Disclaimer: I own nothing of RWBY.

Olive

By: Imyoshi

A Maiden?

None of the children of the household, Jaune Arc included, understood the implications of what a Maiden was, but Julian Arc's eyes had harden almost immediately upon the sudden reveal. She knew exactly what a Maiden was. Her father and his father before him and so on and so forth spoke tales of woman with magical powers that were titled Maiden. Stories of their grand galore of their feats once bounced off the walls as fairytales for children to sleep to. They were four magical women who possessed the power of the seasons, granted to them by the blessing of some old wizard. And judging by the inclusion of ice, she would bet money that the Winter Maiden's playing with her dress. And that's a hard truth to swallow.

That's if she believed in the fairytale.

Julian had always assumed the tales were laughable, fairytales in the lightest sense of the word. Stories her grandfather and father told her to help her sleep at night. Now she's second guessing herself. Hard not to with her couch completely frozen over by a sneeze, and from a little girl not older than seven no less. Could the legends be honestly true? Could there really be a Maiden playing with her distraught son's hair? Even the power of Aura couldn't manifest itself such a power, at least not in one so young. Semblances and Aura were a bit more complicated that free ice-powers. And that only left more questions than answers.

Questions like what to do now?

If what her son was saying turned out to be true? If the White Fang were after this little girl and no one else, and if the tales were actually true, if what Eski revealed was believable, then the situation with the intruders have just escalated beyond regular means. This was no longer a simple raiding from a terrorist group, but a situation more compromising in the grand scheme of things. And the matriarch of the Arc household knew a thing or two about compromising dilemmas.

Julian had to retrieve her father.

Taking a deep breath, she got up and went to retrieve her dad from his mid-day nap. Most of her children were fortunately distracted by the shards of ice that have frozen over on the couch and on her clueless son's hair. She wouldn't be gone for more than a minute; it shouldn't take too long to rouse her father from his nap. And Jaune seemed to have his hands full with trying to figure out what just happened. They wouldn't even notice her leave the room.

Wiping the remnants of ice off his locks, Jaune pinched the shards between the fingers. Eski's looking at him with this innocent smile of hers, too small to be anything but. Her nose had a tiny bit of snot on it, and she wiped it away with her arm, acting like what just happened was normal. And it's not. Not at all!

"Eski? H-How did you... do this?" Jaune wheezed, sliding away from the ice. "And what's a... Maiden?"

She blew her nose and crawled up on the couch, taking a seat beside her hero with her feet barely dangling over the edge of the couch. The emotions spilled across their faces couldn't be further apart. She's sparkling with joy and Jaune's tight frown was filled with skepticism. And her eyes glowed this misty vapor of happiness.

"I don't know! They never told me anything!" she pouted with adorable frustration. "They were real dummies! And they were real meanies. So I tried to run away... and they chased me." Eski hugged Jaune's entire arm. "And then you showed up and kicked their butts!"

Jaune's trying to juggle what Eski said, kind of hard to with the pillar of ice resting right beside his body and her hug cutting off the circulation to his weak arm. He wanted to know why this Maiden business made this little girl the prime target for The White Fang, a terrorist group. He also wanted to know what a Maiden was. But he's trying to find a needle in a haystack here. Eski's a little girl. That little explanation of hers was probably everything she knew about the entire ordeal. And even if she revealed little to nothing, Jaune could kind of see why they wanted her.

No one just made pillars of ice by sneezing!

Jean, the oldest of the Arc siblings, rested on the back of the couch and poked Jaune's cheek without regard to personal space. "I still cannot believe our brother here kicked any sort of butt. Just look at him. He's all skin and bones."

That's why Jaune liked his older sister the most—no one tell the younger ones that—because she lacked tact and was upfront with him about anything. There's no hidden personality or walking around eggshells with her. She said what was on her mind and treated him like he wasn't made of glass bones and paper skin. It made life at home a bit easier to bear.

Flow bunched up her hands together. "But you saw him earlier! He had like muscles and stuff! Our brother wasn't just a bag of bones!"

Jaune could really feel love in the room.

"What's with all the fuss and yelling about? I can't get any sleep with all the noise."

All sets of eyes focus on the owner of the voice, a tall old man with long white hair that extended all the way from his head to his fluffy beard, like a silver fox. He walked with a cane and wore a pair of plain-brown slacks and a vest that's over a long-sleeved white shirt. He possessed a stature that came with being old and from a warrior oriented family. It reeked with wisdom and power.

Julian trailed behind her father, breath tight as she watched him shuffle to the younglings.

When he noticed the giant shard of ice connected to the couch, Noah blinked once, wondering what kind of tomfoolery had occurred when he was sleeping. To make sense of it all, he clicked his cane down and glared back at his daughter.

"Might I ask why there's an icicle in the middle of the living room?"

Eski wiggled off the couch and ran up to the old man. "It was me! Sorry! I sneezed and whoosh! And ta-da! Enough ice for all the lemonade you'll ever need!"

Noah's passed the whole lemonade shtick and stuck on a more important matter. "You sneezed and caused this? What is this?" he paused. "And my sweet little apple, who are you?"

She puffed out her cheeks, hands connected to her hips. "I'm Eski! And I hate apples! Now you gotta tell me your name!"

Playing along, the old man kneeled down and smiled at the adorable mass of fury. "Well, pretty little peach, I'm Noah. These whippersnappers grandfather."

"I hate peaches."

Noah grinned. "Fine then, how about Snowflake?" Eski said nothing. "I thought you would like that. Now... would you mind telling me how you did this?" He gestured toward the ice. "It's not every day an old man wakes up from his nap to find his couch covered in ice."

"Do you have mud in your ears? I told you, I sneezed, you old fart."

Noah opened his mouth, but his daughter kneeled down and patted Eski on the head. "She said she's a Maiden, father."

Julian had never seen her father's eyes hardened as strongly before. The weird and frighteningly display of emotion passed as soon as it came, but she felt the atmosphere around her chill below a few degrees. And the matriarch of the Arc family didn't think little Eski had anything to do with it.

Sighing with paranoia, Noah glared around the room. "Where's Ignatius, sweetie?"

"Off with the local Huntsmen to deal with some trouble. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Nodding to himself, Noah peered back down at the munchkin playing with the hem of her dress, and then the block of ice in the center of the room. Her snowy hair and ocean, deep-blue eyes almost made him believe her a Schnee, but the little girl lacked any sort of tact for that. Not to mention Atlas was more than a stone's throw away from here. And any disappearance of any Schnee certainly would've made headlines by now.

But a Maiden! Here? Of all places? And the Winter Maiden if he settled to believe so. Couldn't be? The Maidens should be much older. There shouldn't be such a young Maiden. And if so, why was she here, so far from any of those blasted Huntsmen Academies or protection? What was she doing in their home?

Wait a minute? Why would his son-in-law need a few local Huntsmen to deal with some trouble? Ignatius should be more than enough to deal with any local Grimm, unless, of course, Grimm weren't the problem at hand? Not to mention it was his only grandson's birthday today. There's no way his son-in-law would skip any of his children's birthdays for something as tedious and trivial as a few Grimm.

Frowning, Noah looked to his daughter again. "What kind of trouble?"

Julian paused, tracing her eyes to Eski and then Jaune. "It's kind of a long story."

Noah grumbled. He heard all he needed and then some. The obvious reason for Ignatius disappearance was staring at him directly in the face with eyes of curiosity only a child could have. Guess it was time to deduce why said child was here. It's not every day a Maiden landed in their lap.

Kneeling down, Noah smiled. "So, Eski, was it? Mind telling an old fart how you found your way into our house?"

Her eyes lit up and she quickly ran across the room to grab Jaune's weakened hand, pulling with all her might. Of course the male Arc sighed and got up, unable to say no to her unrivaled eagerness. Even when his muscles screamed at him for moving anymore, Jaune smiled down and followed the little ball of energy. And she soon led him to his grandfather, demanding he plop down by the tugging of his hand.

The minute Jaune sat down, she hugged his head. "Have you met my hero? He saved my life from a bunch of bad guys with his amazing power! He's the best! The greatest."

Noah blinked. Jaune? His grandson was a hero? That's almost more laughable than the Maiden possibility sitting across from him. Just look at him! He's all skin and bones. And even if Noah loved his grandson with all his heart, he knew without a doubt that Jaune didn't have the capabilities to take care of a couple of bad guys. The boy could barely hold himself up, very less a sword.

Still, he'd give his grandson the benefit of the doubt, and patiently waited for Jaune to elaborate for an old fart like him. "Is what she saying true, my dear boy?"

Jaune grinned weakly and placed a hand over his fan. "Like mom said, grandpa... it's a long story."

It was the second time Julian watched her father's eyes react in a special way. Unlike sharpening like a hot knife, this time they widened like a balloon. He's more than just stunned, he's speechless beyond measure. It's one thing to hear a child's tale about wonder and excitement; it's another when his depressed grandson backed up said tale.

Rubbing his beard, the old man stared at the supposed Winter Maiden with interest. He had to be absolutely sure that they had a Maiden on their hands and not some little girl with an ice-based Semblance. And the old stories his father told pointed out a key feature all Maiden's possessed.

Glaring, Noah frowned. "My grandson's no hero. And he will never be one."

Eski pouted and ran up to him and glared. "Yes he is! He's a hero!"

"No he's not."

"Are too!"

"Are not."

"Are too!"

"Are not infinity."

Eyes glowed intensely with a face that's impossibly big for her size; Eski shook in place as mist gathered around her tiny feet. The temperature went down a few degrees in the room and ice gathered between her fingers. Her small dress danced from the upsurge of power, and before Noah or Julian could properly defend himself, the little girl yelled out at the top of her lungs with ice spreading across the entire floor in front of her and icicles escaping her mouth.

"Yes! He! Is!"

Grabbing her father by his vest, Julian bounced back and flipped the nearby kitchen table down to defend against the incoming ice and icicles. Mist quickly filled the room and ice soared from over the table. And the temperature in the room dropped more than a few degrees. It was bloody cold!

When both Noah and Julian looked over the end of the table, icy mist surrounded the little girl as her eyes glowed with a misty fire. She had small tears building up in her eyes and a tight frown that's more adorable than frightening. But all Noah was looking at were those glowing eyes of hers.

There's no two ways about it. "I can't believe it... an actual Maiden?" Stumbling around the table, he moved slowly moved toward her, cautious with every step. "My own grandfather told me tales about you lot. And he always said a Maiden's eyes glowed whenever they were furious. But I didn't think it to be true."

The children of the Arc family remained silent, waiting for someone to say anything, and it's was Jaune to gain the courage needed. "Grandpa... what is a... Maiden?"

Catching his breath, Noah stared between Jaune and this little girl, oddly curious to this long story of theirs. He had question. Oh did he have questions. Like why his grandson was wearing a makeshift armor of leafs or how he came in contact with a fairytale person. Then a white dove perched itself on Jaune's head and pecked at his frostbite hair like it belonged there, and everything's thrown out the window.

Moving toward the Maiden, and making sure not to trip on the ice-covered floor, Noah sat down and smiled gently at her adorable, angry face. With the way she had her fists bunched up, it was hard to take her seriously, Maiden or not. And a little poke of his cane to Jaune's forehead regarded a story of its own merit.

"So, grandson of mine, tell me more about this long story of yours? You turned out to be the hero of this little tale?"

Jaune had to sigh when Eski hugged his partially frozen face. "Do you want the long version... or the short one?"

"Keep it short. I don't have all day, boy."

Jaune rolled his eyes, but smiled anyways. "The short version... includes The White Fang... Eski... and my Semblance... all rolled into one."

"He saved my life!" Eski finished, crushing Jaune's head in her hug. "My hero beat the nasty bad guys and saved the day with his ultra-cool power! He had all this muscle and power, but then he turned into this skeleton, but he's still my hero! Mine!"

"Muscles? Power? Jaune's had none of that. He's never had any of that." Noah scoffed, only for one of Jaune's younger sisters to run up with her arms and energy up.

"It's true, grandpa!" Flow wiggled in place before running up to Julian. "Tell grandpa, mom! Tell him it's all true! Jaune did have muscles! And he was strong! We all saw it!"

Julian didn't answer her father verbally, but her smile spoke volumes. Noah had no choice but believe the tale. How could he not? A Maiden—winter by the looks of it—was hugging his grandson's face right in front of him. Could this day possibly get anymore bizarre?

Testing the forces of Lady Luck, the oldest Arc grinned. "Very well, show me this amazing Semblance of yours! Prove it to me! I want to see it with my own eyes."

Jaune coughed, smile weak. "Can't... My Semblance needs Aura... out of Aura... used it all up... fighting The White Fang... members."

Noah frowned. Out of Aura was he? At least that explained the labor breathing. He would've doubted his grandson if it wasn't for the whole family backing him up. Of course now he wanted to know more about these White Fang members lurking about. Terrorism for a hometown as small as theirs couldn't possibly be good. And he had a suspicion they knew what Eski was.

Why else were they trying to capture her?

Standing up, Noah peered around the room. "Where's Ignatius again?"

"He and a few local Huntsmen are dealing with the remaining White Fang members." Julian answered. "They went on ahead to intercept them at the woods."

The old man nodded, now knowing why the town wasn't up in smoke. He trusted Ignatius to be able to break a few White Fang members. It shouldn't be too much trouble for the patriarch Arc. Now that only left the old man to deal with the headache hugging Jaune's face too tightly that it looked like it hurt. But his grandson didn't seem to mind at all.

It was like that hug filled him with determination or hope or something nonchalant along those lines. Something idiotic, he's sure.

Noticing the rusted blade, shield, and gauntlets—never mind the white dove hanging back—he went and grabbed the old gear. Everyone watched him inspect the obvious trash, wondering what his reaction would be. He didn't disappoint, holding the shield and sword in obtuse confusion.

"What are these? Garbage found in the attic?"

Jaune weakly chuckled. "No... that's my sword... Durandal... and shield... Forlorn... I got them today... they're my weapons."

"They're pieces of trash."

Eski ran and kicked the old man in the foot. It didn't hurt. "No! They're amazing! Stop calling them trash! They're not trash! Take it back! Take it back!"

Jaune defended himself on the matter. "My Semblance... changes them... ask my sisters and mom."

Noah didn't have to. They all screamed yes with their body langue. "Now I want to really see this Semblance of yours." But he had more than enough excitement for one day. Perhaps after the younglings slept, they could plan. "But for now, who wants cake? I've been dying to get a slice of my daughter's cooking all morning, and it is your birthday, grandson."

Eski threw her hands up. "Cake! I want cake! Gimmie the cake or feel my wrath!"

Growing to like the little troublemaker, Noah picked her up and headed straight for the kitchen with Eski stuck between his arm and body.

Jaune blinked at the display, turning to his mother with exhaustion. "I forgot it was... my birthday."

They all did.

Having a Winter Maiden sneezing their home into a snowstorm would do that people.

...

A few hours later, Ignatius walked into his home to find his wife's father bouncing some little, snow-haired girl on his leg. She's squealing in enjoyment, clearly happy with the attention Noah's spoiling her with. Not only that, but it's unnaturally cold in his home. Like freezing cold almost! Yet, nothing beat the giant shard of melting ice centered in his living room. That just tied this whole mess together like some sick, elaborate joke.

Shutting the door, he trudged in and sat down on his partially wet couch, waiting for the older Arc to speak his mind. Between the shard of ice and the little girl, Ignatius was more skeptical to the child. He could chalk up the ice to Dust if he needed, but it wasn't every day that he saw some unknown child within his normally well-lit home. And that still didn't trump the entire day's ordeals. Compared to appearance of The White Fang and Jaune's sudden Semblance, this looked relatively normal.

When his father-in-law still refused to start a conversation, Ignatius grumbled. "Do I even have to ask?"

Noah made a face at the child. "We'll talk about it later. I already heard the whole story from Julian and Jaune. But we have far more pressing matters to discuss. Just wait until we put the younglings to bed."

Throwing his head back, Ignatius scanned the room and found no one but Noah and the strange little girl occupying the leaving room. No sign of said younglings or his wife. More importantly, there's no sign of his indifferent son anywhere. And the older Arc wanted to have a word with Jaune. He was hoping to run into his son and see this Semblance of his in action. Plus, the man had to inform his son and wife about the confrontation with The White Fang.

"Where's Julian?"

Noah smiled and placed Eski down. She immediately took off to find Jaune. "She's busying putting the younglings to sleep."

"And my son?"

A crash was heard from Jaune's room. Noah laughed. "Probably trying to control that terror he brought into his house." His smile vanished. "Actually, we need to talk."

Ignatius picked up on his father-in-law's tone. "About what?"

"About Eski... that little girl you just saw run to our son's room." Julian appeared from the doorway. She had dirt on her clothes, most like from trying to put the kids to sleep. "We have a problem, Ignatius. She's not some normal little girl that Jaune saved. She's... she's different."

"She's a Maiden, the Winter Maiden." Noah finished, stretching his hand out toward the icicle in the living room. "The stories were true, Ignatius."

He said nothing. The man simply sat down on the dry side of his drying couch, musing over the words his father-in-law spoke. He remained silent for a bit, seeing the pieces fall into place. "That little girl's a Maiden? How did she even get tied in with us?"

Julian smiled at the sound of another crash. "Can you believe our son saved her today? It's no wonder she refuses to leave his sight."

"I guess that explains why The White Fang were after her, or how she got mixed into our family." Ignatius frowned, eyes narrowed. "If they know about her secret, then that means—!"

"That it could spell future trouble..." Julian walked across the room to join him on the couch. "She's not safe. Not when that terrorist group is after her. She'll never be safe." She pouted. "I wonder where her parents are."

Ignatius shrugged. "We could just ask her."

Noah agreed. "That would be the easiest thing to do. They would know what to do." When they heard another crash resonate from Jaune's room, the oldest laughed. "Jaune! Snowflake! Get your keisters over here! Hurry up!"

Eski came running in. Jaune? Not so much. "What is it... grandpa?"

Julian ignored her son and kneeled down to smile at the little snowflake. "Eski, sweetie, where are your parents? You know, mom and dad?"

Her snowflake crumbled and looked down onto her feet. "The bad men... they came into our home and made them go asleep... and they never woke up."

The room grew deathly quiet. Not even a cricket could be heard throughout the house. Death had come and reaped the joy out of the room and left in a hurry. The Arcs were left to pick up the pieces and fix the shattered heart before them.

Jaune sighed and patted Eski on the head. He led her toward the kitchen, smile misplaced. "C'mon... let's go see... if there's any more cake."

When they reached the kitchen, Jaune looked over his shoulder to his folks and grandpa, silently wondering what was going to happen. Eski's too busy pulling open the fridge to notice any of it, mind settled on that chocolate surprise waiting for her inside. And before Ignatius could pacify and reason with his wife, she's already stubborn to a fault.

Julian frowned deeply and shook her head in absolute. "I already know what you're thinking. And no! We can't just send her away or to an orphanage. She's the Winter Maiden for Monty's sake. More bad people could come for her. She's got no one to protect and care for her."

Ignatius dipped his head forward. "What do you want me to do about it? We can't just take her in. Think about the danger! Think about our family!"

"Think about her! And just look at that!" she pointed at her son and the little girl sharing the last piece of cake. Eski's practically stuffing Jaune's face with chocolate, with his smile grand and covered in chocolaty delight. "She's so attached to her hero. And I can't remember the last time I saw Jaune so happy."

He tried to find another solution. "Maybe we should tell someone about her?"

Noah grumbled. "And who do you propose we tell? Hey, we have unlimited power. Come take it."

He shrugged. "What about a headmaster at a Huntsmen Academy?"

Noah laughed, but it wasn't filled with joy, but mocking undertone. "You want to tell a blasted headmaster at some darn Huntsmen Academy? You know those are just glorified daycares? They don't teach kids the proper way to fight with all their textbooks and history lessons." He disagreed wholeheartedly. "No! We're Arcs. We don't turn our backs on people in need! And she's too important to take our chances with other people. She'll be safer here than anywhere else."

Ignatius couldn't believe his ears. "What! Can't you see that—?"

"No..." Jaune suddenly interrupted with determination. He walked from the kitchen, looking dreadfully frail in the darkness with his skeleton-like appearance. Perhaps the Grim Reaper hadn't left yet. "You're lucky she's too... busy with cake... to hear you." It's true. Eski's practically devouring the cake with her hands. "But no... we can't send her... out there."

"But she's dangerous to have! She'd be safer—!"

"I won't let you!" he yelled, suddenly glowing with green power. His Aura had apparently just finished recovering in the very nick of time. Talk about a miracle. "If she goes, then I go! Like grandpa said, we're Arcs! And I'm not turning my back on her! If it wasn't for her, I would've never unlocked my Semblance!" Jaune smiled at the chocolate smeared face. "She gave me the greatest birthday gift of all, a chance to be normal. And I'll be damned if someone tries to hurt her. And if something did happen to her, I'll never forgive myself!"

Ignatius narrowed his eyes. He's proud of his son, but he had a family to think about. "And what if someone comes to our home to take her? What then? What will you do?"

The Arc glared. "I'll protect her! And I'll protect my sisters! I'll protect everyone!"

"How?"

Jaune formed a fist. "With my Semblance!"

"You just unlocked it. Your Semblance won't always be there to protect you. You don't even know how to use it."

He humphed and crossed his arms. It's taking a toll on his Aura to speak so quickly and powerfully. "Then I better start practicing." Their argument's stopped when Eski wobbled over to Jaune and pulled on his pants. "Huh? What is it, Eski?"

She rubbed her eyes, drowsiness clear all over her cake covered cheeks. "I'm sleepy."

Jaune smiled at the messy Maiden. "That's because you ate too much. You can go sleep in my room. You know where it is, right?" And she's already gone. Fine by him, he still had to glare at his old man. "First thing in the morning is Semblance training. I will get stronger. Eski's hoping on it."

Jaune had never been one to end an argument. He had always preferred being a wallflower, but today's events had changed him in more ways than one. And the instinct to protect Eski—the girl who looked to him as her hero and gave him hope—was too great to simply ignore and pretend it wasn't there.

Noah smirked at the way Jaune walked out the room. "He'll make a fine Arc yet."

Reaching his room, Jaune found Eski already tucking herself in, hogging the blankets like some tiny blanket thief. There's still chocolate all over her face, and Noah the Dove was resting nearby on his rusted gear, using Durandal's rusted metal as a tiny bench.

Funny, Jaune still didn't exactly know what to make of the little guy.

He personally thought the dove would've already flown away, but it resided nearby him at all times. It could be some part of his Semblance? At least he reasoned such an idea. He had little evidence to assume such a theory. Maybe it would all reveal itself when the time was right. Or it could just be some random dove that decided to crash with the Arc's resident skeleton. In the end, the Arc hardly mined. He liked Noah.

The little dove filled him with hope.

Getting into his bed, he barely laid down before Eski's snuggling up to him, using his shirt as a napkin. "G'night."

Jaune glared. She thought being all so cute and innocent was going to get her out of using his sweater as a napkin? Well, she's absolutely right.

Darn her.

"... Goodnight."

…

The morning couldn't have come at a faster pace for Jaune.

The very instant light shined through his windows, he quietly sat up and detangled himself from the sleeping Maiden, too giddy for the first time in years. He made sure to quietly excuse himself out of the room, collecting his gear with silent affection, but not before Noah landed on his shoulder, confusing the Arc to no end. It's like the dove knew when to act or remain docile.

Weird.

Allowing the little guy to use his shoulder as a twig—which Jaune promptly ignored the irony—he headed toward the kitchen to find his mother already cooking breakfast for the entire family. By the looks of the pile fluffy goodness on a nearby plate, the family was having waffles and pancakes for breakfast. His sisters' personal favorite. He himself was always more of a cereal type of guy.

Milk built strong bones and all that whimsical nonsense.

His presence was made known by Noah squawking.

Julian gasped, almost dropping her spatula. "Jaune, honey, don't scare me like that! And what are you doing up already? It's barely seven in the morning."

Jaune grinned as he stole a pancake from the ever growing pile. He took a quick bite as Noah pecked a chunk off for itself. "Gotta start on that Semblance training. I can't let Eski down. I gave my word that I'd protect her."

Julian smiled at her son's devotion, but still. "But why so early? The sun's barely creeping past the hills. And it's cold outside."

He shrugged, looking at Noah for an answer. "What can I say; the early bird gets the worm. Right, Noah?" Squawk! "See? He gets it."

Julian wanted to shoot down Jaune's idea for such an early morning training, she really did, but she couldn't recall the last time her son looked so hopeful, and for training no less. Just yesterday her son had been at his rope's end, ready to give up and throw in the towel, but a chance encounter and nothing short of a miracle changed all that. Sure, his body still looked frail and weak, but that's probably the reason he was keen on starting early.

Ruffling up his hair, she hugged him softly. "Fine... just don't push yourself, alright? I worry about you, baby. You know that."

"Yea, yea..." he rolled his eyes, smiling like a fool. But his smile fell when he thought back to how his Semblance worked, or what little he knew about the mechanics. "Actually, would you help me? I don't really know how it works, but I think I need an opponent to get it cooking."

The idea of fighting and possibly hurting her son did not sit well with the matriarch, but her son's looking at her with hope in his eyes. And, well, she certainly wanted him to succeed. Progress required blood and sacrifice; she knew that better than any mother on Remnant. But could she raise her hand against him? He's already so frail and brittle?

Unable to turn her back on his hope, Julian turned off the stove and washed her hands off. "Fine, that should be enough breakfast to settle your sisters' stomachs."

The way Jaune jumped for joy—against his better judgment—made it all worthwhile.

...

Ignatius had a nasty habit of waking up last in the family.

But this time the older Arc had an excuse. Yesterday's events had taken their toll on him. Not to mention fighting White Fang grunts—no matter how weak they were—did strain the body. Being close to an old man would do that to a guy.

Swiping a leftover pancake, the father of eight looked around the almost empty living room, finding both a tarp to absorb yesterday's icicle puddle, and Noah telling stories to Eski about the magical Maidens of the world. She was absorbed well into the tale, like a bee to honey.

Still, the man was interested in finding Jaune. "Where's my son?"

Eski stopped laughing to regard Ignatius's question with the same level of anticipation as him. They're both staring at Noah, waiting for him to lead them to Jaune.

Placing Eski on his shoulders, the oldest Arc motioned for his son-in-law to follow with his cane. "He's outside training... or trying to. Jaune's trying to get this Semblance of his going. Do you know anything about that?"

Ignatius smirked. "All I know is that my son looks like a completely different person when he's using his Semblance. He looks like a respectable warrior of the Arc family."

Noah huffed. "That's what Julian and all the munchkins said. They mentioned that he looked like a younger version of you. I can't wait to see the miracle with my own eyes."

"Why didn't you follow them outside then?"

"Was waiting for you. You know how terrible you are with directions."

Eski giggled and Ignatius glared. "You sure know how to lift the spirits, eh, father-in-law?"

They reach their backyard to find Julian and Jaune squaring off with the kids watching from a distance. Well, the two males wouldn't exactly call it a square-off, more like two people gauging each other's reactions. But it's desperately clear that Jaune's breathing heavily with the weight of his rusted sword, broken shield, and gauntlets holding him down. He could barely stand, sweat painstakingly clear across his face. Whatever Aura Jaune had recovered from the last encounter with his father appeared to be utterly hopeless in this situation.

The poor boy didn't even have the strength to keep himself from shaking like a leaf, contrary to the leafy green armor he wore.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune coughed and attempted to charge at his mother, swinging his rusted blade with a weak and utterly pathetic swing that Julian had caught with her bare hands. She easily flicked back his attempt to bring down the blade with a bending of her fingers, showing no effort being used to push back her only son. And he had actually fallen from the action, tripping on his own two feet like a klutz.

Julian's not even trying.

She's only frowning the entire time, clearly not wanting to address Jaune's supposed need to push himself. But he must've really wanted to tap into his Semblance's power, because he got back up and charged slowly at her again, missing a terrible shield bash with Forlorn. She had responded by pulling the shield out of his hands and tossing it across the shield, before she pushed her son back with a palm to his chest. It wasn't meant to do damage, and Noah narrowed his eyes at the action.

"She's being too soft. From what I heard, his Semblance responded when his life was in actual danger. All this tiptoeing isn't going to accomplish anything. If he's not going to take any damage, then nothing's going to happen."

Ignatius sighed, frowning sadly. "Jaune's our son, of course she's not going to attack him and put him in any actual harm's way. What do you want her to do?"

He glared, poking Ignatius in the stomach with his cane. "I want my daughter to act like an Arc. We're warriors, not farmers. Taking the easy way will accomplish nothing. If our grandson expects to see any results, then she needs to strike him with the intent to harm."

Noah expected Ignatius's gawk. "Are you crazy?! Look at him! He's all skin and bones! There's no way he can tank even a normal strike, very less one delivered that's meant to hurt."

"And yet he's apparently already beaten two White Fang grunts that wanted nothing more than to kill him." Noah retorted with simple facts. "You fear for Jaune's safety, but you forget that Jaune's been dancing at Death's door since he was born. And I have a feeling that the boy's tired of people looking down at him."

The logic's too fine to fault. "Fine then! What do you propose we do? Julian's never going to actively reach out and harm her son. And I'm not going to do it."

Noah humphed and handed the man Eski. "You're both too soft. I'll be the one to engage my grandson and treat him like an actual member of this family. It's the very least I can do for an Arc cursed with a weakened body."

Both Ignatius and Eski blinked when Noah crossed the field and intruded Julian and Jaune's battle. He stopped his daughter's movements by halting her with the tip of his cane. When he stood in front of his grandson, Julian hovered over her father's shoulder and frowned at the way he blocked her from practicing with her son.

"Dad? What are you—?"

"I'll be fighting Jaune from here on out." Noah glared at the exhausted teenager before him, pitying him for the hand Lady Luck dealt him. "Don't expect me to go easy on you because you're a little weak, my boy. I'm going to put you through the grinder."

"A little weak?" Julian yelled with her arms bunched. "Jaune's not just weak, he's—!"

"Finally!" Jaune coughed, shaking in place with Durandal raised. His Aura recovered enough to allow him to speak normally once more. "I was getting sick and tired of no one taking me seriously. I know you won't let me down, grandpa."

Smirking at his grandson's stubbornness, Noah ushered his protest daughter away, but she's having none of that. "No! I know you father! You're brutal with your methods of training! You'll end up—!"

"Hurting him?" he finished, glaring at his daughter. "That's the point, sweetie. Jaune's Semblance's not going to manifest itself if his life's not in danger or if he's not taking serious damage. All this dancing around won't accomplish any results. He needs to be pushed and hurt to get the ball rolling."

Julian opened her mouth to yell, but her son's quietness cut the tension. "Stop it, mom. I'm okay with this. I want this."

Her eyes widened at the way her son glared. It's only attributed further with his skeleton-like appearance and dull eyes. "J-Jaune? Do you know what you're saying?"

He scoffed. Did he know what he was saying? Of course he did. Pushing and light taps weren't going to cover it. His Semblance of Hope wasn't going to respond to such non-threatening attacks. Only by inflicting some impression of pain and could activate the power. At least he assumed that's how his Semblance worked, but he saw no reason for it not to. And he never would know for sure if he kept pussyfooting around the matter.

This Semblance—this hope—was his chance to become normal, if only for a little while.

Jaune wanted nothing more in life than to attain that power once more. How could his mother expect him not try everything to retain the power that allowed him to be normal? What kind of life was that? And he knew he wasn't going to get it if his mother kept treating him like a child with her tunnel vision of safety. He was so tired of being looked down upon. He was tired of being that boy. He was just so tired of being a burden, being useless in a family of renowned warriors.

No longer did he want to be a stranger in his own family!

Lifting Durandal up, Jaune's arms stopped shaking by his resolve and impressive willpower only an Arc had. He refused to answer his mother, knowing she wouldn't budge unless he resolved to the act of fighting. Even if his body screamed at him to stop moving, he ignored the burning sensation traveling up his legs and body. Now's not the time to fold.

"C'mon, gramps, show me what you got."

Impressed by his grandson's resolve, Noah tapped his cane onto the floor and grinned at the Arc firing burning before him. A shame that such a strong devotion was trapped in this muscle deficient body.

"Move along, sweetie. Jaune here is serious."

Fist bunched together, Julian pleaded silently for her son to reconsider, but Jaune didn't pay her any mind. He held Forlorn close to his chest as he charged painstakingly slow at her father, missing a slow slash meant to be a strike. The action led to Jaune running out-of-breath, before Noah uppercut his grandson in the chin with the end of his cane that sent him stumbling back, until he fell flat onto the floor.

The rest of his family gasped at the display of cruelty, but before Julian could stop the fight, Jaune pushed himself up with a small trail of blood crawling down his chin. The yellow headband had cracked and broke apart from the impact. His Aura lost a chunk from the hit. And it took Jaune forever to get back up, but he managed to do so and charge once again at his grandfather, movements linear and pace incredibly slow.

Sidestepping another attempted slash, Noah brought up his cane and crashed it into Jaune's chest, literally knocking the air out of his lungs. He's still holding back, immensely so, but each strike delivered hurt far more than whatever Julian had delivered. But for however weak the move was, it still drew blood from his grandson's lungs and took a decent size chunk of Jaune's very limited Aura reserves.

Above in the trees, a white dove watched the one-sided fight with keen interest, observing every one of Jaune's actions with immense interest. It hung off an olive branch, waiting for the right moment to fly down and save its Arc, but Jaune's life refused to get near the danger zone. And there's a subtle lack of hope radiating from its Arc. Like Jaune had trouble believing in the power of his Semblance.

Missing another swipe of his sword, he walked into Noah's elbow, bruising his nose and face in a field of pain. His feet wobbled in retaliation and the arms holding up Durandal and Forlorn began to falter underneath the weight of metal. But before Jaune could fall to his knees, a fountain of hope washed over him from the sidelines.

"You can do it! I know you can! Go! Go!"

Everyone turned to see Eski cheering her lungs out with her arms thrown up. She's wiggling within Ignatius's arms, unable to remain docile in the heat of battle between the passionate Arcs. The little Maiden didn't care that her hero was bruised and bloody, she still believed in his power to win this fight. And that power was contagious as Jaune's younger sisters cheered alongside her, arms thrown just as high, maybe even higher.

Blinking, he coughed up a bit of blood, straining to stay up from the blow to his chest. "Eski? You still believe I can win?"

"I know you can do it, Jaune!" Jaune's eyes widened a bit. That's the first time Eski ever got his name right. "Show that old fart your amazing power! Go! Go! Go!"

Suddenly, his legs refused to fall. The shaking within his arms stopped completely. And Jaune felt his chest react to the cheering of his younger sisters and his little fan. An invisible force seeped into his body, he could feel it. It's like a blanket, warm and comforting to be surrounded in. And more importantly, it felt safe to be secluded in.

His remaining Aura reacted as well.

His Aura had taken a beating in the few minutes he tried to fight his grandfather, falling to levels that were dangerously close to zero. One more strike was all it needed to drop down his reserves to flat out nothing. But all the cheers coming from those that believed in him made the strange power churn in his soul. It bounced. It flowed. It stretched and compressed. It's like it didn't know exactly how to expand and grant Jaune the power building up inside. As if it needed a way to escape before it could shower him in his Semblance of Hope.

Wait?

A need to escape?

Flashing back to his fight with the White Fang grunts, Jaune distinctly remembered being practically killed. He knew it wasn't some illusion. He died, or at least he almost, plain and simple. That's when his Semblance finally kicked in and saved him. And he figured it couldn't really do that with his grandfather holding back the real fatal blows. After all, power didn't come without sacrifice, or at least that's what his father told him once. And he needed to believe his Semblance would kick in again at the nick of time and preform another miracle.

He had to hope it would!

A miracle could happen more than once.

Noah the Dove titled its head when it felt its Arc believe once more in miracles.

All the cheering was more than enough to motivate him. With a quick twist of his sword, he sucked in his breath and held his rusted shield up, stance weak but will strong. The rusted metal of Durandal chipped in the afternoon glow and Jaune's cracked head guard and gauntlets fractured in several places, but he glowed a decent shade of green in front of his family.

"What are you waiting for?" Jaune mocked. "Stop holding back, old man!"

Fighting words that Noah Arc never thought he would hear from grandson, he accepted Jaune's bold challenge and unsheathed a hidden sword from his cane and lunged straight for him, aim meant to cut across through his sword, shield, and torso.

Time slowed down as Noah entered Jaune's personal space with both Jaune's parent's eyes widening in unrivaled horror. They're too late to move or interfere with the old man's incoming strike, caught-off-guard by his bold and suicidal actions. But Jaune never faltered the closer his grandfather came. He grinned with a weak smile and prayed that a miracle would happen. He was hopeful things would turn out alright.

Lowering his eyelids in content, he prepared for his grandfather's strike, knowing full well he couldn't dodge, protect, or parry such a move. The cut happened a second later, slicing right through Durandal and Forlorn with unbelievable ease. His leaf armor paled in comparison to the sharp steel, and his torso gained a long gash from a diagonal cut that ran deep. The rusted pieces of metal from his sword and shield fell uselessly to the floor.

And a torrent of blood gushed from Jaune's newly formed wound.

"Jaune! Baby!" Julian screamed with bloody murder, instantly racing toward her son. But her feet halt when a green Aura resonated across Jaune's cut up chest. "J-Jaune?"

Her son smiled—not from the pain—but the familiar feeling of power encasing his body. He felt his Aura deplete instantly and closed his eyes as hope engulfed his entire body. Meanwhile, up in the trees, Noah the Dove spread its wings and flew down to the dying Arc, slowly turning into a green ring with the insignia of the Arc crests stuck dead-center.

Green lightning crackled and condensed around Jaune's body, like lightning captured in a bottle, only spreading up to touch the broken halves of Durandal and Forlorn. Then it hit like thunder and blurred in brightness before the Arc family's eyes. All of them, including Eski, had to shield their gaze away from the stunning, but quickly diminishing glow. And when it died, a body lunged out and attempted to strike Noah.

The glow had momentarily blinded the oldest Arc, like the rest of them, but his aged-instinct allowed him to block a sudden incoming strike from a sword's that not over a day old. And when his eyes traveled up to the owner of the blade, he's surprised to see a glare strikingly similar to Ignatius's trademark smirk staring back at him. But it wasn't Ignatius glaring back, it was his grandson.

And Noah had trouble believing it.

Not a speck of bone could be seen on his grandson's face. All Noah saw was lean, mean muscle. No thinness or fatigue. None of that! And that's not all. Not even close!

Confidence! Real confidence!

They said that eyes were windows to the soul; well, the oldest Arc had inkling to believe them. Just look at those eyes! So full of life and confidence that made Jaune's previous eyes pale in comparison. And speaking of paling in comparison, what happened to those trash weapons of his?

That sword Jaune dubbed Durandal was magically repaired, appearing sleek and free from imperfections. Forlorn hung off his hand with the Arc emblem etched in the middle of the circular shield. Gauntlets connected to both shined in the sun's rays. Whatever wound he had sustained from his slash across his chest was all healed, and in its place was a lustered, green armor, with an olive wreath to tie it altogether, replacing the headgear he previously wore.

"Jaune?" Noah gasped, flicking back Durandal with a mildly powerful swing. "Is that... is that really you?"

The Arc in question stopped to look at himself, smiling like a kid in a candy store. His eyes retain a brightness that the skeleton Arc never possessed. He's practically dancing on the spot, laughing with girth that he had lacked prior. Each movement was used to inspect his body.

Feeling confident and full of hope, Jaune dug Durandal into the ground and laughed. "It worked! It really worked! My Semblance really worked!"

Eski squirmed out of Ignatius's arms and ran over to Jaune, hugging his leg in childlike glee. "Yea! You did it! I knew it! I knew it! I just knew it!"

Grinning, he kneeled down and patted the snowy Maiden on the head, all heroic like for his number one fan.

Noah and the rest of the family blinked at the display. This Jaune Arc was a totally different person compared to the bag of bones they're used to it. He's more hopeful and optimistic. Not to say they didn't understand his well-earned joy, it's just weird to see. The power of his strange Semblance must be the underlining cause. Even his voice radiated with happiness.

Jaune smiled and removed his blade. "Let's do this!"

Noah's more than willingly to help his grandson utilize his Semblance to the utmost extent, but it evidently became clear that Jaune lacked true balance. A body couldn't just be given a new equilibrium and be expected to function just fine, especially not Jaune's once brittle bag of bones. At it showed with the way Jaune angled himself on the lawn.

He was like a recovering disabled-human, unable to fully grasp the concept of standing and walking to its fullest extent. Noah had no doubt that Jaune would learn to control and harness his Semblance to the limits of his power, eventually learning to control his movements like any other normal person, but he's at a severe disadvantage for now.

Guess he's going to have to teach him to walk, too. "Well, what are you waiting for? Bring it!"

Grinning and fueled off the cheers of both his sisters and Eski, Jaune charged and attempted a poor excuse of a swing for Noah's shoulder. The old man wasted little energy deflecting the blow with the back of his palm. But Jaune's making up for it by trying to bash his body in with his shield.

Trying being the key word.

A simple foot planted to the base of the shield took care of that problem.

Without too much effort—he's surprised with how much strength this new power supplied Jaune with—Noah slipped the shield down and then connected a kick to Jaune's torso. The kick was hardly anything, but his grandson still had trouble maintaining his balance from such a kick. And the oldest Arc couldn't help but sigh.

Clearly, power didn't equal skill. Jaune lacked such a thing since his first breath. And now his body's trying to make up for unpracticed movements that had been stripped from him since birth. The difference couldn't be clearer than night and day. Such an example came with Jaune trying to swing Durandal around without any form. The old man had caught the blade easily enough with his own, parrying each strike without needing to focus.

They had their work cut out.

Flicking Durandal back, Noah used Jaune's stunned actions and delivered a strike against his green armor. He had to admit the metal tanked more damage that those useless leafs, but the Arc still managed to cut right through it. Well, most of it, but there's a harsh gash cutting right across the unusual metal.

His grandson tried to retaliate by lunging full force at him, but Noah outstretched his foot out and Jaune slipped and tripped onto the floor. He got up quickly enough, but it's all for naught. The oldest Arc already grabbed his face, stretched his foot out, and quickly brought his grandson down with a tremendous amount of force that dispersed from Jaune's head and caused him to drop both his weapon and shield. Jaune didn't even get a chance to blink, mind more focused on the sword drawn to his neck.

When Jaune did blink, his grandfather's tone left no room for doubt. "Fighting me versus those lesser men isn't the same thing, grandson. I'm much tougher and skilled than any random soldier."

Like he had to tell Jaune that. The Arc had realized that the moment his grandfather tripped him without gauging any type of emotion. All this power was acting useless against this superior Arc's swordplay. However, Noah smiled at the downed Arc, twirling the tip of his blade in amusement.

"Now get up! You wanted to train, right? Best get some practice in before this Semblance of yours runs dry. It's not every day I get to train with my grandson."

Grinning, he got up and grabbed Durandal and Forlorn, filled with limitless hope. Training with his grandfather! This was a dream come true! Who would've thought? Him? Once a skeleton without a hope in the world! Now, by some unknown miracle, he was actually able to train! It was almost too much to take in!

Holding his weapons up, Noah frowned at Jaune's stance and used his cane-blade to flick Jaune's weapons into place. "No! No! You're doing it all wrong. This is the proper stance to use while wielding a blade. And your shield's angled too high. Here, try this..."

Julian watched her father drill basic sword stances into her son's form. It filled her with hope and made her heart stop racing so much. And her son didn't appear to mind at all, smiling throughout the entire exchange with happiness, even if her father did whack him here and there. Eski's just watching the entire ordeal with giddy and shakiness that threatened to break free any moment. And she's not the only one. All of Jaune's sisters were watching with anticipation and awe. It was one thing seeing their brother's transformation yesterday, but it's completely different to see him actually accomplishing miracles he couldn't before.

Julian knew exactly how they felt.

When Noah grabbed the end-blade of Durandal, to move it to a proper angle, he narrowed his eyes as his hand lingered. A simple release made the feeling disappear, but touching and holding the odd metal long enough resurfaced the sensation.

He glared down at Jaune's blade, interested in the unknown metal. "Let me see that weapon of yours. And your shield, too, while you're at it." Tossing him the weapons, he inspected the designs. "Such strange weapons, they almost feel alive."

Jaune knew what he meant. And he only knew that because the moment he tossed them, he felt naked without them. But before he could ponder any further, Durandal and Forlorn broke apart in a green light and flashed back into his hands. The action's a stunning one, robbing him of some of his Aura.

Jaune laughed. "I guess they have a mind of their own."

His grandfather narrowed his glare more, eyes focused on the Forlorn and Durandal. Advance age had allowed Noah to see many things in his life. And Semblances were a fickle bunch. How they worked no one knew, but they were all susceptible to change and held many secrets. Those two weapons of Jaune probably held a secret waiting to be uncovered. And the aged man already knew it had to do with physical touch.

Gripping his cane-blade, he tapped Jaune's shield. "My boy, do me a favor and block this strike. Don't fret; I'll keep it slow."

"Oh? Alright!"

Humming to himself, Noah lifted and then brought his sword down, crashing his steel against Jaune's shield. A silence filled the air. No one dared move. Not while the oldest Arc made such a mean face. Then, to Jaune's confusion, his grandfather grinned and removed his blade.

"That shield of yours is special, Jaune. I don't know what it did, but I don't feel like fighting you as much. It's like I'm missing something."

Jaune stared down at his shield. "Like it drained your Aura or something?"

His grandfather looked away. "No, no, I didn't feel my Aura getting drained. I still have it all. But it's like, uh, this is hard to explain. Ignatius! Come over here and place your hand on the boy's shield!"

Interested as well, Ignatius ran up to his son's shield and calmly placed his hand over his family's insignia. Quickly, like being pulled in from a tide, Ignatius noticed something off the longer he held it. The feeling vanished when he removed his hand or quickly tapped the shield, but when he rested his knuckles on the metal, it filled him with anxiety and bits of despair.

Like a feeling of Hopelessness was slowly overcoming him. "What the? What's going on?"

Noah tapped the shield and rested his palm next to his. "You see what I mean?"

Jaune's father pulled his hand away, clutching it like he had seen some type of ghost. "Well, that's a weird feeling. It felt like it was draining away my..."

"Your will?" his son finished, pulling the shield away from grandfather's hand. "That kinda makes sense. The two White Fang members lost their cool while fighting me. And I didn't really do much... I was actually losing, but things changed the longer we were locked together."

One of his sisters ran up and tugged his jeans, eyes sparkling. "Changed like how?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know. First the guy stuck between my shield and his mace just lost his entire cool and acted really scared of me. It was really weird." He then lifted up Durandal. "And the other one, that got stuck fighting with Durandal, sort of lost the will to fight. I don't really know how to explain it."

"What's there to say?" Eski suddenly yelled, hugging Jaune by the leg. "They both knew they couldn't beat my hero and gave up! They had no hope! None!"

Jaune tried to shake her off his leg. "Eski... that doesn't really make any—?"

"I think she's on to something, boy!" Noah agreed, patting the Maiden thoughtfully on the noggin. "I kind of like the sound of that. No hope! I think your shield absorbs Hope and that sword of yours fills them with Lament. Here, let me grab your weapon..." A sensation of grief traveled into his body the longer he held the blade. And when he let it go, it vanished. "Just as I thought, your sword does fill them with despair."

Eski widened her eyes in wonder. "What's la... la-ma-net?"

He smiled and poked her nose. "Let's just say too much of it is a bad thing. You don't want it or you might not have the will to fight to any longer."

"Really? Then it's a good thing that my hero has none of that icky stuff!"

Humoring her, the Arc stared at Jaune. "I'm positive your weapons have the power to rob opponents of their willpower and fill them with despair. And if I'm right, that's a dangerous power. It could attract Grimm if you're not careful. You're practically stealing their hope."

The younger Arc gasped and peered down at his weapons. "Could such a weapon even exist?"

His grandfather laughed and subtly pointed to Eski. "I've seen many things in my life that didn't make any spec of sense. And we know the Maidens are real. So it's not too farfetched to believe. Unless if you have a better idea?"

Jaune frowned. He didn't really have anything else to fall back on. When he thought about it—no matter how ridiculous it sounded—the power to steal Hope and inflict Lament made sense the more he connected that ideology with the two White Fang members he beat. Why else would they act so strangely during mid-fight? Forlorn and Durandal must've done something to trigger such an event. And his grandfather's explanation sounded not so loony when he considered that.

Remembering his mother's words, he looked down at the little girl's life he had saved.

Hope was the power to make miracles happen.

Eski had hoped in him to save her. A miracle had resulted from her throwing her faith into him. And here they were, safe from any danger. If Hope was the power to make Miracles happen, then did that mean Jaune's Semblance granted him the power to create Miracles by either stealing his opponent's Hope or by someone giving him theirs? Could he absorb hope from others?

Noah tapped him on the shoulder. "Ready to get back to training, Jaune? You have a long way to go before you're a real threat to anyone, and the only way we'll know for sure how your Semblance works is by practicing it. Or are you already ready to call it quits for the day?"

Jaune met the taunt with a taunt of his own. "I'm not the old man here! Maybe you're the one getting tired?"

"Yea! Go, Jaune! Beat him up! You can do it!"

Jaune laughed and got into position. He practically felt Eski's words of encouragement bask him in an afterglow of power and determination! Details like the inner-mechanics on how his Semblance worked could be kinked out later. For now he needed to train and work on his swordplay, because power didn't equal skill, and he needed an endless amount to protect Eski from the bad guys.

She's hoping on it.

Author Notes: So apparently Jaune's somewhat like All Might in this story? I did not correlate his skeleton-like features with that of All Might's, that's all coincidental and funny at the same.