Unfortunately for the three girls of Team CYOT, Traviss proved more uncooperative than they would have liked.

Granted, his sudden disappearance was hardly a new phenomenon. Ever since the start of the school year, Traviss would regularly vanish without a trace, only to later reappear just as suddenly- even when he was gone late at night, he would always be in his bed by the next morning, fast asleep. At first, the rest of the team would search high and low across Haven for him- but after so many unsuccessful searches, Team CYOT simply left the boy to his own devices, trusting that he would eventually return to them on his own.

And this time, their search for Traviss proved to be just as fruitless as always. No matter where they went, no matter who they asked, they found no trace of their missing teammate- it was as though he had simply fallen off the face of Remnant. By the time they called off the search and returned to their dorm, it was nearly midnight. And to the surprise of no one, Traviss was not there waiting for them.

"Don't worry guys," Callie assured as they settled in for the night. "He's always back by morning."

But when the next morning came, and Yuki awoke, she quickly found something amiss: the curtain surrounding Traviss's bed was wide open, and the bed itself empty, completely undisturbed from the morning before.

Which was why she dressed herself in silence, crept out of the room, and now stood- alone- before a pair of wooden doors at the topmost level of the cathedral at the very heart of Haven. Beyond those doors lay the office of Forrest Wald, the Headmaster of the academy.

Yuki knew that by simply coming this far, she was betraying the trust of her two teammates. …But enough was enough. Everything else up to this point she might have been able to forgive, but Traviss's… display in the Schwarzbaum Forest was the last straw. If he froze up when confronted by the Grimm- the very beings he was being trained to kill… then he had no place at Haven. And if Callie and Olivia were blind to the truth, willfully or otherwise, then she would simply have to go to someone willing to see things for what they were.

And in cases like this, sometimes it was better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Yuki reached up, and rapped her knuckles against the hard wood. For a few seconds, there was only silence… until a tired voice from beyond said, "Enter." And Yuki obeyed, pushing the door open.

The room beyond was, in truth, much smaller than Yuki expected. It resembled the apse of a cathedral- shaped like a half-circle, and topped with a half-dome- and was sparsely furnished, containing only a few bookshelves, a few lights mounted to the walls, and a dark wooden desk in the center of the room. Behind this desk sat a man with dark brown hair, in a dark green suit: Headmaster Wald. Set into the wall behind the man was a great, round window of stained glass, depicting a winged flame- the emblem of Mistral.

The headmaster looked up from his desk. "Ms. Okuhotaka," he said. "I don't normally have visitors at this hour."

"I'm sorry, Professor Wald," Yuki replied, taking a step forward. "I know I don't have an appointment, but there's something urgent I need to talk to you about."

"That's quite alright." He motioned to the vacant chair in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Yuki crossed the room, and sat across from the headmaster. The desk before her was simple, plain, and surprisingly vacant- the only thing on it was a group of playing cards, arranged in a game of solitaire. As soon as she sat, Wald turned his attention back to his game. "How can I help you?" he asked.

"It's… about my teammate. Traviss Rydinger." She paused as she selected her next choice of words. "…I'm… sure you're already aware of this, but he's-"

Yuki's words died in her throat when Wald laid down a card and interrupted her, stating simply: "You believe I was mistaken in admitting him to Haven."

The white-haired girl choked at the directness of the Headmaster's statement. But she quickly gathered herself. "Forgive me for being so blunt, but… yes. I do. His performance in combat class isn't just the worst among the first-years, but one of the worst in Haven's history." She shifted, clasping her hands across her lap. "And after what happened in our excursion to the Schwarzbaum Forest… It's clear- to me at least- that Traviss doesn't have the skills to become a Huntsman. He… he doesn't belong here."

Headmaster Wald's response was every bit as blunt as it was unexpected: "I could say the same about you, Ms. Okuhotaka." He never looked up as he laid another card on the table. "But then again, we both know that 'Yuki Okuhotaka' isn't your real name."

Yuki twitched… but kept her facial expression level. "I have absolutely no idea what you mean by that, sir," she replied in a slow voice, in an effort to remain calm.

"I believe know exactly what I'm talking about, Yuki. Or perhaps, you would prefer…" The headmaster's eyes flicked up towards her for the briefest of moments. "…Bianca."

Yuki froze. Her throat clamped shut in terror, and for several moments, she could only stare at the headmaster, her mouth moving silently. Eventually, she managed to stammer, "…h-how?"

"How did I know?" Wald asked in return, finally looking up at her fully. "It is my job to know things, Ms. Okuhotaka."

He set down his cards and rested his elbows on his desk, clasping his hands in front of him. "And with my knowledge, I could have very easily prevented you from ever setting foot in Haven. However, I chose to overlook your past, and admitted you to this academy." Yuki leaned forward, but the older man held up his hand to stop her. "Rest assured, your secret will not leave this room. Unless you feel it necessary to share it with others."

The white-haired girl slumped back into her seat, and asked weakly, "…why?"

"I have my reasons," Wald replied, unmoving. "Just as I have reasons for every decision I've made. The reasoning behind my decisions may not always be clear to others, but make no mistake- that does not mean they don't exist." He rested his hands on the desk. "And if nothing else, I hope you will come to understand that."

A heavy silence hung between the two for several long seconds. Then, the headmaster turned his attention back to his cards. "The cafeteria will be serving breakfast soon. It won't help to sit through your classes on an empty stomach." He glanced up at her. "Unless of course, there was something else you wished to discuss."

"Uh, n-no, sir," Yuki stammered, quickly rising to her feet. Without waiting for a dismissal, the white-haired girl fled from the room. As soon as she crossed the threshold into the hall, she leaned against the doors and sank to the floor, clutching her chest. Her breaths were heavy, and her heart hammered wildly under her ribs.

Yuki had always heard that Headmaster Wald… that all of the Headmasters of the Huntsman academies were exceptionally brilliant and perceptive individuals. …But those in Mistral's dark side could every bit as perceptive. Yet, her disguise- her new self- had fooled even the sharpest amongst them; only one person in all of Mistral knew the truth. And yet, he'd seen right through her. Seen right through what so many other dangerous individuals hadn't. Could there have been a leak? …no, that couldn't be it- if that were the case, then her and her uncle's heads would already be hanging above Volpe's mantle. And he said her secret wouldn't leave his office, meaning…

"And what happened to handling this on our own?" a voice to Yuki's left asked.

Yuki yelped in shock, whirling around to the source of the voice. Olivia was leaning against the wall next to the doors, arms crossed, a hard glare on her face.

"Olive!" Yuki scrambled to come up with some kind of explanation or excuse, but nothing would come to her. She simply sank to the floor once again, letting out a defeated groan.

After a moment with no answer, the brunette merely sighed. "You know, you're lucky I found you instead of Callie." A pause. "…what did he say?"

Yuki looked to her. "Huh?"

"Judging from how worn out you look," Olivia began, pushing herself away from the wall, "I'm guessing Headmaster Wald isn't taking Traviss off the team. So, what happened? …Did he yell at you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Did you yell at him?"

"N-No, of course not!" Yuki protested, her heart finally beginning to settle. "The headmaster said…" The Headmaster had said quite a lot, actually. But much of it wasn't exactly the sort of thing Yuki was willing to share, even with her closest friend. "…he said that, every choice he's made, he made for a reason. Even if we can't see them."

A small smile formed on Olivia's lips. "There. If the Headmaster himself can't convince you, then I don't know what will." She approached Yuki and pulled her to her feet. "Listen- whatever Traviss's problem is, we'll fix it." The brunette clapped her hand on Yuki's shoulder. "You'll see. Just trust us."

Yuki brushed her friend's hand away. "I do trust you. You, Callie, and the Headmaster." She turned away. "It's Traviss I don't trust."

"Why not?"

Yuki crossed her arms over her chest, looking to the floor. "…When I was growing up, I was always taught that trust is something you aren't just given. It's something you earn. And how am I supposed to trust my life to someone who can't even hold his own in a fight?"

Again, Olivia rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "That's why we're doing this, Yuki- so he can hold his own. So we can work better together. And, I'm glad to hear you say you trust me and Callie… but you have to trust him too. Trust that we wants to improve, and that he'll listen to what we have to say so he can do it." Olivia circled around to Yuki's front. "I don't know if trust is something you have to earn, but Traviss can't earn it if you won't even give him a chance to try."

For several long moments, Yuki looked at her friend in silence. Then, she glanced away, and replied, "I'll… try to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Olivia smiled- for Yuki, that was an incredibly generous offer. "Thank you," she replied. "Now come on. Callie should've grabbed breakfast for us by now."

An insane laugh echoed through the practice arena. At the center stood a girl with indigo hair, laughing as the guitar in her hands spewed forth long strings of flame. Near the edges of the arena, Traviss weaved desperately to avoid the flaming jets. As he dodged another fiery burst, he shot at the indigo-haired girl. But she stood her ground, her aura dampening the blow from his bullets. "Come on!" she taunted. "Make this interesting for me!"

Only one class was on Team CYOT's schedule after breakfast- combat class. And much to the other members' shock, Traviss was already waiting in the practice arena, sitting in the seats surrounding encircling the room. Although in truth, they really shouldn't have been surprised; despite his absences elsewhere, Traviss had yet to miss even one class in the semester. However, he didn't sit in his usual place, next to Callie- he sat all the way in the back, away from the others, until his name was called and he was pitted against an indigo-haired girl named "Pleione."

Pleione fired another long arc of flame. Traviss ducked under it and closed in. But the indigo-haired girl turned the guitar around in her hand and swung the body at him. Traviss avoided the first swing… but not the second. The body of the indigo-haired girl's guitar struck him in the chest with a surprising amount of force, knocking him off his feet. But before he could rise, a nozzle with a flickering flame was jabbed in front his face.

"Sorry pal," the girl said. "Looks like game over for you."

But before she could go any further, Braun stepped into the arena. "That's enough, Ms. Pleione."

The indigo-haired girl looked to the professor. "Aw come on! I was having fun!"

The mustached man approached the two. "Ms. Pleione, despite your promise after your last match, you still have the tendency to cause significant amounts of collateral damage. On your own, it isn't as serious a problem- but elsewhere, you could wind up causing severe injuries to civilians or your own teammates…" Braun's eyes swept across the arena, to the numerous small fires still blazing. "…to say nothing of property damages." He turned his attention back to the girl. "Do try to rein yourself in."

"Ugh, fine." Slinging her guitar over her shoulder, the indigo-haired girl made her way back to her seat. "You really know how to suck the fun out of everything, Teach…"

Professor Braun looked to Traviss next. But before the professor could begin critiquing his performance, the climbed to his feet and said, "P-Professor Braun. I… I wanna try again."

The professor crossed his arms over his chest. "Your aura has been partially depleted, Mr. Rydinger. If you were to participate in another match, you would have an inherent disadvantage against your opponent."

Traviss didn't reply to the professor- he simply shot Braun a nasty glare. The older man raised an eyebrow in surprise… but relented. "…Very well." He looked to the stands. "Mr. Gainsboro, if you would join us?"

In response, a boy in the front row of the class vaulted over his desk and entered the arena. He was blonde with short, spiky hair, and bright blue eyes. But his weapon was of particular interest- a longsword that was nearly as long as he was tall.

Professor Braun began to step back to the edge of the arena. "Take your positions."

"Hey," the blonde boy said. "Name's Cloud. Hope Indie didn't rough you up too badly."

Traviss said nothing in reply.

"…not much of a talker, are you?"

Again, Traviss said nothing. But he did do something, something unexpected.

He holstered both of his weapons.

"Begin."

The blonde boy charged. But to his surprise- and the surprise of everyone else in the room, for that matter- Traviss deftly leapt to the side. Cloud followed up with a wide horizontal swing, but Traviss dodged again with ease as he ducked under the blade. He tried to follow up with a swift kick, but the blonde boy leapt back and out of reach.

Traviss chased after him as the boy readied his sword. Cloud let out another horizontal swing, but Traviss slid under it, stopping himself just behind the blonde boy, and with a spin, knocked the blonde's legs out from under him as he rose to his feet.

The world slowed. Cloud seemed to hang in the air, mouth agape, eyes wide in surprise as his sword slipped from his grasp. But Traviss… his expression was calm, serene, even. Traviss's expression didn't change, even as he raised up his arm. Even as he slammed his palm into the blonde boy's chest. Even as the blonde boy hit the ground hard, a pained cry escaping from his throat.

The entire room went silent, save for Cloud's pained cries. Traviss stood completely still as the blonde writhed in pain at his feet, his gauge flashing. Their fight was over.

For several long moments, Traviss looked down at his opponent in silence, the impassive expression never leaving his face. Then, without a word, he strode out of the arena.

You just can't help anyone, can you?

Far above a sea of lights, these words echoed within the mind of a beast.

He knew he needed to push such thoughts out of his head. But he simply couldn't escape the memory of that vicious black horde. Their screeches echoed in his ears, and even now, he felt their weight on his body. That moment, when he felt himself ready to collapse beneath the weight of countless bodies as they sank their teeth into his flesh… he could say, without a doubt, that moment was the closest he had ever come to death.

But why? Why did it still linger with him? The beast had felt the brush of death countless times- more times than someone his age should ever feel it. But the weight would fade with time- it always did. …but not this time, it seemed. Even though those black beasts were little different from the ones he faced night after night, thoughts of his mortality seemed to weigh unusually heavily upon him.

But the beast's musings were interrupted when movement below caught his attention. He dived, landing in the shadows of a nearby rooftop, before he crept to the edge and peered into the alleyway below.

Three men, trying the force the lock on a steel door. Only one gun between them.

It would've been almost insultingly easy, in any other situation. But after what happened… he knew in his soul that he wasn't at full strength. He needed to take things slowly. To move one step at a time.

The three were distracted, and with all the noise they were making, they'd never hear him coming. But then, few ever did. The beast leapt across the buildings, to the other side of the alley. Then, he edged along the roof, until he was right on top of the three.

The beast inhaled. And then struck.

He leapt down, atop the man with the gun, driving him face-first into the pavement. That was one.

The two remaining men stumbled back in fear… but one gathered his wits, and charged. The beast ducked down and hit the man in the legs as he spread his arms for a tackle- his own momentum working against him, he flipped over the beast, landing on his back. But before he could rise, the beast pulled back his fist and slammed it against the man's face, sending him into unconsciousness. That was two.

The beast turned to face the last man. But as he did, something burning hot tore through his side.

He miscalculated. The last thug must've had a gun hidden on him somewhere. He shouldn't have wasted his time with the takedown- he should've moved on to the next target. But it was useless to regret anything now. With a snarl, he began to stride toward the man.

The last thug fumbled with the gun- whether it was because he hadn't actually expected to hit his target, or because his shot seemed to have no effect was unclear. And after a moment, the reason became irrelevant- the beast closed the distance, before he seized the man's head and slammed it against the brick wall to the side. The man crumpled to the ground instantly- and that was three.

The beast let out a long exhale. But when he tried to inhale, pain flared through his side, and he spluttered and choked. He looked down at himself, to the source of his pain.

Blood ran down his side. Much more of it than he'd expected.

The beast tried to spread his wings, only to immediately withdraw his arm as pain flared through his abdomen again. It was… worse than he thought. When he'd been hurt in the past, he could always fly away, find a safe place to recuperate, but now he couldn't even do that. And if he couldn't fly, he wouldn't be able to climb up a safe roost either. He'd have to stay exactly where he was.

The beast looked around. The thugs were still unconscious- they would be for another hour or so. And at first glance, they carried no obvious affiliations, meaning that no one would come looking for them… or, so he hoped. And aside from criminals, only the very brave or the foolish would be out at this hour.

The location was far from ideal, but it was as safe as things could possibly get in this city.

The beast closed his eyes, and focused.

He could feel his body shift, feel his true self slip beneath a mask.

And when the beast opened his eyes… he was a beast no longer.

Now, he was but a boy.

Almost at once, the boy felt a warmth in his side, and his pain began to fade. It always happened, when he shifted, but the boy now understood that this was his "Aura," working to mend the wound. But it would take time for his wound to heal fully… time that he did not have.

Doing his best to ignore the pain in his side, the boy leaned against the alley wall and sat behind a dumpster, out of sight. Steadying his breathing, he waited for his wound to heal. He wouldn't wait for long- he couldn't afford to, not when he was so exposed. He would allow his wound to heal just enough that he could fly home.

The boy had been in situations such as this before: points where he'd been injured so severely, he had no choice but to turn in before dawn, to give his wounds a chance to heal properly. But never had it happened so early into the night.

The boy looked up, to the empty, starless sky above. He wondered to himself, how many cries for his help would go unanswered tonight? How many innocents would turn their eyes skyward, expecting to see him there… only to find nothing at all?

Those questions hurt him much more than the bullet wound in his side.

He let out a breath, resting his head against the wall at his back, and he said aloud the words that had been echoing within his mind:

"You just can't help anyone, can you?"

Olivia was awoken by a rather unusual sound- the window creaking open.

Following it were a few scraping sounds, a light thump, and a hiss of pain. "Agh. Damn," someone whispered.

She cracked her eyes open slightly, and immediately regretted it- standing next to her bed, in front of the window, was a dark shadow. She quickly shut her eyes, hoping the shadow hadn't noticed.

Apparently, it hadn't- after a moment, the window creaked again, there was the sound of surprisingly light footsteps, a brief shuffling from the far side of the room, a second series of light footsteps, and finally, the door opening and closing.

Olivia waited for a few moments, before sitting up and looking around. Cal and Yuki were still fast asleep- Traviss's bed was still empty. Then, she turned her attention to the window, where the shadow had been standing. Dark splotches trailed from the window to the door; despite the low light, their scent told Olivia exactly what they were.

Bloodstains.

Quietly, Olivia climbed out of bed and dressed herself. She had every intention of following after that… thing. If it fought her, she'd be unarmed- weapons were stored in the locker room near the practice arena, and there was no time to get hers- but she had her Semblance, and if the thing was already wounded, she'd have the advantage.

The brunette crept out into the hallway- outside, the trail of blood continued from the door down the hall. She followed it, turning a corner, until the drops stopped at… the boys' shower room?

Despite the name, the private bathrooms in Haven's dorm rooms didn't have a bathtub or shower- only a toilet and a sink. If a student wanted to wash off, they'd have to do so in one of the school's communal shower rooms.

Outside the door, Olivia weighed her options. Whatever this thing was, it couldn't be Grimm- even if it somehow got past the defenses for both the city and the academy, it would've attacked them in their beds immediately. Plus, it seemed to know its way around, meaning it was a Haven student, former or current. Lastly, it seemed to have been searching for something in their room- so it knew one of them.

But even if she knew what the intruder was, what should she do about it? She could go back, wake her team. Or one of the professors. But she'd have to leave the thing on its own, giving it the chance to escape… or worse. And simply ignoring the intruder was absolutely out of the question… meaning Olivia's only option was to confront it. Alone. And if it tried to run, or fight… she could only hope someone would hear the commotion and come to help.

Olivia cracked the door open slightly, and peered in. The room within was dark, but she only needed to wait for a few moments for her eyes to adjust. The boys' shower room was nearly identical to the girls', just mirrored: a row of sinks stood behind a large mirror to the left of the door, while shower stalls stretched further into the room to the right.

And standing in front of the mirror was the shadow- it reached into a box sitting next to the sink, before moving its hands to its sides. Its hands moved as if it were… stitching a wound. It muttered to itself in a surprisingly light voice, seemingly unaware of the crack of light spilling into the room.

Olivia knew she'd only have one chance. She took a breath… before throwing open the door, and flicking on the lights.

She wished she hadn't.

Standing in front of the mirror was a dark brown… thing that looked like a fusion between a man and a bat. It jolted, and snapped its attention to the door- for one brief instant, its face was set into a furious snarl… but it vanished the second the thing laid eyes on her. For several moments, it simply stood frozen, staring at her with its eyes wide… before it grabbed the box and threw it at her, rushing for the door.

Olivia batted the box away easily. She wasn't sure whether the beast would attack, or simply try to escape… but she wouldn't give it the chance to do either. "Oh no you don't!" Focusing, she punched the monster in the stomach, pushing it back with the help of her Semblance. But as it fell, it let out a surprisingly… human cry of pain. Wheezing and coughing, it dragged itself away from her, leaving smears of blood in its wake on the tiled floor.

As the monster leaned its back against the far wall, Olivia slowly approached. This wasn't at all what she expected when she entered the room. But what happened next, when the monster looked up at her, and its brown eyes widened in surprise, she expected least of all:

"…Olivia?" it asked.

The monster's voice stopped Olivia dead in her tracks. As she looked at the wounded beast, be began to… recognize it: its voice, its scent… but what she recognized most of all… were his eyes.

She took one step forward- the monster shrank away in response, holding his arms over his head as if trying to hide himself. And in a small voice, she asked in return, "…Traviss? Is… is that you?"

He looked up at her when he heard his name, slowly, blinking several times as if what he was seeing was just an illusion. But when she didn't fade, he looked down, at himself, then back to his teammate. "I-I…" he stammered. "Th-This isn't… You weren't supposed to… n-n-no one was supposed-"

But Traviss silenced himself when Olivia held up a hand. "It's okay," she said, finally understanding. "I know what you are. I… always knew. Because… you and me… we're the same." Olivia lifted up her goggles- underneath, two small, bone-white bumps sprouted from her forehead.

Traviss stared at the bumps in silence, the confusion clear to see on his face. "…they're antlers," Olivia explained. "Or rather, they're what antlers look like after you file them down." She knelt down in front of Traviss. "I'm a faunus. Just like you."

He looked at her, for a long while, before looking down at his own hands, curling them into fists. "…there's no one in the world like me."

As much as she wanted to say that wasn't true, Olivia had to admit that Traviss had a point. She'd never seen a faunus quite like him before- and not just because he was a bat, either. He was so… bestial: his arms, his neck, his chest… seemingly his whole body was covered with a thick layer of dark brown fur; a pair of long, tapered ears sprouted from where normal, human ears should have been; his face had elongated into a short snout; his bare feet were tipped with sharp claws; and his arms… had they always been so long?

"What… happened to you?" Olivia herself wasn't sure if she was asking about Traviss's wound, or about Traviss in general.

"I… got shot. It's… just as bad as it looks. Bad enough that I had to turn in early." He let out a long breath. "Haven't had to do that in a while. I was trying to patch myself up, when…"

Olivia moved towards him. "Let me see." Reluctantly, Traviss moved his hands, exposing a fresh bullet hole in his abdomen, on the left side. Around its edges were some black threads- stitches. Stitches she'd broken when he'd tried to run. "This is a pretty serious wound…" she began, "but your aura should already be healing it."

Traviss frowned, his ears drooping. "My aura… it doesn't work when I'm…" He hung his head. "…like this."

"It's okay. I can help. Just hold still." Olivia held her hand out towards his wound- Traviss shrank back slightly, but Olivia stopped her hand right above the wound, without touching it. Then, she began to concentrate- she felt her aura flow across her body to her hand, felt it meld with Traviss's own, felt their combined auras seep into the wound, encouraging blood to clot, cells to divide. She may not have been the most proficient Dust user, and her combat skills were only just above average, but when it came to aura manipulation, Olivia was second to none. More than once had professors told her she had great potential as a field medic. And for once, Olivia was actually thankful for her skill.

Several moments passed, as Olivia concentrated. Then, she looked up to her teammate. "Traviss… you're gonna have to tell Cal and Yuki about this."

He looked down at himself, before looking away. "…What am I even supposed to say to them?"

Olivia could only blink in response. "Have you… met Callie? She's obsessed with you- er, with the Bat. And learning that she's on the same team as him… she might become the first person to ever die from happiness." She paused, trying to imagine her white-haired friend's reaction. "And, maybe learning who you really are will change Yuki's mind about you."

Traviss merely continued to look away, in silence.

"You know," she began, "I can help you. Come out to them, I mean. I've… had to do things like that before." She touched her antlers for emphasis. "But, you don't have to do it right away. You can tell them when you're ready." Her face set itself into a stern expression. "But you will have to tell them eventually."

Traviss nodded. "I will." He then looked at her. "Just… promise me that… when the time comes, when I'm ready to tell them… you'll help me."

Olivia rested her free hand on Traviss's shoulder. "I promise." She then pulled both hands away. "Alright. I should be finished now."

Traviss looked down, touching his side. And indeed, his wound was gone, leaving behind only a faded scar. He sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said. "That probably would've gone faster if I'd changed back to normal."

At this, Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Changed?"

"It… it would probably be easier for me to just show you." Traviss stood. "…You might want to take a step back."

Olivia did so, taking the chance to look at Traviss in his entirety. She was right about his arms being longer- they almost reached down to his ankles. He was also just a little taller than her now- normally they were roughly equal in height.

"Sorry," he quickly said. "I-It doesn't normally take this long." His eyes were closed, as if he were concentrating. "I… I've never done this when someone was watching."

He let out a long exhale. Then, there was a loud snap. She looked down to its source, gasping from the sight awaiting her- one of his arms was pointing in the wrong direction. There was another snap, and his arm jerked, now pointing in a different- but still wrong- direction.

"It… It's okay…" he said, in a strained voice. "This is… normal."

There were dozens of snaps as Traviss's body… forced itself back into its proper configuration. His snout retracted, his arms shrank until they were their proper length, and his fur simply withdrew back under his skin. And with one last pop, Traviss was himself once again. His ears were smaller, though still furry and rounded; his feet had returned to normal; and his arms, while shorter, still had a thin membrane connecting them to his sides, all the way down to his wrists.

Olivia was staring at him in silence, eyes wide and shimmering, her hands clamped over her mouth tightly. She looked as if she were about to scream. Or burst into tears. Or possibly both. "Olivia…" he began, stepping towards her. "I'm okay. Really."

"Doesn't it… hurt?" she couldn't help but ask. Was… that his Semblance? she asked herself. But… transformation? A Semblance was unique to a person, and theoretically, there was no limit to the ability a Semblance could grant, but… that was…

He looked away for a moment. "Not as much as it used to."

Olivia wanted to ask what Traviss meant by that, but before she could, he asked a question of his own: "How did you… know? That I was a… what did you say I was? A 'faunus?'"

After what she'd seen, Olivia needed to take a few breaths before she was able to reply. "…It was little things, at first- things I saw during initiation. But I knew for sure once we were put on the same team. You did a good job of hiding it- you could fool any human. But you can't hide your scent."

Traviss raised an eyebrow. "Scent?" He sniffed his arm, confusion clear on his face. "…I smell?"

"That's not what I meant," Olivia replied, shaking her head. "Humans and faunus smell different from one another." She looked at him questioningly. "Didn't you ever notice?"

"Uh…" He scratched his head again. "I… there wasn't anyone around to teach me how to be a faunus when I was growing up." He turned away. "Actually, there wasn't a lot people around to teach me lots of stuff. Or… any people, really."

Olivia wanted to ask what he meant by that… but the look on his face stopped her. "…Let's just get back to the room.

"Uh… actually, could you… bring a shirt back for me?" He crossed his arms over his chest nervously. "…I don't want anyone to see me like this."

Without any hesitation, Olivia unzipped her jacket, took it off, and handed it to the boy. "Here. Just give it back when we get to the room. It was… it was a gift."