As if being a friggin know-it-all weren't enough… Cardin Winchester rolled his eyes as he tuned out the professor's lecture, opting instead to scowl across the room, now Belladonna's a stinking lesbo too? It angered him just thinking about how stupid she'd made him look that one time in Oobleck's class.

To make it even worse, it was none other than that Carfax psycho that Belladonna always had hanging all over her. Yeah, maybe Carfax was kinda hot, but not so attractive that he was like to forget that she was also a complete maniac. That place around his neck where she'd damn near slit his throat open had actually scarred!

Despite all this though, Russell still managed to have a crush on her; the bastard was nuts.

Seriously, if Russell wanted to date some full-of-herself bitch, that was his business, but Carfax? Nikos was just as hot, and she wasn't so friggin smug all the time, and Xiao Long was even more stacked, so what the hell did he see in Belladonna's fucking crazy pet lesbian? Even if he had a shot to begin with, Belladonna herself would have been a better choice; at least she wasn't violently insane! So yes, it had been a practice fight, and yes, Cardin had been of no intention to go easy on her, but…

Cardin shivered.

"Mr. Winchester, could you please tell the class the answer?"

Cardin was roused from his fuming with a start, "Uh…"

Cardin suppressed a growl as he saw Belladonna snickering at him from across the way, Oh you just wait Belladonna… Laugh it up now…

Peach let out a disappointed, but nonetheless unsurprised sighed, "I thought not, Mr. Winchester; now if you could kindly pay attention from time to time…" Peach shook his head, "Mr. Arc? How about you?"

As Jaune set about answering the question, Cardin proceeded to again diligently ignore the class, adding this incident to the list of reasons to get back at the stuck-up chick with the bow; come to think of it, he still owed her some payback from that time in Oobleck's class too…

Mina listened, enraptured as Blake read to her aloud. Chapter seven of the Grimm Studies textbook to be specific, concerning King Taiju; the next chapter dealt with Nevermores, and she couldn't wait. This was not to say that she particularly cared for the book itself; the subject in itself would have been a dull necessity at best under any other circumstances, but as things stood… or perhaps sat was the better word…

The two of them shared a padded armchair in the common room on RWBY's floor of the dorm building as Blake read. It was a large chair, yes, but not quite so large as to comfortably accommodate two without a certain spark of creativity, and thus Mina found herself huddled close with her head resting on Blake's shoulder, not quite sitting in her lap, but it was an arrangement that Mina found nonetheless most… accommodating..

"Mina…" Blake lowered the book, "Are you actually listening?"

"Hmmm?" Mina inclined her head towards Blake's face without actually lifting it from her shoulders, such that her lips were perhaps an inch from Blake's cheek, "Of course Dearest," she smiled, "I'm always listening,"

Blake didn't seem convinced, "Look Mina-,"

Mina waved a hand before her sightless eyes with a little smirk.

Blake sighed, "I just want you to do well…"

"And I do,"

"A seventy one isn't a very good exam grade, Mina,"

"It was a pointless subject," Mina rolled her eyes.

"It was Ethics," Blake said dryly.

Mina put on her best pouty face, "Oh come now Dearest, is killing Grim not all rather cut and dried?"

"We're learning to use power responsibly," Blake corrected, closing the book, "Ethics are important so we don't have people like Adam coming out of Beacon,"

It was Mina's turn to sigh, "As you will…"

Blake nodded approvingly and set the book aside, "Good. Now though, I think we've earned some time reading a more interesting book,"

Mina's eyes brightened with interest, "Do you mean-?"

"No Mina!" Blake cut her off, mortified that she would even consider mentioning Ninjas of Love in public, "Not here…"

"Then perhaps-,"

"Weiss is tutoring Ruby in the dorm Mina, you know that," Blake said patiently as Mina let her up.

Mina shrugged, "Miss Schnee could do to loosen up…"

"Ruby is fifteen," Blake chastised, though not actually disagreeing with the statement made.

"I seem to recall that, when we were fifteen-,"

"That's quite enough Mina! I'm going to go get a nice, clean novel; you wait here,"

"Fine, fine," Mina acquiesced, "But do hurry back Dearest,"

"Of course,"

So it was that Mina found herself sitting back in the chair, distracting herself however she could as the moments ticked by. Loath as she was to admit it, Mina could understand why Blake enjoyed these books so much. If nothing else, they provided a certain amusement of a more… cerebral nature. It was more passive, on Mina's part at least, than concocting just the right manner of flirtatiousness to get this or that poor sod with whom she had no intention of being genuinely intimate to look her way. She had Blake back now though, and while being a tease to both men and women alike remained amusing she didn't need it anymore…

"Hey uh… Mina, right?"

Mina was pulled from her musings as a male voice with which she was only vaguely familiar, Not Mr. Arc… I haven't actually heard Mr. Lie speak…

"My name's Russell…Russell Thrush…"

Mina cocked an eyebrow, Interesting…

She heard a slight scratching sound, presumably as a consequence of the boy scratching the back of his head, suggesting nervousness in tandem with his audibly accelerating pulse, "I was uh… wondering if you might… If you'd…"

Mina sighed, "Mr. Thrush, I'll assume that you've only recently walked into the room, as I admittedly hadn't been paying attention," she began, "Otherwise I would have thought the outcome of any conversation such as this would have been rather self-evident…"

Russell was silent, but for his racing heartbeat.

It took courage to come up to me and try, if not brains, I suppose, "Further though, Mr. Thrush, even assuming that you didn't see Blake and myself mere moments previously…. Frankly, we have hardly been terribly subtle…"

He spoke in a crestfallen tone, "So you two are a… thing then…"

Mina smiled, admittedly with more sympathy than she actually felt; her Dearest was not fond of any of the members of Team CRDL, and Mr. Thrush's presence could spoil Blake's mood, "Yes, we are,"

Thrush let out a deflated breath, "I…I was kinda hoping you were just really good friends... I should've listened to Cardin, I guess…"

"Oh really? And what did Mr. Winchester say?"

Russell hesitated, but he'd already struck out so, what the hell? "He said it'd be a waste of time…"

Mina chuckled, "True enough, though I think perhaps that Mr. Winchester may have intended a more pejorative connotation than the strictly factual,"

"Maybe," Russell shrugged, "But if I'd listened, I could at least…"

"Fantasize?" Mina suggested with a smirk.

"Um-, I-,"

"Relax Mr. Thrush," Mina assured, "Wanting… certain things… is perfectly natural after all; I fear that I cannot oblige you, because, as has already been established, I am spoken for, but I am nonetheless flattered,"

"Hey Russell!" This voice Mina knew better, as it belonged to Jaune Arc, approaching from across the room, "I think you'd better leave her alone,"

"Ah, the heroic knight bravely comes to my rescue," Mina interrupted with a little smile, "It is almost as though Blake has already come back with her book… Alas Mr. Arc, though I appreciate the concern, I am in no trouble here,"

Russell took an audible step away as Jaune drew closer, despite Mina's words, "I uh… yeah…"

As a dejected Russell Thrush shuffled his way out of the room, Jaune asked her, "He wasn't bothering you?"

"He was harmless really," Mina shot the knight a crooked little grin, "Though it is sweet of you to worry about me, I suppose,"

"To be honest," Jaune shook his head, "I was… I was more worried about what Blake would do to him…"

This drew a chortle from Mina, "Ah…"

"So you're okay then?"

"Yes, Mr. Arc, thank you for your concern; you're rather sweet. I could certainly imagine myself with you if I were straight…" Mina's smile broadened just slightly as Jaune swallowed and made to speak, but she spoke first, "As it is though… Well, Miss Nikos is lucky to have you,"

Relief plainly coloring his voice, he let out the breath he'd been holding, "Yeah… thank y-, wait a minute! Pyrrha and I aren't-!"

"There is nothing wrong with wanting… certain things…"

"Uh… certain things?"

Mina had a profoundly amused expression now, "Do you not find her attractive? Perhaps I was overstepping to assume-,"

"Can we not talk about this?" He asked, almost begging as the sound of Blake's soft footfalls sounded in Mina's ears once again.

"So be it, Mr. Arc; perhaps another time. I can be relied upon to hear certain… useful things…"

"What kind of useful things?" he asked in sheer morbid curiosity.

"That you are presently quite embarrassed to discuss this subject, for a start," Mina elaborated with a devious look as she stood from her chair, "Unless, of course, you suffer from spontaneous fits of arrhythmia, in which case you may do well to see a doctor,"

"Mina," Blake's voice was authoritative and disapproving, "Be nice,"

Mina shot her a hurt look, "Dearest, I was only trying to be of help…" And possibly have a good laugh…

"Yeah, it's… It's okay Blake…" Jaune assured her weakly, "It's not like she's as bad as Yang or anything…"

Blake sighed as she sat back down in the chair and a more than a little relieved Jaune Arc took his leave, "Mina, has it occurred to you that this little hobby of yours might have something to do with why you're doing so poorly in ethics?"

"It is only some friendly ribbing, Dearest; the two are hardly related,"

Mina could feel the adorable tension in Blake's muscles as she sat back down with her again, born partly of the close contact as Mina nuzzled as closely as she could get away with, and partly of Blake's hollow frustration at Mina's stubbornness, "You know, our hobbies make a statement about our character Mina,"

Mina smiled, reaching up to stroke Blake's cat ears under the bow, "What, then, does Ninjas of Love say about you, Dearest?"

Mina could feel Blake's bow twitch as Blake searched for a response in a panic.

"Relax Dearest," Mina took Blake by the chin with her free hand and pulled her into a brief kiss, "There is no one around to hear, your secret is safe,"

"Mina, I asked you not to mention that book in public…"

"I cannot have it taking my place in private, now can I?" Mina challenged with a saucy look.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Of course not, Dear," Mina allowed, "Now, you promised me that you'd read again; I want to know how the story ends…"

Blake let out a sigh, giving in as she flipped the book open, "Alright…"

Abuthor's Note: Hello all, I'm back again, although this chapter was admittedly a fair bit shorter than the last. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this, and rest assured, I'm not done with Cardin or Russell yet, and just to clear up some possible confusion, I'm writing this with the assumption that Blake's identity as a Faunus presently remains a RWBY team secret. Anyway, Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave any feedback that you may have.