An Arc for Every Season (Team RWBY Maiden fic)

[eratas123]

https://www.deviantart.com/papercroft/art/COMM-Maiden-RWBY-Team-996119019

Chapter 1: Alternative Enrollment

Jaune gulped and shuffled in his seat. There were a lot of ways his first day at Beacon could have ended. He could've passed and gotten into an awesome team with a partner who'd watch his back. He could've failed the Initiation and come back home with his head hung low, his parents and sisters patting him on the head and telling him he did his best. He could've died in the forest and then the school would have to tell his family that a Beowolf ate his body but that he knew the risks, signed a contract and everything.

Of all those, sitting at the headmaster's office in front of the man himself was ranked pretty low on the list.

Jaune gripped the edges of the leather seat and did his best to keep his expression level. He failed Initiation. It was disappointing, but at the back of his mind he always considered it a possibility. Not everyone who got accepted into Beacon actually got in. They could've died during the exams, failed the task, or maybe they just didn't stack up and decided to quit. There were at least a couple who cracked after nearly being killed and decided to back out.

As much as he hated it, failing the Initiation meant his dream was over. He was prepared to go back home to see his mom and dad's understanding and expectant faces when Professor Goodwitch suddenly called his attention and said the headmaster wanted to meet him.

And now he was here, sitting in front of the man who ran the most prestigious Huntsman Academy in all of Remnant. So far neither had said a word. Jaune just sat there halfway expecting the chair to launch him all the way back to the Emerald Forest again while the headmaster read through the documents in front of him. Was it supposed to be kind of intimidation tactic? Cause if so it was working.

The silence lasted for another minute before the older man finally set the papers down and picked up the cup of hot chocolate, "A drink, Mr. Arc?" He gestured to the other cup closer to Jaune's side.

"U-Uh, sure, thank you." He grabbed it with both hands and took a tentative sip. Delicious, but right now he could've been drinking the most mindblowingly amazing drink in all of Remnant and it would've tasted like tapwater, "S-So, um...is there a reason you called me here, Headmaster?" Jaune cringed. Of course there was a reason. He didn't think the headmaster invited him over just for hot chocolate.

"Hmm? Oh, forgive me for making you wait." Jaune was about to wave away the apology when he continued, "I was just familiarizing myself with your profile and records."

"O-Oh?" Jaune gulped again. Most of it was real...except for his transcripts. Mom and dad were...protective. As much pride as Jaune had in his family's legacy, his dad felt the opposite. What good were heroes when all it gave you was a life of tragedy and dead friends, his dad said once. He always saw being a Huntsman as a thankless job. A lot of them died young and what was their reward for a life of protecting people from the Grimm? People worrying for when the next Huntsman would arrive to replace the one they just lost. There was no glory in being the protectors of humanity.

So he had to get...creative. Or be a cheater, if you wanted to be blunt. Mom and dad let him go only because he was stubborn and they were sure he'd never even get accepted into Beacon at all, let alone make it to Initiation. After all, how could they know their little boy - the runt of the family - would find a way to cheat himself into a place like Beacon? Even he was surprised he wasn't sent back a letter laughing in his face.

"Hm..." Headmaster Ozpin set the cup down and steepled his hands together, a smile on his face. It looked way more sinister than he probably intended, "You come from a village outside the walls, correct?"

"Yeah. Domremy." A small place where everyone knew everyone. Alright, maybe small wasn't the right term. It was big enough to have its own school and the militia was halfway between that and an actual standing force. They - his family included - exported a lot of luxury goods like wines and furs so that got them some protection from Vale. It wasn't anything grand, but it was enough.

"Your family exported wines." It wasn't a question, no matter how much his tone framed it as one.

"Yes." Jaune sat up straighter and looked one of the most powerful men in the world in the eye. He was gonna regret this, "Sir, could we please get to the point? You didn't call me here to talk about my background."

"Indeed." He stood suddenly and stared out the window behind him, looking away from Jaune and blocking his face from sight, "Let us get down to brass tacks then, Jaune. How would you rate your performance in Initiation?"

"...Bad." That was one way to put it. There were a lot more unflattering terms, but that was enough. He was caught flat footed since they springboarded into the forest. If his Aura wasn't awakened he would've broken every bone in his body on landing.

That wasn't even getting into his actual performance. He'd stumbled into killing a single Beowolf that one of the others pairs missed and he couldn't even find a partner or one of the relics. Again, that was always a possibility. Initiation was meant to weed out students who couldn't make the cut. If everyone who got accepted was let in there wouldn't be a point of a test.

"Very much so, and quite at odds with your transcipts placing you as a record student." Jaunce winced, though he tried not to let his nerves show. This was it. He didn't know the exact punishment for it, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that forging you transcripts had to be a crime. Back then he'd been so desperate to get into Beacon that he didn't even care but now, after failing to make past that first step, the sudden weight of it crushed him.

"Am...Am I in trouble, sir?" He hated how small and meek he sounded.

"Legally? Yes. Falsifying records is no laughing matter, Jaune." Why did he call him by his first name? Was he trying to calm him down before the cops came in and cuffed him? Or worse, Professor Goodwitch? "Which is why I suppose it's fortunate for you that no one apart from myself is aware of that little deception. And for the foreseeable future I don't see that fact changing."

Wait, what?

Jaune looked up, mouth open like a fish, as the headmaster turned and refilled his mug of hot chocolate. This was...was he just messing with him? Or maybe blackmail? No, that was stupid. He wasn't special and all he could've gotten were some free bottles of wine that he was more than rich enough to afford.

"Indulge me another question, if you would." Jaune nodded slowly, "Why? Why do something so dangerous? The life of a Hunstman is hardly the most glorious even with events such as the Vytal festival."

"I just..." Jaune looked down, hands balled into shaky fists. He had nothing to lose. The headmaster already knew and for some reason wasn't reaming him over the coals. He looked downright fatherly right now, actually, "You probably don't know this, sir, but my family has a long legacy of heroes and warriors. My great-great grandfather fought in the Great War. His son and his son after - my grandpa - was a hero too. He saved so many people. My dad thought it was a waste of time, but I just..."

"You wanted to live up their example?" he asked kindly.

Jaune nodded, his face heated. It sounded so stupid to a lot of people. Saphron always teased him about how he was still that kid who wanted to be a superhero while the rest of his sisters except Lily thought it was something he'd eventually grow out of.

"But why a Huntsman specifically? There are other avenues to living up to your name."

"I...I dunno." It was an argument he had with his parents more times than he wanted. He could be a hero by helping with the family business or studying to be a doctor like Rebecca, his oldest sister. Being a Hunstman wasn't the only option.

But it was still the one he chose.

"I suppose I can't fault that reply. Many students enroll into the academy without truly understanding what it means to one of humanity's defenders." Jaune winced. He didn't know if the headmaster meant for it to sound scathing or not, "For some it's to lead a life of excitement, for others an excuse to live their lives being unburdened from their past. And for others still they simply want to fight without caring for the specifics. Regardless of the reason the end result is the same."

"...Why did you call me here, sir?" Jaune asked again.

"I'm getting to that. First things first, could you tell me if you saw anything odd in Initiation?"

"Odder than being thrown in their with springs, you mean?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Thankfully Ozpin just laughed, "Quite. Given your adoration of Huntsmen I assume you've seen videos of their abilities." He nodded. Not as much as the headmaster might have taught, but he did watch more than a few training videos, "Was there anything that stuck out to you?"

"I mean...I guess the clearing full of frozen trees and Grimm counts?" It was definitely someone's Semblance, but it was still a sight to see dozens of trees, a pack of Bewolves and a whole Deathstalker frozen like statues. He got the hell out of there before they unfroze and decided he'd make good dinner.

"Anything else?

"Well, there was that explosion too." The one that looked like a chain of dust bombs going off all at once. He could've sworn he saw a head of blonde hair in the center of it but it was drowned out by the sight of the Nevermore literally turning to ash from the fire and heat. Again he chose to get the hell out of there before whatever did that caught him in the crossfire.

There was also the freak lightning storm and what sounded like a tornado a mile back, but he figured that was something the teachers did to try and make the Initiation more exciting. As far as he knew there wasn't a Semblance that could change the weather like that.

"Why do you ask, sir?"

"I suppose it's time I told you." His smile turned cryptic. Jaune felt a shiver go down his spine, "How open-minded would you say you are, Jaune?"

"Uh...a lot? As long as you don't expect me to believe Santa Claus is real or something."

"...Alright, then I suppose I can't use him as an example." Jaune raised a brow. What did that mean? "We'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way. Tell me, Jaune, what's your favorite fairy tale?"

A couple of hours later with the sun finally clearing past the horizon, Jaune felt like his mind had been blown into tiny, shattered pieces. Magic was real. Not the people who pulled rabbits out of hats or pretended their Semblances let them cast miracles, but actual, honest to god magic.

He didn't believe it at first, but the headmaster was...persuasive. The videos helped. Seeing a girl - one Weiss Schnee - freezing the group of Grimm and the surrounding forest in a panic was one. Another was seeing a blonde - one Yang Xiao Long - vaporizing a Nevermore. The same Nevermore that he saw get dusted right above the forest just a few hours ago.

And they both did it without Aura.

Unless the headmaster was screwing with him, he knew what he saw. Both Weiss and Yang's Auras definitely broke but it didn't stop them from killing everything around them with moves that would've looked right at home in a Superhero movie. Weiss' partner - Ruby Rose, a girl he briefly met on their first day - and Yang's partner - Blake Belladona - were the same sans their Aura not breaking. The reaper in red practically deforested her part of the map with miniature tornadoes before she met up with Weiss while Blake fried half a dozen Ursa with lightning when she and Yang were surrounded.

"Okay, so...magic is real..." Jaune brought a hand through his forehead and tried very much to not sound like his mind was breaking all over again. He always knew that Remnant had its share of mysteries but this was ridiculous! "And, uh, these students have magic powers. Cool."

"The only ones in all of Remnant, Jaune. Please remember."

"Yeah. Uh, Maidens, right?" Ozpin's pleased nod didn't make him feel any better. So apparently there were four women - and they could only be women - who had magic powers that could probably destroy the four kingdoms if they wanted. They were hidden from public knowledge by Ozpin's predecessor cause people tried to hunt them down and somewhere along the line the records became blurry.

And now all four of those Maidens were in a team together.

"You can see my issue, Jaune." Ozpin took a sip of warm chocolate, "These are extraordinary powerful young women with limitless potential. One Maiden is a force of nature in her own right, but all four of them at once?"

"They could destroy the world." Jaune gulped.

"Or save it." Yeah, or that. The recordings didn't really make him think so.

"And...you didn't plan for this? All four of them to end up with those powers?"

"I think you overestimate me if you think I can control fate that much." Well sorry!. Wasn't everyday you found out the headmaster was also part of some secret group that knew magic was real! "Of the four I can surmise as to how Miss Xiao Long received the Spring Maiden's abilities, but as to how the other three came to inherit their abilities, I'm afraid as much much in the dark as you are. As, I expect, the four of them are."

"I still don't get how they're supposed to save the world? I mean they're really strong, I can see that just from the recordings, but can they really destroy all the Grimm?" He doubted it. No matter how powerful they were it was still four people against an entire world of Grimm.

"You assume Grimm are the only danger this world faces?"

"What?"

"Later, Jaune, when you can be more trusted." Oh, so apparently telling him magic was real was okay but not this?

"You already told me a lot!" Jaune shouted. At this point his nerves were gone, replaced with a rising sense of disbelief. What could be bigger than everything that was dumped on him already? "You don't even know if you can trust me! What's stopping me from just going out there and telling everyone?"

"Because no one would believe you." Jaune's face fell like a deflating balloon at the headmaster's smile, "Even without taking your forged transcripts into account, you have no proof and it would be my word against yours. Anyone can claim some fantastical truth, Jaune, but getting people to believe it? That's another matter entirely. In your place many would claim I simply doctored the videos or that these four have potent but ultimately mundane Semblances."

"So why are you telling me this?" Jaune asked, calmer than before.

"Because I would like to ask for your help."

"I...you what?"

"Your help." The headmaster leaned back on his chair and looked him in the eye, "While I cannot tell you my exact reasoning, I don't exageratte that these four may be the key to saving all of Remnant."

"Then tell them that! You're the headmaster! They'll trust you-"

"Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"It's a simple question. Do you trust me?"

No.

"I...I don't know." The headmaster nodded and Jaune continued, "But that's just cause I barely know you. If you-"

"If I what? Become their friend? They see me as a figure of authority, Jaune. While that affords me their respect, it's not the same as trust that they would give to family or friends. Do you disagree?" Hesitantly, Jaune shook his head. There were a lot of people he respected, but he didn't trust them the same way he did, say, his sisters, "That's why I need your help."

"I still don't get what you want from me."

"You have two options, Jaune. The first is that you leave this office and we forget this conversation ever happened. Whether you decide to reveal any of what I've told you is your prerogative, but I've already detailed the likely outcome of such a scenario. You will, of course, be forced to leave Beacon due to your failure at Initiation and return to your home."

"...And the second option?"

"You stay and help us." It was us now? Who else knew about this? "I will have you attached to team RWBY as a...let's say extra member. It would hardly be the first time a team has gone below or above the usual number of four members."

"To do what?" Was he even considering this? He saw what each one of them could do. All four of them at once? There wouldn't even be a body left to bury if he slipped up.

"To be their friend, Jaune." In any other situation he would've laughed. It sounded like something straight out of a bad TV show about making friends, "Of, if you prefer, simply a peer that they can trust. Your age and circumstances allow you avenues that I do not."

"You want me to manipulate them." Jaune scowled. It felt wrong to even think about.

"No." The headmaster's expression turned harsh, "If my guess is correct, then they inherited the Maiden powers months if not scant weeks prior to their arrival in Beacon. The way they use their magics is...instinctual, coming only when they feel their lives are in danger. They have no training, and with all four of them inheriting in the same timeframe there isn't anyone who could truly teach them. It will take them time before they understand their true nature."

"I don't see how me being their friend changes that."

"My hope is that you might help keep their group from fracturing." The headmaster suddenly looked and felt older. Jaune blinked, "The last time the Maidens had gathered together almost a thousand years back it was no external threat that broke them. It was a lack of trust. My predecessor gave them too much information too soon. Before they were ready. It doomed them." He sighed. Jaune wanted to ask how he knew that but he knew the headmaster wouldn't tell him, "Already team RWBY is having issues. You could help stop that."

"I...I think you're placing way too much trust in me." Jaune shrunk in his seat, all determination gone. The honest praise just made him remember how he bungled Intitiation.

"All I ask is that you try, Jaune." His smile turned light again, "And I do believe you have an advantage in at least one way. You have seven sisters, correct?"

"Yeah." Jaune smiled fondly despite the situation. He was the fifth kid, older than April and May, both fourteen, and the youngest Lily, just ten years old. A true middle child, though apart from some teasing it never really came up. Hard to feel that way when he had to take care of Lily so much. With dad so busy with work Lily latched onto him and clung tight as the only male figure around. He still remembered how much she cried and grabbed his hoodie when he had to leave. She would've been happy if he failed Initiation so she could get her big bro back.

"And I expect you'd often have to play the neutral party to sibling rivalries."

"Oh yeah." Being the only guy around, and the middle child at that, made him the designated peacekeeper. He was just young enough that he could understand what his little sisters went through but also just old enough that he was roped into Rebecca and Saphron's arguments. He'd been through more shouting matches and tug of wars than was healthy for any guy his age.

"Think of this as no different, and the number of people you have to watch out for is less than before."

"Except when my sisters get mad they pout or steal my snacks. If I make any of team RWBY mad they can chuck a tornado at me or turn me into a statue."

"Nonsense. I'm sure your Aura would allow you to survive." Ozpin smiled. He couldn't help but notice that the headmaster didn't really disagree with him, "Can I take this to say that you agree to my proposal?"

"I...I guess. For now." He still wasn't completely sure but he couldn't just go back to Domremy after everything the headmaster told him, "But...what about my transcripts? You know I'm not good enough to be here."

"Training can be arranged, Jaune. The professors of this academy are in my trust and I can explain your circumstances with them. I can have a few of them train you. I believe Professor Port and Professor Branwen would be able to impart some wisdom. While you won't match the students who have trained for years, it's a good start."

"Wow, that's...that's really big." He didn't know Professor Branwen but he saw Professor Port back in the auditorium. He was old, older than anyone else in the school, but that must've meant he was really strong. You had to be to survive so long being a Huntsman. Oh, maybe he had some stories he could tell! That'd be awesome, "Thank you, headmaster! I promise that I'll work really hard!"

"Then I suppose all that's left is to introduce you to your new teammates. Don't worry, I'll be going with you to explain a more...understadable story for your circumstances."

"So you're not gonna tell them they have magic?" He asked only half joking.

"Yes, I plan to tell four tempramental teenagers that they have the power to destroy entire kingdoms at their fingertips." Wow, even when he was being sarcastic he sounded totally sincere, "I won't keep them in the dark forever, but I feel it's best to let them acclimate both as Huntresses and as a team before shattering their worldview."

"Yeah. Funny how you had no problem shattering my worldview..." Or assigning him to a team who could, in his own word, destroy kingdoms. Was it too late to change his mind?

"I have the utmost faith in you, Jaune." Ozpin smiled.

"..." Jaune downed the chocolate and did the same again when Ozpin casually refilled the glass.

An hour later and he was making his way to his execu- team RWBY's room. Professor Goodwitch informed them that they were getting a new teammate, leaving Ozpin to tell him his cover story for the next four years. His steps felt heavy and he found his eyes drifting over to the door across from team RWBY's. Team PRMN (Persimmon), according to what the headmaster told him. He suggested making friends with them another day.

The older man knocked on the door and stood back. The wooden barrier pulled back and he was met with a pair of somewhat familiar eyes, "Oh! Hey, Jaune! Hey, headmaster!" Ruby smiled and let them in. The place was still filled with boxes and other luggage. Made sense. Initiation was just a few hours ago and the next day was free to give them a chance to acclimate to the school.

The three other members of team RWBY were scattered around. Blake was lying back on the bed reading a book while Weiss and Yang were on the other side glaring at one another. The argument was put on hold when they went inside.

It was Weiss who spoke first, "So...this is to be our fifth teammate?" She looked him up and down, lips puckered in distaste. Even through that he couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Snow white hair, porcelain skin and a face without any hints of scarring or blemishes. At first glance she looked more at home in a high society than fighting Grimm in a forest."

"Yup!" Ruby grinned, either unaware or ignoring Weiss' dirty look.

"H-Hey! The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue." He almost said the whole line before remembering each one of these girls could probably eviscerate him by accident. Maybe save it for later.

"Cool. Name's Yang, and this ball of adoreableness is Ruby." The other blonde grabbed the protesting Ruby and grinned, "The one who looks like she sucked on a lemon is Weiss and the bookworm is Blake."

"Excuse me?!" Weiss glared up at the taller girl.

"Hey." Blake nodded and shut her book, if only because the headmaster was present.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but Mr. Arc's circumstances required some shuffling around." Ozpin coughed politely.

"Yeah, we heard." Yang sucked in a breath through her teeth, looking at him sympathetically, "Partner decides being a Huntsman ain't for him right after you pass Initiation? That sucks." Jaune tried not to feel too guilty at the looks Yang and Ruby gave him. From what Ozpin said, as far as they knew his partner bailed and the other two people who would've made his team were too injured to continue.

"While I'm sympathetic to your circumstances, Jaune, I don't understand why you chose our team, Headmaster Ozpin." Weiss gave the older man a pointed look. He was just happy she wasn't giving it to him.

"Especially considering our...circumstances," Blake muttered. The others gave each other side-eyes. Ruby and Yang would've known about their not-magic before getting into Beacon but it must've been a shock to see two more with the same.

"Indeed. Well, Mr. Arc is aware of your circumstances."

Ruby's eyes widened, "He knows about our-"

"Your secondary Semblances, right?" Oh Gods, they were all looking at him now, "Y-Yeah, the headmaster told me earlier," he said, trying his utter best to sound casual about the whole thing. Just another clueless teenager who didn't look at anything twice.

"A secondary Semblance indeed." Weiss crossed her arms, "I still find such an idea hard to believe. Before today I'd never even heard of someone having more than one Semblance, especially those that don't require Aura to use."

"Despite centuries of research and advancement, we still haven't understood the true intricacies of Aura. After all, Ms. Schnee, do you not come from a family with hereditary Semblances?" The headmaster asked. Weiss' severe expression lightened just a bit, "No other family on Remnant has such abilities before or since. Secondary Semblances are unique, certainly, but you're living proof that such precedents are not impossible."

"W-Well, I suppose that's true." The heiress' lips curled up in a proud smile, "Put it that way, I suppose it's no surprise that someone like me would receive such a unique ability."

"We have them too, Ice Queen." Yang scoffed, "Still, what are the chances we run into two more people with extra Semblances right when we get to Beacon?" Jaune was just amazed how quickly they bought it. Then again, he thought, if Ozpin didn't tell him about magic being real he probably would've assumed the same. Aura was a fact of life. It was easier to explain away something impossible by connecting it to something real. He'd buy if Santa was just a crazy guy with a teleportation Semblance.

"I know! It's so cool, right?" Ruby jumped up excitedly, "You should've seen me back there, Yang! I totally flew!" Yeah, and destroyed a chunk of the forest along with every Grimm within 50 feet of her. It was a miracle that no other students got hurt.

"Be that as it may, Ms. Rose, I would suggest not using such abilities lightly. We've never seen abilities such as yours before and caution is the better part of valor. I would avoid using them too much before you trained with them." Ruby pouted while Jaune mentally thanked Ozpin for the lifeline,"If you have no further questions then it's time I take my leave. Apologies for the inconvenience, Mr. Arc, but you'll have to make do with a sleeping bag tonight. Another bed should arrive for you tomorrow."

"If it can even fit..." Blake lay back down and opened her book again. Jaune took another look around the room and hummed. The dorms were definitely built with four people in mind.

"We can make bunk beds tomorrow!" Ruby said, grinning widely as Ozpin closed the door, "This is so cool! Not only do we have superpowers but we have an extra team member! Awesome!"

"What happened to wanting to have normal knees?" Yang teased.

"That was before I found out I could fly, Yang! Fly!"

"Wait, you just found out at Initiation?" Jaune asked. Ozpin only told him to make sure the team didn't implode. Still, it wouldn't hurt to get a better idea of things.

"Yup!" she said, popping the P. "I was surrounded by a huge pack of Beowolves when I felt really warm and strong. Next thing I knew I was using my Semblance - the one I always had - and going way faster than I ever did before. My Semblance lets me go faster and fall with style, but I never really flew up from the ground before like that. Maybe I got it cause I felt like I was in danger?"

"I got mine a couple of weeks ago. No one but Ruby knows. Well, Ruby and you guys now, I guess." Yang said after, "Good thing I was out by the beach when it happened. Lotta water to get rid of that fire..."

Weiss and Blake didn't say anything and he didn't ask. He got the feeling that asking would lead to trouble, "So...my teammates have superpowers, that's cool." He grinned. Nevermind that Aura and Semblances were superpowers even without adding magic to the mix, "

"Hmph. I expect you to carry your own weight, Jaune. No matter how haphazard your sudden arrival is I refuse to work together with someone who's a burden." Jaune made a mental note to ask Professor Port about training tomorrow. The last thing anyone here needed to know (besides being a kinda-spy) was that he pretty much flunked, "Now I believe a bout of studying will do us some good."

"What?! It's the first night!" Ruby shouted, "Let's have some fun! Explore the campus!"

Weiss clicked her tongue, "We'll have more than enough time to do that tomorrow but right now it would be best to get a headstart on our studies."

"Ugh, that's boring! Let's just stay in and play on our scrolls a bit. We need to relax after Initiation," Yang said.

Blake just read her book and pretended nothing was wrong.

"If you all are so insistent on wasting your time then be my guest. I'll stay here and do something productive."

"Come on, Weiss! We gotta start doing things as a team." Ruby pouted, silver eyes wide. If he wasn't raised with seven sisters he would've melted at that.

Unfortunately, Weiss wasn't having it, "I said no, Ruby. You should be joining me. A good team leader would understand the value of a headstart."

Ruby flinched amd an unmistakable look of hurt flashed across her face. Before Jaune could say anything to defuse the situation Yang stepped in front of her sister, "Oh, I get. You're still butthurt because you weren't chosen to be team leader. Suck it up, princess. You can't always get what you want."

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

Uh-oh. Were her...eyes glowing? No, it was more accurate to say that they were on fire. Wisps of light blue, almost white, energy flicked at the edges like a fiery mask as she glared up at the taller girl. Yang didn't miss a beat and looked down at her with an equally fierce glare, lilac eyes lighting up harshly. Ruby gasped while Blake sat up, looking almost ready to spring between them.

Jaune beat her to it by stepping in-between the two, hands raised and praying that he wouldn't get burned to ash or frozen solid before he could get a word out, "Hey, woah, let's both calm down!" He forced himself to smile even though his legs were shaking, "M-Maybe I'm not the right person to say anything since I just got here, but you guys are a team, right? Fighting like this won't help either of you."

"J-Jaune's right!" Ruby said. He felt a bit better now that it wasn't just him, "Yelling at each other's wrong! Please don't fight?" She tugged at Yang's right arm gently.

Weiss and Yang glared at one another for a few more seconds before, to Jaune's relief, both their eyes flashed back to normal. He almost collapsed right then and there. Oh Gods, that was way too close.

"Uh...how about we all go get some dinner? And then we can decide what to do later." Yang seemed to calm down at that while Weiss still had a sour look on her face, "I-I'll study with you, Weiss. You're right that it's not a bad idea to get a headstart." He would've preferred exploring with Ruby or playing a game with Yang, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Beggars could try to avoid getting frostbite, though.

"Hmph, at least someone's thinking ahead. Fine. I suppose this is acceptable."

Ruby gave him a look between worried and grateful while he just nodded back with a strained smile. This was gonna be a long year.

---

So before anyone asks, the Maiden placement is:

Ruby - Summer Maiden. Awakened at Inititation.

Yang - Spring Maiden. Awakened two weeks before arrival in Beacon.

Weiss - Winter Maiden. Time of awakening unknown.

Blake - Fall Maiden. Time of awakening unknown.

And no, apart from Yang possibly inheriting them from Raven dying they have no clue how the other three have them. Neither do any of team RWBY, as far as Ozpin knows. At this point it doesn't really matter and they're more trying to focus on making sure these four form a cohesive group cause having all four Maidens working in tandem could give them the biggest advantage against Salem they've had in centuries.

Except this is V1 team RWBY before they have their character development. Ruby's still somethat naive and doesn't take most things seriously; Yang is a hothead who just wants excitement and still has some abandonment issues; Weiss is used to getting what she wants, is mildly (or very, according to IceQueendom) prejudiced, and believes she deserves to be leader; and Blake is fresh from running away from the White Fang and an abusive relationship. Couple that with Maiden powers and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Enter Jaune. May Brother Gods have mercy on his soul.