The city of Vale was a vibrant tapestry of color and excitement. Streets were lined with shimmering pennants, and windows were adorned with intricate garlands of light. The air buzzed with a festive energy, a prelude to the coming arrival of students from all over the world. As Team RWBY navigated the bustling crowds, they paused to admire a massive banner strung between two buildings, announcing the impending celebration.
"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss exclaimed, her voice uncharacteristically bright. A brilliant, almost giddy smile was plastered across her face.
Ruby, her usual crimson cloak still wrapped around her shoulders but her attire and demeanor more somber, watched her teammate with a perplexed expression. Her hands were tucked deep into her pockets, a small, weary smile playing on her lips. The wind blew a stray lock of hair across her face, but she didn't bother to move it. Inside, she was happy, content even. For now, the beast from within was calmed, lulled by the peaceful atmosphere.
"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss," Ruby remarked, a playful smirk finally appearing on her face. "It's kind of weirding me out."
A faint blush dusted Weiss's cheeks. She turned away from the silver-eyed girl, her hands gesturing excitedly as she spoke. "How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances, parades, a glorious tournament! The amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"
Yang let out a dramatic sigh. "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring," she muttered.
Weiss pouted, a look of pure exasperation on her face. "Quiet, you."
Yang ignored her, a quizzical frown on her face. "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "This whole place smells like fish."
Ruby's hands clenched inside her pockets. The smell of the salty air and fish was a sharp, unpleasant scent that made the beast from within stir, a low growl rising up inside her. "They do smell like fish," she agreed, her voice a low growl of her own. "Even the beast is stirring up a commotion inside me."
Weiss straightened her posture, a look of icy professionalism returning to her face. "I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon, it is our solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom of ours."
From her position at the back of the group, Blake spoke up, her voice a dry counterpoint to Weiss's grand explanation. "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."
Weiss's posture deflated instantly. She glared at Blake, her cheeks flushing once more. "Ugh, you can't prove that."
The beast from within stirred, a familiar, unsettling thrum in Ruby's veins that made her heart beat a rapid tattoo against her ribs. She paused, her head tilting, her eyes darting around the city street. Her gaze landed on a shop in the distance. The front was a mess of shattered glass and splintered wood, all of it cordoned off with bright yellow police tape.
A deep frown creased her brow as she walked over to the scene, her sister Yang by her side. They stepped carefully around the shards of glass on the sidewalk, the unsettling crunch under their boots a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere of the city.
"What happened here?" Ruby asked, her voice quiet.
A man in a black uniform and a police badge looked up at her, his expression weary and jaded. "Robbery," he said, sighing as he turned his attention back to his notepad. "Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle."
"That's terrible," Yang said, her hand resting on Ruby's shoulder in a gesture of shared concern.
Another officer, a younger man with a confused look on his face, walked over. "They left the money again," he said, shaking his head.
"Huh?" Ruby tilted her head, the question echoing her confusion.
The first man scoffed, gesturing with his thumb back at the ruined shop. "Yeah. The thieves cleaned out the Dust, but left all the money in the register. Doesn't make a lick of sense." His eyes narrowed, a puzzled expression on his face. "Who needs that much Dust?"
Ruby's frown deepened, the question fading into a distant echo as her mind was abruptly pulled away, a painful memory flashing to the forefront. Her knuckles, once again, turned perpetually white.
The sterile air of the laboratory hummed with the low thrum of machinery, a stark contrast to the quiet panic in Ruby's chest. She was a small, fragile thing in the center of the room, strapped to a cold metal table, her wrists and ankles bound by thick leather cuffs. In front of her, the chilling silhouette of Dr. Merlot moved with a practiced, unsettling grace.
"Fear not, my child," the doctor said, his voice a dispassionate whisper that held no warmth. He held a small, glowing shard in a pair of forceps. It was a Dust crystal, a raw, brilliant emerald that pulsed with a faint, malevolent light.
Ruby's body trembled. She could feel the faint, humming energy of the crystal even from where she lay. It was a power so unlike her own. She had already been through this. She had felt the fiery rage of a fire crystal, the numbing cold of an ice one. This new energy was different. It was a poison, a malevolent presence that promised to shatter her mind.
Merlot's hand reached out, and he pressed the shard against the back of her hand. A searing, white-hot pain shot through her arm, and she screamed, a sound that was swallowed by the cold, empty silence of the room. The crystal's energy, a raw, venomous green, began to course through her veins. She could feel it, a liquid fire burning away her Aura, a parasitic power trying to overwrite her very soul.
"Such fascinating resilience," Merlot whispered, his voice a low hum of curiosity. "Let's see just how much you can endure."
Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, her teeth clenched against the pain. She was a little girl in a sterile, white room, and there was nothing but the pain and the cold voice of a monster who promised to turn her into one.
"I dunno, ya know what I mean?" a voice said, pulling Ruby back from the dark confines of her memory. She blinked, her head snapping up to look at the second officer, a man with a tired, confused expression.
"You thinking the, uh, White Fang?" the first officer said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I heard they started to work with an organization. Heard it from a guy who knew a guy."
The second officer shrugged, his shoulders slumped in resignation. "Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough for this."
"Hmph. The White Fang," a cold, disdainful voice interjected. Weiss had her arms crossed tightly against her chest, a look of utter contempt on her face. "What an awful bunch of degenerates."
Blake's head snapped toward Weiss, her eyes narrowing. "What's your problem?"
"My problem?" Weiss scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane."
"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths," Blake retorted, her voice low and tight with frustration. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus who feel like they've been pushed too far."
"Really? Misguided?" Weiss said, her voice rising in disbelief. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"
"So then they're very misguided," Blake countered, her frustration building. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale and leave the money behind. They're a political group, not a bunch of thieves!"
"Hmm," Ruby said, her frown deepening as her mind connected the dots. "Blake's got a point. Besides, Dr. Merlot also uses Dust for his experiments, and he's human. The White Fang doesn't work with humans, so maybe it was him."
"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum," Weiss insisted, her jaw clenched in a stubborn line. "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."
"That's not necessarily true," Yang said, stepping up to stand beside Blake, her voice calm and steady.
Ruby was about to add to her theory when a sudden, loud voice from down the street cut her off. "Hey! Stop that Faunus!"
The team's heads whipped around in unison. They saw a lone Faunus, with a prominent monkey tail, sprinting down the street, pursued by a group of angry sailors.
Team RWBY raced to the edge of the docks and peered over the railing, their eyes scanning the chaotic scene below. They watched as a lone Faunus with a prominent monkey tail grinned triumphantly. He was perched on the rim of a ship, his lithe body poised for a leap. "Thanks for the ride, guys!" he laughed, his voice ringing with a playful cockiness before he jumped onto the wooden planks of the docks.
"You no-good stowaway!" one of the sailors bellowed, shaking his fist.
The monkey Faunus used his tail to hang upside down from a light pole, his legs crossed nonchalantly. He looked at the angry sailors, a confident grin on his face. "Hey! A no-good stowaway would have been caught. I'm a great stowaway." He unpeeled a banana, about to take a bite, but a sudden rock zoomed past his head. He dodged it with a fluid twist of his body, the projectile hitting the pole with a thud.
The police officer from before appeared, his face a mask of frustration. "Hey, get down from there this instant!" he ordered.
The monkey boy scoffed, tossing the banana peel directly at the officer's face before dropping down in a graceful backflip, landing behind them. "Catch me if you can!" he said, and with that, he was off, a blur of motion darting through the crates and barrels.
As the Faunus ran past Team RWBY, the world seemed to slow down. His eyes, a mischievous glimmer in them, met Blake's. For a moment, nothing else existed. He winked at her, a confident, knowing gesture that sent a rush of heat to her cheeks. Blake could only stand there, a faint blush on her face, as she watched him disappear into the crowd.
Yang, who had seen the entire exchange, frowned. A pang of something she couldn't quite name stirred in her chest. She shook the feeling away with a subtle shiver. "Well, Weiss you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes." she said.
"Quick! After him!" Weiss's voice was sharp and commanding, her eyes fixed on the retreating Faunus. "We have to observe him!"
Ruby, who was still recovering from the emotional turmoil of the past few minutes, groaned. "Do we have to?" she interjected, her shoulders slumping.
Weiss didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed Ruby's wrist, the sudden contact causing a faint blush to spread across Ruby's cheeks. She pulled the silver-eyed girl forward, their legs pumping as they broke into a sprint, leaving a stunned Yang and Blake to follow not far behind.
The four girls rounded a corner in a tight formation, but their momentum was too great. Weiss ran straight into a girl, causing both of them to fall to the ground with a grunt of "Oof!" Weiss looked up just in time to see the Faunus disappear around a far corner, his figure a mere flash before he was gone for good. "He got away!" she said in a huff, before she felt a body beneath her. Looking down, she saw the girl she had run into, a confused but happy look on her face.
The girl sat up, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Salutations!" she said brightly, her voice a strange, formal cadence.
"Um... hello?" Ruby said, her voice filled with confusion.
Yang knelt down beside the fallen girl, a look of genuine concern on her face. "Are you... okay?" she asked.
"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking!" the girl said, her smile not faltering in the slightest.
Yang and Ruby exchanged a look, both silently questioning the girl's sanity. "Do you... want to get up?" Yang asked slowly.
The girl paused, as if processing the question. After a long moment, she answered, "Yes."
Team RWBY all stepped back as the girl stood up. She had a strange, almost doll-like way of moving. Once she was on her feet, she beamed at them. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yang, recovering quickly, offered her a friendly smile. "Hey, Penny. I'm Yang."
"I'm Weiss," Weiss joined in, still a bit miffed about losing the Faunus.
"Blake," Blake said simply, her tone a little more reserved.
Ruby, still a bit dazed, tilted her head to the side. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine concern, before she felt a sharp jab in her ribs. Groaning, Ruby glared at Weiss, rubbing her side before crossing her arms. "I'm Ruby," she muttered.
"It's nice to meet you!" Penny said again, her voice as enthusiastic as before.
Ruby's eyes stared at the girl, confused. "You already said that."
"So I did!" Penny said, her smile widening as if she had just solved a puzzle.
A weary sigh escaped Weiss's lips. "Well, sorry for running into you," she said, her tone polite but clearly hoping to put an end to the bizarre encounter.
Ruby nodded, already backing away from the strange girl. She didn't care what came out of her mouth, as long as they could leave. "Take care, Friend," she said, a quick, almost reflexive farewell.
Team RWBY began to walk away, putting distance between themselves and the oddity. "She was... odd," Ruby said, shaking her head.
Shrugging, Weiss dismissed the thought and began to walk in the same direction they came from. "Now, where did that Faunus riff-raff run off to?" she muttered, her focus already back on the chase.
Suddenly, Weiss stopped dead in her tracks, causing Ruby to bump into her. "Hey! Watch where you stop--" Ruby's complaint died in her throat as she looked up.
Standing right in front of them, impossibly, was the same girl from before.
Penny's smile was gone, replaced by a strange, focused look. "What did you call me?" she asked, her voice quiet but intense.
Weiss's mouth opened and closed in silent disbelief. She pointed behind her, then back at the girl. "How did you--?" she stammered, unable to finish the sentence.
Ruby's brow furrowed. "How the hell did you hear me from all the way back there?" she asked, her voice a mix of shock and confusion.
Penny's head tilted, and she shook it in a very specific way. "Not that," she said, pointing a finger directly at Ruby. "You! You called me friend. Am I really your friend?" she asked, her eyes full of a childlike innocence and hope.
Ruby was about to deny it, but Yang quickly jumped in. "Yes," she said, a playful smirk on her face. "Yes, she did indeed call you friend."
Ruby glared at her long-lost sister, sighing in exasperation. "Yeah, sure, why not?" she muttered, surrendering to the inevitable.
Penny's face lit up with pure, unadulterated joy. "Sensational! We can paint our nails! And try on clothes! And talk about our interests!" she exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.
Weiss, unable to contain her amusement, began to snicker and scoff into her hand. Ruby groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "I think I've made a terrible mistake," she whined. Now her teammates were just openly laughing at her.
After a few moments, the laughter died down, leaving a heavy, awkward silence in its wake. Yang, sensing the need to change the subject, broke the quiet. "Soo, what are you doing in Vale?" she asked, a friendly smile on her face.
Penny beamed, her hands clasped together in excitement. "I'm here to fight in the tournament!" she announced.
Weiss's expression shifted from amusement to disbelief. "Wait... you're fighting in the tournament?" she questioned, looking at the girl's unusual attire and innocent demeanor.
Penny nodded, her smile unwavering. "I'm combat ready!" she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part," Weiss said, her haughty tone returning.
Ruby scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Says the girl wearing a dress," she muttered.
"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss interjected, her cheeks reddening with indignation.
Ruby just rolled her eyes, a simple gesture that conveyed a lifetime of exasperation. "Whatever," she said.
Weiss glared at Ruby, but her attention quickly snapped back to Penny. "Wait a minute! If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?" she asked, her voice filled with a suspicious urgency.
"The who?" Penny asked, genuinely confused.
Weiss's eyes narrowed, and she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. She held it up, revealing a truly ugly, hastily-drawn picture of the monkey Faunus. "The filthy Faunus from the boat!" she said.
Suddenly, Blake's voice, usually a calm and quiet presence, was sharp and raised, cutting through the conversation. "Why do you keep saying that?" she demanded.
Weiss looked at her, taken aback by the sudden anger. "Huh?"
"Stop calling him a rapscallion. Stop calling him a degenerate. He's a person!" Blake insisted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes, releasing her grasp on Penny and walking over to Blake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this railing as a railing?" she said, her voice dripping with condescension.
"Stop it!" Blake's anger grew, her voice trembling with the effort to contain her rage.
"Stop what? He clearly broke the law! Give him time, and he'll probably join up with the White Fang!" Weiss said, her voice rising to a shrill pitch.
"You ignorant little brat!" Blake snarled, her eyes burning with fury. The anger was too much. She turned on her heel and stormed away from the group, unable to stand the cruelty of Weiss's words.
"Hey! Get back here! We're not done!" Weiss shouted, running after her.
Ruby and Yang were left standing in the street, staring at each other, worry etched into their features. The lighthearted moment had been shattered, replaced by a painful, raw tension. With a shared look, they followed after their two friends, their carefree afternoon forgotten.
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Later that day, the argument continued the moment Blake and Weiss stepped back into the dorm room. The air was thick with tension, and the two girls were a storm of mutual animosity. Ruby and Yang stood on the sidelines, helpless observers to the heated exchange.
"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss said, her voice a high-pitched snarl.
"That is the problem!" Blake growled, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.
"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you?" Weiss said, her words laced with venom. "The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!"
"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake snapped back, her voice rising. "Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"
The words hit Weiss like a physical blow. She recoiled, her face falling. "People like me?" she whispered, her voice laced with hurt.
"You're discriminatory!" Blake shouted, her rage boiling over.
"I'm a victim!" Weiss said, her voice cracking with the confession. A sudden, unexpected pain flashed in her eyes, and her face crumpled into a genuine, aching frown.
The room fell into a stunned silence. Yang and Ruby stared at Weiss, and even Blake's angry eyes softened with a look of profound sadness. Weiss, unable to stand their silent stares, crossed her arms tightly and walked to the window, staring out at the darkening sky.
"You want to know why I despise the White Fang?" she started, her voice now a low, bitter whisper. "Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" Her arms tightened around her as if she were trying to hold herself together. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. A real war, with actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I care to remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car full of Dust... stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious, and that made for a very difficult childhood." With a final, furious outburst, her hand slammed against the window sill.
Ruby, a strange, empathetic feeling beating in her chest, took a tentative step towards Weiss and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Weiss looked at her, her eyes searching Ruby's for a sign of understanding.
"Weiss... I--" Ruby started, her voice filled with a desperate desire to offer comfort.
But Weiss pulled away, her eyes now fixed on Blake, filled with a renewed bitterness. "Do you want to know why I despise the White Fang?" she repeated, her voice laced with the pain of her past. "Because they have caused me pain my entire life, and they're nothing but law-breakers, scum, thieves, and cheats!"
Blake stared at her, her hands turning into fists, tears welling in her eyes as she heard the cruel words. "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!!!" she screamed.
The single word we stopped everyone in their tracks. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss all looked at Blake, their eyes wide with the realization of what she had just said.
Blake's mouth opened as if to say something more, but she quickly snapped it shut, her face a mask of shock and regret. Without a word, she spun on her heel and ran, her Faunus speed making her a blur as she shot out the door.
Without hesitation, Ruby ran after her. Of everyone on her team, Ruby was the one who understood what Blake was going through the most, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her friend.
Weiss watched Ruby go, her heart sinking. She finally understood the full weight of her words, and for a moment, she regretted what she had said to Blake, knowing it might have hurt Ruby as well.
Blake ran until she reached a large statue in front of the school. Her feet came to a sudden halt, and she looked up at the towering figure, tears streaming down her face. With a trembling hand, she reached up and pulled at her bow, ripping it off. It revealed what she had been hiding all this time: two long, black cat ears.
"So that's what you look like without a bow," a new voice said.
Startled, Blake spun around. There were two voices. Two people. Ruby stood a few feet away, her chest heaving, and beside her was the monkey Faunus from the docks, his hands on top of his head, a playful smirk on his face.
Ruby glared at the boy, her eyes narrowed. "Hey! What are you doing here?!" she growled.
"Just passing through," he said with a laugh. As Ruby continued to glare at him, Blake looked between the two, a sad, tearful smile appearing on her lips.
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A full weekend had passed since the fight. The morning light, a soft, pale gray, filtered through the dorm window, painting a muted stillness over everything. Yang slowly opened her eyes, the familiar gloss of sleep clinging to them. She let out a long, slow yawn that stretched her jaw, the sound echoing in the unnatural quiet of the room.
Sitting up, she pushed herself against the headboard and looked across the space. Her gaze fell first on Ruby's bed, a lump of blankets still unmade and unoccupied. Her younger sister's chaotic energy was a profound absence, and the silence of the room was a heavy, tangible presence. Her eyes then moved to the neat, empty space where Blake's bed stood.
A full two days had gone by, and neither of them had returned. The fight had left a deep, painful rift in their team, and the physical emptiness of the room was a constant, aching reminder of the friendships left fractured in its wake.
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A heavy silence fell between Yang and Weiss as they walked down the bustling streets of Vale. The vibrant decorations of the Vytal Festival, once a source of excitement, now felt like a hollow mockery of their current mood. The absence of their two teammates was a tangible weight they both carried, a constant, aching reminder of the rift that had formed in their group.
After a long moment, Yang broke the silence, her voice quiet and strained. "They've been gone for two weekend now... I'm starting to worry," she confessed, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. The thought of her sister, whom she had only recently found again, out in the world alone with her internal demons, was a constant ache in her chest.
Weiss offered a dismissive sigh, though her eyes betrayed a hint of her own concern. "They're big girls, I'm sure they can handle themselves," she said, her voice attempting to be reassuring. "I know you're worried about Ruby, but come on, she's strong enough to take care of herself and her teammate. She's our leader, remember?"
Yang let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair. "You can stand to be a bit more caring, you know," she said, her tone a mix of frustration and hurt. "Either way, they are still our teammates. We can't let them do this alone, so we gotta find them."
Weiss's arms crossed tightly over her chest, a silent, defensive posture. "Even Blake?" she asked, her voice laced with a cold, hesitant resentment that showed her prejudice was still very much a part of her.
Yang's eyes narrowed, and she stopped walking, turning to face Weiss with a sharp, unwavering glare. The look was a silent, powerful condemnation of Weiss's question. "Yes," she answered, her voice low and firm. "Even Blake."
The two girls stared at each other for a long moment, the tension between them a physical force. Then, without another word, they turned and began to look around, their shared mission forcing them to put their differences aside, at least for now.
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The air inside the small coffee shop was warm and smelled of roasted beans and sugar. It was a comforting atmosphere, but it did little to ease the tension that sat heavy at the small, round table. Ruby, Blake, and the monkey Faunus, whose name they now knew was Sun, were each sipping on a hot drink.
Ruby's posture was stiff, her hands stuffed deep into her jean pockets. Her eyes, usually so full of youthful energy, were narrowed with a deep-seated mistrust as she stared at Sun. She didn't want him there, a new and unpredictable element to a situation that was already spiraling out of control. But for Blake's sake-for the sake of the friend she had almost lost-she would deal with him.
After a long moment of silence, Blake took a deep breath. She set her coffee cup down with a soft click and looked first at Ruby, then at the boy she had just met but had already come to trust. "You wanna know more about me?" she asked, her voice quiet but firm.
Ruby nodded, her gaze fixed on her friend. But her eyes flickered over to Sun for just a moment, watching as he effortlessly brought his coffee cup to his lips using his prehensile tail. A new kind of bewilderment briefly replaced her suspicion.
She let out a subtle sigh, a small, internal surrender. This was going to be a long day.