Blake had hoped that returning to Beacon would distract her and silence the voices of doubt in her mind. She had hoped that being around her teammates again, and her friends from Team JNPR would be enough.

But that wasn't so.

As the new semester began and things fell into a routine of normalcy, it only made things worse. Despite their ridiculous food fight that trashed the dining hall and miraculously hadn't landed all of them in detention, despite the arrival of more students from Haven, Atlas and Shade, despite the best efforts of Ruby to start the term off with a bang, Blake just couldn't shake it.

She knew she was being moody and antisocial, but being around her friends and seeing how calm they were, carefree and normal – it drove her up the wall! The White Fang was still out there, as was Roman Torchwick – and who knows what they were up to? They might have foiled their plans at the docks but that didn't mean that they would just give up. It was a dangerous alliance, and something big was happening, she just knew it. Blake couldn't just sit around and wait for something to happen. They needed to do something, anything!

The problem was, what could she do about it?

She felt useless.

It wasn't something she enjoyed.

It made her even more moody than usual, and it wasn't long until her team called her out on it.

Of course, it was Weiss that led the charge. The heiress could never be accused of being shy.

"You've been quiet, moody and antisocial lately," the white haired girl said sternly, listing off the very things Blake had been thinking while Yang scoffed in the background.

"Have you met Blake?" Yang asked dryly.

"Which I get," Weiss continued, ignoring her. "That isn't exactly new for you," way to get a dig in, Blake thought. "But you've been doing it more than usual, which is quite frankly, unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong. Ruby said you ignored their messages since school let out, and apparently you've only been in contact with Jaune of all people. Ridiculous."

Blake frowned. "Hey."

"We're your team," Weiss held her eyes, refusing to back down. "So Blake – what is wrong?"

She didn't appreciate her tone when she'd mentioned Jaune but Blake knew Weiss was only trying to help. She was worried about her, and Blake felt grateful for it. In such a short time, their friendship had improved dramatically, and even though she felt annoyed at being called out, she also felt a welling of affection for this girl who once upon a time, she may have claimed to hate.

Seeing Ruby and Yang's worried expressions only chiseled away at her defiance further.

Blake sighed.

"I just… don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"You're talking about Torchwick, aren't you?" Ruby asked, understanding.

Once she started speaking, she couldn't stop, the dam bursting as everything came flooding out. "Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Why do you think they were attempting to steal all that Dust? Why do you think Torchwick has been going around, hitting all those stores? Surely you've thought about it, Ruby. You helped stop one of those robberies, that's why you're here in the first place," she began pacing. "Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it! I can't just sit here and wait for the other shoe to drop. I've got a bad feeling about this, a really bad feeling."

"Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it," Yang said in an attempt at calming her down, but it only fired her up even more.

"Well I'm not!" she snapped. "I lived with them, I was one of them! They don't know the White Fang like I do! They wouldn't join forces with someone like Roman Torchwick for a petty reason! I can't believe they'd join him for any reason, that's why it makes me nervous. He isn't the type of person the White Fang would willingly work with unless things were bad."

Torchwick was everything the White Fang despised. It wasn't the petty crime, it was his attitude towards her people. Blake heard how he spoke to them, and they just took it. Just thinking about it now, weeks later, was enough to infuriate her. The White Fang may have fallen a long way but that didn't mean Blake was okay with someone calling them animals.

Why would they ever work with such a man?

Weiss attempted to be the voice of reason.

"Okay; fine," she held up her hands. "Between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend these… these criminals. But let me remind you; we're students. We aren't ready to handle these sorts of situations."

"I can't just sit around and pretend this isn't happening, Weiss," Blake shook her head. "I can't. They aren't just going to wait around until we're ready to deal with them. They're out there somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"

She thought they were going to push back against her even more and was waiting for it, and yet Ruby smiled, declaring that she was willing to have her back. Once Ruby offered her help, Yang instantly agreed – and then much to her surprise, Weiss did as well.

It was almost too easy… and it wasn't until later that Blake realized that maybe the reason they all agreed was less because she was able to persuade them, and more that they knew she wasn't about to let this go, so it was better to keep an eye on her. Either way, she was happy to have them on board.

They quickly worked out a plan.

The Dust they were stealing mostly came from one place; the Schnee Dust Company. Whether it was stolen from stores or in transit, that was the common connection. It gave Weiss an avenue of attack, informing them that she could access company records, looking for other instances of theft or any other inconsistencies. A pattern could emerge, a pattern they could use.

Yang had connections with some of the shadier aspects of Vale and was confident that she could wrangle some information out of people she knew. One person in particular was promising, she claimed, apparently knowing most of what went down in the city. Information was his most important asset. He owned a club and she could swing by, put the pressure on.

Blake had an idea of how to move forward, as well. Vale wasn't a traditional stronghold of the White Fang like Mistral, so they would constantly be on the lookout for new members or even attempting to whip up sympathy from faunus unwilling to join, but perhaps… willing to house them in times of crisis. They held regular meetings to recruit new blood, and to also hand out fresh orders. If she could infiltrate one of these meetings, that would go a long way to figuring out just what was happening.

Thankfully they typically wore masks at these meetings, meaning that even someone as recognizable as she was could remain anonymous. If Blake just showed up as herself, that would be a bad idea.

Weiss wasn't happy with the idea that Blake would be going in alone. Even with the masks, their faunus traits would be exposed as a way of identifying that they were actually faunus and not humans. For people with faunus traits exclusive to the face, there would be checks. As none of her teammates were faunus, they couldn't accompany her.

That was fine with Blake. She didn't want them anywhere near the White Fang. But they didn't see it the same way.

Fortunately – or unfortunately – someone overheard them planning. Perhaps they should have been more discreet about things but Blake thought they were being more than careful, considering they were talking in their own room! It was pretty difficult to predict that someone would be hanging around outside their window because that wasn't normal behavior.

"We have a stalker," Yang deadpanned, eyebrows arched as Sun slipped inside. "How the hell did you end up there?"

Sun grinned. "Ah, it's easy. I do stuff like this all the time."

"Do what all the time?" Weiss asked, appalled.

"Climb trees and stuff," he returned casually.

Blake eyed him warily. "What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd swing by and see if you wanted to hang out," he crossed his arms. "But then I overheard you guys. So, are we getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

Ruby, Weiss and Yang exchanged glances while Blake sighed.

"We're investigating the situation. As a team," she stressed.

But Sun wasn't the type of person to be put off with a little bit of pushback, and when it was revealed that he had brought Neptune with him – the blue haired guy from his team they'd met the other day – Weiss instantly caved. The heiress had found someone she liked, and it was clear as day with the way she was making eyes at him.

Blake would have felt amused if she didn't feel so bad for Jaune. He'd been trying to get Weiss' attention all year and Neptune had only been here a couple of days, and had managed to do what he could not.

...and for some reason, she didn't feel as bad as she ought to.

With the appearance of Sun, it meant that she had someone she could go with. His monkey tail qualified him and so her team were put at ease. Despite Weiss' best wishes, Neptune was going with Yang while Ruby went with her partner.

Now all they had to do was make their move.

Yang was taking her bike – Bumblebee – down to the city, so Neptune accompanied her to the garages while the rest of them made their way to the flight pads to catch the next airship. As they were boarding, Blake felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket.

Jaune Arc: Hey. Are you busy right now?

Blake grimaced.

If she were being honest with herself, it felt a little weird not to be including him in this. Over the last couple of weeks, they'd spent almost every day together in some way and not only that, Jaune had come for her when she'd run away from her team. He had offered to listen to her if she had any problems, and had done his best to make her forget about her worries.

He'd been successful on that front, for how little long that lasted.

Since returning to Beacon, though… she'd fallen into her old habits. She hadn't just been sullen with her team, she'd been pretty antisocial all around. That included Jaune.

Should she tell him what they were doing?

She wanted to tell him. Her hands typed out the message halfway before quickly erasing it, frowning. Even if she did let him know, what could he do? He couldn't come with her and Sun, and Weiss wouldn't agree with having him along with her. Yang and Neptune were already gone, so that wasn't even worth thinking about.

No. There was no point in worrying him. He didn't need all of this on his plate, he could have a day with zero drama or danger.

Blake Belladonna: Yeah, pretty busy all day. Talk to you later?

He replied quickly.

Jaune Arc: Alright.

It was for the best.

It was already late afternoon which played in their favor. The White Fang wouldn't meet in the middle of the day, using the cover of night as a shield. It meant they wouldn't have to wait too long, though Blake needed to figure out where they'd hold such a meeting. Vale was a big place. Time was against her in that respect.

It needed to be somewhere inconspicuous where there weren't a lot of eyes, and where a large gathering of people wouldn't immediately alert people that something strange was going on. That ruled out the commercial district and the residential, too many eyes and gathering near homes was a disaster waiting to happen, meaning that it would likely take place where this whole mess came to light. Over by the docks, there were a number of abandoned warehouses, and south of the river had many old factories no longer in use.

There were two ways they could go about finding them. The first was walking around aimlessly, trying to get lucky. There would be markings etched around the place, for those that knew where to look. The second was visiting popular areas for faunus, and finding a recruiter. It was too dangerous for Blake to approach anyone directly but with Sun, they had a way forward.

If this was a month ago, Blake wouldn't have any idea about which areas were popular with faunus but after spending so much time exploring the city with Jaune, she had a pretty good idea on where to go. So that was why only an hour after landing, Blake led Sun to a short street wedged between two buildings. It was less of a street in truth and more of an alley, but it was an alley lined with cafes and eateries, all of which were faunus owned and operated.

Many humans also dined here, and some even worked here, but it was one of the few places in the city where if you were to look around, you would see more faunus than humans. Her favorite breakfast spot was here, and they'd come here more than once.

"So what are we looking for?" Sun asked, looking around. "This place seems really cool. You don't really see places like this in Mistral."

No. In Mistral, they were far less tolerant of her people than Vale. That was something she'd quickly begun to learn for herself after being in the city for more than brief visits.

"I'll let you know when I see it," Blake eyed an older man sitting by a rack of magazines, sipping at his cappuccino. They then shifted to a younger gentleman dressed in a suit, talking on his scroll. "Come on. We'll order something to blend in."

"Sweet," Sun followed along after her.

As they were nursing a pair of milkshakes, Blake almost missed it. There was a small arts and crafts store further down the lane, and if she hadn't been on high alert, it would have gone undetected. Blake saw a woman slip a pamphlet into the hands of a young couple which by itself was nothing strange. What was strange was the subtle outline of a weapon, hidden beneath her clothes.

It was possible that she was a Huntress but her suspicions were confirmed when they moved closer, and Blake saw the small telltale claw marks etched into one of the bricks by the window. For someone unaware, it just looked like three lines carved into the stone. Small, unremarkable; a small piece of vandalism.

To someone like Blake, it was basically a large neon sign. This was an area they worked frequently, then.

"That woman over there," Blake said slowly, sipping at her shake. "Don't stare!" she quickly snapped when he turned his head around fully. "Sun!"

"Woah, sorry," he raised a hand. "You mean the girl with the scales?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Go browse the goods in that store and then sit nearby. Try your best to appear dissatisfied."

Sun snorted. "I don't even know what that means."

"Just mope around," Blake glared. "You won't have to do anything, not really. She'll talk to you."

"And then what?"

"Let her talk. Appear interested in what she has to say but not too interested. Speak as little as possible but answer any questions she asks you."

"Be interested but not interested, don't speak but speak," Sun recited, snorting. "Nice advice."

"You know what I mean," Blake growled. "Now go."

"Fine, fine," Sun held up his hands and his tail before rolling his eyes, and strolling over to the store. While he was doing this, Blake moved over to a nearby cafe and ordered a piece of cake to go with her milkshake, acting like a regular customer.

He wasn't in the store long. Just long enough to appear legitimate before sitting down near the armed woman. For better or for worse, Sun was a difficult person to miss, especially with his shirt open, showing off his washboard abs. He was only sitting there for about a minute when the woman approached.

"Blake?"

She jumped, startled. Turning, she came face to face with Jaune.

She blinked at him stupidly, mouth falling open.

"Jaune?" she asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a craving for those orange tarts, that's why I called you," he answered, eyes scanning her up and down. "When you said you were busy, I decided to come on my own."

There was a beat of silence.

"Are you okay?" he finally questioned. "You look tense."

"I'm fine. Look, you need to go."

"What?"

"I don't have time right now."

Jaune stared at her.

"You're eating cake."

Blake scowled. "This isn't what it looks like. I'm busy, I wasn't lying."

She could see that he wasn't buying it.

"Are you with your team?" he looked around. "Ruby said she was busy, as well."

"It doesn't matter. You have to leave."

"I have to leave?"

"Yes!"

"Now I'm getting worried," instead of walking away like she hoped, he pulled out a chair and sat down. "What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on," she said quickly. "I just – there's something I have to do, okay? It's important to me, that's all."

"Oh," he said. "Well, what is it?"

She wanted to scream.

He was just being a good friend. Blake knew she looked suspicious and her attitude wasn't helping matters, but she didn't want Jaune to get caught up in all of this. It was bad enough that Sun was tagging along but logic dictated that she needed him. Jaune was a human; he couldn't help with this.

Blake jumped when he reached across the table and grabbed her hand. Blue eyes caught her off guard, filled with understanding, compassion. His hand was impossibly warm, comforting. "Blake – haven't we gone over this already? You can trust me."

She swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous.

What was there to feel nervous about?

"Oh, hey," and then Sun was back, slapping Jaune on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "Jaune, right? What's up?"

Jaune blinked up at him, mouth falling open slightly before he looked back and forth between them.

"Oh," he said. "Ooooh! Ah, wow – damn, okay, whoops?"

Blake frowned at his strange reaction. "Jaune?"

He stood up, his hand slipping away from hers. Blake missed it instantly.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," he smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck – and at once, Blake realized what he meant.

"No!"

Sun and Jaune flinched at her sudden yell, a few other people looking their way.

"Blake?" Sun asked.

"This isn't – we're not – you've got the wrong idea," Blake stood, glaring at Jaune angrily. "This isn't that!"

Sun just looked confused. "Isn't what?"

Jaune glanced between them again, unsure. "Ah – really? I didn't interrupt your da—"

"No!" she didn't let him finish, slapping the table. Everything rattled. "Didn't I already say it wasn't that!?"

"Right, right."

"Are you guys going to let me know what you're talking about?" Sun pressed. "Because I'm lost. Oh, and I've got the address, by the way," he held up a slip of paper. "And it's our lucky day. They're holding a meeting tonight."

"Address?" Jaune asked, and Blake sighed tiredly. "Meeting?"

The cat was halfway out of the bag. There was no stuffing it back in.

They found a nice quiet spot at a nearby park and Blake filled him in on what was happening. Jaune remained silent, letting her vent amidst Sun's quips. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking, which was unusual. Jaune was an open book most of the time but right now, she couldn't read him and that only made her apprehensive. When she was done, he nodded slowly.

"So you think by going to one of these meetings, you can find out what they're planning."

Blake hesitated. "That's right."

"And you're just going to walk in there, surrounded by people that want to do you harm, just like that?"

"Jaune…"

"She won't be alone," Sun tried to reassure him. "I'll be with her."

"And for that, I'm grateful," Jaune said genuinely, giving Sun a look of gratitude. "But that isn't the point. She was going to do this alone, wasn't she?"

"I'm not a child," Blake snapped. "I don't need you baby sitting me."

Jaune threw up his hands. "Blake, I'm not treating you like a child. I'm just worried that you're about to bite off more than you can chew. This is dangerous."

Her anger flared, and so did the guilt. "Don't you think I know that? I'm not stupid – but this is the only way we can find out what is going on, don't you see?"

"Why not pass this information on to the police?" Blake scoffed. Jaune frowned. "Fine. Pass it on to Ozpin, then, if you don't trust the police to handle it."

She didn't have a retort for that but remained stubborn, crossing her arms angrily and turning away.

"I just think this is a bad idea, okay? What happens if they catch you?"

"They won't."

"But what happens if they do," he stressed. "What then?"

"Then we fight our way out," it was Sun that answered for her. "I get it. This is pretty damn crazy but we've got a chance to catch them in the act, right? And who knows what your headmaster will do with the information. This might be our best chance – and she doesn't just have me with her, she has you."

Blake spun back around. "What?"

"He can come with us," Sun began but she shook her head.

"No he can't! If you haven't noticed, Sun, he isn't a faunus!"

"He doesn't have to come inside with us," he explained quickly. "But he can be on the outside. If anything goes down, he can assist."

Blake wanted to bury the idea at once but she could see that Jaune had already taken the bait, and it infuriated her. He'd been right; this was dangerous. Really dangerous. As much progress as he was making, Jaune wasn't ready for this… no, that wasn't true, was it? Hadn't Jaune been the one to pull her ass out of the fire at the docks, literally? Tanking a blow meant for her? If he hadn't been there, things could have turned out very differently for her.

As much as it frustrated her, Sun's idea had merit.

"I can call my team, have them on standby," Jaune said. "They are all the firepower we need."

Blake wavered.

Having Pyrrha Nikos in her back pocket was not something she could dismiss out of turn. Ruby hadn't wanted to involve their friends, Blake hadn't either – but it was too late for that. It was the final nail in the coffin.

"Fine," she agreed, annoyed when Sun whooped and held his hand up for Jaune to hi-five. Their palms clapped together. "This isn't a game! Jaune… call your team."

"Right."

As the sky darkened and evening became night, they made their way over to the location of the meeting. It was taking place in the south-east end of the city, and Team JNPR made good time arriving from Beacon.

"Where do ya want us?" Nora asked at once, beaming.

Sun appeared a little starstruck, staring at Pyrrha as if he couldn't believe his eyes but he quickly snapped out of it, offering his hand.

"Sun. Sun Wukong. I'm from Haven."

Pyrrha smiled politely and shook his hand. "Pyrrha Nikos."

"Lie Ren," Ren offered. "Just call me Ren."

"I'm Nora," she said while slapping him on the back. "We've heard all about you. Nice ta meet'cha~!"

Blake shuffled awkwardly as Pyrrha made her way over, a knowing expression on her face.

"Thanks for coming," Jaune said at once.

Pyrrha grinned at her partner. "Of course. Anything for a friend."

Blake felt her heart swell at hearing it.

"We've got an address," Jaune began, listing down the details. "There is a meeting of the White Fang taking place, and Blake and Sun are going to infiltrate. We're just here as backup in case things go sideways. Pyrrha, you'll be up high with your rifle with Ren. Nora, you'll be with me on the ground."

Nora saluted. "Got it~!"

It always surprised Blake to see Jaune start issuing commands. He was so laid back all the time, an affable goof that when he turned it on and got serious, it gave her whiplash. But she knew now that he was capable, and the fact that his team – his much more experienced team – listened to him without question, following his orders just showed how much respect they had for him.

"See?" Sun nudged her in the side, looking smug. "Including your friends is the right thing to do."

He was right. She should have gone to them, as well.

Blake quickly found the building they were using for the meet, a large abandoned warehouse that at first glance, appeared completely deserted. But hidden on a nearby post were three lines, this time in chalk instead of etched into the metal, telling her they were in the right place. Blake ran her fingers across them as Ren and Pyrrha began scaling a nearby building, taking up position. Jaune and Nora hung back as Blake moved closer with Sun, holding up a hand when she spotted movement.

Two people – a young man and a woman, faunus – were making their way towards the large doors, dressed in street clothes. They were met by a taller man in neat clothes, the three conversing in whispers. From a nearby crate, the man pulled out a collection of masks and handed them out.

"Alright," Blake said when they went inside, reaching up to remove her bow. "Let's go."

They grabbed their masks as they passed before following the group further inside.

The warehouse was filled with White Fang members and new recruits, divided on either side. A large, muscular man began speaking on stage and it wasn't long until the entire place was whipped into a frenzy as Roman Torchwick appeared. Blake felt her hands curl into fists as people began booing and jeering, though by the end of his speech, he had turned them all around.

She looked around in disbelief as they fell for his honeyed words – punctuated by the reveal of the giant, military-grade mech suit. Blake felt a wave of dread wash over her as she stared at it in shock. Where he'd gotten his hands on such advanced weaponry, she could only guess at. It was the real deal, Atlesian hardware unlike anything she had ever seen with firepower surpassing any droid soldier.

Blake knew things would be bad but not this bad.

They were going to war. For what else did you do with such a machine?

The real question was; with who?

The crowd began cheering, marching forward, pumping their fists in unison. Blake tried to back away but they were trapped by the people behind them, ushered forward. Torchwick approached a small woman, her hair a combination of pink and brown, and despite her tiny stature – she was smaller than Weiss – there was something about the look in her eyes that made Blake's skin crawl.

She was dangerous.

"Shit," Sun muttered. "He recognizes us."

He was right. Torchwick was staring right at them, and even with the masks in place, he saw right through their disguise.

It was time to go.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Sun asked urgently, jostled by the excited crowd.

"He can't see in the dark," Blake said, firming her resolve. Palming Gambol Shroud, she found the circuit breaker on the far wall and took aim.

Screams filled with the air as she fired, the lights dying as Dust rounds punched through the steel box, sparks flying. There was a moment of panic, and taking Sun by the arm, she charged through the crowd.

"Stop them!" someone roared, the muscled man from before.

Elbowing people aside, Blake found their escape, leaping through a wide window. The glass shattered around them as they hit the ground outside, rolling to her feet in a graceful motion before she heard the wall behind them heave. Concrete and brick rained around them as the large Atlesian mech punched through the wall like tissue paper, giving chase.

"Oh shit~!" Sun shouted, sprinting by her side. "What the hell are we going to do?"

White Fang poured out after them but then there was the crack of a rifle, followed by the continuous fire of machine pistols. Glancing back, she saw Nora and Jaune engage the crowd, and Blake felt her heart constrict in her chest.

The fear almost crippled her.

"Blake!" Sun barked. "We need to lead this robot away from them, we can't go back."

She wanted to rage at him, scream – but he was right. Gritting her teeth, she launched herself up onto the roof of a nearby building, leg muscles screaming as aura carried her through the air. Sun landed next to her, and then they were running for their lives.

If you wish to support me or have early access to any content, you can find me over at: w w w . p a t r(e)on . c o m (slash) erisedfiction

Thank you to all the generous people that have already subscribed.