She felt the crisp Atlesian air gently blow against her face and through her hair. It was not the usual biting chill she was used to, but rather a comfortable coldness, like an autumn in Vale. She basked in the sun's rays, taking a seat at the fountain at the center of the manor's garden. She stared into the water, her pale skin unblemished and beautiful as it had always been.
This was her grandfather's favorite spot; or so her mother had told her. He would often spend entire afternoons simply sitting here, enjoying his surroundings and letting the cool Atlesian winds run through his hair and nip at his skin.
She wished she could have met him. It seemed that they had much in common.
'Splash!'
She shrieked and jumped when she felt the fountain's freezing water wet her hand. Clutching it to her chest, a mirthful cackling rang clear through the garden. She leveled a chilling glare at the perpetrator, who was cackling up a storm.
"Jaune Arc!"
The blonde's laughter only seemed to get louder. "Haha! You should see your face when you jump!"
"Oh, I'll show you a face all right!" She growled before launching herself at him.
His laughter was quickly replaced by a panicked yelp before being tackled to the impeccably well-kept grass. As they fell, she felt him wrap his arms around her to cover the back of her head before they tumbled into a roll. When they came to a stop, she was on top of him, straddling his chest and her hands gripping tightly onto the collar of his shirt.
Jaune raised his hands placatingly in surrender, that damned smile never leaving his lips. They stared at each other for a moment before a low chuckle escaped the blond beneath her. She tried her best to keep an intimidating look on her face, but his laughter was infectious. Soon enough, they were both in a fit of giggles.
"There she is," he said with a touch of fondness, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
She blushed, loosening her hold on his shirt before placing her hands on his chest. "Why must you be so insufferable at times?"
"Because I love seeing your feisty side," he replied. "It's cute. You're cute."
Her cheeks reddened further. "I'm not cute," she denied, abashed.
"You are." His hand raised to gently cup her face. "You're beautiful too. That smolder in your eyes when you glare at me makes my heart skip a beat." His thumb brushed against her cheek. "The only time when you're more beautiful is when you smile."
She turned away, unable to look him in the eyes. "Flatterer…"
"It's not flattery if it's true." From the edge of her periphery, she caught him grinning smugly. "You know I'm no good at lying."
Oh, she knew that fact well.
"Weiss…" She allowed him to turn her head back to him. "I love you."
"… What?"
"I love you, Weiss Schnee." He sat up, sliding her down so that she sat in his lap. His hands dropped to take one of her and raised it to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand, his royal blue eyes never once looking away from her. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to stand by your side until death do us part."
Her heart was threatening to burst from her chest. Tears of joy welled in her eyes. "J-Jaune…"
"Would you have me?"
"You utter dunce," she hiccupped, "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for you to ask me?"
"Far too long." He had the decency to admit his folly. The blond began to lean down. "But I can finally make this right."
Her arms eagerly wrapped themselves around his neck as she made to meet him halfway. She closed her eyes as she pursed her lips, waiting to feel them press against his.
Finally, after so long—
'BANG!'
Something wet and warm splattered against her face. She felt Jaune slump against her, his head falling forward onto her shoulder.
She dared to open her eyes…
"Jaune?"
… And found herself staring down the smoking barrel of a gun.
Fear gripped her heart as her eyes trailed upwards, looking up into the bone-white visor of a White Fang agent.
They smirked down at her with a wicked glee. They waved their gun slightly to the side, gesturing for her to look at Jaune.
She began to cry. Her arms tightened around his body, holding him against her like her life depended on it. She already knew what she would find, but she refused to look.
She couldn't bear to.
Blinded by her tears, she suddenly recognized the gun in their hands as Gambol Shroud. She stared up at them once more, their grin widening.
They reached up to take off the mask, revealing Blake Belladonna's cruel, haunting visage, her amber irises gleaming predatorily.
Her finger pulled against the trigger.
[ I ]
Weiss jolted awake; arms gripped tightly around her body pillow.
'It was just a dream…" She mentally sighed in relief. Everything had just been a bad dream.
She noticed the distinct lack of warmth at her back. Intuitively, she assumed he must be out with Pyrrha for their morning exercises again. She sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. Her face tingled, slightly tender for whatever reason.
"Good morning, Weiss."
"Good morn—" The heiress stiffened once she registered whose voice that was. She turned to face Pyrrha, who sported a tired and worried smile. "Pyrrha? You're still here?"
The redhead seemed confused for a moment. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You'd usually be on your morning run with Jaune about now." Weiss looked around for a moment. "Is he in the bathroom?"
"… Weiss," Pyrrha began slowly, "Jaune went after Blake last night, remember?"
"… Ah."
Perhaps everything hadn't been just a bad dream after all.
A smoldering anger began to fester within her, clashing with the melancholy she felt at being abandoned by her closest friend. 'How dare he?' she thought ruefully. 'In my time of need, vulnerable and weak, he left me to chase after that scum!' She visibly deflated, hugging her pillow to her chest. 'How could he abandon me like that?'
"He's fine, by the way," Pyrrha continued, raising her scroll up and showing off their chat log. "He's found someplace to stay in Vale with Blake."
Again, her partner's words made the heiress freeze in place. He was alone with that criminal?
"Call him," she all but ordered in borderline hysteria. "I want to talk to him."
"I would, but his scroll is dead. He said he barely had any power left when we last communicated and he didn't bring his charger with him when he left."
Her blanket bundled up in her hands. "Then we need to go find him. We can't leave him alone with that… that…!"
"I'm sure Blake wouldn't hurt Jaune," Pyrrha tried to assure her. "If only because he's her only ally right now."
"You don't know that!" Weiss threw off her covers and jumped to her feet. "You don't even know for sure if that was Jaune you were texting! For all we know, she could have—!"
Pyrrha suddenly had her hands on the heiress's shoulders, her grip gentle yet firm. "Stop it. Calm down."
Weiss grabbed at the taller girl's wrists. "Calm? CALM!? How can I be calm when Jaune's out there with a terrorist!?"
"Because that terrorist has had ample opportunity to try and take your life since our team's inception, but hasn't," the Amazonian Mistrali said with a barely contained voice. "Don't you think I'm worried, too? That finding out one of our teammates belongs to a criminal organization wasn't a shock to me as well?"
She took a deep breath. "And yet, despite that, I don't believe Blake is anything like the White Fang you've described."
"She was defending them at every turn!"
"She was defending the Faunus you've generalized at every turn." Pyrrha corrected harshly. "Weiss, I understand that you have very good reason to be prejudiced against the White Fang and their ilk, but some of the things you've said go beyond them."
The shorter girl crossed her arms. "Like what?"
"That Faunus boy, for example. Yes, he broke the law; but why would that mean he would want to join the White Fang? I'm not implying that you're racist!" Pyrrha cut Weiss off before she could start. "I'm only saying that it is an unfair assumption to make. If he was a human, would you automatically think he'd be part of a human supremacy group?"
Weiss looked away, looking somewhat ashamed. "No…"
"Things got heated last night. I'm certain that you both said things you didn't necessarily mean. That's why, before we condemn her, I'd like to hear Blake explain herself."
"What's there to explain?" Weiss asked rhetorically in a low, disgruntled voice. "She admitted it herself."
The redhead raised another counterpoint. "If it was that cut and dry, then why would Jaune go after her to try and help her?"
Weiss opened her mouth but no words came out. She couldn't come up with some other reason why Jaune would follow after his partner. Despite his denseness, Weiss knew Jaune was much smarter than his usual demeanor let on. He must have had a good reason to go with Blake. The only other reason she could think of was because he was infatuated with her; and she refused to entertain that thought.
"We still need to find him. Them." she corrected herself. She made to sit back down on her bed, making Pyrrha release her. "Did he say where they were staying?"
"He didn't, unfortunately." Pyrrha sat next to her. "I think he doesn't want us to find them until Blake is ready to talk."
"… That affable idiot," Weiss groaned into her hands. "Did he at least let his mother know he'll be missing?"
"He didn't say."
"Of course he didn't." The heiress sighed deeply, then reached for her scroll. "Oum, why must I love this oaf?"
"You're going to call Professor Goodwitch?" Pyrrha asked in surprise.
"If he neglected to tell her where he's gone, she'll turn the entire city upside down searching for him. At the very least, I can let her know that he'll be missing from class."
'Of course, if we don't find them by tomorrow night, she'll be incensed,' Weiss thought to herself.
"I didn't think you'd cover for him," Pyrrha admitted with a small smile. "I thought you were angry with him."
"Oh, I'm not just angry: I'm absolutely livid," Weiss told her. "He left me to cry myself to sleep to comfort some other woman. I just want a piece of him before his mother murders him."
[ II ]
A chill ran down Jaune's spine as he hunched over on his side of the futon, his face held in his hands.
'How do I fix this?' he asked himself, pressing his fingers against his forehead.
He and Blake found refuge at Tukson's for the night. They had been ready to throw themselves at his feet to convince the man, but Tukson had taken one look at Blake's tearstained face and let them in without a word. He'd have to start thinking about how to pay him back sometime.
That'd need to wait for later however, as Jaune's mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of his current predicament.
Looking back at his partner, laid behind him and sleeping soundly, a part of him regretted going with her. The blond was wracked with guilt for leaving Weiss as he had last night. He hadn't seen her like that for years. He should have been there for her instead of thrusting that responsibility onto Pyrrha, even if she had been the one who told him to go.
Yet despite the regret he felt, he would never call what he did a mistake.
Weiss at least had someone to be there for her. Even if Pyrrha wasn't the most optimal person for that role, she was someone who the heiress could trust and confide in, someone who could be her strength when she felt weak.
Blake had no one besides him.
Tukson would be able to offer his sympathies, but he wouldn't be able to help her prove her innocence; not when he was in the same boat as her. Jaune was her only hope of fixing things with their team. He had to prove not just to them, but Blake herself that she was not the person Weiss believed her to be.
He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. 'Where do I even start?'
His stomach growled softly, reminding him that it was time for breakfast. He supposed that was as good of a place to start if any.
[ III ]
When Blake awoke, the first sense that stimulated her dreary mind was scent. A wonderful smell wafted through the air and into her nose. It was fragrant and familiar, filled with the pleasant odor of butter, fish, and herbs.
The next sense that registered was sound. She could hear the tapping of a skillet on a stovetop and the ticking of a toaster. There was a brief interlude of humming and the chopping of something on a cutting board, followed by the sizzling of hot oil as something cool came in contact with it.
Intrigued and enraptured, amber irises fluttered open as the Faunus girl sat up. She followed the sound back to the apartment's kitchenette, where she saw the back of Jaune's form standing in front of the stove, the handle of a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. He seemed to be mixing something in the pan, blissfully focused on the task in front of him.
She moved to stand up from the futon, eliciting a slight creak that caused her partner to glance backwards at her. A small smile greeted her after a brief look of surprise.
"Morning, Blake," he said cheerily. "Feeling any better?"
"… A bit, yeah," she returned slowly, still somewhat stunned at the sight.
"I made breakfast: Grilled salmon and scrambled eggs." The toaster dinged as a pair of fresh slices of toast popped up. "Toast too."
When Blake got closer, she noticed the impeccably cooked salmon and eggs, well-seasoned with black pepper and salt. Her mouth—already salivating from the fragrance alone—threatened to overflow with drool.
Swallowing audibly, she said, "I didn't know you could cook."
He chuckled as he began to portion the food out onto a plate for her. "Well, as the third oldest of eight kids, I learned to help my mom cook for the rest of the family. For some reason, I was the only one of us that was any good at it. I still remember when Saphron almost burned down the house. And Cherise, Gods, don't even get me started." He leant over to whisper in hushed tones, as if the next words would make Oum smite him for even uttering them. "She microwaved everything."
"Everything?" she asked curiously.
"Everything," he repeated lowly. "Eggs, bacon, tea." They both shuddered. He gestured for her to sit down at the dining table. "Take a seat. Food will be ready in just a sec."
She nodded, planting herself in the wooden seat with her back facing him. Down the corridor, she heard Tukson walk out of the master bedroom, coming into view slightly hunched over with a haggard look and curiosity in his eyes. "The hell's that smell?"
"Morning Tukson," Jaune greeted the man. "I made some breakfast with some stuff I found in your fridge. I'm sorry that I did it without asking, and I'm more than willing to pay you back."
The Faunus man took one look at the food the blond prepared, glanced over to his fridge, then back at Jaune. "… You made that with the shit I had in my fridge?"
"Yeah, I did." He began making a plate for him as well. "Again, sorry for not asking permission beforehand."
"No, no, it's fine." Tukson waved him off, taking a seat across from Blake. "I'm just surprised, that's all."
'Yeah, no kidding,' Blake thought to herself. 'It looks good enough to serve at that restaurant we ate at yesterday.'
"Here you guys are." Jaune said as he handed them their plates and some utensils before sitting down next to his partner. "I hope you like it. I've been getting a little rusty, so it might not be as good as I usually make it."
Both Faunus shared a sideways glance before digging in.
As soon as the first morsel hit Blake's tongue, she was met with an explosion of flavor. The salmon was rich and moist, with an amazing texture composite from the crispy skin. A hint of lemon zest jolted her taste buds, complimenting the savory flavor of the fish. The eggs were nice and creamy, going amazingly well with the soft crunch of the toast. It was enough to make her forget about her worldly troubles, to forget about all that transpired yesterday and just enjoy the euphoria in her mouth.
Before she knew it, her plate was empty, practically licked clean. Her immediate instinct was to ask for another serving, but she realized that there was nothing left. Her eyes instantly darted to Tukson, who was in a similar state of yearning and disappointment as her. His plate was also completely devoid of even a crumb.
"Hah…" Jaune let out a contented sigh, having only just finished his own plate. "That hit the spot." He gave them both a knowing grin. "I'm guessing it was good?"
"Give up on being a huntsman," Tukson told him immediately. "Become a chef. Rake in the big bucks without having to risk your life."
Blake almost wanted to agree with him.
Jaune laughed, then shook his head. "I'm flattered, but I could never cook for work. It'd take all the fun out of it."
Tukson clicked his tongue. "Damn shame. Thanks for the meal, by the way."
"Yeah, thanks." Blake echoed. "It was delicious."
"No problem," Jaune replied with a humble nod, then began gathering all the dirty dishes to put into the dishwasher.
As he went about cleaning, Blake turned to the older Faunus and bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for letting us stay last night, Tukson."
He sighed, then placed a hand on the top of her head, ruffling her hair. "Anything for Ghira's kid." He removed his hand a moment later. "So, mind explaining why you kids aren't in school?"
Blake's ears flattened against her head. "We… I…" She took a deep breath. "I messed up."
Tukson quirked a brow. "How bad?"
"I admitted to being part of the White Fang."
He winced. "That's really bad."
She explained in detail what had happened yesterday, her tone and demeanor melancholic and regretful throughout the explanation. "… And now it's likely that I'll get arrested if I show my face on campus again."
"You won't get arrested." Jaune said, having finished cleaning.
"How do you know that?" She asked.
"Well, my mom knows that you were in the White Fang, for one."
Her eyes widened. "She does!? Since when?!"
"Remember the night she picked us up?"
She flushed. How could she ever forget that traumatic night? "Yeah…"
"Well, after you left, we had a…" His own cheeks reddened. "… a talk. She didn't say it exactly, but she let it slip that you were part of a bad crowd and that she didn't entirely approve of our, um… relationship."
As Blake groaned into her hands, Tukson looked between the two with visible curiosity. "Relationship? You mean you two are…?"
A muffled cry of denial came from the girl.
"We had to make up a cover story, so Blake and I pretended we were going out." Jaune explained for her.
'That's putting it mildly…' she thought to herself.
"Mmh," Tukson nodded thoughtfully. "Well, she could certainly do worse."
"Tukson!" Blake cried angrily, evoking a hearty chuckle from the man.
"Anyways," Jaune tried to reign in the conversation. "Since my mom knows, we can assume the headmaster knows as well. Which means he accepted your application despite your past."
"Why would he do that, though?" She asked. "He's risking the safety of the entire faculty and student body by letting in someone with a criminal history?"
"Maybe he saw something in you. Maybe he saw you wanting to leave that part of your life behind." He reached over to place a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe he wanted to give you a second chance at life."
"Or maybe he's just crazy." Tukson offered earnestly, earning a look from both of the teens. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm right. Only a nut job would let a former terrorist into a school."
There was a brief silence before Blake spoke. "He has a point."
"I'm trying to be optimistic here!" Jaune took a breath to calm himself. "Look, regardless of our headmaster's mental state, the fact that you weren't arrested on the first day means that you shouldn't have to worry about that now. You haven't done anything wrong since coming to Beacon."
"I guess you're right." She conceded. "Still, I can't go back. Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because I still need to prove to Weiss and Pyrrha that I'm not part of the White Fang anymore. I don't think we can convince them otherwise, even with you vouching for me."
Jaune frowned, but nodded in agreement. "The only problem is, I don't know where we should start."
"… How about doing what we've been doing." Blake said after a moment. "We've already been fighting the White Fang in secret. How about we do it without the disguises next time? We'll stay behind for the police and—"
"No, absolutely not." Tukson immediately argued. "In case you've forgotten, Adam is still looking for you. If your name or face shows up in the news, he'll come for you."
She couldn't believe she forgot about her former partner. The mere thought of him being in the same city as her, hunting her down was—
Jaune squeezed her shoulder, his hand glowing with Aura as he used his Semblance to calm her down. "Let him come," he said defiantly. "He won't lay a finger on Blake. Not while I still draw breath."
"Your confidence is born of ignorance," Tukson told him. "Adam Taurus is nothing like the grunts you've fought against. He is a professionally trained fighter with the skills and experience of Huntsmen nearly twice your age and a powerful Semblance to match. Trust me when I say that for all of your own prowess, you won't beat him."
Royal-blue eyes narrowed. "You don't know me."
"No, I don't," the Faunus admitted readily. "But I do know Adam. And I know that he's capable of taking lives, both innocent and not." He looked Jaune directly in the eyes. "Are you able to do the same?"
"… Tch." Jaune looked away.
Tukson leaned back in his seat. "I'm not trying to insult your skills as a fighter, but unless you come at Adam with the intent to kill, you won't beat him."
"Regardless," the blonde pressed, "this might be our best shot at fixing things between her and Weiss. We need to take that chance."
The older man glared at him. "You'd risk her safety just to make your life at school a little easier?"
"I'm not doing this for me!" Jaune's hands slammed down on the countertop, insulted by the accusation. "I'm doing this for my friends, for her!"
Tukson did the same. "If you're Blake's friend, you'd find some other way to prove her innocence without jeopardizing everything she's worked for!"
"Is that why you didn't tell us about the robbery on Tidal Street? Because you're trying to protect her!?"
"I didn't tell you because I didn't know there would be one!"
"Stop it!" Blake yelled, drawing their attention to her. Her sudden outburst seemed to expend all of her anger, leaving nothing but nervousness and sadness behind. "Just… stop fighting. Please."
Instantly, both men shared a look and leaned away from each other, guilty expressions clear on their faces.
"I'm sorry for yelling," Jaune apologized.
"Me too," Tukson echoed. "I just… I've known Blake ever since she was a little girl. I've come to consider her something of a daughter, so her safety is very important to me."
Jaune nodded in understanding. "I get that. I really do. Blake is important to me, too. That's why I'm trying to help her."
For some reason, his words evoked a warm feeling in her chest.
"Right," The older man sighed. "Right…"
"Tukson," Blake started, slightly more at ease than before. "You said that you didn't know about the robbery the other day?"
"No, I didn't," he confirmed. "No one told me anything about the op."
"Have you heard anything since then?"
He hesitated for a moment. "… An SDC freighter will be docking at the harbor today. Word is that it's filled to the brim with Dust. Several squads will be at the docks tonight with Bullheads to cart it all off."
She inhaled deeply. "… Then that's where we'll be."
Tukson let out a shaky breath. "Blake," he pleaded. "I'm begging you, please don't do this. Don't undo everything we've done to keep you safe from him."
'Everything you've done to keep me safe,' she corrected silently. Blake knew her old friend had risked a lot to keep her existence in Vale a secret from the White Fang, even going so far as to harbor her in his own home. She knew he only wanted what was best for her.
But she didn't want to live in fear of Adam anymore.
She was tired of running, tired of hiding: Both from Adam and her past. And now she finally had the chance to stop. To change.
'To prove I'm worthy of a second chance.'
"It'll be okay, Tukson." She met his eyes with a newfound confidence. "I can't run from Adam forever. If… When he does come," she turned to look at Jaune, "I trust that we'll be able to handle it."
"Not just us," the blond corrected, beaming at her. "Our team and our friends as well."
With a forlorn sigh, Tukson leaned against the table, palm against his forehead. "… Do whatever you want. I'm not your father, and I hold no power over you." He stood up. "But don't expect me to enable you anymore."
"Tukson…?"
"I'm done, Blake. You can come to me for books or a place to bunk, but don't ask me for help with the White Fang again." He began to walk back to his room. "I need to get ready to open up the shop. I'd appreciate it if you kids weren't here when I finish."
With that, the man disappeared around the corner. They heard a door open and shut, then were left in an uncomfortable silence.
"… Come on, Blake." Jaune lightly shook her by the shoulder. "We should get our things."
"Y-Yeah," she murmured, slowly rising from her seat. "Right."
As they quietly gathered their belongings, Blake couldn't help but think about what her second chance might cost her.
[ IV ]
"I'm sorry girls, but I haven't seen anyone like that."
"I see…" Weiss said disappointedly. "Thank you for your time, ma'am."
As she made to leave, Pyrrha held the door open for her before exiting herself. When the door closed behind them, Weiss let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, this is becoming monotonous. This has been the fifth block we've checked and there's still no sign of them."
They'd been at this for almost an hour now. Ever since their evening lectures had ended, they'd been scouring Vale for any sighting of their missing teammates. They hadn't even changed out of their uniforms, though they did grab their weapons and—to Weiss's mild annoyance—Jaune's hoodie for Pyrrha to disguise herself in once more.
"Do you think we should ask for help from Team RRYN?" Pyrrha asked.
Weiss shook her head. "I'd rather we keep this affair as private as possible. It's embarrassing enough that they had to see me and Blake arguing last night; to ask for their help after the fact would only add salt to the wound."
Pyrrha nearly forgot how prideful Weiss was, especially with how the girl usually interacted with Jaune and herself. The more logical side of her wanted to convince her partner to swallow her pride, but the redhead knew that Weiss was still reeling emotionally from last night, even if she hid it well. Even if it made their search harder, she didn't want to hurt Weiss further.
"Well, perhaps we're taking the wrong approach to this then." The Mistrali girl took a thinking stance. "If I recall correctly, there was this one bookstore Blake took us to the first time we went out."
Weiss nodded. "Right, I remember that. Tukson's Book Trade. It's the same store Jaune mentioned when they first began disappearing together."
"Is that where we're going?" A new voice popped up, startling the girls.
"Gods, Penny!" Pyrrha exclaimed, trying to still her racing heart. "Where did you come from!?"
"Hey guys!" The orange-haired girl greeted. "What are you up to?"
Weiss and Pyrrha shared a discreet stare before answering. "We're looking for our teammates. You know, Jaune and Blake?"
"Of course I remember them!" Penny grinned elatedly. "Jaune's my first boyfriend, after all! Oh wait, I mean 'friend who is a boy.'" She corrected after seeing the strained looks on the celebrity duo's faces. "And Blake's my first Faunus friend too!"
Both girls blinked for a moment, taken aback by her words. "Wait," Weiss started. "How did you know Blake was a Faunus?"
Penny pointed towards the top of her head. "Um, the cat ears? Her bow flickered from time to time when she kept her head completely still."
Everything was silent for a moment before both Weiss and Pyrrha facepalmed in unison.
"She does have quite the appetite for fish."
"Gods, that's why she refused to take the damn thing off! How did we never notice!?"
"Oh, because Jaune usually takes your attention away from her," Penny explained. "I was watching him a lot when we went out to eat yesterday. He's quite discreet, you know?"
"And of course Jaune knew long before we did!" Weiss couldn't help but shout, drawing a few stares from some passersby.
"So, where are they?" Penny asked, unfazed.
"We don't know exactly," Pyrrha answered as she tried to calm Weiss down. "But we think we may have a potential lead."
"That's wonderful news!" The odd girl proceeded to walk and place a hand on each of their shoulders. "I shall join you on your search. Fear not friends; I won't rest until we find your teammates!"
Pyrrha smiled awkwardly at the Atlesian student. "That's… very nice of you Penny, but we wouldn't want to impose—"
"Pyrrha," Weiss interrupted, slipping away from their impromptu huddle. "It's okay. Penny can help."
The green-eyed girl stared at Weiss for a moment before sighing. "If you're sure…"
"Sensational!" Penny cheered, pumping an arm into the air. "Please, lead the way!"
Weiss smiled at her, then began to walk towards their destination. Pyrrha followed after her, but quickly noticed that Penny still had her hand on her shoulder. "Penny, you can let go now."
"I cannot."
"Excuse me?"
"I cannot seem to remove my hand from your shoulder," Penny repeated in her usual jubilant tone. "Do you perhaps have a very strong magnet on your persons?"
Pyrrha couldn't quite tell if the girl was joking or not, since her Semblance did give her a passive touch-range magnetic field, but Penny couldn't possibly know that. Deciding to humor her, Pyrrha consciously lowered it. Just like that, Penny's hand came off; the girl herself stumbling backwards as if she was tugging with significant force.
"Thank you!" Penny beamed at her.
"Uh-huh…" Pyrrha mumbled, dumbstruck. "Penny, why did—"
"Pyrrha! Penny!" Weiss called from a considerable distance away. "Come on! We're losing daylight!"
"Coming Weiss!" They yelled back, jogging to catch up to her.
Pyrrha glanced at Penny from her periphery before mentally shrugging. She'd just assume it to be another one of the girl's many quirks.
[ V ]
The girls continued on for several blocks before arriving at their destination. When they entered, they noticed that the store was devoid of customers, save for a young girl sitting in the corner of the store. She perked up at their entrance, her brown eyes observing them from behind the cover of a book.
"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!" Tukson greeted them from behind the counter. "How may I help you?"
Weiss walked up to the counter while Pyrrha kept Penny back. "Let Weiss do the talking," she whispered to her.
"Understood!" Penny replied in a hushed tone.
"Good evening, sir." Weiss returned to the man. "My friends and I were wondering if you've seen these two individuals in the last twenty-four hours?" She showed him a picture of Blake and Jaune on her scroll.
Tukson observed the picture for a moment before shaking his head. "Can't say that I have."
Weiss frowned, not believing the man. "Really? Not at all? I know that the girl, Blake, is a frequent customer here."
"I don't know what to tell you, young lady." He shrugged. "I haven't seen her or the boy at all today."
"What about yesterday?" she pressed. "Maybe around night time?"
"Nope."
Weiss took a deep breath to calm herself. Getting angry and making a scene would not help her. "Please, sir. We're teammates. I'm just very worried about them." To prove she was telling the truth, she showed a team photo to him. "I said some unkind things to Blake and I'd like to apologize to her. If you know anything, anything at all, it would mean a lot to me." She gestured to the shelves of books around them. "Perhaps enough for me to also become a frequent customer. I do so enjoy a good book."
He took a moment to look at her, gaze unwavering, then sighed. "I'm sorry miss, but I really haven't seen them."
"… I see." Disappointedly, she turned to leave. "I'm sorry for bothering you then."
"Miss, please wait," the store owner caught her wrist before she could. He leaned over the counter slightly, then spoke with a hushed tone. "I may not know where they are, but if you leave me your number, I can contact you if I see them later."
Weiss seemed puzzled for a moment as she stared into the man's eyes, like he was trying to convey some other meaning with his words. Slowly, she nodded her head. "All right," she said, then began reciting her scroll number in a low voice such that only he could hear. There was only one other person in the shop, but she was always prudent with her private information, considering who she was.
Tukson let out a grunt when he finished adding her contact info. "There we go. As I said, I'll let you know if they come by."
"Right…" She still didn't quite understand his game, but thanked him regardless. "Have a good evening, sir."
Her eyes briefly scanned the shop for her friends, then spied them by the entrance, waiting patiently for her. Pyrrha's gaze seemed to bounce between the comic book section and the erotica section, which made Weiss's eyes roll in their sockets. She'd nearly forgotten about her partner's unrefined taste in literature.
As for Penny, the girl's attention seemed squarely focused on the little girl in the corner of the shop. It was almost unnerving how hard she was staring at the child, barely blinking in her single-minded observation. The poor thing seemed to shrink in on herself, obviously quite unsettled as she cowered behind her book.
Quickly, Weiss moved between her companions, forcing their attention on her. "Come on."
They fell in step behind her as she led them out of the shop. She walked a few more steps down the sidewalk, away from the bookstore's windows, then rounded on Penny.
"Penny, I understand you aren't quite… learned, in the ways of societal norms; but it's inappropriate to be staring at a child like that. You could be mistaken for a predator."
"Oh!" Penny exclaimed, horrified. "I apologize, friend Weiss, but I couldn't help myself."
A feeling of dread welled in her stomach. Surely she wasn't…? "What exactly do you mean by that, Penny?"
"Well, it's just that that girl seemed awfully interested in your conversation with the store owner."
Weiss paused; her dread suddenly replaced by intrigue. "She was?"
Penny nodded. "Indeed! As soon as you began your conversation with him, she maneuvered herself ever-so slightly closer to you. Her reading speed also decreased slightly as your conversation went on, indicating that her focus was less on the book and more on something else."
"That's… strange." Pyrrha commented with a thoughtful frown. Weiss couldn't help but agree. "Do you think she heard anything important?"
Penny shook her head. "I don't believe so. We were roughly equidistant to Weiss and I could not clearly make out any important details. My sense of hearing is quite good, so it is unlikely she could have perceived anything I could not."
A vibration from her pocket caught the girl's attention. Pulling it out, she saw that she received a message.
Docks. Tonight. ~ Unknown Number
Weiss warily tossed a look back at the store they'd just left. The message had to have been from Tukson; but if he knew, why did he not just say it?
Her mind automatically put two and two together. 'That girl was observing him. He couldn't speak freely, so he had to put on an act.'
But that begs the question: What exactly is going on?
"Weiss." Pyrrha touched her shoulder, drawing her from her thoughts. "Is something the matter?"
"I'm just… thinking." She paused for a moment, then let out a momentous sigh. "Whatever this is that Blake's gone and dragged Jaune into—"
She shook her head. That didn't sound quite right.
"No, that he leapt into headfirst of his own free will."
That fits much better.
"I fear it goes far deeper than they'd ever thought it'd be."
"… If that is the case," the redhead began, shooting her a confident smile, "then I suppose we are obliged to jump in with them, yes?"
An amused huff escaped Weiss as she returned her partner's expression. "I suppose so."
"Come on, then." Once again, she took the lead and began walking down the sidewalk, with the others easily falling into step behind her. "I just received a tip that we'll find our wayward teammates at the docks." Her eyes turned skyward, noting the setting sun. "With any luck, we'll find them before curfew."
"And if we don't?" Pyrrha asked curiously.
Weiss smirked. "Just another thing to punish our dear team leader for."
[ VI ]
Another day in Vale, another moonful night to stare up at. Unlike nights previous however, Jaune Arc could not enjoy his favorite pastime. Numerous clouds obscured the night sky, hiding the otherwise bright moon from sight, as well as what few stars he could make out. He let out an audible sigh, filled with boredom and irritation.
He glanced over to his partner. She was, as usual, diligently watching for any activity below their vantage point.
Grunting softly, he rolled off his back and dragged himself to lay next to her. "Anything change?"
"Nothing yet," she answered. "The last of the workers left roughly half-an-hour ago. It's been quiet since then."
He hummed, let the silence loom over them for a moment, then asked her, "How are you holding up?"
She was quiet. He could see that she was debating internally whether to ignore or answer him.
"I'm gonna keep asking if you don't answer me now," he warned good-naturedly.
"Of course you would." An exasperated sigh escaped her. She took another moment to formulate her response. "… I'm still a bit upset about what happened at Tukson's today."
He nodded sagely. "I thought as much."
"If you knew, then why bother asking?" She glared at him, but he was unfazed.
"Because talking it out with a friend might help you feel better."
Her amber eyes narrowed at him for a second longer before relenting with a deep breath. "I just… I know that this was my idea, but I'm starting to have some regrets. I feel bad for not listening to Tukson." Her hands gripped tightly on the ledge of the rooftop. "He looked so disappointed in me, Jaune. It was like I betrayed him by going through with this."
She turned away from him, a conflicted look on her face. "But this is the only way, right? This is our only chance to prove that I'm not with the White Fang anymore."
Jaune wanted to tell her that she's right. He wanted to assure her that everything would be okay, that everything would all go back to normal after tonight. Anything to calm the desperation he heard in her voice.
But that would be a lie. And as he proved the night previous, he was terrible at telling them.
So he told her the honest truth.
"I don't know."
It was clearly not the answer she wanted to hear. "But you agreed with me! You said—!"
"I said that this was our best chance," he corrected her. "Not the only one. This was the quickest way to prove your innocence, but I'm sure we could have tried convincing them another way if we were patient." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Unfortunately for us both, we were not. It's too late for regrets now, Blake. We've made our choice, now we have to follow through, otherwise the sacrifices we've made will be for nothing."
When she turned to look away in shame, he stopped her. "But regardless of this being the correct choice or not, the most important thing to remember is that we made it together. At the very least, after this is all said and done, you can count on me to have your back."
A solemn silence fell over them as his words sank in.
"… Thank you," she whispered, the edge of her lips curling up in a demure smile. "I'm glad that I made you my partner that day, Jaune. It was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Definitely the only good one in recent memory."
He returned it with a bright and optimistic grin. "Then let's make our choice tonight another one."
Blake's cat ears abruptly perked up, the girl turning her gaze skyward and causing Jaune to copy her. There, in the cover of night, several bullheads flew overhead. As they came closer, his human ears could finally pick up the whirring of their turbines. A brief flash of panic threatened to overwhelm him as their searchlights came on and scanned the area for what he assumed to be a landing spot.
Both he and Blake were quick to put their heads to the ground. For a moment, the sound of his heartbeat was louder than that of the bullheads that flew above them. His hand immediately went for Crocea Mors as a circle of light came dangerously close to exposing them. After what seemed like an eternity passed, the bullheads landed below them, their side doors sliding open and ramps deploying as several hooded and masked figures came filing out. The insignia of the White Fang was proudly emblazoned on their backs.
"About time they showed up," he murmured as he peered over the ledge. Despite not having night-vision like his partner did, he was still able to make out the silhouettes of weaponry on their persons. "Tukson wasn't kidding. They're out in force tonight."
A few of the White Fang began attaching tow cables to some of the shipping crates that had the SDC logo on them. They seemed to be struggling for some reason or another, likely the cable being tangled from being inappropriately stored.
"Hey! What's the hold up?" a voice shouted, turning everyone's attention to the center bullhead.
From their vantage, the hidden vigilantes saw a man in a pristine white coat step down the ramp, completely visible despite the lack of light. His bright, stylized orange hair was covered by a black bowler's hat. In his hands was what appeared to be a black cane.
"We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment," the man continued sarcastically, "Sooo, why don't you animals try to pick up the pace!"
Jaune's eyes narrowed. The man seemed familiar. "Is that… Roman Torchwick?"
He'd seen the elusive thief's wanted poster in the news from time to time. If he remembered correctly, Ruby even foiled the man's last known robbery attempt herself. 'What's he doing here?'
"This isn't right," Blake whispered, moving to stand up. "The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that."
With his partner seemingly readying herself to confront the man, Jaune quickly moved to restrain her. "Hold up."
"Jaune, let go!" she hissed at him, struggling in his hold.
"Just hang on a second!" he growled into her bow. He felt her shudder in his arms and stop her resistance. She stared up at him, her amber eyes glowing slightly in the dark. It might have been because of the low-light conditions, but he could have sworn he saw a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. "We usually make a plan before jumping into action, you know!"
"… Y-You're right," she said quietly, her voice quivering for a split second. "But don't we usually default to the same one every time?"
"Yeah, we do," he admitted unashamedly. "That's why it's bad for you to take my job. I'll go down first and grab their attention, then you—"
"Stop right there, criminal scum!" an authoritative voice echoed over the area.
The blonde nearly gave himself whiplash with how fast he turned his head around.
He knew that voice.
After all, he's basically grown up with it for all his life.
[ VII ]
When Weiss Schnee arrived at the docks, she had expected to find only one Faunus. Imagine her surprise when she came across an entire strike force of White Fang, led by one of Vale's most notorious criminals: a human one, at that.
She, Pyrrha, and Penny immediately took cover behind one of the large shipping containers, hiding themselves from view.
"What are the White Fang doing here?" she hissed. 'Did that bookstore owner set us up?'
Pyrrha looked up at the container they were hiding behind. "I might have an idea."
Weiss followed her partner's gaze, only then noticing her family's company logo painted across the container's side. Eyes roving over the area, she saw that several other containers were marked just the same.
"Of course…" Weiss sighed, facepalming. If anyone asked, she'd blame the low-light conditions.
"Do any of you see Blake or Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she peered around the corner.
Weiss's eyes scanned the group of terrorists for any hide or hair of their teammates. A part of her thought that she'd be able to spot Blake's long black hair peeking out from one of their uniforms, but their hoods and masks simply hid too much.
"I think I see Jaune." Penny pointed towards the rooftop of the administration building. True to the girl's word, Weiss could barely make out the mopping of blonde hair just behind the ledge. It was likely only due to their far vantage that they were able to see him. If they were any closer, the angle would be too steep and the ledge would have concealed him.
"Hopefully Blake's up there with him." Pyrrha said with some worry.
"Oh, I'm sure she is." Weiss murmured.
"What do you think they're doing up there?" Penny asked.
The heiress smirked. "Knowing Jaune, he's probably looking to ambush them from above. He does so love to emulate his father."
Her partner turned to her. "How do we try to get his attention?"
She thought for a moment. It was very unlikely that they'd be able to alert Jaune to their presence without also alerting the White Fang. But if their wayward teammates were already preparing for a fight…
"Both of you stay back and notify the police. I'm gonna get their attention. When the fighting starts, you two hit them from the flanks."
When she received two nods of acknowledgment, she strode out from their hiding spot and drew her weapon.
"Stop right there, criminal scum!"
She posed defiantly in front of the mob of White Fang, Myrtenaster poised and pointed at them. Her eyes were filled with utter loathing at the sight of her family's enemies.
The White Fang likewise stared daggers her way, brandishing their weapons menacingly.
Roman quirked a curious brow, the recognition and surprise in his eyes unmistakable. The experienced thief slipped into a jovial façade as he approached the Schnee heiress. "Well, well, well, what a surprise! I wasn't aware the SDC would send a Schnee to oversee their cargo's delivery."
"Surprising indeed," Weiss stated with contempt. "I never thought that you of all people would wish to make an enemy of the SDC, Roman Torchwick. I suppose all criminals eventually become as utterly stupid as the White Fang."
The Faunus around her growled savagely, eager to tear her to pieces. Roman smiled at her, arms spread wide.
"Well, I'll be the first to admit that my associates aren't exactly the brightest individuals. That said, there are many of them. So I'll cut you a little deal: You walk away, and I'll keep these savages from sinking their fangs into your pretty pale posterior."
"I have a better offer for you," she returned confidently. "You and your filthy pack of mongrels get on your hands and knees, and I'll be gentle when tying you up. I'll even toss in an all-expenses-paid trip to Vale's prison."
"How generous of you," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "but I'm afraid we'll have to decline." He pointed at her with his cane, then shouted at his lackeys. "Sic her, boys!"
At once, the White Fang shouted a cacophonous battle cry as they charged at her. She could see it in their eyes, their bloodlust, hate, and rage. They really did see her as nothing more than the physical embodiment of her father's sins.
But she wasn't scared of them. Not while she had a weapon in hand.
'CRASH!'
And certainly not while her friends were here to fight by her side.
Jaune ferociously roared as slammed down in front of her, Aura flaring on impact. He deflected a spray of bullets with his shield before swinging out and catching one of the Faunus in their jaw.
Another grunt tried to flank him from behind, but Weiss was already there, parrying their strike and countering with a roundhouse kick. The long-time friends were back-to-back, covering for each other and forming a nigh impenetrable defense
"What are you doing here?!" Jaune yelled over the roar of battle, drawing White Rose and returning fire at the gunmen atop a shipping container.
"What a stupid question!" Weiss shouted back, summoning an array of glyphs and bombarding a trio of White Fang a distance aways. "Of course I'm here for you, you absolute nimrod! You and your ridiculous partner!"
From the corner of her eye, she spotted another gunman lining up a shot at her. With Jaune preoccupied fending off a pair of mooks, he was unable to shield her. She moved to summon a glyph, but the gun was shot out of their hands. Their head whipped backwards as another bullet connected in a clean headshot, knocking them out. Her eyes followed the trajectory of the bullet, finding Pyrrha perched above them with her rifle in hand.
"Pyrrha's here too!?" Jaune exclaimed in surprise while effortlessly cutting through one of the White Fang's mass-produced blades.
"Of course she's here, you dunce! In case you forgot, we're partners!" As another group of terrorists came running at them, she pointed Myrtenaster at their feet and froze the ground with ice Dust. Suddenly losing traction, they slipped and fell in a heap.
A loud explosion caught everyone's attention. Their heads immediately turned to the bullheads, where they had turned into a pile of fire and metal. Nearby, they found Penny with her arms outstretched and pointed towards the burning scrap heap, a circle of blades spinning in front of her. "Escape vehicles neutralized!"
"Penny!?" Jaune yelled incredulously.
"… She was a last-minute addition," Weiss admitted quietly.
[ VIII ]
"What the fuck are they teaching you kids!?" Roman yelled from the ground after being thrown away by the explosion. As he tried to climb to his feet, a black blade found itself tickling his throat.
"Quite a bit," Blake said from behind him.
"WHERE DO YOU KIDS KEEP COMING FROM!?" He shouted in a mix of anger and exasperation, completely unfazed by the sharp object threatening to lacerate his jugular. "It's a school night, you know!?"
"Shut up," she growled. "You're gonna tell us exactly why the White Fang decided to go against everything they stand for and work with a human."
"And why exactly would I do that?"
She gestured to the prone and groaning forms of the White Fang around him, all of them either surrendering, unconscious, or wishing they were either of the former.
"… That is a very convincing point, young miss."
"Good work, Blake." Jaune praised as he and the others gathered around them. "Not exactly what we came here for, but a nice little bonus nonetheless."
"Not that I don't appreciate you saving my family's company a sizeable chunk of lien," Weiss started, crossing her arms expectantly as her gaze settled on her errant teammates, "but could either of you start explaining why we found you about to ambush a group of White Fang in the first place?"
Jaune and Blake shared a look. "… To prove my innocence," she answered. "Weiss, I'm not part of the White Fang. Not anymore."
"So you thought the best way to show that was to stop a major White Fang heist?"
The ravenette nodded. "I know it was extreme, but I thought it was the only way you'd be convinced."
Weiss took a moment to take in their surroundings. "Well, consider me convinced."
Roman groaned in disbelief. "You mean the entire reason you brats blew up this entire operation was to prove a point!? The hell kinda sitcom did I get myself into!?"
"We're trying to have a conversation here, thank you very little!" Jaune scolded the man.
"A conversation I don't wanna hear!" the thief rebutted. His eyes seemed to lock on to something behind Pyrrha. "Thankfully, it seems I won't have to listen to you much longer."
They realized too late that he was looking beyond them, and Pyrrha paid the price. The redhead was knocked into Penny by a swift kick to the head, knocking them both to the ground. A blur of white and pink zoomed at Weiss. Jaune just barely caught the gleam of metal flashing in the dark.
"WEISS!" He quickly threw his shield between her and the unknown assailant, protecting the heiress from a blade in her back and buying her time to react.
The shield fell to the ground with a clatter. Immediately, Weiss twisted and swung her rapier in a wide arc, hoping to catch her opponent with its thin and narrow edge, but found that she hit nothing but air. Her eyes darted to and fro in search of her enemy, and only just caught the wisps of bright-pink hair below her before she had to tilt her head away from their blade.
Again, her vision was filled with pink as something from underneath bloomed from under her. A foot planted itself in her gut, and she was kicked back into a shipping container.
Jaune hastily drew and shouldered White Rose, the firearm extending into its carbine form, then emptied his magazine on their unknown attacker. Surprisingly, the powerful large-caliber bullets were deflected by that same circle of pink.
Taking advantage of the lack of focus on him, Roman swung the back of his head into Blake's face, stunning her for a moment and loosening her grip on him. He grabbed her sword arm and twisted it over his head, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from his former captor and throwing her at Jaune.
The unexpected impact of the Faunus girl against him was enough to throw the blonde's aim wildly off course, allowing his target to run and regroup with Roman.
"Sure took your sweet time," he said as he picked up his cane. "Did you enjoy watching me get humiliated, you little sadist?"
There was no audible reply, but the figure's answer made the thief snort in amusement.
"Well, I'm glad you got your rocks off. Now that you're here though, I can finally quit this babysitting gig."
"You're not going anywhere."
Roman and his accomplice turned to look at the leader of Team AWBN. He and his partner had regained their footing and were primed and ready to leap into action. Behind them, Pyrrha and Penny had untangled themselves and stood in the reserve, their weapons trained on the criminal duo. To the side, Weiss was poised to strike, the Dust cylinder cycling in place with an audible 'click.'
The stand-off between the two groups was silent yet intense. All was still except the flickering of eyes and the movements of their breathing.
The clouds above parted, revealing the shattered moon and allowing its light to shine down on them. No longer hidden by the shadows of darkness, the huntsmen-in-training finally laid eyes on the form of their newest enemy.
It was a woman, for despite the fact that she stood shorter than Weiss, the swell of her bust and her shapely hips couldn't paint her as anything but. Her outfit consisted of elegant white and browns, with tasteful pink inlays on her broad-tailed coat. It was not too dissimilar in fashion from Roman's outfit, though much more provocative and feminine. Her long hair held a slight wave to it, and was divided down the middle: her left side was a chocolate brown; her right, a pale pink. It framed a cute, round face, with pouty lips curling upwards in a cocky smirk. Mesmerizing, heterochromatic eyes stared back at them, each the same color as her hair.
She held her weapon—now revealed to be a parasol with a bladed tip—over her shoulder in a seductive and taunting fashion. She leaned into Roman's side like a lover would on a date. The suave man looked down at her with a fond smile, one filled with affection and amusement, before his green eyes turned back on the teens.
"Sorry kiddos, but as much as you want me to stick around, I'm afraid I can't. Prior engagements and all that." He grabbed the rim of his hat and tipped it towards them. "I'll be kind and let you all off tonight with a warning instead of a spanking. If I catch you anywhere near my operation again, you'll be taking a dirt nap."
At once, Team AWBN launched themselves at the criminals, who stood in place with knowing smirks. As soon as they came in contact, the pair of crooks shattered in a shower of glass, making the teens stumble to a stop. They frantically looked around for any sign of Roman and the mystery woman, but could find no trace of them.
They were well and truly gone.
"Damn it!" Blake cursed as she stomped her foot angrily on the ground. "We were so close!"
"Is everyone all right?" Pyrrha asked.
"We should be asking you that," Jaune said, moving closer to inspect her for wounds. "That was a pretty nasty kick you took." His hand moved to her head. "Does your head hurt anywhere?"
"Y-Yes," she stammered slightly, guiding his hand to where she was hit. "It didn't break through my Aura, but…"
He smiled at her, his hand already glowing white as he used his Semblance on her. "Say no more."
The Invincible Girl leaned into his touch, sighing contentedly as she felt the painful throbbing ebb away.
Weiss looked on enviously, but decided to deal with Blake first. She approached her with crossed arms, then called her name to get her attention. "Before we were so rudely interrupted, I believe we still had some words for each other."
"Yeah, I…" the ravenette paused, fumbling for words. "I'm… I'm sorry, about before. I—"
"Blake," Weiss interrupted. "Take off your bow."
She recoiled slightly, hands going straight towards the top of her head. "W-What?"
"If we're going to make amends, then I want to do so with the true Blake Belladonna. Not the person that you've been pretending to be for these past couple of months."
"…" Hesitantly, Blake reached up and undid her bow. Her cat ears flexed slightly as they were released from their bondage.
Weiss stared up at them for a moment, causing the Faunus girl to squirm, impatiently waiting for the shorter girl's response.
"… You look better like this," she said at last, smiling up at her. "You should stop wearing that thing."
"T-Thanks?" Blake said awkwardly, her usual cool demeanor waylaid by her nervousness at being exposed.
"And now that the real Blake Belladonna is in front of me…" Weiss bent down in a curtsey. "I would like to formally apologize for the things I've said to you."
Amber eyes widened with surprise as Weiss continued. "You were right to call out my bigotry as you did. I was wrong to lump that Faunus boy in with the White Fang. My hatred for them blinded me and caused me to say many unkind things, and for that, I'm sorry.
"I'm also sorry for saying that people couldn't change, because that spits in the face of all the things you've done to try and better yourself. I hope that you are able to forgive my foolishness."
After a moment of silence, Weiss dared to raise her head to look for her teammate's response.
She found a warm, genuine smile waiting for her.
"Of course, Weiss."
A smile of her own found itself on her face. Rising to her full height, she said, "I would have it said clearly, Blake Belladonna."
Chuckling, Blake acquiesced. "I forgive you, Weiss Schnee."
"... Thank you." She still looked apprehensive, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt. "I… I won't lie: There is still a part of me that is afraid of you, afraid of what you were, but…" She forced herself to take a breath, then held out her hand towards Blake. "I sincerely want to put this entire fiasco behind us and start anew. Like we agreed to, what seems like so long ago."
Blake eagerly took the proffered appendage. "Let's."
"There," They heard Jaune say from behind them. They turned to see him finish up with Pyrrha, the glow of his Semblance disappearing. "All better."
Pyrrha kept his hand in place on the side of her face, smiling at him with half-lidded eyes. "Mmh, just a little more?"
He chuckled softly. "Any more Aura and I'm afraid you'll explode."
"… Excuse me, Blake." Weiss began walking towards the two. "I also need to have words with our dear team leader."
Emerald eyes spotted the heiress's approach, their owner lamenting that her time with the object of her affection was cut short. She lowered his hand and held it for a moment. "Let's talk later, okay?"
"Of course," he nodded with an appreciative smile. "But before I forget…" He wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug. "Thank you for being there for Weiss. I really appreciate it."
She was stunned for a moment, surprised by the sudden embrace, but readily returned it a second later. "But of course. She's my friend, after all."
"Ahem?" Weiss coughed unsubtly, staring at them with a quirked brow.
The two separated shortly after. Pyrrha sent him one last beatific smile before walking towards Blake to have her own conversation with the newly revealed Faunus.
Jaune turned to his childhood friend and tried to greet her with his usual mien, but he could not hide the tiredness in his expression. "Heya Weiss."
"Jaune," she responded curtly, crossing her arms with an expectant look.
There was a small pause of silence between them as Jaune desperately tried to form the right words to say. He'd spent the entire day rehearsing some extravagant apology to give her, but now that the time has come, his tongue failed him.
So he simply said, "I'm sorry."
Another moment passed, with his childhood friend still staring at him as if waiting for him to continue.
He definitely wanted to, but that was all he could muster while parsing through several thousand more optimal dialogue strings in his mind, none of which seeming to be enough.
Seeing that he was struggling, Weiss spoke at last. "Twenty-four hours."
Her words confused him for a moment. "What?"
"Twenty-four hours," she repeated. "That is how long you have left me worrying for you. No attempts to get in contact with me or Pyrrha at all. I hope you know that I cried myself to sleep last night, that I was forced to show my most vulnerable state to someone that wasn't you. You are incredibly lucky that Pyrrha is someone I've come to trust implicitly, or else I would have murdered you before dying of embarrassment myself."
The way he winced after the heiress's every sentence brought her some small modicum of satisfaction.
"Then there was the amount of time Pyrrha and I were on our feet searching for you. That was roughly six hours. The absolute monotony we had to endure, going through each shop in the commercial district one-by-one for any clue as to where you or Blake had gone. My feet hurt, I'm absolutely famished, my back is hurting from being kicked into a steel container—which you've yet to offer to heal, by the way— and all that comes out of that big mouth of yours beyond careless promises is, 'I'm sorry?'"
"… I'm really sorry?" he tried instinctively.
She stomped down on his foot hard, causing his Aura to flare as he bit back a yelp of pain.
"Get on your knees," she growled, not at all amused. "I want you to beg for my forgiveness."
Wordlessly, he complied with her demands, quickly prostrating himself before her. He watched her brown academy-issued shoes step out of his vision, then felt a weight upon his back as she sat on top of him. She wasn't heavy, and her derrière was well cushioned; so it wasn't like it was uncomfortable for him either.
Once Weiss got herself comfortable upon her human chair, she said, "Now, let's try that again." Her fingers drummed against the base of his neck. "And do try to hurry. We do not have all night, you know."
"R-Right," he stuttered, somewhat embarrassed at his current situation. He took a deep breath before trying to apologize once more. "I'm sorry for making you cry and worry about me, and for causing you and Pyrrha so much trouble by having to look for me today. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, so please, I'm begging you, please forgive me."
"Hmph." Weiss crossed her legs and inspected her nails. "I'm not hearing an apology for leaving me."
"Because I'm not sorry for that."
An impeccably groomed eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Really? Why ever not?"
He hesitated for a moment. "… Because Blake needed me more than you."
Myrtenaster suddenly nestled itself into the crook of Jaune's neck. The cold steel sent shivers up his spine as it made gentle contact with his flesh.
"Hah, and you were doing so well, too," she sighed disappointedly. She played with the revolver mechanism on her weapon, the Dust cylinder clicking menacingly with each pull of the trigger. Luckily for Jaune, the safety was on, but the threat was clear nonetheless. "I pray to Oum that you can explain your reasoning to me, Jaune. For your sake."
There was an audible gulp from the blonde beneath her. "When I made that choice to leave with Blake, it was not made lightly. It was only because Pyrrha was there that I left. I knew you were in good hands with her. Blake? Blake has no one besides me. If I didn't go with her, I don't think tonight would have ended quite so cleanly."
"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense…" Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her rapier move away from his neck. "Very well, then. You are forgiven."
Another breath of relief escaped him. "Thank you, Weiss—"
"But," she cut him off, then shifted her position so that she was straddling him. "Only if you carry me back to our dorm tonight. I refuse to take another step. And when we get back, I will give you the honor of massaging my feet. It is the very least you could do after making me spend all day on them."
A small cry of surprise escaped her as Jaune stood up. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as his arms hooked under her legs.
"If that is what milady wishes," he said with a playful tone.
"Mmh." She leaned into his back with a wistful sigh. "Of course, before that, you need to take a shower. You reek of Blake."
"I wasn't aware that my smell was particularly bad," said the girl in question as she and Pyrrha walked over.
"It isn't," Weiss assured her, "but it bothers me that it's not my scent on him."
The sounds of sirens in the distance caught their attention.
"It looks like the police have finally arrived," Jaune noted with an amused smirk.
Blake nodded with a roll of her eyes. "Of course they only get here when everything's taken care of."
"Perhaps we should have called them earlier," Pyrrha giggled, then turned to look at Penny. "Isn't that right, Penny?"
The redhead looked around for a moment, realizing that their friend was not with them. "Penny?" she called out again, louder this time. "Have any of you seen where she's gone?"
The entirety of Team AWBN began to look for the quirky girl, but their search came up fruitless.
She was nowhere to be found.
[ IX ]
The door of one of Roman Torchwick's many safehouses was thrown open as he staggered through it, dropping down on a sofa placed not too far away. The infamous thief let out a tired groan as he draped himself over the piece of furniture. "Gods, what a fucking mess. Stupid god-damned kids."
He let out a grunt as a familiar weight pressed down on his stomach. Looking up, he found a pair of heterochromatic eyes staring down at him with amusement. He reached up to caress his partner's cheek, smiling appreciatively at her. "Thank Oum for you, Neo."
A soundless giggle escaped her as Neo lowered herself onto his chest, snuggling up with him as his hands ran through her exotically colored hair.
"At the very least, those two vigilantes didn't show up," Roman continued to vent. His hand stopped on Neo's shoulder, pulling her small frame against his. "Did you find the leak?"
Neo wiggled her hand back and forth as if to say, "I'm not sure," then pulled out her scroll and handed it to him. The screen showed a list of suspects she's investigated, each name accompanied by a dossier filled with the details she's noted down.
He looked it over for a moment before letting out a scoff of pure irritation. "Can't believe I have to pick up after these animals. This is why we're not getting any pets."
As he read over a particular dossier; small, skillful hands caught his attention as Neo signed something to him.
"… You sure?" he asked with raised brow. "The same kids?"
She nodded.
"Well, I'll be…" the green-eyed man grinned. He placed the scroll down on the nearby coffee table, then turned his full attention on the woman on top of him. His left hand reached down and grabbed at her ass, eliciting a silent moan from her. His other hand went behind her hand and pulled her down so that their lips met in a passionate kiss.
"Good job, love," he whispered as they parted. "You know, with everything that's been going on, I haven't had much time to show you some TLC." As if revitalized by the intimacy, Roman sat up and began to undress, throwing away his white coat and making a show of it. "Let me remedy that."
Neo bit her lip as she watched the man strip in a tantalizing manner, her face flushed with heat and desire. Eager and excited, she began to unbutton her own clothing, slipping out of it to join him.
As the two criminals engaged in a night of passion, Neo's scroll lay forgotten on the table, a picture of Tukson taking up the screen.
A/N: So, a few things to talk about.
First off, yay, I manage to get a story to over 100k words! That's a milestone I've been wanting to hit for nearly a decade now, so I'm kinda happy that I've finally done it.
Second, remember when I used to post bi-weekly? Yeah, that stopped because of this chapter. I remember stalling here for the longest time because this chapter is roughly double the length of what I usually post, but I couldn't find a good place to stop. Not only that, but this chapter was really just a struggle to write, because I kept looking and going "Man, I'm not really happy with this." Even now, I'm not completely satisfied with the final product, but it if I continued to stall, I likely wouldn't get an update out till the end of the year at the earliest.
Thirdly, this is the last chapter I've had in my stockpile. I have another one in the works, but I don't know when that'll be done. As I said before, I haven't really had a chance to really sit down and put my thoughts to paper. I just want to warn you guys now that you may not see an update at all next month, depending on how well my muse wants to work with me.
Until then, I hope you guys enjoyed what I've put out. Big thanks to my friends TheSinful and Shadeking666 for beta'ing for me, as well as those who've been diligently following this story.
Til next time!