There was no denying that Jaune and Oscar's relationship had a rocky start. It was hard to believe the two would ever become close. But they had spent so much time together recently, they were practically brothers at this point. A surprising turn of events, though it was better than how things used to be.

The two sat in a cafe in lower district Mantle drinking hot chocolate. Jaune had to pay for everything. Oscar had blown all his money on his new outfit back in Argus, he couldn't even afford the burnt-out cigarettes in the ashtray.

"Hey, Jaune, we've gotten pretty close now, haven't we?" Oscar asked.

Jaune chuckled. "Sure, buddy. Why, is something up?"

"Oh no, don't worry it's nothing bad. It's just… do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"A personal question?" Jaune looked confused for a moment, then a cheeky smirk grew on his face. "Ohhh, I know what you mean. Yes, Oscar, Nora's boobs are real."

The bankrupt boy's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Don't listen to whatever Yang's been telling you. She's just jealous because she used to be the busty one growing up, then Nora came along with her melons and-"

"No, no, no, that's not what I wanted to ask at all!" Oscar cried, his face as red as a tomato. He calmed down then said, "It was a question regarding you."

Now it was Jaune's turn to act surprised. "Me?"

"Yeah. It's been something I've been thinking about for a while now. Why do you wear all that armour?"

Jaune looked down at his recently upgraded attire. "You know, I didn't even realise I had it on me right now. I've gotten so used to the weight of it, I sometimes don't feel it these days. You're right, it is a little weird of me to wear it here."

"No, I mean why do you wear it, like, at all? What's the benefit of it?"

"The benefit? Well, that's pretty self-explanatory, Oscar. It's extra protection. A thousand things wanna kill us every single day in this job, and I wanna make myself as sturdy as I possibly can. A Beowolf's gonna have a hard time slashing my chest with this bad boy on. Any bullet that tries to hit my heart is just gonna bounce right off the metal. I'm like a wall in this thing."

"But isn't it heavy?"

"It can feel that way at times," Jaune sighed. "Sometimes I wake up and I've got strap sores on my shoulders from wearing it constantly. I gotta rub cream on them just to ease the stinging."

"That sounds tough."

"Sure, but it's worth it if it means I've got an extra layer of defence, and I've gotten stronger from wearing it often. See, that's two benefits right there."

Oscar didn't look convinced. "I only ask because I haven't seen anyone else in our group wear armour. If it's so useful, why don't they wear it?"

Jaune scoffed. "Because not all of us can appreciate being practical, bud. Honestly, sometimes I think they forget they're supposed to be hunters and not fashion models. Have you seen what Weiss wears? Sure, it looks fancy, but fancy isn't gonna stop a spear going through you."

"To be fair, everyone else does all kinds of flips and stuff during combat. I think wearing heavy armour would get in the way of that."

"Well, not all of us went to the circus school of hunters before Beacon, Oscar. Some of us like to fight with our feet on the ground."

"Some would argue that aura is its own kind of armour."

"Until you run out of it. Then if you're not careful, you could end up as Remnant's most stylish corpse."

Oscar tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "It's just we've been surrounded by the best hunters Atlas has to offer, and not once have I seen them wear any kind of armour either. When we were in Argus, I even tried asking for armour back at the shop where I bought these clothes from. The owner laughed at me and said armour is for suckers."

"How insightful. I hope that guy died in the Leviathan attack."

"Be honest, has your armour actually given you an advantage in a fight?"

Jaune gasped. He felt like he had been verbally slapped. "What are you saying, Oscar?"

"I'm sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm being mean," he insisted. "But I've seen you fight, and it doesn't look like it helps you in any way. The only time I've seen it be somewhat useful is when it stops those desperate single moms trying to take your shirt off. Otherwise, it doesn't really do much."

"That's not true!" Jaune cried. "It does so much more than protect my virginity. It protects my body as well."

"Every time you get knocked down, it's a really heavy impact."

"I'm a heavy guy, Oscar. I'm hench."

"But you have trouble getting up."

"I... I don't see your point."

"In fact, I once heard Yang destroyed one of those giant war machines Atlas uses using only her fists. If she can do that, what good is your armour gonna do?"

"Oscar, Oscar, you're not seeing the bigger picture here. My armour is more than just personal protection. It's part of my theme. I can't go for the whole knight motif without armour. To get rid of it would be like throwing away a part of my soul."

"Wow, really? It's really that important?"

"Of course. Not only does it give me all the defence I could ask for, but it also displays my identity to the world. So as you can see, I'm both practical and stylish. It's the perfect combination."

That seemed to do the trick. Oscar looked somewhat humbled by his explanation. "I never thought about it like that before," he said. "I admit, your armour does look pretty cool. Even if I haven't seen much use for it yet."

"That's only because you're still new," Jaune smiled. "Stick around long enough and you'll see this thing in action. Just you wait, you're gonna be impressed."

"I hope so," Oscar said before returning to his hot chocolate, satisfied from both the drink and the answer he got.

Jaune kept smiling as he attended to his own drink. It was the only way to hide the pain. Not just because he burnt his tongue, but because Oscar was absolutely right with all of his comments.

His armour was freaking useless! Every one of his opponents avoided it when attacking him, and the ones who didn't were usually built like brick houses, so metal provided as much of an obstacle to them as an open door. If it weren't for his shield taking most of the hits and his aura levels, his body would've been a broken mess a long time ago.

But he had spent a lot of lien on all those upgrades to his armour in the vague hope that they would make it better. And he wasn't about to admit all this to his young teammate, so he kept it to himself. His armour was a stupid investment, but it was his stupid investment. He was stuck with it now.

Besides, there was always the off chance it would come in handy one day. Probably.

Jaune finished the last of his drink and stared at Oscar, who was staring at his sword but quickly looked away when he was caught.

"Don't say it," Jaune said.

"Hm? Say what?"

"I know what you wanna ask next. You wanna know why my sword isn't also a gun."

"I wasn't gonna ask that!"

"No?"

"... well, not immediately."

"I do enjoy these little chats of ours."

[/]

Despite all of his faults, everyone knew that Jaune had the best strategic mind in the group. That was why he could safely say, from a strategic point of view, they were utterly screwed.

Yang wasn't kidding about Neo's skill level. The small woman was destroying them. Ren's body was crumpled like alley trash, Nora was dangling in the air with her head stuck in the ceiling. As for Oscar, well, needless to say Ozpin probably wanted to consider getting himself a new host to inhabit.

Jaune was the only one left standing. Neo turned to him with the grin of a predator. He gulped. There was no way he could match her speed. The most he could hope to do was tank her hits until one of his faster friends woke up.

"Now I know you're here for the lamp," he reasoned, trying to put his negotiating skills to work. "But trust me, you don't want this one. I can get you a substitute if you want. I know a great shop near here that sells lava lamps at a-"

She ignored his babbling, jumped in the air and torpedoed towards him, her foot ready to bury itself in his chest. She moved so fast, he didn't have time to react. He braced for impact.

The tip of her boot slammed against his breastplate.

Her foot twisted and a sharp crack rang in the air, like a mighty tree just had one of its branches snapped off.

Jaune stumbled back, but it was obvious he wasn't the one hurt. In fact, he had barely felt a thing. Neo on the other hand…

"Fucking shite almighty!" she screamed, hopping on the spot and clutching her very broken foot. "I had me aura down, ya little wank! Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuck!"

Jaune couldn't believe his eyes. "What happened?" he gasped. "Why's your foot broken?"

"The fuck does it look like? It's cause I hit it off yer fucking armour, ya daft bastard!"

His heart skipped a beat. Excitement raced through him. "My armour?" he whispered.

"Yes!"

"You're not just messing with me, are you? I know you're a villain, but that'd be going too far."

"Does it look like I'm fucking joking? Look at my foot! Look at it!"

Yup, that foot was well and truly useless for the time being. It dangled from the end of her leg pathetically, like some kind of sad sock puppet. A cringey sight to behold… and Jaune had never felt happier.

This was it! His promised day had arrived. He began to laugh uncontrollably, tears of joy springing from his eyes.

"Are ye havin' a fucking giggle?" Neo hissed.

"I mean, yeah I am a little bit," he said, high as a kite on joyful energy. "I'm sorry, but you have no idea how long I've waited for this armour to be useful, and it's finally happened. I swear, I'm not making fun of you, I'm just so happy right now."

"Ah'm standing 'ere with a fucking shattered foot, and yer pissing yerself laughing? I didn't even laugh when I saw Cinder was missing an eye."

"Can I get a picture? Please? I wanna remember this moment."

"Yer sick in the head!"

Jaune wiped away some of his tears. "Alright, alright, I know I shouldn't laugh. Stand still, I'll use my semblance to patch you up."

He approached her with his glowing healing hands, but she hopped back. "Dont'cha fucking touch me!" she yelled. "I don't want any of yer shitey semblance. I'll do it meself."

Her pink aura surrounded her body for a few moments. The glow faded, and she was still standing with her foot off the floor.

Jaune frowned. "It doesn't look much better," he noted.

"Oh what, you a doctor as well as a dickhead?"

"You don't have a lot of aura, do you?"

"That's none of yer fucking business?"

"Hang on a minute, I thought you were supposed to be mute? How are you able to talk?"

She grunted. "I ain't mute. I just choose not to talk."

"Why?"

"Because I sound like this, ye twat."

That made sense. Her accent reminded him of Scarlet's from Team SSSN, only more aggressive. The term 'up north' came to Jaune's mind for some reason.

"I think I preferred you when you stayed silent," he said. "You've got quite a potty mouth on you."

"I couldn't give a bloody fuck what ye think!" she spat.

"Bad language makes for bad feelings."

"Of course I've got bad feelings! My foot's broken and it's all your fault!"

Jaune cocked his head. He didn't take kindly to accusations without proof. "My fault? My fault? How'd you come to that conclusion, Missy?"

"None of this would've happened if ye weren't wearing that crap in the first place!"

"Excuse me, I'm not the one who decided to dive kick metal armour like an idiot."

"Ye look like a retarded chicken nugget in a tin can dressed in that thing!"

"At least I look practical, which is more than you can say. Seriously, is your outfit supposed to be that revealing, or are your big girl clothes just slipping off your tiny body?"

Neo looked like she had a comeback ready, but a shooting pain from her foot silenced her. Jaune could see his team were slowly starting to pick themselves up off the floor. This fight was over, and Neo knew it.

"Fuck it, I can't be dealing with this," she growled. "I got punched in the face by a little kid, and now me foot's broken. Today's been a load of piss. I'm getting outta here."

Neo turned around and started hopping away. "By the way, Cinder's here too," she said. "She's on her way to kill the Winter Maiden. If yer quick enough, ye can stop her. Knowing her, she hasn't finished the job yet."

"I don't think you were supposed to tell us that," Jaune said.

"Whatever, I don't care anymore. If she's so powerful, she could've done all this shite herself. I'm off to dip this foot in a pile of snow. Fuckity bye."

Neo hopped out of sight. He probably should've chased after her, but he had a feeling she wouldn't be bothering them again for a while now. Plus, the less he had to hear her speak the better.

His team were back on their feet now. Like him, all of them looked like they couldn't believe what had just happened.

Jaune looked at Ren's back and rubbed his hand on it.

"Huh?" Ren turned around. "Jaune, did you just wipe something on my back?"

"Yup," Jaune beamed. "Everyone's doubts about my armour! Let that be a lesson to all of you! I'm indestructible in this thing!"

"I mean, it was only luck that she had her aura down-"

"Indestructible! When we get outta here, we're going straight to the blacksmith! I will clad you all in iron! Our outfits will be as steel as our resolve! Flesh and metal will be as one!"

"I don't think I'm strong enough to wear heavy armour," Oscar said.

"You'll grow into it. Besides, this is an order from your leader."

"I just wanna say I never actually signed anything, so I don't think I can be counted as officially being on your team yet-"

Jaune wasn't listening to him. He could already see their future now, raining down justice on all things evil, all the while dressed like knights of yore with him as their leader. An old dream of his was soon to become a reality.

Glory awaited them as soon as they stopped being criminals in the eyes of Atlas' authority.

"Uh, Oscar?" Nora said. "Why do you keep staring at my chest?"

Oscar quickly turned away. "Absolutely no reason!" he blurted.