This chapter and the last were originally going to be one mega chapter. (That's why they're being released back-to-back-read here as: within four days of each other.)

So, I decided to go ahead and read my reviews from the last chapter. (Been a bit out of it since I wanted to finish this one.)

And like…

Haha...

Anyway here, have another chapter—or rather, really, the second part to the last chapter.

Guitar Huntsman Chapter 8

"Yeah…I get it. You don't want this whole thing to come off as favoritism towards the Arc family."

"Precisely, you can understand why that wouldn't be ideal for a man in my position. As headmaster I have the dual responsibilities of fairly guiding the student body and producing as many top tier huntsmen as I can with every graduating class. At times these responsibilities conflict…"

"Right," Jaune exhaled. "Alright, I guess…I can keep it quiet. If that's what's for the best?"

"I truly believe it will be." Ozpin noted Jaune still looked troubled, which meant he hadn't entirely assuaged his worries…

But the boy was tired, exhausted even.

Best to let him get some rest and address any further concerns when he was feeling better and was, perhaps, a bit more excited over the prospect of becoming a huntsman.

"Well, Mr. Arc. This has been a truly enlightening conversation. But I think your team has had an extraordinarily long day." He glanced at Ruby, who was drooling on her shoulder. "Especially your partner."

Jaune stared at Ruby for a few seconds, then he smiled weakly. "Yeah, we better get her back to medical before they have a fit. They weren't very happy when you checked her out."

Ozpin watched the four teens walk to the elevator. Weiss and Pyrrha each whispered something to Jaune as they walked. Jaune responded with a light nod. Ozpin turned away from the opening elevator doors with a small, triumphant smile. He studied the view before him, the sky stretched out, an infinite blanket over the world. Today, it was a mixture of reds and oranges. A gorgeous collage of colors.

He'd seen it thousands of times. The sun setting. But it never failed to fascinate him. Every day it rose. Every day it set. A cycle that never ended.

Not unlike himself.

Everything he'd done today wasn't a permanent solution…

But then, as he had learned long ago—there was no such thing as a permanent solution.

There was only a string of temporary ones, one after another. The key was learning how to string all those temporary things together.

To keep chaining them in a never-ending process until, eventually, from a certain perspective, everything was fine, all the time.

"Goodbye today, what troubles have you tomorrow?" he whispered to himself.

Ozpin frowned as two sets of footsteps, one with the click of heels and the other with a metallic thud approached his desk. There was a scuffing scratching sound as two chairs were…

Pulled out?

No, more like moved to the side.

"Headmaster."

Ah, he should have known the day wouldn't end so…easily.

He did not turn. Not yet.

"You did not depart with your team, Miss Schnee, Miss Nikos?"

"We have some…" Pyrrha hummed. "…concerns. I suppose that would be an appropriate word."

"Perhaps it would be," said Weiss. "If we were in a competition for understatements of the century."

Ozpin groaned, pinching his sinuses. He'd hoped one conversation would be enough to handle them all. But he should have known better. Ruby was hopped up on drugs—and even without them could be won over with a plate of cookies. Meanwhile Jaune was so internally conflicted about how he was meant to help people that he could be knocked over with a straw.

Convincing these two however—to take on an untrained, unqualified, civilian on their huntsman team—because he has higher than average aura?

Ozpin stretched his neck. This would take a bit more finagling. He turned towards Weiss and Pyrrha. The partners were serious, angry even. Ozpin could already feel a headache coming on. "Don't tell me you two are already trying to get rid of one of your teammates?" He gave them a small smile.

"Headmaster," began Weiss. "Earlier today, Pyrrha and I were discussing how we would handle… conversing with you. It was, admittedly a brief discussion, cut short when you actually summoned us."

"Oh?" said Ozpin. Curious.

He took his seat.

Weiss and Pyrrha remained standing.

"Yes," continued Weiss. "We decided that if you were not aware of Jaune's status as a civilian, we would inform you. And that if you were, we would simply watch and listen before drawing any conclusions."

"I see," said Ozpin. So, he was right. They were upset with him for saddling them with a civvy. Well, it was an unusual arrangement, he could easily admit that. And since the duo likely knew little of what it meant to be an Arc, they wouldn't be pacified by Jaune's family name.

"I admit, Pyrrha did a much better job than I did remaining quiet. There was…much that I wanted to say."

"Well, let's hear it then," Ozpin made a move-it-along sort of motion.

Pyrrha spoke this time. "Weiss and I were both rather confused by Jaune's story when we first heard it. He claimed to have been, essentially, forced to come to Beacon, forced to stay at Beacon, and forced to participate in initiation."

"Which both Pyrrha and I found quite confusing, given the voluntary nature of the huntsman profession

"I wouldn't say he was forced to attend," said Ozpin, beginning to grow wary.

"I would," replied Pyrrha.

"Ah, well. More…a series of circumstances conspi—"

"A series of circumstance that you created, continued, and controlled" interrupted Weiss. "And circumstances can't conspire. People do that. Which brings us to an interesting point. When Jaune was explaining it to us it was hard to…picture. To fathom, really, what he was talking about. Every situation he described sounded as if it could be solved by simply saying no or wait or I am not a huntsman. He made it sound as if he had no way out. As if he was being corralled, which didn't make any sense to me or Pyrrha."

"But now it does." Pyrrha smiled.

It wasn't a kind or welcoming smile.

Ozpin had seen that expression on the champion's face. He'd seen it when he was watching footage from her third championship win. The runner-up had called her a slut. She proceeded to break his sword, then his sword arm, and then his pride.

Only after that did she grant him the mercy of a knockout.

"Jaune felt like he couldn't escape because you wanted him here. Maybe because you thought he was some sort of godlike huntsman—or maybe some other reason. You tied him in so many little knots he couldn't untangle himself long enough to escape."

"Ladies, I think you're…reading into this a bit. I would never—"

"We watched you," interrupted Pyrrha.

"Seeing does not mean underst—"

"We just fucking watched you," interrupted Weiss.

The boiling, bubbling, poisonous acidity of Weiss's tone caused Ozpin to pause and reevaluate. He glanced from Pyrrha's gaze, a furious unyielding emerald to Weiss's, a lethal spreading ice.

These weren't two promising young huntresses upset by having a less experienced and less skilled teammate.

These were two extraordinary young women who had spent most of their lives fending off bastards who wanted to use them—and they were downright murderous after watching him pull the same hated manipulation right in front of him.

Well.

Shit.

"If this conversation is about the nature of Mister Arc's enrollment, it is hardly any of your concern—"

"Didn't you just name us a team?" asked Pyrrha. "How is our teammate's wellbeing not any of our concern? How can you expect us not to speak with you concerning your treatment of our members?"

"I—" Ozpin was not even given the chance to start.

"After all," Weiss continued without pausing. "A moment ago, Jaune was visibly distress by just about every word coming out of your mouth."

Pyrrha followed up her partner. "And you did throw him into a forest of Grimm, without aura, without a weapon, without armor, without melee combat skills…without anything…really. Just a hoodie and a guitar."

"That…" began Ozpin.

He was surprised when the girls didn't cut him off, instead watching him expectantly.

"…was Glynda."

Neither Weiss nor Pyrrha seemingly deemed the comment worthy of response. "And we have not even brought up Ruby yet."

"Poor Ruby," Pyrrha's face genuinely fell when she brought up the girl.

"Yes," agreed Weiss. "Poor Ruby, broke her legs carrying the weight of our headmaster's mistakes."

"Listen," cut in Ozpin, somewhat abruptly. "What happened today was a tragic accident. No one wanted it. Mistakes were made. Unforeseeable events took place and circumstances evolved. If you're trying to imply that I had any desire to see any of the initiates hurt today…"

Weiss stared at him. So did Pyrrha.

Weiss was the one who broke the silence. "Neither of us think or claim that you were trying to murder any of the students…"

Well, at least that was clear.

"…although it hardly matters whether you were or were not trying, considering your willful criminal negligence and frivolous reckless endangerment could have just as easily resulted in the same."

Ah, those words sounded like actual crimes.

Crimes that would be read and listed to him shortly before a judge sent him to prison.

"Is assuming that someone, who applied to a huntsman academy, has his or her aura unlocked really criminal negligence?"

"In hindsight headmaster," said Pyrrha. "Launching us into that forest without thoroughly checking, not just that we had aura but that our aura levels were high enough for the assignment seems—"

"That initiation process has remained unchanged for years Miss Nikos," said Ozpin, struggling to regain some equilibrium. "It is a tried and tested method for drawing out and displaying the talent of the next generation."

"It seems the word you are striving for is antiquated," replied Weiss. "As in, perhaps, the initiation process was created before the introduction of digital methods to measure aura. Before a simple scan could verify if a student was fit for the test."

"It is a harsh and brutal examination of abilities—but Beacon is in the business of making huntsmen and huntresses. Harsh and brutal tests are necessary. And, unfortunately, accidents do happen. And when the stakes are high, accidents often reek of tragedy. That is simply the life of a huntsman."

"The life of a huntsman…" repeated Pyrrha.

"On further consideration headmaster," said Weiss. "I believe this situation—a civilian carelessly tossed into a huntsman initiation—under your current system, could occur even if said civilian was not from a prominent huntsman family. Imagine if a civilian, with no real idea of what it means to be a huntsman or huntress, were to fake their transcripts and lie until the very moment they were to be launched into the woods—a simple scan would reveal that their aura remains locked. Instead they are launched to their certain death."

"That would be…" Ozpin swallowed. There was nothing for it but to concede here. "That would be tragic."

"Oh, it certainly would be tragic. It would also be negligent, careless, wasteful, and—perhaps most importantly—your fault."

Ozpin parted his lips.

Pyrrha cut him off. "Don't you dare say Glynda."

He closed his mouth.

"And what of Miss Goodwitch?" asked Weiss, switching tracks alongside her partner.

Ozpin struggled not to flinch. "What of her?"

"You indicated that a significant portion of the responsibility for what happened to Jaune and Ruby rests on her shoulders. But she has yet to be present to accept or deny that responsibility."

"I shall have words with Miss Goodwitch," Ozpin hastily lied. The further he kept Glynda from all this, the better.

"As shall we."

Ozpin wished he hadn't drained his coffee earlier. He wished he'd thought to make a backup thermos. Maybe then he would have been able to fend off the staccato palpitations of his own heart. "That's not necessary. You should both allow me to choose who and what information we release concerning Jaune Arc—his circumstances are—"

"Best kept secret," inserted Pyrrha. "We heard."

"And I speak for both Pyrrha and myself when I say we find that notion transparently self-serving. However, depending on what Jaune wants from all this, keeping some aspects of his circumstances quiet may be ideal. So, you may have your wish granted in that regard. That said, if you think there's a chance in hell, we are going to ignore the faculty member who nearly killed Jaune and, for all intents and purposes, broke Ruby's legs herself…"

"I assure you, Glynda did not know that Mister Arc was without aura."

"Miss Goodwitch is an adult." Weiss waved away his words as if they were pollen. "She can defend herself, when we approach her."

"But what will she even say in her defense?" mused Pyrrha, turning her attention away from Ozpin and toward Weiss.

The Schnee heiress shrugged as she met her partner's eyes. "Maybe she will pin it all on the headmaster, like he did to her."

"Hm," said Pyrrha. "Somehow, I doubt that. Unless I've completely misread her. She strikes me as the responsible one."

"She flung an untrained, unarmed, unarmored, aura-less civilian into a huntsman initiation."

"Honestly, the initiation was probably less dangerous than the throw itself," said Pyrrha thoughtfully.

"That's only true up until the point where, if you were even a little bit slower, Jaune's head would have been twisted off."

And with that final comment the two girls turned back to Ozpin, faces suddenly granite again.

Ugh, this…

This wasn't something he could handle without coffee.

"Listen, I can appreciate what you girls are doing here. Such team cohesion in your first couple of hours as a unit is a sign of great things to come from team WRJP. That said, you're presenting a united front against someone who is not your foe. I am not your enemy. I won't insult your intelligence by pretending I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, I was subtly pushing Jaune earlier…"

Weiss rolled her eyes at his use of the word subtly, while Pyrrha scoffed.

"…and I won't pretend I am operating selflessly and fully out of Mister Arc's interests. But I assure you, nonetheless this place and you all—they are what's best for Jaune. Jaune is an Arc. And an Arc's place is as a huntsman."

Ozpin did not realize how colossally he had misread his audience until two expressions of granite fractured—no—erupted.

Weiss had handled most of the talking up to that point, so he expected her to take the lead on this new tirade.

So, he was surprised when it was instead Pyrrha who slammed her hands down on his desk. He was doubly surprised by what she had to say.

I*I*I

"Jaune is an Arc... And an Arc's place is as a huntsman…"

Something inside Pyrrha broke.

"You are a Nikos. And what is a Nikos' place?"

"First."

Pyrrha dodged her father's staff by ducking low, only to get caught on the upswing when he suddenly changed his angle of attack. The tip of the weapon caught her chin, sending her stumbling back.

"Do we ever settle for less? Do we ever settle for mediocre? Or average? Or less than?"

"No."

Pyrrha reached for Akoúo̱ with her semblance, summoning it to her arm. But before she could maneuver her shield, her father's staff slammed into her sternum, driving the air from her lungs and sending her tumbling backward.

"Is this all you have? Is this all my daughter amounts too?"

Pyrrha struggled to stand as she struggled to breathe. She gave up on the former after landing on her butt twice. The latter was still a work in progress.

"What is a Nikos, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha gasped several times, trying to get her respiratory system back in order.

"I said," growled her father. "What is a Nikos, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha forced herself to speak around gasps. "A champion, father."

"And what, pray tell," began her father as he approached her. "Does it mean to be a champion?"

"I…" Pyrrha started and stopped. She wasn't sure what answer her father expected from here. Usually, this line of questioning ended with "What is a Nikos?" This new question was so broad and generic, and she just knew her father was looking for an answer that was anything but broad and generic. She wondered how upset he would be if she answered wrong or just didn't know.

It seemed she was about to find out.

"I-I don't know, father."

The cold man stabbed his staff into the ground as if the compact dirt was snow. He left it there, standing vertically, and took a knee before his daughter. One of his calloused hands went to Pyrrha's chin. The other to her cheek.

He raised her head, so she was looking directly into his harsh gaze. "A champion, daughter. Does not concern herself with her inferiors. She does not falter in the face of pain. She does not worry over other's envy. She does not succumb to weakness. And she does not lose—not ever. She is self-reliant. She is composed. She stands apart from the rest like a wolf among sheep. She is a paragon. A symbol. The Nikos legacy given flesh and spirit. She is…"

He released her chin and stood, reaching for his staff.

"She is transcendent."

"F-father." Pyrrha managed to stand. "That's not…I'm not—"

"You are," he cut her off. "You are a Nikos. If you are anything less than that…then I have no daughter."

Pyrrha's eyes widened into discs. She tried to respond, to reply…

But…

Words escaped her.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times.

How could he…?

Then her chance to speak was gone. His staff was back in his hands and he was bearing down on her with speeds she could barely keep up with.

Pyrrha's hands slammed against Ozpin's desk, limbs moving without her permission or consent. Her body acting without conscious thought.

She hadn't dwelt on that day, almost a decade ago, in some time. But it never failed to ignite something in her, something angry and violent.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?"

Ozpin's expression remained relatively blank as he looked up at her. But there was the slightest widening of his eyes. A surefire sign that not even he, with all his machinations and manipulation and deception, could anticipate Pyrrha Nikos being anything less than composed. Anything less than a champion.

"Jaune's family! His family, sent him to the VAA. You aren't his father. You don't even know him. You don't even…who the hell are you to make decisions for him? To say what's best for him!? No one gets to do that. No one. But if someone does…? It's certainly not some…some… senile stranger!"

"Miss Nikos—" began Ozpin.

Weiss's interrupting voice was more tightly controlled and reined than Pyrrha's—but it was no less vicious. "It is no secret why I came to Beacon. Whose shadow I wish to step out of. And you should also be aware just how furious my father was over my decision. He wanted me an arms-length away. A tool within easy reach. That is what it means to be a Schnee. To play your role and to play it perfectly. Until such time as you are rewarded—by being given a greater role or by being cast aside like the trash he's always seen you as. That is what my father wanted for me. That is what I am supposed to accept as part of being a Schnee. And I said no. If my father doesn't have the right to turn me into the perfect Schnee what the hell are you putting into your coffee that would make you think for even one iota of a second that you have the privilege of speaking into Jaune's life?"

Ozpin swallowed. His mouth opened.

Pyrrha was ready to interrupt any more bullshit. Her voice was on a trigger.

But Ozpin's mouth closed without him saying a thing.

Pyrrha took this as an opportunity to continue. "I came here because I was tired of being used. I knew what it looked like. I knew how to avoid it. But I couldn't. Can you guess why?"

Ozpin look old beyond his years—however many those were.

"Because everyone was trying to use you."

"Correct," agreed Pyrrha. "I could see it in their eyes. I could hear it in their voices. My so-called friends liked me because I was famous and well-off. My father was just continuing the tradition of the Nikos name being more important than the people who bore it. And my instructors just wanted to add trained the Invincible Girl to their resumes."

Ozpin looked away from her.

Pyrrha continued even if Ozpin could no longer meet her gaze. "You know what's funny? If it was me that you were trying to coerce and cajole. I'd notice it. I'd see it. And I'd hate it. But I'd probably go along with it, smiling the whole time. It's just what I'm used to—it's what my life has always been. But watching you do that to Jaune—who's clearly never had to deal with it before…it just…"

She trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"It infuriates her. It infuriates the both of us." Weiss picked up where she left off. The control she had managed to keep over her voice was slipping. "Who do you think you are? How can you think that's alright? How can you pretend that you and Goodwitch nearly killing him doesn't matter!?"

"And Ruby…" reminded Pyrrha.

"Of course, Ruby. How could I forget?" Weiss continued to rage. "He told us about your first meeting, with him and Ruby. He told us about the cookies. Jaune's not your only target, is he? You want to use both!"

Ozpin exhaled roughly. "I…" He inhaled and exhaled again. When he spoke again his voice couldn't quite be called emotional, but the usual lackadaisical apathy had sprouted wings and taken off. "You wouldn't understand, neither of you. You're too…young."

"Too young…?", repeated Pyrrha, digesting the words.

"Too Young?" she said with a bit more force.

"I know exactly how terrible what you're doing is—because I'm young! My father started training me to be the stupid conduit of the Nikos legacy when I was four! I was four when he started messing with my head. Four years old! He—" Pyrrha didn't know where she was going with this, what she was going to say—but she didn't get the chance to continue.

Ozpin's voice finally raised to, what one might call, a yell. "And are you not satisfied with the results? For all his callousness? For all his cruelty? For all his indifference? Are you not happy to be a champion? To be one of the most promising of your generation? To be known as the Invincible Girl? Every win in the arena? Every trophy added to your collection?"

"The problem, headmaster," Pyrrha ground out. "Is that that stupid title is all I have to be happy about. And to make matters worse it's a lie. I'm not invincible. I'm a strong fighter with a semblance that renders most conventional weaponry useless against me. I can't even be proud of my title—because it's bullshit. I know it. Any experienced fighter could see it! All that title really does is drive away people who might have actually come to care about me one day. And. Piss. Me. Off!"

As Pyrrha's voice rose various metal instruments in the room began to rise.

Ozpin's paperweight…

His glasses…

The chairs behind them…

Various pens, pencils, and instruments.

There was also a mass groaning noise as the various gears that lined the massive office ground to a halt.

"Don't you dare say I don't understand! I-I…" she trailed off in helpless fury.

Weiss's hand, lightly landing on her arm, brought her back to Remnant. The various objects affected by her semblance clattered to the ground and the room's network of gears resumed their work.

"I think we are done here, Pyrrha. Let's go find Jaune."

Pyrrha nodded, relieved she hadn't lost complete control of her power. Pyrrha followed Weiss's lead, tempering her own, longer strides to match the girl's shorter steps. When they reached the door, Weiss turned back to Ozpin. Pyrrha did so as well.

"You made me the leader of team WRJP, correct?"

Ozpin nodded.

"Then I'm speaking as the leader of my team. Whether Jaune decides to leave or stay—keep away from him. Keep away from me. Keep away from Pyrrha. Keep away from Ruby. I don't know what it is you want from them. I don't know if you also want something from me and Pyrrha. But you can't have it. We won't give it to you. I don't care if you say it's the most important or noble cause in the world. Stay away from us—all of us."

The elevator door opened. Weiss stepped through.

Pyrrha stopped in the elevator threshold, preventing the door from closing. She turned back toward Ozpin. Her voice was normal again. She had regained some of her mental balance. She still felt strange. But at least she wasn't about to cause a magnetic storm.

"Headmaster…"

Ozpin looked at her.

"I don't know what you're doing. Or why. But all this…you're just going to bring down the roof on top of you. It doesn't matter how much you gain by forgetting how to be a human being" she stepped back into the elevator. She thought about how much she despised her father. "You've already lost everything that matters."

The doors closed.

Pyrrha slumped almost immediately.

Had she really said all that? Done all that? She felt her back hit the wall as she took two steps backward. She slid down until she was seated.

"Are you alright Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha slowly nodded.

"I think so. I just need some sleep."

"I feel the same."

"But we can't."

"No," agreed Weiss. "We cannot. Not until we speak with Jaune."

Pyrrha sighed. "That might be an even harder conversation."

Weiss looked at her quizzically. "How so?"

Pyrrha looked up at the shorter girl. "I think I would have enjoyed having Jaune on our team."

"Ah," said Weiss.

A few seconds of silence passed between them. Pyrrha adjusted her armor.

"Well…" began Weiss.

Pyrrha looked up and frowned. Weiss wasn't looking at her. In fact, she was looking the opposite direction.

"…I will freely admit that my initial interest in you Pyrrha was because of your reputation. And the ways by which it might benefit my own. I have always loathed when people treated me like a prop and my defense has often been to use others similarly. However, the idea of a true friend, with whom our mutual interest in one another is rooted in a genuine respect and like for—"

"Weiss," interrupted Pyrrha. "Are you asking if we can be friends?"

Weiss turned her head back toward Pyrrha. Her face was tinted red. "Yes."

"Hm…" Pyrrha pretended to ponder her options. "On one condition."

"Name it."

"What was it that you promised we would do to our enemies? Turn them into throws?"

Weiss turned a darker shade of crimson. "I may have said something like that. Hard to recall."

Pyrrha grinned. "Oh, I recall. Just promise me we'll start with the bastards who mess with our team."

Weiss's flush faded as she smirked.

"Obviously."

I*I*I

Meanwhile

"And that's why, I need a favor."

"Um…"

"Come on…do I really need to explain everything again?"

Hell yes, he did!

Ellie felt her facial muscles starting to spasm.

Jaune had called her about twenty minutes ago, attempting to give her a rushed and abbreviated explanation of his life over the past few days.

Ellie wasn't having his rushed description. She was excited to hear how well he thought he would perform at the VAA. When she realized he was claiming to have been trapped at Beacon, she demanded a much more robust account.

She spoke with a practiced calm. "Not everything. Just the part where you got kidnapped into Beacon. Thrown into a forest full of Grimm. Nearly died. And the headmaster is trying to convince you to stay—even though you almost died." Her voice spiked into a scream "Just explain those parts again, Jaune!"

Whoops.

Calm.

Calm.

Calm.

It was surprisingly difficult to achieve calm when she didn't know exactly what she was feeling. There was shock, that Jaune had somehow managed to wind up at Beacon rather than the VAA. There was rage, that some bitch had thrown—thrown—him off a cliff. There was sadness, that Jaune had missed the VAA initiation. And, of course, there was relief, that Jaune was okay. That he was still breathing, smiling, and…well…being Jaune.

"That pretty much sums it up though."

Of course, it did.

"Jaune," Ellie groaned tamping down on the rage for now, just glad that her only brother was alive and well. "What are you doing? Why are you still there? Don't tell me you're still stuck on this stupid destiny fantasy? I thought we agreed. You're a musician. Not a huntsman. A musician."

"Ozpin tried to trip me up with the whole destiny thing."

"And you fell for it?"

"No way! I mean, not really. Well, it still bothers me. What if I'm supposed to be doing something bigger? Something more important? Something more…Arc-like? And I know plenty of Arcs over the years haven't become huntsmen—but how many first sons haven't? How many only sons haven't? Honestly, I think that's going to bother me for the rest of my life…"

Jaune massaged his temples, as if he was giving himself a headache.

"But I can happily say I now know beyond the shadow of a doubt that killing Grimm is not for me. Partly, because I would be terrible at it. But also, because…"

Ellie watched her brother's eyes lose focus; he was no longer staring at his scroll screen as she was.

"…It was the weirdest thing. During initiation, there was this giant Ursa, just sitting on top of me. Its eyes were blood red and it was just staring at me. Honestly, I kind of felt like we were connecting. Then… maybe it tried to bite my head off or maybe it tried to lick me. One of those two. But before I could find out which Weiss and Pyrrha killed it. It was so…weird. Anyway, I don't think I could have killed that Ursa even if I was strong enough to."

Aw.

Jaune was making friends.

With the Grimm.

Shortly before they tried to tear him to pieces.

"Jaune, why are you still at Beacon?"

"Huh?"

"If you know, for certain, that you're not one of the Grimm-slaying death-defying types of Arcs—which I could have told you, by the way—oh wait, I did…"

Jaune laughed.

"…then why are you still at Beacon? Why aren't you at the VAA right now, telling them you got caught up in a robbery, that you still want to attend?"

Jaune sighed. "Honestly?"

"As opposed to lying to me?"

"There are two reasons I guess."

Ellie watched the camera gradually pan to a bundle in blankets, laying on a bed. "Super comfy bedding?" she hazarded a guess.

Jaune chuckled. "No, I had to scavenge the blankets because she was shivering. They have the air conditioning up way too high in here."

He pulled back the top of the blankets to reveal a nest of dark red hair. The hair belonged to a pale snoring girl. A river of drool escaped her mouth running down her rosy cheek and pooling in a stain on her pillow.

Ellie laughed. "She looks kind of like Cece."

"You should see her when she pulls out the puppy-dog eyes. Almost an exact match."

"So, this is…?"

"Ruby. She saved my life, and broke both her legs doing it. Ozpin made me her partner."

"Did Ozpin say he would kick her out or something if you left?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just…leaving her now, after she… and when I'm the first friend she made…I just…I mean, I have to be here when she wakes up."

Ellie was tempted to point out to Jaune that he didn't have to be there when she woke up.

But, honestly, it was Jaune. He would view leaving as an act of betraying a friend.

Jaune Arc did not betray his friends.

"What's the second reason?"

"Ozpin says that I need at least some training now that my aura is unlocked. Because Grimm are attracted to aura. Apparently, I'll be a danger to myself and the people around me if I can't take care of a few Grimm."

Ellie squinted at the phone screen. "Aura attracts Grimm…huh."

"Yeah," said Jaune. "That's…true, right?"

"Well…I'm not a huntress. But I think dad has mentioned that before. But he never made it sound like you become a Grimm magnet. Wouldn't it be dangerous to have huntsmen walking around the kingdoms if that's how it worked?"

Jaune nodded.

"Hm," Ellie racked her brain, trying to remember the exact context of the conversation she had with her father. "I think dad once told me that aura makes protecting a civilian caravan easier because Grimm will usually go for the ones with aura first. It didn't sound like a hard rule and it certainly didn't sound like the Grimm were coming from miles away. More like, when faced with a choice between a huntsman and a civilian—the Grimm will usually pick the huntsman."

"Huh, that doesn't sound so bad."

"Well, don't just take my word for it!" said Ellie, huffing. "You're at a huntsman academy—ask someone who actually knows what they're talking about."

"Will do."

Ellie studied her brother's grinning face. She could not stop the fast-spreading worry taking root in her chest. Her brother was many things. But a fighter he was not. She was happy to hear that, at the very least, he had his aura unlocked. She would have preferred if he was a normal civilian at the VAA without aura, but if he was going to be sticking around Beacon for any length of time he might as well have the best defense against angry students, stray bullets, and the occasional Grimm.

"So, what is it you want me to do?"

"Be nosy, sniff around. That sort of thing."

"What is it I should be sticking my nose into?"

"Grandma's always liked you, right? More than she liked me, at least…"

"You shouldn't take that personally. Forty-five years of being married to Grandpa has made her kind of hate men. I think she just sees Grandpa in all males and it just makes her wary."

"But they're still married."

"That," replied Ellie. "Is a whole 'nother conversation."

"Huh," said Jaune thoughtfully. "Well, anyway I was hoping you could see if Grandma knows anything about Grandpa sending an application in for me before we sent our own in. I didn't want to call the headmaster out on it without proof but…I've always thought Grandpa was way to scared of mom to do something like this."

"Jaune," Ellie chastised. "Grandpa isn't scared of mom—he just, in his own words, picks his battles carefully since she doesn't play fair and refuses anything less than total domination of her opponent."

"Ha! That's so true!"

Ellie ran her fingers through her blond tresses as she considered Jaune's request. "Okay, this shouldn't be too difficult. Grandma and I can talk for hours at a time and it's been a few weeks since our last call."

"That's so unfair," Jaune moaned. "I want to be close to Grandma too!"

"They have surgeries for that sort of thing."

"I want to be close to Grandma without going under the knife!"

"I don't know Joan; you know what's better than seven sisters?"

"Eight?" Jaune guessed.

"Eight," agreed Ellie.

"You want an eighth sister; you'd better talk to mom and dad about that."

Ellie laughed.

"So, you'll help me out right Ell-Bell?"

Ellie swallowed. It was hard to ignore the wave of pleasure that ran down her spine when Jaune used her favorite nickname. "You just want me to see if Grandma knows anything?"

"Yep, but you have to be sneaky. I don't want the rest of the family freaking out because I'm at Beacon for the moment."

"You want me to keep all this a secret from the family!?" exclaimed Ellie, brain racing.

"Yes. But not because Ozpin said so. Because I'm an adult. I can handle this on my own. I will handle this on my own."

Ellie studied her brother's resolute eyes and took in his determined tone. It was easiest not to argue. "Alright Jaune, I'll keep your secrets, but you better handle everything the way I would!"

"Thanks Ell! So, what have you been up to since I've been gone?"

Ellie wasn't sure how to tell him that she had been lounging around in his hoodie, barely accomplishing half the tasks she set for herself on any given day.

"Well, I—"

She was prevented from having to lie when the sound of a door slamming open emerged from Jaune's end. "Oh, hold on, maybe you'll get to meet Weiss and Pyrrha."

There was a feminine cry of "Ruby!"

Jaune looked back down at his scroll-screen.

"Sorry, not Pyrrha or Weiss. I've got to go. Talk to you later?"

"Of course," said Ellie.

"Love you."

"I love you too."

The call ended. She stared at the blank screen for a few long seconds, organizing everything her brother had told her in her head. Most of it she was able to accept and shelve. The part that her brain kept refusing to accept, kept refusing to consider, was the part where Beacon Academy had launched her brother into a forest—where he only survived by the quick thinking of a fifteen-year-old girl.

If Ruby had been any slower...

Any less quick to react…

Jaune would be dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

He wasn't dead. And that was an amazing comforting feeling. But he could have been. And that was more than enough for her to want heads on platters.

Of course, alone, there wasn't much she could do.

Fortunately, she knew another woman who would want just as much blood as her.

"Sorry Jaune," she muttered, thinking of the promise she had made with no intention to keep. She rushed for the stairs. "Mom!"

I*I*I

"How did it happen?" asked Yang.

Jaune watched Yang stroke her sister's hair. On the outside he was calm. Calm as could be.

On the inside he was panicking. Did he tell Yang everything? Did he tell her that he was launched into the Emerald Forest without aura or training and that Ruby had stopped him from splattering across a tree?

Did he tell her the truth—that Ruby was injured protecting him—but keep his explanation vague and unspecific?

Did he just lie?

Tell her that he had no idea how Ruby broke her legs?

Jaune considered his options and why he would choose each. Option number three, lying and telling her he had no idea how it happened, that was the easiest option. Yang wasn't mad at him—for now, at least. She wasn't mad at Ozpin. She just, wasn't mad. He could keep it that way by keeping quiet.

But, unfortunately, acting as if he was ignorant of Ruby's sacrifice, when that sacrifice was made on his behalf… and had such a terrible impact on the girl…

Well…

It felt like trivializing what she had done for him.

And he would never trivialize what Ruby had done for him.

So that left being vague or spilling everything. Spilling everything was a scary thought. Mostly because Yang did not strike him as the most rational of people. She struck him as the sort to punch problems first, punch them again later, and ask questions about why those punches weren't effective enough the first time so that the next problem she encountered she could better annihilate.

She would be furious with him. He was almost certain of it. She'd likely be enraged at Glynda and Ozpin too, but they were neither within punching range nor within easy-to-punch status.

The worst part was her rage wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. He should have done something. Something to stop himself from getting thrusted into initiation. He wasn't sure what he should have done but—call home.

That's what he should have done.

If he had just told his family what was happening…

One call to his mother and she would have had Ozpin on the phone in minutes.

But he was too prideful to get in touch with them. Too determined to prove he was fine on his own, without them.

And now, Ruby was badly injured. He and she had both nearly died. And his aura was unlocked—along with whatever that meant for his civilian status.

All because he was too prideful for a stupid phone call.

That was what he would be admitting to Yang if he shared the full story. All of that.

"She…" Jaune started and stopped. "She got those injuries right after we…ran into each other. She just threw herself into…protecting me. Didn't even think twice about it. She…"

He drifted off.

What was he supposed to say?

"I heard you carried her all the way back to Beacon on your back."

"She had to come off twice because of Grimm fights—but otherwise yeah."

Yang's gaze didn't leave Ruby's sleeping face. "Just like Ruby to get herself hurt protecting someone who doesn't need it."

Protecting someone who doesn't need it…?

Ah, right, Yang still thought he was an elite huntsman.

"No, honestly, I would have died if she hadn't intervened. She saved my life."

Yang looked away from Ruby for the first time since she had arrived. Her lilac eyes met his. "What actually happened?"

"Well," Jaune began, swallowing nervously. "You see…I'm not…or rather, I didn't have—"

Jaune was cut off—or, perhaps, saved—by the sound of two sets of footsteps approaching and the door opening. Jaune's two remaining teammates entered the room.

Yang looked genuinely surprised to see them.

"Jaune, how is Ruby?" asked Weiss.

"Out like a light still," replied Jaune.

"Hey," said Yang. "I heard you two helped Jaune get Ruby back here safely. Thanks. I…don't know what I…just thanks."

"Think nothing of it Yang," replied Pyrrha. "Ruby would have done the same for any one of us."

"On our way over we ran into Doctor Morado. He told us visiting hours will be over soon," said Weiss.

"Ah."

"But I just got here! And it's not that late!" exclaimed Yang.

Weiss shrugged. "You are welcome to try and stay. Maybe you can hide from the med staff somehow. Doctor Morado was on his way out, although it didn't look like he was done for the day. Probably running an errand. Jaune…" she nodded toward the door. "Pyrrha and I would like to speak with you." She glanced at the pile of blankets that was Ruby. "Ideally, Ruby would be present for this conversation as well but, it cannot wait."

"I can pass on whatever you want to Ruby," said Yang.

"Thank you for the offer," replied Pyrrha. "But this is somewhat of a private team matter."

"Team?" questioned Yang.

"Did Jaune not tell you? The…headmaster placed Jaune, Ruby, Pyrrha and I on the same team."

Jaune was a little surprised by the venom with which Weiss spoke Ozpin's title. Sure, he found the headmaster pretty annoying, especially after he tried to get Jaune questioning his destiny again—not that Jaune had ever really stopped—but Weiss's dislike sounded a fair bit more serious than his own.

"She passed!?" Yang exclaimed, her eyes big. "You all did!"

"Of course," said Weiss. She flipped her hair. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Well," replied Yang. "When they were announcing teams, you guys never came up… Plus you weren't there for the fight with the Giant Nevermore…"

"You fought a Giant Nevermore?" asked Pyrrha with genuine interest lacing her voice.

"Yeah," said Yang. "But we didn't kill it. We were whooping its ass until it…just sort of…left."

"You scared it off?" asked Jaune.

"I guess," said Yang. "Although I don't think Grimm get scared. And it didn't really seem scared. More like…it got distracted? Either way, it really flew the coop."

"Jaune?" Weiss motioned towards the door.

"Yeah, okay." He turned to back to Ruby's sister. "Hey, Yang, we'll talk later—if you haven't already gotten the full story from Ruby by then."

Yang nodded.

Jaune followed Weiss and Pyrrha out the door. The two lead him on a bit of a hike across Beacon grounds.

Jaune would have assumed they were taking a scenic route—if Weiss weren't so obviously lost at times and so hilarious resistant to the admission.

However, eventually, Jaune found himself in a familiar part of the Beacon facility.

The dorms.

The door Weiss opened with her scroll was only a few down from the room in which Jaune had stayed.

At this point, the silence concerning why he was being dragged across the campus was beginning to grow unsettling.

Jaune had no idea what the girls wished to discuss with him but, it couldn't be good—could it? Not after they brought him all the way here without saying a word as to their reason?

When they sat him on one of the four beds and sat together on the bed opposite him and then proceeded to watch him quietly, his nerves hit their peak.

He began looking around the room, searching for something to distract him. Idly, he noticed there was a ton of luggage scattered about the room. Like an actual ton. Did Weiss bring a servant with her? Because he'd been with her most of the day, and at no point had she transported four-hundred pounds of luggage. He hadn't seen a servant. But the Schnee's did give a new meaning to the word rich. Perhaps her servants were always about? Lurking in the shadows? Waiting for her commands?

He began to surreptitiously search out the room's darkest corners.

"Jaune," said Weiss. "What are you looking at?"

Ninja butlers.

It almost slipped out.

But it didn't, because he was cooler these days.

"Nothing."

"Really?" asked Weiss, eyes narrowing.

Suddenly, Jaune felt like it would be for the best if he was the one asking the questions. "Is this about me being on your team? Because, I had no idea Ozpin was going to do that…"

Weiss relaxed while Pyrrha replied. "It both is and isn't about that Jaune."

"Oh."

That didn't clear things up, now, did it?

"Jaune," began Weiss. "Pyrrha and I were both rather…"

She seemed to be searching for the right word.

"Appalled?" suggested Pyrrha.

"Appalled, yes. Pyrrha and I were both rather appalled by the headmaster's conduct earlier. We stayed behind to address some of our concerns with him."

"Concerns?" repeated Jaune.

"Jaune," said Pyrrha. "You aren't a huntsman—and that's fine. And if you want to become one now, that's fine too. We were concerned because the headmaster didn't seem as open to you pursuing either option."

"Ah."

"I suppose discussing what bothered us about the headmaster isn't as important as asking you what you want." Weiss threaded her slim fingers together and rested them in her lap. "You are a musician, and your original intention in coming to Vale was to attend the VAA, correct?"

Jaune nodded.

"And is it safe to assume that you are not being forced to become musician, to increase the social standing or status of your family? Or because of a similarly nefarious headmaster? That you, in fact, enjoy music?"

Jaune had to take a few seconds to understand the question before he could answer it. "No. No. And…yeah. I love music."

"Then the question here is simple, when do you plan to leave?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head. "I-I don't know."

"Unacceptable," stated Weiss. "That is the kind of uncertain, unthoughtful, procrastination-laced answer that men like Ozpin will use to control and manipulate you for your entire life. Is that what you want Jaune? To be used?"

Jaune studied his hands. "Of course not."

"Then don't let it happen," said Pyrrha.

Jaune met the beautiful redhead's gaze. Her emerald eyes were mesmerizing.

"I don't know you very well Jaune," continued Pyrrha. "But we did fight for our lives together—"

"I'd say you two did most of the fighting," cut in Jaune with a smile.

"Fighting is more than stabbing and bashing and blocking Jaune. When we accepted protecting Ruby as our mission, we agreed to fight for her survival. To put our lives on the line for hers. I watched you do that just as readily as Weiss and I when you tossed her and took a hit from a charging Ursa. Watching you do that was, well… it was scary at the time, but amazing in hindsight."

Jaune flushed.

He had received platitudes and "you're doing better" from his father any number of times. But they'd just been the empty words of a parent who had to encourage their kid. Who had to make their child feel as if they had done a good job—if only because he had given his best effort.

Pyrrha though.

Pyrrha had no reason to flatter him. And her words dripped with sincerity.

The redhead continued, oblivious to the effect she was having on Jaune. "I'll be honest with you Jaune. I would love to have you on our team. That passion, that willingness to protect—it was amazing. I think you have something that every huntsman needs, and no amount of training can give. Something that would have most students here trying to catch up to you in a year or two…"

Jaune's face was burning. Initially, he had hoped his full-face blush wouldn't be noticed. Now, he just hoped he hadn't turned the same shade as Pyrrha's hair.

"But none of that matters if it isn't what you want to do. If it isn't who you are."

Jaune had to force himself to keep meeting her eyes.

To not study his feet or the carpet or the light bulb overhead. Anything less bright and brilliant than the girl in front of him.

Jaune sighed. After a speech like that he needed to give her an answer. He needed to give her the truth. But first, he would follow Ellie's advice. "What Ozpin said, about aura attracting Grimm? Is that true?"

"It's not a complete fabrication," replied Weiss. "But he certainly exaggerated things. In the case of a Grimm incursion, you'll certainly be a higher priority target for the Grimm then the average civilian. But you won't summon them to the city, if that's what you're imagining. If unlocked aura could summon distant Grimm into heavily populated areas…well, I can't even imagine what the world would look like."

"In other words, self-defense is a good idea," said Pyrrha. "But you don't have to obsess over it. There hasn't been a Grimm incursion in Vale for…a very long time. Making sure you stay in shape and know how to use a weapon if the occasion calls for it is more than enough. And you don't need to be at Beacon to do that. You just need a gym and a weapon and someone who's willing to show you how to use it, which, between your family and us, you have an abundance of willing trainers."

"Huh…" It wasn't the most elaborate response to the immensely helpful information he had just been given—but at least it showed that he was thinking.

"All this, of course, brings us back to Pyrrha's question."

"Which was?"

"Who are you Jaune Arc?" asked Pyrrha. "Are you a huntsman, hiding behind music because you're scared? Or are you a musician, who's been brainwashed into believing he might have to be a huntsman?"

Jaune froze. He'd never thought about it quite that way.

"Well…I'm not sure I have it in me to kill Grimm, even if I was stronger…" began Jaune. "And I know that my music means something—even if I haven't had the opportunity to make much of it lately. I know I want to change the world with Ole' Blue…"

When he received questioning looks, he explained.

"My guitar."

"Ah," said Pyrrha.

Jaune thought about all the hours he had put into his craft. All the late nights practicing on his keyboard. All the years spent training his voice. The callouses on his fingertips. The copious amounts of sheet music he had written, much of which was tucked away in boxes in his closet back home.

Then he thought about the short miserable sparring sessions he'd had with his father.

Jaune groaned. "I'm definitely a musician."

"Then why are you still here?" asked Weiss, eerily reminiscent of his younger sister.

"Well, let me just say I'm not sure being a musician completely invalidates being a huntsman. And as for why I'm here… I didn't pay that much mind to what Ozpin said. I just didn't think I could leave until Ruby wakes up. I need to make sure she's really okay…and…ah. It's just, we're partners, right? And she already sacrificed her legs for me…how can I abandon her after that?"

"Jaune," said Pyrrha. "I don't think Ruby saved your life so she could hold it over your head and make you her unwilling partner for the next four years."

"Of course that's not why she did it...I'm just saying. I owe her, a lot. And leaving feels like I'm spitting in the face of that."

"Look, you can still be Ruby's friend. You can still spend time with her. But if you have different aspirations, different life goals there will be a split in your road, a divergence in your paths. Ruby wants to be a huntress. You want to be a musician, mostly. Perhaps part of you wants to a huntsman as well—I am still a bit unclear on that particular point…"

"Join the club," muttered Jaune quietly.

"Regardless," continued Weiss. "You can only pursue one fulltime—and becoming a huntsman is not a job one can train for on the weekends. True, a huntsman could have music as a hobby. But if you wish to change the world with Ole' Blue, then you need to chase music, every minute of every day. You will not be able to do that here. It's impossible."

Jaune nodded. His head moved slowly at first, but quickly picked up speed. She was right. Sure, he'd always had a passion for being a hero. For being a man capable of protecting what he loved. But he'd never had a passion for killing Grimm. Or a passion for combat.

And he likely never would.

Where would his passion for being a hero—whatever that meant—lead him if he couldn't fight or kill or do any of the necessary heroic acts?

But his passion for music.

That wasn't an empty hopeless dream. All the things it took to be a musician? All of the skills? He had them. He had them in spades.

He still needed to speak to Ruby of course…but, after that, he'd tell Ozpin to shove it. He could get his friends to teach him how to fend off a Grimm or two. In the unlikely event there was a mass Grimm incursion in Vale he'd be able to fend for himself. Or, more likely, considering his luck, he'd have died in a far more pathetic way the day before, like tetanus from a mishandled paper clip.

Either way…

Jaune's scroll vibrated in his pocket.

He withdrew the device. It was a message, from an unknown number.

Hey, are you awake?

Jaune stared at the screen, long and hard.

This was…

This was…

He had heard about this.

This was a booty call. It had to be! It wasn't that late—but look at the coy phrasing!

Of course, there was also the question of who would be booty-calling his virgin ass.

But that was a question he could answer at a later time!

First, he had to craft the perfect nonchalant, non-freaking out answer. The kind of thing a real cool guy would say. Something that just screamed charm and charisma.

Something like.

I'm always up.

Wait, did that sound hella weird?

He pressed send, as he reconsidered and as a new message arrived.

This is Ozpin by the way.

Jaune twitched.

A third message arrived from the mysterious messenger claiming to be headmaster of the academy.

That is an interesting fact about yourself Mr. Arc, I suppose I shall endeavor to keep that in mind.

Weiss and Pyrrha must have noticed something off about his expression.

"What is it Jaune?"

"It's…it's Ozpin."

"…what?" said Weiss. Her voice was barb wire. Her eyes were the electric current running through it.

Jaune was instantly nervous. "Well, it's a number I don't recognize. He says he's Ozpin. He talks kind of like Ozpin."

"What did he say?" asked Pyrrha.

Her voice wasn't as tense as Weiss's but Jaune still wouldn't even consider not answering her question.

"He asked if I was awake."

"What did you tell him?"

Jaune did his best not to look like a moron and a liar as he answered. "Yes?"

His scroll vibrated again.

I request that you come to my office.

His scroll vibrated again. But Jaune was a little distracted by the two gorgeous girls suddenly encroaching his space. Weiss was on his left and Pyrrha was on his right, both leaning over him to get a better view of his scroll's screen.

Thank god himself that Ozpin's next few messages came in rapidly, each of them pushing his first few messages further and further up until they were offscreen.

If you are amenable, of course.

It should only take a few minutes.

Your teammates are welcome to attend as well. Or rather, I doubt there is very much I could do to stop them.

Jaune glanced at Pyrrha and then Weiss, both of whom were looking at each other with serious expressions.

He tried to focus on his scroll and think about the strange messages—which definitely were not a booty call—and figure out their meaning. But, in the end, all he could think about were the thighs pressed against his on either side and the slender shoulder and the hair brushing against his arms.

Then Weiss stood up and began to pace, which made things easier, but Pyrrha was still there so…

"What do you suppose he wants?" said Weiss.

"I can't say," replied Pyrrha.

"I thought I was fairly clear, setting the boundaries at the end there."

"You were," said Pyrrha comfortingly. "But in the end, he's still Beacon's headmaster. He has the authority to flout those boundaries if he should so choose."

"True," acknowledge Weiss. She stopped pacing and fixed Pyrrha and Jaune with an intense stare.

It sent…something down Jaune's spine. Although he wasn't sure what.

"So, what do we do?"

There was a second of silence. Then Pyrrha answered. "Well, that's up to Jaune isn't it? Do you want to go or not?"

Jaune considered that. It would probably feel good to blatantly ignore Ozpin's offer. The man had laughed when he told him he didn't have aura after all. And then allowed Glynda Goodwitch to spike him into the goddamn forest.

But honestly, what would being petty accomplish now?

He was above that sort of thing.

Also, he could tell Ozpin to shove it, and that he'd be leaving when Ruby woke up and that he'd get his self-defense lessons somewhere else. Somewhere he felt safer. Oh. That would get him.

But again.

Not a petty bone in his body.

He was however, a little weirded out by how intense the girls were being about this.

Well, Pyrrha had said it was up to him so…

"I'll go, but you two don't need to bother."

"No," said Pyrrha. "We're coming too."

"I thought you said it was up to me?"

"Whether you go is up to you," corrected Pyrrha. "Us coming with you is non-negotiable."

"Oh," said Jaune, looking to Weiss, hoping she wouldn't be quite as onboard with crashing his meeting as Pyrrha.

He found no support from her, only a nod of agreement to accompany Pyrrha's assertion.

"Alright, I'll just tell him we're on our way then."

I*I*I

The walk to Ozpin's office was longer than the walk from the medical wing. Not because it was a greater distance—Jaune was pretty sure it wasn't.

No, that was because the silence was deeper this time. More authentic. Pyrrha and Weiss weren't just considering something. Nor were they lost in thought.

They were strategizing.

And, for the life of him, Jaune had no idea why.

Eventually, they arrived at Ozpin's office.

The elevator doors slid open and the trio entered. Ozpin looked relaxed, almost lethargic. On his desk sat a massive mug. A mug in which Jaune could likely fit both his fists. And beside that mug was an even more massive thermos, enough to fill up the giant mug three or four times over.

"Ah, Mister Arc, Miss Schnee, Miss Nikos. A pleasure to see you all again."

"If only we could say the same," said Weiss.

Jaune's eyes bulged.

"Yes, yes. I know you told me to stay away from your team. Told me quite a bit before that as well. I only called you here because I acknowledge that you were more likely than not right about much of it. I seemed to have developed a… somewhat skewed perspective."

Jaune glanced at Weiss and Pyrrha, wondering what they had said to Ozpin for him to now concede to their point.

Neither looked particularly certain what to do with Ozpin's almost-sort-of-but-not-really-but-still-kind-of apology.

Whatever their internal response was, it likely was not forgiveness. Jaune was detecting zero forgiveness in their expressions.

"So," continued Ozpin. "When Doctor Morado arrived, asking approval to fly Ruby to the Valesian Kingdom Hospital for some better x-rays, I immediately thought of you Jaune. If you would like to leave, I will tell the pilot to expect another passenger. You'd be back in Vale by tomorrow morning—ready to start at the VAA. The headmaster of which—I might add—I sent a message a few minutes ago, explaining that you have been in protective custody—after witnessing a violent crime perpetrated by one Roman Torchwick. In other words, Mr. Arc, should you decide it. You are free to choose to leave Mister Arc."

Jaune stared at Ozpin incredulously.

The man had performed a complete about-face since their last conversation.

It heavily took the wind out of the sails of his little shove-it-Ozpin speech.

Fortunately, Weiss wasn't quite as lost for words.

"You've changed your mind about doing everything in your power to keep Jaune here? Why?"

"You likely would not believe me if I claimed to have done so because I regret my previous actions and wish to make amends…"

"I would not."

"Then let us simply say my actions are for personal reasons and leave it at that." Ozpin turned back toward him. "Jaune, would you like to leave in the morning?"

Jaune's breathing slowed. His fingers twitched.

He could leave. In the morning. He could be back in Vale tomorrow. What was it he said was the only thing holding him back?

Ruby?

Well she was going to Vale too. In fact, they'd be going together. He'd be able to talk with her, make sure she understood that he wasn't just abandoning her…

Then he could go to the VAA. Then he could start doing what he was, clearly, meant to do.

It was a no brainer.

"I'd be on the same bullhead as Ruby?"

Ozpin nodded.

"Yeah." Jaune swallowed. He closed his eyes. "I think it's time I got back on track."

After a few seconds of silence, he blinked back to awareness. He glanced at the girls to either side of him. Pyrrha was looking at him with a sad smile. Weiss met his glance with a slight nod.

"Great," said Ozpin. Hefting his massive mug. He lifted it to his lips and took a sip. And then another. And then another.

Jaune watched, wide-eyed as, over the course of thirty-seconds, Ozpin downed at least a quart of coffee.

When the headmaster finished, he gently sat down his oversized mug and sighed.

"Guess I'll just…explain your absence to Glynda then. Somehow."

"No need to worry about that headmaster," said Weiss. "Pyrrha and I are more than happy to assist you with that explanation."

Jaune shook his head. Girls. One moment they act like they hate you—and the next they're offering to help you out of a tough spot.

"Will that be all headmaster?" asked Pyrrha.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, I believe that will be all. Mister Arc, you and Miss Rose's flight leaves at six AM. Avoid being late. Miss Rose's treatments are on a time-table."

"Understood. Thanks!"

Jaune exited Ozpin's office with some energy to his pace. He was going back to Vale! He was going to the VAA! And like hell the universe was going to stop him with its stupid signs or its confusing distractions.

He was going to get a good night's rest. And he'd be on his way to Vale and, eventually, the VAA, in the morning.

I*I*I

Jaune got less sleep than he wanted and more than he anticipated.

On the one hand, he had been so very, very, very tired last night.

The initiation…

Waiting for news on Ruby's condition…

Both discussions with Ozpin…

It was a long day.

He wanted nothing more than to pick out a bed for his first and last sleepover with team WRJP and give himself over to unconsciousness.

But then, Pyrrha and Weiss change into their sleepwear. And suddenly he was wide-awake. The most embarrassing part was that they were only walking around like that for about an hour. Pyrrha in her red and green sweatpants and noodle strap that rode up just a bit. And Weiss in a sleeping gown that sort of looked like negligee.

It wasn't.

But Jaune's brain wasn't exactly the part in control of his thoughts at that point.

Anyway, the most embarrassing part was that, not long after changing, both girls settled into their beds, covered themselves with their blankets, and drifted off. Meanwhile, Jaune was tortured by fleeting fantasies for another three hours.

Jaune had always hoped that having seven sisters would make him pretty much immune to the opposite sex. Not in the same way that a gay man would be. But just, he'd always be in control. They would be the ones tripping up because he was so cool, calm, confident, and collected.

As it was, scantily clad sisters were nothing like scantily clad non-sisters. The two weren't even in the same ballpark. Or league. Or sport.

Hell, did sisters even count as the opposite sex?

Still, despite his wild imagination, his exhaustion eventually caught up and he managed to get a few hours of rest. He woke up to his scroll's alarm at five.

He took a quick shower—something he really should have done the day before. And then he changed into a new hoodie and jeans. When he exited the bathroom, he was somewhat surprised to see Pyrrha and Weiss up and impatiently waiting for him to exit—even if he had only been in there for about ten minutes.

If there was one aspect of living with women that Jaune had grown accustomed to being around eight of them, it was getting the hell out of the way when they were in a rush to complete their morning rituals.

Pyrrha had showered the night before, which saved them some time, but between the two girls, the bathroom was occupied up until the moment they had to leave. So much so that Jaune found himself brushing his teeth without spitting and without toothpaste.

It was around five-forty-five when they left the dorm room. Jaune lead the way since he had a very good idea of where the bullhead hangar was.

As they approached, Jaune spoke. "You all really didn't have to wake up so early in the morning for this, you know. You definitely didn't have to walk with me all the way here…"

Pyrrha yawned, reinforcing his point. But her words refuted it. "Nonsense Jaune, we're a team. Sure, you're leaving but I'll always think of you as one of my teammates—especially once you're a famous enough musician that when I hang out with you the paparazzi won't even notice me."

Jaune laughed.

"I assure you Pyrrha," said Weiss. "The paparazzi will notice both of you, together, as a unit, as an item." She smirked at the other girl. "It will only inflate their interest."

Pyrrha turned a bit red at that.

Jaune figured it was because she didn't like being told she was wrong. "Why would they be so interested?" asked Jaune. "I mean, we're not going to fight. I'd get my ass kicked. And—wait, Pyrrha, do you play music? Maybe they'd think we were collaborating."

"P-perhaps Jaune. Perhaps."

It didn't take long for them to find the bullhead Jaune would be riding home. It was a vehicle specially designed for the infirm. It was almost entirely white, had a red cross painted on either side, and the interior looked more like a doctor's office than the passenger area of the bullhead Jaune had arrived in.

Jaune watched as a nurse wheeled a wide-awake Ruby into the bullhead.

She waved to them and shouted something about taking care of her baby. Pyrrha called out that they would be visiting her later in the day.

Jaune turned to Weiss and Pyrrha with a small smile. It felt strange, saying goodbye. On the one hand, he'd known the two of them for a day.

So, a goodbye should have been simple.

Easy.

But at some point, probably when they were protecting his civilian butt in a forest full of Grimm, Jaune had both consciously and subconsciously recognized the individuals around him as some of the greatest potential friends a guy could have.

And he was giving them up for music.

Not entirely, he'd still see them. He'd be sure to keep in touch—with Ruby especially. But, still, it wasn't quite the same as living side-by-side with them for days, weeks, months, years.

But this was the right choice. He wasn't one-hundred-percent sure what he was called to do.

But he knew he was called to do it with his guitar.

So, he had to go.

"I've heard the VAA regularly performs concerts Jaune, be sure to invite us," said Pyrrha.

Jaune briefly panicked.

Pyrrha caught on immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how many tickets they'll give me and I'm from a family of ten so…"

The edge of Weiss's mouth quirked upward. "Just let us know when you're performing in advance and I will procure our tickets."

"Will do!" said Jaune, happily. "Oh, and Weiss. Don't think I've forgotten that you're a fellow musician! We should do something together sometime."

"Oh, um—I don't…for me, music—"

It was the most taken off guard and uncertain Jaune had ever seen the Schnee heiress. He interrupted her gently. "Hey, I forgot that when I heard your music it always struck me as lonely. Your voice is amazing but if pain is the only place the music comes from right now then forget I asked. Just let me know if you ever feel like making some happier tunes, okay? We don't have to record or compose or write. Just friends making music for themselves for the joy of it."

Weiss's smile was small, but it had a genuine joy to it that beat her confident smirk any day.

"I will keep that in mind Jaune."

"Great!"

He turned his attention toward the redhead. "Take care of yourself Pyr—do you mind if I call you that?"

"Not at all," replied Pyrrha. And, if her tone was any indication, she really didn't. "And you take care of yourself as well Jaune—although, saying that makes me feel as if I won't be seeing you soon enough to make sure you're taking care of yourself—which I hope is not true. I hope to see you again soon Jaune."

Jaune couldn't fend off the massive grin working its way across his face. "Of course, how am I not going to hang out with my favorite people in Vale?"

And before Jaune could really consider what he was doing, he wrapped both girls in a hug. It was short—extremely short. Because Jaune really didn't want to overstay his welcome. And he had a feeling he had done just that by simply initiating contact with Weiss. But neither stabbed him before he released, so that was a good sign.

He waved once more as he hurried on to the bullhead.

I*I*I

The interior of the bullhead was interesting. If you were into that kind of thing. Very…doctor-y.

Ruby stared down at her immobilized legs. Even with all the aura enhancers they had her on they said it could be about a month to a month-and-a-half before she was walking. And then, to add insult to injury, there would be physical therapy after that.

Physical therapy!?

That sounded more boring than watching paint dry. Or listening to Yang gab about The Achieve Men.

Of course, life wasn't all bad.

Jaune was here!

Shortly before takeoff he had sat down in a chair bolted next to her stationary bed. There was a window to the left of him, that ended up cloaking a bit of his face in silhouette. But even with that, Ruby could tell he looked earnest.

His words came pouring out in a grand deluge. Apologizing for her injury, telling her that he would stay at Beacon if she needed him to, telling her what a good friend and how awesome and amazing she was, telling her that he would only go to the VAA if she wanted him too.

It was…

Well, it was a lot.

After a few minutes and after a surprisingly gentle and quiet take off Jaune shut up. Partially because Ruby told him to. And partially because the nurse had returned from discussing something with the pilot.

"Jaune, I plan to be a huntress for a long, long time. And in that time, I plan to save a lot of people. I'm not going to be forcing those people to become huntsman and huntresses because they owe me one. And you're not even a stranger. You're a friend. So obviously I helped you. What else was I going to do?"

To Ruby, everything she was saying was just common sense.

To Jaune, it must have been significantly more impressive than that.

"Ruby…you are just…amazing."

Ruby blushed. She couldn't help it.

When his compliments had been hidden in his rambling and he'd been all over the place it was easier to ignore.

Now, he was looking her right in the eye and there was no bluster to distract her.

"Normal knees," muttered Ruby as she shifted her gaze toward the window. Toward a bullhead flying in the opposite direction, toward Beacon.

"Huh?" asked Jaune.

"Ah," said the nurse, looking up from her clipboard.

A clip above her right breast read, Iris.

"Young love."

"W-what!?" sputtered Jaune.

Ruby turned pinker.

"I said," reiterated Nurse Iris. "Young love."

"We aren't in love!" Ruby squeaked.

"You sure about that?" A predatory grin spread across the bottom half of Iris's face. "Because you look like you're partners in more than one way."

The singsong way she delivered that last part had Ruby blushing even fiercer.

"We aren't!" Ruby hastily defended. "We aren't even partners in the regular way now, Jaune is going to become a musician—not a huntsman!"

"Ah," replied the nurse, her voice full of understanding. She turned her attention toward Jaune. "Figured out she's more the type to swoon over a sexy song than a dismembered Beowolf head?"

Ruby buried her face in her hands.

"Huh…?" said Jaune cleverly.

"Is it safe to assume that's a guitar you've got there, and not a giant axe or bazooka or turret or something?" asked Iris.

Jaune nodded.

"Well, are you going to prove to me and her…" she motioned to Ruby. "That you've got what it takes to woo her?" She motioned to Ruby again.

"He's not trying to woo me!" shouted Ruby.

Iris shrugged. "If you say so kid. He could still play us something. This bullhead is designed for stability, not speed. The ride is going to take twice as long as it usually does."

Ruby studied Jaune for a moment. He didn't seem like he didn't want to play. "Well, if he wants to, I'd like it…"

Jaune quickly produced his guitar.

"Already got your musical lover whipped I see."

Ruby tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the aggravating nurse.

Her attention shifted when Jaune strummed a few times. "What should I sing, what should I sing…?" muttered Jaune. "Oh!" Louder, he said, "I wrote this shortly before coming to Beacon. It still needs some work if I'm being honest but tell me what you think!" He played a few notes and added a steady beat with a tap of his foot.

His voice was…

Well it was…

"Time, Time

I'm running down the line

Cannot hide no longer cause

I'm running out of time

Time, Time

I'm running down the line

Cannot hide no longer cause

I'm running out of time

I have heard them say

Where there's a will

Lord knows there is a way

And ev'ry minute

Ev'ry second ev'ry day

I Wake up tired

And I just pray

That you are here and

you are here to stay

Oh—I pray

But you're in love with running

And darling you're so cunning

And damn I'm such a klutz

Tripping for a touch

And you're just out of reach

And I can't stop to bleed

And I'm running out of blood

And enough is enough

Time, Time

I'm running down the line

Cannot hide no longer cause

I'm running out of time

Time, Time

I'm running down the line

Cannot hide no longer cause

I'm running out of time"

With a few last notes, Jaune's voice faded.

Ruby stared at her friend with wide eyes. His voice was amazing. Incredible. Unlike anything she had ever heard. The emotion he had conveyed was so…raw…so visceral.

It was…

And then his aura.

When he'd begun singing, he had closed his eyes. And his aura became visible, pulsating along with the music. It had faded when his song ended.

But while it was going…

It was so warm and beautiful and…

Jaune opened his eyes. "What'd you guys think? I know it needs some work but..."

Ruby exchanged a glance with Iris.

The nurse was the first to recover from the unexpected pleasure of Jaune's music.

"So, the patient over there seemed to be indicating you're available? But I didn't catch an…age?"

Jaune blinked.

Ruby's protest was on the tip of her tongue.

Then the bullhead shuddered and groaned, like a choking pelican mid-flight.

The pilot's voice erupted over the intercom. "Prepare for emergency forest landing!"

Then the bullhead began to tip forward.

Jaune and Ruby who were both strapped down to bolted fixtures didn't move. Iris, was not so lucky. She fell forward, slamming her ribs into corner of Ruby's bed and then toppled towards the cockpit entrance, nearly fifteen feet away.

Ruby watched her go. Sure, she'd found the nurse aggravating. And somehow even after she'd been silent for a while, after Jaune's song finished she found her even more irritating.

But none of that meant she wanted to see the woman break her neck.

She cried out.

Jaune just barely managed to snag Iris with his left arm.

He pulled her close, wrapping both arms around her waist tightly.

Ruby's eyes met his as they both experienced the full affect of gravity pulling them and their ride inexorably closer to the ground.

And then there was an explosion of sensations and color and darkness.

And the darkness consumed all the rest.

And there was nothing left.

I*I*I

Ozpin had problems.

Big problems.

He honestly wasn't used to having problems he didn't have any idea how to solve.

But handling Glynda Goodwitch…

This was one of those.

And he was operating on a deadline too.

No doubt Weiss and Pyrrha would give her the cold shoulder at the first opportunity that presented itself and when she confronted them about it…

All would be revealed.

And if that didn't happen, she would eventually ask him just what happened to his favored student, Jaune Arc. Once her curiosity was roused there…

Shit.

This was going to be a bad day. A really bad day.

He took a sip of his gargantuan coffee mug.

Ah. But that was better.

Perhaps he could convince Weiss and Pyrrha to let him talk to Glynda himself, and then bargain for a few extra days?

The effects of the sip wore off.

He groaned. As if they would give him that.

Like he said, this was going to be an extremely bad day.

His scroll rang. He checked the number. Doctor Morado.

"Yes, Doctor?"

A voice he did not quite expect came ripping out of the speaker. Yang Xiao Long. "You sent Ruby off to Vale without telling me!? How could you!? Where is she!? She needs me!"

Ah, it seemed Yang had woken up bright and early to visit her sister.

And it seemed he had forgotten to inform the hyper-protective older sibling that he had given Doctor Morado permission to send Ruby to a specialist in Vale.

That said, Yang's rage, as visceral as it was, hardly ranked on his concerns for the day.

"Miss Rose will be continuing her treatments in Vale Miss Xiao Long. I apologize that I forgot to inform you."

"You—"

Ozpin hung up before she could continue.

Now, to focus on the source of his headaches for the day.

Glynda Goodwitch.

And how to tell her that he had inadvertently caused her to almost-murder a child?

Well…

Not phrasing it like that was a start.

His scroll rang again.

Ah, not now.

He checked the number. Surprisingly it wasn't Doctor Morado again.

It was the Landing-Area Coordinator: Mitchell. It was the man's job to organize the flight paths and landing times of the various bullheads that flew to and from the school.

What could he want?

Ozpin answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hiya headmaster, just needed to pass on a message from one of our incoming bullheads, about ten minutes out."

Ozpin sighed, when it was time to solve a problem, he just couldn't get time to think, could he?

He turned up the volume on his scroll and set it on the far edge of his desk, freeing him up to lean back and use both hands to grip his mug. "What is the message Mitchell?"

"Hold on, I'll patch you through, she can tell you herself."

Ozpin rolled his eyes. "Mitchell, if you know the message, then please relay it yourself."

"Huh, I started the patch, but it's taking its own sweet time. Well, since I'm here, guess I can tell you…"

"Yes?" prompted Ozpin.

"She said, be ready to meet in your office in twenty minutes."

"Are you missing an I'll in there?" asked Ozpin.

"No," replied Mitchell. "I think it was more of a you, be ready to meet in your office in twenty minutes. But when you're making a command the you is implied you know."

Ozpin imbibed in his coffee.

He'd been speaking the common tongue as long as it had been around. He knew how to speak it.

"And just who will be ready to meet in my office in twenty minutes?"

He took another indulgent sip.

"Uh, Willow Arc?"

Burning coffee flew out of his nose and mouth as he hacked.

"W-what!?"

"Yeah, she didn't give me a lot of details. That's why I'm trying to patch you through. The stupid machine is taking its sweet time too—what did you just say!?"

Ozpin heard an answering shout in the background. "Called in a code red, followed by a mayday, and then we lost communications!"

Code red? As in severe failure in a bullhead?

Mayday? As in crash imminent?

"Which one!?" screamed Mitchell.

"The Nurse's Ride!" the voice answered.

The Nurse's Ride! As in the bullhead containing Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc?

"Shit!" Mitchell swore.

Ozpin just stared blankly as Mitchell and his voice moved further and further away from his scroll. There was rapid conversation going on between various staff members and Ozpin probably should have been lending some kind of support. But…

He was frozen.

His eyes were drawn upward when the elevator doors to his office opened and in walked Glynda Goodwitch. She was sorting through several papers, rubbing her forehead as she proceeded. "Ozpin we…"

She trailed off when she saw him.

He must have looked bad for her to have stopped talking all together.

Then his scroll dinged.

Ozpin knew that ding.

He'd been patched.

"Hello?", a feminine voice escaped his scroll. Glynda raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

Ozpin just shook his head and held up a finger to his lips.

"I just heard a ding? Does that mean I'm patched through, or am I still speaking with Mitchell?"

A moment's pause.

"Well, I can't hear you, but if you can hear me Mitchell—or Ozpin for that matter. I forgot to say this with my first message."

Another moment's pause.

"Make sure that Bitch, Glynda is there too."

Then the line went dead.

Ozpin took a sip of coffee.

He missed.

The scalding liquid soaked through his shirt and pants.

And…

He didn't give a shit.

I*I*I

Ruby awoke slowly.

She was in pain.

Not as bad or as specific as when she broke her legs.

But pain, nonetheless.

Her head was laid on something soft and comfortable. It wasn't quite a pillow. Maybe a lap?

Her eyes fluttered open, she winced at the bright light that seared her retinas. She sealed her eyelids shut immediately.

"Just take your time, okay? Just take your time…"

Ruby recognized that voice. It was Iris. The nurse from the bullhead.

The bullhead!

Something happened. They were falling and now they were? Where?

Well, at least she could still hear, maybe that would help, there was a pleasant melody being hummed along to guitar, that was Jaune, so he was probably alright—thankfully.

And there was the rustle of leaves, so they were probably in a forest.

Forest.

Flying to Vale.

They were in a Grimm infested area!

If Ruby was the swearing type, she would have sworn. Although, if she was being honest, she likely would not have done it well.

Opening her eyes was an immediate priority.

She fought through the pain with a squint and, eventually, could make out Irises face, as well as a curtain of long hair that tickled her face and obscured her vision.

Ruby attempted to sit up.

Iris kept her down with a hand to her forehead.

"Hold on, hold on."

"I need to get up!" insisted Ruby.

"I know, I know," replied Iris. "I just…you need to not freak out."

"I'm a huntress, I'm not going to freak out!"

"Wrong," replied Iris. "You haven't even started your first year of real huntress training. I did three before I became a nurse—and I've been awake for an hour and I'm still on the verge of freaking out. So, I'm gonna need for you to keep repeating to yourself—over and over again, I will not freak out. Can you do that for me?"

Ruby glared up at the nurse. Was this really necessary?

"You're not sitting up until you start saying it."

Ruby sighed.

"I will not freak out. I will not freak out. I will not freak out."

"Good," said Iris. "Keep that up."

She placed a hand under Ruby's head and eased her upward.

All the while Ruby continued with her mantra. It was dumb. But if this was what it took to get a better—

Ruby's train of thought hit another train going in the opposite direction carrying nuclear waste.

Grimm.

Ruby had never seen so many Grimm.

Dozens of them.

Ursai.

Beowolves.

Nevermore.

Boarbatusk

A king Taijitu.

They were just…

They were just there….

They were…

They were…

They were lazing about.

At the center of the Grimm mass was Jaune, legs crossed, an Ursa Major resting it's head on his lap. He was switching between singing a few lyrics and humming as he played guitar.

Then he noticed Ruby staring at him.

He stopped playing.

"Ruby, you're awake!"

"W-wh-what…?" was all Ruby managed to get out.

Jaune glanced around the Grimm filled clearing. "Yeah, crazy right? Grimm really like my music."

"B-but that…But…No—but…?"

The Ursa which was using Jaune's lap as a pillow looked up at him and growled.

"Oi!" cried Jaune.

Then he…

Then he plucked it. Right on the only part of its face exposed by its bone mask.

It's nose.

"How do you ask?"

The monster's mouth opened. Its neck craned for Jaune's hand.

It licked Jaune's knuckles.

"See, that's all you had to do," said Jaune. "Ask."

Then he resumed playing and the Ursa's head languidly drooped back onto Jaune's lap.

Ruby's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

She collapsed.

And thus, ends the introduction Arc to Guitar Huntsman. *wipes sweats off brow*

It was a big intro and a lot of people seemed to have gotten fed up with it.

Which you know, is on me for taking so long to finish it.

(In my defense, this "introduction" is as long as a full-length novel.)

I mean, I like eliciting some emotion—although rage at the writer is not ideal.

For the record, Ozpin and Glynda were really only antagonists/villains for this intro.

If people don't like the direction this story is going in—as some of the reviews from three days ago seem to indicate—maybe, I'll just let it lie for a while and start a new story. It would sadden me a bit because I think this was where the story was going to start to get really interesting buttttttttttt

I'd live because I got something great bouncing around in my head.

Also, about the numbers in my last AN.

I agree with the reviewer who stated that all the math isn't necessary, generally shows like RWBY don't need rocket science going into every little thing. But what every story needs is consistency. And in a crazy action show, numbers give consistency.

Something that has always bothered me in RWBY is when Ruby runs vertically up the cliff, while dragging a Giant Nevermore and then beheads it. And then when she runs to save Penny and gets casually booted aside by Mercury.

Can she generate enough force to defy gravity while dragging a 900-pound bird? Or can she be casually punted by a guy with a metal leg?

One scene makes me think she is the fastest character on the show. The next makes me think she's not even a blip on the map for Mercury in terms of speed.

If you don't establish upper and lower limits, then stakes in action become meaningless. It's no longer a matter of which character is faster or stronger or cleverer—it just comes down to what does the writer want to have happen at any given time—regardless of what has been previously established.

I don't care if a character is weak. I don't care if their brokenly strong. Just make them fit consistently within the power structure of the story and it's all good.

RWBY's one of those shows where consistent skill, ability, and power doesn't mean much.

I'm just not a fan of that kind of writing.

Double Also: I will be updating Navigator soon.

-Vronsurd

Beta'd by MysteryBeta