day!" Ruby tried to cheer, but no matter what, it just wouldn't have the same pizazz as a Friday. "Oh well, at least there's Gym class, today. We could actually shower before class… Actually, now that I think about it…"

"Might be better to shower after gym."

"Right." Ruby shrugged it off, telling herself that it was her tired mind not thinking right. "Wanna get going?"

Blake sighed deeply before staggering out, "Not really." She said, "I… Wait here, I'm going to get a towel real fast for later."

"'Kay." Ruby didn't have to wait long, luckily. She leaned against the wall beside her door while her neighbor was in and out quickly, shoving her towel into her backpack and zipping it up while walking away. Ruby chuckled at the sight, having already done so to herself earlier. "Well that didn't take very long."

The bow-wearing teen nodded with a small smirk, but quickly turned into a head shake in disappointment. "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone, you know that?" She quipped, "Been here for a week and it's all falling apart. Sorry."

"Ah," The young teen waved her off, "This place is always falling apart. Something's always broken."

Blake shrugged nonchalantly, "Still, not having a shower to start off is odd for me. I couldn't even take one last night."

"Well, if you had some bottled water…"

"Bath at lukewarm temperatures with no way of heating it up? Forget it."

"Yeah, I hear that." Ruby's face scrunched at the thought, "They said they're going to fix it all tonight, so hopefully we can not have to do this again for a while. Welcome to the neighborhood, I guess." The two shared a chuckle, but the younger teen's was more awkward than it was genuine, which Blake noticed.

"Oh well," The raven-haired teen shrugged, "Ready go now?"

Ruby nodded and gestured for her familiar friend to lead the way. "A few things to note before class starts," She started as Blake led the duo out towards the stairs, "Goodwitch will give everyone who wants to shower an extra twenty or minutes out of class, added onto the seven or eight we get to change."

"Very nice."

"Each shower is it's own stall with a curtain, so there's that, and there are hair-dryers in there that are like the hand-air-dryers but better."

"I see." Blake admonished with a nod, stopping suddenly on the landing to the second floor and abruptly turning to her neighbor with a quizzical look. "You know, I'm confused about something." Ruby raised an eyebrow with confusion and concern as Blake rubbed her chin in thought, "Everyone I've talked to has said the same thing about you: That you're a shy, underspoken kid. Yet, from my experience, you're actually quite a go-get-'em type leader. Actually, you've been a wonderful teacher so far to me… So why wouldn't you be like that towards everyone else?"

"O-oh… W-well…" Ruby had to think about that for a moment, having been put on the spot so suddenly by her friend. Just why was she like this? Blake was right, even around Yang, she was still reserved and nervous, but with Blake… "I… I don't know, to be honest. You just… Hm, that's a good question… Maybe Velvet could help?"

"I have a challenge for you." Blake began with a playful grin, "Figure out this problem in your own and… I know, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow night. How's that?"

Free food? Hm… Challenge accepted. "Okay, you're on, Blake."

"No help from anyone else. And I'll know if you're cheating." With that, Blake turned back and began walking down stairs, leaving Ruby back, who still stood in stunned silence. Did she just accept a challenge, or was Blake trying to… No, no, she couldn't be doing that. Why would anyone want to…

Ruby shook the thought from her mind and quickly caught up to her neighbor, her direct form of transportation to school. She had dropped off the banking and the paperwork to Neo last night before going to bed, having it take longer than expected unfortunately. She wasn;t able to work on her homework… Okay, that was a total lie. She could have, but was too mentally drained from the banking to go on. Eight o'clock came around and she hit the wall faster than Yang at the go-kart track that one time. Deep in her mind, she made it a mental note to get the notes from Blake and take her up on her earlier offer.

Weiss hurriedly entered the academy through the main entrance, having high-tailed it from her ride, a four-door BMW with an all-leather interior. A very nice ride from her family's mansion, smooth sailing usually. She lived on the opposite end of the Residential District, the higher-end area where the predominately wealthy reside, and it was usually a twenty-minute drive to get from her home to Beacon. Usually she would be in early, but there was a traffic jam for some stupid reason and she was delayed by at least ten minutes. Seven thirty was the time, and by now her friends were probably waiting on her.

She didn't bother to wave off her driver, one of her more favorite workers who she has known since early childhood, but she didn't realize how rude she was to him today until she got inside and noticed he was long gone. Deep down the heiress hoped that he wouldn't hold this against her. Odds are the man wouldn't, but still…

Weiss hauled herself down the hall and towards the cafeteria, unsure of just why she was going to the opposite end of where her first class was. Everyone in her group had Gym first today, so why not meet closer to where the first class was? Of course, they took into account the jocks who get in early to practice, but they're easy to ignore. Normal students at Beacon kept to themselves, unless you encroached on their territory. That was why Emerald attacked Ruby on Monday; she felt as though the young classmate didn't belong on "their turf". Ruby and her friends had their area, they should keep to it. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly work out, despite Weiss' constant warnings. Why does it matter when the day is over? Yang and the others allowed her friends in her area, so why not be more lenient?

That was the heiress' biggest complaint was the rather primal, tribal nature of her friends. They could be rather childish and foolish at times and that was why Winter despised them so much. One day they came over and Mercury and Emerald were entirely disrespectful. Though, the younger Schnee didn't mind nor see the so-called disrespect, so she didn't mind. Now, though, Winter brought up a good point about Cinder: She can be manipulative.

If Winter's running theory is true about the bet, then Weiss had an obligation to ensure her fellow student's safety. Not only as a member of the student body of Beacon, but as a Schnee. Honor and integrity… Or something along those lines, it kinda gets blurred as one gets older.

Storming down the hall with her heels clacking against the tile floor and entering the cafeteria, she locked eyes with one petite, black-haired young woman who was in her final year at Beacon. Cinder lightly smirked at the arrival of the final member of her group, having been seated with her for some time now. Weiss quickly approached the group in the middle of the room and against the far left wall, where Cinder leaned back with her right leg resting over her left, hands patiently folded in her lap.

"Well, well, look who's late."

"It's seven-thirty." Weiss curtly replied, taking a seat beside Cinder and across from Emerald. "There was a traffic jam coming in."

Mercury nodded, confirming the excuse. "I think I passed that earlier. Some accident that took a few lanes. They detoured one or two streets near downtown."

"We didn't go through downtown, though…"

The grey-themed boy shrugged simply, "I don't know how traffic works. You probably got shafted by a secondary detour… Or whatever." He maintained his uncaring shrug for a moment longer until Weiss retook the conversation.

"Right… Cinder." The senior beside her perked up at the sound of her name, "I had a thought yesterday, about our bet?"

"Okay, want to add more stipulations?"

Emerald eagerly intervened, "Or do you want to back out and pay us already?"

"Down, puppy." Cinder snapped her finger, then returned her gaze to Weiss. "What do you need, Weiss?"

Time to test Winter's theory… "I have to know just what we're going to do with Ruby after I befriend her? What's the end game here?"

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury all glanced at each other and all shrugged before the one being questioned finally spoke through the noise of newly arrived students around her, who had made the space increasingly noisy. "Well, Weiss, that's up to you." Cinder excused, her eyes locked on the short heiress beside her, though Weiss saw a familiar look in her group leader's eyes. A look of a liar. "What happens after the fact is all up to you. Why do you ask?"

"Well," The scarred teen started, "We started this bet as a way of seeing who can make a poorer student into a prim and proper member of society, but I'm the only one participating. Seems a little odd."

"Oh, I see." Emerald spoke up, "She doesn't like the fact that she's doing all of the work, here."

"I'm the only one participating, not just doing all of the work."

"Okay, okay," Cinder admonished calmly, trying to end an argument before it began, "I understand. Weiss has a point, so let's up the ante here, shall we?" The group eagerly awaited the word on the new stages of the wager, but their leader had to think for a moment in order to make it truly fair. "How about… If you put in money, you have to participate. You can take out your wager, though, Mercury."

"I'm out."

"Fine. The bet is as follows: We each take an undesirable person under our wing and train them to be far more proper people. We'll give ourselves until the Halloween Dance and the one with the best progress wins. Is that fine with everyone?"

Mercury, who had recalled his bet, shook his head but his opinion didn't matter. It was Weiss and Emerald now. The latter eagerly nodded, though the heiress was a bit more reserved to agree. This didn't make the situation better, but it at least ensured that not one person was being targeted. "Okay." She reluctantly agreed. "I'll stay with Ruby. I want you two to have a target in mind by the end of tomorrow and on Monday you can try your best to befriend them, deal?"

"Deal." The group agreed in unison. Deep in Weiss' mind though, she regretted bringing something like this up in public. It would be better to deal with Cinder in private, even if it meant swallowing her pride and admitted things she'd rather keep secret. At least the Fall daughter was good at keeping secrets.

"Whew. Wow, that feels good." Ruby said through a long, drawn out and relaxed sigh, running the towel through her hair. She had quickly dressed herself after drying off in the stall, a five-minute extra hot shower did wonders for her aching muscles.

"Feel better?" Yang inquired as Ruby returned, peering behind herself and watching a short, red blip move by.

"Oh yeah." The young teen smirked, "Didn't feel right leaving without showering today, but now all is right in the world."

Pyrrha threw her workout shirt off and turned to face her red and yellow themed friends, who were currently face-deep into lockers. "Something like that feels especially better after a brutal workout like what we had…" She looked around and noticed a distinct lack of a new student, "Ruby, you didn't leave Blake behind, did you?"

"She was just finishing up." Ruby whined, "Probably drying her hair."

"And you didn't stay with her?"

"What am I? The new kid's keeper?"

Both Yang and Pyrrha glance at each other, smiled and nodded, speaking in unison: "Yeah." After a light giggle, Blake appeared from around the corner, tying the bow atop her head, dressed in her undergarments with her towel around her body, her workout clothes being locked up long before the others got in.

"Here I am."

"See!" Ruby clapped, buttoning up her school uniform shirt, "Told you she wasn't far behind!"

"Nah, I was drying my hair. It got a little wet." Once again, the taller duo known as Yang and Pyrrha glanced at each other before growing smiles on their faces. Blake and Ruby noticed this, but the latter shook her head, opting not to press further.

The locker room began to empty out after a few minutes, Ruby and Blake being later to the dressing were a few steps behind their friends, who kept up conversation amongst themselves. Pyrrha and Nora had been sitting for two or three minutes while Yang had just finally gotten her shoes tied. Ruby, on the other hand along with Blake had just started to get dressed, which caused an impatient chef-in-training to cry out in annoyance. "I'm bored!"

"Big deal!" Yang countered, glancing at her phone, "You've got five minutes before the bell rings, get used to it!" As Nora began to playfully whine and cry, lilac eyes noticed a small figure with a pure white ponytail across the room. A familiar person with a different look than before. She looked concerned, almost sad. Yang and the figure across the room nodded, knowing that she had something to say and it couldn't wait. Now would probably be a better time to talk, too. "Listen, if you're so bored then leave. Nobody's keeping you in here. We'll catch up after the slowpokes get dressed."

"I resent that comment, Yang." Blake complained, though the nurse waved her off. Nora and Pyrrha locked eyes and nodded to each other, agreeing with the notion. The left, laughing with each other and leaving the trio behind. As they left, Weiss approached from the far back, locking eyes with a certain silver-eyed teen. "Woah, uh-oh."

"Okay, wait." Weiss held up her hands defensively, stopping in her tracks before slowly approaching Ruby and Yang again. "I know what you're thinking and this isn't what it looks like, honest."

"What is it, Weiss?" Yang asked with concern, but also a hint of testiness.

"It's you." The scarred girl pointed towards the youngest present, causing Ruby to stiffen physically and stop in her tracks. "Also, don't stop changing on my accounts. We don't want you to be late for class after all."

"U-uh… Okay, thanks… What's wrong, Weiss?"

With three pairs of eyes locked onto her, the heiress refused to break under pressure and continued with a cryptic warning. "Listen, you didn't hear this from me. My… Ahem, 'friends' are planning something for the dance and it has to do with a bet we made."

"What kind of bet?" Blake inquired, now throwing her uniform coat on over her shirt.

"It's a little confusing. We're taking people whom we deem undesirable by wealth standards and making them into proper members of high society." The trio each had a look of confusion, though Ruby's was more of a worried, scared look. "They want me to turn the key on Ruby."

Yang nearly jumped out of her skin in rage, all present could swear her eyes turned red. "What?!"

"I'm undesirable…?"

"Listen, normally I wouldn't think anything of it, but I'm actively concerned. Cinder is a tricky person to deal with and she wouldn't stoop herself lower than her own level for any reason unless she had a mischievous plan in mind."

"And why are you telling us this?" The bow-wearing teen inquired honestly, stopping Yang from blowing up again.

Weiss glanced back and nodded towards the new girl, smirking as she did so. "That's a good question. Here's the thing: Ruby, you showed me a kindness that I didn't expect and that I don't think I deserved." The young teen picked her head up at the honest words being thrown her way, Yang visibly calming down beside her. "I'm warning you that you shouldn't trust anyone. Not even me for any reason. I know you already don't trust my friends but now… I've seen things a little clearer than I would and I want to return that kindness that you showed me. This is out of mutual respect."

"So, should we trust you on this?"

"Up to you, Yang." Weiss shrugged, "I'm just trying to keep you warned and informed." Icy-blue eyes locked with stone-silver orbs, but the latter held a saddened look in them. "We'll be in touch." As quickly as she arrived, Weiss Schnee turned and walked out, following a small line of students leaving the room. Yang and Blake both locked eyes, then the former glanced to the young teen beside her, who simply plopped down on the bench in front of her locker, completely dressed but missing her shoes still.

"Ru? You alright?"

"I'm… Undesirable?"

Her tone was so… Sad, so downtrodden… So pitiful. Both Blake and Yang were surprised by it, given how positive of a person she had been all week. Blake was the one who stepped up, having changed out completely during Weiss' warning. "No, you're not undesirable, you're just… What's the word?"

"Financially undesirable." Yang bluntly said, balling her hands into fists. "You don't have as much money to your name as they do, which makes you financially undesirable to them. But in every other way you have way more skills to offer all of them combined. Besides, it's them, the Elites. We don't care for what they think, right?" Her question was quickly followed by a nudging of her younger friend's shoulder. Ruby nodded slightly, though her facial expression didn't show that she comprehended, much less cared. Yang swiftly pulled out her scroll and checked the clock, finding just two minutes before the bell would ring. "Come on," she said, patting Ruby's back, "Get your shoes on, the bell's about to ring."

Lilac eyes and amber orbs locked, both with a concerned look as Blake began to understand just what everyone meant earlier. It was things like this that probably made Ruby the quiet girl that she was told about, and something as soul-crushing and self-esteem stomping moment like that would really put a damper on someone's mood. She watched as Ruby put her shoes on slowly, and when the bell rang the young girl locked her locker and slammed it shut before leading the pack out, going right passed the others outside the room and right to free block.

Uh-oh. Back to the old grind! All of that hard work gone to hell in one quick sentence.

Weiss isn't so bad, though, huh? Took getting her temple smashed in by Winter a few times, but she got the clue fast enough. And what's with this updated bet? Clearly there's a bigger, more sinister plot behind this, at least according to Winter. Is she being paranoid or are her suspicions correct, and just how will Weiss handle it?

Next is Yang and Blake: Does the blonde trust the new faunus, or is she still unsure? Will Blake woman up and tell her friend's her secret identity? Will Yang find out about Blake's proposition, and just what is Blake after… Okay, that last one you could probably guess what she wants out of Ruby, given what we've seen so far, but still, questions for later. How will Yang react and will Ruby be as dense as she stereotypically is written? Is there any reason for Ruby to be dense, or is it Blake being cute?

Now we move to our dear sweet Rose child. So quickly can self-esteem be stomped out of a teenager, but at least she has her support system with her! Next chapter we're going to see a lot of real talk between Ruby and Yang, but we'll also see the triumphant return of Velvet and Coco! I realized those two have only been mentioned, not seen. I've gotta get them off the bench and into the game, otherwise they'll get soft.

So, how was it? Shaking up what we know about characters thus far is fun, and there's a lot more of that to come. The plot is really going to take shape, too ('bout damn time, right?). So, look forward to that!

The chapter after the next is going to be very important, as we'll finally spend a long night at Yang's and see just what the group does during these hangouts. No, it's nothing sexual, so you don't have to worry about that… Come to think of it, if I disappointed you with that, sorry, but Ruby is still fifteen here, so I gotta keep it clean for now.

Remember my policy, people, if you have any burning questions you need answered, send me a PM or ask it in a review. If it's something that will be explained later, then I'll either tell you directly or I won't respond at all (how rude). I hope you all have a great holiday, no matter who you are, where you are or what you're celebrating, enjoy with the people around you! Hopefully we'll get an update before New Year's!

Until Next Time.