Why is she here?
Mina Carfax took the stage with Goodwitch's approval. She'd volunteered for the first round 'to properly introduce' herself, as she'd said. Her fighting outfit was the same as it had always been; a short-sleeve black blouse with matching fatigue pants and boots. Rounding out the ensemble were the fingerless black gauntlets that covered her forearms almost up to her elbows. The one splash of color that she wore was the string of red rosary beads about her neck.
She hasn't changed a bit… Blake thought, Right down to her damn-creepy eyes…
"Now then," Goodwitch turned back to the assembled students, including all of Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDNL as she mulled over whom precisely to choose, "Mr. Winchester?"
Blake wanted to peel that smug smirk right off his face as he accepted, "Alright, but I'm not goin' easy on her just cause she's new,"
Not so new as you think jerk, Blake shook her head, he could seriously get hurt…
The sound of the gym doors opening and shutting behind her caught Blake's attention as Cardin move up to the stage; It was Weiss, just entering the room now.
She's late? Late to class?
Weiss didn't join her teammates at the front of the crowd of spectators though, instead, she watched from the rear, her face a scowl. Admittedly, it was rare that Weiss could be seen in a genuinely good mood, but this… this was different somehow. Blake glanced back at the stage, back at Mina, at her bat ears, at the eyes, and realization dawned on her.
It's Mina… She bothers Weiss…. I can't believe she can still be such a shallow-! Blake didn't finish the thought, It's not fair… she's rushing to judgment again… and she's absolutely right this time…
Blake's attention was jolted back the stage as Goodwitch spoke again, "Today's first match, Cardin Winchester versus Mina Carfax, will now begin!"
And so it did as Cardin hefted his mace and Mina drew a pair of thin metal stakes from the sheaths at her hips.
Blake's brow furrowed, what about Sanguine Heart?
Cardin made the first move, not that it would've mattered had it been anyone else.
Mina Carfax never makes the first move...
Before he could take the second step forward though, Mina pitched both of the stakes straight for his head; they were halted only by the protection of his aura.
After flinching at the sheer suddenness of the attack, Cardin quickly recovered, a hateful sneer on his face, "Oh you're gonna have to do better than that freak!"
He charged at the ostensibly disarmed Faunus girl across the stage from him, winding up with his mace. Mina dodged him to the side, reaching into one of her pockets as she did so. As Cardin wheeled about for another stroke, his opponent threw a small object to the ground, and suddenly the combatants were enveloped in smoke.
"…But that's no fun…" Ruby pouted as the action continued, obscured by the grey haze, "and her weapon was kinda… well…"
Blake almost assured her team leader that Mina hadn't actually used Sanguine Heart yet, but she caught herself; until she knew exactly what was going on here, she wasn't going to risk backing Mina into a corner, "Yeah,"
"Hey, uh… guys…" Yang was pointing up to the display that projected Cardin's aura levels, "Am I seeing this right?"
Blake and Ruby looked up, following the blonde's pointing finger; Cardin's aura was sinking like a stone. Blake wasn't surprised, but Ruby's jaw dropped, "How's she-, I don't get it- What about his armor?"
As Ruby was puzzling over how exactly Mina was doing it, she emerged from the thinning smoke, springing backwards. She shuffled to the side to avoid another swing of Cardin's mace as he stumbled out of the fog. Despite dwarfing Carfax's svelte frame in size, the leader of Team CRDNL was not anywhere near fast enough for her. Then she finally brought out her Sanguine Heart.
Mina threaded the fingers of her right hand into a set of steel rings on the wrist of her left gauntlet and then pulled her hands apart again. To the casual observer, it looked like a needless gesture, but Blake caught the glint of the high-tinsel strength razor wires as Mina drew out her true weapon's first few feet. Cardin, however, failed to notice, and came at her head-on again. Mina rolled to the side to avoid the swing, but not without slinging a length of the cord between his tried to pivot for another blow. Springing back to her feet, Mina yanked on the lengths of wire with both hands, undermining Cardin's footing. As he fell, Mina retracted the lengths of wire to pull it away from her falling opponent's foot, then teasing an even longer length of the deadly cable and slung it overhead, clotheslining Cardin as he fell forward.
Okay, this is getting out of hand, Blake panicked, her hand going for the Gambol Shroud, She might actually hurt him…
Cardin's aura dipped into the red.
"Miss Carfax, that's enough!" Goodwitch ordered, and suddenly the razor wire disappeared back into her gauntlets.
With an innocent look on her face, Mina stepped away and let her defeated opponent stagger back to his feet. Cardin, on the other hand, had a shocked look about him, fingers shaking as he felt a little trickle of blood welling up at the small cut on the side of his neck.
Blake shivered; It's always to first blood with her…
"Winner, Mina Carfax!" Goodwitch announced by way of confirmation, "Though in future, Miss Carfax, do refrain from inflicting actual injury on your opponents,"
Mina nodded apologetically in Goodwitch's general direction, "Yes, of course Professor Goodwitch,"
"Me next!" Yang's hand shot up before Blake could stop her, "She beat that jerk so fast-, I gotta go a round!"
"Miss Xiao Long," Goodwitch shook her head, "You've already had three matches this week with Miss Nikos; give someone else a chance,"
Yang frowned, a note of frustration entering her voice, "I wouldn't call those matches…"
Of all their friends, Nora was the only one who couldn't muster the tact to refrain from chuckling aloud; Yang hadn't won any of them.
Mina hopped down from the stage and headed over toward Blake, Yang, and Ruby as a spooked Carding Winchester made his way off in a daze, "So, what do you think?"
"Wire?" Ruby asked incredulously, "How do you fight Grimms with that though?"
"Yeah…" Yang was a bit more perceptive that her sister, "Ya could've killed him there though…"
Mina tugged on one of the rings, then let it with draw into the gauntlet again, "You might be surprised how well razor wire works on monsters, but given that armor he wears, well…" she looked a bit ashamed for the first time, "Garroting was the best option,"
Liar, Blake thought to herself, skin set crawling by the effortless manner in which such awful words passed her lips, even Cardin doesn't deserve a brush with death for your amusement!
"Oh, but where is Miss Schnee?" Mina asked, looking somewhere between the two sisters.
Blake's eyes narrowed, but then she composed herself, "She's over by the back of the crowd; wait here-, I'll see about bringing her over. She probably just didn't want to force her way to the front,"
"Very well," Mina Carfax shrugged, then added with a sly smile that neither Ruby nor Yang caught, "and do hurry back, dear Blake,"
Weiss got the sudden urge to slip back out of the room again as she saw Blake heading her way, but she thought better of it, You can't hide from her forever…
"Weiss!"
"Y-yes, Blake?" Weiss swallowed.
Blake's expression flickered, though Weiss couldn't tell what it was that flashed across her teammate's face, "Mina… Mina wants to know what you thought of her match.
"She was great," Weiss said half-heartedly, and continued with even less enthusiasm, "I suppose it was high time someone took Cardin down a peg…"
Blake chewed her lip, though what her conflict was, Weiss could only guess at. Perhaps Blake also thought the strangulation had been a bit excessive, but Weiss supposed that it was equally probable that her teammate was just too tactful to confront her on her hypocrisy when they'd only so recently come to argument on the subject before the Vytal festival.
But I don't have an excuse this time… Weiss admitted to herself, then bit her own lip, I wasn't really being fair then either though; Blake didn't do anything to deserve that… But I can't just forget about Uncle…
"Weiss, what's wrong?"
Blake's voice jerked Weiss back to the present, "I- Nothing,"
As the next match began-, a terrified Dove Bronzewing set against a giddy Nora Valkyrie-, Blake shook her head, "We both know that's a lie-,"
"Okay fine!" Weiss snapped, though not forgetting herself to the extent that she'd allow her voice to rise above a hoarse whisper, "She bothers me, Blake! I'm sorry-, It's not fair and I know I shouldn't, but- but-," Tears welled up in her eyes and she clutched a fistful of her own silvery-white hair and gave in to the urge to flee the room.
"Weiss, wait-!"
She didn't. Instead she just ran, all the way back to the dorm.
I can't believe that I actually said something so awful…
She slammed the door behind her and curled up on her bead, hiding under her comforter as the tears streamed down her face, It was a horrible thing to say- I'm… I'm awful… Why? Blake and Velvet don't bother you-
That didn't make it easier though; she knew exactly why Blake and Velvet didn't make her feel this way. By the time she'd learned that Blake was a Faunus, they were already well enough acquainted, and gentle, quiet Velvet…
The damn animals should know their place
No! I love you daddy but… that's not right…and…
Weiss swallowed,
"The White Fang are criminals but…"
It isn't fair to hold that against all Faunus…
The door creaked open and Weiss tensed, clinging to the blanket all the tighter.
She probably hates me now. She's got every right to.
"Weiss."
Go ahead, say it.
"I'm sorry,"
What?
Blake walked into the room and sat on the bunk across from Weiss, letting out a heavy sigh, "I shouldn't have pressed you like that,"
Weiss remained silent.
"Looking back on our last fight," Blake continued, a pensive look on her face, "I got on my high horse and condemned from ignorance; exactly what I was accusing you of…"
Weiss choked back the self-loathing, "But you were right all along-,"
"No," Blake shook her head, a sad smile playing over her lips, "your father might be a genuinely racist bastard, but he's your father, and…" Blake hesitated, "I guess they- we- the White Fang didn't help,"
Weiss took a few deep breaths and made a more concerted effort to compose herself, "I still shouldn't be this way; she hasn't done anything to me…"
"I'm guessing you never met many Faunus before coming to Beacon?" Blake asked.
Weiss shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat again.
"I thought not," Blake nodded, "Given what we did to your family though… Old habits die hard I guess…"
Weiss was stunned, "Blake, I-,"
"That doesn't mean that you're right to think we're all monsters," Blake cut her off, but her tone softened, "I guess what I'm saying is… I understand,"
Weiss nodded, letting the comforter slip away and wrapping her arms around her knees, "I want to be better, Blake, I really do,"
Blake nodded again, "I believe you, and for what it's worth, the fear tactics were the reason I left the White Fang,"
Weiss wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve, "Thank you Blake, now I… I guess I need to apologize to Mina…"
Bake's ears twitched, a gesture that Weiss interpreted as confirmation, I think we both need to change, Daddy…
Why? Blake screamed inside her head, Why did it have to be Mina?