Here's the next chapter of our beloved sheep. I hope you enjoy. I'm glad to see that many people have come to accept Nora not being on his team. I remember a lot of complaints at first, because people thought I'd completely lost comedy potential there, but I hope you can now see why I decided otherwise. A lot of comedy comes from conflict, for instance, Weiss as a disciplinarian and Ruby as a bit childish in the show. Or Yang and Blake being opposite in personalities.
Jaune and Nora might have "led" to funny situations, but the comedy wouldn't be there, as neither of them would be the embarrassed or horrified party. Nora would laugh and brute force through, while Jaune wouldn't understand why what just happened is a potentially embarrassing situation in the first place.
Nora and Blake, on the other hand? Well… amusement.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 25 – Sheepish Explanations
"You've both let me down," Yang said, hands on her hips as she stared down at her two teammates. They were in their dorm, except that it now was occupied by four other people as well, and felt incredibly cramped. It probably didn't help that six of them stood to one side, presenting a very "us vs them" picture against Blake and Nora.
Not that Nora looked bothered in the slightest. If anything, she seemed amused.
Blake? A little less so…
"You've let me down so much," Yang continued, eyes stern. "When I came to Beacon, I expected many things. I expected that I'd be the wild one, that I'd be the trouble maker. Instead, I have to stand here and be the disciplinarian." She shook her head. "I honestly don't know what to say."
"Wait, are you more upset because of what we did or that we didn't invite you?"
Erk. Trust Blake to ask the complicated questions. Yang felt her partner's irritated gaze turn towards her and cleared her throat. "Neither," she lied. "I'm just upset, Blake. You really let me down…"
"Enough of this nonsense," Weiss snapped. "You joined the White Fang – a terrorist organisation. How could you!?"
"It's not like that. We didn't mean to join!"
"Not that! Literally. How could you? Nora isn't even a faunus!"
"Oh…" Blake blinked and looked away. "Well, she managed to convince them she was a cow faunus."
"Moo!"
"Not like that, I hope."
"No. It was far worse." Blake sighed and shook her head. "Look, we didn't join the White Fang. We attended one of their recruitment drives, and that was only so we could figure out what they're up to. We're not joining them."
Weiss crossed her arms. "I'd believe that more if your partner wasn't currently plotting my demise."
"She isn't doing that!"
"I'm not?"
"NORA!"
"No one's killing anyone," Jaune said, stepping in front of Weiss. "Let alone my partner."
"Thank you, Jaune." Weiss nodded. "It's nice to see someone willing to stand up in my defence for a change."
"Yeah!" Ruby hopped forward. "You can't hurt our team leader, Nora."
"Not even for cookies?"
Ruby paused.
Weiss raised an eyebrow.
Ruby hummed.
"Are you actually considering that!?"
"N-No."
"You were! I can't believe this!"
"Come now, Weiss. I'm sure she was joking." Pyrrha stepped in, protecting Ruby. In turn, Jaune had hooked his hands under Weiss' arms, and seemed to be holding the angry girl back. It looked like chaos might reign at any moment, and Yang watched it all with a raised brow. Idly, she wondered who would throw the first punch.
Ren did.
"Enough," he said. The single word was sharp, clipped, not quite a snap, nor a shout, but somehow it carried the weight of both. It cut through the noise like a scythe, leaving behind only silence. Her partner, medium-height, quiet and unassuming, strode toward Blake and Nora. "You both risked your lives," he whispered. "You didn't tell Yang or I where you were going. You turned off the tracking function on your scrolls. You didn't so much as leave a message or a way for us to reach you if you got into trouble."
Blake lowered her gaze, but Nora remained unfettered. She smiled up at him. "Were you worried, Renny?"
"I was."
Nora's smile grew.
"But now?" he said. "Now, I'm just disappointed." He looked down at Nora, somehow unbothered by the shocked expression on her face, or the way her eyes grew wide. He also looked over Blake, and her shoulder hunched as she seemed to shrink in on herself. "I'm disappointed in the both of you. The risks you took were foolish, and even though they worked out, it doesn't change the fact you could have both died." His voice was calm, even. His face was calm too. "Yang and I would have had no way of knowing. We would have waited for hours, perhaps even days, wondering if you were okay. Wondering if we'd done something wrong. Do you know how it would have felt to receive news days later that your bodies had been found?"
The two girls refused to meet his eyes.
"That is, if your bodies were ever found. We might have never known."
Yang squirmed uncomfortably. Ren was normally so quiet that she didn't know what to do. He wasn't wrong in anything he said, but the way he said it was a bit much. How could he say those things with so little emotion? How could he not show any of his feelings on his face? "H-Hey now," she chuckled. "Don't you think that's a little much, partner?"
"I don't. Do you?"
Yang looked away as those pink eyes pierced into hers. She'd have been just as angry if Ruby went out and did something like that, and whatever relationship Nora and Ren had, it was close enough to be comparable.
"I thought not." Ren said, turning back to the two culprits. He sighed. "What am I supposed to do with you? I didn't ask to be made the leader of this team." He paused, and she wondered whether he did that on purpose, just to make Blake and Nora squirm. "No more excursions on your own," he eventually said. "Blake, while I realise stopping the White Fang is important to you, it's about time you realised that you are part of a team."
"I understand…"
"And Nora."
"Y-Yeah, Renny?"
"Don't do that again. I was worried."
Simple words. Short words. Yang saw no real meaning in them, but Nora ducked her head and seemed to shrink in on herself. Despite that, her cheeks were crimson. "Y-Yeah. I'm sorry, Renny. I… I didn't think."
"You didn't," he agreed. "I think you both deserve a punishment for this, but I have no idea what to suggest. Yang?"
"Um. I've got nothing. We could wait on it and see if we come up with any ideas."
"A good idea," Ren nodded. "Now, Nora. I want you to apologise to Weiss."
Nora sulked, but didn't look like she wanted to argue. She looked over to the heiress and pouted. "I'm sorry for joining a terrorist organisation determined to kill you, Weiss."
"Am I supposed to just forgive that?"
"Weiss!" Ruby hissed.
"What? What she did requires so much more than a mere apol-"
"Weiss…" Jaune urged.
"I'm sure she didn't mean it," Pyrrha added.
"Oh, for the love of- Fine!" Weiss growled and turned to the other girl. "I forgive you, Nora. Somehow, this is all water under the bridge."
"Well, now that everything's over, I guess we can calm down a little." Ren said. "I suppose the best would be to forget this ever happened. There's no need to do anything again with the White Fang an-"
"No way!" Weiss snapped. "If the White Fang are planning something, then we need to know! They stole dust from my family."
"She's right," Blake argued. "There's something going on it's our duty to look into it."
"Count me in," Ruby echoed. "We should stop the bad guys. We're huntresses for a reason, right?"
Yang sniggered and walked over to stand next to her partner, nudging her arm against his. "Looks like you're outvoted on this one, partner. They've got a point. Blake's not going to be able to let this go, and Nora will worry about her. It's probably best we sort this out as a team." Yang shrugged. "Or would you rather they sneak off to do it alone again?"
"I'd rather they not do it at all." He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Failing that, I suppose this is the best we'll get. Nora, Blake. If we agree to this, then you need to follow my instructions, okay? We will do this with a plan. No more chaos." He waited for Blake to nod and then continued. "When did they say the next meeting was?"
"A week or so," Blake replied. "I have the exact date and time on my scroll."
"We'll need to attend. If we go in disguise, we'll be able to find out more."
"I hope you're not forgetting about us," Weiss said imperiously. "Our team has a vested interest in seeing this play out. We're coming along."
"We do?" Jaune asked.
"We are?" Pyrrha echoed.
"Yes!" Weiss crossed her arms. "I'm going because these criminals have insulted my family honour and are doubtless planning something terrible. Ruby is coming because her sister would be in danger, and because I doubt we could keep her away without a stationing a bear trap outside our door."
"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, missing the last part.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Jaune said. He was unusually uncomfortable with the idea, and Yang wondered why. "I mean, what if Torchwick is there again? He's working with the White Fang, and I just really think it's a bad idea for us to run into him."
Yang caught on quickly. "Are you worried about Hentacle?" she asked. "You're a guy, so he might go for you. Then again, he might go for Ren too."
"I'll keep an eye on your rear, Jaune," Pyrrha said. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, right before she realised exactly what she'd said and what it sounded like. Her cheeks darkened. "I mean… well, I… in the most platonic sense, of course."
"Wait, but I didn't even say I'd go!" he whined.
"You're going to leave us to do it alone?" Weiss asked. She raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you want to do, then fine. I'm sure that when I'm pressed on all sides by terrorists who want nothing better than to capture and publically execute me, that there won't be any problems whatsoever. I shan't think of my partner, the man who is supposed to watch my-"
Jaune pressed a hand over Weiss' mouth. His face was pained. "I'll be there…"
"Yeah!" Ruby cheered. "Team field trip!"
"This isn't a field trip, you dunce. This is an important mission."
"And one we might struggle with," Ren said, taking control once more. Heh, who knew he had it in him? If we're to disguise ourselves as faunus, then Blake would be our best help. I'm just a little worried about how hard that might be for one or two of us…"
"Yeah," Blake agreed, looking pointedly at a certain individual. "Some of us are pretty well-known to most faunus. I'm not sure how to hide some… easily distinguished traits."
Everyone looked at Weiss.
"What?" she demanded, gripping her white hair and narrowing her eyes. "What are you all looking at me like that for!?"
Yang cringed. Were it her, she knew how she'd react, and she had a sinking suspicion Weiss wouldn't be much different. She coughed and stepped forward. "So…" she began. "How much does your hair being white matter to you exactly?"
Myrtenaster flashed out.
"GET HER! HOLD HER DOWN!"
"Ow- not the face!"
"Get off me!"
"I'm sorry, Weiss. This needs to be done."
"I'll kill you!" the heiress howled. "I'll kill you all for this! Nooooooo!"
/-/
Emerald stomped through the halls of Beacon and tried to enjoy the rare chance to think to herself. It wasn't easy, given how that bastard Mercury occupied her thoughts – and definitely not in the way he no doubt hoped.
How dare he do that to me? Mercury never cared about impressing Cinder before, and now he does this? Her hands tightened into fists and her teeth ground together. Their dynamic had always been clear. He was the flirtatious and annoying idiot; useful in his own right, but always less so than her. She was the one with the rare Semblance. She was the one who served their mistress' desires. She was the one Cinder would look to with trust and pride.
Now…? Now, everything was messed up!
"I hate him. I absolutely hate him!"
She wanted vengeance. She wanted to put him in his place. Nothing too overt, of course. Cinder still needed him, and their little spats weren't to interfere with her plans, but if she could just put him back in his rightful place, then that would be enough. If she could just find some way to take her rightful position at the top once more.
A nearby door opened, and Emerald paused to duck into an alcove. The last thing she wanted was for some random person to approach her. Leaning out, she spied a tall and burly figure in silver armour cackling to himself. He rubbed his hands together and walked in the opposite direction. He never saw her.
Cardin Winchester. The name came to her quickly. It was the one who had doused Jaune, and one of the people Cinder was interested in, though he would come to regret that interest in time, she was sure. Emerald's eyes widened. This was perfect. She could follow him and gather information. It might not be what Cinder had specifically asked for, but she wanted to give Mercury a chance to fail at that first, just to make her victory all the sweeter. Emerald pushed off the wall and stalked after him, only to stop at the door he'd exited.
Isn't this Team WJRP's room?
It was. How Cardin had gained access, she had no idea, but this was definitely the young master's room. Cinder had made sure both she and Mercury memorised its location in the event something went wrong and they had to evacuate him.
What was he doing in Jaune's room, though? Emerald looked back ahead to where the man rounded the corner. She could still catch up and follow him, but doubt gnawed at her. What had he done in the room? He was just a student, so she didn't imagine it would be too bad, but what if his anger towards Jaune had overridden common sense?
She imaged a bomb exploding, and the look on Cinder's face when she found out of her brother's demise. Did she dare take the risk?
"Damn it, Winchester," Emerald growled, moving over to the door. A quick glance either way showed she was clear, and when she reached for the lock to pick it, she paused as she realised it was open.
The door was still ajar.
What if Jaune was in here? What if Cardin attacked him when he was distracted? The brute had wiped his hands together as though he'd just finished with something, and that self-satisfied smirk had already set her off. What if he's injured? Emerald's eyes widened, and a small hint of colour came to her cheeks. What if Cinder finds out how I saved her brother's life?
That… that would put her back at the top, wouldn't it?
Even better, Cinder would be so pleased. So very pleased…
It was perfect. No. It was better than perfect. Emerald didn't even give herself time to think, but instead slammed into the door shoulder first. It pushed open and cracked against the back wall as she dove into the room. "I'm here!" she cried. "Are you al… right?"
No one. The room was empty.
Something heavy slammed into the back of her head, followed by a rush of something cold that washed over her. Emerald gasped at the sensation, then winced and closed her eyes as the liquid covered her face.
A single red eye cracked open, followed by another as she realised whatever it was hadn't gotten In her eyes. She wiped her face with the back of her arm. What had that been? She wasn't injured and her aura was still holding up. A glance back revealed a bucket on the floor, surrounded by a large white stain. Emerald's eye twitched as she stomped over to a nearby full-length mirror and looked into it.
Cardin Winchester had to die.
It was simple, really. He had to die.
Her hair, her beautiful hair that matched her namesake… it was pure white now – the colour of snow, except that even snow had more tones than this. She grabbed a lock of it between her fingers and lifted it up. The roots were still green, which made it look about ten times worse. Her arms, neck and shoulders were covered in the gunk and stained white too – along with most of her clothing. She looked like a ghost.
The door opened once more.
"Hey what's this stain?" Jaune asked. "Huh, what- whoah. Hey!" He jumped at the sight of her, then swallowed and looked a little closer. Shock and surprise gave way to something far worse. Pity. "Uh, what are you doing in our room? And why is your hair…?"
Excuses flashed through her mind, but he was on his own and she was too pissed to care. "That bastard Winchester dumped this on me!" she snarled. "My hair is ruined!"
"Cardin…?"
"YES!" She stomped one foot angrily. "He left a bucket of crap above your door, and when I decided to make sure it wasn't a bomb or something, I got caught in it." She pointed to her face. "And then this!"
A part of her thought she really should have been a bit politer with Cinder's brother, but the situation was beyond normal, and she was beyond caring. How was she meant to get her own back on Mercury when she looked like this? Even if she stabbed him through the heart, he'd die laughing.
At her!
"Cardin, huh?" Jaune frowned and looked back to the door and the bucket. "I thought we weren't going to involve innocents. That could have hit Weiss, Pyrrha or Ruby." He shook his head and turned back to her. "Thanks for the help, Emerald. I uh… realise you didn't exactly mean to take it, but thanks anyway."
"Yeah, sure. No fucking problem." She growled and kicked at the carpet. "Can I use your shower?"
"Sure. It's over there."
He didn't need to point. Their dorms were practically mirror images of one another. Regardless, she rolled her eyes and shut herself in the tiny bathroom, turning the shower on to get the water running hot. In the mirror, she could see her new look a little more clearly, and that didn't do much to make it any better. Winchester better hope this washes out, or I'll skin him alive and dip him in bleach.
Her clothes, sticky and discoloured, slapped down onto the tiles. It was only when she was fully naked and already basking under the warm spray of the shower that she realised her problem. She didn't have a change of clothes.
Not good.
What are my chances of walking back naked and casting an illusion on every single person I see?
Not exactly high. She could have pulled them back on again, but that would make the shower pointless, and she didn't relish getting back into them. With a sigh, she turned the shower down a little so her voice could be heard. "Jaune?"
"Yeah?" he called back. Okay, he could hear her. Good.
"Do you have a spare change of clothes I could wear? Mine are… not in the best shape."
"Uh, sure. I can look." She heard him move about in the other room, and sighed a breath of relief. "I don't dare go in the girl's stuff," he called. "Are you okay wearing some of mine?"
"Anything, please…"
Right now, his sounded great. The baggier the better. In fact, if he lent her one of his hoodies, then she could also hide her ultimate shame. The damn stuff wasn't washing out of her hair! Cardin Winchester was going to die.
The door to the bathroom cracked open.
A bottle of shampoo hit it a second later. "Don't come in!" she shrieked.
"I-I wasn't going to! I need to put these clothes inside…"
"Just throw them," she growled, one arm over her breasts, the other a little lower. She saw his arm enter and reach back, as though to toss them, but her eyes widened when she realised the floor was now a mix of water and whatever-it-was Cardin had left on her. "No, wait! Don't throw them!"
His arm froze. "What am I supposed to do?"
Emerald bit her lip and scowled. Really, was nothing going to go right today? "Just… keep them on your bed. I can come out with a towel and you can look the other way. Okay?"
Not perfect, but the best she was going to get.
"Actually, I have a different idea." Jaune said. The clothes vanished behind the door, and Emerald raised an eyebrow as she waited to see what his vaunted plan was. The door creaked open a little more, not enough to admit an actual person, but perhaps something smaller. What was he thinking? "Here we go," he called – and the clothes entered the bathroom.
On the end of a thick, black tentacle.
Emerald's first response was to flinch away. It was a dark black the colour of Grimm, but didn't have any of the bone-white protrusions she was used to seeing. It fumbled in the air a little, clearly blind and working on guess-work. There was a shirt, trousers and a jacket wrapped around it – along with a pair of boxer shorts and some socks. It hovered in roughly the middle of the bathroom, and once it was obvious it wouldn't be doing anything… weird, she relaxed a little.
So, this was one of his tentacles? Cinder had told her and the others about them, but so far, only Mercury had actually seen one, and that was in the middle of combat. A strange curiosity overcame her, and she dared to creep out of the shower towards it.
"Do you see them?" Jaune asked. "I don't really know where to put them. You can lay them on the sink or the toilet or something."
"Y-Yeah," she replied, crouched down by the limb and with her head tilted to the side. "I'll get them. Just give me a second."
A second to inspect them, that is, she thought. Completely naked and dripping water on the floor, she leaned her face closer, inspecting the strange thing. It was unlike anything she'd seen before. Smooth in a way that was clearly unnatural. Normal skin had pores, marks and bumps on it, but this looked more like living silicone. There was definite strength to them if Mercury's tales were to be believed, buy they looked innocuous enough.
They could have been a lot creepier.
"I've got them," Emerald said. She reached out to take the clothes, but made sure to brush her fingers against the tentacle, just to see what it felt like. Hm, soft, smooth and cool to the touch. There's either no blood in them, or it's cold blooded. How that would work given that he obviously wasn't, she had no idea. She shivered as the tentacle slithered back however, running across her hand as it left the clothes in her grasp.
Gods, that was weird. Not bad, weird. Just weird. "T-Thanks," she said. "You're going to change back, right? You don't want your team to see."
"I know." he called back.
Emerald put the clothes down on a towel rack and rubbed her fingers together. There wasn't any residue or slime, but it still felt weird in a rubbery kind of way. Well, whatever. As long as they weren't assaulting her, it was fine. It was pretty convenient what he could do with them too, since this saved her the potential embarrassment of walking around his room naked.
She stepped back into the shower and finished washing off, helping herself to a towel afterwards to dry, and then pulling herself into his clothes. Like she'd expected, they were overly baggy and loose, but clean enough. It felt a little suspect to wear a guy's shirt and no bra, but she could pull the jacket shut and walk down the halls with her arms crossed.
The main problem was her hair, which still looked like it was white with green streaks, and thus ridiculous. With a groan, she tied it up as best she could and stepped out into the room.
"Thanks for that," she said. "I'll bring the clothes back at some point."
"Huh? Yeah. No problem." He scratched the back of his head. He was in his human form now, with no tentacles in sight. "Thanks for spotting Cardin, and sorry for you getting involved. I'll have a word with him. He won't do anything else to you."
Oh, let him have a word with Cardin? Emerald's face lit up. She's thought to exact her vengeance personally, but if Jaune Arc, heir to Cinder's mistress wanted to do it? Well, whatever she'd planned would pale in comparison, wouldn't it? Would he kill the guy? No, that was too obvious and they were undercover. Maybe he would torture his mind until it shattered and he had to be carried from Beacon on a stretcher. Maybe he would humiliate Cardin so badly he fled Beacon altogether.
The possibilities were endless. She opened her mouth to agree, but voices were raised from outside.
"I can't believe you. I trusted you both and this is how you repay me! Betrayal!?"
"But Weiss, this was necessary…"
"You could have asked!"
"You'd never have said yes."
"EXACTLY!"
"Now, now, Wei-"
"Don't you `now, now` me, Pyrrha! Don't think I forgot how you disarmed and held me down. You're on thin ice, and the ice is about to kill you!"
The door opened before Emerald could even think to hide. She took one look at the three girls, who paused as well to look at her. She was next to their teammate. She was still wet from the shower. Her hair was bedraggled. She was wearing his clothing. There was a suspicious white marking on the floor.
"This isn't what it looks like!" Emerald gasped.
"Really?" Weiss Schnee crossed her arms, utterly unamused. "Because it looks like you had a shower then borrowed my partner's clothing."
Emerald blinked.
"This is exactly what it looks like."
"I thought so." Weiss sighed and tossed her weapon on her bed. "What, did you think we'd jump to the conclusion you'd slept with him or something? He's been out of our sight for less than ten minutes. I doubt he's capable of convincing a girl to do that in so short a time, if at all."
"And it's Jaune," Ruby said, as though that explained everything.
"Y-Yes," Pyrrha agreed, laughing as she sheathed her weapon. "Who would leap to such baseless conclusions? Certainly not I. Ha ha. What are you doing here?"
"Cardin left a trap in our room," Jaune said, answering for her. "Emerald got concerned and took the brunt of it. I offered to let her use our shower, but her clothes were ruined."
There were general sounds of sympathy and gratitude to that, but Emerald barely heard them. Now that the initial panic was over, she'd allowed herself to look a little more closely at his team, and one of its members was certainly a little off.
Weiss Schnee noticed her staring. "I fancied a change." she snapped.
The lie was so obvious, Emerald wasn't sure if the polite thing to do would be to pretend to believe it or not. With the heiress' arms crossed over her chest, it gave a wonderful glimpse of her new hair, which hung loose down her back and out of its usual ponytail.
It was a pastel green.
"I… uh…"
"I. Fancied. A. Change." Weiss Schnee repeated, putting heavy emphasis on each word. She glanced at Emerald's hair. "I see you did, too."
Emerald's eye twitched.
Weiss' did, as well.
"I'm going to kill the person who did this to me," Emerald said glibly. "How about you?"
"Oh, once they let their guards down," Weiss replied, nodding. "I liked your hair green."
"I liked yours white," Emerald agreed.
She didn't think she'd ever felt closer to another person than she did in that moment. The two shared a long look followed by a slow nod. People would pay for this. You did not do this to another person.
"Ha ha, well…" Jaune laughed nervously and stepped between them. "Thanks for helping us anyway, Emerald. I'll deal with Cardin, so you don't have to. And Weiss, I think you look beautiful with that hair colour."
"You'll be the first to die, Jaune."
He laughed louder – and more nervously. Did he think she was joking? Emerald didn't think so. Oh, the Schnee wouldn't kill them, but Emerald secretly hoped she put them through hell. The same kind of hell she would imagine Winchester going through. In fact, why not let Jaune exact his vengeance, and then she could do her own as well? He deserved twice the agony for this.
All in all, as Emerald left the dorm, she couldn't help but feel that had gone better than she'd feared it would. New hairstyle aside, none of his team had leapt to any foolish conclusions, and she'd come out of it a little closer to their targets.
Huh… maybe this worked out in the end.
/-/
Cinder's initial response to a wet and bedraggled Emerald coming into their room wearing her foolish brother's clothing had not been a positive one. She'd clamped down on the immediate desire to wreak havoc, however. To be fair, Emerald's new hairstyle had helped. It was such a shockingly horrific colour that it had frozen Cinder solid – and that gave Emerald the time she needed to explain the situation in full.
"So, Winchester has made a move against my brother, has he?" Cinder sipped from her glass and narrowed her eyes. The girl opposite her flinched. She noticed and quickly smoothed her expression. "You did well, Emerald. I am very pleased with your initiative, even if it was not something I asked of you." She made sure to smile beatifically. "Well done."
Emerald's response was nothing short of euphoric, despite how she tried to hide it.
Hmph. She'd always been like this. So easy to control, so simple to manipulate. By no means was that a bad trait in itself. Emerald was no fool, but clung to her like one would a life line. Considering she had taken the girl off the streets, perhaps that analogy was more apt than she'd first thought. For a second, she'd actually thought the girl had made a move on Jaune, but now with her mind in the right place, she could dismiss such foolishness.
He was too innocent, too sweet to pick up on any overtures Emerald might think to make. He was also lacking in the confidence department, and likely wouldn't be the first to ask a girl out. Her eyes hardened. No doubt, that was how Xiao-Long was able to sink her claws into him. She made a move while Jaune was adapting to this new environment.
Cinder's temper flared. How dare that insolent girl take advantage of him so? Jaune needed guidance and support, not some snivelling teenager with more drama than sense. He needed someone mature, someone who could lead him in the right path.
Honestly, he needed his Big Sister's advice and guidance. He always had and always would. The problem was how difficult that would be with his attention drawn aside by that brat. If only she could focus it more on her. If only she could regain what was once solely hers.
Emerald shifted awkwardly on the seat opposite her. Cinder's eyes narrowed.
Hmm… perhaps there is potential here after all, she thought. If Jaune's attention could be drawn away from Xiao-Long, then that would free him from her influence. What's more, Roman does need that distraction I promised him. She considered her minion with a keen eye. Emerald is loyal to me. Easily controlled. Malleable.
Sure, Emerald wasn't quite what he deserved, but she could do as a smokescreen for now. He would forever be close to hand, at her beck and call, and Emerald's focus on her would keep him loyal. More importantly, it would keep him out of danger.
The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.
"You've done very well today, Emerald," Cinder purred. "How would you like to be of special use to me as well? I have a job in mind and it's one I… do not feel Mercury would be able to achieve."
"Y-You do?" Emerald's red eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself. "I mean, of course. I'm at your command, ma'am."
"If you're sure, Emerald. I wouldn't want to push such an inconvenient task on you…"
"No. Whatever you want, I'm ready."
"I'm glad to hear that." Cinder smiled and uncrossed her legs, leaning forward to rest one elbow on the table. "Tell me, Emerald. You've met and interacted with my brother now. What are your thoughts on him?"
"Jaune? He's… okay, I guess." She scratched her cheek. "He's blunt, but I wouldn't call him stupid. I guess he did offer me the use of his shower and clothes, and he offered to deal with Winchester for me."
He did? Well, well, well, was that a little of his mother's temper showing through? Cinder hummed to herself. It was something she could certainly appreciate, especially if he was embracing the darker side of things.
"So, you find him agreeable?" she asked.
"Yeah. I guess so. Why?"
"Because I have a very special task for you, my dear~"
/-/
Qrow nursed his drink in a ratty bar in downtown Vale. It was the kind of place he liked to frequent, and the kind of place he'd rather die than see either of his nieces at. The people at the bar looked like they might start a fight at any minute, and the man behind looked like he could and would finish it if they tried. It was a rough neighbourhood with rougher patrons, but the drink was strong and not watered down. It also served good peanuts. Seriously, some places really could mess that up.
It was places like this which gave him time to relax. Time to think.
And Gods, if there wasn't a lot to think about. Salem. The kid. Ruby. Yang. Hentacle. Damn, but he hated that name. What nutcase came up with that? Qrow growled under his breath and took another long swig, washing down his frustration. As always, Ozpin had made life complicated. He tended to do that.
Not like he could fault the man's reasons. If Salem really was after the kid – and the evidence pointed to it – then it was in his best interests to make sure he was strong enough to look after himself. Whatever she wanted, he didn't want her to have. What that might be, on the other hand, he had no idea. Ozpin already said he had the relic – and the maiden. Was this something else on top of that? Qrow had a feeling the old man would have told him if he knew, so they were probably working on limited information. Nothing unusual there.
He'd made sure to interrogate Ruby about the kid. Nicely, of course. Over cookies and milk, and a whole load of tips on fancy tricks she could pull off with her scythe. To her, that was like taking some out and getting them drunk. Ruby had been loose lipped indeed and only too happy to talk about her best friend and how cool – if naïve – he was.
And really, when Ruby of all people called a person naïve, you knew it was bad.
Jaune Arc was the son of Nicholas Arc and an unknown woman. He lived in wild and dangerous territory, surrounded by people who were stronger than he. Somewhere outside the Kingdoms. His mother didn't approve of the way he acted, and he'd felt the need to run off to Vale to be his own person. As idealistic and foolish as that was, he could respect it. A man had to live by his ideals. There really wasn't anything else.
Ruby also seemed to think his mother was a crime or mob boss, but that didn't add up. Gangs and mobs operated in large population centres, for the simple fact that they needed to extort and threaten people. They were in it for the lien, and there wasn't much of that out in the wild. Qrow had also noticed that in Ruby's tales, the kid had never expressly agreed to that assumption. He let Ruby think it. Let her make up her own story so that he wouldn't need to give her the truth.
"Heh… smart kid."
Not as dumb as he looked, or at least there was a brain hidden under there. So, there was something with the mother. She was dangerous, strong, and apparently uncompromising if he'd felt the need to run away.
The kid, on the other hand, was weak and ineffectual, but came with a huge aura. His physical conditioning was good, fantastic even. He held back, though. Either to hide something or not hurt people. Ruby had spoken of some kind of Semblance he didn't want to use on people… was that related to why he ran away? Qrow knew a lot about Semblances you didn't like. Had the mother wanted him to use it?
He sighed and leaned back in his seat, even as he heard a portal spring into life behind him. He'd already been sitting on his own theory for a number of days, and their recent spar hadn't helped. The kid almost gave up at last, letting out his anger and revealing the secrets he kept hidden.
Secrets revealed by blue eyes that turned red.
The clink – clink of segmented armour came to a stop behind him. He heard the patrons hush, even the noise from the television muted as everyone looked at the terrifying image he knew stood behind him. Qrow chuckled and raised his glass. "You're late."
"You're lucky I'm even here at all." Raven Branwen, his sister, strode around the small table. He leaned her sword against the wall, still within reach, and dragged back the seat. Her mask clicked and hissed as it came loose. She tossed it down on the table and shook her black hair free. "What do you want, Qrow?" she asked, taking a seat and grabbing a glass. She downed it in one. "If this is an attempt to waste my time, I'll make you regret it."
"Oooh – so aggressive." He leaned forward, resting one arm on the table as he raised an eyebrow in that way he knew she hated. "What's wrong, sis? Someone not getting enough?"
"Qrow, I warn you…"
"A warning. How sweet." He sipped from his glass and nudged the half-empty bottle over to her. Raven took it with a snarl but poured herself some more. "Can't a man just want to share a drink with his darling sister? It's been a while since I saw you."
"Not long enough. I see you're as annoying as usual. What are you doing in Vale?"
"Straight to business? Not going to ask about Yang?"
Raven's eyes narrowed. She placed a gauntleted hand down on the table and made to stand. "I'm two seconds from leaving. If you don't give me a reason to stay-"
"She has made a move."
His sister froze. "You mean…?"
"Salem."
Raven lowered herself back down with nary a word. She took the glass and sipped from it, leaning forwards so that their words might remain hidden to those around them. "Why?" she asked. "Ozpin has the relic." Red eyes narrowed. "Tell me he still has the relic."
"He still has it. You think I'd play around if that had been stolen? The relic is fine. This is… something else. Something unexpected."
"Something important enough that you felt the need to get in touch with me," she said. "Very well. I'm listening."
Good. He'd known she would once he brought Salem up, but dealing with his sister was always touch and go. Their last few meetings hadn't been positive, mostly because he'd been focused on getting his bitch ass sister to visit her daughter – to predictable results. He felt the urge again, but knew she'd leave the moment he started to drag the conversation towards Yang and Tai.
"Ozpin called me to Vale to train some kid that shows promise," he said, sticking to business instead. "Not in the traditional sense of the word. He's average in every regard, except for a large aura and a naïve worldview." He watched her eyes carefully. "His name is Jaune Arc."
Raven showed no reaction. Heh. What had he expected from her?
"What makes the kid special is the attention he's drawn," Qrow continued. "It's… unusual to say the least."
"Get to the point, Qrow."
"Oh, we're playing that game?" He smirked cockily, waiting until the exact moment she looked like she might explode before he delivered the final blow. "Salem wants him. Salem has been trying to capture him." He leaned forward. "Alive."
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"A couple of days before Beacon started, a strange half-human, half-Grimm creature appeared in Vale. He attacked Summer's girl along with Roman Torchwick, and it was only the intrusion of Goodwitch that let them get out in one piece."
"You're sure he was half-Grimm? They could have been mistaken."
"Well, there have been multiple sightings since then, but I took that into account. Raven, they both agreed that he was able to create and summon Grimm with his blood."
Her body stiffened.
"He met with your girl too," he said, and it was indication of her shock as to how she didn't respond to that. "She saw him communicate to Grimm, and worse – they listened to his orders. They followed his orders to the letter. Whoever this is, Ray… he's got command of all the Grimm in Vale."
"Don't call me that," Raven said, more automatically than anything else. She hated his childhood nickname. "You're certain-? No. Of course you are. Is he here for the relic? Why hasn't he been hunted down yet?"
Qrow shrugged. "People have tried. Goodwitch got the drop on him and she's no slouch. He had Torchwick to help him, however, while she had to look after Ruby. After that, he's only shown a few times, and it's always been against Ruby and Yang."
"Why them?" Raven's eyes narrowed. Her hand slipped to the weapon beside her. "Is he after Summer's eyes?"
"No." Qrow caught her hand before she could commit murder. She looked like she might kill him instead, but he pushed her glass between her fingers, and she drank that instead. He joined her, then continued. "This monster – and he's called Hentacle, by the way."
Raven spluttered. "W-What?"
"Yeah, I know. Believe me, I didn't have a hand in that. Kids and the media, and the next thing you know, it's this. Personally, I thought the Grimminator sounded like a cool name."
His sister didn't agree, apparently. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath. "Never mind," she eventually said. "Perhaps it's best you didn't get to name it. Please tell me the name isn't for some specific reason."
"He has tentacles."
"Of course he does…" She sighed. "What was I thinking? Fine. Continue."
"He's not after your daughter," he said, and ignored her violent twitch. Instead, he watched her eyes once more. "He's after Jaune, instead."
Raven's attention clicked into place.
Curious…
"Why?" she snapped.
"I don't know. Ozpin doesn't either," he added. "All we know is that he's tried to capture Jaune alive three times or so now. A Nevermore took him in initiation. He killed it. Beowolves abducted him when he was unarmed on a field trip. He killed them."
Raven's smile was not comforting. "He sounds strong."
"You sound pleased."
"Should I not be? Those who are strong survive."
Tch. Her damn philosophy. The philosophy of the tribe. Qrow took another drink, but it tasted bitter. It tasted like regret. "You and the tribe won't survive if Salem gets what she wants," he said, delighting in the way her smile died. "Your strength won't get you anywhere if she gets the relic."
"Then let me take it," Raven snarled. "I've said before to Ozpin-"
"You're not taking the relic, Ray. You can't be trusted with it. Nor can those killers."
"Killers?" Raven's lips peeled back. "You mean our family?"
"Now Raven," he chuckled and raised his glass. "When has that word ever meant anything to you?"
She moved instantly. Her left hand grasped her weapon, drawing it across her body. He leaned back, watching as the glass in his hand was knocked away by the hilt. It smashed on the wall opposite them, spilling drink down the woodwork. The others in the bar froze. None dared approach.
Qrow sighed and waved his hand, watching some shards tinkle down. "That was just childish."
Raven's hand gripped his collar, dragging him over the table. Her eyes were as red as blood. Redder than normal. "Don't play games with me, brother. I do what is required for the tribe. I do what I have to in order to protect the tribe."
"And damn everyone else in the world, right?"
"You wouldn't understand." She pushed him down and rose to her feet, turning away. "I think we're done here."
"We are if you want to give Salem what she wants," Qrow called. He smirked when her retreat came to a halt. "She wants Jaune. I'm looking after him, making him nice and strong, but that's not going to mean anything if Hentacle has even a fraction of her power. Don't you think it's in both our interests to keep him out of her hands?"
Raven didn't look back to him, but she did stop. It was clear she was listening.
"I'm busy trying to make sure he's strong enough to defend himself," Qrow said. "I'm doing my best, but that means my attention is focused. I can't take the fight to Hentacle directly. I can't be in two places at once."
"You want me to deal with Hentacle for you. Is that it?"
"You've read my mind. Dealing with him won't stop Salem, but it will slow her down. Ozpin wants me to focus on the kid, and leave Hentacle running free." Qrow's expression darkened. "This is one of those rare times he and I don't see eye to eye. Hentacle is a danger, and Ruby and Yang are knee deep in. So, what do you say? Kill Hentacle and you'll have kept him out of Salem's hands."
"Very well." Raven took a deep breath. "I'll do it."
"I had a feeling you would." He smirked and took her unused glass, drinking from it. "You get the easy job, a strong enemy – and you get to save your child's life."
"Make no mistake, Qrow. I am not doing this for Yang."
"I wasn't talking about her."
Raven glanced back. Her eyes were narrowed. Oh. Had he hit a vein?
"One last question before you go," he called.
"What?"
"You ever been with other men since you left your husband and daughter behind? It's been a long time. I'm taking it you didn't stay loyal to him." Qrow watched as she growled. She didn't correct him, though. He knew well enough she likely had been. He cocked an eyebrow. "I guess so. You always did like strong men… not to mention a penchant for blondes and blue eyes. You ever meet a man called Nicholas Arc in the last eighteen years?"
Raven snorted and summoned a portal in front of her. Patrons scrambled out of the way in a panic. As she stepped into it, she turned one last time, eyes hard and uncompromising.
"What I do is none of your business, brother."
"Nor who, apparently," he grumbled as he watched her go with a sneer. "Damn it. I should have warned Tai against her." But then he wouldn't have had Yang, who was a light in such a dark and shitty world. Qrow downed her drink. "Bah. Forget it."
He had what he wanted. What he'd come for. Raven would deal with Hentacle, and with the threat of Salem's unknown desires over them all, she'd be motivated enough to see it through. For the wrong reasons, of course. The tribe was a stain upon Remnant. Still, she'd see the job done – and leave him to train the kid into someone that could look after himself.
Gods. What a messed-up situation. Qrow poured some more booze and then gave up entirely, drinking from the bottle. Well, at least he was better than his mother, which made sense given that he'd run away disagreeing with her. He got on well with Ruby and Yang too, which was a bonus. In fact, he was dat-
"Pflrbll!" Qrow spat his drink out across the table, hacking and coughing as he fought for breath. Even when he'd managed to regain it, his eyes didn't lose their panic, nor did his mouth close. There was a headache pounding in his skull and it was not alcohol related. He tried not to gag.
Yang Xiao-Long wasn't dating Jaune Arc.
Yang Branwen was dating Jaune Branwen.
"Not like this," Qrow groaned, slamming his head down on the table. Damn Ozpin. Damn Jaune. Damn Yang. Damn Raven. Damn Nicholas Arc. "I can't let it happen. I just can't. The world can barely handle me and Raven."
There was no way he was going to let his niece and nephew get it on.
Oh my, and so the misconceptions continue. I do believe a few people noticed the potential lead in the reviews, so well done there. Although Jaune's red eyes with black sclera don't look exactly like Yang's, there was certainly room for Qrow to not quite see them properly. Of course, the similarities between Salem's backstory and Raven's (in so far as his team believes Salem is a mob boss) are similar enough to also ring alarm bells.
Poor Qrow.
And so, Raven enters the fray, and it's the first time I've really used her in any of my stories, so I'll be taking a look at her character and how to delve into it a little deeper like usual. I've seen people use her before, but she often came across a little two-dimensional. She's either "asshole parent" or "suddenly, great parent adopting Jaune" with little in between.
And don't worry, Weiss' new hairstyle won't be a permanent thing.
Next Chapter: 13th July
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur