Me and Cass hit the Strip like a storm out of the Divide. We didn't waste any time hoofing it back, I wanted this done before I lost the nerve to do it. I stopped off at the 38 long enough to grab a gun that could sneak through security and Rouse Boone to stand guard outside. After that, Me and Cass walked into the Tops. The clerk at the front desk missed the pistol completely.

We walked out onto the floor, the place was empty. We'd spent most of the night traveling back and the sun had only just come up. While there were still plenty of stragglers coming off a losing streak or a twelve hour bender, none would pay us any mind. Our work was going to require a more private setting anyway. We saw Benny standing at the far end of the floor, talking with some men in suits. Probably underlings of some kind. Me and Cass went in from the side, making sure he and his boys didn't notice until I had the barrel of 'Lucky' digging into his back.

"What in the goddamn-" Benny started, his head crept back just enough to see me and Cass.

"Hey, 'member me?" I asked, muster as much bravado as I could "I'm a ghost now, OOoooO."

Benny's boys went to pull weapons on us, I cocked the Hammer and made my intentions clear. They made a wrong move and the cleaners would be wiping Benny's blood off their corpses.

"E-easy now baby." Benny said, smooth as glass "No need to get-"

"No, actually, there is." I cut him off "Seeing as we've got some business to handle. To the elevator. Walk."

Me and Cass walked Benny to the Elevator, his boys watching us the entire time. The doors slid open and we backed him in. I tapped the button for the penthouse.

"Make a move, come after us, or try to stop us. You make any of those choices I redecorate the penthouse with your Boss's innards and the halls with the blood of each bastard dumb enough to try."

It was a bluff, obviously. I'd kill Benny if provoked, but I'd probably let his cronies live. Just make them scared to try twice.

They backed off and the door slid closed. One elevator ride later and we're sitting in the Penthouse. Benny's sitting at a mini bar, looking cool on the surface. Give him credit, he knew better than to show weakness.

I made things simple for him. I wanted an explanation, What was his end game? He had stepped on everyone's toes and made a mess besides just shooting and robbing me of my memories. But getting an answer out of him was a start. What I did after I got it was up to me.

Benny made it simple. He wanted to 'change management' as it were. Basically meaning Torch the legion, kick out the NCR, and lynch House. The Platinum chip was his means to do that. Whatever it was that House had stored into it was basically a guaranteed wild card. An ace in the hole that could Let Benny enact his three way coup. He somehow knew what route I'd be taking, what parcel I was carrying, and when. I didn't know how he did, but that didn't matter to me in the short term. All he had to do was act.

"… So you're saying-" I said, after Benny finished talking "- Is that you shot me, because that little hunk of metal is your ticket to fucking over everyone."

"Ring a ding ding, Baby" Benny said "Only chance I was going to get to nab the chip was before you reached Vegas. I couldn't take a chance on you running to House either-"

"So you Robbed me, shot me twice in the head, and dropped me in a ditch. Figuring I wouldn't get back up."

"It breaks my heart that things had to go that way baby, you have no idea how relieve-"

"Shut up." I said pointing the gun at Benny's head.

He promptly complied.

"Do you have any idea what I had to go through to get here? I've had to claw my way across the Mojave the long way. I've been nearly killed more times than I can count. I've been shot, stabbed, burned, beaten, and knocked on my ass so many times I should be dead without even counting the two bullets you put in my dome. I've become surrounded by a fucking shit-storm of trouble trying to track you down, Got the legion looking to kill me, the NCR trying to recruit me, House watching me, and the whole of the wasteland trying to figure out what my end game is. When the truth is, I just wanted some answers. I wanted to know why, I wanted to what was special about the chip, but most importantly I wanted answers about who I was. Because, motherfucker, you took a lot more from me than a fucking POKER CHIP!"

My left arm shot out and slammed Benny's head into the mini bar. He tried to resist, so I slammed his head down again before jamming the barrel of 'Lucky' into his neck.

"I've got no memory of who I was." I growled "You took that from me. I'm nothing but a damn ghost now, regardless of if I was one before. I've lost everything, all because you wanted to play the wild card."

"That's… the way… the game goes… babe." Benny ground out.

"I WASN'T PLAYING YOUR FUCKING GAME!"

"How would you… know? You can't… remember." A smug smirk came across Benny's face.

My blood was boiling and I wanted to put a bullet in Benny, let this be done. But some part of me wouldn't pull the trigger. This snake deserved it but I couldn't pull the trigger. It wasn't until Cass put her hand on my shoulder that it made sense. She gave me a knowing look and my blood cooled a bit. I was furious, but I was going to do this with a level head. I retracted the barrel from Benny's neck and backed up.

"You're trying to rig the game in your favor." I said, glaring at Benny. "But you already tried that and this is where it got you."

Benny lifted his head up and glowered at me.

"Go ahead, play the wild card all you want. I'm not going to bother trying to stop you from following your pipe dream… But-"

Cass raised her fists and took another swing at Benny, he toppled to the floor.

"-If you ever come after me or my companions, you send anyone after us, or I so much as catch something on the wind, I'll be back. I don't care if you have an army at your back, I will come back here and make the last moments of your pitifully hollow life as horrifying and miserable as it will be short."

Me and Cass backed towards the elevator and pressed the button. I kept my gun trained on him the entire time. He stayed on the floor, either too scared to move or knowing better than to give me further cause. The elevator arrived and we stepped in. Cass hit the button for the ground floor."

"Fucking Courier." Benny growled

"… You're damn right." I said, surprised. This was the first time someone had tried to insult me with my title. "Just hope you got the message."

The doors closed and we rode the elevator to the ground floor. Leaving Benny with the chip and whatever idiotic plan he was going to concoct. Let him try what he wanted, I'd be back if he did. We reached the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator. Benny's goons didn't even bother trying to stop us this time, shows where their loyalties lie.

"So, how do you feel?" Cass asked as we walked

"Angry, bitter, and in need of a drink." I sighed "Was it really that easy? That felt too short for the shit I've gone through."

"Hm, guess you didn't find a Calm Heart, huh?" Cass passed me a bottle of moonshine.

"No, I hoped I'd get something out of that whole exchange. Some closure or something. Instead, now I know I got shot in the head as an afterthought on some egotistical jackass's power trip."

I took the bottle and raised my helmet enough to take a nip from it. It burned, but that just meant it worked.

"I was worried you were going to shoot him there for a moment." Cass said, looking at me thoughtfully

"I was. Then I remembered I already set an example, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't follow suit."

"Did you mean that last bit though?"

"Oh hell yea, if he's dumb enough to come start shit I'll gladly finish the job. Same for you, obviously."

"Thanks" Cass smiled "But what about the rest of it? What are we going to do about him and the chip?"

"For today? Wait and see. I've officially made my move and now it's time to see how the world reacts… I'm thinking it might be worth my time to throw my hat in with the NCR."

"Really? That's a surprise. You don't seem to like a lot of their policies."

"Considering how they've screwed you, Boone, and everybody else? Yea, not a fan. But I know a lot of their people, and most of them are just trying to survive. I'll throw in with the NCR because they haven't given me a good enough reason to not back them yet."

"Not that there are better options anyway." Cass agreed.

"Oh yea, it's either them or I take a chance on house not stabbing me in the back. I'm not even going to entertain the idea of helping the legion."

"What about following Benny's 'pipe dream?'"

"Ha! Good one, I didn't need to talk with Benny to know that's going to fail. Seriously, one man toppling three armies and coming out king of the scrap heap? That's about as likely as a toaster coming to life so it can toast the world… Nah, I'll stick with the NCR. Besides, they're your home right?"

"For a term." Cass smirked

I collected my weapons and we walked out of the Tops. Boone was leaning against the wall of the NCR's rail station, watching everyone going in and out. He spotted us and met us halfway in the street.

"Judging from the lack of fire and screaming." Boone said "I guess you managed to either keep it quiet or talk things out."

"Heh, We talked it out alright." Cass smirked

"He'll live." I admitted "But if he's got a brain he won't try anything else."

"Good." Boone yawned "Can I get back to sleep then? It may be Founder's day, but on the rare night I can actually sleep I'd like to enjoy it."

"Shit, that's today?" Cass asked "Fuckin' forgot."

"Founder's day?" I asked

"It's a holiday the NCR has every year to mark the day Shady Sands took its first steps towards becoming a republic." Boone said "They drill it into you in basic. It's practically the only day anyone would get off."

"It's also a good chance to get drunk and eat barbeque." Cass added.

"Shit, I don't need an excuse for that." I said

"Then let's do it." Cass smiled "We'll get some supplies and party this afternoon. Consider it a celebration towards whatever comes next."

"Sounds good to me." I smiled "How about a nap first though? We spent all night running here and I could use some sleep."

…

"Take his mask off" Weiss whispered

I'd just woken up from a nice nap and those were the first words I heard. This trip was going to be fun. My teammates were seated on benches alongside me as the airship made its lazy journey through the sky.

"What? No, you do it." Ruby whispered "You're closer."

"You're the leader. It's your job to perform duties such as this."

"… You're right, I am the leader. Weiss, I order you to perform recon-"

"I respectfully decline."

"What!? You can't decline, I'm ordering you!"

"I decline on the grounds that such pertinent information should be first viewed by the leader."

"You should just leave him be." Blake said "If he hasn't taken his mask off there's probably a reason for it."

"So you're not even the slightest bit curious about what's under the mask?" Yang asked

"W-well, it's not that I'm not. But he has a right to his privacy."

"We've known him for two months already and he hasn't taken his mask off once around us."

'Gee, when you're plotting while I sleep, I can only imagine why.'

"You could at least ask him before you try something like this, he might have a reason why he's wearing it."

"Like if he's horribly scarred? C'mon Blake, you want to know too. There's no way he'll take his helmet off if we just ask."

"… ok." Blake sighed

'… damn it Blake, why you gotta turn on me like that.'

As quiet as they could, Yang and Blake crept in front of me as I rested on the bench. Yang had a determined grin on her face and Blake was as hard to read as ever.

With cautious, quiet movements, Yang reached out for the edges of my mask. I let her grip the edge and carefully pull on it, trying to free it from my face. Except it didn't move. She hadn't bothered to undo the straps that kept it stuck to my head. All she succeeded in doing was lifting my head. In response to this, she pulled a little harder, still ignoring the straps.

"Urgh, come off already." She growled angrily

She pulled a little harder, lifting my back from the bench as she pulled. The straps held strong.

"Come. Off." Yang growled

"Maybe you should try undoing the straps." I said

Yang stopped pulling as she realized I was awake and fully aware of what she was doing. She promptly released my head.

"H-hey Six." Yang chuckled nervously "You uh- had something on your mask."

"No kidding?"

It'd been a few days since our spar now. My burns had healed up nicely with the help of the salve and my little gift from the sun. At Weiss's suggestion, Ruby had decided we should all take a trip into town. Supposedly, participants for this 'Vytal Tournament' that everyone was up in arms about were going to start arriving today. I tried to slip away before they could rope me into it, but Ruby was starting to wise up to my tactics. I was going to have to start changing them soon. Aside from my helmet, I was dressed in the clothes Byz had made. A bit fancy for a day on the town, but they were my only spare clothes except for the armors.

"Soooo… You ever going to take you mask off?" Yang asked

Blake rubbed her eyes in exasperation.

"Assuming I can trust you guys to not plot things behind my back?" I ask

Everyone sank a little at that. Clearly they weren't proud of what they just tried to do.

"W-well, if you'd just show us, maybe we wouldn't be so curious." Yang tried to justify

"That neither gives me a reason nor excuses attempting to violate my privacy."

"Yea, well I… I…"

Yang looked around to the rest of our teammates, their heads hung low. They were throwing her to wolves on this one.

"I… I'm sorry." Yang finally apologized.

"It's fine. Just don't do it again, please. How much longer until we reach Vale?"

"It shouldn't be more than a few minutes." Blake said, looking out the window.

"Aight, no sense napping again. So, remind me again, why is going to scope out the competition so important?"

"We aren't going to 'scope out the competition'." Weiss corrected haughtily "We're going to experience the beginnings of the Vytal Festival."

"Uh huh, and that's… important?"

Weiss looked at me like I was brain dead. "Of course it is! It's a festival devoted to the cultures of the world! There will be dances, parades, and a tournament! The amount of planning and organization that goes into it is simply breath taking!"

"… Wow, when you describe it like that it sounds boring is shit."

"Language!" Weiss said "- and it is not boring. I am merely respecting the amount of detail and effort that goes into making such an event possible."

"I normally do that by actually enjoying the festivities." Yang said under her breath.

"Quiet, you." Weiss said pointedly "I am allowed to take pleasure from this however I see fit."

"Oh yea, I'm sure it has nothing to do with students arriving from Vacuo today either." Yang smirked

"T-that's just a small bonus!"

"A-ha! You are scoping out the competition!" I say triumphantly

"No! That's- I… You can't prove that."

"Too late, got you now." I said "High five Yang."

Without even thinking I stuck my hand out and Yang smacked it.

'Yea, team work.'

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "I merely wish to give the incoming participants their due welcome. As a representative of Beacon, it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"Whatever floats your boat Snowflake. I think I'm going to have to decline anyway."

"You can't decline, you're already here!"

"Of course I can, I have more pressing matters than watching you make googly eyes at the incoming contestants."

"G-googly eyes!?"

I turned to Ruby. "Last I checked, there was a place you wanted to show me?"

Ruby was confused for a moment before the pieces fell into place. "Oh yeah! I guess we can do that now. It's not too far from the pier either, so we can meet up with you guys afterwards."

"Aw, look at my little sis taking a boy out on a date like she promised."

Ruby's face flared red. "N-not again Yang! It's not a date!"

"Oh, you wound me Ruby." I say jokingly, putting my hand over my heart. "I thought we had something special."

Blake and Weiss stared in blank confusion at this display. Yang just kept laughing. Ruby's tiny frame was shaking with some combination of rage and embarrassment as she became a shade of red to match her name.

The ship reached its moorings and the door slid open.

"Y-you're both jerks!" She shouted, running off of the ship at the literal speed of sound.

"W-wait, Ruby!" I said, barely stifling a chuckle as I chased her "I need *snrk* you to show me the way!"

…

Following Ruby was easy enough. She left a massive trail of rose petals behind her the entire time she ran from me. The fact she'd managed to run so fast was definitely a shock. But, at this point, I've been punched through enough walls to know the people around here aren't normal. Though I'd hardly broken a sweat trying to track her down. Meanwhile she herself was practically doubled over on the sidewalk in exhaustion. As I approached her, she noticed me but was too tired to try running again.

"You gonna keep running?" I asked "Or do you want to go look at some old tech now?"

"One… sec…" Ruby panted

I gave her a bit to catch her breath. I half expected her to do the childish thing and keep running. But she just glared at me in frustration before motioning for me to follow. We took a meandering path through Vale as Ruby stumbled through the streets, slowly catching her breath.

"So-" I started "Where'd you hear about this place? You don't strike me as the type to go antiquing."

"Oh, you know… around. I found a flier, they said they had weapons, I took a look with Weiss."

"Snowflake did something willingly? That's a surprise."

"Well, willing is a strong word. I kind of dragged her with me."

"Ah, that makes more sense."

"She didn't really like any of the stuff there. Most of the clothes were too 'old' she said."

"Gee, almost like you were visiting an antique store."

"Crazy, right? But since we are heading back, I'll have a better chance to look around."

"Alright, how much further?"

"Just up ahead, it's the building with the large window at the front."

A few yards ahead was a fairly up to code building. To compare it to Byz's, it looked fairly modern and recent. A large display window with mannequins and old objects set behind it took up most of the store front, with painted on gold lettering declaring it to be 'Brown's Antiques and Knick Knacks' A small glass door off to the side of the window led in. The interior mirrored the exterior perfectly. Everything was well kept and maintained. Despite the intention of this being a store for older artifacts, the place was well put together. Whoever Brown was, they didn't have to struggle for a building like Byz.

All around the interior were objects of age. Weapons, electronics of varying origin, furniture, clothes, this building was representative of a world gone by. It seemed strange that a world as advanced as this might've once mirrored one like the pre-wasteland Mojave. It was chilling, really, knowing this is what we could've become instead of an irradiated pit.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Hello?" Ruby asked, walking through the shop

"Just a sec." A voice came from the back, a little tinny, but rich like Bing Crosby.

A tanned man walked from a back room carrying a crate of knick knacks. He had a rounded head and pointed chin. He wasn't particularly tall, but he was wide. Wide and broad of shoulder. He had pale blue eyes and straight black hair that was just starting to gray at the roots. His mouth was small with full lips, rimmed with smile lines. He wasn't as big as Byzantium by any stretch, but every move looked like it sent his muscles rippling.

'Damn, does every shop-keep wrestle Yao guai for fun?'

"Ah, Welcome." The shop owner said with a smile. "Wasn't expecting much business today. Most folks steer clear when the festival starts up."

"That's a shame" Ruby said, eyeing some of the antique guns "You've got some cool stuff here, sir."

"Why thank you." The shop keep chuckled "You've an eye for the classics. Is there anything in particular I can help you with though?"

"Perhaps." I say, walking up to the counter. I ejected a cartridge of microfilm from my pip-boy "You got any of this stuff?"

The shop keeper eyed my pip-boy for a sec in confusion, then looked at the cartridge. I let him hold it and he looked it over thoughtfully. He didn't try seeing what was on it, more like he was trying to process if he'd seen something like it.

"Don't worry about having the casing-" I said, not wanting to discourage him "If you at least have the film I can do the change myself."

"… Hmm." The shop keep hummed thoughtfully. "I can't say I have the cartridges, no. But the Microfilm for sure."

"Perfect." I say, keeping my excitement subdued. No sense in giving my desperation away. "Do you have any with maps?"

"I do indeed, they're a specialty item though. Not very common now."

"Extra charge? I'm sure we can work something out."

"Alright. Do you have any map in particular you need?"

'… Might as well splurge, no sense in undercutting ourselves over a few bucks.'

"I'll take maps for just about any place you have."

"…" The shop keep looked at me curiously "Are you sure? That's quite a few maps."

"Hey, any knowledge is good. I don't have enough and if money is a problem we'll figure it out."

"… Alright, give me a moment. They're in the back."

The shopkeep disappeared into the back of the shop. While he was gone, I joined Ruby in examining the older weapons and tech. It really was scary how similar our worlds had been. A few minutes passed, and the shop keep returned with a cardboard box of small envelopes, each with a small square of micro film.

"These are all the ones I have in stock with maps." He said "Sorry about not being able to help with the cases though, I've never seen any like that."

"Ah, well don't worry. The company that makes them has been trying to keep things hush hush." I lied "They're doing a terrible job of it though."

"Apparently." The shop keep chuckled "So, how are you going to pay for them?"

"Like this" I placed some denarii on the counter. "Assuming you accept?"

"…" The shopkeep eyed the coins a moment, then raised an eyebrow at me. "… indeed I do."

He swiped the coins into his hand and rang up my purchase. He deposited the envelopes into a bag and handed it to me. I'd have to make up the cases later, when we got back though I was going to just replace one of the current cartridges with a map of Vale.

"Anything else?" The shop keep asked, still smiling

"Think that does it, unless you need anything Ruby?"

"Huh?" Ruby asked, having been eyeing an old lever action rifle the entire time. "No, I'm good."

"Guess that's it, thanks mister." I said with a wave.

"Any time." he said.

With that, we left the store. Wasn't a particularly big thing, but I was glad I'd finally found some maps I could put in my Pip-boy. It'd save me the trouble of having to memorize Vale now.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking Six" Ruby started "why do you wear that helmet all the time?"

"I have my reasons, don't get why you girls are curious though." I said

"… We wouldn't be as curious if you at least gave us a reason." Ruby said "You do wear it almost all the time."

"That doesn't justify trying to remove it, but I can at least understand why. It's not like I'll bite your heads off over it…"

I thought about a believable way to explain it. It honestly wouldn't be too hard to just tell them the truth this time. But, dressing it up a little would probably help.

"… A few months back I took a hit to the head. So I started wearing a helmet."

Ruby looked at me for a moment, expecting more.

"… That's it?"

"Yep, doesn't need to be something crazy does it?"

'Like, say, I got shot for carrying a computer chip for a millionaire slumlord that could awaken an army of robots to fight the romans.'

"I guess…" Ruby finished "Sooo… What now?"

"Beats me, what else are you supposed to do on a date?" I asked with a hidden smirk.

Ruby's face immediately took on another shade of red. She punched my arm with her tiny fist. It didn't hurt.

"It's not a date!" She said in frustration.

"Hah, I know Ruby, just joking."

"… It's not funny." Ruby pouted, her face still red.

"Heh, don't take this the wrong way Ruby. But you're, like, twelve." I chuckled "You're a bit young to be worried about dates."

'That, and I think I'm technically old enough to be your father.'

I'd never been too sure about what my age had been. I was definitely in my late twenties or early thirties. In the Mojave that meant Jack shit though.

"T-twelve!?" Ruby squeaked indignantly "For your information I am fifteen!"

"Really? You're so small it's hard to tell." I chuckled

Ruby punched me again. "I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet." She grumbled "I'll be big, I drink milk."

"Heh, ok Ruby."

"I'm serious!" She said, trying to validate herself "You watch! I'll be taller than Yang in a year or two."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Me and Ruby continued to walk the streets as we figured out what to do next. I wasn't in any rush to go stare at incoming travelers, despite Weiss's interest. But there wasn't much that kept me interested in Vale otherwise.

"… So if this isn't a date." I said, not sure how else to continue "I guess that means we are just two friends hanging out?"

"I… I guess so." Ruby said uncertainly

"Huh, never had too many chances to do that."

"Me either." Ruby admitted shyly

"No kidding?"

"Mhmm, Yang was always the outgoing one. I've always been more interested in weapons"

"Heh, think I can understand that. Easier to clean a gun than talk to someone."

"Right!?" Ruby asked enthusiastically "I mean, I Iike talking to people too. But having to meet new people is… is…"

"Intimidating?"

"Totally. I mean I had friends back at signal, a small circle, but meeting new people always kind of scared me."

"Same, totally get the idea."

'Especially given recent history'

"… You have any friends back in the Mojave, Six?"

"…"

I let the silence hang between us a moment, not sure how to respond.

"… I had friends, in a way… except, they were more than that."

"ok…"

"… It's hard for me to describe Ruby, and I'm too sober to try explaining it right now."

That drew a look from Ruby. Almost like I wasn't the only person she'd met who had some regular dealings with the drink.

"But, to put it simply, calling them friends doesn't describe them well enough." I continued. "I always thought of them more as Companions than just friends."

"That's… an odd term."

"Hey, I'll explain it some other time. But in a place like the Mojave, you either have companions or you wind up dead…"

I blinked as I realized I was starting to slip up. I looked at Ruby through the corners of my gas mask, not wanting to turn and show I was looking at her. A look of concern had taken up residence on her face. She'd noticed.

'The fuck am I doing letting my guard down?'

"Six-" Ruby started

"Ah, forget it, nothing to worry about." I said "World's a wild and crazy place, right?"

Ruby looked at me silently.

"… L-let's go find the others, eh?"

I kept walking, trying to put my slip up behind me.

"… It got harder once my mom died." Ruby said

I stopped walking, feeling like I just got the verbal equivalent to a kick in the balls.

"… what?" I asked

"Making friends. My mom was always outgoing, always smiling and making friends, just like my dad. I never really thought about it when she was around. I was young at the time…"

I stared at Ruby for a moment. Trying to piece together what the girl in front of me was saying.

"… S-shit, Ruby, I'm sorry I wasn't-"

"It's ok." Ruby said with a pained smile "But I think I get it. Needing people or… dying. You can't do everything on your own."

"…"

I stared at the red clad girl for a moment. She had this pained smile on her face and looked like she was thinking of something that probably made her happy once. But by the hurt look on her face, it wasn't as happy as it should've been.

"R-Ruby, I… I-" I couldn't think of anything to say

"It's ok." She answered "Just gotta keep moving, right?"

"…Right." I agreed softly

We stood there a bit longer. I wasn't sure where we were supposed to go from here. It was right about then though, that a strange smell entered my gas mask. It was warm and sweet.

"What is that?" I asked, sniffing

Ruby seemed to notice too and looked around. She stopped when she focused on some cart at a street corner.

"That cart's selling fresh cookies." She smiled

"… cookies… hmm."

Rather than announce my lack of knowledge this time, I walked over to the cart and purchased some. I returned and handed some to Ruby, by way of unofficial apology.

"Awesome." Ruby smiled "Thanks."

"No problem Ruby." I said, swiping one of the cookies.

The moment she wasn't looking, I lifted my mask enough to pop the little circle of dough into my mouth.

It was fucking amazing.

It was soft, chewy, and sweet. There was a bitter tinge of cocoa and a buttery richness. It was a little salty and plenty sweet. It was the most delicious thing I'd had since Ren's pancakes, and I know my cooking.

'Graham dam! I gotta find a recipe for these.'

"I guess we should meet up with everyone." Ruby said, popping another cookie into her mouth.

"Yea, guess so." I grunted.

"The Docks should be just up ahea- whoa."

Ruby stopped walking and it wasn't hard to see why. In front of us was a police quarantine. The entire front and contents of a shop was blown into the street, surrounded by ticker tape. Police were combing the street, cataloguing object and evidence.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted

Both Ruby and I took note of our teammates on another side of the tape. We walked around the tape and over to them.

"Found what we were looking for." I said, holding up my bag.

"-and cookies." Ruby added, holding up the almost emptied container they'd been in.

"and cookies." I agreed

"But what happened here?" Ruby asked

"Robbery." One of the nearby officers said, overhearing us. "Second dust shop to be hit this week. Place is turning into a jungle."

"Ugh, that's terrible." Yang frowned

"No kidding, senseless destruction over some money." I said "- Never considered it a good thing."

"They left all the money again!" One of the officers shouted, probably to his fellows but loud enough for the rest of us to hear.

"Huh?" Ruby asked

"Duh, what?" I agreed verbally

I focused in on a pair of what I assumed were detectives near one of the blown out windows.

"Just doesn't make a lick of sense." The first said "Who needs that much dust?"

"I dunno, y'know wha amean" The second slurred, he sounded drunk.

"You thinkin' the- uh- white fang?"

"Yea, I'm thinkin' we don' get pai' enough."

Something about this was sounding familiar, but I couldn't tell what. I didn't make a habit of hanging around crime scenes so I wasn't sure why. Missing dust, money in the register, a ruined shop, it was striking a chord but I wasn't sure which. Though I still wasn't so sure what was special about dust, let alone why they had shops for it. Were there different varieties of dust? I thought dust was just… dust.

"Hmph." Weiss huffed, braking my train of thought. "The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates."

"What's your problem?" Blake asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of Psychopaths." Blake crossed her arms "They're a collection of Misguided Faunus."

"Misguided!? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop. In the middle of downtown Vale"

'Misguided isn't the term Blake.'

"That doesn't mean they're responsible." I cut in "I mean, there're other thugs out there besides the White Fang, right?"

"That's right." Ruby agreed "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him."

'Torchwick? Wasn't he that guy with the cane and bowler hat?'

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss said, nose upturned. "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

Blake glared at Weiss. I was glaring at Weiss a little myself now.

"Ok, Snowflake, you're at a ten on saying stupid shit right now I'm gonna need you at, like, a five."

"Yea, that's not necessarily true." Yang said in agreement.

"Hey stop that Faunus!" A voice shouted from behind us, derailing the conversation.

We turned back in time to see a commotion occurring at the pier. My teammates sprinted back to the pier with me in close pursuit. I arrived in time to make out one of the sailors calling a Boy with a tail a 'no-good stowaway'. I was going to assume he was the Faunus in question.

'Well, if irony ain't a bitch.'

The boy was currently hanging from a lamp post by his tail and peeling an oblong piece of yellow fruit.

"Hey!" The boy said "A 'no-good' stowaway would have been caught. I'm a great stowaway!"

He was a lanky guy, light tan with blonde spiky hair and blue eyes. He had a wild look to him that was reflected in his dress. Ripped jeans, red gauntlets, and a white button up that exposed a set of washboard abs to the world.

The boy scarfed down the fruit and left the peel in his hand. A set of cops approached him, they looked suspiciously like the ones we'd seen just a moment ago at the shop.

"Hey!" One of them said "Get down from there this instant!"

The boy hocked his peel at the officer's head.

With a show of athleticism, the boy swung onto the top of the lamp post. He made a small maniacal laugh like he just got away with murder, then leapt from the post. He sailed through the air a good thirty feet, hit the ground with a roll, and bolted towards the stairs away from the dock.

"Stop that Faunus!" One of the officers shouted

'Why? Can't handle your own job?'

The faunus bounded up the stairs, leapt off the top one and flew at me in the blink of an eye.

'What the-'

He landed on my shoulders, the sudden added weight collapsed me to the ground before he spring boarded off of me and continued running down the street with the cops in close pursuit.

"Sorry!" I heard him say as he retreated.

It took me a second to notice the newfound wetness on my chest. I pushed myself to my knees and realized I smacked down into a puddle.

'Oh you son of a bitch!'

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition. There he goes." Yang smirked

"Quick!" Weiss shouted "We have to observe him!"

'Screw observing, that bastard owes me dry cleaning!'

With a growl, I bound to my feet and bolt after him. My teammates close behind. The cops and the boy had a good lead on us, but I was making up the difference quick. Either Monkey boy was slow, or he was just having fun with the chase. Either way, if I caught him I'd make him regret the mistake. The cops and boy rounded a corner and disappeared from view. I followed close, grabbing a Lamp post for anchoring my turn rather than slowing down. I snapped around and poured the speed on, fully prepared to run the boy down.

I noticed the girl standing in front of me a second too late.

"Shi- look out!" I said, trying to warn her.

My warning reached her too late. I collided with what felt like a brick wall and the two of us toppled to the ground. I recovered quick, looking back after the retreating police and faunus. The boy turned sharply and leaped into an alley, disappearing completely.

"No, he got away!" Weiss cried as my teammates caught up

I had to disagree with Weiss. From the look of it, he was heading for the rooftops. If I got to my feet I could-

"Uh, Six?" Yang asked

I looked back at her as she pointed at something in front of me. I looked and found that I'd landed on top of the girl I'd run into, who'd in turn been knocked on her back. I locked eyes with her through my helmet and she gave me what I think was supposed to be a smile, but the way it looked made some part of my waking mind recoil.

"Gah" I articulated, getting to my feet "Shit, sorry miss."

"Language." Weiss grumbled

"Sal-u-tations" The girl said chipperly, giving a small wave.

Silence hung over everyone for a minute before Ruby remembered her manners.

"Uh… hello." Ruby replied

"H-hey" I stuttered

"… Are you… ok?" Yang asked

"I'm wonderful, thank you for asking." The girl said in sincerity, still lying on the ground.

My teammates all shared a look, one I willingly shared with them.

"You're… kinda on the ground though." I said cautiously "Would you like a hand up bud?"

The girl paused a moment, visibly thinking over the question like it was a riddle for the ages.

"… Yes, that would be swell."

'Swell… there's an odd word.'

I bent over and offered my hand. The girl took it and I hauled her to her feet. She weighed a ton. No small wonder she felt like a brick wall when I hit her.

"Sorry for knocking you over." I said as I finished righting her.

"No worries, I'm able to withstand hits far greater than that."

"Rrright." I said, taking a step back. My teammates followed suit, this girl was weird.

"My name is Penny, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi Penny…" Ruby started "I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss"

"Blake"

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head? *Jab* Oh, I'm Yang."

"Cour-… You know what, just Six."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny reiterated.

"You already said that." Weiss groused

Penny's eyes rolled to opposite sides of her head for a moment.

'ok, this girl's weird.'

She blinked and her eyes reset themselves. "So I did!" She said with an innocent smile.

"Well, uh, sorry for running into you." I say looking at where the boy and police had disappeared to. They'd long since disappeared now and there was no chance of catching up. I cursed my luck.

"We should be going though, right?" Weiss asked, slowly motioning to have us put distance between us and the odd girl.

"Y-yea, sorry." Ruby agreed, much to the silent thanks of everyone present. "Take care, friend."

Ruby and I gave a small wave of parting and we all calmly put some distance between the girl and us. We rounded the corner back to the pier and she disappeared.

"… She was… weird." Yang started

"Yang, you don't know weird until you've had to step down the rabbit hole a few feet." I chuckled

'Speaking from personal experience.'

"Now," Weiss started "Where did that Faunus Riff-raff-"

Before she could finish Weiss stopped short in front of everyone. Penny was suddenly standing in front of us. I had no clue how she'd gotten there considering she'd been standing behind us not thirty seconds prior. One thing I was certain of though, she had must've had a better stealth mode than my own.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked innocently

"O-oh! I'm sorry-" Yang started "I didn't think you could hear me."

'doesn't really make it ok Yang.'

"No, not you." Penny said, walking past a bewildered Weiss and Yang. She stopped in front of Ruby. "You."

"Me!?" Ruby squeaked "I- I don't know, I-"

"You called me friend." Penny said, leaning into Ruby's personal space

'oh boy.'

"Uh, hey Penny-" I started

"and you-" She cut me off now invading my personal space "You called me 'bud'."

'oh graham dammit.'

Penny looked back and forth between me and Ruby. "Am I really your friend?

Me and Ruby shared a silent look, which we then extended to the rest of our team. They were outside of Penny's periphery and were making every conceivable universal notion for 'No! Stop! Danger! This is a terrible idea!'.

"Uhhh…" Ruby stammered

"… Sure" I sighed "The more the merrier"

My teammates and Penny all looked at me. Penny had a sparkle in her eyes, Ruby was surprised, and Weiss, Blake, and Yang looked at me like I was crazy. To be fair though, I'd made good friends with No-bark back in Novac. So crazy and odd didn't really bother me in that sense. He was pretty decent company all things considered. Part of me had wondered if he'd known about the divide before all the scorpion stings. Either way, Penny didn't strike me as bad people.

"… Yea, sure." Ruby agreed with a smile "Why not?"

The rest of our teammates went slack jawed at the two of us before collapsing to the ground for some reason. Must've had heat stroke or something. Though there was this guy banging against a large metal disc outside of restaurant. It made the scene just a bit funny.

"Ah ha ha!" Penny laughed happily, motioning to the heavens like she just struck gold. "Sen-Sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Me and Ruby stared silently at the display for a moment.

"… Was I like this when we met?" Ruby asked

"… Not really." I answered after a pause "There were a lot more explosions. You might be thinking of Weiss or something."

"… S-so." Yang said, recovering from our act of insanity "… What brings you to Vale?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny said proudly

"You're… fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked, moving around towards me and Ruby

"I'm combat ready." Penny said with a proud salute.

"Uh huh." I drawled, looking her up and down.

"Forgive me-" Weiss continued "But you hardly look the part."

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake snarked

"Hmph." Weiss huffed "It's a combat skirt."

"Yea!" Ruby agreed, sliding Weiss a low five.

'… already said my piece on it. Not touching that can of worms right now.'

"… Wait a minute." Weiss said, realizing something. She grabbed penny by the shoulders. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey tailed… rapscallion!?"

'Raspcallion? What is with the weird words today? Did everyone eat a thesaurus for breakfast?'

"The who?" Penny asked innocently

Weiss produced a picture I hadn't even been aware she'd made. It was a caricature of the monkey boy. At least, I thought it was. Either that or her art skills were as bad as Ruby's.

"The Filthy Faunus from the boat!" Weiss exclaimed

"Why do you keep saying that?" Blake growled uncharacteristically

"Huh?"

"Stop calling him a rapscallion, stop calling him a degenerate, he's a person!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like me to stop referring to the trashcan as a trashcan" Weiss pointed to a street side trashcan "or this lamp post as a lamp post?" She pointed to a Lamp post.

I felt a small twinge of annoyance at this. Weiss was starting to push a button she shouldn't be.

"Stop it!" Blake shouted

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time, He'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang."

'Ok, you know what-'

"Urgh, you ignorant little brat!" Blake shouted angrily

I looked at Blake in surprise like the rest of my teammates. This was a rare burst of emotion. Rather than stand around and wait for Weiss to answer, Blake turned on her heel and walked away from us. Likely trying to put some distance between her and Weiss. Unfortunately, Weiss seemed to be unfamiliar with the term conciliation.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Weiss harped, following after Blake "I am your teammate!"

"You are a judgmental little girl." Blake snipped

"What in the world makes you say that!?"

"The mere fact that you would sort that boy with a terrorist group-"

I stopped listening. I looked over at Yang and Ruby, who obviously wanted to watch this about as much as I did.

"Uh…" Yang said "I think we should probably go."

"… Agreed." I agreed

"Where are we going?" Penny asked

…

The ride back to beacon was full of constant bickering and fighting. I'd have imagined they'd at least keep it together until they were behind closed doors. But, nope, they argued and aired their dirty laundry for every passerby to see. I peeled off from my team the moment we touched down, wanting to give them some time to air until their throats were sore.

Unfortunately, they didn't. They went on and on for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. I could hear them at dinner, across the quad, on the opposite side of campus, and down the hall in my closet. A grand total of four hours had passed before I'd worked up the nerve to re-enter the battlefield.

I knocked on my teammates' door and Ruby, surprised, let me in as Weiss and Blake were readying another salvo of Arguments. I took a position in front of the door and shut it behind me. This conversation needed to stay as private as possible.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem." Weiss said

"That is the problem!" Blake growled

"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The faunus of the white fang are pure evil."

"There's no such thing as pure evil! 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!"

"Blake, I don't want to sound rude" I said, breaking in "But if you want 'pure evil', you've got to know where to look."

Both Weiss and Blake gave me a glare hot enough to power Helios one.

"Oh, you better not be taking her side." Blake growled

"I'm on the side of the people who want to sleep tonight without your yelling."

Yang and Ruby shook their heads violently, trying to warn me this was a bad idea. I knew it was, but I was following through anyway.

"Blake, I don't have a full list of all the stuff the White Fang has done, but if they're even half the terrorist group most claim it is, I've got a news flash. Nothing condones what they've done. Be it murder, arson, theft, or jaywalking. It's not ok. There's a difference between peacefully protesting and actively performing destructive or even lethal crimes. I mean, fuck, the only people they're hurting in the long run is themselves. They can steal all the dust they want, but more Faunus are going to die digging to make sure the company makes a profit on the Dust it lost."

"That's a lie!" Blake shouted angrily

"Is it!?" I asked "Because from everything I've seen, they've done jack-all to refute it. If they're just the misguided and disgruntled people you claim they are, then why haven't any of them tried to step forward and change that!? If any of them, even lowest initiate, believed for a second what they were doing was wrong, why don't they step forward!? Because the truth is, none of them want to, they've embraced the idea that if the world is going to treat them like animals, maybe they should act like it. They don't care about the world or 'making things right'. They're a spiraling pit of spite whose existence is hell-bent on making sure everyone suffers even if they've never had a hand in what started all this."

Blake's jaw dropped and the glare she was giving me intensified tenfold.

"See, even he agrees with me." Weiss said with satisfaction.

"-Oh no." I continue, fully on a roll "That doesn't absolve you."

I turned on Weiss now.

"First off, degeneracy is a medical condition brought on by a number of factors, ranging from illness and addiction to genetic degradation. To imply that the entirety of the White Fang is somehow comprised of addiction addled, inbred Faunus is both Technically and Morally reprehensible, as well as unlikely."

"I- I wasn't-"

"Second, labeling them as psychopaths is not only terminally wrong but also indicative of an assumptive nature. The term you're looking for is sociopathic, as in lacking moral direction and conscience as they neither see a need nor desire for one. On a whole, labeling them as being mentally ill is both dangerously inaccurate and presenting another layer of issues on its own. To be frank, I do not agree with labeling them as being mentally handicapped and suffering from degeneracy is both wildly and dangerously inaccurate. It's assumptions like that which spur violent backlash, regardless of how unstable the described party may be. In the end, even if the White Fang has something that makes them redeemable, burying them as being criminals, mentally ill, infirmed, or the like only fans the fires. You make the problem worse by claiming superiority through the same tactics they would use to tear you down."

I now regarded both of the huntresses.

"On the whole though, you both seem to be entrenched in your own view points to the degree where it's neither beneficial nor conducive to a healthy relationship. You both only care more about your personal history without seeming to acknowledge the other's viewpoint or considering the reasons for them. Without considering the Idea that what may seem good to you has been nothing but misery for the other side!"

I was practically screaming by this point. This shit was digging up some not so old memories that I really didn't want to remember right now.

"Good?" Weiss started "Good!? You think things have been good for me!?"

"From everything you've said and every view you've spoken, the only person you've showed any care towards is yourself." I growled, Weiss wanted my attention, she was getting it. "The world bends to your beck and call and you have the audacity to claim that it isn't fair because the dish ain't silver."

"That isn't true!" Weiss shouted, for the first time I could think of, she was furious

"Then stop claiming it and prove it!" I shouted "You keep claiming you're right, so why don't you-"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss shouted "You want to know why I despise the White Fang!? Why I don't trust Faunus!? It's because they've been at war with my family for years!"

It was my turn to clam up. Weiss turned away from me, genuinely shaking with anger as she stalked over to the window.

"War." Weiss continued, her voice an angry hiss "As in actual bloodshed. My Grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear, Board members be executed, entire train cars full of dust that people died to mine; stolen."

Weiss hunched over slightly, the emotion seemed to burning her out. "And every day, my father would come home furious and that…" Weiss paused for a moment. Probably trying to find more kindling for that anger fire she was burning. "… made for a very difficult childhood."

My brain put the pieces together without much effort. It almost played out like a slideshow, really. Seeing Weiss, a young girl with stars in her eyes and boundless energy, probably flitting about with friends, spending her days as kids should. She's happy, no reason not to be. Then her friends disappear. For no reason, her whole world starts turning in on her. Her a young girl who probably didn't have a clue what was going on, watching her friends disappear or worse, die in front of her. She wouldn't understand why, only that some Faunus were doing it because they weren't happy. For reasons beyond her control, the world turned upside down and she's left trying to hold on.

Suddenly, I didn't see a racist teenage girl. I saw a young girl who's been dealing with the fallout of something beyond her control for her entire life. Suddenly, I didn't see a rich little snob. I saw a kid, surrounded by all the fanciest toys but just wanted a damn hug. Suddenly, I wasn't staring at Weiss trying to justify herself in front of her teammates. I was staring at myself, trying to make sense of why my world had come undone.

Suddenly, her singing made a lot more sense.

'Mirror, mirror, who's the loneliest of all…'

I felt a lump forming in my throat, as I realized I'd been shooting off at the mouth like a jackass. Without even the slightest clue as to what was going on. Like a goddamn hypocrite.

That probably burned me up the most.

"W-Weiss, I-"

"No!" Weiss shouted, the fire finally fueled "You want to know why I despise the White Fang!?"

She started towards me, but part why through changed course. She was aiming for Blake too.

"It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And Murderers!"

"WELL MAYBE WE WERE JUST TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!" Blake shouted

The room fell quiet enough for a pin drop to be heard.

"… We?" I asked softly

Blake's eyes went wide with horror. We were all staring at her now, stunned into silence. She took a small step backwards.

"I-I…" Blake stammered, a look of fear spreading across her face.

"B-Bla-" I started

I never finished. With hereto unprecedented speed, Blake slammed into me with a blind run. She blew past me, slamming me through the door and out into the hallway. She darted past me, down the hall, and out of sight.

"Blake! Wait!" Ruby shouted, running out into the hall "Come back!"

Blake didn't, she was gone.