AN: Bit shorter than I wanted this chapter but it was needed to set up things for next chapter which will be noticeably longer.

With the Power of an Avalanche

Chapter 8

-Ghira-

Letting out a tired sigh, Ghira sat down to have breakfast with his wife. Today, like many, he felt the absence of his daughter heavier than others. He was driven from any thoughts as there was a firm knock at the door.

"I'll go see who it is." He sighed, giving his wife a tender smile when she reached out to squeeze his hand before he got up.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see Sienna Khan standing there "Hello Ghira, can I come in?" giving a wary nod, he stood aside to let his 'successor' as Head of the White Fang enter. In all honestly he didn't blame her, not really. They both wanted what was best for the Faunus but disagreed on what the best way to get that was. When the majority of the Fang supported Sienna's ideals he stepped down, withdrawing along with all those in the Fang who didn't wish to use violence. But just because he didn't blame her didn't mean it wasn't awkward to have her sitting at his breakfast table.

"What do you want Sienna?" He asked, trying to hide his exhausted frustration and remain polite.

"To start with, I have news for you." Sienna slid over a photo of Blake, a recent one "I told you that your daughter defected mid mission recently? We found out she's enrolled at Beacon Academy. I thought you deserved to know, in case you wanted to talk to her. I don't know her scroll number though so I can't help on that front." Hands trembling, Ghira picked up the recent photo of Blake in a Beacon Academy uniform, his daughter looking healthy even if not happy.

"Thank you, Sienna." Kali whispered, clutching Ghira's arm tight as she looked at the photo as well, both of them genuinely grateful for the act.

"Of course." Sienna looked just as tired as he felt, "I know how much Blake means to you both. And even if we don't agree on what path the Fang should lead I'd like to think we're still friends. You two have done more for Faunus than nearly anyone else alive."

"Was…was there anything else?" Ghira worked to keep his voice steady, planning to find a way to contact Blake the second that Sienna left.

"Yes, actually." Sienna nodded as she straightened, clearly going from personal to business "It's about some of Blake's Classmate. The two youngest Schnee children are in her year. I have an agent in the area who's noted that the youngest Schnee child, Whitely, seems…different from the rest of his family."

"Different?" Kali pressed, more composed than he was right now.

"The boy's opened a few businesses in Vale and is giving equal pay and benefits to those employed there." Sienna admitted, "My agent thinks he's more like his grandfather than he is that bastard Jacques."

"Why tell us this?" Ghira frowned, positive that Sienna wouldn't admit something like she just had and then ask him to help plan to kill them anyway. Especially given as the 'target' would be a child.

"Because, we want your advice." Sienna showed a surprisingly vulnerability in admitting that "We're still looking into him to find out if it's an act. But…if its real…well we're thinking of pushing his rivalry with his sister into the public. My agent has commented that his sister not only hates the youngest Schnee but seems to take after Jacques more. I'm hoping to encourage public opinion, have people want Whitley Schnee to inherit. Hopefully he could start putting through changes to make my version of the Fang obsolete." That was the dream after all, to have their swords bent into plows.

"Will Adam be a problem if I came back to help?" Ghira frowned at the horned boy who'd gotten so close to his daughter.

"Talking to you was his suggestion actually." Sienna smirked, clearly amused by Ghira's genuine bewilderment at that statement.

-Blake-

Clutching her fork tight, Blake did her best to focus on her lunch, tried to block out the sounds of what was happening a little bit away in the cafeteria. Although, to be fair, she wasn't exactly alone in that regard.

A few tables away a group of four first years were surrounding a second year Faunus student. The four brutes were laughing as they tugged at her rabbit ears, ignoring any protests as she begged them to let go. Blake wanted to help but she knew it would draw attention to herself if she did, attention she couldn't take if she wanted to remain hidden. Besides, the other Faunus was a second year and the four brutes weren't all that impressive. She should be more than capable of stopping them from tugging her ear if she really wanted to put in the effort.

She was honestly just surprised that the two Schnee's weren't helping the four thugs in the tormenting.

"Please!" the rabbit girl begged, Blake gripping her fork and trying to block out the girl's voice "It hurts! It-"

"Enough." The cold voice she recognized as one of the Schnees near echoed in the suddenly dead silent cafeteria, Blake's head snapping up to see the albino bastard glaring, hand outstretched and glowing with aura.

"What…are…you…doing?!" the lead thug, she was pretty sure his name was Cardin something, was on his knees. A black glow covered the thug's entire body, puppeted by the younger Schnee who wore a cold Atlesian smirk.

"What am I doing?" the Schnee scoffed, "Isn't that obvious? You were committing assault. So, I'm intervening. You got an eye on the other three Jaune?"

"Got em." The blond that she always saw with Whitley Schnee gave a cold nod, his body alight with a white blaze as various swords and spears manifested in the air, floating and aimed at the other three thugs who'd been joining Cardin in his thuggery.

"What the hell man?!" one of the three thugs, one with silver hair, was panicking "She's just a fucking Faunus?! What's it matter if we put her in her pl-" he was cut off by the appearance of a new sword in the blond's hand, one pointed right between the speaker's eyes.

"And we're just going to hold you four here for now." The Schnee smirked, "I made sure to record what you were doing. I'm sure Professor Goodwitch will be most interested to see that recording when she gets here. Are you okay though?" the Schnee turned to the stunned rabbit girl who gave a silent nod.

"T-thank you." The girl's voice shook as her body trembled, although whether that was from fear or fury Blake wasn't sure, "I…my aura was broken in training this morning and I didn't have the strength to get away." As she spoke, Blake noted the girl nervously rub her ears, visibly wincing from the pain.

"Here, let me help." The Schnee gave a smile that had to have been faked as he held out the hand not doing…whatever it was he was doing to Cardin. A glyph appeared underneath the second year Faunus girl, white particles of light rising up around her as the girls aura started to flare to life.

"W-what?!" the girl was stunned, "My aura has charge again? How?!"

"Let a guy have some secrets." The Schnee gave a teasing smirk before grinning wider, "Ah, Doctor Oobleck! Glad to see you! Do you think you could contact Professor Goodwitch? These four were assaulting…I'm sorry I never got your name."

"Velvet." The girl's soft voice was still heard as nobody in the cafeteria dared speak up and ruin the 'show'.

"Thank you. They were attacking Velvet here, so we forced them off of her. We do have proof of what they were doing as well by the way. Figured we'd best be able to back up this little case of 'Citizen's arrest' after all."

"Gladly." The history professor, well known for his hatred of bigotry in any fashion, gave a look that almost had Blake pitying the four on the ground, "I'll also be expecting essays from everyone else in this room as to why they didn't try to intervene when a classmate was apparently being physically assaulted. Within…the…day." Fuck.

AN: Yeah, always got annoyed that NOBODY tried to stop Cardin when he was doing the ear thing to Velvet. He was full closed fist grabbing her rabbit ears and yanking on them. That would be incredibly painful and would no doubt count as assault. We even saw people like Pyrrha watching and just going 'such despicable behavior' but doing NOTHING. Always bugged me.