Cameras flash as the people on the stage sit on a conference table.
"Captain Roger! The people of Vale want to know! In light of the recent disturbance in Vale, is the situation under control?" Lisa Lavender asks heatedly from her seat in the conference room.
"Yes, Lisa. We would like to assure everyone that all of us here in the Vale Police Department can confidently say that the situation is completely under control." Captain Roger responds calmly with a rugged smile, projecting an aura of strength and stability.
Not willing to let the topic lie down, Lisa Lavender goes for the throat like a lion trying to strangle its prey.
"With all due respect Captain, that statement runs contrary to what is currently happening. Increased Dust heights, a large smuggling operation in the docks last night, and now the rumored cooperation between Master Thief Roman Torchwick and the notorious White Fang organization. How could you say that the situation is under control despite the situation?"
Not to be outdone, Captain Roger pulls in all his resolve and uses all his training and experience to reply.
"We could confidently say that the situation is under control because despite working together, the White Fang and Roman Torchwick were driven off last night from their operation. We managed to capture 24 White Fang operatives by the end of the night."
Murmurs and light claps resound inside the conference room as Captain Roger delivers his report confidently. Unwilling to give up on this potential sensational news, Lisa Lavender brings out the big guns.
"Is it true though, that students from Beacon were the ones who successfully managed to drive off the White Fang instead of the police?" Lisa calmly asks, putting the Police Department's capabilities in a bad light while insinuating they're taking credit for the work of students.
"Well, Li-"
Ding!
Ozpin turns off the live news feed he was just watching as the elevator rings in his office, signaling the arrival of a visitor.
"Glynda." He greets his deputy headmistress from his office table atop Beacon Tower.
"Ozpin." She nods back, rolling her shoulders to release tension from a hard day's work.
"So?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.
"...You were right. His Semblance amplifies Aura. A healing or strength enhancing Semblance would not augment Dust." She sighs at him, not liking what she thinks Ozpin is already planning.
"So, it is as I thought." He smiles cheerily with a sigh of relief.
"Ozpin, I really must protest against this course of action. Mr. Arc is young, and unprepared. To pull him into this matter would just get him killed. He'd ask questions and once he knows things he would want to get involved."
"Glynda, would you deny Amber the help she could get? Especially knowing that Mr. Arc's Semblance could help heal her?"
"We don't even know for sure, Ozpin! For all we know nothing happens and we involve him in this for nothing!"
"And for all we know he might help heal Amber who in turn would point to us her attackers, thereby making everything safer not just for Mr. Arc but also for everyone."
"I still don't like it." Glynda replies, unable to refute Ozpin's point as she bites her lower lip in frustration.
"You seem to be under the impression I like this as well." Ozpin replies sternly with a flat tone.
"Don't you? You seem positively cheery after Mr. Arc unlocked his Semblance." She replies with a raised eyebrow.
"I won't deny that it is a relief to confirm his Semblance amplifies Aura, but I too do not like having children as young as them involved in our war with Salem."
"Then why do this at all?"
"Because we owe it to Amber to try, and besides it's not like we will pull Mr. Arc directly into our war with Salem."
"What do you mean?"
"All we have to say is that her Aura was damaged and regular hospitals do not have the equipment to deal with problems with Aura. No mentions of magic, Maidens, or Salem."
"He'll have questions on how Amber has her soul, her Aura, ripped in half."
"And he'll have his answers. We tell him it's a strange Semblance we have never encountered. After all, it's not that far from the truth and it's not as if strange Semblances pop up from time to time."
"...Alright, I believe that's fair."
"I'm glad you see it that way, Glynda. Now all we need is to talk to Mr. Arc and Amber might be healed." Ozpin finishes with a smile.
"Ahh. About that. He still needs to train." For the first time in their conversation, Glynda Goodwitch falters with a grimace.
"What do you mean? Is Team JNPR still training with Peter right now?"
"You mean the detention that's actually training for both Teams RWBY and JNPR? Oh dear no, Peter only told them the basics for today, they'll have to do it next time. But this isn't about that."
"Then what is this about?"
"Ahh..You didn't watch the spar then?"
"No, I trusted you to know what to look for. Why do you ask?"
"Well, if you watched it you would know that I needed to send them to the infirmary."
"What?! Is it that bad?!"
"Well…."
"Firebolt!"
Glynda Goodwitch covers her eyes as the world is covered in red and white. Before she manages to blink out the white dots dancing in her eyes, she's suddenly hearing a body crash against a wall and a pained scream from another source.
"OW! OW! OW! My hand!" Jaune Arc shakes his hand furiously with tears in his eyes and Glynda has a quick moment to notice that his hand is still smoking while clenched.
"MR. ARC! Spread your fingers now!" Glynda shouts sternly as she rapidly walks toward Weiss Schnee.
She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees her move to clutch her chest in pain. Pain is good. Pain means you're alive. Taking a quick look at the Aura meters, her eyes widen when she sees the girl's Aura plummet from 100% to 16% while Mr. Arc's Aura steadily climbed upwards from 40%.
That's too much damage.
Before their final clash, it didn't even look like Ms. Schnee was even hit. Still, even if her Aura wasn't in the red, the fact of the matter is Weiss Schnee is no longer in any condition to fight. Not when she's clutching her chest in pain and having trouble breathing. Add the fact that Mr. Arc's final attack launched her off of the arena and into the wall. There's only one thing Glynda could do in this situation.
"WINNER! Jaune Arc!"
Pandemonium engulfs the room. Shouts, claps, and screams cover them as Glynda helps Weiss Schnee get her feet under her.
"What was that?!"
"Holy shit! Did you see that in the end?!"
"Impossible! Look at his Aura! How is he doing that?!"
Yet despite the exclamations, the winner himself is busy nursing his own hand.
"Ooohhhhh, it burns, oh it burns!" Jaune continues to exclaim comically while shaking his hand in the air.
"Good! Take it as a lesson NOT to use Dust with your bare hands! Add to that, you were clenching your hand while unleashing your attack! You're lucky your hand didn't get blown off." She shouts, glaring at Jaune for his dangerous move as Weiss Schnee dazedly clings to her arm for balance while still panting.
Jaune Arc only stares at her with tears gathering in his eyes in an expression that Glynda might have called cute if it was a puppy doing it. As it is, she only clenches her whip to get him to wince and stop his pouting at her. Sighing to herself, she stares out at the class to see both Teams RWBY and JNPR looking worriedly at their members.
"Teams RWBY and JNPR, please collect your teammates and bring them to the infirmary." She announces.
"Wait, I could hel-"
"That is quite enough of you, Mr. Arc. Go to the infirmary and let the healers do their job. For all we know, you could make her explode just like what you did with your hand. You will train your Aura and Semblance first before attempting to use it on others again." She narrows her eyes at him causing him to grimace as his own team arrives to shepherd him out of the room just as Team RWBY arrives to collect Weiss Schnee from her arm.
"Am I clear, Mr. Arc?" Glynda emphasizes, wanting to see he understood her instructions.
"Yes ma'am." He answers abashedly.
The reply makes her breath a sigh of relief and she turns her attention to Weiss Schnee.
"Ms. Schnee, a word of advice. Never underestimate an opponent especially in the field. It could mean your life and death."
Weiss Schnee flinches at that, letting her teammates help her to the door.
"I can see the frustration in your face, if you wanted to win this match then you should have tried harder."
Her rebuke causes the heiress to sag into her partner's arms.
"Do not forget to visit Professor Port for your detention." She says sternly before they even managed to get out of the door.
Seeing them nod, Glynda Goodwitch pinches the bridge of her nose before turning to the rest of her class.
"Alright next is Russel Thrush vs….."
As amazing as Jaune Arc's and Weiss Schnee's battle was, she still had to conduct class for the rest of her students. And so another battle starts in Glynda Goodwitch's Combat Class.
"So, they're still in the infirmary?" Ozpin asks.
"Not anymore, Mr. Arc only had some minor burns so he was discharged, but Ms. Schnee has to take it easy and let her Aura heal her naturally. Taking an explosion straight to the chest would hurt someone, even if you have Aura."
"I see, I'm glad everything is fine. So Mr. Arc still needs to learn how to use his Semblance efficiently. You suspect he amplified the Fire Dust with his Semblance so much that it almost burned his hand off?"
"I won't go that far to describe it as burning his own hand off, but he definitely did overload it enough to give him minor burns despite also having amplified Aura in his hand." She lets the implication of her statement sink in before sharing her worries. "Frankly speaking Ozpin, if Mr. Arc did not contain the explosion in his fist I would be more worried about Ms. Schnee."
That actually manages to get Ozpin to pause. If what Glynda is saying is true, then that means Mr. Arc's Semblance does not just add Aura. It could be a multiplier in the right circumstances if its reaction to Dust is anything to go by. Regardless, they would need to keep a close eye on him from now on and study his Semblance.
"Extend their training with Peter for a week." Headmaster Ozpin says with a calculating glint in his eye.
"With what basis? We might call it training, but the students would only see it as an unjust extension of their detention." Glynda responds incredulously.
"Tell them its punishment for making the Police Department hide their identities from the public."
"...That could work. Capturing Grimm with Peter mainly focuses on the lessons of teamwork and restraint. It would certainly teach Mr. Arc how to restrain his Semblance-enhanced strikes, which might then translate to being more gentle with healing instead of just pouring his Aura through when the time comes."
"Indeed, I'm glad we are in agreement on this."
"...I still don't like pulling a first year into this situation, but if it's to help Amber with safeguards in place then perhaps I can agree to it just this once." Glynda says in a conciliatory manner.
"..Thank you, Glynda. Your support means a lot." Ozpin's shoulders sag in involuntary relief, giving Glynda a wry smile from the tired immortal.
"Just don't forget, Ozpin. They are still children. Give them some time to be children still."
And suddenly to Ozpin's eyes, it isn't just his current blonde deputy speaking to him. It's a thin and pale man, a brown-haired woman, a stout old man, and countless others telling him similar things.
"Come on, Oz. Loosen up, they are too young." A young masculine voice cheerily tells him.
"Give them some time, Oz. Let them be children still." A stern feminine voice speaks to him.
"They're just kids, Oz. No need to drag them into this as of this time." A strong confident voice talks to him.
"There's still time for them to b-"
"We have so much time to-."
Or something similar to that effect. Always about time.
And with a blink of his eyes, it's suddenly just him and Glynda again.
"...I will, Glynda. I'll do my best to give them time." He assures his deputy, as he dismisses her for the night.
For what is time to an immortal like him?
Too much, perhaps? Especially when his friends today are suddenly dead tomorrow with him outliving even their grandchildren? Yes, time is perhaps too much that he wishes he could give some of it away. That he could just turn his mind off and embrace the sweet release of death or nothingness.
Sometimes, though? Sometimes it feels like it doesn't feel enough. When his enemies move in the dark and he doesn't know what to do? It always feels like he doesn't have enough time to save anybody.
Looking at the City of Vale from his office windows, he feels-no, he knows that his enemy is moving right now.
What are you up to?
Still, regardless of what the enemy is currently planning to do, Ozpin knows that the coming battles will eventually rest on the shoulders of the next generation. Try as he might to delay it, the children will have to carry the burden some day. Just as it has happened for the previous thousands of lifetimes Ozpin has lived.
Though this time, gladness fills Ozpin's heart when he thinks about the current young generation. Multiple Maiden candidates having a close friendship with the next Silver-Eyed Warrior while being tangled with a protective knight who possesses a strong Semblance? The future looks bright.
He allows himself a smile as he stares at Vale's citylights.
The future's looking bright indeed.
The future's looking dim for one Jaune Arc.
Tension fit for a death battle fills RWBY's dorm room as both Team JNPR and Team RWBY stare at each other.
The reason? Pyrrha gripping his shoulder tightly while Weiss alternates between absently muttering to herself and glaring at him. If Pyrrha doesn't accidentally dislocate his shoulder, Jaune thinks Weiss would finish the job by stabbing him.
It was just about an hour ago that Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee were released from the infirmary after having their injuries checked.
With Jaune only having minor burns in his hand and Weiss needing to take it easy, it was a simple matter of applying soothing cream to Jaune's hand and letting her rest peacefully to get them going again.
The need to actually take it easy unexpectedly saved them from having detention with Professor Port. Turns out, their detention involves capturing Grimm. Nothing too dangerous when they have two whole teams and a teacher with them but with Weiss still hurting from her loss, they just opted to do it next time.
But therein lies their current issue. Weiss Schnee lost to Jaune Arc. It should have been a joyous occasion. He just won against all odds and defeated a stronger opponent than him.
Jaune was just about ready to celebrate with his team before they were dragged into Team RWBY's dorm room. They were violently reminded of something that complicates things between them and their sister team.
"Ahem! Ahem." Ruby clears her throat, gathering the attention of everyone there as she stands in the middle of two groups.
She solemnly holds out her hand, prompting Yang to bring out a leather bound stack of paper. A stack held together by cute stickers and liberal use of a stapler.
Ruby walks forward to the center of the room and nods at everyone staring at her. The rest of Team RWBY looks from her left, Yang and Weiss seated on her bed while Blake leans nervously on the wall beside it.
Team JNPR looks from Ruby's right, Jaune and Pyrrha sitting on Blake's bed while Nora and Ren lean on the wall beside it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to-" Ruby starts, only for a cold voice to interrupt her.
"This isn't a wedding." Pyrrha coldly interjects causing Ruby to wince.
"Pyrrha. No need to be harsh here." Jaune calls out sternly with his elbows on his knees and hands stapled together in front of his face.
Rebuked by her boyfriend, Pyrrha winces in turn beside Jaune. She turns to Ruby to apologize.
"Sorry Jaune. Sorry Ruby, I just don't want any misunderstandings here."
Ruby's heart grows warm at her best friend's defense of her and she accepts Pyrrha's apology. Besides, it's not like she doesn't understand where Pyrrha is coming from. She wordlessly apologizes with a nod and resolves to fix her wording.
"It's okay Pyrrha, I'll just get righhhht into it." Ruby replies, trying to turn the pages in her stack to the correct page.
Awkwardness fills the room as the reaper takes a few seconds before finally arriving at the right page.
"Alright! Here we go! As of the contract arranged by Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee, signed by both Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee. Jaune Arc, after winning a spar against Weiss Schnee before the Vytal Tournament, is entitled to one date with Weiss Schnee!" Ruby declares loudly with a brittle smile.
She probably feels nervous about this. Having to be the one to announce something like that right after knowing I'm dating Pyrrha now must make her nervous.
Jaune thinks to himself, not noticing that Ruby Rose's discomfort stems from another reason.
As expected, silence fills the room at Ruby's declaration. There were no shouting, screaming, yelling, or any violent reactions as of yet but Jaune isn't too hopeful he'd get out of this unscathed.
"..I should have won." Weiss dazedly says out loud, reeling from the consequences of her loss.
"You should have tried harder." Jaune replies flatly.
And just like that, all the goodwill he built with Weiss during their talk suddenly disappears as she glares at him.
Jaune winces internally at the way he said it. He tried to agree with Weiss and say it comfortingly but judging Weiss' scowl towards him, his nervousness made it seem like he was challenging her instead.
"Be that as it may, I refuse to date you. I refuse to date a man already spoken for." Weiss snaps back at him.
"Uhhh. You don't have to date. You just need to go on one date." Ruby points as matter of factly as she could, causing Weiss to scowl at her to which the reaper just shrugs back.
"No, no. She's right. She doesn't have to go on a date with Jaune. It was a stupid bet anyway." Pyrrha's tense mood suddenly melts away at Weiss' refusal. She cheerily supports her not getting closer to Jaune in any way possible.
"Great! Since we are in agreement. We can just cancel thi-" Weiss begins with a smile, only to be interrupted by two voices.
""No."" Ruby and Jaune say at the same time to the surprise of their own respective partners.
"Ruby?!"
"Jaune?!"
"You signed a contract, Weiss! You can't just back out! You have to go on a date with Jaune!" Ruby exclaims hysterically, waving the stack of paper all over the place. Conflicted she might be for this particular case, let it not be said that Ruby Rose is not devoted to her contracts.
"Bu-but. It's Jaune!" Weiss complains with a frustrated frown.
On the other side of the room, two partners have their own argument, albeit more quietly.
"Jaune…..Do you really want to go on a date with Weiss?" Pyrrha asks with heartbreak in her eyes.
She was okay with letting Blake into their relationship because Blake actually helped them, but Weiss? She could handle anyone else, but Weiss? No, no she can't.
From the beginning, Weiss was constantly putting Jaune down. She doesn't understand why Jaune would still want to be with her. Does he still hold a torch for her? Does he still love her? Am I not enough? Those were the thoughts running through the Spartan's mind.
Luckily for Pyrrha, it isn't like that at all.
"No, Pyrrha. It isn't like that." Jaune says softly, pushing his forehead against hers.
The action comforts Pyrrha just enough to turn her incoming sob into a few sniffles.
"Then, what is it about?" She speaks with a wet voice.
"Shhh Shhh. I signed a contract, Pyr. I gave my word." He hushes her with a quick kiss to the forehead.
"And an Arc never breaks their word." Pyrrha completes, understanding Jaune's reasoning now.
"Right." Jaune replies with a smile seeing that his girlfriend is now calming down.
"..Okay, okay. I get it now." Pyrrha replies after taking deep breaths.
"That's good. But just to assure you, let me tell you this…." Jaune starts, grabbing both of Pyrrha's hands in his and pulls her to stand up face to face before continuing slowly.
"You've been with me even if I was a pain in the ass. You've been so kind to me, you've saved me, helped me, and even trained me. I would be a fool to let you go. I promise that I won't leave you and I'll always be here for you. I love you, Pyrrha Nikos." Jaune finishes breathlessly while looking into her eyes.
Jaune sees her eyes tear up, but this time, he's confident that those are happy tears. He smiles at her affectionately, willing her to feel how much he loves her.
"Oh, Jaune…." Pyrrha says softly as she begins to lean forward.
Swept up by the mood, Jaune slowly leans forward as well. His heart quickens as their lips come closer. The world slowly fades away as Jaune closes his eyes to savor this coming moment.
"AHEM!"
And suddenly, just like that, they snap back to reality and leap away from each other.
Looking around them, Jaune could see Ruby blushing while Weiss scowls beside her. Beyond them, he could see Yang looking closely at them while Blake smiles forlornly. Something he'd have to bring up with his planned talk with her perhaps? As it is, he has no time to think about it because he's suddenly being tackled by an orange-haired menace together with Pyrrha.
"That was so sweet! I'm so happy for the two of you!" Nora squeals as Ren follows up to stop her from breaking Jaune's spine in two.
The ginger might have known these two were already dating in the first place but this is the first time she has heard her fearless leader proclaim his love to her sister from another mother!
"AHEM!"
Unfortunately, their sweet moment has to end when Weiss Schnee exclaims loudly to get their attention again.
"..Spoilsport." Nora mutters as she lets Ren lead her away.
Weiss' eye twitches at that but she lets it be and instead focuses on Jaune and Pyrrha in front of her.
"Sorry." Jaune apologizes shyly, rubbing the back of his head while blushes shyly beside him.
"Honestly, the gall to ask me out on a date and then embrace another woman in front of me? Unbelievable."
Jaune winces at that. If his mother and sisters could see him now he'd probably be already dead for looking like a womanizer, not that he intended to be a womanizer in the first place.
"Hey, Jaune isn't asking you out on a date. He's just abiding by the contract." Pyrrha replies with a frown, having had enough of Weiss' lambasting of Jaune.
"Pyrrha, I thought you would be the most against this since the two of you are dating." Weiss frowns back, surprising Jaune at the fact that it is apparently known in their friend group that he and Pyrrha are officially dating.
"I was, but Jaune made it very clear that this is strictly professional and not for….pleasure." Pyrrha smirks as she looks Weiss from head to toe, relishing in the feeling of being victorious over her love rival even if it is one-sided on her part.
Unexpectedly though, Weiss Schnee's competitive side rears its head at Pyrrha's smug demeanor. Sparks flash as the two girls lock eyes with one another. One side flush with her victory and the other currently having a bruised ego.
Still, Weiss Schnee will not take this lying down. She clenches her fist and grits her teeth before turning to Jaune. She takes a deep breath first before letting out her most elegant and polite smile she could.
"Well Jaune, I'm waiting." She offers, using her melodic voice to capture his full attention as she raises her left hand in invitation.
Waiting for what, you ask? Waiting for the knight to invite her out of course. It takes a moment for everyone to realize what she's asking for but eventually they all gasp in shock at Weiss.
For the first time ever since they've all met, Weiss Schnee goes on the offensive and extends a hand out as an invitation to Jaune Arc. The move surprises everyone there, most of all Pyrrha Nikos.
Pyrrha rocks back at the sudden change in tune. She never thought Weiss would go on the offensive like this when she has always turned down Jaune. She turns to Jaune in worry only for her to be more shocked by what he does next.
His back is straight, his steps are steady, and his eyes are resolute, Jaune Arc stares at Weiss Schnee before walking forward slowly. His demeanor doesn't go unnoticed as everyone there stares in surprise at his serious visage.
Slowly, torturously, Jaune Arc grabs Weiss Schnee's dainty hand and kneels on the floor. He stares into her eyes from his angle and sees her jaw drop at his actions. Going back to what his sisters taught him in how to treat a lady, he speaks.
"Weiss Schnee, as per our agreement, I, Jaune Arc, wish to invite you out on a date." He kisses her hand reminiscent of how his sisters made him kiss theirs when he, in utter desperation, asked for their help on how to ask a girl out on a date.
In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have listened to them when they grinned at him maliciously. But can you blame him? He wanted advice that didn't boil down to all you need is confidence. And thus, her sisters' advice. Treat a woman like a knight treats his princess.
The advice was sound, romantic, and was probably even what he needed but he really should have known better than to follow all of their examples.
If he wasn't so busy reminiscing in his memories and looking at Weiss he would have probably seen how gobsmacked everyone else is at his actions. As it is, he looks up again to see Weiss still in an expression of shock. Deciding to snap her out of it, he speaks again.
"Do you accept?" He asks. Blushing at the ensuing awkwardness brought about by the sudden silence in the room.
He sees Weiss try to stammer out an answer but nothing comes out of her mouth as her face starts to turn red.
"Uhh. Weiss, are you okay?" He asks again, worry bleeding into his voice as he stares at the now red-faced heiress.
To anyone else, Jaune's invitation would have been too much, too dramatic, and a bit cringe, but to Weiss Schnee? To the Weiss Schnee who grew up listening to heroic stories of her grandfather and reading fairy tales in secret? To the Weiss Schnee who used to dream of an armored gallant knight taking her hand and whisking her off from her gilded cage? Jaune Arc's invitation was unknowingly super effective as she stares back at blue eyes radiating worry for her. Blood rushes to her cheeks as her heart beats faster.
"I…uh…I accept." She stummers out inelegantly, her mouth opening and closing but is only barely able to produce a coherent sentence. She shakes her head to get her mind back in focus. Her surprised gaze turns into a glare as she gathers all that has made her into the formidable huntress-in-training she is.
"Don't get full of yourself, okay?! This is only because of the contract! I could still beat you soundly if I do my best!" She exclaims heatedly, not paying mind to the fact that she hasn't pulled her hand away from Jaune or that a blush still pierces through her cheeks.
"I know that you could beat me easily, that's why for our date, I would like us to train. I want you to train me how to use Dust."
And just like that, the world takes a pause, only moving when everyone else has taken a sigh of relief. Everyone except for Pyrrha that is. Pyrrha, who used to be Jaune's only Combat Trainer in their friend group, and now…..now Weiss Schnee is one too. The fact shocks her into stillness. A stillness that also affects Weiss Schnee.
"Training…..You want our date to be…training? Ha ha ha" Weiss laughs out mechanically.
"That's right! Nothing in the contract states that we couldn't go for training as our date! Plus, I'm already dating Pyrrha. I wouldn't want my first date not to be with her." Jaune beams with a smile and a small blush.
The mention of him already dating Pyrrha snaps Weiss out of the haze she unknowingly entered again.
"That's right! I am not the type of woman to date a man already spoken for. I am not a mistress! But…. training though? Fine! I accept your offer! Be careful though, I am a strict teacher and would only expect the best!"
And thus, Jaune Arc has secured a date with Weiss Schnee. He stands with a smile and only now lets go of her hand.
"Great! Thanks, Weiss! You're the best Dust User I know." He beams, making the heiress blush at the compliment again, prompting her to look away and crossing her arms.
"Hmph! Of course I'm the best. I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC." She states haughtily, preening at the truth.
And just like that, the tension filling Team RWBY's room is slowly replaced by a more relaxed atmosphere. Unbeknownst to the two though, Pyrrha has taken emotional damage. It is only the fact that Blake moves to comfort her that soothes her worries.
"It's okay, Pyrrha. It's just training. Plus didn't you hear Jaune? He would love to take you out on a date." Blake smiles comfortingly, patting the Spartan and successfully calming her down.
"Thank you, Blake. You really know how to help me and Jaune." Pyrrha smiles back after taking a breath, looking curiously at Blake she asks a question.
"How about you though? Wouldn't you want to go out on a date with Jaune?" She whispers conspiratorially as Jaune and Weiss are now getting teased by Yang and unexpectedly Ruby.
"Ahhh. I think I still need to settle my feelings first before going on a date with him." Blake nods back, still amazed at Pyrrha's acceptance of her.
In response, Pyrrha holds her hand comfortingly and leans towards her ear.
"I'm here if you need to talk to me." She whispers softly.
Blake's ear twitches as Pyrrha's warm breath comes into contact with it.
"..Thank you, Pyrrha. I'd like to talk to you about it as well, about us." Blake responds with a small smile.
Just as the two girls smile softly at each other, they are interrupted by the same person very dear to them.
"Hey, uhmmm. Could I borrow Blake for a second?" Jaune asks with a small blush after finally disentangling himself from the rest of Team RWBY, leaving Weiss alone to be ganged up on by Yang and Ruby.
Sensing the topic Jaune wants to talk about, a small blush begins to overtake Blake as well. However, she still has to settle her feelings before having this talk with him. It's the reason why she asked Yang for a talk earlier anyway.
"Sorry, Jaune. Maybe next time?" She asks demurely, causing Jaune to sag a bit at her rejection. Seeing him deflate for a second, Blake moves to clarify herself.
"Look, I think I know what you want to talk about." She starts, grabbing his shoulder with her hand before continuing "I would love to talk with you about it too, but I need to settle things with myself first, okay?"
"..Yeah, yeah I can do that. Just remember, you're not alone alright? You've got me and Pyrrha now." Both him and Pyrrha smile at that.
"That's….Thank you, Jaune. Maybe we'd talk sooner rather than later?" Feeling gratitude fill her heart, Blake gives them a grateful smile.
"Later, that would be later." Weiss interjects unexpectedly in their conversation.
And just like that, Jaune has found himself in the middle of his girlfriend, the girl he fucked with his girlfriend, and the girl he just asked out.
"Uhh, Weiss. What?"
"May I remind you, Jaune, that we still have that assignment from Doctor Oobleck. You may have beaten me once in combat Jaune, but you won't beat me in academics too." Weiss proudly declares to them with her arms crossed.
Caught flat-footed by the sudden declaration, Jaune's unintelligent response is "Uhmm, okay? Thank you for the reminder?"
Snorting at his reply, Weiss turns to Blake again.
"Come, Blake. You have a duty to help your teammate win." She says as she begins dragging Blake back to team RWBY.
In response, Blake just waves a small smile at Jaune and Pyrrha, letting herself exit the conversation.
Still, confused at the sudden interruption and turn of events, he turns to Pyrrha only for her to grip his shoulder tightly.
"Come on, Jaune, let's ensure you beat her again."
Welp, looks like his girlfriend's competitive spirit got awakened by Weiss. As he lets his girlfriend drag him into their room, he thinks only one thing as he waves goodbye to Team RWBY.
At least the day was almost over.
He does not notice Weiss Schnee sending a look at his back as he walks out of their dorm room.
For one Weiss Schnee, the day was decidedly not over just yet. She would be damned if she let herself end the day with a loss. Looking at Jaune Arc's back as he leaves with Team JNPR, Weiss Schnee thinks to herself.
He's good….
Suddenly, it isn't so strange to think that Jaune Arc could have managed to snag both Pyrrha Nikos and Blake Belladonna if he managed to make Weiss Schnee's heart skip a beat.
Remembering his actions earlier still brings a bit of a blush to her cheeks no matter how conflicted she feels.
No! Don't forget what he is! This is all his plan to ensnare influential women!
Shaking her head to get it back in focus, she turns to her last chance to get a win over Arc for today. Blake Belladonna.
"Blake, we're friends, right?" Weiss asks suddenly, looking her teammate in the eyes.
"What?" Blake replies, surprised and flat-footed at Weiss' sudden opener.
"I mean I would like to believe we are building a genuine friendship, right?" Weiss continues, seeping sincerity in her voice.
"Yesss? Uhhh, why are you asking?" Blake responds as she looks weirdly at Weiss.
"So you would tell us if something is bothering you, right?"
All occupants of the room look at her weirdly at that, even Yang and Ruby who were just about to wind down from the long day.
"Okay, this is getting strange, Weiss. What is this about?" Blake asks unsurely, raising her hands in a placating manner.
"You aren't having problems with Arc, right?" Weiss gets to the point as she approaches Blake's personal space.
"Wait, I thought I was helping you with your assignment?" Blake deflects, opting to get the topic back on track to what they were supposed to do in the first place as she looks away from Weiss.
"That special assignment? You really expect the heiress of the SDC not to know the aftermath of the Faunus Rights Revolution?" Weiss raises an eyebrow at her.
"You never know, your tutors might have skimped out on some very important details." Blake narrows her eyes back at Weiss.
"I'm aware now that they might have been a bit one-sided in their view, but we can deal with that later." Weiss just rolls her eyes at Blake.
In response, Blake furrows her eyebrows at that but Weiss just continues on.
"Regardless, that was not a no to my question, Blake. You are having problems with Jaune, aren't you?" Weiss emphasizes, to Blake's visible discomfort as she backs away from Weiss.
"Wait, is that what you wanted to talk to me about earlier, Blake? Are you having problems with VB?" Yang interrupts with wide eyes, putting clues in her own head about today's events while Ruby frowns unsurely at all of them.
"N-No! You just saw me talking to him and Pyrrha about five minutes ago." Blake quickly denies as she motions her hand across their room.
"Then why did you want to talk to me about Jaune earlier?" Yang answers back, looking at Blake with furrowed brows.
Weiss sees Blake freeze and turn red at Yang's sudden retort. There could only be one reason Blake would suddenly turn red like that. Embarrassment or perhaps humiliation. That confirms in Weiss' mind that Jaune Arc does have a hold on her.
While it seems like Blake was already trying to speak with Yang before this, it doesn't look like she's ready to talk to the whole team yet. Guilt creeps up Weiss' heart at the thought she forced her new friend into this position but she hardens her heart.
In any other situation, Weiss would've felt guilty for putting Blake into this position but she utterly believes that this is for her friend's own good.
The last time the Cat Faunus kept something to herself, she ran away from their team instead of talking about it with them. Weiss would rather have her uncomfortable now than away from them again.
Which is exactly what Weiss thinks just might happen as Blake's eyes roam around their room frantically.
"I…uhm. I-" Blake stummers, looking at each of them nervously.
Just when Weiss thinks that she'd have to jump in before Blake bolts for the door again, a burst of rose petals streak past them. Ruby Rose stands guard, preventing anyone from leaving through the door.
"Nope, nah-ah, no running Blake. You promised to talk to us when something is bothering you, remember? Now spill, what's up with you and Jaune?" Ruby asks pleadingly, willing her teammate to talk.
"I-it's private!" Blake yells with a blush overtaking her features.
Silence fills the room before Weiss finally has enough of beating around the bush and decides to just get on with it.
"Blake, is he blackmailing you?"
Heads snap towards Weiss Schnee at her surprising remark.
"N-no! Why would you even think that?!" Blake retorts with shock in her voice.
"It's okay, Blake. We're all your friends here and there's no one from Team JNPR around. No need to cover for him with us. You can tell us if he's blackmailing you, okay?"
To Ruby, Yang, and Blake that was perhaps the most unexpected conclusion Weiss could have come up with.
Sure, Jaune going out with both Pyrrha and Blake is very hard to believe, but him blackmailing them? It wasn't in him. Weiss should know better by now.
Even if Jaune was that kind of person, Pyrrha and Blake could just kick his ass if he tried something like that.
"Uhhh, isn't that kinda ... .a bit much, Weiss-cream? I could see VB screwing up by saying the wrong thing. But blackmail? Really?" Yang pipes up, staring at Weiss in disbelief.
"Yeah, I mean it's Jaune. Do you really think he has it in him to do that?" Ruby adds in support.
"Nonsense, Yang, it is perfectly logical. How else is he able to have relations with two beautiful huntresses-in-training? And Ruby, he is not who you think he is." Weiss finishes with a warning in a cold voice.
Any other time they would have laughed out loud at Weiss' ridiculous words but this has been going on for too long now.
Weiss Schnee's utter disdain and constant scorn of Jaune Arc is now getting to her teammates' nerves.
"Weiss, I am telling you right now that it is really not blackmail." Anger slowly seeps into Blake's voice as she replies.
"Oh? Are you gonna tell us you really did fall for the dolt all on your own?" Weiss replies with a mocking lilt to her voice.
"YES!"
Silence fills up the room after that heated declaration. Not one of them makes a sound as they all look toward a shocked Blake with a steadily growing blush on her cheeks.
Just like that, Weiss Schnee takes the heat out of Blake Belladonna's growing fire. Anger slowly turns to shock then confusion and finally resignation.
"Uhhh, but didn't you just say back at breakfast that you're just friends?" Ruby breaks the silence with a questioning tone.
"Yes…no…maybe…oh I don't know. I wanted to talk to Yang because I needed some advice." Blake answers with a groan, throwing her hands to the air and burying her face in his hands out of embarrassment.
Weiss Schnee's jaw drops, unable to believe what Blake is saying.
"Y-you and hi-" She points a shaky finger at Blake in a daze.
"Wait, wait. You wanted to talk to me because of love advice?!" Yang interrupts incredulously.
"Yes! Why else would I ask you to talk about Jaune?" Blake answers with some frustration in her voice.
"I uhhh thought you were gonna ask me how to please Jaune at first." Yang blurts out in a panic, shaking her hands in front of her placatingly.
"Yang?! That's my bestie you're talking about!"
"No! I don't need tips on how to please a man, okay?! Why would you even think that?!"
Ruby shrieks with a blush as Blake replies at the same time with a blush on her own face.
"Ruby?! Cover your ears! You're too young for this conversation!"
"No! Stop! Everyone just stop!" Ruby shouts, spreading her hands out to make everyone stop.
Silence fills the room other than Weiss' dazed mutterings but the rest of Team RWBY opts to ignore her and calm down albeit two out of three of them are blushing uncontrollably while the last one contorts her face in frustration.
"Yang, I'm 15, not 5. I-I know what pleasure is. I know what s-sex is. Uncle Qrow gave me the same talk as you" Ruby continues with a blush and a stammer.
"Nooooo, my innocent sist-" Yang moans in despair only to be interrupted by Ruby again.
"AND Blake! I-It's not our business if you do i-it with Jaune. But he's not hurting you, is he?" Ruby bulls on ever forward just to get the embarrassment over with, finding steam at the end because of her worry for her friend.
"...No, Ruby. He's not." Blake answers with a soft smile just to reassure this wonderful leader of hers..
"..Okay, okay. That's good." Ruby replies, finally managing to take a deep breath.
And just when they think that they could all finally calm down, Weiss interrupts with a shriek.
"Wait, wait. You're in love with him?!"
Blake feels a blood vessel pop at Weiss' continuous remarks.
"I don't know, okay?! That's what I've been trying to say! What even is love?! The last time I thought I fell in love it literally almost ended in a trainwreck with several civilian casualties."
"But him?!"
"Okay, Weiss. That's enough! What's your problem with Jaune anyway? I thought you would be happy that he isn't bothering you anymore?"
"He's not who you think he is!"
That gets everyone to tilt their heads confusedly at Weiss much to her own frustration.
"Listen, he's a villain. He is hiding something and whatever it is, it isn't good."
"Weiss, where is this coming from? Why would you even think that?" Ruby asks worriedly, not noticing Blake suddenly go still at Weiss' serious accusation.
"Do you remember our fight?"
"Uhh, considering it was just a few hours ago, yeah it's also pretty hard to forget how he beat you too." Yang answers in response.
A twitch forms at Weiss' scar over her left eye at that reminder.
"He baited me." Weiss replies with a hiss to everyone else's surprise.
"What?" Blake asks, wondering what Weiss is trying to get at.
"For most of the fight he didn't attack me. Even when I dropped my guard he didn't move to strike."
"Uhh, Wei-" Ruby starts but is interrupted by her passionate recollection of the spar.
"He knew he wouldn't be able to beat me in one shot if he took the opening I gave him. So he didn't move. He made me underestimate him."
"Weiss, it's no-" Yang tries to interject with her arms raised in a placating gesture, but she doesn't get through as Weiss starts pacing their room with her hand to her chin.
"He made me think he wasn't a threat. So when I moved to finally finish him off, he struck with something none of us even knew he was capable of. Dust, amplified with his Semblance. So you see, Ruby! He is not what he seems! He is cunning and deceitful! It's obviou-!"
"WEISS! STOP!" Blake finally had enough, she interrupts Weiss by grabbing her shoulders and turning her around to face the rest of their team. Weiss Schnee finally realizes something is wrong with her teammates when all of them look solemnly at her.
"What? What's wrong?" Weiss asks with a concerned stare.
"Weiss, Jaune cut off a person's hand." Blake says seriously, trying to clarify the situation. Her teammate's reaction is unexpected, however.
"That makes him even worse!" Weiss cries out in horror and disgust.
"What?! How does that make him worse?!" Blake shouts back, equal parts incredulous and indignant.
"Not only is he deceitful, he's a psychopath as well!"
"No, Weiss! He's traumatized!" Blake snaps back, resisting the urge to slap the silliness off of Weiss.
"What?! How can he be traumatized if he cut off a guy's hand?! The guy should be the one traumatized, not him!"
"He didn't mean to do it, you idiot!" Finally being done with it, Blake shakes her back and forth to emphasize the point.
It was at that moment, Weiss Schnee knew, she was wrong.
"...Oh."
"Yes, oh."
"So when he didn't strike me?" Weiss asks with a pale face.
"He was probably reliving that moment." Blake confirms gravely with a nod.
"..Oh."
"Weiss, are you okay?" Ruby asks, now worried for her partner's pale and stiff visage.
"And every time I dropped my guard, I was taunting him. I was making him relive that over and over again."
"Probably." Yang shrugs in response.
"Oh Gods, I'm worse than Cardin! I tried to bully a traumatized person!" Weiss snaps, putting her head in her arms.
"Hey, on the bright side you cured his trauma?" Ruby tries to comfort her partner awkwardly with a pat to the back.
"What am I gonna do?!"
"You could apologize to him tomorrow." Blake answers with a straight face.
"Oh yeah! You still have to go to that date! You could do it then." Yang reminds them with a clap of her hands.
"Don't let Pyrrha hear you call it that." Blake interjects.
"Training then."
"That's it! I could train him as an apology!"
"Uhh, Weiss you're already gonna have to do that for the date. You really just need to apologize." Ruby remarks with a chiding tone.
"But how am I supposed to do that?!"
"By talking to him?" Ruby replies curiously.
To which Weiss just looks horrified at that prospect to which Ruby just looks back at her flatly.
"Oh come on, why is that so scary to you? Why did you think Jaune was a villain anyway?"
It is that question that treats the rest of Team RWBY to a blushing and stuttering Weiss Schnee.
"B-because…"
"""Because?""" All three members lean forward in turn, curious at what could reduce Weiss Schnee into this stuttering mess.
"Because I thought he wanted to make a harem of beautiful, influential, and powerful women for nefarious reasons like conquering the world or something!" Weiss lets out in a single loud breath.
"Uhh, Weiss. That's kinda-" Ruby starts to say but is interrupted.
"I know! Saying it out loud right now makes me sound delusional!"
"I was gonna say stupid. Why would you think that anyway?" Ruby interjects but is ignored yet once again.
"I thought he was using Blake and Pyrrha to make me jealous, okay?!" Weiss replies frustratedly, resisting the urge to pull her hair out.
"Okay, now that's just pathetic and delusional." Blake deadpans right at her with judgemental eyes.
"Is it?! Is it really?! Last week he was just asking me for dates and one weekend later he's kissing you and Pyrrha?! I thought he was taking advantage of Pyrrha's feelings and using your Faunus heritage as blackmail material to coerce the two of you!" Weiss hysterically defends herself, looking at all of them with what would be crazed eyes from an outsider's perspective.
"Okay. Whatever you are on, Weiss? You need to lay off of it. That stuff is clearly doing something to your brain." Yang raises her hands placatingly in a calming gesture.
"What?! How dare you presume I-I use drugs?!" Weiss childishly stomps her feet in defense.
"Well how else can you explain this crazy talk?" Yang shrugs and points to all of Weiss.
"It's not crazy talk! It was a hypothesis to try to explain how their crazy situation even started! How do we even know Jaune didn't do something bad to her?!" Weiss replies indignantly, waving to Blake at the end to shift the focus.
"You know what, you're right. How did that happen, anyway? Care to explain, Blakey?" Yang perks up, realizing Weiss does have a point. They still don't know how it all started.
"W-what? I thought I already explained it. He helped me with the Whi-"
"No, no, no. We already know about that. What we're asking is how?" Yang dismisses Blake's answer and emphasizes on the last word.
"H-how, what?"
"How did it start with VB?"
Silence. Silence fills the room as Blake slowly lights up with a blush that everyone could see.
"What does that mean?!" Ruby breaks the silence with a loud shout of surprise, a finger pointing at her friend's blushing face.
"I-It's private. I don't think I should say." Blake answers as she covers her face with both hands in embarrassment.
"AHA! I was right! He did something bad to you!" Weiss points excitedly.
Blake's patience finally snaps as she commits a grievous mistake.
"Weiss, I can assure you. Whatever he did, it was good." Blake replies flatly as she removes her hands from her face to glare at Weiss.
It takes a moment before any of them registers those words, but the moment it did, Blake's eyes widen in an instant as she sees Yang's reaction.
"O-oh. Ohhhhh! Oh my Go-mpf!" Yang's eyes widen in realization but whatever she was gonna say, it was stuck in her throat as Blake leaps to cover her mouth.
"Shhhh! You can't tell anyone!" Blake yells panickedly, trying to cover for her mistake.
Yang nods with wide eyes as she locks eyes with Blake's own shocked expression.
Yet they are not the only two who have an idea of what they are talking about as Weiss starts piecing together own revelation, gathering evidence from Blake's own expressions and Yang's shocked expression.
"Oh. Oh! Y-you per-!" Weiss starts to shout but is interrupted by Blake's louder one.
"WEISS! Do you really want to say that right now?!" Blake yells as she looks at Weiss and nods her head to Ruby who is looking at all of them curiously.
"I don't get it. What could Jaune do that is both embarrassing and good to Blake?" Ruby tilts her head at Blake's blushing cheeks, her sister's now horrified eyes, and Weiss' own reddening face.
"W-well, Ruby...i-it-oof!" Weiss starts trying to recover her dignified bearing but she is cut off by a Yang who has bodily shoved Blake away and leapt to tackle Weiss in a surprising turn of events.
"Don't you dare corrupt my sister!" Yang shouts as her eyes turn red.
"I wasn't trying to corrupt her, you brute! Get off me!" Weiss hisses with an irritated voice.
Yang's protective action, Weiss' embarrassed face, and Blake's own reaction finally lets the leader have an idea of what they are talking about.
"O-oh! Oh Gods!" Ruby Rose exclaims in realization.
"Noooo, my innocent sister…" Yang moans despairingly from on top of Weiss down on the floor.
Familiar words merits a familiar response. Mainly Ruby Rose ignoring Yang's lamentation entirely and turning to Blake.
"Blake! What the heck?!" Ruby asks in shock.
"You said it didn't matter if we did 'it'!" Blake answers defensively, throwing Ruby's words from before right back at her as she stands up from being shoved by Yang.
"It felt like the right thing to say at the moment, okay?! I didn't actually mean I wanted to know you and Jaune were doing 'that'! How did you even survive Pyrrha after that?!" Ruby responds back indignantly to which Blake mumbles a reply.
"What did you just say?" Ruby asks with furrowed brows.
"..was there."
"What?" Ruby whispers in shock, slowly realizing the meaning of Blake's words herself.
"Pyrrha was there." Blake says more clearly with her eyes closed. Her words resonate throughout the room as both Yang and Weiss just managed to get up.
"...Holy Shit." Yang whispers in awe at the possible implications of Blake's answer.
"Wait, wait. I'm confused, if Pyrrha was there then how far did you really go? I doubt you did 'that' with her around." Weiss shakes her head, wanting Blake to clarify the situation..
"...sex. We had sex." Blake answers truthfully with a blush, finding it futile to deny it anymore.
Not when all of her teammates already know something happened. Better to clear things up with the truth now before any of them forms weird thoughts like Weiss did. She just hopes Pyrrha and Jaune would forgive her for this.
"W-what? Pyrrha watched?" Weiss asks in disbelief, a blush slowly overcoming her pale cheeks at the thought of Pyrrha Nikos doing that.
"...She participated." Blake replies after taking a deep breath to calm herself down and give her the courage to face her teammates with a smidge of dignity.
"W-what?!" Ruby shrieks in shock but before could reply to her leader, Yang is suddenly striding towards her.
"B-both? You slept with both? Jaune slept with the both of you? At the same time?!" Yang shakily asks as she puts her hands on Blake's shoulders, wanting to get a clearer image of the events as thoughts and imaginations run wildly in her mind.
"Y-yes." Blake nods weakly as she starts getting intimidated by Yang's sudden closeness.
"...Nice." The blonde brawler responds with a breathless whisper filled with awe to Blake's sudden embarrassment again.
"T-that's your reaction?! Blake just admitted to having a ménage à trois right in front of your sister and that's your reaction?!" Weiss interjects with shock and a bit of disgust.
"Manage a what?" Yang asks in confusion.
"A threesome! Blake just admitted to having a threesome." Weiss answers frustratedly.
"Ohhh, yeah. You could have called it that from the start, you know?" Yang replies with surprising calm.
Just before Weiss Schnee could shriek again, she is stopped by her partner who lays a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"Uhhh, Weiss. It's not as rare as you think." Ruby Rose unexpectedly replies, albeit with a prominent blush on her cheeks as she avoids looking anyone in the eyes.
"...Perverts. I'm surrounded by perverts." Weiss mutters aloud as she shakes her head in despair.
"Hey! I'll have you know I'm the product of a threesome!" Ruby defends passionately, words slipping right out of her mouth before she could even think about it.
""What?!"" Both Weiss and Blake cry out in shock at that unexpected fact about Ruby.
"Not like that! What I meant was that mom was in a threes- No, wait. Yang, help me out here please." Ruby starts indignantly but devolves into awkwardness as she lacks the words to explain her situation.
"It wasn't a threesome. What she means is our dad dated both my bio-mom and her mom."
"At the same time?" Blake asks, interested about a situation almost similar to her own.
"Nah…maybe, you know what, the timeline was a bit muddy. They could have been fooling around while in Beacon but dad married my mom first. The point is Huntsmen and Huntresses having multiple relationships aren't that rare in Vale's history. Sure, it's frowned upon now but when you've got a limited number of badasses, you pair them up as much as you can so you can get stronger children. That led to some people having multiple partners. At least that's what Uncle Qrow said to explain why we've got different moms." Yang explains to Weiss' horror and Blake's interest.
"So the chance of Ruby being conceived in a threesome is not zero." Blake adds, happy that the focus isn't on her again.
"Nah, my bio-mom was long gone by the time Ruby was born." Yang waves off casually. Almost too casually to Blake's observant eyes.
Yet if her partner isn't going to divulge what's bothering her, Blake is all too happy not to pry it out of her at the current time. She opts to distract her more however, just to prevent the focus being turned back to her.
"What about your uncle though? Couldn't he have had a threesome with your dad and Ruby's mom?" Blake opts to use the most disturbing thought to occupy Yang and Ruby.
Both sisters suddenly look sick at that and look at Blake irritatedly.
"...You know what's the most disturbing thing about it? It's the fact that I can't completely de-" Yang starts as she glares at Blake but she is interrupted by someone more closer to her.
"NOPE! Not gonna think about that! That never happened! Mom only liked Dad. Uncle Qrow is just my uncle! That's it! End of story! No threesomes whats-" Ruby screams
"Can we stop with the threesomes?!" Weiss interrupts, finally done with all these sordid revelations.
"Uhhh, you're the one who brought it up." Blake retorts calmly.
"Only because I wanted to find out what Jaune did to you!" Weiss points back at her defensively
"Congratulations, you found out what Jaune did to me." Blake says with a sarcastic tone albeit with a blush still on her face.
"Ugh, enough already. I don't wanna hear about him anymore." Weiss groans as she massages her temple with a hand.
"You're the one who started it." Blake points out.
"And I'm already regretting it." Weiss grumbles as her head aches at the mind-blowing revelations that have bombarded her.
"You still need to go with him tomorrow though." Yang helpfully reminds her.
"Yeah! You need to apologize for trying to bully him and thinking bad thoughts about him!" Ruby adds enthusiastically.
"I know, I know. Can we just stop talking about this already?" Weiss groans out frustratedly as she rubs her eyes to get the headache out.
"Sure, we can just do your assignment already? I'm done with this already." Blake sighs tiredly.
"Wait! I still have questions!" Yang interrupts by raising her hand.
"Which I'm sure Jaune and Pyrrha could answer with me. Plus I haven't even resolved my whole feelings on the matter." Blake shoots her down, reminding them why she wanted to talk to Yang in the first place.
"What's there to resolve? You like them don't you?" Ruby unexpectedly shrugs Blake's concern off.
"It's not that simple, Ruby. I just said that the last time I was in a relationship, it almost led to a literal trainwreck." Blake frowns at her young leader.
"Then do you think Jaune is the same as that last guy?"
The question surprises Blake enough that she has to take a moment to answer. Upon thinking about it however, Blake already has her answer. Jaune and Adam were very much different from each other.
"I…no, they're very different." She answers slowly.
"Then I don't think you need to worry about anything like that happening with him. If you like him and he likes you then there's nothing stopping you, right?"
"Awww, since when did you give love advice, Rubes?" Yang interjects with mixed feelings, part of her is proud of Ruby for maturing and the more protective part frowns at her maturing a bit.
"It's just…Jaune's my best friend okay? And if he's…happy with Blake and Pyrrha then I should be happy for them, right? I just…want to help them." Ruby confesses awkwardly. Conflicted, she might be deep inside, she certainly wants her friends to be happy.
"I-what? Can we put a pin on this for a later time? I don't think I could take any more topics like this." Blake backs off, shaken by Ruby's surprisingly simple solution to her problem.
"I agree, at least the topic of my assignment would less likely shatter any major worldviews I have." Weiss agrees softly, wrung out from the previous topics.
"Alright, let's see what you know first. Who pushed the Faunus to consolidate into groups and unions which would eventually form the White Fang?"
"I would say your father, Ghira Belladonna. But I am not blind to my own father's actions as well. I will say Jacques Schnee's poor safety standards and maltreatment of the Faunus formed the White Fang." Weiss scoffs out the answer confidently.
"Wrong!" Blake snaps back.
"What?!" Weiss yells out in shock.
"Your father contributes to the discrimination of the Faunus, that is correct. But he is a relatively recent addition. The one who really started it all and pushed Faunus groups to consolidate into the proto-White Fang is none other than….your grandfather, Nicholas Schnee." Blake retorts with a grin on her face as Weiss' face turns into one of horrified shock.
White Fang defector she might be, but Blake Belladonna still enjoys the suffering of Schnee's petty as it might be. Plus this doubles as educating a Schnee on the correct history of the Faunus.
And just like that, Weiss Schnee's world view is shattered once again. This time though, after already being wrung out from the previous discussions, Weiss Schnee falls into her bed with a whine and whimper.
As the rest of Team RWBY looks at the whining heiress biting her pillows, Yang interjects and brings up something that jolts Blake out of her enjoyment.
"So….was he good?"
""YANG!"" Blake and Ruby cry out in exasperation.
"What?! I'm sorry, okay?! Can't a girl be curious? VB obviously has something going on if he managed to take on Pyrrha and Blake at the same time."
"You can't just ask that out of nowhere! Besides, didn't you say you wanted to protect my innocence?!" Ruby asks with a blush.
"Well you've repeatedly told me you're already old enough and no longer innocent."
"That doesn't mean you could just say those things in fro-"
As the two sisters argue with each other, Blake Belladonna is left in the middle of a chaotic room. Blake Belladonna has the sudden notion to leave. It would be easier. The White Fang would probably accept her again.
But looking at her team, she lets out a soft smile. This is the first time that they've really talked things through. There were revelations, there were misunderstandings, but now at least they've cleared things up. She has one thought in mind as she takes a seat on her bed to rest.
At least the day was over.
One whole day.
It took one whole day of asking their older members and cross-referencing their answers to the White Fang's coded list of members to have a general idea of who could leak their operations in Vale.
It took one whole day of talking and arguing with humans to manage to get his point across that it is just too much to ask to keep an eye on everybody. The best they could do is a list. A list of White Fang operatives who have gone missing, lost contact with, and even outright defecting from the Fang.
"Well, doggy? What do you have for us?" The gray-haired bastard asks while he leans on a wall of the warehouse they are currently in.
A list of Faunus that would probably die if he gave their names to these humans. That's what LT has in his hands right now.
He growls at the human's cheekiness. If they weren't working together, LT would have already put him through the wall. As it is, he follows Adam's orders of temporarily cooperating with these miscreants.
Still, sometimes he has doubts about cooperating with people like them, they aren't many but they do come up at moments like this. Moments where he has to choose between endangering others for the mission. And what he has to give right now would certainly endanger many Faunus in Vale.
The number of people who left the White Fang aren't as few as he'd like. There have been multiple possible reasons for causes of desertion. Either they have become too old, left to raise their family, or even outright defected because they no longer agree with how the White Fang does things.
There was now way to know whether the one who truly leaked their operations was someone who defected from The Cause. Or if it was just one of them who accidentally leaked the operation by talking too loud at the wrong place and the wrong time.
However, they have to do everything they can to keep their plans hidden. That means they have to clean house and consign everyone in the list to death and silence.
LT holds his hand out to give the gray-haired bastard the list. The moment the young man reaches forward, LT grabs his hand and crushes the man's hand with his own.
"Careful, human. You might drop it." LT growls slowly.
To his credit, the man only grunts and doesn't whimper. He gives it the best he has but LT's hands are a lot stronger than his on account of working in the mines and training to fight for The Cause day and night.
He hears the bastard's companion snort at their interaction and turns towards the green-haired woman.
"Shut up, Emerald. This is just how real men talk to each other." The gray-haired bastard says as he rubs his own hand after LT lets go of it.
"Funny, I've literally never seen you do that, Mercury. Maybe you're not such a man, huh?"
LT gruffs at that. He won't show his amusement but it is entertaining to see the man called Mercury be taken down by a peg. His arrogance has been grating LT's nerves all day.
Walking away to leave the two to their banter, LT finally has a chance to rest. But before that he begins drafting a message. A message that he should have already prepared to be delivered since his encounter last night. A message to Adam Taurus.
It would probably take a week for the recipient to receive it, but that's to be expected when Adam is currently located somewhere in the wilderness of Mistral. Even if LT doesn't know his exact location, he is confident the message will be received. After all, the White Fang's Secret Courier Corps' motto is "Anytime, Anywhere, We Deliver."
Before Adam left Vale, he left LT a cypher or a code that he should only use when he encounters Blake Belladonna. He dreaded having to use this, not because it would distract Adam from The Cause, but because of how humiliating it is to use for him.
He is aware that some of their younger members idolize Adam as the perfect example to follow. Perhaps some even think that LT is one of them. They would be wrong. As one of Adam's first followers, LT could confidently say Adam is not perfect.
Adam Taurus might be strong. Adam Taurus might be brave. But Gods above, he was not a perfect person. Case in point, his cypher to be used after Blake Belladonna is found.
Reaching his room, LT uses his meager supplies to write a letter.
'To My Dearly Beloved….'
Just writing the first four words already makes him nauseous. This is one aspect of Adam that LT will never see himself admiring. Still, if it gets their leader to hurry back to Vale, LT will power through this hellish tribulation. Writing a message disguised as a love letter.
A/N:
Sorry this took so long to post. Longest chapter so far. 12k words. Did you know you could have read this early?
Reason for not being able to post this sooner? I went on my wedding anniversary last weekend and didn't really have time to write too much. Coupled with the fact that I just got a violent introduction to the life of a corpo, things got pretty hectic.
Still, I want to thank all of you for still supporting me and I promise never to abandon this fic.
P.S. If you want particular property investments or residences in a certain southeast asian country, then I'm your man. Hahaha just kidding (only by half) .
Anyways, a lot happened here this chapter, I didn't want to drag out Weiss' misunderstanding longer but this does definitely not mean her arc is over just yet.
Team RWBY finding out Blake's sexlife this soon was also a plan. It's hard to keep writing scenes where they have to tiptoe around a certain topic in front of others.
Surprise lore twist on Nicholas Schnee? Will be explained next chapter.
Bad guys also moving behind the scenes so you know the plot isn't being abandoned just yet.
The next chapter is already available. Want to see them early? Please consider supporting me in my P a tr eon or subscribing to a tier in ko - fi.
Here's my ko-fi for anyone who wants to send me some COFFEE and early access.
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