Uh. Hi. So, it's up on tumblr and stuff. RWBY AU.

Embers Never Will die out. (Grammar error intentional.)

"Guh." Lie Ren was up early. That was new.

And unwelcome.

Nora was still asleep.

That was new and appreciated.

Ren rolled up his sleeping bag and glanced around. The only one up at this insane hour was a blond working the coffee machine. His mind stuck on coffee, he packed the last of his things and made his way over to the blond.

"Here," The blond offered tentatively, when Ren failed to do more than stare blankly at the cup in his hands. "It looks like you need this more than I do." Ren had downed half the cup before he recalled his manners.

"Lie Ren," He introduced himself sheepishly. The blond, in lieu of a handshake, poured another cup of coffee for him. Ren decided he liked him.

"Jaune Arc. Pleasure to meet you." The newly named Jaune said with a smile, serving himself a cup and refilling Ren's. "They're serving pancakes right now, and I don't know about you, but I could use some food for the challenge ahead." Ren followed the blond out, watching him stop and pick up a plain sword and shield. Ren eyed it, a little surprised.

"It's been a while since I've seen a classic," He remarked, hands wrapped around the slowly cooling cup of coffee. Jaune gave another sheepish grin and shrug. Ren couldn't help but feel that the move was a little defensive.

"It was my great-Grandmother's," Jaune said wistfully. "I'm named after her." Ren ran through his history in his head. There was a famous J-Named hero in there somewhere.

"Joan of Arc." Ren was a little surprised. Last he'd heard, the family had been wiped out by the Witch last year. How did he manage to escape her radar? "That's a lot to live up to." Ren said, watching Jaune's shoulders tense.

"Yeah, it is." Jaune left the sentence as it was, picking up two plates and serving them both. "Six or eight?"

"Eight," Ren answered mildly, hunting down knives and forks.

Armed to the teeth with food and coffee, Ren settled down for an interrogation.

This was going to be interesting.

Ren was right. It was interesting, in the 'Oh my fucking god there's a riot' category. He'd never met a civilian so capable yet unskilled, or with such a tightly bound Aura.

Well, Ren sulked to himself, Now I know why he's still alive. Not that I wanted to know. At home, Aura bindings were only done to illegitimate children, or war criminals. To live ten years without his Aura, to spend months and years recovering from even minor injuries … Well, Jaune had his sympathy. Even minor skill took a ferocious amount of effort for Jaune to have, and Jaune's Aura bled and screamed for freedom, unbalancing the poor boy further.

Ren pulled the blond aside, startling Jaune slightly. Ren was starting to get a bit sick at the screaming Aura, so much so that he had to breathe hard to remove the wooziness from his system from just touching Jaune. Jaune of course misinterpreted it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jaune asked gently, not quite touching him, but close. Ren shook his head.

"How can you let your Aura suffer like that?" Ren blurted finally. Jaune blinked and looked up at him.

"Gesundheit," Jaune said automatically. Ren stifled the smile that gave him.

"You don't know?" Ren asked, exasperated. Jaune frowned.

"I've been like this for as long as I can remember," Jaune reminded him. Ren almost screamed at him. How could he not realize? Damn it. Ren calmed down, promising himself something to kill later. "Is … this a bad thing?" Jaune asked hesitantly. Ren merely scowled at the question.

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own. Close your eyes." Ren said finally, resigned.

"Um … Okay?" Jaune obeyed, distantly confused. Ren's hand covered Jaune's eyes.

"It is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death." Ren murmured quietly, feeling Jaune's Aura press hard and forcefully against the bindings, emitting a bright white glow that startles Ren slightly. His own Aura wasn't nearly so strong. "I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." The binding snapped, and Ren was forced to bend over, panting.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, intrigued in spite of himself. First Signal's prodigy student, and now Flare's. Jaune was more like his ancestor than he knew. All he needed was a little more training and a push … Ozpin smiled, already composing a letter in his head to Rise Arc.

His grandmother would be proud.