Jaune thought it was pretty ironic that despite how much Blake and Weiss bickered and clashed about the most simple things, their teamwork was as close to impeccable as two freshly made partners could be.

"Snowflake!" Weiss announced as several white glyphs spun above her head. Those glyphs were soon joined by an equal amount of Blake's, the shadow clones vaulting off the spinning snowflakes with high velocity. Jaune scrambled as each Blake hit the ground and exploded in a bloom of razor sharp ice, spreading several feet and threatening to freeze him solid. Even though he wasn't hit, he could feel the air around him turn frigid with each detonation.

Jaune thought each Blake more resembled a hailstone rather than a snowflake, but he supposed their name rolled off the tongue much easier.

"Nora, punch it!" he shouted, and from the sky came hysterical laughter as his partner fell like a comet.

"Yahoo~!" she hollered, Magnhild striking the ground hard enough to rupture the earth. Dirt and stone heaved, Weiss hastily retreating as the area was pulverized, and through the cloud of dust, Jaune charged after her.

Crocea Mors and Myrtenaster clashed, Weiss forced to block his cleaving strike. Twisting her wrist, she executed a perfect riposte, her blade raking up his arm. Jaune grunted as his aura flared in protection, swinging with his shield. At the last second, Weiss managed to bend back to avoid his attack, a glyph forming in front of her to tank his follow up thrust.

Jaune had fought his fair share of different opponents now since coming to Beacon. After spending so many years only fighting his mentor and Grimm, his experience in combating different weapons, semblance's and fighting styles had been extremely limited. While Pyrrha was by far the best he'd fought so far, his loss still weighing in the back of his mind, Weiss was perhaps one of the most frustrating people he'd come up against.

Her combination of speed, Dust and semblance made for a unique blend. She was capable of changing the battlefield at a moment's notice, and was able to defend against attacks that would otherwise land on most other combatants. While she was extremely skilled with her blade, it hadn't taken her long to realize that he more than matched her at swordsmanship, and his superior strength and reach was to her disadvantage. That was why whenever he tried to close the gap, she would make it as difficult as possible, using a combination of Dust magic and tactical retreats in an effort to frustrate him.

Her blade was sharp but her mind was sharper.

Unfortunately for her, Jaune was someone that thrived in battles of attrition. For as much Dust as she could throw at him, he could weather the storm. He had a lot of aura, and his semblance's ability to recharge meant that so long as he didn't take too much damage, too quickly, he could keep going. Weiss had a lot of Dust, but it wasn't limitless.

As expected, she disengaged, a wall of fire appearing between them to create space. Last time, he had charged through and had been punished, so this time, he let her go. Something that was quickly proven as the right decision as a pillar of stone erupted from the ground where he would have been, should he have followed through.

Weiss was a crafty opponent – but not unbeatable. Jaune just needed to use his head and not fall into a spiral of doubt like he had with Pyrrha. That meant using his semblance sparingly, in small bursts rather than amping himself up the whole time. It made the side effects easier to manage.

"Down~!" Nora shouted and Jaune followed her command without thought, feeling something pass over his head. Blake spun as her kick missed, crossing her weapons in front of her chest as Nora slammed her aside with a powerful swing of her hammer.

Blake tumbled through the air only to reorient herself on a glyph, catching her moments before she slammed into the truck of a tree.

"That hurt," Blake deadpanned, amber eyes narrow as she glared at Nora.

Nora grinned. "Just imagine how much that would have hurt if you didn't block it."

Blake blurred as she dashed in, quickly becoming three. Nora let the head of her hammer fall to the ground before pulling the trigger, the recoil flinging it away and then up, her arm directing it above her head. Nora's feet left the ground, her hammer flipping her over as the three Blake's converged, avoiding their pincer attack, leaving her suspended above them. Jaune destroyed one of the clones with a swift slash, his leg lashing out and tripping the real Blake. Falling into a handspring, she flipped away moments before Nora landed, using her momentum to spin and slam the remaining clone into the ground, grinding it into nothingness.

Jaune saw a flash in the corner of his eye and raised his shield, protecting Nora from Weiss' lunging thrust. It quickly began a furious melee, Blake and Weiss dancing around them as they defended each other's flank, back to back.

Weiss' blade glanced off the top of his shield, sparks flying as Blake darted in low, targeting his legs. She had to pull out when Nora spun around and swiped at her, the momentum carrying her in a full spin. Jaune lunged at Weiss with his sword, thrusting at her face but a yellow glyph appeared under her feet, her speed doubling. She dodged his attack and countered with a burst of wind, the high pressure forcing him back.

"Up~!" Nora shouted.

He jumped moments before the ground detonated, Nora firing a grenade straight into the dirt. Jaune winced as his aura flared to protect him, the force traveling up his legs in a wave. It wasn't painful so much as uncomfortable. But the unorthodox method worked, Weiss flinching and pulling out of her next attack, a glyph shielding her body from the brunt of the explosion as Jaune was carried upwards from the concussive force. Blake wasn't so lucky, taking a face full of dirt and rock, and she didn't see it coming when Nora mecha-shifted her hammer into its pure grenade launcher form, launching a volley of explosives that rocked the clearing around her.

A flock of birds took the sky as they were startled from their resting place, more than a hundred meters away.

Blake tumbled through the dirt, aura flickering from a bright purple to a dim violet until she slid to a stop, her clothes smoking. There was a shrill alarm as their scrolls recognized that one of their aura's had dropped into the red, bringing their sparring match to an end.

Jaune stumbled as he landed on the uneven earth, Nora whooping in joy as she practically landed in his arms, having to discard his sword to catch her. She beamed at him happily, kicking her legs like an overexcited child as she rocked her grenade launcher side to side like it was a baby.

"Awwww yeah," she crowed. "Who da man? We da man~! Get rekt, losers~!"

Weiss scowled as her glyph faded away, unamused. "I am not a loser, thank you very much."

"Who won?" Nora asked smugly.

Ice blue eyes glared. "Have you never heard that you should be humble in victory and gracious in defeat?"

"Only a loser would say that," Nora sang. "A winner would do whatever they want~!"

Jaune sighed as Weiss looked like she was two seconds away from attempting to skewer Nora with her sword.

"Maybe we should check on Blake?" Jaune suggested, letting Nora down and walking over to where Blake lay face down on the ground. "Hey, are you alright?"

Blake rolled over, looking disgruntled. "I don't really appreciate being blown up in a sparring session."

Jaune gave her a look of sympathy and offered his hand. "Nora really only knows one way."

Sighing, Blake took his hand and allowed him to haul her up. Then she gasped as aura flowed into her, quickly refilling what she'd lost to Nora's barrage of explosions. Amber eyes blinked rapidly as in less than a minute, all of her aura was restored.

"A little warning would be nice," Blake said breathlessly, though she didn't release his hand.

"Sorry," Jaune apologized.

"Me next, me next," Nora glomped him from behind, arms looping around the front of his neck. "Do me, do me, do me."

"Must you act so childish," Weiss scolded, though it contained little heat. "...when you're done with them, I would appreciate a top up."

Jaune laughed. "What am I, the team battery?"

"Yep~!" Nora snickered. "That's exactly what you are."

Releasing Blake's hand, he didn't even bother reaching for Nora since she was practically draped all over him. She laughed as his aura flowed into her, squirming as he rapidly recharged her aura.

"Man, I never get tired of that feeling," she sighed blissfully. "It's like slipping into a warm bath. It feels so good~!"

When he was done tending to Nora, she slipped off his back, legs folding as she fell onto her butt.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked, concerned.

Nora nodded. "Mhm. Jaune's semblance just makes me a little weak kneed."

Jaune frowned. "That's… not supposed to happen?"

Weiss rapped her knuckles against the top of Nora's head, causing her to yelp.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"For being overly dramatic," Weiss sniffed before offering her hand. "If you would, Jaune."

Taking her hand, Jaune watched as her face twitched as he activated his semblance, lips pursed.

"You know, you don't have to act like it doesn't feel good," Blake needled dryly, receiving an annoyed glare in return.

"I'd rather not make a fool of myself, thank you," she said primly, quickly removing her hand when he was done. "So – review time?"

Nora groaned. "Booooring. Can't we just have another fight?"

"Sorry, Nora," Jaune grinned. "The boring stuff is important too."

"Bleh~!" she poked her tongue out in faux disgust before getting to her feet. "Fiiiine. Let's talk about what we did wrong."

They made their way over to a part of the clearing that hadn't been disturbed by their bout and sat down on the grass, Nora across from him while Blake was on his left, across from Weiss. This part of their team training was actually suggested by the heiress. Her reasoning was that it was healthy to admit to faults but sometimes it required the critique of others to highlight them. Not everyone was so self-aware, after all.

Jaune agreed. How many times had he believed he'd been maintaining his form, only for his mentor to correct him? An outside perspective was a valuable tool for self improvement.

"Who would like to start?" Jaune asked.

"I'll go first," Nora thrust her hand into the air eagerly, as if she hadn't just been complaining about this exercise a few seconds ago. Weiss' mouth clicked shut, cut off right before she'd been able to volunteer.

"Blakey, sometimes it felt like you could have taken advantage of my positioning to call for assistance, but you never did," as much as Nora liked to moan about this sort of thing, she was actually really good at offering up advice. "Like when you wrapped me up in your ribbon, Weiss could have cut Jaune off with some Dust mumbo-jumbo so he couldn't drive you back. You might have been able to finish the match there. You saw that she was free, right?"

"It isn't mumbo-jumbo," Weiss muttered petulantly.

Blake looked as if she was about to argue the point but then sighed, "I suppose… I could have done that."

"Weissy," Nora turned to the heiress. "You let Jaune recover for too long after managing to get a good hit in. You have to keep the pressure on or he'll just recharge."

Weiss frowned. "I was trying. His ridiculous ability to shrug off damage is… frustrating."

"And Jaune-Jaune," Nora smirked at him cheekily. "We need to come up with a really awesome combo attack. They have Snowflake and we have nothing! What's the big idea!"

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "Our abilities aren't as versatile but I'll come up with something."

"That wasn't really a critique," Weiss pointed out while rolling her eyes. "I've got one for you. While your use of explosives is… inspired, it is a dangerous strategy to blow up the battlefield while your partner is right in the firing line."

"I warned him first," Nora countered, faux outraged at the implication. "I said up!"

"Hardly sufficient."

"It won us the match!"

Weiss scowled. "Jaune took damage from that attack, if you didn't notice!"

Nora blinked before shooting Jaune a questioning look.

He shrugged. "Only a little bit."

"Don't encourage her," Weiss pointed at him sternly. "While it did work out and I'm not saying that in a life and death situation, you should hold back… you need to be careful. Just because Jaune had a lot of aura doesn't mean you can fire grenades at his feet."

Nora pouted. "I'm sorry, okay! I thought it'd be fine."

"It's okay, Nora – really," he smiled at her. "It only took my aura down a little bit."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are being too soft on her."

"That's because he loves me, right, Jaune?" Nora beamed.

He just laughed because he felt like answering that in any way was a bad idea.

"As for you," Weiss frowned at him. "I felt like your attention was split between everyone, and that allowed me to take advantage at times. I know that as team leader, you are required to keep an eye on the big picture but it shouldn't be at the cost of your own safety."

"That… is a fair point," Jaune conceded.

Fighting as a team was entirely new to him. At most, he could claim to have experience fighting beside his teacher as a duo against Grimm, but beyond that, he wasn't used to all the variables that came with a full scale fight between multiple people. Directing them against a Grimm was one thing. It had felt natural, sending them in against the Hydra. Participating in a two-on-two or three-on-three or more fight was something else.

He was getting better at it but it was something that would only improve with time.

"To your credit, I wasn't able to capitalize enough to end the bout," Weiss grudgingly admitted. "Your swordsmanship is… impeccable. You must have trained very hard."

It was always nice to receive praise, especially from someone like Weiss – and especially for something he took a lot of pride in. Jaune wasn't a very flashy fighter, not compared to his friends. He didn't incorporate acrobatics into his style and he was very straight forward, relying on fundamentals and technique to carry him through.

"Ohoho, look at that dumb smile on his face," Nora teased, bringing his attention to the fact that he was smiling like an idiot. "You're so easy to please."

Blake snickered.

"I don't know what you mean," Jaune deflected.

"Now then, Blake," Weiss shifted her attention to her partner. "As you are the one that lost us this fight, I have a lot to say to you."

Wary, the raven haired girl braced herself.

"I let you down, and I would like to apologize," Weiss said, as if it caused her great pains to say it. Blake blinked at her, startled.

"What?"

"Nora's… insane actions caused me to panic, and I only shielded myself and not you, and so for that, I ask for your forgiveness."

Jaune stared at Weiss in surprise, and even Nora was struck speechless.

"When we are working as a team, we need to be able to trust each other in all ways. You have my back and I have your back, no matter what. Unfortunately, in that moment, I prioritized my own protection and failed to cover you as a result."

Jaune would have laughed at the expression on Blake's face if he wasn't so shocked himself.

"I will endeavor to do better in the future," Weiss promised. "And so – this was my loss, in truth."

Weiss bowed her head briefly, in acceptance of her failure. When no one said anything for several long moments, the heiress looked up and frowned at them.

"What?" she snapped.

Nora was the first one to recover. "Wow, Weiss – that was really mature of you."

Crossing her arms, Weiss stuck her nose in the air. "Hmph. Are you implying that I'm not mature about things all the time?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Nora said bluntly, causing the heiress to splutter. "Normally you try to act like you're perfect and can do no wrong."

"I'm not perfect – yet," Weiss said haughtily. "And I am not above admitting fault."

Jaune went next, detailing everything he thought they should work on but Blake was still thrown off by Weiss' behavior that she just sat there, almost in a daze. It didn't look like they were going to get much more done.

"Welp – I'm gonna go see what Renny is doing," Nora crossed her arms behind her head, beaming. "I feel like I haven't spent much time with him recently, he probably thinks I'm neglecting him."

"I'm sure he feels perfectly fine with the peace and quiet," Weiss deadpanned, Nora poking her tongue out childishly.

"I'm not fine with it," Nora grinned cheekily. "You might not understand this but he is lost without me. We should train again tomorrow, this was fun."

"We will," Jaune confirmed. "See you later?"

"Yup~!"

That left him alone with Weiss and Blake.

"What have you planned for the rest of the day?" Weiss inquired.

"I thought I'd hit up the gym – or maybe try out the swimming pools. Have you been yet?"

She shook her head. "I have not."

"Want to join me?"

She seemed to seriously consider the offer before sighing. "Unfortunately, I promised that I would help Ruby with her homework. Her knowledge of Dust is severely lacking," she then pinned Jaune with a stern look. "As is yours. Have you been practising with the Dust I gave you?"

Jaune grimaced. "A little bit. It still blows up."

Weiss hummed. "We will get to the bottom of this, you mark my words. It is an affront to my pride as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company if I cannot get my teammate capable of utilizing Dust correctly."

"Blake, what about you?" Jaune asked.

"Um – what?"

She was still a bit dopey.

"Want to go swimming?"

She frowned.

"Why would I – what? Swimming?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Have fun with her. I'm going to prepare some notes for Ruby."

Jaune watched her leave, and then turned his attention to Blake.

"Are you okay? I know it was a bit surprising, but you seem completely out of it."

"Sorry, I just… never expected that from her. Ever," Blake admitted. "I never know what to expect with her."

"That was a good thing, right?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Yeah… it was a good thing."

"I'm glad you're getting along now."

"I wouldn't say we're getting along," Blake muttered.

Their relationship would always be contentious, perhaps – but it was a lot better than it had been at the beginning of term. Before they could barely be around each other without throwing thinly veiled barbs or exchange dirty looks. At least now they could have conversations and fight together with surprising synergy.

"So – did you want to come with me or do you have plans?"

"You're going… swimming?"

"Yeah."

Her expression was difficult to decipher. Unease, almost?

"I think I'll pass, thank you."

Jaune nodded. "Right. Well, see you later?"

"Yeah… see you later, Jaune."

He stopped by their room to gather some things like a change of clothes, and a pair of shorts he'd recently purchased for just this occasion. He'd had a few paychecks now and he'd slowly been expanding his wardrobe. It was still pretty bare bones but when he'd learned about the swimming pools, he'd known instantly that he wanted to take advantage.

He'd only ever swum in a lake, river or ocean. A swimming pool was just not something people had out on the frontier.

Jaune felt a little silly being so excited but he pushed that aside as he made his way over to the gym. He was already plenty warmed up from their sparring session so he made a beeline for the locker rooms to shower and change into his swimwear and stash his bag in one of the lockers. Towels were provided, folded neatly and stacked in cubbyholes, and Jaune grabbed one as he left the locker room, hair still damp.

The scent of chlorine was heavy in the air, humid from the heated water. Most of the students were people he recognized in passing from the second, third and fourth years. A girl with a red swimming cap bounced up and down on the diving board before vaulting into the air, executing a perfect twist and flip before hitting the water like a spear, the surface of the water only marginally disturbed. Several of her friends clapped and hooted in support, and when she resurfaced, she was beaming ear to ear. In the next pool over, a pair of guys were racing, kicking furiously as their arms lifted from the water in periodic bursts, their forms gliding through the water.

This was a place of relaxation. Even the few people using the hydrotherapy pool for recovery were easy with their smiles and happy chatter as they worked on their injuries, being coached by a physio.

Jaune walked over to the pool that the other students seemed to have designated as the hangout and chill spot, making his way down to the end to an empty spot. Placing his towel far enough away so it didn't get wet, he balanced on the edge, his toes flexing as he debated jumping straight in or not.

"Jaune?"

He turned and was surprised to see Velvet approaching, though she wasn't alone. By her side was a taller girl with pale skin and short brown hair, her figure slim, dressed in a simple black bikini. Velvet was wearing a more modest brown one piece swimsuit, her fuller figure stretching the material invitingly. She wasn't as blessed as Yang, Pyrrha or Nora, but what she had sat well on her slender frame.

Jaune made sure to keep his eyes from wandering, meeting Velvet's surprised gaze directly.

"Hey Velvet."

"So this is the guy, huh?" the girl beside her said. Chocolate brown eyes looked him up and down, an amused smirk pulling at her lips. "Mm. You've got good taste, Bun."

Velvet scowled at her friend. "Don't do that. You'll confuse him."

Jaune looked between them, already lost. "Uh…?"

"The name's Coco," the tall girl said, offering her hand. "Coco Adel. I'm the leader of Team CFVY."

Jaune took her hand and noticed the firm grip immediately. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jaune Arc, leader of Team JBWN. You pronounce it as Jellybean."

"Oh, I know," Coco released his hand, placing it on her hip. "I've heard a few things about you, Jaune Arc."

Why did that make him nervous?

"Good things, I hope?"

She nodded, eyes glittering. "Oh, don't worry. They've been nothing but good. You made quite a splash with the older students on your first day when you duked it out with Pyrrha Nikos."

Jaune's smile turned awkward, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I did, huh? Damn. I didn't exactly want to be known for getting my butt handed to me."

Coco laughed. "It was all positive, I assure you. That girl is a beast. I doubt any of the older students could beat that monster, so don't feel down about it. But that wasn't the most impressive thing I've heard."

"Coco," Velvet sighed. "Stop making it such a big deal."

"Listen, Bun – I'm still pissed off you didn't come to us, so don't get lippy with me."

Velvet scowled. "I didn't come to you because I know what you would have done! I don't want my team to get expelled over something so stupid!"

Coco rolled her eyes, jerking a thumb at her friend. "See what I have to put up with? Ridiculous. Teammates are meant to look out for each other, don't you think, Jaune?"

He nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"See?" Coco needled. "Anyway – I heard you stuck up for Velvet here, when that asshole Cardin Winchester was giving her a hard time. I appreciate it, dude. Seriously. You ever need something, anything – you come to me, and I'll have your back. You've earned it. The same goes for that girl, Blake. You both did us a solid."

"It wasn't a big deal."

Leaning forward, she poked him on the chest. "Hey, none of that humble shit. I know how people are. Most would have just ignored it – hell, a lot of jerks would have enjoyed seeing it happen. If you haven't noticed the long ears, there are plenty of jerks that have issues with faunus. So accept my thanks, and my help should you ever need it, got it?"

He'd only just met her but Jaune already got the idea that Coco wasn't the type of girl to mess around. When she offered something, you took it – be it thanks, help or anything else. She was a very straight forward type of person, and Jaune liked people like that. What you saw is what you got.

"Got it," he said. "Anytime. I don't like bullies. Velvet wasn't the only one his team was messing with but it's been sorted."

"Good," she said emphatically. "I can't stand people like that either," serious discussion out of the way, she slapped Velvet on the back, though Jaune thought her hand was a little low. "Anyway – what do you think of Bunnygirls?"

"Coco," Velvet scowled, her cheeks pinkening. "I'm sorry, Jaune. Coco is a little off in the head about these things."

"Off in the head?" Coco scoffed. "What's wrong with trying to hook a friend up? You're single, aren't you?"

Jaune blinked. "Er – yeah."

"There you go," Coco said as if that finalized something. "You're single, he's single. I'm not telling you to marry him, Bun, but you could do with loosening up a little bit. Look at those muscles," Coco eyed him up and down again, focused on his torso. "If I didn't swing for the same team, I'd be interested."

Yep. She was straight forward, alright. Jaune wasn't sure how he was meant to feel about Coco trying to hook her teammate up with him but he decided to accept it as a compliment. It was pretty flattering. They were both pretty, older girls. Who didn't like being told they were desirable, if even through implication?

Velvet bowed at the waist, her long ears drooping forward. "My teammate is obsessed with sex. I'm sorry again, Jaune."

Coco frowned. "Hey, don't act like I'm some weirdo. I'm not!"

Velvet remained bowing, refusing to straighten up even as Coco started to try pull her upright.

"Cut it out, Bun."

"I must remain this way to repent for your actions."

"I was just trying to get you a hot date! Stop it! People are looking."

She was right. Several other students were looking their way, and some even began pointing at the sight of Velvet bowing while Coco attempted to force her to stop. He couldn't help it, letting out a startled laugh.

"Now he's laughing at us. Stop it!"

Velvet finally relented, straightening up.

"Stop trying to set me up," Velvet said sternly. "If I want a boyfriend, I'll get one myself."

"Will you, though?" Coco asked mulishly, eyes screaming doubt. "Fine. I'll stop trying to get you laid."

"Thank you."

"But I think you're missing out on a good opportunity."

"I'll get down on my knees and grovel, and make it look like you made me do it."

Coco's lips pursed. "You're wicked, you know that, Bun? People think you're innocent but I know better."

It was nice to see Velvet interacting with her friend and knowing that she had a team that cared for her, people she could be herself around. It was clear she was much more assertive than he originally thought, but the few times they'd talked, it had been awkward for one reason or another; first time jitters, rushing between classes, or having Cardin being a dick at the forefront of their minds.

"How about we quit standing around and get in the water? I'm sure Jaune would love to see us get wet. What do you say?"

"That's not—," he started to say before sighing, knowing that she was trying to goad him. "Very funny."

Velvet didn't seem to care about getting her hair wet, though Jaune doubted she'd be able to wear a swimming cap regardless. Even if she could fold her ears down, there was no way that would be comfortable. Coco was more particular, though and covered her hair with a golden cap.

As they slipped into the pool, he stepped off the side and plunged in. Immediately, he sunk to the bottom before pushing off and resurfacing, giving his head a shake. The water was warm, something he wasn't used to. Lakes and rivers were typically freezing cold, and while the ocean could sometimes be warm, that wasn't really the case in the north.

This felt more like a bath. A really big bath.

He saw Velvet plunge under the water and resurface soon after, the fur on her rabbit ears clumping together, her hair fanning out around her on the surface of the water. Coco pushed off the wall and started swimming across the pool, and Jaune joined her in completing a few laps, taking his time rather than pushing himself.

When he finished his fifth lap, he took a break, leaning back against the wall of the pool and keeping himself upright with his arms splayed either side of him. Coco continued on her sixth, and Velvet paddled over to him.

"She likes you," she said, and his questioning glance, "Coco can be… judgmental. But she really likes you. I'm glad."

"I have a feeling that she is the type of girl that wouldn't hide it if she disliked me, right?"

Velvet nodded. "She would tell you to your face, don't you worry about that. The fact that she is trying to set me up with you means she trusts you, which is rare for someone she's only just met."

"You must have talked me up a bit."

Her expression was pure embarrassment. "I didn't even tell her that much, just that you stood up for me when…"

"Cardin was being Cardin," Jaune finished, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you had to put up with that."

"It's not your fault, you shouldn't be apologizing."

"I know – but still, things like that… I don't like bullies."

Velvet smiled shyly. "A lot of people ignore stuff like that. If it isn't happening to them, it isn't their business."

"I guess I'm just nosy, aren't I?" Jaune joked. "Anyway, Blake was pretty angry about it, as well. And it wasn't just like he was only picking on you. His team were being a menace to everyone."

Velvet nodded. "Blake… went to my team. I was angry at first but… I know she was just trying to help. She probably felt compelled, seeing him pull my ears. Touching our faunus traits without permission is considered highly offensive. Another faunus would understand."

It took a moment for Velvet's words to really sink in, for his mind to process and make the leap. Blinking, Jaune stared at Velvet in surprise.

"W-What?" she asked, taken aback by the intensity of his look.

"Another faunus would understand," he repeated her words, and he saw her eyes widen in horror.

"Oh – um, no, I just meant – aah," she panicked, appearing on the verge of tears. "Oh, no, no, no – Jaune, I didn't mean anything by it!"

But it was much too late, and Velvet knew it. She covered her face in mortification.

Suddenly, a lot of things made sense. Blake's passionate stance on faunus rights and history, to the point where she was willing to get into arguments in class with anyone that held beliefs counter to her own. Her anger at Cardin, much more potent than even his own.

...even her instant dislike of Weiss, knowing now what he had learned about the Schnee Dust Company, and their hiring policies and track record of hazardous working conditions claiming worker lives…

Jaune remembered Blake grilling Weiss about the servants her family employed, and how worked up she'd been about what should have been a simple question.

Blake was a faunus.

It was obvious in hindsight.

"Forget what I said, please," Velvet frantically begged, pressing her hands together and bowing her head. There was nothing playful this time, her voice filled with regret. "I misspoke. Please. This isn't – I wasn't – I shouldn't have said anything!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Coco was suddenly there, drawn by her friend's panic. Brown eyes moved back and forth between them, perplexed. "Bun?"

Jaune raised his hands. "Hey, Velvet – it's okay. Everything is fine."

"It isn't," she said. "She was keeping it a secret and I just blurted it out!"

"Hey, hey," Coco placed a hand on Velvet's arm, attempting to sooth her upset. "What did you say? What happened?"

She shot a questioning look at Jaune and he sighed.

"She… may have implied that Blake is a faunus."

Coco blinked. "Oh! Ah – right, you guys probably didn't know that, huh?"

"You knew?"

She nodded. "Velvet told us. She couldn't understand why she was hiding it but knew it must have been important, whatever the reason was. She was pretty sure you didn't know."

Jaune grimaced. "Yeah, we – we don't know. I didn't, at least. Some of her behavior about certain things makes much more sense now."

It wasn't like a human couldn't be passionate about this sort of thing but Blake's persistent clashes over the subject had been surprising regardless. Until now. Now they made a hell of a lot more sense.

He felt like an idiot, though. How could he have missed something so big? He was meant to be their team leader and he didn't even know that one of his teammates was a faunus. Blake was hiding it, sure – but wait a minute, what were her faunus traits?

He opened his mouth to ask and then shut it.

Her bow. Her bow that she never took off, even when she was sleeping. Jaune had never seen her without it, not once. She wore it when she was wearing her school uniform, she wore it on her days off with her casual clothes, and she wore it with her pajamas. The only time she likely took it off was when she showered but it was always back in place afterwards, as if she'd showered with the damn thing.

The fact that it hadn't come loose during Combat Class was a miracle, or through training. It must have been tied on pretty tight.

"Jaune," Velvet said softly. "Please don't tell her I told you. I – it just slipped out. It was a mistake."

Jaune smiled at her in reassurance. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not mad at her for keeping this a secret. I'm just… I feel a little foolish, having not noticed after all this time. I mean, we live in the same room," he shook his head. "And I know you didn't mean to reveal her secret like that. It was just a slip of the tongue. I won't say anything."

Velvet's large eyes were impossible to ignore, her face hopeful. "You won't?"

"I won't, I promise," he said. "And you might not know this, but I always keep my word if I can help it."

But try as he might, he couldn't help but wonder why Blake was hiding such a big part of herself. To hide what you were from the entire world, to keep this secret at all times and never allowing anyone close enough to discover it…

...Jaune had a bad feeling about this.

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