Chapter 8: Espresso Expresso

"I can't believe I have to do this," Weiss complained, holding her head in her hands. Team RWBY was sitting in a mostly empty cafeteria, waiting for their mentors to show up. "I didn't even do anything wrong!"

"Didn't you spill the explosion dust?" Yang said before scooping up a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Combustion dust," Weiss corrected. "And that was Ruby's fault for making me laugh!"

"Sure," Blake teased, only to wither as Weiss shot her a glare.

"Guys, we'll make it through this," Ruby said, stopping the argument. "Team RWBY can still be the best first year team at Beacon!"

"Not with how the lot of you have been acting," Weiss said, waving a dismissive hand at her team.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ruby asked.

"You," Weiss leveled a finger at her, "have been the most childish leader there has ever been! Sleeping through class, not paying attention to lectures, doodling instead of taking notes, and playing with dust like its candy!"

Ruby flinched at her comments, scooting away. Yang straightened up, but before she could say anything, Weiss turned on her.

"And you, Miss 'Xiao Long,' have been exacerbating her antics the entire time! Egging on teachers, random outbursts in class; even joining Ruby in mocking Professor Shion's lesson!"

"We weren't mocking it!" Ruby defended. "We learned about the grimm cycle from our uncle. We were just… giving it a new spin!"

"I don't know, Ruby," Yang said, scratching the back of her head. "We have been acting a little foolish." She gave her sister a weak smile. Ruby held a hand to her chest, her mouth open in shock.

Before she could respond, Blake shot up, glaring daggers at Cardin, who was passing by a distant table. The girls looked in that direction, seeing a faunus girl rubbing one of her bunny ears.

"You ok, Blake?" Yang asked her partner.

"Yeah," she said with a pained look. "I'll meet you guys outside." She started making her way out of the building.

"And you're too quiet," Weiss said, wagging a finger at Blake as she left.

Blake stopped, turning back to the heiress. "That's all you have?"

"At least you're behaved," Weiss said, turning away.

Their other teammates gave Blake a confused look. She shrugged, then continued out of the cafeteria.

"Alright, listen up you punks!" a brown-haired girl with a black beret and sunglasses snapped at the assembled team RWBY. They'd finally meet up with their mentors, right outside the cafeteria's entrance. "The name's Coco Adel, but you will address me as ma'am! Is that clear!"

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby popped into a salute, intimidated by the boisterous lady. The rest of her team stood about confused, but Coco kept yelling.

"Team CoFVeY is here to whip you into shape! So learn our names and don't forget 'em!"

"What is going-" Weiss started, only to have her feet swept from beneath her.

"That's 'ma'am' to you, Schnee!" Coco said. "Now give me twenty push ups!"

"But-"

Weiss was cut off again when Coco blew on a whistle. Cowed and flustered, Weiss started struggling through the instruction.

"Ozpin's given me the power to discipline the lot of you if you don't listen!" Coco kept going, attracting the attention of wandering students. "So, you'd better-" she was cut off when a hand chopped onto her head.

"Take it easy, Coco," a boy with messy copper hair and a scar running over his lip interrupted. "They're just first years." Two more students came over, forming up behind the newcomer.

"Fox," Coco turned him, dropping the militaristic facade. "Glad you guys could make it."

"I don't think Ozpin gave any of us disciplinary rights," a tall, well-muscled boy with narrow eyes said.

"Yatsuhashi's right," a bunny-eared faunus girl chimed in. "At least, it wasn't in the pamphlet."

Coco coughed, surreptitiously pushing a loose brochure back into her purse.

"Fine, fine," she said as she turned back to team RWBY, composing herself. "Sorry for messing with you guys." She pointed a finger at the struggling Weiss. "But you still need to give me those pushups."

"Apologies for our leader," Fox said, motioning to himself and his team. "I'm Fox Alistair. The big guy's Yatsuhashi Daichi, and the other girl's Velvet Scarlatina." Yatsuhashi gave a thumbs up while Velvet waved politely.

"I'm Yang," Yang said, motioning to her teammates. "This is Blake, that's our leader, Ruby, and- well, you probably know Weiss."

"Can't go anywhere on campus without hearing about her," Coco nodded absently. "Heiress to the largest dust company in Atlas, attending school in far off Vale; now groveling at my feet." She smiled smugly, towering over Weiss, who gave up on another push up.

Before Weiss could respond, Coco stepped away, turning to Fox while asking, "So, how should we do this thing?"

"I was thinking we could split into pairs," Fox said, turning to team RWBY. "Get a feel for whatever problems you guys are having."

"Alright," Coco said, swinging an arm around Ruby, who was still stiffly saluting. "I'll take Ms. Leader here." She leveled her head with her new ward, pushing down her sunglasses with a grin while Ruby smiled nervously.

"Can I go with Velvet?" Blake asked, eyeing the faunus girl with concern.

"Sure!" Velvet beamed. "Any secret is safe with me!"

"Because Ozpin will expel us if we talk about this stuff outside of our team," Fox added dryly.

"Guess I'll go with the big guy!" Yang said, holding out a hand to fist bump Yatsuhashi.

"I don't mind," he said, returning the gesture casually.

"Then I'll go with-" Fox began, but was interrupted by Weiss as she stood, red in the face. She met his eyes for a moment, then scoffed and walked off.

"Good luck buddy!" Coco called as she dragged Ruby off with her, the rest of the two teams dispersing across campus.

"So," Coco began, holding up two dresses. "Red, or purple?"

She and Ruby had moved to team CFVY's dorm rooms. The place was split by large dividers, making two rooms for the boys and girls, though the total area was still the same as RWBY's dorm.

"Uh, red… ma'am?" Ruby said, still a little intimidated.

"How'd I know?" Coco said, handing the red dress to Ruby. "And you can just call me Coco. Sorry for going overboard back there; I honestly didn't think any of you would take that seriously." She smiled sheepishly at Ruby.

Ruby held the dress up to her body, measuring its length while asking, "What are we doing here?"

"Making outfits," Coco said cheerily, holding up a baseball cap. "You think this goes with your cape?"

"Uh," Ruby stared at the hat. "I- I don't know. Maybe?" The hat was a matching color to the red cloak she wore all the time.

Coco took her hand, moving the dress that covered Ruby's form. She appraised the girl for a moment before saying, "It kinda clashes with the uniform."

"The hat?" Ruby asked.

"Your cloak," Coco said. "The red doesn't match any part of the school's uniform. Too bright."

Ruby clutched her cape defensively. "But I love my cloak!"

Coco laughed. "Then keep wearing it! It's not that big of a deal." She spun the red cap on her finger, sitting down on a bed. "I figured you'd want to, so I thought that adding another red item would help; but, honestly, it's up to you."

Ruby watched her, then turned to a mirror, holding up the dress again. "I don't think it'll fit me," she said, looking at the article.

"Because it's not tailored for you- yet," Coco said, standing up and retrieving a measuring tape. "If you want, I could make some adjustments and lend it to you."

"Why would I need a dress like this?" Ruby said, turning to her senior.

"For the dance," Coco said. "The first years get to have a big party at the end of their second semester; and I'll tell you now, it is well deserved." She stepped back to Ruby, holding up her instrument.

Ruby frowned. "Aren't we supposed to be talking about my team?"

Coco shrugged. "We'll get there eventually."

"But how do dresses and parties lead to huntsmen and teamwork?"

"Oh?" Coco said, cocking an eyebrow and lowering her sunglasses. "Is that a challenge?"

"No!" Ruby squeaked. "I'm just… confused."

Coco hummed, stepping past Ruby to sit on her bed. "Well then, why don't you tell me your approach as a leader?" She picked up the red hat again, idly spinning it.

"I… haven't thought about that," Ruby said, sagging. "I mean, I'll give commands in the field and stuff, but I don't want to be 'Miss Bossy Pants' when we're not out on a mission. I'd rather be their friend and help everyone have fun."

Coco slapped the hat onto Ruby's head, pulling it down to cover her eyes. "Not gonna work, kid," she said seriously. "You're their leader. No matter what you do, that hat is on your head, so you need to make sure your outfit- your actions- match it."

"So I have to be serious all the time?" Ruby asked, peeking from beneath the cap.

"Not at all," Coco said, kicking her legs. "Being a kind-hearted doof is all well and good, but you can't take that too far. You are the leader of team RWBY, twenty-four seven. That responsibility can't be taken off on a whim."

She met Ruby's eyes, kind but serious. Then she whipped the hat off the girl's head.

"No, it's just too much red."

Ruby blinked, then laughed.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of Ruby- really! I am," Yang said as she lifted herself through a pullup routine. She and Yatsuhashi were alone at a gym on the first floor of their dorm tower. "But she can be kind of… airheaded. She means well, but she can get caught up in her own world sometimes."

Yatsuhashi hummed contemplatively from the mat he was meditating on.

"I want to support her," Yang continued. "But she- we keep acting like children; like we're still back in Patch. I like goofing off with her, but she's our team's leader, and it feels like she's relying on me to rein her in.

"I really wish she would grow up a little more," Yang said, dropping from the bar. "It'd be nice if I could see her being more independent or having more friends to rely on. I don't want her to end up alone without anyone to back her up, just like…" She trailed off, shaking her head and stepping over to sit by Yatsuhashi.

They sat in a brief silence before Yatsuhashi spoke. "It seems you have a good grasp on what's bothering you. Perhaps you just need to reflect on your actions towards your sister; try and align them with what you want to see from her."

Yang stewed in thought before asking, "Then what should I do? Should I spend less time with her? Cut her off? Or the opposite: become inseparable from her? Shelter her forever?"

"Neither, ideally," Yatsuhashi said. "People need others to rely on in order to move forward. Being there for Ruby won't shelter her as much as you fear, and cutting her off will only guarantee the future you don't want."

"I guess that makes sense," Yang said. "It doesn't help when our team is in tatters. Blake hasn't really opened up to any of us; even me, her partner, and Weiss is her own can of worms."

Yatsuhashi nodded, his eyes still closed. "The bond between your team will strengthen in time," he said. "So long as you're there when they need you, they'll learn to trust you."

Yang curled into a ball by hugging her legs. She propped her head on her knees, thinking in silence.

Weiss raced about campus, trying to lose the messy haired second year who kept insisting on talking with her.

"Hey!" Fox called hoarsely. "We've been at this for hours! Why not take a break!" He pointed to a bench that overlooked Vale from Beacon's cliff face. Weiss had managed to walk all the way around the campus and back to Beacon's airport.

"Hmph!" she said, wiping a trail of sweat from her brow as she sat down. "I'm not discussing anything with you!"

"Fine," Fox said, taking the other side of the bench. "If you want to go back to Atlas, I can't stop you."

Weiss balked, turning to him. "Excuse me! You can't-"

"Not me," Fox said indignantly. "But there will be consequences if you don't put in any effort."

Weiss pouted again, flipping her hair as she turned away.

The two of them sat there for a while until Fox spoke up. "So, what are your problems?"

"My problems are my entire team!" Weiss began. "Ruby is too ditzy and childish to be our leader; Yang is too lazy and inconsistent to help with anything, and I never know what Blake is thinking because she's too quiet!

"If I was in charge, I'd have them all whipped into shape by tomorrow!" Weiss puffed out her chest, letting out an exhausted breath.

"Is that so?" Fox asked flatly.

"Yes!" Weiss jumped up, turning on him. "I'm a prodigy! The heiress to the S.D.C.! I was the obvious choice for leader, yet I lost it to some random, preteen girl!"

"Technically, fifteen isn't-"

"That's not the point!" Weiss yelled, cutting him off. She composed herself, taking in a deep breath. "If I had been made leader, my team would not be doing these silly exercises."

Weiss sat down again, wiping her brow.

"You know, when-"

"No," Weiss interrupted again. "I don't know, and I couldn't care less. You're not a leader, so you couldn't possibly understand what needs to happen with my team."

"But-"

"Ahpapa!" Weiss snapped at him with a hand. "We're resting now, like you suggested."

And so they sat there for an extended time, watching the city in silence.

"Do you like flowers, Blake?" Velvet asked as the two of them wandered through Beacon's outdoor gardens. The place was at the edge of campus, close enough to Beacon Cliff to see the Emerald Forest on the horizon.

"They're alright," Blake said, standing behind Velvet as she watered a rose bush.

"I love flowers," Velvet said, putting the can and bringing up a light-brown camera. "I like taking pictures of them in full bloom, when they show their colors to the world." She snapped a picture of the flowering bush, capturing dozens of blooming roses.

She turned to say more, but Blake started speaking.

"Why do you put up with it?" Blake asked.

Velvet blinked. "Put up with what?"

"Why do you put up with being bullied by a first year?" Blake clarified. "You're a year older than Cardin, but you don't say anything when he's rude." She tried to keep her voice level, but her face was racked with concern.

"Oh," Velvet said, looking away as her ears wilted in embarrassment. "You saw that, did you?" She stowed her camera and picked up the watering can again.

"You can't let him get away with it!" Blake said as Velvet went back to watering. "You need to tell a teacher, or the headmaster, or just stand up to him when it happens."

"It's only the first week of school, Blake," Velvet said. "It probably won't happen again."

Blake pursed her lips. "Are you sure?"

"No," Velvet admitted, "but, 'an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.' Cardin may be a bully, but hurting him will only make him resent me."

"What if he's targeting you because you're a faunus?"

Velvet shrugged. "Even more reason not to push back now. If his one mistake leads him to being hurt, he'll just hate the faunus more."

Blake crossed her arms, staring with concern as Velvet turned around to face her. "I'm not going to put myself in a position to be bullied," the girl said, her faunus ears standing upright again. "I know my limits. But, maybe I can figure out a way to befriend Cardin, before he starts bullying others."

She set the watering can down again, stepping up to Blake.

"I'd much rather make friends than enemies. Cardin might be an extra challenge, but you never know who will be your friend if you just reach out." She smiled at Blake, who only frowned and looked away.

"So, do you have any problems you want to talk about?" Velvet asked warmly. "Adjusting to school? Issues with your team?"

Blake shrugged. "Not really. They're… alright."

"Even Weiss?" Velvet pressed playfully.

Blake finally let out a small smile. "Yeah. Even Weiss."

As the sun began to set, teams RWBY and CFVY met up again outside of their dorm tower. Weiss walked past her team, heading for their room without another word. Ruby and Yang meet one another cheerily, and Blake joined them in going inside as team CFVY watched.

"So," Fox started. "How'd everything go?"

"Quite well," Coco said. "Ruby may be young, but she's a quick learner."

"Yang knew her problems from the start," Yatsuhashi remarked. "She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"Blake was a delight to talk to," Velvet said. "Though, it would have been nice to see her open up more."

"How 'bout you, Fox?" Coco asked, nudging him with her elbow. "What'd Miss Hoity Toity have to say?"

"A lot of things, honestly," Fox said, contemplative. "She talked my ear off, but wouldn't listen."

"Don't worry," Coco said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "From what I've seen, I'm sure her partner will be able to melt that icy shell of hers in no time."

Blake stepped into her dorm room, closing the door with an exhale. She'd left Ruby and Yang, who were gathering up snacks for their dinner, to decompress with a little reading. She lifted her hands up to untie her bow, but froze as she heard a groan from Weiss.

The heiress was making adjustments to her painting, which she'd moved to hang above a desk by the door. Blake lowered her hands as Weiss glanced at her.
She made another adjustment to the frame as Blake asked, "What are you doing?"

"Moving this painting," Weiss said, frustrated. "I thought it'd look better out here than by my bed." She clicked her tongue, making another adjustment. "If it would ever sit straight."

The painting slightly tilted on the nail it hung by again, causing Weiss to frown.

"Mind if I try?" Blake asked, motioning toward the frame.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but waved her over.

Blake corrected the tilt and gently pressed the frame so it was flush with the wall. Slowly, she released the pressure, adjusting only to help the painting keep its balance. Once she removed her hands, the frame was level and still. Weiss nodded approvingly.

"You know," Blake began, "If you need help-"

"I didn't need help," Weiss said, folding her arms. "I would have gotten it balanced on my own."

Blake stepped back, then said, "Look, I think I know what you're going through. You're in a new place, surrounded by strangers, and on edge trying to prove yourself."

Weiss glanced at her.

"But you're not alone," Blake said. "You have teammates. You can trust us."

"You, maybe," Weiss said. "But Yang and Ruby aren't cut out to be on my team."

"Why do you think that?"

"Have you met them?" Weiss asked. "The total amount of maturity between those two is negative!"

Blake frowned at her comment. "We've only known them for three days, Weiss. Maybe your first impression is wrong."

"Feel free to think that," the heiress said, examining her painting again. "But I already know everything that I need to."

Blake let the conversation drop. She looked about the room, unsure of what to do until Weiss lifted her painting up again.

"On second thought," she said, "it looked better behind my bed."

The heiress took the painting around to hang it in front of her wardrobe.

Blake gave her teammate an exasperated scowl before she grabbed a book and left the room, leaving Weiss to gripe about the uneven walls.