[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[AndrewJTalon]

Amethyst groaned as she leaned back in his chair in the small study room the Future Children had gathered in. Petra was meditating near a pillar, occasionally typing things out on her Scroll. August was on another desk, lying back and typing while staring up. Nicholas was surrounded by books, and scribbling down notes almost frantically. She glared over at Xander, who was typing on his own Scroll at the head of the room, putting in data points from the various kids. Many of whom weren't even around! The jerks.

"Can we take a break?" She whined. "And can't I see Moses? I feel like Dorothy's been hogging him!"

"I am not!" Dorothy huffed, floating overhead.

"Are too!" Amethyst protested.

"We're almost to bed time, there's not much point in a break now," August sighed, flipping through images on his holoscreen, "Hmm... The pass has more defenses now..."

Leandra and Leander appeared out from behind a pillar, making Amethyst squeak.

"Eep! Little warning next time you do that?" She complained. Her half-siblings snickered.

"That would defeat the point," Leander smirked. He held up some supplies. "Got what you wanted from the store, Xander!"

"Great, put it down there," Xander indicated.

"Though teleporting all the way out to Vale is a trek for us," Leandra groaned, sitting down across from Amethyst. She dumped her bag of supplies on the table, and began sorting through it. "Let's see... Who wanted Winkies?"

The snack cakes vanished in a burst of golden petals, and Julian Arc-Rose reappeared nearby, eating the confectionary happily.

"Mmmm... So much sugar," he moaned. "Not as good as Mom's but pure sugar!"

Xia walked in after him, looking a bit awkward.

"So, this where we doing our homework?" Xia asked, holding up her Scroll.

"That's right!" Dorothy cried, descending from the ceiling with a grin. Amethyst twitched again, as Dorothy hovered nearby.

"Do you have to do that?"

"It helps me think," Dorothy said cheerfully, "Besides, there's still a lot more to get through."

Amethyst moaned and slammed her forehead into the desk.

"I'm a jeweler, how much could I possibly know?!" She demanded. Leander reached out to pat her on her shoulder.

"There there..."

Nicholas grinned as he saw a message on his Scroll.

"Klein and Granny have agree to look into some more parts we need," he said, shaking his head, "It's amazing how much tech changes in just twenty years."

"Doesn't help that all of our stuff uses magic, which isn't exactly in widespread use now," Julian mumbled, munching on more sweet treats. He vanished in a flurry of petals to reappear near a stack of books, which he began to flip through.

"Applied magic in our timeline," Dorothy volunteered, "Though it's mostly tracing glyphs with Aura and Dust to create a set of logic gates to emulate Boolean logic in computers."

"Ah," Nicholas said with a nod, holding up his sword, "My weapon uses similar glyph logic gates to enhance my Glyph use. With it, I'm able to mix and match the Dust amounts I deploy to every Glyph."

"WOW!" Julian enthused, shooting over to look the weapon over, "That's cool! I use something similar in Crescent Rose: Take Two!" He proudly held out his sniper scythe. "No physical gears needed! Just Glyph Gates that act as magnetic bearings!"

"Big deal," Amethyst scoffed, "I use Magic Glyph Gate tech in my studio! It's common in my timeline!"

"It's common in all our timelines, but it only became common with the defeat of Salem," Theodore spoke, teleporting in and hovering down to the floor in front of them all, "Right now, there's nothing."

"So we need magic to interface with this stuff," Julian said cheerfully, already scribbling some notes on a holopad. "Or at least some workarounds until we find some!"

"Maybe we could ask Granny Izzy to loan us some magical items from Radian," Xia suggested, "I think half the things in Nana's basement were magical artifacts."

"Yeah, but without actually knowing how to use it, it was all mostly junk," Theodore sniffed, looking over some supplies as well. "A mirror that insults you, a hairbrush that turns you blond..."

"Why would she have one of those?" Leandra asked with a frown. Theodore shrugged.

"Got me. Her side of the family collected all sorts of magical items from before the Moonshatter."

"Weird," Xia pronounced. She scanned around with a frown. "Where are Ash and Ashley?"

Nicholas shook his head, going back to his books.

"They're working on something in private," he said. Dorothy frowned deeply.

"You're... Not worried about that?" She asked quietly.

Amethyst scowled.

"Their mom... Their mom isn't evil in their timeline," she said flatly, "And neither are they!"

"I'm not saying they are," Dorothy said carefully, "But when it comes to family? It's hard to stay objective."

Theodore grinned.

"Well! There's an easy way to find out. Excuse me."

He dropped through another Glyph, sending up a gust of wind that blew several papers and books off the desks. Xander rolled his eyes.

"He did that on purpose," he muttered.

"What was your first clue?" Xia asked sarcastically.

- - -

It was a tight spot. Between the wall and the insulation in the castle, behind a suit of armor on display. Ash tapped directly into a network bus, while Ashley worked on her Scroll. The screen glowed a low blue in the dark confines, lighting up their faces.

"Any reply yet?" Ash asked, keeping an eye on the transceiver array they'd cobbled together.

Ashley sighed.

"No... But that could mean anything."

Ash stared intently at the screen, and slowly nodded.

"Yeah," he murmured. He reached down and squeezed her hand. "It'll take time."

Ashley nodded slowly. He smiled.

"It's going to be okay," he murmured.

"Well, well, well!"

Both twins brought their dagger pistol hybrids up to point overhead. Theodore Arc grinned down at them, his head poking out of a Schnee Glyph. He held his hands up.

"Hey! Easy with those things!"

"How did you find us?" Ashley demanded. Theodore shrugged.

"I use this little nook at Beacon too," he said, "Usually when I want to get some downloads of new Mistralian animes. Or to hide from Shu when she's mad."

The twins gave him a deadpan look in unison. Theodore shook his head.

"So... Contacting your mom?"

"And if we were?" Ash asked, tense. Ashley adjusted her grip on her gun.

Theodore chuckled.

"I'm sure you know what you're doing... But be careful. And keep me in the loop, huh?"

Ashley's eyes widened. Ash scowled.

"That's it?" He asked.

"That's it," Theodore said with a shrug, "She's your mom. You'd do anything to save her. And hell..." He grinned and winked. "I'm not about to abandon my family either, am I?"

Ash and Ashley stared up at him. Theodore grinned and saluted.

"Anyway, don't run off to meet her without telling me, eh? She's still working for the bad guys. And when you got a moment, join us. We're gonna need your intel most of all."

"We can wait for a reply later, I guess," Ash murmured. Ashley nodded.

"Sure... We all want to kill that witch," Ashley stated.

Theodore grinned.

"Works for me!"

A Glyph opened up under Ash and Ashley. The two fell through, squealing. They landed on the floor of the study room, not enough room to land properly. They glared up at Theodore, who appeared via another Glyph overhead and floated in the air.

"Yay! Now we're all together!" Theodore cheered.

"And you say I'm the immature one," Julian muttered, eating more sweets.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

"I hate dealing with half-days," Glynda Goodwitch sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She had just entered the teacher's lounge a few steps ahead of her peers, who had finally stopped congratulating and teasing about her, engagement was probably the best term, with Jaune Arc. The end of this congratulatory teasing had allowed other topics to be the center of their conversation, and so Glynda had begun this year's version of an annual complaint. "Too many students let themselves be distracted by the extra free time to focus on their work and I have to dole out double the discipline to keep everyone on task. Having to deal with a whole week of half-days is a chore and a half."

"You could always make this a review week," Professor Peach suggested as she went to the lounge's fridge in search of a beverage. "That's a lot easier than trying to break new ground on a week like this."

"That's easy for you to say Thumbelina," Glynda groused as she placed a stack of papers on the room's central table. "Dust Studies has a lot of basic formulas people need to have memoized that you can base a refresher corse around. Nothing in my combat classes is standardized and all of my student's fight differently enough that nothing can be standardized." Her eyes flicked over to Professor Mombi, "And don't you dare suggest making my students watch a film in class."

"I wasn't going to suggest a movie or anything like that," Mombi raised her hands defensively, "But what about the Vytal Tournament of Seventy-three? You already have the student's not fighting take notes and comment on the students who are fighting, what's wrong with having them take notes on an older match?"

"It's the principle of the matter," Glynda scowled at the librarian. "If other teachers can keep normal classes going through the holiday then I'm going to do the same."

"Some of us have an unfair advantage on that front Glynda," Professor Oobleck interjected as he rubbed a smudge off of his glasses. "For instance I usually make my classes on the week of the Emerald Festival about the festival itself, recounting its' origins and the historical context of the traditional festivities everyone will take part in once classes are finished for the day. If you could find a way to make your class about the holiday you'd probably have an easier time keeping your students' attention."

"Bartholomew's right you know," Professor Port chimed in, "It's a tactic I've used to great effect for the last five years! I've had to hunt more than one unique Grimm over his holiday season and the stories of those hunts have captivated my students every time!"

"Perhaps you could find a way to theme each day's matches?" Mombi suggested as she took a seat at the table.

"And how would I do that? Throw necklaces at them while they're fighting?" Glynda rolled her eyes.

"A reenactment!" Oobleck exclaimed while snapping his fingers, "You could use an arena with one of the new holographic generators to recreate one of the more pivotal moments in the Siege of Vale and have your students act it out!"

Glynda frown at the suggestion, but the frown was more thoughtful than annoyed.

"I suppose having each team figure out how they would have handled the defense of the Southwestern Bastion could be a good exercise... but I'm not sure I have time to prepare a lesson like that this year..."

"SALUTATIONS!" Penny Polendina joyously exclaimed as she rocketed in through one entrance to the lounge before scooping a startled Glynda up and rocketing out the lounge's other doorway.

Silence reigned for a moment.

"I guess we'll finish this brainstorming session later," Oobleck muttered with his fellow teachers nodding in response.

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

A small smile graced May's face as she left the airfield. Sharing a meal with her long lost parents had been delightful, and the post meal conversation had filled her with a bubbling warmth that would stay with her for days to come. However all good things must come to an end, and not long after Theodore had shown up and whisked August away for some project May had come to the conclusion that her team might have been left unsupervised a little too long.

And so she was making her way back to the campus proper to touch base with Bronze and the others. Her pace was relaxed as she was in no real hurry. The evening was cool and pleasant, perfect for a relaxing stroll as she listened to the sounds of life she wouldn't have heard back in Vacuo. The singing of songbirds, the chirping of insects, the occasional croak of a frog...

...The rapidly approaching rockets.

"SALUTATIONS!"

"Eep!" Was all May managed before Penny scooped her up and changed corse for the VIP Guest section of the dormitories.

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

Emerald sighed as she shifted through her belongings, namely her clothes, trying to determine which outfits hadn't been ruined by the fire-suppression fluid.

Jaune's father had offered to help, and she had almost taken him up on that offer, but in the end going through her things felt a little too personal and she insisted she needed to do this herself.

Fortunately the 'salvageable if you wash it right' pile was noticeably bigger than the 'irreversibly stained with fire-suppressing chemicals' pile. The list of things that needed to be outright replaced was small enough to not put a dent in her savings, so she tried to find comfort in that.

Emerald's eyes slowly slid away from her own possessions to the other storage spaces in the room. She knew in her gut that she'd ultimately be the person responsible for sorting out the things her... former... teammates... had left behind. Mercury's chest. Neopolitan's wardrobe...

...Cinder's dresser...

Emerald forcible tore her gaze from her former mistress' space in the room. She closed her eyes and silently counted backwards from ten before turning so Cinder's things were behind her, and only then did she open her eyes again.

"GAH!" Emerald exclaimed.

"SALUTATIONS!" Penny enthused before firmly grabbing the mint-haired thief around her shoulders and rocketing off with her.

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

"I'm not fond of the internationally recognized constellation system," Arslan commented as she and Pyrrha looked up at the darkening sky, looking for the first stars to appear.

"Oh?" Pyrrha looked over to her rival with an inquisitive tilt to her head.

"All the major constellations in that system are Creatures of Grimm," The nun crinkled her nose in disgust. "The glory of the full Starry River illuminating the night sky filled our ancestors with wonder, and that wonder helped keep the Grimm at bay on the long nights before the first great walls were built. It feels a bit sacrilegious to fill the night sky with the terrors it kept us safe from, instead of filling it with the heroes that inspired us to greatness."

"I never thought about that before," Pyrrha murmured as she looked back to the sky. "I know the system used by the old Hellenic League only had a handful of monsters, and each of those monsters was accompanied by the hero that slayed it. So you're right it does seem odd that the International Constellation System's is basically all Grimm."

"The system Aelia Paravel used since before the mortal life of The Breaker told a story about The Tree of Life and how mankind lost access to it, with each constellation being a different character or object in the story," Arslan explained. "Heroes and sacred stories seems to have been the norm across most cultures."

"So why is the international system all Grimm?" Pyrrha frowned as she brought a hand to her chin in thought.

"If you asked the International Astronomers Union they'll sell you some dreck about not placing one culture's stories above the others," Arslan rolled her eyes at the thought. "Personally I think the real reason is that the committee that voted on these things was filled with people who never lived beyond the protection of a major city's walls, and so they had no problem adding more terrors to the night."

"I suppose..." Pyrrha's response trailed off as polarity sensed something rapidly approaching slightly before the sound of rockets filled her ears.

"SALUTATIONS!"

"Penny?!?!"

The ginger haired gynoid only slowed down for a second, and in that second she hooked her arms around Pyrrha and Arslan before rocketing off with the pair.

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

The room was a small parlor not far from the VIP guest quarters meant to host informal get togethers without directly bringing outsiders into the private spaces reserved for guests. Penny rocketed into the room with Yang slung over one shoulder and Jaune slung over the other. A cloud of rose petals rushed in right after her and materialized into Ruby as Penny plopped the two blonds into separate chairs.

"Penny, why'd you grab them and rocket off like that?" Ruby panted as she got her bearings after the high speed chase.

"I knew you could keep up Friend Ruby, so grabbing you was unnecessary!" Penny enthused as she spun around and hugged her friend.

"Okay..." Ruby glanced around the room before returning the hug, taking note of everyone present. "Did you abduct everyone else here?"

"We were basically already here," Blake gestured to herself and the Schnee sisters, "So she just texted us to come to this room when she went off to get everyone else."

Ruby pulled away from the hug and looked her friend in they eyes, "And why didn't you just text or call all of us?"

Penny raised a finger and opened her mouth as if she was about to answer, but then she froze as still as a statue. The gynoid held that pose for almost ten seconds before she jolted back into motion and answered, "After reviewing my memory banks I have concluded that I was too excited to think of that at the time."

Glynda cleared her throat to get Penny's attention, then asked, "And why did you bring us all here?"

"I have devised a schedule that will allow each of you to have one on one time with Friend Jaune this week," Penny pronounced. Everyone perked up at this news and seeing that she had everyone's attention Penny continued; "With the Emerald Festival being a holiday born from a week long victory celebration it offers a wide variety of different activities that can provide a romantic atmosphere. Having compared all of your search histories to the officially registered venues I've determined the best days for Jaune to take each one of you out on a date."

"...Comparing our search histories..." Winter murmured before springing to her feet in alarm, "Penny! Did you go through our scrolls?!"

"No, of course not! That would be a gross violation of your privacy," Penny chided. "I simply purchased all of your information from a legal data-broker."

Winter's jaw worked up and down unable to articulate anything as the other girls all shared looks with varying levels of concern. Emerald looked a little queasy while May looked like she wanted to disappear between the couch cushions she was sitting on. Yang, Ruby and Glynda quickly pulled out their scrolls to double check their last ten searches. Pyrrha and Weiss shared a look as they wondered what Penny could have gleaned from their carefully monitored and managed social media accounts, and then both of their eyes widened as they were both simultaneously hit with the realization that Penny might have been able to find their secret personal accounts. Blake broke out in a cold sweat as she suddenly found the floor very interesting to look at.

Arslan pinched her nose and sighed, reminding herself that she shouldn't assume anything from the subtle panic the other women were going through. There were tons of reasons someone could be embarrassed by their search history, it didn't have to be evidence of degerqnacy or any other kind of deviant behavior.

"...Alright, let's come back to that later," Jaune interjected hoping to move the conversation past this bout of awkwardness. "Who am I taking out this week and when?"

"Monday works best for Specialist Schnee and Friend May," Penny turned to him with a voice brimming with excitement. "Tuesday is the best day for Friends Pyrrha and Blake. Wednesday would be wonderful for Friends Ruby and Emerald. Thursday is great for Friends Arslan and Yang while Friday is the best day for Friend Weiss and Professor Goodwitch!"

Two dates a day if he wanted to get to everyone this week, which he did. Jaune mentally counted the hours between the early end of the school day and the time he'd be expected back on campus if he joined the festivities in the city. He could see himself squeezing a pair of short dates into that timeframe. He just needed to figure out the specifics.

"Could you send me the list of venues you matched everyone up with?" Jaune asked.

"Of course Friend Jaune!" Penny smiled before staring off into the middle distance at nothing in particular. Jaune's scroll pinged with the e-mail received notification and Penny's focus returned to normal.

As Jaune pulled out his scroll to look things over Winter finally found her voice again.

"Penny," The military woman started, "Could you tell me about the data-brokers you found?"

Well somebody was going to be on the chopping block tomorrow. Jaune zeroed in on the activities Penny had lined up for Winter in the hopes of finding something that would help her destress from everything...

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

It was pretty chaotic. Pyrrha and Weiss, of all people, nearly came to blows before anyone else over the schedule. Ruby and Jaune were able to help calm things-Better than Glynda or Winter, for some strange reason. May tried to be a bit assertive, but she still pulled her punches out of insecurity. Yang was a bit quieter, but when Blake pushed a bit harder she stepped up with a bit more irritation than he expected. Emerald was surprisingly quiet, but given the gimlet eyes she was getting from Arslan and Pyrrha, that was only to be expected.

Ultimately though? They were able to hammer out the schedule and everyone agreed to it. Thankfully without an actual hammer, though Yang still made the joke.

He did appreciate the levity though, as Penny projected a holographic schedule:

Monday:
Winter
May
Tuesday:
Pyrrha
Blake
Wednesday:
Ruby
Emerald
Thursday:
Arslan
Yang
Friday:
Weiss
Glynda

"Sensational!" Penny cheered, at the nodding heads and some smiles around her, "I am so happy to be managing your romance, Friends! I will give it 100 percent of my efforts to ensure it is fruitful!"

Ruby blushed, and she wasn't the only one. Jaune coughed.

"Ah... Thanks Penny," Jaune managed.

"It's late," Glynda stated, her voice carrying its natural authority, "And we have a long week ahead of us. I believe we should avoid any... Further night time activities?" She raised an eyebrow at the others. Yang snorted.

"Bit rich given you were up and about last time," she shot back. Glynda cleared her throat, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed.

"I-I was doing my job-!"

"Ma'am," Pyrrha said, as polite as ever but with an edge, "We all know that's not the case."

Glynda flushed.

Jaune sucked in a breath.

"Guys? Again... We've agreed to a plan. Let's stick to it," he said firmly. He kept his voice calm and even. Pyrrha nodded first, smiling gently at him. Arslan followed. Glynda had a bit of pride in her eyes, which admittedly was something he had wanted to see from his teacher. Winter's look was unreadable, while May and Emerald both looked a bit relieved.

Yang was a bit chagrined, but she smiled almost dreamily at him.

"Sure thing, Stud," she agreed. Jaune's ears went bright red, as everyone else all stared at Yang.

"'Stud'?" Weiss asked, her tone as piercing as glass.

"Yang," Ruby said warningly. Yang shrugged, tossing her hair back theatrically.

"Well, after that kiss, I'd say he's earned a nickname upgrade, hm?"

The tension in the room skyrocketed.

"Kiss?" Pyrrha asked tightly, her plastic smile truly terrifying.

"Sorry, kisses," Yang specified with a smirk. "It was a LOT more than one~."

"YANG!" Ruby growled. Yang shrugged.

"What? You kissed him too!"

The fury was split between the two sisters, though Ruby moved towards Yang for protection out of instinct. Jaune took another deep breath.

He had authority here. He had to use it.

"Yes. I kissed them both," Jaune said, calm and authoritative. "And I'll be kissing all of you on our dates... If you want. So there's no need to get upset."

Everyone's eyes locked onto him. Weiss let out a long, slow breath, though still shot Yang an angry look. Blake wasn't much better, but looked more composed.

Glynda recovered first. She slowly nodded.

"It's not productive to fight like this, you're right," she said.

Ruby winced guiltily, but with a nudge from Yang, she found her voice again.

"That's true. Things haven't changed. We do need to keep our focus on our goals... Wh-Which do include kissing Jaune and being fair about it," she said at some looks, "But we should try not to provoke everyone else... Too much."

"How much is too much?" Pyrrha asked a bit sharply. Penny beamed and stepped forward.

"Have no fear, friends! I will monitor the situation and ensure everyone gets equal access in Friend Jaune's harem!"

"It's not a harem!" Jaune groaned.

"You really need to stop being in denial about that," Emerald suggested wryly.

"Indeed, it fits the basic definition," Blake pointed out.

"There are worse things to call it," Arslan observed.

Jaune was about to ask the nun what those were, when the door to the room opened and someone cleared their throat significantly. All eyes locked onto Isabel Arc, standing in the doorway. She gave them all a small smile.

"Hello all," she greeted, "I would like to speak with my son alone, if you don't mind?"

"We're pretty much done for tonight," Winter stated. She gave Jaune a small but eager smile, "I-I'm looking forward to tomorrow, Jaune."

"M-Me too," May professed, not quite meeting his eyes but her blush and smile gave her away. Jaune smiled and nodded back.

"Me too. To... To all our dates," he said. "See you all tomorrow."

"What, no good night kiss?" Yang joked, though she winced at the glares she received. "What? I wouldn't limit it to just one!"

Blake already made to move towards Jaune, but Arslan held her back.

"Let's avoid anymore fights tonight, okay?" Arslan advised. Blake sighed, but relented.

"Very well... But I must ask: What happened to Faunus solidarity? I would have shared."

"One, we're all going to have to share," Arslan stated, a faint blush on her face, "Second, simply because we are both Faunus does not mean we have anything else in common."

"We're both cat faunus!" Blake protested. Arslan shook her head.

"I am a lion faunus. There is a distinct difference."

"Great, she found a new argument buddy," Yang sighed. She looked over at Weiss. "Guess you're out of the running, Weisscream."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded.

Despite the arguments and bickering, they all managed to say goodnight to Jaune, Penny and Isabel before heading out. Jaune reminded himself to track down his children and father and tell them goodnight as well, before he turned to Isabel. She in turn looked over at Penny.

"I did say alone," Isabel said, with a gentle but firm authority. Penny smiled.

"My orders are to defend Jaune Arc, Doctor Arc! But I will not repeat anything you two discuss!"

Isabel raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose that will suffice," she managed. "Jaune?"

As though girding himself for battle, Jaune nodded grimly.

"I'm ready, Mom."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Isabel and Jaune sat on opposing sides of one of the many little tables in the meeting room. Penny politely moved off towards the center of the room, her eyes glowing slightly as she stood like a statue.

"I am now in privacy mode," Penny said cheerfully, "For I am a perfectly normal girl!"

Jaune blinked.

"Um, Penny? I know you're a gynoid-"

"Perfectly normal girl!" Penny reiterated with exactly the same inflection and tone as before. Jaune blinked, as Isabel hid a smile.

"You certainly are, Penny," Isabel said, and Penny beamed.

Mother and son then looked at each other in silence. Isabel worried her lower lip.

"It's been a while since it was just us together, huh?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah... Last time was... Before I left."

Isabel smiled wanly.

"You had just gotten your acceptance letter to Ambrose... I was very proud."

"I know," Jaune sighed.

Isabel shook her head slowly.

"You could have just waited for me to unlock your Aura, then run off to Beacon, you know," Isabel said, her voice soft with hurt, "It would have been much safer for you. I would have done it."

Jaune sucked in a deep breath, and looked to the side. Isabel's frown deepened.

"I mean, you did forge your way into Beacon. Why didn't you just lie to me?"

Jaune slowly looked back at her, forcing himself to stare into her eyes.

"Fraud is one thing but... But lying to you? I just... I couldn't do that, Mom," Jaune said quietly.

She shook her head, her voice a bit tight.

"I was going to be angry when I found out, Jaune. But I would prefer you alive and a liar than dead."

His hands twitched, as he resisted the urge to reach out to comfort her. He fixed her with a steady stare.

"I wanted to fulfill my dream, mom. Not yours. And lying to you is just... It would be too far."

"You lied about you going to medical school," Isabel stated, an edge to her tone. Jaune shook his head, eyes determined.

"No, I just promised I would pass the tests to get into medical school. I didn't say I'd go, Mom!"

"You just used semantics!" Isabel argued, her posture tense. "You still lied to me!"

He clenched his fists and glared at her. A hundred old hurts and resentments boiled up and he couldn't hold them back. Not when it was just them... And Penny, he supposed, but she may as well not have been there.

"Well that's what I had to do to get around you because you just wouldn't let me make my own choices! Everything had to be what you wanted, what you decided! You were probably arranging my marriage, too! Why did all my sisters get to choose their own paths but I couldn't?!"

Isabel opened her mouth, her face red... Then she shut her eyes and mouth, her posture becoming calm. Her Aura thrummed around her as she used her Semblance. She took a very deep breath, and opened her eyes to look back at her son, who glared back, undeterred.

"You're right," she said softly.

Jaune's jaw dropped.

"H-Huh?!"

"You're right," Isabel repeated, "I did... I did want to plan out your life, Jaune. I wanted you to follow my path."

"Why?" Jaune demanded, still angry, "Because I was the sickly runt of the family?! Because I had to spend half my childhood in the hospital?! Because I was too nice, too kind?! You always told me that I couldn't handle it! That I was too soft!"

Isabel closed her eyes, and again used her Semblance to calm down. Part of Jaune felt guilty for forcing her to do this, but damnit... All the old hurts were still there, fighting with his love for her.

She slowly shook her head, thoughtful, before she spoke again:

"I talked with your father and saw your combat footage. You... You have massive potential, Jaune. Honestly, I always thought you did have incredible potential to be a Huntsman. You grew up so strong, so smart."

"Still in the bottom 20 percent!" Jaune growled.

"You've gone from an untrained civilian to able to kill Ursas in, what, a year? That kind of growth is phenomenal, Jaune," Isabel said softly, "That's faster than your father or me when we were your age. It's astonishing how fast you're growing."

"Then why?!" Jaune demanded, hurt breaking his voice. Isabel looked down at her hands, which were gently clenched.

"... Because I was afraid of losing you, Jaune," she whispered. "I'm terrified of losing any of my children-What mother isn't? But you..." Her voice was even, but tears began to slide down her cheeks. Jaune stared, again his hands twitching to reach out to her but still he resisted.

"I had had seven children, everything had been just fine," she continued, "Nothing I couldn't handle. Then you were born... And you were close to death from the moment you came into the world. I didn't know what I had done wrong. I spent every waking hour I could to save you, to keep you alive. Three agonizing weeks you were in an incubator under constant Aura treatment. I had to invent new ways of keeping you alive on the fly while recovering from labor. I saw you, so tiny, fighting for your life and... And I couldn't figure out why."

She slowly looked up at him, tears streaming from her blue eyes as her voice remained unnaturally calm.

"Then... When you were stabilized, we got an emergency call from Mount Glenn. Nick and I had to rush over, help save whoever we could. We tried... We tried... Then they blew the tunnel and..."

Jaune's hands defied his anger, and reached out to grasp Isabel's. She squeezed him back, and sniffled.

"Mom," he murmured.

"I suppose," Isabel said softly, "These things combined made me decide that... That no. I will not let any of my children go through that. And especially not you, Jaune. So many children were lost and all I could think about was... How would I feel if they were mine?" She closed her eyes.

"And in the end, my children ran off because I pushed too hard. I'm a selfish, foolish old woman."

"Mom," Jaune murmured again. He got up and scooted around the table, letting her hands go just long enough to wrap her up in a tight hug. She returned it, and he rubbed her back to try and sooth her. They sat in silence for a time, the hug familiar and comforting.

Her Aura again thrummed. She looked up at him, calm and controlled.

"And now you're... You're going to save the world," she said, her voice level but with a touch of awe. Jaune shrugged.

"I'm not the only one who does," he said.

Isabel smiled. She reached up to cup his cheek and stroke it.

"I know," she said softly, "But you're the key. And... And I have to admit, Jaune. I'm terrified for you."

"I'm... I'm scared too," Jaune admitted quietly, his eyes going down to stare at her lap. He forced them back up.

"But you and Dad taught me that it doesn't matter if you're scared: You have to push on. Too many people are depending on you."

Isabel smiled softly, tinged with sadness. She hugged him again, very tightly.

"When did you grow up?" She sighed.

"Well," Jaune said carefully, "I think becoming a dad helped."

She snorted.

"Telling bad jokes, just like your father," she murmured, "at the worst times... You're so much like him." She pulled back and again cupped his cheek. "What did you get from me?"

Jaune thought about it. He then shrugged.

"Your stubbornness?"

She stared at him... Before she sighed.

"You're right."

She worked her jaw.

"I'm still... Not totally okay with this," she admitted, "But... I'll do my best to support you. And your harem."

Jaune flushed.

"It's not a harem-"

"It is a harem, Jaune," Isabel scolded, "So you should start acting like it! And it's not unprecedented! Your Nana and Papa have one!"

"What?!" Jaune gasped in denial, "No! Great Aunt Sakura and Great Aunt Rin are just very close members of the family who stay at their house a lot and... And..."

A hundred little memories all linked together, and he buried his face in his hands from the weight of his horrified comprehension.

"Oh Breaker... Is that why you told me not to date any of their great-granddaughters?!"

Isabel smiled wryly.

"Yes... But it did work out in the end, didn't it?"

Jaune groaned.