All the first-year students had gathered in the ballroom to sleep that night.

Well, only a few were actually sleeping yet, most were up talking or fooling around still. Lounging comfortably in her black pajamas, Blake had tucked herself away to the darkest corner of the room, completely engrossed in her book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Conveniently, being a faunus possessed the benefit of being able to see clearly in the dark, otherwise reading would be near impossible.

"Hey Blakey-poo?" Cid inquired in a teasing tone.

"Yes, Cid?" She answered quietly.

"Are you aware of the irony in the book you're currently reading?"

Blake sighed, "...Yes, Cid."

A tendril of hair on both sides of the faunus's head flopped upwards and down again as if Cid was throwing his arms in the air out of frustration. His voice was a bit too loud for Blake's comfort, "Jeez, why have you been so moody lately? You're no fun at all! Is it that time of the-"

'Shut up! People are trying to sleep! And you know being around so many people puts me on edge.' She thought back quickly.

"Well, you're gonna need to step off of that edge and into the real world like a normal person eventually, Blake." He countered.

'Says the magical blob creature living atop his sister's head pretending to be a bow and hair!'

"Says the faunus who doesn't even let anyone see under said bow and hair!"

'Don't make me start wearing a hat.'

Cid gasped, "...You wouldn't..." There was betrayal in his voice.

'...I would...'

"...That's cold, Sis."

A lengthy silence befell the two. Blake wasn't sure when her focus had fallen away from reading the book in her hands to starting to think about earlier that morning. Reflecting upon the assembly made her wonder about the 'initiation' first thing tomorrow morning. She pondered what it would actually be like. Would the students be training with the teachers? Maybe even professional huntsmen? Perhaps, even dueling each other? Either way, she wasn't nervous about the test, being very confident in her skills. The only thing that did made her anxious was the other people, and... maybe the fact that Cid was so reckless at times.

She thought about Cid...

She pondered their parasitic relationship. The two of them were not normal. They were not ordinary siblings, especially him. They knew this, but their parents had cared for them both all the same. They couldn't stress how much they were loved equally, even though Cid sometimes couldn't help but feel otherwise, given his form. When Blake and Cid were born, their parents were very aware that their lives would never be the same, and not in the standard way a parent's life is changed the day their children are born. This was unheard of. They were terrified that this would paint a target on their children's back for ridicule, abuse, or even worse...

"Awww, are you thinking about me, Blake?" He teased.

"Shut up, Cid," she playfully shot back. "How many times do I have to ask you to stay out of my head?"

"Umm, kind of hard to do, considering how I'm- "

"You know what I mean," she cut in, effectively silencing her brother. Literally inseparable, they got on each other's nerves quite often, but even so, they undoubtedly loved each other.

"Oh, Blake, look! Guess who's awake?" Cid prodded and pointed to a figure in the center of the room.

"Who?"

"It's your best friend!" He said in a suspiciously cheerful tone.

The faunus peeked over at the subject of Cid's attention. Now that most of the students had lied down and drifted off into a deep slumber, she was able to clearly see the back of Ruby's head who was still awake conversing with someone Blake couldn't see. "So?" She plainly asked, ignoring the frivolousness of his remark.

"Sooo, you should go talk to her, duh."

"No, thanks. My lack of social skills combined with hers make for terribly awkward conversation," she explained.

"Aww, come on, Blake. It really isn't that bad, just give her a chance!"

"Do I need to jog your memory of how lunch together was?"

Blake started to recall upon their lunch from that day so as to paint a vivid reminder for Cid. They had been mostly silent for the majority of their meals together. "Sooo, uhh, Blake...I see you're eating a, uhh, tuna fish sandwich," Ruby nervously managed.

"...That's correct," she responded frankly.

"It, umm- how is it? ...Do you like tuna a lot?"

"Yes..." Attempting to add to the conversation, Blake eyed Ruby's half-spilled carton of milk. "Do you... ...like milk a lot?"

Ruby noticeably perked up, "Oh, yeah! I drink it all the time. It's helping me grow up to be real strong!"

"...Okay..."

"Alright, alright- So she's a little weird. I guess that one's on me," Cid conceded as he grabbed her cheeks with two locks of hair, trying to break the mental image. "But that's hardly any reason to-"

"Forget it." Blake swatted him away.

"But you know that teams are gonna be formed soon. You need to be on one."

"We don't even know how the teams will be formed yet, Cid. I'll figure that out tomorrow. And besides, everyone's sleeping right now, so we should just be quiet..." she argued. "I wouldn't even know how to go about beginning a conversation. Just walk on over and enthusiastically say 'hello' like an idiot?"

"... ...Yesss?" He dragged out his answer as if it was the silliest question he'd ever seriously been asked.

"That's stupid."

"Blake!..." Cid cried, showing his frustration. He stayed still for a moment pondering to himself until an idea had come to him. "I might know of an easy way to get a conversation going."

"Not interested."

Without warning, Blake's book was being forcefully ripped from her hands and subsequently slung across the the room towards Ruby. "Yeet!"

A small thud and, "oof!" was heard.

"Hey! What the hell?" This voice did not seem to belong to Ruby.

The dark haired girl found anxiety quickly swelling up inside her. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to just shrink so deep into her little corner to disappear and never be found again. "Cid, why are you doing this to me?" She desperately pleaded as silently as she could.

"This is for your own good," he declared confidently. "Now, go get your book!"

It took a moment for the faunus to gather herself enough to swallow down her apprehension and make her way over to the victim of Cid's antics. Cautiously nearing the scene of the crime, Blake could see Ruby, who was lying on the floor in a daze, and her interlocutor leaning over her, both in their pajamas. There was something moderately familiar about this girl tending to Ruby.

The long, blonde hair draped over her shoulder helped to mask her face until she finally peered up towards the figure that had approached her.

Blake froze. A surprised expression found itself upon both of their faces, neither uttering a word.

Cid leaned in closely to the cat-like ears, "Hey, that's that hot chick you were staring at today!" He whispered as if he was making a groundbreaking discovery.

'I'm painfully aware, Cid... I mean- shut up! I wasn't staring.' she retorted.

"Yeah, you right. More like ogling."

Yearning to break the awkward silence, the blonde haired girl began, "You're... that girl from earlier that was-"

"I'm... really sorry about this!" Blake cut in, definitely not wanting her to finish that sentence.

"What happened?" She questioned.

"What?"

"Well, I mean- you pegged my sister in the head pretty good here. I assume it was an accident. Unless... there's a particular reason you don't like her?" The girl calmly asked, as if this was not out of the ordinary. "You wouldn't be the first person she's annoyed today." She gave a hushed chuckle.

"Oh, shit! She's Ruby's sister," Cid quietly said, feeling the need to give play-by-play commentary.

Not knowing how to respond to the blonde's question of why her sister had been assaulted, Blake found herself fumbling over an answer, "Well, I-I... Umm, I tripped..."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You tripped?"

"I... yes... and the book went flying..."

"...Right." She spoke playfully with a smile.

Desperately wanting to change the subject, Blake kneeled over the still-comatose Ruby, redirecting their attention to her. "Why didn't her aura protect her?"

"Oh," her skeptic demeanor turned to one of kindness and warmth. "We were a little late getting here. We just came back from a bit of sparring with each other. I guess I kind of went a little overboard and ended up draining it," she murmured, scratching the back of her head. "But, you don't need to worry about her, she's tough. She'll be fine." The girl returned her eyes to the faunus with a smile. "I'm Yang."

She hardly knew her, but there was a certain brightness about Yang that seemed to attract her gaze. "...I'm Blake."

"Blake...? Hmmm..." Eyebrows slightly furrowed, Yang's eyes and focus drifted away for a brief moment. "Ohhh! You were that awkward girl who eats a lot-" She paused, catching herself before saying something further embarrassing. "I-I mean, you were that girl with the crazy-cool hair Ruby told me about! What a weird coincidence that you'd end up bashing her head on the same day!" Yang let out a soft, embarrassed snicker, seemingly not questioning whether it was actually a coincidence or not.

Blake gave a nervous hum, attempting to offer a small smile. "Ehh, right... Small world."

"Welllllllll, Blake..." the blonde continued with a mischievous grin in a smooth, flirtatious manner. "Why don't you go grab your sleeping bag and pillow and cozy on up to little, old Yang over here?"

"What? Why?" she inquired. There was something about this blonde haired girl that Blake couldn't quite put her finger on. Something about the way she was easily relieving the anxiety that constricted her just moments ago. Something that screamed trust. Something... relaxing?

And yet, Blake found she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, it was racing.

"Well, I mean, you did just knock out my conversation partner. And I'm not really tired enough to go to sleep yet. So how's about you hang with me? Or... should I say, Yang with me?" She said proudly, waiting for a response with an expectant face.

Blake was only able to reciprocate the terrible pun with an expressionless stare.

Yang could see her joke had missed the target by a wide margin. "Okay, okay, that was bad," she yielded. "I won't do anymore, so will you just go get your stuff already?"

The faunus stopped and pondered for a moment. 'Just say no,' was her usual line of thinking when it came to any social interaction opportunities offering itself up to her, and, if she was being honest with herself, it was still the instinctive thing to do. But, there was something tugging at her this time, Blake wasn't sure why. Was Cid's incessant pushing to make friends finally creating a breakthrough? Was he, at last, seeping through the cracks? Perhaps, tearing down a wall that she had been trying so hard to maintain? Or, could it have possibly been this girl who was effortlessly doing that job?

She knew that somewhere inside of her, some part of her did want to say yes. "I... I'm sorry." But the need to run was stronger. Blake swiftly turned around and commenced a hasty retreat back to her dark corner, feeling the eyes of the other girl scrutinizing her every step.

What was this feeling? There was a dull pain in her chest and a bit of uneasiness in her stomach as she made her way to safety. But, what was this other feeling that drove her away?

"Hmm..." Cid started. A tendril of hair audibly morphed into something resembling a hand and began to stroke just under his face as if entering a 'thinking' pose. "I'm surprised, Blake."

"I don't want to hear it," the dark haired girl muttered gently, feeling defeated.

"No, no, I was actually going to say that I'm impressed."

Her faunus ears would have perked up, had they not been covered. "...By what? I said no, didn't I?"

"Well, yes, but you actually thought about it, right?"

Blake hesitated then cleared her throat. "So?"

"I don't know." Cid really just wanted to spur some reflecting on her part. "That's just... kind of weird for you, innit?"

And it worked. The faunus had finished the trip back to her sleeping bag. Bending down and sitting idly on her knees for a moment, still facing the corner, she began perusing through her thoughts. He had been correct in suggesting that it was odd for Blake to not just outright say no upon being invited over to talk with Yang, but it was normal for anyone to want to be social every now and then, right?

So then, why was she running away again? Just like always, Blake would find herself alone drifting through her thoughts while her brother would usually try to play therapist despite her constantly telling him to stay out of her mind. Her cat ears flattened backwards beneath Cid's pseudo-bow. She felt terrible and, frankly, wasn't entirely sure why.

Wearing an impish smirk, Cid opened his mouth again. "By the way..."

"What?" Blake quietly demanded, clearly vexed and not inclined to be played with.

"You were so flustered, you didn't remember to actually grab your book."

She gasped inaudibly. '...Oh, no..'

If it hadn't been for her faunus ears being covered, she may have noticed the presence behind her. "Blake." Startled, the dark haired girl spun around, landing on her tail bone, back up against the wall. She looked up to greet the familiar figure with her own spooked face.

"Ah, sorry!" Raising her hands up in an apologetic motion, Yang kneeled down to match her height. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you forgot your book," she said, holding it out.

Blake stayed mute, not knowing what to say. She could tell that Yang was having a very difficult time reading her features in the dark, but had no trouble herself seeing the blonde's unsure smile. She studied the pale, calloused hands holding her novel. Several mostly healed cuts and bruises covered them, likely mended by her aura after the sisters' training session earlier. Grabbing the offered book, she didn't remove her eyes from it as she sat up, fixing her posture.

Feeling uneasy with the extended lack of words exchanged, Yang started again, "Were you, umm... reading your book in this darkness?"

"Uhh..." Her gaze drifted up to meet the other's. Not knowing what to say once more, she gave an uncertain hum. Blake was unquestionably not fond of the idea of her faunus identity being revealed to anyone; she needed an excuse again, and fast. "I was-... I had lit a candle. It... It must've gone out when I got up and hurried over."

Blake noticed Yang's eyes immediately begin squinting, subtly searching through the darkness, probably for any sight of the aforementioned candle. She wasn't sure just exactly how well the human girl could see in their surroundings, but it was definitely nerve-wracking.

To her, a diversion was dire. "Umm, so, tomorrow...!" She blurted out, catching her attention once again. "What do you think about the initiation...? Are you nervous?"

Yang's face reclaimed that amiable grin and gave a dismissive laugh. "Nah, I'm not worried at all! And, with your bad-ass semblance, you shouldn't be either." She leaned in. "Honestly, I'm kind of excited to see it in action," she whispered, unknowingly eliciting a slight blush from Blake. Yang backed away again as she stood up. "Well, anyways- I should be heading to bed and probably check to see if Ruby's come out of her coma yet. And, who knows? Maybe we'll see you again tomorrow." Still smiling, she politely said, "it was nice to meet you, Blake," and began walking back to where she came.

Cid immediately chimed in, "Don't let her get away! Tell her you want to be on her and Ruby's team!"

Without thinking, "Yang!" Blake heard herself call out, prompting her to turn again. She was taken aback by her own impulsiveness.

"Sup?" Yang asked curiously, also surprised.

Hesitating for a moment, she finally came out with, "...Thank you."

She now spoke softly as those gentle eyes would finally look away from Blake for the last time that night. "...Anytime, Blake."

Cid waited for Yang to be out of earshot before speaking loudly, "What the hell? That's not what I said for you to tell her at all! Now what are you-"

Blake was too busy staring at the cover of her book, deciphering her feelings to hear what he had to say. Her heart hurt for lying so much. Lying to Ruby about her semblance and Cid's existence... Lying to Yang about hitting her sister in the head... Lying to her about the candle...

But, aside from that, she was also feeling good, and that was the odd part. Just before Yang had come back to hand over the forgotten book, she felt awful... Alone... Confused...

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Cid demanded to know.

"No." The faunus stoically stated.

"...Well, at least you're honest." He was becoming a little nosy. "What you thinking, Blake?"

"Stay out of my thoughts, Cid."

"Hmmm, I shall respectfully honor your request, dear sister." A handful of hair from the back of her head started seeping down, once again changing. This time morphing into an arm that he would lay around her shoulder. He decided to drop the playful tone and instead, adopt one sincere."But, you know you can talk to me, Blake... You know that, right?"

Moving out of his grasp and into her sleeping bag, she shook her head faintly. Her inner voice was soft, 'There's nothing to talk about.'

He knew there was no chance of getting anything else out of her tonight, and he'd already promised not to dive into her thoughts. "Alright... ...if you say so."

'Let's just go to sleep.'