Jaune watched through the window as the frosted land below zoomed by, blurred by the fast speed of the bullhead they were in. There was nothing but mountains of thick snow for miles on end, with the occasional large ice spike jutting out of the ground here and there. A dull, gray color replaced the usual clear blue of the sky as snow continued to fall; which was to be expected in such a cold environment.

Though a few might have found the current scenery calm and comfy, there was really nothing to like for Jaune. It wasn't that he absolutely despised the cold (winter was his second most favorite season, and he often liked the idea of a drinking a cup of cocoa while staring out at a snowy forest). He was just really used to lively environments back in Vale — clear blue skies, chirping birds, and overall just any sign that meant there was life in a certain place.

But this, there were no signs at all. Honestly, it looked more like a barren wasteland than anything. Like one of those settings in the sci-fi movies he used to watch when he was young. Hell, it was so desolate, there weren't even any Grimm he could see.

Maybe they're all buried in the snow. The blonde thought, chuckling at the image of a Beowolf trying to dig its way out of the thick snow. It may have seemed sadistic, and it could be reasonable to label him as such at first glance, but the Grimm weren't exactly the kind of creatures you'd be thinking nice thoughts about. They're probably even more sadistic than greatest sadists of Remnant combined.

Anyway, as he continued to stare blankly at the frozen barrenness below, he felt something tug on his hoodie sleeve.

"Wha'chu looking at?" A voice behind said.

Bringing his eyes over to his side, he saw his sister lean in toward the window beside him, her head practically resting on his shoulder. Just like him, she had the same shade of golden blonde hair, albeit tied up in a ponytail that reached down to just below her neck. Sporting a similar set of azure blue eyes, her young face was more pink-tinted than his. It was probably make up, though Jaune doubted that — her sister never wore any make up, at least when he was around. And lastly, she wore a dark brown, woolen sweater that looked warm and comfy, fit for the weather they were in. Couple that up with the pair of round, thin-framed glasses she was wearing, she looked like your average smart, geeky girl.

Which wasn't far from the truth, really.

His sister raised a curious eyebrow, waiting for his answer. Jaune simply returned his gaze back to the window. "Eh. Nothing, really. Just the snow."

"Just the snow? Really?" She echoed, her voice adopting an incredulous tone. Then she leaned away from him and crossed her arms. "Come on, Jaune. I know you're boring at times, but you can't be that boring."

Jaune immediately turned around, pouting as he pointed a finger at her older sister. "I'm not boring!" He exclaimed, keeping his voice down a bit for fear of being shushed by the other passengers. Jaune may have been many things; frail, stupid in certain areas, and socially awkward (that, most especially). But one thing was for sure, he was not boring!

He glared down hard at her smug face. Despite being taller than her, the way her sister smirked and tilted her head made him feel like a little kid going up against a grown up (which was technically the case). But he wasn't going to let age get in the way!

She teased, "Oh, really? You're not boring?" Her hand came up to cover her mouth, stifling her laughter, "Says the one who's named Jaune."

Fists clenched, the younger blonde groaned in annoyance. "Oh yeah? W-Well, at least mine's not something dumb like Valentina."

His sister's eyes widened for a split second, before her eyebrows furrowed in light anger and she shot a finger at him. "Woah, hey hey hey, now. Valentina is a good name, alright? It's the right length, sexy, and sounds nice. Guys love it!" She said, lifting a finger up as if she was stating a trivia fact.

Crossing her arms, she continued, "And unlike yours, at least I get to have good nicknames. Valley, Valen, and most especially Val. That one's good. Now what do you have?" She stifled her laughter, "Jauney? Jaune-Jaune? Vomit Boy?"

Jaune stood his ground with a hard stare at her teasing sister, though inwardly he was whining and pouting like a little kid. He never liked any of those nicknames. They were so dumb, and he honestly wished Val and his other sisters had never come up with them. Most especially 'Vomit Boy'. Gods, how he despised that name. And it was all because he couldn't handle his stomach that one time when they were on a bullhead ride into Vale. He was ten at the time, and he had also been forced to finish Hazel's horrible, horrible mushroom omelette porridge before that trip for crying out loud!

With a shaky voice, he retorted, "O-Oh yeah? W-Well… at least I don't forget formulas that are so basic, schools might as well teach them to kindergarteners!"

Val gasped, her hand to her chest in a shocked expression. She shot him an offended look. "Woah! Okay, first off, it's a medical condition, alright? You can't blame me. This brain was destined to be forgetful without my control, so it's not my fault. And secondly… uh… crap…" Looking off to the side, the older blonde scratched her head, seemingly trying to rack her brain for what she had been going to say next. Jaune inwardly rolled his eyes at the irony of it.

Three seconds passed, and Val perked up, continuing, "Ah! And secondly, you were basically using my disability as an insult! Which is like, not cool at all, and made you sound very desperate."

The younger blonde raised an eyebrow. "So… you're admitting that you're disabled?"

Before he could laugh at his sister's mistake, Val immediately brought a fist back and punched him hard on the shoulder, causing him to yelp.

"Ow!" Jaune jumped away from her, hitting the window with his back. He brought a hand up and cradled his likely bruising arm, wincing when it stung at his touch.

Fist still clenched, Val asked in a threatening tone, "Still gonna make fun of my forgetfulness?"

Jaune quickly shook his head. "No, no, no, okay! You win! You win! I lost the argument! Please don't punch me again!" He hissed, his arm jerking when his fingers brushed the spot where fist struck. Definitely going to bruise. Though she didn't look like much, her sister could punch hard. It was almost comparable to the punches from the huntsmen back home in Ansel. Especially the huntresses. Those stung, and Jaune knew full well how painful their punches were, thanks to a pot of coffee and a rug.

Still wasn't my fault I spilled the coffee all over Crystal though, no matter how much the others say it was.

Val snuggled back into her seat, putting on that smug smile Jaune knew all too well from his plentiful array of older sisters. Groaning in defeat, he leaned his head back on his seat and resumed his looking out the window. Silence hung around the two siblings for a moment or so as Jaune continued to stare at the icy wasteland below, the previous heat from their quarrel fading away. It always ended like this. Whenever he and either one of his sisters got into a squabble, they would always end it with a truce or admission of defeat. Then they would hang out, likely go and watch a movie in the living room or eat anything that wasn't Hazel's cooking together. This happened with every one of his sisters, whether they were younger or older. And though he was usually on the losing side of those feuds, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Jaune let out an amused huff as he recalled a certain night from years ago. It was with one of his younger sisters, Salia, when she had begun questioning on the state of his non-existent love life again while they had been in the living room, like she always did when it was just them alone. Of course, Jaune had immediately went to defend himself, saying that she didn't even have a boyfriend herself. Which then led to Salia making use of his slip-up, going on to say that it had been no wonder that Jaune had no girlfriend. And so, the argument had went on for about half an hour as they exchanged retorts and counters. Eventually, Jaune gave up and admitted defeat, then had to endure his little sister's annoying victory dance for a minute straight. It had been like torture for him, seeing her celebrate him being a loser. But like always, it hadn't been so bad. Eventually, they had agreed to eat ice cream together in the living room while they watched a movie or two, all before passing out on the couch, ending the night on a peaceful note.

Jaune sighed, resting his cheek on his propped up arm. "You know, I'm gonna miss them."

He heard Val lift her head up from her seat, feeling her eyes on him. "Miss who?"

Jaune couldn't help but roll his eyes. Always the forgetful one.'

He turned to face his sister. "You know, the others. Salia, Saphron, Crystal, Hazel… but not her cooking though. The gods know I wouldn't miss that, jeez."

The older blonde chuckled. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it either. But hey," She patted him on the shoulder, a warm smile on her face, "It's not like you're going away on some… big adventure up in the northern regions to recover some ancient relic or something. You can still call them once in a while."

"Yeah, I know, but…" He sighed, "Seeing them through a screen and seeing them in person isn't exactly the same."

"Oh come on, Jaune," Her hand squeezed on his shoulder as she lightly shook him, "It's not gonna be that bad. I mean, look at me. I've been away and working for years now, and it's not like I'm getting homesick every few seconds."

"Maybe that's because you keep forgetting about us every few second- Ow!"

Jaune flinched back, his hand lightly protecting the bruised spot on his arm where she had poked him.

Yup, one-hundred percent bruised.

With furrowed eyebrows, Val chided him, "I thought we were over this already? It's a medical condition. Not my fault."

"Okay, okay, sorry. Medical condition, gotcha. Ooo.. Ow..."

"So, as I was saying," Val continued, "It's not gonna be so bad. After all, we have our own CCT tower where we can chat with family and stuff all we want, just as long as it isn't during work times. And it's not like you'll be the only one working there. There are tons of new faces you can meet there, some of which share the same passion as you, and I'm gonna working with you as your supervisor. And…" She leaned in close to Jaune's ear, and whispered, "If I remember correctly, there's this new rookie in the Weapons Division. A bit crazy obssessed with weapons, but cute, and single! You should definitely go after her when you get the chance."

The younger blonde pushed his sister's head away. "Oh, give it rest, Val."

Val snickered. "Hey, I'm just looking out for my little brother." The older blonde said, ruffling his hair and earning an annoyed groan from him. She brought her hand back and continued, "Anyway, don't you worry about being homesick, Jaune. After all," She gestured to herself with extravegance, "You're stuck with me until Remnant's end!"

Jaune shook his head, but smiled at his sister's antics nonetheless. One of the things he secretly hoped would never change as well.

Shrugging, he said, "Well, if you put it like that, I guess it wouldn't be so bad. But still, it won't stop the bit of homesickness that's gonna seep in, grow, and make me into a depressed mess for a week every once in a while."

Val raised an eyebrow. Her eyes drifted up, presumably to the window behind him, and smiled. "Oh, really? Well then, how about that? Would that help?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jaune turned around and looked out to the window behind him. His eyes immediately widened, his mouth gaping at the magnificent sight he was met with. "Whoa…"

Over in the distance, just behind a few mountains of snow and ice, was a floating chunk of land of enormous size, likely as big as Vale from the sheer capacity, held up by what looked like four massive thrusters and tethered to the snowy land below. He didn't know how big it actually was unless he was close, but he knew if it were just the size of a large village, it would be nothing more than a speck. The magnificent size wasn't the main selling point though, it seemed, for an array of ocean blue lights pierced through the snow, covering almost every building there was, all of which retained a clean, clinical white color theme throughout. There also seemed to be numerous bullheads flying to and from said buildings, carrying all sorts of cargo ranging from massive shipping containers to different kinds of machinery. And last but not the least, its base obscured by a few buildings, a tall and massive spire stood at the center, the top ending in a fat, disk-like shape — an observation deck or an area for visiting tourists if he had to guess — with an antenna extending up the top, repeatedly blinking a bright blue.

Jaune stared in awe as the floating island buzzed with activity, pressing his face against the glass like a little kid at a zoo. It looked so cool! It was like it was straight out of those sci-fi books he read as a kid!

Val's head popped in by the side of his head as she leaned in with him, smiling. "So, what do you think?"

"Awesome…" He said, smiling goofily as he watched a plethora of bullheads carrying what definitely looked like a giant robot of some sort. 'Gods, that is so cool!'

His sister chuckled as she patted him on the back. "Well, you're gonna have to get used to the awesomeness, 'cause that's where you'll be spending the better part of your life in from now on."

"Well, I can certainly live with that, because this is frickin' amazing!" He exclaimed, ignoring the numerous distant shushes aimed at him.

Val smiled. "Yup, it certainly is. Now come on," She ruffled his hair, though he could really care less if she messed up his hair now, and stood up, "We should start gathering our luggage up for the arrival. Which is around… two minutes from now."

Val began walking away from her seat over to the back end of the bullhead, but stopped in her tracks and made her way back over to where he was still sat awestruck.

She said, "Oh crap, I almost forgot! Here, you should pin this on once we get there."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pin, tossing the small item over to him. He caught it with a bit of a fumble, but once he got a grip on the small thing, he looked down at it. It was quite a small pin, with an all white symbol adorning it - a hollow circle at the edges, with a minimalistic silhouette of an android right in the middle.

His eyes widened in awe as he looked down on the symbol. He brought his eyes up to his grinning sister, silently asking if the badge in his hand was real.

She winked. "Welcome to the White Spire Foundation, Dr. Vomit Boy."


Hello.

So, this is my first RWBY fanfic... ever... So, forgive me if I get some things from canon wrong since I've only watched up until Vol. 2, although I do wiki-dive every now and then for info.

Anyway, this story will be diverging a bit from canon, which means a lot of characters will have different backgrounds and events aren't just going to be copies of events from canon like the docks fight or Weiss getting bitchy for not being made the leader. There will be some arcs that'll take some concepts from canon though, but I try to put my own spin to them. There will also be some of my own OCs, like little forgetful Valentina over here. I'll try my best to make them feel like they're actually from and they've lived in Remnant, instead of just making them feel like powerful Mary Sue's/Gary Stu's.

This fic will also definitely have a harem, though Jaune will have to end up with only one girl. And judging by the setting, it's obvious who has the upper advantage in the Jaune bowl ;)

As for updates, they'll be slow. I'm currently in the last weeks of the school year and I'm just bombarded with projects and exams. But I'll try to update as much as I can, hopefully keeping a bi-weekly schedule, though no promises will be made.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the start of Jaune's new life in White Spire!

~Christian Maulkner