Author's Note: Alright readers, first, let me first apologize because this was supposed to be posted sooner, but I've been having internet issues, then account issues, and errands got in the way... At any rate, this chapter's a little fluffier than previous; hopefully you enjoy it. As always please let me know what you think in reviews or PMs; I'm especially interested in your opinions of Mina - her personality, behavior, etc. Enjoy.

"Hey Blake, we're goin' shopping! Wanna come?" Yang asked as the other members of Team RWBY prepared to leave, "We're gonna see about puttin' some color in Mina's wardrobe,"

"Shopping… No thanks, it's not… not my thing…"

"Oh come now Blake," Mina teased flirtatiously, "You can pick my new bra…"

Blake's ears twitched, but she bit her lip, "Just… something other than black, okay?"

Mina made an exaggerated pouty face, "Well that's no fun, dearest,"

Through all this, Weiss busied herself collecting her scroll, wallet, and purse, trying not to pay attention, Ruby's going to have a field day with that sketchbook of hers…

Mina had come out to the whole team the previous day, casually announcing her interest in Blake. The other Faunus had done her best to seem surprised, but Weiss didn't buy it; oh, Blake had been surprised alright, but not by the confession in itself so much as by the fact that it was vocalized, if Weiss judged correctly. It had been an awkward evening; Ruby had been dumbstruck by the sheer ease with which Mina had put herself out there like that, and if Weiss was not further mistaken, Yang seemed… disappointed. Weiss herself hadn't been sure what to think; as the Schnee Heiress she'd long since resigned herself to the prospect of an arranged marriage and the obligation to produce an heir herself, so she'd never put a great deal of thought into romance; it was a distraction, as Father might say. Certainly she knew how to present herself and others; a Schnee lady was always to be presentable, but that was less personal statement and more of a mechanical obligation. She'd certainly put a great deal more consideration into her relationships with her friends and teammates since coming to Beacon, but… never like that… All told, the subject was just alien to her.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Ruby however, was plainly excited to get underway.

"You're certain that I can't… persuade you to come along?" Mina asked Blake for a final time, "I can make it worth your while…"

"Easy there, big girl," Yang stepped between her, and then added with a devilish smirk, "We can talk about... persuasion while we're out…"

Weiss turned around, hands on her hips, "Don't worry Mina, I won't let Yang make all the choices,"

"Well now who's no fun," Yang complained, much to Mina's amusement.

"And I promise that you may choose something, Miss Xiao long, don't worry," Mina cracked a devious smile.

Weiss let out a sigh, This is going to be a long day…

It had to be the lingerie shop first, didn't it?

The heiress mightn't have minded so much if it weren't for the fact that they'd been here for nearly an hour now. She could understand the desire to look one's best, she shared it after all, but this whole episode seemed somehow ironic given whom they were shopping for. Even had Mina not been utterly blind, it seemed a bit ridiculous to agonize so long over something that no one was supposed to-,

Oh dear…

Yang had shoved Mina out of the dressing room wearing naught but something entirely too lacey.

Perhaps hot pink is her color though…

"Miss Xiao Long, I would appreciate some warning next time!"

"Nope! It's gotta be like this Mina; the Princess has to take a look 'cause apparently I'm not trustworthy!"

The satisfied smirk on Yang's face as she followed Mina out did not escape Weiss' notice, "Yang, I do think that she can put the next one on by herself,"

"Now where's the fun in that?"

"I could help her with the next one…"

"Ruby, you're not helping!"

Ruby's shoulders drooped at the scolding, as did the embarrassingly scant set of red lingerie she'd been holding, "But…"

"Ruby, put that away, it's positively indecent!"

"It's not like she wouldn't wear anything over it…" Ruby grumbled, but obeyed nonetheless.

"Besides Sis," Yang added, producing an equally revealing yellow set, "Red would clash with her eyes… or… somethin' like that…"

Weiss glared at her, "You are a horrible example, you know that?"

"Pfft, fine," Yang set the undergarments aside, "We'll do it your way… Hey Ruby! Find a white set for-!"

"That is absolutely not the point here!" Weiss exploded, ushering Mina back into the changing room and shutting the door behind them, "I'm sorry about that Mina; they get carried away… it runs in the family I guess… I'll help you,"

Through the door, Yang could be heard grumbling and walking away, presumably to find another selection of lewd options, and so it was with a relieved and apologetic sigh that Weiss continued.

"Again I apologize on their behalf Mina…"

The blind Faunus smiled, "None are needed; although I do seem to recall that you said I could handle dressing myself…"

Weiss blushed, "Um... Well to be honest I hadn't thought of it when I pushed you back in here; I was just trying to get you out of public view and-,"

Mina chuckled, "Rest easy Miss Schnee; I suspect no ulterior motive. At any rate, Miss Xiao Long was not terribly… organized about… dressing me… Perhaps you could help me sort out which of these that I've already tried on," she gestured at the mountainous pile of underwear that Yang ad Ruby had piled into the cramped dressing room, "Actually that would be incredibly helpful… because I honestly have no idea…"

Grateful for having been given the out, Weiss nodded out of habit, "Sure,"

Gingerly, and further reddening with each increasingly indecent piece, Weiss sorted through the assorted lingerie tossing aside the dozen or so that she recognized as ones that Yang or Ruby had already forced their poor teammate to try on. When she was done, well, the remaining selection was still daunting, but not so massive as it had been.

It's like they shoved the entire store in hear… at least… all the D's…

Glancing back up at the barely-dressed, patiently waiting Faunus with whom she currently shared the cramped space, and feeling a touch inadequate as she did so, Weiss tapped on the wall above the as-yet untried pile, "These are the ones you haven't tied on yet; I'll… I'll step out…"

"No, no, please; stay," Mina shook her head, slipping out of the hot pink brassiere, "Someone needs to tell me how these look; if you step out, I'll have to as well, and frankly, I doubt either of us want that…"

"Um…" Weiss averted her eyes, "Maybe I could just wait outside until you finish changing though-,"

"Nonsense," Mina shook her head again as she set about putting on a new bra that matched her eyes, "If you step out, Miss Xiao Long or Miss Rose might… invite themselves in…"

Weiss swallowed, "Right… That one… looks niche I suppose…"

"You don't have to flatter me, Miss Schnee; I have no opinion as to what it looks like; feel free to tell me if it looks awful, because I've only got the basis of comfort to go by…"

"It's definitely one of the more modest choices, and it matches your eyes… I'm not sure about your hair though…"

Mina took it off again, cocking her head slightly, "Is something wrong, Miss Schnee?"

Again Weiss averted her eyes, "It's just a bit… claustrophobic in here… Although now that you ask, I suppose it's just a bit weird to stand here while you change…"

Mina laughed again, "Do you like what you see?"

"I've been trying not to look…"

A disingenuous look of hurt supplanted Mina's expression, "I'm hurt…"

"It's… not like that…" Weiss tried feebly to assure her, "I'm just not…" She searched for more tactful words, but found none, "You're pretty-, no, beautiful, but I'm, well… straight…"

"Ah," Mina acknowledged as she slipped an arm though the straps of another piece, "Fair enough; what do you think of this one?"

This one was a lighter pink, "I'd give that one a pass…" Weiss shrugged, "Anyway, why do you care what I think if you're… interested in Blake?"

"We are friends are we not?" Mina asked with a smirk, "That aside, I am a bit of a tease… It's a flaw of mine, I admit…"

A bit? Weiss hadn't forgotten Mina's 'high-born virgins' 'joke,' "I guess I just wouldn't have expected to be in this situation when we first met,"

"What? Sharing a cramped space with one of us half-naked?" Mina snorted to suppress her laughter, "I'll admit that the notion had crossed my mind…"

Weiss was suddenly rather uncomfortable again, "You're not serious…"

Mina shrugged off the pink bra, "You have a lovely voice, Miss Schnee; that's usually what I go by where first impressions are concerned,"

Weiss let out a quiet sigh of relief as Mina tried on another bra, "I'm flattered… I guess… I just wish I could've been fairer to you when we first met,"

Mina cast the current undergarment aside, judging uncomfortable, "Miss Schnee, I don't begrudge you your anxieties; perhaps you should let them go as well," she sighed, "Believe it or not Miss Schnee, we aren't so different, not really; I may not have been born with your wealth, or good eyes, for that matter, but regardless of that, we both have our hopes and fears, as do all. To chastise one for her fears is senseless; we are friends now, are we not? There was nothing to forgive Miss Schnee; don't let this weigh you down,"

"Not so different huh?" Weiss found herself sizing up the taller girl with whom she shared the little closet, quickly averting her eyes yet again as her view reached Mina's bare chest, "Maybe… but all the money in the world can't buy good genes…"

Mina looked momentarily flummoxed by the remark, then it occurred to her and she set the next bra she was about to try down again and she stepped closer to Weiss, backing the Heiress into the wall of the changing room.

"Um… Mina… What are you doing?"

"Peace, Miss Schnee; this will only take a moment,"

Weiss's breath caught in her throat as Mina's fingers played through her hair and slowly worked their way downward. She found herself blinking rapidly as Mina's hands cupped her cheeks and the taller girl's fingers ran gently over her eyes, nose and lips. She felt her heart beat faster as Mina moved her hands down to her shoulders, her chest, stomach, and hips. Mina cracked a smile.

"In your position, Miss Schnee, I'd be in no hurry to trade my eyes for a few extra centimeters about the bust,"

Weiss blushed again, "I… um… sure.. but did you have to feel me up for that?"

Mina cocked her head, "I had to get an impression of your-,"

"You could just have asked…"

A sly smile tugged at Mina's lips, "That must have slipped my mind,"

"Now wasn't that fun?" Yang asked, weaving her fingers together behind her head as they walked out of the store, "Now… which place do we hit next? You gotta get some color other than the unmentionables, right?"

"Certainly," Mina agreed, "But methinks I needn't buy six additional blouses as well…"

"Yes, Yang," Weiss shot the brawler a dirty look, "I think perhaps you should compensate Mina for the extra four that you forced her to buy!"

"Pfft, come on! Sexy is its own reward… or somethin' like that…"

"The lacy one goes with your eyes…" Ruby offered gingerly, a dopey look on her face; she was no doubt imagining it as she spoke.

"That was not so much a garment as-,"

Weiss' fuming objection was interrupted as Yang's scroll went off, "Hold on guys, Blake's messaging me… I guess she got the pictures…"

"You took pictures?" Weiss demanded, "That is so wrong, I… I don't even know where to begin!"

Mina didn't seem offended though, instead raising an eyebrow at the mention of Blake, "Did she like the pictures?"

"Mmmm… She doesn't say," Yang scrutinized the text message, "But apparently she needs a hand…" She sighed, "I gotta head back to Beacon; enjoy yourselves ladies, but don't have too much fun without me; oh, and let me take those home for ya Mina,"

Mina gratefully passed the bag to Yang and like that, the blonde took off, headed back towards the airship station.

"What do you suppose Blake needed?" Ruby asked, head tilted, "'cause I just thought she was studying… and Yang's not…."

Weiss shrugged, "Perhaps she wants to read one of the books they've got holding up Yang's bead; I'm sure they can handle it, whatever it is,"

"I concur; Blake and Miss Xiao Long are perfectly capable," Mina agreed, "So then, where to next?"

"Perhaps lunch?" Weiss suggested, "After that, there's this nice boutique downtown; I feel kind of bad for letting Yang talk you into buying all of… those… so I'd be happy to buy you an outfit… something tasteful,"

"You don't have to do that Miss Schnee, though I appreciate the offer,"

"No, I insist; I think you've spent enough money today…"

"Can we get cookies with lunch?" Ruby asked, bobbing up and down much as Nora could often be seen doing, "Or maybe just cookies for lunch?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Ruby, what you eat on your own time is your business, but I will not be complicit in your quest to acquire diabetes by the age of sixteen; I'll treat, but we're going to a classy little bistro-,"

"Actually," Mina cut in, fishing a few twenty Lien bills from her wallet and handing them to Ruby, "Cookies sound nice; why don't you take this, Miss Rose, and go buy a few dozen from the bakery by the square; you can message us for directions after,"

Ruby's face lit up like an eager little girl on her birthday as she snatched the money, "Oh you are AWSOME Mina!"

Weiss couldn't muster so much as a word before her team leader vanished in a flurry of rose petals, "Ruby!"

"Oh let her go, Miss Schnee," Mina patted Weiss on the shoulder, "I had something else in mind anyway…"

Yang's brow furrowed as she entered the dorm.

Odd… did she fix the bed herself after all?

"Blake?"

"Thanks for coming,," Blake said from off to the right, seated at her desk, "I have a confession to make…"

"Huh?" Yang tilted her head in confusion, eyes narrowed, "What do you mean, 'confession?'"

"I-,"

Yang's scroll rang again, "Hold on, it's Ruby; I gotta take this,"

Blake chewed her lip as Yang answered the call, but was silent.

"Hey sis, what is it, I just got back so-,"

"Did Weiss and Mina go back to the dorm too?" Ruby's voice sounded a bit panicked, "Theysaidthatwe'dgotoabistroorsomethingforlunchandthatIcouldcall fordirections'causeIwasgettingcookiesbutnownobody'sansweringtheirscrollsand-,"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down Ruby! What's going on?"

"I can't find Weiss or Mina!"

Blake was up from her chair in an instant, "Oh God no, please no…"

Yang glanced up at her partner, and seeing that she was white as a sheet, she asked, "Blake, what's going on?"

"It's Mina…" Blake grabbed her weapon and strapped it to her back, and then raised her voice so as to be heard by Ruby on the other end of the call, "Ruby, where did you last see them?"

"Um… the lingerie store… I headed for the bakery right after Yang left,"

Blake visibly winced; her instinct would have been to scold Ruby for letting Mina out of her sight, but she didn't because she was the only one who knew what Mina was capable of., "Okay, meet us there, alright?"

"Sure… but what's this about?"

Blake swallowed as she pictured Ruby's puzzled face, and saw that Yang had caught on the urgency of the situation, "Mina is… she's with the White Fang…"