Sorry for not posting yesterday, but I honestly forgot.

Storm was cleaning his sword in his dorm. Faye was sitting on her bed, reading something on her Scroll. Rain came down on the windows—it started not long after the attack. That's when Faye did something unexpected.

She lowered her Scroll and tossed the Scroll to the foot of the bed. She hung her head, and Storm asked, "What is it?"

She looked at Faye, shock in her eyes. "One of my classmates from Asylum was in that battle on the highway," she said. "And he's dead."

That was pretty bad. If he had to fight someone else he knew in battle, he assumed it'd be rough. Out of curiosity he asked, "Who was he? What was his name?"

"His name was Espen Voll," she answered hesitantly. "And while I did not know him personally, I saw him. I knew things about him—gossip and the like—which I think are true. He had a girlfriend outside of Asylum named Auberon, and liked blueberry pie."

Storm had a suspicion. He had fought someone who clearly had professional training, and had died when the soldiers showed up. What if the man he'd fought in battle was Espen? He'd have to ask. "What did he look like?"

Faye seemed a little bewildered by the unusual question, but replied, "Tall, dark hair with a stripe of green in at, dark eyes, and bear ears. He also had the roundest cheeks I have ever seen."

Storm breathed in regretfully. Faye cocked an eyebrow. As much as most people were slower than him, two people he'd learned never to underestimate were Crystal and Faye—especially Faye's perceptibility. He wouldn't insult her by not answering, so, "I fought someone I think might have been Espen."

Faye frowned and lowered her head. "Did he have dual shotgun axes?" He nodded and then Faye sighed. "Did you kill him quickly?"

Storm was surprised to say the least. "I didn't kill him! It was the soldiers!"

"I believe you," Faye said. There was a long pause before either of them spoke again. The silence made Storm uncomfortable because he felt like Faye was judging him somehow. Finally, she spoke. "He made his choice; I wish he had not made it though."

Azura came then, saw Faye and Storm, and ignored them. "Hello, Azura," Storm said.

Azura nodded in acknowledgement. She took her jacket off and hung it up on the edge of the dresser by the far side of the wall. She then took his pistol—Standoff—out and a rag, and started cleaning it on her bed. If she wasn't going to talk, then they might ignore her.

Storm looked at Faye. "You know, the White Fang could change again. They were peaceful one; they might be again."

"Idealism," Azura said. Storm looked at Azura questioningly. "That's the word, right?"

"What are you talking about, Azura?" Storm asked.

Azura didn't stop cleaning Standoff. "Stop idealizing them and fight them. Even if they do change someday, today they're your enemy. Accept it and move on."

Faye glared at Azura. "I can't," she said angrily, and then stomped off through the door.

Storm was shocked at the whole thing. First, that Faye could get that angry. Another thing was that Faye used a contraction. He never quite knew why Faye didn't use contractions, but she used it there. He was more concerned though about Faye being angry. He could guess why, but to see her angry… He had to go after her.

Faye ran down the hall, tears streaming down her face. She was using Rayne's semblance of invisibility to pass through the halls practically unseen. While she would occasionally bump into someone, they would not know who it was. She finally made it out to a balcony. That's where she became visible again and stopped.

It was dark that night, with no streetlights around for illumination. The days were getting shorter and colder as it got closer to winter. It rained so heavily that it seemed that someone was emptying a bucket over Haven. She shivered terribly, but she couldn't tell if that was the cold or that she was trembling with emotion.

Rain was the perfect cover for tears, though she did not care about that. While cold and wet, she could take that. She wanted to be alone, and this was the only place she could be.

Azura, whom she considered something like a friend, had hurt her feelings. While she might not have intended that, it did not change the fact that someone had callously chosen to think that every member of the White Fang was a mindless, soulless, monster. She had known some of these "monsters". She was friends with some of those "monsters". She shared blood with these "monsters". No one had the right to assume they were all evil—or were always evil.

She heard someone running up behind her. Storm's voice came from behind her. "Faye, are you alri…?"

"Go away," Faye said, sobbing.

He was silent.

After a moment, she heard footsteps come even closer to her. Storm put a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, grabbed his wrist and said, "GO AWAY, STOR…!"
She saw, not Storm, but Lorna. Lorna, the foxlike Faunus, who had been her friend for years. She held an umbrella over both of them, looking down at her. She let go of her wrist, and grabbed onto her legs, hanging her head and crying. Lorna knelt down and ran her fingers through Faye's white hair. "It's alright, Faye," Lorna said comfortingly. "It's alright."

"They… They killed…"

"I know, Faye. They killed Espen."

Faye looked up. "That could have been you," she said. "That could have been me."

Lorna hugged Faye. Faye put her head on her shoulder. "It could never have been you. You'd never join the White Fang. Not now, not ever."

"It could've been Talon." Lorna was quiet. "You know it could have. You know it."

"Faye, Talon… You know what Talon said to me once?" Faye made a questioning sound, unable to speak. "He told me, 'Faye'," Lorna's impression of Talon's grumbly voice was uncanny, "'is like a little sister, but she worries too much. She doesn't realize I can get out of any trouble I get into.' Of course, I had to ask about the butcher's shop, and you know what he said?"

"What?" she asked.

"That he was just waiting for us." Faye smiled slightly. "Talon can look after himself, don't worry. And if he can't, then he'll ask for our help."

"And what if he can't ask?"

Lorna lifted Faye's head up to look into her eyes. "If he can't, then he doesn't need to. Now let's get out of the rain before you catch a cold."

Faye nodded, and stood up. Her uniform was heavy from soaking up so much rain. She and Lorna walked back into Haven where Storm was waiting. He looked worried. "I am alright, Storm," she said, trying to wipe her eyes with a wet sleeve before Lorna offered her own. "No need to worry."

"Can't help it," Storm said shrugging. "I worry about everyone." Faye gave him a smile, and kept walking back to the dorm.

Old memories started to stir, and she turned to Lorna. "Do you remember what you said when I got taller than you?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Lorna said, smiling. Faye remembered the words well herself. "I knew birds are supposed to soar, but I expected you to leave the ground first." It was not the most PC joke, but she felt proud at the time to be growing up.

If she knew that growing up meant all this, then she would have done everything in her power to stay short. But there was no going back now; she would have to face whatever the future brought, a hope she could withstand it.

In case you thought I was done with melodramatic scenes and crying people, no I'm not. I mostly am, but I saw an opportunity when I was creating a character for Storm to fight in the attack.