Here we go, here we go. The beginning of the cold war. I had a lot of good responses from last chapter, though a few… concerned I will say… I think some assumed I was just going to have Jaune completely outsmart Cinder in like one chapter and win…
When has Jaune ever had it so easy in this story? So yes, I do realise Cinder is more experienced than him… but that doesn't mean he can't gain some ground. Life isn't quite so binary as win or lose, there's a lot of middle ground to be had. Plus, well... we'll see more here - he isn't going to be challenging her to a fair game. Actually, think of it as them each playing a different game. Jaune doesn't know what Cinder's win condition is, but she doesn't know his either.
Also to answer the one critical review on how Jaune shouldn't have been able to "outsmart" Winter back in that sales pitch… he didn't outsmart her at all. He just got a better deal… I mean that's life. I've been in sales, and I too have experienced losing a SURE sale because some other firm managed to undercut us last moment. That's just business.
Remember that Jaune is an unreliable narrator – all my PoV pieces are. They only know, what THEY have experienced. Jaune feels he outsmarted both Winter and Cinder… but did he? Sure Cinder provided the dust at a loss… but she needs the Vytal Festival to happen for her plans. So is it really him outsmarting her at all? Don't take comments Jaune says in his mind quite so literally, because they are his opinion. Not fact.
Cover Art: Exvnir
Chapter 21
Blake wasn't sure what to think when they were drawn before Professor Arc as a group. She'd been prepared for the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch; after all, she'd violated the terms of their agreement by going after the White Fang once more. But the moment the stern woman had brought them back to Beacon, she'd been pulled aside by the young teacher, the two of them engaging in a heated discussion – too quiet for any of them to pick out the details.
Eventually however, the woman had nodded, saying that Professor Arc would be handling their punishment in this matter, since Blake was his responsibility. The others weren't exactly exempt from that either, since they had willingly gone out with her.
At least they'd stopped the White Fang from getting hold of one of those giant robots.
Plus… they'd made an altogether more startling discovery…
"What am I going to do with you guys?" The blond man shook his head as he sat down in his couch, leaving the four girls to arrange themselves on the two larger sofas. Weiss and Ruby feigned attention, but the faunus could see their eyes greedily scanning the room. Now that she thought of it, neither of the two had actually been to his office before. It was mostly just her and Yang… which painted a pretty damning picture actually.
Maybe she should leave out the biweekly trips to a therapist from her résumé.
"Give us a medal?" Yang suggested, "we did fight off a big-ass robot controlled by a criminal, that's got to be worth something."
"On a major road filled with traffic, which put hundreds of people at risk." Blake winced, feeling her shoulders hunch even as Yang's mouth clicked shut.
"Ah… you saw that, did you?" The blonde girl stammered.
"Saw it?" The Professor sounded amused, "me and no doubt half of Vale – it was all over the nine o'clock news."
"Oh God," Ruby whined, echoing the thoughts of them all, "that means dad'll have seen it… I'm doomed…"
"You're doomed?" Yang snorted, "you'll pull that cute and broken look and dad will immediately think it was me that led you astray – like you always do!"
"Yang did it!" The small girl cried, getting a growl from the elder sister. Blake could only shake her head, imagining what it must have been like to live with those two as your children. She pitied the poor man… no doubt Beacon was a welcome break for him.
"Anything you wish to add Miss Schnee?" Jaune Arc leaned back in his seat, holding a mug of steaming coffee under his chin. It was that which granted a small reprieve to Blake. After spending so long working under him… with him – she meant with him. Either way, she'd started to learn some small bits and pieces about Beacon's youngest teacher… and one of those was that he was always in a good mood when he was drinking coffee.
"I have no regrets over what we did," the proud girl lifted her head to look him straight in the eye. At that very moment, Blake felt an incredible camaraderie with the girl… so strange, given their opposing heritage.
Adam was wrong… they could live together.
"That's good, I suppose – no one your age should have to live with regret."
Do you? Blake wondered, though she knew not to pose that question… given his past, there was no doubt plenty of things to wish could have gone differently. Were they similar in that regard? And if so, what did it matter? Life wasn't about matching negativity with others, better to spend time focused on the good – like her team, her new family.
A family that might now be in jeopardy.
"And thus we come to the crux of the matter," the man turned to face Blake, brow raised, "and what does our resident vigilante have to say for herself?"
"I have no regrets," she echoed, to a snort from him.
"You're good at parroting the excuses given by others. Let me guess, you got lost, and Yang's really bad at directions." The blonde girl in question stifled her own giggles, even as Blake flushed. The other two didn't get the reference, and if she had her way – they never would.
Professor Arc let out a long sigh, silencing them all. "I took a big risk saying I would cover for you Blake, you do realise that, right?"
"Of course, but I can't just ignore the White Fan-"
"Why not?"
"Wh-what!?" How could he ask that? "They're stealing dust across all of Vale, they clearly have some kind of plan in place – not to mention them now working with Torchwick!"
"And why is it, that Blake Belladonna – student of Beacon – has to be the one to stop them? Why can it not be the police, the Hunters, the faculty here at Beacon?"
"Because I'm the only person willing to do anything!"
"Don't be so arrogant!" The words snapped from his lips, causing her to flinch. Beside her Yang stiffened, as Ruby sank into her seat. Weiss looked unaffected, though Blake could see the girl's fingers going white. "You think you're the only one who notices this going on, that the entirety of Vale is just twiddling its thumbs while the White Fang run rampant? Or is it that you think you're the only one in possession of a brain in all of Remnant?"
"No, I-"
"Maybe you didn't notice," the man continued, "but we have a freaking General of Atlas here now, with an armada of high-tech battleships coming soon after. What did you think those were for, decoration? Shall I tell them to go home because a seventeen-year-old girl thinks she can do a better job?"
"Wait – what, General Ironwood?" Weiss interrupted, "and the army, coming here!?"
The teacher paused, cringing lightly – and Blake realised it was because of what he'd let slip. And what knowledge it was… Atlas was sending soldiers to Vale? Were they going to be slipping in with the Vytal Festival, that would make sense since most people would assume they were just there for that.
"I-…" he took a deep breath, "that titbit needs to remain quiet, Team RWBY, and I mean that with all seriousness – you could ruin more people than you realise if you gossip about this."
"We won't tell anyone," Blake promised, turning to look each of them in the eye. If this was for what he suggested… if they were being brought in to defend against the White Fang? Then there was no way she would spill this kind of information… not when there could be sympathisers among the students. "Right, guys?"
"Wait," Ruby gasped, "is that why I saw those soldiers in Vale? They were chasing after Penn- one of my friends, but I didn't realise what they were here for."
"Those may have been escorts for General Ironwood," the professor said, "either way I'll need you all to keep quiet about the fact. Just rest assured that you are not the only people concerned about what is going on, nor are you the only ones taking any action." His visage turned stern a second later, dark eyes boring into hers alone, "that said, we need you to not interfere any further if you can help it. You need to trust in us a little."
Trust in them?
Such simple words… and they should have meant little to her. She trusted them, didn't she?
The truth was… she wasn't sure. Authority had failed her time and time again, if justice had been in place then she'd never have been a part of the White Fang in the first place. From there she'd have never met with Adam, they'd have never gotten together and… the peaceful leadership would still be in place.
Had she stopped trusting anyone after that, without even realising it? It was so much easier to rely only on yourself after all… that didn't mean it was the right choice though.
And Jaune Arc had helped her before.
"I won't actively hunt the White Fang any further," she said slowly, making sure he heard everything, "but nor will I stand aside if they do something within my sight." The rest of the team looked at her, and she realised they were willing to follow her lead in this matter.
"That's all I ask," the man sighed, a small smile breaking onto his face. "There's nothing wrong about stepping in to prevent a crime, but when you go out of your way to place yourself in danger. That's when Beacon gets called into question, as well as your own mentality."
"But," she quickly added, "that doesn't mean I'm willing to just sit by and let them get away with things."
"Bla-"
It was her turn to interrupt however. "I can provide information, knowledge on what's going on and if I hear anything… it could help track them down, figure out what's going on." There wasn't so much she knew, not after having left like that. Adam wasn't an idiot, and she'd given what information she could over to Ozpin when she joined Beacon. The White Fang would have new meeting points, new passwords… but that didn't mean she couldn't do some research, figure out the patterns. That kind of information a General could probably use to stop them all. If he didn't arrest her first…
"Would you mind," she tried, "if I passed anything I find out onto you? That way you could claim it was something you'd researched on your own, and not me."
He paused, face twisting as he mulled over her offer. If he didn't take it… then she'd still do it anyway. Her personal freedom was a small price to pay for the protection of the friends she'd come to care for. No matter what he thought, this wasn't all about vengeance or paying back some debt.
The White Fang were a threat to Vale… which meant they were a threat to RWBY as well. She wouldn't let them hurt Yang, Ruby and Weiss like that.
"Fine," he surrendered, rubbing a hand through his golden locks as he often did. It was a verbal tick she'd noticed, something he only did when he'd been caught off guard. "That might be for the best anyway, I'd rather not involve any of you directly."
It amazed her sometimes… she could read between the lines where perhaps her teammates couldn't. If the White Fang found out that their intel was being leaked, then the obvious response would be to find and kill the source. He was willing to take that danger onto himself, to stop her having to deal with it…
Where had people like the teachers of Beacon been when she was younger?
Well… children themselves, at least in his case. The others likely hadn't had their positions fifteen years ago either, even then – she'd been born in Mistral. Vale tended to be a lot more liberal, though racism still existed.
"So we're not in trouble?" Yang cheered, holding up a fist towards Blake. She grinned back, though she steadfastly refused to give the girl a fist-bump of all things. Who did Yang think she was, Sun?
"Ha ha, no." The man's deadpan comment killed the joy in an instant. "You can't possibly think you could just fight a giant robot in traffic and get away with a telling off, did you? Even I can't be that lenient."
She'd dared to hope.
"Blake, your counselling will continue as it has been – but you'll be spending an extra hour each time." Okay, that wasn't so bad… it would get in the way, but he was being as kind as he could with it… it could have been so much worse. "Yang, Weiss and Ruby – you'll be having sessions with me as well, twice a week. I want to see you each for an hour on Tuesdays and Fridays, seven through ten. Come in whatever order you feel like at the time."
"Yes, sir!" Ruby saluted, causing Blake to sweat drop. Did the man actually think that was a punishment as far as the younger girl was concerned? Judging by the look on Ruby's face, her birthday and Christmas had come early.
"I understand, sir," Weiss accepted it with grace, though she was likely the only one of the three who didn't have some kind of personal reason to benefit.
"Sounds purr-fect, right kitty-kat?"
"Can you see if there's some kind of deep seated trauma behind that," Blake sighed, jerking a thumb towards Yang and her abominable puns. "If you can cure it we'd all appreciate it."
"I know dad would," Ruby sighed, ignoring Yang's indignant squawks.
"We'll see girls," the man chuckled, climbing to his feet and walking over to the kitchenette, "aside from this then, how are you all settling in with the new students, meet any interesting people?"
"We haven't had much of a chance," Weiss replied, accepting a cup of tea he handed over to each of them. Ruby accepted one as well, even though Blake knew the girl privately hated it. The faunus couldn't help the small smirk that came to her lips when the young leader feigned enjoyment, taking a big sip. She didn't think anyone missed the twisted grimace on her face though. "Lessons with them all will start soon though, I definitely want to interact with a few."
"That's a good idea," the professor nodded, "international co-operation is key for Hunters, especially in our attempts to end the Grimm threat once and for all. In fact, perhaps you should all try and speak with as many as possible. Hell, we could make it part of the punishment, and you have to report on what you find out to me."
"Report on people we meet?" Ruby seemed uncertain on the idea, and Blake personally thought it was a little odd too. Unless this was an attempt to distract them from the White Fang?
She wouldn't be distracted so easily.
"Sure, consider it practice for when you're all official hunters. You've not been on a practice mission yet, but once you do you'll need to do a full report to a teacher afterwards."
"We have our first official missions after the dance, right?" Yang asked, getting a tentative nod from the teacher. Blake had almost forgotten about that, in all reality… it was to be their first official missions, as in they would totally go on their record. Though they'd be shadowed and helped by a more experienced Hunter, just to make sure nothing went wrong.
After that the missions would become more common, though with the Vytal Festival so soon they'd likely delay the rest until after that. The premise was simple, no better teacher than experience. Forever Fall was a simulated mission in a sense, she supposed… even if no real Hunter would be expected to go out and gather sap.
"Speaking of the dance," Yang grinned, "we're in charge of organising it since the older team in charge are on a mission. You coming with anyone, teach?"
Ugh… trust Yang to jump straight to that. Either way, he'd surely be coming with that new teach-
"No, I don't imagine so… I hadn't thought about it, actually."
Wait, really? Blake wasn't really interested herself, but that didn't mean she was oblivious to the gossip around school, or what had gone on at the speech. Yang on the other hand? Hoo boy… if she'd been the faunus, her ears would have been perked. Ruby wasn't much different.
"Aren't you and Miss Fall, y'know," Yang prodded, looking for the right word, "together?"
"Gods no," the man replied, and it was the speed of the response which caught them off guard. As though the mere idea of it was repulsive. "As much as she might wish it, never."
Blake shared a glance with Yang, who raised a brow in response. Blake could understand the girl's confusion… even if Yang was jealous of the woman, there was no denying her beauty. Even Blake, as straight as an arrow, could say Miss Fall was incredibly good looking.
But then, you couldn't judge a book by its cover, could you?
"What about that kiss then?" It was Weiss this time who piped up, the white-haired girl looking intrigued despite her lack of romantic interest in the man. Or at least, Blake thought she had no interest… who could ever understand the mind of that girl?
"Ugh," one hand came up to rub down his face, "I didn't have a choice in that… she's not the kind of woman who gives you an option." He paused, wincing again, "forget I said that."
"She forced you!?" Weiss seemed horrified, shocked and offended all in one. Blake felt much the same, compounded when the man glanced away. This was the person who had helped her… who even now was covering for her.
She respected… no, she genuinely liked Professor Jaune Arc. He was a good friend, even if he was older than her.
"Not the way you're thinking, just… some people don't take no for an answer, they just keep pushing. I'm sure you ladies know the type."
Blake certainly did… not only with Sun, bless him. At least Sun listened to what she said, gave her space and was, at worst a little bumbling… Adam though? That had been… interesting. And not always in a good way.
Weiss and Yang seemed to have had similar experiences too, judging from their expressions. Though thankfully for Blake's heart, Ruby didn't wear the same distaste. She supposed Yang had kept an eye out for that, and made sure anyone with ideas towards the young girl, promptly had them shoved up their ass.
Among the teachers though? I mean… it makes sense, he's only twenty and she can't be much older… maybe twenty-four or so. I guess dating doesn't change all that much in a few years.
"Don't worry about it," Jaune waved a hand dismissively, laughing it off. He laughed alone however, as the four girls exchanged worried looks. Seemed she wasn't alone in this. Say what you will, he appeared to be a favourite teacher to all of them, and hearing that he was being sexual harassed? By some upstart new transfer teacher?
That didn't sit well.
"Look, you guys… just leave it be. I'll ignore her, come the end of the Festival she'll go back to Haven and that'll be the end of it. You do not want to be caught messing with a teacher – especially not her – she isn't as kind as I am. She'd try to expel you in an instant, and she might be able to get away with it too!"
"Hey, don't worry prof!" Yang laughed. It was loud and punctuated, and so very fake. "We're not gonna do anything stupid like that, right girls?"
"Of course not."
"Nope."
"I'm not that foolish."
Four sets of eyes met, conveying a silent message between each of them.
"Anyway, we'll call things sorted from here," the professor didn't notice their silent conversation, "Blake, I'll be holding you to your promise this time, so if you find anything out – bring it to me first. The rest of you, remember your counselling sessions, and I'm serious here. Do not do anything that will get you in trouble with Miss Fall."
"We understand," Ruby said, as the rest of the team climbed to their feet. "We won't do anything that will get us in trouble with the Beacon teachers. And thanks for looking out for our team again, Jaune." The small girl smiled, even though her silver eyes were hard and focused. "Come on team, let's not take any more of his time."
The four of them shuffled from the room, offering their own goodbyes as they each left. Blake was the last, taking one last peek at the man as she shut the door. He was sat once more in his seat, hunched over a cup of cold coffee. It seemed unnatural… she didn't like it.
It wasn't until the four of them were alone in the corridors, now late at night, that they spoke once more.
"To think a teacher would be so vulgar," the white-haired girl scoffed, flicking her hair aside. "There's nothing worse than someone who won't take a hint."
"I get you there Weiss-cream, had enough of that crap back in Signal. Hotshot boys thinking they're all that, like they have the right to you."
"You heard what he said though," Blake cautioned, "she could make our lives difficult if she catches us."
"Then we won't be caught." Three sets of eyes looked to the young leader ahead of them, who had stopped in the middle of the hallway. "We'll only get in trouble if we do something that gets her against us."
"Eh, you mean like everything you've been doing to her so far?" The blonde of the team teased. Weiss made to rebuke her partner on that matter, as she had the other day. But now with the new knowledge they had, the heiress paused, eating her words.
Blake as well, to be honest… what had once seemed childish now turned out to be fully deserved. She couldn't say she'd seen that coming.
"Ruby does have a point though," Blake found herself chipping in, "the professor only said to avoid anything that would get us in trouble. What if we find something that will get her in trouble instead?"
"You mean proof," Weiss whispered, stroking her chin. "If we could get irrefutable proof of her actions, or maybe catch her doing something against the rules…?"
"Then she would be forced to leave," Yang finished. The brawler's hand came up into a fist, and Blake could almost swear she saw some heat coming from it.
"Exactly," Ruby nodded, "and then when we rescue professor Jaune from that evil witch he'll be filled with gratitude!" The girl's face went red at that, as she started squirming in place, crossing her feet over one another as she fidgeted with the hem of her hood.
"Oh, you and your crush are just too cute," Yang gushed, grabbing the girl and rubbing a fist into her scalp. "Even if you'll never have a chance of beating meeee!"
"Yang!" The girl complained, freeing herself and rushing over to Weiss with semblance-enhanced speed. The heiress sighed at being used as a human shield, though her arctic gaze was enough to halt the elder sister's pursuit. "I don't have a crush on Jaune! And no you won't beat me!"
"Ruby," Weiss sighed over one shoulder, "I think even the robots in Atlas know about your crush."
"I don't fancy Jaune!" The girl, whose face now matched her hood, whined. "Quit it!" Blake shook her head as the two moved off, one desperately trying to deny what everyone knew as fact. And frankly if he didn't know, then he was an idiot.
She couldn't help but think he was ignoring it. Especially since he already… wait…
"Yang," the faunus whispered, sliding over to her partner, "we didn't tell him about his… well, who we saw with Torchwick." His lover, Neo… she hadn't been sure how to break the news, but with their own fates on the line she'd completely forgotten about it.
"I don't think we should," the blonde replied, "think about it… it's kinda like he said. We might have caused problems stopping the Fang by just busting that meeting, right? Well what if we tell the prof about his girl? He'll go and confront her, then she'll get away."
Emotionally compromised… she caught her partner's meaning in an instant. Professor Jaune was involved with her, and had been since Vacuo apparently. It would be like… well it would be like her leaving Adam. He hadn't responded at the time, likely due to the shock – allowing her to escape.
Jaune Arc might do the same…
"What do we do then, go to Ozpin?"
Yang shook her head. "You remember what he said? We shouldn't go out of our way to seek out the Fang, but it's fine to get involved in something we see, to prevent a crime. Well… if we have all these counselling sessions with him, then who can say what will happen if we spot her."
"I see…" and then they could ambush and arrest her, and when Jaune found out the truth – and handed her over to this General that was coming? It might mean the end of the Fang altogether. Or the end of Torchwick's involvement with them… which could only be a good thing.
"What's with that tone of voice? My plan is sweet!"
"Oh I am impressed," Blake rolled her eyes, aiming a sidelong smirk at the girl. "Just surprised. Sometimes I forget you actually have a brain in that head of yours. It catches me off-guard."
"Why, you…" Yang growled playfully, reaching out to swat at Blake. She ducked beneath it with a laugh.
"What do you mean everyone knows?" Ruby whined, "I don't fancy him! I don't!"
Jaune watched the door close, staring down into his coffee. It wasn't until the latch finally clicked however, that he allowed himself to lean back in his seat with a relieved sigh. Well… mission accomplished, I guess.
The extra paperwork from taking over their punishments would be annoying… but Oobleck was right. He needed more allies. And what's more, he'd been relying on luck up until now. Glynda had been an ally who had come up to him, Roman had become an ally through blackmail… Neo, the same. All throughout Beacon, he hadn't made a single real ally himself – through his own conscious actions.
Until now…
An hour with each of them, twice a week. He could use it to build bonds with them, while also making sure they were safe from Cinder. They would be his eyes and ears among the students, reporting back to him on what was going on… and hopefully what Cinder was teaching them.
I hope my warning on that account went through… it had been a calculated risk to let slip that little fib about her predatory ways. Even if ignoring the blatant scheming looks on their faces had been a task. Seriously… they thought they were so subtle, it was almost cute. Staring at one another, meaningful looks – completely ignoring him?
Blake at least… come on girl, weren't you White Fang at one point?
Either way… there was nothing Cinder would be able to do to them so long as they stayed in Beacon… and with their newfound curfew, they'd have less reason to be caught fighting terrorists outside of it. So long as he kept an eye on Cinder, made sure she didn't make any moves towards them… it would be fine. And she wouldn't want to risk her position by hurting students anyway.
If she tried to… well, the game would be up.
He'd confess on the spot. Those four girls… they weren't something he was willing to risk.
They're also the same age as me, so referring to them as younger is a little weird. Truth was, however... he honestly felt older than them.
It was the coffee and paperwork. It had to be. Adults drank way too much coffee, and now – doing the same work they had – he could understand why. How had he ever made it through the day without his prerequisite six cups?
Okay… enough musing, time for planning. Jaune sat down at his desk, resting both elbows on the table as he adopted what he had affectionately labelled his "scheming pose." RWBY are now stuck in Beacon, keeping them safe – and more importantly – bored. I know Blake's going to be doing research on the Fang, which could be useful if she gets me anything. But hopefully with this new lure, she'll focus a little more on Cinder.
If he could find anything out about her plans, then he could adapt to suit. Alternatively, if they found out anything more dangerous, like if she intended to hurt anyone? Well… Ozpin might find some interesting information passed onto him. All from Jaune's mysterious source of course… and if the man did dig deeper. Well, Ozpin already knew about Blake's past – so it wouldn't be a problem if he knew the intel came from her.
The important thing is that Cinder gets distracted by them. If she catches onto whatever they do, I can step in to discipline them, play it off as jealousy from them. She's unlikely to consider them a threat worth risking her charade over.
If Blake was able to find out anything about the White Fang, then great, that would be good for all of them and he could hand it over to Ozpin or even Ironwood, when he officially came back. It might even be enough to get the man off his back.
"Given the family problems," he whispered to himself, "maybe Winter would be interested in that too." Dealing with her again would be moderately terrifying, but it wouldn't be anything he couldn't handle.
The goal was simple… align as many people against Cinder as he could, without ever giving away that he was doing it. He didn't need to be the biggest threat to her, if he just threw a bunch of other – much more well equipped – people at her. Ozpin, Ironwood and Winter Schnee? If he could aim those three in her direction?
Heh… that would be a sight to see.
And, of course, the final gambit. If RWBY could make friends among the transfer students as he'd asked – and then report back on them to him? It would be a logistical nightmare, but if they could ferret out the spies from Cinder? Well… that would be handy.
It was too early to call checkmate… way too early, hell, she could turn around and set him on fire at whim. Plus, he wasn't even sure any of it would work… Not to mention, she hadn't even made her own move yet… and if he had his way, she wouldn't. It was only a fair game so long as she wasn't aware she was even playing.
With all her experience, not to mention how ruthless she was, the moment her attention was turned onto him, he'd lose. The last thing he needed was to play fair. I guess Roman taught me well in that regard.
Still…?
"Heh, checkmate, Cindy."
Aww yeah, that sounded awesome.
"Are you sure you're willing to take more time on yourself like this?" Glynda asked, as the teachers arranged themselves in the staffroom the following day. The first lessons of the day had already passed, the students now enjoying a short mid-morning break between periods. For the faculty, it was a vital time of resupply. One which Bart was using to top effect judging by the myriad empty mugs before him. "Team RWBY are trouble makers at the best of times, I can't imagine trying to deal with them all."
Trouble makers? In a sense that was what he was banking on, but he answered regardless. "That's why I'm splitting them up. They'll only be coming to see me one at a time. And besides, this whole mess is sort of an extension of Miss Belladonna's issues. Since she's mine to deal with, I ought to take these as well."
"This is a common problem in Beacon?" Cinder growled, running some fingers through her hair. He couldn't help but notice with some glee that it was damp, as though she'd recently taken a shower. And he doubted very much that had been by choice.
"Why of course," he waved one hand, "I think causing trouble and practical jokes is pretty common across all the Kingdoms. Isn't it like that in Haven?" She shot him a glare, smouldering eyes burning into him, and for a moment he wondered if he'd already given it away. Thankfully, she looked away, letting out a short sigh.
"I suppose; I'm just less used to being on the end of it."
"You're being hazed?" He hoped she didn't detect the laughter bubbling behind his lips, though even if she did, she'd likely just consider it him laughing at the insanity of the situation.
"How unfortunate," Glynda said, without the slightest hint of emotion. This, Cinder did notice, fixing a baleful glare on the blonde woman. Glynda was utterly unaffected… already a consummate master of such looks.
"Ahh, the perils of youth," Peter laughed, slamming a hand down on the table so hard that coffee spilled from their mugs. Ozpin's expression could have stood up, stepped away from the man's face, and summarily murdered the loud teacher. But Peter remained immune in his obliviousness. "What exactly have they been doing to you?"
"Little things," the criminal sighed, wringing some final moisture from her hair. "The breaking furniture appears to be a common theme. I don't think I've yet to sit on a seat that hasn't collapsed beneath me. Then there's my stationary being glued to the desk, chalk is usually missing, and this morning there was a bucket of milk balanced above my door."
I'm a big girl, I drink milk, Jaune recalled with a proud smile.
"Usually the second years or up," Jaune said, "I've noticed the first years tend to be more in awe, eager to learn at this point in their careers." The resident members of Beacon all nodded their agreement, even as Cinder's eyes narrowed. So long as her eyes were away from RWBY however, it would be fine.
"I'm sure it will die out soon enough," Cinder sighed. He couldn't help the way his eyes narrowed at that choice of words, though maybe he was over-analysing. She wasn't going to kill students while she was a teacher. He couldn't think of a quicker way for her to get rumbled. "Once the novelty wears off anyway."
"I agree," Peter nodded, "you're a new teacher here so they're probably just seeing how far they can push you. Give it a day or two and it won't happen again."
"If it does then let us know," Jaune added quickly, "if you pass on any names to me or Glynda then we'll handle it so it doesn't get in the way of your own plans." He kept the words subtle, though she seemed to catch the meaning nonetheless. She didn't nod, in fact she gave no sign of what she thought of it. But the seed was planted… hopefully it would take root, and if she did catch onto Ruby and her team, she'd deem it a waste of her time and let him handle it.
"Thank you," the criminal nodded to them all, "I'll keep that in mi-"
The sound of wood splintering cut through the conversation, as Cinder let out a startled yelp. Jaune would remember it to the end of his days… the moment in which the calm, collected and utterly dangerous woman's eyes widened – her arms flailed – and like a graceless Beowolf, she tumbled to the floor.
It was beautiful.
"Damn it, here too?" Cinder rubbed at her rear, a few strands of black hair floating before her eyes, which seemed to almost be on fire. Her breasts rose and fell as she took a few long breaths, clearly trying to calm herself down.
"How uncharacteristically childish of our prankster, don't you think, Glynda?" The Headmaster commented, drawing a sudden cough from Glynda. Jaune ignored the two, quickly leaving his chair to offer the woman a hand up. It wouldn't do for her to figure out how much joy he was taking from this after all.
"Maybe you should head to the next lesson early," Jaune suggested, lifting the woman to her feet, "if they keep sabotaging your chair, then you might be able to catch them in the act if you're there before them." Not that she would, he thought as she left the staffroom. Team RWBY's next lesson was Grimm Studies with Peter.
The rest of the break passed by in relative peace. The five of them drinking in silence, only occasionally broken by the sounds of pounding feet and laughter from outside the door. They ignored it all with practiced grace, diving into their happy places as they awaited the bell that would toll their doom. It came, as it always did, too soon for any of them. Bones creaked, and tired sighs escaped them like water slipping through a dam, as they slowly rose from their cushioned thrones. Jaune followed after the blonde deputy, having offered to help her in one of the combat classes for the second years. At least this time he'd just be acting as referee, and stepping in if things got too heated.
And thankfully Coco Adel was out on a mission…
"So some students mentioned a dance coming up?" Jaune asked as they made their way through the corridors. Glynda hummed her agreement, stalking down the hallways like a panther. She didn't make way for the students coming the other way, for every single one of them made way for her.
"It's an annual event, a chance for the students to celebrate the first semester – before they get their official trial mission." The older woman huffed, pushing her glasses further up her nose with two fingers. "Of course with the Vytal Festival coming, the dance is also going to be used as a chance for James to move his soldiers out across Beacon."
James? Ah, she meant Ironwood… mister seven feet and broody. Nope, he totally wasn't still bitter about that asshole.
"So what are we supposed to do about the event?" He'd never been to a proper dance before, though it had always been a dream to take a beautiful woman to one, where they would slowly dance together – gazing into one another's eyes. Fat chance of that happening now, considering most of the women his age were off the market.
"Look after the students, make sure nothing foolish happens." Glynda rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Luckily we don't need to get involved if any couples are getting… friendly, so long as they don't do it in public. But it's a bit of a tradition for the punch to be spiked, which we will be keeping an eye out for. I already have a detention slot with Miss Xiao-Long's name on it if she even tries."
Heh… scary.
"So…" he trailed off, coughing into one fist as he tried to work up some nerve, "are the teachers expected to bring a date, or come with someone?"
"No."
"Ah… never mind then." That had been a stupid idea anyway to be honest, too much coffee too early in the morning frying his brain.
"Never mind, what?" She asked, pausing for a moment, before resuming their pace towards the classroom.
"Oh, nothing," he said, "I was just going to ask- well, it doesn't matter now. Forget about it." It had just been an idea really… something that would have been nice, but well… if it couldn't even happen then he wasn't going to make a fool of himself asking.
Glynda didn't say anything either, the two of them making their way to the next lesson in silence. She did pause however, once they reached the door. One hand upon the handle. Jaune hesitated, wondering if he was meant to push past and open the door for her.
"The dance," she said after a long moment, "we're meant to watch over the students… I'd like… I think, maybe two sets of eyes would be better than one. If you'd like to go together? Professionally, I mean."
"I'd like that," a small grin bloomed across his face, though he was glad she couldn't see it, "do you think it would be okay for us to share a dance, when things calm down?"
Or was he asking too much?
"Yes," the older woman said, as she pushed the door open. "I think that would be more than okay."
Here come the complaints about Jaune manipulating and risking team Rwby's life, I presume. Remember, he's an unreliable narrator and fully believes he has done everything to 100% ensure their safety. So in his mind, there is no risk to them.
Anyway, it shouldn't need to be said… but it's not checkmate at all. I hope that was clear. Things need to go well, before they go bad, etc… Ah, ignore me xD – call me salty because this was my week off and I had people from work calling me all week asking for advice or how to solve issues.
All because I made the critical mistake of not saying I would be in a different country… so they just keep ringing me and emailing me, what do we do here – we need help here. Even when they do something good they email or call to let me know. And it's like "That's great! But I'm still trying to relax on holiday, you know!?"
On a side note, there's also a new fic out called Professor Arc: The Truth Revealed – which is a reading fic. I've never really read one of those, so it'll be interesting to see how it pans out, feel free to check it out.
I've also released my new fic – Not this time, Fate – which the first chapter can be seen on my profile.
Omake: Coeur al'Aran
It's your turn Emerald, the green-haired girl mocked in her mind, I nearly got eviscerated in his room, and you didn't even knock on his door last time.
Bah, sod Mercury. As if he would have had the balls to interrupt such a dangerous man in the middle of his evil laughter… you just didn't do that! Sure, it might seem like a good idea, you might even find out a bit of their plans if you listened in…
But the thing about being a good spy, as opposed to a dead spy, was keeping in mind that you needed to survive to bring the intel home.
Not that he was willing to accept that. So here she was again, still her turn to try and find out more about Professor-criminal Jaune Arc.
"Are you prepared for the ceremony?" The hooded figure intoned, and to her muted horror she could recognise the voice as being male. Ew…
"I am," she replied dutifully, despite wishing she could crawl into a hole and die. This was the worst idea they'd ever had, no scratch that – it was genius, but also shit. Because who else knew more about a guy than his stalkers?
"Then we shall begin the process of welcoming a new sister into the family, a new sheep into the herd, a new fish into the shoal!"
"Hmm… tuna~" A female voice seemed to murmur from the crowd, before a busty figure drove an elbow into the hooded speaker.
"Rejoice child, for you shall be born anew – into the PAFC!" The crowd raised their arms, though just to add to that creepy vibe, they didn't cheer or make any noise. Instead it was like a set of reeds waving in the wind.
Ugh… the Professor Arc Fan Club… and she was about to become a part of it. That was a little humiliating. But like Mercury had said, they were sure to know more about him than they currently did.
She'd get him back for this indignation… she swore.
"What say you of this honour?" The man before her asked, lowering his arms onto her shoulders. Oh shit, was she supposed to say something?
"Uh… yay?"
"Yay, indeed…" he intoned, echoed by a few other low voices repeating the word yay.
What the actual fuck…
"Very good young one… come now… you must be born anew among us – so that we might share the same father, the same mother… and the love for the same God that walks among us."
"Hallowed be his boxers," the crowd intoned, as she was drawn deeper into the man's embrace. Emerald's mind snapped, no, she couldn't do this – screw the plan, they'd find another way! But her vision dimmed, something loud and muted at the same time somehow encompassing her.
She was… she was tired… so tired…
Drifting into the dark as her senses dulled, so peaceful… until – light, bright and burning! Then suddenly, a thump, the sensation of her ass impacting the hard ground.
"Fuck, that hurts!"
"The first words of our new child," the same voice intoned, now sounding infinitely more deafening. "Henceforth our new sister shall be known as lady fuck-that-hurts."
She would have punched him for that, if a somewhat draftier problem had not made itself apparent. "Wait, where are my clothes, why am I naked!?"
"You have been born anew, children are not born with clothes!" The same voice, same droning incantation, as though he were some grand wizard speaking to a mass of eager watchers. "Now you must be washed of all mortal sins prior to this point… it is time for… the gauntlet of redemption!"
A series of lights flashed on overhead, illuminating a thin path between rows of caped figures, each of which held what appeared to be a tree branch with leaves on. Though she swore she could see a ruler or two, and even a flyswatter in there.
"You must be joking…"
"Joke, I do not – but fear not, our hero did not walk the path of redemption alone… he was clad in the finest of armour!"
"Okay, good – because I am not walking through there naked." The figure turned from her for a moment, rustling about in some bags – before drawing forth a single piece of clothing. A set of male boxer shorts. "What?"
"Through great risk, these were appropriated from the man himself… they are a holy relic."
"You stole them from his room?" She was impressed… if they had managed to make it through all the traps Mercury spoke of? Maybe these guys were more legit than she'd first thought…
"We prefer the term re-appropriated."
"Yeah, yeah – give them here," she snatched the boxers with one hand, huddling against herself as she tried to put them on. There was a gasp from the crowd however, even as the figure grabbed her arm.
"Do not presume to wear the holy boxers in such a fashion… only the chosen one, she – or he – who is shipped, may have that honour." For the record, she would have loved to ignore him and wear them anyway – anything to protect her dignity. But dignity was something you could live without, whereas being surrounded by about fifty disguised – and now clearly insane – individuals? That was a little more worrying…
"What do I do with them then?" The robed man sighed, reached and out and took them from her hand – before holding the waistband wide and placing it over her head. The two leg holes dangled down in front of her vision, as she wore a man's boxers as a hat. "You have got to be kidding me… you want me to run through a gauntlet, naked – being hit by whatever, while wearing a pair of boxers on my head?"
"I want you to stop asking stupid questions," the man intoned, arms held high, "it's like fifty degrees in this hood – so can we please fucking get on with it~"
"How did it go?" Mercury asked as the door opened. He didn't get to say any more, or hear the answer – because a moment later he was howling in pain on the floor, clutching his nose.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Poor Emerald, poor Mercury. Your continued quest to find out more about Jaune is off to a flying start… no doubt we'll see what Mercury can come up with next time.
Next Chapter – 25th March
. com (slash) Coeur