Author's Note: Here is the original Author's Note, nearly untouched:

Alright, so as pointed out by an anon named "Scientist", a very reliable source, chloroform takes approximately 15 minutes to take full effect. So, to my readers that were offended that I was sorely lacking in my ability to write a realistic kidnapping scene, I offer two explanations and leave it to you to choose which one you like more:

1 – Remnant, just like real life, has more than one form of chloroform. The two main ones I know are chloroform and deuterated chloroform. Chloroform is CHCl3 while deuterated chloroform is CDCl3. So, excuse 1—I mean explanation 1—is that in RWBY, CDCl3 stands for dust chloroform, which is super-fast acting. 😃

2 – Excuse 2, if you choose to believe it, is that your dear beloved fanfiction author Ikedawg43 has never used chloroform to incapacitate and kidnap someone. Now, this one does sound like a lame excuse, as it would mean I only know of chloroform's kidnapping purposes through TV and movies…

I wonder which one it is…

Totally going with option 1, personally. Believe it or not, I actually have worked with chloroform…in a lab setting. It makes a good solvent for 1H-NMR Spectroscopy, and deuterated chloroform even more so. However, we are discouraged from trying to knock out other occupants of the lab, so I never used it any further than taking the world's greatest creepy Tinder profile picture: backwards douchebag hat, lab googles, neck beard, and a bottle of toxic chloroform.

Also, to the anon Scientist who pointed it out, thanks for letting me know! I will plan my future excursions accordingly. I wonder why no one ever told me about how to properly use chloroform, so…


Past

(Jaune's POV)

I slowly began to regain consciousness. Apparently, it was too slow for someone's liking, as I got a few like jabs in the side by a foot.

After a few moments to process, I jolted awake and made an effort to survey my surroundings. I'm on my back lying on concrete and the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes were distant lights on a ceiling. They looked like the type of fixtures used to save power in warehouses, and a quick scan of my sides revealed that I was in an empty warehouse.

Well, empty of things that belonged in a warehouse. Off in the distance, almost in a loose circle around me, were intermingled thugs that were simultaneously watching me and ignoring me. A few feet in front of me were the two from the other day—Neo and Mercury.

"Oh good, he's awake. Let's kill him." Mercury deadpanned, though not with as much sarcasm as I would have liked. If he were a little more sarcastic, I would be able to know that he was kidding.

"Okay…so, you kidnapped me and brought me to an empty warehouse? Not exactly what I expected from the evening…"

"So here's the deal, dipshit. We've done our homework on you and all of your little friends. We're not impressed…" Mercury began coldly. Neo cut her eyes at Mercury just slightly; not enough to make me think she thought more highly of me, but just enough to tell me she didn't see eye to eye with him. "…unless you've been holding something back, we just don't see any way you could have anything for us."

A chill ran down my spine as I weighed Mercury's words, and more importantly, his tone. Bored, slightly resentful, and thinly-veiled irritation. He doesn't want to be here. He thinks he has better things to do, and more significantly, that I'm wasting his time.

But if both of them are here, surrounded by a gang for reinforcements, then someone thinks I could be worth the risk.

I turned my gaze to Neo, trying to see what cues I could read from her. She's…difficult. Her posture was relaxed, almost too much so, as she leaned back with her umbrella held against her shoulder. Everything I've heard from Yang and Ruby suggested this was normal behavior for her, and her smirk told me nothing.

"So if you aren't a waste of my time, then you're going to have to convince me."

I locked eyes with Mercury as he let the words hang in the air for me to interpret.

"Let me see if I have this right; you, Mercury Black, a finalist from the Vytal Festival who threw a match against Yang Xiao Long, are going to fight me to get me to defect?"

Neo acted offended, making a show of it with her arms and a shrug of her shoulders.

"And Neo. Don't forget that."

I cocked my head to the side slightly as I took in that information. Mercury smirked at the uncertain look on my face.

"And Neo, who nearly killed Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose without breaking a sweat. I would have hated to leave that part out…" I spat back sarcastically. Neo's smirk deepened a little at my dig at Mercury.

"Should I even ask what point making me fight you two proves?" I asked despondently as I began mentally preparing myself for a fight.

I got no answer, only a flat glare from Mercury.

"Also, just gonna throw it out there I don't have a semblance, so like, if y'all felt like not using yours, I would appreciate it."

Two flat glares this time. Something tells me this isn't going to be a clean spar. Either I win, or no one finds my body.

And isn't that just a cheery thought to pump yourself up, huh?

"Alright, fine…" I huffed out while drawing my sword, leaving my shield on my hip in sheath-form for the moment. "Bring it on, Captain Kicky."


A Tiny Bit Further into The Past, Like Maybe a Few Days or So…

(Jaune's POV)

With our plan set, Ruby and I snuck up on our target. All we had to do is ambush him simultaneously. It was so simple, really. A great way to win this stupid bet. After all, the terms of the bet only said that I had to beat Mr. Nikos while he was anywhere within the confines of the sparring mats. I was allowed—nay, encouraged—to ambush him, catch him off-guard, and choose the landscape I wanted. There was nothing that prohibited me from hiring some extra muscle to help me out.

And really, I had expected Ruby to ask for at least double digit cookies. She must have given me the I-still-feel-guilty-about-letting-Pyrrha-die-and-am-worried-about-you-so-I'll-do-anything-to-make-sure-you-know-you-have-friends-that-care-about-you discount. Coming from anyone else, I would have been oblivious to that fact, but this is Ruby we're talking about. Even I could pick up on that.

She had even agreed to use a basic sword from the training rack. She had technically been trained in swordplay by Qrow, so we figured if I was going to bend the rules of the bet, then the least I could do is make it a true sword-fight.

Her blade was simple, having been designed with the sole purpose of being used to teach swordplay. It didn't really have a true form it was molded in. It was just a sword, plain and simple. It was shorter and lighter than mine, but Ruby's speed meant that was probably ideal.

Ahead, our target leaned against a watercooler, having a quick drink to cool off. He was technically still on the training rack, and he even had his back to us, so I motioned to Ruby to approach slowly. With swords drawn, we crept our way up to him, and once I got close enough I jumped up to bring my sword straight down. I was hoping to take a decent chunk out of his aura and really hamper his fighting right from the start, but the infamous Jaune Arc luck held true as a random shield propped up against an exercise machine was polished enough to show a rough reflection.

In an instant, Mr. Nikos had drawn his sword and spun around to deflect the blow coming from overhead, buying him enough time to roll away from us.

"Ah, so you think this is your best option?" Mr. Nikos called out with a grin, alluding to my 2v1 approach.

"Well, Ruby's a heck of a fighter, so I guess me helping her beat you is my best option here."

"I don't know if I would say helping so much as like, uh, moral support?" Ruby teased lightly.

"Oh, and here I thought you were trying to make this easier for me…No offense, Ruby."

"Uh…unless you countered my offer, I'm pretty sure the odds are stacked in my favor here…" I countered.

"Well, would you care to double the bet and end it with this fight?"

No. No I do NOT care for that. He clearly has something up his sleeve.

"Sure." Ruby called out before I could cover her mouth with my hand. "That means I get twice the cookies, right?"

"Only if we win, Rubes."

"Well then…" Mr. Nikos stated loudly to regain our attention. He shifted into a defensive stance, equipping his shield and putting away one of his swords. He could have combined the two symmetrical swords into one larger sword, but he was clearly banking on speed and defense. "Bring it on, then."


A Super Small Jump Forward, But Still in the Past. Let's Say Like a Minute Later

(Also, POV Swap to 3rd Person, But Just for This Scene…)

Jaune Arc laid sprawled out on the training mat. His hoodie was now backwards on his chest—his arms in the correct holes to be wearing the hoodie backwards—and the hood pulled over his face. He liked to think the soft cloth made the blow to his face hurt slightly less, but somewhere between the third and fourth punch he went a little numb and tumbled backwards.

Off in the distance, Ruby's cape was pinned to the wall with Crocea Mors, with a very grumpy Ruby pouting as she dangled lazily. It was fortunate that she ensured that all her capes attached to her shoulders to that they wouldn't choke her during moments like this. As she hung, cross-armed and frowning, she slowly spun in circles, tangling her cape and then untangling it as she spun back the other direction.

Hanging from the sword that pinned her cape 15 feet up the wall were Jaune's underwear. Neither Ruby or Jaune are really certain how that happened.

"Care to take a guess how that happened?" Mr. Nikos called out with a chuckle to neither of his two opponents in particular.

"Divine intervention?" Jaune mumbled weakly.

"Witchcraft?" Ruby called back, still upset to be hanging.

"Nope. It's because fighting together actually makes you less likely to win against a good defensive opponent unless you are very, very practiced in fighting together. More often than not, you just get in the way of each other or make each other nervous that you'll hit your partner. It takes years and total trust and faith in a partner before you can truly fight together and overwhelm a superior duelist.

"And on top of that, as a defensive fighter you just made it easy for me. With two different opponents, I don't have time to overthink or get lost in my own plans. I have to react to survive. I have to use the least amount of energy possible to block, dodge, and deflect, and I have to be quick about it. I have to stay inside my guard and let the fight come to me. To many, this is overwhelming. But if you can stay calm, you'll find that the pressure and concentration needed puts you in touch with your instincts. Your mind calms, your muscles loosen, your reactions quicken, your motions become more fluid, and you feel at ease. A true calm within the storm. Once you find that rhythm, there are only a handful of opponents I've ever seen who can beat you."

"Cool story. WILL SOMEONE GET ME DOWN?!"


You Know What, Let's Just Resume the Fight with Neo and Mercury. I'm Tired of Keeping Track of Time Skips.

I don't have time to glance down at my scroll to check my aura—oh wait, they took my scroll anyways—but I'm confident it would be hovering at 60% right now.

A kick came in from the left, aiming for my head. I ducked under it but didn't have time to strike back against Mercury as Neo went for a leg sweep with her umbrella to my right. Since I was crouched, I didn't have time to jump, so I stabbed my sword in my right hand down to the concrete and blocked the blow as it came. With a small window left, and used the tension in my legs from the couch to lunge towards Neo, shoulder-first. She dodged, but not completely and I knocked her slightly to my right. As I passed her, I parlayed my shoulder bash into a leaping roll to create some separation.

If I had to guess, I would say that Mercury's aura was in the 80s range. I remember from the Vytal Festival that he didn't usually take damage from the blows his feet dealt, but I can see him grimace whenever I fully block a kick with my shield, so he's been slowly chipping himself down. Not nearly as much as I have been, though.

And there's still Neo over here with probably like 98%. That shoulder bash that grazed her was the first time I touched her, and I'm pretty sure she took more damage by falling on the ground afterwards than from the graze itself.

Think. Form a plan. Play them against themselves. Find that rhythm. Plan out a strike that will get you back in this fight, and do everything necessary to land that blow.

A plan came to mind. It would put me at a disadvantage at first, but it might force me to truly rely on my instincts and get into a groove. And, if it worked properly, might let me put a big slash in Neo's aura.

I folded my shield into a sheathe and returned it to my hip. Mercury and Neo hitched for a step, watching my new development with intensity. They knew I was trying something new, and they didn't look concerned. If anything, they look liked they smelled blood in the water.

I bent my left arm at the elbow and held it out parallel to the ground and then rested my sword on top of my arm, with the blade pointing towards Neo. This kept Mercury just to the right of the blade and firmly within my vision. It wasn't a form I was used too—or had ever used—but it was one I had seen before. And what better time to try something I had no clue how to use

Neo charged first, swinging to my left in an obvious set-up blow to force me towards Mercury. I stepped slightly to the right to avoid the blow, then lunged to stab straight out with my sword. However, instead of aiming for her head, I aimed slightly to the right of her head, baiting her to parry the blow towards Mercury. She reacted instinctively and parried like I had hoped she would, forcing my blade towards Mercury and away from herself but leaving her lower left half exposed.

Having planned this strike, I stepped towards Neo with my left foot as soon as she began her parry. My right foot drop stepped behind my left, beginning to spin me. I used Neo's added force on my blade to swing it in a wide arc towards Mercury, successively swiping at his stomach, drawing it muffled yelp and forcing him to readjust his direction away from the sharp steel blade cutting away at his aura.

I cut that arc short once it had dealt its blow and brought my sword in close to my body to accelerate my spin. Before she could react, I had gotten my back to face Neo's side. I put the rest of my weight into the spin and ended up behind her just as my elbow brought the culmination of the force of my spin, my weight, and the weight of my sword into the back of Neo's head. A brutal blow that would stagger her while I pressed the fight with Mercury.

I took two steps towards Mercury as my hands dropped low and to my right, preparing a large upper diagonal swipe. Mercury had recovered from earlier but hadn't had a chance to reset himself, and he was still jumpy from being caught off-guard. He began to side-step the blow that I hadn't actually started to swing, so instead of swinging I took another step towards him, bringing us inches apart, and brought my left elbow up to catch him under the nose. It had the added bonus of the energy I had been building up for my swing, not to mention the stun-factor of a blow landed to the nose.

Mercury began to stumble backwards but I wouldn't let him get away. I stepped forwards to match his pace. With my hands now above my body after my elbow-strike, I quickly brought the pommel into Mercury's forehead—another quick, stunning blow.

With Mercury now stumbling backwards blindly, I had once chance for a free blow. Knowing it had to be big enough to incapacitate him, I took a wide spin and took a large, nearly 360 degree upper-diagonal swing with my sword. I mentally cheered as I saw it land unblocked on his chest, knocking him down. Somewhere between landing the blow and Mercury falling down, I saw his aura—a dark gray, go figure—fizzle and shatter.

I dropped my arms to my side, catching my breath and trying to come to grips with what had just happened. That was awesome, but it feels like I'm forgetting something.

Oh. Yeah. THAT.

I felt a tug at my sword, and before I knew it Neo had snuck up to my side and hooked it with her umbrella to yank it from me. My gripped tightened as she began to yank against it, but without warning I let my grip slacken and the sword flew out of my hand and bounced across the ground. Neo was not prepared for me to let her yank the sword away, and stumbled backwards from the weight she had thrown around. She didn't panic, however, as she was just out of arms reach, and my sword was a good ten feet away now.

I chuckled. This plan was going to work.

I reached down with my right hand and grasped the top of my sheath. Ruby once pointed out that even though it folds up, it still weighs the same. It is a very study shield, after all. It's just a large hunk of heavy, sturdy metal in the basic shape of a sword. Not great in a duel, but…

With a small twist of my wrist, my sheath disconnected from my belt. …just like a shield, if your opponent doesn't consider how much damage it could do…

I twisted my hips as I swung the sheath—again in an upper-diagonal arc; it's worked so far, so why quit now—and savored the glimpse of shock in Neo's eyes. Honestly, I would be shock to get pimp-slapped by Jaune Arc's sheath, too.

then your opponent will soon learn what it feels like when it smacks them upside the head.

The smack that resounded as the sheath connected with Neo's face was sickening, to the point where the previously-silent crowd could be heard recoiling from the collision. For such a small opponent, that's not a blow that can be brushed off easily.

Again, I let my arms fall to my side and tried to catch my breath, but this time it wasn't part of my plan. If I had planned on that working, then right now my plan would say "celebrate obnoxiously." Unfortunately, I was too distracted marveling at my victory to really think of any victory dance or taunt that felt appropriate.

I turned in a circle to survey the crowd, who all held shocked faces. A few of them cheered—or rather, leered at Mercury and Neo.

I continued spinning around and watching the crowd, until I spun far enough to catch a glimpse of Mercury's leg spinning mid-air. About a foot from my face and rapidly approaching.

Right. That's what I forgot.

Boot met face. Face met floor. Lights out.

Present

(Qrow's POV)

It didn't strike me odd that Ruby didn't want to speak about her conversation with Jaune in front of her friends. They were all emotional—and they had every right to be—and even though she knows it isn't directed at her at all, the confused hostility in the air wasn't exactly something that encouraged her to share. After all, Jaune quite likely lashed out and said things meant to hurt or confuse Ruby. Whether he meant them or not, I can't say, but after being shot by the man there is no telling what state of mind Ruby may be in.

That's why it didn't even surprise me when Ruby didn't want to tell her dear favorite uncle what they had talked about, far away from the others in a much warmer and friendlier setting. Not that a hospital room was exactly the most comfortable place, but it was a good sight better than the observation room.

What did surprise me, however, was that Ruby would try to lie to me about what they had talked about.

"He just…he was bragging about the fight with me. He tried to insult my Crescent Rose."

It was believable. No one would bat an eye that it bothered Ruby that someone would dare insult her baby. Her team would have not only fallen for the lie, but have rallied behind it.

But for all her playfulness and naivety, Ruby Rose had the thickest skin of anyone he had ever known. She was what, like, 15—side note, I need to ask Yang discretely to put reminders for their birthdays a month ahead of time so I have time to buy gifts—and the only thing that had ever rattled her was Penny's death. And now that that had shaken her, she would be even stronger.

There is no way that a simple insult would put her in such a…abnormal state. Even if it was about the World's Second Greatest Scythe™.

Which begged the question: what could Jaune have said to get Ruby to lie for him?