Author's Note: Alright, so here's the next one. I know more or less where I'm going with this, but I am always open to suggestions if you have them. I hope you enjoy it, and please, review; I can't improve without feedback.

Unpleasantness may ensue? Blake shivered, But is that genuine threat, or is she screwing with me? She pulled further away from Mina, ironically, it was Blake herself who felt cornered, She's right though… I…

"My dear Blake," Mina's voice was sympathetic as she reached out to touch Blake's hair, and gently stoked her cheek, having found purchase, "We want you back… I want you back… but you cannot avoid a decision forever,"

That was the last thing Mina had said before leaving Blake alone with her thoughts. She was left standing there, staring at place that Mina had been standing. Was it the hair? Her figure? Those knowing, unseeing eyes? She couldn't place it; there was just something about Mina… She was a tease who spoke in partial truths and loaded questions, but…

No! Blake shook her head, She's dangerous, and you have to be careful…besides… Blake told herself, you have new friends, and a new partner now…

Yang Xiao Long hit send on her scroll before putting the barbell she'd been working with on its rack and shaking some of the tension out of her arms, a mischievous grin on her lips, that'll be fun later…

"AWESOME!" Her spotter shouted in a singsong voice, bouncing on her heels and completely uninterested in text-message conversation Yang had just concluded with her sister, "One hundred forty-five pounds! That's like, more than TWICE what Jaune can lift!"

Yang grinned, "That ain't sayin' much Nora,"

Nora giggled, "He is kinda… flimsy,"

"Yeah," Yang wiped sweat from her brow with her towel, "Well thanks for spotting me Nora,"

"Anytime! Well… unless I'm too tired or I've got plans with Ren or something…"

Yang laughed, "Right," she slung the towel over her shoulder, "Well, I'm gonna got hit one of the punching bags; later,"

With an enthused series of nods and a wave goodbye Nora took her leave ad Yang moved on to the part of the weight room near the entrance where were hung the punching bags and pull-up bars were fixed to the wall. Tossing her hair back over her shoulders, Yang settled on one of the bags and took a boxing stance. Right, left, right, right, and a roundhouse kick set the bag twisting on its chain and swinging like a pendulum. It was a cathartic exercise, but not as good as a real fight; that time in Junior's club… now that really got her blood pumping…

"IIs that you, Miss Xiao Long?"

Yang halted her flurry of blows as she was snapped out of her reverie to acknowledge the voice, "Yeah, that's m'name, but drop the 'Miss,' and you can just call me-,"

Yang's response stopped short of completion when she looked around the punching bag to greet her oddly formal new teammate; what she found opposite the punching bag was not at all what she'd been expecting.

She talks all prim and proper, but damn…

One couldn't say that Mina's ideas about gym clothes were impractical ones, but all things considered, they were rather bold nonetheless. Her usual ponytail was held in place with elastic, rather than her typical silver needles, but that was easily the tamest change. While her color scheme remained determinately black, compared to her regular combat outfit, well… there was considerably less of it. Sports bra, gym shorts, and sneakers; that was about it. No one would have suspected her of corpulence, but dressed as she was now it was even more apparent that she was lean and fit, without excess bulk, save perhaps her defined, if not quite pronounced abs. To top it all off, while she wasn't on Yang's own level, she could definitely give Pyrrha a run for her money in certain areas.

"Well somebody's bold," Yang raised an eyebrow, aware of the numerous stares that her new teammate was attracting, My stares.

"Oh?" Mina seemed perplexed, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Yang tried to choose her words carefully, she really did, but gave up in the absence of better words, "You're showin' a bit more skin than most girls who come in here… and some guys are staring…" and NOT at ME!

"Oh my…" Mina's hand moved to cover her mouth, "I hadn't realized…"

Yang couldn't quite place it, but there was something… off about Mina's embarrassment… Then again, that might have been her ego talking; Yang was not used to competing for stares, least of all with a girl who couldn't even tell that she was being lusted after.

"Do you come to the gym every day, Miss Xiao Long?" Mina asked, draping her own towel over the nearest pull-up bar as she changed the subject, "It doesn't seem that the rest of our teammates are in the habit,"

"Eh," Yang shrugged, returning to her bag, albeit less intensely than before so as to continue the conversation, "Different strokes I guess; we don't all fight the same way, and some of us spend more time studying,"

"I suppose," Mina shrugged in return, reaching up to take hold of the bar with both hands, "speaking of, you and Miss Rose are sisters, are you not?"

"Yeah," Yang hit the punching bag a few more times, "I s'pose you wouldn't know that to look at us though,"

When she glanced back over her shoulder in Mina's direction again though, Yang was mildly surprised to find the bat-Faunus hanging from the bar upside-down, with her back to the wall.

Yang's arms fell to her sides, "Uh… What are you doing?"

Mina wove her fingers together behind her head with a smile, "Hanging crunches," she answered matter-of-factly, "It is an excellent workout,"

Yang thought to try it herself for a moment, but dismissed the idea upon the consideration that Mina's sports bra was better suited to combat gravity than her own singlet, "Huh…What do you do when the blood rushes to your head?"

Mina bent upward with a mild grunt of exertion until her head was above level with her heart, "You hold the upward position as long as you can," she relaxed and unfolded back to the resting position, "But what about you, Miss Xiao Long? I presume you favor your fists in combat?"

"Yup," she stuck the punching bag again for effect, "Good ol' fisticuffs and shotgun shells," she tugged at her collar a few times to air out a bit, "but that razor-floss stuff you used on Cardin was… interesting…"

"A woman has to use all her advantages," Mina responded without really explaining as she curled back up again.

"So which one's you uh… Sanguine Heart, was it?"

"The stakes and wire are a two parts of a whole," Mina answered, unfolding again, "So tell me, Miss Xiao Long," Mina curled up again, "You are Blake's partner, yes?"

"Yeah…" What, not Miss Belladonna? "What about it?"
"Curiosity," Mina gave an upside-down shrug this time, "So that pairs Miss Schnee with your sister? Hmm…"

"I'm sure Ozpin's gonna find a match for you-,"

"No, no, I am quite happy where I am," Mina shook her head, "But answer me this: how did you two meet? During your initiation, I presume?"

"We ran into each other after killin' some Ursai, why?"

"It's best to know one's allies well, wouldn't you say?"

Makes sense, "I guess so," she threw a few more punches, "In that case though…" Yang thought it over for a moment, "I have a question for you,"

"Very well,"

"Why'd you wanna come to Beacon? I mean, transferring mid-semester's gotta be a hell of an inconvenience,"

"This is an excellent combat school," Mina responded, "and travel broadens the mind; visiting interesting places is an experience that is difficult to match, wouldn't you agree?"

Interesting places huh?

"Speaking of," Mina continued as she unbent herself for the twelfth or so time, "There's an interesting club in the city; apparently the place just opened up again after somebody made a wreck of it-, single-handed, if you can believe that,"

Yang's fist stopped inches short of the punching bag, Does she know that was me?

"At any rate," Mina curled up again, speaking through clenched teeth, "You seem the type to enjoy a good time; perhaps we could go visit it sometime,"

"Uh… sure…"

"Is something wrong, Miss Xiao Long?"

Yang shook her head, "Na, it's just been a while since I had a real night out; it sounds like fun,"

"It's a date then," Mina smiled as she dropped back down into the hanging position, starting to breathe a little more heavily.

Yang chewed her lip, It handles gravity better than a singlet, but…

"Saturday night then?"

Why not? "Sure, sounds fun,"

"Dammit Ruby!" Blake was finally wrested from her contemplation as Weiss stormed into the room, "I don't care what Yang told you, that was not a date!"

Come again?

"But Weiss!" Ruby whined as she followed Weiss in, "Yang said that that café was a date spot and-!"

"No!" Weiss wheeled around to face the younger girl, "Did it never occur to you that Yang was screwing with you?"

"Well, no, I-,"

I don't think they've even noticed I'm here…

"If anyone was taking advantage of that monumentally thick skull of yours, it was yours, it was Yang!"

"I'm sorry Weiss, I didn't-,"

"Think? No, you didn't!" Weiss shouted, "I have never been so humiliated!"

Blake let out a sigh of relief, Just one of Yang's pranks…

"Uh… Weiss…" Ruby had finally noticed Blake standing off in the corner.

"WHAT?"

"Blake's standing right over there…"

Weiss turned, "… Oh… well… Hello Blake…" she struggled to put on a less enraged face before turning back to Ruby, "We will discuss this later,"

Ruby swallowed.

"Do I want to know?"

"No,"

Blake sighed, No harm done yet… She smiled despite the circumstances, and if she's not bluffing, I'm not alone…