Chapter 1 – Arrival

Hello, RWBY fans! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Brennus and I am, if I may be so bold as to say, a fairly experienced fan fiction writer. All my work up to this point has been in the world of Harry Potter, but I've been hankering to try my hand at something different for a while. The fact that 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' was so awful helped give me a push, too.

I was attracted to the world of RWBY mainly due to its superb array of characters. Let's face it, most stories struggle to come up with one or two interesting characters that can be developed over the course of the show's run, but RWBY has dozens of them. This story is Jaune centric – I generally like the 'zero to hero' type of story arc and he just had a sort of endearing charm and earnestness that fitted that role perfectly. As is common in my HP stories, Jaune enters this one stronger and worldlier than in the series, and even more determined. Although this story covers only up to the end of series one, I envisage I'll write one for each of the following seasons, probably making them more AU as I go.

A word of thanks to two people: (ex-) Mrs Brennus, who read over this and offered her own comments, and my beta Arnel, who very kindly agreed to make the jump over to RWBY with me. She also has to deal with the amusing situation of me having to add Americanisms to a story, rather than me correcting them as I have done for American HP writers. All those years of me telling people that we Brits don't generally eat pancakes for breakfast, and then I end up writing for Nora…

"Hey, Jaune, catch!"

The young Jaune Arc turned just in time to see a small orange ball sail through the air towards him before it hit him squarely in the face.

"Ow!" he cried. "Damn it, Jade, watch where you're throwing that."

"Ha! You should have been playing with us and not messing around with that stupid wooden sword," the small girl replied.

"Yeah, play with us, Jaunie," the even smaller girl added. Jaune shook his head angrily.

"Can't you see I'm busy killing Grimm? I'm going to become a great knight one day and slay all the monsters!"

To add emphasis to his words, Jaune brandished the wooden sword that his father had made for him. While he owned more expensive toys, this sword was by far his favourite.

"You'll never be a knight," his sister taunted him. "You're too weedy! Even I can beat you in a fight."

Jaune couldn't help but grimace at Jade's words. She had indeed beaten him when they had gotten into a fight last week, and pinned him to the ground for ten minutes before he apologised enough to satisfy her. She was definitely going to follow in the footsteps of their older sisters and become a Huntress when she was older.

"Wanna play ball!" Gabrielle insisted, waving her arms about angrily.

"Okay, sis, we'll play ball," Jaune agreed, desperate to placate his six-year-old sister. While Jade and his older sisters might have been able to bully him into doing whatever they wanted, Gabrielle had only to threaten a few tears before he caved in. She really was too cute to say no to.

He bent down to retrieve the ball that had hit him. Turning to face his youngest sister, who was now eagerly awaiting it to be thrown to her, he noticed something strange in the distance.

"Hey, did you two see anything in the woods just now?" he asked.

Jade looked about in confusion for a moment, before shrugging.

"Nah, I didn't see anything," she replied.

"Throw the ball, Jaunie!" Gabrielle yelled.

"Just for a second, I thought…" he continued.

"What's the matter? Scared of your own shadow again? Some knight you'll be!" Jade said, laughing at him.

"No, I definitely saw something," he insisted.

The two girls turned and peered into the woods. Although only mid-afternoon, the forest seemed a little dark to Jaune.

"Don't like the woods. Scary," Gabrielle mumbled.

"We're alright," Jade insisted. "Mom and Dad said as long as we don't actually go into the trees that we are fine to play here."

"Wanna go home," Gabrielle said, her desire to play catch gone in an instant.

"Don't be silly, there's nothing to worry about. It's just Jaune being a big baby again," Jade said firmly.

Suddenly, a mournful wail erupted from somewhere in the woods. It sounded just like an injured animal, or worse.

"What was that?" Jaune asked fearfully.

"I'm… not sure," Jade admitted. "Err, maybe we should go home now."

"Yeah, I think you're…"

Jaune never finished his sentence, as at that very moment a large, ominous shape emerged from the undergrowth. It stalked forward slowly, until it came clearly into view. It had a white, bone-like skull and a large, fur-covered body. Its large teeth were bared and its red eyes glowed with malevolent intent.

"A Beowolf!" Jade yelled in horror, while Gabrielle just screamed.

"Run!" Jaune bellowed, but his sisters appeared to be rooted to the spot in fear. Hastily, he ran and grabbed both Jade and Gabrielle's hands, trying to pull them along with him. Jade continued to stare at the creature, however, her eyes wide with terror.

"Run, damn it, run!" Jaune practically begged. His words must have gotten through, because Gabrielle turned and began to move as fast as her little legs would carry her. Jade, seeing her sibling run, turned and allowed her brother to drag her along.

They never had a chance. Three young children could never have outrun a fully grown Beowolf, and the beast had begun to sprint towards them the second they had begun to move. Jaune looked over his shoulder and saw the Grimm lunging towards them even as he ran. Knowing that they wouldn't make it, he stopped and brandished his wooden sword at the beast, hoping that he could delay the monster so his sisters could escape.

He heard Jade scream his name a second before the Beowolf bore down on him. With a viscous swipe of its claws, he was knocked flying to one side. He was suddenly aware of a horrible pain in his side, and when he pressed his hand to the area that hurt he felt something hot and sticky on his fingers.

Looking up desperately, he was horrified to see Gabrielle lying face down on the grass perhaps ten feet away from him. Jade was screaming wildly, her fists clenched as she stood helplessly over her sister's body. Then, almost faster than his eyes could track, the Beowolf lunged at her, its jaw wide open.

Blood sprayed into the air and Jaune, in terrible pain and horrified by the sight in front of him, passed out.

Seven years later

"You didn't have to come all the way to Vale, you know. I could have caught the airship by myself."

Luc Arc looked at his son with a sad smile on his face. To Jaune's eyes, his father was starting to look old, with his blonde hair turning grey rapidly, and the wrinkles around his eyes. His old man was still a force to be reckoned with, however.

"Nonsense. How could I not come and see my only son off on his first day at Beacon Academy? This is a proud day for me, Jaune."

Despite everything, Jaune couldn't help but feel a warm glow of pride envelope him at his father's words. He'd worked hard to make it to this point, and the fact that his father acknowledged that made him happier than he could say. Still, as proud as he was for getting accepted into the prestigious academy, it was tempered with caution and not a little fear.

"You're… you're certain this is the right step, Dad?" Jaune asked, for about the millionth time.

His father turned and looked Jaune straight in the eye, his bright blue orbs staring directly into Jaune's own.

"Son, you've been blessed with power I can only marvel at. You've come an incredibly long way from that day when you came to me demanding to be trained as a Hunter and, honestly, I've taken you as far as I can. This power… this ability you have… you need someone to help to temper and control it. Personally, I can't think of anyone better to do that then Professor Ozpin."

"I know, but, what happens if… if I can't control it again? I nearly killed you, Dad. What happens if I lose control again and hurt someone at the school?"

"This is exactly why you need better training," Luc Arc argued. "The staff at Beacon are used to dealing with pupils with unusual powers that they sometimes need help in controlling. Quit worrying that you hurt me, anyway. Accidents happen in training and I was baiting you pretty badly, anyways. I was probably asking to get my ass kicked."

Jaune said nothing, still privately harbouring his fears.

"Besides, you have a goal, Jaune, and one I heartily agree with. Didn't you say that you wanted to wipe every Grimm off the face of Remnant? Well, to do that you need proper training, up and beyond what I can provide. Also, remember it's not a goal that you can achieve by yourself. You need allies and teammates to fight the Grimm, and Beacon is the place where you'll find them. If you go into this with a pure and honest heart, I swear you'll find friends at that school who will stand by your side through thick and thin. Remember what I've told you, son; the measure of a man can be judged by who his friends are. Pick well, and stay loyal to them."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I mean, your old team are pretty awesome," Jaune agreed. He'd met former members of both his mother and father's teams several times, and he'd always been slightly awestruck by them. They had been everything that Jaune wanted to be, and just the coolest guys on the planet. The idea that he could be part of a similar team greatly excited him.

"Don't you forget it," Luc agreed, laughing. "They might be getting on a bit, but those guys can still kick ass."

"Well, your ass, anyway," Jaune said, grinning cheekily. The smile was wiped off his face a second later when his father playfully cuffed him across the back of the head. Fairly, playfully, anyway.

"Cheek," Luc muttered, a smile on his lips. "Seriously though, I want you to do well at Beacon, Jaune, but I want you to enjoy your time there, too. We've been through some pretty tough times as a family, but we've come through it all stronger. That said, I sometimes worry that you had your childhood taken away from you too soon. Ever since… that day… you've been pretty single minded about becoming a Hunter, and I totally understand that. I had hoped that you might have actually been able to lead a peaceful life, but, well, I guess things didn't work out like that, did they? Anyway, you're close to achieving that goal, but I don't want you to become fixated on it to the exclusion of everything else. Work hard, but have fun at Beacon, Jaune. Make friends, and take time to enjoy yourself occasionally. Hell, use that Arc charm to get yourself a girlfriend, even!"

"Dad! I'm sure I won't have time for that!"

"Sure you won't," Luc Arc said with a grin. "I remember my time at Beacon. I swear we spent more time chasing girls than we did Grimm."

Jaune felt his cheeks turning red. He muttered under his breath something about his father's abilities to embarrass him.

Luc just laughed. "Don't worry about it, Jaune. I'm sure you'll change your tune once you catch sight of a few of the girls there. Damn, look at the time! You need to go. Get on board the airship, son, and give us a call when you're all settled in or your mother will worry. Have fun, work hard, and live up to the Arc name."

"Thanks, Dad," Jaune replied, accepting a rough hug from his father. "I… I can't say how much you've helped me over the years. I can't quite believe I'm finally going to Beacon now. I would never have made it without help from you and Mom. Oh, and the girls, too, I suppose."

"Ha! I won't tell your sisters how reluctant you were to give them credit," Luc said, before pressing something into his son's hands.

"What's this?" Jaune asked, peering at the small blue box quizzically.

"Air sickness tablets," Luc replied. "Trust me, if you're anything like me, you'll need them!"

The airship lurched slightly, causing Jaune to grimace. The pills his father had given him were a godsend, and he was pretty sure he would have barfed all over the floor by now without them. Even so, he still wasn't feeling great. Stupid air travel.

Forcing his stomach back under control, he pulled his hoddie down so his eyes were shaded. He really wasn't in the mood to communicate with any of the multitude of teenagers milling around him. Having never attended a regular combat school might have made him slightly antisocial, or perhaps he was just nervous about meeting so many new people. Either way, he decided to keep himself to himself for the moment, and keep his eyes and ears open.

His father's words about finding good teammates were fresh in Jaune's mind and he was determined to be on the lookout for suitable candidates. His shaded eyes scanned the group of clustered teenagers, trying to assess their strengths and weaknesses. At least, as much as he could do from just looking at them.

They were a very mixed bunch, he thought. There was the usual bunch of swaggering, macho idiots, certain they were going to be the greatest Hunters that Beacon Academy had ever seen before they had even started their training, but Jaune's eyes were more frequently drawn to the quieter members of the crowd. The dark-haired boy dressed in green, for instance. He exuded an aura of calm confidence that immediately made Jaune believe that he would prove to be a fearsome fighter. His orange-haired companion was more difficult to read, in so much as she seemed incapable of remaining still for even a second. Still, that much energy had to be useful for something, right?

Letting his eyes wander, Jaune picked out several Faunus dotted about the place, something he definite approved of. His father had been friends with several Faunus and he'd even had one on his team, back in his Huntsman days. Faunus generally brought with them special skills and talents, Luc Arc had told him, things no normal human could do. Don't let their special abilities go to waste just because they had funny ears or a tail, his father had insisted. Having had the pleasure of seeing a few Faunus fight previously, it was something Jaune could agree with heartily.

Some of the other passengers on the ship intrigued him, however. He'd briefly caught sight of a girl in a red hood who looked far too young to be attending Beacon, but perhaps she was only on the ship to keep the busty blonde whom she'd been with company? He'd also seen a tall, red-haired female who seemed vaguely familiar to him, although he'd only caught a fleeting glimpse of her through the crowd. He was sure he'd remember a girl that impressive-looking if he'd met her before, but perhaps all the slaps his father had delivered to the back of his head were effecting his memory. Luc Arc was a firm believer in pounding information into his trainees' heads. Jaune was just glad his mom didn't employ the same training methods.

Wishing bitterly that the flight would be over soon, Jaune sunk back into his seat, shifting his weapon slightly so it wasn't sticking into him. It definitely wasn't something you would want poking into you, he knew from experience. As he moved, for a second he caught the eye of a girl sitting on the opposite side of the ship to him. She'd previously been staring intently at a book she was holding in front of her, probably in an effort to ward off any unwanted conversation. For just a moment, their eyes met, before she gave him a curt nod and returned her attention back to her book. Something about the girl told Jaune that she was worthy of respect. He'd watch out for her; she could be a useful ally, he suspected.

Jaune closed his eyes for a second as the video screen further down the ship's hold droned on about some local criminal and disturbances at a Faunus right rally, but none of it held any interest for him. He cared about only one thing: killing Grimm. He was going to Beacon Academy for one reason — to become a better fighter. Hopefully, he'd also find a team he could work with in the future, but even that was a secondary concern for the moment.

A seconds later, the screen flickered and vanished, to be replaced by the holographic image of one of the teachers he'd briefly met at his induction to Beacon. Having never attended one of the established schools, such as Signal, he'd had to pass an entrance exam to be allowed in. Thanks to the extensive training his parents had provided, Jaune had aced the test. The stern blonde Huntress had been one of those who had administered the exam, and she'd stuck in his mind as a woman not to be crossed.

"…you are amongst the privileged few who have had the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy …"

Jaune found himself rapidly tuning out the woman's welcome speech. He required no motivation to be here, as he was already filled with the burning desire to both prove and improve himself. Luc Arc had informed him that Beacon Academy was the best place to achieve that, so that was where Jaune was going.

"…our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future…"

That statement nearly made him want to throw something at the teacher's image. Peace? Who was she trying to kid? Oh, there might not be any major wars rumbling on now, but Remnant was far from a peaceful place. Try walking just twenty minutes from his family's house into the woods and just see how feckin' peaceful it was.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune forced himself to remain calm. His temper had landed him in trouble before, and he'd learnt to his cost that beating up a few local hoodlums who had been looking for a fight in his hometown was way more trouble than it was worth. Since then, he'd tried to keep a lid on his hot-blooded nature.

The image of the teacher mercifully vanished before she could say anything else that would piss him off. Judging by the way most of his fellow passengers were pressing their faces up to the windows and making 'oohing' noises, they must be approaching the academy. Not that he was in any rush to leap up and enjoy the view – he was barely keeping his stomach under control as it was, even with the pills. It was just something about the constant vibration of the ship, he thought.

Still, at least he hadn't barfed on anyone's shoes.

Jaune hurriedly left the airship, pushing through the throng of people, and set off with a very clear goal. He had a specific destination in mind and the itinerary the school had provided showed that he had a good twenty minutes before he had to attend the welcome ceremony in the main hall. Plenty of time to get where he was going and get back.

Knowing fairly well where he needed to go, Jaune hurried from the landing site towards the entrance of the main amphitheatre. There, situated on a large rock, was what he'd come to see. A statue of a Huntsman and a Huntress, the man holding his weapon aloft while a Beowolf cowered beneath them both. Jaune stood in front of the monument nervously and looked up at the image of the man.

"Hi," he spoke out loud. "I'm Jaune Arc, and I'm your great-great-great-grandson. Or something like that. I might have got the number of 'greats' wrong. Nice to meet you."

He looked around quickly, suddenly concerned that someone might see him talking to a lump of stone, but no one was in sight. He looked back up at the statue.

"Err, my father, that's Luc Arc, told me I should visit you as soon as I arrived to show my respect and, well, I kinda make a habit of doing what he tells me. I find I get the shit beaten out of me less if I do."

The stone man continued to gaze impassively to the skies.

"My dad, he didn't initially want me to come here, you know. He and Mom said that the Arc family had done enough and that it was someone else's turn to risk their necks, but, well, something bad really happened and it changed their minds."

Only silence greeted Jaune's words.

"I… I lost two of my sisters to a Beowulf. They were ripped apart in front of my eyes, and I couldn't just sit back and do nothing after that, could I? I mean, shit! I couldn't do that. I know Mom worries about me all the time, but that's only to be expected, I guess. Dad understood, though. He knows that you have to fight to protect those whom you love, and that's exactly what I'm going to do, even if I have to kill every last Grimm on the whole of Remnant by myself!"

Jaune took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He still thought about his sisters nearly every day and it gave him the motivation to work as hard as possible. Never again would he stand by uselessly as the claws of the Grimm ripped apart the body of another defenceless soul.

"Anyway, I thought I'd come say hello. Dad told me you were a great Huntsman, one of the best. I want you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to follow in your footsteps. I want to be a great Huntsman, too."

Running out of things he wanted to say, Jaune shuffled his feet a few times, before turning to go. He'd only walked a few yards before he paused and looked back at the statue.

"It was good to talk," he said simply, before heading for the main hall.

His only distraction was the sound of a loud explosion somewhere in the distance, followed by the voices of two girls apparently having an argument. Jaune ignored them… he wasn't here to mess around with pranks and petty squabbles.

"…but I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy…"

Professor Ozpin's welcoming speech was definitely not the most reassuring thing Jaune had ever heard, but then again, why should it be? They were coming here to learn how to kill monsters; ravenous beasts without pity or mercy. If a few harsh words were going to discourage anyone then they shouldn't be here in the first place.

The headmaster stepped back, allowing Professor Goodwitch to take the microphone. She was sharp, and to the point. They were to gather in the ballroom and then in the morning begin their initiation. That suited Jaune down to the ground. He had no desire to wait.

They were all herded into a large room which he assumed was the ballroom and given a sleeping bag each. No further instructions were given and everyone sought out a place to camp out for the night. Naturally, people who knew each other from their previous schools banded together so little groups formed all about the room. Jaune, who knew no-one here, simply looked for a quiet corner and spread out his sleeping bag.

As he prepared to settle down, Jaune began to look around the room, checking out his fellow students again, and he noticed many others doing the same. They would, after all, be shortly paired up with partners and teams they would remain with for the next four years, so it was only natural that everyone would be looking out for potential candidates to fill those roles. Several of the boys had already stripped to the waist and were trying to impress the female contingent by flexing their muscles.

Idiots. Hopefully, he wouldn't end up getting stuck on a team with a bunch of morons like them.

Almost absently, Jaune removed his hoddie, intending to replace it with a plain t-shirt in which he usually slept. A very loud wolf-whistle from nearby immediately made him look round.

"Hey, blondie! I really dig guys with scars, you know? Looks kinda sexy!"

Jaune found himself looking at the busty blonde who he'd seen earlier on the airship. She was laying on her belly with her hands propping up her chin. She grinned at him in a manner Jaune could only describe as… predatory.

Feeling his face flush slightly, Jaune just smiled back at the girl briefly before offering her what he hoped was a confident wink, but more probably made it look like he had a nervous twitch. He then hurriedly pulled on his shirt and sat down on his sleeping bag. While female attention certainly wasn't something he minded, it was unfamiliar territory for him. Other than his sisters, that is, but they didn't count.

Suddenly feeling depressed, he absent-mindedly rubbed his stomach, his fingers tracing the line of the scar that ran all down his side and across his stomach. Personally, he couldn't believe any girl would find his disfigurement 'sexy'. Besides, he'd obtained the scar at too high a price. Far too high. His fingers stopped tracing the now faded scar line and reached up to grasp the pendant that hung from his neck. With a practiced flick of his thumb, he opened it to reveal the images of two girls. Both were very young and both had bright, blonde hair.

Even after seven years, Jaune still felt a tug on his heartstrings as he looked at the portraits of his two younger sisters. He knew it was pointless to feel guilt, he'd been ten years old and armed with a wooden sword, but still the shame that they had both died while he survived burned within him. It was illogical, they hadn't been anyplace they shouldn't have been and no one had seen a Grimm in those parts for years, but still he felt that there should have been something he could have done.

The incident had nearly torn his family apart. He'd been in the hospital for several months after the attack, and when he was finally released he found that the loss of two daughters had changed his parents' attitude to the world completely. Before, they'd both been semi-retired Hunters, being part of the town's local militia was sufficient to fulfil their need for a little action to liven up their lives. Afterwards… well, sufficient to say that the Grimm population around Jaune's hometown had taken a massive dip following the deaths of Jade and Gabrielle.

Jaune had changed, too. Although he still wanted to be a knight, gone were the childish dreams of glory and battle. As soon as he'd recovered sufficiently, he'd began to train himself, helped at first by his older sisters, and then by his parents as they began to understand the desire for revenge that burned within their only son. How could they have denied him help when they felt it too?

Gently, Jaune closed the locket and began to unzip his sleeping bag. As he climbed in, he noticed the dark-haired girl he'd seen on the ship had also chosen this quiet corner of the room to sleep, although at present she was propped up against the wall reading a book by candlelight. For a moment, a pair of black eyes regarded him intently over the top of her book, before they were again hidden from sight. Clearly, she had no interest in interacting with anyone. He was happy to respect her wishes; if the girl didn't want to speak to anyone, then that was her business.

As Jaune lay down to sleep, he briefly wondered what the girl's story was. Why had she decide to come here? Had she lost someone too, or did she have a different motivation?

As he closed his eyes, he realised that everyone in the room probably had their own story to tell. After spending so much time training with his family, hearing somebody else's tales might be interesting.

With that encouraging thought, he slipped into a deep sleep.

Breakfast the next morning was the organised chaos that he was expecting, but fortunately it wasn't long before they were ordered to collect their weapons from the locker room and prepare for the initiation.

Quickly locating his locker, Jaune began to strap on his armour gratefully. He was so used to wearing it that it felt odd when he didn't have it on. Almost lovingly, he strapped on the last pieces, the shin guards, and silently sent a prayer of thanks to his father for helping him design and construct his own armour. He'd been so proud when his father had handed him Crocea Mors, the ancient sword of his family, with instructions that he could modify it in whatever way suited him. So far, Jaune had yet to make any changes, wanting to use the opportunity of coming to Beacon to see what other people had done. Really, he was in no hurry as he was perfectly happy with just the sword and shield combo.

He began to make his way to the assembly area when a pair of girls caught his eye. One was the impressive redhead he'd seen yesterday on the airship. Dressed in her armour and carrying her weapons, she looked even more formidable. The person talking to her was a stunningly beautiful, white-haired girl who was dressed impeccably in a white dress. With her porcelain skin, she had an almost otherworldly appearance.

The redhead happened to glance his way and offered Jaune a warm smile. Feeling it was perhaps time to start actually talking to some of his fellow classmates, he wandered over to introduce himself.

"…so, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to what team you'd like to be on?" the white-blonde was asking the redhead. "I'm sure everyone would want to be on the same team as someone as strong as you."

"Well, actually, I was intending to let the chips fall where they may," the redhead began, sounding a little uncomfortable. As soon as she saw Jaune approaching, however, she broke into a wide smile and nearly pushed the other girl into the wall.

"Hello!" the redhead greeted him exuberantly. "Getting ready for the initiation too, I see."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, actually," Jaune began. "I thought I'd come over and introduce myself, seeing as it's a possibility we might end up on the same team. I'm Jaune Arc."

"Pleased to meet you, Jaune. My name is…"

"He obviously knows your name, everyone does," the other girl butted in angrily, "which makes it all the more unbelievable that he would come over and rudely interrupt our conversation."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise your conversation was private," Jaune said, thinking the little he'd heard being said hadn't sounded private in the slightest.

"It wasn't! Really," the redhead said quickly, much to the annoyance of the other girl. She held out her hand. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos. I'm very pleased to meet you, Jaune."

"Likewise," he replied, shaking her hand.

"Unbelievable! You really don't know who she is, do you?" the other girl snapped.

"Umm…" Jaune mumbled, looking at the redhead intently. She did look a little familiar.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos, the four time winner of the Mistral regional tournament! She's practically a legend. You must have seen her appearances on the television."

"Err…"

"You haven't? What kind of backwater hole you do come from, anyway? Honestly, who hasn't heard of Miss Nikos here? She was even on the cover of the Pumpkin Pete's cereal box, you blockhead."

"Well, forgive me for not wasting my time staring at a TV screen all my life, or eating cereal that would probably give me diabetes. Plus, it tastes like crud," Jaune growled, offended by the pushy girl. "I actually had better things to do, would you believe, like training to fight Grimm."

"Hmm, well, we'll see during the initiation, won't we? Personally, I don't believe anyone with your level of intelligence will last five minutes!"

"Really? And you picked that up from the one minute of conversation you've had with me?" Jaune responded irritably.

"So, where do you come from, Jaune?" Nikos asked, clearly attempting to head off an argument.

"Here in Vale," Jaune replied, trying to be civil to the much politer girl. "A small place on the far side of the Emerald Forest, to be exact. I lived in a fairly out-of-the-way house on the edge of the woods with my family. Well, what was left of it, anyway."

"Oh, did something bad happen?" Nikos asked before a flush came to her cheeks. "Sorry, that's probably too personal a question to ask someone I've just met."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind you asking. I lost two of my sisters to the Grimm when I was very young. They were just ten and six respectively, and I saw it all happen. It kinda messed up the rest of my family for a while. Funny, my dad was dead against me being a Hunter before that happened. He said the family had done enough and it was someone else's turn to put their neck on the line. I doubt he would have even helped train me, otherwise, or let me come here."

The Weiss girl looked at him strangely for a moment, before sighing and casting her eyes downward.

"My father was exactly the same. Being a Huntress wasn't a role befitting a Schnee, apparently."

"Oh, you haven't been introduced yet, have you?" Nikos said. "Jaune, this is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and a rather famous singer in her own right."

"Ah, yes, I think I've heard a few of your songs on the radio. You're great," Jaune said enthusiastically.

"Thank you," Weiss replied, her arrogant attitude somewhat diminished from just a moment ago. "I never really wanted to be a performer, though. My father pushed me into taking singing lessons. He probably thought that I'd forget all about wanting to become a Huntress if I became famous and got lots of attention. Like that would happen."

"My mother has always been very supportive of me, although I suppose bearing in mind the family I come from I was never going to be anything other than a warrior," Pyrrha admitted. "Sometimes it feels like I've been fighting my whole life."

The three of them looked at each other for a moment as if trying to figure out what to say next. The conversation had taken an unexpectedly awkward turn and had become rather personal for three complete strangers.

"I… I think it's nearly time to head for the assembly area. Good luck to you both," Weiss said, turning abruptly and headed towards the door. Perhaps she was embarrassed by inadvertently sharing her family history with two people she didn't know, Jaune thought.

"I should be heading out too," Pyrrha announced. "I very much hope to see you out there, Jaune."

Offering him a radiant smile, the tall redhead turned and walked gracefully away. Jaune watched the slightly exaggerated swing of her hips appreciatively. He was somewhat shocked when, just before she vanished out of sight, she turned her head and gave him another smile, this one rather beguiling. With wide eyes, Jaune watched her disappear behind a row of lockers.

Although Jaune wasn't totally unexperienced with girls, he was by no means an expert, either. His father had offered him some advice on the subject but, after hearing a sample of this apparent wisdom one day, his mother had pulled him to one side and firmly told him to ignore everything Luc Arc had told him unless he wanted to remain single for the rest of his life. Out of the two, Jaune was far more inclined to believe his mother.

No, most of Jaune's knowledge of the opposite sex came from a combination of talking with his sisters and his futile pursuit of Yazmin Grey, the daughter of a local shopkeeper near his home. Her disinterest in him romantically had taken some time to sink into his brain, and certainly not before he'd managed to embarrass himself in front of her and her friends on at least a dozen occasions. It had driven the belief into him that girls just didn't find him attractive, which was why Pyrrha's friendly and almost flirtatious behaviour was so surprising.

Not as surprising though as when the very next moment someone slapped him hard on his butt.

"Hey!" Jaune protested, spinning round. He was confronted by a pair of lilac eyes and a massive grin, both belonging to the blonde who had wolf-whistled him the previous evening.

"Hi, sexy! Hmm, nice firm buns you got there."

Jaune felt his jaw drop and his mind go blank. Never in his life had he encountered a girl quite so… forward.

"I'm really sorry about my sister," a second voice declared. "She really can be a total ass."

Standing beside the busty blonde was the much younger girl Jaune had seen on the airship. Clearly the girl was indeed a student here, although he thought she must be a good two or three years younger than him.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Mr Scarred and Sexy here loves it, don't ya, big boy?"

It was at this moment Jaune began to wonder what Beacon's policy on sexual harassment was. This girl looked like she could eat him alive in an instant. Try not to show fear, he told himself, she'd sense weakness in an instant!

"Umm, hi! Nice to meet you. Are you always so familiar with complete strangers?" he asked, desperately hoping he sounded cool and collected, but rather suspecting he had failed miserably.

"Only when they're lean, muscular and have a few scars," she replied, smiling in a predatory manner. "Seen some action, have ya?"

"A little," he admitted. "The big scar I have down my side I got when I was only ten, though. A Beowulf damn near ripped me open."

"Oh, no!" the small girl squealed. "Were you alright?"

"No, he died, you twerp!" the blonde said, rolling her eyes.

"That's not what I meant!" the red-and black-haired girl spat back. "That must have been a terrible experience for him. I just wanted to know if he'd gotten over it."

"Not really," Jaune interceded. "My two younger sisters died in the attack."

Blondie instantly looked guilty.

"Oh, shit… I'm sorry. If I'd know it was something like that I would never have said anything about the scar. I was just having a little fun with you."

"No, it's okay. You weren't to know," he assured her. "By the way, my name is Jaune Arc."

"Short and sweet. I like it," the blonde said, her smile returned. "I'm Yang, Yang Xiao Long to be exact. This here is my sister Ruby Rose."

"Good to meet you," Jaune told them, before frowning. "How come…"

"We're half-sisters," Ruby explained quickly. "We share the same dad but have different mothers. Not that it matters."

"Nah, I love my lil' baby sister so much! I do, I do!"

To emphasise this Yang had grabbed Ruby and was apparently trying to hug her to death. The smaller girl's arms waved frantically as she tried to escape. Eventually, the blonde stopped trying to suffocate her sibling and released her. The younger girl hyperventilated for a moment before she managed to recover.

"So, that's some pretty cool armour you've got there, Jaune," Ruby noted once she'd got her breath back. "Did you craft it yourself?"

"Mostly, although my father helped a lot. Most of it is made from the same stuff the Atlesian military use. It's the strongest material you can get for the weight."

"Shame it leaves your butt unprotected, eh?" Yank said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'm just learning that for myself," he muttered.

"Come on, Yang, stop embarrassing the poor guy," Ruby insisted, pulling on her sister's arm. "Besides, it's time to head out for the initiation. Oh, I'm so excited! We'll see you out there, Jaune."

"Yeah, see ya later, sexy!" Yang added, before both girls headed off.

Realising he too needed to get moving, Jaune headed for the door. Well, his father had urged him to come to Beacon to meet new people, and he was certain achieving that aim.

Even if some of them were definitely a little strange…