Lapis soon stood at the cliffs that overlooked the Emerald Forest. She took a deep breath with a soft smile...until she felt like she was being watched. She drew her sword and looked to her right. "Step out where I can see you."

Sure enough, Blake stepped into view with her helmet, modeled after a Pantera, a bipedal panther like Creature of Grimm, tucked under her arm.

Frowning, Lapis lowered her sword but not her guard. "What do you want, Blake?" She asked.

"Is it a crime to wish you luck?" Blake asked.

"I'm pretty sure assassination counts as a crime. Sienna trusted you and you killed her then named yourself High Leader. What kind of person does that?"

"One with big plans for the future."

"Ruin my school in any way and I'm coming for you."

The feline Faunus just chuckled. "Courageous words. We'll see if you have the courage to back them up." She said then turned around and walked away.

Lapis growled then sighed.

"Lapis?" A girl said and the swordswoman turned to see a girl with tan skin that looked scaly, brown hair, and grey eyes.

"Ilia!" Lapis smiled then the two hugged. "I didn't know you were in Vale."

"I left the White Fang. You inspired me to become a Huntress and I wanted to study here at Beacon." She said then her skin turned blackish green while her hair turned yellow and spots on her skin turned white as she looked around.

"No need to be nervous. She's already left." Lapis said.

Ilia relaxed and her colors returned to normal.

"You must be excited to be here. Students all over the school are already whispering about you." The chameleon Faunus said.

Lapis chuckled. "But the Lazuli family has been treated like any other student at this school so I don't have to worry about receiving special treatment." She said.

"You're saying you don't feel like royalty?" The two heard Cinder say as they saw her walking to them with Emerald, Mercury, Neo, Ember, Magenta, and Onyx.

Lapis chuckled. "I'm gonna tell you guys the same thing I tell everyone else. I'm just a girl from a small village looking to do the right thing. Always have, always will." She said/signed.

Everyone nodded in understanding. They spent some time talking as they kept exploring the school grounds.

Looking out at Vale from a cliff was Blake. She had a sneer on her face but she relaxed when she felt a pair of arms, one real and one a robotic prosthetic, wrap around her stomach from behind.

"Geez! You're so tense, babe." Yang said as she rested her chin on Blake's shoulder.

Blake sighed. "Sorry, Yang. I've got a lot on my mind. One thing being that nobody has found Ilia yet. Now, I can only assume, but I'm betting she's abandoned the cause."

"I can confirm that she has." The two heard a girl with an accent said. They turned to the source of the voice and saw a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes as well as rabbit ears on her head.

"What do you mean, Velvet?" Blake asked.

"See for yourself, Blake." Velvet replied then pulled out her camera, Anesidora, and pulled up the most recent picture, which was of Lapis and Ilia talking before Cinder and the others had walked to them.

Blake's ears folded back in anger before she forced herself to calm down. "Then she made her choice."

"Tomorrow, we'll see who all among their year has potential." Yang said. "I may find a few to recruit to the Burning Suns."

"There may be a few potential White Fang recruits as well." Blake said then smirked at her wife. "I'm betting Ruby and Weiss are thinking the same thing right now."

"Nah. I'm fairly certain they're hooking up right now."

On the bed of a penthouse bedroom in Vale, Weiss and Ruby were laying under the covers. The straps of their bras were barely visible as they held each other close.

"Think we'll find any worthy to hire?" Weiss asked.

"I think we will. If Lazuli's in the same year as the newest fresh meat, we should expect powerful potential from others in her year." Ruby said.

Weiss smiled. "I'm still surprised that so many from our year and even Team CFVY joined our collective."

"Ambition can be a valuable tool when it's needed."

"Indeed, my darling." Weiss said.

When night fell, the first years were in ballroom. Many were already asleep but a few were still awake. Lapis, Ember, Magenta, Onyx, Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo were among the ones still awake. Lapis was doing some training when Mercury walked to her.

"Want a sparring partner?" He asked.

"Why not?" She replied. "Fair warning, though. I'm as good a fighter as Pyrrha Nikos herself. With or without my sword."

"Then maybe I'll finally have a challenge."

The two began to spar with each other. They were careful to not be too loud since most of their classmates were asleep. Mercury went for a punch but Lapis ducked then her head but his chin with a smirk to end the match.

He smirked back. "You are good." He said.

"I've had some good teachers." She said before the two stopped sparring. "My mother began my training when I was eight." She added, signing for Magenta.

Neo signed to Lapis.

"Isn't that a little young to be trained as a Huntress?" Cinder translated for the others.

"My family has always done that. It's a Lazuli tradition." Lapis explained. "My grandfather picked it up when my mom didn't come back from a mission she was on."

The others nodded.

Soon after that, they and everyone else went to sleep to prepare for tomorrow.

That's chapter three

Yes, other teams like Team SSSN, Team CFVY, Team CRDL, Team FKNI, Team NDGO, Team BRNZ, and Team ABRN among others, are also bad guys in this one

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