At Sanctum Academy, Joanna and Sophia shared a dorm room. Also by the time she was thirteen, Joanna had reached the height of 6 feet 2 inches, so she towered over most of the students...and a few teachers. There had been several occurrences where someone had asked Joanna to grab something that they couldn't reach. For example, every time she goes to the school library, someone would ask that she get them a book from the top shelf. Another issue with her height was finding clothes that fit, often skirts and dresses would come up a little too short for Joanna's comfort, so most of her clothes have to be specially made.

"What do you think makes her so tall?" one student whispered to another.

"I dunno." shrugged the other student.

"Hey! Are you talking sh*t about my friend!" Sophia snapped at them.

"N-no! No, we weren't, honest!" replied the first student frantically.

"We were just curious about her height, that's all!" the second student said in defense.

"I don't believe you! You were making fun of her! I won't let you disrespect my best friend, I'll kick your a**!" Sophia growled.

She leaps at the students, but Joanna catches her by the waist and holds her back.

"Sophia, stop! They didn't do anything wrong, they had no intention of offending anyone." Joanna said, holding back her friend who was swinging her arms and kicking her legs at the other two students.

"Holy brothers, Joanna, your friend is a psycho!" the first student said.

The two students run off, away from the angry cheetah faunus. Sophia finally breaks free from Joanna's grasp and glares angrily at her.

"Why didn't you let me beat them into submission!" Sophia shouted.

"Sophia, listen to yourself! This is not how a huntress in training should behave! I get that you were trying to look out for me, but in this instance it was not needed." Joanna scolded.

The cheetah faunus takes a deep breath and flattens her ears.

"You're right....I overreacted....I'm sorry." Sophia grumbled.

Joanna sighs then hugs her friend.

"Soph, I know it's hard to trust others considering the way you've been treated most of your life. But...you can't let your anger control you and turn you into something you'll come to regret." Joanna told her.

Sophia ended up getting a day of detention for the near fight she started. Though that wasn't the only time Sophia lost her cool with someone, and the times that Joanna wasn't there to stop her were the times that an actual fight broke out. For most of their first year at Sanctum Academy, Sophia was known mainly for having a short fuse while Joanna was known for her skill, strength, and kind heart.

"So...I'm just an angry mindless animal to them? Is that it?" Sophia said as her and Joanna sat in their dorm room.

"Sophia, no one is calling you an animal. But, you could try being a little nicer to people, and stop starting fights." Joanna replied.

"Fine...I'll adjust my attitude...for your sake." Sophia sighed folding her arms.

Smiling, Joanna hugs Sophia tightly, and lets go when she hears her friend gasp out a plea.

"Oops, sorry....I keep forgetting just how strong I am." Joanna chuckled lightly.

"How can you forget being the strongest person in the entire school?" Sophia thought to herself.

As the years at Sanctum went by, Joanna got more and more popular among the students and teachers. All four years of Sanctum, Joanna won every single tournament that came around. Once the huntress in training graduated from Sanctum, she had reached 7 feet 2 inches, meaning she had grown an entire foot between ages thirteen and seventeen. Unbeknownst to Joanna...she began to cast a shadow over her friend...a dark lonely shadow.

"You won't forget about me when you're a famous huntress one day, will you?" Sophia asked.

"What? No, of course not! Why would you think of something so ridiculous?" Joanna replied confused.

"I don't know...it's just people respect you now, they admire you. But me...they all still make snide comments about me being a faunus...they still disrespect me." Sophia told her friend.

"People are being discriminate towards you!? Who!?! Tell me, I'll deal with them!" Joanna said standing up and clenching her fists.

"Ohh, so you're allowed to defend me, but I'm not allowed to defend you!?!" Sophia asked.

"What are you talking about?" Joanna asked.

"You! You got mad at me when I defended you and started fights. Yet, here you are ready to beat people in my defense. What's the deal with that?! Oh...I think I know....weak little Sophia isn't strong enough to fend for herself, she needs miss perfect to protect her." Sophia answered.

"This is different! You were starting fights with people who weren't even antagonizing me, you just thought they were so you jumped on them. When I defend someone, I try to talk things out first, and if I have to, yes, I do fight. But...I don't just start throwing punches every time someone makes me mad!" Joanna said.

"Soph...you're really starting to make me worried. You're my best friend and I love you...I don't want to grow apart. Please let go of all this anger you have." she pleaded, leaning down so she's face to face with Sophia and places her hands on her shoulders.

"I...I don't want to grow apart either. You're the only friend I have...I can't bear to lose that. I just feel like..." Sophia said tearing up.

"You feel like what, Soph?" Joanna asked her.

"N-nothing...I don't want to talk about it right now." Sophia replied wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Alright, I won't push you...but I'll always be here for you if you wanna talk." Joanna said pulling her friend into a gentle hug.

"You promise not to abandon me?" Sophia asked hugging back.

"I promise." Joanna assured her.

During the summer before enrolling into Haven Academy, Joanna and Sophia worked things out and were on better terms and no longer arguing about things...or at least that's what Joanna thought. Sophia still harbored a lot of anger about...everything, and jealousy towards Joanna's success. But she kept it to herself cause she didn't want any bad blood between her and her best friend. She wanted to hold on to Joanna's friendship and never let it go...Sophia will do anything to keep Joanna as her friend...cause Joanna is her friend and her friend alone...no one else can have her as their friend, no one.