Shards of Reminisce Ch.51

It's been a few weeks, and things have pretty much returned to normal. Although I'm using my time better as I've been focused on blacksmithing and made a breakthrough—meaning I'm now a Journeyman Blacksmith at level 6, if I remember correctly. And all thanks to the many modifiers that I’ve gained access to otherwise I might be still stuck at Novice tier.

Master Tusk is a very cool guy and quite understanding when I finally went back to explain what happened, obviously omitting all the bad and rather questionable details and leaving it that I got attacked, got an injury, and was resting until I was fully healed. He only asked to try to give a heads up if something similar happens again. I appreciate the sentiment, even if I doubt I'll be able to follow through on it.

So now my routine is going very early to the forge till midday where I then go to the warehouse to keep moving and loading containers that seem endless, and then going to the club for a night shift mixing drinks, with the occasional delivery of merchandise in the suburbs. Rinse and repeat, day after day.

Also, one thing to note is that Cinder didn't appear in all those weeks, so it's been a tranquil time. But I honestly hope that she got offed in an alley because she pissed off the wrong person. But that's just wishful thinking on my part.

But I don't try to think about her at all. Which turns my thoughts to Neo who has been a bit touchy in public during that time, from teasingly grabbing my tail or pinching my stomach to constantly being glued to my arm or hugging so she could hang on my body. Not like I minded—hell, I returned the gesture in kind by groping her (which she liked)—just curious since she didn't say why the shift. Then again, Neo never explains anything she does.

But this isn't another one of those days as I sit on a park bench staring at the still blue sky. The park is empty despite being a weekend, but this park has always been empty no matter the day. Probably why it makes for a good meeting spot.

Yes, it is the same park and probably the only one I visit since this is the place where I met Jeanne. Now turned into our meeting spot.

She sent me a message about wanting to meet up again to catch up, and of course I wasn't going to miss that opportunity and break away from the monotony that was slowly setting in. At least talking with Jeanne will be a welcome change of pace.

I lean back against the bench, my ears twitching at every distant sound. My tail curls around my leg as I check my scroll for the time. She should be here soon. Although, I should expect her to be 10 minutes late. 

Some things never change.

The blonde knight eventually comes into view and she quickens her pace as soon as she notices me.

"Hey, Ma'iq!"

And she is waving at me as she calls out to me with that familiar bright smile of hers.

However, I furrow my brow the second I notice that she is dressed differently. As in she is wearing something different than the usual, she wears most of the time. Today she's wearing a pale blue hoodie with the drawstrings dangling at her chest, and it is oversized for her, like one or two sizes bigger.

Then she wears form-fitting dark jeans that hug her legs all the way to the ankles compared to the other more loose jeans and some weird green shoes that look way too thin to actually be considered shoes, kinda like sandals. But it gives her a cozy and cute look overall that I'm surprised at first to see—instead of her usual black hoodie and loose jeans with those black boots with white tips.

But I snap out of my thoughts just as Jeanne takes a seat next to me and gives me that same warm smile.

"Soooooooooooooo..." she drags out the word playfully. "How's it been going?"

I shrug, settling back against the bench. "Same old stuff, different day. Wake up, eat and work. But to break from that routine in the past few weeks I've been learning blacksmithing, pretty interesting if you ask me and my master is a pretty cool guy."

I really lucked out by stumbling into his forge.

"Blacksmithing?" She tilts her head, fiddling with the tip of her braid with that curious look she gets. "That sounds really complicated. So are you actually forging weapons and stuff already?"

"Yep, I forge stuff but not yet weapons." I nod. "Want to learn how to repair my own gear and hopefully reach a level to make my own stuff instead of paying some asshole to do it for me and overcharge me. One trip to the weapon store drains my wallet."

Before it was a big expense but now, it is negligible but I try to keep up the appearance of the unfortunate faunus who can only accept when those guys are ripping me off otherwise they will charge me more.

"That's amazing!" Her blue eyes light up with genuine excitement. "I bet you're already great at it. You always seem to learn new stuff fast." She pauses, then adds more quietly, "I still can barely maintain Crocea Mors properly. Pyrrha's been teaching me that too, but I keep messing up with the oil dosage and it gets all that sticky and slimy afterwards."

"Getting there," I say, unable to keep the pride out of my voice. "What about you? How's the fancy huntsman academy treating you?"

Jeanne's face brightens even more, though there's a hint of nervousness as she clears her throat. "Oh, I have been learning so much! Even had my first written exam which I... well, I did okay. Not perfect marks or anything like my partner, but enough to pass so I'm really happy with the results since..." She trails off with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, you know, I didn't exactly know much about this whole huntsman thing when I started."

"You passed, so that's what matters right?" I chuckle, leaning more onto the back of the bench. "Besides, I told you already. As long as you know how to fight and kill Grimm you'll be fine over there."

However, rather than agreeing instantly she shifts uncomfortably in her spot, looking away for a moment. "That's... somewhat true but Professor Goodwitch said that definitely wasn't the case. She actually punished a classmate on the spot when he said exactly that during our first week. Sent him to detention and then had him write 'A Huntsman's duty extends beyond combat' seven hundred times until his hand cramped up."

I snap my head in her direction, surprised by that. "For real? That seems a bit extreme."

Although, I remember that woman back in the police station she gave that very strict aura.

She nods earnestly. "Professor Goodwitch doesn't mess around. She says Huntsmen need to be scholars, diplomats, and protectors all at once. It's... it's a lot more than I thought it would be. Not just go around saving people and killing monsters."

"Well, damn I guess I was wrong. Then do what you gotta do then. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me." I scratch behind one of my ears, feeling a bit awkward about giving bad advice.

"It's okay! Like I said before, my team has been helping me catch up on a lot of the academic stuff. Especially my partner, she's incredibly patient with me, even when I ask the same question more than three times." Jeanne's voice carries genuine warmth when she mentions her teammate. "Besides, I have these field assignments now! Mostly gathering samples and mock search-and-rescue missions, nothing too dangerous yet. We do occasionally fight beowolf packs though, which is... terrifying but exciting? But next month we're doing this survival training where we'll be camping out in the wilderness for a week."

"Sounds like fun," I say dryly. "Sleeping on dirt and foraging for food."

Jeanne lets out a nervous laugh, twisting her braid around her finger. "That's exactly what I thought! But Pyrrha says it'll be a good opportunity for me to shine as a team leader and for building team cohesion. We've also got classes on Weapon Crafting and Upkeep, which I'm actually excited about after hearing about your blacksmithing since you will be able to help me too. Plant Science for identifying edible and medicinal flora, Security protocols..." She pauses and makes an exaggerated grimace. "And don't get me started on Doctor Oobleck's History class. That man speaks faster than I can think and gives homework assignments that could kill a person. I'm practically living in the library now, but at least Nora and I suffer through it together."

Wait, I know that name.

“Nora?

Jeanne's face brightens immediately. "Oh! Nora Valkyrie! She's this absolutely incredible girl from team RWNR or Runner—that's Ruby, Weiss, Ren, and Nora. She's got this bright orange hair and the most infectious energy I've ever seen. We bumped into each other in the library a two weeks ago when I was struggling with one of Oobleck's assignments, and she just... helped me out of nowhere since we were stuck on the same thing." Her smile grows wider as she talks. "She's amazing in combat too—uses this massive hammer that transforms into a grenade launcher. I still can't believe someone so cheerful can be so terrifying in a fight."

I can't help but snort at that. "Then yeah, I kinda know her."

Jeanne's eyes widen in surprise. "Really? How?"

"Met them when I was still relatively new to Vale," I say, keeping my tone casual while my mind flashes back to that fucking hammer connecting with my ribs and then playing the race card against her. "They kind of helped me when I was in the bad parts of the city. Ren's the quiet one, right? Pink streak in his hair?"

"That's him! He's Nora's partner, and she told me how they've been together since they were kids. He just... doesn't talk much." Jeanne tilts her head curiously. "What were you doing in the bad parts of Vale?"

I roll my eyes and point at my ears, flapping them a few times.

“Oh right, sorry.” She gives me a sheepish smile.

"Anyway, sounds like you're staying busy," I say, my tail flicking with amusement at her expression. "Better than sitting around doing nothing, I guess. You actually sound like you're enjoying it, despite all the complaining."

Jeanne's cheeks flush slightly. "I... I really am. It's hard, and sometimes I feel like I'm drowning, but..." She looks down at her hands, a small smile playing on her lips. "For the first time, I feel like I might actually become the Huntress I always dreamed of being. And It’s really thanks to you for being the first to believe in me. I probably would have fumbled it."

Fuck, when you put things like that.

"Jeanne…"

She responds to her name by turning to look at me, and for a moment our eyes connect. And that moment is enough to see her, besides her blue eyes I can see more of her and how genuine she is with her words that causes my chest to tighten slightly.

However, Jeanne turns her gaze away, her cheeks flushing pink as her hand starts playing with the drawstrings of her hoodie, looking down at her lap. "I... um... I mean, I'm probably still behind, but..."

But then I feel a pinch on my hand forcing me to look down and realize that my hand somehow has found itself resting on top of hers.

When the hell did that happen?

No, better question. Why do I keep acting unconsciously? More importantly, why does it keep happening with Jeanne in specific?

But before I can say anything, the knightess jumps to her feet, nearly tripping over the pathway in her haste. "Oh! You know what? It's... it's such a nice day! Perfect for walking! Yes, walking is... walking is very good exercise and the weather is just so... so perfect for it right now!"

She says out loud; her face getting redder by the second as she gestures wildly at the empty park around us, her voice getting higher with each word. "We should totally walk! Right now! Because walking is... is healthy! And good! Very good!"

My ears go flat against my scalp as I narrow my eyes feeling frustrated that this happened again. I should just grab her arm and talk to her face to face so she cannot escape anymore and…

And that's very wrong, fuck. I might cause her to freak out and that's definitely something that cannot happen for so many reasons.

So I take a deep breath, count to three, and let it go. And almost magically, a weight from my shoulders goes away along with the tension building up. Getting angry won't help anyone, and honestly, it's kind of endearing how flustered she gets.

Or how adorable she looks all flustered with that getup.

I can't help but let out a chuckle as I stand up, brushing off my pants. "You're right, Jeanne. Perfect weather and day for a walk. Lead the way."

I will play along. There isn't any time pressure after all.

And I'm pretty sure we won't be interrupted this time so we can enjoy this quiet walk even if it is just a silent one.

We end up walking in comfortable silence for a while, the quiet broken only by the distant sounds of the city and the occasional chirp of birds in the trees.

"You know," I say eventually, breaking the silence, "since you mentioned all that studying and working, I've been busy learning a few more things too. Like I've learnt to cook new dishes."

Jeanne's eyes light up, giving me her full attention. "Really? What kind of cooking?"

"Mostly baking this time, actually. Found out I have a knack for pastries." That cooking book is very detailed and organized and many pastries sections had simple ingredients so of course I've tried them out, ignoring the very pretentious names. "Want to try some?"

Before she can answer, I summon a small paper bag from my inventory, the sweet scent immediately wafting between us.

"Oh wow, these smell amazing!" Jeanne peers into the bag, her eyes widening with excitement. "Did you really make these yourself?"

"Don't sound so surprised," I say with mock offense, holding out the bag. "Try one."

She carefully takes out one of the golden-brown muffins, taking a tentative bite. Her expression immediately transforms into one of pure delight.

"This is awesome!" she exclaims, her usual shyness forgotten in her enthusiasm. "It's so flaky and buttery, and the honey is just perfect! How did you learn to make these? They taste better than anything from the cafeteria!"

"Trial and error, mostly." I say, grabbing a muffin for myself and sending the bag back into my inventory. "The book instructions are clear but that doesn't prevent me from burning a few batches."

Well the first one, and the second one they went flat.

After that we continue walking as we finish eating the sweet muffins, and I find myself genuinely enjoying watching her reactions to each bite. Everyone makes a different expression after all, but Jeanne's pure joy is something else.

"Ma'iq," she says after finishing, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "Can I ask you something kind of... strange?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Shoot."

"Have you been having any weird dreams lately?" She fidgets with her hoodie strings again, looking uncertain.

The question catches me off guard, making me raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean by weird? Dreams are usually weird if you ask me. I once had a dream where I was just sitting in front of a fire. That was the entire dream."

This isn't a lie. It was a dream I had back in Menagerie, pretty strange even by my dream standards. I was just seated in front of a very warm bonfire, and everything else was pitch black. Nothing happened, no one showed up, just me and the fire until I woke up.

Jeanne rubs her chin, looking up in thought with that concentrated expression she gets when trying to find the right words. "I guess... I should clarify better. Like, you had dreams but these weren't weird in a random or bad way, but more like they made sense somehow? Like you could understand them, even if they didn't make logical sense. I think the better term would be... dreams like visions?"

That last part causes me to stop in my tracks, my ears perking up as I look at Jeanne, who also stops and looks at me curiously.

That's a very specific question to ask, and it makes me wonder why she's bringing this up. Because I have had those strange dreams, and many of them were very connected to me somehow, which I usually don't want to think about because trying to remember some of them makes me want to drop down and get all lethargic.

But then again, it's Jeanne who's asking, so I don't see any harm. And I'm already wondering why she would be asking something so specific.

"Yeah, those kinds of weird dreams. Kinda got used to them after a while of dealing with them since they come and go randomly. Why are you asking?" The random part is a lie—it only happens when I absorb a new shard for the next couple of days, then my dreams turn normal.

Jeanne's face brightens with relief, like she was worried I'd think she was crazy. "Well, I also got a weird vision-like dream right after you tried to awaken my aura, so that explains it! Or at least that's what the academy nurse told me when I mentioned it. Although, I also had another one, weeks ago about some fairy tale which was really strange." She pauses, then continues more confidently, "anyway, she said people with strong auras sometimes have very vivid imaginations that bleed into their dreams. So you must have a really powerful aura!"

"Huh, never noticed that," I say, scratching my cheek. That's... an interesting explanation, though I'm not sure how much I buy it. I don't think a nurse should know about that or how aura works to be throwing that kind of theory around.

But I trust her, and since she isn't freaking out or looking sad, whatever she dreamt about was probably nice or confusing at best.

We continue our walk, making another lap around the park as our conversation keeps flowing without problem, although it is mostly Jeanne who is the one doing the talking and it is about her team since she still has a lot to talk about them. Although she is mentioning Cardin, who isn't from her team, he just helps her to refine some of the moves I taught her and then spar with that style only.

Why is that rubbing me off the wrong way?

But that is when Jeanne suddenly clicks her tongue in frustration, looking down at herself with a disappointed expression.

"Ugh, I'm so stupid," she mutters, tugging at her hoodie.

"Why?" I ask, tilting my head curiously.

Jeanne gestures at her outfit with obvious annoyance. "These aren't meant for fighting! I should have worn my fighting gear or at least the training clothes. Since we finally have time together, I was hoping we could practice some of the new moves I learned at Beacon with you, but..." She trails off, looking down at her thin sandals and form-fitting jeans with clear frustration. "I completely forgot we could train a little after hanging out. So dumb of me, ughhhh."

She definitely won't be able to fight like that, or more like she can do it but she would be very uncomfortable and at a handicap.

So I understand her frustration and rub the back of my neck, letting out a small laugh as I improvise something to cheer her up. "Well, on the bright side, you look pretty cute in that."

Jeanne freezes mid-step, her cheeks immediately flushing red as she starts fidgeting with the tip of her blonde braid, her voice barely above a whisper. "T-thanks... I... um..."

However, before the moment can stretch any further, we get interrupted by a loud voice shouting across the park.

"Yo, Jeanne!"

I instantly freeze, feeling my tail going still as my ears flatten against my head because I do recognize that voice and tone. One that brings very unpleasant memories causing my hands to clench into fists. 

How pathetic I was and looked after that fucking incident all thanks to that bitch.

And I didn't want to encounter this bitch, but I guess my luck finally ran out.

I turn around and glare at the blonde who instantly stops her approach as she sees me, her eyes widening for a second before they dangerously narrow.

"You!"

"You!"

Yang then stomps her way towards me, completely ignoring Jeanne who becomes confused but remains silent, looking between us with growing concern.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yang snarls, her lilac eyes already starting to shift toward red.

"Existing," I spit back, my ears pinned flat against my skull. "Problem with that, blondie?"

"The hell it is!" Yang's voice rises as she gets closer. "You're lucky I don't beat your ass right here!"

"Try it, bitch! See how that works out for you this time!"

"This time? Like how you were whimpering with that broken nose?"

"Oh, fuck off! I was minding my own business when you attacked me like a psycho!"

However, Jeanne steps forward hesitantly, her voice small but trying to be heard. "Um, guys? Maybe we could—"

"Stay out of this, Jeanne!" Yang snaps without taking her eyes off me, which only ticks me off more. "This asshole stole my bike and because of him I got arrested! I had to do two days worth of community service picking up trash!"

That makes my blood boil. Trying to pit Jeanne against me in this bullshit?

FINE.

"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo!" I snarl, stepping closer. "I was the victim there, and I still got arrested! And you know what? That arrest fucked up my life unlike yours, because guess what happens when a Faunus gets arrested in this shitty kingdom? It goes on my permanent record forever! Good fucking luck finding a job or a place to sleep now!"

Jeanne gasps, her head snapping toward Yang with wide, horrified eyes. I hate that she learnt about this like this.

But what is done is done.

"Bullshit!" Yang spits, her hair starting to glow as she points an accusatory finger at me. "You're just making excuses! I know you stole my bike because you work for that Junior guy!"

"I bought it for cheap from some shady prick! How the fuck was I supposed to know it was stolen?" I throw my hands up in exasperation. "Not everyone runs background checks on used shit!"

Yes, it's a fucking lie but I will never admit it. It was her fault to begin with.

"Don't give me that crap!" Yang is practically inches away now, glaring down at me. "You knew exactly what you were doing!"

I've had enough. My lips pull back in a snarl, baring my fangs as pure rage courses through me. "You want to keep running your mouth?"

I shove her away forcefully, putting my full strength behind it. Yang's eyes widen in surprise as she stumbles backward, nearly falling on her ass as she flails her arms before catching herself.

"What the hell—" Yang's eyes turn fully red as she recovers, cocking back her fist. "That's it!"

She throws a wild swing at my face, but I duck under it and cock my own fist back in retaliation.

But before either of us can land a hit, Jeanne suddenly throws herself between us with her arms spread wide, not flinching even as Yang's fist stops inches from her face while I pull mine back.

"What the hell, Jeanne?!" Yang shouts, pulling back her punch.

"I'm stopping this NOW!" Jeanne's voice carries an authority I've never heard from her before, her usual meekness replaced by steel. "Back off, both of you!"

I blink in surprise at her sudden assertiveness, my raised fist slowly lowering as I comply. Yang looks equally shocked, taking a step back with her eyes slowly fading back to the original lilac.

"Good," Jeanne takes a deep breath and sighs heavily, looking between us like a disappointed teacher.

That's when my ears twitch and I take notice we've drawn a crowd. Several people have gathered at a safe distance, recording with their scrolls.

Great. Just fucking great.

No, not great. Where the hell did all these people come from? The streets looked empty moments ago!

"Shit," I mutter, running a hand through my hair as I look around. It's only a matter of time before the cops are called on us and another fucking scene takes place.

And I don't want that. Not again.

"Fuck this," I mutter, backing away from the scene. "I'm not dealing with this shit again."

"Ma'iq, wait—" Jeanne starts, reaching out toward me with genuine concern in her voice.

"No, Jeanne. I can't." I shake my head, my ears still flat against my head as I feel my chest growing tighter. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to deal with any of this right now. You should know what'll happen if he stays."

"But you didn't do anything wrong!" Jeanne protests, her voice sounding desperate as she takes a step toward me. "We can talk it out and explain everything and—"

"It doesn't matter what you saw or what you say," I cut her off, my voice growing bitter as the memories of my last arrest flood back. "I will be held responsible or they'll try to pin some bullshit on me again, so no, fuck that, fuck them and fuck that bitch over there."

I take one last look at Yang, my lips curling into a snarl. She only responds by spitting on the side of the street like the classy piece of work she is.

"This isn't over," I growl.

Yang opens her mouth to retort, but I'm already walking away with quick, angry strides. I can hear Jeanne calling my name behind me, her voice getting smaller with distance, but I don't turn around.

Won't turn around. Can't afford to.

The moment I'm out of sight, I summon my bike and gun it toward my apartment, weaving through traffic with reckless speed to put as much distance as possible between me and that park. The wind whips against my face, but it does nothing to cool the rage and frustration burning in my chest.

By the time I reach my building, my hands are shaking for some reason. But after a couple of deep breaths they calm down enough for me to function. I enter the main entrance and fumble with my keys at the door of my apartment, cursing under my breath when they don't cooperate immediately before finally slamming the door behind me.

I don't even bother taking off my boots before I move towards my bedroom and collapse face-first onto my bed.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

Why did that have to happen? Things were going so well with Jeanne, and now everything's going to turn to shit like it always does. It's all going to come back to bite me in the ass somehow. 

It always does.

I let out a long, exhausted sigh and roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling as my mind races through all the ways this could go wrong. All because I hid plenty of things from Jeanne, I should have told her at least a few things instead of outright lying to her face.

Nothing I can do about it now except wait and see how bad the fallout gets.

I hope this doesn't ruin anything with Jeanne... no; I trust her and she trusts me. Things will turn out okay. 

They have to.

I've got a shift at the club later, anyway. Might as well try to get some rest before I have to put on my best fake smile and serve drinks while pretending everything's fine. Just another day in paradise.

My tail curls around my leg as I close my eyes, trying to push away the image of my friend's disappointed face when I walked away.

...

...

...

'Hihihihihihhi'

----------------------------------------------------------

-Jeanne d’Arc, Later that day-

"...and that was it! Forced to do 48 hours of community service, missing all my free time before initiation picking up trash with a stick," Yang finished, flopping dramatically onto her bed with an exaggerated groan.

Jeanne stared at her teammate in disbelief before looking at her partner, who shared the same expression of barely contained exasperation.

"Yang," Jeanne said carefully, choosing her words carefully, "you should apologize."

"What? Why?!" Yang bolted upright, her golden hair seeming to flicker with indignation. "He's the one who had my bike and got me arrested!"

Pyrrha crossed her arms, giving their teammate a pointed look "What happened was clearly a misunderstanding that we can all see now. Despite not hearing Ma'iq's version of events, you were wrong to punch first and ask questions later. Anyone would defend themselves if they were attacked out of nowhere."

"You're my team!" Yang protested, gesturing wildly between them. "You should back me up on this!"

Both Pyrrha and Jeanne frowned at that logic. However, Jeanne felt something more than just disapproval - a defensive pang shot through her chest at the thought of Ma'iq being hurt. She trusted him completely, and he'd done so much for her. 

All those patient training sessions when she could barely hold her sword properly, the gentle encouragement when she'd doubted herself, that warm smile that made her stomach flutter, the adorable plush knight he'd made for her with his own hands, and especially how he'd stepped in to save her from those loan sharks even risking his life for hers…

"You are correct, as your team we will support you and help you when you're in trouble," Pyrrha replied evenly, though there was steel beneath her calm words. "But not when you've wronged someone else. We don't want you getting into more trouble or unnecessarily causing problems for innocent people or we will have to tell the headmaster."

Jeanne nodded emphatically. "And I know him, Yang. I can understand that he might have his reasons for not telling me everything about himself - we all have things we're not ready to share." She felt heat rise in her cheeks as she thought about her own secrets. "But I'll talk to him so we can work through this properly. Just... please don't make another scene, otherwise we could have solved this much earlier today."

Now that she thought about it, Ma'iq's reaction weeks ago when they'd gone out to that little coffee shop in Vale made so much more sense. She felt incredibly dumb for not picking up on those obvious cues and trying to address them then.

Yang threw her hands up in exasperation. "Unbelievable! My own team is ganging up on me!"

At that moment, the bathroom door opened with a soft click, revealing their fourth member walking out with a towel wrapped around her body, her long black hair still dripping wet. 

"Can you believe this, Blakey?" Yang appealed desperately to their quiet teammate. "Tell them I'm not completely crazy here!"

Blake just kept walking toward her bed with measured steps, grabbing another towel from her bed. She methodically began drying her hair, her movements careful and deliberate. "I heard everything, since you weren't exactly quiet about it." Her voice was calm, almost monotone.

"But yes, I agree with them because you made a mistake and should apologize." She continued working the towel through her damp hair, taking particular care around the top of her head where Jeanne could see some faint scarring - remnants from an accident.

Jeanne felt a pang of sympathy for Blake. According to what little she'd shared, she'd been caught in some kind of accident before coming to Beacon that had left her with nasty burns on her scalp. The poor girl had spent her first few weeks at Beacon wrapped in bandages, and even now she seemed more withdrawn than most of their classmates. At least the physical healing was progressing well - the nurse had finally cleared her to go without the head wrappings.

"Wait, who's Ma'iq again?" Blake asked, pausing in her hair-drying routine. "I don't think I've met him."

"Oh, he's Jeanne's..." Yang started, then seemed to falter on exactly how to describe their relationship.

"Friend," Jeanne supplied quickly, though she could feel her cheeks warming since she didn’t actually know what they were. "He was my instructor, helping me train among other things."

Blake nodded absently, clearly not particularly interested in the details, and returned to toweling off her hair.

Yang stared at Blake in complete betrayal as her partner continued her evening routine, apparently unbothered by the drama. The realization that she was outnumbered three-to-one seemed to finally sink in.

She took one deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it in one long, tired sigh. "Alright, fine. I will apologize to your friend next time we go out, Jeanne." She flopped back onto her bed dramatically. "But that doesn’t mean I will get all buddy-buddy with the guy."

"Thank you," Jeanne said, relief evident in her voice. At least now she could look forward to their next outing without worrying about Yang starting another fight.

Although, she should tell the headmaster about her friend also having those weird dreams too.