Disclaimer: "Wings" and "Mirror Mirror" Are property of Rooster Teeth... I think.

I slumped against the wall of the dorm hallway as I let my weary mind finally have a moment to rest. Today had been nothing but an ass-ache since I woke up in Goodwitch's class. First the concussion, then the nurse assaulted me, then Cardin made me blow a gasket, then I got sucker punched in the back of the head, THEN Ozpin tells me he's still got nothing, and FINALLY; to cap off all of this shit, I'm stuck helping a professor I hardly know as punishment for self-defense.

'Graham dammit I need a drink.'

Today was probably the second longest one I'd had since I arrived in this world. The first being initiation day for many obvious reasons. The only saving grace of today was I got to talk with Ozpin about my situation. Even that hadn't been all that great since it amounted to a giant 'be patient'.

At least I got to skip out on class after my little bout. Instead, I just got stuck helping Peach for the rest of my afternoon. Whoopee.

With a heave, I pushed myself off the wall and stumbled further along. I still wasn't hungry, guess my concussion was still working its magic. I was just going to peel my clothes off and crawl into my cot. I just wanted things to be over already.

"-Don't think he's in there." A feminine voice said from around a corner, it sounded like Yang.

"Well he didn't show up for class." Another voice answered, even with a concussion the high pitch of Ruby's voice was unmistakable.

I stopped walking and carefully eased myself against the wall. With all the grace I could wrestle from my tired bones, I stealthily peered around the corner. I was right in my assumption: My teammates were on the other side of the corner. They were standing in front of my closet and waiting. Weiss standing closest, Ruby and Yang sharing second, and Blake reading in last.

Weiss rapped her hand against the closet door again. "I know you're in there!" She said, annoyed

"I'm telling you, he isn't in there." Yang reiterated "Do you really think he wouldn't respond after five minutes of knocking?"

"He's in there, I know it. Where else would he go?"

"He could be at the library." Ruby offered "Or maybe dinner?"

"Maybe he's taking a nap." Blake said absently, apparently not interested in our teammates' pandemonium. "He has had a long day"

"Why would he? He said he had a concussion, if he went to sleep he wouldn't… wake… up."

A look of unease settled over my teammates.

"Move." Yang said, pushing Weiss aside. Yang moved in front of the door, cocked her fist back and punched the door open. The sound of bending metal meant she hadn't taken the door off its hinges, mercifully, but she'd probably mangled the latch and strike plate. She ducked her head into the doorframe for a moment, then bobbed back out. "… I was right."

'And now I have to fix my door.' I thought bitterly.

I wasn't in the mood for anymore insanity today. I carefully pulled my head back around the corner and rebalanced myself. Sneaking away and finding a place to lay low was probably my best bet. I could probably avoid them until at least tomorrow morning. By then I'd probably have avoided at least the brunt of whatever they wanted from me.

I carefully began to turn around, taking great care not to lose my balance and hit the floor. I completed my turn and was face to face with a pair of Ice blue orbs.

"Found you!" Nora shouted merrily

"Gah!"

I stumbled backwards, quickly losing my balance and planting my butt into the ground. Nora stood above me with a toothy grin, Ren was behind her and looking as tranquil and unassuming as usual.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea." Ren said nonchalantly

"He he, sorry." Nora said, still smiling

"Hey, there he is." Ruby said, apparently noticing the commotion.

'Welp, so much for a quiet evening.'

My presence now noticed, my teammates trotted over to me. I hauled myself off the floor and prepared for whatever trouble they had to give me.

Yang punched me in the arm. "That was awesome!"

"Uh… what?"

"The fight, when you kicked the crap out of team CRDL? It was awesome!"

"… Really?"

"Totally!" Ruby joined in. "You were all 'Wha-cha!' and 'hiya!' and it was awesome!"

Ruby made several mock kung-fu stances in emphasis.

"I… wasn't expecting that. I thought you were going to chew me out or something."

"Why?" Yang asked

"Because I- I don't know- Beat the crap outta three people?"

"Language-" Weiss interjected "- and if it had been anyone aside from those three, I'd agree with you."

"Yea!" Nora re-established herself "No one's going to care if you beat them up."

Everyone nodded in agreement at that.

"Well Ozpin certainly did, considering he stuck me with a punishment anyway."

"Eh, it's his job." Yang shrugged "More importantly though, Why didn't you do any of that during practice?"

"… I was half asleep." I answered flatly "Plus, you kinda socked me before I got lucid enough to react."

"Y-yea, sorry about that." Yang said bashfully "I thought with all the hits you took during initiation your aura was a bit stronger."

"Eh, don't worry. I'm not dead so I suppose I can't complain too much."

'There's that 'aura' word again. If this is anything like the Faunus thing earlier today I'm gonna come out looking like an idiot if I don't find a way to talk about it.'

"Speaking of fighting-" Nora interrupted gleefully "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Uh-"

"I was going to ask that too." Yang agreed "I didn't recognize any of the moves you made."

"W-well, a friend of mine gave me some training a while back. She said it was based on a couple of martial arts from the Old Wor- ways."

'Whoops, that was a close one.'

"Old ways?" Ren asked in confusion "Where are you from exactly?"

'shit, what did I say again?'

"The- uh- mountains in Northern Mistral."

Ren's eyes widened a little bit.

"You're from Mistral!?" Nora asked excitedly "So are we!"

'OH GRAHAM FUCKING DAMMIT!'

"Y-yep." I say through gritted teeth "Born and raised."

"Ooh! What's the name of your village?"

"We- uh- never really gave it a name, It's just this small place on the frontier too. Not much point in giving it a name. Y'know?"

"I thought it was called the Mojav or something." Ruby offered helpfully

'Stay out of this Ruby!'

"The Mojav?" Ren asked in confusion

"Y-yes. Like I said, it's a small place so you probably wouldn't have heard of it."

"Oh don't be like that." Nora said with the most menacingly friendly grin I've ever seen. "Tell us about it! What's it like? Is there anything cool there? Is the food any good?"

"Uhh… It's… an ok place to live, I guess?"

"Yea?"

"… yes. You know what, I'm tired and want to get some sleep."

"Aw, why? It's only, like, five."

"Because I've had a long day and I'm not in the mood to answer questions. It's been fun, but I gotta go."

I wormed my way past everyone and stumbled over to my, currently less effective, door. I took a look at the latch and began to finagle with it. I wanted to be able to sleep with my door closed and have some degree of privacy.

"… Oh hey, actually, this could help you Six." Ruby said

"How so?" I say, disassembling the latch to see how extensive the damage was.

"Nora and Ren are from Mistral, maybe they could help you find your way back."

'… RUBY NO-'

"Find his way home?" Nora asked

"Yea, apparently wherever Six's home is it's hidden so well He doesn't know how to get to it."

Ren and Nora shared a look of confusion.

"Yea." I said in annoyance "They never taught me how to read a map."

I stepped away from the door and walked back down the hallway. I wormed my way back through the group and around the corner. I stumbled a bit and continued towards the Dorm's exit.

"Hey, where're you going now?" Ruby asked

"To find Jaune and Pyrrha." I snapped back in frustration.

I was frustrated because the door knob had been completely mangled when Yang punched it. It was bad enough that I'd need all kinds of different scrap to fix it. So rather than that, I was just going to go steal one from somewhere else.

Ruby didn't see it that way though, she physically recoiled like I just tried to bite at her.

"Are… are you mad Six?"

'… Y'know what, screw it, I'm done with today.'

"Maybe I am. But, hey, if we're going to be airing all my dirty laundry we might as well make sure everyone hears it."

I let those words hang as I walked out of the dorm. I just wanted to sleep.

…

My Dearest Winter,

How have you been? It's been quite some time since our last correspondence. I hope that you've been well. I have been keeping up with my studies and have been doing well. Things have been quiet here at Beacon.

"AH! Yang that's cheating!"

"…" Though times have been… trying, I've adapted well. Though my teammates can be a bit odd-

"Ha! Too slow Ruby!"

"No fair! I want a rematch!"

"…" –perhaps more than a bit odd. Though a part of me is hoping that with time They might… mellow. The most troubling member of my team is also, unfortunately, our leader. Though my other teammates are quirky, to say the least, Our leader is perhaps the most troublesome. She is brash, hyperactive, and has the attention span of a gnat. She can also be incredibly immature and she-

"Hey, no fair!"

"Not so funny is it Yan-"

"RRRAAA!"

"Uh oh-"

Yang's hair erupted into a wreath of flames as she pounced her sister. The two were engulfed in a dust cloud as their violent struggle rolled around the room. Only narrowly avoiding to disturb the shaky balance that allowed their Bunk bed's tenuous existence. Blake remained motionless on her bed, continuing to decipher the rather coarse language that filled the book the Courier had lent her.

"Do you two mind?" Weiss fumed "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Heh." Ruby said, still engaged in her struggle "Sorry Wei- OW! Yang quit it!"

For the Members of team RWBY and JNPR, the week had flown by. There was no major incident since the Courier's little dust up with the members of team CRDL. Though the members of JNPR did take note that their leader had become awfully chummy with CRDL's leader. He was almost spending more time with CRDL than on his own studies. A fact that did not sit well with his teammates.

But that was an issue to be handled later.

For the rest of team RWBY, things had been oddly calm. Since their conversation in the hall a few days prior, the courier had become scarce. He was still in class and attended training, but the already minimal time he'd spent with his team had shrunk to nigh non-existence. After the required time was spent, he'd vanish into the ether until he was needed again. For the most part, his teammates did not mind this.

For the most part.

Weiss sighed and returned to her letter.

-she is unable to maintain focus, is loud, obnoxious, childish, messy, and an entire list of other traits I won't go into in this letter. However, she has been trying to make strides and mature. She apparently recognizes the responsibility that's on her shoulders and-

"Yang no-"

*splash*

Weiss was interrupted from her writing once more as a wave of cold liquid collided with the back of her head. The smell was immediately unmistakable and the feeling was sticky. Weiss had just had the remains of Ruby's coffee thrown at her. The cooled liquid splashed messily across the back of her head and dress. It also reached beyond her and pooled onto her letter.

"… he he, whoops." Yang said in embarrassment "Sorry Weiss-"

"Will you two grow up already!" Weiss shouted angrily, coffee dripping from her hair "Some of us are trying to actually do something important."

"S-sorry Weiss" Yang said quickly, dropping her quarrel and her hair losing its flare

"Hmph, sorry doesn't replace the two thousand lien dress you just ruined."

"T-two thousand lien!?" Ruby squeaked

"Yes, Two thousand Lien. Custom made by the finest Atlesian tailor, Carmine de Violet, and made with silk imported from southern Mistral. The stitch work alone makes that ratty cape of yours look like a throw rug."

Ruby whined a little and clasped her cape. Not happy to have her cape insulted.

"Hey, lay off." Yang cut in "It was an accident."

"An accident that is going to cost two thousand lien to fix."

"Well… it's not like you can't afford it."

"If that is your justification for ruining my dress, then you can pay for it."

"What? Why?"

"Well, if it's only a matter of money then it shouldn't be such an issue right?"

"Wha- I don't have that kind of money just sitting around!"

"And you think I do?"

"Umm… yea?"

Weiss pinched her nose and sighed in aggravation. She trudged over to her wardrobe and took another dress from it. She was going to change out of her now ruined clothes.

"If that's how you apologize then it's no wonder the Courier has been avoiding us."

"Excuse me?" Yang asked in surprise

"You heard me." Weiss sneered, walking through the door to their room and closing it behind her.

…

It hadn't taken long for Weiss to change out of her dress. Or wash the sticky residue that was once Ruby's Coffee from her skin. But she did not return to her room. She was genuinely upset with her teammates. Of course she had the money to replace the dress, that wasn't the issue.

It was that her father had to replace it.

She had a charge card given to her to pay for random expenses that might come up. Expenses that her father would regularly review and judge her for. She had to literally fight tooth and nail to get him to agree to her attendance at Beacon. She knew that even the slightest reason might be enough for him to change his mind. Maybe he wouldn't make much of an issue over having to get her a new dress. But Weiss knew he would. He always looked for opportunities like this. Chances to wrestle even a miniscule amount of control away from her.

Infuriated by her own situation. Weiss walked the grounds of the academy. She'd familiarized herself with many of its pathways over the course of the semester. Though there were many places that she hadn't seen yet. She decided now may be the time to remedy that.

The grounds were filled with flowers and bushes like she'd never seen. Atlas's colder clime had made it hard for many plants to thrive. Though there was a greenhouse on her family's grounds, even it didn't have every flower. The ones that littered the school's grounds astounded her. Flowers of every shade were in bloom, bushes of every variety lined the path ways, and trees of numerous species dotted the grounds like silent guardians. The grounds were beautiful, and with the coming summer they would only bloom brighter.

She wished Winter could see it…

Winter was the only person she could rely on, aside from the family butler perhaps. When she was home, she'd stood beside her when things started going downhill. When her mom started drinking and her brother started being… her brother. Winter was always there. Always trying to act cold and reserved, then secretly telling jokes about their dad, or letting her stay in her room when she had nightmares.

Then she joined the Military. Like that, Weiss was all alone.

Going to Beacon was the only way she'd even have a chance to get away from her father. Even if only for a little while. Maybe restore some integrity to the family name, given the chance. Now, because of some spilt coffee she was going to be forced into talking with him. She knew he was going to try and use it as an excuse to pull her out of the academy. Even if it was a small reason, she knew he would try.

Weiss's walk came to an end in a small area she'd never seen before. A little garden with a small fountain in the center, surrounded by trees and flowers on all sides. No other paths leading to it except the way she'd come. Just a lonely little garden on the school grounds. It was beautiful, she was amazed she'd never found it before. Though her amazement did little to overshadow the growing pit in her stomach. She looked in the fountain, and saw her reflection stare back at her in the water. A cruel reminder she was alone right now.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"… Mirror tell me something." Weiss sang softly "Tell me who's the loneliest of all…"

Weiss let the wind rustling the leaves be her reply. The trickling of water in an otherwise empty garden was her only accompaniment.

"Mirror, Mirror. Tell me what's behind you." She continued, singing like she'd practiced dozens of times "-Save me from the things I see. I can keep it from the world, why won't you let me hide from me?"

The wind picked up a little and the leaves sang with her. Her own choir of chlorophyll and green.

"Mirror, Mirror, tell me something. Who's the loneliest of all? … I'm the Loneliest… of~ all~"

Weiss's voice carried on the wind as her choir came to a slow halt. She still didn't feel any better now. She was alone with her own problems and wasn't sure what to do. She felt she could hold them off, if she just waited. But she couldn't stay in this little garden forever. She was going to have to tell her father eventually. What happened after that was out of her hands and it infuriated her to no end.

With a sigh, Weiss turned to leave. Her eyes scanned the plants that surrounded her as she went. Taking in the odd plants that surrounded her. It was then that she noticed something particularly odd about one of them. Perhaps not so much odd as familiar, actually. The bush, perhaps a young tree rather, reminded her of the plum trees her family kept in their greenhouse. There were even flowers blooming on it. But the flowers weren't quite right. They were too large, almost too wild to have been part of any plant she was familiar with. They were white as snow at the edges, with the faintest hint of pink towards their core. They had pronounced stamens and large, untamed petals. It truly was not a plant she was familiar with.

"What are you?" Weiss asked

"… I believe that's called a tree Snowflake." A new voice spoke up

Weiss nearly leapt out of her skin as she scanned the surrounding garden. It wasn't until she looked down and focused that she realized she wasn't alone. No more than half a dozen feet away, the courier lay in the shade of a large tree. His back to its base and legs splayed out before him.

"Gotta say, you got a nice set of pipes on you too." The courier added

…

I hadn't expected to see snowflake here. Hadn't expected her to suddenly burst into song either. She had a nice voice though, wouldn't mind hearing that at the Tops.

Weiss's face went a little red, such as it is wont to do when you do something embarrassing.

"W-when did you get here!?" She squeaked uncharacteristically

"I've been here the entire time." I say, craning a kink out of my neck "I was actually planning to take a nap until you showed up."

"Then how did I not notice you?"

"You weren't really looking."

'that, and I was in stealth.'

For the past week, I'd been tasked with helping Prof. Peach without much free time to myself. I'd managed to come up with an excuse to sneak away and take a nap before my next class. Then snowflake showed up and now we're here.

"Then why didn't you say anything sooner?" Weiss asked trying to regain her normal, whiney composure.

"'Cuz I was hoping you'd leave and let me relax in peace. Then you didn't."

Weiss glared at me, a small blush of embarrassment still lingering on her cheeks.

"… so, are you just going to stand there?"

"I can stand if I want."

"Suit yourself, it's comfy over here in the shade though."

Weiss rolled her eyes and turned back to the tree, intent on ignoring me in favor of the surrounding foliage. Odds are though, she didn't know what any of these plants were. I doubt any of the people here would. One of her hands reached out any gently touched one of the blossoms on the tree.

"Hey, hands off." I say "Don't you go messing with that."

"I'm not doing anything." Weiss answered in annoyance

"Yea, well neither is the tree, but I'd rather people didn't go ripping the buds off before they had a chance to make fruit."

"I'm not ripping the flower off, I'm just getting a better look."

"mhmm."

"… What type of fruit would this make anyway?"

"Mutfruit."

Weiss turned back and looked at me. "A what?"

"A Mutfruit." I explained "It's something of a specialty where I'm from."

"I've… never heard of that."

"Like I said, local specialty."

"Ok, what about this then?"

Weiss motioned towards another tree a short distance away, infantile pods sprouting from its branches.

"Honey Mesquite tree. You could ask me the names of most of the wild life planted in this garden and I'd be able to tell you."

"What about this then?" She asked, now taking note of a spindly plant with orange blossoms.

"Broc flower, good for your health if you know how to use it."

She cupped the odd little flower in her fingers and looked at it curiously, Enticed perhaps.

"Those I don't mind if you pluck. They grow back so fast they run the risk of choking themselves out if I don't."

She rolled her eyes and plucked the flower. She sniffed it and looked surprised. "Is this a local 'specialty' too?"

"Not so much a specialty as a weed. Them and Xander root grow so much they could practically destabilize the ecosystem."

I pushed off from the tree and rose. My nap was ruined, again, and now I wasn't going to finish it. Might as well chat with Snowflake since she wasn't making any move to leave.

"Is this what you've been doing the past week?" Weiss asked "Planting weeds?"

"What? No, I've been doing this since the second week."

"Then how have none of us noticed it?"

"It's in the back corner of the school where no one, except maybe the janitor, would go."

After nearly emptying my supplies the first week, I made the tact decision to start a garden some place no one would notice. I figured having the stuff to make medicine would be useful, assuming any of the plants took. Which most of them did, surprisingly. Guess evolving in a wasteland makes you pretty hardy. If anyone asked, I could tell them they were a 'local' thing and they'd buy it. Gotta love technicalities.

"… though I guess what I have been doing the past week wouldn't be too far off either." I finish.

"Whatever." Weiss sighed, turning to look at the fountain again. "If you don't mind though, I'd just like to be alone right now."

"Normally, I wouldn't. Unfortunately, you basically just kicked in my door and started singing about being the loneliest little snowflake on the planet-"

"-I didn-…"

"Yea, you did. So what's wrong?"

"… I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, that's not going to help."

"And you can?" Weiss scoffed

'Probably, yea'

"Maybe? But if nothing else I can at least listen."

"… Our leader is a child."

"Are you still on about that?"

"No, but it's part of the problem."

"ok, then what's the rest?"

"The rest, I'd rather not get into right now. Not unless you have a magic beam that can make a few thousand lien appear out of thin air."

"I'm… about ninety nine percent sure that's not a thing."

"Of course it's not." Weiss snipped

"Fine, geez. So what'd Ruby do this time?"

"She's loud, she's childish, she's annoying, she's-"

"Yea, I got that, But what did she do this time?"

"… She threw coffee at me."

"ok, and?"

"…That's it."

"… You're joking right? You're mad at Ruby because she threw some bean juice at you?"

"Well, maybe not Ruby. It might have been Yang. But the point is, the two of them threw coffee at me and ruined my dress."

I quickly looked over the white clad maiden. "You look fine to me."

"That's because I changed you idiot!"

"Ok, ok, calm down!"

"I am!"

"No you're not! You're yelling at me!"

Weiss seethed for a moment, glaring at me. Then she took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. I let the tense silence hang for a moment, so we could talk without getting frustrated.

"Is this really about Ruby?" I asked at last "Because while you might get annoyed with Ruby, I wouldn't peg it for something this childish."

"Childish!?"

"Yes, it's a dress and you're acting like she just stabbed you in the back."

Weiss continued to glare at me.

"… Look, was this intentional or was it an accident?"

"It was… an accident." Weiss huffed at last

"Then why are you so upset?"

"Because it's now going to cause me all kinds of problems that I don't feel comfortable explaining to you, a stranger."

"That's fine, I'm not asking you to. I'm just trying to get a handle on why you think you're alone."

"Because I am!"

"Not from where I'm standing. Last I checked, you've got a team full of people who have your back. You're pretty far from alone."

Weiss went silent again and stared at the fountain. Clearly still frustrated.

"… Snowflake, I'm not going to claim to know what's got you riled the way you are." I say "But let me ask you something: do you trust any of us?"

"… What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly that. Do you trust any of us? I know you weren't happy with the team assignments and our less than stellar grades. But do you not trust us?"

"This isn't about trust."

"But it is, because you don't want to trust me with what's really bothering you."

Weiss continued to stare at the pool.

"Snowflake" I sigh "What happened with Ruby was no doubt an accident. If there's one thing I'm sure of, that girl ain't one to turn on her friends."

"I know." She answered at last

"Maybe you don't trust me either, fine. I know I haven't done a lot to inspire confidence. So I'm not going to expect you to suddenly start spilling your guts to me."

She stayed silent.

"I know what that's like too, not knowing what you can trust. Who you can trust. You don't want to make a mistake and have that person turn around and stab you. I know how it felt when President Kimball said-"

I stopped myself short and looked at Weiss for a reaction. She just stared placidly into the water. Maybe she was ignoring me, I guess I had to hope she was now.

"Trust… is hard, and it's scary. Maybe you can't tell me what's wrong. Just don't get thinking you're alone, ok?"

I stood in silence for a moment before checking my pip-boy. The clock read it was just past three, class was going to start soon. I reached into my pocket and pulled out some aureus. I still wasn't quite sure what the exchange rate was but two ounces of gold had to be worth something.

I put the coins on the fountain and got walking. "Just a penny for your thoughts."

…

The white clad huntress looked down at the coins her lecturer had left on the fountain. The afternoon sun reflected off of the gold pieces warmly. She picked them up and held them in her hand, shocked. She didn't know who the face that was relieved into the coins belonged to but there was no denying the coins were gold. Just about the right weight to be worth an insane amount.

"Where did you-" she started, turning to finally answer her lecturer.

But he had left.

Weiss stared for a moment at the coins. She didn't know the immediate value, but both coins would easily be worth more than a thousand lien each. Perhaps without intending to, her lecturer had just annihilated her current problem like a candle in an atlesian winter.

"… President… Kimball?"

…

My next class wasn't so much a class as a workshop. I'd mentioned it before, how we got an open period to maintain our weapons and gear. This was that time. It was a fairly large room, kind of like the concourse at McCarran. Only difference being McCarran wasn't stocked with functioning power tools. It was a fairly spacious and well lit place, chock full of materials to boot. You could probably use the place like a garage too, if the bay doors were anything to go by. Last I checked though, none of the students could drive; so it was a moot point.

The current class was a mix of teams and students from varying years. Mostly freshmen, but there appeared to be some upperclassmen as well. Most didn't seem strangers to using the various tools either. I wasn't sure what the inside of the Gun Runner's workshop looked like, but this place might not have been too far off.

I was currently standing next to a vice with a file in hand. I was busy trying to whittle down a piece of wood. I'd been at it off and on for a few weeks now, the intermittent periods had afforded much time to actually finish it. This was about the end though, I wasn't going to make a work of art out of it. All I'd needed to do was replace the Stock of my rifle. Close enough was close enough.

I wiped some of the excess dust from the piece and looked it over. There were some grooves from where the file dug into it, but it was serviceable. Just needed to stain it so it wouldn't rot away. I already had the slots and holes milled for screws and only needed to mount the mechanisms in place. Wish it hadn't taken as long as it did, but it's not like I'd needed it or was defenseless without it. I really hadn't needed any of the arsenal I'd brought with me so far, since we'd mostly just been sparring. Or watching, in my case. I wasn't in the mood to get shot in the head again anytime soon.

I rested the file on my work table and examined my handy work. Rough and a bit messy, but it'd work. I reached for a bit of rough sandpaper and started giving it a once over. Didn't want to get splinters from holding it.

"Remember students!" Port boomed from elsewhere in the shop. "A true huntsman knows the importance of proper weapons maintenance! A blade is only as good as it is when dull!"

"Hey, quit it." Jaune whined from a few tables over. "… please."

Jaune was currently occupied with Cardin and his lackeys. He'd been spending a small chunk more time with them recently. Mostly doing grunt work. Like right now, for instance, where he was playing tool and material gofer. Don't know how much his teammates noticed or appreciated it, but it wasn't my place to intervene right now. The boy needed to learn to fend for himself.

I finished sanding and dusted the wood. Relatively clean, I coated a rag in some oil that was lying about and wiped it on. The wood grain swelled as it absorbed the liquid. It was going to take a few coats, but the hard part was over. My rifle was a few hours away from being fixed, which gave me a small sense of accomplishment.

"… What do I do now?" I mumbled

My other weapons were more or less in working order, and I could go over them if I needed to. But, that didn't change that I now had some free time on my hands.

I looked around the room. I didn't recognize a lot of the people present and I wasn't going to start making nice with random people or Jaune. Mercifully though, there was at least a duo present that I could make at least some minor pleasantries with. A few tables away, Ruby was using some sort of grinder on the separated blades of her scythe, and Yang was using these dainty tools on her bracelet-ballistic fists. It was funny really, seeing someone who uses her fist as bludgeons making what looked like tiny and precise movements. Then there was Ruby, tiny Ruby holding a tool way too big for her and sharpening something Lanius wouldn't even try to carry.

They were odd, but better talking to them than sitting here with my thumb up my ass.

I approached their table, not trying to hide my presence as the two girls chatted and worked on their weapons. Yang was the first to take notice of me, looking up from her tiny bracelet bits and noticing me. A playful smirk crossed her face.

"Well, look who finally turned up." She said, drawing Ruby's attention

"Yeah, uh… hey." I answered

"Hey Six" Ruby said with a smile. "What brings you over?"

"Finished my work, figured I'd see what you two were up to."

"Just sharpening Crescent Rose." Ruby answered with a smile. "Yang's tuning Ember Celica."

"Neat, I'm just waiting for the oil to set on my rifle."

"Cool, could you hold this for a sec?"

Ruby held out the massive grinder and I took hold of it. It was, unsurprisingly, heavy. Ruby switched out the half inch thick steel segment with another. She clamped it at an angle and took the grinder back from me like it weighed nothing. With the flick of a switch the machine whined to life and sparks began to fly as Abrasives met metal.

I picked up one of the already sharpened inserts and examine it. It was sharp, about the length of my forearm, and thick. Strangely, it had a chisel grind to it. With one side at a shallow angle and the other completely flat.

"Doesn't seem too convenient putting this kind of grind on a blade."

"Maybe not on a normal blade." Ruby answered, inspecting her current insert. "But my Crescent Rose is special."

"No kidding? I thought it was common to have a sniper rifle that turns into a scythe." I say with sarcasm

"Not really" She answered innocently "The only other person I can think of who uses a scythe is my uncle Qrow, and his turns into a shotgun. Also a sword"

"…"

Ruby Unfolded her weapon and set it on the bench. She took the edged plate from me and reattached it to the frame of the scythe with a pneumatic wrench. The edges of the plates meshed flawlessly into the curve of the frame and gave it an edge.

"Hmm, suppose I see what you mean." I say, looking closely at the scythe "Having one long blade would make it hard to fold without potentially cutting yourself or breaking it."

"Duh." Ruby said with a smile "That was probably the biggest problem I ran into while designing it."

"… Designing it?"

"Yea, another was figuring out how to strengthen the barrel when I'm swinging it. I was planning to use steel-"

"-but the weight threw off the balance." I finish, taking a closer look at the handle

"Yea! I had trouble finding a material that would work instead. Plastic was too soft and resin was too malleable. Most of other metals would have been too heavy so I-"

"Reinforced it with a carbon fiber inlay. Bound to the barrel and outer shell with a high yield Epoxy and fastened with rivets for structure. Clever."

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise as I continued to look at her weapon. I could just make out the Carbon fiber amidst the bits of steel and paint. Smart decision on her part actually. It wasn't as strong as steel, but proper application would definitely cut down the weight. Plus, it looked cool.

"Mind if I hold it?" I ask

This big smile started to spread across Ruby's face and she nodded.

I took a moment to eject the magazine from the Rifle portion of the scythe and cleared the chamber. I didn't figure Ruby would work on a loaded rifle, and I was right, but better safe than sorry. No one like a bullet to the head.

I gripped the handle of the scythe and lifted. It was heavy. More so than any anti-material rifle should've been. Though I could chalk that up to the extra material and blade housing.

"Bit, on the heavy side." I say, balancing the weapon "But it probably helps for the follow through. Plus-"

"-it could help compensate the recoil?" Ruby asked with a visible gleam in her eyes

"… You use the recoil to help you swing this thing too, don't you?" I asked, pretty sure the answer was-

"Totally! What's the point of all the kick if I can't use it for something?"

"That's smart, can't think of too many people who would try that. Though I don't think too many people would try mounting a fifty cal. Rifle into a scythe."

The smile on Ruby's face got even bigger. "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"The cartridge, was it the barrel? The magazine?"

"Oh! It was the noise when you fired it. Nothing rings the ears quite like an anti-material round."

By this point Ruby was practically bouncing on her feet, big dopey grin on her face and looking like she just ate a box of Sugar bombs. It was… a little strange. A quick glance at Yang showed her smirking at the two of us, enjoying whatever it was I apparently started.

"You- uh… you doing ok there Ruby?" I asked cautiously.

"Ok!?" She practically screamed "I'm awesome! Do you know how long it's been since I had someone to talk about weapons with?"

"Not really, no."

"Too long!"

"ah… well, I'm happy to oblige I suppose. Not too often I get to talk shop either."

Ruby's smile got a little bigger. If it stretched any further she might tear in two. "What about yours?"

"Mine?... Oh, you mean the rifle?"

"Yea, tell me about it. What's it's name? What's it fire? What can it do?"

I thought for a moment about how to best answer her questions. Ignoring the goofy Smirk Yang was giving me.

"It's a three-o-eight caliber rifle, ten round magazine and custom internals." I say listing off what I could think of.

"Only ten rounds?" Ruby asked

"Hey, friend of mine told me if you're a good shot you only need one. Plus there's only a handful of things that'll tank a round like that."

"True, I think most rifles I've seen fire something like that anyway."

"Mmm, plus if it were any stronger I'd run the risk of busting the stock. Wood's sturdy but it's not unbreakable."

"Wood?"

"Yea, That rifle's got a wood stock and frame."

"Ooh, vintage."

"Totally, shame I busted it during initiation."

"You did?"

"Yea, I went over a cliff, remember?"

"Oh, right. Well, what else does it do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, what else does it do? What does it turn into, Can you do something special with it?"

"… No, why would it?"

Ruby looked at me funny. "You designed it, didn't you?"

"… No, I bought it."

'-from a raider that I paid with hot lead'

"You didn't make it?" Ruby asked in confusion

"Again, no, why? Is that a big deal?"

"Wh- Of course it's a big deal!" Ruby nearly shouted in exasperation "Making a weapon is a rite of passage for Huntsmen. You would've had to make one in… combat… school."

Ruby petered off as she put some pieces together that I didn't need to try and duplicate.

"Hey, what can I say? I jumped around a lot and missed some things. I made do and picked some things up on the way. Why do you think I was carrying a pistol and grenades during initiation?"

"I guess that makes sense." Ruby said looking a little bummed but still enthusiastic.

"It's not like I couldn't make one either. Fact of the matter is though, I've just picked up so many of them I've honestly never had a need."

'Or time and resources… hold on a sec.'

"Did you say everyone designs their weapons from scratch?"

"Yea" Ruby confirmed happily "It's one of the most important parts of Combat School."

"Then that means you willingly made a scythe only a super mut- er, giant could wield?"

Ruby puffed out her cheeks. "My Crescent Rose is a marvelous piece of weaponry, thank you very much."

"I never said it wasn't, I just think it's a bit odd you'd make something so much larger than you."

"It's Because of Uncle Qrow." Yang chimed in "He actually helped her build it when she wouldn't stop pestering him."

"I didn't pester him." Ruby protested

"I'd think nagging him until three in the morning counts."

"It was only the one time!"

I chuckled at the sight of the two sisters. It was nice to see the two of them get on like siblings.

"What about you Yang?" I ask

"Me?" The blonde answered

"Yea, you pester someone into helping you make your Ballistic fists?"

"Ballistic fists?" She asked in confusion

"Yeah your um-" I motioned towards the bracelets on the bench, snapping my fingers as I fumbled the words "-Things you knocked my block off with."

"Oh! You mean Ember Celica. No, I didn't, I just asked my dad and he helped me."

"Heh, nice guy."

"You don't even know." Yang said with another bright smile "He taught me how to fight too"

"So you're saying your Old man's a bit of a knockout?"

A moment passed before I realized what I'd said. Then Ruby glared at me and Yang got this huge smile. I just hated myself even more, I didn't even want to say it.

"Yeah, you could say it like that." Yang said "Though I don't know if he'd appreciate a jab like that."

'Fuck, it's contagious.'

"All that aside." Ruby said "I'm surprised you're talking to us Six."

"Why's that?"

"Well, you've been avoiding everyone for the last week and Weiss said some things and-"

"Ok, I think I understand. Don't worry Ruby I'm not avoiding everyone, I've just been busy the past few days. Probably should have mentioned it."

"Oh… why?"

"Remember when I kicked the tar out of three quarters of team CRDL?"

"Oh."

"Yeah, Ozpin remembers. He stuck me with Prof. Peach for the next few weeks as punishment."

"Doing what?" Yang asked

"Botany." I answered

The two girls looked at me in confusion. "Botany?"

"Yea, turns out there's a club for that."

"There is?" Ruby asked

"Yea, no clue why though. But I've basically been stuck planting flowers and trees for the past week."

"Well… that sucks." Yang answered

"Meh, could be worse. I've got a knack for it apparently, most everything I've planted is thriving and I've got no clue why."

"Huh, that's cool."

"Mmm, would still prefer my free time though."

Ruby and Yang nodded in understanding. We fell silent again for a moment as we took a moment to digest. Didn't last too long though, Ruby made a very… astute realization.

"Wait, You said you've picked up more weapons than what we've seen?"

"Eh, kinda. I just sorta pick them up as I go. Never know when I might need to use a shotgun instead of a rifle or the like."

"How many do you have?" Ruby's eyes widened a little more in excitement

"On me?... About… twenty… five… plus some armor and grenades."

Once again, Ruby was bouncing around like a coked out child.

"I want to see them." She said, massive smile on her face

"… Yeah, no."

"Aww, why?"

"Element of surprise, rule number one is don't go giving away your secrets."

"Aww." Ruby pouted, her disappointment was clear.

"… Although, maybe there is something I could let you take a look at." I answer thoughtfully

"Really!?" Ruby said, excitement restored

"Yea!" I said, pretending to rival her enthusiasm as I raised my arm and showed her my pip-boy. "This thing."

Ruby deflated a little, but she still maintained the smile on her face; so I hadn't lost her.

"Ok" She answered

I was a little hesitant to go showing my Pip-boy to anyone, for obvious reasons. But All the shop talk had confirmed Ruby knew at least something about technology. If she was the 'techy' one of her family she might actually be able to help. I just needed to make sure she didn't see anything incriminating.

"What's Vault-Tec?" Ruby asked

"Duh- what?"

"Vault-Tec, it says it on the front of your- um… arm thing."

I looked down, remembering for the first time in ages that Vault-Tec had plastered their logo onto the front of the pip-boy.

'Oh Graham Dammit.'

"They're a- uh- small business in the Mojav. Specialize in making wrist mounted… scrolls?"

"That sounds… kind of inconvenient." Ruby admitted

"Eh, You work with what you got."

"I guess…"

Ruby examined the majority of the pip-boy. Much to my surprise, she wasn't trying to rip my arm off to examine it. She flipped some of the switches, but I stopped her from digging too deep. All it would take is one errant button push and I'd have all my guts spilling out.

"… This is actually pretty cool." Ruby said "It's kind of like an antique scroll."

"Yep, even has a radio and a map… well, had."

"Had?"

"Yeah, after some… incidents, The radio stopped working and the map lost track of me."

"That's odd, any idea why?"

"Only partly: I don't know about my radio, but my map uses Microfilm for maps. Without one of the area it doesn't work."

"Microfilm?" Ruby asked

"Like the kind they used to play old movies on." Yang supplied

"Oh! I actually think I know a place that might have some of that."

"You do?" I asked, surprised

"Yeah, it's this cool shop in Vale. I've only been there once, but they had all kinds of vintage tech and materials. If you want, I could show you where it is after class."

"If only." I sighed angrily "Peach has me working for her until a week or two from now, I have to help plan some trip we'll be taking as a class. Something to do with tree sap and falling."

"Well… we can do it after that I guess." She continued brightly

"Sounds like a plan." I agree happily

"Aww, look at my little sis. Going on a date with a boy." Yang teased

"what!?" Ruby said, turning to face her sister. Her ears had turned red. "It's not a date!"

"Don't be like that sis, You'll hurt his feelings."

"It's not a date!"

'… screw it.'

"Ah, how could you say that Ruby?" I say in mock pain "We were going to have such a wonderful time."

Yang burst out laughing as Ruby turned to face me, flustered red as a Bighorner. She started pounding her tiny fists against me in protest. They didn't hurt, but I raised my arms in defense anyway.

"Not you too!" She shouted in dismay "Don't make this weird!"

"ok, ok,*snrk* take it ea-"

*BOP*

*KsSHZzzK*

"Good afternoon Vale! This is 109.8, the Rooster!" A voice sprang from my pip-boy "I'm your host: Roost Carnelian, with all the best tracks at the tip of a finger!"

Ruby stopped trying to hit me as we both looked in wonder at the block on my wrist. I brought it to eye level and examined the data tab. In the Radio section, all of my old stations were still grayed out. However, there were a few new ones in their place. Most looked to be a little out of range, but the current channel was coming in loud in clear.

"Hey, you fixed my radio, thanks!" I chuckled

"What? How did I-"

"Ruby, sometimes the best answer isn't to question it. Just accept it."

"Yea, like a date." Yang smirked

Ruby turned back to her sister and unleashed the wrath of tiny fists upon her. It bothered Yang as much as it did me, so I just sat there chuckling. As a song cued in on the radio .A beautiful voice came over the radio, accompanied by a soft beat and piano.

"One Life… is not a long time… when you're waiting… for a small sign…."

Ruby stopped pounding on her sister and turned to look at my pip-boy.

"Hey, turn that up!" She said excitedly "I love Casey Lee Williams!"

"… alright."

I cranked the volume of my pip-boy up a bit and listened in. I wasn't sure what to make of the song at first. But the longer it ran, the more I just wanted to stop and listen.

For a reason I couldn't shake though, my heart felt a bit heavy.