One Week Later...
Vale Harbor Side...
3rd Person POV
After a rather long week of school at Beacon Academy, the Tenno, alongside team RWBY, took a long weekend off from the stresses of being a student. To start their new weekend, the five of them took a stroll through the city of Vale as it prepared for the Vytal Festival. A fascinated Ryoma and Weiss stood in front while observing the decor.
Weiss: Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!
Ruby: I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss.
Yang: Oh, I have...
Ruby, Blake, Ryoma: ?
Blake: When was that?
Yang: About a week ago...
Weiss: !
Yang: ...when she was massaging ol' Ryoma-.
Ryoma: !
As Weiss bolted behind her towards Yang, covering her mouth with both hands, Yang tried to continue to no avail.
Yang: Mmm Mmm Mmmm.
While covering Yang's mouth, Weiss whispered in irritation.
Weiss: How do you know that!? Were you watching!?
Uncovering her mouth, Weiss allowed her to respond as well, whispering as she did so.
Yang: Define "watching" ?
Seeing Weiss roll her eyes in response, Yang raised both her brows up twice before Blake chimed in
Blake: If it's about you and Ryoma, we already know.
Eyes widened, she responded out of shock.
Weiss: What the-!? Uh... eh... How did-!?
Ruby: Ooooohhhhh.... that...
Ryoma: Did she want it kept secret, or what?
Weiss: This is exactly what I didn't want! Satire from these two!
Weiss: Who else knows of this!?
Yang: Just us... for now.
Slapping herself in the face and growling in response, she looked back at a confused Ryoma before giving up.
Weiss: You know what, fine. Tell everyone, Yang. Tell the whole world about us if you want!
She firmly gripped the Tenno's hand with her own, their fingers intertwining much to his own surprise.
Ryoma: Hmm!?
Weiss: Make all the romance and ice jokes you want! It's not gonna keep me from smiling today in this breathtaking decor!
Ruby: It's still kinda weird to see you like this.
Weiss: Quiet, you!
Yang: Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?
Ruby pinched her nose during to the stench as she commented.
Ruby: Ugh, they smell like fish!
Weiss: I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom.
Ryoma: Is that really why we came here?
Weiss: Yes.
Blake: She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament.
Ryoma: Oh.
Weiss: You can't prove that!
Ryoma: I mean... it makes sense, but-.
Weiss: See? Even he's on bla-.
Ryoma: It's a bit creepy to do so, wouldn't you think?
Weiss: ...
Ryoma: ....Miss Schnee?
Ruby: Woah!
Everyone else: ?
Turning their heads to the right, the group took notice of a vandalized dust shop only a block away from where they stood. The city's police force and detectives scattered across the site, marked off by yellow tape. Approaching the site as a group, Ruby was the first to comment.
Ruby: What happened here?
Ryoma: Vandalism?
Detective: Robbery...
Ryoma: Huh?
Beside them, two detectives of massively different heights discussed the crime scene out loud, without any care for anyone eavesdropping on them.
Large Detective: Second one to be hit this week. This place is turning into a goddamn jungle.
Ryoma: Second one to be robbed? Is this the work of the fellow I met a few months back?
Short Detective: They left all the money, again. The hell is this shit about? Who robs a store and doesn't take the money?
Large Detective: More importantly, who needs that much dust?
Short Detective: An army?
Large Detective: You thinking the White Fang may have something to do with it?
Short Detective: I'm thinking we ain't getting paid enough for this ridiculous shit.
Ryoma: Swearing like sailors, those two are...
Weiss: Hmph! The White Fang... what an awful bunch of degenerates.
Blake: What's your problem?
Weiss: My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane.
Blake: The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus.
Weiss: Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!
Blake: So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale.
Ryoma: Perhaps as some sort of bomb?
Catching the looks of everyone in the group, the Tenno theorized.
Ryoma: Dust is rather volatile. Certain elements could make for an devastating explosive.
Recieving Blake's hostile glare, the Tenno shrugged in his defense.
Ryoma: It's just a possibility.
Ruby: A low one at that. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy Ryoma and I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him.
Ryoma: Torch-what?
Weiss: That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum.
Blake: Grrr...
Ryoma: !?
Weiss: Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal.
Ryoma: I... don't think that's necessarily true...
Sailor: Hey! Somebody stop that Faunus!
Overhearing a cry for help, the group turned their heads towards the docks where a monkey Faunus in jeans and an open white shirt sprinted towards them. A few sailors, giving chase for about 30 yards. As he passed by the group, said Faunus gave a wink to Blake, freezing her in her place for a short while.
Blake: Did he just...?
Yang: Well, Weiss... you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes.
Weiss: After him!
Pointing a finger at the Faunus as it slowly began to fade away, she continued.
Weiss: We have to observe him!
Letting go of Weiss' hand and closing his eyes, the Tenno used Transference to bring down his Warframe, newly repaired by his orbiter's Cephalon.
Ruby: Don't you already have someone to observe?
Weiss: That's not what I meant, Ruby!
Taking off in a flash, the Tenno gave chase to the Faunus. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all followed behind shortly after, followed by Blake after coming back to reality. As quickly as their chase began, it had ended for team RWBY when Weiss accidentally collided with a pedestrian around the corner. For the Tenno, the chase was still on.
Using the ancient parkour techniques of the Tenno, Ryoma caught up to the faunus. Their chase now leaving the streets and onto the rooftops of Vale. Bullet jumping over rooftops, the Tenno had come to an arm's length away from the Faunus. With it, he tackled him down onto the ground before standing him up by the shirt, the latter struggling every second he could.
Wukong: Hey! L-Let go of me! Who are you!?
Ryoma: I just have a few questions to ask.
Wukong: I-I got one!
Pointing his fingers behind the Tenno, the Faunus asked.
Wukong: How did they get up here!?
Looking back, the Tenno saw nothing as the weight of his hands suddenly lightened.
Ryoma: I don't see anythi-. What the-!?
Looking back, the Faunus had disappeared from him. His white shirt being the only thing in his grips.
Ryoma: How di-!? Wh-Wha-!? Why!? Why would you leave this behind!? Bah!
Turning himself around, the Tenno tossed aside the Faunus's shirt before backtracking himself towards the girls. But upon his return, Weiss and Blake were in the middle of an argument over the faunus. Yang and Ruby both were off to the side displaying their discomfort.
Ruby: Hey, Ryoma...
Ryoma: I... lost him in the chase.
Ruby: It's cool...
Blake: Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!
Ryoma: Ooohhhh boy....
Weiss: Oh, I'm sorry... Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?
Blake: Stop it!
Weiss: Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; He'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!
Blake: You ignorant little brat!
Weiss: How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!
Blake: You are a judgmental little girl.
Weiss: What in the world makes you say that?
Blake: The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!
Yang: Umm... I think we should probably go...
Ruby: Yeah... Ryoma. Is there a way that you could uhh... you know... stop Weiss?
Ryoma: I umm.... I really don't wanna get in the way, much less get stabbed by either one.
Weiss: So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!
Blake: That's not what I meant, and you know it!
____________________________________
Beacon Academy Dorm Room...
Ryoma: Oh Geez... when will this end?
Weiss: I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!
Blake: That is the problem!
Weiss: You realize you are defending an organization that hates Humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!
Blake: There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!
Weiss: People like me?
Blake: You're discriminatory!
Weiss: I'm a victim!
Everyone: ?
For the first time in what felt like an eternity to the Tenno, Weiss finally spoke softly, catching his attention as well as Yang's and Ruby's.
Weiss: You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; Board members executed; An entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious.. hateful... borderline abusive. And that made for a very difficult childhood.
Ryoma: Oh. Umm.... well.... Geez, I....
Ruby: Weiss, I-.
Weiss: No!
Interrupted, Ruby remained silent.
Weiss: You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!
Blake: Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!
Silence and looks of horror immediately filled the room, as the eyes of the group were caught by her emphasis on "we". Weiss' body backing away from Blake with shock.
Ryoma: "We"?
Blake: I... I...
Realizing what she had done, Blake tried to explain herself to no avail before leaping out of the dorm room window.
Ryoma: Blake!
Ruby: Wait! Come back!
Watching Blake land on both feet from a few stories and hightailing it away from the group towards the courtyard, Ruby continued talking, but with defeat.
Ruby: Come back.....
Ryoma: Whatever happens, I just hope she's okay...