Rhia watched along with her sister and Brick from the stands along with the other visiting students and Beacon's own as the latest match started. After watching a girl named Pyrrha Nikos take on an entire team alone and win, Sin had become excited and wanted a match himself, but before he could volunteer a student from Haven named Mercury had challenged Pyrrha only to forfeit in just over a minute. Disappointed, Sin demanded a match.

"I can't take this anymore" he shouted, "I've been here for weeks and almost every match I've seen has put me to sleep" he pointed to Pyrrha, "You still have enough in you to go another round?"

The teacher overseeing the matches, a beautiful woman by the name Glynda Goodwitch objected, "Ms. Nikos has been through enough matches today and we are short of time for today's class. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"No!" Sin objected back becoming rather animated, "No no no! Three weeks, and I have sat in on every single match since coming here and I've only seen three good ones, I am bored of this."

Rhia stood up and grabbed his shoulder, "Sin!"

"I can't take it anymore" Sin told his team lead while pointed at the redhead on stage, "She's the only good fighter I've seen since coming here" he suddenly raises his voice, "And that Mercury guy is pathetic, also he's up to something he never intended to fight her, he was scoping her out!"

Goodwitch adjusted her glasses, "Well the Vytal Festival is only a short time away, if he's gauging his competition then he is doing his due diligence. I would advise you to do the same."

"Then let me fight" Sin replied.

That's why Pyrrha finally spoke up, "I'm more than happy to continue Professor."

"I'm afraid we just don't have time today Ms. Nikos" she firmly stated, "If you would like to do so then we can set aside time for tomorrow or later in the week, but for now class is dismissed."

As Goodwitch left the stage and students began leaving, Sin dropped back into his seat, defeated and annoyed that his chance at a match was denied.

"She did say you could have time for one tomorrow" Rhia said, trying to comfort him.

"That's like an entire day though" Sin complained, "How much more of this subpar, amateur hour stuff do I have to sit through?"

"Just behave" Rhia said, effectively putting her foot down, "You make enough scenes as it is."

They heard laughter from behind them, "It's not like you would have won anyway."

Looking behind them they saw Yang from team RWBY, "Pyrrha is undefeated, not even an entire team can take her" the blonde continued.

"I've beaten entire teams as well" Sin told Yang and her team, "I've defeated third year teams solo. I hold Shade's record for longest undefeated streak at one-hundred ninety two wins and zero loses. I'm pretty sure I can take her."

Yang grinned, "Is that right? Well maybe I should take a swing at you first then."

"Please do" Sin said, "I'm sure you and I would be perfect for each other."

Alena rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"And what makes you say that?" Yang asked.

"Well" Sin began, "We're both thrill seekers, we both have amazing hair, we're both exceptionally attractive, you punch things, I punch things. We're a perfect fit."

Yang smirked, "Oh you I like. Careful with words like that though, they could get you into trouble."

Sin grinned back, "As long as I'm getting in trouble with you I think I'll be just fine with it."

"Now you're just flirting" Yang said.

"Not yet" Sin told her, "But if you want to see me flirt" he stepped closer, "You just say the word."

Rhia suddenly grabbed his jacket and pulled him away from Yang, not saying anything as she did, but staring at the floor to hide her face.

"Looks like you're in trouble now" Yang laughed.

Sin shrugged, "Maybe, as much as I'd love to continue this I should listen to my team lead, so maybe we'll see each other later?"

Yang crossed her arms with another smirk, "Looking forward to it."

Leaving Beacon's auditorium RUST returned to their dorm, Despite his words Sin was having fun at Beacon and Vale, but with the festival growing closer he was starting to feel restless and pent up.

"Why do you do that?" Alena asked him after closing their door, "What could possibly compel you to make that much of a scene everywhere you go?"

Sin ignored her as he sat next to Rhia on her bed, "You okay?" he asked her, noticing that Rhia had been quiet since they saw team RWBY.

"Was it Weiss?" Sin asked her, remembering Rhia's first reaction to hearing Weiss' last name.

Rhia shook her head, slowly leaning toward him to rest her head on his shoulder. She said nothing as she leaned against him, but her silence had an effect on him. He didn't know what was bothering her, maybe it was his energetic outburst earlier, maybe it was Weiss Schnee and she just didn't want to admit it, but whatever it was he didn't want to make anything worse with his usual excess personality. He sat there next to her, remaining just as quiet as she did.

Seeing Sin so close to her sister angered Alena, it always had, but the more it happened the more she started believing that Sin really did care and that her frustration was more impart to the fact that her sister was no longer relying on her. She remembered the last time this happened she left the room to take a walk and collect herself, that's when she met Emmara, a student of Beacon, another human, but like Sin she couldn't feel any animosity toward the faunus from her. A timid girl to be sure, shy and nervous about the most basic conversations and apologizing for anything, but was it because she was that polite or was it because Alena came off as too intense during their meeting.

Alena looked at Sin and her sister once more, maybe she was just jealous, for a long time it was just her and Rhia and if Alena had it her way it would have stayed just the two of them, but Rhia wanted to become a huntress, she wanted to go to the academies. Rhia wanted to help make the world better so no one would suffer like they had, Rhia wanted to at least try to add more good into the world, while Alena just wanted to take them to Menagerie and live in seclusion amongst other faunus. She still felt that was best for them, but she knew now there was no talking Rhia out of her path and that her sister would never want to separate from Brick or Sin.

Alena shifted her gaze to the bear faunus who met her gaze after sensing hers on him. She still didn't know how Brick did it, but he was able to tell that she wanted to talk so he stood up and walked to the door, waiting for her to follow him. Thankful for Brick's quiet nature Alena exited the room after him, she did want to talk, but she could never bring herself to seek out or start the conversation, her pride just wouldn't allow it, thankfully Brick knew her well enough not that it mattered the massive faunus just had a sixth sense for what others were feeling even if he just met them. Following Brick to the room of the guest dorms Alena made sure they were alone before thanking him for reading her mind.

"Vu are vorried apout your feelings of Zin und Rhia" he said, already knowing just as Alena thought.

The fox faunus nods, "I…" she hesitates, "I'm trying to put my distaste for humans aside. I'm trying to be more tolerant of him, but his antics, his jokes, it's like he enjoys pissing me off, and seeing him be such a shameless flirt, but then seeing how caring he is with Rhia. He annoys me, I want to be angry with him, but it's getting harder to be."

Brick tells her, "Zin is ein kood berzon. He is Huncomfordaple vith zincere Hemozion more zo ven zey pecome heaffy. Pefore I met him his life vas vorze, it is ein zort of mask he vears to brodect himzelf."

"A mask to protect himself?" Alena repeated, remembering when Sin told her that he and Brick had to do some bad things to survive, things he didn't like thinking about and while it made her suspicious and untrusting toward him, she understood, the worst she had done was steal food for her and Rhia, even when they were starving Rhia refused to steal food, she insisted on paying for it or working for it in someway.

Alena never mentioned it to her sister, but she hated Rhia's sense of right and wrong, it was the one thing she used to hate about her sister.

"So why does he insist on annoying me at every opportunity?" Alena asked him, still referring to Sin.

Brick meets her gaze again, "It is his vay. He does like vu, he likes vu ein lot, put toying vith vu is his vay of schoving it. He is vary of schoving his true zelf to vu pecauze vu hate humans und he knovs vu haffe ein falid reazon to hate zem. Couble zat vith how Huncomfordaple he is vith Hemozion und it makes zenze. It is eazier for him und he feels it is eazier for vu as vell. He may teaze und annoy vu, put slovly vu are getting uzed to him und haffe effen schtarded Hobening up to him."

Alena looked away, she didn't want to admit it, but she did start opening up to Sin. It took a while thanks to her hate of humans and their clashing personalities, but eventually she did start opening up to him.

"Why is he different around Rhia then?" Alena asked him, "He's a shameless flirt with every other woman he comes across, why is he different with her?"

"Pecauze Rhia needs him to pe. Vile he does make her laugh und rarely does annoy her, he knovs zat zometimes sche needs him to pe more gentle."

Alena crossed her arms, "He likes her doesn't he?"

Brick nods, "Ja. Zough he has yet to realise zee exdent of his feelings for her. Vu do not need to vorry, rekardless he vill treat her Hexcebzionally vell. It is vo he is."

Alena sighed, "What really annoys me right now is I believe you" she walks to the roof's railing and leans against it, "I spent so long hating humans I guess it's just difficult for me to accept that there are some good ones out there."

"Trauma und apuze do zat. It is ein vay of trying to brodect yourzelf und Rhia. Zin is alzo trying to brotect himzelf und zee rest of us. He vould schoulder your purten vizout comblaint und vu vouldn't haffe to ask."

Alena turned to look at him, "Do you think I am just jealous because Rhia goes to him instead of me? He gets her attention more than I do, her own sister."

Brick nods, "Sche alzo likes him, put is afraid of vat zat means. Not for ein faunus und ein human to pe in ein relazionschip, put vat ozers vould zay or try to do apout it."

Alena became silent, she knew Rhia liked Sin, but she only recently began suspecting that her sister was interested in him and that scared her more than any other thought. As of now she did trust Sin to an extent, she knew he was still hiding something about his past, but he was honest about everything else. Regardless of that though, this involved her sister, she didn't have any other family it was just her and Rhia and for the longest time Rhia relied on her and she relied on Rhia, but now Rhia was leaning more toward Sin and now with Brick's words in her mind she knew Sin also liked Rhia. A human and a faunus together, it couldn't work, there was no way it could right? There was just too much bad history, but what if it would work between them?

Meanwhile in RUST's dormroom Sin remained with Rhia after Alena and Brick left, he still didn't know what was bothering her, but he was more than happy to just sit next to her, even if the silence made him restless. She continued to rest her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her arm, smiling when he saw the way her triangular ears twitched at the light sounds in the hallway, it was cute. Wanting to let his arm rest he stopped rubbing hers and she opened her eyes meeting his.

The room somehow became even more quiet as he stared into her radiant emerald eyes, both of them unaware that their faces were slowly turning pink the longer they stared at each other.

Thankfully a knock at the door jarred both of them from the situation and Sin stood up to answer it, seeing the members of team RWBY had come to visit.

"Ladies" Sin greeted with a smirk immediately falling back to his usual self.

"Hey Sin!" Ruby greeted back with her usual enthusiasm.

"Not that I'm complaining" Sin began, "But why are four beautiful ladies coming to my place?"

Blake said, "We wanted to talk to Rhia, if that's alright with her."

Sin hummed, "Damn, now I just feel disappointed."

Yang grinned, "Oh? What are you hoping for some kind of harem?"

Sin looked at the ceiling and sighed, "Please don't put ideas in my head."

"Perv" Yang winked as she pushed him out of the way and let herself into their room, "Hey Rhia!" she greeted, but upon seeing the faunus girl blushing she grinned again, "Oh, did we interrupt a private moment between you two?"

"N, no" Rhia stuttered, "I, we were just um. Resting."

"Oh stop teasing her already" Weiss told her teammate before inhaling a deep breath and looking at Rhia, "He, hey" she hesitated.

Rhia looked away from the Schnee heiress and at Sin who returned to her side, "I'm right here" he told her.

Rhia looked back at Weiss and with Sin's encouragement managed to say hello back.

Weiss bowed, gracefully and perfectly, "I'm, I'm. To be honest I'm not great at socializing, my upbringing being what it was, I only really socialized at my father's parties with others like him. It wasn't until I got here that I realized how sheltered my life was."

She took a breath looking to her teammates for support, "As your teammate noticed Blake is a faunus to and for a time I" she hesitated again, "I did look down on the faunus, especially the White Fang, I only saw them as criminals and scum. It's not something I'm proud of and after seeing how wrong I was all this time I" she took another breath, "I'm not good at this, the reason I'm here is because I want to get to know you better and hopefully we can be friends."

Rhia looked at Sin again, Weiss sounded sincere, but just reading the Schnee name let alone talking to one sent Rhia into a traumatic spiral given what she suffered at the hands of that company.

"Remember what Brick said" Sin told her, "And I trust his judgment, it's never too late for redemption or second chances."

Slowly the faunus girl stood up and steadied herself, still shaking from the memories of her abuse as she stepped toward Weiss and forced herself to meet her gaze.

"I" she started, "I'd like that."