Chapter 1: Arrival in Vale

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

Jaune had never understood why he got airsick while riding in Bullheads. No one else in his family ever got sick while riding the dust powered machines. Even after his aura had been unlocked, it had only let up slightly.

The young Hunter-in-training even looked up the condition, multiple times with multiple sources and they said the same thing. Motion sickness comes from a movement that is seen but not felt, a motion that is felt but not seen, and when motion is felt and seen but doesn't line up properly. Armed with this knowledge he had tried different window seats, different seating positions, jogging in place, and sleeping. Like most things, it all proved to be a fruitless effort. So he simply did what he always had done for years, sat still and hummed until it was over. It was a long trip.

A few of the passengers had looked at him with wary gazes and gave his seat a wide berth. They had good reason to be nervous. He had been subconsciously gripping Crocea Mors handle until his knuckles turned white, which probably didn't inspire confidence in his mental state. It wasn't like he was angry or anything, his nerves were just frayed at the ends. Not only was he currently headed to a city he'd never been to before, but it also was without the comforting support of his family. More than that, it was the first time he had been without the presence of his youngest sister Hazel, his best friend.

Looking out the window again, he finally saw the buildings coming into view. The city was large; it was much larger than what he'd been expecting. Something bigger and significantly more important caught his eye. Beacon Tower, a shining symbol of power, strength, and most of all, hope. It was also the place that Jaune believed would ultimately be good for him. Despite training with his father since twelve, since the accident, he still knew that he was at a disadvantage. In spite of pushing himself three times as hard as the normal Hunter would, being deaf still most likely put him at the bottom of the barrel. Heck, it had taken a resume with five total solo missions to even make the school consider allowing him to take the entrance exam. There was no doubt that Ozpin would make sure to scrutinize him heavily. Good thing Jaune didn't dedicate his childhood to training and left home to just give up so. None of his sisters, especially Hazel, would forgive him if he failed because of getting discouraged half way through.

His trepidation filled thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone take the seat next to him. It wasn't a semblance or even necessarily special skill. Jaune had just nationally developed a sensitivity to movement around him. He could amplify that sensitivity if he was actively spreading out his aura so as to predict attacks coming from behind, but that took focus. He wasn't currently in Grimm territory, far from it, so he hadn't been using the technique taught to him by his father.

Turning his head, he came face to face with a very adorable, excited looking girl. She seemed to have a red and black color scheme, even her hair was black and slowly reddened at the edges. She had a short, red and black combat skirt (yes he knew the difference after living with seven sisters), a black corset, and most obvious of all, a shockingly red cloak. She kind of reminded him of Hazel, if only because of her height, which immediately put him at ease. The girl was looking at him expectantly as if waiting for a response. It was a clear sign he had missed her speaking.

"I'm sorry, did you say something," he asked, articulating each word with labored practice. Being deaf meant he couldn't actually hear the words leave his mouth. However, he still had still wanted to be able to speak after the accident, so Jaune practiced at it just as hard as he did training to be a Hunter.

"I said, are you here to go to Beacon Academy? I saw your sword and I had to know! Also, your weapon is so cool! Ugh, I wish I could go to Beacon, but I'm still too young and-"

It was around that time Jaune could no longer keep up with the girl's lips, so he lifted his hand to stop her from talking. Thankfully she paused mid-sentence and allowed him to catch his thoughts. Reading lips was pretty easy after a while, but some people just were nearly impossible to follow. He could tell she would be one of those people.

"To answer your first question, yes I am here so that I can go to Beacon. I'm feeling a little nervous actually at the thought. Also, thank you, but this old thing isn't anything impressive," Jaune laughed out. He lifted Crocea Mors and gave it to the girl to hold. The way she marveled at his Great-Great Grandfathers weapon reminded him of when he had looked at the weapon as a child.

"The sheath turns into a shield as well," explained Jaune, taking the weapon back so he could demonstrate. If it was even possible, she got more excited. Of course, he couldn't know for sure, but Jaune was pretty sure she squealed. Looking around at the expressions of the other passengers, he could tell they defiantly were the center of attention.

"You see, I have Crescent Rose," said the little girl, pulling forth a long barreled looking gun before said device turned into an enormous red scythe. The screams from the other passengers fell on deaf ears, literally.

"She's a beauty," whistled Jaune, meaning it completely. The sniper rounds, the scope, exchangeable dust and bullet rounds, complete mecha-shift action. Truly a good weapon. It nearly dwarfed the girl who was currently holding it.

"Yeah, it is just that-"

Oh, looks like she was talking a mile a minute again. Jaune was once again forced to raise his hands so as to stop her from talking. It looks like he would have to let her know.

"Hey…I actually don't have your name."

Her eyes widened considerably and a slight blush of embarrassment seemed to cross her cheeks. "Sorry, my sister is always telling me that I need to introduce myself before talking about weapons. My name is Ruby Rose."

Ruby reached out a hand, one that he shook firmly as if to cement the moment. "It's good to meet you Ruby, my name is Jaune Arc. I'm also completely deaf, so could you talk a little slower? I have a hard time reading lips when someone is talking quickly."

The complex mix of emotions that danced across her face was nearly comical. Now Jaune was nearly as socially awkward as this girl was, but he could still tell she had been thrown for a major loop. Ruby put the scythe away and looked at him closer. He could tell Ruby finally noticed the two scars on each side of his head where hair didn't grow as thick.

"Oh, wow. You are really good at…" She trailed off, not finishing the thought.

Am I good at pretending?

A tense silence fell over the two, mostly stemming from Ruby not knowing where to go from here. "Hey, I was having fun talking to you. I hope me being deaf didn't ruin it."

She perked up at this. "W-What! No, no, no, no, no!" The scythe wielder raised her hands while shaking her head back and forth. She looked down at her skirt and began fiddling with the ends of her combat attire. She looked up and talked slowly so that he could understand. "It's just that…you must be really strong if you're able to be a Hunter while also being deaf."

Jaune looked out the window again, just in time to see that the Bullhead was landing at the docks nears the outskirts of Vale. I hope everyone else thinks the same way.

"Thanks for saying that Ruby. You don't know how much that means to me."

Before the small girl could respond, the intercom called out telling everyone to that they had arrived at their destination. Jaune stood up and began collecting his things from the top shelves of the Bullhead storage. He slung a green duffel bag over his right shoulder, put Crocea Mors on his belt, and slung his guitar case over his the unoccupied left shoulder. Then he turned back around to face his new friend again. She was looking at him funny, a cocked head and raised an eyebrow.

"You play guitar?"

Jaune smiled. "Yea. You want to hear me play?"

Now Jaune wasn't a fool. He knew she was defiantly curious as to how a deaf man would even play guitar well, but pretending like it was a normal occurrence was more fun. Despite just meeting Ruby, he could already tell she would be fun to tease.

"Hey Rubes, it's time to go."

Jaune was only able to catch the exchange because the buxom blonde bombshell had walked into his direct line of sight before speaking. Iliac eyes seemed to scan his entire body. It made him feel…dirty. Jaune guessed this to be Ruby's sister, being able to overlook the clear difference in appearance and personality. She had the same look he and his dad gave when a prospective suitor wanted to speak with one of his sisters. He even recalled making one boy run away screaming when they had tried to flirt with Hazel.

Ruby turned to the girl and presumably began telling her about Jaune, considering she kept pointing at him. He didn't know what was said, but the girl he presumed to be Ruby's sister gave him a smile. She reached out a hand, one that he shook reflexively.

"Hello, my name is Yang. Am I talking too fast?"

"Hey, my name's Jaune Arc and no, that is an okay speed."

When the final call goes over the intercom and the small group of three quickly make their way off the Bullhead and tarmac. Once outside the docks and into the city, their conversation started up again.

"So, you are going to Beacon next week as well, huh? You must be pretty strong then. How about a little warm up spar before the entrance exam?"

Jaune quickly measured up Yang in his mind, trying guess if he could possibly best her in a fight. She didn't seem to have a weapon with her, but those wristlets looked like they could be mecha-shift as well. Gauntlets perhaps. If that was the case then she was most likely a martial artist or brawler. More than that, she was probably very quick and very good at getting inside of an opponent's guard. That would be detrimental to someone like him who relied on the ability to keep the enemy at bay with range. Then there was also the issue of if she had an overpowered semblance.

"I think I'll pass Yang. On the off chance you kick my ass, I don't want to already be known as a loser in Beacon. Plus I need to find a hotel to stay in until Beacon starts anyway and I'd like to get that done sooner rather than later."

Yang pouted a little, seemingly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to blow off some steam. She was strong. Powerful to the point she wasn't even scared of injury. Jaune would be the first to say that confidence didn't mean jack shit about actual ability, but when a Hunter was confident…well they most likely had a reason. A tug on his ashen gray hoodie made Jaune look down at Ruby.

"Jaune, what school did you go to? I'm currently going to Signal."

The blonde was happy Ruby had remembered that he had to actually see someone talking to be able to respond. It felt like the two girls had already accepted him for the way he was. "I actually didn't go to a school. My father was a Hunter, so just took me on the missions he would go on as training, much to my mom's distress."

Ruby looked shocked, eyes wide in…impressment? Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and shifted his vision so that he was once again eye level with Yang. "You…how many missions did you go on?"

"About 50 I guess, most just being search and destroy missions. My dad did let me solo a few diplomatic missions, though." A lot of those missions realistically he shouldn't have been allowed on, period. On his scariest outing, they were tasked with killing a nest of Nevermores that was terrorizing a town. Talk about a nightmare situation.

Yang's jaw seemed to have lost its ability to close. Looking down to see if Ruby was doing any better or could explain her sister's loss of composure, but alas, she didn't seem to be doing much better. In fact, it looked more like the girl was going to implode in either excitement or constipation. Before he could ask what the matter was, Ruby's small form crashed into him, squealing so loud he could feel the vibration.

He looked down at the cute figure in his arms just in time for her to start speaking again. "I knew you were probably strong, but 50 missions with a Hunter! That's the coolest thing ever!"

Was it? At some point, it had just become like regular bonding time with his father. A completely normal occurrence. Wake up, train, eat, sleep, play with his sisters, train, eat, train, sleep, and repeat. On the chance there was a mission, then he would pack his bare essentials, eat, say goodbye to his sisters and mother, secretly promise Hazel and Lavender he would come home safe, and then leave for maybe a week or more.

Strong arms once again grabbed his shoulders and wrenched up his body so that he was facing Yang again. "Oh, we are totally going to spar once Beacon opens."

"Yay?"

The shadow of a building eclipsed the sunlight, alerting Jaune that sun was setting since buildings don't usually grow. "Hey guys, I really should be looking for a hotel now. I'd like to maybe meet up later though before school starts and continue the conversation."

Both girls nodded and said their goodbyes. Yang pointed him the direction of the non-shady part of town and then departed with her sister. Once they had left his field of vision, he let out a sigh of relief. That had gone well. Really well. The two had not even cared that he couldn't hear and even went so far as to be accommodating. If this was how Beacon would be like, then his previous worries could be forgotten. They even called him strong! What a novel that was.

As he walked down the street, Jaune realized that he needed to make a stop at the nearest Dust shop. He, of course, had brought some with him and his hoodie was weaved with Dust, but it would be good to get some more. He didn't know if there would be much time to buy any in the coming weeks, so it would be good to get that done now. Conveniently, there was a rather large Dust shop near the hotel Yang had recommended. Weighing his options, he decided to visit the store before going to get a room.

He walked into the store and was greeted with a smiling face of the female clerk. She had brown hair tied in a tight bun, a very tan complexion that came out to be a lovely shade of almond brown, with green overalls. She was curvy, a fact Jaune noticed immediately because of how tight the clothing was. Honestly, it nearly made him blush.

"May I help you," she asked, folding her arms under the ample of the large breast. Her face smiled softly, the gentle features melting into a perfect picture. It made the very teenage boy weak in the knees before he caught himself.

"I-I'm here for brown and yellow dust." Jaune flushed a bit at his stutter, but she didn't seem to notice. Instead, she began to leer at him for a moment before speaking again.

"Hmm, it has been awhile since I saw a dust weaver walk into this store. Especially not someone so young. Who taught you?"

"My mother and sisters," replied Jaune, having war flashbacks of many burned fingers and explosions hitting him in the face. The end result had been worth it, however. His ashen gray hoodie had the Arc family crest embroidered on the back in gold thread with different threads traveling away from it and around the entire hoodie, each thread of the embroidering weaved with dust. That also included the shoulder pads and pockets over his heart and stomach. The clerk owner nodded and walked from around the counter towards the back. He followed meekly, walking past isles of different dust vials and crystals. They were all glowing and giving off power, but what really made his eyes widen was the prices.

Okay, no gold dust for me.

"Here you are, sir. Sir?" She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Jaune looked back up to see that he was now at the back of the story and was staring at a large machine that seemed to be filled with different types of dust. On the shelf next to the machine was vials of many different sizes.

"Help yourself. If you need any help, I will be at the front desk." She winked and walked away, a lot more pep in the step than needed. It was obvious how this place stayed in business and it wasn't just the dust quality.

"Thank you, madam."

Jaune turned back to the wall and started looking at the prices. He still would need to pay for the hotel for a week, so he wouldn't be able to buy as much as he would have preferred. Still, it should be enough to get him through the first semester. Jaune didn't need to activate the dust weaved in the clothing often, usually only being in a last defense. Hopefully, no close calls would be happening.

"Well, I guess I can buy two small vials now, and maybe take a search and destroy mission for extra money between semesters and breaks. It shouldn't be too hard without Dad."

Jaune began filling a vial with brown dust. While doing so, he decided to flare his aura a bit, watching in amusement as it also began to glow. The feeling really never got old. Something stopped his childish entertainment dead, though, his aura rubbing up against something negative. Letting his consciousness flow strongly along his aura. Doing so, he felt someone coming up behind him. Preparing for a fight, he crushed the vial of dust currently in his right hand and activated his aura, manipulating into a hard earthen sphere around his hand.

A heavy hand rested on Jaune's shoulder and turned him around. He was met with the disgruntled face of a man in red shades, black suit, and red tie. What really caught Jaune's attention, however, was the red katana waving in his face.

"Hey, didn't you hear me talking to you! This is a robbery, put your hands u-"

Jaune, not waiting to hear the end of the monologue, shoved his fist of hardened stone into the thug's face. The impact snapped and shattered his nose before the completely unprepared crony was sent flying down the aisle. His body folded in on itself as it flew through the air and unceremoniously crashed face first through the front window. Overkill?

The dust produced stone on his left hand began to crumble and he shook the loose pebbles off. Jaune didn't know who would try to steal dust, but they walked into the wrong place. He had dealt with goons before and they usually went down just as easily as the one who just went flying through the window. Who he really needed to look out for was the leader.

And speak of the devil.

A petite women twirling a parasol came into sight. Her attire is what caught his attention first; she had a unique color scheme of light pink, cream white, and chocolate brown. She looked out the window the well-dressed goon had gone through and pouted cutely, placing a finger on her chin. The second thing that caught Jaune's attention was how short she was, easily as short as Ruby had been and she was currently in heels.

Steel tipped heels from the looks of it. Better beware of that. She is most likely quick as well.

The girl who – despite his focus – reminded him of ice cream, turned back to face him. She wore a casual smile, one that spoke volumes about her confidence. Everything in him was screaming to run right now, his aura going crazy with warning bells. This was worse than the time his father had left him to fight a group of Ghast Grimm by himself. It only made it easier to draw Crocea Mors from its sheath. It was simple. If he didn't win this fight, he died. It was a fact that Jonathan had beaten into his skull countless times. What made the young Hunter-in-training pause was when he saw her eyes become mismatched after blinking.

A semblance! Damn, is it an illusion type? Am I already under its effect?

Ah, unanswerable questions, the bane of humans for as long as Remnant has existed. It would do no good to dwell on them now. All he could do was rely on what was around him, and that was a lot of options. He put down his duffle bag and guitar case in a corner, keeping eye contact at all times. Seemed like she would wait for him to make the first move.

With Crocea Mors drawn and his sheath in the other hand, Jaune broke out into a sprint down the aisle. On the way towards the strangely ominous women, he extended his left hand in which the sheath was firmly held and smashed it into a large container of white dust, spraying the substance all over the floor and over him. A second later he closed the gap on the unnamed robber, thrusting forward with an aura enhanced jab. The precise attack missed by a mile, the ice cream colored thief moving quicker than should be possible by leaning away from his blade.

Jaune was repaid in full with a steel tipped heel driving deep into his stomach. The hit should have knocked the wind out of him, it was certainly strong enough. However, he had been able to activate the dust weaved into his hoodie a second before. Instead of striking flesh, her heel collided and shattered a plate of hardened stone Jaune manipulated the dust into in time. Despite this allowing him to virtually take the hit with zero damage, the force still sent him flying back a few feet, a testament to how strong she was. Before hitting the ground, he sheathed his sword and prepared for the next exchange.

When his feet hit the ground they continued to slide, unable to gain any traction with the floor. Jaune capitalized on his misfortune, however, and channeled his aura through his shoes. While sliding he activated the dust he'd scattered on the ground previously, coating the floor with a thin layer of ice. The teen also managed to snag a vial of golden dust and crush it in his hand before his enemy rushed forward, probably looking to end the fight quickly.

I'm not as weak as you think.

What happened next was something Jaune would never forget until the day he died. This girl, who he already considered one of the most coordinated fighter he had seen, moved towards him at a speed that would make it impossible to dodge any attack. Her parasol held in a relaxed right handed grip. The single cockiest expression he'd ever seen adorned her face. Victory. It was all she knew. Which made it all the better when, not noticing the invisible second layer on the floor, she put all her weight onto one foot…and slipped.

The expression was worth more than all the dust and lien in Remnant. Pure unadulterated shock. Eyes wide, mouth open, disbelieving shock. In that second, in that exact moment where Neo lost footing, it was as if the universe broke. Fear brought Grimm, Salem was a bitch, and Neo doesn't lose footing. There are some things in Remnant that were just ironclad like that. So when the women everyone believed to be gyroscopically balanced trips, you know you've just accomplished more than most would in a lifetime. It would go down in history as The Day Neo Slipped.

Jaune, not realizing the achievement he just unlocked, attempted to capitalize on his strategy. She was still far too slippery to attempt to strike outright, even unbalanced. So in the split second decision, he used the golden dust in his fist to make an elemental electric attack and slammed it into the ground. The desired reaction was achieved when the heat from the lightning reacted with the ice coating the floor to make a cloud of dense steam.

The aisle was thrown into a veil of darkness, one that didn't phase Jaune in the least. Gripping the handle of his sword, and locking on to his enemy's presence, the Arc swordsman prepared to go on the offensive.

/-/

Neo dug her heel through the ice and gained enough traction to push backward and out of range. That had been the first time in a long time anyone ever took her by surprise in such a manner. She would make sure to it didn't happen again. She'd castrate him for this.

The skilled combatant looked back up just in time for a cloud of steam to engulf her in darkness. Neo quickly took a crouched stance in preparation for any attack coming from the darkness. True to form a destructive beam of energy cut through the steam, ripping up titles and tearing the ceiling apart on its way to cleave her in half. Naturally, it was avoided with reflective ease. In fact, it was a simple matter of side stepping. It did warn her to be careful of the boy's sword since he was apparently strong enough to send his cuts traveling over a distance.

Preternatural grace kicking in, Neo brought her parasol up to block a powerful one-handed strike that came out of the mist that was still making her vision a bit challenging. It seemed the teenager wanted to test his luck in direct combat. Bad choice.

She feinted around a jab, ducked under a horizontal slash that cut a shelf in half, and slid under a quick but shockingly ineffective round house. On her way back up, she jammed her heel into the boy's ankle, feeling satisfaction at the low groan of pain that passed his lips. To give credit where credit was due, he didn't falter in his step because of the pain.

This however only caused Neo to grin wider. Oh, she would enjoy destroying every single defense this child had until he was a broken mess on the floor. The tough ones were the most fun see break down. Just thinking about his chiseled face marred, his blond hair bloodied, his hoodie torn to shreds…it nearly made Neo wet with pleasure.

With the cocky grin now revived at full force, she activated her semblance.

/-/

Jaune was beginning to get his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Confronting her head on was a mistake, Jaune knew that before he even did it. However, he had one trick left and it involved getting close. Easier said than done.

The blond knight deflected a jab from the parasol with the tip of his blade and stepped into the women's guard quickly. With practiced fluidity Jaune struck out, Crocea Mors hitting home and striking the girl in the chest. It was a move he had practiced for years with his father and it seemed to finally pay off. Which is why it was all the more demoralizing and terrifying when the image of her shattered upon impact. Realizing too late that the image that had been in front of him and her aura presence hadn't been synced, hope evaporated from his spirit. He had relied on his vision to heavily and now all there was to do was focus his aura and take the hits.

The girl from behind kicked him in the back of the right knee. His aura prevented the knee bone from shattering on impact, but it was a critical hit seeing that she had used aura in the strike. As much as Jaune wanted to stay on his feet after the hit, his leg caved under his weight, causing him to fall to one knee. The swordsman focused his aura on his other knee a second before it to also was struck with a steel tipped heel. This time a he could feel a pop go off in his bone and like a hat, he dropped to his knees.

To finish off the sequence, she flipped over his body, clamped his head between her boots, winked at him upside down in a flirty way, and then launched him head first through the ceiling and into the outside air. Then coming down as quick as he went up, Jaune went crashing onto the roof and bounced off the siding, falling thirty feet to the hard pavement. Upon landing, his left shoulder shifted oddly and he felt the limb dislocate.

Well, there goes the aura.

Jaune attempted to move but found that his body didn't seem to be responding. The various cuts and bruises across his face were not healing at all, just another effect of being depleted of aura. It also seemed like his leg bone was cracked. Aura would heal this up once it returned, but there was the matter at hand. Jaune had no way of detecting the female thief without his aura active, so he merely waited. It didn't take long.

Mismatched eyes stared down at him in amusement. She drew her parasol and aimed the end towards his left eye. Looking down the hole, it seemed a blade was housed inside handle and would spring out upon activation. It would be neat if it wasn't the thing about to blind him.

So this is how I die, at the hands of an ice cream cosplaying thief. Not how I thought it would go down, but hey, at least I put up a good fight. Goodbye Lavender, Azul, Ginger…

The blonde's inner monologue was interrupted when he noticed that the women and the umbrella were gone. That didn't make any sense. Surely she didn't have a change of heart? It was then something hit Jaune's nostrils. Despite recognizing the scent, he discredited the thought. Who would be drinking coffee in the middle of town at night?

"Having a good evening Mr. Arc?"

The face that had just invaded his field of vision was distinctly familiar. He had even met this man once before. It was one of the most recognizable faces in all of Vale.

"O-Ozpin?"

"I'm glad to see you have not forgotten my face Mr. Arc or maybe my reputation proceeds me. Either way works."

How anyone one could be so damn cheeky with a neutral expression was a mystery that Jaune would never get an answer to. The only logic being that it was simply just Ozpin. Complete weirdo Ozpin who apparently walked the streets at night with a mug of coffee that was strikingly full. It wouldn't surprise Jaune in the least if it turned out that Ozpin drank his coffee through the ceramic and into his skin.

"Do you think you could call an ambulance?" Asked Jaune, even if it came out more like a plea. Ozpin continued to look down on him and made no move to call anyone with his scroll. Face continuing to be impassive. Was this some kind of sick joke?

"Mr. Arc, how do you think I found you?"

"I'm not sure Ozpin. Do you have a semblance that allows you to be the ultimate stalker?"

The slightest resemblance of a smile came and went across Ozpin's face in less than a second. "While that would be appropriate for a headmaster such as myself, in reality, I merely followed the sirens and police Bullheads. Take a look around you Mr. Arc. I promise not to speak until you face me again."

Giving in, Jaune turned his head to the side and saw the dust shop clerk talking to some members of the Vale police force. Near the police were EMS workers attending to the random goon he'd checked out the window earlier.

Come help me you fools! I'm the good guy.

As if they read his thoughts, a few EMS workers began rushing over to his position with a stretcher. Gently he was hoisted from the ground and laid on a stretcher. They were about to take him towards the ambulance Bullhead, but Ozpin raised a hand to stop them. The Headmaster waited until Jaune had turned back to face him before speaking.

"Seeing that you did not sense the Vale City Police or the EMS I will assume you are out of aura?"

"Hit the nail on the head."

"I see. How long does it usually take you replenish it?" Asked Ozpin, pulling out a scroll from his jacket.

"Just a goodnight's rest and that usually does the trick. I've been through worse than this anyway."

Seriously, though, this really doesn't seem worth it. Its times like this I-

The busty store clerk appeared in Jaune's line of sight. She looked down on him, inevitably pressing her breast into his side.

Its times like this I remember it is all in the days work.

"I want to thank you, sir. Without you being here, who knows how much dust I would have lost? There was no way I could have held off that little demon like you did. Plus with all the insurance I have and all of the destruction you caused, I'll be able to remodel the entire store. Is there any way I can repay you?"

"It's what we do madam. No need for repayment." Still, a reward was always welcomed.

"Well, I know a way. Come back to my store whenever you need dust and I can promise a significant discount."

"Well, if you insist," replied Jaune, pretending as if his wallet wasn't screaming for joy. The store clerk leaned down and kissed the boy directly on the lips, winked, and then sauntered off. The moment would have been pure magic if Ozpin hadn't literally been watching the whole thing, sipping coffee like a creeper.

"Well as much as I would like to stay and watch what other adventures unfold for you Mr. Arc, it seems my presence is needed elsewhere. A little Hunter-in-training much like yourself seems to have gotten into a bit of mischief. I've also taken the liberty of paying for your week at the hotel of the road out of my personal account."

"Thank you, headmaster."

Ozpin nodded and began walking away. The master Huntsman may have been a cryptic bastard at times, but had his good moments. Thinking about it now, if Ozpin hadn't required him to have the experience he did to get in Beacon, Jaune might not have survived the encounter just a few moments ago. The feeling of his shoulder mending back into place alerted Jaune that his aura was back. Focusing his mind, the blond knight focused all his aura in his left knee. After it clicked back into proper place, he did the same for his right knee. The technique of channeling aura only in the places it needed to be in was one he learned quickly. The first mission he ever went on with his father left him with a broken leg and arm. Seeing that taking him home in that condition would mean certain death for Jonathan Arc, his father spent two extra days teaching him how to do it. June Arc – mother and part-time she-demon – was never the wiser.

Feeling a bit stiff but otherwise fine, he sat up on the stretcher. His aura was still around zero, especially after all that healing, but it wasn't like he would be fighting again today. There was still some pain in his knees and shoulder – there wasn't enough aura in the tank to heal the extensive injuries completely – but at least he'd be mobile. Jaune swung his legs over the stretcher and touched solid earth once again. He was about to head in to get the stuff he left in the dust store, but it seemed the good people at the VCPD were already on it.

"These are yours right?" The police officer holding his guitar and duffle bag held the stuff out towards him, Jaune nodded and took the items off the man.

"Thank you, officer. Do you need me to file a report?"

"No, we got all the information need from the store clerk. Go get some rest kid."

That would be nice if it wasn't for Jaune missing his two most vital pieces of equipment. It wasn't like he could leave without getting Crocea Mors. It probably wasn't in the store, since the police probably would have also brought it. So that would mean…

Jaune looked at the roof of the building and to no one's surprise saw the shining blade sticking out of the wood. His sheath rested a few feet away from his blade, just a few centimeters from the edge of the roof. Of course this couldn't be easy.

"How? Just how?"

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Neo wasn't happy. Everything had been going great up until a few minutes ago. She had a tub of ice cream at Roman's expense. Built a pillow fort out of Roman's expensive couch cushions and satin sheets, and even got in a five-hour nap. A pretty good day.

Then the robbery came.

The tiny tormentor was pacing around the hideout in a blind rage. After arriving home, she had proceeded to destroy the red sofa Roman loved so much and destroy the refrigerator when no ice cream could be found within the useless appliance. She had been made into a fool by a…a boy! A mere Hunter-in-training was able to catch her off guard. Unacceptable.

"Hey, Neo I'm back from the…"

It took Roman three seconds to analyze the situation and it took three more seconds for him to realize it was in his best interest to get the fuck out of there. He shed a single teardrop for his imported Mistral sofa and closed the door. Better to escape with his life than be angry now.

The ice cream devil hadn't even heard him come in and wouldn't have cared either way. She was far beyond the point of rage. Not to mention the shame in having to retreat. Speaking of, what the hell was up with the fucking Headmaster of Beacon showing up? If not for that, she's have killed the cocky teenager and been done with it. Now, however… she would have to settle the score.

A/N: And that is a wrap on the first chapter. Leave any questions or concerns in the comments and have a nice day.