A/N: The opinions expressed by TSO do not necessarily reflect the opinions of our writing group as a whole.

Also, TSO and I need to stop getting attached to characters that have little to no screen time and character development, because that never ends well... Anyways, thanks for the follows, guys!

TSO A/N: (2-20-15)

Hopefully this chapter will come out faster than the one before it, but due to an addition in chapter 4, chapter 5 is now chapter six (And due to my inability to stay focused on matters at hand, most of my contribution to chapter six was actually written at the same time as chapter two, so at least the schedule for the release of six should be sooner than the rest.)

Atlesians (Weiss's people) are portrayed as extremely Republican racist. We also assume Blake has never been to Atlas.

Okay readers: your homework is to pet a cat's ears. They are soo damn soft.

Also, shoutout to Fatmanfalling's RWBY reviews. They are great.

...

DarkShaquille: We're still using Volume 1 Weiss, so she's still a racist little bitch. Just keep that in mind :P Also, not such long a wait this time, see?

5.

Blake stared at the mirrored window on her right. She could hear the people behind the glass, but they eluded even her vision. Across from the table was another Atlesian soldier. The Supreme Chancellor of atlas was seated behind the glass, overseeing the interrogation.

The man stared at the faunus girl, "Do you know why you are here?"

Blake eyed him carefully, "I would like to speak to my lawyer," she said in her calmest voice.

The man scoffed, "Only citizens of Atlas are granted that right." The girl's composure faltered slightly, amber eyes meeting green in a challenge of willpower, "You are being held under the request of the Supreme Chancellor of Atlas as an enemy of the state. A warrant was placed for your arrest."

The Faunus girl blinked a couple of times, her mouth hanging slightly open. "What?" she asked. "Supreme chancellor? Enemy of the state?" The man simply stared at her. "I want to make a phone call," Blake stated, going back to her stoic self. "I have rights."

The man snorted provocatively, "Your kind… you inhuman Faunus," he spat, her ears beginning to fall flat, "have no rights." Blake glared at him, her eyes darkening from anger as she began to seriously consider killing this man. She would have attacked him had one of her arms not been cuffed to the chair, and in a building that was full of Atlesian soldiers who would be more than happy to have her head. The man behind the glass smirked. He couldn't help but admire the... creature's self-control.

After a brief moment, Blake opened her mouth to speak, "If you don't respect my human rights, which I know are guaranteed by the Atlesian Constitution, then I refuse to answer any of your questions."

The inquisitor chuckled, "You see, there's the crux of your problem, Ms. Belladonna: you aren't human, so human rights don't apply to you. The sooner you realize this the sooner we can get on with our investigation." The girl spat in his face, for lack of a better alternative.

Her catlike reflexes proved incredibly useful in dodging the man's hand.

The soldier rose, turning to the mirror beside him, "Keep her here until she is willing to cooperate." Inside, another officer nodded, heading to the door, a smile on his face. This was always his favorite part of investigations.

The door slid open as the inquisitor approached it to leave, the officer inside the booth entering the room. Blake looked up at him. 'Here we go,' she thought as the man pulled out his nightstick.

The chancellor turned to his assistant, "Edmund, could you please bring a glass of wine for myself and this soldier?" indicating the inquisitor as he spoke.

The Chancellor then reached over to the intercom button, allowing for the man inside the interrogation room to hear his next request, "Before you get too excited, just remember to avoid the animal's ears and face, the bitch will be needing them for an upcoming event."

The officer's, "Yes sir," was followed immediately by a loud thud and a piercing scream.

The Chancellor muted the volume of their live feed, "We won't be needing any of that."

The inquisitor took his glass as the assistant returned, turning back to the Supreme Chancellor. "So, why did you order her arrest, anyway?" he asked, with only the slightest inkling of interest.

The man smiled slightly, "Orich Schnee asked me to capture her. He said, and I quote, 'My soon to be daughter in-law would sooner walk across the barren deserts of Vacuo barefoot before attending her own wedding willingly.' So, we made a deal."

The inquisitor raised his glass in a sort of informal salute, "Nicely done." The two resumed watching the show before them, turning back just in time to witness the officer deliver a particularly impressive strike across Blake's back that knocked the girl out of her chair.

Orich Schnee heard a knock at the door, "Come in."

A woman opened the door ever so slightly, "Mr. Schnee, I hope I'm not disturbing you," he shook his head, "the Supreme Chancellor is on line three."

His head immediately snapped up to look at the girl, "Oh, patch him through immediately."

A moment later the phone on his desk rang, his hands flying to the device at an incredible speed, "Talk to me, Maroon. How'd it work out?"

A faint chuckle could be heard on the other side, "Orich, we have her in the interrogation room right now. I'm hoping we can get it to learn to respect its place in society."

A smile came to the man's face, "Well, Maroon, you know what they say: 'It's easier to train an animal than a soldier.'"

A pause. "Well… this one seems to be posing some difficulty compared to others of it's kind." Now Orich's interest was piqued, "It appears that her time in Vale has made her forget that she is just an inhuman degenerate descended from a long line of other felines, not humans."

Orich nodded, "Those are always the exciting ones," memories of the war returned to his mind as he said that. His tone became a bit more formal again when he remembered why he had the girl arrested in the first place, "When can I come down and pick her up?"

Blake raised her head slowly, a trickle of blood running down from the side of her mouth, as she heard the door to the interrogation room open, and another man walk inside. From her position on the floor, the girl eyed his shoes first. They were shiny, black, obviously made from leather, and looked really expensive. Not something just anyone would own. His clothes seemed to be tailored especially for him, his suit dark and crisp.

The Faunus' eyes snapped upwards when she heard the man speak, "I thought I made it clear. Stay away from her face; she needs to be presentable." Blake noticed the officer on her right cower slightly at the sound of the man's voice, and her eyes widened when she finally realized who was standing in front of her.

The well-dressed man was none other than Orich Schnee himself, the man whom Blake had seen on numerous reports the past few days. Of course, she would have known who he was even if she had never seen him before. The man had shiny white hair and ice blue eyes. Naturally, Weiss was the spitting image of her father.

Her breath hitched when Orich stepped forward, leaning down to stroke the soft velvety fur of Blake's ear. A slight smile appeared on his face as the rest of his features softened, 'At least her ears are intact.' The girl had murder in her eyes and he could see it, but she made no move to stop him.

The officer tried to save his dignity, "S-Sir, my dearest apologies—"

"Your dearest apologies?" Blake cringed and tried to cover her ears at the sound of him yelling right next to her. "Do you not see the damage you could do? If she were to appear in such a manner at her wedding the White Fang would start a riot! Right now, the military of Atlas is off defending some festival in Vale. We are completely defenceless against any form of social uprising!"

The Supreme Chancellor took that as his cue to enter the room, "Calm down, Orich, she'll be fine. The wedding is in a couple of months, I'm sure her face will heal up by then. Besides, she fell out of her chair and landed on her face." He held out a glass of wine for his friend.

"What if it doesn't? What happens if they see the damage?" the businessman refused to take the glass.

The Chancellor nudged the chalice toward Mr. Schnee again, "Orich, the Faunus is quite the rugged animal, if any questions are asked, just say that she fell off of a cliff or something. Nobody would question that."

Mr. Schnee sighed, "Maroon, you know as well as I do that cats land on their feet." Blake blinked at that remark. She certainly didn't land on her feet when she was knocked out of the chair. She didn't land on her feet when she fell out of a tree as a child. She didn't land on her feet when Torchwick shot her with a rocket. She learned how to do that when she was robbing trains with the White Fang.

Blake spoke before she could catch herself, "All huntresses land on their feet, you racist bastard!"

Orich simply resumed stroking her ears, finally accepting the glass from the Chancellor. He looked to the girl with a soft smile on his face, "Calm down, Blake," He tried to think of something reassuring to say, "you're safe now." And then immediately realized that wouldn't work this time.

Blake continued glaring at the man, 'What was that supposed to mean?', then she decided to speak again, "For a world renowned businessman, you are doing a surprisingly underwhelming job at making me believe anything that comes out of your mouth."

Orich frowned before turning back to the officer and jerking his head toward the girl.

The man stepped forward and delivered another impressive hit to the girl's back. Mr. Schnee rose and started to address the officer, "Alright, we've cost the taxpayers enough. Free her and I'll take the animal home."

The man hesitated, looking into Blake's eyes. He could clearly see his death playing out in the girl's mind, "I—I," he pulled out the keys to her cuffs and held them out to Mr. Schnee, "You do it."

The instant the cuff on the chair was opened, Blake was upon the officer, fully intent on ripping his throat out.

Orich looked at the Faunus now chained to the seat beside him, "You know, you can face jail time for that stunt you pulled back there." Blake turned her head ostentatiously away from the man, and stared out of the window, refusing to acknowledge him. She tried to inch further away from him upon feeling his rough hand touching her ear again, petting it slowly. There was something addictively soothing about her ears, though he couldn't figure out why for the life of him.

Her back tensed and the hair on her neck stood up, "Stop touching me," she said, flicking her ear away from his grasp.

He shook his head with a chuckle, "Still free spirited… I see I'll have to work on that." With that, his hand resumed stroking her ear.

She flicked her ear out of his hand again and turned to stare the man down, "I am not your pet!" She growled, her voice determined, but with a hint of reservation and worry.

"No, you're not," said the man, "but you are going to marry into my family. To my daughter. I'm sure you can do the math." Blake's breath got momentarily caught in the back of her throat. This arranged marriage ordeal was going to be worse that she had imagined; and she had imagined the worst possible scenario.

The Faunus couldn't help but feel a wave of relief when she felt the man's hand move away from her head, and settle on his lap. Relaxing a little, the girl let out a soft breath and tilted her head, resting it on the window beside her.

Blake's eyes shot open as the car screeched to a halt. She mentally scolded herself for falling asleep at a time like this one, but the exhaustion she felt was unbearable. She felt the door open and quickly steadied herself, the last thing she wanted was to fall out of the car, and stumbled slightly as someone grabbed her arm, pulled her out abruptly and unlocked her handcuffs.

The girl resisted the urge to whistle, impressed by the sheer magnitude of the estate, and slowly followed Orich to the main entrance. A number of servants had gathered outside to welcome their master, and Blake saw Weiss standing in the front of the line. She wearing a white dress similar, but also different from her usual, everyday clothes. The heiress seemed less than happy to be there, her expression not doing much to hide her displeasure. It was true, the two girls had come a little closer during the school year, but a wedding between the two was something none of them had and ever would even consider. Blake approached, not really knowing where her and Weiss stood. Of course, she knew there was no way either of them would be okay with the current turn of events, but the Faunus girl couldn't help but wonder if the heiress was displeased enough with the situation that she should fear for her own health.

Orich cleared his throat, giving the Faunus a side glance, and Blake realized she had been rubbing her wrists where the metal of the cuffs had cut into her skin. She put her hands down and continued walking with him, the judgmental eyes of the servants weighing her down.

As they stopped walking, the girl noticed someone standing by the door. A girl, half hidden behind the door frame, was cautiously watching the Faunus. She seemed to be about the same age as herself, maybe a little younger. She was wearing a blue dress that reached her knees, and her dark hair hung loosely down, rolling over her shoulders and framing her face well. But there was something about her Blake couldn't quite place. Her blue eyes stared at the Faunus, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable. She seemed almost curious, as if she had never seen a Faunus before. If Weiss hadn't been standing right in front of her, Blake could have sworn that the person watching her was in fact her teammate, only with darker, shorter hair. And the fact that no one seemed to acknowledge the girl only made the Faunus' curiosity grow.

Orich nodded to the driver, who took his car behind the mansion, before looking back to Blake, "This is your new home," he said, roughly shoving her toward the edifice. As Blake walked through the door, the mysterious girl reached out and began to stroke her ears, an inquisitive look on her face. Her hands were gentle and warm to the touch, actually making Blake feel more at ease and reminding her of her mother. She didn't move away from the touch this time, finding a slight comfort to the offending hand. She willed herself not to move closer however, as not only did she have no idea who that girl was, but she could also feel Orich and Weiss' eyes burning holes into her.

If the outside of the mansion was impressive, Blake found the inside to be truly magnificent. She would never admit it, not even to herself, but, under different circumstances, she would gladly live in a place like this. She took a moment to stare at the arched ceiling, so tall, it made her feel tiny. Her eyes wandered over the various paintings on the walls, and the pieces of furniture, the position of which seemed to be very well thought out. 'Of course,' Blake sighed, 'in a place like this everything has to be in the right place.'

"You will be staying in the first room on the left as you go up those stairs," Orich stated matter-of-factly, and Blake realized that Weiss hadn't uttered a word to her since they arrived. It was a small relief to see that she wasn't the only one who was not particularly excited about the whole thing.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," Weiss suddenly informed everyone, her tone regal and cold. "Which is right across from yours, in case you need anything," she added, but it seemed that she did so more out of obligation and less out of interest for the taller girl's well-being.

Blake was sitting on her new bed when the mysterious girl entered her room, a bowl of water and a dish towel in her hand. Blake scowled at her when she saw the bowl, "I guess it's time to water your new pet, isn't it?"

The girl paused, a look of confusion in her big blue eyes, "N-no, you can get water whenever you want, Ms. Belladonna." She continued toward the Faunus, dipping the towel into the bowl, "You just looked hurt, is all," she said, reaching out to Blake's face.

Blake's surprise grew when the warm wet cloth contacted the cut on her cheek, the girl's gentle hands carefully wiping the caked blood off of Blake's wounds. The Faunus looked at her, the fear slowly diminishing. This kind girl seemed so out of her element in a household of such hatred and intolerance. Blake finally allowed herself to look into those eyes as a pressing question came to her mind, "What may I call you?"

The girl stopped what she was doing, looking back into Blake's amber eyes, "W-Winter, my name is Winter; Winter Schnee."

Blake stared at the girl for a moment, running her eyes over the girl's black hair and her chiseled face, "You don't look like a Schnee." The girl glanced away, avoiding Blake's gaze. 'Apparently she's been told that before,' Blake reached out to stroke the girl's cheek before she remembered who she was, and returned her hand to her side.

The younger girl sighed and tried to look back at Blake, "I've never really felt like one either," eye contact again, completely turning her head away from the Faunus. The girl finished cleaning Blake's face in silence before unbuttoning the Faunus girl's vest and moving to lift Blake's bloodied shirt.

Blake's hand immediately clasped the girl's wrist, "We won't be having any of that!"

Winter blinked, "But you're bleeding. You need medical attention."

"I'm not some pet to please your fantasies!" Winter stared at the older girl, her mouth slightly agape. She blinked a couple of times, opening and closing her mouth as if she was trying to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

"I'm just trying to help," she said in a soft voice, her eyes nowhere near Blake's, too afraid of the look of repulsion she was certain the Faunus would give her.

"Yes, you're trying to help; to help yourself," Blake accused, and Winter felt like she had been slapped across the face. "Look, thank you for helping out, but I know how you Schnees see people like me. I am not some toy you can play with whenever you feel the urge to. I'm a person."

"I know that..."

"You obviously don't," Winter's soft gasp did little to make Blake rethink the words coming out of her mouth. "You act like a good person, Winter," she said, and hope returned to the younger girl's eyes, "but, no matter how different from Weiss and your father you look, you clearly still are one of them. And I'd rather die than have you touch me like that."

Winter stood up slowly, "I think I'll go now. It was... It was nice meeting you, Blake." She turned and left the room, refusing to cry in front of someone who apparently didn't deserve her tears.

The hallways were a blur as the heir presumptive to the Schnee estate ran to her room. Paintings and people passed purposefully in pantomime with the pace of her purebred gate as heads turned to follow the perturbed princess. The crying girl ran up the stairs at a furious rate as her destination, the door at the end of the hall, rapidly drew near. A servant bowed his head and opened the door as she approached.

She entered her room confused and crying. All she wanted to do was help the injured girl with the kitty ears; she had never even thought of taking advantage of Blake's injured state. Making her way to the bed, she plopped onto it as she pulled a picture she had stolen from her father many years ago out from under her her pillow, and stared at it. Weiss' solace may be found in her assurance of inheriting vast wealth, but Winter found comfort in this one image. It made her feel like she actually belonged to a family.

In her hand was a picture of her father from when he was much younger, about 14 years old, but that wasn't what interested Winter about the photo. Beside her father stood a woman that looked much more like Winter than any of the Schnees ever did. As she looked at the image, the shy girl traced her finger along the woman's sharp jawline, admiring her long black hair that faded to grey at the tips, and her tall, lean figure. As Winter continued to look at the picture, a tear rolled past the woman's fiery eyes; the only thing that made it apparent this woman wasn't Winter herself. Orich never would talk about this mysterious lady, but Winter knew better. She was certain this elusive woman was her real mother.

Cinder looked up at the building before her, "Father, why are we here?"

Her father looked at his daughter with a hint of a smile on his face, "It's a surprise."

"You know I hate surprises, father," stated the girl, giving the man next to her a suspicious look, "so you might as well tell me what it is right now, otherwise you're going in there alone." The man eyed his daughter disapprovingly; her fiery attitude, though a good trait for someone to have, always infuriated him.

"I'm sure you'll like this one, Cinder. Now come on, cut the attitude and start walking. You don't want to make the people wait." He begun walking with wide strides, not caring that the girl had to run to catch up with him.

"Keep your back straight, child. Have I taught you nothing?" her father hissed the moment Cinder felt herself relax a little. "This is a very strict and prestigious academy, they won't have any of your shit here so you better be careful. Do not get sent home within the first week. I'm paying a fortune for you to be able to study among the best."

"It's not like you can't afford it," Cinder muttered, but not loud enough for her father to hear. "And anyway, you know I didn't ask for this."

"Are you telling me you spent all those years training for nothing?"

"I spent all those years training because I wanted to, not because I had to. And if you had bothered asking me what I wanted, you would know that I have no interest in preparing my entire life for fighting monsters and chasing after bad guys only to die in a ditch somewhere the day I graduate," her tone was purposefully provocative, achieving what Cinder did best: angering her father.

Just as he was about to completely lose his temper and yell at his daughter, the door in front of him slid open, and a rather short, chubby woman stepped out, wearing an atrocious green and orange dress that almost resembled a night gown, "Ah, you must be here to enroll at Beacon. Right this way."

As they both stood, the man looked at his daughter and said one final thing before turning to leave, "My one rule for you, Cinder," his voice low and threatening, "is that you keep your legs crossed. I don't even want you to have a boyfriend, you hear me? You need to stay pure for the suitors to come in your future."

The girl nodded as he turned to leave, "Yes, father."

When her paperwork was completed, Cinder turned around and headed to the main auditorium, where the other first-years were gathering. Then she saw him standing there. He was tall and fair. His black hair was well kept and his piercing green eyes spoke directly to her soul. Her father's words of warning were immediately forgotten at the sight of him.

Cinder had no idea how she was going to explain this. The young woman held up the long thin strip to the light so she could see it and make sure. Positive. Again.

TSOA/N: Well, that was rushed, but I feel like it was a solid chapter. Review if you're reading this.

SO… we didn't have to delete anything this time, but there was something I was strongly considering for a while, so you still get some bonus content from me. Rose helped a little bit. (You used to have a different bonus content planned, but this was more interesting. Thank me later.)

The Faunus reached up to caress the younger girl's cheek with her thumb, wiping away a tear that formed, "Winter, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, it's just that you seem so different from the rest of your family."

Winter turned back to Blake, "It's all right, everybody tells me that," she said, finishing up the older girl's face. Her hand moved to unbutton Blake's vest and lift her shirt to keep cleaning the Faunus's wounds.

Blake looked into the girl's deep blue eyes before helping Winter undress her. Winter picked up the towel again, but hesitated when she realized Blake was taking off more clothing than she needed to, the girls bra flying off in a random direction. Her eyes went wide when she felt the other girl's arm wrap around her head and pull her in for a kiss.

The younger girl didn't know what to do, but fighting the other girl off seemed like a bad idea. This left her with only one option. The towel fell from her loosening grip, and her hands found their way to Blake's hair, her fingers playing with the long strands as she deepened the kiss.

Blake took the opening as a good sign and immediately pushed the girl onto her back, the bowl of water tipping and drenching both the girls. Blake's other hand worked it's way to Winter's thigh, smiling as she heard a soft moan coming from the younger girl as her eyes fluttered closed in ecstasy.

The Faunus continued her assault of the younger girl, breaking the kiss to gently nip at Winter's right ear. Winter's back stiffened at the contact as her breath began to deepen. The older girl began to lift Winter's skirt, her soft fingers slowly moving towards the edge of her white cotton panties.

The younger girl's eyes shot open as she felt Blake's fingers get dangerously close to her centre, sudden panic washing over her. She grabbed Blake's wandering hand before it could fall between her underwear and her body, causing the Faunus to stop what she was doing and stare at her in confusion.

"What…?" Blake asked, but didn't have time to finish her question as Winter had already got off the bed and made a mad dash for the exit.

"I have to go!" she exclaimed hastily, slamming the door behind her.

Blake sighed and pursed her lips, "That didn't go as planned."

Sorry, folks, but let's keep this at least PG-13. Of course, once A Rose For Rose and I got into it, we couldn't stop writing, so the rest of this bonus content is in a new story called Flirting With Disaster. Please do not read it if you are under 18.

—TSO

Yeah, 4724 words in one chapter!