[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

Cinder Fall was not prone to socializing a great deal. Her mission was to destroy all of Vale and these mewling brats were not really worth any more of her energy than necessary. That said, she did have to maintain her cover and Jaune Arc was friendly and stupid enough to interact with long enough to make her seem harmless. After all, if an idiot like him was at ease around her, she couldn't possibly be evil, right?



So when she saw him waiting outside the festival area proper all alone, she decided to interact a bit to reinforce her cover.



Cinder: "Hello Jaune."



Jaune: "Huh? Oh hey Cinder! It's nice to see you!" He smiles



Cinder: "Likewise. So, what are you doing here? Where's your team?"



Jaune: "Oh, they're just running a little late with RWBY. Something about a prank." He shrugged "But I'm also meeting my family here!"



Cinder: "Oh really?" A bunch of hick farmers no doubt...



Jaune: "Yup! My parents and my aunt and uncles! It's pretty rare for all of us to be in the same place at once, so it's great!"



Cinder: "I see... Well, I'll leave you to that-"



Father Alexander: "LADDIE!"



Jaune: grins "UNCLE ALEX!"



Cinder stares in utter disbelief as Father Alexander, one of the deadliest, most fearsome and PSYCHOTIC Paladins of the Church of the Broken Table's infamous Department XIII, pulls Jaune Arc into a tight hug with a happy laugh.



Alexander: "Hahaha! How are ye, laddie?"



Jaune: "Great, Uncle! How are you?"



Alexander: "Oh just fine, laddie! Took care of a little infestation out near Edge. Took care of the demons in the morning, and preached the rest of the day and night!"



Jaune: "Wow!"



Cinder: He calls clearing out two hundred Grimm Ursas and Beowulves a little infestation?!



Alexander: "Eh? Who's this lass?" Suspicious glare "Ye should cover up!"



Jaune: "Uncle! Come on! This is my friend Cinder Fall! She's from Haven!"



Cinder: "Yes, it's very nice to meet you, sir."



Alexander: glares "Hmph... Ye should have more practical clothing, lass! You young Huntresses thinkin' you just need to look good for the camera, invitin' lustful eyes..."



Jaune: "No no! She's not like that at all, Uncle! Really!"



Alexander: sighs "Ye got t' be careful, lad! No telling what's going on in some lass' heads over pure lads like you!"



Jaune: blush "UNCLE!"



Cinder: blush "I-I don't-I have no such intentions-Uh, maybe I should go-?"



Nanami: "Yo."



Jaune brightens as a tall, well built blond man in a smart tan business suit, blue undershirt, goggles, and leopard print tie walks up.



Jaune: "Uncle Nanami!"



The very stoic man smiles slightly and pats his nephew on the head.



Nanami: "It's good to see you well. You took my financial advice?"



Jaune: "Sure did! I've got plenty to finish Beacon and to upgrade my gear!"



Nanami: "Good. Keep an eye on those bonds, Vale's Council is bound to do something stupid again."



Alex: "Ha! All about numbers as usual, Nanami."



Nanami: adjusts his glasses "Shouldn't you appreciate them, Alex? Some think mathematics are the language of God."



Alex: "Yeah but yer focus has always been on the money side o' things."



Nanami: "You'll have to take that up with the Almighty, Alex. You any closer to talking to Him yet?"



Alex: "Closer than you!"



The brothers glare at eachother... Before Alex laughs and Nanami smirks a bit.



Alex: "Good to see ye."



Nanami: "Same."



Jaune: "Oh! Uncle Nanami, his is Cinder Fall, my friend!"



Nanami: nods "Good to meet you."



Cinder: "And-And you too... Um... I thought your last name was Kento?"



Nanami: shrugs "Kento was my mother's maiden name. I took it to draw less attention to my hometown."



Alex: "Ha! How much attention does a stockbroker get?"



Nanami: "More than I'd like."



Cinder's thoughts start to become frantic.



Cinder: Nanami the 7/3 Divider is this idiot's uncle?! One of the most infamous Grimm Hunters AND one of the best financial advisors in Atlas?!



He'd nearly made White Fang go bankrupt with his incredible power, tactics, and financial sense!



Nanami: "Anyway, where's Irina? She said she'd be here."



Alex: "You know her, always taking her time."



A beautiful blonde woman with large breasts and hips she somehow fit into a white business jacket and skirt strides up, smirking at them.



Irina: "Aw, why do my own brothers have to be so cold to me?"



Jaune: beams "Aunt Irina!"



Her cocky smirk becomes a warm, gentle smile for a moment as she accepts Jaune's hug. She then gets her cocky smirk back as she flicks Jaune's forehead.



Jaune: "Ow!"



Irina: "Heh. You're getting too tall for me to properly hug anymore!" She pouted "You should follow Tanya's example and stay short!"



Alex: "Best not tell her that, lass. Also, cover up damnit!"



Irina: snorts "We're not all prudes like you, Father Brother!"



Nanami: "It's more about how many men you attract, Irina."



Irina: smirks "And?"



Nanami: "We're trying to save them from you."



Irina: "I never heard any complaints~."



Alex: "'Cause ya killed them."



Irina: "Like I said, I never heard any complaints~."



Jaune: "Eh?"



Irina: laughs softly "Oh, we're just teasing, Jaune! You know me! I'm just a boring old teacher!"



Nanami: "With underaged students."



Irina: "I'm giving them something to look forward to!"



Irina locks her eyes on Cinder. She frowns.



Jaune: "Oh! This is Cinder Fall, my friend!"



Irina: "Oh? Nice to meet you. I'm Irina Arc."



Cinder: "N-Nice to meet you too..."



Irina's probing gaze seemed to go right through her. Which was understandable: Cinder had run into this woman before. She, Emerald and Mercury had barely escaped her... The White Bitch, one of the most infamous assassins in Remnant!



Mercury had wanted to do an assassination even she couldn't... Somehow managed to steal the kill... And the Bitch had nearly killed them all for it!



Irina: "You look rather familiar. Did we meet in Mistral, perhaps?"



Cinder: "M-Maybe! I'm from Haven, after all!"



Irina: "Hmmm..." Suspicious glare



Cinder: nervous smile



Sanji: "Hey. Hope I'm not too late!"



Cinder: Oh don't tell me...!



Jaune: "UNCLE SANJI!"



Jaune laughed and hugged a shorter, skinnier man in a black suit with a white undershirt and blue tie. His blonde hair covered one eye, while the other had a curly eyebrow over it. The man laughed and hugged his nephew while keeping a cigarette in his mouth.



Sanji: "Hey guys! Nanami, still a broody bastard?"



Nanami: "I don't know, still a man whore?"



Irina: smirks "Manwhore would imply he actually successfully made it with a woman once."



Alex: chuckles



Sanji: "Ugh, you gotta make me look bad in front of Jaune? You're worse than that damn swordsman!"



Alex: "Speaking of, where is yer crew anyway?"



Sanji: "Oh, they're coming for the Festival. They just gotta do it more carefully given we're, uh..."



Irina: deadpan "Pirates?"



Sanji: "Yeah! But the good kind!"



Nanami: sighs "If you get caught, make sure it's somewhere with no cameras?"



Sanji: "I'll do my best but you know Luffy. Not a subtle bone in his body." He looked over at Cinder "Oho? Who is this lovely mademoiselle~?"



Jaune: "Oh! This is Cinder Fall! She's-!"



Irina: deadpan "His friend, so knock it off."



Sanji: "Hey! I would never poach from family! Good on you, Jaune! I mean, you've got Pyrrha Nikos, that Yang girl, that Ruby girl-"



Jaune: "We're all friends! Friends!"



Sanji: smirks and winks "You got the good old Arc genes! You're gonna be a stud like me!"



Alexander: "Ha! Jaune's gonna be like his father, a good boy who marries a good woman and is fruitful and multiplies!"



Irina: "All things Sanji will never experience!"



Sanji: deadpan "Like you, huh?"



Irina: "I don't see the need to settle down right now! You're just terrible at attracting anyone!"



Sanji: "I am not!"



Irina: "Are too!"



The two growl at each other. Nanami sighs.



Nanami: "Sometimes I wonder how we survived childhood with them around."



Alexander: "Miracle of the Almighty, right there."



Cinder trembles. Jaune looks at her in concern.



Jaune: "You okay, Cinder?"



Cinder: "F-F-Fine! Fine!" BLACKLEG SANJI?! AND HE'S BRINGING THE REST OF THE STRAWHAT PIRATES WITH HIM?!



Sanji: "Oh! Hang on..." He prepares some tea and holds it out to her in a thermos "Ginseng infused tea. Calms the nerves."



Cinder gulps it down in desperation.



Irina: "Heh. Thirsty."



Nanami: "Basic joke."



Irina: "Like you?"



Cinder takes deep breaths as Jaune pats her on the shoulder.



Jaune: "You sure you're okay?"



Cinder: "Y-yes... Just fine... I-I'm just a little... Uh... Hot. It's so hot!"



Sanji: "May I provide an umbrella for the lady? Jaune asked me to bring one for his date."



Jaune: "No I didn't-" Sanji elbows him "Urk! I-I mean, sure!"



Cinder: Okay... Okay... So the idiot is related to some of the most dangerous people on the face of the planet! That's fine... That's fine...! So they're all coming for the festival! Big deal! I have an army of White Fang terrorists, Grimm, and that Grimm Dragon too! I bet the rest of his family is normal and not at all-



Isabel: "JAUNE!"



Jaune: gasps "Mom?!"



Isabel Arc storms up and hugs Jaune tightly, leaving a dust trail behind her from her haste.



Isabel: "Oh I'm so sorry, dear! I'm so sorry... I should have listened... My darling boy...!"



Nick: "HAHAHAHA! Let the boy down, Isabel! He's turning blue!"



Isabel sets him down, and flushes. She adjusts her glasses as Nick walks up alongside her. He smiles and pats Jaune on the shoulder.



Nick: "It's good to see you well, son."



Jaune: "Thanks Dad... Mom... I... I know you disapprove, but... But I have to follow my dreams."



Sanji: nods "A man has to follow his dreams."



Irina: "Or woman. It's just not something you can refuse."



Nanami: tiniest of smiles "Even if he goes off the path, he will find his way back."



Alexander: "Aye, if his faith and will are strong enough."



Isabel: sighs "I... I'm struggling with this, Jaune, but... I'll try to trust you. And believe in you."



Jaune: "Thanks Mom..."



Nick: "Ha! I knew you could do it the whole time, son."



Jaune: "Thanks Dad... Oh! This is Cinder Fall-"



Irina, Sanji, Nanami and Alexander: "His friend."



Isabel stares intensely at Cinder.



Isabel: "Oh?"



Cinder: "Y-y-yes... his friend..."



Cinder's self control is close to cracking.



Cinder: HIS MOTHER IS THE STRONGEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD?! AND HIS FATHER IS THE DRAGONSLAYER?! THE ONLY ONES TO HAVE KILLED A GRIMM DRAGON IN A CENTURY?!



Cinder: "In-In fact! We're the best of friends!"



Jaune: "Huh?"



Cinder grabs his hand and smiles as she trembles.



Cinder: "We're so close I-I'm totally his girlfriend! We're madly in love with eachother!"



Jaune: "Eh?!"



As Jaune's friends finally catch up... Cinder loses control completely.



Cinder: "HE JUST PROPOSED AND NOW I'M HIS FIANCE!"



Jaune: "EHHHHHH?!"



Weiss: "WHAT?!"



Yang: "WHAT?!"



Ruby: "WHAAAA?"



Blake: "Huh?!"



Nora: "WOW!"



Ren: "What."



Pyrrha: "What."



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

So... How does Cinder resolve this little SNAFU?



Cinder: "So... Mother... Um... We may have a slight issue with the Vytal Operation."



Salem: "What kind of issue, Cinder?"



Cinder: "Um... We may need more Grimm."



Salem: "You already have a quarter of the Grimm in Vale concentrating around the city along with all the White Fang forces that can be found, PLUS the entire Atlasian ground army and their fleet thanks to the computer virus! What could possibly warrant the need for MORE forces?"



Cinder: "Um... The entire Arc clan?"



Salem: "... What."



Cinder: "Um... It turns out a high percentage of their family will be attending the festival... Like... All of them."



Salem: "... From Radian?"



Cinder: "Y-yes, Mother. I know it's a bit ridiculous-"



Salem: "No, no! You were wise to call me. Arcs. UGH! I have tried to wipe their insipid bloodline off the face of Remnant for a thousand years! They're like damnable cockroaches... If cockroaches could get last minute power ups from the power of friendship or love or something else completely ridiculous."



Cinder: "How ridiculous?"



Salem: "Their matriarch, Joan D'Arc, went from some bumbling hick who hallucinated that the gods were talking to her to a fearsome warrior with the charisma to gather an army and the power to crush the mightiest servant I had EVER CREATED in a YEAR. The Witch Queen of Argus was a Maiden! And I juiced her up as much as I could with arcane magic and the earliest forms of Grimm 'Biotech'! She was a sorcerer in her own right! AND THAT DAMNABLE HILLBILLY STILL DEFEATED HER!"



Cinder: gulps, though still shoots a smug look at the now very pale Mercury



Salem: "The entire history of the Arcs is filled with insanity like that! I've done my level best to keep Ozpin from formally allying with them every chance I got! And I tried to exterminate them a dozen times! But there was always at least one survivor who decided to have DOZENS of children and a generation later I was right back where I'd started!"



Cinder: "So um... What do we do?"



Salem: "I gave up on genociding them all at once long ago, just not worth it! No... Instead? I made sure they ran into a love interest or five, someone got pregnant, and they settled down. I mean, can you imagine how horrific it would have been if ISABEL ARC had become a Maiden? She literally threw a city bus into Ozpin's office while drunk! She'd have crushed you three like bugs if she was the Maiden, put you back together, and then crushed you some more while laughing!"



Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury shiver.



Salem: "Fortunately she ran into some hillbilly with a heart of gold raised on the edge of civilization by a hermit. I barely had to do anything and poof! Babies! Problem solved!"



Cinder: "So... Our plan is...?"



Salem: "Get that idiot Arc kid laid! Make sure he impregnates someone! Hell, make sure he impregnates ALL his love interests! The harem ending Arcs generally didn't cause as much trouble as the monogamous ones! By the way Mercury, are you a girl?"



Mercury: very quickly "No!"



Salem: "Shame, that would make things easier. All right! Cinder, Emerald, and the quiet one! Your mission is to make sure the Arcs are too busy with grandchildren to bother with the festival!"



Cinder: "All three of us?!"



Salem: "Are you questioning my plans?"



Cinder: "N-No Mother! Not at all! Just... Um... Why can't we make sure just RWBY and that Nikos girl are knocked up? Isn't that enough?"



Salem: "No Cinder, we need to make absolutely sure! Besides, he's an Arc. He's like a dumb puppy with the stamina of a bull dragon. You'll be fine!"



Cinder: "That's not really my issue-"



Salem: "Oh hey, who has two thumbs and doesn't give a crap about your issues?" Points at herself "This woman. Now get on it! Mercury, you go along too in case he's bisexual. It can happen sometimes..."



The call ends.



Mercury: "... Is it too late to defect?"



Cinder: "YES!"



Mercury: "Damnit..."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

After RWBY and JNPR meet Jaune's parents and various relatives... Blake has one important question:



Blake: "Why are they all so hot?"



Weiss: "H-Huh?"



Blake: "Jaune's relatives. They're all so hot! Why?"



Weiss: "I mean... Wow, you're right."



Yang: "OH MY GODS SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT!"



Jaune: "Eh? What do you mean?"



Pyrrha: "Er, um... Well... Your family is... Is very... Very attractive."



Yang: "Are you kidding?! Jaune, your dad is basically the definition of a DILF!"



Jaune: "What's a DILF?"



Blake: "'Dad I'd Like to Fu-"



Jaune: "Okay. I... Seriously? He is?"



Weiss: "Are you blind?! He's over seven foot tall, pure muscle, that beard, that chin, those eyes...!"



Yang: "Easy Weiss, you're gonna melt."



Weiss: "Sh-Shut up! You were staring too!"



Pyrrha is bright red and looking back and forth between Jaune and his possible futures.



Jaune: "I... He is? I never really thought about it."



Yang: "Your Uncle Nanami has the same energy!"



Blake: nods "I want him to grab my hair and yank me back-"



Jaune: "BLAKE!"



Blake: "I'm only being honest!"



Yang: "And your priest uncle is making me want to get on my knees and pray-!"



Jaune: "NO! NO! NONE OF THAT! DO NOT MAKE ME GET THE HORNY BAT!"



Weiss: bright red "You-Stop being s-so uncouth!"



Yang: "You were thinking the same thing, Weiss!"



Weiss: "WELL I WASN'T SAYING IT!"



Blake: "Also your uncle Sanji is very attractive... If not for the fact he's an utter horndog and has zero game."



Sanji: "MY LOVE~<3!"



Girls: Scream and flee



Jaune: "I mean... So what? My dad and uncles are attractive? What's the big deal?"



Sun and Neptune walk up.



Neptune: "What the hell, Arc?! What's with your family?!"



Jaune: sigh "What are you talking about, Neptune?"



Neptune: points at Irina and Isabel "WHY ARE YOUR MOM AND AUNT SO HOT?! WHY?!"



Ren: "Thank you. I had hoped someone else would say it."



Sun: "I'm glad he said it."



Jaune: dark glower "Excuse me?"



Neptune: "You heard me! Your mom is basically the Queen of MILFs and your aunt is like a freaking super model! HOW?!"



Jaune: "Good living and genes I guess?! Stop being a creep!"



Yang: "Jaune, I'm fairly straight and even I am feeling like drooling over them."



Weiss: blush "Ummm..."



Pyrrha: blush "Uhhh..."



Blake: happily drooling already



Nora: "Hmmm... Ren? Do you think you could dye your hair blonde?"



Ren: "What about you?"



Nora: "Ooh! I'll think about it!"



Neptune: "Does it run in the family?! What about your sisters?!"



Jaune: "I'm not showing you pictures of my sisters-!"



Blake holds up her Scroll with a picture of Jaune and his sisters.



Blake: "Yes. They are."



Jaune: "Why do you have that?!"



Neptune: "... Jaune. Let me date your sisters."



Jaune: "NO!"



Neptune: "Just one?!"



Jaune: "NOT EVEN ONE!"



Neptune: "WHAT ABOUT YOUR AUNT?!"



Jaune: "SHE WOULD LITERALLY KILL YOU, NEPTUNE!"



Neptune: "If it was by Snu Snu, I would face it with a smile!"



Sun: "SAME!"



Innocent Ruby has been talking and laughing with Jaune's family. She walks back with a big smile.



Ruby: "What are we talking about?"



All: "NOTHING!"

 

[SharkCultist]

-Jacques Schnee has set up marriage meetings for Weiss to get her hitched. Her friends help her sabotage them.

Click to shrink...

*Weiss sits on a throne covering her face out of embarrassment*

Ren: so we conquered atlas.

Weiss: how? Why?!

Nora: turns out everyone was so hilariously corrupt that when we started digging into the guys your dad set you up with they all got executed for crimes against the state.

Ren: and then they would try to save themselves by pointing fingers.

Jaune: basically it was like playing Jenga with active dust crystals.

Nora: oh can we?

Everyone: no.

Weiss: ok but why am I in charge?!

Ren: only option.

Jaune: everyone else either got arrested, fled to bulla boka in menagerie, or swore oaths against rising to a full dictatorship position outside of wartime when they joined the military.

Weiss: this is insane. I should-

Nora: go mad with power after realizing you can legally make your dad's life hell and ban alcohol to spite your mother?

*Weiss goes to snap at Nora before pausing*

Weiss: I should prepare a speech.

*Everyone is starting at Nora with a WHAT HAVE YOU DONE face*

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Taking the weekend off was still a bit of a foreign concept to Jaune. On a farm or cattle drive, Saturday and Sunday didn't differ much from the weekdays. Sunday had a religious service but that was it. There was always something to do.

So sitting and just enjoying himself on the weekend was still a little strange. Fortunately though, his friends were there to help him out.

"YES! YES! YES!" Ruby cheered, as her fighting game character downed Jaune's, "VICTORY FOR RUBY!"

Jaune sighed and leaned back. He gave the hyperactive little reaper a smile.

"Good game," he said, "Though honestly, don't know you play me all the time, Ruby."

Ruby grinned.

"Because I wanna play with my bestie! Even if you lose 32 percent of the time!"

"I thought it was closer to 33 percent," Ren opined, reading a book on the nearby couch. Nora was juggling some red balls with incredible skill and accuracy next to him.

"I've been doing the math, it's definitely 32 percent," Ruby insisted.

"You know Jaune," Pyrrha cleared her throat on another couch, where she and Weiss were looking at magazines, "You could always play some card games with us? I know you keep a pack or two on you."

Jaune shook his head.

"No miss. Pa and Ma both told me, no card games with ladies," He said firmly, "Leads to too much trouble."

"It's not like we're playing strip poker," Yang said, as she relaxed to some music on the floor. She grinned devilishly.

"Unless you want to, Stud~."

Jaune coughed hard, as Weiss, Pyrrha and Ruby shot red-cheeked glares at the smirking brawler.

"N-Not my sort of game, Yang," Jaune stuttered, "Just, ya know... Old habits die hard, I guess. Sides... I'd probably cheat ya."

"Cheat us?" Weiss scowled. "You wouldn't do that! You're too honest to cheat!"

Jaune blushed hard.

"Aw... Shucks, thank you Miss Schnee," he said, "But um... Old habits, and-and all."

"So you'd want to see us naked that badly?" Yang grinned.

"YANG!" Ruby barked with a scowl.

Pyrrha blushed hard and looked considerate. As did Blake. Jaune tried very hard not to notice this.

A knock at the door was his salvation. He got up and motioned everyone else to stay sitting.

"I got this," he said, walking up to the common room door. He opened it up... And gaped.

"Miguel?!"

A tall, dark skinned Vacoan man, maybe a year or two older than Jaune, grinned with pure white teeth at him. He wore slick cowboy duds, suitable for hard rides but clearly high end materials and tailoring in tans and reds. He wore a fine white Stetson and a red scarf around his neck. His boots jangled with silver spurs and a revolver hung from his gunbelt. A fine red duster hung from his shoulders.

"JAUNE!" The older boy hugged Jaune, and Jaune hugged him back. The blond soon laughed and slapped Miguel on the back, as RWBY and the rest of Jaune's team rose to see the newcomer.

"Hahaha! You old dog!" Jaune laughed. "How have ya been?!"

"Great, great!" Miguel laughed, clapping Jaune on the shoulder. Jaune motioned him inside, and Miguel entered with a jaunty grin. "Never better! Oh, hey, remember the hundred lien you loaned me?"

"Aw shucks Miguel, friends don't carry debts-" Jaune tried, but Miguel reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a huge stack of bills. Everyone but Pyrrha and Weiss's eyes went wide at the stack as Miguel handed it over to Jaune.

"Consider it paid, with interest!" Miguel grinned. Jaune gaped and quickly counted the bills.

"M-Miguel, this is ten thousand lien!" Jaune gasped. Miguel nodded.

"Sure is!"

"Wha-Where did you get it?!" Jaune gasped.

"Uh, Jaune? Who is this?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow. Miguel grinned again, his smile like a headlamp, as he took his hat off and bowed dramatically.

"Name's Miguel Flores! I'm this loser's friend!"

"Yeah he's Miguel and I'm this loser's friend," Jaune snorted. "Seriously though, where'd you get this cash?! You can't just spend it willy nilly-!"

"I found it, Jaune," Miguel grinned, grabbing Jaune's shoulders, "I found a Dust Mine! Pure, untouched Gravity and Lightnin'! The biggest find in Gallia!"

Weiss' brows knit before her eyes flew wide.

"Wait... The Lucky Laura Mine?! That was you?!" Weiss gasped. Miguel turned and studied Weiss for a moment, before gaping. He then grinned again.

"Well damn! If Miss Weiss Schnee knows of me, I must have done good!" Miguel laughed.

At everyone's looks, Weiss quickly explained:

"The Lucky Laura Mine is probably the biggest find of Gravity and Lightning Dust in the history of Vale. It's also one of the few independent mines still around. Add to this, the discoverer and owner was only nineteen and, yes! It's actually very impressive, Mister Flores!"

Jaune grinned broadly at Weiss and slapped Miguel on the back.

"Damn! Great job, Miguel! I wondered why you hadn't called me or writ me at all in so long!"

"Yeah!" Miguel laughed. "Thank your sister! Her group helped maintain security and she helped me come up with a business plan! I'm actually here to do a lot of business stuff! Ask for a charter so we can establish a town around the mine, look for investors, the works! She's a damn smart cookie, Tangy!"

"Just be careful she doesn't steal the mine out from under you," Jaune joked. Miguel chuckled.

"I don't think she will. She said she prefers 'investments' and all that. And hell, I'm having some fun too. Bought my ma a proper house with a cook and assistant, since she's getting on. Bought Mister Duke a refit for his old air yacht-"

"Bet that took some doin' to make him accept it," Jaune chuckled. Miguel grinned.

"Just had to out stubborn him, which was damn hard! Got your folks some nice foreign foods since they put me up so often, and here..."

He grinned and held out a ring box. Jaune heard Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss and Ruby all take deep breaths, and saw Blake blush deeply. Ren raised an eyebrow and Nora grinned. Jaune coughed.

"Ah, I'm flattered Miguel but I never swung that way-"

"It's for Laura, ya jackass!" Miguel growled, punching Jaune in the shoulder. Blake looked rather disappointed, as relief swept most of the other occupants of the room.

"Eh? You tracked her down?" Jaune asked. Miguel nodded happily.

"Yup! She moved to Vale from Radian to get work! Finally tracked her down! I can fulfill that promise I made to marry her! I... I can finally make her happy!" He grinned at Jaune. "Could I trust you to be my best man?"

"Course I will!" Jaune laughed, hugging him, "You don't even have to ask!"

"Come on everyone!" Miguel cheered. "I'm gonna want an audience for this!"

"Ooh!" Ruby grinned. "Sounds great! And you guys can tell us all about your friendship and stuff on the way!"

"Would love to, miss!" Miguel laughed.

- - -

Miguel drove them all there in a large SUV out into the sunny early afternoon. It was a rental, and full of gifts and presents for a lot of people, but they made room somehow and piled in. On the drive, Jaune and Miguel regaled them with stories of their cattle drives, and Miguel talked about how he'd found Lucky Laura. That got even stoic Ren to smirk and chuckle at some of the ridiculous crap the young millionaire had gone through.

They drove into the Middle Town section of Vale, an area of expansion after the Great War. Many middle class homes and businesses dominated here, along with some older style skyscrapers.

They pulled up to a small townhome complex done in Old Valean Style, all white siding and black trim, and Miguel put the vehicle in park. Everyone piled out, but only Jaune and Miguel headed to the door. Everyone else lingered around the vehicle to watch from a distance to not overwhelm Laura.

The two cowboys walked up the plain sidewalk that cut through the well groomed lawn, and stopped at the front door. Miguel grinned at Jaune and Jaune grinned back. He took a deep breath as he held a bouquet of flowers in one hand, and the ringbox in the other.

They paused at the welcome mat. Miguel took a few deep breaths.

"You got this, you got this," Jaune said encouragingly. He took a few steps back, and gave Miguel a thumbs up. Miguel took a final deep breath, and knocked on the screen door.

A few moments passed, before the inner door opened. A beautiful young woman about Miguel's age stood there in a plain purple housedress and apron. Her dark black hair was up in curls, and her eyes glittered like sapphires. She frowned deeply.

"Who... Miguel?"

"That's me, sweetheart," Miguel grinned, tipping his hat. His eyes were full of love. "I made it, sweetie. I made it. All our dreams have come true! I found it! I found it, baby! The biggest Dust Mine in history! I'm a millionaire! I promised you the world, didn't I? All for you! All for-!"

Laura scowled. She pushed the screen door open and stomped out.

"You've got some nerve showing up here with your idiot friend!"

Miguel blinked, but still kept up his smile.

"Eh? I wrote you every day, Laura! I sent texts-"

"Oh yeah, about how you were gonna strike it rich 'this time', or how you were so close," Laura snorted, "Did you think I was gonna wait for your broke, good-for-nothing ass the rest of my life?!"

Miguel gaped.

"Wha-But I absolutely did-!"

"He really did!" Jaune insisted. "He found it! He made it-!"

"HA! Like I'm gonna believe a word you two idiots say!" Laura scoffed.

Laura held up her hand. Jaune winced. Miguel stared with wide eyes at the ring on her finger.

"I married a proper man! A banker who makes money! A man who didn't keep dreaming and leaving me all alone!" Laura sneered. "Who accomplished more than you ever did! You lazy-!"

She shoved him.

"-Lying-!"

She shoved him again. He dropped the bouquet, and winced when she stomped on it.

"-Fraud!"

"B-But you... You said you'd wait for me," Miguel said weakly. "I-I did everything I could for you! I sent all the money I could-!"

"Well it wasn't enough, Miguel!" Laura sniffed. "I'm worth more than some homeless bastard son of a whore trying to make it rich on impossible dreams! Get out! Get out right now! I never want to see your face again!"

She turned, stormed into the house, and slammed the door shut behind her. The silence that ensued was deafening.

Miguel worked his jaw up and down, not a sound coming out. He stared dumbly at the door. Jaune slowly approached him, hesitantly putting a hand on Miguel's shoulder.

"Hey... Hey... Miguel? Miguel, buddy...?"

Miguel didn't respond. He just bowed his head and pulled his hat down over his eyes. Jaune grimaced.

"Hey... Hey, come on... Let's go..."

He guided his friend back down the sidewalk. Team RWBY and the rest of JNPR had a mixture of expressions. Yang's eyes burned red, and she pounded her fists together like she wanted to use them. Weiss looked quietly outraged, but tried not to look directly out of Miguel. Ruby looked heartbroken and awkward. Nora growled in the direction of the house, as Ren held her back with a stony face. Pyrrha was trying to look neutral, but her eyes blazed. Blake scowled up the walk, clenching and unclenching her fists like her fingers were claws.

"H-Hey... Yang?" Jaune managed. "Is there a place that serves booze around here?"

Yang took a deep breath, and her eyes shifted back to lilac. She slowly nodded.

"... Follow me, cowboys."

- - -

Yang had her license, and so she drove the rental to Junior's club. It was early, but it was open as a bar. Jaune guided Miguel to the bar, while the others took a table a discreet distance away. Jaune ordered their favorite: Reaver Whiskey, which Mister Duke had introduced them to. Junior had given them a side eye, but he was not one to turn down a millionaire buying drinks, and soon Miguel was throwing the stuff back like it was water as Jaune sat alongside him.

"It's my fault..." Miguel slurred after the tenth shot, "Shoulda... Shoulda worked harder... I did it all for her... Didn't I tell you...? It just... It wasn't good enough..."

"No, no!" Jaune insisted. "Come on! You went out whenever you could prospecting! You learned enough geology you coulda gotten a degree! You worked hard, Miguel!"

"It just wasn't good enough," Miguel sighed, "I'm a frigging fraud... Jest stumbled into my good fortune... She always said I was good-for-nothing, in between her bein' nice... Maybe she was right..."

Weiss got up from the table, even as Yang tried to pull her back.

"H-Hey, they need to work this out themselves-!"

Weiss yanked her arm free, and stormed up next to Miguel.

"No! That's wrong!" Weiss insisted angrily. Miguel and Jaune started, as they both looked up at her.

"M-Miss Schnee," Jaune said. Weiss shook her head, and stared right into Miguel's eyes.

"None of that! You are a loyal and hardworking man who discovered a valuable dust mine before the age of 30! If this tramp can't appreciate that, then she never deserved you! And if she abused you for trying your hardest, then she wasn't worth it! You deserve better, Mister Flores!"

Miguel stared at her in astonishment. Jaune nodded angrily, and clapped Miguel on the back.

"Yeah! Why, you were the best shot on the cattle drives! The best rider! The best with a rope and the toughest fighter! If she can't see you for that, let her drop dead!"

Miguel smiled sadly and sighed.

"Well... If Miss Weiss Schnee and my best friend says that... Who am I to argue?" He shook his head. "Still... Gonna be hard to find a gal who ain't just in it for the money."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find her," Jaune smiled, patting Miguel on the shoulder more gently. Miguel nodded.

"Yeah... Well... Right now, I ain't thinking about that. I wanna drink with friends," he said. He picked up the whiskey and his glass and walked over to the table where Ren, Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby, Nora and Blake were waiting. "Mind if I join you fine folks? If Jaune's yer friend, you'll accept trash like me, right?"

"You're not trash!" Ruby insisted stubbornly. She laughed and hugged him. Miguel chuckled and patted her on the back.

"Well, nice to know, Miss Rose."

"Call me Ruby! Geez, are all you cowboys so polite?"

Miguel laughed.

"Only the best!"

Weiss looked back at Jaune. She flushed a bit. Jaune coughed, and smiled at her.

"Thanks Miss Schnee," he said.

"I only spoke the truth," Weiss said firmly. Jaune nodded, looked around, and then motioned to the chair. Weiss sat down. Jaune leaned in and she blushed a bit at his proximity.

"Would it be all right if I asked you a favor, Miss Schnee?"

"Perhaps. What is it?" She asked, putting one leg over the other.

"Listen. Miguel is a damn good guy and a good friend, but he doesn't have much experience in business. I don't want him to get his claim stolen from him. I know Tangy and her friends will keep his mine going right now, but on the frontier and with all that money involved? Things aren't certain. Do you have any friends who could help him manage his money? Make sure he makes the most of it? I mean... I'd hate for someone to take it all away from him."

Weiss hummed thoughtfully, before she nodded.

"I can think of a few financial advisors and a PMC or two specializing in these kinds of matters. I can put in a good word for him, and help him find a lawyer to ensure my father can't get his hands on the operation."

Jaune sighed in relief then beamed at her. Her heart fluttered at the earnest warmth in his smile.

"Thank you Miss Schnee. I... I really appreciate this. I mean... I know we're going in different directions and won't always be able to talk. Hell, when we first met... He beat the shit out of me." He shot a fond smile over at Miguel, who was dancing with Nora and laughing it up.

"But he saved my life more than a few times and... And he's like a brother. So thank you."

Weiss mustered her courage as her pale cheeks turned red.

"I-I would like one thing in return though! A very small thing!"

Jaune nodded.

"Name it."

Weiss opened her mouth, then closed it. She thought it over... Then smiled shyly.

"From now on? Could you call me Weiss? No 'Miss'."

Jaune flushed, and scratched his cheek nervously.

"Er... Are you sure, Miss Schnee? I mean... You're a... A real lady, and all that... And I'm-"

"A gentleman," Weiss insisted, "A TRUE gentleman. One who I am more than comfortable with addressing me by name."

Jaune slowly chewed over this, before he nodded.

"Well uh... Sure, Miss... I mean Weiss. If that's what you want."

"It is," Weiss sighed with a smile.

A commotion up front drew their attention. A familiar dark-haired girl in purple stormed in. Her hair was frazzled, her eyes were frantic, but there was no doubt who it was that charged up to Miguel.

"MIGUEL!"

Laura grasped at his vest and looked up into his eyes, face filled with desperation.

"Miguel, I-I was a fool! A complete fool! I'm sorry, that marriage-It meant nothing! I-I love you and you're the only one for me!" She fell to her knees before him, holding onto his jacket as she pleaded. "Please Miguel! Please, take me back!"

Miguel's eyes turned cold as he truly beheld the woman he'd worked so hard for over the years. Similar expressions of contempt emerged on the faces of RWBY and JNPR. Jaune's hand clenched, as though he was about to go for his gun.

"No Laura," Miguel stated coldly, "You made your choice. Now you live with it. You go have a happy life, I won't begrudge you one. But you ain't fooling nobody with your act."

"But Miguel-!"

"But nothing! Get back to your husband!" Miguel growled.

Jaune stood up with Weiss, and they walked over to Laura. She was sobbing hard, shaking her head.

"C-Come on! I-I made a mistake! You can forgive one little mistake, right? Right?"

"I think you should leave. Now," Yang stated, her rage bubbling just underneath her even tone.

"B-But I love him, honest! You have to believe me!" Laura looked over at Jaune desperately. "Jaune, you know me-!"

"I know you betrayed the best friend a man could have for a banker," Jaune seethed, "and now you're regretting it because you just learned he finally made something of himself. Git!"

Laura looked back up at Miguel, tears running down her cheeks.

"But I do love him! I really-!"

Nora calmly grabbed Laura by her waist, and carried her to the doors. She screamed and wailed. The bouncers politely opened the doors, and Nora threw her out. The bouncers shut the doors, and Nora turned back, brushing off her hands.

"All done! Want me to break her kneecaps, Boss?" She grinned at Jaune.

Jaune chuckled.

"Nah... She'll need to crawl back to her husband somehow."

Yang laughed. Jaune turned to Miguel, and grinned. Miguel grinned back.

"You're a mighty fine friend, Jaune," he said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah well... You are too," Jaune replied, "I'm lucky to have made so many." He smiled over at Weiss first, who blushed brightly. He gave the same smile to the rest of his friends. A smile they returned.

"So," Miguel sighed, looking over at Weiss, "Miss Schnee, how does a cowpoke go about becoming a proper rich gentleman?"

"And while he's asking the impossible," Jaune grinned, "Do you know where we could find a flying horse?"

"You little runt!" Miguel laughed, punching him in the shoulder.

- - -

 

[Eclipse Staro]

Ever watch Slugterra? I think it is a bit relatable with RWBY, at least in terms of mechashift weapons. So here's a bit of the rough idea.

Team RWBY and JNPR (minus Jaune, he said he got somewhere to go.) was resting at the park inside Beacon when Yang suddenly shout.

Yang: *Pointing* Holy Monty, what is that?!

Looking at where Yang was pointing her finger, they saw a motorcycle in brown orange. The bike look more like a sports bike than a regular bike used by civilians.

Weiss: It's just a bike Yang. Didn't you like have one?

Yang: Just a bike! JUST A BIKE! BUMBLEBEE IS NOT JUST A BIKE!!!

Blake: Cool down.

Yang: Look Ice Queen, before I made Bumblebee, I studied what I need to know.

Weiss: *Mutters.* So you can study.

Yang: The engine is Dustfield 27, the only engine that successfully manage to boost Dust fuel efficiency. The tires are Trex 12 the only one that runs on snow, mountain terrains and mud. The exhaust is made from-

Weiss: Alright, I get it.

Blake: There's the rider.

The rider wore a simple white helmet. The rider took off his helmet and reveal his face. It was Jaune.

Yang: *Rushes over* VB, when? How?! You got a bike!

Jaune: *Deadpan* Hello Yang. Nice to see you. How are you doing. Nice to see you greeting people like a normal person should.

Yang: You. Bike! How?

Jaune: You got your Bumblebee, I got Orleans. Speaking of that, Orleans, thanks a lot girl.

The bike transforms into a horse and nuzzle on Jaune's face.

Weiss: Did that bike just transform into a horse?! How?!

Yang: That's what I want to know as well.

Ruby: *Drooling at Orleans and the fact it can mechashift.* Must...know.

Ren: Does no one feels concerned that it just transform on it's own?

Jaune: Don't know, one of my Uncle friends made it for me on my 15th birthday.

Pyrrha: You mean for your 15th birthday right?

Jaune: Nope, when he realized it was my birthday, he asked dad to borrow the garage for a bit and came back an hour later with Orleans.

Nora: So where did you went off to Fearless Leader?

Jaune: Just got back from Vale, my uncle send me some stuff. He loves to adventure a lot so he sometimes send me what he found.

Jaune shows four boxes of different sizes.

Ruby: Can we see?

Jaune: Sure, not here though. Let's do it in my team room.

In JNPR Room

Jaune: So which one should I open first?

Ruby: The small one.

Nora: That one! *Pointing at the second largest box.*

Pyrrha: How about this one Jaune? *Pyrrha holding a regular sized box.

Yang: Go with the biggest one first. The bigger, the better, right, eh?

Jaune decided to go to with the biggest. Inside was a sword with markings and seems to give a noble authority. There was also a letter next to it.

Dear Jaune,

This here is called Emperor's Sword, a sword blaster and one of a kind. I acquire it after defeating an evil magic emperor and since you use a mechashift weapon and a sword, I hope it can be more useful to you. Hopefully you will use it for good and defend the people.

With love,
Your Uncle,
Eli..

Weiss:*Scoff.* Magic?

Ren: Why did your Uncle send you a sword? Don't you have Crocea Mors?

Jaune: Had to send them to repairs. This can be my second weapon while I'm repairing Crocea Mors.

Jaune: So which box is next?

Ruby: The small one.

Jaune: Alright

Jaune opened the box and inside was four tiny robots.

Ruby: SO CUTE!!!

Yang: *Grinning* Cute little fellow you got there Vomit Boy.

Blake: There's a letter as well.

Dear Jaune,

If you decided to use the sword I gave you, then you are going to need some slugs. I can't give you the live slugs, for some reason, most of them doesn't do well on the surface but that won't stop me from giving you something. These here are roboslugs, I managed to get some of my scientist friends to recreate them. It won't be as good as Burpy (no slugs ever will), but it will definitely able to do well on the surface. You seen me slugslinging before so I left it to you to figure it out with your new weapon.

With love,
Your Uncle,
Eli.

Blake: Slugslinging?

Jaune: Uncle Eli used to show it to me and my sisters. I think Tanya actually likes it despite saying it wasn't efficient. Saphron just loves Burpy.

Pyrrha: Let's do the next one. *Handing the regular sized box.*

Jaune,

This here is something I got from the East. It's a wrist blaster and a friend of mine decided to gave this one to you. In case you ever want to do combo move with the slugs I sent you. Treat it with great care. It is considered a symbol of great honor and responsibility for having one.

With love,
Your Uncle,
Eli.

Jaune: Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, you three are from Mistral. You ever seen one of these?

Nora: Nope

Ren: It looks like a Mistralian design but I don't think there was anywhere that produce this.

Pyrrha: I would say Argus judging by the markings but I haven't seen anyone with that.

Nora: Now let's open the final box!

The last box contains foods. Jars of honey, biscuits and chocolates.

Jaune

Thought you might like some honey from the giant underground bees that I found. I found the taste a bit too strong, so try not to take a big bite or you mind end up needing a doctor. Got some other food I found in my travel.

With love,
Your Uncle,
Eli.

Nora: Can I have some honey Jaune-Jaune.

Jaune: Sure, but-

Nora: *Already grabbing Ren and heads to the kitchen* Renny, I need pancakes!

Ren: *Sigh* Yes Nora.

Yang: ...So, what a girl got to do to ask for a ride Jaune?



Later on the training session, Ozpin saw Jaune new sword and wondered how in the world did his student managed to get a magical weapon.


Random thought, a team that use sword.

Team SWOD (Sword)

S - Sally Polendina (What are you talking about friend Ruby? I am not Penny, it says so right here. *Shows a fake student I.D.*)
W - Weiss Schnee
O - Oscar Pine (He better get one. Ozma was a knight. Better yet, one of the reincarnations of Ozma was Ozama, a swordsman that fought in the Great War.)
D - Darkarc (Jaune transcript got a different name and he can't complain.)

If Jaune got shield from one of his Uncle

Spoiler: Shield

Wolzard's Shield, with sword and shield just like Crocea Mors

You can even close down the eye

 

[mgl1206]

He sees team RWBY and only identifies them by color since he has forgotten their faces for years.

Click to shrink...

He stared at the group of four in front of him. Red, White, Black, Yellow. For a moment, he wondered if it was all a hallucination. Perhaps after all these years, he'd finally gone mad.

Were it not for the fact that he could clearly see the faces of the four that stood before him, he might have believed it. Or perhaps that damned Cat had finally gotten to him. After all, his scroll had lost power within the first week of falling into the Ever After, and ever since then he'd had no way of remembering Team RWBY's faces and consequently had long since forgotten them.

Even now, he wouldn't have been able to tell if the four standing in front of him were Team RWBY should they have worn any other color. But he was pretty sure they'd be wearing the same clothes as when they fell and should be their correct colors. And if not then at least through the respective features he could still remember.

To the far right, the one with the deep violet eyes and the golden mane of hair, he was almost certain was Yang. Even if he couldn't remember her face, he'd never be able to forget her eyes. How they would soften and fill with pride whenever she'd look at her younger sister. How they'd light up at the mention of partying. And how they'd turn a crimson red as her hair turned into an inferno as her emotions ran rampant.

Next to her was a cat faunus, he was almost certain was Blake. Her amber eyes looked over him, examining every detail, with a cat-like curiosity. And her long hair that blended into the night. However, he was unsure of her white coat. He couldn't remember if she had been wearing a white coat the last time they had met.

His breath hitched as Jaune turned to look at the next person. He could tell almost immediately that it was Weiss. Her long white hair and soft blue eyes. He couldn't help but stare at her for a bit, as he remembered the girl he used to have a crush on. She looked as regal as he remembered her. Her posture, dress, and tiara headband certainly didn't help dissuade that image.

Moving on, Jaune saw the color he dreaded the most. Red and black. Ruby's colors. He looked at her eyes. Her silver eyes which he swore used to be filled with hope looked so empty. Jaune wondered if it was because Weiss had told her. Told her that he'd killed Penny. The part of him that was so sure it was Ruby hoped she'd be angry at him. Yell at him for killing her friend and daring to show his face again. That she'd stay away from him.

But looking at the silver-eyed girl in front of him, he couldn't help but notice how different the atmosphere around her was from how he remembered it. Had he simply not noticed it? Or had something changed? Who was he kidding, of course, it had, Penny was gone and he'd killed her. Hopefully, he could help her but he wasn't counting on it. With a deep breath, he took off his helmet and spoke.

"Team RWBY? Is that really you?"

 

[LordofBones]

*Ruby tried to attack Jaune with Crescent Rose but was stopped by Polarity from Pyrrha. The scythe was inches away from Jaune's head.*

Jaune: Crow taught you well. *Jaune put his palm on the scythe part of Crescent Rose.*

Click to shrink...

Jaune: "And like your mentor, you mistake bootlicking servitude for heroism and glory. Poor little Spring, all your best efforts, all your idealism, and your hands are more crimson than even your cloak."
Jaune: "You shed more blood in one quest than I could have in a thousand years."

Weiss is fighting Jaune at the stage, sword clashing with sword.

Jaune: Your resistance is admirable.

Weiss: Shut up! What do you even know about me?!

Click to shrink...

Jaune: "Did you think I know nothing of you? Traitor to her own kin, forever chasing a meaningless goal? Fool. The crown was lost the moment the moment you left the North. What will you do when I am gone, Maiden of Winter? Raise an army, return to North, depose your brother and proclaim yourself queen? You, who traded statecraft for the blade and the burdens of crown and throne for simple nights around campfires? What praises have you deluded yourself into believing they will sing when you tear the crown from your brother's head for the crime of being your father's child?"

Blake is fighting Jaune

Jaune: Blake Belladonna, you have my respect.

Blake: Why?

Click to shrink...

Jaune: "For surviving, Autumn. You, who betray everyone and everything you touch, claiming to fight for the oppressed when all you do is lead them to their ruin. That you have survived this long, deluding yourself into believing that you fight the good fight when all you do is destroy those you claim to champion, is nothing short of divine providence."
Jaune: "A thousand, thousand of your own kin spit on you and all that you stand for. You think I attacked your city, seized your parents? Your people opened the gates to me and offered me the Crown of the Isles. Your father wept and threw himself at my feet, begging for mercy for you."

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha facing Jaune.

Ruby: Our bonds are stronger than you think.

Click to shrink...

Jaune: "Bonds? You forsook your own sister, Winter plans on usurping her brother for the crime of being an obstacle to a throne she has no idea how to rule, Autumn runs and runs from everyone and everything, and my own general decided that the whispers of a broken wizard and the lure of prophesized destiny were enough to forsake everyone and everything who loved her. I have indulged this farce long enough."
???: "Wait!"
???: "I...Mercy. For them, I plead mercy."
Jaune: "I am not in a merciful mien this day. Storm, Thunder, deal with them-"
Yang: "Then I offer myself for them. Lord or not, Darkarc...I am still the Summer Maiden, and I am still Queen here. Your rule will need legitimacy...husband."
Jaune: *smiles a quiet, victorious smile*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Audience: "HOLY SHIT."
Ironwood: "HOLY SHIT."
Qrow: "I don't lick boots!"
Whitley: "Hello, is this Cooper Consultations? Do you have any solutions for "insane sister out to take my head"?"
Adam: "It's TRUUUUUUUUE! She BEEEEEETRAYED ME!" *sobbing*
Salem: "Crikey, this guy is really good. He should go professional."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Nora was staring intently at Jaune. Usually this wasn't a huge issue: She often stared at others for a variety of reasons, ranging from figuring out what to get them for their birthdays to contemplating if she could make cutouts for pancakes in their silhouettes.



However, at the breakfast table in the cafeteria, Jaune had a sneaking suspicion that Nora had a different object in mind with her intense stare.



Jaune cleared his throat.



"Yes Nora?"



Nora beamed.



"I think your Semblance is cool, Jaune!"



Weiss blushed. Yang grinned. Blake sighed dreamily. Ruby stammered, her own cheeks burning bright red. Pyrrha's smile became rather saucy. Ren tensed.



"I uh... Thank you? It's pretty fun, sometimes," he admitted. Okay, he was still dealing with the issues of his existence but he had to admit, it was pretty neat.



Nora nodded.



"Think fast!"



She tossed Magnhild at him, and Jaune, out of reflex, reached up to catch it in both hands. Ren actually gaped at her as Nora beamed. Team RWBY and Pyrrha collectively gasped. Pyrrha in particular leaned in to Jaune as he bowed his head, the great hammer held in his hands above him.



"J-Jaune? Are you all right?" She asked worriedly.



Jaune threw his head back and laughed. It was loud, boisterous, and utterly unrestrained.



"Nope! Name's Ivan, Lass! Hey Nora!"



"Yes Ivan?" Nora asked eagerly, gripping the edge of the breakfast table in anticipation.



"Wanna see who can headbutt the most Grimm to death?" Ivan asked with a broad grin.



Nora gasped.



"I do!"



"Wait, hang on-!" Pyrrha shouted, but Jaune and Nora leaped up and ran for the doors, cackling with glee.



Ren's eyes narrowed as he went for Storm Flower.



"Ladies," Ren stated, cold as ice, "If you'll excuse me..."



- - -



The others all chased after him too, of course. They were too deeply infatuated with Jaune not to.



But Ren knew Nora. He knew she could be subtle and stealthy when she needed to be. When she wanted to be alone with...



His grip tightened on his weapons as he dashed through the Emerald Forest. Already, despite his intense focus and control, despite his Semblance... The self recriminations were flying through his head.



Did she... Did she finally get tired of waiting? Did I make her upset? Did I do something to make her think Jaune is a better choice...?



Ren didn't resent Jaune. On the contrary, he saw Jaune as close to a brother as he could. They'd only known eachother for around a year but after all they'd been through, they had become friends. A respite from the feminine chaos that dominated their lives. He was a capable leader and Ren trusted him with his life. He trusted him with Nora's life.



That wasn't an easy thing... Yet... If Nora truly wanted Jaune more than she wanted him...



His heart clenched hard at the thought.



Anger flared in his breast... Then shame.



I was a fool to think she'd wait forever, he thought to himself, dashing through the trees at breakneck speed, If she saw something in Jaune... If he was willing to reciprocate... What right do I have to stand in their way? As long as she's happy... That's what matters...



Right?



He heard the sounds of Nora's grenade launcher. He sped through the trees, hopping off tree trunks in his haste, before he broke out into a clearing dominated by a small creek.



An Ursa went down with a gurgle, its head crushed into pieces. Standing over it, holding up Magnhild and his forehead dripping with blood, Jaune (Ivan, he thought) grinned up at Ren. Nora, nearby, had crushed another Ursa's skull with her own, and was celebrating.



"Ren! Bro! Glad to see you!" Ivan winced and rubbed his forehead, as it was already healing, "Having some trouble with the technique! Gotta practice a lot!"



Ren's fists clenched around his weapons.



"I see," he whispered.



Ivan stared at his friend, as Nora whooped and celebrated behind him. He grinned toothily.



"You should just tell her, friend. I have no interest in my battle sister," he said firmly.



Ren started. He shook his head.



"Then why...?"



"Because she thought it would be fun," Ivan snorted, "You idiot. Do you really think she'd love anyone but you?"



Ren's lips thinned. He looked down in a burst of shame.



"I... I'm sorry-"



"Don't be sorry, damnit!" Ivan huffed. "Be a man, Ren."



"RENNY!"



Nora cheered and leaped over Ivan's dissolving Ursa, and embraced him as tightly as ever. She beamed up at him.



"Ivan's almost got the technique! He's not as good as me yet, but I'm sure he will be! You wanna try?"



Ren blinked slowly. Red crawled up his neck.



"Ah... I um..."



He felt a strong hand on the back of his head. This hand shoved him forward. His lips met Nora's. Their teeth bumped together and their noses ground past eachother...



It was... Perfect.



"Oops!" Ivan chortled. "My bad!"



Ren and Nora's lips parted. They stared intensely at each other. Nora licked her lips, a gentle blush on her face.



"That... That's okay, Ivan," Nora managed.



"More than okay," Ren mumbled.



"Welp! You two get to making me some nieces and nephews!" Ivan boomed. "I'm gonna get some whiskey, then gonna pound whoever I run across in the forest! Grimm or girl! They all get the hammer!"



A pause. Ivan's grin widened



"The hammer is my-"



"We get it!" Ren said quickly, as Nora giggled.



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

One idea I have seen a few times, but rarely done well, is Pyrrha coming back as an antagonist. I mean you've got your Grimm!Pyrrhas and so on but let's think about a slightly more plausible and interesting scenario. All it requires is a little world building, and one crucial change to the battle with Cinder.

Originally, Pyrrha wasn't going to be vaporized. There was a model of her dead body and everything, though ultimately this was seen as too dark. So instead, let's have it that Cinder doesn't vaporize Pyrrha. Ruby still shows up, still uses her Silver Eyes Blast, and Cinder has to retreat.

An Atlas Specialist team in a gunship that's been rigged to not pick up the virus flies in. Originally it was tasked with retrieving Penny, but they spot the battle on the top of Beacon Tower and investigate after gathering up Penny. They just miss Cinder escaping and Qrow carrying Ruby away, but they find Pyrrha. Who, despite Cinder's best efforts, is only mostly dead. Her soul is just barely hanging on.

The team leader and medic jury rig some of the tech used to preserve Penny's soul on Pyrrha, and they get her to Atlas ASAP. It takes a long time and a lot of work from their best medical and cybernetic specialists, but they do restore Pyrrha to life.

Unfortunately her memories are pretty fragmented. It'll take time for her to truly be who she used to be... And unfortunately, agents of Jacques Schnee get wind of this and target Pyrrha. Jacques wants his own enforcer, and if he can't get Penny? He can get a girl who nearly beat a Maiden all by herself.

Eventually Pyrrha "dies", the project is deemed a failure and Ironwood buries it... But in reality, Jacques Schnee has the Invincible Girl as his personal assassin and enforcer.

So at some point when our heroes get to Atlas, they encounter a redheaded girl thwarting Cinder's schemes but also thwarting Ironwood and their efforts to stop Cinder. It's a game of cat and mouse until Jaune manages to knock her mask off... And..

"Pyrrha?!"

"Who the hell is Pyrrha?"

Thus, instead of Ironwood being a disappointing and nonsensical final boss, you get a cyborg mind controlled Pyrrha as a threat all her friends have to fight and hopefully wake her up out of her mind control.

 

[Fusion Blaster]

Okay idea that can definitely go dark
Jaune is a isikai... but the who he was in his previous life he tried not to be after after Beacon... he decides
if being the hero didn't work
time to go back to what did
time to be a King, a Wizard and a Scientist.
IF he could not be the hero to his friends


Well....

Ruby walked towards the work shop Jaune had hold up in for nearly a week. Since the fall he had changed. His temper was shorter his time for his friends shorter still. She opened the door and found him standing before a forge banging away.

"Jaune!"


He was facing away form her clad in a green tunic covering full armor showing no hints of young knight she knew.

"Jaune?"

He answered but his tone of voice was different then his usual. Deeper it seemed calm on the surface but hiding the rage Ruby knew he had been fighting to contain.
"No. He is dead. Jaune Arc is dead." he continued hammering away at what was before him.

"What?"

"He died when his partner shoved him into the locker for beaing WEAK. I can tolrate that weakness NO LONGER. He was a fool. Perhaps a well meaning one but a fool non the less. This world is no place for a fool.

Ruby came closer seeing what he was hammering at as he put down the hammer. A metal mask glowing from the heat.

"The body you see before you is now reborn." His gauntleted hand took the mask and while the other pulled back the hood of his tunc revealing his helmted head all but sealed from teh world but the front she could not see and before she could stop him he placed it upon seemingly his own face sealing himself in.

Suddenly it he began to glow with unknown to her power.

"Cinder and her mistress will now know the folly of thier actions. For they have drawn the emnity of... "

VICTOR
VON
DOOM!

 

[SharkCultist]

An interesting thing about beacon is the temporary class slot.

Every few weeks the class changes to something else. From semblance experimenting, to cooking, to foraging. It's meant to give every student a little skill in everything, and if they want to continue a certain path then there's a associated extracurricular club.

Currently the class is on semblance experiment and so far Jaune is having a interesting time.

He's learned that his semblance can be a broad boost or a more limited but stronger boost.

So far he can boost aura shield, strength, reaction time, semblances, and healing. But he can tell there's more.

Jaune: "Hey Cardin tell me if this feels funny."

So Jaune pushes deeper with his aura. Past the surface all the way down to what makes Cardin, Cardin.

And he finds something. Something so weak it's barely there. So Jaune does what Jaune does. And boosts the shit out of it.

And with a bright flash and a scream things get wild.

*Beacon infirmary*

Nurse peach: well good news boys we figured out what happened.

Jaune: awesome!

Nurse peach: and we're pretty sure it's irreversible.

Jaune: not awesome.

Nurse peach: so if we go back a looooong time in the Winchester family history it turns out one of his ancestors was at the battle of brightmor.

Jaune: which one is that?

Nurse peach: the one with the holiday ceasefire that turned into a orgy.

Jaune: ew.

Nurse: anyway his great to the 40th power grandfather left that battle a year later with twin kids and never disclosed who the mother was.

Jaune: so?

Nurse: she was a faunus. The kids didn't have visual traits but still carried the genetics. Which you found in Cardin and boosted.

Cardin: I'm stuck like this?!

*Pulls back a curtain from one of the hospital beds revealing that Cardin has gone from 6'2 jock to a 4'5 ginger rabbit faunus with a pretty boy face*

Nurse: that is what I'm saying yes. But there are upsides.

Cardin: like?

Nurse: well for one you're actually stronger and faster like this. You didn't lose any muscle mass it just got dense as hell.

Cardin: oh good that'll make beating Jaune to death easier.

Jaune: hey what the hell?

Cardin: you turned me into a twink you- what smells like cinnamon?

Nurse: ah yes the downside.

*Nurse raises the blinds covering the window revealing velvet pressed up against the window with heart eyes*

Nurse: it's mating season.

Cardin: fuck.

Nurse: exactly. You should probably run before she remembers she has super strength and that this is regular glass.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

So Weiss ended up skating alongside Jaune. It didn't mean anything! The idiot could barely stand on his skates, and Weiss was the expert. Nobody teased his other female friends for helping him out, did they?

Of course not!

"Thanks Weiss," Jaune said gratefully, wobbling a bit on his skates before he managed a glide forward with her. She held onto his arm to keep him heading in the right direction.

Which was the only reasons she was in such close contact with him!

"Y-Yes, well," Weiss sighed, "I suppose I should help one of my mother's friend's children. It would make me look rude to do otherwise."

"Save some of that couples skate for me, Weisscream~!" Yang taunted, skating past aggressively, "Don't get too carried away with her, Stud!"

"SHUT UP!" Weiss growled, her face burning bright red. Jaune coughed and decided the best tactical decision would be to move past this awkward subject.

"Yeah, uh... I mean, I had no idea myself," Jaune admitted, "My dad told me all kinds of stories about his Hunting days with my mom and my godparents but he didn't get very specific with names. Or at least that specific."

"Hmph, I bet you just weren't paying attention," Weiss huffed.

Jaune chuckled and shrugged helplessly.

"Pr-Probably?"

It did not make him look cute or endearing. It was just annoying. Weiss sighed as they made one last lap around the rink. Dozens of children, adults, and old couples were scattered across the artificially frozen pond, making it crowded. Ren and Nora were skating with ease nearby, Nora twirling, falling down, and laughing. Pyrrha and Yang were now skating competitively, though both had eyes on them all the time. Ruby tried to skate... Slipped... Fell... And got up again, cursing up a storm.

Blake had gotten some ice cream and was just watching from the sidelines. Coward.

Finally, the crowds got to be too much, and teams RWBY and JNPR left the rink and turned in their skates. Klein greeted them with water bottles, which they all took gratefully.

"Thank you Klein," Weiss said with a nod.

"Elegant as always, Miss Weiss," Klein chuckled. He turned a sardonic eye towards Jaune. "And you have the same skills as your father when it comes to the ice: None."

"H-Hey!" Ruby pouted, "Why didn't you help me, Weiss?"

"Because you were not in danger of killing yourself every five seconds," Weiss deadpanned. Jaune flushed and shrugged.

"She's not wrong," he said.

"You could always skate with me next time, Jaune," Pyrrha suggested.

"Or me! I tried hockey when I was little! It's way more fun than the fruity little steps Weisscream was doing!" Yang chuckled.

"E-Excuse you?!" Weiss growled.

"YANG! RUBY!"

Ruby's eyes went wide in happy shock. Yang turned and stared. A tall, tanned blond man in brown shorts and vest over a light yellow shirt waved and beamed at them.

"DAD!" Ruby cheered, using her Semblance to accelerate and tackle her father in a hug. The man caught her and laughed. Yang grinned and waved.

"Hey Dad!" She greeted him. She looked to her friends. "Guys, this is Taiyang Xiao-Long: Our dad!"

"Well I wanted to check out the festival before the matches began," Taiyang chuckled, walking up and beaming. Weiss cleared her throat and decorum took over.

"Hello Mister Xiao-Long," she said, "I am Weiss Schnee."

"Blake Belladonna," Blake volunteered, still smugly licking her ice cream cone.

"Pyrrha Nikos, sir," Pyrrha introduced herself with a slight bow.

"Nora Valkyrie!" Nora cheered.

"Lie Ren," Ren stated with his own slight bow.

"Jaune Arc," Jaune said with a smile. He extended his hand for a handshake. Taiyang stared at him in shock. "Er... Sir?"

"... You wouldn't happen to be Isabel and Nick's son, would you?" Taiyang asked, eyes narrowing. Ruby, concerned, moved between her father and Jaune. Yang took up a defensive position on Jaune's right, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Uh, yes sir," Jaune nodded. Taiyang growled.

"Woah! Dad, uh, whatever beef you might have with Stud's Dad-" Yang tried, but Taiyang's scowl deepened.

"'Stud'?"

"It's just a nickname!" Ruby said quickly, waving her hands with a nervous smile.

"For her boyfriend," Nora suggested.

"NORA!" Yang, Jaune, Ruby and Weiss hissed. Nora blinked.

"Ohh, that was supposed to be a secret! My bad!"

"Boyfriend, huh?" Taiyang growled. Yang coughed.

"Ah, um, well, it's not official-It-It was a joke! Honest!" Yang insisted, as Taiyang loomed over Jaune. His Aura began to burn like gold, and his eyes flashed red. Jaune gulped.

"R-Really! I swear, we're just friends!"

"The best of friends!" Pyrrha insisted, her polite smile very strained.

"Super Besties! That's all!" Ruby threw in, backing up against Jaune's chest and spreading her arms out as a shield. Jaune looked over to Ren for help, but the stoic boy shrugged.

Blake continued to look smug. Klein sighed.

"HEY GUYS!" Nick Arc boomed. He strode over towards them, the crowds parting for the giant man like the sea for a supertanker. Isabel and Willow walked just behind him, shooting each other angry glares. "How was skating? We tried a ring toss game, and then we-"

Taiyang turned and glared furiously at Nick. Nick stopped short, and scowled. Isabel's eyes widened in recognition, as Willow looked concerned.

"Nick Arc," Taiyang growled.

"Tai Xiao-Long," Nick boomed back, his eyes glowing.

What the hell is going on?! Weiss thought frantically, finding herself straying closer to Jaune.

The two men then grinned.

"You son of a bitch!" Nick laughed, walking up and holding up his hand.

"Same to you!" Taiyang chuckled, clasping hands with him. They grinned, then slammed their heads together. The impact was as loud as a gunshot, and many people turned to stare at the two.

Isabel sighed in some relief. Willow continued to frown.

Klein looked like he dearly wanted to roll his eyes as the two men hugged tightly.

"Hahahaha! You look great, Tai!" Nick cheered, slapping the shorter man on the back.

"And you look as healthy as ever!" Taiyang grinned. "You already meet my girls?"

"Yup! Fine young Huntresses-in-training!" Nick laughed. "Met my boy?"

"Yeah," Taiyang scowled at Jaune, who gulped. "He's dating my oldest!"

"It was a joke, really Dad!" Yang again insisted.

"Really Tai, you need to calm down," Isabel sighed, walking up to him. Tai stared at her for a moment and smiled.

"You look great, Isabel."

"As do you, thank you," Isabel replied with a smile. She hugged him. "Mm! Honestly, you were worrying us for a while. Not a word in years!"

"A word in-You guys were friends too?!" Ruby gasped.

"We were in Beacon at around the same time," Isabel explained.

Tai grinned.

"Your father had lived in the woods his whole life and didn't know was a flush toilet was."

"I figured it out just fine!" Nick pouted.

"And your mother was very civilized," Tai grinned, "A little too civilized."

"I loosened up, thank you very much," Isabel snorted, "You were just idiots! You and-"

"Oh hey Qrow!" Nick said with a wave. The dark haired man walked up, scratching his cheek as he eyed them blearily.

"Yo Nick, Izzy. Didn't know we were having a class reunion-URK!"

Nick hugged him tightly and laughed. Qrow coughed.

"N-Nice to see you too, big guy!"

"You just stopped talking after a while!" Nick complained, setting Qrow down. Tai frowned deeply, and looked to the side.

"Well... I mean... I tried, but... After Summer..."

A gloomy mood fell over the group. Qrow's face became stony, as did Nick's. Ruby and Yang both looked saddened. Weiss frowned and reached out to squeeze Ruby's shoulder. At the same time, Jaune took her hand. Yang's hand twitched at this, but she got a gentle, compassionate look from him. That let her relax a bit. Pyrrha looked solemn, as did Nora. Ren nodded his head and murmured a quiet Mistralian prayer. Blake gave her partner a compassionate expression as well.

Isabel hugged Tai again.

"It's all right," she said, "We can start back where we left off." She beamed and squeezed Taiyang's shoulder. He returned the smile. Qrow sighed as he pulled out his flask.

"Well, as long as you're not gonna pester me about the rules-"

Isabel's hand moved like a cobra and snatched away his flask. Qrow scowled.

"Hey!"

"Not in front of the children!" Isabel scolded him. Qrow glared and looked over at Nick.

"Nick, your wife's being mean to me!"

"Yes, she is," Nick observed with a grin.

"That's not unusual," Taiyang chuckled, immediately looking a lot better.

"You guys suck, you literally own a vineyard!"

"Which is why we can identify a problem drinker so easily," Isabel sniffed.

Taiyang turned back to his daughters and Jaune, and smiled. He held out his hand, and Jaune shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Jaune. Ruby writes to me about you all the time."

"Ah, she does?" Jaune asked.

"Only the good stuff!" Ruby insisted.

"So short letters?" Yang chuckled, wrapping an arm around Jaune's shoulders.

"There's plenty to write about!" Pyrrha insisted, scooting closer to Jaune.

Willow chuckled and a wistful smile came over her face. She caught Weiss's eye, and she shrugged gently. Weiss frowned a bit.

"Honestly, if they are dating you shouldn't worry, Tai," Isabel consoled Taiyang, "Jaune is a perfect gentleman!"

"So was Nick," Taiyang growled.

"Eh? I was?" Nick blinked.

"Compared to Tai and Qrow? Who wouldn't be?" Isabel sighed.

"HEY!" Both men protested.

"I-I swear, we're not dating!" Jaune insisted.

"Yet," Yang muttered to Jaune, making him turn red.

"So! Who's up for foam sword fighting?!" Nick asked cheerfully. Qrow sighed.

"Did you ever grow up?"

"Nope!" Nick grinned, "Sides, you're just afraid I'll beat you again."

Qrow's eyes narrowed. Taiyang coughed.

"Uh, Qrow-"

"You didn't beat me-"

"Yes I did!" Nick replied maturely. Qrow glared at him, flexing his fingers.

"You only won that one time because your wife threw a truck!"

Many eyes locked onto Isabel. She coughed.

"I was drunk!" She defended herself.

"How shameful," Willow smirked.

"Do not go there," Isabel glowered. Willow huffed.

"My money's on Nick wiping the floor with Xiao-Long's life partner."

"Brother-in-Law!" Taiyang said defensively. "Why does everyone make that assumption?! I married two different women for crying out loud!"

"Maybe they just think I'm slumming it," Qrow deadpanned.

"I'M THE ONE SLUMMING IT!"

The adults continued to argue childishly all the way over to the foam weapons dueling arena. Yang and Ruby met Jaune and Weiss's eyes. They all sighed.

"Do they have to act so immaturely?" Ruby grumbled.

"It's like they turn back into teenagers when they run into old friends," Jaune groaned.

Klein nodded with a wry smile.

"Sadly that is universal, Mister Arc."

"Seriously, getting all defensive like that! So what if I've got a boyfriend," Yang huffed.

"You don't," Weiss said angrily. Yang smirked and wrapped her arms around Jaune's. Pyrrha's eyebrow began to twitch.

"I could easily change that~."

"OKAY! Let's go somewhere else!" Jaune said quickly. "Th-That sounds fun, right? Let's do that!"

"YAY! Somewhere else!" Nora cheered.

"And stay clear of our parents for a while," Jaune mumbled.

"Why? How competitive could they be with foam weapons?" Weiss wondered.

A boom like thunder rang out. Qrow went flying into the air, holding a large foam broadsword. He shifted into the form of a bird and dove back, shifting back into human form to land a foam strike on Nick's massive foam bastard sword. The very ground rumbled from the impact.

"HA! Didn't even wind me!" Qrow taunted.

"That was just a warm up!" Nick taunted back.

Weiss, turning pale, grabbed Jaune's spare hand and began to pull him along.

"I see your point, go go go!"

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Isabel Arc can get drunk. She can adjust her internal biology to let it happen. Unfortunately when she's drunk...


Isabel: "JAAAAAAUUUUUUNNNNE!"



Jaune: "Ha?" Turns, pales "M-Mom-!"



Isabel: red faced, beaming, she leaps at him "JAUUUUUUNNNNEEE!"



Everyone else barely gets out of the way... Except for Jaune.



Jaune: "GAAAAHHHH!"



Isabel's tackle hug slams him into the ground, forming a crater. Isabel pulls herself and her son up and hugs him tightly, swinging him around.



Isabel: "My baby boy~! Oh my precious baby boy! Mommy loves you very, very much! Sooo muuuuuch!"



Jaune: "M-MOM! Cut it ouuuut!"



Isabel: sniffle "MY SON HATES ME! WAAAAAHHHH!"



Jaune: "N-NO! NO! OF COURSE I DON'T! I... I love Mom very much!"



Isabel: sob "OHHH JAUUUUUNE!" Again with the bone creaking hug



Jaune: "HURK!"



Ruby: "Ah, M-Mrs Arc, maybe you should-?"



Isabel: "CUTE PUPPY GIRL!" She pulls her into a hug too "YOU LIKE HUGS?!"



Ruby: "URK! L-Love 'em...!"



Isabel: "ME TOOOO!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



"TEAMS RWBY AND JNPR!"



Everyone froze. Yang cringed. Jaune and Ruby, as team leaders, slowly turned their heads. A familiar stern looking blonde woman stood there, her ever present riding crop tapping impatiently against her crossed arms.



"We didn't do it!" Ruby blurted out.



"Then why have I been getting reports of mayhem around here?" Glynda asked dryly.



"It's not always OUR fault!" Blake stated, yellow eyes narrowing. "This smacks of prejudice-"



"How many students have gotten involved in fighting terrorists?" Glynda asked dryly. Blake winced. Weiss, who had taken public speaking classes, finally got a word in.



"It was for a good cause?" Weiss weakly suggested.



"Also, we have not been involved in any mayhem at all, Professor," Pyrrha said, putting her acting lessons to some good use. She was just convincing enough to sell a box of terrible cereal, after all. Though as her infamous role in The Invincible Girl demonstrated, very little else.



Glynda sniffed.



"Indeed? Then who else-?"



A large commotion broke out at the foam weapon dueling arena, and Glynda turned to face it. Out of the fenced off area came Isabel Arc, dragging Qrow and her husband out by their ears. Taiyang and Willow followed at a safe distance, both looking amused.



"Owowowow-Honey!" Nick groaned.



"NO! No more destruction!" Isabel huffed. "Honestly, can't I take you anywhere?"



"You're just mad because I was winning!" Qrow grunted, then winced as Isabel twisted his ear. "OWOWOW QUIT IT!"



She yanked them both up and slammed them down onto their feet. She scowled angrily as Nick looked contrite and Qrow scowled.



"I was not mad about anyone winning!" Isabel huffed. "Though my Nick definitely was."



"HA!" Nick stuck out his tongue at Qrow. Qrow glared and shook his head.



"You were not! You're just biased! Tai, I was totally winning, right?"



"Well, on one hand, I'd love to say you were," Tai said carefully, "But at the same time, I also remember when Izzy threw me out a window."



Isabel's cheeks turned bright red.



"I-That was an accident!" One of the best doctors and most fearsome Huntresses on the continent protested, looking in no way like a contrite teenage girl. "You barged in on me!"



"He did what now?" Nick asked, suddenly very serious as he glared at Taiyang. The blond martial artist coughed and shook his head rapidly.



"N-No! I just walked in on her in the shower-"



Nick went for his sword. Qrow rolled his eyes and held up a hand.



"Calm down, Nick! He left his shampoo behind. You know how he gets about his hair. He had the same girly shampoo Izzy did!"



"It is not girly!" Taiyang protested, "Floral accents can be very manly!"



"Yes, that's all it was," Isabel sighed, "So I knocked him out the window before he could explain. I was in a towel. He didn't see anything, Nick."



Nick relaxed, and was all smiles again.



"Sorry Taiyang. You are a bit of a womanizer-"



"It was two women! Just two!" Taiyang groaned.



"But they were at the same time, were they not?" Willow asked, amused. Taiyang coughed and looked to the side.



"No comment," he muttered.



"Ah, so he wanted the full team," Nick said with a sage nod. He beamed and gave them a thumbs up. "Congrats, Tai!"



"NO I DIDN'T!" Taiyang growled. "WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK THAT?!"



"Oh no Tai, don't seduce me with your himbo ways too!" Qrow laughed. He tried to sneak a drink with a back up flask, but once again Isabel snatched it. "OH COME ON!"



"None of that! You need to set a better example for your nieces!" Isabel huffed. Taiyang smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.



"I don't think you can talk about good examples, Izzy. You walked in on Nick in the shower all the time!"



Isabel flushed and coughed.



"Because he nearly drowned himself the first time he used a shower!"



"First time, sure," Tai sniffed. "What about the other times?"



"So did I, but you weren't trying to save me!" Qrow smirked.



"You had Tai for that!" Nick chuckled.



"DAMNIT NICK!" Tai groaned.



Glynda watched the so-called adults argue for a bit longer. She sighed and pushed her glasses up to pinch the bridge of her nose.



"I see," she muttered. "Mister and Mrs. Arc? Mister Xiao-Long? Mister Branwen? Mrs. Schnee?"



Nick turned and beamed.



"GLYNDA! GREAT TO SEE YOU!" He cried happily. In an instant, he was upon her and hugging her tightly. The much slighter woman yelped, then used her telekinesis to pull his arms apart and back away.



"It's good to see you too, Nick," Glynda sighed, "And you as well, Isabel, Taiyang..."



She stared at Qrow.



"Qrow."



"Sup Glynda?" Qrow asked with a grin. Glynda raised an eyebrow at Willow.



"Mrs. Schnee."



"Hello Professor," Willow said with a smile, "Sorry. We're just catching up."



"Yes, I can see that," Glynda deadpanned. She sighed and looked back at RWBY and JNPR. Jaune, Ruby, and Yang were in various states of mortification. Weiss was sipping tea Klein had provided to calm herself, while Nora was pouting at the fight being interrupted. Ren remained stoic, patting Jaune's shoulder, as Pyrrha patted his other one consolingly. Blake was hiding her smirk as best she could.



"I see that you are not resposible for the mayhem here..." Glynda's eyes narrowed. "So far."



"We'll keep it that way?" Ruby offered weakly.



"See that you do," Glynda sighed. She turned back to Nick, who was beaming. "Please try to control yourself, Nick? I'm sure I don't need to give you another detention over the appropriate amount of strength to use?"



"Hey," Nick huffed, "I didn't start that door breaking contest! Tai did!"



"I have no idea what he's talking about," Tai said, looking up at the sky as the picture of innocence.



"I haven't heard this one," Willow said with a soft smile. Isabel sighed and rubbed her temples.



"No, you haven't. It's stupid."



"That's par for the course for all our stories, ain't it?" Qrow asked.



"Sad but true," Isabel groaned. She smiled weakly at Glynda. "Nice to see you again, Glynda."



"Likewise.... Mostly," Glynda allowed.



"So! How's my boy doing?" Nick asked cheerfully.



"DAD!" Jaune groaned. Glynda shook her head.



"Better than at the start."



"That's great!" Nick cheered. "Better than I could have hoped for! Great job, son!"



"Yeah, thanks Dad," Jaune managed weakly but with a genuine smile on his face. He shared it with Glynda, who gave the slightest hint of a smile back.



"You were always so great with kids!" Nick enthused, patting her on the shoulder, "I bet you're a great mom and wife, too!"



A pause.



"I'm single," Glynda stated flatly. Nick shrugged.



"Oh! Good for you!"



"It can be preferable in some instances," Willow opined, staring intently at Nick, "Though not in others."



"Yes, isn't it," Isabel growled, grabbing Nick's hand and shooting daggers from her eyes at Glynda. The green eyed blonde coughed.



"I uh... I'm not looking for anything like that with..." She gestured to Nick.



"Good," Isabel stated quietly.



Nora looked between the adults, and then slapped her hands against her cheeks.



"Oh my Gods," Nora cried, "PROFESSOR GOODWITCH ALSO HAD A CRUSH ON JAUNE'S DAD?!"



"No, of course not!" Glynda sputtered. "That's ridiculous!"



"Yes, yes, who would have a crush on him? N-Not me, that's for certain!" Willow laughed awkwardly.



Silence fell. Nick blinked in confusion and looked between all three women. Taiyang groaned. Qrow hid his laughter.



Nick chuckled and squeezed his wife against himself.



"You ladies should catch up! WHO WANTS TO PLAY BASEBALL? They've got a batting cage!" He cried.



"OOH! OOH! ME! ME!" Nora cheered.



"Good enough for me! Let's go!" Nick laughed. Taiyang and Qrow helped usher RWBY and JNPR away, leaving Glynda, Isabel and Willow in a stand off. Glynda shook her head at the deadly expression Isabel wore.



"I promise you, Isabel, I have zero interest in your husband," Glynda said.



"Not that there's anything wrong with that," Willow laughed, again very awkwardly.



Isabel sucked in a deep breath, and slowly nodded.



"Of course not," she said, managing a deadly smile, "Neither one of you has any interest... Nor had any chance."



Glynda's eyes narrowed.



"I wouldn't go that far."



"Neither would I!" Willow insisted. "You know, if things were different-"



"If they were, we wouldn't be having this pleasant conversation right now," Isabel said, a bit too cheerful as she clenched her fists. "For various reasons. Like mortal injuries."



Glynda sighed.



"You do realize I'm more powerful than you, right?"



"Oh?" Isabel asked, eyes narrowed, "Would you like to put that to the test?"



"I was pretty powerful back in the day myself, you know," Willow huffed. Isabel rolled her eyes.



"That why you needed us to save you every time one of your Glyphs failed?"



"They didn't fail all the time!" Willow sputtered.



"And as I recall, all of our matches were inconclusive, Isabel," Glynda stated, her tone dangerous. Isabel smirked and cracked her knuckles.



"Because I never took them too seriously, Glynda. Do you want me to change that?"



- - -



Yang looked up at her father as he ushered the teenagers into the batting cages.



"Uh, Dad? There a reason we ran away so quickly from them?"



"Yes," Tai said with haunted eyes. Nick patted him on the shoulder.



"Oh absolutely," Nick concurred. "But I'm sure they'll sort it out without killing each other."



"They always have," Taiyang sighed.



"You know, they're like this because you two are freaking harem protagonists," Qrow stated.



"How could that be?" Nick asked, "I only settled down with one woman! That's not a harem!"



"Same! I only married them one at a time!" Taiyang sputtered.



Qrow rolled his eyes.



"And oblivious ones, too..." He glared at Jaune. "Hey, Kid! You'd better not turn out like these two idiots!"



"Um, sure?" Jaune said with a shrug, "What are the odds of that happening, anyway?"



Yang smirked. Ruby blushed. Weiss pretended to be very interested in the statistics of the Valean Mountaineers Baseball Team, which was having another rotten season. Pyrrha's smile became a bit brittle as she hid a blush. Blake had cracked open a smut book and wasn't paying attention. Nora was already screaming at the non-existent umpire when Ren got a strike.



Qrow sighed.



"Godsdamnit, Kid..."



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Nicholas "Nick" Arc does not remember his original name. He was never told it. His earliest memories were at an orphanage run by a miserly scumbag named Heep in the city of Camelot on the island nation of Vytal (Also called Albion by the natives). He and the other orphans were beaten, starved, and used as cheap labor for factories and mines, while Heep reaped all the benefits and lied to the crown about how he spent his funding. The orphans were horribly abused. In sheer desperation, at the age of five, Nick ran away.



He stowed away on a freighter going across the Vytal channel to the Valean mainland. He disembarked into Gallia Province and survived on the mean streets of the provincial capital city, Lutetia, as a thief. He was caught by the police but managed to squeeze his way out of his cell and ran. He fell into a river, hit his head and was washed out to the countryside. He woke up in a monastery, where an old monk in armor with swords was tending to him.



Nick was shocked and didn't know why the old man was being so nice. So he asked why.



The old man said this was how it should be between all peoples. That they should treat one another with kindness and love. Nick was absolutely amazed at this. That anyone could think like this.



He asked if it was hard. The old man said it was the hardest thing a man could do... But overcoming challenges of this nature was what a man SHOULD do.



A Grimm burst into the monastery. Nick was terrified, but the old man killed the beast with one swing of his sword. Amazed, Nick saw how tall and strong this man stood. How he had not felt any fear or hesitated to strike down the monster. Nick begged the man to learn how to be so strong, and so kind. The old man smiled, and agreed.



The old man was named Ser Jaune Saint George. He was a Paladin-Monk of the Church of the Broken Table. He had been a mighty knight in the Great War, and had defended the Valean homeland as a soldier of the Valean Defense Force. He was famous for slaying a Grimm Dragon when he was young, a feat few could claim to have survived. But after the war, after all the pain and death he had seen and caused, he repented and became a solitary monk to atone. He trained Nick not just in swordplay, but also in helping others. They went to weed gardens, deliver milk, fix fences, plow fields, and other tasks and chores to aid the local people. Through this, Nick found a love of aiding others and in defending the weak.



He read the Good Book and some Mistralian comics that washed ashore, as well as tales of the saintly paladins of old, and swore he would become a great hero just like them.



When he turned seventeen, Jaune Saint George told Nick he had gotten him a place at Beacon Hunter Academy, as Jaune was old friends with Ozpin. Nick managed to pass the entrance exam, and then walked the several hundred mile journey down to Vale itself. During Initiation, he became partners with Isabel Arc, an aspiring doctor who had gone to Beacon to be a combat medic and get experience and money for her dream. At first Isabel was completely exasperated with Nick: While his master Jaune Saint George was a kind old man and a great teacher, he was also a hermit and had not taught Nick much about social graces or modern technology.



Yet Nick was a kindhearted if sometimes naive young man, who earnestly strove to help others. He was also loyal to a fault (though terrible with money and figures). He also had an incredible gift for combat: While a bit of an airhead and rather impulsive, in battle he was calm, focused, and fearless. As well as incredible adaptive and powerful. He and Isabel grew to become friends, and Isabel even let Nick use her last name as he had never had one of his own.



He did struggle a bit with Arjun Sarkara, his other teammate. Arjun's goal was to take back his kingdom from the Mistral backed Kauravas family, mobsters who had long coveted his family's kingdom and backed by Mistalian politicians who wanted its riches. The exiled crown prince of the kingdom of Pandu was arrogant and regarded Nick as a simpleton swinging a sword around.



They became rivals, striving to outdo the other. Arjun also mistreated Saia, his only remaining servant and the last teammember of Team SANI (Sanguine). They fought and argued relentlessly. Nick got along just fine with Saia, which irritated Arjun even more.



Team SANI was at first quite dysfunctional, as Isabel, while leader, tried too hard, Nick was too hotblooded, Arjun too arrogant, and Saia too meek to be an effective peacemaker. Over the years though, they went through battles with Grimm, Bandits, and other foes, and began to bond. They became the first Hunters in a century to kill a Grimm Hydra awakened near Radian, and were able to save Isabel's hometown.



This great feat when they were only third years at Beacon attracted Ozpin's attention, and he sought to make them another of his personal strike forces in the war against Salem. This became untenable though, when Team SANI realized Arjun's dream: Working with the local resistance and several other allies, they snuck into Pandu and overthrew the Kauravas. Mistral's government, upon seeing how these four young people had defeated an entire ARMY of hardened gangsters, decided to play nice and pretend they had never wanted them in charge instead of Arjun's family.



The sheer political headaches Team SANI had brought about ensured Ozpin would not employ them as his personal strike force, much preferring Team STRQ. They at least caused a bit less collateral damage... Overall.



Arjun and Saia, having fallen in love, married and Arjun was crowned King of Pandu. Nick and Isabel returned to Radian, where Nick proposed and Isabel accepted. Their own romance had been... Unconventional, to say the least. But it was a deep and abiding love they had for one another. Nick said that his brain and his heart didn't often communicate properly, but they always did their best around Isabel.



Isabel completed her doctorate in medicine with Nick's support, even as they had eight children. Nick became captain of Radian's militia, and was a popular figure around Radian. Isabel realized her dream to open a hospital in her ancestral castle, Arc-En-Ciel, and began to help and heal people across Remnant. Nick was very easy going with his wife, and only asked a few things of her. One of them being to name their first and only son, Jaune, after his beloved mentor and adopted father, who passed away peacefully from old age shortly after Nick and Isabel were married.



His primary weapon is a six foot long railgun sword named Blont Joyeux, or "Yellow Joy", in honor of his wife and later family. He also carries a few other swords he has collected over the years, ranging from short swords to zweihanders. In combat, despite his height and large muscular form, he can be very precise, fast and cunning with his longswords. He has immense Aura reserves and is incredibly strong and tough, even without armor. He can use Aura Slashes and Thrust techniques, emitting his Aura energy as a weapon at medium range. He keeps a smaller sword as a sidearm to defend against close up opponents rather than a shield. His Semblance remains a mystery to his friends and family: His incredible stamina, his superhuman durability, his unbreakable willpower are all potentially his Semblance.



However, Nick maintains his Semblance is "Being Awesome" and it's always on. Which is enough for him.



- - -



Lutetia is an ancient Roman name for Paris.



Jaune Saint George is a reference to Saint George, who according to legend slew a dragon.



Arjun, Saia, Pandu and the Kauravas are all references to the Indian epic the Mahabharata.



Nicholas himself is named for Nicholas Nickleby, a Charles Dickens character. Heep is named for Uriah Heep, the antagonist of David Copperfield, another Dickens novel.

 

[The Sleepless One]

Cowboys of Remnant: When Jauney Met Orly

She knew that she was perfect. She was the strongest, the swiftest, the most beautiful horse in all the herds of the Great Green Plains, a direct descendant of Epona and Shadowfax, Queen and King of All Horses. Her chestnut coat was glossy and full, her hooves shiny and sharp. She had slain Elder Grimm with one almighty kick of her back legs! With the power of her soul enhancing her, she could outrace any other creature on land, run on water, and even speed through the air if she so choosed!

Which was why she couldn't believe that she was unable to buck this human off of her back. She'd seen the massive cloud of dust on the horizon and had grown curious. against the warnings of her sire and dam, she'd galloped towards it, curious, and found the massive herd of cows, being guarded by humans riding her inferior brethren. She had nothing but disdain for the horses who allowed themselves to be ridden and had approached them to mock them. That was when the lasso had passed over her neck and the human had jumped on. That was when their battle of wills had begun.

The yellow-haired ape clung to her with tenacity and grit that she had never experienced from its kind before. Many a human had tried to capture and break her over the two years she'd strode the world but she had resisted them all, throwing them to the earth and escaping into the wind. A free and wild horse such as herself would never accept a rider.

But the human on her back was tenacious, egged on by his companions as they shouted encouragement to him. His silly legs, completely lacking in hooves, clamped tightly around her midsection and his rope wound around her neck. She could feel his soul scratch against hers, as he empowered himself enough to resist her twisting and jumping. She could feel his fear and hope and determination as their souls collided again and again. But strangely, no greed or avarice, like so many of the other humans who had tried to break her. Regardless of his motives though, she WOULD NOT allow herself to be chained to a disgusting little ape. Her life belonged to her and only her.

And so, she ran.

She ran away from the massive herd of cows and the other humans and horses. She galloped faster and faster across the plains, daring the ape on her back to stay there as she picked up speed.

And he still remained, despite the fear swelling in his chest.

In the distance, she saw the steep cliffs of a plateau rising up above her, and angled towards them. She felt the human's fear spike as she ran straight at the cliff face, before he was filled with disbelief as she ran right up the wall. As though this would be a challenge. With the light of her soul empowering her, she could run anywhere, on anything.

And yet, the human remained, his rope forgotten as he wrapped his arms around her neck and held on for dear life.

Well, if that wouldn't get rid of him, then she just needed to try a little harder. She still had plenty of energy left.

In the distance, she spied a lake and rushed headlong towards it. Once again, the human's soul filled with fear but also... trust? Trust in her. She ignored the strange feelings that realization woke in her chest and galloped ever faster. She expected him to leap from her back as soon as he saw where she was taking him, but he still he clung to her, even as the lake grew closer and closer. She tore through the sandy shore and leapt into the surf, moving so fast and so lightly that the water was all but solid to her hooves.

And yet, he remained, still fearful but full of wonder and exhilaration as well.

She couldn't allow this! He didn't own her! She would never accept a rider! She was tiring but her determination brought out deep wells of strength and she ran on.

In the distance, she spied her last hope, the great waterfalls where the lake poured off of the edge of the plateau. She sped up even further, the wind tearing at her as much as she tore through it. She could feel the exact moment the human saw the falls, as his fear spiked even higher than before. But then, it was pushed aside. His fear was resisted by his courage, which in turn was bolstered by his confidence and trust. In her. He believed wholeheartedly that the both of them would be fine. The air screamed as she leapt over the edge of the falls and the human screamed with it. His cries changed to a whoops of disbelief and amazement as she began running on the wind.

Her rider remained mounted on her back, arms thrown wide and howling with joy and freedom. And she, despite all her efforts, was exhausted

She descended back to the earth, slowing down to a canter, then a trot, then a walk, before coming to a stop at the banks of the river that flowed out from the falls. Her sides shuddered with exhaustion and lather poured from her mouth as she lowered her head to drink.

Her rider dismounted and stumbled away, eventually falling on his rear before collapsing onto his back, panting as though he'd been the one doing the running. She snorted in amusement at him. Strangely, she felt no desire to escape from him. He'd won, after all.

The human laughed an exhausted laugh, staring up at the brilliant blue sky. "Looks like I tuckered you out, eh girl?"

She snorted again and gave him a sidelong glare but didn't contest him. He'd absolutely tired her out.

He rested a bit longer before slowly getting to his feet and staggering over towards her, hand outstretched. She raised her head from the river as he approached, letting him run his fingers through her luxurious mane and up her neck to her head. He scratched behind her ears before moving down to rub her face. It was a most pleasing sensation, so she allowed it.

"Gonna need a name for you, girl," He murmured. "Howabout... Brownie?"

She bit him.

"Ow! Damn! Okay okay, not Brownie. Maybe... Chestnut?"

She bit him again.

"Ow! Breaker's balls that hurts!" He scowled while shaking out his hand before returning to rub her face. "Okay, what about... Cliffjumper?"

She shook her head.

"Hmm, Wavestrider?"

Another shake.

"Uh, Windrunner?"

Another shake.

"Widowmaker?"

A pause for consideration, before a reluctant shake.

"Uhhhhh... Sue?"

She chomped him extra hard for that one.

He took a moment to massage his aching hand and really think. "What do you think about Orleans? Orly for short?"

She paused, considering it, before finally nodding.

Her rider's grin put the sun to shame.

"Pleased to meet you Orleans. My name's Jaune. I'm honored to be your rider."

Orleans tilted her head at him before nuzzling his face. She... was strangely happy to have him.

Now, what was she supposed to tell her sire and dam?

 

[mgl1206]

Jaune is an effective team leader, it's just that having to lead team WBY is rapidly turning him homicidal.

Meanwhile, Ruby has a massive, massive inferiority complex over how well-oiled NPR are and how they credit Jaune for it. Alternating cooking days, each team member taking turns with their hobbies, friendship weapons (like bracelets, but lethal), "let's make fun of Pyrrha's commercials" nights, etc.

Click to shrink...

Now I need a fan fic like this.

———

Jaune wasn't sure how long he could take it anymore. Ever since after the dance, Professor Ozpin decided to make the teams at Beacon switch leaders with another team of their choice in their same year. Naturally being sister teams his team and team RWBY had chosen each other for the switch.

And only 4 days later, Jaune was regretting ever agreeing to it. Team RWBY, no offense to Ruby, was an absolute disaster. He wasn't even sure how Ruby even led them. All three of them were completely incapable of working together.

Oh for sure they were skilled fighters and could execute combo attacks with each other, but after two missions Jaune was absolutely certain. They had no idea how to actually fight together.

Sure they all trusted each other to fight but all of them fought as three separate individuals that occasionally supported each other but did not fight as a group. If one of them were to be ambushed they wouldn't even know it till after it had occurred. Absolutely no cohesion between any of them. The only exception MIGHT, and it was a very big one, was Weiss when she occasionally used glyphs to help the others take out bigger targets. But even then that was as far as it went.

He'd already made up several recommendations and training exercises for them to practice. Which he'd also be giving to Ruby later. Hopefully it's help them learn to fight together better.

But if only that was the only major issue. No there were also several other problems as well. Weiss was constantly trying to take over command, second question his orders, and would regularly incite conflict within the Team. Mainly with Yang, though Yang was also usually at fault for starting it while Weiss would end up escalating it. Blake, meanwhile, was far too indifferent to just about everything and was content to sit out of everything unless it involved the White Fang. Even when it involved discussions about missions and just about anything that involved something he said. Yang, meanwhile, would constantly joke and belittle everything. While also being on an extremely short fuse when set off.

How at all Team RWBY did as well as they did, Jaune didn't know. Ok, that was a lie, he knew exactly why. It was because individually they were all top tier fighters. And when something they couldn't take on came up Ruby would take lead and come up with some crazy plan that'd manage to work. But that kind of convenience mentality was going to get them killed. Even more so right now with them constantly doubting his orders. Both because they had gotten used to not being ordered and also because of his transcripts.

Which he could understand, after all, he was a fraud and had cheated his way into Beacon. His record Professor Goodwitch's Combat Class was self-explanatory, but they could at least acknowledge that he was the top when it came to leadership class.

And that wasn't even to mention how they were off missions. Arguments were extremely common with Weiss almost always being a part of it. And while Yang and Blake rarely fought, they didn't seem to interact that much either.

Yang would regularly head out to Vale to party and he'd already had to pick her up twice. Perhaps it was because she no longer had to worry about Ruby seeing her.

Blake would spend as much time as possible either reading her books or searching info on the White Fang and dragging the Team into fighting them. Something he had to put his foot down on as he wasn't about to have all of them arrested for vigilantism and cause property destruction on a mass scale. He'd had heard enough from their tales to know how it was going to end and he might as well save Professor Goodwitch the trouble of inevitably bailing them out and repairing the destruction they'd cause.

Weiss was at least far tamer in that regard and while yes he did have a crush on her, which he was getting over… slowly. He also couldn't help but be frustrated by the environment that she sometimes create around herself and her teammates. Sure he did see moments were Weiss would laugh and enjoy being part of her team, but compared to the other two she was also the one to create conflict the most.

He understood why though, a leftover effect of her home life due to her father and a desire to keep things in control. As a result he had to be the mediator over a dozen times already and keep everything as chill as possible.

Oh gods, he was making jokes like Yang! He just hoped Ruby was having a better time at it than he was.

———

Ruby was lost. She didn't know what to do and if anything, she was honestly feeling a bit left out and almost useless as a leader. If anything it was almost as if Team _NPR didn't even need a leader. It was like watching a well oiled machine at work. They knew how to work together, how to react to changing situations, and even to unknown ones.

Heck! They had over a dozen scenarios of how to respond should anyone one of them be knocked out of a fight. And the way they fought was also far more impressive than her own Team had ever been. Watching Pyrrha either take the vanguard position to cover for Nora as she switched to her grenade launcher to both fire at massed Grimm or too reload before jumping back as Nora rushed in with Shock and Awe to break heavier targets and keep lighter ones at bay. Allowing Pyrrha to care of distant or aerial Grimm. All while Ren dove in and out of the horde, keeping their numbers at a manageable level and occasionally planting bombs on more dangerous Grimm before it could reach Pyrrha and Nora.

It was all so seamless, like a well maintained and oiled mechashift weapon. And it made her feel useless. Jaune's team was too perfect. They covered each other's weakness and each of them knew when to cover the other. They could have completed their mission without a single help from her. Not only because they were strong, but because Jaune had made sure that his team if needed could work without him. They didn't need combo attacks because they were always fighting together, and only occasionally fought alone. A complete contrast to her team.

And that wasn't even counting how close knit they were. Even closer than her own team. Pyrrha was akin to an older sister to Ren and Nora while Ren was also the responsible brother when Jaune was away and kept watch over everyone. Sure Nora was a bit of a wildcard but apparently one that Ren and Jaune could mitigate fairly well as Ren always seemed to listen to Ren and Pyrrha only had to bring up something that Jaune had said to keep Nora under control. And even then they didn't try to suffocate her and would still let her have her fun, and would even join in at times. And Ruby couldn't be more jealous of how well Jaune led his team. His wasn't a group of friends like hers. His was an actual family. Perhaps a part of it was due to Ren and Nora being orphans, but for some reason, she was pretty sure they'd have still ended up the same even if they weren't.

Ruby turned to look at their team scheduler and all the things that were on it. Days on which who took care of laundry, cleaning, who was cooking -though that one only had Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren on it-, and even when and with who they'd train. Not to mention that they all had friendship bracelets -curtesy of Jaune- that had their names on it!

After seeing all this, Ruby honestly couldn't tell if she'd ever been a leader of her team or if she'd just been a figurehead. Perhaps she could ask Jaune for help.

———

So I think I made Team JNPR much more sane and perfect than Team RWBY but to be fair Team RWBY was a wreck early on and the only real conflict JNPR has was when Cardin blackmailed Jaune. So yeah, I'm relatively happy how this one turned out.

 

[SpaceK0k0nut]

The muse has struck. I humbly present: The New Teacher

---

For one Ruby Rose, getting admitted early into Beacon was a blessing and a curse in equal measure. A blessing, for now she'd be with her sister! And a curse, for she was two years too early and nono of her buddies from Signal were there.

Yang did try to help her, however "come on sis, it's gonna be fine~! You'll make new friends quick"

Ruby looked up from her sulking "Will I?"

Yang grinned confidently "Of course! Ohlookmyoldbuddiesbye!" Without missing a beat, the eldest sister was engulfed in a crowd of her old school buddies

Ruby had no time to stay dejected, for quickly a blonde boy sat beside her

"eep!" Ruby jumped in her own skin

The boy, slightly pale from motion sickness, only menaged a response between breathless reeaves "Sorry to- hrgk! -spook you" he weakly extended his hand "Jaune Arc"

Ruby looked between the boy's hand and his pained expression "Ruby Ro-" before she even finished her words, his hand shot back to his face in an attempt to hold back the tide of bile rising from his upset stomach.

For a moment, it looked like Jaune was about to make a mess on the floor with his breakfast, but in the last second a hand shot in front of his face, a barf bag now positioned between him and the floor

Jaune let go, his embarrasment and a mess on the floor thankfully averted. "oh thank you, Miss...?" He trailed off as the two teens looked to Jaune's unlikely saviour

She was tall and pale as a ghost, her raven black hair broken up by strips of grey, smartly dressed in a neat suit like a new employee going for a job interview, her only other distintive characteristic an large scar around her neck, like her head had been surgically attached to her body

"Frees, Caroline Frees." She smilled warmly before handing more barf bags to Jaune "There's more barf bags on the aft bulkhead" she pointed vaguely thst way "Honestly kid, motion sickness isn't that rare even with Aura, every airship has a barf bag dispenser somewhere"

Ruby stared confused "You're not a student."

"Well shit! I didn't even start and already look the part? I'm getting a good feeling about this job~" Caroline preened while seeting down on the oposite side of Ruby from Jaune

Ruby, and to a lesser degree Jaune, brightened up "Oh! You're a teacher? What class is yours?" Ruby asked excitedly

"Structural and Weapons Engineering" Carol's smugness was so obvious it could be heard

Ruby's eyes were stars "Ooooh~! Wait, didn't we have that in Combat School?"

"That was Weapon Smithing, my course is far more technical and... experimental. Plus, I also teach y'all how to build and fix infrastructure. You'd be surprised how ofted hunters gotta build bridges or repair curtain walls."

Jaune piped up "Oh, Uncle Anderson tells me about that all the time!" at Carol's raised eyebrow, he continued "He's a paladin of the Broken Table"

"Oh, that makes sense" Carol nodded sagely

The rest of the trip was overtaken by Ruby and Carol nerding out over a gamut of technicalities of mechashift and weapon design.

Upon arrival Carol gave both youth a pat on the back "Chin up! I can tell you both got what it takes to get in! Now, I gotta go greet my new boss, so no shenenigans on your first day alright?"

Ruby gave an excited salute, followed clisely by a slightly less excited Jaune

It didnt take a minute after Carol left before she heard an explosion. She aighed and shook her head, kids will be kids afterall.

Making her way to the vice-headmisstress' office was somewhat difficult, as Beacon lacked proper signage in its halls, something Carol was displeased about and made a mental note to make known to her new employers in the near future.

She knocked softly on the door. "Enter" Glynda Goodwitch answered from within

"Miss Goodwitch? I was told to report to you?"

"Please Caroline, just Glynda will do. Have a seat, please."

Carol sat down on the too small chair for her, while Glynda got up and served both a hot cup of coffee, when both ladies where sat, It didn't take a sip for Carol's face to scrunch up

"What in the seven hells is this flat swill?"

Glynda looked up at her new hire "Not your liking?"

"Not to my liking? How can YOU drink this slop?! This is no coffee, it's just dirty water with a ghost of a coffee's taste! I've had cups on work sites that tasted better than this! And they came from Atlas! No one on that tea-drinking HELL knows what a proper cuppa joe tastes like even if it hit then in the face! Fuck!" Carol wound down from her impromptu rant on Atlas' poor coffee culture and stared apologetically at her boss "I'm sorry, what were we talking about?"

Glynda chuckled "Your new job"

"ah, right..." Carol looked haunted

"It's fine Miss Frees, with the amount of... personalities we deal daily with here at Beacon, yours is a very refreshing break. Now, I reviewed you class curriculum and while I personally found it bare bones as is, I assume you did so in order to adapt to any eventualities?"

To her credit, Carol menaged to hide the fact that she whipped up the entire thing in an afternoon while drunk off her ass very well "Indeed that is so, I wanted to get a feel for how things are done here at Beacon this first semester before putting down a more detailed plan" she lied as easily as she breathed

Glynda found herself nodding along "Very prudent Miss Frees, can I call you Caroline?"

"Please, just Carol is fine. What about my package? Did it arrive?"

"It has been left in the main hangar, you should have access to it with you teacher's credentials"

"Good, good. What about my room? I did send the measurements for the furniture like you asked?"

Glynda cringed "About that..."

Later, in the evening, Ruby found herself beside her sister, retelling the events of the day alongside Jaune

"And then we met Weiss Schnee!"

Yang just short of laughed "Wow, meeting the new teacher and a world star in the same day, at least you aren't as lucky as Uncle Qrow"

"Hey, I met Pyrrha Nikos and my uncles are famous too!" Jaune said with a dopey smile

Yang chuckled "Yea but they're all weirdoes Vomit Boy and the Invincible Girl is way outta your league"

"Remember what I said Farm Boy" came from beside them under a window

the three startled teens turned to look at their bedroll neighbour, Carol

Yang was the first to break the ice "Why is a teacher here? Don't you have a room?"

Carol put down the gun she was fiddling with "The powers that be forgot to put the right sized furniture in my fucking room"

"Lenguage" Ruby chimed in

"Oh, go bark at another fucking tree, we're all adults here" Carol reaponded, still annoyed at menagement

"I'm sixteen" Ruby answered, now also annoyed

"Well, congrats, you're an adult to the rest of the world, want a cookie with that?"

The mention of cookies turned Ruby's mood around instantly "Yes please!"

Yang stopped her instantly "No Rubes! You'll miss bed time and wake up all tired tomorrow" she admonished

Ruby deflated, Jaune petting her head with a smll 'there, there' coming out of his lips

Carol chuckled "Tell you what, if you pass, come by lab and i'll treat you to some cookies"

"Yay" "Dont mind if I join" "Can I come too?" Ruby, Yang and Jaune each said

"Yeah, sure! I'll keep the door open"

It wasn't much later that Glynda called lights out

---

A/N: thoughts?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yang Xiao-Long was fine with running errands for Ruby, on occasion. It wasn't like she was a terrible sister or anything. That said, having to practically raise Ruby herself for the last few years until Dad got his shit together had worn on her.



Sure, maybe dumping her into the deep end to fend for herself on the first day of Beacon was cruel, but the truth was... Yang though she wasn't always gonna be there for Ruby. Best she figure out how to handle herself now.



So yeah, she was fine with doing some errands for Ruby. Having to go pick up Vomit Boy wasn't at the top of her list, but it did let her do some investigating.



Jaune Arc was a nice guy. Bit hapless, but a damn good leader and tactician. She'd given him that. He was also her little sister's best friend, and he was able to manage a team with a superstar like Pyrrha Nikos, a stoic badass like Lie Ren, and a hyperactive ball of chaos like Nora Valkyrie without significant issues. The guy was... Well frankly he sucked at combat, but he was getting better under training from all his teammates. Maybe he'd been held back or something. He certainly came off as a bit awkward: Probably why he and Ruby were natural friends.



She did appreciate that he could cook though. She wasn't a slouch herself, but Vomit Boy could whip up some great grub. Even Princess Weiss liked it (though she made it clear she had no romantic feelings). He even cleaned up for his team and helped them when they needed it.



Not that any of this stopped Yang from teasing him. He was cute when he was flummoxed.



Anyway! She'd been asked by Ruby to go find Jaune. He was late for their gaming session on the weekend. He'd been sneaking off and even Nora wouldn't spill the beans. And Yang was too curious to NOT figure this out.



So here she was, wandering around Beacon Campus, tracking Jaune's Scroll with an app on her own Scroll Ruby had given her.



"Maybe I should talk to Ruby about boundaries some day," Yang muttered.



She turned a corner and located the signal: It was coming from a room with several large windows on the walls and the double doors. Yang frowned as she saw that the doors were cut into two sections horizontally: One upper window was hanging open.



"What the...?"



She walked over, and peeked inside. Her eyes widened at the brightly colored room.



There was Vomit Boy all right, dressed in a yellow apron. He was changing the diaper on a small, silver haired Fox Faunus baby girl in a pink romper. At his side a pink-haired boy was tugging at his sleeve. Elsewhere in the colorful room filled with toys and shelves, a dark haired boy was running around yelling while swinging a toy sword around. A dark haired little girl was waving a plastic magic wand around over two silver haired twins, two boys. One was cheering and happy, the other looked scared.



Jaune finished changing the baby girl's diaper, and dressed her back up. He pulled her up into his arms and rocked her, as she cooed happily. He smiled at the pink haired boy. The boy held up a toddler book made of hardened cardboard.



"All right Luke, don't worry! We'll read it," Jaune said gently. Luke grunted happily.



Jaune put the baby girl into her carrier, and let her play with a teething ring. He then pulled Luke into his lap and opened up the book.



"Once upon a time..."



"HEY!" The boy with the sword pointed it at Yang. Jaune and all the children looked up. Yang was shocked at the sudden intensity in Jaune's eyes, as though he was scanning for a threat, before he relaxed.



"Hey Yang! What's up?"



"Uh, not much," Yang said, looking around at the nursery, "Rubes wants you for your gaming session."



"Oh, already?" Jaune sighed. "Yeah, my relief was supposed to show up but he's running late due to various things. So I've got to watch them until their parents come."



"You're yellow!" The boy with the sword shouted. "And have big boobies!"



Jaune scowled at him.



"Hawk! We don't say those kinds of things!" He scolded.



"Well, he's not wrong," Yang chuckled. Jaune gave her a long suffering look.



"Anyway... Everyone, gather round!"



The toddlers obeyed. Jaune stood up, picking up the baby and holding her.



"Come on, like we practiced," Jaune said. He clapped his hand on his thigh. The children clapped in unison.



"What are your names?" Jaune sang.



"Hawk Mombi!" The boy with the sword sang.



"Melanie Tsune!" The girl with the magic wand sang.



"Dariel Peach!" The happy smiling twin sang.



"A-Axel Peach!" The shy twin stuttered.



"Luke Oak," The quiet boy managed.



"And this is Beryl Port," Jaune introduce the baby, who squawked happily.



Yang was silent for a moment. Jaune blinked.



"Hm?"



So cute, she thought in her head, before she shook it. She snickered.



"You little guys might want to work on that song," she gently teased, "You're all..." She held her hand down to about the height of the kids, "A little low pitched."

"Hey, they're doing okay for kids," Jaune said defensively. Melanie walked up to Yang, her eyes big and shiny. The twins followed behind her, a bit more cautious.



"Are you a real Huntress?" Melanie asked eagerly.



"Sure am!" Yang bragged.



"She's my friend, she's on Ruby's team," Jaune said with a smile, "We're all training to be Hunters."



"Is she your girlfriend?" Hawk demanded loudly. Jaune coughed, as Yang grinned.



"No, she is not-"



"Aw, and here I thought you'd take the chance to look cool in front of the kids!" Yang teased. Hawk glared up at Yang.



"Jaune is totally cool! He chased the monsters away and he's the best villain for Super Neo Hero Rangers and-and..." He raised his sword up reverently. "He found my sword when he lost it! You're just a mean girl with big boobies! BWEHHH!"



Yang snickered a bit, as Jaune scolded Hawk some more.



"Don't say that! Be nice!"



"Yeah! She's a Huntress so she's super cool and you're not!" Melanie shouted.



"IS NOT! Jaune is way cooler!" Hawk defended his babysitter.



"Nuh uh! She's got-got arm gun thingies! That's way cooler than a sword!" Melanie argued back.



"Is not!"



"Is too!"



"Is not!"



"Is too!"



"Guys, guys! No fighting, geez," Jaune sighed, pushing the kids apart.



Dariel walked up to Yang and grinned. He dragged Axel along.



"Can we see your arm gun thingies, Yang? Can we? Can we?"



"Well," Yang chuckled and held Ember Celica out. Dariel reached out and touched it. Jaune gaped.



"Yang! Don't let them handle weapons! Are you crazy?!"



"What?" Yang said defensively, "There's no way they could activate-"



Dariel found her back up trigger mechanism and touched it. Yang, out of instinct, yanked her arm away as Jaune charged. He threw himself in front of the kids just as Ember Celica discharged. Yang's eyes widened.



"JAUNE!" She screamed, as Jaune went flying. She jumped over the low door and went to the fallen blond. "You okay?! Are you all right?!"



"WE KILLED JAUNE!" The twins began to wail. Hawk, Melanie, Beryl, and Luke all began to cry too. Jaune sat up, waving his arm.



"It's okay, it's okay!" He chuckled, rubbing his apron. He sighed as he looked at the large hole and burns around it. "Aw man, I really liked this one, too."



"What's going on?!" Boomed a loud voice. Jaune and Yang turned and looked. Professor Port was standing in the doorway, his weapon out as he scanned around. "Is anyone hurt? What happened?!"



"Ah, uh... Professor," Jaune began, but Hawk interjected with angry tears.



"Big boobie girl shot Jaune!"



"YEAH!" The kids shouted. Port frowned and looked over at Yang.



"Is this true, Miss Xiao-Long?" He asked, all hints of joviality gone. Yang winced, as the enormity of what might have happened hit her like a charging Boarbatusk.



Okay. She was reckless, yeah. But holy shit... How was she supposed to know any of these kids had Active Aura?! Even so... Shit... If Jaune hadn't thrown himself in front of them...



"It's all right, Professor," Jaune said, "It was my fault. I touched Yang's Ember Celica wrong, and it went off in my chest."



The twins looked at him in confusion, as did the other kids. Port scowled.



"Miss Xiao-Long, carrying weapons around helpless children is a dangerous risk at best."



"I-I didn't know there was a daycare here," Yang stuttered, "It won't happen again, I promise!"



Port glared and nodded. He looked at Jaune.



"Mister Arc, given your good work with the children, I'll write this off as an isolated incident. But make sure you keep your hands to yourself next time, and ensure Miss Xiao-Long stays safe. This could have ended very badly."



Jaune nodded, his face very serious and determined.



"I understand sir."



"But-!" Hawk protested, but Melanie grabbed him and glared.



"Shut up, stupid!"



"I'm not stupid, you're stupid!" Hawk growled.



The two began to fight furiously again. Dariel and Axel were still sniffling, but much calmer. Jaune sighed and looked to Port.



"So uh... Beryl is-"



"Ready to go? Good," Port chuckled. He walked over to the crying baby, and lifted her into his arms. He cradled her, and she soon stopped crying in favor of giggles. "Aw, my precious little one."



"Wha-She's your-?" Yang tried, but Port laughed and held up a Scroll.



"My youngest daughter! Isn't she precious?"



Yang gaped in stunned disbelief at the picture of Port with an incredibly beautiful silver haired Fox Faunus woman and about six children of various ages around them. Port chuckled.



"Aren't they all adorable?"



"They-they sure are," Yang tried to say, as her stupid brain began to imagine Port and the Fox Faunus woman in-NO NO NO NOT GOING THERE! NO!



"Well... This scare aside, Mister Arc, you've done a great job! Though I suggest you change your apron before it gets noticed," Port said dryly.



Jaune nodded, and ran to a nearby closet. Yang winced at the very serious look Port gave her. She lowered her voice.



"I'm sorry... It's not his fault-"



"I know," Port murmured, rocking Beryl to sleep, "He's also a very good man to try and protect you. Do not forget that."



Yang slowly nodded.



"Yes Professor," she murmured, and for the first time when he came to Port, she meant it with respect.



Jaune returned with a fresh pink apron, just as a very shapely strawberry blonde woman in pink and white combat clothing rushed in.



"Oh I'm so sorry babies! Mommy was busy with classes!" Professor Peach cried, picking up the twins and hugging them tightly to her breasts.



"Mommy!"



"Mommy!"



Peach smiled warmly at Jaune.



"Any trouble with my little darlings, Jaune?"



Jaune glanced at Port, who shook his head. He smiled.



"None whatsoever, ma'am. Just a little scare but we're all okay."



The twins began to tear up again. Jaune walked up and hugged them both.



"It's okay, it's okay," he murmured. They calmed down, and smiled.



"We love you, Jaune!" They chorused.



"Aw," Peach cooed. She beamed at Jaune. "You're going to be a great father one day, Jaune! Er, Mister Arc."



"Thanks Professor," Jaune said earnestly. She looked over at Yang, and her good cheer vanished. Her eyes narrowed a bit.



"Miss Xiao-Long," she stated, "I hope you're not going to carry your weapons around my children so freely next time you visit?"



"I won't! I promise!" Yang blurted out. Peach was back to smiles as she beamed at Jaune.



"I hope you enjoyed that recipe I shared with you! The Pasta Puttanesca?"



"Oh yeah, I loved it!" Jaune enthused.



"Wonderful! My brother-in-law is a master of it, I'll have him share more later!"



"Sheesh Peach, don't smother the poor young man," Professor Mombi, the librarian, stated. Yang winced. Mombi was infamous for how cold and harsh she could be-She rivaled Glynda Goodwitch in terrifying students. Her brown hair was in a bun so perfect it may have been made from steel, and her dark dress and jacket lended an air of menace to her. The fact she used cutting wires as a weapon so precisely she could cut apart Grimm with a wave of her hand made her even more fearsome.



Peach sniffed.



"I just like showing my appreciation, that's all!"



"Mama!" Hawk cheered, rushing up to hug his mother's legs. "Jaune was so cool! He took a blast from that Big Boobie Girl and didn't even flinch! He's the coolest!"



"Oh, did he?" Mombi chuckled, nuzzling her baby boy and kissing the top of his head. She smiled at Jaune. "Thank you for looking after them, Jaune."



"Not a problem, Miss Mombi," Jaune said, smiling back. Yang gaped at his ease around one of the scariest teachers around.



"Sorry I'm so late!" Nurse Tsune, a shapely raccoon Faunus woman shouted, as she rushed in, "Had to deal with some shrapnel injuries from a Dust grenade going off too early-SWEETIE!"



"MAMA!" Melanie cheered, rushing up to hug Tsune. She was lifted into her arms and laughed. Tsune beamed at Jaune.



"Thanks for handling this, Jaune. I know she can be a handful."



"Not a problem, ma'am," Jaune said firmly.



"Try to visit us when you can in the infirmary!" Tsune chuckled. She blanched. "Ah! Not what I meant!"



Jaune laughed easily, as Yang continued to stand in silence.



Port headed out, as did Peach and Mombi. Tsune followed soon after. Finally, a fourth year student came up. He was sandy haired and dressed in a simple school uniform. He grinned happily when he saw Luke.



"Luke!"



"Drake!" Luke said, becoming a lot more animated. He waddled into Drake's hug. The young man lifted the boy up and beamed at Jaune.



"Hey Jaune... Thanks a lot for handling this for me," he said, "I'm so sorry you had to do everything."



"Nah, it's fine," Jaune laughed, "You're about to graduate soon. I'm fine with helping you out."



Drake looked over at Yang, and smiled. He reached out a free hand to shake hers.



"Oh, uh, I'm Drake Oak. This is Luke, my little brother. Thanks for looking after him."



"Yang Xiao-Long," Yang returned, shaking his hand, "It's no problem."



Drake grinned at his little brother.



"I hope you were good for them today, Luke?"



"Yup," Luke said with a nod. Drake smiled again and waved.



"Thanks you two."



"Later!" Jaune waved. Yang waved with him, as Drake left. The room fell silent. Yang took a deep breath.



"Jaune, I... I'm really sorry," she said, "I swear I didn't know-"



Jaune shook his head, sighed, and smiled softly at her.



"I know you didn't mean to," he said, "But don't make that mistake again."



His tone was so serious it was like he'd aged ten years. Yang nodded slowly, meeting his eyes.



"I won't. I promise."



He winced, and rubbed his chest. Yang frowned in concern, and reached out to his shoulder.



"You okay?" She asked.



"Yeah... Aura's healing it all up," Jaune said. Yang looked around at the colorful room, and then back to Jaune.



"You... The way you jumped in front of that shot," she murmured. Jaune shrugged.



"Well... This is what we're here for, right?" He asked. "To ensure these kids have happy lives." He smiled. "I want them to be happy and grow up to be happy. I want them to have hope for the future. It makes me think... Makes me believe that all the hard work and tough stuff I go through is worth it, just for them."



Jaune beamed at her.



"Isn't that was a Huntsman is supposed to do?"



Yang smiled softly, and rubbed his shoulder. Her cheeks went a bit warm. He was just so... Sincere about it.



"Yeah... Yeah, I think so," she murmured quietly.



They sat there in comfortable silence... Before Yang's Scroll went off. She pulled away from Jaune, blushing bit, before she pulled her Scroll open.



"Rubes?"



"YANG WHERE'S JAUNE?!" Ruby wailed. "HIS SCROLL IS ON SILENT AND I CAN'T MAKE IT RING! ARE YOU OKAY?!"



Jaune moved into view of the Scroll camera and smiled at her.



"It's okay Ruby, we'll be there soon," he promised.



Ruby beamed.



"Okay! But you'd better hurry, Nora's gonna drink all the soda and-"



"Too late," Blake said blandly offscreen, as Nora's sugar high cackles filled the air.



"AHHH NO NORA NOT THE BEDS-!"



The screen went to static. Jaune sighed.



"Well, now I know how you get along so well with your team," Yang chuckled, "You're used to babysitting."



"Yup," Jaune sighed. He pulled off his apron and went to put it away, as well as pick up a few loose toys. Yang cleared her throat.



"H-Hey... You okay if I stop by again? I mean... When you're working?"



Jaune looked up, and smiled.



"Sure. If you want."



"Well," Yang sighed, "I made a terrible first impression. I want to make a better second... With a proper Yang!"



Jaune chuckled.



"Sounds good!"



- - -



The kids were borrowed from the manga/anime "School Babysitters", as was Drake Oak. I just changed their names to English equivalents.



This was originally a lot wackier in concept but it turned serious when I thought about what Hunters at a Hunters Academy might do to ensure their kids were safe. And what kinds of accidents might happen. Hope you enjoyed.

 

[The Sleepless One]

Cowboys of Remnant: A Symphony of Weiss and Gunfire

Weiss skated across the dueling ring, carried by her glyphs, as staccato rifle fire tore through the air behind her. Pirouetting, she raised Myrtenaster and conjured additional glyphs, charging them with dust and launching sharp shards of ice back at her opponent. Jaune chose to crouch down and deploy his shield, weathering the assault with admirable fortitude. Unfortunately, he'd made a mistake.

He'd taken his eyes off of Weiss.

By the time he'd looked up from behind his bulwark, it was too late, she was already upon him. Skating around, she struck his flank once, twice, thrice, before retreating, conjuring another glyph to deflect a return shot from Crocea Mors. None of the follow-up shots managed to touch her either, and the gunfire cut off as Jaune paused to reload. He kept one eye on Weiss through the whole process, staying light on his feet and dodging out of the way of a few ice spikes she sent hurtling towards him. After the last cartridge slammed home through the lever-action rifle's loading port, he swung the cocking lever out with one hand, letting the momentum of the action flip the rifle around the backs of his fingers and land firmly in his palm. He took aim once more around the edge of his shield but with an almost resigned air.

This duel was going... sub-optimally for the cowboy. The idea had been to let Jaune test out his new weapon and get a feel for its workings, but it hadn't exactly been going to plan. The gunslinger just wasn't meshing with the modified Crocea Mors. His rifle fire had lacked his customary inhuman accuracy and his sword strikes, while much improved by Pyrrha's tutelage, had been slow and awkward.

The Heiress really shouldn't be as happy about that as she was, but it was just so satisfying seeing Jaune not appreciate Ruby's gift. The cowboy's frustration was palpable as Weiss danced between strikes that had been much more coordinated in previous bouts. His attempts at integrating the rifle's shots in between slashes had resulted in him almost losing his grip on the weapon more than once.

Deciding to test her opponent up close, Weiss darted in and began striking from a variety of angles, taking advantage of Jaune's unfamiliarity with his modified sword. Myrtenaster's agile form was too fast for the pronged sword to parry effectively and Jaune was still too inexperienced with his shield to guard efficiently. Despite this, he put up an admirable fight, even as she needled his aura into the yellow.

In a fit of frustration, Jaune gave up on his sword entirely and switched over to battering her with his shield incessantly, which proved to be an extremely effective strategy, much to Weiss's chagrin. The shield bashes possessed too much mass and momentum for her to defend against effectively and Jaune's physical strength ensured every strike took a chunk out of her aura and rattled her bones. She chose to retreat rather than suffer more under the onslaught, back-flipping away to create distance. Jaune decided against pressing his advantage, instead sheathing the modified Crocea Mors and collapsing the shield. He grasped the hilt of the blade with both hands, giving the still encased blade some experimental swings before nodding to himself and taking a middle guard.

"That's an interesting technique, Jaune." Weiss called out across the ring, her sword held in front of her at the ready.

Jaune gave her a sheepish grin, setting her heart aflutter, before responding. "I'm jus' havin' some difficulties an' decided to fall back to somethin' tried an' true." His accent had a tendency to grow stronger when he was emotional, Weiss had noticed.

"Hmm, the longpoint guard popular among practitioners of the Pendragon School of Swordsmanship," She mused out loud. "Are you certain that's the wisest choice?"

His grin grew wider, "I reckon' we're about to find out, Miss Schnee."

She give him a smile of her own. "It seems so." And then she was upon him.

Now this exchange was much more like it! While Weiss was certainly faster than Jaune, his guard was admirable, and the sheathed blade of Crocea Mors often found its way into the path of Myrtenaster. Oh, there certainly remained some imbalance between the blade and its wielder, but it appeared that utilizing both hands allowed Jaune to minimize any issues. His return strikes remained powerful, the blows ripping through the air around Weiss as she dodged them all. A single one of them landing would spell disaster for her Aura levels and the force behind them could knock her flying.

The duel continued for quite some time, neither combatant willing to disengage from their melee. Weiss was truly enjoying herself as she crossed blades with Jaune and the wide grin on the cowboy's face seemed to indicate he felt the same. But all good things had to come to an end eventually, and this one came to a close due to inexperience and mechanical error.

The heiress saw the exact moment that Jaune lost. How an adjustment of his grip upon his sword triggered the shifting mechanism. How the collapsing crossguard and twisting blade caught him off guard and left a hole in his defenses. One that Weiss was compelled to exploit ruthlessly. Myrtenaster darted out, catching Crocea Mors on the hilt. With a forceful twist of her wrist, Weiss wrenched the sword out of Jaune's hands and sent it spinning across the ring, landing with a clang out of bounds. She brought the tip of her rapier to the empty-handed man's throat.

"Yield," she demanded triumphantly.

Jaune froze, frustration crossing his face for a moment, before taking a deep breath and smiling at her. "Well played, Miss Schnee."

She returned his smile with a genuine grin of her own as she lowered her blade. "Thank you, Jaune."

"Awww, come on!" Came a cry from outside the ring. Weiss and Jaune both turned to look at the source, one Ruby Rose. She cradled Crocea Mors to her chest and wailed. "My baby! Abused so heartlessly by my partner! How could you, Weiss?" She glared at the white-haired girl through eyes full of tears.

"Ruby, weapons are expected to hold up the stresses of intense combat," Weiss replied pointedly. "And we were testing out the sword in a combat scenario after all."

"But you didn't need to fling him across the ring. That was emotional abuse!" Ruby cried, holding the sheathed blade up. "Apologize! Apologize to Crocea Mors!"

Weiss flushed with indignation. "I will do no such thing!"

With a burst of rose petals, the little red reaper appeared right in front of the heiress, waving the sword into her face. "Apologize!"

The white-haired girl ducked and weaved out of the enthusiastic thrusts of her partner. "I!" Dodge. "Will!" Twist. "Not!" Duck.

"Ruby, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, I don't think Crocea Mors would care all that much. He's certainly been through worse. Much worse," Jaune intoned as he stepped forward to separate the two girls.

"Oh, fine!" Ruby acquiesced with a pout. "I guess that's not all that important right now." She turned to hand the blade back to Jaune. "So, how'd he do?"

Ruby was an intelligent girl, with a knack for fighting. Judging from the expression on her face, she already knew the answer, but Jaune's wince still drew an answering one from her.

"Everythin' worked flawlessly, Ruby," Jaune replied, taking the sword from the girl's outstretched hand. "But I just... can't seem to get the hang of it. The balance of the sword is off, I just can't seem to aim the rifle right, and switchin' modes in the middle of combat is just plain awkward. I'm sorry, Ruby, I know you worked really hard on this but I think I'd rather just have my regular sword back."

"Sure!" Ruby chirped with a smile.

Weiss and Jaune blinked. "You're... not mad?" The white-haired girl asked incredulously.

"Pfft, of course not, Weiss!" Ruby laughed. "I didn't expect to get it right the first time! There's a process to these things! You have to iterate and test and redesign and more! That's what makes it so fun, the process!" She patted Crescent Rose, folded at the small of her back. "It took years to get my baby to where she is now and I'm still tinkering with her!"

She turned to address cowboy, "We've still got a lot of options to fix your range switching issues. I'll can start getting Crocea Mors back to normal right now if you'd like and maybe we can talk shop?"

"I'd love to," Jaune replied with a smile and Weiss felt her eyelid twitch.

---

So, what kind of cowboy weapon should Jaune add to his arsenal to address his inability to switch from ranged to melee combat quickly?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Blake sighed as she swung her bat at another automated pitch. She bunted it, letting the ball bounce off to the left foul line. Jaune, swinging in the cage next to her, frowned as he swung and got a second strike.



"Er... You okay Blake?"



In all honesty, he just wanted to try and avoid focusing on his own problems. And honestly, he had always wanted to reach out to Blake more. She seemed so sad and so determined...



"Yes," Blake stated, swinging again and hitting a pop fly to center field. Jaune swung again, getting a foul ball.



"You don't sound okay," Jaune pressed, just a bit. Blake shook her head, and swung again. She got a homerun, as the automated cheers indicated. Jaune swung again and hit a low ball out to left field.



"I suppose all these parents showing up reminded me of... Of my own," Blake said quietly. Jaune winced.



"Oh... I'm sorry. Are they... Um...?"



"They're alive," Blake said quietly, swinging at the next ball and hitting nothing but air, "They're doing well... I just... I haven't talked to them in a while."



Jaune swung for another foul ball, and got strike 3. He looked curiously at her.



"For how long?"



"... Two years? Maybe three?" Blake tried. Jaune frowned.



"That's... Not at all?"



"No," Blake sighed, "We uh... We didn't part on great terms and well... What would we even say to one another? I don't know where we'd begin-"



"MY BABY!"



Blake started and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes went wide. A tanned, curvy black cat Faunus woman charged her and swept her up in a hug, weeping all the while.



"MY BABY GIRL! YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE SAFE!" The woman wailed. Blake coughed.



"Urk! M-Mom-?!"



The rest of her teammates gathered around. Yang was clearly caught between confusion and trying not to bust a gut. Weiss gaped. Ruby looked shocked. Nora was intrigued, as Ren looked resigned. Pyrrha smiled awkwardly, as Jaune blinked quickly to process the scene.



"What's all the ruckus?" Nick demanded, walking away from his batting cage, "Blake? You okay? Who is this woman?"



"Ummm..." Blake winced as Kali's grip tightened a bit uncomfortably, "Th-This is Kali Belladonna... My mother."



"The Queen of Menagerie?!" Weiss blurted out.



"That's me!" Kali said proudly. "Councilman Ozpin invited us here as a diplomatic gesture!" Her eyes narrowed as her smile remained wide and friendly.



"And that my darling, beloved daughter was staying here under his protection."



"Wha-Blake's a Princess?!" Ruby gasped.



"I-She's not a Queen, and I'm not a Princess, she's a Chieftainess-" Blake tried to explain, as Kali giggled.



"Of course I'm a Queen and of course you're a Princess! And you all must be her friends, hm?" She beamed. "Thank you for taking care of my little girl!"



Weiss glared as everyone else muttered or stared in shock.



"So you're a Princess," Weiss growled. Blake coughed, as Kali beamed.



"Oh yes! My darling little kitten lived in our mansion and was never denied anything and I was so proud of her~!"



"You," Weiss growled, as Yang and Ruby wisely held the Schnee heiress back. Blake coughed.



"I-I wasn't that rich or well off-"



"She absolutely was," A large man with cat ears boomed, walking into the batting cage area. He nodded, his fine black beard showing the first hints of gray hairs. "But we are thankful she is safe."



"Ghira Belladonna, Chieftain of Menagerie," Nick hummed. Ghira nodded.



"Hello. Hope you don't mind us checking up on our daughter?"



"Not at all," Nick said, eyes narrowed. "Go right ahead."



Ghira smiled and walked up to join the group hug with his wife and daughter. Blake looked so much like a cat caught in a fence that Nora couldn't help but giggle. Taiyang scowled.



"Hang on a second," Taiyang pointed out, "How could Blake Belladonna hide out in plain sight at Beacon Academy? She's the daughter of the rulers of a nation!"



"There are a lot of Belladonnas," Qrow stated blandly, "Who are black cats. It was thought she'd be safe enough... Or so I would presume," he added, at Taiyang's scowl.



"Her disguise was a BOW!" Weiss seethed.



Blake's bow drooped, as Kali patted her on the back.



"Oh, I'm so proud of you! Hiding in plain sight! You remembered Mommy's lessons so well... Even if you forgot to call us." A beat. "For almost three years."



"I-I'm... I'm really sorry?" Blake tried, wincing at her mother's terrifying smile.



"Oh it's fine dear. It's not like I cried myself to sleep every night, worrying over what the White Fang was doing to my darling baby girl! I'm totally over it!"



"She doesn't sound very over it," Ruby mumbled, as Blake's ears drooped further.



"That said," Nick stated coldly, "If she is who you claim to be... You could easily be in disguise to abduct her."



Kali squawked indignantly.



"What?! How could you say that?!"



"I-I know my own parents!" Blake insisted.



"Yes, I suppose you would know them well after living in the lap of luxury with them for so long," Weiss growled. Blake winced again.



"You're not apologizing for your wealth!" She hissed.



"No, but at least I'm not a hypocrite!" Weiss seethed.



"I-I never said I was rich-"



"You implied you had to scavenge for a living on the streets!" Weiss hissed. Blake coughed.



"I-I mean... I did gather donations at a few White Fang rallies so technically-"



"BLAAAKE!" Weiss snarled, and Ruby and Yang had to work double time to hold her back.



"Still," Ghira stated, eyes fixed on Nick, "If you wish for proof that we are who we say we are... What will it take?"



"Your dad is a little paranoid," Pyrrha observed softly. Jaune shrugged.



"I-I mean, he did work as a bodyguard for a while... So I guess those are his instincts?"



"We could provide you with our official credentials," Kali said, squeezing Blake a bit harder.



"Those could be forged," Nick growled. "No... We shall determine this via the universal language of manliness!"



Ghira's eyes widened, then narrowed.



"So be it," he stated, stepping away from his wife and daughter. Nick did the same, until they were facing off against one another like in an old West Vacuoan film. Jaune winced and cleared his throat.



"Uh, Dad, is this necessary-?"



"Yes," Nick stated.



Qrow nodded, as did Taiyang.



"Manliness will tell," Taiyang intoned.



"That's sexist!" Blake muttered. Kali squeezed her daughter again. "URK!"



"Now now dear, you can't throw that word around for everything!" Kali gently scolded. "It'll lose its power!'



The wind blew, making the long duster Nick Arc and the dark robes Ghira wore wave in the breeze. Suddenly, Nick Arc pulled off his duster and let it fall to the ground. He then reached under and yanked up his armored top and undershirt. He dropped them to the side, the heavy armor booming like a small cannon as it hit the ground. His enormous muscles, hard and smooth as though carved out of marble, were put on display. The sweat on his skin made him shine like a god, as he flexed dramatically.



"Hmph!" Nick grunted, staring Ghira in the eyes.



Ghira stared back, momentarily confused... Before he nodded, and took his own top off. The Menagerie Chieftain's own upper body was similarly toned and muscular, and he too flexed his mighty muscles as they shone in the sun.



"Haa!" He grunted back.



Nick took another dramatic pose, holding his hands together over his head as he twisted his hips. Ghira returned with a pose that showed off his mighty biceps. Nick then stretched out his right arm and held his left back behind his head, as though about to throw a discus. Ghira stretched his own powerful musculature heavenward, one arm held up with a clenched fist while his other hand grasped his bicep.



Silence ensued for a moment... Before both men dropped their poses, walked up to each other, and clasped hands like brothers.



"It is good to find human men who appreciate the art of manliness," Ghira nodded with a small grin.



"Indeed, it is the universal language for a reason," Nick agreed with a similar grin.



"Wha... I... How did that settle anything?!" Weiss demanded, though her face was bright red.



"The art of manliness cannot be explained in words, only deeds," Taiyang said with a sage nod.



"It was funnier just to let you watch," Qrow said, equally sagely.



"Uncle Qrowwww!" Ruby whined.



Ghira and Nick turned to their friends and family, and laughed together.



"My apologies for my suspicions, Lord Ghira and Lady Kali," Nick said with a bow of his head, "But Blake is a friend of my son, and thus I will protect her with my very life if necessary."



"No offense taken!" Kali giggled, eyeing her husband's impressive chest happily, "I'm glad we could settle things in a peaceful manner."



Ghira looked at Jaune, who seemed to be in a mixture of awe and bafflement. Ren looked impressed, for him anyway. Nora grinned.



"Can I learn the art of manly communication?! I can totally take off my shirt-!"



"No!" Jaune and Ren said quickly. Nora pouted.



"Not fair! Pyrrha, you wanna learn too, right?"



"U-Ummmm," Pyrrha managed, looking a bit faint through her blush.



"I'd be happy to learn, if Jaune's willing to be my partner~," Yang teased. Jaune went bright red.



"YANG!"



Ghira patted his daughter on the shoulder, who looked confused but grateful.



"I am glad you found such good friends to look after you," Ghira said quietly. Blake bowed her head and sniffled.



"Th-Thank you, Dad," she whispered.



Ghira beamed.



"Also! Jaune Arc?"



"Er uh, yes sir?"



"You have my permission to date my daughter," he stated.



"Mine too!" Kali beamed.



"Wait what?!" Jaune and Blake shouted at the same time.



- - -



The situation was tense enough that the crowd that had gathered around the three women kept their distance (Though they were still recording it on their Scrolls). Isabel clenched and unclenched her fists. Glynda tightened her grip on her riding crop. Willow summoned Glyphs and they slowly spun in the air around her.



Klein, who was clearly among the bravest men alive, stood nearby with towels, water bottles, and a first aid kit bordering on the absurdly overprepared.



The stand off's tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife... Even the birds had stopped chirping at the swirling storm of feminine rage building between these three women...



Before Ozpin wandered into the thick of it, sipping his coffee and looking over his Scroll.



"Glynda, I was hoping you could look over this TPS report... Whatever that is... Before the meeting about the-"



He blinked and looked around. The headmaster coughed.



"Oh. Hello Isabel. Hello Willow. It's so nice to see you both again."



"Oh hello Ozpin," Isabel said pleasantly, "Still putting all your paperwork on Glynda I see?"



"He started when I became class representative," Glynda groused.



"I am suddenly very happy I lost that election," Willow mused.



"I'm not, you cheated," Isabel growled.



Glynda scowled.



"I did no such thing! If anything, you cheated! You let Nick hand out flyers topless!"



"The-The idiot had lost his armor!" Isabel said defensively, "It's not like I planned to use it to get votes!"



"Oh no, that was just a happy coincidence!" Glynda sneered.



"Certainly didn't stop you from using him to win votes for later elections!" Willow growled.



"You tried to vote three times!" Isabel stated, exasperated.



"It was in every election!" Willow argued, "Besides, I had to be the treasurer! You have any idea how boring that was?!"



"About as boring and aggravating as the secretary position," Isabel hissed.



Ozpin slowly turned and began to back out of the argument. He was well aware of how foolhardy it was to get between angry blondes, thank you very much.



"Ultimately, Mrs. Arc, Mrs. Schnee, you did dodge a bullet," Klein stated, "After all, the Headmaster is the one who benefited the most from your free labor."



Ozpin gulped as all three women turned their angry gazes on him.



"Ah, no, it was hardly free, I gave you academic credit and Glynda, you're well paid as my Secretary-"



"Secretary?!" Glynda snarled.



Ozpin gulped again.



"I mean... Deputy Headmistress? That is absolutely what was I interviewing you for that day, not Secretary-"



"Ozpin," Glynda growled.



"Perhaps we should have a chat," Isabel grinned dangerously, cracking her knuckles, "About the proper use of student labor at Beacon."



"Yes, a long overdue chat," Willow hissed, Glyphs spinning.



Ozpin looked at Klein in disbelief.



"Sir... What has brought this on?"



"One must make sacrifices to preserve the peace, do you not agree Headmaster?" Klein asked with a devious smile. "I am merely following your philosophy."



"Knew I shouldn't have written that book," Ozpin muttered, as he did his level best to face his doom like a man.



- - -



Yeah I don't even know. I just write what my muse wishes.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

There was no way around it, Jaune Arc thought to himself as he looked over his map, then at the mine he looked down upon from the top of the cliff he'd hiked to...



"I'm lost," he sighed, carefully folding the map up and tucking it away into his pack. He shook his head and adjusted the straps of his backpack. "Well, nothing for it..."



He carefully descended down the rocky road into the mine. Maybe he could find someone who could give him directions to the nearest main road to Vale?



He saw a light up in what looked like an administrative office. It was his best bet.



- - -



Adam Taurus seldom did things like this on his own. He was not some vainglorious fool out for his own ego. Yet this... This was too personal to leave to his troops. He paced in front of the terrified Faunus and humans, all on their knees before him on the hard wooden floor of the mine overseer's office.



"You not only betrayed me and your race by working with these humans," Adam sneered, "You also betrayed yourselves. When you lie, you first lie to yourself." He contemplated Wilt's gleaming red blade, then looked back at the traitor.



She was clinging to her muscled but non-Aura unlocked husband in terror. Their half-breed children clustered around them, whimpering in fear.



"Please," she begged, her wolf ears pressed down agianst her skull, "At-At least spare our children, Adam! They're innocent!"



Adam sneered.



"No one is innocent," he hissed. He hadn't even raised his Aura for this-There was no point. It would also make the kill more visceral. He raised Wilt up, aiming for one of the sobbing brats-



The door to the office swung open, and slammed into Adam's back. The fearsome terrorist and swordsman grunted in shock, then tripped over a bit of pipe lying on the floor. With a high pitched yelp, he lost his balance and flew right through the open window, plummeting into the mine works.



Jaune Arc blinked at the wolf Faunus, man, and their children all sitting on the floor in some confusion, but remembered his manners.



"Oh, hey. I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, "But could you tell me how to get to the main road to Vale?"



The family gaped at him in utter disbelief.



- - -



Adam groaned. He shook the stars out of his eyes as he scanned his surroundings through his pounding headache.



"What the...?"



He had ended up in a mine cart on the rails into the mine itself. He dazedly looked up the hill with a scowl. A large group of mine carts were held on the hill above, all locked in thanks to a lever frame with three brightly painted levers. The light in the overseer's office went out over head. Adam grit his teeth.



"Who dares to-?!"



He saw a blond teenaged human boy, a few years younger than him, in white armor with an antique sword and shield emerge further up the track. He was leading the family away. Adam snarled and went for Wilt. No one humiliated him like that and lived-!



The boy tripped as he approached the rails... And grabbed onto one of the levers. He yelped as he fell, shifting the lever down.



The mine carts, all previously held up by the track switch, were overtaken by gravity. One after the other, they rolled downhill in a loud cacophony of mechanical racket. Adam immediately tried to leap away, his superFaunus reflexes responding... Only for his long leather coat to catch and yank him back into the cart, legs up.



"What the-?!"



The mine carts slammed into Adam's and sent them (and Adam) screaming down the tracks into the mine shaft. Adam fell into darkness, unleashing his Aura just in time as he hit the bottom, hard... And as half a dozen very heavy mine carts landed on top of him.



CRASH!



- - -



Up above, Jaune Arc got to his feet and winced.



"Geez... I think I need to buy some boots," he said. "I just keep tripping over my own two feet!"



He looked at the again astonished family, and smiled brightly.



"Oh, don't worry! Important thing is... No one got hurt!"



"... Sure," the wolf Faunus woman said with a quick nod. Her husband coughed.



"Ah, but-"



"No one got hurt," she hissed, elbowing her husband.



"Y-yes dear!"



- - -



Adam managed to crawl his way out of the mineshaft, bloodied and bruised. He groaned, and looked up as several of his White Fang henchman came upon him.



"Sir?! Are you okay, sir?! What happened?!" The lead, fortunately a medic, asked desperately. Adam growled.



"Some... Wandering human swordsman," he gasped. The medic's eyes were wide behind her mask, as the other Faunus gasped in shock.



"One human did this to you?!" She gasped.



"Y-Yes... He didn't even... Use his sword," he rasped. It hurt his pride to admit it... But there was something more important than pride at stake here.



Revenge.



- - -



How else did our intrepid idiot blond thwart Adam's attempts at revenge... Without being aware of them at all?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

It took a few days but the Wolf family (ironic that it was the husband's name) got Jaune back on the road and even gave him some provisions as thanks! Thanks for what, they didn't say. Maybe they were just nice people.



He was now on a mountain trail, carefully studying the map. He checked his compass and nodded.



"Okay... Hopefully I'll get in range of a CCT repeater tower this way," he murmured to himself. It looked like it would take a few days, but he had more than enough food for it. And a nice warm coat to boot!



- - -



Back at the White Fang HQ, Adam was sitting in his office under the attentions of a nurse. On the other side of the room, bowing in supplication, was his squad of assassins. He'd selected the very best for this operation. That human might have gotten lucky, but it was better to be safe than sorry.



"You understand your orders?" Adam asked. The leader, a lizard Faunus, held her bright red head of hair with golden scales across her face up and hissed.



"Yes, My Lord." She blew a spout of flame thanks to her Semblance. "The human will not be a problem."



"Bring him to me alive, Salamander," Adam growled, "I will deal with him myself."



"Of course, My Lord," she said with another bow, "His torment is only beginning!"



The assassins rose, turn, and ran out the door into the night. Adam smirked.



He would teach this human the price for his arrogance. Leaving him alive was a foolish decision. One he would regret...



- - -



Jaune sighed as he sat down in the bright sunshine. He was atop another cliff in the great Albus Mountain Range that dominated Vale, and every turn around a corner offered spectacular views. This one with a cloudless blue sky intersected by snow capped peaks was absolutely breathtaking.



"Man, I gotta take a photo of this," Jaune said with a smile. He dug into his pack, frowning a bit.



"Crap, I gotta organize this stuff better," he muttered, moving aside a stainless steel cup, a spatula, a pack of dynamite, a spoon-Wait, hold up.



"Huh?!" Jaune gasped as he looked at the dynamite sticks, "How the hell did this get in here?!"



- - -



Back at the homestead of the Wolf family...



"Why did you give him a pack of dynamite?!" Mrs. Wolf demanded her husband. Her husband shrugged.



"With his luck, he'll either blow himself up or blow up a whole lot of bad guys."



"There's no one that lucky! Or stupid!" Mrs. Wolf insisted.



- - -



"Geez, I guess they just packed it in by mistake?" Jaune tried, though honestly, even that was a stretch. He hummed as he looked it over.



"Well, how do I safely dispose of this?" He wondered. Having grown up in a farming town with a few old mines nearby, he was aware of how dangerous TNT could be over time. That's why Dust explosives were generally preferred for their greater stability, though dynamite was still used because of how cheap it was. Still... This was really dangerous and Jaune wasn't about to just leave it lying around.



"Maybe I can find someone to dispose of it safely when I get down," Jaune thought aloud. He sighed and stood up. He walked up to the edge of the cliff and scowled down the mountain. "It's gonna be a long trip... Gotta make sure you don't go off by accident on the way there."



He thought that maybe cutting the dynamite apart would make it easier to pack? He pulled out Crocea Mors to do just that... Then stopped.



"Wait, what am I thinking?" Jaune groaned. "Do I want to risk igniting this? What am I, an idiot?"



He sighed, looked back down the mountain...



"HUMAN! NOW YOU DIE!" A voice from below roared. Jaune yelped... And dropped the dynamite. His eyes went wide as he saw a burst of flames from below!



"Oh shit-!"



He turned, ran, and dove for cover!



- - -



They'd tracked the blond idiot into the mountains, and gone around. Going up the cliff face was child's play for Salamander, with her strong claws. Her fellow White Fang members climbed with her. She caught sight of the idiot and grinned as he looked down over the side at them.



"Fool," she hissed. She powered up her Semblance and flames erupted from her mouth.



"HUMAN! NOW YOU DIE!" She shrieked, unleashing a blast of flames right up at him!



She ceased her blast... Just as a small flaming package fell for her face. Out of reflex, she caught it. She frowned-What had the human thrown?



What was that sizzling noise-?



KABOOOOOOOOOOM!!!



- - -



Jaune panted for breath. He looked back at the huge pile of rocks and rubble that HAD been a scenic view mere minutes ago. The dynamite had gone off and caused an avalanche. He carefully walked back, and looked down. He tried to see if anyone had survived... Or if anyone had been down there.



Nothing but rubble as far as the eye could see. Jaune sighed, and scratched the back of his head, Crocea Mors held tightly in his other hand.



"Geez... I hope I was just hearing things," he said. He didn't wish that kind of death on anyone!



- - -



Salamander groaned. She felt the very heavy rocks all over her slowly being lifted away. Light shone down on her. She felt the medics carrying her off to a Bullhead.



She drifted in and out of consciousness, before she found herself in the White Fang hideout. Medical equipment beeped nearby as she lay in bed. Her entire body was wrapped in gauze and casts as her Aura slowly rebuilt itself.



Adam walked up, now using a cane.



"My Lord," Salamander moaned, "We... We failed you..."



"How? What happened?" Adam demanded. Salamander tried to think, but it was hard. Her Aura was powerful but whatever had hit her had done a number on everything.



She... She thought she'd seen... Something shiny... The boy was a swordsman... He had a sword... Then there was just bright light...



Her eyes widened.



"A... An Aura Slash," she whispered, "Had to be... He saw us, and unleashed it on us! Powerful enough to bring the mountain down upon us!"



Adam stared at her... Then slowly nodded.



"So... He was holding back in our first fight," he said, satisfied, "That makes sense. He sought to mock me... And now he has shown his true power... No doubt he felt me sending assassins was an insult to his pride."



He turned away, still musing.



"Humiliate me, challenge me... And then when I do not strike back myself, destroy my subordinates for the insult. This human... Yes... " Salamander saw Adam smirk.



"I might almost like him."



He turned back to Salamander.



"When you are healed? You will take your team and find out everything you can about this human. We must know our enemy to defeat him."



"Y-yes My Lord," Salamander moaned, her spirit sinking at the prospect of facing that monster again.



- - -



The provincial border guard gave Jaune a wry look as he stood in front of the guard station.



"Carrying any illegal substances, weapons, or explosives?"



"Not anymore," Jaune muttered.



"What was that?"



"Nothing!"



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

The White Fang had tracked the human warrior to a small town named Edge. It lay halfway between Radian and Vale on the Old Albus Mountain Highway. The city itself was fairly large, but tracking him down had been child's play. He had found a hospice and paid some money to rest for the night. Conveniently, the hospice was near an abandoned warehouse.

The perfect place for a proper duel to the death, Adam decided.

"You know what to do?" Adam demanded of Salamander, as she and her healed troops knelt before him in the center of the great catwalk that stretched through the heart of the warehouse.

(It had to be a warehouse with a large catwalk. It wouldn't be properly dramatic otherwise.)

"Yes, My Lord," Salamander stated. Adam nodded.

"Then go."

They vanished, and Adam dropped a few Burn Dust grenades to the floor. Flames erupted and spread quickly. He smirked. Yes... Fire. A dramatic catwalk. His blade at hand, and his mortal foe soon to arrive.

Yes, this was definitely going to be a good night.

- - -

The sounds of several explosions woke Jaune from his sleep in the basic cot the hospice provided. He grabbed for his gear and got up. He pulled his armor on over his bunny onesie, and, with sword and shield out, ran out the door into the street. Hopefully his stuff wouldn't get stolen.

He went out and gaped at the massive warehouse burning across the street. Several other people, Faunus and human, were already out and chatting about it.

A redheaded Faunus woman with reptilian features grabbed him and pointed at the warehouse.

"You're a hunter, right?"

"Uh, well, I mean, I'm gonna try to become one but-"

"My brother is in there! Please, help him!" She begged, tears in her eyes.

Jaune opened his mouth to explain he wasn't a Huntsman yet, hell, he didn't even have his Aura unlocked! He was standing here in his pajamas, for crying out loud!

"Okay, I'll be right back!" Is what he said instead. He rushed back into the hospice past the yelling customers and proprietor, grabbed a rag, dunked it in water in the sink, and wrapped it around his nose and mouth. He then ran back outside, across the street, and into the blazing inferno.

He looked around, wincing against the smoke. He could see a tall figure in black with red hair standing dramatically on a catwalk overhead. He ran up the stairs, up to the catwalk, and towards him.

"HEY!" He shouted. "You gotta get out here! It's dangerous!"

"No," the young man stated, glaring at him from behind a white mask, "No, there is no escape. Not for you... Not for me."

Jaune blinked. Through the haze, it was hard to make the guy out... But from what he was saying...

Oh God, he's suicidal! Jaune thought.

"No!" Jaune shouted, "It's never too late! I-I know it can seem like there's no other way, no hope... But I promise you, there is!"

"No, there is no hope left!" The man barked back. He wobbled a bit. "I'm going to end this, you human fool! I'm going to end it in this inferno, ONCE AND FOR ALL-!"

A ceiling beam, weakened by the flames, came loose and swung right for the redheaded man. Jaune immediately went into a sprint and tackled him out of the way. It smashed the catwalk in half, and both sides groaned and screeched as they sank down. The redheaded man struggled with insane strength, but Jaune held onto him despite the struggles.

"HANG ON!" Jaune screamed as their half of the catwalk gave up the ghost and fell. They slammed into the dirty floor, hard, and Jaune went rolling down. The young man punched Jaune and sent him flying into some abandoned machine. Jaune screamed as he slammed into the metal, feeling something break. He looked up as the redhead got up and staggered towards him.

"You... You can't... Stop... Me...!" He collapsed. Jaune grit his teeth against the heat and the pain, got up... And grabbed the redheaded young man. He pulled him up into a fireman's carry, and staggered towards the nearest exit.

They burst out into open, fresh air. Just in time for the ambulances to arrive. Jaune sighed in relief, and whipped his rag off his face. He carried the man to the nearest ambulance, and set him down in front of the shocked paramedics.

"He-He's suffering smoke inhalation, he might be suicidal, maybe some other symptoms," Jaune babbled... Before he collapsed. The paramedics caught him. They turned to see to the first young man... But he had vanished.

- - -

Adam awoke, grimacing. The familiar aged face of their chief medic, Slang, greeted him. The snake Faunus sighed as she shook her head at him.

"My Lord, you went into a fight far too soon! Even with your powerful Aura, smoke inhalation and a concussion are a bad mixture," she tutted.

"Urgh..." Adam groaned. He saw Salamander standing near, looking awkward. "What happened...?"

"He... The human carried you out, my Lord," Salamander said with a wince. "He... Saved you."

Adam's fists clenched and he grit his teeth. Slang moved back a bit out of habit. Adam glared at the nearest wall, breathing hard through his face mask.

"... He... He didn't kill me... Why?" Adam growled. "He saved me... Why?"

Salamander had seen the look in the human's eyes. He hadn't so much as blinked at her appearance or at the fact her brother was in trouble. He'd just immediately grabbed a makeshit facemask and gone in to save him. Some Faunus he didn't know...

What kind of a man is he? She thought to herself. Someone who... Who cares so much for strangers? Especially Faunus?

Adam slowly nodded.

"Of course," he said, "The same way he defeated me before... Defeated you too, Salamander. He can sense Aura."

Salamander sucked in a breath.

"That's... A very difficult skill to learn," she responded.

"It has to be," Adam insisted, "He knew... He knew I was weak. Knew I was injured... He told me there was still hope... Hope for..."

His eyes widened.

"He wants to face me... As a true warrior! When we are both at our strongest," Adam shook his head in some awe, "To think there could be someone like that among the humans..." He looked at Salamander. "Did you get any information on him?"

"Yes My Lord," Salamander said, holding out her Scroll, "I downloaded his Scroll contents. Here they are."

Adam checked them. His eyes narrowed as Slang fussed over him.

"Jaune... Arc... From Radian," he hissed. Slang blinked.

"Oh! The Arcs from Radian! They were some of the fiercest warriors in Vale, My Lord! Joan D'Arc, their founder and matriarch, slew the Witch Queen of Argus in single combat over a thousand years ago! And that's only the beginning!"

She shook her head.

"No wonder he's so strong, My Lord! His lineage is full of great heroes!"

"He's been accepted into Beacon," Adam mused, "He wishes to become a full fledged Huntsman."

"Why? Isn't he strong enough?" Salamander blurted out.

Adam considered this, then shook his head.

"He seeks recognition," Adam thought aloud, "To be a hero like his ancestors. He seeks to learn under great masters... He has humility, despite his great power."

Adam smirked.

"Yes... As soon as I am healed, I am beginning a new training regimen. I must be at my best."

"What about Arc, My Lord?" Salamander asked.

"Leave him alone for now. Just keep track of his movements," Adam ordered, as Slang injected him with some medicine, "We know where he's going. When he gets there... I shall face him. I will grant him a true warrior's death. I must show him the same respect!"

- - -

Jaune sighed. Typical. Everything but his one set of good clothes and his Scroll had gotten jacked. The hospital bill wasn't too bad but still, it was gonna take some time to get enough lien to replace everything he'd lost.

He had gotten his Aura unlocked to heal him though! There was that! One step closer to his dream!

"Brr," he shivered as he continued on down the road through the mountains. It was still a long road to go though.

At least his bunny onesie was warm to travel in...

- - -

 

[Eclipse Staro]

Salem: "Oh hey, who has two thumbs and doesn't give a crap about your issues?" Points at herself "This woman. Now get on it! Mercury, you go along too in case he's bisexual. It can happen sometimes..."

Click to shrink...

Well, Ren may have a chance after all. Maybe even Neptune while we at it.

Neptune: "Does it run in the family?! What about your sisters?!"



Jaune: "I'm not showing you pictures of my sisters-!"



Blake holds up her Scroll with a picture of Jaune and his sisters.



Blake: "Yes. They are."



Jaune: "Why do you have that?!"

Click to shrink...

Blake found out one of Jaune's sisters is author of Ninjas of Love. She ends up with a bunch of baby pictures.

Ren: so we conquered atlas.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, I can see Ren saying that and RWBY and JNR made it happen. This could also be good idea for Lines of Succession.

I can imagine people who is secretly royalty

Jaune - Vale
Weiss - Atlas
Pyrrha - Mistral
Blake - Menagerie (Not really a secret but she doesn't advertise it either.)

Vacuo has the Crown but feel free to suggest who could be royalty of Vacuo.

"VOMIT BOY PROMISED TO GIVE ME 10 CHILDREN!"
- Yang

"A-ARC SAID WE WILL LIVE IN THE WILDERNESS AND MAKE LOVE LIKE RABBITS!"
- Weiss

"JAUNE TOLD ME THAT HE'LL GIVE ME A HAPPY ENDING AND BUY ME THE LATEST TECH IN MECHASHIFT WEAPONS!"
-Ruby

"He- he- HE SAID WILL KIDNAP ME AND MAKE ME HIS SEX SLAVE!!!"
- Blake (you can tell by how kinky it is)

"AARRRGGGHHHH!!!! OUM DAMN YOU ALL!!! JAUNE ARC WILL DO ALL OF THAT WITH ME!!!!"
- Pyrrha

Click to shrink...

Quite the thirst there

Also a little addition

"JAUNE-JAUNE PROMISE ME AND REN TO BE HIS FAMILY FOREVER!!!"
- Nora

I mean he promised to adopt them but Nora decided to add more chaos.

Audience: "HOLY SHIT."
Ironwood: "HOLY SHIT."
Qrow: "I don't lick boots!"
Whitley: "Hello, is this Cooper Consultations? Do you have any solutions for "insane sister out to take my head"?"
Adam: "It's TRUUUUUUUUE! She BEEEEEETRAYED ME!" *sobbing*
Salem: "Crikey, this guy is really good. He should go professional."

Click to shrink...

This pleases me a lot, from the audience to the Final Boss, Salem herself.

Whitley: "Winter, marry this man."
Winter: "Wha-"
Whitley: "His mother hugged me, baked me cookies and let me ride a pony around their farm. If you marry him, I'll get mother-hugs, family cookies and pony rides whenever I want."
Weiss: "What about me?!"
Whitely: "For Heaven's sake, I want mother-hugs, not "why did you drive my son to drink" hugs."

Click to shrink...

Whitley does have a point.

1. Archive
Able to take, copy, combine and give semblance.

Jaune decided to use this semblance to make semblance business.

Click to shrink...

This won't leave my head, so I'm trying my hands on Jaune with that semblance. It's still a rough idea and some bits will feel rushed.


Being the General of the most advanced Kingdom, James Ironwood often received invitations from locals and foreigners. Sometimes he would accept it either because to get more funds for the army, shows of new weapons or the rich trying to get a favor from him but often he would not accept.

However today he was on Vale, specifically a little town called Ansel which seemed to be a retirement place for Huntsmen and Huntresses, for a private invitation for an auction. Particularly, a Semblance Auction.

Normally he would dismiss it as a joke but he had heard about the Semblance Auction from Qrow during one of his meeting with Ozpin. Qrow heard about it, even tried to find any clue about it but there was zero trace for him to find.

'He's probably trying to get rid of his semblance.'

Qrow's semblance, Misfortune, was exactly as the name implied. It causes bad luck and constantly active. He can understand why Qrow trying to find it the auction is true, he even sympathizes with the man.

It seems that the only way to get into the auction is by invitations only. Each person are allowed to bring one guard. He had chosen Winter because she is one of the best of Atlas Specialist. Clover was given the duty of overseeing the army while he was gone.

They arrived at their destination, a normal sized cafe that seems to give a relaxing sensation from it's look.

Around Ring Cafe

Outside was a sign that says 'Today's special, Onion Rings'. He and Winter decided to head inside.

The cafe had little customers, the floor seem to made of oak wood and they even have a small bar. Jazz music was playing and both of them took a seat at the table. A female waiter, blonde with blue eyes greeted them.

(Imagine the inside like this)

"Welcome! What would you like to order?" The waitress seems to be quite cheerful.

"I would like Beef Steak. The finest cut you have. The same for my companion."

"And what sauce would you like with your meal?"

"One black pepper, one chili and one mayonnaise."

"Please follow me."

It was written on the invitation that he has to say those lines if he wants to go to the auction. He and Winter was led to a door. When the waitress opened it, he could see stairs leading down.

"Please head inside."

They were led to a room where there are masks and cloaks.

"To maintain anonymity of customers, please wear the masks provided."

"The cloaks are optional if you wish to hide your bodies."

"I'll take one." Winter said as she cover herself with a cloak.

"Behind this door is where the seats for people who wish to bid."

The waitress shows a black door with golden knob.

"Here is your number, please enjoy the auction." The waitress said and left both of them.

He got 007 while Winter got 008.

"Sir, we seems to be quite deep underground. Is this safe?" Winter asked.

It was not wrong of her to be cautious. They are operating in an unknown territory after all.

"For now? Yes. We are guaranteed safety and security by the organizer of the auction so long as we don't cause trouble."

"Understood Sir." With that, he opened the door and both quickly find their seats.

(Imagine the stage to be like this)

From the stage, a girl came out wearing a mask and what seems to be an old style military uniform.

(The girl)

(The mask)

"Welcome everyone to the Azalea Auction Avenue. This will be the 3rd time we host the Semblance Auction."

So the girl is the announcer of the auction.

"For first timer, we will demonstrate our proof that this is possible."

She clapped her hand and two girls, one with red hair and one with blue hair entered the stage.

"She has Fire Fist." She point her hand at the red haired girl and the girl hands was covered in fire.

"And she has Tea Touch." She points at the blue haired girl who was holding a glass of plain. Slowly, the water color turn into brown.

A boy entered the stage wearing a mask and a tuxedo.

"This gentleman is Sir Hare and he will show you how it is done."

So the boy has something to do with the Semblance Auction.

"Now Sir if you would be so kind to demonstrate to the audience?"

Sir Hare gave a nod and touches both the girls before releasing them.

Spoiler: Imagine it like this

I don't know how to link from media, only images.

The blue haired girl activates her aura and her fists covered in fire while the red haired girl dip her finger in a glass with plain water which transform into tea.

"Alright, now that the demonstration is done, it's time to begin the auction!"

"Our first semblance, Fireball. 1 Star Rank Semblance."

There was a pamphlet at their seat. It seems to have details of the semblance. Fireball, allows user to create either a large fireball or multiple small fireballs.

"We start with 100 lien. Any takers?"

"200!"

"250!"

"300!"

"500!"

"550!"

"800!"

"1 000!"

"1 000 once, 1 000 twice. Sold to number 088."

1 000 Lien wasn't much, although he was a bit curious regarding the Star Rank.

"Next, Cat Tongue. 1 Star Rank Semblance."

"We start with 100 lien. Any takers?"

"200!"

"500!"

The bidding price was increasing and already reached more than 10 000 lien.

"20 000!"

"30 000!"

"60 000!"

"60 000! Anyone higher?"

No one seems to want to bid higher.

"60 000 once, 60 000 twice. Sold to number 100."


"Now we go further. Iron Body. A 2 Star Rank Semblance."

Iron Body, another straightforward semblance. Turn the body into iron. It seems like something he could use.

"Let's start with 1 000 Lien. Any takers?"

"2 000!"

"2 500!"

"5 000!"

"8 000!"

He had the money, being the General of the Atlas Army but rarely did he use it for personal purposes.

"10 000!" He decided to go for it.

"10 000! Do I have anyone higher?"

There seems to be no one who wants to bid higher.

"Going once, going twice. Sold for 10 000 Lien to number 007!"

He was happy with the purchase he made, rarely does he buy something personally like this. Being the General requires him to be active the whole time since Grimm activities could spike at any moment.

"Next up on the list, Trio Team. A 3 Star Rank Semblance."

Trio Team, clone semblance, clone are made from aura. Can produce up to 3 aura clone.

"Starting price, 30 000. Any takers?"

"31 000!"

"32 000!"

"35 000!"

"40 000!"

The bid continues for a while until

"300 000."

"Anyone higher?"

"300 000 going once, 300 000 going twice. Sold to number 034."

The person holding number 34 seems to be quite happy with his purchase.

"And now our last semblance for today, the 5 Star Rank Semblance, the Flash. Before we demonstrate it, we like our audience to wear the glasses provided and not be scared on what we do next."

Ironwood and Winter wears the glasses. A cage was brought up to the stage and inside the cage was a Boarbatusk. Some audience seems to panic at the sight of the grimm.

"They're bringing live Grimm here?!" Winter half whispers, half panic.

"Stay steady soldier. We will see what they are up too."

The announcer also wear her glasses.

"Everyone got their glasses? Yes? Good, showtime!" The announcer nods her head to a person that stand in front of the cage.

The person glows bright. Bright enough that he had to close his eyes.

When he open his eyes, the grimm was already laid down, defeated and slowly turning into dust. Everyone was astounded by what they just saw but the silence was broken by the announcer.

"We will start the price at 2 million lien. Any takers?"

"3 million!"

"3 million. Do we have anyone higher?"

"4 million!"

"5 million!"

"8 million!"

"10 million!" He bid.

Silence filled the area. Not even a hint of whispers could be heard.

Although he didn't see it, he could feel Winter staring at him. He didn't care, that kind of semblance can be vital for the security of Atlas.

"10 million, going once, going twice. Sold to number 007!"

"That's all for today folks. Exit to the left and we hope to see you again."

"To those who won the bid, please head to the green door on the right."

*****​

All the winners were led to a room after entering the green door.

"Sir Hare will meet each of you inside the room. We will go with number 088, 034, 100 and 007. Please wait patiently for your turn."

After waiting for about a few minutes, it was finally his turn. He knocked before entering. Better to show some politeness. Inside was Sir Hare and a female bodyguard.

"Greetings."

"Hello Sir."

He took a seat.

"Shall we proceed?"

"Yes."

"Number 007, you purchased the semblances Iron Body and Flash correct?"

"Yes."

James won't deny it, this feels a bit exciting. Like a kid receiving a large candy only you had to paid for said candy with lots of money and not get it for free.

"Which one do you want first?"

"Iron Body, please."

He could feel it. Instead of Mettle activating, his new semblance, Iron Body, got triggered and his whole body turn into iron. Though cold, it does feels a bit pleasant when he use his new semblance.

"Now I will give the Flash to you."

Sir Hare touched him again only this time he seems to be holding a lot longer. When he released his hand, Sir spoke again.

"It seems we have a problem."

"What is it?"

"Your body are not able to handle three semblance."

Sir Hare decided to hold a glass before filling it with a little water.

"Think of the body is like a glass and the semblance is like 100 ml of water. Everyone is born with glass of different sizes. Those with large glass can hold more water in it. Some glass could hold up to 300 ml or 400 ml of water."

"Your body however can only hold up to 2 semblance. It is impossible to add more semblance to your body. If we try, your body will break."

"So what do we do?"

"Well, we either return back your money to you or you can choose to give it to another person."

"How about giving it to my companion? Can you do that?"

"I sure can."

"Let me ask her first, this should be her own choice."

"Alright."

He asks Winter and she accepted.

Today was good day.

*****​

Arc Manor

"Mweheheheheh! Money! So much money! Mwehehehehe!"

Tanya was over the moon. They just made over more than 10 million lien today. That's 5 million more than the last auction.

Jaune stares fondly at the sight. Tanya may look serious most of the time but with enough money, her serious demeanor will quickly broke.

Each one of his sisters had decided to create the Semblance Auction after Jaune awakened his semblance.

Lilac was responsible for finding items to auction. After all, they don't just auction semblance but also rare items.

Saphron and her wife was responsible for the invitations. They also create a website and ensure it was hard to track.

Jade was the Head of Security. Finding trustworthy people and training them to become the security force.

The others also have their own responsibilities.

Saphron suddenly approached him with a scroll in her hands.

"Jaune, you got a request."

"What kind of request?"

"A request for a private meeting."

"Again?"

It wasn't rare that Jaune or rather, Sir Hare, to get request for private meeting. It always happen after the auction.

"Can't we just ignore it?"

"I don't think that's possible."

"Who is it from then?"

"General Ironwood."

First choice of Jaune with mask

Second choice of Jaune with mask

Third choice of Jaune with mask

 

[AndrewJTalon]

So... I saw Back to the Future in the theater. It was still amazing. And now... I have a very, VERY stupid idea.


View: https://youtu.be/WRrCVyT09ow

Jaune gets a call from an old friend from Radian. Asking him to meet him at a mall at 1:15 AM. He sneaks out, but is caught by Yang.

Yang: "I thought Blake was the one who did all the sneaking out after curfew stuff. Why are you doing it?"

Jaune: "Listen... Doc was the only one in Radian who supported my dream. We did all sorts of crazy stuff with science and weird experiments and... And he believed in me. He told me that if I put my mind to it? I could accomplish anything. My family didn't believe in me, but he did. And if he's asking me for his help, I'm gonna go help him." winces "I-I know it's corny but-"

Yang: "No! No... I-I had someone like that, too... Go on, Vomit Boy. I'm no rat."

Jaune: Beams "Thanks Yang."

He runs off... And his old pal Doc Brown has an experiment he wants to show him...

Jaune: "Are you telling me... You built a TIME MACHINE... Out of a... A Gelorean?!"

Doc: "The way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine, why not build it out of something with style?"

Then more stuff happens...

Doc: "Oh no... They found me. I don't know how they did it but they found me. RUN JAUNE!"

Jaune: "Who is it?! Who?!"

Doc: "WHO DO YOU THINK?! THE WHITE FANG!"

More time stuff happens... Jaune is nearly erased from history... Time jump... Doc is not dead... And the next morning...

Jaune: "Holy... What a nightmare..."

He wanders into the common room...

Jaune: "Hey guys..."

Ruby: "Hey Jaune!"

Cinder: Beams "Hey little bro~!"

Jaune: "GAH! Wha-WHAT?! Wh-What the hell is this?"

Cinder: "What? Your big sister can't make breakfast for you from time to time?"

Nora: "YAY! BREAKFAST!"

Ren: "Mm, indeed. So Jaune, you're still going to be best man, right?"

Jaune: "B-Best man?!"

Nora: "For our wedding, silly? Heehee!" Hugs and kisses the smiling Ren

Jaune: "Ahhh... Uhhh... S-Sure...?"

Ruby: "Woo! I'm gonna be a flower girl! I'm designing these cannons to shoot them out!"

Nora: "BIGGER! MORE FLOWER POWER!"

Weiss wanders in on her Scroll

Weiss: "Yes Mother, yes, I'm eating right... Yes, I'm fine! Yes, I love you... Love you, bye. BYE! Ugh." Closes it "She's so clingy sometimes! Hey Jaune!"

Jaune: "H-Hey...?"

Ruby: "So, how did things go?"

Weiss: "Ugh. I hate visiting my dad in prison. He's always so pathetic. 'Oh I absolutely loved you the best!' Jerk."

Blake: No bow "So, are our parents still on for their vacation after the peace summit?"

Weiss: "You're a Princess, Blake, why are you managing their itinerary?"

Blake: "Well I am going to have to take their job someday."

Weiss: "Then you'll hire someone else to do that for you!"

Jaune: "Mwah... Haa...?"

Pyrrha: "Morning Jaune!" Beams, hugs him

Jaune: "Hwah...?"

Pyrrha: "You okay? You look pale."

Jaune: "I uh... Um..."

Pyrrha: "Did you stay up too late again? I told you to take it easy."

Nick: "Haha! Training too hard again, huh son?"

Isabel: "Typical."

Jaune: "Mom?! Dad?!"

Cinder: "Hey Mom, hey Dad!"

Jaune faints. When he comes to, everyone's hovering over him in concern.

Jaune: "H-Huh?"

Isabel: "Are you okay?!"

Pyrrha: "Jaune? Are you all right?"

Jaune: "Um... Mom? Dad? Why are you here?"

Isabel: "Oh geez, did you hit your head son?"

Nick: laughs "Come on, he's like me! Too hardheaded!"

Isabel: "That's what I'm afraid of... We visit to teach classes every so often, Jaune! Come on, you remember? Plus Cinder can be a bit needy."

Cinder: "I am NOT needy. I just like to have my loving family around... Sometimes!"

Cardin: "JAUNE!"

Jaune: "Oh boy, Cardin, I-I'm really not in the-"

Cardin: "Bro! It's here, it's here and-!"

Nick: glares "Cardin! It was going to be a surprise!"

Cardin: gulps Mr and Mrs. Arc... Uh... H-Hey...?"

Jaune: "Surprise?"

Isabel: sighs "It's spoiled anyway... But you don't get to ride with him, Mister!"

Cardin: "Yes Ma'am... Uh... Here, Jaune!" Hands him keys

Jaune: "Huh...?"

At the Beacon garage... Jaune opens it up... And there's a truck waiting for him

Jaune: "..." Stares at his keys and at the truck "... I've... Wanted one of these for years..."

Yang: "Hey buddy. Care to give a girl a lift?"

Jaune: "Yang! Oh... Thank God..." hugs her

Yang: "What's wrong, Jaune? You look like you haven't seen me in years."

Jaune: "Hahahahaha...! Haaa... Oh... I haven't."

Yang: "... Jaune, you okay?"

Jaune: "... Yeah. Yeah, I-I think I am."

Yang: "Good." Kisses him

Jaune: "Mmph?!"

Yang: Breaks it "You sure you okay? You usually like it when I kiss you."

Jaune: "I uh... Um... Uh...?"

Summer: "HEY YANG! If you're going to kiss your boyfriend, use more tongue!"

Yang: groans "MOM! I don't need you telling me how to do that!"

Summer: beams, waves "Hey Jaune!"

Jaune: "H-Hey... Mrs... Xiao-Long...?"

Yang: "Seriously... So... Up for a ride?"

Jaune: "... You know what? Sure thing... I kind of want to get out of here before any other crazy things happen."

Yang: "What crazy things?"

Jaune: "Ohhhh... You'll see."

Yang: "When?"

Jaune: "Thirty years or so."

- - -

Basically the joke is that Jaune DOESN'T know all the repercussions of his trip through time... Until he does. As I'm not talented enough to rewrite "Back to the Future" for RWBY.

Maybe someone else is.

 

[Guikoi]

And why is the dang rusted knight laughing like a lunatic?!?

Click to shrink...

Wha-!?

Why is the Rusted Knight there? Did Sakem summon him from the Ever After or something?

Wait, that'd actually be a good idea.

What if Cinder Fall was a big fan of the Rusted Knight? She always imagined him saving her. Now that she knows magic is real, she gives Salem a book of The Girl Who Fell Through the World and asks her if she can summon the Rusted Knight.

Salem doesn't give a shit. The Ever After isn't real. But Cinder begs her. So Salem goes "fiiiiiine" and tries it.

It works.

Cinder is squealing like a highschool girl and Salem is fucking flabbergasted. The Rusted Knight is confused as to why the Blacksmith dropped him off here.

They get to talking, and Rusty reveals to Salem that the Brother Gods were from the Ever After and that their mother, the Great Tree/Blacksmith, was the one who made them. Rusty suggests that maybe the Blacksmith can help her with her curse?

Of course Salem now wants to know how to get into the Ever After. Rusty tells her that as far as he knows, the easiest way would be to use the Staff of Creation from Atlas to open a doorway to it. She wouldn't even need to bring down Atlas, as she'd only need Creation for, at most, a few minutes. It shouldn't be that hard to convince Ironwood to use Creation himself to open the doorway for her.

Of course, Rusty offers to show Salem the way to get to the Great Tree. After all, the Blacksmith can just let him back out.

Cinder refuses to leave Rusty's side. This makes him... uncomfortable. Cinder wants to know why he doesn't like her, so he tells her that his name is Jaune Arc and that he comes from a timeline where Cinder destroys pretty much everything he loves and he genuinely wants to strangle her to death every second he's near her.

She still refuses to leave his side. She now has her childhood hero, the actions of a different Cinder won't stop her from trying to make things right. So she decides she's going to convince Rusty that she is not the same Cinder, and she'll prove it by getting in those rusted pants and having his child.

Yes. Knightfall is good.

 

[mgl1206]

Intro to a possible story where Jaune gets hired to assist Glynda with her paperwork and run Beacon while Ozpin watches from above safe in the knowledge that Glynda won't quit or try to lower his coffee/hot cocoa budget.

———

Jaune barely slept last night. He could still barely even believe what had occurred. He'd gotten into Beacon, but not as a student. No, instead the Headmaster confronted him about his obviously fake transcripts and had refused his entry.

Which in all honesty, while depressing, was entirely predictable and expected.

No what he couldn't believe was the Headmaster had instead offered him a JOB as an assistant to the Vice-Headmistress of Beacon. In return he'd be paid and also have full access to Beacon's facilities. Despite the clear warning bells about the deal being too good to be true, Jaune accepted it almost immediately.

He knew he wasn't going to have a better deal. No huntsman/huntress would be willing to train someone like him. And if he could get in Beacon on actual legitimate grounds then that was even better! At least it meant he wouldn't need to put on an act. He was always terrible with acting and lying. A fact his sisters took advantage of to great extent.

Regardless, he was now a member of Beacon's faculty and he'd be probably be able to somehow become a huntsman, maybe. There probably was a test a GED for Huntsman as well right? Regardless of how he'd become a Huntsman, today was his first day on the job.

Hence why could barely sleep the previous night. Honestly? He was absolutely terrified and a nervous wreck. He just hoped nothing was going to go wrong.

 

[mgl1206]

Intro to a possible story where Jaune gets hired to assist Glynda with her paperwork and run Beacon while Ozpin watches from above safe in the knowledge that Glynda won't quit or try to lower his coffee/hot cocoa budget.

———

Jaune barely slept last night. He could still barely even believe what had occurred. He'd gotten into Beacon, but not as a student. No, instead the Headmaster confronted him about his obviously fake transcripts and had refused his entry.

Which in all honesty, while depressing, was entirely predictable and expected.

No what he couldn't believe was the Headmaster had instead offered him a JOB as an assistant to the Vice-Headmistress of Beacon. In return he'd be paid and also have full access to Beacon's facilities. Despite the clear warning bells about the deal being too good to be true, Jaune accepted it almost immediately.

He knew he wasn't going to have a better deal. No huntsman/huntress would be willing to train someone like him. And if he could get in Beacon on actual legitimate grounds then that was even better! At least it meant he wouldn't need to put on an act. He was always terrible with acting and lying. A fact his sisters took advantage of to great extent.

Regardless, he was now a member of Beacon's faculty and he'd be probably be able to somehow become a huntsman, maybe. There probably was a test a GED for Huntsman as well right? Regardless of how he'd become a Huntsman, today was his first day on the job.

Hence why could barely sleep the previous night. Honestly? He was absolutely terrified and a nervous wreck. He just hoped nothing was going to go wrong.

Click to shrink...

Glynda couldn't believe the irresponsibility of Ozpin. As much as she respected her superior at times. She more often than not, found herself at her wits at end at his antics.

Normally she'd assume that he'd have a good reason for doing so even if it drove her mad, but this was absolutely beyond the line. Hiring a CIVILIAN as her Assistant in a Huntsman Academy was so idiotic so absolutely insane that she was almost certain that he had finally gone mad.

And what the heck was even with his listed skills? Accounting, tax filing, and mediating conflicts were definitely useful sure.

But it was the other listed skills that just confused her even further. Dancing, sewing, cooking, guitar playing, cleaning, massages, hairdresser, and arts and crafts were not appropriate for the position of Assistent. She was honestly almost halfway certain that the list had been entirely made up by Ozpin. And the fact that age had been left out certainly lent to that idea. Perhaps it was all to get back at her for all her attempts to reduce his coffee intake.

She left out a deep sigh, it was already too late for her to do anything about it, so she may as well just greet her new coworker who was bound to arrive at any moment.

*Knock Knock*

Realizing that it was probably her new Assistant, Glynda spoke up, welcoming her new co-worke-…

"OZPIN!" She shouted as she stared at the person in front of her. A rather tall, timid, blond haired boy who may as well have been a first year. Terrified and shaking under her glare. Probably one of his hare brained attempts to find a diamond in the rough as he'd likely to say. And she agreed, it was about to get very rough for Ozpin indeed.

———

I forgot to add "Cosmetician, and Stylist" to the list lol.