53

Chapter 53:

"Ashley?"

"Huh!?" Ashley jerked, sitting upright, forcing herself to remember that she wasn't alone.

"Are you okay?" asked Ruby, staring across the table at her friend. "You looked like you were miles away."

Ashley gave Ruby a shaky smile. "It's okay," she said. "It's fine. Just...you know...school troubles."

"Oh," said Ruby, her expression faltering slightly. "Yeah, I can sympathize."

"I still can't believe that you, of all people, got detention," Ashley pointed out, unable to keep a slight giggle from her tone.

"I don't wanna talk about it," grumbled Ruby petulantly, dropping her eyes to the mug of chai before her.

Ashley couldn't help but laugh at that. At times like this, Ruby actually acted her age, not like the more-mature personality she presented as a Huntress. It was refreshing, a reminder that even Huntresses were people. Of course, given how she was currently dressed, Ruby scarcely looked the part of a Huntress anyway.

At the moment, she was clad in a light-gray, one-piece, minidress, held up by a pair of thin straps over her shoulders, its skirt ending midway down her thighs. It was an outfit that had gotten Ruby more than a few appreciative looks on her way to Bruno's bakery from the air-docks. Only the sword, holstered on the back side of the broad belt Ruby wore, indicated who she really was.

"At least it's over," said Ashley. "Imagine having to spend your break on detention."

"Tell me about it," groused Ruby with a roll of her eyes.

Detention aside, the remainder of their semester had gone over rather well. RASP and RYNB had made use of their detention to study up for their classes (at Weiss' insistence), in order to get top marks on their exams, something they hoped would mollify Glynda. It appeared that they had succeeded. The semester finals had been a snap, with all eight members passing in the top percentile of their class.

On top of that, after a semester of evaluating their performance over the course of several matches, Glynda released the first-year students' official combat rankings, a highly-anticipated event. Once again, the results were gratifying, if a little embarrassing. Ruby and Pyrrha were both listed in the top spot, their undefeated records resulting in them tying for the Number-One position. Yang stood at second, right behind them, followed by Weiss. To their surprise, Dove Bronzewing took third-place. However, he was followed by Blake, Ren, and Nora.

Of the eight of them, only Jaune hadn't made it into the top ranks of the combat ratings. Unfortunately, he was still lingering in the bottom quarter of students, second-to-last in fact. The only student ranked lower than Jaune was Cardin Winchester, thanks to the two defeats Jaune had handed Cardin before. But that was to be expected. After all, having no formal training whatsoever meant that Jaune was years behind the other students. And while he'd made up an incredible amount of ground over the course of the semester, he still lost far more often than he won, whenever it was his turn to fight a match. Still, with the encouragement of his friends, he continued to train diligently, and advance steadily. Hopefully, by the next time the rankings were announced, he would have gone up a few ranks.

Following their semester finals, there was a week-long break before the next semester of classes at Beacon began. During this time, many of the students returned home to spend time with their families. However, more than a few students remained at Beacon. Some, like Ren and Nora, lacked a home to return to. Others; like Weiss, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Blake; had issues that led to them to preferring to remain at Beacon, rather than engage with their families. They were joined by Yang, who hadn't even needed the terse message from Taiyang to know that she wasn't welcome back on Patch, for daring to side with Ruby against him.

Ruby, of course, was on wonderful terms with the people she considered her real family. However, seeing as they lived on another continent, one that wasn't accessible to most modes of transportation used by the rest of the world, meant that, logistically speaking, popping over for a quick visit and returning in time to resume her classes just wasn't feasible.

And so, Ruby had opted to use her time on break to spend time with Ashley. The only downside was that their school breaks didn't line up exactly. Ashley's school would be in session for another week yet. All the same, having full days free meant that Ruby had time in the afternoon to come down into Vale and hang out with Ashley, after she got out of her school.

Today, Ruby had come on her own, but the day before, Jaune had come with her. Both Pyrrha and Weiss had declined accompanying them for the time being. Pyrrha was considering it, but still felt a little too self-conscious about her fame to risk Ashley getting caught up in all that. Weiss, naturally, was far too nervous at the prospect of entering into the heart of the Faunus Quarter, even if she did so in the company of a faunus friend.

Silently, Ashley thought it was a good thing that Weiss hadn't come yet. Considering what had just happened in her own life, the last thing Ashley wanted was for word to get around that she knew a Schnee, much less was on friendly terms with one.

In the time since the rally, Ashley had received word on upcoming meetings, to which she had been invited...in rather forceful terms. At this point, she had sent polite declinations, complaining of scheduling conflicts. So far, that appeared to be sufficient. Apparently, whoever was in charge of attendance at these things was too busy to deal with a single new recruit. But Ashley worried that she couldn't keep avoiding their meetings forever.

However, she decided to set that aside and focus on her friend. "What did you end up in detention for anyway?" she asked.

Ruby blushed. "Well...we're not supposed to talk about it." Her eyes drifted down and to the side. "We...um...got into a little trouble with the law."

"What?" blurted Ashley. "Were you arrested?"

"No!" said Ruby quickly. "We just stepped on some toes." Then she narrowed her eyes and glared out the window. "The cops are a bunch'a jerks anyway."

"Well...I can't argue with that?" asked Ashley. She'd heard a few stories about the police detaining innocent faunus, then grilling them for hours over perceived violations, apparently hoping to goad them into admitting some kind of connection to the White Fang. While she hadn't been through anything like that herself, she had been stopped by officers on her walks to and from school on a couple of occasions, the officers asking pointed questions about who she was and where she was going, before asking to see her student ID to confirm she was a student of the school she claimed to be from. Ashley had certainly never seen them stopping humans to answer those questions.

"Now I have to know what happened," said Ashley. "Come on! Spill!"

Ruby hemmed and hawed for a few moments, before letting out a sigh. "Well...all right. But you can't tell anyone else. Seriously! Like, I could get in real trouble if people found out I told you."

"I won't say a word," said Ashley.

Ruby told Ashley about what she and her friends had done, shortly before the end of the semester. She explained about how Velvet being accosted by the police, how it had inspired them to take action on the matter, and how they'd come up with a plan to counter the next White Fang heist. Following that, she described the battle at the docks, and her fight with Adam. For the time being, Ruby omitted details about Blake being a faunus or a former-member of the White Fang. However, she told as much as she could about everything else.

Ashley listened, riveted by the story. Her eyes grew wider with each passing sentence Ruby spoke, trying to process what she was hearing. Ruby fought the White Fang-No!-Ruby fought Adam Taurus...and won! On one level, that was amazing. Ashley had only just been inducted, reluctantly, into the White Fang, so it was only natural that she hadn't even seen Adam Taurus yet. However, there probably wasn't a faunus in the Kingdom who hadn't at least heard of him.

Some saw him as a valiant warrior, fighting injustice and giving the humans a taste of their own medicine. Others saw him as a deranged psychopath, who merely used the White Fang's mission as a pretext to indulge in his bloodlust. From what Ruby was saying, Ashley was beginning to lean towards the latter. The one thing that nearly everyone, Ruby included, agreed on was that Adam was strong. Given the attacks he'd been responsible for, it was only natural that he was on the top of the Kingdom's Most-Wanted List (especially since the Number 1 position had been relinquished by Roman Torchwick). Adam had been targeted by the police, the military, the SDC's substantial security forces, and numerous Huntsmen and Huntresses. But none of them had succeeded in bringing him in...and many had paid for the attempt with their lives.

The idea that Ruby had actually succeeded in going toe-to-toe with someone like that, had fought against him and won, was awe-inspiring. That was a feat beyond merely tying with Pyrrha Nikos. Once again, Ruby, despite her modest demeanor, displayed an awe-inspiring strength that left Ashley breathless, particularly considering the rather nervous and bashful manner she used to describe her victory.

On the other hand...it was terrifying. Ruby had fought against the White Fang. There was little doubt to Ashley's mind that the White Fang had marked Ruby as an enemy now. And now...Ashley was a member of the White Fang. It didn't matter that Ashley had been inducted against her will. What would happen if they realized that Ashley knew Ruby, was friends with her? Ashley's mind called up horrifying images of punishments and beatings for daring to befriend a Huntress. Then she considered the dreadful possibility that the White Fang might order her to spy on Ruby, maybe even lead her into a trap.

What would Ruby say? Ashley wondered, her heart thudding alarmingly. The fact that Ashley was now a member of the White Fang was never more prominent than at this moment, when she was sitting right before one of the organization's enemies, listening to Ruby as she described a fight against that very same organization. How would Ruby react to learning that Ashley had become a member? Would Ruby still be friends with her? Would she care that Ashley had been brought to a meeting by her employer and basically coerced into signing on?

She'd probably take me to the police the first chance she got, thought Ashley, before silently berating herself for thinking so little of Ruby. Surely, this considerate, kind girl, who'd once intervened to protect Ashley from being beaten, wouldn't jump to conclusions about her...right? In the end, however much Ashley wanted to believe that, her fear still guided her tongue, carefully directing their conversation around anything that might hint at the possibility that Ashley herself was White Fang.

Fortunately, it seemed that Ruby didn't suspect anything of that manner. While she expressed a certain degree of worry, noting that Ashley seemed nervous or tense about something, Ashley managed to play it off by claiming to be nervous about her own upcoming exams, which were likely nothing, compared to Beacon's, though Ruby quickly countered by revealing a little of the content of her exams, which were revealed to be not all that different from the kind of exams Ashley would be taking, even if the subjects differed.

After chatting for a while longer, they parted with a promise to see each other again soon, Ruby hoping to bring more of her friends along next time. For her part, Ashley returned home. There, she gave her normal greeting to her parents and retired to her room. Once within, she pulled out her scroll, finding herself staring at the latest message she'd gotten from the White Fang. It was a notification for another meeting. Silently, Ashley wondered how long she could keep this up before someone in the organization noticed her reluctance to participate.

I can't keep this up, she thought. There has to be some way out of this.

"So I think we should visit the bakery on the last day of our break," said Ruby, looking around the table at her friends.

"That sounds like a fun idea," said Jaune. "It's a really awesome place. I wouldn't complain about going there again."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" asked Pyrrha warily.

"It should be fine for you," said Blake.

If anything, Pyrrha's fame had been waning over the past few weeks. From the sound of things, at least a few of her sponsors in Mistral had decided to drop her. But Pyrrha was unconcerned about it, for the most part. Her only worry was whether or not her parents were spending the money she'd left to them wisely.

"That's all well and good," said Weiss. "But I obviously can't go."

"Sure you can," said Yang, grinning.

"Excuse me!" exclaimed Weiss, looking at Yang in surprise. "Do you want to set off a riot."

"Look, it's a risk for sure," said Yang. "But we'll all be with you, Weiss."

"Besides," added Ren, "if you want to start changing how the faunus see you, you need to engage with them at some point or another. You can't do that by hiding up at Beacon."

"You might have a point," conceded Weiss.

"We'll be right there," said Ruby, gently patting Weiss shoulder. "I know Ashley would like to see you again too."

Weiss' eyes lowered slightly, a small smile appearing on her face. "That would be nice," she admitted.

"It's an awesome way to spend our last day of freedom!" added Nora.

"Certainly beats hanging out at school, for sure," added Jaune with a grin. "I mean, can you imagine us wasting our last day of break like that."

"Heck no!" agreed Yang. "We'd probably go stir-crazy and start a food fight in the cafeteria, or something."

"Goodwitch would have our heads for that for sure," added Ren with a nervous shiver. After one dressing down from Glynda, thanks to their adventure at the docks, they were not keen to experience another of the stern disciplinarian's lectures.

"I'll call Ashley and let her know," said Ruby. "We can figure out when to meet up."

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade: Home to very book under the sun."

"You never get tired of saying that, do you?"

Tukson looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading to smirk at his customer. "It's a catchphrase for a reason," he retorted.

The bookshop owner was a surprisingly imposing figure for someone of such a humble profession. He was well-built, with dark-brown hair, sporting prominent sideburns. All told, he gave the impression of someone ready and able to handle trouble, an impression that had headed off more than one group of troublemaking hoodlums trying to mess up his shop for one reason or another.

He and Chrys couldn't have been a bigger study in contrasts, with Chrys' light complexion, golden hair; along with his light, willowy build, bordering on effeminate; contrasting heavily with Tukson's darker motif and heavier build. Despite that, they had been drawn together as friends due to their mutual experience as faunus, who'd managed to succeed and thrive in the human-dominated commercial district of Vale.

"You said my order came in," said Chrys, making his way to the register.

"Yep, just last night," said Tukson, ducking into the back, before returning with a package. "It wasn't easy tracking this guy down you know. You have a gift for testing my skills."

"Yes, well, floriography is a fairly obscure subject these days," said Chrys with a soft chuckle. "I'm a bit surprised though. Mistral's artistic culture was flourishing, even during the days when it was 'cooperating' with Mantle on their little ban against artistic expression."

"Yeah, well stuff this old happens to be in the hands of some individuals that are tough to access," Tukson countered. "But I've never failed a customer yet."

"You might want to adapt your catchphrase though," said Chrys. "Perhaps 'Home to almost every book under the sun', would be better, along with a promise of 'If it isn't here, I can find it and have it delivered.'"

"Too much of a mouthful," Tukson replied.

"Ah well," said Chrys with a shrug. "I tried. I can only hope you don't get smacked with a claim of false advertising."

The two men laughed. Tukson turned back to his newspaper, while Chrys began to peruse the shelves, looking to see if anything caught his eye, before he settled his bill for the book he'd ordered. A comfortable silence fell over the shop. However, it only lasted for a moment.

"Hey, how's your part-timer holding up?" asked Tukson, looking up from his newspaper.

"She's still shaken," Chrys admitted. "She hasn't been able to look me straight in the eye ever since the meeting."

"From the sound of things, I don't blame her," said Tukson. "What the hell are they thinking?"

"I don't know," said Chrys. "I've never seen anything like that before. The previous meetings were never so forceful about recruitment. This was more like conscription than anything else."

"Yeah...It's enough to get me worried," said Tukson. "I've been hearing some pretty dark rumors. The Dust thefts are crazy enough. But now..."

"Working with humans," mused Chrys, "human criminals at that."

"And something went south during that last big Dust heist at the docks," added Tukson. "From what I hear, Adam's been on the warpath ever since. They want to get their numbers up as fast as possible, hence the more forceful recruitment."

"That's what I thought," said Chrys. "But what are we building our numbers up for?"

"That's what's got me worried," Tukson admitted. He sighed and looked down. "The way things are...I..."

"You're thinking of leaving, aren't you?" asked Chrys, his eyes narrowing.

Tukson groaned and nodded. "I've already got a ticket to Vacuo," he admitted. "I don't want to be a part of this anymore."

"But going all the way to Vacuo?" asked Chrys.

"Probably the safest option," said Tukson. "If they're being this forceful about recruitment, then think about how they'll react to someone leaving."

"Surely they wouldn't," Chrys suggested.

Tukson's eyes narrowed. "I would have thought that too," he said. "But I also never thought they'd start forcing people to join them like that too. If this is the direction the White Fang's heading, I'd sooner send in my resignation from somewhere well out of their reach."

When it came to that, Vacuo was most likely the best place. Considering the desert Kingdom's inhospitable nature, humans and faunus had been forced to coexist in order to survive, which had engendered a mutual respect between the two races. Because of that, there was little reason for the White Fang to be active in that Kingdom.

"Well, I'll wish you luck," said Chrys, giving his old friend one last smile, before stepping up to the counter to pay for his purchase, having found nothing more to buy while he was there. "Send me a letter when you get there."

"Sure thing," said Tukson, grinning.

"The next shipment is ready," declared Meinrad, standing over the desk that Adam was currently seated behind.

"See that it is sent out," said Adam, looking up at his lieutenant, taking in the man's muscle-bound physique, and the full-face mask he wore, one even more elaborate than Adam's own. "Are we on schedule?"

"We're behind," admitted Meinrad quietly. Seeing Adam's upper lip curl back slightly, he hastily amended his statement. "However, only by a small margin. The pirate has managed to keep us from falling too far short of our goal."

That was scant comfort to Adam. But he would take what he could get, he supposed.

"There is better news though," declared Meinrad. "The operation to acquire the Atlesian prototypes was a success. As promised, one is being brought into Vale for our next rally, while the rest are being delivered to the staging point."

"That is good news," said Adam. "For a human, that little helper of Torchwick's is worth her weight in gold."

"It certainly can't be denied," agreed Meinrad.

"What else is there?" asked Adam.

"There are some members expressing discontent over the nature of our...revised...recruitment rallies," said Meinrad. "Apparently, there are even some who are talking about leaving the organization."

Adam frowned, his head lowering. "That is...disappointing." Truth be told, he felt more than a little strongly about deserters. However, the White Fang had been founded for the sake of helping faunus. If members wanted to leave, then there was no reason to stop them, provided that there was no risk of said members reporting the organization's activities to the police...

...Or...that was the way it had been. But the instructions that he'd been given by Cinder's "associate", the same one who had proposed the new format for their rallies, had also been clear. Desertion was a crime against the White Fang, a crime that needed to be punished. While he might have chafed at having to act according to a human's directions, Adam had to admit that this idea appealed to him considerably.

"Do we know of any specific deserters?" asked Adam.

"One of our agents in the transportation administration discovered that Tukson, the bookseller, recently purchased a ticket to Vacuo…one way," declared Meinrad. "We suspect he is planning to flee."

"I see," said Adam. "Who is he?"

"He tried to open his bookselling business in the commercial district," explained Meinrad. "However, the human landlords all discriminated against him. When he provided his story at one of our rallies, a few operatives were sent to 'convince' one of the landlords to be much more reasonable in his leasing practices."

"In other words, he owes us for even being able to conduct business at all," said Adam. "Yet now he decides that he no longer has the spine to fight for our cause." His lips pulled back, baring his teeth in a grin. "Very well then. I shall pay him a visit."

"A-are you sure, Sir?" asked Meinrad. "I mean, he's not even an active agent. Surely someone so low isn't worth your time."

"That is what will make the message all the more poignant," said Adam. "It will serve as a potent reminder of what happens to those who think they can simply abandon our cause. I will show them the fate of the faithless myself."

"V-very well, Sir," said Meinrad, backing out of the room. Though the large man wouldn't admit it, he was perturbed by the ferocious feeling of wrath that seemed to ooze forth from Adam's every pore.

For all that he was an incredible warrior, and inspiring leader, one fact about Adam Taurus that none could deny was that, above all else, he was terrifying.

Adam watched the door close behind his lieutenant, before leaning back in his seat, already looking forward to the bit of make-work he'd taken upon himself. After all, it would help alleviate some of the frustration he felt over his recent defeat.

The Sunday before their classes were scheduled to resume, RASP and RYNB made their way into Vale. Ruby had called ahead to inform Ashley of their plans, with Ashley promising to meet them. Though Ruby couldn't put her finger on it, Ashley seemed anxious for some reason. She figured that Ashley was probably just worried about how people would react to Weiss entering the Faunus Quarter, but she couldn't be completely sure.

As the eight of them walked, Weiss gravitated towards the center of the group. Pyrrha walked with her, keeping a gentle hand one Weiss' shoulder, a gesture of silent reassurance. It was an unspoken agreement amongst the others that they wouldn't leave Weiss alone while they were in the Faunus Quarter. While Weiss was capable of handling herself, it seemed that any attempts at violence were more likely to result from attacks of opportunity, rather than a bunch of angry faunus trying to face down an entire eight Beacon students, simply for the sake of getting at one person.

To help keep from drawing too much attention to themselves, they'd all picked out casual clothes for themselves, allowing them to look mostly like any group of teenagers going out for a day on the town, for all that a group consisting mostly of humans normally wouldn't enter the Faunus Quarter, unless they were planning to start trouble. As such, when they reached the streets that formed the invisible boundary of the quarter, RASP and RYNB immediately began to draw some odd, and worried, looks. However, just a block in, they saw Ashley, waiting for them.

"Ashley!" shouted Ruby, rushing forward to exchange a quick hug with her friend.

"Welcome back," Ashley replied, a happy smile on her face as she surveyed the group. "Wow, you really brought everybody, didn't you?"

"Yep," said Ruby, stepping back, before quickly darting behind Weiss and gently pushing her to the front. "Even Weiss is here."

"Th-thank you for having us," said Weiss, looking around nervously. She might not have been dressed in her usual outfit, with its prominent snowflake sigil practically proclaiming her to be a Schnee, but her appearance was distinct enough on its own that people were likely to recognize her, if they looked closely enough.

"Well...it's not like you're all coming over to my place," said Ashley. "But I'm glad you're here, Weiss." Seeing Weiss was certainly good, but her presence had Ashley's heart beating faster for other reasons, namely what might happen if anyone connected to the White Fang learned that Ashley had cultivated a friendship with the daughter of the one the organization considered their archenemy.

Still, there was nothing to be done. Instead, Ashley led the group down the streets towards Bruno's bakery. As she did, she exchanged pleasantries with everyone. They all chatted amicably, ignoring the odd and nervous looks that passersby threw their way. As they walked and talked, Weiss slowly relaxed, enjoying her time out in Vale. Considering that Ashley was walking near her, it seemed that her presence was being overlooked for the time being.

They made it to the bakery without incident. Bruno was working behind the counter as usual. Looking up, he grinned at the sight of Ashley entering the bakery with such a large company. "Well well, moving up in the world, are ya? These all Beacon students?"

"They are,"said Ashley.

"This is my team," said Ruby, gesturing to Jaune, Pyrrha, and Weiss. Then she gestured to RYNB. "And this is the team my sister's on."

"My popularity's just about to explode," said Bruno with a grin. Then his eyes fixed on Weiss. "Hmm...You look familiar."

"I'm Weiss Schnee," said Weiss, trying to remain as calm and collected as she could. While she didn't want to come off as arrogant, she also didn't want to look overly afraid either. "It's nice to meet you."

Bruno blinked, his expression going flat and confused. "Weiss Schnee...that Weiss Schnee."

"Yes," replied Weiss simply.

"From those Schnees?"

"The very same," Weiss answered.

"Hmmm..." Bruno frowned. But it was a pensive expression, not an angry one. He was apparently trying to figure out how to react to Weiss' presence in his shop. "You're certainly the polite one," he said.

"Thank you," said Weiss. It was actually her second choice of responses. Her first had been to remark that she had been raised to understand the importance of good manners, but figured that would come off as deceitful and hypocritical, considering the reputation her family currently had.

"You certainly aren't what I was expecting," Bruno admitted. "I figured you'd be a bit more uptight."

"You should have seen me at the beginning of the semester," said Weiss, finding it in herself to smile wryly.

That seemed to break the ice. Bruno barked out a loud laugh. "Well well, I can certainly say you're not your father at least...not that I know the man."

"Yes, well..." Weiss sighed. "I can certainly say that he lives down to his reputation. I hope you can appreciate that, as his daughter, I am trying to do what I can to mitigate the damage he has done."

"Well, that's fine by me," said Bruno, grinning. "Last test, then."

"Last test?" Weiss blinked, wondering when she'd been tested.

"You like this little lady, Ashley?" asked Bruno, looking to the girl in question.

"I-I do," said Ashley, struggling to keep from too emphatic a response, her cheeks coloring slightly.

"Well then, that's good enough for me," said Bruno, turning back to Weiss. "Welcome to my bakery, Miss. Feel free to order when you're ready."

Weiss let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she'd been holding. Looking over at Ruby, she saw Ruby flash her a grin and a thumbs up. Weiss mirrored the gesture, feeling surprisingly proud of how she'd handled herself.

From there, everyone went about perusing the confections that Bruno had on offer.

A tone sounded through the bookshop, announcing the arrival of a customer. "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade: home to every book under the sun," declared Tukson, coming out to see who was visiting him.

Almost immediately, he knew something was wrong. The young man who'd entered the shop showed no signs of looking at any of the books. Instead, he walked straight down the aisle between the tables and shelves. Taking in the sight of the young man, Tukson immediately tensed.

He was wearing a black jacket with red lining. The jacket had a large hood that the man had pulled up and over his head, so that it almost completely covered the upper-half of his face. It was exactly the kind of garb worn by someone who didn't want others to see his face, namely because he was up to some nefarious activity. Furthermore, Tukson could see something long and narrow protruding down and out from within the jacket...almost like the sheath of a weapon of some kind.

The young man stopped, dead-center, in the middle of the shop, turning his head this way and that, surveying the entirety of the space. "It seems you've done quite well for yourself here," he said.

"I suppose I have," said Tukson.

"I have no doubt that, even after you opened this place, your status as a faunus has caused you no small amount of trouble," continued the young man.

Tukson grunted. That much was true. Even if the White Fang had "gotten through" to the landlord on allowing him to lease this space, there were still people who took exception to a faunus doing business in the human-dominated commercial district. His shop had been vandalized multiple times, and there had been the occasional gang of hoodlums who tried to cause trouble in his shop. In recent years, those troubles had tapered off, as he became more and more established.

However, the fact that this young man had immediately remarked on how people had treated him for being a faunus gave Tukson an idea of what was going on. All at once, his body tensed, his fingers clenching beneath the level of the desk, hidden claws sliding out from his fingers.

"I don't want any trouble," said Tukson, deciding to cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"You don't want trouble...is that it?" asked the young man, a soft growl of anger. "Is that why you choose to turn your back on your brothers and sisters, and flee with your tail between your legs."

"So...you're from the White Fang then?" guessed Tukson.

The man reached into his jacket, producing a white mask, which he slipped onto his face, before reaching up to pull his hood off, revealing the head of red hair, and the two bull-horns that protruded upwards.

Tukson's jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide. "A-Adam Taurus."

"So...you recognize me?"

"Of course I do," growled Tukson. "I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't. What does the leader of the Vale Branch want with me?"

"Cowardice before the enemy is to be punished," said Adam coldly. "As the leader of the Vale Branch, it is my responsibility to deliver that punishment."

"So that's what it's come to, huh?" growled Tukson. "And you wonder why I want to leave."

"What?" growled Adam.

"People like me joined the White Fang to fight against prejudice and oppression, for the right to choose our own path in this world," said Tukson. "We didn't join so that you could badger and coerce young people into joining, so that they could be nothing more than weapons in your arsenal. We were supposed to be fighting against human oppression...But this coercion, and now even death for wanting to leave? You've taken the humans' oppression and replaced it with your own."

"We have a sacred duty to take this world for the sake of the faunus," declared Adam Taurus. "Cowardice and indecision have no place in our struggle."

"So that's how it is," growled Tukson. "You're so desperate to strike out that you're going to condemn anyone who isn't willing to die for you...not the faunus...not our cause...but you!" Tukson leapt onto the desk, brandishing his clawed hands. "You're a blight upon the White Fang, and a curse on our people!"

"So you wish to die that badly?" asked Adam.

"I'm no fool," Tukson growled back. "I know there's no escaping from you. If you took the trouble of coming yourself, then there's no way you're thinking about mercy. If I'm going to die today, then I'll do it on my terms."

With a roar, Tukson launched himself off the desk, leaping towards Adam, claws outstretched.

Adam sank into a crouch, his right hand going to the handle of his sword, hidden beneath his jacket. He slipped between Tukson's clawed hands. There was a loud bang, followed by a crimson flash...then the sound of something heavy striking the floor…followed by a second something heavy.

A moment later, Adam put his mask away, then put his hood back up...and took his leave.

After enjoying their afternoon at the bakery, Ashley saw her friends off at the edge of the Faunus Quarter, exchanging one last fond hug with Ruby...followed by a hug from Yang...then from Nora.

"Thanks for having us today," said Ruby.

Ashley laughed. "You say that like I invited you all over to my apartment."

"Well...you did take us to your favorite bakery," Jaune pointed out.

"That's not really the same," said Ashley.

"Well, we could have a get-together at your place," suggested Yang.

"Eight guests...in our apartment?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "I don't think my parents would be up for that." While hardly cramped, Ashley's family's apartment was definitely not a spacious abode. Just having one of the two teams over would have used up all their available sitting space.

"Yeah, that would be a little much," agreed Ruby.

"Well...maybe we should get an apartment of our own, and have parties there!" suggested Nora eagerly.

Everyone else simply stared at her. Ashley turned her gaze to Ren. Despite having engaged with him perhaps the least out of anyone in the group, Ashley had seen enough of his interactions with Nora to know that he was the person most qualified to explain her...eccentricities.

Ren simply shook his head. "Don't mind her," he said. "She's just like that."

"Right..." said Ashley.

"Good luck on your exams," said Weiss, giving Ashley a warm smile.

"Thank you," said Ashley. "Good luck on your next semester."

Exchanging a few final parting words and waves with her friends, Ashley watched them go, before turning back towards her own apartment. It felt strange to her, to realize that she suddenly had such a large group of friends...all of them human...and all of them Beacon students. It was an odd place for her to be. Every minute she spent around them felt as though she were getting a special look into a different world, and finding it strangely like her own.

But perhaps that was the truth of the matter. Ruby and her peers definitely had advanced and specialized training, preparing for an exceptionally dangerous profession. But, beneath all that, they were people, just like Ashley herself. The fact that they were all human didn't even really seem to set them apart from Ashley. It was a warm, reassuring feeling. For a brief time, Ashley was able to forget about the weight of her recent induction into the White Fang...and just be a normal girl, with normal friends.

So it was that Ashley returned home with a light heart. Unbeknownst to her, her day had not gone unobserved. In fact, Ashley's entire meeting with Ruby and her friends had been watched from the very beginning. Even now, two people lounged in an alleyway, watching as Ashley made her trip back to her apartment. A young man, with fair skin, gray hair and grey eyes; along with a young woman, with dark skin, mint-green hair, and red eyes; let their gazes linger on the unsuspecting girl...before fading back into the darkness of the alley.

"I'm home," Ashley called out, closing the apartment door behind her.

"Welcome back, dear," her father called back.

"How was your day out with your friends?" asked her mother.

"It was great," said Ashley, beaming happily. "Everyone was there today."

"Even Weiss Schnee?" asked Elowen skeptically.

"Even Weiss," confirmed Ashley, feeling a little proud to say that.

"That's...quite the surprise," said Elowen.

"Well, if she's willing to come out here, then she can't be nearly as bad as her father," said Oliver.

"She's hoping to turn things around, once she takes over the SDC," said Ashley, remembering what Weiss had told her, over the course of their conversations that day.

"That sounds like quite the promise," said Elowen. "It's a shame that it's probably an empty one."

"Dear..." admonished Oliver, giving his wife a reproachful glance.

Elowen shrugged. "It's the same story," she said. "Think about that last Council member we elected. During his campaign, he was all bout 'making things better for the faunus'. But, once he was in office, he didn't do a damn thing. When he's asked about it, all we get are hollow platitudes about 'patience' and the 'need to wait.'"

She huffed irritably. "Even if Weiss means well, assuming she actually takes control of the SDC, I'm willing to bet she won't find living up to her promises an easy thing. Once that happens, you can bet that she'll pay lip-service to those promises she made before, at best."

"You're too cynical," said Oliver with a sigh.

"Life isn't kind to ideals," Elowen retorted with a sigh of her own.

Ashley watched the exchange, feeling more than a little nervous. She liked Weiss, believed it when Weiss said she wanted to change the SDC for the better. She had to admit that her mother sounded a bit like Chrys, in these moments. He'd said similar things. It was that kind of difficulty that had led to him turning to the White Fang in the first place.

Still, the argument was over for now. The two participants had settled into a silence, an unspoken agreement to set the topic aside, if only to keep from completely spoiling Ashley's experience with her friends. Over dinner, she told her parents about the things she'd talked about with her Beacon friends. Oliver was practically in stitches over some of Nora's antics, as relayed to Ashley by Ren. Even Elowen couldn't help but smile and laugh at Ren correcting Nora's recounting of her own recurring dreams.

Following that, they adjourned to the living room. As was the norm, Ashley's parents turned on the local news, while Ashley surfed the network on her scroll, mostly looking up interesting tidbits to gossip about with her classmates. However, that diversion was interrupted by a sharp gasp from Elowen. Looking up, Ashley saw the image on the holoscreen, along with the caption beneath, and found herself gasping as well.

"Bookshop Owner Murdered!" the heading read.

"Local store owner, Tukson Moreno was found, murdered, in his shop, right in the heart of Vale's commercial district," Lisa Lavender was saying. "Details are scarce, but the incident does not appear to be a robbery. No cash or valuables are thought to be missing. Given that Mr. Moreno was somewhat well-known as one of the few faunus to open an establishment in the commercial district, investigators are looking into the possibility that the crime was racially-motivated."

"Tukson..." breathed Elowen, her eyes brimming with tears. "That's horrible!"

Ashley opened her mouth, but couldn't find anything to say. She felt lightheaded, having difficulty breathing. She didn't know the man all that well. But she had been to Tukson's bookshop before. She'd even purchased her textbooks there, remembering him giving her a special discount, congratulating her for making it into such an exclusive school.

And now...he was just...gone...

There was another nagging feeling, something tugging at the back of her skull, the feeling that she knew something about Tukson, something that might throw a new light onto this incident. Then she remembered what Chrys had told her that terrible night. Tukson's a member of the White Fang too!

Granted, that itself wasn't proof of anything. There was every chance that Tukson's death had nothing to do with his status as a White Fang member. Yet it was an unsettling coincidence. Shouldn't the White Fang have protected him, if a racist was going to kill him? Of course, that seemed like a bit silly to assume. It wasn't as though the White Fang was omniscient, which was why they were better known for their retaliation than their protection.

The news itself was unsettling enough. But the questions and suspicions it conjured in Ashley's mind stayed with her, even after the evening news moved past those events. Those thoughts stayed with Ashley, even after she bade her parents good night, and retired to her bed. They kept her up, and staring at the ceiling of her room, hours after she'd turned the lights out.