48

Chapter 48: Clones

Thursday, Beacon Academy, Combat Room

From within the grey walls of Beacon's Combat Room, the sounds of clashing metal and gunfire sounded. The room, whilst normally open to the student body after school hours, had been blocked off for the evening, reserved for 'special training'. Eight individuals were locked in fierce combat, broken up into one-on-one bouts.

Glynda smiled a bit. Remarkably, no teacher required aid this day, so she had decided to get… creative with the students' detention. A few hours of personal, Semblance-restricted training with her seemed a fitting substitute… and allowed her to observe some of her more unique students more closely.

She scanned the room, measuring the fighting prowess of each student. Ruby and Sun seemed to be a fairly well-matched pair, giving Ruby some much-needed experience fighting an acrobatic opponent in close quarters. Blake and Neptune were a bit off, given their vastly different fighting styles and weapon types, but they were making good progress adapting. As for Weiss and Penny…

...well, Glynda wasn't quite sure if the android actually required combat improvement. But she seemed to be giving Weiss some good practice in dodging and blocking multiple projectiles. Every other second, a new sword or laser beam would head at Weiss from some odd angle, and Weiss would either parry or dodge the attack every time.

She felt a hint of pride as she watched them still fighting strong after the lengthy sparring session, even for Sun, Neptune, and Penny. The three might not have technically been her students, but so long as they were under her care, she considered them as such, regardless.

The Professor was brought out of her thoughts by the click of a chambered round. She ducked, flaming shrapnel missing her by a mile, then took a small step back. Yang's fist slammed into the ground where she once stood, the blonde snarling as she readied for another forward jump.

Given the odd number of students, it only made sense that Glynda filled the final pair herself while holding back, of course. As such, she chose to spar with the student she felt would most benefit from being matched with her. Yang Xiao-Long was a mighty Huntress in the making, of that there was no doubt. But Glynda felt a few things were keeping her from making the jump from 'good' to 'great'. Her over-reliance on brute force, her reckless lack of defensive maneuvers…

"Oh, just stay still already…!"

...her easily exploitable temper…

Glynda weaved around another of Yang's punches, always staying in range of her blows, but never letting them hit. The brawler grit her teeth in frustration, attempting a leg sweep. Glynda hopped over the slow kick with little effort. It was sloppily executed, obviously inexperienced, but she internally praised the girl for at least attempting to adapt a new style during battle.

Glynda felt her scroll buzz at the same moment Yang reared back her fist, Ember Celica clicking ominously. Yang threw her arm out, the shotgun spray spewing forth…

Only to stop dead in midair, inches from Glynda's nose.

Yang blinked… "Wha-?"

With a flick of her wrist, Glynda's riding crop sparked. With a faint violet glow around them, the shrapnel shot back towards Yang at a much slower velocity, hitting the girl in the chest. Yang grunted in surprise, then yelped when Goodwitch's whip snapped at the tip of her nose. Realizing what just happened, she groaned.

"First blood goes to me, Miss Xiao-Long." Goodwitch looked her over with a critical eye as the blonde held her stinging nose. The teacher's eyes softened just a tad as she said, "You're improving. Quicken your footwork, and keep working on reining in your temper."

Yang glared slightly, which Goodwitch chose to ignore, but gave a small sigh. "Yes, ma'am," she acknowledged with a respectful nod.

Glynda returned the bow, then pulled out her scroll. She scanned the screen for a moment, reading the new message, before humming slightly.

"Alright everyone," she called out, facing the still sparring teens. "That's enough for now!"

The only responses to Goodwitch's call were groans of relief and exhaustion. The Professor looked around the hall, taking note of which students were merely short of breath and which ones required her intervention. When they'd all given her their attention, she smiled. "I believe you have all served your time well for today," she announced. "Take a half-hour to cool down, and you will all be released for the day. I will email the information for tomorrow's detention later today."

"Yes, Professor," the group chorused, with varying degrees of respect and enthusiasm.

Goodwitch nodded in acknowledgment, then marched towards the exit, her high heels clicking against the polished floor. The teens held their respectful stances until she passed through the double doors. Once she was out of sight, everyone let out a groan of relief.

"That woman's a slave driver," Sun moaned as he slumped to the ground, laying in an unceremonious heap. As if he'd given some kind of signal, the other teens followed him to the floor, forming a loose circle in the middle of the room. Ruby and Weiss sat next to each other, the heiress leaning her head on Ruby's shoulder as she tried to get her breath back, while Yang and Blake sat together on their right. Penny took a seat between Weiss and Sun, with Neptune moving to Sun's other side, next to Blake.

"Eh… wasn't that bad," Yang replied with a grin, even as she sucked in deep breaths, trying to slow her racing pulse.

Sun shot her an incredulous look as Neptune sat down beside him, just as exhausted as his leader. "You're kidding, right? That spar was, like, two hours long!"

"It was actually two-point-three hours," Penny piped up, the only one of the group who showed no signs of exhaustion. She winced at the blank looks she received. "I assume that's overly long from the norm?"

Ruby tilted her head, Crescent Rose's folded form resting across her and Weiss' lap. She giggled, a little incredulously. "Uh, yeah. A bit. Why, how long did you think they would be?"

Penny hesitated, glancing around the group. "Um…" she started shyly. "My training sessions last about five hours usually." The widening eyes she received made her quickly add, "But, I'm usually fighting combat bots or sentry turrets during those. And those can fight for a long time."

Sun, still spread-eagled on the ground, bent his neck to look the synthetic girl over. The lack of sweat on her brow or heavy breathing was oddly annoying to him. "Penny," he started, letting out a tired breath. "I'm cool with the whole 'robot-girl' thing, but… well, no offense, but can you even get tired?"

Penny blinked at him, then hummed in thought. "Well… kind of. My movements get more sluggish when my power banks start to run dry."

Sun nodded at that, thinking. "Okay… and how long does that take?"

"Um… from full power?" Again, Penny hesitated, her cheeks tinting green. "If I didn't use my energy beams, just from moving…" Her eyes glowed bright green for a moment, faint reversed numbers flashing across her irises much too fast for any of the teens to recognize. She bit her lip, looking embarrassed. "Four-point-seven days?"

Sun just stared at her, blinking slowly. He slowly turned to stare up at the ceiling.

"...that just ain't fair," he deadpanned, feeling every ache and pain in his tired muscles. "I wanna be a robot."

Penny tilted her head at him, not sure what to make of that statement.

Sun swiveled his head, now focusing on Team RWBY. Yang and Ruby were both sitting up just fine, quickly getting their breathing back to normal. Blake was huffing heavily, her cat ears pinned back, but she seemed to be recovering. Weiss was the only one who looked truly exhausted, putting all her weight against Ruby's side. If the closeness bothered either of them, it didn't show. In fact, Ruby's smile doubled in size when she put her arm around Weiss' shoulders, and the heiress just pressed closer in response.

Sun's eyes narrowed as he looked between the sisters. "What about you two? How come you look just fine?"

Yang chuckled at him, looking a little smug. "Me and Ruby have always been physical fighters. We're used to fighting for a long time. Plus," her grin widened. "We've been training with Ruby's Semblance the last couple days. It's always giving her an energy overload, and I think it's starting to bleed over to the rest of us." Her eyes drifted towards Weiss, the heiress blinking blearily as her breathing finally started to slow. "Well, most of us."

Weiss shot her a glare, blue eyes frosty. "Forgive me for not being an endurance nut like the rest of you."

Yang chuckled warmly. "We'll keep working at it, Snowflake. We keep running laps around the forest, soon you'll have all kinds of energy! Heck, maybe you'll end up like Ruby and actually want to burn off as much as you can."

Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang's obvious exaggeration. "Joy…" she muttered.

Ruby gave her own reaction to Yang's words, in the form of a very sophisticated raspberry.

Everyone laughed at that. With a groan, Sun managed to push himself up, sitting cross-legged with the rest of them. "So," he started, looking around at each girl. "That's really what your Affinity is? You all just… have each other's Semblances?"

"Not quite," Blake said, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to flatten it back down. "So far, we've only used Ruby and Weiss'. And we still need to practice before we can use them properly."

Sun shook his head in bemusement. "'Only'. You guys realize that if you figure out the other two, you're going to kill at the tournament, right?"

Yang let out a dark cackle. "Oh, we know. It's going to be awesome."

"If we can use you and Blake's Semblances," Weiss piped up, giving Yang a significant look. "And learn how to use them halfway decently in a fight."

Yang waved her off. "Oh, details, details."

Raising an eyebrow, Neptune looked between Yang and Blake. "So, why haven't you all tried using you two's Semblances?"

A small huff of a laugh passed Yang's lips. "Well, I'm still trying to figure out how to teach everyone mine."

"Don't you just absorb energy by getting hit really hard?" Sun asked.

Yang leveled a flat stare at him. "Yeah, but it's after I absorb it that's the hard part to explain. I have to store it a certain way inside myself. Otherwise, bad things happen."

Sun's brow shot up in interest. "What kind of 'bad things'?"

Yang smirked. "The last time I screwed up, I pulverized all the bones in my right arm." She held said arm up as if showing them the damage. "Not broken. Not fractured. Pulverized, into a thousand little shards. Even with my aura, it took three months for it all to heal up. And trust me, it hurt."

Everyone winced at the picture Yang painted, Ruby unconsciously rubbing at her right leg.

Yang chuckled at their reactions. "Yeah, so, I'm taking baby steps relearning the little things about my Semblance before I even try getting my girls here to do it. Might ask Nora or someone else super strong to help with the absorbing part."

At that, Penny perked up. "My strength is many times that of a normal human, Yang. Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

Yang blinked in surprise, not having considered Penny as an option. Though, thinking of it now… it was kind of obvious. "I might take you up on that, Penny. Thanks."

Penny smiled widely. "You are most welcome."

Sun nodded to Yang, then turned towards his fellow Faunus. "What about yours, Blake?"

Blake's ears perked up slightly, wincing a bit when all the attention was turned on her. She was well aware of Weiss lifting her head from Ruby's shoulder, crossing her arms with an expectant look.

"Yes, Blake," the heiress said, her voice tinged with slight annoyance. "Why don't you tell us about your Semblance? I'm curious."

A weak groan passed Blake's lips as she stared up at the ceiling. Yang snickered at her while Ruby giggled.

Sun looked between them, confused. Then he noticed the faint glow on Blake's skin, the blue snowflake standing out from the rest of her Mark. It took him a second to realize he'd just witnessed a moment between Mates. "Okay, what am I missing?"

Ruby stifled her laughter as she answered him. "We don't actually know what Blake's Semblance is yet."

At the surprised looks of Sun, Neptune, and Penny, Yang chimed in. "She keeps avoiding the subject every time we bring it up. And it's starting to make Weiss a little pissed."

"Annoyed," Weiss corrected, glancing at the blonde.

"Pissed," Yang reaffirmed, prompting Weiss' eyes to narrow in mock scorn.

"It's kind of funny," Ruby giggled, pressing her fist to her lips.

Again, Sun could only look around in confusion. "Okay, still lost." He zeroed in on Blake, tilting his head a bit. "What's the big secret? I mean, I know most people keep their Semblance under wraps- y'know, element of surprise and all that…"

"They do?" Ruby asked, sounding genuinely confused. Sun spared her a glance but continued.

"...but I figured you'd all at least tell each other. Y'know, considering…" He gestured towards his neck with a flick of the hand.

Blake gave Sun a long look, then slowly looked to each of her Mates. She was met with curious stares, each offering feelings of Encouragement. With apprehension clear on her face, she sighed deeply, her cat ears dipping down. "I just don't think my Semblance will be of any use to you three."

Yang blinked, then gave a bemused chuckle. "Blake, you're kidding, right? Whatever your Semblance is, I'm sure it has a use."

Again, Blake sighed, her lips forming a slight frown. "It does, just… not one that really matches your fighting styles." With one more glance around, Blake closed her eyes and focused.

Everyone gave a startled gasp as the air around them seemed to shift. Directly across from Blake, at the center of their odd circle, the air seemed to darken, like smoke appearing from nowhere. In less than a second, the smoke pulled together, weaving and solidifying, until it formed a very familiar shape. Once the form solidified, colors blinked across its features.

Yang's mouth fell open, her eyes blinking rapidly. "O-kay… that's new."

Weiss started, her lips moving slightly as she tried to speak. "Well…" she eventually settled on, "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but… that's…"

"So cool!" Ruby was bouncing where she sat, leaning in close to Blake's creation. "You can make more of yourself!"

Sitting in the middle of the group, in the same position as its creator, was an exact copy of Blake. From her cat ears to her amber eyes, black coat and pants to Gambol Shroud's compacted form hanging from her hip, she was a flawless duplicate.

Blake smiled at their responses, Ruby's in particular, though none of them missed the nervousness dancing in her eyes. "There's a bit more to it than that, Ruby. My Semblance lets me make these shadow clones, but… they're not exact copies."

Yang leaned in close to the Blake clone, scrutinizing every detail, then looking back to the original. "Looks pretty exact to me." She let out a small chuckle, new ideas already forming in her mind. "What are you talking about, Blake? I can think of a lot of ways making more of myself could fit my fighting style. Heck, I could make my own sparring partner."

Blake breathed out, shaking her head slightly. "It doesn't work that way, Yang." When the blonde looked to her in confusion, she said, "Hold your arm out towards her."

Yang tilted her head slightly, but then shrugged. She reached out towards the clone, her palm up, while everyone else watched in interest.

For the first time since forming, Clone-Blake moved, her head dipping a little to look at Yang's hand. Lifting her arm, the duplicate reached out. Her fingertips just touched Yang's…

And passed right through them.

Yang jumped slightly at the unexpected coolness as the clone's hand passed through her own. She jolted again when the double suddenly blurred around the edges and dissipated like smoke in the wind.

"Uh… what?"

She wasn't alone in her confusion, as Ruby and Weiss were staring at the now empty spot with open amazement. Penny just looked mildly startled, her eyes glowing again as she scanned the empty floor. The boys' reactions were a bit more surprising, Neptune turning to his partner, while Sun had an odd, excited smile on his lips.

Blake giggled at her Mates' faces, then explained. "My Semblance can only make illusionary clones. They're just smoke and shadows. They can't interact with anything or anyone. Now…" Blake reached into one of her coat pockets, pulling out a metal container. She unclasped the lid and removed a small blue crystal. "I can use a little Dust to make them solid…"

Without any warning, another Clone-Blake phased into existence in the same spot the last one was in. Blake tossed the crystal at her double, and it raised its hand to catch it. The moment the crystal touched the double's hand, it shattered the tiny shards of Dust sinking into Clone-Blake's skin. The clone lost its color, becoming partly see-through, almost like a living ice sculpture. Faint trails of cool air drifted off the clone, fading away in the warm air of the Combat Room.

Weiss stared at the Dust-infused copy, entranced by the unexpected use of her family's main supply of wealth. "Blake, this is incredible. Can you do this with any type of Dust?"

Blake frowned in thought. "I'm not sure. I know that all the elemental types work, but I've never been able to try using the rarer types of Dust, like gravity."

Weiss nodded to her, making a mental note for her next shopping trip.

Blake turned her attention back to her clone. "Not that it matters. Even with Dust, my clones are fragile." In a quick move, she drew Gambol Shroud, unfolding it into its sword mode. Using the blunt side of the blade, she gave the clone a gentle tap on the shoulder. The copy shattered instantly, the ice evaporating as it did.

Yang watched the double fade, her grin growing larger by the second. "Okay, I need to try this."

Blake turned to her and was startled to find the blonde quickly rising to her feet. "Wait… you mean… right now?"

"Why not?" Yang shrugged as she reached an arm down to Blake, ready to hoist her to her feet. "We have the room for a little while longer. Might as well give it a shot."

Blake stared at her hand for a moment, before grasping it in her own. Once on her feet, she noticed everyone else doing the same, her other Mates watching intently, Ruby with stars in her eyes, Weiss with honest curiosity. Blake was still hesitant. "I don't know if my clones would be very useful to you, Yang. You're sure you want to try this?"

A huff passed Yang's lips as she put her hands on her hips. She gave a softer version of her usual half-smile. "Blake, stop worrying whether we'll like your Semblance or not."

The unexpected reprimand made Blake's cheeks tint. She realized that her Mates must have felt her Uncertainty, along with a confusing mishmash of unnameable feelings. Reassurance and Calm washed over her from all sides, tinged with a bit of humor on Yang's part.

Yang chuckled at the returning Apology. "We can figure out how I can integrate it later. Right now, I just want to see if I can pull it off!"

"Me too!" Ruby piped up, throwing a hand up in the air.

"Ruby, put your hand down." Weiss rolled her eyes at her youngest girlfriend, smiling fondly. "Though, I wouldn't mind attempting this as well."

"Hey," Yang barked, pointing at the partners in mock reprimand. "I called it first! Wait your turn."

Blake couldn't help but giggle at their antics, feeling some of the tension leave her… which, given Yang's smug grin, was probably her intention in the first place. "Okay, okay! I'll show you how to do it." She looked off to the side, where the boys and Penny were watching them with interest. "Are you three okay with us doing this here? Or should we move?"

Sun snorted, grinning wildly. "You kidding? Blake, you're giving Semblance lessons. This I gotta see!"

A sudden elbow to the ribs made Sun grunt in annoyance. Shooting his partner an exasperated look, Neptune added to Sun's statement. "So long as you're okay with us watching."

Penny nodded in agreement, smiling. "Indeed. Your Affinity is very intriguing. I would like to observe the lesson if you would allow me."

Blake looked between the three, her eyes lingering on Penny longer than Sun and Neptune. Her ear pulled back slightly, a nervous glint in her eye. She forced it away, but Penny caught it. The android tilted her head a little as Blake answered. "I suppose that's okay."

A dual burst of Assurance and Impatience came from Yang, letting Blake know that she was getting antsy. Blake rolled her eyes, but it did make her feel better. It also made her wonder if Yang knew how much she resembled Ruby at the moment, that same glint in her eyes that their leader had whenever weaponry was involved.

"Okay, Yang," she said after a moment of thought. She moved to stand right next to the blonde, both facing the empty space in front of them. The rest of the group moved next to them, forming a half-circle around where Blake's clone once sat. "Let's give it a try."

Yang grinned in excitement. "Awesome. So, what do I do?"

Blake went to speak, then paused. It suddenly hit her that, while she knew how her Semblance worked by heart, she wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. She had newfound sympathy for Ruby, remembering her trouble describing her own Semblance.

Crossing her arms and putting a hand to her chin, Blake thought hard. She went through the motions in her mind, every feeling and alteration needed, thinking of the best description she could think of. As she did so, she failed to notice another clone of herself taking shape, a cloud of shadow forming and condensing very slowly.

Yang tilted her head at the demi-clone. "Uh… Blake? What are you…?"

"Hmm?" Blake's head jerked up, Yang's voice pulling her from her thoughts. The half-formed clone vanished in the same instant, never becoming more than a wispy outline of Blake's form. Blake took no notice. "Sorry, Yang. Just… thinking…" Blake hummed to herself, then nodded. "Okay. Yang, close your eyes."

The sudden order startled the blonde, but she quickly shook it off, her excitement over the new Semblance overtaking it. With a sharp nod, she did as Blake said.

"Now, you need to picture the room, at the same spot my clone was. Focus on that."

"Okay," Yang said. Easy enough to do. It was right in front of her.

"Now… hmm." Yang heard Blake hum again, then the snapping of someone's fingers. "You know how it looks when we feel each other's emotions? Seeing the little wisps of our aura reaching out to each other?"

Yang grinned, ignoring Neptune's confused whispering to Sun, asking what Blake was talking about. "Sure do, Blake. Kind of hard to forget."

"Good. Now, I want you to focus on your aura, remember that feeling, except, don't send it towards any of us. Picture a piece of your aura reaching out towards that spot where my clone was."

Yang nodded, focusing inward. The instant she started focusing on her aura, the darkness behind her eyelids lit up, the wispy bodies of violet, white, and red aura standing around her. She did as Blake said, and watched as a thin trail of yellow aura drifted away from her, just a few feet away. "Okay… what now?"

"Picture yourself standing where that bit of aura is. Try to… uh…"

To Yang's surprise, Blake let out a startled laugh. Around her, she could hear the others gasp in surprise. Yang frowned, wondering what was going on. "Okay, what am I missing?" she said aloud, a bit of humor in her tone as she attempted to lighten the mood.

Blake let out a short breath, like an amused scoff. "Well… okay, Yang, hold onto that feeling with your aura. Don't release it for even a moment… then open your eyes."

Still confused, Yang opened her eyes.

Only to jump back in fright when she found those same lavender eyes staring back at her.

Right in front of Yang, standing perfectly still was an exact copy of herself. The same brown jacket, same black short-shorts, same wild mane of flowing blonde hair. The only difference to be seen were the eyes. The color was right, but they somehow seemed… flatter. Dulled. Other than that, however, she was perfect.

Yang blinked, dimly aware of everyone else staring at the clone in disbelief. She looked her copy up and down, scrutinizing it. She frowned. Turning towards Blake, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That was way too easy. What's the catch?"

Blake's grin shifted to a small smirk, though Yang could feel a small burst of Pride from her. With a small flick of her ear, she bobbed her head towards the copy. "Try to make her do something."

Yang blinked, looking towards her clone. "Um… okay…" She scrutinized the copy, thinking of how she was supposed to do just that. She tried to ignore the slight chill that ran down her spine. There was something… unsettling about looking at this perfect copy. It wasn't like looking in a mirror, it felt like there was a real person in front of her. Just… that person was her.

She shook off the feeling, ignoring the confused looks Weiss and Ruby sent her and the bout of Nostalgia from Blake. She focused on the task at hand.

Maybe… I have to think it? Um… lift your right arm?

The clone didn't move.

Jump. Walk. Speak. Yang frowned, annoyed. Fall over.

The clone remained still, the only movement being the faint rise and fall of its chest.

Crossing her arms, Yang shot Blake a glance. "Okay, what's the joke?"

Blake let out a small chuckle, then stepped towards the Yang-clone. "Don't feel bad. It took me a while to figure it out when I was first learning." The air next to the clone fizzed and shifted, and a new Blake clone phased into existence next to Yang's. The Blake-clone looked at the Yang-clone, tilting its head like it was puzzled.

Off to the side, Neptune looked from the clones to the originals, scratching the back of his head. "This is kind of bizarre," he muttered to his partner, bemusement plain on his face.

Sun apparently thought differently, if his excited grin was anything to go by. "Dude, this is awesome."

Beside them, Penny tilted her head at the clones, her green eyes glowing again. Reversed numbers and letters flashed across her irises. "Interesting…" she mused to herself.

Blake turned back to face Yang, making sure to meet Weiss and Ruby's eyes as well. "The tricky part of my Semblance is, for the clone to do anything, you have to imagine what you want it to do as you're making it. For instance, all this one I made can do is look at your clone and…"

Blake lifted an arm, giving the two clones a little wave. A moment later, the Blake clone looked up, smiled, and waved back.

"...wave back when waved to," Blake finished. She stopped waving, and the clone went back to looking over the Yang copy.

A grin spread over Yang's face as she watched the whole interaction. "I get it. I didn't think of anything when I made mine, so all it can do is stand there."

Blake nodded. "Exactly. About the only thing of my, and now your, clones can do on their own is simulate breathing and blinking, since we don't need to think for that to happen."

Yang nodded to her in understanding. "Okay. So I just have to think about what I want it to do before I make it? I can do that." She went to close her eyes, then remembered the clone she already had, still standing motionless in front of them. "Uh… what do I do about this one?"

"You're still holding onto that feeling in your aura?"

"Yeah?"

"Release it."

Raising a brow, Yang did so, relaxing her fragile connection with her displaced aura. The moment she did, her clone fizzed away in a hazy cloud of yellow-tinted shadows. In the same instant, Blake's clone vanished as well.

A small hum of satisfaction sounded in the back of Yang's throat. "Cool. Okay, now let's try…" Her brow furrowed as she concentrated. A few seconds later, a new Yang-clone phased into existence….

And immediately sprinted towards Penny.

The action was so sudden that the android only had time to flail out of the way, a startled "Eep!" escaping her as the clone barreled past her and Neptune. The clone ignored them, charging straight down the length of the room.

Yang pumped her arm in victory, grinning widely. "Awesome! I did it!"

Blake watched the clone run with a raised brow, putting her hands on her hips. "Looks like. What did you tell her to do?"

Yang beamed, looking a little smug. "Just to run across the room."

Blake hummed. Then, slowly, she smirked. "Did you tell it when to stop?"

Yang blinked. Her eyes shot wide as they snapped back towards her clone, who was still racing across the room. "Crap! Uh…" She took a breath like she was going to call after the clone, only to immediately deflate. She turned to Blake with a sheepish look on her face. "Yelling at her isn't going to do a thing, is it?"

Blake stifled a snort, grinning widely. "I'm afraid not. It's okay. If yours works the same as mine…" She gestured towards the running clone, everyone's eyes following her.

The clone had made it about halfway down the length of the training hall, nearly to the wall. A few feet from hitting it, the clone fizzed around the edges, dissipating like the ones before.

"...then there's a limit to how far they can move away from you," Blake finished.

Watching the clone fade away, Weiss put a hand to her chin in thought. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Blake? Exactly how detailed do we have to be in making these clones?"

A small sigh passed Blake's lips upon hearing the question, her ears wilting slightly. "Very." Seeing everyone giving her curious stares, she explained. "Once you make the clone, that's it. Once it's made, it will do whatever you told it to, to the letter, and nothing more. That's the hard part. When I make a clone, I have to visualize everything I need it to do, which is a real pain to do in the middle of combat. Anything more complex than running or jumping in one direction…"

Ruby hummed to herself, trying to picture how she could try using Blake's clones along with her usual style. She already had to keep up her focus while swinging Crescent Rose around, keeping track of when she needed to switch from scythe to gun mode and knowing where her opponents were at all times. Using clones on top of all that… her head hurt just thinking about it. "Yeah… that'll be hard to get used to." She perked up instantly, though, mumbling to herself, "I still want to try it."

Weiss nodded in agreement, a slight frown on her lips. "I assume that's why you haven't used your Semblance until now?"

Blake winced a little. "Pretty much. My clones are only good for a quick distraction, to compensate for me fighting alone. And…" A pink tinge rose in Blake's cheeks, a shy smile pulling at her lips as she looked to each of her Mates. "I haven't had to fight alone for a while."

Her Mates smiled at that, Yang giving her a firm pat on the back as she chuckled. "Nice to know we're good for something, Blakey."

Blake rolled her eyes, grinning. "Yang…" Her cheeks tinted further as she felt the Joy, Pride, and Humor emanating from them all.

The brief moment was interrupted when Ruby suddenly popped up between the two partners, stars dancing in her eyes as she leaned in close to Blake. "Can I try using your Semblance, Blake? Please? Please, please, please, please…"

Blake giggled as she pushed Ruby back a little, which only grew worse when Weiss groaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation as she muttered, "Ruby…" Blake ignored the heiress, already feeling that her annoyance wasn't genuine. "Sure, Ruby. Now, just like I showed Yang. Close your eyes…"

As Blake launched into Ruby's Semblance lesson, Weiss and Yang listening with humor and interest, Neptune looked on in bemusement, leaning towards Sun with his arms crossed. "Dude, you were right," he muttered to not be overheard. "This has got to be the weirdest team on the planet."

Sun chuckled in agreement. "The weirdest, awesomest team on the planet." He gave Neptune a look that practically screamed trouble. "Which means we need to up our game."

With a groan of discontent, Neptune's eyes trailed upwards, as if wishing for help from whatever deity would listen. "I was afraid you'd say that." He let out a long sigh, then turned back to his partner. "I saw your face earlier. Aren't you going to tell them about your Semblance?"

Sun placed his hands on his hips, brow furrowing in thought as he watched Blake instruct Ruby. His fellow team leader was currently bouncing excitedly around a perplexed looking copy of herself, Yang and Weiss looking on as they held back laughs, poorly in Yang's case.

"...nah." Neptune blinked in surprise as Sun grinned. "Maybe I should, but… dude, they've each got four Semblances. They're going to shred us in the tournament. A surprise Semblance is the only trump card we've got."

Neptune mused on that. Truthfully, slightly underhanded though it might be… Sun had a point.

Beside them, Penny continued to watch silently, having easily overheard the boys' conversation. She frowned slightly as Weiss tapped Clone-Ruby on the nose, making it dissipate in a red haze. She felt compelled to speak with Specialist Winter very soon. Before, she was confident that her combat-readiness was as high as she needed, but now… There was a chance she would face one of, if not all, of Team RWBY at some point in the Vital Tournament. Four multi-Semblance capable combatants… perhaps she required a hardware update.

Unaware of their future competitors' musings, Ruby and Yang started bombarding Blake with Semblance questions, ranging from useful ("How many clones can you make at once?") to silly ("Could you just leave one in class without the teacher noticing?"). Weiss took mental notes on each question, preparing to attempt a clone of her own when she felt her scroll buzz against her leg. Curious, given that the only people who called her were already with her or busy with military maneuvers, she pulled it out to check. An email greeted her.

Dear Miss Schnee,

Your request, while notably unconventional, has been approved by the Headmaster given your team's unique situation. The shipment will arrive within the week and installed while you are all in classes. Please inform your teammates to prepare your dorm for the movers.

Professor Goodwitch

Weiss' face pinked immediately. She snapped her scroll closed, trying to keep her face as impassive as possible and her skyrocketing nerves tied down. The curious glances she got made it clear she'd failed miserably, but none of her team said anything… at least for the moment. There would be questions later, no doubt.

She did catch Ruby's gaze, however, a silent question in her silver eyes. Weiss' cheeks pinked a shade darker as she nodded a quick affirmative. A faint dusting of pink entered Ruby's face as well, the younger girl ducking her head slightly as she grinned sheepishly.

This, of course, drew more attention from Blake and Yang, one pair of partners looking between the other, both curious and one suspicious. Weiss bit back a groan.

Yep. Lots and lots of questions.

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Our check-in with the Belladonna's and our next character has been postponed by one chapter due to my writer's block being a COMPLETE PAIN IN THE-

…*ahem*...

So… patience, please.

Also, some you all might have noticed that I futzed around with the chapter titles and this is now part of the newly minted Act III, and Act II apparently ended back in chapter 36. This is because having reread the whole story up to this point (and noticing the metric s***ton of errors I made back in the early days. Gonna have to fix all those at some point.) I decided it made more sense if Chapters 24-36 were one Act and 37-onwards were another. I just noticed that there was a shift in tone around that point that just felt like it was a new Act. So… yeah, that's a thing. Sorry if it's an inconvenience or sorts.

See you all very soon! (I hope, I hope.)