[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

The Aslanmas lunch had been perfect—elegant but not stuffy, held in the glass-walled conservatory of one of Atlas's oldest restaurants, overlooking the snow-covered botanical gardens below. Ruby and Whitley had enjoyed it. Ruby had filled most of the time with her chatter, asked thoughtful questions, and blushed every time Whitley's hand found hers under the table. Whitley had been quiet. Even quieter than usual.

Now the two of them strolled a lighted path through the gardens themselves. Snow fell in fat, lazy flakes, catching in Ruby's dark hair like stars. Something Whitley stared at intensely.

Whitley's heart hammered so loudly he was sure Ruby could hear it. The small velvet box in his coat pocket felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.

He stopped beneath a wrought-iron arch heavy with frost-laden evergreens. Ruby paused beside him, tilting her head.

"Everything okay?" she asked, silver eyes soft with concern.

Whitley swallowed. He'd rehearsed this a hundred times—elegant words, perfect phrasing—but every script fled his mind the moment he looked at her.

"Ruby," he started, voice quieter than he intended. "I… need to say something."

She waited, patient as always. Snowflakes melted on her lashes.

He took both her gloved hands in his.

"I used to think the world was a ledger," he said. "Assets and liabilities, numbers and variables. Influence and control. My father taught me that love was just another transaction—something you leveraged or lost." His throat tightened. "I was cruel because I was terrified of being weak. Of being worthless if I didn't win."

Ruby's fingers squeezed his gently. She didn't interrupt; she never did when someone was finally being honest.

"Then you crashed into my life—literally, sometimes—and you… you never treated people like numbers. You saw worth in everyone. Even me, when I gave you every reason not to." He laughed, a small, shaky sound. "You believed I could be better. And somehow, because you believed it, I started to."

He dropped to one knee in the snow, not caring that the cold soaked through his trousers. The box came out with fingers that barely trembled.

Ruby's eyes widened.

"I don't have a grand speech," Whitley said, opening the box to reveal a ring—white gold shaped like delicate rose petals, set with a single ruby that caught the garden lights like captured starlight. "I just know that every day since the war ended, I've woken up wanting to be the kind of man who deserves to stand next to you. Not because of my name or money or anything I can give you—because I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you've made me."

He looked up at her, blue eyes steady despite the tears threatening.

"Ruby Rose, will you marry me?"

For a heartbeat, the only sound was snow falling.

Then Ruby dropped to her knees too, right there in the snow, cupping his face in her mittened hands.

"Yes," she whispered, laughing through sudden tears. "Yes, of course, you ridiculous, wonderful man."

She kissed him—fierce and sweet and tasting of winter air and hot chocolate from lunch. Whitley's arms went around her, ring box forgotten in the snow as he held her like she was the only real thing in the universe.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

It's funny when realizations hit you. Often when you're doing something potentially unwise.

The realization hit Whitley Schnee like a slap to the face while he was standing in the middle of Vale's bustling commercial district. He had decided to leave his hotel where he was staying while he worked on the Vytal Festival for his father.

He was rich. He was famous. And he was completely, embarrassingly defenseless.

His name alone made him a walking target. His father's enemies, the White Fang, random opportunists: Any of them could decide today was the day to grab the youngest Schnee heir. And what would he do? Throw lien at them?

…Actually, that gave him an idea.

Whitley scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on the first person who looked like they might know how to throw a punch. Or shoot a gun. Or both.

She was standing outside a weapon shop, bouncing on her heels while eating a cookie the size of her face. Short black-and-red hair, bright silver eyes, and a massive scythe strapped to her back like it weighed nothing.

Perfect.

Whitley marched up to her, pulled out his wallet, and slapped an entire stack of high-denomination lien into her hands.

"You're a Huntress, correct?" he asked, voice crisp and business-like. "I require a bodyguard for the day. That should cover your fee, plus hazard pay. Do we have an agreement?"

Ruby Rose blinked at the money, then at him, then back at the money.

"Uhhhh… sure?" She tilted her head, cookie crumbs on her cheek. "Wait, are you being chased by Grimm right now? Or bad guys? Or both?"

"Not at this exact moment," Whitley said, already regretting everything and nothing. "But the odds are statistically high. Shall we?"

Ruby's entire face lit up like Crescent Rose on overdrive.

"OKAY!"


What followed was not a bodyguard assignment.

It was a roller coaster.

Ruby decided the best way to "protect" him was to show him how normal (As if either of them knew what that was) people lived in Vale. Within twenty minutes Whitley found himself in an arcade, holding a plastic gun and being screamed at by an overly enthusiastic Ruby.

"Shoot the zombies, Whitley! Not the civilians! No, not that civilian either—okay, maybe that one was a zombie, good job!"

He lost horribly. Ruby won every round and celebrated by buying him an oversized slushie "for morale."

Then came the "gallivanting" portion.

Ruby dragged him to a food truck festival, a weapons shop where she gave him an exhaustive rundown on so many guns that his eyes began to glaze (and he bought one just to shut her up and get out of there), and a comic book store where she spent forty minutes explaining why a certain issue of The Adventures of Xray and Vav was peak fiction. Whitley, who had never been allowed junk food or "frivolous reading material," discovered he actually liked both.

He didn't like getting shot at, which he learned quickly.

This happened when a small group of low-level White Fang thugs spotted his distinctive white hair and decided to make a quick score.

Ruby's reaction time was terrifying.

One second she was mid-sentence about weapon maintenance. The next, Crescent Rose was unfolded and she was a red-and-black blur of petals and high-velocity gunfire.

Whitley stood frozen as she took down four armed Faunus in under ten seconds without breaking a sweat.

When it was over, Ruby spun back to him, scythe collapsing with a cheerful shink, and offered the brightest smile he'd ever seen.

"You okay? They didn't even get close!"

Whitley stared at her, heart still hammering, adrenaline singing in his veins… and realized he was grinning like an idiot.

"That was the most fun I've had in my entire life."

Ruby laughed and punched his shoulder lightly. "See? Being a normal person is awesome! Well… mostly normal. With occasional gunfire."

By the time the sun began to set, Whitley was exhausted, sticky from various street foods, and carrying a small bag of comic books Ruby had insisted he needed "for cultural education."

They stopped at a quiet overlook near the cliffs.

Ruby turned to him, silver eyes sparkling in the dying light.

"So… same time next week? I still gotta teach you how to actually aim that pistol you bought earlier."

Whitley hesitated only a second before pulling out his scroll.

"I would like that very much." He held it out. "If you'll give me your number?"

Ruby's face went pink, but she beamed and quickly tapped her contact in.

"Deal! But only if you promise to let me drag you to the new amusement park when it opens. They have a ride that spins you upside down!"

Whitley, who had never been on an amusement park ride in his life, found himself nodding immediately.

"I look forward to it."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The arcade was loud, bright, and full of cheerful chaos — exactly what Ruby had hoped for.

After she'd learned that Jaune used to be a pretty big gamer before Mia came along, Ruby had made it her personal mission to drag him and Mia out for a "rediscovery day." Jaune had been hesitant at first, but the moment Mia heard "video games," her eyes lit up like Crescent Rose in scythe mode.

Now the three of them were deep in the arcade, moving from station to station.

They started with fighting games. Jaune and Ruby went head-to-head while Mia cheered from Jaune's lap. Ruby won most rounds, but Jaune managed a few surprise comebacks that had Ruby yelling in delight.

Then came the rhythm games. Mia insisted on playing with them, standing on a box between Jaune and Ruby. She stomped and clapped with wild enthusiasm, missing almost every beat but laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

Shooter games came next. Jaune and Ruby teamed up in co-op mode while Mia "helped" by pressing random buttons and shouting "PEW PEW PEW!" at the screen.

By the time they took a break, all three of them were smiling and a little sweaty.

They wandered over to the small café attached to the arcade. Ruby ordered the most ridiculous sugary dessert she could find — a towering ice cream float with extra whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top. Jaune got a sensible sandwich. Mia had a healthy lunchbox Jaune had packed, but she kept eyeing Ruby's float with open longing.

"Can I have some?" Mia asked, ears perked hopefully.

Ruby grinned. "Sure!"

Jaune gave her a pointed "Dad Look."

Ruby flushed instantly. "I mean… one bite. Just one!"

Mia took her bite, eyes widening in pure bliss. "It's so good! More please!"

Ruby glanced nervously at Jaune, feeling the full weight of his parental energy. "Sorry, Mia… that's all for now."

Mia's lower lip immediately wobbled into a world-class pout.

Jaune leaned over and gently wiped a bit of whipped cream from her cheek. "If you're good for the rest of the day, we can get a big dessert back at Beacon tonight. Deal?"

Mia sniffled but eventually nodded. "Deal…"

A few minutes later, Jaune stood up. "I'll be right back. Gotta use the bathroom. Ruby, can you watch her?"

"On it!" Ruby said, giving a determined salute.

The moment Jaune disappeared around the corner, Mia turned those big blue eyes on Ruby again.

"Auntie Ruby… pleeeeease can I have more float?"

Ruby hesitated, biting her lip. "Mia, your dad said—"

"But it's so yummy!" Mia whined, giving the most effective puppy-dog eyes in Remnant.

Ruby lasted about ten seconds before caving. "Okay… just a tiny bit more."

Five minutes later, Jaune returned to absolute mayhem.

Mia was running around the arcade like a sugar-fueled goblin, cackling wildly and weaving between game machines. Ruby was desperately chasing after her, arms outstretched, clearly trying (and failing) not to use her Semblance in a public place.

"Mia! Come back here!" Ruby called, voice cracking with panic. She jumped ahead of her with her Semblance, reappearing right in front of Mia... Who turned and dove between the arcade cabinets to the next row. "AH! HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

Ruby leaped over and landed, trying to catch the little half-Faunus girl, but Mia had dashed away again between some claw machines.

"MIA!"

Mia darted straight for the ball pit, scrambled up the nets surrounding it with surprising agility, and perched at the top like a triumphant monkey.

Jaune's voice cut through the noise, firm and stern. "Mia Arc. NO. Down. Now."

Mia froze, ears flattening. She looked at him defiantly for a second… then her face crumpled when he added, "If you don't come down right now, no more dessert for a month."

Mia gasped.

"No!"

"Yes!" Jaune insisted. "And no more game days with Ruby!"

"Th-That's right!" Ruby added weakly.

She sniffled, eyes filling with tears. "I… I can't get down…"

Jaune sighed and stepped in front of the ball pit, holding his arms out. "Jump. I've got you."

Mia hesitated only a moment before dropping into his arms. He caught her easily and held her close as she buried her face in his shoulder, still sniffling, the sugar rush winding down.

"Excuse me you two."

Which is when security found them.

- - -

Five minutes later, they stood outside the arcade on the sidewalk, the noisy honks of mid-day traffic filling the air. The owner made things clear: Don't come back for two weeks, or get a permanent ban.

Which felt like a death sentence to Ruby.

Looking utterly mortified, she turned to her friend. "Jaune, I'm so sorry! I only gave her a few more sips, I swear! I didn't think she'd turn into a hyperactive gremlin!"

Jaune shifted Mia to one arm and gave Ruby a tired but gentle smile. "It's okay. She's very sly and cute… and that makes it really hard to say no to her." He raised an eyebrow. "Without experience."

Ruby groaned, covering her face with both hands. "I ruined everything…"

Jaune chuckled softly. "Not at all. I'm actually glad you dragged us out today. I'd almost forgotten how fun this stuff could be." He glanced at the chaos around them and smiled wider. "Plus… watching you try to catch her was pretty funny."

"It was not!" Ruby pouted.

"It was," Jaune chuckled, as Ruby covered her face.

Ruby peeked through her fingers, still blushing. "You're not mad?"

"Nah." Jaune adjusted Mia, who was already calming down in his arms. "I appreciate how hard you try with us. And honestly… I think you'd make a really good mom someday."

Ruby turned scarlet, eyes going wide. "Wha- I- That's-!"

Jaune just laughed warmly as they started walking back toward the exit, Mia already dozing against his shoulder, sticky hands clutching his hoodie.

Ruby trailed after them, heart racing and mind spinning with way too many thoughts she definitely wasn't ready to examine yet.

But one thing was certain: arcade days with Jaune and Mia were going to become a regular thing.

... In two weeks.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

TRANSCRIPT 1



Private Meeting: Beacon Academy Headmaster's Office

Date: 14 June 2000 AMF



Participants:

Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy and Chair of the H.A.R. Council

Chancellor Edwina Browning, newly elected Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Vale



Chancellor Browning:

Headmaster, I didn't ask for this meeting to be lectured on history. I've read the sealed files. Mount Glenn was a tragedy, yes, but it's been thirteen years. The city sits on some of the richest untapped Gravity and Fire Dust veins on Sanus and contains advanced technologies thst could benefit everyone. My administration campaigned on renewal, on showing the people that Vale does not simply abandon its dreams. Reclaiming it would be a symbol — proof that we are not ruled by fear.



Ozpin:

Fear is a rational response to certain realities, Chancellor. And the reality inside Mount Glenn is not the one the public was told.



[A pause. The sound of Ozpin stirring his cocoa is audible.]



Ozpin (calmly):

Doctor Merlot did not merely fail to contain Grimm. He succeeded in changing them. The sonic emitters you have seen in every modern settlement were only the first, safest layer of his work. The later experiments — the ones that remain sealed — involved cybernetic augmentation and Aura imprinting. He attempted to give Grimm fragments of human souls so they could be trained, commanded… domesticated.



Chancellor Browning:

I've seen the summaries. "Augmented specimens." "Echoes of human personality." The Committee said it was a failure.



Ozpin:

The Committee called it a failure because the alternative was admitting that some of those specimens are still alive down there. Still learning. Still remembering the imprint of the men and women whose Aura Merlot grafted onto them. They are no longer simple beasts, Chancellor. They are something worse — something that can plan, that can wait, that can mimic human voices and more when the mood strikes them.



[Browning shifts in her chair. The leather creaks.]



Chancellor Browning:

Even if that's true, we have Huntsmen. We have the VDF. We have sonic arrays improved tenfold since Merlot's day. We could sterilize the underground levels, seal the worst sections permanently, and begin extraction operations under heavy guard. The economic benefit alone—



Ozpin (quietly, but with steel):

Would be dwarfed by the cost if even one augmented pack reaches the surface. Imagine a Beowolf that remembers how to operate a gun. Imagine a Nevermore that has learned the sound of a child's voice and uses it as bait. Imagine the first rescue team that goes down and never comes back — because the things wearing their friends' faces are waiting in the dark.



[Silence. Ozpin sets his mug down with a soft clink.]



Ozpin:

I was there the night the High Council voted to seal the tunnels. Chancellor Taurus resigned three weeks later because of the weight of what he had to do. He understood what we were burying alive. I am asking you, as someone who has watched far too many well-intentioned reclamation efforts end in new graveyards, to choose the better path. Leave it buried.



Chancellor Browning (lower, almost angry):

You're asking me to begin my term by telling the people of Vale that one of our greatest utopian projects must remain a tomb. That is political poison, Headmaster.



Ozpin:

Better poison now than plague later. The city is not merely lost, Chancellor. It is quarantined. There is a difference. The Grimm down there are no longer wild. They are… curious. And curiosity, in creatures that once fed only on despair, is the most dangerous thing of all.



[Longer silence. The distant sound of a Bullhead passing overhead.]



Chancellor Browning (finally, tired):

…You're certain the threat remains active?



Ozpin:

I have never been more certain of anything.



Chancellor Browning:

Then the quarantine stands. For now. But I will expect a full, unredacted briefing within the month. And if I ever discover you withheld material information from me, Headmaster, our working relationship will become considerably less cordial.



Ozpin (softly, with the faintest trace of a smile):

I would expect nothing less from Vale's Chancellor.



Chancellor Browning:

Good night, Headmaster.



Ozpin:

Good night, Chancellor. And… welcome to the chair.



[End of recording.]

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The Arc family farmhouse smelled like Isabel's famous pot roast and fresh baked bread. The rest of the Arc family daughters were elsewhere, leaving just Jaune to sit quietly next to his father, looking mildly traumatized. He was back for the weekend after starting Beacon, and the airship ride had been rough. But he'd made it and that was what counted.

Nicholas Arc, former Jedi Padawan and current clueless Huntsman, was happily chewing his food when his wife finally spoke.

"So," Isabel said, voice deceptively sweet as she cut into her roast, "I heard something interesting today from Headmaster Ozpin in Vale."

Jaune's shoulders hunched.

Nick blinked innocently. "Oh? What's that, dear?"

Isabel set her knife down with a little too much force.

"Apparently, there are four different young women at Beacon Academy who have received orders from their respective families or mentors to kill you — or your child — on sight."

A beat of silence.

Jaune turned to stare at his father in disbelief.

Nick scratched his cheek. "Ah. You heard about that."

Isabel's eye twitched. "Yes, Nicholas. I heard about that. Would you care to explain why the daughter of a Sith Lord, two Mandalorian-raised girls, and the granddaughter of a Dathomir Nightsister all want my husband and son dead?"

Nick smiled that same dopey, lovable smile that had somehow won her over decades ago.

"Well, you see, honey… it's a long story."

"I have time," Isabel said, voice dangerously calm.

Jaune tried to sink into his chair and disappear.

Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "When I crash-landed on Remnant all those years ago, I wasn't exactly… subtle. And um... There was a gigantic interstellar war going on... The Sith are like the Jedi's dark mirror and apparently, Pyrrha's mother was a Sith apprentice who crashlanded-I think I know the one. Taiyang's father was a Mandalorian who taught Ruby and Yang the old 'shoot Jedi on sight' rule-They're a warrior culture, love to fight us. They lose all the time against us but they keep fighting. And Willow's mother — the Nightsister — well, they're not exactly fond of Jedi either. Like, they use the Darkside too and use it like magic and uh, they try to kill us. A lot."

Isabel stared at him for a long moment.

Then she picked up her wine glass and drained it in one go.

"You absolute idiot," she growled, though there was more fond exasperation than real anger. "You crash-land on a death world, fall in love with me, have eight children, and somehow forget to mention that half the galaxy's worst monsters followed you here?"

Nick shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't know for sure! And I didn't want to worry you!"

"Worry me?" Isabel laughed, sharp and disbelieving. "Nick, our son is at Beacon with four very dangerous, very skilled young women who were all raised to murder him. One of them is a Sith apprentice!"

"Technically she's a very nice girl," Jaune mumbled.

Isabel pointed her fork at him. "You stay out of this, young man. You're already in enough trouble for not telling me sooner. I had to hear it from Ozpin!"

Jaune sank lower.

Nick reached over and gently took his wife's hand, his expression softening.

"I know it sounds bad, Izzy. But they haven't actually tried to kill him yet. In fact… I think some of them might like him. A lot."

Isabel stared at him. Then at Jaune. Then back at her husband.

"You're telling me our son has somehow attracted four women who were ordered to assassinate him… and they're now romantically interested instead?"

Nick beamed proudly. "He takes after me!"

Jaune buried his face in his hands.

"It's not like that! W-We're just friends! Who occasionally threaten to murder me!"

"Definitely after me!" Nick added.

Isabel pinched the bridge of her nose, but her lips were twitching with reluctant amusement.

"I married the most ridiculous man in the galaxy," she muttered.

"You sure did, honey!" Nick beamed.

Then she sighed, stood up, and walked around the table to pull Jaune into a tight hug.

"You listen to me, Jaune Arc," she said, voice fierce but warm. "If any of those girls so much as looks at you wrong, you tell me immediately. I don't care if they're Sith, Mandalorians, or Nightsisters. You're my baby. I will handle it."

Jaune hugged her back, smiling into her shoulder. "Yes, Mom."

Isabel kissed the top of his head, then turned and pointed at her husband.

"And you," she said, eyes narrowing, "are sleeping on the couch tonight for keeping this from me for twenty years."

Nicholas accepted his fate with a dramatic sigh. "Yes, dear."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune was training in a simulator with his lightsaber. He wasn't sure how many people really bought the explanation that it was "An ancient coherent Aura Blade powered by Dust", but it seemed to be working all right. He let the Force flow through him, deflecting the low powered shots from the drones.

The Force warned him, and a wire lashed out and wrapped around him.

"Ack!"

Then, metallic cuffs were launched, locking onto his ankles and wrists. He fell to the ground, shutting his lightsaber off.

"Oof!"

Yang and Ruby flew down from the ceiling rafters, in gold/black and red/black Mandolorian armor. They pointed their weapons at him, and Jaune gulped.

"So, VB," Yang said conversationally, "Dad told us Mandalorians have one standing order when it comes to Jedi. 'Shoot first, ask questions never.'"

Ruby spun Crescent Rose with a cheerful grin. "And we're really good at following Dad's training!"

"So," Yang said lazily, "You got a reason we shouldn't fulfill our mission?"

"Ummm... Well... A few?" Jaune managed. "One, what does Mandolore and the Jedi's conflicts have to do with us? We're friends, right?"

"Well," Yang tried.

Ruby nodded.

"Yeah!"

"We did have movie and game nights, and I made you guys dinner, lunch, and breakfast," Jaune pointed out.

"He did!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

"And that was good," Yang hummed.

"And we both want to fight the Grimm, right?" Jaune pressed.

"True!" Ruby chirped.

"Mmhm," Yang nodded.

"And," Jaune added, "Mandalorian training is awesome. I mean, you caught me like that! You guys wanna show me some moves?"

Ruby and Yang exchanged a long, suffering look.

Yang groaned. "He's too nice. I can't shoot him. It'd be like kicking a golden retriever."

Ruby pouted. "But Granddad and Dad said—"

"We'll table the murder for now," Yang said. "I mean, those were really great cookies. And you'd be really sad to kill your best friend, right?"

Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, I would... You'd be sad to kill your boyfriend, too."

Even behind the helmet, Jaune could see Yang's blush.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

"I'm fine with being whatever, as long as it's not dead!" Jaune offered.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune sat cross-legged on the dorm floor with Mia curled in his lap, his scroll open in front of them. The screen glowed soft and warm, casting little flickers of light across her curious face as he swiped to the album slowly, like every photo was made of glass.

"This one's from the first barn dance Katie ever dragged me to," he said, voice low. The picture showed a younger Jaune-hair even messier, cheeks flushed-grinning sheepishly while a pretty cat-eared girl in a sundress glared at the bright red punch stain down her front. "I tripped over my own feet and dumped the whole bowl on her."

Mia giggled, ears twitching. "Mama looks funny!"

"She was furious," Jaune admitted, smiling despite the ache. "Threatened to skin me and use my hide for a new purse. Then she laughed so hard she snorted, and forgave me on the spot."

Mia traced a tiny finger over Katie's smiling face. "You and Mama liked dancing, right, Daddy?"

"We loved it," he said softly. "She could spin me until I was dizzy and still make it look easy."

Mia tilted her head. "You like dancing with Yang, right? And Pyrrha? And Weiss? And Blake?"

Jaune's thumb paused on the scroll. "Yeah, sweetheart. Those nights were… a lot of fun."

"So…" Her voice got smaller, careful. "Why can't one of them be my new mama?"

The air left his lungs like someone had punched him. For a second he couldn't speak; the dorm felt too quiet, the glow of the scroll suddenly too bright.

"Mia…" He swallowed. "It's not that simple, baby."

Her ears drooped. "Why? Don't you like them?"

"No—no, I like them a lot." The words came out rough. "But your mama is your mama. She loved you more than anything in the world. I can't just… replace her."

Mia stared at the photo, lower lip wobbling. "But Mama's gone. I don't remember her, Daddy."

The confession hit harder than any Beowolf ever could. Jaune's eyes stung hot and sudden.

"Mia…"

"Other kids have mamas," she whispered, voice cracking in that tiny, broken way only little kids can manage. "Why can't I?"

He pulled her in, arms wrapping tight around her small frame, pressing her head to his chest so she wouldn't see the tears he was barely holding back. He would not cry. Not in front of her. He couldn't.

"Daddy? Did I say something wrong?" She asked, innocent and quiet.

"You didn't say anything wrong," he managed, voice thick.

She sniffled against his hoodie. "Promise?"

"I promise." He kissed the top of her head, right between her fluffy ears, and held her until the shaking stopped—for both of them.

---

The holodisk sat in Jaune's hand like a loaded gun.

It was small, no bigger than a coin, matte black with a single silver rune etched on the surface. Katy had pressed it into his hand the night before they wheeled her into surgery, her fingers cold, her smile crooked and fearless. He'd promised he would watch it "when he was ready."

Since then… Four years. Four years of moving it from drawer to drawer, box to box. Every time he'd been tempted to put it into a player, his insides had turned to ice. It had gone back in a drawer, a box-Anywhere out of sight.

Except now.

Jaune sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on knees, staring at the disk in his hand like it might detonate.

The door creaked. Yang slipped in, arms crossed, hair still damp from the showers.

"Hey," she said softly. "Thought I'd find you brooding."

"I'm not brooding," he muttered. "I'm… contemplating."

Yang snorted.

"Sure." She dropped beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed. She was silent for a moment, staring at it with him.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Katy's… Her last message," Jaune whispered. "She left it for me before…"

Yang's face was stony. She nodded.

"I get it," she murmured.

"... I promised I'd show Mia it," he said quietly, "That I'd watch it. So she could see her mom. But I…"

He clenched his fist around the disk.

Silence fell, hard and thick. Yang sucked in a breath, then she spoke.

"Jaune…" She paused, then continued, her voice far softer than usual. "You know, I remember my mom more than Ruby does. Dad and Qrow made damn sure of it. Videos, pictures, stupid stories about how Summer once punched a guy for calling her short… Ruby and I are just now reading her journal together. Hurts like hell every page, but…" She shrugged. "If I were Mia, I'd want to see it."

Jaune's throat worked. "…I can't watch it. I open the case and my hands shake and I just—" He bowed his head, fingers digging into his scalp. "Why can't I watch it?"

"Because losing her fucking sucked, that's why."

He let out a wet, startled snort. "Yeah…"

Yang nudged his knee with hers. "So… why don't we watch it with you?"

"Yang… I-I don't know—"

She huffed, half-laugh, half-growl. "You know I'm not stupid. I'm not some bimbo who only cares about hair and punching. We all wear masks, Jaune. You put on the big stoic leader face, swallow every tear, because you think if Mia or any of us sees you crack, the world ends. You want us to believe you've got it handled." She leaned in, lilac eyes fierce.

"Newsflash: your friends will forgive you if you're not handling it well. Hell, we'll forgive you if you never handle it perfectly. Because we're your friends. And if you can't trust us to hold you when you're weak, why the hell should we trust you to do the same for us?"

The room was dead quiet except for the faint hum of the lamp.

Jaune stared at her for a long second, something raw and exhausted flickering across his face.

"…You're a pain in the ass sometimes, you know that?"

Yang flashed a small, crooked grin. "It's because I'm right."

He exhaled shakily, shoulders slumping. "…That's the worst part."

She bumped his arm. "Tomorrow night. Everyone. We'll put Mia to bed early, and we'll watch it together. You don't have to be the strong one for once. Just show up."

"Okay," he whispered. "Tomorrow."

Yang grinned, soft and fierce. "Attaboy."

She stood, ruffled his hair like he was the kid, and headed for the door. Halfway out she paused.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"She'd be really proud of you. Both of you."

The door clicked shut behind her.

---

The common room lights were off, only the faint glow from the holoprojector painting everyone's faces soft blue. Weiss and Blake had taken Mia next door to put her to bed with stories. The rest of them sat in a quiet half-circle on the carpet: Ruby and Yang on either side of Jaune, Pyrrha behind him, Nora and Ren close enough to reach.

Jaune knelt in front of the projector, holodisk trembling between his fingers.

"…I appreciate this, guys," he said, voice cracking on every other word. "I don't… I don't know if I can do this alone. I just… I want to watch it with Mia… but only after I see it first, you… you know?"

"It's okay, Jaune," Ruby whispered. "Really."

"Yeah…" Yang added, soft.

Jaune stared at the projector for a long, silent minute.

Pyrrha leaned forward. "I can start it for you? Or—or we could do this another day, any day—"

"Jaune," Nora said, completely serious for once. "It's okay."

"Yes," Ren murmured. "It's your choice."

Jaune swallowed, nodded once, and raised the remote. His thumb hovered, shook. Pyrrha looked at him, and rested her hand over his. His shaking stopped. He slowly nodded, then pressed play.

The hologram blossomed open.

Katie sat propped against white hospital pillows, pale as paper, oxygen tube under her nose. But her smile was the same crooked, fearless grin Jaune remembered from barn dances and stolen nights under the stars.

"Hello Jaune. Hello Mia. I've made this recording for you… You know." She took a shallow breath. "Jaune… I can't imagine how hard this is for you. You always felt so much, took on so much. You keep blaming yourself for this… You shouldn't."

Her smile widened, tired but warm.

"The parting… is going to be hard. It's okay to be mad at me, to be sad. It's natural to feel this way. I know you will hurt a lot and won't know how to handle it. You'll try to carry on and be strong for Mia. I know you will… Just know that it's okay to open up to others. It will hurt. It will never stop hurting. But it won't destroy you… It will make you stronger. And you want to be strong, that's your dream, to protect everyone. Don't be afraid to pursue that dream, because I know you'll be great at it. Because you care so much. And don't close off your heart, please. I know how sweet and kind you are, so never lose that. Please."

She paused, gathering strength.

"I'm sorry I can't do more for you… But you made me the happiest I've ever been. We… we've made a baby. And she's wonderful. Even now I can feel her and I know she's going to be beautiful. And I'm only sorry that we didn't get more time together… That's the only regret I have. But I am so, so glad we met, and I am so glad we made her. And even happier that she will be healthy and happy."

Tears slid down her cheeks now, but she kept going.

"Mia… I am so sorry I won't get to be there with you. I'm sorry I won't get to read you bedtime stories or cook you dinner, or play with you. You'll be confused about it. Maybe even sad. And that's okay, because it's something to be sad about. Don't… don't hide your feelings, okay sweetie? Be honest and kind and straightforward. Listen to your father, he loves you and only wants the best for you. You and he might fight, especially when you get older… But he only ever wants you to be happy, and so do I."

She laughed once, a small, watery sound.

"The world can be a very dark and scary place sometimes. So dark and scary and terrible that you want to hide forever. But there's also so many wonderful and beautiful things in it. Love. Family. Friendship. These… these are the most valuable things in this world. Though it doesn't hurt to save your money and be careful with it." Another tiny laugh. "Your family will teach you, we're good at it. Be careful of bad boys: a lot of them might look flashy and cool, but it's the good guys who can be dangerous but know when not to be who are the best, just like your dad. You're going to have bumps and bruises and bad things will happen… But please, never stop being a good person. Don't let the darkness in this world remove the light, because that's what we're here for: to be the light when things are dark."

Her breathing was ragged now, but her eyes never left the camera.

"Finally… there are many kinds of battles. I… I couldn't take the medicine that would cure me, because it would hurt you. Don't ever, ever feel guilty about that, Mia. I fought this battle, and I'll win it. Even if this takes me… you will live, and that's a win because I love you. A mom is supposed to protect her child, and that's a battle worth fighting. If I had to go back and do it over again… I wouldn't change a thing. Not meeting and loving your dad, and not having you. Because I love you both so much. One day… one day, we will meet again. On white shores, in a green land without pain or suffering. We will all be together. But not for a long time. So, be a good girl, say your prayers, and be kind. I love you, Mia. I love you, Jaune."

The hologram winked out.

The room was silent except for quiet, stifled crying.

Jaune's head bowed, tears rolling off his chin onto the carpet. Ruby and Yang wrapped around him from both sides. Pyrrha's arms came around him from behind, chin resting on his shoulder. Nora wormed in and hugged his arm with all her strength. Ren laid a steady hand on the back of Jaune's neck.

Jaune's voice came out broken and small. "…Thanks, guys."

Ruby's answer was muffled against his sleeve. "…Any time…"

No one moved for a long, long while.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The late afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows of Ozpin's office, casting a warm, golden light across the room. Professor Oobleck had handed Mia off with his usual whirlwind energy, leaving the little girl standing in the middle of the grand space, ears twitching as she looked around curiously.

Ozpin sat behind his large desk, a gentle smile on his face as he regarded the small visitor.

"Ah, Miss Mia Arc," he said warmly, gesturing to the comfortable chair across from him. "It seems I have the honor of looking after you this afternoon. Would you like some cookies and milk while we wait for your father?"

Mia nodded shyly and climbed into the chair, her legs dangling. Ozpin poured her a small glass of milk and offered a plate of sugar cookies. Once she was settled with her snack, he leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled.

"Would you like to hear a story, Mia?"

Her ears perked up immediately. "Yes please!"

Ozpin's voice took on a soft, storytelling cadence as he began.

"Once upon a time, there was a Foolish Knight and a Girl who lived in a Tower…"

He told the tale with quiet gravity. How the Foolish Knight climbed the tower and saved the lonely Girl. How they fell in love, married, and together mastered powerful magic. How the Knight eventually fell ill and died, leaving the Girl heartbroken. How, in her grief, she delved into forbidden arts and brought him back — making them both immortal.

"But the magic she used came from a dark place," Ozpin continued, voice growing heavier. "It consumed her from within. She tried to hide the darkness from the Knight, but it grew stronger and stronger until it took her completely. The Knight was forced to fight the woman he loved. Their battle became a terrible war that scarred the entire world… and even shattered the moon into pieces."

Mia's eyes were wide, her half-eaten cookie forgotten in her hand.

"The Knight eventually sealed the Girl away in a new Dark Tower so she could not hurt anyone else," Ozpin finished softly. "And ever since, he has continued to fight her… hoping, perhaps, that one day she might be saved."

The room fell quiet.

Mia looked up at him with big, earnest blue eyes.

"Does the story have a happy ending?" she asked. "Even if it's really hard… if the Foolish Knight loves the Girl, then there has to be a happy ending! Right?"

Ozpin smiled, but it was a small, sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"That remains to be seen, little one," he said gently. "Not every story has a happy ending."

Mia's ears drooped. She frowned deeply, crossing her arms. "That's stupid."

Ozpin let out a quiet chuckle, the sound warm despite the melancholy in his gaze.

"Yes," he agreed softly. "It is rather stupid, isn't it?"

He reached across the desk and gently patted her hand.

"But sometimes… the foolish ones keep hoping anyway."

Mia thought about that for a long moment, then picked up her cookie again with renewed determination.

"When I grow up," she declared, "I'm gonna find the Girl in the Tower and give her a big hug. Then she won't be dark and scary anymore."

Ozpin's expression softened even further.

"I have no doubt you would try," he murmured. "And perhaps… that is exactly the kind of foolish hope the world needs."

They sat together in comfortable silence after that, Mia munching on cookies while Ozpin watched her with an ancient, weary fondness in his eyes.

 

[Sliverhero]

The Ancient Way

The throne room of Evernight Castle was supposed to be the site of humanity's last stand. The air was thick with Grimm essence, Salem stood tall at the top of her stairs, and Cinder flanked her with that insufferable smirk.

Team RWBY had formed up. Oscar's hands were trembling. Even Ozpin's ancient consciousness was running through scenarios, finding none with a victory condition above twelve percent. "This is it," Ruby whispered, Crescent Rose drawn. "Everyone, together..."

"Wait."

Jaune Arc stepped forward. His shield was on his back. His sword was sheathed. His hands were empty. "Jaune, what are you doing?" Weiss hissed. He held up a single finger.

Salem raised an eyebrow. Even she, immortal queen of darkness, had to admit this was unusual. "Jaune, please," Oscar said nervously, hands raised. "We planned this for weeks..."

"Oscar. Oz. Everyone." Jaune took a deep breath. He rolled his shoulders. He cracked his neck. He looked Salem dead in her red eyes with the confidence of a man who had already won. "I'm using the Ancient Way."

Silence.

Complete and utter silence. Cinder's smirk faltered. "The what?" Yang blinked. "Is that a fighting style?" Blake's ears twitched. "I've read every combat manual in the White Fang library. I've never heard of..."

"It's not a fighting style," Jaune said, voice low and reverent. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single d20 die. It was old. Chipped. The numbers were barely visible. Ruby gasped. "Is that Crocea Mors's hilt pommel?"

"No. This is older." Jaune held it up to the light. "This was my great-great-grandfather's. Passed down through the Arc line. Not the sword. This very thing.

Salem, for the first time in centuries, leaned forward slightly. "I declare..." Jaune pointed the die directly at Salem. "...a Seduction Roll." The room exploded. "JAUNE WHAT THE HELL.." Yang roared her hair blazing. "ARE YOU INSANE..." Weiss shouted "Is this legal?" Blake. "Jaune, buddy, I say this with love, that is Salem.." Ruby said concerned. Cinder looked like someone had just told her the moon was made of cheese. "You're WHAT?"

Even the Grimm in the corners seemed confused. One Seer literally just deflated a little.
Salem stared at him. Jaune stared back. He rolled. The die tumbled through the air with almost cinematic slowness. It hit the black stone floor, bounced once, twice, three times, and...

Clatter....Natural twenty. The number faced up like a glowing beacon of absolute bullshit. Nobody breathed. Oscar felt something shift deep in his consciousness. Ozpin, the ancient wizard, the man who had fought Salem across millennia, sat up straight in the back of Oscar's mind like he'd been electrocuted.

"No," Ozpin whispered in Oscar's head. Jaune pocketed the die with the energy of a man who just won the lottery and knew it. Salem looked at the die. Then she looked at Jaune. Then back at the die.

Her immortal, ancient, darkness-woven face did something none of them had ever seen before.
She blushed. "There's..." Salem cleared her throat. The Queen of the Grimm, the immortal scourge of Remnant, cleared her throat. "There is nothing I can do. The Ancient Way is... absolute." "WHAT?" Cinder shrieked.

"It's tradition," Salem said, as if this explained anything. "The roll was clean. Natural twenty. I am... bound." "YOU'RE BOUND BY A DICE ROLL?"
"Cinder, do not make me strip your Maiden powers again." Cinder shut up.

Salem descended the stairs with an eerie grace. She took Jaune's arm like they were attending a ball. "We will retire to the east wing. Do not disturb us." She paused, looked back at Team RWBY, and added with complete seriousness: "For any reason." And then the Queen of the Grimm walked off with Jaune Arc, who gave his friends a double thumbs up as he was led away.

The east wing door closed with a sound that would haunt them forever....Click.

Team RWBY, Oscar, and Cinder stood in the throne room in absolute silence for forty-five seconds. "...Did that just happen?" Ruby asked weakly. "No," Weiss said firmly. "It didn't."
"Then where's Jaune?" Yang said, pointing at the empty space where their friend used to be.

Nobody had an answer. They set up camp in the throne room because none of them could process leaving. Ruby sat on the stairs hugging her knees. Yang kept opening and closing her mouth. Weiss had started furiously writing in a notebook, possibly trying to logic her way out of what she'd witnessed. Blake was reading through every book she'd brought and what she found in the library after seeing it when they were looking for the throne room. She then started to look for any reference to "the Ancient Way."

Cinder was just standing in the corner, arms crossed, staring at the east wing door like it had personally insulted her. "I trained for years," Cinder muttered. "YEARS. I killed, I schemed, I sacrificed everything to get close to her power. And this... this *blond idiot* just...." She made a sound like a teakettle reaching boiling point.
"You're not taking this well," Blake observed.

"SHUT UP."

Oscar was sitting against a pillar, quietly having the most surreal conversation of his life.
"Ozpin?" "Yes?" "What is the Ancient Way?"
A very long pause.

"It is... exactly what it sounds like."

"And that's... a real thing? People just roll dice to...to..."

"It predates the kingdoms, actually. Before the formalization of Aura manipulation, before Semblance documentation, before Huntsmen academies... there were other traditions."

"Traditions where you just ROLL TO SEDUCE?"

"The die was sacred. The roll was absolute. Even Salem, in her youth, respected the tradition. We all did." Oscar stared at nothing. "You knew about this?"

"I did not expect young Mr. Arc to be aware of it. The Arc family... they were always an interesting line."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US? We could have just ROLLED on Salem!" "It doesn't work if the other party doesn't acknowledge the tradition. Salem acknowledged it. That's the only reason it..."

Oscar then relays the information to the others.
After that a sound starts to echo from the east wing. It was muffled. It was structural. It may have been furniture. Everyone froze. "That's... the wall," Blake said slowly. "La la la la la," Ruby said, pressing her hands over her ears.

"I'm going to kill him," Cinder said quietly. "I'm going to kill him and then I'm going to find whoever invented that die and kill them too."
"You can't kill the tradition, Cinder," Yang said hollowly. "It's older than kingdoms."
"I'LL FIND A WAY."

Day One

They tried to leave. The Grimm outside wouldn't let them. The castle was impenetrable. They were, effectively, trapped. The sounds from the east wing were... educational. "I didn't know Salem could make that sound," Ruby whispered, rocking back and forth. "She's immortal, Ruby. She's had millennia to practice," Yang said, staring blankly at a wall.

Weiss had torn up her notebook and was now staring at the ceiling. "I could have been a singer. I could have been anything. Why am I here." Blake gave up on research. The books didn't cover this. Nothing covered this.
Cinder tried to break down the east wing door. She bounced off it. There was some kind of barrier. "TRADITION PROTECTION, why does the barriersay that " she screamed. "TRADITION....BLOODY... PROTECTION."

Oscar sat in the corner. Ozpin had gone suspiciously quiet. "Ozpin?"
"I am meditating."
"You're hiding."
"...Oscar I am meditating."


Day Two:

They found food in the castle kitchens. None of them could eat much at the moment. The structural sounds had shifted to a rhythm. A terrible, immortal rhythm that none of them could unhear. "He's been going for... what, thirty hours straight?" Yang said. "Aura," Blake said.
"Aura doesn't work like that.?" Yang questioned
"His Semblance is literally about amplifying. Maybe he's... amplifying." Blake wondered.
Weiss threw a plate. "I want to go home," Weiss said, with the vulnerability of a woman who had seen too much.

Ruby had stopped talking entirely. She just communicated through aggressive thumb-up gestures that felt more threatening than encouraging. Cinder had sat down next to them at some point. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, apparently, when the enemy is the sound of Jaune Arc satisfying the Queen of the Grimm through load-bearing walls.

"I hate this," Cinder said. "We know," everyone replied. "I hate this SO MUCH." "We KNOW." Team rwby shouted back

Day Three:

The sounds stopped at dawn. The silence was somehow worse. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They sat in the throne room like soldiers waiting for an all-clear siren. The east wing door opened.

Jaune walked out first. He was... fine. Completely fine. Whistling. His hair was a little messy but he had the energy of a man who had just had the best weekend of his entire life and then some.

Behind him, Salem emerged. The Queen of the Grimm was... Her hair was down. She was wearing what appeared to be one of Jaune's spare shirts. She was standing slightly behind him. They looked again and she is slightly behind him and blushing. The most powerful being on Remnant was standing behind Jaune Arc like a shy prom date.

Team RWBY's collective sanity left the building.
"I have an announcement," Salem said.
Nobody responded. Ruby's eye twitched.
Salem cleared her throat. "In accordance with the Ancient Way and the sacred bond of the natural twenty, I hereby declare a truce between myself and the forces of humanity. This truce shall persist for the duration of Jaune Arc's natural life, and shall extend to all of his direct descendants in perpetuity."

Cinder's eye developed a tic. "Furthermore," Salem continued, and her voice wavered in a way that none of them had ever heard, "I will be... stepping back from my campaign. The Grimm will withdraw from active aggression. I will be... relocating. To Patch." "TO PATCH?" Yang shrieked. "Jaune has suggested it has a lovely climate."

"HE SUGGESTED...." Salem held up a hand. Yang stopped. Even she wasn't immune to the aura of a woman who had just experienced whatever the last three days had been. "There is, however..." Salem paused. Her immortal composure cracked just slightly. Her cheeks darkened. "I require... assistance." "Assistance with what?" Oscar asked carefully.
Salem looked at Jaune. Jaune gave her a reassuring smile. She looked back at the group.

"He is... too much." Dead silence.
"He's too much," Salem repeated, and her voice held the tone of someone confessing to a war crime. "I am immortal. I have endured centuries of solitude, war, loss, and agony. I have never once... once... felt overwhelmed. But Jaune Arc does not stop. He does not stop. I have not slept in three days. I regenerated my entire body twice. My Aura, which I did not even know could be depleted, needs recovery."

She took a breath. "I need you people to help me manage him. I cannot do this alone. No one can do this alone." She pointed at Ruby. "You. Silver-eyed warrior. You will take shifts." Ruby made a sound like a dying animal. Salem pointed at Yang. "You seem sturdy. You're on rotation."

Yang looked at her fist, then at Salem, then at Jaune, and something behind her eyes simply gave up. Salem pointed at Weiss. "You seem organized. You will make schedules." Weiss, somehow, reached for a pen. Trauma was a hell of a drug. Salem pointed at Blake. "You will research if there are historical precedents for this level of... endurance. I need answers."

Blake, incredibly, opened a book. The Faunus need to know had been weaponized against them all. Salem pointed at Cinder. "No." "Jaune says you're part of this now." "I WILL BURN EVERYTHING..."

"Cinder." Jaune's voice was calm and warm. "It'll be fine." Cinder's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. She sat down. Salem turned to Oscar. "You have Ozpin in your head. He knows the tradition. He will advise."

"I want no part of this," Ozpin said immediately in Oscar's mind. "You'll do it," Oscar muttered. "You'll do it because you're a responsible adult."

"I have made many mistakes over my lifetimes. This is not one I wish to add to...." "Ozpin."
"....Fine."

Salem nodded, satisfied. She took Jaune's arm again. "We will be relocating to Patch by the end of the week. I expect everyone there by Monday. There will be a chore wheel. There will be boundaries. There will be...." She faltered. "There will be rules." She looked up at Jaune with an expression that was equal parts devotion and exhaustion. "He agreed to every other weekend off." Every other weekend. The Queen of the Grimm had negotiated every other weekend and considered it a victory.

Jaune smiled his stupid, golden-retriever smile.
"This is going to be great, you guys." Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, savior of Remnant, silver-eyed warrior, looked at her friends. They looked back. None of them had words. None of them would ever have words again. Cinder, enemy of humanity, slowly raised her hand. "Do I at least get my own room on Patch?" Salem considered this. "You will be in the guest house. With Blake."
"Why with Blake?" "Because she seems like she'll be reasonable about boundaries." Blake, mid-page-turn, went pale. Jaune clapped his hands together. "Alright! Team meeting to discuss the chore wheel at seven! Salem made snacks!" The Queen of the Grimm had made snacks. Remnant was saved...Yeah ...nobody felt saved.

"In all my centuries,"* Ozpin said quietly in Oscar's mind as they walked toward the exit, "I have never been more terrified, more confused, or more impressed." "Same," Oscar whispered.
"He rolled a natural twenty, Oscar. Against Salem."
"I know."

"The boy didn't even hesitate."

"I KNOW."

"....He knew. He absolutely knew."

Oscar stopped walking. The realization hit him like a truck. "He brought the die....He brought the die to the final battle."

Ozpin was silent for a long, long moment.

"The Arc family," he said finally, "has always been interesting." In the distance, Jaune could be heard asking Salem if she wanted to try a restaurant in Patch that had "really good pasta." Salem said yes. Cinder just screamed sick of the whole thing already.

The Ancient Way endured.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Weiss was the most direct.

She waited until they were alone in the library, then leveled Myrtenaster at his throat, eyes cold.

"My grandmother was a Nightsister of Dathomir. She made it very clear before she died: Jedi are to be killed on sight. No exceptions."

Jaune slowly raised his hands. "Uh… any particular reason?"

"They're annoying," Weiss deadpanned.

Jaune considered this. "That's fair. I can be pretty annoying."

Weiss's eye twitched. She lowered her rapier with a frustrated sigh.

"Damn it, Arc. Stop being so disarmingly earnest. It's making this very difficult."

"I'm making this difficult?"

"Yes! You-Your earnest honesty is so annoying! And how kind and sincere you are!" Weiss growled.

Jaune smiled.

"Well, thank you?"

"It wasn't a compliment!"

"Oh... Um... Sorry you feel that way?"

"UGH!" Weiss groaned. "Can't you recite some-some asinine condescending Jedi quote at me to make this easier?!"

"Easier for you to kill me? Why would I do that? I don't want to die," Jaune pointed out, "Plus, if you kill me you'll get in trouble."

Weiss flushed.

"I-Leave those details to me!"

"The details of you killing me? I mean, I'm involved so maybe I should know about them?" Jaune asked. Weiss scoffed.

"Do you think you're cute?!"

Jaune flushed.

"Well, my mom says so..."

"You-!" Weiss paused, and her eyes widened. "You... You're using a Jedi Mind Trick on me!"

Jaune blinked.

"I am?"

"YES! You-You're making yourself infuriatingly endearing so I won't murder you!" Weiss hissed. "It's diabolical-My grandmother and mother were right about you! You sadist! You're trying to make me feel GUILTY about killing you! Playing the charming idiot!"

Weiss stood up, walked around, and poked Jaune threateningly in his chest.

"Well it won't work! You-you idiot! I know your game!"

"Ummm..." Jaune blinked. "Okay?"

"So I'm going to kill you... When I'm good and ready!" She snarled. "You hear me? You can't escape me, Jaune Arc! I'LL TAKE YOUR LIFE!"

She spun around on her heels and stormed out the library, the double doors swinging in her wake. Jaune stared after her, then back over at Sun and Blake. The two were watching from nearby, Blake looking irritated and Sun looked amused.

"I have no idea what that was about," he said, mostly honestly.

Blake scowled, her ears twitching under her bow.

"Why am I not the center of attention?"

Sun and Jaune shared a commiserating, brotherly look. Best summed up in one word:

Women.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune had actually gotten Jedi training, despite his mother not wanting him to become a Huntsman. His father had done it, and it had let him get through the initiation. His training wasn't complete though: He'd have to go through what his father called "The Trials". And he'd managed to build his own lightsaber... After like, twenty tries.

Still! He was doing what he dreamed of doing, and he was happy. He'd even met some great friends! Like Pyrrha, who was happy to train him! A real live Mistral Regional Champion was his partner! She was so graceful, so beautifu-Nope! Nope, not thinking about her like that. Not at all.

She had also asked him to meet her on the rooftop for special training. How it was different from their regular training, he didn't know, but he was happy to do so!

He flipped up onto the roof and smiled at Pyrrha, who was standing on the edge of the roof. She was wearing a long black robe that waved gently in the twilight breeze.

"Hey Pyrrha!" Jaune said cheerfully.

Pyrrha turned and smiled at him.

"Hello Jaune! So... For tonight's training, I was thinking of something... A bit different!"

"Different?" Jaune asked, blinking, "Different how?"

Pyrrha dropped the robe, letting it slide off her amazing figure. Jaune's eyes bugged out. It wasn't like her regular outfit wasn't... Uh... Formfitting and flattering, but this tight black number was much more... Alluring, somehow. Especially with the black make up she had applied... And the red lightsaber she ignited-Wait what?!

"Huh?" Jaune managed. Pyrrha reached out to him.

"You are strong in the Force... And so am I," Pyrrha said, "But I follow the Darkside! For I am Sith!"

She spun her red lightsaber around dramatically. Jaune gaped in disbelief.

"No... You... You're a Sith?! How?!"

"The Darkside is the path to many abilities some may consider... Unnatural," Pyrrha purred, strutting towards him. Jaune shook his head rapidly.

"N-No! I mean, how?! My dad crashlanded here years ago-!"

"So did my mother!" Pyrrha declared, "She had been hunting your father! To end him and the rest of the Jedi Order so we might take our rightful place as rulers of the galaxy! So I must destroy you... Or you can join me! Together, we can conquer this puny world and bring ORDER to the Galaxy!"

Jaune shook his head. Everything his father had told him about the Sith came to his mind. All the pain, the suffering, the horror. He stood firm.

"I'll never join you!"

Pyrrha blinked.

"Wait, you won't?"

"NO!" Jaune declared. "That's EVIL! That's not what I signed up for!"

Pyrrha blinked.

"But... Um... Are you sure?"

Jaune blinked. He must have missed this part about Sith when his dad told him about them.

"Yes...?"

Pyrrha sighed.

"So I have to kill you now."

"Wait, now?!" Jaune yelped. Pyrrha nodded sadly.

"Yes... I-I don't want to!" Pyrrha insisted, "Really! You're a g-good friend! Like... My first..." She blushed, and giggled. "And I like being at Beacon and hiding your body is going to be a pain and... And I'll miss everything and..." She looked even more depressed, then scowled.

"But I must destroy you!"

She advanced on Jaune.

"Woah! Woah woah woah!" Jaune said, holding up his hands, "Why?"

"Because my mother said I must destroy any Jedi who refuses to submit to me!" Pyrrha declared. Jaune racked his brain frantically for ideas... When it hit him.

"Well... I mean, do you really have to? I mean, uh... You only tried to seduce me to the Darkside this one time. And you failed."

Pyrrha blinked. She flushed.

"I-It's the first time I've tried!" She insisted, "You're the first Jedi I've ever met!"

"So," Jaune pointed out, "Maybe you should, uh... Keep trying? I mean, you've never done this before. And uh... Don't you have to eventually kill your master? You'll need an apprentice and uh, well, I'm here right?"

Pyrrha blinked and considered his words. She nodded.

"That's true... I suppose that's why you were chosen to be team leader," Pyrrha mused. She beamed. "YES! I will keep trying to seduce you to the Darkside! Then we can rule together... Well I'll rule and then you'll be my apprentice and..." She frowned. "Oh, then you'll have to kill me to prove you're stronger... That's not good..."

"Ummm... I'm sure there's an exception for... Friends. Or other?" Jaune grasped at straws. Pyrrha blushed bright red, and nodded happily.

"Y-Yes! I'm sure there is! Again, wonderful Jaune! Oh! Or maybe we could trade off being apprentice and master?"

"Yes... Good idea," Jaune managed. Pyrrha hugged him happily.

"Oh, we're going to rule this world so WELL! I didn't really want the spotlight! Having you alongside will make conquest so much easier!"

"It... Sure will," Jaune managed, patting her back.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Family

Whitley Schnee had faced boardrooms, his father's cold disapproval, and even the occasional assassination attempt.

None of that prepared him for the Xiao Long-Rose household.

The front door had barely opened before a whirlwind of red petals and excited squeaks dragged him inside.

"Dad! Yang! Qrow! This is Whitley!" Ruby announced, still holding his hand like she was afraid he might bolt.

Taiyang Xiao Long stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had the easy, warm smile of a man who had survived raising two daughters and Qrow.

"Whitley! Good to finally meet you," Tai said, offering a firm handshake. "Ruby's told us a lot about you. Come on in, dinner's almost ready."

Whitley shook his hand, slightly dazed. There was no calculating glint in Tai's eyes. No hidden agenda. Just… genuine welcome.

This was new.

Yang appeared from the hallway, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. She looked him up and down, then smirked.

"So you're the fancy Schnee boy who's been making my sister all blushy. You hurt her and I'll break your spine. Otherwise, welcome."

She said it so cheerfully that Whitley almost missed the threat.

"Understood," he replied, trying to sound dignified. "I have no intention of hurting her."

Yang's smirk softened into something almost approving. "Good answer."

Then came the drunk.

Qrow Branwen wandered in from the living room, flask in hand, already three sheets to the wind. Whitley braced himself — he was used to powerful people who became cruel when intoxicated.

Instead, Qrow squinted at him, then grinned.

"Well I'll be damned. You really are a Schnee. Good on you for not being a complete asshole like your old man." He raised his flask. "Name's Qrow. I'll remember it even when I'm blackout drunk. Nice to meet ya, kid."

Whitley blinked.

Before he could respond, something small, fluffy, and incredibly fast launched itself at his legs.

"Zwei! No-!" Ruby started, but it was too late.

The corgi had already decided Whitley was friend-shaped. He bounced excitedly, yipping and pawing at Whitley's expensive slacks, leaving little muddy prints.

Whitley stared down at the tiny ball of love and fur currently trying to climb him like a tree.

"…He's very enthusiastic," he said faintly.

Ruby laughed, scooping Zwei up. "He likes you! That's a good sign."

Whitley, still processing the fact that no one had insulted him, threatened him politically, or implied anything unpleasant, simply nodded.

- - -

Dinner was loud, warm, and chaotic.

Yang teased him about his posture. Tai asked about his interests with genuine curiosity. Qrow told increasingly ridiculous stories while somehow never forgetting Whitley's name. Ruby kept beaming at him like he was the best thing she'd ever brought home.

And through it all, Whitley sat there quietly fascinated.

This was… a family.

Not a calculated alliance. Not a cold hierarchy. Just people who loved each other messily and openly.

When Ruby leaned against his shoulder halfway through dessert, he found himself instinctively wrapping an arm around her.

Yang noticed and raised an eyebrow, but there was no hostility in it; just the protective look of a big sister.

Later that evening, as Ruby walked him to the door, she looked up at him with those bright silver eyes.

"So… what did you think?"

Whitley was quiet for a moment, then smiled — small, genuine, and a little overwhelmed.

"I think," he said softly, "that I've never been more envious of anyone in my life."

Ruby's expression softened. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"You're part of it now. I-I mean, if you want to be."

Whitley looked back toward the house — at the warm lights, the sound of Yang laughing at one of Qrow's stories, and Tai calling out that there were leftovers for tomorrow.

He squeezed Ruby's hand.

"I'd like that very much."

And for the first time, Whitley Schnee didn't feel like an outsider looking in.

He felt like he might actually belong somewhere.

Even if that somewhere was loud, chaotic, and came with a very messy, affectionate corgi.

He was more than okay with that.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The Vale Metropolitan Museum of Art was quieter than usual Saturday morning, thanks to Pyrrha's quiet influence and a generous donation from the Nikos family. The entire Hellenic History wing had been cordoned off for their private visit, golden morning light streaming through the high windows onto marble statues and beautifully preserved artifacts.

Mia's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

She was dressed in a tiny but authentic-looking Hellenic chiton, a soft white dress with golden trim, and a delicate laurel wreath rested on her blonde curls. In her hands she proudly carried a child-sized replica Argusian javelin, which she waved around like a magic wand and giggled over.

Pyrrha walked beside her, smiling softly, while Jaune trailed just behind, carrying Mia's stuffed bunny in one hand and looking a little overwhelmed by how fancy everything felt.

"Pyrrha, you really didn't have to go this far," Jaune said, adjusting the laurel wreath that Mia had insisted he wear too.

"Nonsense," Pyrrha replied warmly. "This exhibit is on my people's history. I wanted you both to see it properly."

Mia ran ahead a few steps, then spun around, the little chiton fluttering. "Look, Papa! I'm a princess warrior!"

"You look amazing, kitten," Jaune laughed. "Just don't touch anything, okay?"

"Okay!" Mia laughed, rushing ahead.

They stopped in front of a grand mural depicting ancient battles and heroes. Pyrrha's voice grew softer, almost reverent, as she traced her fingers near the glass.

"My grandmother used to tell me stories every night about our ancestors," she said. "We can trace our family line all the way back to Iksander the Great =the conqueror who united the known world. She always said our blood carried both his brilliance and his burdens."

Jaune glanced at her, then looked back at the mural. "I get that. My family has its own long lineage too… the Arcs have been knights and protectors for generations. It feels… like a lot sometimes. Like I have to live up to all of them."

Pyrrha turned to him, her emerald eyes gentle. "It can feel like a burden, can't it? Carrying the weight of so many expectations."

She hesitated, then continued more quietly, "But… maybe we don't have to carry it alone. Maybe we could carry it together?"

Jaune met her gaze. The air between them grew thick with something warm and unspoken.

"I'd like that," he said softly.

Pyrrha's breath caught. She leaned in slowly, heart hammering, willing herself to close the distance. Jaune's eyes widened slightly in confusion, but he didn't pull away.

Then—

CRASH!

Mia had wandered over to a low display stand holding replica hoplite armor. In her excitement, she bumped into it. The entire stand wobbled and toppled over with a loud clatter, the shield bouncing across the polished floor.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha jolted apart.

"Mia!" Jaune yelped, rushing over.

Pyrrha's cheeks flushed bright red as she hurried after him. "Are you alright, little one?"

Mia sat on the floor, laruel slightly askew, looking sheepish but unharmed. "Sorry Papa... I'm really sorry! I-I didn't mean to-!"

Jaune helped her up, brushing dust off her chiton. "It's okay, it's okay. Let's slow down from now on huh?"

Pyrrha gently pushed the shield and armor back up, inspecting it with a practiced eye. She sighed and smiled.

"It's all right. It's just a replica, and no harm done," she said. Jaune sighed in relief.

Pyrrha let out a nervous laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The moment was gone, but the warmth in her chest remained.

Mia looked between them, then grinned mischievously. "Were you gonna kiss Papa?"

Pyrrha turned scarlet. Jaune made a strangled noise.

"Mia!" they both said at the same time.

The little girl just giggled and hugged her replica spear tighter.

Pyrrha eventually recovered enough to smile again. "Come on. There's still the Hall of Heroes to see. Maybe we can find her a helmet that will fit?"

"Oooh! Can I Papa? Can I?" Mia asked. "I wouldn't run into things so much with a helmet!"

"Somehow I doubt that," Jaune chuckled.

 

[jojoin567]

Dinner time for the Dragon Slayer Family....

Arc Farmhouse

It was dinner time for the Arc Family where all 15 children were seated, waiting for their dinner. Jaune was entertaining them while Yang was cooking food and was fondly listening to her husband's story.

Jaune: "Once there was a thief who liked to steal all kinds of vehicles and he never got caught."

The children and Yang listened carefully.

Jaune: "One day he decided to steal a train just for the fun of it but he crashed it and got caught by the police."

The children ooohd as Jaune got deeper into the story.

Jaune: "The Judge sentences him to executed by electric chair. Once he was strapped to the chair, the switch was pulled, there was the sound of electricity flowing and smoke from the wires but the thief was entirely unharmed.At the time there was an old Valean law that said that a failed execution is a sign of intervention and the thief was let go."

The kids were fully immersed in the story and Yang wonders how the story would end.

Jaune: "The thief proceeded to steal the train four more times and crashed them each time due to his reckless driving. Each time he crashed, he was sentenced to the electric chair but he was never electrocuted. Do you guys know why??"

The children chorused that they did not know.

Jaune: "Because the thief was a very bad conductor!!"

While the children were groaning at the terrible joke, Yang quietly phoned Ruby.

Yang: "Hey Ruby, are you free this Saturday."

Ruby: puzzled "Yesss??"

Yang: "Great, can you babysit my children. I need some privacy with Jaune to break my limit"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Cinder activated her Scroll, and knelt before the camera in her dormroom, trying very hard not to look like she wanted to set the entire room on fire.

"My Queen," she began, voice carefully neutral, "I have discovered something… unexpected, per your request."

Salem's red eyes gleamed with mild interest. "Speak."

Cinder took a breath and steeled herself. "The author of Ninjas of Love… is Saphron Arc. Jaune Arc's older sister. She is holding a secret, incognito book signing in Vale tomorrow night under the pseudonym 'S. Rosewood.' Jaune is escorting Blake Belladonna to the event."

For three full seconds, the only sound was the faint crackle of the Grimm pools.

Then Salem sat up straighter, a slow, delighted smile spreading across her face.

"…Truly?!" She gasped.

"Yes, my Queen," Cinder said, her tone dull.

Salem rose from her throne, black gown whispering across the stone floor. For the first time in centuries, she looked almost excited.

"I have read every volume. Twice. The tension between Lord Shadow and the masked kunoichi in volume seven? Exquisite. The way she used the silk ribbons in volume twelve? Revolutionary." She turned to Cinder, eyes bright. "We are attending."

Cinder's eye twitched. "My Queen… we are currently planning the destruction of Beacon. This seems-"

"Minor logistical adjustments can be made," Salem said breezily. "Besides, I have questions. Very specific questions about chapter nineteen."

From the shadows, Doctor Arthur Watts stepped forward, adjusting his monocle with exaggerated dignity.

"If I may," he said, voice dripping with false gravitas, "I believe attending would be… prudent. The series contains remarkably intricate plot structures. The way the author weaves political intrigue with the more… physical elements is quite sophisticated. A literary analysis would be most enlightening."

Salem turned her head slowly, one eyebrow raised.

Watts cleared his throat. "Also, I… enjoy the fight scenes."

Cinder stared at him. "You cried during the confession scene in volume fourteen."

"I had something in my eye."

Salem clapped her hands once, delighted. "Excellent. We shall all attend. Disguises, of course. Cinder, you will pose as my attendant. Watts, you may wear something that does not scream 'I am a wanted criminal.'"

Watts sniffed. "I do not scream anything."

Salem's smile turned sharp. "And if anyone tries to stop me from getting my copy signed… well. I have many ideas for how to express my displeasure."

Cinder held in a sigh and not for the first time, wondered if selling her soul to a deranged immoral dark queen of the Grimm might have been a bad idea.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Lionheart: The Offer

- - -

The smell of smoke clung to him. Even after he'd changed clothes, coming in from the field, and being summoned to the Mistralian Council Chambers.

Leonardo Lionheart stood at a long obsidian table, hands clasped behind his back so no one could see them tremble. The holographic images of the dead students hovered in the center of the room: Forty-seven names, most of them children he had personally welcomed to Haven only months ago. Their faces flickered in the blue light like ghosts.

Ozpin's message had arrived an hour earlier. Public. Supportive. "Mistral has lost much, but it has not lost its strength. Headmaster Lionheart has my full confidence." The words had been meant as a shield. Instead they had become a blade.

One of the elder councilmen — a gray-bearded man whose family had ruled Mistral districts since before the Great War — leaned forward, voice dripping with the old prejudice.

"You were appointed because Ozpin asked for you, Lionheart. Because you are his friend. And because you are a Lion Faunus. Nothing more. You are not the strongest. You are not the wisest. You are simply… convenient."

The others had not disagreed. Some had even nodded.

Lionheart had said nothing. He had simply bowed his head, accepted the condemnation, and walked out while the chamber still buzzed with accusations.

Now he was back in his office on the highest floor of Haven Academy. The lights were off. The only illumination came from the distant fires still burning on the horizon-the last embers of Huǒ Shān Kǒu, the "Fire Mountain Mouth," where the massacre had happened. He had sent those students there. He had chosen the mission parameters. He had stayed behind.

Because he was not strong enough.

Because he was not brave enough.

Because he had always known, deep in the marrow of his bones, that he was a fraud wearing a headmaster's coat.

He sank into the high-backed chair behind his desk and let the darkness swallow him. For a long time he simply sat there, staring at nothing, the weight of forty-seven deaths pressing on his chest until breathing became an act of will.

A soft sound, the whisper of fabric.

Lionheart's head snapped up. A hooded figure stood in the center of the room, as if it had stepped out of the shadows themselves. The figure was tall, motionless, face hidden beneath a tattered black cowl. No footsteps. No aura signature he could read.

An assassin, he thought instantly. Come to finish what the Grimm started. Come to avenge the students I sent to die.

His hand twitched toward the hidden drawer where he kept a sidearm he had never once fired in combat. But before he could move, the figure raised one gloved hand.

A Grimm emerged.

Not a Beowolf. Not a Nevermore. Something Lionheart had never seen before: A pale, translucent Geist-like entity that floated weightlessly, its body a swirling vortex of black smoke and bone-white fragments. It drifted forward until it hovered between them, then opened like a blooming flower of darkness.

And Salem appeared.

She was not physically present-It seemed to be some kind of hologram-but her presence filled the room like cold water. Pale skin, crimson eyes, that impossible hair white as bone. She looked at him the way a goddess might a broken child.

"Leonardo Lionheart," she said, voice smooth as silk over a blade. "Your despair called to me across the continent. I felt it the moment the last of your students fell."

Lionheart's throat was dry. "If you've come to kill me… do it quickly."

Salem laughed: A soft, genuine sound that somehow made the room feel smaller.

"Kill you? Oh, my dear headmaster. I am not here to take your life. I am here to offer you the chance to keep it."

He stared, uncomprehending.

She stepped closer in the projection, the Geist-like Grimm rippling with each movement.

"Ozpin and I are both immortal, you see. But there is a difference. He can be wounded. Broken. Delayed. I… cannot. I cannot be destroyed. The war you are fighting - the war he is fighting - is already lost. It was lost before you were born. Eventually, I will win. And when I do, every soul who stood against me will be dust."

Her crimson eyes bored into his.

"But you do not have to be dust, Leonardo. You can join the winning side. Stay exactly where you are. Keep your title. Keep your office. Keep Ozpin's trust. When the time comes, you will open the door for me. You will help me end this endless, pointless war. And in return…"

She smiled, and it was almost kind.

"…I will give you what you crave most. Survival. Immortality. A world where no one ever has to die again. No more massacres. No more empty memorials. No more children sent to burn because their headmaster was too afraid to lead them himself."

Lionheart's voice cracked. "I… I won't betray Ozpin. I won't betray my friends-!"

Salem's laughter this time was sharp enough to draw blood.

"Won't you? Tell me, Headmaster, why didn't you fight at Huǒ Shān Kǒu? Why did you remain here, safe behind stone walls, while your students died screaming? You have a Semblance, don't you? Berserker. Power enough to have turned the tide. But you didn't use it. Because you were afraid. Afraid that even with that strength, you might still fall. Afraid of death."

She leaned in until her projected face was inches from his.

"I can take that fear away. Forever. You will never have to pretend to be a hero again. You will never have to watch children die because you were too weak to save them. You will simply… live. And when my new world is born, when Grimm and Faunus and Human are one, when death itself has been conquered... You will stand at my right hand. Not as a fraud. As one of the eternal."

Lionheart's hands were shaking so hard the desk rattled. He opened his mouth, tried to summon some last scrap of defiance.

I am a Huntsman. I am Ozpin's friend. I will not... I will not-

But the words died before they left his tongue.

Because she was right.

Every word.

He had believed he could do this. Ozpin had believed in him. And now forty-seven names floated in the dark like accusations, and the council's scorn still rang in his ears, and the fire on the horizon was the only light left in the world.

He lowered his head.

The silence stretched.

When he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"…I don't want to die."

Salem's smile widened, triumphant and almost gentle.

"Then don't. Join me, Leonardo Lionheart. Live forever. All you have to do… is open the door when I knock."

He did not look up. He could not.

But he nodded.

Once.

The hooded figure stepped back into the shadows. The Geist Grimm dissolved into black mist. Salem's projection faded last, her final words lingering like smoke.

"Welcome to the winning team."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The courtyard near the amphitheater was relatively quiet when General James Ironwood crossed paths with Jaune Arc and his daughter.



Ironwood's sharp gaze immediately locked onto the young man carrying a small blonde Faunus girl on his hip. His expression tightened, the lecture already forming on his tongue about responsibility, teenage pregnancy, and the sheer recklessness of bringing a child to a combat academy.



"Mr. Arc," Ironwood began, voice deep and authoritative, "a word about-"



"Hi, Mister Robot Man!" Mia chirped, ears perking straight up as she stared wide-eyed at Ironwood's metallic arm. "Your arm is super cool! Is it made of real metal? Can it punch Grimm really hard?"



Ironwood froze mid-sentence.



Mia leaned forward in Jaune's arms, reaching out with both tiny hands. "Do you fight bad guys with it? Like a superhero? Can I touch it?"



The General stood there, ramrod straight, as the small girl's innocent excitement hit him like a freight train. His usual stern demeanor cracked, just a little, as the corner of his mouth twitched upward.



Jaune smiled apologetically. "This is my daughter, Mia. Mia, this is General Ironwood. He's in charge of Atlas Academy and helps keep everyone safe."



"Wow…" Mia whispered in awe, still staring at the robotic arm.



Before Ironwood could recover and deliver his prepared lecture, Jaune's scroll suddenly rang. He checked the screen and sighed deeply.



"It's Professor Goodwitch. I'm so sorry, sir. I have to take this. Would you… mind watching Mia for just a few minutes? I'll be right back."



Ironwood's eyes widened. "Arc, I don't think-"



But Jaune was already jogging away, answering the call with a tired, "Yes, Professor?"



Ironwood stood there, one hand half-raised in protest, now alone with a four-year-old who was still staring at his arm like it was the coolest thing in Remnant.



"…Very well," he muttered under his breath.


- - -



Ten minutes later, Jaune came jogging back toward the General's temporary office, visibly irritated.



"Paperwork," he grumbled. "She called me away for paperwork that could've waited until tomorrow…"



He pushed open the door to Ironwood's office and stopped dead.



The formidable General James Ironwood — decorated soldier, Headmaster of Atlas Academy, one of the most powerful men in Remnant — was sitting at a small table covered with a lacy tablecloth someone had clearly borrowed from the faculty lounge.



He wore his full military coat, posture perfect, as he carefully poured imaginary tea from a plastic teapot into tiny cups. A paper crown sat slightly crooked on his head.



Mia sat across from him in a booster seat, wearing a matching paper crown. She had put her stuffed rabbit in a rolling office chair like a distinguished guest.



"More tea, Miss Mia?" Ironwood asked in complete seriousness, as if he were hosting a diplomatic summit with foreign dignitaries.



"Yes please, Mister General Sir!" Mia replied happily, holding out her cup with both hands. "And one for Mister Bunny too!"



Ironwood nodded solemnly and poured another imaginary cup for the stuffed rabbit. "Of course. One must never neglect one's guests."



Jaune stood frozen in the doorway, mouth slightly open.



Ironwood looked up, completely unflinching. "Ah, Mr. Arc. You've returned. Miss Mia and I were just discussing the proper etiquette of hosting a formal tea party. She has very strong opinions on the importance of chocolate biscuits."



Mia waved excitedly. "Papa! Look! I'm having a fancy tea party with Mister General! He's very good at it!"



Ironwood adjusted his paper crown with dignity. "She insisted I be the guest of honor's loyal knight. I found the role… acceptable."



Jaune blinked several times, trying to reconcile the scene in front of him with the iron-willed general he knew.



"I… uh… thank you, sir," he finally managed. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."



Ironwood stood, carefully helping Mia down from her seat. "It was no inconvenience. Miss Mia is a delightful young lady."



Mia ran over and hugged Jaune's leg. "Can we have a tea party with Mister General again sometime?"



Jaune looked from his beaming daughter to the stoic general who was subtly adjusting his coat as though he could hide the fact that he was still wearing the paper crown.



"…We'll see," Jaune said, voice strained with suppressed laughter.



As they left the office, Mia waved back enthusiastically. "Bye-bye, Mister General! Thank you for the tea!"



Ironwood gave a small, surprisingly warm nod. "You are always welcome, Miss Mia."



Once the door closed, Jaune let out a long breath and looked down at his daughter, who was still buzzing with excitement.



"…Did the big scary general just have a tea party with you?"



"Yep!" Mia said proudly. She became very serious and whispered: "But don't tell anyone! It's top secret!"



Jaune bit back a snort.



"Not a word."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

RWBY and JNPR on a training mission. They saved the town but there are several destroyed homes.

Ruby: "Oh no, those poor people..."

Pyrrha: "Can't we just buy a new home for those poor people?"

Weiss: "Wait, they had to buy their home?"

Jaune: "Yes... With a mortgage."

Weiss: "What's a mortgage?"

Pyrrha: innocently "Yes, what?"

Nora: "Can you eat one?"

Ruby: "My dad does complain about that a lot. I have no idea what it is."

Blake: "I only know that it's used by oppressive evil corporations and landlords."

Jaune: "... Ren?"

Ren: "We didn't pay a mortgage, we owned our land. We did pay taxes. I don't know mortgage laws in Vale."

Yang: "I do... Unfortunately."

Jaune: "Oh thank God. At least one person knows normal people stuff."

Weiss: "What, you think we're stupid?! I know people have to use money to buy things! So... Is it like a million lien?"

Jaune: "I hope not."

Pyrrha: "Ten million?"

Weiss: "Ten million?! That's not enough! That's not even enough for a decent toilet!"

Nora: "Does the toilet talk?"

Weiss: "What?"

Pyrrha: "Yes, it should talk for that money!"

Ruby: "Ooh! I can already think of the ways to make it talk! The circuitry, the audio emitters..."

Nora: "I WANT A TALKING TOILET!"

Yang: "Why would you even want a talking toilet?"

Nora: "None of your business!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The warehouse was dark, damp, and smelled of rust and fear.

Jaune stood at the front of the group like a statue carved from ice, Crocea Mors already unfolded, his face a mask of cold, murderous fury. Behind him, the rest of RWBY and JNPR radiated pure, unfiltered rage.

In the center of the room, three White Fang grunts were tied to chairs, looking like they were seconds away from wetting themselves.

One of them, the apparent leader, tried to speak. "L-look, we only took the kid because-"

Ruby gasped.

"You were going to marry her off to some creepy old pedophile?!"

The leader's eyes widened.

"Wha-No-We-!"

"You would sell a sweet, innocent little girl into sex slavery?!" Blake snarled. "How could you?! The White Fang is so monstrous!"

"I swear, we didn't-!"

Pyrrha stepped forward first, emerald eyes blazing with a terrifying intensity that made even Jaune pause.

"HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP MIA, YOU PERVERTS!" she snarled, Milo glowing with restrained Aura. "SHE'S TOO YOUNG FOR MARRIAGE!"

The room went dead silent for half a second.

Jaune's head snapped toward the Fang. "They're trying to marry her off?!"

The lead grunt's eyes widened in pure panic. "N-NO! We just kidnapped her because—!"

Weiss cut him off, voice like frozen steel as she twirled Myrtenaster. "Blake? Do you know any methods of torture suitable for a creepy perverted pedophile trying to sell our sweet little Mia into sex slavery?"

Blake's amber eyes were glowing with barely contained fury, her shadow clones flickering behind her like vengeful ghosts.

"Several," she hissed.

The White Fang grunt started sweating bullets. "N-NO, WE WEREN'T—!"

Yang stepped up beside her sister, cracking her gauntlets together with a metallic clang and a manic grin.

"Let's go through them in alphabetical order."

Nora bounced on her toes, hammer already resting on her shoulder. "I call his balls! That'll be 'B'!"

Ren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, but there was a dark glint in his eyes.

"No, you save those for last."

Ruby's silver eyes narrowed into a disturbingly sadistic grin as she unfolded Crescent Rose with a sharp click.

"We can just cut off one to start!"

The three White Fang members looked like they were staring at their own personal hell.

"THESE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!" one of them screamed, struggling wildly against the ropes. "WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT! WE WERE JUST USING HER AS LEVERAGE AGAINST THE TRAITOR BELLADONNA! THAT'S IT! WE SWEAR!"

Jaune's voice cut through the chaos like a blade, low and icy. "Leverage."

He took one step forward. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"You took my four-year-old daughter… as leverage?"

The lead grunt tried to back his chair away. "Y-yes?"

Pyrrha's spear slammed into the concrete beside his foot, cracking the floor. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break every bone in your body right now."

Weiss's glyphs flared to life beneath the chairs, slowly lifting the Fang members into the air. "I have several cryogenic torture methods that are quite effective."

Yang's eyes turned red. "And I've got a few hundred punches with your name on them."

Nora grinned like a shark. "I've got 'C' for crushing!"

Ruby tilted her head, still smiling that sweet, terrifying smile. "I vote we start with 'A' for amputate."

Blake cracked her knuckles. "I'll handle 'D' for disembowelment."

Jaune raised a hand. The girls reluctantly paused, though the air was still thick with murderous intent.

He walked right up to the lead grunt, staring him dead in the eyes with a coldness that made the man shrink back.

"You have thirty seconds," Jaune said quietly, "to tell me exactly where the rest of your cell is, who gave the order, and who picked my daughter. If I like your answer, maybe - maybe - I'll stop them from turning you into examples."

The White Fang grunt started talking so fast he was almost incoherent.

Jaune listened without blinking.

Behind him, Ruby whispered to Weiss,

"Can we at least break a couple fingers? Just a couple?"

Weiss smirked coldly.

"Only if they lie."

Pyrrha's voice was soft but terrifying.

"If they so much as made her cry…"

Yang cracked her neck. "Then we go full alphabetical."

Nora pumped her fist. "Starting with 'B'!"

Ren sighed again, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Try to leave them alive. Barely."

Mia, who had been safely hidden in the back room and was now being carried out by a very smug-looking Glynda, blinked sleepily at the scene.

"Papa… why is everyone so scary?"

Jaune turned, the ice in his expression melting instantly as he took her into his arms. "They're just very protective of you, kitten."

Mia hugged his neck and mumbled, "They're silly."

The White Fang grunts could only whimper in agreement.

These people were, without question, completely insane.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Training Room 3-B — 9:12 PM

Jaune was mid-swing when Yang suddenly appeared behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed herself flush against his back.

"Careful, VB," she purred right into his ear, voice low and husky. "Swing that sword any harder and people might think you're compensating for something."

Jaune nearly dropped Crocea Mors. "Y-Yang?! Personal space!"

She didn't let go. Instead, she rested her chin on his shoulder, golden hair brushing his cheek, and slowly slid one hand down his arm to correct his grip on the sword.

"See? Much better. Firm. Confident. Just how I like it." Her voice dropped even lower. "You know… I've been thinking. We should spar more. Privately. Just the two of us. No armor. Lots of… close contact."

Jaune's brain short-circuited for a second before rebooting with the same cheerful obliviousness.

"Haha, you're really committing to the bit today, huh?" He gently pried her arms off and turned around, giving her that sunny smile. "I know you're just messing with me. It's cool! Keeps training fun."

Yang's eye twitched.

He still thinks I'm joking.

She stepped in closer, chest brushing his, and tilted her head with a dangerous little smirk. "Oh, I'm very serious, Jaune. Dead serious. In fact…" She grabbed his hand and placed it on her hip, right where her shorts rode low. "Why don't we skip the swords tonight and go straight to… hand-to-hand?"

Jaune's face went red, but he still laughed nervously. "You're killing me, Yang. Seriously, you and Pyrrha are both so good at this teasing thing. I can never tell if you're actually—"

"I'm not teasing," Yang said flatly, eyes narrowing. She grabbed the front of his hoodie and yanked him down until their faces were inches apart. "I want you, Arc. In my bed. Tonight. No jokes. No games. Just you, me, and however long it takes for you to stop being so goddamn dense."

Jaune blinked.

Then he smiled — bright, earnest, and completely missing the point.

"Aww, that's sweet. But you don't have to pretend for my sake. I know I'm not exactly… y'know. Your type. You're just being a good friend!"

Yang stared at him for three full seconds.

Then she let go of his hoodie, took a deep breath, and smiled the kind of smile that usually preceded explosions.

"Okay," she said sweetly. "New plan."

She spun him around, shoved him against the wall, and climbed him like a tree — legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck, lips brushing his ear.

"I'm done being subtle," she growled. "You're coming to my room after training. I'm locking the door. I'm taking off every piece of clothing I'm wearing right now. And then I'm going to ride you until you finally understand that I am not joking."

Jaune's soul left his body.

From the doorway, Ruby made a strangled noise. "YANG! THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

Pyrrha leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed, watching with narrowed eyes and a competitive little smile. "My, my. Someone's getting desperate."

Weiss stood beside her, face burning. "This is disgusting. Arc, you absolute idiot, stop letting her climb you like a jungle gym!"

Jaune, still pinned to the wall by Yang's thighs, managed a weak thumbs-up. "It's fine, guys! She's just… really committed to the bit today. Yang's always been super physical with her friends!"

Yang's grip tightened. She leaned in and bit his earlobe — hard.

Jaune yelped.

"Not. A. Bit," she hissed.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Blake had been very happy lately. She'd actually gone on a date with Sun. Sort of a date. And another outing with Jaune, which was also not a date. And she was having a lot more fun with Mia. Her smile was wonderful to see, especially after the scare of a Beowulf getting into Beacon's grounds.

Blake's fist tightened a bit. How that had happened... How close Mia had come to getting hurt...

Well, she'd spent a few nights checking Beacon's defenses. Just in case.

However, no matter how happy she was to be bonding with Mia... The little girl was not perfect. Not at all.

Mia was coloring happily as Blake sat with her, adding some splashes of red to the green and blue creature Mia was creating... When it entered the room. Blake's hackles rose as she glared at the little menace as it trotted in, tail wagging at maximum velocity, tongue lolling happily. The moment the little monster spotted Mia, its ears perked and let out an excited "Boof!"

Mia's eyes went wide as saucers. "PUPPY!!"

She dropped her crayons and scrambled across the floor on all fours. Zwei met her halfway, and the two of them collided in a whirlwind of giggles and happy barks. Zwei licked her face enthusiastically while Mia hugged him tight, rolling around on the carpet in pure joy.

"He's so soft! And warm! And his tail is going zoom zoom zoom!" Mia squealed, burying her face in his fluffy neck. Zwei wiggled in delight, paws kicking in the air as he tried to give her even more kisses.

Blake's cat ears flattened completely under her bow as she watched the scene with open disgust.

The moment Mia pulled away from Zwei, already going for the doggy treats in the kitchenette, Blake pounced.

She gently but firmly pulled Mia aside onto the couch, away from the happy corgi.

"Mia, sweetheart," Blake said in a very serious voice, "I need to teach you something important. Dogs… are terrible."

Mia blinked. "Huh?"

Blake nodded gravely. "They're loud. They smell bad. They shed fur everywhere. They chase their own tails like idiots. And they slobber on everything. They're chaotic, messy monsters. They're nothing like cats."

Mia looked over at Zwei, who was now rolling on his back with his tongue hanging out, clearly hoping for belly rubs.

"But… Zwei is nice," she said, tilting her head. "He gave me lots of kisses."

Blake's eye twitched. "That's how they trick you. First it's kisses, then it's drool on your clothes, then they steal your socks and bury them in the yard. They're not to be trusted."

Mia stared at her for a long second… then shrugged. "Zwei is fun."

Zwei apparently agreed. He trotted over, jumped up, and enthusiastically licked Blake from chin to forehead in one big, wet swipe.

"Gah—!" Blake recoiled, frantically wiping her face with her sleeve. "Get away!"

Mia burst into bright, delighted laughter, clapping her hands. "He likes you! See? He gave you extra kisses!"

"He's a beast! Like all dogs!" Blake groaned. "Please Mia... Stand together with me! Your fellow cat!"

Mia stared.

"Auntie Blake, you're weird. ZWEI!"

Mia pounced back on Zwei and rubbed his belly happily. Zwei whimpered happily.

Blake stared at the happy, tail-wagging corgi and her would be adopted daughter in utter disbelief. Zwei gave her a look that was undeniably smug.

"…Traitor," she muttered.

Zwei just barked.

Blake gave up, slumping back against the couch with a long, defeated sigh while Mia happily threw her arms around Zwei once more.

What was the world coming to? This next generation was lost.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The Beacon RWBY common room had turned into a war zone.

Not with Grimm. Not with training. But with four very dangerous young women who all had very good reasons (in their minds) to fight one Jaune Arc.

Yang slammed her fist on the table. "I'm telling you, we train him up first! Then we fight him! That's the Mandalorian way! You don't just murder a Jedi in his sleep! You test your mettle against him when he's at his strongest! Fighting a real Jedi is awesome!"

Ruby nodded so hard her hood flopped. "Yeah! And then after we beat him, we can… you know… keep him. He'd make really good breeding stock for the clan!"

Weiss's eye twitched. "Excuse me?! We get him? He's far more valuable to the Nightsisters! Our grudge against the Jedi goes back centuries! Plus he's tall, healthy, and has that ridiculous golden aura! Perfect genetic material! He could sire an entire generation of force-sensitive warriors!"

Yang pointed at her. "He's Mandalorian breeding stock now! Ruby and I called dibs!"

Ruby raised her hand like she was in class. "I agree with Yang! He's ours!"

Pyrrha, who had been quietly sipping tea in the corner like a proper lady, finally set her cup down with a soft clink.

All three turned to look at her.

Pyrrha smiled. It was the same gentle, perfect smile she showed the world every day.

Except her eyes were glowing faintly red.

"As a Sith," she said calmly, "I am superior to all of you. The Sith have fought the Jedi for thousands of years. Longer than your Mandalorian clans. Longer than your Nightsister covens. Jaune Arc is not only a Jedi, he's a descendant of Arturia Pendragon and Shirou Arc, two of the mightiest warriors on this planet. He belongs with me. He will join the Dark side. He will rule beside me. And together, we will bring the galaxy to its knees."

The room went dead silent.

Then Yang snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that, Cereal Girl. He's too nice to go full Sith."

Ruby nodded. "He still says 'please' when he asks for extra cookies."

Weiss crossed her arms. "And he blushes when you hold his hand. Some dark lord he'd make."

Pyrrha's smile never wavered. "He simply hasn't been properly… persuaded yet."

The argument exploded again, louder than before.

- - -

In the quiet common room across the hall, four people were enjoying a perfectly normal evening.

Jaune was sprawled on the couch with a book. Nora was upside-down in an armchair, eating cereal straight from the box. Ren sat beside her, calmly sipping tea. Blake was curled up on the opposite couch with her latest novel, scowling at Jaune every so often.

Nora suddenly sat up (still upside-down). "Hey Jaune! Can you mind control people to give me candy?"

Jaune didn't even look up from his book. "Yes… but I won't. Stealing is wrong."

Nora pouted. "Phooey!"

Blake scowled over the top of her book. "I'm a former terrorist, you know."

Jaune finally glanced up and gave her a warm, genuine smile. "Well, I'm glad you've turned over a new leaf."

Blake's ears flattened. "I hate you."

Jaune blinked, genuinely hurt. "What?!"

Ren took another sip of tea, the tiniest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

From the hallway, the distant sounds of four girls screaming at each other echoed through the dorm.

Nora tilted her head. "Should we… do something about that?"

Jaune sighed and went back to his book. "They'll figure it out eventually. Probably."

Blake muttered into her novel, "I hope they kill each other first."

"That's terrible, Blake," Jaune gasped.

"Oh now you care!" Blake huffed.

"I always care!"

"Shut up!"

Ren's smirk grew just a fraction wider.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The nightmares started three nights after the incident.

Mia would wake up screaming, small body shaking as she sobbed about glowing red eyes and claws reaching for her in the dark. Jaune stopped trying to put her back in her own cot after the second night. Instead, he pulled her into his bunk with him, letting her curl against his chest while he stroked her hair until she fell back asleep.

For the rest of the week, he took her with him to every class. She sat quietly on a cushion beside his desk during lectures, colored during sparring practice, and napped in his arms during breaks. JNPR didn't complain. Neither did RWBY, or any of the other teams. Everyone understood. Even Cardin's team.

On Friday afternoon, Professor Goodwitch pulled him aside after combat class.

"Mr. Arc. A word in my office, if you please."

Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha waited in the hallway with Mia, who was happily showing Ren her latest crayon drawing of a "friendly octopus."

Glynda closed the door behind them and gestured for Jaune to sit. She remained standing for a moment, hands folded behind her back, before speaking in her usual crisp tone - softened slightly.

"Mr. Arc… I must ask you to please not allow Mia to become too dependent upon your constant presence. It is understandable, given recent events, but it is not sustainable."

Jaune's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Beacon's security was so lax that my four-year-old daughter nearly got eaten by a Beowulf. Tell me why I shouldn't keep an eye on her every second I can."

Glynda didn't flinch. "I agree. What happened was unacceptable - a black mark on this academy's record. I have already spoken with Headmaster Ozpin about tightening protocols. But the fact remains: you cannot take her on training missions or field exercises. She must learn to be apart from you. And you must help her build the courage to do so, or the fear will only grow stronger."

Jaune looked away, shoulders rigid.

"She was helpless. She was terrified. She's just a kid."

"I know," Glynda said quietly. "Nearly dying, alone and afraid, is difficult for anyone. Especially a child. But you cannot shield her from the world forever. Not if you want her to grow up strong."

She walked around the desk and rested a hand on his shoulder, the gesture surprisingly gentle.

"You are a good father, Jaune. It is natural to want to keep her close. But this is not the way. Help her feel safe even when you are not beside her. That is how you truly protect her."

Jaune was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly, voice rough. "It's… really hard to let go."

Glynda's hand lingered for a second longer. "I know. But it is better to help her build that courage now than to wait until it becomes a much larger problem later."

Jaune looked up at her, eyes tired but grateful. Without thinking, he pulled her into a quick, tight hug.

"Thank you, Professor."

Glynda stiffened for a heartbeat, then relaxed. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she gently patted his back.

"Just… make me dinner again sometime. And allow me to babysit Mia more often. Then we shall consider ourselves even."

Jaune pulled back with a small, genuine smile. "Deal."


Later that evening, JNPR returned to the dorm together. Jaune carried Mia inside and settled onto his bunk with her in his lap. The others gave them space, though Pyrrha lingered nearby, quietly folding laundry.

Jaune brushed a hand through Mia's hair, voice soft but steady.

"Mia… next week, I have to go train with Grandpa in the woods for a few days. You're going to stay here at Beacon with your aunties and uncles."

Mia's ears immediately flattened. Her lower lip trembled.

"No… I don't want you to go. Stay here. Please?"

Jaune's heart ached, but he kept his tone firm and gentle.

"I have to, kitten. I need to get stronger. Stronger so I can protect you better. So that nothing like what happened last week ever happens again."

Mia sniffled, fat tears welling in her eyes.

"But what if something bad happens while you're gone? What if the bad wolf comes back?"

Jaune cupped her small face in his hands, making her look at him. "That's why you need to be a good girl. A brave girl. You need to stay safe and listen to your aunties and uncles while I'm gone. Because if I'm worrying about you the whole time, I might mess up. I might get hurt. And I know you don't want that."

Mia stared at him for a long moment, tears rolling down her cheeks. She sniffled hard, hiccuped once, then nodded sullenly.

"…Okay."

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as her little arms could manage, burying her face in his shoulder.

Jaune held her close, eyes closing as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you, Mia. More than anything."

"…Love you too, Papa," she whispered, voice small and shaky.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

They didn't call it a date.

Not out loud.

It was "taking Mia to the Vale Zoo on a Saturday when the rest of both teams mysteriously had "urgent training" to do. (Nora had actually winked so hard she pulled a muscle.)

Jaune appreciated it a lot... Though Nora seemed to be having a lot of fun with it.

Jaune showed up at RWBY's dorm at nine sharp with Mia on his shoulders, her little hands fisted in his hair like reins. She wore a tiny sunhat and brand-new sneakers that lit up every time her feet hit the ground.

Yang was waiting in the hallway in ripped jeans, a cropped yellow tank top, and a soft flannel shirt. She'd left her hair down, loose waves catching the morning light. It made Jaune's breath catch.

"Figured you'd need caffeine if we're surviving a four-year-old on a sugar high," she said, handing him the taller cup.

Mia leaned down from his perch on Jaune's shoulders to pat Yang's head. "Auntie Yang has pretty hair today!"

Yang's ears went pink. "Thanks, Squirt. You ready to see the big kitties?"

Mia's answering squeal rattled the windows. Yang snickered.

"Ruby used to reach that pitch."

"I think she still does," Jaune said, rubbing his ear.

- - -

The zoo was perfect chaos.

Mia ran from exhibit to exhibit like a caffeinated pinball, dragging them by the hand. Yang hoisted her up every time she wanted a better view, strong arms steady, laughing when Mia tried to roar back at the lions and only managed an adorable squeak.

Jaune watched them more than the animals.

He watched Yang crouch to Mia's level so she could feed the giraffes, golden hair falling over one shoulder, voice soft and patient when Mia got lettuce juice on her shirt. Watched her lift Mia onto her shoulders so she could wave at the penguins, both of them giggling when the birds flapped back. Watched her sneak Mia an extra ice-cream cone when Jaune pretended to look away.

Somewhere between the red pandas and the petting zoo, Mia declared she needed a bathroom break. Jaune took her, leaving Yang leaning against the railing of the goat pen, arms folded, staring at a baby goat.

When they returned, Yang was snickering as she fed the goat carrots. She grinned up at Jaune.

"Guess I finally got the goat? I knew the carrot was better than the stick!"

Jaune sighed. Mia giggled.

"I like goats! I wanna feed him!"

Yang handed the carrot over to her, and she stuck out in front of the goat. It bit down, and Mia yelped in shock. She cried and turned back to Yang.

"He bit me!" She sniffled. Yang and Jaune reached out, checking her hand together.

"It's okay," Jaune said gently, "Nothing bad."

"Yeah," Yang added, "Looks like the goat got you, huh?"

Mia sniffled. Yang hugged her, rubbing her back.

"Aw, sweetie. It's okay, promise."

Mia scowled and turned around. She bared her teeth at the goat.

"My turn!"

"Oh no!" Jaune pulled her back, and set her up on his shoulders, "We'll have goat some other time, huh?"

"Like curry? I love curry!" Yang gushed, as they wandered away from the petting zoo. Jaune grinned.

"I do too! I learned to cook it!"

"Extra spicy?"

"Yeah!"

Yang grinned.

"Then you're making it for dinner for me, got it?"

"Deal."

"ELEPHANTS!" Mia shrieked happily.

Mia's bad mood evaporated in the face of the giant pachyderms. She eagerly devoured some ice cream while watching one play with a soccer ball.

"Ah, Yang? Shoelace," Jaune said. Yang chuckled and took her like it was the most natural thing in the world. She grimaced playfully up at Mia.

"You're getting heavy, kid. Pretty soon you'll be carrying me."

"Nuh uh," Mia said solemnly. "You're too big and strong."

Yang's smile went soft around the edges. She looked at Jaune as he tied his shoelace, something shy and bright flickering there.

They wandered toward the big cat enclosure as the afternoon golden hour hit. Mia had finally run out of steam and was dozing atop Yang's shoulders, sunhat crooked, one shoe dangling from her toes.

Yang adjusted her grip, careful. "She's out cold."

"She trusts you," Jaune said quietly.

Yang's throat bobbed. "Yeah. Weird how that happens."

They found a bench under a tree. Jaune sat first; Yang settled beside him, Mia curled in her lap like a kitten. The silence was easy, filled only with distant animal calls and Mia's soft snores.

Yang spoke first, voice low. "I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like I'm gonna wake up and realize I dreamed today."

Jaune bumped her shoulder. "I think it smells too much like animal dung to be a dream."

She snorted, then sobered.

"I've never… done this. The whole… family-outing thing. Not like this. Not... For a while."

"Me neither," he admitted. "Not since Katie."

Yang looked down at Mia, brushing a curl off her forehead. "She's so little. And she just… lets me in. Like it's simple."

"It is simple," Jaune said. "To her, you're safe. You're warm. You make the bad dreams go away and you buy her ice cream with sprinkles. That's plenty."

Yang's eyes were suspiciously shiny. "You make it sound easy."

"It's not," he said. "But today? Today felt easy."

She was quiet a long time. Then, barely audible: "I like easy. With you guys."

Jaune's heart did something complicated again. He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, fingers lingering maybe a second longer than strictly necessary.

"I like easy with you, too."

Yang turned her face into his palm for a heartbeat, just long enough for him to feel the warmth of her cheek, then pulled back with a shaky laugh.

"Careful, Arc. Keep being sweet and I might start thinking this was a date."

He smiled, soft. "Would that be so bad?"

Her breath caught. A monkey screeched in the distance like it was laughing at both of them.

"…No," she whispered. "It wouldn't be bad at all..."

"No," Jaune murmured, "I... I mean..."

Yang stared at him.

Jaune stared back at her. He slowly leaned in, eyes locked onto hers. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. She licked her lips as he got closer. She could smell his sweat, see the spots in his eyes, feel his breath against her face. Her lips parted, almost invitingly. Closer... Closer...

Mia chose that moment to wake up, blinking blearily. "Did we miss the seals?"

Jaune jerked back like he was struck by lightning. Yang was flushed bright red, breathing hard.

But she recovered first, grinning wide. "Y-Yeah, sorry Squirt. But I bet if we ask nicely, your dad will buy us tiger cookies on the way out."

Mia's eyes went round. "With stripes?"

"The stripiest," Jaune promised.

Mia wiggled down and grabbed both their hands, tugging them toward the exit. "Come on come on come on!"

Yang let herself be dragged. Her eyes met Jaune's briefly, who flushed and looked back at his daughter. She allowed herself a smile.

Later, walking back to the airship docks with a sleeping child on Jaune's back and three bags of souvenirs between them, Yang leaned over and bumped his shoulder again.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"... You uh... You want to do this again?" She asked. "I mean... Maybe... With Mia left behind?"

Jaune stared at her for a long, quiet moment. He then smiled, and it made Yang's stomach flip.

"Yeah... I-I'd like that."

Yang grinned.

"Good..."

Now... How the hell do I keep the others from horning in on this?

She paused.

Without violence?

Hmmm... That was going to be tricky.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The Beacon courtyard was bustling with the usual mid-afternoon chaos-students rushing between classes, the distant roar of combat drills echoing from the training fields, and the occasional song from the birds in the trees. Taiyang Xiao Long had timed his visit perfectly: right after lunch, when Ruby and Yang were both free. He stood near the fountain, arms open wide as his daughters barreled into him.

"Dad!" Ruby squealed, nearly knocking him over with the force of her hug. "You didn't say you were coming!"

Yang grinned, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "What, you finally get tired of patching up the house after Nora's last visit?"

Taiyang laughed, ruffling Ruby's hair and pulling Yang into a one-armed hug. "Can't a dad just want to check on his girls? Besides, I brought cookies. Your mom's recipe."

Ruby's eyes lit up like silver stars. "You're the best!"

Yang rolled her eyes fondly. "Yeah, yeah. We love you too, old man."

Coco Adel stopped mid-stride nearby, designer sunglasses perched on her nose, beret tilted just so. She'd been heading to the library with Velvet when she spotted the tall, broad-shouldered man with the easy smile and the artfully tussled hair. Her lips curved into a slow, appreciative smirk.

She didn't waste time.

"Coco?" Velvet asked, concerned.

"Not now, Bun-Bun, getting laid," Coco stated, heading forward. Velvet sighed.

"Oh no," she muttered.

"Excuse me," Coco said, voice smooth as silk. She lowered her sunglasses just enough to give Taiyang a deliberate once-over. "Are you single?"

Ruby and Yang froze.

Taiyang blinked, still smiling politely. "Oh, hi there! I'm Taiyang Xiao Long. These are my daughters, Ruby and Yang. And you are…?"

Coco grinned, sliding her sunglasses the rest of the way off and tucking them into her jacket. "Coco Adel. Fashion icon, fashionista, and apparently the only person here with taste." She stepped closer, hips swaying just enough to make it clear this wasn't a casual chat. "And I asked if you're single, Mr. Xiao Long. Because if you are… I'd love to take you out for breakfast. Or dinner. Or both. Your choice."

Ruby's jaw hit the ground. "COCO!"

Yang's hair flickered with the first sparks of her Semblance. "What the hell?! That's our dad!"

Coco didn't even glance at them. Her eyes stayed locked on Taiyang, one manicured hand resting lightly on his forearm. "Still not an answer. So… single?"

Taiyang's smile never wavered. He glanced down at her hand on his arm like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Oh, that's sweet of you to offer, Miss Adel! I'm flattered. And yes, I am. But I've been out of the dating game for a while and I'm a little old for you. I'm just here to visit my girls and make sure they're not causing too much trouble."

Coco's grin sharpened. She leaned in a fraction closer, voice dropping to a playful purr. "Trouble's my middle name, handsome. And you look like you could handle a little. That jacket's vintage Mistral leather, isn't it? Very rugged. Very… capable. Much like the owner."

Yang made a strangled noise. "COCO, I SWEAR TO GOD-!"

Ruby was hiding behind her dad now, peeking out with mortified silver eyes. "Dad! She's flirting with you! Say something!"

Taiyang chuckled. "Flirting? Aw, that's nice of her. Kids these days are so friendly." He patted Coco's hand gently. "You've got good fashion sense yourself, Miss Adel. That beret really brings out your eyes. My wife used to wear something similar."

Coco's eyebrows rose. "Wife?"

"Late wife," Taiyang clarified easily, still smiling. "It's been a while. But thank you for the compliment. Means a lot coming from someone with your… style."

Coco's grin returned, twice as bright. "Late wife, huh? Tragic. My condolences. But that just means you're available for a charming, successful, incredibly stylish woman to sweep you off your feet." She gave his arm a light squeeze. "Tell me, Taiyang-can I call you Tai?-what are you doing tonight? I know this little café in Vale that serves the best strawberry shortcake. My treat."

Yang looked ready to combust. "Dad! She's hitting on you! In front of us! Make her stop!"

Taiyang finally seemed to register the tension. He glanced between his outraged daughters and the very forward fashionista, then let out a warm, laugh. "Well, I appreciate the offer, Miss Adel. Really, I do. But I'm just here to spend time with my girls today. Maybe another time?"

Coco pouted dramatically, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Another time, then. I'll hold you to that." She slipped a small card into his jacket pocket with practiced ease. "My number. In case you change your mind about breakfast. Or dinner. Or both."

She winked at Ruby and Yang. "Ladies. Always a pleasure."

Then she sauntered off, hips swaying as she made her way back to the mortified Velvet.

The moment she was out of earshot, Yang exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Ruby nodded furiously, face still red. "She asked if you were single! In front of us! Dad, she was flirting so hard I thought my eyes were going to melt!"

Taiyang scratched the back of his neck, looking genuinely confused. "Flirting? She seemed nice. Complimented my jacket. That's all."

Yang threw her hands up. "She slipped her number into your pocket, Dad! That's not 'nice.' That's hunting!"

Ruby nodded again. "Yeah! I mean, we don't need an evil stepmom!"

Taiyang chuckled and pulled them both into a hug. "Relax, you two. I'm not going anywhere. Besides…" He glanced at the card Coco had given him. "I've got my hands full with two very protective daughters already. No room for anyone else right now."

Yang grumbled but leaned into the hug. "You'd better not call her."

"I won't!" Taiyang insisted.

Ruby peeked up at him. "Promise?"

"Promise," Taiyang said.

"So, throw away the card?" Ruby prompted. Taiyang hummed.

"Well, it would be rude to throw it away in front of her, don't you think?" He tucked it into his jacket pocket.

Coco, with Velvet, grinned.

"Ohhh yeah, he's hooked. And now I'm gonna reel him in~."

Velvet sighed.

"Not again," she muttered.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The CFVY dorm common room had been transformed into a miniature fashion studio.

Coco Adel stood in the center like a queen surveying her kingdom, sunglasses perched on her head and a measuring tape draped around her neck. Scattered across the couches were bolts of fabric, ribbons, and half-finished outfits in every pastel color imaginable. Mia stood on a small stool in front of her, dressed in a frilly pink-and-white sundress Coco had quickly altered to fit her perfectly.

"Turn for me, darling," Coco instructed with a bright smile. "Shoulders back, chin up. Confidence, Mia. If you want something, you have to ask for it like you deserve it."

Mia twirled once, the dress flaring prettily. "Like this?"

"Exactly like that!" Coco clapped her hands. "Now, say it with me: 'I want the blue ribbons because they match my eyes and I am adorable.'"

Mia puffed out her little chest. "I want the blue ribbons because they match my eyes and I am adorable!"

Coco beamed. "Perfect! You're a natural, darling. The boys will be falling at your feet in no time."

Velvet, who had been quietly reading in the corner, looked up with a tired sigh. "Coco, she's four."

"And already more stylish than half the first-years," Coco countered with a wink. "Now, next outfit!"

"Can I wear the pink one again?" Mia asked. Coco hummed.

"No, no, too much pink is dangerous!"

By the time Jaune arrived to pick Mia up, the little girl had modeled four different dresses, a tiny leather jacket, and a sparkly tutu. Coco was in the middle of pinning a new bow into Mia's hair when the door opened.

"Papa!" Mia shouted, hopping off the stool and running straight to him.

Jaune caught her with a laugh, lifting her up. "Hey, kitten. Did you have fun?"

Mia nodded enthusiastically, then pointed a tiny finger right at his chest.

"Papa! I want a baby brother! Or sister! I deserve it because I'm adorable!"

Coco smirked in pride. Velvet facepalmed. Fox and Yatsuhashi continued to do homework in the other part of the common room, hoping to avoid drawing attention.

Jaune blinked, then chuckled. "Well… I'll work on that, kitten."

Mia's ears flattened in determination. "Work harder!"

Coco slid her sunglasses down her nose, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Oh my. Well, Jaune darling, if you're having trouble with that particular project… I happen to know several girls who would be delighted to help you become a father again. In fact, I think I should take it upon myself to play matchmaker!"

Jaune's face immediately turned red. "Er-no, that's really not necessary-"

Coco ignored him completely, turning toward her teammate. "Velvet! What do you think? You've always said Jaune has a nice smile. And given his family's reputation for strong, healthy children, you'd probably end up with a whole bushel of adorable babies!"

Velvet's ears shot straight up, her face going bright scarlet. "C-COCO!"

"What?" Coco asked innocently. "It's true! Nothing's happening with Winchester, you think he's hot, he clearly needs help in the romance department, and I get to play fairy godmother. Everybody wins!"

Jaune was already backing toward the door, Mia still in his arms. "Ummm… Oh hey! Is that my scroll ringing? Yeah, I gotta go. Important… scroll… thing."

"I don't hear the Scroll ringing-" Mia tried, but too late: Jaune practically fled the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

Coco smirked, crossing her arms with satisfaction. "Challenge accepted."

She turned to Velvet, who was still sputtering. "VELVET! We're breaking out the sexy bunny costume!"

Velvet's voice cracked. "Not that one!"

Coco's grin only widened. "YES THAT ONE!"

From the far corner of the room, Fox and Yatsuhashi looked at eachother.

Fox sighed without opening his eyes. "You think she's going to drag us into this?"

Yatsuhashi's deep voice rumbled. "Probably. We should try to escape while we still can."

Fox was already standing. "Already on it."

The two of them slipped towards the window as quietly as possible. Velvet looked at them as Coco continued to plot, her expression aghast. Fox and Yatsuhashi shook their heads, both making the most stoic pleading faces possible.

"Um... Shouldn't Fox and Yatsuhashi help out too?" Velvet demanded.

Coco slowly turned her head and grinned devilishly at the two young men. Fox gaped. Yatsushi looked wounded.

"Why, Velvet?" Yatsuhashi pleaded. Velvet flushed.

"S-Sorry but... You left me to her ten times already! It's not fair!"

"Oh don't worry, darling," Coco said, patting Velvet's hand soothingly, "They were going to help anyway. There was no need for you to rat them out."

"Crap," Yatsuhashi and Fox moaned.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The daycare room was filled with the usual cheerful chaos when a new face arrived.

Cardin Winchester awkwardly dropped off his little sister at the door, looking like he'd rather face a horde of Grimm than leave her there.

"Be good, Sam," he muttered. "And don't break anyone."

Sam, dressed in her fluffy white bunny onesie, just blinked up at him with big green eyes before toddling inside without a word.

Across the room, Mia was happily playing with her stuffed bunny when she spotted the new girl. Her cat ears perked up.

The two four-year-olds stared at each other from across the play mat.

Sam's eyes locked onto the stuffed bunny in Mia's arms.

"Bunny," she declared reverently.

Mia clutched her toy tighter. "My bunny."

Sam walked straight over, grabbed the other end of the stuffed rabbit, and gave it a mighty tug.

Mia's ears flattened. "Hey! Let go!"

The tug-of-war began.

Mia dug her heels in and pulled with all her might, ears pinned back in determination. Sam, despite being smaller, didn't budge an inch — her awakened Aura making her grip terrifyingly strong for a four-year-old. The stuffed bunny stretched dangerously between them.

"Mine!" Mia growled.

"Bunny," Sam replied stubbornly, yanking harder.

The two girls locked eyes, neither willing to back down. The other toddlers wisely scattered.

Finally, with a mighty heave, Sam pulled so hard that Mia lost her footing and tumbled forward — right into Sam. The two of them went down in a tangle of limbs and fluffy onesie fabric.

For a moment, they just lay there in a heap.

Then Mia sat up, rubbing her head. "You're strong…"

Sam sat up too, still clutching one ear of the stuffed bunny. She looked at Mia for a long second… then held the toy out.

"Share?" she offered, voice small but hopeful.

Mia blinked. Then a slow grin spread across her face.

"Okay. But only if you let me wear your bunny ears next."

Sam considered this, then nodded seriously. "Deal."

The two girls spent the rest of the morning playing together — Mia letting Sam hold the stuffed bunny while Sam let Mia wear the floppy bunny ears from her onesie. They built a fort out of blocks, chased each other around the play area, and even shared a juice box (with only minor arguing over who got the first sip).

By the time Cardin came to pick Sam up, the two girls were sitting side-by-side, covered in glitter and cookie crumbs, giggling about something only four-year-olds would find funny.

Cardin stared. "You… made a friend?"

Sam nodded proudly and pointed at Mia. "Bunny friend."

Mia waved. "Hi, Cardin! Sam's my best friend now!"

Cardin looked like he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified.

Mia leaned over and whispered loudly to Sam, "We should have a sleepover. And make your brother play tea party with us."

Sam's eyes lit up. "Yes."

Cardin groaned.

Jaune walked in, smiling happily.

"Hey Kitten, I-Oh. Hey Cardin," Jaune greeted, his tone dropping into neutrality at the end. Mia beamed up at him.

"Sam's my best friend now! And Cardin's gonna play tea party with us!"

Jaune slowly looked at Cardin, smirking slightly. Cardin scowled at him as he picked Sam up into his arms.

"You play tea party with your daughter!"

"Yes I do," Jaune said proudly, "But I have no shame about it."

"I don't either!" Cardin growled, "I-I love my little sister!"

Sam hugged Cardin's neck. He gagged.

"Urk...! I really do!"

"Bunny," Sam said firmly.

"Bunny!" Mia cheered.

"Bunny," Jaune snickered.

"Let go Sam!" Cardin gasped.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

She was twelve years old the day they let her wear the mask.

It was too big for her face. The white porcelain hung loose around her cheeks, the eyeholes slightly too wide, making her look even younger than she was. But Blake Belladonna didn't care. She beamed up at Adam Taurus like he had just handed her the moon itself.

"They said I could come on the mission," she whispered excitedly, ears twitching under her hood. "Sienna said I was ready. That I was… useful."

Adam looked down at her, the corner of his mouth twitching in what might have been a smile. To twelve-year-old Blake, it looked like pride.

"You're more than useful, little sister," he said, resting a gloved hand on her head. "You're important. The humans need to see that even our children are willing to stand against them. That takes real courage."

Blake's chest swelled with warmth. Important. No one had ever called her that before. Not her parents, who were always too busy with politics. Not the other kids in Menagerie, who thought she was weird for reading so much. Not her servants, who treated her like a frail, fragile princess. But here, in the White Fang, she had a place. A purpose.

She was part of something bigger. Something good.

- - -

The night before the raid on the SDC depot, Blake sat beside Adam on the rooftop, legs swinging over the edge as she watched the city lights below.

"Adam?" she asked softly. "Do you think… after this, the humans will finally listen? That they'll stop hurting us?"

Adam was quiet for a long moment. When he answered, his voice was gentle: The same tone he used when he told her stories about the old heroes of Menagerie.

"They will, Blake. One day. But only if we keep fighting. Only if we show them we're not afraid." He glanced at her. "You're not afraid, are you?"

Blake shook her head so hard her bow nearly flew off. "No! I want to help. I want to make things better. Like you and Sienna."

Adam's hand found hers and gave it a light squeeze.

"Good girl."

Blake smiled so wide her cheeks hurt.

She didn't notice the way his grip lingered a second too long. She didn't see the calculating look in his eyes when he thought she wasn't paying

attention. She didn't understand that she wasn't just a soldier.

She was a symbol. She was a hostage.

A princess in a mask. Proof that the White Fang's cause was just. Proof that even the youngest among them were willing to bleed for freedom, that Ghira and Kali's own daughter had more stomach for war, the hard choices, than they did.

Proof that humanity were monsters if they fought against them.

And when the raid went wrong, when the humans fought back harder than expected, when the first shots rang out and Blake froze in terror, Adam was the one who pulled her behind cover. He was the one who shielded her with his body. He was the one who kept her safe as she saw the truth of the brutality of humanity, and let her feel the joy of victory.

He was the one who served her afterwards, told her this was war and why they had to fight humanity.

He was the one who convinced her to keep going, to find her courage, even as she trembled in fear.

He was the one who helped put her to bed, and told her she was brave and she would conquer her fear. He was the one who smiled at her, and she smiled back, and slowly fell asleep.

He was the one who later told Sienna, in a voice low enough that Blake couldn't hear right outside her quarters:

"She's perfect. The humans will hate us for using a child… and that hatred will make them afraid."

"And Lord Ghira and Lady Kali?" Adam prompted.

Sienna smiled grimly.

"They will not dare to interfere with us, as long as she is ours. Keep it that way. Keep her close. Keep her believing."

- - -

Years later, when Blake finally understood what had been done to her, she would remember that night on the rooftop. The warmth of Adam's hand. The pride in his voice.

She would remember how safe she had felt.

And she would hate herself for ever believing any of it.

Because she had been twelve.

She had believed everyone around her was her friend.

And by the time she realized the truth, the damage was already done.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune walked into the JNPR common room. Nora and Ren were waiting for him, looking concerned.

Jaune had a sudden premonition and frowned.

"What is she up to this time?" Jaune asked. Nora sighed and rubbed her temples. Ren just slowly shook his head.

"You should go see," Ren said.

"Hey, at least she's not trying to cook again!" Nora said brightly. Jaune sighed and walked up to the door.

One thing his father had taught him was the hardest part of being a Jedi. He had said:

"Jaune, as a Jedi, we must go up to blood covered maniacs who are laughing while they do evil, and ask 'Wouldn't you rather stop and come quietly?' It sucks but that's our duty, to give people a chance to surrender. Everyone is capable of redemption if they choose it. But if they don't, you must strike swiftly and end the threat to protect the innocent."

He really hoped this wasn't the case with Pyrrha, or Weiss, or Yang, or Ruby. He didn't want to have to strike any of them down. He didn't want to hurt them. Despite everything, he cared about them and sensed they weren't bad people. But if things escalated...

He closed his eyes and focused on the Living Force. He recited the code in his mind:

There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force...

He opened the door slowly.

"Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha was in... Very brief lingerie. Black and red. With black lipstick and thick mascara. Her hair was loose. She smirked.

"Hello Jaune~," she purred, "Tell me: Do you want a girlfriend?"

Jaune blinked.

"I mean... Yes?"

"Well, if you turn to the Darkside, I'll become your girlfriend," Pyrrha said.

Jaune blinked again.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. One of his father's lessons came to mind:

Ask questions and seek the weakness of your enemies! And make use of it! Seeking knowledge can be a weapon too!

"Um... And what would that entail?"

Pyrrha flushed.

"W-Well, um... Y-You know... G-Girlfriend things...!"

"Like?" Jaune prompted. Pyrrha waved her hands.

"L-Like... Um... W-Well... Hugging?"

Jaune felt a smile come over his face.

"Oh? Hugging might be nice," he agreed. Pyrrha's cheeks turned a darker red as she wobbled.

"Y-Yes!"

"What else?" Jaune asked, taking a step towards her. Pyrrha wobbled on her heels.

"I-I uh... W-Well, um... Maybe... K-K... K...!"

"Kissing?" Jaune suggested. Pyrrha squeaked and covered her face. He allowed himself a little grin.

"And maybe... Hand holding-?"

"GYAHHHH!" Pyrrha squealed, fleeing into the bathroom and slamming the door shut. "DON'T-DARNIT YOU'RE SO LEWD, JAUNE!"

Jaune chuckled. He walked out of the dormroom, feeling fairly relieved.

"Problem solved," he said.

Nora shook her head.

"Ohhh no it isn't! You didn't even see her nightie!"

Jaune looked over at Ren. The green clad ninja took a long sip of some rather strong smelling tea.

"... How bad?" Jaune asked.

"Everything is see through," Ren commented.

Jaune sighed and rubbed his face.

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force..."

"Good," Nora nodded, "Keep repeating that. Over and over. Maybe it'll help!"

"You think so?" Jaune asked. Nora beamed.

"Nope!"

"Then why did you say that?!" Jaune demanded.

"Because you trying to recite that while Pyr-Pyr or RWBY tear your clothes off is gonna be super funny!"

"NORA!" Jaune groaned. "It will not!"

Ren hummed.

"It will be a little funny."

"REN!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

It was a day later when Jaune entered the common room... And stopped short.

Yang was there. She had none of her Mandolorian armor... But there was no doubt that she was here for a fight.

She was wearing her usual outfit… but with some very intentional modifications. The jacket was unzipped just a little too far, showing more cleavage than usual. Her shorts were riding dangerously high. And the confident, predatory smirk on her face was dialed up to maximum.

She sauntered over, hips swaying, golden hair catching the light like a lion's mane.

"Well well well," she purred, stopping right in front of Jaune and looking him up and down. "Look at you, Vomit Boy. You clean up real nice, VB. Almost makes a girl forget how dense you are."

Jaune, still riding the high of successfully countering Pyrrha, decided to try something different.

He straightened up, met her gaze directly, and gave her a small, confident smile.

"Dense, huh?" he said, stepping closer. "That's funny. Because from where I'm standing, you're the one who keeps finding excuses to get this close."

Yang blinked. Her smirk faltered for half a second.

Jaune kept going, emboldened. "You've been flirting with me for weeks, Yang. I thought it was just teasing at first, or trying to throw me off my game to defeat me… but now I'm starting to think you actually like me."

Yang's face went bright red so fast it was almost impressive. "W-What?! I- I mean- Of course I like you! You're- you're my friend and-NO! I don't like you-I mean-you-!"

Jaune took another step forward, now standing well inside her personal space. His voice dropped slightly, calm and steady in a way that felt very un-Jaune.

"And you want more than that, don't you?"

Yang's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. Her usual cocky bravado was completely gone, replaced by genuine flustered panic. Her ears (if she had them) would've been burning.

"I- You- That's not- I mean-!"

Jaune smiled softly. "It's okay. I like you too, Yang."

Then, before she could recover, he leaned in and kissed her.

It wasn't a long kiss. Just a firm, warm press of lips that carried all the confidence he could muster.

But it was enough.

Yang made a tiny, high-pitched squeak against his mouth. Her knees actually buckled. Jaune caught her around the waist as her eyes rolled back and she went completely limp.

She had fainted.

Jaune stared down at the unconscious Yang in his arms, looking equal parts stunned and horrified.

"…I think I broke her."

From inside the RWBY dorm, Ruby's voice rang out in pure betrayal:

"JAUNE ARC, YOU PUT MY SISTER DOWN RIGHT NOW! Y-YOU SHOULD BE KISSING ME!"

"Not until you're legal!" Jaune shouted automatically.

He sighed deeply.

"…I'm never getting out of this alive, am I?"

Jaune looked down at Yang's peaceful, blushing face and muttered under his breath:

"There is no emotion; there is peace… There is no emotion; there is peace…"

It wasn't working.

Not even a little.