Fox sat before the fire at the center of the campsite, perched upon a nearby log and staring intently into the flames. The little orange embers gently rising into the sky held his attention for an inordinate amount of time, and the boy quickly found that of everything he had seen in his short time with the gift of sight, fire was definitely his favorite. Everything about the way it moved, its boundaries shifting seemingly at random as it grew taller and receded back down toward the pit, was unlike anything Fox would have guessed it to be. In his mind, fire had always just been some static, unmoving block of 'warmth' that he knew not to go near but could never properly pinpoint using his Semblance. It was a bit scary, not having any idea where something that could potentially kill him was or even understanding why it was so dangerous… but upon seeing the flames, it made sense immediately.

It was also beautiful, and Fox found that he wanted desperately to keep close to it for the remainder of the night. Maybe he would even start making use of it, just so he could watch it again later.

"Having a nice little character arc, are we?"

Fox jumped and looked up to his left, where Alice had walked up behind him. The Ace Ops huntress sat down on the log next to him, still in her uniform and carrying a mug of some sort of hot beverage with both hands.

"…I'm sorry?" Fox asked, suddenly feeling embarrassed as he returned his attention to the fire.

"Usually when someone's staring into a bonfire lost in thought, they've got their head in the clouds and they're thinking about something profound," Alice explained. "Past mistakes? Unrequited love? Dreams of becoming some big-name hunter after you graduate? Spill."

Fox hesitated, unsure how to answer.

"It's… nothing like that," Fox admitted. "I just… like fire. The way it moves, the way it feels being near it. It's calming."

"…excellent. Always good to have a pyromaniac on board," Alice accused as she took a sip of her drink. "Burned down your childhood home, yeah?"

Fox looked back to the woman, finding her expression completely neutral.

"Wh-… n-no, I didn't…"

"Relax, kid," Alice ordered as she put an arm around the younger man's shoulders. "I ain't serious. Unless, of course, you did burn down your childhood home…"

"I didn't," Fox asserted as he stiffened up.

"Right, then. Talk to me about this Semblance of yours," the Ace encouraged. "I'd like to get familiar with how you tick before we head underground and encounter something nasty."

Fox waited a moment for Alice to remove her arm from around him… but that moment never came. Instead, she scooted a bit closer until she was practically leaning into his side. Though he couldn't tell how much older the woman was than him, Fox couldn't help but feel that something about the interaction was a bit scandalous. Then again… he wasn't sure he particularly cared. He hadn't yet begun associating ages with facial features, but she had to be only a few years older at most in his mind.

That, and the sensation of her body against his did feel nice…

"…what about your Semblance?" Fox returned, feeling the urge to resist the sudden questioning. "I gave you a rough idea of mine, but I don't know anything about you, yet."

"Hm," Alice considered as she leaned in to whisper into Fox's ear. "Mine is… perhaps a little less impressive than yours, but it's all in how you use it."

The hairs on the back of Fox's neck stood straight up at the sound of her breathy voice in his ear- partially because though her lips were practically touching the flesh, the sound was coming in the wrong ear.

"H-how…?" Fox asked, suddenly leaning away from Alice and giving her a confused look.

"The ability to manipulate sound in a localized area," Alice explained, pulling the boy back in. "I can make voices and other things louder, softer, seem like they're coming from somewhere else… misdirection and obnoxiousness, mostly. I could make you sound like me. I could make myself sound like you…"

"…that's definitely not less impressive than my aura sense," Fox denied. "Especially as… you're a member of Ace Ops, right? Being able to fake any scroll call sounds like it would be ridiculously useful when dealing with foreign powers…"

"Oh, it is," Alice confirmed. "I can be whoever Atlas needs me to be, so long as the person on the other end can't see me. I've got a voice that could start wars… or end them. I'd like to think I've got the looks to go with it, though that's something I can't change as easily."

"Yeah…" Fox absentmindedly agreed, though his mind drifted to someone else at the suggestion.

Alice offered Fox a wide smile and tucked a strand of lavender hair back behind her ear.

"You're sweet."

"Hm?" Fox asked, not quite following what had just happened.

"But you're not off the hook, mate. I shared. Now you share," Alice pressed before taking another long drink. "How's that Semblance of yours work? Whole damned expedition might depend on it."

Fox let out a sigh before standing up and turning around. For a moment, he concentrated on his aura and let out an undetectable pulse, collecting information on the nearby area.

"…even with my eyes closed, I can see that Adam, Roman, and Kali are all in their tents right now. Their outlines are visible to me, wrapped in aura that I can… I guess 'see' is the right word, but it's almost more of a feeling. Another sense entirely, that's partnered with my vision," Fox explained as he opened his eyes. "When I look at you now, for example, I can see a faint blue glow around you, but the information it's feeding me is from something other than sight. I can tell that you're relaxed, and close to turning in for bed, too. Your aura's engaged, but it's weak- you don't anticipate any threats, and your body is letting it wind down. Similarly, I can tell that Adam's asleep, but the other two aren't just yet. His has an even fainter signature, to the point it's almost absent, externally."

"That's remarkable," Alice praised as she swirled her drink, eyes locked on Fox as he began to pace near the fire. "Just how much can you tell about a person from feeling out their aura?"

"Not too much, at least, not specifically," Fox admitted. "It has always been… a little vague. I can tell when someone's emotionally compromised, but not to what extent or why. I can sense weaknesses in someone's active aural shield, and determine where to strike for maximum effect… but I can't feel out their full capacity, or even whether it'll shatter. It's kinda like…"

Alice watched as Fox came to a stop and pointed to something far away in the darkness beyond the campsite.

"…see the outline of Vacuo City, far on the horizon?"

Alice blinked a few times and squinted, following Fox's finger and seeing nothing but absolute darkness after a certain distance.

"Erm… no, I don't," the huntress said as she set down her mug, stood up, and moved closer to Fox. "You're telling me you can see it from here…?"

"Well… yeah," Fox answered, raising a brow as he began to trace a shape with his finger. "It's small, but it's there. Look for the outline of Shade's pyramid. Just atop that pillar jutting up out of the sand, halfway between here and there."

Alice pulled a face, straining to try to see anything out in the desert and coming up short. It wasn't long before she scratched the side of her neck and gave Fox a quizzical look.

"…you're taking the piss. It is jet fucking black out there, Fox. Unless… ah. I get it. What's your trait?"

"My trait…?" Fox asked as he looked back over at Alice, clearly confused.

"Yeah," Alice replied as she folded her arms across her chest. "Only a faunus could see out into the darkness like that, and even then… don't think I've met one with night vision that good. You got eagle eyes or something?"

It was only then that Fox realized what was happening… and that his cover was about to be blown. The entire journey to the campsite and for the duration of their stay within it, Fox had assumed that everyone was using headlights, lamps, and the fire to provide more detail and color to the world. He had no idea that none of the others were capable of seeing what he could see all around them… nor did he know just how weak the average person's vision was in the dark.

Apparently, Profession Ozpin had done more than just grant him the ability to see after all.

"…oh!" Fox realized, quickly working himself into a panic. "Uh… yeah, kinda? It's not eagle vision, it's… fox. I've got the eyes of a fox. That's why I'm… called Fox…"

Alice simply stared for a moment, her expression unreadable.

"…bullshit. You're telling me your parents named you Fox because you've got the eyes of one?"

"No!" Fox corrected, feeling like he was about to start sweating at any second. "No, they… Fox is my callsign, its not my actual name. Sorry, I should've been more clear on that. I started going by that at the Academy…"

"…alright…" Alice said, not quite sounding convinced. "That does make more sense. After all, Alice isn't my real name, either."

"…it's not?" Fox asked, feeling rather stupid for multiple reasons.

"No, of course not," Alice answered, her tone indicating that she thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you really think I'd come out to a foreign country on a secretive op and use my actual name in all of this? Tell you what- tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine."

"Really?" Fox dared to ask, though he had no plan as to what his 'real' name would be.

"…no. Absolutely not," Alice deadpanned. "But I bet yours is cute. It was worth a shot."

"It's not," Fox denied as he shook his head. "I hate it. Never use it. Fox is fine."

"Then so is Alice," the woman said with a sense of finality as she returned to the log and scooped up her mug. "That's about enough intrigue for one night, I'd say, and you were right about me getting tired. See you in the morning for a bit of tunnel running, yeah?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Fox said with a quick wave. Alice returned it and then disappeared into her tent, leaving Fox to deflate as he took out his scroll and navigated to the recently created group chat with his friends at the campsite. "Shit…"

Just a heads up- Alice thinks I'm a faunus and have a fox's eyes. Apparently I now have the ability to see in the dark better than any of you, and that's the only cover story I could think of. Please just roll with it.

After only a few seconds, Fox heard Roman's muffled voice from inside one of the nearby tents.

"What the fuck…?"

Not wasting a moment with his newfound ability, Fox wandered outside the bounds of the camp and sat upon a rather large rock. Scroll still in hand and feeling rather displeased with himself, he went through his contacts and decided on who he wanted to talk to. The decision didn't take long, nor did the call connecting to a familiar voice.

"… Fox?"

"Hey, just checking in," the teen started, trying to sound like he was still in good cheer. "Things have been a little crazy lately, and things were left a little weird between us…"

"Were they?" Cerise asked, sounding confused. "Is this about Sa-"

"I meant, between us as a group," Fox interrupted, wanting to talk about anything other than his teammate and what had happened. "All of us made it to the campsite okay, and I just wanted to make sure you got home safely, too."

"I did. Thanks for checking," Cerise replied with a sigh. "But it's late, and I was just about to fall asleep…"

"Oh," Fox said, clearly disappointed. "I won't keep you, then. But… Cerise? When we return, can we… I don't know, go somewhere together? Just hang out, away from all of this crazy stuff that's been happening lately?"

There was a pause, and for a moment Fox thought she might have hung up.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot, actually."

"Cool," Fox replied, running a hand through his hair. "I'll let you go, then…"

"Thanks, but… call again tomorrow, if you've got signal and you make it back above ground? Or just… call me again whenever you're able. I miss you already."

"You do…?" Fox asked, feeling pins and needles for an entirely different reason than before.

"Yeah, I do. Maybe I'm just exhausted, but… I meant what I said, up in the beach house tower. You're my rock, Fox. Let's do something with that."

"Yeah," Fox agreed. "Yeah, I'd like that…"

Author's Note:

Yet another budding romance, or something else entirely?

-RD