"Are you taking Ms. Schnee to the dance Neptune?"

The two men were currently leaning on the walls of the training hall, sipping energy drinks and chatting.

"Well I asked her." Neptune took a swig from his Schnee-Mint-Lemon-Icy rehydration drink (The Schnees really liked mint.) "But she didn't answer me yet."

"Well I'm sure she'll say yes, since she's obviously attracted to you."" Cassian crumpled his empty bottle and placed it on the ground next to him. "I am assuming you noticed…?"

"Vaguely." Cassian nodded.

"Ms. Schnee was never very good at showcasing her feelings." Cassian pulled a stick of gum from his bag and offered Neptune a piece. "Being a Schnee is her life, so in terms of social affairs Ms. Schnee is rather...behind in development, shall we say?"

"Is her older sister the same?"

"Quite the opposite in fact." Cassian chewed on his gum, savoring the taste of peppermint. "My mistress is actually very well-adapted to both upholding the Schnee name and being true to herself."

"So she's like two seperate people?"

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Cassian spat his gum into a piece of tissue. "But I guess the easiest way to describe it is that she knows how to use etiquette to her advantage."

"Sounds scary."

"It is." Cassian stood up and stretched his arms. "Anyway, I better get back. I'm sure my mistress has already forgotten that we have a few more errands to run around Beacon before we're done for the day."

"And I need to check with Weiss if she'll come with me to the dance."

"You do that. Though no funny business or you'll be eating through a straw for a week."

"Yes sir!"

Cassian grinned and smacked Neptune's back in a friendly way.

"Figure out your feelings for her before you do anything else. Break it off if you don't like her, but I'll murder you myself if you go in with a half-assed attitude."

Neptune gulped.

"What do you mean you don't know how you feel about him?" Winter asked. She had moved from her chair to Weiss' bed, and was currently gently holding her sister while they chatted. "I thought you liked that Neptune boy?"

"I do." Weiss replied. She was still trying to accept the fact that her older sister was currently lying next to her with a smile on her face. It was so..surreal. "I mean, he's cute, nice, sweet, charming-"

"It certainly sounds like you're attracted to him." Winter commented dryly.

"-but I don't know if he understands me." Weiss finished.

"Well that's definitely important." Winter brushed some hair off Weiss' face. "In my opinion, that's probably the most important actually. So, is there someone else then?"

"..." Winter noticed Weiss' face blush. "...maybe."

"It's Cassian isn't it?"

"N-no, of course not!"

Winter sighed at her sister's flimsy attempts to deny it. "Little sister, you are aware you are not the first, nor will you be the last, of the long list of women who have fallen for Cassian Gray. That guy has the best luck with the ladies, and he doesn't even do it on purpose!"

"Well, hypothetically-" Winter sighed again. "-if I did feel a tiny bit attracted to the Colonel-"

"Give up." Winter replied bluntly, cutting her sister off. Weiss, surprised by her sister's response, was speechless for a moment, before regaining her bearings.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact you've been calling him by his first name for the past few minutes would it?" Weiss shot back, her tone accusatory.

This time, it was Winter's turn for denial.

"What are you talking about? I've been calling him Cass-Colonel the entire-" Seeing Weiss' expression, Winter's sighed. "There isn't any point in denying it is there?"

"None at all." Weiss rubbed Winter's head, eliciting a laugh from the older Schnee. "You know that pretty much everyone believes that the two of you are dating?"

"I know." Winter replied. "Trust me when I say I've been asked far too many times."

"But I'm guessing father has something to do with why you two haven't gone public."

"Right again."

"...Do you want to go public?" Weiss wondered why she was asking this question. Perhaps a part of her didn't want to be associated with a person who was dating a commoner. This realisation sent self-disgust running down Weiss' spine. Her family's conditioning had been...thorough to say the least.

"Of course." Winter replied without hesitation. "I love him."

Weiss blinked. Winter had said it so calmly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Love…?"

"Yes little sister, love." Winter looked at her sister's blushing face and laughed. "Is it that hard to imagine me in love?"

"N-no, it's just…" Weiss struggled to find the right words. "Love is such...a strong word."

"That's true." Winter admitted, looking up at the ceiling. "The word has so many meanings. There's sibling love, parental love, love for hobbies, appreciative love…"

"And true love." Weiss finished. Winter looked at her sister, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Oh my~Is my little sister interested in finding true love?"

"Winter!"

"Kidding." Winter laughed as Weiss huffed and turned away from her. "Love shouldn't be rushed. I spent over five years with Cassian before I realised my feelings."

"I saw the picture." Winter raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what her sister was referring to. "The one of you and Cassian laughing."

"Ah." Winter nodded her head, her expression unreadable. "Yes...that was an annoying picture."

"Annoying? Oh right, it put you two in the spotlight didn't it?"

"Exactly." Winter sighed. ""That meant no more hand-holding, no more kisses, no more hugs, no more dates..." Winter's eyes glazed over in memory. "Cassian always thought of the best dates."

"Really?" Sensing her sister's nostalgia, and being a bit curious herself, Weiss prompted her sister to continue.

"Yes. Whenever we'd have some free time, we'd have dates. We used to swap every time, but eventually I just let him do it." Winter let out a small laugh. "I was so bad at it. Every time we'd go out, it would be a disaster. It would rain when we went to the beach, I'd get the time wrong for the movie, I'd mix up the restaurant bookings..."

"That sounds very unlike you." Weiss exclaimed. "You appear so organised and proper in public."

"Cassian is to thank for that, since he's always picking up my slack." Winter smiled. "You should come see my hotel room little sister, it's a complete mess! Because of that, Cassian refuses to sleep in my room, so I keep having to sneak into his bed if I want some fun-"

"Stop." Weiss cut her sister off, her face scrunched up in disgust. "I don't need to know about that part of your relationship, thank you very much."

"How cute." Winter ruffled Weiss' hair. "Is my little sister too embarrassed to hear about her older sister's sex life?"

"I have no reason to hear about such debauchery."

"Debauchery!?" Winter said in mock anger. "I will have you know that Cassian and I have classy se-!"

"Sister!" Weiss yelled, throwing a pillow at Winter's face. The pillow cuts Winter off with a pomph sound.

A stunned silence fills the room for a moment. Suddenly, Winter slowly removes the pillow from her face, revealing the same feral smile Weiss had seen during their spar.

"So this is your decision dear sister?" Fear ran down Weiss' spine as Winter slowly raised herself up. "Well then, take this!"

Weiss shouted in surprise as Winter launched herself at her. The two sister tumbled around for a bit, Weiss trying to escape from Winter's grip.

Eventually, Weiss gave up, her sister having somehow wrapped herself around Weiss like an octopus.

As Weiss lay there, her older sister happily crushing her, she found herself smiling.

It was good to have her sister back.

Cassian looked around him. He was standing at the top of the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest. About six hundred meters behind him, further down the cliffs, were the familiar launch pads used by Beacon for their orientation. The only living thing that Cassian could see on the cliff was the massive tree that stood next to him.

That did not mean however, that Cassian was alone.

"You can come out now." Cassian spoke to no one in particular.

"Hoh?" A male voice suddenly exclaimed. From behind the tree, a man in a white suit stepped out. On his chest the familiar crest of Pale Horse was printed, along with a wolf print. In his right hand, a white metallic briefcase hung loosely from his fingers. "As expected from our commander's direct subordinate. Hello again Cassian."

"Cacao." Cassian looked at his fellow Pale Horse member. "What is the sub-commander of Vanagandr doing here?"

"Not just me." Cacao pointed behind Cassian. Spinning around, Cassian's eyes widened. A massive man, easily seven feet in height, stood behind him. He was wearing a white mask with two slits where Cassian imagined his eyes were. Similar to Cacao, he was dressed in white, but his outfit consisted of a trenchcoat that covered the majority of his body instead of a suit. The same two emblems were visible on his breast. The scary thing was, that despite his overwhelming size, Cassian had not sensed him at all.

"Schokolade." Cassian muttered, addressing the other sub-commander of Vanagandr. "Now this is suspicious as hell."

"How so?" Cacao asked, his tone as innocent as humanly possible. "Mr. Schnee wants the Vytal Festival to be a success as well. So he sends his own unit to keep an eye on it. How's that suspicious at all?"

"It's not the sending of Pale Horse members that I find suspicious. It's the fact that you two were sent."

Cacao Adel. Sub-commander of the Vanagandr Unit, the only unit of Pale Horse that could supersede Winter's orders. His weapon, [Stentorian Matryoshka], was said to have the longest range and amongst the highest destructive power of all Hunter weapons. Rumours said he was in fact the epitome of a doting brother, who did everything he could for his twin sister who attended Beacon.

Schokolade. Sub-commander of the Vanagandr Unit. His past was as mysterious as his face. Cassian heard that he never spoke in battle, preferring to communicate via scroll message. His weapon, [Marionette Carnival], was known to be unnecessarily brutal in terms of killing method. According to Cassian's sources, Schokolade would spend his off days helping out in hospitals in Menagerie, perhaps as some sort of penance for his actions as a member of Vanagandr.

In other words, two members of Pale Horse that specialised in extreme destruction and violence. Most definitely not the kind of people you'd use on a defensive mission.

"That hurts, assuming that we're only good for assault missions." Cacao placed his hand over his chest in mock pain. Cassian had always found his uncanny ability to seemingly read the hearts and minds of people unnerving. "We too have things we want to protect here."

"Like your sister?" Cacao nodded his head furiously.

"Yes, like Coco!" Cacao's eyes begun to twinkle. "My sister is the most beautiful thing in the world. She's kind, cute, smart, confident, bad-ass, cool-" Cacao continued to rant, completely oblivious to the word.

"He's still the same isn't he?" Cassian turned to Schokolade, who nodded. "Just mention Coco and suddenly he gets all weird. I wonder what he'd do if he found out about Fox-"

Cassian's eyes widened in shock when a pair of arms placed him in a chokehold. Before he could even counter, his knees buckled, courtesy of a blow to the back of his legs.

"Who's this Fox that you mentioned?" Cacao's voice whispered into Cassian's ear. It was a voice full of malice, of violent intent. "And what is he to Coco?"

"...You know you're a bit over the top when it comes to Coco right?" Cassian grunted, his fingers digging into Cacao's arm. He could tell that escape was nigh-impossible.

"I'm a protective older brother."

"This goes beyond protective and into the realm of creepy."

"Not when it comes to my sister's chastity." Cassian sighed. There truly were too many weird people in the military.

"They're not dating." Immediately, the pressure left Cassian's throat.

"Oh is that so?" Cacao said in a cheerful voice. "Here, let me help you up then."

Cassian felt a strong arm lift him up, before carefully placing him on his feet.

"No hard feelings I hope?" Cacao asked, a wide grin on his face.

"None at all." Cassian replied, knowing full well that a fight between the two of them would not end in his favour. Cacao's speed would mean that Cassian would not be able to make the proper preparations for victory. And that was without taking into account Schokolade. "So the two of you will be here for the entire Festival?"

"Indeed. Though we've been told not to be conspicuous, for obvious reasons." Neither of them had to say anything about Galatine. "Though Cassian, I hope you know that the White Fang have an...unhealthy interest in the Festival."

"I've been made aware." Cassian remembered the fight with the Lieutenant. "However, between us and Team SHYD, we should be fine."

"Team SHYD?" Cacao's eyes widened in shock, something that did not happen very often. "You mean Yin Chi-tu's unit is here?"

"Well, it's technically Silvers Iscariot's, but yes Yin is a member."

Cacao let out a laugh of relief. "Then we're definitely fine. If that crazy berserker is here, any White Fang attackers must have a death wish."

Cassian thought back to the suicide attack done by the Lieutenant. "...Perhaps they do. After all, there are two Schnees here. Even with Yin present, I'm sure they'll be more then willing to cut their losses to take them both out."

"Well Ms. Winter is completely under your protection." Cacao gave Cassian a wink. "-and Yin has got Ms. Weiss under his watchful gaze. Plus, the two of us have been pacifying Vale and its inhabitants for the past couple days."

Cassian knew exactly what Cacao meant by 'pacifying'. The fact that not a single newspaper had covered any mysterious Faunus deaths illustrated just how good the two Vanagandr members were at their job.

"But you're right, we shouldn't let our guards down." Cacao nodded his head in a sage-like manner. "Schokolade and I will continue to patrol the town for unsavoury elements."

"Try not to kill too many people. Winter will get mad if she finds out."

"Of course Colonel." A smile played on Cacao's lips as he bowed mockingly. No matter how charming Cacao could be, Cassian felt like they'd never be friends. "I wish you luck with Mr. Chi-Tu. You will need it." Cacao made as if to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Schokolade. "What is it?"

Schokolade didn't say anything, instead choosing to silently stare at his partner. After a while, Cacao sighed.

"Alright, alright Schokolade, you big softie." Cacao turned to Cassian. "Cassian, about the dance in two nights."

"Yes, what about it?" Cassian had planned to join Yin and the rest of Team SHYD on patrol that night. While he had been invited as a guest (since he was an active-duty Hunter and all), Cassian had no intention of attending.

"Schokolade here wants me to tell you to relax and enjoy yourself on that night." Cassian raised an eyebrow. "He says that he thinks you and Winter need sometime to relax together."

Cassian knew that Ozpin had sworn that no paparazzi would be in attendance at the ball, which was to be held in Beacon's ballroom. However, that did not mean that some student might upload a picture snapped by a scroll.

"He also says not to worry about pictures." Cacao, reading his mind again, spoke. "Something about an EMP or the like." Cassian glared at Schokolade, who shrugged. Only Vanagandr would be capable of obtaining military grade weaponry designed for taking out traitorous hunters for stupid reasons like this. "OK maybe not a full-sized EMP, seeing as that will take out every defensive system in the city."

"And the power grid. And deactivate any weapon that relied on even a tiny electronic. And basically give every White Fang member in this city the equivalent of a free lunch in terms of targets." Cassian pointed out.

"You're no fun you know that?" Cacao pouted. "But I promise you, Schokolade has a plan for the camera which does not involve endangering the rest of the city."

"I still haven't agreed yet." Cassian hated to admit it, but Cacao and Schokolade's offer was incredibly attractive. He knew that Winter was still mad about the Silvers incident and that a date would be a good way to at least somewhat make it up to her. Cassian knew that it would make her happy at least, and him as well. Oum knows how long it had been since the two of them had been on a proper date.

"I can assure you Ms. Winter will love this idea."

"I'm aware of that." Cassian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But I still don't feel comfortable relaxing when there's an actual White Fang threat."

"Oh come on." Cacao waved his hand in front of his face, as if he was physically dispelling Cassian's worries. "You know Schokolade and I can handle them! We've killed Faunus before."

"Let's not talk about that." Cassian felt a bolt of anger run through his body. He really couldn't be friends with this guy. "But fine, I'll take your offer." After a moment, Cassian added. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Cacao slapped Cassian on the back. "Though, do you mind doing me a favour? It's nothing that difficult, I promise."

Cassian sighed. He'd been waiting for this. While Schokolade's reasoning for doing this was unknown to him, the only reason why Cacao would be pushing Cassian so hard to do this was if he got something out of it.

"What is it?" Cassian braced himself for something crazy.

"Make sure my little sister stays innocent."

Cassian wondered if he should mention Coco's preferred method of greeting, but decided not to. The last thing he needed was a murder spree consisting of every person whose butt had been patted by Coco.

"Alright." Cassian sighed and held his hand out. "I'll make sure your sister stays exactly as she is."

"Deal made!" Cacao said happily, grabbing Cassian's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Enjoy your date Cassian!"

As the two of them shook hands, Cassian swore he heard Schokolade sigh at his partner's patheticness.

"I feel like we've been left out." Yang huffed, talking to both her sister and partner. After being ejected from Weiss' room, the three of them had broken away from Yin's group and had decided to wander the campus. "Don't you guys agree?"

"Yup!" Ruby said happily. She was munching on a cookie that she'd stolen from Sage. "But Weiss and her sister needed some privacy for some sisterly bonding."

"Yeah but I still feel like a side character to all this...stuff." Yang waved her hands in the air to emphasis what she was talking about. "I mean, we have Weiss' older sister and her mysterious bodyguard popping out of-"

"Popping out of where, Ms. Xiaolong?"

Yang screamed in surprise. It was a very un-Yang like shout, in that it was both high-pitched and feminine. It was a shout worthy of Jaune.

"Oh hello Colonel." Blake greeted Cassian, her faunus senses having warned her of his arrival. "Yang was just talking about you."

"Was she?" Cassian sounded bemused. "Your father used to scream like when I'd sneak up on him as well."

"You know Taiyang?" Yang's eyes widened. Her father had been one of the strongest hunters of his generation. The fact that Cassian had met him (and judging by his comment had interacted with him at a level beyond a simple meeting) surprised her.

"Oh yes. Didn't Yin mention my very colourful past?" Cassian smiled. "You should ask your father about me sometime. Though it has been awhile since I was last at Patch."

"You've been to our house!?"

"Once or twice. Whenever my mistress would be at Castle White, I'd be allowed to take a vacation. Sometimes I'd end up in Patch. You have very nice fishing spots you know?"

"You went fishing with my dad?"

"Yes. That's how we met in the first place." Noticing Yang's disappointed look, Cassian smirked. "You didn't think I hunted with him did you? I'm closer in age to your generation then his, Ms. Xiaolong."

"How about the White Fang, Colonel?" Blake butted in, saving Yang from further embarrassment. Plus, she was curious. "Have you had dealings with them?"

"Many, many times." Cassian replied, running a hand through his hair. "I've fought White Fang members of every rank. Soldiers, commanding officers, Den of Beast members-"

"Den of what now?" Yang asked. Ruby too had begun listening to Cassian.

"Den of Beasts." Cassian repeated. "The elite White Fang unit?"

"Never heard of them." Yang replied. Ruby shook her head as well. Blake however, remained unusually silent, choosing instead to simply listen.

"They're the White Fang's version of Hunters. Elite individuals with skills on par with even the most seasoned Hunter. I've traded blows with enough of them to say that with certainty." Cassian rubbed his arm, as if remembering a battle wound. "Nearly died enough times against them as well."

"Really?" Blake's voice seemed almost apologetic.

"Yes. They really don't like Pale Horse. I remember trading blows with a red-haired man with a Grimm mask a few months back."

"A few months back?" Blake's voice had taken an unnatural tone, but Cassian appeared not to notice.

"The Schnee Dust train theft? It was in the news. Some White Fang members had hijacked a train of Dust on its way to Vale. Since Winter and I were in the area, I was sent to investigate. Ended up nearly getting decapitated by a sword." Cassian laughed. It was mirthless though. "He was strong, fast and angry. It was the first time I had ever met a White Fang member that angry. It was like I had personally taken something precious from him."

"Angry…" Blake whispered guiltily.

"What happened to him then?" Ruby asked. "Did you kill him?" The casual way Ruby spoke about the murder of another living individual, even if he was a known terrorist, chilled her teammates to the bone. Cassian however, seemed unperturbed.

"Nope. He escaped without a trace. Well...save for the huge number of dead Pale Horse members we found later."

"How many?" Blake asked softly. "How many did he kill?"

"Four dozen or so." Cassian replied. "Anyway, I need to go find my mistress. Nice chatting with you all." Cassian gave them a wave and made to go, only to stop and seemingly add something as an afterthought. "Oh and Ms. Belladonna?"

"Yes?" Blake looked up, dread building in her as she awaited Cassian's words.

"Some things can only be understood through conflict, because only in conflict does truth prevail." Cassian gave her a wink, before wandering off.

And now we move onto the next event, the Ball! Plus Cassian being...well Cassian. Plus the introduction of more OCs who will not be focused on at all for the majority of the story (since even I have to admit that it's getting kind of out of hand with SHYD and all...) They're necessary for later though.