Weiss skidded to a halt on the stone floor, her ears ringing from the force of the ice explosion that had sent her flying as she closed her eyes. At first, she felt nothing, mostly because the cold had numbed her nerves somewhat, and if it hadn't been for the scream she had let loose, Weiss probably would have thought she had died.

No, Weiss was fairly sure she wasn't dead, because the next thing she felt was that exquisite feeling of having your stomach poked with a sharp blade.

It was a little sad that Weiss was familiar with that, but hey, at least she was alive. True, her bones were hurting something awful from that...umm...Person summon...thing whack her a few times, and she wasn't happy about being encased in ice, but when you lived with a hyperactive speedster who crashed into you at high velocity, and you used to live in the literal frozen sky of the world, you kinda got used to both over time. So, that was good practice, sort of.

Still, ow.

On the bright side though, Weiss was fairly sure she had no internal damage, and her Aura, whenever it came back, would be able to heal whatever wounds that...what was her name again? Mit...uru? Mituru? She never quite caught that red haired, rapier user's name.

Speaking of, where was she? Weiss tried to listen for something, anything, but the ringing in her ears was like that time when she had to block a literal wall from smashing into her face from that time on the train. It was okay, she could handle this. Just take a few deep breaths….

Wait, as that redhead still nearby?

A cold, sharp spike of panic shot into Weiss' spine, did the redhead with the amazing figure think she was dead? That would be good, that meant Weiss could get away once the coast was clear. She heard of this tactic, playing possum, was it? Blake told her about it once, that sometimes animals in the wild used it to trick predators into leaving them alone. Maybe Weiss could use it.

Yeah, she faked smiles all the time, how hard it could it be to play dead?

Weiss would've allowed herself a smile, but corpses didn't smile. Unless...wait, Weiss thought for a moment. Did her eyes have to be open or closed? She heard that people sometimes had their eyes open when they died, or was that only in the movies? Wait, what about her position? Did she need to make some sort of pose? She was laying pretty still, with no weird limb rotations. Was that too normal?

Curses, what would Yang do in this situation?

….Probably make a pun, then scamper off while the opponent was frustrated.

Okay, what would Blake do?

….Probably get saved by Yang.

Ruby?

Silver eyes of death, probably.

Okay, she was out of options. Still, her ears were still deaf, and she needed to see what was going on. Time to take risk! Despite how often that never seemed to work out, risks were a part of the Schnee lifestyle!

Besides, she didn't have to open her eyes all the way, just enough to see!

Satisfied with this plan, Weiss dared to open her eyes just a smidgen.

And saw the gorgeous redhead standing over her, talking into a phone.

What would Qrow say at a time like this, probably something along the lines of "Well, shit."

Mitsuru Kirijo nodded once, "No, I'm fine. Just had to take care of some trouble." She gazed down at the fallen form of Weiss Schnee, who was either shaking off the effects of her Nilfheim, or just trying to play dead and failing at it.

Bodies, of course, did not shift into adorable facial expressions like they were trying to figure a math problem.

On the other side of her conversation, Aegis gave her a "Affirmative." Then closed the line. Pocketing her phone, Mitsuru shook her head and kneeled down.

She thought for a moment, how should she play this?

On one hand, she had just stabbed this person, and most people understandably weren't too happy about that. Still, it wasn't a fatal blow...she thinks. The people she used it on, mainly Akihiko, usually bounced back up in a few seconds. Then again, Akihiko was a freak of nature in every category, so that was probably a bad measure to scale by.

On the other, well...maybe that's just how people greeted each other from where-ever Weiss was from? Maybe not, but it was worth a shot.

Oh, Mitsuru nodded to herself as a thought struck her. Pulling out her evoker, Mitsuru put it to her head and pulled the trigger.

"Persona!" She yelled, somewhat reflexively.

Next to her, Artemisia flared to life, and she swore there was a sharp intake of breath from the fallen Weiss. After a moment of scanning, Mitsuru nodded, Weiss was down and out, but had about one Hit Points left. Far from dead, still, that raised the question of what to do next.

Capture, release, or kill?

...Well, it had been a good fight, and the thought of killing a disarmed opponent left a bad taste in Mitsuru's mouth. Sometimes, she was called an Executioner, but that just meant she finished battles quickly, she didn't actually kill off helpless victims...did she?

Pushing that thought of her mind, Mitsuru gently placed a hand on Weiss's neck, to confirm a pulse. A more mundane way of checking a person's health, but at least it showed that she wasn't fool by Weiss' trick.

True to form, Weiss slightly recoiled at Mitsuru's touch. Well, that was triple whammy if there ever was one.

"Ms. Schnee," Mitsuru said, "You can get up now."

Weiss didn't move a muscle, trying to appear as still as poosible.

"... ," Mitsuru repeated after a pause, "I know you're still alive, your health bar isn't drained just yet."

"What health ba-" Mitsuru smiled slightly as Weiss, now fully awake, looked at her with wide eyes and shrunken pupils, "Oh...um…"

Weiss immediately closed her eyes again and held her breath, causing Mitsuru to shake her head, "Well, at least you're determined." She mused.

After a few more seconds of waiting Weiss slowly opened her eyes and sat up under her own power, "What do you want?" She asked, her tone cold. Mitsuru attributed that to having just woken up by the person who beat you down, she had been there herself once or twice. Not fun.

Mitsuru placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder, "You can relax, I mean you no further harm."

Weiss looked down towards her stomach, where a stab wound could be seen, "...Forgive me if I don't believe you."

"Mhh...Fair enough." Mitsuru, after a moment, sat down next to Weiss, who naturally flinched at the contact. In an effort to appear fair, Mitsuru scooted herself an inch away to give Weiss some space.

"...So…" Weiss rubbed a hand over her stomach, "...Would you believe me that this is the second time I've been stabbed?"

Mitsuru blinked, "Do you mean…" She ran a finger over her left eye, mirroring Weiss'.

Weiss giggled slightly, then placed a hand over her left eye, "No, this...this came from a test my father planned."

Mitsuru had to pause after hearing that, "Your father did that to you?"

Weiss shook her head, "No, I had to fight a possessed Grimm, that...big knight you blew up." She looked away, "I-I won, obviously, but…"

Mitsuru paused for a minute, then he reached out for Weiss, but quietly pulled her hand back. After a moment, she spoke again, "...My father entrusted me to fight Shadows when I was a little girl."

Weiss snorted, "Wow, my father wanted me to be a trophy doll, all smiles, no substance."

Mitsuru smiled, "I've lost count of the number of suitors I've had that wanted just that."

Weiss turned to her, "I know, right?! They just..want me to stand there and look pretty." She exclaimed happily, then flinched, clutching her stomach. "Ow...Heh." Weiss glanced at Mitsuru, "You know, this isn't my worst stabbing."

"..." Mitsuru looked at Weiss for a moment, who coughed awkwardly, "I think you should work on your phrasing Ms. Schnee."

"...How do you know my name?" Weiss asked after a pause.

Mitsuru blinked, "Ah, my Persona...it gives me information regarding opponents."

"Oh." Weiss looked suddenly deflated, "I see."

"...It was a good fight." Mitsuru tried, "You fought well."

Weiss chuckled, but Mitsuru could tell it was bitter, "Actually, I've err...never managed to win a one on one fight."

Mitsuru blinked, "Really?"

"I don't know what it is, I just…" Weiss sighed, "I guess I work better in a team."

Mitsuru closed her eyes, "Multiplication, not addition."

"I'm sorry?"

Mitsuru looked back at Weiss, and tried to give her a smile, "Sometimes, some people work better with others then by themselves, hence multiplication."

"Oh." Weiss nodded, "...That doesn't make me feel better, but thanks."

"Don't mention it."

An awkward silence fell on them. Mitsuru looked away from Weiss for a minute, trying to think of what to do next, but before she could even begin a sentence, Weiss spoke.

"Hey, where's Myrtenaster?" Weiss asked, looking around for her fallen weapon.

"Oh, is that how you say it?" Mitsuru found herself asking.

Weiss glared at her, "I've heard plenty of misnaming from my friends thank you very much, I don't intend to…" Her gaze fell over to her fallen weapon, which laid on the ground in two pieces. "You broke it." Weiss said, her tone hollow.

Mitsuru winced, "Yes, I did."

"You broke it." Weiss repeated in a daze.

"Allow me to apologize for-"

Weiss leaned forward, cupping her face in her hands, "Uuuuggggghhh...Can this day get any worse?"

Mitsuru was about to respond, then, of all things, a song began to play from on Weiss's person.

"I BURN!"

With one smooth, practiced motion, Weiss pulled out a small, white device and flipped it open. Mitsuru figured that it was her equivalent of a phone, going by the way she quickly spoke into it.

"Hey Yang, no, no, I'm fine." Weiss spoke, "I just...ran into some trouble. Turns out, I'm not the only one who knows how to use a rapier…" Whoever was on the other end must have said something stupid, Mitsuru mused, because Weiss made a face that looked like Yukari's whenever Junpei was...well, Junpei. "Anyway...yeah, yeah...I'll see you soon. Bye." Hanging up, Weiss looked at Mitsuru and coughed, "So...um...Can I go?"

Mitsuru thought for a moment, "Well, I did break your weapon, so I assume you're of no threat to me…"

"Gee, thanks." Weiss said dryly.

"So, yes. You can go." Mitsuru finished.

"Great!" Weiss made to stand up, only for her to wince and clutch her stomach as she sat back down, "Damn you Cinder…" She swore under her breath.

Despite the fact she wanted to know who this "Cinder" was, Mitsuru pushed it to the back of her mind, "Here, let me help you." She said, standing up and placing a hand on Weiss' arm.

"No, no, that's fin-e?" Before Weiss could finish, Mitsuru stood and pulled Weiss up to her feet quickly, catching Weiss when she stumbled forward in her grasp. "Ah-ha…" It dawned on Mitsuru that Weiss was actually a bit shorter than her by a few inches as she clung onto her for support.

"Are you okay?" Mitsuru asked.

Weiss just huffed, looking into Mitsuru's eyes, "I'm perfectly fine…" Weiss blinked for a moment, then said in a daze, "You have really pretty eyes."

Mitsuru paused; when did she use Marin Karin…?

Weiss however, quickly shook her head, "Uh...forget you heard that." She placed a hand on her head, "Post battle stress!"

"Quite." Mitsuru smiled, "And for the record, I think you have pretty eyes as well."

"Oh…" Weiss' face blushed hotly, and she said something under her breath that Mitsuru couldn't quite hear.

"So then," Mitsuru began, "I trust you can find your way back?"

"Yes..I can Ms…" Weiss blinked, "I don't think I ever got your name."

"Ah." Mitsuru blinked, "Kirijo M-...Apologies," She took in Weiss' outfit, westerner. "Mitsuru Kirijo." She finished.

"Oh...Weiss Schnee." Weiss smiled, "But you already know that, didn't you?"

Mitsuru smiled, "I know, I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Oh." Weiss looked away again, then took a step back. She appeared to be unsteady, but she stood, "I'll...uh, be going now."

"Of course." Mitsuru nodded, "Do you need any assistance?"

"No, I'm fine." Weiss said with a hasty breath. She limped over to where her weapon had fallen, and she slowly bent over to pick up the fallen pieces. She was in pain, obviously, but Mitsuru knew that she had her pride on the line, "This cost a lot, you know." She called over.

"The Kijiro group will pay for any damages." Mitsuru replied with a grin.

"Mh, and the SDC will have to file a complaint." Weiss returned.

What was the SDC? Mitsuru asked herself, but she shook her head and turned to walk away.

"Hey!"

Mitsuru looked over her shoulder, where Weiss was pointed the sword of Myrtenaster at her, trying to be as dramatic as possible, but the effect was lessened by the sight of Weiss struggling to keep the sword up, "The next time we meet, I will win! You got that?!"

Mitsuru smiled, she liked people with fire. "It's a date!" She called back, savoring the sight of Weiss turning completely red and letting out a sound like a deflating balloon.