A dream as deep as the ocean had taken him, once he could settle into his cocoon of forbidden desires and carnal wants. As well as the ever present, always there worry of what lay beneath. Jaune could not recall much about the dream, just a flash of silver and the feeling of something worming its way across his limbs and body. All too soon the dream ended, though he found that it wasn't a physical presence that woke him this morning.

It was the sound of voices that woke Jaune. Two thankfully familiar voices.

But it was the words which made him pretend that he didn't.

"Shhh," the harsh, counterproductive whisper of Ruby sounded in his ear. "Don't wake him."

Mission accomplished, Ruby. Great job.

"I am not waking him," Weiss argued, the volume of her voice on the same level as Ruby's. In other words, pointless to the goal they were trying to accomplish. "Unlike you I possess a quality known as subterfuge."

Jaune did his best to keep from groaning. Subtlety. She meant subtlety. She was about as subtle as a battering ram with the way she used her horn to get his attention. Or express displeasure with him. Or anything, really. With the way that Weiss demanded things from him, subtle was the last word he would use to describe her. Though he had no doubt she was capable of subterfuge, so perhaps she wasn't so off the mark.

"What do you think it is?" Weiss asked.

It surprised him to hear Weiss admit that she didn't know something. Usually she assumed that she knew everything. She was the most know-nothing know-it-all he had ever met in his life. Not that he would ever tell her that, of course. Not without proper protection and a prior written will on record.

Speaking of not knowing things, Jaune still had no idea what they were talking about. He didn't know why they were so hesitant to wake him either.

Until his legs shifted slightly underneath the covers.

Crap, his mind lamented. Down, boy! Down!

"It's his secret horn," Ruby inaccurately stated. "Yang wasn't lying."

Yes. The secret lower horn that Yang so liked to tease him about. And on this morning, that horn was at full attention.

He couldn't blame it. How could he not wake to this perfectly natural reaction when he had fallen asleep in the arms of two pretty girls? Even in their Grimm forms, even with their long horns and glowing red eyes, Ruby and Weiss were both undoubtedly beautiful. It amazed Jaune that he could even think such things. Had he simply been at this school for too long? Had he been exposed to monster girls to the point where he could just ignore all of the freaky things about them? What was next? Would he think about Yang's monstrous hand... handling him? Just as he had dreamed about Blake's frightening teeth?

This place was going to be the death of him. Whether they wanted to kill him or not.

"I can see why Yang was impressed," she continued. "It's a good-sized horn."

Jaune's mind performed a happy dance, and a wide grin threatened to erupt on his face. Ruby, I've never treasured you more than I do right now.

"My horn is bigger," Weiss stated proudly. Unimpressed with his own.

Damn it, Weiss!

"It would appear that even he loses control of his human form while sleeping," she mused. Oh yes, he had certainly lost control all right. Not that it was his fault. Weiss was an accomplice. She had snuggled up next to him and pressed her feather light weight against him. It felt good. She felt good. Warm. They both had. "So much for our perfect classmate. Even his unconscious mind remembers his natural instincts."

Yes. Natural instincts. Like the kind teenage guys get when sharing a bed with two girls...

Maybe if I pretend to be asleep long enough they'll go away...

Accomplice number two carried on unhelpfully. "Do... do we poke it?"

No! Do not poke it!

"Don't be absurd," Weiss countered. "Horns are not for poking."

If horns weren't for poking, then Weiss had yet to demonstrate that.

Regardless, he appreciated her speaking up in his defense. Thank you, Weiss. I'm going to cook you the best br-

"Now that his horn has made its appearance we shall resume our duel."

Damn it!

Of course that's what Weiss would want to do. After being denied her 'claim' the previous day, she was probably eager to officially get him under her thumb. And now that he had a 'horn' to duel, she had an opportunity to battle him once again.

A shame this horn was not meant for dueling.

"You can't do that while he's asleep," Ruby chastised her. "Didn't you learn anything from before? You have to make these things official!"

On second thought, Ruby would be the one getting the best breakfast ever. At least she had the sense to know not to touch people's horns while they were sleeping.

Oh gods, now he was referring to it as a horn. This place really was getting to him.

"Waiting for him to wake up would be nothing but an inconvenience," Weiss argued. "His secret horn is a lower horn. Does Jaune expect me to get on my knees in order to face it? What an absurd way to duel."

Better you on your knees than Blake. Wait! Stop it, Jaune!

"The duel won't count unless he agrees to it," Ruby repeated.

"Look at it though," Weiss continued. "The way his secret horn stands in the air in silent challenge mocking me. It's practically begging me to give it my full attention."

Why was it that the only girls who wanted to give his horn their full attention were monster girls! Life really, really wasn't fair. Wait. What attention did she mean? Did she mean...?

He felt the weight on the right side of the bed shift, and even with his closed eyes he could tell that Weiss had adjusted her position on the bed. "I will reclaim what's rightfully mine!" she snarled.

Abort! Abort!

"Weiss, no!" Ruby shouted, as she too began to move.

Jaune, however, moved first.

Quickly moving into a sitting position, he bent his knees in order to protect his most sensitive area from what he assumed was going to be a direct attack from Weiss. The white-haired girl stopped in her tracks, and instead of attacking with her horn, delivered a scathing assault with her eyes.

"Hey, good morning, Weiss," Jaune said hurriedly. "Good morning, Ruby. How are you today?"

He received his first answer as Ruby clamped onto his left arm with both of hers, pulling herself close to his body once more. "I feel great," she said excitedly. Her horns moved to nuzzle back and forth against his shoulder. "Nice and refreshed. I always sleep well next to you."

Words every guy would have been thrilled to hear. Even when coming from a Grimm hybrid. He couldn't enjoy the moment for long, however, as the second presence to his right moved next to him and once more earned his attention.

"I slept quite soundly as well," Weiss informed him. "Perhaps your body isn't entirely useless, as it makes for an excellent pillow. I look forward to sharing further nights with you."

If his body's morning reaction was anything to go by, so was he.

"After all, if you do lose control of your human form while you sleep, it will give me ample opportunity to take on your lower horn. You shall not deny me this satisfaction."

Sometimes Jaune wondered if these girls really did understand what they were saying, and that they were just messing with him. If a normal outsider heard the way that Yang and Weiss had spoken to him, they would assume they wanted him in ways that did not involve strange hybrid duels.

In any case, he had to distract the girl who would be jabbing his groin with her sharp horn if she had it her way. "Hey I've got an idea," he quickly interrupted her. "Since it's Saturday, why don't we make a nice big breakfast together? Does that sound good, Weiss?"

"Snow Angel."

Jaune blinked. "What?"

"Snow Angel," she repeated. "From now on you will address me as such."

"What are you- ow!"

A jab to the arm from Weiss' horn silenced his protests. "Do not presume to take back the nickname you presented to me. You may have ferreted your way out of our duel, but the nickname is mine and mine alone!"

Ferreted? In any case, there were more important things to address than her misuse of idioms. "You realize that was just for Professor Fall's class, right?"

"You will address me as such," she repeated. "But only in the privacy of our room," she quickly followed up. Her white face darkened, and she turned away as she continued speaking. "If you dare call me that in public in front of others, it will be the last sound your throat ever utters."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Sure..." He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Ruby's longing expression staring at him. "Ruby?"

"Can I have a name too?"

With how the adorable hybrid was looking at him, he couldn't say no. The problem was that he had no such nickname on hand for her. "Um... yeah. I just need to think of one first."

"That's fine," she said happily as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Take your time. It should be special, after all. Special for the two best friends in the world."

The sentimental attitude of the girl forced a lump into Jaune's throat. How was she even a hybrid? How was she a monster like the rest of them? It made no sense. Ruby was a paradox. While the others had their human traits which shined on occasion, Ruby was indeed special in her behavior.

Another poke forced his attention back to Weiss. "If you're going to give Ruby a nickname as well, then you need to do something extra for me," she demanded. "And it had better be good."

"Well what about that breakfast? We have all morning."

"Unacceptable. We all eat breakfast every morning. Something for me."

Jaune wracked his brain trying to think of something he could do for Weiss. In all honesty, he didn't find her demanding behavior to be off-putting. She reminded him of a bratty kid sister who sought the attention of her older siblings. Not out of jealousy or spite, but rather because she wanted them to notice her. To like her. To care for her. He had dealt with that from his own younger sisters. Weiss, for all of her bluster and ego, simply wished to be acknowledged.

Then it hit him. Something which he had indeed done with his sisters. Something which his sisters had done to him. Inflicted on him. Nonetheless, it was a skill he had acquired growing up with seven of them.

"What if I braid your hair?" he asked.

Crimson eyes narrowed on him. "Braid?"

"Yeah. Your hair's really long. Long enough to do something with. If you'll let me."

Weiss' hands reached up to stroke her long white tresses. "Why would I wish to alter my hair? In its current state it does not hamper my ability to fight, nor does it obscure my vision."

"Well, styling your hair is a very human thing to do," he explained. "Humans do it all the time in order to... um..." He didn't want to say to make them look more attractive. That was a landmine which would surely explode should he step on it. "Variety," he wound up saying. "Humans do it do have more variety in their appearances."

If he did things right, he had no doubt that Weiss would find his work to be an improvement. His sisters had fussed over their hair enough while growing up. At her very core, Weiss was still a teenage girl. Deep down, she would enjoy this. It would appeal to her vanity. He wanted her to get in touch with more of her human emotions. Even if it was her pride.

"So it's a human lesson," she mused. "Very well. I shall allow you access to my flawless hair then."

Jaune smiled as he slipped out of the front of the bed, and led Weiss over to the single chair and desk which occupied the room. It would be difficult without things like a brush or mirror, so he would just have to wing it.

He unbound the crude ponytail Weiss wore, letting her long, snowy hair cascade down her back. There was more than enough to work with. Almost too much. Braiding the entirety of it would be way too much work and take far too long. However, a few braids at the sides and of her head and the knot of her new ponytail would be a manageable enough job.

It was like working with silk. Weiss' hair was incredibly smooth, far smoother than he would have expected from a Grimm hybrid. It was just another reminder of how gorgeous she would have been as a human. With flawless pale skin, shining light blue eyes, and silky-smooth white hair, his earlier nickname for her was entirely accurate. Weiss was a Snow Angel.

"That's amazing..." Ruby whispered in rapt fascination.

Jaune continued his work, not looking back at Ruby as he replied. "What is?"

"What you're doing with Weiss' hair," she explained. "I had no idea you could be so... I dunno."

"Human?"

There was silence for a few moments, and Jaune couldn't see if she had responded nonverbally before she spoke again. "Yeah. Making something prettier. Better. It's really cool..."

Yes, Ruby. Yes it is. His sadness turned to joy when he heard his friend speak. It was working. Not only was Ruby seeing that there was more to life than fighting and destruction, but she enjoyed the thought of it. She found the idea of being human to be cool. Improving things, making things better and prettier, was far better than wishing to tear down society.

"You're really good with your fingers," she continued. "Do you think you can use them on me sometime?"

Jaune coughed violently, choking on his own breath. He knew what she meant, but his mind went to a completely different place… He was going to have to do something about that soon.

"No, Ruby," Weiss interjected. "The only one Jaune shall be using his fingers on is me."

And of course Weiss wasn't helping.

"Well that's not fair! Jaune has two hands and enough fingers for us both!"

The boy closed his eyes and sighed. Yes, Ruby. Keep putting those kinds of thoughts and images into his mind. It wasn't as if he wasn't having enough while the two of them snuggled against him at night.

"If Jaune wishes to use his fingers on you, then he may do it on his own time. However, this is my time. And my satisfaction is all he needs to be concerned with. Right, Jaune?"

The question broke him from his stupor. "Uh, right."

Weiss hummed in victory. "Good. Now then, you may continue with your work. The way your fingers are stroking me feels quite good."

Hair, he thought forlornly. Why can't you specify they're stroking your hair?

Thankfully there weren't further strange misunderstood interruptions as he continued. Jaune was able to work with Weiss' hair, and complete the new decorative braids in a short time. It helped that he had experience. Plenty of it with seven sisters. At a young age some of his older siblings had forcibly recruited him into learning how to style their hair. While he had resisted at first, it soon became apparent that there was no negotiating with them. It was better to just do it and get it over with than struggle against it.

The memories reminded him of his family. The people he loved, and had not spoken to since departing for what turned out to be an academy full of Grimm hybrids. Were they worried about him? Did they fear he had died in some sort of training exercise? He wished he had a way of reaching out to them. He knew that there was no escape. He knew there was no chance he would be able to warn them about his plight. There was no getting around that. But if he could just maybe find a way to contact them, just to tell them that he was alive and well, it would make him feel a lot better.

At least until someone or something in this school finally did claim his life. He wasn't eager to let that happen, however. He was determined to come out of this alive. Somehow. Someway. He would see them again.

"And done," Jaune said, finally removing his hands from Weiss' long white locks. "Check it out in the mirror to see if you like it."

Weiss stood, the undershirt he had given her before reaching down comically to her thighs like a nightgown. It was probably for the best, because had it been shorter he would have gotten a glimpse in what he could only assume was her panty-clad backside.

Following after her to the bathroom entrance, he saw how the girl turned left and right in order to see his handiwork. A tight smile curled on her lips. "I approve," she finally said.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. A content Weiss meant that there would be no attacks from her horn. This was especially important considering that she now believed that his own dueling horn resided below his belt. Her horn pecks would become a lot more problematic if she decided to pursue that option.

"Glad you like it," he said happily. He turned to Ruby next. "I hate to say it, but your hair isn't really long enough to braid." A frown crept on her own lips from his admission. That wouldn't do. "But maybe there's something else I can do for you? It doesn't have to be braiding."

"Something else?" she wondered. "Just for me?"

He shrugged. "Sure. If Weiss got her hair done, you should get something too."

Weiss whirled around from the mirror to look at him. "That wasn't how the deal went!"

"Nope, he said I get something too!" Ruby said quickly. "I don't have to decide right away, do I?"

Jaune shook his head. "Nope. Take your time."

What had been a frown only seconds before turned into a bright smile. "I'll think of something then. Something just for me."

Her sincere and serene smile brought one to Jaune's own face. He loved it when Ruby was happy. He loved to make Ruby happy. She was one of the few bright spots for him here in this school.

As it turned out, Weiss was as well. Behind all of her ego and posturing was still just a teenage girl who enjoyed having her hair done. Who enjoyed looking beautiful. Who enjoyed the compliments of others. Specifically, from him.

They were his two closest allies in a world that would see him dead. He had to keep them close. He had to keep them satisfied. His life may very well depend on it.

With a soft huff, Weiss moved to the door. "Well whatever it is you decide, do not make plans for this evening. Understood?"

He looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"It's a secret," she stated plainly as she grabbed the handle. "Now if you would excuse me, I must speak with Professor Callows about something."

The words sent a chill down Jaune's spine. Weiss was going to speak with Tyrian. It prompted him to repeat his last question. "Why?"

"I believe I made it clear that it was a secret."

She hadn't. What she had told him was that her plans for tonight were a secret. But now he knew that those plans and her reasons for speaking with the terrifying scorpion faunus were connected to each other.

The girl left without another word, leaving him alone with Ruby. She gave him a soft smile. It was almost reassuring. Whatever it was that Weiss was about to bring down on him, at least he had Ruby at his side.

A red tipped blade lazily patted him on the shoulder, as if trying to reassure him. Jaune paled quietly as the tendril it was attached to dissapeared back behind them. Ruby was looking forward at the moment, completely oblivious.

Weiss strode down the hall with a sense of purpose. Something had piqued her curiosity recently. And if there was one thing she desired more than anything else in the world, it was knowledge.

Nolan, as useless as the boy may have been, had spoken of something she did not know.

Movies.

Based on how Nolan had spoken to her, movies were something personal. Intimate. Perhaps even something that mates did together. The now deceased boy had made his woefully inadequate interest in her obvious to see. She knew her logic was infallible. If movies were something which humans did together, something which mates did together, then she must learn all she could about them.

Movies were something that had apparently been acquired from Professor Callows himself. Why was her teacher providing him, and not herself with this exotic lore? It was unacceptable. It was a failure that she was remedy today. Tonight. With Jaune.

A hand drifted up to her newly braided hair. He had done that for her and her alone. As Ruby had said, he had created something beautiful with his own hands, rather than destroyed. It was so very... human.

Was that perhaps why she wished to do movies with him? Weiss thought back to the scenario which Professor Fall had placed them in a number of days ago when they had imitated human courtship. Aside from the compliments he gave to her which for some reason affected her body's temperature and heart rate, he did indeed have positive physical attributes. He was large and strong. Yet on a more personal level, he was so much more than just this.

The blond boy was certainly an interesting specimen that she felt she could learn from. Jaune was different from the rest of the males here at the academy. He did not view her as mere breeding stock, despite the seemingly long and virile horn that he possessed. He would make a fine mate for those who he chose. His pack would grow large and strong if he were to ever remove the shackles of his human form and allow himself to behave naturally.

Even if he did not, he still had his uses. Jaune would help her become the best student in the academy. He would be able to use his admittedly greater knowledge of humanity to enhance her own. At least until her inherently superior abilities were able to take what he had taught her and built on it until she surpassed him. He had already introduced her to the culinary arts, and she had quickly become adept in that. She wondered if he had any knowledge of these movies that Nolan had spoken of. She hoped not. Maybe for once she would be able to teach him something about being more human. She would be able to rub his face in something that he did not know. What a sight that would be!

Arriving at the Tyrian's chambers, Weiss rapped her knuckles against the door a couple times before her hands linked behind her back. She stood tall and firm, her horn proud and upright as she awaited an answer from her teacher.

It took only a few seconds for the door to open, revealing the familiar man clad in white. Yellow eyes looked down upon her with glee, and his hands came up to rub together excitedly. "Mistress Weiss," he greeted with joy in his voice. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"Professor Callows," she began formally. Her eyes never left his own. "I wish to have movies."

Tyrian pursed his lips, and his head tilted ever so slightly in confusion. "Movies?"

"Yes. Nolan told me that you provided him with movies. I wish to have some."

"Ah," the man said with understanding. "Yes, I did provide the boy with some movies." His earlier smile returned to his face in the form of a knowing smirk. "Of course you personally made sure that any talk of the boy would be in past tense. A fine fight if I ever did see one from one of our goddess' most glorious children."

While Weiss would have normally appreciated praise from the man, she had not come here to hear him worship Salem. "Since he will not longer need them, may I have his allotment of movies?"

"But of course. Tell me, what kind of movies would you like?"

This time it was Weiss' own face which frowned with confusion. "There are different kinds?"

A look of understanding formed on Tyrian's face. "Oh my. You know of their existence, but not what they are. A word without meaning. Am I correct in my assumption?"

Her frown shifted from confusion to frustration. Indeed, she did not exactly know what movies were. Only what purpose they might serve. Weiss did not like to admit she didn't know something. The girl took pride in being the best and brightest student in the academy. More than that, she enjoyed lording her knowledge over her inferiors. However, if admitting her ignorance to Tyrian now meant that she could use that knowledge against her peers later, it would be worth it.

"Yes," she admitted begrudgingly.

"Please, allow me to clarify then," he said warmly. "Movies are much like the boring, stuffy documentaries you have seen in Professor Watts' class. They tell a story through moving pictures and sound. Does this help in your understanding?"

It did. Professor Watts on occasion had them watch what he called documentaries about humanity. The subjects he tended to focus on were things like the history of wars, politics and plagues. All things which were capable of undermining human societies and engineering the downfalls of their kingdoms. Camera footage from the near or distant past was captured to be replayed for educational purposes. If this is what movies were, then she did indeed have a fine understanding of them.

"I see. Then I would like to have some of the movies that you had provided Nolan in the past."

Tyrian's tail twitched back and forth as he turned back to look into his room. "Very well. I believe I have a selection of movies in mind which you may find quite... enjoyable."

Weiss smiled. Indeed, she would find any opportunity to learn extremely enjoyable. If she was about to receive a specialized and exclusive lesson from Professor Callows in the form of these movies, then she was eager to get all she could from the man.

Tyrian went back into his room briefly before coming back with two small, thin boxes. Each had what appeared to be a photograph of people on the fronts of them. "I believe you will find this selection to be most informative. This one," he continued, pointing to the box which had the word 'Alien' written on it. "In particular is a classic of cinematography."

Weiss didn't know what that word meant, but if it had Tyrian's approval then she would gladly take it. "Thank you, Professor Callows."

"Since it is a Saturday, you may have access to the teacher's lounge tonight in order to watch these movies. Tell me, are you going to bring any companions with you to watch them?"

She thought back to her earlier conversation with Jaune and Ruby. She had indeed told the boy to reserve the night to do the movies with her. Or more accurately now, to watch movies with her. She also knew that where Jaune went, Ruby would follow.

Weiss bit her lip gently. If movies were indeed something which mates did together, was that why she had invited Jaune?

"Yes," she confirmed. "Jaune and Ruby will be joining me."

Tyrian cackled softly to himself. "Oh how wonderful. Just a moment, allow me to provide you with one more movie."

A few seconds later he returned with a third box. "This one is very educational. Be sure to watch it all as a group, okay?"

Weiss looked at the newest movie she had just been handed. It didn't look any more educational than either of the others, but she would take the man's word for it.

She nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Professor."

Tyrian placed a hand over his chest and bowed dramatically. "But of course. I live to serve Salem and her children. Your happiness and success gives my life meaning."

For a faunus, Weiss knew that Tyrian was a strange one. It was a curious thing to why a human or faunus would willingly serve the Queen of the Grimm. However Weiss chose not to question it. Her mission in life was to bring the entirety of humanity under the heel of Salem. Perhaps those like Tyrian and Cinder were just ahead of the curve. They knew their place already without having to be dominated.

Weiss turned and left, carrying the three movies tightly in her hands. Tonight she would have exclusive access to the teacher's lounge along with Jaune and Ruby. Perhaps she would allow the boy to sit next to her. If only to aid in her own comfort while viewing the movies.

As she had learned the previous night, the boy did make for an excellent pillow. There was more than that, however. Loathe as she was to admit it, him wrapping an arm around her and holding her body close to him made her feel things which she had never felt before. An odd sense of comfort and warmth had filled her body as she quickly drifted to sleep. She now knew what Ruby saw in him. She understood why the girl was so insistent on sharing a bed with him. And now that Weiss herself did as well, she would let nothing remove her from his side.

It never hurt to have options on the table. Since Jaune did have his uses, she would be sure to keep him close. To keep those options open should she ever need to use them.

Jaune never thought he would see the day that 'Species' made a person cry.

Yet here he was.

As it turned out, Weiss' big plan for the evening had been a simple movie night. He was amazed that Grimm hybrids even had such a concept. That they would gather together to watch movies with their friends. Yet here he was. Sitting on a couch in the teacher's lounge next to his friends watching movies.

He was flanked on either side by Ruby and Weiss. Next to Ruby sat Yang, who had decided to tag along once she found out that the three of them would be doing something together. When she found out that it was only to watch 'documentary movies' together, she had been especially let down. Yet she stuck with the group regardless, assuming a half-way human form so that her arm didn't destroy everything. Thankfully Blake had not made the same approach. He didn't think he could handle the idea of Blake and her tentacles after watching a pair of movies featuring creepy alien tentacle monsters.

Ruby was practically bawling as the credits to the sci fi horror movie scrolled on the screen. "I think my eyes are broken, they won't stop running!"

Jaune was caught somewhere between pity and amusement. Ruby was crying. She had no idea what it was or why she was doing it, but she was indeed crying. Over Species.

"I liked Alien more," Yang chimed in. "More blood and guts."

"All she wanted to do was mate," the redhead continued. "Why did they have to kill her for wanting to do something so beautiful and natural?"

Maybe because the alien parasite creature had murdered countless humans in order to try and achieve her goal? Naturally he didn't say that. To these Grimm hybrids, a few broken eggs, or in this case broken humans, were perfectly acceptable losses in achieving their goals.

"That was a true story," Weiss said with a sniffle of her own. Her arm came up to rub across her eyes. The contents of that movie must have really gotten to them. "Humans really are such horrible and selfish creatures."

Again Jaune wanted to speak up in protest, but decided against it. After all, he was one of them. He was a hybrid. He couldn't explain to them why it wasn't okay to just go around and infect human hosts with parasitic alien spawn. Or that brutally murdering people was not an acceptable way to achieve your goals.

Still, he could at least correct Weiss' misconception that Species was a true story. "It's actually fictional," he told her. "It's just a movie."

Weiss raised a finger at him. "Categorically untrue!" she protested. "It is indeed a true story. These movies are just like the documentaries we see in Professor Watts' class. Professor Callows told me so."

It was obvious Weiss had a poor understanding of what movies were. While Jaune didn't doubt that Tyrian may have compared these movies to the documentaries in order to explain them to her, he also didn't doubt that Weiss came to the wrong conclusion with the explanation. That all movies were documentaries.

"They're not," he continued to press. "Are you going to tell me that the Facehugger impregnations from 'Alien' were true stories too?"

"That'd be awesome," the blonde girl said.

Weiss scoffed. "Of course not. The depiction of reproduction in that movie was absolutely false."

Jaune laughed softly. "I'm honestly surprised you know that."

Red eyes glared at him. "I know how the process of mating works. I've read about it extensively."

"You have?" Ruby asked.

"Of course," the shorter girl stated proudly. "The male fertilizes the eggs of the female with milt. I've just not figured out how to lay the eggs yet."

Jaune stared at her dumbfounded. "Eggs?"

Weiss nodded confidently. "Yes. First, I lay eggs. You then rub yourself furiously against me as I lay them. At which point you expunge a series of spores that will settle over the cluster of eggs, which I will then swallow. I will then return the eggs to your mouth where they were gestate for a period of eighteen to twenty-two months. At which point a great bird will swoop down and help you deliver the eggs."

Words could not describe what Weiss had just stated. There may have been odd bits of truth in her depiction of mating. If they were fish. Or some other sort of animal. And the bit about the bird? What did that have to do with anything!

"A bird..." he questioned.

"Yes. I believe it is called a snipe."

Oh. That explained it. Now she was just mixing science with fairy tales. It would have been adorable had he not wanted to facepalm so much at this very moment. Though, didn't she mean stork?

"You realize I'm not a fish, right?" he asked her.

"Oh really? Yang told me you were part Leviathan."

Jaune looked over to where Yang sat. The girl merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"But those aren't fish," he argued.

"They live in water, do they not?" Weiss countered. "They have fins and gills. They are fish. Have you ever seen a land-fish? I think not!"

One of these days Weiss' twisted logic was going to make his head explode. This was going nowhere fast. He needed a distraction, and fast. Ruby gasping in shock caught his attention, his head twisting to see a flurry of black hair whip out of sight. Blinking, he looked at the confused expression on Ruby's face, looking around.

"Someone just licked away my eye water! I can see again!"

Jaune looked behind the couch. Nothing. Getting up, he looked underneath the couch, expecting a mass of black hair, cat ears and red eyes to be waiting. Nothing.

"Jaune, hurry up!" Weiss was as impatient as ever.

He knew that was Blake. Blake...licking tears. She worried him. Deeply. Almost as much as the feeling of a bladed tentacle lovingly grazing his shoulders as he was bent down. Standing straight up he whirled around.

Nowhere to be seen.

"How about we just watch the last movie?" he suggested quickly.

"Very well," Weiss agreed. He wouldn't have been surprised if she took him changing the subject as a surrender.

Grabbing hold of the last DVD, he read the title in his head. Faunus Fever. Tyrian certainly did have a particular taste in movies. Sci fi, horror, and now presumably disaster? He could only assume this was some sort of epidemic apocalypse movie where a strange new disease wipes out most of the planet's population. One called the Faunus Fever. Gods above, he hoped this wouldn't excite Blake any more than she apparently already was.

As he set the disc into the player, Ruby spoke up. "Oh, I have an idea!" she said excitedly.

"What's that?"

"For this next movie let's make a game of it. We try to hold our human forms for as long as possible. Whoever lasts the longest wins." She stopped, looking at Jaune briefly. "Well you don't count since you can hold your human form as long as you want..."

Of course he could. He was just that good.

Weiss hummed, her appearance morphing before his eyes as she spoke. "Practical education disguised as a game? I can't say that I hate the idea. What does the winner receive?"

Yang chuckled softly. "I can think of one idea," she offered suggestively.

Jaune knew exactly what she meant by that. He sank lower into the couch. These girls were absolutely going to be the death of him.

He jumped as he felt something from inside the couch reach out and touch him. Something all too familiar. "Don't fret," the elusive voice of Blake purred. "I won't let them hurt you. Too much..."

Something warm and wet flicked across his ear. He recoiled from the touch, finding himself falling into Ruby's arms.

The redhead squeaked with surprise as she looked at him. "Jaune?"

"Blake..." he said, as if that was all that was needed as explanation.

"Still need you..." the shadowy whisper said from inside the couch.

Blake was inside the couch. How was she inside the couch!

Ruby grabbed hold of his arm with her own. "Stop that, Blake!" she shouted.

The tentacle retreated. Hissing laughter sounded from around them as the tendril slithered back underneath the cushion to leave him alone.

Jaune sat next to Ruby, who had taken possession of one of his arms. Weiss did the same on his other side, refusing to let Ruby have anything that she did not.

As they sat there, even knowing what was underneath them, Jaune did feel just a bit safer in their embrace.

Time passed and Ruby lost the human competition, but she didn't mind. This movie was turning out to be very interesting.

It was way different than the other ones. This one seemed to be about regular humans and faunus interacting together. A human worker known as a plumber had gone over to a faunus woman's house in order to aid her in cleaning her pipes. This was important knowledge on the everyday workings of human society. People had jobs. Careers. There were professions out there that were not huntsmen. This was all very fascinating.

What was especially fascinating was how the human male and the faunus female began to grow physically closer to one another. The plumber had abandoned his duty of cleaning the woman's pipes in order to take her in his arms and kiss her. Was this a normal thing to do for two humans who had just met?

In any case it was good to have another practical demonstration for the act of kissing. Not that she doubted Jaune's abilities. Not that she had a problem of practicing with him...

She glanced over to the boy next to her, who appeared to have a look of horror on his face. How strange.

With a slight bump of her shoulder against his own, she earned his attention. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"You used to tell me to wear clothes when we were in bed together." She pointed to the screen on which the movie played. "Why aren't they?"

"Uh... well... they're, um, going to..."

The man removed his pants, revealing a long, fleshy appendage. Ruby gasped.

A secret lower horn!

The human's horn seemed to be stimulated when he was lying down in the embrace of the faunus woman. Just as Jaune's had been.

Did she... did they do that to him? Had her and Weiss' presence in bed with him caused his horn to appear?

Her attention was once more brought upon Jaune. "That's a strange looking horn," she commented. "Do all lower horns look like that?"

Jaune squirmed in her grip, trying to break free and stand up. "Okay, movie's over, everyone!"

Her grip on him tightened. She didn't want the movie to be over. The actions that were taking place on screen were new. Interesting. Dare she say, exciting. As Weiss had mentioned earlier, the human and faunus were rubbing vigorously on each other. The woman seemed to enjoy being stabbed by the lower horn. Was that the process of... mating?

Ruby had always known that mates were a thing. That mating was a process. However, she had never actually known the finer details of how it occurred. Of what she would have been expected to do with her mate. Was this it? Was this why Jaune had insisted that she wear clothes when they slept together? Had he known the details of mating all along?

"It's okay, Jaune," she said as she held on to him tightly with her black, skeletal hand. "Let's keep watching."

The boy seemed to relax in her grip as he leaned back into the couch. "You're right. This is fine."

She smiled. That's right. This was fine. Everything was fine. This movie was nothing if not educational. If she was to portray a human, then she needed to learn all she could about how they acted. And that included mating.

As Jaune slumped back against the couch his head fell over onto her shoulder. It was nice. Holding onto him while she watched this movie was a strange and interesting feeling. Her heart raced in her chest, and the room seemed to be getting warmer. It was just a shame there were so many others in the room with her.

One of those others snapped her from attention with the harsh tone of her voice. "Ruby!" an angry voice sounded from within the couch.

The girl jumped at the sudden noise. "W-what?"

"You keep ruining it."

"Ruining what?"

"Your arm," Blake stated as a tentacle slipped up from the cushions to graze her Grimm arm. "You keep subduing him. Stop it."

Ruby stared down at her black limb. Had she been using her powers without even realizing it?

"If you keep mellowing him out, I can't feed off of his misery, fear and shame," the other girl continued. "Do you realize how selfish you're being?"

She removed it from Jaune's body, and a few seconds later he perked back up. He looked around as if recovering from being stunned.

"I- I didn't mean to," she said hurriedly.

Her arm. Her Apathy arm, gifted to her by Salem. She had used it willingly before. Just never on Jaune.

At least not that she knew of.

"I'm so sorry," she said hurriedly, ignoring the sounds of moaning in the background coming from the TV. "Are you okay, Jaune?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, bringing a hand up to rub his head. "Just got tired there for a second. I think I've been staring at the TV for too long."

That wasn't it. Not at all. However she was hesitant to tell him what had really happened. She worried that he might hate her for it.

"Right," she agreed. "If you want we can go back to our room. If you wanna lie down and rest."

She released her grip on him as he moved to stand again, this time doing so successfully. "Yeah. That sounds like a plan. Might need a shower."

Ruby stood with him. She looked down to Yang and Weiss who remained seated on the couch. "We're going back to our room, okay?"

"Very well. I wish to stay a little longer and learn more about... about this," Weiss said embarrassedly as her eyes remained glued to the screen.

"Yeah, it's pretty hot," Yang said far more casually. "Have fun, you two," she added with a smirk at the retreating roommates.

Blake said nothing. There was no guarantee she was even in the room anymore.

Not wasting another moment, Ruby led Jaune out of the teacher's lounge and back to their room. All the while, thoughts of what she had seen in the movie filled her thoughts. What two humans or faunus did when they undressed and shared a bed together. What happened when they shed their clothes and revealed their lower horns.

What she and Jaune could do while they too shared a bed.

Maybe Weiss' snipe would be quite a welcome sight in the future. A hunger unlike anything she had known before found itself lit inside the pit of her stomach. A fire that threatened to turn her entire body into a pyre. Smiling, she found she didn't mind this feeling. Not one bit.

Author's Note: Well this was an, uh, interesting one to write. As much as we all love Boogie Blake, I also have a soft spot for "know-nothing know-it-all" Weiss. The way she mixes up words and information yet spouts it so confidently really amuses me.

Ruby's special Grimm power has been revealed now. It's been hinted at several times, but did anyone notice the instances when Ruby did use her Apathy arm?

Also, Jaune's hypothetical nickname for Ruby. Anyone have any suggestions? Let me know!

I want to thank you all for your continued support for this story. And of course my thanks go out to Burkion and Lightningstrxu for all of their help.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it.