It was clear Weiss really did have no idea where to start, giving me ample opportunity to glance around their dorm room. There was a large window, complete with a set of scarlet velveteen curtains, that overlooked the courtyard. Pushed up against the wall near said window was an oak desk, dividers on each side of it. Metal pipes and bullet casings covered it, and some found their way onto the chair as well. The rest of the room was rather standard bed they were sitting on was to the right of the entrance and another similar bed–likely Ruby's as it was unmade–sat off to the left.

Sadly, after surveying the few possessions and pieces of furniture there was nothing else to do. Weiss was biting on her bottom lip and Ruby may have been catatonic for how little she moved. This left me alone with visions of our final stand in Vacuo and an abundant list of concerns about this place. I didn't want to delve into either particularly, but the lesser of the two evils was somehow strangely Salem Academy. Although, I wasn't sure where to begin there. I had thought Beacon Academy was filled to the brim with secrets, yet this place made it look like child's play. And weren't secrets the whole reason I was in this predicament in the first place.

I hated it and the people who couldn't bring themselves to trust.

Shaking my head aggressively to avoid going down this useless path again drew a concerned look from Weiss. I brushed her off, returning to my thoughts as she did the same. And that right there was one of my biggest problems with this academy. The monsters residing within it. Salem had certainly kept her promise of taking me to hell, but wasn't there more to it? These Grimm weren't my friends. That much was clear. They shared similar features, yet none of the experiences we had gone through together were there. Their memories were absent; I was nothing but a stranger to them.

Still though, I dreaded how comfortable I had become with them already. I had let my guard down completely after meeting Nora. I mean for god's sake, I was chilling in a room with two Grimm right now. Not for nothing, though, considering that this branded 'S' prevented any of them from knowing I was actually a human. And when they weren't trying to devour me, they reminded me a lot of my friends. Nora still was infatuated with Ren, Ruby still wanted to be a hero and bring an end to all of the Grimm, and Weiss still remembered her surname and had her human eye. Granted, most of these only further complicated my feelings on everything, and raised more questions than answers, but at least I knew what I needed to figure out.

Whether there was a chance they were themselves and could be brought back to normal. It felt like a foolish hope, but I decided to cling onto it and do my best to discover the truth for myself. After all, if any of them were in my shoes, they would have done the same. They wouldn't have given up on me until the very end. That was just the kind of people they were.

With a determined nod, I steadied my resolve. Unfortunately, the whole display was ruined with an unexpected yawn that popped my ears and made my eyes water. Once again, I snapped Weiss out of her own pondering and she stared at me, mismatched eyes unblinking. "Are you tired?"

I snorted. "Like you wouldn't believe."

Tired would be an understatement. I was exhausted, leaning so heavily on the doorframe that I was practically relying on it to keep me upright. My feet hurt from all the walking, and my body ached from the fresh new scar I had received.

A small smile played on her lips. "Of course. That was rude of me. I know how tiring it can be emerging from the Pit of Darkness. And having to attend all of these classes certainly doesn't help." She laughed at her joke, making me inclined to join in more out of politeness than any amusement. "Why don't you take a rest in Ruby's bed? She can sleep in mine tonight."

I wanted to argue, but I wasn't going to turn down her hospitality. It obviously was going to take me some time to gain my bearings in this new environment, and I wasn't going to upset anybody that could be a potential ally. Especially because I needed to keep her and Ruby close, along with the rest of them once I found them. I needed to if I was going to discover the truth.

Kicking off my boots, I collapsed onto the bed, drew the cover up to my chin and flipped onto my side. Unlike the rot and decay I expected the bed to smell of, it faintly smelled of roses. It was an unexpected surprise, but not unwelcome. Then, I wondered briefly whether it was wise to expose my back to the enemy like this before deciding I couldn't be bothered. If they were going to kill me, they'd kill me. There wasn't anything I would be able to do without a weapon, anyway. As such, my face sunk deeper into the pillow, my cheek enjoying the cool feeling. My eyes fluttered shut, and I already found myself drifting off.

"I never did catch your name," Weiss said, her voice seemingly a little dulled.

"It's Jaune," I mumbled, refusing to open my eyes.

"Well then, Jaune, I promise I will explain everything later. You can depend on that. A Schnee never goes back on her promise."

"And what is a Schnee?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little more alert.

There was a sharp inhale from across the room, soon replaced by a cough. "I-I'm not certain. If I'm being honest, I can't quite recall where I picked that up from, but I know it's important. And I know that I am Weiss of Schnee."

"Weiss of Schnee?"

"That's right," she said, sounding a little more confident. "I am Weiss of Schnee, so I'm working under the assumption that Schnee is a place. A place I would very much like to visit one day."

A place she'd like to visit? I wonder what she'd think if she learned that Schnee was her last name, and the place was nothing more than a dust company which exploited cheap, faunus labor. As she was, however, she might enjoy that since Grimm fed off of negative emotions. Then again, she seemed to take no pleasure in Ruby's anguish, trying to comfort her the best she could. I stifled a sigh, refusing to go down this rabbit hole. I needed to go to sleep and hope everything would make more sense in the morning.

"Goodnight, Weiss."

"Same to you."

The blackness that surrounded me this time was comforting, no monsters waiting on me. Except for when I woke up again, I guess.