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Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 49

Ruby didn't get out of bed the next morning.

Weiss had no idea what to do about it. Her roommate had been through something absolutely horrid, and while she'd also seen things that left her with nightmares she'd been behind the protections of the White and Crimson. Ruby had been in the middle of it all, and only escaped by the skin of her teeth. A little upset was to be expected.

What worried her more was when she came back from the cafeteria with a loaded tray of cooked breakfast, smoked bacon and fresh orange juice, only to have Ruby roll away from the deliciously smelling treats and say she wasn't hungry.

Ruby.

Not hungry.

There would have been a joke there were she not so worried.

"Can't you eat something?" she pleaded. "For me? You were in there for days on limited food. Just a slice of toast. How about some bacon?"

"I said I'm not hungry."

"I'll just leave it here." Weiss laid it on the bedside table. "The drink is still cool if you're thirsty. We've both got time off. Do you want to spend it outside today? It's a warm day, and you've not seen proper sunlight for a whole week."

Ruby's only answer was to tug her blankets tight around her and roll over. Weiss stared at her back, worry and indignation working itself together into a thick, jumbled mess of doubt. It didn't feel right to leave Ruby like this. It felt even less right to force her to do anything after what she'd been through.

In the end it was Ruby's silence that drove her away. Trying to talk about the Archives earned her silence. Trying to talk about the Collegium was no better. Even talking about Malneux earned nothing more than Ruby's back and shoulders. Weiss gave up after that, slowly standing up and staring down on her roommate.

"I'll leave you to yourself. Is – Is that what you want? I need an answer, Ruby, or I'm going to stick around talking-"

"It's what I want."

"Okay." Weiss sucked in a breath and was proud to see it didn't waver. "Okay, I… I'll give you some space. Please try and eat something if you can. I'll come back around lunch to see if you want to go out for it."

No answer. Weiss let herself out and closed the door, biting her bottom lip on the outside.

"Not exactly my forte," Coco said once Weiss finished explaining the situation. She was sat on a table in the common room reading through some assignment from the Amber Arcana. "Yatsuhashi. This is more your domain." The giant who had been studying next to her hummed inquisitively. "Come on, big man. Don't pretend you weren't listening in."

"I was not." His voice was low and even but surprisingly soft. "I cannot help but overhear what is said right in front of me, however."

"Then hit us with some insight. I'm sure Weiss won't mind who it's from."

"Not at all," she said.

"Hmm." Yatsuhashi set his book down and took a deep breath. "I would say your roommate has reason to desire solitude right now. A lack of appetite similarly should not be cause for worry, though if it continues to the evening, you may want to take a firmer tone with her."

"Do you think I should talk to the Emerald Arcana?"

"No. They are overly busy considering what happened. It is best not to worry them unless it is an emergency. Perhaps a distraction would be the better solution. Your friend may not wish to speak, but she will listen and may appreciate rescue from darker memories."

"Meaning I should read to her…?"

"Perhaps."

"Friends," Coco said, stepping in to explain. "If she's in a bad mood and doesn't want to talk, get someone else to help you do all the talking. Just being around people chatting might make her feel better. Least that's what I'm assuming you mean, Yats?"

Yatsuhashi shrugged. "It is one interpretation of it."

"You don't think she'll get angry if I do this?"

"Anger suggests passion she is lacking as of now. It might even be better if she does – it could give her a means to vent her fears and frustrations. No easier on you, I'm sure. Instead of trying to force her into talking with you, I would talk around her. Let her enter or stay out of the conversation as she wishes."

"I'm not the best at this kind of thing," Weiss admitted.

"Then find someone who is. If you lack expertise, seek those with it. If you lack knowledge, learn. To do nothing is to surrender before ever having made the attempt." He smiled at her warmly. "I do not believe you would show such little effort to your friend. Not if you were willing to seek us out in your worry."

Weiss' face warmed up at the compliment. That was probably his intent, but it worked and she wouldn't deny feeling better. "Thank you. And yes, I'm not giving up. I have a few ideas of who I can speak to. Please excuse me."

/-/

"News from the Collegium."

Yang almost stabbed herself in the eye when Blake came melting out the shadows like she'd lived in them her whole life. Swearing colourfully, she stabbed the knife down into the wood of the table and twisted to glare at her occasional housemate, constant annoyance. "A little warning would be nice next time, yeah?"

"Sorry." Blake strolled around the table and took Ruby's old chair. "I'll try again. Warning! News from the Collegium."

"Fuck you so much. If you hadn't nursed me back from that sickness…"

"And saved your life on the wall."

"And that…"

"And saved Ruby against the huntsmen-"

"Okay, I'm calling bullshit on that one. You don't get to claim credit for saving someone from the shit you put them in. You get saving me and finding us a place to stay, plus caring for me when I was sick." Grudgingly, Yang pulled the knife free and didn't stick it in the Arcanist opposite her. "And I'm trying my best to be nice because of it."

"This is you being nice?"

"I only said I was trying. Anyway, what news? It better be good news for a change."

"Astonishingly enough, it is."

Huh. Well damn, that was new. Yang allowed herself to unwind not that she could be reasonably assured it wasn't Ruby in any danger. Blake would have led with that – or skipped town entirely. If Ruby went down, there was no reason for her to stay and get ripped a new one by Yang.

Part of her kept expecting Blake to leave and never come back. To be honest, she wasn't sure what she thought about that. Life would be a lot easier without Blake and all this Menagerie business was none of her and Ruby's concern, and yet at the same time the other woman's presence was growing on her. Like mould or some terrible infection. Am I so lonely from Ruby not being around that I'm adopting a stray cat now? Fuck me.

"Alright," Yang said. "I'm interested. They've been quiet of late. Suspiciously so. And how did you get this news anyway? I thought they had a lid on secrets sealed tight."

"They do. I didn't get this from anyone; I worked it out using my own eyes. Up in the Merchant's Quarter," she said. "There's a whole lot of Arcanists wandering around. Not our usual friends looking for a Wildmage either. Just your average everyday Arcanists going about shopping, walking around and drinking in taverns. The merchants are having a field day with all that money coming on down."

She could imagine. Since most Arcanists were nobles or wealthy families they would be bringing a lot of lien down from the Upper Districts. "I don't see why that's such a big deal though. Arcanists aren't that rare in the Merchant's Quarter. Ruby used to go on about them whenever she saw some. Couldn't shut her up."

"It's the first time they've been seen since the floods."

"That's not unusual either. Most everyone waits until the water is gone to come down from their ivory towers. You wouldn't want to catch something off those filthy Dredgers. It's part of the reason why the Merchants were so keen to be rid of us."

"Profit over people's lives. Disgusting…"

Normal, more like. Yang refused to believe Menagerie had been any different, but then Blake was a noble and they got to see the nice, sparkly side of society. To them, helping someone at cost to themselves was a hobby that made them feel better. It was no sacrifice like it would be her and Ruby taking on a sickly child and all three of them starving to death.

Everyone had to look out for themselves. The bakers had to charge money for bread so they could afford to feed themselves and keep baking. The butchers had to break the fingers of thieving kids because if they didn't, the news would spread they were a soft touch and every starving child from the farms to the walls would be hounding their door driving off customers and stealing whatever wasn't nailed down. And those kids had to steal, just as she and Ruby used to have to.

It was life. If any one of those links in the chain broke, everyone died. If the butcher went out of business, kids that might have been able to scavenge scraps for food went hungry, and if they went hungry and died on the streets, more disease came. If the alchemists and doctors didn't peddle drugs to keep their funds up, they wouldn't have the resources to fight said diseases. The slums sucked – Yang would be the first to admit that – but it worked. It had to or everyone would have died the first time the floods came around. It was all too easy for someone like Blake to say it was wrong. Someone who'd grown up without having to experience it.

"Forget that," Yang snapped. "What's the big deal with the Arcanists coming down again? Not just the fact they're appearing, I hope."

"Not just that. There are a lot of them drinking in the taverns and eating out – an unusually large number of them. The Collegium has its own restaurants inside it, but you'd eat out for a change – because you're tired of eating the same cooked food day after day."

"Sounds fucking terrible," Yang snarled, stabbing a bit of stale bread Blake's way. "And here I am having to eat around the hard bits that'd break teeth. Damn, Blake. I feel sorry for them. Can you imagine having to eat full meals of fine food day after day?"

"It's idiotic, I know, but the point I'm making is that they're all coming out now. Tonight. The timing is too specific for literally a hundred or more Arcanists to suddenly decide they're tired of eating the same thing." Blake leaned forward, tapping a finger on the table. "They've lifted the lockdown."

Yang stilled. "Y-You're sure?"

"Only thing I can see. The wall is about half done. It's not finished, but no one is going to wander in and out when it's already thirty feet tall. I swung by the wall between the Merchant and Upper District and I could see the gates to the Collegium. They were open. Add that to all the Arcanists suddenly free to come visit the city as they want…"

"And you have people visiting family," Yang finished for her. "Coming out en masse to eat, shop or just wander around outside the Collegium again. That means…"

"Ruby will have a chance to sneak out once more."

Yang could have cheered. She settled for sagging back and tossing her crusty bread on the table. Finally. It had been, what, months? The time had all been a blur given the shit that had gone down. The floods coming early, nearly dying, using magic to stay in a wealthy home and then catching the latest plague and having to come crashing down from one of the Alchemist's tinctures. Not to mention the near-fatal run in with the Grimm in the outskirts. Everything had been a mess, but through it all had been the promise of getting to see Ruby again.

"Wait. You don't think they've caught her, do you?" Yang's heart leapt to her throat. "If that's why they're opening-"

"There are still Arcanists on every gate in and out of the city, plus huntsmen lingering in the bell towers." Blake glared out the closed window in the direction of one. "I've seen them watching the slums night after night. They wouldn't still be doing that if they had her."

"Yeah. Good point. Sheesh. Never thought I'd be happy to hear those creepy bastards are still around. What do you think it means? The Collegium is planning something or were they only doing it because the wall went down and now it's over?"

"Hard to say. I tried to listen in but the Arcanists out drinking only really mentioned how good it was to be able to come out again. They didn't say why it changed. If I had to guess, it was the wall. Nothing like this happened in Menagerie but keeping Initiates inside the Collegium is a big deal."

"And let me guess, you don't know why…"

"It's because Initiates are dangerous to those around them while they're untrained." Blake said with a huff. "We're not all secrets and unreasonable demands, Yang. There are a lot of things I don't know but only because I didn't need to know them. Wildmages count on that since I neither worked with the Sanctum nor dealt with them. It's no different to you not knowing how to make medicine and trusting a healer to do so."

Not quite the same since she paid a healer and even then, she didn't trust them for much more than that. There was a difference between secrets kept because they took years of training to understand and secrets kept because nobles decided no one ought to know. "You think you can get a message in to Ruby?" she asked, changing the subject since Blake was looking miffed.

"I don't think so. Not without questions being asked as to who would send it and why."

"Friend from Menagerie? Another survivor?"

"It might be opened by an Arcanist. Plus, I'd need someone to deliver it in. If you want mail to go into the Collegium, you need to take it to the gates and hand it over to an Arcanist in person. It's not secure. If you went, they'd ask why someone from the Slums knows an Initiate. If I went, I'd be subdued and arrested as a Rogue Arcanist. Ruby has my Arcanum."

Back to waiting for Ruby to make contact then. At least that was a thing that could happen now. They had a lot to cover, too. "I spoke with the madam today. The one who runs the whorehouses," she explained when Blake didn't catch it.

"Ugh. Why?"

"Because I wanted to? Because as much a bitch she is, she doesn't lie or backstab for no good reason? Stop pushing your morals here and listen. Whores are good for information – good for keeping secrets too, despite what you might think. People tell their whores stuff and you'd be surprised how many will take those secrets to their graves if they have to. A whore that tells of things you whisper in their ear soon loses any chance of plying their trade."

"Is there a point to this or are you branching out to new income sources?"

"Fuck you. The point," Yang stressed, "Is that one of her more regular customers was three weeks missing on visiting his favourite girl. The madam was starting to get worried. And yes, she can worry about customers. They're not evil. Sent some girls out to visit – just to take a look and see if he was alright. He was an older gentleman so she was afraid he might have croaked."

"Had he?"

"Yeah, though not of natural causes. Apparently, it looked like he'd been torn to shreds by a wild animal that broke into his farmhouse. And you know where his farm is?" Yang continued before Blake could answer. "Right up against the outskirts. Fields bordering the forest."

Blake swore sharply. "The Grimm are encroaching…"

"Was my first thought. Didn't bother sharing since I knew the madam wouldn't believe me. Wild animal attacks do happen. Still, to break a door down and go in when there were sheep and pigs outside? Yeah, I don't think so."

"Grimm for sure. I don't know why they'd target a farmer specifically. Maybe his family had latent talent in their blood, or maybe it was drawn to the Arcanists in the city and the farmer startled it, set it off and ran back into his house for safety." Blake stood suddenly. "You said it was by the outskirts?"

"Westfield farm. By – you guessed it – the western-most fields. I wouldn't check it out right now," she warned, watching Blake stop halfway to the door. Talk about antsy. "The madam alerted the guards and they're dealing with it. Said they wouldn't normally have for fear they'd be blamed, but what was left of the guy. Well. Let's just say no working girl could do damage like that. Check it out at night if you must. Better for your magic."

"I suppose you're right." Reluctantly, Blake came back to sit down. Her fingers drummed on the table and her foot tapped on the wooden floor. Yang's eyes narrowed, the fidgeting from the normally placid Arcanist grinding on her.

"What does this mean? Did this happen in Menagerie too?"

"Yes. Small attacks at first. We thought it wild animals too – even the Collegium did. They escalated quickly, despite our efforts to hunt the Grimm down. We thought it was just the one. A rogue mankiller on the loose. We were wrong. We were so very wrong."

"How long do we have left?" Yang asked. "In your opinion."

"Impossible to say. Could be months, a year, or even just weeks. It depends on how far the Collegium goes to try and clear them out, too. Menagerie was caught off guard. Vale knows this is coming, even if they're not admitting it. I imagine they're taking precautions right now. In the meantime…"

Blake took out a small wrapped package and tossed it onto the table. It landed with a somewhat wet thump. Gingerly, Yang reached for it, only to pause when a sweet and juicy scent reached her nostrils. Immediately, her mouth began to water.

"Is… Is this…?"

"Thought I'd pick something up while I was in the Merchant's Quarter."

Yang snatched and unwrapped it, almost drowning on her drool as the thick cut of ham drizzled with honey and lightly peppered assaulted her nose and eyes at once. It was so thick. So juicy and tender. Yang snarled like a wild animal as she bit into it, tearing a soft chunk free that preceded to melt in her mouth.

"I take it you approve."

"Why didn't you lead with this!?" Yang all but shrieked. "I was eating bread as hard as rock!"

"I know." The Arcanist's lips quirked upward. "It was funny."

"Fuck you and your sense of humour!"

"But…?" Blake teased.

Red faced and with her stomach growling louder than she was, Yang wilted and ground out, "Thank you for the treat."

"Not sure I heard that properly." The cheeky bitch had but still leaned in to cup a hand before her feline ear, smiling like the cat who'd caught the canary. "Want to say it a little louder? I think there was something about how wonderful I am missing from that statement."

"Don't push it," Yang mumbled around rich ham.

"Shame." Blake dangled another pouch from her finger, along with a cloth wrapped parcel. "And here I thought you could wash it down with freshly squeezed orange juice and some caramelised fruit. All you need to do is tell me how wonderful I am."

"You sick son of a bitch…"

Blake dangled the treats from her finger. "I can't hear you…?"

Yang whimpered.

/-/

"Weiss?" Sun looked surprised to find her knocking on his door, though not half as surprised as the other men on his floor who weren't even trying to act like they weren't watching. "Oh wow. A pretty Arcanist coming to my quarters. Is this Sun's moment to shine?"

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm not stepping past that doorframe."

"Ah Weiss, you're breaking my heart." Sun cupped his chest as though gripping an arrow buried in it. "And after I professed my deep and undying love for you."

Improper, her stern upbringing pointed out. Typical Sun, her more recent time at the Collegium decided. What should have been a grand insult – nay, potentially a scandalous and reputation destroying comment – never came across as such when it was out his mouth. Possibly because she could tell he didn't mean it seriously. The way he smiled always told her it was a joke designed to rile her up. Well, two could play at that game.

"Really? And here I was sure you were Jaune's bottom boy."

"Ooooh!" a few of the other men around cheered. "You need some salve for that burn, Sun?"

"Ha. Maybe Jaune can rub it in for you."

"Hey, screw you guys!" Sun laughed and waved his fist at them. "You're just jealous I'm getting myself some sweet Arc loving. You know what they say – blondes always have more fun." His comment drew laughter from the crowd, who went back to their own lives without care for her. Funnily enough, it was with Sun and not at him, despite what she would have expected of people his age and the rough nature of the guards.

If such rumours had flown about her and Ruby in the dorms, it might have caused a scandal that would reach her father's ears, and then there'd be questions posed to her. Angry letters. If either of them had been committed to marry another, their families might get involved too, and even if the rumours were proven false, there was a good chance they'd be forced to switch room assignments.

"Got rid of our audience," Sun quipped. "So, we doing this? Don't worry. I don't kiss and tell."

"If you were half as hilarious as you seem to think you are, the world would be a better place. Is Jaune in? I was hoping to speak with you both."

"He's out. Came back last night to let me know he was alive and buggered off after for business." Sun sounded and looked upset. Uncharacteristically so. It wasn't just her having problems with roommates, then. "I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He's been so cold. Doesn't want to hang out and will barely talk unless talked to."

"Maybe he's stressed. You heard what happened."

"Yeah, but this has been going on since before that. Before Ruby even went into those Archives."

Weiss wasn't surprised news of the mythical Azure Archives had spread to the common guards. Despite that they'd not entered it, practically all the Initiates in the Collegium were aware of it now. It was hard to hide all those injured people being treated out on the grass.

"That's a shame. I was hoping to ask you and him to come cheer Ruby up."

"Ah." Sun leaned on the doorframe. "You want to come in and talk? No funny business, I swear."

"I'd rather not. While I do trust you, I don't trust anyone else here not to say anything if I'm seen entering a boy's room without a chaperone."

"Fair enough. Wait two seconds for me to put some boots on and we'll talk outside."

Weiss nodded and stepped back as the door closed. Only about fifteen seconds later, Sun returned fully dressed and with his Newblood cloak swung over one shoulder. He wore it well despite his sunny disposition and bright hair. He was still a very broad-shouldered man with powerful muscles, and, like most people, he was quite a bit taller than she.

They walked out of the barracks together with Weiss explaining Ruby's mood the night before and in the morning. On Sun's questioning, she also explained what little she felt safe of the meeting with the Grand Arcanist. Mostly Ruby's reckless argument with Arcanist Goodwitch toward the end of it.

"It's not like I don't agree," Weiss said, "But I can also understand Lady Goodwitch's point. If there's simply no other means to secure them safely, it becomes a question of one man's health versus that of everyone else in the Collegium. I may not like it, but I had no better solution."

"I don't think Ruby blames you for it," Sun reasoned. "It sounds more like she's upset with herself. That happens. I remember in training when we were paired up and I let Jaune down. I was meant to cover his back, but my opponent got past me and struck him. It was a heavy blow to the back of his head, put him in the infirmary for two nights. I knew then it wasn't my fault – our opponents beat us and that's kinda the point of the exercise – but I still felt awful for not being able to look after him. Maybe she feels the same way."

"About a criminal?"

"Sure. Down there, it was them and the Grimm. I'm not sure it matters who is what when those things are after you."

"I suppose so. They… I…"

Sun stopped and held her arm. It was improper, but at that moment she really didn't care. "What were they like?" he asked. "I've seen them at a distance but only once and it was a display. We saw it killed by Crimson Arcanists and there was never any danger. I hear this was worse."

"It… It was horrible. I was terrified." There, she admitted it. Accepted it. She hadn't been the only one driven to the brink of terror, but she was of the White. This was the life she'd chosen. Pyrrha hadn't been afraid. Pyrrha didn't falter. "I saw people ripped apart. There was so much blood."

Shivering, she didn't complain when Sun's hand slid up her arm to her shoulder. "It wasn't what I expected," she went on. "I thought it would be scary monsters taken down by disciplined spellfire and trained soldiers. It wasn't. They didn't fight like animals either! They might have had claws and teeth, but they never fought with the expectation of coming out alive. Nevermore would fly headfirst into people. Sometimes through them. Imagine it. Tiny birds puncturing through a person's chest and flying out their back, broken winged and dying, but doing it anyway."

"It sounds horrifying."

"It was. I saw someone picked up by hundreds of them and ripped apart in the air. There was so much blood falling all around us it felt like rain. I didn't get close to any of them, but I was still sure I'd never make it out alive."

"Hell. Sounds like Ruby isn't the only one needs a little time to recover…"

"I… I guess you're right. And what Ruby said after in front of the Grand Arcanist? I don't know how she could be so brave. And what they said. They didn't accuse her, not specifically, but it felt like she was being blamed for working with a Wildmage even though they could have never survived without him."

"Sounds like a good man."

Weiss paused and looked back to the faunus. "The Wildmage…?"

"Sure. He obviously didn't need them to get him out alive, but he let them come with him."

He was right. The Wildmage handled everything on his own, broke the back of the Grimm assault and dragged Ruby and her Arcanist mentor through. He could have done all that on his own as well. He didn't need either of them.

The Wildmage had to know what awaited him here, especially if he was a prisoner once in Menagerie before. Why, then, did he help Ruby and Arcanist Merlot to safety? I don't think I would have if the situation were reversed.

"I… well, yes, I think you're right. It's fortunate he was there."

"I'm betting Ruby feels the same, which is why she's so angry at how he got treated. He went out his way to help her and she couldn't return the favour."

"Ruby is nothing if not honourable," Weiss agreed. "It would be just like her to blame herself for being unable to help, even if it really isn't her fault." It was that same courage that let Ruby stand up to Malneux despite his social rank. "I just wish I could have done something as well. I feel like I've let her down by not stepping in."

"You tried." He gave her shoulder a little push before letting go. "Ruby isn't the type to begrudge that. Keep in mind she likes to visit the Sanctum too. Might be a part of this."

"I'm aware of her frankly worrying hobby. What of it?"

"Well, Menagerie had a Sanctum too. What if she knew this guy before Vale?"

If she'd visited the Sanctum in Menagerie too. It was plausible. No, Ruby had said she never actually entered Menagerie's Collegium and that was how she escaped the city falling. She had the Arcanum because she was to enter it that year. Still, it wasn't impossible to imagine her sympathy toward the people in Vale's Sanctum colouring her view of another's.

More than that, it might have saved her life. Perhaps the Wildmage spared and then decided to help Ruby because she didn't take the same view as so many others. Everyone else was taught to abhor and hunt the Wildmage, especially those in the White like her.

Wait, is Ruby angry because of that? Because the White did all those things and I-?

Did Ruby think she was siding with the White over her? Weiss bit her lip, worrying her teeth into the flesh of it as she walked alongside Sun, now thankfully silent. The White did not falter. That was what she'd been taught and what Arcanist Goodwitch said, but the White had also poisoned the survivors of Menagerie. No matter their crimes or indiscretion, Ruby had to have taken that seriously. Lady Goodwitch had as good as said she would have killed Ruby in cold blood if it was for the betterment of Vale.

And if it was okay to kill those Arcanists because they accepted the help of a Wildmage, then what was the difference between what they had done and what Ruby did? She, too, had accepted the guidance and support of that faunus Wildmage.

The White wouldn't kill Ruby. It couldn't. She's an innocent Arcanist!

But the White, she could not help but recall, did not falter. No matter what their duties asked of them. Theirs was to carry out the harshest tasks no other would, to make the big decisions that would shape the survival of the Collegium, regardless of the cost.

Could I kill Ruby if I were ordered to…?

No. The answer came immediately. No, she could not. There wasn't even any doubt there. If they tried to make that order, she would not only refuse to carry it out but rush to Ruby's side to warn her. For all the good that would do. They'd both be hunted down and killed long before they had a chance to escape the Collegium.

Even so, she could never turn on Ruby like the White in the Archives had on his fellow Arcanists. It was simply inconceivable for her. But not, perhaps, for Ruby. What if Ruby, having witnessed and experienced the White's devotion first-hand, thought she might do it? Was that why Ruby was so tense around her?

I would never, but does Ruby know that…?

"We need to talk with her," Weiss said. "Please come with me? I… I'm not sure how this will go, and I'd appreciate a neutral party to help out."

"Wouldn't call myself neutral. You're both friends." Sun grinned nonetheless. "Still, I guess that means I can't leave you two alone. Me being called up to keep two gorgeous girls company. Guess life really is looking up for this rogue."

Weiss laughed, despite how improper his comments were. "You are a scoundrel and will always be one."

"That's a promise, princess. Now, let's go see to Ruby." Under his breath, he added, "And maybe after, I can convince Jaune to pull his head out his ass and stop acting like a selfish prick. He's been shitty ever since the White asked to talk to him."

The White…? Weiss' eyes snapped to Sun, mind whirling. It was dismissed a moment later - or set aside. It was something to think on when her head was clear and once the current business with Ruby was seen to.

"Ask me again after we've handled Ruby," she said. "I may be able to speak with him in private if he's working alongside the White. He may be able to avoid you, but he can't avoid me if I come to him on official White Arcana business."

"Yeah? I'd appreciate that. He's been…" Sun shook his head, worry clearly marking his frown. "Something is up with him, Weiss. He's not acting normal."

There seemed to be a whole lot of `not acting normal` going around right now. It was something to investigate for sure.

Little snippet of how Yang and Blake are doing. Starting to banter at last, a sign of how they're coming together a little. Hard not to after the hard times they've been through together during and immediately after the floods. Nothing like adversity to build bonds.

Next Chapter: 26th July

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