New Beginnings
Pyrrha abruptly realized the flaw in her plan when she reached Jaune's office and saw that the little light next to the door was red rather than green.
"Oh." She murmured, resisting the urge to hit herself over the head. It's a holiday, of course he's not available...
For most students, the week long break between semesters was a great thing, a time where they could go home, relax, get away from school and work. Nearly all of the first years were gone, and even those without nearby families had often been invited to stay with friends. Yang and Ruby, out of some desire to see Ilia and Blake's friendship repaired, had tricked both into individually agreeing to go with them to their Uncle's condo since their father was gone.
She was also fairly sure that Yang had blatantly lied to Blake about their adorable Corgi being present.
Weiss had declined the offer, deciding instead to take a hotel in town, but had agreed to spend time with them anyway. Pyrrha had been invited as well, and had been about agree to when she'd realized that their uncle's home was in downtown Vale... ie; the place she'd avoided at all costs since moving to Beacon. And, since Nora and Ren had decided to stay at school, it wasn't as if she'd be alone, so she'd politely declined.
And it had given her a chance to finally follow Ilia's advice and talk to Jaune about her familial problems... or at least, that had been the plan.
Now what do I do?
Nora had dragged Ren to the arcade in the CCT mall, and while Pyrrha wouldn't mind spending time with them, she wasn't sure if she was willing to to brave it after what had happened the last time she'd gone over there.
Maybe I could disguise myself...?
It couldn't be that hard, maybe a hat and some sunglasses. She was in her school uniform rather than her distinctive armor so that was already taken care of. So long as she was careful about talking with people or getting close to them...
Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. She'd spent most of the morning working up the nerve to even get this far, and to see that little red light had deflated her rather badly. Behind her, she heard the sound of a door clanging shut, and jumped a little when Professor Port's booming voice echoed in the hallway.
"Ah, Miss Nikos! What are you doing up here on this fine day?"
She quickly whirled around, finding the professor standing in front of his own office, his unusual weapon hefted up on a shoulder.
"I..." Pyrrha coughed quietly, "I was hoping to speak with Professor Arc, but it seems that he isn't in."
"Jaune?" He glanced at the door, "Ah, he and little miss Neo must still be training. He mentioned they'd be in the arena at breakfast this morning."
"Oh, well if he's busy I don't want to be a bother-"
"Nonsense," He waved her off, "Jaune always has time for his students, he's a good lad. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's an old Beowolf and his pack who need to be introduced to dear Lola here."
Pyrrha fought down a smile as he bounced his weapon on his shoulder, an almost eager grin appearing beneath his gray mustache. For a brief moment she could see the young, bold hunter he must have been before he turned away, humming to himself as he headed off.
The training arena... Biting her lip, she thought about it for a few moments, No, you decided to do this, and you know that he was right. Jaune won't mind the company.
Her mind made up, she got her legs moving, heading for the stairs. It didn't take her long to get outside, seeing Professor Port already heading for the cliffs. Doctor Oobleck seemed to appear out of thin air to walk with him... then, strangely, the school's actual Doctor appeared, her bushy tail flicking eagerly as she caught up with the other two, silver glinting in one hand before she attached some kind of weapon to her belt.
Pyrrha slowed her pace to watch them, hearing Port laugh at something Miss Tsune said. All three looked... at ease, comfortable with the other's company, and looking forwards to their mission.
Team RAVN will be like that when we graduate... I know we will. We're already getting there.
Resuming her trek, she took the next left, heading for the long hall that was the western part of the school, and the circular training arenas that were attached to it. The first two proved to be locked and empty, but the third was open, letting her see actual sparks flying as Jaune and Miss Neo fought one another with their blades actually drawn.
She glanced up on reflex to check their auras, and felt her lips part in shock. They aren't using the system?
That was incredibly dangerous considering that neither seemed to have their scrolls on their wrists, they had to operating entirely based on the feel of their aura. It was even more dangerous with how fast the two were moving. Especially Jaune, who didn't look like he should be as agile as he was.
Biting her lip again, she cautiously slid into the room, trying to stay out of their view so as not to distract or startle them, taking the chance to watch two professionals in earnest action.
They both fought in an unusual hybrid style she wasn't entirely familiar with. The base seemed to a defensively minded Vacuan martial art she'd seen once or twice, one that emphasized counter-attacks and avoiding risks. They had obviously adapted it to include bladed weaponry, and added a large number of less than honorable maneuvers as well.
But there was also a kind of... familiarity to it. Not to the style, but they way the fought one another. Like it was a routine they'd done a million times before, like she had felt after so many years with the same training coach. More than that, their style was obviously complimentary and eerily similar, as if they had both been taught only the one way of fighting from the exact same teacher.
The only real difference seemed to be how they it adapted to their body's strengths. Miss Neo was far more acrobatic, using spins, whirling kicks, and even handstands as she moved. Jaune was a beat slower, and used power punches, shoulder charges, and lower kicks instead.
The fight ended when Neopolitan noticed her lurking in the back, and abruptly did two consecutive back-flips to get away from a heavy slash and held her hands up in some kind of signal.
"What?" Professor Arc stumbled a little just as he'd been about to rush after her, then looked around while wiping sweat out of his eyes. "Oh, Pyrrha! Hey!"
"I'm sorry!" She called back, "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Nah, it's fine. We've been at this all morning anyway." He sheathed his sword with an absent minded motion, his partner doing the same before both adults headed for where a few bottles of water and towels had been left on a bench.
Not sure what else to do, Pyrrha walked over as well, fighting the urge to fidget with her hands like Ruby might.
"Oh that's better..." Jaune groaned after he had collapsed, guzzling down half a bottle of water. "So, what's up? Thought your whole year was out on the town."
"Most of them are, yes." You can do this... just say it! "I was... Professor Port told me you'd be here, I was... hoping to talk with you. About... sparring!"
Blue eyes blinked at her, as did mismatched brown and pink ones.
"I... know I have a really hard time with the less honorable moves you tried to coach us in two weeks ago," She babbled, in too deep to recover. Coward! Coward, coward, coward! "But I thought if I sparred with you and Miss Neo, that I could at least be more ready to face people who use them."
The two exchanged a look before Miss Neo rolled her eyes, and made a quick series of gestures with her hands. Jaune watched them, pursed his lips, then smiled a little. "What did you think of our fight just now? Give us your honest, championship level critique."
Pyrrha blinked a few times. "Well... you're both obviously very skilled, and you use a hybrid gutter style based on a Vacuan tribal counter-attacking art. You're far better at it than the few opponents I saw who attempted to utilize the base version, but... I'm... not sure how but you almost seem to have nearly identical maneuvers, which is very odd given your different statures. And..."
Jaune smile widened, "Go on."
"..I think you're a little too familiar with each other." She realized how that sounded and rushed to clarify, "I mean in terms of fighting, at times it seemed like you both knew what the other would do before they did it. I think you could do with finding other opponents."
He hummed, "We were thinking about that just the other day... how about we make a little deal."
"A... deal?" She asked.
"A deal." Jaune nodded. "You and Neo can do some hand to hand for a while, get loose and relax. You'll learn to watch for below the belt hits, she'll get someone new to spar with... and after that we can talk about whatever you're really here to talk about."
Oh dear... was I so obvious?
She could hardly refuse, given her stated request and her actual motivation, and so while Jaune locked the doors for privacy and then relaxed on a bench, she found herself sparring with Miss Neo.
It was... a unique experience.
Pyrrha had thought her fast and agile just from watching her, but actually trying to hit her had driven home just how quick and experienced the older woman was. She'd found herself wondering if this was how everyone else felt, trying to fight her, becoming frustrated at being unable to land hits.
Eventually she landed a few, once she worked out the proper way to do so. Neopolitan's style relied on counter-attacks, and so she'd ceased committing to heavy strikes and instead focused on quick, baiting moves of her own. She was still badly outclassed without Milo and Akuo, by itself a surreal experience, but after a horrible ten or so opening minutes involving being swung around by her hair, being kicked in both sides of her chest, and almost taking a punch to her kidney when Neo had gotten behind her, she managed to remain largely upright... if not unhurt.
Miss Neo's reaction to the entire thing was interesting as well.
She'd started off clearly bored and a little tired, obviously indulging this only because Jaune had asked. That had changed when Pyrrha had landed her first blow, recognizing a two-kick punch combination that Neo had already used before. Her right hand had lashed out, her palm slamming into her petite nose and snapping her head back. Pyrrha had kept her opponent on the back foot for nearly a minute before she'd recovered, landing several punches to Neo's torso and arms in the process.
Both of Neo's eyes had snapped from a dull brown to an excited pink a moment later, and she'd come flying back at Pyrrha with an almost manic grin on her face. Evidently what had come before had been just the warm-up, because the remainder of the fight had seen Pyrrha scrambling to avoid getting hit in places she'd rather not be.
Jaune called it after about thirty minutes, when Pyrrha had desperately tried a high kick, and gotten her down leg whipped out from under her for the effort. "I think that's enough ladies."
Pyrrha just groaned from her place on the floor, the seldom felt shame of defeat trying to well up even as she tried to fight it off. It wasn't a match... it was training... just training... and I was unarmed...
She got up slowly, repeating her mental mantra to stay calm, pulling her loose hair out of her eyes as she did. Once she was upright, she put her hands on her knees and tried to gulp down as much air as she could, noticing Miss Neo stretch and grin, evidently entirely pleased with what had just happened.
"I'm sorry Pyrrha," Jaune spoke as he watched the two of them, "But I think Neo likes you. Not often she actually gets to go all out in a spar with someone who isn't me, at least not for more than a few minutes. You learn anything?"
"...high heels... hurt." She answered, shaking her head a little, resisting the urge to rub her aching chest in front of them. "...and I need to be... careful about my hair."
He laughed and tempted her over with a bottle of water. She tried not to look too eager as she took it, her pride recovering a little when she saw Neopolitan collapse beside Jaune, evidently far more exhausted than she looked. Pyrrha allowed herself to do the same on his other side, her uniform sticking to her skin as she guzzled the cold liquid.
"Relaxed?" He asked once she'd caught her breath and finished her water.
Strangely... she was. The fading adrenaline from the fight and the pleasant weariness in her muscles left her relaxed, and her mind clearer than it had been when she'd arrived. "Yes, thank you."
Jaune smiled, "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Pyrha considered how to answer... then started at the same place she'd started with Ilia. "I hate my parents."
His smiled faded into a confused stare, bright blue eyes blinking a few times. "...all right, that's a bit more blunt than I thought you'd be. Do you... want to tell me why?"
She did, the words coming out in a slow but steady torrent, telling them about her life in Mistral. Of her parents desperate efforts to reclaim the fortune that her grandfather had lost, to live the way the Nikos had for centuries. Their discovery of her semblance, her enrollment in every manner of fighting class and tournament, days of ten or twelve hours of combat training.
The constant barrage of words, the reminders that if she failed, her family would fail with her.
How it had been fun at first, a challenge, a place she'd found acceptance. Then with each win... the pressure to keep winning had mounted, the fewer people had wanted to know her, and the more who'd just wanted to bask in the Invincible Girl's spotlight and wealth. How she'd gotten so sick of endless hours of training, of being mobbed every time she went outside, of parents she only saw at public events and in the balconies at her fights.
How she'd she'd tried to quit, only to be dragged into her father's office to be told how in debt they were, how she couldn't quit. How they'd lived beyond even the fortune she had won for the family. That she didn't have a choice, that this was the life she was destined to live, that it would work out if she just continued, that she'd understand.
How they'd arranged everything with the headmaster at Haven to let her fight in the adult circuit even in school, how excited they'd been about the greater fame and winnings, how they'd never once asked if that was what she wanted.
"I applied to Beacon on my own, without them knowing." She told them as she finished her story, "Headmaster Ozpin called me personally to approve, and the day I turned seventeen... instead of going to the birthday gala my parents held, I went to the airship docks and left for Vale."
Jaune and Miss Neo had listened quietly, only interrupting once and a while for clarity, but largely letting her get it off her chest at her own pace. His expression was grim, even close to angry, and his partner's was almost unsettlingly flat.
"Well..." The Professor shook his head as she finished. "...here I thought I had parental issues. They really spent it all?"
"All of it and more." She shook her head, curling her fingers around the wood of the bench they sat upon. "And after the docks... I think they paid someone to get my scroll number."
His eyes narrowed, "They called you?"
"Yes, I hung up as soon as I heard mother's voice, but they also messaged me." Pyrrha answered, "I blocked the numbers and deleted them without doing more than glancing at each, but it looked like about what I expected."
Jaune's eyes narrowed, "Money related?"
"That and appeals to familial honor." Her left shoulder twitched. "Mistral is very traditional in that way, far more so than Vale, or even Atlas. Children are expected to provide for their parents to a certain degree, once they are old enough, and families are expected to stand together."
Neopoliton made a quiet huffing sound that might have been a snort, while Jaune looked disgusted. "Gods, tell me they didn't threaten you?"
Pyrrha winced. "Not... directly, no."
Blue eyes hardened. "Pyrrha..."
"They don't threaten me, nor have they ever tried to strike me or anything like that." She quickly shook her head, "It's more..."
Neopolitan shook her head, her hands making quick gestures and rolling motions that the professor translated, "Emotional manipulation. She guesses that they beg you, maybe tell you horrible stories, say that they love you and that things will be all right if you just win one more tournament. That things will change after that."
"I... yes, something like that." Pyrrha looked down at her feet, easily picturing the old armor covering her legs. "Father likes to speak of the Nikos family, of our honor, our place in Mistral's history. That I have a duty to uphold it."
Jaune snorted, making his opinion of that clear enough. She tried to smile, but couldn't manage it as her next question just tumbled out. "Professor... Jaune, am I doing the right thing?"
There was an almost confused pause, "In what, ignoring them?"
She nodded. "I... hate them. I'm not stupid, they made sure I was educated by the best... which means I know what they did to me. That my... how I am is the result of how they raised me, but... they're still my parents. And they aren't evil, they're just-"
"Scum." Jaune interrupted, making her head jerk up. The normally kind man's arms were across his chest, and he repeated himself as she gaped at him. "I have no idea how people who could do that to their daughter still managed to make a person like you Pyrrha, but call them what they are. They're scum, and you're right to ignore them. They don't deserve to ever talk to you again."
"But... Jaune-"
"My parents did something once, did something..." He looked at his partner, whose normally lazy expression had become equally as grave. "...I still haven't forgiven them for. But they at least had a good reason for what they did, they cared about me as a person, they didn't see me as a cash cow or an honor coupon."
"I..." She swallowed, a memory stirring, of him telling them where he'd been from. Where is family was... and how she'd thought it odd that he hadn't ever mentioned visiting them. "...what did they do?"
"They... tried to protect me, when I didn't need it." Jaune said after a moment. "It almost ruined my life, could have even, if not for my team, and for Neo."
"They helped you?"
His grim expression actually shifted to something close embarrassed, "...something like that."
Pyrrha blinked and glanced at his partner. The short girl smirked, flicked her thumb as if removing something, then mimed drinking as if from a bottle. "Oh. I... can see how that might help, but I don't think that-"
Neopoliton lowered her arms, then smirked and hugged them around her own chest before blowing Jaune a kiss.
"Um... I don't really need to know if-"
Neo ceased holding herself, and made a circle with one hand, bringing two fingers up with the other before pushing them back and forth through the hole.
Pyrrha felt as her cheeks turned the color of her hair, and her voice came out rather more high pitched than normal as part of her mind automatically imagined a tired, wounded Jaune having his shirt slowly removed by... No, don't go there, don't! "I get it! I get it!"
"Really Neo..." The professor groaned, sounding almost as embarrassed as she. "Stop that, and please stop implying that she should get drunk and find someone to take to bed."
The woman rolled her wrists and shrugged, smirking and clearly proud of herself even as Pyrrha's face inflamed even further.
Jaune shook his head, "Yeah, I know you broke the mood and distracted her, it's the way you did it that I'm complaining about."
Neopolitan stuck her tongue out at him, clearly unrepentant, then followed it up with more gestures.
"I am not ungrateful!" He protested, "I know you're trying to help even though you're not getting paid for it. It's called being a good person and helping someone in need."
His partner blinked and cocked her head to one side, as if he'd started speaking an alien language... then she held up to fingers and rubbed them together before pointing her hand at him.
"I'm not paying you for helping!" Jaune half-shouted, "What have you really done to help anyway!?"
Neo waved a hand up and down at Pyrrha, then mimed drinking again.
"You are not taking her out into the city to start drinking!"
There was an almost silent scoff and then more gestures that seemed to encompass the school.
"I know you can drink here instead of in Vale, that's not the point! You're can't get a student drunk as part of a counseling session!
Pyrrha didn't need any help subtitling Neo's next expression with the words, 'Huh? Why not?'
The two seemed to have entirely forgotten that she was there, and even despite her embarrassment... or maybe because of her haywire emotions, Pyrrha couldn't stop the giggle that came out. They were just like an old married couple, despite being so young, ready to argue about any little thing in a way that seemed painfully familiar.
The giggle became a laugh when the two stopped to stare at her, clutching at her stomach as she lost control of herself. "I-I'm s-sorry! It's j-just... the w-way you ar-argue!"
Neither of them did anything besides stare at her, and that just made her laugh harder. She ended up falling against Jaune's side, almost crying as she giggled, just letting all of it out. And if there was a sob or two hidden between the laughs, neither of them commented on it.
She eventually recovered herself, drying her eyes with her sash while Jaune politely pretended not to notice. "Thank you for listening Jaune... and thank you Miss Neo."
She got a shrug from the woman, and a smile from Jaune. "It's my job, but I'd have done it anyway. You're good people Pyrrha."
Pyrrha felt her cheeks heat up slightly again, but her heart felt lighter. "If I may ask one more serious question? What if they come here, or send someone? What should I do?"
"Avoid them. If they try and corner you, tell them to leave you alone, and contact a professor if they don't." He responded promptly. "If they get pushy and you can't get a hold of any teacher, buy a box of ice cream and give it Neo, she'll beat them up for you."
Miss Neo gave her a mildly vicious smirk and a thumbs up. She really would...
That should have worried her, but for some reason it just made her smile and giggle again. Jaune gave her a fond smile, then nodded towards his partner, "Why don't you two spar some more, relax a bit, calm down."
"That sounds grand." Pyrrha said, rising, working out her sore muscles as she did. "If that's all right with you?"
The older woman was already walking back towards the ring, stretching out her shoulders as she did.
Glynda sat in the chair behind Ozpin's grand desk and did her best to not to notice how the entire area reeked of coffee. "As the Headmaster is in Vale on Council business for the week, it will be on all of us to ensure that the school is prepared for our guests."
Her various colleagues nodded or made sounds that indicated they weren't surprised. The sole exception was Jaune's partner, who had evidently decided to tag along to the meeting for one reason or another. She'd considered telling her to depart, she wasn't an employee of Beacon after all... but as ignorant as Ozpin was, Glynda was fairly positive she knew who was responsible for his coffee shortage.
That by itself earned her a few permissions, along with the non-disclosure agreement she had signed... and then there was also the fact that the petite figure was always willing to serve as an object lesson in her class, especially if it meant puncturing the arrogant pride of one of her students. She was considering asking her to assist with some of the older years as well, the woman seemed to have plenty of free time on her hands. If anything she seemed to be treating her paramour's new job as an excuse to take a long vacation.
Though she did wish that the woman's 'vacation' did not include long nights out in Vale, or the implications of such trips.
Considering what Jaune's resume described of the past three years, I suppose I cannot fault her desire for a break... and I do owe her for trying to break Ozpin's irritating habit. She admitted silently, accepting the younger woman's presence after a quick mental review to ensure that they were not due to discuss any overtly sensitive information.
"As you all know, the dates for the Vytal Festival have been finalized, and it is going to throw our entire third semester into chaos as it occurs in the direct middle of said time." She began, "And beginning the week after next, we will have to adjust to gaining twelve new teams and only two new teachers."
Most of the others nodded, this wasn't news to them, but Jaune spoke up, "I'm sorry, only twelve new teams?"
Glynda nodded, "Each other school is sending one team per year to compete in the tournament, the remaining twenty teams will all be drawn from Beacon."
"That seems a bit skewed." He noted, "I thought the idea was for everyone to represented equally in the name of global unity and all of that."
Bartholomew sighed, "Originally that was the intent, but between changing demographics, enrollment patters, and Shade's... role within Vacuo, that became untenable. So the number of teams from the traveling schools was lowered, the amount from the host raised, and few were asked to comment on the shift."
"It also," Peach spoke up from her chair by a window, "Increases the odds that the host city wins the event, something that none of them complained about. The morale boost and potential for increased recruitment is not insignificant, and this way every school has the best chance to gain such things the year they host it."
Jaune still looked endearingly displeased, as if affronted this his high opinion of the event had been lowered.
I'm sorry Jaune, but will likely only get worse.
Glynda continued from there, "The first of the new students will be arriving on Monday, primarily from Atlas and Mistral, and the Vacuo contingent should be here by the end of next week. As usual Shade is not able to spare a professor to escort them, not even a part-time one. Peach, I don't suppose you'll be able to ensure they act responsibly?"
The older woman sighed and nodded, "I'll do my best."
"Thank you." Glynda replied, flicking her eyes to Jaune. "I would have asked yourself, and your partner, but you will be liaising with the Atlesians. Their support instructor hoped to teach a class on Group Tactics, so the pair of you will be working together."
Jaune's expression became politely neutral, while Neopolitan's nose scrunched up as if she had smelled something foul. The Vacuan distaste for anyone from Atlas was evidently strong within the pair of them, even though Jaune wasn't a native.
Though I suppose he was there for many of his younger years, so it isn't entirely unexpected.
"I see." He offered after a poignant moment, "Who will we be working with?"
"Specialist Winter Schnee." She tried to keep the frost out of her own voice at the woman's name... and found herself blinking as the pair abruptly looked far more cheered. "...do you know her?"
"Not personally, but anyone Jacques Schnee cut out of his will can't be all that bad." Jaune answered.
Glynda fought down the urge to tell him just how wrong he was, tossing Peter a glare when he shook with suppressed laughter. "...yes, well, I trust you will do an exemplary job of integrating her into your lessons. As for the Mistral contingent, Leo was as vague as ever with the details, but Ozpin believes that he is sending a part-time teacher who focused on sociology and politics. Bart? We will probably replacing one of your periods per week with that course."
The man nodded, sipping from his thermos. "I will pick out the appropriate times for each year and get back to you."
"Thank you." She flicked Peter a glance, "Peter, please check the old dormitories and ensure that they're ready to receive our guests by Sunday evening."
"I'm sure our fine staff did an excellent job." He waved her off. "But I'll double-check each and every room personally."
Glynda pushed her glasses up slightly, not believing that for a moment. "Tsune, please ensure Peter does so."
The old man blanched as her old teammate smiled sweetly at him. "He'll get his exercise, don't worry."
"Moving on," She elected to ignore the various potential ways her friend may have meant that statement, it seemed safest. "The Welcoming speech and ceremony will take up most of the Monday following. Jaune, Bartholomew, your classes will be moved to the afternoon and my own will be canceled to make room."
Both men gave her rather annoyed looks, ones that she countered quickly enough, "I will be leaving with Ozpin and Headmaster Ironwood for Vale after the speech, to meet with the Council for that introductory conference."
Peach and Bartholomew all gave her sympathetic looks, while Tsune simply sighed. "You really should have listened to me about him Glynda."
"Tsune..." She lowered her voice warningly.
The faunus woman rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee, but thankfully did not bring up further personal affairs that were none of her, or anyone else's, business. Her more experienced coworkers new better than to ask, and even Jaune seemed to realize it was best to drop the subject.
"James will be remaining as part of an Atlesian delegation to the city of Vale to celebrate the new military alliance." Glynda said, once she was sure the silence had made her displeasure with Tsune clear. "He and Ozpin will be handling the security measures for the Festival and Beacon itself. General Nox and the Valean Army will concentrate on the city proper."
Jaune frowned again. "Is that much security really necessary?"
"Generally not, but with the number of tourists and media coverage of the event, it is wise to take no chances." She responded, "Grimm attacks have been known to increase if there is a particularly poor sportsman, or an unusually vicious fight that leaves a crowd favorite defeated."
"And," Peter rumbled, "The recent White Fang action has everyone rather nervous. A high profile event such as the Festival may be a place they wish to make a statement."
Glynda nodded to him in agreement, "In either case, that will be their affair to resolve. We must concentrate on our coming lessons. I am still drawing up our duty rosters for the Festival itself, I will likely have a better idea for all of you around the time of the mid-summer ball. Does anyone have questions regarding the next few days?"
None did, or rather, they likely trusted her to have already told them if anything important was required.
"Very well, let us move on to the gradings from last semester..."
Neo didn't have to wait very long for her window of opportunity, and she smirked as she watched Goodwitch leave the tower.
"I'll signal you if I see her come back." Jaune murmured from behind a book on archaeology, lifting a cup as if to sip from it. "Don't linger."
She nudged him with her elbow to tell him that she remembered, getting up from the bench the pair had been lounging on in the gardens. Walking calmly into the tower, she slipped into the nearest restroom, a single-person affair with a lockable door.
In other words, perfect.
Turning the courtesy fan up to its highest setting, she made sure the door was securely locked before pulling on gloves, rolling her shoulders, and drawing her semblance around her. The bathroom's light faded, colors becoming shades of gray... and then narrowed her eyes and focused on being in Ozpin's office, directly beside the door to his personal quarters.
Remnant seemed to crack and the reform around her as her talent relocated her a dozen stories upwards, and she immediately felt to spike of pain slam into her temples as she fought to maintain the invisibility around her through the teleportation.
Fucking... ow.
Normally she wouldn't have had to bother, the room's main security, the alarms attached to the various windows and the motion alert on the elevator, didn't really mean anything to her. But the Headmaster's office had did have one camera overlooking his private quarters... but thankfully, that camera was right inside of the short hallway between there and his office. A hallway whose door had been left open by Goodwitch when she'd left some secure files there while Jaune politely waited at the elevator like a gentleman.
It was an odd place for a camera, but they'd reasoned it was equally intended to watch anyone getting into his office from the other direction. There was probably another way up, a private one, so she'd have to be careful even after she took her precautions.
To deal with the camera, she'd planned ahead, and had cracked open one of the windows to let in a cool breeze while the professors had been discussing some third year team's grades and how to get them to improve themselves.
The breeze had already blown the door most of the way closed... and she gave it another light tap, letting it swing a little close to shut without actually getting there. Then it was a simple matter of backing up, dropping her illusion, and opening the window all the way. The gentle breeze through the crack became a torrent of wind that pressed the door closed.
Nice and natural...
Pressing her fingers together, she cracked several of them before rolling her neck and taking in her target. The room had only two things of interest; Ozpin's desk, and the small bookshelves lining one wall.
The latter could wait, the former... that was her goal today.
Ignoring the computer, it was shut down and even if she knew how to hack one of the things someone would have a record of it mysteriously turning on, she instead focused on the locked drawers on either side. Crouching down, she shuffled a set of lockpicks from her coat and got to work, doing everything slowly and quietly so she could hear if anyone or anything started to move around nearby.
Drawers one and two proved to hold nothing more than routine paperwork and notes on their classes and the various teachers. She found the one on her an Jaune, and unable to help herself, glanced over them to see what they thought of them.
...I'm an alcoholic!? She gaped at the paper, reading the cursive writing.
Evidently Jaune's excuses that she often spent the night in Vale 'clubbing' had been taken rather literally, and they thought she was drowning herself in booze to cope with what happened at the Academy, while sleeping off her hangovers throughout the day. Gods, now she'd have to live up to that to keep their cover... well, at least it would sort of fun.
And if I can corrupt Nikos... it will be even more fun.
It had been far too long since she'd had someone new to spar with, someone who didn't give up and start whining in pain right away. The teen had been all too happy to accept more 'counseling' sessions that involved training, and even better, she knew how to handle a sword, meaning that Jaune could learn something under the guise of teaching her.
She was just as pathetically, disturbingly nice as Rose was... but Neo could work on that.
Shaking herself a little, she pulled out her scroll and carefully took pictures of the remainder. They had more information on Jaune than on her, and he'd want to know so as to better play on their expectations. Once that was done, she carefully placed them back as she'd found them and moved on to the next.
Drawer three held nothing but coffee mugs and thermoses, and it took all of her willpower not the fuck with them.
Sliding it closed before she could be too tempted, she shifted around to the other side and got to work on its locks. Number four got her excited on the sight of a leather bound journal, but a glanced revealed that only the first few pages had any writing on them... and that writing was obviously some kind of cipher.
She recorded it anyway, then got the last drawer open. It proved to be... odd. Several old books were piled randomly inside, along with papers, notes, a spare set of glasses, a coffee stained scarf, and what might have been a jewelry box.
Books first... huh, 'The Great Women Theory, by Doctor Colarush'. It wasn't one she remembered reading in their research, or even one she'd ever heard of. A glance inside showed it filled with small notes stuck to pages, all written in the same cipher from the diary. There were too many for her to get them all, so she just snapped a shot of book's interior so they could find a copy... then after a moment, flipped near to the back and took pictures of the last few notes.
Book two was an analysis of the Faunus Revolution, and went ignored, as did two more on the Great War. The last was an old battered paperback, the language one she wasn't familiar with, but a glance inside showed a print date of more than a century prior so it got its information recorded anyway.
Not what I was hoping for.
The man's actual diaries, the things they would really want to decode, were probably secure in his room or even in the school's vault. He must have started his one recently, probably at the start of the year... which was annoying as hell, especially since there hadn't been any neat and obvious clues about where the vault was.
Getting up, she checked the elevator and the door to his rooms, finding them inactive and closed respectively. Stretching out her back from being crouched for so long, she looked out the window, watching as a black bird lazily circled the tower.
Her final check of the bookshelves was more cursory as she aimed for anything on the history of Beacon, and found less than nothing. It was about as generic a collection of biographies and historical texts as you could find in a teacher's office, probably dating from his time as the school's professor of history.
Sighing in disgust, she nudged the window she'd opened back to how it had been when she'd first arrived, then allowed herself to shatter and reform back in the bathroom.
Jaune looked up as she returned, sitting beside him once more. "Good news?"
She scowled, sighed, and waggled a hand back and forth before nodding to his book.
"Yay... more reading." He muttered, snapping the text shut. "Well, we can do that tomorrow. Dinner at the Club?"
Why not... and hey, new excuse to get drunk that he can't even complain about.
Where Pyrrha has her counselling session and tells Jaune what she already confessed to Ilia, and gets his advice on the matter. Glynda prepares everyone for the incoming foreigners, and Neo pokes around Ozpin's office as plot balls start rolling once more. Waffling on if the next chapter will be another one during the semester break or not, or if I'm going right into semester two. Eh, guess we'll find out.
For those commenting on Tai last chapter... I think most of you missed what he was upset about. It certainly wasn't the notion of his daughters 'cheating' or fighting dirty that upset him, it was the way that Jaune taught the lesson and then conducted himself in the sparring section that got him angry.
He thought that Jaune could have found a far less drastic way to teach the lesson, and was really not a fan of the 'let them hurt each other until they learn' method of sparring. It reminded him way too much of Raven's philosophy... and if he was a bit upset during the conversation, the guy had literally just seen his little girl suddenly attacked from behind when she didn't expect it. He was going to be emotional.
Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."
Thanks, Kat
