Author's Notes

Sorry about the mishap. I was distracted and forgot that it was supposed to be this story and not OS to update on Friday.

From now on, it's going to be only Friday updates. Today is the last exception.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!

Chapter 10 – Two Years Difference

In which Weiss Schnee is an excellent leader to her partner, Ruby Rose.

"Nyoooo…"

Weiss seriously considered investing some of her fortune into purchasing a sandal. She'd heard that they were quite effective tools utilized by Menagerian mothers at beating unruly children into obedience, and that sounded like the kind of thing Ruby needed.

"Ruby, this is becoming a pattern. Wake up now, or I'll leave you behind."

"Just goooo."

Weiss looked to Yang for help, but she just shrugged.

Guess I can't count on old Rose family remedies at rousing the baby from her slumber. Father never experienced such issues with me or my siblings, and Blake…honest to the gods, she stays up so late but also rises so early that sometimes I think she might be a vampire from those trashy romance novels she tries to read without anyone knowing.

That meant Weiss would have to go off book with this one. No bullhorns to the ears, though – she might've made mistakes, but she sure as Grimm learned from them.

"Ruby, I've often heard that a shower is good at waking people up."

That comment went ignored, as Weiss expected. Still, it wasn't meant to be the kicker; that was the follow-up.

"Blake, get me a bucket. Yang, I'm going to have to ask you to surrender the bathroom to me."

For all that she was an insubordinate little gremlin, Ruby at least seemed to have some sense of self-preservation. Climbing out of bed with a tiny little yawn and a stretch that seemed to last forever, she smacked her lips and checked her scroll for the time.

"I'm surprised it's already light out. I would've thought Miss Ice Queen wanted to wake us up in time to watch a sunrise together as a team."

"There's no need for snark, Ruby. I'm your leader, and your well-being is my duty. This includes ensuring you live by a code of discipline which shall benefit you greatly later in life." Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Or would you like to experience a repeat of yesterday?"

Ruby frowned. "N-No. But I'm up now, so it's all good."

Weiss nodded. That it was. Today marked a new era in Team RWBY's history, one of cooperation, sportsmanship, and friendly relations between these four women. With the dreadful entrance to Beacon firmly in the rear-view mirror, nothing would get in their way now.

"Blake, open the fucking door! You've been in there for hours!"

"Make-up takes time, Yang."

Yang banged her hand against the door quite loudly. "You've been in there for nearly half an hour!"

Weiss heard Blake cry in frustration from within. The door opened to reveal a partially done-up Blake. Weiss still thought she looked presentable (with or without cosmetics, Blake was a knock-out), but she refrained from sharing that opinion knowing that it would be taken as condescension due to the streak of lipstick leading from her lips to her ear.

"And now it's going to be even longer," she said. "Your knocking startled me and made me smear it all over!"

Weiss checked the time – breakfast was in less than fifteen minutes. Sighing, she decided to intervene and offer a compromise.

"Blake, please take what time you need to clean yourself up, but no more. You can go without lipstick for one day. After that, the bathroom is all yours, Yang."

"What? Are you kidding me, Weiss?"

"She gets more time?!"

Weiss nodded. "Blake can't go to class with lipstick over her cheek, but Yang is correct that you've had more than your fair share of time in the –"

Both girls started whining before Weiss could even finish the sentence. A compromise existed in theory to satisfy both parties, but having to surrender something inevitably made everyone feel like they were the losers.

"Course your little kitty cat gets special treatment," Yang griped, rolling her eyes.

"Yang," Weiss said sternly. "Language."

"Sorry," said Yang, not at all sorry. "Course your little bitch gets special treatment. Better?"

Weiss didn't nod, but she didn't respond when Blake looked at her as though she expected Weiss to intervene.

Blake, you know I can't give you special treatment as leader. You did use more than your allotted time in the bathroom, and I'm being kind by even letting you wipe off the makeup. This is already me stretching the rules on your behalf…don't ask me to police Yang's petty insults next.

"Hey, Weiss, can I go to breakfast early since the others are delaying?" asked Ruby, all cleaned up and dressed in her school uniform.

Weiss shook her head. "It's only polite to wait for the entire team."

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Because it is," Weiss said. It had always been what was expected of Weiss before, and she was fairly sure it was like that for a good reason.

"How about I run down for a bite and bring some back for everyone?" Ruby offered.

"Ruby, I said no." As much as Weiss didn't want another headache, she needed to put her foot down as a leader. She'd shown her caring side, but if that was all she presented, her teammates would walk all over her. And after having to shut down Blake, she wasn't feeling particularly lenient with Ruby of all people. "I'm the leader, and my word is final."

A hand touched Weiss' shoulder. "S'okay, Schnee, she can –"

Weiss tore her shoulder free from the blonde's light grasp. "Do not touch me."

Ruby and Yang stared at Weiss for a moment, and then both started to frown.

"Geez, Weiss, us commoners aren't infected with the plague or something."

"It's not that," Weiss said, rather upset that they immediately jumped to play the rich girl card. "I just don't like to be touched without having my permission asked first."

"I guess that's fair," Yang said. "So, can I touch you every now and again? Oh Dust, that sounds kinda weird when ya say it out loud."

"I'd prefer it if you asked each time. Giving blanket consent for physical contact defeats the purpose, as my boundaries may vary from time to time."

Ruby blinked a few times. "So, no hugs? No handshakes? No nothing?"

"Yes hugs, yes handshakes, yes something…just ask first."

The sisters turned to look at her, each confused and hoping that the other might be able to clear up the statement. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult a concept. Weiss merely didn't want her personal space invaded when she was in a state of mind unwilling to accept it. It wasn't as though she could just give permission to someone to touch her and then never be able to revoke it – that would be the absurd stance.

Weiss explained a little bit more in the name of good team relations. "This goes for everyone, even Blake. I'm not trying to single you out. It's just…bodily issues are something I've had since I was younger, and I was raised by individuals who stressed the importance of boundaries."

"But does that mean no touching at all? What about just, I dunno, patting you on the back? Tapping your shoulder?"

Weiss nodded. "Even that."

"Weiss, that seems kinda…" Yang struggled to find a word.

Fortunately, her twin had some suggestions. "Neurotic? Picky? Utterly insane so much that a normal person would be baffled to hear it?"

"I am what I am, whatever you wish to call it," Weiss declared with finality. "And it's my body. If I decide I'd never want to be handled by anyone, I'd expect you to respect that – not because I'm your leader, but because I'm a person."

Yang nodded unsurely. "Okay, but don't blame me when you never get a boyfriend, chickadee."

"Yang." Weiss' eyes narrowed. "I asked you to –"

"Shit! Shit, I'm sorry, it just slipped out. I swear, I didn't mean to…it wasn't a dig at your trait or something." Yang seemed to realize what Weiss was about to say and snapped to agree. "I won't do it again."

That was enough to content Weiss. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

The three of them stood in silence for a moment, no one sure where to go from there. As was expected at this point, Ruby broke the ice.

"Breakfast?"

Weiss glanced at the bathroom door, where Blake was still taking her time. Biting her lip, she gently rapped her knuckles against the door. "Blake? We're just about ready to go."

"I need a few more minutes."

"Blake, it's been nearly forty. Ru…we're all getting hungry and would like to head out as soon as possible."

Weiss had changed her mind midway through and thought it best to avoid phrasing it as though Ruby was the one pressing the matter. There was no need to make another meal of nothing and have it spiral into a new rivalry forming.

Blake and Yang barely get along, and Ruby grates my nerves. On top of that, both of the sisters seem to see me as a frigid rich girl, and Yang seems to have a great deal of trouble holding back name-calling and physical contact. All we need is a Blake-Ruby quarrel and we can call bingo.

They'd gotten over the specific problems that had arisen when Ruby bumped into Weiss and the ensuring chain reaction, but that didn't mean they were friends instantly. Friends had personalities that meshed, and these four women – rather, these two teams of two, for lines were clearly being drawn on RWBY – did not mesh. Had they not been forced together by Ozpin, they probably would have simply let each other alone.

It's not some particular issue. We're just mostly incompatible. Nothing wrong with that – some people just rub each other the wrong way – but it isn't a good starting place for a team.

Weiss sighed and decided to surrender a little something, just to keep the peace. "You two can go ahead and eat. I'll wait for Blake."

"B-B-But what about eating together?! You said it was important."

Weiss smiled and shook her head. "You go on ahead, Ruby. You're hungry."

"Oh, thank you sooo much, Weiss!" Ruby ran forward and wrapped her arms around Weiss in a wide hug. "You're the best, I love you so much!"

She let go before Weiss could even say anything and was out the door.

Yang, who stood in the doorway and had a good view of both her departing sister and her incredibly incensed team leader, shot Weiss an apologetic look. "I'll…I'll try to…"

Weiss couldn't find the patience to thank her.

When they were comfortably settled into class, having dined separately, Ruby…actually apologized. Her little head even bowed down slightly.

"I shouldn't have hugged you. You don't like hugs, and it was wrong of me to make you uncomfortable."

Weiss reached a hand to her shoulder. "May I?"

"Uh, sure?"

Gently holding Ruby's shoulder, she said, "That's not quite right. I don't dislike hugs. I merely wish for you to ask first, as I did just now."

"Oh. Okay." Ruby looked at the hand on her shoulder like it was an alien tentacle. "You know, you don't have to check with me for stuff like shoulder touching or simple things like that. I don't exactly care."

"I still will, just as a matter of personal preference. But I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you for making the effort to meet my particular preferences, Ruby. It means a lot to me." She looked at her partner's sister as well. "And thank you too, I suppose."

"No problem." She pretended to viciously gun Weiss down with her hands acting as make-believe pistols. "Anytime."

There was no further time to talk, as Professor Oobleck's history class began shortly thereafter when the professor rapped his pointer stick against the class chalkboard to get their attention.

Except there was time to talk, because Ruby kept trying to whisper things to Weiss.

"Pssst, Weiss. What do you think this guy's weapon is?"

"Pssst, Weiss. What kind of bird Faunus are you?"

"Pssst, Weiss. Have you seen my pencil? I dropped it."

"Pssst, Weiss. If you could have any superpower, w–"

"Ruby," Weiss hissed, careful to not raise her voice lest she interrupt the class. "We're here to study, not make small talk."

"Yeah, but who cares about ancient history? This is stuff from before the kingdoms were even founded."

Weiss had no answer to that, but she refused to back down once again. "We're supposed to be huntresses, Ruby, not children. Please act your age."

Weiss wasn't sure she liked the cryptic smirk that unfurled across Ruby's mouth, nor the remark that followed. "I think that might mean something other than what you think."

She's baiting me. She wants me to ask what that means and why she's being so coy about it to draw out the conversation even further. I don't win by satisfying my curiosity, I win by refocusing both of our attentions on the professor. Rats, I've already missed his review of early Mantlean proto-civilizations' taxation structures.

When Weiss didn't respond, Ruby poked her in the arm. "Pssst, Weiss."

Weiss' hand shot up into the air instantly, and Ruby went pale.

"Ah, Miss Schnee. Do you have something to add?"

Ruby's head shook from side to side, desperate to not be ratted out. It seemed that, despite her willingness to break the rules, she still possessed an avid distaste for the consequences of her actions.

"No, nothing to add, sir. But I would like to ask if you could go into greater detail regarding the fall of the early kingdom's first denomination of currency and its lasting impacts."

"But of course! How could I forget to bring up how inflation ruined the Solitasi Greple? Thank you for asking."

Ruby opened her mouth, and what sounded like the words 'thank you' threatened to slip out, but Weiss silenced her with a quick glare. Her lesson learned, Ruby remained silent for the rest of the lecture.

As soon as class ended, Weiss ushered Ruby aside with all the haste she could. Yang followed, clearly having overheard the conversation, as did Blake.

"Ruby. Explain yourself."

Ruby tried to play ignorant for exactly 0.1 seconds before caving at the sheer annoyance Weiss radiated.

"Okay, okay. I'm, uh…a little young. For Beacon."

Weiss sighed.

Fuck Jaune Arc, and fuck the fact that she was somehow accustomed to people having snuck their ways into this school that her reaction was anything other that absolute shock.

That explains how they're sisters. I assumed them twins, but Ruby's just a child. Dust, it explains a hell of a lot more, looking back with this insight in mind.

"How much so?" Weiss asked.

"Two years," Ruby admitted, not sounding all that perturbed.

Two years. She'd faked her records and somehow tricked Beacon into thinking she was a seventeen-year-old two whole years early.

So many people slipping through the cracks – how can Beacon not know? Though, given her apparent closeness to the headmaster and deputy, I honestly wonder if they know and turned a blind eye to it.

Weiss shook herself. There was no need to wonder when she had Ruby right in front of her.

"Who else is aware of this?"

Ruby looked around, as though she might spy some familiar face and be refreshed on the memory. "Uh, everyone? It's not a secret or anything. Ozpin let me in two years early."

So, it wasn't Ruby sneaking in, but it was just as bad. She lacked the maturity to be a huntress, and it showed.

"Weiss." Yang almost laid a hand on her shoulder, only stopping at the last second. "Er, can I, ya know…do that?"

Weiss nodded angrily.

"Go easy on her. She earned her stop at Beacon by stopping a crime and saving this old man and his shop. This isn't some conspiracy to cheat Ruby into Beacon."

"You knew?" Weiss asked, hurt.

"Did I know my own sister's age?" Yang let go of Weiss. "Uh, yeah."

Something about the phrasing of that irked Weiss, as though Yang saw it as the most self-explanatory thing about sisters that they shared no secrets. As though there could be no grudges.

Winter…and Whitley, for that matter…

Weiss stuffed away her familial issues to a private part of her brain and looked at Blake.

"First time hearing about this. Though, it isn't exactly a surprise, given how she acts."

"Hey!" whined Ruby.

"The fact that you know what I mean without me having to specify only proves me point."

"Oh, go read a book!"

Blake cracked a grin. "Don't mind if I do."

"Ruby," Weiss snapped. "This is no time for tomfoolery. You withheld information about yourself to me, as your leader."

"So what if I did?" Ruby said, shoving her hands in her pockets, only to recall that her uniform had none. "It's my own deal, with nothing to do with you or the team. What does it matter?"

"It matters when it impacts your performance. It matters when you have yet to wake up on time without prompting. It matters when you ignore your classes and goof off like a misbehaving child."

"I'm not a child!" Ruby stamped her foot. "You're being unfair."

Unfair…proof of Ruby's immaturity that she still held to such concepts as though they were an argument in and of themselves. Weiss would allow this to go no further.

"I'm going to go have a chat with the headmaster," Weiss announced, turning on her heel in the direction of the CCT. "Please inform Professor Goodwitch if I am late to our next class. This may take some time."

"Whoa, cool your jets, there, pretty birdy." Yang raised both palms. "Let's think before we act."

Weiss, against her better judgment, 'cooled' her 'jets' and stopped walking. She knew this whole thing would just lead to another argument. She just knew it, and yet she chose to remain in the presence of this…this…these…

An argument would give her a chance to yell at them. Weiss gave in to temptation and let Yang continue, knowing where this was going.

"Ozpin already knows, so there's really no point with that. And if you could somehow convince him, what are you even asking? For Ruby to be kicked out of Beacon for two years? Do you really want that?"

The young sister let out an 'eep' at that.

Some of the wind left her sails as she realized that Yang was right; there was nothing Ozpin could offer her. Weiss didn't think she wanted Ruby gone – that felt like too much – but at the same time, she was just too upset at this to let it go. Conceding felt too much like losing, and Weiss had h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶'̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶i̶d̶e̶ the pride of a Schnee.

"Would that be so horrible?" she said.

Yang's expression hardened.

"I won't kick your sister out of Beacon, so you can relax, ape," Weiss practically sneered. "Yeah, if we're such good friends that we're sharing nicknames like pretty birdy, I think that's fair for a human, isn't it?"

"Weiss, unlike you, I'm trying to –"

"No you aren't. You just keep…I'm getting distracted. No, I have neither intention nor desire to see Ruby removed, but is coming to Beacon two years early truly the wondrous thing you see it as? Is it even truly a positive at all? If she's such a combat prodigy that she's able to stop real crime already, she would be sure to earn her spot in two years' time. By then, she'd be mature enough to keep up with us, to treat this academy and her own time with the respect that only an adult can. She'd no longer be behind on lessons that you and I and all other students have already completed, Xiao-Long. Lessons like Upper Philosophy, which would've taught her that the history she just ignored described political, economic, and social events that form the precedents for of modern huntsman law. Or perhaps lessons like Advanced Aura Control so that she doesn't risk a broken nose when struck, which might be useful for someone surrounded by aura users in all directions. Or perhaps lessons like Dust safety."

Weiss turned away from Yang and glared in a morbidly embarrassed Ruby's direction.

"I bet you thought you were oh so clever, slipping that little inside joke right by me when I'd just poured my heart out to you. Oh, Weiss, it's not fair that you expect me to know how to manage the explosives I use in bulk. I got to skip the utterly essential classes full of information critical to a huntress because, ohhh-hoho, my 'super epic favorite school' decided to…to…"

It was then that Weiss noticed Ruby was beginning to tear up. Her lip wobbled, and she ran headfirst into her sister's open arms. Yang barely even acknowledge Weiss as she cooed to soothe her crying sister.

Blake cleared her throat. "Weiss. Um…"

"No."

"W-What?"

"Not you, Blake. Ruby. No. No more."

Yang's temper boiled over, and her eyes turned a burning red. "Gods, why do you –"

"NO! Stop this! Stop doing this, where you gang up with Yang and make me into this villain every time something doesn't go your way!"

"Weiss, you're not –"

Ignoring her sister entirely, Weiss spoke directly to the silver-eyed girl. "Ruby, you listen to me right here and now. You chose this. You chose this. You chose to jump ahead to Beacon whether you were ready or not. You want to be treated as an adult, but you're not ready to take on the responsibilities. Hunters wake up early. Hunters pay attention. Hunters don't skip ahead because it sounds like fun, and hunters certainly don't give up and cry the second things get tough and use their tears and their sisters as a shield. I'm not saying this because it gives me any pleasure to see you cry. Do you think I want to be an asshole here? Do you think I woke up this morning and thought, 'I think I'll torment Ruby Rose?' I'm your leader, not your sister, not your BFF, not your whatever. It's my job to protect you, not coddle you, and that's what I've been doing.

"But no more. I've let my emotions govern this for far too long, and I've let you convince me to compromise too frequently. No more. It doesn't matter what you want – you either are a huntress, or you aren't. As your leader, I will be on your side either way. If you choose the latter, I can help you settle the matter with Ozpin. If you choose the former, I will see to it that you catch up to your peers and become the greatest huntress possible, but you will need to work with me. No more mornings off, no more skipped classes, no more weaponized puppy-dog eyes to get your way. You either act with the same diligence and dedication of every other huntress in this school, or you get off my team."

With that, Weiss had said all that she needed to say, so she left.

Ruby was weeping even harder into Yang's shirt as Weiss stomped off, but that wasn't a reason to simply back down at let her have her way. Having a sister on her team had only given Ruby about way to hide away from the real world – every time she didn't get her way, Yang could fight her battles for her. Weiss couldn't count the number of times that Yang had stepped in on Ruby's behalf. It was kind, to be sure, but it ensured Ruby could continue to act babyish.

In spite of being sure that she had done the right thing, there were inevitably regrets slipping around like snakes gliding through the caverns of her mind – oh so many regrets, and not all of them irrational. Concerns that she had been too harsh when Ruby was in a vulnerable state, fears that two days of poor performance weren't enough to judge Ruby's true character off of, innate discomfort at making a child cry. Even though Weiss had demanded Ruby not use crying as a shield, she couldn't help but admire its usefulness.

If Ruby actually did try to quit Beacon…

I don't even know what I'd do. Yang would kill me, and I don't think I even had Blake's support behind me. It's almost enough to make me wish to go back in time and convince Blake to take the role of leader.

The more she walked, the more she worried.

Two years difference. Was that really that big a deal? Weiss hadn't been some crying, bumbling baby at two – much of that could have just been Ruby's personality. And besides, was the difference between fifteen and seventeen truly some major period of maturation without which no one could function? Ruby was fifteen, not five.

She missed classes. It's Ozpin's fault for offering and hers for accepting when both would know that Ruby wouldn't be able to keep up. Beacon isn't a cakewalk; we all have had to fight and bleed for our spot here, and she's not only failing to learn the new material but behind on the foundations.

Ruby had been forced to wake up especially early after an intense and exhausting initiation due to Weiss' own insistence on doing their group therapy in the morning. As such, she'd still have been tired the next day, never having properly recovered with suitable rest.

But all three of the rest of us got up on time. I can't second-guess myself. And even if I could, it's already said and done. I've pushed Ruby with my words, and even an apology won't make her unhear them.

Perhaps Ruby was immature, but it wasn't as though every hunter in this school was as rigid as Weiss. Even Blake slacked off during her studies sometimes. Perhaps Weiss was the odd one out for seeing a lesson on historical economies from multiple centuries ago as relevant information that a huntress couldn't live without.

She never even tried to pay attention. The second Oobleck began his lecture, Ruby immediately began bothering me, trying to get a rise out of me. That's not a good mindset for someone who's going to have lives in her hands.

In the privacy of Weiss' own head, there was no way she could deny the truth: Weiss didn't like Ruby. Dress it up in whatever fancy fashion she could, but the fact was that Ruby annoyed Weiss more than any of the multiple other hunters she'd encountered during initiation. Even Arc, a felonious fraudster, had been more appealing to Weiss. Was it possible she'd let that bias her?

I…I have no rebuttal to that.

She'd been feeling anger when she'd ranted her lungs out. Anger, frustration, pride, pettiness, impotent rage – these weren't the traits of a leader. They were the traits of a seagull.

Saying what she'd said wasn't a surefire way to make Ruby shape up. There was a very real chance that Ruby would actually be pushed over the edge, or that something Weiss had said would resonate with her and she would quit Beacon. And even if she didn't, Weiss would always have to live with the time she'd literally gambled the future of a young woman on a semi-convincing speech and a threat phrased as an ultimatum.

There wasn't class for another hour, but Weiss couldn't find it in herself to do anything productive. The manor might've been an empty, lonely place, but at least it was a familiar comfort. Hoping that perhaps the security of being in a place called home might restore some of her lost confidence, Weiss returned to her dormitory.

When she arrived at the top step of the stairs on their floor, she wasn't alone.

"Jaune." She tipped her head politely, as any other greeting would have been too mentally taxing on her already exhausted brain.

"Oh, hey there, snow angel. What's the good word?"

No more regrets. No more self-doubt. An outsider was present, and Weiss would have to –

B-But is he? An outsider? We very nearly ended up together on a team, and he felt like much more of a partner than my prime enemy Ruby did to me during initiation. He was willing to truth me with his secret, and we were on the verge of becoming friends. Perhaps…Perhaps, if I chose to open myself up a bit, I could maybe…

Perhaps, maybe, but not yet. Weiss wasn't ready for that level of vulnerability, and certainly not before she'd gone to Blake for advice.

Still, he was a fellow team leader (for some reason) and a next-door neighbor, so Weiss thought it prudent to at least investigate his well-being, if only to honor their never-to-be partnership.

"I've been doing quite well, thank you for asking," she replied sweetly. "How has Team Juniper fared on our first few days?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "G-Great. Yeah."

"Any issues? Perhaps I might be able to help if you shared them." Hypocrite. "I am a fellow team leader, as it happens."

"Nothing in particular," admitted Jaune. "Just a little worried about not being a good enough leader, you know? Well, you probably don't – you act like you were born a leader, Weiss."

No, I don't. It's all a façade covering inner turmoil far worse than yours.

I can barely lead my own team. It may have just been torn apart.

Ruby probably hates me.

"Why thank you."

Coward.

"It's actually because of that that I'm here on my own," Jaune said. He gestured to the door of his room. "I just needed some time apart. Don't get me wrong, I love my guys and all, it's just…"

"Being leader feels like it never stops," Weiss said.

"That. Oh, so that." Jaune pointed right at Weiss. "I could never put it into words."

It was the downside of the spotlight. You were always watched, perpetually examined by every single person around you, be that an entire kingdom or the three huntresses under your command. Every action you would take would be scrutinized, and every word you said would be examined for a deeper meaning.

Oh, the leader just wished me good luck – does that mean they think I'm not good enough without luck? Or are they expecting me to excel, and if I don't I'm failing them? Oh, and now they're talking to someone else – that must mean I let them down and they've moved on to a new favorite.

Everything.

Weiss wondered which of them had it worse – Jaune, for his lack of training, or Weiss, with her enmity between the Faunus and the sisters.

"Oh, that reminds me – did you ever manage to…you know…"

Jaune shook his head. "Uh, I kinda don't."

Weiss checked both ways to make sure no one else was observing them "Your aura? Has it…'fully regenerated' since last time we spoke?"

Jaune's brow furrowed. "Um, I guess? I mean, it wasn't unlocked when we last spoke, so I don't think I'd say it regenerated."

Weiss could've groaned at how blatant he was with his own deep, dark secret. Well, it's his ass on the line.

"Pyrrha?" Weiss inquired.

"Yep. She offered to train me, but I declined."

Weiss nodded. For all that he was as obtuse as a triangle, he'd at least made that call right – a leader couldn't show vulnerability in front of their crew. If Pyrrha trained him, she'd forever feel that she knew better, and when the time came for him to make an important call that needed to be obeyed without question, she might hesitate. It simply wasn't worth the risk for a little extra practice.

That did raise the question of how Arc would catch up. Compared to Ruby, he was even further behind. If hunting were a race, she was in dead last, but he hadn't yet found the starting line.

"Well, it's been great catching up with you, Weiss, but I've got some reading to catch up on." He flashed her a grin. "That textbook ain't gonna read itself."

With grammar like that, I fear for the literature's well-being.

"Farewell, Jaune."

"See ya 'round, Schnee."

The two excellent, highly-respected team leaders waved goodbye and retreated into their respective dorm rooms to hide from their beloved teams.

Next Chapter: Basic Human Decency

In which Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao-Long resolve an interpersonal dispute.

Author's Notes

For a minute there, Weiss was actually a good leader. And then...damn.

And for those of you who will inevitably argue that Ruby needed to hear that and shape up - you're possibly right. But Weiss losing her cool as leader only makes things worse for everyone. Even if Ruby needs to hear it, she doesn't need to hear it like that, bawling like a baby as Weiss rants and raves.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!