"How'd you even get into Beacon?" Ice flowing through my veins stymies my retreat, I can't move, nor breathe, nor think. I can feel the fire at my back, her fire threatening to melt my veins and reduce me to a puddle before her. A mad laugh rings off in the distance; she doesn't hear it. Only I hear the hyenas bearing down, panting breath strokes my nape, fangs poised to feast on my flesh. It's an eternal moment, a madness of itself, breaking—a growl, more real than not, accompanies a knock to my head. The hyenas flee the fire, a luxury I wish I had; I turn to face her. She sees something that kills the next question on her lips, the reprieve is short and once again I'm expected to answer her; I avoid the question.

"I came on the airship with you, remember?" It's a pitiful attempt.

"How could I forget?" A short laugh, approaching a cackle "But that's not what I'm asking Vomit boy." The air stilts and the moment freezes as we wait, she for my answer and I for an idea. Staring into the pulsing red of her eyes I realise that I have nothing, know nothing that could quench the fire in her heart; I'm unsure if I'd ever want to. It's only a wistful sigh — begging for simpler times between us — that delays her next barrage of questions; there's no escape.

"Forged transcripts, I never even went to a combat school." A nod, it was only a conformation in the end, we both knew that I cheated my way into Beacon; she just wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. Not that I feel quite equine enough to be a horse; I feel far more the ass of this play.

"Do you think Ozpin knows?" The question shocks me out of my reverie of self-loathing, no admonishments, scathing remarks or outright mocking? It's only a small miracle I manage to keep the conversation going, expecting the other shoe to drop any moment.

"Yeah, it seems that way." Had she been hoping to blackmail something out of me? Surely she knows I'd already do anything for her, for any of my friends. A pause, her brow furrows in concentration as she works and reworks whatever plans she had; a conclusion, her features sharpen and I know she's coming for the kill.

"It's decided then, I'll simply have to train you. Rejoice for you are now the apprentice of the great Yang Xiao Long." She stands triumphant; clearly a great victory has been had here today. If only I could work out what it was. I stand before her slack-jawed, my speech has been taken and I have no second miracle to save me. Paying no heed to my obvious confusion she grabs me by the arm, hauling me to destinations unknown.

AN: If you've read my profile feel free to call me a dirty liar, it took me less than a day to resort to ANs. Anyway, I figured I'd post this now since I've got The Burning of Arc going, this is the original scene I wrote that inspired it. Gotta confess I usually don't write first person as well as I feel I did here, hence BoA being 3rd person as per my usual style. I also had no clue what to tag this under for a genre so if you've got ideas or issues with the ones I used hit me up.