The Stray

Vytal Festival...

The streets of Vale are being decorated in time for the Vytal Festival. Red, yellow, and green streamers and balloons are proudly on display, and Team RWBY and Jared are strolling through it all with an awed Weiss Schnee in the front. A sign is being put up by the elderly Shopkeep that reads in bright red letters "WELCOME TO VALE!" for all the foreign newcomers from their respective kingdoms of Remnant.

"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss said, stopping and raising her arms in amazement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby said, frowning a little. "It's kinda weirding me out..."

"How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!" Weiss said, turning to Ruby.

"This does make a nice way to get away from the Doctor. And some Grimm. We're in danger almost all the time. And I love this." Jared said, and they continue walking. "I really love this."

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." Yang said, sighing with her arms crossed. "And Jared knows how to take a good thing and make it sound fun."

"Quiet, you!" Weiss said, angrily.

"Living plastic, the end of the Earth, Christmas 1860, and the Slitheen." Jared said, looking at Team RWBY. "All of that was nice and all. But this, this is what I call a festival."

"So, you like festivals." Blake said, as Jared nodded his head. "As much as fair food, arcades, amusement parks, and shopping at the mall."

"Isn't that something a kid would do?" Weiss asked.

"We're all still teenagers." Jared said, happily. "Why does it matter? There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes."

"You made modifications to the Monado." Ruby said, fixated on the sword on Jared's back. "What did you add?"

"Oh, it now being able to shoot out elemental dusts."

Docks...

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked, and they stop near the docks and the sound of foghorns are head.

"Ugh, they smell like fish!" Ruby said, covering her nose.

"I like the smell of the ocean breeze, but this is ridiculous." Jared said, also covering his nose. "I don't like the smell of fish stacked up together."

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" Weiss said.

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake said, as Weiss starts walking away again.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss said, scoffing.

"Whoa." Ruby said, and she turns her head to the right.

"Right, I don't have the psychic paper, so I can't get in the Doctor way." Jared said.

"You are not doing it his way. He's a trouble magnet." Weiss said.

Team RWBY and Jared look at a shattered window down the street and a door full of yellow caution tape of the Vale Police Force before walking over to the detective in front, who is writing on his pad.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked.

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." Detective 1 said, when he walks over to his partner.

"That's terrible." Yang said, sighing sadly.

"No spoilers, please." Weiss said.

"Why not?" Jared asked.

"Because you'll ruin the fun for us. And you know what will happen in advance. How about you act like you don't know anything for once?"

"Him, acting like he doesn't know anything." Blake said, rolling her eyes. "Why does it sound like it would be difficult for him?"

"They left all the money again." Detective 2 said, looking at his partner.

"Huh?" Ruby asked, turning her head when she hears this.

"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?" Detective 1 asked.

"I don't know, an army?" Detective 2 asked.

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." Detective 2 said, removing his glasses.

"Hmph! The White Fang." Weiss said, crossing her arms and pointing her nose in the air with her eyes closed. "What an awful bunch of degenerates!"

"What's your problem?" Blake asked.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss said, turning to Blake.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake said, crossing her arms, getting serious. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!"

"Hmm...Blake's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago...Maybe it was him." Ruby said.

"You encountering Torchwick, and the way you fight with Crescent Rose, made me fall in love with you." Jared said, looking at Ruby.

"You love all of us equally." Weiss said, looking at Jared. "That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum."

"Oh no, this won't end well." Jared said, noticing Blake's growing anger. "Kitty Kat is getting pissed."

"Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"That's not necessarily true..." Yang said.

"It really isn't. I know at least three Faunus that aren't like that. One of which, we'll meet right about…" Jared said, smiling.

"Hey, stop that Faunus!" Sailor 1 said, nearby.

As Team RWBY and Jared overhear the cry for help and rush over to investigate, a Faunus with a golden monkey tail named Sun Wukong is seen running down the length of the boat and leaping on to the edge as the two sailors are about to apprehend him.

"Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" Sun said, looking back at his pursuers.

"There he goes." Jared said, watching Sun jump off and hit the dock running. "Totally worth it today."

"You no-good stowaway!" Sailor 2 said.

"Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" Sun said, using his tail to hang on a lamppost while he peels back a banana.

"He really is!" Jared said, laughing a lot, as he looked at Ruby. "Sorry, I'm just out of it today."

"I know. Especially when we're traveling with the Doctor." Ruby said, before Sun eats his banana, one of the detectives down below throws a stone at him to get his attention. "This takes a monkey to a whole other level."

"Hey! Get down from there this instant!" Detective 1 said.

Sun drops the banana peel on the detective's face, who growls in return. The monkey-like Faunus twirls up to crouch on the lamppost, laughs in amusement, and proceeds to leap off and run away from the detectives. As he runs past Team RWBY and Jared, he winks at an astonished Blake in slow motion before time speeds up again and he continues to be chased by the officers.

"Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..." Yang said, watching the Faunus get farther and farther away.

"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss said, holding up a finger.

Weiss, Yang, Ruby, and Jared give chase. Blake stands still, lost in thought, then comes back to reality and follows her friends. The team rounds the next corner, but then Weiss bumps into someone and trips. She looks up only to see Sun jump on to a building and disappear from her view.

"No, he got away!" Weiss said, angrily.

"Uhh...Weiss?" Yang asked, and she points strangely at the girl underneath her teammate.

Weiss finally sees that she fell on a smiling girl, which startles the heiress and she hastily gets up.

"Sal...u...ta...tions!" Penny said, still down on the ground, smiling widely.

"Um...hello." Ruby said.

"Hi!" Jared said, excitedly.

"Are you...okay?" Yang asked, looking at Penny.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking."

Penny said.

"Do you... wanna get up?" Yang asked, after the rest of the team and Jared look at each other in bewilderment.

"Yes!" Penny said, after thinking about this for a moment.

"I like her." Jared said, watching Penny leaps back on her feet while he and Team RWBY step back a little. "Not as much as you guys."

"My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Penny said.

"Hi Penny. I'm Ruby." Ruby said.

"I'm Weiss." Weiss said.

"Blake." Blake said.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, and Blake hits her side. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"I'm Jared, big fan!" Jared said, giving Penny a handshake. "God, there's so much I want to talk to you about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said, as Jared let's go of her hand.

"You already said that." Weiss said.

"So I did!" Penny said, pausing again.

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss said, as they turn around and start walking away.

"Take care, friend!" Ruby said, waving her arm.

"Penny, god, my mind has been on her since I first met you guys." Jared said, and when they get far enough away from a startled Penny. "She's someone that I never thought I would meet."

"I don't know how you can get attached to a girl like her." Weiss said, looking at Jared.

"This is literally her debut episode! How could I not get attached to her?"

"She was...weird..." Yang said.

"Now, where did that Faunus riff-raff run off to?" Weiss asked, looking to her right.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked, suddenly in front of a surprised Weiss.

"Yeah, this won't end well." Jared said, as Weiss looks back and forth in shock. "I'd say, two to three minutes tops."

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!" Yang said, looking apologetic.

"No, not you." Penny said, walking through the group and leans her head down to Ruby. "You!"

"Me? I...I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..." Ruby said, startled.

"You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?" Penny asked.

"Uuuum..." Ruby said, and she looks over Penny's shoulder while her teammates motion to deny her, while Jared motions to accept her. "Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?"

"Jared! Why did you say yes?!" Weiss exclaimed. "We said no!"

"She's cool! Like really cool. Like Wall-E cool! And K-9 cool." Jared said, smiling.

Ruby's teammates comically faint, but Penny looks overjoyed and laughs.

"Sen...sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Penny said.

"Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby asked, groaning to Weiss as she brushes herself off.

"And like how you met me?" Jared asked, looking at Weiss. "Sorry, it was just only a few days ago."

"No...she seems far more coordinated."

Weiss said.

"So...what are you doing in Vale?"

Yang asked.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny said.

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?"

Weiss asked.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny said, saluting.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part."

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake said.

"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss said, with her arms crossed.

"And you both look awesome wearing them." Jared said, while the skirt sister speeds over to Weiss' side.

"Yeah!" Ruby said, and Weiss holds out her hand and the silver-eyed girl low-fives it.

"Penny in the air…" Jared said, smirking.

"Wait a minute." Weiss said, figuring out what is going on.

"If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed...rapscallion?"

Weiss asked, and she walked over to Penny and grabs her by the shoulders.

"The who...?" Penny asked.

"The filthy Faunus from the boat!" Weiss said, holding up a poor drawing of the criminal-in-question.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Blake exclaimed.

"Huh?" Weiss asked, turning her attention front Penny to Blake.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake said, walking over to Weiss, angry.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss said, releasing Penny and motions to objects around her. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"

"You ignorant little brat!" Blake said, growling, and clenching her fists.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!" Weiss said, looking offended, but when Blake walks away, she follows.

"You are a judgmental little girl."

"What in the world makes you say that?"

"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"

"Um, I think we should probably go..." Yang said, sliding to Ruby and Jared, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, my perfect day. Away from fighting just got into a debate about. Man, I just want to say his name right now. But it's spoilers." Jared said, sadly.

"You could say that your spoilers just got spoiled." Yang said, looking at Jared.

"Where are we going?" Penny asked, popping up behind Ruby, smiling.

"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!" Weiss said, angrily.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

Blake said, annoyed.

"There's been a lot of fights recently. One about Gwyneth. With the Doctor and Rose. And now this. Weiss and Blake over the Faunus." Ruby said, walking away with Yang and Jared. "Were you expecting those?"

"I usually talk to people, listen to music, watch a TV show, play a video game, or sleep. Just to tune out fighting." Jared said, looking at Ruby. "This one, it's gonna last for hours."

"I wish there was something we could do."

"Maybe there is. Can you give us a clue?" Yang asked.

"A clue to what?" Jared asked.

"The White Fang. Roman Torchwick." Ruby said.

"Spoilers." Jared said, with a sing-song voice. "Can't tell you."

Team RWBY's room…

It is now nighttime, and time has passed since the afternoon where Sun was at the docks. Yang, Ruby, and Jared are still watching the fight between Weiss and Blake.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss said.

"That is the problem!" Blake said.

"You realize you are defending an organization that hates Humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!" Weiss said, getting up from her bed.

"There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!" Blake said, getting on her feet as well.

"People like me?"

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss said, and as they stare each other down in silence, Weiss leans in close, leering as she speaks quietly "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" She's leaning against the bookshelf by the window. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood."

"Weiss…" Jared said, watching Weiss bang her fist on the bookshelf. "Come on…"

"Weiss, I-" Ruby said, and she and Jared goes over to Weiss to comfort her.

"No!" Weiss said, turning away and walks back over to Blake. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake said.

"I should have stayed with the Doctor…" Jared said, looking at all of Team RWBY who is quiet. "But...this...after knowing enough about all of you. Your pasts. Your futures. This is the first turning point in your lives…"

A surprised Weiss backs away slowly, and Blake realizes her mistake as she looks around at her teammates.

"I...I..." Blake said, and she dashes out the door.

"Blake, wait! Come back!" Ruby said, while she runs over to the door and calls to her down the hallway.

"You know that this would happen." Yang said, looking at Jared. "Blake and Weiss fighting. That Faunus appearing."

"Yeah, I did." Jared said, as Yang sits herself down and Weiss looks down. "I don't want to change anything too much. Even if I want to save two lives I care about the most."

"That's spoilers right there. And you know it." Weiss said.

"There's still so much adventures I have to get done with the Doctor. And a lot more fun taking down Grimm and bad guys with you."

"You don't have to keep coming back to us you know. Or us traveling with you and the Doctor. We're fine here." Yang said.

"But I need somewhere I can just get away from all the aliens and such."

"You can stay here. As long as you want." Ruby said, smiling.

Beacon...

Blake runs outside and arrives at a statue of an armored man with a sword and a hooded woman wielding an axe on an outcropping, staring at the Beowolf under the stone heroes in particular.

She closes her eyes and slowly lifts her arms up to her bow and pulls the string to release the bow from her hair. She wipes away a tear away as the camera pulls up to reveal her Faunus ears. On the verge of crying, she becomes startled when she hears a voice above her.

"I knew you would look better without the bow." Sun said.

She turns around and looks up.

Team RWBY's bedroom...

The scene shifts to morning at Beacon. Ruby wakes up from her beauty sleep, yawning in the process. She looks over at Blake's empty bunk, and groans sadly.

Vale...

"She's been gone all weekend..." Ruby said, walking through the empty streets of Vale with Weiss, Yang, and Jared.

"Blake's a big girl, I'm sure she can handle herself!" Weiss said.

"Weiss, come on. She's one of our teammates." Yang said.

"And she's one of our friends." Jared said, agreeing with Yang.

"Is she? We all heard what she said!" Weiss said.

"Weiss." Ruby said, sadly.

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. Either way, she's missing, and we need to find her!" Yang said.

"A member of the White Fang! Right underneath our noses!" Weiss said.

"I just hope she's okay..." Ruby said.

"Don't worry, I know she's okay. And she's with a friend. Someone she will consider a friend after today." Jared said, happily.

Elsewhere...

Blake is sipping a cup of tea and sighing. She looks up at Sun sitting across from her, who holds his drink with his tail as his hand props his head up. He takes a sip when Blake puts her cup down.

"So, you want to know more about me..." Blake said, looking at Sun intently