[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[Sliverhero]

A little Solomon Kane
Jaune and the gang come across a village that had been hit by(not Raven) bandits. They find a young teen girl who the bandits had their way with and is dying.
Jaune: Men will die for this.

Click to shrink...

Yeah those bandits the last thing they see is a the pissed off sight of jaune.
Like how gobins see the terror that is goblin slayer.

 

[Quietview27]

A little Solomon Kane
Jaune and the gang come across a village that had been hit by(not Raven) bandits. They find a young teen girl who the bandits had their way with and is dying.
Jaune: Men will die for this.

Click to shrink...

'This was supposed to be our big haul!' the bandit chief yelled in his head as he watched his crew get cut down like sheet paper by a band of random teenagers.

The day had gone so well up till now. They'd found a village nearby, mostly full of older folk long past their prime, but there'd been one younger girl. He and his boys had a lotta fun with her. After that, he thought that'd be the end of it.

Until.

*KABOOM!*

Their gate had been splintered by an explosion, and from the smoke walked out 3 teens. A blond wielding a sword and shield, his blue eyes seemingly glowing dangerously. Beside him were a black haired individual, and a ginger haired girl holding an explosive launcher.

"Who the fuck are you!?" he'd yelled at the brats, then turned to his men, "Don't stand there you idiots! Kill the blond and dark haired brat, then capture the ginger! Maybe she'll be as fun as that blond village bitch!"

His men had cheered at the idea, but the second one of his men approached the blond boy, their head went flying. And then they spoke.

"Leave none standing," his voice was cold, but the other two nodded before hell broke loose.

Within seconds, the trio moved swiftly through the bandits. The black haired one jumped around like a damn frog, cutting down some with his daggers, before gunning down others. The ginger simply struck hard and fast with her hammer, sounds of breaking ribs and legs. But it was the blond that scared him the most. His shield effortlessly pushed back any who attempted to strike him, before his sword cut them down with one fatal swing. Eventually, his men were dead, or dying, leaving him alone.

"Bastards!" he cried, attempting to take down the blond. But the brat easily parried his attack, then cut through his wrist, sending his hand and weapon to the ground, "GAAAAH!"

He fell on his ass, clutching his bleeding stump while the blond looked down on him. He expected the three to smile at their victory, but none of them did, all sending him cold looks.

"J-just take whatever you want!" he told them, trying to kick himself away, "Y-you won so just- just let me go!"

"What was her name?" the blond asked.

"W-what?!"

"What. Was. Her. Name. The woman you and your band of worthless fools treated like a toy."

Oh he meant that woman, "I-I don't know! S-samantha!? Peggy!"

The blond sighed before looking at his ginger friend, "Nora. Break em."

The bandit watched the ginger approach him, before using her hammer to break his knees.

"FUUUUUUCK!" he yelled to the sky, "y-you bastards! WHy?! WHY do this!?"

"You're angry? Why? For all the lives you've taken. Ruined. What right do you have-"

The blond's eyes were like ice as they bore into his very soul, "To complain?"

The bandit whimpered under the hateful gaze, but tried to act defiant, "I-I have every right! This world ain't give me nothin'! What's wrong with takin' it from some soft bellies?!"

"You think that helps you? Ending the lives of hard working men and women just because you think the world owed you a damn thing? All you do is make the Grimm look decent. They kill because it's their nature. You torched an entire village, raped an innocent woman, for the sole fact that you could."

"S-so what? You gonna kill me?! Go ahead!"

The blond shook his head, "We won't. But with how angry you'll become. Something will eventually."

The bandit paled at the realization, "N-no. No! Anything but the Grimm! Please, take anything! Just don't leave me for those things! Have mercy please!"

The blond stood, "Mercy only exists for those willing to give it to begin with."

As the leader tried reaching for them, begging for a quick end, the three simply collected the personal items of the now dead villagers, and left. Not a few minutes following their leave, the leader heard a growl, and turned to see a Beowolf slowly approaching him.

"S-stay away!" he cried, but as the blond told him. Mercy only came for those who gave it. And the Grimm didn't quite care any for being merciful.

Back with the trio, they returned to the burned shambles of the fallen village. Numerous wooden crosses had been made, each one a marker for the dead. Ruby rushed to their side, eyes watery as she hugged Jaune. Jaune looked up to find the woman they discovered hours ago, no longer breathing.

"S-she's gone," Ruby sniffled, "I-I tried to help but. Did- did you at least find her locket?"

Jaune nodded, before walking to the woman's corpse, then placed her locket into her hand, "May Aslan's light guide you to a warmer place."

After a moment of silent prayer, he carried her to one of the graves he'd dug, and gently laid her in it. Unconsciously, he began to imagine different faces on her, like the faces of his sisters.

'How old was she?' he thought to himself, 'She looks younger than the twins.'

Shaking his head, he looked at the others.

"Collect any lien, and food," he told the others, voice hollow, "But leave any personal items with the dead. They've lost enough today."

They nodded, with Ruby giving Jaune a sad look as he began covering the graves. He wished he could give them all a proper burial, but he lacked the knowledge and time to make a casket for them all. May their souls offer him reprieve for that.

 

[Leo 123]

Pyrrha, surprisingly, submits a half-dozen stories about a Knight and an Amazon falling in love.

2 of them were highly graphic eroticas.

Of course, if you ask Pyrrha, it's totally her imagination, not inspired by any real persons or places

Click to shrink...

Pyrrha is Blake's new best friend. Blake has also started shipping Pyrrha and Jaune hard core. She's even willing to help the couple, so long as she gets to watch sometimes.

 

[Dragon Bob]

Snip.

Click to shrink...

I don't think that Jaune would leave them for the Grimm. It's the saying from Terry Pratchett, 'hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.'. Leaving that man for the Grimm stopped being justice and became vengeance.

Legally I'm positive he's in the clear though. Bandits are going to be outlaws in the original sense, without any protection of the law and able to be killed by anyone from any nation.

 

[David Alvarex]

Serious question:

How different would the story be if the Maiden powers in *RWBY* came with a curse—something similar to the Curse of Ymir in *Attack on Titan*, where the wielder of a Titan power only lives for 13 years?

This would align logically with several elements shown in *RWBY*: for instance, why Amber was traveling alone and seemed to chafe at being confined, or the state of Fria's health. It would also provide a sound, logical reason for why there was a genuine risk involved in Pyrrha potentially inheriting the Maiden powers.

Furthermore, let's add the detail that Raven doesn't find out about this until much later—by which point, more than half of her allotted lifespan has already passed.

 

[ExFelineServer3]

For some people, they should have a long lifespan and spend each day suffering.

 

[Gur40]

Yang and Winter with Ruby and Weiss

Spoiler: 50 joking 50 serious

---

Outside of Jaune having Glynda number do you think other students get mentored by her?

Spoiler: Glynda with who

Which Teacher is like this vs Glynda on the bottom

Spoiler: tough love

Qrow is 100% the bottom as a teacher so does that make Tai the top... wait a minute

---

Some idiots in the big cities

Spoiler: stupid

just some people trying to come to terms with Grimm and Remnants death world status, and getting told off as generic graffiti fits

---

who's Fridge?

Spoiler: Ruby?

maybe in the girl failure timeline

---

While in the NSFW thread i showed Jaune Pov

Spoiler: RNJR Jaune

Rusted Knight may be Jaune final form but damn if v4 didn't give our boy a glow up

---

the real reason 99% of RWBY crossovers are Beacon era

Spoiler: Ruby doubts

Ruby Post Fall or Mistral has Zero faith in any authority while Post Atlas has Zero faith in her team
Most likely Post Series Ruby not wanting to get inbetween any groups or Gods Forbid politics and sticks to Grimm hunting only

 

[zMADLAXz]

who's Fridge?

Spoiler: Ruby?

maybe in the girl failure timeline

Click to shrink...

If the Coors Light has anything other than Hard Liquor or Choccie Milk, then I would be disappointed.

But yes this is

a) Ruby's fridge.

or

b) Jaune's private shame corner.

 

[digcat]

The longer Pyrrha and team RWBY go with out Jaune the more they turn into girl failures. They have no shame about being so dependent on him. He finds it cute but thinks they are just joking mostly.

 

[Bommel]

The longer Pyrrha and team RWBY go with out Jaune the more they turn into girl failures. They have no shame about being so dependent on him. He finds it cute but thinks they are just joking mostly.

Click to shrink...

So if they go out with Jaune they become less and less girl-failures.
Dating Jaune literally makes them more compatent.

 

[digcat]

Yes

---

JNPR and RWBY come across a strange machine from pre moon shatter. It creates real a doll version of all of them. How will they handle this and stop the rest of the world from finding out.

 

[ExFelineServer3]

Man, Blake does NOT NEED MORE INSPIRATION!!!

 

[Quietview27]

Which Teacher is like this vs Glynda on the bottom

Qrow is 100% the bottom as a teacher so does that make Tai the top... wait a minute

Click to shrink...

While Tai definitely feels a bit kinder than how Glynda or Qrow would be, I feel like he'd be a mix of the two. Encouraging younger Huntsman to take tougher missions, but only if he knows they have the capacity to do it. He wouldn't want anyone to have a 'Summer' where they never come home to their loved ones due to a mission they weren't strong enough for.

Port I feel might be more of the top example, if only because he wants his students to always go for the best to prove their mettle.

 

[GraveyardShift]

New discussion topic. I need feedback on this concept.

When a Grimm is killed, it dissolves into Black or "Grimm Mist". This mist later dissipates into nothingness.

In Shaddel's "Heresiarch", this particulate is regarded as Toxic and a key part of why cleanliness is encouraged in Huntress culture. (More so an excuse for the author to write 'steamy' shower scenes as this particular story is NSFW so beware if you go looking for it. But with Ao3 down won't matter right now.)

But not entirely relevant. The question I want to pose is, if by some means, perhaps Aura, were someone to gather this particular up and temporarily stabilized it, would it act as some kind of beacon to the Grimm? Or perhaps it instills fear in them similar to a head on a pike or a body in a cage. Making them back off.

Or maybe it does nothing at all and just looks cool.

I do note Andrew had an in-universe science report on it. I might have to go look that back up. But I wanted to get a discussion going since I'm refining Iessa's fighting style. (We've seen plenty of Iella's Mad Berserker Interceptor style. Time to flesh out the other Twin.)

A style she picked up more in Mistrial and fell in love with. Part of the reason Kyinaye took the girls on a World Tour. Letting them find a combat style that suited them best instead of forcing them into 'the best we got at home' which is likely how everyone else trained.

But more on that once we solve for the Grimm Particulate issue.

 

[digcat]

But more on that once we solve for the Grimm Particulate issue.

Click to shrink...

If it did anything i could see it being something that brings more grimm in. Possibly something Salem did to try and make sure nobody could study it.

 

[Sliverhero]

New discussion topic. I need feedback on this concept.

When a Grimm is killed, it dissolves into Black or "Grimm Mist". This mist later dissipates into nothingness.

In Shaddel's "Heresiarch", this particulate is regarded as Toxic and a key part of why cleanliness is encouraged in Huntress culture. (More so an excuse for the author to write 'steamy' shower scenes as this particular story is NSFW so beware if you go looking for it. But with Ao3 down won't matter right now.)

But not entirely relevant. The question I want to pose is, if by some means, perhaps Aura, were someone to gather this particular up and temporarily stabilized it, would it act as some kind of beacon to the Grimm? Or perhaps it instills fear in them similar to a head on a pike or a body in a cage. Making them back off.

Or maybe it does nothing at all and just looks cool.

I do note Andrew had an in-universe science report on it. I might have to go look that back up. But I wanted to get a discussion going since I'm refining Iessa's fighting style. (We've seen plenty of Iella's Mad Berserker Interceptor style. Time to flesh out the other Twin.)

A style she picked up more in Mistrial and fell in love with. Part of the reason Kyinaye took the girls on a World Tour. Letting them find a combat style that suited them best instead of forcing them into 'the best we got at home' which is likely how everyone else trained.

But more on that once we solve for the Grimm Particulate issue.

Click to shrink...

Would have it that to an Aura user its useless but for Ozma and Salem they have the knowledge to use them.

But you either need to kill a high ranked grimm or alot of grimm to get enough of the mist to for an aura user to turn it into an useable state.

If ozma had the resulting material he could make a magic recovery potion.
But the problem.is that its a useless substance so its gets left and Ozma never learns until he is in oscar and.discover some. And its a.kick in the teeth once he realize how valuable it is

 

[AJ_Talon]

In the staff room, the usual suspects gathered around the table with the gravity of people drawing lots for something that mattered.

Oobleck folded his arms. "Drat!"

Anne, the stealth and survival instructor, narrowed her eyes. "You must be cheating."

Glynda adjusted her glasses with perfect calm. "Mhm. And how would I do that?"

Scotty, the black Scotty dog faunus building engineer, with the permanent five-o'clock shadow, snorted. "Ach, multiple ways. Your Semblance for a start."

Peach threw her hands up. "Argh! You always win! Next time we're doing cards!"

Glynda regarded the short straw in her fingers like a trophy. "If this were dice, I'd agree there could be some reasonable suspicion. But it isn't. The universe just knows I am the superior caretaker."

Peach pointed at Glynda. "That's slander! Slander!"

Glynda's mouth curved, just slightly. "Sure. And yet… Thumbelina, I've noticed you have yet to be chosen. Ever."

Peach crossed her arms. "I'll win eventually! Just you wait!"

Mulberry shrugged. "Eh… I didn't even want to win."

Anne didn't look up from her grading. "Lie."

Glynda left them to it. She did enjoy babysitting Mia. Winning over the other teachers was simply a bonus. She kept her expression stern as she approached the daycare, the way she always did when students were watching. The near-incident a month ago still sat in the back of her mind—Mia wandering out of bounds, a Beowulf, the increased security Ozpin had ordered. She was not in the mood for surprises.

She got one anyway.

A scruffy blond man in a worn green jacket was already walking away from the daycare with Mia's hand in his. Glynda's stride lengthened. Her voice went cold.

"Excuse me. I was supposed to pick up the young lady."

The man turned. Recognition hit, and the tension in his shoulders eased into a grin. "Hm? Oh hey, Glyn!"

Mia waved with her free hand. "Hi, Aunt Glynda!"

Glynda's posture loosened by a fraction. "Tai? What are you doing here? How do you know Mia?"

Mia grinned, a little sheepish. "I thought he was Daddy."

Tai laughed. "Yeah! So get this. I was just walking around, trying to find the girls, wanted to surprise them. When this little rascal…"

Mia giggled.

"…suddenly grabbed my hand and started walking with me!"

Glynda's eyes narrowed at the child. "Mia! You shouldn't go around with strangers! You need to be more careful!"

Mia's ears flattened. The realization that she had done something wrong landed, and her face crumpled. Glynda bit the inside of her lip.

"But he's Auntie Ruby and Auntie Yang's daddy!" Mia insisted through the sniffle. "He's not a stranger!"

Tai rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… I was when you met me."

Glynda cleared her throat. "Sorry, Tai. Mia… she wandered out of bounds and nearly got attacked by a Grimm a month ago. We've been on edge since then."

Mia sniffled again, smaller this time.

Tai's expression sobered. "Ah. Yeah. I can see why things might be a bit… worrying."

"I'm sorry, Auntie Glyn," Mia said. "I just like Mister Tai…"

Glynda sighed. "Be more careful. Again, my apologies, Tai."

"No! No no no, it's all good. Trust me, I get it."

"Anyway," Glynda said, taking Mia into her arms, "I was asked by Mister Arc to babysit her while they are on a training class in the Emerald Forest."

Tai blinked. "You're not taking them?"

"No, we alternate. Port is taking them." She allowed herself a small measure of satisfaction at that.

"Oh, those poor kids. Oh, that's why I couldn't find them around, huh?"

"Indeed."

Mia perked up in Glynda's arms. "I like Mister Port's stories! They're like Grandpa's!"

Tai made a face. "Oh gods, poor Izzy if that's the case."

Glynda's mouth twitched. "Frankly, I found Nick's stories more entertaining. They were always more ridiculous, and he knows how to keep pace."

"You and I remember Nick's stories very differently."

"Well, they've been visiting their granddaughter more often. He finally learned not to get off track."

They walked. Mia settled against Glynda's shoulder, one ear twitching.

"Mmm…"

"Tired?" Glynda asked.

"Nuh uh…"

Tai leaned in a little. "You sure? Your eyes look a bit droopy."

Mia pouted. "Nuh uh… not tired…"

Glynda chuckled. Tai's smile softened.

"You know… you remind me of Yang a lot when she was younger."

Mia's head lifted. "Auntie Yang?"

"Oh yeah. Did you know she used to wear her hair like pigtails?"

Glynda made a small sound. "Hmph. It suits her."

Mia's eyes lit. "I want pigtails! Gimme gimme gimme!"

Tai grinned. "Can't! Can only give them to girls who aren't tired!"

"I'm not tired!"

Glynda cleared her throat.

Mia's ears flicked. "…I mean… please can I have pigtails, pretty please, Mister Yang's Dad?"

"That's better," Glynda said.

Tai considered it. "Of course… though, it's been a while. You wanna sit down somewhere?"

They found a picnic table on the green. Mia swung her legs while Tai worked on her hair, fingers remembering the motions Summer had taught him years ago and getting them mostly right.

Glynda watched. "She's usually more polite. Mister Arc's been working on her manners."

Tai's grin was knowing. "Why do you think I said she reminds me of Yang when she was younger?"

Mia kicked her feet. "Did you know Grandpa and Granny?"

"Sure do! Even have the bruises from your grandma to prove it."

"Did Granny beat you up?"

"Ohhhh yeah! A lot! And Glynda too."

Glynda adjusted her glasses. "Hmph. As I recall, you gave as good as you got. Which caused a lot of property damage."

Mia grinned. "Mister Tai's in trouble…"

Tai laughed and kept braiding. "Please. You should have seen her. She wasn't always the epitome of control that she is today."

Mia gasped and twisted to look at Glynda. "Really?!"

"I just grew up," Glynda said.

Tai didn't look up from the braid. "Qrow would say you got boring instead."

"And you would see him as a role model for how to live?"

"Him? No, not at all—well, I mean… he is a teacher."

Mia made a face. "Who's Qrow?"

"Oh, he's my friend! We're practically brothers. He's Yang's and Ruby's uncle."

Mia's nose wrinkled. "He's the smelly feather man!"

Glynda snorted. Tai tried, and failed, not to laugh.

"He is!" he said. "Make sure you keep calling him that for me, got it?"

"Okay!"

Tai finished the pigtails and held up his Scroll so Mia could see herself. "And? What do we think?"

Mia beamed. "Yay!" She wiggled free and took off across the grass, arms out like wings.

Tai's smile softened as he watched her go. "Don't run too far off!"

"Kay!"

Glynda's expression had gone quiet. Tai caught it.

"What? My eyes don't work like they used to anymore."

"Just… nostalgia, I suppose."

"…Of?"

"You smiled like you did back in Beacon."

Tai watched Mia do another lap, arms still out. "Yeah, well… I told you she reminded me of Yang when she was little. Though she was never this whimsical."

"Yes. Her father has tried to let her be a child even as he trains to be a Huntsman."

Tai leaned back on his hands. "I don't know whether to be impressed or worried. I mean… both of mine are adults by now… but still. Imagine if I had Yang while we were still in school. It'd be a miracle if I even graduated."

"It was a miracle even without her."

Tai laughed. "Ha! That's true, that's true…" He was quiet a moment. "How is this… Jaune, by the way?"

"He's a good young man. A widower, so he takes things very seriously. He's a good friend to your daughters."

Tai's eyebrows went up. "A widower? And he still took a kid here?"

"That's who he is. His wife… she made him make a promise to pursue his dream of becoming a Huntsman before she died. And he is keeping it."

Tai watched Mia run. "I see. And how good of a friend is he?"

"They're good friends. But he's still hurt over losing his wife, so he's taking things slow."

"With Yang? Ruby?" Tai paused. "…Both?"

"Among others are interested. But Mia seems to like Yang the most."

Tai made a thoughtful sound. "…I wonder they didn't tell me about him."

Glynda's mouth curved. "If I had to guess, I would say they were worried that you might overreact and end up scaring Mia."

"What? That's preposterous!"

A familiar voice cut across the green. "Mia!"

Mia spun. "PAPA!"

Jaune scooped her up in a hug, grinning, light beard neatly trimmed, blue eyes bright. "Aww… thanks again, Professor! I really appreciate it!" He glanced at Tai, then brightened further. "And uh… Mister Xiao-Long, right? Yang and Ruby showed me your picture! Thanks for watching my daughter!"

Mia kicked her feet. "And Mister Tai!"

Jaune blinked. "Mister Tai? Who—" Then he registered the man sitting beside Glynda. A flicker of nerves crossed his face before he recovered. "Oh! Mister Tai! As in…
Mister Xiao-Long, right? Yang and Ruby's dad?"

Tai gave a two-fingered salute. "That's me! And you must be Jaune, huh?"

"Yes, sir. Nice to meet you, sir!" Jaune stuck out his hand.

Tai took it. The grip was firm. "See, Glyn? I'm not overreacting."

Glynda made a noncommittal sound. Mia pulled on one of her new pigtails. "Gave me pigtails!"

Jaune smiled. "Aw, you look so cute!"

"Not cute! I'm adorable!"

"Means the same thing."

"Nuh uh!"

Tai's expression had shifted into something more evaluating. "So… Jaune…"

Glynda rolled her eyes. "Oh gods, here we go…"

"Tell me a bit about yourself."

Jaune adjusted Mia on his hip. "Oh… uh… I'm from Radian. My mom and dad are Isabel and Nick Arc. They also went to Beacon."

"Yeah, Mia told me about them. How are they? It's been a while since I heard from them."

"Oh, they're great! Mom's running the hospital, Dad's running the militia and the farm. I didn't know I was childhood friends with Yang and Ruby. I'm very glad to
reconnect with them… even if Yang fed me mud pies."

Mia's eyes lit. "Ooh! I want pie!"

"We'll have it after dinner, sweetie."

"Mud pie?"

"No."

"Awe…"

Jaune looked at Tai. "You want to see your daughters, Mister Xiao-Long?"

"I sure do!"

Glynda started to rise. "Well, I'll leave you to that."

"What? No, come on. We can walk and talk."

"I do have work to do—"

Mia deployed the full force of her kitten eyes. "Pleasssse, Auntie Glynda? Pleaassse?"

Glynda's expression cracked into a small, helpless smile. "Oh alriiight…"

"YAY!"

Jaune sighed, fond. "I'll have to cook more…"

Tai looked impressed. "Oh? You cook?"

"I mean… yeah. Generally I cook for my team… and RWBY… and their friends…"

Tai turned to Glynda, still nodding, still amused. She laughed. "What?"

"He cooks!"

"Papa is great!" Mia declared.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "We're supposed to have a rotation… well, we did, but uh…"

"Auntie Pyrrha and Auntie Weiss burned down the dorm."

"It was just the kitchen."

Tai grinned. "Wait, wait, let me guess—the Schnee girl burnt it down?"

"It was a team effort."

They started toward the dorms. Tai fell into step beside Jaune. "The girls text me a lot about how things are going. Ruby wouldn't stop raving about her new best friend and how awesome she is at everything… except cooking. Not a whole lot about you, though."

Jaune's ears went pink. "Oh, well… uh… we're good friends. We go to arcades, comic book shops, and work on our weapons—"

"Auntie Ruby makes great cookies!"

Tai's smile turned a little wistful. "Oh yeah, she does. Haven't been the same since the nest got empty, even when I follow the recipe perfectly."

Mia twisted in Jaune's arms. "Cook for Auntie Glynda!"

"You mean bake? You don't cook cookies."

Glynda started to object. "Oh, I wouldn't—"

"She makes Papa cook for her all the time!"

Jaune coughed. Glynda's voice went dry. "It was part of his detention."

Tai's eyebrows climbed. "Did she ever ask you to make her her favorite?"

"Yes."

Glynda flushed.

"Cheeseburger with coleslaw on it with a side of barbecue-style fries?"

"Yup."

Glynda stared. "…You remembered?"

Tai shrugged. "With the amount of times you had it? Hard to forget."

They reached the dorms. Yang was at the stove. The rest of RWBY and JNPR were scattered across the common room. Nora spotted Mia first.

"MIA!" She launched herself over the couch and swept the little girl into a spinning hug.

"AUNTIE NORA!" Mia laughed.

Tai stepped through the door and inhaled. "Smells good in here!"

Yang turned. "Dad?"

Ruby's head snapped up. "Dad!"

Jaune set Mia down so she could run. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late, I had to pick up stragglers. Ahem. And Professor Goodwitch."

"Better," Glynda said.

Tai hugged his daughters, then leaned toward the pot. "What's cooking? Ooh, curry?"

"Yes!" Yang said.

Weiss didn't look up from her book. "With a vegetable salad, you carnivore."

Yang grinned. "You look like you could use more meat on your… everything."

Weiss sniffed. "Hmph! NORA! Don't feed Mia more sweets!"

"But sugar is good!"

"Don't spoil her dinner!"

Ruby chimed in. "But sugar is good!"

Pyrrha looked to Jaune. "I'm sure she can have one treat, but no more. If you're okay with that, Jaune?"

"I think she can take one sweet. But that's it."

Mia held up two fingers. "Two!"

"One."

"Three!"

"One. Or nothing."

Mia's ears drooped. "Okay…"

Jaune smiled. "And no sneaking her sweets, anyone!" His gaze landed on Pyrrha.

She went pink. "I'm sorry! She's… so cute!"

"She is," Tai said.

Jaune pointed. "What? No! I was looking at Weiss!"

Weiss flushed. "She—she's just so cute, Jaune!"

"So is Ruby, but you don't let her get away with everything, do you?"

Ruby preened. "That's right! I am cute!"

Mia ran to Yang and pulled her pigtails forward. "Auntie Yang, Auntie Yang! Look! We match!"

Yang stared at her father. "Dad… did you tell her about my pigtails?"

Weiss's mouth curved. "Pigtails, huh?"

Tai grinned. "Sure did! I think I did a pretty good job, right?"

Yang's expression softened. "…Yeah. Yeah, you did."

Mia giggled. Weiss's smirk sharpened. "Why, that sounds adorable. Why don't you share the pictures, Mister Xiao-Long?"

"I would love to, Miss… Schnee, right? Weiss?"

"Why yes!"

Mia tugged on Weiss's sleeve. "Auntie Weiss, can I have ribbons for my pigtails?"

"Yes! I'll buy you gold and silver ribbons—!"

"Weiss…"

She flushed. "S-sorry… um… silk?"

"Getting closer…"

Tai studied Weiss with open curiosity. "Ruby tells me a lot about you."

"…She does, does she?"

"Only good things."

"Totally!" Ruby said.

Tai kept going. "Now, let me guess the rest of ya. We got… Nora, Mia already gave that one away, um… Weiss, Pyrrha, which leaves…" He pointed at Blake. "B…"

Blake lifted a hand. "Blake. Belladonna."

"Right. Blake. Nice to meet you."

The evening settled into the familiar chaos of too many people in one kitchen. Nora tried to sneak Mia a second cookie and got caught. Weiss and Yang argued about
spice levels. Ren quietly set the table. Tai fielded questions about old Beacon stories and answered most of them without flinching. Glynda sat with her arms folded and her expression carefully neutral, though the corners of her mouth kept threatening to move.

At one point Mia climbed into Tai's lap again and announced, to the room at large, "Grandma Dragon is so cool."

Tai hid his face behind his hand and snickered. Glynda went scarlet.

"Auntie Glynda, please."

"But Grandma Dragon sounds cooler!"

"Auntie Glynda!"

Jaune's voice cut through, calm and final. "Mia. Aunt Glynda asked you not to."

Mia pouted. "Fiiiiine…"

After dinner, Jaune and Ren handled the dishes. Tai dried. The women and Mia stayed at the table, the toddler's voice occasionally rising in excitement over some new
topic. Jaune smiled every time he heard it.

Tai took a sponge. "Want some help?"

"Thank you."

Ren moved to drying and putting things away. Tai worked in silence for a minute, then said, "Mia's great, by the way. You should be proud."

Jaune's smile was tired and real. "I-I am. She's a handful, but… it's all worth it." He exhaled. "Sometimes I think I should just let Mom and Dad raise her while I do this."

"Why's that?"

"She nearly got taken by a Grimm when she wandered out of bounds. Your daughters saved her, but…"

Ren didn't look up from the plate he was drying. "That was not your fault."

Tai stayed quiet.

Jaune's hands stilled in the soapy water. "I still… I could have done more. I should have made sure she was safe."

Tai shut off the faucet and leaned against the sink. "Hm. I'm gonna assume you know a bit about my… situation."

"I mean… a little."

"Yeah. When I lost Summer, it was… it was the final straw. I gave up. And I failed them. Failed my girls. Failed to live up to Summer's memory, and just… drifted. It got
bad." He swallowed. "Then, one day, I was alone. Not metaphorically. I mean literally. The girls… they were gone."

Jaune listened.

"Yeah. Turns out Yang heard that Raven was around. Her… bio-mom. So she took Ruby on a cart and started walking until she came across where she thought she was. Except the only thing waiting for them was some Grimm."

"Breaker," Jaune whispered.

Tai nodded. "Qrow got to them in time. I'll never be able to repay him for that. And then after that? I wish I could say I got my shit together. But I didn't. I just… I couldn't.
It took me another couple of years before I could… really call myself their father again." He paused. "Some days… I still wonder if I can."

Jaune was quiet for a moment. "They love you. That hasn't changed. I can tell."

Tai's smile was small. "Yeah. The point I'm making is that… I wish I would've—could've been more like you. You've done everything correctly every step of the way.
Compared to me, at least. Because you're still here. You never stopped being there for her." He put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You're doing just fine, Jaune. Just keep doing what you're doing, and Mia'll be happier than you can imagine."

Jaune smiled, warm and a little raw. "Thank you, sir."

"Anytime, man." Tai turned the water back on. After a beat he added, "And you're sure there's nothing going on between you and my daughters?"

Jaune went bright red. "Uh… um… I-I mean I care about them and would give my life to save them. Mia loves them, but… uh… I'm just… I'm not ready…"

"No, I understand. It's fine. Just… I'm just saying, I'm not against it."

"Oh… w-well… thank you, sir. I… I won't abuse that trust. I promise. I have seven sisters. Trust me… I get it."

Tai grinned. "Good. And I'm serious about that offer for Halloween. The girls know where to get all the big bars."

Mia had been edging toward the fridge. Jaune didn't even turn his head. "Don't even think about it, Mia. Put it back."

She pouted and obeyed.

Tai shook his head. "Eyes in the back of his head."

Mia tried one more angle. "Grandpa Dragon, can I—"

"Ohhhhh no. No no, not gonna work with me."

"Phooey!"

Later, in the empty RWBY room, Yang found her father.

"Hey… Dad, so… uh… about Mia. I've… something happened and… and I don't know how to process it, so…"

Tai's expression went carefully blank. "Oh no. You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"What?! NO!" Yang's face went scarlet. "Nonono! Nothing like that! And no, Ruby's not pregnant either! I'd kill the guy who did it!"

"Ok, good, because I lied. It wouldn't be fine, not after Jaune said he wouldn't abuse that trust. Go on."

Yang took a breath. "He said that?" She shook her head. "Sorry… um… look. One morning, Mia got up early when I was getting breakfast. She was sleepwalking or something. She—she thought I was her mom. And I just… I pretended to be her mom. And… and she asked why I had to leave and go away and… and I told her I didn't want to leave her or Jaune alone and—and I really loved her. And I held her until she went to sleep and…" She shrugged, helpless.

Tai's eyes softened. "Firecracker… c'mere."

She stepped into the hug.

"I told Jaune. He was all right with it. Told me not to be upset. I-I told him about… you and Raven and… that stuff." Her voice dropped. "But she… I-I just… Ruby called
me mom once or twice, y-you know? …I'm sorry, Dad."

She shut her eyes tight.

"Hey, hey hey, kiddo, it's ok." Tai's voice was gentle. "You have nothing to apologize to me for. I'm… I'm the one that's sorry. I know I've apologized so much to you two
about what I did… or rather didn't do, but I will apologize to you every day for it if I have to."

Yang's voice was small. "I-I just… I didn't know what to do."

"You saw a little girl that was hurting and you did the best you could. Just… just like with Ruby. You did nothing wrong." He shrugged. "Besides… if you didn't, I would've
told Jaune today anyways."

Yang sniffled. "Why did she leave us, Dad? Why… why did they both leave us?"

Tai's arms tightened. "I don't know. I… I wish I knew, Firecracker. I'm sorry."

"…Did… did Summer…?"

He shook his head quickly. "No. She didn't. She tried. She tried so hard to come back to us. She wanted to, believe me. But…" He shut the memory down before it could surface. "…I'm sorry, Yang."

Yang's voice cracked. "When Mia… when I saw that Beowulf trying to eat her, I… I wanted to kill every Grimm. I held her and she was crying and so scared and… it reminded me of… that time. And Jaune was going to resign and quit because he blamed himself and—and… I guess… I-I dunno… I understand you… a little better… m-maybe…?"

"No." Tai's voice was firm. "No, don't say that. Don't excuse what I did. I… I shouldn't have shut down. You two depended on me, as the only adult you two had left. And I failed you two. There is nothing to understand."

Yang hugged him tighter and cried, quiet and shaking. Tai let her. When she had mostly settled, he spoke again.

"But… I'm here now, okay? And I'm so proud of you. Of the woman you've become. And… I'm sure she is too." He smiled down at her. "You and Ruby and Weiss and
Blake… and all of you. You'll be better than we ever were. You already all are. And Mia is so lucky to have all of you."

Yang sniffled. "Thanks, Dad."

"Always, kiddo." He kept her close a moment longer. "So how is Glynda? As a teacher, I mean."

Yang wiped her face. "She's strict and tough, but… we respect her. She even gives us extra help if we ask. And kept us from going to jail, so…" A small smirk appeared.

"And she's single, ya know."

Tai's eyebrows went up. "Hm. Jail, huh. You never told me about that." Then he looked down. "Is she now? You didn't seem too happy about the idea at dinner."

Yang coughed. "Ah, well… we were fighting gangsters? And… well, hey… I saw the way you looked at her."

Tai shrugged. "Well, Mia had a point. She is pretty."

"I'm just saying, Dad… I mean…" Yang shrugged. "I'm… not a little kid anymore. You can be happy too. It's okay."

Tai smiled. "I'll think about it. She did say she wasn't interested."

"Yeah, sure… plus, ya know, she's been babysitting Mia a lot."

"That kid has her wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?"

Yang huffed a laugh. "Heh, yeah. But she's also been looking Jaune's way and it's WEIRD."

"Hmmm… maybe it's the beard?"

"Yes!"

Tai's grin turned knowing. Yang went bright red.

"N-not that I'm… ya know… I mean he's a good guy and he's strong and a good dad and a stupid noble idiot…"

"Kiddo, I'm old, I'm not blind."

Yang sighed. "I like him a lot, Dad. But… he's stubborn and… yeah."

"You'll be fine, Yang. But I'm guessing it's not just you, huh? Dinner sure was… chaotic. Is it always like that?"

"Yeah. It's like a big happy family. And it's kind of hilarious how Weiss denies she likes him but…"

Tai considered. "Your friend Blake… somehow she seemed the most normal one there tonight. Which… is confusing, considering what you always tell me in your texts."

"She's doing better. Mostly."

"Heh… she also 'competition'?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Sort of. She's divided between Jaune and her Faunus not-boyfriend."

Tai laughed. "Good lord, Jaune's gonna have his hands full with all of you."

"Frankly, I think he doesn't want to choose because the others will tear him apart." Yang paused, then coughed. "So you know how you told us that Summer and Raven
fought a lot of 'training duels' and you had no idea what it was over until later…?"

Tai blinked, then started laughing. "Oh my gods. That poor, poor man." He winked. "Don't worry about Glynda, though. She has too much self-respect to go after a student, even if it's someone like Jaune."

Yang's mouth curved. "Yeah, but… ya know. You deserve to be happy too."

"Yeah… yeah, I know." Tai's grin returned. "Then again… if things do work out… you might get her as your teacher and a step-mom. You sure you'd be happy with that?"

"Well, I'll have graduated by then."

"Eh. You don't know that."

"Well, if you were happy I'd be okay. Probably."

Tai smiled. "I'll think about it."

"Good."

They left the room. Glynda was waiting in the hall.

"I can take you to some quarters for the night."

Tai smiled. "That would be swell, thank you."

She led him out. He waved over his shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning, Yang!"

Yang waved back.

Tai fell into step beside Glynda. "So, is it still the guest rooms or did Oz move them?"

"Same guest rooms."

They walked in comfortable silence for a stretch.

"Tonight was nice," Glynda said.

"Yeah, it sure was… grandma dragon."

She glared. Tai chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry… someone should probably explain to her I'd have to be her grandpa first for that name to work anyway."

"I don't know. She has a habit of adopting all sorts of 'relatives.'"

"Yeah, I can see that."

They walked a little farther. Tai spoke again, casual. "I've been thinking of growing a beard."

"Isn't a five-o'clock shadow a beard? You have that perpetually."

"Eh. I mean one a bit longer. Maybe grow my hair out again too. You know, He-Man style."

Glynda snorted. "You tried that, remember? We all hated it."

"Oh come on! I could pull it off now!"

"Maybe a ponytail."

"Really? Not the Thunder God hair?"

"You're not nearly buff enough for that."

Tai stopped, yanked his shirt off, and flexed. "Excuse me? I'm plenty buff!"

Glynda chuckled. "You are, but not nearly enough for that. Short suits your personality better."

"Oh yeah? And what personality is that?"

"Bright and sunny. Annoyingly so, at times."

Tai's smile went a little softer. "Well… that's the first time anyone's called me that in a while."

"It's good to see again."

They reached the door. Glynda handed him a keycard. "It's all set to you."

"Thanks." They stood there a moment. Tai cleared his throat. "Hey, so since you don't have classes tomorrow…"

Glynda's eyebrows climbed. She went bright red. "Th-that's a bit forward, don't you think, Tai?"

"Huh? I was thinking of coffee. Or lunch. Tomorrow. To catch up."

"Yes! Yes… that's fine. Sounds good."

Tai blinked. "Wait, what did you think I…"

"N-not at all! I do have to think about propriety, after all."

He scratched his cheek. "Sorry. I should have realized how that sounds. Been a while since I've done this."

Glynda's mouth curved. "It's all right. You're lucky I wasn't Peach. She's husband-hunting, you know."

"Ah. Yes, very fortunate." He cleared his throat again. "So uh… coffee then? Or lunch? This time without the kids?"

Glynda considered him. "Sure. But! Only if you keep your hair short."

Tai laughed. "Alright, alright… and the beard?"

"I'll think about it."

"Good enough for me." He opened the door and smiled at her. "G'night, Glyn."

"Goodnight, Tai. It's very good to see you again."

"You too… Grandma Dragon."

Glynda sighed. "If you will keep that nickname to yourself, I won't be forced to break your arms."

"If Mia hasn't already told the whole school about it."

"Hmph." She hesitated, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You're a good man."

Tai stood in the doorway a moment longer, smiling like a man who had forgotten he still could.