The morning sun had just crested over the horizon when Weiss stirred from her slumber, far earlier than she normally did. So early, in fact, that she could still feel Jaune at her back, cradling her tightly against his chest and basking her in his warmth. Sighing softly, she placed a hand over her stomach where his arm laid. She had no desire to fall back asleep, despite being completely relaxed and content in his arms.
Perhaps it was because she wanted to savor this waking moment with him, where nowadays such intimacy was scarce. His mornings were usually taken by Pyrrha for their morning workouts, which lasted until just an hour before classes began. Once classes were out, his evenings were stolen, if not by Pyrrha, Nora, and Yang for their sparring sessions; then by Ruby and Ren for a day out at the shooting range. Now she had to worry about Blake disappearing with him at night.
Despite knowing him the longest, despite being the most familiar with him, she was the one who seemingly spent the least amount of time with him outside of their group functions. She clutched at her heart, which ached at that thought.
She missed having him all to herself. She missed the playdates they had whenever they'd visit each other's estates, the evenings they spent hand-in-hand exploring the local avenues… The nights they spent awake, letting time fly by as they talked and talked until one of them fell asleep.
Weiss felt Jaune shift behind her, his internal alarm going off as he rose for his daily routine. Just as his arm was lifting off of her, she rolled over to face him. She caught the barest flash of surprise on his face before it shifted into a warm smile.
"Morning Weiss," he whispered. "You're up early."
"Perhaps if you were not so eager to leave our bed, I'd be more inclined to sleep in." she countered softly.
Peering over his shoulder, she spotted Pyrrha rising as well. The Amazonian girl had her back to them, stretching her arms above her head and flexing her chiseled back muscles. Her partner, seemingly sensing their staring, turned her head to return a look from the corner of her eye.
Swinging her legs over the other side of her bed, the redhead waved and mouthed them 'good morning' as well, minding that Blake was still fast asleep. Her emerald eyes seemed to linger on Weiss for a moment before making a series of hand gestures at Jaune. Once she was done, he turned to look back down at Weiss.
"She's asking if you'd like to join us." He translated.
Weiss paused for a moment, somewhat surprised that Pyrrha was the one who offered. She would have thought the girl would covet the alone time with Jaune as she always had.
A small smile graced her features as her gaze flicked between her friends. "Seeing as I'm already up…"
Jaune's face lit up. "Great! Let's hurry up and get dressed."
The blonde's excited expression seemingly energized the heiress as they both got out of bed to get ready.
An opportunity to spend time with the object of her affections had presented itself, even if it wasn't necessarily just as she hoped for. Still, it was better than nothing. She would seize every chance she could get from now on.
{ I }
Weiss remembered why she so often declined joining their morning runs now.
It was not because she couldn't get up: Her life at home required her to get up just as early to accommodate her busy schedule. It wasn't that she disliked early physical activity either. She actually quite enjoyed it.
No, the true reason why she skipped the first part of her friends' morning routine was because it reminded her of one simple fact.
She was short.
The pale girl huffed as she tried to match her friends' pace, trailing just behind them. She was not out of breath, but compared to Jaune and Pyrrha, she was exerting herself more. An inherent advantage their height gave them over her were longer legs, which meant longer strides and thus less effort needed to cross a distance.
In Weiss's defense, she had relatively long legs for her size. It was one of the many qualities her Schnee heritage granted her. That said, her stride had nothing on either of theirs. For every step they took, she had to take two or three to match, which took its toll on her stamina.
"Come on, Weiss! Just a bit more!" Jaune cheered supportively over his shoulder.
To his side, Pyrrha turned around completely to cheer her partner on, clapping her hands as she jogged backwards. "Finish strong, Weiss!"
Her face, already slightly flushed with exertion, became even more so as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. As much as she appreciated them being so supportive, must they be so vocal in the quiet morning?! Growling, Weiss blew past them in a burst of speed so as to end both their run and her friends' cheering faster.
Slowing to a stop as she crossed the finish line, the fair-skinned girl glanced back behind her. Jaune and Pyrrha were only a few steps away, lips spread in proud smiles as they caught up.
Coming up beside Weiss, Jaune tapped her shoulder with the back of his hand. "Good hustle!"
She gently batted his arm away, giving both him and her partner a half-hearted glare. "Must you be so loud? It's only just past the crack of dawn, for Oum's sake!"
The blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, sorry! Just wanted to be supportive."
"It's been a while since you last joined us," Pyrrha explained with a meek expression. "We were just a bit excited to have you with us again."
Weiss put on a practiced pout, crossing her arms and looking away from them with a faint dust of pink on her cheeks. "I appreciate your support, but could you please be more discreet? It's embarrassing…"
The two of them shared a look.
"You were right, Jaune," the redhead said. "She is quite cute like this."
"Right?" He laughed. "I love it when she makes this face."
"… Jaune Arc." The heiress's visage slowly morphed into one of anger, furious icy irises staring daggers at the boy in question. "You dare invite others to get a rise out of me?"
He returned a cheeky grin and winked. "If it means seeing this side of you more, then yes."
{ II }
"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" Jaune cried as he desperately hacked at the ice encasing his feet, breaking free just in time to avoid a hail of icicles from all sides.
"What's the matter!?" Weiss roared, summoning a wall of ice to cut off Jaune's path of escape. "I thought you liked this side of me!?"
Team AWBN's intra-team sparring session had kicked off at full swing with Weiss and Jaune going first. Pyrrha and Blake sat off to the side of the arena as they watched their partners fight each other.
… Well, more like watching Jaune running for his life.
"Weiss improved a lot." Blake noted with some surprise.
"She has indeed." Pyrrha agreed with a proud smile.
Whenever the redhead wasn't training with Jaune, she was training with Weiss. She had always suspected her partner was a quick study, but Weiss's performance during their spars had improved leaps and bounds from when they first fought. That wasn't to say she was terrible back then, but rather that she lacked experience. With Pyrrha serving as her partner, that was quickly rectified. Whereas before Weiss would struggle against Jaune's seemingly impenetrable defense, the Schnee heiress now had him on the backfoot with her superior speed and liberal use of Dust.
Jaune was forced to hide behind his shield to block an incoming fireball. The spherical inferno detonated against its face, bathing the blond in a sweltering heat and melting the wall of ice behind him.
Drawing White Rose to retaliate, he found that Weiss had disappeared. Swiftly, his head swiveled around in an attempt to find her. It was only because of the sixth sense for danger his parents had beaten into him that he was able to detect Weiss's sudden aerial assault.
Instead of taking a plunging thrust to his collarbone, Jaune had shifted slightly so that his pauldron took the hit instead. The rounded metal did its job, deflecting Myrtenaster's scalpel-like tip away.
Unfortunately for Jaune, the slight contact was all the heiress needed. The moment her rapier came in contact with his armor, the entirety of his shield arm was encased in a thick layer of ice.
Weiss flipped behind him, then kicked backwards, connecting viciously with the back of his head and sending him stumbling forward into the sizable puddle formed from her earlier attack. A swift twirl and another shot of ice Dust had the armored blond frozen to the floor on all fours.
As Jaune struggled against his icy bonds, Weiss straddled his back and ripped off his helmet before placing Myrtenaster's blade against the side of his neck. The weapon's Dust cylinder clicked menacingly as it chambered a cartridge of lightning Dust, a sight Jaune saw from the corner of his eye. She bent her head down to whisper into his ear, her voice low and threatening as she said but one word.
"Yield."
"… Meep." The blond squeaked in terror.
Their eyes locked for the briefest of moments, Weiss savoring every bit of fear in his eyes before pulling her blade away with a satisfied huff. "Close enough."
Letting out a sigh of relief, he tried to look back at her, an impressed smile clear on his face. "That was amazing, Weiss!"
"I know." She said humbly.
"How'd you get so good without me knowing?"
"Hmph." Weiss strode in front of him with a cocky smirk. "Do not think that you have been the only one that's been training. While you were out gallivanting with Blake doing Oum knows what, I've been honing my skills with Pyrrha. As you can see, the fruits of my labor were enough to overwhelm even you."
"I'll say!" He said with a laugh. "So, uh, mind letting me out of here?"
Weiss pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm… I think not." She turned on her heel and began to walk away.
"Weiss?" he called after her. "Weiss, where are you going?" The desperation in his voice grew when she didn't look back. "Weiss!" When the heiress had stepped off the platform, he threw his head back, dramatically crying her name to the heavens. "WEISS!"
"Pipe down you drama queen." Blake smirked with a roll of her eyes. To her side, Pyrrha was stifling a fit of giggles. "We all know you can break out of that easily."
"Ugh, I can never have any fun with you." Jaune playfully whined. With a small grunt, the blond amplified his Aura and ripped himself free of the ice that held him to the floor. A flex of his muscles freed his shield arm as well.
As he walked over to his team after retrieving his helmet, Pyrrha gave him a warm smile. "That was a good effort Jaune."
He flashed her a grateful grin. "Aw, thanks, Pyr. You know, maybe we should schedule some one-on-one time together too, especially if this is what Weiss is like after it."
"I'd be more than happy to oblige." She returned with a small blush.
"Pyrrha can only teach you so much, Jaune." Weiss interjected, tapping his head with the flat of her blade. "What you need is more exposure to Dust attacks and techniques, something I am more than qualified to instruct you on."
"Ah, you have a point there." Jaune's knowledge on Dust was barebones as could be, having only learned the standard safety precautions and simplistic imbuements offered by his own weapon. Considering just how overwhelmed he was by Weiss's Dust attacks; some hands-on instruction wouldn't be a bad idea.
"That's a splendid idea, Weiss." Pyrrha agreed, surprising the girl in question once again. "Your knowledge of Dust far exceeds my own. I could stand to learn a few things myself."
Taking a moment to hide the surprise on her face, Weiss allowed a small smile to grace her features. "Then it's settled. Let us start next week."
"Sounds like a plan!" Jaune said cheerfully. "Hear that, Blake? We'll be getting a crash course in Dust."
"Yay," The ravenette deadpanned.
Weiss noticed her own partner's smile dimmed ever so slightly as she stood up and turned to their teammate. "All right, Blake. It's our turn in the ring."
"Oh joy," Blake cheered sarcastically as she also stood from her seat. "I can't wait."
"Try your best, Blake!" Jaune said supportively. "Aim for at least a minute!"
Blake didn't dignify him with a response beyond rolling her eyes, but her stride seemed to gain a slight aura of confidence as she walked towards her inevitable defeat.
To her credit, she did last longer than a minute.
Only by a second, though.
{ III }
To celebrate their complete victory over the other half of their team, Weiss had insisted they all travel to Vale for lunch. As a consolation prize, Blake and Jaune got to decide the restaurant they dined at and ended up picking one of Vale's prominent seafood restaurants located by the harbor.
They had all dressed in the casual wear they'd purchased from their first outing: Jaune wore a long-sleeved baby-blue shirt with a thin white jacket and jeans, Weiss had donned a long-sleeved light-blue sundress in a conscious effort to match Jaune, Blake wore a black blouse and white skinny jeans, and Pyrrha wore a red turtleneck and black skirt. The redhead's outfit was completed with a pair of sunglasses to help hide her identity.
As they made their way to the venue, they noticed several banners being raised across the city, all of them saying 'Welcome to Vale!'
"What's with all the signs?" Jaune asked curiously.
"Hmm…" Pyrrha took a moment to ponder. "I think I recall that students from Shade Academy were arriving by ship today for the Vytal Festival."
Weiss's eyes widened. "The Vytal Festival!" she exclaimed. "I had nearly forgotten!"
"It's just around the corner, isn't it?" asked Blake.
"A few weeks from now, yes." Weiss confirmed. "How fortunate that our outing lined up like this. We can use this opportunity to scout our competition."
"After we eat?" Jaune pleaded.
The white-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, after we eat."
They continued on for a bit longer until Jaune stopped in his tracks, his gaze drawn to a store covered in yellow police tape. "What the…?"
The rest of his team also stopped once they realized that their leader was no longer with them. Following his gaze, they also had curious looks on their faces. They all took a detour and walked up to the shop, noting the shattered store window and broken-down doors.
Spotting two officers on the scene, Jaune asked one of them, "What happened here?"
"Robbery." The officer replied. "Third Dust shop to be hit this month."
Pyrrha raised a hand to her mouth. "How awful."
"Do you have any suspects?" Blake pressed as she walked up to Jaune's side.
The officer shrugged. "We wanna guess the White Fang, but usually those two new vigilantes would leave the perps on the scene and notify us when it happens. This one didn't get called in until this morning."
Jaune and Blake shared a look. Tukson hadn't notified them of this one.
"Maybe they're getting overwhelmed," a second investigator said as he sauntered up to them. "I mean, two people taking on an entire terrorist organization? I wouldn't be surprised if they decided they bit off more than they could chew and just stopped."
"I don't think they'd give up that easily." Blake returned with a glare. Turning back to the first officer, she asked, "How certain are you that it's the White Fang that robbed this store?"
"Well, they only took the Dust. Register is still full of lien. Lines up with the last few attempted robberies."
"Jim," the other one warned. "These are civilians. They don't need to be informed."
"Right, my bad." The first officer shot the teens with an apologetic look. "Sorry kids, no more questions. Gotta get back to work."
The two policemen went inside the store to resume their investigation. Weiss let out an angry huff, crossing her arms as she scowled. "Ugh, the White Fang again. These despicable miscreants are turning this city upside down."
"Why are they targeting Dust shops, though?" Pyrrha asked confusedly. "I would understand them attacking general stores or other shops that discriminate against Faunus, but it's only been Dust shops so far."
"Who knows what goes through the minds of the criminally insane? Those Faunus are nothing but scum who only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."
Jaune saw how Blake's hands clenched for a moment as she held herself back. Before he could intervene, they heard a loud outcry from the docks.
"Hey, stop that Faunus!"
Team AWBN immediately ran over to see what the commotion was all about, spotting a blonde monkey Faunus male on the deck of a ship being chased by its crew. The Faunus seemed to be around their age, wearing an unbuttoned white shirt, red elbow-length fingerless gloves, and rolled-up jeans.
The blond Faunus leapt up the side of the ship, saluted the crew, then jumped onto the pier.
"You no-good stowaway!" One of the crew yelled after him.
He jumped onto one of the lampposts installed on the pier, hanging upside by his tail as he pulled a banana out of his back pocket. As he peeled the fruit, he called back, "Hey, a no-good stowaway would have been caught! I'm a great stowaway!"
As the Faunus began to munch on his stereotypical snack, the two policemen from earlier ran up to his perch. "Hey! Get down from there this instant!"
The officer's demand was met with a banana peel to the face. The Faunus boy swung up to crouch atop the lamppost, laughing at the officer's agitated expression before leaping off his perch and running up the stairs that led to the city streets.
As he came off the stairs, the monkey Faunus ran past Team AWBN. Time seemed to slow down for a moment as he passed Blake, who stared at him with a bewildered expression. He winked at her with a cheeky grin–
"OOF!"
–before getting tackled to the ground by Jaune.
"Dude, what the hell?!" The Faunus yelled in protest as he struggled to free himself from the knight's hold. "Not cool, bro!"
"Breaking the law isn't cool either, 'bro!'" Jaune returned, fighting to keep him pinned.
"Good work, Jaune!" Weiss praised. As the policemen came up the stairs, Weiss hailed them over. "Over here, officers!"
The two officers rushed over and slapped the Faunus teen in a pair of handcuffs. "Thanks for the assist, young man." The friendlier of the two officers said.
"Just doing my part to keep order in the city, sir!" Jaune returned with a grin.
"Kiss ass." The Faunus boy grumbled. "I just wanted to see Vale a bit early. Is stowing away really that bad?"
"It's punishable by up to five years of imprisonment, kid."
The tailed blonde's eyes widened to saucers. "FIVE YEARS!? I have a tournament to fight in, I can't be locked up for that long!"
"Can't do the time, don't do the crime." The policeman chided before taking him away.
"Well, that was certainly something." Pyrrha commented, still a bit dumbfounded by what just transpired.
"I'll say," Weiss agreed. "Ugh, it's Faunus like him that give their entire race a bad name."
"I wouldn't go that far." Blake interjected with some annoyance. "I mean, all he did was-"
"Salutations!" An exuberant voice interrupted Blake.
Turning to see who it was, they found a fair-skinned girl with curly chin-length ginger hair, bright green eyes, and freckles staring up at Jaune with a wide smile. "That was an excellent takedown. Good work, citizen!"
"Thanks!" He beamed back at her. "Like I said, just doing my part."
"I see! Are you aspiring to be a law enforcement officer?"
"Not quite," he laughed. The blond held out his hand. "My name's Jaune. I'm a Huntsman-in-training."
The ginger-haired girl excitedly shook his proffered hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Jaune! I'm Penny! I'm also a Huntsman-in-training!" She turned to the rest of the girls. "Are these your girlfriends?"
At once, the entirety of Team AWBN blushed at the insinuation to varying degrees: Weiss had a faint dusting of pink, Blake and Jaune had noticeably reddened cheeks, while Pyrrha's face was a deep crimson.
"N-No, Penny." Jaune explained. "These are my teammates. We're just friends."
She tilted her head cutely. "But if they are girls as well as your friends, would that not classify them as your 'girlfriends?'"
"A-Ah, I mean, technically you're not wrong, I guess," he admitted cautiously. Turning to his team, he asked them, "Would you guys care to introduce yourselves?"
Nodding, they all briefly stated their names.
"I'm Weiss."
"Blake."
"…" Blake was forced to nudge Pyrrha to break her from her stupor. "O-Oh! I'm Pyrrha."
"It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Penny!" The freckled girl repeated herself.
Ignoring the fact that the girl introduced herself again despite them all being in earshot the first time around, Weiss asked, "You said that you're a Huntress-in-training, right?"
"Yes I did!" Penny confirmed.
"What academy are you from? Shade?"
Penny shook her head, then snapped a salute. "Negative! I am a proud student of Atlas Academy!"
"Atlas?" Pyrrha said with surprise. "I wasn't aware that Atlesian students were coming today as well."
"Are you here to fight in the tournament?" Weiss continued.
"Affirmative! I'm combat ready!"
"Are you here by yourself?" Jaune asked with a small amount of concern. "Where's your team? Or your partner, for the matter?"
"They are currently still at Atlas Academy. I am here ahead of them at the request of General Ironwood."
Both Weiss and Blake's eyes widened at the name. "General Ironwood? Why would he send a lone student to Vale?"
Penny stared blankly at them for a moment before responding. "I apologize, but that is classified information."
The heiress hummed disappointedly. "I see. Forgive me for prying."
A loud rumbling interrupted their conversation, Jaune doubling over as he held his stomach. "A-Ah, sorry, guess I'm just a bit hungry."
"I suppose we are rather late for our lunch plans." Weiss said with a smirk. "Forgive us, Penny, but we must get going. On behalf of the students of Beacon Academy, we welcome you to Vale."
"Ah, thank you very much!"
As their team began to walk away, Jaune glanced back at Penny. The girl was looking at them, her earlier exuberance dimming down to a longing expression.
"… Hey, guys," he said suddenly, causing his team to turn to face him. "Would you mind if I invited Penny to join us? I'll pay for her."
They followed his gaze back to the girl's crestfallen demeanor. She seemed so lonely. Taking into account her team's absence, she would likely remain that way for quite some time until they arrived.
"I'd not be opposed." Pyrrha said with an understanding smile.
"Me neither." Blake agreed.
Sighing fondly, Weiss also nodded her consent. "I suppose the more the merrier, right? And don't you worry about footing her bill: Remember, my bank account is roughly ten times the size of yours."
Jaune beamed at them. "You guys are awesome. Penny!" The girl perked up when he called her name. "Would you like to join us for lunch? Our treat!"
The girl's grin threatened to split her face. "I'd love to accompany you!"
"Then let's go, friendo!" Jaune beckoned with a wave.
They didn't think it was possible, but Penny's elated expression grew even more ecstatic. She pumped her arms with a laugh. "Sensational!"
{ IV }
The group of five arrived at the restaurant a few moments later. They managed to get a private booth near the back, allowing Pyrrha to take off her glasses without fear of being recognized by the other customers. After placing their orders, Pyrrha excused herself to 'freshen up' in the bathroom.
"Weiss, would you mind helping me with my makeup?"
Considering the redhead's face was impeccably unmarred by any sort of smudging, the entirety of her team understood the doublespeak for what it was.
"Of course, Pyrrha." Weiss said. She turned to Jaune. "Do keep our new friend entertained while we are away."
When he returned a thumbs up, the high-profile duo made their way to the restroom.
"Did she really mean it when she called me your friend?" They heard Penny ask as they walked away.
"Of course!" Jaune returned happily.
She squealed excitedly. "Does that make me your girlfriend, too?"
"No, Penny, that's not-!"
The bathroom door closed behind them, cutting off the rest of the conversation. There was no one else in the room besides them, not even in the many stalls. Pyrrha made a show of stepping in front of the mirror and checking for any blemish to her small amount of makeup she put on before they left their dorm.
"What is it you wished to speak with me about?" Weiss started, cutting to the chase.
The emerald-eyed girl took a breath as if to calm herself before turning to face her. "I'd like to adjust the nature of our 'competition.'"
Weiss quirked a brow. "What exactly do you mean?"
"I mean that instead of us competing against each other, I'd like us to cooperate." Pyrrha explained.
"Is that why you've been so accommodating today?" Weiss asked.
Pyrrha let out an amused laugh. "I knew you would notice. It seems that there are other girls who wish to pursue Jaune, and they have made it clear that they do not mean to fight as fairly as we have."
"You mean Blake." Weiss hazarded a guess, receiving a nod in return.
"Not just her. Velvet, too."
Weiss remembered the name well. The rabbit Faunus had only recently come back from her mission and was quickly making up for lost time. It wasn't unusual to see her hanging around during their team's sparring sessions, where she would take pictures of their weapons for future use and chat with Jaune between rounds. She was a nice girl: Somewhat shy and meek unless she was around Jaune or the rest of Team CFVY, then she'd gain a surge of confidence.
The older girl hadn't made quite so bold a move since their first outing, but she has been getting rather physical with their team leader: Errant touches of his arms and chest, the subtle leaning against his frame while showing off her photos, the offers to let him pet her rabbit ears (that one she partially blames Jaune for after an off-hand comment on how soft they were when he first felt them.)
"I'm less concerned with Velvet than I am with Blake." Weiss said frankly. "She and Jaune have already disappeared twice within this last week. You said that he wasn't at the shooting range with Ruby and Ren two nights ago, correct?"
"That's right," Pyrrha confirmed. "And they've been there at least two hours before I arrived."
"And I doubt his mother would have kept him occupied for several hours on a school night…" Her brows furrowed. "Which means Blake had lied."
For some reason, that fact wasn't surprising to them. Perhaps it was because of the first time, when Blake had made the excuse of forgetting an assignment and needing Jaune's help. They knew it was suspicious, but they took her at her word. Now she had done it again, and would have gotten away with it if not for their mutual acquaintances.
There would be no third time.
"That is why I would offer you an accord." Pyrrha proffered her hand. "Let us work together to earn Jaune's affections. With our efforts combined, I'm sure Jaune will have no choice but to acknowledge us as a man would a woman."
Weiss closed her eyes for a moment to ponder. "I'm surprised you would offer this. I thought the Invincible Girl never loses?"
"She doesn't," The champion reaffirmed. "But in this battle of love and war, why can't we both be winners?"
"… It is not in the nature of a Schnee to share." Weiss said slowly. Before her partner's face fell, the white-haired girl took her hand and grasped it firmly.
"But I will make an exception, this once."
{ V }
By the time Weiss and Pyrrha returned to their table, their food had arrived and everyone had already begun to eat. Weiss's demeanor immediately soured upon finding Jaune devouring his entrée.
"Jaune Arc, do you even taste the food you're shoving down your gullet?"
To his credit, Jaune knew he fucked up as soon as he saw her. He swallowed before answering with a guilty smile, "S-Sorry, Weiss. I was just so hungry."
She sighed, pinching her brow with disappointment. "How many times must I keep telling you? Slow down! It's not like your meal will suddenly try to run away from you!"
"Or swim away, in this case." Pyrrha mused, earning a small chuckle from her team leader.
Weiss let out another sigh before sitting down. "I swear, one of these days I'll find you choking from trying to swallow something like a breadstick whole."
"Uh, Weiss?" Blake said with a concerned tone.
"What is it?" She asked curtly, turning to find the girl pointing at something.
Weiss traced her teammate's finger to Penny, just in time to see their new acquaintance sliding an entire breadstick down her throat with ease. The orange-haired girl didn't even seem to swallow before beaming happily in their direction like nothing was wrong. "Mmh, delicious!"
It took her a few moments to realize everyone was gawking at her. "What's the matter, friends?"
The entire table was silent as they tried to process what they just saw, their jaws dropping and eyes wide. Weiss was utterly scandalized. Blake and Pyrrha held equal looks of shock, though the former had a slight blush creep up her face.
And Jaune?
Jaune was downright impressed.
"That's awesome!" He said with visible awe. "How are you able to do that?"
Penny seemed confused for a moment. "You mean eat? Is that not what normal humans do?"
"You're the only human I know who eats like that," Blake told her. She'd once seen a snake Faunus do something similar, but at least that was a by-product of their Faunus heritage.
The Atlesian girl seemed to panic at that. "O-Oh, is that so?"
"Yeah, but that's an awesome way to eat!" Jaune praised, earning a slap on the shoulder from Weiss.
"Don't encourage her!" Weiss admonished before turning to Penny. "Penny, that is incredibly vulgar and dangerous! You could choke! Who taught you to eat like that?"
"I, umm… I taught myself?" She fumbled an answer.
"Why?!" The flabbergasted heiress asked.
"Training." Penny said honestly. "My father encouraged me to practice."
Weiss visibly recoiled in disgust.
"May I ask what training requires you to be able to fit entire breadsticks down your throat?" Blake asked with morbid curiosity, though she had an inkling as to what that answer might be.
Again, Penny seemed to panic as she fumbled for a response. "I, um…"
"Isn't it obvious?" Pyrrha spoke up after a moment, all eyes turning to the Amazonian girl. Penny seemed especially nervous as they waited for an answer. "She's a sword swallower. I've seen a few practitioners performing in Mistral."
The awkward Atlesian girl immediately jumped on the provided explanation. "That's precisely it!"
Hiccup!
At once, the rest of Team AWBN let out sounds of sudden realization. Both Blake and Weiss let out awkward laughs, feeling stupid for even entertaining their previous thoughts.
"O-Of course!"
"Y-Yeah, that makes sense."
"That's gnarly!" Jaune exclaimed. "I mean, I get that we have Aura and everything so it's less dangerous, but that's still really cool! Do you, like, not have a gag reflex or something?"
"I do not!" Penny proudly confirmed.
Weiss loudly cleared her throat, catching their attention. "Forgive me, Penny, but could we not talk about this further? This isn't an appropriate discussion to have while we eat."
"Oh. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."
"It's quite all right," Weiss lied. "Just… please, chew your food for the remainder of our meal."
"Understood!" She snapped off a salute. Penny waited until all of Team AWBN began eating before doing so herself, her bright green eyes subtly glancing at each of them every so often to observe how they ate.
{ VI }
After everyone finished their food and left the restaurant, Team AWBN bade their new friend farewell for the time being and returned to their dorm to rest and lounge. On their way back, they encountered Team RRYN, who were on their way to the training facilities.
"Yo, Team Eggplant! What's up?" Yang greeted them with a grin.
"That's Team Aubergine, thank you very much," Weiss corrected with an annoyed huff. "And we've just come back from lunch."
"Oh, oh! Where'd you go?" Nora asked. "Did they serve pancakes?"
"I doubt you'd like the ones they'd serve if they did." Pyrrha chuckled. "We went to a seafood place by the harbor."
"Ew, seafood…" Nora's interest immediately died upon hearing that.
"Heresy…" Blake hissed at the orange-haired girl.
"Nora does not have the most… expansive pallet." Ren explained.
"Fish are gross." Nora continued with an upturned nose. "They're slimy, stinky, and freaky to look at."
Jaune subtly held his partner back, afraid that she might throttle their friend for insulting her favorite food.
"Aww, you guys went out without me?!" Yang said with a hurt expression, then winced when her sister elbowed her in her side. "I mean, without us?"
"It was a spur of the moment decision and we were all feeling rather peckish at the time." Weiss told her. "So forgive us for not thinking of inviting you."
"Did you see anything interesting while you were out?" Ren asked curiously. "I know that students from Vacuo were supposed to come to Vale today, so I'd imagine there'd be some welcoming decorations being strung up around the city."
"Just a few banners here and there." Jaune answered. "Nothing too fancy."
"Ooh!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly. "Did you meet any of the Vacuon students while you were out? Did you see their weapons!?"
Jaune chuckled at Ruby's excitement. "Afraid not. Sorry, Ruby."
"Actually, we did meet one." Blake corrected him.
"We did?" Jaune said with visible confusion.
"That Faunus you tackled to the ground, remember?" She reminded him. "He said something about participating in the tournament. I can only assume he meant the Vytal Festival Tournament."
The blue-eyed blond scratched his head for a moment as he recalled the event. "Oh yeah, I guess he did say that."
"You assaulted a Vacuon student?" Ren asked, pink eyes wide with disbelief. The rest of his team shared similar expressions.
Weiss scoffed. "Jaune didn't assault him, he helped to apprehend him. That monkey-tailed miscreant stowed away on a ship, antagonized a police officer, and tried to evade arrest. Jaune had merely subdued him."
Team RRYN collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"Forgive me, Jaune." Ren apologized. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."
"Damn, Ladykiller!" Yang laughed, playfully punching her fellow blond in the shoulder. "Had us worried there for a sec. Nice work."
"Good job, Jaune!" Ruby congratulated him.
"Did you put him in a sleeper hold like I showed you, Jauney?" Nora inquired.
Jaune rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh, thanks. I actually feel kinda bad now, though. I mean, what if his team won't be able to compete because of this?"
"You did nothing wrong, Jaune." Pyrrha assured him. "He has no one to blame but himself."
Weiss crossed her arms and nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Honestly, I can't believe any Huntsman academy would accept someone of such low standards into their ranks. I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a member of the White Fang with how casually he was breaking the law."
Blake's eyes narrowed at her teammate. "Just because he broke the law doesn't mean he would be a member of the White Fang."
"No," Weiss conceded flippantly. "But that's how it starts. Faunus like him begin by committing petty crimes probably because a racist human discriminated against them, then get picked up by the White Fang who points at that one racist individual and claims that all humans are just like that. Just you wait: As soon as that Faunus is released from custody, he'll join up with the White Fang to get revenge on Jaune because a human cost him his chance to compete in one of the most prestigious tournaments on Remnant."
"I'm sorry," Blake began sarcastically. "But could you not?"
Icy blue eyes turned to meet heated amber. "Not what?"
"Assume that that Faunus boy would join up with the White Fang just to get back at Jaune because he helped to arrest him?"
"It certainly wouldn't be the first time I've heard someone join up with those degenerates for that reason, nor would it even be the most petty and asinine reason I've heard of."
"Girls-" Jaune tried to intervene by stepping between them, but Blake pushed him aside.
"Can you not even think for a second that maybe, just maybe, he'll learn from his mistakes instead of instantly assuming he'll join a terrorist group to lash out blindly in revenge?"
"Hah!" Weiss laughed. "I've seen his type before. They never learn from their mistakes."
"And why is that?"
"Because they don't regret them!" The heiress countered simply. "I will bet the entirety of my allowance that that Faunus's only regret is that he wasn't faster."
As Blake and Weiss continued to argue, Jaune herded them into their dorm room. He sent their friends an apologetic look before disappearing from sight himself.
"Is, um, is everything going to be okay?" Ruby asked Pyrrha awkwardly, concern clearly etched on her face. Behind her, the rest of her team shared similar looks of worry.
Pyrrha hesitated for a moment. "I honestly don't know." The voices of her teammates seemed to grow even louder behind her. Quickly, she stepped into her team's room. "I'm sorry you all had to see this. We'll, um, catch you later?"
The redhead didn't wait for a response before she closed the door. Even then, the volume of the argument was only slightly muffled.
{ VII }
"I don't see what the problem is!" Weiss threw up her hands.
Blake groaned, her frustration obvious. "That IS the problem!"
"That I'm rightfully assuming a criminal will eventually fall even deeper down the hole they've dug themselves in?"
"That you would assume, solely based on his species, that he would join a terrorist group makes you just as much of a racist as you make the White Fang out to be."
"Racist!? Me!? How DARE you!"
"ENOUGH!" Jaune bellowed, stepping between the two girls and looking between with seething disappointment. "Stop it, both of you!"
Usually when their team leader raised his voice it was enough to give them pause, but not this time. Weiss and Blake glared hatefully at one another, going out of their way to ensure that the other saw the dirty look they were giving despite Jaune standing between them.
"No!" Weiss yelled at the blond. "I've had enough of her antagonistic attitude towards me whenever I rightfully disparage the White Fang!"
"Because you consistently lump all the Faunus who make mistakes in with the radical extremists!" Blake hissed at her.
"Because that's where most of them end up!" Weiss returned heatedly. "The Faunus of the White Fang are people who constantly 'make mistakes,' because they think their choices are right! People who are at their core hateful, blind, and ignorant will naturally gravitate towards making choices in life that reflect that!"
"Why do you think they're like that? Because nobody ever gives them a chance to prove otherwise! If you treat them like villains, then they'll become villains!"
"They become villains because that's who they are. It's in their nature. A tiger cannot change its stripes. Every last member of the White Fang, every last person who supported it, is nothing but pure evil."
Blake snarled at her. "There is no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"
"People like me?" Weiss repeated incredulously.
"You're discriminatory!"
"I'm a victim!"
Weiss took a deep breath, her voice shaky with emotion and her eyes threatening to spill tears. Once she steeled herself, she affixed Blake with a look of utter loathing.
"Do you want to know why I despise the White Fang, why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" She walked over to the window and stared up at the broken moon in the sky. "Because they've been at war with my family for years. Years. Actual blood has been spilt in their vapid crusade for 'justice' and 'fair rights.' Innocent people have been killed so they could 'let their voices be heard.' Family friends disappeared overnight. Entire train lines of Dust, stolen. Board members and staff, executed." Her pale hands tightened into fists. "They even made an attempt on my life. If not for Jaune, I would have been… He nearly…"
Her voice caught in her throat, unable to finish her sentence, but her point was made clear. Jaune had a haunted look on his face, while Pyrrha seemed utterly horrified by the implication. Blake's anger abated for just a moment as guilt diluted it.
It took Weiss a moment to compose herself enough to continue, and that was only because Jaune had pulled her against his frame in an attempt to comfort her. "All of it," she muttered just loud enough that Blake could barely hear, "simply because my last name is Schnee."
A tense silence fell over the room, none of them knowing what to say in response. When Weiss finally found her voice again, she continued. "So you want to know why I despise the White Fang so much? Why I utterly loathe their existence?"
She rounded on the amber-eyed girl at that moment, her long-standing resentment acting as her confidence. "It's because they are nothing but zealots, thieves, and murderers!"
Blake felt the shame come back again, washing over her like a flood. She was feeling so many different emotions warring within her: Shame for her past, sadness for the death of the once great organization she once knew, guilt for her part bringing about the radical change in the White Fang.
But most of all?
She felt anger.
Anger that she was being called such horrible things. Anger that her pride was being wounded. Anger that she couldn't refute Weiss's statements because, at the end of the day, most of them were true.
And so with her mind so clouded by anger and rage, she reached for anything, anything at all, to try and justify herself.
"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"
The world came to a stop.
Suddenly, all eyes were on her, all with varying degrees of emotion. Jaune's were filled with disbelief that she just outed herself in front of their entire team. Pyrrha was shocked and horrified, hands moving to cover the gasp that escaped her.
And Weiss?
Weiss's were full of fear.
"Y-You…" The heiress took a cautious step back.
Suddenly, Blake was herself again, the anger that clouded her mind swept away as the girl affixed her with a terrified gaze. She reached out to Weiss as she tried to explain herself. "W-Weiss, I-"
As soon as her hand came forward, Weiss darted behind Jaune and hid herself from view, warily peeking out from his side like a scared little girl.
Anxiety abruptly gripped Blake's mind and heart as she realized that the confident, intelligent young woman she knew as Weiss Schnee was afraid of her. The disguised Faunus immediately shrank in on herself, backing away with trepidation as she tried to look anywhere but her teammate's ice-blue eyes, but that did nothing for her nerves. The fearful look in Weiss's eyes was already etched into her memory. She could feel the girl's intense, terrified gaze burying deep into her soul.
"I-I…"
She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to get out. She had to leave. She needed to run. Run far and far away.
In a burst of speed, Blake bolted out of their room, nearly throwing the door off its hinges as she did what she did best.
Run.
"Blake!" Jaune called as he tried to run after her.
He felt Weiss cling unto him even tighter, felt her entire body shake against his form, felt her bury her face into his back.
"D-Don't go," she begged, her voice breaking. "Stay with me, p-please Jaune."
Jaune hastily looked between the door and his childhood friend, completely torn as to what to do.
A hand firmly gripped his shoulder, forcing him to stare into Pyrrha's emerald irises.
"Go," she commanded him. "I'll take care of Weiss."
Not waiting for his response, Pyrrha knelt down and gently pried Weiss off of him, then enveloped her in a comforting hug. Weiss tried to push her off to get back to Jaune, but he had already moved towards the door.
She reached out for him desperately. "Jaune?"
He swallowed, looking at her from over his shoulder. His eyes were filled with sorrow, regret, and pain. "I'm sorry. I'll be back, I promise."
The door closed behind him with a 'click.'
{ VIII }
Blake panickedly panted as she finally came to a stop at the statue of Argentum Arc in the courtyard. Tears were flowing freely down her face as she hiccupped in between breaths. She stared up at the stone image of Jaune's ancestor, standing triumphantly as a beacon of hope in the face of insurmountable odds.
She reached up to untie her bow, the binding feeling unbearably tight. The proof of her Faunus heritage stood upright for the world to see. The cool night air brushed over them in sharp contrast to the heat generated from her racing blood. She could hear the thundering of her heartbeat in her eardrums.
She looked down at the ribbon in her hands, a reminder of the person she was trying to hide. Her fists tightened around it as she began to sob.
Suddenly, she felt strong arms wrap around her in a gentle embrace. The Faunus girl didn't even need to turn around to know who it was, but did so anyway so that she could bury her face in his chest as she wept.
"I'm s-sorry!" she wailed, clutching tightly against her partner's frame. "I ruined everything!"
"Shhh, it's okay," she heard Jaune whisper as he rubbed soothing circles into her back. "You're fine. Everything's going to be fine."
His words of comfort only made her cry harder.
Because she knew he was lying.
A/N: So yeah, a lot happened this chapter.
Sun was arrested, Penny almost blew her cover by establishing herself as the "Throat GOAT" (Blame TheSinful for that moniker), Pyrrha and Weiss have decided to team up in their pursuit of Jaune's affections, and the boiling point between Weiss and Blake as finally reached its apex.
Now with a different blond at her side, will proving Blake's innocence be as easy as before? Will the wedge driven between Team Eggplan-I mean, Aubergine, ever be mended?
Eh, probably.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'll catch you next time.