"How much of him was genuine I will never know, but in that moment I felt only hope." - Blake Belladonna

Two months have already passed, and they've settled into a comfortable student routine. He got to know the people of teams PRVN and RWBY quite well. Weiss seemed like she'd be a nightmare, but she mellowed out a fair bit. As for the other girl, Blake, he still didn't get to know her all that much. She seemed pretty defensive about faunus, so that might be a good sign. Maybe. She could also be a White Fang sympathizer, those maniacal terrorists have done everything in their power to destroy the reputation of every faunus rights advocate.

Today, Violet joined team RWBY in an outing to the waterfront, as they had already done a few times prior. He hoped this would be an opportune moment to find out more about Blake. And he had just the idea, as he saw the morning news and promptly chose for them to go through this precise part of town.

And so, before they could reach their destination, they stumbled upon a crime scene. A local dust shop had been broken into, and two policemen were talking in front of it.

"No money taken, just the dust."

"No kidding. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"They're White Fang alright. They must be trying to destroy SDC shipments at the selling point."

Like hell they are, Violet thought, They're arming themselves for… something. What the hell are they planning to do with it? Are their numbers already bigger than he thought? Or are they trying to blow something up?

"The White Fang? Ugh, what a repulsive bunch of degenerates." Weiss said.

"What's your problem?" replied Blake.

"My problem? They're a bunch of insane terrorists. I don't see what's so controversial about that."

"They're merely a… collective of misguided faunus."

"Misguided? They seek to wipe all humans out for heaven's sake!"

"Well, they've very misguided. Either way, they've never done this sort of stuff before."

Oh, she definitely knows more than she lets on. She has to be involved with them. But she's not a faunus? He looked her over again, trying to spot some animal characteristic on her.

"Like what you see?" Yang slung her hand over his shoulders. "She is a looker, alright."

Wait, her bow? "Of course!"

"Really? I was just teasing you."

He realized what he just said out loud, "I… didn't mean it that way!"

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I understand. I can't believe my little bro is actually interested in someone. Ruby and I thought you might not be into girls at all."

"Don't be silly, romance is just a distraction at this point in life."

The argument between Blake and Weiss continued to escalate. Violet was getting tired of their shouting, "Actually Yang, can you help me out a little? Hold Ruby and Weiss back."

He approached the arguing pair, "Alright girls, calm down. Blake, can you come with me for a moment?"

Everyone stared at him in confusion when he made his request, except for Yang who was smirking to herself. He dragged Blake away from the group into an alley and well out of earshot. With Yang making the rest keep away, he could finally question her.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Violet?"

He ignored her words and activated his semblance. His left eye began to glow, and a symbol of a red crane appeared on it. Blake's eyes went from confused and angry to empty. Now he could figure out the truth.

A minute or so later, he returned with an upset Blake in tow. Yang and Ruby were snickering, and even Weiss smiled a bit at what she must have perceived as a failed romantic attempt. He let them think whatever they wanted, he got what he wanted.

Getting the two girls away for a while did not, however, stop the argument.

"They feel as if there's no other way out of their situation." Blake tried to explain things to an increasingly annoyed Weiss.

"That's their problem. I owe no sympathy to them."

"It's clearly your problem too, since you seem to be complaining about the White Fang."

"Regardless, Blake. It doesn't change the fact that they're still scum. Those faunus know nothing other than to lie, cheat, and steal."

"Aren't you going a little too far?" Ruby shyly joined in, "Not all faunus are White Fang members."

"Of course not. They just happen to never oppose them, feed them information, and shelter them. You know, just minor offenses against humanity."

"No wonder they're like that," Blake said, "When they have to deal with the likes of you every day."

"The likes of me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh don't pretend you don't know. Your company treats them like slaves, as does practically everyone else."

"You're exaggerating. There are plenty of legal ways to address any concerns-"

"They were all tired! We were left no choice." Blake was screaming at this point.

"We?"

Blake stopped in her tracks, realizing her slip-up. She looked over at her teammates, their faces frozen in shock. She ran away, the group too stunned to react.

"Did she just say what I think she said?" Yang asked.

"Maybe… this is just one big misunderstanding," Ruby meekly said.

Violet went after her despite cries of protest from the rest of team RWBY. He wasn't sure if he could catch up with her, but he gave it his best shot. It soon became apparent to him that he'd lost her, but he didn't give up just yet. He texted Ruby, and she told him they were all looking for her. He hoped it would be enough.

He searched for her everywhere. Every street and alley was looked through. Every store and cafe in the district was turned over, and yet there was no trace of her. Several hours of fruitless searching later, he was growing tired. Maybe she returned to Beacon, he thought. It was a small possibility, but nonetheless, he got into an airship that was scheduled to take off in about half an hour. He found a secluded spot on it and waited.

As the airship was just about to take off, he noticed Blake run in, looking around for anyone who would recognize her. Violet kept his head down, and she found a seat. All throughout the ride she was anxiously looking around in case anyone who knew her secret appeared all of a sudden. He would have chuckled at the paranoia if it wasn't totally warranted. He also noticed the bow tie on her head was missing, revealing a pair of cat ears.

As soon as the airship landed, she bolted out of it. She predictably led him to the team RWBY dorm room. The door was slightly open, and inside he saw Blake ruffling through her things.

He snuck into the room and closed the door. "A little sentimental, are we?" The click of a lock caused Blake's expression to darken.

She looked at him in equal parts fear and anger. She tried to run, but Violet was blocking the doorway.

"What's it to you, creep? I was just picking up my weapons." Blake said.

"Of course. With all your paranoia I'm surprised you ever left them unattended."

"That's none of your business. You know nothing of me, now get out of my way!" She pointed her machine pistol at his face.

He did not flinch. In fact, he did not even activate his aura. "Actually, I know plenty about you,

Blake Belladonna of Menagerie." She was taken aback at this and pushed her pistol directly against his forehead. The feeling of cold metal did unnerve him, but he held strong.

Really, he was the one with the advantage here. It was almost too easy."You were born into the White Fang, and you dedicated yourself to their cause with great zeal for most of your life. Of course, when leadership changed and they turned violent you started having misgivings."

"That doesn't change anything. I still did terrible things there." Her eyes were getting teary and her hand started trembling.

"Perhaps, but you did leave eventually. It must have been hard, leaving so many friends behind. Some might have even been more than friends… I understand you unlike anyone else does."

"You understand nothing of me!"

"You wanted a new start, right? It's not a lost cause, you know? They can be convinced you're not like that anymore."

"Not the Schnee girl."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But you can't just leave without trying."

"It's too big a risk."

"And returning here wasn't?" He swatted her gun away, a great relief coming over him that she allowed it. Too easy.

"It's alright Blake, you don't have to push everyone away. I don't judge you."

She started sobbing, "I- It's not… It's not that simple. My life is ruined. Has been for a long time. I should have known someone would find out someday, and it would all be over for me." She sat down on the ground and curled herself up.

He sat next to her, letting her cry her heart out. After a while, he began, "Listen, Blake. I understand how guilty you must feel, but you have the chance to right things now. I am also tired of this rotting world, and I think we have the opportunity to help each other."

"What do you mean? Help with what?"

"Those dust robberies. I think we should investigate them together. Whether it's White Fang or not, resolving this would go a long way toward absolving your sins."

She had a look of disbelief on her face. She didn't exactly know what to do. "And what of you? Are you some kind of vigilante? Is that what this is all about?"

"In a way, I suppose. So what do you say? Even if things don't work out, you could say you tried doing good for once." He stood up and offered her a hand.

She wiped her eyes, before accepting his hand it and pulling herself up. "Alright. So what's the plan, Violet?"