Ruby and Weiss quietly left their room and walked to the exit of the dorm. The two of them needed to have this conversation, and they didn't want to take a chance on someone else overhearing. Especially when a particular someone was right down the hall. They left the dorm and took a walk through one of the quads.

"I told you he was hiding something." Weiss said satisfactorily "I said he was, and now we know he is."

"That's not helping Weiss" Ruby said

"He lied to us Ruby."

"I know, but that doesn't explain why. If we try talking to him-"

"We've been talking to him. Even if we confront him, what's to say he won't just keep lying?"

"W-well, we can't just accuse him of it either."

"Why not!? We know he's lying!"

"Yea, but we can't prove it. We have his word and… what happened with Cardin, but that doesn't mean we can just confront him. It's like Blake said, we can't just throw accusations without knowing everything. "

"… Darn it." Weiss sighed, seeing the logic "That's actually a good point… Then what should we do?"

"I… I don't know. We need to talk to him, but I want to be able to trust him. He doesn't seem to be a bad guy, but after what happened I don't know."

"The only thing we could do then is wait and see what happens. It's either that or bring this to Ozpin, but he'll probably want evidence too."

"… No, you're right, we need to wait and see. Six is our friend, maybe he's a bit odd, but he seems to be a good person. If… if he turns out to be lying, and hiding something we need to know about, if we find the evidence we can confront him or go to Ozpin."

"We already know he's lying Ruby, but about what, we don't know. I'll follow your lead, for now. I can at least agree with you on that much. But what about Yang and Blake?"

Ruby remained silent for a moment. While they knew they could trust Yang and Blake, they weren't sure now was the time to talk about this with them. Yang would believe her whole heartedly, Maybe Blake would too. But things could get out of hand really fast, Yang wasn't known for subtlety. She remembered what happened three months ago, before the semester started. Yang took a trip to Vale, looking for information about something. Ruby had seen her leave, after tossing a guy out a window. If rumors were to be believed, she leveled the entire club looking for answers about something.

She didn't get any.

"… I think, this should stay between us for now." Ruby said, after a pause "If something happens, we'll tell them. But getting Yang involved would make things… uh… difficult."

"… Agreed."

…

"Fuck no." I said, getting up from my seat. "Of all the stupid ideas I'm going to have today, I'm not letting that be the last."

"Mr. Six, please watch your language." Goodwitch said "-and unless you plan to accept Ms. Xiao Long's challenge, please return to your seat."

It was mid-morning, three days since my emancipation from Peach's employ. Things had gotten quiet again, which is always a sign that something was lurking in the near future. Never a good something either, always a 'trying to make my life infinitely more stressful or difficult' something. But for now, I'd been happy just to have some free time. I got to catch up on some reading, did a little pruning to my personal garden, and even started my next batch of experiments. I also looked for that personal item I'd misplaced, which was frustrating since I still couldn't find it.

"Come on!" Yang shouted happily from the ring "It's been weeks since we sparred!"

"No, Yang, I'm good down here." I answered, sitting back down "Last thing I want is to get thrown into the wall again."

I motioned to the crater in the wall, still present from the last time me and Yang sparred.

"That was an accident." Yang said coyly "C'mon, I don't want to fight anyone else."

"That's real respectful to everyone else Yang." I motioned to the rest of the classroom.

"C'mon~" Yang Whined

"Ms. Xiao Long-" Goodwitch took over "If Mr. Six doesn't wish to participate then he will not be forced to, this time, so I must ask you to pick a different sparring partner."

"Ugh, no fair."

"Fair? The last time we did this you shot and turned me into a wall ornament, how is that fair?"

"In a sparring match you are free to use any weapons at your disposal." Goodwitch explained "Though if you wish to argue 'fairness', Mr. Six, Would you like for me to remind you of your actions during your spar with team CRDL?"

"… No, I'm good."

"If that is all, then would you please choose a different opponent Ms. Xiao long?"

"But I want to fight him." Yang continued "Aren't we supposed to spar people who can challenge us."

"Given his first fight with you, I believe 'challenge' is the wrong word, Ms. Xiao Long."

'Fuck you too, Goodwitch.'

Truth was, despite my insistence to the contrary, I actually did want to spar with Yang again. It's just that I knew with personal experience that she hit way too hard for sparring. Either because of or in addition to the ballistic fists she wore. I got off lucky last time with a concussion and maybe some internal bruising. I didn't want to push my luck. Unless I was damn sure there was a better chance I'd walk away from sparring with her and not be in a wheel chair.

"Fine~" Yang sighed, grumbling "He can handle four people at once, but doesn't want to fight me."

"Oh yeah, because using guns with live ammunition for sparring is a totally acceptable practice." I said under my breath

"Well Yeah" Ruby said, a seat over "How else are you supposed to do it?"

'Seriously need to test their hearing'

"… How about not shooting each other, to start with."

"As you have demonstrated, Mr. Six-" Goodwitch took over again "All tactics are generally accepted, provided no permanent harm is done."

"Funny, I'd assume shooting each other counts as potentially permanent harm."

"Perhaps if your aura is weak. But I don't suppose that's a problem, correct?"

Goodwitch just gave me a blank stare. The woman knew what she was doing, either trying to goad me into acting like a fool or saying something stupid. I didn't know what an aura was, but I wasn't about to publically announce that.

"No" I said, through gritted teeth "I suppose it makes sense."

"Will someone please start fighting!?" Nora shouted

"Calm yourself Ms. Valkyrie." Goodwitch said "Unless you want to volunteer?"

"Gladly!" Nora said, leaping up from her seat and running to the locker room.

"… Guess that settles that then." I said, letting the conversation drop.

"Quite." Goodwitch agreed

…

After Nora and Yang's little exhibition, Goodwitch gave us a free period to spar. Was starting to wonder if every sparring period was just going to be one on ones like that. It'd be damn near impossible for everyone to spar consistently then. Right now, Weiss and Blake were going toe to toe in our corner of the ring. Apparently they were working on some sort of 'combination' move called Checkmate. Except it wasn't really working. They kept tripping over each other like they just learned how to walk. Ruby and Yang were going through some warm ups and I'd changed into my parkstroller outfit before doing some stretches myself.

"Watch your footwork!" Weiss snapped

"I will when you learn to not your right from your left." Blake snipped in return.

"What's that supposed to- ach!"

Weiss tripped over Blake's foot and rolled to the floor. I suppressed a small chuckle and wound up snickering a little bit.

Before I could continue watching their display though, I got a tap on my shoulder. A cursory glance showed Yang, still wide eyed and a confident smirk on her face.

"No, Yang." I groaned

"Aw, Come on." Yang intoned "I just want to spar, what's wrong with that?"

"I already told you, I don't want to wind up a crater in the wall again."

"I said I was sorry."

"… No, actually, you never did."

Yang opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She fell into thought for a moment. "… huh, guess I never did, did I?"

"No."

"Well… sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"Great! Now let's-"

I turned away from Yang, setting myself into some P.T. and doing pushups.

"… Really?" Yang asked

"Yes" I grunted as I pushed "Really don't… Want to… hit the… wall again."

Yang walked beside me and sat cross-legged. She stared at me with a smirk, hoping she could somehow urge me into changing my mind. Like her displaying confidence that she was the better fighter would bruise my ego. Insinuating I couldn't fight her on equal terms and win. That she could goad me so easily into-

"Fine!" I snapped, flopping to the floor.

"Yes!" She shouted, springing up.

"One condition though." I said, picking myself up. "You gotta take off those gauntlets of yours."

I stood up and she looked at me strange. It was a simple enough request. "… why?"

"Because where I come from, we don't shoot each other for sparring. You want to spar? We do it on equal footing."

Yang quirked an eyebrow at me. Then she shrugged, smirking. "Ok"

The gold bracelets on her wrists slid off and she set them on the edge of the ring. I traced off a section of the ring and set it as the bounds. "Pass this line, you're out."

"Simple enough." Yang smiled, bouncing on her feet.

"You two are fighting?" Ruby asked, taking notice of our antics.

"Sparring." I corrected "Enemies fight, Friends spar… and I'll leave the rest for later."

"Whatever you say." Yang smiled "So ring out or knockout?"

"Mmm, three rounds or knockout. Keep it simple."

"Sounds good to me." Yang said, tapping her fist into an open palm "Just to warn you though, I'm a bit of a knockout."

"Sunshine, With the way you rang my bell I'd have figured you were a bombshell."

A moment passed. Then Yang started beaming a smile as I realized what I just said.

"Not like that." I groaned "You are a bad influence."

"She is." Ruby agreed from the sidelines.

"I'm the best influence!" Yang announced

"… C-can we just get started already?" I asked

Yang nodded and we stepped into the boxed off ring. I rolled my shoulders and psyched myself up. I knew what my first move was. It was going to be cheap, but I wanted to show I meant business. She locked eyes with my gasmask and we leaned in.

Our fists connected, I sprang back, and then dove forward. Delivering a Ranger takedown to Yang. She hadn't expected me to immediately spring back in and failed to put her guard up in time. My open palm connected with her chest and she was airborne like a ragdoll.

Weiss and Blake stopped bickering long enough to watch Yang clear the ring's edge by an extra dozen feet and hit the floor. She hit the floor and skidded a bit further, coming to a halt in JNPR's portion of the ring. They all looked down at her, then back to me.

Overcoming her shock at her impromptu flight, Yang quirked her head up and looked at me in the distance. She looked completely bewildered by the turn of events.

"… Now we're even!" I announced with a smirk, stifling a laugh

The shock melted from Yang's face and was replaced by an audacious grin. She coiled back and sprang to her feet using her hands. JNPR continued staring as she trotted back to the ring.

"I won't count that one if-" I started

"No, it's good" She said, still grinning "This just means I don't have to hold back."

"aheh, right."

'I just opened a terrible can of worms, didn't I?"

Yang bounded back into the ring, still smiling. She stretched a little, then picked up a stance.

"You ready?" She asked, extending her fist

"As I'll ever be"

I tapped her fist and stepped back as she shot towards me. I bobbed out of the way as her fist snapped past my face. It recoiled and was replaced by her leg, flying in for a kick. I raised my arms into a guard and tanked the hit. Pain stung my arm as it felt like I was just smacked by Lily with a lead pipe. Yang touched down, tucked her other leg in, and kicked towards my stomach. I dipped and rolled out of the way, flanking Yang.

Her eyes snapped to me as I flicked my arm in a jab. She took the jab in full, not bothering to dodge. I followed it with a sweeping low kick to knock her off balance. She leapt over it and attempted to knee me in the chest. I sprang back and she kept the pressure on, swinging and taking as much room from me as she could.

'alright, How about this!'

I tanked the next straight she threw and countered like a scribe. My straight flew hard and fast, just grazing Yang's cheek. I pulled back into a guard right as she retaliated and tried again. This time I missed completely, She'd picked up on that one.

Yang dipped out of the way of my next jab and leapt into an uppercut. I felt my feet leave the ground as it connected, I moved just a second too slow to dodge that time. I stumbled backward, keeping myself in the ring while trying to put space between us. She followed, trying to make sure I didn't have room to breathe.

I stopped back pedaling and sprang at her again, attempting to land another Ranger takedown. She was ready, easily side stepping the takedown and jabbing me in the chest. Her arms flickered as they proceeded to hammer my chest. I tried to guard, but she wasn't having it. She broke my Guard, leapt into the air and kicked me in the sternum. I could feel the air escape my lungs as she hit. My chest ached and my lungs burned. She landed from her kick, the grin still on her face.

I leapt into a legion assault and whiffed her by a small margin. The instant it missed I pulled into a guard, narrowly blocking her knee as it rammed into my forearms. I countered again, my fist planting itself in her stomach. Before I could enjoy finally landing a hit though, she clamped down on my arm and locked it in place. She wasn't letting me back up anymore.

She Came in close and buried her knee into my stomach. It hit firm, It wasn't enough to bring me to my knees but it hurt. I tried to keep on my feet and she followed through with a series of jabs with my free arm, slamming the arm she used to trap me. She ignored me, stuck her leg out, and tripped me. Releasing my arm as I tumbled forward.

I flopped onto the floor, rolled, and came back to my feet ready to keep going. She was smirking at me, then she pointed down.

I looked and realized I'd gone out of bounds.

"I believe this one's mine." She said lightly

"Good going Yang." Ruby said with a smile

"Not bad." I nodded, dropping my stance "Don't know too many who can fight like that."

"Aw, thanks." Yang smiled

"Keep it up and you'll make silver." I said challengingly

"Hey!" Yang said, re-adopting her smirk with a fire in her eyes.

I joked, but only by half. Yang was unbelievable. If Veronica had a mean right hook, then Yang had a mean right hook, left hook, knee, kick, elbow, and everything else. Veronica had been given the bare minimum training needed for a scribe and excelled with it. Yang clearly had been given above and beyond that and was even more dangerous. She wasn't even as old as Veronica yet. She was still going to improve, both a scary and awe inspiring prospect.

In the Mojave, this girl would've been a prodigy.

It suddenly made sense how she might one day win against an armored deathclaw.

"You ready to finish this?" Yang asked, stepping back to give me room in the ring.

I exhaled slowly, calming myself. I needed to focus. I walked back into the ring and took my stance across from Yang.

"Kick his butt Yang!" Ruby shouted

"Tear him apart!" Nora shouted, apparently enjoying the spectacle "Break his legs!"

'Nora, please stop.'

"Yes, Ms. Xiao Long." Ms. Goodwitch cut in "Show us what he's made of."

I glanced to my left and noticed Goodwitch was watching as well. A part of me wondered briefly if she thought this was going to happen. If she did, she was still a bitch.

"You ready?" Yang asked raising her fist for our final bout.

I exhaled slowly, calming myself. "… Yea. Let's dance."

My fist tapped hers and she dove at me. I didn't recoil, I leapt to meet her. I smacked her arm aside and sprang upward, driving a knee into her chin. I swapped into a punch as I came back down. She tanked the hits and attempted to retaliate with a kick. I back stepped and flew in with a kick of my own.

She had a power and speed advantage, courtesy of whatever made everyone that way. Her 'aura' maybe? Whatever it was, I had stamina and experience. I couldn't take her in a brute force fight without this devolving from a spar into a deathmatch. I wasn't looking for a deathmatch, I hadn't even been looking to spar. But that's where we were now, so I had to play smart.

Our legs parried off of each other and she dove at me again, flickering jabs like they were going out of style. I deflected and dodged them as they came. Keeping an eye on the ring, not letting her box me in or force me out again. I kept my footing sure, not letting her trip me up.

We circled the ring twice, by then I noticed she was slowing, perhaps to change her assault. Before she could, I snatched one of her retreating arms and pulled her to me, slamming my fist into her chest. She took the hit, but I saw she felt it. My hand snaked for her chest and clasped onto her shoulder. With a pull, I brought her in and smashed my head against her nose with a head butt.

She recoiled and I released her, staggered. I kept the pressure on, flickering Jabs right back at her. She dodged and blocked them even while dazed, But she couldn't block me sweeping her feet. I took her legs out from under her and she landed onto the ring. Before I could continue, she rolled a few feet away and sprang back to her feet, a smile on her face.

"Not bad." She said, seeming none the worse for wear.

"Not bad yourself." I responded, rolling my shoulders.

'I'm actually starting to enjoy this.'

"You got this Yang!" Ruby shouted, fully confident of her sister.

Yang's eyes darted off to her sister for a second. I'd have taken the opportunity to strike, but that would be rude outside of an actual fight.

"It's rude to take your eyes off your opponent." I said, pointing out her inattention.

"It's a spar." Yang said "It's not a real fight, if it were you wouldn't be holding back."

"Hmph, you noticed." I smirked a little

"If you weren't, you'd probably be fighting a lot harder."

"You're right, if this were real I'd be fighting you like I did CRDL and this would be a lot shorter."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Ooh, that sounds like a challenge." Yang said, still smirking

"It's a challenge, But don't think I haven't noticed you pulling your punches either. It takes more than a shotgun to crater someone into a wall."

"Heh heh, yeah" Yang continued, grinning "So, no more of the whole 'holding back' thing?"

"I dunno, you're strong but I don't want to hurt you. It's just a practice fight."

"Aww, nice to know you care." Yang smirked

"Will you two please go back to wailing on each other!?" Nora shouted

"Yea!" another student spoke up, apparently we were attracting the class's attention. Even Weiss and Blake were scrutinizing us.

"Kick his butt yang!" Another shouted

"Don't let her win Mask guy!"

"Twenty Lien on Masky!"

"Thirty on Blondie"

"I want blood!"

"Calm yourselves students." Goodwitch spoke over them "Let them finish."

'They all really live up to the term Vulture sometimes.'

"C'mon, let's finish this… Courier" Yang said, still sporting a challenging smirk.

"… Did you really have to say that Yang?"

"If it gets you serious? Yes… Courier."

"…" I sighed "I apologize in advance for this."

We both returned to stance and the fight kicked into full swing. Yang charged me, fist at the ready. The first swing missed as I easily side stepped. She followed them up with a flurry of speed she hadn't displayed yet. I kept out of her reach, letting her exhaust her speed. She cut herself off half way, dipping into a butterfly kick to close the gap. I whiffed the first leg and grabbed the second. Using it to slam her into the floor and stomp on her calf. Before she could retaliate, I backed off and let her re-orient herself.

The instant she was on her feet again I got in close and flicker jabbed her chest. Keeping her off balance so she wouldn't have room to hit. I cut the jabs mid-way through and kneed her in the stomach before giving her a cross to the forehead. She stumbled back shaking the hits off with a devious grin on her face.

She charged me again and I tried to cut her off with a straight. She dodged it and gave me an open palm to the ribs. Followed immediately by a high round house kick, it connected and I heard bells ringing. They faded quick and I deflected the next cross she threw. It hit my arm worse than before, what once stung now just flat out hurt.

I deflected the next jab she sent. Using the momentum to backhand her across the face and follow it up with a upward punch beneath the ribs. I heel kicked her back and she reeled for a moment before diving back in.

We connected our fists with a straight and I felt a shockwave travel down my arm. She was hitting harder and harder all the time. Almost like she was gauging how far was too far. I was going to take that choice away from her.

The next punch she threw, I dodge. The next kick I parried. Next knee I blocked. Ever strike she sent my way I deflected or stopped, no longer aiming to land a hit. I was learning her moves. Noticing her tells. She wanted me to fight without holding back, I was going to tear her down.

"What are you-" Yang noticed

She noticed too late. The next punch I trapped her arm and smacked her elbow straight. Making sure she wasn't going anywhere, I pulled her in full force and rammed my knee into her stomach. Before letting go I kicked down at her right leg and punched her in the nose again. Only when she attempted to retaliate did I push her back.

She staggered, shaking off the pain. She still had a wild smile on her face. She charged in again, aiming another high round house. I caught it, redirected it and kicked Yang's other leg out from under her. She used the momentum of her fall to try and drag me over with her. I released her leg and dove over top her, rolled past her and sprang to my feet on the opposite side of her. He back exposed to me while she was on the ground. In a real fight, she'd be toast. Instead, I hesitated, allotting her the second it took to sprang back again. In truth she wasn't bad, just that for all her training and instinct she was still green. If she had the experience this spar wouldn't be anywhere near as even.

I could see it in her eyes though, she was beginning to tire. She wasn't to the point where she'd collapse but she was slowing. If enough time passed I'd be able to wear her out completely. Though at this point, just a display of skill would suffice.

I put myself back on the offensive. I charged Yang, feinting a shoulder check. She put up her guard and I weaved past it, planting my fist in her gut. It was firm and likely didn't hurt much. But she buckled a little. I used it, flicker jabbing around her head, letting my fingers nimbly pass it by. My goal accomplished, I backed off and let her recover.

The instant she attempted to spring at me I made my play known. I held out my right fist and turned it palm side up. Revealing several strands of golden hair. Easily plucked from her head, which could have been much harder and more painful blows than the course I took. I could've taken her neck, ears, base of the skull, or anywhere else. This was a display she'd hopefully get. I might not be up to snuff physically, but I knew how to fight.

As she stopped herself, she noticed my open hand. She looked at the golden strands that lay in it as I dropped them to the floor.

"Word of friendly advice." I reiterated "Do not call me courier."

"Y-you" Yang growled

'Good, she noticed, time to finish-'

"Oh no." Ruby whimpered

'oh no?'

I soon realized what Ruby meant. Yang's hair erupted into a wreath of flames and the purple faded from her eyes. Replaced by a solitary, furious red. I didn't know what happened, but Yang instantly jumped two notches on my Danger meter.

She closed the distance between us in a blink. Suddenly her left hand was gripping my shirt and emanating a fiery heat. The look in Yang's eyes screamed murder as she cocked back her fist faster than I could counter.

'OH NO.'

"You Monster!" Yang shouted, slamming her free fist into my chest.

All of the air was expelled from my lungs as Yang's punch collided. That was the first thing I noticed. The second was the near grenade-like impact and explosion she caused. The world blurred as I went flying, it stayed that way until I collided with the wall. I smashed through my previous crater, turning it into a hole. I bounced off the hallway floor, hit the opposing wall and flopped to the floor. The last thought before I lost consciousness again being thus.

'ow…'

…

"Does this hurt?" Nurse Ochre asked, poking my chest

"Yes." I growled

"Does this?"

"Yes."

"Does-"

"YES, it hurts, now will you please stop poking my wound!?" I snapped

"Very well." The nurse complied "It appears, aside from the burns, you managed to avoid serious harm this time. The first wall must've softened your impact."

"Whoopee" I drawled, staring down at myself. Yang's punch had left a starburst burn mark on my chest. A little salve would keep it from scarring, but that wasn't my biggest issue right now.

My parkstroller outfit had given up the ghost. Even if Yang punching me through the wall hadn't shredded it, the massive hole she'd burned into the chest would've killed it. She'd even burned a hole through my undershirt. At least I had spares of that. But now I was down my sparring and work outfit.

"This should help with that." The doctor Azure said, joining us. "It'll itch, but given time and proper medicine it'll most likely disappear."

He held out a tube of salve and let me apply it. I could practically feel it sucking the heat out of the wound.

"Thought after the last time you were in here you'd have gotten your aura problem taken care of." The doctor grunted

"I'm doing it in my own time." I answered, not giving away what I didn't know "… Any chance you got some spare clothes I could borrow?"

"Afraid not. Normally it's not an issue."

'figures'

"Well, if there's nothing else, I should be on my way."

"mmm, good day."

The doc went back to reading his scroll and I left the infirmary. I looked down the hall towards the sparring room and noticed my teammates were sitting patiently. As I approached, Ruby looked up.

"You're up!" Ruby said, rising from the bench.

The rest of my team took notice and followed suit. They looked me over like I just crawled out of a woodchipper.

"Go ahead and get it out of your systems." I said, fully aware of my wardrobe malfunction.

"Well… It's certainly special." Ruby said, clearly trying to phrase it as best she could.

"Ruby, I know I look like I just crawled out of a dumpster, you don't have to sugarcoat it."

"Sorry~" Yang said, a pained smile on her face "I thought your aura would've stopped that."

"It didn't stop me from getting a concussion did it?"

"Or from getting burned." Blake said, noting my chest wound.

"Eh, it'll be fine. Just need to put some ointment on it."

"But your aura gauge didn't even register in the red." Blake said thoughtfully. "You shouldn't have gotten burned that easily."

"Ah… well- uh, it's just not what you'd call 'strong' I suppose."

"But it wouldn't have needed to be." Weiss scrutinized "Even a weak aura can protect from wounds like that."

"Well, Yang wasn't holding back… so~…"

Weiss continued to scrutinize me. If I was being paranoid, Ruby seemed to be eyeing me as well. Though it might have been because I was currently looking like a vagabond.

"… If you ladies don't mind, I'm feeling a draft and would like to get changed."

"Oh- uh- go right ahead." Ruby said, letting me continue on.

"Mmm, I'll see you in Oobleck's class after lunch."

"Y-yeah… see you."

I walked past my teammates and back to the locker. The conversation felt a bit awkward, but when you're half naked everything is awkward. But I was going to have to do something about my clothes now. I wasn't going to start sparing in my uniform or my Riot Gear. That was saved for actual trouble. I wasn't going to wear the clothes Byzantium made for this either. They were nice clothes meant for special occasions…

'… hmm… Maybe I should pay Byzantium a visit this afternoon.'

…

The sun hung low in the sky as the afternoon rolled on. The mid-afternoon brought with it the students who had been freed from their academic responsibilities. Students who were now free to enjoy the remainder of an otherwise beautiful day. Many of them flocked to Vale, to enjoy the city in its splendor before it became crowded with tourists and incoming festival competitors.

This was a welcome change in pace for the shop owners and clerks of the city's limits. A chance to increase their cash flow and restock themselves for the coming weeks. Only a handful of stores would not share heavily in this. The tailory of Byzantium Porphyra was one of them. Its dilapidated appearance causing many to shy away from the treasures it held within.

Though it did little to dissuade the young huntresses that approached its doors.

A bell chimed as the door to Byzantium's tailory opened. Seated behind his counter, Byzantium watched as the two young women walked in. One wore a beret and Sunglasses in conjunction with the designer clothes that adorned her. The other wore much simple clothes, A black body suit, beneath a pair of shorts and a small jacket. Though they did little to distract from the pair of large, floppy rabbit ears that sprang from her head.

"Well now, this is a pleasant surprise." Byzantium rumbled "Wasn't expecting to see you again so soon Ms. Scarlatina."

"Hello Mr. P." Velvet replied shyly.

"I told you, you can call me Byzantium. Ms. Scarlatina." The bull faunus's gaze shifted to the second huntress. "I assume this is that friend of yours?"

"mmm hmm." Velvet confirmed "This is Coco, my leader."

"Nice to meet you." Coco said with a small wave.

"Pleasure." Byzantium returned the wave. "So what brings you two in today?"

"Vel said you had some nice clothes." Coco replied "I wanted to see them for myself."

"Well, you're free to look around. Everything in the shop is handmade, and if you need alterations I'd be willing to make them. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Hmm… not sure, I'd need a moment to see what you've got."

"By all means, go ahead."

Coco paced the floor of the shop. Examining the clothes on the mannequins. She was impressed by the quality of the work. Though they were not her style. Everything in this store screamed to an older fashion sense than her own. It was charming and in good taste, but not for her.

"Do you have anything more… modern?"

"Hmm, Ms. Scarlatina said you'd prefer something newer." Byzantium said thoughtfully "If you have something in mind, perhaps I could custom make it?"

"Tempting… but I think there's something else you can help me with first."

"What's that?"

Coco returned to her friend, who was standing around shyly. Coco walked up behind her and clasped both hands on her partner's hips.

"Getting this sexy little bunny a date." Coco said with a smirk.

Velvet's ears pricked up straight and her face quickly grew a blush to rival her surname. Her eyes widened as she turned to look at her partner.

"C-Coco!" Velvet squeaked in embarrassment.

"Oh?" Byzantium asked, a hint of amusement in his voice "Ms. Scarlatina's got someone she fancies?"

"I-I don't!" Velvet squeaked in defense.

"How bad is it?" Byzantium asked

"Bad." Coco said with a smirk, moving her hands up her teammate. "There's been this boy-"

"No there isn't!" Velvet protested

"Isn't there always?" Byzantium chuckled at the flustered rabbit faunus.

"He's been around the grounds for the past couple of weeks, working with one of the teacher's clubs."

"You've got a crush on the grounds keeper?" Byzantium continued chuckling

"H-he's not- I-" Velvet fumbled

"He's actually a student." Coco continued "A first year even."

"Oh ho! What's he like?"

"Can't really say." Coco smirked "She hasn't even talked to him once."

"She hasn't? Then what'd the boy do to catch her eye?"

"H-he hasn't-" Velvet tried

"Hush now Vel." Coco said with a pat on the head "The adults are talking."

"Hummm." Velvet groaned, her ears flopping down along her head.

"So get this:" Coco started "There's this dumb First year by the name of Cardin Winchester."

"I hate him already." Byzantium smirked

"He and his dumb teammates corner little Velvet during lunch while the rest of us are getting food."

"I don't like where this is going."

"Neither did we, by the time we got back Cardin and his team were picking on our sweet little rabbit. Pulling her ears and calling her a freak."

Byzantium's smirk disappeared and his massive frame tensed. "Oh, I'd love to have a word with him."

"So would we. But the moment before we could step in, this first year stepped in. He threw some mashed potatoes and corn at Cardin that looked vaguely like-"

"Please stop." Velvet tried

"Hush- anyway, so Cardin lets her go and goes after this kid."

"Suppose I would too, wasting food like that."

"-But he grabs the wrong one entirely. The kid had been sitting at a table with a bunch of other first years and Cardin grabbed the wrong one."

"Oh boy, this Cardin boy sounds like an idiot."

"Like you'd never believe. So while he's threatening the one kid, the one that helped Vel gets up, walks over to him, and says something to get him to back off. Don't know what, but Cardin looked scared. Then this kid shouts at him to "Clean himself up" because he looks like a slob."

"Heh, I'm liking this kid."

"Same. After we talked with Vel though, we'd noticed most of Cardin's team had disappeared. Then we hear a door breaking, and they're fighting with the kid in the Hallway. Three on one."

"Rough odds, didn't get too roughed up, did he?"

"No, that's the thing. He beat all of them without breaking a sweat. Then Goodwitch had them all hauled to the Headmaster's office."

"Hmph, no surprise why you'd be interested then Ms. Scarlatina. He sounds like a fine catch."

"He's not- I'm not-" Velvet stuttered

"After that we start seeing him around school, taking care of the grounds. Guess who just so happened to stare at him every time we passed him."

"oof, sounds like you've got it bad Ms. Scarlatina."

"I-I do not have a crush on him!" Velvet finally managed to squeak out.

"Then there were those looks you'd give him during gym."

Velvet's face grew a few shades more red.

"Well now, this seems a fine cause." Byzantium answered warmly "I'm more than willing to lend my skills to a young faunus following her heart."

"I-I… I'm not-"

"But what's the boy's name?"

"We don't know." Coco sighed "Vel can't work up the nerve to talk to him."

"D'oh, now that's no good Ms. Scarlatina. You should ask him, if he's regularly around like you say."

"I'd make her." Coco assured "Unfortunately, he stopped showing up a few days ago. Guess whatever was keeping him on the grounds stopped."

"Ah, well, perhaps a dress to catch the young man's eyes. Or maybe a blouse to catch the wind and a skirt to show some skin?"

"Could you both please stop?" Velvet asked, thoroughly embarrassed

"Oh, no need to be ashamed Ms. Scarlatina." Byzantium chuckled "'Tis all in good fun. Now, why don't we see what I can do to-"

As Byzantium went to finish, the bell on the door chimed once more as a new customer entered the shop.

…

After classes were over, I changed into the clothes Byz had sold me on my last visit. Purple button-up, vest, jeans, and boots. They were the only clothes I had aside from my uniform now. I even managed to catch an early enough airship, so I'd be able to get back reasonably.

Byzantium's store hadn't changed much since I last visited. Still lined in the old style and taste as the last time I'd been in. Rustic wood meshed with old school flair. To my surprise, the place wasn't empty. There were two girls standing in the middle of the store. They looked vaguely familiar.

"Well now, business is booming today." Byzantium smirked

"How do ya do Byz?" I asked approaching the counter

"I'm doing good, Six. Been a while since you were here."

"Yea, been busy with some work."

I approached the counter, closing the door behind me. As I did, one of the girls went bug eyed and hid behind the other like I couldn't see her. She had rabbit ears, so she was clearly a faunus, but for some reason that just made her even more familiar.

"The clothes been treating you good?" Byz asked, looking me over.

"Just fine, stitch work's held up well."

"Excellent, hate seeing my work come undone. So what brings you in today?"

"I need a hand with something. I got into a bit of a scuffle with one of my teammates and my go-to outfit for work and sparring got wrecked."

"Hmm… well, I'm not one to normally do repairs on clothes you can replace. But, what do you have?"

I pulled out the remains of the parkstroller outfit and laid them on the counter in front of him. He stared at the tatters for a moment.

"… you didn't pull this from the garbage, did you?"

"No, I just put it through the ringer."

"Why would you wear something like that for sparring?" One of the girls asked, walking up to the counter. She was wearing a beret and had this one long strand of hair running along her face.

"They were the only spare and/or work clothes I had. It was either that or ruin Byz's handy work."

"Thanks for that." Byz nodded

I gave him a nod.

"… shame." Said beret girl "It was pretty easy to spot you around beacon with that shirt on."

"Oh, you're a student?" I asked, looking her over. "I guess that explains why you look familiar. Don't think we've ever met though."

"Not formally." Beret girl extended a hand "Coco Adel."

"Courier Six." I took her hand and shook. She seemed decent enough. "What about your friend over there?"

I looked over at the rabbit girl who was still standing a few feet away. She was fidgeting awkwardly and looked uncomfortable. I must've been intimidating her, the mask has been known to have that effect. I was a bit taller than her too, the tips of her ears meeting my fore head. So that probably didn't help.

"She's free to introduce herself." Coco encouraged. "She's just a little shy."

It might've been my gasmask, but the rabbit girl's face got a little red. She leveled a small glare at Coco and cautiously walked up to me.

"H-hi…" She said, shrinking in on herself a little, ears drooping, and a small smile on her face. "My name's Velvet Scarlatina"

I looked the girl up and down a moment. "… Well, aren't you just as cute as a button."

"E-eh?" Velvet squeaked, going wide eyed and her face a bit red.

"No need to be shy, I'm not gonna bite you."

Velvet blinked at me, took a breath and tried to relax. "I-it's nice to meet you." She said with a smile

"Likewise, Velvet…"

I looked the rabbit girl over again. There was something disturbingly familiar about her and it was bugging the hell out of me. Which is weird, considering I don't know any girls with animal ears.

"… So, anything you can do to help, Byz?" I asked, turning back to the mountain behind the counter.

Byz picked up just the shirt and examined it. The sleeves were shredded, holes were torn in it, it was stained with every combination of sweat and grease, and a large portion of the front was charred beyond recognition. He didn't even bother to look at the pants.

"I think they're dead Six, sorry."

"Tsk, not you're fault Byz." I sighed "Should've figured they'd buy the farm with the way I wore them."

"I could make you a new set if you want." Byz offered "Wouldn't be exactly the same, but they'd be pretty close."

"I appreciate the offer Byz, but I think I should get something new anyway. Those weren't suited for what I was using them for and I'd feel bad using your work for something like that."

"Why not design something then?" Coco asked

"Design?"

Coco nodded "Byz does custom clothes, You could have him make you something new."

"For a price." Byz admonished "No need to worry about misusing it then either."

"Hmm, I suppose… Gonna need a moment to think."

"I'll get the paper for sketching if you're interested. Though I will give you a heads up, custom jobs aren't cheap, depending on the materials."

"… Yea, get set up, I'm going think for a bit."

"Alright." Byz smiled "Be back in a bit."

Byz left the counter and walked into the back. I took the opportunity to start thinking. I wasn't sure what exactly I was looking for. If I was going to be sparring I should replace it with some form of armor. Or at least something sturdy enough to take the hits. I'd been avoiding it, though after today there was no getting around it. But If I needed to take care of work, I couldn't have it be cumbersome. I needed to find a balance between the two. Perhaps I should start with the material. Byzantium was a tailor, so I couldn't expect him to work in sheet metal or plate. But he might have some experience with leather work. I hadn't used leather armor in a while. But having a full suit of the stuff would make labor a bit annoying.

While I was delving into my thoughts, Coco and Velvet congregated behind me. I wasn't getting the vibe that they were going to try something untoward, so I didn't make a deal out of it. Though I did make sure I was paying at least some attention to them. They were whispering about something, It seemed Coco was urging Velvet towards something. I tried to push them to the back of my mind as I tried to plan out how exactly I wanted my new clothes to look and work. I couldn't think of any ideas.

"U-umm… excuse me?" Velvet asked

"Hmm?" I responded, being pulled from my thoughts. "What's up?"

"I… I just wanted to say thank you."

I turned and looked at Velvet. Her face was still a shade of red and one of her ears was still drooping. "Thank you?"

"I never got the chance to before…"

"Well… you're welcome?"

Silence filled the shop as the three of us just stood there. Coco looked frustrated and pinched her nose. Velvet just stood there looking at the floor. I was standing around like a jackass.

'… This is awkward… Aight, fuck it.'

"I don't mean to be rude." I say, killing the silence "But what exactly did I do?"

"Eh?" Velvet said, looking up

"You thanked me for something, but I don't even know what I did. I know I might sound like a jackass, but what did I do?"

Velvet and Coco blinked. Coco pulled down her sunglasses and looked at me like the idiot I probably was. She then put her face in her hands.

"N-never mind!" Velvet squeaked, looking back to the floor

"Hold on, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to get a handle on what I did."

"It's nothing. Just forget I said anything."

'Ok, so it's not nothing then.'

"I'm just trying to be polite, but for the life of me I can't remember ever helping you."

"Guess your memory isn't the best." Coco said, rolling her eyes.

"You're not the first to say that, and I am sorry. You'd think I'd remember helping a cute girl with… rabbit… ears…"

The memories clicked into place finally.

"Oh, I remember now!" I said "You were that girl Cardin was picking on."

Velvet looked back up at me. "huh?"

"Of course. I just didn't recognize you because you disappeared after Cardin let go. I should've made sure you were alright, sorry about that."

"N-no! It's fine!" Velvet said, her face getting a little red.

"No, it's not. I really should've followed up on that. I just never saw you again after that."

"You do realize we go to the same academy right?" Coco chimed in "You could have tried looking."

"I… I actually don't have an argument against that."

"Then perhaps you should try a little harder to apologize." Coco smirked

'smug little-'

"I-it's fine Coco, really!" Velvet stuttered "A lot happened, he doesn't-"

"I'm sorry." I say looking at the floor.

Velvet looked away from Coco and back to me.

I bowed my head a little "Sometimes, I get caught up in the flow of things and forget about making sure others are ok. I should've taken the time to look for you, I had ample opportunity due to circumstances keeping me on the grounds. I'm sorry that I didn't check on you after what happened and sincerely hope I didn't lead to making things worse. I'm sorry."

Silence blanketed the room again. Velvet was just turning more and more red, Coco lowered her sunglasses and looked at me.

"… PFT-HAHAHAHA!"

Coco then proceeded to burst out laughing.

"I'm trying to be serious." I growled in annoyance

"Then *hah* maybe you ought to *snrk* take her out to dinner too."

"Coco, please stop." Velvet whined

"Now you're just pushing it." I added

"What's so funny?" Byz asked, returning from the back of the shop.

"I have no idea." I said

"Hmm." Byz grunted "You have any idea what you want this thing to look like?"

"Not really. There are a couple of thing I have to keep in mind and I don't know what to do."

"Like what?"

"Sparring and general use mostly, but I don't want to wear something overkill. No sense in wearing an inch thick piece of cloth if I have to dig holes in the hot sun."

"Well, if customization is important, maybe you should talk to Ms. Scarlatina."

"Really?" I looked over Velvet again.

She was still a bit red, though I was starting to think it was a problem with my gasmask. Looking at her though, Part of me could see what Byz meant. Most of Velvet's outfit consisted of a body suit that hugged her body in a very flattering manner. Over that, she wore a canvas jacket with some form of spaulder on both shoulders. Aside from that, she wore a pair of canvas shorts and boots that were trimmed with the same material as her spaulders.

"I guess I see what you mean." I say, walking around Velvet "Her vital bits are covered, which is more than I can say for most."

Velvet's ears drooped and she pull an arm in front of her self-consciously.

"-But I don't quite I understand the customizable bit."

"Well, Ms. Scarlatina's wearing an outfit she can alter as she needs. The shorts can be replaced with longer pants, the jacket with a heavier coat, or any number of possibilities. If multi-purpose is your worry, just leave room for change."

"Huh." I said, still looking at Velvet "Guess that explains the body suit, keeps you covered even if something happens."

"U-umm…" Velvet stammered "C-could you please stop staring at me?"

I then realized I'd been staring at her for several minutes straight by this point.

'Nice job, genius.'

"S-sorry." I say backing up. "Probably should've asked first."

"I-it's fine."

"… Right. I think I have an idea of what I want to do Byz, only question is whether or not you can work with leather."

…

The designing took about an hour or two to get a rough idea of what was going to happen. The design took a few cues from the leather armor back in the Mojave. I took some liberties from there. The design amounted to a leather vest and spaulder, a pair of reinforced jeans that were darkened to match, and a pair of boots. I also added leather bracers to the forearms and legs, in case I needed to keep my guard up. Underneath it all was a body suit that, according to Byz, would wick sweat, and keep me cool. Something I wish the Mojave had more of.

Coco and Velvet stuck around through the whole process. Coco would add her two cents whenever she deemed fit to criticize. Velvet just continued to just watch quietly from the background. Though she did seem slightly interested.

"That's the rough plan then?" Byz asked "Any changes you want to make now?"

"None that I can think of." I answered "But if it stays customizable, I'm sure I'll come back later for changes."

"Alright, I'll get to work on it first thing tomorrow. Only thing now is payment."

"Of course, this is a business after all. You got anymore broken appliances that need fixin'?"

Velvet and Coco gave me a strange look.

"Not this time" Byz chuckled "so you'll have to pay some other way. If you've got some of that stuff left we could try bartering again."

"No need, turns out I've actually got a source of money after all. Just hadn't thought of it at the time."

"Really? Well rough estimate says this will easily cost a couple hundred lien in materials before labor. You got enough lien for that?"

"Well, not lien persay. But-" I reached into my back pocket for my coin purse. I pulled out a small handful of denarii, about five, and held them out for the world to see. "-Will this do?"

Byz's eyes practically popped out of his head at the sight of the coins. Same for Velvet, maybe Coco too but she would've been better at hiding it then. Byz took one of the coins from my hand with nimbility you wouldn't expect from hands as large as his. He brought the coin close and looked it over like it was some alien artifact. Technically it was, though he didn't know that.

"Is… is this-"

"Silver? Yes, about an ounce's worth too. I've got more than this on hand too if it's needed."

Byz looked back and forth between me, the coin in his hand, and the ones in mine. He was probably running the math in his head. He didn't look like he was planning to try and fleece me, though it wouldn't have been too hard. I still wasn't sure what the exchange rate was here.

"… I'd say about ten of these could probably cover the materials." Byz said, coming to a consensus. "I'd accept it as a down payment until later."

"Works for me, the quality speaks for itself."

I pulled a few more coins out of the purse and deposited the lot of them into Byz's hand.

"When should I expect you to be done?"

"'bout a week or two." Byz said, still looking at the coins. "Check back later and I'll give you a better idea."

"Will do, with that I should get moving. The last ship to Beacon will probably be taking off soon."

Coco suddenly snapped to. "Crap, I forgot about that!"

"C-Coco!" Velvet said

"Right, sorry."

"We best get moving" I say heading for the door. "See you later Byz."

"Y-yea, see you later Six." Byz said, still looking at the silver in his hand.

…

The ride back to Beacon had been uneventful for the Courier and his acquaintances. As soon as the ship touched down at the docks of Beacon, he said his goodbyes and left them to their business. The two huntresses in training walked the grounds for a short while after that.

"Heh, wow Vel, you sure now how to pick them." Coco chuckled

"Please stop." Velvet said, her voice barely a murmur

"Aw, don't be upset, it's not your fault he's a socially inept moron."

Velvet gave a pitiful whine.

"…Though I suppose it is your fault for having a crush on him."

"I don't have a crush on him!"

Coco smiled. "It's alright Vel, I'm your partner. He had some good points too, and his heart seems to be in the right place."

Velvet looked at the floor as the conversation continued. "Y… Yes, he did."

"Plus he called you cute a couple times."

Velvet's blush returned with a vengeance. "Y-Yes he did!" she shouted, trying to put the conversation to rest.

Coco chuckled at her flustered teammate. "You better call dibs on him then. Soon as word gets out he's loaded, everyone's going to be gunning for him."

"I don't have a crush on him!" Velvet shouted running ahead of her teammate with her head buried in her hands.

"Heh, what am I going to do with you?"