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Requested By : Polemoduke

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Once Blake had finished her story, about an hour and a half later, Weiss simply stood and said, voice as flat as the table they were all sitting at, "I'm sorry to leave like this, but… I need some time. To think."

She left before anyone could say much of anything and, after shooting the room a look and nodding his own apologies, Jaune rushed after her. But they never came back so, after another awkward hour, Ren packed up the cold leftover pizza and everyone went back to their dorms for the night. But, as aggravated as Nora obviously was by the whole thing, Blake felt…

Better.

A lot better, in fact.

And… Ready.

"You're sure?" Yang asked quietly the next morning as Blake hesitated in the doorway, Nora leaning against the doorway past her with a tiny smile. She raised an eyebrow at her but Yang ignored her, watching Blake's ears flick before she looked down to meet her eyes. "Other people… Might not be, uh, nice? I dunno how to say it, I just-"

"I get what you're worried about." She smiled, "But if anyone messes with me, I'll… Just point my attack Nora at them."

"Your attack Nora…?"

"I'm a leg girl." Nora offered, earning an eye roll from her as Blake turned to raise an eyebrow at her. "Looking at them, breaking them if they run their stupid mouths about my girl… Works both ways."

"Nora…"

"Also, I am definitely a fire and forget kinda gal." She smirked, ignoring Blake playfully and going on, "I do use a grenade gun ya know."

"Is grenade gun the right word…?" Blake asked, chuckling under her breath.

"Technically or actually?"

"How is that different?"

"Depends." Nora shrugged, "Am I bein' normal, or a pedantic priss like miss frosty bitch over-"

"Nora…"

"Fiiiine, 'frosty britches'." She rolled her eyes, booping Blake on the nose before she could even see her moving. "You are way too nice, Blakey."

"And you are way too quick to escalate to breaking legs."

"Really?" Ren raised his eyebrows and cocked his head as he came over and handed Nora her backpack. "Even Winchester?"

Blake paused for a second, thinking and flicking Nora a long look, pursing her lips and tapping her chin. Finally, she shrugged and said, "Okay maybe I make an exception for him."

"Yes!" Nora crowed, pumping a fist in the air and turning for the door with a wide, toothy and vicious smile. "Mistral special comin' to ya, Bitch-chester!"

"Only if he's racist in class!"

"Blake," Yang sighed, "he sneezes racism!"

"How do you sneeze racism…?"

"Ah, ah, aaaaaah…." Ren breathed, mock-sneezing and rushing out, "Pickyourslurheree. Blegh."

Blake laughed at that, pushing past Nora and shaking her head as she stepped out, into the hallway. The air was warmer out here - Ren liked it a bit chillier, and none of them minded much - and feeling the air and noise directly on her ears was refreshing. And new enough to make her anxious even before she noticed how many of the other students coming out of their dorms for breakfast were giving her looks, all a mix of surprise, shock and, in more than one case, anger.

And some of the last weren't even Human…

"Hey." She felt Nora's powerful arm slide around her waist and Ren's hand take hers on the other side, offering a gentle squeeze that was more… Supportive, to her mind, than intimate. She flicked him a look and then Nora another and the woman said, "You're part of our family. Don't worry about all the idiots out there, yeah?"

"Exactly." Ren added, "They don't matter."

"Unless they're bugging you." Yang added, "In which case, I can start swinging."

She chuckled and shook her head, stepping forward and tugging two of the three others along with her while Yang followed along just a half-step behind. Changing the subject, she asked, "More importantly… How are we all feeling about mid-terms?"

"Oh, shit." Nora sighed, "Forgot all about those…"

"Y'all did have some stuff going on." Yang chuckled quietly, "Whatever. Our combat scores and mission scores are high enough to carry you. I hope…"

"Ever the ray of hope, aren't you?"

"Hey, I'm a regular Beacon of hope over here!" Yang grinned, rolling her eyes at their collective groans as Ren reached over to playfully bop her on the back of the head. She laughed, rubbing at the spot like she'd been bruised somehow - or would have cared if she had been - and pouting, "Rude! We live together so that's domestic."

"Technically…"

"More importantly," Nora cut in, "we have to decide what we're wearing to the dance after!"

"I'm imagining… Clothes?" Blake suggested with a playful flick of her ears.

"I mean if you have to…"

"You're terrible."

"Oh, I know." Nora grinned, shaking her head and sighing. "Anyways, we gotta coordinate! We're all mostly dating each other, so we should do, like, matching outfits!"

"Wait," Yang squawked as they rounded a corner and stepped into the already loud cafeteria, "who am I dating?"

"You and Ren have been dating for, like, a couple weeks, blondie." Nora snorted, laughing outright when the blonde blinked in surprise and Blake laughed too. When Yang just blinked more at her, Nora said, "Oh, come on, y'all have gone to dinners, stayed overnight in your workshop, you hang out with him as much as I do…"

"I-" Yang turned, peering past them and asking, "Did you think we were dating?"

"Yes?" Ren said, raising an eyebrow, "Do you… Dislike that?"

"I… Guess not." She sighed, "We're having fun, and no one's mad, so… Wait, Nora, you aren't mad?"

"Nah." She shrugged, "He talked to me about it after the first couple nights y'all spent out. No big."

"Ah, well…" She snorted, "Figures I'm literally the last to know even that I'm dating someone, doesn't it?"

"You do tend to miss the forest for the trees." Blake nodded, pulling free of the other two and grabbing plates to hand out so they could all head down the bar, stacking up on breakfast stuff as usual. And, in Blake's case, bagging a heap of shrimp at the end. While they worked, Blake added, quietly, "And missing the trees for your hair, too…"

"Oh, you're just jealous."

"Why?" She asked, "Can you store Dust vials in that mop or something?"

"Nora, control your girl before I hit her with a bagel."

"Hit her with a bagel," Nora grinned, hefting a long breakfast sausage. "And I beat you up with a sausage."

"Oh that's just wrong…" Yang muttered, before they all broke out into laughing fits as they turned and headed for their table.

Blake could still feel all the eyes on her as they sat, but… Somehow, she didn't care, too focused on her team. And on the delicious shrimp, too. But definitely more on her team, she was sure!

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In spite of how excited - or anxious, even - they all were, one thing was still in the way before the worldwide Vytal celebrations kicked off. One single event that every student, civilian or not, teenaged or tiny child, dreaded more than almost anything. More than vegetables, Grimm sparring, or even endurance training.

Exam week…

Four days straight of nothing but quietly cramming in morning study period and just as quietly working through a stack of papers as thick as her scythe full of everyone from who shot Francis Verdant to start the first war between Vale and Vacuo all the way to who was elected as head of whatever the heck out in Mistral last year. It was important stuff, world changing stuff, she knew. Deep down inside. But even as important as it all was…

"Boooooring!" Ruby groaned, flopping across the top of the curved table that ran in front of all the seats in the classes. She rolled over to look at Weiss, who only scowled at her, like she'd been doing for days. Even so she waved a little and asked, "Wanna escaaaaape?"

Weiss blinked, confused, and scoffed, "To where? From what?"

"Anywhere and the boredom!" The woman just rolled her eyes and Ruby sighed, turning the other way to poke Pyrrha's arm. The redhead gave her a tired look and she grinned, "Wanna escaaaaaape?"

"From…?"

"The boredom!" She bemoaned, laying her head on her stack of notes and sighing. "My heads gonna explode."

"Ruby…" Pyrrha sighed, "You have to study."

"I have been!" She argued quietly, "For, like, days!"

"It's only thursday morning…"

"Two days is days!" Ruby pointed out, "Two is plural!"

"It's only two more days." Pyrrha pressed, smiling thinly, like she found something… Funny, and was smiling in that way that made Ruby want to start running around again. Like when she had one - or eight - too many strawberries. Quietly the woman asked, "Can't you keep it up until then?"

"But I don't-"

"For me?" Pyrrha asked, cocking her head to the side and very thoroughly crashing . She nodded nervously and Pyrrha smiled a bit wider, turning back to her notes and saying, "If you can, we'll do something fun Saturday."

"Just…" Ruby swallowed, "The two of us?"

"If you like." She shrugged, "We could go dress shopping for the dance."

"Ew." Ruby scrunched up her nose, "Dresses…"

"Don't you wear a skirt everywhere…?"

"Skirts don't have heels."

"Ruby," Weiss, of all people, sighed and leaned over, "you can wear a dress without heels. It's rather silly, of course, but… You're already silly enough, so no one will mind."

"Ohhh…" Ruby hummed, blinking as she realized something else. She didn't know how to dance…

"It's fine." Pyrrha said, breaking her out of her thoughts just as she started to plan out how to get a fake cast and pretend to have a broken ankle so she could dodge any people asking her for a dance. She turned to blink owlishly at her and Pyrrha smiled ever so slightly, "I can get someone to teach you. Weiss could, I'm sure, and I believe Jaune mentioned knowing how. And I know how as well besides, albeit mainly Mistral styles."

"I…" She swallowed anxiously, leg bouncing under the table. "Could you teach me? I'd, um, prefer that."

"Oh?" The redhead raised an eyebrow and, for a second, Ruby wondered - worried - that Pyrrha would press her for why. Which was something even Ruby wasn't sure how to answer. But after a second, she just shrugged and said, "Well alright, I certainly don't mind spending time with you, so it should be fine."

It should have been a simple sentence, completely normal…

But Ruby just nodded, heat creeping up her ears, and turned to stammer, "R-Right well, um… Study time, I guess! Right…"

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"Uuuuuuuuugh." Ruby groaned when, finally, Friday afternoon came around and they escaped the last classroom's tests and headed to the rec-room to celebrate. Ren had finished before her, along with Blake and Pyrrha, but the two Mistralians were the only ones here already, working in the little cooking area making snacks. So Ruby just flopped onto the couch and sighed, "Ahhhhh, I shall die if I am not sustained soon!"

Weiss sighed from her spot in the corner, sitting in a comfy chair with a book - as if reading hadn't been something they were doing all day - and a table beside her. She gestured at it when Ruby rolled over and said, "There are muffins right over-"

"Ah, but Weiss, I require chocolate!" She called over to the girl, pressing a hand against her forehead dramatically, "Without something sweet, I'm afraid I might d- Ack!"

She flailed as the muffin bounced off her nose and she struggled to catch it.

"Dolt." Weiss chuckled, "They're chocolate chip."

"Oh…" Ruby smiled, "Thanks, Nice Weiss."

"I am always nice!" When Ruby ignored her and focused on munching on her muffin, Weiss just glowered and pouted and muttered, "I am… Or I try to be, at least."

But, before Ruby could respond, the door opened again and the others came in just as Nora sighed and groaned, "Finally freeeee. Reeeeeeen, I need pancakes!"

"Ten minutes." He called back, sounding amused, "And bacon, too."

"Awesome." Nora sighed, flopping onto the other end of the couch Ruby was laying on as Blake turned, spotted Weiss in the corner and froze. A heartbeat passed and Nora straightened, eyes narrowing a bit.

"It's fine." Weiss assured them both, flicking a look to the chair on the other side of her table and frowning. "I… Was actually hoping to talk to you, Blake."

"About…?"

"Menagerie." She answered quietly as Yang trundled by, wary and watching but apparently more interested in stealing a couple muffins and going to sit at the dining table than intervening. Quietly, the Schnee turned the book around and offered it to the Faunus. "Are these mineralogical surveys accurate? If so, why aren't they being tapped?"

"I… Don't know about the surveys specifically, not… Not for those spots, at least. Not without calling and checking." Blake said, taking the book and the offered seat at the same time. "But… The reason they go untapped is because, in brief, who would tap them?"

"I don't follow…"

"We lack the means." Blake shrugged, "And why would the Kingdoms invest in them when it would only strengthen the Faunus?"

"You can not seriously be trying to suggest that the reason for such negligence is just… Racism." Blake nodded and Weiss scoffed, pursing her lips as Ruby sat up, already seeing the argument coming as Weiss said, "That's ridiculous! Every little problem in the world isn't racism, Blake."

"Not every problem." She agreed, frowning, "But this one is."

"How could you even-"

"Racism landed my people there with near enough to nothing to build, to develop, to… Do much of anything." Blake cut her off, a bit of heat creeping into her voice and her ears flicking rapidly in… Irritation? That's what Ruby thought it was, at least. "Menagerie isn't a Kingdom, not by any of the Four's metrics, and helping in development would change that. Companies would garner wealth and prestige, the world would grow closer- What possible reason could all these groups have to do nothing? Can you suggest it?"

"I…" Weiss trailed off, clearly thinking but…

She couldn't come up with anything, obviously, so she snatched the book back, stood and left without another word.

Blake just watched the door slam, then sighed, stood, and came over to join Nora on the couch. Without a word, she picked up the hammerer's arm and looped it around her shoulders, sighing, "I require affection."

Another moment passed and Yang snickered, "Okay, that's frickin' adorable. But shouldn't we worry about-"

"She'll go find Jaune and talk to him." Ruby cut in, shrugging, "She's been doing it all week. I don't know what's going on, but…"

"Oh?" Yang chuckled almost darkly, "I guess Jaune is taking care of the princess, huh?"

"I mean, yeah?" Ruby shrugged, brows furrowing, "I just said that?"

"...Okay, sorry Blake, that is cuter than you are."

"Shush." Blake called back as Nora peppered the side of her face with kisses, "Or I hide your conditioner."

"Oh that's just dirty…" Yang complained quietly, "Absolutely catty."

"Yaaaaaaaaaang," Nora crowed, smirking, "that's racist!"

Ruby watched a banana bounce off her head and chuckled, "Nice throw!"

"Hey, I can throw more than hands!"

"Yeah, well, if I didn't have cuddles to get to I'd take you up on that!" Nora called back, rolling her eyes and flicking Ruby a look. Smiling, she said, "So… You look over the Vytal tournament registry yet?"

"Duh." She rolled her eyes, "Why?"

"Because…" Nora smiled, "How many Choco-Wolves you have on Russet?"

"Oh, that's the guy with the minigun, right?" Nora nodded and Ruby shot up, bouncing excitedly on the couch. "I have three! Three on the minigun!"

"I have eight on Roy!" Yang called over, laughing, "He's a dark horse, lemme tell you."

"The horse Faunus is Jasper." Blake called over the top of the couch, "Roy is the one with the rapier."

"Aw, frick." The blond sighed, "Nora, can I-"

"All bets, wagers and suggestions are final~!" She sang, turning to give Blake a kiss on the crown of her head. Ruby saw it and blushed, turning and hopping up to get at the muffins Weiss had left behind and Nora went on. "Reeeeen! Where are-"

"Done." He said, and Ruby turned to watch him sit the tray of pancakes down along with some bacon and even a breaded fish. He smiled as everyone hopped up, coming over while he turned and said, "Potatoes and mac'n'cheese are over here, and I made some pizza, too. Everyone, enjoy."

They all said their thanks as they dug in, Blake practically dragging half the huge fish onto her plate and vanishing back to the chair in the corner with it.

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"Look, Weiss, I get why it bothered you." Jaune sighed, sitting on the bench of the training room and rolling his shoulder. He was still getting used to the armor, the weight of it, and it always left him a bit stiff after a workout. Ignoring it, he looking at the woman next to him and added, quietly, "You're trying. That's what matters."

"But-"

"You said you needed time." He smiled, "So take it. No one is going to come and kill you if you don't, uh, sort stuff out fast enough."

"I…" Weiss paused, drumming a finger on the thick book in her lap and then she chuckled and shook her head. "I truly did underestimate you. Didn't I?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You're far smarter than I thought." He huffed at the backhanded, even if he was sure she didn't mean it that way, compliment. Sighing, she leaned over, resting her shoulder against his side and turning with him as he leaned back against the wall. Leaning nearly against his front, she opened her book and skimmed through it while she muttered, "Thank you, for that. For… Everything."

"E-Everything?"

"My life." She hummed, waving him off when he started to argue against her words. "I know I don't owe you anything. But… You still saved it. And you've been a good friend to me ever since. So, thank you. For everything."

"U-Uh, yeah, sure, no problem." He stammered, waving a hand at the book nervously and asking, if only for a change of subject, "What even is that?"

"A Brief (Abridged) History of Menagerie, by…" Weiss sighed, "Well, by one Kali Black. Formerly, at least."

"Formerly…?"

"She got married." Weiss shrugged against his side, "To one Ghira Belladonna."

"Ah." He blinked, "Now wait just a minute-"

"Yes, Jaune." Weiss laughed, a bright and airy little sound. "Blake's parents. Though, I do not know that Blake knows they wrote this…"

"Huh." He nodded and bobbed his head to the side. "Well… Maybe you should have lead with that? Might have, uh, broken the-"

"I swear to the frost that if you say 'broken the Weiss' I'm going to beat you with your shield."

"Okay." He smiled, "I won't say it."

Weiss just groaned while he laughed.

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So, before anyone says anything-

Weiss is at the 'study for evidence to justify your preconceptions' level of 'escaping bigotry'. Have patience with her, she's working on it. And will change in time.

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The Right Price :

The Atlas one is balanced isn't it? Equal on both sides from what I see on google. As for his V9 set… That's a bit heavy for him, for now. He'll work up to that level, but right now he needs lighter.

Lea :

Blake told them everything so… XD

And nah. Right now, they don't know where he is, and have stuff in the way. So they can only really seethe. And have exams. And establish semi illegal candy based gambling rings lmao.

Also, yes, the fact that Weiss will let Jaune do that speaks volumes - hehe - of how she feels and how she's grown already. And still is.

Yeah I Read :

Lmao. Glad you enjoy my stuff. XD