A.N: Hey gang. So, I was not expecting a full-length chapter to be dedicated to what's about to happen, but you know how it is. You get on a role with something and you decide to focus entirely on that.
But, that's not important. After this chapter, I'll be taking some time off. I don't know if it's the pandemic and the quarantines that are finally getting to me or if I've just been working too damn hard for my own good, but I am so physically, emotionally and mentally drained right now, it's not even funny.
So, I hope everyone enjoys what is basically a 6,500 word essay against tribalism.
Chapter 33: Fangs Out
Shortly after Weiss Schnee's victory over Nezha Zise, the Schnee Heiress had finally collapsed from exhaustion, as though reaching her limit shortly after she could simply disappear in the lockers, where no one would see her collapse. Ruby, Blake and Hansel found her slumped against a wall, sitting on a bench, breathing heavily. She was quickly taken to the medical wards where Yang and Gin were waiting.
It was here they were introduced to Atlas Academy's Head Nurse, Florence Sclater, a beautiful silver-haired woman dressed in a nurse's outfit with piercing red eyes. A woman who also, for some reason seemed to intimidate Gin and Yang with her mere presence. The trio that did not need medical treatment soon discovered why when she began her treatment on Weiss.
A treatment that began with wrapping her up in several bandages, much to her distress. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Weiss screamed in terror.
"Please, hold still." Florence said to her. "These bandages are meant to keep you from moving. This way, when your Aura heals your injuries, your body will be repaired properly. There's a reason why when people break their bones, said bones must be monitored so that they mend properly. It's the same concept here."
"Yes, but this seems excessive." Weiss noted, making Florence glare at her.
"As long as you are in this medical ward, you are under my care, as such I will decide what is 'too much' or 'too little.' Let me be clear though, for the sake of my patients, I don't consider anything too much. I will cure you, even if it kills you."
"That makes no sense." Ruby, Blake and Hansel said in unison.
Florence ignored the onlookers and continued wrapping up Weiss in bandages. When she finally finished, she reached into a cabinet and took out a bottle of medicine. "These are painkillers, these should help with your injuries as well, if there's any residual pain."
"I'm not just feeling residual pain, I'm feeling actual pain from all the bandages wrapped tightly." Weiss replied, to which Florence responded by shoving two painkillers into Weiss' mouth.
Florence then turned her attention to Yang. "Ms. Xiao Long, I trust that you have been following my instructions? If not, I may have to administer severe punishment."
Yang let out an uncharacteristic 'eep' at this. "Umm...yes, Nurse Sclater."
"Good," Florence nodded, satisfied with Yang's answer.
Whoa, what did she do to Yang while we were watching Weiss fight? Ruby wondered, getting a hint as to what could have been done when she noticed Gin desperately trying to stifle amused giggles.
"Professor Kobalt," Florence turned to Hansel, "I must go to Mr. Zise and administer my treatment to him. I trust that you can keep an eye on your students while I'm gone?"
"Yes, for the time being." Hansel nodded. "Though I'm going to have to leave soon and resume my investigation."
Florence nodded in understanding. "Of course, however, a piece of advice: if your students are in the infirmary, they should be your first priority."
Florence left upon saying that. Hansel heaved a sigh while Team RWBY looked at him expectantly. I guess I should say a few words. I need to say something to Belladonna anyway. He remembered.
Then Ruby started laughing. She laughed so hard she was clutching her stomach in pain. "What's so funny, you dolt?" Weiss asked.
"You look like a mummy!" Ruby squealed giddily.
Everyone sweat-dropped at Ruby's laughter. Hansel, however, found himself sincerely grateful to Ruby for the first time ever. Her laughter cut out all the tension of him having to say something to his students. It still felt damn awkward though.
"So...how are you two feeling, first of all?" Hansel awkwardly and stiffly inquired. "Zise and Rouge were both pretty tough opponents. Blowhards Team GLDN may be, they've definitely earned their title as one of the strongest teams in Atlas Academy."
"Now that I can agree with," Weiss admitted, "Nezha was incredible. If I hadn't figured out what I needed to summon, I would've lost for sure."
"That shortie was pretty damn tough too," Yang sighed, "I don't even want to think about the fights Blake and Ruby have ahead of them tomorrow."
"But I'm fine, Teach." Yang promised. "I just need to rest up a little. If anything, I'm more worried about Weiss, her fight was way more brutal than mine was, by a longshot."
"Your concern is much appreciated, Yang." Weiss assured her friend. "But I'm fine too. I'm just a bit sore, with a bit of residual pain...which is frankly more from the sheer amount of bandages wrapped around my body. On the plus side, I can already feel the painkillers Nurse Sclader stuffed into my mouth kicking in."
"What I'm more curious about is how you think we did?" Weiss admitted. "You mentioned some criticisms of Yang's performance, but how did we do overall?"
"Ever the teacher's pet, Weiss." Yang rolled her eyes.
Hansel took a deep breath. "First, let me point out that the important thing is that the both of you won. Remember, the whole point of these battles is to simulate true 'do or die' situations. The kinds of situations where a professor won't be there to pick you up when you fall down." Hansel reminded them before adding sincerely. "Be proud, you two earned your victories today. In that regard, you did well."
"See, if you just threw compliments out like that more often, people would like you more, Teach." Yang teased.
"Xiao Long, if I 'threw out' compliments just because, they'd mean jack shit." Hansel responded before getting back on track. "Anyway, the fights weren't perfect. Xiao Long briefly fell back into her old habits. After this win, I hope you see the benefit of what I'm trying to teach you, Xiao Long."
"As for you, Schnee, I can't really criticize you too much for how you started the fight. Zise was a far superior fighter in every sense of the word. It's not wrong to fight conservatively when you're trying to understand the strengths of your unknown opponent." Hansel acknowledged.
"However, you made a few key mistakes that cost you dearly early in the fight. You saw how skilled he was with his spear at close range, and you still tried to outpace him with that rush attack. While that was probably the best thing you could've done at the time, where you went wrong was thinking you could outpace him and hit him hard enough to keep him from attacking."
"I'm not sure I follow." Weiss admitted.
"Remember that Aura often acts as a protective shield from attacks, allowing us to take rather brutal attacks." Hansel reminded her. "However, with enough force applied, you can still make your opponent flinch, allowing you to keep up your assault. With how far ahead he was of you in terms of physical prowess, making him flinch was out of the question."
"But you still tried such a reckless rush attack that left you wide open." Hansel noted. "You were so desperate not to lose, that you didn't think of the consequences of your strategy. The strategy itself was well thought-out and hidden from Zise, but you failed to consider what came next."
"Even after you figured out your Summoning ability, you still fought rather recklessly. In real life, this is your life you're putting on the line. Don't throw it away so recklessly. There's a time and place for self-sacrifice."
"But again, I can't blame you for getting reckless with how far ahead he was of you. Just don't make it a habit. Be proud of the fact that you are now stronger than you were before, Schnee. But also recognize that good fortune also played a role in winning that fight for you."
"So B- efforts on both of your parts, on account of the mistakes I mentioned." Hansel told them. "But the important thing today is that you won, and you're both stronger from the experience. You've also proven to yourselves that based on this simulated 'do or die' situation, you can actually handle one if you were placed in it in a professional setting."
"Be proud, you've taken a step towards becoming true professional Huntsmen."
Yang and Weiss were left utterly speechless by their teacher's words of encouragement and praise. Hansel Kobalt, the man that everyone in class had built up as the toughest teacher to impress in all of Beacon. The man who was only slightly older than his students. This man gave them wise words of encouragement and praise.
"And now, that leaves Rose and Belladonna." Hansel turned his attention to Blake and Ruby. "I expect you both to see me for training tonight. Your matches are tomorrow, after all."
"Rose, I'm going to level with you, you'll most likely be fighting Steinn, since you're both the leaders of your respective teams. Knowing Ironwood, he wants to test one of the leaders of his student teams against the leader of one of Professor Ozpin's student teams."
"Any tips?" Ruby asked.
"Just try to apply what I've taught you to catch him off guard." Hansel replied. "Remember, Team GLDN's advantage is that they have video of you girls fighting in the Vytal Festival. So do something Steinn wouldn't expect."
"Rose, remember our sparring sessions in the Neverland Gorge." Hansel reminded her. "If you can catch me off guard, you can do the same to that pissant."
Hansel then took a deep breath as he turned his attention to Blake. He was not looking forward to this conversation at all. In fact, a part of him felt he should take Blake and speak to her in private. However, there was another part of him that rationalized the rest of her teammates should hear this as well, so that they all understand his perspective on this matter and do not try to coddle Blake. What he was about to tell her was not necessarily something she needed for her fight. But rather her own personal, emotional growth into a proper Huntress.
"That means you're fighting the last of GLDN's members, Dollie Grass." Hansel told Blake, making the catgirl nod.
"I take it you don't know anything about her either, Professor?" Blake asked.
Hansel nodded. "I avoided learning about those four." He admitted. "Sometimes, Huntsmen have to face dangerous situations with little intel. You four should experience what that's like."
"And do you have any tips or advice for me?"
"Just keep your wits about you in your fight." Hansel told her before looking around, making sure that Florence had not returned and the only people here were himself, Team RWBY and Gin. "You have an uncanny eye for how your enemies move. Perhaps it comes from...who you really are?"
Blake stiffened at this. "Teach, should we really say that kind of stuff in front of Tiger-Boy here?" Yang gestured to Gin with her eyes.
"What kind of stuff? You mean like how she's a Faunus?" Gin shrugged. "Hell, I knew that as soon as I saw her, the bow wasn't very convincing."
Blake sputtered at this. "My disguise was perfect." She lamented.
"It was perfect against the inexperienced and those who don't live on the battlefield." Hansel corrected. "This is what I'm talking about, Belladonna, your disguise was never going to fool any professionals. Hell, I'm pretty sure folks like Ironwood and Specialist Schnee already know you're actually a Faunus."
Blake's cat ears instinctively dropped at this. Gin could not resist commenting on that. "Oh my Gods, that's adorable." He could not help but squee.
"Why are you bringing this up, Professor?" Blake asked.
Hansel took a deep breath. "I want you to hear me out on this, Belladonna, and remember that the only reason I'm suggesting...no, asking you to do this, is because I believe it will help you grow as a Huntress. Not just as a Huntress though, but as a person."
Blake felt her stomach tighten into a massive knot. She swallowed hard. Every fiber of her being told her to run before Hansel gave her...whatever this order was. But where could she go? Could she even hope to get away from him? The answer to that, of course, was a big, fat no.
So, all that Blake could say was: "What is this order you have for me, Professor?" Blake asked curiously.
...So far so good. Hansel breathed a sigh of relief before his cynicism quickly returned in spades. Yeah, right, that's going to go out the window as soon as she hears just what the hell my order for her actually is.
Hansel then came right out and said it. "Blake Belladonna," he said, using her full name, "for your match, you will go without the bow, show them who you are, or you will forfeit the match."
The room went dead silent. Team RWBY gaped at Hansel in disbelief. Gin, however, had a very unreadable expression, as though he wanted to hear Hansel's reasoning first. Yang then started chuckling. "And here I thought you had no sense of humor." She noted.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Hansel responded in a tone that told Yang he had no time for her nonsense right now.
Yang found herself sputtering at this. "You're...you're serious?"
Hansel nodded. Blake then found her voice. Unfortunately, she found herself glaring at Hansel first, which immediately set the tone for the rest of the conversation. Something Hansel was quick to take note of. "Why?" She demanded.
"Why what?" Hansel decided to be patient and let her do the talking first.
"Why would you ask me something that unreasonable? If you know I'm a Faunus, then you know why I hide my ears."
"Scarlatina and that cat girl from Team FNKI you girls like hanging around so much don't seem to share your attitude." Hansel noted. "Both display their Faunus traits, no issue."
"Because they don't have any way to cover it up!" Blake yelled. "Velvet's ears could never be hidden, same with Neon's tail!"
"And yet, other than Team CRDL, from what I understand from the reports I've read about each of you, Scarlatina has not faced any pressing issues at Beacon. As for the FNKI girl, well, I must say, for a Faunus that's supposedly joining up with the military in arguably the most discriminatory kingdom in all of Remnant, she's quite peppy and energetic."
"What the hell's your point, huh?" Blake demanded.
"My point is, those two are stronger than you, Belladonna. Even if they can't hide their Faunus traits, they wear them proudly. They don't use those traits as a crutch, or something to fear. They wear them proudly and work hard. Truth be told, that mental fortitude is another reason why I believed Scarlatina is the strongest in your group at the moment."
Blake's glare intensified. Hansel sighed. "Yeah, I know, you think I'm being an asshole. You think I'm being unreasonable. But do you honestly think I'm doing this just to be an asshole? I'm not your friend, Belladonna, I'm your teacher. I'm doing this to help you grow as a person. As a Huntress."
"How could forcing me to do something I clearly don't want to do possibly help me grow as a Huntress?" Blake demanded. "You realize you're asking me to out myself as a Faunus in a place you've admitted to be the most discriminatory kingdom in all of Remnant? Frankly, Professor, you are an asshole."
"Blake." Ruby's mouth dropped open, shocked at Blake using such harsh language on anyone.
Hansel, however, surprisingly took it well. He simply moved onto his next point. "Belladonna, our power is a manifestation of our souls, our very hearts." He reminded her.
"If our hearts are in turmoil in any way, we can't use our powers to their full potential." Hansel explained. "True Huntsmen need to be focused and clear headed, resolved with nothing weighing on their hearts. It's the only way to use your power to its full potential."
"The fact that you wear that bow around your cat ears is proof that deep down in your heart, you're frightened. That weighs on your heart, and because of that, your Aura and your Semblance suffers as a result. That fear also affects your mindset. If you're afraid of something as simple as people knowing you're a Faunus, it sets a terrible tone, that results in you constantly looking to run at the first sign of danger. How can people you're protecting trust you when you have that kind of mentality? Why should they trust you? Why should your teammates trust you?"
Blake stiffened at this. "Professor, that's…" Weiss began, only for Hansel to silence her with a single finger.
"You're right, I always am looking to run...I run from my problems." Blake acknowledged before doubling down on her rage towards the professor for suggesting something so unreasonable. "Even so, there's nothing wrong with hiding what I am! I'm trying to be recognized for my character, not for my species!"
"And there are plenty who would argue that doing just the opposite could also get you recognized for your character." Hansel countered. "The more people who see Faunus Huntsmen serving and protecting the public like their human counterparts, the more Remnant sees there's actually no difference between humans and Faunus. If they see what they perceive to be a human girl in a bow running around, all they'll see is just another human girl fighting hard. And thus, the perception of species trumping character continues on."
"Even if that's true, there's nothing wrong with wanting to avoid the stares! The looks of hate! The harsh language! The discrimination! All of it!"
"Steps do still need to be taken." Hansel acknowledged. "The fact that Faunus cannot shop, eat or drink in certain places is bothersome. However, Faunus couldn't own property, own weapons, or even join militaries or become Huntsmen, once upon a time. And now they can. And there are plenty of veterans and descendents of the Great War who fought alongside Huntsmen who now see them as people, not beasts. Even if discrimination still exists, you can't ignore the humans who don't care about things such as race, and you certainly can't ignore the progress that has already been made to equality."
"Those strides mean nothing as long as the Faunus still suffer." Blake growled.
"So damn impatient," Hansel shook his head, "what next, Belladonna? Even if we manage to pass anti-discrimination laws against businesses, are you suddenly going to start policing speech? They tried policing other people's thoughts in the form of banning art, the result was the Great War. If other people's words hurt you that much, you shouldn't be a Huntress."
Blake fell silent at this. "Belladonna, why did you become a Huntress?" Hansel asked her.
"...For justice, and to protect people." Blake replied. "I...I don't know how to go about it though. I don't know how to undo all the hate, injustice, and inequality that's plagued my people...plagued this world...for so long."
"Well, your first mistake is thinking of your people first." Hansel said simply. "Now I get it, you're far too focused on race, Belladonna."
"Excuse me?" Blake narrowed her eyes.
"Don't misunderstand me, I sympathize with what the Faunus have been through. It's idiotic to discriminate and hate an entire race in a world like ours, where negativity attracts monsters that could rip us to shreds. However, there's a mentality that's been growing amongst your people lately, ever since the White Fang became more violent." Hansel noted.
Blake fell silent at the mention of the White Fang. "A tribalist mentality." Hansel revealed. "The kind of mentality that excludes anyone who's outside your 'tribe.' The kind of mentality that's poison to any movement for equality. While it's certainly true that it was humans who put discriminatory laws into place, several of which have since been repealed, the Faunus have also made the mistake of falling into the 'us and them' mentality that is tribalism. The same Faunus that want a seat at the proverbial table of equality."
At this moment, it was not necessarily Hansel speaking. It was Professor Ozpin's lessons on tribalism resonating in Hansel's heart and using Hansel's voice to be heard.
"Belladonna, you cannot have equality while excluding humans from the conversation. Otherwise, it just becomes Faunus supremacy. You cannot progress without recognizing the steps that have already been taken. You certainly cannot ignore those steps just because the strides are not large enough for your liking. I promise you this, the way things are now, equality will never be obtained because of that tribalist mentality even the Faunus have adopted."
"Even if it was slow, the White Fang in its peaceful days were on their way to accomplishing true equality, simply because they were showing they were more than just beasts. They were thinking men and women who just wanted to be recognized as such. And they were gaining allies among sympathetic humans. Influential humans who would've gladly helped pass more anti-discriminatory laws. But when the White Fang turned violent, those human allies were lost. They were forced to retract their support by either their colleagues or due to their own principles which made them hate what the White Fang had become."
"And frankly, those who hate the White Fang right now are right to do so. Oh sure, you can justify it by saying things weren't happening fast enough, and they grew impatient, frustrated and felt they had no choice. But try telling that to all the humans who've died since the White Fang became violent. Those people deserved their lives just as much as any Faunus did. But, hey, they were outside the 'tribe' so they didn't matter."
Weiss winced at this. That was practically the same thing she said to Blake back then. And because of that, she slowly found herself siding with the professor in this argument he was having with Blake.
"If you really want to fight to fix the inequality and injustice in this world for the sake of the people, then show that you are more than just your race, by wearing it proudly and doing your job amongst your three human teammates right here." Hansel gestured to the rest of Team RWBY, who still looked visibly uncomfortable. "Because acting like you're part of some 'tribe', whether it's by being a Faunus or pretending to be a human...that won't solve a damn thing."
Blake finally couldn't take it. She simply exploded at Hansel. She jumped right out of her seat and glared at him with all her might. She had not hated someone this much since Adam. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" She screamed, making Ruby jump and Weiss, Yang and Gin all wince. Hansel, however, simply remained calm.
"Please restrain yourself, Belladonna." Hansel ordered her. "This is an infirmary."
"Oh fuck you!" Blake yelled. "I can't believe what I'm hearing here! A human trying to tell a Faunus how to win equality! I was willing to listen to Professor Ozpin because he's a brilliant mind, but I will not listen to the likes of you on this, Professor!"
"And why is that?" Hansel inquired.
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Blake demanded. "You have no right to tell me how to fight injustice, Professor! You don't know what it's like to be discriminated against! You don't know what it's like to be hated for something you can't control! You can't possibly understand the suffering I, or my people have been through!"
Gin's eyes widened as Hansel's expression changed entirely. The calm look on his face had faded completely. He was now glaring back at Blake with just as much ferocity. Oh shit! He frantically thought.
Hansel rose from his seat. However, in a split second, Gin was in between him and Blake. Ruby gasped. Whoa, I didn't even see him move!
"Easy there, Hansy, don't blow up at the girl just because she said something ignorant." Gin warned Hansel with the most serious expression the girls had ever seen on the bodyguard.
Thankfully, Gin's words seemed to resonate with Hansel and the teacher visibly relaxed. However, he was still glaring at Blake. "You think you know what it means to suffer? You don't know the meaning of the damn word you spoiled brat." He snarled.
Blake was taken aback by Hansel's cold rage and ferocity. "I can't believe how wrong I was." Hansel shook his head. "The spoiled princess on this team was never the rich heiress, it was you."
"How the hell can you possibly claim to know what suffering is when you have the luxury of hiding what you are? Running from what you are?" Hansel demanded. "You may be a Faunus, but you're as ignorant as any human."
"It's you who doesn't know what it's like. You don't know what it's like to hear people constantly wishing you'd die. You don't know what it's like to be hated for something you have no control over, simply because you can control yours. And you certainly don't know what it's like to live with an identity that you can't run from, no matter how hard you try!" Hansel yelled that last part. "That's been my life ever since I was born! All because of my damn family!"
"I've been listening to people tell me behind my back or to my face they wish I had died with the rest of my family ever since I was ten. Hell, even before that, I've had people telling me that I should be dead for a completely different reason." Hansel revealed, making the Team RWBY pale in horror. "I can't run from any of that, because I can't run from my family name. No matter what I do, no matter where I go, nothing will change the fact that I am Hansel Kobalt."
"So don't you dare tell me that I don't know what it's like, Belladonna. Because I know damn better than you in that regard." Hansel promised.
Hansel then noticed the looks of terror on Team RWBY's face. He immediately felt shame. Yep, that conversation was a complete failure. Another step back as a teacher. He lamented.
"My order still stands." Hansel's expression softened. "You will either go without the bow for your fight...or I will have you forfeit the fight. And if you forfeit, that means Team GLDN wins it all...think about that."
With that, Hansel decided to take a walk. I need to clear my head...maybe get back to my investigation as well. I can't say anything at this point that would improve the state of this conversation.
With Hansel gone and out of earshot, Gin instinctively heaved a sigh and face-palmed. "Shit, that conversation could not have sucked any more than it did." He noted as his scroll suddenly started ringing.
He looked at the caller id and grimaced. "Yo, Chrysos," he said, answering his scroll, "what's up? You're kinda calling me at a bad time."
"Huh? You seriously want me to come back now? Yeah, I know she's scheduled for that, but do you really need me to help you? You're worth like a hundred bodyguards, Chrysos." Gin reminded him before falling silent, listening to the man's answer. "Yeah, I know, I know it's my job but something came up and...agh, fine okay, I'll be right there. You don't have to growl at me you damn bear. I'll see you in 30."
Gin hung up and sighed. "Sorry girls, wish I could stick around and help you lot talk through this, but duty calls."
Gin grit his teeth and walked away before he could look at their distressed and disappointed faces. Upon Gin exiting, Florence returned to their room in the infirmary. "Is everything alright? I heard shouting." Florence stated before glaring at them. "Please keep it down, you're disturbing my other patients."
"S-sorry Nurse Sclater." Ruby whimpered.
Florence shushed them and returned to her other two patients for the day (Lutin and Nezha, obviously). Ruby then took a deep breath and looked at Blake. "You okay?" She asked.
"I cannot believe him." Blake muttered. "If he really has been through all of that...then why..."
"Blake, I know what you're going to say." Weiss interrupted Blake. "You're going to say: 'if he's been through all of that, why doesn't he agree with me? Why doesn't he sympathize with what I've been through?'"
Blake's face fell at this. "You clearly didn't listen to anything he said to you." Weiss calmly noted. "He made it clear to you he empathized with the Faunus. He just doesn't think you should be using that as a crutch for your own education."
"You mean you agree with him?" Blake was shocked at this. After all the work Blake and Weiss had put into growing their friendship, she was now disagreeing on something that meant so much to her.
"Don't you suddenly start accusing me of things, Blake. I'm not saying any of this because I'm taking anyone's side in this." Weiss claimed. "That said, I understand where the professor is coming from, and you should too."
"You remember what I told you, right? How the White Fang had been at war with my family for years? Board members, their families, family friends, all targeted by the White Fang, just because of their association with my family. Just like the professor said, they deserved life just as much as any other Faunus did."
Blake's ears dropped once more in shame. "Blake, nobody is denying that the world still has a lot to do, regarding the Faunus, but the professor is right that you can't just dismiss the progress that has already been made just because it's not enough for you. My grandfather didn't build the Schnee Dust Company in a few days. Not even a few years. Building something permanent takes time."
"Even so…" Blake began before finding herself unable to speak.
"Blake," Yang spoke up, interrupting her friend, "you're going to hate hearing this, but I'm honestly going to have to side with Teach on this one. I mean, yeah, sure, he could've delivered things better, but we all know by now his delivery sucks ass."
"That doesn't make the message any less valid though." Yang admitted. "Blake, you yourself have admitted that you hate what the White Fang has become. But don't think I don't remember you defending them the day we found out you were a Faunus. It was our fault-humanity's fault-the White Fang decided to get violent. I think...that's the tribalist attitude Teach was trying to warn you about."
Blake's mouth dropped open. Yang was once again lecturing her, just like back then. "Look Blake, if you think Teach was being unfair to you...I think he's just, in his own way, trying to get you to stop putting so much stock into your own race, especially since you want to be seen as more than just that." Yang sighed. "He's unorthodox, as usual, but I'm beginning to realize his heart's in the right place whenever he goes off like that."
"And Blake, you can try to make excuses on this all you want, but even you have to admit that you were wrong to say what you said to him, about how he doesn't know what any of that is like." Weiss told her.
"It...it just came out." Blake said softly.
Weiss sighed. "Even so," she said, "Blake, between the four of us, you and I know the most about Professor Kobalt's family. And considering how much that family name is reviled across Remnant, we both have a pretty good idea of just what the professor has been through. Saying what you said, even when you knew that, honestly, the professor was right to get mad at you. And if you'll notice, that was the only time he actually raised his voice."
"Okay, is it seriously that bad, Weiss?" Yang asked with Ruby looking at her best friend.
"I cannot believe you and Ruby don't know anything about the Kobalts." Weiss said in shock. "Their estate was on Patch Island for crying out loud. Your home."
"Come on, Weiss, cut us a little slack here. Patch is a remote, out of the way place." Yang reminded her before giving off a thoughtful hum. "Still, I can't help but wonder if we ever met Teach by chance, if his family's estate really was on Patch."
Ruby could not help but think of that as well. Did she perhaps run into Hansel Kobalt without even realizing it when they were children?
"It's...really not my place to explain what happened." Weiss admitted. "What the Kobalts did was...awful. But I feel like if I tried to tell it to you two, it would affect your perceptions of him. Blake shouldn't tell it either. If you two really are that curious, you should ask Professor Kobalt. Though don't be surprised if he refuses. I can't imagine it's an easy subject for him to talk about."
"But Blake," Weiss got back on track, "I'm really sorry to tell you this, but the unreasonable one in this conversation was you. Professor Kobalt acted mature and rational and all you did was...well, you got upset and emotional."
"I know you want to fight for your people's equality...but can you really do that when you can't even hold a civil debate with someone who thinks differently than you?"
"I know!" Blake yelled before repeating herself in a softer, more defeated tone of voice. "I know...but what was I supposed to do? I've been fighting for the Faunus nearly my whole life. I...you can't imagine what it's like being told that you've been going about it with the wrong attitude…"
"Maybe I can't, but as someone who's been forced into that same conflict, and as your friend, I can say that you're going to run into people who have different perspectives, myself included." Weiss reminded her. "And Blake...you can't succeed in your goals if you can't learn to work with those kinds of people."
"Heh, Yang might be onto something actually." Weiss acknowledged. "Maybe this is the professor's way of trying to get you to mature past this whole thing."
"That kinda brings us to the most important part of this conversation." Yang spoke up. "He's going to make Blake forfeit if she doesn't fight without her bow."
"And if she forfeits, then Team GLDN wins." Weiss sighs.
"I...I don't know what to do." Blake admitted. "I….I can't let you all down, but I don't know if I can reveal who I am to...to Atlas Academy of all groups."
Ruby then cleared her throat, making all three of her teammates turn to their leader. "Umm, hey, team leader here." Ruby raised her hand with a sheepish smile. "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
Blake looked into Ruby's eyes. They were as pure as always. No judgement. Just those eyes that said: 'let me help you.' At that moment, Blake found herself relaxing. Ruby had gotten good at that; making people relax.
"Okay, leader, what would you like to say?" Blake asked.
Ruby smiled. "Blake, I think you should do it."
"I think you should fight without your bow tomorrow."
Blake looked at Ruby in shock. The gentleness in her voice was still there, but still...that was the firmest she had ever heard Ruby suggest something to her. "Ruby...are you sure?" Blake asked.
Ruby nodded. "So then you…"
"Don't finish that sentence, Blake." Ruby shook her head, knowing what Blake was about to say. "This isn't a question of whether I agree with Professor Kobalt or not."
"I think you should do it, because I believe in you." Blake's eyes widened while Ruby just smiled at her. "I think you're a strong, amazing, and totally cool person, Blake. And I think you're strong enough to show the world what you really are and that it just doesn't matter."
"As your leader, I order you to fight without your bow tomorrow, not because I don't want you to forfeit, but because I believe you're strong enough to weather whatever the world throws at you afterwards. And even if it becomes too much, and it seems like you can't. I'll be there to keep you up and help you through the storm."
"That's what friends are for, after all."
"Ruby…" Blake said softly.
That's my little sis. Yang thought proudly.
Heh, she's definitely grown into her role. Weiss acknowledged.
Blake then started walking away from the rest of the team. "You going somewhere, Blake?" Yang asked.
"I...need to go for a walk." Blake replied. "I need to think about what my professor has told me...and my leader as well."
With that, Blake left the infirmary. "Will she go through with it?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah, she will, her mind's already made up...she just needs to realize it herself." Ruby said with a confident smile.
Meanwhile, Hansel found himself returning to the Teacher's Lounge to resume his investigation. His mind found himself drifting back to that exact moment Ozpin taught him about tribalism.
"The White Fang? You want to ask me about them? That's a surprise." Ozpin had looked surprised but then smiled. "Ah, I get it, you can't really help but empathize with them. They've been through a lot, just as you have. In fact, they've been through a similar situation as you.
"...I honestly don't know how I feel about them." Hansel had acknowledged. "I guess…a part of me can't help but understand them...but...lashing out against the world...will I become like that, Professor?"
"My boy, you have nothing to worry about. Not as long as you remember this very important lesson."
"Lesson?"
"You are a Huntsman, first and foremost. Even if the world curses your name, it is still your duty to protect and preserve their lives."
"Even if they hate me?"
"Even if they hate you." Ozpin had nodded. "Hansel, if there is one lesson you must never forget, one lesson that I absolutely must teach you, it is that you must never fall into the trap that is tribalism, the trap that is the 'us and them' mentality that the current iteration of the White Fang has unfortunately fallen victim to."
"Tribalism…"
"'That person hates me, therefore it is alright if I don't save them.'" Ozpin had then thought up a particular scenario. "'Those people disagree with me, therefore, it is alright for me to hurt them.' Tell me, my boy, when I state those beliefs out loud, those beliefs sound ridiculous, don't they?"
"They do, sir."
"As they should. The latter is how the White Fang feels about the people of Remnant. And the former is how you will feel about Remnant if you fall into the same trap. As long as you rise above Remnant's hate for you to do what you know in your heart is right, you will never have to worry about becoming anything like the White Fang."
Hansel heaved a sigh. "Nothing I can do now except wait and hope that I got through to her." He concluded.
"Now then, time to get back to work. I still have time...but I'm running out of it, fast."
A.N: I'm not going to lie to you, writing this chapter was an interesting experience, just because I find myself trying to fix this "show don't tell" issue that canon RWBY seems to have. We're told all the time that the Faunus have it rough in Remnant, but we're rarely shown any concrete examples, other than a few 'racist' a-holes. Hell, most of the Faunus, besides Blake and the named White Fang, seem super normal and chill. Like, I'm asking a very serious question here. If things are as bad as Blake claims, shouldn't other Faunus feel like they're experiencing how she feels? Especially Neon and Marrow, who both live in what's apparently the most discriminatory kingdom and are training under its military.
It makes no sense to me, guys, it really doesn't. A part of me wanted to write Blake as completely irrational for that reason, but that itself wouldn't be fair because there have been "No Faunus Allowed" signs on the very rare occasion. So there's something going on. However, it doesn't change the fact that the "Faunus Discrimination" subplot makes no friggin sense to me. How is it that in a world where negativity attracts monsters that people feel the need to be racist against animal people? Also, why is it that the only people who seem bothered by it are the people in the White Fang? These are very fair questions to ask.
Guys, as a fellow consumer of content, let me make this little recommendation for you. If you want a series that has a great discrimination subplot that's very well written (especially when it's discrimination against cool animal people), watch play throughs of the Fire Emblem Tellius games (Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn). I say watch play throughs because those games are super rare and expensive these days, here's hoping Nintendo releases a collection of them one day. The Laguz vs. Beorc subplot is gripping, emotionally moving and actually adds to the lore of those games. Contrast that with the Faunus and the White Fang who seem like they're just here at this point. At least in canon, anyway, I'm hoping to fix that.
So anyway, this chapter. Hoo boy, this chapter. Like I said, when I started writing this, I was not expecting this exchange between Hansel and Blake to take up an entire chapter, but little did I know, both had plenty to say. I hope everyone enjoyed it though, because I think it highlights some interesting character development for a few major characters. Oh, and yes, Florence Sclader is basically Nightingale from Fate Grand Order, you are welcome Fate fans.
Again, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm going to take a break and rest and recharge now. See you when I feel like I can get back into the swing of things.