Author's Notes

As mentioned before, this fic will be permanently switching to Friday updates, effective immediately.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!

Chapter 8 – Winners Take All

In which Weiss Schnee and her team come to blows with a rival team of their fellow hunters over the relics of the temple.

"Are we seriously going to fight other hunters?" asked Jaune. In his defense, Weiss supposed, he was probably the most idealistic, the least jaded, and also utterly useless in a fight. He didn't even have a sword, having left it embedded in a Deathstalker.

"It's that or hand over the relics," said Blake, not at all perturbed by the notion. "Us or them."

"Can't we just get to the relics first and run?" asked Pyrrha, switching her sword into a rifle but refraining from firing.

Weiss shook her head. "That red menace has a speed semblance. She used it to get in front of me earlier. I don't think we can outmaneuver them."

She glanced at her teammates, realizing that they weren't aware Jaune was not a real huntsman. Pyrrha Nikos could probably fight as strong as two, but that meant their greatest advantage was immediately spent. Plus, there was no telling what tricks those other two, the hammer wielder and machine gun boy, had in store; Weiss had never even encountered them before.

Xiao-Long was as masculine as they came and looked like she could uproot a tree by hugging its trunk, whereas Blake was best suited for ambush combat. Weiss herself was great at support, but she only had two hunters who she could support, thus minimizing her effectiveness. Furthermore, if the ensuing confrontation did transpire, it was possible that a stray bullet could tear Arc's chest open.

We're at a distinct disadvantage. All four of us are tired from combatting Grimm, and we have no knowledge of their status. There's no way to negotiate a compromise – our explicitly stated objectives are to obtain enough relics for a group of four, and there are no others.

Weiss looked at Arc and saw the trail of dried tears on his face from when he'd been at death's door from a Deathstalker's claws moments ago.

Damn it.

"Blake," Weiss whispered. "I'm going to try to talk to them."

"What?!" Blake's head snapped towards Weiss, as did Jaune's and Pyrrha's. "Weiss, we –"

"You said you trusted me to be a leader. I'm going to need to count on you, okay?"

Blake was clearly uneasy with this, but she let out a hiss-like breath and nodded. Pyrrha herself seemed pleased at a nonviolent solution, and Arc clearly had no qualms.

"Don't relax just yet, ladies and gentlemen," Weiss said. "Belladonna. Drop a shadow clone during negotiations and steal a relic. Disappear into the trees and get Jaune to the landing point."

Belladonna blinked twice, then seemed to realize what Weiss was saying. "But what about –"

"You're Nikos' partner, and Arc is mine." Weiss had switched to last names, hoping her form military-like tone would be enough to convince her team to obey her commands. "If you can get the relics to the collection spot, our team will be victorious. We're partnered up for a reason."

"You didn't answer my question."

Weiss smiled. "I'll distract them with negotiations as long as I can, and then surrender. They're not thieves or criminals, just students. It's not as though they'll do me any harm. It's the only way. Their eyes will be watching Nikos like a hawk because of her famed reputation, and they'll be so focused on what they see as the true threat that they'll miss us stealing a relic out from under their very noses."

Belladonna wasn't pleased with the plan Weiss had put forth, but she seemed to at least acknowledge the necessity of it. A head on fight would be rolling the dice, whereas Weiss' strategy was all but a guaranteed victory. Most wouldn't think of it or would balk at the notion of leaving two huntresses behind, but Weiss and Nikos were hardly defenseless. Their collective mission was not to go around beating on other teams but to secure a relic as shared by their partnership. Furthermore, as an added benefit, it would keep Arc safe until he was definitively out of danger.

Belladonna's shadow clones, when dropped, would remain stationary copies of herself until disturbed, but if she were holding Arc's hand when she activated her semblance, it would remain a part of the illusion, much like Belladonna's outfit and weapon even though they weren't parts of her body either. It would be up to Weiss and Nikos to keep their enemies' attention off of the stationary Faunus and human for as long as possible, but they were in luck, as the former was the daughter of a world-famous businessman and the pupil of the White Fang's two finest debaters.

The others had been discussing something amongst themselves when Weiss' team lowered their weapons.

"CARE TO TALK THIS OUT BEFORE WE START MAULING ONE ANOTHER?" Weiss called over to them, cupping her hands around her mouth to augment her volume.

This made their internal discussion only grow more frenzied, but Weiss and the others were already approaching them. One of the fundamental tenets of Father's lessons was to adjust the schedule to match your own needs. The more you accommodated an enemy, the better equipped they were when communications broke down.

"We just want to talk," Weiss said when they got closer, raising both hands to show her intentions.

"Like we'd have anything to say to you!" shouted Yang, cocking her hands. Honestly, the absurdity of the gesture was enough to make Weiss disapprove of the girl even more.

"There're enough relics for one team, and you'd be going up against Pyrrha Nikos herself." Weiss noticed her teammate adjust ever so slightly at being singled out, but now was no time for politeness when their educational future were on the line. If this worked, she was sure Pyrrha would be approving. "I'm here with a mutually beneficial solution that is far more refined than our teams duking it out."

They stopped walking, and both Blake and Jaune ceased all motion whatsoever. Showtime.

"There's no talking this out," said the male member of their team, the identity of whom Weiss had no clue. "We cannot both pass this test. You have nothing to offer us, nor we you."

Weiss shook her head. "That is untrue. If you'll hear me out, I can offer a solution that guarantees our mutual success."

They clearly didn't want to – particularly the Rose sisters, who bore particular animus towards Weiss. However, with her team at her side, fighting Weiss must've looked like a daunting prospect.

"I despise the notion of combat deciding our victory. It's no different than gambling something as important as our future on the flip of a coin. We're four against four, and neither side has a distinct advantage."

That was true – Weiss had a Pyrrha but also had a Jaune. However, they didn't know that. To Ruby, Yang, and their two new companions, it probably looked like Weiss was negotiating from the position of strength.

"However, eight against four is little to no risk at all."

"You got backup on the way, sugar tits?" asked Yang, smirking. Evidently, she wasn't completely unversed in the ways of adversarial discourse, for she masked her fear well.

"My backup shall be you, and I yours. What I propose is this: we take one relic for the time being to ensure neither of us runs off with both. Then, we unite our strength and find another team of four. Against them, we would have the advantage of strength, surprise, and numbers. Their relics become ours, and both your team and my own pass."

Rose gripped her weapon uncomfortably. "But…the others…"

"Almost two hundred students are going to fail this test, Rose. There's no enough for everyone, and this is by design. Had you arrived at this temple and claimed a relic sooner, you would've been denying another team entry into Beacon. The only net difference between that and my plan is how many times the relic changes hands."

"It's not right to just steal a relic from some other team!" said the orange-haired girl.

"Yeah," agreed Rose. "That's not how we're supposed to do this! We're the good guys, not thieves!"

"This is a test," said Pyrrha, keeping her voice clear. "As I understand it, Ozpin wishes to foster the best talent as mankind's future defenders. If they can't hold a relic, then they're…they're unfit to keep it."

"And were you not just prepared to fight my team and me now for the relics?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, but that'd be a fair fight," said Yang. "If the profs want the best, then ganging up proves nothing."

"It demonstrates resourcefulness, effective strategic planning, and in our unique case, a willingness to set aside past disputes and work as a unit for a common goal." Weiss watched Ruby and Yang look between one another. "Are those not the key traits of any good hunter?"

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Yang put a hand in front of her as though to shield her. "We don't have a leader or anything yet. We're going to need time to talk about this."

Weiss nodded. "Take all the time you need. We'll remain right here."

The two teams had been facing one another and not the temple during the discourse, and thus neither had eyes on the relic. However, the second they broke from a straight line and grouped up into a circular huddle, the male member of their group, who'd been position in a spot to view the temple, immediately noticed that the relics were missing.

Weiss checked her scroll. One message from Blake Belladonna, with nothing more than a blown-kiss face emoji.

"I suppose that's a wrap, then," she informed Pyrrha. Weiss let out a tense sigh as panic began to spread through the other team.

Pyrrha was on her scroll as well. "Jaune just messaged me, saying they're in the clear and on their way to the headmaster and deputy headmistress to hand in the relics."

His message was more verbose than Blake's then, but it conveyed the same meaning as hers.

"What the fuck did you do?!" screamed Xiao-Long, her eyes lighting red.

"I ensured the victory of my team," Weiss said calmly, stepping forward. "I apologize for the necessity of it, but w–"

A rather powerful punch was thrown so fast that Weiss had no chance to block it. Her aura, already low from the fight with the Deathstalker, shattered from the one hit. Xiao-Long grabbed her by the throat and pulled back for another hook, but her arm never swung.

"That's enough of that," Pyrrha said, her hand raised. "Now, Weiss and I no longer have any reason to double-cross you. Our initiation test is complete. Thus, we'd be happy to assist you and yours in securing another relic using this unburdened free time we're experiencing at the moment."

"We don't need –"

"Actually, we probably do," said the orange-haired girl. "Yang, that was the last relic, which means that the remaining ones are probably on their way to the drop point. Our only chance to get into Beacon is by stealing one from an enemy team."

Yang's let go of Weiss, who dropped down to her knees gasping for breath. Pyrrha released her hold on the angry huntress, whose head swiveled back to her team. "Yeah, but we don't need these assholes to do that! Besides, we can't trust them."

"As a matter of fact, Schnee's numerical advantage theory would give us the upper hand," said the black-haired boy. "Furthermore, as they don't need it, they have no interest in stealing the relic from us and are quite possibly the only people in this forest we can trust."

Yang muttered something that sounded like a four-letter-word under her breath. "I wouldn't put it past Miss Mockingbird here to screw me and Rubes out of spite."

"We have a choice to make," said the girl. "We either trust them and maybe get into Beacon or we go out on our own and risk everything. I vote we let them help."

"Seconded," said the boy.

Yang looked at Weiss with scorn. "You don't know this bitch like I do. She'd already proven herself a slimy sack of snakeshit, and I'd trust any teammate of hers just as far. I say no."

They turned to look at little Ruby Rose, the tiebreaker of the vote. She clearly hadn't been expecting five faces to turn on her all at once and let out a brief whimper.

"Your call, sis," said Yang. "Yay or nay? Do we let them help us, or no?"

Ruby looked to Weiss, then to Yang, then to Pyrrha. Her face was a picture of deep though, and she clearly wanted to make the right choice for herself and her team. Her sister was doing this out of spite, and the other two were approaching this as outsiders with no knowledge of Weiss. Thus, she was the only one who could possibly make the right decision.

She opened her mouth. "I say…"

Her silver eyes met Weiss' blue ones.

"…no."

"Two vs. two," said Pyrrha. "So…what do we…?"

"We never set a condition for what a tie would mean." The boy genuinely looked stumped at this. "It would be unfair to either partnership to go one way or the other as the neutral condition."

"Flip a coin?" offered Ruby.

"I thought we weren't trying to stake our futures on a coin flip," pointed out Yang. "Man, democracy sure does suck. I can't wait until one of us is elected supreme tyrant over the other three. My money's on Ruby."

Nora produced a small metal token, the kind of thing used by outdated arcades that Weiss had only ever seen in fictional media. Most modern video-games markets used home-based consoles, and the few surviving arcades operated by paying a credit card fee for a set time on the premise or by loading your scroll up with a limited number of swipes.

"Heads, they go, tails they help?" said Yang.

Orange hair nodded and flipped the coin. Catching it in one hand, she slapped it down onto her other wrist and held it out for the group to see. Every one of them leaned in to see what the verdict was.

"It's tails," called Yang.

The coin-flipper looked up at Weiss and Pyrrha and let out a small chuff. "Guess we're working as a group. I'm Nora."

"Weiss Schnee."

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"I know," she said. "This tall glass of moody is my partner, Renny."

Weiss nodded. "A pleasure, Renny."

"It's just…ugh." Renny sighed. "Never mind."

"Alright," said Ruby. "Now I think we've spent enough time in one place. We need to start finding relics, and fast."

"I can track," said Renny. "Give me a moment to see if there are any indicators of –"

"Actually," said Weiss. "We could simply head to the drop-off point and lay an ambush there. We know for certain that any team possessing a relic will be on their way there. We may well bump into one on the way."

"Fine," grunted Yang, grabbing her yipping sister by the shoulder and trudging out in the direction of the teacher's meeting spot. "Let's just go already."

"Excellent idea to offer to help," Weiss whispered to Pyrrha, when they were alone. "If we stay with them, we can run interference and ensure they don't find Blake or Jaune."

Pyrrha gave her a look that announced she was about to say something unpleasant, but Weiss pre-empted her.

"And yes, it's good to help these four as well, but remember: we're helping them steal a relic from another perhaps more-deserving team and preventing them from succeeding in this test. No action we take is purely beneficial without a side effect of someone suffering. Conventional ethics hardly apply here."

That shut the Invincible Girl up. Weiss hadn't meant to sound like she was a jaded cynic, but nothing she said was untrue. To the two of them with no stake in the race, it was merely a pair of huntresses arbitrarily deciding that one team got to pass and one team got to fail.

Of course, I'm not exactly impartial here. I may despise Rose and Xiao-Long, but if they fail to get into Beacon and go running back to Mommy and Daddy, Goodwitch could make my life hell. Now that my own spot is secure, appeasement costs me nothing but a little Dust and a lot of pride.

"Oi! How about you tricksters stop conniving in the background and walk up front where we can see you?" griped Yang. "I may have been out-coined, but that doesn't mean I trust you."

Weiss and Pyrrha complied, increasing their pace until they was walking alongside the other four huntresses.

"Howjda do it?" asked Ruby, after a moment of awkward silence. "Steal the relic, that is."

Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, but Weiss shot her a quick glare. Until they had confirmation from Blake and Jaune that they had turned in their relics, it was too great a risk. After all, it had been a well-suited semblance that enabled Blake to abscond with Jaune and the relic. Who was to say that an even better suited semblance from the peanut gallery would be able to steal it back?

"Let's focus on our strategy instead," Weiss said, earning a look of ire from Xiao-Long. "When we come upon another team, is our goal to defeat them? To trap them? To steal the relics without engaging?"

"I'm better at fighting than being a sneaky little shit," said Yang, eyes glued to Weiss. It took a whole lot of patience (and also the knowledge that Yang was only so angry because Weiss had bested her) to not snap at the perceived insult to Blake. "I think we'd be better off pummeling them and taking the relics off of their defeated corpses."

"Me too," said Nora.

"I can move undetected through treetops," said Ren. "Perhaps I should ascend and ambush them from above while you both engage them directly."

Pyrrha smiled at that. "With my semblance, I could restraint them and prevent them from chasing after Ren while he delivers the relics."

"I'll got with Ren, then, since he's Yang's partner and I'm Nora's," offered Ruby. "We have to have someone from each partnership. In fact, I can speed him up and carry him to the finish line once he has the relics."

"Great," said Weiss. "It's decided, then. Yang, Nora, and I shall gather their attention in a frontal assault, Ren will secure the relics when an opportunity presents itself, and Ruby shall spirit him away while Pyrrha ensures neither are chased."

Weiss' scroll chirped, and she glanced towards it. Another message from Blake, this one no more than a thumbs up. Weiss tapped the icon of a receiver and waited three rings until Blake picked up.

"Yo, chicken wings?"

"Blake," Weiss said, keenly aware that the others were looking at her. "Could you please keep an eye on the number of remaining relics that have yet to be collected?"

Blake looked over her shoulder at the congregation of students flourishing their relics in pride behind her, then turned back to Weiss. "Sure, but we're already done. I just told you in the text message. Did you not get it or something?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes, I received the message. And congratulations. However, Pyrrha and I have elected to aid the Rose-Xiao-Long team in acquiring a relic of their own."

Blake didn't like the sound of that, but she seemed to figure out that Weiss would prefer for her to withhold comments on the matter. "Gotcha, boss. There's about three full sets left."

Weiss thanked her and hung up, knowing Blake would contact her if that number changed. She and the others seemed to recognize the severity of how few chances they had left and broke into sprints.

"I'm kinda surprised," said Yang through huffs of air. "I thought you would've ditched us the second you passed the test and no longer needed to worry about keeping an eye on us."

Weiss, who was getting rather winded due to her broken aura, shook her head. "I shall keep my promises. That is what makes me a Schnee."

"Think it's your dad porking your mom and signing down his name of the birth certificate, but sure, let's go with promises."

Weiss bit back the targeted anger that the flippant message had produced and just kept jogging. Xiao-Long had no way to know about her potential bastardy or about Whitley – she was just being a general nuisance, and the fact that her banter had hit home was merely a coincidence. Acting with outrage would only draw attention to the subject.

Weiss scroll dinged. She checked it and saw the number 2 on screen.

Damn it. The other teams have a huge lead on us, and I can't ask Blake to stop them on her own. She's already out of the Emerald Forest, anyways; it might be a violation of the rules for her to go back in. We need to pick up the pace or start getting creative.

"Ruby, is there any way you can speed us up with your semblance?"

"Not with this many people," Ruby answered. "I could only run that kinda distance with maybe one person, or maybe two if they were small. Or, like, three toddlers or about five babies, but I don't think you have five babies lying around. If you did, there would be bigger issues than –"

Weiss tuned her out and tried to think of a solution. Even if they ran through the forest at top speed and made it to one of the teams, she and her allies would be exhausted from the jog. Their advantage of numbers would mean nothing if they'd run themselves ragged and couldn't properly fight.

With no other option, Weiss leapt into the air and spread her wings. "I'm going to fly ahead and see if I can find another team. If I do, I'll send my location and stall them for as long as I can. Remember, I don't have aura, so don't expect any miracles."

The team nodded, and Weiss ascended through the tree into the open sky. The Emerald Forest was rife with hills, plateaus, and even some small mountains, but this local terrain was mostly even and flat. Perhaps that was the reason it had been chosen as the endpoint of the initiation test.

The trees were thin enough that Weiss could make out small visible portions of the ground below. It wasn't a complete unhindered view, but it was enough that she would be able to make out an enemy team if they passed through.

So much effort, all for two idiots that nearly got me expelled before the term even began. This feels almost paradoxical, somehow. But I guess I can't complain, since I did practically fuck-all to actually secure my own relic while Blake did the real heavy lifting.

Weiss spied a cluster of students – three, in fact – up ahead. Strangely, they didn't seem to be running towards the turn-in point for the relics, which was probably only about a two minutes jog ahead of them. Taking out her scroll, she took a snapshot of their location, forwarded the image to Pyrrha (whose number she'd gotten before the relic hullabaloo), and held position in the skies.

They aren't moving. I could fly down, but that might spook them, and I lack the strength to pursue or fight off four hunters without aura. My best bet is to wait for backup.

When the team informed her that they were getting closer, Weiss descended from the air and landed a safe distance away from them. If she could gather their attention just before the others jumped out and struck, it would be that much easier for them to claim the two relics.

…the four relics. Four?

"Oh, hey there," said one of the boys holding his own chess piece. "Didn't see ya there."

"You have…"

His teammate raised his own relic, a bishop, as though he were toasting with a wine glass. "We figured we might as well…oh, hey! You're Weiss Schnee!"

"I am," Weiss said, looking among the four boys. They were a plain and unassuming bunch, all with dark black or brown hair and no distinguishing characteristics. Weiss couldn't recall having seen them prior to this moment, but she imagined that none of them would've stood out in a crowd enough to warrant the attention.

"Then, in that case, you must know supply and demand, Miss Schnee," said the next boy in the line. "You were to one who tipped us off to it, after all."

"I…I did?"

"Yup," said the second boy. "Limited number of relics, and plenty of need for them. So when we got to the temple: why not grab a few extras?"

"Supply and demand…that would imply you might be willing to sell these relics, I assume?"

"That's the plan," said the third boy. "Fifty thousand lien for…actually…" His eyes gleamed as he seemed to see who he was talking to. "A million lien for the first relic."

Weiss felt her skin crawl at the sheer avarice of these scoundrels – they took more than they needed and then hoarded it from the rest, lording their power over them. It reminded her far too much of another male figure in her life who did similar things, but on an industrial scale. "And how much for the second relic?"

The first boy snickered, and his eyes, which had previously been level with Weiss', lowered down. "That depends. How many women are on your team?"

That was enough of that. Weiss drew Myrtenaster, keenly aware that she couldn't use it to it fullest extent without her semblance, but it didn't matter in the end. The boys pulled out their own weapons in response, but the second they were unholstered, all of the guns and swords flew out of their hands and towards the trees behind them.

A hammer spun through the air and struck the face of the first boy, and twin shotgun blasts caught the second and third in the stomach. All three were downed in a matter of seconds.

"Whoo, that was easier than we'd built it up to be," said Yang.

"I did distract them," Weiss said, hands on her hips.

Ren fell out of the trees and landed among the trio of rapacious youths, but upon seeing the surplus of relics, he paused. When his ride came running in shortly afterwards, she too froze up.

"They were trying to withhold the relics in exchange for money or…sexual favors," Weiss explained in a look of disgust. "I rescind my prior comment about feeling guilt over stealing relics; this men clearly deserve it and worse."

"What do we do with the extras?" asked Ruby, holding up an oversized jade castle.

"Take what you and Ren need to the finish line," Weiss said, taking control of the situation before someone else like Yang could. "Nora, would you kindly take the excess relics and deliver them to the next team that comes this way?"

Weiss didn't believe this trio of individuals were suited for the fine career of hunting, and she had a feeling that the headmaster would might have something to say about their choices.

Weiss, Yang, and Pyrrha carried the slumped bodies of the young boys to Ozpin and Goodwitch, explaining the situation once they arrived shortly after Ren and Ruby. The administrators promised suitable action, though Weiss was unsure whether or not it would be taken given the lack of proof aside from her own testimony against theirs.

At least they won't be getting training on how to become powerful huntsmen. Men like that being in positions of authority is what erodes public faith in hunting as an institution.

Weiss and Pyrrha rejoined their own group after that, having spent enough time with the Rose team. For their efforts, they received no words of thanks, but Weiss hadn't really been expecting any.

Still, I suppose things worked out well for everyone. Both my team and my enemies entered Beacon without coming to blows, and I've got everyone I need around me. Now that our exchange is complete, I have no reason to ever need to interact with those deplorable twins evermore.

Pyrrha seemed over the moon at having been proven right. "See, Weiss? We can do good work if we choose to make the right decisions and stick to our morals."

"We were lucky that a thoroughly inexcusable team of huntsmen presented themselves as a suitable target, but I suppose I shall concede."

Nora emerged from the forest shortly thereafter, leading a different group of armored men now bearing the same rook chess pieces. These ones Weiss recognized, having seen the two taller members on the airship and considering them for her team. A rough looking bunch they might have been, at least they weren't displaying blatantly predatory behavior. Weiss looked back at them once before rejoining the others.

"This has been quite the ordeal," Pyrrha declared, sitting down on a tree stump. "I'm glad we have a rest period before our classes start; I think I could rest for an entire week."

"It was worth it, though," said Jaune.

Blake elbowed him lightly in the stomach. "What did you even do, buddy?" she said jokingly.

"Hey!" Jaune held up the purple relic in his hand. "I carried this!"

She and her team had been given back the two relics they'd turned in to handle. Now that the test was over, they were nothing more than oversized chess pieces – specifically the evergreen bishop and the purple pawn. Blake was still holding onto the former, while Jaune bore the latter.

"What do we even do with these things?" Jaune asked, inspecting his piece as though it might have a hidden message. Honestly, after the eye contact nonsense and scavenger hunt bullshit that had been assigned to secure their spot at Beacon, Weiss almost suspected that there could be.

The relics were roughly the size of scrolls, merely carved materials in the shape of the pieces of a chess set. The implications of the administrators assigning them the players in a game famous for being used as a metaphor for manipulating was not lost on Weiss, but she hoped that Ozpin was merely a board game aficionado instead.

"I think Weiss should have them," said Pyrrha.

Weiss blinked at her, unsure of what she meant.

"You're our leader," she explained, as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "You led us when we faced our greatest challenge, and it was your work that saved the others' team."

Weiss shook her head. "Pyrrha, you were the one to –"

"Yeah, I suggested it, but you were the one who went ahead without aura and risked everything to get them their tokens."

"I agree," said Jaune, handing his pawn to Weiss. "When we were cornered by that…that thing, it was you."

"Jaune, you saved me from the –"

He snorted. "You think I would've had a snowball's chance in Vacuo without you telling me what to do? I just swung wildly and got in a lucky strike after pissing my pants."

Blake didn't say words of encouragement and instead just threw her relic into Weiss' hands with a smirk. "You know where I stand. Good show, team leader."

"…present Team Cardinal, led by Cardin Winchester."

Weiss politely clapped as the four young men were awarded their teamship. In some way, Pyrrha had been proved right about her idealistic morality triumphing over Weiss' cynicism, for this moment felt like a truly proud one for her.

"Jeez, two of those guys're taller than me," whispered Jaune, careful not to speak out enough to interrupt the ceremony. "And I'm, like, 6 feet and then some."

"You should see my father," Blake responded. "He's even bigger, and far more muscular."

"Do we just live in a world where huge-ass 'roided as fuck men can just be bulked up to the high heavens and back?" asked Weiss. "Is this a thing?"

Pyrrha shushed her. "Ozpin's about to call up the next team, and I think it's gonna be us. Ooh, what might our name be?"

Weiss pondered it for a moment. "W or S has to come first. W, B, P, J…"

"I got it," Jaune exclaimed, raising a finger. "Team White Bread Peanut Butter and –"

Blake bonked Jaune on the head.

The applause faded, as did the fanfare and epic music piped in over the speakers as Ozpin placed his lips up to the microphone.

"Would the following huntresses please come up to the stage? Weiss Schnee…"

Weiss got shivers across her entire body. This was it!

"…Yang Xiao-Long…"

And there was Pyrrha, called up next. Jaune would be next, and then Blake, and –

Wait, what?

"…Ruby Rose…and Blake Belladonna."

Murmurs began to spread through the auditorium as Weiss and Blake shot one another uncertain looks and rose to their feet. The two Faunus were minor celebrities and had been very clearly teamed up with Pyrrha Nikos, a major celebrity, so their team was one of the more well-known ones. On top of that, they'd been sitting together in the auditorium far away from the Rose team, meaning that even someone who had no knowledge of their partnerships would be confused by the odd announcement.

Perhaps he wished to call Blake and me up to…I don't know, award us for our sportsmanship in helping the others get their relic? I have no idea what else this could be.

Cautiously, Weiss held out a hand to Blake, and the duo awkwardly watched an equally confused Jaune and Pyrrha tuck in their knees to make room for them to pass by. Hand-in-hand, they slowly ascended the stairs to the stage where Ozpin awaited in time to catch up to the Rose twins who'd came up from the other side of the room.

"Ladies. It is with great pleasure that I announce the formation of –"

"Wait what?"

"Sir, this can't be –"

"I'm partnered with Nora!"

"This has to be a mistake!"

Ozpin seemed to have been expecting that, for he at no point expressed any surprise at being interrupted. Weiss felt a twinge of regret at her rude behavior toward the respected man, but this was absurd.

"Sir," she said, clearing her throat. The other huntresses stepped back, content to let their eloquent representative speak on their behalf. Rose and Xiao-Long might've despised her, but they seemed confident that she would voice their mutual concerns. "We can't be partnered together. I'm partnered with Jaune Arc, and Blake is with Pyrrha Nikos. This has to be some sort of mistake – the Roses were specifically instructed by your very own deputy to steer clear of me."

"And Weiss was supposed to stay away from us too!" added Rose. Weiss nodded exuberantly in agreement.

As much as she might've disapproved of her untrained partner, Weiss had begun to warn up to him slightly as time passed, and Pyrrha Nikos certainly got along well, given that polite streak of hers. All in all, she'd rather been looking forward to this new team of hers, and to see just how far they could go together.

"Partnerships are and always have been decided by eye contact," Ozpin said, his smile never fading. "Who was the first person you saw in the Emerald Forest?"

Weiss turned back to Ruby, unaware of how Ozpin knew that secret of hers.

Stupid, stupid – of course he'd find some way to observe the test remotely. I was a fool for assuming he'd implement some obfuscating policy and not have the means to countermand attempts to subvert it.

She wasn't done yet, though. "But Blake was partnered with Pyrrha, not Xiao-Long!"

"Oh?" Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "And tell me, Miss Belladonna, with whom did you first make eye contact?"

Blake averted her eyes, blushing slightly. As she did, Weiss felt her chances of being on the same team with the Invincible Girl dropping, but at the same time, her appreciation of Blake only grew. We both did the same…oh, I am SO glad she's my best friend.

Weiss gazed out into the crowd to see a spellbound Jaune and Pyrrha staring back at her. Still, they'd gotten the better end of the deal. As Weiss had been claimed by Ruby, her eye contact with Jaune would be invalid, meaning his first true eye contact (save for the contact with the Deathstalker's eye and his sword) had been with his partner, Pyrrha Nikos.

The duo would have to go with Ren and Nora, which wasn't so bad. After all, Ren wasn't Pyrrha's mortal nemesis as far as Weiss knew, nor was Jaune secretly the archenemy of Nora.

"But we fought!" said Yang, throwing her hands down. "Dust, we nearly came to blows over the relics! How are we supposed to make a team out of…that?"

"I suppose you'll have four years to find that out." Ozpin smiled.

It really was a good thing that Pyrrha suggested we help the others. If I had let them fail and counted on Arc to turn in a relic when he was her partner and not mine…

Weiss could've failed initiation alongside Ruby. She almost certainly would've. That heady thought nearly took her breath away, and she needed to grip both hands to her legs to steady herself.

Now that the complaints were done, Ozpin went on with his clearly rehearsed lines. "And with that, I pronounce you Team RWBY…"

RWBY, starting with R. I see where this is going, and I refuse to let it continue. I'm getting something today.

"…led by Ru–"

A small Glyph appeared at the back of the headmaster's neck before he could finish that syllable. It remained unseen by the crowd as a razor-sharp shard of ice pointed right at the back of his neck.

A bead of sweat dripped down the headmaster's forehead, landing on the ground.

"Ahem. L-Led by Weiss Schnee!"

Hmph. That's more like it.

The Glyph disappeared.

Next Chapter: R and Y and W and B

In which Weiss Schnee and her actual team must find common ground before their differences destroy them.

Author's Notes

It's my headcanon that Pyrrha rigged the coin toss using her semblance, but I couldn't find a way for her to mention it without it feeling forced.

Unfortunately, I don't think I have the authority to deviate from canon too much. A Jaune-Weiss-Pyrrha-Blake would be fun (I've got an outline for something similar) but I don't want the premise of this story to be 'how would thing differ with Weiss on a new team.' It's supposed to be 'how would things on Team RWBY differ with Faunus Weiss?' RIP Team White Bread Peanut Butter and Jelly.

Also, Weiss IS the leader in this one. It's decided via a crack-esque joke that I wanted to include, but she's the actual leader. Had I been in a more serious mood, I would've just had Ozpin declare her team leader right off the bat, so you don't need to worry about Weiss threatening her way into power having any bearing on the plot – that's just a gag. It's also just my way of having it be Team RWBY instead of Team WRBY.

Ozpin's decision to make Weiss leader (the real reasons, disregarding the gag) are based on who actually displayed leadership during initiation. The point where Ruby said she didn't want Weiss and Pyrrha's help disqualified her from getting her typical position of command, and the point where Weiss learned that she'd 'passed' the test and still chose to help was the opposite moment.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!