Bloody Rose

Chapter 8 Allegiance

"So..." Yang began, breaking the silence that enveloped the lunch table that her team had occupied every single lunch period. "Any plans, Rubes?" She finished, turning to her younger sister who sat a whole seat away from her after claiming that she wasn't in the mood for any 'surprise hugs' this week.

Wordlessly, the young girl kept munching her salad without even a mere glance toward her allies. Unfortunately, her secretive companion decided to speak with her.

"I believe she wanted to skip Professor Peach's class."

Immediately, the hooded girl shot her head up and glared at Blake with her silver eyes, seemingly glowing under the shadow cast by the cloak. Showing the young girl a blank gaze in response, Blake had managed to quell the girl's anger, for now, at least.

"Aren't we going to the Forever Forest?" Yang interjected, turning to face Weiss who had sat directly across from her.

"Yes, yes we are," Weiss calmly commented, gazing over at the shortest member of the team. "I can't imagine how our leader intends to pull this little stunt off," she added, making it clear to the entire team how much she disapproved of Ruby's plan.

Turning to stare the truth out of Ruby, each member of Team RWBY would have begun questioning the girl. Although, the glare sent by the pair of silver eyes silenced each girl and every question any of them had. Once that moment had passed, the four continued to eat the food set out on the table, only breaking that momentum when Team JNPR sat next to them.

"Can you guys believe him?" Nora complained, sitting down next to Ren, as per the usual. "He acts like he owns the place! Not even the professors are doing anything!" She continued while waving around a fork in the air.

"Believe who?" Weiss asked, causing Nora to point her fork just centimeters away from the heiress's nose.

Groaning, Nora threw her fork up and answered, "Cardin, duh!" Meanwhile, Ren caught the fork and set it down in front of Nora before going back to his food. "Plus! He's always picking on Jaune when he's clearly innocent!"

"I know, right?" Yang added with her head propped up on one of her hands. "During our spar, he was trying to flirt with me. So, I totally beat him into the ground for it."

"Serves the guy, right." The ginger agreed before pointing over to another table where Cardin was tugging on a Faunus girl's rabbit ear. "He's even bullying other people now. But where are the teachers? Aren't they supposed to stop this kind of stuff?"

"Of course, but why would they help a Faunus?" Weiss retorted with Blake resisting the urge to glare daggers into the back of the girl's skull. "This treatment is normal for those animals. They shouldn't have even been allowed to attend Beacon, at all!" The pale girl exclaimed, though no one at the table openly agreed with her comment.

"Schnee, what right do you have to say that?" Ruby asked, glaring daggers at Weiss in Blake's stead.

Turning to her quiet leader, Weiss slammed her hands on the table. "I have every right! Faunus are the lower class! I am of the higher class!"

"That gives you the right to treat other sentient beings like trash?" Ruby added another question, though Weiss hadn't even seemed fazed by it.

"Of course it does! I'm the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company! I can do whatever I want—"

Stopping Weiss's ranting, Ruby held her fork against the pale girl's throat. "Schnee, what if the positions were reversed?" There was no answer. "Fine, I'll answer for you. You'd be at the very bottom of every social class and ridiculed for just being who you are."

"She's right," Blake added, gaining the attention of her peers at the table. "Faunus possess intelligence equal to humans and many possess abilities beyond human capability that work alongside their semblance."