Fate's Wild Card Chapter 25 (Released)

-Weiss Schnee-

Weiss sat in the lecture hall, her pen hovering uselessly over a blank notebook page. For what might have been the first time in her entire academic life, she wasn't taking notes.

Instead, she stared at the empty page, her thoughts churning far too turbulently to focus on the professor's rapid-fire discussion of historical Vacuan settlements and their sociological implications. Normally, she would have been furiously scribbling annotations, cross-referencing with previous lectures, perhaps even preparing questions to ask after class.

But not today.

Today, her mind was utterly consumed by something far more mortifying than any academic failure: her sexual education. 

Or rather, the complete lack thereof.

She couldn't simply dismiss someone as important as Pyrrha Nikos as ignorant or prone to babble nonsense. When her teammate had sat her down and carefully, patiently explained certain... biological realities, Weiss had been forced to listen. And then, because Pyrrha's explanation had contradicted everything she thought she knew, she'd been compelled to seek confirmation from Amber, the kind assistant who worked with Professor Ozpin.

That conversation had been the most humiliating experience of her entire life thus far.

The things Amber had explained—where babies actually came from, what physical intimacy actually entailed, reproduction that had nothing to do with kissing or holding hands—had left Weiss feeling like her entire understanding of the world had been built on deliberately constructed lies.

She wasn't even close to getting pregnant from that stolen kiss. Not even in any conceivable way.

That realization was somehow both relieving and horrifying.

Even if she didn't particularly like Pryce, his reaction now made so much sense. Of course a brute like him would take such a crude, direct approach to educate her. Shutting her up with a kiss and then dragging her to the infirmary, but in retrospect, it had prevented her from making an even bigger fool of herself in public.

But most importantly—most disturbingly—all of that wrongful knowledge had come directly from her private tutors. These weren't con artists or frauds hired off the street. She had actually used the CCT network to verify each tutor's credentials on her scroll, and all of them were real, renowned educators. Not random incompetents that her father had carelessly hired.

Her father.

Suddenly something clicked into place with a concerning amount of clarity, and the implications made her stomach twist.

Because it all pointed to one inescapable conclusion: her father had purposefully instructed those tutors to teach her incorrect information.

But why?

So she wouldn't know how to properly protect herself. 

So she would never approach anyone romantically, would never understand the warning signs. Or worse...

Maybe—just maybe—he had wanted her ignorance to lead to exactly the kind of "accident" that would give him complete control over her life forever.

Based on what Pyrrha and Amber had explained, Weiss could now envision multiple scenarios where she might have easily found herself in a compromising situation. Where her lack of understanding could have led to consequences that would have destroyed everything she'd worked for.

It was horrifying to even think about.

Especially because if she had accidentally gotten pregnant during any activity at Beacon, her father would have immediately used that as justification to drag her back to Atlas and cage her for the rest of her life. The scandal alone would have given him every excuse he needed to strip away her autonomy entirely, to prove that she was "unfit" to make her own decisions.

It made a vast, terrible amount of sense.

And she had dodged that bullet by sheer luck.

All thanks to the brute Pryce Locke.

She was still deeply conflicted about that fact. Even though she had apologized and he had apologized, she still harbored so many mixed feelings about him and how to proceed with their... teammate relationship. The memory of that kiss still made her face burn, though now the embarrassment was mixed with other emotions she couldn't quite name.

She turned her head slightly and noticed Pryce a few rows over, his rabbit ears pulled down flat against his head in obvious frustration. He was struggling to keep up with Doctor Oobleck's pace.

Well, she supposed she could keep her promise to maintain civility between them. Perhaps even work toward something approaching amicability, as proper teammates should.

“Mr. Locke!" Doctor Oobleck's voice suddenly cut through the lecture hall like a whip crack, making several students jump. The professor had somehow materialized directly beside Pryce's desk, his green hair slightly disheveled. "Can you tell me the primary reason for the failure of the combined offensive of Mistral and Mantle in the Great War?"

Pryce's ears shot straight up in alarm, and Weiss watched as he frantically scanned his notes—which appeared to be mostly doodles and incomplete sentences.

"I... uh..." Pryce started, clearly scrambling.

Weiss frowned, her hand rising almost before she'd consciously intervened. This was a subject she knew well—her tutors had been thorough about military history, at the very least.

"Yes, Miss Schnee!" Doctor Oobleck zipped over to her desk.

"The combined offensive failed primarily due to three interconnected factors, Doctor," Weiss stated. "First, the logistical nightmare of coordinating supply lines across the continent during winter, when Mantle's resources were already stretched thin defending their own borders. Second, the fundamental ideological differences between Mistral's decentralized command structure and Mantle's rigid military hierarchy created communication breakdowns at critical moments. And third—perhaps most significantly—the Kingdom of Vale's unexpected defensive innovation using Dust-based fortifications."

She paused, then added, "Additionally, there were reports that disagreements between Mistral and Mantle's commanding officers led to delayed decisions, which gave Vale plenty of time."

Doctor Oobleck's eyes lit up behind his glasses, and he began gesturing wildly with enthusiasm. "Excellent! Precisely excellent, Miss Schnee! You see, class, this is exactly the kind of analysis required when examining military failures! It's never just one factor—it's always a confluence of logistical, political, and tactical elements converging and snowballing at the wrong moment!"

He zipped to the front of the classroom, his coffee mug somehow appearing in his hand despite having been on his desk moments before. "The offensive of the Great War represents a perfect case study in how even numerically superior forces can be undone by poor coordination! Each kingdom had their own specialized units! On paper, an unstoppable combination! But in practice..."

He took a rapid sip of coffee, barely pausing for breath. "In practice, you had Mistrali commanders who were accustomed to fluid, adaptive battlefield decisions constantly clashing with Mantle’s officers who insisted on following predetermined operational plans down to the minute! Add to that the absolutely abysmal weather that winter which froze supply lines and made reconnaissance nearly impossible, and you have a recipe for absolute disaster!"

Weiss allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. 

She glanced over at Pryce, who had turned in his seat to look at her. His rabbit ears were no longer pressed flat against his head, and his expression seemed to be surprised.

Their eyes met across the classroom.

Weiss gave him a small nod.

His ears twitched slightly, and after a moment, he returned the gesture. 

Perhaps this teammate arrangement might actually work out after all.

Weiss returned her attention to her own notebook, finally beginning to jot down proper notes as Doctor Oobleck continued his lecture. 

But as she wrote, a thought materialized in her mind…

I can fix him.

Pryce, despite his faults, seemed to have some potential, just like Ruby, they just needed the proper guiding hand and unleash their potential.

It would be like her Academy long project!

So how should she start?

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-Pryce Locke-

Pryce stays up late—not too late, but still quite late—as most of his team is already sleeping. He sits on his bed with the light of his scroll illuminating his face, reading through some notes Weiss gave him with strict instructions to study.

He would have just laughed it off and tossed them aside normally. But Pyrrha had witnessed Weiss handing them over and seemed genuinely happy to see him and Weiss 'getting along,' so he had to commit to the bit and actually read the damn things. Tomorrow he'd probably be quizzed on whatever this crap was about—something about Dust and history. 

It was really dumb having team homework when he already has actual academic work to deal with.

At least nobody on the team is a heavy snorer, so that's something to be grateful for.

And yes, he'd already taken care of Blake's unique situation earlier, it is still rather awkward to be accompanying her to the bathroom but no surprise encounter.

So as soon as he finishes reading this nonsense, he can finally go to sleep.

But then his scroll buzzes with a new message.

It's from his girlfriend.

Well, he can chat a little to relax his brain and not be overwhelmed by the nonsense Weiss thinks is so important.

Neo: Still up?

Pryce: Yeah

Neo: Would have woken you up anyway ;)

Pryce: I know. So what's up?

Neo: Plan worked. Bitchy boss bought it completely.

Pryce: Good

Neo: You were so ROUGH, still limp a little <3

Pryce: Heh.

Neo: She said she'll try again in a few months. Gives us time

Pryce: Cool

Neo: Have you found a new girl over there yet?

Pryce rolls his eyes at that. She'll never let that die, won’t she?

Pryce: No

Neo: You should go out tonight and look for one! I give permission ;)

Pryce: Funny

He won't tell her about the whole Jeanne situation—he wants to keep that blondie all to himself. Not in a sexual way, obviously, but he wants the klutz making poor attempts to seduce Weiss just to see how long and far they can take the joke.

Neo would ruin it or just tie up Jeanne and somehow gaslight her.

Another message pops up.

Neo: Meanie. Don't make me come back and punish you

Pryce: You just left

Neo: Your point? I have ways of sneaking in ;)

Pryce: Please don't break into the dorms

It would be problematic to wake up with Neo in his bed.

Neo: No promises <3<3<3

However, before he can write back, his ears perk up sharply as he hears a heavy thud coming from outside the room. Not really close to their door, but definitely in the hallway somewhere nearby.

He frowns, his instincts immediately kicking in because that wasn't the sound of someone just walking by or stumbling back to their room. That was something different, hitting the floor hard.

Quietly, he pockets his scroll and sets down Weiss's notebook on his bed. He approaches the door carefully, moving in complete silence—a skill he's spent years perfecting while sneaking through places. His hand reaches for the handle, and he opens the door just slightly, enough to peek out into the dimly lit corridor.

And he confirms somebody fell and hurried away as he heard the footsteps.

The hallway is mostly empty, illuminated only by the soft glow of lights. 

All he catches is a glimpse of somebody just moving around the corner at the far end of the hallway—a flash of what might be brown hair and the swish of what could be a cloak or cape disappearing from view.

His ears twitch, straining to pick up more sound, but whoever it was is already gone. The footsteps are too quiet, whoever that was knows how to move silently when they want to.

A thief?

His curiosity is certainly piqued, and his instincts are telling him something's off about someone wandering the halls this late at night. Students aren't supposed to be out after curfew, and the way that person moved didn't suggest they were just breaking a simple rule for a midnight snack.

Pryce glances back at his sleeping teammates—Ruby curled up in a ball with her blanket, Pyrrha sleeping peacefully with perfect posture even in rest, and Weiss lying rigidly on her back like she's afraid to wrinkle her sheets.

He could just go back to bed. Mind his own business like he's always done. This isn't his problem.

But his instincts are screaming that something isn't right.

Pryce decides to step outside to investigate. However, as he opens the door wider, his eyes catch sight of a stain on the floor—dark and wet.

And it almost looks like a trail leading down the hallway.

He isn't a cat Faunus but his curiosity is seriously piqued now. Because that's definitely not water. 

So he quickly goes back inside, grabs his room key from his desk, and carefully closes the door behind him as silently as possible. The last thing he needs is to wake up Ruby or Weiss and have to explain why he's sneaking around after curfew.

He follows the trail down the corridor, his rabbit ears swiveling constantly to pick up any sounds. The wet marks grow fainter as he moves, whoever left them either dried off or became more careful. Since it's night with minimal lighting, he easily blends into the shadows.

He uses his hearing to track his target as the visual trail stops completely near a corner. It becomes more difficult to isolate specific sounds because there's a small stream or canal running somewhere nearby and the flowing water creates ambient noise that masks quieter sounds.

However, his ears twitch as he catches the distinct sound of a door being closed—not slammed, but carefully shut. He moves there quickly, finding a back exit that leads to the green area outside surrounded by trees.

That might be venturing a little too far, but he's already committed.

He exits the building and immediately feels more comfortable. Blending between trees at night is much easier than navigating lit hallways, and the grass underfoot muffles his footsteps completely. He can easily track whoever passed through here—the grass has been recently stepped on, creating a visible trail of disturbed vegetation.

Following the bent grass and occasional footprint in softer soil, he moves deeper into the wooded area of Beacon's grounds. The shattered moon provides enough light filtering through the canopy that he can navigate without difficulty.

Soon enough, he reaches a small clearing bathed in the pale, fragmented moonlight. And there, standing in the center, is a person in a cloak with long brown hair cascading down their back.

But what catches his attention most are the distinct bulges on either side of their head beneath the hood—unmistakably long Faunus ears trying to hide under a hood.

The figure reaches up and pulls down the hood, revealing her face fully in the moonlight.

Pryce's breath catches in his throat.

A rabbit Faunus. Like him.

Long brown ears—much longer and more elegant than his own—frame a delicate face with soft features. Even from this distance, he can see she's pretty. Like, seriously pretty in a way he can't quite articulate. Maybe it's the way the moonlight catches her features, or maybe it's just the surprise of seeing another rabbit Faunus at Beacon.

However, all changes when she completely removes her cloak.

His brain stutters for a second. Then another.

The cloak slips from her shoulders, pooling at her feet to reveal—

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She's completely, utterly bare under that cloak.

The faunus girl stretches her arms overhead, a languid movement that arches her back and pushes her bare breasts toward the moon. Her body is all soft curves and smooth skin, her already hard nipples beading in the cool night air. She sighs contentedly, a soft sound that carries across the clearing.

This is not what he expected to find tonight. Not by a long shot.

And then she bends her knees and spreads her legs as she giggles and acts all giddy.

What should he do now?

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AN: A wild nudist appear!