Blake had a plan.

According to her, the White Fang needed more manpower. They'd only sent a couple of groups over while the main bulk of their forces were still in Mistral and the surrounding wilds. While they could always send more, Blake doubted it. Their push into Sanus had been important, but Sienna Khan – the new and current leader of the White Fang – was cautious. Unlike Mistral and Atlas, Vale had been a safe haven for faunus in many ways. The discrimination here was much lower and while it did still exist in some, Khan wasn't about to create problems for her people in a land that treated them fairly.

At least the type of problems that could seriously inconvenience the faunus there.

Their orders had been to continue operations where the Schnee Dust Company and the Mistral Trading Company were concerned, and to infiltrate and learn. Attacking random stores in Vale was the very thing that Sienna Khan didn't want and it spoke to a potential fracture down the line.

But how did you increase your numbers when in a foreign kingdom with little hope of reinforcement? You recruited.

"Even in Vale, there will be disillusioned faunus that believe in the current course of the White Fang," Blake said grimly. Her face was newly washed, clear of the tears that had marked her cheeks. "They'll take advantage of that and hold recruitment rallies to drum up support."

"How do they find these people?"

Blake sighed. "There are certain online spaces they use. Forums, chatrooms – places they know of that faunus go to vent their frustrations. Sometimes all it takes is someone willing to listen to their plight to gain trust, and then it is all too easy to whisper poison in their ear. But they don't only recruit online. They target spaces with vulnerable faunus."

Jaune blinked. "Oh – so that's why you were at that runaway home?"

Blake appeared shocked. "You were following me that long?"

"I was across the street," he confirmed with a smile as her expression became disgruntled.

"I'm losing my touch," she muttered sourly.

"I was on the roof, to be fair," Jaune attempted to soothe her ego.

Blake scoffed. "I still shouldn't have missed it. You stand out everywhere you go. Almost like your very presence demands attention."

"I'm not that bad, am I?"

Her lips twitched. "You're worse."

"Hey…"

They got back on track.

"But yes, that's why I was there. Shelters like that are an easy target. Angry youth, down on their luck, living day to day without any plans for the future. The White Fang can give them a family, stability, a place to belong. They might not even believe in the cause at first but that doesn't matter. The Fang can be… persuasive."

It was manipulative but what did Jaune expect? They weren't above murder, not any more. What was a little bit of manipulation compared to that?

"Did you find out anything useful?"

She nodded. "It didn't take much prodding until one of them spilled the beans. There is a meeting tonight and when I showed interest, they were more than willing to send me the address," she held up her scroll. "They start gathering at nine. I am intending to be there."

Jaune frowned. "Won't they recognize you?"

"All potential members are given masks to protect their identity. I'll be fine."

He didn't like it.

"This seems risky."

"This is the only way," she said emphatically. "I need to find out what is going on, Jaune. Their actions here in Vale… if it really is them, and they really are working with Torchwick… I need to know."

She had a point to prove and Jaune could see the resolve on her face. He wasn't going to be able to convince her otherwise.

"If you're going to do this, you're going to need help."

"I have you."

As nice as that was to hear from her, he meant more than just him.

"If things go south, you're going to need backup—"

"I have backup! You're here!"

"We need to call the others."

"No. Absolutely not."

She was being stubborn.

"Blake, if you think I'm about to just let you walk into a meeting with the White Fang without a team to have your back if something goes wrong, you've got another thing coming."

"I don't want them involved."

"Why?"

"Because," her voice was filled with frustration – and fear. "I just don't, okay?"

"Not good enough."

She glared at him.

"They know about the White Fang, Blake. Even knowing that. they've been searching for you for the past two days, just like I have been. They're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"If we show up with an entire group, do you really think they won't notice something is off?"

"I'm not saying we all go in."

"Good because none of you would pass for faunus," she pointedly looked at the top of his head, and then further south. "You're lacking something."

"They can still keep watch."

"I don't want them involved."

Jaune felt a twinge of annoyance. "Give me a good reason not to call them right now."

Her mouth opened but he cut her off.

"An actual, logical reason. Not just because you're scared," he said, maybe a little harsher than he intended. But it was justified. He was worried.

Her mouth shut with an audible click and she resumed glaring at him.

"We're a team, Blake," he calmed his voice. "We're a team. We do things together."

"I… Jaune," she wavered. "I can't see Weiss right now. I can't."

She wasn't ready for that confrontation yet. As much as they needed to talk, and soon – that conversation could wait. Jaune didn't need Blake being emotionally drained right before doing something as risky as this.

"Then you won't. Just… let me tell them what is going on and give them a heads up. Wherever this place is, they can keep an eye on it while we go in and you do your thing."

It took her a few seconds to catch what he said.

"We?"

"I'm going in with you."

"The hell you are!" she exploded, and he leaned back in surprise. Even Blake appeared shocked by her sudden outburst.

"You're not going in alone."

She recovered quickly.

"Jaune, you aren't faunus. How do you think this is going to work?"

"How will they know?"

"They have eyes," she stressed as if he were a dimwitted child. "They'll look at you and see. We just talked about this! You lack the parts! When I said I have you, I meant you could wait outside and assist if I need it, not come inside!"

"A whole group would be too suspicious but one person? Can faunus tell if another person is faunus by scent or… I don't know, some feeling humans don't have?"

Velvet had picked Blake out at once, somehow. It was entirely possible.

She looked at him like he was talking nonsense. "Of course not! We have great night vision but we can't smell each other. What are you even talking about?"

"Don't some faunus have traits that are less conspicuous?" he pressed. "Hidden by clothes or… even the mask I'll be wearing?"

She didn't answer which meant he'd hit the nail on the head. Blake only ever went silent like that when she couldn't come up with a good enough rebuttal.

"I rest my case."

Blake scowled. "I really hate you right now."

"As long as you won't be in there alone, you can hate me all you want."

She scoffed. "What happened to that sweet country boy I met at Beacon?"

"Still here," he confirmed. "But when his friend is going to be putting herself in danger, you better believe he'll be right there with her if he can help it."

Blake crossed her arms. "This is a bad idea… but fine. You can come in with me. I'm tired of arguing with you already."

Jaune nodded. "Good."

She turned away from him in a huff.

"I'll call them now, then," he said, turning away and removing his scroll from his pocket. He was just about to select Nora's contact when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, curling upwards so her hands were against his chest. Jaune froze.

Blake rested her head against his spine, and he felt her hot breath through the material of his shirt.

"Blake…?"

"Shut up and give me a minute."

It wasn't the only thing he felt through his shirt. Blake was pressing the entire front of her body against him, and Jaune tried not to react as her pert, shapely breasts resting against him. He remained perfectly still, his heart rate speeding up as her hands softly curled up, bunching his shirt in her fists.

While he had grown used to having ridiculously pretty teammates, he wasn't used to this sort of intimacy with them. When he hugged Weiss, it was because she'd been angry and in pain, and he'd been able to reason it away as something a leader should do, something a brother did for his sister, even if she was very much not his sister. But now the tables were reversed, and Blake was the one hugging him, embracing him like a lover.

Jaune swallowed.

"...Jaune…"

Her voice was soft, and the tone sent a shiver through his ears.

"...Yeah?"

She hugged him tighter.

"Do you really… want me back?"

His mind froze for a moment, the double meaning short circuiting his thoughts before he focused.

"Yes," he breathed out. "I want you back. We all want you back. Your past… it's a part of you, and always will be. It shaped who you are, but it doesn't have to rule you. You chose to step away and find a better path, a better way – and that led you to Beacon and to our team," reaching up, he placed his hand over hers. "You once asked me if you thought my parents would hate me if I did something bad enough, if I associated with people that did bad things. Do you remember?"

She nodded against his back.

"I told you that maybe if I murdered someone, they may come to hate me for it. They'd still love me as their son but they could never accept my actions. Did you ever kill anyone, Blake?"

"...My actions may have contributed, I don't know."

"That isn't what I asked," he said gently. "Have you taken a life with those two hands? Have you taken action that you knew would result in the death of another, even if it was someone else that took the life?"

"No," she almost sobbed. "No, Jaune – please believe me, I didn't. I haven't!"

"Then I accept you, Blake Belladonna."

He heard her breath hitch.

"I accept all of you," he continued. "The good, the bad – everything. You can be stubborn and distant, and you let your emotions get the better of you. You keep secrets. You struggle to trust us. But you're also kind, and care about those around you. You care about the world and the people in it. You are passionate about the things you believe in, and are willing to take action to make things better, not just sit aside and do nothing. I accept all of that and more."

She shuddered, and then she was embracing him hard enough to hurt, as if she were trying to crawl inside him. Jaune endured it silently, a rock for her to cling to as her emotions spilled over and she began to cry.

They stood there for some time, just two people living in the moment.

When she finally pulled away, Jaune turned to face her.

"Damn you, Jaune Arc," she muttered, voice rough. She wiped at her eyes. "You've made me cry twice today. Damn you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," she snapped, sniffling. Her cheeks were red, blotchy, as were her eyes. And still she was beautiful. "Don't ever apologize for that."

He nodded. "Okay. How about this instead? You're welcome."

Blake laughed, clearing her throat of any lingering emotion. "You ass."

Jaune smiled. She smiled back.

There was something different in her eyes, though he couldn't tell what.

"You've got a call to make," she said, moving towards the bathroom. "I need to clean myself up. Again."

"A few calls," he reminded her. When she vanished into the bathroom, he called Nora.

She answered in two rings.

"Heya," she chirped happily before frowning, her features serious. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that…" she trailed off, head tilting to the side. "Hmm. Did something happen?"

"I found Blake."

She blinked. "Oh," then her entire face lit up. "Oh~! Where is she? What's going on? Did you bonk her over the head?"

"Why would I do that?" Jaune laughed. "She's with me now. She's… in the bathroom."

"So she didn't run away from you?"

He shook his head. "No. I didn't exactly give her much choice."

Nora beamed. "So are you bringing her back to Beacon?"

"Not quite. Listen – things are a little more complicated than that," Jaune explained about the White Fang meeting, Blake's plan to infiltrate it in her quest for the truth, and that Jaune was going with her. "She isn't ready to see everyone yet… but we need your help."

"You've got it, Jaune-Jaune. You know that."

Nora was the best partner ever.

"Thanks. Can you let Ren know? I need to call the others."

"He heard everything," Nora pointed the camera at Ren and he nodded.

"I'm with you, Jaune. With both of you."

"Thanks Ren. I owe you one."

Ren shook his head. "You would do the same for me, if I asked. You owe me nothing."

He had amazing friends.

"The meeting isn't until tonight so if you want to go back to Beacon and rest, that's probably for the best."

"Right," Nora reappeared. "If anything changes, call me – and I'll be down there with my hammer in an instant."

He called Ruby next since she was with Yang and relayed all the information. They were just as keen as Nora was to help out, and the conversation played out in the similar vein. After that, he called Pyrrha.

"Jaune," she greeted.

"Pyrrha," he nodded.

There was no time for whatever awkwardness existed between them.

"You can stop calling all the hotels. I've found Blake."

"That's a relief," she said, her face softening. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Things are about as good as they can be. Listen, I need a favor."

She considered him. "Name it."

After explaining everything, Pyrrha agreed instantly.

"Blake has always been kind to me. I'll do whatever I can to help."

Jaune smiled. "Thanks Pyrrha, you've been a great help."

She hesitated. "Jaune…"

"Yeah?"

It looked like she wanted to say something but then the moment passed, and she sighed.

"I'm glad you found her."

Jaune knew that wasn't what she wanted to say but accepted it, smiling.

"I am too."

The last person he called was Weiss.

"What's happened?" she asked immediately.

"I found her."

It was subtle but he saw her brow relax slightly. She'd been tense.

"That's… good."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at central station," Weiss revealed, and she panned the camera to show the bustling platform. People were boarding the train right next to her, and he could see the airship landing pads further down. "I've been questioning the staff here."

Even though it didn't come to anything in the end, "Good idea."

"I thought she might try leave Vale entirely, if she was dead set on never returning," Weiss said coolly. "I'm pleased to know that wasn't the case."

Jaune had never thought for a second that she would leave Vale. He had no logical reason to think this way. If she had truly given up on life as a Huntress, and wanted to stay as far away from them as possible, then leaving the kingdom was obviously a smart idea. She wasn't from Vale, hadn't grown up here, and her family lived elsewhere – estranged or not. Logically, her fleeing the city entirely would have been the thing to do. That was, if she had really given up on everything.

Jaune had believed otherwise, simply because he was optimistic. That was it.

He was glad he'd been right.

"Me too."

"So – where is she, then?" she asked primly. "We might as well get this over and done with."

Typical Weiss. Rip it off fast or not at all.

"You'll have to wait, unfortunately."

She frowned. "Why?"

He told her.

Weiss shook her head, sighing. "Are you being serious right now?"

Jaune nodded. "I am."

"Of all the idiotic, stupid, braindead…" she trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Jaune, do you think this is a smart idea?"

"Smart, no, not really," he admitted. "But does Blake feel like she needs to do this? She does."

"So she can prove me wrong?"

She wasn't wrong, but that wasn't the only reason.

"At this point, I think that would only be a bonus. She needs to know for herself."

"I see."

"Will you help us?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I may think this is all ridiculous but did you think I would say no? Honestly, Jaune – you know me better than that, I would think."

Jaune grinned. "I do. But it's polite to ask and not assume. At least, that's what my Pa used to say."

"Hmm, well, your father is a smart man, so I'll forgive you," she then asked him seriously, "Is she okay?"

"...Yeah, she is."

"…That's good. That's… really good," Weiss bit her lip lightly, worrying it between her teeth. "Is she still mad at me?"

He tried not to smile too much. It was hard, though. "Not as much as before. I think… she's just worried that she no longer has a place with us, Weiss."

Her eyes closed briefly before she opened them, her expression stern, "Well you tell her this from me. She does. I – I'm not going to pretend that it'll be easy, and my trust in her… is strained right now. But…" her voice wavered. "I don't have many friends… and I consider Blake one of them. We fight, and we disagree on many things… but she's my partner. I'm going to yell at her, a lot. So she better be prepared for that."

"I'm sure she will be."

Weiss cleared her throat, looking away from the camera with an embarrassed expression. "Enough of that. I'll be returning to Beacon. Let me know the details closer to time."

"Okay. See you later, Weiss."

When the call ended, Jaune stood in silence for a few seconds before asking, "How much did you hear?"

"...All of it, mostly," Blake said quietly.

She was still in the bathroom but the door was open, her head resting against the doorframe as she stared at him.

"And?"

"...I think you're going to make me cry again, jackass."

Jaune laughed. "Hey – it wasn't me this time."

She crossed her arms across her belly loosely, as if holding herself.

"She didn't sound mad."

"Trust me, she is," Jaune tucked his scroll away. "Furious. But not for the reasons you'll expect. Her opinions… I know at face value, they seem harsh. But that harshness is born of harsh experiences. I think you might know how that goes, better than most."

She nodded reluctantly.

"When she called the White Fang criminals… she isn't wrong," Blake said bitterly. "She's right. They are. We were. We lost our path and we lashed out, thinking that we were justified. In a small part of myself, I still think that we were. Why must we endure hit after hit, and never fight back? But we started to take out our pain and frustration on the wrong people. Innocent people. And that wasn't justified at all. It was simply wrong."

She straightened up and approached him. For a second, he thought she was going to hug him again but she stopped short, meeting his eyes. They were nearly face to face, though she had to crane her neck to look up at him.

"I don't want to be that person. I want to be more like you."

Jaune blinked. "Like me?"

"You experienced something traumatic as a child but you didn't let that warp who you are as a person. You turned it into motivation. To get better, to be better, to help those that can't help themselves. That's what I want for myself. I want my past to motivate me to be better, to be like you."

"I'm not perfect, Blake."

"I never said that you were. No one is. We're just people, right?"

Yeah. They were just people.

"I think you are overestimating me a little, though."

"I think you underestimate yourself," she countered with a sly grin. "I couldn't have asked for a better team leader."

Now she was just buttering him up.

He decided to shift the conversation. "We've got an entire day to kill. What do we do?"

Blake became serious. "We can go stake out the location, get a feel for a layout so there aren't any surprises. It's in the industrial sector of the city so there will be a lot of warehouses, alleyways and dead end roads. A death trap if you don't know where you're going."

"Sounds like a plan."

Her stomach then gurgled. Loudly.

Blake blushed furiously.

"Lunch?" Jaune asked knowingly.

"Shut up," she shoved him, though it was more playful than anything. "I didn't have breakfast."

"Right. Let's get something to eat, then we can go over and check it out."

They caught a bus across the city, taking them closer to their destination before getting off on a connecting street that was filled with eateries. Even though it was the weekend, a Sunday, it was very busy. Lots of teenagers and young adults, which meant chaos.

"What do you feel like?"

Blake looked around, uncertain – before her eyes landed on a small sushi store. "There."

Jaune followed her finger. "I've never had sushi before."

"What?" she said, shocked. Before she remembered where he was from. "Oh, uh – that makes sense. We can go somewhere else if you want."

Jaune smiled. "Nah. This is as good a time as any to try it. You'll have to pick for me, though. I don't know what to get."

This was just like that time he got pizza with Ruby. Vale was a mismatch of different cultures the world over, and it showed in their wide variety of food. Being from a farm out in the middle of nowhere, they didn't have stores like this. There was a pub that served food like burgers and fries, bacon and eggs, stew, battered deep fried fish, and a whole lot of meat dishes like steak, roast pork or lamb, but that was about it.

His mom cooked very traditional meals, so there was nothing like pizza or sushi.

The pizza he'd had with Ruby had been really good, though. He expected this to be the same.

Blake ordered two dozen different pieces, ranging from salmon to octopus to marinated chicken, and even eel. He'd had eel before but not like this. It was coated in a sticky brown marinade of some sort, cut thinly atop a small portion of rice. The eel he'd had back home was freshly caught from the river and smoked in their smoking shed.

Jaune tasted it and found it to his liking, humming as he chewed and swallowed before popping the rest in his mouth. They quickly devoured their food, trying it with different combinations of pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. The wasabi was definitely an experience. Too much and it felt like his nose hairs were being burnt away.

It was potent stuff.

Blake was beaming the entire time she ate her food, stars in her eyes as she ate the salmon ones first. Her love of fish was well known, and Jaune wondered if that had something to do with her animal alignment, or if it was just a coincidence.

"Good?" he asked.

She heard the teasing tone and rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, it's good. How about you; did you like it?"

Jaune nodded. It wasn't quite pizza but it was still delicious. "Yeah, it was good."

After their meal, they started walking. It was a little bit of a hike, taking them over twenty minutes at a decent pace before they got close. The shops and homes gave way to businesses; panel beaters, mechanics, heavy machinery hire stores, trucking schools, bus depots and more.

Things were slow here, on account of the weekend. Unlike food, most of these places were closed. The few people they did come across were the unlucky few that had a weekend shift, drivers, and people who were wandering without direction.

Blake pulled up her hood to shield her face and ears.

At his questioning look, she said, "If they are around, I don't want them to recognize me."

Blake followed the map on her scroll until they found the street. There was a long driveway leading between two buildings, about a hundred meters long, bracketed on both sides by a chain link fence, the top lined with coiled razor wire.

"Here, look," she directed him over towards the street light. "See this?"

He followed her finger and saw three marks, almost like claw marks on the metal. If he hadn't been instructed to look, his eyes would have passed over them without noticing, hidden among the grime and graffiti.

"What's that?"

"The White Fang leave markers like this for their members, so they can find their way to places like meeting spots and safe houses. Only people in the White Fang know about it."

"What do they do when a place is compromised?" he asked. "That must happen, right?"

"It does. If that happens, then the marks are removed or covered over."

Walking down the driveway seemed like a bad idea, so they decided to circle around and come at it from a different angle. Continuing around the corner, they found a small alleyway with a few overfull dumpsters.

"Follow me," she said before leaping on top of one of the dumpsters before scaling the side of the building like a spider. Jaune followed, using the large drainpipe and the brackets holding it in place to pull himself up. The roof was a little tricky since it had a decent overhang but it was nothing he couldn't handle, the guttering strong as he pulled himself up.

He met Blake's amused face as he joined her at the top.

"You sounded like a rhinoceros coming up the pipe."

"Very funny."

She giggled.

They had a good view of the warehouse where they would be meeting later that night. The driveway led to a large parking area, and there were several loading bays for trucks. The sign on the side of the warehouse said Sanus Steel and Lumber but by the looks of the place, it was long abandoned. The windows were broken, the concrete bays were cracked and chipped, and half of the outdoor lights were missing bulbs.

"I don't see any cameras," Blake scanned the area critically. "And I don't see anything out of place. This is only a temporary spot for the meeting, nothing more."

"Should we go in?"

Blake shook her head. "No. We'll take some pictures of the surrounding area and send them to…" she paused before smiling. "...our teams so they know what we're dealing with. A few of them could use these surrounding buildings to watch from, though they'll need to be careful. They'll have lookouts and they can see in the dark."

Now they just had to wait.

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