In RWBY's Shadow

The Docks

The sun began to set over the Emerald Forest, painting the sky a mix of reds, oranges, and purples as the last rays of light peaked between the mountains. The wind rippled the canopy like a calm sea, as birds circled above, looking for their resting places. Beyond the forest, the city of Vale began to glow as streetlamps and storefronts lit up in the fading twilight.

Uncaring for the serenity below, a single bullhead sped towards the city.

"Can't you go any faster?" Lilly begged of the pilot, having received an update from Honey that their target had recently left. The rest of the girls now waited anxiously at the diner for her arrival, hoping that she could once again track their companion.

"For the last time, no." The pilot's patience had begun to wear thin, it seemed. Not that his three occupants cared. "Unless there's an emergency, I'm supposed to follow the safe speed guidelines. I'm already exceeding that for you, but any faster will get me in a lot of trouble." When Lilly refused to back down, the pilot added, "If you can give me a decent reason to call in an emergency request, I'll send it. Otherwise, I need you to return to your seat."

Despite his aggravated tone, the pilot seemed genuine in his willingness to hear her out. The problem was, any request would be logged in detail. Since the bullhead was owned by Beacon, the report would inevitably make its way to the faculty, alerting the school that not only was one of its students possibly a terrorist, but that two first-year teams had decided to pursue her alone. That seemed like a sure-fire way to punishment. Even if they got Blake to come back, a report like that could mean the girl's expulsion. Lilly doubted their neighbors wanted to bring their teammate back just to get her expelled, and so stormed back to her seat without another word.

"No luck?" Randi asked as Lilly forcibly sat down.

"None," Lilly answered. "Honey says Blake already left. They're waiting for us at the diner, but we're still a few minutes out." Randi acknowledged her information with a quick nod before turning back to the window. Across from them, Smit glared past the cockpit towards the city. From time to time, he would stretch out his hands, small flames dancing on his fingertips before being snuffed out again as he clenched his fists once more. How his fingerless gloves survived all that heat was beyond Lilly. Hoping to calm him down, she spoke up. "You okay?"

Smit's head whipped back to her. His eyes were hardened with anger, though Lilly felt confident it wasn't directed at her. "No, I'm not okay!" Smit shouted, leaning forward to stand before thinking better of it. Despite his rage, Smit quickly lowered his voice lest the pilot hear the next part. "We've been living next door to a White Fang member all this time. How did this happen?"

"I...I don't know," Lilly admitted. "How could we have known? Most of us didn't even know she was a faunus." Lilly glanced at Randi, who merely shrugged at the emphasis.

"That reminds me." Smit quickly turned to his partner. "You knew she was a faunus. Be straight with me. Did you have any idea she was White Fang as well?"

Randi looked Smit in the eye, hoping to convey her honesty. "I never knew. I wouldn't hide something like that." Smit stared at her for a moment before sitting back and crossing his arms, willing to trust his partner but still angry at the situation. "To be honest, I never really knew much about the White Fang until I came here."

"What? How could you not know about them?" Lilly was stunned that the normally knowledgeable girl could be unaware of such an infamous group.

"I came from a small village, remember? Back there, no one cared if you were faunus or not. You were judged by your contribution to the village, not your heritage," Randi explained. "It wasn't until after the village fell that I even realized anyone cared about such things. That's...kinda why I left."